explain xkcd - User contributions [en]

Talk:1615: Red Car

2015-12-17T14:10:08Z

162.158.91.193: Alternative explanation

Penises: They're about ''this'' red. Now can we <u>please</u>, as a culture, move on? [[Special:Contributions/108.162.210.206|108.162.210.206]] 08:40, 11 December 2015 (UTC)

I would also like to point out that if your penis is any kind of blue color, you are probably having a medical emergency, in which case you should be taking much more serious steps than purchasing a particular kind of car to compensate. [[Special:Contributions/108.162.236.151|108.162.236.151]] 21:55, 11 December 2015 (UTC)

Is this the first time, color is used in the comics? --[[User:Widescape|Robert]] ([[User talk:Widescape|talk]]) 09:43, 11 December 2015 (UTC)
:No, there are a lot more [[:Category:Comics with color|comics with color]] {{User:17jiangz1/signature|09:56, 11 December 2015}}

I think the joke is that red has a longer wavelength than cyan (nanometers of difference). Not anything to do with colour theory. [[Special:Contributions/162.158.133.96|162.158.133.96]] 10:06, 11 December 2015 (UTC)
:I'll have you know that a few nanometres make ''all'' the difference, for some people. <u>Click here</u> for the miracle pill you must have!
:(Seriously, as stated elsewhere, it's opposites. Big car, small equipment; RGB(100%,0%,0%) car, RGB(0%,100%,100%) equipment; pH>7 car, pH<7 equipment. Perhaps an annotated colour-wheel picture in the explanation, as a visual guide?) [[Special:Contributions/162.158.152.227|162.158.152.227]] 12:10, 11 December 2015 (UTC)
:It seems to me it could also be a reference Anaglyph 3D red-cyan glasses. Bigger color difference makes things look closer to the viewer and thus larger. [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anaglyph_3D#Interference_filter_systems Wikipedia] {{unsigned ip|108.162.218.47}}
:sorry, I am calling this for 162.158.133.96. Big wavelength vs small wavelength. Big ph number (alkali) vs small ph number(acid). Its consistent. This is fundamentally a big vs small penis joke. In fact, think i am gonna make an edit ... [[User:Plm-qaz snr|Plm-qaz snr]] ([[User talk:Plm-qaz snr|talk]]) 12:53, 13 December 2015 (UTC)
:Although a low pH indicates a high concentration of H+ ions. In that sense, acidic is high and alkaline is low. [[User:MGK|MGK]] ([[User talk:MGK|talk]]) 23:12, 13 December 2015 (UTC)
::Yes and cyan colour has higher frequency and thus energy that Red, so that just doesn't make as much sence as red opposite of cyan, as small opposite of big and alkaline opposite of acidic. I'm for the opposite solution, without taking numbers into account. Else it is not even funny in my opinion, as it would still just be small vs big, instead of, what to me seems to be the funny part, which is that Megan takes it to just mean that the car always compensate for different properties of a guys penis. --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 12:20, 14 December 2015 (UTC)

The mouse over text makes it fairly clear that it's a joke about opposites. If anything could be added to the explanation as it stands, I might clarify that red and cyan are specifically colors of light. When shone on a single area (and therefor mixed) these two colors will create white light. When these colors of light are represented on a color wheel, they are placed opposite each other. So cyan and red in this sense fit as opposites, like big and small, alkaline and acidic. {{unsigned ip|108.162.227.125}}

For some reason, this made me laugh extremely hard. I've been up all night and maybe it's sleep deprivation, as it makes me do weird things, like bingewatch on several ISS videos simultaneously. [[User:International Space Station|International Space Station]] ([[User talk:International Space Station|talk]]) 10:56, 11 December 2015 (UTC)

There is also a common stereotype that a car's color reveals something about its owner's psychology (e.g. [https://www.thecaretrust.ie/colour-of-car-personality here]). So, I think Megan is not only generalizing one stereotype but rather mixing two stereotypes, as in other comics. Zetfr 11:41, 11 December 2015 (UTC)

Is this the shortest complete explanation on this site? {{unsigned|B0xertw1n}}
:[[3: Island (sketch)]] and [[28: Elefino]] are shorter. [[Special:Contributions/108.162.221.17|108.162.221.17]] 12:53, 11 December 2015 (UTC)

[[Wikipedia:Litmus|Litmus]] anyone? --[[Special:Contributions/141.101.106.233|141.101.106.233]] 13:40, 11 December 2015 (UTC)

