explain xkcd - User contributions [en]

2831: xkcd Phone Flip

2023-09-21T22:03:44Z

172.69.79.157: Undo revision 324156 by J-beda (talk) "hand column"? Careless editing, resetting.

{{comic
| number = 2831
| date = September 20, 2023
| title = xkcd Phone Flip
| image = xkcd_phone_flip_2x.png
| imagesize = 740x458px
| noexpand = true
| titletext = Theranos partnership: Sorry, we know, but we signed the contract back before all the stuff and the lawyers say we can't back out, so just try to keep your finger away from the bottom of the phone.
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Created by THE BOT FORTOLD BY THE FORTUNETELLER PROPHECY - Please change this comment when editing this page. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}
This is the 9th in the ongoing [[:Category:xkcd Phones|xkcd Phone]] series in which Randall explains his new joke phone designs with many strange and useless features. It is a reference to the somewhat recent {{w|Galaxy Z}} series, but instead of folding in half, it folds into the more complex and much less usable shape of a typical {{w|paper fortune teller}}. The product's slogan suggests that this was not an intended feature, which would be incredibly difficult to create accidentally without causing the phone to become nonfunctional. It's therefore possible that this phone was designed by [[:Category:Beret Guy's Business|Beret Guy's company]], which has in the past [[1493: Meeting|trademarked seemingly normal phrases]] and [[1293: Job Interview|done impossible things with electronics]].

The name Phone Flip is a play on the term {{w|Flip Phone}}, which has refered to older cellphones with a {{w|Clamshell design|basic hinged construction}}, but {{w|Samsung}} has released a line of {{w|smartphones}} under the Galaxy Z range given the name 'Flip' (or 'Fold') which use a flexible display across the hinge. Randall's version takes this complexity up a notch with a currently impractical varifolded origami design.

Noted features, from the top, left column first:

; Exfoliating Screen
: A term commonly found on lotions and facial products, "exfoliating" means removing dead skin cells from the surface of the skin, in order to improve its appearance. This could mean that it will exfoliate when pressed to the skin. However, this would probably require a mildly abrasive and/or adhesive screen texture or coating, which are usually not desirable qualities of a touchscreen.{{w|Citation (film)|[citation needed]}} A different reading is that the screen itself exfoliates, i.e. slowly disintegrates. Unless the phone is an organism able to regrow exfoliated surfaces, this will eventually lead to the screen's disappearance, not an improvement of its appearance.

; Orthotic shape for arch support
: {{w|Orthotics}} are devices used to reduce stress on the body. "Arch support" is a specific term referring to padded inserts designed to fit to the contour of a person's foot and provide support for the arch of the foot, a raised area between the ball in front and the heel in back. Fitting this space requires either a curved shape or one that's thicker in the center, which would make a phone less straightforward (pun not intended) to use. Additionally, the materials used in a phone are not suitable for orthotic usage and doing so anyway could worsen any issues and damage the phone from the stress of the person's weight upon it.

; Single Big Pixel
: Typical phone displays use many small {{w|pixels}}, each with relatively few display states. For instance, each pixel can show a uniform color. It would be difficult to make a useful display with a single pixel of this sort. Some displays use smaller numbers of more complicated picture elements (e.g., each element could show a letter, like a {{w|split-flap display}}, or a {{w|nixie tube}}). To make a useful display with one pixel means that element needs a different display state for every image the phone can show (like a {{w|carousel slide projector}}, {{w|movie projector}}, or {{w|gobo (lighting)|gobo}}).

; Ready to eat
: A typical sales pitch for {{w|convenience foods}} denoting that no time must be spent preparing the product for safe consumption, in contrast to other such meals where ingredients would need to be combined and/or cooked in some fashion. It is unknown how a phone could be produced in such a way as to be edible. The display might use {{w|sugar glass}}.

; Hypoimmunogenic
: Meaning less able to produce an immune response - so perhaps useful in that people do not want their phone to cause an immune response in their body, however cell phones typically cause no immune response, so this is not generally an issue. This is probably related to items that are marketed as hypoallergenic, less likely to cause an allergic reaction.

; Up to 50% more
: A play on the words "Up to 50% more <product>". Although considering that there is no mention of what product there could possibly be 50% more of (or 0% extra, as that is ''also'' less than or equal to 50%), this statement is useless. See [[870: Advertising]].

; Full-spectrum backlight optimized for plant growth
: {{w|Full-spectrum lights}} and backlights are typically used to increase {{w|color rendering}} accuracy, especially important in photography, art, and printing. It typically refers to the part of the spectrum people can see. Plants respond to some wavelengths outside our visual spectrum (e.g., UVA), and are less influenced by some portions of the visual spectrum (e.g. green, hence mostly reflecting such light). A backlight optimized for plant growth would not provide a very natural appearance to our eyes and typically appear pink. The screen backlight is unlikely to be used for growing plants.

; Long-lasting main sequence battery
: Perhaps referring to a "{{w|main sequence}}" star (Dwarf stars, like the {{w|sun}}, where main energy generation is hydrogen fusion). Such stars spend a long time in this phase of evolution. This might also explain SPF 15 and full-spectrum backlight. Stars do last a long time compared to most cell phone batteries.{{Citation needed}}

; Break Glass to Access Apps
: A play on how fire alarms and extinguishers are protected by glass casings in most places, although in this case it is not that helpful. Unusual things behind glass is also mentioned in [[1634: In Case of Emergency]].

Right hand column:

; Buy one get one
: A play on typical retail sales advertised as "Buy one get one ____", where one buys one item at full price and gets another of that item either for free or at a reduced price. Since no discount has been mentioned, it would imply that you can get two at full price or perhaps simply that if you buy a phone, you receive the phone; this is expected upon almost all purchases and is {{w|Tautology (logic)|tautological}} in nature.

; Bending phone activates chemical flashlight
: This feature parallels a {{w|glow stick}}, which is also activated by bending the stick; this breaks an inner capsule causing chemicals to mix and produce light. However, doing this with a phone likely to cause physical or chemical damage and additionally only works once, which is not very useful for a phone flashlight that one typically uses as a tool throughout the phone's lifetime.

; SPF 15 Coating protects your face from websites
: Sun protection factor (SPF) is a rating used to compare the protection provided by sun screens. Some people find some web sites excessively bright, colorful or garish, making them hard to read, or causing eye strain. This extends that to imply that some sites are so bright that they might cause {{w|sunburn}}. In reality, some sites, browsers, or plugins provide a {{w|night mode}}, for those who have problems with excess brightness. (See also full spectrum, and main sequence battery.)
: Alternatively, SPF in this context might be a novel term for, for example, ''site'' protection factor, or ''socials'' protection factor, and be a method for protecting you from viewing potentially harmful content encountered on the internet.

; Iatrogenic construction
: 'Iatrogenic' means 'physician caused', and usually refers to illnesses which are caused or worsened by medical malpractice. This may imply that the phone was made ''by'' doctors, which may align with the statement given in the title text.

; All-vinyl data storage for maximum fidelity
: This is a reference to the hipster maxim that vinyl records provide high fidelity music. And while {{w|vinyl data}} storage does exist, it's profoundly outdated and was never widely adopted. The relevant formats had several issues, including (relevantly) wear issues that lead to fidelity problems after repeated reads.

; Locks in moisture
: Good for cosmetics perhaps, to combat 'dry skin' (which is really more to do with substances other than water), but generally bad for a cell phone, where ingress (let alone retention) of liquids tends not to help the electronics.

