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		<title>explain xkcd - User contributions [en]</title>
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		<updated>2026-05-25T02:03:54Z</updated>
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	<entry>
		<id>https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=1168:_tar&amp;diff=230820</id>
		<title>1168: tar</title>
		<link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=1168:_tar&amp;diff=230820"/>
				<updated>2022-04-21T01:47:08Z</updated>
		
		<summary type="html">&lt;p&gt;172.69.42.137: /* Transcript */ i t a l i c s&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;hr /&gt;
&lt;div&gt;{{comic&lt;br /&gt;
| number    = 1168&lt;br /&gt;
| date      = February 1, 2013&lt;br /&gt;
| title     = tar&lt;br /&gt;
| image     = tar.png&lt;br /&gt;
| titletext = I don't know what's worse--the fact that after 15 years of using tar I still can't keep the flags straight, or that after 15 years of technological advancement I'm still mucking with tar flags that were 15 years old when I started.&lt;br /&gt;
}}&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
==Explanation==&lt;br /&gt;
{{w|Tar (computing)|tar}} (&amp;quot;tape archive&amp;quot;) is a {{w|Unix|Unix}} application that creates (and extracts) archives in the &amp;quot;.tar&amp;quot; format. It is typically used through the text-based terminal, using cryptic single-letter arguments such as &amp;quot;&amp;lt;code&amp;gt;tar -cvf archive.tar *&amp;lt;/code&amp;gt;&amp;quot;. The comic alludes to the fact that despite years of use of the command, it's still hard to remember the arguments without searching for them, such as with Google.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
The joke here is that a &amp;quot;tar&amp;quot; command with perfect syntax on the first try without outside help is such a daunting task that even [[Rob]] can't overcome it with confidence, and apologizes for not being able to prevent their imminent death.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
The fact that [[Megan]] and [[White Hat]] assume that Rob can disarm the {{w|nuclear bomb}} because he uses Unix can be referring to an over-generalization fallacy that a partaker in a practice is an expert of a practice. Not all people who use Unix necessarily know how to use tar commands. Then again, since he's the only person nearby who knows ''any'' Unix and thus their only hope, their fallacy is pretty justified.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
The title text points out that while much of computing changes very quickly, the tar program, which is very old (originating ca. 1975), is still around and heavily used. And yet, [[Randall]] complains he still cannot type out a line of tar command with correct flags without having to look the flags up. Tar is a very common command that Unix users will come across regularly, much like Windows users will come across .zip files. Depending on the flavor of Unix, the order of the flags, or the lack or inclusion of a '-' could render the command incorrect. Most true Unixes (AIX, HPUX, Solaris) not using the GNU utilities would give an error on the above tar example. For such a simple command, it is one that most people need to look up references to use.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
There is probably also a pun on &amp;quot;{{w|tarbomb}},&amp;quot; a poorly created tar archive that, when extracted, dumps a load of files into the current directory that the user has to clean up. And although the bomb looks more like {{w|Fat Man}}, the type of bomb that was used over {{w|Nagasaki}}, at least size-wise, it may also be a pun on the name of the largest ever {{w|hydrogen bomb}} which was called the {{w|Tsar Bomba}} (translation: &amp;quot;emperor bomb&amp;quot;).&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
In [[208: Regular Expressions]] [[Cueball]] saves the day by knowing {{w|regular expression}}s, although in the title text it is alluded to how easy these may also miss a character.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Rob may refer to {{w|Rob Pike}}, who was a member of the team at AT&amp;amp;T who created Unix.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
==Transcript==&lt;br /&gt;
:[Megan and White Hat stand next to a nuclear bomb. The bomb has a hatch open on top, and a small blinking screen. The two people are shouting off-screen.]&lt;br /&gt;
:Megan: Rob! You use Unix!&lt;br /&gt;
:White Hat: Come quick!&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
