explain xkcd - User contributions [en]

134: Myspace

2019-09-30T05:38:44Z

172.68.46.173: /* Explanation */

{{comic
| number = 134
| date = July 28, 2006
| title = Myspace
| image = myspace.png
| titletext = It's like they got together and said 'what do we miss most from the internet in 1998? that's right, embedded MIDI!'
}}

==Explanation==
This comic references a common issue that users would experience in the late 2000s on the now outdated website {{w|MySpace}}. At the time, an individual with a profile on that website would be able to choose a song that would automatically play when anyone accessed said profile. This was a heavily promoted feature in which the majority of users would partake. The song would interrupt whatever else the user was doing, such as listening to music, watching a video, or simply browsing in silence.

For further context, MySpace at the time did not have a universal "news feed" to browse, so users would perform most of their interaction with other users by actively going to their profiles. Thus, the auto-playing music became a compounding problem, as the user could experience it several times per browsing session.

The "first five seconds" refers to approximately how long it would take a typical user to find the pause button.

Future social networks would eschew features like this, as they are perceived by the user base to be annoying and distracting. However, the issue in some ways persists, as sites like Facebook now auto-play sound on videos and advertisements (unless the user opts out).

The title text refers to the fact that old pages, back in the late 1990s, used embedded {{w|MIDI}} files. MIDI files may have terrible sound quality (while lossless, it is limited in the amount of sounds that can be reproduced), but, more importantly, MIDI files that are embedded in the page would not only play automatically, but also have no way to stop playing. The viewer would have to leave the website or externally mute the audio. Additionally, some Macintosh computers at the time had a bug that would automatically play MIDI files at the maximum computer volume, making them an incredible nuisance.

==Transcript==
:[Computer screen showing a myspace page.]
:Oh man, you and everyone in earshot are gonna '''love''' the first five seconds of this song!

{{comic discussion}}
[[Category:Comics with color]]
[[Category:Music]]
[[Category:Internet]]
[[Category:Social networking]]

134: Myspace

2019-09-30T05:36:54Z

172.68.46.173: /* Explanation */ Added a lot of context since this comic makes a lot less sense in 2019

{{comic
| number = 134
| date = July 28, 2006
| title = Myspace
| image = myspace.png
| titletext = It's like they got together and said 'what do we miss most from the internet in 1998? that's right, embedded MIDI!'
}}

==Explanation==
This comic references a common issue that users would experience in the late 2000s on the now outdated website {{w|MySpace}}. At the time, an individual with a profile on that website would be able to choose a song that would automatically play when anyone accessed said profile. This was a heavily promoted feature in which the majority of users would partake. The song would interrupt whatever else the user was doing, such as listening to music, watching a video, or simply browsing in silence.

For further context, MySpace at the time did not have a universal "news feed" to browse, so users would perform most of their interaction with other users by actively going to their profiles. Thus, the auto-playing music became a compounding problem, as the user could experience it several times per browsing session.

The "first five seconds" refers to approximately how long it would take a typical user to find the pause button.

Future social networks would eschew features like this, as they are perceived by the user base to be annoying and distracting. However, the issue in some ways persists, as sites like Facebook now auto-play sound on videos and advertisements (unless the user opts out).

The title text refers to the fact that old pages, back in the late 1990s, used embedded {{w|MIDI}} files. MIDI files may have terrible sound quality (while lossless, it is limited in the amount of sounds that can be reproduced), but, more importantly, MIDI files that are embedded in the page would not only play automatically, but also have no way to stop playing. The viewer would have to leave the website or externally mute the audio.

==Transcript==
:[Computer screen showing a myspace page.]
:Oh man, you and everyone in earshot are gonna '''love''' the first five seconds of this song!

{{comic discussion}}
[[Category:Comics with color]]
[[Category:Music]]
[[Category:Internet]]
[[Category:Social networking]]

2194: How to Send a File

2019-09-26T22:30:07Z

172.68.46.173: /* Explanation */ ce

{{comic
| number = 2194
| date = August 26, 2019
| title = How to Send a File
| image = how_to_send_a_file.png
| titletext = Note: How To will teach you lots of cool stuff about technology, data storage, butterfly migration, and more. Also you will never see your files again.
}}

==Explanation==
Similar to [[2190: Serena Versus the Drones]], this is another teaser ad for Randall's new book, ''[[How To]]'', due to be released a week from this comic's release, on September 3, 2019. This also prompted a [[xkcd_Header_text#2019-08-27_-_Out_in_a_week|change]] to the [[xkcd Header text]].

The comic shows an image from of one of the chapters, and <s>containing</s> [[xkcd_Header_text#2014-07-23_-_what_if.3F_book_tour|being]] [https://blog.xkcd.com/2019/08/26/how-to-send-a-file/ a link to] a larger piece of that chapter, or perhaps the entire chapter.

This comic discusses transferring files, previously discussed in [[949: File Transfer]] and in [https://what-if.xkcd.com/31/ what if 31]. The snippet from his book that is shown in this comic shows scissors cutting off the (top) screen of a laptop, presumably as a way to give the "bottom" portion to someone for file transfer. This is probably not a good idea.{{Citation needed}}

The chapter linked to shows other methods of getting your files to another person and, in fact, explicitly states that breaking a computer to send files is not a good idea.

