explain xkcd - User contributions [en]

2503: Memo Spike Connector

2023-08-24T10:06:08Z

172.69.214.158: Replaced content with "Hey,explainxkcd.com Admin As a small business owner, “be a graphic design expert” probably wasn’t what you signed up for. AdCreative.ai takes this process off your..."

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827: My Business Idea

2023-07-24T01:05:38Z

172.69.214.158: Undo revision 318347 by ThatoneU (talk)

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1488: Flowcharts

2023-07-24T01:05:13Z

172.69.214.158: Undo revision 318346 by ThatoneU (talk)

1193: Externalities

2023-07-24T01:04:53Z

172.69.214.158: Undo revision 318344 by ThatoneU (talk)

518: Flow Charts

2023-07-24T01:04:27Z

172.69.214.158: Undo revision 318341 by ThatoneU (talk)

what if? articles

2023-07-24T01:03:23Z

172.69.214.158:

2804: Marshmallow

2023-07-24T01:02:05Z

172.69.214.158:

2803: Geohydrotypography

2023-07-24T01:01:44Z

172.69.214.158:

2800: Down

2023-07-24T01:00:23Z

172.69.214.158:

2798: Room Temperature

2023-07-24T00:59:02Z

172.69.214.158:

2796: Real Estate Analysis

2023-07-24T00:58:09Z

172.69.214.158:

2795: Glass-Topped Table

2023-07-24T00:57:47Z

172.69.214.158:

2793: Garden Path Sentence

2023-07-24T00:56:26Z

172.69.214.158:

2792: Summer Solstice

2023-07-24T00:55:41Z

172.69.214.158:

2787: Iceberg

2023-07-24T00:53:47Z

172.69.214.158:

2786: UFO Evidence

2023-07-24T00:53:20Z

172.69.214.158:

2783: Ruling Out

2023-07-24T00:52:27Z

172.69.214.158:

2776: Crystal Ball

2023-07-24T00:51:49Z

172.69.214.158:

2288: Collector's Edition

2023-07-24T00:50:13Z

172.69.214.158:

1975: Right Click

2023-07-24T00:49:31Z

172.69.214.158:

1193: Externalities

2023-07-24T00:46:52Z

172.69.214.158:

2797: Actual Progress

2023-07-03T19:17:36Z

172.69.214.158:

{{comic
| number = 2797
| date = July 3, 2023
| title = Actual Progress
| image = actual_progress_2x.png
| imagesize = 512x232px
| noexpand = true
| titletext = Slowly progressing from 'how do protons behave in relativistic collisions?' to 'what the heck are protons even doing when they're just sitting there?'
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Created by a CONFUSED RESEARCHER - Please change this comment when editing this page. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}

An edge case is a situation, often in software engineering but also in other domains, that is rare and may need special handling and does not perform the way most of the situations do.

At the start of tackling a complex problem, somebody may come up with a simplified interpretation of it, see it as simple, and implement and even deploy a system that uses their interpretation. These partial (incorrect) and ingeniously useful solutions are called heuristics in software engineering. If the developer is unaware that their formation of the problem is incorrect, they may happily dive into edge cases hoping to hash them out and resolve them, only to uncover that the very underpinnings of their possibly-live system are based on false perceptions or logic and then often even be at a loss as to how it is working at all.

At this point it may be the case that the developer is actually working on a cutting-edge research challenge, unaware that this is the case, and the problem space they have to grapple with is one the largest minds in the world have still not solved. (there’s an xkcd from long ago where a naive boss asks an engineer to perform a simple task and the engineer gives a short timespan, and then the naive boss asks the engineer to perform a novel research task, and the engineer asks for a research team a long timespan, that could be cited here [[1425: This one?]]) Before the easy accessibility of research papers it was much less obvious when or when not this was happening. And today, when many historically very hard problems have many more well-known solutions, and many of the very hard problems that have been intractable in the past are demonstrating aggressive progress that anyone can step in and review, the situation is quite different and much more tangible.

