explain xkcd - User contributions [en]

900: Religions

2021-07-04T04:55:00Z

172.69.34.210: don't bother

{{comic
| number = 900
| date = May 18, 2011
| title = Religions
| image = religions.png
| titletext = But to us there is but one God, plus or minus one. —1 Corinthians 8:6±2.
}}

==Explanation==
The late {{w|Harold Camping}}, a Christian pastor, wrongly predicted that the world would end in May 21, 2011. Since it didn't, he moved the date to October 21 of that year, and when that passed uneventfully, he recanted his belief that the end time could be calculated. In the Christian belief, the end of the world is called "the second coming" (referencing the return of Jesus); some sects believe this will be preceded by an event called "the Rapture."

The first frame is a reference to raptors in {{w|Jurassic Park (film)|Jurassic Park}}, and certainly [[:Category:Velociraptors|not Randall's first raptor joke]]. In this film, the raptor dinosaurs get much more dangerous once they learn how to open doors. [[Cueball]] mishears [[Megan]], which is why he thinks she said "raptor" instead of "Rapture".

In the second frame, Cueball describes his personal approach to religion, starting by saying that he is Christian but only attends church services on Christmas and Easter. This is a {{w|Lapsed Catholic|well-known phenomenon among lapsed Christians}}, and if Cueball is not a regularly practicing Christian, it would certainly explain why he isn't particularly interested in this fundamentalist aspect of Christian belief. However, from here, his description takes a turn towards the ridiculous, when he says that every other day of the year is spent "at the mosque". Not only are mosques the place of worship for a completely different religion (specifically, Islam), they also generally hold communal services only on Fridays, so for Cueball to present this practice so matter-of-factly is quite absurd. When Megan questions the ubiquity of his practices, he replies by saying that this practice is vetted by his rabbi - a spiritual leader in Judaism, a third separate religion. While all three of these are {{w|Abrahamic religions}}, and as such have some overlap in their beliefs and texts, combining them all into one religion would be far from a simple process; either Cueball is simply being contrarian for comedic purposes, or he is involved in a very strange religious sect indeed.

The third frame is a math joke in which Megan references error bars which are used on graphs to indicate the uncertainty. So, Megan believes in one God (monotheism), as she says in the comic. But if she is still trying to find the error bars, and from the title text it is "one, plus or minus one", that could be in the range of zero ({{w|Atheism}}) to two ({{w|Dualism|Bitheism}}). With larger error bars, this could also reference the doctrine of the {{w|Trinity}}, which holds that there is "one God in three Divine persons": the Father, the Son (Jesus), and the Holy Spirit. Some consider this position to be polytheistic.

The title text is a supposed excerpt from the holy text of experimental monotheism. {{w|First Epistle to the Corinthians|1 Corinthians}} is a book of the {{w|Christian biblical canons|Christian Bible}}. Megan refers to chapter 8 verse 6 (±2), which would be [https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=1+Corinthians+8%3A4-8&version=ESV verses 4–8]. Verse 4 says "...There is no God but one". Confusingly, verse 6 says "yet for us, there is but one God, the Father, from whom all things came and for whom we live; and there is but one Lord, Jesus Christ, through whom all things came and through whom we live." (That could be self-consistent if the passage assumed that Jesus Christ is a lord but not a god, but little, if any, mainstream denominations of Christianity seem to follow such a doctrine).

==Transcript==
:[Cueball and Megan talking.]
:Megan: So are you worried about the rapture?
:Cueball: No, unless it figures out how to open doors.
:Megan: I said ''rapture.''

:Cueball: Oh, I'm not really into that. I'm the kind of Christian who only goes to church on Christmas and Easter, and then spends the other 363 days at the mosque.
:Megan: ...I don't think that's a thing.
:Cueball: Our rabbi swears it's legit.

:Cueball: What religion are you?
:Megan: Experimentalist Monotheism.
:Cueball: Which is?
:Megan: We believe there's one god, but we're trying to find the error bars on that number.

{{comic discussion}}
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Megan]]
[[Category:Religion]]
[[Category:Velociraptors]]
[[Category:Statistics]]

Talk:2351: Standard Model Changes

2020-08-27T00:05:50Z

172.69.34.210:

Re: "but for the most part [the changes] are nonsensical"
I find the symbol changes pretty compelling, actually. Much clearer :)
[[Special:Contributions/172.69.34.210|172.69.34.210]] 00:05, 27 August 2020 (UTC)

Talk:2350: Deer Turrets

2020-08-26T02:25:10Z

172.69.34.210:

There's no "next" button on [[2349]]? --[[Special:Contributions/108.162.219.250|108.162.219.250]] 18:44, 24 August 2020 (UTC)
:The reason there's no Next button is that it's the newest comic. --[[Special:Contributions/162.158.158.43|162.158.158.43]] 21:04, 24 August 2020 (UTC)