Alternative interpretation of the alt-text: the alkaline car could additionally refer to an electric car powered by an alkaline battery [[Special:Contributions/141.101.91.163|141.101.91.163]] 22:55, 11 December 2015 (UTC)
:Yeah I also felt that there had to be some more to the alt-text than just another random opposite. Maybe that's it. Or some wordplay that I don't see? -- [[Special:Contributions/162.158.91.192|162.158.91.192]] 01:40, 12 December 2015 (UTC)
::I agree, electric makes more sense. No one would be proud of a "basic" car, but people do take pride in their electric "eco-friendly" rides. Also, Randall likes to use technology in his jokes, which makes the electric explanation fit better. Lastly, people talk about having electric cars; when was the last time someone talked about having a "basic" car?[[Special:Contributions/173.245.54.58|173.245.54.58]] 21:58, 14 December 2015 (UTC)
A hydrogen powered car would then have a low pH due to high amounts of hydrogen... and thus be highly acidic? {{unsigned ip|Swordsmith}}　

I think that the contributor two items up has the right idea about the title text. Litmus is an indicator of an acidic or alkaline solution. An acidic solution turns litmus paper red, an alkaline solution turns it blue.
The current explanation of the title text " An alkaline solutions is a basic solution. Thus, men that drive basic cars are compensating for their acidic penises." Does not make any sense to me. ([[User:Paw 42|Paw 42]] ([[User talk:Paw 42|talk]]) 18:48, 12 December 2015 (UTC))
:Litmus doesn't makes sense as an explanation because the red/blue difference isn't the emphasis of the comic. Randall is making a point about the idea of people interpreting cars to be symbols of pride for their owner to compensate for their supposedly-unimpressive junk. A litmus explanation pays too much attention to the details of the first joke and misses the forest for the trees.[[Special:Contributions/173.245.54.58|173.245.54.58]] 22:02, 14 December 2015 (UTC)

I vote to delete the alternate big/small interpretation, as I do not see it makes any sense or even make the joke funny. See both mine and others comments above as to why this is so. I will though not delete it my self yet. But have changed to indicate in the explanation why the alternate explanation has many flaws. --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 12:41, 14 December 2015 (UTC)

I want to visit the current description in the article that "Cyan is a greenish-blue"... It is ''literally'' green-blue. No '-ish' about it. #0FF in an #RGB triple-nibble hex format. If talking about it by visual impression, rather than by components, cyan doesn't ''look'' green at all. It just looks like light-blue. At least to your current author. Whilst I'm not diagnosed as colour-blind, I know that (for example) even normal male and female perceptions of colour can have different resolutions and impressions of various hues.

And now some even more confusing datam-points, of an otherwise unrelated nature: in the default pallette my copy of OpenOffice uses (the handiest thing to check, outside of direct HTML encoding) the colour I could enumerate as #0FF (by sight alone... not having bothered to 'pipette' sample a screen grab of it in a graphics editor, to get exact values) is called "light cyan". I can't find non-light "cyan", but it'd probably be around #088 (that might be the value the one labelled "turqoise" has, which ''does'' seem to have a green-ish component, so might be more like #097ish), as #00F (pure blue, by my own assessment) is called "light blue" and the colour labelled "blue" (but that I'd call ''dark blue'') looks roughly #008-ish. [[Special:Contributions/162.158.152.227|162.158.152.227]] 00:24, 15 December 2015 (UTC)

I'm tempted to edit out all mention of 'base' or 'basic.' The comic and title text both only mention 'alkaline,' and what began as an unnecessary mention of that ~synonym now goes on to 'basic cars' v. special ones, none of which is in the comic nor needed to fully explain it. [[User:Miamiclay|Miamiclay]] ([[User talk:Miamiclay|talk]]) 01:35, 16 December 2015 (UTC)

Isn't the joke just because adding the red to the cyan gives you white, the default colour for the comic?

1608: Hoverboard

2015-11-27T12:46:33Z

162.158.91.193: /* Referenced Worlds/Mythologies/Etc */

{{comic
| number = 1608
| date = November 24, 2015
| title = Hoverboard
| image = hoverboard.png

}}
To experience the interactivity, visit the [http://xkcd.com/1608/ original comic].
{{TOC}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|It's possible not all of the game's secrets have been unearthed yet.}}
The "comic" is actually a {{w|browser game}} made to celebrate the release of [[Randall|Randall's]] new book, ''[[Thing Explainer]]'', which were released on the same day as this comic (November 24th 2015.) It was thus released on a Tuesday, and thus replaced that week's normal Wednesday release.

