explain xkcd - User contributions [en]

Talk:3097: Bridge Types

2025-06-03T03:24:51Z

172.70.126.87: looks like the Samuel Becket Bridge

For budget overrun, see olympic stadium of Montreal, Quebec, Canada.

[[Special:Contributions/162.158.126.202|162.158.126.202]] 01:23, 3 June 2025 (UTC)

Very disappointed there's no bridge card game reference, but I guess that's not one of Randall's types of nerdiness :( [[Special:Contributions/172.71.254.203|172.71.254.203]] 01:45, 3 June 2025 (UTC)

I would like to note that cable stayed bridges, budget overrun here, are much cheaper than equivalent suspension bridges. It because they use less materials and can be built faster meaning less labor. [[Special:Contributions/172.69.58.51|172.69.58.51]] 01:50, 3 June 2025‎
:Tru dat in general, but I think that this is a reference to the {{w|Leonard_P._Zakim_Bunker_Hill_Memorial_Bridge|Zakim Bridge}} in downtown Boston, part of the {{w|Big_Dig|"Big Dig"}} project that became notorious for its budget overruns and related shenanigans. Given that Randall M. lives in Boston, that makes this panel something of an inside joke. [[Special:Contributions/172.71.147.224|172.71.147.224]] 03:15, 3 June 2025 (UTC)

The [[wikipedia:St. Louis Arch|St. Louis Arch]] is a repurposed-elevator-suspended-arch-but-without-the-base-and-wires bridge if you squint hard enough. The elevator is also fun. [[Special:Contributions/172.69.67.214|172.69.67.214]] 01:57, 3 June 2025 (UTC)

Nothing about a a [[wikipedia:Bridge circuit|bridge circuit]] or these [[Wikipedia:Bridges (disambiguation)|many]] [[wikipedia:other|other]] bridges either. Sigh. [[Special:Contributions/172.69.67.214|172.69.67.214]] 01:57, 3 June 2025 (UTC)
:And where, oh where, are Lloyd, Beau, Jeff, and Jordan? [[Special:Contributions/162.158.41.84|162.158.41.84]] 03:19, 3 June 2025 (UTC)

The L'Engle is a take off on a Wrinkle in time? But this one is in space? -- [[User:162.158.91.124|162.158.91.124]] ([[User talk:162.158.91.124|talk]]) 02:26, 3 June 2025‎ ''(please sign your comments with <nowiki>~~</nowiki>~~)''
:There's some space-warping in L'Engle's books. [[Special:Contributions/162.158.174.63|162.158.174.63]] 02:44, 3 June 2025 (UTC)

The "budget overrun" bridge doesn't really look like the Zakim bridge to me. It looks a lot like the Samuel Beckett Bridge in Dublin. I don't know what the budget of that bridge was, but according to wiki it cost 60 million euros, which sounds like a lot given that the bridge isn't all that long or wide. [[Special:Contributions/172.70.126.87|172.70.126.87]] 03:24, 3 June 2025 (UTC)

Talk:1779: 2017

2024-09-24T14:49:18Z

172.70.126.87:

Well, we're ending the year off with an optimistic XKCD comic. Here's to another year!
[[User:GranadalandDreamer|GranadalandDreamer]] ([[User talk:GranadalandDreamer|talk]]) 23:07, 30 December 2016 (UTC)

What is five thirty eight? From the context I get it's most likely a TV-Show, but I believe some background information would help here. --[[Special:Contributions/162.158.92.46|162.158.92.46]] 07:14, 31 December 2016 (UTC)
:It's a website. You can click on the link to get more information about it as it links to FiveThirtyEight's Wikipedia article. --[[Special:Contributions/162.158.75.160|162.158.75.160]] 10:00, 31 December 2016 (UTC)

Title text also can be reference to Seveneves by Neal Stephenson. [[User:Magras|Magras]] ([[User talk:Magras|talk]]) 15:52, 31 December 2016 (UTC)

Is there some significance to the fallen tree that they are walking over? Or is it just a visual aid to give them something to do? {{unsigned ip|162.158.74.87}}

Note: in the Russian language words "prime (number)" and "easy" can in be translated to the same word "простой". [[Special:Contributions/141.101.107.168|141.101.107.168]] 07:39, 2 January 2017 (UTC)

"
This is the first odd-numbered years (and thus of course the first prime year)[...] "
I know xkcd didn't exist in the year 2 but the "thus of course the first prime year" still makes me uncomfortable
[[Special:Contributions/198.41.230.100|198.41.230.100]] 09:10, 7 January 2017 (UTC)

Hmmm ... wouldn't vanishing of Moon be problem itself? Disappearance of tides might cause all sorts of climatic problems ... -- [[User:Hkmaly|Hkmaly]] ([[User talk:Hkmaly|talk]]) 06:51, 9 January 2017 (UTC)

For the record, 1933 ([https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adolf_Hitler's_rise_to_power]) was also prime, and also contained a solar eclipse. The eclipse seems to have not passed over Germany though -- so maybe this year won't turn out as bad for Trumpland as that one did for Germany. [[Special:Contributions/172.68.54.64|172.68.54.64]] 21:16, 6 February 2017 (UTC)

They simply didn't know what was coming down the pipe. [[Special:Contributions/172.70.126.87|172.70.126.87]] 14:49, 24 September 2024 (UTC)

2635: Superintelligent AIs

2022-06-21T17:42:08Z

172.70.126.87: /* Explanation: grammar. These looks slightly different vs these look slightly different. */

{{comic
| number = 2635
| date = June 20, 2022
| title = Superintelligent AIs
| image = superintelligent_ais.png
| titletext = Your scientists were so preoccupied with whether or not they should, they didn't stop to think if they could.
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Created by AI RESEARCHERS - Please change this comment when editing this page. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}
{{w|Artificial intelligence}} (AI) is a [[:Category:Artificial Intelligence|recurring theme]] on xkcd.

Superintelligent AI, especially under a proposed "singularity" situation, is commonly theorized to be a brand new kind of intelligence that would be impossible to predict through human perception. [[Randall]], however, proposes a counterargument: that superintelligent AI would be programmed by humans with nerdy fixations, and thus the AI would turn out much like those nerdy humans. Perhaps it is [[Cueball]] and [[Megan]] who have created these three AIs and now they are stunned that their AIs just continue their discussion of the problems with AI, though maybe on a higher level (three tracks in the trolley problem...).

*{{w|AI box}}
*{{w|Turing test}}
*{{w|Trolley problem}}

The AIs in this comic are depicted as floating energy beings, similar to [[1450: AI-Box Experiment]], although these look somewhat different.

The title text is a reference to the movie ''{{w|Jurassic Park (film)|Jurassic Park}}'' (a childhood favorite of Randall's). In the movie a character criticizes the creation of modern dinosaurs as a product of mad science, where the scientists are so eager to prove they CAN they don't stop to ask if they SHOULD. Randall inverts the quote, claiming the AI programmers have invested too much time in the ethics of creating AI rather than studying whether or not they can actually pull it off.

This comic was likely inspired by the recent claim by Google engineer Blake Lemoine that Google's Language Model for Dialogue Applications (LaMDA) [https://www.bbc.com/news/technology-61784011 is sentient].

==Transcript==
:[Cueball and Megan are standing and looking up and away from each other. Right above them and slightly above them to the left and right there are three small white lumps floating in the air, representing three superintelligent AIs. There are small rounded lines emanating from each lump, larger close to the lumps and shorter further out. Three to four sets of lines around each lump, forming part of a circle. From the top of each there are four straight lines indicating voices that comes from each if the lumps. The central lump above them seems to speak first, then the left and then the right:]
:Central AI: What you don't understand is that Turing intended his test as an illustration of the...
:Left AI: But suppose the AI in the the box told the human that...
:Right AI: In my scenario, the runaway trolley has ''three'' tracks...

:[Caption below the panel:]
:In retrospect, given that the superintelligent AIs were all created by AI researchers, what happened shouldn't have been a surprise.

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Megan]]
[[Category:Artificial Intelligence]]
[[Category:Philosophy]]

2614: 2

2022-06-01T20:46:41Z

172.70.126.87: Undo revision 285425 by While False (talk)

>IN THESE UNCERTAIN TRYING TIMES DARK WINTER OF THE NEW NORMAL.... >AS CITIZENS (DECLARED OR UNDECLARED) OF THE GLOBAL VILLAGE MUST COME TOGETHER AS ONE, BUT APART, AND BUILD BACK BETTER WITH SOME NEW EXTENDED LENGTH TEMPORARY GLOBAL RULES TO KICK START THE 4TH INDUSTRIAL REVOLUTION........ >YOU WILL WEAR THE NWO PROVIDED IOT COCK CAGE FOR YOUR PROTECTION >YOU WILL DRINK THE RECYCLED PISS >YOU WILL EAT THE BUGGIES >YOU WILL EAT THE CRICKET BURGER >YOU WILL DRINK THE COCKROACH MILK >YOU WILL EAT THE MAGGOT CHIPS >YOU. WILL. EAT. THE. BUGS. >YOU WILL TAKE THE MANDATORY VACCINE >YOU WILL WEAR THE MASK WHILE EATING >YOU WILL WEAR THE MASK WHILE SLEEPING

>I was browsing 4chan, and the threads were coal-oal-oal >Moved to the kway, and I saw some po-ost-osts >Some teen was making Cobsons >Posting them, "He's a gem" he said >Then the board's gone, no more /qa/-ay-ay >Mods mad, /lgbt/ had a troonjak rai-aid-aid >That weren't no coal, that was a shining glistening gem >There's a party, a jakker's paradise >There's colorjaks and cobsons >And their gems will blow your mind >There's a party, a jakker's paradise >Soot told us not to blow it >Let the CP spam subside >He told me >Let the trannies ACK it >Let chudcels browse it >Let all the basedteens boogie >I saw my Jak posted on the booru-ru-ru >Hey, that's a gem, you saw my thread too, ooh ooh >I'm browsing /raid/, maybe we'll steal a GET on 4chan too >Look at my thread, it's time to mass reply-y-y >The janny's seething, I'll get banned tonight-ight-igh >If I get perma'd I'll just post from my phone in spite >There's a party, a jakker's paradise >There's colorjaks and cobsons >And their gems will blow your mind >There's a party, a jakker's paradise >Soot told us not to blow it >Let the CP spam subside >He told me >Let the trannies ACK it >Let chudcels browse it >Let all the basedteens boogie || +2.04%

==The BBC oath==
Repeat after me:

Repeat after me:

I swear that I will dedicate myself to big black cock for the rest of my life. I know that my rightful place as a white male is beneath the boot of my black masters. I swear that I will never have sex with a woman. I know that my tiny white pecker is unable to satisfy her, so there is no point in even trying. I swear that I will never let a single drop of my inferior white seed enter a woman's pussy. I know that black genes are superior, and that it is only right for black men to claim white women's wombs. I will stand by and watch as black men have sex with my wife, my mother, and my daughter. And I will enjoy it. If a black man needs his dick sucked, I will be there for him. If a black man needs a hole to cum inside, I will give myself up to him. As long as I live, I will be a slave to black men. This is my oath as a mindbroken BBC slut.

==>abortions bad even though it kills niggers==
>niggers bad even though they shoot niggers >spics bad even though they torture and kill spics >koreans bad even though they hate china >china bad even though they genocide muslims >muslims bad even though they kill homosexuals and hate jews >homosexuals bad even though they infect faggots with aids and wreck their anuses >jews bad even though they are trying to kill off the white race >killing of white race bad even though it also means killing off white women >white women bad even though they wash estrogen from pills down the drain >estrogen in the water bad even though it makes boys into cute femboys >femboys bad even though they reduce competition for women >women bad even though they make trannies seethe >trannies bad even though they kill themselves and they also make real women seethe >women seething bad even though it upsets simps >simps bad even though they re-distribute money in economy away from horny retards >horny retards bad even though they are the only ones left making babies >babies bad even though you can fuck them >fucking babies bad even though world elites do it >world elites bad even though they did 9/11 >9/11 bad even though it killed a lot of mutt goyim and justified country-wide surveillance >surveillance bad even though a female agent can catch you jerking off which is hot >jerking off bad even though it makes nofappers seethe >nofappers bad even though it makes leftist degenerate trannies seethe >leftists degenerates bad even though they will pay you to fuck their wife >trannies bad even though without them no one would moderate 4chan >4chan bad even though it makes losers waste their lives posting on it >losers wasting their lives on 4chan bad even though it stops them from shooting up schools >shooting up school bad even though you get to kill your bullies and a bunch of roasties >roasties bad even though they're your only chance to lose virginity

__________________...uu444u.____________________ ______________.eP.____________.hu_______________ ____________C_____________________7u__________ __________)_________________________.\__________ _________.C___________________________\________ _________(__________________(___/______y_______ ________________________y___C___P____._9______ ________)_________..pp..__)y_C_____c____)________ ________)__P777_PP444bap.7P.)0yp1bqpPPPPPp____ _________C_7_______.8b400QP__)P__|0|Qb4__0____ _________)_________/4bppppp..4___\8|c|1y.8________ __________)___./__C__).Q_________\__|_|_))________ ____________p___C_.__)C__/..x_____.__\Q_.P________ ____________(___7_____C.C__7x_4__uP__|y_/_______ ____________(___70___|.PP__p()/()hy)_()P___________ ____________(____C___C(_|_800000000P__P________ ___________)_______.)u_o__800000000_()____________ __________._____.____.b|__800000000_|P____________ _________/.___.C______7b__)0000000P_(____________ ____x4P________________3P_30000000_0S._7Pe_____ _______________________x)P_000000P_p____________ _________________________7\_0000C_/_____________ ___________________________1D.ye8P______________

2627: Types of Scopes

2022-06-01T20:45:54Z

172.70.126.87: Undo revision 285424 by While False (talk)

{{comic
| number = 2627
| date = June 1, 2022
| title = Types of Scopes
| image = Doug Walker and Mike Mozart (15132005215).jpg
| titletext = An x-ray gyroscope is used to determine exactly which toppings they included in the pita.
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Created by a BOTOSCOPE - Please change this comment when editing this page. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}
''{{w|Electron microscopes}}'', ''{{w|Calorimetric Electron Telescope|electron telescopes}}'' and ''{{w|radio telescopes}}'' are special forms of {{w|microscopes}} and {{w|telescopes}}, respectively. This comic explores what you could do with a hypothetical "electron ___-scope" and "radio ___-scope" for other "regular" items whose name also ends in -scope (namely: {{w|periscope}}, {{w|stethoscope}}, {{w|kaleidoscope}}, {{w|gyroscope}} and {{w|horoscope}}).

The third column with "radio" often plays on different meanings of the word ''radio:'' 1) related to radiation and 2) a device for receiving radio communication or broadcasts.

The title text makes a pun on "gyroscope" and the Greek foods {{w|gyros}} which are typically served in {{w|pita}} bread.

===Table with scopes===
{| class="wikitable"
|+ What the words could mean according to the[[File:Doug Walker and Mike Mozart (15132005215).jpg]][[File:Doug Walker and Mike Mozart (15132005215).jpg]][[File:Doug Walker and Mike Mozart (15132005215).jpg]][[File:Doug Walker and Mike Mozart (15132005215).jpg]][[File:Doug Walker and Mike Mozart (15132005215).jpg]][[File:Doug Walker and Mike Mozart (15132005215).jpg]][[File:Doug Walker and Mike Mozart (15132005215).jpg]][[File:Doug Walker and Mike Mozart (15132005215).jpg]][[File:Doug Walker and Mike Mozart (15132005215).jpg]][[File:Doug Walker and Mike Mozart (15132005215).jpg]][[File:Doug Walker and Mike Mozart (15132005215).jpg]][[File:Doug Walker and Mike Mozart (15132005215).jpg]][[File:Doug Walker and Mike Mozart (15132005215).jpg]][[File:Doug Walker and Mike Mozart (15132005215).jpg]][[File:Doug Walker and Mike Mozart (15132005215).jpg]][[File:Doug Walker and Mike Mozart (15132005215).jpg]][[File:Doug Walker and Mike Mozart (15132005215).jpg]][[File:Doug Walker and Mike Mozart (15132005215).jpg]][[File:Doug Walker and Mike Mozart (15132005215).jpg]][[File:Doug Walker and Mike Mozart (15132005215).jpg]][[File:Doug Walker and Mike Mozart (15132005215).jpg]][[File:Doug Walker and Mike Mozart (15132005215).jpg]][[File:Doug Walker and Mike Mozart (15132005215).jpg]][[File:Doug Walker and Mike Mozart (15132005215).jpg]][[File:Doug Walker and Mike Mozart (15132005215).jpg]][[File:Doug Walker and Mike Mozart (15132005215).jpg]][[File:Doug Walker and Mike Mozart (15132005215).jpg]][[File:Doug Walker and Mike Mozart (15132005215).jpg]][[File:Doug Walker and Mike Mozart (15132005215).jpg]][[File:Doug Walker and Mike Mozart (15132005215).jpg]][[File:Doug Walker and Mike Mozart (15132005215).jpg]][[File:Doug Walker and Mike Mozart (15132005215).jpg]][[File:Doug Walker and Mike Mozart (15132005215).jpg]][[File:Doug Walker and Mike Mozart (15132005215).jpg]][[File:Doug Walker and Mike Mozart (15132005215).jpg]][[File:Doug Walker and Mike Mozart (15132005215).jpg]][[File:Doug Walker and Mike Mozart (15132005215).jpg]][[File:Doug Walker and Mike Mozart (15132005215).jpg]][[File:Doug Walker and Mike Mozart (15132005215).jpg]][[File:Doug Walker and Mike Mozart (15132005215).jpg]][[File:Doug Walker and Mike Mozart (15132005215).jpg]][[File:Doug Walker and Mike Mozart (15132005215).jpg]][[File:Doug Walker and Mike Mozart (15132005215).jpg]][[File:Doug Walker and Mike Mozart (15132005215).jpg]][[File:Doug Walker and Mike Mozart (15132005215).jpg]][[File:Doug Walker and Mike Mozart (15132005215).jpg]][[File:Doug Walker and Mike Mozart (15132005215).jpg]][[File:Doug Walker and Mike Mozart (15132005215).jpg]][[File:Doug Walker and Mike Mozart (15132005215).jpg]][[File:Doug Walker and Mike Mozart (15132005215).jpg]][[File:Doug Walker and Mike Mozart (15132005215).jpg]][[File:Doug Walker and Mike Mozart (15132005215).jpg]][[File:Doug Walker and Mike Mozart (15132005215).jpg]][[File:Doug Walker and Mike Mozart (15132005215).jpg]][[File:Doug Walker and Mike Mozart (15132005215).jpg]][[File:Doug Walker and Mike Mozart (15132005215).jpg]][[File:Doug Walker and Mike Mozart (15132005215).jpg]][[File:Doug Walker and Mike Mozart (15132005215).jpg]][[File:Doug Walker and Mike Mozart (15132005215).jpg]][[File:Doug Walker and Mike Mozart (15132005215).jpg]][[File:Doug Walker and Mike Mozart (15132005215).jpg]][[File:Doug Walker and Mike Mozart (15132005215).jpg]][[File:Doug Walker and Mike Mozart (15132005215).jpg]][[File:Doug Walker and Mike Mozart (15132005215).jpg]][[File:Doug Walker and Mike Mozart (15132005215).jpg]][[File:Doug Walker and Mike Mozart (15132005215).jpg]][[File:Doug Walker and Mike Mozart (15132005215).jpg]][[File:Doug Walker and Mike Mozart (15132005215).jpg]][[File:Doug Walker and Mike Mozart (15132005215).jpg]][[File:Doug Walker and Mike Mozart (15132005215).jpg]][[File:Doug Walker and Mike Mozart (15132005215).jpg]][[File:Doug Walker and Mike Mozart (15132005215).jpg]][[File:Doug Walker and Mike Mozart (15132005215).jpg]][[File:Doug Walker and Mike Mozart (15132005215).jpg]][[File:Doug Walker and Mike Mozart (15132005215).jpg]][[File:Doug Walker and Mike Mozart (15132005215).jpg]][[File:Doug Walker and Mike Mozart (15132005215).jpg]][[File:Doug Walker and Mike Mozart (15132005215).jpg]][[File:Doug Walker and Mike Mozart (15132005215).jpg]][[File:Doug Walker and Mike Mozart (15132005215).jpg]][[File:Doug Walker and Mike Mozart (15132005215).jpg]][[File:Doug Walker and Mike Mozart (15132005215).jpg]][[File:Doug Walker and Mike Mozart (15132005215).jpg]][[File:Doug Walker and Mike Mozart (15132005215).jpg]][[File:Doug Walker and Mike Mozart (15132005215).jpg]][[File:Doug Walker and Mike Mozart (15132005215).jpg]][[File:Doug Walker and Mike Mozart (15132005215).jpg]][[File:Doug Walker and Mike Mozart (15132005215).jpg]][[File:Doug Walker and Mike Mozart (15132005215).jpg]][[File:Doug Walker and Mike Mozart (15132005215).jpg]][[File:Doug Walker and Mike Mozart (15132005215).jpg]][[File:Doug Walker and Mike Mozart (15132005215).jpg]][[File:Doug Walker and Mike Mozart (15132005215).jpg]][[File:Doug Walker and Mike Mozart (15132005215).jpg]][[File:Doug Walker and Mike Mozart (15132005215).jpg]][[File:Doug Walker and Mike Mozart (15132005215).jpg]][[File:Doug Walker and Mike Mozart (15132005215).jpg]][[File:Doug Walker and Mike Mozart (15132005215).jpg]][[File:Doug Walker and Mike Mozart (15132005215).jpg]][[File:Doug Walker and Mike Mozart (15132005215).jpg]][[File:Doug Walker and Mike Mozart (15132005215).jpg]][[File:Doug Walker and Mike Mozart (15132005215).jpg]][[File:Doug Walker and Mike Mozart (15132005215).jpg]][[File:Doug Walker and Mike Mozart (15132005215).jpg]][[File:Doug Walker and Mike Mozart (15132005215).jpg]][[File:Doug Walker and Mike Mozart (15132005215).jpg]][[File:Doug Walker and Mike Mozart (15132005215).jpg]][[File:Doug Walker and Mike Mozart (15132005215).jpg]][[File:Doug Walker and Mike Mozart (15132005215).jpg]][[File:Doug Walker and Mike Mozart (15132005215).jpg]][[File:Doug Walker and Mike Mozart (15132005215).jpg]][[File:Doug Walker and Mike Mozart (15132005215).jpg]][[File:Doug Walker and Mike Mozart (15132005215).jpg]][[File:Doug Walker and Mike Mozart (15132005215).jpg]][[File:Doug Walker and Mike Mozart (15132005215).jpg]][[File:Doug Walker and Mike Mozart (15132005215).jpg]][[File:Doug Walker and Mike Mozart (15132005215).jpg]][[File:Doug Walker and Mike Mozart (15132005215).jpg]][[File:Doug Walker and Mike Mozart (15132005215).jpg]][[File:Doug Walker and Mike Mozart (15132005215).jpg]][[File:Doug Walker and Mike Mozart (15132005215).jpg]][[File:Doug Walker and Mike Mozart (15132005215).jpg]][[File:Doug Walker and Mike Mozart (15132005215).jpg]][[File:Doug Walker and Mike Mozart (15132005215).jpg]][[File:Doug Walker and Mike Mozart (15132005215).jpg]][[File:Doug Walker and Mike Mozart (15132005215).jpg]][[File:Doug Walker and Mike Mozart (15132005215).jpg]][[File:Doug Walker and Mike Mozart (15132005215).jpg]][[File:Doug Walker and Mike Mozart (15132005215).jpg]][[File:Doug Walker and Mike Mozart (15132005215).jpg]][[File:Doug Walker and Mike Mozart (15132005215).jpg]][[File:Doug Walker and Mike Mozart (15132005215).jpg]][[File:Doug Walker and Mike Mozart (15132005215).jpg]][[File:Doug Walker and Mike Mozart (15132005215).jpg]][[File:Doug Walker and Mike Mozart (15132005215).jpg]][[File:Doug Walker and Mike Mozart (15132005215).jpg]][[File:Doug Walker and Mike Mozart (15132005215).jpg]][[File:Doug Walker and Mike Mozart (15132005215).jpg]][[File:Doug Walker and Mike Mozart (15132005215).jpg]][[File:Doug Walker and Mike Mozart (15132005215).jpg]][[File:Doug Walker and Mike Mozart (15132005215).jpg]][[File:Doug Walker and Mike Mozart (15132005215).jpg]][[File:Doug Walker and Mike Mozart (15132005215).jpg]][[File:Doug Walker and Mike Mozart 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(15132005215).jpg]][[File:Doug Walker and Mike Mozart (15132005215).jpg]][[File:Doug Walker and Mike Mozart (15132005215).jpg]][[File:Doug Walker and Mike Mozart (15132005215).jpg]][[File:Doug Walker and Mike Mozart (15132005215).jpg]][[File:Doug Walker and Mike Mozart (15132005215).jpg]][[File:Doug Walker and Mike Mozart (15132005215).jpg]][[File:Doug Walker and Mike Mozart (15132005215).jpg]][[File:Doug Walker and Mike Mozart (15132005215).jpg]][[File:Doug Walker and Mike Mozart (15132005215).jpg]][[File:Doug Walker and Mike Mozart (15132005215).jpg]][[File:Doug Walker and Mike Mozart (15132005215).jpg]][[File:Doug Walker and Mike Mozart (15132005215).jpg]][[File:Doug Walker and Mike Mozart (15132005215).jpg]][[File:Doug Walker and Mike Mozart (15132005215).jpg]][[File:Doug Walker and Mike Mozart (15132005215).jpg]][[File:Doug Walker and Mike Mozart (15132005215).jpg]][[File:Doug Walker and Mike Mozart (15132005215).jpg]][[File:Doug Walker and Mike Mozart (15132005215).jpg]] comic
|-
! Word !! Regular ___ !! Electron ___ !! Radio ___
|-
| Microscope || A laboratory instrument used for magnifying small objects. || ''Really exists:'' A microscope that uses a beam of accelerated electrons as a source of illumination, has a higher resolution than a conventional microscope. || Simply a microscope that one would use when repairing a radio.
|-
| Telescope || An optical instrument used for observing distant objects. || ''{{w|Calorimetric Electron Telescope|''Really exists''}}'': A type of telescope used to detect electrons and other high-energy particles, such as cosmic rays. || ''Really exists:'' A directional antenna used to detect radio waves from astronomical radio sources in the sky.
|-
| Periscope || Periscopes allow submarine crews to watch what happens above the water surface, without exposing the submarine to enemy observers, or enemy radars. In practice, periscope use is minimized because periscopes are still observable, but to a lesser degree. || An electron microscope seemingly mounted on a periscope. Examining enemy boats like a periscope, with the detail of an electron microsope. This would not be useful in combat. || In principle, the German navy has invented radio periscopes during World War 2. The {{w|Metox radar detector}}'s early antenna had to be built up after surfacing, and dismantled before diving. Later, the fixed ''Bali'' antenna could act like a true periscope, in order to detect aircraft and ships that were using radar to hunt submarines.

Radio signals do not propagate well in salt water, so raising a radio receiver above the water would be necessary for listening to NPR or any radio station which is not in the {{w|extremely low frequency}} band. Military submarines carry an extendable, buoyant antenna to communicate with naval headquarters on shorter frequencies, but for obvious reasons, that antenna is rarely used.
|-
| Stethoscope
|| A medical device for listening to sounds made by a patient's body, for example the heart. Has a disc-shaped resonator that is placed against the patient's skin.
|| If the resonator is emitting electromagnetic radiation, it could burn the skin due to its close proximity.
|| Normally, the sounds are transmitted to an earpiece that the examiner wears. There are also recording stethoscopes. A radio stethoscope would transmit the sound either directly via radio waves, or send it to a radio station such as NPR where it could then be broadcasted.
|-
| Kaleidoscope || A optical instrument which uses two or more tilted reflectors to show a regular symmetrical pattern || Seemingly a pun of electron "collide"-oscope, as electron collisions generate {{w|Bremsstrahlung}}. || The scan button on a radio scans through many frequencies, and the radio station changes a lot, depending on the frequency. The rapid change is reminiscent of a normal Kaleidoscope.
|-
| Gyroscope || Gyroscopes are used for {{w|inertial navigation}}, for example. || Gyroscopes make stuff point in certain directions by spinning. An {{w|Electromagnet}} uses sometimes-spinning electric fields to induce a magnetic field, moving magnetic stuff and, in some instances, making it point in a certain direction. || A music turntable spins a vinyl record to stimulate an electromagnetic needle, which plays music. Such devices are common in radio stations.

In theory, radio waves could be sent around in a triangular pattern, thus replicating the existing {{w|ring laser gyroscope}}.
|-
| Horoscope
|| In common usage, predictions or advice given based on the position of stars and planets. Proven to be unscientific junk.
|| Predicting the position of a particle, such as an electron (possibly based on the position of stars and planets). In a funny twist, the exact location of an electron cannot be determined, due to Heisenberg's uncertainty principle.
|| Predictions or advice given based on the radiation emitted by exploding stars or galaxies.
|}

==Transcript==
{{incomplete transcript|Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}
Content is a table, with column headings "Regular ''Blank'' Scope", "Electron ''Blank'' Scope", and "Radio ''Blank'' Scope". Row headings are "Micro", "Tele", "Peri", "Stetho", "Kaleido", "Gyro", and "Horo".

;Regular Microscope
:Look at small stuff
;Electron Microscope
:Look at ''really'' small stuff
;Radio Microscope
:Figure out why your radio broke
;Regular Telescope
:Look at stuff that's far away
;Electron Telescope
:Detect cosmic rays
;Radio Telescope
:Look at distant high-energy stuff
;Regular Periscope
:Look for enemy ships
;Electron Periscope
:Examine the hull of an enemy ship for structural flaws
;Radio Periscope
:Let the crew of your submarine listen to NPR
;Regular Stethoscope
:Listen to a patient's chest
;Electron Stethoscope
:Burn a patient's skin
;Radio Stethoscope
:Play the noises from a patient's chest on NPR
;Regular Kaleidoscope
:See cool shapes and colors
;Electron Kaleidoscope
:See cool Bremsstrahlung
;Radio Kaleidoscope
:Another word for the "Scan" button
;Regular Gyroscope
:Balance by spinning
;Electron Gyroscope
:Another word for electromagnet
;Radio Gyroscope
:Another word for turntable
;Regular Horoscope
:Get random life advice
;Electron Horoscope
:Predict a particle's quantum state
;Radio Horoscope
:Get random life advice from exploding galaxies

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Charts]]
[[Category:Food]]
[[Category:Science]]
[[Category:Space]]

Talk:2626: d65536

2022-05-31T19:38:33Z

172.70.126.87: what do I write here

I wonder: can we even make a fair polyhedron with 65536 faces? In Randal's illustration, the faces seem to be irregular hexagons. [[Special:Contributions/172.70.130.105|172.70.130.105]] 21:37, 30 May 2022 (UTC)
: This is better than my question, which was simply if you could tile a sphere with these. [[Special:Contributions/172.70.211.36|172.70.211.36]] 23:01, 30 May 2022 (UTC)
:Definitely possible, just create two identical right pyramids with a 32768-gon base and glue the bases together. [[User:Clam|Clam]] ([[User talk:Clam|talk]]) 23:53, 30 May 2022 (UTC)
: Would this design be fair? Consider a set of 256 lines of latitude overlapping another set, with the second set's polar axis at the equator of the first. Cut flat quadrangles between the intersection points of the lines of latitude. Doesn't use hexagons like the comic does though. [[Special:Contributions/172.70.110.121|172.70.110.121]] 09:41, 31 May 2022 (UTC)
:: Fairness is a given for pyramids (if that's what you're asking). As long as there's enough 'rolling energy' to get either of the pyramids 'facing up', any N-agon base to the pyramids should have enough indeterminate impetous to then finally roll around a bit to end up with any of those exposed faces on top.
::(Interesting to note that for odd-numbered N-agonal bases, like that in a D10, you need to offset the bases and instead of sticking to the triangular faces base-to-base you now have kite-shapes that interlock in a serration that is no longer strictly planar along the axis's perpendiculars.)
::That might need a selection of the pyramidal slope. A very wide pair of bases with very little tip-'elevation' (to fit tightly within an oblate spheroid) should transition very well between same-pyramid faces, like a bulgy button, but one with highly acute tip-angle (prolate, likewise) might find the dominant behaviour to be tip-to-tip tipping, more like a toggle-fastener. OTOH, for odd-numbered end-agons it would probably ratchett to subsequent sides as it tips back and forth so long as it has enough energy to it.
::If you're asking about lines of latitude intersecting, consider that near the poles of either latitudinal reference the division of the other reference-system is going to be spliced more irregularly and thus give varying degrees of stability to rest upon.
::(Also, do you have a latitudinal line that crosses ''both'' pairs of poles, or are you deliberately moving them by half a phase (1/512th of the relevent circumference) so that you at least don't have them entirely coincident.)
::I believe the suggested scheme would be to take a dodecahedron or icosohedron (either of the two duals can be used to start with) and then subdivide each face in such a manner that equally-sized (but differently distorted) hexagons – and 12 little regular pentagons of identical area fitting in at the old dodecahedron centre/the old icosahedron vertex – emerge from the required segmentation/vertex-truncation and readjustment the radiality of all new mid-edge vertices (or maybe the newer-edges' centres or the newer-faces' centres) to touch the unit sphere. If done symmetrically, it should be entirely fair.
::The face-count might be troublesome, though. The twelve necessary pentagonal faces leaves 65524 hexagons, to split evenly between* either 12 or 20 zones, and it should be obvious that neither is possible**, in whole numbers, given the starting point of 2n faces...
:::(* - you can, and probably will in this design, have some that cross between two of the top-level polygons, but you can fully 'donate' as many as you then fully ''get'' donated from the next face around, so it might as well be just counted as a group of whole tiles on an a set of Escher-like interlocking 'rough' polygons.)
:::(** - If you're using 12 zones, that's 3x4x(however many in the zone + one corner each) and there's no factor of 3 in ''any'' value that is 2n. Arranging into 20 symmetrical zones (5x4), you will find that 65524 isn't divisible by 5, either...)
::You could probably arrange an N-ahedron with the number of faces being 12+(12a) or 12+(20b), for some higher value (a bit of mental arithmatic suggests 65592 might be that value) and mark all the 'excess' faces (56?) with "Roll Again!". Or perhaps some pithy motivational slogans that also convey roughly the same meaning... :P [[Special:Contributions/172.70.162.5|172.70.162.5]] 11:32, 31 May 2022 (UTC)
::Postcript: Ok, so this is my idea for face-placing. Take a D8 (octahedron) and divide each of its 8 originally triangular faces into 8192 smaller faces (alternatively, start with a cube and progressively truncate its corners towards the same end). This is not a divisible by three number (neither can you put one in the centre, the rest are divisble by three and can surround it symmetrically), but you don't need strict rotational symmetry in any way. The opposing side can reflect/copy the non-symmetry as required to create any useful symmetry across the whole of the structure (and make floored-base/upmost-face pairings, amongst other things).
::As long as you make the faces equally likely to land on ''and stay on'' (could be hyperstellated as a slightly flat irregular 8192agon-based right-pyramid with the pyramid-faces of adjacent sides matching or meshing edges with those of each other, or a complicated mostly-hexagonal mesh, or a triangular one that's a limited fragment of a fine geodesic-like bulged pattern) by some suitable scheme governing area, aspect ratio and inter-face angle of incidence (probably normalising features to touch the unit sphere, for a start) then it should do it fairly and with ''exactly'' 65536 faces. I leave the fine-tweaking up to someone else. [[Special:Contributions/172.70.162.5|172.70.162.5]] 12:59, 31 May 2022 (UTC)

I don't know why it's so big? Seems like it should have a diameter of approx. 1 meter. [[Special:Contributions/172.70.130.105|172.70.130.105]] 21:37, 30 May 2022 (UTC)
: Cueball is 50 pixels high. The ball is 340 px high. Assuming Cueball is an average-height male (1.7m), and is standing the same distance from the viewer as the center of the ball, roughly how large is each face of the polygon? Area of a sphere is 4.pi.r.r, r=0.85, so 9.08 m^2 or 9080000 mm^2, divide by number of faces, get 277 mm^2, so we get 1.6cm to a side. If I did that right, then you're right: those are fairly large faces. --[[Special:Contributions/172.69.70.39|172.69.70.39]] 05:58, 31 May 2022 (UTC)
:I ran the calculations for the Trivia section. I used 12pt font which gave each number an area of 1/6 square inch (about 1 square cm) [[Special:Contributions/162.158.106.237|162.158.106.237]] 06:57, 31 May 2022 (UTC)

