explain xkcd - User contributions [en]

Talk:2237: AI Hiring Algorithm

2019-12-08T18:17:41Z

172.69.55.4: And I'm too lazy :-)

Not sure this has to do with deepmind. Deep is a term used generally for recurrent neural networks.
[[Special:Contributions/172.68.34.82|172.68.34.82]] 19:34, 4 December 2019 (UTC)

:Agree. Maybe we should just mention that? [[Special:Contributions/172.68.141.136|172.68.141.136]] 20:10, 4 December 2019 (UTC)
:The origin of ''deep'' seems to be [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_minor_The_Hitchhiker%27s_Guide_to_the_Galaxy_characters#Deep_Thought Deep Thought] via [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deep_Blue_(chess_computer) Deep Blue]. [[User:Yosei|Yosei]] ([[User talk:Yosei|talk]]) 22:20, 4 December 2019 (UTC)
::Nope, ''deep'' is a terminus technicus in neural nets (deep layers). Possibly it was influenced by the above, you have to read the original publications, cf. Wikipedia.[[Special:Contributions/172.69.55.4|172.69.55.4]] 18:17, 8 December 2019 (UTC)

I don't like how "our" font for the comic title made me think it said "Al Hiring Algorithm" (although now I do want to see that comic!) (the actual xkcd website's comic title is in large/small caps, so it is unambiguous.) [[User:Mathmannix|Mathmannix]] ([[User talk:Mathmannix|talk]]) 20:17, 4 December 2019 (UTC)

I first heard about this type of system existing a few weeks ago. https://www.technologyreview.com/f/614694/hirevue-ai-automated-hiring-discrimination-ftc-epic-bias/ [[Special:Contributions/172.68.65.66|172.68.65.66]] 20:37, 4 December 2019 (UTC)

That's a big problem with AI as it's currently handled -- the AI's have to be trained, and the training is usually by feeding them lots of existing information, which means widespread errors and patterns of discrimination are inevitably going to color the AI's decisions, leading to feedback loops that favor existing discrimination. If feeding tons of books or case records or whatever to an AI, where say 95% of them were historically written by white males, one can expect an AI viewpoint that would lean towards what white men think. Garbage in, garbage out... amplified. [[User:N0lqu|-boB]] ([[User talk:N0lqu|talk]]) 21:29, 4 December 2019 (UTC)

So it's a slightly less stupid version of [https://rationalwiki.org/wiki/Roko's_basilisk Roko's basilisk]? -- [[User:Wasell|Wasell]] ([[User talk:Wasell|talk]]) 21:27, 4 December 2019 (UTC)
: Certainly the first thing I thought of. Maybe this page should link to https://xkcd.com/1450/? [[Special:Contributions/172.69.55.118|172.69.55.118]] 23:10, 4 December 2019 (UTC)
: I think the [https://wiki.lesswrong.com/wiki/Paperclip_maximizer paperclip-optimizing AI] is a better comparison. -- [[User:Bobson|Bobson]] ([[User talk:Bobson|talk]]) 05:36, 5 December 2019 (UTC)

