explain xkcd - User contributions [en]

111: Firefox and Witchcraft - The Connection?

2025-05-20T20:15:58Z

162.158.74.94: Undo revision 378227 by 172.69.67.152 (talk) Hi, I've checked your spam, and you can go do one with a rusty pipe. All the best, to you! I do hope we don't see you again.

{{comic
| number = 111
| date = June 5, 2006
| title = Firefox and Witchcraft - The Connection?
| image = firefox wicca.png
| titletext = ThisadpaidforbythecounciltopromoteMicrosoftandChristianity. Remember, The Bible is Closed Source.
}}

==Explanation==
The comic charts the number of members of the religion {{w|Wicca}} against the number of times the {{w|Firefox}} web browser was downloaded, with the implication being that Firefox usage causes involvement in Wicca. In juxtaposing these almost certainly unrelated phenomena, Randall highlights the common error of assuming that {{w|Correlation_and_dependence|correlation}} implies {{w|Causality|causation}}. When two variables exhibit similar trends, this is often taken as proving that one is causing the other. However, such correlation may have come about through pure coincidence, and not indicate any link between the two at all. This is particularly a problem when examining a large number of variables: the chances of finding a [http://www.tylervigen.com/spurious-correlations coincidental correlation] increase exponentially as more variables are added. It may also be the case that a third factor is causally linked to both outcomes. In this case, it is plausible that the increasing ubiquity of internet access has resulted in increased demand for Firefox, and also in greater capacity to share the ideas of Wicca.

Randall further illustrates one common, and perhaps destructive, use of illusory correlation in the bottom half of the image. The appearance of the symbol for {{w|Internet Explorer}}, a rival web browser, and the cross, representing Christianity, imply that this graph is an attack ad promoted by Microsoft and Christianity to gain an advantage over their competitors.

The title text is reminiscent of political commercials, which often tell you who paid for them very quickly. This high speed is represented by all the words in the title text being strung together. The last sentence is a play on the term of {{w|Closed source software|closed source software}}, which Internet Explorer is, as opposed to Firefox, which is open source in development. In a similar vein, the Bible can be considered "closed source" due to [http://kingjbible.com/revelation/22.htm God's prohibition on altering its contents].

==Transcript==
:[A graph is shown with a positive slope.]
:[Y axis]: Membership in Wicca
:[X axis]: Total Firefox Downloads
:[Internet Explorer icon.]
:<big>K</big>EEP TH<big>E</big>
:FAITH
:[Outline of a cross.]

==Trivia==

This type of [https://yourlogicalfallacyis.com/false-cause statistical ploy] is used again in a few other comics, like [[523: Decline]], [[552: Correlation]], and [[925: Cell Phones]].

{{comic discussion}}
[[Category:Comics with color]]
[[Category:Line graphs]]
[[Category:Statistics]]
[[Category:Religion]]

1792: Bird/Plane/Superman

2025-05-08T22:33:25Z

162.158.74.94: /* Explanation */

{{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==
{{incomplete | Finish explanations in the table. (Vague. Finish what?)}}
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|Airplane|bird}}!... It's a {{w|Bird|plane}}!... It's {{w|Superman}}!", hence the title. Superman, a character originally created for comic books in the 1930s, 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 fictional 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). An {{w|Ostrich}} can easily carry a human; and this happens regularly in arranged {{w|Common ostrich#Racing|races}}. The context of the strip implies that it's referring to birds in flight, so flightless birds like ostriches are ignored.

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). There are also many instances where plane need to enter a holding pattern before landing, sometimes with some planes already flying said pattern. This would create a group of planes, each performing the same movements at the same places.

Superman is a unique person, and thus does not fly in groups at all. 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}}. While there are claims for successful powered flight before 1900, the Wright Flyer trials are the first proven instance of this kind of heavier-than-air flight.

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. Some may also search for miscolored areas to identify a rare print error comic, which are worth a lot of money in some cases.
|-
! 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}}although there may be cases where cats have attempted to chase planes. There was a viral video uploaded to YouTube in 2015, in which a couple are climbing after taking off in an ultralight aircraft before discovering a cat, which stowed away in the plane's wing structure.

In the comics, Superman 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]...
|-
! 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.youtu.be/Qs7EikHQGlA the opening scene] of the movie ''{{w|Dr. Strangelove}}'', a movie Randall has referenced before for instance in [[Media: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, and does not seem to be linked to a holiday.
|-
! Propelled by flapping || ✓ || ||
|-
|colspan=4| Birds generate lift by flapping their wings, although there are multiple raptor species which hold their wings out in order to glide at high altitudes.

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. However, some experimental designs for some of the earlier planes made such as {{w|Leonardo Da Vinci}}'s Flying Machine that was propelled by flapping.

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 {{w|Emu War|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 their structure is composed of fairly solid metals. However, ultralight aircraft are very light and have delicate structures, which may make it possible to damage the plane in some areas. However, a human punching an airplane is unlikely to result in significant damage (to the plane, at least, the human's hand is a different story.)

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 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 its {{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 or read all the comics 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 is 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.

There have long existed urban myths about airplanes regularly discharging their septic tanks, resulting in blocks of blue ice crushing houses and people. This line refers to that myth, and the fact that it's untrue. A leaky septic disposal system can unintentionally discharge liquid waste while in flight, but there is no way for an airplane to intentionally release the sewage.

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. There would be little reason for him to do so,{{Citation needed}}, but he presumably has the ability to do so.
|-
! 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, planes never pursue the insects, and don't "eat" them in the traditional sense.

Superman is not known for eating insects, but Randall implies that he may do so, but only when he's bored. This is a humorous suggestion that Superman engages in odd behavior for a lack of anything else to do.
|}

==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 behavior 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:Aviation]]
[[Category:Animals]]
[[Category:Comics featuring real people]]
[[Category:Sex]]
[[Category:Food]]
[[Category:Fiction]]

Talk:3079: Air Fact

2025-04-21T22:34:27Z

162.158.74.94:

average person eats 3 spiders a year" factoid actualy just statistical error. average person eats 0 spiders per year. Spiders Georg, who lives in cave & eats over 10,000 each day, is an outlier adn should not have been counted” [[Special:Contributions/172.68.7.184|172.68.7.184]] 15:19, 21 April 2025 (UTC)
:🔥🔥🔥🔥 [[User:Broseph|Broseph]] ([[User talk:Broseph|talk]]) 15:26, 21 April 2025 (UTC)
:{{citation_needed}}[[Special:Contributions/172.68.174.138|172.68.174.138]] 15:52, 21 April 2025 (UTC)
:This is one of those factoids like "Over 5% of the population has an above average number of fingers."[[Special:Contributions/172.68.245.136|172.68.245.136]] 16:16, 21 April 2025 (UTC)
::That factoid sounds true. Assuming there are more people who have fewer than ten fingers than those who have extra fingers (some people have whole hands missing, but extra digits to my knowledge normally only come in ones and twos), then the average is slightly less than ten, and the ten-fingered vast majority of people have an above-average number of fingers, certainly more than 5% of the population. [[Special:Contributions/141.101.98.164|141.101.98.164]] 19:10, 21 April 2025 (UTC)
:::I have more than the average number of legs (for a human), as I famously insisted once in my mathematics class. And still do. [[Special:Contributions/162.158.74.94|162.158.74.94]] 22:34, 21 April 2025 (UTC)
:I don't really get the way the title text is written. Why is "so many ants" assumed to be a small number, like the number of spiders? [[User:Barmar|Barmar]] ([[User talk:Barmar|talk]]) 17:47, 21 April 2025 (UTC)
::If the factoid in the comic were true, the fact that the average person has a tidal volume of about half a litre, and takes between 12-20 breaths per minute means that they breathe in and out about 10 cubic metres per day. That’s over 100,000 ants. The fact that you are talking about “per year” implies that the rate is a reasonable number per year, not over 36 million. It’s like comparing the speed of continents to the speed of a car. [[Special:Contributions/172.68.0.190|172.68.0.190]] 20:03, 21 April 2025 (UTC)
The term "microscopic ants" supposedly refers to viruses and other microorganisms, not actual tiny ants. The actual concentration of airborne germs is pretty much in that ballpark, so it's not about sampling bias, it's about framing. [[Special:Contributions/162.158.103.36|162.158.103.36]] 17:00, 21 April 2025 (UTC)
:There isn't even such a thing as a "microscopic ant". The smallest ant species is 0.8mm long. That's tiny, but easily visible without aid. And if there were 10,000 of them in a cubic meter of air, you'd notice. It would be like walking through a thick swarm of gnats. [[User:Barmar|Barmar]] ([[User talk:Barmar|talk]]) 17:47, 21 April 2025 (UTC)
Speaking for myself, I don't understand what would be difficult about taking air samples. Currently the article claims it's sampling bias, but why should that be anymore difficult with air than with e.g. soil?[[Special:Contributions/172.69.67.22|172.69.67.22]] 18:14, 21 April 2025 (UTC)
: Tried to address this ... [[Special:Contributions/172.71.146.123|172.71.146.123]] 19:23, 21 April 2025 (UTC)
Microscopic wasps, on the other hand: surprisingly commonplace. Many species are too small to be seen with the naked eye, and if Megan took her samples near hedgerows in summer, there could have been some microscopic wasps in every sample cubic metre. Probably a few orders of magnitude less than 10,000. [[Special:Contributions/141.101.98.219|141.101.98.219]] 19:25, 21 April 2025 (UTC)

