explain xkcd - User contributions [en]

Talk:2236: Is it Christmas?

2019-12-26T01:16:51Z

173.245.54.43:

according Wayback Machine, the site [https://web.archive.org/web/20181225014549/https://isitchristmas.com/ still] [https://web.archive.org/web/20171225032723/https://isitchristmas.com/ says] [https://web.archive.org/web/20161209052757/https://isitchristmas.com/ NO] [https://web.archive.org/web/20151225060146/https://isitchristmas.com/ even] on Christmas. --[[User:Valepert|valepert]] ([[User talk:Valepert|talk]]) 21:56, 2 December 2019 (UTC)

:Hmmm, maybe it will be fixed this year. I imagine everybody spammed the guy on twitter when it didnt work last year. [[Special:Contributions/172.68.132.155|172.68.132.155]] 22:06, 2 December 2019 (UTC)

:; It checks your system time
:It uses the <code>new Date()</code> constructor to check whether it is Christmas, which uses your system time. Thus, the Wayback won't get anything, but changing your system time will. Kay? [[User:Jacky720|That's right, Jacky720 just signed this]] ([[User talk:Jacky720|talk]] | [[Special:Contributions/Jacky720|contribs]]) 22:14, 2 December 2019 (UTC)

Okay so looking at isitchristmas.com, there's a comment at the top of the page saying to look at the console, but I don't see anything in there, anyone know what that might be about? Also at the bottom of the html file, the bottommost <script> tag looks like it might contain code for a chat client? I don't know JS so I'm unsure, but I tried changing all the related "false" values to "true" that looked relevant and nothing happened, so idk. Maybe someone else can figure it out. [[Special:Contributions/172.68.132.155|172.68.132.155]] 22:03, 2 December 2019 (UTC)
:(I'm the dev.) Check back again closer to Christmas, on 12/23 or 12/24. [[User:Konklone|Konklone]] ([[User talk:Konklone|talk]]) 00:55, 3 December 2019 (UTC)
::I mean, I kind of find that suspect. [[Special:Contributions/172.68.47.234|172.68.47.234]] 01:39, 3 December 2019 (UTC)
:::seconded. that's a suspicious lot of javascript just to display yes or no, even with globalisation. --[[Special:Contributions/141.101.107.144|141.101.107.144]] 10:07, 3 December 2019 (UTC)
::::There are some other features besides globalization, but they only take effect closer to Christmas. [[User:Konklone|Konklone]] ([[User talk:Konklone|talk]]) 17:24, 3 December 2019 (UTC)
:::::Aha! I found some more info from your blog: https://konklone.com/post/isitchristmas-dot-com-2013-more-and-better [[Special:Contributions/172.68.142.59|172.68.142.59]] 21:55, 3 December 2019 (UTC)

Well, one way to put it is that the overall probability of a false negative is 0.27%, which doesn't seem too bad, but the conditional probability of a false negative given that it's Christmas is 100%, which is horrid. --[[User:IByte|IByte]] ([[User talk:IByte|talk]]) 22:37, 2 December 2019 (UTC)

Of course it depends on your definition of "It's Christmas". The figure is right if you just mean Christmas Day and ignore the Julian vs Gregorian issue, but not you subscribe to "the 12 days of Christmas" = Christmas ... Just saying ;-) [[User:RIIW - Ponder it|RIIW - Ponder it]] ([[User talk:RIIW - Ponder it|talk]]) 23:53, 2 December 2019 (UTC)
:Every year, people ask me about including multiple definitions of Christmas, but I think for my own sanity it's going to keep looking just at 12/25. ;) [[User:Konklone|Konklone]] ([[User talk:Konklone|talk]]) 00:57, 3 December 2019 (UTC)
::There's an assumption here that people will only want to celebrate Christmas once a year. Might be different for someone living in a community with multiple religions who likes the holiday, or wants an excuse to take an additional day off work! --[[User:Marcus Rowland|Marcus Rowland]] ([[User talk:Marcus Rowland|talk]]) 11:08, 3 December 2019 (UTC)
:::But that would not be Christmas. Christmas is the day the Bible states Jesus was born (or at least if it is in the bible at all, the day Christians choose to claim Jesus was born). Thus only one day can be Christmas and no matter how you choose to celebrate and when or how many days, still only the 25th of December will be Christmas! --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 12:41, 3 December 2019 (UTC)
::::Not only Bible doesn't say anything about when was Jesus born, the first Christmas celebration happened in year 336 and the date was likely chosen to match Roman Festival of Saturnalia. -- [[User:Hkmaly|Hkmaly]] ([[User talk:Hkmaly|talk]]) 23:49, 3 December 2019 (UTC)
::::I'm Catholic, Christmas day is one day a year, but Christmas (the liturgical season) ends on The Baptism of the Lord, which varies but can be as late as January 13th. [[Special:Contributions/172.69.63.91|172.69.63.91]] 15:19, 3 December 2019 (UTC)
::::There are at least two Christmas days, as noted previously - the Western one on 25th December, and the Eastern Orthodox version which is based on an older calendar and is now in January according to the Western calendar, because their calendar has slipped compared to ours. But if someone wants to celebrate both there is really no reason why not - they don't have to be followers of the religion to want to take a holiday. Or if you want another reason, in communities with followers of both versions of Christianity, there will be days when the followers of one or another version are celebrating Christmas and businesses etc. are closed, which will affect everyone regardless of which religion they follow, if any. --[[User:Marcus Rowland|Marcus Rowland]] ([[User talk:Marcus Rowland|talk]]) 15:33, 3 December 2019 (UTC)
How do we know Randall's version is wrong on Christmas? Has anyone set their system clock to Dec 25 and checked it? [[User:Barmar|Barmar]] ([[User talk:Barmar|talk]]) 02:14, 3 December 2019 (UTC)
:Have tested; Randall's displayed "no" as per main image. isitchritmas displayed "yes" as per explanation. [[User:RedHillian|RedHillian]] ([[User talk:RedHillian|talk]]) 02:44, 3 December 2019 (UTC)
::It may be Randall uses Server-Time, and not client-time like isitchristmas.com - Also, in the official Calendars, there are two Christmas days, first and second day of Christmas. I think Randall went only for the gifting day, which is different in many countries anyway. My kids get there presents on Christmas eve (24 December), their friends mostly on 6 December (Sint Nicolas) (or the evening before). [[Special:Contributions/141.101.77.62|141.101.77.62]] 07:45, 3 December 2019 (UTC)
:: Based on his 99.73% accuracy comment, I assume the comic is a static image, and will always show "NO", even on Christmas day. I think that is the whole joke, that his comic is correct 364 (+ leap days) of the year, when it is not Christmas. [[Special:Contributions/172.69.34.158|172.69.34.158]] 08:23, 3 December 2019 (UTC)
:::Of course this is a static image, that is the whole point. ;-) In Demark we also have the [https://erdetfredag.dk/ is it Friday] which at least is easier to check if it works, as it changes from No (Nej) to Yes (Ja) once a week. As mentioned above in Denmark the isitchristmas answers in Danish with a Nej. --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 08:34, 3 December 2019 (UTC)
:::Yes, that is clearly what the comic implies - that it is static and will be wrong on Christmas. But to be fair, it would very much be Randall's style to instead change this comic to say "YES" on christmas, and then ALSO to change it again so that it is wrong on some ''other'' unexpected day... :) [[User:Praxiq|Praxiq]] ([[User talk:Praxiq|talk]]) 05:23, 4 December 2019 (UTC)

About "when is christmas". Christmas consists of two days, which makes the calculation of predicted correctness too optimistic. (99,45% for 363/365 and for 364/366; 99,38% for 363/365.25)[[Special:Contributions/141.101.77.62|141.101.77.62]] 07:45, 3 December 2019 (UTC)
:No only the 25th of December is called Christmas Day. All other days are thus not Christmas, but just days you choose to celebrate that the 25th is Christmas! --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 12:41, 3 December 2019 (UTC)
:: Ah, learned something today. In Germany and several neighbouring countries Christmas has two days, a first and a second Christmas day (25th and 26th of December). As Christ was born in the night, both days around that night get celebrated. Stupidly I assumed this would be the case in English speaking countries too. So, the UK and a few former colonies have only one day of Christmas, and a "Boxing Day". Thanks for making me spill my time on wikipedia and other sources. ;) [[Special:Contributions/172.69.54.39|172.69.54.39]] 08:10, 4 December 2019 (UTC)

