explain xkcd - User contributions [en]

1751: Movie Folder

2016-10-26T15:08:08Z

173.245.52.62: /* Black Hat's downloaded movies */

{{comic
| number = 1751
| date = October 26, 2016
| title = Movie Folder
| image = movie_folder.png
| titletext = That's actually the original Japanese version of A Million Random Digits, which is much better than the American remake the book was based on.
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|First draft}}

[[Cueball]] is looking through [[Black Hat]]'s downloaded movies, which are all adaptations of non-literary works, improbable sequels, and/or crossovers between very disparate properties. Cueball reacts with increasing incredulity to Black Hat's collection, while Black Hat casually responds with equally unlikely (non-)explanations. Knowing Black Hat, his movie folder is deliberately weird just to provoke this kind of reaction.

=== Black Hat's downloaded movies ===
{|class="wikitable"
! Title
! Explanation
|-
| ''Lorem Ipsum: The Movie''
|
|-
| ''Titanic XCVIII'' || Implies that there were 98 Titanics which all sank, creating an artificial reef
|
|-
| ''Debbie Did 9/11'' || A combination of ''Debbie Does Dallas'' and a 9/11 conspiracy theory
|
|-
| ''Time Jam: A Connecticut Huskie on King Arthur's Court'' || A combination of ''A Connecticut Yankee in King Author's Court'' and ''Space Jam''
|
|-
| ''Harold and Kumar Go to Howl's Moving Castle'' || A combination of ''Harold and Kumar go to White Castle'' and ''Howl's Moving Castle''
|
|-
| ''A Million Random Digits with 100,000 Normal Deviates''
|
|-
| ''Michael Bay's The Vagina Monologues'' || ''The Vagina Monologues'' as directed by Michael Bay (who is known for over-doing explosions in the movies he directs
|
|}

==Transcript==
{{incomplete transcript}}

:[Black Hat is sitting in a chair reading his phone.]
:Cueball (off-panel): Your movie folder is so ''weird''. Where do you find all this stuff?
:Black Hat: Dunno.
:Black Hat: Around.

:[Cueball is sitting at a computer.]
:Cueball: ''Lorem Ipsum: The Movie?''
:Cueball: ''Titanic XCVIII?''
:Black Hat (off-panel): That series gets good when they start hitting the reef created by all the previous wrecks.

:[Cueball leans in closer to the screen.]
:Cueball: ''Debbie Did 9/11?''
:Cueball: ''Time Jam: A Connecticut Huskie on King Arthur's Court?''
:Black Hat: Really underrated ''Space Jam'' sequel.

:[Close-up of Cueball's head and the monitor.]
:Cueball: ''Harold and Kumar Go to Howl's Moving Castle?''
:Cueball: ''A Million Random Digits with 100,000 Normal Deviates?''
:Black Hat: That's the original--the book was a novelization.

:[Back to Black Hat sitting in the chair.]
:Cueball (off-panel): ''Michael Bay's The Vagina Monologues!?''
:Black Hat: It's pretty good, despite all the CGI explosions.

{{comic discussion}}

1750: Life Goals

2016-10-24T15:07:06Z

173.245.52.62: /* Explanation */

{{comic
| number = 1750
| date = October 24, 2016
| title = Life Goals
| image = life_goals.png
| titletext = I got to check off 'Make something called xkcd' early.
}}

==Explanation==
This index of goals features many words containing an excess of the letters X and Z, most of which are fictional, obscure, or proper nouns. The punchline climax expresses that the writer (presumably Randall) often uses these unexpected and bizarre words in Scrabble games, which exasperates his opponents to a great extent, to the point of him getting punched.

All of these words would theoretically earn a player the prize of many points, provided there are enough blocks in a set to spell them out. However, most of them would not be found in {{w|SOWPODS}}, the combined list of all words valid in either British or North American Scrabble.

{|
! Word !! Definition !! Notes !! In SOWPODS? !! Score (English-language points, no blanks)
|-
| {{w|Skrillex}} || A dubstep musician || Proper noun || No || 19
|-
| {{w|Phoenix, Arizona|Phoenix}} || A city in Arizona (and a mythological bird) || Proper noun and noun || Yes (but only in lower-case) || 19
|-
| {{w|Zymology|Zymurgy}} || The study of fermentation. || || Yes || 25
|-
| {{w|Axolotl}} || A kind of water-breathing salamander which lives on the bottom of lakes. || || Yes || 14
|-
| [http://villains.wikia.com/wiki/Hexxus Hexxus] || An evil spirit from the animated movie [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/FernGully:_The_Last_Rainforest FernGully] || Fictional || Yes || 23
|-
| {{w|Syzygy (astronomy)|Syzygy}} || An astronomical event where three planets form a straight line. || || Yes || 25
|-
| {{w|Zzyzx, California|Zzyzx}} || An unincorporated community in California || Proper Noun. Recently mentioned in [http://what-if.xkcd.com/152/ this what-if] || No || 42
|-
| {{w|Zzyzzyx}} || A 1982 arcade video game about navigating a labyrinth || Proper noun || No || 56
|-
| {{w|XEXYZ}} || A 1988 game for the Nintendo Entertainment System with platformer and shoot-em-up gameplay. || Proper noun || No || 31
|-
| {{w|Xbox}} || A series of home video game consoles developed by Microsoft. || Proper noun || No || 20
|-
| {{w|Zzzax}} || A Marvel comic book villain. || See below || No || 39
|-
| {{w|Mister Mxyzptlk}} || A DC Comics villain. || Since Zzzax and Mxyzptlk come from different companies, a crossover story involving them both might run into license problems. || No || 42 (8 for Mister, 35 for Mxyzptlk)
|-
| {{w|Xhafzotaj}} || A village in Albania || Proper noun || No || 38
|-
| {{w|Qazaxbəyli}} || A village in Azerbaijan || Because it's spelled with a schwa (ə, upper case Ə), this word would be impossible to spell in English-language Scrabble, although you could put an E tile down upside down (Ǝ) or use a blank. || No || Unclear (at least 39)
|-
| {{w|Archaeopteryx}} || A famous small feathered dinosaur || || Yes || 30
|-
| {{w|Muzquizopteryx}} || A pterosaur || || No || 55
|-
| xkcd || A webcomic || From the title text || No || 18
|}

The distance between [https://www.google.com/maps/place/Xhafzotaj,+Albanien/@41.3420999,19.538176,15z/data=!3m1!4b1!4m5!3m4!1s0x134fd7eb6257dec7:0xc0c17ea9f1d4ef05!8m2!3d41.3442157!4d19.547883 Xhafzotaj] in Albania and [https://www.google.com/maps/place/Gazakhbayly,+Aserbaidschan/@41.1604329,45.3040337,15z/data=!3m1!4b1!4m5!3m4!1s0x4041307bb83f5793:0x30f6c3728844806e!8m2!3d41.1606486!4d45.3147936 Quazaxbeyli] in Azerbaijan is about 2800km. Doing this trip by bike would be challenging, but possible.

Unfortunately Archaeopteryx and Muzquizopteryx lived in different time periods, so we can only speculate which one would win a fight.

The title text explains naming [http://www.xkcd.com xkcd] "xkcd" was also a goal.

==Transcript==
:[A list entitled "Life Goals", where each item has an empty box, like a to-do list.]
:Meet Skrillex in Phoenix
:Study Zymurgy
:Get a pet Axolotl named Hexxus
:Observe a syzygy from Zzyzx, California
:Port the games Zzyzzyxx and Xexyz to Xbox
:Publish a Zzzax/Mister Mxyzptlk crossover
:Bike from Xhafzotaj, Albania to Qazaxbəyli, Azerbaijan
:Paint an archaeopteryx fighting a muzquizopteryx
:Finish a game of scrabble without getting punched

{{comic discussion}}

Talk:1721: Business Idea

2016-08-17T14:02:39Z

173.245.52.62:

Fixed as of 11:35 UTC, the old comic is now named "'''My''' Business Idea" [[Special:Contributions/162.158.203.141|162.158.203.141]] 11:32, 17 August 2016 (UTC)
:Same person, just want to note the forum is a little behind. It was 11:35 according to Google, and the timestamp on the signature said 11:32. Posting this at 11:39 [[Special:Contributions/162.158.203.141|162.158.203.141]] 11:36, 17 August 2016 (UTC)
::ExplainXKCD is still showing the image for 827. [[Special:Contributions/173.245.52.62|173.245.52.62]] 14:02, 17 August 2016 (UTC)

I'm pretty sure there's been a naming overlap or something because https://xkcd.com/827/ and http://xkcd.com/1721/ are showing the same image
[[Special:Contributions/108.162.250.157|108.162.250.157]] 04:13, 17 August 2016 (UTC)

== Randall done goofed ==

He accidentally named TWO comics "Business Idea". This one and comic 827 (https://xkcd.com/827/). Because his comics are stored by name, not id, he has two "business_idea.png"s. The newer replaced the older one, but explain-xkcd has the original, probably due to the way either one is stored.
:I'm honestly surprised Randall would make a mistake like this. Like shouldn't he have a list and a script that automatically checks wether a title was already used? --[[Special:Contributions/162.158.133.66|162.158.133.66]] 09:25, 17 August 2016 (UTC)
::Or simply append/prepend the comic number to the image name, that way you can't have duplicates.

What should we do? Contact Randall? {{unsigned ip|108.162.219.10}}
:Check the fora. Let him know he broke 827(http://i.imgur.com/0LTTpmJ.png) if he doesn't know already. I'm too lazy. [[Special:Contributions/108.162.245.110|108.162.245.110]] 04:35, 17 August 2016 (UTC)
:Store it on the wiki as a jpeg and differentiate that way. --[[Special:Contributions/173.245.48.89|173.245.48.89]] 04:59, 17 August 2016 (UTC)

The older comic has now been renamed as "My Business Idea", and is back up again. [[User:Zorlax the Mighty|Zorlax the Mighty'); DROP TABLE users;--]] ([[User talk:Zorlax the Mighty|talk]]) 11:34, 17 August 2016 (UTC)

== Explanation for us users from countries with different fueling systems ==
In Germany and many other countries, the gas pumps actually have a separate hose per fuel type, so many fans of xkcd might not be able to understand this comic. [[Special:Contributions/162.158.83.162|162.158.83.162]] 05:18, 17 August 2016 (UTC)
: Yes, because many of us use Diesel, and you should not mix diesel and petrol. But it's no problem to mix small quantities of regular into premium or vice versa. --[[Special:Contributions/162.158.86.161|162.158.86.161]] 09:06, 17 August 2016 (UTC)
:: Not just diesel and petrol - every kind of fuel sold (usually 4 per pump - petrol/diesel x premium/regular, sometimes fast diesel pump for trucks instead of diesel premium) has a separate hose and pistol in Poland. You choose the fuel by choosing the pistol. I'm guessing it's the same in a large part of Europe at least. It didn't even occur to me that it could be done differently. I honestly thought it was part of the joke - that Cueball doesn't even know that. --[[Special:Contributions/162.158.86.119|162.158.86.119]] 10:07, 17 August 2016 (UTC)
::: I'm really surprised, too. How DOES a system work where the customer can presumably switch between the kinds of gas he fills in his tank? And where is such a system installed? The States, I suppose, but where else? For international readers, this should definitely be part of the explanation. Is there a convenient weblink that shows the differences between countries' gas stations, or a weblink that shows this unique setup that Randall takes for granted here? --[[Special:Contributions/162.158.83.72|162.158.83.72]] 10:50, 17 August 2016 (UTC)

== Beret Guy? ==
Is this Cueball, or Beret Guy with his hat off? [[User:Mikemk|Mikemk]] ([[User talk:Mikemk|talk]]) 08:22, 17 August 2016 (UTC)
: Unlikely. Wasn't Beret Guy's hat stapled? --[[Special:Contributions/162.158.86.119|162.158.86.119]] 10:07, 17 August 2016 (UTC)
: If it was Beret Guy he most likely would have had (inexplicable) success with this idea. [[User:Elektrizikekswerk|Elektrizikekswerk]] ([[User talk:Elektrizikekswerk|talk]]) 10:13, 17 August 2016 (UTC)

== "Pay it forward" at Starbucks ==

This is actually about Starbucks, where customers - depending on the place, of course, as I've never seen it in Switzerland - are asked to pay some bucks for the next customer. You are expected to pay something "forward".

This idea originates from Italy, where you can buy a "caffè sospeso", a "suspended café". Somebody in need can walk up to the bar tender and ask for a free coffee. And yes, it disgusts me that this good idea was taken over by hipsters.--[[Special:Contributions/162.158.150.228|162.158.150.228]] 11:20, 17 August 2016 (UTC)

:I think you may be seeing something that is not in the comic. [[Special:Contributions/108.162.246.119|108.162.246.119]] 13:53, 17 August 2016 (UTC)

Talk:1714: Volcano Types

2016-08-01T16:27:57Z

173.245.52.62:

Actual antlions, not to be confused with the antlions from Half-Life 2. [[Special:Contributions/173.245.52.62|173.245.52.62]] 15:08, 1 August 2016 (UTC)

I think pedant's bane actually has them labelled correctly. It's just that the picture is upside down and you've reversed the figure and the ground in your mind. Were it right-side-up, you'd see It's actually a drawing of a teeny pool of underground magma at the bottom of an antlion's trap, spouting up a fountain of lava.
:I can't tell if you're joking or not. A pedant is someone who cares (maybe too much) about being technically correct. The bane of a volcano pedant would be people who mix up lava and magma. This is why the labels are reversed in the figure. [[Special:Contributions/173.245.52.62|173.245.52.62]] 16:27, 1 August 2016 (UTC)

1714: Volcano Types

2016-08-01T16:25:43Z

173.245.52.62: /* Joke volcanoes */

{{comic
| number = 1714
| date = August 1, 2016
| title = Volcano Types
| image = volcano_types.png
| titletext = It's hard living somewhere with antlions, because every time you find one of their traps, you feel compelled to spend all day constructing a tiny model of Jabba's sail barge next to it.
}}

==Explanation==
This comic presents a table of 12 different types of volcano. Split into 3 rows, the first 4 are authentic types of volcano; while the remaining 8 are parodies.

===Real volcanoes===
* {{w|Cinder cone}}: small, steep-sided volcano formed of {{w|scoria}} and ash.
* {{w|Shield volcano}}: wide, rounded volcano formed of solidified lava flow.
* {{w|Stratovolvano}}: large volcano formed of layers (strata) from multiple eruptions.
* {{w|Somma volcano}}: new volcanic cone in the middle of an old collapsed volcanic crater.

===Joke volcanoes===
* Metasomma volcano: nested layers of new volcanoes formed inside of old ones. "Meta" is a prefix that often denotes recursion.
* Waffle cone: type of pastry that ice cream is served in, wholly unrelated to volcano cones.
* Science fair cone: common elementary science experiment that is often used as a project for science fairs. A structure is built to resemble a model volcano and is filled with a mix of baking soda, vinegar, and sometimes food coloring. The reaction between baking soda and vinegar quickly produces a large amount of carbon dioxide, creating a foam that overflows and mimics a volcanic eruption. This is also the subject of [[1611: Baking Soda and Vinegar]].
* Doot cone: This refers to an internet meme involving a skull playing a trumpet. "Doot" represents the sound made by the trumpet. See http://knowyourmeme.com/memes/skull-trumpet
* {{w|Antlion}}: burrowing insect that digs a conical hole to catch prey at the larvael stage
* Inverse Volcano: as the name implies, a regular volcano but reversed. A real volcano consists of solid rock on the outside, magma on the inside and spewing lava from the top.
* Ghost Vent: cone with ghosts coming out of it. It may be a reference to {{w|Scientology}}, where part of the faith states that the souls of aliens were stored in a volcano from which they later escaped. The ghosts could also refer to the {{w|Pac-Man}} video game.
* Pedant's Bane: the joke is that people sometimes confuse magma and lava, which are different names for the same heated liquid rock. Magma becomes lava when it emerges from a volcano. Pedant's Bane is therefore impossible by definition but if it were possible, then a pedant correcting someone's description of it would be wrong. Alternatively, the illustration itself could be Pedant's Bane because a pedant would be lured into pointing out how wrong it is.

The title text refers to a famous scene in ''{{w|Star Wars: Episode VI - Return of the Jedi}}'' where [[wikia:c:starwars:Jabba the Hutt|Jabba the Hutt]] intends to feed [[wikia:c:starwars:Luke Skywalker|Luke Skywalker]] to the [[wikia:c:starwars:sarlacc|sarlaac]], an underground creature that builds a huge funnel trap similar to that of an antlion. [[wikia:c:starwars:Khetanna|Jabba's distinctive sail barge]] features prominently in that scene.