Is this about something? I mean, it could be a commentary on the way politics handled Covid, some politicians taking terrible decisions, then saying it was a mistake and that science is still learning, but then still taking terrible decisions afterwards. [[Special:Contributions/141.101.69.83|141.101.69.83]] 21:02, 24 August 2020 (UTC)
:That's definitely my take on this comic. The similarity with certain political meetings in the covid situation is quite abvious, in my opinion. [[Special:Contributions/90.127.120.72|90.127.120.72]] 16:02, 25 August 2020 (UTC)

The thing about icebergs, is that 9/10ths of them would be ''on fire'', if they weren't kept underwater. Truth! [[Special:Contributions/162.158.155.192|162.158.155.192]] 22:17, 24 August 2020 (UTC)

(to the tune of “Do-Re-Mi”) ''Does are near, now flee in fear; The ray will boil everyone; The antlered gun is taking aim; Now it’s vaporised my lung...'' [[User:Lightcaller|Lightcaller]] ([[User talk:Lightcaller|talk]]) 22:43, 24 August 2020 (UTC)

Deer don't gallop. Are you sure that's about the deer? [[Special:Contributions/172.69.33.187|172.69.33.187]] 22:54, 24 August 2020 (UTC) Dear IP_address, deer most certainly do gallop. Since I'm a nice guy (rarely), I LMGTFYed that to confirm. [[User:Cellocgw|Cellocgw]] ([[User talk:Cellocgw|talk]]) 12:35, 25 August 2020 (UTC)
:No deer run. [[Special:Contributions/172.69.34.210|172.69.34.210]] 02:25, 26 August 2020 (UTC)

I don't think you can build an iceberk-proof airship. Or at least, you won't get it into air because it would be too heavy. -- [[User:Hkmaly|Hkmaly]] ([[User talk:Hkmaly|talk]]) 00:21, 25 August 2020 (UTC)

You make a ship iceberg proof by making it fly. You can't be sunk if you fly over. [[User:Hax|Hax]] ([[User talk:Hax|talk]]) 07:16, 25 August 2020 (UTC)

I think the "Is it really??" means "Is it really okay?", not "Is it really a mistake?". [[Special:Contributions/162.158.183.137|162.158.183.137]] 11:03, 25 August 2020 (UTC)

Gotta keep on trying 'til you run out of cake. [[Special:Contributions/108.162.210.188|108.162.210.188]] 13:18, 25 August 2020 (UTC)

== When Mao went to clear the sparrow but for the locust, it was 42% as deadly as fauna-mounted autocannons ==

Just saying. [[Special:Contributions/172.69.34.150|172.69.34.150]] 07:17, 25 August 2020 (UTC)

Talk:2348: Boat Puzzle

2020-08-20T22:02:49Z

172.69.34.210:

A link could be made to this wiki entry https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wolf,_goat_and_cabbage_problem#Occurrence_and_variations . Also the last panel is seemingly a reference to the trolley problem https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trolley_problem

Callback to strip 1134. https://xkcd.com/1134/ I don't know how to add a proper link.
Pete [[Special:Contributions/162.158.154.71|162.158.154.71]] 22:23, 19 August 2020 (UTC)

Oh boy someone out there is gonna get nerd-sniped ''real'' hard [[User:Fieldbox|Fieldbox]] ([[User talk:Fieldbox|talk]]) 23:48, 19 August 2020 (UTC)

Some thoughts I had:

- There's a hierarchy: Wolfeater -> Wolves -> Goats & Cabbage moths -> Cabbages

- Does Wolfeater also eat cabbage? Yes. It's a goat

- There are [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rock_paper_scissors#Additional_weapons additional weapons for Rock paper scissors]

- Black Hat's moths and termites could obviously be transported so far (Black Hat might lie, source needed), but in the spirit of the question: moths can't be left alone with cabbages, and termites will destroy the boat if a crossing with them is attempted

- Cabbages can cushion the trolley, and still function as cabbages afterwards. Use White Hat's, because he has 100/101 cabbages, Ponytail's 1 cabbage adds less than 1% to the cushion, and if it's a special kind (probably not in the spirit of the question), it would get jumbled with the rest of them in the cushioning

- 6 humans to keep an eye on things, instead of the normal 1

- Trolley doesn't get to cross. It can hold multiple wolves, let's say at least 3, and if the trolley ''could'' cross, then Cueball wouldn't hesitate to recommend Ponytail go across with her 3 items [[User:Coverbe|Coverbe]] ([[User talk:Coverbe|talk]]) 05:03, 20 August 2020 (UTC)

Relevant: "Rubicon" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f-ROdRgRRsY [[Special:Contributions/162.158.159.14|162.158.159.14]] 07:28, 20 August 2020 (UTC)