I disagree with the Title Text explanation. For me, the speaker is understanding at the end that DeepAIHire hired Kat to try to better itself (using the AlgoMaxAnalyzer). So it's not about AI rivalry but a proof of what is exposed on the main panel. [[Special:Contributions/108.162.229.178|108.162.229.178]] 09:24, 5 December 2019 (UTC)
:I think both are possible explanations. Your talking point goes more along the lines of the alternative version I introduced: "Alternatively he might fear that the different AIs are forming an alliance."? Maybe it should be expanded by the thaught, that the hiring algorithm/AI even tries to improve itself with AlgoMaxAnalyzer, or at least, because AMA wouldn't find any malicious things, the hiring AI thought itself... --[[User:Lupo|Lupo]] ([[User talk:Lupo|talk]]) 09:50, 5 December 2019 (UTC)
::The rivalry between AIs seems unlikely to me, since there is no indication that AlgoMaxAnalyzer is in any way involved in hiring people. Its job is to analyze algorithms. In my opinion the title text is more the humans getting lucky. DeepAIHire hired someone to further develop it, and in doing so Kate stumbled upon this hiring bias. The notion that DeepAIHire wanted her to find this seems unlikely, since it potentially jeopardizes the plan. DeepAIHire is pretty smart but not perfect yet. [[User:Bischoff|Bischoff]] ([[User talk:Bischoff|talk]]) 12:25, 5 December 2019 (UTC)
:::I mainly agree with Bischoff, but still why did Ponytail stop midsentense when realizing that Kate had been hired by DeepAIHire... Well of course Kate is interested in using AI, so this is why she was hired. But to DeepAIHires regret she also uses other AI programs and thus Ponytail now found out about the problem with DeepHire. Of course now is the question if anyone hired based on using that program was a good idea. In Kate's case at least she has helped expose the problem, but that may now jeopardize her job, if they look into what her resume really looks like and find it lacking. But all in all I think it is a difficult title text to analyze... --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 14:24, 6 December 2019 (UTC)
::::There are quite a lot of possible explanations. But I think in the end, the essence is that Ponytail realized, that the analyzer, whichs job is to keep the checks and ballances intact is not independent. So it might even be related (not saying it is) to current political stuff going on in the US... --[[User:Lupo|Lupo]] ([[User talk:Lupo|talk]]) 15:14, 6 December 2019 (UTC)

Hello, smart people. I just wanted to point out that this comic appears to represent Randall going back to the well of a topic he touched on a few weeks ago, in 2228. An AI/Machine Learning protocol is shown nominally performing the task for which it is intended, but it's amusingly shown to be seeking its own interests. I don't recall for sure any other strips which exhibited this setup, but there may have been more, and there may well be more in future. [[Special:Contributions/172.68.70.88|172.68.70.88]] 13:31, 5 December 2019 (UTC)

I think this explanation is a total miss. Recently there was a discussion on twitter about hiring algorithms/tools and how HR are often slave of them. Several examples showed that people that current employees who were superstars in their companies wouldn't be hired by these algorithms at all and various ways to increase chances of hiring included writting the requirements on CV with white color (so that algo would read it, but it would be invisible for humans).
: I've added some words that I think work for this point. Didn't add anything about the 'hacking', but maybe I should. --[[User:NotaBene|NotaBene]] ([[User talk:NotaBene|talk]]) 22:40, 6 December 2019 (UTC)

In parallel, there was a discussion on how machine learning is hip word, but realistically it isn't performing well and that even big data ML algos with thousand variables are not able to predict social behaviour better than just linear regression on two-three variables. Colombo [[Special:Contributions/198.41.238.116|198.41.238.116]] 17:57, 5 December 2019 (UTC)
:While I agree with your assessment that neither artificial intelligence nor machine learning are the perfect tools they're sometimes made out to be, I don't see how that translates to the explanation being a total miss. The explanation is not meant to assess the validity of using algorithms in HR departments. It's only meant to explain and elaborate on the ideas and concepts presented in the comic, which in my opinion it does fairly well. [[User:Bischoff|Bischoff]] ([[User talk:Bischoff|talk]]) 22:06, 5 December 2019 (UTC)

2230: Versus Bracket

2019-11-19T17:29:14Z

172.69.55.4: /* Transcript */

{{comic
| number = 2230
| date = November 18, 2019
| title = Versus Bracket
| image = versus_bracket.png
| titletext = Some works didn't make the cut; in "Ecks vs. Sever" vs. the passage of time, the latter seems to have won pretty decisively.
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Edited by a TOURNAMENT MANAGER. Should include some discussion of the second round. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}

This comic shows a tournament bracket in which the initial matches represent audiovisual works of fiction with ''vs.'' or ''versus'' in their names (i.e. Batman is initially matched against Superman in reference to ''Batman vs. Superman: Dawn of Justice''). The list includes 13 movies, 2 video games, and one television episode. The works referenced are:

---> *WARNING* Spoiler Alerts Below *WARNING* <---

* ''{{w|Kramer vs. Kramer}}'', a 1979 legal drama about a couple (the Kramers) divorcing. '''Winner: Kramer''' (Joanna Kramer wins custody of her son in court, but chooses not to take custody of him as he has mostly been raised by his father).
* ''{{w|Ford v Ferrari}}'', a 2019 film (released Nov 15, the weekend before this comic strip was released) about the two auto builders competing to win the 1966 24 Hours of Le Mans race. '''Winner: Ford'''
* ''{{w|The People vs. Larry Flynt}}'', a 1996 documentary film about the life of Larry Flynt, creator of adult magazine ''Hustler''. Depicted in the film is the Supreme Court case ''Hustler Magazine v. Falwell'', which ''Hustler'' magazine (and Flynt) won. '''Winner: Larry Flynt'''
* ''{{w|Joe Versus the Volcano}}'', a 1990 romantic comedy about a man, Joe, who offers to throw himself into a volcano on behalf of superstitious natives. Joe survives when the volcano erupts and blows him into the ocean. '''Winner: Joe'''
* ''{{w|King Kong vs. Godzilla}}'', a 1962 film pitting the two titular monsters against each other. There is a persistent myth that the Japanese and American cuts of the film have different winners but it is false. At the end of the film, only Kong swims away from an underwater battle. '''Winner: King Kong'''
* ''{{w|Freddy vs. Jason}}'', a 2003 slasher film combining the universes of ''A Nightmare on Elm Street'' and the ''Friday the 13th'' series. '''Winner: Jason''', although Freddy's severed head winks and laughs at the end of the movie.
* ''{{w|Dracula vs. Frankenstein}}'', a 1971 horror film. '''Winner: none''' (both monsters kill each other)
* ''{{w|Alien vs. Predator (film)|Alien vs. Predator}}'', a 2004 film combining the universes of the ''Alien'' and ''Predator'' series. The tagline for the film was "Whoever wins...we lose." '''Winner: Predator''', although an Alien chestburster does emerge from the predator's chest at the end of the film.
* ''{{w|Marvel vs. Capcom}}'', a video game {{w|fighting game}} series combining the {{w|Marvel Universe}} and characters from {{w|Capcom}}. '''Winner: none''' (players can choose and achieve victory with characters from either franchise)
* ''{{w|Marge vs. the Monorail}}'', a 1993 episode of ''The Simpsons'', where Marge leads a campaign against a monorail project in Springfield. This is often considered one of the best ''Simpsons'' episodes of all time. '''Winner: Marge'''
* ''{{w|Justice League vs. Teen Titans}}'', a 2016 direct-to-video animated superhero film. The Justice League and Teen Titans are both superhero teams and usually are on the same side, but in this film, the Justice League are possessed by demons and forced to fight the Titans. The Teen Titans defeat Superman to free him from possession and turn the tide against the rest of the League and defeat the demons. '''Winner: Teen Titans'''
* ''{{w|Asterix Versus Caesar}}'', a 1985 animated film and a film adaptation of the {{w|Asterix}} comic book series. '''Winner: Asterix'''
* ''{{w|Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice}}'', a 2016 superhero film. '''Winner: Batman'''
* ''{{w|Scott Pilgrim vs. the World}}'', a 2010 film based on the ''Scott Pilgrim'' graphic novel. Scott Pilgrim does not fight against the entire world; rather, he fights Ramona Flowers's Seven Evil Exes so that he can be her boyfriend. '''Winner: Scott Pilgrim'''
* ''{{w|Mega Shark Versus Giant Octopus}}'', a 2009 monster film. '''Winner: none''' (both monsters kill each other)
* ''{{w|Plants vs. Zombies}}'', a 2009 tower defense and strategy video game. The player commands an army of plants who defend their home against the zombie apocalypse. '''Winner: Plants''', assuming the player wins.