==Transcript==
[Twelve drawings of different volcano types, some real and some nonsense]
:- Cinder Cone
:- Shield Volcano
:- StratoVolcano
:- Somma Volcano
:- MetaSomma Volcano
:- Waffle Cone
:- Science Fair Cone
:- Doot Cone
:- Antlion
:- Inverse Volcano
:- Ghost Vent
:- Pedant's Bane

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Star Wars]]

1714: Volcano Types

2016-08-01T16:24:04Z

173.245.52.62: /* Explanation */

{{comic
| number = 1714
| date = August 1, 2016
| title = Volcano Types
| image = volcano_types.png
| titletext = It's hard living somewhere with antlions, because every time you find one of their traps, you feel compelled to spend all day constructing a tiny model of Jabba's sail barge next to it.
}}

==Explanation==
This comic presents a table of 12 different types of volcano. Split into 3 rows, the first 4 are authentic types of volcano; while the remaining 8 are parodies.

===Real volcanoes===
* {{w|Cinder cone}}: small, steep-sided volcano formed of {{w|scoria}} and ash.
* {{w|Shield volcano}}: wide, rounded volcano formed of solidified lava flow.
* {{w|Stratovolvano}}: large volcano formed of layers (strata) from multiple eruptions.
* {{w|Somma volcano}}: new volcanic cone in the middle of an old collapsed volcanic crater.

===Joke volcanoes===
* Metasomma volcano: nested layers of new volcanoes formed inside of old ones. "Meta" is a prefix that often denotes recursion.
* Waffle cone: type of pastry that ice cream is served in, wholly unrelated to volcano cones.
* Science fair cone: common elementary science experiment that is often used as a project for science fairs. A structure is built to resemble a model volcano and is filled with a mix of baking soda, vinegar, and sometimes food coloring. The reaction between baking soda and vinegar quickly produces a large amount of carbon dioxide, creating a foam that overflows and mimics a volcanic eruption. This is also the subject of [[1611: Baking Soda and Vinegar]].
* Doot cone: See http://knowyourmeme.com/memes/skull-trumpet
* {{w|Antlion}}: burrowing insect that digs a conical hole to catch prey at the larvael stage
* Inverse Volcano: as the name implies, a regular volcano but reversed. A real volcano consists of solid rock on the outside, magma on the inside and spewing lava from the top.
* Ghost Vent: cone with ghosts coming out of it. It may be a reference to {{w|Scientology}}, where part of the faith states that the souls of aliens were stored in a volcano from which they later escaped. The ghosts could also refer to the {{w|Pac-Man}} video game.
* Pedant's Bane: the joke is that people sometimes confuse magma and lava, which are different names for the same heated liquid rock. Magma becomes lava when it emerges from a volcano. Pedant's Bane is therefore impossible by definition but if it were possible, then a pedant correcting someone's description of it would be wrong. Alternatively, the illustration itself could be Pedant's Bane because a pedant would be lured into pointing out how wrong it is.

The title text refers to a famous scene in ''{{w|Star Wars: Episode VI - Return of the Jedi}}'' where [[wikia:c:starwars:Jabba the Hutt|Jabba the Hutt]] intends to feed [[wikia:c:starwars:Luke Skywalker|Luke Skywalker]] to the [[wikia:c:starwars:sarlacc|sarlaac]], an underground creature that builds a huge funnel trap similar to that of an antlion. [[wikia:c:starwars:Khetanna|Jabba's distinctive sail barge]] features prominently in that scene.

==Transcript==
[Twelve drawings of different volcano types, some real and some nonsense]
:- Cinder Cone
:- Shield Volcano
:- StratoVolcano
:- Somma Volcano
:- MetaSomma Volcano
:- Waffle Cone
:- Science Fair Cone
:- Doot Cone
:- Antlion
:- Inverse Volcano
:- Ghost Vent
:- Pedant's Bane

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Star Wars]]

1714: Volcano Types

2016-08-01T16:14:19Z

173.245.52.62: /* Joke volcanoes */

{{comic
| number = 1714
| date = August 1, 2016
| title = Volcano Types
| image = volcano_types.png
| titletext = It's hard living somewhere with antlions, because every time you find one of their traps, you feel compelled to spend all day constructing a tiny model of Jabba's sail barge next to it.
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Doot? What is doot?}}
This comic presents a table of 12 different types of volcano. Split into 3 rows, the first 4 are authentic types of volcano; while the remaining 8 are parodies.

===Real volcanoes===
* {{w|Cinder cone}}: small, steep-sided volcano formed of {{w|scoria}} and ash.
* {{w|Shield volcano}}: wide, rounded volcano formed of solidified lava flow.
* {{w|Stratovolvano}}: large volcano formed of layers (strata) from multiple eruptions.
* {{w|Somma volcano}}: new volcanic cone in the middle of an old collapsed volcanic crater.

===Joke volcanoes===
* Metasomma volcano: nested layers of new volcanoes formed inside of old ones. "Meta" is a prefix that often denotes recursion.
* Waffle cone: type of pastry that ice cream is served in, wholly unrelated to volcano cones.
* Science fair cone: common elementary science experiment that is often used as a project for science fairs. A structure is built to resemble a model volcano and is filled with a mix of baking soda, vinegar, and sometimes food coloring. The reaction between baking soda and vinegar quickly produces a large amount of carbon dioxide, creating a foam that overflows and mimics a volcanic eruption. This is also the subject of [[1611: Baking Soda and Vinegar]].
* Doot cone: See http://knowyourmeme.com/memes/skull-trumpet
* {{w|Antlion}}: burrowing insect that digs a conical hole to catch prey at the larvael stage
* Inverse Volcano: as the name implies, a regular volcano but reversed. A real volcano consists of solid rock on the outside, magma on the inside and spewing lava from the top.
* Ghost Vent: cone with ghosts coming out of it. It may be a reference to {{w|Scientology}}, where part of the faith states that the souls of aliens were stored in a volcano from which they later escaped. The ghosts could also refer to the {{w|Pac-Man}} video game.
* Pedant's Bane: the joke is that people sometimes confuse magma and lava, which are different names for the same heated liquid rock. Magma becomes lava when it emerges from a volcano. Pedant's Bane is therefore impossible by definition but if it were possible, then a pedant correcting someone's description of it would be wrong. Alternatively, the illustration itself could be Pedant's Bane because a pedant would be lured into pointing out how wrong it is.

The title text refers to a famous scene in ''{{w|Star Wars: Episode VI - Return of the Jedi}}'' where [[wikia:c:starwars:Jabba the Hutt|Jabba the Hutt]] intends to feed [[wikia:c:starwars:Luke Skywalker|Luke Skywalker]] to the [[wikia:c:starwars:sarlacc|sarlaac]], an underground creature that builds a huge funnel trap similar to that of an antlion. [[wikia:c:starwars:Khetanna|Jabba's distinctive sail barge]] features prominently in that scene.

==Transcript==
[Twelve drawings of different volcano types, some real and some nonsense]
:- Cinder Cone
:- Shield Volcano
:- StratoVolcano
:- Somma Volcano
:- MetaSomma Volcano
:- Waffle Cone
:- Science Fair Cone
:- Doot Cone
:- Antlion
:- Inverse Volcano
:- Ghost Vent
:- Pedant's Bane

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Star Wars]]

Talk:1714: Volcano Types

2016-08-01T15:08:52Z

173.245.52.62:

Actual antlions, not to be confused with the antlions from Half-Life 2. [[Special:Contributions/173.245.52.62|173.245.52.62]] 15:08, 1 August 2016 (UTC)

3: Island (sketch)

2016-07-15T17:04:33Z

173.245.52.62: /* Explanation */ added Usually

{{comic
| number = 3
| date = September 30, 2005
| title = Island (sketch)
| image = island_color.jpg
| titletext = Hello, island
}}

==Explanation==
The early comics sometimes do not present a particular point, but are just pictures drawn by [[Randall]].

The title text words "Hello, island" could be a reference to the popular programming print statement {{w|Hello world program|"Hello, world"}}. Usually, the first thing you learn in programming is to make a program that prints out this text.

==Transcript==
:[A color sketch of an island.]

==Trivia==
*This was the 3rd comic originally posted to [[LiveJournal]].
**The previous was [[4: Landscape (sketch)]].
**The next was [[2: Petit Trees (sketch)]].
**This is the only comic that has the same number both on xkcd and on LiveJournal.
*Original title: "Island"
*Original [[Randall]] quote: "I draw these a lot."
*This was one of the [[:Category:First day on LiveJournal|thirteen first comics]] posted to LiveJournal within 12 minutes on Friday September 30, 2005.
*This comic was posted on [[xkcd]] when the web site opened on Sunday the 1st of January 2006.
**It was posted along [[:Category:First day on xkcd|with all 41 comics]] posted before that on LiveJournal as well as a few others.
**The latter explaining why the numbers of these 41 LiveJournal comics ranges from 1-44.
*One of the original drawings drawn on [[:Category:Checkered paper|checkered paper]].
*You can kinda see a women as the island. Kinda.

{{comic discussion}}
[[Category:Comics posted on livejournal| 03]]
[[Category:First day on LiveJournal| 03]]
[[Category:First day on xkcd]]
[[Category:Comics with color]]
[[Category:Checkered paper]]

1703: Juno

2016-07-07T11:57:15Z

173.245.52.62: /* Explanation */

{{comic
| number = 1703
| date = July 6, 2016
| title = Juno
| image = juno.png
| titletext = "The name wasn't a tip-off?" "Honestly, at first I thought you were saying 'Juneau'. A gravity assist seemed like a weird way to get to Alaska, but I figured it must be more efficient or something."
}}

==Explanation==

{{incomplete|Lots of grammar errors}}
This comic was written in honor of the {{w|Juno (spacecraft)|Juno space probe}}, which made headlines the day before this comic was posted when it fired its engines and successfully entered into orbit around {{w|Jupiter}}.

It was reported on the day of this comic's release that Juno arrived at its orbit [http://www.usatoday.com/story/tech/nation-now/2016/07/06/how-juno-arrived-jupiter-one-second-off-schedule/86745128/ one second off schedule]. Since the comic is based on such reports this may explain why the comic was released rather late on this day after the arrival and also why it was not the subject of the previous comic which was released on the day (fourth of July) where the space probe officially reached Jupiter. This makes it one of several [[:Category:Space probes|space probe related comics]] to be released to celebrate the arrival of a probe to its destination the previous being [[1551: Pluto]].

Speaking at a {{w|NASA}} press conference a blonde woman standing behind a [[Podium|lectern]] announces that Juno has arrived at Jupiter within one second of its scheduled arrival. After traveling 1.7 billion miles (2.8 billion km) such a precision is very impressive which is acknowledged by someone from the press.

The joke is that one of the NASA engineers, [[Megan]], reveals that they actually intended for Juno to arrive at {{w|Saturn}}, but actually arrived at Jupiter with a timing that was still apparently the same within one second. Given the reaction from the spokesperson she knew this but it was not supposed to slip out.

This is of course ridiculous because if Saturn had been the intended target, Juno would have been off course by 10.25 AU when it arrived at Jupiter. Randall might be making a subtle (or not so subtle) reference to {{w|Mars Climate Orbiter|past difficulties}} NASA has had with [[Converting to Metric|converting to metric]]—in July 2016, Jupiter was 870 million '''kilometers''' (540 million miles) from Earth, while Saturn was 850 million '''miles''' (1.37 billion km) from Earth (and half the distance traveled by Juno). A similar measurement coincidence was noted in [[what if?]] ''{{what if|4|A Mole of Moles}}''. Also Saturn is a [http://www.space.com/18477-how-far-away-is-saturn.html maximum of 1.7 billion '''kilometers'''] (1.1 billion miles) away from the Earth. For Jupiter [http://www.space.com/18383-how-far-away-is-jupiter.html this distance] is 968 million km (601 million miles) away. But when traveling between planets long detours are necessary to reach the goal with a velocity that enables the space craft to go into orbit. So it is just a coincidence that Juno has traveled a distance to get to Jupiter in miles that fits with a possible distance to Saturn in kilometres. The mixup of units mentioned above was directly referenced in [[1643: Degrees]].

The mix-up of Jupiter and Saturn could be a reference to the {{w|2001: A Space Odyssey (novel)|book}} and the {{w|2001: A Space Odyssey (film)|film}} ''2001: A Space Odyssey'' that were written simultaneously. In the book solely written by {{w|Arthur C. Clarke}} they go to Saturn. In the film (from 1968), however, they found it impossible to make Saturns rings well enough for director (and co-writer) {{w|Stanley Kubrick}} so there they ended up at Jupiter instead. (Arthur C. Clarke later made the film canonical when he wrote the sequel ''{{w|2010 (film)|2010}}'', where the plot would only work with Jupiter, mainly because of its size and partly due to its {{w|Galilean moons|four big moons}} especially {{w|Europa (moon)|Europa}}).

==Title text==
It's ambiguous who participates in the title text dialogue. There are multiple interpretations.

It should be noted that Juno is mostly linked to Jupiter and not to Saturn (the probe was sent to Jupiter in the real world), which fits best with the "Press speaks first" explanation.

===Press speaks first===
In the title text someone from the press asks another question: wasn't the name of the space probe, ''{{w|Juno (mythology)|Juno}}'', a tip off given the relation to Jupiter? The goddess Juno was the wife of {{w|Jupiter (mythology)|Jupiter}} the chief deity in the {{w|Roman mythology}}. However her father is {{w|Saturn (mythology)|Saturn}} so there are relations to both Gods/planets. Her relationship to Jupiter, however, is most likely more common knowledge explaining the naming of the probe.

However, instead of mentioning this dual relationship one of the three NASA representatives say that at first they even believed it was for {{w|Juneau, Alaska|Juneau}}, the capital of {{w|Alaska}}, showing that the engineers did not have a clue about the object of the mission. They did wonder why a {{w|gravity assist}} was planned to get there but guessed it was a more efficient method. Given that gravity assist is only relevant for interplanetary missions requiring a flyby of a planet it would never make sense to use to get between two destinations on Earth. Even though {{w|Cape Canaveral Air Force Station}} in Florida, from where the probe was launched, is about as long away from Juneau as it is possible to get inside the borders of the United States.

The mixup of Juno the Goddess and the capital city of Alaska could be a reference to the film ''{{w|Juno (film)|Juno}}'' where the title character is [http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0467406/quotes?item=qt0455671 named after the Goddess] as her father is into Roman and Greek mythology (although she calls her {{w|Zeus}}'s wife, Zeus being the equivalent of Jupiter in {{w|Greek mythology}} where Juno would be called {{w|Hera}}). Later a man asks her "[http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0467406/quotes?item=qt0455636 Like the city in Alaska?]" to which she simply replies "No!"

Scenarios similar to the likely outcome of Juno using its gravity assist (from Earth) to arrive in Juneau (with unchanged orbital energy) have been discussed in [[what if?]] ''{{what if|58|Orbital Speed}}'', ''{{what if|82|Hitting a comet}}'', and ''{{what if|137|New Horizons}}'' (see also [[1532: New Horizons]]).

===NASA speaks first===
In the title text someone, likely a member of the NASA team, asks if the name of the space probe, ''{{w|Juno (mythology)|Juno}}'', wasn't a tip off. In {{w|Roman mythology}} the goddess Juno was the daughter of {{w|Saturn (mythology)|Saturn}} (though also the wife of {{w|Jupiter (mythology)|Jupiter}}). However, instead of mentioning this, someone (presumably a member of the press) replies that at first they had thought the probe was named for {{w|Juneau, Alaska|Juneau}}, the capital of {{w|Alaska}}. They had wondered why NASA wanted to use {{w|gravity assist}} to get there, but had guessed that it must be more efficient.

===Megan continues speaking===
The title text might also be continued discussion amongst the NASA representatives. After being shushed, Megan begins needling the spokeswoman about the huge error NASA made. The spokeswoman then admits to being confused about why the mission was so complicated. Alternatively, the third NASA representative might be [[1532: New Horizons|Steve]], now confessing to misdirecting another probe.

===Only the press speaks===
In another interpretation, both lines are spoken by members of the audience. The second would seem to be producing science journalism of unusually poor quality.

==Transcript==
:[At a NASA press conference stands a blonde woman behind a lectern with the NASA logo. To the left stands Megan to the right Cueball, both looking towards the blonde woman.]
:Blonde woman: After traveling 1.7 billion miles, the ''Juno'' spacecraft reached Jupiter within one ''second'' of its scheduled arrival time.
:Logo: NASA

:[A person off-panel to the left comments and all three turns towards the speaker.]
:Off-panel voice: Very impressive!
:Blonde woman: Thank you.
:Logo: NASA

:[All three look straight out as Megan comments on the praise.]
:Megan: I mean, we were ''aiming'' for Saturn. Still, nailed the time.
:Blonde woman: ''Shhhh.''
:Logo: NASA

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Comics featuring Megan]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Space probes]]

1699: Local News

2016-06-27T16:49:34Z

173.245.52.62: /* Explanation */

{{comic
| number = 1699
| date = June 27, 2016
| title = Local News
| image = local_news.png
| titletext = Will there ever be a physics term greater than 'tachyonic antitelephone?' According to this message from the future, the answer is 'no.'
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|More detail on quantum mechanics needed.}}
Typical news broadcasts are divided into local, national, and global news segments. The broadcast in this comic has been broken into local and nonlocal instead. However, rather than focusing on national or global news, the nonlocal segment deals with news of a [[wikipedia:Quantum nonlocality|nonlocality]] nature; more likely dealing with causal nonlocality.