:[Megan, White Hat, and Rob look at the screen on the bomb. Rob peers closely. The screen is on the bomb, but is shown at the top of the panel in black with white letters, except &amp;quot;tar&amp;quot; and the last underscore which is in gray and &amp;quot;ten&amp;quot; which is black but written in a white box. The text reads:]&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;background-color:black; padding:5px; width:fit-content; margin-left: 2em&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;font color=&amp;quot;white&amp;quot;&amp;gt;To disarm the bomb,&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;simply enter a valid&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&amp;lt;/font&amp;gt;&amp;lt;font color=&amp;quot;gray&amp;quot;&amp;gt;''tar''&amp;lt;/font&amp;gt; &amp;lt;font color=&amp;quot;white&amp;quot;&amp;gt;command on your&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;first try. No Googling.&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;You&amp;amp;nbsp;have&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;lt;/font&amp;gt;&amp;lt;code&amp;gt;&amp;lt;font color=&amp;quot;black&amp;quot;&amp;gt;ten&amp;lt;/font&amp;gt;&amp;lt;/code&amp;gt;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;lt;font color=&amp;quot;white&amp;quot;&amp;gt;seconds.&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;~# &amp;lt;/font&amp;gt; &amp;lt;font color=&amp;quot;gray&amp;quot;&amp;gt;_&amp;lt;/font&amp;gt; &lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
:[They all stand in the same position, but without the text displayed. Beat panel.]&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
:[Still in the same position but White Hat becomes impatient.]&lt;br /&gt;
:White Hat: ...Rob?&lt;br /&gt;
:Rob: I'm so sorry.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
{{comic discussion}}&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
[[Category:Comics featuring White Hat]]&lt;br /&gt;
[[Category:Comics featuring Megan]]&lt;br /&gt;
[[Category:Comics featuring Rob]]&lt;br /&gt;
[[Category:Computers]]&lt;br /&gt;
[[Category:Programming]]&lt;br /&gt;
[[Category:Linux]]&lt;br /&gt;
[[Category:Nuclear weapons]]&lt;/div&gt;</summary>
		<author><name>172.69.42.137</name></author>	</entry>

	<entry>
		<id>https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=Talk:2566:_Decorative_Constants&amp;diff=229782</id>
		<title>Talk:2566: Decorative Constants</title>
		<link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=Talk:2566:_Decorative_Constants&amp;diff=229782"/>
				<updated>2022-04-06T02:47:50Z</updated>
		
		<summary type="html">&lt;p&gt;172.69.42.137: &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;hr /&gt;
&lt;div&gt;&amp;lt;!--Please sign your posts with ~~~~ and don't delete this text. New comments should be added at the bottom.--&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I don't have any idea what to put in the actual description, but whoever does should probably note that r(in) - r(out) equals zero, not one. And multiplying by a constant 0 absolutely changes the value! [[User:GreatWyrmGold|GreatWyrmGold]] ([[User talk:GreatWyrmGold|talk]]) 21:59, 10 January 2022 (UTC)&lt;br /&gt;
: r&amp;lt;sub&amp;gt;out&amp;lt;/sub&amp;gt; and r&amp;lt;sub&amp;gt;in&amp;lt;/sub&amp;gt; are different values. The subscripts represent different instances of the same variable at different point. In the same way, you might calculate something happening over a time interval t&amp;lt;sub&amp;gt;end&amp;lt;/sub&amp;gt; - t&amp;lt;sub&amp;gt;start&amp;lt;/sub&amp;gt; . [[Special:Contributions/172.69.71.77|172.69.71.77]] 23:02, 10 January 2022 (UTC)&lt;br /&gt;
::Yes for sure they are two different values. On the other hand if μ is not 1 then the it is not just decorative! D on the other hand is just a proportionality constant, which may have a value other than 1. I have tried to put something in the explanation here. Quite a bit. Do not really now anything about Drag, so just took it from the wiki page. Also I hope someone can explain the formula in the image, as I'm sure it is just something about the flow, that would relate it to a drag equation. --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 23:41, 10 January 2022 (UTC)&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Note that the title text is pretty much word-for-word a repeat from Randall's book *How To*. In Chapter 11: *How to Play Football*, he misuses the drag equation, and mentions this fact in more depth, in a footnote. Bit of trivia! --[[Special:Contributions/162.158.134.79|162.158.134.79]] 23:13, 10 January 2022 (UTC)&lt;br /&gt;
:Nice, I will have to check up on that. Thanks. --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 23:41, 10 January 2022 (UTC)&lt;br /&gt;