I don't see any evidence Megan is referring to microbes as microscopic ants. As a microbiologist, if she meant a bacterium, etc. it seems like she would have just said so, especially since the ants claim is made again in the title text. She's preying on Cueball's gullibility and unfamiliarity with the subject for her own amusement, to convince him the air is overrun with literal microscopic ants which don't exist and wouldn't be in the air if they did. Likewise the paragraph about extrapolation errors seems unnecessary as well. She's not making a sampling error - she's just making the whole thing up. Just my take. [[Special:Contributions/172.69.17.211|172.69.17.211]] 22:06, 21 April 2025 (UTC)Pat

Talk:2415: Allow Captcha

2025-03-23T19:06:26Z

162.158.74.94:

Wow, this took me a while to figure out... — [[User:Sqrt-1|The 𝗦𝗾𝗿𝘁-𝟭]] [[User talk:Sqrt-1|talk]] [[Special:Contributions/Sqrt-1|stalk]] 03:48, 23 January 2021 (UTC)

Behold, the most ominous caption of all time. [[Special:Contributions/172.69.34.152|172.69.34.152]] 07:38, 23 January 2021 (UTC)

When I saw this explanation the title text was explained like this:
:Title text is a similar recaptcha thing trying to also do identity fraud at coords 3,3 and 4,3.
What does that even mean? I will change it, but if there is a meaning to those coordinates? then reinsert and explain... --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 10:09, 23 January 2021 (UTC)

:I'm guessing 3,3 and 4,3 refer to the table of boxes in the comic itself - the two boxes that contain the malware window are in the third row counting down from top, counting from the left one is in the third box and one in the fourth left box. Not particularly relevant to the title text, though. [[Special:Contributions/172.68.146.216|172.68.146.216]] 13:50, 23 January 2021 (UTC)

Not all 9-tuples of digits can be determined from their pairs of digits. For example, 123-45-6781 and 234-56-7812 have the same pairs. Likewise, 121-31-4151 and 121-41-5131 have the same pairs [[Special:Contributions/162.158.62.157|162.158.62.157]] 13:23, 23 January 2021 (UTC)
:This makes me wonder what the smallest difference n-m is so that you cannot uniquely determine an n-tuple of numbers from all m-tuples contained within it. [[Special:Contributions/162.158.158.253|162.158.158.253]] 20:24, 23 January 2021 (UTC)
::It's zero. Even judging by the tuples of length n-1 contained within the n-tuple fails when the n-tuple alternates between two values, e.g. 121212121.[[Special:Contributions/162.158.187.129|162.158.187.129]] 01:57, 25 January 2021 (UTC)

This is called a [[wp:Clickjacking|Clickjacking]] attack, isn't it?--[[Special:Contributions/162.158.183.211|162.158.183.211]] 01:45, 24 January 2021 (UTC)

Aside from the manipulative elements of the 'CAPTCHA', this makes me think of a 'reverse Turing Test'. Instead of trying to get computer/human to prove their humanity, you ask them to do something that only a computer can excel at and a human will normally fail. (If used as a true-Turing test, the imperfect answer might be your clue as to who is(n't) faking, but that's why computer-candidates for these tend to always include deliberate 'tics', such as deliberately bad 'typing', grammar, punctuation, trying to seem less 'prefect' than the human correspondent.) With this comic's array, I'm left wondering if I'm getting the right verbs... is that even a verb..? "Doing word, right... but am I think of that one as an adjective and missing its verb use..?" when a robot-mind with the right lookup table would quickly assess everything 'correctly', and almost instantly. Which might (in legitimate CAPTCHA use) ''also'' be a clue that it's a robot-response, but only if the setter is that slightly bit more devious than the creator of the challenger. Complicated! [[Special:Contributions/141.101.104.241|141.101.104.241]] 15:07, 24 January 2021 (UTC)

Added a Table section, from scratch. It may copy or restate things said in the main Explanation (which needs a lot of subediting down, IMO) but I think adds many things not already mentioned that aren't Computer Geeky but aren't ''too'' verbose for being Lexicographer Geeky. I of course welcome clarifications, corrections, etc. I thought I put enough in to not need Wiktionary/other external referencing, but that's still the most obvious enhancement (without increasing pure text content). Have at it, then, my fellow XplainKCDers! [[Special:Contributions/141.101.99.49|141.101.99.49]] 19:11, 24 January 2021 (UTC)

Is there a category that would include this and https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php/2228:_Machine_Learning_Captcha? SDT [[Special:Contributions/162.158.74.59|162.158.74.59]] 02:04, 25 January 2021 (UTC)

I understand the malware box that offers to install a "helper" tool. But is there any special significance to the "DELAY" box and the "AVOW" box? Both of these have more prominent borders than the rest. [[User:Tenbob|Tenbob]] ([[User talk:Tenbob|talk]]) 11:48, 25 January 2021 (UTC)
:I was under the impression that they were a cutout of a larger window, similar to captcha usage of snips of a picture file. This is most likely intentionally a "feature" additionally added to give some credibility to the actual clickbait.[[User:OhFFS|OhFFS]] ([[User talk:OhFFS|talk]]) 17:53, 25 January 2021 (UTC)

This entire comic ignores a simple fact of basic web page construction, specifically, that the action performed is separate from the label on the screen. So the button labeled "Deny" could be linked to the action to allow. In fact, it could be programmed that clicking anywhere in the entire picture could trigger a download. So if someone were behaving maliciously, they would not have have to hide an "Allow" button and trick people to click it. The entire page could be a "button" that when clicked would trigger a download. [[User:Rtanenbaum|Rtanenbaum]] ([[User talk:Rtanenbaum|talk]]) 18:50, 25 January 2021 (UTC)
:I thought the concept was rather to obscure the fact that part of what's displayed is NOT the webpage, but the OS security dialog.

Comic with a similar concept: https://xkcd.com/565/ (Security Question)

I don't personally want to just revert the drastic mass-deletion edit https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=2415:_Allow_Captcha&diff=205299&oldid=205298 but I actually think the removed text was a good observation. Strings that are "valid verbs, prepended by an 'A'" is one (odd but consistent with xkcd) interpretation of the instruction. Hasn't anyone seen {{w|Only Connect}}/similar? Perhaps it should be given its own para in the Explanation (one more won't hurt)..? [[Special:Contributions/172.69.54.73|172.69.54.73]] 00:22, 26 January 2021 (UTC)

maybe it's www.allow.com, to tie in to the comic? {{unsigned|Bb777|22:48, 21 March 2025}}

52: Secret Worlds

2025-03-22T11:50:07Z

162.158.74.94: Move LiveJournal to trivia. It's not about the comic itself.

{{comic
| number = 52
| date = January 21, 2006 
| title = Secret Worlds
| before = <big><big>[https://web.archive.org/web/20060529063441/http://xkcd-drawings.livejournal.com/#:~:text=8%3A15%20am-,Secret%20Worlds,-(1%20Comment LiveJournal title]: '''Secret Worlds'''</big></big>
| image = secret_worlds.jpg
| titletext = No two adjacent circles are the same color.
}}

==Explanation==
The quote written in the large white bubbles comes from {{w|The Sandman (Vertigo)|The Sandman}}, a comic book series about dreams. {{w|Neil Gaiman}} is a science fiction and fantasy author who came to fame for writing The Sandman. The interconnected bubbles represent the secret worlds of different people and how they are connected. They may have the second meaning of the neurons in our brain.

The title text suggests that Randall used the {{w|Four color theorem}}, which states that a {{w|graph theory|graph}} drawn on a flat plane (like this one) requires at most four colors so that each region differs from all of its neighbors. Whilst the comic uses four colors (red, yellow, green, blue), this clearly does not include the white bubbles with text. Nor can the white bubbles be replaced with a different colour: each white bubble is connected to all four other colours.