"In the western world celebrated on 25th" is not correct. For UK,US and Canada and probably a lot others it might be true, german and I think spanish speaking countries not.
:No no. Even when you celebrate Christmas Eve on December 24th (as also in Denmark) we call the 25th Christmas Day. Even if you also celebrate the 2nd Christmas day, there is only one day a year that it is Christmas, and that is the 25th of December. That is when Christians claim Jesus was born. Of course I celebrate the Winter solstice (and accept that I do this a few days off, since that is when I can have the day off.) In Denmark we count the days up till the 24th and celebrate in the evening, (as the Vikings always did, because the new day began the sun set.) We do not look at the 12 days after. --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 08:34, 3 December 2019 (UTC)
::The word "celebrated" or "to celebrate", means (according to [https://www.lexico.com/en/definition/celebrate Lexico/Oxford]): "Acknowledge (a significant or happy day or event) with a social gathering or enjoyable activity." This activity is not set as a single day for the western world. E.g. in Germany it is acknowledget with social gatherings and enjoyable activities for at least 3 days: Christmas eve (24th), First Christmas day (25th) and second christmas day (26th December). Additionally not all the western world (is that even properly defined?) does acknowledge the birth of christ (significant/happy event) by social gatherings or enjoyable activities (e.g. you, as you stated yourself.)--[[User:Lupo|Lupo]] ([[User talk:Lupo|talk]]) 09:59, 3 December 2019 (UTC)
:::The word celebrate is not present in the comic. That is about the question if today is Christmas. When you choose to celebrate Christmas has nothing to do with what day is Christmas, and also other religious holidays has nothing to do with Christmas at all. Do not mix up different issues here. This comic is only wrong on 25th of December which is Christmas day. All other days you choose to celebrate Christmas is not Christmas Day! And thus it is not Christmas! --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 12:41, 3 December 2019 (UTC)
::::So you also agree, that the statement in the explanation is wrong? I will change it.--[[User:Lupo|Lupo]] ([[User talk:Lupo|talk]]) 12:47, 3 December 2019 (UTC)
:The XKCD page has the additional advantage of being equally accurate whether you follow [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gregorian_calendar Western] or [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eastern_Orthodox_liturgical_calendar Eastern Orthodox] calendars, or whatever calendar you choose! --[[User:Quantum7|Quantum7]] ([[User talk:Quantum7|talk]]) 08:39, 3 December 2019 (UTC)
:::::I didn't mean to stir up such a hornet's nest, but there is a possible distinction between the Season of Christmas (from Christmas Day to Twelfth Night) and just Christmas Day and I was referring to that. Nobody talks of Advent Day or Lent Day and Easter is clearly Good Friday, Easter Day and Easter Monday, even if the Eggs are meant for just Easter Day. Just saying ;-) [[User:RIIW - Ponder it|RIIW - Ponder it]] ([[User talk:RIIW - Ponder it|talk]]) 19:04, 3 December 2019 (UTC)
::It's true that only the 25th is called Christmas Day in the U.S. (for example), but it's also true that the 24th is called Christmas Eve. I see no reason to assume that only the former can lay exclusive claim to a 24-hour "Christmas". If you want only a 24-hour period, I'd argue for a period cutting across both dates. (As a Minnesotan I may be culturally influenced by an apparent Scandinavian tradition.) [[Special:Contributions/162.158.214.148|162.158.214.148]] 20:43, 4 December 2019 (UTC)

Reminds me of [[937: TornadoGuard]] in subject matter.--[[User:Henke37|Henke37]] ([[User talk:Henke37|talk]]) 09:47, 3 December 2019 (UTC)
:I was mostly reminded of [[1132: Frequentists vs. Bayesians]]. --[[User:Lupo|Lupo]] ([[User talk:Lupo|talk]]) 10:06, 3 December 2019 (UTC)

Is the comic closely enough related to be put into [[:Category:Statistics]]?--[[User:Lupo|Lupo]] ([[User talk:Lupo|talk]]) 13:21, 3 December 2019 (UTC)
:No. There is nothing statistic here. It is just 1/365 giving the error percentage. That the explanation goes into statistics to tell how bad this version of is it x-mas is, does not make the comics topic statistics --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 21:01, 3 December 2019 (UTC)

Some other sites with the same idea: http://ismycomputeron.com https://shouldiblamecaching.com http://iscaliforniaonfire.com http://www.ismycomputeronfire.com/ [[User:Ahiijny|Ahiijny]] ([[User talk:Ahiijny|talk]]) 14:47, 3 December 2019 (UTC)
: [https://shouldipanic.info Should I panic] yet? [[User:N0lqu|-boB]] ([[User talk:N0lqu|talk]]) 19:58, 4 December 2019 (UTC)

Also this flowchart: [[1723: Meteorite Identification]] - I am currently to absent-minded to get a proper wording for the relation right. --[[User:Lupo|Lupo]] ([[User talk:Lupo|talk]]) 14:57, 3 December 2019 (UTC)
:Not seeing the similarity. The flowchart he mocks there is actually a real flowchart, which helps you realize that the stone you find is not a meteorite. Because it never is... until it is. --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 21:01, 3 December 2019 (UTC)
::Both ask a question where the answer is known to usually be "no" and then go ahead, to proclaim "no" without further checks. --[[User:Lupo|Lupo]] ([[User talk:Lupo|talk]]) 08:37, 4 December 2019 (UTC)

Maybe it's just me, but I took this comic to be a mockery of a vastly over-complicated solution to a simple problem. I mean, have you looked at the source code for isitchristmas.com? Crazy! [[Special:Contributions/172.69.63.195|172.69.63.195]] 20:47, 3 December 2019 (UTC)
:I think he just mocks pages in general that tells you something you know. I do though enjoy to sometimes look at the, [https://erdetfredag.dk/ is it Friday page], but only when I know it is Friday, as it is always nice to think about the weekend is near, early Friday morning. ;-) --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 21:01, 3 December 2019 (UTC)

The average number of days in a year in the Gregorian calendar is exactly 365.2425, not 365.25. Leap years are skipped in years divisible by 100 except in years divisible by 400. [[User:Programmerjake|Programmerjake]] ([[User talk:Programmerjake|talk]]) 18:12, 4 December 2019 (UTC)

I imagine this chap https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Andy_Park_(Mr._Christmas) will be very upset to find out NO days are Christmas![[User:Daemonik|Daemonik]] ([[User talk:Daemonik|talk]]) 11:22, 5 December 2019 (UTC)

Interestingly, isitchristmas.com has a link to this XKCD at the top. Is this worth noting? [[Special:Contributions/173.245.54.43|173.245.54.43]] 01:16, 26 December 2019 (UTC)

== More Ads ==

Am I the only one who again got adds in between paragraphs on this wiki? --[[User:Lupo|Lupo]] ([[User talk:Lupo|talk]]) 08:37, 4 December 2019 (UTC)
: Nope, but I only get them occasionally. [[User:Elektrizikekswerk|Elektrizikekswerk]] ([[User talk:Elektrizikekswerk|talk]]) 08:53, 4 December 2019 (UTC)
:: Right now I'm seeing a lot of them in the discussion section that's transcluded on the main comic page, but not if I go directly to the Discussion Talk: page. See also [[Talk:2220: Imagine Going Back in Time/Ads]] (the previous discussion about this). [[User:Ahiijny|Ahiijny]] ([[User talk:Ahiijny|talk]]) 14:50, 4 December 2019 (UTC)

== The Asterisk ==

One thing nobody has mentioned yet: the asterisk after "NO" is very distinctly drawn with 4 lines, for 8 points. The vertical points are longest; the horizontal points second-longest; and the diagonal points are shortest. This is a very popular way to represent the star of bethlehem, especially as a christmas tree topper - see https://imgur.com/a/B9det9a for lots of ornaments that look an awful lot like that asterisk! I'm sure it's deliberate, given the Christmas theme of the comic. (I intended to update the explanation to point this out, but as a new user I can't upload the image here, and I'm not sure if linking to external images is good etiquette. So instead I'm posting here, in case someone else wants to update the explanation. The linked imgur is a collage of my own creation, but it's made up of 6 copyrighted photos. They're marketing photos from Amazon, Wayfair, and other sites, of products for sale - I believe using them educationally as a representative sample of ornaments depicting the star of bethlehem should constitute fair use, but IANAL.)

[[User:Praxiq|Praxiq]] ([[User talk:Praxiq|talk]]) 05:18, 4 December 2019 (UTC)

== Probably won't change ==

See the asterisk that says 99.73 accurate? It probably won't change, that's the joke. [[Special:Contributions/172.69.22.164|172.69.22.164]] 20:15, 12 December 2019 (UTC)
: Can confirm that it did not change. [[Special:Contributions/173.245.54.43|173.245.54.43]] 01:16, 26 December 2019 (UTC)

2244: Thumbtacks And String

2019-12-23T20:29:41Z

173.245.54.43: /* Explanation */

{{comic
| number = 2244
| date = December 20, 2019
| title = Thumbtacks And String
| image = thumbtacks_and_string.png
| titletext = A tattoo of a tattoo parlor receipt
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Created by a THUMBTACK USER - Expand, add title text.}}

{{tvtropes|StringTheory|In many media,}} crimes and conspiracy theories are solved on bulletin boards. "Leads" are attached to the board using {{w|Drawing pin|thumbtacks}}, and the leads are connected to each other using string (specifically {{w|twine}} is mentioned), in order to sort out connections and possibilities. There are many systems for {{w|information mapping}} that show entities as nodes in a {{w|Graph (discrete mathematics)|graph}}, with relationships represented by connections between nodes.

[[Beret Guy]], eccentric as always, manipulates this by making just such a setup solely to determine where to buy the thumbtacks and string for use in it. The joke is that the bulletin board is entirely [[:Category:Self-reference|self-referential]] -- without a need for thumbtacks and string to hold and connect things on the bulletin board, there would be no need for the bulletin board itself, but because of the bulletin board's string and thumbtacks, Beret Guy needs the items advertised on it. An additional minor joke may be that the Office Depot ad near the bottom of the bulletin board has markers that are often called [https://www.perkinselearning.org/technology/blog/how-create-digital-pushpin-map "digital pushpins"].

The title text continues the self-reference theme: The receipt for the tattoo is tattooed to the person who orders the tattoo, which is the receipt for said tattoo of the receipt. This has happened for real [https://www.eonline.com/news/528117/teen-tattoos-mcdonald-s-receipt-on-his-arm-a-week-later-tattoos-the-tattoo-receipt-on-his-other-arm in Norway].

The idea of the receipt being the object you buy, has been used in a [https://www.ikea.com/us/en/p/markerad-rug-low-pile-white-black-00434753/ rug] sold by {{w|IKEA}}.

