explain xkcd - User contributions [en]

Talk:2883: Astronaut Guests

2024-01-20T16:35:06Z

172.69.247.56:

Bot's down so i took the liberty of making the page myself [[User:SomeoneIGuess|someone, i guess]]([[User talk:SomeoneIGuess|talk i guess]]|[[Special:Contributions/SomeoneIGuess|le edit list]]) 03:12, 20 January 2024 (UTC)
:The bot isn't actually down. I think you just saw the comic before it did! —[[User:Theusaf|theusaf]] ([[User talk:Theusaf|talk]]) 03:37, 20 January 2024 (UTC)
:: If that's the case i find it really weird that Randall posted at *checks time* 10:40 PM... uncharacteristically late upload from my experience, assumed bot was down [[User:SomeoneIGuess|someone, i guess]]([[User talk:SomeoneIGuess|talk i guess]]|[[Special:Contributions/SomeoneIGuess|le edit list]]) 03:47, 20 January 2024 (UTC)
Dining room is 50 meters long? ----Bob thé Farmer----
:I don't think that's how long they were over the dining room, but how long they were over the property. [[Special:Contributions/172.69.247.56|172.69.247.56]] 16:35, 20 January 2024 (UTC)

Talk:1644: Stargazing

2024-01-09T20:23:15Z

172.69.247.56:

?.. is this Brian Cox??? [[Special:Contributions/162.158.152.155|162.158.152.155]] 06:07, 17 February 2016 (UTC)
:Yes I think it is --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 14:00, 22 February 2016 (UTC)

My first thought was that it was a pisstake of Brian Cox, except I wasn't sure if they had Stargazing Live in America. [[Special:Contributions/162.158.152.143|162.158.152.143]] 08:33, 17 February 2016 (UTC)
: Brian Cox seems like a nice guy and I applaud his enthusiasm, but if you want to see a truly awesome science broadcaster look for a set of broadcasts from the 70s/80s by James Burke titled "The Day the Universe Changed", Mr. Cox's programmes seem to be as much about how many airmiles the production team can accumulate as they are about the science. [[Special:Contributions/162.158.34.147|162.158.34.147]] 09:10, 17 February 2016 (UTC)
:: The airmiles comment above applies to Cox's "Wonders Of The Universe" series, certainly, but my first thought was either that Randall knew of the BBC's semi-regular programme-cluster "{{w|Stargazing Live}}", here in the UK, that Cox co-presents - perhaps via BBC America? - or else there's an equivalent US version (precursor or postcursor) of the same name that perhaps has a celebrity-based core team.
:: (Brian's primary co-host in the programme ''is'' an Irish comedian, but one with a accredited science background who knows what they're talking about. They also have 'guest celebrities' for internal and external segments (from just outside the studio, under the night sky, to a pieces filmed/livecast at some space-relevant location, usually featured across all episodes of that season as a theme so not so much 'gratuitous globe-trotting) but they are all ''interested'' in space-stuff, and many ''also'' have an actual background expertise in physics/astronomy even if that's not what they're publicly known for.)
:: Quickly looking around, I can't see any ''obvious'' astronomy programmes(/programs!) in the US that aren't similarly expert-led, but that's possibly because any that are don't feature as 'proper' programmes on any of the lists I've checked. [[Special:Contributions/162.158.152.89|162.158.152.89]] 14:25, 17 February 2016 (UTC)
:: The title text does imply it is in reference to Brian Cox. He is well known for his very philosophical comments referencing physics in that way. [[Special:Contributions/141.101.70.151|141.101.70.151]] 20:05, 17 February 2016 (UTC)
:: Hmmm... intentional reference to The Infinite Monkey Cage, with infinite choices of branches, then? [[Special:Contributions/162.158.152.89|162.158.152.89]] 12:46, 18 February 2016 (UTC)
:::After the transcript came out two comics later (as now explained in the new trivia section) it is clear that it is not Megan but a male TV host, and thus he almost certainly represents Brian Cox who looks like this (his hair would look just like Megan's in xkcd) and this fits with his way of explaining things. I have changed the entire explanation from Megan and her she, to the host and him he etc. May have overlooked some parts. (Note that Megan is still in the comic in the background of panel 2). Also the fact that there where new episodes of Stargazing Live last month supports this. --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 14:00, 22 February 2016 (UTC)

I also thought this might be poking fun at the "Celebrity" presenters of TV astronomy programs. [[Special:Contributions/141.101.106.173|141.101.106.173]] 13:16, 17 February 2016 (UTC)

I believe the title text may be referring to the fact that several people think that the sun is the brightest star simply because it's the closest to us, completely disregarding absolute magnitude? I'd change the explanation if I knew how. --[[Special:Contributions/108.162.245.181|108.162.245.181]] 06:39, 17 February 2016 (UTC)

The original statement in the comic is about which star is the brightest *in our sky*, i.e. most visible radiation per square meter hitting Earth, not the star with the most total radiation. You can change the explanation just by hitting the little edit button to the top right of the "Explanation" section.
[[Special:Contributions/108.162.237.91|108.162.237.91]] 06:57, 17 February 2016 (UTC)

I still don't get the main comic, unless its just situational comedy of someone acting like they know what they are talking about, when really they don't even know the meaning of the word "astronomer". [[Special:Contributions/108.162.237.91|108.162.237.91]] 07:01, 17 February 2016 (UTC)

I put my best understanding of the comic in the explanation - I'm not sure I really get it, but I figured it was better than nothing. [[Special:Contributions/108.162.237.91|108.162.237.91]] 07:14, 17 February 2016 (UTC)

