explain xkcd - User contributions [en]

2191: Conference Question

2019-08-23T17:39:05Z

172.68.254.66: /* Explanation */

{{comic
| number = 2191
| date = August 19, 2019
| title = Conference Question
| image = conference_question.png
| titletext = I also have an utterance. Less of an utterance and more of an incantation. Less of an incantation and more of a malediction. Less of a malediction and more of a Word of Power. Less of a Word of Power and more of an Unforgivable Curse.
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Created by a BOT that's more of a FRIENDLY BUG. Please mention here why this explanation isn't complete. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}

Usually at a conference or other event involving a speaker addressing a crowd, members of the crowd are given the chance to ask questions. This is intended so that people can perhaps ask the speaker to elaborate on a point they've made, or to ask the speaker's opinion on a topic related to their talk.

Occasionally, people at such an event will use (or, rather, abuse) the opportunity to ask a question to instead provide their own (unsolicited) opinion or statement. Such statements are often preceded with something along the lines of "I have a question. Well, less of a question and more of a comment." This formulation in particular has attracted a lot of criticism, eg. [https://jamesmendezhodes.com/blog/2019/4/30/less-of-a-question-more-of-a-comment], for not adding anything to the discussion and for pulling focus away from the speaker.

In the comic, this idea is taken to an extreme, with [[Beret Guy]] not only transforming the opportunity to ask a question into an opportunity to make a statement, but through successive transformtions, turning this into an opportunity to show off a bug he has found. This is acclomplished by using a multitude of synonyms in a ''continuum'': "question" and "comment" are similar, as are "comment" and "utterance", but the two difference in the two extremes in the entire set (in this case "question" and "friendly bug") is profound. In a way, it is similar to how the color red fades into yellow: gradually, and with no clear definitive point.

:'''Question.''' A {{w|question}} is what the crowd member is expected to provide, such that the speaker or a panel member could provide a related answer.

:'''Comment.''' A {{w|Topic and comment|comment}} by a crowd member, is when they just say something they believe, without expecting an answer, giving the speaker or panel members nothing to do. This may be seen as annoying by everyone else, as the crowd did not come to hear the opinion of other crowd members. But answers to relevant questions would be interesting to the crowd and the panel.

:'''Utterance.''' An {{w|utterance}} is just making a noise, which may or may not be actual words, or if actual words it may not be a complete sentence.

:'''Air Pressure Wave.''' {{w|Sounds}} are literally pressure waves in the air. So this could be a simple sound, or not a sound at all depending on the severity of the wave. It might be the person simply blowing.

:'''Friendly Hand Wave.''' Now instead of using his mouth to generate an air pressure wave, he's producing it with his hand, in a manner intended to be interpreted as "friendly". Many times hand waves are done in a friendly manner, designed more for the visual appeal than the amount of air pressure waves they generate.

:'''Friendly Bug.''' Now he is no longer doing anything himself, except to point out the fact that he has found a bug or {{w|insect}}, which he {{w|anthropomorphizes}} as being friendly.

:'''Want to meet it?''' He has decided that he and the friendly bug are actual friends, and ironically comes full circle by finally asking a question, though presumably whether the speaker wants to meet a bug is not related to the topic of the speaker's talk.

The title text takes the opposite route of Beret Guy, and each step instead refers to successively worse forms of magic spells which would, presumably, have a negative effect upon the listener. Starting from a mere utterance and then using Beret Guy's "it is less than" scheme, it progresses over worse and worse curses, ending with an unforgivable curse!

:'''Utterance.''' It begins with utterance which was also used by Beret Guy. See above.

:'''Incantation.''' {{w|Incantation}}, or a spell, is a magical formula intended to trigger a magical effect on a person or objects. It is not necessarily with evil intent.

:'''Malediction.''' A malediction is another word for {{w|curse}} (the prefix "mal" being a Latin root meaning "evil"). This is always with evil intent.

:'''Word of Power.''' "Word of Power" could refer to the dragonish form of magic in ''{{w|The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim}},'' or the [https://dungeonsdragons.fandom.com/wiki/Power_word early 1st edition Dungeons & Dragons high level spells].

:'''Unforgivable Curse.''' The term "{{w|Magic_in_Harry_Potter#Unforgivable_Curses|Unforgivable Curse}}" refers to a set of three spells from the {{w|Harry Potter}} series, said to be so evil that their use on another person is unforgivable and illegal. The three spells are able to mind control (''Imperius curse''), torture (''Cruciatus curse''), and kill (''Killing curse'') their target. It is unclear which spell is implied, though if it was accurate to call it a singular word of power, it is unlikely to be the killing curse.

