explain xkcd - User contributions [en]

Talk:3012: The Future of Orion

2024-11-17T08:14:17Z

172.70.207.184: reply

this is my second first comment. -[[User:Psychoticpotato|P?sych??otic?pot??at???o ]] ([[User talk:Psychoticpotato|talk]]) 17:47, 15 November 2024 (UTC)
:This is my first second comment. [[Special:Contributions/162.158.63.8|162.158.63.8]] 17:56, 15 November 2024 (UTC)
::I plead the third. [[Special:Contributions/172.69.136.188|172.69.136.188]] 19:57, 15 November 2024 (UTC)
:::you mean the fifth????? [[User:CalibansCreations|'''<span style="color:#ff0000;">Caliban</span>''']] ([[User talk:CalibansCreations|talk]]) 20:18, 16 November 2024 (UTC)
::::Probably not. I believe it's a perfectly legitimate request. If not because of the muddy boots, then because of the MRE wrappers they leave around (or don't put in the right recycling bin). [[Special:Contributions/172.68.205.92|172.68.205.92]] 21:51, 16 November 2024 (UTC)

okay we need to destroy the stars, any suggestions? [[User:CalibansCreations|'''<span style="color:#ff0000;">Caliban</span>''']] ([[User talk:CalibansCreations|talk]]) 19:02, 15 November 2024 (UTC)
:Don't worry, the [https://www.qwantz.com/index.php?comic=4264 insects] should take care of it. (If the rocks don't do it first) [[User:Trogdor147|Trogdor147]] ([[User_talk:Trogdor147|talk]]) 20:23, 15 November 2024 (UTC)

Maybe add a reference to #1020? [[Special:Contributions/172.71.147.100|172.71.147.100]] 19:43, 15 November 2024 (UTC)

now instead of a hunter [[1020: Orion Nebula|with a dong]], its a dinosaur with diarrhea! [[User:Firestar233|guess who]] ([[User talk:Firestar233|if you want to]] | [[Special:Contributions/Firestar233|what i have done]]) 19:47, 15 November 2024 (UTC)

"There are no dinosaur constellations, because dinosaur fossils had not yet been discovered when constellations were first being named in around 3000 BCE." Faulty logic, compare: "There are no microscope constellations, because microscopes had not yet been discovered when constellations were first being named in around 3000 BCE." [[Special:Contributions/162.158.154.221|162.158.154.221]] 20:03, 15 November 2024 (UTC)
: {{w|Microscopium|link}}. Besides, weren't legends about dragons blamed on people finding dinosaur bones? -- [[User:Hkmaly|Hkmaly]] ([[User talk:Hkmaly|talk]]) 21:48, 15 November 2024 (UTC)

::Besides, Microscopium isn't even 300 years old, much less 5000 [[Special:Contributions/108.162.245.113|108.162.245.113]]

Has anyone figured out how far in the future Randall has projected the new star positions? [[Special:Contributions/172.69.135.5|172.69.135.5]] 21:04, 15 November 2024 (UTC)

There ARE dinosaur constellations, [[1211: Birds and Dinosaurs|nine of them in fact]]p [[Special:Contributions/108.162.245.113|108.162.245.113]]

Meh, dinosaurs. Where are the zombie constellations? [[Special:Contributions/172.69.109.77|172.69.109.77]] 08:54, 16 November 2024 (UTC)

My favorite part is that the dinosaur sill has a dong [[User:Apollo11|Apollo11]] ([[User talk:Apollo11|talk]]) 20:04, 16 November 2024 (UTC)
:If dinosaurs had penises, they would have usually been retracted within their cloaca (Alnilam) so North's ''T. rex'' is either excited to get with a female, or Orion's sword could instead be excrement being expelled. [[Special:Contributions/172.70.207.184|172.70.207.184]] 08:14, 17 November 2024 (UTC)

3011: Europa Clipper

2024-11-14T18:48:21Z

172.70.207.184: /* Trivia */ copyedits

{{comic
| number = 3011
| date = November 13, 2024
| title = Europa Clipper
| image = europa_clipper_2x.png
| imagesize = 333x356px
| noexpand = true
| titletext = They had BETTER make this a sample return mission.
}}

==Explanation==

{{incomplete|Created by a JOVIAN DESSERT. Please consider deleting this tag too soon, but refrain from doing so.}}