Question: is the wolf-eating goat the same goat as the goat that Beret Guy won from Monty Hall? [[Special:Contributions/172.69.63.247|172.69.63.247]] 15:53, 20 August 2020 (UTC)

On "Reasonable assumptions": "Stopping the trolley destroys all the cabbages. Otherwise the event does not affect the logic puzzle" - This could be a red herring. And: We can still see the cabbages as 2 groups: 1+100. Destroying White Hat's 100 still lets Ponytail's 1 survive intact

"The pack of wolves in the trolley, if rescued, will eat a human or wolf eating goat left alone" - This phrasing is strange. If part of it means "wolves will eat the wolf-eating-goat": I disagree. See rock-paper-scissors [[User:Coverbe|Coverbe]] ([[User talk:Coverbe|talk]]) 16:25, 20 August 2020 (UTC)
:If you have (any) single wolf and (any) single goat alone on one side as you depart, upon your return you will probably discover ''either'' a wolf-eating-goat ''or'' a wolf eating goat. Which it is, will obviously depend upon the finer details, but it's a failure both ways... [[Special:Contributions/162.158.159.14|162.158.159.14]] 18:29, 20 August 2020 (UTC)
::That I agree with. I still wonder about "The pack of wolves […] will eat a human […]". I think it's a more reasonable assumption that any human can control any number of wolves [[User:Coverbe|Coverbe]] ([[User talk:Coverbe|talk]]) 19:03, 20 August 2020 (UTC)

What if only Cueball of all the humans can row the boat? He could be the ferryman[[Special:Contributions/172.69.2.166|172.69.2.166]] 18:19, 20 August 2020 (UTC)

But no-one's allowed to use the boat if they haven't figured out their eye color yet. (Assume the people, goats, wolves, moths, and termites are all perfect logicians. Assume the water is unreflective, the trolley has no windows, and Cueball makes his spreadsheet without looking at a screen. Assume everyone is a very bad communicator outside of announcing their logical predicaments. Assume that Black Hat will strictly enforce these guidelines.) [[Special:Contributions/108.162.219.18|108.162.219.18]] 19:31, 20 August 2020 (UTC)

"The pack of wolves in the trolley, if abandoned by the humans and rescued by the wolf who can operate a boat, will eat a human or wolf-eating goat left alone." - This seems really needlessly complex and doesn't really have a bearing on the problem in general.

Talk:2348: Boat Puzzle

2020-08-20T22:02:06Z

172.69.34.210:

A link could be made to this wiki entry https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wolf,_goat_and_cabbage_problem#Occurrence_and_variations . Also the last panel is seemingly a reference to the trolley problem https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trolley_problem

Callback to strip 1134. https://xkcd.com/1134/ I don't know how to add a proper link.
Pete [[Special:Contributions/162.158.154.71|162.158.154.71]] 22:23, 19 August 2020 (UTC)

Oh boy someone out there is gonna get nerd-sniped ''real'' hard [[User:Fieldbox|Fieldbox]] ([[User talk:Fieldbox|talk]]) 23:48, 19 August 2020 (UTC)

Some thoughts I had:

- There's a hierarchy: Wolfeater -> Wolves -> Goats & Cabbage moths -> Cabbages

- Does Wolfeater also eat cabbage? Yes. It's a goat

- There are [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rock_paper_scissors#Additional_weapons additional weapons for Rock paper scissors]

- Black Hat's moths and termites could obviously be transported so far (Black Hat might lie, source needed), but in the spirit of the question: moths can't be left alone with cabbages, and termites will destroy the boat if a crossing with them is attempted

- Cabbages can cushion the trolley, and still function as cabbages afterwards. Use White Hat's, because he has 100/101 cabbages, Ponytail's 1 cabbage adds less than 1% to the cushion, and if it's a special kind (probably not in the spirit of the question), it would get jumbled with the rest of them in the cushioning

- 6 humans to keep an eye on things, instead of the normal 1

- Trolley doesn't get to cross. It can hold multiple wolves, let's say at least 3, and if the trolley ''could'' cross, then Cueball wouldn't hesitate to recommend Ponytail go across with her 3 items [[User:Coverbe|Coverbe]] ([[User talk:Coverbe|talk]]) 05:03, 20 August 2020 (UTC)

Relevant: "Rubicon" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f-ROdRgRRsY [[Special:Contributions/162.158.159.14|162.158.159.14]] 07:28, 20 August 2020 (UTC)

Question: is the wolf-eating goat the same goat as the goat that Beret Guy won from Monty Hall? [[Special:Contributions/172.69.63.247|172.69.63.247]] 15:53, 20 August 2020 (UTC)

