explain xkcd - User contributions [en]

2122: Size Venn Diagram

2019-03-11T18:52:47Z

172.69.210.52: /* List of Items in the Diagram */ Large White is a very common commercially-bred breed of pig, they are absolutely not extinct.

{{comic
| number = 2122
| date = March 11, 2019
| title = Size Venn Diagram
| image = size_venn_diagram.png
| titletext = Terms I'm going to start using: The Large Dipper, great potatoes, the Big Hadron Collider, and Large Orphan Annie.
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Created by a Large Terror. Please mention here why this explanation isn't complete. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}
This comic is a {{w|Venn diagram}} illustrating the complete set of possible intersections of five different size descriptors: "little, "large", "small", and "great", “big”. Each unique intersection contains a short list of terms that can be preceded by each applicable descriptor. For example, "flying fox" (a type of bat) appears at the intersection of "large", "small", and "great", because the species {{w|large flying fox}}, {{w|small flying fox}}, and {{w|great flying fox}} all exist, but there is no such species as a "big flying fox" or a "little flying fox". {{w|Small intestine}} and {{w|large intestine}} both exist, not the rest.

Some descriptors are applied in pairs; for example, "planet" is placed to be in both the "little" and "big" groups, a reference to the video game Little Big Planet.

The title text has Randall suggesting he will start using term combinations that don't appear in the above diagram.

==Transcript==


:Big: Bang Theory, Enchilada, Board, Sur
:Little: [[wikipedia:Little Orphan Annie|Orphan Annie]], [[wikipedia:Little House on the Prairie|House on the Prairie]], [[wikipedia:Little Richard|Richard]]
:Large: [[wikipedia:large format|format]], [[wikipedia:Large Millimeter Telescope|Millimeter Telescope]], [[wikipedia:Large Hadron Collider|Hadron Collider]]
:Small: [[wikipedia:small claims court|claims court]], [[wiktionary:small potatoes|potatoes]]
:Great: [[wikipedia:Great Barrier Reef|Barrier Reef]], [[wikipedia:Great Wall of China|Wall of China]], [[wikipedia:Great Depression|Depression]], [[wikipedia:Great Terror|Terror]], [[wiktionary:great-aunt|aunt]]

:Big/Great: Bend, Bear Lake
:Big/Small: time, screen
:Big/Little: [[wikipedia:Big Dipper|Dipper]]/[[wikipedia:Ursa Minor|Dipper]], [[wikipedia:LittleBigPlanet|Planet]], [[wikipedia:Little Lies|Lies]]/[[wiktionary:big lie|lie]], [[wiktionary:little sister|sister]]/[[wiktionary:big sister|sister]]
:Little/Great: Blue Heron
:Little/Large: [[wikipedia:Little Professor|Professor]]/[[wikipedia:Large Professor|Professor]], Forest Bat
:Big/Large: Toothed Aspen
:Large/Small: intestine, Magellanic Cloud
:Little/Small: wonder, soldiers
:Small/Great: pox, cardiac vein
:Large/Great: Billed Seed Finch

:Big/Large/Great: hearted
:Big/Small/Great: end
:Big/Little/Small: foot
:Big/Little/Great: league
:Little/Large/Great: (none)
:Big/Little/Large: foundation
:Big/Large/Small: Eyed Conger, Blue
:Little/Large/Small: emerald
:Little/Small/Great: circle, room
:Large/Small/Great: flying fox

:Big/Large/Small/Great: game, white
:Big/Little/Small/Great : world, one
:Big/Little/Large/Great : (none)
:Big/Little/Large/Small : frog
:Little/Large/Small/Great : (none)

:Big/Little/Large/Small/Great: Island

==List of Items in the Diagram==
{| class="wikitable"
!Item
!Big
!Great
!Large
!Little
!Small
|-
|'''Aunt'''
|
|The sister of one's grandparent
|
|
|
|-
|'''Bang Theory'''
|currently-accepted {{w|Big Bang|scientific theory}} that explains the origin of the universe; also a {{w|The Big Bang Theory|TV sitcom}}|| || || ||
|-
|'''Barrier Reef'''
|
|{{w|Great Barrier Reef|world's largest coral reef system}}, off the coast of Australia
|
|
|
|-
|'''Blue'''
|Nickname for [https://www.ibm.com IBM] and the {{w|New York Giants}}, also [https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0095250 a movie]
|
|butterfly
|
|butterfly
|-
|'''Board'''
| Nickname for the {{w|New York Stock Exchange}} || || || ||
|-
|'''Claims Court'''
|
|
|
|
|{{w|Small claims court|Judicial court}} that handles cases involving only relatively small amounts of money
|-
|'''enchilada'''
|[[wiktionary:big enchilada|important person]] || || || ||
|-
|'''Depression'''
|
|{{w|Great Depression|Period of prolonged economic downturn}} that affected the world economy in the 1930's
|
|
|
|-
|'''Eyed Conger'''
|eel
|
|eel
|
|eel
|-
|'''Forest Bat'''
|
|
|bat
|bat
|
|-
|'''Format'''
|
|
|{{w|Large format|anything larger than 4x5 inches in photography}}
|
|
|-
|'''Hadron Collider'''
|
|
|particle accelerator
|
|
|-
|'''House on the Prairie'''
|
|
|
|novel (and TV)
|
|-
|'''Intestine'''
|
|
|gut
|
|gut
|-
|'''Island'''
|{{w|Big Island|largest island in Hawaii}}
|{{w|Great Island|in Cork Harbour, Ireland}}
|{{w|Large Island|island in the Antilles, owned by Grenada}}
|{{w|Little Island|several islands named such}}, plus a song in ''{{w|Randy Newman's Faust}}''
|{{w|Small Island (novel)|novel which was made into a movie}}
|-
|'''Magellanic Cloud'''
|
|
|galaxy
|
|galaxy
|-
|'''Millimeter Telescope'''
|
|
|radiotelescope
|
|
|-
|'''Orphan Annie'''
|
|
|
|comic strip
|
|-
|'''Potatoes'''
|
|
|
|
|term to describe something as relatively unimportant
|-
|'''Pox'''
|
|an old name for {{w|syphilis}}
|
|
|{{w|smallpox|a deadly disease}} which was effectively eradicated by 1977
|-
|'''Professor'''
|
|
|rap artist
|calculator (also Asperger's)
|
|-
|'''Richard'''
|
|
|
|{{w|Little Richard|musician}}
|
|-
|'''Screen'''
|another name for movies
|
|
|
|another name for TV
|-
|'''Sur'''
|{{w|Big Sur|coastal region of California}} famed for its mountain scenery
|
|
|
|
|-
|-
|'''Terror'''
|
|One of two periods of violent political repression; one during {{w|Reign of Terror|the French Revolution}} between 1793 and 1794, the other in {{w|Great Purge|the Soviet Union under Josef Stalin}} between 1936 and 1938
|
|
|
|-
|'''Time'''
|major
|
|
|
|minor
|-
|'''Toothed Aspen'''
|tree (bigtooth)
|
|tree
|
|
|-
|'''Wall of China'''
|
|{{w|Great Wall of China|Series of fortifications}} over 13,000 miles long that served to protect various Chinese empires from raids and invasion from their north
|
|
|
|-
|'''White'''
|{{w|Big White Ski Resort|ski resort in British Columbia}}
|{{w|Great white shark|species of shark}} or a {{w|Great White|rock band}}
|{{w|Pieris brassicae|a butterfly}} or {{w|Large White pig|a common breed of pig}}
|
|{{w|Dixeia|multiple species}} of {{w|Pieris rapae|butterflies}} are known as small whites
|}