The game features [[Cueball]] riding on a {{w|hoverboard}}. The only controls are the arrow keys. The player can jump repeatedly mid-jump to reach increasing heights. The player begins in a line-drawing maze with 17 gold coins located throughout and a "deposit" station. The ostensible goal of the game is to collect as many coins as possible and return them to the deposit in the fastest possible time, which returns a text message describing the result. Players consumed with obtaining the best possible time result for collecting the coins may not realize there is anything more to the game.

Beyond the maze on either side (just far enough that players who remain within the maze will not see) are tall walls seemingly designed to contain the player. However, the walls have a finite height and, combined with the ability to multi-jump, the player can leave the purported "play area" either to the sides or above the initial maze. This returns a flashing red error message "return to play area".

Outside the play area is an entire world to explore including numerous points of interest and {{w|Easter egg (media)|Easter eggs}} similar in style to comic [[1110: Click and Drag]]. The larger game world is physically bounded in the left and the right direction, but is technically unbounded upwards, however, past a certain point there appears to be nothing interesting in the up direction. However, the longer you continue to fly upwards by pressing the up arrow repeatedly, the longer will it take for Cueball to fall down again once you stop pressing. In principal it may also be unbound in the downwards direction, but there is only a few places you can "sink" into the ground/water/lava, and here you cannot go down indefinitely. It could be possible that there could be some unexplored parts of the map, but given the maps already made this seems unlikely. There are 152 more coins outside the initial "play area" for a total of 169 in the entire game.

===Areas===
{{incomplete|Help needed migrating the info into a table}}

{| class="wikitable"
! Coordinates || Description
|-
| x: 483735, y: -551990 || "What news of the world above? Please tell me - what's hot and viral? What's trending on twitter?"
|-
| x: 509587, y: -554621 || Washington Monument
|-
| x: 509587, y: -554621 || Captain's log
|}

===Technical aspects===
As previously noted, the comic bears considerable resemblance to [[1110: Click and Drag]]. The comic is made in much the same way, with 'drawn' images "glued" together to form a large "map", with the illusion of infinite bounds made possible through space saving techniques where blank tiles are not stored and are instead painted white. The boundary between blank squares and 'drawn' squares is made clear as any white space in the normal images has a very slight grey tint. Thus, seams between images and blank spaces can be discerned.

The tiles for the map are stored as simple PNG files in the naming scheme: X:Y+s.png. An example can be seen here: http://xkcd.com/1608/1013:-1096+s.png Each file is 513x513 pixels in size, one pixel is reserved as overlap to ensure seamless joining of images. So far, through experimentation, tiles in the range 928 to 1108 X and -1112 to -928 Y have been discovered, internally, the position of the player is divided by 512 and rounded down to give the position of the tile.

The collision map is encoded in the darkness of the black. Using an image manipulation program, one can easily find the secret pathways even in the zoomed out maps provided below by enhancing the contrast of the dark areas. On a slow connection, it's possible to move into an 'open' area and then the black image loads in and (probably permanently, without tricks) traps you immobile.

The game was made by [http://chromakode.com Max Goodman] who has previously worked on [[1416: Pixels]]. The source code for the game can be found [https://xkcd.com/1608/tigl.js here].

===Areas===
[[File:thumb_1608.jpg|thumb|right|one incomplete compilation of the entire game area (note the missing pinnacle of the Washington Monument]]

Starting area - (x: 512187, y: -549668)

