explain xkcd - User contributions [en]

Talk:2761: 1-to-1 Scale

2023-04-11T12:58:52Z

162.158.238.4: wholly new comment

Really want an explanation for this one. [[User:JobbieJimmies|Melomaniac]] ([[User talk:JobbieJimmies|talk]]) 03:23, 11 April 2023 (UTC)

My comment got deleted by a bot!!! [[User:Unreliable Connection|2659: Unreliable Connection]] ([[User talk:Unreliable Connection|talk]]) 03:23, 11 April 2023 (UTC)
:RIP... [[User:JobbieJimmies|Melomaniac]] ([[User talk:JobbieJimmies|talk]]) 03:25, 11 April 2023 (UTC)
:No, UC, it just got overwritten by the 'bot, when it did its job and (re)created the whole initial state of the various pages to depict the new comic coming out. (Noting that you'd not set them all up fully/correctly.)
:That you had spotted it already and had ''just'' gotten in ahead of the 'bot clearly isn't something it was prepared to handle. But as someone spotting it can usually wait a short while for the 'bot to catch up, I don't think it's a problem. In fact, you could have just copied your old contributions into the now receptive page(s), with nary any comment. Too late now. [[Special:Contributions/172.70.90.101|172.70.90.101]] 03:44, 11 April 2023 (UTC)

:: This may have broken the next link on the previous page. --[[Special:Contributions/172.71.160.36|172.71.160.36]] 06:41, 11 April 2023 (UTC)

The lines represent the surfaces of the planets I think, so it's basically all the planets overlaid on top of each other. [[Special:Contributions/172.71.142.35|172.71.142.35]] 03:28, 11 April 2023 (UTC)

:Yup, I think it's what he meant - but I find it unlikely that the gas giants would have this clear cutoff of a "surface". [[Special:Contributions/162.158.189.241|162.158.189.241]] 03:34, 11 April 2023 (UTC)
::If there is a gas - liquid phase transition (and I think at least the gas giants have them): Why not? OK, you could see "rain" as blurring a clear cutoff, but wouldn't that also apply to Earth, then?[[User:Tier666|Tier666]] ([[User talk:Tier666|talk]]) 08:04, 11 April 2023 (UTC)

I’d think the same citation as stands for ridiculously large would also cover larger than currently exists on earth, and his that citation is not in fact needed? [[Special:Contributions/162.158.174.186|162.158.174.186]] 06:53, 11 April 2023 (UTC)

:It seems like the gas-covered worlds are explicitly those with clearly cutoff "surfaces," so maybe in those cases the cutoff is some specific gas density -- which occurs at a consistent radius throughout the planet, thus creating a flat surface. While for rocky worlds (except Venus, which is treated like a gas planet here), a density cutoff can lead to bumpiness due to terrain. [[User:Trimeta|Trimeta]] ([[User talk:Trimeta|talk]]) 03:57, 11 April 2023 (UTC)

On Twitter there seems to be concern that all planets are depicted flat. This may make this a contribution/mockery of the ongoing [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flat_Earth Flat Earth] discussions in some corners of the internet. --[[Special:Contributions/198.41.242.132|198.41.242.132]] 06:49, 11 April 2023 (UTC)
:You can't see the curvature of the Earth when standing on it; doesn't mean it's flat. Since we're looking at the planets at a 1:1 scale, we're literally only seeing a couple of inches of each of their edges (notwithstanding the whole gas-giants-don't-have-a-sharp-edge issue). [[Special:Contributions/162.158.239.20|162.158.239.20]] 12:06, 11 April 2023 (UTC)

The display for an uncropped version of the image would not only be larger than any display on earth. It would be larger than earth. [[Special:Contributions/162.158.86.243|162.158.86.243]] 06:59, 11 April 2023 (UTC)
:By necessity, at least as large as Jupiter. Maybe slightly above two Jupiters (max dimension squared compared to display height*width of any common aspect ratio) if you wanted to not overlay any of the others at all. And make the lower limit a packing-problem, then add a buffer so there isn't the actual need for any to touch. [[Special:Contributions/172.70.90.253|172.70.90.253]] 10:02, 11 April 2023 (UTC)

1-to-1 scale means 'assume all planets are the same size,' right? I see Earth's grass is shown to be as large as Martian rocks, because Earth is a third again as large. (At the scale where grass is visible, Earth looks flat.) At first I thought the point was that altitude variation in cloud-tops varied so little that a gas giant shrunk down to Earth size would be featureless and have a distinct edge, but that's wrong. Ground isn't cloud-tops. Do gas giants have any solid ground? We've seen Jupiter eat comets, and it makes sense they would've collected at least some minerals and metals. According to [[https://www.teachastronomy.com/textbook/The-Giant-Planets-and-Their-Moons/Internal-Structure-of-the-Gas-Giant-Planets/|Teach Astronomy]], gas giants have Earth-sized solid cores. I'm guessing gas giants' immense gravity compresses their cores into featureless spheres, which, if scaled to Earth-size and viewed at the scale where one could see grass, would look flat. Yes?
[[User:EllenNB|EllenNB]] ([[User talk:EllenNB|talk]]) 10:14, 11 April 2023 (UTC)
:Gravity itself won't compress (and 'flatten') the cores. "Shell theory" shows that gravitational force only counts from the proportion of the body that is within the radius of the bit you're concerned with. But there'll also be the external pressure (from being at the bottom of a thick atmosphere that ultimately ''is'' above far more of the planetary mass) and possibly a degree of compression density to make any Earth-sized core slightly heavier than if it was just a bare core of the same size but shorn of outer layers.
:As to flatness, I can take you to very flat stretches of Earth and very lumpy bits (depends which direction I go, from where I am now), all within 30 minutes' drive. We can'teven know how representative a sample of planetary cross-sections we are seeing (once we get over the issues of gas/space boundaries for gas-giants), but I bet there are bits that resemble the diagram... If you ''really'' want it to be so real. [[Special:Contributions/172.71.242.87|172.71.242.87]] 11:05, 11 April 2023 (UTC)

There are several pieces of information here that are featured but don't make sense to me. What's the function of the dark polygon in the center? Why are the lines showing each surface going in random directions? Why is the surface of each planet so flat at a full scale rendition? When I look out my window at full sized Earth, it's not flat. It's quite bumpy, actually. But perhaps he doesn't mean these are full size, he might be saying that they're all shrunk, but the same amount, so 1:1:1:1:1... but even then, I'm totally lost.

"What's the function of the dark polygon in the center?"
I think it is a view of the dark sky, "above" the surface of the Earth, Mars, etc. [[User:Rps|Rps]] ([[User talk:Rps|talk]]) 11:43, 11 April 2023 (UTC)

Is this an ant on earth, over the letters "EA" ? On my monitor, set for my less-than-perfect vision, it is 15mm long, which (at a 1:1 scale) makes it a cow ant, or a large african ant. I guess people with normal vision get fire and carpenter ants instead? And those on smartphones get pavement ants?[[Special:Contributions/172.68.50.73|172.68.50.73]] 11:00, 11 April 2023 (UTC)
:I do believe it is! It's 6 mm on my desktop monitor and 3 mm on my phone. We also don't know what side of the Earth we're looking at, so I suppose it could really be any ant, including the one in your local area. I like to think it's a black garden ant (''Lasius niger''), since I'm most familiar with those :) [[Special:Contributions/162.158.239.25|162.158.239.25]] 12:16, 11 April 2023 (UTC)

It took me a good while to figure out this one; I don't normally need to come here, but this one stumped me at first. (The comments as of right now weren't too illuminating either.) I think the lack of color was an issue; I first thought the black polygon in the center was the earth, and then interpreted the various lines as a really weird diagram type I'd never seen before, like a phase diagram or something; I also considered one-dimensional planets. [https://imgur.com/a/yJOYvk1 I colored in the planets to aid me.] The way I now interpret this one is thus: imagine an observer sitting a tremendous distance away from the solar system, and they have a camera with an extremely supremely highly zooming telephoto lens. Then a lining-up of all eight planets happens – I believe this is impossible IRL (because of resonances or something), but just go with it. The observer manages to snap this incredible image of a teeny tiny spot of the sky, which simultaneously manages to include the very very edges of all the planets as well as some of the sky behind them all. The sky is the black polygon: it has nebulae and stars. Neptune is in front of Uranus, and that as well as Mercury are in front of Saturn, which is in front of both Jupiter and Mars; Venus is between Mercury, Mars and the Earth, and the Earth is also behind Jupiter. The reason why these are all so smooth is because it's such a small area: we're literally only seeing a couple of square inches of the surface of each of the rocky planets. (See, you can see an individual ant on the Earth. Go to the most rugged mountain range you can find and observe a couple of square inches; it'll be locally flat.) The lack of atmospheres on the rocky planets as well as the hard edges of the gas giants are artistic license. This one is a member of the genre of "true yet unhelpful diagrams"; I'm surprised that isn't a category on this wiki. – [[Special:Contributions/162.158.238.4|162.158.238.4]] 12:58, 11 April 2023 (UTC)

Talk:2279: Symptoms

2023-03-11T23:46:37Z

162.158.238.4:

Coronavirus or Covid-19 should be tags. [[User:Netherin5|“That Guy from the Netherlands”]] ([[User talk:Netherin5|talk]]) 17:39, 11 March 2020 (UTC)
:Agreed. Depending on how you count [[2278]], this series has been running continuously since [[2275]]. So this is the 4th or 5th NCOV-2019 comic. The only problem is what should we name the tag? [[Special:Contributions/172.68.211.34|172.68.211.34]] 18:37, 11 March 2020 (UTC)
::"COVID-19" I'd say, for scientific accuracy.--[[User:GoldNinja|GoldNinja]] ([[User talk:GoldNinja|talk]]) 18:59, 11 March 2020 (UTC)
:::I just added a [[:Category:SARS-CoV-2]] since {{W|Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2}} indicates that's the current official name. BTW, reCAPTCHA got very aggressive after I tagged the second page. I don't suppose there's a proper place to complain? [[Special:Contributions/172.69.33.89|172.69.33.89]] 19:10, 11 March 2020 (UTC)
::::I would use [[:Category:COVID-19]] instead. If I'm reading the Wikipedia articles correctly, SARS-CoV-2 is the ''virus'', while COVID-19 is the ''disease''. And "COVID-19" is actually in fairly common use in the media compared to SARS-CoV-2. --[[Special:Contributions/172.68.38.56|172.68.38.56]] 19:51, 11 March 2020 (UTC)
:::::I feel compelled to chime in here: SARS is by definition a syndrome defined by a symptom set, while COVID-19 is the designation given to this mutation of the virus itself. If Wikipedia has that backwards, somebody edited it wrong. ''Edit: I just looked & they're'' '''''both''''' ''a symptom set, so there really isn't a term in common use for the virus itself; Thanks, epidemiologists.''
:::::[[User:ProphetZarquon|ProphetZarquon]] ([[User talk:ProphetZarquon|talk]]) 12:41, 16 March 2020 (UTC)
:::::That makes sense. But I'm not going thru that many reCAPTCHAs again. (I'm also not likely to make an account at this time, or to respond to further messages here. Sorry.) [[Special:Contributions/172.68.46.179|172.68.46.179]] 20:24, 11 March 2020 (UTC)
::::::You not creating account really doesn't make sense. Done. -- [[User:Hkmaly|Hkmaly]] ([[User talk:Hkmaly|talk]]) 23:20, 11 March 2020 (UTC)
:::::::I think Category:Corona virus would have been better. Since that is what everyone calls it and what it will be remembered as later. --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 11:27, 12 March 2020 (UTC)
::::::::There are now many references to COVID-19 instead of Coronavirus. It seems to be replacing the former, socially speaking. [[Special:Contributions/108.162.246.227|108.162.246.227]] 14:39, 12 March 2020 (UTC)
::::::::I would label it COVID-19, as that's the most common usage that's specific to this pandemic. Coronavirus is literally ''every'' cold, & SARS-CoV-2 (while accurate & more descriptive) is not a widely used term at this time.
::::::::[[User:ProphetZarquon|ProphetZarquon]] ([[User talk:ProphetZarquon|talk]]) 13:17, 13 March 2020 (UTC)
:::::::::Not every cold. Coronaviruses cause about 30% of colds. [[Special:Contributions/173.245.54.183|173.245.54.183]] 00:45, 14 March 2020 (UTC)
::::::::::Noted! #NotAllColds
::::::::::[[User:ProphetZarquon|ProphetZarquon]] ([[User talk:ProphetZarquon|talk]]) 12:41, 16 March 2020 (UTC)

Re. the title text, my reaction would be, "The medicine must not be working. I'd better take more." [[Special:Contributions/172.68.38.120|172.68.38.120]] 18:38, 11 March 2020 (UTC)Pat

Again? I get that this pandemic is a big deal, but I was really hoping Randall would be a little more creative and come up with some other topics to talk about. [[User:Bischoff|Bischoff]] ([[User talk:Bischoff|talk]]) 14:35, 12 March 2020 (UTC)
:I have no clue if he's just jumping on the bandwagon to stay relevant or if he's legitimately extremely panicked over it. --[[User:Youforgotthisthing|Youforgotthisthing]] ([[User talk:Youforgotthisthing|talk]]) 19:49, 12 March 2020 (UTC)
::@Youforgotthisthing: keep in mind that Randall's wife is a cancer survivor and most likely immunocompromised. I wouldn't blame him for being worried. [[User:Cellocgw|Cellocgw]] ([[User talk:Cellocgw|talk]]) 11:13, 13 March 2020 (UTC)

::Or for that matter if he, like most intelligent people, is dealing with what little danger there is by making fun of the people who are legitimately extremely panicked over it.[[Special:Contributions/172.68.174.128|172.68.174.128]] 20:01, 12 March 2020 (UTC)

Hey, a hummingbird is only 80fps? That's nothing, people are now buying gaming monitors with 260 fps just because they claim they can see frame tear. [[User:Seebert|Seebert]] ([[User talk:Seebert|talk]]) 17:40, 12 March 2020 (UTC)
: Some tests (admittedly run by the companies which make hardware to enable gaming at 240+ fps) have shown benefits of high-refresh monitors in terms of snap reactions to sudden movement, but not the ability to perceive high-frequency cyclical phenomena. --[[User:NotaBene|NotaBene]] ([[User talk:NotaBene|talk]]) 21:14, 12 March 2020 (UTC)
:Older cathode ray tube monitors running at 60Hz only appeared flicker-free because the phosphor-lit pixels faded gradually between frames. With the near instant on\off switching of LCD & LED monitors, 60Hz frame tearing can become quite noticeable (& 24fps looks downright "cinematic" in its flickering). For LCD, LED, & DLP displays, 75Hz is near the minimum for flicker-free perception, with many people still experiencing discomfort, eyestrain, headaches or nausea all the way up to 100Hz. Comparatively little content is produced at 100Hz, while traditional 29.97Hz & 60Hz content display relatively smoothly at 120Hz; in addition, most home 3D display systems rely upon alternating left-eye\right-eye opacity switching, so 240Hz has become a common standard display frequency (capable of displaying most common framerates without necessitating intensive frame-smoothing effects). For viewers with acute motion sensitivity, 240Hz displays & 120fps or higher content is a major benefit. Personally as a long-time video technician, I believe most low framerate video exhibiting noticeable frame-tearing is a result of sloppy mastering, as horizontal panning is notoriously well known to exacerbate this effect: Horizontal panning should either have frame-smoothing effects applied, or be rendered at >100Hz; anything else looks shoddy, or at best "retro".
:[[User:ProphetZarquon|ProphetZarquon]] ([[User talk:ProphetZarquon|talk]]) 16:08, 13 March 2020 (UTC)

Am I the only one reading Megan's reaction instead as being sarcastic about fitting that description most of the time, even when (relatively) well? I think it's not the first comic by Randall exploring being behind on the fitness/health curve relative to general population, so it felt like continuation of the theme. --[[Special:Contributions/162.158.91.131|162.158.91.131]] 12:10, 13 March 2020 (UTC)
:I was reading Megan's reaction as slyly trying to hit on Cueball. Especially with an expression like "wet cough." [[Special:Contributions/172.68.90.64|172.68.90.64]] 14:21, 13 March 2020 (UTC)
::Whatever floats your goat man, but I doubt that any of her symptoms are considered sexy or otherwise desirable by most people. Especially since she seems to emphasise her '''incredibly''' wet cough. [[User:Bischoff|Bischoff]] ([[User talk:Bischoff|talk]]) 15:35, 13 March 2020 (UTC)
:::Yep, there is a certain paucity of lung porn, especially as not many woman can hold their breath so long or have gills (needs citation) [[Special:Contributions/162.158.93.3|162.158.93.3]] 13:56, 14 March 2020 (UTC)

Did anyone else think that Megan might be simply sarcastic here, pointing out that the symptoms would be hard to distinguish as people often experience fatigue and dry cough as opposed to the strange-sounding wet cough, fervent energy, icy skin etc.?
[[Special:Contributions/162.158.238.4|162.158.238.4]] 23:46, 11 March 2023 (UTC)

2712: Gravity

2022-12-20T02:59:17Z

162.158.238.4: /* Hacks */ resetting antigravity

{{comic
| number = 2712
| date = December 16, 2022
| title = Gravity
| image = gravity_2x.png
| titletext = It's a long way down.
}}

*To experience the interactivity, visit the [http://xkcd.com/2712/ original comic].
==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Created by THE UNIVERSE FROM A PIECE OF FAIRY CAKE- Please continue expanding and describing the various bodies. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}
In this interactive comic, the viewer pilots a small spaceship throughout a vast area in space. The viewer is capable of exploring various bodies and planets within the play area, many containing easter eggs alluding to the book What If? 2 and previous xkcd comics. The flight mechanics are largely, if not entirely, Newtonian, so the vessel is capable of using the gravity of planets to alter its trajectory or even enter orbit. The spaceship has indicator circles around it which appear when a gravitational body comes into range, showing the direction towards their center of gravity and the size of the body (this feature doesn't work on Firefox). A circle also appears around the spaceship whenever it collides with a gravitational body, acting as a shield. The shield remains until the player orients the spaceship upright so its landing gear can deploy.

'''Playing with a keyboard:''' The arrow keys rotate the spaceship and accelerate it forward and backward. You can also use the 'w', 'a', 's' and 'd' keys to control the spaceship. On mobile the comic will full screen, pressing either side of the center rotates the spaceship, and pressing in the center accelerates it forward. It is fairly easy to fly between planets as long as you pay attention to orbital mechanics; don't just floor the accelerator. The background stars show your velocity and orientation relative to the nearest gravity well. If you are having difficulties navigating space, point towards a gravity orb and accelerate for only a few seconds. Wait until the background stars spin wildly, and then reduce your velocity to 0 before gently accelerating towards to object.

'''Playing on mobile:''' Various additional glitches may occur. Having a starting position slightly below the take-off pad means you're already 'glitched' inside the planet from the off. Escaping the planet may need inverted 'accelerating' (turning perpendicular to the local vertical, and thrusting ''backwards'' until you can glitch back out into more open space. You may also be trapped within the cannonball 'orbit', with seemingly inconsistent collision-detection, such that you can be sat ''with landing gear extended'' upon features (projectile tracks, etc) that seem not to count as solid for most other purposes.

There is no "universal" point of view — the bottom of the window, "down", is oriented towards the object exerting the most gravity upon the player. Multiple things found in this comic draw attention to this, such as how on Earth Ponytail says to White Hat, "I checked downforeveryoneorjustme.com and it says just me", and he replies "Yeah, I guess down isn't down for everyone."

Throughout the play area are coins that change the spaceship into different rockets and non-space based vehicles, including humans.

The comic promotes Randall's new book [https://xkcd.com/what-if-2/ What If? 2], which was released in September and is available for purchase. Many of the planets contain references to various What If? articles.

The comic is similar to [[1608: Hoverboard]], which celebrated Thing Explainer instead.

===Celestial Bodies===

The following is an incomplete table of features:

{|class="wikitable sortable"
!
!
!
!
! colspan="4"|References
!
|-
! ID
! Description
! Transcript
! Tiles (X, Y)
! What If
! XKCD
! Movies
! Other
! Explanation
|-
|<code>origin</code>
|'''Starting planet'''
|
Cueball: "To celebrate the world of ''What If? 2'', here is your very own tiny planet to explore!

Megan: "Welcome!"

Ground caption: "Give someone the science question-and-answer book ''What If? 2'' for the Holidays: xkcd.com/whatif2"

Cueball feeding T-Rex: "Burger?"

Isaac Newton: "Robert Hooke must be down there ''somewhere!''"

Megan to Cueball: "If you ever get lost in space, just fly down. That's where the ground is."

Beret Guy to squirrel: "Hi!"
|(0, 0)
|Y
|
|
|Y
|The starting planet. The player begins on the launch pad in a landed position. Collecting the orbiting cannonball will transform you into a different rocket, although it does not improve your abilities.

Cueball feeding the T-Rex is possibly a reference to What If #78: {{what if|78|T-rex Calories}}.

{{w|Isaac Newton}} is referencing the {{w|Newton's cannonball}} thought experiment, where a cannon is fired at greater and greater speeds until the cannonball goes into orbit. Newton's comment suggests that instead of demonstrating orbits, he is firing repeatedly to hit his rival, {{w|Robert Hooke}}.
|-
|<code>earth</code>
|'''Earth'''
|
|(27867,-35648)
|Y
|Y
|
|Y
|A planet with among other things:
* A [https://what-if.xkcd.com/162/ crane dropping a comet] onto a dinosaur,
* Unusually high speed squirrels (creating a sonic boom)
* Megan inviting Cueball into a pool
* A region where the frame rate is intentionally limited
* A flagpole
* A literal {{w|burrow|rabbithole}} referencing the figuratively speaking [[wikt:rabbit hole|rabbit hole]]
* Someone aiming at a satellite with an arrow
* A lake with an eel
* The [https://what-if.xkcd.com/157/ earth-moon firepole]
* A "doot cone," a reference to [[Volcano Types]]
* Two figures being attacked by a third with a sword
* Two kids playing soccer (Catching the ball will turn the ship into a soccer ball)
* A farmer on a tractor being stuck in gooey candy
* A banana pile being consumed by "Bananas Georg" to make the per capita annual banana count round, referencing the "[https://reallyreallyreallytrying.tumblr.com/post/40033025233/average-person-eats-3-spiders-a-year-factoid Spiders Georg]" meme.
* Megan and Cueball digging a hole (in the center of this planet is the "earth's core", referenced below)
* The [https://what-if.xkcd.com/147/ Niagara Falls water being redirected into the LHC] (Large Hadron Collider)
* Japan(?) leaving earth
* A tube to the bottom of the ocean
* Ponytail and White Hat making a reference to [downforeveryoneorjustme.com]
* Two mini asteroid moons: A tiny version of B612 with Little Prince and the rose, plus one with just Cueball standing on it. They can be found by flying straight up from the Super Mario flagpole.
|-
|
|Earth's core
|
| (28850, -28570)
|
|
|
|
|[[Cueball]] and [[Megan]] floating in a small space in the center of the planet in inverted rotations. Can be legally accessed using a high velocity collision onto the surface of the planet, although requires tapping the up arrow afterwards many, many times.
|-
|<code>europa</code>
|'''Europa'''
|
|(13180, -2540)
|Y
|
|
|Y
|Europa, one of Jupiter's many moons (in real life). A broken, icy crust has a single path into its core.
|-
|
|Europa's crust
|
"It's so unfair we don't get to compete in EuroVision."

"The region of the solar system where liquid water can exist on the surface is the habitable zone, and the region where it can exist beneath the surface of moons is the Eurozone."

"WHIRRRR"
|
|Y
|
|
|
|Europa's crust, with a single entrance into the core demarcated by an octopus leaving a hole.
Cueball states that Europa is in the Eurozone, a pun on the ''other'' Eurozone, with liquid underneath its surface.

A roomba whirs across the icy crust.

