explain xkcd - User contributions [en]

1877: Eclipse Science

2017-08-17T18:56:07Z

162.158.59.40: /* Explanation */

{{comic
| number = 1877
| date = August 16, 2017
| title = Eclipse Science
| image = eclipse_science.png
| titletext = I was thinking of observing stars to verify Einstein's theory of relativity again, but I gotta say, that thing is looking pretty solid at this point.
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|More on eclipses (links). Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}

The second solar eclipse related comic in a row, the previous being [[1876: Eclipse Searches]]. Released only five days before the [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Solar_eclipse_of_August_21,_2017 August 21, 2017] eclipse in the USA.

This comic reflects on various reasons scientists have for being interested in a total solar eclipse. An eclipse is an astronomical event, which most laypeople associate with science and thus might assume would be of interest to scientists. However, when the reporter probes Megan on scientific interest on the eclipse, Megan gives short and sarcastic answers, downplaying any experimental significance of the phenomenon and indicating that her only interest is in spectacle rather than science. She also makes the point that science is no more involved in an eclipse than any other spectator event, and does not work to observe phenomenon without any interest in discovery. Eclipses are well-understood events and there is no lack of models for explaining the physics behind them; the alignment of bodies in space is a result of orbital mechanics which are present at all times, making the whole event only significant to the observer.

While some astronomers might be testing elaborate hypotheses during an eclipse, for other scientists (eg. organic chemists and herpetologists) it is just a once in a long time (maybe even once in a lifetime) event which is visually interesting.

Megan's point is that in 2017 (and for several decades/centuries previous) eclipses are thoroughly understood. Wikipedia has a listing of {{w|List_of_solar_eclipses_in_the_21st_century|every eclipse that will occur in the 21st Century}}, to include the coordinates and time of greatest eclipse. While eclipses offer a unique opportunity for ground based observation of the Sun's outer layers the majority of the study of the sun is done by satellites that do not require an eclipse to take readings.

The title text refers to a {{w|Tests_of_general_relativity#Deflection_of_light_by_the_Sun|1919 experiment during an eclipse}} to observe gravitational deflection of light waves.

==Transcript==
:[Hairy is speaking into a microphone while interviewing Megan.]
:Hairy: Tell us, are you scientists excited for the eclipse?
:Megan: Sure, lots of people are!

:[Zoom in on Megans head.]
:Hairy (off-panel): Is this a big moment for science?
:Megan: It's a big moment for the sky.

:[Same setting as first panel in a wider panel.]
:Hairy: Are people really excited enough about science to travel to see it?
:Megan: Honestly, it's not that scientific. I mean, it's cool if you're into astronomy, but it's also cool if you're, like, aware of the sun.

:[Same setting.]
:Hairy: But there's lots of science involved.
:Megan: I guess? There's lots of science involved in the Olympics, but you don't need to be a scientist to watch.

:[Megan holds a hand out towards Hairy.]
:Megan: It's not like the concept is all that arcane of mathematical. It's a thing going in front of another thing.

:[Zoom in on Megan holding both arms out.]
:Hairy (off-panel): Then why are you so excited?
:Megan: I'm excited because it's a nearly once-in-a-lifetime chance to watch the sun go dark, hear birds freak out, and see a glowing ring appear in the sky with a sunset on every horizon.

:[Back to same setting as in the first panel.]
:Hairy : Will you be making any scientific observations?
:Megan: I will be, like, "Holy shit, look at the sky."
:Megan: Maybe also "This is so cool."
:Megan: We'll see!

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Comics featuring Hairy]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Megan]]
[[Category:Comics featuring real people]] 
[[Category:Astronomy]]
[[Category:Physics]]

821: Five-Minute Comics: Part 3

2017-02-06T06:08:39Z

162.158.59.40: /* Explanation */ d.c. avoids the frequency problem, but amperage is the real issue

{{comic
| number = 821
| date = November 19, 2010
| title = Five-Minute Comics: Part 3
| image = five minute comics part 3.png
| titletext = Resulting in The Little Rock 9x + C.
}}

==Explanation==
This is the third of three "five-minute comics" Randall posted during a week in November 2010. The introduction to the comic explains everything you need to know about the circumstances behind it.