This is exactly how I feel about looking at stars and hard core astronomy. I look for the brightest stars, and would like to know something about them, but just the basic facts. I have had a course on astronomy and it was boring to do the math for star formation and cosmology. I learnt that way that I was only interested in the results and conclusions, not in trying to calculate it my self, or counting all the other smaller stars to gain the data needed. I really like Megan here ;-) Space is awesome, astronomy is boring :-) --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 09:08, 17 February 2016 (UTC)

I am pretty sure the last line in the first panel used to read "I'm doctor '''of''' whatever", but now it's clearly "... doctor '''or''' whatever". Has Randall changed the comic? -- [[Special:Contributions/141.101.106.11|141.101.106.11]] 13:06, 17 February 2016 (UTC)
:I wrote the original transcript based on the comic on this site. This has since been corrected to or, which makes sense. But the image file for the comic has not been changed here on xkcd, so had it not been for your comment here, I would just have put it down to a typo on my behalf. I still think so, as I believed she said ''or whatever'' when I wrote about it in the explanation. But the "or" can look a little as "of". It is, however, not unheard of that Randall changes a comic if he spots a mistake after the first release. This has happened several times. --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 14:50, 17 February 2016 (UTC)
::He actually changed the comic, but it was in the third panel with "That's" to "This is Andromeda". This was noted by another user (below this comment which was posted later). I have noted the change in the trivia section. --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 14:00, 22 February 2016 (UTC)

From now on I plan to present Sirius as the brightest star that can be seen at night, just to take the wind out of the jokers sails... [[User:Andyd273|Andyd273]] ([[User talk:Andyd273|talk]]) 14:34, 17 February 2016 (UTC)

I wonder if the style of speaking is a reference to Donald Trump.
[[Special:Contributions/108.162.237.90|108.162.237.90]] 19:31, 17 February 2016 (UTC)

She'd reminding me an awful lot of [[Beret Guy]] here, kind of scattered and . Is it just me? [[User:N0lqu|-boB]] ([[User talk:N0lqu|talk]]) 20:42, 17 February 2016 (UTC)
:It's not just you... and from that point of view the title text doesn't read like sarcasm to me. Perhaps more a reference to choosing branches of science to explore? Then again, at least one person thought it was sarcastic, and I don't feel strongly enough to change the explanation over it. [[Special:Contributions/108.162.250.161|108.162.250.161]] 01:35, 18 February 2016 (UTC)
::I'm sure it is sarcasm. I wrote it and deleted the first time someone wrote it was not. But at the moment it is back again. It is definitely Randall who thinks it would be a stupid joke. I will not delete it again, but will leave it to others to delete if they agree that this is a clear case of sarcasm, not a way of applauding someone for a brilliant joke! ;-) --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 14:00, 22 February 2016 (UTC)

Not true there is nothing in interstellar space. Dust, vacuum, photons, even heat energy. 08:02, 18 February 2016 (UTC)

Could the final "Space!" be a reference to the ending of Portal 2? [[User:Condor70|Condor70]] ([[User talk:Condor70|talk]]) 11:02, 18 February 2016 (UTC)

Maybe the title text is referring to that one multiverse theory where every possible outcome creates it's own timeline? i'm spacing out on it's name right now, but i think it's been mentioned a few times in previous comics.--[[User:Flamewolf|Flamewolf]] ([[User talk:Flamewolf|talk]]) 19:44, 18 February 2016 (UTC)
:I have tried to make some explanation of the title text. Maybe someone can improve with a better explanation? --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 14:00, 22 February 2016 (UTC)

Regarding the Incomplete reasoning: "There may be another joke here. What about the branches in the title text. Is there some well known reference to such a tree. Sound like something with parallel universes and infinite possibilities?"... I must disagree, there's no other joke here. The word "branch" here isn't referring to any tree, but rather the ongoing logical possibilities of a conversation. If you take a video game where you can chose what you say in a conversation (or the choose-your-own-comic xkcd that came out a while ago), and map out all the options, it would look like a "tree", selecting THIS option leads to a new set of options, each of which will lead to ITS own set of options. In the aforementioned comic, selecting "Let me refresh" in the first panel leads to a different set of options for the second panel than if you had selected something else for the first panel. You are now following the "Let me refresh" branch of the conversation. That's all "branch" means in the title, it's referring to the conversation which would result from this, which would "branch off" of such a declaration. - NiceGuy1[[Special:Contributions/198.41.235.215|198.41.235.215]] 06:22, 20 February 2016 (UTC) I finally signed up! This comment is mine. [[User:NiceGuy1|NiceGuy1]] ([[User talk:NiceGuy1|talk]]) 08:29, 9 June 2017 (UTC)
:I have tried to make some explanation of the title text. Maybe someone can improve with a better explanation? --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 14:00, 22 February 2016 (UTC)

The text in the second panel has changed from 'That's andromeda' to 'This is andromeda'. Just an fyi. [[Special:Contributions/108.162.216.20|108.162.216.20]] 19:26, 20 February 2016 (UTC)
:Thanks for the heads-up! '''[[User:Davidy22|{{Color|#707|David}}y²²]]'''[[User talk:Davidy22|<tt>[talk]</tt>]] 02:27, 21 February 2016 (UTC)
::Now the change has been noted in the trivia section --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 14:00, 22 February 2016 (UTC)
The explanation says all the host's statements are scientifically correct, but in the observations section, there's no defense for "it's in charge," or "barely even trying" being scientifically correct. I'm removing that statement. [[Special:Contributions/162.158.72.191|162.158.72.191]] 00:37, 25 February 2016 (UTC)