On "Reasonable assumptions": "Stopping the trolley destroys all the cabbages. Otherwise the event does not affect the logic puzzle" - This could be a red herring. And: We can still see the cabbages as 2 groups: 1+100. Destroying White Hat's 100 still lets Ponytail's 1 survive intact

"The pack of wolves in the trolley, if rescued, will eat a human or wolf eating goat left alone" - This phrasing is strange. If part of it means "wolves will eat the wolf-eating-goat": I disagree. See rock-paper-scissors [[User:Coverbe|Coverbe]] ([[User talk:Coverbe|talk]]) 16:25, 20 August 2020 (UTC)
:If you have (any) single wolf and (any) single goat alone on one side as you depart, upon your return you will probably discover ''either'' a wolf-eating-goat ''or'' a wolf eating goat. Which it is, will obviously depend upon the finer details, but it's a failure both ways... [[Special:Contributions/162.158.159.14|162.158.159.14]] 18:29, 20 August 2020 (UTC)
::That I agree with. I still wonder about "The pack of wolves […] will eat a human […]". I think it's a more reasonable assumption that any human can control any number of wolves [[User:Coverbe|Coverbe]] ([[User talk:Coverbe|talk]]) 19:03, 20 August 2020 (UTC)

What if only Cueball of all the humans can row the boat? He could be the ferryman[[Special:Contributions/172.69.2.166|172.69.2.166]] 18:19, 20 August 2020 (UTC)

But no-one's allowed to use the boat if they haven't figured out their eye color yet. (Assume the people, goats, wolves, moths, and termites are all perfect logicians. Assume the water is unreflective, the trolley has no windows, and Cueball makes his spreadsheet without looking at a screen. Assume everyone is a very bad communicator outside of announcing their logical predicaments. Assume that Black Hat will strictly enforce these guidelines.) [[Special:Contributions/108.162.219.18|108.162.219.18]] 19:31, 20 August 2020 (UTC)

"The pack of wolves in the trolley, if abandoned by the humans and rescued by the wolf who can operate a boat, will eat a human or wolf-eating goat left alone."
- This seems really needlessly complex and doesn't really have a bearing on the problem in general.

2348: Boat Puzzle

2020-08-19T23:29:51Z

172.69.34.210: 9 -> 7

{{comic
| number = 2348
| date = August 19, 2020
| title = Boat Puzzle
| image = boat_puzzle.png
| titletext = 'No, my cabbage moths have already started laying eggs in them! Send the trolley into the river!' 'No, the sailing wolf will steal the boat to rescue them!'
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Created by a GOAT THAT EATS WOLVES. Please mention here why this explanation isn't complete. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}
This comic is a twist on {{w|Wolf, goat and cabbage problem|an old riddle}}. In the original riddle, a person has to cross a river in a boat that can only hold them and one other object. They have a wolf, a goat, and a cabbage that they need to bring across with them, similar to the first panel. If the wolf is left alone with the goat, however, the wolf will eat the goat; and if the goat and cabbage are alone, the goat will eat the cabbage. (The problem can be solved in seven trips.)

However, the comic quickly devolves into surrealism in the later panels as new characters show up, bringing deviations of the original "cabbage", "goat", and "wolf" that add extra layers of complexity to the riddle.

The last panel is a reference to the {{w|Trolley_Problem|Trolley Problem}}, a moral test that asks the participant whether they would let a person in the way of an uncontrollable trolley die or divert the trolley and kill other people standing on the tracks. The comic gives a twist here too: instead of diverting the trolley, here the characters must choose between stopping the trolley and sacrificing cabbages or letting the trolley roll into the river (as hinted at by the title text).

The River Crossing puzzle was also mentioned in [[1134: Logic Boat]] and referenced in [[589: Designated Drivers]].

The Trolley Problem was also mentioned in [[1455: Trolley Problem]] and referenced in [[1938: Meltdown and Spectre]].

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

{{comic discussion}}

2348: Boat Puzzle

2020-08-19T23:29:07Z

172.69.34.210: /* Explanation */ more explanation about wolf + goat + cabbage problem

{{comic
| number = 2348
| date = August 19, 2020
| title = Boat Puzzle
| image = boat_puzzle.png
| titletext = 'No, my cabbage moths have already started laying eggs in them! Send the trolley into the river!' 'No, the sailing wolf will steal the boat to rescue them!'
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Created by a GOAT THAT EATS WOLVES. Please mention here why this explanation isn't complete. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}
This comic is a twist on {{w|Wolf, goat and cabbage problem|an old riddle}}. In the original riddle, a person has to cross a river in a boat that can only hold them and one other object. They have a wolf, a goat, and a cabbage that they need to bring across with them, similar to the first panel. If the wolf is left alone with the goat, however, the wolf will eat the goat; and if the goat and cabbage are alone, the goat will eat the cabbage. (The problem can be solved in nine trips.)