Randall obviously made more than three of these five minutes comics, and one of them was published later, for a short period of time by a mistake, but an android xkcd browser picked it up while it was on-line and saved it. Since then it has been added to explain xkcd. So here is a complete list of all four comics in the entire [[:Category:Five-minute comics|Five-minute comics]] series:
*[[819: Five-Minute Comics: Part 1]]
*[[820: Five-Minute Comics: Part 2]]
*[[821: Five-Minute Comics: Part 3]]
*[[Five-Minute Comics: Part 4]]

Here is a list with explanations for each of the small comics:
*{{w|Pearl Harbor}} is a US Navy base that was {{w|Attack on Pearl Harbor|attacked}} in 1941 by Japanese airplanes, which prompted the US to join World War II. The attacks were made on ''December'' 7, 1941, not November 7. Thus, Randall is correct in depicting a Navy base going about its usual business.

*{{w|Breastfeeding in public}} is a touchy subject in parts of the world. In the US, it is considered by some to be inconsiderate to others who would prefer not to see such a display. Of course, women breastfeeding in public are generally feeding their infants, not other adults. The situation presented in the comic is an absurd exaggeration of the debate.

*"s" is the command in {{w|sed}} to perform a pattern search-and-replace; the syntax has also been adopted by other text-processing utilities, including {{w|Perl}} (a favorite subject of xkcd), and has entered into the geek lexicon as something that could appear in general conversation. The specific command "s/I think that/I saw a study once that said/g" means "Find all occurrences of the phrase 'I think that', and replace it with the phrase 'I saw a study once that said'." This will, indeed, improve the persuasiveness of an article, as the existence of scientific evidence will make people more likely to believe what's said, while most people won't even think to actually look up the study in question.

*Arson is the crime of intentionally setting fire to a structure. {{w|Billy Joel}} will no doubt claim {{w|We Didn't Start the Fire|he didn't start the fire}}. And it turned out that they believed him. This was mentioned in the title text of [[1794: Fire]], which displays another similarly folded newspaper front page, with only the headline readable. The picture shown the fire Billy was arrested for, but he was only detained briefly. The song is also mentioned in [[1775: Things You Learn]].

*Coca-Cola is a fizzy cola-flavored soft drink, commonly abbreviated as "coke." {{w|Pop Rocks}} are a candy that contain tiny bubbles of gas, so that as the sugary candy dissolves on your tongue, it creates a popping sensation. For a long time, it was claimed that drinking the two together would cause one's stomach to explode; this was finally put to rest as some people (the Mythbusters in particular) started actually trying it, and discovered that it's merely painful, not lethal.
:Here, it's combined with elements of other common scary urban legends (phones ringing and creepy laughter) to form something bizarre.

*After ''{{w|Brown v. Board of Education}}'' ruled that schools could not segregate based on race, nine African American students from Little Rock, Arkansas enrolled in the previously-segregated Little Rock Central High School. The school board could not officially deny them attendance, but members of the community (and, after Arkansas governor Orval Faubus intervened, the Arkansas National Guard) formed a blockade to physically prevent them from entering the school building. The governor claimed this was within his power even after ''Brown v. Board'', because the students were enrolled without issue, they were just physically blocked from entering the school building. After determining that the right to enroll in a school does, implicitly, include the right to actually attend classes there, president Eisenhower ordered the 101st Airborne Division to accompany the students and force the National Guard to stand down, thus integrating the school. This incident became known as the {{w|Little Rock Nine}}.
:However, {{w|Integral|integration}} also has a meaning in mathematics. This is indicated in the comic with the soldiers lifting up a giant integral sign to place beside the school, in order to (mathematically) integrate it. Normally, an integral only makes sense on functions; however, since this is the Little Rock ''Nine'', if we take the integral of the constant function ''f''(''x'') = 9, we do, in fact, get 9''x'' + ''C'', as stated in the title text.