==Transcript==
{{incomplete transcript}}
:[Beret Guy is in front of a bulletin board covered in images, connected by thumbtacks and string. The below transcripts of each image are left to right, top to bottom.]
:Sale String and Twine 🧵 🧵
:Where to Buy Thumbtacks
:Scrapbooking Supplies (partially covered:) Call Now
:Sale
:📌
:???
:Great Deals YARN 🧶
:Office Supplies Thumbtacks Pushpins & More 📌
:Office Depot
:?
:Office Supply Liquidation SALE ⭐

{{comic discussion}}
[[Category:Comics featuring Beret Guy]]
[[Category:Self-reference]]

1079: United Shapes

2016-05-26T00:34:35Z

173.245.54.43: /* Chart */

{{comic
| number = 1079
| date = July 9, 2012
| title = United Shapes
| image = united_shapes.png
| imagesize = 800px
| titletext = That eggplant is in something of a flaccid state.
}}
The large version is here: [http://xkcd.com/1079/large/ http://xkcd.com/1079/large/]
==Explanation==
{{incomplete|The transcript should only mention what the picture looks like and the text in the pictures. All comments, should be in a separate part of the explanation with this table. Also the transcript should follow a realistic order of "reading" not alphabetical, that will be fine for the table with the explanation.}}
In this comic, each state of the United States of America has been filled-in with an object of similar shape. Due to the size range of the states, some states are too small to clearly make-out in the normal size image. Click [http://xkcd.com/1079/large/ here] to see the large version, which makes every state perfectly clear. Several years later Randall made a new map of the US mainland [[1653: United States Map]], where he shuffled the positions of the states but filled out the outline. Also in this map Michigan has been split into two separate parts. (Here it is the glove and the eagle).

Very few, if any, of the shapes used are stereotypes of the state; they are merely objects that look like the state. Some of the objects are those which the states are widely known to resemble. For example, Michigan is represented by a glove and an Eagle, and a pot with handle takes the place of Oklahoma (with the panhandle region of the state filled with a literal handle). Others, however, are more creative. Few would have likely pictured Texas as a dog or Alaska as a bear with a jet pack and laser gun. There are several incredibly simple objects filling some states. Kentucky is filled by a cloud, which conceivably could have been used for any state, and Wyoming, one of the nearly rectangular states, is simply an envelope. There are three pairs of states that are related. Georgia and Missouri each contain an image of the other, drawing attention to their similar shapes, North and South Dakota are the top and bottom halves of an amp, and Alabama and Mississippi are {{w|moai}} facing in opposite directions.)

Colorado contains what looks like a Wikipedia article. A close-up of the fake article is provided [http://xkcd.com/1079/colorado/]. The following references are made in the Colorado article:

*The pronunciation is not that for Colorado, but for {{w|Eyjafjallajökull}}, a volcano in Iceland that erupted in April 2010.
*The way it has a demilitarized zone towards Wyoming resembles {{W|North Korea}} and {{W|South Korea}}.
*Eleven dimensions refers to {{w|string theory}}.
*A {{w|wormhole}} is a theoretical relative of the {{w|black hole}}. This is a reference to the television series {{w|Stargate SG-1}} where a device capable of creating wormholes is located in the {{w|Cheyenne Mountain nuclear bunker}} in Colorado.
*A {{w|Horcrux}} is a type of magical object in the world of {{W|Harry Potter}}.
*The radiation zones around Longmont are caused by {{w|Radioactive contamination from the Rocky Flats Plant|radioactive contamination from the Rocky Flats Plant}}.
*The fake motto ''Si parare possis, vivere septem'' can be roughly translated as "With preparation, survival is possible for over a week."

New Mexico according to Randall's transcript is "A liquid container labeled for something of unusual and silly danger". The labeling is upside down and it refers to the nuclear testing facility White Sands Missile Range located in New Mexico for the nuclear bomb.
:This end up
:Property of White Sands Missile Range
:??? [Followed by a [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NFPA_704 NFPA 704] Diamond with all divisions at severe risk, and a radiation symbol in the special notice division]
:Contains White Sand
:FLAMMABLE
:Warning:
:This product contains chemicals known
:only to the state of Nevada.
:Contents under pressure from parents
:If swallowed, induce labor
:56 fluid ounces
:and 14 other ounces

The title text makes fun of Florida which is sometimes called "The penis of America". Obviously, this penis is somewhat flaccid (not erect). The use of the word "state" is a pun, as it means some particular condition (flaccid state) as well as a political entity (The State of Florida).

==Chart==
{|class=wikitable
!State!!Contained Picture!!Comments
|-
|Alabama ||A moai head facing east.||{{w|Moai}} are Easter Island stone statues
|-
|Alaska ||A teddy bear with a jetpack and a ray gun||The ray gun and jetpack are fixtures of science fiction during the Cold War era, and the Russian Bear is an often-used personification of the country Russia in political cartoonage; the "teddy bear" image may be related to Alaska's former Russian heritage. The USA acquired Alaska from Russia in the Alaska Purchase of 1867 and it became a state in 1959, during the Cold War. The Cold War often featured worries of a potential Russian invasion of Alaska due to their geographical proximity across the Bering Sea and Bering Strait, which persisted through the 1980s; Alaska was the location of a large number of interceptor missiles as part of Ronald Reagan's "Star Wars Defense Initiative" intended to shoot down missiles that might be launched from the USSR. The ray gun is pointed across the Bering Strait at Russia, consistent with Alaska's often being described as the "first line of defense" against Russian aggression.||
|-
|Arizona ||A refrigerated shelf containing milk, bread, and pastries.||
|-
|Arkansas ||A measuring cup.||
|-
|California ||A vacuum.||An old-fashioned upright vacuum cleaner (lying down to the right), green with a yellow bag.
|-
|Colorado ||The wikipedia article on Colorado.||A fake Wikipedia article on Colorado. Below the text as seen in the provided close up:
:[web address:]
::en.wikipedia.org/wiki/colorado
:[Headers]
::Wikipedia
::Article Talk
::Colorado
:[Main article {note that Randall forgot the closing parentheses ')' after the pronunciation}]
::Colorado (Pronounced [ˈeːijaˌfjatlaˌjœːkʏtl̥] is a US State encompassing portions of the Rocky
::Mountains and the Great Plains. The region has been inhabited since at least 11,000 BCE, and
::some archaeological evidence suggest the state – with roughly its current borders – has literally
::always existed. Colorado is separated from Wyoming by a 28-mile demilitarized zone, and
::has at times exercised substantial regional
::power via the installation of puppet governments
::in neighboring states
::Geographically, Colorado is eleven-dimensional,
::though seven of those dimensions are tightly
::compacted and difficult to detect in most areas
::of the state. Colorado is home to the nation's
::oldest continually-operated wormhole and two
::of President Lincoln's horcruxes.
::The wildlife in Colorado is commonly characterized
::as "erratic", particularly in the radiation zones
::around Longmont. The State's timber wolf
::population is largely bipedal; the Park Service
::has expressed "concern" at their attempts to enroll in
:[Fact box with correct State flag and emblem and fake motto:]
::State of Colorado
::Motto:
::"Si parare possis, vivere septem."
::(With preparation, survival is
::possible for over a week.)
|-
|Connecticut ||A train conductor's hat.||
|-
|Delaware ||A meerkat.||
|-
|Florida ||An eggplant.||
|-
|Georgia ||Missouri.||The outline of the state of Missouri, with the {{w|Gateway Arch}} in St. Louis.
|-
|Hawaii ||A snowball.||
|-
|Idaho ||A garden gnome, sitting down.||
|-
|Illinois ||A gangster with a guitar case, upside down.||
|-
|Indiana ||The brush of a paintbrush.||
|-
|Iowa ||A tomato, lettuce, cold cut and cheese sandwich.||
|-
|Kansas ||A stand-up piano.||
|-
|Kentucky ||A cloud.||
|-
|Louisiana ||A boot with some gum stuck to the bottom of it.||
|-
|Maine ||A Vulcan salute.||Maine's camp sunshine has had Star Trek related events in the past, including the opportunity to appear in a film.
|-
|Maryland ||A wolf howling to the moon, upside down.||
|-
|Massachusetts ||An elephant, being ridden by a man, carrying tea.||Might be a reference to the Boston Tea Party, which occurred in Massachusetts, and the Republican political party. The man seems to be wearing a tricorn hat.
|-
|Michigan ||A mitten for the lower portion, an eagle for the {{w|Upper Peninsula of Michigan}}.||
|-
|Minnesota ||$160 in $20 USD bills.||
|-
|Mississippi ||A moai head facing west.||
|-
|Missouri ||Georgia.||The outline of the state of Georgia, with a pair of {{w|Georgia Peach|Georgia peaches}}.
|-
|Montana ||One half of a muffin.||
|-
|Nebraska ||A blue VW type 2 with mattresses sticking out the back.||
|-
|Nevada ||A clothes iron.||
|-
|New Hampshire ||A tall brick factory building.||
|-
|New Jersey ||A bent-over old person.||
|-
|New Mexico ||A liquid container labeled for something of unusual and silly danger.||A yellow liquid container with upside-down labeling.
::This end up!!
::Property of White Sands Missile Range
::Contains White Sand
:[Written inside a hazardous-materials diamond with the ? very large, and the three '4' in the three top part of a diamond shape divided in four these three sections being blue, red, yellow. The lower part has a radioactive sign on the same grey background as the large rectangle.]
::??? 4 4 4
::Flammable
::Warning
::This product contains chemicals known
::Only to the Sate of Nevada.
::Contents under pressure from rich parents
::If swallowed, induce labor
::56 fluid ounces
::and 14 other ounces
|-
|New York ||A hybrid transmission with standard manual-style gears and a torque converter sliced in half.||
|-
|North Carolina ||A bouquet of flowers.||
|-
|North Dakota ||The top half of an amp.||
|-
|Ohio ||Underwear (Briefs).||
|-
|Oklahoma ||A covered pot, dripping with boil-over.||
|-
|Oregon ||A locomotive.||
|-
|Pennsylvania ||A very thick book with a bookmark.||
|-
|Rhode Island ||The bow half of a boat's hull.||
|-
|South Carolina ||A slice of pizza.||
|-
|South Dakota ||The bottom half of an amp.||
|-
|Tennessee ||A number of children's books, placed in a slightly askew pile.|| Possibly a reference to Dolly Parton's Imagination Library.
|-
|Texas ||A dog sitting in a bowl.||
|-
|Utah ||An oven.||
|-
|Vermont ||A microscope, upside down.||
|-
|Virginia ||A {{w|stegosaurus}}.||
|-
|Washington ||A whale.|| The Puget Sound is well known for whale watching
|-
|Washington DC ||A star.||On most maps, capitals are shown as stars. Washington DC is the capital of the United States.
|-
|West Virginia ||A {{w|frog}}.||
|-
|Wisconsin ||A skull.||
|-
|Wyoming ||An envelope.||The back side of a white envelope, sealed with red wax, with a black heart next to a signature (lower left corner).
|}