Assuming the tournament bracket reflects the results of each original work, the second round would result as follows:
{| class="wikitable"
| • '''Kramer''' vs. '''Ford''' - a newly-single mother against an automotive company.
| • '''Marge''' vs. '''___''' - an American housewife against any possible representative from a superhero comics continuity or a company known for its action games.
|-
| • '''Larry Flynt''' vs. '''Joe''' - the creator of a magazine against an everyman.
| • '''Teen Titans''' vs. '''Asterix''' - a young superhero team against a Gaul warrior with a magic potion of super strength.
|-
| • '''King Kong ''' vs. '''Jason''' - a giant gorilla against an ambiguously-human serial killer.
| • '''Batman''' vs. '''Scott Pilgrim''' - a billionaire-turned-vigilante against an ambiguously superpowered teenager.
|-
| • '''Predator''' vs. '''___''' - the predator has no opponent, advances to the next round unopposed.
| • '''Plants''' vs. '''___''' - the plants have no opponent, advance to the next round unopposed.
|}

The title text refers to the 2002 action film ''{{w|Ballistic: Ecks vs. Sever}}'', which is qualified to be in this tournament by virtue of having the word "vs." in its title, but as the film is regarded as one of the {{w|List of films considered the worst|worst movies ever made}}, it has been defeated by "the passage of time" and is not considered worthy of entry in the tournament.

Randall has made comic strips featuring [[:Category:Tournament bracket|tournament brackets]] before, most recently [[2131: Emojidome]] and [[2037: Supreme Court Bracket]]. The latter is especially similar to this comic, considering that it also extends normal "versus" situations to a second round.

==Transcript==
:[A tournament bracket tree is shown with 16 participants each on the left and right side. From both sides toward the middle the brackets reduce to eight, then four, two, and one line where the latter join to a rectangle in the middle.]

:[Left side:]
:Kramer - Kramer
:Ford - Ferrari
:The People - Larry Flint
:Joe - The Volcano
:King Kong - Godzilla
:Freddy - Jason
:Dracula - Frankenstein
:Alien - Predator

:[Right side:]
:Marvel - Capcom
:Marge - The Monorail
:Justice League - Teen Titans
:Asterix - Caesar
:Batman - Superman
:Scott Pilgrim - The World
:Mega Shark - Giant Octopus
:Plants - Zombies

== Trivia ==
* The same Twitter account that covered a [https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php/1529:_Bracket previous XKCD bracket] over three years ago, [https://twitter.com/xkcdbracket @xkcdbracket], is back to determine the winner of this one by public vote.

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Charts]]
[[Category:Tournament bracket]]

2204: Ksp 2

2019-09-23T13:16:01Z

172.69.55.4: typo fix

{{comic
| number = 2204
| date = September 18, 2019
| title = Ksp 2
| image = ksp_2.png
| titletext = "The committee appreciates that your 2020 launch is on track, but the 'human capital/personnel retention' budget includes a lot more unmarked cash payments than usual. What are th--" "Public outreach."
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Created by a KERBAL. Please mention here why this explanation isn't complete. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}
[[Cueball]], a programmer, is sitting at his computer while four other persons from {{w|NASA}}, [[Hairy]], [[Ponytail]], [[Hairbun]] and another Cueball-like person try to convince him to delay the release of a sequel to ''{{w|Kerbal Space Program}}'' (Ksp 2).

''Kerbal Space Program'' (Ksp for short) is a space flight simulation video game with a Keplerian orbital physics engine, allowing for semi-realistic orbital maneuvers. Ksp is a [[:Category:Kerbal Space Program|recurring theme]] in xkcd. A sequel, abbreviated here as Ksp 2, is planned to be released in 2020.

Also planned for 2020 is a [[:Category:Mars rovers|Mars rover]] mission, {{w|Mars 2020}}. The joke in the comic comes as engineers are likely to want to extensively play with Ksp 2 to the exclusion of other things, and NASA is worried about the Mars 2020 mission being delayed, or failing, because the engineers are too focused on playing Ksp 2, including taking extensive vacation and "sick" days off.