; National Weather Service partnership - phone is afraid of thunder
: Not a useful feature, as normal phones do not have emotions (yet).{{Citation needed}} How this fear manifests is also unexplained. It may turn off, or it may scream like the original xkcd phone did when in free fall. A number of the previous xkcd phone have had unexplained, inexplicable or incomprehensible partnerships.

; One-click ''ruina montium''
: ''{{w|Ruina montium}}'' ('mountain destroyer') was a now-lost mining technique used by the ancient Romans, thought to involve a form of hydrostatic drilling. It is not clear how this could be applied by a smartphone, let alone as a one-click operation.

; Free Refills
: Good for restaurant drinks, not typical for cell phones. Could mean no cost refueling (e.g., {{w|fuel cell}} power), or recharging or {{w|battery swapping}}.

The title text references the failed company {{w|Theranos}} that notably could not live up to its ambitious promise to diagnose many health issues from a single drop of blood. Due to legal agreements, and subsequent design choices already built in, the bottom of the phone ''will'' still collect a drop of your blood (unless you're particularly careful).

==Transcript==
{{incomplete transcript|Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}
:[A rectangular phone with a touch screen. There is a small dark camera section at the top of the screen and a charging/connecting port may be shown on the lower casing edge. Lines on the left side of the phone lead from the general area of the image to feature descriptions down the leftmost edge of the frame.]
* Exfoliating screen
* Orthotic shape for arch support
* Single big pixel
* Ready to eat
* Hypoimmunogenic
* Up to 50% more
* Full-spectrum backlight optimized for plant growth
* Long-lasting main sequence battery
* Break glass to access apps

:[Two phones folded in the shape of a 'paper fortune teller' are depicted on on the right, set one above the other with other general feature lines leading off from the nearest folded phone illustration towards further listed items down the right-hand side of the frame.]
* Buy one get one
* Bending phone activates chemical flashlight
* SPF 15 coating protects your face from websites
* Iatrogenic construction
* All-vinyl data storage for maximum fidelity
* Locks in moisture
* National Weather Service partnership: phone is afraid of thunder
* One-click ''ruina montium''
* Free refills

:[Text below the phone:]
:Introducing
:'''The xkcd Phone Flip'''
:''We actually didn't mean for it to do this''™

{{comic discussion}}
[[Category:xkcd Phones]]
[[Category:Comics sharing name|xkcd Phones]]

1816: Mispronunciation

2023-08-27T19:43:59Z

172.69.79.157: Undo revision 322286 by 172.71.222.126 (talk) Cart before the horse

{{comic
| number = 1816
| date = March 27, 2017
| title = Mispronunciation
| image = mispronunciation.png
| titletext = I pronounce epitome "EPPY-tome", but EpiPen "uh-PIE-pen".
}}

==Explanation==
This comic is a {{w|meta-joke}} where [[Cueball]] explains to [[White Hat]] which words he often spells or pronounces incorrectly. Ironically, those words happen to be words whose definitions mean "to spell incorrectly" and "being pronounced incorrectly". While describing the words he says he has trouble with, he manages to use the same words correctly in sentences both inside quotation marks (to refer to the word itself) and outside (to describe the action corresponding to those words).

The word ''[https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/misspell misspell]'' is misspelled quite often (although not in this comic!). Misspell is quite commonly misspelled as ''mispell'' or ''miss-spell''. Some might argue that ''[https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/misspelled misspelled]'' is the one word which should always be misspelled intentionally and written ''mispelled'', so that its orthography reflects its meaning. ("If it isn't mispelled, then it isn't ''mispelled''!")

The word ''[https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/mispronunciation mispronunciation]'' is often misspelled and mispronounced like "mispronounciation", with the middle part like "noun" instead of "nun". This is made even more confusing by the fact that the related word, "pronounce", does in fact have "noun" in the middle.

The punchline comes when Cueball tells that the epitome of mispronunciation is the way Cueball pronounces ''[https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/epitome epitome]''. This is also metahumor, as epitome refers to a very good or perfect example. Thus Cueball shows the epitome of mispronunciation when he incorrectly pronounces ''epitome''.

The title text explains Cueball's mispronunciation of epitome. It is supposed to be pronounced in four syllables, /əˈpɪtəmi/ (uh-PIH-tuh-mee), starting with a {{w|schwa}}, then emphasis on the second syllable pronounced like "pit", and a long E on the fourth syllable pronounced like "me". Instead, he pronounces it /ˈɛpɪtoʊm/ (EPPY-tome), with emphasis on the first part pronounced like the beginning of "epic", and a silent E on the second part pronounced like "tome". The mispronounced version is what a person unfamiliar with the word might reasonably guess, given other words with similar spelling like "epicenter", "epitaph", and "episode".

''[https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/EpiPen EpiPen]'', a trademark for a type of {{w|epinephrine autoinjector}} (i.e. adrenaline), is brought up to further illustrate the inconsistency between spelling and pronunciation. This time the word is supposed to be pronounced with an emphasized "EPPY", but he (intentionally?) mispronounces it like "uh-PIE", possibly to match other proper nouns such as {{w|Epirus}} and {{w|Epione}}.

==Transcript==
:[White Hat and Cueball are walking.]
:Cueball: I sometimes misspell "misspell" and "mispronunciation," and I mispronounce "mispronunciation,"
:Cueball: But the epitome of mispronunciation is probably the way I pronounce "epitome."

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Comics featuring White Hat]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Language]]

2819: Pronunciation

2023-08-27T19:42:54Z

172.69.79.157: Undo revision 322285 by 172.71.222.127 (talk) Not yet.

{{comic
| number = 2819
| date = August 23, 2023
| title = Pronunciation
| image = pronunciation_2x.png
| imagesize = 315x257px
| noexpand = true
| titletext = I pronounce the 'u' in 'pronunciation' like in 'putting' but the 'ou' in 'pronounce' like in 'wound'.
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Created by a {{w|Ghoti|GHOTI}} - Please change this comment when editing this page. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}

Pronunciation guides are used in many languages to indicate the commonly accepted way to translate a written word into sound. This can be particularly important in the English language, where the pronunciation of individual letters and of combinations of letters can vary broadly, and there are very few rules that can be applied consistently. As a result, the 'correct' pronunciation of any given word is determined by common usage, and therefore can only be learned either by exposure or by memorizing them from guides. Some guides use the {{w|International Phonetic Alphabet}}, but the average person is not familiar with those characters, so most guides written for laypeople instead {{wiktionary|Appendix:English pronunciation|reference familiar words}} that feature the phonemes. This, of course, presumes that the reader is familiar with the pronunciation of ''those'' words, but the words should be chosen so that a) they're commonly known b) there is only one common pronunciation and c) the pronunciation doesn't vary much between regional accents.

In this strip, though, the selected guide-words are deliberately chosen to be confusing. They are {{w|Heteronym (linguistics)|heteronym}}s – spellings that are used for multiple words which are pronounced in very different ways. Moreover for most of them it is the less common homograph which matches the pronunciation in "Tuesday". In other words, how the reader chooses to pronounce each guide-word determines what pronunciation of "Tuesday" they end up with.