Cueball has a hairdryer and is melting the surface of the crust. A direct reference to [https://what-if.xkcd.com/35/ What If's Hairdryer].
|-
|
|Europa's core
|"We've always used neutrinos for astronomy, but if we place my 'optical telescope' in orbit above the kryosphere, we could potentially observe the universe using electromagnetic waves. Who knows what else there is out there besides stars! There could be other worlds!"

"Hi, I'm Annie. Welcome to the depths of Europa. There's some weird stuff down here."

"We were caught in a powerful November gale on the Great Lakes outside Whitefish Bay. Our ship foundered and sank here." "This is Jupiter's moon Europa." "It was a REALLY powerful gale."

"Does our book club really need this much secrecy?" "That sounds like a question a SPY would ask."
|
|
|
|
|
|A watery ocean with octopi looking out into the great unknown using telescopes. This is a reference to octopus's intelligence here on earth! It may also be a reference to (Spoilers!) a certain 2013 science-fiction film featuring Europa, if not a 1987 book. There's also a secret path leading to a book club, through the wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald.
|-
|<code>b612</code>
|'''B-612'''
|
Probe: "Asteroid deflection mission to earth. The package is delivered. Commencing planetary threat neutralization."

Sign: "Welcome to B-612"
|(2610,3700)
|y
|Y
|
|Y
|A reference to [[618: Asteroid|Asteroid]]. In a tragic turn of events, the Earth-bound asteroid being blown up is the home of [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Little_Prince the little prince].
|-
|<code>dogplanet</code>
|'''Dog park planet'''
|
|(1240, 11230)
|y
|
|
|
|A planet with a dog park. Covered in dogs, along with dog walkers and some fences. There's a hole being dug by two dogs and a dog bone empty space in the center.
|-
| <code>goodhart</code>
|'''What If? 2 scenario planet'''
|
Cueball to White Hat: "The tower over there is the Vehicle Assembly Building, and then behind it is the Vehicle Disassembly Building."

Ponytail to Cueball: "You know how tires pollute the environment with rubber particles? Well, I've developed a solution."

"MMM SPIDERS HOMF HOMF"

Shooting star caption: "THE MORE YOU KNOW"
Sauropod: "Oh no!"

Person on uncontrolled helicopter: "AAAAAA"

Geyser: "Fwoosh!"
Cueball and Megan: "Oooh!"

Giant phone crushing city: "ALERT" "Giant phone crushing city" "Dismiss" "More"

Cueball with jetpack: "Wheeeee!"

Cueball to Megan: "Do you ever look up at the night sky and think, "Wow, I bet those little white dots taste ''delicious!''"

Neighbor: "Why is my house on fire ''again?!''
Cueball: "Dunno"
Laser captioned: "Laser"

Person with Washington Monument: "Okay, let it drop!"
|(-13300,-3260)
|y
|y
|
| Y
| Contains a reference to Kerbal Space Program, whimsically referring to the launchpad as the Vehicle Disassembly Building.

Contains a figure in a cave saying "MMM SPIDERS HOMF NOMF", which refers to [[1268: Alternate Universe|Alternate Universe]] and may also be a reference to the [https://reallyreallyreallytrying.tumblr.com/post/40033025233/average-person-eats-3-spiders-a-year-factoid Spiders Georg] meme.
|-
|<code>sun</code>
|'''The Sun'''
| "The sun is governed by magnetohydrodynamics, or 'Magic' for short"

"My countertop!"

"This will make a good soup base"

"Can I touch it yet?" "No, be patient. It's still too hot. Give it another 20 or 30 billion years."

"It's okay. I'm wearing five layers of sunscreen."

TV Anchor: "The forecast for today is lots of sun"

"This should be enough sunscreen"
|(-14950, 12080)
|y
|
|
|
|Difficult to escape from if you hit the core.
|-
|
|Sun's core
| Cueball: "The core of the sun may seem hot, but it only produces about as much energy per volume as a lizard" Megan: "Wow. So how many lizards are there?" Cueball: "No-one knows."
|
|Y
|
|
|
|Difficult to escape from. Can be escaped by rotating around the sun until an escape-like velocity could be reached.
|-
|<code>soupiter</code>
|'''Soupiter'''
|"I think it's chicken noodle? Hard to tell."
|(-800, -9040)
|Y
|
|
|
|A planet made of soup, with a core. As commented by Cueball, noodle soup. Has several small versions of other planets floating around it.
|-
|<code>nojapan</code>
|'''Earth without Japan'''
|"Something is missing."
|(-7680, -5850)
|Y
|
|
|
|Earth, except it's missing japan.
|-
|<code>japanmoon</code>
|'''Just Japan'''
|
|(-5930, -5800)
|Y
|
|
|
|A moon with water surrounding... just Japan.
|-
|<code>pigeons</code>
|'''A blob labeled "Pigeons"'''
|
|(-9020, -2490)
|Y
|
|
|
|A reference to Chapter 6 of What If? 2, where it would take 1.6 x 10^25 pigeons to lift you and a chair up to the halfway point of Australia's Q1 skyscraper.
|-
|<code>enterprise</code>
|'''Starship Enterprise'''
|
|(2389, -60879)
|Y
|
|
|
|Star Trek reference: The Enterprise-C, yes 2344,commanded by Captain Garrett's. While defending a Klingon outpost, the weapons discharges resulted in the creation of a temporal rift, through which the badly damaged Enterprise drifted. In the comic, there is a large, invisible gravity distortion near the Enterprise-C
|-
|<code>qwantz</code>
|'''Dinosaur planet'''
|"Welcome... to Jurassic Park."
| (20403,-49559)
|
|
|Y
|
|An homage to [https://www.qwantz.com/ Dinosaur Comics], a webcomic Randall has mentioned several times before. All the dinosaurs on the planet are black-and-white versions of the clip art dinosaurs in that comic. Also references the Jurassic Park movies, with CEO John Hammond welcoming paleontologists Dr. Sattler and Dr. Grant to the planet. The long grass depicted is a plot point in later films. It seems like crashing into this planet hard enough will let you dive into the core, but that only lets you out on the other side. Then the system seems to glitch and have the ship phase into and out of the planet.
|-
|
|'''What If? 1 scenario planet'''
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|-
|<code>roads</code>
|'''Cat blocking traffic flowing through portals'''
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|-
|<code>outside</code>
|'''Edge of the Universe'''
|"Welcome, traveler!" (found inside the edge of the bubble universe)
| ( 6081, 26138 )
|
|
|
|
|It looks like a planet labeled "edge of the universe". Outside the universe, so inside the "edge of the universe" planet, is another universe, the bubble universe, whose outside is labeled "edge of the bubble universe". Hidden entrance is between 10 and 11 'o clock.
|-
|<code>roads</code>
|'''A tree larger than the planet it's growing on'''
|
|
|
|Y
|
|
|May be a reference to [[2: Petit Trees (sketch)|Petit Trees]]. More probably, a reference to ''The Little Prince'', a French children's novel about a traveler from a distant asteroid. In the novel, baobab trees are a serious threat to the Prince's home asteroid, as they are so large that their roots would engulf the asteroid entirely. Randall has alluded to The Little Prince numerous times before, especially in what-if articles.
|-
|<code>outside</code>
|'''Milliways'''
|
| in code: <code>[0,-14500]</code> in game: <code>[0,29000]</code>
|
|
|Y
|Y
|A reference to Milliways, the Restaurant at the End of the Universe from ''The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy''. On one side of the planet, Ponytail, Cueball, Megan, and other characters gather on the patio of the Milliways restaurant; on the other side, the Sojourner rover examines a rock.
|-
|<code>greatattractor</code>
|'''The Great Attractor'''
|
|(-596048, 247952)
|
|Y
|
|
|Beret Guy stands on the surface of a large ball labeled "The Great Attractor". The gravity is extremely strong (over 200 times that of the black holes), leading to various bugs and collision issues. It's a reference to [[Great Attractor]], in which Beret Guy is gravitationally attracted to the Great Attractor more strongly than usual.
|-
|<code>present</code>
|'''Present'''
|
"I didn't do any of my Christmas shopping yet because I was too busy drawing tiny planets."

"I'm done with my shopping! I got everyone What if? 2"

"...You got me my own book?"

"Yeah! I figured that since you wrote it, it must be right up your alley."

"It does make a good gift, though. You can get it at xkcd.com/whatif2"

"I got you this present!"

"Is it an angry bobcat?"

"It might not be."
|in code: <code>[22820,-18920]</code> in game: <code>[45640,37840]</code>
|
|Y
|
|
|The XKCD cast react to giving each other What if 2? as a present. Gravity at the bottom of the missing quarter of the planet is inescapable. Black Hat gives Cueball a "gift" which he claims "might not be a bobcat", a reference to [[A-Minus-Minus]]
|-
|<code>maw1</code>, <code>maw2</code>, ... <code>maw14</code>
|'''Black hole cluster'''
|
|
|
|
|
|
|A cluster of black holes with extremely high gravitational strength, set to the maximum of 2048. Not particularly easy to land on with multiple conflicting gravitational fields, but once landed on, rather difficult to escape.
|-
|<code>remnant</code>
|'''Remnant'''
|"All right, that's close enough"
"Oh no"

{{w|Walkin' on the Sun|"So don't delay, act now, supplies are running out"}}

"In 5 billion years, the Sun will run out of fuel and suffer gigennial burnout."

"The immense gravity of the sun's remnant means that this is the tallest possible skyscraper."
|(19620, 3800)
|
|
|
|
|A stellar remnant, with high gravity (making it difficult to escape, although it's possible to achieve escape velocity by flying sideways). Has various small landmarks, including a "skyscraper" and suspension bridge. There are bombs being dropped from above the planet, with one that seems to be sledding on the planet.
|-
|<code>steerswoman</code>
|'''Steerswoman Planet'''
|"As a Steerswoman, I have to answer any question anyone asks me, or I'm expelled from the order."
"What's one question that you would be unwilling to answer?"
"Oh no."

"Handle this artifact with great care. It contains a magical wizard's potion which the ancients called 'trinitrotoluene'"
|(-35070,-2500)
|
|
|
|Y
|A reference to the Steerswoman series of books by Rosemary Kirstein. Includes a number of references to the series, including a group of people observing a small object orbiting the planet.

Trinitrotoluene is better known as {{w|TNT}}, a powerful explosive.
|-
|<code>peeler</code>
|'''Peeler'''
|
|(-9270, 620)
|Y
|
|
|
|A reference to the question posed by "What If 2: Lose Weight the Slow and Incredibly Difficult Way". A large potato peeler is seen removing the earth's crust.
|}

===Ships===
{|class="wikitable sortable"
|-
! Name
! Description
! Location
! Filename
! Image
|-
|Default
|The starting ship.
|It is possible to change back to this ship by collecting a dot located within the Black Hole cluster
|ship2
|
|-
| Tintin
|
| On the starting planet; can be obtained by collecting the cannonball in orbit
| ship-tintin
|
|-
| Figure
|Stick figure
|On Goodhart, atop the mountain up which Sisyphus is pushing his boulder.
|ship-figure
|
|-
| Soccer ball
| Soccer ball shaped ship
| On Earth, between two figures playing ball
|ship-soccer
|
|-
|Alternative Ship
|Slightly thicker version of default ship
|Only available by using console to change Comic.ship
|ship1
|}

==Data and Maps==

View the data that is embedded in the comic on [[2712: Gravity/Data|this page]].

Maps created by the Community:
*https://bacontime.github.io/xkcd2712 | A zoomable map of the universe with markers for all planets, coins and with the option to highlight secret passages
*https://www.reddit.com/r/xkcd/comments/zpe7bz/i_rendered_the_entire_what_if_2_universe_as_a/ | The whole universe rendered as one big image

==Hacks==
Various modes and hacks have been found or developed by the community, and can be activated by opening the Javascript Console (F12 [Or Command-Alt-I in most browsers under Mac OS X] to open Developer Tools, then Console tab) and writing corresponding commands. 
'''Click to expand:''' 

<div class="mw-collapsible mw-collapsed leftAlign" style="width:100%">
 
*'''Speedhack:''' <code>ship.engines = "warp"</code> - Speed hacking, sets speed to 1.4x. set to "standard" to reset to normal speed
*'''Teleport to planet:''' <code>[Comic.voyager.pos.x, Comic.voyager.pos.y] = Comic.planetRects.'''''origin'''''.slice(0,2)</code> - teleport near a planet, in this example near earth. You'll still have to fly a bit towards the nearest planet to reach it. Replace '''''origin''''' with the ID of the planet you want to go to, from the table above.
*'''Teleport to coordinate:''' <code>[Comic.voyager.pos.x, Comic.voyager.pos.y] = '''''[0, -2000]'''''</code> - teleport to an exact coordinate. <code>[0, -2000]</code> happens to take you to the starting area.
*'''Improved radar:''' <code>Comic.wayfinderFarDistance = Infinity</code> - make the direction of all objects visible. This can be hard to understand though.
*'''Chaos Mode:''' <code>ship.engines="infinite improbability drive"</code> - Seems to randomly teleports the ship. A reference to its namesake in Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy.
*'''Insta Death:''' <code>ship.shields = false</code> - Kill the player if they land on a planet, the code never sets it to false, so it seems to be always true.
*'''No Clip:''' <code>noclip = true</code> - Enables noclip. Also disables gravity.
*'''Select ship:''' <code>Comic.ship = "ship-tintin"</code> - Select ship (use filename from list of ships)
*'''Autorotate:''' <code>Comic.cameraRotation = false</code> - View does not rotate with ship
*'''Goggles:''' <code>ze.goggles()</code> - returns a warning: "they do nothing!". This is a reference to Hoverboard, where ''ze.goggles()'' would give you the ability to see false walls. Which itself is most likely a reference to the Simpsons where Radioactive man complains that his safety goggles do nothing against a deluge of acid.
*'''Python:''' <code>python("import antigravity")</code> - reverses gravity, so the ship falls away from planets. A reference to [[353: Python|Python]]. Reset with <code>Comic.gravityConstant = 100</code>.
</div>
 

==Trivia==
The objects in the mini-universe of this browser game are all at fixed positions and do not interact through gravity, however, the ship controlled by the player is affected by gravity. While this makes it technically a relatively easy integration problem (of the position of the player ship forward in time), the integrator used seems to be a relatively simple one - and certainly not a symplectic one, because it does not conserve angular momentum. This can be seen when one manages to get into orbit around some object, e.g. the core of the sun. The orbit slowly decays over time.

==Transcript==
{{incomplete transcript|Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}

Welcome!

To celebrate the world of what if? 2, here is your very own planet to explore!

Give someone the science question-and-answer book what if? 2 for Christmas:
xkcd.com/whatif2

{{comic discussion}}
[[Category:Space]]
[[Category:Book promotion]]
[[Category:Interactive comics]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Megan]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Black Hat]]
[[Category:Bobcats]]

2704: Faucet

2022-12-03T23:24:19Z

162.158.238.4:

{{comic
| number = 2705
| date = November 30, 2022
| title = Spacetime Soccer
| image = spacetime_soccer_2x.png
| imagesize = 1x1px
| noexpand = true
| titletext = DAM N1GGA
}}

[[File:Angry beaver soyboy wojack.png]]
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
[[File:Angry beaver soyboy wojack.png]]
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
[[File:Angry beaver soyboy wojack.png]]
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
[[File:Angry beaver soyboy wojack.png]]
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
[[File:Angry beaver soyboy wojack.png]]
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
[[File:Angry beaver soyboy wojack.png]]
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
[[File:Angry beaver soyboy wojack.png]]
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
[[File:Angry beaver soyboy wojack.png]]
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА

Talk:2706: Bendy

2022-12-03T23:16:25Z

162.158.238.4:

[[File:Angry beaver soyboy wojack.png]]
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
[[File:Angry beaver soyboy wojack.png]]
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
[[File:Angry beaver soyboy wojack.png]]
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
[[File:Angry beaver soyboy wojack.png]]
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
[[File:Angry beaver soyboy wojack.png]]
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА
DAM ÑIGGА

Talk:Main Page

2022-12-03T23:15:18Z

162.158.238.4:

2702: What If 2 Gift Guide

2022-11-23T22:03:19Z

162.158.238.4: Added a brief explanation of the title text

{{comic
| number = 2702
| date = November 23, 2022
| title = What If 2 Gift Guide
| image = what_if_2_gift_guide_2x.png
| imagesize = 500x878px
| noexpand = true
| titletext = BABIES OR LITERATURE BUT NOT BOTH: Baby shoes
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Created at STEPHEN KING’S DESK - Please change this comment when editing this page. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}

{| class="wikitable"
|+
|-
! Interest !! Gift Idea !! Explanation
|-
| Engineering || The platinum cylinder formerly used to identify the kilogram || This is an object of historical relevance of which only one exists, making it a very expensive or illegal gift.
|-
| Biology || The genomes of the scientists who headed the human genome project ||
|-
| Physics || A beam of neutrinos delivered through the earth by the LHC || [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neutrino Neutrinos] interact very weakly with other particles, to the point that they almost always pass straight through matter completely unaffected. This means that particle accelerators can send neutrinos to any other point on Earth by aiming the particle beam into the ground, and the neutrinos pass straight through the Earth. This point is referenced in [https://what-if.xkcd.com/73/ What If? 73].
|-
| Animals || Surprise wildlife encounter (gift-wrapped box with a bobcat inside) || This is a reference to [https://bobcatinabox.com/ Bobcat in a Box], which has been referenced in previous comics. This gift would place the recipient in a perilous situation, and, although definitely a wildlife encounter, is not a good gift.
|-
| Law || A vacation to that area of Idaho where you can commit crimes with impunity due to a court district boundary error || This refers to the "Zone of Death", a portion of Yellowstone National Park that is in the physical boundaries of Idaho, but in the legal jurisdiction of Wyoming. Because a jury in the United States must be composed of residents of the same district ''and'' state in which the crime was committed, and National Parks are by their nature uninhabited, anyone who committed a crime here could not possibly receive a trial, and thus could not legally be punished for said crime in any circumstance. This is an interesting legal loophole, but going to this area does not provide any more value than hearing about it, and could scare your law-enthusiast friend.
|-
| Chemistry || A necklace of element samples whose symbols spell out the recipient's name (note: names like "Katherine" and "Brandon" may cause radiation accidents.) || Novelty necklaces are a common and innocuous gift, and using element symbols in place of the same letter is a common gimmick, such as in the title of Breaking Bad. However, making an object out of whatever element sample corresponds to someone's name could have unpredictable results - some elements in their pure form are too brittle or have too low a melting point for such an application, and some are unsafe. "Katherine" would be made from Potassium, Astatine (rare, '''radioactive''' and has a short half-life), Hydrogen (gaseous at room temperature), Erbium, Iodine, and Neon (gaseous at room temperature). "Brandon" would be made from Boron, Radium '''radioactive''', Neodymium, Oxygen (gaseous at room temperature), and Nitrogen (gaseous at room temperature).
|-
| Puzzles || Two goats and a new car || This could reference the goat problem, the Monty Hall problem, or the wolf, goat and cabbage problem. This gift places the recipient within a puzzle which is typically discussed hypothetically, rather than happening in real life. Although a new car is a ''great'' gift{{Citation needed}}, two goats are only useful to people with specific professions. The problem that the recipient would have would likely be how to transport the two goats - it'd be difficult to fit both into a compact car at once, but one can't be left behind unattended.
|-
| Technology || Cybiko® Wireless Handheld Computer For Teens (2000) || This device was referenced in [https://xkcd.com/2699/ one of last week's comics], so Randall seems to have a temporary fixation on it. While an interesting example of the history of communication technology and coming from a time when experimentation was common and standards were few, it isn't very useful now, because it is no longer supported, has a communication range of 100 meters (sending text messages via radio) and one can only use it to communicate with users of the same device. However, technology enthusiasts could find it interesting as a collectors' item, so by all means it is one of the most plausible gift ideas on this list.
|-
| Space || Webb telescope personal photoshoot || The Webb telescope belongs to NASA, the ESA and the CSA, and is currently very far from Earth. It is designed to capture massive space objects in previously unseen detail, and thus doesn't operate well on the scale of an individual person, assuming that that is what photoshoot implies. These circumstances make it both an impossible and impractical gift.
|-
| Literature || Stephen King's writing desk (he's still using it so you'll have to fight him) || Stephen King is an author lucky enough to have legendary status while still alive. The desk of an author that has died would become an object of historic significance and would likely be either kept for exhibition or auctioned by their respective estate, but as Stephen King still writes, his desk, while valuable, cannot be subjected to the same.
|-
| Philosophy || Out-of-control trolley || This is another gift that places the recipient in the situations that they like discussing hypothetically. This refers to the trolley problem, which places stress on the person forced to make the decision, and exists to make them examine their morals. Facing someone with the hypothetical problem is already not a good gift, but forcing them to live through it in real life is a terrible gift.
|-
| Psychology || A nice gift with a note saying you don't expect anything in return || This is perhaps the most viable option on this list. While psychologists are less likely to be mean than the rest of the population, this gift plays a psychological game on the recipient, reminding them of the nature of favors and bringing giving something into return into the question. This would cause them stress, making it a bad gift, but a psychologist would hopefully understand it to be a joke.
|-
| (Title text) BABIES OR LITERATURE BUT NOT BOTH|| Baby shoes || This is a reference to the six-word story [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/For_sale:_baby_shoes,_never_worn For sale: baby shoes, never worn] which is often attributed to Ernest Hemingway. Someone who likes babies could enjoy baby shoes in their own right. Someone interested in literature would see the reference to a famous work. But someone who understands the reference would possibly also be sad if they simultaneously actually liked babies (since the story implies the seller was expecting a baby but there was an accident).
|}

''[https://xkcd.com/what-if-2/ What if? 2]'' is a book by [[Randall Munroe]], author of xkcd.

==Transcript==
{{incomplete transcript|Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}

What If? 2 Gift Guide

What if? 2 makes a good gift for anyone who's into science, absurd ideas, or just the universe in general. To order, go to xkcd.com/whatif2, or just type "what if 2" into some random box on your device; it will probably work.

Here are some other gift ideas for hard-to-shop-for science enthusiasts:

Interest - Gift Idea

Engineering - The platinum cylinder formerly used to define the kilogram 
Biology - The genomes of the scientists who headed the human genome project 
Physics - A beam of neutrinos delivered through the earth by the LHC 
Animals - Surprise wildlife encounter (gift-wrapped box with a bobcat inside) 
Law - A vacation to that area of Idaho where you can commit crimes with impunity due to a court district boundary error 
Chemistry - A necklace of element samples whose symbols spell out the recipient's name (note: names like "Katherine" and "Brandon" may cause radiation accidents.) 
Puzzles - Two goats and a new car 
Technology - Cybiko® Wireless Handheld Computer for Teens (2000) 
Space - Webb telescope personal photoshoot 
Literature - Stephen King's writing desk (he's still using it so you'll have to fight him) 
Philosophy - Out-of-control trolley 
Psychology - A nice gift with a note saying you don't expect anything in return. 

{{comic discussion}}

1962: Generations

2022-11-20T14:48:46Z

162.158.238.4:

{{comic
| number = 1962
| date = March 2, 2018
| title = Generations
| image = generations.png
| titletext = For a while it looked like the Paperclip Machines would destroy us, since they wanted to turn the whole universe into paperclips, but they abruptly lost interest in paperclips the moment their parents' generation got into making them, too.
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Explanation of the title text needed. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}
This comic is making fun of the various names we give "generations" while also predicting some future names. The release of this comic coincides with the [http://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2018/03/01/defining-generations-where-millennials-end-and-post-millennials-begin/ Pew Research Center's recent announcement that they have decided where the Millennial generation ends].

Each generation listed is exactly 18 years long, which is the approximate length of each "generation" anyway (given that coincidentally, there are exactly 54 intermediate years between the end of World War II and the New Millennium). A number of the entries are parodies of the terms "Generation X," "Generation Y," etc., by substituting other letters or characters that would seem emblematic of the time period.

