explain xkcd - User contributions [en]

Talk:2392: Cyber Cafe

2020-12-01T11:32:30Z

162.158.94.186:

Is it worth noting that this was posted on Cyber Monday? [[Special:Contributions/162.158.75.70|162.158.75.70]] 21:57, 30 November 2020 (UTC)
:Yes! That's almost certainly relevant. [[User:Barmar|Barmar]] ([[User talk:Barmar|talk]])

Unrelated to cybercafés, but why is the edit link the viewed-outside mauve instead of the viewed-wiki violet? [[User:Bubblegum|bubblegum]]-[[User_talk:Bubblegum|talk]]|[[Special:Contributions/Bubblegum|contribs]] 04:13, 1 December 2020 (UTC)
:Which edit link(s)? The 'faux tab' ("Read | Edit | View History", etc) the "*TITLE HEADER* (Edit)" or A.N.Other? Is it something specific to your own browser stylesheet? Or set by your Wikilogin? For me (simple IP as I am) the only links of different colours (passing over your own .sig, Bubblegum) are the Main page/Latest comic/Community portal/xkcd.com links in the sidebar((*)), and those are in the universal "visited page" hue (because I have visited these) and all other non-image link text are in the colour of universally standard yet-to-visit link colour that is probably the same as NCSA Mosaic originally established/adopted (though I don't know if that's because it's set by the wikicode/styles or fallen back to default). ((* - plus, now, the "add a comment!" link and also the cybersex one, as a random in-explanation link I tested going to while writing this reply.)) [[Special:Contributions/162.158.158.43|162.158.158.43]] 05:03, 1 December 2020 (UTC)
"Cyber" is 'dated'? Well, I suppose it has been around as a popular term for a while, probably even before Gibson (and long-standing Internet Cafes 'round here now seem more to be rebranded as eSports hosts, because ''almost'' everyone who cares for one has an Internetted-device on their desk, kitchen table, maybe in their pocket, but a good well-maintained machine for the latest faddy FPSing or any satisfyingly tactile wheel/pedal controller seems to be what they can still offer up, almost arcadian...) but I don't think in the last thirty years I ever said "I'm in Cyber", even though I probably am by today's lingo (old fuddy-duddy as I am, I just say I work "in computing", if anybody has had to feign social interest in me to ask - and then reel off some of my actual sub-specialities if they foolishly indicate a desire to know more). Nor have I ever used such a café, in any capacity, but probably more from a "safe hex" standpoint (malware remediation and cracker-thwarting having been a big part of my career, for several years either side of the Millenium) than this year's issue with a certain non-software virus... [[Special:Contributions/162.158.158.43|162.158.158.43]] 05:03, 1 December 2020 (UTC)

"this comic suggests that [cyber] sounds dated" Maybe that was so long ago that some people don't remember it. In the 90s, everything was cyber. The internet was "cyberspace". This weird, nerdy, futuristic thing. Then it became mainstream and the term mostly vanished. And since then "cyber" was very dated. It only stuck around in some words like "cyber cafe". [[Special:Contributions/162.158.94.186|162.158.94.186]] 11:32, 1 December 2020 (UTC)

Talk:2392: Cyber Cafe

2020-12-01T11:31:40Z

162.158.94.186:

Is it worth noting that this was posted on Cyber Monday? [[Special:Contributions/162.158.75.70|162.158.75.70]] 21:57, 30 November 2020 (UTC)
:Yes! That's almost certainly relevant. [[User:Barmar|Barmar]] ([[User talk:Barmar|talk]])

Unrelated to cybercafés, but why is the edit link the viewed-outside mauve instead of the viewed-wiki violet? [[User:Bubblegum|bubblegum]]-[[User_talk:Bubblegum|talk]]|[[Special:Contributions/Bubblegum|contribs]] 04:13, 1 December 2020 (UTC)
:Which edit link(s)? The 'faux tab' ("Read | Edit | View History", etc) the "*TITLE HEADER* (Edit)" or A.N.Other? Is it something specific to your own browser stylesheet? Or set by your Wikilogin? For me (simple IP as I am) the only links of different colours (passing over your own .sig, Bubblegum) are the Main page/Latest comic/Community portal/xkcd.com links in the sidebar((*)), and those are in the universal "visited page" hue (because I have visited these) and all other non-image link text are in the colour of universally standard yet-to-visit link colour that is probably the same as NCSA Mosaic originally established/adopted (though I don't know if that's because it's set by the wikicode/styles or fallen back to default). ((* - plus, now, the "add a comment!" link and also the cybersex one, as a random in-explanation link I tested going to while writing this reply.)) [[Special:Contributions/162.158.158.43|162.158.158.43]] 05:03, 1 December 2020 (UTC)
"Cyber" is 'dated'? Well, I suppose it has been around as a popular term for a while, probably even before Gibson (and long-standing Internet Cafes 'round here now seem more to be rebranded as eSports hosts, because ''almost'' everyone who cares for one has an Internetted-device on their desk, kitchen table, maybe in their pocket, but a good well-maintained machine for the latest faddy FPSing or any satisfyingly tactile wheel/pedal controller seems to be what they can still offer up, almost arcadian...) but I don't think in the last thirty years I ever said "I'm in Cyber", even though I probably am by today's lingo (old fuddy-duddy as I am, I just say I work "in computing", if anybody has had to feign social interest in me to ask - and then reel off some of my actual sub-specialities if they foolishly indicate a desire to know more). Nor have I ever used such a café, in any capacity, but probably more from a "safe hex" standpoint (malware remediation and cracker-thwarting having been a big part of my career, for several years either side of the Millenium) than this year's issue with a certain non-software virus... [[Special:Contributions/162.158.158.43|162.158.158.43]] 05:03, 1 December 2020 (UTC)
"this comic suggests that [cyber] sounds dated" Maybe that was so long ago that some people don't remember it. In the 90s, everything was cyber. The internet was "cyberspace". This weird, nerdy, futuristic thing. Then it became mainstream and the term mostly vanished. And since then "cyber" was very dated. It only stuck around in some words like "cyber cafe".