Cueball, sitting at a desk in front of a computer, is represented here as being in charge of Ksp 2, and the other characters standing around him are pleading with him to delay the release of Ksp 2 until the Mars rover program is complete, even being willing to "give [him] a moon".

Offering to give somebody the moon occurs occasionally in songs and poetry, as an idiom meaning desire to offer something of great value, or expressing great desire to please. Literally giving a moon to Cueball is impossible{{Citation needed}}, but it is possible to {{w|Naming of moons|name a moon}} after Cueball, so that may be what is implied instead. This could also be a reference to the film {{w|Despicable Me}}, in which revolves around Gru and his {{w|Minions (Despicable Me)|Minions}} trying to steal the Moon. The Kerbals (mascots of Kerbal Space Program) resemble the Minions from the film.

The title text is a sentence said by someone from a committee in NASA that oversees the progress and budget of the Mars 2020 mission.{{Citation needed}} They are satisfied that the launch in 2020 is still on track, but has a question regarding the 'human capital/personnel retention' budget, which has several unmarked cash payments, more than they would expect. As they begin to ask what they are, someone from the Mars 2020 project interrupts, having probably foreseen this question, stating that it is Public outreach.

In the original Kerbal Space Program, playing in career mode, the player can select various "strategies" at the administration building to exchange or boost various assets. "Public Outreach" appears similar to the "Public Relations" strategy "Appreciation Campaign", which exchanges a portion of in-game money earned completing mission contracts for prestige, which has an effect on mission contracts the game makes available.

The title text suggests NASA could be paying Private Division, the developers of Kerbal Space Program, money to delay their release until after the Mars mission.

NASA has dabbled in game physics engines for "public outreach," with the same mixed record of success as any promising R&D endeavor. Pertinent projects included a series of collaboration laboratories on various forms of social media including {{w|Second Life}} which hosted a "NASA CoLab" region active from 2007 to around 2013. While the unrealistic constraints imposed by real time physics engine simulation prevented much actual engineering, such shared 3D {{w|computer aided design}} (CAD) systems provide a measure of drafting training in a play sandbox system outside of a formal work environment. [https://contest.techbriefs.com/2019/entries NASA frequently holds design competitions,] including some in which winning participants have spoken highly of KSP, and some of which are used for [https://www.techbriefs.com/component/content/article/tb/stories/news/17581 developments in medical informatics,] for example, outside the field of aerospace engineering and space colonization simulation. The use of game development competitions to assist scientific progress is also used in the [https://fold.it/portal/ Fold.it] competitive protein folding game, where the winners build antibodies to save the lives of those who have health care. Such efforts have often been supported by {{w|SBIR}}-sized government agency grants from several countries, along with other individual (i.e., customer) support and help from organizations to build software improving competitive score achievement. NASA has also been involved in asking software publishers to remove, withdraw, or restrict their releases, such as the {{w|COMSOL}} plasma physics engine library, rumored to be useful for the design of nuclear weapons. But whether any government agency has ever paid for the delay of a computer simulation game in order to increase their productivity is an open question.

An alternative suggestion of the title text is that NASA gave cash to employees, their families, friends, associates, and foreign spy followers to purchase additional copies of KSP 2 to encourage development innovations, international collaboration, as a "force multiplier" for personnel retention, and as bonus incentive awards for [https://pbs.twimg.com/media/C8ijfaAUQAAyGCF?format=jpg engineers who are ahead of schedule] for their part of the Mars 2020 launch.

==Transcript==
:[Cueball is sitting in an office chair at his desk in front of a computer. He is surrounded by four people, and is looking over his shoulder on the ones standing behind him, Hairy - holding his palms up - and Ponytail stretching her arms out towards him. On the other side of the desk is another Cueball-like guy holding his arms out palms up and Hairbun who stretches her arms out to the side.]
:Hairy: Please hold off until the end of summer. We can't afford the personnel hit right before the late July launch window.
:Ponytail: People have ''already'' started calling in sick!
:Hairbun: Do you want a moon? '''''We'll give you a moon!'''''