*Cell phones with advanced computing capabilities, typically at least requiring fully-featured Internet browsing, multimedia capabilities, and the ability to run software applications, are called "smartphones." Most cell phones also have a "vibrate" function that allows someone in a public situation to receive calls without alerting others; the phone will discreetly vibrate rather than activate a ringtone, thus privately notifying the owner that a call is incoming. A semi-common problem with this feature is that a vibrating phone on a table that has a slight slope will slowly - or, if the slope is bad enough, rather quickly - slide down the slope, possibly falling off the table and breaking. If our smartphones ever decided to kill us, this would possibly be their only method of attack.
**Randall later covered this in his [[what if?]] blog. [http://what-if.xkcd.com/5/]

*The Three Little Pigs is a children's fairy tale about three pigs who build their houses out of, respectively, straw, sticks, and bricks. A wolf comes along and eats the pigs living in the straw and stick houses, but he can't knock down the brick house, because his only method for breaking them down is to blow on them until the material falls to pieces.
:The 119 Little Pigs seems to be a variant where the pigs build their houses out of the 119 {{w|chemical elements}}. The 38th little pig builds his house out of {{w|strontium}}, which is, of course, the 38th element on the Periodic Table. One wonders what happened to the pigs who are stuck making their houses out of elements that are gaseous or liquid at room temperature, or those whose houses would react with the air and/or undergo nuclear decay.
:Although given the water content in exhaled breath, it's {{w|Alkali metal#Reaction with water (alkali metal hydroxides)|easy to see}} how the wolf would huff, puff, and blow down the houses made of {{w|lithium}}, {{w|sodium}}, {{w|potassium}}, {{w|rubidium}}, {{w|caesium}}, and {{w|francium}}. Though making a houses out of {{w|hydrogen}}, {{w|helium}}, {{w|nitrogen}}, {{w|oxygen}}, {{w|fluorine}}, {{w|neon}}, {{w|chlorine}} and {{w|krypton}} would all be very difficult as they are gases at room temperature. Also, there would be issues such as death from the toxicity of the elements, e.g. fluorine would kill the pig and wolf. The piggies may have difficulty collecting enough metal, as they would have trouble collecting enough {{w|technetium}} (43), which only occurs in minute traces, and {{w|astatine}}, of which approximately 1 ounce exists on earth.

*"Fastest gun in the West" is a boast commonly made in Western movies, where it is used to mean that a person is the fastest at drawing his gun in a duel (or, alternatively, can fire his gun the fastest). It doesn't actually describe the gun itself, and certainly doesn't describe how fast the gun can gallop across the land.

*"It's what separates the ''men'' from the ''boys''" is a phrase used to describe "macho" activities that, apparently, only "real men" will participate/do well in; all the other men haven't grown up yet, and are thus "boys." {{w|Centrifuge}}s are used to rapidly separate a material from the liquid it's suspended in; this is either a pun on the word "separate", or an attempt by Randall to make the occupation of lab technician seem macho.
**In the film {{W|Moonraker_(film)|Moonraker}} {{W|James Bond}} was almost killed in a centrifuge used as a g-force training vehicle for pilots/astronauts - but he survived - and he for sure is a real man... See also [[123: Centrifugal Force]].