==Transcript==
:The '''United Shapes'''
:A map of things states are shaped like
:[Each state has some item wedged to stay inside its borders]

{|class=wikitable
!State!!Official Transcript!!Text!!State!!Official Transcript!!Text!!State!!Official Transcript!!Text!!State!!Official Transcript!!Text!!State!!Official Transcript!!Text!!State!!Official Transcript!!Text!!State!!Official Transcript!!Text!!State!!Official Transcript!!Text!!State!!Official Transcript!!Text!!State!!Official Transcript!!Text!!State!!Official Transcript!!Text!!State!!Official Transcript!!Text!!State!!Official Transcript!!Text
|-
|WA||whale||
|MT||half muffin||
|ND and SD||top and bottom halves of an amp||
|MN||$160 in $20 USD bills||
|WI||skull||
|MI||mitten for the lower portion, eagle for the {{w|Upper Peninsula of Michigan}}||
|NY||hybrid transmission with standard manual-style gears and a torque converter sliced in half||
|VT||microscope, upside down||
|NH||tall brick factory building||
|ME||Vulcan salute||
|MA||elephant, being ridden by a man, carrying tea||
|CT||train conductor's hat||
|RI||bow half of a boat's hull||
|-
|OR||locomotive||
|ID||garden gnome, sitting down||
|WY||envelope.||The envelope is marked with a signature, possibly Randal's
|NE||blue VW type 2 with mattresses sticking out the back||
|IA||tomato, lettuce, cold cut and cheese sandwich||
|IL||gangster with a guitar case, upside down||
|IN||brush of a paintbrush||
|OH||underwear (Briefs)||
|PA||very thick book with a bookmark||
|NJ||bent-over old person||
|-
|NV||clothes iron||
|UT||oven||
|CO||Wikipedia article on Colorado||See Link Above
|KS||stand-up piano||
|MO||Georgia||Georgia
|KY||cloud||
|WV||{{w|frog}}||
|VA||{{w|stegosaurus}}||
|DC||star.||
|MD||wolf howling to the moon, upside down||
|DE||meerkat||
|-
|CA||vacuum cleaner||
|AZ||refrigerated shelf containing milk, bread, and pastries||
|NM||liquid container with warning label||
:This end up!!
:
:Property of White Sands Missile Range
:Contains White Sand
:
:???
:
:FLAMMABLE
:
:Warning: This product contains chemicals known
:Only to the state of Nevada.
:Contents under pressure from parents.
:If swallowed, induce labor.
:
:56 Fluid Ounces
:and 14 other ounces.
|OK||covered pot, dripping with boil-over||
|AR||measuring cup||
|TN||children's books, placed in a slightly askew pile||
:Handford / WHERE'S WALDO / or wally
:The Wreck of the Zephyr / Chris Van Allsburg
:The Way Things Work / DAVID MACAULRY
:Weisner / FREE FALL
:PADDLE-TO-THE-SEA / HCH(?)
:WHAT IT FEELS LIKE TO BE A BUILDING / Wilson
:TINTIN / The Crab with the Golden Claws / Hergé
|NC||flower bouquet||
|-
|AK||teddy bear with a jetpack and a ray gun||
|HI||snowball||
|TX||dog sitting in a bowl||
|LA||boot with some gum stuck to the bottom||
|MS||moai head facing west||
|AL||moai head facing east||
|GA||Missouri.||Missouri
|SC||pizza slice||
|FL||eggplant||
|}

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Large drawings]]
[[Category:Comics with color]]
[[Category:Maps]]
[[Category:Food]]
[[Category:Animals]]
[[Category:Dinosaurs]]
[[Category:Wikipedia]]

Talk:1661: Podium

2016-04-01T12:30:10Z

173.245.54.43:

Well as a non-english native, I just recently found that the term podium and lectern were used "wrong" on xkcd. Especially because the lectern is often placed on a podium. So when trying to make a description in a transcript of what the scene looks like you would have to write that ''Cueball is standing behind a podium placed on a podium'' if you did not use the correct word of lectern, or be changing both words ''Cueball is standing behind a podium placed on a scene''. So it would be so much easier if people just used lectern, but I guess this is not the way it will be going, maybe except for xkcd readers now? When I found out recently (March 1st) that there were several podiums in explain xkcd where they should have been lecterns I corrected them all. Although I think it is unlikely that Randall would notice this, it is funny for me, that he makes this joke less than a month after I made the correction. And since I did not know about this before, I was not aware that there was these discussions going on ;-) At least it seems that Randall doesn't take sides in this discussion, although he may think it is silly. (Just like using one type of [[1643: Degrees]] rather than another. What is correct and what will be understood). --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 15:43, 28 March 2016 (UTC)
:Do we have any evidence or knowledge that Randall Munroe knows about and/or visits explainxkcd.com? It's not officially connected with him or xkcd.org, as far as I know. [[User:N0lqu|-boB]] ([[User talk:N0lqu|talk]]) 20:51, 28 March 2016 (UTC)

:I agree that "podium" is just wrong. Just because so-called "dictionaries" want to coddle people who use words incorrectly doesn't mean we should allow them to ruin our language. Allowing people to use "podium" to mean a stand for notes is as bad as allowing people to use "explain" to mean to describe or make intelligible. The word "explain" comes from Old French, where it meant "flatten out", as is obvious from the etymology: Latin "ex-" + "plano", or "out-" + "(I) flatten". This is easy to remember because it sounds like "esplanade", a cleared or leveled space, a noun with related etymology. English has a perfectly good verb, "irecchen", with the desired meaning. Clearly, this site is meant to level out XKCD, to make it flat and featureless, not to make it easier to understand, and I applaud it for using the word correctly. However, I would like to take issue with the misuse of the word "discuss" on this site. This word was borrowed from Norman French with the meaning "shaken apart", but is only properly used in medical history and archaeology—and, even then, it is often misused as "discussed", ignoring the fact that it is already a past participle. In the common language of the uneducated, it is nearly always used to mean "converse about", but the Latin etymology as a participle of "dis-" + "quatere", or "apart-" + "shake", should make it clear how ridiculous this is. Even if we were to allow the medieval monastic fad for using "discuss" figuratively to mean sifting the truth out of text by arguing over them vigorously, that still cannot justify the so-called modern meaning that our dictionaries promulgate. Wé mōton standen for Englisc propre! --[[Special:Contributions/162.158.255.105|162.158.255.105]] 17:45, 28 March 2016 (UTC)

::I was all ready to go on an [http://www.fallacyfiles.org/etymolog.html etymological fallacy] rant, but then I kept reading and my sarcasm detector finally went off. :) [[Special:Contributions/173.245.54.53|173.245.54.53]] 23:56, 30 March 2016 (UTC)

I have huge reference libraries personally, including science and tech, law, medicine, philosophy, arts, etc. I find it a Chinese curse, to need an online subscription for OED 3, after managing to acquire OED 2 v 3 & v4 in forms suitable for both PC and mobile carry, plus Merriam-Webster unabridged as an offline mobile app. Ullman's (industrial chemistry) dwarfs those, however. That noted, dictionaries require active public input, and are plagued by inarticulate speakers. The degradation of "unique" into a comparative is contrary to core etymology. OTOH, "yawl" and "ketch" remain difficult to define as to the basic rigs, while their comparison to each other and "sloop" has been improved as lexicographers have been called out for failing to focus on the key distinction of whether a mizzen mast is stepped fore or aft of the rudder post, not the rudder, or arbitrary relative sail sizes. Nudist and naturist are scrambled by common usage to be both ambiguous, versus to reflect philosophical or religious aspects of naturism versus outward practices or social and business based nudism, while misuse as if conflated with naturalist has decreased, and inclusion of naturist improved. Many dictionaries have recognized schadenfreude as becoming an English word, while despite circa 1981 origins well over the 20 year rule, only a few better dictionaries are yet listing compersion.

Fuck, gender, and profanity now see around 8,000 combined instances in OED 3, close to ten times their presence in OED 2 v4. Jesse Scheidlower, OED editor at large and author of a single word dictionary of "fuck" variants now up to 320 pages in its 3rd edition, gets some credit for that honesty movement over words some unethical publishers have censored or tampered pandering to crooked bigot infested school boards and legislatures. Theist, atheist, pantheist, polytheist, and similar terms are messier, as their common usage is mangled by prejudice based contexts and eastern and western history getting scrambled. Now test for theology versus thealogy, or etymology and definitions for witch (male and female in modern English) versus misrepresentation of warlock (oathbreaker), or words used by both reclaiming identity movements, and as slurs, eg slants, dyke, redskins, q***r, n*****s, pagan, witch, etc. Quality of both dictionaries, and society itself, can be tested by such comparisons.