:Can confirm this, the book mentions that the &amp;quot;traditional tribute to Euler and Bernoulli&amp;quot; comes from Frank White's ''Fluid Mechanics'' textbook. [[User:Clam|Clam]] ([[User talk:Clam|talk]]) 01:08, 11 January 2022 (UTC)&lt;br /&gt;
:: There it is, page 266 in the 1986 2nd edition: &amp;quot;They both have a factor ½ as a traditional tribute to Bernoulli and Euler, and both are based on the projected area...&amp;quot; https://books.google.com/books?id=wGweAQAAIAAJ&amp;amp;q=traditional -- [[Special:Contributions/172.70.162.5|172.70.162.5]] 02:13, 11 January 2022 (UTC)&lt;br /&gt;
:::Great thanks have included both references in the explanation. --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 08:32, 11 January 2022 (UTC)&lt;br /&gt;
:Wait, wouldn't the values be twice as big (rather than half as big) if you left off the 1/2? [[Special:Contributions/141.101.69.154|141.101.69.154]] 12:43, 11 January 2022 (UTC)&lt;br /&gt;
::No. If 1/2Cd = Constant, then the new constant would be half as big as Cd since Cd=2x constant. You would just put in the 1/2 in the new version of Cd, so the new Cd is half as big as the old, and the final result the same.--[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 10:44, 12 January 2022 (UTC)&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Of course, the c^2 im e=mc^2 is just as decorative, when using natural units where c=1.... [[Special:Contributions/172.68.50.171|172.68.50.171]] 00:29, 11 January 2022 (UTC)&lt;br /&gt;
: And the resulting equation is then just e=m - or m=e which is beautiful and profound.  &amp;quot;Mass is Energy&amp;quot;.  Without the complications, you stop thinking of it as a PROCESS for converting one into the other and get the more profound point that Mass and Energy are the exact same thing.  [[User:SteveBaker|SteveBaker]] ([[User talk:SteveBaker|talk]]) 03:33, 11 January 2022 (UTC)&lt;br /&gt;
: I respectfully disagree. The c² isn't decorative; mc² is a measure of energy and m is not. e=mc², like f=ma, still works even if you change the size of any of the basic units (of length, time, mass) from which the units of energy and force are derived. As I see it, an equation that ties you to any definition of unit size is less profound, not more. [[User:Tom239|Tom239]] ([[User talk:Tom239|talk]]) 17:21, 12 January 2022 (UTC)&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I think the 1/2 in the drag equation is intuitive. I understand that it is technically superfluous, but F=Pd*A and Pd=1/2*rho*u^2 so the 1/2 carries over intuitively. {{unsigned ip|172.70.98.15}}&lt;br /&gt;
:Agrees I had this written down in an early version of the explanation but that was edited out. Maybe I will put it in again.--[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 10:44, 12 January 2022 (UTC)&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Drag coefficients could just as easily be half as big. This is true but how is their being unitless relevant? It's more about how defining constants is partially arbitrary.  [[User:Lev|Lev]] ([[User talk:Lev|talk]]) 08:07, 12 January 2022 (UTC)&lt;br /&gt;
:If Cd had a unit, say it was an energy which represented some relevant value for a given material, then it would not be correct to say that it was half as much, just because 1/2 came into the equation. But if it has no units, then it is just a constant saying something about the material, and then the 1/2 could in principle be absorbed without changing anything. But as stated above 1/2 actually has physical meaning in the way it enters the equation. --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 10:44, 12 January 2022 (UTC)&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
:It doesn't make any difference. For instance, Coulomb's law works fine whether we write it F = -q&amp;lt;sub&amp;gt;1&amp;lt;/sub&amp;gt;q&amp;lt;sub&amp;gt;2&amp;lt;/sub&amp;gt;/(4πε&amp;lt;sub&amp;gt;0&amp;lt;/sub&amp;gt;r&amp;lt;sup&amp;gt;2&amp;lt;/sup&amp;gt;) or F = -kq&amp;lt;sub&amp;gt;1&amp;lt;/sub&amp;gt;q&amp;lt;sub&amp;gt;2&amp;lt;/sub&amp;gt;/r&amp;lt;sup&amp;gt;2&amp;lt;/sup&amp;gt;. Similarly, if we had a factor of 2 in the gas law for some reason, that would just change the values of the gas constants.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I've seen the double-struck capital &amp;quot;D&amp;quot; used commonly as a symbol for the Domain of a function (While the double-struck &amp;quot;R&amp;quot; was used for the range in that context) [[Special:Contributions/162.158.63.243|162.158.63.243]] 21:16, 17 January 2022 (UTC)&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Does anybody know enough math to figure out what that equation is supposed to do? I really want to delete that tag.[[User:New editor|New editor]] ([[User talk:New editor|talk]]) 19:13, 25 January 2022 (UTC)&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
