explain xkcd - User contributions [en]

Talk:2286: 6-Foot Zone

2020-03-30T23:55:02Z

162.158.75.4:

Ok... 34 feet, in total, but how many hands? (All of which you should wash!) [[Special:Contributions/162.158.34.210|162.158.34.210]] 23:34, 27 March 2020 (UTC)

Well, a typical horse stands 15.2 hands tall. You do the math. [[User:Cellocgw|Cellocgw]] ([[User talk:Cellocgw|talk]]) 01:09, 29 March 2020 (UTC)

: Love it. Given the extra 1.7 feet for the person, a radius of 20.53 hands. If it were just 6 feet, 18 hands -- brad --[[Special:Contributions/108.162.216.122|108.162.216.122]] 00:55, 28 March 2020 (UTC)
:: For a horse of 16 hands (from the USFS document), 130 hands (8x16 'hands' + 2 hands). Or 123 and three loose fingers using Cellocgw's value, with that sounding like it's from actual practical experience. [[Special:Contributions/162.158.89.49|162.158.89.49]] 19:09, 29 March 2020 (UTC)

So Randall is figuring about 1.7 feet diameter for the person. --[[Special:Contributions/172.68.174.70|172.68.174.70]] 00:40, 28 March 2020 (UTC)

The 190,000 people / mile^2 assumes (I'm guessing) flat ground. Skyscrapers make a difference [citation needed] -- brad --[[Special:Contributions/108.162.216.122|108.162.216.122]] 00:55, 28 March 2020 (UTC)

Interesting that the population density he gives ignores circle packing. Population should be 174,000. -- coyne -- [[Special:Contributions/162.158.122.156|162.158.122.156]] 04:06, 28 March 2020 (UTC)
: Circle packing is unimportant since he's just giving the population of this one circle. He's taking a radius of 6 foot ''around'' that person without specifying what he considers to be the radius of the person, but it can be inferred from the numbers: from area: <math>\sqrt{145/\pi} \approx 6.8</math>, from circumference: <math>43/(2\pi) \approx 6.8</math>, from population density: <math>\sqrt{1/190000/\pi} \cdot 5280 \approx 6.8</math>, so apparently he considers a person to have a radius of 0.8 ft, or about 0.5 m diameter, which seems reasonable. [[User:Zmatt|Zmatt]] ([[User talk:Zmatt|talk]]) 05:11, 28 March 2020 (UTC)
: Note that even if you want to know the population of optimally packed people, your number is still wrong since the circles overlap: your circle is supposed to exclude other people, it doesn't exclude other people's circles. Optimally you'd have a triangular lattice of people with a lattice distance of 7.6 ft (assuming we want 6 ft between people and we consider people to be circles of radius 0.8 ft). This yields a population density of 1 person per <math>\tfrac{1}{4}\sqrt{3} \cdot 7.6^2 \text{ ft}^2</math>, which is about 1.1 million people per square mile. [[User:Zmatt|Zmatt]] ([[User talk:Zmatt|talk]]) 05:24, 28 March 2020 (UTC)
:But some people still live in cities. So they are not packed 2-dimensional but sometimes in very high skyscrapers. We need to bringt globes into this calculation instead of circles. --[[User:Lupo|Lupo]] ([[User talk:Lupo|talk]]) 06:40, 30 March 2020 (UTC)

Much as I love thinking about circle packing density in the plane, I think the above explanation is slightly overthinking the issue. The population density figure appears to be using the idea that one person's zone contains one person; 1 person / (145 ft^2) does indeed equal 192,000 people/square mile. So, he's not saying that 'given these constraints, we can pack people at this maximum density'. He's saying 'given this area, and counting it as a tiny sovereignty, we can calculate its population density to be this'. For this reason, I don't think you should say that the 'population density' figure has an error, only that it is calculated in a different sense than you were thinking about. [[User:Dextrous Fred|Dextrous Fred]] ([[User talk:Dextrous Fred|talk]]) 18:58, 28 March 2020 (UTC)
:I agree. My first instinct on what the population density figure means was the same as one used in the comic. [[Special:Contributions/162.158.103.163|162.158.103.163]] 22:29, 28 March 2020 (UTC)

Possibly a play on the fact that horses are measured in hands? --orbitalbuzzsaw--

Page 207 of [https://www.fs.fed.us/t-d/pubs/pdfpubs/pdf07232816/pdf07232816dpi72pt10.pdf US Forest Service Equestrian Design Guidebook for Trails, Trailheads, and Campgrounds] says minimum corral size is 12x12 feet. I didn't find a more likely sounding Forest Service publication. So I assume the ''handbook'' in the comic is a fictional publication. [[User:Hamjudo|Hamjudo]] ([[User talk:Hamjudo|talk]]) 13:15, 28 March 2020 (UTC)

:Don't look for corrals. Look for how are you supposed to pack the horses for traveling eg. in train or truck/trailer. -- [[User:Hkmaly|Hkmaly]] ([[User talk:Hkmaly|talk]]) 00:22, 29 March 2020 (UTC)

Always knew cities were bad for humanity. As are airplanes. Need them both to create a pandemic. [[User:Seebert|Seebert]] ([[User talk:Seebert|talk]]) 18:32, 28 March 2020 (UTC)

Thanks for that explanation! When I saw the title text, I was worried that WHO had increased the recommendation and I'd missed it. [[User:TobyBartels|TobyBartels]] ([[User talk:TobyBartels|talk]]) 00:47, 29 March 2020 (UTC)