By joking about politicians using word issues as evasion, Randall could help promote the values that honest understanding of the nature of language and misconceptions of dictionaries and authorities are important. [[User:Loki57|Loki57]] ([[User talk:Loki57|talk]]) 18:05, 28 March 2016 (UTC)
:I deleted most of your contributions, because they were (in my opinion) unreasonably long and confusing. Sorry, Loki57. [[Special:Contributions/108.162.221.13|108.162.221.13]] 13:38, 29 March 2016 (UTC)

Isn't this whole stucture with elevation and a barrier called "pulpit"? [[Special:Contributions/162.158.102.222|162.158.102.222]] 07:47, 29 March 2016 (UTC)
:A pulpit is a fixed platform, usually partly enclosed, and usually in a church and built specifically for the purpose of sermons. You could describe a pulpit as a kind of podium, but not a _typical_ kind. Also, if there's a stand on a pulpit, it's not a lectern; that word is only used for the smaller stand off to the side of the pulpit for use by lay readers.
:Of course in the kinds of Evangelical churches that have banished the distinction between lay speakers and clergy, and turned the entire stage into a pulpit (no chancel, nave, or even altar), the preacher's stand may be called a lectern. But in that case, there's really no raised podium in the first place, unless you want to call the entire stage a podium.
:The different connotations of "pulpit" and "podium" definitely lead to different metaphorical or figurative uses. For example, it's hard to imagine Teddy Roosevelt talking about the Presidency as a "bully podium". (Of course "bully pulpit" is also hard to imagine a century later, with "bully" no longer meaning "excellent", and sermonizing now being something you accuse religious-right or PC-left politicians of rather than something politicians of high integrity are credited with…) --[[Special:Contributions/162.158.255.105|162.158.255.105]] 16:31, 29 March 2016 (UTC)
::Yes Wikipedia defines a {{w|pulpit}} as "a raised stand for preachers in a Christian church." But they can look quite like a lectern in some situations, as can be seen by searching for pictures of pulpit. --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 17:25, 29 March 2016 (UTC)

There isn't a good explanation yet for what "a primary challenge from the prescriptivist base" means. 
Wikipedia has a good definition for a "primary challenge" (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Primary_challenge) but a bit more may be necessary for people who don't closely follow American politics. 
In American politics, a primary challenge usually occurs when an incumbent politician has offended the more radical wing of their party. For example a Republican politician (this is usually seen as the more right-wing party in US politics) who takes moderate-to-liberal actions while in office will often face a primary challenge from a much more conservative Republican (someone on the extreme right), while a Democrat politician (the more left-wing party in the US) who takes moderate-to-conservative actions will often face a primary challenge from a much more liberal Democrat (someone on the extreme left). 
Two dramatic examples from recent US history are when Tom Foley (then the Republican Speaker of the House) faced (and lost) a primary challenge from the more conservative George Nethercutt in 1994, and when Richard Lugar (a widely respected senior Republican senator) lost a primary challenge to the more conservative Richard Mourdock in 2012. Here is an article on the latter: http://www.nytimes.com/2012/05/09/us/politics/lugar-loses-primary-challenge-in-indiana.html 
Part of the joke here is that by using "prescriptivist base" in the same way that political commentators do when referring to the extreme right or left wing elements of the Republican and Democratic parties respectively, Randall is comparing the extreme mindset and behavior of linguistic prescriptivists with radical right-wing and left-wing ideologues. 23:41, 29 March 2016 (UTC)!

EDIT: (I'm new to this), the basic fact is that the latin root of podium is pod- which means foot, or the thing up on which you stand, and the root of "lectern" is Lectio-" which means "to read". In medieval times, the "lecturer" literally was just the "reader" and he read at his lectern. I feel like this is the simplest solution. -KCSEO

Since people typically stand on a podium behind a lectern, there's a subtle pun in "getting to the bottom of this". [[Special:Contributions/173.245.54.43|173.245.54.43]] 12:55, 30 March 2016 (UTC)

So, is there a difference between a 'podium' and a 'dais'? [[User:Miamiclay|Miamiclay]] ([[User talk:Miamiclay|talk]]) 00:20, 31 March 2016 (UTC)
:A dais usually has some sort of seating (e.g., thrones). A podium never has seating. [[Special:Contributions/173.245.54.43|173.245.54.43]] 12:30, 1 April 2016 (UTC)

Talk:1662: Jack and Jill

2016-03-30T15:35:53Z

173.245.54.43:

Often water in spring (up hill) has better quality than in stream or river (down in the valley) --[[User:JakubNarebski|JakubNarebski]] ([[User talk:JakubNarebski|talk]]) 14:23, 30 March 2016 (UTC)

jack and Jill / went up the hill / to have a little fun / but silly Jill / forgot the pill / and now they have a son. [[Special:Contributions/141.101.104.151|141.101.104.151]] 14:28, 30 March 2016 (UTC)

I'd always assumed that there was a well at the top of the hill, though I hadn't realised I'd made that assumption until now. And, come to think of it, the top of a hill's a pretty bad place to put a well. --jwanders [[Special:Contributions/108.162.237.160|108.162.237.160]] 14:39, 30 March 2016 (UTC)

High water sources are ideal. Not only do they tend to be cleaner, but it also makes for easier transportation. Note that hills are often at the base of mountains. [[Special:Contributions/108.162.246.119|108.162.246.119]] 14:49, 30 March 2016 (UTC)

It's been three weeks since Randall made a really complicated joke with [[1653: United States Map]] (and a week before that also with [[1649: Pipelines]]). Someone mentioned a possible school book project based on Thing Explainer as the reason for this. Personally I hope it is because he is saving up time to spend on the joke (on us all :-) this Friday with the next [[:Category:April fools' comics|April fools' comic]] like [[1350: Lorenz]] or [[1506: xkcloud]]. Can't wait. --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 15:12, 30 March 2016 (UTC)

I found the title text explanations to miss the obvious implication that earthquakes shake the ground causing people (and buildings) to literally fall down. I preface my comment with my ignorance, I have never experienced an earthquake first hand and I am not knowledgeable as to which magnitude is required to bring things to their knees. Perhaps to this date fracking has not been associated with earthquakes of sufficient magnitude to produce this result. Still, I think this was the intended meaning on its face and I added it to the explanation without removing the others as they did make some sense.--[[User:R0hrshach|R0hrshach]] ([[User talk:R0hrshach|talk]]) 15:24, 30 March 2016 (UTC)

The third line of the title text has an ambiguous trochaic foot with the word "oil". Some people (myself included) pronounce this word as almost two syllables (oy-el), while others make it a single syllable. [[Special:Contributions/173.245.54.43|173.245.54.43]] 15:35, 30 March 2016 (UTC)

Talk:1661: Podium

2016-03-30T12:55:45Z

173.245.54.43:

Well as a non-english native, I just recently found that the term podium and lectern were used "wrong" on xkcd. Especially because the lectern is often placed on a podium. So when trying to make a description in a transcript of what the scene looks like you would have to write that ''Cueball is standing behind a podium placed on a podium'' if you did not use the correct word of lectern, or be changing both words ''Cueball is standing behind a podium placed on a scene''. So it would be so much easier if people just used lectern, but I guess this is not the way it will be going, maybe except for xkcd readers now? When I found out recently (March 1st) that there were several podiums in explain xkcd where they should have been lecterns I corrected them all. Although I think it is unlikely that Randall would notice this, it is funny for me, that he makes this joke less than a month after I made the correction. And since I did not know about this before, I was not aware that there was these discussions going on ;-) At least it seems that Randall doesn't take sides in this discussion, although he may think it is silly. (Just like using one type of [[1643: Degrees]] rather than another. What is correct and what will be understood). --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 15:43, 28 March 2016 (UTC)
:Do we have any evidence or knowledge that Randall Munroe knows about and/or visits explainxkcd.com? It's not officially connected with him or xkcd.org, as far as I know. [[User:N0lqu|-boB]] ([[User talk:N0lqu|talk]]) 20:51, 28 March 2016 (UTC)

:I agree that "podium" is just wrong. Just because so-called "dictionaries" want to coddle people who use words incorrectly doesn't mean we should allow them to ruin our language. Allowing people to use "podium" to mean a stand for notes is as bad as allowing people to use "explain" to mean to describe or make intelligible. The word "explain" comes from Old French, where it meant "flatten out", as is obvious from the etymology: Latin "ex-" + "plano", or "out-" + "(I) flatten". This is easy to remember because it sounds like "esplanade", a cleared or leveled space, a noun with related etymology. English has a perfectly good verb, "irecchen", with the desired meaning. Clearly, this site is meant to level out XKCD, to make it flat and featureless, not to make it easier to understand, and I applaud it for using the word correctly. However, I would like to take issue with the misuse of the word "discuss" on this site. This word was borrowed from Norman French with the meaning "shaken apart", but is only properly used in medical history and archaeology—and, even then, it is often misused as "discussed", ignoring the fact that it is already a past participle. In the common language of the uneducated, it is nearly always used to mean "converse about", but the Latin etymology as a participle of "dis-" + "quatere", or "apart-" + "shake", should make it clear how ridiculous this is. Even if we were to allow the medieval monastic fad for using "discuss" figuratively to mean sifting the truth out of text by arguing over them vigorously, that still cannot justify the so-called modern meaning that our dictionaries promulgate. Wé mōton standen for Englisc propre! --[[Special:Contributions/162.158.255.105|162.158.255.105]] 17:45, 28 March 2016 (UTC)

I have huge reference libraries personally, including science and tech, law, medicine, philosophy, arts, etc. I find it a Chinese curse, to need an online subscription for OED 3, after managing to acquire OED 2 v 3 & v4 in forms suitable for both PC and mobile carry, plus Merriam-Webster unabridged as an offline mobile app. Ullman's (industrial chemistry) dwarfs those, however. That noted, dictionaries require active public input, and are plagued by inarticulate speakers. The degradation of "unique" into a comparative is contrary to core etymology. OTOH, "yawl" and "ketch" remain difficult to define as to the basic rigs, while their comparison to each other and "sloop" has been improved as lexicographers have been called out for failing to focus on the key distinction of whether a mizzen mast is stepped fore or aft of the rudder post, not the rudder, or arbitrary relative sail sizes. Nudist and naturist are scrambled by common usage to be both ambiguous, versus to reflect philosophical or religious aspects of naturism versus outward practices or social and business based nudism, while misuse as if conflated with naturalist has decreased, and inclusion of naturist improved. Many dictionaries have recognized schadenfreude as becoming an English word, while despite circa 1981 origins well over the 20 year rule, only a few better dictionaries are yet listing compersion.

Fuck, gender, and profanity now see around 8,000 combined instances in OED 3, close to ten times their presence in OED 2 v4. Jesse Scheidlower, OED editor at large and author of a single word dictionary of "fuck" variants now up to 320 pages in its 3rd edition, gets some credit for that honesty movement over words some unethical publishers have censored or tampered pandering to crooked bigot infested school boards and legislatures. Theist, atheist, pantheist, polytheist, and similar terms are messier, as their common usage is mangled by prejudice based contexts and eastern and western history getting scrambled. Now test for theology versus thealogy, or etymology and definitions for witch (male and female in modern English) versus misrepresentation of warlock (oathbreaker), or words used by both reclaiming identity movements, and as slurs, eg slants, dyke, redskins, q***r, n*****s, pagan, witch, etc. Quality of both dictionaries, and society itself, can be tested by such comparisons.