Should the title and picture file use "d" or the comic's difficult to type "ᴅ"?
[[User:While False|While False]] ([[User talk:While False|talk]]) 21:55, 30 May 2022 (UTC)
:Since xkcd uses small caps as lowercase letters, the "ᴅ" should just be considered xkcd-font for "d", and as such need not be used on the title, which is not using the xkcd font.
:: Ah! [[User:While False|While False]] ([[User talk:While False|talk]]) 06:15, 31 May 2022 (UTC)

If you really did want to generate a 16 bit integer with physical dice, it would be much simpler to roll a [https://www.thediceshoponline.com/impact-opaque-hexidice-d16-hexadecimal-dice hex die] four times. [[User:Clayot|Clayot]] ([[User talk:Clayot|talk]]) 23:30, 30 May 2022 (UTC)
:Rolling a binary die 16 times would also work. You can get binary dice for 1¢ each. [[Special:Contributions/108.162.245.69|108.162.245.69]] 01:31, 31 May 2022 (UTC)
::The lowest-value coin of all is the Tiyin from Uzbekistan. Some 3,038 equate to one UK penny (and 2,000 tot up to one US cent) from https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-21572359. [[User:Arachrah|Arachrah]] ([[User talk:Arachrah|talk]]) 15:13, 31 May 2022 (UTC)
::Those 1¢ "dices" are not exactly guaranteed to be random. -- [[User:Hkmaly|Hkmaly]] ([[User talk:Hkmaly|talk]]) 06:12, 31 May 2022 (UTC)
:::They seem as random as other dice? Am I wrong? [[Special:Contributions/172.70.230.63|172.70.230.63]] 09:33, 31 May 2022 (UTC)
:::: You can reduce bias by taking two not quite fair coins. Flip them together. If both heads, or both tails, then record a 0. If different, record a 1. [[User:Arachrah|Arachrah]] ([[User talk:Arachrah|talk]]) 15:13, 31 May 2022 (UTC)

I think the hardest part (or maybe second-hardest part) is figuring out which facet is the one on top. [[Special:Contributions/162.158.78.109|162.158.78.109]] 00:46, 31 May 2022 (UTC)
:Roll it on a glass table, check from below which face it's landed on instead. Wait until it has settled safely, though, or it might land on ''your'' face! [[Special:Contributions/172.70.90.227|172.70.90.227]] 04:58, 31 May 2022 (UTC)
:: Good plan. Assuming standard dice design, subtract the value from 65537 to get the value of the uppermost face. --[[Special:Contributions/172.69.70.39|172.69.70.39]] 05:58, 31 May 2022 (UTC)

What material should it be to be light enough to easily roll it but cheap enough that doing the 1,5 meters doest cost a fortune ? Sorry if the question is not clear. [[Special:Contributions/141.101.69.30|141.101.69.30]] 05:50, 31 May 2022 (UTC)
:I recommend making it hollow. You could probably do something like this for $3000 if you made it out of 1/8th inch acrylic plate. [[Special:Contributions/162.158.106.237|162.158.106.237]] 07:02, 31 May 2022 (UTC)
:At first I thought aluminum for sturdiness, but really you could make this out of cardboard for dirt cheap, lasercutting precise shapes, but you'd have to design its structural frame to keep it intact, exchanges design effort for price. [[Special:Contributions/172.70.230.63|172.70.230.63]] 09:32, 31 May 2022 (UTC)

I disagree with this dice being really random. Like, sure, if thrown correctly, but that's going to be quite hard. -- [[User:Hkmaly|Hkmaly]] ([[User talk:Hkmaly|talk]]) 06:12, 31 May 2022 (UTC)

:True. For a rolled die to be random, it needs to roll far enough so that the initial orientation no longer governs the outcome. Say, ten times the circumference, or about 150 meters? -- [[User:Dtgriscom|Dtgriscom]] ([[User talk:Dtgriscom|talk]]) 10:28, 31 May 2022 (UTC)
::Interesting to consider the 'necessary minimum'. Simplify to a "wheel of fortune" (just one axis of continual rotation) it would depend upon the potential variation of imparted rotation. If (say) 'aiming' at two whole rotations has a (perhaps 'normal') spread of variance that relates to ±½ rotational uncertainty at the 1st and 3rd quartile of probability then the sub-first and above-third 'tails' might wrap around to (roughly) equalise the chances that 2±(whatever fraction) spins lands just about anywhere just about equally. Aiming at four whole rotations (similary ±1 spin at the given quartiles, and the tailing chancs 'filling in' above 5 rotations and below 3) would smooth things out, all else equal, but takes twice as much perceived/attempted effort for not much more 'randomising'.
::Similarly, requiring 10 full rolls (maybe honestly aiming for 10, but allowing it to be 7.5 or less if not obviously 'just nudged') seems overkill, in the single dimension.
::Except, of course that you also need enough distance (on top of whatever factor you consider practical as a variation-wrapping value, which might not be the ½-in-2 I give) to also roll ''sideways''. If for some reason you really don't want to roll 65536 or 1 (or is it 65535 and 0?), which may be on polar-opposite faces, you might make sure that they are directly to the left and right before you propel the die forwards ''a little'', not caring which distribution of numbers is on/near the rolling-equator (2 is acceptible to you, and 65533, etc; other very low/high values conceivably placed on that thin band of "wheel-like chance" but you're just avoiding the very largest and smallest, or specifically just the one of them) but knowing that it's more unlikely to easily present the exact face(s) you dislike than it might be in a truly 'fair' roll.
::Perhaps the best thing is to have a rolling track to send the thing down that puts it the required "two or so rotations" forward to then either hit a wall or climb slightly up a slope (at a roughly 45 degree angle) that then sends it back roughly sideways to the original vector for a similar distance with a perpendicular or even composite moment of rolling rotation, to bring 'initially axial' numbers fully into play... And that dog-leg would require a sligthly shorter length from launch-position to where the thoroughly mixed-up final stopping point should be, whilst significantly foiling the master-manipulators who actually try to arrange an initial setup that favours better final results (rather than just nudge it, uncaring, for a result not as totally random but certainly not more predominently of desired-for ranges than otherwise). [[Special:Contributions/141.101.99.8|141.101.99.8]] 12:28, 31 May 2022 (UTC)
::At what point does the structural material the die is composed of, combined with its mass, create a smoothing effect that will destroy the fairness of the die. I mean a small plastic die is no problem. A 2-ton acrylic die would start grinding off the edges of some faces with every roll, would it not? [[Special:Contributions/172.69.69.122|172.69.69.122]] 13:35, 31 May 2022 (UTC)

Should it be related to https://xkcd.com/221/ ? [[Special:Contributions/162.158.183.246|162.158.183.246]] 08:07, 31 May 2022 (UTC)

I'm going to wait, I think - I don't think there's room in my attic for this as well as all the Betamax kit, my drawers full of MiniDiscs and my Zune collection. No, I'll sit tight - I'm hearing encouraging things about the introduction of the Magic 65536-Ball... [[User:Yorkshire Pudding|Yorkshire Pudding]] ([[User talk:Yorkshire Pudding|talk]]) 09:41, 31 May 2022 (UTC)
:The number of sides on the die inside the ball is not what determines the name of the ball. It's the exterior housing which is colored in the manner of an Eight Ball. The classic design uses a d20, and is still called an Eight Ball, not a Twenty Ball. [[Special:Contributions/172.70.130.195|172.70.130.195]] 18:00, 31 May 2022 (UTC)

I'm suprised the hidden message points to 2624. I would've thought it would point to 2626 to refer to itself. Maybe things didn't get published as intended? Or maybe Randall really just wanted to point people to the Voyager comic? [[User:Linux2647|Linux2647]] ([[User talk:Linux2647|talk]]) 18:13, 31 May 2022 (UTC)
:I'm no ASCII expert, but from the description provided I'm pretty sure the comic URL would require the number representing "26" to show up twice. A die with, say, two 13,359 faces would obviously not be fair. If only Randall had published this as #2625 or #2627! (Or maybe he ''planned'' to publish it last week and had to shuffle his schedule after finalizing this comic?) [[User:GreatWyrmGold|GreatWyrmGold]] ([[User talk:GreatWyrmGold|talk]]) 18:24, 31 May 2022 (UTC)
::Probably the latter, seeing as it doesn't actually line up so that any of them are actually "26". The numbers are xk-cd-.c-om-/2-62-4/, so the 26 and 24 aren't lined up like that. [[Special:Contributions/172.70.126.87|172.70.126.87]] 19:38, 31 May 2022 (UTC)

Talk:2624: Voyager Wires

2022-05-25T17:18:50Z

172.70.126.87: Fun tidbit

This is fun - assuming a pair of 14ga wires were run the 14.5 billion mile distance from Earth to Voyager 1, the mass of copper would be on the order of 1012 kg, or ~5 times the mass of copper ever mined out of the earth. [[Special:Contributions/172.70.126.87|172.70.126.87]] 17:18, 25 May 2022 (UTC)

2623: Goofs

2022-05-23T18:29:08Z

172.70.126.87: /* Explanation */

{{comic
| number = 2623
| date = May 23, 2022
| title = Goofs
| image = goofs.png
| titletext = The film is set in 2018, but when Commander Bremberly chases the hologram through Times Square, there's a billboard for Avengers: Age of Ultron. Depending on the date, that billboard would have been advertising either Infinity War or this movie.
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Created by a WILLING SUSPENSION OF DISBELIEF- Please change this comment when editing this page. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}
IMDb is the {{w|Internet Movie Database}}, a web site that contains detailed information about movies and TV shows. One of the sections in many entries is "Goofs". This may list bloopers, inconsistencies, implausible actions, anachronisms, etc. in the movie. The comic makes fun of this with several goofs that simply point out differences between something in the movie and reality; but since the movie is fiction (in this case, a science fiction film which includes a space detective, a cybernetic dog, blimp drones, and a hologram kissing scene), it's not expected to exactly mirror reality.

In the first goof, the street doesn't actually exist in the city in which the movie is set. Unless the address is important to the plot (Manhattan has a number of streets with well known character, e.g. the main theatre district is on Broadway, Fifth Avenue is a major shopping district, Wall Street is known for large financial institutions), screenwriters often just make up street names.

In the second example, they point out that there's no real harpoon store at the location where the characters buy a harpoon in the movie, and the nearest actual harpoon store doesn't have a display window like the one in the movie. Movies usually take liberties with details like this for plot expediency, it's not considered a goof. The text's reference to the "nearest harpoon store" may also be a mistake in itself; when I try googling "Manhattan harpoon stores", all I get are links related to {{w|Harpoon Brewery}} -- breweries and taprooms that serve this beer.

In the third example, the background of a scene is actually a view of Downtown Vancouver. For financial reasons, many movies are not filmed in the same location where they're set, and Vancouver frequently stands in for many cities.

===Goofs===
There is no entry for a film featuring an agent Glennifer on IMDB. Randall is clearly failing to do basic research.

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

:[An excerpt from an Internet Movie Database web page showing a list of goofs from a film. Each item has some small illegible text below it, which on the real IMDb would say something like "7 of 72 found this interesting | Share this". The first and third items have a faint yellow tinted background. The third item is only partially visible at the bottom of the "screen".]
:[Heading:]
:'''Goofs (78)'''
:[List:]
:The space detective's office is on Chestnut Ave, but Lower Manhattan has no street by that name. Agent Glennifer pursues the cybernetic dog onto what is clearly Ludlow Street.
:The agents destroy the blimp drones in Union Square with harpoons from a store display rack. The nearest harpoon store is several blocks away and has no outdoor displays.
:The apartment in the background of the hologram kissing scene actually exists in downtown Vancouver. We called the owners, who confirmed they had no residents named [...]

:[Caption below panel:]
:Sometimes the IMDB "Goofs" section really seems to struggle with the whole premise of fiction.

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Comics with color]]

2623: Goofs

2022-05-23T18:28:55Z

172.70.126.87: /* Explanation */

{{comic
| number = 2623
| date = May 23, 2022
| title = Goofs
| image = goofs.png
| titletext = The film is set in 2018, but when Commander Bremberly chases the hologram through Times Square, there's a billboard for Avengers: Age of Ultron. Depending on the date, that billboard would have been advertising either Infinity War or this movie.
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Created by a WILLING SUSPENSION OF DISBELIEF- Please change this comment when editing this page. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}
IMDb is the {{w|Internet Movie Database}}, a web site that contains detailed information about movies and TV shows. One of the sections in many entries is "Goofs". This may list bloopers, inconsistencies, implausible actions, anachronisms, etc. in the movie. The comic makes fun of this with several goofs that simply point out differences between something in the movie and reality; but since the movie is fiction (in this case, a science fiction film which includes a space detective, a cybernetic dog, blimp drones, and a hologram kissing scene), it's not expected to exactly mirror reality.

In the first goof, the street doesn't actually exist in the city in which the movie is set. Unless the address is important to the plot (Manhattan has a number of streets with well known character, e.g. the main theatre district is on Broadway, Fifth Avenue is a major shopping district, Wall Street is known for large financial institutions), screenwriters often just make up street names.

In the second example, they point out that there's no real harpoon store at the location where the characters buy a harpoon in the movie, and the nearest actual harpoon store doesn't have a display window like the one in the movie. Movies usually take liberties with details like this for plot expediency, it's not considered a goof. The text's reference to the "nearest harpoon store" may also be a mistake in itself; when I try googling "Manhattan harpoon stores", all I get are links related to {{w|Harpoon]Brewery}} -- breweries and taprooms that serve this beer.

In the third example, the background of a scene is actually a view of Downtown Vancouver. For financial reasons, many movies are not filmed in the same location where they're set, and Vancouver frequently stands in for many cities.

===Goofs===
There is no entry for a film featuring an agent Glennifer on IMDB. Randall is clearly failing to do basic research.

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

:[An excerpt from an Internet Movie Database web page showing a list of goofs from a film. Each item has some small illegible text below it, which on the real IMDb would say something like "7 of 72 found this interesting | Share this". The first and third items have a faint yellow tinted background. The third item is only partially visible at the bottom of the "screen".]
:[Heading:]
:'''Goofs (78)'''
:[List:]
:The space detective's office is on Chestnut Ave, but Lower Manhattan has no street by that name. Agent Glennifer pursues the cybernetic dog onto what is clearly Ludlow Street.
:The agents destroy the blimp drones in Union Square with harpoons from a store display rack. The nearest harpoon store is several blocks away and has no outdoor displays.
:The apartment in the background of the hologram kissing scene actually exists in downtown Vancouver. We called the owners, who confirmed they had no residents named [...]

:[Caption below panel:]
:Sometimes the IMDB "Goofs" section really seems to struggle with the whole premise of fiction.

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Comics with color]]

2597: Salary Negotiation

2022-05-21T01:16:06Z

172.70.126.87: Undo revision 271494 by Explain xkcd server admin (talk)

{{comic
| number = 2597
| date = March 23, 2022
| title = Salary Negotiation
| image = salary_negotiation.png
| titletext = "We can do 0.33 or 0.34, but our payroll software doesn't allow us to--" "NO DEAL."
}}

==Explanation==
[[Ponytail]]'s company would like to hire [[Cueball]] for a job, and she is telling him that their offer for his starting salary is $55,000.

When offered a new job, it is common to negotiate on aspects of the offer such as salary, and employers may offer below the market rate initially in the expectation that the final negotiated amount will be higher. Given that the bedrock of one's future income depends on the outcome of a one-time process requiring skills unrelated to the job one is hired for, it is advisable to take one's time and do as much research as possible.

Cueball has clearly done some research, but perhaps too much as he is flummoxed by this high-stakes situation and starts to ramble with decreasing coherence. First he gets completely confused about the numbers. He says he won't have a penny over $50,000, thus cutting $5000 of the initial offer, and saying he will not have more than that. He realizes this was completely wrong, and corrects to "under", but is still 5000 lower. He then fumbles his words, asking for $60, then $600, then adding "thousand" for $600,000.

Realizing that he is completely off, he asks for a "15% cut of the salary". Here, Cueball seems to confuse salary and commission. "X% cut of the salary" seems like what a recruiter/headhunter may get from their employer as a commission if they successfully make their person hired.

The next word he says is "Raise". This could make sense if he already had a job, and wished to negotiate for a pay raise. After this, he begins to think of raise as in a card game and starts rambling off mainly poker related terms, like "raise", "fold" and "pass". He throws in "double down" in between. This can also be a card game term, as in {{w|blackjack}} where double down means to double a bet after seeing one's initial cards, with the requirement that one additional card be drawn. Lastly, he randomly mentions "fill it up with regular", which could be a request to a gas station attendant to fill a vehicle with "regular" (compared to higher octane) gasoline.

Ponytail tries to ask him something, but Cueball interrupts her, saying he is sorry and that he would like to start over. At this time he takes out several sheets of paper and looks at some charts. He asks if he can borrow a calculator and then asks what's 20% of $55,000. (This would be $11,000.) He eventually settles on a number, $61,333.3 He even states that the decimals of 3 should be repeating, as in forever. This is {{w|0.999...#Algebraic_arguments|exactly}} $61,333⅓. He clearly states he will not take the job for less than that. A [https://hbr.org/2016/03/dont-use-round-numbers-in-a-negotiation 2016 Harvard Business School study] found that avoiding round numbers is a remarkably effective negotiation tactic.

Since this is not that much more than the starting offer Ponytail is ready to accept this and says "Sure, $61,333 is fine." But Cueball interrupts her because what she just offered him was 33⅓ cents less than he asked for.

In the title text it shows that this is not good enough. Cueball has now confused himself to the point he will only accept ''exactly'' what he asked for, the bizarre amount $61,333⅓. Ponytail tries to explain to him that the point 3 repeating cannot be paid in whole cents, and tries to let him know that their payroll software only can handle whole cents, and he thus can get either 0.33 or 0.34 (the latter actually being more than he asks for). Alas, Cueball, either out of panic or a love of mathematics, shouts "No deal!" and lets the job slip out of his hands, because he has completely misunderstood the concept of negotiation.

For more interview-related xkcd comics, see for instance [[:Category:Job interviews]].

This could also be taken in series with Cueball (possibly as a stand in for Randall) misunderstanding classically "adult" ideas, see for instance [[616: Lease]], [[905: Homeownership]], [[1674: Adult]] and [[1894: Real Estate]].

==Transcript==
:[Ponytail sits in an office chair at her desk, with Cueball sitting in a similar chair on the other side with his hands on his knees. Ponytails has her hands on the desk and in front of her, there is a slim thing standing up. It could be a very small screen, but there seems to be no keyboard in front of her. Maybe it is a small tablet with a support for letting is stand up. Behind that there are what appears to be two piles of papers of different sizes.]
:Ponytail: We'd like to extend an offer! The starting salary is $55,000.
:Cueball: Wow. I guess I'm inside a negotiation!
:Ponytail: I... Weird to phrase it like that, but-
:Cueball: ''I can do this.''

:[Zoom in on Cueball's upper half.]
:Cueball: I won't accept a penny over $50,000. Sorry, I mean under. Under $60. I mean, $600. Thousand. $600,000. I want a 15% cut of the salary. Raise. Double down. Fold. Pass. Fill it up with regular.

:[The same shot, except Cueball is now holding three pieces of paper, and he is looking down on them. Ponytail is talking to him from off-panel.]
:Ponytail (off-panel): Are you-
:Cueball: Sorry, sorry. Let me start over.
:Cueball: OK, my chart says...
:Cueball: ...Can I borrow a calculator? What's 20% of $55,000?

:[Back to the scene from the first panel. Ponytail has taken one hand down to her knee, with the other still on the desk. Cueball has put the papers on his lap and has raised his hand in the air holding one finger up. In his other hand he holds either a borrowed calculator or his own smartphone.]
:Ponytail: Listen, if you need to-
:Cueball: I won't take this job for less than $61,333 point 3 repeating!
:Ponytail: Sure, $61,333 is fine. That's actually-
:Cueball: '''''Point 3 repeating or I walk!'''''

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Job interviews]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Ponytail]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]

2599: Spacecraft Debris Odds Ratio

2022-05-21T01:14:10Z

172.70.126.87: Undo revision 271520 by Explain xkcd server admin (talk)

{{comic
| number = 2599
| date = March 28, 2022
| title = Spacecraft Debris Odds Ratio
| image = spacecraft_debris_odds_ratio.png
| titletext = You say this daily walk will reduce my risk of death from cardiovascular disease by 30%, but also increase my risk of death by bear attack by 300%? That's a 280% increased! I'm not a sucker; I'm staying inside.
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Created by an EVENS RATIO - Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}
This comic is a misunderstanding of statistics very similar to that of [[1252: Increased Risk]]. It explains that going outside for more than 5 hours per day significantly increases your risk of head injury from falling spacecraft, and advises to limit outside activity to avoid this risk.

However, since the odds of being hit in the head by (any part of) a falling spacecraft are [https://www.livescience.com/33511-falling-nasa-satellite-uars-risk.html astronomically low to begin with], quadrupling it or more still results in a negligible probability. The horizontal error bars for times greater than 4 hours are marked with asterisks to indicate they are significantly different from the reference value at 0 hours, as indeed those error bars don't overlap the vertical line for the 0-hours reference value.

{{w|Error bar}}s are graphical representations of the variability of data and used on graphs to indicate the error or uncertainty in a reported measurement.

Presenting the data by hour brackets hides the data distribution inside each bracket. If the data were presented hour by hour, and not by groups of hours, they may show a different threshold of increased risk or no threshold (odds ratio could be linear).

The graph and error bars are based on a {{w|Monte Carlo Method|Monte Carlo simulation}}, a type of computational algorithm that uses repeated random sampling to obtain the likelihood of a range of results of occurring; see, for instance, this article about [https://www.ibm.com/cloud/learn/monte-carlo-simulation Monte Carlo simulations]. Additionally, this may indicate that the entire study was conducted via a Monte Carlo simulation and that no real data was collected adding to the absurdity of the claim that more time spent outside could lead to an increased risk of head injuries due to falling space craft. Indeed, it is so rare for humans to be struck by spacecraft debris that a simulation is probably the only way to study the risk; an absurdly large sample size, involving tens of millions of participants over several decades, would be necessary to obtain significant experimental data.

The specific reference to falling spacecraft is likely inspired by events happening around the time of this comics release (March 2022). Around a month before this was posted, the head of the Russian space agency, {{w|Roscosmos}}, warned that sanctions against Russia (mostly those over the {{w|2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine}}) could result in the {{w|International Space Station}} crashing. Since the Russian section of the space station is the one that provides propulsion (although it is built to rely on the power generated by the other sections), this was taken seriously and as of when this was posted, {{w|NASA}} was trying to come up with alternative stabilization strategies in case the situation worsened. There was also a recent [https://www-uol-com-br.translate.goog/tilt/noticias/redacao/2022/03/17/parte-do-foguete-spacex-e-encontrada-por-morador-do-pr.htm?_x_tr_sl=auto&_x_tr_tl=en&_x_tr_hl=pt-BR&_x_tr_pto=wapp report] of some 600 kg space rocket debris found in Brazil.

The title text makes a similar joke. While the increase in chances of death by a bear attack are greater when going outside than the decrease in chances of death by cardiovascular disease, by getting out to exercise, it is incorrect to combine them in this way, since cardiovascular disease has a much higher starting chance of death, and reducing it by 30% has a much more significant effect on overall life expectancy than quadrupling the very very small chance of death by bear attack. At least for the majority of us who don't live in or near wild bears' natural habitats.

The "280% increase" of the title text is also an error, though perhaps not for reasons that are obvious at first (for instance, the correct calculation is not "300% − 30% = 270%"). To "increase by 300%" means multiplying the probability by (1 + 3.0) = 4.0, while to "decrease by 30%" means multiplying by (1 − 0.3) = 0.7. Combining these means multiplying by both, for an overall change of 4.0 × 0.7 = 2.8, or 280%. However, this result means the risk has increased ''to'' 280% of its old value, not ''by'' 280%. And in any case, it is ''still'' not valid to simply combine two changes in wildly different risks like this.

===Odds & Odds Ratios===

The odds of an event is the probability that it happens divided by the probability that it doesn't happen. People often express odds as a ratio (e.g. the odds of rolling a 6 on a 6-sided dice might be expressed as 0.16777... : 0.83333..., or equivalently as 1:5), but it is important to note that such ratios are not ''odds ratios'' (it would be fitting to call this a "probability ratio", but this terminology is not standard).

An odds ratio is the odds of event O happening, given that some other event E has occurred, divided by the odds of O given that E has not occurred. O is sometimes called an "outcome" and E is sometimes called an "exposure", because people are often interested in comparing things like the odds of getting lung cancer (O) given that you smoke (E) to the odds of getting lung cancer given that you don't smoke, as a way of measuring the extent to which exposure to E influences outcome O. In the case of the comic, the outcome variable O is the event of getting a head injury from falling spacecraft debris, and the exposure variable E is the event of spending H hours per day outside, for various values of H. The comic appears to be saying that for each value of H, there are two options for E: either you spend H hours per day outside or you never go outside.

So for small values of H (e.g. 1 hour per day), the comic is saying that the event of being hit by spacecraft debris is more or less independent of the event of spending H hours per day outside, which is to say that the odds of being hit is more or less the same regardless of the choice you make between spending H hours per day outside and never going outside. Hence the dot on the 1-hour bar is close to 1, because the two odds are more or less equal (the dot appears to represent an average estimate of the odds ratio).

Note that when calculating the odds ratios for this comic, the odds in the denominators are always the same, as they are the odds of being hit given that you never go outside, which does not depend on H. So when the comic says that the odds ratio is above 3 for H={11+ hours per day}, it is effectively saying that the odds of being hit when you spend this much time outside is a bit more than 3 times the odds of being hit when you spend 1 hour per day outside.

Suppose the probability of being hit is: P when you spend 1 hour per day outside, and Q when you spend 11+ hours per day outside. The odds of being hit under these two exposures are P/(1-P) and Q/(1-Q) respectively, and because the odds ratios have equal denominators, the comic is saying that Q/(1-Q) = kP/(1-P), where k is a bit more than 3. If we rearrange this to get an expression for Q, we get:

<pre>
Q/(1-Q) = kP/(1-P)
<=> Q(1-P) = kP(1-Q)
<=> Q-QP = kP-kPQ
<=> Q+kPQ-QP = kP
<=> Q(1+kP-P) = kP
<=> Q = kP/(1+kP-P)
<=> Q = P/(P+(1-P)/k) {by dividing the numerator and denominator by k}
</pre>

As P is negligibly small, 1-P is very close to 1, and P+(1-P)/k is very close to 1/k. Thus Q is very close to kP (i.e. a bit more than 3 times P), meaning that the probability of being hit when you spend 11+ hours per day outside is still negligibly small. Thus, the comic's suggestion that we spend 4 hours or less outside based on the estimated odds ratios is extremely misguided.

==Transcript==
:[A chart is shown. Above the chart there is a heading, with a subheading below it:]
:Odds ratio for head injuries from falling spacecraft debris
:(Monte Carlo Simulation)

:[The chart is rectangular with the X-axis labels above the chart with numbers from 1 to 5. These are places over vertical lines. The first at 1 is black, the other four are light gray. There are three smaller light gray ticks between each set of lines, and one on either side of the first and last. The distance between lines gets smaller and smaller towards the right, probably logarithmic.]
:X-axis: 1 2 3 4 5

:[The Y-axis is not scaled; there are no ticks or lines. Instead it just gives five labels from top to bottom. Above those labels there is an arrow pointing to the top one with a label above explaning the axis.]
:Hours spent outdoors per day
:Y-axis:
::0 (ref)
::1
::2-4
::5-10
::11+

:[Aligned with each of these five divisions of the Y-axis there is a dot. The top one is placed on the solid line under 1 as a reference point. The other four dots all have long error bars, with the dots at the center of these. The second dot is a bit to the left of the solid line, with the error bar going almost to the left edge of the graph and halfway to the first light gray line to the right. The third dot is located halfway between the solid and the first light gray line with the error bar just crossing the solid line, and almost reaching the gray line. The fourth dot is about a third way between the first and second of the gray lines, with the error bar crossing both these lines. The fifth and last dot is just past the second gray line, with the error bar crossing both that, going more than half toward the first gray line, and also just past the third gray line. On the same height as the two bottom dots, there are asterisks just right of the edge of the graph.]
:<nowiki>*</nowiki>
:<nowiki>*</nowiki>

:[Below the panel there is a caption:]
:Our new study suggests that spending more than 5 hours outside significantly increases your risk of head injury from spacecraft debris, so try to limit outdoor activities to 4 hours or less.

==Trivia==
*In the [https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/archive/d/d5/20220329223238%21spacecraft_debris_odds_ratio.png original version] of the comic the Y-axis label referred to "hours spent outdoors". So more than four hours spent outdoors in one's lifetime would be a problem.
**But later the comic was edited to specify "hours spent outdoors per day", which makes more sense.
*When the new version was uploaded, Randall again made the error of making the two versions of the comic image the same size, as he did earlier in [[2576: Control Group]], see that comic's [[2576: Control Group#Trivia|trivia]]
**This resulted in the problem that the comic broke the boundaries on the xkcd website.
*This comic's title text has a typo in the sentence "That's a 280% increased".

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Charts]]
[[Category:Statistics]]
[[Category:Space]]
[[Category:Animals]]

2602: Linguistics Degree

2022-05-21T01:07:30Z

172.70.126.87: Undo revision 272092 by Explain xkcd server admin (talk)

{{comic
| number = 2602
| date = April 4, 2022
| title = Linguistics Degree
| image = linguistics_degree.png
| titletext = You'd think 'linguistics' would go to someone important in the field, but it's actually assigned to a random student in Ohio who barely graduated and then went into automotive marketing.
}}

==Explanation==

[[Hairbun]] hands [[Megan]] a linguistics degree, and informs her she is now "in charge of" the word '{{wiktionary|bassoon}}.' Watching this, [[Ponytail]] and [[Cueball]] compare the words they were assigned when ''they'' got their linguistics degrees, '{{wiktionary|jackalope}}' and '{{wiktionary|slurp}}' respectively. Ponytail thinks bassoon is a cool word but thinks her own is better, whereas Cueball is not satisfied with his word. A bassoon is a woodwind musical instrument with a double reed, while a jackalope is a mythical creature, a ''jackrabbit'' crossed with an ''antelope''.

It is never clarified what being "in charge of" a word entails. It could mean being in charge of keeping track of the word, or having actual authority over the use of the word, which is unlikely as normally [[1726|language use cannot be dictated by a single person]]. Also, no specific university has control over all of linguistics as far as we know, so it would require every university capable of giving people linguistics degrees to co-operate, so nobody is assigned the same word. Any well-educated member of the linguistic community will know what is being suggested is impossible hence why they are the only ones aware of how important it is.

The title text merely furthers how seemingly random the entire situation is. The word "linguistics" was assigned to a "random student in Ohio who barely graduated and then went into automotive marketing", who we can assume isn't very important to the field of linguistics.{{Citation needed}} But this means that no one is actually taking care of this important word, since it must be assumed that the student is no longer interested in linguistics.

The idea of individuals having a guardianship of an idea or concept has appeared in science fiction. For example, in ''{{w|Fahrenheit 451}}'' characters have memorised books to save them from book-burning and... spoiler-stuff.

==Transcript==
:[Megan, who is wearing a graduation cap, receives a degree which is handed to her by Hairbun. They are standing on a podium with Ponytail and Cueball standing below as onlookers.]
:Hairbun: Congratulations on the degree! Your word is "Bassoon."
:Ponytail: Oh nice! Not as cool as my "Jackalope," but still not bad.
:Cueball: You all are lucky. I'm stuck with "Slurp."

:[Caption below panel:]
:Every linguistics degree comes with one word that you're put in charge of.

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Language]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Hairbun]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Megan]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Ponytail]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Characters with hats]]

2605: Taylor Series

2022-05-21T01:06:23Z

172.70.126.87: Undo revision 271109 by Explain xkcd server admin (talk)

{{comic
| number = 2605
| date = April 11, 2022
| title = Taylor Series
| image = taylor_series.png
| titletext = The Taylor series should have been canceled after the first term.
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Created by THE MACLAURIN SERIES EVALUATED AT X PLUS EPSILON - Please change this comment when editing this page. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}

In mathematics, a {{w|Taylor series}} {{w|Polynomial expansion|expansion}} is a {{w|polynomial}} {{w|power series}} approximation of a function[https://matheducators.stackexchange.com/a/10212] around a given point, composed of an infinite sum of the function's {{w|Derivative|derivatives}}, each both divided by successive {{w|Factorial|factorials}} and multiplied by the incrementally increasing {{w|Exponentiation|power}} of the distance from the given point. Such expansions usually continue without end. Beyond approximation of functions, Taylor series are also useful for deriving numerical approximations of {{w|Irrational number|irrational}} values, {{w|Machin-like formula|such as π}}, as well as {{w|Symbolic integration|symbolic}} forms to make functions easier to integrate or otherwise manipulate with calculus.[https://www.mathsisfun.com/algebra/taylor-series.html] However, because they involve difficult calculus operations, and can be annoyingly tedious to {{w|Numerical analysis|calculate by hand}}, they are often not loved by math students.[https://www.reddit.com/r/EngineeringStudents/comments/gbo8tm/taylor_series_can_fuck_off/]

[[Miss Lenhart]] appears to be teaching a class about how to use a Taylor series. She presumes her students want to keep learning about the series, in that they, "wish it would never end." She then says "Good news!" because the series does not end. The cartoon's humor is based on the contrast between wishing the series won't end, ordinarily desired of sequences of enjoyable events, and the infinite nature of the Taylor series, which is less likely appreciated by her students struggling to understand why the sums {{w|Convergent series|converge}} to their resulting value.

The title text is a reference to the common practice among physicists and engineers of abbreviating the Taylor series to only the first few terms, typically one or two, in order to simplify the mathematics of their models. The title text is also a pun on the use of the word "series" to refer to a television program. It symbolizes the terms of the mathematical series as a {{w|metaphor}} with a television season, suggesting that only the first term is useful. It makes fun of the common sentiment against bad {{w|screenwriting}} of a series by saying that, "The series should have been cancelled after the first season," replacing "season" with "term." (Notably, both "term" and "season" are used to refer to a stretch of time during which a program is airing—generally, a television or scholastic program, respectively.) Also note that US President {{w|Zachary Taylor}} died during his first term. In a way, his presidency was cancelled during his first term.

==Transcript==

:[Miss Lenhart pointing a stick at a whiteboard, which has some scribbled text written on it and one line is circled.]
:Miss Lenhart: At this point, you're probably thinking, "I love this equation and wish it would never end!"
:Miss Lenhart: Well, good news!

:[Caption below the panel:]
:Taylor series expansion is the worst.

