explain xkcd - User contributions [en]

1714: Volcano Types

2016-08-01T14:38:29Z

162.158.68.137: typo fixed Vocano ->Volcano

{{comic
| number = 1714
| date = August 1, 2016
| title = Volcano Types
| image = volcano_types.png
| titletext = It's hard living somewhere with antlions, because every time you find one of their traps, you feel compelled to spend all day constructing a tiny model of Jabba's sail barge next to it.
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Please complete}}
This comic presents a table of 12 different types of volcano. Split into 3 rows, the first 4 are authentic types of volcano; while the remaining 8 are parodies.

* {{w|Cinder cone}}: small, steep-sided volcano formed of {{w|scoria}} and ash.
* {{w|Shield volcano}}: wide, rounded volcano formed of solidified lava flow.
* {{w|Stratovolvano}}: large volcano formed of layers (strata) from multiple eruptions.
* {{w|Somma volcano}}: new volcanic cone in the middle of an old collapsed volcanic crater.

In the Metasomma volcano, there seems to be nested layers of new volcanoes formed inside of old ones. "Meta" is a prefix that often denotes recursion.

A waffle cone is a type of pastry that ice cream is served in, wholly unrelated to volcanoes. It's a play on "cinder cone", which IS a kind of volcano.

The science fair cone is a common science experiment that is often used as a project for science fairs. A structure is built to resemble a model volcano and is filled with a mix of baking soda and vinegar. The reaction between baking soda and vinegar quickly produces a large amount of carbon dioxide, creating a foam that overflows and mimics a volcanic eruption.

Inverse Volcano is, as the name implies, a regular volcano but reversed. Normal volcano consists of solid rock on the ouside, magma on the inside and spewing lava from the top.

Ghost Vent is a cone with ghosts coming out of it. It is also possibly a reference to {{w|Scientology}}, where part of the faith states that the souls of aliens were stored in a volcano from which they later escaped.

In Pedant's Bane, the joke is that people sometimes confuse magma and lava, which are different names for the same heated liquid rock. Magma becomes lava when it emerges from a volcano. Pedant's Bane is therefore impossible by definition but if it were possible, then a pedant correcting someone's description of it would be wrong.

The title text refers to a famous scene in ''{{w|Star Wars: Episode VI - Return of the Jedi}}'' where [[wikia:c:starwars:Jabba the Hutt|Jabba the Hutt]] intends to feed [[wikia:c:starwars:Luke Skywalker|Luke Skywalker]] to the [[wikia:c:starwars:sarlacc|sarlaac]], an underground creature that builds a huge funnel trap similar to that of an antlion. Jabba's distinctive sail barge, known as the ''[[wikia:c:starwars:Khetanna|Khetanna]]'', features prominently in that scene.

==Transcript==
[Twelve drawings of different volcano types, some real and some nonsense]
:- Cinder Cone
:- Shield Volcano
:- StratoVolcano
:- Somma Volcano
:- MetaSomma Volcano
:- Waffle Cone
:- Science Fair Cone
:- Doot Cone
:- Antlion
:- Inverse Volcano
:- Ghost Vent
:- Pedant's Bane

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Star Wars]]

1703: Juno

2016-07-11T14:03:37Z

162.158.68.137: /* Press speaks first */

{{comic
| number = 1703
| date = July 6, 2016
| title = Juno
| image = juno.png
| titletext = "The name wasn't a tip-off?" "Honestly, at first I thought you were saying 'Juneau'. A gravity assist seemed like a weird way to get to Alaska, but I figured it must be more efficient or something."
}}

==Explanation==

{{incomplete|Lots of grammar errors}}
This comic was written in honor of the {{w|Juno (spacecraft)|Juno space probe}}, made headlines the day before this comic was posted when it fired its engines and successfully entered into orbit around {{w|Jupiter}}.

It was reported on the day of this comic's release that Juno arrived at its orbit [http://www.usatoday.com/story/tech/nation-now/2016/07/06/how-juno-arrived-jupiter-one-second-off-schedule/86745128/ one second off schedule]. Since the comic is based on such reports this may explain why the comic was released rather late on this day after the arrival and also why it was not the subject of the previous comic which was released on the day (fourth of July) where the space probe officially reached Jupiter. This makes it one of several [[:Category:Space probes|space probe related comics]] to be released to celebrate the arrival of a probe to its destination the previous being [[1551: Pluto]].

Speaking at a {{w|NASA}} press conference, a blonde woman standing behind a [[Podium|lectern]], announces that Juno has arrived at Jupiter within one second of its scheduled arrival. After traveling 1.7 billion miles (2.8 billion km) such precision is very impressive, which is acknowledged by someone from the press.

The joke is that one of the NASA engineers, [[Megan]], reveals that they actually intended for Juno to arrive at {{w|Saturn}}, but actually arrived at Jupiter with a timing that was still apparently the same within one second. Given the reaction from the spokesperson, she knew this but it was not supposed to slip out.