A "tachyon" is a theoretical or thought-experiment particle which can travel faster than the speed of light. It has many strange properties, including being able to go back in time. This is how the newscaster is able to send a beam back in time to kill her past self. The comic does not explain the paradox of how someone who died in the past could still be alive.

A {{w|Tachyonic antitelephone}} is a theoretical device which would allow messages to be sent to the past. The title text implies that a message from the future tells us that such a device will the greatest achievement in all of physics (past, present, and future).

==Transcript==
[Newscaster sitting at her desk]

Newscaster: In local news, city council elections were held today.

Newscaster: In nonlocal news, I killed my past self with a tachyon beam.
{{comic discussion}}

1699: Local News

2016-06-27T16:48:31Z

173.245.52.62: /* Explanation */

{{comic
| number = 1699
| date = June 27, 2016
| title = Local News
| image = local_news.png
| titletext = Will there ever be a physics term greater than 'tachyonic antitelephone?' According to this message from the future, the answer is 'no.'
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|More detail on quantum mechanics needed.}}
Typical news broadcasts are divided into local, national, and global news segments. The broadcast in this comic has been broken into local and nonlocal instead. However, rather than focusing on national or global news, the nonlocal segment deals with news of a [[wikipedia:Quantum nonlocality|nonlocality]] nature; more likely dealing with causal nonlocality.

A "tachyon" is a theoretical or thought-experiment particle which can travel faster than the speed of light. It has many strange properties, including being able to go back in time. This is how the newscaster is able to send a beam back in time to kill her past self. The comic does not explain the paradox of how someone who died in the past could still be alive.

A [[wikipedia:Tachyonic antitelephone]] is a theoretical device which would allow messages to be sent to the past. The title text implies that a message from the future tells us that such a device will the greatest achievement in all of physics (past, present, and future).

==Transcript==
[Newscaster sitting at her desk]

Newscaster: In local news, city council elections were held today.

Newscaster: In nonlocal news, I killed my past self with a tachyon beam.
{{comic discussion}}

Talk:1698: Theft Quadrants

2016-06-24T15:12:34Z

173.245.52.62:

Come to think of it, I haven't accidentally hit a porn site in years. Is Randall even referring to a real problem? Anyone remember whitehouse dot com? And for the record, kids, [http://purl.net/net/tbc/writing/xxx.htm don't do porn]. ''— [[User:Tbc|tbc]] ([[User talk:Tbc|talk]]) 12:27, 24 June 2016 (UTC)''

I think the sentences "It is hard to steal nuclear launch codes. And a good thing too since they could be used to start a nuclear war." are weird... to me on the first read it sounded like it is a good thing to steal them... [[Special:Contributions/162.158.85.63|162.158.85.63]]

What is it with Randall and stealing wienermobiles? [http://www.xkcd.com/935/ xkcd 935] [[Special:Contributions/173.245.52.62|173.245.52.62]] 15:12, 24 June 2016 (UTC)

Talk:1688: Map Age Guide

2016-06-02T11:18:50Z

173.245.52.62: /* My map doesn't fit the chart... I think? */

Well, I have no clue how to upload the image, it just displays the title text.[[Special:Contributions/108.162.216.91|108.162.216.91]] 12:47, 1 June 2016 (UTC)
:Done. Guess the bot failed because there is a larger one when you click the image on xkcd? --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 13:08, 1 June 2016 (UTC)
::The BOT didn't fail. The was an 404 error, the picture wasn't available at the first time. --[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 14:03, 1 June 2016 (UTC)
I feel like the title seriously lacks the word "political", there's all sorts of nice things with dating non-modern world maps. -- [[Special:Contributions/141.101.104.104|141.101.104.104]] 13:34, 1 June 2016 (UTC)

It doesn't just cover political maps -- there is a section on telling when you are with physical maps via the presence or absence of bodies of water. In fact, there are four or five main branches: fictional maps, topographical maps, not a map, and political maps (which have two branches, based on the naming of Istanbul (was Constantinople) [[Special:Contributions/108.162.237.174|108.162.237.174]] 13:42, 1 June 2016 (UTC)

I like how that this flow chart also describes what I've drawn[[Special:Contributions/162.158.26.220|162.158.26.220]] 14:05, 1 June 2016 (UTC)

The 1992-1996 range (top right corner) could be narrowed down further with the independence of Eritrea 1993. Am I getting something wrong or did Randall actually overlook this? :-) [[Special:Contributions/162.158.85.141|162.158.85.141]] 14:49, 1 June 2016 (UTC)
:Or the splitting of Czechoslovakia, also in 1993... There are probably others for different time ranges, too. [[Special:Contributions/141.101.95.25|141.101.95.25]] 16:28, 1 June 2016 (UTC)

----
Noone else has started work on this and I'm bored so... (feel free to reorder and/or add more detail where appropriate)
Relevant Events

'''Is there a big lake in Southern California? (Created by Mistake)'''
[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Salton_Sea Salton Sea] A previously dry lakebed accidentally flooded in 1905 while attempting to increase irrigation to the area from the Colorado River

'''How far East do the American Prairies reach?'''
The Northwest Territory was incorporated in pieces ~1820s, there may be something more relavent to draw the line at Indiana though.

'''Is there a big lake in the middle of Ghana? (Created on Purpose)'''
[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lake_Volta Lake Volta]

'''The US's southern border looks'''
[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gadsden_Purchase Gadsden Purchase]

'''"Buda" and "Pest" or "Budapest"''' [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Budapest#Etymology Buda and Pest] were originally two different cities

'''Does Russia Border the Sea of Japan?''' Russia currently borders the sea of Japan so the 1867 upper limit is because of Tokyo not existing higher in the chain. The 1858 limit is to do with the [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Treaty_of_Aigun Treaty of Aigun]

'''Rhodesia?''' The dates down the chain suggest this is about [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rhodesia_(region) Rhodesia the Region] not [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rhodesia Rhodesia the Unrecognized state] nor [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Southern_Rhodesia Southern Rhodesia] the British Colony {{unsigned ip|162.158.214.218}}

:We are talking about physical/stellite maps at this point of the chart. Incorporation is not relevant. This is about the movement or size change of the American prairies. Climate change, perhaps. Haven't found anything relevant on that, though. Maybe it is about untouched land, as in not having settlements. -- [[Special:Contributions/162.158.85.183|162.158.85.183]] 16:05, 1 June 2016 (UTC)

----

Should the relevant links above be added directly to the transcript, or to a separate section? --[[Special:Contributions/172.68.29.127|172.68.29.127]] 14:29, 1 June 2016 (UTC)

:The transcript is only for faithful transcription of the comic. It exists for users who would otherwise be unable to view the regular comic, and should contain nothing but the contents of the comic. Links go in the explanation, if relevant. '''[[User:Davidy22|{{Color|#707|David}}y²²]]'''[[User talk:Davidy22|<tt>[talk]</tt>]] 18:56, 1 June 2016 (UTC)

----

Istanbul is not the capital of Turkey! (It's Ankara) [[Special:Contributions/162.158.86.131|162.158.86.131]] 14:41, 1 June 2016 (UTC)
----

Maybe a better way of organizing this is chronologically, i.e., show the state of the world each year.

That being said, is every year accounted for? For example, 1857 appears to be missing. {{unsigned ip|162.158.60.41}}

----
From the left and roughly in chronological order (only partial, might add more later):

'The Holy Roman Empire?'
1806 - Dissolution of the [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Holy_Roman_Empire Holy Roman Empire] by Emperor Francis II

'Do Any of These Exist?'

1867 - British North America act passed, marking Canadian independence

- Alaskan Purchase by US from Russian Empire

- Meiji Restoration (in 1869, Emperor Meiji moves to Edo, which is renamed Tokyo)

'Texas is...'

independent - 1836? 35? 34? Texas Revolution

'Florida is part of...'

The US: 1818 - US basically controls East Florida after [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Seminole_Wars#Jackson_invades_Florida First Seminole War] (Spain officially cedes the territory in the [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adams%E2%80%93On%C3%ADs_Treaty Adams–Onís Treaty of 1819].

'Venezuela and or Ecuador?'

1830 - Both Venezuela and Ecuador become independent as the [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gran_Colombia Republic of Gran Colombia] dissolves in late 1830, early 1831.

'Does Russia border the Sea of Japan?'
1858 - China cedes territory to Russia under the [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Treaty_of_Aigun Treaty of Aigun], bordering the Sea of Japan (sort of? There's also the Treaty of Beijing)

'South Africa?'
1910 - the Union of South Africa created, thanks to the South Africa Act 1909 enacted by British parliament

'Is Bolivia landlocked?'
1884 - [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Treaty_of_Valparaiso Treaty of Valparaiso] signed ceding Bolivian territory to to Chile, leaving Bolivia landlocked (see also [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/War_of_the_Pacific War of the Pacific]

'Buda and Pest or Budapest?'
1873 - Buda and [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pest,_Hungary Pest] merge to become Budapest

'Is Norway part of Sweden?'
1905 - [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dissolution_of_the_union_between_Norway_and_Sweden Sweden-Norway dissolved], Norway becomes an independent monarchy

'Rhodesia?'
Rhodesia was named [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Company_rule_in_Rhodesia under the British South Africa Company in 1895]

'Austria-Hungary?'
1918 - Austria-Hungary officially separates into Austria and Hungary

'Albania?'
1912 - [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Albanian_Declaration_of_Independence Albania declares independence] from the Ottoman Empire

'Leningrad?'
1924 - Petrograd ([https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saint_Petersburg Saint Petersburg]) changes its name to Leningrad

[[Special:Contributions/108.162.250.156|108.162.250.156]]

You know there are times where I suspect he's just making some of his comics intentionally hard to explain or very ambiguous just to watch us do somersaults trying to describe them and make it clear, not necessarily for this comic but definitely with some of them it just seems that way. I don't know if he does or not, or how much he even pays attention to this wiki, just a thought. Of course maybe he does just because we're prime nerd sniping material. [[User:Lackadaisical|Lackadaisical]] ([[User talk:Lackadaisical|talk]]) 16:00, 1 June 2016 (UTC)

----
I'm pretty sure 'is it larger than a breadbox' is a reference to 20 questions. [[Special:Contributions/108.162.216.77|108.162.216.77]] 16:11, 1 June 2016 (UTC)

:From the Wikipedia page for [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Breadbox 'Breadbox']: "The most common reference to breadboxes is the phrase "Is it bigger than a breadbox?" when trying to guess what some surprise object may be. This question was popularized by Steve Allen on the American game show What's My Line? where he initially asked the question on 18 January 1953. It remains a popular question in the parlor game 20 Questions." [[Special:Contributions/141.101.98.16|141.101.98.16]] 17:48, 1 June 2016 (UTC)

Note that it is very hard to even ''find'' Jan Mayen on an actual world map (even a political one), never mind figure out which country it belongs to. So anyone actually following these questions might (in some cases) get derailed fairly easily. [[Special:Contributions/141.101.81.77|141.101.81.77]] 18:20, 1 June 2016 (UTC)

::You will only get there if you can't find Istanbul/Constantinople, you can't find the Ottoman Empire, you can't find North Korea, and Soviet Russia can't find you. Note that the "no" box actually says "not yet". If you can find any of those four, you will never reach the Jan Mayen box. You will also never answer "yes" to the Jan Mayen box, as that would contradict the Soviet Union and North Korea not existing. [[Special:Contributions/108.162.219.9|108.162.219.9]] 20:34, 1 June 2016 (UTC)

::I tried to explain that a response of "What?" is interpreted to be unable to find Norway, not Jan Mayen, for this reason and that the name didn't exist until 1620, but then I couldn't eliminate that the map is from 1299 or earlier, because the kingdom of Norway is not that old. As for the "Yes" response, for a short period between November 1 and December 28, 1922, neither the Soviet Union nor the Ottoman Empire existed, and Norway had already received jurisdiction over Jan Mayen then.--[[User:Troy0|Troy0]] ([[User talk:Troy0|talk]]) 07:16, 2 June 2016 (UTC)

----

Update picture, please: The "giant French blob" "yes" option points to the correct box (Pakistan) on xkcd.com but not on this page (Bangladesh), and the incorrect version leaves out approximately 1930-1960. [[Special:Contributions/108.162.219.9|108.162.219.9]] 20:34, 1 June 2016 (UTC)

I fleshed out the Narnian section with links to the original illustrated maps from several books (but this gets weird in a hurry because there is no consistency of illustrations across the various editions of the books). I think it deserves to be mentioned in the article (although I did not try) that Randall is being slightly disingenuous with the history of maps of Narnia. For instance, there is no published map with sufficient detail to determine if Beruna has a ford or a bridge, neither can I find a map that includes Aslan's Country. On the other hand, it is also not an accurate history of the geopolitics of Narnia; for instance, Calormen existed during the time of the first three books even if it wasn't listed on any of the authorized maps. Also, it is the first time I have helped to edit an article, so I apologize for the quirkiness (especially the reliance on non-wikipedia links). [[User:Mwdaly|Mwdaly]] ([[User talk:Mwdaly|talk]]) 02:55, 2 June 2016 (UTC)

== My map doesn't fit the chart... I think? ==

I've got a Stanford's General Map of the World (On Mercator's Projection) from 1968. My answers:

Istanbul '''->''' The Soviet Union exists '''->''' West Africa is ''not'' a giant French blob '''->''' Only one Vietnam '''->''' Jimmy Carter is fine... I think? The only animals on my map are Poseidon and a seahorse '''->''' Sinai is mostly Egyptian...

Bangladesh exists, and below Victoria is Tanzania; so where's the second Vietnam I've failed to locate on my map? [[User:Mr FJ|Mr FJ]] ([[User talk:Mr FJ|talk]]) 20:44, 1 June 2016 (UTC)

:Your map is optimistic in suggesting there is only one Vietnam, as 1968 was in the heart of the Vietnam War. [[Special:Contributions/141.101.98.123|141.101.98.123]] 22:42, 1 June 2016 (UTC)

;Saint Trimble's Island

I think the real question is: how long until there actually is one on this planet, even though Randal claims to have made it up.
--[[User:Divad27182|Divad27182]] ([[User talk:Divad27182|talk]]) 03:30, 2 June 2016 (UTC)

----

Appearantly the year of an event is included in intervals after the event, but not in those prior. How do we handle it? [[User:Troy0|Troy0]] ([[User talk:Troy0|talk]]) 03:46, 2 June 2016 (UTC)

;Flaws

Going on the path '''neither''' - '''no ottoman empire''' - '''no soviet union''' - '''no north korea''' - '''jan mayen is norwegian''' I will get results that all belong to a time were the soviet union existed. Am I doing it wrong?--[[Special:Contributions/162.158.92.175|162.158.92.175]] 08:01, 2 June 2016 (UTC)
:This path implies a time interval between November 1 and December 28, 1922, so it is unclear why it is linked to the Istanbul Division, which is 1928 or later.--[[User:Troy0|Troy0]] ([[User talk:Troy0|talk]]) 08:28, 2 June 2016 (UTC)

;Did it work on your map?
;Worked:
I just tried this out on an old Danish world atlas (''Lademann Verdensatlas'' with most English names also included). And although I could not determine the capital of Micronesia, I found out that it was still called Upper Volta not Burkino faso and thus the map should be from 1982-1984. First then did I check the release date for this map and true enough it was from 1982! Cool. --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 08:41, 2 June 2016 (UTC)

Apparently most Mars maps were made in 1922-1932. No Istanbul/Constantinople, no Ottoman Empire, Soviet Union exists (e.g. Mars 3 and Mars 6), no Saudi Arabia... --[[Special:Contributions/173.245.52.62|173.245.52.62]] 11:18, 2 June 2016 (UTC)

1688: Map Age Guide

2016-06-01T14:59:15Z

173.245.52.62: /* Explanation */

{{comic
| number = 1688
| date = June 1, 2016
| title = Map Age Guide
| image = map_age_guide.png
| titletext = Does the screeching chill your blood and herald death? If yes, banshee. If no, seagull.
}}

*A [http://xkcd.com/1688/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==
{{incomplete|Many is still missing.}}
Flowchart depicting various ways to tell what era a map is from based on present country borders and land forms. Most of the options are very serious,with a few bizarre options (mistaking a seagull and breadbox for a map) or references to things like the {{w|Discworld}} books and Middle-earth, the setting of the Lord Of the Rings series. He also mentions US President Jimmy Carter being attacked by a giant swimming rabbit, an event previously referenced by [[204]].

Additionally, (possible) future maps including a "Radioactive Exclusion Zone" in the place of Colorado are mentioned. It predicts that some kind of nuclear incident will occur in Colorado (possibly at Rulison or Rio Blanco nuclear testing sites) in 2022. It also predicts that the area will be infested by radioactive spiders one year later.