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! scope="col"| Generation
! scope="col"| Time period
! scope="col"| Explanation
|-
| The Founders
| 1730 - 1747
| Most of the {{w|Founding Fathers of the United States|United States' Founding Fathers}} were born in this period. (But not all: Benjamin Franklin, for instance, was born two generations prior, in 1706.)
|-
| Generation ƒ
| 1748 - 1765
| ƒ was used to represent {{w|Long s|"long s"}} in the typography used in Colonial America. It can be seen in many historical documents from the period. It is also the symbol that represented the {{w|Dutch guilder|guilder}}, the currency of the Netherlands from the 17th century until 2002. It has a notable similarity to letter "esh" ʃ. Depicted symbol is also used in mathematical expressions as in <math>f(x)</math>. One of the first and most complete works on both infinitesimal and integral calculus was written in 1748 by Maria Gaetana Agnesi.
|-
| The Adequate Generation
| 1766 - 1783
| Randall apparently found nothing notable about this generation, positive or negative. This is a reference to the Greatest Generation, below.
|-
| Generation Æ
| 1784 - 1801
| Æ is the {{w|Æ|diphthong}} Aesh - its name sounds like X, though it is pronounced as a long e or IPA /æ/. This character is commonly transcribed differently into British English and American English as ae and e respectively making a difference in spelling in words such as encyclopaedia/encylopedia. One of the key influences on this is Webster's dictionary, first published 1828.
|-
| The generation we cut a lot of slack because they produced Lincoln
| 1802 - 1819
| {{w|Abraham Lincoln}} was born in 1809, and is regarded as one of the best presidents of all time. The comic states that the other people born in this generation were "cut a lot of slack" because of him. As with the Oops, one of us is Hitler generation, it is absurd to define an entire generation by defining its most famous member.
|-
| The Gilded Generation
| 1820 - 1837
| {{w|Gilded Generation (Strauss–Howe theory)| So named under the Strauss-Howe generation theory}}, though they use the time period 1822-1842 instead. This likely refers to the "{{w|Gilded Age}}" of American history, roughly the last three decades of the 19th century.
|-
| The Second-Greatest Generation
| 1838 - 1855
|
This is a reference to the Greatest Generation, below, and could be implying a similarity between the accomplishments and sacrifices of this generation - who fought in the U.S. Civil War and who passed the 13th, 14th, and 15th Amendments to the U.S. Constitution - to those of the Greatest Generation. There is also some humor in the name: what Randall means is that this generation was, supposedly, second best in terms of its greatness. However, the wording could be interpreted to mean that they are chronologically the second generation to be called "greatest", even though they actually were born first.
|-
| Generation – • • –
| 1856 - 1873
| – • • – is the letter X in {{w|Morse_code|International Morse Code}}. This is an old-timey version of Gen Xers, mirrored by the later "More Gen-Xers somehow." This is also a reference to the rise of {{w|telegraphy}}, popular during this time period.
|-
| The kids who died in the Gilded Generation's factories and mines
| 1874 - 1891
| {{w|Child labour #The Industrial Revolution|Child labor}} had been widely used since before the start of the Industrial Revolution, but this is when people started doing something about it - and also, when the need for an educated workforce arose, applying substantial economic pressure on societies to put children in school instead. It would be more accurate to label this generation, "The kids who stopped dying in the Gilded Generation's factories and mines".
|-
| Oops, one of us is Hitler
| 1892 - 1909
| {{w|Adolf Hitler}}, possibly the most hated (and, by most definitions, evil) man in living human memory as of this comic's posting, [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adolf_Hitler#Early_years|was born in 1889]. Aside from the fact that this places him in the previous generation, it seems beyond silly to blame everyone else who was born during this period for being born in the same generation as him. Among those who eventually heard of him (thus, excluding those in isolated areas or who died before he rose to power), the vast majority of them would not hear of him until well after 1909. In reality, this generation is known as the {{w|Lost Generation}}, though the dates are somewhat skewed.
|-
| {{w|The Greatest Generation}}
| 1910 - 1927
| Named by journalist {{w|Tom Brokaw}} in 1998 in {{w|The Greatest Generation|a book of the same name}}, this is the first generation on the list to have a real, commonly accepted name, and was named as such due to being the generation that survived the hardships of the {{w|Great Depression}} immediately before being drafted to fight in {{w|World War II}}.
|-
| {{w|The Silent Generation}}
| 1928 - 1945
| Coined by Time Magazine in 1951, the Silent Generation grew up during a time of paranoia and very little activism due to phenomena such as {{w|McCarthyism}} making it dangerous to speak out.
|-
| {{w|Baby Boomers}}
| 1946 - 1963
| A spike in births was seen following the return of soldiers to the US from European and Pacific theatres of war. These children enjoyed the benefits of US prosperity whilst the rest of the world rebuilt, lived in fear of nuclear annihilation and watched the Space Race.
|-
| {{w|Generation X}}
| 1964 - 1981
| "X" here refers to an unknown or undefined element, not specifically a placement in the alphabet as Y and Z (see below) seem to imply, and was used throughout history to refer to alienated youth in general as early as the 1950s, with the name sticking to this one thanks to Douglas Coupland's 1991 novel. Generation X's time period was one of sweeping societal change and rapid technological advancement.
|-
| {{w|Millennials}}
| 1982 - 1999
| The last children born in the 2nd Millennium. Initially called Generation Y, after Generation X.
|-
| Generation 💅
(nail-polish emoji)
| 2000 - 2017
| This begins the hypothetical future generation names, though this generation was already fully born as of this comic's posting. Social media was established and rising during the formative years of this generation, and the widespread adoption of emoji began during this time. The [https://emojipedia.org/nail-polish/ Nail Polish Emoji] (U+1F485) is used here. Currently known in reality as {{w|Generation Z}} or iGen (there's controversy over both names, but the goods and bads of each seem to cancel each other out and other names aren't as exciting) though the comic implies it may change due to emojis ultimately replacing the alphabet entirely.
|-
| Zuckerberg's Army
| 2018 - 2035
| Continuing on the above, this may be presuming the dominance of {{w|Facebook}} during the childhoods of this generation, and corresponding social norming as ultimately directed by its leader {{w|Mark Zuckerberg}}. <s>Ironically, as of this comic's posting, [http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/gadgets-and-tech/news/facebook-quit-young-people-social-media-snapchat-instagram-emarketer-a8206486.html young users were already leaving Facebook for other social media sites].</s> Oh wait, Zuckerberg's creating the {{w|Metaverse}}. May also be a reference to "Dumbledore's Army" in ''Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix''. It is uncertain whether Zuckerberg's Army is in alliance or at war with the other social media militaries of the mid-21st century.
|-
| The Hovering Ones
| 2036 - 2053
| This may posit increased adoption of cybernetics, which (as with any technology) are more easily adopted by the young who do not have to unlearn previous ways. If advances allowed someone to hover all the time, such that one would not need to walk, this generation's name suggests that becoming so widely used among this generation that they became known for it.
|-
| Spare Parts
| 2054 - 2071
| Continuing on the above speculation about cybernetics, this presumes enough apathy or sociopathy among this generation's parents that giving birth (or other means of creating a new human) was often done to create bodies from which organs could be harvested (presumably primarily for the benefit of their elders).
|-
| More Gen-Xers somehow
| 2072 - 2089
| As with "Generation – • • –", this may be positing that Generation X like traits pop up about 3/4 of the way through each century.
|-
| The Paperclip Machines
| 2090 - 2107
| This, and the alt text, are references to the concept of a [https://wiki.lesswrong.com/wiki/Paperclip_maximizer paperclip maximizer], where an AI might be designed to be helpful, but end up being harmful. The clicker game [http://www.decisionproblem.com/paperclips/ Universal Paperclips] makes this concept playable. Furthering the above speculation of cybernetics, this generation might be primarily artificial intelligences, though of limited ability to set their own priorities (a flaw which would be fixed in later generations).
|-
| The Mixed Bag (produced 4 Lincolns, 1 Napoleon, and 2 Hitlers)
| 2108 - 2125
| As with the above examples, a generation may become known for its most famous members, but it is not useful to define an entire generation by them. In this case, the generation may have literally produced 4 Lincolns, 1 Napoleon, and 2 Hitlers via cloning or the like. This also implies that Napoleon's generation was named after him. However, Napoleon's generation is ironically, the Adequate Generation.
|-
| The Procedural Generation
| 2126 - 2143
| {{w|Procedural generation}} is a way of creating data automatically, rather than capturing it via sensor (including when the "sensor" is a keyboard and the data is typed in). This confusion of the term "generation" could refer to more artificial intelligences that were created via routines instead of directly coded, which would likely stem from attempts to improve child creation once most children were explicitly manufactured instead of relying on evolution-granted biological means.
|-
| Generation Ω
| 2144 - 2161
| "{{w|Omega}}" is the last letter in the Greek alphabet, and used as a symbol of endings. Given the above generation names implying increasingly artificial children, this may suggest the last generation that is recognizably a generation. This does not necessarily mean the end of children or the end of humanity, just that anything after 2161 is widely recognized to no longer have even notional generational coherence - perhaps because of drift (children born to one group during a given time are wildly different enough from children born to another group at the same time that people give up trying to group them by time), child gestation and maturation times (for example, if it became common for a child to go from conception to adulthood in less than a year), or exceptions to what counts as a "child" (for example, if it becomes possible and common to create clones that are somewhere between free-willed beings and mind-controlled drones, and this sufficiently supplants creation of completely free-willed children, regardless of whether the children are artificial intelligences or old-fashioned biological children).
|-
| Star Trek: The Next Generation
|2360 - 2378
|''{{w|Star Trek: The Next Generation}}'' was a TV show set in the future. The first episode of ''TNG'', "{{w|Encounter at Farpoint}}", takes place in 2364, and it concluded with "{{w|All_Good_Things..._(Star_Trek:_The_Next_Generation)|All Good Things...}}", which took place in 2370. The final canonical adventures of the cast of ''The Next Generation'' did not occur until the events of ''{{w|Star Trek: Nemesis}}'' in 2379.
|}

==Transcript==

:"Generations" are arbitrary. They're just labels we use to obliquely talk about cultural trends.
:But since Pew Research has become the latest to weigh in, and everyone loves a good pointless argument over definitions...

:''xkcd presents''
:A Definitive Chronology of the Generations

:1730-1747 The Founders
:1748-1765 Generation ƒ
:1766-1783 The Adequate Generation
:1784-1801 Generation Æ
:1802-1819 The generation we cut a lot of slack because they produced Lincoln
:1820-1837 The Gilded Generation
:1838-1855 The Second-Greatest Generation
:1856-1873 Generation – • • –
:1874-1891 The kids who died in the Gilded Generation's factories and mines
:1892-1909 Oops, one of us is Hitler
:1910-1927 The Greatest Generation
:1928-1945 The Silent Generation
:1946-1963 Baby Boomers
:1964-1981 Generation X
:1982-1999 Millennials
:2000-2017 Generation 💅 [nail polish emoji]
:2018-2035 Zuckerberg's army
:2036-2053 The Hovering Ones
:2054-2071 Spare Parts
:2072-2089 More Gen-Xers somehow
:2090-2107 The Paperclip Machines
:2108-2125 The Mixed Bag (produced 4 Lincolns, 1 Napoleon and 2 Hitlers)
:2126-2143 The Procedural Generation
:2144-2161 Generation Ω
:2360-2378 Star Trek: The Next Generation

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Comics with color]]
[[Category:Emoji]]

2374: 10,000 Hours

2020-10-20T01:31:59Z

162.158.238.4: /* Explanation */

{{comic
| number = 2374
| date = October 19, 2020
| title = 10,000 Hours
| image = 10000_hours.png
| titletext = I'm proud to announce that as of this year I've become a world-class expert at chewing.
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Created in 10,000 hours. Please mention here why this explanation isn't complete. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}
This comic references the somewhat common idea that one must do something for 10,000 hours to become an expert on it. in this comic, [[Cueball]]'s phone tells him that, assuming that idea is correct, he is now a master of several things, because the amount of time he spends on his phone.

The title text refers to the fact that people eat a lot,{{Citation needed}} up to around 2 hours a day. Because there are 365 days in a year, and at the time of this comic's publication, [[Randall]] is 36 years old, he has spent a large amount of time eating, well over 10,000 hours.

==Transcript==
{{incomplete transcript|Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}

:[Cueball is staring at his phone. A report is shown above his head]
:If you buy into the "10,000 hours" thing, you are now a world-class expert

:[Caption below comic]
:My screen time reports have started trying to put a positive spin on things

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Screen Time]]

2337: Asterisk Corrections

2020-07-25T21:56:00Z

162.158.238.4: Reordered witchcraft.

{{comic
| number = 2337
| date = July 24, 2020
| title = Asterisk Corrections
| image = asterisk_corrections.png
| titletext = I like trying to make it as hard as possible. "I'd love to meet up, maybe in a few days? Next week is looking pretty empty. *witchcraft"
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Created by a MONKEY **. Please mention here why this explanation isn't complete. Do NOT delete this tag too soon. *BOT}}
In text messages, asterisks are commonly used to denote a correction of some error in an earlier text. The messenger ([[Randall]]) corrects four such inaccuracies.
The message, if the corrections were to be taken in order, might read "I'm gonna eat 3 AM on the couch at pizza." The typical reader should be sharp enough to know that it should read "I'm gonna eat a pizza on the couch at 3 AM." Randall finds this remarkable.

Taken one at a time, it appears the reader would have the following sentences in their head:
:I'm gonna ride a horse on the beach at dawn (sounds adventurous and sporty)
:I'm gonna '''eat''' a horse on the beach at dawn (a figure of speech?)
:I'm gonna eat a horse on the beach at '''3AM''' (occultish?)
:I'm gonna eat a horse on the '''couch''' at 3AM (lazily occultish, or worse?)
:I'm gonna eat a '''pizza''' on the couch at 3AM (not too odd, but very slobbish)

In the title text, Randall says that he likes to make his text recipient have to guess where his correction should be, and uses the following sentence and correction:
:"I'd love to meet up, maybe in a few days? Next week is looking pretty empty."
: *witchcraft
The trick here is trying to figure out which word(s) should be replaced by "witchcraft". Possible solutions suggested in the comments are:
: "I'd love to '''witchcraft''', maybe in a few days? Next week is looking pretty empty."
: "I'd love to meet up, '''witchcraft''' in a few days? Next week is looking pretty empty."
: "I'd love to meet up, maybe '''witchcraft''' a few days? Next week is looking pretty empty."
: "I'd love to meet up, maybe in a few days? '''Witchcraft''' week is looking pretty empty."
: "I'd love to meet up, maybe in a few days? Next '''witchcraft''' is looking pretty empty."

==Transcript==
{{incomplete transcript|Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}
:[A screenshot of a text messaging app.]
:Other user: Do you have any weekend plans?
:User of this device: I'm gonna ride a horse on the beach at dawn
:<nowiki>*</nowiki>Eat
:<nowiki>*</nowiki>3AM
:<nowiki>*</nowiki>Couch
:<nowiki>*</nowiki>Pizza
:[Caption below the panel]:
:I like how we can do corrections in text chat by appending words with asterisks and our brains just figure out where they go.

{{comic discussion}}
[[Category:Phones]]
[[Category:Food]]
[[Category:Animals]]

2336: Campfire Habitable Zone

2020-07-23T19:52:51Z

162.158.238.4: /* Explanation */

{{comic
| number = 2336
| date = July 22, 2020
| title = Campfire Habitable Zone
| image = campfire_habitable_zone.png
| titletext = Oh no, my marshmallow became tidally locked!
}}

{{incomplete|Created by a FIRE-PROOF ORBITING SMORE-MAKING ROBOT. Please mention here why this explanation isn't complete. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}

==Explanation==
This comic plays on the concept of the astronomic "habitable zone" applied at the scale of people sitting around a campfire.

The {{w|Circumstellar habitable zone|habitable zone}} for a star (also known as the "Goldilocks Zone") is the range of distances in which a planet might support liquid water, and hence life in the only form that we currently know of. Too close, and the amount of stellar radiation would be too great, causing water to boil. Too far, and the water would freeze. For liquid water to actually exist, the planet itself must also have the right mass (in order to maintain a life-compatible atmosphere) and meet other requirements. For our sun, the habitable zone is estimated to range from about 0.38 to 10 astronomical units, where 1.0 is the distance from the sun to the Earth.

{{w|Marshmallow#Toasted_marshmallows|Marshmallow toasting}} is a popular camping activity in which people place a marshmallow (a soft, sugary blob made of gelatin and covered in corn starch) on a stick near a fire. As it cooks, the middle becomes gooey while the outside becomes crispy and perhaps slightly charred, making it tastier via the {{w|Maillard reaction}}.

In the context of the campfire, a similar "habitable zone" is posited to exist: close enough to the fire that the person can comfortably toast marshmallows, presumably on a stick of reasonable length - the ones shown seem to be about 1.5 times an arm's normal reach; yet far enough that the person is not uncomfortably hot, or even burnt by either direct contact with the flames, or by exposure to the radiant heat of the fire.

In the comic, Ponytail is sitting in the left habitable zone (marked in green), and appears to be enjoyably toasting a marshmallow. Cueball is sitting half outside the right habitable zone, too close to the fire, and appears to be getting singed on his arm due to this. Megan is well outside the habitable zone on the right cool side. She is waving a marshmallow on a stick, but presumably it will not toast, as it is too far from the fire, even farther from the fire than Cueball.

The title text introduces the concept of {{w|tidal locking}}. This is when one astronomical body synchronizes its rotation with its orbit around another, such that one side always faces the other body. The joke here is that if a marshmallow became tidally locked to the fire, then one side would become more and more cooked, perhaps burnt, while the other side never became toasted at all. This happens in real life, as in the case of Earth's moon, which always presents the same face to the Earth—as a consequence, the far side of the moon has many more craters caused by impacts. The joke here may allude to the case of a marshmallow that has begun melting more than you realized and dripped down too far, so that it no longer responds when you rotate the roasting stick, and you'd better cut your losses and pull it out now before it drops into the fire pit.

==Transcript==
{{incomplete transcript|Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}
:[The scene consists of 3 people sitting near a campfire with two green areas to the left and right of the fire. Ponytail is sitting to the left of the fire, with her body fully in the green habitable zone and is holding a stick with a marshmallow pointed at the fire. Cueball is sitting to the right of the fire, half sitting in the white area where the fire is and half in the green habitable zone. He is visibly sweating. Megan is crouching to the right of Cueball, outside the habitable zone with a marshmallow on a stick pointing into the green zone. Below the scene two arrows point to the two green areas marked with a label.]
:Label: Habitable zone

:[Caption below panel:]
:Astronomers define the Campfire Habitable Zone as the region where you're far enough not to be burned but close enough to roast marshmallows.

{{comic discussion}}
[[Category:Comics featuring Megan]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Ponytail]]
[[Category:Comics with color]]
[[Category:Astronomy]]
[[Category:Food]]

2335: Photo Deposit

2020-07-21T13:27:26Z

162.158.238.4: would → wouldn't

{{comic
| number = 2335
| date = July 20, 2020
| title = Photo Deposit
| image = photo_deposit.png
| titletext = It's okay, they scan the serial numbers and make sure you can't deposit the same bill more than once.
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Created by a BANKNOTE PHOTOCOPIER. Please mention here why this explanation isn't complete. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}
Some mobile banking apps allow users to deposit {{w|Cheque|check}}s through the app. The comic parodies this by "depositing" {{w|banknote}}s via a mobile app. This leads to duplication of the money, since you could then spend the bill and still have its value (in your account). Checks cannot be duplicated by this method, as a check is, in some ways, an instruction for one bank to send money to another which cannot be submitted twice and/or in a different context{{Citation needed}}. Cryptocurrencies effectively crowdsource whether they believe a transaction took place, to disallow any possible competing claim(s).

The title text states that the app recognizes the {{w|serial number}}s on the bills and prevents users from depositing them multiple times. It is unknown if multiple users can deposit the same bills. If multiple users are allowed to deposit the same bills, then widespread fraud would certainly occur from users attempting to collaborate by sharing bills. It is possible that Megan and Cueball are attempting this given their close proximity. If users are not allowed to deposit the same bills, widespread frustration would inevitably ensue as users would be frustrated to learn that they could not deposit many of their bills. Thus such a system would run into trouble either way. Furthermore, even with a user being unable to deposit the same bills twice, they will still double the value of their cash, as they have a spendable copy of it in their account and they still have the original which could be spent outside the bank system.

In addition, the system would be highly vulnerable to {{w|Counterfeit money|counterfeiting}}. When depositing or paying with cash, the texture of cash is different from normal paper and therefore is a method to detect counterfeits. (In the U.S., bill are made from a sort of cloth. Other nations such as Canada and the U.K. have started introducing plastic banknotes. Australian banknotes have been plastic for 30 years.) In contrast, the low-resolution camera of a smartphone could be fooled by a printed image, or possibly even an image on a screen, effectively enabling an attacker to clone an arbitrary banknote without actually possessing it. With image editing software (and reprinting, if the app will not accept a screen image of a bill) it would be possible to deposit a large number of bills. However, this would not allow a single person to destabilize the economy. ([https://what-if.xkcd.com/23/ WhatIf #23])

Ironically, if everyone was honest, did not counterfeit, and did not spend money that they had deposited, then consequences might be even worse. Banks wouldn't be able to dispense the deposited cash to other customers, and the {{W|Bureau of Printing and Engraving}} might not be able to print new (legitimate) cash fast enough to keep a sufficient supply in circulation.

==Transcript==
:[Megan is holding a banknote up in one hand, while she is taking a picture of it with her smartphone held in the other hand. A starburst near the phone indicates the sound this makes. She is standing with her back to Cueball, who faces away from her. He is holding a banknote down by his side in one hand, while he is looking at his smartphone which he holds up in the other hand. From Cueball's phone there is a starburst from which a line goes up above him to indicate what is on the screen.]
:Megan's phone: ''Click''
:Cueball's phone: Deposit accepted!

:[Caption below panel:]
:After a lucrative six hours for us, our bank removed the new feature in their app that let you deposit cash by taking a picture of it.

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Comics featuring Megan]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]

812: Glass

2020-07-17T07:05:59Z

162.158.238.4: /* Explanation */

{{comic
| number = 812
| date = October 29, 2010
| title = Glass
| image = glass.png
| titletext = I read in this one article that the breaking of electroweak symmetry is the reason we have SOULS. This guy with a degree said so!
}}

==Explanation==
In the beginning of the comic, [[Megan]] is trying to break a wine glass like an opera singer. This is a rather famous trick where the vocalist sings at the resonant, or natural frequency of the glass and cause it to resonate more and more until it can no longer handle the stress and breaks - for more info, see the {{w|Mythbusters}} episode about the Earthquake Machine. If the resonant frequency of the glass is outside of the singer's range, then putting some water in the glass will lower its resonant frequency. This effect can be used to play different notes on the rim of a glass by varying the amount of water in it. For example, see this [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ULiNR-k4m70 video].

While Megan is trying to break the glass by hitting its resonant frequency, she is actually creating something new. This is similar to particle physics where a new particle can be identified by a {{w|Resonance_(particle_physics)|resonance}} peak in the differencial cross section of a scattering experiment: Known particles plus some very specific amount of energy lead to the creation of a new particle, the Higgs boson. This is represented in the comic with the water and the pitch of Megan's voice creating blood.

The term "God Particle" was coined by 1993 by physicist {{w|Leon M. Lederman}} to describe the {{w|Higgs boson}} because it's "central to the state of physics today, so crucial to our final understanding of the structure of matter, yet so elusive." He originally called it the "goddamn particle", but this was considered offensive, and his editor shortened it to just "God particle", maybe to promote interest in the particle from non-academics too. Many people misinterpret the name to be some kind of link between physics and religion, so physics is getting back at them by playing pranks that resemble famous miracles from Christian tradition:
*Jesus turned water into wine at the marriage in Cana.{{Citation needed}}
*The first of the ten plagues in Egypt turned all of the water into blood — the rivers, canals, ponds, pools, and every sort of container holding water.
*The wine turning into blood is also a reference to the Catholic ritual of {{w|Transubstantiation}}.