(Note: General American pronunciations are primarily assumed here except when otherwise stated)

{| class="wikitable"
! Guide !! Correct for Tuesday !! Other !! Notes
|-
| Buffe'''t'''
| /ˈbʌf.ɪ'''t'''/ (verb: strike)
| /ˈbʌ.feɪ/ (noun: type of food service where a wide selection of foods are presented for diners to choose from, the table or heated fixture from which the food is served, or (in British English) a low cabinet used to store alcoholic spirits, glasses & plates.)
| The <t> in the "Other" pronunciation is silent (or arguably /ɪ/ or /j/)
|-
| Min'''u'''te
| /maɪˈn'''(j)uː'''t/ (adjective: small)
| /ˈmɪn'''ɪ'''t/ (noun: unit of time)
| There may be no combination of the first two letters which produces the 'correct' pronunciation of 'Tuesday', depending on whether the speaker uses the /ˈtʃuːz.deɪ/, /ˈtjuːz.deɪ/ or /ˈtuːz.deɪ/ form, and whether they include the /j/ sound in 'minute'.
|-
| R'''e'''cord
|
| /ɹ'''i'''ˈkɔɹd/ (verb: write down/make permanent)
<HR />/ˈɹ'''ɛ'''kərd/ or /ˈɹ'''ɛ'''k.ɚd/ or /ˈɹ'''ɛ'''k.ɔɹd/ (noun: medium containing information; vinyl disc which has sound encoded in a spiral groove embossed on its surface)
| In some dialects the leading 'e' in both words is pronounced identically, though in the case of the noun there is more emphasis on the first syllable.
In others, for the verb it is almost silent, which could perhaps be considered the closest approximation to the "e" in 'Tuesday', which is typically not pronounced at all. It is more practical to consider it part of a digraph with the preceding "u", to change that from being read as something more like /ʌ/ or /ʊ/ into the more rounded /(j)uː/ sound.
|-
| U'''s'''e
| /juː'''z'''/ (verb: to employ a thing for a particular end)
| /juː'''s'''/ (noun: the purpose for which that thing is employed)
| Some pronunciations of 'Tuesday' use a softer sound partway between these two examples.
|-
| Mope'''d'''
| /ˈmoʊ.pɛ'''d'''/ (noun: motor scooter with an engine smaller than 50cc)
| /moʊp'''t'''/ (verb: past tense of "mope," to brood or feel dejected)
| Perhaps less notable than the other letters, as both forms of the letter in question form a hard consonant if applied to 'Tuesday.'
|-
| B'''a'''ss
| /b'''eɪ'''s/ (noun: low-pitched notes and the instruments that play them)
| /b'''æ'''s/ (noun: fish)
| In some pronunciations of 'Tuesday' the 'a' is silent.

/æ/ is also correct in New Zealand English.
|-
| G'''y'''ro
| /ˈj'''iː'''.ɹoʊ/, /ˈj'''ɪ'''ɹoʊ/ or /ˈʒ'''ɪ'''ɹoʊ/ (noun: meat cooked on a vertical rotisserie, in Greek cuisine)
| /ˈd͡ʒ'''aɪ'''.ɹoʊ/ (noun: gyroscope)
| The meat can also be pronounced like the gyroscope. Also, in many dialects, the <ay> in Tuesday is pronounced [ɛʲ], in which case both options are wrong.
|}

Following this guide, a pronunciation of Tuesday as /iɛstæaɪ/ is possible. You can hear a pronunciation at [http://ipa-reader.xyz/?text=%C9%AA%C9%9Bst%C3%A6a%C9%AA http://ipa-reader.xyz].

The title text references how some people pronounce the word "pron'''u'''nciation" like "pron'''ou'''nce" (with /aʊ/) and others use a different vowel (/ʌ/). Here Randall is saying that he pronounces them with the 'u' from "p'''u'''tting" and the 'ou' from "w'''ou'''nd". If we take putting to mean /ˈp'''ʌ'''tɪŋ/ (golf) and wound as /w'''aʊ'''nd/ (coiled), this could mean he pronounces them using the commonly differing pronunciations. However those two words could also be pronounced /ˈp'''ʊ'''tɪŋ/ (placing) and /w'''u'''nd/ (injury), indicating a non-standard way of saying each word. In accents that lack the {{w|Phonological_history_of_English_close_back_vowels#FOOT–STRUT_split|FOOT–STRUT split}}, such as those in the north of England, both versions of "putting" would be pronounced identically.

==Transcript==
{{incomplete transcript|Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}
:[The word "Tuesday", with each letter labeled by a box with an arrow:]
:T: As in buffe'''t'''
:u: As in min'''u'''te
:e: As in r'''e'''cord
:s: As in u'''s'''e
:d: As in mope'''d'''
:a: As in b'''a'''ss
:y: As in g'''y'''ro

:[Caption below the panel:]
:Pet peeve: Ambiguous pronunciation guides

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Language]]
[[Category:Pet Peeves]]

148: Mispronouncing

2023-08-27T19:41:34Z

172.69.79.157: Undo revision 322284 by 172.70.43.194 (talk) ...it doesn't exist at the moment.

{{comic
| number = 148
| date = August 25, 2006
| title = Mispronouncing
| image = mispronouncing.png
| titletext = My pal Emad does this all the time. 'Hey man, which way to the airpart?'
}}

==Explanation==
This is the sixth comic in the [[:Category:My Hobby|My Hobby series]]. [[Cueball]] is deliberately mispronouncing words while talking. It's just his hobby. Hobbies in the ''My Hobby'' series are generally annoying or weird, but with an element of cleverness. Here, Cueball persists in mispronouncing his words despite the second character's attempt to correct him. Interestingly, when Randall started the xkcd blog in October 2006, 6 weeks after the publication of this comic, he named it "[[Blag]]". He has used that name in several other comics, such as [[181: Interblag]] and [[239: Blagofaire]]. Today, if someone visits https://blag.xkcd.com they get redirected to blog.xkcd.com, but the slogat at the top still says "xkcd - The blag of the webcomic".

In the title text, [[Randall]] explains that he got the idea for this comic from one of his friends, although it could just be his friend's accent.

==Transcript==
:[Caption at top of panel:]
:My hobby:
:Mispronouncing words

:[Cueball and a friend are talking:]
:Cueball: Yeah, did you see what he said on his wobsite?
:Friend: ...his what?
:Cueball: Wobsite.
:Friend: ... I think you mean "website."
:Cueball: Why don't you write about it in your blag?

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Language]]
[[Category:My Hobby]]
[[Category:Multiple Cueballs]]

Talk:978: Citogenesis

2023-08-27T19:36:32Z

172.69.79.157:

Bonus points if the editor citing the work is also the person who created the fake source!'''[[User:Davidy22|Davidy22]]'''[[User talk:Davidy22|<tt>[talk]</tt>]] 06:59, 2 February 2013 (UTC)

The title text is not addressed in the explanation. I've read some popular science books, but they do not seem to suffer the problem cited there. Maybe there's a particular brand of pop science that is very susceptible to that sort of problem? --[[User:Quicksilver|Quicksilver]] ([[User talk:Quicksilver|talk]]) 17:48, 17 August 2013 (UTC)
:We probably never will know, but as the comic itself says: Google is your friend! I found a nice story at the [http://forums.xkcd.com/viewtopic.php?t=76475 xkcd forum] belonging to the German minister {{w|Karl-Theodor zu Guttenberg}}. I have added this to the trivia section.--[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 12:00, 18 August 2013 (UTC)