==== West / Left ====
* {{w|Washington Monument}} - (x: 509864, y: -549746)
** Invisible entrance through the Monument, indicated by arrow sign
** Secret entrance into the inside of the Monument, right side, about halfway up - (x: 509815, y: -552614)
***From there you can fall down to the fault line shown in about the middle of the monument. You cannot see Cueball while he is in the monument in either entrance.
* Girl in a hamster ball - (x: 505790, y: -549905)
* Yet [[1504|another dig]] at the Lion King and the lands touched by shadow - (x: 504998, y: -550676)
* An {{w|X-Wing}} at a gas station, with coin accessible from the left - (x: 503253, y: -551129)
** Go straight up from the cockpit for a coin, carried by african swallows (non-migratory)
* A well with a girl at the bottom of it (and one of the yellow game coins), claiming to not be a ghost - (x: 501998, y: -551030)
* Landing re-entry capsule with parachutes - (x: 500040, y: -552369)
* Local Mom discovering This One Weird Bug - (x: 497994, y: -551334)
* Someone flying a kite, with a coin beside the kite.
* Volcano -
* LOTR Eagles - (x: 489661 y: -556811)
* A periscope peeking out of a shallow lava pool near two people playing "the lava is a floor" - (x: 488573 y: -556337)
* Lava pools -
* A dark grey ocean that isn't noticeable until you fall in
** With suicidal quadcopters taking footage of it over a coin - (x: 486640, y: -554838)
* {{w|Elon Musk}}'s Volcano Lair - (x: 484167, y: -549462)
** entrance hidden under volcano lava, before reaching Artex - (x: 483791, y: -551292)
* The ground, that presumably all grounded electronics are connected to - (x: 485125, y: -549062)
* Artex + Gandalf - (x: 483715, y: -554354)
* Basketball hoop, with coin
* Giant floating rock island in the sky (x: 507163, y: -567537)
* Hat underground
* A hole which traps(?) the player unless noclip mode is used

==== East / Right ====

* People holding anchor lines to the Tantive IV (Star Wars: A New Hope), being attacked by an Imperial Star Destroyer - (the people: x: 518954, y: -549056)
* Desert with dunes - (x: 520000, y: -549114)
* Ocean Yelper (giving only 2.5/5 stars) - x: 522015, y: -549015
* Talking Rogue Wave - (x: 523460, y: -549013)
* Wedding - (x: 531558, y: -549386)
* Graveyard - (x: 534140, y: -549546)
* Remains of {{w|Ozymandias}}' Statue - (x: 535927, y: -549666)
* Huge pyramid - (x: 538167, y: -550906)
* Blackhat's hat on a stick - (x: 549997, y: -549777)
* Whitehat's head in the grass? - (x: 559826, y: -549847)
* Giant bird nest - (x: 567123, y; -550417)
* Beret Guy riding a torpedo - (x: 522754, y: -554342)

==== Rebel Blockade Runner ====
Up in the air is the CR90 Corvette, Tantive IV aka Rebel Blockade Runner with Princess Leia fro. The start of the original Star Wars movie.

* Coordinates:
**??
*Cueball is standing at a ledge with a fishing rod with something on the hook somewhere below the spaceship. Two birds are circling the line.

==== Imperial Star Destroyer ====

High up in the air there's a huge spaceship.

* Coordinates:
** top left at (513072, -560660)
** bottom left at (513080, -559470)
** top at (552154, -569022)
** top right at (556557, -567711)
** bottom right at (558244, -556542)
* Entrances (from bottom left clockwise):
** Tunnel at (513080, -559680)
** Tunnel at (513166, -560434)
** Shaft at (516560, -560912)
** Shaft at (519200, -561108)
** Shaft at (525255, -561527)
** Shaft at (527990, -561844)
** Shaft at (533087, -562298)
** Shaft at (539637, -563233)
** Tunnel at (540958, -563721)
** Shaft at (543789, -564670)
** Stairwell down at (547438, -565058)
** Tunnel at (552319, -566184)
** Tunnel to an isolated small room at (557774, -562042)
** Shaft at (556350, -556720)
** Glitchfloor at (547890, -556779)
** Shaft at (543850, -557500)
** Main ramp at (537260, -557969)
** Tunnel at (531840, -558547)
** Parachutists' ramp at (526624, -558664)
** Ramp at (525300, -558747)
** Shaft at (520440, -559100)
** Shaft at (516825, -559300)
* Interesting objects and places inside:
** Steven Universe and the Crystal Gems - (x: 551664, y: -567383)
** A nearly complete depiction of Level 1 of {{w|Prince of Persia (1989 video game)|Prince of Persia}} - (x: 551532, y: -563512)
** Emperor Palpatine Park and Gazebo - (x: 546819, y: -559584)
** Dancers (possibly [[162|spinning counter-clockwise]]) dancing to piano music - (x: 547536, y: -563301)
** Octopus guarding two coins - (x: 531646, y: -559663)
** A sign saying "Caution GlitchFloor" (falling straight down through it nets you a coin someway down) - (x: 547898, y: -556784)
** A huge light bulb - (x: 555405, y: -557769)
** The Emperor [[1596|birdwatching]] - (x: 554777, y: -567346)
** Ponytail recreating ''{{w|Joust (video game)|Joust}}'' on an ostrich - (x: 552048, y: -568045)
** A party on the ceiling (negative gravity?) - (x: 550350, y: -564354)
** A huge ant - (x: 552309, y: -560208)
** Tube slide - (x: 541813, y: -563721)
** A reservoir (?) with hidden passages - (x: 541300, y: -560330)
** A huge spark gap (?) - (x: 541900, y: -558110)
** Torpedo launcher room - (x: 529627, y: -558481)
** A {{w|Tetris}} block falling - (x: 529414, y: -529220)
** Lightsaber Piñata party - (x: 515353, y: -560329)
** Swimming pool - (x: 517346, y: -559831)
** Children's swimming pool (ball pit?) - (x: 514500, y: -560436)
** A crocodile - (x: 553623, -568091)
** Spiral tunnel - (x: 543320, y: -558314)
** A car - (x: 537750, y: -557937)

