explain xkcd - User contributions [en]

Talk:3070: Orogeny

2025-04-02T08:20:28Z

172.70.160.218:

If only "plutonic" meant "made with real plutonium," sigh. [[Special:Contributions/172.71.167.26|172.71.167.26]] 02:53, 1 April 2025 (UTC)
:But what does this mean in this context here? --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 11:10, 1 April 2025 (UTC)
::In geology, "plutonic" means rock that solidified from magma that cooled beneath the Earth's surface, as opposed to "volcanic" which means rock that solidified from lava on the Earth's surface. In this case, Ponytail is indicating that the rocks that they are standing on were formed when magma solidified deep underground a billion years ago, but were uplifted and exposed by erosion much more recently (geologically speaking). [[Special:Contributions/162.158.137.59|162.158.137.59]] 18:28, 1 April 2025 (UTC)

xkcd. When technical issues interfer with reality correct the technical issues. That's usually easier than changing reality. Sure, the techs will say it's impossible and may even think they are correct but ... [[Special:Contributions/172.71.194.216|172.71.194.216]] 02:55, 1 April 2025 (UTC)

Hey this isn't an interactive april fools comic [[Special:Contributions/162.158.174.225|162.158.174.225]] 04:06, 1 April 2025 (UTC)
:No because this comic came out on March 31st. But it has been a while since Randall managed to let his April 1st comic come out on April 1st ;-) But this comic was the regular scheduled Monday March 31st release. We may still se an April Fools' comic come out later today or some time during April... However I have heard that due to the recent events in the world that all would have been funny if April Fool's then April Fool's Day has been canceled this year! --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 11:10, 1 April 2025 (UTC)
::I have (lengthily) justified, as inline commentary, why I think it's nonense to consider this a "no April Fools' year" just yet. The comic is normal Monday March 31st fare (insofar as any comic is 'normal') and can only be considered valid for a "March Impetuousness's day" comic, should that be a thing. As pointed out by a prior editor, Machine was late (had the opportunity to be released on Monday 1st April, but seemingly needed a bit more time; and probably could have done with longer, given it had minor post-release tweaks) and is considered a 1/Apr 'special'. Longer waits for season-/occasion-specific comics have heen had.
::For people to assume this pre-April comic (by the usual measures) is sign that there's no such special release is... premature in at least three different ways. And there's no reason for anybody outside Randall and (as with the trend over recent years) any hypothetical collaborators involved to ''know'' if this year is going to be bountiful or barren at this early stage. There's almost ⅓ of a day before ''my'' April 1st is over (ignoring the "all japes need to be made/concluded before noon" stipulation, which remains difficult to enforce on a worldwide basis) longer still for Randall's, and that's if he's sticking to the usual "release day" schedule and ''not'' having to worry about more than just a single static comic that (give or take particular topicality) could be substituted for a backup 'casual' joke even if he's not entirely happy with its finished status yet.
::Maybe it'll be (very early, Randall-time) on Wednesday, as compromise with the rest of the logistics. Maybe not. Give it a week before making too many assumptions. And, even then, if it's a ''good'' one that just needs more fiddling with, don't be surprised to find a 'special' release later on. (Whilst accepting that there may still not be one, of course.) To paraphrase Frank N. Furter, in the Rocky Horror (Picture) Show, perhaps you all should try to "shiver with Antici-
:: 
:: 
:: 
::-pation".... [[Special:Contributions/172.69.194.93|172.69.194.93]] 15:54, 1 April 2025 (UTC)