Cool. I didn't know the US Forestry Service designed horses. [[User:These Are Not The Comments You Are Looking For|These Are Not The Comments You Are Looking For]] ([[User talk:These Are Not The Comments You Are Looking For|talk]]) 06:00, 29 March 2020 (UTC)

Should it be noted that Randall used horses as units of measurement and/or as reference objects before? i.e. [[1461]] [[User:Elektrizikekswerk|Elektrizikekswerk]] ([[User talk:Elektrizikekswerk|talk]]) 08:52, 30 March 2020 (UTC)

I'm relatively surprised that nobody is discussing the 'real estate' value in these comments. I guess I'm the odd one out. The value of $195k was, to my surprise, very accurate. Zillow.com [https://www.zillow.com/manhattan-ny/home-values/ currently lists] that the average real estate price per square foot in Manhattan is $1,371, which, when multiplied by Randall's approximate 145 square feet, gives $198,795. I can't believe the rest of you are putting this much research into horse dimensions. [[Special:Contributions/162.158.75.4|162.158.75.4]] 23:55, 30 March 2020 (UTC)

804: Pumpkin Carving

2019-09-11T18:33:56Z

162.158.75.4: fixed typo

{{comic
| number = 804
| date = October 11, 2010
| title = Pumpkin Carving
| image = pumpkin carving.png
| titletext = The Banach-Tarski theorem was actually first developed by King Solomon, but his gruesome attempts to apply it set back set theory for centuries.
}}

==Explanation==
This comic is a reference to the American custom of making {{w|Jack-o'-lantern|Jack-O'-Lantern}}s to set out on porches and front steps for the holiday of {{w|Halloween}}, which occurs on October 31. Typically they are made with {{w|pumpkins}} by emptying the inside leaving a hollow shell, carving a face or design on the side, then placing a light or candle inside. The Jack-O'-Lantern in the 3rd frame is the typical and standard design for a carved pumpkin.

The comic is set up as a typical TV program where an off-screen interviewer asks four (very) different people what they have made out of their Halloween pumpkin. In the [http://xkcd.com/804/info.0.json official transcript] the interviewer that talks in three of the panels is called an Interlocutor: "a person who takes part in dialogue or conversation."

In the first frame, [[Beret Guy]], naturally, stays oddly on-topic by physically carving an image of a pumpkin in his pumpkin. This means his answer, "I carved a pumpkin," could apply to either the image or the medium of his artwork.

In the second frame, [[Black Hat]] is shown with a container of {{w|nitroglycerin}} next to his pumpkin. Nitroglycerin is a highly explosive liquid that may explode violently with just a small bump. Black Hat has not carved a hole for his lamp, but it seems he has emptied the inside of the pumpkin as the stem at the top has been removed. This will make it possible to fill up the pumpkin with nitroglycerin. Teenagers are a rather impulsive and rebellious lot; as Halloween is a night with lots of meticulously erected decorations and more lax parental supervision, troublemaker teens see it as an enticing time to engage in rampant vandalism, including but not limited to pumpkin-smashing. Hence, the off-panel character presumes that Black Hat is setting up a trap to get back at these ne'er-do-wells. To top it off, Black Hat plans to put up a sign warning passers-by to not smash the pumpkin. This would only serve to tempt impulsive teenagers to disturb it, which is very likely what the sadistic and chaos-loving [[Classhole]] is hoping for. If he succeeds with his plan, with a completely hollowed out pumpkin of the shown size filled with nitroglycerin, it would seem likely that the resulting explosion would leave a largish crater, flatten wood-framed buildings nearby, shatter windows for blocks in all directions, and be more than sufficient to kill the vandal along with others in the surrounding area. This is clearly overkill for such a petty crime.

Black Hat, rather unconvincingly, insists that his pumpkin is suffering from chest pains, and that the nitroglycerin is merely intended for medical treatment. While it is true that this chemical is used to treat {{w|angina}} (chest pain due to blocked arteries in the heart), nitroglycerin used for this purpose is dispensed in the form of small pills containing only trace amounts, and controlled by prescription. Also, pumpkins are a vegetable and do thus not contain nervous or circulatory systems of mammalian complexity; even if they did, the process of pumpkin carving involves hollowing them out, making it a moot point.

In the third frame, [[Megan]] is our typical emotional xkcd comic character. She is the only one out of the four who actually carved a typical jack-o'-lantern; however, she is projecting herself onto it, and has named it Harold. Her dialogue suggests it (or he) is suffering from typical holiday depression, with symptoms such as using a lot of time daydreaming, worrying, and trying to distract herself with holiday traditions, but she already knows that it won't work. Some have speculated that this is a possible reference to the classic {{w|Internet meme|meme}} [http://knowyourmeme.com/memes/hide-the-pain-harold Hide The Pain Harold], but this is highly unlikely; the meme [https://knowyourmeme.com/memes/hide-the-pain-harold only surfaced in 2011], a year after the comic was published.

In the fourth frame, [[Cueball]] is shown in front of two un-carved pumpkins exclaming that this is the result of carving one pumpkin. He is referencing the {{w|Banach-Tarski paradox}} (which is made clear in the title text), a theorem which states that it is possible to split a three-dimensional ball, in this case a pumpkin, into a finite number of "pieces," and then reassemble these "pieces" into two distinct balls both identical to the original. This paradox has been proven for theoretical shapes, but requires infinitely complicated pieces which are impossible for anything made of physical {{w|atomic theory|atoms}} rather than mathematical {{w|point (geometry)|points}}.