{{comic discussion}}

2111: Opportunity Rover

2019-02-14T04:12:01Z

172.69.210.52: /* Explanation */

{{comic
| number = 2111
| date = February 13, 2019
| title = Opportunity Rover
| image = opportunity_rover.png
| titletext = Thanks for bringing us along.
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete| Please mention here why this explanation isn't complete. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}

Some people think that this comic is a paean to the {{w|Opportunity (rover)|Opportunity rover}}, and its nearly 15 year mission in which it sent back publicly available photos and research from Mars to Earth. The evening prior to this comic uploading (Feb 12, 2019), (((Nasa)))'s JPL sent their [https://arstechnica.com/science/2019/02/opportunity-did-not-answer-nasas-final-call-and-its-now-gone-to-us/ final data request] to the rover, in hopes that it would respond. When it did not, the rover was declared to be officially lost.

The comic starts with a straw-person argument, as White Hat is lamenting that "Kids these days..." look at the world through their camera phones (and thus don't experience it directly). To this Randall appears to counter that sharing and showing to others is an exciting part of the joy. The comic ends by thanking Rover (and NASA) for allowing the general public to receive the pictures and data and shows some "followers" which represents everyone on Earth listening to the words from Rover as it described (and shared) the incredible experiences it had on Mars in its 15 Earth-year lifetime. Note, perhaps the reference to "dust devil" suggests these may have been the last such descriptions as that may refer to the deadly global dust storm that likely killed the Rover and ended the mission.
The title text shows gratitude for the rover, which brought everyone on Earth, including Randall along in its journey by sending images of the journey to Earth.

The Opportunity rover also appeared in [[1504: Opportunity]], while its twin rover Spirit also had a dedicated comic in [[695: Spirit]]

==Transcript==
{{incomplete transcript|Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}

:[White Hat is watching while two people in the background hold their phones to use their cameras.]
:Some people complain that we see the world through our cameras.
:White Hat: Kids these days...

:[Cueball points to the left with his hand while shouting.]
:But for me, the really exciting part of finding something new
:Cueball: ''Wow, you gotta come see this!''
:has always been showing it to others.

:[A space probe is approaching a planet.]
:Exploring an entire new world
:would already be the adventure of a lifetime.
:Imagine having the chance to share every new sight

:[A queue of seven people is seen following a rover.]
:with seven billion friends.
:Rover: ...and here's a trench I dug with my wheel, and here's where a dust devil went ''right'' past me, and over there is the biggest cliff I've ever seen, and this is...

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Comics featuring White Hat]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Science Girl]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Hairy]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Megan]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Ponytail]]
[[Category:Mars rovers]]
[[Category:Space]]

Talk:2109: Invisible Formatting

2019-02-08T18:11:42Z

172.69.210.52:

This reminds me of the person who used l (lower-case "L") instead of 1 for data entry at some business. Amazingly, the computer accepted it (BAD programming!) and it wasn't found out until the end of the tax year, when all heck broke loose! [[Special:Contributions/162.158.75.136|162.158.75.136]] 14:50, 8 February 2019 (UTC)
:Some programming puzzles are often solved with stuff like this: AΑ [[User:Fabian42|Fabian42]] ([[User talk:Fabian42|talk]]) 15:19, 8 February 2019 (UTC)
:"l" (lower-case "L") is a valid suffix to integer literals in C and derived languages. It indicates the number is of the "long int" type as opposed to a plain "int". Because C automatically upconverts the "int" type into "long int" when needed, the "l" suffix is rarely used. The result: "long int a = 1;" and "long int a = 1l;" mean exactly the same thing, and both statements are perfectly standard and won't raise any warning from compilers. "ll" (double el) is also a valid suffix, this time for the "long long int" type. [[User:GuB|GuB]] ([[User talk:GuB|talk]]) 15:39, 8 February 2019 (UTC)

I went to this page, expecting it to be self-referential. Was not disappointed. [[User:Fabian42|Fabian42]] ([[User talk:Fabian42|talk]]) 15:19, 8 February 2019 (UTC)