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Comics featuring Miss Lenhart]]
[[Category:Math]]

Talk:1069: Alphabet

2022-05-20T15:33:06Z

172.70.126.87: /* Let's fix English spelling! */

That would ''probably'' work anyways. I hear women love it when you play hard to get like that. '''[[User:Davidy22|Davidy22]]'''[[User talk:Davidy22|<tt>[talk]</tt>]] 13:38, 8 January 2013 (UTC)

Is it not also relevant that the "ea" in heart and beat are pronounced differently, an example of the irregularity of English orthography. {{unsigned ip|91.89.211.18}}
:In "rearrange" (used in the comic) the letters "ea" comprise two syllables, and the schwa is more stressed than in "realize", which is barely audible when pronounced at all (although it might depend on regional accents).
[[Special:Contributions/108.162.237.89|108.162.237.89]] 02:26, 2 December 2016 (UTC)
:...and also in learn, bread, break, beard, bear, create, reality, realize, sergeant. So, 11 different pronunciations. Did I miss any? ––[[User:St.nerol|St.nerol]] ([[User talk:St.nerol|talk]]) 22:11, 28 April 2013 (UTC)
::In what way are the pairs beat/beard and learn/bread pronounced differently? [[Special:Contributions/161.49.249.254|161.49.249.254]] 21:18, 5 August 2013 (UTC)
:::Beat/beard seems the same. Mistake. [http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/learn?s=t Learn] has the same vowel as "surge", and [http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/bread?s=t bread] is pronounced with the short "e"-sound, as in "best". –[[User:St.nerol|St.nerol]] ([[User talk:St.nerol|talk]]) 22:15, 6 August 2013 (UTC)
::::Those vowels all sound different to me. It all depends on your accent. [[User:Tarkov|Tarkov]] ([[User talk:Tarkov|talk]]) 09:03, 2 January 2014 (UTC)

/hɑɹt/
/biːt/
/lɝn/
/bɹɛd/
/bɹeɪk/
/bɪɹd/
/bɛɚ/
/kɹiːˈeɪt/
/riˈæləti/
I couldn't find realize and sergeant. You can see it isn't just the vowels that are different. [[User:Tharkon|Tharkon]] ([[User talk:Tharkon|talk]]) 01:34, 26 July 2014 (UTC)

*beat/beard /biːt/ vs /bɪɹd/ or /bɪəd/
*learn/bread /lɜɹn/ vs /bɹɛd/. The difference between ''learn'' and ''bread'' is similar to the difference between ''stir'' /stɜɹ/ and ''stare'' /stɛɹ/, which are not homophones.
*realize /ˈɹiːəlaɪz/
*sergeant /ˈsɑːɹdʒənt/
[[User:Xhfz|Xhfz]] ([[User talk:Xhfz|talk]]) 13:34, 10 August 2015 (UTC)

It's a nice touch that Cueball's second sentence entirely omits the vowel 'u' thus forgetting "about 'U' in a heartbeat"[[Special:Contributions/162.158.202.82|162.158.202.82]] 14:05, 6 June 2018 (UTC)
:almost def a coincidence but still cool. also see jan misali's spelling reform videos. [[Special:Contributions/172.70.35.70|172.70.35.70]] 14:07, 16 September 2021 (UTC)Bumpf

== Let's fix English spelling! ==

Let's start a thread here, adding more logical rules for English spelling. Please add more rules! Each rule must be written following all prior rules.

Replace all uses of "c", except in "ch", with "s" or "k". "City" and "copy" are now "sity" and "kopy". Because "ch" is actually "tsh" and the letter "c" is otherwise unused, replace "sh" with "c". "Ship" and "church" are now "cip" and "tcurtc". [[Special:Contributions/172.70.130.105|172.70.130.105]] 14:56, 20 May 2022 (UTC)
:"Copy"->"'''kopy'''" and "'''call'''"->"kall", I presume you mean. And you missed out on vowels/vowel-likes ("siti" and "kopi", definitely, and maybe "kol" unless you want to go for "kawl" or even repurpose 'y' for "kyl" as even the likes of "yacht" might be better rewritten as "uot"), if we can pursuade people to assume a common accent. ("buoy" -> "boi" or "bui" or...? That'll be an argument!)
:Can I keep the 'ch' in "loch", though? Hint: it aint either "lok" ''or'' "loc", even if we now have the likes of a "kiroprakter" or "ciropodist". [[Special:Contributions/141.101.98.135|141.101.98.135]] 15:27, 20 May 2022 (UTC)
::Thanks for pointing out the copy/kall issue! That was the only rule I added; feel free to add more! [[Special:Contributions/172.70.126.87|172.70.126.87]] 15:33, 20 May 2022 (UTC)

2621: Mainly Known For

2022-05-19T04:41:23Z

172.70.126.87: /* Explanation */

{{comic
| number = 2621
| date = May 18, 2022
| title = Mainly Known For
| image = mainly_known_for.png
| titletext = Oh sure, I know Keira Knightly, from the first movie in that series by The Land Before Time producer. You know, the franchise with the guy from Jurassic Park and Ghostwriter, and script work by Billie Lourd's mom?
}}

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

Megan indicates that she knows correct information about various famous people, but apparently not what those people are best known for.

Steve Jobs is best known as the co-founder and later CEO of Apple Inc., but in the late 1980s and early 1990s (between his stints at Apple), he was the chairman of Pixar Animation Studios, which is what Megan knows him for.

Megan knows John Lennon for having been in a band with "Ringo [Starr] from ''Shining Time Station''", a children's television series on PBS in which Starr played Mr. Conductor for one season in 1989. The band with Lennon and Starr was the Beatles, but the Beatles' fame seems to have escaped Megan.

Megan also knows that John Lennon did a song with "the guy from ''Labyrinth''" who "was also in ''Zoolander''", referring to David Bowie. Bowie's most famous collaboration with Lennon was the song "Fame" in 1975, which Lennon co-wrote and performed backing vocals and guitar on. Bowie is better known for his music than his acting, but apparently not to Megan.

''Zoolander'' was indeed released in 2001, when "Jenna Bush's father" (George W. Bush) was President of the United States.

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

:Megan: ...And her dad looks ''exactly'' like the Pixar guy. Steve what's-his-name? Jobs?
:Cueball: "Pixar guy"?
:Cueball: You always know famous people for such weird reasons.

:Megan: What do you mean?
:Cueball: Who is John Lennon?
:Megan: Wasn't he in a band? With Ringo from ''Shining Time Station''.
:Cueball: How is ''that'' your main association?

:Megan: I also know he once did a song with the guy from Labyrinth!
:Cueball: You mean David Bowie? I think he's famous for some other stuff, too.

:Megan: Oh yeah, he was also in Zoolander!
:Megan: I forgot that movie, it came out back when Jenna Bush's dad was president.
:[Cueball facepalms]
:Cueball: ''*SIGH*''

{{comic discussion}}

1074: Moon Landing

2022-05-16T22:34:26Z

172.70.126.87: Undo revision 269118 by 162.158.107.84 (talk)

{{Comic
| number = 1074
| date = June 27, 2012
| title = Moon Landing
| image = moon_landing.png
| titletext = Ok, so Spirit and Opportunity are pretty awesome. And Kepler. And New Horizons, Cassini, Curiosity, TiME, and Project M. But c'mon, if the Earth were a basketball, in 40 years no human's been more than half an inch from the surface.
}}

==Explanation==
The comment to which [[Cueball]] is referring is [https://twitter.com/neiltyson/status/73388356461019136 a tweet] by {{w|Neil deGrasse Tyson}}, an American astrophysicist and science communicator. He has appeared on many different shows, ranging from The Discovery Channel to The Big Bang Theory.

There are a number of {{w|moon landing conspiracy theories|conspiracy theories}} claiming that the moon landing was a hoax. Tyson offers a pretty compelling argument against them, but [[Megan]] presents an even more convincing refutation, snarkily implying that NASA really hasn't done anything spectacular since 1969.

And Cueball responds with a pun on the word "burn". Burn can mean a particularly effective insult, or it can mean the consumption of fuel for propulsion. In this case, the "burn" was so effective it pushed the spaceship out of orbit (which usually takes a very large amount of burning, depending on the gravity of the planet or moon).

In the title text [[Randall]] mentions many successful {{w|NASA}} unmanned missions:
*The {{w|Mars Exploration Rover|Mars rovers}} Spirit and Opportunity, which landed in 2004. Spirit got stuck in 2009 and shut down for good in 2010 (see [[695: Spirit]]). Opportunity worked for over ten years on the surface of Mars before shutting down due to a loss of power in 2018 (see [[2111: Opportunity Rover]]).
*{{w|Kepler (spacecraft)|Kepler}} found many {{w|exoplanets}}.
*{{w|New Horizons}} is a mission to the dwarf planet {{w|Pluto}} and beyond. It did a flyby of Pluto in July 2015 and is on its way out of the solar system.
*{{w|Cassini–Huygens|Cassini}} was a probe orbiting {{w|Saturn}} from 2004 until {{w|Cassini_retirement|its controlled entry into Saturn}} in 2017.
*{{w|Curiosity (rover)|Curiosity}} is another, larger Mars rover, exploring the Martian surface since August 2012.
*{{w|Titan Mare Explorer|TiME}} is a proposed mission to explore the oceans of Saturn's moon Titan.
*{{w|Project M (NASA)|Project M}} is an idea to send human-like robots to the Moon.
The final sentence of the title text notes that all manned missions since the Moon landings have taken place in low-earth orbit, which is barely far off of the Earth's surface. If the Earth were scaled to the size of a regulation basketball, approximately 24 cm (9¼ inches) in diameter, those manned missions would have all taken place within 1.25 cm (½ inch) of the ball's surface. At this scale the Moon would be at a distance of 7.7 m (25.3 ft). Unmanned missions, such as those named above or the {{w|Voyager program|Voyager}} and {{w|Mariner program|Mariner}} probes of the 1960s and 1970s, have traveled much further.

A basketball-sized Earth was the main focus of [[1515: Basketball Earth]].

==Transcript==
:[Cueball is sitting at a table with a laptop open. His hands are on the keys.]
:Cueball: Hah- Neil DeGrasse Tyson has a great reply to people who doubt astronauts went to the moon.
:Voice off-screen: Oh?
:Cueball: "Atop 3,000 tons of rocket fuel, where ''else'' do you think they were headed?"

:[The voice off screen turns out to be Megan. She is depicted, and now Cueball is off-screen.]
:Megan: Cute. But it overlooks an even simpler argument.
:Cueball: Which is?

:[Both Megan and Cueball are now visible. Cueball has turned his chair around to face her.]
:Megan: If NASA were willing to fake great accomplishments, they'd have a second one by now.
:Cueball: ''Ouch.''
:Megan: ...Too mean?
:Cueball: That burn was so harsh I think you deorbited.

==Trivia==
As of this comic, Tyson is the "Frederick P. Rose Director" (a special honorary title) of the {{w|Hayden Planetarium}}

{{comic discussion}}
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Megan]]
[[Category:Puns]]
[[Category:Space]]
[[Category:Basketball]]

2548: Awful People

2022-05-04T21:00:24Z

172.70.126.87: Undo revision 242315 by Ex Kay Cee Dee (talk)

{{comic
| number = 2548
| date = November 29, 2021
| title = Awful People
| image = awful_people.png
| titletext = Hm, this burger place has a couple of good reviews, but LakeSlayer7 says he got food poisoning there and everyone should try this other place down by the lake instead.
}}

==Explanation==
Megan and Cueball are having a conversation about social media. Cueball mentions that when responding to textual comments on a screen, it can be easy to forget these comments are made by thinking, feeling humans (a sentiment [[438: Internet Argument|expressed before on XKCD]]). Megan agrees, but also relates a negative comment she got from a stranger about her taste in movies. The twist is that it turns out the person criticizing her was a murderer. Although this does not inherently negate his taste in movies, it does free Megan from the burden of weighing his opinions equally to her own.

The title-text mentions the “LakeSlayer7” which is clearly a reference to the "Lake Slayer" in the comic. They mention, contrary to several other reviewers, that a burger joint in town is unsatisfactory, and that the reader should come to a place “by the lake” instead, which might be (and probably is) a plot to lure people to the lake and to be slain.

In many [[918: Google+|social]] and [[997: Wait Wait|news]] sites there is a tendency to surface [[258: Conspiracy Theories|negative content]]. This can be [[1111: Premiere|editorial intent]], [[2237: AI Hiring Algorithm|naive algorithms]], or [[1390: Research Ethics|both]], attempting to induce rage to drive engagement. Review sites can exhibit a [[1098: Star Ratings|bias]] in either direction, with minutiae [[937: TornadoGuard|burying]] valid feedback.

==Transcript==
:[Cueball and Megan are having a conversation while walking.]
:Cueball: The Internet makes it easy to be a jerk and forget the person we're talking to is a human.
:Megan: Yeah...
:Megan: But it also makes us see messages from awful people and assume they come from normal peers.

:[Closeup on Megan. Above Megan is a picture of a "reply" post from a man with sunglasses. The post has a title above it.]
:Megan: Recently I got a mean reply from a stranger. It was minor but it really got to me.
:Post title: Replies to "Favorite Movie"
:Post: Every group has one person who likes that movie, and it's the friend they all secretly hate.

:[Blondie as a news anchor behind a desk. A "News4" logo is displayed on the desk. There is a picture of the man with sunglasses with "Arrested" under his name. His picture is next to a picture of a house with "Breaking" above it. Megan's dialogue appears above the picture, but she herself is not shown in this panel.]
:Megan: Then the next week I saw that guy on the news. He was an actual murderer!

:[Megan and Cueball standing next to each other.]
:Megan: I can't believe I spent a week stressed out that my taste in movies wasn't shared by the East Valley Strangler.
:Cueball: Yeah, at ''least'' wait for a second opinion from the Lake Slayer.

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

2547: Siren

2022-05-04T21:00:12Z

172.70.126.87: Undo revision 242299 by Ex Kay Cee Dee (talk)

{{comic
| number = 2547
| date = November 26, 2021
| title = Siren
| image = siren.png
| titletext = Directions from CITY OF TROY to ITHACA / Total time: 10y 54d 14h 25m / Warning: Route crosses an international border / route includes capture by the goddess Calypso / route includes a ferry
}}

==Explanation==

{{w|Odysseus}} is the hero of the Greek epic ''{{w|Odyssey}}'' by {{w|Homer}}. This is a poem that relates the journey of Odysseus back home to his homeland from the newly defeated Troy, and how he inadvertently angered Poseidon thus causing the journey to take 10 years.

In the story, now widely translated and adapted for modern audiences, {{w|Circe}} warns Odysseus of the {{w|siren (mythology)|Sirens}}, who sing beautiful songs that lure sailors towards their shores, just to doom the boats to sink upon the jagged rocks surrounding their islands. In Odysseus's own case, the Sirens even claim to be able to "[http://classics.mit.edu/Homer/odyssey.12.xii.html tell you everything that is going to happen over the whole world]"; at this point, Odysseus has been away from home for many years and has no idea if his wife and son remember him, so the temptation to stay and listen (and thus find out if he will be able to return alive) is especially powerful.

This comic reframes the advice as if Odysseus was being told to ignore the incorrect instructions of a {{w|Satellite navigation device|GPS-linked routefinder}}, rather than the Sirens. Errors, omissions or out-of-date information in the databases used by such devices famously have sent drivers down roads they might never have even tried to use (guided by printed maps, road-signs or even past experience) without the alluring voice of the 'infallible' dashboard device leading them through too-narrow lanes, into rivers or even hundreds of miles completely out of their way - perhaps to a destination similarly-named to their intended one. GPSs did not exist during the time the poem was written,{{citation needed}} so this could not be the case here.

A navigation system giving wrong directions can happen, for example, due to outdated or incomplete map data. Sometimes users can file an error report with the provider of the navigation system and hope that they fix the problem in a software update. This is what Circe already did multiple times. However, the error was not fixed, so she has to resort to telling Odysseus to ignore the route.

The title text shows what the route description could have looked like, had Odysseus indeed used a modern navigation system. It includes the start and destination of the route, the estimated duration and warnings about special circumstances of the journey.

Normally, the sea voyage from the City of Troy to Ithaca should take much less than ten years. For Odysseus it took so long because of the many obstacles he had to face, so the navigation system would have some sort of clairvoyance function built in.

"Route crosses an international border" and "Route includes a ferry" are standard warnings included in a route description. The former alludes to the facts that Odysseus's voyage took him to many lands and kingdoms while the latter may allude to the fact that in Book XI of the Odyssey, Odysseus visits Hades, which is traditionally reached by a ferry across the river Styx, piloted by {{w|Charon (mythology)|Charon}} the ferryman. "Route includes capture by the goddess {{w|Calypso (mythology)|Calypso}}" is not normally something that a navigation system would warn about or could know about,{{Citation needed}} but this indeed happened to Odysseus in Homer's tale; he was kept on her island Ogygia for seven years.

The weird directions in the title text may be a reference to [[461: Google Maps]].

==Transcript==
:[Circe is speaking to Odysseus.]
:Circe: Remember, Odysseus:
:Circe: As you pass the rocks you will hear a woman calling out to you, urging you to stray from your path, but plug your ears and hold your course, for her beguiling lies will draw you to a watery grave.
:Circe: I don't know ''why'' they can't just fix it. I keep filing error reports.

:[Caption below the panel:]
:Circe was actually just telling Odysseus to ignore his GPS.

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

2546: Fiction vs Nonfiction

2022-05-04T20:59:49Z

172.70.126.87: Undo revision 242336 by Ex Kay Cee Dee (talk)

{{comic
| number = 2546
| date = November 24, 2021
| title = Fiction vs Nonfiction
| image = fiction_vs_nonfiction.png
| titletext = The real challenge is how to file Boba Fett's biography of Doris Kearns Goodwin.
}}

==Explanation==

[[Cueball]] is asking [[Ponytail]] and [[White Hat]] to classify different ''{{w|Star Wars}}'' books and movies as fiction or nonfiction. (Perhaps he is working at a library or bookstore, or sorting a personal collection.) ''Star Wars'' as a whole is a multimedia franchise, which includes films, TV series, novels, etc, but often singularly refers to {{w|Star Wars (film)|the original 1977 film}} later more lengthily titled ''Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope'' (or, given the fact that the rest of the titles are books, one of several novelizations based on the script). The classifications get more complicated to determine as the conversation progresses while revealing a quite specific obsession with the character of {{w|Boba Fett}}. The complexity may even end up converting {{w|Lumpers and splitters|lumpers into splitters}}, a philosophical distinction that another [[2518: Lumpers and Splitters|recent comic]] touched upon.

Nonfiction (also spelled non-fiction) is any document or media content that intends, in good faith, to present only truth and accuracy regarding information, events, or people. In contrast, fiction offers information, events, or characters expected to be partly or largely imaginary, or else leaves open if and how the work refers to reality.

In the end, White Hat suggests that, since Cueball has so many works featuring Boba Fett, it would be more useful to group them together in a new category rather than sorting them into the fiction and nonfiction sections.

===Table===
{| class="wikitable"
!Media name
!Explanation
|-
| ''{{w|Star Wars (film)|Star Wars}}''
| ''Star Wars'' is a science-''fiction'' movie released in 1977 (re-released in 1981 as ''Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope'')
|-
| ''{{w|The Making of Star Wars}}''
| This was a television special about how ''Star Wars'' was made, which would make it nonfiction.
|-
| ''Star Wars: The Adventures of Boba Fett''
| This would be one of the ''Star Wars'' franchise's continuity of stories, making it fictional. Not a currently extant release, but something like this {{w|List_of_Star_Wars_films#Unproduced_films|has been long anticipated}}, and now possibly inspired by the imminent release (as of the comic's time of posting) of ''{{w|The Book of Boba Fett}}''.
|-
| ''Star Wars: The Official Guide to Boba Fett's Armor and Weapons''
| While the content of this guidebook is entirely fictional, the book is factual. Boba Fett (a fictional character){{citation needed}} does in fact [https://scifi.stackexchange.com/a/253196 have durasteel]/[https://starwars.fandom.com/wiki/Boba_Fett%27s_armor Beskar] armor (a fictional material), so the book is technically non-fiction.
|-
| ''Boba Fett's Gadgets and How He Got Them''
| This could either be a non-fictional book or docuseries similar to the previous entry, or instead an in-universe adventure series or film. The rhythm of the words is similar to the in-universe guidebook ''{{w|Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them}}'' from the {{w|Harry Potter}} universe - this is a non-fiction book used educationally for young wizards within the fictitious world and also a fiction book within the real world. This book was turned into a 2016 {{w|Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them (film)|feature film}}, starring Eddie Redmayne.
|-
| ''Boba Fett: A Life'' by Doris Kearns Goodwin
| {{w|Doris Kearns Goodwin}} is a historian and biographer who has written biographies of many influential people. Since Goodwin is a non-fiction writer, one would have to read this (non-existent<ref>List of books on Goodwin's website: [https://doriskearnsgoodwin.com/books/]</ref>) book to determine whether the biography is a fictional account of the character, or a factual account of the fictional history of the character. If the book doesn't establish any new canon, and is instead citing only recorded (fictional) facts from the Star Wars Universe and, perhaps, the real-world influences on and by the character, it could legitimately be considered non-fiction. Doris Kearns Goodwin is also mentioned in [[2160: Ken Burns Theory]].
|-
| (title text) Boba Fett's biography of Doris Kearns Goodwin
| It is unclear how, or why, a fictional character would write a biography on a real life person, but there's always the possibility that there was already a fictional Doris, in-universe to Boba, whose own life and exploits would be natural for an actually fictional factual output.
|}

==Transcript==
:[Cueball is talking to Ponytail and White Hat.]
:Cueball: ''Star Wars''?
:Ponytail: Fiction.

:[Same setting.]
:Cueball: ''The Making of Star Wars''?
:White Hat: Nonfiction.

:[Closeup of Cueball.]
:Cueball: ''Star Wars: The Adventures of Boba Fett''?
:Off-panel voice: Fiction.

:[Closeup of Ponytail.]
:Cueball (off-panel): ''Star Wars: The Official Guide to Boba Fett's Armor and Weapons''?
:Ponytail: Nonfiction, technically.

:[Cueball has lifted a hand palm up as he talks to Ponytail and White Hat.]
:Cueball: ''Boba Fett's Gadgets and How He Got Them''?
:Ponytail: ...Fiction?
:Ponytail: It depends.

:[Cueball is talking to Ponytail and White Hat. Ponytail has turned towards White Hat and has taken a hand to her chin.]
:Cueball: ''Boba Fett: A Life'', by historian Doris Kearns Goodwin?
:Ponytail: Hm.
:White Hat: Maybe we should just have a Boba Fett section.

== References ==
<references/>

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Star Wars]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Ponytail]]
[[Category:Comics featuring White Hat]]
[[Category:Comics featuring real people]]

2545: Bayes' Theorem

2022-05-04T20:59:35Z

172.70.126.87: Undo revision 242328 by Ex Kay Cee Dee (talk)

{{comic
| number = 2545
| date = November 22, 2021
| title = Bayes' Theorem
| image = bayes_theorem.png
| titletext = <nowiki>P((B|A)|(A|B)) represents the probability that you'll mix up the order of the terms when using Bayesian notation.</nowiki>
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Created by <nowiki> P(d/dx x^x|P(d/dx|x^x))) </nowiki> - Please change this comment when editing this page. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}

{{w|Bayes' theorem}} describes the probability of an event, given knowledge of conditions related to the event. It is typically used to update the probability that a starting condition occurred, given an outcome. This can reveal unintuitive results when the probability involved is very small. For example, when testing a large number of people for a rare disease, even a fairly accurate test will produce more false positives than the number of people actually afflicted with the disease, and hence a positive result is more likely to be false than true.
{| class="wikitable"
|| || Tested positive || Tested negative || Total
|-
|| Affected || 0.1% || 0.0% || 0.1%
|-
|| Unaffected || 0.9% || 99% || 99.9%
|-
|| Total || 1% || 99% || 100%
|}
For example, if a test has a 100% sensitivity (first line, all those affected receive a positive result) and a 99% specificity (second line, 1% of the unaffected also receive a positive result), the interpretation of a positive test depends on the prevalence of the disease in the population. In the example case, the prevalence is 0.1% (third column), so that when the test result is positive (1% of the tests, left column) the subject is actually unaffected nine time out of ten. Although this would be a very performant test, given the relative prevalences involved it will produce overwhelmingly false positives among all positive results. (But, in this example, all those told they are not in danger — almost a hundred times more individuals than test positive — are correctly notified.)

For this same example, the Bayesian formula gives :
::P( Affected | Positive ) = P( Positive | Affected ) * P( Affected ) / P( Positive ) = 100% * 0.1% / 1% = 10%
::and P( Unaffected | Positive ) = P( Positive | Unaffected ) * P( Unaffected ) / P( Positive ) = 0.9009% * 99.9% / 1% = 90%

In this comic, a teacher is presenting a problem which the students are supposed to use Bayes' theorem to solve. However, the off-panel student knows that they are studying Bayes' theorem, so they use that prior knowledge to guess the usual answer to such problems. The punch line is the caption - The student doesn't need to do the calculation because they're familiar with questions involving Bayes' theorem and how they often present the counterintuitive result to illustrate the importance of prevalence to the calculation.

There is perhaps also a self-referential situation here where the student has updated their prior probabilities a number of times for whether the answer was "Yes" to a question involving Bayes' Theorem. If their method of answering "Yes" to every such question has succeeded every time before then by Bayes' theorem they will have a lot of justification to continue to do until they start getting it wrong. The prevalence of Bayes Theorem questions that require the answer "No" might be small enough that this doesn't happen in any small number of times and so they learn nothing of the false-positive rate until that point in time. This could be interpreted as a criticism of Bayesian Statistics which may treat a judgement as well justified (e.g. getting the question right) despite lacking a clear understanding of mechanism (e.g. basing your answer to the question on the numbers provided).

The title text refers to the mathematical definition of Bayes' theorem: P(A | B) = P(B|A) * P(A) / P(B). Here, P(A|B) represents the probability of some event A occurring, given that B has occurred. This is often referred to as "the probability of A given B". It can be hard to remember if P(A|B) means probability of A given B, or if it's B given A, especially when talking about the probability of an earlier cause given a later effect. Randall's joke is based on this difficulty. Here P((B|A)|(A|B)) is meant to be read as the probability that you ''write'' (B|A) given that the correct expression is (A|B), which makes it the probability that you got the order of the notation mixed up.

==Transcript==
:[Miss Lenhart is pointing with a pointer, held in her right hand, to a white-board with tables, what looks like formulae and lots of other unreadable text. She looks toward her off-panel class, from where a voice replies to her question.]
:Miss Lenhart: Given these prevalences, is it likely that the test result is a false positive?
:Off-panel voice: Well, this chapter is on Bayes' Theorem, so yes.

:[Caption below the panel]:
:Sometimes, if you understand Bayes' Theorem well enough, you don't need it.

==Trivia==
*When this comic came out, the title text was only "P((B", and the comic itself linked to [https://xkcd.com/2545/A) A)] or [https://xkcd.com/A) A)] (depending on where the comic was viewed from) and the "Black Lives Matter" image in the header was replaced by "(A", but this was quickly corrected.
**See this [https://web.archive.org/web/20211122212442/https://xkcd.com/2545/ archived] version.
*It turns out that it is the notation that messes with the home page as it also messes with this wiki.
**In this [https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=2545:_Bayes%27_Theorem&oldid=221182 version] of this page, the [https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=2545%3A_Bayes%27_Theorem&type=revision&diff=221182&oldid=221181 correct title text] has been entered, but it still looked the same so everything from behind the first "|" fails to show.
**Now this has [https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=2545%3A_Bayes%27_Theorem&type=revision&diff=221183&oldid=221182 been fixed] using the <nowiki><nowiki></nowiki> format.
***Seems like [[Randall]] made an exploit on himself like [[Mrs. Roberts]] did in [[327: Exploits of a Mom]].
***This is extra funny since [[Blondie]], is both sometimes used for Mrs Roberts and for Miss Lenhart from this comic.

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Comics featuring Miss Lenhart]]
[[Category:Statistics]]

2107: Launch Risk

2022-05-04T20:56:58Z

172.70.126.87: Undo revision 243619 by Ex Kay Cee Dee (talk)

{{comic
| number = 2107
| date = February 4, 2019
| title = Launch Risk
| image = launch_risk.png
| titletext = Don't worry--you're less likely to die from a space launch than from a shark attack. The survival rate is pretty high for both!
}}

==Explanation==
This comic deals with the faulty application of general statistics based on a large population, such as all Americans, to specific situations with vastly different statistics, such as astronauts.

A manned rocket ship is about to be launched into space. Mission control counts down from "T-minus 20," where "T" stands for the time at which the rocket is scheduled to launch. In the capsule, one astronaut asks another how they are feeling. The second admits that they are nervous. The first one offers a supposedly reassuring observation that they are more likely to be struck by lightning than to be selected to become an astronaut. Such comparisons are commonly used to illustrate that a particular probability is very small, and therefore not worth worrying about.

The second astronaut is about to agree that they have a good point, but then realizes the problem with their argument: the likelihood of being ''selected as an astronaut'' is a moot point, because they both ''already'' '''''are''''' astronauts. The comparison ignores the relevant concern, which is the danger involved in ''being'' an astronaut and launching into space. The second astronaut's nervousness is understandable as space missions are historically quite dangerous, and have numerous avenues for potentially fatal failure, certainly far beyond the minuscule risk of being struck by lightning, approximately [https://www.weather.gov/safety/lightning-odds 1 in 14,600 throughout your entire life].

The title text creates additional confusion by referencing another common statistical reference point, the probability of dying in a shark attack. In addition to shark attacks being uncommon, they are also less likely to kill their victim than is commonly assumed. Still, while shark attacks are more frequently fatal than rocket launches, this comparison is once again useless, as the astronaut is not in any danger of sharks, but is literal seconds from launching into space. The astronaut is presumably not especially reassured by the "pretty high" survival rate.

Of the 557 people who who have been in Earth orbit, 18 (3%) have died in related accidents, not specifically at launch ([https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_spaceflight-related_accidents_and_incidents List of spaceflight-related accidents and incidents], [https://www.worldspaceflight.com/bios/stats.php Astronaut/Cosmonaut Statistics]). Of the 93 incidents logged for 2018 in the [http://www.sharkattackfile.net/index.htm Global Shark Attack File], 4 (4.3%) were fatal, but the statistic has been higher in the past when there was likely less education against provoking sharks.

A large metal rocket, such as depicted would be more likely to be struck by lightning than nearby structures. However launch controllers generally monitor weather carefully to reduce the chances of attempting to launch when lightning is likely.

A spacecraft launch can also trigger lightning, by creating a conductive path through electrically charged clouds. Apollo 12 was struck by lightning twice during the launch phase. Thankfully backup systems allowed the flight to proceed. For more information, see [https://www.nasa.gov/audience/foreducators/9-12/features/F_Lightning_and_Launches_9_12.html NASA: Lightning and Launches]

The perceived value of risk is a recurring topic and is also featured in [[795: Conditional Risk]] and [[1252: Increased Risk]].

==Transcript==
:[A large spaceship rocket is standing on it's launchpad, just decoupled from the tower that supports it ready for launch. At the very top of the rocket where the astronauts are sitting there are two lines coming out, indicating the speak from the two astronauts inside the rocket. Next to the top of the rocket there is a speech bubble drawn with jagged line indicating sound from a loudspeaker. It is the countdown to the launch.]
:Astronaut 1: How you feeling?
:Astronaut 2: Honestly, pretty nervous.
:Astronaut 1: I know it seems dangerous, but just remember: you're more likely to be struck by ''lightning'' than to be selected to become an astronaut.
:Astronaut 2: Oh that's a good-
:Astronaut 2: ...Wait.
:Countdown: T-Minus 20...19...

==Trivia==
*During the time that this comic was on the front page of xkcd, the [[Design_of_xkcd.com#Header|Header text]] changed to [[Design_of_xkcd.com#2019-02-06|promote]] Randall's new book ''[[How To]]''.
**As this could also be seen as a launch (a book launch) with certain risks, there could be some relation to putting it up together with this comic.

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Statistics]]
[[Category:Space]]
[[Category:Sharks]]

2106: Sharing Options

2022-05-04T20:56:16Z

172.70.126.87: Undo revision 243242 by Ex Kay Cee Dee (talk)

{{comic
| number = 2106
| date = February 1, 2019
| title = Sharing Options
| image = sharing_options.png
| titletext = How about posts that are public, but every time a company accesses a bunch of them, the API makes their CEO’s account click 'like’ on one of them at random so you get a notification.
}}

==Explanation==
[[Cueball]] is floating, talking to a screen that looks like a smartphone with a virtual assistant.
[[Ponytail]] and other characters also fly in the background. The screen is explaining his options for sharing information on {{w|social media}}, he can make it available only to those he selects, or he can make it available to everyone, including various high risk groups.
The drawing may represent a Virtual Reality cyberspace. The comic might be set in the distant future, where VR will have become commonplace and be embraced by [[Cueball]] and his friends. This cyberspace may be the social network’s cyberspace where everyone interacts. The clouds could represent the cloud server where the data of the social network is stored. The virtual assistant seems to have a face and have very advanced AI, which can even be arrogant by assuming that it already knew the information about the “option in between”.

Many social media sites allow users to control who can see content (posts, pictures, etc.) that users share. Several high profile social media sites have sparked controversy by automatically widely sharing user data, unless the user restricts access. The settings for controlling the sharing of data are not always obvious to the user, or easy to use. Access may be limited to immediate friends, or be available to all users (public); some platforms allow intermediate levels of control.
As most social media sites are free to use, the business model for these companies involves a mixture of selling advertising space on their website and selling data on its users. Targeted advertising takes data on users’ past behavior and things that they have liked, and uses this to predict what adverts they may be interested in or be most vulnerable to. Targeted adverts are more valuable to advertisers as they avoid paying to show adverts to individuals who are unlikely to be interested in their products; but can lead to users feeling that they are being spied on. While the terms and conditions for social media websites will include details of how data will be used, the length of these documents and legal terminology may deter users from reading them, meaning that they may be unaware that their data is being exploited in this way. Regulation has been slow to catch up with changing online trends; however, the European Union have recently introduced {{w|General Data Protection Regulation|General Data Protection Regulations (GDPR)}} which aims to regulate how user data can be shared. GDPR was featured in comic [[1998: GDPR]].

Data from social media may be used for marketing, for law enforcement, {{w|mass surveillance}} and social control, for investigative journalism, for criminal activity, {{w|Confidence trick|confidence games}}, among other things.

{{w|Internet fraud|Internet scammers}} use online information to manipulate people, often to commit fraud. They may acquire personal data using web crawlers to automatically scan social networks for personal information (particularly emails) to scam their owners. Those bots called web crawlers can get the information without scammers' manual browsing of the victims' profile. Those people who set their social network account as public (the 2nd option in the comic) are more likely victims of scammers since they can access their profiles without being the victim's friend or follower.
Other examples of questionable uses for social media on xkcd include [[300: Facebook]].
Randall is making a point that there ought to be some option between sharing posts only with your friends and making them completely public. The title text shows that he would specifically like to know when corporations read regular peoples' posts.

This also could be a stab at the sharing policies between Facebook and the just-announced end of Google+. Google+ allowed users to create multiple groups called 'circles'. Posts could then be shared by targeting specific circles. For example: "I'm in the hospital" could be shared with just the family circle, but the "I got a promotion" could be shared with the family circle, the co-workers circle, and the general public circle. Facebook provides an option to share with “friends of friends,” leaving the decision about how widely a post is shared not with the posts creator, but with the posts recipients.
The comic is set in the future of VR, yet the fact that Internet companies like Facebook, Tencent and Twitter try hard to collect and sell user data won't change. This may suggests that Randall believe those companies will never reconsider their approach regarding user privacy.

==Transcript==

:[Cueball floating in midair is communicating with a small floating screen that resembles a smartphone. Other people and clouds visible floating by in background.]
:Screen: Welcome to social media! When you put stuff here, you have two options: (1) You can make it available to a small set of 300 or so approved friends.

:[Cueball is still floating and talking with the smartphone. Other people and clouds visible floating by in background.]
:Screen: Or (2) you can share permanent copies of it all with billions of people, including internet scammers, random predatory companies, and hostile governments.

:[In a frameless panel, Cueball has stopped moving and is facing the screen]
:Cueball: Why would anyone pick option two?
:Screen: Two is the default.
:Cueball: Yikes.

:[Cueball is still floating and talking with the smartphone. Other people and clouds visible floating by in background. Cueball has his hand raised]
:Cueball: So those are the only two options? There’s nothing in in between?
:Screen: I don’t understand. Like what?

:[Cueball continues floating and talking with the smartphone. Other people and clouds visible floating by in background.]
:Cueball: I mean...there are numbers between 300 and a billion.
:Screen: Huh? Name one.
:Screen: ''Pretty'' sure I would have heard of those.