Here is the original quote:

{{Quote|Everybody has a secret world inside of them... All of the people in the whole world, I mean everybody — no matter how dull and boring they are on the outside. Inside them they've all got unimaginable, magnificent, wonderful, stupid, amazing worlds... Not just one world. Hundreds of them. Thousands, maybe.|[https://www.goodreads.com/quotes/413047-everybody-has-a-secret-world-inside-of-them-i-mean- Neil Gaiman]}}

==Transcript==
:[A multitude of circles connected with several lines. Most of them are rather small and colored red, yellow, green and blue. Nine of them are white, six of these are larger than all the other circles, but one is the same size as the largest colored (green) circle, and the two smallest are smaller than a few of the colored circles. Pieces of text are written in all the white circles. Although it can be confusing at first, the reading order is still the normal one: left to right and top to bottom. Reading the circles in that order gives the following text:]
:"Everybody has a secret world inside of them.
:All of the people in the whole world
:I mean everybody
:No matter how dull and boring they are on the outside
:Inside they've all got unimaginable
:magnificent, wonderful, stupid, amazing, worlds
:Not just one world. Hundreds of them. Thousands, maybe."
:--Neil Gaiman
:Sandman

==Trivia==

* This was the fiftieth comic originally posted to [[LiveJournal]]. The previous one was [[51: Malaria]], and the next one was [[53: Hobby]]. It was among the [[:Category:Posted on LiveJournal after xkcd.com|last eleven comics]] posted both on LiveJournal and on [https://xkcd.com xkcd.com] after the new site was launched. This comic wasn't published on the same day across both sites, but most of them shared the same posting day. It was released on LiveJournal on January 23, 2006, two days after originally being posted on [https://xkcd.com xkcd.com]. (This information appears inconsistent with the information below)

* For unknown reasons, on January 18, 2006, [[54: Science]] was posted on LiveJournal on the same day that [[51: Malaria]] was released on [https://xkcd.com xkcd.com]. Three days later, on January 21, 2006, [[51: Malaria]] was posted on LiveJournal, thus forcing the next two comics (this one and [[53: Hobby]]) to be released on [https://xkcd.com xkcd.com] two days before LiveJournal. Four days later, on January 25, 2006, [[54: Science]] was finally posted on [https://xkcd.com xkcd.com], which fixed the date discrepancies and allowed the next comic, [[55: Useless]], to be published on the same day across both sites.

* This comic was [[:Category:Saturday comics|released on a Saturday]].

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Posted on LiveJournal| 50]]
[[Category:Posted on LiveJournal after xkcd.com]]
[[Category:Comics with color]]
[[Category:Philosophy]]
[[Category:Comics with lowercase text]]

Talk:3063: Planet Definitions

2025-03-16T16:55:16Z

162.158.74.94:

The one currently posted has Pluto highlighted in the second box and not highlighted in the first box. Too hard to tell if it's trolling or a genuine mistake. :-D

:Apparently a mistake since it's fixed now. [[User:HughNo|HughNo]] ([[User talk:HughNo|talk]]) 19:59, 14 March 2025 (UTC)

And the first one also has a moon hilighted instead I think?? [[Special:Contributions/162.158.126.5|162.158.126.5]] 15:59, 14 March 2025 (UTC)

:Was about to write the same. The coloring in the first two lines arund Pluto seem wrong (or mistankingly switched). --[[Special:Contributions/172.71.222.246|172.71.222.246]] 16:17, 14 March 2025 (UTC)

This, this is the hill I will die on. I was radicalised by this paper: [https://arxiv.org/abs/2110.15285 Moons Are Planets: "Scientific Usefulness Versus Cultural Teleology in the Taxonomy of Planetary Science"]
In short; planets are what planetary scientists study. Round things with the *good stuff*: atmospheres, oceans, volcanoes (of lava or water ice) (see diagram page 53).
Pluto, Titan, Ceres, Io and Europa are all in the sweet spot where you're not so small you're just a lump of rocks who happen to be stuck together into a lump, and not so large you're just a mostly undifferentiated mass of fusing hydrogen/helium plasma.
And it's consistent with our pre-20th Century understanding of what a planet is, whereas the IAU definition is trying to preserve 19th Century astrology. An amazing read and a strong recommend for anyone who cares about this subject. [[Special:Contributions/172.69.79.138|172.69.79.138]] 16:45, 14 March 2025 (UTC)

Does this sort of count as pi-related for pi day? [[User:TomtheBuilder|TomtheBuilder]] ([[User talk:TomtheBuilder|talk]]) 17:04, 14 March 2025 (UTC)
:he doesn't do themed comics anymore 😔 [[User:CalibansCreations|'''Caliban''']] ([[User talk:CalibansCreations|talk]]) 17:12, 14 March 2025 (UTC)
:: Sure he does. [[2962]] and [[2969]] weren't too long ago. Seems like it, though. [[Special:Contributions/172.71.182.222|172.71.182.222]] 03:31, 15 March 2025 (UTC)
:::I don't understand either the "he doesn't do themes" bit, or the full nature of the reply, frankly. [[Special:Contributions/172.68.205.122|172.68.205.122]] 22:52, 15 March 2025 (UTC)

I was somewhat disappointed to get to the end of the table without seeing either an astrology or Sailor Moon joke. -- [[User:Angel|Angel]] ([[User talk:Angel|talk]]) 18:12, 14 March 2025 (UTC)

Is it possible that Uranus is marked under "Empiricist" because of the "Randall has seen Uranus" joke? [[Special:Contributions/172.70.42.178|172.70.42.178]] 18:38, 14 March 2025 (UTC)

The "{{w|Classical planet|Classical Planets}}" should be 7, including the Sun and the Moon.
:The average distance of the orbit of the Moon around the Earth must be slightly farther away than the orbit of the Sun around the Earth, since the Moon lags behind the Sun a little more each day, but the orbits must cross or we would never have a solar eclipse :P [[User:SammyChips|SammyChips]] ([[User talk:SammyChips|talk]]) 19:41, 14 March 2025 (UTC)

Wouldn't the Regolithic one depend on the exact definitions of "dirt", "ice", and "covered"? It seems that an argument could be made that the giant planets also count there but have a much thicker atmosphere on the outside, and disqualifying because of the atmosphere could exclude others like Earth depending on the exact threshold used. [[User:SammyChips|SammyChips]] ([[User talk:SammyChips|talk]]) 19:08, 14 March 2025 (UTC)

Has Randall not seen the sun before?
:I'm impressed that he has seen Uranus (unless that actually is a joke), especially if he saw it unaided (apparently it actually can be barely seen with the naked eye if the conditions are incredibly good). [[User:SammyChips|SammyChips]] ([[User talk:SammyChips|talk]]) 19:36, 14 March 2025 (UTC)
:Could the sun be classified as a "world"? --[[User:MothWaves|MothWaves]] ([[User talk:MothWaves|talk]]) 19:43, 14 March 2025 (UTC)
:I assumed he meant "seen directly with my eyes", so that a photograph would not count, but looking through a telescope during an astronomy night at the local University would count. And he hasn't looked *closely* at the Sun, because of the need for eye protection. [[User:JimJJewett|JimJJewett]] ([[User talk:JimJJewett|talk]]) 23:49, 14 March 2025 (UTC)

Technically, spacecraft have landed on Mercury, Jupiter, and Saturn. Just not in a survivable manner. [[User:Redacted II|Redacted II]] ([[User talk:Redacted II|talk]]) 19:37, 14 March 2025 (UTC)
:Have we really not sent anything directly into the Sun yet? [[User:JimJJewett|JimJJewett]] ([[User talk:JimJJewett|talk]]) 23:51, 14 March 2025 (UTC)
::The most "into the Sun" we've done is [https://science.nasa.gov/mission/parker-solar-probe/ the Parker Solar Probe], and it hasn't attempted to 'land' there (apart from that being effectively impossible, even beyond the likes of Cassini's final fall "onto" Saturn). It's also ''very hard'' to even send things into the Sun, because the direct method would need you to send a craft from Earth backwards at the same speed as the Earth orbits forwards (or very close to that), otherwise all you can do is fall ''past'' it and loop back up again. [[Special:Contributions/162.158.74.94|162.158.74.94]] 01:00, 15 March 2025 (UTC)
:No one even knows if Jupiter and Saturn have a *land* to land on. [[User:SDSpivey|SDSpivey]] ([[User talk:SDSpivey|talk]]) 14:54, 15 March 2025 (UTC)
::Sstill subject to further study, but the crushed and burnt (and probably unrecognisable) remains of the probes will be 'landed' (or floating on top of any layer that they're ultimately more buoyant than) down there, somewhere (unless they're totally ablated away, but there'll probably be ''some'' fragments of hi-tech metal frame, even if no circuit boards or metal foils survive) Should there be a form of life in existence down in the depths of the gas-giant's mass, with any curiosity to them, I imagine they'll be wondering what this new variety of 'space rain' is, that's totally unlike the usual ex-asteroidal/cometish stuff that they must occasionally get punching down through from the inaccessible upper reaches above their native environment. [[Special:Contributions/162.158.74.68|162.158.74.68]] 19:59, 15 March 2025 (UTC)