'Andromeda' actually is not the name of the galaxy (which is Messier 31, M31, or NGC 224), but of the constellation that contains it. It is large, but not huge. [[Special:Contributions/188.114.102.242|188.114.102.242]] 20:30, 13 March 2016 (UTC)
: Citation needed. [[User:Jkshapiro|Jkshapiro]] ([[User talk:Jkshapiro|talk]]) 01:37, 15 March 2016 (UTC)
::The {{w|Andromeda Galaxy}} is named after the constellation is can be found in but it is also know as Messier 31, M31, or NGC 224. It is completely wrong on all levels to say it is not named Andromeda! --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 13:06, 25 May 2016 (UTC)

This needs some major cleaning up. [[User:Lackadaisical|Lackadaisical]] ([[User talk:Lackadaisical|talk]]) 06:22, 9 May 2016 (UTC)

;Major Edit Explanation

Like I said in my previous comment, this needed some major editing. The explanation was disorganized, obtrusive and did little to assist in any understanding of the comic. I condensed important, relevant information and removed unimportant speculations and fixed the general tone of the article. Every word of the comic does not need to be hashed and rehashed only information which is conducive to understanding the comic and the topic of the comic should be included. It is not necessary to include an entire summarized blurb from wikipedia to describe that stars appear small in the night sky or the entire history of the andromeda galaxy. If a visitor does not know that stars look small they are probably not old enough to be reading and if they are interested in andromeda they will follow the wiki link and read about it on their own time. Speculation should be reserved to the talk page and other sections, it should not be included in the comic explanation.[[User:Lackadaisical|Lackadaisical]] ([[User talk:Lackadaisical|talk]]) 16:42, 9 May 2016 (UTC)
;Major "return to previous explanation" explanation
:I completely disagree. Fine that you have made changes, but no need to remove the list. This is standard for explain xkcd that you should be able to find explanation for all items in the comic here. If it is specific like here there will either be a table or a section. If you are not interested in details on the hosts observations you just skip the section or the trivia. I have re-included the section. It is important for the explanation to explain why his observations is accurate/correct if not delivers in a scientifically sound language. --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 13:06, 25 May 2016 (UTC)
:I was editing for clarity and tone, perhaps I deleted too much but I think the explanation is much clearer now with both of our edits. Before the "hosts observations" was used to serve as the explanation of his observations rather than to supplement them, now there is a quick discussion of his observations and a detailed insight. More complete, clearer and much nicer. Thank you for your review. [[User:Lackadaisical|Lackadaisical]] ([[User talk:Lackadaisical|talk]]) 13:56, 25 May 2016 (UTC)

Is it even possible to view all of the things that the host mentions from a single point on Earth? Andromeda is in the southern hemisphere, while Sirius is at the north pole.

I'm not an expert astronomer or star gazer, so I don't know.

Edit: Oopsie. I seem to have deleted all the previous comments. Sorry. :(

Edit 2: No, they came back! {{unsigned ip|108.162.219.79}}
:Well not that much expert ;-) If you look at the wiki for {{w|Andromeda (constellation)}} you will find that it is indeed in the northern part of the sky, as are Sirius and Betelgueze (in winter at least). I actually tried to spot Andromeda after this comic came out, but it was not really possible from my garden too close to a larger city (at least at the time of night I tried). But it is rather close to cassiopeia which is even closer to the northern star. So yes all of these three items would be clearly visible at the time of year the comic was releases in the area where the author lives i the US or from the UK where the program he spoofs is made. --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 07:19, 26 May 2016 (UTC)

Just some food for thought, but the reason Sirius B is so unimpressive is because it tried too hard and tired itself out faster. [[Special:Contributions/172.69.247.56|172.69.247.56]] 20:22, 9 January 2024 (UTC)

Talk:1644: Stargazing

2024-01-09T20:22:36Z

172.69.247.56:

?.. is this Brian Cox??? [[Special:Contributions/162.158.152.155|162.158.152.155]] 06:07, 17 February 2016 (UTC)
:Yes I think it is --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 14:00, 22 February 2016 (UTC)

My first thought was that it was a pisstake of Brian Cox, except I wasn't sure if they had Stargazing Live in America. [[Special:Contributions/162.158.152.143|162.158.152.143]] 08:33, 17 February 2016 (UTC)
: Brian Cox seems like a nice guy and I applaud his enthusiasm, but if you want to see a truly awesome science broadcaster look for a set of broadcasts from the 70s/80s by James Burke titled "The Day the Universe Changed", Mr. Cox's programmes seem to be as much about how many airmiles the production team can accumulate as they are about the science. [[Special:Contributions/162.158.34.147|162.158.34.147]] 09:10, 17 February 2016 (UTC)
:: The airmiles comment above applies to Cox's "Wonders Of The Universe" series, certainly, but my first thought was either that Randall knew of the BBC's semi-regular programme-cluster "{{w|Stargazing Live}}", here in the UK, that Cox co-presents - perhaps via BBC America? - or else there's an equivalent US version (precursor or postcursor) of the same name that perhaps has a celebrity-based core team.
:: (Brian's primary co-host in the programme ''is'' an Irish comedian, but one with a accredited science background who knows what they're talking about. They also have 'guest celebrities' for internal and external segments (from just outside the studio, under the night sky, to a pieces filmed/livecast at some space-relevant location, usually featured across all episodes of that season as a theme so not so much 'gratuitous globe-trotting) but they are all ''interested'' in space-stuff, and many ''also'' have an actual background expertise in physics/astronomy even if that's not what they're publicly known for.)
:: Quickly looking around, I can't see any ''obvious'' astronomy programmes(/programs!) in the US that aren't similarly expert-led, but that's possibly because any that are don't feature as 'proper' programmes on any of the lists I've checked. [[Special:Contributions/162.158.152.89|162.158.152.89]] 14:25, 17 February 2016 (UTC)
:: The title text does imply it is in reference to Brian Cox. He is well known for his very philosophical comments referencing physics in that way. [[Special:Contributions/141.101.70.151|141.101.70.151]] 20:05, 17 February 2016 (UTC)
:: Hmmm... intentional reference to The Infinite Monkey Cage, with infinite choices of branches, then? [[Special:Contributions/162.158.152.89|162.158.152.89]] 12:46, 18 February 2016 (UTC)
:::After the transcript came out two comics later (as now explained in the new trivia section) it is clear that it is not Megan but a male TV host, and thus he almost certainly represents Brian Cox who looks like this (his hair would look just like Megan's in xkcd) and this fits with his way of explaining things. I have changed the entire explanation from Megan and her she, to the host and him he etc. May have overlooked some parts. (Note that Megan is still in the comic in the background of panel 2). Also the fact that there where new episodes of Stargazing Live last month supports this. --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 14:00, 22 February 2016 (UTC)