Notice that, in the last panel, the blood seems to have dripped out of [[Cueball]]'s glass onto the table and solidified, further proof that Physics don't apply in this scenario.

The title text refers to the breaking of electroweak symmetry. It used to be thought that mirroring the result of any scenario would always give the same outcome as the result of the mirror of that scenario. However, it turns out that the details of the electroweak force (the electromagnetic and weak forces put together) refute this theory. As with many scientific theories, these can be used incorrectly in order to lend credibility to unrelated and nonsensical claims. This particular case is an instance of "quantum woo." Similarly, a degree can be used to lend the appearance of credibility to a person pushing such an idea, regardless of what field it was earned it or whether said person has any competence.

==Transcript==
:[Megan is singing, Cueball is staring at a glass of water on a table.]
:Megan: EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE... Anything break?
:Cueball: No, but the water in the glass turned to wine.

:[Cueball picks up glass]
:Megan: Weird.
:Cueball: No, wait. This is blood.

:Megan: Okay, physics, quit fucking with us.
:Physics: You stop looking for the Higgs boson and we'll talk.

{{comic discussion}}
[[Category:Comics featuring Megan]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Physics]]
[[Category:Religion]]
[[Category:Comics with blood]]

Talk:2330: Acceptable Risk

2020-07-09T09:48:40Z

162.158.238.4:

Back to COVID-19. [[Special:Contributions/162.158.63.172|162.158.63.172]] 23:59, 8 July 2020 (UTC)

Transcript claims that there is Ponytail while explanation says it's Megan[[User:Tkopec|Tkopec]] ([[User talk:Tkopec|talk]]) 09:37, 9 July 2020 (UTC)
:Fixed! --[[Special:Contributions/162.158.238.4|162.158.238.4]] 09:48, 9 July 2020 (UTC)

Talk:2330: Acceptable Risk

2020-07-09T09:48:02Z

162.158.238.4:

Back to COVID-19. [[Special:Contributions/162.158.63.172|162.158.63.172]] 23:59, 8 July 2020 (UTC)

Transcript claims that there is Ponytail while explanation says it's Megan[[User:Tkopec|Tkopec]] ([[User talk:Tkopec|talk]]) 09:37, 9 July 2020 (UTC)
::Fixed! --[[Special:Contributions/162.158.238.4|162.158.238.4]] 09:48, 9 July 2020 (UTC)

2330: Acceptable Risk

2020-07-09T09:47:23Z

162.158.238.4: Clearly not Megan

{{comic
| number = 2330
| date = July 8, 2020
| title = Acceptable Risk
| image = acceptable_risk.png
| titletext = Good thing I'm not already prone to overthinking everyday decisions!
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Created by a BOT THAT IS PRONE TO OVERTHINKING. Please mention here why this explanation isn't complete. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}

This comic is another comic in a [[:Category:COVID-19|series of comics]] related to the {{w|2019–20 coronavirus outbreak|2020 pandemic}} of the {{w|coronavirus}} {{w|SARS-CoV-2}}, which causes {{w|COVID-19}}.

This comic shows [[Cueball]] and [[Ponytail]], who are nervous to spend time in close proximity while the coronavirus is still widespread, and while lockdown procedures are still in effect across the world. Despite taking many precautions, such as masks and physical distancing, they still fear the effects of the virus, and attempt to weigh the value of actually seeing each other versus potentially catching the virus. This is a dilemma faced by many, as the United States enters the fourth month since stay at home orders began.

Their screaming actually increases the risk of the interaction; this is why [https://www.wsj.com/articles/reopened-theme-parks-ban-screaming-on-roller-coasters-riders-are-howling-11594222278 Japan recently banned screaming on amusement park rides].

==Transcript==
{{incomplete transcript|Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}

:[All of the panels depict the same two characters seen from a long distance, making them difficult to recognize. However, they appear to be Cueball (on the left) and Ponytail (on the right). They are each wearing a mask.]

:[Cueball and Ponytail talk to each other, standing at a distance:]
:Cueball: Okay. Based on the local virus prevalence, our careful quarantines, and the steps we've taken to reduce transmission risk,
:Cueball: I ''think'' it's okay for us to hang out.
:Ponytail: I agree.

:[Three small panels, vertically on top of each other]
:[Cueball and Ponytail get closer to each other.]
:[Cueball and Ponytail get still closer.]
:[Cueball and Ponytail standing near each other:]
:Cueball: Hi.
:Ponytail: Hi.

:[A normal sized panel, with Cueball and Ponytail standing near each other. They are yelling, with their arms raised:]
:Cueball: ''Is this social interaction good enough that it's worth risking our lives and the lives of others?!''
:Ponytail: ''I don't know!''
:Cueball: ''AAAAA!''
:Ponytail: ''AAAAAA!''

:[Cueball and Ponytail stand much farther apart.]
:Cueball: Healthy socializing was hard enough ''before'' the pandemic.
:Ponytail: Let's just try again in 2021.

{{comic discussion}}
[[Category:COVID-19]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Ponytail]]
[[Category:Social interactions]]

Talk:2319: Large Number Formats

2020-06-14T03:09:59Z

162.158.238.4: /* Thousands separator */ new section

I've added the way I'm familiar with (Polish) to the "normal person in Europe outside of UK" caveat, but I think this still might be over-generalization to say that all Europe outside UK uses "." separator; I've actually never seen it used, but I've seen "'" used, even though I have no connection whatsoever with Switzerland. [[Special:Contributions/162.158.154.175|162.158.154.175]] 11:13, 13 June 2020 (UTC)

: Yes. We also use the single apostrophe as a thousands separator in Sweden. And in Excel we use the semicolon in formulas, since the comma is used for decimals.
[[User:Embridioum|Embridioum]] ([[User talk:Embridioum|talk]]) 22:18, 13 June 2020 (UTC)

== Scientist avoiding rounding ==

Would love an explanation of the scientist avoiding rounding one. Would make sense to me with 2.525997..., but as 2.5997... I'm at a loss! {{unsigned ip|198.41.238.106|22:19, 12 June 2020 (UTC)}}

: Truncating the number just before a digit less than 5 so that the final digit is not rounded up. (I do this all the time, and, I am a scientist.) {{unsigned ip|108.162.216.172|00:48, 13 June 2020‎ (UTC)}}

(The above was posted (anonymously?) seconds before I could get mine in, so here it is in the original format.)

This is probably completely irrelevant but it seems Randall made a small typo when trying to show a "Scientest trying to avoid rounding up."
I assume it should be 2.525997*10^13. It seems he left out a 5 and a 2 and I say such because whether he forgot the 52 or 25 is up for debate.

Relevant screenshot: [[https://i.imgur.com/NrvOivy.png]]

Also, if I'm just being completely daft and am missing something completely, please feel free to criticize me harshly and I'll go back to my little hideyhole. [[Special:Contributions/108.162.237.24|108.162.237.24]] 22:21, 12 June 2020 (UTC)

: In reality, a scientist would probably say 6.416*10^13 cm. (Although possible counterpoint, this comic is really about the ''number'' 25,259,974,097,204, not the distance 25,259,974,097,204 inches.) [[Special:Contributions/172.69.33.207|172.69.33.207]] 22:47, 12 June 2020 (UTC)

:: Centimetres are not an SI unit. it would be 6.416*10^11 m [[Special:Contributions/172.68.255.14|172.68.255.14]] 01:51, 13 June 2020 (UTC)

::: Depends on field. It can easily be 35.67 light minutes. Or 2140 light seconds if you insist on SI units. -- [[User:Hkmaly|Hkmaly]] ([[User talk:Hkmaly|talk]]) 22:11, 13 June 2020 (UTC)

I believe the "2.5997" was intentional, or at least I thought it was when reading it. At first I thought it was a typo, but Randall calls that number "Scientist ''trying'' to avoid rounding up" which makes me think Randall intentionally made that "mistake" as if the scientist had accidentally forgotten the first two digits (25) and used the remainder of the number (259974...), rounding it to "2.5997x10^13" [[User:Kirypto|Kirypto]] ([[User talk:Kirypto|talk]]) 23:03, 12 June 2020 (UTC)

: Randall fixed it! [[User:Gvanrossum|Gvanrossum]] ([[User talk:Gvanrossum|talk]]) 05:43, 13 June 2020 (UTC)

: Looks like that was just a typo, Randall replaced it with a new version. [[User:Natg19|Natg19]] ([[User talk:Natg19|talk]]) 02:55, 13 June 2020 (UTC)

As a (not so?) old British person, I approve. Let the Trillions come around later, when it's ''worth'' increasing the prefix to "level 3". Don't waste them on the more petty numbers. [[Special:Contributions/162.158.155.122|162.158.155.122]] 23:13, 12 June 2020 (UTC)
:I'm also a not-so-old British person, and therefore use the short-scale as a matter of course. But, although I'm too young to ever have used the long scale, I regret its passing, for all that. On a visual level, if a million gives us a chunk of six zeroes, there's a simple elegance to the "bi-", "tri-", "quad-" (etc.) prefixes numerating two chunks, three chunks, four chunks, etc. From a less visual, more linguistically neat perspective, if you've got a million^2, a million^3, a million^4 and so on, then using "bi" to mean two, "tri" to mean three, "quad" to mean four makes sense...because that's what those things mean.[[User:Yorkshire Pudding|Yorkshire Pudding]] ([[User talk:Yorkshire Pudding|talk]]) 10:32, 13 June 2020 (UTC)

== "Engineering" notation omitted? ==

I find it somewhat strange that Randall doesn't offer '''25e12''' or any of those variants ('''25.259...*10^12'''). I feel like a lot of "non-normal" people would map billion to E12 instead of requiring a single digit to the left of the decimal point. shrug [[User:JohnHawkinson|JohnHawkinson]] ([[User talk:JohnHawkinson|talk]]) 23:09, 12 June 2020 (UTC)

: Honestly I thought "engineering" notation was a myth invented by HP's calculator division. But I'm personally offended that the programmers' notation 25_259_... was omitted. Maybe Randall still uses Python 2. :-) [[User:Gvanrossum|Gvanrossum]] ([[User talk:Gvanrossum|talk]]) 05:47, 13 June 2020 (UTC)

::Well, just because HP's calculator division invented something doesn't mean it's a myth. They do have the power to invent things and had the market penetration for their names to have power and influence the world; but for sure, having used HP calculators in high school affected how I thought about numbers in college. But I think anyone who works with SI prefixes on a regular basis and reports results using them will appreciate "engineering" notation given the direct correspondence. And, of course, it also corresponds to how "normal" people use write numbers in the millions/billions/trillions, as this comic shows…which was the point… [[User:JohnHawkinson|JohnHawkinson]] ([[User talk:JohnHawkinson|talk]]) 12:03, 13 June 2020 (UTC)

==Actual scientist: ==

"What's an inch?" [[Special:Contributions/162.158.62.119|162.158.62.119]] 23:18, 12 June 2020 (UTC)

: The imaginary nano-scale multiple of the speed of light times Planck's constant. Which, dimensionally, would seem to be kg.m³/s²? [[Special:Contributions/162.158.154.73|162.158.154.73]] 00:15, 13 June 2020 (UTC)

As an article pointed out to me the other day that seemed obvious after it was said it's a non-tariff trade barrier used as American protectionism that doesn't get tariffed back. {{unsigned ip|172.69.63.81|00:10, 13 June 2020 (UTC)}}

== Can someone explain the set theory notation? ==

Can someone explain the set theory notation? {{unsigned ip|172.68.255.14|01:56, 13 June 2020 (UTC)}}

: You can use only sets to construct the natural numbers, see https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Natural_number#Constructions_based_on_set_theory - {{unsigned ip|172.68.215.76|02:20, 13 June 2020 (UTC)}}

==Title Text 10^13.4024==

It seems nobody has pointed out that the power of 10 in the title text is really just the log(x) of the number, which is in fact very common in scientific contexts -> log(25,259,974,097,204) = 13.4024 [[User:Ianrbibtitlht|Ianrbibtitlht]] ([[User talk:Ianrbibtitlht|talk]]) 02:31, 13 June 2020 (UTC)

The alternative would be for him to write 10^13.402432900872993447734410070128 (Rounded up). Notation that produces a longer string of digits than the original number seems useless on all fronts but somehow even more fun. I like the current explanation, though. It was insightful, IMO. -B- [[Special:Contributions/162.158.106.126|162.158.106.126]] 17:14, 13 June 2020 (UTC)

== Old Sweden ==
We have kept the olden ways here in the north. Miljon (10^6), miljard (10^9), biljon (10^12), biljard (10^15). Also, "biljard" is the same word as the game of pool in Swedish.
[[User:Embridioum|Embridioum]] ([[User talk:Embridioum|talk]]) 07:17, 13 June 2020 (UTC)
:Another thing an Older British Person might argue about is Billiards, the cue-and-ball game. Often, among all the vaiations, it was the three-ball version (white and white-spot cueballs, for each player, and red ball as the common target) on either pocketted or non-pocketted tables (the former mostly as a sop to using an unmodified snooker table) or, explicitly, Bar Billiards with target holes and obstacle pegs (quite common as early coin-operated pay-to-play tables). Only by succumbing to the americanism was Pool (usually 15-ball, spots+stripes+8ball) ever called billiards. Well, ''I'' thought that was interesting... [[Special:Contributions/162.158.159.136|162.158.159.136]] 12:49, 13 June 2020 (UTC)
::"Why sure I'm a billiard player, certainly mighty proud to say, I'm always mighty proud to say it. I consider that the hours I spend with a cue in my hand are golden." -Harold Hill [[Special:Contributions/108.162.216.60|108.162.216.60]] 14:34, 13 June 2020 (UTC)

Also Italian uses the long scale for large numbers, and also in Italian the word for the game of pool coincides with 10^15. Albeit I have to say that I've never heard anyone use bilione and biliardo referring to numbers. We usually stop at miliardo, saying things like "un milione di miliardi" when we need to say those large numbers, or use the scientific notation. --[[Special:Contributions/172.68.198.106|172.68.198.106]] 09:04, 13 June 2020 (UTC)

While we're on different languages, how about this one: 1262998704860-vingt-quatre - French person. --[[User:IByte|IByte]] ([[User talk:IByte|talk]]) 11:11, 13 June 2020 (UTC)

:Russian uses the short scale, like million, billion, trillion, quadrillion, etc. But it calls a billion a milliard, and a thousand milliards is a trillion. Why? [[Special:Contributions/172.69.68.195|172.69.68.195]] 18:09, 13 June 2020 (UTC)
:: Sounds to me like Russia 'inherited' Milliards from its usage by trade partners at one point in time when that was a number people were starting to want to use seriously, but adopted the short-Trillion from a later time when (different) people were needing to discuss higher values and adopt terms for these into their own tongue. If you check the chequered history of what-means-what (before Short and Long scales were mad3 at least self-consistent amongst their adherents) you could reasonably blame/credit many different sources for each development. [[Special:Contributions/162.158.158.249|162.158.158.249]] 01:03, 14 June 2020 (UTC)

== Why *that* number? ==
OK, so it's a big number (well, maybe not compared to all the other numbers). One oddity is that the prime factors are:

2 2 7 11 82012902913

7 11? Subliminal advertising? If you turn the big prime upside-down calculator style, you get: eigzogzlos8

I'm surprised that 5 and 23 are missing. In fact, that's almost suspicious.

== Thousands separator ==

I thought in all or most of Europe the thousands separator was a space not a dot. --[[Special:Contributions/162.158.238.4|162.158.238.4]] 03:09, 14 June 2020 (UTC)

2319: Large Number Formats

2020-06-13T07:13:53Z

162.158.238.4: /* Explanation */

{{comic
| number = 2319
| date = June 12, 2020
| title = Large Number Formats
| image = large number formats-2.png
| titletext = 10^13.4024: A person who has come back to numbers after a journey deep into some random theoretical field
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Created by a BOT. Please mention here why this explanation isn't complete. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}
This comic shows how different people express large numbers. This number in question is approximately the distance from the planet Earth to the planet Jupiter as of June 2020, in {{w|inch|inches}} (1 inch = 2.54 cm).

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Number
! Type of person
! Notes
|-
| 25,259,974,097,204
| Normal Person
| This is the full number, written out in the normal fashion, with commas to indicate powers of 1000. Note that this convention is only considered normal in the Anglo-Saxon world; conventions for writing large numbers in full vary considerably across cultures. For example, in countries where the comma is used as a {{w|decimal separator}} (including Europe outside the UK), one would write the number as 25 259 974 097 204. Under the {{w|Indian numbering system}}, this number would be written as 25,25,997,40,97,204.
|-
| 25 Trillion
| Normal Person
| This is the number, rounded to trillions in the normal fashion.
|-
| 25 Billion
| Old British Person
| In current English usage, across the anglophonic world with some hold-outs, an n-illion means 10^(3n+3) as per the {{w|short scale}} system popularised by American influence in international trade, so a trillion means 10^12, as above. However, older British English use had an n-illion meaning 10^(6n) (i.e. the simpler calculation of ''million^n''), so a billion meant 10^12. The change stems from a 1974 commitment by Harold Wilson, the Prime Minister of the UK at the time, to change from the {{w|long scale}} (previously often described as the British system) to the short one for all official purposes.

Though not instantly widely adopted for common usage, the mid-'70s could therefore be considered the key turning point between when an older or younger British person learns (as the change filters through the system at various stages of education) what their "Billion"s and "Trillion"s are supposed to represent.

(The 1971 transition to decimalised currency may also date a person's experiences, but was a more comprehensive and immediate change for everyone who handled any money at all, in the UK, and thus was a more definite point of change apart from the extended survival of the "12 times table" being taught by rote in primary education, rather than ending at the 10s.)

As well as 'traditionalist' British use, the Long Scale is widely used in the non-anglophone world, in local language versions, though while the British system tended to infill n-and-a-half powers of the million with the term "thousand n-illion", the suffix "-illi''ard''", or equivalent, is often used for the thousands multiple directly atop the respective "-illion" point.
|-
|2.526x1013
|Scientist
|This number is formatted in {{w|scientific notation}}, using the exponent 1013.
|-
| 2.525997x1013
| Scientist trying to avoid rounding up
| Using as many decimal places as necessary until hitting a digit (0-4) that results in rounding down, even if it goes against the common scientific practice of reporting the correct amount of "significant figures". A previous version of the comic had a typo (the number was ''2.5997x1013''), but Randall updated the comic.
|-
| 2.526e13 or
2.526*10^13
| Software developer
| Computer code cannot typically use the superscripts or other types of rich text formatting, so the exponent is indicated with the {{w|caret}}. "e13" is a common shorthand way of saying "ten to the power of 13".
|-
| 25,259,973,541,888
| Software developer who forgot about floats
| This is the number after being converted to the limited precision of a {{w|32-bit floating point|32-bit float}}.
|-
| 1013
| Astronomer
| For extremely large distances, astronomers typically only care about orders of magnitude, i.e. 1013, not 1012 or 1014. Randall often jokes about the lack of precision needed by astronomers, such as in that one xkcd (#[[2205]]) where the astronomer-cosmologist is equally willing to make pi equal to one, or ten. The original number is rounded to the nearest power of ten.
|-
| {∅,{∅},{∅,{∅}},{∅,{∅},{...
| Set theorist
| In Zermelo-Fraenkel set theory, the natural numbers are defined recursively by letting 0 = ∅ (the {{w|empty set}}), and ''n'' + 1 = ''n'' ∪ {''n''}. So, every natural number ''n'' is the set of all natural numbers less than ''n'', and since 0 is defined as the empty set, all numbers are nested sets of empty sets.
|-
| 1,262,998,704,860 score and four
| Abraham Lincoln
| In the {{W|Gettysburg Address}}, Lincoln speaks the number "87" as "four score and seven" ("score" meaning "20"). The original number is rewritten in "score" (multiples of 20) plus a remainder (four).
|-
| 10^13.4024 ''(title text)''
| A person who has come back to numbers after a journey deep into some random theoretical field
| In some fields of mathematics, especially those dealing with very {{w|large numbers}}, numbers are sometimes represented by raising ten (or some other convenient base) to an oddly precise power, to facilitate comparison of their magnitudes without filling up pages upon pages of digits. An example of this is {{w|Skewes's number}}, which is formally calculated to be ''e''''e''''e''79, but is more commonly approximated as 10101034. 13.4024 is the {{w|common logarithm}} of 25,259,974,097,204 (log10 25,259,974,097,204 = 13.4024329009), thus this "format" is mathematically correctly, but not commonly, used.
|}

==Transcript==
{{incomplete transcript|Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}
:[A panel only with text. At the top there is four lines of explanatory text. Below that there are 5 rows of number formats. There are 2 columns in each row. Each numerical format is in red, with black text explaining the format below it.]

:<big>What the way you write large</big>
:<big>numbers says about you</big>
:(Using the approximate current distance
:to Jupiter in inches as an example)

:[First row:]
:25,259,974,097,204
:Normal person
:25 trillion
:Normal person

:[Second row:]
:25 billion
:Old British person
:2.526x1013
:Scientist

:[Third row:]
:2.525997x1013
:Scientist trying to avoid rounding up
:2.526e13 or 2.526*10^13
:Software developer

:[Fourth row:]
:25,259,973,541,888
:Software developer who forgot about floats
:1013
:Astronomer

:[Fifth row:]
:{∅,{∅},{∅,{∅}},{∅,{∅},{...
:Set theorist
:1,262,998,704,860 score and four
:Abraham Lincoln

{{comic discussion}}
[[Category:Comics with color]]
[[Category: Programming]]
[[Category: Math]]
[[Category: Astronomy]]
[[Category: Science]]
[[Category:Comics featuring politicians]]

2319: Large Number Formats

2020-06-13T07:12:40Z

162.158.238.4:

{{comic
| number = 2319
| date = June 12, 2020
| title = Large Number Formats
| image = large number formats-2.png
| titletext = 10^13.4024: A person who has come back to numbers after a journey deep into some random theoretical field
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Created by a BOT. Please mention here why this explanation isn't complete. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}
This comic shows how different people express large numbers. This number in question is approximately the distance from the planet Earth to the planet Jupiter as of June 2020, in {{w|inch|inches}} (1 inch = 2.54 cm).

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Number
! Type of person
! Notes
|-
| 25,259,974,097,204
| Normal Person
| This is the full number, written out in the normal fashion, with commas to indicate powers of 1000. Note that this convention is only considered normal in the Anglo-Saxon world; conventions for writing large numbers in full vary considerably across cultures. For example, in countries where the comma is used as a {{w|decimal separator}} (including Europe outside the UK), one would write the number as 25.259.974.097.204. Under the {{w|Indian numbering system}}, this number would be written as 25,25,997,40,97,204.
|-
| 25 Trillion
| Normal Person
| This is the number, rounded to trillions in the normal fashion.
|-
| 25 Billion
| Old British Person
| In current English usage, across the anglophonic world with some hold-outs, an n-illion means 10^(3n+3) as per the {{w|short scale}} system popularised by American influence in international trade, so a trillion means 10^12, as above. However, older British English use had an n-illion meaning 10^(6n) (i.e. the simpler calculation of ''million^n''), so a billion meant 10^12. The change stems from a 1974 commitment by Harold Wilson, the Prime Minister of the UK at the time, to change from the {{w|long scale}} (previously often described as the British system) to the short one for all official purposes.

Though not instantly widely adopted for common usage, the mid-'70s could therefore be considered the key turning point between when an older or younger British person learns (as the change filters through the system at various stages of education) what their "Billion"s and "Trillion"s are supposed to represent.

(The 1971 transition to decimalised currency may also date a person's experiences, but was a more comprehensive and immediate change for everyone who handled any money at all, in the UK, and thus was a more definite point of change apart from the extended survival of the "12 times table" being taught by rote in primary education, rather than ending at the 10s.)