On a more amusing note, it is impossible to actually verify half of the obscure references on Wikipedia, as they are often magazines or books unlikely to be kept by typical libraries. One could easily fake an obscure reference if you know of a book with a title that seemingly pertains to the subject matter, but you know that the book had a printing run of less then 10,000 copies.
[[Special:Contributions/108.162.215.63|108.162.215.63]] 18:09, 14 May 2014 (UTC)
:It actually happens, too. There is a paragraph on Andrei Tarkovsky's Wikipedia page about an unfinished movie project called The First Day. The article cites an obscure book only available in Russian. According to people with access to the book, there is no such project mentioned in it. Also, the ISBN code given in the article matches a different book, which happens to be Tarkovsky's published diaries. There is no mention of such a project in his diaries, either, while he writes extensively about other projects he's planning at that time. {{unsigned ip|162.158.239.6|16:28, 27 August 2023}}

Note however, that this would only work if the information is so obscure that there are no conflicting sources.
[[User:Benjaminikuta|Benjaminikuta]] ([[User talk:Benjaminikuta|talk]]) 21:26, 10 February 2017 (UTC)

On a less amusing note it costs 30 dollars/pounds/euros to get a copy of a scientific article that may or may not be useful for journalists that may or may not have free access to said data. Or you could get a pirated copy of it from a suicidal source and have the FBI come after you instead.[[User:Weatherlawyer| I used Google News BEFORE it was clickbait]] ([[User talk:Weatherlawyer|talk]]) 13:24, 22 January 2015 (UTC)

This article doesn't actually explain the self-sustaining cycle that is the point of the article. It references citogenesis and where the word was derived, and references wikipedia. None of that explains the "fake article" -> "news writer references article" -> "wiki editor adds citation of news writer" -> "fake article referenced in other news". [[User:Cflare|Cflare]] ([[User talk:Cflare|talk]]) 18:56, 9 September 2014 (UTC)

Actually in the comic, citogenesis looks very similar to cyclogenesis.[[User:Weatherlawyer| I used Google News BEFORE it was clickbait]] ([[User talk:Weatherlawyer|talk]]) 13:24, 22 January 2015 (UTC)

What happened to the "portmanteau" in paragraph 2? [[User:SilverMagpie|SilverMagpie]] ([[User talk:SilverMagpie|talk]]) 22:41, 3 January 2017 (UTC)
:Never mind, I fixed it. [[User:SilverMagpie|SilverMagpie]] ([[User talk:SilverMagpie|talk]]) 22:42, 3 January 2017 (UTC)

I'm curious if the doubled "was" in the first panel was an intentional "easter egg" of the kind of carelessness that may be typical of somebody vandalizing Wikipedia with fake information, or if it was unintentional on Randall's part. Perhaps we'll never know. [[Special:Contributions/172.69.63.123|172.69.63.123]] 19:47, 12 October 2020 (UTC)
:I had that exact same thought when I read it. I believe it's highly possile it was intended. [[User:The Cat Lady|-- The Cat Lady]] ([[User talk:The Cat Lady|talk]]) 21:56, 23 August 2021 (UTC)

An example I once encountered of a much sloppier attempt at citogenesis: the article for a small, unincorporated community, near where I grew up claimed that [place] "is home to the art of cheddar winking." It cited a book that did not exist, whose ISBN number was for the Book of Mormon. [[Special:Contributions/172.69.48.150|172.69.48.150]] 13:40, 26 February 2021 (UTC)
: Another, slightly more prominent example was that a German politician [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Karl-Theodor_zu_Guttenberg Karl-Theodor zu Guttenberg] who carries 10 given names. An unknown editor managed to slip an 11th given name into the list: Wilhelm. At first it was reverted, because there was no source. The unknown editor reverted it back. A slightly careful writer checked Wikipedia just in time to see the "Wilhelm" and took it at face value. Many other careless writers followed, some even claimed that Guttenberg would give his full name in interviews and include Wilhelm in the list (obviously those interviews never happened and were just fabricted). Which in turn then was used as a reference ("Google is your friend, people!") for the Wikipedia article. Took some time to get the false name out of the article. [[Special:Contributions/162.158.203.15|162.158.203.15]] 10:11, 4 June 2021 (UTC)

[https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/the-reporters-63622746 Related and interesting]... [[Special:Contributions/172.70.86.12|172.70.86.12]] 14:04, 19 November 2022 (UTC)

Talk:2820: Inspiration

2023-08-27T19:32:40Z

172.69.79.157: Clear mis-application of .sig

Apples that fall off the tree on the moon cause less pain, could that also be a motive for his proposal? APB [[Special:Contributions/162.158.129.220|162.158.129.220]] 13:18, 26 August 2023 (UTC)

Here we see Cueball as W. B. Yeats, inventing the silver apples of the moon. [[User:Aasasd|Aasasd]] ([[User talk:Aasasd|talk]]) 03:24, 26 August 2023 (UTC)

Ah yes, another jab at red delicious apples from Randall. I love it. [[explain_xkcd:Community_portal/Miscellaneous#Help_with_Creating_a_User_Page|Trogdor147]] ([[explain_xkcd:Community_portal/Miscellaneous#Help_with_Creating_a_User_Page|talk]]) 03:39, 26 August 2023 (UTC)
:"Another"? would you mind linking to previous jab(s) so that we may link to it/get a category created for these jabs, and link to that category? - [[User:Vaedez|Vaedez]] ([[User talk:Vaedez|talk]]) 10:27, 26 August 2023 (UTC)
::One prior [[388: Fuck Grapefruit|comic 'jab']], for which the explanations refers to his book-jab at them. There ''may'' be more, that was just from memory, but not sure Cat-worthy just yet. But a direct reference link can wait until someone has searched for more/better, maybe. [[Special:Contributions/141.101.76.197|141.101.76.197]] 13:18, 26 August 2023 (UTC)
::i dont feel like comic 388 itself contains any jab at the Red Delicious breed of apple, though the explanation page certainly does reference Randall's distaste for Red Deliciouses - [[User:Vaedez|Vaedez]] ([[User talk:Vaedez|talk]]) 09:31, 27 August 2023 (UTC)
In the UK I have not come across a Red Delicious, just Golden ones, which are sort of golden, but sounding similarly bland. [[User:RIIW - Ponder it|RIIW - Ponder it]] ([[User talk:RIIW - Ponder it|talk]]) 08:27, 27 August 2023 (UTC)

Uhh, Randall was lacking inspiration for a comic? I saw nothing worth a comic, so I came here. Seems like Randall just doesn’t like Red Delicious.—Besides, is there a better word than “jab”? Mockery?--[[Special:Contributions/172.70.246.196|172.70.246.196]] 06:30, 26 August 2023 (UTC)
:If this is a running gag, should there be some kind of category for it, like Category:My Hobby does? [[Special:Contributions/172.70.179.63|172.70.179.63]] 08:03, 26 August 2023 (UTC)
::Actually, Randall stole (inadvertently, I'm sure) this from a running gag in a famous French BD named Rubrique-à-Brac [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rubrique-%C3%A0-Brac]. Isaac Newton is a recurring character who regularly gets hit in the head with different objects. [[User:Vfp15|Vfp15]] ([[User talk:Vfp15|talk]]) 23:10, 26 August 2023 (UTC)