The title text continues the path where the user has confused a seagull for a map by inquiring if the (presumed) seagull might be a banshee based on the effect of its screams.

(First Draft, please expand.)

Going through the flowchart, taking the leftmost path first, recursively. See {{w|Depth-first search}}.

'''Istanbul or Constantinople''': The city that is now the capital of Turkey is famous for having different names at different times or to different people. Variations on both names go back at least 1,000 years. Other names have also been used at various points. İstanbul has been the official name since the 1920's, although Western maps often referred to it as Constantinople as late as the 1960's; on the flowchart, the choice of name appears to go with the 1920's date. The name changes are the subject of a [http://mentalfloss.com/article/60314/original-istanbul-not-constantinople song], originally by the Four Lads, but now mainly known for the They Might Be Giants recording.

(rightmost path first)

The Soviet Union is one of the largest countries ever to exist consisting of Russia and large portions of eastern Europe and central Asia. It was a major political force from 1922, when several allied soviets republics united, to 1991, when it broke up. Its very simple to find on any map that has it.

Zaire was one of a series of names for what is today called the Democratic Republic of the Congo. In 1996 a (successful) revolt began to oust the reigning government from power. As part of this revolution, the country was renamed. The origonal name change away from 'Congo' was part of an 'Africanisation' naming campaign, although 'Congo' is in origin an authentic African name for the river that set the boundaries of the nation.

Serbia and Montenegro were a remnant of Yugoslavia. Montenegro voted to become its own country in 2006.

East Timor is a nation north of Australia and south east of Indonesia. During the dutch colonization of Indonesia east Timor remained in Portuguese hands. While occupied and annexed by Indonesia since 1976, east Timor retained its own culture and voted for independence, then had a nasty militia action that required UN peacekeeping action, and finally become independent in 2002.

In 2011, after a long history of violence between the two portions of the country (which can be characterized as Islamic vs. Christian and Traditional Religions), South Sudan became independent from its northern neighbor.

In 2014, a revolution ousted the current Ukrainian president. The Crimea had its own civil unrest, and Russian troops intervened to restore order. A referendum held during this time has decided in favor of russian annexation. Many nations, including all member states of the EU and the USA, dispute the results of the referendum.

'''Is there a big lake in Southern California? (Created by Mistake)'''
[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Salton_Sea Salton Sea] A previously dry lakebed accidentally flooded in 1905 while attempting to increase irrigation to the area from the Colorado River

'''How far East do the American Prairies reach?'''
The Northwest Territory was incorporated in pieces ~1820s, there may be something more relavent to draw the line at Indiana though.

'''Is there a big lake in the middle of Ghana? (Created on Purpose)'''
[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lake_Volta Lake Volta]

'''The US's southern border looks'''
[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gadsden_Purchase Gadsden Purchase]

'''"Buda" and "Pest" or "Budapest"''' [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Budapest#Etymology Buda and Pest] were originally two different cities

'''Does Russia Border the Sea of Japan?''' Russia currently borders the sea of Japan so the 1867 upper limit is because of Tokyo not existing higher in the chain. The 1858 limit is to do with the [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Treaty_of_Aigun Treaty of Aigun]

'''Rhodesia?''' The dates down the chain suggest this is about [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rhodesia_(region) Rhodesia the Region] not [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rhodesia Rhodesia the Unrecognized state] nor [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Southern_Rhodesia Southern Rhodesia] the British Colony

==Transcript==

Start:
* Istanbul or Constantinople?
** Constantinople:
*** Do any of these exist? Independent Canada; US Territory of Alaska; Tokyo.
**** No:
***** The Holy Roman Empire?
****** Yes:
******* 1805 or earlier (before this point, the modern idea of a complete political map of the world gets hard to apply.)
****** No:
******* The United States?
******** No:
********* How sure are you that this map is in english?
******** Yes:
********* Texas is...
********** Part of Mexico:
*********** Florida is part of...
************ Spain:
************* Paraguay?
************** No: 1806-10
************** Yes: 1811-17
************ The US:
************* Venezuela and/or ecuador?
************** No: 1818-29
************** Yes: 1830-33
********** Independent: 1834-45
********** Part of the US:
*********** Does Russia border the Sea of Japan?
************ No:
************* The US's southern border looks...
************** Weird: 1846-53
************** Normal: 1854-56
************ Yes: 1858-67
**** Yes:
***** South Africa?
****** No:
******* Rhodesia?
******** No:
********* Is Bolivia landlocked?
********** No:
*********** "Buda" and "Pest" or "Budapest"?
************ Buda and Pest: 1868-72
************ Budapest: 1873-83
********** Yes: 1884-95
******** Yes:
********* Is Norway part of Sweden?
********** Yes: 1896-1905
********** No: 1906-09
****** Yes:
******* Austria-Hungary?
******** Yes:
********* Albania?
********** No: 1910-12
********** Yes: 1913-18
******** No:
********* Leningrad?
********** No: 1919-23
********** Yes: 1924-29
** Neither:
*** Does the Ottoman Empire exist?
**** Yes: [[#canada-alaska-tokyo]]
**** No:
***** The Soviet Union?
****** Yes:
******* Saudi Arabia?
******** Yes:
********* Is most of West Africa a giant french blob?
********** Yes:
*********** Bangladesh?
************ No:
************* Is the area sout of Lake Victoria...
************** British:
*************** The town on I-25 between Albuquerque and El Paso is...
**************** Hot Springs: 1948-49
**************** Truth or Consequences: 1950-52
************** Tanganyika: 1961-64
************** Tanzania: 1965-71
************ Yes: 1972-75
********** No:
*********** How many Vietnams are there?
************ Two:
************* [[#bangladesh]]
************ One:
************* Jimmy Carter is...
************** Being attacked by a giant swimming rabbit: April 20, 1979
************** Fine:
*************** The Sinai is part of what country?
**************** Israel: 1976-79
**************** Mostly Israel: 1980
**************** Mostly Egypt: 1981
**************** Egypt:
***************** What's the capital of Micronesia?
****************** Kolonia:
******************* Republic of the Upper Volta or Burkina Faso?
******************** Upper Volta: 1982-84
******************** 1985-88
****************** Palikir:
******************* (number of Yemens) + (number of Germanys) = ?
******************** Four: 1989-early 1990
******************** Three: mid-1990
******************** Two: late 1990-1991
******** No: 1922-1932
****** No:
******* North Korea?
******** Yes:
********* Zaire? or: "Hong Kong (UK)"
********** Yes: 1992-96
********** No:
*********** Serbia/Montenegro are...
************ One country:
************* East Timor?
************** No: 1997-2001
************** Yes: 2002-06
************ Two countries:
************* How many Sudans are there?
************** One: 2007-11
************** Two:
************** Is Crimea disputed?
*************** Yes:
**************** "Colorado" or "Danger—Radioactive Exclusion Zone—Avoid"?
***************** Colorado: 2014-21
***************** Danger:
****************** Does the warning mention the spiders?
******************* No: 2022
******************* Yes: 2023 or later
*************** No: 2012-13
******** No:
********* Saint Trimble's Island
********** No:
*********** Is Jan Mayen part of the Kingdom of Norway?
************ Not yet:
************* [[#canada-alaska-tokyo]]
************ What?
************* Can you see the familiar continents?
************** Yes:
*************** This sounds like a physical map or satellite photo.
**************** Yes, that's it
***************** Is Lake Chad missing?
****************** No:
******************* How far east do the American Prairies reach?
******************** Indiana: before 1830
******************** The Mississippi: 1830s-80s
******************** Nebraska:
********************* Is there a big lake in the middle of Southern California? (created by mistake)
********************** No: 1860s-1900s
********************** Yes: 1910s
******************** What prairies?
********************* Is there a big lake in the middle of Ghana? (created on purpose)
********************** No: 1920s-50s
********************** Yes: 1960s-70s
****************** Yes:
******************* Is the Aral Sea missing?
******************** No: 1970s-90s
******************** Yes: 2000s+
************** No:
*************** Rivers "Sirion" or "Anduin"?
**************** Yes:
***************** Mordor?
****************** No:
******************* Beleriand?
******************** Yes: First Age
******************** No: Early Second Age
****************** Yes:
******************* Númenor?
******************** Yes: Late Second Age
******************** No:
********************* The forest east of the Misty Mountains is...
********************** Greenwood: Early Third Age
********************** Mirkwood: Late Third Age
********************** The Wood of Greenleaves: Fourth Age
**************** No:
***************** Cair Paravel?
****************** Yes:
******************* Calormen?
******************** No:
********************* Lotta Islands?
********************** No:
*********************** Beruna
************************ Ford: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe
************************ Bridge:
********************** Yes: Prince Caspian
******************** Yes:
********************* Weird recursive heaven?
********************** No: one of the random later books
********************** Yes: The Last Battle
****************** No:
******************* Mossflower?
******************** Yes:
********************* Redwall
******************** No:
********************* Is the world on the back of a turtle?
********************** Yes: Discworld
********************** No:
*********************** Are you _sure_ this is a map?
************************ Yes:
************************* Did you make it yourself?
************************** Yes:
*************************** It's very nice.
**************************** Thank you!
************************ No:
************************* Is it trying to bite you?
************************** No:
*************************** Is it larger than a breadbox?
**************************** Yes: tuba
**************************** No: stapler
**************************** About the same: breadbox
************************** Yes:
*************************** If you let it go, what does it do?
**************************** Hisses and runs away: cat
**************************** Screeches and flaps around the room breaking things: seagull
************ Yes:
************* Pakistan?
************** No:
*************** How many Germanys are there?
**************** One:
***************** Persia or Iran?
****************** Persia: 1930-34
****************** Iran: 1935-40
**************** One, but it's _huge_: 1941-45
**************** Two: 1946-47
************** Yes:
*************** Cambodia?
**************** No:
***************** Eritrea is part of...
****************** Italy:
******************* Canada is...
******************** Missing a piece: 1948
******************** Fine: 1949-52
****************** Ethiopia: 1952-53
**************** Yes:
***************** The United Arab Republic?
****************** No: 1954-57
****************** Yes: 1958-60
********** Yes: No, I made that one up.
** Istanbul:
*** Does the Soviet Union exist?
**** Yes:
***** [[#west-africa-french-blob]]
**** No:
***** [[#zaire]]

{{incomplete transcript}}

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Large drawings]]
[[Category:Maps]]
[[Category:Time]]
[[Category:Animals]]
[[Category:Geography]]

1688: Map Age Guide

2016-06-01T14:52:35Z

173.245.52.62: /* Explanation */

{{comic
| number = 1688
| date = June 1, 2016
| title = Map Age Guide
| image = map_age_guide.png
| titletext = Does the screeching chill your blood and herald death? If yes, banshee. If no, seagull.
}}

*A [http://xkcd.com/1688/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==
{{incomplete|Many is still missing.}}
Flowchart depicting various ways to tell what era a map is from based on present country borders and land forms. Most of the options are very serious,with a few bizarre options (mistaking a seagull and breadbox for a map) or references to things like the {{w|Discworld}} books and Middle-earth, the setting of the Lord Of the Rings series. He also mentions US President Jimmy Carter being attacked by a giant swimming rabbit, an event previously referenced by [[204]].

Additionally, (possible) future maps including a "Radioactive Exclusion Zone" in the place of Colorado are mentioned.

The title text continues the path where the user has confused a seagull for a map by inquiring if the (presumed) seagull might be a banshee based on the effect of its screams.

(First Draft, please expand.)

Going through the flowchart, taking the leftmost path first:

'''Istanbul or Constantinople''': The city that is now the capital of Turkey is famous for having different names at different times or to different people. Variations on both names go back at least 1,000 years. Other names have also been used at various points. İstanbul has been the official name since the 1920's, although Western maps often referred to it as Constantinople as late as the 1960's; on the flowchart, the choice of name appears to go with the 1920's date. The name changes are the subject of a [http://mentalfloss.com/article/60314/original-istanbul-not-constantinople song], originally by the Four Lads, but now mainly known for the They Might Be Giants recording.

(rightmost path first)

The Soviet Union is one of the largest countries ever to exist consisting of Russia and large portions of eastern Europe and central Asia. It was a major political force from 1922, when several allied soviets republics united, to 1991, when it broke up. Its very simple to find on any map that has it.

Zaire was one of a series of names for what is today called the Democratic Republic of the Congo. In 1996 a (successful) revolt began to oust the reigning government from power. As part of this revolution, the country was renamed. The origonal name change away from 'Congo' was part of an 'Africanisation' naming campaign, although 'Congo' is in origin an authentic African name for the river that set the boundaries of the nation.

Serbia and Montenegro were a remnant of Yugoslavia. Montenegro voted to become its own country in 2006.

East Timor is a nation north of Australia and south east of Indonesia. During the dutch colonization of Indonesia east Timor remained in Portuguese hands. While occupied and annexed by Indonesia since 1976, east Timor retained its own culture and voted for independence, then had a nasty militia action that required UN peacekeeping action, and finally become independent in 2002.

In 2011, after a long history of violence between the two portions of the country (which can be characterized as Islamic vs. Christian and Traditional Religions), South Sudan became independent from its northern neighbor.

'''Is there a big lake in Southern California? (Created by Mistake)'''
[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Salton_Sea Salton Sea] A previously dry lakebed accidentally flooded in 1905 while attempting to increase irrigation to the area from the Colorado River

'''How far East do the American Prairies reach?'''
The Northwest Territory was incorporated in pieces ~1820s, there may be something more relavent to draw the line at Indiana though.

'''Is there a big lake in the middle of Ghana? (Created on Purpose)'''
[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lake_Volta Lake Volta]

'''The US's southern border looks'''
[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gadsden_Purchase Gadsden Purchase]

'''"Buda" and "Pest" or "Budapest"''' [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Budapest#Etymology Buda and Pest] were originally two different cities

'''Does Russia Border the Sea of Japan?''' Russia currently borders the sea of Japan so the 1867 upper limit is because of Tokyo not existing higher in the chain. The 1858 limit is to do with the [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Treaty_of_Aigun Treaty of Aigun]

'''Rhodesia?''' The dates down the chain suggest this is about [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rhodesia_(region) Rhodesia the Region] not [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rhodesia Rhodesia the Unrecognized state] nor [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Southern_Rhodesia Southern Rhodesia] the British Colony