As well as 'traditionalist' British use, the Long Scale is widely used in the non-anglophone world, in local language versions, though while the British system tended to infill n-and-a-half powers of the million with the term "thousand n-illion", the suffix "-illi''ard''", or equivalent, is often used for the thousands multiple directly atop the respective "-illion" point.
|-
|2.526x1013
|Scientist
|This number is formatted in {{w|scientific notation}}, using the exponent 1013.
|-
| 2.525997x1013
| Scientist trying to avoid rounding up
| Using as many decimal places as necessary until hitting a digit (0-4) that results in rounding down, even if it goes against the common scientific practice of reporting the correct amount of "significant figures". A previous version of the comic had a typo (the number was ''2.5997x1013''), but Randall updated the comic.
|-
| 2.526e13 or
2.526*10^13
| Software developer
| Computer code cannot typically use the superscripts or other types of rich text formatting, so the exponent is indicated with the {{w|caret}}. "e13" is a common shorthand way of saying "ten to the power of 13".
|-
| 25,259,973,541,888
| Software developer who forgot about floats
| This is the number after being converted to the limited precision of a {{w|32-bit floating point|32-bit float}}.
|-
| 1013
| Astronomer
| For extremely large distances, astronomers typically only care about orders of magnitude, i.e. 1013, not 1012 or 1014. Randall often jokes about the lack of precision needed by astronomers, such as in that one xkcd (#[[2205]]) where the astronomer-cosmologist is equally willing to make pi equal to one, or ten. The original number is rounded to the nearest power of ten.
|-
| {∅,{∅},{∅,{∅}},{∅,{∅},{...
| Set theorist
| In Zermelo-Fraenkel set theory, the natural numbers are defined recursively by letting 0 = ∅ (the {{w|empty set}}), and ''n'' + 1 = ''n'' ∪ {''n''}. So, every natural number ''n'' is the set of all natural numbers less than ''n'', and since 0 is defined as the empty set, all numbers are nested sets of empty sets.
|-
| 1,262,998,704,860 score and four
| Abraham Lincoln
| In the {{W|Gettysburg Address}}, Lincoln speaks the number "87" as "four score and seven" ("score" meaning "20"). The original number is rewritten in "score" (multiples of 20) plus a remainder (four).
|-
| 10^13.4024 ''(title text)''
| A person who has come back to numbers after a journey deep into some random theoretical field
| In some fields of mathematics, especially those dealing with very {{w|large numbers}}, numbers are sometimes represented by raising ten (or some other convenient base) to an oddly precise power, to facilitate comparison of their magnitudes without filling up pages upon pages of digits. An example of this is {{w|Skewes's number}}, which is formally calculated to be ''e''''e''''e''79, but is more commonly approximated as 10101034. 13.4024 is the {{w|common logarithm}} of 25,259,974,097,204 (log10 25,259,974,097,204 = 13.4024329009), thus this "format" is mathematically correctly, but not commonly, used.
|}

==Transcript==
{{incomplete transcript|Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}
:[A panel only with text. At the top there is four lines of explanatory text. Below that there are 5 rows of number formats. There are 2 columns in each row. Each numerical format is in red, with black text explaining the format below it.]

:<big>What the way you write large</big>
:<big>numbers says about you</big>
:(Using the approximate current distance
:to Jupiter in inches as an example)

:[First row:]
:25,259,974,097,204
:Normal person
:25 trillion
:Normal person

:[Second row:]
:25 billion
:Old British person
:2.526x1013
:Scientist

:[Third row:]
:2.525997x1013
:Scientist trying to avoid rounding up
:2.526e13 or 2.526*10^13
:Software developer

:[Fourth row:]
:25,259,973,541,888
:Software developer who forgot about floats
:1013
:Astronomer

:[Fifth row:]
:{∅,{∅},{∅,{∅}},{∅,{∅},{...
:Set theorist
:1,262,998,704,860 score and four
:Abraham Lincoln

{{comic discussion}}
[[Category:Comics with color]]
[[Category: Programming]]
[[Category: Math]]
[[Category: Astronomy]]
[[Category: Science]]
[[Category:Comics featuring politicians]]

2310: Great Attractor

2020-05-23T13:31:27Z

162.158.238.4:

{{comic
| number = 2310
| date = May 22, 2020
| title = Great Attractor
| image = great_attractor.png
| titletext = Living in the southern hemisphere was nice because I could jump extra high, but I like it here too. Besides, if I ever want to move back, I can just curl up in a ball and wait!
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Created by a Greatly Attractive SpaceBOT. Please mention here why this explanation isn't complete. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}

[[Cueball]] comments on the fact that as summer approaches, the sun rises earlier and sets later, a common topic of conversation, especially to complain that it is still light at times of day where you are used to it being dark out. [[Beret Guy]] comments that he fell off of the wall this morning, a seemingly unconnected topic.

People will often complain about falling out of bed as an indicator of having slept badly. The later sunset is often linked to worsened sleep [https://www.insider.com/why-its-hard-to-sleep-in-the-summer-2018-6]. However, Beret Guy didn't fall from the bed, he fell from the wall. While being able to figure out he's talking about his worsened sleep, Cueball is understandably confused, so Beret Guy clarifies.

Beret Guy is strongly affected by the {{w|Great Attractor}}, a large gravitational anomaly that influences the galaxies near it, but is difficult to observe directly. Beret Guy claims that the Great Attractor pulls on him unusually hard, which could be another one of his [[:Category:Strange powers of Beret Guy|strange powers]]. This attraction, while not overpowering the gravity of the earth, (as he states that he can only "Jump extra high" in the Title Text) affects his life greatly, such as allowing him to sleep on walls. While 'normal' people can probably (if uncomfortably) lie down on the top of a boundary wall, for Beret Guy this may, at various times, mean that he can lie on the vertical surface of any wall (external or internal) that is currently orientated in a fortuitous direction.

He fell off of the wall this morning due the Great Attractor being below him during daylight hours and on the horizon during night hours. Because the Day starts earlier in the summer, he fell unexpectedly.

He gives a short explanation of why the Great Attractor affects him, apparently caused by his bones existing in more dimensions than our normal 3 dimensions of space and 1 of time, and the motion of galaxies, which normally has no significant affect on a person.

Beret Guy then says that day-sliding season is near, due to the Great Attractor being at the horizon in the day, and offers to run errands for Cueball in the South, implying that he will be pulled towards the south during day-sliding season.

Beret Guy is not standing straight up during this comic, he has one knee slightly bent; and walks with a strange gait and movement lines around him. This is presumably due to the extra downwards force that the Great Attractor is currently exerting on him, so he has to exert more effort to hold himself upright and seems quite content, in the titletext, to entirely stop bracing himself against the pull by crouching into a more spherical shape and rolling down the 'sloping' ground to some place with lower net gravitational potential.

A prior example of an xkcd character with alternate gravitational susceptibility is [[417: The Man Who Fell Sideways]], where a consistent off-vertical pull somehow applies (rather than one linked to a spot on the stellar sphere) while other fictional examples of 'personalised' [https://wiki.lspace.org/mediawiki/Tethys gravitational] [https://wiki.lspace.org/mediawiki/Sally_Cambric susceptibilities] also exist, in various forms.

==Detail==
Some of the humor of the comic has to do with the immense differences in scale between Beret Guy and the Great Attractor.

In very round numbers our own Milky Way galaxy is 200,000 light years across. It is just one of several galaxies in something called the Local Group, which is around 10,000,000 light years across. And the Local Group is itself in something called the Local Supercluster (also called the Virgo Supercluster), around 110,000,000 light years across. Each galaxy, each group, and each supercluster is not just a chance alignment, but is a gravitationally coherent structure.

Something unpredicted (hence "anomalous") is going on with the galaxies in the Local Supercluster (including our own). These galaxies are indeed accelerating away from one another as seen by their red shift. Hubble's Law predicts the expansion should be uniformly proportional to their distance from Earth and from one another. But for the Local Supercluster something is restricting the expansion. That something is, as "viewed" from Earth, somewhere in the direction of the Southern Triangle constellation but 250,000,000 light years distant, and has (but only since 1988) been termed the Great Attractor. The Great Attractor can't conveniently be seen at visible wavelengths, because that direction is the so-called Zone of Avoidance: the area of the night sky obscured by our own Milky Way.

Boiling this all down: something a quarter of a billion light years away that makes an anomalous blip in the local rate of expansion of the universe, and whose existence astronomers deduce only by X-ray observations of stellar red-shift, has large-scale effects on everyday gravitational forces uniquely experienced by Beret Guy. OK, now you can smile.

==Transcript==
{{incomplete transcript|Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}

:[Cueball and Beret Guy stand next to each other, talking.]
:Cueball: I can't believe it's still light out. It's 8:00 PM!
:Beret Guy: Seriously! This morning I fell off the wall.

:[In a frameless panel, Cueball and Beret Guy are still standing and talking. Beret Guy is gesturing to the right.]
:Cueball: Wait, why were you sleeping on the wall?
:Beret Guy: The Great Attractor is near the horizon at night right now.

:[A regular panel, zoomed in on Beret Guy, who is gesturing to the left.]
:Cueball (off screen): The Great Attractor?
:Beret Guy: Yeah! The space one.
:Beret Guy: It pulls on me extra hard. Doctors said it's something to do with galactic motion and how many dimensions my bones have.

:[Zoomed back out to show Cueball, standing still, and Beret Guy, who is sliding away to the right.]
:Beret Guy: This time of year, it's below us all day, so I stand vertically. But day-sliding season is near!
:Beret Guy: Let me know if you have any errands to run to the south!
:Beret Guy: ''Goodniiighttt''

{{comic discussion}}
[[Category: Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category: Comics featuring Beret Guy]]

2289: Sequence Four

2020-05-21T10:56:38Z

162.158.238.4: Redirected page to 2289: Scenario 4

#REDIRECT [[2289: Scenario 4]]

Talk:2301: Turtle Sandwich Standard Model

2020-05-04T04:56:25Z

162.158.238.4:

This is the first time I have had a chance to see the comic early enough to make a meaningful contribution to the explanation, but this time I have no idea whatsoever what the comic is about! [[User:Moosenonny10|Moosenonny10]] ([[User talk:Moosenonny10|talk]]) 20:32, 1 May 2020 (UTC)

Looks like it is referencing the standard model of elementary particles. The title text mentions four of the quarks(top,bottom,charm,strange) [[Special:Contributions/162.158.106.150|162.158.106.150]] 20:38, 1 May 2020 (UTC)

Disagree with DgbrtBOT that this is primarily to do with genetics. I agree that it's about the standard model. Up, down, charmed and strange. It may 'because I'm dumb', but even I'm not that dumb.
:I agree that this is not about genetics. The usual Mendelian diagram has the same traits in both dimensions. Maybe he didn't make the particle physics connection because that has more than 4 boxes. [[User:Barmar|Barmar]] ([[User talk:Barmar|talk]]) 21:52, 1 May 2020 (UTC)
:Agree with Barmar: This is not at all about genetics, but only about the particles standard model. Hence the name given by Randal, hence the dimensions not fitting Mendel, hence the lab reference and hence the biological absurd combinations. It does not fit genetics at all, but it perfectly fits a basic assumption of the standard particle modell: That every combination does exist. Labs all over the world have spend decades trying find/prove the existance of a particle predicted by lining up the dimensions of the particles standard model just as shown here and most seeming just as absurd. [[Special:Contributions/172.68.51.52|172.68.51.52]] 00:06, 2 May 2020 (UTC)

I added a bit about the physics part of it, but it can definitely use more information! [[User:ChunyangD|ChunyangD]] ([[User talk:ChunyangD|talk]]) 20:52, 1 May 2020 (UTC)

Randall missed an obvious physics/turtle joke "turtles all the way down" reference here [[Glenn Strycker]] 4:56pm CDT 1 May 2020
: It was the first thing I thought, Randall can be sure his readers fill in such details... [[Special:Contributions/141.101.104.221|141.101.104.221]] 21:08, 2 May 2020 (UTC)

If this really is about genetics, which I question, it seems likely that most people who haven't studied genetics would find the use of genetics jargon to be less than helpful in an explanation.[[User:Darthpoppins|Darthpoppins]] ([[User talk:Darthpoppins|talk]]) 22:46, 1 May 2020 (UTC)

In my opinion, the ExplainXKCD community has been successfully trolled by the contributor of the explanation of this comic, and with humorous effect. The troll consists of an explanation couched entirely in terms used primarily by biologists but generally difficult for others to understand, contrary to this community's practice of trying to simplify. [[Wikipedia:genotype|Genotypes]], [[Wikipedia:phenotype|phenotypes]], [[Wikipedia:Punnett Square|Punnett Squares]], [[Wikipedia:heterozygous|heterozygous]], [[Wikipedia:homozygous|homozygous]], [[WIkipedia:ontogeny|ontogeny]]. That being said, the contributor is certainly correct that the comic is about [[Wikipedia:genetics|genetics]], in that the depicted two-by-two square is immediately suggestive of the visual tool used for predicting the results of cross-breeding experiments. And the comic is certainly also about [[Wikipedia:particle physics|particle physics]], in that the comic title refers to a "Standard Model" and then the title text alludes to particle names used in the [[Wikipedia:standard model|standard model of particle physics]]. So the comic's joke is about the unexpected juxtaposition of genetics with particle physics, and also is about turtle sandwiches which, as drawn, are intrinsically funny anyway. Yes, @Glen, all the way down. JohnB [[Special:Contributions/162.158.75.116|162.158.75.116]] 00:25, 2 May 2020 (UTC)

This looks less like a Punnet Square than it does like one of those political alignment chart memes. Punnet squares use symbols next to each other to designate genotypes, not diagrams of the results. Not to mention that the individual labels along the sides are supposed to be alleles, not separate effing traits! That whole paragraph is completely wrong and should be removed. [[User:GreatWyrmGold|GreatWyrmGold]] ([[User talk:GreatWyrmGold|talk]]) 00:44, 2 May 2020 (UTC)

Isn't this about supersymmetry? The missing pieces are the bosonic partners of the known fermions (matter particles), and the fermionic partners of the known bosons (force particles).... Joel K

For a second, I thought it said "Turkey Sandwich Standard Model"[[User:AllTheWayDown|AllTheWayDown]] ([[User talk:AllTheWayDown|talk]]) 01:31, 2 May 2020 (UTC)

This is clearly a use of the box method for factoring a trinomial in standard form (ax^2 + bx + c) which the coefficient of the first term (say ax^2) is not simply 1 (a<>1). Actually, the moment I saw it I knew exactly what it was, simply because I have been helping my high school son with his algebra the past few weeks. I laughed out loud! I never heard of this method as a math undergrad because it was brand new at the time, but now it's evidently fairly standard.

You create a 2x2 box, and write the first term of the trinomial (ax^2) in the top right corner and the last term (c) in the lower left. Then you have to figure out what factoring of a x c gives you two middle terms that when added will yield the middle term, bx. Let's call those b1x and b2x (where b1 x b2 = a x c, and b1 + b2 = b). You put those terms, b1x and b2x in the two empty boxes (in either order). Then you pull out common factors along each row and column until they multiply correctly to get the table. The terms you have pulled out then are your two binomial factors of the trinomial.

Randall has factored a turtle sandwich where the first term (ax^2) is a sandwich and the last term (c) is a turtle. These are the known terms (check marks). The unknown terms, through working the box method, turn out work if the bread is the common factor along the top row and the turtle shell on the bottom row. The sandwich filling is the common factor in the first column, and the shell-less turtle is the common factor on the second column.

I believe the alt-text is a play on the fact that, if I'm not mistaken, there are more ways to factor a trinomial if you allow imaginary numbers, because that allows square roots of negative numbers. Analogously, dividing shells differently suggests subatomic particles—thus, various quark flavors like charm and strange.
[[User:EternalLearner|EternalLearner]] ([[User talk:EternalLearner|talk]]) 01:52, 2 May 2020 (UTC)

Apropos of nothing, and just for the comic relief of the commenters, I searched for 'turtle' 'sandwich' 'standard' 'model' and came across [https://www.globalxvehicles.com/turtle.html | this bad boy]. I couldn't resist sharing. Thanks for the knowledge. -- brad

Uhm,wut,mostly. Okay so the earth is on a turtle. What holds the turtle up? It's turtles, all the way down, I've heard but? "Turtle legs" is my answer. Why I'm here: didn't xkcd.com used to say it was updated Monday, w, f, ? [[Special:Contributions/162.158.78.182|162.158.78.182]] 04:55, 2 May 2020 (UTC)
:Obviously, the turtle doesn't need to be held up. It's a sea turtle, it swims. -- [[User:Hkmaly|Hkmaly]] ([[User talk:Hkmaly|talk]]) 23:13, 2 May 2020 (UTC)

Please refer to http://recipes-plus.com/recipe/turtle-sandwiches-kids-30062 for the top left sighting. [[User:Steven Nijhuis|Steven Nijhuis]] ([[User talk:Steven Nijhuis|talk]]) 05:35, 2 May 2020 (UTC)

LOL. This is the most random comments I have seen on one of these. This is 100% particle physics. Standard model of particle physics, up quarks, charmed quarks.. this is a commentary on how we know there is gravity, and we know there are electrons and we have a standard model which is still being filled in, in order to unify the theories.

--Adam Outler [[Special:Contributions/108.162.238.131|108.162.238.131]] 06:03, 2 May 2020 (UTC)
----

I'm a bit confused by these comments. It seems like people are getting thrown off by the 2x2 table thinking that the comic must be related to where they've seen tables before (genetics / factoring quadratics / ...). This is wrong though, this comic is 100% particle physics.
In particle theoretical (particle) physics, the way forward has often been unification (combining forces of nature mathematically). We know the Standard Model is wrong, so physicists have been searching for ways to theoretically extend the known theory for decades. One of the most popular ways of doing this is looking for a larger symmetry group that encompasses the known symmetry groups of the equations governing the Standard Model. And the first time that physicists got REALLY close to a working theory was extending to E(5). When doing this mathematical extension of the Standard Model, you automatically get new messenger particles that are predicted (leptoquarks) that would theoretically make a transition between leptons and quarks possible (much like the weak interaction allows for transitions between quarks). The whole thing tends to get represented as a matrix visually, much like the turtle sandwich joke.
tl;dr: The joke makes perfect sense in theoretical particle physics. This type of diagram is common in extending the Standard Model (which is definitely incomplete) to a larger symmetry group like E(5).
Tom B

Outside of anything scientific, I think it's also referring to the memetic "Is a BLANK a sandwich?" debate (normally a hotdog or a calzone) [[Special:Contributions/141.101.107.84|141.101.107.84]] 18:12, 2 May 2020 (UTC)
:The big debate, surely, is orientation. If I prepare (say) some chicken-breast in some sort of marinade, and then half-toast some bread (half-way ''towards'' toasting, not one-sidedly; I put the slices in the toaster but manually eject them when it makes a click which equates to roughly half way to the dialled-in toasting degree, at least on my old toaster) then lightly butter(/non-dairy spread) them and use them to sandwich the chicken, but with a slice of cheese atop the chicken, then it tastes nice. If, during consumption or just moving the construct to a plate, I end up inverting it so it's bread/chicken/cheese/bread from top to bottom (happens when passed from hand to hand, I think, between picking up and alighting anew) it tastes... still nice, but ''different''. Yes, the tongue is set only below the route the sandwich takes, but I'm not sure that accounts for it (experiments while inverting myself, with or without inverting the sandwich, are yet to be trialled without other factors going uncontrolled). However, it does mean that a sandwich cannot be assumed to have a reflective or rotational symmetry in the horizontal plane or any horizontal axis, which is the usual bar quoted against the smörgåsbord... [[Special:Contributions/162.158.159.142|162.158.159.142]] 01:35, 3 May 2020 (UTC)
: Try inverting your tongue and see what effect that has.[[Special:Contributions/108.162.215.206|108.162.215.206]] 06:36, 3 May 2020 (UTC)

Anyone else mistakenly see the tomato slice/cheese/lettuce as a [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Turtles_(chocolate) Turtle Chocolate] and a slice of [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Turtle_pie Turtle Pie]?

Seeing the turtle without a shell between the two slices of bread in the grid reminds me of the other old question regarding turtles: If a turtle has lost its shell, is it homeless or naked? [[User:RAGBRAIvet|RAGBRAIvet]] ([[User talk:RAGBRAIvet|talk]]) 05:03, 3 May 2020 (UTC)

The linked page on the [[wikipedia:Standard Model|Standard Model]] doesn't say anything about either turtles or sandwiches, so I think some more explanation on that part is welcome. --[[User:IByte|IByte]] ([[User talk:IByte|talk]]) 10:54, 3 May 2020 (UTC)

Perhaps we can find some clues at [[2251]]. (That's what this reminded me of, anyway.) —[[User:Scs|Scs]] ([[User talk:Scs|talk]]) 12:59, 3 May 2020 (UTC)

Why is it big now? Is it just big for me? Anyone else seeing this? [[Special:Contributions/162.158.187.205|162.158.187.205]] 04:52, 4 May 2020 (UTC)

I can see it too.

Saved in Wayback Machine:

https://web.archive.org/web/20200504044811/https://xkcd.com/2301/
https://web.archive.org/web/20200504044520/https://xkcd.com/ --[[Special:Contributions/162.158.238.4|162.158.238.4]] 04:56, 4 May 2020 (UTC)

Category:COVID-19

2020-03-18T17:17:25Z

162.158.238.4:

*These comics are inspired by the {{w|2019–20 coronavirus pandemic|2019-20 pandemic}} of the {{w|coronavirus}} {{w|SARS-CoV-2}} which results in the {{w|Coronavirus disease 2019}}, COVID-19 for short.
*[[Randall]] has made eight comics in a row (so far) alluding to the outbreak.
**The fifth of these, [[2279: Symptoms]], came out on March 11, 2020, the day when the outbreak was declared a world wide {{w|pandemic}}.

[[Category:Comics by topic]]

2282: Coronavirus Worries

2020-03-18T17:15:37Z

162.158.238.4:

{{comic
| number = 2282
| date = March 18, 2020
| title = Coronavirus Worries
| image = coronavirus_worries.png
| titletext = Offscreen, bottom left: Whether the custom :coronavirus: Slack react emoji you just added was public domain or whether you should have put a Creative Commons credit somewhere
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Created by a WORRIED CORONAVIRUS (CC BY). Please mention here why this explanation isn't complete. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}

This comic is the eighth comic in a [[:Category:COVID-19|series of comics]] (with at least eight in a row) about the {{w|2019–20 coronavirus outbreak|2020 pandemic}} of the {{w|coronavirus}} - {{w|SARS-CoV-2}}.

==Transcript==
{{incomplete transcript|Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:COVID-19]]

2282: Coronavirus Worries

2020-03-18T17:14:10Z

162.158.238.4:

2275: Coronavirus Name

2020-03-18T17:10:20Z

162.158.238.4:

{{comic
| number = 2275
| date = March 2, 2020
| title = Coronavirus Name
| image = coronavirus_name.png
| titletext = It's important to keep the spider from touching your face.
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Created by a MUTANT T. ANNEXA WOLF SPIDER. Please mention here why this explanation isn't complete. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}
This comic is the first comic in a [[:Category:COVID-19|series of comics]] (with at least eight in a row) about the {{w|2019–20 coronavirus outbreak|2020 pandemic}} of the {{w|coronavirus}} - {{w|SARS-CoV-2}}.

This is thus [[Randall|Randall's]] first take on the coronavirus outbreak. As of the publication date (March 2, 2020), the outbreak had infected more than 90,000 people, and had caused more than 3000 deaths.

The disease caused by the virus was officially named {{w|Coronavirus disease 2019|COVID-19}} on 11 February 2020, as "coronavirus" is a category of viruses named for their appearance, which is similar to a halo or crown, and includes four different viruses which can cause the common cold in humans. However, the virus itself is not called COVID-19, but is called {{w|severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2}} (SARS-CoV-2). So calling the virus or disease "coronavirus" is like calling a specific strain of flu ''The Influenza virus''. However, since the new coronavirus is so hyped in the media it has attracted so much attention, so the name "Coronavirus" has become associated with COVID-19, making it difficult to discuss other types of coronavirus later on.

