explain xkcd - User contributions [en]

Talk:1792: Bird/Plane/Superman

2022-05-23T22:55:19Z

172.70.90.63: Undo revision 275984 by Xray Kilo Charlie Delta (talk) Unreverting a vandalliser-reverted state.

The explanation says that "birds evolved from dinosaurs". But birds **are** dinosaurs --[[Special:Contributions/172.68.54.100|172.68.54.100]] 05:40, 31 January 2017 (UTC)
:You're right. The sentence is literally true, in the sense that humans evolved from other humans (e. g. ''Homo erectus'') but it's misleading. [[User:Nitpicking|Nitpicking]] ([[User talk:Nitpicking|talk]]) 03:29, 7 March 2022 (UTC)
:: Backforming your parallel, "Birds evolved from other birds". Not sure that's what you meant. Humans evolved from ''hominids'', apes, or (more of an equivalent?) mammals, you might wish to say. Also, plenty of mammals/dinosaurs did not evolve into humans/birds. (And birds are vastly more diverse than humans, so perhaps "¿hominids? evolved from..." would be better equivalence, as well, though still imperfect.) [[Special:Contributions/172.70.85.211|172.70.85.211]] 16:00, 7 March 2022 (UTC)
:::The point is, we are still apes, apes are still mammals, mammals are still reptiles, and reptiles are still fishes. (Many intermediate designations omitted.) You don't stop being a Christian because you are a Baptist, for one analogy. This is the modern cladistic taxonomy now used in biology. [[User:Nitpicking|Nitpicking]] ([[User talk:Nitpicking|talk]]) 16:37, 7 March 2022 (UTC)
::::Hmmm, a stretch. We are reptiliomorph (by classical measures, those tetrapods/amniotes that are not in the lissamphibia family). But birds are ([[1211: Birds and Dinosaurs|a subset of]]) dinosaurs even if neither they nor ourselves are actually reptillian. And it is all too common to talk of "...Christians ''and Catholics''", although I think that's stupid and probably based upon historic religious divisions in (Western) Europe. [[Special:Contributions/162.158.159.73|162.158.159.73]] 01:45, 8 March 2022 (UTC)

;Sunbathing
Randall missed that a plane can lose it's ability to fly via excessive icing on surfaces. While it is not usually the way in which it is cured (using deicing solution and onboard aircraft systems to melt them,) sunbathing the plane in greater than freezing temperatures is an excellent way to regain the ability to fly. (And without additional energy cost, too!) [[Special:Contributions/108.162.216.34|108.162.216.34]] 17:58, 30 January 2017 (UTC)

Now that we have solar planes, some planes may occasionally require a sunbath to get airborne again. [[Special:Contributions/162.158.114.88|162.158.114.88]] 21:51, 30 January 2017 (UTC)

;Flapping
Perhaps we should mention the pre-twentieth century attempts at powered flight some of which were powered by flapping.

Also should we mention that a hta craft pwered by flapping would be an ornithopter.

: Though an ornithopter most definitely counts as a heavier-than-air aircraft, referring to it as a plane would be inaccurate as that term is used specifically when referring to fixed-wing aircraft. If anything, an ornithopter would be closer to a helicopter than a plane.[[Special:Contributions/162.158.107.198|162.158.107.198]] 00:11, 26 March 2022 (UTC)

;Mating & Peeping David
Given their is only one David Attenborough and he does not spend his entire life making wildlife documentaries the chance of his observing any individual bird copulation is remarkably small.

[[Special:Contributions/141.101.99.137|141.101.99.137]] 19:28, 30 January 2017 (UTC)

What sort of birds mate in mid flight? --[[Special:Contributions/141.101.80.52|141.101.80.52]] 19:47, 30 January 2017 (UTC)
:Swifts for example. --[[User:DaB.|DaB.]] ([[User talk:DaB.|talk]]) 21:37, 30 January 2017 (UTC)
:: You seem to be right about swifts mating in mid flight. According to [http://www.commonswift.org/Aerial-mating.html | this] source, the common swift (Apus apus) is the only species who engages in this behavior.--[[Special:Contributions/141.101.98.160|141.101.98.160]] 14:59, 1 February 2017 (UTC)

;mid flight poop
From what I understand, superman gets the majority of his energy from the sun. Is there any confirmation that he can poop mid flight, or even poop at all? Maybe he just slowly releases various gasses?--[[Special:Contributions/173.245.51.17|173.245.51.17]] 22:47, 30 January 2017 (UTC)

Well Superman does eat, so it is likely he does poop too. Sun gives him super power thing, but he frequents restaurants as Clark Kent. --[[User:Trimutius|Trimutius]] ([[User talk:Trimutius|talk]]) 04:00, 31 January 2017 (UTC)

Planes are definitely capable of releasing their poop intentionally. They choose not to. Truth Rating: Pants On Fire. [[Special:Contributions/108.162.219.76|108.162.219.76]] 14:47, 31 January 2017 (UTC)
: It depends what you mean by 'plane poop'. Is it engines exhaust? Fuel, hydraulic oil or other technical fluids? Or is it ''passengers' '' poop... If you mean the latter than no, there's no "empty toilet in mid flight" functionality. A malfunction may cause the toilet contents to spill over but it is not intentional. -- [[User:Malgond|Malgond]] ([[User talk:Malgond|talk]]) 11:39, 1 February 2017 (UTC)

The Indian government thinks planes do intentionally release their poop. Citation: [http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/asia/india-fine-airlines-dropping-human-waste-poo-passenger-jets-on-homes-a7488491.html] -- [[21:48, 2 February 2017 (UTC) User:Scryer]]

There were several aircraft in the early days of flight that had toilets that were directly connected outside. One such one, the Supermarine Stranraer, got the nickname "whistling shithouse" because when the toilet seat was lifted, the airflow through the tube caused it to whistle. Also, during WW2 on bomber aircraft, they would sometimes crap in a cardboard box and throw it overboard rather than use the difficult to use and unpopular chemical toilets. [[Special:Contributions/108.162.250.17|108.162.250.17]] 06:59, 7 February 2017 (UTC)

I was under the impression that birds either do not have sphincters, or do but can't control them to hold their poop in. Would this not mean that birds should not be ticked, or am I completely wrong?[[Special:Contributions/141.101.98.52|141.101.98.52]] 06:35, 1 February 2017 (UTC)

;punching
No need to go to ostriches or emus, swans can fly well, and certainly take a punch, though i would *strongly* recommend against trying. [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Swan#/media/File:The_swan_attacks_man.Hokkaido-toyako,%E4%BA%BA%E3%82%92%E8%A5%B2%E3%81%86%E6%B4%9E%E7%88%BA%E6%B9%96%E3%81%AE%E7%99%BD%E9%B3%A5P6200258%E3%83%A2%E3%82%B6%E3%82%A4%E3%82%AF.jpg]. Geese are also probably not much safer. --[[Special:Contributions/162.158.89.43|162.158.89.43]] 12:27, 31 January 2017 (UTC)
:I found a video [https://youtu.be/Ee-9z6zmn3U?t=36] that shows a seagull taking a punch from a rather stout man and seeming to not be terribly hurt from it, though the video focuses more on the man than the bird.[[Special:Contributions/172.70.179.20|172.70.179.20]] 21:03, 22 April 2022 (UTC)

;Title text
I've never seen such a sticker with a spider web - unless on Helloween. But stickers depicting silhouettes of birds on the other hand: https://www.google.com/search?q=vogel+aufkleber&tbm=isch&tbo=u&source=univ&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwjj64Xlv-zRAhXGtxQKHS3ABh0QsAQIgwE&biw=1920&bih=914 But it seems as if this is a regional (Germany - or maybe Europe) thing, since searching for "bird stickers" didn't yield such a clear result... [[User:Elektrizikekswerk|Elektrizikekswerk]] ([[User talk:Elektrizikekswerk|talk]]) 13:22, 31 January 2017 (UTC)

;Magnetic navigation
There is no evidence that Superman is not able to fly in Magnetic navigation mode... [[Special:Contributions/188.114.103.11|188.114.103.11]] 17:33, 31 January 2017 (UTC)
:There is no evidence that Superman exists. --[[Special:Contributions/162.158.150.22|162.158.150.22]] 15:00, 1 February 2017 (UTC)

;Other Comparisons
Missing: [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Underdog_(TV_series)#Characters Frog and Underdog]. Underdog would be a disappointing subset of Superman, Frog a subset of Bird. [[User:Schnitz|Schnitz]] ([[User talk:Schnitz|talk]]) 20:09, 1 February 2017 (UTC)

This page has quite a few typos and instances of awkward phrasing. I'll go through it and clean it up in a bit. --[[User:Sensorfire|Sensorfire]] ([[User talk:Sensorfire|talk]]) 01:03, 19 August 2018 (UTC)

541: TED Talk

2022-05-23T22:53:58Z

172.70.90.63: Undo revision 275983 by Xray Kilo Charlie Delta (talk) I removed fhis the first time, for legitimate reasons. *Re-*removing after flip-flop vandal reverts readded it.

{{comic
| number = 541
| date = February 9, 2009
| title = TED Talk
| image = ted_talk.png
| titletext = The IAU ban came after the 'redefinition of the 'planet' to include the IAU president's mom' incident.
}}

==Explanation==
The comics shows Randall as a presenter at the highly prestigious {{w|TED conference}}, a symposium about technology, entertainment and design. The illustrious {{w|list of TED speakers|list of former presenters}} includes amongst others Bill Clinton, Al Gore, Larry Page, Richard Dawkins and Gordon Brown. The conference is regarded as a forum for {{w|digerati}}. Every talk has a length of at most 20 minutes and is supposed to be as captivating as possible.

Randall's presentation, however, reduces the purpose of the conference to absurdity: The topic he wishes to point out to his listeners, is that of how to put an emoticon at the end of a parenthetical statement. This question is of little practical consequence, although it received a lot of attention after publication of the comic. In the last panel, the TED conference is another item to add to his list of conferences from which he has been banned. On the list are other conferences from all sorts of fields, including every American furry convention.

The title text about Randall's ban from the {{w|IAU}} conference is a reference to the popular maternal insults called {{w|Maternal insult|"yo momma" jokes}}. A common representative of the genre runs "Yo mama so fat, scientists have declared her the 10th planet." Those kind of jokes are a [[:Category:Your Mom|recurring theme]] on xkcd

It can be inferred from [[629: Skins]], that Randall was banned from North American furry conventions due to being a "Skin", which is a furry whose fursona prefers going around disguised as a human. Depending on Randall's behavior, such an action could generate a lot of drama and, presumably, lead to convention bans.

Getting banned from attending a conference is a [[:Category:Banned from conferences|recurring theme]] on xkcd, and even in real life, Randall sometimes has bad ideas for conference topics, [https://blog.xkcd.com/2009/02/11/ireland/ such as presumably not speaking for the entire conference]. This was so far the sixth of eight comics to directly mention conference bans. The first to do so was [[153: Cryptography]].

The {{w|PyCon}} organizers made a response to this comic - see below under [[#PyCon response|PyCon response]].

===Conferences where Randall is banned from===
Here is a list of the conferences from which Randall has been banned according to this comic.
{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Conference
! Description
! Website
|-
| Siggraph
| Special Interest Group on Graphics and Interactive Techniques
| http://www.siggraph.org
|-
| Eurocrypt
| Annual International Conference on the Theory and Applications of Cryptographic Techniques
| http://www.iacr.org/meetings/eurocrypt/
|-
| Defcon
| DEF CON® Hacking Conference
| https://www.defcon.org/
|-
| Pycon
| Python Conference
| http://www.pycon.org/
|-
| International Astronomical Union
| The IAU's mission is to promote and safeguard the science of astronomy in all its aspects through international cooperation
| https://www.iau.org/science/meetings/
|-
| Canadian Paleontology Conference
| The main goal of the CPC and its predecessors has been to provide a relatively small, informal forum for presentation and discussion of current paleontological research
| http://www.gacpaleodivision.com/pd-meetings.html
|-
| Every American Furry Convention
| There are many Furry Conventions in America (see the [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_furry_conventions Wikipedia page] for more details), but to be banned from all of them would probably require action by the Furry Convention Leadership Roundtable, the coordinating body for furry conventions.
|
|-
| American Baking Society
(American Bakers Association)
| ABA represents the interests of bakers before the U.S. Congress, federal agencies, and international regulatory authorities
| http://www.americanbakers.org/meetings/
|-
| Asian Dolphin-Training Conference
| International Marine Animal Trainers' Association
| https://www.imata.org/
|-
| TED
| Technology, Entertainment, Design.
| https://ted.com
|}

==Transcript==
:[Randall, drawn as Cueball, on stage.]
:Randall: Hi. I'm Randall. Welcome to my TED talk.
:Randall: It's an honor to speak to you, some of the brightest innovators from so many fields, about a problem in desperate need of your attention:
:Randall: How DO you end parenthetical statements with emoticons? I can't figure out a good way.
:[Screen next to him shows two statements, both crossed out in red.]
:"Linux (or BSD :) would..." looks mismatched
:"Linux (or BSD :)) would..." looks mismatched and weird

:[Randall writing on a desk.]
:[Randall's List] Conferences I'm banned from:
:Siggraph
:Eurocrypt
:Defcon
:Pycon
:International Astronomical Union
:Canadian Paleontology Conference
:Every American Furry Convention
:American Baking Society
:Asian Dolphin-Training Conference
:TED

==PyCon response==
In response to this comic, PyCon organizers jokingly [http://pycon.blogspot.com/2009/02/randall-munroe.html announced] that Randall Munroe was banned from PyCon 2009 due to "last year's disgraceful keynote, 'Web Spiders vs. Red Spiders'." They also said they instructed their volunteers to refuse admission to him and "any stick figures who may attempt to register, particularly if they are wearing hats."

Messages on the PyCon-Organizers mailing list show that this joke was intended to get Randall to come to PyCon: (The links will only work if you're subscribed to the mailing list.)
:PyCon mentioned briefly in today's xkcd:
:http://xkcd.com/541/
:We've still never gotten Randall Munroe to actually attend, have we? Anybody want to take charge of twisting his arm this time? I think we can still offer him a "press pass" (free registration). [...] [http://mail.python.org/mailman/private/pycon-organizers/2009-February/011224.html]
::An invite would seem most appropriate given the cartoon. :-)
::We could also have an official PyCon blog post confirming his ban... [http://mail.python.org/mailman/private/pycon-organizers/2009-February/011225.html]
:::How about a public blog post LIFTING the ban and inviting him? [http://mail.python.org/mailman/private/pycon-organizers/2009-February/011226.html]
::::Confirming the ban is far funnier... He's definitely a disturbing influence on programmers. [http://mail.python.org/mailman/private/pycon-organizers/2009-February/011227.html]
:::::Agreed, especially if we invite him concurrently with confirming the ban. [http://mail.python.org/mailman/private/pycon-organizers/2009-February/011239.html]
:::::(a few posts later)
:::::I'm happy to participate in actually throwing some thin guy out of the conference, and then get some graphics savvy person to animate a stick figure over that. :) [...][http://mail.python.org/mailman/private/pycon-organizers/2009-February/011274.html]
::::::here's a rough idea of what would show up if you invited him to actually do any speaking...
::::::http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zJOS0sV2a24
::::::it's fairly long. he shows up in the beginning around 3:25. [http://mail.python.org/mailman/private/pycon-organizers/2009-February/011275.html]
:::::::For the record, I did try to convince him to come when got the art for the tshirt last year. He didn't seem super psyched, but then again emotions are hard to read via IRC.
:::::::I love the idea of "officially" banning him, however. ;-) [http://mail.python.org/mailman/private/pycon-organizers/2009-February/011241.html]
::::::::(a few posts later)
::::::::OK - posted to the PyCon blog, by the power vested in me as publicity chair. With Michael Foord's excellent sentence added.
::::::::Now let him know that since he's banned, he HAS to come. [http://mail.python.org/mailman/private/pycon-organizers/2009-February/011251.html]

==Trivia==

Randall has since this comic given a TED talk in March 2014. [https://www.ted.com/talks/randall_munroe_comics_that_ask_what_if Randall Munroe Comics that ask "what if?"].

{{comic discussion}}
[[Category:Comics featuring Randall Munroe]]
[[Category:Comics with color]]
[[Category:Furries]]
[[Category:Banned from conferences]]
[[Category:Public speaking]]
[[Category:Your Mom]]

Talk:2601: Instructions

2022-05-23T22:51:45Z

172.70.90.63: Undo revision 275982 by Xray Kilo Charlie Delta (talk) The vandalising undoing left this page on the (presumably) latest legit editor's *penultimate* edit version...

;Turtle graphics
So these are instructions for a turtle graphics program. The audio is drawn from https://xkcd.com/2601/radio.mp3, a 9 hour 7 minute 12 second long audio file It's generated by feeding turtle code into a text-to-speech program, but idk which language or which program. If you can convert the speech back to text, somehow without ruining the formatting (or just do a lot of editing with regex until it looks right), you could feed it into a turtle graphics program and get the resulting drawing.
:If you're not familiar with Turtle and Logo, look at this [[https://www.tutorialspoint.com/logo/logo_quick_guide.htm|quick guide]]. The short version is that these commands move a little cursor, called a turtle, which draws a line as it moves and turns. At this time, contributors have applied a few different computer transcriptions to the entire audio. There are quotes about turtles from a variety of sources intermixed with Logo code. It is expected that some correction to the code is needed, such as adding parenthesis that are not spoken in the audio. Standard Logo commands found in the audio are: PENUP, PENDOWN, SETHEADING (N) (N), SETXY (N) (N), and FORWARD (N). Some custom functions are defined, including DIST (N) (N) (N) (N), LERP (N) (N) (N), MIX (N) (N), CUBIC (N) (N) (N) (N), and SQUARE (N) (N). The next steps are to test the transcripts of these custom functions in a Logo interpreter, at which point we can begin drawing the picture. [[User:Mannerisky|Mannerisky]] ([[User talk:Mannerisky|talk]]) 02:45, 2 April 2022 (UTC)
: The picture indeed will be Bob Ross. The first hour of radio has him saying, "A happy little tree - holding up a happy little world." We can coordinate transcribing this code at [https://github.com/theinternetftw/xkcd2601 GitHub Repository]. Credit for this progress goes to the GitHub owner. [[User:Mannerisky|Mannerisky]] ([[User talk:Mannerisky|talk]]) 04:55, 2 April 2022 (UTC)

I don't know what the current image on this page is. Is that the drawing you get by following these instructions? [[Special:Contributions/172.70.100.4|172.70.100.4]] 20:58, 1 April 2022 (UTC)
: Wait I see now, that is the actual image for the comic. It just gets covered up by the button so I can't see it. [[Special:Contributions/172.70.126.87|172.70.126.87]] 21:03, 1 April 2022 (UTC)
::Ah, it looks like someone realized it's actually longer than that. After downloading it, I found it to be 131,329,389 bytes. The Windows Properties viewer claims it is 8h41m08s in length, but that's wrong. It is actually 9h07m06s. By the way, the code is in the Logo language. He seems to have copied this from a book, but I don't know which one. [[Special:Contributions/172.70.100.4|172.70.100.4]] 21:12, 1 April 2022 (UTC)
:::Worth taking a look at? I can start looking for books that contain that text[[Special:Contributions/162.158.107.52|162.158.107.52]] 21:39, 1 April 2022 (UTC)

:The automatic speech system is using standard punctuation processing, meaning that critical marks for the code aren't being announced. You can't get the code from the samples without filling in the blanks after getting a transcript. [[User:N|N]] ([[User talk:N|talk]]) 22:19, 1 April 2022 (UTC)

The MP3 file ends with this text: "''I even talk to turtles at times. But you need to understand LOGO to appreciate the great, great things that have been created. We spend so much of our life typing, looking, but never ever seeing.''" [[Special:Contributions/162.158.222.151|162.158.222.151]] 21:17, 1 April 2022 (UTC)

april fools' comic? [[User:GcGYSF(asterisk)P(vertical line)e|GcGYSF(asterisk)P(vertical line)e]] ([[User talk:GcGYSF(asterisk)P(vertical line)e|talk]]) 21:18, 1 April 2022 (UTC)
:I think it's an April Fool's joke. [[Special:Contributions/108.162.238.148|108.162.238.148]] 21:20, 1 April 2022 (UTC)
::Well is it 2022/04/01 [[Special:Contributions/141.101.77.189|141.101.77.189]] 21:26, 1 April 2022 (UTC)

Broken Version

I think mine's broken. I don't get it. [[Special:Contributions/172.70.130.91|172.70.130.91]] 21:29, 1 April 2022 (UTC)
:You press the radio button, it selects it, then you can press it a zillion times in any pattern and all it ever does is blink the entire image. Nothing else ever appears other than the radio button, and there’s never any sound so pressing the speaker in the corner to supposedly turn it on or off is also completely pointless.[[Special:Contributions/172.70.126.65|172.70.126.65]] 23:31, 1 April 2022 (UTC)
::Alright, it’s April 2nd now, so if all of you have been LYING about it actually doing something, just playing along with the joke, you can admit it now.[[Special:Contributions/172.70.130.153|172.70.130.153]] 18:40, 2 April 2022 (UTC)
:::Did it only work on American April 1st, or only for some people? It's the third of April here now, and it's still a boring button that clicks on once and does nothing else. Have I missed it? [[Special:Contributions/108.162.249.13|108.162.249.13]] 20:38, 2 April 2022 (UTC)

Given the alt text "happy little turtles" and the tone of the narration I assume we're supposed to pretend the narrator is Bob Ross guiding us to creating an artistic masterpiece with Logo [[Special:Contributions/172.70.211.72|172.70.211.72]] 21:31, 1 April 2022 (UTC)

Guys, it's been HOURS and the transcription is still incomplete. Step it up! [[Special:Contributions/172.70.162.77|172.70.162.77]] 21:37, 1 April 2022 (UTC)
:Not even sure what the transcript should be. I did my best[[Special:Contributions/162.158.107.52|162.158.107.52]] 21:41, 1 April 2022 (UTC)
::I have a feeling this might be one of the longest transcripts on the site. [[Special:Contributions/108.162.245.43|108.162.245.43]] 21:57, 1 April 2022 (UTC)
:::Wanna bet? [[1608: Hoverboard/Transcript]]... --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 20:35, 2 April 2022 (UTC)
:::Or [[980: Money/Transcript]] --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 21:59, 2 April 2022 (UTC)

Up until someone automates the process, I'll be working on the transcript and saving it in exkcd in parts (: Don't worry too much about edit overrides, I'll be transcribing in a google doc to avoid that! --[[User:Char Latte49|Wielder of the Staple Gun]] ([[User talk:Char Latte49|talk]]) 21:53, 1 April 2022 (UTC)
:The sections about turtles between the code blocks seems to be from

Interesting Facts About Turtles
A Little Nature Study by a Scientist that will Interest Old and Young Naturalists Alike
By Randle C. Rosenberger M. D., Professor of Hygiene and Bacteriology, Jefferson Medical College, Philadelphia, Pa.
https://archive.org/stream/foreststream861916newy/foreststream861916newy_djvu.txt

The uni.xkcd version of this comic also just shows the turtle like this article. So much for uses two April Fools comics against each other ;) [[Special:Contributions/172.70.114.77|172.70.114.77]] 22:44, 1 April 2022 (UTC)

I ran the MP3 through Amazon Transcribe. It can do only 4 hours at a time, so I had to split the original file. I went from start to 03:59:59, 03:59:59 to 07:59:58, and 07:59:58 to end. Amazon Transcribe also gave me some subtitle files (index 1). They have time codes in them. So if someone wanted to note the times of the little quips, and host the audio file somewhere where links to the middle of the file can be generated (like YouTube), that could be cool. Below are the transcriptions for analysis. Replace X with 1, 2, or 3; and replace Y with json, srt, or vtt. [[User:Pgn674|Pgn674]] ([[User talk:Pgn674|talk]]) 23:15, 1 April 2022 (UTC)

:<code><nowiki>https://pgn674.s3.amazonaws.com/xkcd-2601/xkcd-2601-X.Y</nowiki></code>
:: No need to host anything special. Let's say we want to jump to time code 02:35:14.840 from the vtt subtitle file #1 (line 7084, subtitle 1771). 2*60*60+35*60+14=9314. Subtract a few seconds, and make a link like this. Click here to learn about turtle noises: https://xkcd.com/2601/radio.mp3#t=9310 [[User:Pgn674|Pgn674]] ([[User talk:Pgn674|talk]]) 23:48, 1 April 2022 (UTC)
::: I went and found all mentions of "turtle", extracted those lines, and generated links to them. Programmatically. If anyone wants to go through and do some manual review and fine tuning, go ahead. [[User:Pgn674|Pgn674]] ([[User talk:Pgn674|talk]]) 00:57, 2 April 2022 (UTC)

I threw Adobe Premiere Pro at it: https://anonfiles.com/pbYfK7Sax4/radio_csv; and https://anonfiles.com/35YbKeScxe/radio_txt are the results. Note: these transcribe until 07:01:28:19. I am currently in the process of making APP suffer more and churn out the last two hours. --[[User:ẞ qwertz|ẞ qwertz]] ([[User talk:ẞ qwertz|talk]]) 23:54, 1 April 2022 (UTC)

So... what language is this? I'm hearing: PENUP, PENDOWN, SETHEADING (N) (N), SETXY (N) (N), FORWARD (N) - all of which are standard LOGO commands. But I'm also hearing something that sounds like CUBIC (N) (N) (N) (N) (N) (N), though it could also be QBIT, or text-to-speech for something like "^3". Either way it's NOT a standard LOGO command, so suggests it's a variant. Does not seem to be KTurtle, POOL, UCBLogo. QLogo, FMSLogo, and then I got bored searching. --[[Special:Contributions/172.69.71.91|172.69.71.91]] 00:37, 2 April 2022 (UTC)
:In the automatic transcription it has "Two cubic colon X one colon Y one colon X two"... which would be TO CUBIC :X1 :Y1 :X2 ... so it is defined above. [[Special:Contributions/162.158.107.230|162.158.107.230]] 01:15, 2 April 2022 (UTC)
:: Yes, some of the commands seem to be defined at the top. CUBIC at the top, SQUARE maybe somewhere else. So a shortcut to decyphering it might be to just extract and render all the cubes from the "CUBIC" and "SQUARE" commands, given their values. But what format are the cubes? Are they even the coordinates of cubes? For both commands, the six numbers seem to be in the format A B A B A B where the As and Bs are similar or even in some cases identical, which seems a strange thing for a cube:
<blockquote><pre>
SetXY -443 412
PenDown
Square -443 405 -443 397 -444 390
</pre></blockquote>
The definition seems to be something like:
<blockquote><pre>
ToCubic : X1 : Y1 : X2 : Y2 : Ex : Ey --- Parameter definitions?
local Make " X0 XCor --- Local variable definitions?
Local Make " Y0 YCor
Local Make " ErrX1 Lerp : X0 : X 0.25
local Make " ErrY1 Lerp : Y0 : Ey 0.25
Local Make " ErrX2 Lerp : X0 : Ex 0.75
Local Make " ErrY2 Lerp : Y0 : Ey 0.75
IfElse
Or
LessP : picks error Dist : ErrX1 : ErrY1 : X1 : Y1
LessP : picks error Dist : ErrX2 : ErrY2 : X2 : Y2
[
Local Make " Qx0 mix : X0 : X1
Local Make " Qy0 mix : Y0 : Y1
Local Make " Qx1 mix : X1 : X2
Local Make " qy1 Mix : Y1 : Y2
Local Make " Qx2 mix : X2 : EX
Local Make " Qy2 mix : Y2 : Ey
Local Make " Lx0 mix : Qx0 : QX1
Local Make " Ly0 mix : Qy0 : QY1
Local Make " Lx1 Mix : Qx1 : Qx2
Local Make " Ly1 Mix : qy1 : Q
Local Make " PmX Mix : Lx0 : Lx1
Local Make " PmY Mix : Ly0 : LY1
Cubic : Qx0 : qy0 : Lx0 : Ly0 : PmX : PmY
Cubic : Lx1 : Ly1 : Qx2 : Qy2 : Ex : Ey
]
[
SetXY : Ex : Ey
]
</pre></blockquote>
Least, that's what it sounds like, but I suspect round brackets and suchlike are not spoken aloud :( --[[Special:Contributions/108.162.221.95|108.162.221.95]] 01:54, 2 April 2022 (UTC)

: Maybe it's implementing a cubic spline interpolation, not a tridimensional cube. [[Special:Contributions/172.70.131.214|172.70.131.214]] 11:08, 2 April 2022 (UTC)