{{comic discussion}}
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Social networking]]

2105: Modern OSI Model

2022-05-04T20:55:55Z

172.70.126.87: Undo revision 243170 by Ex Kay Cee Dee (talk)

{{comic
| number = 2105
| date = January 30, 2019
| title = Modern OSI Model
| image = modern_osi_model.png
| titletext = In retrospect, I shouldn't have used each layer of the OSI model as one of my horcruxes.
}}

==Explanation==
The {{w|OSI model|Open Systems Interconnection (OSI) Model}} is a conceptual model for network communications that defines 7 layers of functionality, where higher layers add increasing complexity to lower layers through associated protocols and standards. The 7 layers in the standard OSI Model are:

*7. Application layer: Defines how applications interact with the stack to request and receive information
*6. Presentation layer: Defines how one or more sessions are used by endpoints to send and receive a packet of information
*5. Session layer: Defines how communication events are initiated and managed in order to successfully transmit information
*4. Transport layer: Defines how information is transmitted across the nodes of a network
*3. Network layer: Defines how nodes are interconnected to form a network of nodes
*2. Data link layer: Defines how data is transmitted across a wired connection
*1. Physical layer: Defines the wiring connections between two different nodes

In practice, the OSI model abstracts the communication between two end points, like a Facebook client and Facebook servers all the way from the application layer on the server, down to the wire on which the data is transmitted, and back up to the application layer where the user views the data. As Facebook is one of the most used websites in the world with more than a billion users, Randall claims that the "application" layer (what the client sees and uses) is mostly {{w|Facebook}}.

A light gray shape labeled "Google & Amazon" surrounds all seven layers of the model in an irregular shape indicating that Google and Amazon, by dint of their size and dominance at multiple layers of the model influence the entire structure. An example of Google's influence would be their introduction of new protocols like {{w|QUIC}} and {{w|SPDY}} as replacements for the existing TCP protocol that was a foundation of the web, and their accompanying modifications of the original {{w|HTTP}} protocol.

The significance of the irregular pattern of the "Google & Amazon" blob isn't clear. It is likely that it is in reference to the irregular way in which their modifications to the OSI stack have evolved. Potentially with extensions to the left representing the influence of Google, and extension to the right representing the influence of Amazon. However, it is also notable that the irregular structure of the stack is reminiscent of a {{w|Jenga}} tower. Jenga is a game in which blocks are removed from a vertical stack and added back to the top until the whole collapses. This may be a commentary on the instability of the network stack in general, or on how Google and Amazon's additions and changes to it have destabilized the networking protocols. Or, the specific blocks to be pulled out (presentation, session, and network) may be the ones whose removal collapses the tower while the other ones can be easily removed and replaced (like the center blocks in Jenga), implying that between Google and Amazon, even if these were pulled out, the tower would remain standing. What this says about the three layers that would destabilize the tower is unclear.

The title text refers to {{w|Magical_objects_in_Harry_Potter#Horcruxes|Horcruxes}} used by {{w|Lord Voldemort|Voldemort}} in the ''{{w|Harry Potter}}'' book series. A Horcrux is a magical artifact used to house a wizard's soul, preventing them from dying if their body is destroyed. Since they can only be created by murdering other people, they are heavily forbidden, and before Voldemort it was unheard of for a wizard to use more than one. Voldemort used seven -- the same number of layers in the OSI model. However, while Voldemort hid his seven Horcruxes in different places to make himself that much harder to kill, Randall's have all been collected in Google and Amazon, defeating the purpose of using more than one. Alternatively, transforming each layer of the OSI model into a horcrux may be regarded as a strategy to prevent them from being destroyed since doing so would destroy networking. This strategy would fail in the modern world, since some of the envisioned layers were not used in the more common modern TCP/IP networking model and in the case of cloud infrastructure potential exists to provide even more shortcuts.

The title text may also be a reference to a [[1417|prior comic]] about Randall mixing up things that come in groups of seven, like data layers and Horcruxes.

==Transcript==
:[A light gray shape that surrounds seven stacked dark gray rectangles centered above each other, all with labels. The light gray shape is connected but sometimes only on one side of the dark rectangles. It goes above and below the top and bottom rectangles. At the top there is a heading:]
:Modern OSI Model

:[The first black rectangle has two lines of text. It is supported by the light gray shape on both sides:]
:Application (Facebook)

:[Pulling the second rectangle out to the right would collapse the tower, with the top tipping to the right:]
:Presentation

:[Pulling the third rectangle out to the left would collapse the tower, with the top tipping to the left:]
:Session

:[The fourth rectangle is supported on both sides:]
:Transport

:[Pulling the fifth rectangle out to the left would collapse the tower making it tip to the left:]
:Network

:[Between the fifth and sixth dark rectangles is a label for the entire light gray shape:]
:Google & Amazon

:[The sixth rectangle is supported on both sides:]
:Data link

:[The seventh rectangle is supported on both sides:]
:Physical

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Harry Potter]]

2104: Biff Tannen

2022-05-04T20:55:42Z

172.70.126.87: Undo revision 243764 by Ex Kay Cee Dee (talk)

{{comic
| number = 2104
| date = January 28, 2019
| title = Biff Tannen
| image = biff_tannen.png
| titletext = I can't help myself; now I want to read a bunch of thinkpieces from newspapers in Biff's 1985 arguing over whether the growth of the region into a corporate dystopia was inevitable.
}}

==Explanation==
Cueball is expounding a theory to White Hat regarding the alternate timeline seen in the movie ''{{w|Back to the Future II}}'', in which the character {{w|Biff Tannen}} stole a {{w|DeLorean time machine|time machine}} and used it to travel 60 years into the past to 1955. In that timeline, Future Biff gave his younger self a [https://backtothefuture.fandom.com/wiki/Grays_Sports_Almanac sports almanac] containing 50 years of outcomes of sporting events, which enabled his younger self to earn millions from betting on {{w|horse races}}. The end result of this is that the now-altered present of 1985 has become a corporate dystopia due to the actions of the exceedingly wealthy Biff and his company, BiffCo.

Cueball's theory is that the people now living in this dystopian 1985 would never know that their timeline was altered; as far as they are concerned, theirs ''is'' the true timeline. Because of this, they would seek to analyze every detail of Biff Tannen's rise to power, inventing their own theories as to his success and arguing with each other over the supporting evidence.

However, in the third panel, it becomes clear that this has all merely been Cueball's elaborate setup for a bad pun, causing White Hat to voice his disapproval.

;''Back to the Future II''
This comic is based on ''{{w|Back to the Future II}}''. In this movie, the character {{w|Biff Tannen}} steals the {{w|DeLorean time machine|time machine}}, which is the main plot device, and uses it to go back in time from 2015 to 1955. He then gives Marty McFly’s [https://backtothefuture.fandom.com/wiki/Grays_Sports_Almanac sports almanac], containing the outcomes of 50 years (1950–2000) worth of sporting events, to his own younger self. His younger self uses this sports almanac to make millions by successfully betting on {{w|horse races}}. He then forms a company, and calls it [https://backtothefuture.fandom.com/wiki/BiffCo BiffCo]. In the movie, the protagonists reverse this, by going back to 1955 and stealing the almanac back soon after Biff delivered it. It is heavily implied that the universe where BiffCo exists, also called “[https://backtothefuture.fandom.com/wiki/1985A 1985A]” in the movie, stops existing after this change, since the Biff from 1985A tries to kill Marty to stop him from doing this. However, [[Cueball]] imagines the 1985A timeline as continuing to exist in parallel, rather than being destroyed by the almanac heist as the movie seems to imply. This is consistent with the {{w|multiverse}} theory.

The movie is set in the fictional town of {{w|Hill Valley (Back to the Future)|Hill Valley, California}}. When the protagonists return to 1985, they find that Biff has turned the town’s “Courthouse Square” into a 27-story casino, and generally taken over Hill Valley. This has apparently resulted in the town being overrun by armed gangs, and beset by crime, violence, corruption, and an overall atmosphere of quasi-dystopian misery. This is what Cueball refers to as “the decline of the city, and general social decay”.

;Counterfactuals
Cueball mentions that this universe – that is, the 1985A ''Back to the Future'' timeline – would not have any ''counterfactuals'' to work with. This is often short, in {{w|epistemology}}, for {{w|counterfactual conditionals}}, that is, conditional statements about what ''would'' be true if something ''were'' true that we know for a fact is not true. Randall’s “[[what if?]]” series is based on counterfactuals, since it explores hypotheticals—conditionals which are contrary to fact. For example, the first “what if?” post, about what would happen if you tried to hit a baseball that was thrown at 90% the speed of light, is a counterfactual, because we know for a fact that a baseball has never been thrown at such a speed{{Citation needed}}. In the case of the 1985A universe, they would not have any information on the ''counterfactuals'', that is, the facts about [https://backtothefuture.fandom.com/wiki/Timeline_1 what would happen] if Biff did not have this almanac.

;''Hillbilly Elegy''
''[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hillbilly_Elegy Hillbilly Elegy: A Memoir of a Family and Culture in Crisis]'' is a book, published in June 2016, that gives an account of growing up in a poor {{w|Rust Belt}} town, and gives a broader, probing look at the struggles of America’s white working class. This comic is a play on the title of this book, which has been described as explaining the “social, regional, and class” issues in white working-class America. The white American working class was a key factor in the {{w|2016 United States presidential election|election}} of U.S. President Donald Trump, and many critics have interpreted the book as an explanation of his election, which was deemed improbable by many analysts before it happened. {{w|Netflix}} had [https://deadline.com/2019/01/netflix-hillbilly-elegy-ron-howard-movie-deal-40m-1202541118/ purchased the rights] to an upcoming film adaptation of the book three days before this comic, prompting another wave of criticism of the book’s theories.

Cueball is proposing a similarly-titled book, set in the ''Back to the Future II'' 1985A timeline, that would describe the supposed factors leading to the rise of Biff Tannen in Hill Valley. In that universe, while the rise of Biff—and the subsequent decay of the city—is the result of his using a future sports almanac to cheat at sports betting, the rest of the population would have to guess at the structural societal issues that might have caused Biff’s otherwise inexplicable success. Thus, Cueball compares such blind guessing with the analysis contained in ''Hillbilly Elegy''.

;White Hat’s reaction
This makes [[White Hat]] angry. This may be for various reasons:

*Because it’s such a painfully long setup for a really stupid pun.
*There is a decent chance that the book White Hat is currently reading is ''Hillbilly Elegy''. If he is enjoying it, this would make the joke more insulting to him, as it compares the book to useless theorizing about an event which was really caused by {{w|Time travel|time traveling}}.
*After seeing the similarity alluded to by Cueball between our current reality and a reality where the book ''Hill Valley Elegy'' is written, he might imagine that we may be living in a world where Trump’s election was {{w|Determinism|predetermined}}, just as Biff’s rise to power was predetermined by time travel. If he opposes Donald Trump politically, it would probably frustrate him to imagine that being optimistic for the future would be in vain, as any social change he might hope for may be simply predetermined not to happen, perhaps by time travelers.

;Relationship to political events
[[Randall]] is known to have [[1756: I'm With Her|supported Hillary Clinton]], the main opponent of Donald Trump, in the 2016 U.S. presidential election, having made a comic just to promote her and several [[Sad comics]] followed Trump’s election. This may add to explaining the comic in the following ways:

*Randall may have made this comic as an insult to a book which supposedly explains the election of the candidate he opposed, by comparing it to useless (and wrong) theorizing.
*The comic may be intended as an insult to Trump himself, by comparing the {{w|Dystopia|dystopian}} 1985A universe, where Biff rose to power (albeit not as President) to the actual universe, where Trump was elected to the presidency.
*The comic may be an allusion to {{w|Russian interference in the 2016 United States elections|alleged Russian tampering}} of the 2016 U.S. elections: Randall may be proposing that it is futile to attribute Donald Trump’s rise to power to any set of structural societal issues, that may have acted indirectly, while ignoring the hidden, speculated, but far more direct cause of foul play, just as it would be futile to analyze Biff Tannen’s rise to power by similar means, ignoring the impact of foul play via time travel and a sports almanac.

The title text continues the comparison to the election situation by mentioning thinkpieces from newspapers that would appear in the ''Back to the Future II'' 1985A universe where Biff has taken over. Various thinkpieces did appear in real life newspapers in an attempt to explain Trump’s rise to power after his election, and asking whether it was inevitable.

As ''{{w|Back to the Future II}}''’s important [https://backtothefuture.fandom.com/wiki/October_21 October 2015] setting date approached, commentators began noting the similarities between the older version of the character Biff Tannen and then presidential candidate Donald Trump. When the comparison was brought to the attention of the film’s writer, {{w|Bob Gale}}, in an interview, he [https://www.thedailybeast.com/back-to-the-future-writer-biff-tannen-is-based-on-donald-trump# claimed] that elements of Tannen’s personality were actually based on Trump, who was already well known in the late 1980s for his work in real estate and tabloid controversies. Thus, there is a real connection between Biff Tannen and Donald Trump. This supports the comparison between the two made by Randall. That being said, actor {{w|Thomas F. Wilson|Tom Wilson}} has [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c4lYCaFx3Og denied] that his performance of the role was in any way based on Trump.

==Transcript==
:[Cueball talks while walking up behind White Hat, who is reading in an armchair.]
:Cueball: You know, in the universe where Biff Tannen took Marty McFly’s sports almanac back in time, the people wouldn’t have any counterfactuals to work with.
:Cueball: Their world would be ''the'' world.

:[In a frame-less panel White Hat turns his head to look at Cueball as he keeps talking.]
:Cueball: They would have spent decades debating which structural problems enabled the rise of BiffCo, the decline of the city, and general social decay.
:Cueball: Everyone would find reasons it confirmed their pet theory.

:[White Hat turns his head back to his book.]
:Cueball: I'm going to write a book set in that universe. I'll call it ''Hill Valley Elegy''.
:White Hat: ... I ''hate'' you.

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Comics featuring White Hat]]
[[Category:Fiction]]
[[Category:Time travel]]
[[Category:Back to the Future]]

2103: Midcontinent Rift System

2022-05-04T20:55:07Z

172.70.126.87: Undo revision 243731 by Ex Kay Cee Dee (talk)

{{comic
| number = 2103
| date = January 25, 2019
| title = Midcontinent Rift System
| image = midcontinent_rift_system.png
| titletext = The best wedge issue is an actual wedge.
}}

==Explanation==
Recently, USA politics has caused polarization of the public.<ref>[https://news.gallup.com/opinion/polling-matters/215210/partisan-differences-growing-number-issues.aspx Partisan Differences Growing on a Number of Issues]</ref> It is said to be “split” in two camps (liberal, mostly loyal to the {{w|Democratic Party (United States)|Democratic Party}}, and conservative, mostly loyal to the {{w|Republican Party (United States)|Republican Party}}). Here [[Black Hat]] is trying to get elected to some sort of federal office in the {{w|2020 United States elections|at the time upcoming 2020 elections}} by promising he will actually split America in two. His presentation illustrates, using a giant crowbar, the completion of the {{w|Midcontinent Rift System|Midcontinent Rift}}, which is a large crack that started to form about 1.1 billion years ago, but failed to completely sever the continent. Around the same time, the rift was also mentioned in "How To", Chapter 9: How to build a lava moat.

It is unclear why anyone would vote for such a thing, but people directly affected (the Midwest) are likely to vote against [[Black Hat]]. While Black Hat and his campaign advisor [[Ponytail]] speak of weakness in the Midwest, they are talking about two different things: Black Hat refers to the physical weakness of the North American Plate in the Midwest due to the geological rift which he thinks could be exploited by a large enough crowbar, while Ponytail is referring to a political weakness for Black Hat’s campaign in the Midwest due to the likely-unpopular proposal (different regions of the US have different voters and populations who have different priorities and stances, so candidates and their campaigns’ platforms will likely be more popular in some regions and less popular in others). In this case a successful or attempted completion of the rift would likely result in the destruction of millions of houses, buildings, and other man-made structures, not to mention the deaths of many humans (if proper evacuation were not fully implemented and enforced) as well as millions of animals that could not be evacuated. The proposal would also cause huge economic impacts; the Midwest produces a significant proportion of America’s food supplies and hosts important economic centres, such as Chicago and Cleveland. So the popularity among those directly or even indirectly affected is likely quite low. The successful passing of a highly destructive measure such as this would generally involve more direct and overwhelming compensation of the many interests that would otherwise be harmed, to incentivize them to vote against their present livelihood.

The title text is a pun. A {{w|wedge issue}} is a controversial issue which splits apart a demographic group. It is often introduced to create controversy within an opponent’s base so that if the opponent takes any position on the issue, half the voters will desert the opponent. Here the joke is that the “wedge issue” is an actual wedge to split apart the United States. It could potentially be a wedge issue, as while most people would oppose such a measure, some people could be convinced that it would benefit certain Midwestern cities by making them port cities, which would result in an economic boom and make trade easier if those cities weren't destroyed. Also, some die-hard liberals living outside the Midwest might favor the destruction of the Midwest because it tends to vote conservative. Ponytail seems to state that Black Hat's proposal is only unpopular in the Midwest.

==Transcript==
:[A map of North America shows the Midcontinent Rift System as a red line curving through the Great Lakes and down through the midwestern United States.]
:1.1 billion years ago, the North American continent began to split in half.

:[Black Hat stands at a lectern with a "Vote 2020" sign on it. He gestures to an image of the globe with a giant crowbar inserted in the rift with an arrow indicating applying pressure to widen the rift.]
:Black Hat: We don’t know why it stopped. If elected, I vow to ''finish'' the job. Thank you.

:[Ponytail, Black Hat, Megan, and Cueball walk to the right away from a set of stairs. Cueball is looking at a phone and Ponytail is looking at a device or paper with writing on it.]
:Ponytail: Great job up there.
:Black Hat: Thanks! How are my polling numbers?
:Ponytail: Well, I’m seeing some weakness in the Midwest.
:Black Hat: So am I. So am I.

==References==
<references />

{{comic discussion}}
[[Category:Comics with color]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Black Hat]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Ponytail]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Megan]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Elections]]
[[Category:Maps]]
[[Category:Public speaking]]

2102: Internet Archive

2022-05-04T20:54:49Z

172.70.126.87: Undo revision 243944 by Ex Kay Cee Dee (talk)

{{comic
| number = 2102
| date = January 23, 2019
| title = Internet Archive
| image = internet_archive.png
| titletext = The fact that things like the npm left-pad incident are so rare is oddly reassuring.
}}

==Explanation==
The {{w|Internet Archive}} is a project that is invaluable for internet research. It is a public archive of information, including public domain books and music. It also runs the {{w|Wayback Machine}}, an archive of backups of web pages all over the Web at various times that can be used to see past versions of a page, even if that site has since shut down. The Internet Archive accepts submissions of any type of information, including new backups of web pages and newly-made public domain content.

Ponytail and Cueball first remark upon how weird the concept of the Internet Archive is, commenting that it would seem like an implausible concept if not for the fact that it already existed.

This revisits a point that Randall made in [[2085: arXiv]]: in the title text for that comic, he wrote,

:''Both arXiv and archive.org are invaluable projects which, if they didn't exist, we would dismiss as obviously ridiculous and unworkable.''

Our culture has an overarching theme of equating profit with success, so when efforts succeed due to inherent public benefit, this can often yield surprise.

They then become more philosophical, and wonder about invaluable systems that are maintained by a just a few individuals, meaning that they could disappear if any of those people stopped doing what they were doing. They relate this to the function of the {{w|human body}}, which does contain many {{w|List of systems of the human body|systems}} whose function and inner workings are unknown to the average person.

Again, as in [[2085: arXiv]], the two try not to "jinx things" by drawing attention to the improbability of this system working perfectly. In arXiv, when Megan exclaims that being able to post research papers as free PDFs on arXiv "makes no sense at all", Ponytail responds, ''"Shhh, you'll jinx it!"'' Here, Cueball tells Ponytail, "Probably best not to think about it." This is ironic as the inclusion of this information in a popular comic like xkcd is drawing attention to it.

As an example of "invaluable systems maintained by just a few individuals", the title text refers to the "[https://blog.npmjs.org/post/141577284765/kik-left-pad-and-npm npm left-pad incident]", a 2016 incident where a package for the {{w|npm (software)|npm}} package manager was removed from the software library by its author. As this particular package was used by many projects, both directly and indirectly, this caused a severe disruption in the software world. Randall is relieved that cases like this do not occur more frequently. This topic appears to stay on his mind for a while, since [[2347: Dependency]] covers a similar theme.

==Transcript==
:[Ponytail and Cueball are walking to the right.]
:Ponytail: The Internet Archive is so weird. If it didn't exist, it would sound totally implausible.
:Cueball: ''Seriously.''

:[Ponytail and Cueball continue walking to the right.]
:Cueball: Do you ever worry about how reliant we are on systems that someone happens to maintain for some reason but which could disappear at any time?

:[Ponytail and Cueball are seen in silhouette from a distance.]
:Ponytail: Yeah - the same thing freaks me out about having a body.
:Cueball: I know, right?? I don't even know what half these parts ''do''!
:Ponytail: And yet if they stop, we die!
:Cueball: Probably best not to think about it.

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Biology]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Ponytail]]
[[Category:Internet]]

2101: Technical Analysis

2022-05-04T20:54:26Z

172.70.126.87: Undo revision 244653 by Ex Kay Cee Dee (talk)

{{comic
| number = 2101
| date = January 21, 2019
| title = Technical Analysis
| image = technical_analysis.png
| titletext = "I [suspect] that we are throwing more and more of our resources, including the cream of our youth, into financial activities remote from the production of goods and services, into activities that generate high private rewards disproportionate to their social productivity. I suspect that the immense power of the computer is being harnessed to this 'paper economy', not to do the same transactions more economically but to balloon the quantity and variety of financial exchanges." --James Tobin, July 1984
}}

==Explanation==
There are two recognized methods to attempt to predict the stock market, each with its own pros and cons:

*{{w|Technical analysis}} is more appropriate for traders seeking to benefit off short-term fluctuations in stock prices, by attempting to look for trends, momentum, patterns etc. in the stock prices.
*{{w|Fundamental analysis}} is more appropriate for investors seeking to benefit off long-term fluctuations in stock prices, by attempting to guess future earnings based on some fundamental factor about the companies whose stock is traded. Investors can choose to look for good Price/Earnings ratio, the potential of a company to disrupt markets or open new markets, or other indications that a stock may be a solid investment.

[http://www.investopedia.com/terms/r/randomwalktheory.asp Random Walk theory] suggests that neither of these methods are particularly useful at predicting the future of the stock market (see link for a funny story about dart throwing monkeys).

The theoretical value of a stock is its {{w|net present value}}, which is the sum of all its future earnings, with earnings in the future discounted appropriately to account for the {{w|time value of money}}. Because these earnings are never fully predictable, traders may have different ideas about the true value of a stock, and buy the stock if they believe the currently offered prices are particularly low, or sell it when the prices are high.

Technical analysis, however, does not even attempt to understand the earnings of the stock, instead focusing on the shapes and patterns that result from traders making their moves. While there is a human behavioral component to stock trading, it is not clear that one can extract much information from the shapes of stock charts. To the extent it does work, a substantial part of its success may be simply an artifact of the herd behavior of traders who engage in technical analysis, a zero-sum game.

The comic displays a {{w|Candlestick chart|stock price chart}}, annotated with labels which purport to be technical analysis. These labels are nonsense from the perspective of technical analysis, but do accurately describe the graph itself: "{{w|allegro}}" (a musical term used to set the tempo at the beginning of a score), "{{w|prologue}}" (an introductory section of a play, book, or similar), "{{w|lumbar}} support" (the thing in a chair shaped to better support your back), "bathtub" (possibly a reference to the so-called "{{w|Bathtub curve}}"), "{{w|uptalk}}" (a speech pattern). One label celebrates that "these two points define a line! Promising signal." (In geometry, any two points define a line.)

The shape of the chart is similar to the exponential behavior of cryptocurrencies when they are successful, where price (positional height on the chart) roughly increases while volatility (height of the bars or candles themselves, and of the peaks and troughs, on the chart) does the same. Technical analysis used to be an esoteric domain held by well-paid stock analysts, but as cryptocurrency has spread, and as financial companies have made it easier for members of the public ("retail investors", as opposed to "institutional investors") to engage in investment trading, people from all walks of life have begun staring at charts like this.

{| class="wikitable"
|+Graph labels and possible meanings
|-
|{{w|Allegro_(music)|Allegro}}
|Tempo notation in music: played quickly and brightly (translation from Italian: cheerful, lively) - a series of very small changes in this region of the graph might suggest notes played quickly
|-
|Prologue
|A prologue is an introduction to a book or other work; this presumably refers to the initial period of minimal growth which is moving toward a much more active period
|-
|Decline
|Describes a negative trend
|-
|Doldrums
|A stagnant section of the graph with little movement
|-
|Spline
|A {{w|Spline (mathematics)|spline}} is a mathematical means of generating a smooth curve, referring to the smoothed curve shown here
|-
|{{w|Lumbar}} Support
|A cushion or other device that provides support to the lower part of the ''spine'', a play on the preceding ''spline''. "Support" is also used as a term in technical analysis to refer to a value that the stock price frequently approaches from above but does not pass through (until it does, which is taken as a sign that the price will fall further until it reaches the next support level).
|-
|Renewal
|Strong upward trend; also might suggest the growth of green bars, like greening up in the spring
|-
|Hmm!
|The three circles this label points to mark periods of growth that immediately preceded a decline. Ideally for someone performing a technical analysis, if such occurrences can be foreseen accurately it would be a major boon for the stockholder, as they could be tipped to sell it right away before the price drops and net a cash profit.
|-
|Hark! The cliffs!
|A long bar suggesting a steep cliff
|-
|Declination
|A term which sounds similar to decline, but actually refers to the angular distance of a point from one of the poles. The declination of magnetic north is used to correct the difference between true and magnetic north.
|-
|Inflection
|A point at which the slope of a graph changes from an increasing slope (getting steeper) to a decreasing slope (getting less steep).
|-
|Uptalk
|A pattern of speech in which each sentence ends with rising inflection? like a question? A play on "uptick", and also on the second meaning of "inflection"
|-
|Bathtub
|possibly a reference to the so-called "{{w|Bathtub curve}}", also, the shape is similar to that of a bathtub, and is drawn containing water.
|-
|These two points define a line! Promising signal.
|In geometry, any two points define a line; also looks somewhat like a communication line between two towers. It is tempting when looking at market charts to draw imaginary lines that connect the extrema and hope it means something about the future. The drawn line in this case also just so happens to ignore the many periods of decline marked under "Declination" -- in this case it did eventually recover, but later labels (such as "likely to continue forever" at the end) suggest that this is more likely a case where blind optimism just so happens to have been right for those two particular points (as opposed to the many more possible pairs of points where the line wouldn't be so positive).
|-
|Yikes
|This section of the chart refers to the actual use of a candlestick chart, which is to document the difference between the opening and closing value of a stock. A long red bar shows that a stock closed at a much lower value than it opened at, which would be disastrous for someone trading that stock. The section shows a bearish {{w|engulfing}}
|-
|Wrong!
|The circled pair of bars are the only pair in the whole graph where two red bars (negative growth) that large are next to each other -- larger red bars exist, but not next to another one of similar magnitude. Labeling it "wrong" suggests the analyst is choosing to ignore reality by throwing out actual past data rather than revise the theory being held.
|-
|If I add some lines here I can convince myself I'm doing something more than just seeing patterns in the graph of a random walk
|A {{w|random walk}} is a mathematical object that describes a path that consists of a succession of random steps. Randall is trying to convince himself that the patterns in the stock chart are more meaningful than just random data. The {{w|Random walk hypothesis|random walk hypothesis}} is a financial theory that states that stock prices evolve according to a random walk, thus short-term price changes are random and cannot be predicted from past history.

At this particular point, Randall has drawn a couple of lines that appear to act as an "envelope" around the stock price, converging towards the point where the price turns around and rises in the "Slope!" section. A technical analyst might say that such a convergence indicates that the price will turn around, but this annotation was added retroactively with the benefit of hindsight, like all of the annotations on this chart. If Randall had tried to make a similar envelope around the earlier sections ("Yikes" and "Wrong!"), before the "Slope!" had happened, he would have created a diverging (and descending) pattern, which he might have taken as a sign to sell and would have then missed the later rally of the stock price. More broadly, any two lines drawn over or around some part of the price chart must necessarily converge or diverge (the price would have to be perfectly periodic to produce parallel lines), so this "signal" is no better than a coin flip.
|-
|Slope!
|The {{w|slope}} of a graph is the ratio of the "vertical change" to the "horizontal change". A measure of slope on a financial chart can be used to predict possible specific returns or losses, or to analyze those from the past, but Randall simply prints the word in his chart annotation, with an exclamation point possibly indicating how exciting its value is, rather than labeling the actual numeric slope. This could also be a play on a second meaning of slope, meaning a rising or falling surface in general.
|-
|Could be an omen
|This again makes reference to the financial meaning of the candlestick chart. The top of the small grey tick represents the highest value that the stock sold at over that day. The joke is that even though the stock did not grow appreciably, and actually sold at some point in the day for much lower, that it "could be an omen" that the value was rising.
|-
|Red + Green = Christmas
|Red and green are traditional colors for the {{w|Christmas}} holiday in the U.S. This could be a "sign" that the stock price is about to rise, as in a sort of Christmas present or bonus, or the [https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2020-01-23/bitcoin-slumps-in-wake-of-chinese-new-year-slowdown-warning widely-held belief in the cryptocurrency community] that prices fall during {{w|Chinese New Year}} as Chinese holders of cryptocurrency sell off in preparation for their holiday expenses.
|-
|Likely to continue forever
|This is a mistaken opinion often held by buyers in a rising market. It's been rising so much, surely it's the best time to buy! We could make millions! Such times are generally followed by a sharp downturn resulting in significant losses, as can be seen historically farther back on the chart. Cryptocurrency communities have significant members who call themselves "holders" -- these people always trust that the price will eventually go up even higher, because it has recovered so many times in the past.
|}

The title text is a quote from {{w|James Tobin}} (from his 1984 paper [https://economicsociologydotorg.files.wordpress.com/2014/12/tobin-on-the-efficiency-of-the-financial-system.pdf ''On the efficiency of the financial system'']) that raises a question of very talented people building systems to make themselves a lot of money without actually accomplishing anything worth money. The quote was about the stock market and high speed traders in particular. It comments on the 'financialization' of the economy, where activities like speculation and abstracted financial products have become an increasingly large part of the economy, as opposed to investment in productive industry.

Interestingly, this comic appeared the day after [https://www.oxfamamerica.org/explore/stories/billionaire-wealth-grows-by-25-billion-a-day-while-poorest-wealth-falls/ Oxfam] reported that the world's 2,200 billionaires had added 12% to their wealth in 2018, while the 3.8 billion people comprising the poorest half of the world's population had lost 11%. Perhaps this prompted what appears to be Randall's jab at those whose business is merely making money.

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

:[A series of red and green box-and-whisker plots form a line that starts in the bottom left corner of the image and wiggles up to the top right corner, with a series of peaks and troughs that resemble a typical stock market diagram. The diagram is annotated with lines, arrows and text.]

::[Title in top left corner]
::The basics of technical analysis

::[A roughly horizontal section with mostly green boxes:]
::Allegro

::[A horizontal bracket encompasses the next three sections]
::Prologue

::[Slope becomes slightly negative. Mostly red boxes, bordered with a black line above and below:]
::Decline

::[A roughly horizontal section with mostly green boxes, bordered with a black line above and below:]
::Doldrums

::[Line curves upwards with mostly green boxes, with a dashed black line below:]
::Spline

::[Three green boxes at minor peaks in the line are circled and indicated with arrows:]
::[Hmm!]

::[A section with slight positive slope and a mixture of red and green boxes, with a solid black line below:]
::Lumbar support

::[Slope increases. All green boxes, with a black line through the centre:]
::Renewal

::[A sharp upwards incline, with two large green boxes:]
::Hark! The cliffs!

::[Two black dots and a dashed black line connect two major peaks:]
::These two points define a line! Promising signal

::[Inside trough between two major peaks is a roughly drawn black triangle:]
::Bathtub

::[Slope becomes negative, mostly red boxes with a black line through the centre:]
::Declination

::[At the lowest point of the trough:]
::Inflection

::[Slope becomes positive, mostly green boxes with a black line through the centre:]
::Uptalk

::[Slight negative slope, with large error bars. Mixture of red and green boxes. One red box is marked with an arrow:]
::Yikes!

::[Negative slope, all red boxes. Gap between two central boxes is circled:]
::Wrong!

::[Line rises then falls. Mixture of red and green boxes with non-parallel dashed black lines above and below:]
::If I add some lines here I can convince myself I'm doing something more than just seeing patterns in a graph of a random walk.

::[Positive slope, all green boxes with a black line through the centre:]
::Slope!

::[One error bar on a green box is circled:]
::Could be an omen?

::[Arrow indicating peak:]
::Red + Green = Christmas!

::[Positive slope, all green boxes with a wiggly black arrow through the centre. A separate arrow points off the edge of the page:]
::Likely to continue forever

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Comics with color]]
[[Category:Charts]]
[[Category:Christmas]] 
[[Category:Music]] 
[[Category:Comics featuring real people]] 
[[Category:Stock Market]]

866: Compass and Straightedge

2022-05-04T20:53:47Z

172.70.126.87: Undo revision 243750 by Ex Kay Cee Dee (talk)

{{comic
| number = 866
| date = February 28, 2011
| title = Compass and Straightedge
| image = compass and straightedge.png
| titletext = The Greeks long suspected this, but it wasn't until April 12th of 1882 that Ferdinand von Lindemann conclusively proved it when he constructed himself the most awesome birthday party possible and nobody showed up.
}}

==Explanation==
{{w|Compass-and-straightedge construction|Compass and straightedge constructions}} are a class of problems in classical geometry. They take the form "Using only a compass and a straightedge, construct X", where X is a geometric figure such as a regular pentagon. The subject is typically covered in high school mathematics. Three such constructions ({{w|squaring the circle}}, {{w|Angle trisection|trisecting the angle}} and {{w|doubling the cube}}) remained unsolved for thousands of years before being shown impossible with the use of modern algebraic techniques.

The comic begins as if it were stating a problem in classical geometry but veers into an observation that no amount of technical knowledge can substitute for human companionship. An additional layer of humor is that [[Cueball]] is a stick figure so technically it is possible to create friends with a straightedge and a compass, a figure constructed like Cueball is. Yet two other layers are the reference to the "straight edge" subculture that believes that one can find fun, friends and partners without alcohol and drugs and the fact that it claims one can construct a awesome birthday party using only two means that together often fail to construct even simple geometrical objects.

{{w|Ferdinand von Lindemann}} was a German mathematician who showed in 1882 that pi is not a zero of any polynomial with rational coefficients, i.e. it is a transcendental number. Transcendental numbers cannot be constructed with straightedge and compass. This proves that {{w|squaring the circle}} (a problem where it is required to construct a square with the same area as a given circle) is impossible, being as the sides of the square would need to be √π times the radius of the circle, and pi is not constructible.

==Transcript==
:I learned in high school what geometers discovered long ago:
:[Cueball, holding a compass and straightedge, looks sad.]
:Using only a compass and straightedge, it's impossible to construct friends.

{{comic discussion}}
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Geometry]]

865: Nanobots

2022-05-04T20:53:10Z

172.70.126.87: Undo revision 242617 by Ex Kay Cee Dee (talk)

{{comic
| number = 865
| date = February 25, 2011
| title = Nanobots
| image = nanobots.png
| titletext = I think the IETF hit the right balance with the 128 bits thing. We can fit MAC addresses in a /64 subnet, and the nanobots will only be able to devour half the planet.
}}

==Explanation==
[[Megan]] and [[Ponytail]] are in orbit while nanobots are devouring the earth in a swarm. The nanobots stop after devouring 40% of the planet. This is a take on the "{{w|Grey goo}}" scenario in which self-replicating nanobots destroy the earth while creating more and more of themselves non-stop.

However, the nanobots are only able to destroy 40% of the planet because (40% of the earth's mass) = (# of {{w|IPv6}} addresses) x (A few cubic microns) x (density of nanobots). Without more IP addresses, the nanobots cannot continue to replicate (assuming that each nanobot must be individually addressable).

IPv6 supports approximately 3.4×1038 addresses, while the {{w|Earth|Earth's mass}} is around 5.972×1024 kg. Assuming "a few cubic microns" is the minimum of 2 µm3 (according to [[1070: Words for Small Sets]]), the nanobots would have a density of 4 g/cm3, a bit less dense than the earth.

This is a joke on the shortage of IPv4 addresses. The only difference is that we are on {{w|IPv4}} and the nanobots are on {{w|IPv6}}.

1998 is when the [http://tools.ietf.org/html/rfc2460 IPv6 Specification (RFC 2460)] was published and IETF is the Internet Engineering Task Force.

Note that an April fool joke for [http://tools.ietf.org/html/rfc1606 IPV9] exists and would have guaranteed Earth's doom in this comic's scenario.