However, the comic quickly devolves into surrealism in the later panels as new characters show up, bringing deviations of the original "cabbage", "goat", and "wolf" that add extra layers of complexity to the riddle.

The last panel is a reference to the {{w|Trolley_Problem|Trolley Problem}}, a moral test that asks the participant whether they would let a person in the way of an uncontrollable trolley die or divert the trolley and kill other people standing on the tracks. The comic gives a twist here too: instead of diverting the trolley, here the characters must choose between stopping the trolley and sacrificing cabbages or letting the trolley roll into the river (as hinted at by the title text).

The River Crossing puzzle was also mentioned in [[1134: Logic Boat]] and referenced in [[589: Designated Drivers]].

The Trolley Problem was also mentioned in [[1455: Trolley Problem]] and referenced in [[1938: Meltdown and Spectre]].

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

{{comic discussion}}

2348: Boat Puzzle

2020-08-19T22:36:01Z

172.69.34.210:

{{comic
| number = 2348
| date = August 19, 2020
| title = Boat Puzzle
| image = boat_puzzle.png
| titletext = 'No, my cabbage moths have already started laying eggs in them! Send the trolley into the river!' 'No, the sailing wolf will steal the boat to rescue them!'
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Created by a GOAT THAT EATS WOLVES. Please mention here why this explanation isn't complete. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}
This comic is a twist on {{w|Wolf, goat and cabbage problem|an old riddle}}. In the original riddle, a man has to cross a river in a boat that can only hold him and one other object. The man has a wolf, a goat, and a cabbage that he needs to bring across with him, similar to the first panel. However, the comic quickly devolves into surrealism in the later panels as new characters show up, bringing deviations of the original "cabbage", "goat", and "wolf" that add extra layers of complexity to the riddle.

The last panel is a reference to the {{w|Trolley_Problem|Trolley Problem}}, a moral test that asks the participant whether they would let a person in the way of an uncontrollable trolley die or divert the trolley and kill other people standing on the tracks. The comic gives a twist here too: instead of diverting the trolley, here the characters must choose between stopping the trolley and sacrificing cabbages or letting the trolley roll into the river (as hinted at by the title text).

The River Crossing puzzle was also mentioned in [[1134: Logic Boat]] and referenced in [[589: Designated Drivers]].

The Trolley Problem was also mentioned in [[1455: Trolley Problem]] and referenced in [[1938: Meltdown and Spectre]].

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

{{comic discussion}}

2348: Boat Puzzle

2020-08-19T22:35:48Z

172.69.34.210:

{{comic
| number = 2348
| date = August 19, 2020
| title = Boat Puzzle
| image = boat_puzzle.png
| titletext = 'No, my cabbage moths have already started laying eggs in them! Send the trolley into the river!' 'No, the sailing wolf will steal the boat to rescue them!'
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Created by a GOAT THAT EATS WOLVES. Please mention here why this explanation isn't complete. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}
This comic is a twist on {{w|Wolf, goat and cabbage problem|an old riddle}}. In the original riddle, a man has to cross a river in a boat that can only hold him and one other object. The man has a wolf, a goat, and a cabbage that he needs to bring across with him, similar to the first panel. However, the comic quickly devolves into surrealism in the later panels as new characters show up, bringing deviations of the original "cabbage", "goat", and "wolf" that add extra layers of complexity to the riddle.

The last panel is a reference to the {{w|Trolley_Problem|Trolley Problem}}, a moral test that asks the participant whether they would let a person in the way of an uncontrollable trolley die or divert the trolley and kill other people standing on the tracks. The comic gives a twist here too: instead of diverting the trolley, here the characters must choose between stopping the trolley and sacrificing cabbages or letting the trolley roll into the river (as hinted at by the title text).

The River Crossing puzzle was also mentioned in [[1134: Logic Boat]] and referenced in [[589: Designated Drivers]].
The Trolley Problem was also mentioned in [[1455: Trolley Problem]] and referenced in [[1938: Meltdown and Spectre]].

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

{{comic discussion}}

2348: Boat Puzzle

2020-08-19T22:31:59Z

172.69.34.210: /* Explanation */

{{comic
| number = 2348
| date = August 19, 2020
| title = Boat Puzzle
| image = boat_puzzle.png
| titletext = 'No, my cabbage moths have already started laying eggs in them! Send the trolley into the river!' 'No, the sailing wolf will steal the boat to rescue them!'
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Created by a GOAT THAT EATS WOLVES. Please mention here why this explanation isn't complete. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}
This comic is a twist on {{w|Wolf, goat and cabbage problem|an old riddle}}. In the original riddle, a man has to cross a river in a boat that can only hold him and one other object. The man has a wolf, a goat, and a cabbage that he needs to bring across with him, similar to the first panel. However, the comic quickly devolves into surrealism in the later panels as new characters show up, bringing deviations of the original "cabbage", "goat", and "wolf" that add extra layers of complexity to the riddle.