[[File:Animation of Europa Clipper trajectory around Jupiter.gif|thumb|right|The ''Europa Clipper's'' projected course around {{w|Jupiter}}, represented as the stationary <span style="color:green;">green</span> dot. In <span style="color:gold;">gold</span> is Jupiter's moon {{w|Callisto (moon)|Callisto}}, in <span style="color:cyan;">cyan</span> is the moon {{w|Europa (moon)|Europa}} — the primary target of the spacecraft's study — and in <span style="color:#FF4500;">orange-red</span> is the innermost of Jupiter's four {{w|Galilean moons|"Galilean"}} moons, {{w|Io (moon)|Io}}. The spacecraft's track is shown in <span style="color:magenta;">magenta</span>. Jupiter's largest moon {{w|Ganymede (moon)|Ganymede}} is not shown, but its gravitational pull affects the ''Clipper's'' trajectory. A mission goal is to achieve a 6:1 {{w|orbital resonance}} with Europa by September 2034.[https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Martin-Ozimek/publication/383115312_AAS_24-433_Europa_Clipper_Mission_Analysis_Pump_Down_Trajectory_Design/links/66bcd845311cbb094938dbd6/AAS-24-433-Europa-Clipper-Mission-Analysis-Pump-Down-Trajectory-Design.pdf] ]]

The ''{{w|Europa Clipper}}'' space probe was launched from the {{w|Kennedy Space Center}} in Florida on October 14, 2024. It is expected to arrive at Jupiter and begin exploration of Jupiter's moons, particularly {{w|Europa (moon)|Europa}}, in April of 2030.

Europa is an icy moon. Water ice covers its surface. Beneath the ice, there is expected to be liquid water, which might contain some basic forms of life.[https://europa.nasa.gov/why-europa/ingredients-for-life/] To sample this liquid, its crust (water ice) would need to be breached.

Europa's surface of ice over liquid water can be compared to the caramelized crust on the popular dessert {{w|crème brûlée}}, perhaps because the {{w|Cassini-Huygens}} probe, after landing on the surface of Saturn's moon Titan in January of 2005, found that its surface had what was described as [https://www.sciencenews.org/article/world-unveiled-cr%C3%A8me-br%C3%BBl%C3%A9e-titan a "crème brûlée" consistency]. The hard surface of the caramel cream dessert is traditionally cracked open with a spoon, and so Randall implies that this equipment [https://europa.nasa.gov/mission/about/ will be used] by the ''Europa Clipper''.

In truth, no such spoon is present on the probe, and the ice-layer would be far too thick to be so easily penetrated by the illustrated size of cutlery. More than that, its course is explicitly designed to avoid contact with Europa (though it will fly through sparse material ejected into space from it) so as to prevent {{w|Planetary protection|contamination by microorganisms from Earth}}. The successful deployment of ''any'' instrument is considered a cause for celebration, however, as deployable instruments on spacecraft have often failed to correctly extend, unfurl or undock, and the craft is equipped with a magnetometer that will be used at the end of a 8.5 meter boom as part of its closer studies.

<div style="display: flex; justify-content: center; align-items: center; margin: 1em 0;">
<div style="text-align: center; margin: 0 1em;">
[[File:Europa_-_Perijove_45_(cropped).png|200px|alt=Europa]]
<div>Europa</div>
</div>
<div style="text-align: center; margin: 0 1em;">
[[File:2014_0531_Crème_brûlée_Doi_Mae_Salong_(cropped).jpg|200px|alt=Crème brûlée]]
<div>Crème brûlée</div>
</div>
<div style="text-align: center; margin: 0 1em;">
[[File:Europa_Clipper_spacecraft_model.png|200px|alt=The Europa Clipper spacecraft]]
<div>The ''Europa Clipper'' spacecraft</div>
</div>
</div>

The title text expands on the joke by stating that the spacecraft "had BETTER" return samples of Europa to Earth. However, the ''Europa Clipper'' is not a {{w|sample-return mission}}.

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

:[A space probe with two rectangular solar panels, a circular dish of the front, and a very large spoon extending beneath, longer than the span of both solar panels]

:[Below the panel:]
:Good news: NASA's '''''Europa Clipper''''' is en route to Europa and has successfully deployed its crème brûlée spoon.

==Trivia==
Initially, the ''Europa Clipper'' mission was planned to include a lander component, but it was removed from the project early on. As of now, the Europa Lander proposal lags significantly behind the Clipper in development and has not secured funding.

Any actual sample return mission is currently far into the future of {{w|Ocean Worlds Exploration Program|the related plans for exploration}}, along with the possibility of digging deep enough into the ice to finally confirm or dismiss some of the more interesting theories about the world concerned.