This is of course ridiculous because if Saturn had been the intended target, Juno would have been off course by 10.25 AU when it arrived at Jupiter. Randall might be making a subtle (or not so subtle) reference to {{w|Mars Climate Orbiter|past difficulties}} NASA has had with [[Converting to Metric|converting to metric]]—in July 2016, Jupiter was 870 million '''kilometers''' (540 million miles) from Earth, while Saturn was 850 million '''miles''' (1.37 billion km) from Earth (and half the distance traveled by Juno). A similar measurement coincidence was noted in [[what if?]] ''{{what if|4|A Mole of Moles}}''. Also, Saturn is a [http://www.space.com/18477-how-far-away-is-saturn.html maximum of 1.7 billion '''kilometers'''] (1.1 billion miles) away from the Earth. For Jupiter, [http://www.space.com/18383-how-far-away-is-jupiter.html this distance] is 968 million km (601 million miles) away. But when traveling between planets, long detours are necessary to reach the goal with a velocity that enables the space craft to go into orbit. So it is just a coincidence that Juno has traveled a distance to get to Jupiter in miles that fits with a possible distance to Saturn in kilometers. The mixup of units mentioned above was directly referenced in [[1643: Degrees]].

The mix-up of Jupiter and Saturn could be a reference to the {{w|2001: A Space Odyssey (novel)|book}} and the {{w|2001: A Space Odyssey (film)|film}} ''2001: A Space Odyssey'' that were written simultaneously. In the book solely written by {{w|Arthur C. Clarke}} they go to Saturn. In the film (from 1968), however, they found it impossible to make Saturns rings well enough for director (and co-writer) {{w|Stanley Kubrick}} so there, they ended up at Jupiter instead. (Arthur C. Clarke later made the film canonical when he wrote the sequel ''{{w|2010 (film)|2010}}'', where the plot would only work with Jupiter, mainly because of its size and partly due to its {{w|Galilean moons|four big moons}} especially {{w|Europa (moon)|Europa}}).

==Title text==
It's ambiguous who participates in the title text dialogue. There are multiple interpretations.

It should be noted that Juno is mostly linked to Jupiter and not to Saturn (the probe was sent to Jupiter in the real world), which fits best with the "Press speaks first" explanation.

===Press speaks first===
In the title text someone from the press asks another question: wasn't the name of the space probe, ''{{w|Juno (mythology)|Juno}}'', a tip off given the relation to Jupiter? The goddess Juno was the wife of {{w|Jupiter (mythology)|Jupiter}} the chief deity in the {{w|Roman mythology}}. However her father is {{w|Saturn (mythology)|Saturn}} so there are relations to both Gods/planets. Her relationship to Jupiter, however, is most likely more common knowledge explaining the naming of the probe.

However, instead of mentioning this dual relationship one of the three NASA representatives say that at first they even believed it was for {{w|Juneau, Alaska|Juneau}}, the capital of {{w|Alaska}}, showing that the engineers did not have a clue about the objective of the mission. They did wonder why a {{w|gravity assist}} was planned to get there but guessed it was a more efficient method. Given that gravity assist is only relevant for interplanetary missions requiring a flyby of a planet, it would never make sense to use one to get between two destinations on Earth. This is so even though {{w|Cape Canaveral Air Force Station}} in Florida, from where the probe was launched, is about as far away from Juneau as it is possible to get inside the borders of the United States. Maybe it was [[Cueball]] who was clueless, in which case he may represent Steve from [[1532: New Horizons]], now confessing to misdirecting another probe.

The mixup of Juno the Goddess and the capital city of Alaska could be a reference to the film ''{{w|Juno (film)|Juno}}'' where the title character is [http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0467406/quotes?item=qt0455671 named after the Goddess] as her father is into Roman and Greek mythology (although she calls her {{w|Zeus}}'s wife, Zeus being the equivalent of Jupiter in {{w|Greek mythology}} where Juno would be called {{w|Hera}}). Later a man asks her "[http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0467406/quotes?item=qt0455636 Like the city in Alaska?]" to which she simply replies "No!"

Scenarios similar to the likely outcome of Juno using its gravity assist (from Earth) to arrive in Juneau (with unchanged orbital energy) have been discussed in [[what if?]] ''{{what if|58|Orbital Speed}}'', ''{{what if|82|Hitting a comet}}'', and ''{{what if|137|New Horizons}}'' (see also [[1532: New Horizons]]).

===NASA speaks first===
In the title text someone, likely a member of the NASA team, asks if the name of the space probe, ''{{w|Juno (mythology)|Juno}}'', wasn't a tip off. In {{w|Roman mythology}} the goddess Juno was the daughter of {{w|Saturn (mythology)|Saturn}} (though also the wife of {{w|Jupiter (mythology)|Jupiter}}). However, instead of mentioning this, someone (presumably a member of the press) replies that at first they had thought the probe was named for {{w|Juneau, Alaska|Juneau}}, the capital of {{w|Alaska}}. They had wondered why NASA wanted to use {{w|gravity assist}} to get there, but had guessed that it must be more efficient.