Some markup conversion tools don't handle hidden bold spaces correctly. This HTML to Markdown converter is an example: https://anthonychu.github.io/to-markdown/ It converts <code><nowiki>a </nowiki></code> to <code>**a **</code> instead of <code>**a** </code>. [[Special:Contributions/172.69.62.10|172.69.62.10]] 15:40, 8 February 2019 (UTC)
:Hah, this comment is not mine! Somehow I have your IP now. [[Special:Contributions/172.69.62.10|172.69.62.10]] 17:47, 8 February 2019 (UTC)

Were the periods in the beginning there for a specific reason? [[User:Netherin5|Netherin5]] ([[User talk:Netherin5|talk]]) 17:42, 8 February 2019 (UTC)
:The user 108.162.245.16 thought it was a good idea for some reason. Glad you fixed it. I finished the job [[Special:Contributions/172.69.62.10|172.69.62.10]] 17:46, 8 February 2019 (UTC)

I've had this happen when writing papers. Bold. Unbold. Later backspace into the hidden bold space and everything typed after gets put in bold. If a professor gives you a page count instead of a word count, you can make the punctuation in your paper bold (or increase the font) to add some extra padding that might go unnoticed. Don't actually do this if you can't convey your thesis in fewer words. [[Special:Contributions/172.69.210.52|172.69.210.52]] 18:11, 8 February 2019 (UTC)

Talk:2079: Alpha Centauri

2018-12-02T15:46:23Z

172.69.210.52:

Possible concept projects he's referencing: 
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2069_Alpha_Centauri_mission
or
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Breakthrough_Starshot 
[[Special:Contributions/172.68.65.150|172.68.65.150]] 18:18, 30 November 2018 (UTC) 
: Breakthrough Starshot sounds relevent enough to mention in the article. In 2016 an earth-like planet was discovered orbiting Proxima Centauri, which is the closest star in the universe to our sun. Other destinations are considered for the project, but the plan is to visit this planet. Expected velocity is 37,300 km/s. Estimated departure date is 2036, arriving by 2066. Significant funding exists. But some of the technologies do not quite yet. (for those who don't want to click the link) [[Special:Contributions/162.158.187.25|162.158.187.25]] 21:06, 30 November 2018 (UTC)
Alpha century does have 3 stars: Alpha Centauri A (also named Rigil Kentaurus[15]), Alpha Centauri B (also named Toliman), and a small and faint red dwarf (Class M), Alpha Centauri C (also named Proxima Centauri[15])
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alpha_Centauri 
[[Special:Contributions/172.68.65.150|172.68.65.150]] 18:18, 30 November 2018 (UTC) 
I don't know what the (voices off) is complaining about. We only have one star! So Alpha Centauti is an upgrade ;-) [[User:RIIW - Ponder it|RIIW - Ponder it]] ([[User talk:RIIW - Ponder it|talk]]) 18:44, 30 November 2018 (UTC)
:But if your going to upgrade, go all the way at least. (Definitely not an excuse I use to buy better PC hardware)[[User:Linker|Linker]] ([[User talk:Linker|talk]]) 18:49, 30 November 2018 (UTC)
Check out figure 1 on page 3 of this 2016 study: http://www.ice.csic.es/personal/iribas/Proxima_b/pdf/Proxima_habitability_II.pdf showing how likely the researchers believe there to be oceans on Proxima b. They expect us to be able to determine what's true directly in 10 years when construction of larger telescopes is completed. Most other sources I found in my brief search are very careful to say that we do not know at all whether or not there is water on this nearby exoplanet. [[Special:Contributions/162.158.186.108|162.158.186.108]]

I (on the basis of no astrophysicists training, just being a Civil Engineer) can't help wondering that of the three planets in the Sun's Goldilocks zone* that only one has...
1. a strong enough magnetic field to prevent the solar wind stripping off a light atmosphere, that prevents the water boiling and being blown away.
2. an abnormally big moon**.
3. proven plate tectonics.
4. macro life.

And so that 2 is crucial to 1 and 3 and 3 is crucial to 4 (including 1 of course)

So why we expect liquid water everywhere is a mystery to me.

YMMV and I reserve the right to be (proved) wrong

*apparently according to various things I have read over the decades
**some believe Mars had a bigger moon (magnetic field and oceans) before it's orbit decayed and it collided.

[[User:RIIW - Ponder it|RIIW - Ponder it]] ([[User talk:RIIW - Ponder it|talk]]) 19:43, 1 December 2018 (UTC)

Hmm:
4.367 light years / 35 years = 0.12477 light years/year

The above math assumes a constant speed, and requires a speed of ~0.0001c.

Wouldn't the assumed constant speed be about 12% of light-speed instead? 0.12477 light-years/year (cancel the years) = 0.12477 c.

While conventional rockets could not carry enough fuel for an accelerating trip, what about ion propulsion? Low mass ejected at really high speeds for a long time could accelerate the space craft over the entire distance, with a turn-around halfway. 0.0625 g has been achieved by modern ion thrusters. The question is whether you could still carry enough propellant for 35 years. [[User:Nutster|Nutster]] ([[User talk:Nutster|talk]]) 10:54, 2 December 2018 (UTC)

Little do they realize, it's 3 [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michelin_Guide Michelin stars]. [[Special:Contributions/172.69.210.52|172.69.210.52]] 15:46, 2 December 2018 (UTC)

Talk:281: Online Package Tracking

2018-12-02T15:44:33Z

172.69.210.52: Accidentally put a comment for the latest comic forgetting that I came to this page looking up a different comic.

Alternatively, the pros are that it is convenient and useful, and the cons are that it makes me and that it is crazy. {{unsigned|‎Zorlax the Mighty}}

This comic gets referenced in the 100th [https://what-if.xkcd.com/100/ What If] article. [[Special:Contributions/172.69.210.34|172.69.210.34]] 00:56, 13 September 2018 (UTC)

Talk:281: Online Package Tracking

2018-12-02T15:43:47Z

172.69.210.52:

Talk:2065: Who Sends the First Text?