===Referenced Worlds/Mythologies/Etc===
* Real life
* Star Wars
* Lord of the Rings
* Neverending Story
* The Lion King
* Monty Python's Quest for the Holy Grail
* Shelley's Ozymandias
* Steven Universe
* Prince of Persia
* Tetris
* Dr Strangelove

=== Maps ===
* [http://codepen.io/KyleDavidE/full/605dc87b614ff6b2bd716f4c6f640203/ Quickly hacked overview] - courtesy of [https://www.reddit.com/user/kyledavide kyledavide] on [https://www.reddit.com/r/xkcd/comments/3u4sy1/xkcd_1608_hoverboard/cxbyn86 reddit].
* [http://1101b.com/xkcd1608/ fully zoomable map w/ toggleable coins and passages] - courtesy of [https://www.reddit.com/user/lanzaa lanzaa] on the same reddit [https://www.reddit.com/r/xkcd/comments/3u4sy1/xkcd_1608_hoverboard/cxbyn86 thread]
* [https://i.imgur.com/uYryxss.png png-map] - courtesy of [https://www.reddit.com/user/luke_in_the_sky luke_in_the_sky] on the same reddit [https://www.reddit.com/r/xkcd/comments/3u4sy1/xkcd_1608_hoverboard/cxbyn86 thread]
* [http://paste.click/DsPuSL png-full-size-map] - might take a few minutes to download -> do not open directly in the browser! - courtesy of [https://www.reddit.com/user/0x90-0x90 0x90-0x90] on the same reddit [https://www.reddit.com/r/xkcd/comments/3u4sy1/xkcd_1608_hoverboard/cxbyn86 thread]

===Controls===
The keyboard controls are as follows:

* '''Go Left''' - Left arrow key, a or h
* '''Go Right''' - Right arrow key, d or l
* '''Go Up (jump or hover)''' - Up arrow key, w, or k
* '''Go Down (if gravity disabled)''' - Down arrow key, s, or j

This control scheme covers the three commonly used directional key sets: WASD a set of keys commonly used by modern games; HJKL a set of movement keys used by vi and applications which attempt to mimic vi key controls (vim); and the arrow keys, the most generic set of keys which is usually accepted by most applications which take movement as input, these were commonly used in older games.

On devices which have a touch screen and tilt sensor (portable devices like mobile phones and tablets) the controls are as follows:
* '''Go Left''' - Roll the device anticlockwise
* '''Go Right''' - Roll the device clockwise
* '''Go Up (jump or hover)''' - Tap the screen

After inspecting the source code, there appears to be no way to move down on a portable device, this is only relevant if gravity is disabled.

===Cheats and Exploits===
Aside from the obvious ability to move out of bounds in the game, there are some more obscure hidden features which can't be enabled through normal gameplay, the ones found so far are as follows:

'''Modes''' are activated by opening the Javascript Console (F12 [Or Command-Alt-I in most browsers under Mac OS X] to open Developer Tools, then Console tab) and writing corresponding commands:

* '''Gandalf Mode: ''' ''window.i.am.gandalf = true'' - jumps and runs further
* '''Speedhack: ''' ''explorer.opts.speed= *Value*'' - Speed hacking, with 1 = normal speed
* '''Jump Hack: ''' '' explorer.opts.jumpForce= -*Value*'' - Jump hacking, with -1 = normal jump (positive values cause the hoverboard guy to move down when jumping)
* '''Mewtwo mode: ''' ''window.mewtwo = true'' - disables gravity
* '''Noclip mode: ''' ''window.noclip = true'' - player is able to move around the map without collision. Combine with Gandalf and Mewtwo modes for free easy map traversal.
* '''Goggles mode: ''' ''window.ze.goggles()'' - displays a small window showing area around the player in a pixelated manner. The goggles indicate collision boundaries (where the player touches the world) in cyan lines. Black pixels that are passable (such as other characters or text) will be highlighted red (allowing secret passages to be discovered).
* '''Position Tracking: ''' ''window.explorer.pos'' - Returns the player location to the console. Can be used to track position and test to ensure you are still moving. Must be re-entered to compare positioning.
* '''Position Setting: ''' ''window.explorer.pos.x = *Value* or window.explorer.pos.y = *Value*'' - Can be used to manually set a position within the world. The start is at x: 512106, y: -549612. The left terrain bound is at x: 475210, y: -553711. The right terrain bound is at x: 567281, y: -549712. Mewtwo and Noclip modes are a must for exploring in this way.
* '''All the above: ''' ''window.explorer.opts'' - Contains all the game's parameters. You can directly mess with ''gravity'', collision (''disableCollision''), jump force (''jumpForce'') and speed (''maxSpeed''), among others. Run ''Object.keys(window.explorer.opts)'' to list all available parameters you can tweak.
* '''List all coins: ''' ''window.explorer.objects'' - Array containing the position of the 169 coins of the game.
* '''Disable tilt input: ''' ''getEventListeners(window)['deviceorientation'][0].remove()'' - on Macs with motion sensor, disables tilt input which causes problems controlling the avatar

'''Getting All Coins: ''' To instantly get all coins, input the below into the console window. Does not use standard formatting of [i] to avoid conflicts with window.i.am.gandalf

for (var T = 0; T < explorer.objects.length; T++) {
explorer.objects[T].got = true;
}

To teleport to the next coin every time you press the left or right arrow:

var T = 0;
document.onkeydown = function(event){
if (event.keyCode == 37) { T = T-1 }
else if (event.keyCode == 39) { T = T+1 }
else { return }
T = T % explorer.objects.length;
var coin = explorer.objects[T];
explorer.pos.x = coin.x1; explorer.pos.y = coin.y1;
}

For a quick tour of all the coins:

var delayInMilliseconds = 1000; // 1 second delay between each teleport. feel free to change this.
var index = 0;
explorer.objects.forEach(function(x){
setTimeout(function(){
explorer.pos.x = x.x1;
explorer.pos.y = x.y1;
x.got = true;
explorer.frame(); // forces a redraw
},
(index + 1) * delayInMilliseconds);
index++;
});

To see a list of coin coordinates you have not yet collected:

var L = 0;
for (var S = 0; S < explorer.objects.length; S++) {
var I = explorer.objects[S];
if (I.got) {
L++;
} else {
console.log(I.x1.toString() + ", " + I.y1.toString());
}
}
console.log("You've found " + L.toString() + " of 169 coins");

To display the distance and direction to the closest coin (with inverted colors once you have all the coins):

function distance(x1, y1, x2, y2) {
var dx = x2 - x1;
var dy = y2 - y1;
return Math.sqrt(dx * dx + dy * dy);
}

function angle(x1, y1, x2, y2) {
var dx = x2 - x1;
var dy = y2 - y1;
return Math.atan2(dy, dx) * 180 / Math.PI;
}

function renderRadar() {
var mindist = 10000000000;
var closest = {
x1:512278.0, y1:-549613.0
};
var linecolor = "red";
for (var S = 0; S < explorer.objects.length; S++) {
var I = explorer.objects[S];
if (!I.got) {
var dist = distance(explorer.pos.x, explorer.pos.y, I.x1, I.y1);
if (dist < mindist) {
mindist = dist;
closest = I;
}
}
}
if (mindist == 10000000000) {
mindist = distance(explorer.pos.x, explorer.pos.y, closest.x1, closest.y1);
if (document.getElementById("radar").style.backgroundColor != "red") {
document.getElementById("radar").style.backgroundColor = "red";
}
linecolor = "green";
} else {
if (document.getElementById("radar").style.backgroundColor != "green") {
document.getElementById("radar").style.backgroundColor = "green";
}
}
var ang = angle(explorer.pos.x, explorer.pos.y, closest.x1, closest.y1);
var indicator = "";
if (ang > 112.5 || ang < -112.5) {
indicator += "left";
}
if (ang < 67.5 && ang > -67.5) {
indicator += "right";
}
if (ang > -157.5 && ang < -22.5) {
indicator += " up";
}
if (ang > 22.5 && ang < 157.5) {
indicator += " down";
}
document.getElementById("radar").innerHTML = "Distance: " + mindist.toFixed(1).toString() + "<br/>";
document.getElementById("radar").innerHTML += indicator + " (" + -ang.toFixed(1).toString() + "°)";
document.getElementById("radar").innerHTML += "<div id='circle' style='border: 1px solid black; border-radius: 50px; width: 100px; height: 100px; position:absolute; top:50px; left:25px'/>";
document.getElementById("radar").innerHTML += "<div id='line' style='width: 50px; height: 1px; background-color: " + linecolor + "; position:absolute; top:100px; left:75px; transform:rotate(" + ang + "deg); transform-origin:0% 0%'/>";
}

