explain xkcd - User contributions [en]

Talk:2882: Net Rotations

2024-01-18T00:00:06Z

172.70.179.124:

Wait, so I'm not the only one who thinks about this? [[Special:Contributions/172.71.167.177|172.71.167.177]] 23:28, 17 January 2024 (UTC)

Second! Still I'm surprised that there are no edits yet. [[Special:Contributions/172.70.210.160|172.70.210.160]] 23:58, 17 January 2024 (UTC)

Talk:2882: Net Rotations

2024-01-17T23:59:42Z

172.70.179.124:

Wait, so I'm not the only one who thinks about this? [[Special:Contributions/172.71.167.177|172.71.167.177]] 23:28, 17 January 2024 (UTC)
Second! Still I'm surprised that there are no edits yet. [[Special:Contributions/172.70.210.160|172.70.210.160]] 23:58, 17 January 2024 (UTC)

Talk:2831: xkcd Phone Flip

2023-09-23T05:23:05Z

172.70.179.124:

this is my first time editing, did i do well? [[Special:Contributions/172.70.134.202|172.70.134.202]] 21:39, 20 September 2023 (UTC)
:Decent enough, assuming you were the one giving the reference to the Z-series. But it'll be expanded, improved and reformatted a lot, I predict. I put in my own (intended) first-edit, but clearly there's you (and possibly A.N. Other) already adding their own thoughts. (Which I am counting on, rather than trying to write it all in one go all by myself... I'll wait for it to settle down and ''then'' see if there are various tweaks I'll want try on whatever form it becomes.) [[Special:Contributions/172.70.90.7|172.70.90.7]] 21:50, 20 September 2023 (UTC)
:The other person was me, but I think there's someone else as well reformatting and rewriting things.--[[Special:Contributions/172.68.34.38|172.68.34.38]] 23:57, 20 September 2023 (UTC)

So, what is the meaning of "flip" here? [[User:JohnHawkinson|JohnHawkinson]] ([[User talk:JohnHawkinson|talk]]) 22:07, 20 September 2023 (UTC)
:It's a reference to the Samsung Galaxy line of folding smartphones, which is marketed as 'Galaxy Z Flip' phones. While there had been double-screened smartphones in the past, Samsung was able to figure out some way to have the actual screen flex and fold in the middle so that when it's closed the primary screen is protected, but when opened up the user sees a single screen without a hinge in the middle. The current model (the 'Z Flip 5') is the sixth iteration of the device since it was originally introduced in China in 2019. [[User:RAGBRAIvet|RAGBRAIvet]] ([[User talk:RAGBRAIvet|talk]]) 22:36, 20 September 2023 (UTC)

:I think it's just part of the whole marketroid feeling these are supposed to have. It's part of the name and the [alleged] "marketing" department, as is typical, came up with something extremely dumb and useless. See: [https://serverfault.com/questions/117799/which-version-of-sunos SunOS vs Solaris] [[Special:Contributions/162.158.197.132|162.158.197.132]] 22:32, 20 September 2023 (UTC)

