explain xkcd - User contributions [en]

Talk:2795: Glass-Topped Table

2023-06-30T06:28:38Z

172.69.33.154:

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)

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)

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)

;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 would 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)

2770: Tapetum Lucidum

2023-05-03T18:35:03Z

172.69.33.154:

{{comic
| number = 2770
| date = May 1, 2023
| title = Tapetum Lucidum
| image = tapetum_lucidum_2x.png
| imagesize = 412x492px
| noexpand = true
| titletext = Using a reflective wall in a game to give one shot two chances to hit is called a double-tapetum lucidum.
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Created by BILL NYE'S CAT - Please change this comment when editing this page. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}

{{w|Bill Nye}}, perhaps best known for his children's educational series ''{{w|Bill Nye the Science Guy}}'', wearing the same lab coat as in [[200: Bill Nye]], beats an unseen player (presumably [[Randall]]) in an online multiplayer game resembling {{w|XPilot}}, in which players pilot spaceships using simulated rocket physics and attempt to shoot and kill each other. During a laser battle, Bill Nye provides a scientific explanation for the {{w|tapetum lucidum}}, the layer behind the {{w|retina}} of a cat's eye. He explains that the layer reflects back some of the light that bounces off the retina, giving it a second chance to hit the retina again. This allows a cat's eye to capture more light than it otherwise would, and thus improves their night vision. It's also why [https://carnegiemnh.org/meowfest-why-do-cat-eyes-glow-in-the-dark/ cat's eyes appear to glow in the dark].

At the same time, Bill Nye's battle tactic in the online game perfectly analogizes the point he is making. His spaceship is firing energy pulses into the path of an approaching ship in an attempt to destroy it. Due to the difficulty of hitting a small, fast-moving target, it's likely that most or all of these shots will miss. However, because Bill Nye is firing at a reflective wall, each shot that misses bounces back into the path of the opponent's ship, giving it a second chance to hit the target and effectively doubling the density of the firepower. With double the number of shots to avoid, the opponent's ship is hit and explodes. This explanation is similar to how Bill Nye would explain scientific concepts by using analogous demonstrations of other things.

In the analogy, the weapon shots fired by Bill Nye's ship are the light photons entering the cat's eye, the reflective wall is the tapetum lucidum, and the opponent's ship is a retinal cell. Destroying the opponent's ship with a shot is analogous to a light photon being absorbed by the cat's retina (and therefore seen). If the reflective wall hadn't been there, the ship might have survived, which means the retina would never have seen that photon.

Randall presumably considers this "extra infuriating" because Bill Nye is showing off his scientific knowledge in some other field while also beating him in the game.

The title text is a pun that refers to "tapetum lucidum" and uses "double tap" in the way that online games, memes, and films refer to shooting something twice in rapid succession to ensure its demise. This phrase is famously{{Actual citation needed}} used in the film "Zombieland," and is the subtitle of the 2019 "Zombieland: Double Tap" sequel.

==Transcript==
:[Two triangles with two long sides of equal length (isosceles triangles) but with the short side curving a bit in, are moving inside a black structure, their movement indicated with three and two curved lines below the left and above the right triangle. Both triangles shoots green lasers out of their sharp tip, indicating they represents space ships. They are flying inside a black structure, maybe a maze. There is nothing above the left ship. but below the ships are a black segment making a triangle in the lower left corner. The right ship is inside an opening created by this triangle below it, and another black triangle above it, that centers on the middle of the right side of the panel. The left ship has shot three green laser beams, one of them hits inside the opening on the right triangle and the beam bounces off this wall. But it is not close to the right ship. The right ship has only fires one green laser, which bounces off the left wall also far from the left ship. A voice emanates from the left ship, via a star burst at the top corner. And there are sounds because of the shots it has fired.]
:Left ship: Cats have a shiny layer behind their retina called the tapetum lucidum.
:Laser shots: Pew pew pew