The off-screen interviewer in that frame references the {{w|Axiom of Choice}}. This axiom is the foundation for many theorems (including the Banach–Tarski paradox) and is extremely influential to modern mathematics; however, it has been historically controversial precisely because it enables this kind of weirdness. It is called an "axiom" because it is a statement that is not meant to be proven or disproven—only accepted or rejected depending on the theoretical framework one wishes to work with. Rejecting the Axiom of Choice results in a perfectly coherent alternate form of set theory. Since the proof for the Banach–Tarski paradox relies on accepting the axiom of choice, the interviewer is suggesting Cueball's unexpected result would not have happened without using the axiom.

The title text references a biblical story involving {{w|Solomon|King Solomon}}. In the story, known as the {{w|Judgment of Solomon}}, two women were brought before him both claiming that a particular child was their own. Solomon tested the women by saying the only solution was to cut the baby in half and give each woman one of the halves, knowing only the real mother would fight to save her child's life even if the price was giving up the whole child to the other woman. The joke is that if Solomon had developed the Banach–Tarski theorem first, then he could have actually believed cutting the baby into pieces was a valid solution. In that scenario, he would have tried to make two whole children from the original and given one to each woman. However, since babies are not infinitely divisible, his attempt would have failed miserably and set back set theory for centuries due to the appearance that he has "proved" the theorem wrong. Note that the title text actually mentions ''attempts'' indicating that King Solomon killed several babies in this fashion.

The axiom of choice and set theory was later referenced in [[982: Set Theory]] and, much later, the axiom of choice was mentioned again in the title text of [[1724: Proofs]].

This comic was released 20 days before Halloween in 2010, possibly to inspire people with some great ideas for their pumpkins. It has been known (particularly by Randall) that people copy his ideas, for instance this earlier [http://xkcd.com/chesscoaster/ post] on xkcd based on [[249: Chess Photo]]. Soon after he even made a comic, [[254: Comic Fragment]], that was supposed to be impossible to copy, which he mentioned himself later (see the explanation).

==Transcript==
:[Beret Guy, holding his arms out, stands behind a large orange pumpkin with the stem on top. It is sitting on a table. The pumpkin has been carved out as a lamp with large hole, and a lit candle is visible in the hole. The hole is in the shape of another carved out pumpkin. An interviewer speaks from off panel.]
:Interviewer (off-panel): So what did you—
:Beret Guy: I carved a pumpkin!
:Interviewer (off-panel): ...

:[Black Hat stands behind a large orange pumpkin which has not been carved out as a lamp, but the stem at the top has been removed and is placed tilting on the side of the pumpkin. It is sitting on a table. A gray box stands next to and partly in front of the pumpkin. On the end of the box there is a label at the top with unreadable text and below that some kind of drawing with a circle at the top. The interviewer speaks from off panel.]
:Interviewer (off-panel): Taking on teen vandals, I see.
:Black Hat: Heavens, no. My pumpkin simply has chest pains. In fact, I'll leave a note ''warning'' them not to smash it.
:Text on box:
::Nitro-
::glycerin
::Do Not
::Shake

:[Megan stands next to a large orange pumpkin with the stem on top. It is sitting on a table. The pumpkin has been carved out as a typical Halloween lamp. The bottom part of a white candle stick is visible in the mouth shaped hole. The hole is in the shape of a typical jack-o' lantern, with two slanted eyes, double slit nose and a smiling mouth with a tooth sticking out from both upper and lower lip, on either side of the candle stick.]
:Megan: My pumpkin's name is Harold. He just realized that all the time he used to spend daydreaming, he now spends worrying. He'll try to distract himself later with holiday traditions, but it won't work.

:[Cueball stands next to a two orange pumpkins with their stems on top, the left pumpkin is slightly larger than the right which is partly in front of the larger pumpkin. They have not been carved out even though a knife lies next to them to the right in front of Cueball on the table where they both stand. The interviewer speaks from off panel.]]
:Cueball: I carved and carved, and the next thing I knew I had ''two'' pumpkins.
:Interviewer (off-panel): I ''told'' you not to take the axiom of choice.

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Comics featuring Beret Guy]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Black Hat]]
[[Category:Comics with color]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Megan]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Math]]
[[Category:Logic]]

Talk:1998: GDPR

2018-05-28T17:01:09Z

162.158.75.4:

This comic is a joke privacy policy, playing off a few things.
Everyone right now is updating their privacy policy to meet the new requirements from the European Union coming into effect today, 2018-05-25, the GDPR. Link to wikipedia: [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/General_Data_Protection_Regulation].
It also is pointing out that no one ever reads them "by using this website you opt in to quartering troops in your home", something you probably did not agree to.
--[[User:Fwacer|Fwacer]] ([[User talk:Fwacer|talk]]) 19:35, 25 May 2018 (UTC)

:Your wording "joke privacy policy" is really good and you should add it to the existing explanation. [[User:Lassombra|Lassombra]] ([[User talk:Lassombra|talk]]) 19:41, 25 May 2018 (UTC)
:: Thanks, I have added that. First edit! --[[User:Fwacer|Fwacer]] ([[User talk:Fwacer|talk]]) 20:25, 25 May 2018 (UTC)

Fortunately, this doesn't appear to supersede the Shadow Proclamation. Also, I wouldn't mind quartering troops in my home if they were sexy... [[Special:Contributions/172.68.90.82|172.68.90.82]] 20:56, 25 May 2018 (UTC) SiliconWolf

I wonder if this is the privacy policy of Beret Guy's company since he mentioned in the last comic that people keep sending them personal info even though they had asked them to stop.--[[Special:Contributions/172.69.42.112|172.69.42.112]] 21:07, 25 May 2018 (UTC)