The title text can be interpreted as a reply by [[Hairy]] (the speaker) to Beret Guy, indicating his annoyance at the topic being derailed. It could also be representative of [[Randall|Randall's]] feelings towards those who abuse the opportunity to ask a question in order to make a statement. Randall has recently done some book tours and was at {{w|San Diego Comic-Con}} [https://blog.xkcd.com/2019/07/15/san-diego-comic-con/ last month] where he served on various panels, so he probably has had personal first-hand experience with these kinds of circuitous non-questions.

==Transcript==
:[Hairy stands on a podium having just addressed a crowd of seated people. Beret Guy stands in the middle of the crowd, addressing Hairy. One of Beret Guy's hands is raised at chest height. The front row consists of Cueball, Ponytail, another Hairy, Megan, Hairbun, Danish and another Cueball.]

:Beret Guy: I have a question.
:Beret Guy: Well, less of a question and more of a comment.
:Beret Guy: I guess it's less of a comment and more of an utterance.
:Beret Guy: Really it's less an utterance more an air pressure wave.
:Beret Guy: It's less an air pressure wave and more a friendly hand wave.
:Beret Guy: I guess it's less a friendly wave than it is a friendly bug.
:Beret Guy: I found this bug and now we're friends. Do you want to meet it?

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Comics featuring Hairy]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Beret Guy]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Ponytail]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Hairbun]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Danish]]
[[Category:Multiple Cueballs]]
[[Category:Public speaking]]
[[Category:Animals]]
[[Category:Fiction]]
[[Category:Harry Potter]]

Talk:1636: XKCD Stack

2017-07-31T05:49:48Z

172.68.254.66:

I just came here. AM I IN THE FUTURE? ''I'm in the future!'' {{unsigned ip|199.27.130.246}}
:We are in the future together.{{unsigned|KingSupernova}}
::But if there are no comments, aren't we in the past? The distant past, before the beginning of the comments? ...Watch out for raptors!{{unsigned ip|162.158.2.227}}
:::Can confirm... all you guys are in the past; (as an active time traveller heading to the future, i've seen it all!) [[Special:Contributions/162.158.91.210|162.158.91.210]] 09:11, 29 January 2016 (UTC)

Would you two sign your comments, please? --[[User:PsyMar|PsyMar]] ([[User talk:PsyMar|talk]]) 07:17, 29 January 2016 (UTC)
:It was actually three people '''[[User:Davidy22|{{Color|#707|David}}y²²]]'''[[User talk:Davidy22|<tt>[talk]</tt>]] 08:12, 29 January 2016 (UTC)

Right now it says that we aren't yet at the stage of having a CPU in Minecraft. That's not true. SethBling has implemented BASIC [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t4e7PjRygt0 using only command blocks, armor stands, and banners]. [[User:DanielLC|DanielLC]] ([[User talk:DanielLC|talk]]) 08:50, 29 January 2016 (UTC)
:That's not really a CPU, it's just an inefficient method to parse characters and compile code. [[Special:Contributions/108.162.216.38|108.162.216.38]] 17:28, 29 January 2016 (UTC)
::Actually, isn't BASIC an interpreted language? Thus, "compile code" should be stated as "interpret code". [[Special:Contributions/108.162.216.58|108.162.216.58]] 18:02, 29 January 2016 (UTC)

I would think "archive.org mirror" means a mirror of [company]'s website on archive.org, not a mirror ''of'' archive.org. [[User:Sjorford|Sjorford]] ([[User talk:Sjorford|talk]]) 11:51, 29 January 2016 (UTC)
:But a mirror of archive.org would be funny because a) it's essentially a mirror already and b) it would be absolutely enormous. [[Special:Contributions/141.101.70.55|141.101.70.55]] 23:25, 31 January 2016 (UTC)
::I think a mirror of the company's site on archive.org would be much funnier, because it would imply that this whole stack is pointless because it recursively requires a mirror of its own operation as part of itself. [[Special:Contributions/172.68.254.66|172.68.254.66]] 05:49, 31 July 2017 (UTC)

Docker?
:Docker: A-B
::Nested Docker: A-B-C
:::Doubly Nested Docker: A-B-C-D
::::Triply Nested Docker: A-B-C-D-E
Surely. --[[Special:Contributions/141.101.106.161|141.101.106.161]] 13:38, 29 January 2016 (UTC)

LOL, I read on the front page the bit about Excel being a database, clicked through here to edit it, and found that in the intervening 2 minutes someone had made the exact edit I meant to. The system works :) [[Special:Contributions/162.158.153.59|162.158.153.59]] 14:01, 29 January 2016 (UTC)
:"The Microsoft Jet Database Engine is a database engine on which several Microsoft products have been built." Microsoft Access 95 / Excel 95 Jet version 3.0 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Microsoft_Jet_Database_Engine [[Special:Contributions/108.162.208.68|108.162.208.68]] 15:19, 29 January 2016 (UTC)