The title text hints at other amazing content in the upcoming book, including discussion of butterfly migration (does it cause predictable tornadoes in Kansas? Can they carry coconuts to England?). It also threats that using the books idea for file transfer will make sure you will never see those files again, i.e. they will be lost for good if you try the book's method at home.

The chapter preview, that the comic links to, discusses using butterflies as a method of sending files from one person to another on the form of flash media attached to butterflies, or encoded in DNA, and goes pretty in depth into these particular methods of data transmission as opposed to the more traditional methods that are detailed in traditional computer science books.

==Transcript==
:[Randall, depicted as Cueball, stands with his arms spread out]
:Randall: It feels weird that it's 2019 and yet I still sometimes find that the easiest way to move a file around is to email it to myself.

:[Randall has raised a hand to his chin,]
:Randall: If only there were a better way...

:[A picture of Randall's new book is shown to the left of the text. The book is black with large blue text and smaller white text. On the book cover, in white drawings, are seen Megan with a ladder and White Hat. Both are looking up on Cueball who is floating in the air with a quadcopter drone beneath either leg, trying to plug in an electric light bulb in a naked lamp hanging down near him. It seems he has already removed the broken light bulb, as he has one in both hands. And now he tries to put in the new one. The blue text stating title and author can be read but not the white trext. The "blog.xkcd.com" link is in link blue color.]
:Book: How To
:Book: Randall Munroe
:My new book ''How To'' is out next week! If you want to learn how to send data, you can visit blog.xkcd.com for a sneak preview of Chapter 19: How to Send a File

:[Beneath a heading are three pictures next to each other of a laptop computer. The first picture shows a regular laptop computer, with a labeled arrow pointing to the lower half of the computer. The second picture shows the laptop in a lighter outline, with scissors instructing to cut horizontally on a dotted line across the middle of the laptop. The third picture shows a laptop in two pieces cut over between the screen and the rest. There is a very jagged edge on both parts, which has been moved away from each other.]
:Exclusive advice from '''''How To:'''''
:When sending a file, it helps to know which part of your device the file is stored in.
:Label: Files are usually in this part

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Comics with color]]
[[Category:Links to xkcd.com]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Randall Munroe]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]] 
[[Category:Comics featuring Megan]] 
[[Category:Computers]]
[[Category:Book promotion]]
[[Category:How To]]

2206: Mavis Beacon

2019-09-26T22:25:36Z

172.68.46.173: /* Explanation */ ce

{{comic
| number = 2206
| date = September 23, 2019
| title = Mavis Beacon
| image = mavis_beacon.png
| titletext = There are actually lowercase-like 'oldstyle' forms of normal numbers with more pronounced ascenders and descenders, which is why some numbers like '5' in books sometimes dangle below the line. But the true capital numbers remain the domain of number maven Mavis Beacon.
}}

==Explanation==
[[Cueball]] is being congratulated by the game he plays, ''Mavis Beacon'', on his computer, because he has beaten the end boss and unlocked a new ability - the ability to type capital numbers...

''{{w|Mavis Beacon Teaches Typing}}'' is a computer game first released in 1987, with the goal of teaching touch-typing and improving typing speed on a computer keyboard. Unlike many video games, ''Mavis Beacon'' contains no combat and therefore does not feature any "{{w|Boss_(video_gaming)#Final_boss|end boss}}" (a very powerful enemy encountered as the final challenge of the game). In many video games, defeating major opponents "unlocks" special features, such as improved weapons. Also, playing ''Mavis Beacon'', although it may improve typing skill, has no effect on how typing works on one's computer.

In the caption, however, [[Randall]] asserts that after 30 years of playing ''Mavis Beacon'', he encountered and defeated such a boss. Playing the same game for 30 years is rare{{Citation needed}}. Regardless, Randall claims that defeating this "end boss" unlocked an ability to type esoteric "capital numbers," which Randall depicts as more extravagant versions of the familiar numerals. Although modern {{w|Latin letters}} have different {{w|letter case}} (i.e. capital or upper case and small or lower-case), {{w|Arabic numerals}} - the conventional numerals 0-9 used in the Western world - do not.

Stating that the game is old enough that it could have been played for 30 years, could be another attempt at making people, who actually did play the game in the early days, [[:Category:Comics to make one feel old|feel old]]. But this doesn't seem to be the main point of the comic.

Typing such numerals is said to require pressing the Alt, tilde (~), Scroll Lock, and numeral keys at the same time. Some keyboard layouts do not have a scroll lock key or a separate tilde key (such that pressing ~ actually requires pressing a shift key along with the ~ key), and in any event pressing four or five keys at once would be quite difficult. Needless to say, pressing all those keys simultaneously does not, in fact, do anything like what the comics describes in any known computer system, though some smaller subset of those keys together (i.e. "Alt ~" or "Alt numeral-key") might activate other operating system or user-defined shortcuts.

Keyboards vary in how many simultaneous key presses they can process ({{w|Rollover (key)|rollover}}). Computer keyboards for English may be limited to as few as 3 simultaneous keys, whereas other languages or higher quality keyboards may be able to handle an unlimited number of keys at once. (A musical keyboard might need to handle 10 or more simultaneous keys, likewise gaming or braille keyboards may need to handle many simultaneous keys.)