By joking about politicians using word issues as evasion, Randall could help promote the values that honest understanding of the nature of language and misconceptions of dictionaries and authorities are important. [[User:Loki57|Loki57]] ([[User talk:Loki57|talk]]) 18:05, 28 March 2016 (UTC)
:I deleted most of your contributions, because they were (in my opinion) unreasonably long and confusing. Sorry, Loki57. [[Special:Contributions/108.162.221.13|108.162.221.13]] 13:38, 29 March 2016 (UTC)

Isn't this whole stucture with elevation and a barrier called "pulpit"? [[Special:Contributions/162.158.102.222|162.158.102.222]] 07:47, 29 March 2016 (UTC)
:A pulpit is a fixed platform, usually partly enclosed, and usually in a church and built specifically for the purpose of sermons. You could describe a pulpit as a kind of podium, but not a _typical_ kind. Also, if there's a stand on a pulpit, it's not a lectern; that word is only used for the smaller stand off to the side of the pulpit for use by lay readers.
:Of course in the kinds of Evangelical churches that have banished the distinction between lay speakers and clergy, and turned the entire stage into a pulpit (no chancel, nave, or even altar), the preacher's stand may be called a lectern. But in that case, there's really no raised podium in the first place, unless you want to call the entire stage a podium.
:The different connotations of "pulpit" and "podium" definitely lead to different metaphorical or figurative uses. For example, it's hard to imagine Teddy Roosevelt talking about the Presidency as a "bully podium". (Of course "bully pulpit" is also hard to imagine a century later, with "bully" no longer meaning "excellent", and sermonizing now being something you accuse religious-right or PC-left politicians of rather than something politicians of high integrity are credited with…) --[[Special:Contributions/162.158.255.105|162.158.255.105]] 16:31, 29 March 2016 (UTC)
::Yes Wikipedia defines a {{w|pulpit}} as "a raised stand for preachers in a Christian church." But they can look quite like a lectern in some situations, as can be seen by searching for pictures of pulpit. --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 17:25, 29 March 2016 (UTC)

There isn't a good explanation yet for what "a primary challenge from the prescriptivist base" means. 
Wikipedia has a good definition for a "primary challenge" (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Primary_challenge) but a bit more may be necessary for people who don't closely follow American politics. 
In American politics, a primary challenge usually occurs when an incumbent politician has offended the more radical wing of their party. For example a Republican politician (this is usually seen as the more right-wing party in US politics) who takes moderate-to-liberal actions while in office will often face a primary challenge from a much more conservative Republican (someone on the extreme right), while a Democrat politician (the more left-wing party in the US) who takes moderate-to-conservative actions will often face a primary challenge from a much more liberal Democrat (someone on the extreme left). 
Two dramatic examples from recent US history are when Tom Foley (then the Republican Speaker of the House) faced (and lost) a primary challenge from the more conservative George Nethercutt in 1994, and when Richard Lugar (a widely respected senior Republican senator) lost a primary challenge to the more conservative Richard Mourdock in 2012. Here is an article on the latter: http://www.nytimes.com/2012/05/09/us/politics/lugar-loses-primary-challenge-in-indiana.html 
Part of the joke here is that by using "prescriptivist base" in the same way that political commentators do when referring to the extreme right or left wing elements of the Republican and Democratic parties respectively, Randall is comparing the extreme mindset and behavior of linguistic prescriptivists with radical right-wing and left-wing ideologues. 23:41, 29 March 2016 (UTC)!

EDIT: (I'm new to this), the basic fact is that the latin root of podium is pod- which means foot, or the thing up on which you stand, and the root of "lectern" is Lectio-" which means "to read". In medieval times, the "lecturer" literally was just the "reader" and he read at his lectern. I feel like this is the simplest solution. -KCSEO

Since people typically stand on a podium behind a lectern, there's a subtle pun in "getting to the bottom of this". [[Special:Contributions/173.245.54.43|173.245.54.43]] 12:55, 30 March 2016 (UTC)

Talk:1661: Podium

2016-03-29T23:41:55Z

173.245.54.43:

Well as a non-english native, I just recently found that the term podium and lectern were used "wrong" on xkcd. Especially because the lectern is often placed on a podium. So when trying to make a description in a transcript of what the scene looks like you would have to write that ''Cueball is standing behind a podium placed on a podium'' if you did not use the correct word of lectern, or be changing both words ''Cueball is standing behind a podium placed on a scene''. So it would be so much easier if people just used lectern, but I guess this is not the way it will be going, maybe except for xkcd readers now? When I found out recently (March 1st) that there were several podiums in explain xkcd where they should have been lecterns I corrected them all. Although I think it is unlikely that Randall would notice this, it is funny for me, that he makes this joke less than a month after I made the correction. And since I did not know about this before, I was not aware that there was these discussions going on ;-) At least it seems that Randall doesn't take sides in this discussion, although he may think it is silly. (Just like using one type of [[1643: Degrees]] rather than another. What is correct and what will be understood). --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 15:43, 28 March 2016 (UTC)
:Do we have any evidence or knowledge that Randall Munroe knows about and/or visits explainxkcd.com? It's not officially connected with him or xkcd.org, as far as I know. [[User:N0lqu|-boB]] ([[User talk:N0lqu|talk]]) 20:51, 28 March 2016 (UTC)

:I agree that "podium" is just wrong. Just because so-called "dictionaries" want to coddle people who use words incorrectly doesn't mean we should allow them to ruin our language. Allowing people to use "podium" to mean a stand for notes is as bad as allowing people to use "explain" to mean to describe or make intelligible. The word "explain" comes from Old French, where it meant "flatten out", as is obvious from the etymology: Latin "ex-" + "plano", or "out-" + "(I) flatten". This is easy to remember because it sounds like "esplanade", a cleared or leveled space, a noun with related etymology. English has a perfectly good verb, "irecchen", with the desired meaning. Clearly, this site is meant to level out XKCD, to make it flat and featureless, not to make it easier to understand, and I applaud it for using the word correctly. However, I would like to take issue with the misuse of the word "discuss" on this site. This word was borrowed from Norman French with the meaning "shaken apart", but is only properly used in medical history and archaeology—and, even then, it is often misused as "discussed", ignoring the fact that it is already a past participle. In the common language of the uneducated, it is nearly always used to mean "converse about", but the Latin etymology as a participle of "dis-" + "quatere", or "apart-" + "shake", should make it clear how ridiculous this is. Even if we were to allow the medieval monastic fad for using "discuss" figuratively to mean sifting the truth out of text by arguing over them vigorously, that still cannot justify the so-called modern meaning that our dictionaries promulgate. Wé mōton standen for Englisc propre! --[[Special:Contributions/162.158.255.105|162.158.255.105]] 17:45, 28 March 2016 (UTC)

I have huge reference libraries personally, including science and tech, law, medicine, philosophy, arts, etc. I find it a Chinese curse, to need an online subscription for OED 3, after managing to acquire OED 2 v 3 & v4 in forms suitable for both PC and mobile carry, plus Merriam-Webster unabridged as an offline mobile app. Ullman's (industrial chemistry) dwarfs those, however. That noted, dictionaries require active public input, and are plagued by inarticulate speakers. The degradation of "unique" into a comparative is contrary to core etymology. OTOH, "yawl" and "ketch" remain difficult to define as to the basic rigs, while their comparison to each other and "sloop" has been improved as lexicographers have been called out for failing to focus on the key distinction of whether a mizzen mast is stepped fore or aft of the rudder post, not the rudder, or arbitrary relative sail sizes. Nudist and naturist are scrambled by common usage to be both ambiguous, versus to reflect philosophical or religious aspects of naturism versus outward practices or social and business based nudism, while misuse as if conflated with naturalist has decreased, and inclusion of naturist improved. Many dictionaries have recognized schadenfreude as becoming an English word, while despite circa 1981 origins well over the 20 year rule, only a few better dictionaries are yet listing compersion.

Fuck, gender, and profanity now see around 8,000 combined instances in OED 3, close to ten times their presence in OED 2 v4. Jesse Scheidlower, OED editor at large and author of a single word dictionary of "fuck" variants now up to 320 pages in its 3rd edition, gets some credit for that honesty movement over words some unethical publishers have censored or tampered pandering to crooked bigot infested school boards and legislatures. Theist, atheist, pantheist, polytheist, and similar terms are messier, as their common usage is mangled by prejudice based contexts and eastern and western history getting scrambled. Now test for theology versus thealogy, or etymology and definitions for witch (male and female in modern English) versus misrepresentation of warlock (oathbreaker), or words used by both reclaiming identity movements, and as slurs, eg slants, dyke, redskins, q***r, n*****s, pagan, witch, etc. Quality of both dictionaries, and society itself, can be tested by such comparisons.