Feels like the speech processing is lossy, so generating the code will be a lengthy labor of love transcribing it, then debugging it, trying to fill the gaps. The code may also have been fed through an automated "Bob Ross filter" which may have lost even more data. --[[Special:Contributions/172.69.71.91|172.69.71.91]] 00:37, 2 April 2022 (UTC)

About a quarter of the way into the text is the line "You know, I'm beginning to suspect it's turtles all the way down!" [[Special:Contributions/162.158.78.215|162.158.78.215]] 00:46, 2 April 2022 (UTC)

it's concerning that the only real way we'll be able to figure this comic out is to compile the entire 9 hour computer-generated voice speech. [[User:Lettherebedarklight|youtube.com/watch?v=miLcaqq2Zpk]] ([[User talk:Lettherebedarklight|talk]]) 01:40, 2 April 2022 (UTC)
:Anyone actually doing any transcribing of this audio text is a true April Fools' fool, hence the reason to release this on April 1st. But I'd still like to see what the Fools' come up with :-D --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 21:26, 2 April 2022 (UTC)

I'm moving all things about audio transcription here: [[2601: Instructions/Audio Transcript]], both the real transcript and peoples very long comments in the main discussion, to keep the main page short and keep loading time down. The comments from here go in the [[Talk:2601: Instructions/Audio Transcript|discussion]] for that page --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 20:35, 2 April 2022 (UTC)

OMG, fond memories of LOGO! I'm in a loud bar at the moment so I can't listen, and I'm not listening to NINE HOURS anyway, LOL! Everybody DOES realize, someone needs to extract the program and run it in LOGO, right? I would guarantee this draws something interesting and/or stupid. :) [[User:NiceGuy1|NiceGuy1]] ([[User talk:NiceGuy1|talk]]) 03:27, 2 April 2022 (UTC)

I found a [https://github.com/theinternetftw/xkcd2601 GitHub Repository] for transcription. May be of use to you guys for adding more info and citations to this Wiki. By the way, I didn't know this wiki existed. I don't want to create an account for it right now so good luck guys ;-; 04:12, 2 April 2022 (UTC)

I tried running some code through "ucblogo" on a Linux distro, but didn't get very far with it. ---Tim 04:16, 2 April 2022 (UTC)

Given that the audio is generated by text-to-speech, could a source-aware speech-to-text work better (fewer errors and less manual correction) than a generic one? For example, finding the right text-to-speech, extracting a sound for each phoneme, and then searching for near-identical snippets of waveform, seems like it could potentially be more reliable than the generic neural nets which are primarily trained for real human speech. Or even training a neural net on the same text-to-speech source, with a big block of sample data, if that would help distinguish homophones. Presumably someone here is good enough at this sort of thing to try that? [[User:Sqek|Sqek]] ([[User talk:Sqek|talk]]) 10:05, 2 April 2022 (UTC)

I think that the original comment at the top is the best approach. Using the speech-to-text data posted yesterday, and doing some simple regsubs, I can get it into good enough shape that I can proceed to transcribe the whole program by editing the file while listening to the audio, in real time. "In real time" means nine hours to correctly transcribe the whole thing. So any other approach would have to do better than nine hours. Plus if somebody put a little effort into organization, the transcription can be parallelized and so completed in nine hours / N transcribers. ---Tim [[Special:Contributions/172.70.38.41|172.70.38.41]] 13:10, 2 April 2022 (UTC)

I was helping with this last night, and here are the major steps we've done to interpret the code and who has helped, I think.
* [[User:Pgn674|Pgn674]] Used AWS to make a transcription of the audio, which we have been building from
* [[Special:Contributions/172.68.118.59|172.68.118.59]] Transcribed the critical functions at the top of the transcription
* [https://github.com/theinternetftw theinternetftw] Found a working interpreter and set up a collaboration space at [https://github.com/theinternetftw/xkcd2601 a GitHub repo], and has since been maintaining the code
* [https://github.com/theinternetftw theinternetftw] Also transcribed the first hour and got us our view of a partial picture
* [https://github.com/somebody1234 somebody1234] Got a messy but runnable version of the entire transcription and a view of the entire picture with errors
* Many people are transcribing bits of audio and submitting to GitHub. Here is the list of [https://github.com/theinternetftw/xkcd2601/graphs/contributors contributors]
[[User:Mannerisky|Mannerisky]] ([[User talk:Mannerisky|talk]]) 15:06, 2 April 2022 (UTC)

I have changed the image to that which is seen on xkcd when loading the comic. It has not been updated on this page yet as of when I write this. But the turtle is of course not the comic, but a placeholder for those webcrawlers that would fail when trying to download the radio button. I have also added info on this in the current explanation. As I have made a link to a new sub page for the looong audio transcript and removed all of that from this page and discussion and put it here: [[2601: Instructions/Audio Transcript]] --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 21:38, 2 April 2022 (UTC)

I started planning to write some code to figure this out, but moved on to other things after a few hours, due to psychological issues I have. The draft just runs the audio through the start of a random speech to text model. I trained a tokenizer around the logo code but didn't move farther. There are a lot of possible next steps, some of which others have mentioned. A simple approach would be to finetune the model around the hand-transcribed data. https://colab.research.google.com/gist/xloem/4310a26b6c9d13adac14307b948157d3/untitled4.ipynb [[Special:Contributions/172.70.114.147|172.70.114.147]] 23:04, 2 April 2022 (UTC)

Any plans to exkcd the "real" comic that gets drawn by the LOGO code in the audio? I mean, I recognize, e. g., the Mars rover and Ursa Major, but what's the significance of the vacuum decay here, for instance? [[User:Nitpicking|Nitpicking]] ([[User talk:Nitpicking|talk]]) 01:18, 3 April 2022 (UTC)
:Now that the project is complete, we should add the resulting image on this page (not just a link to github). It'll be what folks are looking for first. And then we can start identifying the many references in the picture and turtle quotes. [[User:Mannerisky|Mannerisky]] ([[User talk:Mannerisky|talk]]) 04:26, 3 April 2022 (UTC)
::well, i added the picture. [[User:Lettherebedarklight|youtube.com/watch?v=miLcaqq2Zpk]] ([[User talk:Lettherebedarklight|talk]]) 08:08, 3 April 2022 (UTC)
: Vacuum decay is the total annihilation of the observable universe, which (in theory, depending on details we don't yet know) could happen at any point and at any time and would expand at the speed of light to clobber any space it reaches. Since it's limited to the speed of light, I guess it wouldn't affect regions of the universe that are receding faster than that. So, it's a bit of irony contrasting the happy picture. See https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/False_vacuum_decay . For an even better explanation, try Katie Mack's excellent book, https://www.amazon.com/End-Everything-Astrophysically-Speaking/dp/198210354X [[Special:Contributions/172.70.110.65|172.70.110.65]] 14:13, 6 April 2022 (UTC)

It was wonderful watching all of this unfold. Great work everyone. I don't have an account here, nor on github, but I thought I'd mention that the makesvg.py uses the ':=' operator which was introduced in python 3.8. Not all of us have it on our creaky old machines. Maybe add a comment in the usage at the top of the file? Or better, refactor the .py?
-- [[Special:Contributions/172.70.100.4|172.70.100.4]] 14:39, 3 April 2022 (UTC)

Is there a trick to making it work? I've tried both Firefox and Chrome. I hear the narration and can toggle the mute, but it never draws the picture for me. I have enabled JavaScript and I have disabled Privacy Badger, NoSCript, and uBlock Origin and still no joy. I did find the final drawing so I've seen the animation via GIF.
--[[Special:Contributions/108.162.221.221|108.162.221.221]]
:: Signing with triple tilde puts the WRONG IP address for me! My IP is NOT 108.162.221.221, my IP is 47.186.56.37. What gives????
:: --[[Special:Contributions/108.162.221.221|108.162.221.221]]
:::: Just FYI, your registered IP (like mine) is probably from the (regional?) gateway that mediates between you, at your true and current internet-facing IP, and the serving server. It's not something for you to really worry about, but you asked.
::: i'm trying to find a way to say this that doesn't sound condescending, but do you actually think the comic draws the picture or are you using https://benediktwerner.github.io/xkcd-2601-drawer/ ? if it's the former, the comic does not draw the picture. if it's the latter, you have to click the "use the latest code" button and *then* click draw. again, i know that sounded super condescending, pls don't think i'm trying to be mean. [[User:New editor|New editor]] ([[User talk:New editor|talk]]) 05:24, 4 April 2022 (UTC)

does this comic *technically* feature beret guy, ponytail, etc or not. they're not *in* the comic, but it could be said to feature them. [[User:New editor|New editor]] ([[User talk:New editor|talk]]) 05:31, 4 April 2022 (UTC)

What is <pre>CUBIC</pre>? [[User:GcGYSF(asterisk)P(vertical line)e|GcGYSF(asterisk)P(vertical line)e]] ([[User talk:GcGYSF(asterisk)P(vertical line)e|talk]]) 05:45, 4 April 2022 (UTC)
:A function defined above (both in the transcript and, partially, in this Talk page) that is there to define certain smooth lines via a cascade of interesting LOGO procedural code, including branch-tests, that I wasn't even aware could be done until I started to read it.
:(I mean, I didn't even know LOGO used Polish Notation, having last practically dabbled with it on the probably vastly more limited interpreters that ran on BBC Microcomputers at school, back in the early '80s. You could define procedures with params, but I can't remember this syntax, nor any tests available that seem to suggest recursive tests until the finest changes do nothing.)
:That was at my first glance, I've avoided the pages until most of the fuss died down because I could see a lot of work being shovelled in, by others, and I knew I couldn't add much but confusion. But I now think I can take leisurely ride through the code and see what I can personally pick up from it. (Cheers to the army of volunteers that mobilised to make this possible, BTW!) [[Special:Contributions/162.158.159.11|162.158.159.11]] 20:56, 4 April 2022 (UTC)

The inserted comments don't seem to just be facts about turtles - they also include 'Rossisms' - e.g. "I've just covered the entire canvas in a layer of light."[[Special:Contributions/172.69.79.153|172.69.79.153]] 08:35, 4 April 2022 (UTC)

The explanation should reference the World Turtle (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/World_Turtle) in regard to the finished image.[[Special:Contributions/172.69.79.153|172.69.79.153]] 08:46, 4 April 2022 (UTC)

I hope that's Cory Doctorow in the hot air balloon. [[Special:Contributions/172.70.110.209|172.70.110.209]] 13:35, 4 April 2022 (UTC)

I don’t have an account, but I wanted to add that if you are subscribed to email updates (by clicking email on the xkcd website) the update reads: “Sadly today's comic is best views on the web” [[Special:Contributions/162.158.107.198|162.158.107.198]]

== Narrative vs. code ==

There should be some statement that there's code and narrative mixed within the transcript; you can't just hand the whole thing to Logo and expect it to work.

(Unless, of course, there's some way of telling Logo to ignore a block of text that wouldn't be spoken when you actually read the annotated block. In which case, the transcript needs to be so-annotated. I doubt it, though.)

-- [[User:Dtgriscom|Dtgriscom]] ([[User talk:Dtgriscom|talk]]) 10:25, 4 April 2022 (UTC)

:The transcript on GitHub prefixes narration by `;` which turns it into a comment that is not parsed by LOGO. It would be cool to have this read out loud like it seems to have been designed: "Bob Ross" talking about painting while "painting" using logo. It'd be something like "Narrate, execute code snippet, narrate, excute code" until the entire picture is done. I noticed, for example, that he talks about drawing a "happy little tree" in between a section of code that, surprise, draws a tree. [[Special:Contributions/162.158.222.151|162.158.222.151]] 11:23, 4 April 2022 (UTC)

::Good thing to notice, and now we have two topics:

:: 1. What the transcription page should show. Big, big bonus points if we could have a transcript that, when fed to a "text to speech" tool, would produce exactly what the comic's audio track includes (e.g. no "semicolon Happy Little Tree here")

:: 2. What the output animations should include. What if you'd see a blank canvas, and hear the AI-Bob-Ross narrate, and then watch the code execute and draw? Then, more narration, then more code executing? You could even have the code sections be read out loud, and see the results in real time, It would take a lot of patience to watch the results. (I ain't gonna do it, though...)

:: -- [[User:Dtgriscom|Dtgriscom]] ([[User talk:Dtgriscom|talk]]) 12:14, 4 April 2022 (UTC)

One line in the narrative, "I read in the L.A. Times this morning that 42,000 Mazda cars were recalled because of a spider problem. Really makes you think doesn’t it?" could be refering to https://xkcd.com/2600/, namely "Will I have to start worrying about spiders after Tuesday?"

[[Special:Contributions/162.158.222.39|162.158.222.39]] 13:55, 4 April 2022 (UTC)
:No, it actually references a [https://www.latimes.com/business/autos/la-fi-hy-autos-spiders-mazda-recall-20140407-story.html thing that happened] in 2014, because Mazda's cars are for some reason spider magnets. [[Special:Contributions/162.158.222.157|162.158.222.157]] 06:58, 5 April 2022 (UTC)

1370: President

2022-05-20T23:59:28Z

172.70.90.63: Undo revision 271698 by Explain xkcd server admin (talk)

{{comic
| number = 1370
| date = May 19, 2014
| title = President
| image = president.png
| titletext = Anyone who thinks we're all going to spend the 2032 elections poring over rambling blog posts by teenagers has never tried to read a rambling blog post by a teenager.
}}

==Explanation==
This strip shows a discussion between an adult and a teenager about an aspect of the future. [[Randall]] likes this setup, allowing to put in perspective the various "decay" predictions and shows his optimism.

Here, the subject is scandal. How will a generation that is documenting and leaving behind a permanent public record of its juvenile misadventures - immature and impolitic writings, photographs of inebriation at parties posted on Facebook, Twitter posts about breakups, etc. - produce successful future politicians? Won't future opposition researchers and reporters have enough embarrassing material to destroy any Millennial's public reputation? In previous generations, juveniles were freer to go through this phase of development without leaving behind a digital record, making it easier to sidestep or paper over rumors of youthful misbehavior. See, e.g., George W. Bush, who dismissed questions about his rumored use of drugs in his youth by saying only, "When I was young and irresponsible, I was young and irresponsible."

The child's answer, in addition to teasing the adult about her generation's coming obsolescence, is that the next generation will be fine because in the future no one will care. The title text amplifies this optimistic message, suggesting that old blog posts by former teenagers will just seem boring, not salacious. [[Randall]] offers no explanation for this upbeat spin, but it is a recurring topic and some have argued elsewhere that the potential power of Internet-chronicled youthful indiscretions will be defused because everyone will be in the same boat, making future voters (and, in another context, employers) more tolerant of such things.

The strip also contains an existential twist, as shown in the child's answer. It alludes to every generation's dismissal of the next, as actually being due to psychological insecurities. We may disguise our dismissals by attacking their faults & different lifestyles. But in truth, these dismissals are actually rooted in our innate fear of becoming obsolete, useless, surpassed, and lost in a bewildering world that has passed us by.

==Transcript==
:[Ponytail and Science Girl are walking together.]
:Ponytail: I can't imagine anyone who grew up on the Internet being able to run for President.

:[Closeup of Science Girl.]
:Science Girl: Why? Because it'd mark the handover of a world that no longer needs you to a generation you don't understand?

:[Ponytail and Science Girl have stopped walking and are facing each other.]
:Science Girl: ...Or because there would be embarrassing pictures of us as teenagers?

:[Closeup of Ponytail.]
:Ponytail: Um. The pictures one?
:Science Girl (off-screen): Pictures of teens! How will we even survive??

{{comic discussion}}
[[Category:Comics featuring Ponytail]]
[[Category:Internet]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Science Girl]]

191: Lojban

2022-05-20T23:58:59Z

172.70.90.63: Undo revision 271697 by Explain xkcd server admin (talk)

{{comic
| number = 191
| date = December 1, 2006
| title = Lojban
| image = lojban.png
| titletext = zo'o ta jitfa .i .e'o xu do pendo mi
}}

==Explanation==
{{w|Lojban}} is a constructed language designed to be logical, unambiguous, and culturally neutral — similar to the better known artificial language {{w|Esperanto}}. The authors originally designed it as an experiment, but a few people have picked it up and tried to learn it. However, anyone actually willing to learn Lojban is someone [[Black Hat]] would rather avoid. Alternately, only people who speak Lojban, who compose an admittedly tiny proportion of the general population, could benefit from the logic of the language, making the benefits of Lojban mostly pointless to most people.

Clicking on the original comic brings you to [https://imgs.xkcd.com/comics/lojban_translated.png a Lojban translation of the comic]. The Lojban version literally translates to something like:
:Cueball: Hypothetically, you becoming an expert in Lojban implies things you say would completely be an unambiguous meaning and logical.
:Black Hat: Agreed, but would be talking to the people subgroup that is an expert in Lojban.
If reading pedantically, a few mistakes can be identified:
* "Hypothetically" is applied to the entire first sentence rather than the subclause "you are an expert in Lojban".
* The word "pavysmu" is used in a way that indicates the things being said ''are'' an unambiguous meaning, rather than having a single meaning.
* The subgroup of people is specified as being an expert in Lojban, not the people in it.

The title text is also written in Lojban. It translates roughly as: "That was a joke. Really. Wanna be friends with me?" Since Lojban aims to be completely unambiguous, idiomatic structures like sarcasm and humor have associated particles - when a joke is made, it must be ''explicitly'' marked as such or else it's incorrect. Most languages rely on intonation expressing this, but Lojban does not, leading to the strange practice here of specifically pointing out that a joke was made.

A more literal translation gives: "Humorously that false. Please is-it-true-that you friend me?"

==Transcript==
:[Cueball and Black Hat are having a conversation.]
:[English version:]
:Cueball: If you learned to speak Lojban, your communication would be completely unambiguous and logical.
:Black Hat: Yeah, but it would all be with the kind of people who learn Lojban.

:[Lojban version:]
:Cueball: da'i ganai do crebi'o la lojban gi le se cusku be do cu mulno pavysmu je logji
:Black Hat: .i .ie ku'i cusku fi le prenu klesi poi certu la lojban

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

1813: Vomiting Emoji

2022-05-20T23:58:36Z

172.70.90.63: Undo revision 271696 by Explain xkcd server admin (talk)

{{comic
| number = 1813
| date = March 20, 2017
| title = Vomiting Emoji
| image = vomiting_emoji.png
| titletext = My favorite might be U+1F609 U+1F93F WINKING FACE VOMITING.
}}
==Explanation==

This comic relates to the recent [http://unicode.org/emoji/charts-beta/emoji-released.html Emoji v5.0 proposal] for [http://unicode.org/versions/Unicode10.0.0/ Unicode 10.0] which includes a [http://unicode.org/emoji/charts-beta/full-emoji-list.html#1f92e vomiting emoji]. [[Cueball]] initially states that the newly proposed {{w|emoji}} look good, until [[Megan]] points out the existence of the vomiting emoji. While Cueball finds this distasteful, Megan rather seems to like it, going as far as suggesting rather than a single emoji, it should be possible to have a whole array of vomiting emojis by combining the vomiting action with other existing emojis.

: ''Note: Some of the emojis below may not display correctly if your browser or operating system doesn't implement the latest Unicode standard.''

Unicode is the computing industry standard for representing text. More recent additions have included emoji characters, such as grinning face (😁) or hands clapping (👏). Each Unicode character is assigned a numerical code, usually written in {{w|hexadecimal}} notation. For example, the grinning face emoji is assigned the code U+1F601, and the clap symbol is assigned U+1F44F. Unicode also supports "combining modifiers" which allow, among other uses, placing accents on letters, adding decorations to other emojis, or changing the colors of flags or skin tones. For example, letters such as A, O, or n together with a combining tilde (U+303) modifier result in those letters having a tilde glyph on top (Ã, Õ, ñ), and various emojis for people, such as 👨 or 👩, together with the medium-dark skin tone modifier (U+1F3FE), results in those same people with altered skin color (👨🏾, 👩🏾).

Along the same lines, Megan's proposal is to assign the code U+1F93F to be a combining modifier indicating vomiting. Under this proposal, it would theoretically be possible to combine a vomiting modifier with any emoji to produce a vomiting version of that emoji. Six examples are given in the last panel, with each being progressively more nonsensical. The title text continues this and gives another example of a ridiculous combination.

The examples given in the comic are:
* '''Vomiting Cowboy''' (🤠): This seems reasonable and not much worse off than the regular one.
* '''Vomiting Statue of Liberty''' (🗽): Given the turbulent political climate in present-day America, this emoji might see a lot of use by opinionated folks.
* '''Vomiting Dove''' (🕊): As the dove is usually seen as a symbol of peace, a vomiting one could be construed as an omen for war or used to depict strong objection to ongoing conflicts. It may also reference a tendency for birds to drop unpleasant things on people below. It is worth noting that pigeons are a subspecies of doves so a dove emoji might as well represent a flying pigeon.
* '''Vomiting Moon''' (🌛): In cartoons or fairy tales, the {{w|Moon}} is often {{w|anthropomorphized}}, however depicting it as vomiting would be extraordinary since that would not be in line with normal child-friendly material.
* '''Vomiting rocket ship''' (🚀): This might be a reference to the "{{w|Vomit Comet}}" aircraft that astronauts train on. Also, space travel and travel in general (e.g. in cars, roller coasters, airplanes) can all be associated with vomiting. However, since the cabins of rocket ships should be airtight when in flight, vomit coming out of a flying rocket would be quite strange.
* '''Vomiting Hand''' (✋): This one is just bizarre{{Citation needed}}. Maybe it could be used in the context of some horror flick?
* '''Winking Face Vomiting''' (😉, title text): This suggests that the context in which a wink is used is combined with vomiting to humorous effect.

Most of these Emoji could be seen as related to the political situation in the USA at the moment, see more [[Sad comics#Vomiting_Emoji|here]].

Assigning Unicode characters to emojis has been controversial historically due to the fact that Unicode was created as a standard for text. Emojis, which are essentially drawings of people or objects, aren't typically perceived as parts of text, and so leads some to object to co-opting the standard for non-text things. Using combining modifiers to further expand emojis is also seen as an abuse of the original purpose of modifier characters. As an alternative, [http://unicode.org/emoji/charts/emoji-zwj-sequences.html emoji zero-width joiner sequences] are in use, where an emoji is encoded as a series of simpler emoji and zero-width joiners. In practice, this would probably be how the above characters would be implemented, instead of with a combining modifier. Jokes that make fun of Unicode, involving emojis that shouldn't exist or inappropriate combinations thereof, are fairly common on the Internet.

In the title text of [[1726: Unicode]], [[Randall]] mentioned the proposed "{{w|brontosaurus}}" emoji in Unicode. And shortly before that Megan talked in similarly drawn emojis in [[1709: Inflection]]. In general emoji has become a [[:Category:Emoji|recurrent topic]] on xkcd.

==Transcript==
:[Cueball, looking at his smartphone, approaches Megan who is sitting in an office chair at a desk working on her laptop. Next to Megan's reply is a large yellow faced emjoi with closed eyes and a large open mouth from where a thick green stream of vomit is gushing out. ]
:Cueball: The proposed emoji for Unicode 10.0 look good.
:Megan: Hmm.
:Megan: "U+1F92E Face with open mouth vomiting"

:[Cueball is holding his phone down looking at Megan's screen.]
:Cueball: Eww.
:Megan: Really, "vomiting" should be a combining modifier, so you can use it to make a vomiting version of any emoji.
:Cueball: Umm.
:Megan: I'm gonna write up a proposal.

:[Megan's proposal with six examples of vomiting emoji. All six are colorful also apart from the green stream of vomit gushing out of mouth or holes when there is no mouth. Above the list is Megan's suggested title for the modifier, and the title for each emoji is next to them in the list. The cowboy is like the original version but with a hat. The Statue of Liberty is blue and bends forward to vomit. The gray dove has lost its green olive branch, now above its head. The yellow moon is in first quarter and has a face. The red and blue rocket has fire out the rear and the vomit out an open hatch. The yellow hand has a big hole in its center.]
:<big>U+1F93F Vomiting modifier</big>
:U+1F920 U+1F93F Vomiting cowboy
:U+1F5FD U+1F93F Vomiting Statue of Liberty
:U+1F54A U+1F93F Vomiting dove
:U+1F31B U+1F93F Vomiting moon
:U+1F680 U+1F93F Vomiting rocket ship
:U+270B U+1F93F Vomiting hand

==Trivia==
Two years after this comic was published, in 2019, Unicode added U+1F93F in Unicode 12.0 and Emoji 12.0, but instead used the code for a [https://emojipedia.org/diving-mask/ diving mask emoji].

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Comics with color]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Megan]]
[[Category:Emoji]]
[[Category:Smartphones]]
[[Category:Unicode]]

897: Elevator Inspection

2022-05-20T23:58:08Z

172.70.90.63: Undo revision 271693 by Explain xkcd server admin (talk)

{{comic
| number = 897
| date = May 11, 2011
| title = Elevator Inspection
| image = elevator inspection.png
| titletext = Even governmental elevator inspectors get bored halfway through asking where the building office is.
}}

==Explanation==
In the United States, all elevators are subject to building codes and must be inspected on a somewhat-regular basis by city officials. After the inspector runs his rounds, the elevator's passing grade is noted in a certificate which is visibly placed in the elevator. Alternatively, it can be dumped in a filing cabinet in the building office where the owner can forget about it, and a placard is given to the elevator letting the passengers know where the certificate is (usually the aforementioned building office).

This comic is portraying a scenario which supposedly never happens. No-one is ever actually interested in seeing the elevator's certificate, and nobody gets this excited about going to a building office. So, as the caption humorously suggests: many elevators start using the placards for elevators that have not been inspected. No one cares enough to go to the building office and search the files for the certification. And as the title text says, even inspectors themselves get bored before they can get to the building office.

The moral of this comic is if you see an elevator with a notice that says that the "elevator inspection certificate is on file", you do not really know whether the notice is true, and so building owners use the certificates as substitutes for the bother and expense of actually getting their elevators inspected. The flaw in this logic is that, if an elevator were to fail catastrophically, the inspection certificate would almost certainly be retrieved and examined as part of the investigation. If the elevator had not been inspected as required, there would be very serious legal consequences. Hence, failing to carry out regular inspections would carry substantial risks.

==Transcript==
:[Two Cueball-like guys and Ponytail, lifting her arms above her head, are in an elevator. Cueball standing next to the door reads the sign above the control panel.]
:Cueball: It says here that the elevator inspection certificate is on file in the building office.
:Friend: Whoa, cool! Let's go look at it!
:Ponytail: That sounds fun!

:[Caption below the panel:]
:Industry tip: Building owners know this never happens. Those signs mark elevators which have never been inspected.

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Ponytail]]
[[Category:Multiple Cueballs]]
[[Category:Elevators]]
[[Category:Sarcasm]]
[[Category:Tips]]

1071: Exoplanets

2022-05-20T23:57:49Z

172.70.90.63: Undo revision 271692 by Explain xkcd server admin (talk)

{{comic
| number = 1071
| date = June 20, 2012
| title = Exoplanets
| image = exoplanets.png
| titletext = Planets are turning out to be so common that to show all the planets in our galaxy, this chart would have to be nested in itself—with each planet replaced by a copy of the chart—at least three levels deep.
}}
*A [http://xkcd.com/1071/large/ larger version] of this image can be found by clicking the image at xkcd.com - the comic's page can also be accessed by clicking on the comic number above.

==Explanation==
An {{w|exoplanet}} is a planet outside of our solar system, orbiting a different sun. [[786: Exoplanets|786]] planets were known in mid-2012: 778 exoplanets and the rest in our Solar System.

Since then, astronomers have found thousands more. In the comic, our {{w|Solar System}}'s eight planets are depicted in the small rectangle above the central text. From this we find that the largest dots (red) and second largest dots (dark brown) indicate planets larger than Jupiter, light brown is roughly {{w|Jupiter}} or {{W|Saturn}}-sized, blue is roughly {{w|Uranus}} or {{w|Neptune}}-sized, and the tiny dots are small {{w|terrestrial planets}} (like {{w|Earth}}).

We only have a few ways of {{w|Discoveries of exoplanets|finding exoplanets}}. Astronomers initially used {{w|doppler spectroscopy}}, which detects minute changes in a star's movement towards or away from us to infer the presence of large gas giants or {{w|brown dwarf}}s. Currently the most successful method is to notice when a star seems to briefly get dimmer on a repeating cycle. This may indicate that a body of matter has passed between that star and us, blocking some of the light. The {{w|Kepler (spacecraft)|Kepler space telescope}} was designed for this purpose, and has made the vast majority of exoplanet discoveries.

Most of Kepler's discoveries are between the sizes of Earth and Neptune, but it's sensitive enough to detect planets smaller than Mercury (if the orbital plane is aligned with us). Kepler is only able to observe relatively close stars in a {{w|File:LombergA1024.jpg|narrow field of view}}. The great number of nearby planets implies there should be {{w|Carl Sagan|billions}} of planets in our galaxy, [[1339|assuming]] our local arm is not uniquely abundant.