What's the deal with the "Created by a Bot" coming up with relevant jokes as to what the explanation was created by? I didn't search exhaustively, but couldn't find any hints in other discussion pages. Is there a link to a discussion on this? Who did this? Dgbrt? I'm very curious. 00:30, 26 May 2018 (UTC) {{unsigned|DanB}}
:I've written the program creating the new pages when a new comic is out. It's run by the profile [[User:DgbrtBOT|DgbrtBOT]]. This ensures that all comic pages look similar, the navigation works, and more. --[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 01:12, 26 May 2018 (UTC)
::I see that now. But didn't it used to just say "Created by a bot" and not "Created by ''something relevant''"? Or has it always done that and I missed it? Is it a reference to a comic, or just something fun? Thanks for all your work on this site, by the way. [[User:DanB|DanB]] ([[User talk:DanB|talk]]) 17:40, 26 May 2018 (UTC)
:::The original text is: ''"Created by a BOT - Please change this comment when editing this page. Do NOT delete this tag too soon."'' Check the history. And when a new comic is out there is always a race about being the first to change the word ''BOT'' to something else. It was funny when that happened first, but as every joke it isn't funny anymore when it's overused. --[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 19:01, 26 May 2018 (UTC)

It also means if you are not a citizen of the European Union, your organs can be harvested without permission, doesn't it? {{unsigned ip|162.158.62.39}}
:That depends on whether you have instructed that your whole body be supercool-vitrified and stored around Titan for until the exoplanet colony ships depart. [[Special:Contributions/172.68.34.106|172.68.34.106]] 05:54, 26 May 2018 (UTC)

This comic failed to allow me to turn off everything Trump has ever tried to pay for; therefore, Randall owes me €300,000. [[Special:Contributions/172.68.34.106|172.68.34.106]] 05:54, 26 May 2018 (UTC)

Point of technicality:
:''"purely out of the goodness of our hearts" is a phrase never expected to be found ever anywhere in any privacy policy''
Aren't I allowed to block ads from funding sources which include organizations whose privacy policies don't provide goods or services purely out of the goodness of their hearts? [[Special:Contributions/172.68.34.106|172.68.34.106]] 06:17, 26 May 2018 (UTC)

;...similar laws preventing troops being quartert in ones home also exist in European countries
I don't know every European constitution but I probably would know this. The ''Third Amendment to the United States Constitution'' seems to be very unique to me. Laws about troops should exist in every country but this is about a ''constitution''. If nobody disagrees this has to be removed or enhanced. --[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 14:58, 26 May 2018 (UTC)
::I don't know, I can say for myself that when I read "similar laws", I understood just that - laws. I don't think the sentence implies it is also part of the constitution in those countries. But if you misread it that way, others may, too, and ambiguity is never a good thing, so feel free to clear it up if you want, but I wouldn't remove the reference to those laws entirely. [[User:Jaalenja|Jaalenja]] ([[User talk:Jaalenja|talk]]) 06:06, 28 May 2018 (UTC)
:::suggest changing to "but then immediately forces the user to agree to quarter troops in their home, which is a violation of the Third Amendment to the United States Constitution and against the law in many other countries." or something along those lines, would read much clearer. Please excuse if my formatting sucks, this is my first wiki suggestion, ever, ya done popped my cherry. SPeD[[Special:Contributions/173.245.52.121|173.245.52.121]] 08:30, 28 May 2018 (UTC)
::::In Germy, while not specifying statoning of troops directly, §13 Grundgesetz guarantees the inviolability of the apartment. Stationing troops in ones home would violate that part of the German constitution. [[Special:Contributions/162.158.89.37|162.158.89.37]] 12:15, 28 May 2018 (UTC)
I summarize: Explicitly mentioning ''troops being quartert in ones home'' is unique to the US constitution but most other countries have more common articles preventing the same. This narrow description on this matter only exists in the ''Third Amendment''. --[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 14:02, 28 May 2018 (UTC)

;Moved from the first paragraph
:''- this is incorrect, EU law applies to all legal entities currently physically within the EU - just like every other law and state in the world. If xkcd has a legal representative of some kind in the EU then it would be enforceable on that representative. so much fud.)''
This was entered by IP 162.158.38.70 at the explanation but should be discussed here which may be followed by some changes in the explanation. Please do not enter discussions at the explanation. --[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 18:48, 26 May 2018 (UTC)
::False. GDPR art. 3 (2): "This Regulation applies to the processing of personal data of data subjects who are in the Union by a controller or processor not established in the Union, where the processing activities are related to: the offering of goods or services, irrespective of whether a payment of the data subject is required, to such data subjects in the Union; or the monitoring of their behaviour as far as their behaviour takes place within the Union." So, if you're not physically present in the UE it might be harder to enforce, but may still be applicable. Don't want that? Then don't track EU citizens, or simply don't do business there at all.--[[Special:Contributions/162.158.91.89|162.158.91.89]] 10:26, 28 May 2018 (UTC)
:::Thanks, it's obvious the first paragraph in the explanation is correct. We should accompany it with a proper link. --[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 14:02, 28 May 2018 (UTC)
::::Done. A link to ''eugdpr.org'' seems better than a Wikipedia article. --[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 15:55, 28 May 2018 (UTC)

"Permissions" reminds me of Monty Python's Meaning of Life Part V: Live Organ Transplants. See https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sp-pU8TFsg0

Talk:1926: Bad Code

2017-12-08T19:55:36Z

162.158.75.4: Typo: me / Mr

Is it just me or is the fact that this page was created by a bad coder slightly funny? [[User:Halo422|Halo422]] ([[User talk:Halo422|talk]]) 16:56, 8 December 2017 (UTC)