The last panel is a reference to the {{w|Trolley_Problem|Trolley Problem}}, a moral test that asks the participant whether they would let a person in the way of an uncontrollable trolley die or divert the trolley and kill other people standing on the tracks. The comic gives a twist here too: instead of diverting the trolley, here the characters must choose between stopping the trolley and sacrificing cabbages or letting the trolley roll into the river (as hinted at by the title text).

The River Crossing puzzle was also mentioned in [[1134: Logic Boat]] and referenced in [[589: Designated Drivers]].

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

{{comic discussion}}

2348: Boat Puzzle

2020-08-19T22:30:50Z

172.69.34.210:

{{comic
| number = 2348
| date = August 19, 2020
| title = Boat Puzzle
| image = boat_puzzle.png
| titletext = 'No, my cabbage moths have already started laying eggs in them! Send the trolley into the river!' 'No, the sailing wolf will steal the boat to rescue them!'
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Created by a GOAT THAT EATS WOLVES. Please mention here why this explanation isn't complete. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}
This comic is a twist on {{w|Wolf, goat and cabbage problem|an old riddle}}. In the original riddle, a man has to cross a river in a boat that can only hold him and one other object. The man has a wolf, a goat, and a cabbage that he needs to bring across with him, similar to the first panel. However, the comic quickly devolves into surrealism in the later panels as new characters show up, bringing deviations of the original "cabbage", "goat", and "wolf" that add extra layers of complexity to the riddle.

The last panel is a reference to the {{w|Trolley_Problem|Trolley Problem}}, a moral test that asks the participant whether they would let a person in the way of an uncontrollable trolley die or divert the trolley and kill other people standing on the tracks. The comic gives a twist here too: instead of diverting the trolley, here the characters must choose between stopping the trolley and sacrificing cabbages or letting the trolley roll into the river (as hinted at by the title text).

The River Crossing puzzle was also mentioned in [[1134: Logic Boat]].

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

{{comic discussion}}

2348: Boat Puzzle

2020-08-19T22:29:49Z

172.69.34.210:

{{comic
| number = 2348
| date = August 19, 2020
| title = Boat Puzzle
| image = boat_puzzle.png
| titletext = 'No, my cabbage moths have already started laying eggs in them! Send the trolley into the river!' 'No, the sailing wolf will steal the boat to rescue them!'
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Created by a GOAT THAT EATS WOLVES. Please mention here why this explanation isn't complete. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}
This comic is a twist on {{w|Wolf, goat and cabbage problem|an old riddle}}. In the original riddle, a man has to cross a river in a boat that can only hold him and one other object. The man has a wolf, a goat, and a cabbage that he needs to bring across with him, similar to the first panel. However, the comic quickly devolves into surrealism in the later panels as new characters show up, bringing deviations of the original "cabbage", "goat", and "wolf" that add extra layers of complexity to the riddle.

The last panel is a reference to the {{w|Trolley_Problem|Trolley Problem}}, a moral test that asks the participant whether they would let a person in the way of an uncontrollable trolley die or divert the trolley and kill other people standing on the tracks. The comic gives a twist here too: instead of diverting the trolley, here the characters must choose between stopping the trolley and sacrificing cabbages or letting the trolley roll into the river (as hinted at by the title text).

The River Crossing puzzle has been mentioned several times in past comics, including in [[1134: Logic Boat]].

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

{{comic discussion}}

2348: Boat Puzzle

2020-08-19T22:28:15Z

172.69.34.210: /* Explanation */

{{comic
| number = 2348
| date = August 19, 2020
| title = Boat Puzzle
| image = boat_puzzle.png
| titletext = 'No, my cabbage moths have already started laying eggs in them! Send the trolley into the river!' 'No, the sailing wolf will steal the boat to rescue them!'
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Created by a GOAT THAT EATS WOLVES. Please mention here why this explanation isn't complete. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}
This comic is a twist on {{w|Wolf, goat and cabbage problem|an old riddle}}. In the original riddle, a man has to cross a river in a boat that can only hold him and one other object. The man has a wolf, a goat, and a cabbage that he needs to bring across with him, similar to the first panel. However, the comic quickly devolves into surrealism in the later panels as new characters show up, bringing deviations of the original "cabbage", "goat", and "wolf" that add extra layers of complexity to the riddle.

The last panel is a reference to the {{w|Trolley_Problem|Trolley Problem}}, a moral test that asks the participant whether they would let a person in the way of an uncontrollable trolley die or divert the trolley and kill other people standing on the tracks. The comic gives a twist here too: instead of diverting the trolley, here the characters must choose between stopping the trolley and sacrificing cabbages or letting the trolley roll into the river (as hinted at by the title text).