Another quite common software engineering situation in which the situation in the comic can happen is when working with a codebase that has been rushed to market without organizing and modeling its underlying concepts well: “spaghetti code”. At first one may think they can enter the software and simply patch a fix, but past similar patches have made the parts needlessly intertwined and baked any heuristics in in an unmaintainable way.

A further possible situation is sadly cognitive decline. People who were skilled hackers as adolescents are now experiencing mental age, and things become harder and harder as the brain ages. This is significantly worsened from general confusion people have experienced this decade in the new political climate, and fewer innovative hacking projects have been reaching completion in many domains,

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

:[Cueball is sitting on an office chair at a desk and has his hand on a laptop. Ponytail is standing behind him.]
:Cueball: When I started this morning, there were a few edge cases I was confused about.

:[Panel of just Cueball sitting on the office chair.]
:Cueball: But now after a full day of research,

:[Same scene as in the first panel, but Cueball has his hand on his lap.]
:Cueball: I'm confused about all the regular cases, too.
:Ponytail: Ah, '''''actual''''' progress!

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Ponytail]]
[[Category:Science]]
[[Category:Physics]]

Talk:2795: Glass-Topped Table

2023-07-03T19:02:23Z

172.69.214.158: Added comment(s).

First! [[Special:Contributions/172.71.167.52|172.71.167.52]] 19:01, 28 June 2023 (UTC)

How is "glass-topped" not a term found often online, yet I'm so used to calling it that in verbal conversation (Western Canadian, for reference). Searching for "glass-topped" (with quotes) shows this comic first in results (past ads) :) [[Special:Contributions/162.158.146.105|162.158.146.105]] 19:09, 28 June 2023 (UTC)
:Its probiably just your search personalization. My first search result https://www.designtoscano.com/categories/glass-top-accent-tables followed by xkcdexplained, xkcd, walmart, etsi, and commercial-interiorsuk.com (boy talk about a sus URL). [[User:Jamcdonald|Jamcdonald]] ([[User talk:Jamcdonald|talk]]) 09:21, 29 June 2023 (UTC)
It's not "instead of" -- the table has both a glass surface and a drinking glass. [[User:Barmar|Barmar]] ([[User talk:Barmar|talk]]) 19:32, 28 June 2023 (UTC)

…You could always hand-wash the cup. [[User:PxP|PxP]] ([[User talk:PxP|talk]]) 19:45, 28 June 2023 (UTC)
:Not sure about you, but when I hand-wash something, I'm doing it over sink. Getting the table to sink would be quite hard, although probably easier than fitting it into dishwasher. -- [[User:Hkmaly|Hkmaly]] ([[User talk:Hkmaly|talk]]) 22:18, 28 June 2023 (UTC)
::It would also be difficult to pour out either the drink or the washwater.[[Special:Contributions/172.69.247.51|172.69.247.51]] 23:46, 28 June 2023 (UTC)
:::Pressurised water... If you have anything hose-like (or it's within range of one of those extensible tap-attachments) then gush water into it and anything not actually stuck to the glass (any really gloopy liquid - like a partly dried old smoothie left there too long that may need a bit of mechanical wiping too) gets diluted and pressured out. (...Onto the floor, unless you are prepared for that.)
:::A quick rub with a dishcloth can wick up most of what doesn't jump straight back out (you need a quick shut-off to the water supply, ideally, so it doesn't dribble-fill so much, anyway) and if it was hot enough then the last bits of dampness 'self dry'. [[Special:Contributions/172.70.162.159|172.70.162.159]] 01:18, 29 June 2023 (UTC)
::You drag all your furniture, tables, chairs, whatnot, to the sink to wash them? I've never heard of people who don't just bring cleansers/water and paper towels/sponges TO their furniture... :) [[User:NiceGuy1|NiceGuy1]] ([[User talk:NiceGuy1|talk]]) 04:26, 2 July 2023 (UTC)