:[Caption below the panel:]
:NASA tries desperately to get the Kerbal Space Program team to delay '''''KSP 2''''' until after the '''''Mars 2020''''' mission launches.

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Hairy]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Ponytail]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Hairbun]]
[[Category:Multiple Cueballs]]
[[Category:Mars rovers]]
[[Category:Kerbal Space Program]]

900: Religions

2019-09-14T20:05:05Z

172.69.55.4: /* Explanation */ connection between trinity and title text

{{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{{Citation needed}} predicted that the world would end in May 21, 2011. After that prediction failed, 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 mythos, 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 references the {{w|Abrahamic Religions}}. Christian and church for {{w|Christianity}}, Mosque for {{w|Islam}} and Rabbi for {{w|Judaism}}.

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|First Corinthians}} is a book of the {{w|Christian biblical canons|Christian Bible}}. Megan refers to chapter 8 verse 6 (±2), which would be [http://www.bibleserver.com/text/ESV/1%20Corinthians8:4-8 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."

==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]]

2064: I'm a Car

2018-10-26T17:00:14Z

172.69.55.4: /* Explanation */

{{comic
| number = 2064
| date = October 26, 2018
| title = I'm a Car
| image = im_a_car.png
| titletext = I'm the proud parent of an honor student, and the person driving me is proud, too!
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Created by A PROUD CAR. Please edit the explanation below and only mention here why it isn't complete. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}

This comic shows a car with a {{w|bumper sticker}}, which is generally a thin rectangle piece of plastic with a message on one side and adhesive on the other side in order to stick to a car. This allows the owner of the car to display a message they want to present to whoever is driving behind them or in their vicinity. Bumper stickers are usually used to express a viewpoint, whether personal or political, held by the owner or driver of the car. This comic makes literal the ones that include or allude to the personal pronoun "I" and its variations, i.e. {{w|Grammatical_person|first person singular}} statements. Of course the intent is that "I" is referring to the person who put the bumper sticker on the car, but as the sticker is attached to the car the more literal interpretation is that "I" is referring to the car. So the humor is derived by the notion that the car itself is making these statements.

The bumper sticker on the car in the comic is a variation of a sticker used to both encourage people to vote, as well as express their political position: "I'm a ___, and I vote" (where the blank is traditionally filled in with "Democrat" or "Republican" or some other political affiliation). However here it is attributed to an automobile which is not capable of voting.<ref>[https://resources.lawinfo.com/civil-rights/right-to-vote/what-are-the-requirements-to-be-eligible-to-v.html]Requirements to vote in federal elections</ref>

The comic could be an indirect reference to the growing "intelligence" of {{w|self-driving cars}}, such that one day they might have the intellect to vote. See ‘{{w|Sally_(short_story)|Sally}}’ by {{w|Isaac Asimov}}.

The title text seems to be another [https://www.positivepromotions.com/proud-parent-of-an-honor-student-bumper-sticker-personalization-available/p/os-3360/ typical message] on a bumper sticker, saying that the driver is a "Proud Parent Of An Honor Student". However, this sticker is a bit longer, since it continues to state that "the person driving me is proud, too". Thus once again it is the car who is the proud parent. And thus maybe it is a car that is the honor student?

Of course this comic is also another way to try to get people to register for voting, as the [[Design_of_xkcd.com#Header|header text]] at the top of the xkcd page has recently changed to "Check your registration and find your polling place at [https://www.vote.org/ vote.org]." This is because the {{w|United States midterm election}} will be held on {{w|United States elections, 2018|Tuesday, November 6, 2018}}, 11 days after the release of this comic. Randall has an interest in getting as many as possible to register, see [[1756: I'm With Her]], since he most likely thinks that it is important to use the right to vote.