The River Crossing puzzle has been mentioned several times in past comics, including in [[1134]].

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

{{comic discussion}}

2348: Boat Puzzle

2020-08-19T22:25:01Z

172.69.34.210:

{{comic
| number = 2348
| date = August 19, 2020
| title = Boat Puzzle
| image = boat_puzzle.png
| titletext = 'No, my cabbage moths have already started laying eggs in them! Send the trolley into the river!' 'No, the sailing wolf will steal the boat to rescue them!'
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Created by a GOAT THAT EATS WOLVES. Please mention here why this explanation isn't complete. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}
This comic is a twist on {{w|Wolf, goat and cabbage problem|an old riddle}}. In the original riddle, a man has to cross a river in a boat that can only hold him and one other object. The man has a wolf, a goat, and a cabbage that he needs to bring across with him, similar to the first panel. However, the comic quickly devolves into surrealism in the later panels as new characters show up, bringing deviations of the original "cabbage", "goat", and "wolf" that add extra layers of complexity to the riddle.

The last panel is a reference to the {{w|Trolley_Problem|Trolley Problem}}, a moral test that asks the participant whether they would let a person in the way of an uncontrollable trolley die or divert the trolley and kill other people standing on the tracks. The comic gives a twist here too: instead of diverting the trolley, here the characters must choose between stopping the trolley and sacrificing cabbages or letting the trolley roll into the river (as hinted at by the title text). This alternate way of viewing the problem has applications in the self-driving car industry, where a car may be programmed to save its driver at all costs, even at the expense of others' lives.

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

{{comic discussion}}

2348: Boat Puzzle

2020-08-19T22:16:00Z

172.69.34.210:

{{comic
| number = 2348
| date = August 19, 2020
| title = Boat Puzzle
| image = boat_puzzle.png
| titletext = 'No, my cabbage moths have already started laying eggs in them! Send the trolley into the river!' 'No, the sailing wolf will steal the boat to rescue them!'
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Created by a GOAT THAT EATS WOLVES. Please mention here why this explanation isn't complete. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}
This comic is a twist on an old riddle. In the original riddle, a man has to cross a river in a boat that can only hold him and one other object. The man has a wolf, a goat, and a cabbage that he needs to bring across with him, similar to the first panel. However, the comic quickly devolves into surrealism in the later panels as new characters show up, bringing deviations of the original "cabbage", "goat", and "wolf" that add extra layers of complexity to the riddle.

The last panel is a reference to the {{w|Trolley_Problem|Trolley Problem}}, a moral test that asks the participant whether they would let a person in the way of an uncontrollable trolley die or divert the trolley and kill other people standing on the tracks. The comic gives a twist here too: instead of diverting the trolley, here the characters must choose between stopping the trolley and sacrificing cabbages or letting the trolley roll into the river (as hinted at by the title text). This alternate way of viewing the problem has applications in the self-driving car industry, where a car may be programmed to save its driver at all costs, even at the expense of others' lives.

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

{{comic discussion}}

2348: Boat Puzzle

2020-08-19T22:10:55Z

172.69.34.210: /* Explanation */

{{comic
| number = 2348
| date = August 19, 2020
| title = Boat Puzzle
| image = boat_puzzle.png
| titletext = 'No, my cabbage moths have already started laying eggs in them! Send the trolley into the river!' 'No, the sailing wolf will steal the boat to rescue them!'
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Created by a GOAT THAT EATS WOLVES. Please mention here why this explanation isn't complete. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}
This comic is a twist an old riddle. In the original riddle, a man has to cross a river in a boat that can only hold him and one other object. The man has a wolf, a goat, and a cabbage that he needs to bring across with him, similar to the first panel. However, the comic quickly devolves into surrealism in the later panels as new characters show up, bringing deviations of the original "cabbage", "goat", and "wolf" that add extra layers of complexity to the riddle.

The last panel is a reference to the Trolley Problem, a moral test that asks the participant whether they would let a person in the way of an uncontrollable trolley die or divert the trolley and kill other people standing on the tracks. The comic gives a twist here too: instead of diverting the trolley, here the characters must choose between stopping the trolley and sacrificing cabbages or letting the trolley roll into the river (as hinted at by the title text). This alternate way of viewing the problem has applications in the self-driving car industry, where a car may be programmed to save its driver at all costs, even at the expense of others' lives.