:The r terms are used in describing things like water treatment plants or dialysis machines, where you're trying to use fluid flow to regulate some solute.  If fluid balance is large, it means the &amp;quot;tank&amp;quot; is going to empty or dry out.  I guess T is the rate at which this happens.  Not really a math thing, more of an engineering thing, seems to me.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
==Count down clock==&lt;br /&gt;
See [[Countdown in header text]]. Discussion has been moved here [[Talk:Countdown_in_header_text]]. --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 11:10, 12 January 2022 (UTC)&lt;/div&gt;</summary>
		<author><name>172.69.42.137</name></author>	</entry>

	<entry>
		<id>https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=2272:_Ringtone_Timeline&amp;diff=229529</id>
		<title>2272: Ringtone Timeline</title>
		<link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=2272:_Ringtone_Timeline&amp;diff=229529"/>
				<updated>2022-04-02T19:46:09Z</updated>
		
		<summary type="html">&lt;p&gt;172.69.42.137: /* Explanation */ deets&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;hr /&gt;
&lt;div&gt;{{comic&lt;br /&gt;
| number    = 2272&lt;br /&gt;
| date      = February 24, 2020&lt;br /&gt;
| title     = Ringtone Timeline&lt;br /&gt;
| image     = ringtone_timeline.png&lt;br /&gt;
| titletext = No one likes my novelty ringtone, an audio recording of a phone on vibrate sitting on a hard surface.&lt;br /&gt;
}}&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
==Explanation==&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
After the {{w|telephone}} was invented, a way of indicating when a call was coming through was needed.  Special voltages sent through the line were used to activate a physical bell on the other end, leading to what we recognize as a {{w|Ringtone|phone ringing sound}}, and that method of generating sound persisted for quite some time, even when new methods of detecting and generating ringing sounds were developed.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Eventually, however, people realized they were no longer confined to the traditional bell ringing sound, as computers became more and more involved with the telephone process, and variations of bell-type sounds were introduced, often sounding like spaceship sounds from sci-fi movies. Probably the most iconic &amp;quot;cool space beeps&amp;quot; are the [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1y64wVO3Uv0 chirps] from the communicators from ''{{w|Star Trek}}'' (which themselves resemble flip-phones in style). Another common ringtone was the {{w|Nokia tune}}.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
In the late 1990s and early 2000s, [https://orangemag.co/orangeblog/2018/9/25/a-retrospective-on-ringtones actual songs, or song snippets] were able to be used as a ringing sound. It became common to record song snippets from the radio, or to use song MP3 files as ringtones. Many of these songs are grating to hear, and also a social ''faux pas'' if they sound in theatres or other listening venues.  As an example, [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E-PmJYxusHI this Geico ad] featuring bad ringtones, including &amp;quot;the worst ringtone [the Geico gecko has] ever heard&amp;quot;, aired in 2010, around the end of the &amp;quot;song and novelty ringtone&amp;quot; period (according to Randall's periodization).&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
As people got sick of that, they reverted to use the default ring tone, a spaceship / computer sound, although this time often of higher quality and more melodious in nature. Nowadays, there are more people electing to use a more traditional ringing sound, both as the novelty has worn off, and possibly also as an ironic statement about ringtones. Randall (in the person of Cueball) made a statement like this in [[479: Tones]] in 2008, which according to his reckoning was in the waning years of the novelty ringtone epoch.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