It looks like the Pluto error in Traditionalist and Modernist images were fixed. I now see Pluto highlighted in traditionalist and Pluto unhighlighted in Modern. [[Special:Contributions/172.68.7.91|172.68.7.91]] 19:44, 14 March 2025 (UTC)

indeed, it seems fine now, i removed my earlier comment--[[Special:Contributions/162.158.233.116|162.158.233.116]] 23:06, 14 March 2025 (UTC)

//Jean-Luc Margot wrote a serious planet definition proposal// in 2024 as a starting point for community conversations and welcomes feedback. In 2019 I wrote a small article myself on planet and moon classes simply by size. //Mondklassen "wwwahnsinn"// (in German).
[[Special:Contributions/162.158.159.108|162.158.159.108]] 19:49, 14 March 2025 (UTC)

I'm disputing that there has never been a formal definition of "planet" prior to 2006 - the ancient Greek definition of "wandering [relative to seemingly-fixed stars] points of light in the night sky" seems formal enough to me. I marked it {{tl|actual citation needed}}. [[Special:Contributions/198.41.227.73|198.41.227.73]] 19:52, 14 March 2025‎
: I've reworded the sentence to say "in modern times" so we aren't making unfounded and likely-incorrect claims about antiquity. [[Special:Contributions/198.41.227.73|198.41.227.73]] 21:19, 14 March 2025 (UTC)

Does anyone else strongly dislike the term '''natural satellite''' replacing ''moon''? Under the new nomenclature, only Earth's moon is 'the Moon'. All other moons are now merely natural satellites. Phobos, Deimos, Ganymede, are no longer considered moons. My biggest problem with the new definition is that planets themselves are natural satellites of stars. [[Special:Contributions/172.71.182.225|172.71.182.225]] 20:13, 14 March 2025 (UTC)

It seems likely that the Saturnian moon highlighted in the Maritime definition is Titan, since it has liquid seas and lakes on its surface. [[Special:Contributions/172.69.6.5|172.69.6.5]] 21:54, 14 March 2025 (UTC)
:I've noted in the Transcript that (despite apparently being ''identical'' pre-highlight drawings in all other ways, or at least very consistently reproduced), Saturn is given one moon ''most'' of the time, but two moons on occasion. Similarly, Uranus's moons (spread from upper-right to lower-left) do-or-do-not include the dot (in one case suffering a highlighting) moving across the face of the planet. From an analytical perspective, I'm wondering if Randall did indeed copypaste the 'normal' iillustration, but then have to manually add in "whoops, I forgot I need to highlight a further item thaat I haven't already drawn" into some of the established copies, touching up where necessary (and maybe where still not necessary too). ...But I'm not sure it matters what he did or did not do. It's just an observation about the result. [[Special:Contributions/172.69.79.190|172.69.79.190]] 23:03, 14 March 2025 (UTC)
:Yeah, Titan's present in all the diagrams, and a second moon of Saturn shows up when highlighting is necessary. The bonus "Marine Biologist" planet is clearly Enceladus, but the bonus "Judgemental" planet doesn't line up with it: presumably it's one of Saturn's other moons. Which one? My wild guess is Iapetus. [[Special:Contributions/172.68.150.27|172.68.150.27]] 01:48, 15 March 2025 (UTC)

Great explanation, thank you, but was it really necessary to include a snide dig at Baby Boomers? Not a BB myself - I'm gen X, if we're using those facile labels - but surely we don't need to encourage intergenerational resentment and conflict. [[Special:Contributions/172.68.174.116|172.68.174.116]] 03:22, 15 March 2025 (UTC) 
As a historian, I strongly disagree with the snide definition of tradition. (No, not a BB.) [[Special:Contributions/162.158.212.132|162.158.212.132]] 07:40, 15 March 2025 (UTC)
:That's a direct quote from a prior comic, that whoever wrote it in the first placce ysed, so I've rewritten it to perhaps ''not'' look quite so much like some editor's own grudge/snidiness (which it may or may not be, but not without Randall giving justifiable precedent to say it). Maybe can be tweaked further, but it might be a shame to lose the inter-comic referential humour that (regardless of tone) is staple for this site. [[Special:Contributions/162.158.74.109|162.158.74.109]] 12:25, 15 March 2025 (UTC)
::I wrote it. No snideness intended. I thought the connection was topical. Unfortunately, thanks to the "Okay boomer" phenomenon, any reference to the generation comes across as condescending. The "Tradition" strip was published in 2011, and the phrase rose to popularity in 2019. It, like [[36]], is just one of those things that is not standing the test of time. [[Special:Contributions/172.70.47.89|172.70.47.89]] 20:22, 15 March 2025 (UTC)

I believe we're currently missing part of the joke in the mouseover text. Not only is Earth now a star because of human fusion, it's also no longer a planet, because, due to human satellites and spacecraft, it no longer clears its orbit.
[[Special:Contributions/198.41.227.42|198.41.227.42]] 06:20, 15 March 2025 (UTC)

Isn't the usual singular of criteria criterion? According to my dictionary, a criterium is a type of cycling race.--[[Special:Contributions/172.71.26.100|172.71.26.100]] 09:46, 15 March 2025 (UTC)
:Indeed. Maybe a thinko, though, rather. [[Special:Contributions/172.69.79.139|172.69.79.139]] 11:06, 15 March 2025 (UTC)

I am curious why only one of the Galilean moons counts as pretty, and I wonder which one (either Ganymede or Callisto, given where its drawn). They are all pretty to me, I like how surprisingly distinct they look from one another.
[[User:Terdragontra|Terdragontra]] ([[User talk:Terdragontra|talk]]) 13:18, 15 March 2025 (UTC)

Re title text: With the launch of the JWST, Earth has no longer cleared its orbital neighborhood, right? [[Special:Contributions/172.70.176.57|172.70.176.57]] 14:27, 15 March 2025 (UTC)

I tend to go by an expansive definition myself, considering all dwarf planets "planets" in my eyes. But I'm not like, arguing with the IAU's definition, this is just how I prefer to think of them, because dwarf planets are really cool. [[Special:Contributions/172.70.126.140|172.70.126.140]] 19:35, 15 March 2025 (UTC)

In the title text explanation, there's no mention of the inclusion of the phrase about Earth clearing its orbital neighborhood. I think this has something to do with all of our man-made satellites that have not been cleared from Earth's orbital neighborhood. Does anyone else think that's an important part of the title text and needs to be explained? [[User:Ianrbibtitlht|Ianrbibtitlht]] ([[User talk:Ianrbibtitlht|talk]]) 13:33, 16 March 2025 (UTC)

I think I like the "Recognizable" criteria. Something is a planet if it orbits the Sun and there exists at least one photograph of the object that a reasonably knowledgeable layperson can correctly identify. That would mean that all of the IAU defined planets are planets (except maybe Mercury), and that Pluto became a planet in 2015. [[Special:Contributions/172.68.245.141|172.68.245.141]] 14:34, 16 March 2025 (UTC)
:...there's a risk that Uranus and/or Neptune ("or both... hang on... which one's supposed to be bluer..? and is this one of those miscalibrated images or not..?") might drop out of the Recognisable grouping. And the Moon would be added, unless you arbitrarily banned near-side images, in which case it'd be demoted to "dunno" except by particularly adept selenophiles who probably even know the far-side, and limbs, like the back of their own hands. [[Special:Contributions/162.158.74.94|162.158.74.94]] 16:55, 16 March 2025 (UTC)

== Citations ==

I added a bunch of Wikipedia citations. I went by the WP rule (citation needed) of linking the first non-parenthesized instance of a word/phrase. That does make for some awkward things, like lists with only some of the items linked, and the {{w|natural satellite|moon}} link in a mention under '''Simplistic''' rather than on the more relevant '''Lunar'''.
–[[User:P1h3r1e3d13|P1h3r1e3d13]] ([[User talk:P1h3r1e3d13|talk]]) 22:34, 14 March 2025 (UTC)

'''Round vs Spheroidal'''
According to the "simplistic" definition, the rings themselves (also round) are separate planets. If the simplistic definition had merely been "spheroidal" rather than "round", they would not be. I'd love to see a version of the chart where Saturn is green, but the rings are white. [[Special:Contributions/172.71.99.166|172.71.99.166]] 23:36, 14 March 2025 (UTC)

'''"Modern" vs "Current"'''. Does anyone feel frustrated when people confuse "modern", "contemporary", and "current"? "Modern" is post-1500, "contemporary" is the age someone lives in, and "current" is 'today'. Throughout 75 years of the modern era, Pluto 'was' considered a planet. Is anyone willing to shift non-canonical usage of "modern" to "current" in the article? [[Special:Contributions/172.71.95.28|172.71.95.28]] 15:59, 15 March 2025 (UTC)

Talk:3063: Planet Definitions

2025-03-15T01:00:30Z

162.158.74.94:

3063: Planet Definitions

2025-03-14T16:55:19Z

162.158.74.94: Add paper to explanation.