In the title text, Randall notes that [https://www.bamagazine.com/Text-type-typeface-s/105.htm certain typefaces] feature {{w|text figures}}, numerals that have ascenders and descenders, much as lower-case letters do, rather than all standing at the full X-height like capital letters. He then goes on to joke that, conversely, there are true "capital numerals," but they are a guarded secret of Mavis Beacon. {{w|Mavis Beacon (character)|Mavis Beacon}} was the character created as the typing instructor for the ''Mavis Beacon'' game, and is fictional, not a real person. Additionally, as a typing instructor, this person (even if she actually existed) would not be able to change typographical standards. Randall's description of Mavis Beacon as a "number {{w|maven}}" (that is, expert or connoisseur) contrasts with her supposed field of expertise in typing, which involves letters and punctuation more than numbers.

The comic itself hotlinks to this article: [https://www.fonts.com/content/learning/fontology/level-3/numbers/oldstyle-figures Oldstyle Figures]. It is about oldstyle/text figures.

==Transcript==
:[Cueball is sitting in an office chair at his desk in front of his computer reading a message that is shown coming from the screen with a zigzag line, going to the text above him. The two upper lines (of five) are separated from the lines below, but connected with a small zigzag line. The computer short cut is written in three boxes. The last line is the numbers from 1 to 9 and 0, in a highly stylized format but recognizable in this context. The digits are shown below in their standard appearance since the stylized versions cannot be reproduced in this transcript.]
:Congratulations.
:Use this power wisely.

:Key Code (secret!!):
:<kbd>Alt</kbd> + <kbd>Tilde</kbd> + <kbd>Scroll Lock</kbd> + Number
:1234567890

:[Caption below the panel:]
:After 30 years, I finally beat the end boss of ''Mavis Beacon'' and unlocked the ability to type capital numbers.

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Computers]]

2206: Mavis Beacon

2019-09-26T22:21:48Z

172.68.46.173: /* Explanation */ ce

{{comic
| number = 2206
| date = September 23, 2019
| title = Mavis Beacon
| image = mavis_beacon.png
| titletext = There are actually lowercase-like 'oldstyle' forms of normal numbers with more pronounced ascenders and descenders, which is why some numbers like '5' in books sometimes dangle below the line. But the true capital numbers remain the domain of number maven Mavis Beacon.
}}

==Explanation==
[[Cueball]] is being congratulated by the game he plays, ''Mavis Beacon'', on his computer, because he has beaten the end boss and unlocked a new ability - the ability to type capital numbers...

''{{w|Mavis Beacon Teaches Typing}}'' is a computer game first released in 1987, with the goal of teaching touch-typing and improving typing speed on a computer keyboard. Unlike many video games, ''Mavis Beacon'' contains no combat and therefore does not feature any "{{w|Boss_(video_gaming)#Final_boss|end boss}}" (a very powerful enemy encountered as the final challenge of the game). In many video games, defeating major opponents "unlocks" special features, such as improved weapons. Also, playing ''Mavis Beacon'', although it may improve typing skill, has no effect on how typing works on one's computer.

In the caption, however, [[Randall]] asserts that after 30 years of playing ''Mavis Beacon'', he encountered and defeated such a boss. Playing the same game for 30 years is rare{{Citation needed}}. Regardless, Randall claims that defeating this "end boss" unlocked an ability to type esoteric "capital numbers," which Randall depicts as more extravagant versions of the familiar numerals. Although modern {{w|Latin letters}} have different {{w|letter case}} (i.e. capital or upper case and small or lower-case), {{w|Arabic numerals}} - the conventional numerals 0-9 used in the Western world - do not.

Stating that the game is old enough that it could have been played for 30 years, could be another attempt at making people, who actually did play the game in the early days, [[:Category:Comics to make one feel old|feel old]]. But is doesn't seem to be the main point of the comic.

Typing such numerals is said to require pressing the Alt, tilde (~), Scroll Lock, and numeral keys at the same time. Some keyboard layouts do not have a scroll lock key or a separate tilde key (such that pressing ~ actually requires pressing a shift key along with the ~ key), and in any event pressing four or five keys at once would be quite difficult. Needless to say, pressing all those keys simultaneously does not, in fact, do anything like what the comics describes in any known computer system, though some smaller subset of those keys together (i.e. "Alt ~" or "Alt numeral-key") might activate other operating system or user-defined shortcuts.

Keyboards vary in how many simultaneous key presses they can process ({{w|Rollover (key)|rollover}}). Computer keyboards for English may be limited to as few as 3 simultaneous keys, whereas other languages or higher quality keyboards may be able to handle an unlimited number of keys at once. (A musical keyboard might need to handle 10 or more simultaneous keys, likewise gaming or braille keyboards may need to handle many simultaneous keys.)