==Transcript==

Start:
* Istanbul or Constantinople?
** Constantinople:
*** Do any of these exist? Independent Canada; US Territory of Alaska; Tokyo.
**** No:
***** The Holy Roman Empire?
****** Yes:
******* 1805 or earlier (before this point, the modern idea of a complete political map of the world gets hard to apply.)
****** No:
******* The United States?
******** No:
********* How sure are you that this map is in english?
******** Yes:
********* Texas is...
********** Part of Mexico:
*********** Florida is part of...
************ Spain:
************* Paraguay?
************** No: 1806-10
************** Yes: 1811-17
************ The US:
************* Venezuela and/or ecuador?
************** No: 1818-29
************** Yes: 1830-33
********** Independent: 1834-45
********** Part of the US:
*********** Does Russia border the Sea of Japan?
************ No:
************* The US's southern border looks...
************** Weird: 1846-53
************** Normal: 1854-56
************ Yes: 1858-67
**** Yes:
***** South Africa?
****** No:
******* Rhodesia?
******** No:
********* Is Bolivia landlocked?
********** No:
*********** "Buda" and "Pest" or "Budapest"?
************ Buda and Pest: 1868-72
************ Budapest: 1873-83
********** Yes: 1884-95
******** Yes:
********* Is Norway part of Sweden?
********** Yes: 1896-1905
********** No: 1906-09
****** Yes:
******* Austria-Hungary?
******** Yes:
********* Albania?
********** No: 1910-12
********** Yes: 1913-18
******** No:
********* Leningrad?
********** No: 1919-23
********** Yes: 1924-29
** Neither:
*** Does the Ottoman Empire exist?
**** Yes: [[#canada-alaska-tokyo]]
**** No:
***** The Soviet Union?
****** Yes:
******* Saudi Arabia?
******** Yes:
********* Is most of West Africa a giant french blob?
********** Yes:
*********** Bangladesh?
************ No:
************* Is the area sout of Lake Victoria...
************** British:
*************** The town on I-25 between Albuquerque and El Paso is...
**************** Hot Springs: 1948-49
**************** Truth or Consequences: 1950-52
************** Tanganyika: 1961-64
************** Tanzania: 1965-71
************ Yes: 1972-75
********** No:
*********** How many Vietnams are there?
************ Two:
************* [[#bangladesh]]
************ One:
************* Jimmy Carter is...
************** Being attacked by a giant swimming rabbit: April 20, 1979
************** Fine:
*************** The Sinai is part of what country?
**************** Israel: 1976-79
**************** Mostly Israel: 1980
**************** Mostly Egypt: 1981
**************** Egypt:
***************** What's the capital of Micronesia?
****************** Kolonia:
******************* Republic of the Upper Volta or Burkina Faso?
******************** Upper Volta: 1982-84
******************** 1985-88
****************** Palikir:
******************* (number of Yemens) + (number of Germanys) = ?
******************** Four: 1989-early 1990
******************** Three: mid-1990
******************** Two: late 1990-1991
******** No: 1922-1932
****** No:
******* North Korea?
******** Yes:
********* Zaire? or: "Hong Kong (UK)"
********** Yes: 1992-96
********** No:
*********** Serbia/Montenegro are...
************ One country:
************* East Timor?
************** No: 1997-2001
************** Yes: 2002-06
************ Two countries:
************* How many Sudans are there?
************** One: 2007-11
************** Two:
************** Is Crimea disputed?
*************** Yes:
**************** "Colorado" or "Danger—Radioactive Exclusion Zone—Avoid"?
***************** Colorado: 2014-21
***************** Danger:
****************** Does the warning mention the spiders?
******************* No: 2022
******************* Yes: 2023 or later
*************** No: 2012-13
******** No:
********* Saint Trimble's Island
********** No:
*********** Is Jan Mayen part of the Kingdom of Norway?
************ Not yet:
************* [[#canada-alaska-tokyo]]
************ What?
************* Can you see the familiar continents?
************** Yes:
*************** This sounds like a physical map or satellite photo.
**************** Yes, that's it
***************** Is Lake Chad missing?
****************** No:
******************* How far east do the American Prairies reach?
******************** Indiana: before 1830
******************** The Mississippi: 1830s-80s
******************** Nebraska:
********************* Is there a big lake in the middle of Southern California? (created by mistake)
********************** No: 1860s-1900s
********************** Yes: 1910s
******************** What prairies?
********************* Is there a big lake in the middle of Ghana? (created on purpose)
********************** No: 1920s-50s
********************** Yes: 1960s-70s
****************** Yes:
******************* Is the Aral Sea missing?
******************** No: 1970s-90s
******************** Yes: 2000s+
************** No:
*************** Rivers "Sirion" or "Anduin"?
**************** Yes:
***************** Mordor?
****************** No:
******************* Beleriand?
******************** Yes: First Age
******************** No: Early Second Age
****************** Yes:
******************* Númenor?
******************** Yes: Late Second Age
******************** No:
********************* The forest east of the Misty Mountains is...
********************** Greenwood: Early Third Age
********************** Mirkwood: Late Third Age
********************** The Wood of Greenleaves: Fourth Age
**************** No:
***************** Cair Paravel?
****************** Yes:
******************* Calormen?
******************** No:
********************* Lotta Islands?
********************** No:
*********************** Beruna
************************ Ford: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe
************************ Bridge:
********************** Yes: Prince Caspian
******************** Yes:
********************* Weird recursive heaven?
********************** No: one of the random later books
********************** Yes: The Last Battle
****************** No:
******************* Mossflower?
******************** Yes:
********************* Redwall
******************** No:
********************* Is the world on the back of a turtle?
********************** Yes: Discworld
********************** No:
*********************** Are you _sure_ this is a map?
************************ Yes:
************************* Did you make it yourself?
************************** Yes:
*************************** It's very nice.
**************************** Thank you!
************************ No:
************************* Is it trying to bite you?
************************** No:
*************************** Is it larger than a breadbox?
**************************** Yes: tuba
**************************** No: stapler
**************************** About the same: breadbox
************************** Yes:
*************************** If you let it go, what does it do?
**************************** Hisses and runs away: cat
**************************** Screeches and flaps around the room breaking things: seagull
************ Yes:
************* Pakistan?
************** No:
*************** How many Germanys are there?
**************** One:
***************** Persia or Iran?
****************** Persia: 1930-34
****************** Iran: 1935-40
**************** One, but it's _huge_: 1941-45
**************** Two: 1946-47
************** Yes:
*************** Cambodia?
**************** No:
***************** Eritrea is part of...
****************** Italy:
******************* Canada is...
******************** Missing a piece: 1948
******************** Fine: 1949-52
****************** Ethiopia: 1952-53
**************** Yes:
***************** The United Arab Republic?
****************** No: 1954-57
****************** Yes: 1958-60
********** Yes: No, I made that one up.
** Istanbul:
*** Does the Soviet Union exist?
**** Yes:
***** [[#west-africa-french-blob]]
**** No:
***** [[#zaire]]

{{incomplete transcript}}

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Large drawings]]
[[Category:Maps]]
[[Category:Time]]
[[Category:Animals]]
[[Category:Geography]]

1688: Map Age Guide

2016-06-01T14:48:53Z

173.245.52.62: /* Explanation */

{{comic
| number = 1688
| date = June 1, 2016
| title = Map Age Guide
| image = map_age_guide.png
| titletext = Does the screeching chill your blood and herald death? If yes, banshee. If no, seagull.
}}

*A [http://xkcd.com/1688/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==
{{incomplete|Many is still missing.}}
Flowchart depicting various ways to tell what era a map is from based on present country borders and land forms. Most of the options are very serious,with a few bizarre options (mistaking a seagull and breadbox for a map) or references to things like the {{w|Discworld}} books and Middle-earth, the setting of the Lord Of the Rings series. He also mentions US President Jimmy Carter being attacked by a giant swimming rabbit, an event previously referenced by [[204]].

Additionally, (possible) future maps including a "Radioactive Exclusion Zone" in the place of Colorado are mentioned.

The title text continues the path where the user has confused a seagull for a map by inquiring if the (presumed) seagull might be a banshee based on the effect of its screams.

(First Draft, please expand.)

Going through the flowchart, taking the leftmost path first:

'''Istanbul or Constantinople''': The city that is now the capital of Turkey is famous for having different names at different times or to different people (and perhaps the inspiration for this comic.) Variations on both names go back at least 1,000 years. Other names have also been used at various points. Istanbul has been the official name since the 1920's, although Western maps often referred to it as Constantinople as late as the 1960's; on the flowchart, the choice of name appears to go with the 1920's date. The name changes are the subject of a [http://mentalfloss.com/article/60314/original-istanbul-not-constantinople song], originally by the Four Lads, but now mainly known for the They Might Be Giants recording.

(rightmost path first)

The Soviet Union is one of the largest countries ever to exist consisting of Russia and large portions of eastern Europe and central Asia. It was a major political force from 1922, when several allied soviets republics united, to 1991, when it broke up. Its very simple to find on any map that has it.

Zaire was one of a series of names for what is today called the Democratic Republic of the Congo. In 1996 a (successful) revolt began to oust the reigning government from power. As part of this revolution, the country was renamed. The origonal name change away from 'Congo' was part of an 'Africanisation' naming campaign, although 'Congo' is in origin an authentic African name for the river that set the boundaries of the nation.

Serbia and Montenegro were a remnant of Yugoslavia. Montenegro voted to become its own country in 2006.

East Timor is a nation north of Australia and south east of Indonesia. During the dutch colonization of Indonesia east Timor remained in Portuguese hands. While occupied and annexed by Indonesia since 1976, east Timor retained its own culture and voted for independence, then had a nasty militia action that required UN peacekeeping action, and finally become independent in 2002.

In 2011, after a long history of violence between the two portions of the country (which can be characterized as Islamic vs. Christian and Traditional Religions), South Sudan became independent from its northern neighbor.

==Transcript==

Start:
* Istanbul or Constantinople?
** Constantinople:
*** Do any of these exist? Independent Canada; US Territory of Alaska; Tokyo.
**** No:
***** The Holy Roman Empire?
****** Yes:
******* 1805 or earlier (before this point, the modern idea of a complete political map of the world gets hard to apply.)
****** No:
******* The United States?
******** No:
********* How sure are you that this map is in english?
******** Yes:
********* Texas is...
********** Part of Mexico:
*********** Florida is part of...
************ Spain:
************* Paraguay?
************** No: 1806-10
************** Yes: 1811-17
************ The US:
************* Venezuela and/or ecuador?
************** No: 1818-29
************** Yes: 1830-33
********** Independent: 1834-45
********** Part of the US:
*********** Does Russia border the Sea of Japan?
************ No:
************* The US's southern border looks...
************** Weird: 1846-53
************** Normal: 1854-56
************ Yes: 1858-67
**** Yes:
***** South Africa?
****** No:
******* Rhodesia?
******** No:
********* Is Bolivia landlocked?
********** No:
*********** "Buda" and "Pest" or "Budapest"?
************ Buda and Pest: 1868-72
************ Budapest: 1873-83
********** Yes: 1884-95
******** Yes:
********* Is Norway part of Sweden?
********** Yes: 1896-1905
********** No: 1906-09
****** Yes:
******* Austria-Hungary?
******** Yes:
********* Albania?
********** No: 1910-12
********** Yes: 1913-18
******** No:
********* Leningrad?
********** No: 1919-23
********** Yes: 1924-29
** Neither:
*** Does the Ottoman Empire exist?
**** Yes: [[#canada-alaska-tokyo]]
**** No:
***** The Soviet Union?
****** Yes:
******* Saudi Arabia?
******** Yes:
********* Is most of West Africa a giant french blob?
********** Yes:
*********** Bangladesh?
************ No:
************* Is the area sout of Lake Victoria...
************** British:
*************** The town on I-25 between Albuquerque and El Paso is...
**************** Hot Springs: 1948-49
**************** Truth or Consequences: 1950-52
************** Tanganyika: 1961-64
************** Tanzania: 1965-71
************ Yes: 1972-75
********** No:
*********** How many Vietnams are there?
************ Two:
************* [[#bangladesh]]
************ One:
************* Jimmy Carter is...
************** Being attacked by a giant swimming rabbit: April 20, 1979
************** Fine:
*************** The Sinai is part of what country?
**************** Israel: 1976-79
**************** Mostly Israel: 1980
**************** Mostly Egypt: 1981
**************** Egypt:
***************** What's the capital of Micronesia?
****************** Kolonia:
******************* Republic of the Upper Volta or Burkina Faso?
******************** Upper Volta: 1982-84
******************** 1985-88
****************** Palikir:
******************* (number of Yemens) + (number of Germanys) = ?
******************** Four: 1989-early 1990
******************** Three: mid-1990
******************** Two: late 1990-1991
******** No: 1922-1932
****** No:
******* North Korea?
******** Yes:
********* Zaire? or: "Hong Kong (UK)"
********** Yes: 1992-96
********** No:
*********** Serbia/Montenegro are...
************ One country:
************* East Timor?
************** No: 1997-2001
************** Yes: 2002-06
************ Two countries:
************* How many Sudans are there?
************** One: 2007-11
************** Two:
************** Is Crimea disputed?
*************** Yes:
**************** "Colorado" or "Danger—Radioactive Exclusion Zone—Avoid"?
***************** Colorado: 2014-21
***************** Danger:
****************** Does the warning mention the spiders?
******************* No: 2022
******************* Yes: 2023 or later
*************** No: 2012-13
******** No:
********* Saint Trimble's Island
********** No:
*********** Is Jan Mayen part of the Kingdom of Norway?
************ Not yet:
************* [[#canada-alaska-tokyo]]
************ What?
************* Can you see the familiar continents?
************** Yes:
*************** This sounds like a physical map or satellite photo.
**************** Yes, that's it
***************** Is Lake Chad missing?
****************** No:
******************* How far east do the American Prairies reach?
******************** Indiana: before 1830
******************** The Mississippi: 1830s-80s
******************** Nebraska:
********************* Is there a big lake in the middle of Southern California? (created by mistake)
********************** No: 1860s-1900s
********************** Yes: 1910s
******************** What prairies?
********************* Is there a big lake in the middle of Ghana? (created on purpose)
********************** No: 1920s-50s
********************** Yes: 1960s-70s
****************** Yes:
******************* Is the Aral Sea missing?
******************** No: 1970s-90s
******************** Yes: 2000s+
************** No:
*************** Rivers "Sirion" or "Anduin"?
**************** Yes:
***************** Mordor?
****************** No:
******************* Beleriand?
******************** Yes: First Age
******************** No: Early Second Age
****************** Yes:
******************* Númenor?
******************** Yes: Late Second Age
******************** No:
********************* The forest east of the Misty Mountains is...
********************** Greenwood: Early Third Age
********************** Mirkwood: Late Third Age
********************** The Wood of Greenleaves: Fourth Age
**************** No:
***************** Cair Paravel?
****************** Yes:
******************* Calormen?
******************** No:
********************* Lotta Islands?
********************** No:
*********************** Beruna
************************ Ford: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe
************************ Bridge:
********************** Yes: Prince Caspian
******************** Yes:
********************* Weird recursive heaven?
********************** No: one of the random later books
********************** Yes: The Last Battle
****************** No:
******************* Mossflower?
******************** Yes:
********************* Redwall
******************** No:
********************* Is the world on the back of a turtle?
********************** Yes: Discworld
********************** No:
*********************** Are you _sure_ this is a map?
************************ Yes:
************************* Did you make it yourself?
************************** Yes:
*************************** It's very nice.
**************************** Thank you!
************************ No:
************************* Is it trying to bite you?
************************** No:
*************************** Is it larger than a breadbox?
**************************** Yes: tuba
**************************** No: stapler
**************************** About the same: breadbox
************************** Yes:
*************************** If you let it go, what does it do?
**************************** Hisses and runs away: cat
**************************** Screeches and flaps around the room breaking things: seagull
************ Yes:
************* Pakistan?
************** No:
*************** How many Germanys are there?
**************** One:
***************** Persia or Iran?
****************** Persia: 1930-34
****************** Iran: 1935-40
**************** One, but it's _huge_: 1941-45
**************** Two: 1946-47
************** Yes:
*************** Cambodia?
**************** No:
***************** Eritrea is part of...
****************** Italy:
******************* Canada is...
******************** Missing a piece: 1948
******************** Fine: 1949-52
****************** Ethiopia: 1952-53
**************** Yes:
***************** The United Arab Republic?
****************** No: 1954-57
****************** Yes: 1958-60
********** Yes: No, I made that one up.
** Istanbul:
*** Does the Soviet Union exist?
**** Yes:
***** [[#west-africa-french-blob]]
**** No:
***** [[#zaire]]

{{incomplete transcript}}

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Large drawings]]
[[Category:Maps]]
[[Category:Time]]
[[Category:Animals]]
[[Category:Geography]]

Talk:1683: Digital Data

2016-05-20T19:37:40Z

173.245.52.62:

Ewww, Verizon? **** them [[User:International Space Station|International Space Station]] ([[User talk:International Space Station|talk]]) 04:58, 20 May 2016 (UTC)

Ironically, the title text on explainxkcd is different from the one on xkcd.com, demonstrating the reinterpretation of text encoded in UTF-8 as if it were encoded in ISO 8859-1. [[Special:Contributions/162.158.85.231|162.158.85.231]] 05:45, 20 May 2016 (UTC)

-Exactly; this nicely proves Randall's point. On my computer, different characters appear in different browsers, but of course in one browser the characters are reproducible.--[[User:Jkrstrt|Jkrstrt]] ([[User talk:Jkrstrt|talk]]) 07:26, 20 May 2016 (UTC)

Here is the decoded title text:
“If you can read this, congratulations–the archive youʼre you're using still knows about the mouseover text”!