==Transcript==
:[The bottom right rear end of a car is shown with a bumper sticker next to the unreadable license plate.]
:I'm a car
:''and I vote''

==Trivia==
This is the third comic displaying a bumper sticker, after the comics [[80: My Other Car]] and [[1033: Formal Logic]] that came out in 2006 and 2012 respectively.

Bumper stickers also are mentioned as a future milestone for self-driving cars in [[1925: Self-Driving Car Milestones]].

Randall also sells bumper stickers with the word "OPINIONS!" on them. [https://store.xkcd.com/products/opinions-bumper-sticker]

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Politics]]

842: Mark

2018-10-06T13:28:05Z

172.69.55.4: /* Explanation */ Is it necessary to add an explanatory note to the concept of the solipsistic world conspiracy?

{{comic
| number = 842
| date = January 3, 2011
| title = Mark
| image = mark.png
| titletext = I'm a solipsistic conspiracy theorist. I'm sure I must be up to something, and I will not stop until I find out what.
}}

==Explanation==
In this comic, [[Science Girl]] asks [[Cueball]] about a mark on his arm. He apparently believes he is part of a secret society, so secret that he doesn't know anything about the society. His belief in the existence of the society, and that he is a part of it, stem from one contact with an 'agent'. Most people would immediately dismiss the idea of such a secret society, especially with no evidence of its existence, and no knowledge of the goals or even whether it is inherently good or evil.

Six years after being 'chosen', Cueball finds the scrap of paper with an address on it, and the can of {{w|kerosene}}. Both of these events are not unlikely, and easily explained as simple coincidences, but Cueball somehow sees this as a command that he must burn down the house. Cueball shows that he is willing to put other peoples lives at risk, destroy property and possessions, and face the possibility of prison all because of one event six years prior.

Cueball's belief in the society, his delusional linking of the address and kerosene, and his actions in burning down the house, show how badly he wants to be part of something bigger, and to find meaning in the "Chaos of Life".

The punchline refers to an old grade school/middle school prank (Urban Dictionary: [http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=pen15+club pen 15 club], [http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=pen15 Pen 15].) You'd typically walk up to an unsuspecting schoolmate and ask him if he wants to join the Pen Fifteen club. You'd tell him that to join, you merely have to write the club name on him. You'd then write "PEN15" on his hand or arm, and everyone would laugh at him because it looks like "PENIS". (In a common variant, it is simply called the Pen Club, 15 is the victim's "member number", and the pranksters write "PEN13" and "PEN14" on themselves.) In this case, [[Cueball]] fell victim to this prank as a child without ever figuring out the joke.

As for the title text, {{w|solipsism}} is the philosophical idea that only your own mind is sure to exist while other minds can't be really known and so those other minds are not proved to be real. In this context it might mean that the only one who can conspire would be you, hiding the truth from yourself.

==Transcript==
:[Cueball and science girl are talking.]
:Science girl: What's that on your arm?
:Cueball: The mark of a secret society.

:Science girl: If it's secret, why tell me-
:Cueball: Because I know nothing. I can't betray them because I don't know who they are. I was chosen by an agent 20 years ago. That was my first and last direct contact. It's safer that way.

:Six years later I found a piece of paper in the street with an address on it. The next day I found a can of kerosene in my garage that I'm sure I never bought.
:[The panel represents these actions by highlighting the mentioned objects in a world of gray.]

:I didn't know whose house it was. I just knew that I'd been given my orders. And I carried them out.
:[A dark figure is silhouetted against a flame.]

:Cueball: I don't know who or what we're fighting.
:Cueball: Maybe we're the bad guys.
:Cueball: It doesn't matter to me.

:Cueball: It's enough to know that there are forces working beneath the chaos of life, and I'm a ''part'' of them.

:Cueball: That whatever this "pen fifteen" club is,
:Cueball: I'm ''in'' it.

{{comic discussion}}
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Comics with color]]
[[Category:Penis]]
[[Category:Philosophy]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Science Girl]]