In the title text, Randall notes that [https://www.bamagazine.com/Text-type-typeface-s/105.htm certain typefaces] feature {{w|text figures}}, numerals that have ascenders and descenders, much as lower-case letters do, rather than all standing at the full X-height like capital letters. He then goes on to joke that, conversely, there are true "capital numerals," but they are a guarded secret of Mavis Beacon. {{w|Mavis Beacon (character)|Mavis Beacon}} was the character created as the typing instructor for the ''Mavis Beacon'' game, and is fictional, not a real person. Additionally, as a typing instructor, this person (even if she actually existed) would not be able to change typographical standards. Randall's description of Mavis Beacon as a "number {{w|maven}}" (that is, expert or connoisseur) contrasts with her supposed field of expertise in typing, which involves letters and punctuation more than numbers.

The comic itself hotlinks to this article: [https://www.fonts.com/content/learning/fontology/level-3/numbers/oldstyle-figures Oldstyle Figures]. It is about oldstyle/text figures.

==Transcript==
:[Cueball is sitting in an office chair at his desk in front of his computer reading a message that is shown coming from the screen with a zigzag line, going to the text above him. The two upper lines (of five) are separated from the lines below, but connected with a small zigzag line. The computer short cut is written in three boxes. The last line is the numbers from 1 to 9 and 0, in a highly stylized format but recognizable in this context. The digits are shown below in their standard appearance since the stylized versions cannot be reproduced in this transcript.]
:Congratulations.
:Use this power wisely.

:Key Code (secret!!):
:<kbd>Alt</kbd> + <kbd>Tilde</kbd> + <kbd>Scroll Lock</kbd> + Number
:1234567890

:[Caption below the panel:]
:After 30 years, I finally beat the end boss of ''Mavis Beacon'' and unlocked the ability to type capital numbers.

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Computers]]

2206: Mavis Beacon

2019-09-26T22:21:25Z

172.68.46.173: /* Explanation */ ce

{{comic
| number = 2206
| date = September 23, 2019
| title = Mavis Beacon
| image = mavis_beacon.png
| titletext = There are actually lowercase-like 'oldstyle' forms of normal numbers with more pronounced ascenders and descenders, which is why some numbers like '5' in books sometimes dangle below the line. But the true capital numbers remain the domain of number maven Mavis Beacon.
}}

==Explanation==
[[Cueball]] is being congratulated by the game he plays, ''Mavis Beaco'', on his computer, because he has beaten the end boss and unlocked a new ability - the ability to type capital numbers...

''{{w|Mavis Beacon Teaches Typing}}'' is a computer game first released in 1987, with the goal of teaching touch-typing and improving typing speed on a computer keyboard. Unlike many video games, ''Mavis Beacon'' contains no combat and therefore does not feature any "{{w|Boss_(video_gaming)#Final_boss|end boss}}" (a very powerful enemy encountered as the final challenge of the game). In many video games, defeating major opponents "unlocks" special features, such as improved weapons. Also, playing ''Mavis Beacon'', although it may improve typing skill, has no effect on how typing works on one's computer.

In the caption, however, [[Randall]] asserts that after 30 years of playing ''Mavis Beacon'', he encountered and defeated such a boss. Playing the same game for 30 years is rare{{Citation needed}}. Regardless, Randall claims that defeating this "end boss" unlocked an ability to type esoteric "capital numbers," which Randall depicts as more extravagant versions of the familiar numerals. Although modern {{w|Latin letters}} have different {{w|letter case}} (i.e. capital or upper case and small or lower-case), {{w|Arabic numerals}} - the conventional numerals 0-9 used in the Western world - do not.

Stating that the game is old enough that it could have been played for 30 years, could be another attempt at making people, who actually did play the game in the early days, [[:Category:Comics to make one feel old|feel old]]. But is doesn't seem to be the main point of the comic.

Typing such numerals is said to require pressing the Alt, tilde (~), Scroll Lock, and numeral keys at the same time. Some keyboard layouts do not have a scroll lock key or a separate tilde key (such that pressing ~ actually requires pressing a shift key along with the ~ key), and in any event pressing four or five keys at once would be quite difficult. Needless to say, pressing all those keys simultaneously does not, in fact, do anything like what the comics describes in any known computer system, though some smaller subset of those keys together (i.e. "Alt ~" or "Alt numeral-key") might activate other operating system or user-defined shortcuts.

Keyboards vary in how many simultaneous key presses they can process ({{w|Rollover (key)|rollover}}). Computer keyboards for English may be limited to as few as 3 simultaneous keys, whereas other languages or higher quality keyboards may be able to handle an unlimited number of keys at once. (A musical keyboard might need to handle 10 or more simultaneous keys, likewise gaming or braille keyboards may need to handle many simultaneous keys.)

In the title text, Randall notes that [https://www.bamagazine.com/Text-type-typeface-s/105.htm certain typefaces] feature {{w|text figures}}, numerals that have ascenders and descenders, much as lower-case letters do, rather than all standing at the full X-height like capital letters. He then goes on to joke that, conversely, there are true "capital numerals," but they are a guarded secret of Mavis Beacon. {{w|Mavis Beacon (character)|Mavis Beacon}} was the character created as the typing instructor for the ''Mavis Beacon'' game, and is fictional, not a real person. Additionally, as a typing instructor, this person (even if she actually existed) would not be able to change typographical standards. Randall's description of Mavis Beacon as a "number {{w|maven}}" (that is, expert or connoisseur) contrasts with her supposed field of expertise in typing, which involves letters and punctuation more than numbers.