I also thought this might be poking fun at the "Celebrity" presenters of TV astronomy programs. [[Special:Contributions/141.101.106.173|141.101.106.173]] 13:16, 17 February 2016 (UTC)

I believe the title text may be referring to the fact that several people think that the sun is the brightest star simply because it's the closest to us, completely disregarding absolute magnitude? I'd change the explanation if I knew how. --[[Special:Contributions/108.162.245.181|108.162.245.181]] 06:39, 17 February 2016 (UTC)

The original statement in the comic is about which star is the brightest *in our sky*, i.e. most visible radiation per square meter hitting Earth, not the star with the most total radiation. You can change the explanation just by hitting the little edit button to the top right of the "Explanation" section.
[[Special:Contributions/108.162.237.91|108.162.237.91]] 06:57, 17 February 2016 (UTC)

I still don't get the main comic, unless its just situational comedy of someone acting like they know what they are talking about, when really they don't even know the meaning of the word "astronomer". [[Special:Contributions/108.162.237.91|108.162.237.91]] 07:01, 17 February 2016 (UTC)

I put my best understanding of the comic in the explanation - I'm not sure I really get it, but I figured it was better than nothing. [[Special:Contributions/108.162.237.91|108.162.237.91]] 07:14, 17 February 2016 (UTC)

This is exactly how I feel about looking at stars and hard core astronomy. I look for the brightest stars, and would like to know something about them, but just the basic facts. I have had a course on astronomy and it was boring to do the math for star formation and cosmology. I learnt that way that I was only interested in the results and conclusions, not in trying to calculate it my self, or counting all the other smaller stars to gain the data needed. I really like Megan here ;-) Space is awesome, astronomy is boring :-) --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 09:08, 17 February 2016 (UTC)

I am pretty sure the last line in the first panel used to read "I'm doctor '''of''' whatever", but now it's clearly "... doctor '''or''' whatever". Has Randall changed the comic? -- [[Special:Contributions/141.101.106.11|141.101.106.11]] 13:06, 17 February 2016 (UTC)
:I wrote the original transcript based on the comic on this site. This has since been corrected to or, which makes sense. But the image file for the comic has not been changed here on xkcd, so had it not been for your comment here, I would just have put it down to a typo on my behalf. I still think so, as I believed she said ''or whatever'' when I wrote about it in the explanation. But the "or" can look a little as "of". It is, however, not unheard of that Randall changes a comic if he spots a mistake after the first release. This has happened several times. --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 14:50, 17 February 2016 (UTC)
::He actually changed the comic, but it was in the third panel with "That's" to "This is Andromeda". This was noted by another user (below this comment which was posted later). I have noted the change in the trivia section. --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 14:00, 22 February 2016 (UTC)

From now on I plan to present Sirius as the brightest star that can be seen at night, just to take the wind out of the jokers sails... [[User:Andyd273|Andyd273]] ([[User talk:Andyd273|talk]]) 14:34, 17 February 2016 (UTC)

I wonder if the style of speaking is a reference to Donald Trump.
[[Special:Contributions/108.162.237.90|108.162.237.90]] 19:31, 17 February 2016 (UTC)

She'd reminding me an awful lot of [[Beret Guy]] here, kind of scattered and . Is it just me? [[User:N0lqu|-boB]] ([[User talk:N0lqu|talk]]) 20:42, 17 February 2016 (UTC)
:It's not just you... and from that point of view the title text doesn't read like sarcasm to me. Perhaps more a reference to choosing branches of science to explore? Then again, at least one person thought it was sarcastic, and I don't feel strongly enough to change the explanation over it. [[Special:Contributions/108.162.250.161|108.162.250.161]] 01:35, 18 February 2016 (UTC)
::I'm sure it is sarcasm. I wrote it and deleted the first time someone wrote it was not. But at the moment it is back again. It is definitely Randall who thinks it would be a stupid joke. I will not delete it again, but will leave it to others to delete if they agree that this is a clear case of sarcasm, not a way of applauding someone for a brilliant joke! ;-) --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 14:00, 22 February 2016 (UTC)

Not true there is nothing in interstellar space. Dust, vacuum, photons, even heat energy. 08:02, 18 February 2016 (UTC)

Could the final "Space!" be a reference to the ending of Portal 2? [[User:Condor70|Condor70]] ([[User talk:Condor70|talk]]) 11:02, 18 February 2016 (UTC)