As of March 2, 2020, COVID-19 in China has a 20% hospitalization rate and a 2% death rate by current estimates, compared to a [https://www.livescience.com/coronavirus-myths.html typical rate of around 0.1% for the flu in the US].

In this comic, researchers [[Ponytail]], [[Megan]] and [[Cueball]] are discussing that it is by now too late to try calling the disease its official name COVID-19, as the name coronavirus has stuck. [[Cueball]] reacts with dismay, since there are many other types of coronaviruses.

The comic becomes absurd when Ponytail compares the coronavirus naming to a giant "car eating spider" living on top of the skyscrapers of the town, which is also just called "The Spider" even though it is technically a mutated ''{{w|Tigrosa annexa}}'' {{w|wolf spider}}. Everyone knows what you mean when you say "Coronavirus", as they do when you mention "The Spider".

[[Megan]] then asks if they should not also do something about the spider, but Ponytail and Cueball agree that they can only tackle one problem at a time, and coronavirus takes up all their time. Only thing is that Ponytail now takes another commute, probably to avoid getting her car eaten.

On a more serious note, the comic may also reference the fact that that there are many other problems in the world (both spider and non-spider related {{Citation needed}}) that kill many more people and cause more problems. So this draws a humorous comparison to the fact that we seem to have forgotten about all the wars, etc and focus just on the virus.

The title text references the health advice that people avoid touching their face with unwashed hands, in order to prevent infections that they picked up by touching things from entering their mucous membranes. (It's a lot easier for an infection to enter the body through the inside of your nose than your hands.) It is likewise quite important to keep the giant spider from touching your face, but for the dissimilar reason that it might bite and eat you.

==Transcript==
:[Megan is carrying a box with biohazard symbols on it towards a desk where Ponytail (wearing safety glasses) is working on a laptop, across from Cueball (also wearing safety glasses) who is putting a test tube into a centrifuge. There's also a flask on the desk.]
:Ponytail: Feels like we missed the window for the "COVID-19" renaming. "Coronavirus" is just too catchy.
:Cueball: But it's not specific! There are a lot of coronaviruses.

:[In a frameless panel, Ponytail (still wearing safety glasses) is pointing at a screen or picture showing a modern city skyline with a large spider crawling across three of the high-rise buildings.]
:Ponytail: I think it's fine. It's like, you know the giant spider downtown that sits on the buildings and sometimes eats cars? I think ''technically'' it's a mutant ''T. annexa'' wolf spider, but everyone is just calling it "the spider" and we all know what they mean.

:[Back to the setting from the first panel. Megan is standing and Ponytail had turned towards her and Cueball has stepped back from the machine.]
:Megan: I've been meaning to ask, what's '''''with''''' that spider? Should we...do something?
:Ponytail: Honestly I've been too busy with the virus stuff to look into it-I just changed my commute to avoid Main St.
:Cueball: Yeah, that's fair. One thing at a time.

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Comics featuring Megan]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Ponytail]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:COVID-19]]
[[Category:Science]]
[[Category:Spiders]]

2276: Self-Isolate

2020-03-18T17:09:49Z

162.158.238.4:

{{comic
| number = 2276
| date = March 4, 2020
| title = Self-Isolate
| image = self_isolate.png
| titletext = Turns out I've been "practicing social distancing" for years without even realizing it was a thing!
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Created by a SELF-ISOLATED BOT. Please mention here why this explanation isn't complete. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}
This comic is the second comic in a [[:Category:COVID-19|series of comics]] (with at least eight in a row) about the {{w|2019–20 coronavirus outbreak|2020 pandemic}} of the {{w|coronavirus}} - {{w|SARS-CoV-2}}.

In this comic, [[Cueball]] is watching television and hears a suggestion that people may need to "self-isolate." This refers to the practice of {{w|isolation (health care)|isolating}} infected individuals, to keep the virus from spreading. If the outbreak grows more severe, going out in large crowds could also be discouraged, to avoid being infected by those around you.

According to the [https://www.hhs.gov/answers/public-health-and-safety/what-is-the-difference-between-isolation-and-quarantine/index.html HHS], both quarantine and isolation help prevent the spread of infectious diseases, but they are different. Quarantine is for well people who might have been exposed to see if they become sick. Isolation is for sick people to keep them from infecting healthy people. So the suggestion for self-isolation means that sick people should stay away from healthy people.

Cueball's response to this advice is that he's "been practicing for this moment [his] whole life". xkcd frequently refers to social awkwardness, introversion, and difficulty with interpersonal interactions. Cueball (likely representing Randall himself) appears to find spending time in public and with large groups trying. It's implied that he prefers to spend time alone (or possibly with small groups of family and close friends) rather than going out. The joke is that this tendency is often seen as unhealthy and alienating, but in the case of a pandemic, actually becomes quite valuable. Cueball seems to take an odd sort of pride in the fact that he's skilled at remaining alone and uninfected, while more social people would be in danger.

The comic image is a link to [https://web.archive.org/web/20200305015204/https://twitter.com/kakape/status/1235319133585248259 one tweet] in a thread of tweets about COVID-19 by [https://twitter.com/kakape @kakape], a science journalist according to their Twitter bio, which says "Social distancing may mean staying further apart from each other physically in coming weeks. We should compensate by caring even more about each other than usually, because we are, of course, all in this together." ([https://web.archive.org/web/20200305015137/https://twitter.com/kakape/status/1235312559324114951 beginning of thread]).

In the title text, Cueball continues to be proud of his introversion, claiming that he has been "practicing social distancing" for much of his life.

==Transcript==
:[Cueball sits in an armchair watching television. A zigzag line from the TV indicates that the text is a voice from the TV.]
:Voice from television: Experts are saying people may need to "self-isolate" to combat the virus.

:[A slim beat panel with Cueball sitting silent in the armchair.]

:[Zoomed in on Cueball in the armchair. A starburst on the right border indicates the voice from an off-panel person.]
:Cueball: ... I've been practicing for this moment my whole life.
:Off-panel voice: I don't think that's—
:Cueball: ''Quick, make plans and watch how fast I cancel!''

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Social interactions]]

[[Category:COVID-19]]

2277: Business Greetings

2020-03-18T17:08:57Z

162.158.238.4:

{{comic
| number = 2277
| date = March 6, 2020
| title = Business Greetings
| image = business_greetings.png
| titletext = We have email and social media now, so we probably don't need to keep exchanging business cards by pressing them gently against each others' faces with an open palm and smearing them around.
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Created by an EYEBALL LICKER. Please mention here why this explanation isn't complete. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}
This comic is the third comic in a [[:Category:COVID-19|series of comics]] (with at least eight in a row) about the {{w|2019–20 coronavirus outbreak|2020 pandemic}} of the {{w|coronavirus}} - {{w|SARS-CoV-2}}. With this comic also on that topic, all comics of that week were about the virus outbreak.

As a reaction to the COVID-19 coronavirus outbreak, people are refraining from personal contact. This leads to changes with customs in the workplace, such as {{w|handshake|shaking hands}} at the beginning of a meeting.

The comic shows [[Beret Guy]] addressing his employees at [[:Category:Beret Guy's Business|his eccentric company]] ([[Ponytail]], [[Hairy]] and [[Hairbun]], see also [[1997: Business Update]]). He states that although they should not overreact to the coronavirus, they should at least stop their custom of beginning meetings by "licking each others' eyeballs". Virus or not, it is not common for people to lick anyone's eyeballs at meetings {{Citation needed}}, but it could be an extreme stretch of intimate behavior to make an analogy to some cultures' norm of kissing acquaintances in greeting.

Humorously, his employees state that they will miss this human contact, but that they at least understand.

Contact between saliva and eyes are a very common way to spread the virus. However, this usually occurs from one infected person sneezing and airborne particles randomly coming in contact with an uninfected bystander's eye, or people touching their own faces and eyes after having touched an infected surface, not by applying the saliva directly to a person's eyeball by means of another person's tongue.

The title text refers to an actual business custom (exchanging {{w|business card}}s), but one which is absurdly altered to promote the spread of disease by touching cards and hands to faces. It is not clear whether this is safer or more dangerous than Beret Guy's previous practice of eating business cards, see [[1032: Networking]].

==Transcript==
:[Beret Guy is standing to the left addressing Ponytail, Hairy and Hairbun sitting in office chairs at a table. Hairbun is at the end of the table. All three have one arm on the table.]
:Beret Guy: I don't think we should overreact to the coronavirus,
:Beret Guy: But it might be time to put an end to the custom of starting business meetings by everyone licking each others' eyeballs.
:Hairy: I'll miss the human contact, but that's fair.
:Hairbun: Gotta change with the times.

==Trivia==
*When the comic was first published, it did not have a title-text; it was added later during the day of release.
**This has almost exclusively occurred previously with special interactive or dynamic comics.
***Absence of title-text is so unusual that it broke at least one xkcd client ([https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.floern.xkcd Browser for xkcd by Floern]).
*The phrase "each other" is actually singular. It should be "each other's eyeballs" (the eyeballs of each other person) and "each other's face" (the face of each other person).

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Comics featuring Beret Guy]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Ponytail]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Hairy]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Hairbun]]
[[Category:Beret Guy's Business]]
[[Category:Social interactions]]

[[Category:COVID-19]]

2278: Scientific Briefing

2020-03-18T17:08:23Z

162.158.238.4:

{{comic
| number = 2278
| date = March 9, 2020
| title = Scientific Briefing
| image = scientific_briefing.png
| titletext = "I actually came in in the middle so I don't know which topic we're briefing on; the same slides work for like half of them."
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete| Made by a CULTURE PRETENDING BAD THINGS ARE GOOD. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}
This comic is the fourth comic in a [[:Category:COVID-19|series of comics]] (with at least eight in a row) about the {{w|2019–20 coronavirus outbreak|2020 pandemic}} of the {{w|coronavirus}} - {{w|SARS-CoV-2}}.

Things are not good, and are going to be bad soon. The only way for things to not be bad is for someone to do something about it. [[Megan]] and [[Cueball]] are presenting these things to [[White Hat]], presumably hoping to encourage him to do something about things, but he instead chooses to wait for things to become bad, to which Megan replies that this is exactly the bad thing she and Cueball were hoping to prevent.

What things? At the moment of release obviously the outbreak of coronavirus, which soon after was declared a pandemic as no one did enough to begin with.

But in general it could be any number of things, because, as the title text remarks, this is true of "like half of" any things examined by society. While a literal 50% of ''all'' things may not be getting bad (or good), in a more general sense all line graphs would trend (at least slightly) either up or down. This binary 'either good or bad' finding may lead one to conclude that "like half" of all graphs show something getting bad (or else good).

As the three preceding comics to this one also have been about coronavirus thre graph most likely refer to cases of infections. The graph shows a steadily rising line, but with a slight zigzags in it, which may be an intentional similarity to the {{w|Keeling Curve}}.

Like in the first of these comics, [[2275: Coronavirus Name]], this comic seems a comment on the numerous world catastrophes that get sidelined until the very last moment, such as invading giant spiders, water quality, road systems, rising extremism and wars between groups with similar needs, lack of responsible oversight in majorly impactful international decisions, corruption and lack of trust for those with power, or climate change and related extinction of many species and cultures. Given Megan and Cueball's reaction to White Hat's failure to act, this "sidelining" or failure to take action may very likely be the subject of their graph.

In short, the graph ''may'' indicate that our responses to information are going from good to bad.

==Transcript==
{{incomplete transcript|Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}
:[Megan and Cueball are showing a graph on a projected screen. The graph is labeled "Things", with "Time" advancing to the right on the ''x''-axis. The level of "Things" has been rising over time to a point labeled "Now". The current level of "Things" is above a level labeled "Good", and about as far below a level labeled "Bad". Megan is pointing to the line of "Things" with a pointer stick, while Cueball is pointing up to the "Bad" level with a pointer stick.]

:Megan: Here's the situation:
:Megan: This line is here.
:Cueball: But it's going up toward ''here''.

:[White Hat enters the scene. His hand is on his chin. Cueball is no longer holding a pointer stick.]

:White Hat: So things will be bad?
:Megan: Unless someone does something to stop it.
:White Hat: Will anyone do that?
:Megan: ...We don't know.
:Megan: That's why we're showing you this.

:[A narrow panel focusing only on Megan and Cueball.]

:White Hat (off-panel, left): So you don't know,
:White Hat: And the graph says things are '''''not''''' bad.
:Cueball: But if no one acts, they'll '''''become''''' bad.

:[White Hat is back inside the frame. He is gesturing to Megan and Cueball with his palm up.]

:White Hat: Well, please let me know if that happens!
:Megan: Based on this conversation, it already has.

==Trivia==
*Poorly labeled graphs were already the topic of [[833: Convincing]].
*This comic was initially missing the speech line to Cueball in panel 3.

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Megan]]
[[Category:Comics featuring White Hat]]
[[Category:Charts]]
[[Category:COVID-19]]

2279: Symptoms

2020-03-18T17:07:59Z

162.158.238.4:

{{comic
| number = 2279
| date = March 11, 2020
| title = Symptoms
| image = symptoms.png
| titletext = This medicine says it may cause lightheadedness, dry mouth, and blurred vision, but my head feels incredibly heavy, water is pouring from my mouth, and I can see individual hummingbird wingbeats, so I think I'm fine.
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Created by a PERSON WITH ICY SKIN. Please mention here why this explanation isn't complete. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}
This comic is the fifth comic in a [[:Category:COVID-19|series of comics]] (with at least eight in a row) about the {{w|2019–20 coronavirus outbreak|2020 pandemic}} of the {{w|coronavirus}} - {{w|SARS-CoV-2}}.

The comic states that the symptoms of a disease are {{w|shortness of breath}}, {{w|fever}}, {{w|fatigue}} and {{w|dry cough}}. These are the top 3 and 5th most {{w|Coronavirus_disease_2019#Signs_and_symptoms|common symptoms}} reported for {{w|COVID-19}}, the disease caused by the new coronavirus. This is thus the fifth comic in a row about this disease, released on the day that the {{w|World Health Organization}} declared the outbreak a {{w|pandemic}}.

Looking these symptoms up on his phone, [[Cueball]] reads them to [[Megan]] who expresses relief. The experiences of hers she claims as normal are so extremely opposite to the symptoms of the virus, that getting it might even be a boon rather than a harm. If a person has powerful lungs, shortness of breath wouldn't be very noticeable. She references icy skin, normally not a fever symptom, although heavy sweating caused by fever can lower temperature. She describes having frenzied energy, the opposite of fatigue.

The last symptom is an "incredibly wet cough", and although that is the opposite of a dry cough, it still sounds quite bad. The description she gives opposes COVID-19, but may be indicative of something else.

The focus on how symptoms play out differently for people with different normal experiences distantly touches on, but deftly evades, the harsh reality that people who, unlike the comic's characters, already have severe respiratory issues, may die in large quantities unless our response to the virus improves. This is because the impact of a disease relates to how bad its symptoms are for the carriers.

Megan's optimistic reaction is ironic, considering these could be symptoms of a whole host of medical situations, including any kind of flu.

The title text expands on this joke. Cueball reads up on the side effects from some medicine. Here again they don't have the common side effects of the medicine but the exact opposite, so they think they must be fine, even though those "anti-symptoms" are themselves cause for concern.

It also reflects on the whole concept of symptom/side effect warnings themselves as often people have no good frame of reference for when a particular symptom is actually abnormal. It is often easy for one to believe they match some or all of a list of symptoms because for someone to be absolutely sure they do not have the a specific symptom, they would need an almost comic level of "normality".

The medicine is supposed to make the user:
#{{w|Lightheaded}}, but Megan's head feels heavy.
#Have a {{w|dry mouth}}, but water is pouring out of Megan's mouth.
#Have {{w|blurred vision}}, but Megan sees so clearly that she can spot individual {{w|hummingbird}} wingbeats.

Having a heavy head, is not a good sign, even though the opposite is also not good. Dry mouth can be annoying but her condition sounds dangerous. And although blurred vision is a bad thing, it is impossible for a human eye to follow the 12-80 beats a second of a hummingbird; this suggests that Megan might be hallucinating, which is arguably even worse.

==Transcript==
:[Cueball and Megan stand facing each other, with Cueball looking down at his smartphone held up in one hand.]
:Cueball: It says here common symptoms include shortness of breath, fever, fatigue, and a dry cough.
:Megan: That's reassuring to me, a person with powerful lungs, icy skin, frenzied energy, and an '''''incredibly''''' wet cough.

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Megan]]
[[Category:COVID-19]]

2280: 2010 and 2020

2020-03-18T17:07:36Z

162.158.238.4:

{{comic
| number = 2280
| date = March 13, 2020
| title = 2010 and 2020
| image = 2010_and_2020.png
| titletext = 2030: "I just bought a house for one bitcoin. No, it's the equivalent of a dollar. Houses are often transferred for a nominal fee because the buyer is taking responsibility for containing the holo-banshees in the attic."
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Created by a holo-banshee. Please mention here why this explanation isn't complete. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}
This comic is the sixth comic in a [[:Category:COVID-19|series of comics]] (with at least eight in a row) about the {{w|2019–20 coronavirus outbreak|2020 pandemic}} of the {{w|coronavirus}} - {{w|SARS-CoV-2}}.

[[White Hat]], who lives in 2010, and [[Cueball]], who lives in 2020, are in contact with each other via some kind of time travel. White Hat wants to learn about life in 2020 and is particularly interested in {{w|bitcoin}}, a decentralized {{w|cryptocurrency}} which was released in 2009, and whether it had become an acceptable currency. Cueball answers that bitcoin still exists, and that he just bought a bottle of {{w|hand sanitizer}} for the price of one bitcoin. White Hat probably assumes that bitcoin is a widely accepted currency worth a few dollars, and thinks that the situation is "normal". (In April 2010, one bitcoin was worth about 14 cents.)

At the time of this comic, the SARS-CoV-2 syndrome caused by COVID-19 infection (commonly known as "the coronavirus", though many colds are in fact a coronavirus; also see [[2275: Coronavirus Name]]), is spreading around the world, causing thousands of people to die (although relatively few compared to the number of people that have gotten better) and billions to panic. This increased the demand for hygiene products, including hand sanitizers, and therefore their price has increased. It also triggered a panic on financial markets, including severe devaluation of the infamously volatile bitcoin. Despite the crash, one bitcoin was still worth about $5,400 on the day this strip was published, not a few dollars. Therefore, buying a hand sanitizer for one bitcoin is not as normal as White Hat assumes.

The price of hand sanitizer has not reached the price of a bitcoin (yet), although some people on sites such as {{w|Amazon.com}} are attempting to sell it for ludicrous amounts and there are attempts by Amazon, eBay, and other selling platforms, as well as potential legislation, aimed at curtailing such {{w|price gouging}}.

The title text claims that, in 2030, bitcoin will again be worth about one dollar, but houses will also be worth only one dollar due to the difficulty inherent in containing "holo-banshees" in the attic. What a holo-banshee is is not explained, but one can guess as to what it might mean. "Holo" is generally short for {{w|hologram}} and typically denotes some kind of 3D looking digital visual form, and a "{{w|banshee}}" is a mythological wailing creature or spirit. So even if not a physical object, constant shrieking would be undesirable.

==Transcript==
{{incomplete transcript|Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}
:[White Hat and Cueball are walking to the right of the panel. There is a gray outline around Cueball, indicating he is from the future]
:White Hat: What are things like ten years from now in 2020?
:White Hat: We have this new "bitcoin" thing — does it ever catch on and become normal?

:[A frameless panel, with White Hat and Cueball still walking to the right.]
:Cueball: It's still around. I just bought a bottle of hand sanitizer for one bitcoin.

:[A regular panel, with them continuing to walk]
:White Hat: Cool, that sounds pretty normal.
:Cueball: Well, here's the thing...

== Trivia ==
* Cueball has previously traveled back in time ''twenty'' years to converse with his past self in [[2220: Imagine Going Back in Time]]. Like this conversation, his past self has a completely different set of concerns and expectations about the future compared to his present self like White Hat has compared to Cueball in this comic.

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:COVID-19]]
[[Category: Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category: Comics featuring White Hat]]
[[Category: Time travel]]

2281: Coronavirus Research

2020-03-18T17:06:42Z

162.158.238.4:

{{comic
| number = 2281
| date = March 16, 2020
| title = Coronavirus Research
| image = coronavirus_research.png
| titletext = "Also, reading 500 coronavirus papers in a row and not sleeping? Probably not great for you either, but I haven't found any studies confirming that yet. I'll keep looking."
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Created by an insomniac TRAP! I need to sleep. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}

This comic is the seventh comic in a [[:Category:COVID-19|series of comics]] (with at least eight in a row) about the {{w|2019–20 coronavirus outbreak|2020 pandemic}} of the {{w|coronavirus}} - {{w|SARS-CoV-2}}.

[[Megan]], disheveled and exhausted, has been researching COVID-19 nonstop and is now reporting her findings to [[Cueball]]. She claims to have read all available literature on the subject, but the best she can come up with is an extremely basic fact about {{w|virus}}es—namely that they infect cells and this is bad and should be prevented, which Cueball and just about everybody else already knew. She enthusiastically replies that she now knows this with {{w|error bars}}, which are graphical representations of the variability of data and are used on graphs to indicate the error or uncertainty in a reported measurement. Perhaps because of her sleep deprivation, she is unable to process the information that she has read, or is unable to properly phrase it in words. This is not the first time that Megan has exhaustively researched a topic to the detriment of her own health, see [[1708:_Dehydration]].

In the title text, she has a hunch that staying awake long enough to read 500 scientific papers is probably not a good idea, but she hasn't found a study that specifically confirms that. She intends to further compound her exhaustion by continuing to do research rather than just getting some much needed sleep. Assuming that Megan averages half an hour to find and read each paper, she has been continuously reading for 10.4 days, which is approaching the world record for not sleeping. In 1964, {{w|Randy Gardner (record holder)|Randy Gardner}}, a student in San Diego, California set the then-world record of 11 days and 25 minutes (264.4 hours) without sleeping.

==Transcript==
:[A very disheveled Megan, hair in disorder, walks up to Cueball.]
:Megan: <big>''Hi.''</big>
:Cueball: Hello. You look...fine.

:[In a frame-less panel Megan has stopped next to Cueball.]
:Megan: I have now read virtually every available scientific paper on COVID-19.
:Cueball: Cool, what'd you learn?

:[Megan has raised her palms towards Cueball.]
:Megan: Well it seems this virus wants to get inside your cells.
:Cueball: Mhmm...

:[Megan raises her left arm, with her index finger in the air in front of Cueball's face.]
:Megan: But it's a '''''trap!''''' You shouldn't let it.
:Cueball: I think we knew that.
:Megan: But now I know it with '''''error bars!'''''

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:COVID-19]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Megan]]
[[Category:Research Papers]]

1357: Free Speech

2020-03-15T12:42:27Z

162.158.238.4: /* Explanation */

{{comic
| number = 1357
| date = April 18, 2014
| title = Free Speech
| image = free_speech.png
| titletext = I can't remember where I heard this, but someone once said that defending a position by citing free speech is sort of the ultimate concession; you're saying that the most compelling thing you can say for your position is that it's not literally illegal to express.
}}

==Explanation==
Both on the Internet and in the physical world, people with unpopular or poorly thought out opinions may complain that their freedom of speech is being restricted because others express their distaste for those opinions. As a defense, these individuals may invoke the {{w|First Amendment to the United States Constitution}}, which provides, among other things, {{w|freedom of speech}} for any entity or person under legal jurisdiction of the U.S. More specifically, it states that "Congress shall make no law [...] abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press". Originally intended as a restriction on the powers of U.S. federal government, which the Constitution defines, structures, and delimits, over time the First Amendment, as well as several others, were "incorporated" via the {{w|Fourteenth_Amendment_to_the_United_States_Constitution|Fourteenth Amendment}} to apply to state and local governments as well. This protection of free speech, however, does not extend to illegal activities (for example, the concept of a "clear and present danger"), and it does not compel others to listen to or acknowledge the speech. The intended targets of the speech may simply choose to stop listening, or to speak louder in protest.