;48-bit architecture

# you mixed together machine word size and address space size, the former is the matter, address space is insignificant (eg most 8-bit computers use 16bit address space).
# there are 48-bit architectures "Computers with 48-bit words include the AN/FSQ-32, CDC 1604/upper-3000 series, BESM-6, Ferranti Atlas, and Burroughs large systems (B5xxx-B8xxx, which additionally had a 3-4 type tag)." https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/48-bit
[[Special:Contributions/108.162.208.68|108.162.208.68]] 15:14, 29 January 2016 (UTC)
# Does anyone else think that the 48bit arch could be a reference to the 3/4s from the version number, 48 is 3/4 of 64, which is a much more common arch.{{unsigned ip|162.158.34.140}}

I see it as a Randall-style [[:Category:Compromise|compromise]] between 32- and 64-bits.
Zetfr 17:53, 29 January 2016 (UTC)

;Mystery Networking Horror

This may also be a reference to the D-Reaper from the anime ''Digimon Tamers,'' which was a primitive anti-virus and resource manager that was, as TV Tropes put it, ''Gone Horribly Right.'' Constructed to cull AI programs that that exceeded their memory budget on a computer from the year 197X, it saw the Digimon (and humans) in the year 200X as a threat, and was actually able to delete anything in the Digital World that it touched due to having grown more powerful and complex by many orders of magnitude from all of the code it had consumed in the past. It was quite literally a digital ''Eldritch Horror,'' in every sense of the word.

You may view both TV Tropes and the Digimon Wiki for more information on this subject.
- Kitsune_Phoenix; 16:13, 2016-01-29 (UTC)

How exactly did someone interpret "Macromedia Java 7.3.8.1¾ (48-bit)" as a reference to Platform 9¾? The only obvious connection I see is that they both include "¾", but if that's enough to make something a reference, then Platform 9¾ is actually, itself, a reference to Deep Space 9. [[Special:Contributions/162.158.142.222|162.158.142.222]] 20:55, 29 January 2016 (UTC)
: Agree. I'm taking it out. [[User:Jkshapiro|Jkshapiro]] ([[User talk:Jkshapiro|talk]]) 03:37, 31 January 2016 (UTC)

;Broken Java Applet Interpretation

Could this not also be saying that the Java applet is "broken" in the same sense that people say that Windows is "broken"

I mean, technically, Windows works, but it works so poorly, and there are alternatives that are so much better, so by comparison, it is broken. Well, of course there are some things in Windows that truly are broken, too.

Honestly, this is definition I originally used internally when I first read through the comic.[[Special:Contributions/108.162.216.46|108.162.216.46]] 02:46, 31 January 2016 (UTC)

----

I think the stack presented is mostly a pun on the OSI/ISO stack (see {{w|OSI model}}) which is usually drawn in this kind of format, and is usually thought to be too cumbersome to use in actual practice.
--[[User:Lou Crazy|Lou Crazy]] ([[User talk:Lou Crazy|talk]]) 14:53, 1 February 2016 (UTC)

Everytime I see someone say something about Java not working anymore I play that rap music video "Java Life" they released a few years ago [[User:Beastachu|Beastachu]] ([[User talk:Beastachu|talk]]) 12:47, 4 February 2016 (UTC)

----

There actually was something called "MacromediaJava" (one word). Before Alchemy/FlasCC/CrossBridge, there was an earlier C-to-AS3 compiler meant to demonstrate how cool the AS3 runtime is. Someone managed to port enough of Kaffe and Classpath to it to build a replacement for the Java Plugin that ran applets in Kaffe under FlashPlayer instead of directly in Java. It didn't work on most applets, and was slow and glitchy, and it was never meant as more than a demonstration, and normally I'd say there's no way anyone would be referring to that in 2016… but given the theme of this comic, the XKCD stack may be the one place where it was used. --[[Special:Contributions/162.158.255.82|162.158.255.82]] 23:34, 7 March 2016 (UTC)

I changed the table in the transcript to a list. If this fits the requirements for transcripts, please remove the incomplete-tag. --[[User:LaVe|LaVe]] ([[User talk:LaVe|talk]]) 22:36, 8 March 2017 (UTC)
:Thanks for bringing this up, but removing that table means you have to explain it. Furthermore have a look at the standard layout like I've done. --[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 23:48, 8 March 2017 (UTC)
:: Thank you! --[[User:LaVe|LaVe]] ([[User talk:LaVe|talk]]) 06:52, 9 March 2017 (UTC)