Maybe the title text is referring to that one multiverse theory where every possible outcome creates it's own timeline? i'm spacing out on it's name right now, but i think it's been mentioned a few times in previous comics.--[[User:Flamewolf|Flamewolf]] ([[User talk:Flamewolf|talk]]) 19:44, 18 February 2016 (UTC)
:I have tried to make some explanation of the title text. Maybe someone can improve with a better explanation? --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 14:00, 22 February 2016 (UTC)

Regarding the Incomplete reasoning: "There may be another joke here. What about the branches in the title text. Is there some well known reference to such a tree. Sound like something with parallel universes and infinite possibilities?"... I must disagree, there's no other joke here. The word "branch" here isn't referring to any tree, but rather the ongoing logical possibilities of a conversation. If you take a video game where you can chose what you say in a conversation (or the choose-your-own-comic xkcd that came out a while ago), and map out all the options, it would look like a "tree", selecting THIS option leads to a new set of options, each of which will lead to ITS own set of options. In the aforementioned comic, selecting "Let me refresh" in the first panel leads to a different set of options for the second panel than if you had selected something else for the first panel. You are now following the "Let me refresh" branch of the conversation. That's all "branch" means in the title, it's referring to the conversation which would result from this, which would "branch off" of such a declaration. - NiceGuy1[[Special:Contributions/198.41.235.215|198.41.235.215]] 06:22, 20 February 2016 (UTC) I finally signed up! This comment is mine. [[User:NiceGuy1|NiceGuy1]] ([[User talk:NiceGuy1|talk]]) 08:29, 9 June 2017 (UTC)
:I have tried to make some explanation of the title text. Maybe someone can improve with a better explanation? --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 14:00, 22 February 2016 (UTC)

The text in the second panel has changed from 'That's andromeda' to 'This is andromeda'. Just an fyi. [[Special:Contributions/108.162.216.20|108.162.216.20]] 19:26, 20 February 2016 (UTC)
:Thanks for the heads-up! '''[[User:Davidy22|{{Color|#707|David}}y²²]]'''[[User talk:Davidy22|<tt>[talk]</tt>]] 02:27, 21 February 2016 (UTC)
::Now the change has been noted in the trivia section --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 14:00, 22 February 2016 (UTC)
The explanation says all the host's statements are scientifically correct, but in the observations section, there's no defense for "it's in charge," or "barely even trying" being scientifically correct. I'm removing that statement. [[Special:Contributions/162.158.72.191|162.158.72.191]] 00:37, 25 February 2016 (UTC)

'Andromeda' actually is not the name of the galaxy (which is Messier 31, M31, or NGC 224), but of the constellation that contains it. It is large, but not huge. [[Special:Contributions/188.114.102.242|188.114.102.242]] 20:30, 13 March 2016 (UTC)
: Citation needed. [[User:Jkshapiro|Jkshapiro]] ([[User talk:Jkshapiro|talk]]) 01:37, 15 March 2016 (UTC)
::The {{w|Andromeda Galaxy}} is named after the constellation is can be found in but it is also know as Messier 31, M31, or NGC 224. It is completely wrong on all levels to say it is not named Andromeda! --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 13:06, 25 May 2016 (UTC)

This needs some major cleaning up. [[User:Lackadaisical|Lackadaisical]] ([[User talk:Lackadaisical|talk]]) 06:22, 9 May 2016 (UTC)

;Major Edit Explanation

Like I said in my previous comment, this needed some major editing. The explanation was disorganized, obtrusive and did little to assist in any understanding of the comic. I condensed important, relevant information and removed unimportant speculations and fixed the general tone of the article. Every word of the comic does not need to be hashed and rehashed only information which is conducive to understanding the comic and the topic of the comic should be included. It is not necessary to include an entire summarized blurb from wikipedia to describe that stars appear small in the night sky or the entire history of the andromeda galaxy. If a visitor does not know that stars look small they are probably not old enough to be reading and if they are interested in andromeda they will follow the wiki link and read about it on their own time. Speculation should be reserved to the talk page and other sections, it should not be included in the comic explanation.[[User:Lackadaisical|Lackadaisical]] ([[User talk:Lackadaisical|talk]]) 16:42, 9 May 2016 (UTC)
;Major "return to previous explanation" explanation
:I completely disagree. Fine that you have made changes, but no need to remove the list. This is standard for explain xkcd that you should be able to find explanation for all items in the comic here. If it is specific like here there will either be a table or a section. If you are not interested in details on the hosts observations you just skip the section or the trivia. I have re-included the section. It is important for the explanation to explain why his observations is accurate/correct if not delivers in a scientifically sound language. --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 13:06, 25 May 2016 (UTC)
:I was editing for clarity and tone, perhaps I deleted too much but I think the explanation is much clearer now with both of our edits. Before the "hosts observations" was used to serve as the explanation of his observations rather than to supplement them, now there is a quick discussion of his observations and a detailed insight. More complete, clearer and much nicer. Thank you for your review. [[User:Lackadaisical|Lackadaisical]] ([[User talk:Lackadaisical|talk]]) 13:56, 25 May 2016 (UTC)

Is it even possible to view all of the things that the host mentions from a single point on Earth? Andromeda is in the southern hemisphere, while Sirius is at the north pole.

I'm not an expert astronomer or star gazer, so I don't know.