Gonna need a new category tag for Geology + Real Estate/Home Ownership comics at this point - this is the 4th I believe. [[Special:Contributions/172.71.255.133|172.71.255.133]] 04:29, 1 April 2025 (UTC)
:I think that's [[:Category:Home Inspections]] -- [[User:Ken g6|Ken g6]] ([[User talk:Ken g6|talk]]) 05:47, 1 April 2025 (UTC)
::We might want to rebrand that category then: something more general for a combination of real estate and geology --[[User:Mushrooms|Mushrooms]] ([[User talk:Mushrooms|talk]]) 11:21, 1 April 2025 (UTC)
:::Maybe yes, but I think the two home inspection comics are so clearly a stand alone series! And have thus removed the category from this comic. And made a note of this comic on the home inspection category and made a link to it from this comic. If Randall continues there could be a new series where the inspection series would then become a sub category. But for that we need to have more comics like this one. Also in this comic it seems like they joke, where in the other it seems to be taken serious by the characters. At least at the moments the explanation also says that they are running along with the joke. Especially the punch line. Also it is only the third comic not the fourth as far as I can tell? Ah sorry there is also [[3051: Hardwood]]. Yes maybe we should make some other category. But still think the two home inspection would still need to be seen as a special sereis where the home and the inspector needs to be part of any further comics to be added --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 11:25, 1 April 2025 (UTC)
::::I'm minded to think that it's just dubious to attempt to classify a set of two as a 'theme'. Given a set of random points (say, stars in the sky), it would be pre-emptive to suggest that any two seemingly close together are "a group", in anticipation that as yet unseen/uncatalogued stars will trivially fit into any such pair-group when you get round to them. Three is better (such that ''any'' of them have more in common with the other two than they have with any neighbour), but even that's potentially a problem (loads of "triangles" up in, or even betwixt, the constellations!) and subject to reinterpretation.
::::I'm thinking that "home inspection" is just a fleeting subset within a more "geological home" (plucking that from mid-air, probably just as wrong) wider theme. Though whether even Randall has consciously grouped any/all of those as we have (and will continue to, as further comics further establish or redefine the extent of his imagination in these matters) is a question we probably couldn't get a good answer to. [[Special:Contributions/141.101.99.104|141.101.99.104]] 12:15, 1 April 2025 (UTC)
::::: Well, yes - it is wrong - you should have plucked it from the earth.[[Special:Contributions/172.70.160.218|172.70.160.218]] 08:20, 2 April 2025 (UTC)

Is it possible the next comic will be an April Fools'? [[User:Ozymandias|Ozymandias]] ([[User talk:Ozymandias|talk]])
:Yes, but see above reply --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 11:10, 1 April 2025 (UTC)

I don't understand the part about ancient collision ... what is meant here? Did tectonic plates come from interstellar events? [[Special:Contributions/172.68.54.68|172.68.54.68]] 09:34, 1 April 2025 (UTC)
:Ancient collision refers to tectonic plates colliding millions of years ago.[[User:Ozymandias|Ozymandias]] ([[User talk:Ozymandias|talk]])
::And it may be an ongoing collision, as for instance Himalaya which are still rising from the collision of India with the rest of Asia --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 11:10, 1 April 2025 (UTC)

Heated driveways and sidewalks aren't unheard of in areas that get snow/ice. I feel like Randall isn't using "Most" in quite as absurd a way as is typical. [[Special:Contributions/172.70.38.199|172.70.38.199]] 18:03, 1 April 2025 (UTC)
:Separately from that, but sort of related, I find that bit of the Explanation a bit too focused on ''only'' the outside being heated, when it's probably going to affect [[735: Floor|indoor floors]] just as much, give or taken the point at which 'indoors' (if not the entire structure of any house) becomes moot against the general and widespread {{tvtropes|ConvectionSchmonvection|environmental effects}} involved. [[Special:Contributions/172.69.194.205|172.69.194.205]] 21:59, 1 April 2025 (UTC)

From the timing, Randall could only have used prescience in gaining inspiration from this particular occurance... but, ''within hours'' of the comic being published, there was an outbreak of "[https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cqj4rg1kd52o hot property]" issues. Probably just coincidence, so not threading this into the Explanation narrative... [[Special:Contributions/172.71.241.19|172.71.241.19]] 22:24, 1 April 2025 (UTC)

3070: Orogeny

2025-04-02T08:14:54Z

172.70.160.218: /* Explanation */

{{comic
| number = 3070
| date = March 31, 2025
| title = Orogeny
| image = orogeny_2x.png
| imagesize = 740x303px
| noexpand = true
| titletext = Most properties can only boast INDOOR heated floors.
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Created by a OUTDOOR HEATED FLOOR - Needs someone who knows geology to add stuff. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}
This comic is about an {{w|orogeny}}, the creation of mountain ranges at convergent plate boundaries.