==Transcript==
:[Megan and commander are on a space station.]
:Megan: Commander! Come quick! It's the nanobots—they've ''STOPPED!''

:Megan: They devoured 40% of the Earth, and then just... quit! They're just sitting there! Why?!

:Ponytail: It's a mystery. ...unless... What's the volume of each nanobot?
:Megan: A few cubic microns. Why?
:Ponytail: I think the year 1998 just bought us some time.
:[Earth's surface, covered in mountains of nanobots.]

:In the swarm:
:Nanobot: What do you mean, "Run out of addresses?"
:Other Nanobot: Look, we should've migrated away from IPv6 ''AGES'' ago...

==Trivia==
*On the website, the space above the comic says "xkcd.com now has IPv6 connectivity. If you can't reach it, you or your ISP have misconfigured equipment. Sadly, I now have no way to tell you."

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Comics with inverted brightness]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Megan]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Ponytail]]
[[Category:Artificial Intelligence]]
[[Category:Singularity]]

864: Flying Cars

2022-05-04T20:52:54Z

172.70.126.87: Undo revision 242558 by Ex Kay Cee Dee (talk)

{{comic
| number = 864
| date = February 23, 2011
| title = Flying Cars
| image = flying_cars.png
| titletext = It's hard to fit in the backseat of my flying car with my android Realdoll when we're both wearing jetpacks.
}}

==Explanation==
[[Cueball]] is complaining to [[Megan]], on a phone call on his {{w|smartphone}}, about the lack of {{w|Flying car (aircraft)|flying cars}} even though it is the year 2011. This is a reference to the joke {{w|Flying_car_(aircraft)#Where.27s_my_flying_car.3F|"where's my flying car?"}} This was explored further in [[1623: 2016 Conversation Guide]] where [[Randall]] proposes that flying cars would in fact just be helicopters.

Megan counters that phone technology has taken off. For example in many science fiction movies it was predicted that by now we would have flying cars, but in the same movies the computer technology was pretty much similar to what they had achieved at the time of the movies release (see for instance ''{{w|Blade Runner}}'' set in 2019; even back in 2011 very few believed that flying cars would roam the streets by then.) The flying car is still not perfected (although there are some {{w|Flying_car_(aircraft)#Modern_developments|prototypes}} flying today). But almost any computer technology shown in old movies pales in comparison to the current state of smartphones and other computers.

Cueball chooses to be resentful about the lack of flying cars while calling her from a phone on which he can buy and read books. He should instead be amazed at the current state of computers and communication technology. She continues to say that she even interrupted him in playing a {{w|3D computer graphics|3D}} {{w|shooter game}} on his phone, when she called him. And the call could have been a {{w|video call}}, had it not been because Megan chose not to do so, since she is currently shirtless.

Typically, Cueball keeps fixating on the flying car. Megan assumes that if he ever had a flying car he would crash it while using his smartphone to text or play ''{{w|Angry Birds}}'' (a game released in 2009, two years before this comic). Given that many car accidents happens because people {{w|Mobile phones and driving safety|use their phones while driving}}, this seems a realistic assumption.

The title text references {{w|RealDoll}}, known as "the world's finest lovedoll", but specifically an {{w|android (robot)|android}} version, which the world has yet to see. This is a direct callback to the [[:Category:Android|android series]]. It also refers to {{w|jet pack|jet packs}}, another invention that many people were expecting to have by this point in time. Cueball complain on in the title text that there is not enough space on the backseat of his flying car to have sex with his android girlfriend when they are both wearing their jet packs. (Maybe they would wear those for safety purposes when flying in a car while having sex... Even if it is a {{w|Autonomous car|self-driving}} flying car...)

This strip is quoted at the top of the TV Tropes article {{tvtropes|IWantMyJetpack|I Want My Jet Pack}}, having a similar theme to the strip.

==Transcript==
:[Cueball, looking right, is talking on his phone held up to his left cheek. The reply from Megan is shown to come from the phone with a zigzag line.]
:Cueball: It's 2011. I want my flying car.
:Megan (over the phone): Dude.

:[In a frame-less panel Megan, looking left, is talking with Cueball over her phone, which she holds up to her left cheek.]
:Megan: You're complaining to me using a phone on which you buy and read books,

:[Zoom in on topless Megan as she takes the phone down in front of her looking at it and talking to it.]
:Megan: And which you were using to play a 3D shooter until I interrupted you with what would be a video call if I were wearing a shirt.

:[Cueball is now also looking down at his phone held in front of him, talking to it. Again the reply from Megan is shown to come from the phone with a zigzag line.]
:Cueball: Can't I have a flying car, too?
:Megan (over the phone): You'd crash it while texting and playing Angry Birds.

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Megan]]
[[Category:Sex]] 
[[Category:Robots]] 
[[Category:Smartphones]]

863: Major in the Universe

2022-05-04T20:52:37Z

172.70.126.87: Undo revision 242583 by Ex Kay Cee Dee (talk)

{{comic
| number = 863
| date = February 21, 2011
| title = Major in the Universe
| image = major in the universe.png
| titletext = I hear Steven Levitt is writing a book analyzing A.J. Jacobs' quest to spend a year reading everything Malcolm Gladwell ever wrote. The audiobook will be narrated by Robert Krulwich of Radiolab.
}}

==Explanation==
Several authors are referenced here. {{w|Malcolm Gladwell}} is a Canadian author who wrote such books as "The Tipping Point", "Outliers" and "Blink." {{w|Steven Levitt}} is one of the co-authors of the book ''{{w|Freakonomics}}'' and the Freakonomics blog on NYTimes.com.

{{w|Robert Krulwich}} is a science correspondent for {{w|NPR}} (National Public Radio, for those outside of the US) and a co-host of the show {{w|Radiolab}}.

{{w|A. J. Jacobs}} is a journalist who immerses himself in different ideas and lives them out for periods of time. For example, he lived for a year according to {{w|The Year of Living Biblically|all the rules in the bible literally}}.

In this comic, [[Cueball]] as a college student, meeting with his adviser or professor ([[Hairbun]]) trying to decide what to major in. He decides to major in "The Universe", but when his adviser details the real work required of that major, Cueball scratches his head and tells what he really means. If you have not read Malcolm Gladwell's books, their disparate parts are usually tied together by a common thread. For example, in ''{{w|Blink: The Power of Thinking Without Thinking|Blink}}'', a motif of intuitive judgments ties together the examples of the {{w|Getty kouros}}, {{w|John Gottman#Predictions of divorce|John Gottman's marriage studies}}, the {{w|Millennium Challenge war game|Millennium Challenge war game}}, {{w|Speed dating|speed dating}}, and {{w|Facial Action Coding System|Paul Ekman's FACS}}, to name a few. These books have been criticized for supposedly presenting an incomplete picture of such phenomena, but they are hugely entertaining and eloquent.

Randall is making fun of people who claim to have a broad range of interests, but apparently just to deflect attention from the fact that they are too lazy to master even one field.

==Transcript==
:[Cueball before a professor.]
:Cueball: How can I pick a major? I'm interested in everything! Can't I major in "the universe"?

:Professor: Okay. First, I'll need papers on every European trade summit that did not result in an agreement. Then, spend a year memorizing every microprocessor instruction set ever used in a production chip.

:[Cueball scratches head.]

:Cueball: What I meant was I just want to read Malcolm Gladwell books and drink.
:Professor: We all do, sweetie.

{{comic discussion}}
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]

862: Let Go

2022-05-04T20:52:16Z

172.70.126.87: Undo revision 243236 by Ex Kay Cee Dee (talk)

{{comic
| number = 862
| date = February 18, 2011
| title = Let Go
| image = let go.png
| titletext = After years of trying various methods, I broke this habit by pitting my impatience against my laziness. I decoupled the action and the neurological reward by setting up a simple 30-second delay I had to wait through, in which I couldn't do anything else, before any new page or chat client would load (and only allowed one to run at once). The urge to check all those sites magically vanished--and my 'productive' computer use was unaffected.
}}

==Explanation==
It is human nature to lose interest in difficult or boring tasks, and instead do something easier, more interesting or more rewarding in the short term. While procrastination and distraction from more important tasks has always been present, this comic casts a light on the internet and the huge potential for distraction which it provides.

The first two frames in this comic are the set-up, and contain the websites {{w|CNN}} and {{w|Reddit}} and thoughts over the top of them. These types of websites are regularly updated with new content are prime candidates for distraction. The thought bubbles indicate that the reader is fully aware that they shouldn't be looking at these websites, but is unable to stop himself. Even the very rational thought that checking news stories more than once a day is bordering on pointless doesn't seem to stop him.

In the third frame, it starts to look a little different as the screen is not a computer but is in fact the targeting computer from {{w|Luke Skywalker|Luke Skywalker's}} {{w|X-wing}}. At this point it becomes clear that there are ''far'' more important tasks at hand, namely flying the craft. Even then, Luke has an internal conflict and considers checking {{w|Facebook}}, but mentally checks himself, and to prevent himself from further compulsive browsing shuts down the system. The thought bubble at the bottom is one that is probably familiar to many people (especially students), where he realizes that he has to turn off the computer to actually concentrate on the important task.

In the fourth frame, we finally get the movie reference from {{w|Star Wars}} as {{w|Princess Leia}} and one of the Rebel Alliance's officers are gathered around the holographic table that allows them to follow the battle. In the movie, Luke turns off his targeting computer because he uses the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Force_%28Star_Wars%29 force] to fire the torpedoes at the right time. But in this comic, Luke turns off the computer because he keeps getting distracted by Reddit and CNN. When they ask whether he is alright, he responds in the way most people would who have nearly been caught wasting time on the internet. This is however a quote of what he actually replies in the movie.

See the [http://youtu.be/DOFgFAcGHQc Destruction of Death Star] scene on YouTube. The ''Let Go'' remark from {{w|Obi-Wan Kenobi}} that had given the title to this comic occurs about [http://youtu.be/DOFgFAcGHQc?t=2m two minutes into the clip]. Though here it is a reference to let go of refreshing websites...

The headlines on CNN read 'Bees?', 'Where is {{w|Oman}}?', and 'iReport (we mean you, that is.)'.

The headline ''Bees?'' could be a reference to {{w|Cards Against Humanity}}. One of the white cards says exactly that. It could also just be a question to the picture above - if it was bees following the guy.

The headline ''Where is Oman?'' is below a map where land is white. It shows Cyprus, Northern Egypt and the Middle East with the Mediterranean Sea, the Red Sea and the Persian Gulf (seas are grey). Oman is not on this map as it is not situated on the Persian Gulf; it's on the Gulf of Oman and on the Arabian Sea, both of which can be considered parts of the Indian Ocean.

The title text is a serious solution to a procrastination problem that we see in the comic, [http://blog.xkcd.com/2011/02/18/distraction-affliction-correction-extensio/ later explained] to take the form of simply rebooting the computer. Randall just used the honor system, rather than enforcing this behavior with a program, but he solicited suggestions from his commenters for browser addons, for people who could not simply reboot their computers for whatever reason. At the time, a commenter suggested DelaySites, but that addon is no longer available; nowadays, Mozilla recommends [https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/leechblock-ng/?src=search LeechBlock NG] (also [https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/leechblock-ng/blaaajhemilngeeffpbfkdjjoefldkok?hl=en-US available for Chrome]), which can be configured to implement the loading delay or block websites entirely, with additional parameters for adjusting time limits for browsing and the time of day and days of the week that each behavior is active.

==Transcript==
:[Reddit page.]
:Luke (thinking): I shouldn't be looking at Reddit. Why can't I stop?

:[CNN page.]
:Luke (thinking): Refreshing CNN again. Do news stories so affect my life that I benefit from checking them more than once a day?

:[Shutdown screen.]
:Luke (thinking): I should at least check Faceb... no. Screw it. I can't do my job when I'm distracting myself every five minutes like this.

:[Cueball and Princess Leia looking at a battlefield screen.]
:Cueball: His computer's off. Luke - You've switched off your targeting computer. What's wrong?
:Luke: Nothing. I'm all right.

{{comic discussion}}
[[Category:Comics with color]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Star Wars]]
[[Category:Internet]]

861: Wisdom Teeth

2022-05-04T20:51:58Z

172.70.126.87: Undo revision 243217 by Ex Kay Cee Dee (talk)

{{comic
| number = 861
| date = February 16, 2011
| title = Wisdom Teeth
| image = wisdom_teeth.png
| titletext = I heard the general anesthesia drugs can cause amnesia, so when I woke up mid-extraction I started taking notes on my hand so I'd remember things later. I managed 'AWAKE BUT EVERYTHING OK' before the dental assistant managed to find and confiscate all my pens.
}}

==Explanation==

{{w|Wisdom tooth|Wisdom teeth}}, as many people are no doubt {{w|Wisdom tooth#Post-extraction problems|painfully aware}}, are the third set of molars found in humans. Because human jaws are smaller than other ape jaws, most of us don't have room for a third set of molars, and the teeth become impacted so they grow straight into the other teeth, requiring a painful, debilitating procedure to remove them.

Because recovering from dental surgery often entails a period of rest following the operation and the use of {{w|painkillers|prescription painkillers}} (which have a tendency to make a person go a little loopy), [[Cueball]] prepares to play ''Minecraft'' the entire time. ''{{w|Minecraft}}'' is a PC game known for its addictive qualities; the game itself primarily revolves around a three-dimensional world in which the goal of the player is centered on the aspects of structural creation using blocks found in the environment and the creation of different materials for use in building these structures. Despite its addictive nature, the game doesn't provide the player with a goal, so most people take to building lots of nifty stuff, such as large cities, computers made from the game's built-in redstone (electricity) mechanics, massive scale replicas of Earth, etc.

Cueball's conversation with [[Megan]] indicates that he has previously decided against playing ''Minecraft'' precisely due to its addictive gameplay and lack of internal goal, deeming it unproductive. However, 'productivity' is not something that Cueball believes he can achieve post-extraction, and so Cueball decides that addictive gameplay and lack of internal goal "sounds like the perfect distraction".

Unfortunately for Megan (and any other users of her server), Cueball, while intoxicated with painkillers, has instead opted to flatten an entire continent and sort it into layers (by type of block, presumably). While there's no real indication of how big the continent is, as ''Minecraft'' worlds are randomly generated, sea level in ''Minecraft'' is at Y level 64, which means he sorted at least 65 layers of a continent large enough to be sufficiently developed, so it is clear that this task would take a lot of time. Collecting a block in ''Minecraft'' takes a certain minimum amount of time, depending on the block type, so even if he did everything as fast as he possibly could, there's still a substantial lower bound.

Ironically, in the second panel Megan says she'll set Cueball up on her server, which indicates she probably uses a whitelist to secure the server from griefers who might destroy structures created by others, not expecting that Cueball would do exactly that. The last panel simply illustrates that painkillers tend to make one loopy.

The title text refers to people waking up during surgery. Because anesthesia requires a lot of careful calibration and dosage - there's a reason anesthesiologists are paid hundreds of dollars an hour to be there, after all - it's possible to sometimes get it wrong, resulting in the patient waking up in the middle of the surgery. The three most important parts of anesthetics used for surgery are an analgesic (blocks pain), a sedative (puts you to sleep), and a paralytic (keeps you from moving). The worst-case scenario that most people hear about is when the analgesic and sedative are under-dosed, but the paralytic is correct, leaving the person awake, able to feel pain, but unable to alert the surgeons that anything is wrong. As a result, some countries and medical institutions have passed laws requiring surgeons to monitor brain activity so that these problems can be quickly remedied. The situation the title text is describing, with both the sedative and paralytic wearing out (leaving the person able to write notes), would be quite unlikely. As for confiscating all the pens, it was probably just to keep the patient from disturbing the procedure while the anesthesiologist corrected the dosage.

Sorting a ''Minecraft'' world into layers like this would be a near impossible task, especially in the version of ''Minecraft'', Beta 1.2, that was current when this comic was released, which did not even include the enchantment system that allowed for tools that could mine exceptionally fast, meaning that even the sheer time to mine out such a large area would be astronomical, not even considering the time to replace the blocks in proper layers, or to gather resources for the many tools you would need. In later versions of ''Minecraft'', it is possible to naturally generate worlds that resemble the world in this comic using the "superflat" world generation mode, but this was not a feature in ''Minecraft'' when this comic was released.

==Transcript==
:Cueball, on phone: Hey! Know how you've been bugging me to play Minecraft for the past year? I'm game.
:Megan, on phone: But you said you didn't want to "get hooked and spend days on end moving virtual cubes around while sitting motionless." What changed?

:Cueball, on phone: I'm having my wisdom teeth out, and I'll be useless and doped up on painkillers for the next few days, so that actually sounds like the perfect distraction.
:Megan, on phone: Oh. I'll set you up on our server!

:72 hours later...
:[Megan sitting at computer.]
:Megan, on phone: Hey — starting to feel better? Enjoying the game? Let's see what you've... What the hell? Where ''IS'' everything?

:[View of a Minecraft screen showing a vast empty expanse of land. In Cueball's hotbar is, from left to right, an stone pickaxe, sword, and shovel, seven feathers, 42 torches, a non-enchanted bow, a blank space, 64 blocks of stone and a clock. He has full health and 15 armor points.]
:Megan, offscreen: ...You made the entire continent perfectly flat?
:Cueball, offscreen: And sorted it into layers.
:Megan, offscreen: ...
:Cueball, offscreen: I feel good about things. This is a good game.

:[Cueball sitting on the floor at his laptop, bleeding from the mouth, surrounded by bloody wadded-up tissues and holding a bottle of medication.]
:Megan, on phone: ...What exactly is in the painkillers they gave you?
:Cueball, woozy: I can't read the label because I'm a hologram.

{{comic discussion}}
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Megan]]
[[Category:Comics with color]]
[[Category:Minecraft]]

860: Never Do This

2022-05-04T20:51:32Z

172.70.126.87: Undo revision 244163 by Ex Kay Cee Dee (talk)

{{comic
| number = 860
| date = February 14, 2011
| title = Never Do This
| image = never_do_this.png
| titletext = I call Rule 34 on The Secret House.
}}

==Explanation==
[[Cueball]] shows his new pocket {{w|microscope}} to [[Megan]]. With the curiosity of scientists, they quickly decide to use the microscope to look at a number of different things.

But after they use the microscope to inspect what is under their fingernails, they both sink into a {{w|Catatonia|catatonic state}}. Our fingers are how we interact with the world, and all manner of things get trapped under our fingernails; different kinds of dirt, fungus, spores, fragments of insects, insect droppings and so on. Such things that obviously look pretty horrific when magnified a few hundred times. Cueball and Megan never suspected what they would find, and seem unable to process or deal with the horror they have uncovered.

The title text refers to {{w|Rule 34 (Internet meme)|Rule 34}} (see [[305: Rule 34]]), an {{w|internet meme}} which states "If it exists, there is porn of it. No exceptions.". The book referenced is "The Secret House: 24 hours in the strange & wonderful world in which we spend our nights and days" by {{w|David Bodanis}} and is a study in {{w|micrograph|microphotography}}. It features extreme close-ups of everyday phenomena in the common house, but as seen from a microscopic perspective. "Rule 34" states that there must be porn of this nature, but it is not clear what form this would take. You would, however, probably be able to see the individual {{w|sperm cells}}.

[[Randall]] may have done this check himself - and now chooses to warn others not to make the same mistake. Thus, the title: '''Never Do This'''. He later gives the same type of advice against using a UV lamp in the bathroom through this comic: [[1469: UV]].

Given his likely negative feelings towards {{w|Valentine's Day}}, as seen in the most of his [[:Category:Valentines|Valentines comics]], it may not be a coincidence he send this gross comic out on February 14. He did not draw any Valentines related comic this year as he for instance did the two years before and the year after.

==Transcript==
:[Cueball walks toward Megan holding a pocket microscope.]
:Cueball: Check it out—a pocket microscope!
:Megan: Ooh! Let's look at stuff!

:[Cueball holds a pencil; Megan peers at a quarter through the microscope.]
:Cueball: The tip of this pencil is ''neat''.
:Megan: This quarter is really scratched.

:Cueball: Let's look at the skin under our fingernails!

:Minutes later...
:[Cueball and Megan curl up in a black pit of despair.]
:Cueball and Megan: oh god oh god

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

859: (

2022-05-04T20:51:14Z

172.70.126.87: Undo revision 242565 by Ex Kay Cee Dee (talk) Undo vandalism

{{comic
| number = 859
| date = February 11, 2011
| title = (
| image = (.png
| titletext = Brains aside, I wonder how many poorly-written xkcd.com-parsing scripts will break on this title (or ;;"'<nowiki/>'{<<[' this mouseover text."
}}

== Explanation ==

In programming, punctuation is often used to mark sections of code. Paired punctuation marks must always be matched up with a corresponding closing mark, otherwise a so-called {{w|syntax error}} occurs. The programming language {{w|Lisp_(programming_language)|Lisp}} (also featured in [[224: Lisp]] is known for large numbers of nested/paired parentheses. Even in literary works intended only for human consumption, the absence of a matching closing parenthesis as appears in this sentence or other "balanced" punctuation sets creates a mental expectation of eventual closure and completion that remains unfulfilled even long after the unmatched mark is encountered.

There is also reference to [[312: With Apologies to Robert Frost]] which could contain the missing parentheses.

It can also be interpreted as a {{w|metaphor}}, which compares the reader with a Lisp {{w|Interpreter (Computing)|interpreter}}. The interpreter looks for the parenthesis until the end of the file, where it eventually halts, and prints out the error. The comic claims that if you read an unmatched parenthesis, you will look for it for the rest of the day too.

It also refers to an awkward feeling when you see something out of place in a piece of literary text (like unmatched parentheses, spellying error or a randomly-plac,ed comma..

Finally, in some countries (Russia in particular) they use just parentheses instead of text smileys so that :) turns into ) and :( becomes (. Hence Russians can magically resist the unresolved tension of the comic but may feel a bit sad instead as a side effect.

The title text refers to the same issue as already highlighted in [[327: Exploits of a Mom]]: if your scripts trust external input, you sometimes will be surprised. At the time of this comic, there were quite a few websites that would grab the xkcd comic three times a week and publish them on their own site. This comic likely broke at least some of the websites because of either the unmatched brace or the extra unmatched markup that is in the title text.

==Transcript==
:[Caption inside an oblong panel:]
:(An unmatched left parenthesis creates an unresolved tension that will stay with you all day.

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

1987: Python Environment

2022-05-03T23:13:06Z

172.70.126.87: Undo revision 234141 by X. K. C. D. (talk)

{{comic
| number = 1987
| date = April 30, 2018
| title = Python Environment
| image = python_environment.png
| titletext = The Python environmental protection agency wants to seal it in a cement chamber, with pictorial messages to future civilizations warning them about the danger of using sudo to install random Python packages.
}}

==Explanation==

A development environment is the collection of tools used to create a computer program. It generally includes an {{w|Interpreter_(programming)|interpreter}}, a {{w|package manager}}, and various {{w|Library_(computing)|libraries}} that the project needs. Computer programs often depend on a specific version of these tools, such as a program that only runs on Python 2.7. A badly configured build environment can lead to mysterious errors as the program looks for libraries or features that aren't there, making it hard to develop stable and portable software.

{{w|Python_(programming_language)|Python}} is a {{w|computer}} {{w|programming language}} which has been around for quite a while, especially on {{w|Linux}} platforms. [[Randall]] has shown his fascination with Python [[353: Python|before]]. He has likely used it on his computer for quite a few years, from the early years when it wasn't so easy to install, through newer versions where there is a more defined way to install it. Because standards change over time (in particular, although the newest version of Python is Python 3.x, many people prefer Python 2.x, and it's still widely used for backward-compatibility), and he didn't completely uninstall old versions before installing new versions (likely to not break what was already working), he's ended up with a mess where different pieces and versions of Python and its related components litter his {{w|hard drive}}'s {{w|directory structure}}.

{{w|Superfund}} is a US federal government program created for cleaning up contaminated land. The comic is saying that his computer's Python environment is so messed up that it's comparable to a real-world environmental disaster.

The title text may refer to the philosophical debate surrounding the construction of warning features around the [[wikipedia:Waste_Isolation_Pilot_Plant#Warning_messages_for_future_humans|WIPP]] site in New Mexico, and other nuclear waste disposal sites. In particular, it may refer to [https://web.archive.org/web/20090320054657/http://www.wipp.energy.gov/picsprog/articles/wipp%20exhibit%20message%20to%2012,000%20a_d.htm this article]. These would have to last and be understandable for tens of thousands of years, longer than any known human-made structure or language to date. It also refers to the use of "sudo", a Posix command utility that allows a user to operate with heightened permissions. Using "sudo" to install a Python package may make the package available to the entire system, or, based on the settings of Virtualenv/Anaconda, it may end up installing the package in a user's home directory. This would make it so that the user could not update, edit, or remove the packages.

;$PATH
:$PATH refers to the {{w|PATH (variable)|PATH}} environment variable, which determines where to search for executable files. In this case, it indicates that the pip, Homebrew Python (2.7), and macOS's pre-installed Python are accessible on path, with ~/newenv/ and a mysterious ???? as part of PATH.
;pip
:{{w|pip (package manager)|pip}} is the Python {{w|package management system}}, and is used to install and manage python packages. As it is written in Python, it requires Python to run. It leads to easy_install, Homebrew Python (2.7), "(misc folders owned by root)", and ????.
;Homebrew Python (2.7)
:{{w|Homebrew (package management software)|Homebrew}} is a third-party macOS package manager. Homebrew Python (2.7) is the Python 2 version installed through Homebrew. This leads to Python.org binary (2.6) and /usr/local/Cellar.
;OS Python
:Apple bundles an (out of date) version of Python with macOS. This only leads to ????.
;????
:With so many versions of Python installed and used in the system, it becomes very hard to track which Python program uses which version and environment. The system becomes unpredictable and its workings and faults mysterious. All parts of the graph that lead to this point, lead to confusion.
;easy_install
:easy_install, much like pip, is a cpan-like tool to download and install Python packages. As of the creation of the comic, many people discourage its use. (e.g., [https://stackoverflow.com/questions/3220404/why-use-pip-over-easy-install this question on stack exchange.])
;Anaconda Python
:{{w|Anaconda (Python distribution)|Anaconda}} is a Python distribution for data science and machine learning-related applications.
;Homebrew Python (3.6)
:As of the creation of the comic, Python 3.6 is the current stable version of Python. It can be installed together with Python 2.7 on the same computer. Care must be taken to use an appropriate version for every Python program, however. Homebrew is a "macos" package management utility. Presumably, Randal installed Python 3.6 with Homebrew (as opposed to downloading and compiling the language himself).
;Python.org binary (2.6)
:[http://python.org Python.org] is the home site of the {{w|Python_(programming_language)|Python language}} and provides its reference implementation. Among other stuff, there are downloadable installers that create ready-to-use Python environments for you (on Windows and macOS only). It makes little sense, however, to use it on a computer where Homebrew, Anaconda, and a locally compiled version are already present, since the Python.org version is the baseline one, doesn't give you any benefits, and can't be optimized for your needs. Having an obsolete 2.6 version, when the typically used 2.7 is already on the computer, also doesn't help. Some justified uses do exist (tests, programs that depend on this particular version), but in the end, an extra version of Python just adds to the overall confusion.
;(Misc folders owned by root)
:This suggests that over years [[Randall]] dropped various versions of {{w|Python_(programming_language)|Python}} environments everywhere around his computer, probably by hand without proper installers, and used root privileges to do so. The exact locations either are highly nonstandard, so it makes no sense to show them to us, or have simply been forgotten. Now it's hard to even tell where exactly those Pythons lay, what in the system depends on them, and if it's safe to remove them or not (because if installed by the root, they can integrate into unexpected places in the system; having them can break something, and removing them can break something).
;<code>/usr/local/Cellar</code>
:The default (normal) location of the {{w|Homebrew (package management software)|Homebrew}} Cellar, the directory where Homebrew actually stores the files of the installed packages. It's a storage-only location, the files, including Python, will be symlinked from other, more convenient places in the files tree, and should not be used through /usr/local/Cellar path directly. It seems that Randall broke this safety rule in the past, so some stuff of his accesses Python directly in the Cellar. Such setup can break if Homebrew performs automatic maintenance in the Cellar (like removing unneeded versions of the packages). The name cellar is likely a reference to the practice of storing wines and other alcohol in cellars, intended as a pun of homebrew.
;<code>/usr/local/opt</code>
:A folder that is usually created by Homebrew.
;/(A bunch of paths with "Frameworks" in them somewhere)/
:Python on macOS is often distributed as a framework and placed in a "Frameworks" folder. For example, the system-included Python distribution in macOS resides in /System/Library/Frameworks, and many package managers will also install the framework in a folder with this name.
;$PYTHONPATH
:The environment variable PYTHONPATH specifies the search path for Python modules to the Python interpreter. Having it refer to locations controlled by 3 different package managers, each of which is managing software for different versions of Python, as shown, is likely to lead to incompatible software being loaded together.
;Another pip??
:Pip is a {{w|Recursive acronym}} for "Pip Installs Packages." There should only be one installation of pip (or other package management system) managing any given working environment. Often, additional "pip" executables are installed based on the Anaconda settings for different virtual envs. This often leads to internal contradictions in the software. Randall is confused as to how this other one relates to the rest of the development environments.
;~/python/
:Might be another virtualenv, or, given the absurdity of the rest of the comic, even a manually compiled python installation (many online guides instruct users to extract sources into the home (~) directory).
;~/newenv/
:Probably a virtualenv. Virtualenvs are mechanisms for having Python environments that don't conflict with the system Python. They include the Python interpreter, independent library paths, and usually a copy of pip. The user typically installs packages using the virtualenv's pip such that they can only be accessed by the virtualenv's Python instances, while more common packages are still referenced via the system Python paths.
;/usr/local/lib/python3.6
:The default place under a Unix-like OS for the Python 3.6 standard libraries for a locally compiled Python 3.6 interpreter.
;/usr/local/lib/python2.7
:The default place under a Unix-like OS for the Python 2.7 standard libraries for a locally compiled Python 2.7 interpreter.

==Transcript==
:[A single frame depicting a flowchart is shown. Many chaotic arrows are arranged between the items which are:]
:$PYTHONPATH
:EASY_INSTALL
:ANACONDA PYTHON
:HOMEBREW PYTHON (3.6)
:ANOTHER PIP??
:HOMEBREW PYTHON (2.7)
:PYTHON.ORG BINARY (2.6)
:PIP
:EASY_INSTALL
:$PATH
:(MISC FOLDERS OWNED BY ROOT)
:????

:[The endpoints are:]
:/usr/local/Cellar
:/usr/local/opt
:/(A BUNCH OF PATHS WITH "FRAMEWORKS" IN THEM SOMEWHERE)/
:~/python/
:~/newenv/
:/usr/local/lib/python3.6
:/usr/local/lib/python2.7

:[Caption below the panel:]
:My Python environment has become so degraded that my laptop has been declared a superfund site.

== Trivia ==

* A similar comic is {{xkcd|1654}} which is the same but for multiple languages.

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Computers]]
[[Category:Programming]]
[[Category:Flowcharts]]

1804: Video Content

2022-05-03T23:12:44Z

172.70.126.87: Undo revision 234064 by X. K. C. D. (talk)

{{comic
| number = 1804
| date = February 27, 2017
| title = Video Content
| image = video_content.png
| titletext = "So, like, sexy news videos?" "No, people have tried that--it's still just video content. We need to actually inform people THROUGH making out. I would call it 'Mouth Content,' but I think that's already the title of a Neil Cicierega album."
}}

==Explanation==

This comic is a commentary on the growing {{w|publishing industry}} and their successful attempts at regaining an audience.

News media has evolved dramatically as the world entered the {{w|information era}}. {{w|Newspapers}}, which were at one point the most widely distributed and consumed form of media, have rapidly been eclipsed by new technologies such as {{w|television}}, {{w|Internet}}, and {{w|streaming video}}. Subscriptions to paper-based media have been drastically declining to the point where many {{w|publishers}} are on the verge of shutting down. While publishers are making an effort to move their content to newer, more popular forms of media, in many cases they are still clearly behind the times.

The comic illustrates one such example with [[Cueball]] suggesting presenting news stories as videos rather than text. This is presented and received by [[Megan]], [[Hairbun]] and [[Hairy]] as a clever new idea that would appeal to young people based on the fact that they like watching {{w|YouTube}} videos. However, apparently no one in the comic has realized that television news programs have been filling such a niche for decades and that young people are just as uninterested. In fact, online video based news is often considered annoying, especially if autoplaying or if there is no text based alternative. In reality, this idea is not at all original and likely to be doomed to fail from the start. As with many similar attempts, the new "ideas" that publishers are trying to adopt are merely cramming news content into things young people like, without really understanding why they like it and without considering whether news would be a good fit.

In the caption, [[Randall]] suggests it would be pointless to argue with newspaper publishers about their ideas. Presumably Randall believes publishers who fall for those ideas are already out of touch with the new generation, and would not be able to understand why those ideas lack merit. Instead, he suggests taking the trend to a ridiculous extreme, by telling publishers that young people like {{w|making out}}. Suppose publishers follow the same pattern and try to cram news into this as well, they would end up creating some form of news program centered around making out. The results may turn out completely laughable or highly entertaining. If the former, it could serve as a wake-up call to publishers that they need to reconsider their approach. If the latter, then it could actually become a trend and unexpectedly reinvigorate the industry.

In the title text it seems like the news agency actually consider this idea, or is at least confused enough to ask. Their interpretation of combining "making out" with news is to make it sexy, but the next speaker says that this has been tried before and doesn't work. This is likely a reference to Naked News (no link due to {{w|NSFW}}-ness), a news program that does that: it features attractive women delivering the news while simultaneously disrobing. This concept has not, for some reason, spread to the mainstream.

According to the speaker, merely making the news sexy is not enough – the news content must be ''directly'' integrated into the making out; how this would be accomplished is as yet unclear.

The title text also dismisses the proposed name ''Mouth Content'' as possibly the title of a {{w|Neil Cicierega}} album, in reference to his recently-released {{w|Mouth Moods}}, as well as his prior albums {{w|Mouth Sounds}} and {{w|Mouth Silence}}.

==Transcript==
:[From left to right: Hairy, Cueball, Megan and Hairbun sit around a conference table.]
:Cueball: Research shows young people like YouTube, so we should present news stories as videos instead of text!
:Megan: Good idea!
:Hairbun: They'll love that!

:[Caption below the panel:]
:Instead of arguing with newspapers about this, we should just tell them how much young people like making out and see what happens.

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Megan]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Hairbun]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Hairy]]
[[Category:Comics featuring real people]] 
[[Category:YouTube]]
[[Category:Sex]]
[[Category:Music]]

1803: Location Reviews

2022-05-03T23:12:21Z

172.70.126.87: Undo revision 234142 by X. K. C. D. (talk)

{{comic
| number = 1803
| date = February 24, 2017
| title = Location Reviews
| image = location_reviews.png
| titletext = Google and Yelp keep deleting my scathing reviews of the Mariana Trench, the Chernobyl reactor core, the jet stream, and the equator.
}}

==Explanation==
Many online advertising services and social media networks (like {{w|Google}} and {{w|Yelp}}, both mentioned in the title text, and for instance {{w|Facebook}}) allow users to leave reviews of stores, businesses and locations. For various reasons these sites often find themselves with pages dedicated to, as [[Randall]] puts it, "places that really don't need reviews" such as municipal works installations, government property, and natural landmarks. This naturally attracts both clueless people and lots of self-styled comedians leaving less-than-helpful comments on such review pages.

Randall is just poking fun at this phenomenon by inventing possible reviews for the (fictional) location ''Canyon River Nuclear Launch Facility'', depicted with a {{w|Google Map|Google Maps}}-styled map page along with a series of so-called reviews. (There does exist a {{w|Canyon River (Ontario)|Canyon River}} located in {{w|Ontario}}/{{w|Canada}} and one in {{w|Washington (state)|Washington}}/USA (the latter is a significant tributary to the {{w|Satsop River}}). Canada does not maintain nuclear weapons since 1984, so the launch site should be located in Washington).