In Arthur C Clarke's novel '''2010''', the monolith aliens tell humanity ''"All these worlds are yours - except Europa. Attempt no landing there."'' Contrary to the suggestion of the comic, no landing or any other physical interaction beyond observation of the surface of Europa is planned.

In {{w|Greek mythology}}, {{w|Europa (consort of Zeus)|Europa}} was said to be a {{w|Phoenician}} princess who {{w|Zeus}}, the king of the gods, abducted after transforming himself into a bull. The name of the continent Europe derives from a north-western province of ancient Greece that may have been associated with this legend. Jupiter's moon was {{w|Europa (consort of Zeus)#Moon of Jupiter|named after her}} in relatively recent times. With the caramel cream dessert believed to have been [https://archive.org/details/lagastronomieaug00sabb/page/272/mode/2up invented in Europe], this could explain why [[Randall]] suggests that the spacecraft may encounter crème brûlée and require a spoon.

{{comic discussion}}
[[Category:Space]]
[[Category:Space probes]]
[[Category:Food]]

Talk:2757: Towed Message

2023-04-01T04:04:58Z

172.70.207.184:

I hear there were plane(s) pulling banners (Draftkings) around the Boston area yesterday (MLB opening day), perhaps that influenced Randall. [[User:JohnHawkinson|JohnHawkinson]] ([[User talk:JohnHawkinson|talk]]) 23:31, 31 March 2023 (UTC)

I think that he edited the sign midflight somehow. --[[User:Purah126|Purah126]] ([[User talk:Purah126|talk]]) 00:06, 1 April 2023 (UTC)

Also, how do they answer the telephone call mid-flight? --[[User:Purah126|Purah126]] ([[User talk:Purah126|talk]]) 01:59, 1 April 2023 (UTC)
:Well, they didn't, but that means they flew out of range of any suitable cell towers before any call came in. Which is their oversight/error given that it should be easier to maintain line-of-sight than if you're stuck on the ground in a canyon or something.
:Otherwise, I'm sure they could waggle the stick with one hand whilst holding the handset to their ear with the other. I'm sure the FAA has rules against it (given that many jurisdictions don't like drivers driving whilst on a phone) but probably the least of the problems for a pilot who has to deal with a banner that they don't know how to handle... [[Special:Contributions/172.71.242.87|172.71.242.87]] 03:06, 1 April 2023 (UTC)
::I've created links to pages that show how banners are actually towed. Part of the joke here is that the banner is picked up in flight, and takes much more skill to pick up than to drop. As for answering a phone call, a pilot generally has one hand free to operate instrumentation or throttle anyway, the other being on the stick/yoke and feet planted on the rudder controls. I'm actually unaware of any FAA rules against cell phones beyond general pilot distraction (my pilot training was years before cell phones), and it's an FCC rule in the US that cell phones can't be used on aircraft, mainly because out of ground clutter the signal could be picked up by more than one cell tower using that particular frequency, which I've also added links to. This all kinda plays to my specialty, since I work on radios for aviation. ;) [[Special:Contributions/172.70.210.43|172.70.210.43]] 04:00, 1 April 2023 (UTC)
Is it some kind of [[:Category:Self-reference|self-reference]]? [[User:Unreliable Connection|2659: Unreliable Connection]] ([[User talk:Unreliable Connection|talk]]) 02:03, 1 April 2023 (UTC)

1682: Bun

2023-03-27T07:34:24Z

172.70.207.184: /* Explanation */ note

{{comic
| number = 1682
| date = May 18, 2016
| title = Bun
| image = bun.png
| titletext = If a wild bun is sighted, a nice gesture of respect is to send a 'BUN ALERT' message to friends and family, with photographs documenting the bun's location and rank. If no photographs are possible, emoji may be substituted.
}}

==Explanation==
In this comic, [[Ponytail]] is teaching a class about an animal referred to as a "bun". The word "bun" is short for {{w|bunny}}, which is in turn an informal term used for a {{w|rabbit}}. The comic depicts a childish response to seeing a cute animal, but coming from an adult. The humor in the comic comes from a tone of absurdity in a classroom situation where lectures are expected to be serious.

The lecture opens with the statement that smaller buns are superior in rank, which is plainly false.{{Citation needed}} Instead, the teacher clearly thinks that smaller bunnies are just cuter. She mentions that "king buns" may be seen around this time of year, which refers to rabbit kittens being born in the spring. Kittens would be smaller and cuter than any other rabbits because of their age. There is no mention of a "queen bun", but the gender of the kitten can be difficult to determine without a close examination. A prime example of a king bun can be seen [https://imgur.com/gallery/HicMr/ here].