The mountain range that [[Cueball]] and [[Ponytail]] are looking at was formed a billion years ago, but the mountains themselves have been eroded away and replaced. This could reference the {{w|Ship of Theseus}} thought experiment. Cueball analogizes this to a fully-renovated home, and Ponytail continues the analogy by jokingly pretending to use this as a business opportunity, offering it for sale to Cueball. She makes the sales pitch that this is good solid {{w|Intrusive rock|plutonic bedrock}}, freshly uplifted (from below the surface from the collision of the tectonic plates). Cueball plays along by saying he'd prefer 'new construction', and suggests a volcanic seamount, which Ponytail rejects on the basis of it being quite literally 'too hot' - covered in lava or soon to be so. This is a pun, as a 'hot' real estate market normally means that properties are selling quickly, usually leading to high prices that may be over-inflated.

The title text points out that most houses with heated floors have them only ''inside'', with the implication that a volcano's magma (underground) or lava (on the surface) can make a heated floor ''outside''.

Orogeny was also mentioned in [[1082: Geology]].

This comic is reminiscent of the [[:Category:Home Inspections|Home Inspections]] series, but given that there is not yet a home to assess, it is not strictly part of that category. There was also the recent [[3051: Hardwood]], about defining underlying geology as part of a house, which might hint at Randall working all around a wider theme.

Despite being released on April 1st (in some timezones of the world), it is not an April Fools comic. It was still March 31st for Randall, and is consistent with a normal Monday comic. This may or may not imply that an April Fools comic will be released later (or as soon as it practical, as in [[2916: Machine]] which was only ready for release on the Friday of the week in which Monday ''was'' April 1st), or there may not be an April Fools comic at all this year.

==Transcript==
:[Cueball and Ponytail are seen from afar standing together on hill and looking out at a mountain range with mountains going all the way to the horizon, with more than 20 peaks. The hills they are standing on is grassy and strewn with rocks.]
:Cueball: I hear these mountains are a billion years old.
:Ponytail: Well, sort of.

:[Close up of Cueball and Ponytail on a white background. Ponytail holds her hand palm up out towards Cueball.]
:Ponytail: An ancient collision created the mountain belt, but the actual rock layers have been continually uplifted and eroded away.

:[In a frame-less panel Cueball takes his hand to his chin looking down, while Ponytail now gestures away from Cueball with her palm held out.]
:Cueball: So it's an old mountain range, but it's been fully renovated?
:Ponytail: Yessir, torn down to the roots. This is good solid plutonic bedrock, freshly uplifted. Great value.
:Ponytail: You in the market?

:[They are now just standing normally talking to each other.]
:Cueball: I dunno, I was looking for new construction. You got any emerging volcanic seamounts?
:Ponytail: Nah, that market is a little too hot right now.

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Comics featuring Ponytail]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Geology]]

Talk:1934: Phone Security

2025-03-28T21:08:14Z

172.70.160.218:

"Detonated" ah, so this is the feature that Samsung was prototyping last year... [[User:Andyd273|Andyd273]] ([[User talk:Andyd273|talk]]) 15:39, 27 December 2017 (UTC)

:Ha! Yes, it's too bad their phones kept mistakenly registering as being stolen... stupid bugs. [[Special:Contributions/172.69.70.107|172.69.70.107]] 17:28, 27 December 2017 (UTC) Sam

:Back in the day if a hacker really hated you, you'd come back to your computer and see smoke pouring out of the CPU. I bet there's some way to detonate a phone in software by overheating the battery, but I imagine it could be different for every phone/battery combination. {{unsigned ip| 108.162.219.64}}

::Already done. http://www.zdnet.com/article/this-crypto-mining-android-malware-is-so-demanding-it-burst-a-smartphone/ [[User:Silverpie|Silverpie]] ([[User talk:Silverpie|talk]]) 23:09, 28 December 2017 (UTC)