*Narnia is the mythical land in ''{{w|The Chronicles of Narnia}}''. In the books, time passes differently in Narnia, such that one can spend many years in Narnia and come out to find that almost no time at all has passed on Earth; conversely, during a short trip back to Earth, hundreds of years could pass in Narnia. {{w|Lucy Pevensie|Lucy}} is taking advantage of this by putting a computer in Narnia to perform extremely fast computation. {{w|Folding@home}} and {{w|SETI@home}} are distributed computing projects that aim to solve extremely large computational problems by pooling together computer resources of thousands of home computers who volunteer for the project; Folding@home looks at how proteins are folded, which has applications in medical science, and SETI@home analyzes EM waves from space, looking for signs extraterrestrial intelligent life amongst the cosmic background noise. Running through all of that data in a few hours would be quite an accomplishment indeed, given that, as Peter points out, the idea has many problems Lucy has evidently overcome:
**The book was written in 1957 and it occurs even earlier than that, long predating personal computers, so Lucy shouldn't even have one.
**Even if it occurs in an alternate universe where the PC was invented before 1957, the storage that would be needed to store the entire Folding@home and SETI@home databases would be far beyond her means, since the characters in the book are evacuees who don't have any money.
**Even if she somehow pulled that much storage space together, the time needed for one computer to run through those databases is on the order of millennia. A computer would not continuously run for that long without careful treatment, which Narnia is not equipped for.
**Even if we handwave around that issue (''"Aslan, use your power to keep all dust away from this computer for the next ten thousand years, please"''), the wall socket powering the computer is on the Earth side. Mains power outlets in the UK provide alternating current with an amplitude of 230 volts and a frequency of 50 hertz. The 50 Hz part is what's important here: all devices designed to work with UK mains power expect a 50 Hz sine wave. The time difference between Earth and Narnia would substantially elongate the sine wave in a method similar to the Doppler effect, which would probably prevent the computer from functioning at all. The frequency issue can be avoided by converting the alternating current to direct current on earth and passing the direct current to Narnia. However, to have a usable amperage (coulombs per second) on Narnia, the amperage (coulombs per second) on earth would have to be absurdly high, requiring wires much larger than shown. Also, the electricity costs would be too high.
**The time differential doesn't occur while people are entering/exiting Narnia (though they do occur while the wardrobe's open) or the Pevensie children would have had had some difficulty surviving the transition. Since the cables of the computer are crossing between the worlds, it seems unlikely that the time differential is even active yet.
:See also: [[1786: Trash]]

*''{{w|The Honeymooners}}'' is a classic American sitcom. The show stars Ralph and Alice Kramden, and Ralph frequently makes empty threats of the form "One of these days, Alice...," followed by a combination of onomatopoeia. For example: "One of these days, Alice... BANG! ZOOM! Straight to the moon!" (Alice inevitably replies "Ahhh, shut up.")
:Here, Randall takes the pattern to a ridiculous and not-at-all threatening place.

==Transcript==
:Because of a family illness, instead of regular comics, this week I'll be sharing some strips that I drew as part of a game I played with friends. Each comic had to be written and drawn in five minutes.

:--Randall

:;Comic #1
:Pearl Harbor. November 7th, 1941.
:[There is a beach, with some ships floating in a crescent shaped harbor.]

:[The same bay, again.]

:[The boats continue to move about the harbor.]

:[The boats do their thing. A title explains.]
:(We're going to be here a while, since the attack wasn't until December.)

:;Comic #2
:[Cueball is sitting on a bus, Megan in front of him.]
:I know it's natural and all, but I really wish women on the bus wouldn't try to breastfeed me.
:Woman: C'mon, have some milk. Right here.
:Me: I'm ''reading''.

:;Comic #3
:s/I think that/I saw a study once that said that/g
:Instant persuasiveness multiplier!

:;Comic #4
:[A newspaper front page. Billy Joel is between two policemen.]
:Times
:Billy Joel Arrested for Arson

:;Comic #5
:[One person has a cord leaving their mouth, the other is holding a handset on the end of it to their ear.]
:Handset: Hee hee hee... *giggle*
:I hear that if you drink coke and eat pop rocks, you vomit up a corded telephone handset on which you hear creepy little girls giggling.

:;Comic #6
:[Three soldiers are holding a large integral sign, while a fourth points a gun at the Little Rock High School.]
:1957: Eisenhower orders the military to integrate Little Rock High School.

:;Comic #7
:[A smartphone is vibrating across a table, towards a person.]
:The smartphones got ''too'' smart... and developed a taste... for BLOOD!
:Fortunately, the only way they could move was by turning on their vibrate while on a sloped table.