The final stage the comic is pointing to is do away with traditional sound entirely, and going with the vibrate mode most portable phones have; what little sound there is is more of a low rumbling sound. Using this setting is common for schools, workplaces, or churches, as it can be [https://www.androidcentral.com/do-us-all-favor-and-put-your-phone-vibrate-mode disruptive to have a phone ring in a public place]. Some users have chosen to always set their phones to the vibrate setting, to avoid having to change their ringing settings back and forth. [[Randall]] claims that vibrate mode is the &amp;quot;final victory&amp;quot; over ringtones, which he apparently dislikes.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
In the title text, [[Randall]] ironically uses a &amp;quot;novelty ringtone&amp;quot; which is an audio recording of a phone vibrating. This would sound like a phone on vibrate mode, but his actual phone is not vibrating, and is actually producing a &amp;quot;ringing&amp;quot; sound. However, if the original phone was vibrating on a hard surface (as opposed to in a pocket, muffled by fabric), the sound would be much louder and more grating.  A recording of that sound, played as an audio ringtone, would go back to being annoying again. But maybe less imaginatively so than might be a version of the staccato &amp;quot;drum-da-da-drum-da-da-drum&amp;quot; of a phone's periodic handshaking with a mast, such as you sometimes hear over unassociated audio equipment, at pretty much any time it pleases.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
==Transcript==&lt;br /&gt;
:[A horizontal timeline spanning between the years 1875 and 2022. Every year is indicated by a tick below the line, and labeled every 5 years. There is a gap between 1883 and 1989 with jagged lines to indicate a jump in time. 7 sections are labeled on the chart, each with a border except for the first and last:]&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
:[1875, with no border:]&lt;br /&gt;
:Telephone ringer invented&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
:[1878-1883:]&lt;br /&gt;
:Normal ringing sounds&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
:[Gap and jagged lines to indicate jump in time from 1883 to 1989]&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
:[1989-1996:]&lt;br /&gt;
:Normal ringing sounds&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
:[1996-2003:]&lt;br /&gt;
:Cool space beeps&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
:[2003-2009:]&lt;br /&gt;
:Song and novelty ringtones&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
:[2009-2013:]&lt;br /&gt;
:Cool space beeps&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
:[2013-2019:]&lt;br /&gt;
:Normal ringing sounds&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
:[2020, with no border:]&lt;br /&gt;
:Everyone sets their phones to vibrate&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
:[Caption below the panel:]&lt;br /&gt;
:After 140 years, humanity is finally on the verge of winning the war against ringtones.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
{{comic discussion}}&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
[[Category:Timelines]]&lt;br /&gt;
[[Category:Smartphones]]&lt;/div&gt;</summary>
		<author><name>172.69.42.137</name></author>	</entry>

	<entry>
		<id>https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=Talk:2600:_Rejected_Question_Categories&amp;diff=229332</id>
		<title>Talk:2600: Rejected Question Categories</title>
		<link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=Talk:2600:_Rejected_Question_Categories&amp;diff=229332"/>
				<updated>2022-03-30T23:22:47Z</updated>
		
		<summary type="html">&lt;p&gt;172.69.42.137: April 5th end of the world?&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;hr /&gt;
&lt;div&gt;&amp;lt;!--Please sign your posts with ~~~~ and don't delete this text. New comments should be added at the bottom.--&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
I added the transcript, but I'm not sure if it's appropriate to use an emoji for the paperclip symbol. Especially since the emoji paperclip leans to the left, but the icon in the comic leans to the right. [[User:Barmar|Barmar]] ([[User talk:Barmar|talk]]) 20:07, 30 March 2022 (UTC)&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I wonder why there's no question mark at the end of the unanswerable question. [[User:Barmar|Barmar]] ([[User talk:Barmar|talk]]) 20:07, 30 March 2022 (UTC)&lt;br /&gt;
:I think that it is because the question likely continues on, beyond the bounds of the comic (hence why the text is partially cut off), so there's not a question mark there because it isn't actually the end of the question. --[[User:Carrera|Carrera]] ([[User talk:Carrera|talk]]) 20:12, 30 March 2022 (UTC)&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