:[Same setting but the scene has panned a bit to the left and up so less of the black walls can be seen. The left ship has moved closer to the right wall and has turned so it's sharp tip points almost straight down, still with three curved lines to indicate movement, probably turning movement. It again fires green lasers at the other ship, four this time, with sounds coming from the shooting. The right spaceship is accelerating forward as indicated with three wavy lines behind it's short side moving in to the line of fire. It seems as though all four lasers might miss it, but one of those that already has passed it, is being reflected up against it from below the left black wall. Again a voice emanates from the left ship via a starburst in the left corner:]
:Left ship: After light passes through the retina, this layer reflects it back through a second time.
:Laser shots: Pew pew

:[Same setting but the scene has again panned a bit to show a different segments of the black walls. The ship originally to the left is now above and a bit to the right of where the right ship originally was, and it is even closer to the right wall. It is not firing any more shots, because the reflected shot from the previous panel has hit the right ship which explodes in large green cloud with the black pieces of the ship inside it, and a huge sound. The tail of the laser shot that hits it can be seen entering the explosion. Three other laser shots from before are still moving down, but might all have missed the ship. There are no movement lines now but again the voice emanates from the left ship via a starburst in the left corner:]
:Left ship: This extra bounce gives photons another chance to interact with the retinal cells...
:Explosion: Boom!

:[A man with short black hair wearing a labcoat is sitting in an office chair typing on his computer while speaking. Below him is a frame with a caption, from which it becomes clear that the man, and the owner of the voice from the left ship, is Bill Nye.]
:Bill Nye: ...Improving their night vision! Isn't science cool?
:Caption: There's something extra infuriating about losing online games to Bill Nye.

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Comics with color]]
[[Category:Comics featuring real people]]
[[Category:Video games]]
[[Category:Biology]]
[[Category:Cats]]

2728: Lane Change Highway

2023-01-24T17:19:07Z

172.69.33.154: /* Trivia */ eng

{{comic
| number = 2728
| date = January 23, 2023
| title = Lane Change Highway
| image = lane_change_highway_2x.png
| imagesize = 374x530px
| noexpand = true
| titletext = I just think lane markers should follow the local magnetic declination.
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Created by a CANDY CANE ROAD - Please continue to expand the description, add the title text. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}
{{w|Highway}}s are large roads designated for high-speed traffic. Like in [[253: Highway Engineer Pranks]], [[Randall]] proposes an ineffective highway design, which reportedly got him fired.

Highways normally have several, but not a fixed number of lanes; more lanes may be included on parts of the highway with higher traffic flow, and the design decision can interact with entrances and exits to the highway. One common structure is to merge a lane from the right to the left after an entrance, to remove the extra lane created by the merge of the entry ramp. Drivers are expected to merge into one of the lanes further left before the lane on the right ends.

Here, Randall has designed a highway where the lanes are not aligned to the road, thus constantly expanding to the left and requiring merges from the right. This is highly impractical, as each individual lane merge is a difficult maneuver compared to normal driving; being forced to perform these near-constantly is a large hindrance at the least and a large danger at the most.

The speaker, a highway traffic engineer, decided to build a highway that requires constant changing of lanes to stay on the road. This is incredibly unsafe as it means that drivers - in effect - need to disregard the lane markings and drive by their own intuitions.

==Transcript==
:[In a white panel a black road starts at the bottom left and curves gently towards the right until the middle of the panel, where it begins curving slightly to the left ending in the top right corner. The road has space for four lanes divided by lane markers, but the markers does not follow the direction of the road but goes more from left to right than the road, even though they do follow the general curve of the road, but never the actual direction of the road. This results in all these lanes to end near the right edge of the road. Every time the lane gets too near the edge the lane lines stop and on the end of the lane there is a curving arrow pointing left. Below the arrows the word "Merge" is written. This happens seven times on this small patch of Highway. At the bottom and top there are the lane marker lines entering and exiting, so always there are four lanes. After the three starting at the bottom, seven new ones begin, the last just below the top, where the final merge arrow also is, stopping the last of the right lines from exiting at the top.]
:Merge
:Merge
:Merge
:Merge
:Merge
:Merge
:Merge

:[Caption below the panel:]
:I got fired from my traffic engineering job for building a highway where you could only travel by lane changes.

==Trivia==
* A faint grey outline is visible under the caption, as if text was rewritten over a semitransparent layer, which was never deleted.

{{comic discussion}}
[[Category:Engineering]]