Talk:2284: Sabotage

2020-03-25T08:33:04Z

162.158.94.186:

I don't entirely understand this comic (else I wouldn't be here), but I don't think that the current explanation is on the right track. It doesn't fit with the title, Sabotage. My reading is that some people are planning to get together IRL, and Cueball is threatening to sabotage their event with Baby Shark and skunks, presumably hoping that they'll call it off. [Edit: Fixed now.] [[User:TobyBartels|TobyBartels]] ([[User talk:TobyBartels|talk]]) 05:19, 23 March 2020 (UTC)
: +1! [[User:John.Adriaan|John.Adriaan]] ([[User talk:John.Adriaan|talk]]) 05:48, 23 March 2020 (UTC)

::My Impression is that upon observing some group of people ignoring the social distancing stuff, he's attempting to scare them off actually having their gathering by piling up a long list of things you wouldn't want to be around. Doing an especially-annoying spoken word version of an especially-annoying song for long periods of time(Possible); Bringing a large number of wild skunks (unlikely); claiming to have just come from a cruise ship after several recent cases of mass-infections on cruise ships, making him seem like a high risk person to be around(probably lying); further claiming to have come from an event involving close, physical contact with a large group of random people, again making him seem like he's highly likely to be infected (almost certainly lying).

::In other words, trying to sabotage their gathering so that nobody shows up... in order to keep their stupidity/ignorance/arrogance from potentially spreading the virus to everyone present. -Graptor [[Special:Contributions/162.158.186.78|162.158.186.78]] 05:54, 23 March 2020 (UTC)

Shouldn't this comic be about BHG? Seems more up his alley. [[User:Cellocgw|Cellocgw]] ([[User talk:Cellocgw|talk]]) 12:26, 23 March 2020 (UTC)
:Who or what is "BHG"? [[Special:Contributions/172.68.222.124|172.68.222.124]] 12:30, 23 March 2020 (UTC)
::I guess [[Black hat]] guy. --[[User:Lupo|Lupo]] ([[User talk:Lupo|talk]]) 12:31, 23 March 2020 (UTC)
:Since black hat usually has sinister motives, this wouldn't be his kind of thing. Cueball here only claims to do these things to help others by persuading them not to attend. So in the end he's really the good guy. [[User:Bischoff|Bischoff]] ([[User talk:Bischoff|talk]]) 15:11, 23 March 2020 (UTC)
::not necesarily. see e.g. [[322: Pix Plz]]. But I agree. Black hat would more likely just set up the skunk thing and other things to ruin peoples gatherings, instead of just pretending to. --[[User:Lupo|Lupo]] ([[User talk:Lupo|talk]]) 15:51, 23 March 2020 (UTC)
:::Ok, I've seen this several times now by different users. Do you all know xkcd so well, that you can just come up with these precise examples? [[User:Bischoff|Bischoff]] ([[User talk:Bischoff|talk]]) 07:45, 24 March 2020 (UTC)
::::I seem to have a mind made for remembering random stuff like that. plus I once had a very boring internship, and one of the few interesting pages that wasn't blocked there, was xkcd.com - so I used to go through the comics (back then the first ~1200)a lot, and ever since regularily look for new ones, and click random from time to time. the search function here + the transcripts really help finding the one you are remembering then. For this one e.g. my random keyword to search for was just "EMP". --[[User:Lupo|Lupo]] ([[User talk:Lupo|talk]]) 07:59, 24 March 2020 (UTC)

:I like to think this more as poking fun at the uncountable idiots who still find it necessary to loudly complain (online) against ''alleged'' public meetings, or ones that took place a week ago, or sports meetings that have not been officially canceled, when there is no chance that they will be held anyway.
:And since this is not our clever and ever sabotaging black hat guy, I find my interpretation more likely. --[[Special:Contributions/162.158.94.186|162.158.94.186]] 08:33, 25 March 2020 (UTC)