Sometimes on this wiki we change the created by text to something relevant to the comic Halo. [[User:DPS2004|DPS2004]] ([[User talk:DPS2004|talk]]) 16:58, 8 December 2017 (UTC)

"MAY be the same Cueball and Ponytail as the Code Quality series"???!?! As far as I'me concerned, this is the latest entry in the Code Quality series! Oh, and my interpretation of her "Wait, crap." was her saying she realized he's actually done that before, thrown hammers at that wall. I feel like the giving-him-bad-ideas explanation makes more sense, though. [[User:NiceGuy1|NiceGuy1]] ([[User talk:NiceGuy1|talk]]) 17:56, 8 December 2017 (UTC)

The hammer-throwing may also be a call-back to xkcd 905, "Homeownership", where Cueball accidentally destroys his home by getting carried away drilling holes in the walls?

Wait, so nobody thinks calling it "Bad Code" instead of the prior "Code Quality" is a veiled reference to Mr Robot? Randall clearly watches the show; I thought he was referring to the show's repeated assertion that careless people are like bad code, their actions dangerously in need of revision. IE that some people have a knack for really messing stuff up which reaches far beyond the minimal effort they put into choosing their actions.

Talk:1926: Bad Code

2017-12-08T19:54:27Z

162.158.75.4: Mr Robot reference?

Is it just me or is the fact that this page was created by a bad coder slightly funny? [[User:Halo422|Halo422]] ([[User talk:Halo422|talk]]) 16:56, 8 December 2017 (UTC)

Sometimes on this wiki we change the created by text to something relevant to the comic Halo. [[User:DPS2004|DPS2004]] ([[User talk:DPS2004|talk]]) 16:58, 8 December 2017 (UTC)

"MAY be the same Cueball and Ponytail as the Code Quality series"???!?! As far as I'me concerned, this is the latest entry in the Code Quality series! Oh, and my interpretation of her "Wait, crap." was her saying she realized he's actually done that before, thrown hammers at that wall. I feel like the giving-him-bad-ideas explanation makes more sense, though. [[User:NiceGuy1|NiceGuy1]] ([[User talk:NiceGuy1|talk]]) 17:56, 8 December 2017 (UTC)

The hammer-throwing may also be a call-back to xkcd 905, "Homeownership", where Cueball accidentally destroys his home by getting carried away drilling holes in the walls?

Wait, so nobody thinks calling it "Bad Code" instead of the prior "Code Quality" is a veiled reference to Me Robot? Randall clearly watches the show; I thought he was referring to the show's repeated assertion that careless people are like bad code, their actions dangerously in need of revision. IE that some people have a knack for really messing stuff up which reaches far beyond the minimal effort they put into choosing their actions.

497: Secretary: Part 4

2017-11-04T21:56:57Z

162.158.75.4: /* Explanation */

{{comic
| number = 497
| date = October 30, 2008
| title = Secretary: Part 4
| image = secretary part 4.png
| titletext = It's time to draw the line.
}}

==Explanation==
{{w|Ron Paul}} is an American physician, author, and politician who is a {{w|US House of Representatives|House Representative}} for {{w|Texas}} and is a three-time Presidential candidate, running as a {{w|Libertarian Party (United States)|Libertarian}} and a {{w|Republican Party (United States)|Republican}}. He has a very dedicated and vocal base of supporters who believe he is [[1083|the only true alternative]] to either side of [[661|the Two-Party System]]. These supporters go under the name "{{w|Ron_Paul_presidential_campaign,_2008#Ron_Paul_Revolution|Ron Paul Revolution}}" with the letters "evol" reversed to emphasise "love".

{{w|Tron (film)|Tron}} is a movie made by {{w|Disney}}. The title text refers to the line of virtual light that streams out from the back of Tron's light grid vehicles. Normally it is a single, solid color, but in the comic it is the color of the American flag to show Ron's patriotism. There is also a joke about {{w|Pokémon}} in the phrase "... evolves into ...". Pokémon is a game where the player, a "Trainer", has their Pokémon battle other Pokémon to level the Pokémon up. As the Pokémon levels up, they evolve into the next, more powerful, form of the Pokémon.

Ron Paul and {{w|Cory Doctorow}} are fighting because Cory Doctorow believes he must support fellow bloggers no matter what and Ron Paul wants the nomination Black Hat, a blogger, is getting.

There is a subtle joke in the panel where Ron Paul and Cory Doctorow are firing at each other; the sound effect for Cory's guns is "Boing! Boing!," which is the name of [http://boingboing.net Cory Doctorow's blog]. Also, a visual joke is that Cory's turret in panel 5 very much resembles an upside-down {{w|Dalek}}.

The reference to gold touches on Ron Paul's desire to see monetary policy once again be driven by the gold standard, namely that a country's currency value be driven not by its economic activity, but by the amount of physical gold it owns. Earlier in American history, this was the case; owning a dollar would (in theory) be owning one dollar's worth of gold somewhere in the treasury. This is in contrast with the current international practice, where countries are able to print an arbitrary quantity of paper money that is not necessarily backed by physical gold. Adherence to the gold standard is an extreme minority view; most economists, and the population at large, agree that the current system is much better. This may also be a reference to the final scene in {{w|The Italian Job}}, where the heroes face a decision over losing a large quantity of gold - or death.