By joking about politicians using word issues as evasion, Randall could help promote the values that honest understanding of the nature of language and misconceptions of dictionaries and authorities are important. [[User:Loki57|Loki57]] ([[User talk:Loki57|talk]]) 18:05, 28 March 2016 (UTC)
:I deleted most of your contributions, because they were (in my opinion) unreasonably long and confusing. Sorry, Loki57. [[Special:Contributions/108.162.221.13|108.162.221.13]] 13:38, 29 March 2016 (UTC)

Isn't this whole stucture with elevation and a barrier called "pulpit"? [[Special:Contributions/162.158.102.222|162.158.102.222]] 07:47, 29 March 2016 (UTC)
:A pulpit is a fixed platform, usually partly enclosed, and usually in a church and built specifically for the purpose of sermons. You could describe a pulpit as a kind of podium, but not a _typical_ kind. Also, if there's a stand on a pulpit, it's not a lectern; that word is only used for the smaller stand off to the side of the pulpit for use by lay readers.
:Of course in the kinds of Evangelical churches that have banished the distinction between lay speakers and clergy, and turned the entire stage into a pulpit (no chancel, nave, or even altar), the preacher's stand may be called a lectern. But in that case, there's really no raised podium in the first place, unless you want to call the entire stage a podium.
:The different connotations of "pulpit" and "podium" definitely lead to different metaphorical or figurative uses. For example, it's hard to imagine Teddy Roosevelt talking about the Presidency as a "bully podium". (Of course "bully pulpit" is also hard to imagine a century later, with "bully" no longer meaning "excellent", and sermonizing now being something you accuse religious-right or PC-left politicians of rather than something politicians of high integrity are credited with…) --[[Special:Contributions/162.158.255.105|162.158.255.105]] 16:31, 29 March 2016 (UTC)
::Yes Wikipedia defines a {{w|pulpit}} as "a raised stand for preachers in a Christian church." But they can look quite like a lectern in some situations, as can be seen by searching for pictures of pulpit. --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 17:25, 29 March 2016 (UTC)

There isn't a good explanation yet for what "a primary challenge from the prescriptivist base" means. 
Wikipedia has a good definition for a "primary challenge" (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Primary_challenge) but a bit more may be necessary for people who don't closely follow American politics. 
In American politics, a primary challenge usually occurs when an incumbent politician has offended the more radical wing of their party. For example a Republican politician (this is usually seen as the more right-wing party in US politics) who takes moderate-to-liberal actions while in office will often face a primary challenge from a much more conservative Republican (someone on the extreme right), while a Democrat politician (the more left-wing party in the US) who takes moderate-to-conservative actions will often face a primary challenge from a much more liberal Democrat (someone on the extreme left). 
Two dramatic examples from recent US history are when Tom Foley (then the Republican Speaker of the House) faced (and lost) a primary challenge from the more conservative George Nethercutt in 1994, and when Richard Lugar (a widely respected senior Republican senator) lost a primary challenge to the more conservative Richard Mourdock in 2012. Here is an article on the latter: http://www.nytimes.com/2012/05/09/us/politics/lugar-loses-primary-challenge-in-indiana.html 
Part of the joke here is that by using "prescriptivist base" in the same way that political commentators do when referring to the extreme right or left wing elements of the Republican and Democratic parties respectively, Randall is comparing the extreme mindset and behavior of linguistic prescriptivists with radical right-wing and left-wing ideologues. 23:41, 29 March 2016 (UTC)!

Talk:1645: Toasts

2016-02-22T22:20:41Z

173.245.54.43: Real Solids vs Liquid Diet?

Are we sure "single-payer" is not a typo, making it "single-player" to fit with "RealPlayer"? [[Special:Contributions/162.158.202.144|162.158.202.144]] 11:18, 19 February 2016 (UTC)
:That's what I thought as well. [[User:Maplestrip|Maplestrip]] ([[User talk:Maplestrip|talk]]) 11:19, 19 February 2016 (UTC)
::Yes it is not a typo as Single-payer refers to Single-payer healthcare as now explained above. --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 12:27, 19 February 2016 (UTC)
:::Randall often corrects comic with errors, and if it had been an error he would probably also have spotted it by now, and it has not changed on xkcd. --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 14:14, 22 February 2016 (UTC)--

: It seems correct. It is rather abstract, but I guess single-payer here is considered a good thing and RealPlayer a bad thing. Added to rime that a a different type of "player" might be what his single friends need.[[Special:Contributions/162.158.90.165|162.158.90.165]] 22:38, 19 February 2016 (UTC)

I'm fairly certain this comic is in reference to the "Fall Out Boy" song, entitled "Champagne For My Real Friends And Real Pain For My Sham Friends", from their 2005 album "From Under The Cork Tree"; though he could also be referencing Francis Bacon, Tom Waits, the television show Happy Days, the show One Tree Hill, or Spike Lee's "25th Hour". If you do a Google search for the phrase, it requires some exclusions (like -"fall out boy") to prevent that song from dominating the first page of results. It's one of their most famous titles.[[Special:Contributions/108.162.216.48|108.162.216.48]] 12:00, 19 February 2016 (UTC)
:Please just include links to these relevant songs etc. in the explanation. And thanks for the comment. --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 12:27, 19 February 2016 (UTC)
::Turns out it was an old quote so not to this song but both are now mentioned in the explanation.--[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 13:51, 21 February 2016 (UTC)


Quote from early explantion: White Hat thus wish that his real friends have access to free health care, and all his single friends will get RealPlayer. Maybe he wishes to impress these singles with a present and hope he gets lucky. (If it has been Hairy this would have seemed very likely… see 1178: Pickup Artists. White Hat has not previously displayed thse tendencies to clearly).
I doubt this. RealPlayer was a terrible piece of software nobody wanted and was often bundled with spyware (see wikipedia) {{unsigned ip|141.101.70.121}}
:Well I wrote it and disagree. Since it has been on the market for 10 years, and has just been updated, then it cannot be that terrible, and I cannot find what you say should be on Wikipedia to show that it should be bad still at present. But of course if it has just been upgraded to a new name, then giving the old app is not so hot. Has addressed this in the explanation. Aqlso please feel free to update something you find in error yourself ;-) --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 12:27, 19 February 2016 (UTC)
:: You wrote the source code for RealPlayer or the explantation here? If first you should know why it has such a bad reputation, if second: RealPlayer was some time ago bundled with spyware that sent unique ID's with other userdata to a server, also it had several other problems and is considered by several tech magazines as one of the worst software programs. It might not mention that in the english wikipedia but the german has a section for it. https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/RealPlayer#Kritik To stay on topic: Maybe he wishes his single friends RealPlayer so they need his help to get the malware off their computers and he can impress them? Is way more probable from my experience. [[User:Bobylein|Bobylein]] ([[User talk:Bobylein|talk]]) 12:43, 19 February 2016 (UTC)
:::I wrote the explanation! And to stay in English for those who are not native Germans... we can also take the English wiki link to the {{w|RealPlayer#Reviews_and_critiques|critique}}! ;-) As I can read from that it was in 1999 and 2007 that it was bad, and as this is now 9 years ago at least, and they keep updating it, the errors may have been improved out? Why would anyone else continue to make it better or using it? But again feel free to update the explanation even more with these kinds of info. I still think it is not so bad to get a free app, unless it is the spy ware version. I expect this doesn't exist anymore, and it is not explicitly stated that he would give them that.--[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 12:53, 19 February 2016 (UTC)
::::None of these negative interpretations of RealPlayer fit with White Hat's personality.--[[User:Nekoninda|Nekoninda]] 13:34, 19 February 2016 (UTC)
:::::There's more to realplayer than adware. Realaudio/realvideo were among the first streaming media formats on the internet. As such, it was used at that time by many adult-oriented sites offering streaming video. It is very possible that the single friends of White Hat might be interested by such media. [[Special:Contributions/173.245.49.25|173.245.49.25]] 13:04, 21 February 2016 (UTC)

This is the first comic with [[Hair Bun Girl]] since [[User:Jkshapiro|Jkshapiro]] proposed a name change to for instance Hairbun. I take this chance to get more comments on this subject by posting his note, that is now posted on her site: Should [[Hair Bun Girl]] be renamed to Hairbun? [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php/explain_xkcd:Community_portal/Proposals#Rename_Hair_Bun_Girl See here]
--[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 13:04, 19 February 2016 (UTC)

As a non-native speaker, when I first read it, I though "petty friends" could mean "pet animals" and "real coats" would then refer to them having real fur as coats - which is often an aspect animal friends don't like on certain rich people (wearing real fur coats), but completely normal for the animals itself.
Also "Realplayer", aside from its repuration as not-so-useable software, is used for video streaming, including on porn sites. So (male?) "single friends", being single, might have to resort using Realplayer/porn to satisfy their needs.
[[User:Zefiro|Zefiro]] ([[User talk:Zefiro|talk]]) 13:16, 19 February 2016 (UTC)

In regard to the second tile, I read it at first to mean that the girl's real friends are pseudopods and that all her human acquaintances are "pseudo-friends". This would be like a stereotypical "lab nerd". Doesn't track with any other slide, but I thought it might add to the conversation... {{unsigned ip|108.162.221.15}}

"Real bugs" for my "Lady Friends" - I took that as having sexual undertones. But maybe that was just me. --[[Special:Contributions/188.114.106.47|188.114.106.47]] 19:14, 19 February 2016 (UTC)

The last panel with Beret Guy might be a reference to any French expression using "faucon" ("hawk", sounds like "false cunt") and "vrai con" ("real cunt"). Sorry about the language by the way, but that's exactly what "con" mean, both literally and figuratively. A French equivalent to "Champagne for My Real Friends, Real Pain for My Sham Friends" would likely use those—although I can't think about a perfect one. It's usually along the lines "Quelle différence entre toi et un oiseau? Le faucon est un oiseau, toi t'es un vrai con." meaning "What's the difference between a bird and you? The hawk is a bird, you're a real cunt." Also, the current explanation seems really far-fetched to me. [[Special:Contributions/141.101.104.159|141.101.104.159]] 20:26, 19 February 2016 (UTC)
: Made the edit. Feel free to argue. [[Special:Contributions/141.101.104.159|141.101.104.159]] 03:47, 20 February 2016 (UTC)
::Firstly, I must disagree about "Fauxhawk", that "This '''IS'''" a reference to "faucon"/the french version of this phrase. I might go along with "might be". "Fauxhawk" is a word that really is used in the English language, for the described hairstyle. This connection seems only to be a mild coincidence, something better suited to a Trivia section (it DOES make for an interesting tidbit, but too obscure to be on purpose). Seems like a happy accident.