:I was not here "last year". anybody got links to show me?--[[User:Bb777|me, hi]] ([[User talk:Bb777|talk]]) 19:57, 28 March 2025 (UTC)
::Likely that would be the whole {{w|Samsung Galaxy Note 7#Battery explosions and recalls|bad battery thing}}.
::Of course, the comic was published before {{w|2024 Lebanon electronic device attacks|this other thing happened}}, so nothing to do with that. [[Special:Contributions/172.70.160.218|172.70.160.218]] 21:08, 28 March 2025 (UTC)

Someone needs to make a jailbreak that does as much of this as possible, especially the ridesharing and siren 😂 [[User:PotatoGod|PotatoGod]] ([[User talk:PotatoGod|talk]]) 15:52, 27 December 2017 (UTC)

: there was or is at least one house in the U.S. that was reported, apparently inaccurately, as the location of an extraordinary number of stolen cell phones. Presumably that house would suffer all of the pranks that this phone security performs. As for payment details - someone who stole a phone may have also stolen banking cards, so, the account number that you steal back may belong to another innocent victim. It's just a joke of course, but, saying. [[Special:Contributions/162.158.111.235|162.158.111.235]] 22:02, 27 December 2017 (UTC)

Made a account just to ask this - why is the post still considered incomplete? It looks complete to me. [[User:Donutman|Donutman]] ([[User talk:Donutman|talk]]) 13:59, 28 December 2017 (UTC)

: Because I added the core explanation, but many improvements have been made since then (bullet points, bolding, transcript). Also, the siren would be insanely easy to do, as would an automated "send the GPS location to the police" among other things. [[User:Kashim|Kashim]] ([[User talk:Kashim|talk]]) 14:15, 28 December 2017 (UTC)
::I've removed the tag right now after I added that the phone would have to sense that it is stolen. There is no sensor to detect this. --[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 19:46, 28 December 2017 (UTC)
:::Bluetooth. With paired device on owner, the phone can detect if it was moved from owner. -- [[User:Hkmaly|Hkmaly]] ([[User talk:Hkmaly|talk]]) 01:19, 29 December 2017 (UTC)
:::: No good. Firstly, no phone (that I know of) comes with such a device, which I would guess would be called a dongle. Secondly, if they did it wouldn't take long for thieves to realize they have to get the dongle, too. Thirdly, that would mean the owner could never put down their phone, like at home or at work - I've heard of a few workplaces which are high security and don't allow cell phones, so they have to be left in the car or in a locker near the entrance - unless they remember to put down the device too (which would largely defeat the purpose of such a device). And the first time they forget and the phone identified itself as stolen would be enough to convince the rightful owner that this system doesn't work. Fourthly, anything wireless must work by battery. When that battery dies, either the phone would trigger as being stolen, or it would have to detect the battery dying to not go off, in which case you're vulnerable to theft until you charge the ownership dongle. [[User:NiceGuy1|NiceGuy1]] ([[User talk:NiceGuy1|talk]]) 09:36, 29 December 2017 (UTC)
:::::All points you raised are real, but don't make it impossible. Sure, it would be bad idea to detonate or something like that when the dongle gets out of range, but it can be used to start making noise (the siren option). For the other countermeasures, the phone should detect being stolen by incorrect password being entered repeatedly. -- [[User:Hkmaly|Hkmaly]] ([[User talk:Hkmaly|talk]]) 23:36, 29 December 2017 (UTC)
::::::Just to follow this up, for most of the countermeasures, it seems relatively clear that the phone would consider itself stolen when somebody tries to wipe it or enters the wrong password too many times. The owner would have some secret wiping procedure that performs a legitimate wipe, and when the phone is wiped using a normal procedure it considers itself stolen and engages all its countermeasures. [[Special:Contributions/108.162.212.107|108.162.212.107]] 19:08, 30 December 2017 (UTC)
: You didn't need an account to write a comment - any commenter name that's an IP address is such a guest commentor. I posted many before I created an account. :) [[User:NiceGuy1|NiceGuy1]] ([[User talk:NiceGuy1|talk]]) 09:36, 29 December 2017 (UTC)