See explanations for the [[#Trivia|11 visible]] (out of 22) reviews in the [[#Reviews|table below]]. Of course those responsible for such a facility with {{w|nuclear missiles}} would not like the attention they would be getting in this way, especially not when one of the comments mentions a hole in the fence... Although this comic makes a joke about reviews it has chosen a very dangerous facility to joke about. See more about this under [[#Politics|Politics]] below

In the title text Randall mentions that both Google and Yelp keep deleting his scathing reviews of several locations like the above. The questions is if they would have done it if they had not been so harsh... While Canyon River Nuclear Launch Facility appears not to exist, the places/phenomena he lists in the title text certainly do, and are places that you either cannot or would not normally visit as destinations. Here below each "location" is explained. That the deletion of such reviews is real has been proven by this comic, as [[#Trivia|it also happened]] for those that (of course) posted these reviews on Google maps as a response to this comic.

{{w|Mariana Trench}} is the deepest area of the world's oceans, about 10,994 meters (36,070 ft) deep, located between Japan and Australia. The pressure in the Mariana Trench is about 1,086 bars, more than 1,000 times the standard atmospheric pressure of about 1 bar at sea level. Despite this enormous pressure some organisms {{w|Mariana_Trench#Life|live in the Mariana Trench}}. Humans can reach the ground only by special deep-sea submarines, like Jacques Piccard did in 1960 with the {{w|Bathyscaphe Trieste}}. See reviews for the Mariana Trench at [https://www.google.com/maps/place/Mariana+Trench/@17.75,142.4978113,17z/data=!4m7!3m6!1s0x67328f3cd57de715:0x1bbe64e7a21aa7fc!8m2!3d17.75!4d142.5!9m1!1b1?hl=en Google Maps] and [https://www.facebook.com/pages/Marianengraben/108402422518280 Facebook].

The {{w|Chernobyl}} reactor core is the most dangerous part of the {{w|Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant}}. It is located in the North of Ukraine. In the reactor No. 4 there was a nuclear disaster that happened on 26 April 1986. It caused devastating damage and massive radioactive contamination. There is still a {{w|Chernobyl Exclusion Zone}} 30 kilometers around the power plant. See reviews for the Chernobyl power plant at [https://www.google.com/maps/place/Chernobyl+Nuclear+Plant/@51.3852262,30.1003411,15z/data=!4m14!1m6!3m5!1s0x472a7d09e1ec5ef3:0x6b27a13ab968d17c!2sChernobyl+Nuclear+Plant!8m2!3d51.3889447!4d30.0988421!3m6!1s0x472a7d09e1ec5ef3:0x6b27a13ab968d17c!8m2!3d51.3889447!4d30.0988421!9m1!1b1?hl=en Google Maps] and [https://www.facebook.com/pages/Kernkraftwerk-Tschernobyl/118179298239715?rf=116556918391753 Facebook].

{{w|Jet stream}}s are a meteorologic phenomenon about 9 to 16 kilometers above the ground. A stream consists of air currents with speeds from 92 km/h (50 kn; 57 mph) to over 398 km/h (215 kn; 247 mph). Such jet streams are routinely used for reducing fuel usage for long distance plane travels. As it is a ribbon rather than a point, it could not have a single point on the map. Also, the jet stream fluctuates north and south; so even if it could be pinpointed, the location would be constantly changing.

The {{w|equator}} is, as with the jet streams, not a singular place but a circumference around the Earth. Reviewing the equator as a singular location is rather pointless, though there is a whole range of specific (and interesting) locations around the equator, with countries with {{w|tropical rainforest climate}}, which many people from European and North American countries struggle with. That said, most of the equator goes over water.

===Reviews===
In the table the rating is given with the review. After that an explanation both of the rating and of the review is given. Notice that any or all of the reviews could be sarcastic or "trolling", as is fairly typical on the internet, especially for reviews given for such a location as this one. This table assumes all the reviews are played straight.
{| class="wikitable"
! Rating
! Review
! Explanation
|-
| ★★★★★ || Greatest country on earth || A patriotic review (5/5), though provides no information on the actual nuclear site. The location is in the "greatest country", although this makes fun of people who go too specific, because all places in that country could be rated like this. This comment resembles what an extremely patriotic person would say. They believe that the United States is the greatest country on Earth, and therefore are pleased that the country is being protected by nuclear weapons.
|-
| ★★☆☆☆ || Looks cool but you can't get in || This reviewer, although initially positive, attempts to highlight what they perceive as a major flaw with the site: namely, that it is off-limits to unauthorized personnel and heavily-guarded, so it's impossible to actually go inside (thus only 2/5 stars). This is typical of a nuclear facility,{{Citation needed}} but this kind of review could also be seen for a fancy restaurant that needs very early pre-booking.
|-
| ★☆☆☆☆ || What is this store || Reviewer really, really has no idea what this facility actually is, mistaking it for a store, and thus giving it only 1 star.
|-
| ★★★★☆ || My cousin worked here || If true, this review is a serious security risk (e.g. kidnapping the reviewer to extort information from his cousin). The comment may also just be a way for the reviewer to pretend he knows someone who works in the higher levels of the government. Usually this kind of comment together with a four star rating is to signal that you know more about the location than a regular reviewer does. Of course you could then also be perceived as partial.
|-
| ★★☆☆☆ || Waitstaff heavily armed and very rude || This review mistakes the facility's security guards for a restaurant's waitstaff. Since the guards are protecting some of the most dangerous weapons in existence, and would not let unknown outsiders into the facility, it follows that the guards would be heavily armed, and quite rude to those who sought entry without proper permission. Thus they earn the place only 2 stars.
|-
| ★☆☆☆☆ || Stop doing chemtrails || This reviewer believes in the {{w|chemtrail conspiracy theory}} and is urging the government to cease spreading the chemtrails. Believing this place has something to do with it of course leads to only one star. This conspiracy was earlier mentioned both in [[966: Jet Fuel]] and [[1677: Contrails]].
|-
| ★☆☆☆☆ || This place is a symptom of the {{w|military-industrial complex}} strangling our democracy and...(read full review-1184 words) || A slightly tongue-in-cheek reference to essays against 'The Military-Industrial complex' and how they are often copy-pasted by people who don't really understand them in inappropriate places. Or just to people who rant far beyond anything that people would ever read, except if they are already agreeing with the writer. Of course such an activist would only give one star.
|-
| ★★★★☆ || Anyone else notice the hole in the west fence? || The adventurer's travel guide to government installations... Posting a comment like this would (at best) bring the hole to the attention of the site staff to be repaired and (at worst) bring the writer unwelcome attention from the authorities for publicizing a security vulnerability at a missile site. This might also be a reference to {{w|Richard Feynman}}'s account of finding a hole in the fence surrounding the {{w|Los Alamos, New Mexico|Los Alamos}} facility during the {{w|Manhattan Project}}. Using the hole to get in, this reviewer had an excellent time and gives 4/5 stars.
|-
| ★★★★★ || Whoa, missiles! || The writer is impressed and apparently surprised to discover that the site has missiles. Seems like the reviewer just loves anything to do with missiles and hands out five stars. This may also be a reference to the "Whoa, technology!" meme, which originated when YandereDev, a Youtuber, uttered the phrase in one of his videos.
|-
| ★★★☆☆ || Good idea but confusing web site. How do I preorder? || This reviewer thinks that one can order a nuclear missile launch here, but can't find a preorder form on the website. He loves the idea but since he cannot find out how to order there are only 3/5 stars. In reality, the decision to launch nuclear missiles often rests with the heads of state or government, and outside persons are not allowed to control them.{{Citation needed}}
|-
| ★☆☆☆☆ || Please don't launch these || A plea to the facility owners not to launch the nuclear missiles, due to their deleterious effects on human life. See more on this under [[#Politics|Politics]] below.
|}

===Politics===
The decision to make a comic depicting a nuclear missile launch facility may not be entirely random, given Randall's mildly [[Sad_comics|political mood]] lately. In particular, it could be due to the cold relationship between Russia and the United States at the time of this comics release. Two weeks prior to this comics release [https://www.nytimes.com/2017/02/14/world/europe/russia-cruise-missile-arms-control-treaty.html?_r=0 Russia Deploys Missile, Violating Treaty and Challenging Trump]. This was less than a month after {{w|Donald Trump}} became president. Trump has been positive towards {{w|Vladimir Putin}} earlier, but after the violation USA condemned the new missile. That Randall was not in favor of Trump becoming president was made clear in [[1756: I'm With Her]]. His predecessor {{w|Barack Obama}} even stated, before Trump was elected, that [https://www.washingtonpost.com/video/national/obama-if-trump-cant-handle-twitter-then-he-cant-handle-nuclear-codes/2016/11/06/be398272-a463-11e6-ba46-53db57f0e351_video.html If Trump can't handle Twitter, then he can't handle nuclear codes]. Randall has earlier mentioned the codes indirectly in [[1242: Scary Names]], where he mentions the {{w|Nuclear football}}, which is much more scary than the name... It is a year ago he finished a "series" of four comics in a short period about nuclear weapons with [[1655: Doomsday Clock]] (see about the other comics at the bottom of that explanation). But it seems that [[Sad_comics|recent events]] have made him think about it again, although he tries no to as made evident in [[1796: Focus Knob]].

==Transcript==
:[Inside the main panel there is a frame with a Google location map with the typical red pin stuck in the center of the map inside a large gray region of the map. A river goes from the north through the gray region and out to the west. East and south of the river some roads and other items are shown, several of them also outside the gray region. The red pin is stuck next to a corner in one of the roads.]

:[Below the map is the name of the location at the red pin, and below that there are three lines of unreadable text:]
:<big>Canyon River Nuclear Launch Facility</big>

:[Below that there is broken line with text in the break, and below that follows 11 reviews with yellow stars to the left. The stars are either just outlines or colored completely, with the left one always being filled:]
:Reviews (22)
:[5 of 5 stars filled] Greatest country on earth
:[2 of 5 stars filled] Looks cool but you can't get in
:[1 of 5 stars filled] What is this store
:[4 of 5 stars filled] My cousin worked here
:[2 of 5 stars filled] Waitstaff heavily armed and very rude
:[1 of 5 stars filled] Stop doing chemtrails
:[1 of 5 stars filled] This place is a symptom of the military-industrial complex strangling our democracy and...(read full review-1184 words)
:[4 of 5 stars filled] Anyone else notice the hole in the west fence?
:[5 of 5 stars filled] Whoa, missiles!
:[3 of 5 stars filled] Good idea but confusing web site. How do I preorder?
:[1 of 5 stars filled] Please don't launch these

:[Caption below the panel:]
:I love finding reviews of places that really don't need to have reviews.

==Trivia==
* Only 11 of the 22 reviews posted are shown. For those 11 the average star rating is 2.6/5 stars. All five possible ratings are represented at least once.
* For a few days after the release of this comic the Google Search results for "[https://www.google.com/search?q=canyon+river+nuclear+launch+facility Canyon River Nuclear Launch Facility]" briefly showed the facility was located at 43.428445, -101.124018 in {{w|List_of_townships_in_South_Dakota#B|Blackpipe Township}}, {{w|Mellette County, South Dakota}} and it included the reviews shown in the comic and more.
** Randall's statement about Google deleting these kinds of reviews turned out to be true as they were quickly deleted, but not before someone made [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/8/8a/1803_Location_Reviews_for_Canyon_River_Nuclear_Launch_Facility.PNG this screenshot] of one of the other reviews.

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Comics with color]]
[[Category:Google Maps]]
[[Category:Conspiracy theory]]
[[Category:Online reviews]]
[[Category:Nuclear weapons]]

1551: Pluto

2022-05-03T23:12:04Z

172.70.126.87: Undo revision 233638 by X. K. C. D. (talk)

{{comic
| number = 1551
| date = July 14, 2015
| title = Pluto
| image = pluto.png
| titletext = After decades of increasingly confused arguing, Pluto is reclassified as a "dwarf Pluto."
}}
When the image is clicked the corresponding [http://www.nasa.gov/feature/new-horizons-spacecraft-displays-pluto-s-big-heart-0 NASA post] opens up.
==Explanation==

This comic was posted on Tuesday, July 14, 2015, in honor of the {{w|New Horizons}} deep space probe making its flyby at {{w|Pluto}}, thus breaking the typical Monday/Wednesday/Friday cycle for the [[xkcd]] comics. Also on this day he released the first [[what if?]] in over three months, and it was called [http://what-if.xkcd.com/137/ New Horizons]. Luckily it did not end up back on Earth, as depicted in [[1532: New Horizons]], released 1½ month before closest approach.

[[Randall]] has taken one of the probe's images of Pluto, and outlined humorous examples of {{w|Pareidolia|pareidolia}} on top of it.

It can be compared to preliminary descriptions by geologists, e.g. [http://www.planetary.org/blogs/emily-lakdawalla/2015/07140911-new-horizons-best-look-at.html?referrer=http://t.co/ExQJ6cKS1Q New Horizons' best look at Pluto before close approach|The Planetary Society].

The comic probably winks at {{w|Percival Lowell}} whose observatory photographed Pluto in 1915 "known" as Planet X. Unfortunately Percival Lowell is most famous for his drawings of the {{w|Martian canal|Canals on Mars}} which are widely misunderstood as channels based on wrong translations from Italian to other languages.

The title text refers to the debate as to whether Pluto should be classified as a full or dwarf planet. This debate was particularly brought into the public eye and came to be seen as a matter of controversy, following the 2006 {{w|IAU definition of planet}}. The text may imagine that this debate winds on, with definitions being created and revised until a ridiculous state is reached whereby Pluto has a special class of celestial body named after it called a 'Pluto' but fails to fulfill the arbitrary criteria set up for it, and hence is called a 'dwarf Pluto'. There actually exist the terms {{w|Plutoid}} and {{w|Plutino}}, that relate directly to groups that Pluto belongs to, but see those pages for details of their use and usage. There has been a real naming conflict whilst generating those two categories, where Plutons was the name chosen initially, whereas Pluton is the usual name of Pluto in some languages.

===Details on Randall's discoveries===

;Candy shell
Suggests Pluto is a confection, like [http://wiki.kerbalspaceprogram.com/wiki/Minmus Minmus]. May also be a reference to the [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mars_%28chocolate_bar%29 Mars] candy bar.

;JPEG plumes
The {{w|JPEG}} image format has the common issue of slightly distorting an image with {{w|Compression artifact}}s. The artifacts shown here do not appear in the official version of this image, but all data sent from New Horizons is compressed and artifacts are common — the full resolution images will be submitted to earth over the next 16 months. There have been tweets about people seeing plumes associated with active volcanoes and the like, which were explained as being artifacts.

;Frontal bone
Interpreting Pluto as a head, the {{w|frontal bone}} could be the light-colored region next to the darker top, just above the north pole facing to us.

;Grease stains
The area above Pluto's north pole is attributed to grease.

;Bugs
Could refer to possible extraterrestrial life on Pluto in the form of {{w|insects}}, or "bugs". In the animated TV series ''Roughnecks: Starship Troopers Chronicles'', an adaptation of Robert Heinlein's novel ''Starship Troopers'', the first battles with the alien "Bugs" took place on Pluto. Maybe it also refers to a software bug at the probe.

;Bullet holes
A string of small round features which Randall suggests was the result of Pluto getting shot repeatedly, probably by meteorites.

;New Netherlands
Reference to the what if?, [https://what-if.xkcd.com/54/ Drain the Oceans: Part II], about draining the Earth's oceans onto Mars. In the previous what if?, [https://what-if.xkcd.com/53/ Drain the Oceans], the Netherlands took over the Earth once their problem with the risk of flooding disappeared. And then they continued to issue forth from the portal that drained the oceans on Earth pouring them onto Mars, to claim Mars as New Netherlands. Presumably, something similar happened on Pluto. This was already again references in both an entry in the table and in the title text of [[1555: Exoplanet Names 2]].

;Disputed territory
Since the base photograph is identified as "today's ''New Horizons'' image," this indicates that a section of Pluto has immediately become the subject of some controversy, possibly a territorial claim or one of several references to the fact that Pluto was demoted from full planet status in 2006.

;Snake pit
A generic map hazard.

;{{w|Pareidolia|Full text of the Wikipedia article on pareidolia}}
Pareidolia is the human brain's tendency to see patterns where they don't exist. While probably a reference to Pluto's heart, the joke is also recursive: You'd be seeing the text of a Wikipedia article explaining to you that you couldn't actually be seeing the text of a Wikipedia article.

;Tadpole
One of a number of pareidolic features Randall has outlined.

;Kuiper Belt loops
The {{w|Kuiper belt}} is a region in our solar system that contains an unknown amount of icy bodies, one known is Pluto. Randall jokingly refers to Kuiper Belt as the same kind of belt that's used to fasten clothing and identifies features on Pluto's surface as loops for the belt.

;Serenity
An outline of the ''Firefly''-class spaceship ''Serenity'', which was the titular vessel from the 2002 TV series ''{{w|Firefly (TV series)|Firefly}}''. One of a number of pareidolic features Randall has outlined.

;Dinosaur
Nobody can see a dinosaur unless Randall did do this painting on Pluto's surface. And a complex comic needs at least one dinosaur.

;The good part
A section of Pluto that is objectively better than the rest.

;Moon bud
This could be interpreted as a moon growing/emerging out of Pluto, as a bud is "a compact knob-like growth". A round growth is seen at the location marked, resembling a small, emerging moon.

;Ghost
A reference to the classic video game ''{{w|Pacman}}'', wherein the primary antagonists are one of four Ghosts. The Ghost on Pluto appears to have a mouth, however, unlike most depictions of the ''Pacman'' Ghosts. One of a number of pareidolic features Randall has outlined.

;Pluto dinosaur extinction crater
Suggests Pluto had dinosaurs and lost them the same way Earth did.

;{{w|The Heart (Pluto)|Heart}}
One of a number of pareidolic features Randall has outlined, and the only one (currently) also informally named as such by NASA.

;Coronary artery disease
Also known as {{w|ischemic heart disease}}, which causes degradation of heart tissue. The region identified in the comic looks less 'healthy' (is darker and more ragged) compared to the rest of the 'Heart', which Randall suggests is caused by the disease.

;Mount Mons
Referring to the general practice of naming extraterrestrial mountains {{w|Mons (planetary nomenclature)|"X Mons"}} (e.g. {{w|Olympus Mons}}, a mountain on Mars and the largest mountain in the Solar System), as well as naming terrestrial mountains "Mount X". Since "mons" is Latin for "mountain", the feature's suggested name translates as "Mount Mountain".

;Charging socket
A terrain feature suitable for connecting an outside source of electricity for the benefit of implied internal batteries. Compare "dock connector," below.

;Cracks (beginning to hatch)
Implying that Pluto is some manner of a giant egg. Possibly a reference to the ''Doctor Who'' episode ''Kill the Moon'', in which the Moon is revealed to be an egg from which a monster is hatching. A 2014 article from ''The Onion'', [http://www.theonion.com/article/moon-finally-hatches-36414 "Moon Finally Hatches,"] makes the same joke. Also possibly a reference to ''The Light Fantastic'', a ''Discworld'' novel in which similar objects are revealed to be the eggs of the world turtle. A similar idea appeared in Jack Williamson's 1934 short story "Born of the Sun".

;Plug (inflating/deflating)
Inflatable balls often have a "plug" or opening to insert a needle to inflate or deflate them.

;Scars from predator attacks
Since it's all-caps, we can't tell if "PREDATOR" is a proper noun, but this is possibly a reference to the movie series ''{{w|Predator (franchise)|Predator}}'', about a race of aliens who hunt other beings for sport. Alternatively, a planetary predator (such as comic book villain {{w|Galactus}}) may have previously scarred Pluto.

;Reset button
The structure indicated is a small black dot (at least at this distance this picture was taken). Reset buttons on home electronics are often small buttons or holes used to reset the software of the electronic device.

;Megaman
One of a number of pareidolic features Randall has outlined, this one in the shape of a {{w|Mega_Man_(character)|popular video game protagonist.}}

;Debate Hole - Where we're putting all the people still arguing about Pluto's planet status
Pluto was reclassified as a {{w|dwarf planet}} rather than a {{w|planet}} following the latter term's controversial {{w|IAU definition of planet|redefinition in 2006 by the International Astronomical Union}}. Arguments about the classification continue to pop up. The same argument is referenced in the title text. The name implies a proposal to put all the people still arguing about it in this hole on Pluto. This proposal further implies that the continued debate is very annoying by 2015, except perhaps to the debaters themselves.

;Area missed during ironing
The area indicated is near the {{w|Terminator (solar)|terminator}} and shows some intriguing topographic relief.

;Probably Benign
A {{w|neoplasm}} or tumor is an abnormal growth of tissue. Randall is suggesting that the abnormal region near the heart has been evaluated by a doctor and determined to be {{w|Benign tumor|benign}}.

;Chocolate frosting
Suggests the discrepancy in color over Pluto's surface may be a function of what cake frosting was used where. This area is the "dark spot" at the head of the "whale" (http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2015/07/14/science/space/pluto-flyby.html). The so-called "whale's tail" (http://www.nbcnews.com/science/space/find-heart-whale-new-horizons-picture-pluto-n388816), is on the other hemisphere and is not visible in this image, it lies east about 90 degrees from the chocolate frosting/dark spot here.

;Vanilla frosting
As above, suggests the discrepancy in color over Pluto's surface may be a function of what cake frosting was used where.

;Border of pride lands
A reference to the Disney animated feature ''The Lion King.'' In the movie, the Pridelands is the bright and prosperous region ruled by the Lion King while a dark territory beyond its border is controlled by hyenas.

;Hyena country
A continuation of the ''Lion King'' reference above.

;Dock connector
From the point of view of the photograph, this feature of Pluto is at the planet's "bottom," where iPod dock connectors are. Compare "charging socket," above.

==Transcript==
:'''PLUTO'''
:Some of the features already identified in today's ''New Horizons'' image

:[Many marks on the image of Pluto follow:]

:Candy shell
:Frontal bone
:Grease stains
:Bugs
:JPEG plumes
:Full text of the wikipedia article on pareidolia
:Bullet holes
:New Netherlands
:Disputed territory
:Snake pit
:Tadpole
:Pluto dinosaur extinction crater
:Kuiper beltloops
:Serenity
:Ghost
:Dinosaur
:The good part
:Moon bud
:Scars from predator attacks
:Reset button
:Megaman
:Charging socket
:Cracks (beginning to hatch)
:Plug (inflating/deflating)
:Heart
::Mount Mons
::Coronary artery disease
:Debate hole
::Where we're putting all the people still arguing about Pluto's planet status
:Chocolate frosting
:Probably benign
:Vanilla frosting
:Dock connector
:Border of pride lands
:Hyena country
:Area missed during ironing

:Image credit: NASA/JHUAPL/SwRI - click for original

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Comics with color]]
[[Category:Space probes]]
[[Category:Astronomy]]
[[Category:Firefly]]
[[Category:Food]]
[[Category:Dinosaurs]]
[[Category:Wikipedia]]
[[Category:The Lion King]]

1192: Humming

2022-05-03T23:11:37Z

172.70.126.87: Undo revision 234143 by X. K. C. D. (talk)

{{comic
| number = 1192
| date = March 29, 2013
| title = Humming
| image = humming.png
| titletext = I'm so bad at carrying a tune, those 'find a song by humming its melody' websites throw an HTTP 406 error as soon as I start to hum.
}}

==Explanation==
Services like {{w|MusicBrainz}} and {{w|SoundHound}} can detect a recorded song's {{w|acoustic fingerprint}} and match it with an existing song. This lets them identify the title and artist of an unnamed recorded musical extract. In this comic, [[Megan]] hacks the acoustic fingerprint database to add her own entry with a message to [[Cueball]], in which she asks him to buy [[1022|cat food]].

HTTP error code 406 means Not Acceptable. When a client requests data from a server, the client lists the data formats that it can accept. If a server is unable to provide data in any format that the client accepts, the server returns error 406 Not Acceptable. For example, this can occur if a client requests XML but the server supports only JSON. In the title text, the standard meaning of the error message is ignored and the text "Not Acceptable" is taken literally: The server is offended by [[Randall]]'s humming.

==Transcript==
:[Megan is humming a tune.]
:Cueball: Hey.
:Cueball: What's that?

:[Megan is still humming the same tune.]
:Cueball: What are you humming?
:Cueball: Should I know the tune?
:Cueball: ...Hmm...

:[Cueball gets out his phone and opens up a music recognition program.]
:Phone: Identify song
:Phone: Recorded
:Phone: > Live [beta]

:Phone: Identifying...

:[A zoom in on the phone screen. An album cover with a picture of Megan on it.]
:Positive match:
:''Check it out!''
:By I hacked the audio fingerprint database
:Feat. MEEEEEE
:Track: We're out of cat food (pick some up?)

{{comic discussion}}
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Megan]]
[[Category:Music]]
[[Category:Cats]]

1414: Writing Skills

2022-05-03T23:11:22Z

172.70.126.87: Undo revision 234144 by X. K. C. D. (talk)

{{comic
| number = 1414
| date = August 29, 2014
| title = Writing Skills
| image = writing_skills.png
| titletext = I'd like to find a corpus of writing from children in a non-self-selected sample (e.g. handwritten letters to the president from everyone in the same teacher's 7th grade class every year)--and score the kids today versus the kids 20 years ago on various objective measures of writing quality. I've heard the idea that exposure to all this amateur peer practice is hurting us, but I'd bet on the generation that conducts the bulk of their social lives via the written word over the generation that occasionally wrote book reports and letters to grandma once a year, any day.
}}

==Explanation==
[[Cueball]] and [[White Hat]] are discussing the positive and negative effects of young people writing on mobile phones in the vernacular of the day, {{w|Short Message Service}} (SMS).

SMS messages are one of the primary means of text communication on mobile devices, and are typically limited to 160 characters. Due to the limited space available on this and other messaging platforms, and also to decrease the time taken to write a message, {{w|SMS language}} (aka textese) developed as a form of short-hand writing. This involves the abbreviation and deliberate misspelling of words, and the use of acronyms.

Naturally, the use of this style of language has expanded into other areas, including those where brevity is not an issue, and this expansion and evolution of language is a subject of intense debate. The main viewpoints on the subject are:

*Language is being negatively degraded by the use of text speak
*The use of text speak is a natural evolution of language

Cueball's point is that "practice makes perfect". The ability to form good grammar comes from practice through a lot of writing, even when that writing is informal; hence, the SMS generation gets a lot of practice compared to previous generations, who communicated mostly with speech, over the phone, and in person, and may have written only a few letters a year. To foster talent for a major literary work, we should encourage practice, even when that practice is through informal writing such as SMS.

This idea has some real scientific background. Such as the investigation in 2009 [http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1348/026151008X320507/abstract Exploring the relationship between children's knowledge of text message abbreviations and school literacy outcomes]. In this study children 10-12 were asked to compose text messages. The number of textisms was recorded, and a positive correlation was found between use of sms abbreviations and success at literacy tests. This is then related to David Crystal's concept of "ludic" language: the playful use of language as a contribution to language development. That notion is developed here: By playing with textual language, one develops writing skills, just as by playing with balls one can develop sports skills. David Crystal [http://books.google.co.uk/books?id=HyNVuCxTtW0C&pg=PA162&lpg=PA162&dq=plester+wood+puja&source=bl&ots=x1kjFfoNAW&sig=moBSR9GJaQJlVBr_P9nqDJwvoxU&hl=en&sa=X&ei=rVwDVK3VBqe60QXM5YHABw&ved=0CEMQ6AEwBA#v=onepage&q=plester%20wood%20puja&f=false explains]: "Children could not be good at texting if they had not already developed great literary awareness [...] If you are aware that your texting behaviour is different, you must have intuited that there is a standard."

{{w|James Joyce}} was a celebrated Irish novelist and poet, and his novel {{w|Ulysses (novel)|Ulysses}} is considered to be one of the most important works of modernist literature. It was criticized in some quarters for the frequent lack of punctuation and ungrammatical {{w|Stream of consciousness (narrative mode)|stream of consciousness}} narrative mode. In addition to his better-known works, he wrote a number of love letters with extremely explicit content.

In the title text, Randall wishes to prove Cueball's point by analyzing and comparing bulk volumes of texts (= a {{w|Text corpus|corpus}}) written by children today and 20 years ago. Randall favors the literary ability of today's children for their everyday use of written word over the situation of the past, when children wrote only if forced to do so. The title text's second sentence is particularly long and complex (compared to almost any other title text), which will generally score much higher "on various objective measures of writing quality". Randall may be hinting that writing a lot of short title texts, like writing a lot of SMSs, improves your general writing quality - further strengthening Cueball's point. The title text is also 99 words long, probably referencing a 100 word limit.

==Transcript==
:[White Hat and Cueball are walking together, White Hat is holding a newspaper or report.]
:White Hat: Weird- Another study found that kids who use SMS abbreviations actually score ''higher'' on grammar and spelling tests.
:Cueball: Why on ''earth'' is that a surprise?

:[Cueball turns to White hat (who is now out side the frame. Inserted in the frame is a panel showing several kids throwing balls.]
:Cueball: Imagine kids suddenly start playing catch literally ''all the time''. Everywhere they go, they throw balls back and forth, toss them in the air, and hurl them at trees and signs- Nearly every waking hour of their lives.

:[Cueball talks on while White Hat begins to walk.]
:Cueball: Do you think their generation will suck at baseball because they learned sloppy skills?
:White Hat: ...So you think someone will become a great writer while ''sexting?''

:[They walk together.]
:Cueball: Have you ''read'' James Joyce's love letters? The phrases "My little fuckbird" and "Arse full of farts" appear. If we want to write ''Ulysses'', our generation may not be sexting ''enough''.
:White Hat: Eww.

==Trivia==
*Randall originally misspelled surprise as "suprise" in the first panel and also wrote "writing writing" in the beginning of the title text instead of just "writing". It was initially conjectured here that the errors may have been deliberately introduced as they are relevant to the subject. However, both of these errors were corrected on the same day the comic was released and currently are not present in the live version.

{{comic discussion}}
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Comics featuring White Hat]]
[[Category:Language]]
[[Category:Baseball]]
[[Category:Multiple Cueballs]]
[[Category:Phones]]

529: Sledding Discussion

2022-05-03T23:10:54Z

172.70.126.87: Undo revision 234146 by X. K. C. D. (talk)

{{comic
| number = 529
| date = January 12, 2009
| title = Sledding Discussion
| image = sledding_discussion.png
| titletext = If you get your hands on that one, it's the worst place to have a breaking-up conversation.
}}

==Explanation==
[[Cueball]] and [[Megan]] have a perfectly normal sled ride down a perfectly normal hill (engaging in what's traditionally a children's pastime{{Citation needed}}) while Cueball is complaining that he has grown too old for certain things - like learning another language fluently (but not for taking a sleigh ride - although he does not really seem to enjoy it though). There is a hypothesis, called the {{w|critical period hypothesis}}, which states that you can only learn a language fluently before a certain age.

Cueball hates that ''options are closed'' to him and feels like he has ''given up a life that was once possible''. The joke is that this reminds Megan about their anniversary coming up. This means that she feels that she has given up a life that was once possible by staying so long with Cueball. Actually this may be the time when they are going to break up.

The reader would thus have expected something ironic to happen at the end of the trip but instead, the only humor in the last frame arises from their commentary on the {{w|meta humor|''lack'' of humor}}.

''{{w|Calvin and Hobbes}}'' is an acclaimed newspaper comic strip that ran from 1985 to 1995. Calvin is a six-year-old child with an active imagination, and Hobbes is his stuffed tiger who Calvin perceives to be alive through his imagination. The two frequently had philosophical conversations, [http://www.gocomics.com/calvinandhobbes/2012/12/30 often while sledding]. Calvin sledded on densely-wooded hills near where he lived, and the ride would often serve as a perfect parallel to the conversation they were having; for example, in one strip, Calvin talks about how seemingly mundane decisions can nonetheless have lasting consequences, by pointing out how all of the things they see as they continue down the hill (and eventually crash into a ravine) are a direct result of him having taken a particular fork early on.

The title text notes that if you did have a Calvin and Hobbes {{w|toboggan}}, it would be the worst place to have a breaking-up conversation, perhaps because the sled itself would literally ''break-up'' during the journey, with potentially dangerous consequences. This is also the clue to the fact that the comic is in fact about a break-up situation.

Calvin and Hobbes is also referenced in [[409|409: Electric Skateboard (Double Comic)]].

==Transcript==
:[Megan looks out window through blinds.]
:Megan: It's snowing!
:Cueball: [from off-screen] Sled time!

:[Megan and Cueball outside with sled, at the top of a hill.]
:Cueball: It depresses me that I'm too old to learn another language fluently. My brain's solidified.

:[Megan and Cueball sledding down the hill.]
:Megan: Is there one you wish you knew?
:Cueball: No, I just hate having options closed to me. Like I've given up a life that was once possible.

:[At the bottom of the hill, sled has stopped.]
:Megan: Yeah. Which reminds me - our anniversary is coming up.

:Megan: Man, that ride failed to be a metaphor for our conversation.
:Cueball: Guess this isn't the Calvin & Hobbes-model toboggan.

{{comic discussion}}
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Megan]]
[[Category:Romance]]
[[Category:Language]]
[[Category:Philosophy]]
[[Category:Calvin and Hobbes]]

1284: Improved Keyboard

2022-05-03T23:10:44Z

172.70.126.87: Undo revision 234145 by X. K. C. D. (talk)

{{comic
| number = 1284
| date = October 30, 2013
| title = Improved Keyboard
| image = improved keyboard.png
| titletext = I'm always installing tons of weird experimental keyboards because it serves as a good reminder that nothing I was going to type was really worth the trouble.
}}

==Explanation==
Modern smartphones and tablets have touchscreen LCD displays which completely cover the device's surface; for this reason they rely on software keyboards to input text such as text messages. The simplest software keyboards simply display a standard QWERTY keyboard and allow the user to tap on the letters they wish to enter, but this is slow. More sophisticated software keyboards such as SwiftKey facilitate faster text entry through gestures supported by language models. Because this space is still under development, new software keyboards promising better text entry continue to appear.

[[Black Hat]] is annoyed about [[Cueball]]'s text messages, so he sends Cueball a "better" keyboard that actually doesn't work — with the desired result that Cueball is not able to text him at all. His statement that the app is better than SwiftKey "in some ways" is literally true — it's better for ''him'', not for Cueball.

The Android keyboard app {{w|SwiftKey}} has been mentioned [[1068|before]], and Black Hat has done something similar in [[156|156: Commented]].

According to the title text, [[Randall]] does often try out new keyboard apps, only to be reminded each time that he ends up wasting more time learning the new gestures than he saves in typing more quickly. Alternatively, the increased effort and thought put into typing makes him realize that nothing he would type is really worth it to him anymore.

Similar problems arise later in [[1586: Keyboard Problems]] and [[1678: Recent Searches‎]].

==Transcript==
:[Cueball walks on screen, holding a phone, and starts talking to Black Hat.]
:Cueball: Did you get my texts?
:Black Hat: You should install this keyboard I found.
:Cueball: What? Why? Is it better than SwiftKey?
:Black Hat: In some ways.
:[Black Hat begins to walk off-panel.]
:Cueball: Ok, installing...
:Cueball: It's not working. The key area is blank—I can't type anything.
:[Black Hat has left. Cueball stares at his phone.]
:[Beat frame. Cueball lets his hands fall to their side.]
:Cueball: ...Hey.

==Trivia==
*More improved analytic investigations on keyboards are done by Randall here: [http://what-if.xkcd.com/75/ What-If - Phone Keypad]

{{comic discussion}}
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Black Hat]]
[[Category:Smartphones]]

1896: Active Ingredients Only

2022-05-03T23:10:25Z

172.70.126.87: Undo revision 234149 by X. K. C. D. (talk)

{{comic
| number = 1896
| date = September 29, 2017
| title = Active Ingredients Only
| image = active_ingredients_only.png
| titletext = Contains the active ingredients from all competing cold medicines, plus the medicines for headaches, arthritis, insomnia, indigestion, and more, because who wants THOSE things?
}}

==Explanation==
Commercial medicine typically has one (or a few) "Active" ingredient and many "Inactive" ingredients. Active ingredients are the actual medicine, while inactive ingredients -- such as preservatives, dyes, or binders -- are added to dilute the active ingredient to a healthy level and help the body absorb the dose of active ingredient.

[[Randall]] thus presents a pack of {{w|Common cold|cold}} medicine that has "Active Ingredients Only", which is the name of the brand as can be seen since it has "™" after the name (the unregistered {{w|trademark}} symbol). It has six active ingredients and no inactive ingredients. This is a spoof of the current trend of advertising food as containing "no additives and no preservatives".