The title text refers to this by saying that to show them all, each dot on the chart should hold another chart with the same amount of dots; each of these dots should then also have a similar chart, and then do this one more time for a three level deep chart. This chart would have space for 786^4 planets (786*786*786*786 = 382 billions). Our {{w|Milky Way}} contains about 100-400 billion stars. But if the chart were only two levels deep there would "only" be room for 786^3 = 0.5 billion planets.

This comic's design is similar to the {{w|color perception test|Ishihara Color Test}}, a series of circular pictures made of colored dots, used to detect red-green color blindness. However, Randall's picture probably does not contain a hidden number like it did in [[1213: Combination Vision Test]].

Two different xkcd comics have the title "Exoplanets". The first was [[786: Exoplanets]], and this one was drawn at a time when 786 exoplanets had been found. Probably not a coincidence when it comes to [[Randall]]. This is the first time Randall released a comic with the exact same name as a previous comic. Since then he has done so [[:Category:Comics sharing name|a few times]]. When this comic was released it caused problems on xkcd as the title of the image files were the same for the two comics. This was resolved by renaming the original image adding the year 2010, the year when it was released, two years before this one was released.

See also [[:Category:Exoplanets]] and this {{w|lists of planets#Orbiting other stars|list of lists of exoplanets}}.

==Transcript==
:[An large diagram of dots, mostly of varying shades of brown and greenish yellow, with a number of smaller blue dots, tiny green dots and some larger red dots. At the top of the circle are five lines of text in very different font size.]
:<big>All 786 known</big>
:<big><big><big>planets</big></big></big>
:(as of June 2012)
:<big>to scale</big>
:'''(Some planet sizes estimated based on mass.)'''

:[Below this text is a small section of 8 planets which are framed in a light gray frame with lighter gray background . It is situated right below the above text with only a few planets in between the text and the frame. These planets include two large yellow, two smaller blue two small green and two tiny green planets. A line goes between this frame to another frame with the first word in the text below, that is in a similar frame. The rest of the text follows to the right and then below this first word covering the central part of the circle from just around the center of the circle and a bit below.]
:This is our solar system.
:The rest of these orbit other stars and were only discovered recently.
:Most of them are huge because those are the kind we learned to detect first, but now we're finding that small ones are actually more common.
:We know nothing about what's on any of them. With better telescopes, that could change.
:'''This is an exciting time.'''

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Comics with color]]
[[Category:Large drawings]]
[[Category:Astronomy]]
[[Category:Exoplanets]]
[[Category:Comics sharing name|Exoplanets02]]

1917: How to Make Friends

2022-05-20T23:57:09Z

172.70.90.63: Undo revision 271691 by Explain xkcd server admin (talk)

{{comic
| number = 1917
| date = November 17, 2017
| title = How to Make Friends
| image = how_to_make_friends.png
| titletext = No, wait, come back! I want to be friends at you!
}}

==Explanation==
This comic follows a sample interaction, purportedly showing how to make friends. We see [[Cueball]]'s strategy for making friends. It does incorporate various points of advice for building friendships, which are completely sound in the abstract. But it's clearly not helping him -- he's out of sync with the interaction context and makes bigger social gaffes by following the abstract advice. Escalating awkwardness ensues.

It starts out with a common way of making friends or interacting with friends, hanging out over a meal. However, Cueball suggests doing so with awkwardly literal phrasing; whereas most people use expressions such as “have lunch” or “grab a bite to eat”, Cueball explicitly invites Hairy to “eat food”. The fact that he feels the need to clarify that they’ll be eating food, as opposed to any other orally consumable items, indicates his lack of confidence to clearly communicate his intentions.

Before Hairy can even respond, Cueball then says that they could instead “sit together and talk without eating.” Although this is indeed another common way to make friends, it’s kind of an odd way to phrase it, especially since he didn’t even give Hairy a chance to reply to his initial suggestion. Cueball then says he doesn’t need to eat (meaning not ''right now'', especially as a prerequisite to talking), but he immediately feels compelled to clarify that he ''does'' need to eat (meaning ''in general''). Again, it’s weird that he clarified, as his original wording probably would have been understood. He then awkwardly remarks about how he can eat later if Hairy would rather just talk. The overall implication is that Cueball’s awkwardness and over-explanation would put off a typical person, although {{tvtropes|Adorkable|some people find it endearing}}.

This is a situation that Randall has encountered before, in [[1746: Making Friends]], in which he offered "advice" to play dead to attract new friends and/or turkey vultures; presumably he has "learned" from his unsuccessful attempts and is trying more conversational approaches, but apologizes to the reader as he hasn't quite figured that out either.

The title text says Cueball wants to be friends ''at'' Hairy, rather than ''with'' him, which isn’t how friendship usually works. “At” implies that Cueball considers being friends to be a unilateral action that he needs to direct towards Hairy, like “smiling at” or “pointing at”, and does not understand that it is typically a mutual activity of building a relationship, which would be indicated by being friends ''with'' him. “At” can even carry a degree of animosity (compare: [https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/The_Hitchhiker's_Guide_to_the_Galaxy#Chapter_17_2 “he just phoned up to wash his head at us”]).

==Transcript==

:[First panel with words, with the words in the center white and on a black oval background, which is in turn on the white background:]
:''Presenting:''

:How to make friends

:[Second panel with Cueball and Hairy facing each other:]
:Cueball: Want to go eat food together?
:Cueball: We could also sit together and talk without eating. I don't need to eat. I mean, I do need to eat. But if you don't want to eat then we can just talk. I can eat later.

:[Third panel with words, same format as first panel:]
:''Okay''

:It turns out I still haven't figured out how to do this.

:''Sorry''

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Hairy]]
[[Category:Social interactions]]

1116: Traffic Lights

2022-05-20T23:56:49Z

172.70.90.63: Undo revision 271690 by Explain xkcd server admin (talk)

{{comic
| number = 1116
| date = October 3, 2012
| title = Traffic Lights
| image = traffic_lights.gif
| titletext = There's an intersection I drive through sometimes that has a forward green arrow, a red light, and a 'no turns' sign all on one pole. I honestly have no idea what it's telling me to do.
}}

==Explanation==
This comic is an {{w|animated gif}} which features an array of {{w|traffic light}}s which are lighted signals posted at intersections to control vehicular traffic. The standard North American traffic light has three solid lights: red, yellow and green (meaning, in simplistic terms, "stop", "warning: the light will be changing to red" and "go" respectively). More complicated lights sometimes have additional signals such as arrows indicating go or stop for a specific direction such as left or right turns.

However, as in the strip, sometimes an intersection has multiple lights with certain of them designated to apply solely to a specific lane or specific direction of travel. A common one is a left-turn light that allows the lights to stop or allow left-turn traffic independent of the rest of the traffic. Another common example is a light that applies only to public transit like streetcars that run on tracks on the city streets.

There are also other rules and features that tend to be unique to different localities as noted in the Wikipedia article for {{w|Traffic-light signalling and operation}}.

In this comic, [[Randall]] is commenting on the confusion that can be caused by having too many lights with multiple rules attached by creating an exaggerated example.

In this strip, the right light has a sign indicating that the light and the right lane are for ''left'' turners, while the 3rd-from-left is a straight or ''right'' turn lane and the 2nd from left is ''right'' turn only. In normal course, right turns would be permitted from the right lane and left turns from the left lanes. The system in this comic would have turning traffic crossing each other, as well as the straight-ahead traffic and would cause chaos (and require very complicated traffic light phases to control). The left-most light on the post has a sign indicating that left, right and straight travel are all prohibited, which is even more confusing.

The comic, as an animated gif, cycles through various phases, at first appearing somewhat normal, but then adding unusual phases. The animated gif takes about 90 seconds to cycle through the 32 discrete panels before repeating. The left post light has (unusually) left ''and'' right arrows, later becoming up and down arrows. At times the light completely shuts off, and at other times, has conflicting signals.

The third-from-left light has red ''and'' yellow, and later all three lights come on at the same time, then all three lights go yellow, and then reverse with green at top and red at bottom. The bottom light then becomes an arrow.

The fourth-from-left traffic light switches from a green light to a purple light at times.

The right light only lights red in each position.

The second-from-left light and second-from-right lights do not appear to have any quirks other than changing phases in unusual patterns.

At frames 21 and 22 (see below) the colors of the latter five lights correspond to the color sequence of the letters in the Google logo. Only the first letter of the logo, which is blue, is not reproduced on the first traffic light.

===Title Text===
The title text mentions a straightforward intersection that allows going forward but not turning. Even though Randall is confused, in some places, a red light and a forward green arrow permits going forward but disallows turns.

==Frame by frame breakdown==
The following is a breakdown of all of the frames of the animated gif comic.

[[File:traffic lights list.png]]

==Closeups on the Lights==
The following is a closeup on the lights, and the bird. The lights from left to right are here shown top to bottom. Time advances to the right.

[[File:traffic lights closeups revised.png]]

Originally, the second light had a couple frames near the start that were different. The closeup of this was as follows:

[[File:traffic lights closeups.png]]

{{comic discussion}}
[[Category:Comics with color]]
[[Category:Comics with animation]]
[[Category:Traffic light]]

2621: Mainly Known For

2022-05-19T13:32:12Z

172.70.90.63: /* 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 that guy from NASA, what was his name? Something Munroe - Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}
[[Megan]] points out an uncanny resemblance between someone's dad and {{w|Steve Jobs}}. However, she is uncertain that Steve's last name is Jobs, so she refers to Jobs as "the Pixar guy", asking Cueball if Jobs is the correct name.

Jobs is mainly known for (hence the comic's title) being the co-founder and twice CEO of {{w|Apple Inc.}}, but in the late 1980s and early 1990s (between his stints at Apple), he was the chairman of {{w|Pixar Animation Studios}}, which is what Megan knows him for.

Frequently, when people can't remember a celebrity's name, they will point out other works they are known for in hopes someone else will recognize them from that and remind them of the name.

[[Cueball]] points out that Megan's tendency to avoid the "main" association and instead go with a much more secondary one is weird, which confuses her. To demonstrate how weird her associations are, Cueball asks her, "Who is {{w|John Lennon}}?" Lennon is a famous songwriter who played and wrote for {{w|The Beatles}} before they broke up, and later continued on a solo music career. Megan recognizes Lennon as a musical artist, but is unable to remember the name of The Beatles. She instead asks about the band he was in with {{w|Ringo Starr}}. Ringo, however, is not mainly memorable to her for his role in The Beatles, but rather as Mr. Conductor from the first season of the 1989 children's television show ''{{w|Shining Time Station}}''. The Beatles' fame seems to have escaped Megan, which vexes Cueball. Also Ringo is often considered as the least known of The Beatles, definitely less known than {{w|Paul McCartney}}.

Hoping to show that she really does know Lennon and that her associations aren't weird, she points out that she remembers John doing a song with {{w|David Bowie}}. But she cannot remember that it was called "{{w|Fame (David Bowie song)|Fame}}". The song is from 1975 and Lennon co-wrote it with Bowie and performed backing vocals and guitar on it. Also she cannot remember Bowie's name, recognizing him instead for his acting role in ''{{w|Labyrinth (1986 film)|Labyrinth}}''. When Cueball states Bowie's name and states that he think he is famous for other stuff than those two things Megan mentions, she also remember another movie with Bowie, ''{{w|Zoolander}}'', rather than his more famous musical career (such as his smash hits "{{w|Space Oddity}}" or "{{w|Let's Dance (David Bowie song)|Let's Dance}}").

Sensing Cueball's annoyance, but failing to understand it, she attempts to excuse herself for not remembering ''Zoolander'' to begin with, because it came out a long time ago, during the {{w|Presidency of George W. Bush}}. ''Zoolander'' was indeed released in 2001. Apparently unable, again, to remember the president's name, she identifies him as "{{w|Jenna Bush}}'s dad". Jenna Bush is a TV personality and much less widely known than her father.

While the kind of associations people make like Megan in this comic, are often prone to the {{w|Mandela effect}}, Megan's information about all the celebrities is, in fact, correct, but apparently they are never what those people are best known for. This is what makes Cueball sigh and facepalm in the final panel, when she mentions Jenna instead of George Bush. He likely also does this because, even though he just demonstrated her weird tendency to remember people for their lesser known works, he is unable to reach her and let her understand that she is weird.

In the title text, Megan refers to "{{w|Keira Knightley|Keira Knightly}}" [''sic'' -- her surname is spelled Knightley], who is probably best known for her roles in the {{w|Pirates of the Caribbean (film series)|''Pirates of the Caribbean'' films}} and the {{w|Pride & Prejudice (2005 film)|2005 ''Pride and Prejudice'' film}}, by referencing her small role in ''{{w|Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace}}''.

Megan continues her unusual references by identifying the film as the "first movie" (it was the first in the plotline, but the fourth one made) in "that series" by ''The Land Before Time'' producer" ({{w|George Lucas}}, creator of {{w|Star Wars}}, was also one of the executive producers of the 1988 animated film ''{{w|The Land Before Time (film)|The Land Before Time}}'').

Seeming to think that identifying George Lucas doesn't narrow it down at all, she identifies another actor in the ''Star Wars'' series, {{w|Samuel L. Jackson}}, by his roles in ''{{w|Jurassic Park (film)|Jurassic Park}} ''(an extremely successful film, but one in which Jackson had a relatively small role) and the PBS children's series ''{{w|Ghostwriter (1992 TV series)|Ghostwriter}}'' (in which Jackson appeared in only a few episodes). In addition, Megan mentions that the ''Star Wars'' series had "script work by {{w|Billie Lourd}}'s mom", referring to {{w|Carrie Fisher}}, who contributed uncredited script-doctoring work{{citation needed}} to the ''Star Wars'' franchise. However, Fisher is more closely associated with ''Star Wars'' for having played the major role of {{w|Princess Leia Organa}} in six films in the series.

''Ghostwriter'' was previously featured in [[130: Julia Stiles]], which described a scene from the show as "the best thing ever to appear on TV".

==Transcript==
:[Megan holds he hand palm up towards Cueball.]
: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 puts her hand down.]
: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?

:[In a frameless panel Megan holds a finger up in front of Cueball.]
: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 puts her hand down while Cueball facepalms. The line connecting his is curved.]
: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: ''*Sigh*''

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Comics featuring Megan]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Steve Jobs]]
[[Category:Comics featuring real people]]
[[Category:Star Wars]]
[[Category:Fiction]]
[[Category:Jurassic Park]]

466: Moving

2022-05-13T01:11:10Z

172.70.90.63: /* Explanation */ I think you actually meant "communal", but "common" works better anyway.

{{comic
| number = 466
| date = August 22, 2008
| title = Moving
| image = moving.png
| titletext = We need a special holiday to honor the countless kind souls with unsecured networks named 'linksys'.
}}

==Explanation==

The caption notes that few forces are more powerful than a geek trying to get Internet in a new apartment, thus explaining the title of the comic: ''Moving''. One of the consequences of moving one's place of residence is having to arrange connection to various essential utilities, including the internet. One way to reduce the time where such utilities are unavailable is to steal them off your neighbours. As geeks prioritise access to Minecraft over common human values, they are more likely to access other's internet via such underhanded means.

A {{w|cantenna}} is a do-it-yourself antenna made from a can, in this case a {{w|pringles}} can. [[Cueball]] is pointing his cantenna to the neighbors across the road, which, as he says, will allow him to connect to the {{w|wifi}} network there.

[[Megan]] asks if the neighbors themselves have internet access, to which Cueball answers that they don't, but he thinks that they will get hooked up to the internet first. Potentially this is because they are more likely to pay for their internet access rather than hacking someone else's.

The title text continues this theme of connecting to other people's networks, noting that we should have a holiday in honour of those people who don't bother reconfiguring their Linksys routers (thus leaving them with the default name of 'linksys'; this was very common when this comic was published in 2008), which allows other people to connect to those networks very easily, as they aren't encrypted by default and don't need a password.

==Transcript==
:[Caption above the panel:]
:There are few forces more powerful than geeks desperately trying to get internet in a new apartment.
:[Cueball is pointing an empty can out the open window. It is placed on a moving box, and lots of small parts are lying on the floor in the otherwise empty room. Megan stands behind him with a laptop in one hand.]
:Cueball: Okay, the pringles cantenna has let us patch into the WiFi network across the road.
:Megan: And they have internet?
:Cueball: No, but I think the cable van will hook up their house first.

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Megan]]
[[Category:Internet]]
[[Category:Computers]]

1095: Crazy Straws

2022-05-11T18:25:03Z

172.70.90.63: Undo revision 265471 by 👖🔥 (talk)

{{comic
| number = 1095
| date = August 15, 2012
| title = Crazy Straws
| image = crazy_straws.png
| titletext = The new crowd is heavily shaped by this guy named Eric, who's basically the Paris Hilton of the amateur plastic crazy straw design world.
}}

==Explanation==
A {{w|subculture}} is a small group of people within a culture that share some property in common, such as hackers or hipsters. Some subcultures form based on a geeky obsession over a trivial topic (for instance, a minimally-drawn webcomic). In this case, that topic is crazy straws, which are toy drinking straws designed with unusual twists and loops. This strip uses this group as an example of the fractal nature of cultures.

Informally speaking, a {{w|fractal}} is a mathematical shape with an infinite level of detail. Just as fractals can always be divided into smaller patterns, Randall points out that human subcultures can always be divided into smaller subcultures. We have the "people who like crazy straws" subculture, but this is further divided into the professionals and the hobbyists. The hobbyists are themselves broken into those who accept loops in the straws and those who don't. A splinter group, as used in the comic, is a subculture that breaks off from a larger one. Of course, this nesting is not really infinite, since there is a finite number of people living. The claim that it is infinite is hyperbole.

Despite the incredible amount of work fans put into it, the whole concept seems completely inconsequential to an outsider. This irony is the source of humor in this strip. An earlier comic, [[915: Connoisseur]], covers a similar topic.

{{w|Paris Hilton}} is a celebrity who is essentially famous for being famous. The "guy named Eric" mentioned in the title-text is someone prominent in the amateur plastic crazy-straw community, but that doesn't really count as famous by most standards, so the Paris Hilton comparison is quite a stretch.

==Transcript==
:[Two people hang out with some beverages. Cueball here has a bright green crazy straw.]
:Cueball: The thing to understand about the plastic crazy straw design world is that there are two main camps: The ''professionals'' - designing for established brands - and the ''hobbyists''.
:Cueball: The hobbyist mailing lists are full of drama, with friction between the regulars and a splinter group focused on loops...

:[Caption below the panel:]
:Human subcultures are nested fractally. There's no bottom.

{{Comic discussion}}
[[Category:Comics with color]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Multiple Cueballs]]

Talk:2616: Deep End

2022-05-07T08:11:40Z

172.70.90.63:

Help me with this please? [[User:SqueakSquawk4|SqueakSquawk4]] ([[User talk:SqueakSquawk4|talk]]) 00:19, 7 May 2022 (UTC)
:I'll get round to it. Though I suspect others are already well on their way to explain exactly the same obvious things as I'd explain, but better and with nuances I haven't considered yet. I think the usual (recent replacement) Bot might have been hit by the anti-vandal measures, so we'll have to do as we did between the prior one and this one's deployment.
:First things first, though, I think you/whoever uploaded the _large-sized image. Arguments about it aside (basically, it's too big for screens such as mine - whether you consider that just my problem or not), the practice is to upload the non-2x version. Can I encourage you/someone to do that and adjust accordingly? [[Special:Contributions/172.69.79.153|172.69.79.153]] 23:18, 6 May 2022 (UTC)
::Firstly, That was me. I uploaded that. I don't know how to get one that isn't 2x. (Edit: Found it!) Sorry. Secondly, I mostly meant help with the it-not-appearing-on-the-next/previous-bar. Thank you though. [[User:SqueakSquawk4|SqueakSquawk4]] ([[User talk:SqueakSquawk4|talk]]) 00:17, 7 May 2022 (UTC)
:(Yeah, on checking, the proper image to take is 555x321 while this one is (natively) 1110x642.) [[Special:Contributions/172.69.79.153|172.69.79.153]] 23:22, 6 May 2022 (UTC)
::I've downloaded the correct size image from xkcd.com and uploaded it in place of the 2x version. If you don't see it immediately, it might be cached on an intermediate server, so give it some time. [[User:Ianrbibtitlht|Ianrbibtitlht]] ([[User talk:Ianrbibtitlht|talk]]) 00:30, 7 May 2022 (UTC)
:::Thank you for doing that! ε> I didn't even know there were 2x and normal versions until today!{{unsigned|SqueakSquawk4}}
::::It's largely invisible to the end user, viewing source xkcd site it is good at giving you what fits. But I don't think there's an easy way to make explainXKCD do the same, so ''generally'' it's better to go with the 'normal' (or smaller) one, even if the larger (or best resolution) one works for you. There are exceptions, and Randall has made design choices or errors that mixed this up somewhat, at times.
::::On the whole, I think you did quite well to initiate this new comic, in the absence of an automatic upload. Obvious errors were obvious, and correctable. ;) Do always remember to sign with <nowiki>~~~~</nowiki>, here in the Talk pages, though! :-P. [[Special:Contributions/172.70.90.63|172.70.90.63]] 08:11, 7 May 2022 (UTC)

2615: Welcome Back

2022-05-06T06:20:37Z

172.70.90.63: /* Transcript */

{{comic
| number = 2615
| date = May 4, 2022
| title = Welcome Back
| image = welcome_back.png
| titletext = 'We're shocked by the Notre Dame fire. Click for our tribute to--' [okay] 'Now that we're all staying at home these past few weeks thanks to this new coronavirus, we--' [okay]
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Created by a COOL LEAF SHAPED LIKE A SPIDER ''- Please change this comment when editing this page.'' The page needs an explanation and transcript.}}
Cueball is opening an app called TornadoGuard, which was the subject of comic [[937: TornadoGuard]] and described there as "plays a loud alert sound when there is a tornado warning for your area". In the background, a tornado is approaching, so presumably a loud alert sound has just played and Cueball has opened the app. It is also possible that the app didn't play any alert (see reviews of the app in comic 937), Cueball saw the Tornado and opened the app to check whether it had any news. However, before he can interact with the app and learn more about the tornado, he has to click through various old messages from the app, since he hasn't opened the app in a while. This is feasible because [https://weather.com/storms/tornado/news/2022-05-02-may-tornadoes-2020-2021-recent-luck May, which is the month in which this comic was published and typically the most active month for tornadoes, had seen fewer-than-average tornadoes in the previous two years but not during this year], so Cueball would have been more likely to have to worry about tornadoes this year than in the previous two years. The comic is poking fun at the obtrusiveness of these kind of messages by presenting a scenario where they make it more difficult to read sometimes very urgent information about current tornadoes.

The messages include a description of a big update, a response to user feedback about one specific feature, and a social post seemingly unrelated to the app. In the title text are two messages that refer to specific world events and can therefore be dated: the fire that {{w|Notre-Dame_de_Paris_fire|damaged the church of Notre Dame}} in Paris April 15th 2019; and the early attempts to limit the spread of Covid-19 disease, which was {{w|COVID-19_pandemic|declared a pandemic}} on March 11th 2020. These were about three and two years before the comic was published, respectively. Neither of these are important to know right now, whereas an announcement about an [[2224: Software Updates|update]] that [[1172: Workflow|changes its functionality]] could be [[1328: Update|important to know about]].

Although it is possible that there are no more messages to click through if nothing of significance has happened [[2459: March 2020|subsequent to the title text ones]], the reader can easily imagine that the development team has posted further 'real time' messages that Cueball will still have to scroll through and/or dismiss, with very little immediate importance compared with the imminent proximity of an actual funnel-cloud.

==Transcript==
{{incomplete transcript}}
[A large cloud (indicated by curved lines at the bottom of an empty space) fills the upper 3/4 of the panel. Paragraphs of text fills most of this space, connected by a series of lines leading down to Cueball's phone.]
:Hi! The TornadoGuard™ team is proud to announce a big update! We've added-
[In a rounded box right and below the text:] ''OKAY''

:Note to users of sentinel mode: We've heard your feedback, and the controls are now-
[In a rounded box right and below the text:] ''GOT IT''

:The TornadoGuard™ team saw this cool leaf shaped like a spider; do you want to see...

[Below the cloud line is a tornado in the background that is throwing up dust on or near the mid-distance horizon and creating an active debris cloud. In the foreground Cueball is standing holding his phone, which is on (indicated by light lines).]

[Caption below the panel:] When you open an app for the first time in a while, you have to wait around while it tells you about all the cool adventures it's had.

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Tornadoes]]

714: Porn For Women

2022-05-04T20:53:39Z

172.70.90.63: Undo revision 243486 by Ex Kay Cee Dee (talk)

{{comic
| number = 714
| date = March 15, 2010
| title = Porn For Women
| image = porn_for_women.png
| titletext = Yes, there are a lot of longing looks across the bridge of Galactica first, but that's beside the point!
}}

==Explanation==
[http://www.amazon.com/dp/0811855511 ''Porn for Women''] is a popular illustrated humor book that features exactly what the comic says.

There is an opinion that women especially dislike blunt porn that objectifies the people involved in the intercourse. The authors of the book follows this line, presenting no sex but several images of extremely attractive men performing household chores. Megan objects to this, stating that her porn contains sex.

''Galactica'' is the ship from the show {{w|Battlestar_Galactica_(2004_TV_series)|''Battlestar Galactica''}}. Megan likely has a romantic attraction to some of the characters on the show, possibly involving {{w|Shipping (fandom)|"shipping" fanfiction}}.

==Transcript==
:[Megan sits at a desk, typing on a computer with a fairly large flat-panel display.]
:Megan: To the authors of ''Porn for Women'':
:Your book features pictures of hot, clothed guys cooking, doing laundry and vacuuming.

:[Megan continues typing.]
:Megan: The idea seems to be that my deepest fantasies, like the rest of my life, likely revolve around housework.

:[Megan continues typing.]
:Megan: So I wanted to write in to clarify: in my porn,

:[Megan leans forward in her chair.]
:Megan: People ''fuck''.

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

2531: Dark Arts

2022-05-03T21:00:21Z

172.70.90.63: /* Transcript */

{{comic
| number = 2531
| date = October 20, 2021
| title = Dark Arts
| image = dark_arts.png
| titletext = You think, 'okay, THIS is an ideal use case for hardlinks!' but then 6 months later you're doing some extremely cursed Google search like 'javascript ext4' and wondering where things went wrong.
}}

==Explanation==
[[White Hat]] has presumably just asked [[Cueball]] to perform some task involving {{w|file system|filesystems}}. Cueball responds with an exceptionally melodramatic monologue, referring to the subject as "dark arts" and stating he'd rather not have anything to do with them. This is reminiscent of a fairly typical scene in fantasy novels, superhero movies, etc: a person with supernatural powers explains they prefer not to use them, as their use is likely to have negative effects that outweigh the positive ones. Often this is tied to a tragic backstory of the character, where the use of their powers previously caused them or someone close to them much suffering.

The humor of the comic comes from the parallel drawn; it seems unlikely that knowledge of filesystems could have negative consequences on the scale of, say, leveling a city, so the comparison is hyperbolic. However, much of today's infrastructure does depend on legacy systems that can be very overly complex to work with, having weathered aggressive political conflicts and short corporate deadlines for decades now. An example is the recent shutdown of the pgp keyserver network, or how the developer of the fastest linux filesystem built (reiserfs) was imprisoned for murdering his wife right before it could be merged into linux. Still, this joke is in a similar vein to comics like [[349: Success]], in which Cueball's relationship with technology is shown to have a potential for disaster far exceeding that of a normal person's.

A filesystem is the part of a computer's {{w|operating system}} that handles the organization of data in persistent storage, usually splitting it into files and directories. It can be a very complicated piece of software. Because of this, it is easy to make mistakes in advanced usage, and because it controls practically all data on a given machine, mistakes made can have serious consequences (e.g., loss of data). These properties of filesystems are likely why Cueball is reluctant to mess with them.

{{w|ext4}} is a popular filesystem used with the {{w|Linux}} operating system kernel.

{{w|hard_link|Hardlinks}} allow two filenames to refer to the same underlying file or directory. These can be particularly tricky to use, as in nearly all respects they look like regular files, but modifying them can have effects that are not immediately obvious (e.g., changing what one filename refers to, the other will not remain consistent). Hardlinks and their misuse have been referenced in xkcd before, as in [[981: Porn Folder]].

The title text hints at an experience Cueball or [[Randall]] had (his own "tragic backstory", if you will), involving hardlinks on ext4. He thought he had found an ideal use case for them, one which presumably avoided most of their pitfalls, but still, six months later, ended up having to troubleshoot some inscrutable bug arising from his decision.