   I think that he was referring to the one that was labelled the unanswerable question.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I wonder if the spider thing is a reference to [[1688:_Map_Age_Guide]], more specifically, the part about Colorado becoming a radioactive exclusion zone by 2022, with the &amp;quot;spiders&amp;quot; being mentioned after 2023. It is currently 2022, after all... --[[User:Carrera|Carrera]] ([[User talk:Carrera|talk]]) 20:12, 30 March 2022 (UTC)&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I wonder if Randall's going to include any more weird non-questions in this volume. You know, like that one about the chair. [[User:GreatWyrmGold|GreatWyrmGold]] ([[User talk:GreatWyrmGold|talk]]) 20:39, 30 March 2022 (UTC)&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
The ninth day of Jancember (or, in mortal human terms, the 9th of January 2023) will occur on Monday... a day before Tuesday! We may only have one day to enjoy the book before the spiders come! --[[Special:Contributions/141.101.98.225|141.101.98.225]] 21:31, 30 March 2022 (UTC)&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Sorry, does this mean that April 5th is the apocalypse? What's this about &amp;quot;last day of the last week ever?&amp;quot;&lt;/div&gt;</summary>
		<author><name>172.69.42.137</name></author>	</entry>

	<entry>
		<id>https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=2598:_Graphic_Designers&amp;diff=229094</id>
		<title>2598: Graphic Designers</title>
		<link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=2598:_Graphic_Designers&amp;diff=229094"/>
				<updated>2022-03-26T20:44:31Z</updated>
		
		<summary type="html">&lt;p&gt;172.69.42.137: Explain to the visually impaired that each surface is slightly different color&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;hr /&gt;
&lt;div&gt;{{comic&lt;br /&gt;
| number    = 2598&lt;br /&gt;
| date      = March 25, 2022&lt;br /&gt;
| title     = Graphic Designers&lt;br /&gt;
| image     = graphic_designers.png&lt;br /&gt;
| titletext = They might make it past that first line of defense. For the second, you'll need some picture frames, a level, and a protractor that can do increments of less than a degree.&lt;br /&gt;
}}&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
==Explanation==&lt;br /&gt;
{{incomplete|Created by the fiendish HEX CODE #D3D3D3 AND FRIENDS - Please change this comment when editing this page. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Cueball is inviting a friend into his freshly repainted residence. The friend is presumably a graphic designer (per the caption) and doesn't want to enter. The caption analogizes this with a specific bit of vampire lore: Vampires can only enter a house if invited in by the owner. The joke is that if you paint each wall a slightly different shade of off-white, a graphic designer will be so repulsed that they are physically unable to enter the room.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Being presented with visual information that is ''just not quite right'' is known to cause feelings of unease and revulsion, particularly when presented with CGI human faces, a concept known as {{w|Uncanny valley}}.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
In the title text, it mentions a contingency against the designer managing to actually overcome this disgust. In this case, Cueball sets up a second way to troll his graphic designer friend using some picture frames, a {{w|Level (instrument)|level}}, and a protractor that can measure increments of less than a degree. If these are left out, the graphic designer will be obsessed with ensuring that the pictures are hung perfectly level, so he won't have time to bother you with boring conversation &amp;amp;mdash; analogous to some folk tales where vampires exhibit {{w|Arithmomania#Folklore|symptoms of obsessive-compulsive disorder}} and can be distracted by triggering their tics. Alternatively Cueball may be skewing his picture frames by an extremely small amount, noticeable only to the designer friend, to disgust him even further — similar to the effect of [[1015: Kerning|bad kerning]], which a version of Cueball suffers from, but here applied like the use of {{w|Christian cross|crosses}} which vampires are famously repulsed by.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
True to the comic's joke, Randall has colored each segment of the comic differently to each other. See this [https://i.imgur.com/gMpmJlp.png rendering with an exaggerated color saturation].&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
The hexadecimal color codes are:&lt;br /&gt;
* Floor: #FFFFFF [[https://www.colorhexa.com/ffffff White]]&lt;br /&gt;
* Ceiling: #F3F7F8 [[https://www.colorhexa.com/f3f7f8 Light Grayish Cyan]]&lt;br /&gt;