:;Comic #8
:[Cueball is reading to his child.]
:Cueball: And the wolf went to see the 38th little pig, who had built his house out of strontium.
:Cueball: And the wolf was all, "Ok, what is ''with'' this shit?"
:The 119 Little Pigs

:;Comic #9
:[Cueball is holding up a gun.]
:Cueball: Fastest gun in the west!

:[The gun is galloping across the desert.]
:''gallop gallop''

:[There is a podium, with a gun in each position.]
:Winner!

:;Comic #10
:[A picture of a centrifuge dominates the panel.]
:Centrifuges: They're what separate the men from the boys.

:;Comic #11
:[A computer monitor is plugged in, and cables run into a wardrobe.]
:Lucy: Time passes differently in Narnia, so by putting the CPU and storage for my machine there, I was able to run through the Folding@Home and Seti@Home databases in about an hour.
:Peter: There are so many problems with that.

:;Comic #12
:[Someone is talking to Alice.]
:Person: One of these days, Alice... Wham, zoom, sploosh, fwoom, splash, gurlle, wheeeee, fwoosh, aren't waterslides fun?!

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Five-minute comics| 03]]
[[Category:Comics sharing name|Five-minute comics]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Megan]]
[[Category:Substitutions]]

Talk:819: Five-Minute Comics: Part 1

2017-02-04T02:22:10Z

162.158.59.40:

''The Magic Flute'' was composed by W.A. Mozart, not Bach! --[[Special:Contributions/96.20.169.44|96.20.169.44]] 02:10, 30 December 2012 (UTC)

:You are correct! I've fixed that particular mistake. If you spot any other errors on any explanation, please edit the explanation to be correct. Or, if you find an explanation to be lacking, please add to it! [[User:Lcarsos|lcarsos]]_a ([[User talk:Lcarsos|talk]]) 06:13, 30 December 2012 (UTC)

Is it possible that the unnamed Cueball is Mozart?

Regarding #7, couldn't perhaps the lines of the respective girls be transcribed, too? (can't read them)--[[Special:Contributions/108.162.254.197|108.162.254.197]] 10:59, 4 February 2014 (UTC)
::Ups,sorry, very bad reading. Refers only to the first girl.--[[Special:Contributions/108.162.254.197|108.162.254.197]] 11:03, 4 February 2014 (UTC)

::Can anyone tell what the magazine girl is saying? To me it looks like "Airbrush!", but I'm not sure. [[Special:Contributions/199.27.130.180|199.27.130.180]] 03:29, 1 April 2014 (UTC)
:: It's 'Airbrush!', referring to the Photoshop tool that paints, as the photo has been edited. [[User:Fizzle|Fizzle]] ([[User talk:Fizzle|talk]]) 05:11, 21 April 2014 (UTC)

Regarding #6, the motorcycle could be a reference to Tron. The music for Tron 2 is composed as an opera by the band Daft Punk. [[Special:Contributions/108.162.254.140|108.162.254.140]] 17:48, 9 January 2015 (UTC)

The explanation of "reintroduction" only refers to captive-raised animals. Reintroduction programs often use wild animals from another geographic area. The wolves reintroduced to Yellowstone, for example, were wild wolves trapped in Alberta, Canada. The main point is that putting wolves back where they haven't been for a while; the source is beside the point. {{unsigned ip|173.245.62.173}}

I don't think that it starts taking a turn for the worse when the girl's wearing one of your shirts. I mean isn't that the climax of hotness? [[Special:Contributions/141.101.98.237|141.101.98.237]] 10:13, 10 January 2015 (UTC)

I read #1 as Jupiter doing a PUA style 'approach', did anyone else get that? {{unsigned ip|108.162.249.205}}

"Human skin is not generally designed to detach from its owner." [Citation Needed] {{unsigned ip|188.114.106.119}}

1785: Wifi

2017-01-14T18:30:36Z

162.158.59.40: /* Explanation */ just removing unnecessary spaces, don't mind me

{{comic
| number = 1785
| date = January 13, 2017
| title = Wifi
| image = wifi.png
| titletext = Further out to the right, it works correctly, but the reason it works still involves the word 'firmware.'
}}

==Explanation==
This comic shows the supposed probability that a guest will be able to connect to the owner's {{w|Wi-Fi}} in graph form. Connecting to a new Wi-Fi network typically requires selecting the correct network name on a settings screen, then entering a password.