var d = document.createElement("div");
d.id = "radar";
d.style.position = "fixed";
d.style.left = "0px";
d.style.top = "0px";
d.style.width = "150px";
d.style.height = "160px";
d.style.border = "1px solid red";
d.style.zIndex = "2";
d.style.backgroundColor = "green";
d.style.color = "#8f8";
document.body.appendChild(d);

setInterval(renderRadar, 100);

To display your current coordinates:

function renderRadar2() {
document.getElementById("radar2").innerHTML = "x: " + explorer.pos.x.toFixed(1).toString() + "<br>y: " + explorer.pos.y.toFixed(1).toString()
}

var d = document.createElement("div")
d.id = "radar2"
d.style.position = "fixed"
d.style.left = "150px"
d.style.top = "0px"
d.style.width = "150px"
d.style.height = "35px"
d.style.border = "1px solid red"
d.style.zIndex = "2"
d.style.backgroundColor = "green"
d.style.color = "#8f8"
document.body.appendChild(d)

setInterval(renderRadar2, 1000)

===Functionality===
By observing page code while playing, the game grabs and displays images based on location, and subsequently clears all non-visible images. The game uses what seems to be a position syntax to retrieve the intended images live, and returns an error if such an image does not exist, such as a blank area. This technically means things could be added to the world and updated live. If the player is moving sufficiently fast or if the internet connection is slow, this means that the player can get stuck in a black area that does not load in time.

This also means that the game does not have coded top or bottom limits, so any attempt to find the ''ceiling'' of the game will be futile unless the game is tweaked. The game does however have side limits.

When you deposit a certain number of coins, you will get one of the following messages:
* 0 coins : You got 0 coins in (n) seconds/ You successfully avoided all the coins.
* 1 coin : You got a single coin in (n) seconds/ It's a start.
* 2-4 coins : You got (n) coins in (n) seconds/ Not bad!
* 5-9 coins : You got (n) coins in (n) seconds/ Terrific!
* 17 coins : You got 17 coins in (n) seconds/ You found all the coins! Great job!
* 42 coins : You got 42 coins in (n) seconds/ No answers here.
* 169 coins : You got 169 coins in (n) seconds/ Are you Gandalf?
* All others: You got (n) coins in (n) seconds

Opening the console will display the text: what? hoverboard not enough for you!? in the log. Activating goggles mode will cause the text 'B-)' to appear in the log.

Leaving the play area will cause the red text 'RETURN TO THE PLAY AREA' to rapidly blink 3 times (150 msec duration), followed by a pause, and this will repeat 5 times for a total of 15 blinks. This will also reoccur if the player passes through the play area on their way back from exploring one side.

==Transcript==
:[This transcript only covers the starting page as shown on xkcd: {{xkcd|1608}}. A full transcript of the entire comic will be listed on a [[1608: Hoverboard/Transcript|separate page]].]

:[Cueball is shown on a hoverboard in the centre of the comic. Around him is a simple maze with 12 yellow coins. Another Cueball without howerboard is shown standing on one of the platforms to the right. The bottom half of the window is black. Right of where Cueball stands is a ramp. Behind the ramp is a computer. There is lots of space left of the maze, outside the maze. Text is only written in white below in the black area. The first part of the text is written below Cueball on hoverboard. Then there is an arrow pointing to the computer and a label. Finally there is a line of text at the bottom of the black area.]

:[Under Cueball:]
:My new book,
:''Thing Explainer,''
:comes out today!
:To celebrate, here's
:a small game.

:[Under the arrow below the computer]
:Deposit coins here

:[At the bottom:]
:Use the arrow keys to move

:['''For the full transcript of the entire comic see [[1608: Hoverboard/Transcript]].''']