This feels a bit like a pun that he expected a "tasty" apple but found a "delicious" instead--or maybe just an assertion that the name of Red Delicious apples is a lie. - [[User:Vaedez|Vaedez]] ([[User talk:Vaedez|talk]]) 10:19, 26 August 2023 (UTC)
:It absolutely is a lie, but there's a reason for that. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mgZNDTJSvJQ&pp - [[Special:Contributions/172.70.179.41|172.70.179.41]] 16:10, 26 August 2023 (UTC)
::thank you, kind stranger; i'll stick this on my watch later - [[User:Vaedez|Vaedez]] ([[User talk:Vaedez|talk]]) 09:18, 27 August 2023 (UTC)

Why didn't Randall draw Newton's hair when he was fully capable of doing so in [[626: Newton and Leibniz]]?
[[Special:Contributions/172.70.39.35|172.70.39.35]] 11:48, 26 August 2023 (UTC)
:Because it's not Newton. From the apple story,some people seem to have got the impression that Newton was the first to observe gravity, and therefore "was he really such a genius? I reckon I'd have noticed things falling to the floor". The comic makes fun of these would-be discoverers of the laws of gravitation, and presents an alternative inspirational moment that might be equally likely to these lesser intellects without the benefit of hindsight.[[Special:Contributions/172.70.85.167|172.70.85.167]] 12:09, 26 August 2023 (UTC)
::again, it wasnt that newton ''discovered that gravity existed,'' it was that he realized it was the same gravity that holds planets in their orbits and us on the surface of the earth. he discovered ''the way that gravity is'', not that earth has gravity in general. - [[User:Vaedez|Vaedez]] ([[User talk:Vaedez|talk]]) 09:22, 27 August 2023 (UTC)

The Apple in question was a Flower of Kent - Newton saw it fall, not on his head ...

the mention of the moon could be referencing the moon landing, that occurred the day prior to the comic's release, confirming ice deposits (meaning potential for apple growing). I don't think the cueball in the comic represents newton but rather someone parodying Newton, possibly they thought for a moment that the apple fell from the moon [visible in the background], and then got the inspiration for moon apples. it is also possible that cueball hoped that moon apples would hurt less (or maybe grow bigger)

Just my foible, but everyone knew about gravity, "they even leave it on at the weekend"* but his insight was that it is universal,not a number of different ones. *Douglas,Adams' Dirk Gently's HDA [[User:RIIW - Ponder it|RIIW - Ponder it]] ([[User talk:RIIW - Ponder it|talk]]) 08:27, 27 August 2023 (UTC)

It is important to note that, prior to Galileo’s telescopic observations, common belief in Europe was that the Moon and planets stayed up due to being made of a substance that was immune to falling down (i.e. did not experience the effects of gravity). Newton proved mathematically that all that was needed to keep them in orbit was gravity and the appropriate velocity.--[[User:Ijuinkun|Ijuinkun]] ([[User talk:Ijuinkun|talk]]) 15:44, 27 August 2023 (UTC)

2816: Types of Solar Eclipse

2023-08-20T20:11:02Z

172.69.79.157: /* Explanation */ Rationalised wikilink-by-template. (Assuming it's there... haven't followed it yet, myself!)

{{comic
| number = 2816
| date = August 16, 2023
| title = Types of Solar Eclipse
| image = types_of_solar_eclipse_2x.png
| imagesize = 501x572px
| noexpand = true
| titletext = The best place to be for a hug eclipse is a scenic natural area with good views and few clouds. The worst place to be is the lunar surface.
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Created by a DARK SHADOW OF A <s>DRAGONITE</s> ULTRA-NECROZMA THAT PERIODICALLY EATS THE SUN - Please change this comment when editing this page. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}

There are various different types of {{w|solar eclipse}}. The comic purports to show and name a number of them, initially quite real and accurate before heading into traditional xkcd fantasticality.

The punchline is where he likens an eclipse to a 'hug' of the Moon by the Sun. This is of course, not practically possible. The Sun is about 93 million miles or 150 million kilometers away from the Moon (and Earth). Even if it was somehow moved into touching distance by advanced sci-fi tech or a terrible disaster, the Moon would vaporize on contact with the Sun's plasma, thus not allowing for any sort of hug. In fact, we would not live very long if this happened, as the Earth would also be baked by the Sun's light, then swallowed by its intense gravity.

In the title text, the hug eclipse is mentioned again, this time in regards to where the best location would be to observe the event. First, normal advice is given about how the best way to view the eclipse would be in a scenic and natural area, predicted to have few clouds at the time, from somewhere along the rather narrow 'track of totality' for the day. Then he mentions that the lunar surface would be the worst place to go in a solar hug - as it would be blasted with thousands of degrees of heat from the Sun.

A normal Sun-Moon-Earth eclipse seen from the Moon would either be ineffectual or perfectly normal 'night-time', depending upon your lunar location. A Sun-Earth-Moon eclipse, seen from the Moon would be far more than total (if sought for from the nearside face) due to the much larger size of the Earth blotting out much more of the background, although the 'circular sunset' that gives the fully eclipsed Moon a dull red illumination could be worth seeing.

{| class="wikitable"
!Label
!Image
!Occurs naturally
!Description
|-
|Partial
|Sun partly obscured by an offset occlusion
| Yes
|When the Moon passes between the Earth and part of the Sun's disk but is not perfectly aligned (for any or all observers), the 'shadow' will not cross the center of the Sun. The parts of a full eclipse before second contact and after third contact are also described as partial phases of the eclipsing event.
|-
|Total
|Sun entirely obscured by a slightly larger concentric occlusion
| Yes
|When the Moon is close to perigee (or assisted by the Earth being at aphelion) during an eclipse, the Moon's apparent size is slightly larger than that of the Sun and will cover the whole solar disc. This is an astronomically useful effect, as well as aesthetically interesting to look at, as observers can study solar prominences and the atmosphere of the Sun whilst not being blinded by the glare of the bright 'surface' of the star.
|-
|Annular
|Sun partly obscured by a slightly smaller concentric occlusion
| Yes
|With the Moon nearer its apogee (and/or the Earth at perihelion), the Sun has a larger angular size than the Moon and will not be totally covered even by the most central alignment of each body.
An eclipse can also be called "hybrid" (not illustrated in the diagram), by being seen as both Total and Annular by different observers. Those viewing at more extreme latitudes or more westerly/easterly (the eclipse being closer to dawn and dusk, local time) are viewing both Moon and Sun from slightly further away around the curve of the planet and, as such, the nearer Moon decreases in angular size proportionately greater than the much more distant Sun. Thus they may see annularity in the same eclipse for which others would see totallity.
|-
|Oblate
|Oval Sun obscured by a concentric circle, except for at the edges of its major axis
| No
|If the Sun were a grossly exaggerated oblate (or prolate) spheroid, for any reason, the equatorial (or polar) bulge might extend significantly beyond the original limits of totality, or the narrower radii fall beneath the limits of the nominally annular occlusion.
Here the Sun has a visibly pronounced ovality and the Moon a lesser one (but roughly at right-angles, to add to the disparity). As the current effects that might cause each body to be oblate act in roughly the same plane as each other (both Sun and Moon spin upon roughly the same axis, with respect to the background), it would take more than merely an extreme increase in each's rotation to duplicate this image - however either could be accomplished.
|-
|Interior
|Sun obscured at its edge by a thick ring, leaving its centre visible
| No
|When an occluding object visibly larger than the Sun has a significant hole in the middle, only the rim of the Sun is blocked in the manner of an inverted annular eclipse.
|-
|Cuboid
|Sun obscured by a square cross-section
| No
|In this example, the 'Moon' appears to be a cube-like shape, rather than spherical, thus eclipsing a square portion of the solar disk. It must be turned face-on to Earth (and Sun), as other orientations of a true cubic (or cuboid) object might cause a rectangular or even hexagonal 'shadow'. It is twisted in the other axis (to be a diamond, rather than aligned square), but this will always be a matter more of one's precise viewing point upon the surface of the Earth regardless of the orbital and rotational alignments.
This might be a reference to the video game {{w|Q.U.B.E.}}, where a massive, cube-like alien spaceship passes by the moon and threatens to hit the Earth.
|-
|Transverse
|Obscuring circle drawn as a perpendicular plane intersecting the Sun on a centre-line
| No
|This depicts the solar disc as two dimensional (and at an oblique angle) and the Moon (or its shadow) as a second 2D object somehow passing through the same space. This may be a spoof on the 'flat earth' explanation for the solar eclipse.
|-
|Saturnian
|Obscuring circle is given an oblique (shadow) ring system
| Yes, but not from Earth
|Probes sent to Saturn have captured images[https://solarsystem.nasa.gov/news/13101/spectacular-eclipses-in-the-saturn-system/] of this type of eclipse.
While it is theoretically possible that Saturn (and its rings) could eventually find itself in a position to cause a solar eclipse on Earth (and/or that Earth moves beyond Saturn, or that the Moon gains significant debris rings in its own right), this scenario does not appear to be likely any time soon.{{Citation needed}}
There are Saturnian moons that naturally travel behind their parent planet, but none currently known to be so far from Saturn that they would ever see the Sun and Saturn at similar apparent sizes, and no human is yet in a position to directly see such an effect by any currently available means.
|-
|Hug
|Obscuring shape is pinched over at both sides by the respective overlapping edges of the Sun
| No
|In this image it appears the Sun has extended its 'limbs' to affectionately hold the Moon, which might be problematic in several different ways.
|}