The graph starts with tech-illiterate people who don't even know how to control their Wi-Fi connection ("can't find wifi settings"). This group has slightly lower than normal probability of connecting successfully, since they would not know what to do if left alone. However, they still have a reasonable chance to connect as long as someone is available to help them. Once the initial setup is done, they can continue using the connection without any technical knowledge or intervention.

The average case in the middle of the graph represents typical users who simply wish to connect and gain Internet access ("works fine"). This group of users have enough knowledge to be able to connect and are then satisfied with the connection just working. Since networking devices use a standard protocol to communicate, users typically will not experience any issues.

Finally, the large drop in the graph on the right-hand side is explained by "something involving the word 'firmware'". {{w|Firmware}} is programming which operates a device at the lowest level, typically stored in a {{w|ROM}} or an EEPROM/flash. The comic may be referring to either the firmware of the host's {{w|wireless router}}, that of the guest's device (smartphone, tablet, or laptop computer), or both. Modifying the firmware can have certain benefits, for example to gain features that aren't included in the base product. Also, especially for newly adopted wireless standards (such as, most recently, {{w|IEEE 802.11ac}}), incompatible interpretations of the standard may prevent devices from different manufacturers from communicating reliably or at full speed. However, updating or replacing firmware requires a great deal of technical knowledge, and can be quite risky for people without experience. Not all custom firmware will interoperate correctly with all devices. Technical issues with custom firmware can also be harder to fix due to lack of support from the device manufacturer. In the worst case, installing the wrong firmware, or any errors or glitches in the process, can even leave devices "{{w|brick (electronics)|bricked}}" (inoperable and unrecoverable). It's likely that the sharp dropoff in the graph is caused by inexperienced users who know "just enough" to want to modify their firmware, but don't know how to deal with the multitude of issues that can arise. Particularly for users whose connection was already working fine but nevertheless want to experiment with new firmware, their changes often end up worsening their chances of connecting.

The title text indicates that the curve recovers once users are more experienced, and ''can'' consistently install firmware correctly to get a working connection. In such case, the users are able to enjoy better connections through their firmware changes while avoiding their pitfalls. These experienced users are often able to diagnose and fix connection issues through the appropriate use of firmware, making their chances of connecting even better than the average user.

These computer issues have previously appeared in several xkcd comics, notably [[456: Cautionary]], where WiFi problems specifically are mentioned in the title text.

The apparent paradox of people knowing more about a subject also having more problems with it is also explored in [[1760: TV Problems]]; in the title text, the ones who are more likely to die from a skydiving accident are the ones who know the more about skydiving safety, but that is of course not because they cannot make it work, but rather because they make many more dives than regular people, thus increasing the overall risk in spite of their competence.

==Transcript==
:[A line graph with a curve that starts just left of the Y-axis above the middle of the axis. Then it increases slightly and stays almost stable on a long flat plateau before it falls off fast towards the right. Each axis ends in an arrow and has a label to the left of the Y-axis and below the x-axis. Over the curve there are three labels, pointing with one arrow to the two rising and falling parts, and three arrows to the center label above the plateau.]
:Y-axis: Probability houseguest will be able to connect to WiFi
:X-axis: Houseguest tech-savviness
:Left label: Can't find wifi settings
:Center label: Works fine
:Right label: Something involving the word "firmware"

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Line graphs]]
[[Category:Computers]]

1479: Troubleshooting

2017-01-13T19:10:49Z

162.158.59.40: /* Explanation */

{{comic
| number = 1479
| date = January 28, 2015
| title = Troubleshooting
| image = troubleshooting.png
| titletext = "Oh, you're using their Chrome APP, not their Chrome EXTENSION. They're very similar but one handles window creation differently." is a thing I hope I can stop saying soon.
}}

==Explanation==
This comic revolves around the complexity of modern software and its sometimes low quality. Many problems that users experience are not obvious or straightforward, and methods for correcting the root cause of the problem requires invoking unrelated actions that happen to cause a desired side-effect. Knowing the non-obvious cause, the desired side effect, and how to trigger the unrelated feature that causes it requires memorization of lots of "stupid computer knowledge" rather than general principles and logical investigation of the software.