:Grungy details:
:*â€œ -> ''convert to hex'' -> E2-80-9C -> ''UTF8 decode'' -> 0010-000000-011100 -> [http://www.fileformat.info/info/unicode/char/201C/index.htm U-201C "LEFT DOUBLE QUOTATION MARK"]
:*â€” -> ''convert to hex'' -> E2-80-94 -> ''UTF8 decode'' -> 0010-000000-010100 -> [http://www.fileformat.info/info/unicode/char/2014/index.htm U-2014 "EM DASH"]
:*â€™ -> ''convert to hex'' -> E2-80-99 -> ''UTF8 decode'' -> 0010-000000-011001 -> [http://www.fileformat.info/info/unicode/char/2019/index.htm U-2019 "RIGHT SINGLE QUOTATION MARK"]
:*â€! -> ''convert to hex'' -> E2-80-9D -> ''UTF8 decode'' -> 0010-000000-011101 -> [http://www.fileformat.info/info/unicode/char/201d/index.htm U-201D "RIGHT DOUBLE QUOTATION MARK"]
:[[User:Odysseus654|Odysseus654]] ([[User talk:Odysseus654|talk]]) 17:31, 20 May 2016 (UTC)

He's written you're twice, but one is with a curly apostrophe, often favoured by americans (and maybe brits?), possible because of their keyboard. The simple apostrophe is “just” html-formatted, whereas the curly one has been molested by a UTF-8 / ISO-8859-1 misreading.
--[[Special:Contributions/108.162.229.16|108.162.229.16]] 07:51, 20 May 2016 (UTC)
: I'm British, and I don't have the curly apostrophe anywhere on my keyboard. [[User:Enchantedsleeper|Enchantedsleeper]] ([[User talk:Enchantedsleeper|talk]]) 11:01, 20 May 2016 (UTC)

: I'm American, and I also don't have the curly apostrophe anywhere on my keyboard, but word processing programs (like MS-Word) are configured by default to automatically replace an ASCII apostrophe in a conjunction with the fancy right-single-quote mark. Also when using quotation marks around text those programs automatically replace the repeated single ASCII quotation marks with the fancy left and right quotation marks (single if using single quotes, double if using double quotes). Most people don't care enough to disable that "feature"... [[Special:Contributions/162.158.252.143|162.158.252.143]] 15:13, 20 May 2016 (UTC)

This is a phenomenon that has always both fascinated me and frustrated me. I find it fascinating how, even today, data degrades as more and more people copy it (remember the old days when people used to copy VHS tapes, and the further you were from the original tape the more copying artefacts your copy had in it?). It also frustrates me, though, when I'm trying to find an original, undegraded image or video and it seems impossible to find. It's also annoying because it's actually pretty easy to copy something without causing any quality loss, yet practically every copied image on the internet has been degraded in some way or another. [[Special:Contributions/141.101.98.130|141.101.98.130]] 07:08, 20 May 2016 (UTC)

:If you haven't yet, you should check out this guy who ripped and reuploaded his own Youtube video 1000 times: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jEIzS_27Vt0 [[Special:Contributions/162.158.222.150|162.158.222.150]] 08:28, 20 May 2016 (UTC)

::...and after 100 iterations https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k6GMvihskBQ ...and the summary of all of them https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=icruGcSsPp0 [[User:Odysseus654|Odysseus654]] ([[User talk:Odysseus654|talk]]) 16:50, 20 May 2016 (UTC)

:It can be frustrating to try to convince new people drawing schematics on the computer to not use 4-way junctions because they don't expect digital images to degrade over multiple generations of copying. This xkcd demonstrates the way multiple generations can degrade even digital images, potentially making it difficult to differentiate two crossing (but electrically separate) signal lines from a 4-way junction on a schematic. Sorry, I'll get off my soap box now. ;-) [[Special:Contributions/162.158.252.143|162.158.252.143]] 15:13, 20 May 2016 (UTC)

It's also funny because just a few moments ago I was trying to compress some video to send to someone. [[Special:Contributions/141.101.98.130|141.101.98.130]] 07:12, 20 May 2016 (UTC)

http://fotoforensics.com/analysis.php?id=274fcf46426f2da31b057f1652ae5269cfdbd70a.190103 this page highlights the encoding blocks so that the degration of quality can be seen better. [[Special:Contributions/141.101.91.205|141.101.91.205]] 09:42, 20 May 2016 (UTC)

The phenomenon that Randall is making fun of in this comic is actually called a "shitpic" http://www.theawl.com/2014/12/the-triumphant-rise-of-the-shitpic The explanation should probably make reference to that. [[User:Enchantedsleeper|Enchantedsleeper]] ([[User talk:Enchantedsleeper|talk]]) 10:57, 20 May 2016 (UTC)

I think the watermarks on the last frame are from an unregistered screenshot tool, not "9gag" or similar. The references to shit pics are interesting, but aren't you over interpreting the whole thing? {{unsigned ip|162.158.83.174}}

There's a 9gag thing in the image, clean your glasses and look again. --[[Special:Contributions/173.245.54.46|173.245.54.46]] 12:15, 20 May 2016 (UTC)

Both screenshots from iOS definitely. Safari browser and… anybody knows? Some kind of other web browser? Maybe Chrome or Opera? <Need to finally create account> [[Special:Contributions/162.158.202.152|162.158.202.152]] 15:32, 20 May 2016 (UTC)

Apparently Russians have been getting this a lot, as they (up to the point of the existence of UNICODE) have had to deal a lot with people using bad codepages. Example of their post office dealing with a physical package addressed with a bad codepage: http://worldlanguages.wikia.com/wiki/Mojibake?file=Letter_to_Russia_with_krokozyabry.jpg [[User:Odysseus654|Odysseus654]] ([[User talk:Odysseus654|talk]]) 16:54, 20 May 2016 (UTC)

Here is the progression as I see it:
*Frame 1 - The original PNG
*Frame 2 - The PNG converted to a JPEG
*Frame 3 - The JPEG as viewed on a mobile browser (Safari on iOS in this case)
*Frame 4 - A screen-shot of the mobile browser uploaded to Tumblr and then stolen by 9GAG
[[Special:Contributions/173.245.52.62|173.245.52.62]] 19:37, 20 May 2016 (UTC)

Talk:1678: Recent Searches

2016-05-09T16:25:14Z

173.245.52.62:

You can convert jpg to Excel (http://www.think-maths.co.uk/spreadsheet), so converting gif to Excel is not really absurd...

Interestingly enough "CPU temperature sensor limits" might be a serious consideration for extreme overclockers, who use things like liquid nitrogen to cool their PC. [[User:SG 01|SG 01]] ([[User talk:SG 01|talk]]) 15:45, 9 May 2016 (UTC)

This is my first time trying to help out with an explanation, please let me know if I did something wrong ^_^; [[User:Undergroundmonorail|Undergroundmonorail]] ([[User talk:Undergroundmonorail|talk]]) 15:48, 9 May 2016 (UTC)

Is it possible the first one is an attempt to misuse google translate to translate programming code (to another programming language or even between linguistic languages)? [[User:TheHYPO|TheHYPO]] ([[User talk:TheHYPO|talk]]) 15:59, 9 May 2016 (UTC)

GIF to XLS could be a reference to http://www.think-maths.co.uk/spreadsheet [[Special:Contributions/141.101.93.55|141.101.93.55]] 16:16, 9 May 2016 (UTC)

== autoexec joke ==

isn't this related to autoexec.bat? [[User:Blydro|Blydro]] ([[User talk:Blydro|talk]]) 16:00, 9 May 2016 (UTC)blydro

I originally interpreted "clean reinstall keybinding" as meaning that his keybindings were so entirely screwed that he wanted to do a clean reinstall of the keybinding system, but the other interpretation is funnier. [[Special:Contributions/108.162.219.74|108.162.219.74]] 16:24, 9 May 2016 (UTC)

== FSCK ==

I've only ever seen "fsck" as a way of saying "fuck" that bypasses content filters, such as in global chat in games like World of Warcraft. [[Special:Contributions/173.245.52.62|173.245.52.62]] 16:25, 9 May 2016 (UTC)

1673: Timeline of Bicycle Design

2016-04-28T13:49:43Z

173.245.52.62: /* Explanation */

{{comic
| number = 1673
| date = 27 April, 2016
| title = Timeline of Bicycle Design
| image = timeline of bicycle design.png
| titletext = I'll be honest--the 1950s were a rough time for cycling.
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|There still isn't much here. We could use a table of each bike design and what's wrong with it.}}
[[Randall]] created a 200 year history for bicycles with 13 designs ranging from 1810 to 2016. Most of these bike designs are completely fictitious. {{Citation needed}}

The only model that both looks like a real model and fits the year is the 1875 model, which resembles the {{w|Penny-farthing}}. The Penny-farthing was popular in the 1870s until the {{w|Safety bicycle}} took over around 1880. The 1875 model appears to be missing handlebars, but it's worth noting that on the real bicycle, the handlebars were very small and close to the saddle, and may be too small to appear in the drawing.

The 1860 model looks like the {{w|American Star Bicycle}}, but that bicycle was first invented in the 1880s.

Some of the other examples of "bikes" could, however, look like those in the image at the top of the {{w|Velocipede}} Wikipedia page.

Several of the "bikes" are shown with a human — [[Ponytail]] is "riding" the pole-vaulting bike, [[Cueball]] appears in four designs, and [[Megan]] appears in three. These humans provide a sense of scale and, in some cases, a demonstration of how the bike might be operated. Cueball's appearance in the 1900 design shows how huge that bike is, appearing to dwarf the previous two models while continuing the short trend of ever-increasing size.

Only two of the bikes have pedals (1875 and 2016) and only one has a sprocket with a chain (1980). Seven designs include a seat for the rider — eight if you count the device holding Megan in the 1980 model.

The 1925 model is reminiscent of a {{w|fractal}}; {{w|Benoit Mandelbrot}} was born in October 1924.

The 1880 model could be the result of an {{w|evolutionary algorithm}} trying to produce a bicycle. Some sub-optimal algorithms that have been given the task of creating a vehicle have been shown to misplace parts in ways that makes them completely useless and/or inaccessible — for example, placing a small wheel inside a much larger wheel.

This comic (especially the 2016 bicycle) is possibly also a reference to [https://www.liverpool.ac.uk/~rlawson/cycleweb.html The Science of Cycology], a cognitive psychology project run by Rebecca Lawson at the University of Liverpool, which asked study participants to draw a bicycle from memory. The error rate was high, supporting a hypothesis that humans over-estimate their ability to explain how things work. Gianluca Gimini ran a similar project, [http://www.gianlucagimini.it/prototypes/velocipedia.html Velocipedia], in which he asked people to draw free-hand sketches of bicycles from memory, then later rendered some of the results as if they were real bikes.

Also, the designs given for the years from 1825 to 1925 distinctly resemble designs that tend to evolve in the various challenge environments in the genetic evolution games [http://boxcar2d.com/ BoxCar2D] ({{w|Flash Player}}) or [http://rednuht.org/genetic_cars_2/ Genetic Cars 2] ({{w|HTML5}}).

The 1980 design looks strikingly similar to the southpark "wild whacky action bike".

The title text refers to the scene labeled "1955" which depicts Cueball being chased by 3 bicycle wheels. Whatever caused the wheels to chase Cueball down a hill is left to the reader's imagination. It could be that the wheels have become sentient and are actively chasing Cueball, or it could be that the bicycle failed horribly and Cueball is running from the wreckage. The era this "bike design" is from (1955, which is in the 50s) would be hard to ride a bike in if it was the only available design.

==Transcript==
:[13 drawings 8 in the top and 5 in the bottom row of different and weird "bicycle" designs. Above them there is a heading, and below each bike a year is given. On the very last cycle there is a drinking bottle with a label.]
:'''Timeline of Bicycle Design'''

:[Ponytail hanging on to a bending rod that goes down to a single normal sized bike wheel. It looks like a unicycle with no seat. The rod is bending quite a lot so she looks like she is about to use the contraption as a pole vault]
:1810

:[Cueball is running after a device holding on to a rod bend in several places before reaching the ground at a very small wheel that then is connected with a shorter rod to a normal sized bike wheel.]
:1825

:[Two normal sized bike wheels connected with a single rod between them.]
:1840

:[Megan sits on a large saddle on top of a double sized bike wheel, she has some kind of handle bars to hold on to (or it could just be the saddle) and then a small rod goes down to a half size front wheel.]
:1860

:[A regular drawing of a Penny-farthing with very small back wheel (half the size of the front wheel on the 1860 bike) and very large front wheel (larger than the 1860 bike) and pedals in the middle of the front wheel. The handle bars on such a bike is so small that it is likely they cannot be seen in this drawing.]
:1875

:[A huge wheel twice the size of the one on the Penny-farthing, and then a small wheel (like the small one on the Penny-farthing) hangs in a rod from the center of the giant wheel. The small wheel has a saddle attached, but it is not straight up.]
:1880

:[This is the largest bike. Not the largest drawings, but where the other have the characters in roughly the same size, this one has a small drawing of Cueball standing on top of the wheel holding on to some kind of handle bar. The wheel is about three time his height.]
:1900

:[Cueball sits in the "saddle" of a bike design that is similar to the Penny-farthing, but the saddle is more a rod, and the back wheel is on a rod going straight down from where the saddle ends. Also there are no pedals, so Cueball seems to be directly spinning the front wheel by hand.]
:1915

:[A symmetrical saddle sits on top of single bike wheel, as with a unicycle but no pedals, but then there are (at least) six progressively smaller wheels in-line to the first, three to front and three to the rear, each new wheel approximately half the size of the one before. A possible fourth wheel, presumed to complete the set of medial stabilisers, can no longer be discerned from the rod that goes through the center of the larger wheels.]
:1925

:[Megan stands on top of a saddle with a oar that looks like the single-oar sculling used for gondolas in Venice. She holds this to the ground behind her, while trying to move her bike forward. The bike consists of four small wheels, one straight under her, one behind, one equally in front of her and the last even further in front. They are all connected to the saddle with individual rods.]
:1940

:[Three normal sized bike wheel are rolling down a hill after Cueball who runs away from them with his arms up.]
:1955

:[Megan sits on a bike contraption that seems to have a holder around her mid section rather than her sitting on a saddle. This holder goes to the back wheel below her, and there is actually a sprocket with a chain, although no clear pedals beneath her feet. She holds on to a very long handle bar, which connects with two long rods coming from the sprocket at the front end of the bike far ahead of Megan, below which is a wheel, to where the chain is actually going. Both wheels seems to be normal size.]
:1980

:[Another weird contraption of a bike with pedals on both normal sized wheels which have handlebars on the side pointing down towards the front. The saddle hangs in a swing, connected to a rod above it, which goes to the front of the bike and splits in two rods which connect to the center frame of the bike. In front of these there is a contraption resembling many styles of touring bike handlebars, which sits just above the front wheel. The two wheels are connected with a long rod between the center of the wheels and in the middle of this is the center part of the frame going up toward the handle. On the middle of this is a bottle with a label. Towards the back wheel there are two rods sticking out, one presumably a kickstand, the other possibly a parking brake.]
:2016
:Bottle: Milk

{{comic discussion}}



[[Category:Comics featuring Ponytail]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Megan]]
[[Category:Multiple Cueballs]]
[[Category:Charts]]

Talk:1673: Timeline of Bicycle Design

2016-04-27T17:30:59Z

173.245.52.62:

I have deleted the entire paragraph with the Alternatively, explanation that this could be an analogue to the process of meiosis and pregnancy... It seems extremely far fetched to me... [[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 13:01, 27 April 2016 (UTC)

Seconded. This is a bizarre comic, and there will be a bizarre explanation, but that is clearly not it. [[Special:Contributions/141.101.70.181|141.101.70.181]] 13:04, 27 April 2016 (UTC)

That 1860 bike looks like the {{w|American Star Bicycle}}, but the year doesn't match. [[Special:Contributions/141.101.79.49|141.101.79.49]] 13:10, 27 April 2016 (UTC)

(Moved here from explanation:) The randomness of the designs reminds me of the strange designs produced by the genetic evolution AI in the game BoxCar2D.[[Special:Contributions/141.101.80.78|141.101.80.78]] 15:05, 27 April 2016‎

This comic strongly remind me of http://boxcar2d.com/ [[User:Dorus|Dorus]] ([[User talk:Dorus|talk]]) 14:24, 27 April 2016 (UTC)

I third the above comments. It could also help explain the title text, as the 1955 panel shows a broken and failed cycle, which can happen when a detrimental mutation (like weak wheel linkages) is selected by the AI to be passed on.

Would have seconded it, only looks like I'm fourthing it, instead. Also I adjusted 1925's transcript description as the numbers were wrong. (I also suspect it's related to the stabilisation applied to the [https://postalheritage.wordpress.com/tag/pentacycle/ Pentacycle], only without visible in/out-of-page stability. (Because the third dimension doesn't exist? Well apart from 1900 that looks to be a bicycle version of the [http://www.thisvictorianlife.com/cycling.html Rudge], with a solid insert to the spoked wheel ('poor man's disc-wheel' kit?) obscuring all but the spurious over-wheel drive-chain and the rider's head.) [[Special:Contributions/141.101.98.137|141.101.98.137]] 15:09, 27 April 2016 (UTC)

Can you include the 'Alternatively,' explanation down here so I (and presumably others) don't have to wade through the page's history? We could list all sorts of far-fetched explanations, it has definitely happened on other comics.