I first thought "erase phone" meant "erase physically", but "detonate" makes that somewhat redundant. [[Special:Contributions/141.101.105.240|141.101.105.240]] 11:54, 29 December 2017 (UTC)

Hahaha!!! Waiting for the iOS update with all these features... [[User:Herobrine|Herobrine]] ([[User talk:Herobrine|talk]]) 13:45, 18 March 2018 (UTC)

Removed the bit about the 5mph car being similar to the plot of the movie "{{w|It Follows}}". This trope of something stalking someone is too generic to warrant the mention of a specific movie. I commented this on 7 April but forgot to type the wavy thingy. Now, it's 27 July. [[User:R3TRI8UTI0N|R3TRI8UTI0N]] ([[User talk:R3TRI8UTI0N|talk]]) 03:28, 27 July 2023 (UTC)

Category:Incomplete transcripts

2024-11-10T16:59:25Z

172.70.160.218: More explicit/correct, and include the BOT default page process.

These are comics that have incomplete transcripts. Automatically created comic articles are currently given this category from the start, to be removed later. To (re)add pages to this category, add {{tl|incomplete transcript}} on the line after the ==Transcript== header. There is another category for [[:Category:Incomplete explanations|incomplete explanations]].

[[Category:Problematic pages]]
[[Category:Incomplete explanations| 1]]

Talk:3009: Number Shortage

2024-11-10T12:47:48Z

172.70.160.218: /* "None" */

I bet there's plenty of 9s left. They obviously didn't get a proper range of digits at Benford's Discount Number Store. [[Special:Contributions/172.69.195.113|172.69.195.113]] 05:53, 9 November 2024 (UTC)

Is this not an error? "15 2s and 12 3s" uses up one 3. So shouldn't it next be 11 3s left, not 10? -- [[Special:Contributions/172.69.144.152|172.69.144.152]] 10:41, 9 November 2024 (UTC)

the consequences of our actions /ref [[User:CalibansCreations|'''Caliban''']] ([[User talk:CalibansCreations|talk]]) 10:45, 9 November 2024 (UTC)

The above mentioned “error” is not an error. When she says there are 13 2s left, that uses up one 3. [[User:PedanticMan|PedanticMan]] ([[User talk:PedanticMan|talk]]) 11:13, 9 November 2024 (UTC)

: There's no pause, no "No wait" after "13 2s". Is she reevaluating numbers instantly realtime midsentence? Did she start the sentence planning to say one thing and instantly altered it partway through? I guess that's what Randall is going for. -- [[Special:Contributions/172.69.144.162|172.69.144.162]] 12:00, 9 November 2024 (UTC)
::That's what I assumed, and I already included it in the explanation. But I'm not sure if the title text is consistent with that interpretation. [[User:Barmar|Barmar]] ([[User talk:Barmar|talk]]) 17:35, 9 November 2024 (UTC)
:::Title text is perhaps semi-consistent. Regardless of what was said/used beteen "ten minutes ago" and now, the statement (ten minutes ago) of "2 0s" used one zero. The statement (now) of "10 minutes ago" used another and ''technically'' used a third (but it could be considered recycled from the original statement being quoted).
:::Whichever way the counting works (and presuming that any quotable re-use principle doesn't allow just "Ns" to be requoted as "X Ns" in a way that preserves the N stock even whilst depleting Xs), we're certainly down to the stage where we can no longer say there are "0" of something, nor that the something involved is the 0s.
:::...to put it another way, a different TT might be "10 minutes ago we were down to only 2 ... oh darnit!". But that wouldn't have made itself quite so obvious (the Ns could have been 0, 1 or 2). I suppose having 3 0s ten minutes ago might only have led to the necessity of that logic being explained (then: "3 0s {0s=>2}"; now: "10 minutes {0s=>1} .. 3 0s {0s=>0}" "now?" " {0s=>0 ∴ unable to even begin to answer} "), however...
:::But, much like the TT question posed, wise use of "them”/etc might be useful in ''some'' (not-title text) circumstances. "I earlier said there were 9 9s, but now there are 7 of them. ...still 7. Yep, definitely 7 of them! (7s, on the other hand are now...)", vs. "there were 9 9s, but now there are 7 9s. 6 9s! 5 9s! <...> 1 9! <curses>" [[Special:Contributions/172.69.195.114|172.69.195.114]] 12:19, 10 November 2024 (UTC)