Some of the unpopularity probably comes from it being halfway off of the table, giving you the ever-present feeling that it might fall. [[User:TheLittlePeace|TheLittlePeace]] ([[User talk:TheLittlePeace|talk]]) 19:50, 28 June 2023 (UTC)

Some seemed to have missed the real point; this is a cat torture device. I can just see my moggy lying there kicking at it for hours. [[Special:Contributions/172.69.34.131|172.69.34.131]] 04:34, 29 June 2023 (UTC)
:Cat torture device? I could see it being their main entertainment, depending on temprement... [[Special:Contributions/141.101.98.126|141.101.98.126]] 11:24, 29 June 2023 (UTC)
The torture aspect causes me to doubt that this is anywhere close to the least popular. We've seem the style he has in furniture. I bet there is no couch, it's just offered so that people don't get upset.

Are there really dishwashers large enough to fit an average dining table? The link in the explanation refers to an advertising installation that specifically does not work as a dishwasher. It was designed to keep objects inside it dry. [[User:Bischoff|Bischoff]] ([[User talk:Bischoff|talk]]) 07:01, 29 June 2023 (UTC)
:There are, this one should do the trick https://www.webstaurantstore.com/champion-pp-20-split-door-pot-and-pan-washer-208v-3-phase/253PP20SDC.html [[User:Jamcdonald|Jamcdonald]] ([[User talk:Jamcdonald|talk]]) 09:25, 29 June 2023 (UTC)
This has to be a cat's worst nightmare... [[Special:Contributions/172.71.94.137|172.71.94.137]] 08:46, 29 June 2023‎ (UTC)
:(Doom music starts playing) [[User:Fephisto|Fephisto]] ([[User talk:Fephisto|talk]]) 19:58, 29 June 2023 (UTC)
This is my first ever edit, so forgive me if I don't sign it correctly, but I felt compelled to create an account in order to share that this comic very much reminded me of The Uncomfortable (https://www.theuncomfortable.com/). Don't know if this belongs in the main explain page, but thought I'd share it here and let someone else decide. [[User:dominiclipari|dominiclipari]] 12:55, 29 June 2023 (UTC)
:"...so forgive me if I don't sign it correctly" - close enough, but I suspect you wrote (most of?) it manually. Just put the <code><nowiki>~~~~</nowiki></code> in (or press the penultimate button in the line of buttons immediately above the textediting area) and you should get it correctly.
:For me, it'll give something like <code><nowiki>[[Special:Contributions/<<IP Address>>|<<IP Address>>]] <<Time>>, <<Date>>‎ (UTC)</nowiki></code>. For someone with a user account active, it'll be <code><nowiki>[[User:<<Username>>|<<Username>>]] ([[User talk:<<Username>>|talk]]) <<Time>>, <<Date>>‎ (UTC)</nowiki></code> ''unless'' you've messed with your personal profile settings.
:It doesn't matter much. Best to still have Time and Date. And some form of your Username-related links... But just FYI. [[Special:Contributions/172.70.162.171|172.70.162.171]] 19:44, 29 June 2023 (UTC)
::I always just sign with <code><nowiki>~~~~</nowiki></code>. [[Special:Contributions/172.69.214.158|172.69.214.158]] 19:02, 3 July 2023 (UTC)

Am I the only one who interpreted the glass being part of the edge of the table to mean that there is not actually a bottom to the glass? The tooltip text seems to suggest otherwise, but it is a humorous interpretation. [[Special:Contributions/172.71.26.42|172.71.26.42]] 19:35, 29 June 2023 (UTC)

;The tabletop is not glass

Just FYI, the tabletop itself is definitely not glass. That's why you can't see the rear legs through the surface of tabletop.

What makes this comic funnier is the very fact that they have attached a glass (as in glass of liquid) to the surface of a regular table on which the tabletop is not itself made of glass.