All comics in the [[:Category:Secretary|Secretary]] series:
*[[494: Secretary: Part 1]]
*[[495: Secretary: Part 2]]
*[[496: Secretary: Part 3]]
*497: Secretary: Part 4 (this one)
*[[498: Secretary: Part 5]]

This series was released on 5 consecutive days (Monday-Friday) and not over the usual Monday/Wednesday/Friday schedule.

It is possible that this series is a continuation of [[493: Actuarial]], in which Black Hat demonstrates great power over even Internet trolls via his sociopathic ways. This would explain why Black Hat was chosen as Internet secretary.

==Transcript==
:[The Ron Paul Revolution blimp floats.]
:Pilot: Sir! The balloon is hailing us!

:[Cory Doctorow's balloon appears.]
:Cory: Ahoy.
:Ron Paul: Doctorow!
:Cory: I won't let you stop this nomination. We bloggers watch out for our own.

:Ron Paul: Stand aside, Cory.
:Cory: Nay!
:Ron Paul: Very well. Battle stations!

:[The Ron Paul Revolution blimp's gun takes aim.]
:''Whirrr kachunk''

:[Cory Doctorow's balloon's gun takes aim.]
:''Whirrrr kachunk''

:[Both airships open fire.]
:''Pew pew pew''
:''Pew pew''
:''Boing! Boing!''

:[Inside the Ron Paul Revolution blimp's control room.]
:Ponytail: We're taking damage!
:Ron Paul: Keep firing!
:Ponytail: No good! We're losing altitude!

:[Outside the Ron Paul Revolution blimp, it hangs smoking in the air.]
:Ron Paul: All engines full! Pull up!
:Ponytail: Can't, sir!

:[The Ron Paul Revolution blimp begins to sink, smoking more heavily.]

:[The blimp sinks further.]
:Ponytail: Sir, maybe if we dropped all this gold...
:Ron Paul: Never!

:[Inside the control room, tilted slightly.]
:Ponytail: We've lost, sir. We have to abort.
:Ron Paul: Not yet, we don't! Open the loading bay doors.

:[Camera zooms out slightly.]
:Ron Paul: You take the blimp and fall back.
:''click''
:Ron Paul: I've got a message to deliver.
:''Whirr''

:[Ron Paul tosses his cane aside.]

:[Ron Paul steadily transforms into Tron Paul.]
:Narrator: RON PAUL evolves into TRON PAUL

:[Light cycle begins to form.]

:[Tron Paul bends over the light cycle.]

:[Light cycle finishes its formation.]

:[Light cycle speeds off, trailing an American flag.]

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Secretary|04]]
[[Category:Comics sharing name|Secretary]]
[[Category:Comics with color]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Black Hat]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Cory Doctorow]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Ron Paul]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Ponytail]]
[[Category:Airships]]
[[Category:Pokémon]]

Talk:377: Journal 2

2017-11-04T21:45:05Z

162.158.75.4:

I like how the explanation says that she is equal to, better than, or worse than Blackhat. Did we cover all of the bases? [[Special:Contributions/108.162.237.161|108.162.237.161]] 15:42, 30 July 2014 (UTC)

It would be nice if the plot of the Journal series was not spoiled! [[Special:Contributions/173.245.51.207|173.245.51.207]]

: Fixed. I hope. --[[User:Flewk|flewk]] ([[User talk:Flewk|talk]]) 07:11, 28 December 2015 (UTC)

Fixed up the explanation. First time, someone check before removing the incomplete tag.[[User:Dontknow|Dontknow]] ([[User talk:Dontknow|talk]]) 21:49, 2 March 2017 (UTC)

I removed "worse than" from the explanation, because I think it ruins the point of the sentence it was in. Change it back if I'm wrong.

377: Journal 2

2017-11-04T21:43:35Z

162.158.75.4: /* Explanation */

{{comic
| number = 377
| date = January 30, 2008
| title = Journal 2
| image = journal_2.png
| titletext = That's my hat! You took my hat!
}}

==Explanation==

This comic is a direct sequel to [[374: Journal]], where [[Black Hat]] discusses his plan exactly as [[Danish]] describes it here, that is, he intends to display signs of interest in order to flatter a stranger only to hurt her by rejecting her when she responds. In this case, the plan backfires when Danish recognizes his plan before he has a chance to implement it.
Black Hat's tendency to act in enigmatic, and at times sociopathic, ways serves to give him a sense of superiority while at the same time keeping others distant enough that they can't hurt him. Danish not only recognizes that, she also calls him out on it. She recognizes his secret longing for connection to another, a connection that she could give should she choose to do so. Instead, she uses a more insidious version of his own ploy by laying bare his intentions and his desires before stealing his hat and removing it and herself from his life.

Danish proves she is equal to — or even better than — Black Hat. As Black Hat seems to like his hat, this would have a great impact on him. He is almost never seen without his hat so perhaps he treats it like an old friend. As seen in [[455: Hats]] a black hat is like a rank so taking it would be demoting him. This would have a great impact on him. The story continues in [[405: Journal 3]].

The whole "[[:Category:Journal|Journal]]" story are:
*[[374: Journal]]
*[[377: Journal 2]]
*[[405: Journal 3]]
*[[432: Journal 4]]
*[[433: Journal 5]]

==Transcript==
:[Black Hat and Danish are sitting in a train across from each other. Black Hat is writing in a journal.]
:Black Hat: ''blush''

:Danish: I see what you did there.

:[Danish stands up.]
:Danish: You were trying to open me up so you could hurt my feelings.
:Danish: You like to hurt people.

:[Danish walks closer.]
:Danish: Well, I like to hurt people too. And you know what?

:[Danish is in Black Hat's face.]
:Danish: *whispering* ''I'm better at it than you.''