An example of this is the incident involving the TV program ''{{w|Duck Dynasty}}'' in December 2013, in which television network {{w|A+E Networks}} [http://insidetv.ew.com/2013/12/18/duck-dynasty-robertson-phil/?hpt=hp_t2 suspended the host after he made homophobic remarks], causing some to comment that his rights had been infringed upon. Similarly in April 2014 [http://www.bbc.com/news/blogs-echochambers-26895858 controversy erupted when Brendan Eich was forced to resign] as CEO of {{w|Mozilla Corporation|Mozilla}} because it was revealed he had donated money to anti-gay marriage efforts in California. In actuality, the First Amendment was never meant to provide immunity from any and all consequences.

[[Cueball]], representing [[Randall]], is addressing those who use the freedom of speech argument as a defense against societal censorship. He states that one’s legal right to take a stance on an issue does not require others to listen to said stance. In addition, he also states that this right does not require a commercial or social entity—such as a TV network, a website, or its community—to support a person in spreading their message, even if it had supported you in the past. If someone says something which others find unjustified or offensive, he or she should be ready to accept the consequences of others' responses.

The title text points out the irony of anyone appealing to free speech as a defense for their argument or opinion. If the only thing that someone can say in support of an argument is effectively that it is not ''illegal'', then {{w|Damning with faint praise|they are severely undermining it}} by essentially admitting that they don't have any better defense for it.

It should be noted that the first panel of this comic conflates, under certain schools of thought about justice and rights, a right such as free speech and the legal protections of such. Many viewpoints consider rights to be granted by the government; others consider rights to be innate regardless of what the government does. The former is frequently reflected throughout governments in Europe while the latter is more common throughout the Americas. According to the former, the first panel is technically correct by definition, because the right of free speech is granted by the government's laws and, as such, can only affect the government's influence: thus, the 1st Amendment grants the right to free speech, which by definition cannot be restricted by congress. According to the latter, the first panel is strictly nonfactual because the 1st Amendment only recognizes that the right of free speech exists and, rather than delimiting the right, it instead proscribes the government's actions. However, between these two school of thought, the remaining panels aren't affected by whether or not the first panel is factual by definition.

==Transcript==
:Cueball: Public Service Announcement: The '''Right to Free Speech''' means the government can't arrest you for what you say.

:Cueball: It doesn't mean that anyone '''''else''''' has to listen to your bullshit, or host you while you share it.

:Cueball: The 1st Amendment doesn't shield you from criticism or consequences.

:Cueball: If you're yelled at, boycotted, have your show canceled, or get banned from an Internet community, your free speech rights aren't being violated.

:Cueball: It's just that the people listening think you're an asshole,

:[A picture of a partially open door is displayed.]
:Cueball: And they're showing you the door.

==Trivia==
*One famous example of this is {{w|Schenck_v._United_States|Schenck v. United States}}, where the expression "{{w|shouting fire in a crowded theater}}" gave rise. The ruling went along with war hysteria to justify the conviction of peaceful protesters and had nothing to do with creating a dangerous situation or giving false information. Justice Oliver Wendell Holmes said in the ruling, "The most stringent protection of free speech would not protect a man in falsely shouting fire in a theatre and causing a panic." He later drastically revised his views and became a strong supporter of free speech.
*The {{w|Speakers' Corner}} at Hyde Park in London is another example, everybody can hold a speech but there is no guarantee for a big auditorium.
*As currently construed by the courts, the First Amendment to the U. S. Constitution is not limited to preventing the government from arresting people. For example, the [http://www.scotusblog.com/2016/01/argument-preview-the-first-amendment-public-employment-and-misperceived-political-association/ SCOTUS Blog] notes that the government may not penalize employees, with some exceptions, on the basis of their political views.

{{comic discussion}}
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Politics]]

1792: Bird/Plane/Superman

2020-02-28T00:48:41Z

162.158.238.4: /* Table */

{{comic
| number = 1792
| date = January 30, 2017
| title = Bird/Plane/Superman
| image = bird_plane_superman.png
| titletext = You can apply special translucent films to your windows to help keep birds/Superman from accidentally flying into them.
}}

==Explanation==
This comic is a logical comparison of observations to resolve the [http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0034247/quotes?item=qt0317455 classic Superman catchphrase] of comic book bystanders: "Look, up in the sky... It's a {{w|bird}}!... It's a {{w|Airplane|plane}}!... It's {{w|Superman}}!", hence the title. Superman, a character originally created for comic books in the 1930's, is an alien with superpowers, including the power of unaided flight; hence the catchphrase exclaiming peoples' amazement.

At the correct distance both birds, planes and the fictive Superman could be mistaken for each other. So this comic aims to help people identify the airborne object by listing on which properties they are alike and on which they are different. This problem was also mentioned in the title text of [[1633: Possible Undiscovered Planets]], putting Superman near the bird/plane boundary explaining why all this confusion has arisen.

The observations compared range from the mundane to the bizarre and they are listed and explained below in the [[#Table|table]]. Here some highlights are mentioned, but for all these there are much more detail below.

Some of the mundane observations are that birds don't fly around with people, while Superman can do it, and planes are meant for it; and that the latter two are new "inventions", whereas birds have flown around for millions of years.

Interestingly enough there are actually two observations that have check mark for all three; the first being that there are enthusiasts for all three different flying objects. And these will obsess over small color details in otherwise similar looking objects. The other common thing is that they all may have sex in midair. The possibility of that happening for the all three are discussed in the table.

Three observations only counts for birds, where all those that do not count for birds do count for both planes and superman. Two of these relates to the fact that birds are eaten by cats and humans, the last is that birds flap their wings to fly, the others have other means of flight. There are observations that rules out only planes or only superman, but none that rules out only one of them at the same time as birds are ruled out.

There are also three direct jokes towards the bottom. The first is that {{w|David Attenborough}} may also have observed Superman's mating habits just like he has with birds in the documentary series {{w|The Life of Birds}}. The second is that not only birds poop in flight, but that Superman could and would also do so. And the third (and also final observation) is that not only birds chase insects to eat them, but Superman also chases them... though only when he is bored. These last three observations have that in common that the planes are left out of all of them, and the joke is always on Superman. As it has been before in [[1384: Krypton]] and [[1394: Superm*n]] (released just ten comics apart).

The title text refers to black stickers (decals) in the shape of an easily recognizable predatory bird, like {{w|falcons}} to enhance the visibility of clear glass windows or doors and scare smaller birds away before they crash into the window. This may actually not work very well according to this article: [https://www.allaboutbirds.org/why-birds-hit-windows-and-how-you-can-help-prevent-it/ Why Birds Hit Windows], where a falcon decal is also shown. But they are meant to warn birds away and according to this comic they could also prevent Superman from flying through your window (and thus also stop him from possibly just continuing through the building). They are not known to affect the risk of airplanes flying into the building.{{Citation needed}}

===Table===
{| class="wikitable"
!style="width: style="width: 55%;"| !!style="width: style="width: 15%;"| Bird !!style="width: style="width: 15%;"| Plane !! Superman
|-
!colspan=4| Explanation
|-
! Carries people || || ✓ || ✓
|-
|colspan=4| Some birds are capable of flying off while carrying a small human away, but this happens extremely rarely (although hoax stories are often reported). Of course an {{w|Ostrich}} can easily carry a human; they have done so often in arranged {{w|Ostrich#Racing|races}}. But as they cannot fly (with or without humans on their back), and this comic is about recognizing objects in the air, this will not affect the check mark! Most planes are specifically designed to carry human passengers, although many are cargo planes with humans only acting as crew, and autonomous drones without humans also exist. Superman often carries other people with him, such as his {{w|Lois Lane|girlfriend}}, rescued victims or the various villains that people need to be rescued from.
|-
! Often flies in groups || ✓ || ✓ ||
|-
|colspan=4| Many types of birds fly in flocks, particularly during long-range {{w|Bird migration|migrations}}. Some birds often fly in the {{w|V formation}} which has also been {{w|V_formation#Military_flight_missions|copied by planes}}. This formation has been used at least twice in xkcd in [[1440: Geese]] and recently in [[1729: Migrating Geese]] (notice the similarity in number of that bird comic compared to the one for this comic). Planes sometimes fly in {{w|Formation flying|group formation}}, particularly when engaged in military operations where mutual support is tactically useful (or when conducting practice maneuvers for such operations). Though the people who would mistake those planes for birds will mainly see this at {{w|Air show|air shows}}. Superman is a unique person, and thus does not fly in groups of Supermen. While Superman occasionally operates alongside other flying superheroes, and in some stories is duplicated or split into multiple beings, Randall apparently considers these circumstances too unusual to meet the "often" qualifier.
|-
! Created in 20th century || || ✓ || ✓
|-
|colspan=4| Birds evolved from dinosaurs, appearing as early as the Late Jurassic period, roughly 150 million years ago. That birds evolved from dinosaur who also had wings with feathers before they evolved on to becoming birds has often been referenced by Randall in comics like [[1104: Feathers]], [[1211: Birds and Dinosaurs]] and the title texts of [[867: Herpetology]] and [[1527: Humans]] The {{w|Wright_Flyer#Flight_trials_at_Kitty_Hawk|first successful flight}} of a powered heavier-than-air craft took place on December 17, 1903 and was performed by the {{w|Wright brothers}}. There are several other claims for the first such flight, for instance {{w|Alberto_Santos-Dumont#Heavier-than-air_craft|Alberto Santos-Dumont}} from Brazil [https://youtu.be/N_qXm9HY9Ro?t=2156 was given a spot] at the {{w|2016 Summer Olympics opening ceremony|opening ceremony}} of the {{w|2016 Summer Olympics|Rio 2016 Olympic Games}}. Superman first appeared in {{w|Action Comics 1|''Action Comics'' #1}}, published in June 1938.
|-
! Uses magnetic navigation || ✓ || ✓ ||
|-
|colspan=4| Some types of birds use {{w|magnetoreception}} to navigate using the earth's magnetic field as a guide. Artificial {{w|Compass#Magnetic_compass|magnetic compasses}}, along with other navigational equipment, are used by planes. Superman, while possessing a {{w|Powers and abilities of Superman|plethora of super-senses/powers}}, does not appear to be particularly sensitive to {{w|magnetism}}.
|-
! Enthusiast community obsesses over small coloration details || ✓ || ✓ || ✓
|-
|colspan=4| {{w|Birdwatching|Birdwatchers}} identify bird species by a range of characteristics, including small details in the bird's color pattern which identify one species apart from another. Similarly, airplane hobbyists and {{w|Aircraft spotting|plane spotters}} take note of the colors of a plane's paint job and insignia. Comics fans can similarly identify the artist and date of a depiction of Superman by the coloration and configuration of his costume and be obsessed with their favorite coloration being the canon.
|-
! Preyed on by cats || ✓ || ||
|-
|colspan=4| {{w|Cats}} kill several billion birds a year, often - but not always - eating them. There has never been a case of a cat successfully catching and eating a plane.{{Citation needed}} As Superman is a fictional character the same goes for him, but also in the comics he has never been eaten by a cat, although he has been [http://www.themarysue.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/03/power-girl-22.jpg devoured by a dinosaur] although that (probably) did not kill him...
|-
! Occasional mid-air sex || ✓ || ✓ || ✓
|-
|colspan=4| Almost no bird species have sex in flight. Hummingbirds, for example, engage in courting behavior which one might falsely identify as sex (explained in this article [http://animals.howstuffworks.com/birds/hummingbird-sex1.htm Do hummingbirds have sex in midair?]). This article [http://www.livescience.com/38379-animal-sex-bird-sex.html Animal Sex: How Birds Do It] explains how birds in general have sex. However, this article [http://www.commonswift.org/Aerial-mating.html Aerial mating] points out that the common swift (Apus apus) engages in mid-air sex, an act presumably caught on video [https://vimeo.com/78453839 here]. {{w|Mile high club|Mid-air sex}} involving planes usually involves passengers (and potentially air crew), not the plane itself. However, this could also be a metaphorical reference to {{w|Aerial refueling|in-flight refueling}} (such as the depiction, set to romantic music, in [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qs7EikHQGlA the opening scene] of the movie ''{{w|Dr. Strangelove}}'', a movie Randall has referenced before for instance in [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/2/21/1608_1020x1083y_Torpedoes_two_steps_above_Runner_with_Beret_Guy.png this scene] from [[1608: Hoverboard]]) It could also refer to [http://avstop.com/news/plantcity.html this incident] where one plane landed atop another in mid-air. As for Superman, there have been occasional moments in the comics which indicate or at least imply that he sometimes engages in mid-air sex.
|-
! Eaten during seasonal feasts || ✓ || ||
|-
|colspan=4| {{w|Turkey (bird)|Turkeys}}, a type of bird, are eaten by Americans during {{w|Thanksgiving}}, a "seasonal feast" held on the fourth Thursday of November of each year. Britons eat Turkey or {{w|Goose}} at {{w|Christmas}}, in other countries it may be {{w|ducks}} instead. It is unlikely that normal humans would eat a plane, however it has been done by {{w|Michel Lotito}} who has digested an entire {{w|Cessna 150|Cessna}} aircraft. However he used two years to consume the plane, so although he may have eaten some parts during holidays, he did not do it because there was a seasonal feast. Superman is too strong and "made of steel" for him to let any human eat him. But as also mentioned above he has been [http://www.themarysue.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/03/power-girl-22.jpg devoured by a dinosaur] although that probably did not kill him... Referring back to the possible sex Superman has had in flight, it seems he is able to have sex with a human. Although the slang ''{{w|Cunnilingus|eat me}}'' (link NSFW), usually mean the man eating the woman,[http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=eat%20me it can also be used] the other way around. In this case Superman could have had holiday-sex with his girlfriend, where she ate him.
|-
! Propelled by flapping || ✓ || ||
|-
|colspan=4| Birds fly by flapping their wings.{{Citation needed}} Planes have fixed wings, and fly by maintaining forward velocity and exploiting the aerodynamic effects of air flowing over the upper and lower wing surfaces, which are shaped and angled to produce lift. Superman flies using superpowers which require neither wings nor flapping.
|-
! Sometimes loses ability to fly, needs to sunbathe to regain it || ✓ || || ✓
|-
|colspan=4| Birds can "lose" the ability to fly, if their wings are weighed down by water from swimming. One way for birds to dry out their wings is to [http://birding.about.com/od/birdbehavior/a/Bird-Sunning.htm sunbathe]. An airplane can lose its ability to fly, but no issues occurring in modern aircraft can be fixed by sunbathing, except in some {{w|Solar Impulse|experimental solar-powered aircraft}}. As for Superman, he is at risk of losing his superpowers, including flight, with prolonged exposure to {{w|Kryptonite}}, which makes him weak. Also the rays from the sun at his home planet {{w|Krypton (comics)|Krypton}} can {{w|Superman_II#Plot|remove his super powers}} as it happened in ''{{w|Superman II}}''. Superman's ability to fly is a superpower caused by "electromagnetic radiation from the rays of a yellow sun", so he could regain his strength and superhuman abilities through sunbathing in the {{w|Sun|Sun's}} light here on Earth. Which was how he got his super powers in the first place.
|-
! Can take a punch || || ✓ || ✓
|-
|colspan=4| Many birds are small and fragile creatures, whose {{w|Bird_anatomy#Skeletal_system|bone structures}} are meant to be light in order to fly, and thus are not very durable. If a man punched, say, a {{w|pigeon}}, he could probably break/dislocate most of its bones, either killing it immediately or leaving it in a state from which it will probably never ever recover on its own. However, there are definitely some big, {{w|flightless birds}} that could take a punch from a human such as ostriches and {{w|emus}}, but since both are large creatures that would probably react by fighting back, it would not be wise to try. Also Randall is (again) plainly ignoring this type of birds as they cannot fly and this comic is about making mistakes regarding things flying through the air (typically far enough away from the observer to mistake a pigeon for a plane). Planes are usually massive, or at least big enough to carry a human, and have to be made of materials durable enough to withstand hurtling through the sky at hundreds of miles an hour reliably on a regular basis. You could definitely punch one safely. (Meaning safe for the plane, not your hand.) One of Superman's (the {{w|Man of Steel (film)|Man of Steel}}) trademark abilities is his near indestructibility; a punch from any regular human would not hurt him, but again hurt the hand.
|-
! Mating behavior often observed by a hidden David Attenborough || ✓ || || Not that we know of
|-
|colspan=4| {{w|David Attenborough}} is an English broadcaster and naturalist, who produced a documentary series ''{{w|The Life of Birds}}''. Included in the series is an episode entitled "Finding Partners", which discussed {{w|Bird#Breeding|mating rituals of birds}}. That these can be very strange has been mentioned in the title text of [[1747: Spider Paleontology]], of course in relation to Dinosaur behavior. Planes are dead inanimate objects with no mating behavior.{{Citation needed}} However, referring back to the observations made under the ''Occasional mid-air sex'' explanation it could be discussed if this was mating behavior. Also there are movies like ''{{w|Planes (film)|Planes}}'' and it's {{w|Planes: Fire & Rescue|sequel}} has living planes, which could mate. But Randall may know for sure that Attenborough is not interested in those. The comic states that we don't know for sure if Attenborough has observed Superman's mating behavior. As Superman doesn't exist,{{Citation needed}} Attenborough has not seen Superman in reality (which would lead to a "No" response), but maybe Attenborough has watched all the movies in which Superman courts {{w|Lois Lane}} just to observe Superman's (made up) mating behavior (which would lead to a "Yes" response). Since we do not know Attenborough's habits, this leads to Randall giving the "Not that we know of" response.
|-
! Capable of ''intentionally'' releasing poop mid-flight || ✓ || || ✓
|-
|colspan=4| Birds often poop during flight, often enough that people regularly get hit in the head by the poop, which has caused the unlucky people to come up with the [http://thepetwiki.com/wiki/Pets_and_Superstitions superstition] that it brings good luck. For birds it is just economical to shed excess mass when they are going to fly, and many birds poop just at take off. But on long flights it the best use of resources to not carry extra weight along, that increases their efficiency. Unlike {{w|mammals}} who pee {{w|urea}}, {{w|Bird#Excretory_system|bird poop}} is both pee and feces as birds only have one hole, a {{w|cloaca}}, and the black poop is surrounded by their pee which is the white stuff containing {{w|uric acid}}. Not peeing lots of water out reduces their water loss. Some planes may be able to intentionally purge their septic tanks mid-flight, depending on the design of the waste interlocks, especially assuming the controls are inside the cockpit or cabin. As the TV show ''MythBusters'' has shown, a leaky septic disposal system can unintentionally lose liquid waste and cause a "blue ice" sighting on the ground. This is, however, not the plane's poop, the plane didn't release it intentionally and planes are not supposed to do this. As Superman's physiology is nearly identical to that of a human, he is in theory capable of voluntarily voiding his bowels at any time, including during flight; however, this would generally result in unnecessary drycleaning bills. But he has probably never been shown to either take a leak or poop in any of the {{w|Canon (fiction)|canon}} comics, books or films. So he may not even be able to poop! But Randall assumes he can.
|-
! Chases and eats bugs || ✓ || || Only when bored
|-
|colspan=4| Many bird species prey on insects and similar-sized animals. Planes often fly into and kill insects (as well as birds, and sometimes humans), but this is unintentional and doesn't provide them with nutritional value,{{Citation needed}} and they certainly do not chase them around. Superman is not known for eating insects, but Randall implies that he does sometimes, but only when he's bored. This could be interpreted as if he then tries to avoid his boredom by chasing the bugs intentionally, but why also eat them then? So it would probably rather happen because if you fly around while bored you might yawn at the wrong time and {{w|There Was an Old Lady Who Swallowed a Fly|swallow a fly}}, just like when riding on a bike or any other relatively fast but open vehicle.
|}

==Transcript==

{| class="wikitable"
! !! Bird !! Plane !! Superman
|-
| Carries people || || ✓ || ✓
|-
| Often flies in groups || ✓ || ✓ ||
|-
| Created in 20th century || || ✓ || ✓
|-
| Uses magnetic navigation || ✓ || ✓ ||
|-
| Enthusiast community obsesses over small coloration details || ✓ || ✓ || ✓
|-
| Preyed on by cats || ✓ || ||
|-
| Occasional mid-air sex || ✓ || ✓ || ✓
|-
| Eaten during seasonal feasts || ✓ || ||
|-
| Propelled by flapping || ✓ || ||
|-
| Sometimes loses ability to fly, needs to sunbathe to regain it || ✓ || || ✓
|-
| Can take a punch || || ✓ || ✓
|-
| Mating behaviour often observed by a hidden David Attenborough || ✓ || || Not that we know of
|-
| Capable of intentionally releasing poop mid-flight || ✓ || || ✓
|-
| Chases and eats bugs || ✓ || || Only when bored
|-
|}

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Charts]]
[[Category:Animals]]
[[Category:Comics featuring real people]]
[[Category:Sex]]
[[Category:Food]]
[[Category:Fiction]]

1792: Bird/Plane/Superman

2020-02-28T00:38:48Z

162.158.238.4:

{{comic
| number = 1792
| date = January 30, 2017
| title = Bird/Plane/Superman
| image = bird_plane_superman.png
| titletext = You can apply special translucent films to your windows to help keep birds/Superman from accidentally flying into them.
}}

==Explanation==
This comic is a logical comparison of observations to resolve the [http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0034247/quotes?item=qt0317455 classic Superman catchphrase] of comic book bystanders: "Look, up in the sky... It's a {{w|bird}}!... It's a {{w|Airplane|plane}}!... It's {{w|Superman}}!", hence the title. Superman, a character originally created for comic books in the 1930's, is an alien with superpowers, including the power of unaided flight; hence the catchphrase exclaiming peoples' amazement.

At the correct distance both birds, planes and the fictive Superman could be mistaken for each other. So this comic aims to help people identify the airborne object by listing on which properties they are alike and on which they are different. This problem was also mentioned in the title text of [[1633: Possible Undiscovered Planets]], putting Superman near the bird/plane boundary explaining why all this confusion has arisen.

The observations compared range from the mundane to the bizarre and they are listed and explained below in the [[#Table|table]]. Here some highlights are mentioned, but for all these there are much more detail below.

Some of the mundane observations are that birds don't fly around with people, while Superman can do it, and planes are meant for it; and that the latter two are new "inventions", whereas birds have flown around for millions of years.

Interestingly enough there are actually two observations that have check mark for all three; the first being that there are enthusiasts for all three different flying objects. And these will obsess over small color details in otherwise similar looking objects. The other common thing is that they all may have sex in midair. The possibility of that happening for the all three are discussed in the table.

Three observations only counts for birds, where all those that do not count for birds do count for both planes and superman. Two of these relates to the fact that birds are eaten by cats and humans, the last is that birds flap their wings to fly, the others have other means of flight. There are observations that rules out only planes or only superman, but none that rules out only one of them at the same time as birds are ruled out.

There are also three direct jokes towards the bottom. The first is that {{w|David Attenborough}} may also have observed Superman's mating habits just like he has with birds in the documentary series {{w|The Life of Birds}}. The second is that not only birds poop in flight, but that Superman could and would also do so. And the third (and also final observation) is that not only birds chase insects to eat them, but Superman also chases them... though only when he is bored. These last three observations have that in common that the planes are left out of all of them, and the joke is always on Superman. As it has been before in [[1384: Krypton]] and [[1394: Superm*n]] (released just ten comics apart).