In all these images, the solar disc does not actually have a solid Moon in front of it, but a semi-transparent shadow, more typical of the representation of the Earth's solar shadow as it passes across the face of the Moon in a {{w|lunar eclipse}}. This may be an additional part of the humour, but it is likely an artistic choice made to improve the diagrams' legibility.

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

:[Nine diagrams of solar eclipses are shown in a 3x3 grid layout. The first three are all real solar eclipses, the rest are all ficticious.]
:Caption: Types of Solar Eclipse
:[The Sun is partially covered by a similarly sized Moon:] Partial
:[The Sun is completely covered by a similarly sized Moon:] Total
:[The Sun is partially covered by a slightly smaller Moon, surrounding its shadow:] Annular
:[An oval 'sun' is mostly covered by a round Moon, except at the extremes of its distortions:] Oblate
:[Sun partially covered by a similarly sized 'moon', except for a hole in this moon's center:] Interior
:[Sun partially covered by a square 'moon'-shadow, turned by an arbitrary angle:] Cuboid
:[2D 'sun' being intersected with a 2D 'moon' at a perpendicular angle:] Transverse
:[Sun being partially obscured by a body that has a prominent multi-ring system:] Saturnian
:[Moon is pinched at the sides by the Sun behind it, as if being grabbed:] Hug

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Comics with color]]
[[Category:Astronomy]]

Talk:2814: Perseids Pronunciation

2023-08-20T20:04:27Z

172.69.79.157:

I'm afraid to google the Kentucky Meat Shower. [[Special:Contributions/162.158.158.139|162.158.158.139]] 14:43, 11 August 2023 (UTC)
:SPOILER ALERT
:I can give you a very quick summary: when startled, vultures will sometimes regurgitate their last meal, both to lighten themselves for a quick escape, and make a potential predator lose its appetite. Apparently, something startled a bunch of vultures at the same time, and nobody knows exactly what. [[Special:Contributions/172.69.247.42|172.69.247.42]] 14:55, 11 August 2023 (UTC)

:https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kentucky_meat_shower [[User:Shamino|Shamino]] ([[User talk:Shamino|talk]]) 14:59, 11 August 2023 (UTC)

"can" is repeated in the title text. [[Special:Contributions/141.101.68.54|141.101.68.54]] 14:53, 11 August 2023 (UTC)

On August 11, 2023, XKCD was not the only web comic to reference the "Kentucky Meat Shower". It is the full subject of the day's Dinosaur Comics, at http://www.qwantz.com/index.php?comic=4085. And August 11 is not even an anniversary of the event (March 3, 1876). Coincidence? Time travel? You be the judge. [[User:JohnB|JohnB]] ([[User talk:JohnB|talk]]) 15:32, 11 August 2023 (UTC)

This tells me neither how acceptable things like my default lazy pronunciation, nor the original ancient greek pronunciation of its namesake, are considered. How am I supposed to guess where combinations of variations like PEER-, -seh-, and -ides would affect placement in the list? [[Special:Contributions/172.71.142.35|172.71.142.35]] 19:12, 11 August 2023 (UTC)

It's not ''wrong'', per-se. (ed.)
[[User:ProphetZarquon|ProphetZarquon]] ([[User talk:ProphetZarquon|talk]]) 21:40, 11 August 2023 (UTC)
:That's exactly how I pronounce it. (per se) + ids. per-say-ids. [[Special:Contributions/172.68.4.168|172.68.4.168]] 10:04, 12 August 2023 (UTC)
::ed ≠ id, though.
::[[User:ProphetZarquon|ProphetZarquon]] ([[User talk:ProphetZarquon|talk]]) 17:07, 13 August 2023 (UTC)

*PER-see-ids: standard(ish, YMMV) 3-syllable verson of the word.
*PURSE-yids: standardish 2-(/2.5-)syllable version.
*Per-SEE-ids: yeah, I'd accept that emphisis, in a pinch.
*Per-SAY-ids: ok, so you like ''that'' version of the 'ei' digraph; might even be 'classical'.
*Per-SIDES: Germanic digraph and irregular (in this case) phomeme boundries, but each to their own.
*Per-ZAY-uds: I can see most of this, accent permitting; the '<schwa>ds' is a surprising twist.
*PER-suds: you dont care about the digraph at all, do you?
*Perky-ids: Back-formed through "C/S equivalence", I'm guessing, but from the wrong s(e)ide?
*Pewpewpews: Onomatopœia!!!
*Per-say-say: Bowdlerised, as if the original is a 'naughty' word.
*Percies: Shortened through familiarity.
*Purps: Shortened/perhaps linked to "perp(etrator)s".
*Pepsids: Sponsorship! (Did we also get the "Dracokids", 6-10 Oct?)
*Peeps: Anthopomorphised, the lot of 'em!
...my first thoughts, but I'm sure there are competing claims so I'll leave this down here for the time being. [[Special:Contributions/162.158.74.47|162.158.74.47]] 23:28, 11 August 2023 (UTC)

: Per-ZAY-uds seems like it could be acceptable in New Zealand. [[Special:Contributions/172.71.178.35|172.71.178.35]] 08:40, 16 August 2023 (UTC)

The list in the Explanation's table was missing most of them, and the Transcript separated the two-word entries into separate entries! Fixed all that. Filled in my analyses of the missing pronunciations, I'm sure others can flesh them out better, add relevant links as I couldn't be bothered to both think of things to link and figure out the best way to link them (and make the multi-entry rows look proper). Also, someone severely misunderstood what "Peeps" would mean, it seems clearly to be the slang for "people". The goofy entries seemed to require separate descriptions, so I left them as separate rows as the cleanest/clearest layout I can think of for that, with the rudimentary understanding of Wiki tables I could glean from what was already there. :) [[User:NiceGuy1|NiceGuy1]] ([[User talk:NiceGuy1|talk]]) 06:46, 12 August 2023 (UTC)
:I'm convinced it's "Percies" and "Purps" and "Pepsids" and "Peeps", at the end, not "Percies Purps" and "Pepsids Peeps". Just arrayed in two columns as they're shortened enough to make it an unasethetic layout to extend by two rows and add so much gap at the end of four lines. "Pewpewpews" aside, none of the others more than double the "p"s from the original single one. It can be forgiven to bookend a short phoneme (Purps, Peeps), but sounds off to revisit the pattern (twice!) in this manner, with no clear connection between paired elements. Just my own observation, though. [[Special:Contributions/162.158.74.46|162.158.74.46]] 20:22, 12 August 2023 (UTC)
::I know! Look at the size of the spacing between the left and right elements - those aren't two-word terms, no way.