:Danish: I'm about to hurt you more than you could ever hurt me.
:Danish: See, I just saw right through you.
:Danish: Alone of all the people you'll ever meet, I understand you-

:[Danish hits Black Hat's hat so it falls off.]

:[Black Hat is surprised.]
:[Danish catches Black Hat's hat and puts it on.]

:Danish: -and you'll never see me again.

:[Danish exits frame left.]

:[Black Hat sits alone on the train.]

==Trivia==
*This comic is the first comic that [[Danish]] appears in. Her name comes from [[515: No One Must Know]].
*This comic is one of the few to have lowercase letters.

{{comic discussion}}
[[Category:Journal|02]]
[[Category:Comics sharing name|Journal]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Black Hat]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Danish]]

1802: Phone

2017-02-23T15:21:03Z

162.158.75.4:

{{comic
| number = 1802
| date = February 22, 2017
| title = Phone
| image = phone.png
| titletext = [*disables social networking accounts*] [*social isolation increases*] Wait, why does this ALSO feel bad?
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Check for grammar errors and organize paragraphs.}}

When someone asks you if you wanna go for a walk they often expect to have a conversation, while enjoying both the exercise, the fresh air and the company. Thus any disturbance not related to the walk is not welcome. Going for a walk is often seen as a way to relax from all the daily stress, as it takes the walkers away from work and chores.

[[Cueball]] agrees to go for a walk, but not to all the associated expectations. His first instinct is to bring along his smartphone, though rather than call it such, he opts for a lengthy description detailing all the functions he intends to use. Conspicuously, long-distance communication (ostensibly the primary function of a smartphone) is not listed.

Instead he describes the phone as his device that gives him a continuous ({{w|24/7 service|24/7}}) stream of information, much of which is often out of context. The stream contains people's opinions, context-free but scary news, and other random stimuli.

The opinions could be from news or bloggers but it could also just be from his friends on social media platforms. News stories that are shared on social media are often scary, which becomes even worse because news outlets are likely to use a title that exaggerates the topic to create a fear reaction. The random emotional stimuli could be from many things such as text messages/emails and pictures of kittens and babies on social network, and shared internet memes or viral videos. All things that could cause a quick shift in emotions.

As if all this was not enough to leave the phone at home, Cueball even says he will also take his spare battery, so he won't risk that his {{w|Web feed|constant feed}} could be interrupted, because he will not be able to recharge his phone during the walk.

All in all, his choice and constant need for staying updated and being on-line violates all the usual expectations, that his friend could have expected from asking him out for a walk.

The title text shows it would be possible to take an action to avoid this feed. In the first bracket a person (could be Cueball or [[Randall]]) ''disables all his social networking accounts''. Most of his news feed will thus disappear. But this leads to the next bracket which states that such a choice would lead to ''increased social isolation'', since he will no longer be in contact with any of his on-line friends. And today many people also get into contact with their "real" local friends through social media. One might thus miss out on events like parties or get-together, plus his friends not sharing a dislike for social media will not understand the decision. And this leads to the final sentence ''Wait, why does this ALSO feel bad?'' So there is no good choice, because it is bad to be off-line, but being on-line all the time is also bad. And it is hard to find the right balance. This problem with finding the right balance between two things seems related to the recent [[1796: Focus Knob]]

This comic could be seen as a counter to [[1773: Negativity]], as both deal with the inability to escape the media during objectively peaceful pastimes. While in the former, the nature attacks Cueball with the types of comments he wishes to avoid, here, he brings along his phone even though it will ruin the goal of the walk he is going to take.

==Transcript==
:[Someone off-panel asks Cueball a question which he answers while walking to a small table with some items laying on it.]
:Off-panel voice: Wanna go for a walk?
:Cueball: Sure, just need to grab my device that feeds me a 24/7 stream of opinions, context-free scary world news, and random emotional stimuli.
:Cueball: Plus a spare battery so the feed won't be interrupted.

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Social networking]]
[[Category:Smartphones]]

1802: Phone

2017-02-22T14:38:52Z

162.158.75.4:

{{comic
| number = 1802
| date = February 22, 2017
| title = Phone
| image = phone.png
| titletext = [*disables social networking accounts*] [*social isolation increases*] Wait, why does this ALSO feel bad?
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Feel free to add more info}}
Someone asks [[Cueball]] if he wants to go for a walk he says sure but first he has to get his phone. He describes this as a device that gives him a 24/7 stream of information much of which is out of context. He also mentions that news can be scary which is true and often times news outlets will use a title that exaggerates the topic and creates fear to get more people to look at the article. The random emotional stimuli could be from many things such as his text messages or email and several other things that can cause a shift in emotions. The spare battery could reference a portable charger as most phones use rechargeable batteries that often last longer than the rest of the phone.

[[Randall]] often describes simple object in a very complex or connotative manner such as in [[1616]].(Note: He also occasionally describes very complex things in very simple words as in [[1133]].)

This comic could be seen as a counter to [[1773: Negativity]], as both deal with the inability to escape the media during objectively peaceful pastimes. While in the former, the nature attacks Cueball with the types of comics he wishes to avoid, here, he brings along his phone even though it will ruin the goal of the walk he is going to take.

==Transcript==
{{incomplete transcript}}
Offscreen: Wanna go for a walk?