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

{{comic discussion}}

2348: Boat Puzzle

2020-08-19T22:05:17Z

172.69.34.210:

2348: Boat Puzzle

2020-08-19T22:01:42Z

172.69.34.210:

2347: Dependency

2020-08-17T22:49:28Z

172.69.34.210:

{{comic
| number = 2347
| date = August 17, 2020
| title = Dependency
| image = dependency.png
| titletext = Someday ImageMagick will finally break for good and we'll have a long period of scrambling as we try to reassemble civilization from the rubble.
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Created by A PROJECT [[User:Dgbrt|SOME RANDOM PERSON]] HAS BEEN THANKLESSLY MAINTAINING SINCE 2013. Please mention here why this explanation isn't complete. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}

Software design from the late 2010s onwards focused on a model of re-usability and modularization, creating micro-services which were the logical extreme of such a conclusion. While in theory, such a system may sound good for developers who would need to write and maintain many fewer lines of code, systems which are highly optimized are also highly susceptible to rapid changes. For example, the famous left-pad incident in Javascript's npm left many major and minor web services which at some level or another depended on it unable to build. A disgruntled developer unpublishing 11 lines of code was able to break everybody's build, because everyone is using it.

The current model of libraries and open-source development (topics which Randall has addressed extensively in the past) relies heavily on the free and continued dedication of unpaid hobbyists. Though some major projects such as Linux may be able to garner enough attention to build an organization around it, many smaller projects, which are in turn reused by larger projects, may only be maintained by one person, either the founder or another who has taken the torch. Maintaining libraries requires both extensive knowledge of the library itself as well as any use cases and the broader community around it, which usually is suited for maintainers who have spent years at the task, and thus cannot be easily replaced. Thus, there are many abandoned projects on the internet as people move on to greener pastures. Far from the days of backwards compatibility, that's usually not a problem, unless a project happens to be far down the dependency chain, such as illustrated in the example, in which case there may be a minor crisis down the road for both the developers and the users down the chain.

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

{{comic discussion}}

2283: Exa-Exabyte

2020-03-20T22:32:41Z

172.69.34.210: /* Explanation */ examples

{{comic
| number = 2283
| date = March 20, 2020
| title = Exa-Exabyte
| image = exa_exabyte.png
| titletext = To picture 10^18, just picture 10^13, but then imagine you connect the left side of the 3 to close off the little bays.
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Created by 10 EXA-EXABYTES OF APPLES. Please mention here why this explanation isn't complete. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}
Randall has taken a break from his [[:Category: COVID-19|COVID-19 series]].

This is a comic about the difficulty of picturing or understanding large numbers. As mentioned in the comic, an {{w|exabyte}} is 10^18 bytes, while an "exa-exabyte" -- not a real word but one that makes sense if you apply the principles of {{w|Metric prefix|metric prefixes}} -- is 10^36 bytes.

These numbers are larger than most people can imagine. Even much smaller numbers such as a billion or a trillion are hard to imagine. For instance:
* 1 billion seconds is equal to 31.7 years; 1 trillion seconds is equal to 31688.74 years.
* [https://medium.com/@alecmuffett/a-billion-grains-of-rice-91202220e10e 1 billion grains of rice] weighs approximately 34,447 lb (15,625 kg)

Megan trivializes the problem away by describing an exabyte as 10 apples, with "18 smaller apples, floating next to them and a little above", representing the notation 10^18 using apples for digits. This is entirely unhelpful, as apples, whatever their position, don't represent exponents, and this causes Blondie to yell out "No!" in frustration. The title text further trivializes the problem of visualizing large numbers by suggesting that you can visualize 10^18 as a number by simply visualizing the similar-looking number of 10^13 with some extra lines drawn to turn the 3 into an 8. Changes in exponents can cause huge changes in the value shown, and this is no exception: Changing that 3 into an 8 changes the value by a factor of 100,000.

[[1605: DNA]] also discusses how "hard" biology is.

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

:[Blondie is teaching a class, and is speaking to Cueball to her left, who is sitting at a desk. She holds a pointer, and is pointing to a blackboard.]
:Blondie: Biology is hard because there's so ''much'' of it. Earth hosts about 10 exa-exabytes worth of DNA.

:[In a frameless panel, the panel has panned to the left and is now showing Blondie, Cueball sitting at a desk and Megan also sitting at a desk, behind Cueball. Blondie holds the pointer to her side.]
:Cueball: What's an exa-exabyte?
:Blondie: It's 1036 bytes.
:Cueball: How do I picture ''that''?
:Blondie: Imagine you had an exabyte of data, but each byte ''contained'' an exabyte of data.

:[Zoomed in on Cueball]
:Cueball: I can't even picture what an exabyte is.
:Blondie (off screen): It's 1018 bytes.
:Cueball: But how do I picture 1018?

:[Zoomed back out, showing Megan, Cueball, and Blondie]
:Megan: Imagine you had 10 apples.
:Megan: Now imagine 18 smaller apples, floating next to them and a little above.
:Cueball: Cool, got it.
:Blondie: ''No!''

{{comic discussion}}
[[Category: Biology]]
[[Category: Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category: Comics featuring Blondie]]
[[Category: Comics featuring Megan]]