::I can see how an at-a-glance read might come up with "Pepsids Peeps" and "Percies Perps"...but at-a-glance reading seems a little out of place on an analytical forum!

::Those are four seperate names.[[User:Yorkshire Pudding|Yorkshire Pudding]] ([[User talk:Yorkshire Pudding|talk]]) 07:35, 13 August 2023 (UTC)

:::I don't know why SO many of you are making this mistake! No, last 2 lines are unquestionably 2 entries, sorry. It's weird Randall put so much space, it's unfortunate the spaces line up to be easily mistaken for columns, but they're only 2. Randall can make the comic longer to fit more lines if he wanted them to be separate entries. Sorry, there is no room for debate here. Normally I wouldn't make such changes/decisions so unilaterally, but this is so beyond question that I know there's no room for error, it's safe to proceed. How can I say this so certainly with such conviction? Easy. None of the 4 words can alone reasonably replace "Perseids". They work as a team. "Percies" and "Pepsids" replaces "Perse-", "Purps" and "Peeps" replaces "-ids". "Percies" is even spelled SO similarly to "Perse-", enough that we would pronounce them the same, except for the S on "Percies"! How do you imagine the 1-syllable "Purps" and "Peeps" replaces the 3-syllable "Perseids"? Notice how "Percies" and "Pepsids" are 2 syllables each, meaning that as two teams, they're each 3-syllables replacing 3-syllables! Actually, this is true of the whole Definitely Wrong group, all are 3-syllables. IDK, maybe I'm just more used to people who mangle words, but it makes a certain sense, actually. [[User:NiceGuy1|NiceGuy1]] ([[User talk:NiceGuy1|talk]]) 04:25, 19 August 2023 (UTC)
::::"Sorry, there is no room for debate here." - That's the main error you make. (I repeat the "too many 'P's" as a direct counter to "too few syllables", for example. It's at least as significant an argument, based upon preceding ’words' in the list.)
:::: Might have been more fortunate if it had been something like...
:::: {|
|colspan="2"|Fulllengthitem
|-
|Longitem||Item
|-
|Item||Longitem
|}
:::: ...but it wasn't, for whatever reason. ''Maybe'' for the same aesthetic reason as made it preferable to not run "long long" and "short short" (aligned) or each to their own line with loads of trailing deadspace. So, instead, what trouble we now have? Obscured by the ambiguity... (''Unintentional'' ambiguity? Or possibly even done with full consciousness of how readers might be nerdsniped. Wouldn't put that past him, either.) [[Special:Contributions/141.101.99.79|141.101.99.79]] 08:10, 19 August 2023 (UTC)
::::: By "no room for debate here", I meant there's no potential for you guys to be right, sorry. There is no question, there is no chance. I mean, I could see "Percies" and "Pepsids" acting alone, being extra casual by dropping syllables (like calling "Perceus" "Percies" for short), but that leaves "Purps" and "Peeps" as orphans, there is simply not enough to them to pretend they could replace "Perseids"). The "too many Ps" is alliteration, because people enjoy when two or more words in a row start with the same letter, especially anyone immature/casual enough to say these instead of the real word. And the extra Ps makes the wrong versions extra wrong. Not putting dashes, putting separate words, enhances the alliteration. Just try saying "Perseids" properly and "Percies Purps" back-to-back, back and forth. Especially quickly. Same with "Pepsids Peeps". Other than adding the alliterative extra Ps, they DO sound very similar. "It wasn't, for some reason", I GAVE you the reason, because there ARE no short items! NO two entries share a line! Each entry is its own line! There is no ambiguity! The thing is, both sets of words are the same length, so it LOOKS like columns. He probably extra went with it because it looks visually appealing, that might be why there's so much space, to give him the room to make them line up while making sure there's enough space to properly separate the words, he over-compensated. And notice how the columns concept falls apart in that the higher entries extend far enough right to be OVER the potential second column. If this comic were done in text form, you'd have to fudge the columns, ALL the higher entries would have to be coded to take two columns, to allow the bottom entries to have two columns. Frankly, 3-syllables for 3-syllables is where the argument falls apart the most. They are two entries, not 4, sorry. This isn't the first time it has seemed like me and Randall seem to align in our thoughts, I always just get what he means, often in cases where some people here are not sure. This is one of them. I just wish someone else who sees the truth would speak up, because it seems like there are too many confused people here. Though 172.68.150.46 below makes a good point, I haven't heard of this "Pepsi x Peeps", but assuming it does actually exist, the timing and two letter difference makes this connection fairly guaranteed, and also supports what I'm saying about "Pepsids Peeps" being one entry. :) (Which indirectly supports "Percies Purps" being one, as then it would make no sense to have one line being 2 entries and the other being 1). [[User:NiceGuy1|NiceGuy1]] ([[User talk:NiceGuy1|talk]]) 18:48, 20 August 2023 (UTC)
:::::: <<''By "no room for debate here", I meant there's no potential for you guys to be right, sorry.''>> - You are very definite about this. But clearly very very wrong ''at least'' about there being no alternative to your worldview. I actually made a compromise anser, whch someone else nixed in favour of the "four words only" explanatiob, which I think was too definie, also, but there is more than enough "not two words" reason, for all of your adamant arguments in total unflinching support of "two words only". Perhaps take a step back (as everyone should) and allow for a bit of lateral opinion? [[Special:Contributions/172.69.79.157|172.69.79.157]] 20:04, 20 August 2023 (UTC)