==Trivia==
* There is as usual [[:Category:No title text|no title text]] for these interactive comics. But there is actually one listed in the [http://xkcd.com/1608/info.0.json info page] on xkcd. But this text: "Return to the play area", is never shown as a normal title text. But it will erroneously be shown in the unofficial mobile versions of the site.
** This is actually the text that is shown blinking red at the buttom of the screen when leaving the starting area.
* If the focus switches from the game to the page, the cueball can freeze in midair. The same thing can happen if the window border overlaps the play area.
* The Washington monument has an invisible floor next to the visible bricks which you can enter from further up the monument.
** You can also just walk through the monument at its base as shown by the sign.

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:No title text]]
[[Category:Comics with color]]
[[Category:Large drawings]]
[[Category:Interactive comics]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Megan]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Ponytail]]
[[Category:Comics featuring White Hat]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Beret Guy]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Hair Bun Girl]]
[[Category:Multiple Cueballs]]
[[Category:Philosophy]]
[[Category:Video games]]
[[Category:Star Wars]]
[[Category:LOTR]]
[[Category:Animals]]
[[Category:Hamster Ball]]

1602: Linguistics Club

2015-11-11T07:40:03Z

162.158.91.193:

{{comic
| number = 1602
| date = November 11, 2015
| title = Linguistics Club
| image = linguistics_club.png
| titletext = If that's too easy, you could try joining Tautology Club, which meets on the date of the Tautology Club meeting.
}}

==Explanation==
A "sesquiannual" meeting is one that occurs one and a half times every year, or once every 8 months. It comes from the Latin root "[[wiktionary:sesqui|sesqui-]]", which means "half and...", and "[[wiktionary:annual|-annual]]", which is "...one per year". A linguist or Latin scholar, the joke suggests, should be able to figure that out as "half-plus-one every year". This is an extension of the common confusion between "biannual," meaning "twice a year", and "biennial", meaning "once every two years". Compare with the {{w|Sesquicentennial Exposition}} celebrating the first 1½ centuries of the United States.

Regarding the title text, a "tautology" is a statement that is true because of its logical form, such as "all birds are birds" or "A = A." As such, the statement "the Tautology Club meets on the date of the Tautology Club's meeting" is itself tautological.

Whilst the membership requirement for the original club is merely to know the intended frequency, presumably then a successful applicant to be told at least one meeting date in the cycle so that an attendence can be made, Tautology Club's stipulation appears to require an ellegible member to derive a valid meeting date from thin air without any clue at all (and no indication that there is even a regular cycle of any kind). This would definitely be more of a challenge.

The title text has a connection to [[703: Honor Societies]] in which where Cueball announces that "the first rule of the Tautology Club is the first rule of the Tautology Club."

==Transcript==
Megan: You should come to our Linguistic Club's sesquiannual meeting. Membership is open to anyone who can figure out how often we meet.

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Comics featuring Megan]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Ponytail]]
[[Category:Language]]

Talk:1557: Ozymandias

2015-07-29T10:04:09Z

162.158.91.193:

Look upon this comment and despair! {{unsigned ip|173.245.50.164}}

So... [http://dwarffortresswiki.org/index.php/Planepacked Planepacked]? [[Special:Contributions/173.245.50.145|173.245.50.145]] 05:44, 29 July 2015 (UTC)

The page seems to give a description, but not an explanation of the joke. I still don't get it! Why has Ozymandias been singled out for this treatment? Is there some way in which recursion is particularly appropriate or inappropriate in this case, or has it just been selected arbitrarily? Is the whole joke that recursion is inherently funny? Normally when recursion is used in XKCD it's making a larger point, or cleverly riffing on something in particular. This isn't just Describe XKCD, so I'd love to see an explanation of this comic. [[Special:Contributions/141.101.99.47|141.101.99.47]] 09:35, 29 July 2015 (UTC)

:May it be that Ozymandias is chosen because of Smith’s poem, where at last London has vanished, suggesting that Shelley’s poem is the last remains of British civilization? --[[Special:Contributions/162.158.91.193|162.158.91.193]] 10:04, 29 July 2015 (UTC)

In Germany, we have a childrens’ song „Ein Mops kam in die Küche“, which translates as follows (there are slightly different versions, though):

A pug came into the kitchen / and stole an egg from the chef. / Then the chef took his knife / and mashed the pug. // Then many pugs came / to his grave / and set a memorial for him, / where these words were written: // “A pug came into the kitchen …”

Maybe something similar exists in English? --[[Special:Contributions/162.158.91.193|162.158.91.193]] 10:04, 29 July 2015 (UTC)