* Walls (left-to-right)&lt;br /&gt;
** #F2F0EE [[https://www.colorhexa.com/f2f0ee Light Grayish Orange]]&lt;br /&gt;
** #F3F4F2 [[https://www.colorhexa.com/f3f4f2 Light Grayish Green]]&lt;br /&gt;
** #F2F3F4 [[https://www.colorhexa.com/f2f3f4 Light Grayish Blue]]&lt;br /&gt;
** #F3F2F4 [[https://www.colorhexa.com/f3f2f4 Light Grayish Violet]]&lt;br /&gt;
* Door: #F1F3F1 [[https://www.colorhexa.com/f1f3f1 Light Grayish Lime Green]]&lt;br /&gt;
* Box seat top: #EEF1EC [[https://www.colorhexa.com/eef1ec Light Grayish Green]]&lt;br /&gt;
* Box seat front: #F2EEF0 [[https://www.colorhexa.com/f2eef0 Light Grayish Pink]]&lt;br /&gt;
* Rug outer ring: #F0F2F1 [[https://www.colorhexa.com/f0f2f1 Light Grayish Cyan - Lime Green]]&lt;br /&gt;
* Rug inner panel: #F0EFF1 [[https://www.colorhexa.com/f0eff1 Light Grayish Violet]]&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Whilst this subtle difference may be undetectable to humans without a graphic design qualification, it can be made clearer by increasing the saturation value of the image, as shown here: [[File:GraphicDesigners with More Saturation.png]]&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Also note that the window ledges are slightly inclined, falling subtly from left to right - which might be a variant of the second level defense proposed in the title text.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
==Transcript==&lt;br /&gt;
{{incomplete transcript|Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}&lt;br /&gt;
:[Cueball stands in a lightly adorned room of a house, facing an open doorway. Each surface is painted an almost imperceptibly different shade of off-white. Knit Cap stands in the open doorway, as if about to enter the house. Cueball is reaching towards the doorway, inviting Knit Cap to enter.]&lt;br /&gt;
:Cueball: Come on in! We just repainted.&lt;br /&gt;
:Knit Cap: I... can't.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
:[Caption below the panel:]&lt;br /&gt;
:If you want to set up a vampire-style barrier to keep graphic designers from entering your house, just paint every surface a slightly different shade of off-white.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
{{comic discussion}}&lt;br /&gt;
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]&lt;br /&gt;
[[Category:Comics featuring Knit Cap]]&lt;br /&gt;
[[Category:Comics with color]]&lt;/div&gt;</summary>
		<author><name>172.69.42.137</name></author>	</entry>

	<entry>
		<id>https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=Talk:2593:_Deviled_Eggs&amp;diff=228398</id>
		<title>Talk:2593: Deviled Eggs</title>
		<link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=Talk:2593:_Deviled_Eggs&amp;diff=228398"/>
				<updated>2022-03-15T02:46:15Z</updated>
		
		<summary type="html">&lt;p&gt;172.69.42.137: Explaining the blue flash.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;hr /&gt;
&lt;div&gt;&amp;lt;!--Please sign your posts with ~~~~ and don't delete this text. New comments should be added at the bottom.--&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
First commit was accidentally wiped off because an edit conflict with somebody who changed &amp;quot;created by a bot&amp;quot; to &amp;quot;created by an EGG&amp;quot; :( Am sad now. [[User:Mumingpo|Mumingpo]] ([[User talk:Mumingpo|talk]]) 02:45, 15 March 2022 (UTC)&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
The blue flash mentioned in the title text represents Cherenkov Radiation.  In the case of the Demon Core accidents, those who saw the blue flashes saw it because of gamma radiation being slowed by the fluid inside of their eyeballs. [[Special:Contributions/172.69.42.137|172.69.42.137]] 02:46, 15 March 2022 (UTC)&lt;/div&gt;</summary>
		<author><name>172.69.42.137</name></author>	</entry>

	<entry>
		<id>https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=2507:_USV-C&amp;diff=228051</id>
		<title>2507: USV-C</title>
		<link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=2507:_USV-C&amp;diff=228051"/>
				<updated>2022-03-06T16:29:42Z</updated>
		
		<summary type="html">&lt;p&gt;172.69.42.137: added a dash to uvc to make it uv-c&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;hr /&gt;
&lt;div&gt;{{comic&lt;br /&gt;
| number    = 2507&lt;br /&gt;
| date      = August 25, 2021&lt;br /&gt;
| title     = USV-C&lt;br /&gt;
| image     = usv_c.png&lt;br /&gt;
| titletext = Ultra-Serial Violet C light is unpolarized, so you don't have to flip the polarizing filter over when you get the orientation wrong the first time.&lt;br /&gt;
}}&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
==Explanation==&lt;br /&gt;