:::: Two reasons for why it's 4 words:
:::: 1) Randall hyphenates every word combination above, but he didn't hyphenate ''PERCIES-PURPS'' nor ''PEPSIDS-PEEPS''.
:::: 2) Phonetically, ''Perseids'' starts with an "er" sound and ends with an "ee" sound. Either can get dropped, but their order is not reversed: it would sound too dissimilar to "Perseids". "Percies" and "Pepsids" follow this rule, "Percies-Purps" and "Pepsids-Peeps" do not.
:::: [[Special:Contributions/162.158.95.157|162.158.95.157]] 07:42, 20 August 2023 (UTC)
::::: He didn't hyphenate because he's adding alliteration, anyone who would be THIS silly and casual would enjoy the two words starting with a P, and the alliteration is enhanced by two SEPARATE words, no hyphens. Also, the hyphens are only even there because that's how you separate pronunciation syllables, those last TWO aren't even trying to be a pronunciation guide any more, just replacements. Notice, "Percies" should be "per-CEES", "Pepsids" as "pep-SIDS" if they were still being pronunciation guides, but they aren't. Your 2) falls apart by itself, "Perse-" is what phonetically starts with "er" and ends with "ee", as does "Percies", leaving "Purps" to replace "-ids" (which always rhymes with pluralizing "did", every time I hear it), so, no, "Perceids" does NOT end in an "ee" sound. Which means you made an argument for my side there, :) If you ignore the alliteration as its own thing, "urps" replaces "-ids", it's the S that phonetically lines up, plus the P sound sounding similar to the D sound. Admittedly, the "er" and "ids" start and end match between "Pepsids" and "Perseids", but it doesn't match due to the mismatched syllables. (I've been involved in a lot of karaoke song parodies, writing and seeing others write silly replacement lyrics, maybe THAT'S how I have a strong instinct for this. When getting silly, parodying, matching syllables is important to maintain the connection). Like I said above, try saying "Perseids" back-to-back with each two word pair, back and forth, quickly, you should see how they line up. [[User:NiceGuy1|NiceGuy1]] ([[User talk:NiceGuy1|talk]]) 18:48, 20 August 2023 (UTC)

I think the "Pepsids Peeps" is a reference to the Pepsi x Peeps soda that got released a few months ago—the first word could be a cross between PEPSI and perseiDS. Presumably, they are very sugary meteors. [[Special:Contributions/172.68.150.46|172.68.150.46]] 12:00, 12 August 2023 (UTC)

Is someone familiar with the phonetic notation system used in the comic able to convert it to something more generally acceptable like IPA? [[User:Tharkon|Tharkon]] ([[User talk:Tharkon|talk]]) 17:14, 12 August 2023 (UTC)

: It's "informal", and seems to be similar to the wikipedia one. [[Special:Contributions/198.41.238.54|198.41.238.54]] 01:50, 13 August 2023 (UTC)
No "per-seed"? I once heard a newscaster say it that way. [[User:SDSpivey|SDSpivey]] ([[User talk:SDSpivey|talk]]) 18:38, 12 August 2023 (UTC)
:I heard a BBC newsreader say "PER-sid" yesterday. As though it were a compound of "perse" and "id".[[User:Yorkshire Pudding|Yorkshire Pudding]] ([[User talk:Yorkshire Pudding|talk]]) 07:41, 13 August 2023 (UTC)

Why not "per-sayds"? [[Special:Contributions/198.41.238.54|198.41.238.54]] 01:50, 13 August 2023 (UTC)

: I always rhymed it with “Mercedes” for some reason. [[Special:Contributions/172.69.71.43|172.69.71.43]] 11:09, 18 August 2023 (UTC)

It seems likely to me this is going to be regional. I was always taught "Per-SAY-ids" to be correct (EN-GB). I've never heard anyone say "PER-see-ids" or "PURSE-yids". [[Special:Contributions/172.70.85.218|172.70.85.218]] 09:58, 13 August 2023 (UTC)

I've been saying pur-see-IDES (where instead of ids, i say ides, like the Ides of March) [[Special:Contributions/172.71.222.253|172.71.222.253]] 19:03, 14 August 2023 (UTC)

Pepsident Media Shower [[Special:Contributions/172.70.91.79|172.70.91.79]] 08:43, 16 August 2023 (UTC)

== Laser Guns ==

I removed ''possibly for the resemblance of the flashes of light both laser guns and meteors make in the sky. In real life, neither lasers nor meteors make much sound at all.'' from the explanation for ''pewpewpews'' because it doesn't make sense. If meteors made a pewpewpew sound, then laser guns might be sounded like them for their resemblance; but since they don't make that sound, if laserd were SFXed for that resemblance, they'd be silent. There's no logic in bringing up meteors at all. I believe "pew" could describe a bullet whistling by. [[Special:Contributions/162.158.86.183|162.158.86.183]] 07:23, 20 August 2023 (UTC)

''We climbed to the top of a hill where there was a small radio tower in the hopes that the wind would make some interesting sounds in the tower or the support cables. I picked up a rock and banged on the cable just for fun and Ben said, "That sounds like the imaginary laser gun ought to sound!"

''So he recorded the sounds there and later in California he looked around for other towers and finally found one that he especially liked in the Mohave desert in California. There was a broken brace hanging on the cable that added a special quality to the sound and that was the one he used in combination with some other sounds to create the sound of the laser gun.''

Source: https://filmsound.org/starwars/lasergunstory.htm [[Special:Contributions/162.158.94.218|162.158.94.218]] 07:55, 20 August 2023 (UTC)

827: My Business Idea

2023-08-09T21:19:01Z

172.69.79.157:

{{comic
| number = 827
| date = November 29, 2010
| title = My Business Idea
| image = my_business_idea.png
| titletext = We didn't believe you at first, but we asked like three people who were at that party. They not only corroborated your story, but even said you totally mentioned wanting to start a company someday. Sorry! If this isn't enough money, let us know.
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|The article doesn't explain the reference to House of Leaves. (the article itself is also pretty small, it should be longer). Do not remove this tag too soon.}}
Many people have shared [[Cueball]]'s experience of seeing someone else make a profit from an idea that they themselves had. This comic plays with the thought of what would happen if {{w|intellectual property}} thinking was taken to an extreme, and if companies or people were keener on "setting things right" than money.

In reality, having a great idea alone, of course, does not create a profitable business; there must generally be an enormous amount of effort put in to create a business from scratch, popularize it, and keep it standing. Having done none of this, Cueball would probably not deserve close to the "30% cut" he claims even if intellectual property did work the way it is presented here. Multiplying $20,000,000 by 30% gives $6,000,000, which would be a lot of cash for doing nothing but having an idea and telling it to someone.

The delivery address is to Ash Tree Lane, and as shown in [[472: House of Pancakes]], Randall knows how to mess with people who've read {{w|House of Leaves}}.

The title text is an extension of the comic with increasingly extreme thinking.

==Transcript==
:[Cueball is sitting at his desk, pointing at his laptop.]
:Cueball: Dude! I had this idea like five years ago, and some company just got rich doing it! - I want my cut.

:[Cueball starts typing.]
:Person off-screen: That's not how it works.
:Cueball: Sure it is. I'm applying for my share now.
:Person: Wait, what?

:[A browser window with the title 'Department of Ideas'. It has a series of text boxes.]
:Date you had the idea:
::Like five years ago.
:Proof you had it:
::I told my friend Mike - you can ask him! I was all "you know what would make a great business idea?" and he was all...
:Their profit so far:
::$20,000,000
:Share you deserve (be fair!):
::[Drop-down.]
:::25%
:::'''30%'''
:::35%
:Mailing address:
::137 Ash Tree Ln

:[Cueball still at the laptop, above him is a SUBMIT button, and it shows a pointing hand cursor.]
:CLICK

:[Last panel set slightly lower than the rest.]
:[Cueball is in front of an open box full of cash, with cash in his hand. A FedEx delivery guy is on the other side of the box with his PDA and pen.]

==Trivia==
This comic was originally called [[827: Business Idea]], but Randall renamed it on 11:35 AM UTC to resolve a conflict on [https://xkcd.com xkcd.com]. The conflict was created when he released the comic [[1721: Business Idea]] around five years after this comic's release because both comics shared the same name and filename. This is the third time Randall has released a comic with a [[:Category:Comics sharing name|name exactly the same]] as a previous comic.

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Comics with color]]
[[Category:Comics sharing name|Business Idea]]