I have a feeling that this is related to the idea that nobody can draw a bicycle. For example, [https://www.behance.net/gallery/35437979/Velocipedia this artist created 3D renderings of bicycles drawn by strangers]. [[User:Rael|Rael]] ([[User talk:Rael|talk]]) 14:51, 27 April 2016 (UTC)

Does anyone else think the 1980 bike resembles a horse-drawn carriage minus the horses? Specifically, the two long parts Megan is holding look like reins. [[Special:Contributions/108.162.246.122|108.162.246.122]] 16:06, 27 April 2016 (UTC)
: This one rather makes me think of a chopper, only without the engine. [[Special:Contributions/108.162.229.49|108.162.229.49]] 16:49, 27 April 2016 (UTC)
:: Indeed, there is a movement for both chopper and lowrider bicycles. I have seen both and the 1980's bicycle looks almost like a lowrider bike I saw in Arvada CO probably in 2014. [[Special:Contributions/162.158.255.89|162.158.255.89]] 17:29, 27 April 2016 (UTC)

I came here thinking I did not get the joke. After reading the description I see I am not the only one. [[Special:Contributions/108.162.246.119|108.162.246.119]] 16:23, 27 April 2016 (UTC)

: Same here. I think the joke is just Randall exaggerating actual bicycle designs. Either that or it's "The Evolution of the Bicycle" in an alternate reality. [[Special:Contributions/173.245.52.62|173.245.52.62]] 17:30, 27 April 2016 (UTC)

Is the point of the timeseries that while most things in biology evolve gradually over time (think all of those Evolution of Man t-shirts), undergoing great changes in form, we basically hit all the possible bicycle designs in the first 20 years and it has gone along essentially unchanged ever since? There are specialty bikes made possible by new frame materials, but they are all "Safety Bicycles". The takeaway of the comic could be either about the simplicity of the solution to the bicycle "problem", or about the difference between engineered design and the natural selection. [[User:Peregrinus|Peregrinus]] ([[User talk:Peregrinus|talk]]) 17:27, 27 April 2016 (UTC)

1673: Timeline of Bicycle Design

2016-04-27T15:28:49Z

173.245.52.62: /* Explanation */

{{comic
| number = 1673
| date = 27 April, 2016
| title = Timeline of Bicycle Design
| image = timeline of bicycle design.png
| titletext = I'll be honest--the 1950s were a rough time for cycling.
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Still only scratching the surface of possible explanation. Also title text not mentioned.}}
[[Randall]] created a 200 year history for bicycles with 13 bike designs ranging from 1810 until today 2016.

But the only model that both looks like a real model and fits the year is the 1875 model, which seem to be a depiction of a {{w|Penny-farthing}}, which was popular in the 1870's up until the 1880's when the {{w|Safety bicycle}} took over. (It may be drawn without handlebars, but these were really small on that model, and might be too small for the drawing). The 1860 model looks like the {{w|American Star Bicycle}}, but that was first invented in the 1880s.

Some of the other examples of "bikes" could, however, look like those in the image at the top of the {{w|Velocipede}} Wikipedia page.

Interestingly enough only some of the bikes have drivers like [[Ponytail]] pole vaulting bike, and [[Cueball]] appears four times with [[Megan]] three times. Only in the 1900 design is Cueball drawn in a clearly different scale to indicate how huge that bike is, making it even bigger than the 1880 which continued the trend from 1860. This still leaves five designs without humans to compare the scale with.

Only two of the bikes have pedals (1875 and 2016) and only one has a sprocket with a chain (1980). Just above half have saddle (7), if the 1980 Megan holder is not counted as a saddle.

The 1925 model is reminiscent of a {{w|fractal}}; {{w|Benoit Mandelbrot}} was born just before 1925, in October 1924.

This comic (especially the 2016 bicycle) is possibly also a reference to [https://www.liverpool.ac.uk/~rlawson/cycleweb.html The Science of Cycology], a cognitive psychology project run by Rebecca Lawson at the University of Liverpool that asked study participants to draw a bicycle from memory. The error rate was high, supporting a hypothesis that humans over-estimate their ability to explain how things work.
Gianluca Gimini made a similar project, [http://www.gianlucagimini.it/prototypes/velocipedia.html Velocipedia]. Gimini asked people to draw free hand sketches of bicycles and rendered the results as real bikes.

Also, the designs given for the years from 1825 to 1925 distinctly resemble designs that tend to evolve in the various challenge environments in the genetic evolution game [http://boxcar2d.com/ BoxCar2D].

The title text refers to the scene labeled "1955" which depicts Cueball being chased by 3 bicycle wheels. Whatever caused the wheels to become sentient and rebel against their human masters is left to the reader's imagination.

==Transcript==
:[13 drawings 8 in the top and 5 in the bottom row of different and weird "bicycle" designs. Above them there is a heading, and below each bike a year is given. On the very last cycle there is a drinking bottle with a label.]
:'''Timeline of Bicycle Design'''

:[Ponytail hanging on to a bending rod that goes down to a single normal sized bike wheel. It looks like a unicycle with no seat. The rod is bending quite a lot so she looks like she is about to use the contraption as a pole vault]
:1810

:[Cueball is running after a device holding on to a rod bend in several places before reaching the ground at a very small wheel that then is connected with a shorter rod to a normal sized bike wheel.]
:1825

:[Two normal sized bike wheels connected with a single rod between them.]
:1840

:[Megan sits on a large saddle on top of a double sized bike wheel, she has some kind of handle bars to hold on to (or it could just be the saddle) and then a small rod goes down to a half size front wheel.]
:1860

:[A regular drawing of a Penny-farthing with very small back wheel (half the size of the front wheel on the 1860 bike) and very large front wheel (larger than the 1860 bike) and pedals in the middle of the front wheel. The handle bars on such a bike is so small that it is likely they cannot be seen in this drawing.]
:1875

:[A huge wheel twice the size of the one on the Penny-farthing, and then a small wheel (like the small one on the Penny-farthing) hangs in a rod from the center of the giant wheel. The small wheel has a saddle attached, but it is not straight up.]
:1880

:[This is the largest bike. Not the largest drawings, but where the other have the characters in roughly the same size, this one has a small drawing of Cueball standing on top of the wheel holding on to some kind of handle bar. The wheel is about three time his height.]
:1900

:[Cueball sits in the "saddle" of a bike design the is similar to the Penny-farthing, but the saddle is more a rod, and the back wheel is on a rod going straight down from where the saddle ends. Also there are no pedals, and Cueball seems to hang on to the saddle reaching forward rather than having any control of the bike.]
:1915

:[A symmetrical saddle sits on top of single bike wheel, as with a unicycle but no pedals, but then there are (at least) six progressively smaller wheels in-line to the first, three to front and three to the rear, each new wheel approximately half the size of the one before. A possible fourth wheel, presumed to complete the set of medial stabilisers, can no longer be discerned from the rod that goes through the center of the larger wheels.]
:1925

:[Megan stands on top of a saddle with a oar that looks like the single-oar sculling used for gondolas in Venice. She holds this to the ground behind her, while trying to move her bike forward. The bike consists of four small wheels, one straight under her, one behind, one equally in front of her and the last even further in front. They are all connected to the saddle with individual rods.]
:1940

:[Three normal sized bike wheel are rolling down a hill after Cueball who runs away from them with his arms up.]
:1955

:[Megan sits on a bike contraption that seems to have a holder around her mid section rather than her sitting on a saddle. This holder goes to the back wheel below her, and there is actually a sprocket with a chain, although no clear pedals beneath her feet. She holds on to a very long handle bar, which connects with two long rods coming from the sprocket at the front end of the bike far ahead of Megan, below which is a wheel, to where the chain is actually going. Both wheels seems to be normal size.]
:1980

:[Another weird contraption of a bike with pedals on both normal sized wheels which have wheel guards on the side pointing down towards the front. The saddle hangs in a swing that connect to a rod above it which goes to the front of the bike and splits in two rods that connects to the center frame of the bike. In front of these there is a contraption that reminds of a handle bar, which sits just above the front wheel. The two wheels are connected with a long rod between the center of the wheels and in the middle of this is the center part of the frame going up toward the handle. On the middle of this is a bottle with a label. Towards the back wheel there are two rods sticking out, with no clear meaning.]
:2016
:Bottle: Milk

{{comic discussion}}



[[Category:Comics featuring Ponytail]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Megan]]
[[Category:Multiple Cueballs]]
[[Category:Charts]]

1672: Women on 20s

2016-04-25T16:07:54Z

173.245.52.62: /* Transcript */

{{comic
| number = 1672
| date = April 25, 2016
| title = Women on 20s
| image = women_on_20s.png
| titletext = I get that there are security reasons for the schedule, but this is like the ONE problem we have where the right answer is both easy and straightforward. If we can't figure it out, maybe we should just give up and just replace all the portraits on the bills with that weird pyramid eye thing.
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|The transcript needs work.}}

This comic portrays a series or press conferences with a US Treasury spokesperson to summarize and ridicule the recent controversy over the upcoming redesign of US currency. The dialog between the US Treasury and reporters is paraphrased for comedic effect, but the events depicted are otherwise factual.

American currency has never had a woman as the primary portrait on paper currency, which is widely seen as a real problem. Responding to this issue, the Treasury Department initially planned to replace {{w|Andrew Jackson}} with a woman, to be chosen by public voting. {{w|Trail of Tears}} is a reference to the forced relocations of Native American peoples that Andrew Jackson conducted during his presidency. This is now seen as a human rights violation on a massive scale, and is presented as a reason why Andrew Jackson should not be honored on American currency.

The voting process selected {{w|Harriet Tubman}}, a 19th century abolitionist and a major figure in the {{w|Underground Railroad}} system which freed American slaves. Cueball is clearly pleased and excited about this prospect.

At this point, bureaucratic and political complications arise. The Treasury Department announces that, instead of replacing Andrew Jackson on the $20 bill, she would replace {{w|Alexander Hamilton}} on the $10. The reason given is that the $10 bill was scheduled for redesign first. A reporter asks why they can't simply change the schedule, but doesn't get a clear answer.

This plan is complicated when {{w|Hamilton_(musical)|a Broadway musical}} about the life of Alexander Hamilton comes out and becomes massively popular. This creates a flood of interest in Hamilton, and makes replacing his portrait politically complicated. The spokesperson suggests putting both Hamilton and Tubman on the $10 bill, but the reporters clearly think this is an unnecessary compromise.

Finally, the spokesperson announces that they will put Tubman on the $20 bill, but their schedule demands that they do the $10 bill first. They decide to put a "mural to women" on the new $10 bill to try and contain the tension until new $20 bill is released. The reporters point out that the Treasury has total control over the release of currency, so the simpler solution is just to change the schedule, but they're apparently ignored.

In the final panel, the spokesperson mentions that Jackson's portrait will still appear on the new $20 bill, seriously weakening the symbolism of replacing him and adding irony since Jackson was a slave owner. This is likely an effort to head off the complaints of traditionalists, but is seen here as an unfortunate attempt to avoid taking a real stand.

{{w|Martin Shkreli}} is a pharmaceutical executive who has come under a lot of public outrage for drastically increasing the price of a life-saving medication.

The title text reiterates that this is a rare case in politics in which there's a clear and simple solution. The Treasury has the authority to redesign currency and change the release schedule however they like. That makes all the compromises and backtracking unnecessary: they could simply replace Jackson with Tubman and release the new $20 bill whenever they choose. He appears frustrated with the artificial constraints that are holding back what should be a simple and straightforward process. (The title text does acknowledge that it takes time to evaluate a redesign's resistance to counterfeiting.)

The mention of the "weird pyramid eye thing" is a reference to the {{w|Eye of Providence}}, which is an old and somewhat arcane symbol that appears on the US $1 bill. Munroe seems to be using this as an example of the outdated and frankly strange design of American currency, the implication that using that on all our bills would constitute giving up on ever having a design relevant to the modern world.

==Transcript==

:2015
:[Cueball is sitting at a computer.]
:Website: Petition: Replace Andrew "Trail of Tears" Jackson with a woman on the $20 for the 100th anniversary of women's suffrage in 2020.
:Cueball: Hey, good idea!
:Website: Vote for your three picks:
:[Three Drop-Down Menus]
:1: Harritet Tubman
:2: Eleanor Roosevelt
:3: Rachel Carson
:Cueball: Tubman for #1, definitely.

:Soon...
:[Treasury Secretary Executive at a lectern.]
:Treasury Executive: After a flood of public interest, the treasury has decided to feature a woman on our money!
:Offscreen 1: Yay!
:Treasury Executive: She will replace Hamilton on the $10.
:Offscreen 1: Yay-- wait, what? Why not the $20?
:Offscreen 2: ''Are we mad at Hamilton?''

:Treasury Executive: The $10 was scheduled for the next redesign by a board made up of --
:Offscreen 1: Can't you just do the $20 next?
:Treasury Executive: We will review the...
:Offscreen 1: *Sigh*
:Offscreen 2: ''Put Martin Shkreli on the $5!''
:Offscreen 3: ''Shut up, Steve.''

:Later in 2015...
:[Treasury Secretary Executive at a lectern.]
:Treasury Executive: Wow, some musical came out, and now suddenly Hamilton has ''tons'' of fans.
:Offscreen 1: So do the $20 next. Problem solved!
:Treasury Executive: Maybe he and a woman can ''share'' the $10!
:Offscreen 1: Are you serious.

:2016:
:[Treasury Secretary Executive at a lectern.]
:Treasury Executive: We've decided to put Harriet Tubman on the $20.
:Offscreen 1: Perfect! Happy Ending.
:Treasury Executive: -- After we do the new $10.
:Offscreen 1: What?

:Treasury Executive: We'll put a mural to women on the back of the $10. Hopefully that will tide you over until we get to the $20?
:Offscreen 1: ''Seriously?'' How is this so complicated? Just say "We're putting Harriet Tubman on the $20," then do it.

:Treasury Executive: We'll do the $20 ASAP, but we can't change the --
:Offscreen 1: C'mon, your hands aren't tied here. You're the freaking treasury. This is the '''''one''''' thing you're definitely in charge of.

:Treasury Executive: Oh, and we're putting Andrew Jackson on the back.
:All offscreen: WHAT.

{{comic discussion}}

1672: Women on 20s

2016-04-25T14:38:06Z

173.245.52.62: /* Explanation */

{{comic
| number = 1672
| date = April 25, 2016
| title = Women on 20s
| image = women_on_20s.png
| titletext = I get that there are security reasons for the schedule, but this is like the ONE problem we have where the right answer is both easy and straightforward. If we can't figure it out, maybe we should just give up and just replace all the portraits on the bills with that weird pyramid eye thing.
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|The transcript needs work.}}

This comic portrays a series or press conferences with a US Treasury spokesperson to summarize and ridicule the recent controversy over the upcoming redesign of US currency. The dialog between the US Treasury and reporters is paraphrased for comedic effect, but the events depicted are otherwise factual.

American currency has never had a woman as the primary portrait on paper currency, which is widely seen as a real problem. Responding to this issue, the Treasury Department initially planned to replace {{w|Andrew Jackson}} with a woman, to be chosen by public voting. {{w|Trail of Tears}} is a reference to the forced relocations of Native American peoples that Andrew Jackson conducted during his presidency. This is now seen as a human rights violation on a massive scale, and is presented as a reason why Andrew Jackson should not be honored on American currency.

The voting process selected {{w|Harriet Tubman}}, a 19th century abolitionist and a major figure in the {{w|Underground Railroad}} system which freed American slaves. Cueball is clearly pleased and excited about this prospect.

At this point, bureaucratic and political complications arise. The Treasury Department announces that, instead of replacing Andrew Jackson on the $20 bill, she would replace {{w|Alexander Hamilton}} on the $10. The reason given is that the $10 bill was scheduled for redesign first. A reporter asks why they can't simply change the schedule, but doesn't get a clear answer.

This plan is complicated when {{w|Hamilton_(musical)|a Broadway musical}} about the life of Alexander Hamilton comes out and becomes massively popular. This creates a flood of interest in Hamilton, and makes replacing his portrait politically complicated. The spokesperson suggests putting both Hamilton and Tubman on the $10 bill, but the reporters clearly think this is an unnecessary compromise.

Finally, the spokesperson announces that they will put Tubman on the $20 bill, but their schedule demands that they do the $10 bill first. They decide to put a "mural to women" on the new $10 bill to try and contain the tension until new $20 bill is released. The reporters point out that the Treasury has total control over the release of currency, so the simpler solution is just to change the schedule, but they're apparently ignored.

In the final panel, the spokesperson mentions that Jackson's portrait will still appear on the new $20 bill, seriously weakening the symbolism of replacing him and adding irony since Jackson was a slave owner. This is likely an effort to head off the complaints of traditionalists, but is seen here as an unfortunate attempt to avoid taking a real stand.

{{w|Martin Shkreli}} is a pharmaceutical executive who has come under a lot of public outrage for drastically increasing the price of a life-saving medication.

The title text reiterates that this is a rare case in politics in which there's a clear and simple solution. The Treasury has the authority to redesign currency and change the release schedule however they like. That makes all the compromises and backtracking unnecessary: they could simply replace Jackson with Tubman and release the new $20 bill whenever they choose. He appears frustrated with the artificial constraints that are holding back what should be a simple and straightforward process. (The title text does acknowledge that it takes time to evaluate a redesign's resistance to counterfeiting.)

The mention of the "weird pyramid eye thing" is a reference to the {{w|Eye of Providence}}, which is an old and somewhat arcane symbol that appears on the US $1 bill. Munroe seems to be using this as an example of the outdated and frankly strange design of American currency, the implication that using that on all our bills would constitute giving up on ever having a design relevant to the modern world.

==Transcript==
{{incomplete transcript}}

:[Panel labeled '2015']
:[Cueball is sitting at a computer.]
:Website: Petition: Replace Andrew "Trail of Tears" Jackson with a woman on the $20 for the 100th anniversary of women's suffrage in 2020.
:Cueball: Hey, good idea!
:Website: Vote for your three picks:
:[Three Drop-Down Menus]
:1: Harritet Tubman
:2: Eleanor Roosevelt
:3: Rachel Carson
:Cueball: Tubman for #1, definitely.