{{w|Javascript}} is a programming language most often associated with web pages. As such it is not usually interacting directly with a computer's filesystem, since allowing arbitrary websites to access the filesystem is widely considered an extremely bad idea{{citation needed}}. It ''is'' possible to run Javascript directly outside of a browser – in which case it does have access to common filesystem operations, and even theoretically to the internals of the filesystem – but since it is a high-level language with poor support for working with the data structures a filesystem uses, this would be a painful, "cursed" way to go about things.

A senior IT professional (nowadays fewer people need to know about such features) will be reminded of their own experiences and mishaps with non-trivial file system configurations. Beyond hardlinks, filesystems may have a number of features a normal user or even an admin are not aware of. Such features are prone to bugs, poor documentation, or poor integration with other system tools.
For example:
* {{w|Symbolic link|Symbolic links}} (soft links) - one file links to another using its name. While symbolic links work "everywhere," hardlinks are generally limited.
* Compressed filesystems can cause unexpected side effects in performance, quota management, and disk fragmentation.
* Sparse files and shallow copies (copy on demand).
* Live filesystem backup and file locking.
* Read-only filesystems.
* 'Virtual' filesystems, like memory-backed and file-backed file systems, backed by dynamic data or databases.
* 'Overlay' file systems where a read-only portion is overlaid and partially shadowed by another file system.
* File caching for read or write operation.
* Syncing file systems.
* Many, many more.

"In another age" might refer to the fact that detailed file system manipulations were common in the days when developers were installing, configuring and managing operating systems and software on physical servers. When disk space was limited and network speeds were low, such manipulations saved space and time. Virtualization, containerization and deployment frameworks isolate developers and administrators from such low level details.

==Transcript==
:[Cueball and White Hat stand in a slightly darkened room, with a jagged circle of light centered on Cueball and light-reflecting onto White Hat's face. Cueball holds his arm out with his palm facing towards White Hat.]
:Cueball: Long ago, in another age, I mastered these dark arts.
:Cueball: But I now endeavor to live my life such that I never need them.
:Cueball: Their power leads only to ruin.
:[Caption below panel]
:My response whenever anyone asks me to mess around with filesystems

{{comic discussion}}
[[Category: Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category: Comics featuring White Hat]]
[[Category: Computers]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Cursed Items]]

2288: Collector's Edition/Stickers

2022-05-03T20:58:49Z

172.70.90.63: /* Transcript */

The comic [[2288|2288: Collector’s Edition]] featured a number of stickers which could be placed anywhere on the comic itself by a player. A list of these stickers is collected below.

A few notes:
*Some stickers are from the book ''What If?'', not from the website (https://what-if.xkcd.com).
**They are noted by 'What If '''Chapter''' XX'
**This label is applied if and only if the image comes from a chapter not featured on the website.
*Before each list, there is a link format. Unless otherwise specified, the first column of any entry can be substituted for the part of the link X’ed out to show the image.
*There is word miniloot as well; to view it, simply change the ‘loot’ in ‘loot-words-XXXX’ in the entry’s URL to ‘miniloot’.

===List of Stickers===
List of Numbered Loot (https://xkcd.com/2288/collectors/static/loot/loot_XXX.png):

{| class="wikitable sortable"
|-
! #
! Sticker description
! Comic/What If? #
|-
| 001 || Parallel universe Cueball || 105
|-
| 002 || Kid’s balloon caught on fan || 121
|-
| 003 || Cueball in hamster ball || 152
|-
| 004 || Genie from a lamp || 152
|-
| 005 || Cueball outside ball pit || 150
|-
| 006 || Cueball on electric skateboard || 139
|-
| 007 || Red spider on block || 442
|-
| 008 || Black Hat using Care Bear Stare || 146
|-
| 009 || Black Hat at computer || 278
|-
| 010 || Cueball driving + Katamari Danacy || 83
|-
| 011 || Black Hat’s commenting feature || 156
|-
| 012 || Megan outside reality || 266
|-
| 013 || Physics textbook spacecraft || 265
|-
| 014 || Physics student's bag || 265
|-
| 015 || Hole in reality || 264
|-
| 016 || Cat with glued caption || 262
|-
| 017 || The rotary supercollider highway prank || 253
|-
| 018 || Chess photo || 249
|-
| 019 || Cory Doctorow || 239
|-
| 020 || Book version of RHR || 199
|-
| 021 || Fractal mapping || 195
|-
| 022 || Jimmy Page performing "Stairway to Heaven" || 339
|-
| 023 || Rock ‘Em Sock ‘Em Robots || 335
|-
| 024 || Sentient gyroscope || 332
|-
| 025 || Black Hat taping package || 325
|-
| 026 || Joanna with laser || 322
|-
| 027 || Future Megan || 318
|-
| 028 || Elliptical reflector dish || 316
|-
| 029 || Galaxy || 312
|-
| 030 || Swordfighting Cueballs || 303
|-
| 031 || Man carrying parentheses || 297
|-
| 032 || Toaster with arm || 293
|-
| 033 || Computer Cueball attacked by velociraptor || 292
|-
| 034 || Zeppelin elevator button || 288
|-
| 035 || Wikipedian protestor || 285
|-
| 036 || Cueball popping wheelie || 272
|-
| 037 || Merlin watching TV || 270
|-
| 038 || The Ring || 396
|-
| 039 || Potted plant || 393
|-
| 040 || Pineapple || 388
|-
| 041 || Trebuchet || 382
|-
| 042 || Assembled Mobius Battle || 381
|-
| 043 || Eye of the basilisk || 380
|-
| 044 || Censored curse word || 357
|-
| 045 || Diet Coke and Mentos || 346
|-
| 046 || MPAA & RIAA swordsmen || 344
|-
| 047 || Tron Paul || 497
|-
| 048 || Ron Paul Revolution zeppelin || 495
|-
| 049 || Megan with a kite || 471
|-
| 050 || Quantum/regular teleporter || 465
|-
| 051 || Ghostbuster || 459
|-
| 052 || Rubik’s cube bra || 457
|-
| 053 || Potted plant 2 || 454
|-
| 054 || Boomerang-turned-shark || 445
|-
| 055 || Multi-boomerangs || 445
|-
| 056 || “PIE!” sign || 442
|-
| 057 || M. C. Hammer slide Megan || 108
|-
| 058 || Luigi in a kart || 423
|-
| 059 || “Lan Party in Formal Attire” sign || 422
|-
| 060 || Sack of potatoes || 421
|-
| 061 || Flaming tennis racket || 421
|-
| 062 || PC in a hamster ball || 413
|-
| 063 || Scooching black hat || 412
|-
| 064 || Balloon shark || 585
|-
| 065 || Jumping sheep || 571
|-
| 066 || Time-travelling Cueball || 567
|-
| 067 || “The Uncomfortable Truths Well” sign || 561
|-
| 068 || Toy airplane in box || 560
|-
| 069 || Duckling loop || 537
|-
| 070 || Cuttlefish zap Cueball and Megan || 520
|-
| 071 || Cuttlefish || 520
|-
| 072 || Magic portal || 693
|-
| 073 || Egg drop container || 510
|-
| 074 || FIRST robot || 689
|-
| 075 || Beret Guy in a crane || 677
|-
| 076 || Unprepared baby || 674
|-
| 077 || Sagan-Man || 663
|-
| 078 || Cueball rock-climbing || 655
|-
| 079 || Reverse Polish sausage || 645
|-
| 080 || Ants discussing humans || 638
|-
| 081 || Cueball Icarus || 620
|-
| 082 || Bottle of tequila || 617
|-
| 083 || Bird with power drill || 614
|-
| 084 || Locusts attack computer Cueball || 797
|-
| 085 || Tumbleweed dual-wielding guns || 789
|-
| 086 || Cueball’s skull sucked out || 777
|-
| 087 || Talking squirrel || 776
|-
| 088 || Air horn || 757
|-
| 089 || Blank “Dyslexics of the world, unite!” shirt || 745
|-
| 090 || Cat chewing laser pointer || 729
|-
| 091 || Jumping cat || 729
|-
| 092 || Tetris pieces of hell || 724
|-
| 093 || Dejected Sauron || 712
|-
| 094 || A ‘five’ and a ‘breasts’ || 708
|-
| 095 || “I am a turtle” turtle || 889
|-
| 096 || ADHD server || 869
|-
| 097 || Serious putty || 840
|-
| 098 || Cueball spinning in chair || 815
|-
| 099 || Pumpkin carved in a pumpkin || 804
|-
| 100 || Laplace transform of love || [https://store.xkcd.com/products/useless]
|-
| 101 || Cueball shaking computer || 979
|-
| 102 || A globe || 977
|-
| 103 || Cueball giving everything || 968
|-
| 104 || A battery staple || 936
|-
| 105 || Ms. Frizzle || 911
|-
| 106 || Enter hostname || 910
|-
| 107 || Beret Guy’s endless wings (1) || 1099
|-
| 108 || Beret Guy’s endless wings (2) || 1099
|-
| 109 || Eye of the sheeple || 1013
|-
| 110 || The universal label || 1123
|-
| 111 || No forward or turning sign || 1116
|-
| 112 || Tasks floating away || 1106
|-
| 113 || Soup outlet || 1293
|-
| 114 || ‘Line break after every sentence’ protestor || 1285
|-
| 115 || Beret Guy walking a goat || 1282
|-
| 116 || Person in flying car || 1262
|-
| 117 || ‘World’s Greatest Daughter’ mug || 1261
|-
| 118 || Messenger owl || 1254
|-
| 119 || Dog with a soul || 1240
|-
| 120 || Balloon Internet || 1226
|-
| 121 || Stegosaurus fossil || 1211
|-
| 122 || AirAware drone || 1207
|-
| 123 || Time machine || 1203
|-
| 124 || Baby Superman’s pod || 1384
|-
| 125 || Windmill || 1378
|-
| 126 || Space signpost || 1375
|-
| 127 || Cosmologist on a tire swing || 1352
|-
| 128 || Reflecting puddle || 1352
|-
| 129 || A red violet || 1351
|-
| 130 || Crash and Burn in a swimming pool || 1337
|-
| 131 || Transformer in a cocoon || 1336
|-
| 132 || Laptop strapped to a deer || 1329
|-
| 133 || Christmas tree spectrum || 1308
|-
| 134 || Bolt through a basketball || 929
|-
| 135 || Cat attacking Earth || 1515
|-
| 136 || Plane banner || 1965
|-
| 137 || Megan in an autogyro || 1972
|-
| 138 || Free chips || 1499
|-
| 139 || Superintelligent AI || 1450
|-
| 140 || Adjective foods || 1774
|-
| 141 || Curiosity lowered by a sky crane || 1091
|-
| 142 || The Spider || 2275
|-
| 143 || Bun || 1871
|-
| 144 || xkcd cake || 1581
|-
| 145 || Radioactive high-voltage laser-emitting slippery biohazard symbol || 2038
|-
| 146 || Is It Christmas? service || 2236
|-
| 147 || Two small dogs as one big one || 1922
|-
| 148 || Glass repair kit || 1634
|-
| 149 || Use the bowl of the toilet || 1715
|-
| 150 || Apology || 1917
|-
| 151 || Satellite girl || 2264
|-
| 152 || Large container of rice || 1598
|-
| 153 || Review of Earth || 2192
|-
| 154 || Eight-legged reindeer || 1776
|-
| 155 || Record scratch || 1745
|-
| 156 || Chess vs. Go || 1287
|-
| 157 || Sword in the stone || 1521
|-
| 158 || Phishing license sign || 1694
|-
| 159 || First Annual Award for Excellence in Being Very Smart (1) || 1386
|-
| 160 || Earth, not to scale || 2262
|-
| 161 || Opportunity rover || 2111
|-
| 162 || Bags of money || 1827
|-
| 163 || Sleeping cat || 1797
|-
| 164 || Squirrelphone || 1578
|-
| 165 || Balloon squirrel || 1503
|-
| 166 || Shoulder devil || 2180
|-
| 167 || Time-travelling sphere || 1747
|-
| 168 || Jaturn || 2258
|-
| 169 || Beret Guy unlocking vacuum energy || 1486
|-
| 170 || Emotional unsubscribe message rating || 2257
|-
| 171 || Megan riding a 1980s bicycle || 1673
|-
| 172 || Megan defending her thesis || 1403
|-
| 173 || High-pitched hum generator || 1590
|-
| 174 || Sandwich too large to eat comfortably || 1940
|-
| 175 || Women Science Fiction Authors || 1412
|-
| 176 || Planet summary || 2061
|-
| 177 || White Hat appraising wine || 915
|-
| 178 || Amelia Earhart’s plane || 950
|-
| 179 || Cueball’s arrow boomerang || 939
|-
| 180 || Cueball’s mechanical monster || 987
|-
| 181 || The Avatar || 965
|-
| 182 || Two mimic octopuses || 928
|-
| 183 || Geologist’s hat || 1082
|-
| 184 || Furniture box || 1077
|-
| 185 || Depiction of philosophy || 1052
|-
| 186 || A loving snake || 1052
|-
| 187 || Cracked Cadury egg || 1035
|-
| 188 || Giant preying mantis || 1012
|-
| 189 || Trap flowchart || 1195
|-
| 190 || Beret Guy riding a bowling ball || 1158
|-
| 191 || Spiders spinning a sweater || 1135
|-
| 192 || “MOOOOOON!” moon || 1300
|-
| 193 || Giraffe with sauropod tail || 1278
|-
| 194 || Timeghost || 1393
|-
| 195 || Sharks reporter || 1387
|-
| 196 || First Annual Award for Excellence in Being Very Smart (2) || 1386
|-
| 197 || Krypton exploding || 1384
|-
| 198 || Server replying ‘POTATO’ || 1354
|-
| 199 || Bird in the rain || 1434
|-
| 200 || Sunday locusts || 1245
|-
| 201 || Dolphin with hair || What If? 56
|-
| 202 || Twilight: Breaking Dawn || What If? 141
|-
| 203 || Nuclear-accident-ometer || What If? 146
|-
| 204 || Europa straw || What If? 143
|-
| 205 || Delivery hawk || What If? 149
|-
| 206 || Eagle eating pizza || What If? 149
|-
| 207 || Telescope || What If? 114
|-
| 208 || Sub-marine || What If? 138
|-
| 209 || Alien astronomer || What If? 20
|-
| 210 || Alien astronomers || What If? 47
|-
| 211 || NASA sack of rocks || What If? 146
|-
| 212 || CMYK squid || What If? 106
|-
| 213 || Wham! || What If? 5
|-
| 214 || High-speed robot || What If? 5
|-
| 215 || Elephant || What If? 110
|-
| 216 || S. S. NASA || What If? 38
|-
| 217 || Alexander’s Dark Band drummer || What If? 150
|-
| 218 || Unknown reference || Possibly doodles
|-
| 219 || Milk carton of Internet || What If? 31
|-
| 220 || Nightsun-carriers || What If? 13
|-
| 221 || A pleasant squirrel || What If? 98
|-
| 222 || Ponytail fairy || What If? 123
|-
| 223 || Harvester || What If? 120
|-
| 224 || Cougar on a Cougare || What If? 70
|-
| 225 || Soda dinosaur || What If? 74
|-
| 226 || Flamethrower || What If? 130
|-
| 227 || Sun eclipsed by sunglasses and banana || What If? 129
|-
| 228 || Heavy-duty car battery || What If? 128
|-
| 229 || Starling with respirometry mask || What If? 99
|-
| 230 || Falling sperm whale || What If? 103
|-
| 231 || 2x4 lego || What If? '''Chapter''' 51
|-
| 232 || All of Britain’s tea || What If? 79
|-
| 233 || 11-petawatt hair dryer || What If? 35
|-
| 234 || Furby || What If? '''Chapter''' 21
|-
| 235 || Helpless phone || What If? 87
|-
| 236 || Doodles || 98
|-
| 237 || Squirrel on an AK-47 || What If? 21
|-
| 238 || Carton of Sharpies || What If? 59
|-
| 239 || Burning diamond || What If? 116
|-
| 240 || C4 boomerang || What If? 23
|-
| 241 || Cow with solar panel || What If? 17
|-
| 242 || Google punchcard || What If? 63
|-
| 243 || Oxford bell || What If? '''Chapter''' 13
|-
| 244 || Standard giraffe || What If? 44
|-
| 245 || The Little Prince about to dunk || What If? 68
|-
| 246 || Statue of Liberty planet || What If? '''Chapter''' 5
|-
| 247 || Yoda’s mp3 || What If? 3
|-
| 248 || Block of hydrogen || What If? '''Chapter''' 8
|-
| 249 || Negging toaster || What If? 155
|-
| 250 || Feather earthquake || What If? '''Chapter''' 69
|-
| 251 || Swordfighting lava lamp || What If? 122
|-
| 252 || Unsalted butter || What If? 126
|-
| 253 || Salary bottle || What If? 118
|}

List of Mathematical Loot (https://xkcd.com/2288/collectors/static/loot/loot_XXXX.png):

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Name
! Function
|-
| div || Division
|-
| equals || Equality
|-
| minus || Subtraction
|-
| plus || Addition
|-
| sqrt || Square root
|-
| times || Multiplication
|}

List of Element Loot (https://xkcd.com/2288/collectors/static/loot/element-XX.png):

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Symbol
! Element
|-
| Æ (use ae for link) || Aether
|-
| Bl || Blood
|-
| Br || Bread
|-
| Bz || Bronze
|-
| Cb || Carbonite
|-
| Cd || Canadium
|-
| Cr || Cranium
|-
| Dl || Dilithium
|-
| Dm || Delirium
|-
| Fr || Fire
|-
| Gl || Glass
|-
| Hr || Heart
|-
| Lx || Lexan
|-
| Mk || Milk
|-
| Mt || Metal
|-
| Na || Nanobots
|-
| Ox || Air
|-
| Pb || Opprobrium
|-
| Pl || Plastic
|-
| Pm || Epithelium
|-
| Pp || Oops, All Protons!
|-
| Rd || Redstone
|-
| Rg || Regolith
|-
| Sd || Sand
|-
| Sd2 || More Sand
|-
| Sf || Styrofoam
|-
| Sn || Snakes
|-
| Spacer || [Spacer]
|-
| Sy || Symposium
|-
| T || Wolfram
|-
| Þ (use th for link) || Thorium
|-
| Tr || Earth
|-
| Uu || Unobtanium
|-
| Vy || Valyrian
|-
| Wt || Water
|-
| Wx || Wax
|}

List of Word Loot (https://xkcd.com/2288/collectors/static/loot/loot-words-XXXX.png):

*Birdlike
*Boat
*Castle
*Cat
*Cinematic
*Collector
*Cursed
*Cycle
*Doctor
*Easter
*Electric
*Eruption
*Farm
*Flock
*Flying
*Free
*Gamma
*Ghost
*Hair
*Harry-Potter-and-the
*Horse
*Imminent
*Inspector
*Ionized
*Jet
*Laser
*Launcher
*Lifelike
*Ominous
*Plasma
*Sale
*Sudden
*Surprise
*Swarm
*Sword
*Teleporter
*Turtle
*Unlicensed
*Vortex

==Transcript==
[Cueball stands to the left of a vibrating box.]

[The words "Collector's Edition" are written above him and boxed.]

{{comic discussion}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:2288}}
[[Category:Comic subpages]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Cursed Items]]

2185: Cumulonimbus

2022-05-03T20:50:23Z

172.70.90.63: /* Trivia */

{{comic
| number = 2185
| date = August 5, 2019
| title = Cumulonimbus
| image = cumulonimbus.png
| titletext = The rarest of all clouds is the altocumulenticulostratonimbulocirruslenticulomammanoctilucent cloud, caused by an interaction between warm moist air, cool dry air, cold slippery air, cursed air, and a cloud of nanobots.
}}

==Explanation==
This comic follows the naming of clouds. As with other lists (like in [[2022: Sports Champions]]), it starts off as normal but then gets more unusual until it is unrealistic.

;Cumulus
: The first panel shows a {{w|cumulus cloud}}, from the Latin for "heap". These are common clouds and are relatively small. Cumulus clouds form when warm (and thus rising) moist air condenses when it hits the {{w|dew point}}, the temperature at which relative humidity hits 100%. Cumulus clouds with sharp, defined borders are still growing. When they stop growing (because the rising moist air is exhausted), they get fuzzy and fluffy, and eventually dissolve.
;Cumulonimbus
: The second panel shows a {{w|cumulonimbus cloud}}, from the Latin for "heaping raincloud", with the upper part about the same size as the lower part. Though somewhat like the cumulus cloud, it is more prone to causing rain and lightning. Cumulonimbus clouds, like cumulus clouds, grow vertically because of their moist warm air, but they have enough energy to reach the top of the {{w|troposphere}}, giving them the distinctive anvil shape shown in the comic and their tendency to produce nasty weather.
;Cumulonimbulonimbus
: The third panel shows an even bigger cloud and names it cumulonimbulonimbus (Latin for "heaping rainy raincloud"). Here the scientific facts end and the humor begins. The cloud has the upper part about twice as large as the lower part. The humor here comes from building up an even bigger name by adding another "nimbus" element for the cloud as its size increases, suggesting that its growth as compared to the second cloud shown has made it even more "rainy".
;Cumulonimbulonimbulocumulonimbus
: The fourth panel shows an absurdly large cloud with three major layers and gives it the name cumulonimbulonimbulocumulonimbus (Latin for "heaping rainy rainy heaping raincloud"). This is a combination of the third and second cloud names in this comic, and indeed the fourth cloud looks a lot like the second one emerging out of the top of the third. This cloud may look like a [[220: Philosophy|super soaker]], ready to spray water on everyone, or perhaps a faucet ready to open and pour water down.
;Altocumulenticulostratonimbulocirruslenticulomammanoctilucent
: The title text takes this comic to its logical extreme by naming a new cloud that has the longest name of them all and is also supposedly the rarest. Its name can be translated as "mid-altitude, heaped, lense-shaped, layered, grey, rainy, wispy, breast-like and lit at night". It mentions a common joke in weather communities, making fun of the common [https://youtu.be/WMtAaETOVSY?t=448 trope] that thunderstorms form when "warm moist air" meets "cold dry air," an extreme oversimplification. A complicated cloud needs complicated processes, so Randall adds in "cold slippery air," then {{w|curse}}d air and {{w|nanobots}}, which makes the cloud impossible since neither of those exist.{{Citation needed}}

:The name of this cloud is a {{w|Compound (linguistics)|compound}} of the following cloud names:
:{{w|altocumulus}}: "heap up high"; these clouds are mid-altitude white patches.
:{{w|lenticular cloud}}, often shaped like a flying saucer.
:{{w|Stratus cloud|stratus}}: a layered cloud, effectively above-ground fog.
:{{w|Nimbostratus cloud|nimbus}}: a grey cloud producing continuous rain.
:{{w|Cirrus cloud|cirrus}}: a cloud that looks like thin, wispy strands.
:"lenticulo" gets repeated, perhaps indicating that there's a second disc in the cloud.
:{{w|mammatus}}: a breast-like cloud structure that forms at the bottom of some thunderstorm clouds, which signifies sinking air and is associated with severe storm activity and, in the central United States, tornado formation.
:{{w|noctilucent}}: a cloud-like structure formed from ice crystals, often formed after volcano eruptions and other cataclysmic events and illuminated by a just-set sun.

The {{w|International Cloud Atlas}} defines the cloud types that are recognized by the WMO, the {{w|World Meteorological Organization}}. It was first published in 1896. Similarly, {{w|IUPAC}} publishes a manual that allows chemists to name chemical compounds in a consistent manner. The Altocumulenticulostratonimbulocirruslenticulomammanoctilucent may thus be a pun on IUPAC, which (theoretically) offers a unique name for each possible strand of DNA and other complex molecules (such as [[wikt:Appendix:List of protologisms/Long words/Titin|Titin]]). Therefore, Randall might have seen a unique cloud that has never been observed before, but yet, thanks to IUPAC-like cloud naming rules, he came up with a "valid" name for his observation.

==Transcript==
:[Drawing of a small cloud with with a label beneath:]
:Cumulus

:[Drawing of a medium sized tall hourglass shaped cloud with a label beneath:]
:Cumulonimbus

:[Drawing of a large cloud, larger at the top than at the bottom, with a label beneath:]
:Cumulonimbulonimbus

:[Drawing of a huge and very complicated cloud in three layers, with a label beneath:]
:Cumulonimbulonimbulocumulonimbus

==Trivia==
*On xkcd, this comic replaced a preceding "disappearing comic", which temporarily was assigned the sequence number 2185, as it followed the Friday comic [[2184: Unpopular Opinions]] already on Sunday. But that was just to prevent the trouble a not numbered comic was having on the xkcd site. It was designed to disappear completely and leave no trace in xkcd's history or archives when this comic was released. The original comic does also no longer appear in explain xkcd's comic navigation either, and is hence linked here: [[Disappearing Sunday Update]].

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Weather]]
[[Category:Robots]] 
[[Category:Comics featuring Cursed Items]]

Talk:2613: Bad Map Projection: Madagascator

2022-05-01T15:55:49Z

172.70.90.63:

Anyone else want to play this (and the other bad map projections) as maps in a 4X/Grand Strategy game? [[User:Mazz0|Mazz0]] ([[User talk:Mazz0|talk]]) 18:02, 29 April 2022 (UTC)

Clicking on the original comic brings up the actual projection used, it looks like.

I'm on an old machine here (because it usually doesn't matter), and clicked on the image on the xkcd site to get the image, to be told that ''Your browser does not support WebGL :'('' by the URL https://mrgris.com/projects/merc-extreme/#-4.64274,55.45253 - I will have to check from a less 'primitive' device, but it looks like it's got a special click-through, which might be worth mentioning in the Explanation. I can check myself in a few minutes, but noting here first in case I get delay. [[Special:Contributions/141.101.98.11|141.101.98.11]] 19:38, 29 April 2022 (UTC)

I have added the click. It opens an website app showing a Mercator with the North Pole set to wherever you want, with this one in particular set Mahé just as Randall said. [[User:Mapron01|Mapron01]] ([[User talk:Mapron01|talk]]) 19:40, 29 April 2022 (UTC)

Added a table, based upon some rapid pixel-analysis I did. No, I didn't include Indonesia, etc, and the "Africa size probably includes Madagascar" sort of thing could need sorting, but I mentioned that below so nobody is under misapprehension. [[Special:Contributions/162.158.34.221|162.158.34.221]] 22:04, 29 April 2022 (UTC)
: I think having the official size also be a percent of the world (or at least another column like that) would make it easier to see how the distortion affects the size. And/or distortion from a normal Mercator projection {{unsigned ip|172.70.230.143}}
:: That was my initial intention, or at least a percentage-of-reality column alongside (plus adding sorting to the columns), and maybe a differential between the two percentages just for fun. But I wanted to take time to make sure I was correctly counting how much area was (say) Eurasia but without Japan, etc. Maybe I'll actually get around to that shortly. There are other (formatting) tweaks I wasn't overly happy with in my original. [[Special:Contributions/141.101.98.11|141.101.98.11]] 19:00, 30 April 2022 (UTC)
::Okey dokey. New table. Sortable, extra columns and 'real world' figures improved on. (e.g. "North America" is land-areas of Canada through to Panama minus all significant islands (though some of the Canadian archipelago might have been drawn in as contiguous, etc, etc, and I ''think'' I only included Alaska in my sums just the once). Which took a lot more effort than I'd have prefered, like including Peninsula Malaysia and not the offshore bits. I wish I could say I spent as much time on the initial image-analysis (at least include NZ N+S Islands as an entry, right?) and the raw data is now archived elsewhere.
::I also augmented with footnote references, but not sure if I've done it right. Readable (defined in first instance, where used multiple times) in the source if anyone thinks there's any better ways of doing it (had my heart set on dagger/double-dagger/etc, but never mind). But there you are.
::Enjoy! [[Special:Contributions/172.70.90.63|172.70.90.63]] 23:11, 30 April 2022 (UTC)

Hopefully the vandal won't bother this one. [[Special:Contributions/172.70.211.18|172.70.211.18]] 17:23, 29 April 2022 (UTC)

:Looks like they did, but they seem to be done because someone gave them the emoticon. --[[Special:Contributions/172.70.126.87|172.70.126.87]] 22:36, 29 April 2022 (UTC)

::A mistake. We already know it's likely they'll be back at a later date with some other stunt to stroke their supremely fragile ego. (Whether or not things like this comment provokes them, I definitely consider my conscience clear in this regard.) But what happens, happens. [[Special:Contributions/172.69.79.223|172.69.79.223]] 22:43, 29 April 2022 (UTC)

:::Is it any surprise they're already back? The emoticon was a cheap excuse for the infantile, childish behaviour of someone without a life that gets their shits and giggles out of being nothing more than a pest.[[User:Mapron01|Mapron01]] ([[User talk:Mapron01|talk]]) 23:01, 29 April 2022 (UTC)

this page is kinda sussy tbh [[Special:Contributions/172.70.214.81|172.70.214.81]] 18:11, 29 April 2022 (UTC)

[spam]

I have looked at the Wikipedia pages, and there is _no_ reference to Among Us on any map-related pages (and vice versa). What is your problem? [[Special:Contributions/172.70.242.195|172.70.242.195]] 18:43, 29 April 2022 (UTC)

[spam]

I take it you're the vandal... [[User:Something|Something]] ([[User talk:Something|talk]]) 19:00, 29 April 2022 (UTC)

ID does imply they are the vandal, they were adding the lyricis earlier today...[[User:Mapron01|Mapron01]] ([[User talk:Mapron01|talk]]) 19:23, 29 April 2022 (UTC)

I fixed the redirect they made of Danish going to the main page. I think some other pages got redirected into a redirect loop that should now be fixed. [[User:Flumnble|Flumnble]] ([[User talk:Flumnble|talk]]) 15:24, 1 May 2022 (UTC)

== holave ==

exclamacioneve holave inefe eguntapre omoce uedope ayudareve ave esteve itiose inefe [[Special:Contributions/108.162.245.43|108.162.245.43]] 02:53, 1 May 2022 (UTC)
:Does anyone know what language this is written in? I have no idea what this person is saying (asking?) and Google Translate wasn't much help. [[Special:Contributions/108.162.246.178|108.162.246.178]] 03:09, 1 May 2022 (UTC)
::eclaracionde oye one hablove ingleseve erope oye ieroque ayudareve esteve ikiwe inefe [[Special:Contributions/108.162.216.143|108.162.216.143]] 04:01, 1 May 2022 (UTC)
:::My first thought was esperanto (or ido or interlingua, given lack of accents), certainly a latinesque-based language or conlang, but given the edits put onto this effort, it's possibly even sabotaged, or was written by someone for whom it most definitely not was their first language. (I even thought it was "Pig-esperanto"... This is that idiot who changed entire Explanations to Pig-Latin, I'm sure.)
:::I've got no real affinity to languages but I can recognise the possible roots of a lot of that. Some use of "...speak(ing) English..." is obvious in the latter post, for example, at an educated guess.
:::But I would say this is a prelude to some "I want you to wear bunny-ears when you revert stuff" thing, which I for one won't try to solve this puzzle for. (I'll just revert and revert and revert, if I'm around, and ignore the "trying to be clever" stuff. Nearly deleted this, actually, but restrained myself.) Otherwise, I leave it to those who know their conlangs better than me. Once it strays too far beyond technical English and its classical roots, I'm not really a linguistics person as I said, so it's useless to me whether it's an international message of friendship or extortion instructions. "Holave", whoever you are, but no thanks. [[Special:Contributions/172.70.162.155|172.70.162.155]] 10:10, 1 May 2022 (UTC)

How will they shut down all their ports?