One particular example of an illogical fix to a software problem is depicted in the comic. Here, [[Cueball]] is trying to help [[Hairy]] resolve the problem of a program that is not responding to any mouse clicks. Cueball surmises that this is not due to abnormal behavior of the software (such as {{w|Hang (computing)|freezing}}), but rather because either the user or the software itself has opened a {{w|Modal dialog|modal dialog window}} outside of the main screen area, where it can not be seen. Modal dialog windows block access to the rest of the application, by seizing the sole focus of the user input. They are valid {{w|GUI}} tools and are used when the software needs the user's input before it can proceed further. However, opening such a window and placing it outside of the visible screen area ("off-screen") will make the window both inaccessible and invisible to the user, precluding them from closing it and re-gaining access to the software.

One non-obvious way to repair such a problem is to switch the screen resolution; this in itself does not fix the problem, but the resolution switch also forces the operating system to redraw all windows on the desktop, and some operating systems will also validate the coordinates of all windows and adjust these coordinates so that the windows do not end up in off-screen area. In this scenario, it is used as a side-effect to fix the problem, because operating systems rarely provide other, more obvious ways to bring off-screen windows back to the visible area.

By saying "Why is that even possible?", Hairy is quite correct in pointing out that the best way to address this problem at its root would be for the operating system developers to prevent the creation of windows off-screen, preemptively avoiding a whole class of window management problems before they can occur. For example, such mechanisms could validate coordinates during window creation, thus making sure that the dialog window would always be accessible and visible. Such a mechanism exists on OS X, but not on Windows, which the majority of computers are running at the time of this comic's release.

In general, one can sort the possible solutions to the problem being discussed in the following order of preference, from best to worst:
*(Best): Have OS programmers implement automatic coordinate adjustment during window creation
*Have OS programmers provide easily accessible and visible control to invoke coordinate adjustment for all windows
*Have OS programmers provide a shortcut to invoke coordinate adjustment for all windows
*(Worst, depicted in comic): Have users rely on side-effect of properly implemented screen resolution change mechanism to fix the problem counter-intuitively.

The title text refers to the fact that two different and unrelated software packages can have confusingly similar names, even if the usage and features of those two packages can vary wildly, and knowing the implications of using one instead of the other is a case of "stupid computer knowledge". Knowing the difference between a '''Chrome app''', a cell phone app-style application, delivered from the Chrome web store, designed to be run in the Chrome browser, and a '''Chrome extension''', a browser extension installed into the Chrome browser, delivered from the Chrome web store, designed to modify the behavior of the browser itself, is a subtle distinction that may not be immediately apparent to users who might just have the name of the software they are looking for. {{w|Google Hangouts}} is an example of a product that exists as both a Chrome app and a Chrome extension, whose windows are more similar to each other than to normal Chrome browser windows; and confusingly, it's possible to be signed into one account with the app and another with the extension, especially when your employer or school uses Apps for Business/Education.

In many cases, Randall (or Cueball, his avatar) loves to help people using his specific knowledge (see [[208: Regular Expressions]]). But when the trick is "stupid", he would prefer the programmers to fix the problem definitively so he never has to rely on this trick anymore.

==Transcript==
:[Hairy sitting at a desk with laptop, with Cueball standing behind him.]
:Hairy: Wait, why can't I click anywhere?
:Cueball: I don't... Ugh, It opened a dialog box offscreen.
:Hairy: Why is that even ''possible?''
:Cueball: It really shouldn't be. But you can fix it by changing your screen resolution to trigger a window cleanup.
:Hairy: ''Seriously?''
:Cueball: I know, I know...

:To be honest, I can't ''wait'' for the day when all my stupid computer knowledge becomes obsolete.