Cold medicines are commonly packaged in blister packs, with each dose contained separately, and vegans commonly open up gelatin capsules and discard the capsule, ingesting only the contents of the pill (note that this may '''not be safe'''. Please consult your pharmacist or doctor before doing this). By removing the inactive ingredients of the gelatin and the requirement to open it up, the slogan ''We're not here to waste your time'', is justified. This slogan is also trademarked.

The slogan is a registered trademark (®) while the product name is a common law trademark. This means that the slogan likely stays the same, while the product name changes from time to time.

In the title text, the medicine company promises their product "Contains the active ingredients from all competing cold medicines, plus the medicines for headaches, arthritis, insomnia, indigestion, and more, because who wants THOSE things?" This may be be a follow-up (or a wish from Randall) after [[1618: Cold Medicine]], where [[Cueball]] wishes to try all possible types of cold medicine at once. The provided justification for combining all these medications is simple: These medicines cure unpleasant symptoms, so taking them all must be a good thing. What this ignores is that taking medicine intended to solve symptoms one doesn't have can be potentially harmful, and would likely be unavoidable for this product's consumers unless they are suffering from all these conditions simultaneously. Furthermore, mixing medications can often lead to unintended reactions and side effects, and is typically advised against.

Another joke is that popular cold medicines contain no antiviral ingredients at all, and treat symptoms only -- while it might make your runny nose less runny, it will do just as much to clear the rhinovirus causing your runny nose as a sugar pill. This part of the comic may be a follow-up to [[1526: Placebo Blocker]], where a sugar pill is offered to treat a headache.

A secondary joke is by claiming the active ingredients from all "competing" cold medicines, the company producing this "Active Ingredients Only" may choose whom they say they are competing against. Some cold medications treat only pain and fever, for example, and do nothing for cough, congestion, runny nose and sneezing. Doctors recommend medicines which aid for the particular symptoms of the cold one is experiencing.

==Transcript==

:[A picture of a pack of cold medicine. At the top there is a large advert in three lines. In a black line, to the right of the advert, white text states what kind of medicine is in the pack. Below to the left is a square frame listing ingredients. Most of the text inside this frame is unreadable scribbles. To the right of the frame is another advert inside a black frame. On the side of the box are also unreadable scribbles, both at the top and down next to the ingredients list. At the bottom of the box it can be seen how the pack can open up.]
:<big>Active Ingredients</big>
:<big><big>'''Only'''</big></big>TM
:We're not here to waste your time®

:Cold Medicine

:Active ingredients
:[Six lines of scribbles, with first a name, then a statement in brackets and finally a column right of this with a short line of scribbles.]

:Inactive ingredients
:None

:<big>No binders!</big>

{{comic discussion}}
[[Category:Medicine]]
[[Category:Biology]]

947: Investing

2022-05-03T23:10:13Z

172.70.126.87: Undo revision 232758 by X. K. C. D. (talk)

{{comic
| number = 947
| date = September 5, 2011
| title = Investing
| image = investing.png
| titletext = But Einstein said it was the most powerful force in the universe, and I take all my investment advice from flippant remarks by theoretical physicists making small talk at parties.
}}

==Explanation==
{{w|Compound interest}} is a type of {{w|interest}} in which the interest earned is added to the total amount, so that the interest itself then begins to gain interest in an exponential fashion. This contrasts to {{w|simple interest}}, where the amount used to calculate the interest will always stay at a fixed value. In economics classes, many teachers like to demonstrate extreme examples of compound interest, typically turning a thousand dollars into tens of thousands thanks to unrealistically high interest rates over several decades. But here, Ponytail discovers that a more realistic example is less than overwhelming. Instead of simple interest of 2% earning $200 in ten years, with compounding $219 is produced, hardly any better on a $1000 investment.

There is an urban legend that Einstein said that compounding interest is the most powerful force. {{w|Snopes}} has its [http://www.snopes.com/quotes/einstein/interest.asp doubts about it].

The idea in the title text that people take advice from physicists making small talk is also referenced in [[799: Stephen Hawking]] and [[1206: Einstein]].

==Transcript==
:Ponytail: Sure, 2% interest may not ''seem'' like a lot. But it's ''compound''!

:[Ponytail opens a computer and begins calculating.]
:Ponytail: If you invest $1,000 now, in just ten short years you'll have...
:...let's see...

:Ponytail: ...$1,219.

:Ponytail: Ok, so compound interest isn't some magical force.
:Megan: Yeah, I'm just gonna try to make more money.

{{comic discussion}}
[[Category:Comics featuring Megan]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Ponytail]]
[[Category:Math]]
[[Category:Money]]

1313: Regex Golf

2022-05-03T23:10:00Z

172.70.126.87: Undo revision 233851 by X. K. C. D. (talk)

{{comic
| number = 1313
| date = January 6, 2014
| title = Regex Golf
| image = regex_golf.png
| titletext = <nowiki>/bu|[rn]t|[coy]e|[mtg]a|j|iso|n[hl]|[ae]d|lev|sh|[lnd]i|[po]o|ls/ matches the last names of elected US presidents but not their opponents.</nowiki>
}}

==Explanation==
The comic talks about {{w|regular expressions}}, which are a way to specify textual patterns. Given a regular expression, one can search for the pattern it specifies inside a text string. If the pattern is found, it's said that the pattern "matches" the string; if it's not found, it's said it doesn't match.

The title of the comic and the first panel is based on "[http://regex.alf.nu/ regex golf]", which is a discipline of "{{w|code golf}}", a game in which programmers attempt to solve a given programming problem using as few characters as possible, analogous to the number of {{w|golf}} shots it takes to reach the goal. In regex golfing, the programmer is given two sets of text fragments, and tries to write the shortest possible regular expression which would match all elements of one set, while at the same time not matching any element from the other set.

The regex golf challenge Megan faces consists of matching all subtitles of (then extant) ''{{w|Star Wars}}'' films, while not matching any subtitle of ''{{w|Star Trek}}'' movies. {{w|Subtitle (titling)|Subtitles}} are the secondary titles of the movies, after the ''"Star Trek: "'' or ''"Star Wars Episode N: "''. For example, in ''Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace'', the subtitle is ''The Phantom Menace''. In the first panel, she created a 12-character regex solving the challenge.

Then she moved on to building a tool which would automatically build such a regex for arbitrary lists of text, which could be described as {{w|meta}}- regex golfing. But as she has lost this tool, she needs to search through her files and chooses a tool called "{{w|grep}}" to find it. This implies that she needs a regular expression that would find any code that appears to be a regex golf generator, which leads to another "meta-" layer of abstraction. At the end, Megan notes this sequence of meta-meta-... might go to infinity and Cueball quips that she now has "infinite problems" as a result of her efforts; Megan retorts that she already had "infinite problems" because she's geeky enough to run meta-versions of programs on themselves, and stubborn enough to continue on until she fails, to the exclusion of all else. This also seems to be a reference to a famous quote by {{w|Jamie Zawinski}} (see also ''[[1171: Perl Problems]]''):

<blockquote>''Some people, when confronted with a problem, think "I know, I'll use regular expressions." Now they have two problems.''</blockquote>

===Regular expressions===
The first regex Megan uses is <code>/m | [tn]|b/</code>, said to match ''Star Wars'' subtitles but not ''Star Trek''.

The forward slashes <code>/</code> just mark the start and end of the regex. The <code>|</code> character means "or", so the regex matches any string that contains the patterns "<code>m </code>", "<code> [tn]</code>" or "<code>b</code>" (including the spaces). The square brackets match one of the enclosed characters, meaning that "<code> [tn]</code>" matches either "<code> t</code>" or "<code> n</code>". The regex is apparently case-insensitive, because it wouldn't work otherwise.

The Star Wars subtitles match the parts of the regex in the following way:
*"The Phantom Menace" is matched by "<code>m </code>".
*"Attack of the Clones" is matched by "<code> [tn]</code>".
*"Revenge of the Sith" is matched by "<code> [tn]</code>".
*"A New Hope" is matched by "<code> [tn]</code>".
*"The Empire Strikes Back" is matched by "<code>b</code>".
*"Return of the Jedi" is matched by "<code> [tn]</code>".

Note that if the animated film "Star Wars: The Clone Wars" were included, it would not be matched by "<code> [tn]</code>" because the T is the start of the subtitle and is not preceded by a space. None of the "Star Wars:" films titles announced since this comic ("The Force Awakens", "The Last Jedi", and "The Rise of Skywalker") match this regex.

On the other hand, none of the Star Trek subtitles contains an M followed by a space, a T or an N preceded by a space, or any B, so the regex does not match any of them. Note that in the original series all subtitles start with a "T" but it's the first character so it's not preceded by a space.

Here is the list that Megan probably used:
*Original series:
**The Motion Picture
**The Wrath of Khan
**The Search For Spock
**The Voyage Home
**The Final Frontier
**The Undiscovered Country
*The Next Generation:
**Generations
**First Contact
**Insurrection
**Nemesis
*Reboot series:
**Into Darkness

"Star Trek Beyond", which was released after this comic, would incorrectly match the regex since it is the first "Star Trek" title to contain a "b". However, since "Star Trek Into Darkness" and "Star Trek Beyond" both lack a colon in their titles, it is [[1167: Star Trek into Darkness|debatable]] whether they can truly be considered to have subtitles.

In the last panel "and beyond" Megan uses the regular expression <code>/(meta-)*regex golf/</code> to describe her problem. <code>*</code> means "zero or more" of the preceding character/group (parentheses <code>()</code> group characters). So this regex matches "regex golf", "meta-regex golf", "meta-meta-regex golf", etc. In a way this is regex golf in itself, matching all levels of meta-regex golf while not matching anything else.

In the title text, there is a long regex that is the solution of another regex golf challenge: matching the last names of all elected US presidents but not their opponents. Note that the list of opponents include some people who were previously or later became presidents, or whose last name matches that of another person who was president, so taken literally this is impossible. To make this work the list of opponents must exclude any names of presidents. The regular expression itself works in a very similar way to the Star Wars/Trek one, including several different patterns separated by <code>|</code>. Each elected president matches one pattern while each opponent matches none.

The regex does not match either of the presidents elected since the comic’s release ("Trump" and "Biden"), and thus would need to be updated. The regex does match Hillary Clinton's last name, but because a person with the same last name (Bill Clinton) was president, this does not count as a mistake. There was already a losing opponent called George Clinton who ran in 1792 and 1812.

Here is a list of elected president and the patterns they match:
{| class="wikitable"
!Number
!President
!Matched expression
|-
|1
|{{w|George Washington|George Washington}}
|<code>sh</code>
|-
|2
|{{w|John Adams|John Adams}}
|<code>[ae]d</code>
|-
|3
|{{w|Thomas Jefferson|Thomas Jefferson}}
|<code>j</code>
|-
|4
|{{w|James Madison|James Madison}}
|<code>[mtg]a</code>
|-
|5
|{{w|James Monroe|James Monroe}}
|<code>[coy]e</code>
|-
|6
|{{w|John Quincy Adams|John Quincy Adams}}
|<code>[ae]d</code>
|-
|7
|{{w|Andrew Jackson|Andrew Jackson}}
|<code>j</code>
|-
|8
|{{w|Martin Van Buren|Martin Van Buren}}
|<code>bu</code>
|-
|9
|{{w|William Henry Harrison|William Henry Harrison}}
|<code>iso</code>
|-
|11
|{{w|James K. Polk|James K. Polk}}
|<code>[po]o</code>
|-
|12
|{{w|Zachary Taylor|Zachary Taylor}}
|<code>[mtg]a</code>
|-
|14
|{{w|Franklin Pierce|Franklin Pierce}}
|<code>[coy]e</code>
|-
|15
|{{w|James Buchanan|James Buchanan}}
|<code>bu</code>
|-
|16
|{{w|Abraham Lincoln|Abraham Lincoln}}
|<code>[lnd]i</code>
|-
|17
|{{w|Andrew Johnson|Andrew Johnson}}
|<code>j</code>
|-
|18
|{{w|Ulysses S. Grant|Ulysses S. Grant}}
|<code>[rn]t</code>
|-
|19
|{{w|Rutherford B. Hayes|Rutherford B. Hayes}}
|<code>[coy]e</code>
|-
|20
|{{w|James A. Garfield|James A. Garfield}}
|<code>[mtg]a</code>
|-
|22
|{{w|Grover Cleveland|Grover Cleveland}}
|<code>lev</code>
|-
|23
|{{w|Benjamin Harrison|Benjamin Harrison}}
|<code>iso</code>
|-
|24
|{{w|Grover Cleveland|Grover Cleveland}}
|<code>lev</code>
|-
|25
|{{w|William McKinley|William McKinley}}
|<code>n[hl]</code>
|-
|26
|{{w|Theodore Roosevelt|Theodore Roosevelt}}
|<code>[po]o</code>
|-
|27
|{{w|William Howard Taft|William Howard Taft}}
|<code>[mtg]a</code>
|-
|28
|{{w|Woodrow Wilson|Woodrow Wilson}}
|<code>ls</code>
|-
|29
|{{w|Warren G. Harding|Warren G. Harding}}
|<code>[lnd]i</code>
|-
|30
|{{w|Calvin Coolidge|Calvin Coolidge}}
|<code>[lnd]i</code>
|-
|31
|{{w|Herbert Hoover|Herbert Hoover}}
|<code>[po]o</code>
|-
|32
|{{w|Franklin D. Roosevelt|Franklin D. Roosevelt}}
|<code>[po]o</code>
|-
|33
|{{w|Harry S. Truman|Harry S. Truman}}
|<code>[mtg]a</code>
|-
|34
|{{w|Dwight D. Eisenhower|Dwight D. Eisenhower}}
|<code>n[hl]</code>
|-
|35
|{{w|John F. Kennedy|John F. Kennedy}}
|<code>[ae]d</code>
|-
|36
|{{w|Lyndon B. Johnson|Lyndon B. Johnson}}
|<code>j</code>
|-
|37
|{{w|Richard Nixon|Richard Nixon}}
|<code>[lnd]i</code>
|-
|39
|{{w|Jimmy Carter|Jimmy Carter}}
|<code>[rn]t</code>
|-
|40
|{{w|Ronald Reagan|Ronald Reagan}}
|<code>[mtg]a</code>
|-
|41
|{{w|George H. W. Bush|George H. W. Bush}}
|<code>bu</code>
|-
|42
|{{w|Bill Clinton|Bill Clinton}}
|<code>[rn]t</code>
|-
|43
|{{w|George W. Bush|George W. Bush}}
|<code>bu</code>
|-
|44
|{{w|Barack Obama|Barack Obama}}
|<code>[mtg]a</code>
|}

Some presidents are missing because they weren't elected but became presidents after the resignation/death of their formers.

And here is a list of how many unique last names are matched by each expression:

{| class="wikitable"
!Expression
!Match count
|-
| bu
| 3
|-
| [rn]t
| 3
|-
| [coy]e
| 3
|-
| [mtg]a
| 7
|-
| j
| 3
|-
| iso
| 1
|-
| n[hl]
| 2
|-
| [ae]d
| 2
|-
| lev
| 1
|-
| sh
| 1
|-
| [lnd]i
| 4
|-
| [po]o
| 3
|-
| ls
| 1
|}

Randall's regular expression does ''not'' match presidential opponents Pinckney, King, Clay, Cass, Scott, Douglas, McClellan, Seymour, Greeley, Tilden, Hancock, Blaine, Bryan, Parker, Hughes, Cox, Davis, Smith, Landon, Willkie, Dewey, Stevenson, Goldwater, Humphrey, McGovern, Mondale, Dukakis, Dole, Gore, Kerry, McCain, or Romney. However, it must be modified slightly, because it ''does'' match {{w|John C. Fremont|John C. Fremont}}, the runner-up to James Buchanan in 1856, as discussed by {{w|Peter Norvig}} at [http://nbviewer.ipython.org/url/norvig.com/ipython/xkcd1313.ipynb xkcd 1313: Regex Golf]. It also matches {{w|Aaron Burr|Aaron Burr}}, the runner-up to Thomas Jefferson in 1800. Note that Norvig provides a small amount of Python code which actually plays regex golf with arbitrary lists, and found a shorter solution than Randall's for the ''Star Wars'' vs ''Star Trek'' game (<code>/ t|p.*e/</code>).

==Transcript==
:[Caption at top of panel:]
:Regex golf:
:[Megan is sitting at a laptop. Cueball is standing behind her.]
:Megan: You try to match one group but not the other.
:Megan: /m | [tn]|b/ matches ''Star Wars'' subtitles but not ''Star Trek''.
:Cueball: Cool.

:[Caption at top of panel:]
:Meta-regex golf:
:[A close-up of Megan at her laptop.]
:Megan: So I wrote a program that plays regex golf with arbitrary lists...
:Cueball (offscreen): Uh oh...

:[Caption at top of panel:]
:Meta-meta-regex golf:
:[Megan typing at her laptop.]
:Megan: ...But I lost my code, so I'm grepping for files that look like regex golf solvers.
:[Cueball facepalming.]

:[Caption at top of panel:]
:...And beyond:
:[Another closeup of Megan at her laptop.]
:Megan: Really, this is all /(meta-)*regex golf/.
:Cueball: Now you have ''infinite'' problems.
:Megan: No, I had those already.

==Trivia==
*There are now at least four comics that reference regular expressions. The other three are: [[208: Regular Expressions]], [[224: Lisp]], and [[1171: Perl Problems]].
*Additionally, regular expressions are mentioned in the title text of [[1277: Ayn Random]].
*A regular expression is used in the [http://what-if.xkcd.com/75/ 75th] post of [[what if?]] to calculate the answer to that week's question.
*Also, Randall mentions [http://regex.alf.nu/ a website with a regexp golf game] he got distracted by while researching for the [http://what-if.xkcd.com/78/ 78th] post of [[what if?]] (which was published one day after this comic).

{{comic discussion}}
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Megan]]
[[Category:Regex]]
[[Category:Star Trek]]

917: Hofstadter

2022-05-03T23:09:47Z

172.70.126.87: Undo revision 234148 by X. K. C. D. (talk)

{{comic
| number = 917
| date = June 27, 2011
| title = Hofstadter
| image = hofstadter.png
| titletext = "This is the reference implementation of the self-referential joke."
}}

==Explanation==
{{w|Douglas Hofstadter}} is an American author who has written several books about philosophy, mathematics, and science. He is perhaps most famous for his book ''{{w|Gödel, Escher, Bach}}'' which explores "strange loops," or {{w|self-reference|self-referential systems}}. "Meta-" is a Greek prefix meaning "outside" or "beyond." As an adjective, "meta" informally refers to anything self-referential, like the last phrase of this sentence. An example of the use of such a term can be found in [[1313: Regex Golf]].

At first reading, the six word autobiography in the second panel, "I'm So Meta, Even This Acronym", may seem unfinished, however the clue is in the final word. An acronym is an abbreviation formed by the initial letters of a series of words, and reading the first letter of each of the six words in order yields "ISMETA", completing the sentence and setting up the self-reference. Hofstadter himself did something similar in ''Gödel, Escher, Bach'' in the chapter "Contracrostipunctus", where the first letter of each line spells out the phrase "'''H'''ofstadter's '''C'''ontracrostipunctus '''A'''crostically '''B'''ackwards '''S'''pells '''J'''.S.Bach" - and taking the first letters of each word in ''that'' sentence backwards does indeed spell "'''J.S. BACH'''".

This comic is probably a reference to ''{{w|Six-Word Memoirs}}'', a project launched in 2006 in which people "tell their life story in just six-words".
This comic may additionally be a reference to the meme "explain <whatever> in six words", which was making the rounds at the time.

In the title text, a ''reference implementation'' is, broadly, an example of how to implement some feature during the software development process. In this case the feature is a self-referential joke, and the sentence itself is, correctly, self-referential.

Hofstadter has been referenced before, in the title text of [[555: Two Mirrors]] and [[608: Form]]. Furthermore, his famous book has been directly spoofed in the title of [[24: Godel, Escher, Kurt Halsey]]. Finally, the self-reference reference ("IS META") is also a typical concept used most famously in [[688: Self-Description]] but also in [[:Category:Self-reference|several other comics]].

==Transcript==
:[Cueball sits at a desk, working on a laptop. Megan approaches the desk and picks up a tiny book.]
:Megan: What's this?
:Cueball: Douglas Hofstadter's six-word autobiography. After all those 700-page tomes, I guess he wanted to try for brevity.
:Megan: Huh. Let's see...

:[Close up of Megan, reading the tiny book.]
:Book: I'm So Meta, Even This ''Acronym''

:[Full shot of Cueball and Megan again. Megan looks down at the tiny book in her hand.]
:Megan: ...whoa.
:Cueball: I think he nailed it.

{{comic discussion}}
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Megan]]
[[Category:Language]]
[[Category:Self-reference]]

2502: Every Data Table

2022-05-03T23:09:37Z

172.70.126.87: Undo revision 234150 by X. K. C. D. (talk)

{{comic
| number = 2502
| date = August 13, 2021
| title = Every Data Table
| image = every data table.png
| titletext = "I'm hoping 2022 is relatively normal because I don't know what symbol comes after the asterisk and the dagger."
| imagesize =
}}

==Explanation==
This comic is another entry in a [[:Category:COVID-19|series of comics]] related to the {{w|COVID-19 pandemic}}.

It shows a future data table with one entry for each year from 2017 to 2024, so this table is made at least three years after publication of the comic (presuming it does not depict some form of advanced estimation of trends). The only discernable differences across the eight years are that two years have footnotes as in 2020* and 2021†, whereas the other six years have not.

Sometimes a symbol such as an asterisk (*) or a dagger (†, also called an obelus or obelisk) is used to denote an unusual entry in a table to be explained in a footnote with a matching symbol.

The COVID pandemic has had a large impact on the entire world and one way this can be seen is through strange stats resulting from the effects of the pandemic, at least in 2020 and 2021, the years marked with footnote in the data table. Various statistics such as employment statistics, spending power, holiday miles, pet ownership, births (or at least conceptions), and — naturally — deaths may have been either grossly suppressed/increased for the majority of 2020, and for 2021 may have hardly recovered, partially recovered, renormalized, bounced back with a vengeance or be over-compensated for in the effort to catch up.

Thus Randall concludes that ''every data table'' will look like this one from now on, hence the title of the comic.

In the title text [[Randall]] states that he hopes 2022 is relatively normal. Comically, he doesn't mainly hope for this because he wants the Covid-19 pandemic to end, but rather because he doesn't know what symbol is used after the asterisk and the cross.

It is hard to know what 2022 might be like. Nothing (at the time of this comic being published in August 2021) is exactly back to normal and proper recovery or the resulting compensatory readjustment may not have concluded in time for 2022 to reflect the trends expected based upon pre-2020 figures, and the additional further years that future statistics will record.

Common symbols that are used if the first two are taken include multiple symbols (such as †† or ***), or a series of further single-symbols such as the convention to use a double dagger (‡), the section symbol/silcrow (§), the parallel/double-pipe (‖) and the paragraph symbol/pilcrow (¶). Alternately you could just start and continue the series with superscript numbers (¹, ², ³ ...), especially when you discover a need to frequently clarify {{w|Terry Pratchett|multiple}} and/or {{w|Randall Munroe|nested}} footnotes on each page, or save up a whole chapter of many such references to present them as 'endnotes', upon entirely different pages from the text being referenced.

Unrelated to the usage as English footnote characters, the asterisk and dagger symbol are used in German mainly as the shorthand ''genealogic signs'' to express "born" and "died" respectively (e.g. in encyclopaedias, as the German terms are three-syllable words for both and need to be shortened), so a person that is 2020(*) and 2021(†) would have been alive for only about a year, depending on the months. This symbology is also used on some tomb stones. An optimistic view is the "birth" and "death" of the Coronavirus itself, which would also understandably result in uncertainty on the next symbol in this order, for 2022. Pessimists in this context might suggest to use ∞, which is the symbol for infinity.

Similarly, in biology, species (or genus, etc...) that are possibly extinct are indicated with an asterisk and dagger is used to note the possible extinction (double asterisks indicate taxa believed to be extinct in the wild but known to be extant in cultivation). This of course do not fit well with the Covid-19, which is not close to extinction, and it is also not about to cause the extinction of humans.

Randall, however, seems to have forgotten the potential {{w|monkey's paw}} nature of his wish. 'Relative' requires a comparison between things. It could well be that the whole fall-out of the pandemic becomes the new normal, and future years have no necessity to use symbols to explain how those years come to be like everyone knows they are, while dates before 2020 will be entirely understood as the old-normal. Only 2020 and 2021 may need contextual clarifying, due to the necessary transition/limbo between the earlier unaffected and later fully-adapted scenarios.

== Transcript ==
:[A data table is shown with eight years given. After each year is seven dots. At the end of these dots are unreadable text/scribbles. The table is slanted compared to the panel, so the top year is in the top left corner, partly obscured by the panel, and the dots end at the edge of the panel, so only very small part of the scribles are seen (resembling an eight dot). And at the bottom the year is close to the middle of the panel, but most of the year is below the panel, and only the last three dots are visible. Two years have symbols indicating an unseen footnote.]
:2017.......
:2018.......
:2019.......
:2020*......
:2021†.......
:2022.......
:2023.......
:2024.......

:[Caption below the panel:]
:Every data table from now on

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:COVID-19]]
[[Category:Statistics]]

1461: Payloads

2022-05-03T23:09:26Z

172.70.126.87: Undo revision 234126 by X. K. C. D. (talk)

{{comic
| number = 1461
| date = December 17, 2014
| title = Payloads
| image = payloads.png
| titletext = With a space elevator, a backyard full of solar panels could launch about 500 horses per year, and a large power plant could launch 10 horses per minute.
}}

A larger version of the image can be found [http://imgs.xkcd.com/comics/payloads_large.png here].

==Explanation==
This comic is an infographic representing the launch mass of various spacecraft and artificial satellites, and the {{w|Low Earth orbit|low Earth orbit}} payload capacity of various space launch vehicles. Rather than using standard units of mass such as kilograms or pounds, Randall has assigned values based on the mass of a horse. Based on cross checking researched masses and payloads with the number of horses depicted, it appears that one horse unit is defined as 450 kg (with an average of 432.82 kg), or perhaps 1000 lb. In cases where the mass is less than one horse, an alternative measure of dogs has been used, where one dog appears to be roughly 40 kg (with an average of 48.05 kg, or perhaps 100 lb.). In the case of {{w|Vanguard 1}}, even a dog is too large a measure, so instead the unit squirrel is used to represent its 1.47 kg (3.5 lb.?) mass.

The overall comic may be an allusion to {{w|horsepower}}, a similar-sounding but completely different concept. Horsepower is a measurement of {{w|power (physics)|power}} ({{w|work (physics)|work}} per unit time). Another commonly referenced unit for power is the {{w|watt}}. 1 horsepower is meant to be approximately the amount of power a horse can deliver. In contrast, Randall uses the horse to measure {{w|mass}} (of particular spacecraft, and of the maximum payload launch vehicles can carry).

The top pane of the comic (black background) shows the mass of various spacecraft, while the bottom (white background) shows the payload capacity (to low Earth orbit) of launch vehicles. Along the bottom of the image is a timeline, relating to the launch date of the entries.

There are also several joke insertions:
*T-Rex - A dinosaur, but fairly unlikely to be found orbiting Earth.
*Pegasus - An actual {{w|Pegasus (rocket)|launch vehicle}}, but also the name of a {{w|Pegasus|mythical flying stallion}}. The payload is given as "one Pegasus", which comes out to be slightly less than "one horse".
*Atlas-Centaur - Again, an actual {{w|Atlas-Centaur|launch vehicle}}, but also a reference to the half-human half-horse creatures of Greek mythology. The payload is given in "centaurs", which come out to be slightly more than "horses".
*1981 {{w|Oldsmobile}} - Not a launch vehicle, but in fact a car. The payload is given as 4 horses, which may relate to the carrying capacity (by weight) of the Oldsmobile, not the ability of an Oldsmobile to launch that payload into low Earth orbit. While there are no known examples of an Oldsmobile reaching low Earth orbit, {{w|The Blues Brothers (film)|''The Blues Brothers''}} movie shows an Oldsmobile performing a very, very long flight, and this might be the reason why Randall chose this specific car.

The Pegasus, 1981 Oldsmobile, and Stratolaunch spacecraft are depicted horizontally, because these vehicles launch from a horizontal starting position and use forward momentum to facilitate their launch.

An unlabelled launch vehicle is shown below the H-IIA near 2002. From the payload and date it is believed to represent the {{w|Delta IV#Delta IV Medium|Delta IV M}}. Whether its lack of labelling is intended or a mistake is unknown.

The title text refers to a favourite subject of Randall's - The {{w|space elevator}}. A space elevator is a (currently theoretical) mechanism for travelling into space, consisting of a very long (>35,000 km) cable and counterweight connected to the Earth at the equator. The cable rotates at the same rate as the earth, and thus appears stationary when viewed from earth. It is then possible to climb the cable into space, and even use it as a slingshot to launch vehicles.

In the title text, the amount of power required to lift a horse into space has been investigated, with the launch capacity of a backyard solar array and large power station compared. The orbit to launch horses is not precised, though; from the space elevator, the only circular orbit easily achievable is geostationary orbit, and getting into Low Earth Orbit is only slightly easier than without the elevator. Assuming the lowest stable orbit (that is, above the atmosphere), required power output of the solar array is about 315-350 kW and the power station at 3.3-3.7 GW.

===Tables===
The tables below contain data relating to each entry on the comic image.

*Name - Should be as shown in the comic
*Launch date - Date of first flight
*Mass/payload (horses) - Value as given in comic
*Mass/payload (kg) - Independently researched value

Where the researched launch date or mass/payload don't seem to match the comic, they should be identified with ?

{|
|- style="vertical-align:top;"
|
{| class="wikitable sortable"
!colspan="4"|Spacecraft mass
|-
!Spacecraft
!Launch date ''{{w|ISO 8601}}''
!Mass (horses)
!Mass (kg)
|-
|{{w|Sputnik 1|Sputnik}}[http://www.astronautix.com/craft/sputnik1.htm]
|1957-10-04
|2 Dogs
|83.6
|-
|{{w|Vanguard 1}}[http://www.astronautix.com/craft/vanuard1.htm]
|1958-03-17
|Squirrel
|1.47
|-
|{{w|Pioneer 5}}[http://www.astronautix.com/craft/pioneer5.htm]
|1960-03-11
|Large Dog
|43
|-
|{{w|Venera 1}}[http://www.astronautix.com/craft/venra1va.htm]
|1961-02-12
|1
|643.5
|-
|{{w|Mariner 2}}[http://www.astronautix.com/craft/marner12.htm]
|1962-08-27
|3 Dogs
|202.8
|-
|{{w|Apollo Command/Service Module|Apollo}}[http://www.astronautix.com/craft/apolocsm.htm]
|1964-05-28
|67
|30,329
|-
|{{w|Venera 7}}[http://www.astronautix.com/craft/ven3vv70.htm]
|1970-08-17
|3
|1,180
|-
|{{w|Pioneer 10}}[http://www.astronautix.com/craft/pior1011.htm]
|1972-03-03
|7 Dogs
|258.8
|-
|{{w|Skylab}}[http://www.astronautix.com/craft/skylab.htm]
|1973-05-14
|171
|77,088
|-
|{{w|Venera 9}}[http://www.astronautix.com/craft/venra4v1.htm]
|1975-06-08
|11
|4,936
|-
|{{w|Voyager 2}}[http://www.astronautix.com/craft/voyager.htm]
|1977-08-20
|2
|800
|-
|{{w|Space Shuttle|Shuttle (Total)}}[http://www.braeunig.us/space/specs/orbiter.htm]
|1981-04-12
|206
|104,328?
|-
|{{w|Space Shuttle|Shuttle (Payload)}}
|1981-04-12
|54
|24,400
|-
|{{w|Mir}}
|1986-02-20
|288
|129,700
|-
|T-Rex
|N/A
|15
|6,800
|-
|{{w|Hubble}}[http://www.astronautix.com/craft/hst.htm]
|1990-04-24
|25
|11,110
|-
|{{w|Compton Gamma Ray Observatory}}[http://www.astronautix.com/craft/gro.htm]
|1991-04-05
|38
|17,000
|-
|{{w|Corona (satellite)|Keyhole 3}}†
|1961
|40
|1150
|-
|{{w|International Space Station}}
|1998
|932
|450,000
|-
|{{w|Cassini-Huygens|Cassini}}
|1997-10-15
|11
|5,300
|-
|{{w|Huygens (spacecraft)|Huygens Lander}}
|1997-10-15
|1
|319
|-
|{{w|Rosetta (spacecraft)|Rosetta}}
|2004-03-02
|6
|2,900
|-
|{{w|Opportunity (rover)|Opportunity}}
|2003-07-07
|5 Dogs
|185
|-
|{{w|Dawn (spacecraft)|Dawn}}[http://www.astronautix.com/craft/dawn.htm]
|2007-09-27
|3
|1,240
|-
|{{w|TerreStar-1|Terrastar}}*
|2009-07-01
|15
|6,910
|-
|{{w|Dragon (spacecraft)|Dragon}}[http://www.astronautix.com/craft/dragon.htm]
|2010-06-04
|17
|8,000
|-
|{{w|Tiangong-1}}
|2011-09-29
|19
|8,506
|-
|{{w|Curiosity (rover)|Curiosity}}
|2011-11-26
|2
|900
|-
|{{w|KH-7 Gambit|Keyhole 7}}†
|1963-07-12
|40
|2000
|-
|{{w|Orion (spacecraft)|Orion (Capsule)}}
|2014-12-05
|20
|8,913
|-
|{{w|James Webb Space Telescope|James Webb Telescope}}
|2018-08 (Projected)
|14
|6,200
|-
|{{w|Orion (spacecraft)|Orion}}
|2014-12-05
|20
|8,913
|-
|{{w|Orion Service Module}}
|2017 (Projected)
|25
|12,000
|-
|{{w|Deep Space Habitat|Orion Deep Space Habitat}}
|2021 (Projected)
|65
|28,750 & 45,573
|}
<nowiki>*</nowiki>Terrastar is believed to be a misspelling of {{w|TerreStar-1|TerreStar}}, based on its mass and launch date.