===Megan continues speaking===
The title text might also be continued discussion amongst the NASA representatives. After being shushed, Megan begins needling the spokeswoman about the huge error NASA made. The spokeswoman then admits to being confused about why the mission was so complicated. Alternatively, the third NASA representative might be [[1532: New Horizons|Steve]], now confessing to misdirecting another probe.

===Only the press speaks===
In another interpretation, both lines are spoken by members of the audience. The second would seem to be producing science journalism of unusually poor quality.

==Transcript==
:[At a NASA press conference stands a blonde woman behind a lectern with the NASA logo. To the left stands Megan to the right Cueball, both looking towards the blonde woman.]
:Blonde woman: After traveling 1.7 billion miles, the ''Juno'' spacecraft reached Jupiter within one ''second'' of its scheduled arrival time.
:Logo: NASA

:[A person off-panel to the left comments and all three turns towards the speaker.]
:Off-panel voice: Very impressive!
:Blonde woman: Thank you.
:Logo: NASA

:[All three look straight out as Megan comments on the praise.]
:Megan: I mean, we were ''aiming'' for Saturn. Still, nailed the time.
:Blonde woman: ''Shhhh.''
:Logo: NASA

{{comic discussion}}

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

Talk:1701: Speed and Danger

2016-07-01T14:40:52Z

162.158.68.137:

I think this might be a strong contender for worst comic on xkcd. Although [[1384: Krypton]] definitely makes for stiff competition. [[Special:Contributions/108.162.216.102|108.162.216.102]] 14:28, 1 July 2016 (UTC)

Is there something this is referencing? [[Special:Contributions/162.158.68.137|162.158.68.137]] 14:40, 1 July 2016 (UTC)

Talk:1695: Code Quality 2

2016-06-17T22:05:24Z

162.158.68.137: Suggestion for even more "bad code" analogies: Kaleidoscopic Reverse-Boustrophedon formatting.

Edward Estin Cummings was a poet (pseudonym e e cummings) who used capitalization, punctuation, and line breaks in unconventional ways. When a new user creates an account that duplicates an existing user name, many websites will suggest a user name with the user's first name followed by a string of digits. [[User:The Dining Logician|The Dining Logician]] ([[User talk:The Dining Logician|talk]]) 14:42, 17 June 2016 (UTC)

I really love these ones :) I hope there will be a part 3. Can we please make a contest for these?[[Special:Contributions/162.158.83.246|162.158.83.246]] 15:22, 17 June 2016 (UTC)
:Yes please! How about:
<nowiki>"It's as if you used a kaleidoscope while following a style-guide written in Rongorongo & applied a pseudo-random number generator to the Unicode table for all your regular expressions. Also, you're not supposed to use line-breaks to draw letters using pipe symbols when defining your variables."</nowiki>
(A nice [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boustrophedon#Reverse_boustrophedon example of the Reverse Boustrophedon format used in Rongorongo])
[[Special:Contributions/162.158.68.137|162.158.68.137]] 22:05, 17 June 2016 (UTC)

I know Ponytail is female but I keep reading her voice as TJ Miller's character from the movie Deadpool.--[[User:R0hrshach|R0hrshach]] ([[User talk:R0hrshach|talk]]) 15:45, 17 June 2016 (UTC)
:Are you also a fan of Dr. Mrs. The Monarch, from Venture Bros? [[Special:Contributions/162.158.68.137|162.158.68.137]] 22:05, 17 June 2016 (UTC)

"This is further compounded by Ponytail's suggestion that Cueball made rampant use of JavaScript reserved words in his declarations, which is strictly forbidden by the language." I don't think Ponytail made any such suggestion. I think all Ponytail is suggesting is that reserved words occur more often than they would in an ordinary scrabble game. A "house rule" giving triple points for using particular words would explain their high frequency.

Of course in pretty much any program reserved words do occur with high frequency, it's hard to write without them. There is also heavy overlap in the list of reserved words in different languages, so that the program might not be in javascript. A typical C program uses lots of javascript reserved words.--[[Special:Contributions/108.162.218.59|108.162.218.59]] 16:12, 17 June 2016 (UTC)
:I agree, and as "the program runs fine for now" it appears to be at the very least a syntactically correct program. --[[Special:Contributions/141.101.104.76|141.101.104.76]] 21:17, 17 June 2016 (UTC)
:I also agree that it's highly speculative to assume that Cueball's use of reserved words is necessarily erroneous; However, that may be the funnier interpretation, as it indicates an even higher level of improper usage. [[Special:Contributions/162.158.68.137|162.158.68.137]] 22:05, 17 June 2016 (UTC)

Do we really need the "funny bus crash" photos in the transcript?[[Special:Contributions/141.101.98.123|141.101.98.123]] 20:01, 17 June 2016 (UTC)
:"Funny" bus crash is redundant, in my antisocial opinion. [[Special:Contributions/162.158.68.137|162.158.68.137]] 22:05, 17 June 2016 (UTC)