The comic itself hotlinks to this article: [https://www.fonts.com/content/learning/fontology/level-3/numbers/oldstyle-figures Oldstyle Figures]. It is about oldstyle/text figures.

==Transcript==
:[Cueball is sitting in an office chair at his desk in front of his computer reading a message that is shown coming from the screen with a zigzag line, going to the text above him. The two upper lines (of five) are separated from the lines below, but connected with a small zigzag line. The computer short cut is written in three boxes. The last line is the numbers from 1 to 9 and 0, in a highly stylized format but recognizable in this context. The digits are shown below in their standard appearance since the stylized versions cannot be reproduced in this transcript.]
:Congratulations.
:Use this power wisely.

:Key Code (secret!!):
:<kbd>Alt</kbd> + <kbd>Tilde</kbd> + <kbd>Scroll Lock</kbd> + Number
:1234567890

:[Caption below the panel:]
:After 30 years, I finally beat the end boss of ''Mavis Beacon'' and unlocked the ability to type capital numbers.

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Computers]]

2069: Wishlist

2018-11-09T19:34:16Z

172.68.46.173: /* Explanation */ copyedit

{{comic
| number = 2069
| date = November 7, 2018
| title = Wishlist
| image = wishlist.png
| titletext = Disappointed that they caved to fan pressure and went with Ruth Bader Ginsburg over Elena Kagan.
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Please only mention here why this explanation isn't complete. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}
''{{w|Super Smash Brothers}}'' (also titled as ''Super Smash Bros.'' and usually shortened to ''Smash'') is a crossover fighting game series published by Nintendo, primarily featuring Nintendo characters. As of publish date, there are 77 playable characters across the 5 games in the series. Starting with the third game, ''Super Smash Bros. Brawl'', characters from third-party franchises (non-Nintendo) have been made available, though most of them had at least made major appearances on a Nintendo system at some point. This comic is a parody of various fans' wishes for the roster of ''Super Smash Bros. Ultimate'', which was announced in 2018 along with multiple trailers revealing new characters to appear in the roster. In the November 1st trailer it was stated every new character in the launch version of the game had been announced, though with five more characters coming in 2019 as {{w|downloadable content}}.

Throughout the series fans have suggested new characters to add; however, developer acquiescence to these requests is rare, with only five characters out of 77 (King Dedede, Sonic the Hedgehog, Ryu, Bayonetta, and Ridley) having been added this way. On November 3rd, the developer studio Sora Ltd. made a statement on Twitter telling fans that the unrevealed DLC characters were finalized and they were not accepting further requests.

This comic lists 16 "characters" that Randall supposedly wishes were made available in ''Super Smash Bros.'', ranging from plausible playable characters, to the absurd.

; Mario / Luigi hybrid
: {{w|Mario}} and {{w|Luigi}} are characters in the {{w|Super Mario}} series, one of Nintendo's flagship franchises. They are both playable characters in the ''Super Smash Bros.'' series. A hybrid of these two characters would be quite interesting, even though such a concept does not exist within the Super Mario series. When considering how Mario and Luigi have evolved throughout the Smash series, one could argue that {{w|Dr. Mario}} is a hybrid of these two in terms of moveset.

; The SkiFree monster
: {{w|SkiFree}} is a computer game for Windows released in 1991. The player controls a skier trying to avoid obstacles. After the end of a full run, a {{w|Yeti|white furry monster}} appears, and tries to catch the player. The SkiFree monster was a subject of the [[667: SkiFree]] comic. Unlike most of the characters on this list, the SkiFree monster at least has had an appearance on a Nintendo system, as the game had a Game Boy Color port as part of the "The Best of Entertainment Pack" in 2001.

; Siri
: {{w|Siri}} is the name given to Apple's personal virtual assistant for iOS, macOS, and its other operating systems. Siri is generally a voice without a visual representation, so it is unclear how Siri would be a playable character in ''Super Smash Bros.''

; Ellie from ''Up''
: Ellie is one of the characters in ''{{w|Up (2009 film)|Up}}'', a 2009 Pixar film. In the beginning of the film, Ellie passes away, leaving her husband Carl alone, and leading him to start his adventure in Paradise Falls. While there was a tie-in video game based on the movie released in the same year for multiple systems (including the Wii and Nintendo DS), Ellie was not playable in it.

; Zordon
: {{w|Zordon}} is a fictional character from the ''Power Rangers'' franchise who serves as the mentor for the earlier Ranger teams. While he is technically trapped in another dimension, he is usually depicted as a blurry head in a tube. He occasionally has lightning powers, and had a robot sidekick (Alpha 5) who might be able to move him around. Alas, he is currently dead, having used his life energy to remove all evil from the galaxy at that time. While there have been many Power Rangers video games over the years, including on Nintendo platforms, Zordon would be an unlikely character not only due to his lack of extremities, but also due to the fact that the Power Rangers franchise is primarily built on stock footage of the Japanese ''Super Sentai'' series.

; Clippy
: Clippit, commonly nicknamed {{w|Clippy}}, was one of the Office Assistants for Microsoft Office (versions 1997 to 2003). It was an intelligent user interface that assisted users. Clippy (and the other Office Assistants) was negatively received by users, and was eventually removed in Office 2007.