2018-11-14T21:26:16Z

172.69.210.52:

This one hits home with me as I always try to balance this (I think I was taught this by my mom, consciously or not) and when the balancing fails the friendship fails too - usually painfully. --[[Special:Contributions/162.158.88.44|162.158.88.44]] 15:49, 29 October 2018 (UTC)

I couldn't help but notice that the far-right category (automated alerts and political campaigns) has a non-zero width, occupying the approximate range of 96~100%. Could this vaguely suggest that, for some automated alerts and political campaigns, Randall sends the first text as much as 4% of the time? [[User:Manabender|Manabender]] ([[User talk:Manabender|talk]]) 16:17, 29 October 2018 (UTC)
: Maybe for political campaigns for causes he believes in, he has been known to initiate a call. I'd be inclined to believe the automated alerts are at the 100% end. [[User:N0lqu|-boB]] ([[User talk:N0lqu|talk]]) 17:16, 29 October 2018 (UTC)
: And he might "opt in" to an automated alert system for something he considers beneficial, like weather alerts. [[User:N0lqu|-boB]] ([[User talk:N0lqu|talk]]) 17:53, 29 October 2018 (UTC)

::during the [https://developers.google.com/open-source/gsoc/2006/ Google Summer of Code 2006] one developer wrote a [https://github.com/rosedu/Pidgin/blob/master/pidgin/plugins/cap/README Contact Availability Prediction plugin] for Pidgin that solve a similar problem. --[[User:Valepert|valepert]] ([[User talk:Valepert|talk]]) 19:31, 29 October 2018 (UTC)

I find it relevant that "People I politely put up with" is not actually present on the graph, and could be a reference to how we are often more critical of how we think we're being perceived by others than we actually are, and highlights that the far left of the graph is largely imagined. [[Special:Contributions/108.162.215.58|108.162.215.58]] 15:08, 30 October 2018 (UTC)

The transcript lists the category labels left to right, but in the comic the leftmost category is labeled _after_ the second leftmost category. Especially because the leftmost category builds upon the label of the second leftmost, I think these two should be rearranged. [[Special:Contributions/108.162.216.250|108.162.216.250]] 15:27, 30 October 2018 (UTC)
:I've added a phrase that it's below (not after) the second. Since I read a bar chart based on the graph I didn't change the order (meaning: I always read this "second" text first, but also recognizing that it's not the first text). If you have a better solution, feel free to change it. --[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 20:17, 30 October 2018 (UTC)
::OK, I think I've found a proper solution to change the order like probaly most people do read. Please check it. --[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 20:45, 30 October 2018 (UTC)

"this graph shows the majority of his relationships involve friends whereby both sides are prone to initiating conversations" Where does it show this? [[Special:Contributions/172.69.210.52|172.69.210.52]] 21:26, 14 November 2018 (UTC)

Talk:2066: Ballot Selfies

2018-11-14T21:21:43Z

172.69.210.52:

What harm do laws banning ballot selfies do? [[User:Ryanker|Ryanker]] ([[User talk:Ryanker|talk]]) 15:51, 31 October 2018 (UTC)ryanker
: After reading the Wikipedia article on this, I've realized that, similar to jaywalking and loitering laws, ballot selfies are so common that they cannot be effectively restricted. The result appears to be that enforcement only happens when there is some additional reason for it, reinforcing and strengthening existing oppressions and power dynamics. [[Special:Contributions/162.158.186.162|162.158.186.162]] 00:23, 2 November 2018 (UTC)
: You're coming at it from exactly the wrong direction. What harm does taking a ballot selfie do? {{unsigned ip|40.57.163.322}}
:: I'm against anyone who is holding up the line for the rest of us who are trying to vote, especially those egotistical who think anyone wants to see their stupid pictures. [[Special:Contributions/162.158.123.127|162.158.123.127]] 05:24, 1 November 2018 (UTC)
::: Photos are pretty quick. I'm against those who are making oil paintings of their voting. [[User:N0lqu|-boB]] ([[User talk:N0lqu|talk]]) 13:13, 1 November 2018 (UTC)
: I'm thinking the flavor text is talking as if from the point of view of someone who has grown used to sharing photos of themselves with others, to communicate, encourage, feel connected. Depicting their own behavior so directly might even seem a valid way to sway someone's opinion to such a person. I guess when thinking about it, it would support democracy better to share the act of voting rather than the actual vote made. Curious regarding other opinions. [[Special:Contributions/162.158.91.83|162.158.91.83]] 16:09, 31 October 2018 (UTC)
:: yes, fully agree with this. Just take all the selfies you want on the way there, in front of the place where you vote, on the way back. Just not during that one minute you spend inside the booth, and not showing your actual ballot. If you absolutely want to disclose what you actually voted for, you can still do so by writing a caption. It's that simple, and probably legal in most places around the world.--[[Special:Contributions/141.101.77.140|141.101.77.140]] 16:22, 31 October 2018 (UTC)
: Thought of another reason: if the government were to hack or misrepresent the vote, the people could use proof of voting to prove the fraud. [[Special:Contributions/172.68.50.136|172.68.50.136]] 16:12, 31 October 2018 (UTC)
:: If a government can hack your vote, couldn't they hack your phone? ;-) [[User:Kev|Kev]] ([[User talk:Kev|talk]]) 16:28, 31 October 2018 (UTC)
::: But you could just print out the photo, and it becomes physical, unhackable proof. {{unsigned ip|162.158.79.101}}
::: Additionally, to fake your vote, all they need to do is lie. [[Special:Contributions/162.158.93.27|162.158.93.27]] 00:55, 1 November 2018 (UTC)
: Banning photos in polling stations is sensible. If I offered you $1,000 to vote for Trump you would be mad not to agree - you could vote how you wanted, and tell me you voted for Trump and get your money. If photos were allowed, to get your money I could request a photo of you with your ballot paper. If people can take photos of their vote, people can buy votes. If they can't, it's much more difficult to do that. [[User:DrDave|DrDave]] ([[User talk:DrDave|talk]]) 12:44, 1 November 2018 (UTC)
::Not just positive coercion but also negative - spouses, religious leaders, or whomever demanding proof that you'd voted the way they told you to "or else." [[Special:Contributions/172.68.58.113|172.68.58.113]] 12:57, 1 November 2018 (UTC)
:::This is EXACTLY my point. My concern would be employers (e.g. Hobby Lobby) making voting for or against a specific candidate or issue a condition of employment. If ballot selfies are allowed, then there is no way to stop this. I don't mind selfies of people going into the polling place. However, there should be no (legal) way to take a picture of your ballot and make it public, including another voter, accidentally or not, capturing you and your ballot in the background of their selfie. {{unsigned ip|162.158.75.196}}
::But you could also take a picture of your vote, then request a new ballot due to making a mistake. Picture proof to collect your $1k, and still making the vote you really wanted. [[Special:Contributions/172.69.210.52|172.69.210.52]] 21:21, 14 November 2018 (UTC)
In the United kingdom it is illegal to take a phtograph of the ballot paper even if no vote is recorded - as such an image could reveal the mark used to authenticate the ballot paper.
Until recently this was a pattern of holed stamped into the paper as it is issued, though now printed bar codes are used. Theoretically if you know the mark, you could then stuff a ballot box. Although if the number of papers does not match that recorded by the returning clerk then the entire box would be declared invalid and the election rerun. [[User:Arachrah|Arachrah]] ([[User talk:Arachrah|talk]]) 16:45, 31 October 2018 (UTC)
: I think you're saying that in states where vote selfies are legal, somebody might be able to use such a selfie to produce counterfeit ballots, and submit them. Also that the ballots are counted and a vote is rerun whenever the count is wrong, to additionally deter this. It's hard to believe that count is always correct for such huge numbers of physical objects each handled by a human being: does this rerun happen commonly? [[Special:Contributions/162.158.93.27|162.158.93.27]] 00:55, 1 November 2018 (UTC)
:: Why would someone need to look at someone else's selfie to produce counterfeit ballots? Seems like a very round about way when it's easy enough to get an actual ballot yourself. [[Special:Contributions/108.162.245.58|108.162.245.58]] 01:40, 1 November 2018 (UTC)
:::It's not about counterfeits - it's about The Secrecy Of The Ballot. It is essential to a free and fair election that the voter can vote in complete secrecy AND that they be completely unable to prove how they voted (or indeed, if they voted at all). In the UK, the way you voted (or IF you voted at all) is intended to be completely secret - only you know - and you have NO WAY to prove it. But selfies, printed paper receipts from eletronic voting machines and online or postal voting all circumvent that concept. The concept is important because if someone tries to coerce you to voting in a way you do not wish to - then that coercion will be ineffective if they cannot confirm that you did as they wanted you do to. I've updated the explain to try to cover this point more carefully. However, this alone is not enough - an evil-doer can instead find people who are demographically-likely to vote against their preferred candidate and instead coerce them to not vote at all - which isn't as effective as forcing them to vote the opposite way - but is still enough to flip the election. Some laws (such as in Texas) that make it increasingly hard for poorer people to vote by demanding proof-of-identity in ways they cannot manage is a classic example of that. Even a homeless person has a right to vote - but without papers that establish that they are who they claim to be - they are effectively disenfranchised - which is unconstitutional. [[User:SteveBaker|SteveBaker]] ([[User talk:SteveBaker|talk]]) 13:25, 1 November 2018 (UTC)
::::Hey SteveBaker; I really agree with your views here. I notice you removed the phrase "violent coercion" which I added when you made your edits. I have a smidge of experience with being violently coerced to do things, and how crowds of people who are for example addicted to the products of a drug lord can be forced to behave as he or she wishes in order to continue their lives. I feel it's really valuable to use the word "violent" here to bring people's minds into how intense this could become, or could be already in areas where votes are provable. I'll try a little to add it back, but if I disrupt the new flow I'm sorry, I do not mean to. [[Special:Contributions/172.69.62.226|172.69.62.226]] 18:33, 1 November 2018 (UTC)

I have a question with this, what if you don't post your ballot selfies anywhere on social media platforms like Snapchat, Instagram, Imgur or Twitter and keeping the picture on your phone? Will they still be able to arrest you and find you guilty?Boeing-787lover 08:17, 4 November 2018 (UTC) {{unsigned|Xkcdreader52}}

Something that I think you should consider is not just fraud and vote buying but people who do ballot selfies pressing others to do the same (which is actually happening!). In the GDR (East Germany) you were technically ''allowed'' to vote in secret but it was not mandatory. The result: if you voted secret you were considered part of the opposition and persecuted. 
Now, there are people who encourage others to do ballot selfies to encourage turnout. But say, your friends all vote for Party A (the majority where you live) but you want to vote for Party B or Party C. Your friends are totally on board with the ballot selfie idea because they think it will increase voter turnout and pressure you to also participate. Now you either have to either justify who you're voting for, justify not sharing or give in to peer pressure. 
Personally, I think that allowing ballot selfies is undemocratic. The fact that postal voting and electronic voting may compromise secrecy or that someone might secret take a picture anyway is not a justification - it means that people should be encouraged to vote in person, that there should be safeguards and observers from different parties for the count and that electronic voting (which comprises either secrecy or integrity) should be banned (which is actually the case in many or most European countries), and '''not''' that you should just give up on secrecy. Secrecy is integral to free elections. --[[Special:Contributions/162.158.91.185|162.158.91.185]] 11:04, 6 November 2018 (UTC)

'''Comment from an actual Maryland Voting Chief Judge'''

Being a Chief in Maryland means that I run a precinct with a co-chief who can not be registered with the same party. Maryland does ban the use of cell phones in precincts, to the point where there is a sign at the entrance to the precinct room saying that cell phones must be turned off. Voting Operations Judges (the people who work for me on election day) are not allowed to have phones either. My co-chief and I *do* for contact with the Board of Elections only. In practice, the no cell phone rule is based on two pillars, one being the Ballot Selfie reason, and the other, being that cell phones ringing or talking on cell phones is very annoying while people only 3 feet away from you are also voting. Yes, the fraud concept could be circumvented by taking a picture of your ballot and then screwing it up, filling in every circle and then when the scanner rejects it, getting a replacement ballot and voting the way that you want. (Maryland does it by filling out paper with bubbles like a standardized test and then scanning *and* keeping the ballot.