::::Yeah, it definitely looks like a conlang based on a Latinesque language, probably Spanish. "exclamacioneve" is probably "exclamacion" = "exclamation" (not sure why a sentence would begin with "exclamation"), holave=hola=hello, ayudareve=ayudar=help, hablove=hablo="I speak" (could actually be a different conjugation, but this is the most likely), and ingleseve=ingles=English. They seem to be saying "I speak English" (or "I don't speak English" if "one" means "no"). [[Special:Contributions/172.70.130.5|172.70.130.5]] 14:11, 1 May 2022 (UTC)
:::::"I don't speak English" seems more likely, so it's probably a good guess that "one" does mean "no." [[Special:Contributions/172.70.178.199|172.70.178.199]] 14:15, 1 May 2022 (UTC)
::::::It seems to be some sort of pig-Spanish, with punctuation written out. Decoded, it's “exclamacion hola fine pregunta como puedo ayudar a este sitio fine” and “declaracion yo no hablo ingles pero yo quiero ayudar este wiki fine”, meaning “exclamation hi end question how can i help on this site end” and “statement i dont speak english but i want to help this wiki end”. [[User:Kapostamas|Kapostamas]] ([[User talk:Kapostamas|talk]]) 15:15, 1 May 2022 (UTC)
How will they shut down all their ports?
:::::::(Somehow the thread got duplicated; I merged the threads) That makes sense. It seems like if someone wanted to help, they would at least use a real language. Do you think this is the vandal? [[Special:Contributions/172.70.178.33|172.70.178.33]] 15:31, 1 May 2022 (UTC)
::::::::Definitely the vandal. These were some of the vandal edit summaries on the last comic: "Orpe avorfe one andalizarve esteve aginape" "ise eviertere estove eve incluyeve unve emojive ede a'rbolve ede avidadne enve use esumenre ede edicio'nve, one ole olvere've ave acerehve" "one incluyesteve uneve emojive ede a'rboleve ede avidadene" @Kapostamas can you understand those? [[Special:Contributions/172.70.178.33|172.70.178.33]] 15:42, 1 May 2022 (UTC)
::::::::(Written before 172.70.178.33 got posted, just above.) I'd stake my bottom dollar/peso/euro/whatever on it. Still, marginally entertaining, but not in the intended way (which is good).
::::::::As for the "Exclamation" start, two basic theories:
::::::::* It's word-literal of "¡Some punctuation!" (partnered eith "inefe"=>"end), because the encoding system doesn't have punctuation, it reads it out (maybe literally, e.g. via screen-reader) and it's like a telegram convention "HAVE REACHED NORTH POLE STOP PLEASE ADVISE WHICH DIRECTION NOW STOP" (i.e. full-stop/period in word form).
::::::::* It's a start that says "I exclaim (that)...", and the other "I declare (that)..." in a sort of grammatical necessity for this particular lingo. Similar to "Statement: I am a computer. Question: Are you a computer?" in (deliberately-?)bad scifi dialogue.
::::::::Possibly a mix of both, and also some tertiary ideas I have. And the word-for-word translations make a sort of sense in either/both/all these contexts. Not that I'd respond to them, but I'll gladly talk about them and actually do something intellectually interesting with the mess. Silk purse from sow's ear, etc. [[Special:Contributions/172.70.90.63|172.70.90.63]] 15:55, 1 May 2022 (UTC)

Talk:2613: Bad Map Projection: Madagascator

2022-04-30T23:12:21Z

172.70.90.63: Whoops, forgot the final double-indent.

Talk:2613: Bad Map Projection: Madagascator

2022-04-30T23:11:04Z

172.70.90.63:

2613: Bad Map Projection: Madagascator

2022-04-30T22:59:13Z

172.70.90.63: The official, real update to the table. But feel free to check, if any more vandalism happens around it.

{{comic
| number = 2613
| date = April 29, 2022
| title = Bad Map Projection: Madagascator
| image = bad_map_projection_madagascator.png
| titletext = The projection's north pole is in a small lake on the island of Mahé in the Seychelles, which is off the top of the map and larger than the rest of the Earth's land area combined.
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Created by GREENLAND 2: Escape The Arctic Circle(2008) - Please change this comment when editing this page. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}
This is another comic in the [[:Category:Bad Map Projections|Bad Map Projections]] series. This time, Randall used the classic {{w|Mercator projection}} but instead of placing the North Pole on top and the South Pole on the bottom it is oriented so that the top is the island of {{w|Mahé, Seychelles|Mahé}}. The map projection is technically a {{w|Oblique Mercator projection}}, with an unusual choice of the cylinder's axis. Since the Mercator projection tends to visually distort areas near the top and bottom of the resulting map, this gives some areas, notably Madagascar, very unusual shapes.

The Mercator projection became the standard projection for world maps during the 1800s because it is ''conformal of normal aspect'': a {{w|rhumb line}} is displayed as a straight line in a Mercator map. During the age of sail, when navigation was performed by compass - this was a very valuable feature, since one could plot a course between two locations by measuring the direction from one to another on the map and then accounting for the difference between the magnetic and actual north poles to determine which rhumb should be taken. In the mid-20th century this trend was {{w|Mercator_projection#Criticism|criticized}} because the distortion towards the north and south poles gave an inaccurate impression of relative sizes. The most common example given of this distortion is that on a Mercator map of the world Greenland looks to have more area than Africa, when in real life Africa covers 14 times that of Greenland. Thus the reference to making Madagascar larger in this projection. Madagascar is a large island off the south east coast of the main African continent, but has only a quarter the coverage of Greenland. Greenland is often listed as the largest island in the world (which excludes continents in their own right, e.g. Australia) followed by New Guinea, Borneo and then Madagascar in fourth place.

Mahé, mentioned in the title text as the north pole's new location, is the largest island in Seychelles, with an area of 60.7 square miles. The claim in the title text, however, that it is "larger than the rest of the Earth's land area combined", is hard to verify when it is not actually displayed in the projection. That is, if you limit yourself to the comic. Clicking on the actual comic will open a website that displays Mercator projections with the North Pole transplanted to various locations, with the location of the one opened set to Mahé. With this, it is possible to see that the island is indeed larger than the rest of the map's land area combined, with a single national park within the island rivalling Africa in size, and eventually reaching a scale of distortion where a road is thicker than Panama. This also reveals that the location of the North Pole, the lake mentioned by Randall, is the Rochon Dam.

===Comparison of actual/mapped areas===
{| class="wikitable sortable"
! Landmass
! Status
! data-sort-type="number"|Actual Area<ref name="act">Major contiguous land areas that should exclude all islands, ''especially'' major ones, '''''especially''''' especially those listed separately</ref> (Millions of Km²)
! data-sort-type="number"|Proportion Land Area
! data-sort-type="number"|Proportion Image Area<ref name="pri">Of only these listed areas listed</ref>
! data-sort-type="number"|Distortion<ref name="dis">NB. Difference between percentages, rather than percentage difference</ref>
|-
| Africa<ref name="suez">Edge at Suez Canal</ref> || data-sort-value="C2"|Continent 2nd largest || 29.7 || 19.95% || 35% || +15.1%
|-
| Eurasia<ref name="suez" /> || data-sort-value="C1"|Continent Largest || 53.4 || 35.83% || 30% || -5.83%
|-
| North America<ref name="pan">Edge at Panama Canal</ref> || data-sort-value="C3"|Continent 3rd largest || 19.3 || 12.96% || 15% || +2.04%
|-
| South America<ref name="pan" /> || data-sort-value="C4"|Continent 4th largest || 17.8 || 11.96% || 7.8% || -4.16%
|-
| Antarctica<ref name="ice">Significant ice-sheets may complicate mapped/actual 'land' areas</ref> || data-sort-value="C5"|Continent 5th largest || 14.2 || 9.53% || 5.3% || -4.23%
|-
| Madagascar || data-sort-value="I04"|Island 4th largest || 0.592 || 0.40% || 2.9% || +2.50%
|-
| Australia || data-sort-value="C7"|Continent Smallest || 7.55 || 5.07% || 2.5% || -2.57%
|-
| Greenland<ref name="ice" /> || data-sort-value="I01"|Island Largest || 2.17 || 1.45% || 0.87% || -0.58%
|-
| Borneo || data-sort-value="I03"|Island 3rd largest || 0.749 || 0.50% || 0.37% || -0.13%
|-
| New Guinea || data-sort-value="I02"|Island 2nd largest || 0.786 || 0.53% || 0.32% || -0.21%
|-
| Japan<ref name="hon">Honshu only</ref> || data-sort-value="I07"|Island 7th largest || 0.228 || 0.15% || 0.10% || -0.05%
|-
| Mainland Britain || data-sort-value="I09"|Island 9th largest || 0.209 || 0.14% || 0.10% || -0.04%
|-
| Island of Ireland || data-sort-value="I20"|Island 20th largest || 0.082 || 0.05% || 0.03% || -0.02%
|}

==Transcript==
{{incomplete transcript|Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}
Bad map projection #248: Madagascator

Mercator projection but with the North Pole in the Indian Ocean so it exaggerates the size of Madagascar instead of Greenland

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Bad Map Projections]]

2613: Bad Map Projection: Madagascator

2022-04-30T22:56:56Z

172.70.90.63: Undo revision 231621 by BytEflLUSh (talk) Stupid stuff

{{comic
| number = 2613
| date = April 29, 2022
| title = Bad Map Projection: Madagascator
| image = bad_map_projection_madagascator.png
| titletext = The projection's north pole is in a small lake on the island of Mahé in the Seychelles, which is off the top of the map and larger than the rest of the Earth's land area combined.
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Created by GREENLAND 2: Escape The Arctic Circle(2008) - Please change this comment when editing this page. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}
This is another comic in the [[:Category:Bad Map Projections|Bad Map Projections]] series. This time, Randall used the classic {{w|Mercator projection}} but instead of placing the North Pole on top and the South Pole on the bottom it is oriented so that the top is the island of {{w|Mahé, Seychelles|Mahé}}. The map projection is technically a {{w|Oblique Mercator projection}}, with an unusual choice of the cylinder's axis. Since the Mercator projection tends to visually distort areas near the top and bottom of the resulting map, this gives some areas, notably Madagascar, very unusual shapes.

The Mercator projection became the standard projection for world maps during the 1800s because it is ''conformal of normal aspect'': a {{w|rhumb line}} is displayed as a straight line in a Mercator map. During the age of sail, when navigation was performed by compass - this was a very valuable feature, since one could plot a course between two locations by measuring the direction from one to another on the map and then accounting for the difference between the magnetic and actual north poles to determine which rhumb should be taken. In the mid-20th century this trend was {{w|Mercator_projection#Criticism|criticized}} because the distortion towards the north and south poles gave an inaccurate impression of relative sizes. The most common example given of this distortion is that on a Mercator map of the world Greenland looks to have more area than Africa, when in real life Africa covers 14 times that of Greenland. Thus the reference to making Madagascar larger in this projection. Madagascar is a large island off the south east coast of the main African continent, but has only a quarter the coverage of Greenland. Greenland is often listed as the largest island in the world (which excludes continents in their own right, e.g. Australia) followed by New Guinea, Borneo and then Madagascar in fourth place.

Mahé, mentioned in the title text as the north pole's new location, is the largest island in Seychelles, with an area of 60.7 square miles. The claim in the title text, however, that it is "larger than the rest of the Earth's land area combined", is hard to verify when it is not actually displayed in the projection. That is, if you limit yourself to the comic. Clicking on the actual comic will open a website that displays Mercator projections with the North Pole transplanted to various locations, with the location of the one opened set to Mahé. With this, it is possible to see that the island is indeed larger than the rest of the map's land area combined, with a single national park within the island rivalling Africa in size, and eventually reaching a scale of distortion where a road is thicker than Panama. This also reveals that the location of the North Pole, the lake mentioned by Randall, is the Rochon Dam.

===Comparison of actual/proportional areas===
{| class="wikitable" style="margin:auto"
! Landmass !! Status !! Official Area (in Millions of Km²) !! Proportion in image (as % of listed areas)
|-
| Africa || Continent 2nd largest || 30.3 || 35%
|-
| Eurasia || Continent Largest || 55.0 || 30%
|-
| North America || Continent 3rd largest || 24.709 || 15%
|-
| South America || Continent 4th largest || 17.840 || 7.8%
|-
| Antarctica || Continent 5th largest || 14.2 || 5.3%
|-
| Madagascar || Island 4th largest || 0.587 || 2.9%
|-
| Australia || Continent smallest || 7.6 || 2.5%
|-
| Greenland || Island Largest || 2.13 || 0.87%
|-
| Borneo || Island 3rd largest || 0.748 || 0.37%
|-
| New Guinea || Island 2nd largest || 0.786 || 0.32%
|-
| Japan || Island 7th largest || 0.377 || 0.10%
|-
| Mainland Britain || Island 9th largest || 0.208 || 0.10%
|-
| Island of Ireland || Island 20th largest || 0.084 || 0.03%
|}

* Comic measurements are strictly only of contiguous 'mainland' or main-island areas (outlined area plus outline itself)
** Excludes various off-shore islands (often significant, e.g. Baffin Island)
** Also excludes any drawn internal lakes/seas (except their drawn lines) where large enough to show such a gap
* Real-world areas are compiled from Wikipedia
** Land areas only, where established (accuracy is dubious in the case of those with significant ice-sheets)
** These figures usually including all islands, and no attempt has been made to subtract any other listed area
* For the purposes of this table, "Eurasia" continent is the whole of Europe, Asia, India, etc and was clipped from Africa in the area of Suez (and Straits Of Gibraltar, where the drawn lines touch!)
* Similarly, North/South Americas are clipped from each other in the vicinity of Panama 

==Transcript==
{{incomplete transcript|Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}
Bad map projection #248: Madagascator

Mercator projection but with the North Pole in the Indian Ocean so it exaggerates the size of Madagascar instead of Greenland

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Bad Map Projections]]

2612: Lightsabers

2022-04-27T17:44:56Z

172.70.90.63: /* Explanation */ Various

{{comic
| number = 2612
| date = April 27, 2022
| title = Lightsabers
| image = lightsabers.png
| titletext = A lot of Jedi romances start with this turning into a Lady and the Tramp spaghetti situation.
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Created by a LIQUID LIGHTSABER - Please change this comment when editing this page. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}
A {{w|lightsaber}} is a beam-like sword weapon used by members of the {{w|Jedi}} order in the {{w|Star Wars}} franchise. This comic shows a lightsaber fight starting between two [[Cueball]] like Jedi, one already presenting their blade in challenge and the second activating theirs in response. When the first strike is made between the two lightsabers, they seemingly meld together, with a bloop sound, like the beams are made of a liquid. This then causes the two light beams to be stuck to each other. In in-universe "technical documents", lightsabers are said to be made from magnetically-confined plasma, so perhaps the magnetic fields which were projected from each hilt have merged instead of repelling (or presenting as mutually imperveous) as is usually expected.

This scene actually looks a lot like what happens between Harry Potter and Voldemorts wands in the end of the fourth book the {{w|Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire|Goblet of Fire}}. Here two spells hit each other and connect the two wands, the wand holders then unable to release or disconnect the wands.

In this situation one Jedi tries to shake the beam, maybe to break the bond, but instead the wave travels down the combined beam to also shake the other Jedi's hand-held hilt. When the vibration dies down the other Jedi then tries to deactivate his lightsaber as an attempt to end the connection. But the retraction of the entire double-sized light beam into the handle (as seen in the movies) causes both of the Jedi to be drawn together where they collide together, forcefully enough to render them both unconscious. The connected lightsaber handles lie next to them on the ground.

The title text implies that such events are how {{w|Jedi}} romances start, comparing it to the famous "spaghetti scene" from the 1955 Disney animated movie ''{{w|Lady and the Tramp}}'' where the two titular characters unintentionally kiss after sharing a strand of spaghetti. In the Old Republic, Jedi were forbidden from entering romantic relationships (and discouraged from forming attachments in general), but in the pre-Disney ''Star Wars Legends'' continuity of the Expanded Universe, Luke Skywalker and Mara Jade first met while fighting in the aftermath of the fall of the Empire, and then developed a romantic relationship.

Star Wars is a [[:Category:Star Wars|recurring theme]] on xkcd, and lightsabers have been prominently featured before in, for instance, [[1397: Luke]] and [[1433: Lightsaber]], where the problem with the physics of a light beam as a sword is shown. But in general light does not interact with light as {{w|photons}} are {{w|bosons}} and can thus pass through each other. Interference, yes, but two pure light beams cannot collide and bounce back as when two lightsabers collide. Also as the comic Lightsaber mentioned above shows, there is no compatible real-world way of confining a beam of light, making it stop after about a meter (or anywhere){{Dubious}} - see {{w|Optical cavity}}. So this is another time where [[Randall]] makes a joke about the physics of lightsabers.

==Transcript==
:[Two Cueball like Jedi are engaging each other in a duel using lightsabers over 12 panels of equal size, with sound effects as the only sound. In the first panel the left Jedi has his lightsaber extended holding it in both hand pointing towards the other, who at this time is just turning his lightsaber on.]
:''Tssssss''
:Click

:[Almost same position of the Jedi, but the right Jedi's lightsaber has now extended, making a sound. He is holding it up near his head in both hands]
:''Tsss''

:[Then they run towards each other and swing their lightsabers towards each other, two small arcs indicating the swing of the lightsabers.]

:[The two beams hit each other and connects at the middle in a big bloop of light, with drops of "light" jumping off both above and below the connected lightsabers. Both Jedi still holds on to their handles with both hands. A loud sound comes out of the connection:]
:''Bloop''

:[The Jedi stands still holding their handles. The beam is now forming a bow between the two handles.]

:[The left Jedi violently shakes his handle causing a wave to travel down the beam towards the right Jedi.]
:<big>Shake shake</big>

:[As the left Jedi's end of the beam comes to rest the wave travels all the way the right Jedi's handle causing his hands to shake, although a bit less than the original shake.]
:Shake shake

:[Back to the bow of light between them, but the beam is visibly still shaking, but no wave is traveling any longer.]

:[Same setting but the shaking has stopped. The right Jedi turns his lightsaber off on his handle with a sound:]
:Click

:[The beam of light is retracted quickly into the handle of the Jedi turning his lightsaber off. So quickly that the two Jedi, still holding on to their handles are pulled up in the air and towards each other as the sound of the beam turning off is heard. Lines indicate their movement and shadows on the ground beneath them indicate they are in the air.]
:''Zhhhiiiip''

:[When the beam is completely retracted the two handles collide and so does the heads of the two Jedi with a loud sound. They still hold on to the handle with both hands. They still hand in the air with shadow on the ground beneath them.]
:''<big>Bonk</big>''

:[In the final panel the two Jedi lies unconscious on the ground with their heads towards each other and with their arms stretched out towards each other. The connected handles lies between them.]

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Multiple Cueballs]]
[[Category:Star Wars]]
[[Category:Fiction]]

Talk:2612: Lightsabers

2022-04-27T13:35:10Z

172.70.90.63:

Not sure what's going on here. Are {{W|electric arcs}} what's happening between the lightsabers? --[[Special:Contributions/172.70.242.207|172.70.242.207]] 12:48, 27 April 2022 (UTC)

Could be based on properties of plasma? [[Special:Contributions/172.70.211.72|172.70.211.72]] 12:53, 27 April 2022 (UTC)

Probably something like {{W|cold welding}}. The fields keeping the light saber beam coherent would not be able to differentiate between the two plasma beams, and would join together. --[[Special:Contributions/172.70.91.36|172.70.91.36]] 13:22, 27 April 2022 (UTC)
:That's my take. The effect that confines the laser (to make it a [[1433: Lightsaber|handy length]], at the very least) is potentially too 'self-sticky', but certainly with that of the opposing blade after a bit of awkward cross-resonance. And then the deactivation/withdrawing (typoed that as "sithdrawing"!) still drags the other blade-tip inwards too. [[Special:Contributions/172.70.90.63|172.70.90.63]] 13:35, 27 April 2022 (UTC)

2611: Cutest-Sounding Scientific Effects

2022-04-26T00:00:09Z

172.70.90.63: /* Explanation */ Adding useful indent-breaks, because it worked well with the Stroop addition. (and minor editorialising)

{{comic
| number = 2611
| date = April 25, 2022
| title = Cutest-Sounding Scientific Effects
| image = cutest_sounding_scientific_effects.png
| titletext = The Stroop-YORP number of a scientific paper is how many of the 16 finalist names (sans 'effect') it manages to casually sneak into the text.
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Created by the Cutest Effect of All Time - Please change this comment when editing this page. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}

Randall has compiled a {{w|Tournament bracket|single-elimination tournament bracket}} for a knock-out competition between 16 different scientific effect names that Randall considers cute-sounding. As of now, he is determining the result in a [https://twitter.com/xkcd/status/1518701311763570689 series of Twitter polls].

Below are explanations for what each of the 16 effects are:

;{{w|YORP effect}}: The YORP effect is the effect of sunlight on an asteroid with variations of albedo, which can increase its rotation rate, perhaps until it spins itself apart.
:An acronym of the names Yarkovsky, O’Keefe, Radzievskii and Paddack, who were instrumental in its discovery.
;{{w|Nocebo effect}}: An effect in which a recipent of medication who believes it will have negative side effects is more likely to experience negative side effects, whether they are really caused by the medication or not.
:Opposite of the {{w|placebo effect}}, which focuses on positive side effects. 'Placebo' derives from the "I shall please", while 'Nocebo' comes from "I shall harm".
;{{w|Woozle effect}}: If a study gets repeatedly cited and otherwise disseminated, then people will start to believe it regardless of whether it has any evidence behind it. And if there is not any evidence, it becomes an urban myth.
:Named after a Winnie-the-Pooh story in which Winnie-the-Pooh and Piglet try to catch an imaginary animal called a woozle, and accidentally follow their own tracks in circles.
;{{w|Stroop effect}}: The Stroop effect (referenced in [[1531: The BDLPSWDKS Effect]]) is a psychological phenomenon in which it is easier to name the visual color of a word when the word refers to its own color, than when the word refers to a different color.
:i.e that saying that '''Red''' is red is easier than to say that '''Blue''' is green.
;{{w|Pockels effect}}: A phenomenon where an electric field passed through a medium can cause the medium's refractive index to depend upon the polarization and propagation direction of the refracted light, a property known as {{w|birefringence}}.
;{{w|Cheerios effect}}: A phenomenon where objects floating in a liquid appear to attract or repel each other.
:Named after the cereal Cheerios, which are an everyday demonstration of this phenomenon because many eat Cheerios in a bowl of milk.
;{{w|Hot chocolate effect}}: A phenomenon where the sound created by tapping a cup of hot liquid rises in pitch as a soluble powder is added.
;{{w|Perky effect}}: An experiment in which participants were asked to visualize an object while staring at a screen on which the outline of that object was subtly projected. Participants believed the projected shape to be only a product of their imaginations,
;{{w|Bouba/kiki effect}}: An observation that people, despite different native languages, will relatively consistently assign names with certain sounds to blobby or spiky shapes, suggesting the association of sound and shape is non-arbitrary.
;{{w|Cutaneous rabbit effect}}: A phenomenon where, when tapped on one part of the body in rapid succession and then switching to another, the subject feels the tapping at locations in between the two.
:For example, if rapidly tapping the wrist then switching to the elbow, the subject will subjectively feel as if they are being tapped between the wrist and elbow, when they are not.
;[https://www.investopedia.com/terms/s/smallfirmeffect.asp Small firm effect]: An economic theory that small firms usually perform better than larger ones
;{{w|Little–Parks effect}}: A phenomenon where a fluctuating magnetic field passed through a superconductor can slightly suppress its superconductivity, inducing small fluctuations in its electrical resistance.
:When juxtaposed against the "small firm effect", as in the bracket, one might get the impression that it is somehow related to urban architecture or civil engineering.
;{{w|Dr. Fox effect}}: A disputed theory that student evaluations of their teachers are likely unreliable because they are largely based on the teacher's charisma instead of the quality of their content.
;{{w|Oddity effect}}: A theory that when fish assemble in shoals (large social groups), any that stand out appearance-wise will be attacked by a predator, explaining why shoals tend to have similar-looking members.
;{{w|Butterfly effect}}: The butterfly effect is the sensitivity of chaotic systems to small changes in initial conditions. The weather system of Earth is chaotic, and so an arbitrarily small change in air patterns (such as could be caused by the flapping of a butterfly's wing) could ultimately change the weather for the whole world.
;{{w|Popcorn effect}}: A phenomenon exhibited by crushed ore placed on a vibrating screen for separation in mineral processing, in which larger particles tend to bounce higher than smaller particles.

==Transcript==
{{incomplete transcript|Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}
:[A tournament bracket tree is shown with 16 scientific effect names each on the left and right side. From both sides toward the middle the brackets reduce to eight, then four, two, and one line where the latter join to a rectangle in the middle.]