; The Sarlaac [sic]
: The {{w|Sarlacc}} is an alien monster that lived in {{w|Tatooine}} in the ''{{w|Star Wars}}'' universe. It is most prominently shown in the film ''{{w|Return of the Jedi}}'', when the main heroes are sentenced to death by being dropped into the Sarlacc's mouth. Notably, the Sarlacc is a large, stationary creature embedded in the ground (essentially, a pit).
: This could be a reference to the Piranha Plant being confirmed as a DLC character, as Piranha Plants are typically stationary and embedded in the ground, and also have their big, toothy mouth as a primary feature.
: While the Sarlacc was featured in 1994's {{w|Super Star Wars: Return of the Jedi}} for the {{w|Super Nintendo Entertainment System}}, its lack of mobility would make it a poor choice for a character.

; InstallShield Wizard
: A ''wizard'' is a type of UI that simplifies configuration of an app or process by guiding the user through a number of screens in sequence. A user makes one decision on each screen, and the overall process puts less cognitive load on the user.
: {{w|InstallShield}} is a proprietary software tool for creating installer applications (or software packages) for Microsoft Windows. When the created package is being installed, the installer application can be shown in form of a 'standard Windows Wizard' dialog. Depending on the creativity of the user creating the package, the Wizard can display images while different stages of the installer are being executed.
: There are known instances of The InstallShield Wizard showing a wizard-like character images. Also, the standard wording of the installer text shown to the user ('software-to-be-installed is preparing the InstallShield Wizard, which will guide you through the program setup process') suggests that the Wizard is a 'real character'.

; Mr. Clean
: {{w|Mr. Clean}} is a brand and mascot for Procter & Gamble used for all-purpose cleaners and melamine foam cleaners.

; Comet Cursor
: {{w|Comet Cursor}} was Windows software that allowed users or websites to customise the mouse cursor. It was often installed with minimal user interaction and was accused of tracking users and being "spyware".

; Beto O'Rourke
: {{w|Beto O'Rourke}} is an American politician and businessman serving as the U.S. Representative for Texas's 16th congressional district since 2013. He was the nominee of the Democratic Party in the 2018 Texas U.S. Senate election (which was held the day before this comic appeared), running against Republican incumbent Ted Cruz. O'Rourke received much media attention leading up to the election, with many considering the election abnormally competitive. He ultimately did lose against Ted Cruz.
: While not a video game character, it is more than possible to create a Mii Fighter based on Beto O'Rourke in the game. However, the game does not come with a Beto O'Rourke Mii, and Nintendo has not created an official Mii of Beto O'Rourke.

; The Monopoly boot
: The "boot" is one of the classic pewter tokens from the board game ''{{w|Monopoly (game)|Monopoly}}''. Despite the absurdity of the request, the boot appeared in the 1999 ''Monopoly'' video game adaptation for the Nintendo 64. In 2017, the boot token was retired from the standard version of ''Monopoly''.

; Lot's wife
: Lot and his wife are characters from the book of Genesis in the Bible. According to the book of Genesis, Lot and his family had to {{w|Sodom_and_Gomorrah#In_the_Book_of_Genesis|flee the city of Sodom}}, which was being judged by God for its wickedness. They were commanded to flee and not look back at the city. However, Lot's wife looked back at the city and was turned into a pillar of salt. It is unclear which version of Lot's wife Randall wishes to be playable in the game.

; D.B. Cooper
: {{w|D.B. Cooper}} is the name popularly used to refer to an unidentified man who hijacked a Boeing 727 aircraft on November 24, 1971. He extorted $200,000 in ransom and parachuted out of the plane. His identity and whereabouts have never been discovered. D.B. Cooper was a subject of the [[1400: D.B. Cooper]] comic. As mentioned above, an enterprising player could easily make a Mii Fighter based on D.B. Cooper, though no such Mii has been provided by Nintendo.

; The Blair Witch
: The Blair Witch is the titular character of the ''{{w|The Blair Witch Project}}'', a 1999 "found footage" supernatural horror film. The film became one of the most successful independent films of all time. The witch is never actually shown in the film, making it difficult to turn into a character in the game.

; Mavis Beacon
: ''{{w|Mavis Beacon (character)|Mavis Beacon}}'' is a fictional character and the mascot of the ''{{w|Mavis Beacon Teaches Typing}}'' software series.

The title text refers to two US Supreme Court Associate Justices who were considered as additions to ''Smash''. {{w|Ruth Bader Ginsburg}} was appointed by Bill Clinton; {{w|Elena Kagan}} was appointed by Barack Obama. Both are considered to be on the "liberal" wing of the court, but Ginsburg’s forceful dissenting opinions may explain why she would have been a more popular character for Super Smash Bros. Additionally, Ginsburg has been parodied on ''{{w|Saturday Night Live}}'', adding to her popularity: [http://www.nbc.com/saturday-night-live/cast/kate-mckinnon-15056/impersonation/ruth-bader-ginsburg-100221]

==Transcript==
:[In a frame a bullet-list is shown:]
:Mario/Luigi hybrid
:The SkiFree monster
:Siri
:Ellie from ''Up''
:Zordon
:Clippy
:The Sarlaac
:The InstallShield Wizard
:Mr. Clean
:Comet Cursor
:Beto O'Rourke
:The Monopoly boot
:Lot's wife
:D.B. Cooper
:The Blair Witch
:Mavis Beacon

:[Caption below the frame:]
:Super Smash Brothers never did end up adding anyone from my wishlist.

