explain xkcd - User contributions [en]

Talk:2865: The Wrong Stuff

2023-12-08T21:50:18Z

172.71.254.33:

the design is very timeghost-esque [[Special:Contributions/172.71.167.165|172.71.167.165]] 21:42, 8 December 2023 (UTC)Bumpf

== personal similarity ==

I made a post to the derelict cypherpunks list right before this about ghost visits. It’s notable because I used to post to the same derelict list about making a spaceship out of tissue paper. I’m planning to edit this comment with my posts. [[Special:Contributions/172.71.254.32|172.71.254.32]] 21:48, 8 December 2023 (UTC)

Talk:2865: The Wrong Stuff

2023-12-08T21:49:39Z

172.71.254.33: /* test topic */ new section

the design is very timeghost-esque [[Special:Contributions/172.71.167.165|172.71.167.165]] 21:42, 8 December 2023 (UTC)Bumpf

# personal similarity

I made a post to the derelict cypherpunks list right before this about ghost visits. It’s notable because I used to post to the same derelict list about making a spaceship out of tissue paper. I’m planning to edit this comment with my posts. [[Special:Contributions/172.71.254.32|172.71.254.32]] 21:48, 8 December 2023 (UTC)

== test topic ==

test content

2854: Date Line

2023-11-14T00:57:13Z

172.71.254.33: Added title text explanation

{{comic
| number = 2854
| date = November 13, 2023
| title = Date Line
| image = date_line_2x.png
| imagesize = 443x522px
| noexpand = true
| titletext = They estimate the rocket should be free by approximately ... uh ... well, in about two hours.
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Created by a SNAGGED LINE - Please change this comment when editing this page. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}
The {{w|International Date Line}} is a arbitrary line on Earth that marks the points where, with time zones, you can cross midnight and go to the *next day*. The International Date Line is not a physical string, and therefore could not be caught on by a rocket. It should also be noted that the International Date Line is not a straight line, but extends out near the equator and New Zealand

Based off where the map shows, the Rocket was most likely launched by the Russians, possibly from the Baiknour Cosmodrome. Of course, the odds of a rocket getting stuck on such a line (if it existed) would be incredibly slim. Additionally, striking such an object wouldn’t trap the rocket. Instead, the rocket would discover what many KSP users have, a Rapid Unplanned Disassembly.

It can neither be confirmed not denied that the rocket isn’t a Goldfish with fire on it’s tail.

The title text refers to how this event has temporarily paused time, and to how that means ‘they’ can’t give a time for when it will be fixed. If, say, it was 8:00 when the rocket got snagged, then it is 8:00 until they fix it. This means that no matter how much time passes, until they fix it, it will be 8:00.
==Transcript==
{{incomplete transcript|Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}

:[The earth, with the date line as a physical band being pulled off of the surface by a rocket, cutting into the land on the other side.]
:Caption: Timekeeping announcement: a rocket accidentally became snagged on the international date line during launch. Please pause all clocks and calendars until NASA is able to free it and safely resume the normal flow of time.

==Trivia==
* '''This trivia section was created by a BOT'''
* The [https://imgs.xkcd.com/comics/date_line.png standard size] image was uploaded with a resolution/size larger than the supposed 2x version.
* This may have been an error.

{{comic discussion}}
[[Category:Time]]
[[Category:Space]]
[[Category:Calendar]]

Talk:2708: Mystery Asterisk Destination

2022-12-08T14:51:47Z

172.71.254.33:

ChatGPT explanation:
: The xkcd comic is a humorous reference to the use of asterisks in written text to indicate a footnote or additional information. In this case, the asterisk in the comic is not accompanied by a corresponding footnote, and instead, the text at the bottom of the panel explains that the asterisk points to this explanation. The joke is that the explanation itself is not particularly useful or illuminating, as it simply states that the asterisk points to this very explanation.
Mediocre at best. Trying again after removing the space after the asterisk from the transcript, and including the title text:
:This xkcd comic is a reference to the use of asterisks and other symbols in footnotes and endnotes to indicate a reference or explanation. In this case, the comic shows a blank panel with a note at the bottom that says "Whenever you see a mystery asterisk that doesn't have a matching footnote, it points here." This is a humorous way of saying that when an asterisk appears in a piece of text without a corresponding footnote, it is pointing to the explanation provided in this comic.

:The title text adds an additional layer of humor by saying that if a writer uses the "dagger" symbol (also known as a "†" symbol) without a corresponding footnote, it means that the writer is threatening the reader with a physical dagger. This is meant to be a tongue-in-cheek joke about the potential dangers of reading footnotes.
Better but still seriously flawed in the final sentence. The prompt prefix I used in front of the transcript was, "Explain the following xkcd comic. The title text should be explained in a separate paragraph.\n\n" [[Special:Contributions/172.69.134.16|172.69.134.16]] 20:10, 7 December 2022 (UTC)
:Adapted in part, fun and good. I wouldn't mind a bot posting to talk when the transcript is stable for half an hour, let's see what it can do! [[Special:Contributions/172.69.33.123|172.69.33.123]] 20:41, 7 December 2022 (UTC)

"with no unmatched footnote" is shockingly bad grammar.

I swear I've seen this comic before somewhere. Was there a similar SMBC? [[Special:Contributions/172.71.166.218|172.71.166.218]] 08:51, 8 December 2022 (UTC)

I feel that the current explanation misses that it's not that uncommon to see asterisks that ought to have a related footnote, but don't. Or a footnote pointed to nowhere in the text. This most often happends on packaging or advertisement. The fact that not every asterisk is there to mark a footnote is a valuable addition, but not the point of the comic.
[[Special:Contributions/172.71.114.7|172.71.114.7]] 13:23, 8 December 2022 (UTC)

This is like the Malkavian sourcebook which contains page XX (where XX is the placeholder page left blank for final pagination)

Isn't the hover text wrong? It seems like he means either "dagger symbol with an unmatched footnote" or "dagger symbol with no matched footnote." Am I missing something here? [[Special:Contributions/172.69.134.131|172.69.134.131]] 13:41, 8 December 2022 (UTC)

Now I have a really bad time... Because I cannot think of any categories for this comic, and that bothers me like an unanswered footnote asterix* ;-) --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 14:02, 8 December 2022 (UTC)
:There is at least one other comic about footnotes, so we could make a Category:Footnotes --[[Special:Contributions/172.71.254.33|172.71.254.33]] 14:51, 8 December 2022 (UTC)