Cueball: Sure, just need to grab my device that feeds me a 24/7 stream of opinions, context-free scary world news, and random emotional stimuli. Plus a spare battery so the feed won't be interrupted.
{{comic discussion}}

1774: Adjective Foods

2016-12-19T17:40:53Z

162.158.75.4: /* Foods that are probably in each container */ Butter can be kosher and has a "grade a" designation; the milk can be locally sourced

{{comic
| number = 1774
| date = December 19, 2016
| title = Adjective Foods
| image = adjective_foods.png
| titletext = Contains 100% of your recommended daily allowance!
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|First draft}}
This comic shows one of [[Randall]]’s goals in life – creating foods with ‘adjective-only’ names, where common phrases such as “Glazed Donuts” or “Lite Beer” would be replaced with “Glazed” or “Lite”. This is a jab at food market buzzwords, which usually rely on adjectives and words that bring up certain feelings based on how the food is ‘supposed to be’. An example of this is something like ‘lean and tender beef’. It is also semi-difficult to determine the actual contents just by adjectives.

The title text furthers this by taking the phrase ‘recommended daily allowance of XXX’, and removing the ‘of XXX’ part, making it vague enough to be meaningless.

===Foods that are probably in each container===
{{incomplete|Some foods are unknown, and they all could use details such as what adjectives are typically associated with that food and what they mean.}}
{|
! style="text-align:left;"|Container
! style="text-align:left;"|Type of food
|-
|“… bespoke cage-free” bag
|???
|-
|“… glazed flambé” box
|some type of meat
|-
|“… Kosher Grade A” box
|butter
|-
|“… extra sharp” box
|cheese
|-
|“… Lite original flavor” can
|beer
|}

==Transcript==
{{notice|Format, if just a bit.}}
:[An arrangement of labeled foodstuffs, from left to right and top to bottom:]
:Premium Stone-ground ''Bespoke'', Cage-free
:''Gourmet'' Fire-roasted Glazed ''flambé''
:Organic All-natural Locally-sourced Artisenal, Kosher, Grade A
:''Craft Barrel-aged Smoked'' Authentic Homemade Sun-dried Whole Extra Sharp
:Low-calorie ''Lite'' Original Flavor
:[Caption:] I'm trying to trick supermarkets into carrying my new line of adjective-only foods.

==Trivia==

* The word “artisenal” is misspelled; it should be “artisanal”.

{{comic discussion}}

1774: Adjective Foods

2016-12-19T17:39:12Z

162.158.75.4: /* Foods that are probably in each container */ Lite is a trademarked beer.

{{comic
| number = 1774
| date = December 19, 2016
| title = Adjective Foods
| image = adjective_foods.png
| titletext = Contains 100% of your recommended daily allowance!
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|First draft}}
This comic shows one of [[Randall]]’s goals in life – creating foods with ‘adjective-only’ names, where common phrases such as “Glazed Donuts” or “Lite Beer” would be replaced with “Glazed” or “Lite”. This is a jab at food market buzzwords, which usually rely on adjectives and words that bring up certain feelings based on how the food is ‘supposed to be’. An example of this is something like ‘lean and tender beef’. It is also semi-difficult to determine the actual contents just by adjectives.

The title text furthers this by taking the phrase ‘recommended daily allowance of XXX’, and removing the ‘of XXX’ part, making it vague enough to be meaningless.

===Foods that are probably in each container===
{{incomplete|Some foods are unknown, and they all could use details such as what adjectives are typically associated with that food and what they mean.}}
{|
! style="text-align:left;"|Container
! style="text-align:left;"|Type of food
|-
|“… bespoke cage-free” bag
|???
|-
|“… glazed flambé” box
|some type of meat
|-
|“… Kosher Grade A” box
|???
|-
|“… extra sharp” box
|cheese
|-
|“… Lite original flavor” can
|beer
|}

==Transcript==
{{notice|Format, if just a bit.}}
:[An arrangement of labeled foodstuffs, from left to right and top to bottom:]
:Premium Stone-ground ''Bespoke'', Cage-free
:''Gourmet'' Fire-roasted Glazed ''flambé''
:Organic All-natural Locally-sourced Artisenal, Kosher, Grade A
:''Craft Barrel-aged Smoked'' Authentic Homemade Sun-dried Whole Extra Sharp
:Low-calorie ''Lite'' Original Flavor
:[Caption:] I'm trying to trick supermarkets into carrying my new line of adjective-only foods.

==Trivia==

* The word “artisenal” is misspelled; it should be “artisanal”.

{{comic discussion}}

Talk:1774: Adjective Foods

2016-12-19T16:05:14Z

162.158.75.4: Lite vs Light

Nobody has edited since I started this? Wow. I must have been ''early''. It's been {{#expr:{{#time:i}}}} minutes! [[User:Jacky720|That's right, Jacky720 just signed this]] ([[User talk:Jacky720|talk]] | [[Special:Contributions/Jacky720|contribs]]) 15:23, 19 December 2016 (UTC)
:Nice to see somebody helping out! Thanks! [[User:Jacky720|That's right, Jacky720 just signed this]] ([[User talk:Jacky720|talk]] | [[Special:Contributions/Jacky720|contribs]]) 15:41, 19 December 2016 (UTC)

This looks just like all the food in my supermarket. I'm not even sure if I'm buying food or the best adjectives sometimes XD [[User:Fox Holmes|While most people have mass on Saturday, I have mine relative to my inertia]] ([[User talk:Fox Holmes|talk]]) 15:59, 19 December 2016 (UTC)

The can of Lite is a real thing, of course, and trademarked, which is why other beers can call themselves "light" but not "Lite". [https://www.beeradvocate.com/mag/2627/lite-beer-vs-light-beer/ This article has more on that.] [[Special:Contributions/162.158.75.4|162.158.75.4]] 16:05, 19 December 2016 (UTC)