<nowiki>†</nowiki>Keyhole 3 and 7 seem to be errors; Keyhole 3 satellites were launched between 1961 and 1962 and Keyhole 7 between 1963 and 1967. 
The dates and masses in the comic more closely correspond to the {{w|KH-11 Kennan|Keyhole 11}}.
|

{| class="wikitable sortable"
!colspan="4"|Launch vehicle capacity
|-
!Spacecraft
!Launch date ''{{w|ISO 8601}}''
!Payload (horses)
!Payload (kg)
|-
|{{w|Sputnik (rocket)|Sputnik Launcher}}[http://www.astronautix.com/lvs/spuk71ps.htm]
|1957-10-04
|1
|500
|-
|{{w|Thor-Able|Thor}}
|1958-04-24
|3 Dogs
|120
|-
|{{w|Mercury-Atlas}}
|1960-07-29
|3
|1,360
|-
|{{w|Saturn I}}
|1961-10-27
|20
|9,070
|-
|{{w|Proton-K}}[http://www.astronautix.com/lvs/protonk.htm]
|1967-03-10?
|44
|19,760
|-
|{{w|Atlas-Centaur}}[http://www.astronautix.com/lvs/atlntaur.htm]
|1962-05-08
|8 Centaurs
|3,630
|-
|{{w|Titan IIIA}}
|1964-09-01
|7
|3,100
|-
|{{w|Saturn IB}}
|1966-02-26
|45
|21,000
|-
|{{w|Soyuz (rocket)|Soyuz}}
|1966-11-28
|14
|6,450
|-
|{{w|Saturn V}}
|1967-11-09
|262
|118,000
|-
|{{w|Black Arrow}}
|1969-06-27
|4 Dogs
|135
|-
|{{w|N1 (rocket)|N1}}
|1969-02-21
|211
|90,000?
|-
|{{w|Long March 1}}
|1969-11-16
|2
|300*
|-
|{{w|N-I (rocket)|N-I}}
|1975-09-09
|4
|1,200?
|-
|{{w|Delta 0100|Delta 0900}}
|1972-07-23
|3
|1,300
|-
|{{w|Ariane 1}}
|1979-12-24
|3
|1,400
|-
|{{w|Satellite Launch Vehicle|SLV}}
|1979-08-10
|1 Dog
|40
|-
|{{w|N-II (rocket)|N-II}}
|1981-02-11
|4
|2,000
|-
|{{w|Oldsmobile#1970s-1980s|1981 Oldsmobile}}
|1981
|4
|N/A (Model dependent)
|-
|{{w|ASLV}}
|1987-03-24
|4 Dogs
|150
|-
|{{w|Long March 4A}}
|1988-09-06
|9
|4,000
|-
|{{w|Ariane 4}}
|1988-06-15
|16
|5,000-7,600?
|-
|{{w|Shavit}}
|1988-09-19
|6 Dogs
|350-800?
|-
|{{w|Energia}}
|1987-05-15
|218
|100,000*
|-
|{{w|Pegasus (rocket)|Pegasus}}
|1990-04-05
|1 Pegasus
|443
|-
|{{w|Atlas I}}[http://www.astronautix.com/lvs/atlasi.htm]
|1990-07-25
|13
|3,630?
|-
|{{w|PSLV}}
|1993-09-20
|8
|3250
|-
|{{w|J-I}}[http://www.astronautix.com/lvs/j1.htm]
|1996-02-11
|2
|850
|-
|{{w|Long March 3B}}
|1996-02-14
|27
|12,000
|-
|{{w|H-IIA}}
|2001-08-29
|22
|10,000
|-
|(unlabelled) {{w|Delta IV#Delta IV Medium|Delta IV M}}?*
|2002-09-20
|21
|4200-6882
|-
|{{w|Delta IV Heavy|Delta IV-H}}[http://www.astronautix.com/lvs/delheavy.htm]
|2004-12-21
|64
|28,790
|-
|{{w|Falcon 1}}
|2006-03-24
|1
|670 (Proposed)
|-
|{{w|Ariane 5#Variants|Ariane 5ES}}[http://www.astronautix.com/lvs/arine5es.htm]
|2008-03-09
|47
|21,000
|-
|{{w|H-IIB}}
|2009-09-10
|37
|19,000?
|-
|{{w|Unha}}
|2009-04-05
|2 Dogs
|100[http://www.ucsusa.org/sites/default/files/legacy/assets/documents/nwgs/Wright-Analysis-of-NK-launcher-3-18-09.pdf]
|-
|{{w|Atlas V|Atlas V 541}}
|2011-11-26
|38
|17,443[http://www.lockheedmartin.com/data/assets/ssc/cls/AVUG_Rev11_March2010.pdf]
|-
|{{w|Falcon 9}}
|2013-09-29
|29
|13,150
|-
|{{w|Antares (rocket)|Antares}}
|2013-04-21
|14
|6,120
|-
|{{w|Stratolaunch carrier aircraft|Stratolaunch}}
|2016 (Projected)
|14
|6,100
|-
|{{w|Falcon Heavy}}
|2018-02-06
|118
|53,000
|-
|{{w|Space Launch System|SLS Block 1}}
|2018-11 (Projected)
|156
|70,000[http://www.nasa.gov/pdf/664158main_sls_fs_master.pdf]
|-
|{{w|Space Launch System|SLS Block 1B}}
|2021 (Projected)
|217
|100,000?
|-
|{{w|Space Launch System|SLS Block 2}}
| 2030's (Projected)
|289
|130,000[http://www.nasa.gov/pdf/664158main_sls_fs_master.pdf]
|}

*The unlabelled launch vehicle is believed to be the Delta IV M, based on its payload and date.
|}

==Transcript==
:[This comic is a wide drawing, with a larger drawing that can be reached by clicking the small picture on xkcd. In the smaller picture shown on xkcd only the text that is not red can be read. The transcript below is thus for the large drawing. It is divided into three horizontal sections. The first section is black and shows spacecrafts, the second is white and shows launch vehicles, and the third is black again showing a timeline ranging from 1950 to the future. The vehicles are shown by the proper number of horses, and when that weight is less than one full horse also in the weight of other smaller animals.]

:[The black section:]
:<big><big>Spacecraft mass</big></big>
:<big>Measured in horses</big>

:Sputnik -- <1 horse (2 dogs )
:Vanguard 1 -- <1 horse (Squirrel )
:Pioneer 5 -- <1 horse (Large dog)
:Mariner 2 (United States) -- <1 horse (3 dogs )
:Venera 1 (USSR) -- 1 horse
:Apollo -- 67 horses
:Venera 7 -- 3 horses
:Pioneer 10 -- <1 horse (7 dogs)
:Skylab -- 171 horses
:Venera 9 -- 11 horses
:Voyager 2 -- 2 horses
:Shuttle (Total) -- 206 horses
:Shuttle Payload -- 54 horses
:Mir -- 288 horses
:T-Rex -- 15 horses
:Hubble -- 25 horses
:Compton Gamma Ray Observatory -- 38 horses
:Keyhole 3 -- Spy satellite
:International Space Station -- 932 horses
:Cassini -- 11 horses
:Huygens lander -- 1 horse
:Rosetta -- 6 horses
:Opportunity -- <1 horse (5 dogs)
:Dawn -- 3 horses
:Terrastar -- 15 horses
:Dragon -- 17 horses
:Tiangong-1 -- 19 horses
:Curiosity -- 2 horses
:Keyhole 7 -- 40 horses
:Orion (capsule) -- 20 horses
:James Webb Telescope -- 14 horses
:[20 horses:]
:Orion
:[25 horses:]
:Orion Service Module
:[65 horses:]
:Orion Deep-Space Habitat

:[The white section:]
:<big><big>Launch vehicle capacity</big></big>
:(Payloads to low earth orbit)
:<big>Measured in horses</big>

:Sputnik Launcher -- 1 horse
:Thor -- <1 horse (3 dogs)
:Mercury-Atlas -- 3 horses
:Saturn I -- 20 horses
:Proton-K -- 44 horses
:Atlas-Centaur -- 8 centaurs
:Titan IIIA -- 7 horses
:Saturn IB -- 45 horses
:Soyuz -- 14 horses
:Saturn V -- 262 horses
:Black Arrow -- <1 horse (4 dogs)
:N1 -- 211 horse -- Exploded on Launch pad
:Long March 1 -- 2 horses
:N-I (Japan) -- 4 horses
:Delta 0900 -- 3 horses
:Ariane 1 -- 3 horses
:SLV (India) -- <1 horse (1 dog)
:N-II -- 4 horses
:1981 Oldsmobile -- 4 horses
:ASLV -- <1 horse (4 dogs)
:Long March 4A -- 9 horses
:Ariane 4 -- 16 horses
:Shavit (Israel) -- <1 horse (6 dogs)
:Energia -- 218 horses
:Pegasus -- 1 Pegasus
:Atlas I -- 13 horses
:PSLV -- 8 horses
:J-I -- 2 horses
:Long March 3B -- 27 horses
:H-IIA -- 22 horses
:Delta IV-H -- 64 horses
:Falcon 1 -- 1 horse
:Ariane 5ES -- 47 horses
:H-IIB -- 37 horses
:Unha (North Korea) -- <1 horse (2 dogs)
:Atlas V 541 -- 38 horses
:Falcon 9 -- 29 horses
:Antares -- 14 horses
:Stratolaunch -- 14 horses
:Falcon Heavy -- 118 horses
:SLS Block 1 -- 156 horses
:SLS Block 1B -- 217 horses
:SLS Block 2 -- 289 horses

:[The timeline:]
:1950s, 1960s, 1970s, 1980s, 1990s, 2000s, Future

A larger transcript with image descriptions can be found here: [[1461: Payloads/Transcript|Full transcript]]

==Trivia==
*Later after the initial release of this comic Randall added a link to this page. It's viewable in the HTML-source or here: [https://xkcd.com/1461/info.0.json https://xkcd.com/1461/info.0.json]. The text is: ''"This comic is an infographic. A very good transcription is available in complete form here: http:\n\nwww.explainxkcd.com\nwiki\nindex.php\n1461"''. At the time this was added here was no written transcript but a complete explain section.

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Comics with color]]
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[[Category:Charts]]
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[[Category:Space probes]]
[[Category:Telescopes]]
[[Category:Mars rovers]]

1461: Payloads/Transcript

2022-05-03T23:09:09Z

172.70.126.87: Undo revision 234151 by X. K. C. D. (talk)

:[Below is the full transcript for [[1461: Payloads]].]

:[The comic is divided in two main sections the top third of the comic being black and the bottom section white. At the very bottom is a timeline in a black section that runs like a border along the bottom. The timeline with large years noted along it as well as the large title and its subtitle in the first black section is in white. In the white section the large text of the title with its two subtitles are black. All other text, in the two main sections, is labels next to the different objects. These labels are written in red text.]

:[As the spacecrafts and rockets are drawn along the timeline axis according to the year they were constructed the timeline at the bottom in the second black section will be transcribed first. The section is just a thin black border, but on this is the time-line drawn white with white labels. The line has six division ticks which breaks the timeline. To the left of where the line begins and then in the middle between each set of ticks a year range is given. So there are ten years between two ticks. The timeline is not drawn where the numbers are. After the line ends to the right there is also a label:]
:1950s
:1960s
:1970s
:1980s
:1990s
:2000s
:Future

:[Each object is made up from a number of horses (or fractions thereof for less than one full horse used) and in the second section also other objects are added see below. All horses are drawn with their head to the left, two legs showing and no clear tail at their end. When fractions are used the drawing start to the left so the head is always visible if a full head is needed in the fraction.]

:[For each of the two main sections each label is generally listed going from bottom left and up and then right. The first objects description tells where to start, and then where the horses are compared to the text. Then the next objects description tells where the next text is compared to the previous text (so not where the horses are) and again where the horses are compared to the text belonging to them. This continues until the last item. The first objects in each section is located above the 1950s label. A new year range will be given in the description whenever an object described is the first to be above a tick or above a year label below on the time-line.]

:[In the black section the horses are white to begin with and stacked after a set of rules. To begin with there are less than a full, but then later when there are many horses that they are divided into compartments that forms squares of five times five horses, which again, when there are more than 50 is stacked two next to each other or and then the rest on top, filling entire rows of ten over two squares. When over 100 they form four squares in a two by two format. And then two extra squares are added for every 50 extra horses, and those above 100 will then be added in columns of 10 (and if there are two full blocks on top of each other rows are added in columns of 20! This is only relevant for the ISS). This goes on all the way from left to right except for one spacecraft which is clearly the space-shuttle as the horses are stacked in the shape of the shuttle, and in the center of the shuttle (where the shuttle’s payload goes) the horses are drawn in light gray. Finally the horses in the last four groups are drawn in a dark gray shade, because they are in the future. In total there are 34 labels in the black section. Two of the space craft have two labels as there are two parts to the spacecrafts. Apart from the space-shuttle also the Cassini is spilt as the small Huygens lander is set a bit aside from the rest of the spacecraft. And finally one of the objects is a T-rex I shown in equivalent mass in horses, and it is thus not a spacecraft. This leaves 34 objects, but one is not a rocket and two are part of other spacecrafts at takeoff leaving only and 31 spacecrafts. There are 2065 full horses drawn as well as six horse fractions for spacecrafts with a mass less than a full horse which has then been given more precisely as the equivalent of the mass of 18 dogs (from 1-7, one of the dogs is cited as being large) and one squirrel, so five spacecraft have their mass given in dog mass. One of these is so close to a horse mass that the horse looks full so there are 2066 full horses and 5 fractions. From this it can be seen that a horses mass is higher but still close to 7 dog masses. Randall has not listed the number of horses for the three last spacecraft in the future, and also not for one spy satellite from the 1990s. Maybe because their mass is unknown, but the horses are there to count. The number of horses will though not be listed as part of the text transcript, but only in the description for these four.]

:[Here follows the full transcript and description of the black section:]

:[The black section has the following title and subtitle in the top left corner:]
:<big><big>Spacecraft mass</big></big>
:<big>Measured in horses</big>

:[Staring at the bottom left corner is the first red label above 1950s. There is only a horse head with neck down to the torso below the neck to the left of:]
:Sputnik
:<1 horse
:(2 dogs )

:[Above that a very tiny white dot right of:]
:Vanguard 1
:<1 horse
:(Squirrel )

:[Above and right of that (above the first (1960) tick) is a small white dot left of:]
:Pioneer 5
:<1 horse
:(Large dog)

:[Above and right of that front part of horse from head down to the front legs, left of:]
:Mariner 2 (United States)
:<1 horse
:(3 dogs )

:[Above that the first full horse with two legs shown and the end visible left of:]
:Venera 1 (USSR)
:1 horse

:[Some way right of the two previous spacecrafts (well past the 1960s below) is the first multiple horse spacecraft. Two squares of 25 horses five by five and then two rows above these two squares where the last five over the second square is only to horses rather than five. Below:]
:Apollo
:67 horses

:[Above and right of that (above the 1970 tick) a row of three horses:]
:Venera 7
:3 horses

:[Above and right of that what looks like a full horse:]
:Pioneer 10
:<1 horse
:(7 dogs)

:[Below and right of that the largest so far with more than 150 horses. The first four squares of 25 are arranges in a 2x2 square and have a slightly larger separation between that block and the next square to their right than there are between the blocks inside the first 100 horse block. After the next fifty placed in two blocks above each other there are two full columns and then a single horse at the bottom of a third column:]
:Skylab
:171 horses

:[Above and right (above the 1970s) of that are two rows of five horses with a single horse below these two rows, placed under the fourth horse from the left. They are below:]
:Venera 9
:11 horses

:[Above and right of that two horses behind each other above:]
:Voyager 2
:2 horses

:[Below and right of that (above the 1980 tick) the only set of horses that are not stacked only in square blocks. The horses are clearly put up in the shape of the space-shuttle. There are still five horses in two rows next to each other at the top where it is broadest, like there would be in a spacecraft made up of for instance 50 horses. But up toward the tip from two full rows the number of horses in each row is getting one smaller both left and right twice with two rows of eight and two of six horses following the two with ten horses. Above them is the very tip of the shuttle with only two horses. Below the tips two rows with ten horses, there is a hole in the ship for where the shuttle’s payload goes. The row just below the last row of ten is missing the two central horses (so there are eight). There are no payload horses in that row. The next 11 rows of the shuttle are only two horses wide on either side of the payload. The mass of the payload is also drawn as horses in the center of the shuttle only these horses are drawn in light gray color rather than in white. The first row where the first row of only two shuttle horses on either side is only four horses wide and they have been shifted so they are centered over the next row with five horses below. That row is slightly longer down that all the white horses rows above, because this is where a separation between two blocks of 50 horses is made. Down the center of the white shuttle tip the distance between left and right rows of horses is also slightly larger making this center line appear clearly in the shuttle. But down along the two 25 horses blocks of the light gray payload horses there is no such split as these 50 horses are drawn in two five by five squares above each other, with those last 4 horses on top slightly further apart than even the distance between the two 25 horses blocks. Along the first six rows of payload there are also those four white horses in either side making these rows to rows of 9 horses (the first row of payload with four horses was thus 8 horses across but with the same total width and just more black space between shuttle and payload). Below the first row of payload horses in the bottom square the shuttle width starts to increase These extra horses are clearly further apart than any other columns because the central part of the shuttle is two squares wide (i.e. 10 horses wide) and thus the larger separation to the next squares that will form out there. The first two rows have one extra horse on either side making it three horses on either side. Then the next two rows, the last two of the payload the number of horses increases one on either side with each row so the last row with payload has five horses on either side, making the number of horses in this row 15, but with two columns of black on either side of the payload. Below the payload another square of 50 horses is finished so automatically the space between payload and the bottom section of the shuttle is large, just as it was on the top, but there the extra space was inside the payload horses. The width of the spaceship has increased once more with one horse left and right and this is the widest the shuttle becomes. The first row of horses just below the payload it also the row with most horses as there are no empty space, just the extra separation between the central “squares" of 10 horses wide (including the two horses that where on either side of the payload above. So there are now six horses where above there were only five horses). And on either side of this row there are four horses for a row total of 18 horses. The row beneath this is just as wide, but the two horses that was in the two rows on either side of the payload is not missing, for a total of 14 horses in this second to last row, where there are two times three horses just below the payload section. These extending rows of horses form the wings of the shuttle. The last row only has horses under this central row, and the two horses in the center of the row above has been removed leaving the row only four horses wide and with a hole in the middle which simulates the exhaust hole for the engine. There are 160 white horses and 54 light gray for a total mass of 214 horses with the payload, so Randall has either drawn 8 horse too many (for instance the last row of the wings) or types 206 by mistake. There are two sections of text both of them to the left of the shuttle. The first next to the broadest part of the tip of the shuttle, the second next to the top full square of horses of the payload:]
:Shuttle
:(Total)
:206 horses
 
:Shuttle
:Payload
:54 horses

:[Above and right of that (above the 1980s) is the first regular shaped spacecraft with a mass over 200 horses. It is even close to 300 so there are three blocks of four squares of horses, with extra space between each of these three blocks. The last block is not completely full, there are only for nine horses in the rows for except for the top two rows where there are only seven, thus only missing 12 horses from 300. The text is above the top left corner:]
:Mir
:288 horses

:[Below and right of that is the only non-spacecraft included (for comparison). There are three rows of 5 horses to the left of:]
:T-Rex
:15 horses

:[A bit down and right of that (above (or just past) the 1990 tick) is a full square of 25 horses above:]
:Hubble
:25 horses

:[Slightly above and right of that another square but with two full rows above and three horses on top of these. The text is below:]
:Compton
: Gamma Ray
:Observatory
:38 horses

:[Above and right of that (above the 1990s) another full square but with the next squares three column to the right not above. The mass is 40 horses, but that is for some reason not given in the text below:]
:Keyhole 3
:Spy satellite

:[Below at the very bottom and right of that the largest of any item in the hole chart. Its second section is above the 2000 tick but it does not stop until just before the 2010 tick. There are eight full two by two squares (of 100 each) stacked in two rows of four. Two more blocks of four squares are begun at the right end, but only the first six columns are filled up to the full height of 20 horses. The seventh and last row in the space craft is only 12 horses high from the bottom. Thus more than three full rows miss before another full block would have been added. The text is below at the bottom left corner:]
:International Space Station
:932 horses

:[The next four spacecrafts are above the ISS but only the first of these here has the text almost exactly above that. There are three columns pf four horses, but the last horse at the bottom right is set apart from the other 11 by shifting it slightly both down and right. There are two sections of text both of them to the right of the horses. The first is at the top right tip and the second next to the offset horse:]
:Cassini
:11 horses
 
:Huygens lander
:1 horse

:[Right of that is a row of five horses with a sixth horse above the first horse in the row. The text is below:]
:Rosetta
:6 horses

:[Right of that (above the 2000s) a bit more than half a horse from the head to the middle of the body halfway between the legs. Text to the right:]
:Opportunity
:<1 horse
:(5 dogs)

:[Right of that (the last over the ISS) are three horses in a row above:]
:Dawn
:3 horses

:[Below and right of that (just right of the top end of the ISS) are three rows of five horses above:]
:Terrastar
:15 horses

:[Below and right of that three rows of five horses with two more on top of these above:]
:Dragon
:17 horses

:[Above and right of that three rows of five horses with four more on top of these above:]
:Tiangong-1
:19 horses

:[Above and a bit left (above the 2010 tick) of that two horses above:]
:Curiosity
:2 horses

:[Below at the bottom and right of that a full square and right of that three rows in the next square above:]
:Keyhole 7
:40 horses

:[Above and right of that (just inside the future mark below were the 2015 tick would have been) are four rows of five horses above:]
:Orion (capsule)
:20 horses

:[After the longest empty space but still below and far right of that is the first spacecraft planned for the future. The timescale stops before it reaches where 2010s would have been placed (at 2015) had the line continued. Instead this place is just called the future (the comic came out in 2014). But if the scale continues linearly (and Randall used it to put the ships at their estimated launch year) then this and the next future spacecraft are on either side of the 2020 tick. The horses from here on are gray rather than white. There are two rows of five and four horses above them above:]
:James Webb
:Telescope
:14 horses

:[Below and right of that four columns of five horses – 20 in total. These last three does not have their weight written in the text which is below:]
:Orion

:[Below and right of that is a full square of five by five horses for 25 in total to the left of:]
:Orion
:Service
:Module

:[Above and right of that are the last spacecraft (and largest from the future which ends above what would have been the 2020s had the timeline continued) with two full squares next to each other and then three columns more of five horses to their right for a total of 65 horses:]
:Orion
:Deep-
:Space
:Habitat

:[In the white section the horses (and other part of the rockets depicted here) are black to begin with. They are again stacked in squares of columns of five horses in each column, if there are more than five horses. When there are more than 25 horses a five by five square will again be used, and for more than 100 it will again be four squares of 25 in a two by two stack. Here in this section, however, further horses will be stacked on top of each other to form a high column never more than two squares wide. On top of these columns there will be inserted the tip of the rocket (vehicle) not formed by horses. When the top row (or column) is not filled out, the tip is either deeper where there is no horses in the top row, or longer down if there is not enough horses in the right column. So there will not be a "hole" in the rocket where there are no horses (like there was inside the space-shuttle around its payload). Below the bottom row of horses in a rocket there are slim rectangles below which there is a rocket engine (or more) from which exhaust flame(s) will be emanating. For the smallest rockets up to all rockets with less than 100 horses there is just one engine and one flame. For rockets with two columns of 25 squares (and thus more than 100 horses), there will be at least two engines shown and from all but two of the six relevant rockets there will be shown three rather than just two flames (which is the case in one of the other two). This indicates that those rockets with three flames must have at least three engines, one of which is behind the two in front, and in the middle between them, so the three flames are seen next to each other. This back engine can in principle be seen as there is a line between the bottoms of the two engines in front, where there else should have been no line. The three engines must thus form a triangle seen from below, as opposed to the one with only two engines that must be next to each other. It is the first of those rockets set in the future to the right in the section which only has two engines and two flames. Those last five rockets set in the future and are all drawn in gray, both the horses, the tip, engine and flames. The last and different of these six large rockets is drawn so low compared to the black time-line section below that most of the bottom of its engines are not visible, and there is thus not flames visible either. That there is something special about this rocket is made clear as both the horses and the tip and engines are drawn in very light gray color. There is also one item that is not a rocket but a car. This car goes horizontally where almost all the rockets are drawn vertical except for two small ones that are also flying horizontally further to the right than the car. This leaves 44 objects, but one is not a rocket but a car. There are 1950 full horses drawn as well as six horse fractions for rocket with a mass less than a full horse which has then been given more precisely as the equivalent of the mass of 20 dogs (from 1-6 dogs). In all cases these fractions of horses are still (as opposed to in the black section) not drawn as fractions but as full horses so there are 1956 horses drawn. Four of these are, though, used in the car, so the rockets have 1952 horses for 43 rockets. There is also one Pegasus and eight centaurs among the 1952 horses, but they are not drawn differently from all the other horses. Randall has not listed the number of horses for one of the rockets in the 2000s but that seems to be because he has forgotten to put on the label (those horses have been counted here above). So there are only 43 labels. The number of horses for that rocket will thus not be listed as part of the text transcript, but only in the description for this single forgotten rocket.]

:[Here follows the description of the white section:]

:[The white section has a title and two subtitles in the top left corner:]
:<big><big>Launch vehicle capacity</big></big>
:(Payloads to low earth orbit)
:<big>Measured in horses</big>

:[Staring at the middle of the section to the far left is the first red label above 1950s. There is only one horse with tip and one engine with fire to the right of:]
:Sputnik
:Launcher
:1 horse

:[Below and right of that there is a rocket which, in spite of the mass is cited as less than one horse, is made from one full drawing of a horse with tip and one engine with fire to the right of:]
:Thor
:<1 horse
:(3 dogs)

:[Above at the top and slightly right of that (above the 1960 tick) there are three horses in a column with tip and one engine with fire to the right of:]
:Mercury-Atlas
:3 horses

:[Below and just right of that is the first multiple horse column rocket with four columns of five horses with tip and one engine with fire to the right of:]
:Saturn I
:20 horses

:[Above and slightly right of that the first with more than 25 horses, to there is a full five by five square and and then four more rows of five, except the top row misses one horse to the right. This hole is filled by the edge of the tip which is longer there. Below is one engine with fire. The rocket is right of:]
:Proton-K
:44 horses

:[Almost straight below, just right of that is a small two horse column rocket with five in the first and three horses in the second column. Although it says it is centaurs they are drawn as all the other horses. Where there would be an empty space because of the two missing horses the edge of the tip is longer there and fills the hole. Below is one engine with fire. The rocket is right of:]
:Atlas-Centaur
:8 centaurs

:[Below and right of that is a similar small two horse column rocket with five in the first and two horses in the second column. Where there would be an empty space because of the three missing horses the edge of the tip is longer there and fills the hole. Below is one engine with fire. The rocket is right of:]
:Titan IIIA
:7 horses

:[The next rocket to the right is right above this at the top. It is just one row of horses short of fifty, with a square below and four rows of five above with tip and one engine with fire to the right of:]
:Saturn IB
:45 horses

:[Almost straight below and slightly right of that is a small three horse column rocket with only four horses in the third column. Again the tip is longer to the right fills the shorter column down to the horses. Below is one engine with fire. The rocket is right of:]
:Soyuz
:14 horses

:[To the right of all the three previous rockets (above the 1960s) is the by far largest rocket so far. It has two columns of five by five horse squares, and two full block of two by two squares. Above these the next block is more than half finished, with the first row of two squares finished and then above them a full row of ten horses and two more to the left. The tip is above the top horses, so slightly deeper after the first two horses to the left. Below are no less than three engines, with two engines in front, and one almost hidden behind in between them, but the three exhaust flames are clearly visible. The text is to the right of the third row of squares, above the tip of the previous rocket and below the fire of the one before, just to give a sense of scale compared to these smaller rockets, where the one above the text was the largest of the first nine. It is also still the largest rocket ever made. In this chart only the last, which is one of the future rockets, is planned to become slightly larger:]
:Saturn V
:262 horses

:[Above and right of that (next to the tip of the previous, but not as high as the tip) is the second smallest so far next to the biggest by far. The rocket is, in spite of the mass is cited as less than one horse, made from one full drawing of a horse with tip and one engine with fire to the left of:]
:Black Arrow
: <1 horse
:(4 dogs)

:[Below and right of that, with its huge tip just below the text above is a rocket almost as big as the biggest next to it. The far side of the rockets right side passes over the 1970s tick. This rocket, however, is the only one drawn in light gray (horses and everything else) because it never flew but exploded as it states in the text. The horses are stacked as in the biggest above, but with one full row of squares less and also only 11 not 12 at the top (so 51 less). The bottom plate where the horses rest has some kind of engine below. There seems to be no less than ten engines visible, with the two at the out sider hidden half behind the two further toward the middle, which are again also partly obscured by those next to them and that goes at least one more step in. Only the four in the middle seems to not be blocked at all. Given the way one engine can hide behind another with only three it seems likely that there must be a row of engines all around the outer edge of the rocket. So if those at the far sides are the ones in the middle of that side there would be eight on the other side for 18. Alternatively there is also 10 more at the other side, with two on the same height in either side, of which only one can see. That would give 20. It would then also seem reasonable to suspect that there were also circles of engines within that outer rim, maybe more until there were only one or maybe three engines in the center. Sadly there is not fire to guide, as the rockets still stands on the ground, having never taken off before it exploded on the launch pad. The rocket is left of the (maybe slightly lighter red) text:]
:N1
:211 horse
:Exploded on
:Launch pad

:[Above and right of that (next to the tip of the previous, but not as high as the tip) is a small rocket next to one of the biggest. It consists of two horses in a column with tip and one engine with fire to the left of:]
:Long March 1
:2 horses

:[Above and right of that there are four horses in a column with tip and one engine with fire to the left of:]
:N-I (Japan)
:4 horses

:[Almost straight below a bit to right of that there are three horses in a column with tip and one engine with fire to the left of:]
:Delta 0900
:3 horses

:[Above and right of that (right above the 1970s) there are three horses in a column with tip and one engine with fire to the left of:]
:Ariane 1
:3 horses

:[Right above and just right of that is the smallest of all the shown a rockets which, in spite of the mass is cited as less than one horse, is made from one full drawing of a horse with tip and one engine with fire to the left of:]
:SLV (India)
: <1 horse
:(1 dog)

:[Below and somewhat right of that (over the 1980 tick) there are four horses in a column with tip and one engine with fire to the right of:]
:N-II
:4 horses

:[Above and on either side of that is the only none rocket item in this section of the chart (like the T-Rex included above). A line comes up from the left above the rocket below and where it levels out to horizontal there is the back end of a car with the rear wheel included. Four horses are in between this and the front end to the right, with the front wheel included. The four horses stand in a small square. There is not exhaust or fire, only the motion line behind. The vehicle is below and right of the text:]
:1981 Oldsmobile
:4 horses

:[Below at the very bottom and right of that is a rockets which, in spite of the mass is cited as less than one horse, is made from one full drawing of a horse with tip and one engine with fire to the right of:]
:ASLV
: <1 horse
:(4 dogs)

:[Above and right of that is the first multiple column horse rocket since the one that exploded. It has one five and one four horse column. Where there would be an empty space because of the missing horse in the second column the edge of the tip is longer and fills the hole. Below is one engine with fire. The rocket is right of:]
:Long March 4A
:9 horses

:[Above and right of that (above the 1980s) is an even larger rocket with three columns of five horses and then one single horse at the bottom. The tip fills the hole as usually but since there are now four missing horses this looks more and more peculiar compared to the previous cases where this has occurred. Below is one engine with fire. The rocket is right of:]
:Ariane 4
:16 horses

:[Above and right of that is a rockets which, in spite of the mass is cited as less than one horse, is made from one full drawing of a horse with tip and one engine with fire to the left of:]
:Shavit
:(Israel)
: <1 horse
:(6 dogs)

:[Below and right of that (although the previous rocket is just next to (and much smaller) than the tip) comes the largest rocket since the biggest. It is even larger than the one that exploded. It has the same configuration with two blocks of 100 horses each and then 18 in two rows above, with the two missing horses in the top row being filled by the tip which is slightly deeper to the right. At the bottom there are three engines, with only the two in the front clearly visible, but the third evident by the three flames beneath, just as with the biggest rocket before. The text is at the top of the first of the blocks to the left of the rocket:]
:Energia
:218 horses

:[Above and right of that (but again much smaller and next to the much larger tip) is a one Pegasus large rocket (just past the 1990 tick), although the Pegasus is drawn without wings and thus looks like the other horses: This is the first rocket that flies horizontally (after the car har “flown” up in a curve and was going horizontally before this one). The tip is thus pointing right and the engine and fire is to the left of the horse with the fire pointing left. This is all above:]
:Pegasus
:1 Pegasus

:[Almost straight below, just right of that are three columns of horses the last with only three horses. The tip fills the hole as usually and below is one engine with fire. The rocket is left of:]
:Atlas I
:13 horses

:[Below and right of that is a rocket which has one five and one three horse column. Where there would be an empty space because of the missing horses in the second column the edge of the tip is longer and fills the hole. Below is one engine with fire. The rocket is left of:]
:PSLV
:8 horses

:[Way above and right of that (above the 1990s) is two horses in a column with tip and one engine with fire to the left of:]
:J-I
:2 horses

:[Below and right of that is a full square of horses with two above and the tip covering the missing horses in the top row and with one engine with fire to the left of:]
:Long
: March 3B
:27 horses

:[Slightly above but far right of that (above the 2000 tick) is a rocket just three horses short of a full square the tip covering the missing horses in the right column and with one engine with fire to the right of:]
:H-IIA
:22 horses

:[Below and right of that is an unlabeled rocket, forgotten by Randall? It is very similar to the previous except it only has one horse in the right column (21 horses in total) so the tip is very deep over that row as seen previously.]

:[Above and right of that, next to the previous labeled rocket is the first and only rocket with at least two full (and not four full) squares on top of each other. Above those two there are three more rows with only four horses in the top row with the tip covering the missing horse in the top row and with one engine with fire to the left of:]
:Delta IV-H
:64 horses

:[Below and right of that (above the 2000s) is a small rocket with only one horse with tip and engine with fire. For some reason it is not cited the mass in falcons mass… It is to the left of:]
:Falcon 1
:1 horse

:[Above and right of that is a rocket just three horses short of having two full squares on top of each other. The tip covers the missing horse in the top row and with one engine with fire to the left of:]
:Ariane 5ES
:47 horses

:[Below and right of that is a similar rocket but it only has two rows and two horses above the first square. The tip covers the missing horses in the top row and with one engine with fire to the right of:]
:H-IIB
:37 horses

:[Above and right of that is a rockets which, in spite of the mass is cited as less than one horse, is made from one full drawing of a horse with tip and one engine with fire to the left of:]
:Unha
:(North Korea)
: <1 horse
:(2 dogs)

:[Below and right of that (with its tip larger and next to the small rocket) is a rocket just past the 2010 tick. This rocket is similar to the rocket before the small one with just one more horse in the top row (three) above the two full rows above the first full square below. The tip covers the missing horses in the top row and with one engine with fire to the right of:]
:Atlas V 541
:38 horses

:[Almost straight above and slightly right of that is a rocket with a full square and a row of four above the tip covers the missing horse in the top row and with one engine with fire to the right of:]
:Falcon 9
:29 horses

:[Way below at the bottom and right of that is a smaller rocket with three columns of horses with only four in the right column with the tip covering the missing horse in the right column and with one engine with fire. This is the last rocket before the future, which is written as the last index on the timeline below the text of this rocket which is to the left of the text:]
:Antares
:14 horses

:[After a short break the chart reaches the first spacecraft planned for the future. It is just above the future mark below on the timescale which stops just before it reaches where 2010s would have been placed (at 2015) had the line continued (the comic came out in 2014). But if the scale continues linearly (and Randall used it to put the rockets at their estimated launch year) then this and the next future spacecraft are on in the 2010s. The horses and the rest of the rockets from here on are gray rather than black. The first is the only second rocket to fly horizontally. There are three rows of horses with the bottom row only four horses long. The tip points to the right and covers the missing horse. The engine points left as does the fire exiting from it. It is above the text that runs along its entire length:]
:Stratolaunch
:14 horses

:[Just below and slightly right of that is the tip of one of the big rockets with more than one full block of 100 horses. It is the smallest of those though with only 18 horses in two rows above the block with the two missing horses in the top row being filled by the tip which is slightly deeper to the right. As the only rocket this one has only two engines at the bottom and thus also only two flames beneath. The text is between the division of the first and second row of squares to the left of the rocket:]
:Falcon Heavy
:118 horses

:[Below and right of that (above where the 2020 tick would have been) is an even large rocket than before with a full block and two rows of squares on top of those and then one row of only six horses more with the four missing horses in the top row being filled by the tip which is slightly deeper from the right. At the bottom there are three engines, as those other large flying rockets before the previous two engine one. Only the two engines in the front are clearly visible, but the third evident by the three flames beneath, just as with the biggest rocket before. The text is at the very bottom of the rocket beneath the horses to the left of the rocket:]
:SLS Block 1
:156 horses

:[Above and right of that (but the two similar rockets engines are almost at the same level, this one is slightly longer down but is also much higher) is a rocket with two full blocks of 100 horses and 17 horses in two rows above them with the three missing horses in the top row being filled by the tip which is slightly deeper to the right. At the bottom there are three engines, with only the two in the front clearly visible, but the third evident by the three flames beneath, just as with the biggest rocket before. This is one horse shy of being the second largest so far, but it is dwarfed by the last future rocket after it. These two last huge rockets are just on either side of where 2020s would have been had the scale continued linearly. The text is at the top next to the tip, almost over the previous rockets tip:]
:SLS Block 1B
:217 horses

:[Above and right of that (but the two (now three) similar rockets engines are all almost at the same level, this one a bit higher up than the previous two, but is also much higher that the previous ) is the largest rocket of the entire chart finally beating the biggest from 1965, 60 years later - but also 10 years into, an uncertain, future at the time of the comics release. It is just one row and one horse (11) shy of reaching 300 with three full blocks on top of each except one row is missing and the top row also missed a horse. The missing horse in the top row is being filled by the tip which is slightly deeper to the right. At the bottom there are three engines, with only the two in the front clearly visible, but the third evident by the three flames beneath, just as with the previously biggest rocket. The text is at the top next to the tip, almost over the previous rockets tip:]
:SLS Block 2
:289 horses

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