:[Left side:]
:Yorp effect - Nocebo effect
:Woozle effect - Stroop effect
:Pockels effect - Cheerios effect
:Hot chocolate effect - Perky effect

:[Right side:]
:Bouba/kiki effect - Cutaneous rabbit effect
:Small firm effect - Little parks effect
:Dr. Fox effect - Oddity effect
:Butterfly effect - Popcorn effect

{{comic discussion}}

Talk:2607: Geiger Counter

2022-04-15T22:59:12Z

172.70.90.63:

Vanilla joke, but funny. [[User:Nafedalbi|Nafedalbi]] ([[User talk:Nafedalbi|talk]]) 18:41, 15 April 2022 (UTC)Nafedalbi
:It's Randall's "dad joke". [[User:Barmar|Barmar]] ([[User talk:Barmar|talk]]) 19:23, 15 April 2022 (UTC)

I added telegraph wires (UK-only term, possibly, and anachronistic as they are telephone cables, so feel free to change to be US-centric) and birds seem happy to sit on pole-suspended POTS cables as much as power-lines, so the linked heat-effect thing is definitely a minority necessity. I think it's just a perch. Though we probably have more signal-wires. Most(?) streets more than a few decades old have telegraph poles feeding wires to established properties (even if cable/FTTP has been dug into trenches) but mains electricity tends to have been subsurface for much longer, with only HV national/rural-area transmission grids up on pylons/poles. Obviously there ''are'' a lot more perching birds out in the countryside, where they may dominate (but still the 'telegraph' may follow road or rail routes to service the villages and isolated inhabitations along them) but you don't tend to see birds atop the larger lines at all... Too high up? ''Too'' hot? I've seen rooks/etc happily doing a Hitchcock upon a pylon itself, apparently enjoying the communal view. [[Special:Contributions/172.70.90.63|172.70.90.63]] 18:54, 15 April 2022 (UTC)

The title text joke may be understood more easily by reading "stood under" in place of "understood". [[Special:Contributions/162.158.107.124|162.158.107.124]] 19:37, 15 April 2022 (UTC)

Living in Manhattan, you learn to notice when an area is full of bird droppings and avoid standing there. You also need to pay attention when parking your car. Certain lamp posts (where the lamp is cantilevered over the street) near Central Park often tend to have a large accumulation under them. [[Special:Contributions/108.162.246.178|108.162.246.178]] 19:47, 15 April 2022 (UTC)

I do not understand the joke in the title text, so if somebody could please write an explanation, that would be great.
Also, this is my first ever full comic description! Yay!
I don't know what categories this fits in, if somebody could also put those in that would be great. [[User:MrYellow04|MrYellow04]] ([[User talk:MrYellow04|talk]]) 19:58, 15 April 2022 (UTC)
:I suggest you stand under a wire with lots of birds on it for a while. It will hit you. [[User:Barmar|Barmar]] ([[User talk:Barmar|talk]]) 20:32, 15 April 2022 (UTC)

Randall, come here. Yes, right there. Stand still. THWACK! THWACK THWACK THWACK THWACK THWACK! That is all, you may go now. 20:41, 15 April 2022 (UTC)

The explanation makes clear the side of the pun regarding the Geiger counting clicking, but for non-native English speakers, the phrase "it clicked" meaning "I understood" may need clarification. [[Special:Contributions/162.158.166.213|162.158.166.213]] 21:17, 15 April 2022 (UTC)

I thought it meant the birds were dangerously mutated because of the radioactivity, but now I understand. [[Special:Contributions/172.69.34.84|172.69.34.84]] 22:00, 15 April 2022 (UTC)
:Just make sure you don't open your mouth and tilt your head back. [[Special:Contributions/172.70.90.63|172.70.90.63]] 22:59, 15 April 2022 (UTC)

Talk:2607: Geiger Counter

2022-04-15T18:54:14Z

172.70.90.63:

Vanilla joke, but funny. [[User:Nafedalbi|Nafedalbi]] ([[User talk:Nafedalbi|talk]]) 18:41, 15 April 2022 (UTC)Nafedalbi

I added telegraph wires (UK-only term, possibly, and anachronistic as they are telephone cables, so feel free to change to be US-centric) and birds seem happy to sit on pole-suspended POTS cables as much as power-lines, so the linked heat-effect thing is definitely a minority necessity. I think it's just a perch. Though we probably have more signal-wires. Most(?) streets more than a few decades old have telegraph poles feeding wires to established properties (even if cable/FTTP has been dug into trenches) but mains electricity tends to have been subsurface for much longer, with only HV national/rural-area transmission grids up on pylons/poles. Obviously there ''are'' a lot more perching birds out in the countryside, where they may dominate (but still the 'telegraph' may follow road or rail routes to service the villages and isolated inhabitations along them) but you don't tend to see birds atop the larger lines at all... Too high up? ''Too'' hot? I've seen rooks/etc happily doing a Hitchcock upon a pylon itself, apparently enjoying the communal view. [[Special:Contributions/172.70.90.63|172.70.90.63]] 18:54, 15 April 2022 (UTC)

2601: Instructions

2022-04-15T11:09:26Z

172.70.90.63: /* Trivia */ It would have been nice to have had a Discworld/Pratchett category (if there is, it/they are shoved below the multitude of non-category pages that popped up in my search). Representative links to three separate aspects, out of many possible.

{{comic
| number = 2601
| date = April 1, 2022
| title = Instructions
| image = instructions.png
| imagesize = 500px
| titletext = Happy little turtles
}}
*To experience the interactivity of this comic, visit the {{xkcd|2601|original comic}}.
{{TOC}}
==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Created by the LOGO OF A HAPPY LITTLE TURTLE - now that the full comic has been completed, an explanation of that is necessary. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}
This is the 12th [[:Category:April fools' comics|April fools' comic]] released by [[Randall]]. The previous April fools' comic was [[2445: Checkbox]], which was released on Thursday, April 1st, 2021.

When loading the comic just a small dot is shown, a {{w|radio button}} (or option button). Usually, there would be more than one to give the user options. Once it has been selected it cannot be deselected. Once pressed the [https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/2/20/2601_Instructions_Radio_on.png button turns blue] and this starts the real part of this April fool's comic.

The comic consists of an [https://xkcd.com/2601/radio.mp3#t=0 audio file]. The speech is a mix of [[#Index of facts|facts about turtles]] and coding instructions in {{w|Logo_(programming_language)|LOGO}}. When executed, the instructions draw an xkcd comic. The audio file is 9 hours and 7 minutes long.

[[File:xkcd 2601 finished comic animation.gif|thumb|200px|200px|Click to view the animation of the code running to create the picture, sourced from the GitHub.]]
*See the [[#The Resulting Image|resulting comic]] below.
**And see how it is [https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/0/05/xkcd_2601_finished_comic_animation.gif animated here].
**This has been compiled by [https://github.com/theinternetftw/xkcd2601#transcription-complete theinternetftw on Github].
*The transcript of the quotes (the non-code) can be found here [[2601: Instructions/Audio Transcript]].
*Images of the dynamic changes and other pictures relating to this comic can be found here [[2601: Instructions/Images]].

Once the voice begins to describe the instructions (hence the title) it is possible to mute the audio by pressing a [https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/2/20/2601_Instructions_Radio_on.png muted button] at the bottom right of the screen. This fades into view when the radio button is pushed. Pressing it will change the button to a [https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/7/78/2601_Instructions_Radio_on_muted.png non muted loudspeaker]. These were the same buttons that were in the previous April fool's comic [[2445: Checkbox]]. That was the first xkcd [[:Category:Comics with audio|comic with audio]], and thus these were two April fools' comics with audio in a row, and these are the only comics with audio. In the Checkbox comic, the mute buttons meaning are reversed, so the sound is on when the loudspeaker is shown and muted when the mute button is shown. It could be another layer to the April fool's joke or just an error by Randall.

The [https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/archive/e/e3/20220402201427%21instructions.png image originally displayed] on this page was of a small turtle crawling in the center where the radio button is in the real comic. That was the image that would be downloaded by web crawlers like explain xkcd's bot, as it is what was placed here on xkcd: https://imgs.xkcd.com/comics/instructions_2x.png. This is of course not the real comic, which cannot be downloaded in that manner.

The "turtle" is a key concept in Logo, a programming language especially designed to teach programming to children in an easy way. The turtle in the logo is the cursor. Programming commands move the turtle, drawing a line as it goes. Of course, listening to hours of instructions, including the speech-synthesized reading of source code, is not an easy way to code or draw a picture.{{cn}}

In addition, at [https://xkcd.com/2601/radio.mp3#t=32817 the end of the audio] the voice says:
<blockquote>
"I even talk to turtles at times, but you need to understand LOGO to appreciate the great, great things that have been created. We spend so much of our life typing, looking, but never ever seeing."
</blockquote>

The title text alludes to {{w|Bob Ross}}'s catchphrase "happy little trees" in ''{{w|The Joy of Painting}}'', a PBS TV show in which Ross leads the viewer through the painting of a nature scene. The audio file itself is also presented in the style of ''The Joy of Painting''; it begins with greeting the viewer and introducing the color palette to be used (just one color, in this case, as Logo and all computer monitors of the time were monochrome). The speaker then reads out some helper functions to be used in programming the scene, which is more analogous to Ross's palette of paints (titanium white, carmine red, etc.) along with words of encouragement as each is completed. The functions are DIST, to calculate the {{w|Euclidean distance}} between two points, LERP, to perform {{w|linear interpolation}}, MIX to average two numbers (with LERP), and CUBIC to draw {{w|cubic Hermite spline}}s. From there, the speaker alternates between sketching parts of the scene and offering more words of encouragement, mixed in with turtle facts.

Transcribing the audio into text was organized as a [https://github.com/theinternetftw/xkcd2601 project on github].

This is not the first time that Randall made an interactive comic where turtles played a big part, see [[1416: Pixels]]. In this, he jokes with the idea of turtles all the way down, which is [https://xkcd.com/2601/radio.mp3#t=10403 also mentioned] in the audio file. He also made a comic simply called [[889: Turtles]].

===Unique header text===
This comic has a [[xkcd_Header_text#Unique_header_text|unique header text]], see [[xkcd_Header_text#Instructions|the details here]]. The header is:
:"Today's comic was created with [https://twitter.com/fadinginterest Patrick], [https://twitter.com/Aiiane Amber], [https://twitter.com/chromakode @chromakode], [https://twitter.com/dyfrgi Michael], [https://twitter.com/wirehead2501 Kat], [https://twitter.com/xDirtyPunkx Conor], [https://twitter.com/zigdon @zigdon], and [https://twitter.com/bstaffin Benjamin Staffin]."
The header had not changed [[xkcd_Header_text#2022-01-31_-_What_if.3F_2|since the promotion]] of the new ''what if? 2'' book.

==Trivia==
*If you have scripts disabled, you will just see a picture of a [https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/archive/e/e3/20220402201427%21instructions.png little turtle] which is not interactive.

*The Tree being atop a turtle in the finished comic (as well as the general turtle theme) could be a reference to the programming phrase "it's [[1416: Pixels|turtles all the way down]]", which is used to describe infinite recursion. A world atop a turtle (albeit with elephants between) is also a Discworld reference, derived by [[1498: Terry Pratchett|Terry Pratchett]] from the same mythic roots, and something Randall is known to have [[1052: Every Major's Terrible|occasionally]] [[625: Collections|referenced]].

==Transcript==
:[The comic consists of one radio button, a small circle in the center of a large white panel. It is interactive. When pressing the radio button (selecting it), it turns blue. The second the radio button is pressed a more than 9-hour long audio file of coding instructions begins to play, and a mute button appears in the bottom right corner. It fades slowly into full opacity. Pressing this button will change it to a loudspeaker. It toggles whether there is sound playing or not. It is not possible to shut down the audio by pressing the radio button. Once selected it cannot be deselected as there is only this one option.]

:[Covered by the radio button is an image of a turtle crawling from left to right, with a dotted line trailing behind it, indicating its movement. This image can only be seen by looking in the place where images for xkcd are usually placed on xkcd.]

:'''[To read a transcript of the audio file go here: [[2601: Instructions/Audio Transcript]].]'''

==The Resulting Image==
[[File:xkcd 2601 finished picture.png|800px]]

===Explanation of the image===

The image drawn by the Logo program is a depiction of {{w|Bob Ross}} standing in front of a canvas, on which he has painted "a happy little tree, holding up a happy little world". However, unlike his usual "happy little trees", the tree depicted is not a small pine, but rather a gargantuan {{w|World Tree}} growing from the back of a giant {{w|World Turtle}}, on which a {{w|Flat Earth}} rests. (The "happy little world" does bear several small pines more typical of his style.)

Near the middle of the world, a Cueball sits while listening to the radio, perhaps tuning in to the same transmission that generated the image. Closer to the reader, a turtle is shown walking around, leaving dotted-line tracks behind it, suggestive of the Logo turtle. The dotted-line tracks spell out "TY", shorthand for "thank you".

At the far left of the image, a robot and human are drawn next to a turtle which has flipped onto its back. The robot declares, "Poor thing!" while the human says "I'll help". This is a reference to the "empathy tests" employed to distinguish humans from androids in ''{{w|Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?}}'' and its film adaptation ''{{w|Blade Runner}}''. As part of the test, the listener is asked to imagine being in the desert, flipping a tortoise onto its back, and refusing to turn it back over, while their eyes are monitored for signs of emotional response (or lack thereof). In this case, the robot expresses sympathy for the turtle and the human declares that he will turn it back over. (Although the robot is very clearly distinguishable from a human being.)

===Transcript of the image===
:[A man with large hair and a beard is holding an artist's palette with five patches of paint in one hand and a paintbrush in the other. He looks upon his canvas, where he has painted a large painting.]
:Painter: A Happy little tree
:Painter: Holding up a happy little world.

:[The painting contains lots of stuff. Among others, is a robot that sees Cueball bending down to lift a turtle that is on its back. They talk:]
:Robot: Poor thing"
:Cueball: I'll help

:[In the top right corner, there is a dotted line forming a semi-circle around the corner. Inside this are the words:]
:Vacuum decay

:[There are no other words in the image. The image includes:]
In the sky:
* Mars, including:
** A Mars rover (appears to be Curiosity or Perseverance), which is examining a turtle
** A small rover (appears to be Sojourner)
* The JWST (James Webb Space Telescope)
* The ISS transiting the sun
* A TIE fighter
* Saturn
* A small planet with a man and a flower (''Le Petit Prince'' by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry)
* A moon of Saturn, with both Cueball and a tiny turtle
* A constellation in the shape of a turtle
* A constellation in the shape of a kite (or a tetrahedron)
* A constellation that appears to be the little dipper (Ursa Minor) stacked inside the big dipper (Ursa Major), resembling a [[:wikipedia:lemon squeezer|lemon squeezer]], next to an object that appears to be half a lemon.
* Cueball playing tennis with incoming meteors
* A rocket
* Birds

On top of the tree:
* Cueball listening to a radio
* Ponytail holding a balloon
* Megan looking over the edge
* A turtle who may have walked a path in the shape of the letters "T" and "Y"
* A squirrel
* A rabbit
* Two happy little trees
* Mountains in the background, one of which seems to have a gigantic Egg on its top and stairs leading to it, which is likely a reference to the video game {{w|The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening}}.

Under the tree:
* Beret guy looking out of a window in the tree
* Blondie standing at the base of the tree
* Ponytail in a balloon, throwing out an anchor
* A helicopter with a stegosaurus tail (Thagomizer)
* Glass ball ornaments hanging from the tree

:[The rest just needs to be written out in detail...]

==Index of facts==
{| class="wikitable"
|Merriam-Webster defines a turtle as a noun.
|https://xkcd.com/2601/radio.mp3#t=569
|-
|Here are some interesting notes from interesting facts about turtles.
|https://xkcd.com/2601/radio.mp3#t=962
|-
|Over a great many years, I have taken a great interest in the land turtle.
|https://xkcd.com/2601/radio.mp3#t=973
|-
|One of the interesting points about turtles is their great variety of foods.
|https://xkcd.com/2601/radio.mp3#t=1415
|-
|in the pen and in five minutes it is surrounded by the turtles,
|https://xkcd.com/2601/radio.mp3#t=1976
|-
|when I found one of the large turtles had caught and disemboweled, the very large toad,
|https://xkcd.com/2601/radio.mp3#t=2648
|-
|I have seen turtles eating at 11:00 at night
|https://xkcd.com/2601/radio.mp3#t=2655
|-
|the youngest of turtles I have ever had seems to take to the same food as the adults
|https://xkcd.com/2601/radio.mp3#t=3506
|-
|I made friends with a turtle yesterday and he gave me his phone number.
|https://xkcd.com/2601/radio.mp3#t=4283
|-
|Running away is slow as compared to this turtle propulsion.
|https://xkcd.com/2601/radio.mp3#t=4522
|-
|Occasionally one can see a turtle dragging another one along
|https://xkcd.com/2601/radio.mp3#t=5370
|-
|I have never known a land turtle to bite
|https://xkcd.com/2601/radio.mp3#t=5382
|-
|Some people have turtles in their cellars believing that they catch rats and mice.
|https://xkcd.com/2601/radio.mp3#t=5853
|-
|I believe that these turtles died because they were exhausted
|https://xkcd.com/2601/radio.mp3#t=5879
|-
|and mice might be kept away by the noise made by the turtle making its endless
|https://xkcd.com/2601/radio.mp3#t=6151
|-
|But doubt whether a turtle could catch a rat or a mouse
|https://xkcd.com/2601/radio.mp3#t=6158
|-
|In this, the turtles would enjoy themselves
|https://xkcd.com/2601/radio.mp3#t=6437
|-
|How about some interesting things in 10 facts about marine turtles from the WWF UK.
|https://xkcd.com/2601/radio.mp3#t=6622
|-
|There are seven species of marine turtle.
|https://xkcd.com/2601/radio.mp3#t=6628
|-
|Marine turtles were around more than 100
|https://xkcd.com/2601/radio.mp3#t=6632
|-
|These days, scientists recognize seven species of marine turtle,
|https://xkcd.com/2601/radio.mp3#t=6638
|-
|turtles do not have teeth.
|https://xkcd.com/2601/radio.mp3#t=6890
|-
|Turtle shells are made of over 50 bones fused together.
|https://xkcd.com/2601/radio.mp3#t=7064
|-
|The first few years of a marine turtle's life are known as the lost years.
|https://xkcd.com/2601/radio.mp3#t=7352
|-
|Marine turtle species vary greatly in size.
|https://xkcd.com/2601/radio.mp3#t=7654
|-
|Wales holds the world record for the largest marine turtle ever found
|https://xkcd.com/2601/radio.mp3#t=7675
|-
|1000 marine turtle hatchlings make it to adulthood.
|https://xkcd.com/2601/radio.mp3#t=8216
|-
|turtles seem to prefer red, orange, and yellow food.
|https://xkcd.com/2601/radio.mp3#t=10106
|-
|I'm beginning to suspect it's turtles all the way down
|https://xkcd.com/2601/radio.mp3#t=10403
|-
|marine turtles can migrate incredibly long distances.
|https://xkcd.com/2601/radio.mp3#t=10623
|-
|Marine turtles.
|https://xkcd.com/2601/radio.mp3#t=11365
|-
|move the turtle
|https://xkcd.com/2601/radio.mp3#t=11788
|-
|Here are some more interesting bits from interesting facts about turtles.
|https://xkcd.com/2601/radio.mp3#t=11913
|-
|several occasions with the turtle still in c.
|https://xkcd.com/2601/radio.mp3#t=12612
|-
|there is an artist in the bottom of everybody
|https://xkcd.com/2601/radio.mp3#t=12934
|-
|The number laid by a turtle varies
|https://xkcd.com/2601/radio.mp3#t=15403
|-
|I have also observed one turtle laying its eggs
|https://xkcd.com/2601/radio.mp3#t=15411
|-
|I had the pleasure of seeing six little baby turtles come out
|https://xkcd.com/2601/radio.mp3#t=16167
|-
|The turtle commenced to dig at six p.m.
|https://xkcd.com/2601/radio.mp3#t=16753
|-
|Five days later a second turtle dug these eggs out arid,
|https://xkcd.com/2601/radio.mp3#t=16760
|-
|personally. I do not believe that the turtle digging out.
|https://xkcd.com/2601/radio.mp3#t=16768
|-
|turtles a year factoid. Actually just statistical error,
|https://xkcd.com/2601/radio.mp3#t=16972
|-
|average person paints zero turtles per year
|https://xkcd.com/2601/radio.mp3#t=16976
|-
|turtles. Georg who lives in cave and eats over 10,000 each day
|https://xkcd.com/2601/radio.mp3#t=16980
|-
|The young turtles when they make their emergence at the end of three months,
|https://xkcd.com/2601/radio.mp3#t=17234
|-
|Do you know what A sea turtle's favorite sandwiches?
|https://xkcd.com/2601/radio.mp3#t=17526
|-
|Just ask the next sea turtle you meet.
|https://xkcd.com/2601/radio.mp3#t=17536
|-
|Here are some interesting observations from odd facts about turtles.
|https://xkcd.com/2601/radio.mp3#t=17639
|-
|It has been said that the turtle,
|https://xkcd.com/2601/radio.mp3#t=17647
|-
|In many ways. The turtle is one or the strangest of living things,
|https://xkcd.com/2601/radio.mp3#t=17943
|-
|But the turtle in all his varieties in all his ways is a most mysterious animal.
|https://xkcd.com/2601/radio.mp3#t=17961
|-
|Your turtle is neither fish, flesh nor fowl.
|https://xkcd.com/2601/radio.mp3#t=17979
|-
|a little turtle
|https://xkcd.com/2601/radio.mp3#t=18667
|-
|there is none so tenacious of life as the turtle
|https://xkcd.com/2601/radio.mp3#t=18986
|-
|Leave the turtle apparently undisturbed
|https://xkcd.com/2601/radio.mp3#t=18992
|-
|Just as soon as a baby turtle emerges from the egg off he scuttles down to the sea.
|https://xkcd.com/2601/radio.mp3#t=19273
|-
|The young turtle feeds unmolested while his armor undergoes the hardening process
|https://xkcd.com/2601/radio.mp3#t=19306
|-
|whatever the young sea turtle eats and wherever he eats it
|https://xkcd.com/2601/radio.mp3#t=19628
|-
|the turtle is free from all danger
|https://xkcd.com/2601/radio.mp3#t=19915
|-
|interferes with the turtle
|https://xkcd.com/2601/radio.mp3#t=19924
|-
|Cool facts about turtles from Deutsche Welle.
|https://xkcd.com/2601/radio.mp3#t=20499
|-
|There is a reason why turtles look a little prehistoric.
|https://xkcd.com/2601/radio.mp3#t=20506
|-
|Luckily for the turtles, they're burrowing and water-dwelling habits.
|https://xkcd.com/2601/radio.mp3#t=20527
|-
|While a turtle's lifespan largely depends on the species,
|https://xkcd.com/2601/radio.mp3#t=20926
|-
|A typical pet turtle can make it to anywhere between 10 and 80 years.
|https://xkcd.com/2601/radio.mp3#t=20935
|-
|Researchers think some turtles could even be hundreds of years old.
|https://xkcd.com/2601/radio.mp3#t=20949
|-
|There are currently 356 known species of turtles.
|https://xkcd.com/2601/radio.mp3#t=21629
|-
|There are sea turtles, leatherback turtles, snapping turtles,
|https://xkcd.com/2601/radio.mp3#t=21642
|-
|pond turtles, soft-shelled turtles, and of course tortoises,
|https://xkcd.com/2601/radio.mp3#t=21646
|-
|Not all turtles or tortoises
|https://xkcd.com/2601/radio.mp3#t=22175
|-
|but all tortoises or turtles.
|https://xkcd.com/2601/radio.mp3#t=22177
|-
|technically all tortoises are in fact turtles.
|https://xkcd.com/2601/radio.mp3#t=22181
|-
|But the main difference between turtles and
|https://xkcd.com/2601/radio.mp3#t=22192
|-
|while most turtles live in or near water
|https://xkcd.com/2601/radio.mp3#t=22198
|-
|Some turtles are vegetarians
|https://xkcd.com/2601/radio.mp3#t=22405
|-
|Most turtles are actually omnivores but a few species
|https://xkcd.com/2601/radio.mp3#t=22409
|-
|Not to the fearsome-looking alligator turtle
|https://xkcd.com/2601/radio.mp3#t=22421
|-
|Even water-dwelling turtles will dig their nests
|https://xkcd.com/2601/radio.mp3#t=22805
|-
|No species of turtle sticks around to raise their young.
|https://xkcd.com/2601/radio.mp3#t=22814
|-
|A turtle's gender is determined by temperature
|https://xkcd.com/2601/radio.mp3#t=23005
|-
|A turtle's gender is determined after fertilization.
|https://xkcd.com/2601/radio.mp3#t=23010
|-
|If the turtles eggs incubate below 27.7 degrees Celsius,
|https://xkcd.com/2601/radio.mp3#t=23015
|-
|turtles tend to give birth to more females
|https://xkcd.com/2601/radio.mp3#t=23037
|-
|Sea turtles are known for their amazing ability to return
|https://xkcd.com/2601/radio.mp3#t=23182
|-
|turtles can navigate their way at sea by
|https://xkcd.com/2601/radio.mp3#t=23190
|-
|turtles have strong underwater eyesight.
|https://xkcd.com/2601/radio.mp3#t=23618
|-
|Although sea turtles are famous for their internal GPS
|https://xkcd.com/2601/radio.mp3#t=23629
|-
|Six out of seven turtle species are classified as
|https://xkcd.com/2601/radio.mp3#t=23919
|-
|How about some interesting facts from turtle facts by Alina Bradford.
|https://xkcd.com/2601/radio.mp3#t=24214
|-
|turtles are reptiles with hard shells that protect them from predators.
|https://xkcd.com/2601/radio.mp3#t=24221
|-
|Turtles live all over the world in almost every type of climate
|https://xkcd.com/2601/radio.mp3#t=24233
|-
|the turtle order
|https://xkcd.com/2601/radio.mp3#t=24479
|-
|turtle,
|https://xkcd.com/2601/radio.mp3#t=24874
|-
|turtles spend most of their lives in water.
|https://xkcd.com/2601/radio.mp3#t=25251
|-
|Sea turtles rarely leave the ocean except to lay eggs in the sand.
|https://xkcd.com/2601/radio.mp3#t=25260
|-
|Freshwater turtles live in ponds and lakes
|https://xkcd.com/2601/radio.mp3#t=25266
|-
|With so many different types of turtle.
|https://xkcd.com/2601/radio.mp3#t=25760
|-
|The largest sea turtle species is the leatherback turtle.
|https://xkcd.com/2601/radio.mp3#t=25765
|-
|The largest freshwater turtle in North America is the alligator snapping turtle.
|https://xkcd.com/2601/radio.mp3#t=25788
|-
|The Yangtze giant softshell turtle is the largest softshell turtle.
|https://xkcd.com/2601/radio.mp3#t=25799
|-
|A turtle's shell is a modified rib cage and part of its vertebral column
|https://xkcd.com/2601/radio.mp3#t=26177
|-
|All the thoughts of a turtle are turtles and of a rabbit rabbits.
|https://xkcd.com/2601/radio.mp3#t=26401
|-
|So let's try to think like a turtle
|https://xkcd.com/2601/radio.mp3#t=26406
|-
|Many turtles are able to retract their heads and feet into their shells,
|https://xkcd.com/2601/radio.mp3#t=26450
|-
|turtles are placed in the two sub-orders based on the method of retraction.
|https://xkcd.com/2601/radio.mp3#t=26455
|-
|Sea turtles have lost the ability to retract their heads
|https://xkcd.com/2601/radio.mp3#t=26472
|-
|turtles are very adaptive and can be found on every continent except Antarctica.
|https://xkcd.com/2601/radio.mp3#t=26676
|-
|Most turtle species are found in southeastern North America and South Asia.
|https://xkcd.com/2601/radio.mp3#t=26681
|-
|sea turtles can be found in the coral triangle.
|https://xkcd.com/2601/radio.mp3#t=26844
|-
|what do you get if you cross a turtle with a giraffe,
|https://xkcd.com/2601/radio.mp3#t=26976
|-
|a turtleneck
|https://xkcd.com/2601/radio.mp3#t=26981
|-
|The African helmeted turtle is the most common turtle in Africa,
|https://xkcd.com/2601/radio.mp3#t=27157
|-
|roti island. Snake-necked turtles are found only on Rhode island.
|https://xkcd.com/2601/radio.mp3#t=27221
|-
|turtles are not social creatures
|https://xkcd.com/2601/radio.mp3#t=27393
|-
|while they typically don't mind if there are other turtles around them,
|https://xkcd.com/2601/radio.mp3#t=27396
|-
|Most turtles are active during the day,
|https://xkcd.com/2601/radio.mp3#t=27405
|-
|turtles are not silent creatures.
|https://xkcd.com/2601/radio.mp3#t=27537
|-
|Most turtles are omnivores.
|https://xkcd.com/2601/radio.mp3#t=27961
|-
|musk turtles eat mollusks,
|https://xkcd.com/2601/radio.mp3#t=27968
|-
|The cooter turtle is mostly vegetarian
|https://xkcd.com/2601/radio.mp3#t=27973
|-
|and the green sea turtle only eats grasses and algae.
|https://xkcd.com/2601/radio.mp3#t=27976
|-
|The alligator snapping turtle lures in fish with its tongue
|https://xkcd.com/2601/radio.mp3#t=28293
|-
|crayfish and other turtles.
|https://xkcd.com/2601/radio.mp3#t=28313
|-
|All turtles lay eggs.
|https://xkcd.com/2601/radio.mp3#t=28483
|-
|No species of turtle nurtures their young
|https://xkcd.com/2601/radio.mp3#t=28493
|-
|turtles reach the age to mate at different times.
|https://xkcd.com/2601/radio.mp3#t=28762
|-
|Male and female turtles intertwined their tails so
|https://xkcd.com/2601/radio.mp3#t=29117
|-
|sea turtles travel from the ocean to lay eggs on beaches.
|https://xkcd.com/2601/radio.mp3#t=29387
|-
|sea turtles lay around 110 eggs in a nest
|https://xkcd.com/2601/radio.mp3#t=29392
|-
|Though the flatback turtle only lays 50 at a time
|https://xkcd.com/2601/radio.mp3#t=29396
|-
|the temperature of the sand affects the sex of the turtle.
|https://xkcd.com/2601/radio.mp3#t=29661
|-
|Too many sea turtle females are being born
|https://xkcd.com/2601/radio.mp3#t=29673
|-
|according to the sea turtle. Conservancy
|https://xkcd.com/2601/radio.mp3#t=29679
|-
|Many turtle species are listed as threatened,
|https://xkcd.com/2601/radio.mp3#t=29984
|-
|I even talked to turtles at times
|https://xkcd.com/2601/radio.mp3#t=32815
|}
===Sources===
* Merriam-Webster, "Turtle" https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/turtle
* Forest And Stream, January 1916, p. 764: "Interesting Facts About Turtles"—"A Little Nature Study by a Scientist that will Interest Old and Young Naturalists Alike"—"By Randle C. Rosenberger M.D., Professor of Hygiene and Bacteriology, Jefferson Medical College, Philadelphia, Pa." https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/item/281932#page/8/mode/1up
* "Top 10 Facts About Marine Turtles", https://www.wwf.org.uk/learn/fascinating-facts/marine-turtles
* "Odd facts about turtles", Christian observer, May 11th, 1919
* "World Turtle Day: 10 cool facts about turtles" from Deutsche Welle, 22 May 2020, by Ineke Mules https://www.dw.com/en/turtles-tortoises-difference-facts/g-53260454
* "Turtle Facts" by Alina Bradford, published October 02, 2015, https://www.livescience.com/52361-turtle-facts.html

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:April fools' comics]]
[[Category:Interactive comics]]
[[Category:Dynamic comics]]
[[Category:Comics with animation]] 
[[Category:Comics with color]] 
[[Category:Comics with audio]]
[[Category:Animals]]

2606: Weird Unicode Math Symbols

2022-04-14T11:00:48Z

172.70.90.63:

{{comic
| number = 2606
| date = April 13, 2022
| title = Weird Unicode Math Symbols
| image = weird_unicode_math_symbols.png
| titletext = U+2A0B ⨋ Mathematicians need to calm down
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Created by A SNAKE AVOIDING A BEE ON A WHITEBOARD - Please change this comment when editing this page. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}

This comic proposes joke explanations for various {{w|unicode symbols}} with obscure or no known uses.