Anybody else think the main sequence battery is a fusion cell that is also the chemical flashlight and full spectrum backlight that necessitates the SPF 15 coating? [[Special:Contributions/172.71.151.83|172.71.151.83]] 22:36, 20 September 2023 (UTC)
:I'm thinking it's a reference to the Cyalume lightsticks which need to be bent, which shatters a small glass vial inside and releases a hydrogen peroxide solution into a second solution of an oxalate ester and electron-rich dye contained within the outer plastic shell. The resulting chemiluminescent reaction creates visible light. [[User:RAGBRAIvet|RAGBRAIvet]] ([[User talk:RAGBRAIvet|talk]]) 22:42, 20 September 2023 (UTC)
:I assumed main sequence refers to stellar evolution in astronomy. {{w|Main sequence}} These stars have a relatively long life, matching the description. The SPF 15 coating and full spectrum would also make sense. However I am not sure that description as a chemical flashlight would follow appropriate. The primary energy generation would be nuclear (fusion). It has been long enough since I took astronomy I don't remember all the details of how the energy is converted into light, and whether that would ultimately be considered a chemical, thermal, or nuclear process (or combination thereof). [[Special:Contributions/172.69.22.152|172.69.22.152]] 00:20, 21 September 2023 (UTC)
::Even relatively cold parts of stars are too hot for any chemical reactions. The photons produced from fusion are caught and re-emitted by atoms in outer layers of stars and the spectrum DOES match thermal radiation, so thermal maybe. -- [[User:Hkmaly|Hkmaly]] ([[User talk:Hkmaly|talk]]) 21:21, 21 September 2023 (UTC)
:As chemist, I automatically interpreted it as made from main group elements in the periodic system. Which actually would be a neat feature. [[Special:Contributions/172.71.160.36|172.71.160.36]] 19:10, 22 September 2023 (UTC)

Arch support may also refer to the Linux distro [[Special:Contributions/162.158.110.237|162.158.110.237]] 08:42, 21 September 2023 (UTC)

I initially misread the title text as being a ''Thanos'' partnership. In which case, presumably inadvertently touching the button could wipe out half the population of the universe.[[Special:Contributions/172.71.242.77|172.71.242.77]] 10:25, 21 September 2023 (UTC)
:Can destroy mountains with one click, but not half the population [[Special:Contributions/172.70.90.220|172.70.90.220]] 10:32, 21 September 2023 (UTC)

The breaking the glass might refer to “ Break glass (which draws its name from breaking the glass to pull a fire alarm) refers to a quick means for a person who does not have access privileges to certain information to gain access when necessary.”

With a chemical flashlight, I assume the free refills might actually come in handy (though it doesn't say there is a chemical flashlight and with the flip form, bending might just refer to some mechanical switch activating the flashlight - or considering the possibly stellar power source, it just removes shielding). [[User:627235|627235]] ([[User talk:627235|talk]]) 11:01, 21 September 2023 (UTC)
:At least it isn't a "chemical fleshlight". Moreover one activated by severe bending! [[Special:Contributions/172.70.162.46|172.70.162.46]] 11:20, 21 September 2023 (UTC)

Had thought to note (but couldn't find a way to slip it into the Explanation) that the origami-form relies upon a square sheet, but the unfolded form seems to be (close enough to) 2:1 ratio. If it ''is'' 2:1 (give or take excess to go around the initial bend), the first step might of course be to make the screen effectively 2-ply, then worry about how to seemlessly fold ''that'' into the Fortune Teller, with convex/concave folds and the necessary compound corners. [[Special:Contributions/172.70.162.46|172.70.162.46]] 11:20, 21 September 2023 (UTC)

"One pixel display" - I was surprised by the suggestion that this could be a static image, like a slide; I had imagined, and would like to see (perhaps more explicitly) the alternative, that the whole screen simply lights up in a single color (within the __-bit colorspace). --[[Special:Contributions/108.162.245.177|108.162.245.177]] 17:03, 21 September 2023 (UTC)

I agree with the latter - I would consider the pixel as the minimum picture element, no subdetails. [[User:Vdm|Vdm]] ([[User talk:Vdm|talk]]) 20:30, 21 September 2023 (UTC)

:A single pixel with a lot of display states need not be static. Show a bunch in sequence like a film based movie projector. Pixel is the minimum addressable picture element. Think about ASCII art (e.g., printing Mona Lisa on a daisywheel printer), or graphics on the IBM PC monochrome display, Commodore PET, etc. There are also those pieces of art where each pixel is a small photograph (I don't know if there is a name for that). Not typical pixels, bit of a gray area. [[Special:Contributions/172.71.158.15|172.71.158.15]] 21:10, 21 September 2023 (UTC)
::A name for that: {{w|Photographic mosaic}}.
::Also, consider perhaps waving a single pixel around fast and using ''time'' and actual position at that time with sufficient image-retention (by the static viewer) to build up an observable but very temporary image. [[Special:Contributions/172.69.79.152|172.69.79.152]] 22:22, 21 September 2023 (UTC)