However in the 2018 election, I first started running into people putting who they wanted to vote for on their phone and then not being able to use it once they got to the precinct (The solution given is to hand the voter a piece of paper and a pen, stepping out and allowing them to copy the information down. But as that becomes more common, I'm not sure what the solution is. If I thought that half the people who walked into my precinct understood how to put their phones into airplane mode, I'd support that, but I've had too many people walk into my precinct who didn't know how to turn their phone *off*, so I'm not holding out much hope for that in the next decade.

As for the oil painting in the photo, as a Chief Judge, I'd be *really* torn. On the one hand, that would be really neat, on the other, they would be using a voting booth for much, much longer than most voters, and while anyone who enters by closing is allowed to vote, this probably keep me from going home at a reasonable hour. If they picked one of the less used Early Voting centers in my county on a slow day and started first thing in the morning, maybe they'd finish...

OTOH, my county's Board of Elections *does* encourage I voted selfies. Get your "I voted" stickers stand out in the hall and have fun. I've even volunteered to take photos of families!

TL;DR - Not legal in Maryland with explanation attached. {{unsigned|Naraht}}

Talk:2067: Challengers

2018-11-14T21:05:25Z

172.69.210.52:

'''New category elections'''

I've created a new category for elections: [[:Category:Elections]]. Please help and add this category to other comics I've missed so far. --[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 09:47, 2 November 2018 (UTC)

'''Further discussions'''

''Calling it now'': lots of complaining about campaigning, by folks who prefer jokes. [[User:KangaroOS|Kangaro]][[User talk:KangaroOS|OS]] 06:25, 2 November 2018 (UTC)
:Count me in. Though I feel I'm one of a group with a legitimate gripe, I'm not American, and thus am not affected by nor have any stake in this election, and to whom this election stuff is largely like the "Wah wah wah" stuff from Peanuts when adults talk. :) [[User:NiceGuy1|NiceGuy1]] ([[User talk:NiceGuy1|talk]]) 06:58, 5 November 2018 (UTC)

There are hidden comics. I've found three so far:
Attack ad comic in north half of Texas.
Ballot measure comic in north half of California.
Gerrymandering comic in north half of Washington.
IronyIsGood 06:16, 2 November 2018 (AEST) {{unsigned ip|108.162.249.184}}

: Steve King comic in north-western Iowa
: St Louis comic on the border of Missouri and Illinois {{unsigned ip|162.158.90.144}}
: "Abigail Spanberger for Congress", just below Richmond, Virginia [[Special:Contributions/172.69.54.165|172.69.54.165]] 08:17, 2 November 2018 (UTC)
: "Only Poll That Counts" comic on border of California and Nevada, South West of Las Vegas [[Special:Contributions/141.101.77.56|141.101.77.56]] 08:21, 2 November 2018 (UTC)
: "I can see my house from here" in Washington DC [[Special:Contributions/172.68.110.88|172.68.110.88]] 09:17, 2 November 2018 (UTC)
: "If elected..." North Western Nebraska. {{unsigned|ManSpider}}
: "Carlymandering plan..." North Washington. {{unsigned ip|162.158.202.88}}

Non-Republican/Democrat candidate found in Alaska, in green - only one I've found so far. [[Special:Contributions/172.69.226.143|172.69.226.143]] 09:08, 2 November 2018 (UTC)
: There is also one southwest of Dallas {{unsigned ip|162.158.202.88}}

'''Serious bug report:'''

This damn thing must be geolocked or something, because apparently not being an American means I can't edit the map. I can't even get around it with a VPN. Help? [[Special:Contributions/162.158.38.214|162.158.38.214]] 10:18, 2 November 2018 (UTC)
:This map will be changed by US citizens on November 6, 2018. Nobody can edit this map at xkcd. --[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 10:33, 2 November 2018 (UTC)
:: The complain was about the fact non-US citizens can't "edit" it by voting. -- [[User:Hkmaly|Hkmaly]] ([[User talk:Hkmaly|talk]]) 23:42, 2 November 2018 (UTC)

'''Loading screen'''

please, include the [https://imgs.xkcd.com/comics/challengers.png loading screen] in the explanation. --[[User:Valepert|valepert]] ([[User talk:Valepert|talk]]) 11:19, 2 November 2018 (UTC)
:Someone has mentioned it at the first paragraph. This was also the first version uploaded by the BOT: [[:File:challengers.png]]. --[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 12:09, 2 November 2018 (UTC)
::Note that loading screen is only thing you see if you have old browser ... I suspect the used javascript is ES6. -- [[User:Hkmaly|Hkmaly]] ([[User talk:Hkmaly|talk]]) 23:43, 2 November 2018 (UTC)
:::"To see the full zoomable picture go to the original comic page." - really? I had to come HERE to see what xkcd was supposed to look like, under the assumption that a permanent "loading" message wasn't much of a joke. I'm glad there's something HERE that I can actually see. [[Special:Contributions/172.68.189.163|172.68.189.163]] 08:01, 3 November 2018 (UTC)

'''Links to politicans'''

I'm not sure if we all haven't recognized that all larger names provide a link to a homepage. Maybe Randall has fixed an error right now. Nonetheless I've mentioned this in the first paragraph. --[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 12:26, 2 November 2018 (UTC)
:It seems most links just use Google like this example: https://google.com/search?sourceid=navclient&btnI=1&q=kyrsten+sinema+senate+arizona which shows directly the first search result. --[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 13:41, 2 November 2018 (UTC)

'''What's with all the place names?'''