Edit: Oopsie. I seem to have deleted all the previous comments. Sorry. :(

Edit 2: No, they came back! {{unsigned ip|108.162.219.79}}
:Well not that much expert ;-) If you look at the wiki for {{w|Andromeda (constellation)}} you will find that it is indeed in the northern part of the sky, as are Sirius and Betelgueze (in winter at least). I actually tried to spot Andromeda after this comic came out, but it was not really possible from my garden too close to a larger city (at least at the time of night I tried). But it is rather close to cassiopeia which is even closer to the northern star. So yes all of these three items would be clearly visible at the time of year the comic was releases in the area where the author lives i the US or from the UK where the program he spoofs is made. --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 07:19, 26 May 2016 (UTC)

Just some food for thought, but the reason Sirius B is so unimpressive is because it tried to hard and tired itself out faster. [[Special:Contributions/172.69.247.56|172.69.247.56]] 20:22, 9 January 2024 (UTC)

Talk:2870: Love Songs

2023-12-23T05:26:02Z

172.69.247.56:

I need to know which axis means “does the ‘me’ like them” because I fail to understand it.--[[Special:Contributions/172.71.134.164|172.71.134.164]] 23:53, 20 December 2023 (UTC)
:Pick a song you know that isn't near the (X=Y) line, and it should explain it.
:e.g. "That don't impress me much", at centre-top. Clearly the other party is trying to impress (likes the 'me') but Shania is ambivalent in response (she doesn't actually love their being a rocket-scientist, nor hate it).
:"Killing me softly..." is from 'me' having love, whilst "You're so vain..." is actively insulting the other party (but indifference by the target ''could'' be the attitude).
:Though for X=Y items (e.g. "I will survive" - it's declared to be an unamicable but ultimately mutually-acceptable split) the way round of course doesn't matter. [[Special:Contributions/172.69.194.224|172.69.194.224]] 00:12, 21 December 2023 (UTC)

I'm hoping "I Will Survive" isn't a reference to the Zootopia abortion comic. [[Special:Contributions/172.68.174.82|172.68.174.82]] 23:56, 20 December 2023 (UTC)
:Well, some of the (apparently obvious) references I didn't know. First thought about "Girlfriend" was the {{w|Girlfriend in a Coma (song)|The Smiths song}} ''almost'' of that name. (And it looks like there are almost thirty possible songs... not sure how many are covers of others... {{w|Girlfriend (disambiguation)#Songs|under that exact name}}.) Can I suggest that any possible songs that could be confused (but maybe not match the plotted position, being of a different story/tone) be recorded in a "Not to be confused with..." section? [[Special:Contributions/172.71.178.177|172.71.178.177]] 01:02, 21 December 2023 (UTC)
::At first, I confused "The Shape of You" with [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D1xVigsyoJw "The Shape of Things"]. Whose position and trajectory on the chart would be complex. [[User:BunsenH|BunsenH]] ([[User talk:BunsenH|talk]]) 19:14, 22 December 2023 (UTC)

not pictured: Jim Steinman songs, which spend most of their time out of the XY plane. [[Special:Contributions/172.69.214.109|172.69.214.109]] 00:14, 21 December 2023 (UTC)

Gotta say, Perfect is a far better Ed Sheeran song than Shape of You

The fault here is not so much with the axes or their interpretation as with the verb, "to love." [http://www.lel.ed.ac.uk/~heycock/thurber-only.html Nothing can be done about the verb "to love."] [[Special:Contributions/172.70.210.62|172.70.210.62]] 04:19, 21 December 2023 (UTC)

(reads comic) (automatically sorts in all "Offspring" love songs) (thanks very much, xkcd, you got me again) [[Special:Contributions/172.71.160.124|172.71.160.124]] 09:24, 21 December 2023 (UTC)

"Girlfriend" by Matthew Sweet doesn't remotely follow the narrative in the explanation, but could nevertheless be graphed as shown.[[User:Yorkshire Pudding|Yorkshire Pudding]] ([[User talk:Yorkshire Pudding|talk]]) 10:07, 21 December 2023 (UTC)

Why is "I Will Always Love You" higher on the Y axis than the X axis?? The title and chorus seem genuine to me, and the rationale for breaking up is "I'm not what you need." [[Special:Contributions/172.68.34.58|172.68.34.58]] 15:08, 21 December 2023 (UTC)

I love the way this came out. Mad props to everyone who worked on the table summaries. Were LLMs employed? [[User:Liv2splain|Liv2splain]] ([[User talk:Liv2splain|talk]]) 18:31, 21 December 2023 (UTC)

:yes, and it made a mistake. Well, I made the mistake.In my prompt I was asking for a summary of the Song T-Rex from Katy Perry and chatGPT did neither complain nor correct - THAT is their mistake. And several people did not recognize even as it was obvious - including me. 🫣 --[[User:LaVe|LaVe]] ([[User talk:LaVe|talk]]) 23:43, 21 December 2023 (UTC)

In my opinion the Y-Axis of "Girlfriend" does not fit Avril Lavigne's "Girlfriend", it should be closer to "Yes" than to "No". The lyrics include "I see the way you look at me [...] I know you talk about me all the time again and again".
If the video counts: The guy ends up without his girlfriend (red-haired Avril) and seems to always enjoy the company and a kiss of black-haired Avril. The video ends with him and blond-haired Avril disappearing into a bathroom stall. Whomever you see as the "I" in the song, black-haired or blond-haired Avril, he seems sorta interested in both, so a "Yes". [[Special:Contributions/172.71.134.31|172.71.134.31]] 18:46, 21 December 2023 (UTC)

Idea: We could add a column for the year the song came out. It would be interesting to see the year distribution and if it clumps in the late 90s (when Randall was a teenager). [[User:Laser813|Laser813]] ([[User talk:Laser813|talk]]) 19:33, 21 December 2023 (UTC)