{{comic discussion}}
[[Category:Video games]]

Talk:2064: I'm a Car

2018-10-29T05:42:15Z

172.68.46.173: /* Now deleted thing about the bomber's vehicle */ new section

Is that a Chevy Volt? --[[Special:Contributions/172.69.62.196|172.69.62.196]] 04:30, 26 October 2018 (UTC)
:Using google image search I could find various different taillight configurations on Chevrolet Volt's, but non where the lights extend to the trunk, and also downward on the site of the trunk. They are either above each other, or extending to the trunk. The one in the comic has both.--[[User:Lupo|Lupo]] ([[User talk:Lupo|talk]]) 07:51, 26 October 2018 (UTC)

Cars are getting more intelligent and the voters seem to get dumber. This comic states that some cars are more intelligent than the average voters. [[Special:Contributions/141.101.104.209|141.101.104.209]] 06:48, 26 October 2018 (UTC)

No matter how smart the car is it would need to meet eligibility requirements to vote. Cars are typically registered in a jurisdiction but are generally not recognized as citizens or residents for voting purposes. Only some cars meet the age requirements, e.g. in the United States the median age of an automobile was [https://news.ihsmarkit.com/press-release/automotive/average-age-vehicles-road-remains-steady-114-years-according-ihs-automotive 11.4 years] in 2014 while a voter must be at least 18 years of age to vote in US Federal elections. As for the title text, cars are generally incapable of reproduction [citation needed], ineligible for adoption [citation needed], and generally do not attend school [citation needed], making this scenario multiply implausible [[User:ChronoCronut|ChronoCronut]] ([[User talk:ChronoCronut|talk]]) 09:00, 26 October 2018 (UTC)
: "Only some cars meet the age requirements" Right, but they are very mature for their age. xD [[Special:Contributions/162.158.90.114|162.158.90.114]] 11:35, 26 October 2018 (UTC)
: It's time to start the car suffrage movement! [[User:N0lqu|-boB]] ([[User talk:N0lqu|talk]]) 13:13, 26 October 2018 (UTC)

"The entire comic seems to be related to self-driving cars, which has been a recurring subject on xkcd. As they first begins to drive by themselves, the next step is voting and later getting car babies that can grow up and become honor students." Actually, I think that this comic is about bumper stickers on cars. Of course people put bumper stickers on their cars to make a statement about themselves, but what if the bumper stickers were actually a statement by the car, not the person driving it. That's another common theme. [[User:Andyd273|Andyd273]] ([[User talk:Andyd273|talk]]) 12:26, 26 October 2018 (UTC)
: I agree the comic is about bumper stickers which use "first person" wording taken literally as being the cars themselves talking. However as we hear and see more about self driving cars, and get closer to mythical artificial intelligence, the day may come when this joke about literality could cease to be a joke. [[User:N0lqu|-boB]] ([[User talk:N0lqu|talk]]) 14:25, 26 October 2018 (UTC)

If this car made one of the questionable votes against network neutrality? {{unsigned|Gunterkoenigsmann}}

The first thing that jumped to my mind was that it also mixed in the security issues arising due to the "Internet of Things" problems. Admittedly, most IoT devices are used in DoS attacks and are generally not used as general purpose hacking jump boxes, but I see no reason that cellular network equipped cars could not be hacked and used as a source for voting in digital elections. Adrian Colyer has a great synopsis of two vehicle papers on his blog: https://blog.acolyer.org/2015/12/02/carshark/ and https://blog.acolyer.org/2015/12/03/fast-and-vulnerable/ . [[User:Tovodeverett|Tovodeverett]] ([[User talk:Tovodeverett|talk]]) 13:35, 26 October 2018 (UTC)
: But that would still be someone (a human) voting, albeit using the car as a vehicle [sic] for that vote. So the bumper sticker isn't being literal in this case, the car itself didn't vote, and so the joke doesn't work. [[User:N0lqu|-boB]] ([[User talk:N0lqu|talk]]) 18:22, 26 October 2018 (UTC)

I put a citation needed tag in as a joke, and someone actually found a source for it. {{unsigned ip|162.158.74.57}}
: I guessed that was what happened. I wonder how many other obvious statements have citations that someone could find? [[User:GreatWyrmGold|GreatWyrmGold]] ([[User talk:GreatWyrmGold|talk]]) 00:10, 27 October 2018 (UTC)

I wonder if it's less common to see these pointing out a party affiliation as in "I'm a Democrat" or "I'm a Republican" and more common to instead see them as showing membership in a special interest group like in "I'm a Mom" or "I'm a union worker" or likewise. [[User:Ianrbibtitlht|Ianrbibtitlht]] ([[User talk:Ianrbibtitlht|talk]]) 02:40, 27 October 2018 (UTC)

== Now deleted thing about the bomber's vehicle ==

Someone added text suggesting this comic was inspired by the stickers on the bomber's vehicle. Then someone else deleted that text because the comic had been posted before the bomber was arrested so Randall could not have known about the bomber's vehicle.