{{comic
| number = 3063
| date = March 14, 2025
| title = Planet Definitions
| image = planet_definitions_2x.png
| imagesize = 653x1435px
| noexpand = true
| titletext = Under the 'has cleared its orbital neighborhood' and 'fuses hydrogen into helium' definitions, thanks to human activities Earth technically no longer qualifies as a planet but DOES count as a star.
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|In the [[#Trivia|trivia section]], mention the 2 errors in the comic.}}

This comic addresses the controversy of whether of Pluto is a planet and gives many other humorous definitions of what a planet could be.

Prior to 2006, there was no formal definition of a "planet" and it was generally accepted as a colloquialism there were nine planets around the Sun, Pluto included. As more sophisticated methods of mapping the Solar System were developed and Eris was discovered to be even more massive than Pluto, it became clear to astronomers that amore standardized definition was needed. In 2006 the International Astronomical Union (IAU) published their formal redefinition of a "planet" to require a planet to be gravitationally dominant within its orbit, disqualifying Pluto (and Eris) which is now considered a "dwarf planet." This has been subject to pushback from countless people, including [https://arxiv.org/abs/2110.15285 some planetary scientists], but in numbers mostly nostalgic laymen dissatisfied with Pluto being "demoted" or otherwise snubbed.

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

:[A table with 3 columns, labelled "Definition", "# of planets", and "Solar system". The last row is a drawing of the Solar system, with elements included in the definition of the row colored in green]
:['''Traditionalist:''' Pluto is a planet | 9 | Mercury, Venus, the Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune + its satellite (probably an error, and Pluto should be colored instead]
:['''Modern:''' Pluto is not a planet | 8 | Mercury, Venus, the Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune, and Pluto (probably an error, Pluto should not be colored)]
:['''Expansive:''' Dwarf planets are planets | 17+ | Mercury, Venus, the Earth, Mars, Ceres Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune, Pluto and other dwarf planets in the Kuiper belt]
:['''Ultratraditionalist:''' Only the classical planets are planets | 5 | Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn]
:['''Condescending:''' Only giant planets are planets; the rest are big asteroids. | 4 | Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune]
:['''Simplistic:''' Anything gravitationally round is a planet | 37+ | Mercury, Venus, the Earth, the Moon, Mars, Ceres, Jupiter and its moons, Saturn and Titan, Uranus and its moons, Neptune and its moon, Pluto and other dwarf planets in the Kuiper belt]
:['''Grounded:''' Only objects a spaceship has landed on are planets | 10 | Venus, the Earth, the Moon, Mars, some asteroids, and Titan]
:['''Regolithic:''' Anything covered in dirt and ice and stuff is a planet | infinity | Mercury, Venus, the Earth, the Moon, Mars, Ceres and all asteroids from the Asteroid belt, the moons of Jupiter, Pluto and other dwarf planets in the Kuiper belt and their moons]
:['''Lunar:''' You can't be a planet if you don't have a moon | 12+ | the Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune, Pluto and some other dwarf planets in the Kuiper belt]
:['''Solipsitic:''' Earth is the only planet | 1 | the Earth]
:['''Judgemental:''' Only the prettiest ones are planets | 6 | the Earth, Jupiter and one of its moons, Saturn and Titan, Triton, and Pluto]
:['''Empiricist:''' Only worlds that I, author of this table, have personally seen are planets | 12 | Mercury, Venus, the Earth, the Moon, Mars Jupiter and its moons, Saturn, and Neptune]

{{comic discussion}}

472: House of Pancakes

2025-03-10T00:07:29Z

162.158.74.94: Undo revision 368472 by 172.71.218.215 (talk) If the Transcript is wrong, correct the Transcript. (And best not use a table.)

{{DISPLAYTITLE:472: House of Pancakes}}
{{comic
| number = 472
| date = September 5, 2008
| title = House of Pancakes
| image = house_of_pancakes.png
| titletext = Fuck it, I'm just going to Waffle House.
}}

==Explanation==
[[Randall]] is parodying Mark Z. Danielewski's novel ''{{w|House of Leaves}}'' by renaming it ''House of Pancakes'' (after the American fast food franchise {{w|International House of Pancakes}}). ''House of Leaves'' has an unconventional page layout and style, including the colouring of every instance of the word "house" in blue, as is done on the menu. It includes footnotes within footnotes like Randall did here.

In ''House of Leaves'', protagonist Johnny Truant (whose meta-narration is marked by Courier font as mimicked in the comic) discovers a book called ''The Navidson Record'' (represented here by the pancake menu), which in turn details a film of the same name, which in turn details a horror story of a family living in a sentient house. Truant, who is clearly intelligent and cultured, probes deeper into notating ''The Navidson Record''—and into insomnia—until ''The Navidson Record'' consumes his mind horrifically, the same way the film in the novel consumed the author of ''The Navidson Record'', the same way the house in the novel consumed part of the family.

''House of Leaves'' lends itself to many interpretations, but has been called a "satire of academic criticism," which makes this comic essentially a satire of a satire. Since part of the appeal of ''House of Leaves'' is that it takes itself extremely seriously with its intricacy, multitude of both real and made-up references to academic and popular culture, and layered emotional conflict, Randall's reduction of the ''House of Leaves'' to the (International) House of Pancakes cuts a humorous edge to a dark story. The tone of the comic parodies the tone of ''House of Leaves'': lonely, fear-inducing, and increasingly insane, but using pancakes instead of darkness.

Additionally, the mysterious "Mohawk Girl" referred to in the comic may be a nod to the ''House of Leaves'' character Delial, or to [[147: A Way So Familiar]].

The word "house" is in blue in every instance, which is a stylistic attribute of Mark Z. Danielewski's novel. Every Minotaur reference is marked out in red ink, and every use of "house" or a foreign language's equivalent, such as 'Haus' and 'maison' is in blue. This is not a reference to hyperlinks. It is often thought that the house is printed in blue because houses have 'blueprints.'

The censored portion of the Big Steak Omelette is "...fresh green peppers, onions, mushrooms,..." per IHOP's website for the Big Steak Omelette: "Tender and tasty strips of steak, hash browns, fresh green peppers, onions, mushrooms, tomatoes and Cheddar cheese." Also, Omelette is misspelled, but that's probably just a typo.

The title text refers to the {{w|Waffle House}}, another US restaurant chain. The joke is that the protagonist has decided that maybe all this angst isn't worth it, and he'll just go to a different restaurant.

Clicking on the original comic links to the amazon.com page for House of Leaves.