{{comic discussion}}

1672: Women on 20s

2016-04-25T14:34:51Z

173.245.52.62: /* Explanation */

{{comic
| number = 1672
| date = April 25, 2016
| title = Women on 20s
| image = women_on_20s.png
| titletext = I get that there are security reasons for the schedule, but this is like the ONE problem we have where the right answer is both easy and straightforward. If we can't figure it out, maybe we should just give up and just replace all the portraits on the bills with that weird pyramid eye thing.
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|The transcript needs work.}}

This comic portrays a series or press conferences with a US Treasury spokesperson to summarize and ridicule the recent controversy over the upcoming redesign of US currency.

American currency has never had a woman as the primary portrait on paper currency, which is widely seen as a real problem. Responding to this issue, the Treasury Department initially planned to replace {{w|Andrew Jackson}} with a woman, to be chosen by public voting. {{w|Trail of Tears}} is a reference to the forced relocations of Native American peoples that Andrew Jackson conducted during his presidency. This is now seen as a human rights violation on a massive scale, and is presented as a reason why Andrew Jackson should not be honored on American currency.

The voting process selected {{w|Harriet Tubman}}, a 19th century abolitionist and a major figure in the {{w|Underground Railroad}} system which freed American slaves. Cueball is clearly pleased and excited about this prospect.

At this point, bureaucratic and political complications arise. The Treasury Department announces that, instead of replacing Andrew Jackson on the $20 bill, she would replace {{w|Alexander Hamilton}} on the $10. The reason given is that the $10 bill was scheduled for redesign first. A reporter asks why they can't simply change the schedule, but doesn't get a clear answer.

This plan is complicated when {{w|Hamilton_(musical)|a Broadway musical}} about the life of Alexander Hamilton comes out and becomes massively popular. This creates a flood of interest in Hamilton, and makes replacing his portrait politically complicated. The spokesperson suggests putting both Hamilton and Tubman on the $10 bill, but the reporters clearly think this is an unnecessary compromise.

Finally, the spokesperson announces that they will put Tubman on the $20 bill, but their schedule demands that they do the $10 bill first. They decide to put a "mural to women" on the new $10 bill to try and contain the tension until new $20 bill is released. The reporters point out that the Treasury has total control over the release of currency, so the simpler solution is just to change the schedule, but they're apparently ignored.

In the final panel, the spokesperson mentions that Jackson's portrait will still appear on the new $20 bill, seriously weakening the symbolism of replacing him and adding irony since Jackson was a slave owner. This is likely an effort to head off the complaints of traditionalists, but is seen here as an unfortunate attempt to avoid taking a real stand.

{{w|Martin Shkreli}} is a pharmaceutical executive who has come under a lot of public outrage for drastically increasing the price of a life-saving medication.

The title text reiterates that this is a rare case in politics in which there's a clear and simple solution. The Treasury has the authority to redesign currency and change the release schedule however they like. That makes all the compromises and backtracking unnecessary: they could simply replace Jackson with Tubman and release the new $20 bill whenever they choose. He appears frustrated with the artificial constraints that are holding back what should be a simple and straightforward process. (The title text does acknowledge that it takes time to evaluate a redesign's resistance to counterfeiting.)

The mention of the "weird pyramid eye thing" is a reference to the {{w|Eye of Providence}}, which is an old and somewhat arcane symbol that appears on the US $1 bill. Munroe seems to be using this as an example of the outdated and frankly strange design of American currency, the implication that using that on all our bills would constitute giving up on ever having a design relevant to the modern world.

==Transcript==
{{incomplete transcript}}

:[Panel labeled '2015']
:[Cueball is sitting at a computer.]
:Website: Petition: Replace Andrew "Trail of Tears" Jackson with a woman on the $20 for the 100th anniversary of women's suffrage in 2020.
:Cueball: Hey, good idea!
:Website: Vote for your three picks:
:[Three Drop-Down Menus]
:1: Harritet Tubman
:2: Eleanor Roosevelt
:3: Rachel Carson
:Cueball: Tubman for #1, definitely.

{{comic discussion}}

1672: Women on 20s

2016-04-25T14:34:08Z

173.245.52.62: /* Explanation */

{{comic
| number = 1672
| date = April 25, 2016
| title = Women on 20s
| image = women_on_20s.png
| titletext = I get that there are security reasons for the schedule, but this is like the ONE problem we have where the right answer is both easy and straightforward. If we can't figure it out, maybe we should just give up and just replace all the portraits on the bills with that weird pyramid eye thing.
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|The transcript needs work.}}

This comic portrays a series or press conferences with a US Treasury spokesperson to summarize and ridicule the recent controversy over the upcoming redesign of US currency.

American currency has never had a woman as the primary portrait on paper currency, which is widely seen as a real problem. Responding to this issue, the Treasury Department initially planned to replace {{w|Andrew Jackson}} with a woman, to be chosen by public voting. {{w|Trail of Tears}} is a reference to the forced relocations of Native American peoples that Andrew Jackson conducted during his presidency. This is now seen as a human rights violation on a massive scale, and is presented as a reason why Andrew Jackson should not be honored on American currency.

The voting process selected {{w|Harriet Tubman}}, a 19th century abolitionist and a major figure in the {{w|Underground Railroad}} system which freed American slaves. Cueball is clearly pleased and excited about this prospect.

At this point, bureaucratic and political complications arise. The Treasury Department announces that, instead of replacing Andrew Jackson on the $20 bill, she would replace {{w|Alexander Hamilton}} on the $10. The reason given is that the $10 bill was scheduled for redesign first. A reporter asks why they can't simply change the schedule, but doesn't get a clear answer.

This plan is complicated when {{w|Hamilton_(musical)|a Broadway musical}} about the life of Alexander Hamilton comes out and becomes massively popular. This creates a flood of interest in Hamilton, and makes replacing his portrait politically complicated. The spokesperson suggests putting both Hamilton and Tubman on the $10 bill, but the reporters clearly think this is an unnecessary compromise.

Finally, the spokesperson announces that they will put Tubman on the $20 bill, but their schedule demands that they do the $10 bill first. They decide to put a "mural to women" on the new $10 bill to try and contain the tension until new $20 bill is released. The reporters point out that the Treasury has total control over the release of currency, so the simpler solution is just to change the schedule, but they're apparently ignored.

In the final panel, the spokesperson mentions that Jackson's portrait will still appear on the new $20 bill, seriously weakening the symbolism of replacing him and adding irony since Jackson was a slave owner. This is likely an effort to head off the complaints of traditionalists, but is seen here as an unfortunate attempt to avoid taking a real stand.

{w|Martin Shkreli} is a pharmaceutical executive who has come under a lot of public outrage for drastically increasing the price of a life-saving medication.

The title text reiterates that this is a rare case in politics in which there's a clear and simple solution. The Treasury has the authority to redesign currency and change the release schedule however they like. That makes all the compromises and backtracking unnecessary: they could simply replace Jackson with Tubman and release the new $20 bill whenever they choose. He appears frustrated with the artificial constraints that are holding back what should be a simple and straightforward process. (The title text does acknowledge that it takes time to evaluate a redesign's resistance to counterfeiting.)

The mention of the "weird pyramid eye thing" is a reference to the {{w|Eye of Providence}}, which is an old and somewhat arcane symbol that appears on the US $1 bill. Munroe seems to be using this as an example of the outdated and frankly strange design of American currency, the implication that using that on all our bills would constitute giving up on ever having a design relevant to the modern world.

==Transcript==
{{incomplete transcript}}

:[Panel labeled '2015']
:[Cueball is sitting at a computer.]
:Website: Petition: Replace Andrew "Trail of Tears" Jackson with a woman on the $20 for the 100th anniversary of women's suffrage in 2020.
:Cueball: Hey, good idea!
:Website: Vote for your three picks:
:[Three Drop-Down Menus]
:1: Harritet Tubman
:2: Eleanor Roosevelt
:3: Rachel Carson
:Cueball: Tubman for #1, definitely.

{{comic discussion}}

1672: Women on 20s

2016-04-25T14:27:38Z

173.245.52.62: /* Explanation */

1672: Women on 20s

2016-04-25T14:26:19Z

173.245.52.62: /* Explanation */

1672: Women on 20s

2016-04-25T14:19:16Z

173.245.52.62: /* Explanation */

1671: Arcane Bullshit

2016-04-22T13:43:14Z

173.245.52.62: /* Explanation */

{{comic
| number = 1671
| date = April 22, 2016
| title = Arcane Bullshit
| image = arcane_bullshit.png
| titletext = Learning arcane bullshit from the 80s can break your computer, but if you're willing to wade through arcane bullshit from programmers in the 90s and 2000s, you can break everyone else's computers, too.
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|First draft. Please go over it and try to fix any mistakes.}}
In the '80s, computer sciences in general were far out of the public eye and rapidly advancing for the niche group who did work with it. As such, programming became complex very quickly, leading to its current state of being "arcane bullshit" (understood by few; mysterious or secret).

As such, few people are willing to try to surpass the massive barrier to learning. This group is on the left. To the right are people who have so much skill to program, they spend most of their time developing kernels (base systems) rather than actually doing anything, either looking for a challenge or employed for this exact purpose.

In the center is Cueball, presumably representing Randall, who has learned enough to try and fix code, but not enough for his fixes to actually work.

As programs age, they often lose support from the initial project head and die out, no longer supported on new computers. So, as the title text says, learning more coding from the '90s and after is necessary for also breaking everyone else's computers.

This could also be a comment on hacking and the advent of the internet and the technologies behind that (TCP/IP, HTML, CSS, PHP...) being 90s/2000s. Computers in the 80s were typically stand alone so what you are learning can only be applied to your machine. To break everyone else's you need to understand networking.

==Transcript==
[A horizontal graph with three positions]
:[Graph Title] Willingness to wade through some 80's programmer's arcane bullshit
:[Left end of graph] Low / Never learn to program
:[Center of graph, with picture of Cueball] Me / Learn enough to break everything but not enough to fix it
:[Right end of graph] High / Spend all your time compiling kernels and never make anything

{{comic discussion}}

Talk:1669: Planespotting

2016-04-18T17:08:03Z

173.245.52.62: Added comment re: identifying the aircraft as a Q400.

How would one even pronounce "Mk. IVII"? IV is 4, VII is 7. I could see an argument for treating it as a really bizarre way to say 6. Or, if we treat it as two distinct digits (as opposed to a two-digit number), it could be either "1-7" or "4-2".

: "Usage in ancient Rome varied greatly and remained inconsistent in medieval and modern times." But AFAIK each numeral only stood for a fixed amount, never for a "digit" (in the sense that its value could specify ones or tens depending on its position). So six ((5 - 1) + 1 + 1) is a plausible interpretation, though definitely not standard; but 17 or 42 would be treating Roman numerals as if they were Arabic. [[User:Huttarl|Huttarl]] ([[User talk:Huttarl|talk]]) 16:03, 18 April 2016 (UTC)

I think that's actually MI, or 1001.
[[Special:Contributions/162.158.214.222|162.158.214.222]] 16:12, 18 April 2016 (UTC)

I assume there are other parts of this that are similarly nonsensical to people who know what Cueball thinks he's talking about. [[Special:Contributions/108.162.221.32|108.162.221.32]] 14:43, 18 April 2016 (UTC)
:When I first read the comic before the explanation I was assuming Cueball was roughly, and poorly, describing a Bombardier DHC-8. It is also known as a Q400 and is a twin-engine turboprop. The silhouette looks vaguely like it.[[User:R0hrshach|R0hrshach]] ([[User talk:R0hrshach|talk]]) 15:56, 18 April 2016 (UTC)

::Wholeheartedly agreed on it being a DHC-8 version, which could be a Q400. The engine nacelles appear to extend behind the wing (unlike an ATR42/72 or Do328), and the T-tail eliminates a lot of other regional prop possibilities. It also ties in with Cueball calling it a "Q404". [[Special:Contributions/108.162.237.170|108.162.237.170]] 17:07, 18 April 2016 (UTC)

There are ''so many'' things wrong about this comic. [[User:.42|.42]] ([[User talk:.42|talk]]) 14:53, 18 April 2016 (UTC)

Maybe I'm totally off base, but this reminds me of something called "Vaynespotting". In League of Legends, there's a character named Shauna Vayne. She has an extremely high skill-ceiling and skill-floor. Vaynespotting is a minigame where other players receive imaginary points for calling out a bad Vayne player when that player makes aggressive maneuvers, but doesn't have the skill to pull it off. [[User:Thefance|Thefance]] ([[User talk:Thefance|talk]]) 15:38, 18 April 2016 (UTC)

Is that black hat or white hat? [[Special:Contributions/108.162.221.65|108.162.221.65]] 15:10, 18 April 2016 (UTC)
:Probably White Hat, but it is impossible to say. Have corrected explanation [[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 16:11, 18 April 2016 (UTC)

Fixed the title text explanation regarding the hydroelectric plant. The water going over the dam still falls down (reservoir -> dam -> out of the plane?), but lifting the water in the plane would take more energy than the plant would produce.[[Special:Contributions/108.162.237.170|108.162.237.170]] 17:02, 18 April 2016 (UTC)

1669: Planespotting

2016-04-18T16:56:20Z

173.245.52.62:

{{comic
| number = 1669
| date = April 18, 2016
| title = Planespotting
| image = planespotting.png
| titletext = No, a hydroplane doesn't land on water--that's an aquaplane. A hydroplane is a plane that gets electric power from an onboard water reservoir with a tiny dam and turbines.
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|So far mainly a list. Could be listed better either bullet or in a table.}}

[[Cueball]] and a [[:Category:Characters with Hats|man with a hat]] are "{{w|Aircraft_spotting|planespotting}}," an activity which seems to be similar to bird watching, but for airplanes. The name is probably a reference to {{w|trainspotting (hobby)|trainspotting}}, a hobby in which amateur enthusiasts collect detailed information about the types of train cars and engines that operate in their area, and attempt to identify and catalog them as they pass by. The man with the hat asks Cueball to identify the airplane flying overhead. Cueball, who "assumes" he knows a lot about planes (but does not) gives a long, nonsensical answer.

This is probably not [[Black Hat]] as he would not normally care what plane was in the sky. But due to the silhouette drawing is cannot either be determined that this is [[White Hat]] although that would be more in character.

{{w|Boeing}} is a company that designs and builds aircraft.

The {{w|French submarine Astrée (Q200)|Q404}} was a French submarine captured by Germany during World War II. This could also be a reference to the {{w|Bombardier Dash 8|Bombardier Q400}}, a twin-engine regional turboprop with a T-tail as depicted in the comic.

{{w|Category:Twin-engined_aircraft|Twin-engine}} refers to aircraft with two engines.

Communication equipment that can use 4 different radio frequency bands is called {{w|Quad band}}.

{{w|MiG}} suggests an aircraft produced by the Russian manufacturer. However, MIG-380 is a type of welding equipment ({{w|metal inert gas}}, 380V).

A {{w|Hybrid vehicle}} is able to use more than one distinct power source. The most common combination is a combustion engine and an electric motor.

{{w|Dual wield}}ing is using two weapons, one in each hand. It is highly unlikely that the aircraft is dual-wielded by its pilot, and it is equally ridiculous to imagine that the plane is dual-wielding anything.

"Mk." (or Mark) is usually used to specify a model number using a Roman numeral. While IVII is not a standard number in the {{w|Roman_numerals|Roman numeral system}}, under standard rules it would be equivalent to VI, or 6. On the other hand, it could be a mishmash way of writing "42".

{{w|Aircraft_diesel_engine|Turbo diesel}} engines are sometimes used in aircraft.

The {{w|Boeing 797}} has never been produced, but a hoax design has been circulating the Internet since the mid-2000's.

A hydroplane is either an {{w|aquaplaning|undesirable activity}} of a wheeled vehicle crossing shallow water, or a type of {{w|hydroplane (boat)|boat}} for which hydroplaning is the desired mode of travel.
Powering an aircraft with a miniature {{w|hydroelectric dam}} connected to an on-board reservoir is a physical impossibility, comparable to pulling yourself up by your bootstraps.
The energy that power hydro plants come from the potential energy released by a mass of water as it goes down. But here, because of the reservoir is on board, the water should go up instead of down and thus cannot produce energy.
An aquaplane is a similar to a short surfboard, on which a person stands while the board is pulled by a speedboat. The correct name for a plane that lands on water (on purpose) is a {{w|seaplane|seaplane}}.

==Transcript==
:[Cueball and a man with a hat is seen in silhouette standing on the ground looking towards the sky. A fixed wing aircraft can be seen in the sky, also in silhouette.]
:Man with hat: What's That Airplane?
:Cueball:Oh, That's a Boeing Q404 twin-engine quad-band mig-380 hybrid dual-wield Mk. IVII Turbodiesel 797 Hydroplane.

:[Caption below the panel:]
:I've always assumed I'm one of those people who knows a lot about planes, but I've never actually checked.

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Characters with Hats]]