There are an immense number of placenames on the map - many of these look to be jokes. Maybe specific places you can go to vote or something? What's the deal with that? [[User:SteveBaker|SteveBaker]] ([[User talk:SteveBaker|talk]]) 12:58, 2 November 2018 (UTC)
:These are {{w|List of U.S. National Historic Landmarks by state|US Landmarks}} as mentioned at the first paragraph. If you find a place that doesn't belong to this list it should be mentioned. --[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 13:10, 2 November 2018 (UTC)
::Some further investigations on the json file gave me this:
::*9 embedded comics
::*17,643 labels, much more than the 2,500 landmarks. This includes all names so far.
::Most links are just links to Google. --[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 13:41, 2 November 2018 (UTC)
:::I just can't believe my hometown in on it... with a wlink to it's wikipedia page. [[User:Linker|Linker]] ([[User talk:Linker|talk]]) 13:49, 2 November 2018 (UTC)
::::Besides actual place names, there are a lot of radio stations (Wxxx codes). Also, there's XKCD just on the left of the Boston label (Massachusetts). Is that where Randall lives?{{unsigned ip|108.162.229.10}}
::::: There are other things, as well. Next to Ogden, Utah, there's a link to the Wikipedia article for the "Hi-Fi Murders," which is an event, not a landmark. [[Special:Contributions/172.68.143.240|172.68.143.240]] 16:21, 2 November 2018 (UTC)
::::::I'm pretty sure the landmarks are just all of the wikipedia pages that contain some kind of location information. That's why for example the wikipedia pages "List of largest summits" point to Alaska where the largest summit actually is. Similarly the {w|Xkcd} wikipedia page has a GPS coordinate in the 'Inspired activities' section, which points to Boston, the same place where the XKCD label is on the map. While there might be some easter egg there, I think the grey labels are simply just wikipedia pages with coordinates or other geolocatable texts in their contents. [[User:Sztupy|Sztupy]] ([[User talk:Sztupy|talk]]) 16:54, 2 November 2018 (UTC)
::::::Went through the map-data.json file and confirmed that all gray labels match the wikipedia link, so I don't think there's going to be any intentional easter eggs there. Similarly can't find any discrepancies between the candidate's name and their google search results - they all seem to be autogenerated [[User:Sztupy|Sztupy]] ([[User talk:Sztupy|talk]]) 17:51, 2 November 2018 (UTC)
Any speculation as to why all the place names were included? [[User:These Are Not The Comments You Are Looking For|These Are Not The Comments You Are Looking For]] ([[User talk:These Are Not The Comments You Are Looking For|talk]]) 16:23, 6 November 2018 (UTC)

'''Subcomics layout'''

I know the Editor FAQ about tables, but am I the only one who thinks the previous table layout for the subcomics was much easier to read? I find that with the current list layout, it is more difficult to ignore the transcript for those of us who don't need to read it.[[Special:Contributions/108.162.229.10|108.162.229.10]] 14:31, 2 November 2018 (UTC)
: Could make the transcript collapsible maybe, and also move the images back from thumbnails into the main body, so they are close to the explanations? [[User:Sztupy|Sztupy]] ([[User talk:Sztupy|talk]]) 14:47, 2 November 2018 (UTC)
::This is one of those overwhelming comics that can't be covered by a FAQ in general. But a table is still a bad layout because the text will grow and it's a horror to read it on a smartphone. Nonetheless the layout still needs some improvements. --[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 17:45, 2 November 2018 (UTC)
:::I've done an update to the layout. You often think too much about tables, a simple floating text with less headers looks much better. Right now the pictures are larger than the text, but I'm sure there will be more text soon. Otherwise we could reduce the size of the pictures slightly. --[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 18:00, 2 November 2018 (UTC)
Any speculation as to why all the interesting places were included on the map? And are they meant to be geographically correct? The ones in my neck of the woods are just conveniently placed lists, nowhere near their proper locations.

'''Candidate in wrong place?'''

Noticed Robert Arlett, the Republican challenger for US Senate from Delaware, is listed in Washington DC. --[[Special:Contributions/172.69.62.196|172.69.62.196]] 15:36, 2 November 2018 (UTC)
:There are a bunch of errors we are going to need an errata section. Eastern Iowa has a link to the "murder of Yangjie Li" a murder that happened in 2016 in Germany maybe they meant the "Murder of Shao Tong" from 2014 a murder of one Chinese student of another while at university in Iowa. {{unsigned|Echo Hotel}}
::Yes, if you check the [https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Murder_of_Yangjie_Li&action=edit source of that wikipedia page] you can see that it has a GPS coordinate set that points to Hollywood Bld, Iowa City. It was likely added by mistake from the content creator and was never removed. [[User:Sztupy|Sztupy]] ([[User talk:Sztupy|talk]]) 18:32, 2 November 2018 (UTC)

'''Carlymandering'''
Carly is Canadian, so not eligible to vote in US elections. The result in the Carly district should be zero all tie, usually resulting in drawing lots for the winner. Any non-zero result would be clear evidence of election fraud.[[Special:Contributions/162.158.75.142|162.158.75.142]] 16:27, 2 November 2018 (UTC)

'''House'''

Alternately, the "I can see my House from here" could refer to the U.S. House of Representatives, in Washington DC, which theoretically represents all US voters. Many of the ballots being cast are to fill House of Representatives seats at the Federal level. [[User:Leftcontact|Leftcontact]] ([[User talk:Leftcontact|talk]]) 17:23, 2 November 2018 (UTC)

'''Speck in the title image'''
It looks like there's a speck of minuscule text in the comic title header image, in the lower right side. Is this readable to anyone, or is he messing with us? {{unsigned ip|162.158.79.101}}
:Nahh, it's just some random pixels, probably left there from az earlier edit of the subtitle: [https://www.xkcd.com/2067/asset/challengers_header.png] --[[Special:Contributions/141.101.77.116|141.101.77.116]] 10:59, 6 November 2018 (UTC)