This is the fourth installment in the series of [[:Category:Cursed Connectors|Cursed Connectors]] and presents Cursed Connectors #280: USB-C to UV-C. It follows [[2503: Memo Spike Connector]] (#102).&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
This comic depicts a cable that converts from USB-C (at the top of the picture) to UV-C (at the bottom).&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
{{w|USB-C}} is a rotationally symmetrical {{w|Universal Serial Bus}} (USB) connector. {{w|Ultraviolet#UVC|UV-C}} is a range of {{w|ultraviolet light}} with wavelengths between 100 and 280 nm.  This is often used as a germicide, so this comic may also be related to the [[:Category:COVID-19|COVID-19]] pandemic. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has an [https://www.fda.gov/medical-devices/coronavirus-covid-19-and-medical-devices/uv-lights-and-lamps-ultraviolet-c-radiation-disinfection-and-coronavirus infosheet] with information about these devices and COVID-19. And the connector number (280) is likely chosen because it is the boundary between UV-C and UV-B in nanometres.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Similar cables actually exist, with a USB port at one end to power a small (usually visible light) lamp at the other. A cable with a UV-C lamp could, as noted above, be useful for disinfecting surfaces; however, the depicted design would be problematic because it would expose the user's skin and eyes to harmful ultraviolet radiation.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Unless there is more to the UV-C end than indicated, the cable seems not to have use in bidirectional communication (even to confirm that it is {{w|TOSLINK|plugged in}} or {{w|Infrared_Data_Association|shone upon}} some suitable optical transceiver) so in any {{w|Li-Fi|data transfer situation}} it could be a limited-range broadcast-only system at best - which has its uses in certain niche cases.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
The title text mentions that the UV-C is {{w|Polarization_(waves)|unpolarized}}. This is a pun with two uses of the term polarized. When referring to a connector 'polarization', or absence of it, it means that USB-C does not force you to use a single {{w|Electrical_connector#Keying|correct orientation}} when using it, i.e. you don't have to turn it &amp;quot;right-side-up&amp;quot; like USB-A or USB-micro.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
It also refers to the use of a {{w|Polarizing filter (photography)|polarizing filter}} which takes unpolarized light waves and blocks out the waves that are not oriented in the same direction. These are used in sunglasses and photography to eliminate glare and enhance the image. These filters do need to be oriented in a specific direction in order to have the desired effect of passing/blocking a given polarization, perhaps to separate two perpendicularly orientated 'channels' that need to be unmixed exactly knowing the respective orientation of the two signals (''or'' exactly 180° out, which is what USB-C effectively allows for at present).&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
The light could also have been {{w|Circular_polarization|circularly polarized}}, which allows 'left' and 'right' rotating polarizations to simultaneously carry separate signals, but {{w|3D_film#Polarization_systems|not require the same strict orientation}} to operate properly, at all, so long as arbitrary mirrors are not involved at any stage of the optical path. Regardless, the implication here is that there is ''no'' deliberate rationalization of the light to contend with, anyway, which seems to be just making a positive point out of a potentially lost opportunity to double any intended signal bandwidth. The name &amp;quot;Ultra-Serial Violet...&amp;quot; could be read as consciously eschewing ''all'' attempts at parallelism, including talkback.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
==Transcript==&lt;br /&gt;
:[A cable with a curled wire displays the end of both of its connectors. The top end has a USB-C connector and the bottom end has a UV-C LED. The UV light is shown coming out of this end with a hazy blue circle around a white middle. The lamp is also bluish. Above is a title and below is a label.]&lt;br /&gt;
:Cursed Connectors #280&lt;br /&gt;
:USB-C to UV-C&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
{{comic discussion}}&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
[[Category: Comics with color]]&lt;br /&gt;
[[Category: Cursed Connectors]]&lt;/div&gt;</summary>
		<author><name>172.69.42.137</name></author>	</entry>

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