{| class="wikitable"
|+ Symbols
|-
! Codepoint !! Symbol !! Unicode Name !! Actual use !! Randall's meaning || Explanation
|-
| U+29CD || ⧍ || Triangle with Serifs At Bottom || No standard use,{{citation needed}} but resembles the {{w|National Park Service}} cartographic symbol for a campsite.[https://github.com/nationalparkservice/symbol-library/] || Shark || May look like a shark fin sticking out of the water.
|-
| U+23E7 || ⏧ || Electrical Intersection || Indicates where wires branch off || Traffic circle || Looks like a diagram of a {{w|roundabout}} as shown on road signs.
|-
| U+2A33 || ⨳ || {{w|Smash product}} || the quotient of the underlying spaces of two {{w|pointed spaces}} where points in the {{w|product spaces}} are identified if they contain either labeled point as an element. || <div style="transform: rotate(-45deg); display: table-cell;">H</div><div style="transform: rotate(-45deg); display: table-cell;">A</div><div style="transform: rotate(-45deg); display: table-cell;">S</div><div style="transform: rotate(-45deg); display: table-cell;">H</div><div style="transform: rotate(-45deg); display: table-cell;">T</div><div style="transform: rotate(-45deg); display: table-cell;">A</div><div style="transform: rotate(-45deg); display: table-cell;">G</div> || Looks somewhat like the {{w|Number sign|hash}} symbol (#) – commonly used for indicating tags called {{w|hashtag}}s in social media, but rotated counterclockwise 45 degrees.
|-
| U+2A7C || ⩼ || Greater-Than with Question Mark Above || Used in proofs to indicate a greater-than relation that should exist but hasn't been proven yet (non-rigorous) || Confused alligator || One metaphor used when teaching inequality signs in primary school is that the sign looks like an alligator mouth "eating" the larger number. Question marks are commonly used in cartoons to indicate confusion on the part of a character.
|-
| U+299E || ⦞ || Angle with S Inside || Plural for the angle symbol (∠) [https://www.quora.com/Unicode-How-is-the-s-in-triangle-glyph-used-in-mathematics][https://www.birdvilleschools.net/cms/lib2/TX01000797/Centricity/Domain/1114/Homework%20Helper%20Unit%203%20ch%209-10.pdf] rarely used || Snack || May look like a mouth eating an S, where the S symbolizes some snack food.
|-
| U+2A04 || ⨄ || {{w|Arity|N-ary}} Union Operator with Plus || Disjoint union[https://books.google.com/books?id=531cAgAAQBAJ&pg=PA165&lpg=PA165&dq=%E2%A8%84&source=bl&ots=oYXkMNXP-T&sig=ACfU3U2QvMRBkD7uVG0OSumKI0JQtjTIKA&hl=en&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwios862ypL3AhWXVTABHTnQALQQ6AF6BAgKEAM] (joining two sets that have no elements in common) || Drink refill || Looks like a cup with a plus to indicate adding drink to the cup.
|-
| U+2B48 || ⭈ || Rightwards Arrow Above Reverse Almost Equal To || Pairs with ⭂ which could conceivably mean {{w|Assignment (computer science)|assignment}} of an {{w|Approximation|approximation}}, but neither seem to be in use. || Snakes over there || Looks like two squiggles to represent snakes and an arrow indicating the direction where they may be found.
|-
| U+225D || ≝ || Equal To By Definition || Indicates an equation where the left side is to be defined as the right side[https://www.reddit.com/r/math/comments/1z1mty/can_someone_please_explain_the_equal_to_by/] usually used in proofs to indicate a definition is being introduced|| Definitely, for sure || "Def" is a contraction of "definitely" used in slang; the equal sign looks like a double underline, indicating heavy emphasis.
|-
| U+237C || ⍼ || Right Angle with Downwards Zigzag Arrow || No purpose is known[https://ionathan.ch/2022/04/09/angzarr.html]; speculation includes "Y axis continues downward" and "diode with a gate". || Larry Potter || Looks like the letter "L" and a lightning bolt. {{w|Harry Potter (character)|Harry Potter}} is known for having a lightning bolt-shaped scar on his forehead. The character {{w|Legal_disputes_over_the_Harry_Potter_series#Nancy_Stouffer|Larry Potter}} figured in a fraudulent legal claim against J.K. Rowling.
|-
| U+2A50 || ⩐ || Closed Union with Serifs and Smash Product || Indicates that a collection of topological spaces is {{w|Union-closed sets conjecture|closed}} when taking arbitrary unions and smash products. That is, if you take the union of any collection of topological spaces in the collection (even uncountably many), or the smash product of them, the result will also be in that collection. This is apparently important because the sets can't be isomorphic (one cannot be rearranged to be exactly the other) [https://mathoverflow.net/questions/196084/counterexample-for-associativity-of-smash-product] For use in a serif font|| Spider caught with a cup and index card || Spiders or other bugs found within someone's house or workspace may be caught with a glass and something flat, often a card or a magazine, to be released outside. The eight projecting lines of the smash product symbol resemble the eight legs of a spider.
|-
| U+2A69 || ⩩ || Triple Horizontal Bar with Triple Vertical Stroke || Decorative.{{citation needed}} Possibly a four-by-four {{w|tic-tac-toe}} board.[https://pages.cs.wisc.edu/~sandlund/NumericalTicTacToe.pdf] || ℍ𝕒𝕤𝕙𝕥𝕒𝕘 || Hash symbol with one extra vertical and horizontal line, or perhaps a hash symbol which has been accidentally double-struck or overprinted.
|-
| U+2368 || ⍨ || APL Functional Symbol Tilde Diaeresis || Used for a two-argument operation to [https://aplwiki.com/wiki/Commute commute] (swap) its arguments or allow it to use a single provided argument in both argument slots, and to convert a value into a [https://aplwiki.com/wiki/Constant constant] function || :/ || Looks like a confused or disappointed face. Randall's use is in fact common among {{w|APL (programming language)|APL}} programmers in the comments, as documented [https://aplwiki.com/wiki/APL_Orchard#Emoticons here] and [https://aplwiki.com/wiki/Humour#Glyph_puns here].
|-
| U+2118 || ℘ || Script Capital P || An eccentric, Gothic-esque capital Roman P first used by Weierstrass for his self-named "p-function." This symbol is universally used for the {{w|Weierstrass Elliptic Function|p-function}} and apparently has no name except "Weierstrass-p." It is reminiscent of ∂, a stylized cursive d used for partial differentials or ∫, a stylized long s used for integrals. || Snake || This symbol coils around like a long snake, with a tapering-off tail on one end and a small "head" on the other.
|-
| U+2AC1 || ⫁ || Subset with Multiplication Sign Below || Indicates that one set is subset of another by means of the cross product || <div style="writing-mode: vertical-rl; text-align: center;">User experience</div> || Looks like the letters "Ux" sideways; Ux is a common abbreviation for {{w|user experience}}.
|-
| U+232D || ⌭ || {{w|Cylindricity}} || A symbol used in geometric dimensioning and tolerancing (GD&T) to represent a parameter called "cylindricity" which describes the statistical deviation of an ensemble of surfaces from a reference cylinder. [https://cimquest-inc.com/metrology-minute-cylindricity/ example use] || Rolling dough between your hands to shape it into a ball || Looks like two flat hands (perhaps like stick-figure arms) rolling a ball between them. Rolling dough between one's hands to make it into a ball is an important step in making many kinds of pastry and bread.
|-
| U+2A13 || ⨓ || Line Integration with Semicircular Path Around Pole || Very rare symbol for half of a closed {{w|Contour integration|contour}} or {{w|Line integral|line}} integral which contains the {{w|Origin (mathematics)|origin}} in its interior. Contour integrals which circle the origin are very important in complex analysis. If such an integral were split into two parts, each could be represented by this symbol.
This can be mistaken for ⨔ (Integral not including the {{w|Zeros and poles|pole}}, which has a wider and more complete arc around an offset dot.) [https://math.stackexchange.com/questions/2299363/where-is-the-%E2%A8%93-integral-symbol-defined]
|| Integral that avoids a bee on the whiteboard || Looks like an {{w|integral}} symbol with a bump that goes around a dot, as if a professor was drawing an integral on a whiteboard but did not want to disturb a bee that had landed right in the path of their marker.
|-
| U+2A0B (title text)|| ⨋ || Summation with Integral || The sum of the sum of the discrete elements (∑) and the integrals (∫) over the connected pieces. This symbol requires context to be meaningful but could occur, for instance, when computing probabilities using mixed distributions.
[https://twitter.com/fermatslibrary/status/1308743505309822977 see also]
|| Mathematicians need to calm down || Since the two symbols combined are kinds of summation the symbol may seem unnecessary at first glance. The comment given may make fun of mathematicians' tendency to form increasingly complex expressions in their work.
|-
|}

This comic may have been inspired by [https://ionathan.ch/2022/04/09/angzarr.html this blog post], which went viral (in a limited sense) the same day the comic was published.

==Transcript==

[Title:] Weird Unicode math symbols

[Subtitle:] And their meanings

{|
| U+29CD || ⧍ || Shark
|-
| U+23E7 || ⏧ || Traffic circle
|-
| U+2A33 || ⨳ || Hashtag [the text is slanted counterclockwise]
|-
| U+299E || ⦞ || Snack
|-
| U+2A04 || ⨄ || Drink refill
|-
| U+2B48 || ⭈ || Snakes over there
|-
| U+225D || ≝ || Definitely, for sure
|-
| U+237C || ⍼ || Larry Potter
|-
| U+2A50 || ⩐ || Spider caught with a cup and index card
|-
| U+2A69 || ⩩ || [The word "hashtag" but with extra horizontal and vertical lines]
|-
| U+2368 || ⍨ || :/
|-
| U+2118 || ℘ || Snake
|-
| U+2AC1 || ⫁ || [The words "user experience" rotated clockwise 90 degrees]
|-
| U+232D || ⌭ || Rolling dough between your hands to shape it into a ball
|-
| U+2A13 || ⨓ || Integral that avoids a bee on the whiteboard
|}

{{comic discussion}}
[[Category:Unicode]]
[[Category:Math]]
[[Category:Harry Potter]]

1223: Dwarf Fortress

2022-04-12T07:11:31Z

172.70.90.63: Undo revision 230133 by 172.69.34.82 (talk) If "ass" (donkey?) is, then "butt" (container?) is as well. Swearing? My arse!

{{comic
| number = 1223
| date = June 10, 2013
| title = Dwarf Fortress
| image = dwarf_fortress.png
| titletext = I may be the kind of person who wastes a year implementing a Turing-complete computer in Dwarf Fortress, but that makes you the kind of person who wastes ten more getting that computer to run Minecraft.
}}

==Explanation==
This comic is a reaction to the recent reveal of a U.S. electronic telecom surveillance program called {{w|PRISM (surveillance program)|PRISM}}, run by the {{w|NSA}}. There is [http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2013/jun/06/us-tech-giants-nsa-data a Guardian article] about it. PRISM, leaked by a former NSA official, incited some controversy since it provides government access to private data (e-mails, videos, chats, file transfers, etc.). 

''{{w|Dwarf Fortress}}'' is a freeware strategy game in which the player builds a civilization by giving orders to — as opposed to directly controlling — a group of dwarves. It is famous for having a very detailed simulation of its world and for allowing deep micro-management (as well as an incredibly steep learning curve).

"Big Brother" means "a tyrannical government body that constantly monitors all its citizens." The term comes from the classic dystopian novel ''{{w|Nineteen Eighty-Four}}'' by George Orwell, wherein propaganda videos are narrated by an actor with the stage name of Big Brother and the dystopia's surveillance system is said to be monitored by Big Brother himself.

[[Cueball]] has a discussion with Big Brother ("corporate surveillance state"), in which he mocks Big Brother's interest in the inconsequential activity of playing a video game (''Dwarf Fortress'' in particular) by drawing a parallel between Big Brother's omniscient surveillance of Cueball and Cueball's omniscient surveillance of the dwarves. Big Brother appears to be mortified when it realizes the accuracy of Cueball's comparison.

Informally, a system exhibits ''Turing-completeness'' when it is theoretically capable of executing any algorithm. One of the simplest Turing-complete systems is the {{w|Turing machine}}, a device that manipulates symbols on a strip of tape according to a table of rules — it {{w|Church-Turing thesis|can be proven}} to have the same capabilities as any ordinary programming language. Other very simple systems include {{w|Rule 110}}, {{w|lambda calculus}}, {{w|Conway's game of life}}, and {{w|Brainfuck}}. The reason we don't work with these is because they're a real pain in the ass. Would you rather build a network of spaceships that collide with each other to simulate the successor function, or just write <tt>i := i + 1</tt>?

A common CS nerd challenge is to prove the Turing-completeness of a system that wasn't intended to be that way — games in particular. The usual way to do this is to construct a Turing machine simulator within the system. It has been done for [http://mkv25.net/dfma/map-8269 Dwarf Fortress], [http://web.mat.bham.ac.uk/R.W.Kaye/minesw/infmsw.pdf (infinite) Minesweeper] (pdf), [http://www.toothycat.net/~hologram/Turing/HowItWorks.html Magic the Gathering], [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=13GOFa1C4e4 Little Big Planet], [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1X21HQphy6I Minecraft] ([http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7sNge0Ywz-M another Minecraft example])1, [http://aurellem.org/vba-clojure/html/total-control.html Pokémon Yellow] (through the elaborate use of many in-game glitches) and [http://cp4space.wordpress.com/2013/04/05/3d-chess-is-turing-complete/ 3D chess]. These kinds of proofs often involve formulating ridiculously complex creations just to simulate a little machine writing symbols on a tape!2

Finally, Randall makes a crack that users will try to nest their Turing-complete computers; after finishing his Turing-complete Dwarf Fortress computer, someone else will try to make the Dwarf Fortress computer run Minecraft (a highly inefficient process that would be a nightmare to coordinate, and would run incredibly slowly).


1 The youtuber legomasta99 even build a whole programmable PC in Minecraft as can be seen [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SbO0tqH8f5I here].

2Technically, a computer is not really Turing-complete. A Turing-complete system has to have unlimited space, and that's not possible for a memory-limited computer or any software running inside it. But even if we don't have access to Turing-completeness, we can build a theoretical machine and show how it can be extended indefinitely. In a few of the games, we prove Turing-completeness in infinite variants.


==Transcript==
:[Cueball sits at a desk with a computer, hands on the keyboard, talking to an unseen observer.]
:Cueball: If the corporate surveillance state monitors and controls every aspect of my life...
:Big Brother: We do.
:Cueball: And I play Dwarf Fortress all day...
:Big Brother: You do.
:Cueball: Then you're effectively Dwarf Fortress players watching your dwarves play Dwarf Fortress.
:Big Brother: ... Oh God.
:[Caption below the panel:]
:Big Brother realizes he's trapped in the most tedious possible Hell.

{{comic discussion}}
[[Category:Programming]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Video games]]
[[Category:Politics]]
[[Category:Comics with color]]
[[Category:Fiction]]
[[Category:Minecraft]]

Talk:2603: Childhood Toys

2022-04-08T09:58:12Z

172.70.90.63:

Tarzan would thrive commuting by tire swing. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 172.69.68.170 ([[Special:Contributions/172.69.68.170|contribs]]• [[User_talk:172.69.68.170|talk]]) 22:11, 6 April 2022 (UTC)

How are a bicycle, scooter or wagon toys, or childlike. They're actually designed for commute and children aren't even allowed on scooters. [[User:Tharkon|Tharkon]] ([[User talk:Tharkon|talk]]) 22:45, 6 April 2022 (UTC)
:Wagon doesn't mean station wagon. Google "toy wagon" to see what he's referring to. And electric scooter is a motorized version of a common child's toy. [[User:Barmar|Barmar]] ([[User talk:Barmar|talk]]) 22:56, 6 April 2022 (UTC)
::I didn't actually assume a station wagon, was thinking of the thing usually pulled by horses. And doesn't the fact that a 'toy wagon' exists suggest that a regular wagon is not a toy? And I thought a scooter was more like a motorized bicycle rather than a toy, like a motorcycle, but slower. And at least here, you'd need to be at least 16 years old and get a permit to drive one. Funny how the same word borrowed in a closely related language can suddenly carry such different meanings. [[User:Tharkon|Tharkon]] ([[User talk:Tharkon|talk]]) 23:17, 6 April 2022 (UTC)
:::Since the heading says "childhood toys", I think we're supposed to understand that he means a toy wagon. And the comic shows the kind of scooter he's talking about, not a motorized bike. [[User:Barmar|Barmar]] ([[User talk:Barmar|talk]]) 23:27, 6 April 2022 (UTC)
::::Here in the UK, there are:
::::*Push-along-scooters (childs toys, steel-tubing, often red and blue painted/trimmed, maybe pink for girls) that you one-leg along. Around the turn of the millenium, the craze arrived for 'adult' versions (I got one!), mostly in bare and sturdier aluminium.
::::*The motorised vehicle that might also be called a 'moped' (such terms might be considered defamatory, by the proud owner of a Lambretta, etc, depending upon era and exactly which type of motored two-wheeler you're describing)
::::*Mobility scooters, i.e. four-wheel (sometimes three) electrical vehicles sometimes barely a seat/handlebars on a moving platform, others almost like a quad-bike (esp. off-road capable ones)
::::*Now (well, since the last few years) the illustrated kind that is electrically-powered version of the sturdier push-alongs.
::::...though (as I appended in a link), except for some very limited and controlled trial-schemes, it is actually ''illegal'' to use electric 'executive' scooters (the last category). Both on roads and pavements (i.e. sidewalks). They are not considered roadworthy, for the former, and riding on the pavement is illegal for various vehicles (including bicycles, though few know/care this). There's no special provision for the use of cycle-lanes (on-road) or cycle-paths (shared/split pavements, or bridlepath-level trails). The only place an otherwise unregulated electric-scooter can be ridden is 'private land'. Which means you'd have very little chance of commuting upon your own scooter, legally, only the sanctioned for-hire ones.
:::::I was in Austin, TX a few months ago, and companies like Lime Bike had pods of electric scooters (like the one in the comic) for rent on the streets. So the legality is very location-dependent. [[User:Barmar|Barmar]] ([[User talk:Barmar|talk]]) 14:03, 7 April 2022 (UTC)
::::::This is a description of the situation in the UK (see link I put in main explanation), although the sanctioned rental schemes mentioned are the explicitly legal exception for the UK, in explicitly served areas... as long as you have a driver's licence and follow other rules. Looking at the US legality, it's probably as patchwork as you'd expect with federal/state/local laws doing their usual uncoordinated things... ;) [[Special:Contributions/172.70.86.64|172.70.86.64]] 14:34, 7 April 2022 (UTC)
::::(There's no such restrection on e-bikes, except for a theoretical maximum speed/power before they should be considersd motorbikes rather than electrified-mopeds. They are as welcome on the roads as bicycles (which largely depends upon the motorists and their prejudices/impatience), and similarly as illegal to ride on pavements (though of course people do that!)...) [[Special:Contributions/172.70.162.77|172.70.162.77]] 12:30, 7 April 2022 (UTC)
:Is this possibly a cultural difference? At least in the USA, I have definitely seen kids (maybe not much younger than 10, but still) using electric scooters. Wagons and bikes are definitely associated more with kids in the USA as well, because, unfortunately, cars are seen as the only "real," most viable, and most independent form of transport. (As I have heard others say, bikes are just what you use until you get a car.) [[Special:Contributions/172.70.114.251|172.70.114.251]] 01:31, 7 April 2022 (UTC)
::Presumably. This puzzled me a lot too. Bicycles aren't remotely 'toys', nor are scooters really -- and I'm assuming here this don't mean scooters in the sense of a small motorbike. EDIT: as is obvious from the actual cartoon. [[User:Zoid42|Zoid42]] ([[User talk:Zoid42|talk]]) 08:49, 7 April 2022 (UTC)
:::In some areas of the US, bicycles are used solely for pleasure and exercise, not for actually getting anywhere. Partially because there isn't anything worth going to within an easy biking distance, and partially because the entire road system and the people who use it are often openly hostile to bicyclists.[[Special:Contributions/172.70.174.13|172.70.174.13]] 09:25, 7 April 2022 (UTC)
:It's surprising to see bikes listed as toys and not automobiles. Makes it seem like some new conservative meme has snuck into Randal. Weird comic for sure. [[Special:Contributions/172.70.114.251|172.70.114.251]] 21:24, 7 April 2022 (UTC)
::Not all the things listed are really toys, it's more that there are versions made for children, and you might well have had them as a child. You do not get automobiles aimed at children (with a few expensive exceptions), so that's why they are not in the list. The closest would be pedal cars and go-karts - I think they are the more notable exception. I would totally commute to work on an electic go-kart if I could. [[User:Sandor|Sandor]] ([[User talk:Sandor|talk]]) 09:13, 8 April 2022 (UTC)
Slip N Slide doesn't need to be downhill. It's common to use a running start and then leap onto it, then slide to the end. But this method only works for a few yards at most, so for commuting you'd need to keep getting up to run to the next one. We'd need a network of them on every street. [[User:Barmar|Barmar]] ([[User talk:Barmar|talk]]) 23:35, 6 April 2022 (UTC)
:I feel a ski-lift-like system would be helpful for sliding uphill. Or perhaps some sort of high-flow fan.
:I like bicycling everywhere, & I despise unnecessary commuting by ''any'' means, but I'd strongly consider just about any job that made it easy for everyone to commute there by Slip'N'Slide... Can we get home by zip-line?
:[[User:ProphetZarquon|ProphetZarquon]] ([[User talk:ProphetZarquon|talk]]) 00:21, 7 April 2022 (UTC)

A road made of trampolines could actually be extremely useful for short-distance commutes since you go a lot faster. [[User:N-eh|N-eh]] ([[User talk:N-eh|talk]]) 00:19, 7 April 2022 (UTC)

This is not exactly new. With special praise to the Pogo Stick https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bGQBu_cqzn8

Given a choice between a big wheel (tricycle), unicycle, or a toy wagon (https://www.classicredwagons.com/radio_flyer_classic_red_wagon_18_c_p10.htm) as the only allowed ways to commute, I think the vast majority would toss their stuff in, use it as a scooter uphill and level, then sit in it and gleefully zoom downhill. I’d even take stilts or a pogo stick over a unicycle. In fact, I don’t see how a unicycle qualifies as a childhood toy at all. I’ve seen children using everything else mentioned, but I’ve never seen a unicycle for sale anywhere, and I’ve never seen anyone successfully ride one who wasn’t a professional acrobat.[[Special:Contributions/172.69.33.7|172.69.33.7]] 17:11, 7 April 2022 (UTC)

This strip reminds me of the Ripping Yarns episode: "Across the Andes By Frog". Although the characters in the episode didn't actually ride frogs, their progress across the mountain range was limited to the speed at which the poor amphibians could hop. Needless to say, the high altitude and low temperatures were another limiting factor. I can't remember whether they were eventually successful. [[User:Beechmere|Beechmere]] ([[User talk:Beechmere|talk]]) 02:07, 8 April 2022 (UTC)Beechmere

1270: Functional

2022-03-27T06:02:33Z

172.70.90.63: /* Brief Explanation */ Reinstating a repeated word that isn't actually an erroneously repeated word. Might day something in Talk about it.

{{comic
| number = 1270
| date = September 27, 2013
| title = Functional
| image = functional.png
| titletext = Functional programming combines the flexibility and power of abstract mathematics with the intuitive clarity of abstract mathematics.
}}

==Brief Explanation==
[[White Hat]] questions [[Cueball]]'s faith in {{w|functional programming}}. [[Cueball]] responds saying, "Tail recursion is its own reward."

{{w|Functional programming}} is a paradigm of computer programming with roots in {{w|Lambda Calculus}}. Core tenets of functional languages often include: function application and composition, declarative syntax, immutable data structures, and mathematically pure functions. Functional programming often uses {{w|Recursion (computer science)|recursive functions}} to serve the same purpose that loops serve in other programming languages. A recursive function calls itself again, typically with slightly different arguments. E.g., the following {{w|Factorial|factorial function}} is recursive because it calls itself again for any argument value n greater than 0.

factorial(n):
if n == 0:
return 1
return n * factorial(n-1)

{{w|Tail call|Tail recursion}} is a particular sort of recursion that often compiles into more efficient code (see the longer explanation below), but the differences between tail recursion and other sorts of recursion aren't important to the humor of this comic.

The comic is a pun on two readings of "Tail recursion is its own reward". The expression "X is its own reward" often is used to suggest that X is {{w|intrinsic value (ethics)|intrinsically valuable}} in its own right. Some (but not all) programmers and mathematicians find recursive functions elegant and intrinsically pleasing, so would take tail recursion to be its own reward in this sense. Since recursive functions call themselves again, and make use of the resulting values, there is also a sense in which recursive functions also serve as their own "reward" - i.e., the recursive function itself returns the values that the function requires to perform its tasks. So even if you don't find tail recursion intrinsically pleasing, there is still this technical sense in which it is its own reward anyway.

The title text is humorous in part because it violates two expectations. First, expressions of the form "X combines some trait of Y with some trait of Z" usually talk about combining traits of two different things (i.e., Y is not equal to Z) whereas this text surprises the reader by having "abstract mathematics" occupy the role of both Y and Z. And second, such expressions usually list two positive traits. The first listed trait (the "flexibility and power of abstract mathematics") is pretty clearly positive. However the second trait (the "intuitive clarity of abstract mathematics") is less clearly positive. Many people actually find abstract mathematics to be quite lacking in intuitive clarity, and for much the same reasons many people often find functional programming also to be lacking in intuitive clarity. So the title text invites the reader to puzzle over whether it really is a positive thing for functional programming to be able to claim to match the "intuitive clarity of abstract mathematics", or whether [[Randall]] might instead have just smacked functional programming with a funny {{w|backhanded compliment}}. Another explanation is that the fact that that part of the title text is confusing is a metaphor for the fact that abstract mathematics and functional programming can be confusing, and the first part of the title text is flexible because it can be applied to a wide variety of situations with different things filling in the blanks for X, Y, and Z, and it's apparently powerful because it's used in marketing a lot,{{Citation needed}} so advertisers must feel that it will have a powerful effect.