If anyone wants to see self-referentiality of numbers taken even further, here is a series of posts that I wrote on "self-describing numbers": https://atmos.warplight.dev/profile/1p8WCZnqqG6N3ZOsJxBgUTo/p1cNCw1OTsioTQBRk [[User:Fabian42|Fabian42]] ([[User talk:Fabian42|talk]]) 12:09, 9 November 2024 (UTC)

the first stage of grief is denial [[user talk:lettherebedarklight|youtu.be/miLcaqq2Zpk]] 12:19, 9 November 2024 (UTC)
: So you saw that the Harris banner is still up too, eh? There may be no shortage of absolute numbers, but numbers of things, yeah, there are shortages. Like, chances to act to avert disaster, like weren't taken in 2016, and we got lucky ... [[Special:Contributions/172.68.23.92|172.68.23.92]] 17:37, 9 November 2024 (UTC)

I'm pretty sure "15" uses up one 3 (3*5) and "12" uses up two 2's and one 3 (2*2*3) [[Special:Contributions/172.71.222.213|172.71.222.213]] 15:09, 9 November 2024 (UTC)
:No, I think the "3s" in the first statement uses one, and the ones place of "13" referring to the number of 2s left in the second statement uses another. [[User:Laneymarie96|Laneymarie96]] ([[User talk:Laneymarie96|talk]]) 03:13, 10 November 2024 (UTC)

"Well? How many numbers do we have left?"
"Oh great! There's one more!"
(Yes, I know this goes against the logic of the original comic)
[[User:Turquoise Hat|Turquoise Hat]] ([[User talk:Turquoise Hat|talk]]) 17:36, 9 November 2024 (UTC)

Why don't we try using Roman numerals while we wait for the shortage to get fixed? [[Special:Contributions/172.69.135.53|172.69.135.53]] 04:05, 10 November 2024 (UTC)

== "None" ==

Instead of having to say "I don't know" in the title text, one could just say "none". [[Special:Contributions/172.70.110.170|172.70.110.170]] 19:46, 9 November 2024 (UTC)
:It's funnier to imagine that they forgot how to articulate "zero" as a concept. [[User:Psychoticpotato|P?sych??otic?pot??at???o ]] ([[User talk:Psychoticpotato|talk]]) 20:56, 9 November 2024 (UTC)
:By that logic, they could (partially) escape the "10 minutes ago 0s" issue by saying "ten minutes ago" and not depleting certain digits. Or, as it says "numbers", depleting 10s (but neither 1s nor 0s). But you have to consider if "one" is a "1" (also "a(n)", maybe), and if you can get away with "a couple of" or dozens, scores, grosses, ton(ne)s of, a "pony" or a "grand" or even a googol/googolplex. Then one (1s--) may won(1s--?)der what really ''are'' the uses to be strictly atone(1s--?)d for? Still, I've got 33×3 problems, but the number of 3²s aint one! (1s--). [[Special:Contributions/172.70.160.218|172.70.160.218]] 12:47, 10 November 2024 (UTC)

== Google ==
So, is this comic related to the Google incident? Google seems to be suffering from money '''shortage''' after being fined in large '''number'''s. [[User:CategoryGeneral|CategoryGeneral]] ([[User talk:CategoryGeneral|talk]]) 01:51, 10 November 2024 (UTC)
: ...no? Big leap in logic here. [[Special:Contributions/172.69.22.243|172.69.22.243]] 04:06, 10 November 2024 (UTC)