From ''[[xkcd: volume 0]]'':
{{quote|This is a parody of the fascinating book ''House of Leaves''.}}

==Transcript==
:[All instances of the word "House" are in blue. Text is a mix of 'Printed' (hi-res serifed proportional font), 'Typed' (more crude-looking non-proportional serifed font) and 'Written' (freetext, in standard xkcd AllCaps style, having the occasional decoration and emphasis added).]
:[Above the 'frame' is Typed text:] Every day a new city, a new IHOP. And yet every night the dreams get worse. I ply the highways, a nervous eye on the rear-view mirror, the back seat piled with stolen menus. Their doors are opened 24 hours, but forever closed to my soul. This is what my life has become. This is my hell.
:[A bordered frame, in the style of an (illustrated and annotated) menu. We see two columns of product descriptions, three full ones and in each column and a hint of a fourth going beyond the bottom of the frame.]
:[Each clear description generally start with a product name, in bold, and a product description, all in Printed text. To the left of these are an illustrative image which has a barely legible caption seemingly identical to the product namr header, and a stylistic 'angled shadow' set subtly behind it. In each description text there may be at least one footnote-number in superscript and square-brackets. Below each are Typed footnote paragraphs (mostly) relating to the footnote numbers in the above description. Additional scribbles are Written around and alongside the above, as text, doodles and other marks of one type or another.]
:[Menu header:]
::[Sidenote left, Written:] International
::[Printed header:] House of Pancakes
::[Scribbled-out sidenote, Written to the right:] BLOGSPOT

:[Item subheader, top of first column:] Strawberry Banana Pancakes
::[Item description:] Four pancakes filled with sliced fresh banana and crowned with cool strawberry topping, more [17] bananas and [23] whipped topping.
::[Footnote 17, with three smudged fingerprints over parts of this and the top of the next item down (a fourth, perhaps, far to the bottom of the framed area):] Driven by a nameless fear, a whisper in the dark behind me, I flee ahead of I know not what. Whenver I turn, there's nobody behind me. And yet someone is clearly stealing the ketchup. WHY?
::[Footnote 23, sandwiched incongruously and sideways from low to high, mostly between the images of the Stuffed French Toast and Ham and Egg Melt items, to the right:] My life is feeding, fleeing, fighting, and forgetting.

:[Item subheader, second down on left column:] Rooty Jr.
::[Item description, a splash of red (ketchup/blood) within it, further (secondary?) spatters and red marks, possibly including an attempt to create mostly unintelligable letters, spread on or around lower passages:] A kids only [19] version of our house signature Rooty Tooty. One scrambled egg, one strip of bacon, one pork sausage link and one fruit-topped buttermilk pancake.
::[Footnote 19:] The decision not to hyphenate "kids only" is likely connected to the omission of the serial comma. I wonder if the author is British. I wonder if he sleeps at night.

:[Item subheader, third down on left:] Rise 'N Shine
::[Item description:] Two eggs, toast and hash browns served with your choice [21] of two strips of bacon or two pork sausage links.
::[Footnote 21, starting with an small word (possibly (I") made illegible by one of the spatters of red:] rent a storage unit. Sleep there. Fill it with pancakes. Leave.

:[Item subheader, top of right column:] Stuffed French Toast
::[Item description:] Cinnamon raisin French [18] toast stuffed with sweet cream cheese filling, topped with cool strawberry or your choice of fruit compote and whipped topping.
::[Footnote 18:] Nightmares again. I wake up covered in sweat, and what appears to be a thin sheen of maple syrup

:[Inserted text, Written with emphasis and underlined:] WHO IS MOHAWK GIRL?

:[Item header, second down at right, which is sideways (low to high) in the general position that the horizontal text would normally be, next to the normally-set product image:] Ham & Egg Melt
::[Item description, also sideways and consistently 'below' (to the right of) its header:] Grilled sourdough bread stuffed with ham, scrambled eggs, Swiss and American cheeses. [20]
::[Footnote 20, normally orientated and positioned:] Ordered this in at an IHOP in Rochester, New York. There was blood on the floor. Some of it was mine.

:[Small drawn doodle, inserted, of three instances of a Cueball, the middle one holding out an item (gun?) to the right, followed by a ground feature (pool of liquid?)]
::[Written above the second (and third) Cueball:] Enough with your pancakes.
::[Written above the 'pool', two words heavily bolded:] Enough with your GOD DAMN pancakes.

:[Item header, third on the right:] The Big Steak Omlette
::[Item description, a few words of text has been censored by a black strip:] Tender strips of steak, hash browns, [censorship strip, long enough to obscure perhaps 4-6 typical words] tomatoes and Cheddar cheese. Served [22] with house salsa.
::[Footnote 22:] Woke up in Las Vegas. They're closing the Star Trek Experience today. The IHOP up the strip had pancake platters named after various states. None of them sounded like home.

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Comics with color]]
[[Category:Star Trek]]
[[Category:Fiction]]
[[Category:Food]]
[[Category:Comics with blood]]
[[Category:Footnotes]]

Megan

2025-03-02T21:46:05Z

162.158.74.94: /* Name */ Tweaks and additions.

{{Infobox character
| image = Megan.png‎
| imagesize = 200px
| caption = '
| first_appearance = [[24: Godel, Escher, Kurt Halsey]]
}}

<noinclude>:''For a list of comics, see [[:Category:Comics featuring Megan|Comics featuring Megan]].''
:''For Megan's boyfriend, see [[Cueball]].''</noinclude>

'''Megan''' is a [[stick figure]] character in [[xkcd]]. She is the second-most frequently appearing character, after [[Cueball]], and the most frequently appearing female character. She does not necessarily always represent the same character from comic to comic. She is essentially the female equivalent of Cueball, representing the every-woman to his {{w|everyman}}. This is less clear than for Cueball as there are several comics where there are [[:Category:Multiple Cueballs|multiple Cueball-like figures]], any of whom could be called Cueball. There are very few comics where this happens with Megan-like characters, with the few including [[139: I Have Owned Two Electric Skateboards]], [[173: Movie Seating]], [[1409: Query]], [[1496: Art Project]], [[430: Every Damn Morning]], [[2040: Sibling-in-Law]], and in [[1951: Super Bowl Watch Party]].

Of course, she also appears several times in some of the comics with [[:Category:Large drawings|large drawings]], like [[1110: Click and Drag]]. Often this should be seen as different small comics, where there is just one Megan in each story. In [[1608: Hoverboard]], however, there are two identical Megans at the bottom rear end of the Destroyer, where one is talking to the other. As opposed to with Cueball, an example where this is a problem for Megan has yet to be found.

Megan does sometimes appear to have slightly specific personality traits; she has quite odd habits and is sometimes shown to be very focused and intent on a goal. However, as explained above this is not a general rule for a given Megan character.

==Name==
Here on explain xkcd, Megan was originally referred to as "Cutie", or "Cute" (complementing "Cueball" with a matching first syllable). But then an example of Cutie (or Cute) was given a specific name, "Megan", in [[159: Boombox]] and later in for instance [[215: Letting Go]], [[420: Jealousy]], [[478: The Staple Madness]], and [[654: Nachos]]. The name was also refered to, without depicting her directly, in [[596: Latitude]] and in the title text of [[627: Tech Support Cheat Sheet]]. As a result, existing uses of the name Cutie were then changed. If this rule should be followed more generally, then Cueball should be re-named "Rob" after [[276: Fixed Width]] (and the [[:Category:Comics featuring Rob|other 12 times]] a Cueball has been named Rob in total). But the debate regarding this resulted in Cueball staying as Cueball. See [[Cueball#Name|here]] for more details.

She can also be drawn under a different name as in [[672: Suggestions]], where a sexy image of her, hair hanging loose over her face, is called "Susie". And in [[1221: Nomenclature]] Megan is called "Mrs. Whatsit" in the transcript provided in the comic source. In [[734: Outbreak]] Cueball and Megan are named "Ryan" and "Laura", but that is a movie, so they could be actors called Cueball and Megan in real life. A character that looked a lot like Megan, but with somewhat longer hair and a much meaner attitude, was distinguished from her as [[Black Hat]]'s girlfriend, named as "[[Danish]]"; her behaviour is often distinctive, even if her appearance is not. A similar long-haired version of Megan also appeared in [[1730: Starshade]], although without the attitude, while it is possible that it is Megan herself who ultimately behaves badly in [[3057: Excusing Yourself]].

==History==
Early comics often feature Megan-style characters who may or may not be identified as Megan. [[Randall]] appears not to have standardized his character lineup early in the comic's run, and as a result, certain early female characters sometimes have similar hair to Megan, but some different features. The name (or even pseudonym) "Megan" may be reference to a lost love of Randall's, given that he wrote a passive-aggressive toast for Megan's wedding in [[420: Jealousy]] about how he was madly still in love with her, put across in a way that would generally ruin the day for everyone involved. We also see this earlier in [[215: Letting Go]]. Several of the [[:Category:Cancer|comics about cancer]] have Megan representing Randall's fiancée and later wife.

==Characteristics==
Megan is distinguished by her black shoulder-length hair which generally appears to be parted in the middle in front and is draped behind what are presumably her (undrawn) ears. It is shorter than the character of similar appearance, [[Danish]]. Megan also tends to behave less defiantly than Danish does.

Megan's age is sometimes given, like in [[1409: Query]], we learn that she is 30 or younger, implying that she was born in 1983-84, and in [[630: Time Travel]], we learn she was born in 1983 (born after August 14). But in [[2178: Expiration Date High Score]], we can calculate that she was born in 1981-82 which is slightly different.