[[Megan]], who attends this biology class, expected to learn about rabbits and hares which are both {{w|Lagomorpha|lagomorphs}}, a mammalian {{w|Order (biology)|order}} that also includes {{w|pika}}s. Megan thus clearly has the correct understanding of what a "bun" is. Ponytail then claims that the word ''bun'' is the scientific term, and states that rabbit, hare, and lagomorph are informal ways to describe these animals, again being completely wrong as in reality ''bun'' is the most contracted and informal name for a rabbit.

Two students are then legitimately doubting that they're in the correct class and decide to check online (either the crude theories that Ponytail expressed, or their course schedule). A third student however appears to believe the lecturer uncritically, reminding the fellow students that they're looking upon the image of a king (i.e. a small bunny).

The title text refers to photographing a rabbit and, for example, posting it on social media - something which would typically be done today if someone sees a cute rabbit in the wild. If the poster had failed to photograph the rabbit before it ran away, they may typically post a message saying something like "I saw a really cute bunny today!" with an {{w|emoji}} depiction of a rabbit (probably 🐇 or 🐰). This is especially common in the area where [[Randall]] lives, as the urban rabbit population in the Cambridge/Somerville area has exploded, putting a large human population with relatively little previous experience with rabbit-sightings suddenly in the position of encountering them very frequently.{{Citation needed}} Emoji have become a [[:Category:Emoji|recurrent theme]] on xkcd. A "bun alert" system was actually created by Beret Hat in [[1871: Bun Alert]].

Ponytail tells that buns have a hierarchy in which the smaller the bun, the higher its ranking is - a rank-size distribution. A "king bun" can be seen as an instance of the king effect, the phenomenon where the top one or two members of a ranked set show up as outliers. An interesting linguistic note is that in several languages (including Czech and Polish), the word for rabbit literally means "little king".

==Transcript==
:[Ponytail is a teacher and she holds a pointer to a picture of a rabbit on a board behind her.]
:Ponytail: Good morning class! Today, we will be learning about the bun.

:[Two rabbits are shown, one slightly smaller, and a greater than symbol indicates that the smaller one is "greater than" the larger one. Ponytail is talking off panel to the left.]
:Ponytail (off panel): Buns have a hierarchy.
:Ponytail (off panel): A bun's rank is determined by its size. Smaller buns are higher-ranking.

:[Two normal sized rabbits are sitting left and right of a very small rabbit. The smaller rabbit appears to give off a radiant light indicated with gray and white alternating rays going through the image. It is indicated that it shines on the larger rabbits as they are gray on the side turned away from the smaller rabbit and white on the front turned towards it. Ponytail narrates above the frame of this half sized panel:]
:Ponytail (narrating): Most buns you see are relatively low-ranking.
:Ponytail (narrating): But this time of year, a lucky few may catch a glimpse of a ''king bun''.

:[A student represented by Megan is sitting at a desk with a few books on it, pencil in hand.]
:Megan: OK, hang on.
:Megan: We're talking about rabbits and hares, right? Lagomorphs?

:[Ponytail is holding her finger up on her left hand, and is holding her pointer at her side with the other. Students reply to her off panel to the right.]
:Ponytail: Informally, yes. But in this course, we use the ''scientific'' term, "bun".
:Student #1 (off-panel): Are we sure this is the right room for ''introductory mammalogy?''
:Student #2 (off-panel): I'll check online.
:Student #3 (off-panel): ''Shh!'' Show respect! We look upon the image of a king!

==Trivia==
*In the [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/archive/2/2c/20160518175345!bun.png original version] the word "hierarchy" in the 2nd panel was misspelled as "h'''ei'''rarchy". This led to speculation regarding the near-homonyms "heir" and "hare", but the spelling was later corrected.
*In [[1663: Garden]], a rabbit image had the file name ''important-bun'' and looked like this: [[File:Garden Important bun.png]]
*[[231: Cat Proximity]] also shows an adult human reacting childishly to cute animals, though in a casual setting.
*A teacher teaching complete nonsense is depicted in [[1519: Venus]], though intentionally false.
*Another educator who is excited about their field is in [[1644: Stargazing]], but there the facts are true while being presented absurdly.
*Additionally, the concept of a ''Bun Alert'' was later used in [[1871: Bun Alert]] and in [[1903: Bun Trend]].

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Comics featuring Ponytail]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Megan]]
[[Category:Animals]]
[[Category:Emoji]]
[[Category:Buns]]