Anyone thinks the "Main sequence battery" could be a reference to [https://xkcd.com/1422 1422: My Phone Is Dying]? --[[Special:Contributions/141.101.97.11|141.101.97.11]] 08:00, 22 September 2023 (UTC)

I wonder if the "we didn't actually mean" thing is a reference to those bendy iPhones almost a decade ago? [[Special:Contributions/162.158.38.74|162.158.38.74]] 08:45, 22 September 2023 (UTC)

Maybe the explanation should also mention that kid's game that you do with a folded paper like the images on the right. I don't know how it is called, but this Facebook comment by "AJ Himmel" references it:
"Can also be used to find out who you'll marry someday! Just repeatedly flip it open then unfold a flap!"
[[User:Rps|Rps]] ([[User talk:Rps|talk]]) 17:01, 22 September 2023 (UTC)
:It already ''does'' mention the kids' (note apostrophe!) game... "paper fortune teller". [[Special:Contributions/172.70.91.152|172.70.91.152]] 17:22, 22 September 2023 (UTC)

Should Ruina montium really be described as a "lost mining technique" given [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Las_M%C3%A9dulas] and [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hushing]exist? It seems more like a colloquialism than lost knowledge to me.[[Special:Contributions/172.70.179.124|172.70.179.124]] 05:23, 23 September 2023 (UTC)

Talk:2751: March Madness

2023-03-23T15:36:59Z

172.70.179.124:

== Difficult ==

An hour, and still no explanation. Is this harder to get than usual, or is it just me?

Left top two are march [word], next two are [word] of march, bottom left section all reference Seventy-Six Trombones, which is apparently a common song for marching bands. Top right section is March of the [word], and bottom right is [word] March. [[User:NyanSequitur|NyanSequitur]] ([[User talk:NyanSequitur|talk]]) 19:15, 17 March 2023 (UTC)

Well I was going to say something, but now I find myself doubting my ability to find patterns and understand references. This man is on another level. [[User:Toriski3037|Toriski3037]] ([[User talk:Toriski3037|talk]]) 19:29, 17 March 2023 (UTC)

Not confident enough to edit the actual article directly, but I can get the gist of these references:

:- March Madness (NCAA Basketball Tournament)
:- March Hare ("Mad as a march hare" being a common idiom in English, and the March Hare being a 'mad' character in Alice in Wonderland)
:- Middlemarch (novel by George Eliot)
:- Ides of March (March 15th, aka Julius Caesar Assassination Day)
:- aforementioned "Seventy-Six Trombones" references - the first three lines, followed by an impressive option later in the lyrics
::- "Seventy-six trombones led the big parade"
::- "with a hundred and ten cornets right behind"
::- "there were more than a thousand reeds springing up like weeds"
::- "there were fifty mounted cannon in the battery/ thundering, thundering, louder than before"
::- (possibly worth noting: the first version of the song ends with "the kids began to march/ and they're marching still, right today!" - it was a pain to confirm this, since the reprise of the song is much easier to find)
::- (also worth noting for the title text: the song is introduced with the character claiming that the 76 trombone parade was from the day when several historical notables, culminating in "John Philip Sousa", "all came to town on the very same historic day")
:- March of the Dimes (charity)
:- March of the Toy Soldiers (musical piece from Tchaikovsky's The Nutcracker)
:- March of the Ents (from Lord of the Rings)
:- March of the Penguins (documentary about emperor penguins, narrated by Morgan Freeman, also relevant to title text)
:- Wedding March (musical piece - per Wikipedia, the "here comes the bride" piece which I thought of is actually the "Bridal Chorus" from Wagner's Lohengrin; the most famous Wedding March is from Felix Mendelssohn's Midsummer Night's Dream, used more commonly at the end of weddings)
:- Funeral March (musical piece - most famous version is Chopin's)
:- Imperial March (musical piece by John Williams for Star Wars)
:- Nissan March (model of car; Nissan is also the official sponsor of March Madness)