If the tabletop were made of glass, then the humour around 'glass-topped table' would be lessened, because it would be combining two different and therefore ambiguous senses of that phrase. {{unsigned|Lheydon|02:25, 30 June 2023}}

:Actually, it just looks more like a glass-topped table (a table with [https://www.egw.co.uk/products/6mm-rectangle-toughened-glass-rattan-table-topper a glass pane on top of its wooden/whatever surface]; acting to be more wipe-clean/protective, as well as aesthetic) than a table with a glass top (a glass pane as [https://www.dunelm.com/product/milan-oak-glass-top-coffee-table-1000108238 the entire surface span], held inside the legs-and-edges frame). That, or it ''is'' the latter but the angle of view and background makes the reflection off the surfaces overwhelmingly more dominant than the refracted view through both surfaces and towards(/from) the underside. [[Special:Contributions/172.70.91.53|172.70.91.53]] 03:46, 30 June 2023 (UTC)

:It most definitely '''''is''''' a glass table, or at least has glass as a top. The diagonal lines on it denote the shine off of the glass. We don't see the leg to help make it evident there IS a top, that the tabletop isn't missing entirely. :) [[User:NiceGuy1|NiceGuy1]] ([[User talk:NiceGuy1|talk]]) 04:26, 2 July 2023 (UTC)

::True, I suppose that is also another possibility. [[Special:Contributions/162.158.2.191|162.158.2.191]] 04:25, 30 June 2023 (UTC)

The caption states "glass top", so the pun on "table covered with a sheet of glass" and "table with a drinking glass on top" is explicit. Any [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Milk_glass non-transparent] glass would satisfy the first condition (as would the case of a glass insert atop a non-glass surface, mentioned above), and spare Randall the effort of trying to draw in that fourth table leg. [[Special:Contributions/172.69.33.154|172.69.33.154]] 06:28, 30 June 2023 (UTC)
:It's also clear (no pun intended... but I'll also happily claim it if nobody else wants it!) that we can see the thickness of the 'top' both at the front (where we're obliquely edge on) ''and'' at the rear (where we're seeing the internal 'edge-away'), indicating that it is certainly a transparent(-enough) pane of material of a number of millimetres thickness above whatever opaque material might lie immediately beneath. (And saving complexity of drawing not just thr upper rear bit of leg, but also the rear/second-side frame support and/or any attachment method that isn't just gravity+friction, or maybe adhesive, in action.) [[Special:Contributions/172.70.90.106|172.70.90.106]] 07:58, 30 June 2023 (UTC) - PS: I am a little worried, though, that (by sight alone) the upwards trajectory of the mostly hidden leg seems to ''not'' project up to hit the corner of the table as you'd expect. Not much visible length, so might actually be some wriggle-room available to end up where it ought to by assuming a slight amount of skew away from the apparent direction due purely to drawing vaguenesss or an optical illusion, but it does seem that little bit off.

:This earnest discussion of the [https://www.vocabulary.com/dictionary/draftsmanship draftsmanship] of this cartoon calls to mind a [https://www.arthur-conan-doyle.com/index.php/How_I_Write_My_Books statement] by no less an authority than Sir Arthur Conan Doyle: "... so long as you produce your dramatic effect, accuracy of detail matters little. I have never striven for it and have made some bad mistakes in consequence. What matter If I can hold my readers?" [[Special:Contributions/172.70.214.9|172.70.214.9]] 21:38, 30 June 2023 (UTC)

::It is as well that a gentleman holding that attitude towards "accuracy of detail" went into fiction writing and not his original intended career: [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arthur_Conan_Doyle#Medical_career medicine]. [[Special:Contributions/162.158.90.24|162.158.90.24]] 21:48, 30 June 2023 (UTC)
:::Sir Arthur was always {{w|File:Cottingley_Fairies,_page_463,_The_Strand_Magazine_-_1920_-_Vol.Jul-Dec.jpg|away with the fairies}}, anyway... [[Special:Contributions/162.158.34.20|162.158.34.20]] 22:45, 30 June 2023 (UTC)

All this discussion is rendered a bit moot by the fact that the text underneath the comic says that the glass is "built in to the glass top".[[Special:Contributions/172.70.162.62|172.70.162.62]] 09:18, 3 July 2023 (UTC)