'''Blank map?'''
The map is blank on my iPad, is this happening to anyone else? [[User:Herobrine|Herobrine]] ([[User talk:Herobrine|talk]]) 23:21, 2 November 2018 (UTC)
:iPad 3 released in Spring 2013 here, max iOS of I think 9.4.3, and all I get is the "Loading..." image. I partially suspected the lack of anything might be the gag, but had figured on the truth, that it was probably one of the more complicated comics that don't do anything on my iPad (like Umlaut or Hoverboard or that Garden one, though those were on my iPad 1, and the latter didn't do anything on my computer, either). [[User:NiceGuy1|NiceGuy1]] ([[User talk:NiceGuy1|talk]]) 06:53, 5 November 2018 (UTC)

Is he taking petitions to change landmarks? Im going to assume YES. It seems like the most Randall thing to do. Why wouldnt he? I would like to stake my claim as first and offer replacing John F. Kennedy High School (Mt. Angel, Oregon) with John F. Kennedy High School (Bloomington, Minnesota). [[User:Choochoobob123|Choochoobob123]] ([[User talk:Choochoobob123|talk]]) 04:41, 3 November 2018 (UTC)

'''Map of interesting features'''
It is nice to have the "map of interesting features", but it is not explained at all. There is not even a key to distinct the red, blue and green X-es. They seemingly all indicate the comics to zoom in, when you read the line above. Only Trivia helps to give an idea, what they could stand for.--[[User:Lupo|Lupo]] ([[User talk:Lupo|talk]]) 07:30, 3 November 2018 (UTC)
:You can hover over them for a tooltip (only works on desktop), and click for a link [[User:Sztupy|Sztupy]] ([[User talk:Sztupy|talk]]) 11:48, 3 November 2018 (UTC)

'''Higher office v better chances.'''

So there are these two criteria for font size--higher office and better chances. One wonders what's the formula for weighting the two.

And why not map to two parameters, for example using font size for office, uh, height, and using color saturation for chances of success?

I'm quite ready for someone to jump in and explain how this has been answered, or is moot. --[[User:Radiowonderland|Radiowonderland]] ([[User talk:Radiowonderland|talk]]) 16:40, 3 November 2018 (UTC)
: If it were me, I would have multiplied the two metrics. [[Special:Contributions/162.158.92.16|162.158.92.16]] 21:27, 3 November 2018 (UTC)
::Higher offices are simple, predictions about chances are more like looking through the looking glass... Randall, like most of us failed on this in 2016. Nonetheless I started a paragraph on this issue, help me to fix. --[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 23:12, 3 November 2018 (UTC)

'''Header text'''

@[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] can you explain [https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=2067:_Challengers&diff=prev&oldid=165338 this edit], removing the additional header text? That was in the header at the time I added it here. –[[User:P1h3r1e3d13|P1h3r1e3d13]] ([[User talk:P1h3r1e3d13|talk]]) 23:24, 5 November 2018 (UTC)
:I've seen the xkcd page shortly after this comic was released and often after that but I have never seen a statement like "I'm frightened by the direction the President and his party are taking our country..." at the header. Thus I'm convinced that this ''blockquote'' was a fake. Randall does a neutral call up to vote, not more. --[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 21:08, 6 November 2018 (UTC)
::I don't know whether your insights into Randall's psyche are more trustworthy than my eyes, but it was there. I copied and pasted it. Wayback Machine didn't catch it, so I don't know how to convince you, stranger on the internet, and it's not worth an edit war. I suppose there are also other possibilities, like a brief hack or a browser caching bug? –[[User:P1h3r1e3d13|P1h3r1e3d13]] ([[User talk:P1h3r1e3d13|talk]]) 23:38, 6 November 2018 (UTC)
:::I'm happy we can discuss this because I don't presume that a registered member tries to fool readers here. But you must have seen this somewhere else, definitely not at xkcd.com. Furthermore Randall never would use such a wording, and this year he did just a neutral call to vote. --[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 19:19, 7 November 2018 (UTC)

'''Missing Candidate'''

Not sure if I'm missing something, but Scott Walker is the current incumbent running for Wisconsin governor against Tony Evers. He doesn't appear to be on the map at all. [[Special:Contributions/162.158.74.27|162.158.74.27]] 00:08, 6 November 2018 (UTC)
:The candidates on the map are only challengers, not incumbents. –[[User:P1h3r1e3d13|P1h3r1e3d13]] ([[User talk:P1h3r1e3d13|talk]]) 00:53, 6 November 2018 (UTC)

"This refers to gerrymandering, a tactic used to re-shape voting district boundaries to make sure one candidate prevails over the other." It's a bit more nefarious than that. It's usually done to give one party many narrow wins over another party and then give the other party a few landslide victories. The net result is one party getting many more representatives than their proportion of votes would suggest. [[Special:Contributions/172.69.210.52|172.69.210.52]] 21:05, 14 November 2018 (UTC)

Talk:445: I Am Not Good with Boomerangs

2018-10-21T20:40:41Z

172.69.210.52:

Why a shark and not a velociraptor, Randall? [[Special:Contributions/199.27.128.71|199.27.128.71]] 00:34, 11 April 2014 (UTC)

Does anyone else think that the reason why the shark and Megan return is because Cueball caught them with a boomerang? [[User:Z|Z]] ([[User talk:Z|talk]]) 16:24, 10 May 2014 (UTC)

SAFTEY WARNING- Do not attempt to catch a actual boomerang! They are throwing weapons, and even if it does curve around back towards you, it isn't any less a thrown weapon! Attempting to catch one will probably cause you serious harm. -Pennpenn [[Special:Contributions/108.162.250.162|108.162.250.162]] 00:15, 23 June 2015 (UTC)

Randall made two xkcd Slightly Worse submissions based on this comic [http://xkcdsw.com/477 here] and [http://xkcdsw.com/478 here]. [[Special:Contributions/172.69.210.52|172.69.210.52]] 20:40, 21 October 2018 (UTC)