{{comic discussion}}
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Hairy]]
[[Category:Computers]]

267: Choices: Part 4

2017-01-13T18:55:29Z

162.158.59.40: /* Explanation */

{{comic
| number = 267
| date = May 24, 2007
| title = Choices: Part 4
| image = choices_part_4.jpg
| titletext = Making out with yourself: now an official xkcd theme? Troubling.
}}

==Explanation==
This is the {{w|existentialistic}} {{w|climax (narrative)|climax}} of the Choices series. It takes up the recurring [[xkcd]]-theme how people tend to be blind towards the staggering amount of possibilities that each day holds, with routine and boredom as a result. (See e.g. [[137: Dreams]] and [[706: Freedom]].)

The [[Megan]]-clone implies that Megan has been taken to some kind of {{w|afterlife}} or parallel universe outside reality. Its not a dream, but she will not remember this place when she goes back. But the clone hopes that these hints will stay with her. Realizing that she would not remember being here, Megan suddenly realizes that she might already have been here before. And the clone admits that she has taken her to this place once before. Although not for another hint though; actually it was to make out with herself. And then she quickly says ''bye''.

The title text makes it clear that the Megan-clone did actually earlier brought her into this place just to make out, and then refers to this being the second time this has been a theme, [[105: Parallel Universe]] being the first. [[Randall]] appears to find a little troubling (or it may be that he suspects his readers will).

The series was released on 5 consecutive days (Monday-Friday). All parts of "[[:Category:Choices|Choices]]":
*[[264: Choices: Part 1]]
*[[265: Choices: Part 2]]
*[[266: Choices: Part 3]]
*[[267: Choices: Part 4]]
*[[268: Choices: Part 5]]

As this was the fourth in the series it was released on a Thursday.

==Transcript==
:[Megan in a bubble is floating in outer space (on a dark blue background) next to her clone outside the bubble. Megan is simulating sitting down in the middle of the bubble. The clone reaches one arm out toward the bubble. There is not line from the first part of the clones text to the rest of the text. It is given from the context who speaks. There are always more stars in the panels to the left, than those to the left.]
:Clone: I shouldn't do this, but I pulled you out for a moment to give you a hint.
:Megan: A hint?
:Clone: Take wrong turns. Talk to strangers. Open unmarked doors. And if you see a group of people in a field, go find out what they're doing. Do things without always knowing how they'll turn out.

:[Megan leans towards the clone, the clone "lies" on her tummy arms forward, and legs lifted up.]
:Megan: Why tell me this?
:Clone: You're curious and smart and bored, and all you see is the choice between working hard and slacking off. There are so many adventures that you miss because you're waiting to think of a plan. To find them, look for tiny interesting choices. And remember that you are always making up the future as you go.

:[Megan is "sitting" down with her hands on her knees. The clone stands and lifts and arm up.]
:Megan: So, wait, what ''is'' this place? Am I going to wake up thinking this was a dream?
:Clone: This is... Think of this as after the game, outside the theatre. To go in, I had to suspend disbelief, forget the outside.

:[Megan again leans towards the clone, the clone spreads out her arms.]
:Megan: So you... Huh. Why give me hints I'm going to forget?
:Clone: You'll forget this trip but I think the hints should stay with you.
:Megan: ...If this is a game, are you— are ''we''— cheating?
:Clone: Yup.

:[Megan still leans towards the clone, the clone spreads leans a little back her arms down.]
:Megan: Is that a good idea?
:Clone: Well it's an interesting one. We'll see how it goes.
:Megan: Well, I guess I'll see you aroun—

:[Megan leaning towards the clone with a hand up, the clone leaning even more back, almost like she is falling backwards.]
:Megan: Wait a minute; have you brought me here before?
:Clone: I ... Maybe. Once.
:Megan: For another hint?
:Clone: Er.
:Clone: Actually we just made out.
:Megan: We wh—
:Clone: Bye!

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Comics with color]]
[[Category:Choices]]
[[Category:Comics sharing name|Choices]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Megan]]
[[Category:Sex]]