It needs a third (time) axis: in "You’re so vain", for example, there's the line "But you gave away the things you loved/And one of them was me" which suggests that the Warren Beatty^w^w male character at least USED to live the singer, and "when I was still quite naïve” might imply the feeling was once mutual, regardless of the current degree of indifference and/or active disdain. [[Special:Contributions/172.69.135.129|172.69.135.129]] 10:56, 22 December 2023 (UTC)
:That's just the same issue as the Piña Colada, really. What you could do for those (and others) is trace a track leading up to the dot (probably, from whatever history the song narrative describes as having come from). And maybe a short dashed onwards line to where they hope/fear/want/expect the relationship to progress to. Could get busy. And would need (probably subjective) analysis of the full lyrics then work out how best to tweak it not to get a plate full of undifferentiatable spaghetti. [[Special:Contributions/172.71.178.111|172.71.178.111]] 11:24, 22 December 2023 (UTC)
:While both are past tense, it seems to me that "You're So Vain" is describing history (focused on how we got to the "now" of the song), while Piña Colada is presenting a narrative. [[Special:Contributions/172.69.247.40|172.69.247.40]] 05:24, 23 December 2023 (UTC)

Talk:2863: Space Typography

2023-12-05T04:07:08Z

172.69.247.56:

Are the dot's actually roughly in line with the distances?

[[Special:Contributions/172.71.135.78|172.71.135.78]] 21:31, 4 December 2023 (UTC)

Yes they are. I eyeballed with a screenruler and calculated

* 0.40 AU for Mercury (Should be 0.37)
* 0.72 AU for Venus (0.72)
* 1 AU for earth (reference)
* 1.54 AU for Mars (1.52)
* 5.24 AU for Jupiter (4.98)

[[Special:Contributions/162.158.202.94|162.158.202.94]] 21:48, 4 December 2023 (UTC)

But what size font?[[User:Danger Kitty|Danger Kitty]] ([[User talk:Danger Kitty|talk]])
:129 trillion pt, give or take. [[Special:Contributions/141.101.105.109|141.101.105.109]] 23:02, 4 December 2023 (UTC)
:: Thanks for the decimal-point check. This is my worksheet: [https://i.postimg.cc/tRsmk3c6/Oprimistic-AU.gif Image] (open in new tab) [[User:PRR|PRR]] ([[User talk:PRR|talk]]) 02:13, 5 December 2023 (UTC)

The number of "e"s between h and r required to make Saturn line up is about 59 (tested using 27.2 pt font) [[User:Digin|Digin]] ([[User talk:Digin|talk]]) 22:17, 4 December 2023 (UTC)

I’m curious whether randall brute forced this, trained a neural network, or did it by hand. [[Special:Contributions/172.70.175.179|172.70.175.179]] 22:31, 4 December 2023 (UTC)
:He would probably answer: [[2173: Trained a Neural Net]] [[Special:Contributions/172.70.42.217|172.70.42.217]] 22:45, 4 December 2023 (UTC)

Trying to prep an image of a comparison between actual orbits and the comic, but it's taking longer than i'd like [[User:SomeoneIGuess|someone, i guess]]([[User talk:SomeoneIGuess|talk i guess]]|[[Special:Contributions/SomeoneIGuess|le edit list]]) 23:20, 4 December 2023 (UTC)

I assume brackets around (i) are for the Saturn's rings? [[Special:Contributions/162.158.102.71|162.158.102.71]] 23:26, 4 December 2023 (UTC)

The long, rambling diatribe about literature seemed odd at first, but I think Charlotte Brontë would be proud she was able to represent Pluto and Charon. [[Special:Contributions/172.69.247.56|172.69.247.56]] 04:07, 5 December 2023 (UTC)

Talk:2851: Messier Objects

2023-11-06T17:57:56Z

172.69.247.56:

addededededded transcript [[User:Certified_nqh|Me]][[[285: Wikipedian Protester|''citation needed'']]][[Category:Pages using the "citation needed" template]] 17:34, 6 November 2023 (UTC)
: meow [[User:SomeoneIGuess|someone, i guess]]([[User talk:SomeoneIGuess|talk i guess]]|[[Special:Contributions/SomeoneIGuess|le edit list]]) 17:54, 6 November 2023 (UTC)
Is M30712050 that specific squirrel, or just the general category of squirrels? [[Special:Contributions/172.69.247.56|172.69.247.56]] 17:57, 6 November 2023 (UTC)

2416: Trash Compactor Party

2023-10-11T16:32:28Z

172.69.247.56:

{{comic
| number = 2416
| date = January 25, 2021
| title = Trash Compactor Party
| image = trash_compactor_party.png
| titletext = What an incredible smell you've discovered.
}}

==Explanation==
This comic is another in a [[:Category:COVID-19|series of comics]] related to the {{w|COVID-19 pandemic}}.

[[Randall]] is planning a party for when the pandemic is under control and it will again be acceptable to meet with people in close proximity and without a face mask or other kinds of protection.

But he has realized that after more than a year, where {{w|Social distancing|social distancing}} has been a thing, it will be difficult to get people to voluntarily move closer than 1-2 m from each other.

Thus to break the ice, and the social distancing, his party will have a theme - it will be a Trash Compactor Party. So he plans to install two moving walls on either side of the party room, which will slowly move together pressing people closer together. It is supposed to be a theme party, so the walls are not supposed to crush people in the end{{Citation Needed}}, but force them to get much closer than one meter apart.

In the comic Randall shows how people might react to this after more than a year without being close to anyone not from their own family/corona bubble.

[[Cueball]] and [[Megan]] are trying to push each of the walls of the trash compactor back in order to prevent it from pushing them closer to the three other people. Two of the other attendees, [[Hairbun]] and [[White Hat]] appear to be anxiously shying away from the inexorably increasing proximity of both of their neighboring guests, as they hold their arms nervously and protectively around their chests and necks. Thus reflecting the common current trend for many normal people to maintain increased personal space when meeting or passing other people active, compared with the pre-COVID era. Randall's claim is that this will not just go away because the restrictions are completely lifted if the pandemic comes under control. [[Ponytail]] is the one that seems least concerned; she even stands with a wine glass in her hands. She is looking at Cueball, maybe amused at the other people's reactions to a now safe situation.