==Longer Explanation==
Functional programming is a famous paradigm (or style) in modern programming that favors functions that can be evaluated like mathematical functions, i.e., functions are "evaluated" (executed) to return a value (their output) which exclusively depends upon the values of their arguments (their inputs). {{w|imperative programming|Imperative programs}}, by contrast, often make use of one or more variables that are external to the function that is currently executing. This means that an "imperative function" may return a different result for the same input due to changes in a non-local variable, whereas a "pure function" will ''always'' return the same result for a given input; however, in practice some functional programming languages also support non-local variables.

Additionally, for similar reasons, functional programming systems often strive to eliminate or at least rigorously encapsulate (contain) so-called "side effects"; i.e., "functional-style" functions should have absolutely no effect on anything ''other than'' their return value. This is to say, in well-designed "functional-style" computer code, all functions, or as many as is practicable, should be stringently self-contained, their behaviour should depend entirely and exclusively upon their written definition and the values of their arguments, and they should be totally unable to affect anything else in the program except via their explicit return value.

This is directly contrary to the imperative programming paradigm, where functions are often designed and invoked especially for some ulterior effect that will eventuate when they are executed; some "imperative-style" functions even have ''no return value'', and exist purely because running them is known to cause some other desired result. In functional programming, these are not considered functions at all, but rather "procedures", and the difference between functions and procedures is quite strong; some languages which are purely functional do not admit procedures as valid parts of the language at all.

Unlike {{w|Procedural programming|procedures}}, functions always return a value. For example, {{w|Sine|sine(x)}} returns 1 when x is 90°. Furthermore, the function may call itself (usually with slightly different parameters), thus effectively starting a loop. This is called {{w|Recursion (computer science)|recursion}}.

In order to {{w|Iteration|iterate}}, imperative programs usually use {{w|Loop (programming)|loops}}. Functional programs usually use recursion instead.

For example, the {{w|factorial}} function (e.g. "factorial(5) = 5 x 4 x 3 x 2 x 1") can be coded imperatively as:

factorial(n):
prod = 1
while n > 0:
prod = prod * n
n = n - 1
end
return prod

An imperative, recursive (but not tail-recursive) implementation can look like this:

factorial(n):
if n > 0:
return n * factorial(n-1)
else:
return 1

In this situation, the recursion stops when the argument (n) is not greater than zero. Without the conditional definition, it would be an infinite loop. {{w|Tail recursion}} is a special case of recursion whose very '''last''' operation is to invoke the function itself or return a definite value. The previous example is not tail-recursive, since after the call to "factorial(n-1)", the returned value has to be multiplied by n.

This (functional) example is tail recursive inside the helper function:

factorial(n) = factorial_helper(n, 1)

factorial_helper(n, prod) =
if n > 0 then
factorial_helper(n - 1, prod * n)
else
prod

e.g.
factorial(5) = factorial_helper(5, 1)
factorial_helper(5,1) = factorial_helper(5-1, 1*5)
factorial_helper(4,5) = factorial_helper(4-1, 5*4)
factorial_helper(3,20) = factorial_helper(3-1, 20*3)
factorial_helper(2,60) = factorial_helper(2-1, 60*2)
factorial_helper(1,120) = factorial_helper(1-1, 120*1)
factorial_helper(0,120) = 120

In functional programming, tail recursion is detected by the compiler or interpreter and can be executed as efficiently as loops in imperative programming languages. This makes tail recursion an essential programming technique in functional programming.

Cueball is making a play on words where "Tail recursion is its own reward" is used both in the sense that it is worth doing on the grounds of being elegant and intellectually satisfying alone, without the programmer having to "actually get" anything from it, as well as in the sense that the 'tail call' of a function is its final step, and is the final step (and hence the result/reward) for ''all levels'' of a tail-recursive function.

The title text suggests that to {{w|Abstract mathematics|the mathematically minded}} functional programming may be both powerful and flexible as well as intuitive and clear since it very closely approximates the way mathematicians ordinarily think about general recursive functions. The implicit humorous contrast is that, to many (possibly most) others, including many software engineers, functional programming can seem abstruse or highly unobvious for the exact same reason, ''because'' it closely approximates abstract mathematical logic rather than the mechanistic, stepwise logic valued in the imperative programming style. It is also a reference to a common saying among functional programmers about the imperative programming language, 'C': "C combines the flexibility and power of {{w|assembly language}} with the user-friendliness of assembly language", which is a humorous take on the original saying "C combines the flexibility and power of {{w|assembly language}} with the user-friendliness of a high-level language".

==Transcript==
:[White Hat stands behind Cueball, who is sitting at a computer.]
:White Hat: Why do you like functional programming so much? What does it actually ''get'' you?
:Cueball: Tail recursion is its own reward.

{{comic discussion}}
[[Category:Comics featuring White Hat]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Programming]]
[[Category:Recursion]]
[[Category:Puns]]

Talk:2598: Graphic Designers

2022-03-27T05:49:22Z

172.70.90.63:

I think a better analogy would be with garlic. The threshold barrier is a magical force that blocks them, while vampires just find garlic really off-putting. [[User:Barmar|Barmar]] ([[User talk:Barmar|talk]]) 04:12, 26 March 2022 (UTC)

Anyone think we should add the hex color codes of all the walls to the explanation? [[User:Barmar|Barmar]] ([[User talk:Barmar|talk]]) 04:23, 26 March 2022 (UTC)
:I suspect Randall didn't ACTUALLY use different colours in this comic. :) [[User:NiceGuy1|NiceGuy1]] ([[User talk:NiceGuy1|talk]]) 04:42, 26 March 2022 (UTC):
::I've just gone over the comic with a colour picker... I have bad and/or good news: You are incorrect. [[User:Tantusar|Tantusar]] ([[User talk:Tantusar|talk]]) 04:52, 26 March 2022 (UTC)
:::Yup, should have known, LOL! I see as suggested (which in such case I totally agree) someone added the different colours, and wonderful touch with the saturation picture. I had figured he'd make a slightly bigger difference so someone with a good eye (like myself) could spot SOMETHING. But I forgot how Randall gets into "You need graphic software" territory, LMAO! [[User:NiceGuy1|NiceGuy1]] ([[User talk:NiceGuy1|talk]]) 22:58, 26 March 2022 (UTC)
:I can't see any difference but I bow to your greater geekery [[User:Kev|Kev]] ([[User talk:Kev|talk]]) 16:57, 26 March 2022 (UTC)

Hey! As of tonight I'm caught up on XKCD for the first time in 2 years! I read them at the bar, at karaoke, and my last time out before staying in for the pandemic was mid-March 2020. I needed to share. :) First comic reading it ON the release day in that long. [[User:NiceGuy1|NiceGuy1]] ([[User talk:NiceGuy1|talk]]) 04:42, 26 March 2022 (UTC)

Hey, Randall! You made the floor FFFFFF, but that isn't a shade of off-white. It's just white. [[User:Nitpicking|Nitpicking]] ([[User talk:Nitpicking|talk]]) 09:12, 26 March 2022 (UTC)
:Who paints the floor, anyway? Varnish, maybe, in a suitably wooden-floored residential situation, but not paint. But I'd say it's (however, whether carpet or laminate or whatever) that is the white from which all the other whites are suitably 'off-'...
:(Also, the 'innocuous things that repel' vibe reminds me of the end-game for the vampire family in {{w|Carpe Jugulum}}, after being inadvertently highly trained to appreciate religious symbology.) [[Special:Contributions/172.70.162.147|172.70.162.147]] 09:28, 26 March 2022 (UTC)
:This DOES specify "walls", :) As it is, it's nuts he included the rug. [[User:NiceGuy1|NiceGuy1]] ([[User talk:NiceGuy1|talk]]) 22:58, 26 March 2022 (UTC)

My dentist will not allow off-white colours in the front room of his house because the colour is too much like work related thoughts. He has told his wife that she can choose any colour style as long as it does not include off-white. (My hobby is to ask people how their job changes aspects of their non-job life.) [[User:Punchcard|Punchcard]] ([[User talk:Punchcard|talk]]) 12:54, 26 March 2022 (UTC)

It would be helpful to add a version of the comic with the color saturation cranked up, like this: https://i.imgur.com/gMpmJlp.png .
However, I cannot upload images. Also note that the window ledges have their own colors, too. [[User:Hknl|Hknl]] ([[User talk:Hknl|talk]]) 14:48, 26 March 2022 (UTC)
:Got there before me. I was going to do a version of my own (fullest saturation, probably) as soon as I was on something sensible like my desktop with good old GIMP.
:PS... That's surprisingly close to a (muted) accumulation of my house colour-scheme, minus a few others I also used. Though not in the same room. Frexample, the walls of my hallway and stairs are Etruscan Orange (no, I don't know what makes it {{w|Etruscan}}, but that was the paint name!) while those in the adjoining living room are Lime Green. The ceilings and smirting-boards tend to be standard white, but the covings are matching-but-darker hues of the walls. I'm planning the repainting/redecorating of another property and I'm using the 20-odd years living within the above pallette (with no complaints, but maybe additional or alternative ideas) to perhaps be a bit more adventurous in some places. Like trying graduated countershading/hue-shifting in some corners... ;) [[Special:Contributions/172.70.90.63|172.70.90.63]] 16:15, 26 March 2022 (UTC)
::Hi, got here first with paint.net :) [[User:Kev|Kev]] ([[User talk:Kev|talk]]) 17:08, 26 March 2022 (UTC)
:Interesting colour distribution, if I didn't somehow mess up the conversion in a scratch script I made. Here's the number of pixels (that are not black/white/grey; i.e. 260,817 out of the entire 517,470 present in the _2x image) that inhabit each hue-position.
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align: center;"
!Colour Sextant !! 0+60n !! 10+60n !! 20+60n !! 30+60n !! ... !! 40+60n !! ... !! 50+60n
|-
|Red->Yellow || 0° x 544|| n/a || 20° x69|| 30° x29955|| n/a || 40° x31|| n/a || n/a
|-
|Yellow->Green || 60° x 766|| n/a || 80° x 4|| 90° x13962|| 96° x1514||100° x91||105° x48|| n/a
|-
|Green->Cyan ||120° x23188|| n/a || n/a ||150° x 6790|| n/a ||160° x 2|| n/a || n/a
|-
|Cyan->Blue ||180° x91337|| n/a || n/a ||210° x72433|| n/a || n/a || n/a || n/a
|-
|Blue->Magenta || n/a || n/a || n/a || n/a || n/a || n/a || n/a || n/a
|-
|Meganta->Red ||300° x 1093|| n/a ||320° x93||330° x18801|| n/a ||340° x96|| n/a || n/a
|}
:It looks like Randall used ''mostly'' 10-degree spots (two were not), in fact actually even more restricted to the combination of 20-degree spots ''plus'' the 30-degree ones, and nothing at all in the whole 'Blue>Red'-dominant segment. I rounded some to the nearest degree, but my initial figures were all no more than 4x10-13 away from whole numbers, which is probably just the level of precision achievable with my ad-hoc calculations. I really ought to check that I've not reflected or rotated or otherwise messed up the hue calculation but I feel sure that the basic idea is correct. It shouldn't change the 'interesting coincidences', but could revise ''where'' the pattern actually lies.[[Special:Contributions/172.69.79.223|172.69.79.223]] 22:03, 26 March 2022 (UTC)

Hey! Now that the saturated version is in, I note that the windows aren't included in the list of colours! I suspect each window frame matches each window ledge (which ARE mentioned for their angle). Looks to me like the left window is about the same pink as the front of the window seat, and the right window is the same tan as the left wall. [[User:NiceGuy1|NiceGuy1]] ([[User talk:NiceGuy1|talk]]) 23:15, 26 March 2022 (UTC)

It might not be needed, but my hypernormalised version (all valid hues fully saturated) can be found [https://imgur.com/a/Csc7r2H here]... it's the _2x version that I altered, if you'd prefer to know that before checking it. You can compare it to the currently off-linked 'increased saturation' image, and see that it 'rounded up' some areas of near- and nearer-white to basically the same values via my hue-only preservation while removing the whole shade subtlety. Like I said above, my house features much of a similar conglomoration of colours. ;) [[Special:Contributions/172.70.90.63|172.70.90.63]] 05:49, 27 March 2022 (UTC)

Talk:2598: Graphic Designers

2022-03-26T16:15:43Z

172.70.90.63:

Talk:1256: Questions

2022-03-25T21:34:12Z

172.70.90.63: I think these have been rumbling long-term spamlinks, then, looking at the history.

Another reason Poseidon is angry with Odysseus - early in the Odyssey, Odysseus blinds a cyclops who happens to be Poseidon's son.

Why did I just type the following in, when doubtless someone else has already done this..?
...a former great post just went to the main page.
They probably need error-checking/rearranging/something. And feel free to delete this entire comment if it becomes superfluous. [[Special:Contributions/178.104.103.140|178.104.103.140]] 10:19, 26 August 2013 (UTC)
:Just copied your comment into the transcript area. [[Special:Contributions/72.246.0.10|72.246.0.10]] 13:12, 26 August 2013 (UTC)
::I did delete it here, just because it's copied to the main page. Thanks for your great work!--[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 22:18, 26 August 2013 (UTC)

Although I appreciate the LOTR reference, is this really the intent? What is Randall's wife's name? Delete if this is a bridge too far into personal life. --[[Special:Contributions/131.70.204.120|131.70.204.120]] 16:29, 26 August 2013 (UTC)

I answered [http://jlandl.blogspot.se/2013/08/answers-from-top-of-my-head.html all the questions], for my amusement. Feel free to use any answers you deem appropriate or accurate enough for the wiki. [[Special:Contributions/213.66.207.152|213.66.207.152]] 20:06, 26 August 2013 (UTC)

I'm confused that answers are being presented in different formats. Is the hyperlinked transcript a temporary state before answers are transferred to the table? Or is the transcript just a cleaner and more desirable alternative?{{unsigned ip|98.166.43.28}}

All answers here: http://www.reddit.com/r/xkcd/comments/1l3na7/questions/cbvigrd -- (Some signature that looks like spamlink)

Today's XKCD is good but it looks like the omitted the first Google suggestion when you begin to type "Why does " Go to google and begin to search that... Dont' see it in today's comic. {{unsigned|Glitch}}
:Google's suggestions can vary from user to user. At its most benign, this can be location based. For example, in Seattle, when I type "washington", I get suggestions related to Washington state and not the District of Columbia. At its most sinister, these suggestions can be based on what Google perceives your political beliefs to be. Try typing "gun" into Google. Did you get "gun show" or "gun control?" (Another thing that looks like a spamlink) --[[User:Rael|Rael]] ([[User talk:Rael|talk]]) 14:00, 28 August 2013 (UTC)
::How odd. I got gunbroker, and then as soon as I typed space, I got gun control as well. [[Special:Contributions/97.87.12.114|97.87.12.114]]
::: WHY do people complain about this? As long as you're going to get into a debate, in an open minded manner, and are going to critically evaluate the strength of arguments presented (regardless of source), then your starting inclinations shouldn't matter!

::: Moreover, the general internet user is only searching for zeitgeist terms so they know what websites to quote on a Facebook status, so that they can pat themselves on the back. Repeat for next topic.

::: Personalised results keep you comfy in your happy bubble.

::: In any case, the "fix" is simple. Enable do-not track requests, private browsing, or connect through proxies (Given the IPv4 saturation, most people are likely configured to have dynamic IP addresses anyway). If you're concerned about geographical location based filtering, just switch the domain name that you search on! [[Special:Contributions/220.224.246.97|220.224.246.97]]

Why doesn't Queen Anne count as a "woman who reigned as queen in her own right"? --[[User:Nick Douglas|Nick Douglas]] ([[User talk:Nick Douglas|talk]]) 21:50, 2 September 2013 (UTC)

:If I'm not mistaken, Queen Anne was queen dowager acting as a regent, rather than being queen in her own right. [[User:Sailorleo|Sailorleo]] ([[User talk:Sailorleo|talk]]) 03:54, 26 November 2014 (UTC)

:: You are mistaken. (Perhaps you're getting mixed Anne up with Mary II.) [[Special:Contributions/141.101.99.37|141.101.99.37]] 20:31, 8 January 2016 (UTC)

----
Today's Comic was brought to you by the grep "why"''!'' [[Special:Contributions/98.195.202.130|98.195.202.130]] 18:24, 27 August 2013 (UTC)

It seems that Randall is confused about the meaning of life. All the questions he asked begin with why. I like what happens when you type "where is"... I got "where is chuck norris". --[[Special:Contributions/97.87.12.114|97.87.12.114]] 11:41, 30 August 2013 (UTC)

The term "King Consort" may not have been used in the UK, but i believe it was used before in pre Act of Unification England. When Mary Tudor married Philip II of Spain, he was accepted by Parliament and the court as King of England, but was not granted any power. It may not have been elevated to an official title yet, but he was king consort. [[User:Dr Pepper|Dr Pepper]] ([[User talk:Dr Pepper|talk]]) Dr Pepper

My question is "Why do we need to answer all the questions, when the answers have nothing to do with the comic?". The answers are fun and interesting, but they should be in the trivia section. The comic is explained well without them. [[Special:Contributions/108.162.217.125|108.162.217.125]] 21:36, 8 August 2014 (UTC)
:Maybe because this is a wiki and, as such, ALL information must be present. I'm not certain whether the answers help explain the comic but, as it is, I'm not entirely sure of Randall's objective with this one. [[Special:Contributions/108.162.219.148|108.162.219.148]] 04:20, 2 November 2014 (UTC)
:: The purpose of this page is to EXPLAIN the comic. If you don't know what the comic is about you probably should not be trying to EXPLAIN the comic, and you probably should not comment as well. The purpose of this comic is to demonstrate in a visually interesting way the questions that we, users of the internet, ask. But without this EXPLAINATION it is fairly obvious that finding the answers to these questions do nothing to EXPLAIN the comic, especially since the answers do not give the readers any further understanding into the comic. Adding random information to a page does not EXPLAIN anything. Wiki does not mean “ALL information must be present”. Adding unnecessary information DISTRACTS from the EXPLAINATION and confuses readers, this impairs the ability of this wiki to EXPLAIN the comic. [[Special:Contributions/108.162.216.209|108.162.216.209]] 21:44, 24 November 2014 (UTC)

The dinosaur ghost question was duplicated in the answer boxes so I deleted the extra one. Also been filling out a ton of fields.[[User:4jonah|4jonah]] ([[User talk:4jonah|talk]]) 01:35, 22 December 2014 (UTC)

Why is there an incomplete tag? What questions are unanswered? [[User:Djbrasier|Djbrasier]] ([[User talk:Djbrasier|talk]]) 19:10, 11 March 2015 (UTC)

I answered the last 2 remaining questions in section six. Can this be closed now?[[User:4jonah|4jonah]] ([[User talk:4jonah|talk]]) 21:00, 23 March 2015 (UTC)

Under "Why is outer space so cold?" it says "space is not cold", but then for "Why is there ice in space?" it begins with "space is cold".
This is somewhat confusing. Please clarify. Is space cold or isn't it? {{unsigned ip|162.158.255.120}}

No idea how to edit the actual article, but it might be worth mentioning that the succession laws of the UK are no longer male-preference, and are now absolute cognatic primogenture/ absolute primogeniture. [[Special:Contributions/141.101.106.107|141.101.106.107]] 12:45, 7 February 2016 (UTC)

Something's fishy. One question has the answer "Space is Cold." and another has the answer "Space is not cold." [[Special:Contributions/108.162.212.92|108.162.212.92]] 00:24, 11 September 2016 (UTC)

Using a search filter, "why" appears 301 times, to date. [[User:QATEKLYXM|Klyxm]] ([[User talk:QATEKLYXM|talk]]) 3:56, 5 March 2018 (UTC)

Just a random guy passing through. For the question "Why are there psychics?" the example answer seems very confusing. Perhaps someone thought the word was "physics" instead of "psychics"? (Timestamp 20:14 21 March 2019)

Histamines are not injected into the skin in a spider's saliva. 1. It's injecting venom, not saliva. 2. Histamines are generated by the body as part of its immune response. --[[Special:Contributions/172.69.63.69|172.69.63.69]] 15:19, 7 April 2019 (UTC)

2414: Solar System Compression Artifacts

2022-03-23T22:00:04Z

172.70.90.63: /* Trivia */ How did that happen?

{{comic
| number = 2414
| date = January 20, 2021
| title = Solar System Compression Artifacts
| image = solar_system_compression_artifacts.png
| titletext = Most of our universe consists of dark matter rendered completely undetectable by our spacetime codec's dynamic range issues.
}}

==Explanation==
''{{w|Voyager 1}}'' is a [[:Category:Space probes|space probe]] launched by the United States in 1977. Originally designed to study the outer planets of the {{w|Solar System}}, it is now several decades into an extended mission beyond Neptune (see [[#Trivia]]). The Voyager probe has made history for passing many milestones of our solar system.

When images are compressed by a {{w|lossy compression}} format (e.g. {{w|JPEG}}), visual artifacts are created. Randall here is suggesting that the probe has passed the artifacts as if the artifacts were an actual feature of the solar system rather than a consequence of our technology. The banding lines he has drawn are commonly seen in old images with low bit depth.

The 'solar system' in the snapshot appears to be a 4-bit greyscale-plane at a more pixelated level than the image given. It contains 16 'banded' levels from the brightest (closest zones, within this image, to the Sun) to darkest (the furthest illustrated expanses, including interstellar space), with irregular or non-trivial transitional edges but no obvious or dominant dithering/speckling or 'noise'. The Voyager image (and track) is overlaid in a white 'line drawing' format.

Each apparent pixel in this low-res rendering is approximately 1 AU², where 1 AU ({{w|astronomical unit}}) is the distance from the Sun to the earth. The Sun is off the left side of the image by about 30 pixels, meaning that of all the planets in the solar system, only Neptune would have an orbit that is within the image at all (at the left edge). The {{w|heliosphere}} is 120 AU from the sun, in the direction that Voyager 1 is travelling: Voyager crossed that milestone in August 2012. At time of publication Voyager was just over 150 AU from the Sun, as shown in the image.

Continuing on its course at 38,000 mph, or 3.6 AU/year, Voyager will reach the outer edge of the {{w|Oort cloud}}, the edge of our solar system, in about 300 years.

The title text refers to 'our spacetime {{w|codec}}', suggesting a representation of reality itself as a series of ones and zeros. If empty space is the darkest possible thing that can be represented--which may be the case when only 16 levels are available (see above)--then it is possible that {{w|dark matter}} is ''so'' dark that it cannot be represented: it would require a negative number, which is not available. This is the {{w|dynamic range}} issue mentioned.

Artefacts are evident in [[1683: Digital Data]], and mentioned in the title text of [[331: Photoshops]].

==Transcript==
:[Irregular bands of gray are shown, shading from a white circular segment on the lower left side of the panel to completely black on the right. The bands have pixelated edges. A small white space probe is shown just outside the last dark gray band, in the completely black area. A dotted line starting from inside the dark gray area and ending at the space probe indicates that it is moving to the right, out of the gray area. Close to the white area, there are many bands packed closely together and with hard to define edges. But there are five gray areas clearly separated from the white, with a tendency to be elongated in the space probe's direction.]

:[Caption below the panel]: Milestone: ''Voyager'' has passed through the streaming video compression artifacts that mark the edge of the solar system

==Trivia==
* At the time of the fly-by of {{w|Neptune}}, in 1989, it was the outermost of the the nine officially recognised planets.
* The more highly eliptical orbit of {{w|Pluto}}, which was also unfavourably positioned for any Voyager mission encounter, meant that it would be another ten years before it was the actual outermost planet, well behind the respective Voyager crafts' progress away from the Sun.
* Pluto was then 'demoted' from being a full planet in 2005, meaning that Neptune officially became the outermost of the (eight) planets, well in advance of the next orbital 'switch' (roughly in the 2220s to 2240s) when Pluto's path would bring it closer to the Sun once more.
* However Pluto (and partner bodies/'moons') finally experienced its own {{w|New Horizons|fly-by mission}} in 2015, which ''may'' perhaps have softened some of the psychological blow from the various snubs it had experienced over the prior decades.

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Space probes]]

2414: Solar System Compression Artifacts

2022-03-23T20:09:46Z

172.70.90.63: Undo revision 228876 by 172.70.178.91 (talk) Contextualised undo, to explain the (several) reasons why the Neptune fly-by is the more apt milestone/marker.

{{comic
| number = 2414
| date = January 20, 2021
| title = Solar System Compression Artifacts
| image = solar_system_compression_artifacts.png
| titletext = Most of our universe consists of dark matter rendered completely undetectable by our spacetime codec's dynamic range issues.
}}

==Explanation==
''{{w|Voyager 1}}'' is a [[:Category:Space probes|space probe]] launched by the United States in 1977. Originally designed to study the outer planets of the {{w|Solar System}}, it is now several decades into an extended mission beyond Neptune (see [[#Trivia]]). The Voyager probe has made history for passing many milestones of our solar system.

When images are compressed by a {{w|lossy compression}} format (e.g. {{w|JPEG}}), visual artifacts are created. Randall here is suggesting that the probe has passed the artifacts as if the artifacts were an actual feature of the solar system rather than a consequence of our technology. The banding lines he has drawn are commonly seen in old images with low bit depth.

The 'solar system' in the snapshot appears to be a 4-bit greyscale-plane at a more pixelated level than the image given. It contains 16 'banded' levels from the brightest (closest zones, within this image, to the Sun) to darkest (the furthest illustrated expanses, including interstellar space), with irregular or non-trivial transitional edges but no obvious or dominant dithering/speckling or 'noise'. The Voyager image (and track) is overlaid in a white 'line drawing' format.

Each apparent pixel in this low-res rendering is approximately 1 AU², where 1 AU ({{w|astronomical unit}}) is the distance from the Sun to the earth. The Sun is off the left side of the image by about 30 pixels, meaning that of all the planets in the solar system, only Neptune would have an orbit that is within the image at all (at the left edge). The {{w|heliosphere}} is 120 AU from the sun, in the direction that Voyager 1 is travelling: Voyager crossed that milestone in August 2012. At time of publication Voyager was just over 150 AU from the Sun, as shown in the image.

Continuing on its course at 38,000 mph, or 3.6 AU/year, Voyager will reach the outer edge of the {{w|Oort cloud}}, the edge of our solar system, in about 300 years.

The title text refers to 'our spacetime {{w|codec}}', suggesting a representation of reality itself as a series of ones and zeros. If empty space is the darkest possible thing that can be represented--which may be the case when only 16 levels are available (see above)--then it is possible that {{w|dark matter}} is ''so'' dark that it cannot be represented: it would require a negative number, which is not available. This is the {{w|dynamic range}} issue mentioned.

Artefacts are evident in [[1683: Digital Data]], and mentioned in the title text of [[331: Photoshops]].

==Transcript==
:[Irregular bands of gray are shown, shading from a white circular segment on the lower left side of the panel to completely black on the right. The bands have pixelated edges. A small white space probe is shown just outside the last dark gray band, in the completely black area. A dotted line starting from inside the dark gray area and ending at the space probe indicates that it is moving to the right, out of the gray area. Close to the white area, there are many bands packed closely together and with hard to define edges. But there are five gray areas clearly separated from the white, with a tendency to be elongated in the space probe's direction.]

:[Caption below the panel]: Milestone: ''Voyager'' has passed through the streaming video compression artifacts that mark the edge of the solar system

==Trivia==
* At the time of the fly-by of Neptune, in 1989, it was the outermost of the the nine officially recognised planets.
* The more highly eliptical orbit of {{w|Pluto}}, which was also unfavourably positioned for any Voyager mission encounter, meant that it would be another ten years before it became the outermost planet, well behind the respective Voyager crafts' progress.
* Pluto was then 'demoted' from being a full planet in 2005, meaning that Uranus immediately became the outmost of the (eight) planets, once more, well in advance of the next orbital 'switch' (roughly in the 2220s to 2240s) when Pluto's path brings it closer to the Sun again.
* However Pluto (and its own mini-system of 'moons'/co-Dwarf Planets) finally experienced its own {{w|New Horizons|fly-by mission}} in 2015, which ''may'' perhaps have softened any psychological blow.

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Space probes]]