The title text refers to black stickers (decals) in the shape of an easily recognizable predatory bird, like {{w|falcons}} to enhance the visibility of clear glass windows or doors and scare smaller birds away before they crash into the window. This may actually not work very well according to this article: [https://www.allaboutbirds.org/why-birds-hit-windows-and-how-you-can-help-prevent-it/ Why Birds Hit Windows], where a falcon decal is also shown. But they are meant to warn birds away and according to this comic they could also prevent Superman from flying through your window (and thus also stop him from possibly just continuing through the building). They are not known to affect the risk of airplanes flying into the building.{{Citation needed}}

===Table===
{| class="wikitable"
!style="width: style="width: 55%;"| !!style="width: style="width: 15%;"| Bird !!style="width: style="width: 15%;"| Plane !! Superman
|-
!colspan=4| Explanation
|-
! Carries people || || ✓ || ✓
|-
|colspan=4| Some birds are capable of flying off while carrying a small human away, but this happens extremely rarely (although hoax stories are often reported). Of course an {{w|Ostrich}} can easily carry a human; they have done so often in arranged {{w|Ostrich#Racing|races}}. But as they cannot fly (with or without humans on their back), and this comic is about recognizing objects in the air, this will not affect the check mark! Most planes are specifically designed to carry human passengers, although many are cargo planes with humans only acting as crew, and autonomous drones without humans also exist. Superman often carries other people with him, such as his {{w|Lois Lane|girlfriend}}, rescued victims or the various villains that people need to be rescued from.
|-
! Often flies in groups || ✓ || ✓ ||
|-
|colspan=4| Many types of birds fly in flocks, particularly during long-range {{w|Bird migration|migrations}}. Some birds often fly in the {{w|V formation}} which has also been {{w|V_formation#Military_flight_missions|copied by planes}}. This formation has been used at least twice in xkcd in [[1440: Geese]] and recently in [[1729: Migrating Geese]] (notice the similarity in number of that bird comic compared to the one for this comic). Planes sometimes fly in {{w|Formation flying|group formation}}, particularly when engaged in military operations where mutual support is tactically useful (or when conducting practice maneuvers for such operations). Though the people who would mistake those planes for birds will mainly see this at {{w|Air show|air shows}}. Superman is a unique person, and thus does not fly in groups of Supermen. While Superman occasionally operates alongside other flying superheroes, and in some stories is duplicated or split into multiple beings, Randall apparently considers these circumstances too unusual to meet the "often" qualifier.
|-
! Created in 20th century || || ✓ || ✓
|-
|colspan=4| Birds evolved from dinosaurs, appearing as early as the Late Jurassic period, roughly 150 million years ago. That birds evolved from dinosaur who also had wings with feathers before they evolved on to becoming birds has often been referenced by Randall in comics like [[1104: Feathers]], [[1211: Birds and Dinosaurs]] and the title texts of [[867: Herpetology]] and [[1527: Humans]] The {{w|Wright_Flyer#Flight_trials_at_Kitty_Hawk|first successful flight}} of a powered heavier-than-air craft took place on December 17, 1903 and was performed by the {{w|Wright brothers}}. There are several other claims for the first such flight, for instance {{w|Alberto_Santos-Dumont#Heavier-than-air_craft|Alberto Santos-Dumont}} from Brazil [https://youtu.be/N_qXm9HY9Ro?t=2156 was given a spot] at the {{w|2016 Summer Olympics opening ceremony|opening ceremony}} of the {{w|2016 Summer Olympics|Rio 2016 Olympic Games}}. Superman first appeared in {{w|Action Comics 1|''Action Comics'' #1}}, published in June 1938.
|-
! Uses magnetic navigation || ✓ || ✓ ||
|-
|colspan=4| Some types of birds use {{w|magnetoreception}} to navigate using the earth's magnetic field as a guide. Artificial {{w|Compass#Magnetic_compass|magnetic compasses}}, along with other navigational equipment, are used by planes. Superman, while possessing a {{w|Powers and abilities of Superman|plethora of super-senses/powers}}, does not appear to be particularly sensitive to {{w|magnetism}}.
|-
! Enthusiast community obsesses over small coloration details || ✓ || ✓ || ✓
|-
|colspan=4| {{w|Birdwatching|Birdwatchers}} identify bird species by a range of characteristics, including small details in the bird's color pattern which identify one species apart from another. Similarly, airplane hobbyists and {{w|Aircraft spotting|plane spotters}} take note of the colors of a plane's paint job and insignia. Comics fans can similarly identify the artist and date of a depiction of Superman by the coloration and configuration of his costume and be obsessed with their favorite coloration being the canon.
|-
! Preyed on by cats || ✓ || ||
|-
|colspan=4| {{w|Cats}} kill several billion birds a year, often - but not always - eating them. There has never been a case of a cat successfully catching and eating a plane.{{Citation needed}} As Superman is a fictional character the same goes for him, but also in the comics he has never been eaten by a cat, although he has been [http://www.themarysue.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/03/power-girl-22.jpg devoured by a dinosaur] although that (probably) did not kill him...
|-
! Occasional mid-air sex || ✓ || ✓ || ✓
|-
|colspan=4| Almost no bird species have sex in flight. Hummingbirds, for example, engage in courting behavior which one might falsely identify as sex (explained in this article [http://animals.howstuffworks.com/birds/hummingbird-sex1.htm Do hummingbirds have sex in midair?]). This article [http://www.livescience.com/38379-animal-sex-bird-sex.html Animal Sex: How Birds Do It] explains how birds in general have sex. However, this article [http://www.commonswift.org/Aerial-mating.html Aerial mating] points out that the common swift (Apus apus) engages in mid-air sex, an act presumably caught on video [https://vimeo.com/78453839 here]. {{w|Mile high club|Mid-air sex}} involving planes usually involves passengers (and potentially air crew), not the plane itself. However, this could also be a metaphorical reference to {{w|Aerial refueling|in-flight refueling}} (such as the depiction, set to romantic music, in [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qs7EikHQGlA the opening scene] of the movie ''{{w|Dr. Strangelove}}'', a movie Randall has referenced before for instance in [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/2/21/1608_1020x1083y_Torpedoes_two_steps_above_Runner_with_Beret_Guy.png this scene] from [[1608: Hoverboard]]) It could also refer to [http://avstop.com/news/plantcity.html this incident] where one plane landed atop another in mid-air. As for Superman, there have been occasional moments in the comics which indicate or at least imply that he sometimes engages in mid-air sex.
|-
! Eaten during seasonal feasts || ✓ || ||
|-
|colspan=4| {{w|Turkey (bird)|Turkeys}}, a type of bird, are eaten by Americans during {{w|Thanksgiving}}, a "seasonal feast" held on the fourth Thursday of November of each year. Britons eat Turkey or {{w|Goose}} at {{w|Christmas}}, in other countries it may be {{w|ducks}} instead. It is unlikely that normal humans would eat a plane, however it has been done by {{w|Michel Lotito}} who has digested an entire {{w|Cessna 150|Cessna}} aircraft. However he used two years to consume the plane, so although he may have eaten some parts during holidays, he did not do it because there was a seasonal feast. Superman is too strong and "made of steel" for him to let any human eat him. But as also mentioned above he has been [http://www.themarysue.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/03/power-girl-22.jpg devoured by a dinosaur] although that probably did not kill him... Referring back to the possible sex Superman has had in flight, it seems he is able to have sex with a human. Although the slang ''{{w|Cunnilingus|eat me}}'' (link NSFW), usually mean the man eating the woman,[http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=eat%20me it can also be used] the other way around. In this case Superman could have had holiday-sex with his girlfriend, where she ate him.
|-
! Propelled by flapping || ✓ || ||
|-
|colspan=4| Birds fly by flapping their wings.{{Citation needed}} Planes have fixed wings, and fly by maintaining forward velocity and exploiting the aerodynamic effects of air flowing over the upper and lower wing surfaces, which are shaped and angled to produce lift. Superman flies using superpowers which require neither wings nor flapping.
|-
! Sometimes loses ability to fly, needs to sunbathe to regain it || ✓ || || ✓
|-
|colspan=4| Birds can "lose" the ability to fly, if their wings are weighed down by water from swimming. One way for birds to dry out their wings is to [http://birding.about.com/od/birdbehavior/a/Bird-Sunning.htm sunbathe]. An airplane can lose its ability to fly, but no issues occurring in modern aircraft can be fixed by sunbathing, except in some {{w|Solar Impulse|experimental solar-powered aircraft}}. As for Superman, he is at risk of losing his superpowers, including flight, with prolonged exposure to {{w|Kryptonite}}, which makes him weak. Also the rays from the sun at his home planet {{w|Krypton (comics)|Krypton}} can {{w|Superman_II#Plot|remove his super powers}} as it happened in ''{{w|Superman II}}''. Superman's ability to fly is a superpower caused by "electromagnetic radiation from the rays of a yellow sun", so he could regain his strength and superhuman abilities through sunbathing in the {{w|Sun|Sun's}} light here on Earth. Which was how he got his super powers in the first place.
|-
! Can take a punch || || ✓ || ✓
|-
|colspan=4| Many birds are small and fragile creatures, whose {{w|Bird_anatomy#Skeletal_system|bone structures}} are meant to be light in order to fly, and thus are not very durable. If a man punched, say, a {{w|pigeon}}, he could probably break/dislocate most of its bones, either killing it immediately or leaving it in a state from which it will probably never ever recover on its own. However, there are definitely some big, {{w|flightless birds}} that could take a punch from a human such as ostriches and {{w|emus}}, but since both are large creatures that would probably react by fighting back, it would not be wise to try. Also Randall is (again) plainly ignoring this type of birds as they cannot fly and this comic is about making mistakes regarding things flying through the air (typically far enough away from the observer to mistake a pigeon for a plane). Planes are usually massive, or at least big enough to carry a human, and have to be made of materials durable enough to withstand hurtling through the sky at hundreds of miles an hour reliably on a regular basis. You could definitely punch one safely. (Meaning safe for the plane, not your hand.) One of Superman's (the {{w|Man of Steel (film)|Man of Steel}}) trademark abilities is his near indestructibility; a punch from any regular human would not hurt him, but again hurt the hand.
|-
! Mating behavior often observed by a hidden David Attenborough || ✓ || || Not that we know of
|-
|colspan=4| {{w|David Attenborough}} is an English broadcaster and naturalist, who produced a documentary series ''{{w|The Life of Birds}}''. Included in the series is an episode entitled "Finding Partners", which discussed {{w|Bird#Breeding|mating rituals of birds}}. That these can be very strange has been mentioned in the title text of [[1747: Spider Paleontology]], of course in relation to Dinosaur behavior. Planes are dead inanimate objects with no mating behavior.{{Citation needed}} However, referring back to the observations made under the ''Occasional mid-air sex'' explanation it could be discussed if this was mating behavior. Also there are movies like ''{{w|Planes (film)|Planes}}'' and it's {{w|Planes: Fire & Rescue|sequel}} has living planes, which could mate. But Randall may know for sure that Attenborough is not interested in those. The comic states that we don't know for sure if Attenborough has observed Superman's mating behavior. As Superman doesn't exist,{{Citation needed}} Attenborough has not seen Superman in reality (which would lead to a "No" response), but maybe Attenborough has watched all the movies in which Superman courts {{w|Lois Lane}} just to observe Superman's (made up) mating behavior (which would lead to a "Yes" response). Since we do not know Attenborough's habits, this leads to Randall giving the "Not that we know of" response.
|-
! Capable of ''intentionally'' releasing poop mid-flight || ✓ || || ✓
|-
|colspan=4| Birds often poop during flight, often enough that people regularly get hit in the head by the poop, which has caused the unlucky people to come up with the [http://thepetwiki.com/wiki/Pets_and_Superstitions superstition] that it brings good luck. For birds it is just economical to shed excess mass when they are going to fly, and many birds poop just at take off. But on long flights it the best use of resources to not carry extra weight along, that increases their efficiency. Unlike {{w|mammals}} who pee {{w|urea}}, {{w|Bird#Excretory_system|bird poop}} is both pee and feces as birds only have one hole, a {{w|cloaca}}, and the black poop is surrounded by their pee which is the white stuff containing {{w|uric acid}}. Not peeing lots of water out reduces their water loss. Some planes may be able to intentionally purge their septic tanks mid-flight, depending on the design of the waste interlocks, especially assuming the controls are inside the cockpit or cabin. As the TV show ''MythBusters'' has shown, a leaky septic disposal system can unintentionally lose liquid waste and cause a "blue ice" sighting on the ground. This is, however, not the planes poop and also not the plane that released it intentionally, and planes are not supposed to do this. As Superman's physiology is nearly identical to that of a human, he is in theory capable of voluntarily voiding his bowels at any time, including during flight; however, this would generally result in unnecessary drycleaning bills. But he has probably never been shown to either take a leak or poop in any of the {{w|Canon (fiction)|canon}} comics, books or films. So he may not even be able to poop! But Randall assumes he can.
|-
! Chases and eats bugs || ✓ || || Only when bored
|-
|colspan=4| Many bird species prey on insects and similar-sized animals. Planes often fly into and kill insects (as well as birds, and sometimes humans), but this is unintentional and doesn't provide them with nutritional value,{{Citation needed}} and they certainly do not chase them around. Superman is not known for eating insects, but Randall implies that he does sometimes, but only when he's bored. This could be interpreted as if he then tries to avoid his boredom by chasing the bugs intentionally, but why also eat them then? So it would probably rather happen because if you fly around while bored you might yawn at the wrong time and {{w|There Was an Old Lady Who Swallowed a Fly|swallow a fly}}, just like when riding on a bike or any other relatively fast but open vehicle.
|}

==Transcript==

{| class="wikitable"
! !! Bird !! Plane !! Superman
|-
| Carries people || || ✓ || ✓
|-
| Often flies in groups || ✓ || ✓ ||
|-
| Created in 20th century || || ✓ || ✓
|-
| Uses magnetic navigation || ✓ || ✓ ||
|-
| Enthusiast community obsesses over small coloration details || ✓ || ✓ || ✓
|-
| Preyed on by cats || ✓ || ||
|-
| Occasional mid-air sex || ✓ || ✓ || ✓
|-
| Eaten during seasonal feasts || ✓ || ||
|-
| Propelled by flapping || ✓ || ||
|-
| Sometimes loses ability to fly, needs to sunbathe to regain it || ✓ || || ✓
|-
| Can take a punch || || ✓ || ✓
|-
| Mating behaviour often observed by a hidden David Attenborough || ✓ || || Not that we know of
|-
| Capable of intentionally releasing poop mid-flight || ✓ || || ✓
|-
| Chases and eats bugs || ✓ || || Only when bored
|-
|}

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Charts]]
[[Category:Animals]]
[[Category:Comics featuring real people]]
[[Category:Sex]]
[[Category:Food]]
[[Category:Fiction]]

2269: Phylogenetic Tree

2020-02-18T16:02:57Z

162.158.238.4:

{{comic
| number = 2269
| date = February 17, 2020
| title = Phylogenetic Tree
| image = phylogenetic_tree.png
| titletext = And I was kicked out of my March Madness pool because I wouldn't shut up about the evidence for NBA/ABA endosymbiosis.
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Created by PHYLOGENETIC MARCH MADNESS BRACKETS. The names on the tree should be explained (mentioned) Duke etc. There have been other comics about this madness - links. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}
In biology, {{w|phylogenetic tree}}s are a way of showing evolutionary relationships with the most recent common ancestor at the root of the tree.

Each year in the United States, in March and early April, 68 NCAA Division I {{w|college basketball}} teams play in a {{w|single elimination}} postseason tournament to decide a national champion of college basketball. This tournament is colloquially known as {{w|March Madness}}. Associated with this tournament, it has become commonplace to guess the outcomes of each games, and predict who will win the tournament.

[[Randall]] has replaced the trees in a biology paper with a basketball {{w|March Madness pools|March Madness bracket}}, which is not related to biology.{{Citation needed}} The 2019-20 NCAA college basketball regular season had not ended yet at the time of this comic's publication, so the partial bracket shown is a fictional bracket. [[:Category:Tournament bracket|Tournament brackets]] are a recurring theme at xkcd. Compared to a phylogenetic tree, the 'root' of a tournament tree is the final result (once known), rather than the common ancestor that was prior in time to all those that came after; the 'leaves' are all the initially hopeful competitors, rather than the latest extant (or unsucceeded extinct) organisms.

The title text shows the inverse of what the comic says: Apparently the March Madness bracket pool removed Randall after he tried to introduce biology-related evidence comparing the {{w|National Basketball Association}} (NBA) and {{w|American Basketball Association}} (ABA) to organisms and claiming the ABA is an {{w|endosymbiont}} living inside the NBA. An endosymbiont is an organism living inside another organism. In a way, this can be considered true of these two leagues, as the NBA and ABA {{w|ABA–NBA merger|merged}} in 1976 after which the ABA ceased to exist. 4 teams from the ABA, the {{w|Denver Nuggets}}, {{w|Indiana Pacers}}, {{w|Brooklyn Nets}} and {{w|San Antonio Spurs}}, continue to exist today as NBA teams. It is additionally humorous that Randall brings up the ABA/NBA merger in a March Madness bracket group, as March Madness is a college basketball tournament, as opposed to professional basketball played by the NBA and ABA.

A March Madness bracket was also the topic of [[1819: Sweet 16]].

===Teams shown in the bracket===
The bracket shows the Duke University basketball team winning the NCAA college basketball tournament. Strangely, it shows Gonzaga University linked only to explicitly non-Gonzaga branches, suddenly appearing out of the bottom section, which is not possible in a sports bracket context, but possible in biology if Gonzaga is an identified ancestral root with all descendant evolved species identified by a new term. In fact, the implied unchanged continuity of Duke from 'universal ancestor' to niche population sharing the world with all of its diverged and re-evolved outbranchings (rather than perhaps used as a term for a typically broad cladistic group of branches, such as Archaea) would be more curious - or just imply an inherent of available precision in the necessary paleobiological studies that classify the proposed UA and its descendency.

As of the publish date of this comic, all of the college basketball teams mentioned (except the University of Virginia) were ranked in the top 25 of the {{w|AP Poll|Associated Press poll}}. The University of Virginia was the winner of the 2019 college basketball tournament, so that may have been why they were mentioned.

{| class="wikitable"
!Team name
!University
!Ranking
!Notes
|-
|Dayton
|{{w|University of Dayton}}
|#5
|A private Roman Catholic research university in Dayton, Ohio. Dayton has appeared in 18 tournaments, most recently in 2017.
|-
|Duke
|{{w|Duke University}}
|#6
|A private research university in Durham, North Carolina. Duke has appeared in 43 tournaments (most recently in 2019), and has won 5 national championships (most recently in 2015).
|-
|FSU
|{{w|Florida State University}}
|#8
|A public research university in Tallahassee, Florida. Florida State has appeared in 17 tournaments, most recently in 2019.
|-
|Gonzaga
|{{w|Gonzaga University}}
|#2
|A private Roman Catholic university in Spokane, Washington. Gonzaga has appeared in 22 tournaments, most recently in 2019.
|-
|Kansas
|{{w|University of Kansas}}
|#3
|A public research university with its main campus in Lawrence, Kansas. Kansas has appeared in 48 tournaments (most recently in 2019), and has won 3 national championships (most recently in 2008).
|-
|Louisville
|{{w|University of Louisville}}
|#11
|A public research university in Louisville, Kentucky. Louisville has appeared in 39<ref group="note" name="Louisville">Louisville vacated its tournament results from 2011-15, including its 2013 national championship, due to NCAA violations.</ref> tournaments (most recently in 2019), and has won 2<ref group="note" name="Louisville" /> national championships (most recently in 1986).
|-
|UVA
|{{w|University of Virginia}}
|Unranked
|A public research university in Charlottesville, Virginia. Virginia has appeared in 23 tournaments (most recently in 2019), and has won 1 national championship in 2019.
|}

==Transcript==
{{incomplete transcript|Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}

:[A circular phylogenetic tree is shown, with various parts of the tree colored red, green, blue, and black.]

:[Caption below the panel:]
:I was kicked off the biology project after I secretly replaced all the phylogenetic trees in our new paper with March Madness brackets.

==Notes==
<references group="note" />

{{comic discussion}}
[[Category:Comics with color]]
[[Category:Tournament bracket]]
[[Category: Basketball]]
[[Category: Biology]]

1782: Team Chat

2017-01-06T19:54:56Z

162.158.238.4: Added remark about the gateways.

{{comic
| number = 1782
| date = January 6, 2017
| title = Team Chat
| image = team_chat.png
| titletext = 2078: He announces that he's finally making the jump from screen+irssi to tmux+weechat.
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Wait, so what ''is'' gateway? Or just a gateway?}}
[[Randall]] provides us with a – presumably anecdotal – montage of the Internet's changing attitude towards different instant messaging protocols, framed within the context of a team trying to remain in communication while tolerating each others' different tastes.

Although one-on-one "talk" programs date back to 1960s mainframes, {{w|Internet Relay Chat}} (IRC) was one of the first real-time group communication protocols, invented in 1988. While it remains the format on which most later apps were based, the convenience and accessibility of other protocols such as AIM and Skype gradually exceeded IRC in popularity. Many users took to the new environments, but others preferred the old and familiar, hence schisms between groups began to grow.

[http://www.skype.com Skype] and [http://www.slack.com Slack] are both proprietary centralized communication protocols (usually used through their official clients). Skype focuses mainly on voice communication, be it for personal or business use, and own installable client, while Slack relies almost entirely on text communication, focuses on work communication and works completely well in its own web client, even though official desktop and mobile clients are available as well. Slack also features a huge customizability (bots, plugins) possibly inspired by IRC, and its users need to create communication groups, working inside subdomains at *.slack.com. It's also worth mentioning though as the comic does that it is possible to connect to Slack via IRC as well, using the mentioned gateway feature.

Randall here seems to commenting on the persistence of IRC; while generally considered to be ancient software in comparison to newer and still-competing protocols, its endless customizability has led some people to support it above all others.

Extrapolating for the sake of humor, the joke here lies in a particularly uncommon but memorable type of Internet denizen: even in a far-off distant future where the world's technology has led to a superlative messaging network encompassing all people in some supposed, incredible bliss, there is always - in Randall's vision - going to be That IRC Guy.

In the title text, both {{w|GNU_Screen|screen}} and {{w|Tmux|tmux}} are unix programs that help you multitask while working in terminal (command line), and {{w|Irssi|irssi}} and {{w|WeeChat|weechat}} are both communication clients supporting mainly IRC, capable of working in a command line environment. Tmux is a newer and apparently more user-friendly project, complete with handy menus and titles, while screen is something of an industry standard, but relatively difficult to use – you need to know what you are doing or read help before use, otherwise you get lost and frustrated. [http://superuser.com/questions/236158/tmux-vs-screen] The same it is with the newer, more feature-packed and user-friendly weechat vs industry-standard, harder-to-use irssi. [https://www.quora.com/IRC-Which-do-you-prefer-irssi-or-weechat-and-why]

Basically, that ''one'' guy is a hardcore UNIX geek who doesn't use any graphical user interface, and in 2078 he decides to use a little less inconvenient, yet still command-line-based tools.

Randall has touched on similar themes before in [[927: Standards]].

==Transcript==
:[Hairbun holding up her palm toward Cueball. A frame over the top border of the panel has a caption:]
:2004
:Hairbun: Our team stays in touch over IRC.

:[Megan is looking at Ponytail who is holding up her palm toward her. A frame over the top border of the panel has a caption:]
:2010
:Ponytail: Our team mainly uses Skype, but some of us prefer to stick to IRC.

:[Cueball is talking with Megan in a frameless panel. A frame at the top of the panel has a caption:]
:2017
:Cueball: We've got almost everyone on Slack,
:Cueball: But three people refuse to quit IRC and connect via Gateway.

:[A black panel with white text and drawings. The main body of text is above a the singularity, a starburst around a circle with two more broken lined circles around the starburst. To the right another Cueball-like guy floats in space with his laptop computer, typing on the keyboard. A frame, that is white inside, is over the top border of the panel has a caption: ]
:2051
:Narration: All consciousnesses have merged with the Galactic Singularity,
:Narration: Except for ''one'' guy who insists on joining through his IRC client.
:One Guy: I just have it set up the way I want, okay?!
:Galactic Singularity: ''*Sigh*''



{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Comics featuring Hairbun]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Megan]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Ponytail]]
[[Category:Multiple Cueballs]]
[[Category:Comics with inverted brightness]]
[[Category:Artificial Intelligence]]
[[Category:Computers]]