Hopefully this will help someone look up properly cited references! [[Special:Contributions/172.70.134.144|172.70.134.144]] 19:53, 17 March 2023 (UTC)
:: nice work! [[User:Iggynelix|Iggynelix]] ([[User talk:Iggynelix|talk]]) 12:51, 18 March 2023 (UTC)

I hope the previous contributor doesn't mind that I tidied up their layout. I hope the ExplainXKCD Police don't object to the way I did that. :) [[Special:Contributions/172.68.210.5|172.68.210.5]] 00:46, 18 March 2023 (UTC)

March is not another word for parade. [[Special:Contributions/172.70.130.84|172.70.130.84]] 01:27, 18 March 2023 (UTC)
:It can be. I wouldn't call a Mardi Gras parade a march, but I would do an {{w|Orange Order|Orange Order}} one, for example. And the defining characteristic of a "band parade", above even a mishmash of men just shuffling along the road in a group, is (generally!) walking in lockstep (keeping the music in lockstep), so that (frivolity and syncopation aside) it is as much a march as anything. I mean, I'm not the OA of that phrase linking the sense, but there's clear overlap that cannot be denied as intended. [[Special:Contributions/172.71.242.12|172.71.242.12]] 09:59, 18 March 2023 (UTC)

For the second bracket in the top left quadrant, "Ides" refers to "Ides of March", which implies the structure used here is "___ of March", which means that the reference would rather be "Middle of March" (rather than Middlemarch), which is used in crossword puzzle as a clue for the word "arc". [[Special:Contributions/172.71.178.186|172.71.178.186]] 12:23, 18 March 2023 (UTC)

:Since the "Ides of March" and "Middle of March" are almost the same, this bracket will settle that question. I do not see any relationship between "Ides of March" and the novel "Middlemarch." Therefore, I agree with "Middle of March" over "Middlemarch" for the explanation. [[User:TCMits|TCMits]] ([[User talk:TCMits|talk]]) 14:46, 18 March 2023 (UTC)
::Why does there need to be any kind of relationship between Ides (Of) March and Middlemarch, other than the "March" bit? And "Middle Of March" is weirdly generic/obscure for a humourous reference, anyway. If you ask me, Randall just missed a trick to put "Ides Of" in that spot, for the sake of pedants. Or deliberately didn't as a pedant-snipe, perhaps. I'll live with Middlemarch as a good enough basis for what is written, because it's perfectly in keeping with other bracket-oddities we've seen. IMHO, HTH, HAND, TTFN. [[Special:Contributions/172.70.162.46|172.70.162.46]] 15:55, 18 March 2023 (UTC)

::"Middle of March" is not a specific thing, and there's no reason to think the bracket would be aiming to "settle the question" between two things that are "almost the same" in exactly one pairing. This is clearly a reference to Middlemarch. [[Special:Contributions/172.70.179.124|172.70.179.124]] 15:36, 23 March 2023 (UTC)

The note about the (effective) oxymoronicity of "Middlemarch" is nice to see, but note that the Midlands (more or less) reflect the ancient kingdom of Mercia (a "march"/borderland, in its own time, where the heptarchy of the Anglo-Saxons butted up against those they) and the rather middling-midlands location would be considered a 'modern' instance of mid-Mercia. We have a lot of such legacy placenames. (Though I think I prefer Torpenhow (which is "Hillhillhill"), Pendle Hill (likewise), etc...) [[Special:Contributions/172.70.90.100|172.70.90.100]] 23:19, 19 March 2023 (UTC)