Does that mean it was a coincidence?

Or could the bomber have seen the comic and been inspired by it to put the stickers on the vehicle?

(The deleted text was "Possibly Randall is ironically referring to the car of the suspect in the pipe bomb case. His whole [https://cdn.cnn.com/cnnnext/dam/assets/181026125735-03-tarp-off-screengrab-1026-closer-exlarge-169.jpg van is covered with pro-Trump, anti-Democrat and anti-liberal stickers]. Or it's just particularly bad timing...")
[[Special:Contributions/172.68.46.173|172.68.46.173]] 05:42, 29 October 2018 (UTC)

Talk:206: Reno Rhymes

2018-10-02T17:13:28Z

172.68.46.173:

my Lai may also be a reference to Lai's definition, " a lyrical, narrative poem written in octosyllabic couplets that often deals with tales of adventure and romance." Can anyone tell if the poem in the comic fits the Lai's definition? If so, then Black Hat might also be saying "I shot a man in Reno, and a bunch more in my poem", referencing the poem they're saying. ---- {{unsigned|‎Bluewin}}
:Interesting idea, but unfortunately the rhymes are not octosyallbic, which means to contain eight syllables. [[User:Bbruzzo|Bbruzzo]] ([[User talk:Bbruzzo|talk]]) 17:06, 6 March 2016 (UTC)

The "Now, I don't mean to pry" is a reference to "The Princess Bride" (Inigo says that to Westley). [[Special:Contributions/108.162.231.56|108.162.231.56]] 21:44, 15 February 2015 (UTC) {{unsigned|‎Idanbhk}}

Reno: where poets go to satisfy their homocidal urges. The murder rate is through the roof. {{unsigned ip|RedHatGuy68}}

Someone correct me if I'm wrong, but isn't My Lai pronounced similar to melee? Would that not prevent it from rhyming in the comic? [[Special:Contributions/173.245.54.24|173.245.54.24]] 07:42, 22 July 2016 (UTC)
:{{w|My Lai Massacre|Wikipedia}} gives three pronunciations: /ˌmiːˈlaɪ/ (me-LIE), /ˌmiːˈleɪ/, (me-LAY) and /ˌmaɪˈlaɪ/ (my-LIE). I guess Randall was using the last one. [[User:KangaroOS|Kangaro]][[User talk:KangaroOS|OS]] 12:02, 23 July 2016 (UTC)
:Melee is pronounced as (MAY-lay), which does not rhyme with the poem, so that would prevent the rhyming scheme from continuing.

Finally. Finished the table. [[User:Herobrine|Herobrine]] ([[User talk:Herobrine|talk]]) 11:10, 7 April 2018 (UTC)

Why is the table bad? - Welp [[Special:Contributions/172.68.46.173|172.68.46.173]] 17:13, 2 October 2018 (UTC)

2040: Sibling-in-Law

2018-08-31T16:56:20Z

172.68.46.173: /* Transcript */ add

{{comic
| number = 2040
| date = August 31, 2018
| title = Sibling-in-Law
| image = sibling_in_law.png
| titletext = FYI, it turns out "...because I haven't figured out whether he would be my brother-in-law or not" does NOT qualify as a "reason why these two should not be wed."
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Created by a BOT-in-law 6 times removed - Please change this comment when editing this page. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}

This comic shows the complicated way that English refers to {{w|sibling-in-law}} family relationships. As shown in the comic, your sibling's spouse would be called your "sibling-in-law" (either brother-in-law, or sister-in-law). However, your spouse's brother or sister is also called the same way (brother-in-law or sister-in-law).

The confusion lies with your siblings-in-law's siblings. Randall says they may be "also siblings-in-law, I think?" and further relations are also "possible ''additional'' siblings-in-law". According to Wikipedia, "sibling-in-law is one's spouse's sibling, or one's sibling's spouse, or one's spouse's sibling's spouse"; therefore Randall is correct with the "also siblings-in-law" on the right (his 'spouse's sibling's spouse') but not is incorrect regarding the one on the left (his 'sibling's spouse's sibling' would not generally be considering a sibling-in-law).

The caption compares "sibling-in-law" to "<X>th cousin <Y> times removed". This family relationship, for example, {{w|Cousin#Basic_definitions|1st cousin once removed}}, is used to describe your 1st cousin's son or daughter or your second cousin's father or mother. The "once removed" indicates that the family relative is one generation above or below yours.

The title text refers to an audience member at a wedding being unsure whether the marriage would make one of the participants his brother-in-law and objecting to the union on that basis. If Randall's sibling was getting married, the answer would obviously be 'yes'. If Randall's spouse's sibling (who was already Randall's sibling-in-law on that basis) was getting married, the answer would also be 'yes'. In all other cases, the answer would be 'no'.

==Transcript==
{{incomplete transcript|Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}
:[A single layer of a family tree is shown, with 15 people.]
:Me
:Sibling
:Spouse
:Siblings-in-law
:Also siblings-in-law, I think?
:Possible ''additional'' siblings-in-law???

:[Caption below the frame:]
:People complain that “<X>th cousin <Y> times removed” is hard to understand, but to me the most confusing one is sibling-in-law, because it chains across both sibling and marriage links and I don't really know where it stops.

{{comic discussion}}