{{navbox-characters}}
[[Category:Characters]]
[[Category:Major characters]]

User:Certified nqh

2025-02-22T21:41:46Z

162.158.74.94: Tempted to have replied "sina toki ala toki e toki Inli?" (<-"do you speak English?")

<div id="contentSub">(Redirected from [[File:trollface.png|12px]])</div>
<noinclude>{{infobox
| bodyclass = vcard
| image = [[File:nqh_sit.png]]
| caption = ''"I am not an artist" - Me''
}}

{{Userbox | border-c = #255 | border-s = 1 | info-s = 20 | id = [[File:trollface120.png|trollface120.png|45px]] | info = [[User:Certified_nqh/userbox|This user is a user.]] | float = left }}

== The final word ==

Here is your designated space for creating the illusion that you have the final word:


i am a cow. moo. [[User:SomeoneIGuess|someone, i guess]]([[User talk:SomeoneIGuess|talk i guess]]|[[Special:Contributions/SomeoneIGuess|le edit list]]) 16:16, 2 November 2023 (UTC)

i think that you're awesome, nqh. i'm glad you and people like you exist. [[User:108.162.242.105|108.162.242.105]] 18:15, 3 November 2023 (UTC)

SRIMP [[User:Certified_nqh|Me]][[[285: Wikipedian Protester|''citation needed'']]][[Category:Pages using the "citation needed" template]] 20:54, 3 November 2023 (UTC)


weeeeeee! [[User:42.book.addict|42.book.addict]] ([[User talk:42.book.addict|talk]]) 18:55, 5 February 2024 (UTC)

chip

Well, now it is. [[User:RadiantRainwing|RadiantRainwing]] ([[User talk:RadiantRainwing|talk]]) 16:33, 29 December 2024 (UTC)

sina sona ala sona e toki pona???? {{unsigned|172.69.60.217|21:28, 22 February 2025}}
:<abbr title="My hovercraft is full of eels">tomo tawa mi pi tawa kepeken kon li jo e kala linja mute lon insa ali ona</abbr> [[Special:Contributions/162.158.74.94|162.158.74.94]] 21:41, 22 February 2025 (UTC)



Glad that's over with.

== Me ==

I'm a high school senior in programming 4.

CST (UTC-6) is my time zone.
 CDT (UTC-5)

NQH stands for NotQuiteHadouken, which is what I changed it to after I got tired of people making jokes about my last username. NotQuiteHadouken is a Joel reference.

[[File:nqh_pfp.jpg|32x32px]] is my pfp in most places

My playlist is at least 200 songs. I have written it like this because I keep adding to it.

I don't like...

* Country songs

* TV

* You[dubious]

* Myself

* Simon Cowell

* Turbulence

* Quantum mechanics

* The US

* The incentive to publish negative results

* How I must speak

* Things being hard

* Being a jack of all trades, but a master of none.[but a jack of all trades is better than a master of one]

* Game theory

* People who say that they don't like people with no other context

My favorite...

* Browser is firefox.

* Thing from McDonalds is the McDouble.

<ul style="list-style: circle;"><li> Thing from taco bell is Tacos Locos without sour cream.</li></ul>

* Thing from subway is footlong white bread toasted with turkey, bacon, provolone, lettuce, tomatoes, and pickles.

* Soda is A&W cream soda.

* Mode of transportation is public transportation, second is walking. This will change.

* Mode of long-distance communication is Signal, second is Facebook Messenger.

* Circle of hell is wrath.

* Anime is JJBA, second is Parasyte.

The practical thing I am best at is coding. The impractical thing I am best at is sleeping.

I am 5'10". I think.

Cool things I own are...

* A weather radio that runs on a 9V battery

* Two rectangular prisms with 3D laser engravings in them of flowers

There are 4 computers that I use regularly and 2 broken in my closet.

I have an HP Pavilion with a broken screen that has Arch Linux installed on it.

It is entirely capable of hosting a website, but cox routers suck ass and block all the necessary ports.

I own a domain name, that being nqhlof.us. Don't try to go to it, it doesn't work.

I can read.

== My brain ==

Languages I know are English (native), Spanish (pretty good), and toki pona.

Languages I have tried to learn at some point are Russian, German, and Japanese.

As far as I can remember, my IQ is 160-ish.

Scripts I can read are Latin, Cyrillic, Hindu-Arabic numerals, katakana, hiragana, and some kanji.

I can read.

== My code ==

I can code in C, C#, C++, yaml, xaml, xml, html, css, js, lua, luau, python, brainfuck, lisp, VIM keybindings, and mindustry processor.

Anything related to scripting is done on whatever OS I feel like because I am indecisive.

My HTML magic happens when I feel like it.

I'm pretty good at HTML, JS, and CSS.

I am currently working on whatever I so damn please.

== XKCD ==

I have no idea how I found out about xkcd.

I have read every comic.

Favorite character is Black Hat.

== This site ==

I found out about explainxkcd because I googled something, this site popped up, and I wanted to look at it.

Here's my signature: {{User:Certified_nqh/signature.css}}

[[User:Certified_nqh/sandbox|Here's my sandbox.]]

Sometimes I end up reading the latest comic here instead of on XKCD.

[[User:Certified_nqh/common.css|This is my style sheet on this.]]

[[User:Certified_nqh/epicdarkmode.css|This is the dark mode I came up with. It's pretty good.]]

I've made {{#cscore:Certified_nqh|changes}} changes to {{#cscore:Certified_nqh|pages}} pages and have a score of {{#cscore:Certified_nqh|score}}.

I was trying to show up on the top 50 before I realized I wasn't actually getting anything out of it and stopped.

Because numbers redirect to comics, you can just go into the URL of an xkcd comic, put "explain" before xkcd.com, and get to the explanation.

By the way, </noinclude><includeonly>Stop trying to embed my user page into shit.</includeonly><noinclude>

=== Times I have accidentally mistyped the site URL ===

Since you can just put "explain" before "xkcd" in any of the comics, I usually use that to go to the explanation for that comic.

Sometimes I don't look.

* xkcd.explaincom

* explonkxkcd.com

* exokaubxkcd.com

* explinxkcd.com (redirected to some weird URL that i closed immediately)

=== Templates I have made ===

{{tl|soup}} (not shown due to divs sucking)

{{tl|wikidata}} {{wikidata|2|Earth}}

{{tl|Actual Citation Needed}} {{Actual Citation Needed}}

== People who are pretty cool ==

[[User:SomeoneIGuess|someone, i guess]], [[User:Theusaf|theusaf]]

{{W|John Conway}}, {{W|Isaac Newton}}, {{W|Albert Einstein}}

[https://www.youtube.com/@standupmaths Matt Parker], [https://www.youtube.com/@SteveMould Steve Mould], [https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCY1kMZp36IQSyNx_9h4mpCg Mark Rober], [https://www.youtube.com/c/SebastianLague Sebastian Lague], [https://youtube.com/@CodeParade CodeParade], [https://www.youtube.com/@TomScottGo Tom Scott]

{{W|Mark Z. Danielewski}}, {{W|Suzanne Collins}}

And you, for deciding to read my user page. :).

== Did you know... ==

<ul style="list-style: circle;">
<li>Gradients are possible with spans? </li>
<li><div style="background-image: -webkit-linear-gradient(left,#888,#CCC); color: red !important;">CSS is hard?</div>
<li>You can [https://patents.google.com/patent/US3689289A/en synthesise the flavor of chicken]? </li>
<li>Most HTML tags work in wikimedia sites?</li>
</ul>

== log ==

23:30, 21 October 2023 (CDT): I just loaded in this page and the "I am not an artist" image decided to have some graphics glitch where the top half broke and I thought the world was ending for some reason.

:20:58, 21 November 2023 (CST): Bit late, but the image has glitched twice so far.