The title text references a high-profile instance of the trope from the original {{w|Star Wars (film)|''Star Wars'' film}} (later retitled ''Star Wars: Episode IV — A New Hope''). {{w|Han Solo}} utters this quip shortly after he and several other main characters bail out of a firefight and land in a trash compactor. The walls then start closing in and, as in the comic, the characters are not enthused about being pushed ever closer together, and seek to push back on the walls before being crushed. Here, the quote also expresses a sense of (a new) hope: since a common symptom of COVID-19 is a loss of smell, the fact that the characters are all able to smell their surroundings suggests that the pandemic is gone.

==Transcript==
:[An ongoing party of five people is placed between two walls on wheels. There are two machines on either side of the walls, moving the walls on the left and right ever-closer in. The machines have pistons that push the walls together. Their rods are not long enough for the walls to meet in the middle, only to push the people close together. Near the left wall, Megan is sitting on a chair pushing on the approaching wall with hands and feet. Next to her is Hairbun looking toward the other wall with her hands held up to her neck. Then follows White Hat, also with his arms raised towards his neck, he is looking at Megan's wall. Next to him is a small table with a glass and a plate with something on it, probably snacks. On the other side of the table stands Ponytail with a wine glass in her hand. She is looking to the right at Cueball, who is standing on the other side of a chair standing between them. Seems like he just got up after having been sitting there looking at the advancing wall. Now he is standing pressed up against it pushing on it with both hands.]

:[Caption below the panel:]
:I'm planning a trash-compactor-themed party for when this is all over so we can get used to standing near each other again.

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:COVID-19]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Megan]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Hairbun]]
[[Category:Comics featuring White Hat]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Ponytail]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Star Wars]]
[[Category:Food]]

2416: Trash Compactor Party

2023-10-11T16:32:12Z

172.69.247.56:

{{comic
| number = 2416
| date = January 25, 2021
| title = Trash Compactor Party
| image = trash_compactor_party.png
| titletext = What an incredible smell you've discovered.
}}

==Explanation==
This comic is another in a [[:Category:COVID-19|series of comics]] related to the {{w|COVID-19 pandemic}}.

[[Randall]] is planning a party for when the pandemic is under control and it will again be acceptable to meet with people in close proximity and without a face mask or other kinds of protection.

But he has realized that after more than a year, where {{w|Social distancing|social distancing}} has been a thing, it will be difficult to get people to voluntarily move closer than 1-2 m from each other.

Thus to break the ice, and the social distancing, his party will have a theme - it will be a Trash Compactor Party. So he plans to install two moving walls on either side of the party room, which will slowly move together pressing people closer together. It is supposed to be a theme party, so the walls are not supposed to crush people in the end {{Citation Needed}}, but force them to get much closer than one meter apart.

In the comic Randall shows how people might react to this after more than a year without being close to anyone not from their own family/corona bubble.

[[Cueball]] and [[Megan]] are trying to push each of the walls of the trash compactor back in order to prevent it from pushing them closer to the three other people. Two of the other attendees, [[Hairbun]] and [[White Hat]] appear to be anxiously shying away from the inexorably increasing proximity of both of their neighboring guests, as they hold their arms nervously and protectively around their chests and necks. Thus reflecting the common current trend for many normal people to maintain increased personal space when meeting or passing other people active, compared with the pre-COVID era. Randall's claim is that this will not just go away because the restrictions are completely lifted if the pandemic comes under control. [[Ponytail]] is the one that seems least concerned; she even stands with a wine glass in her hands. She is looking at Cueball, maybe amused at the other people's reactions to a now safe situation.

The title text references a high-profile instance of the trope from the original {{w|Star Wars (film)|''Star Wars'' film}} (later retitled ''Star Wars: Episode IV — A New Hope''). {{w|Han Solo}} utters this quip shortly after he and several other main characters bail out of a firefight and land in a trash compactor. The walls then start closing in and, as in the comic, the characters are not enthused about being pushed ever closer together, and seek to push back on the walls before being crushed. Here, the quote also expresses a sense of (a new) hope: since a common symptom of COVID-19 is a loss of smell, the fact that the characters are all able to smell their surroundings suggests that the pandemic is gone.

==Transcript==
:[An ongoing party of five people is placed between two walls on wheels. There are two machines on either side of the walls, moving the walls on the left and right ever-closer in. The machines have pistons that push the walls together. Their rods are not long enough for the walls to meet in the middle, only to push the people close together. Near the left wall, Megan is sitting on a chair pushing on the approaching wall with hands and feet. Next to her is Hairbun looking toward the other wall with her hands held up to her neck. Then follows White Hat, also with his arms raised towards his neck, he is looking at Megan's wall. Next to him is a small table with a glass and a plate with something on it, probably snacks. On the other side of the table stands Ponytail with a wine glass in her hand. She is looking to the right at Cueball, who is standing on the other side of a chair standing between them. Seems like he just got up after having been sitting there looking at the advancing wall. Now he is standing pressed up against it pushing on it with both hands.]

:[Caption below the panel:]
:I'm planning a trash-compactor-themed party for when this is all over so we can get used to standing near each other again.

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:COVID-19]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Megan]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Hairbun]]
[[Category:Comics featuring White Hat]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Ponytail]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Star Wars]]
[[Category:Food]]