18:17, 22 October 2023 (CDT): i own a flask

21:29, 22 October 2023 (CDT): i'm tired

22:43, 22 October 2023 (CDT): decided to go and press random and on like my 4th click it sent me to the latest comic. 0.5% lookin a

23:26, 22 October 2023 (CDT): common is more dull now

09:07, 23 October 2023 (CDT): miracle tablets of screw you

09:50, 23 October 2023 (CDT): i am the only one in my entire math class who manages to find errors in the answer key

21:49, 23 October 2023 (CDT): my [https://github.com/space-wizards/space-station-14/pull/21183 best work] happens when i use the github editor

09:31, 24 October 2023 (CDT): i own a musket for home defense. four ruffians break into my house "what the devil?" as i grab my powdered wig and kentucky rifle. blow a golf ball sized hole through the first man, he's dead on the spot, draw my pistol on the second man, miss him entirely because it's smoothbore and nails the neighbor's dog. i have to resort to the cannon mounted at the top of the stairs loaded with G R A P E S H O T. TALLY HO LADS! The grape shot shreds two men in the blast, the sound and extra shrapnel set off car alarms. Fix bayonet and charge the last terrified rapscallion. He bleeds out waiting on the police to arrive since triangular bayonet wounds are impossible to stitch up. <big>Just as the founding fathers intended.</big>

11:14, 24 October 2023 (CDT): [deleted]

22:05, 24 October 2023 (CDT): stood up in the shower and fainted

09:30, 26 October 2023 (CDT): womp womp

20:22, 26 October 2023 (CDT): i am tilted at the towers :godo:

09:52, 28 October 2023 (CDT): raiiiiin

11:40, 31 October 2023 (CDT): i put water in a hip flask to confuse the people around me

09:22, 1 November 2023 (CDT): i don't comprehend halloween

10:38, 2 November 2023 (CDT): my father once told me there would be incredibly annoying people in my life and that i must do nothing but tolerate them

10:43, 2 November 2023 (CDT): i'm going to be putting these in my current time zone now.

16:02, 3 November 2023 (CDT): Muss es sein?

06:30, 5 November 2023 (CST): DAYLIGHT SAVINGS TIME IS OVER AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA

21:23, 5 November 2023 (CST): My ass just had to spend thirteen and a half fucking hours doing nothing because my stepmother dragged me along because she had to sing for something at church at 6 pm. I hate this. I hate this.

23:12, 5 November 2023 (CST): my chromebook's screen just had a strok

11:35, 6 November 2023 (CST): my english teacher is monologuing about MLA citations

00:00, 1 January 1970 (CST): editsection10 

11:29, 7 November 2023 (CST): [citation not needed]

08:08, 8 November 2023 (CST): starting on the 10th i ride with one of my friends to school

:22:01, 29 February 2024 (CST): i lied. apparently it isn't guaranteed

11:54, 8 November 2023 (CST): I WAS going to make a joke about "hey guys!! what should my thousandth edit be???" until I realized that I already had 1003 edits. Darn you, me.

10:25, 9 November 2023 (CST): Put <nowiki>*::after {content:" This element has been claimed by NQH.";font-size:2em;}</nowiki> into your common.css file. (do not actually)

15:22, 9 November 2023 (CST): I decided to look through the blocked users list and...I...what the fuck is quickbooks???

17:56, 9 November 2023 (CST): I have just discovered [[Special:MyPage/common.js|common.js]]. You will not see me for a while.

18:08, 9 November 2023 (CST): It doesn't work.

11:12, 10 November 2023 (CST): For some ungodly reason my English teacher uses ChromeOS on a windows laptop.
:indeed... why move away from Microsoft closed-source system to a Google/Alphabet closed-source one. Find an actual proper Linix distro, would be my advice. If anybody were to ask. Which nobody does. [[Special:Contributions/172.70.85.51|172.70.85.51]] 18:35, 10 November 2023 (UTC)

14:07, 10 November 2023 (CST): I made Pelvis Presley in kahoot.

08:00, 15 November 2023 (CST): I can't wait for Christmas because it means I don't have to listen to what the god damn bell is right now at my school.

:10:30 (7:55), 27 November 2023 (CST): Oh my god they changed it early.

14:55, 15 November 2023 (CST): Do you ever get so angry at someone you physically dash out of your chair and scream directly into their face?

10:29, 27 November 2023 (CST): Fortnite actually runs on my computer without lagging violently now. This is a miracle.

08:48, 6 December 2023 (CST): They ruined it.

10:13, 14 December 2023 (CST): I think my chromebook is dying.

11:37, 15 December 2023 (CST): i am exempt from every single semester test at my school oh boy oh yeah oh boy oh yeah oh boy oh yeah oh b

14:49, 8 January 2024 (CST): was i supposed to say happy new year

10:16, 26 February 2024 (CST): I clicked random and got a 500 internal server error. Thanks, Randall.

20:24, 30 April 2024 (CST): It has been more than one month since I last updated the log. XKCD still randomly decides it doesn't support https or just dies entirely. This is a recent issue. Oh lord.

13:05, 26 August 2024 (CST): i had a job and then i didn't

14:40, 4 October 2024 (CST): i hadn't a job and then i did
</noinclude>

2542: Daylight Calendar

2021-11-17T15:38:22Z

162.158.74.94: /* Explanation */

{{comic
| number = 2542
| date = November 15, 2021
| title = Daylight Calendar
| image = daylight_calendar.png
| titletext = Could be worse. In some towns north of here, it's already December, and the 21st will last for nearly a week.
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Created at CINNAMON O'CLOCK - No comment yet on Cueball's delight in the extra dead line time. No direct explanation on how the 21 december for a week comes about in the title text. Only indirect from other parts of explanation. Please change this comment when editing this page. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}

At the time of this posting, the United States had ended {{w|daylight saving time}} (DST) recently, on November 7, and returned to standard time. Daylight saving time is a practice of setting clocks ahead by 1 hour during warmer months to effectively 'borrow' some of the typically unused early morning light and pass it down to the late evening where more people can make use of it. In the United States, daylight saving time starts on the second Sunday in March and ends on the first Sunday in November.

A result of ending of daylight saving time is the sun setting earlier than people are used to, as people have become acclimatised to the shifted clocks — though it does mean an 'extra' hour of light has returned to the seasonally redarkening mornings. The first sentence of the comic may be the start of a typical comment about how the sun seems to set earlier than usual in November; which it does anyway (north of the equator) but the clock-shift makes it even more obvious.

In this comic, however, Randall turns the normal talk about DST on its head by devising a [[:Category:Calendar|calendar system]] where the dates "change" based on 12 hours of daylight. This causes shorter "days" in the summer months, which may get more than 12 hours of daylight in a "solar day" and longer "days" in the winter months which would have fewer hours of daylight in a "solar day". As mentioned in the title text, this change would be very pronounced near the poles, which may only get a few hours of daylight per 24 hours in the winter, but conversely may get 20 or more hours of daylight per 24 hours in the summer.

At temperate latitudes and above, as the calendar goes towards winter (for your hemisphere) the length of daylight per daily cycle shortens. Instead of having "long summer days" (i.e. periods of daylight) and shorter ones in the winter, but still the artificial pressures of a regulated 24-hour cycle to adhere to, the proposal seems to be that the date gets incremented whenever (and ''only'' when) twelve hours of daylight have passed.

In the summer, a day-count starting at sunrise could require a late-afternoon switch to 'tomorrow', which would in turn be switched earlier still the next day as it was already partly used up, with possibly two date-changes per astronomical day (early morning and mid-evening, for example). As winter draws on, not enough daylight will pass to guarantee a date-change in any single period. On the day of this comic's release - November 15, 2021 - Massachusetts, where Randall lives, gets ten hours and forty five minutes between {{w|civil twilight}}s. It is possible that the last day-mark was late during the previous daylight cycle and the next one won't be until early in the following one.

Exactly how the time is marked is not fully explained. Starting each day-period at 00:00 would be easiest, but could be a psychological step too far. One possibility is to set a nominal 00:00 six hours before a day-change, in line with an 'idealised' twelve-hours-of-daylight day, but disregard hours 'belonging' to a prior daylight period. Then keep the clock running (throughout any intervening nights and into the next daylight as necessary) until the date clicks over and realigns as necessary. Clock times would not reach 23:59 for most of the summer, and could far exceed that in the winter. Megan's clock has reached 26:15, by this sunset, and may well be due to be far into the 30-hours range before more daylight and the moving on to the new date and reset time, if not beyond.

Beyond the arctic (and antarctic) circle, twelve hours of daylight would be accumulated up twice per traditional day, at times, while being effectively on hold for much of the other six months, depending upon actual latitude.

==Transcript==
:[Megan is looking down at her phone which she holds up in her hand, while Cueball stands next to her]:
:Megan: Ugh, I hate November. It's 26:15 and the sun is setting ''again!''
:Megan: 3-day days are the worst.
:Cueball: I like it. I know it's dark, but it's nice to have the extra time on deadlines.

:[Caption below the panel]:
:In our new calendar system, the date changes after every 12 hours of daylight, regardless of how long that takes.

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Comics featuring Megan]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Calendar]]
[[Category:Daylight saving time]]