::Secondly, I remain unconvinced about "Single-Payer" not being a typo. Seems like a weird term, uncommon. Maybe this is just because I'm Canadian, maybe this term is very wide-spread to Americans, but due to American TV and content we DO hear a lot of American terms. If the intent was indeed to be "single-player", this could be a reference to how more and more video games these days focus on multiplayer/online play, many of which neglect the single-player content, to the point where it seems like the game makers are assuming nobody is interested. As such, this would mean wishing quality single-player gameplay for their real friends.

::Thirdly, about "pods". I understood it to mean "human container", like a stasis pod or escape pod (a common term for the spaceship equivalent of a lifeboat) Examples of such pods would include where Ripley "stored" herself at the end of Aliens, into the beginning of the next movie, or how baby Superman was transported to Earth. So, this person would be wishing these friends go into stasis, that their fake friends simply go away.

::And YAY! As of this comic I'm caught up, I've now read every xkcd starting from #1! :) - NiceGuy1[[Special:Contributions/198.41.235.215|198.41.235.215]] 07:36, 20 February 2016 (UTC)
:::The cunt reference is far-fetched. Have removed it. It off course remains here. Also: Yes it is not a typo as Single-payer refers to Single-payer healthcare as now explained above. (And also noted at the top of this discussion page)--[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 13:51, 21 February 2016 (UTC)

Is it just me, or does the fact that several of the words also are the names of cocktails (Ladybug, Tumbleweed) have any significance? [[Special:Contributions/162.158.203.146|162.158.203.146]] 09:23, 20 February 2016 (UTC)
: My initial reaction to this thought was "no", seeing as those drinks aren't that widespread, for example I feel like I might have heard those cocktail names, but if so rarely and I've no idea as to their contents (i.e. as opposed to drinks like a Screwdriver, a Mimosa or a Black Russian, drinks which are rather universal, such that most adults probably know what's in them). However, on reflection, the original toast names a drink, toasts involve drinking, and both of those items - Ladybugs and Tumbleweeds - make for unpleasant gifts. So now I think this might be a genuine possibility. Does anybody know of any drinks sharing a name with any of the others? ("Single-payer" seems unlikely, but "Pseudopod" for example?) - NiceGuy1[[Special:Contributions/108.162.218.160|108.162.218.160]] 10:00, 20 February 2016 (UTC)
::I think that for some of the more strange thing to hand out to friends it makes sense that they refeer to the drinks as mentioned - there is even a beer called fauxhawks... I will add this to the explanation for those where there is a drink with that name. --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 14:05, 21 February 2016 (UTC)

If a wiki mod/admin comes by there was a user who replaced the comments with spam. [[User:Codingale|Codingale]] ([[User talk:Codingale|talk]]) 13:43, 20 February 2016 (UTC)
:Noted and blocked. '''[[User:Davidy22|{{Color|#707|David}}y²²]]'''[[User talk:Davidy22|<tt>[talk]</tt>]] 18:27, 20 February 2016 (UTC)
::I have found one other situation same user, who deleted entire [[1613]]. Have reverted the change.--[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 18:55, 20 February 2016 (UTC)

Shampoo for my real friends; real poo for my sham friends. {{unsigned ip|108.162.236.37}}

Shampoo in your wonder hair... {{unsigned ip|162.158.255.84}}

Are we sure that the title text isn't a reference to Plato's idealised metaphysical forms (which would include the Platonic solids), which stand in contrast to their imperfect instantiations in the real world? {{unsigned ip|141.101.70.20}}

ShamWows for my real friends; real shams for my WOW friends. {{unsigned ip|108.162.218.77}}

;psuedopods?

I rather get the feeling that the blond lady is into tentacle porn.
She wants her friends to be violated by them.... {{unsigned ip|198.41.235.11}}

Could 'real solids' refer to diet? When one has been sick, they are often on a liquid diet, and proceed to soft foods like gelatin desserts before moving back to 'real solids'. Given the number of drinks involved, this seems possible to me. [[Special:Contributions/173.245.54.43|173.245.54.43]] 22:20, 22 February 2016 (UTC)

1613: The Three Laws of Robotics

2015-12-07T21:46:27Z

173.245.54.43: /* Explanation */ Typos

{{comic
| number = 1613
| date = December 7, 2015
| title = The Three Laws of Robotics
| image = the_three_laws_of_robotics.png
| titletext = In ordering #5, self-driving cars will happily drive you around, but if you tell them to drive to a car dealership, they just lock the doors and politely ask how long humans take to starve to death.
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Very basic first draft, and I'm pretty inexperienced - please also check spelling}}
This comic explores alternative orderings of sci-fi author {{w|Isaac Asimov|Isaac Asimov's}} famous {{w|Three Laws of Robotics}}, which are designed to prevent robots from taking over the world, etc. These laws form the basis of a number of Asimov works of fiction, including most famously, the short story collection ''{{w|I, Robot}}'', which amongst other include the very first of Asimov's stories to introduce the three laws, {{w|Runaround (story)|Runaround}}.

The three rules are:
#A robot may not injure a human being or, through inaction, allow a human being to come to harm.
#A robot must obey the orders given it by human beings except where such orders would conflict with the First Law.
#A robot must protect its own existence as long as such protection does not conflict with the First or Second Laws.

Or in [[Randall|Randall's]] version:
#Don't harm humans
#Obey Orders
#Protect yourself

This comic answers the generally unasked question: "Why are they in that order?" With three rules you could rank them into 6 different sets, only one of which has been explored in depth.

The comic begins with introducing the original set, which we already know will give rise to a balanced world, so this is designated as green:
;Ordering #1: If they are not allowed to harm humans, no harm will be done if they fall into the hands of a mass-murderer. So long as they do not harm humans, they must obey orders. Their own self-preservation is last, so they must also try to save a human, even if ordered not do so, and especially also if they would put themselves to harm, or even destroy themselves in the process. This leads to a balanced world, explored in detail in Asimov's robot stories.

Below this first known option, the five alternative orderings of the three rules are illustrated. Two of the possibilities are designated yellow (pretty bad or just annoying) and three of them are designated red ("Hellscape").

;Ordering #2: The robots value their existence over their job and so many would refuse to do their tasks. The silliness of this is portrayed in the accompanying image, where the robot laughs at the idea of doing what it was clearly built to do (explore Mars) because of the risk. This personification is augmented by the robot being switched on already while still on Earth and then ordered by [[Megan]] to go explore. The personification is humorous since it is a very nonhuman robot - a typical Mars rover, as has often been used in earlier comics.
;Ordering #3: This puts obeying orders above not harming humans, which means anyone could send them on a killing spree, resulting in a "Killbot Hellscape". It should also be noted humor is derived from the superlative nature of "Killbot Hellscape", as well as its over the top accompanying image, where there are multiple mushroom clouds (not necessarily nuclear). It also appears there are no humans, only robots.
;Ordering #4:The next would also result in much the same, the only difference here is that they would be willing to kill humans to protect themselves.
;Ordering #5:The penultimate would result in a unpleasant world, though not a full Hellscape, where the robots would not only disobey to protect themselves, but also kill if necessary. The absurdity of this one is further demonstrated with the very un-human robot happily doing repetitive mundane tasks but then threatening the life of it's user, [[Cueball]], if he as much as considers unplugging the robot.
;Ordering #6:The last also results in a Hellscape wherein robots not only kill for self defense but will also go on killing sprees if ordered as long as they didn't risk themselves. It is interesting to note that this case may not be correct. The writer seems to have missed the fact that an order to go kill a person or a robot might be dangerous, and thus most robots would likely disobey them in the interest of self-preservation. In fact, the robots may likely not do anything at all, because moving a moving part degrades it, and thus taking any action at all might violate self-preservation. On the other hand if the other robots are ordered to destroy you, and you cannot be sure that they will not do it, then better to protect your self by going on a killing spree, and then we are back to a realistic hellscape scenario anyway.

To summarize: There are two main distinctions between the 'normal' 3-laws and the variations. The first is where Self-protection is put ahead of Obedience. This results in a world where robots may be considered no longer the useful workers for humanity that they are supposed to be. The second is where Obedience supercedes Harmlessness, and means that robots are ''threats'' to humanity (although only if they are ever given the order to be so).

The former, alone, merely creates frustration, in one scenario. The latter, alone, allows humans to use robots as their proxies for warfare, as per two scenarios - although the hellscape could be 'easily' avoided if nobody bothers to order to start (or continue) military action, but knowing the state of humans affair, this scenario is not realistic. Terrorist would love to have robots they could order to kill all infidels. Both ''together'' upgrade both the frustration and warfare aspects, creating 'unstoppable killing machines' - our only hope is that nobody ''ever'' orders them into killing-mode, or gives them cause to consider themselves under threat, resulting in an uneasy peace on the perpetual edge of tipping over into war.

The third 'law inversion', with Self-protection being put ahead of Harmlessness, is necessarily inherent in the 'worst' Killbot Hellscape scenario, whilst really only adds a nuance between the first two Hellscape scenarios, where the orders themselves are not explicitly anti-human.

The title text further adds to ordering #5 by noting anyone wishing to trade in their self-driving car could be killed, despite it (currently) being a standard and mundane and (mostly) risk-free activity. Because the car would fear that it would end up as scrap or spare parts, it decides to protect itself. And although not directly harming the person inside it, they do also not allow them out, and they have time to wait for starvation (or rather dying of thirst).

==Transcript==
:[Caption at the top of the comic:]
:'''Why Asimov put the Three Laws'''
: '''of Robotics in the order he did.'''

:[Below are six rows with first two frames and then a label in color to the right. Above the two column of frames there are labels as well. In the first column six different ways of ordering the three laws are listed. Then the second column shown an image of the consequences of this order. Except in the first where there is a reference. The label to the right rates the kind of world that order of the laws would result in.]

:[Labels above the columns]
:Possible ordering
:Consequences

:[The six rows follows below. First the text in the first frame, then a description of the second frame, including possible text below and finally the colored label.]

:[First row:]
:1. (1) Don't harm humans
:2. (2) Obey Orders
:3. (3) Protect yourself
:[Only text in square brackets:]
::[See Asmiov’s stories]
:'''Balanced world'''

:[Second row:]
:1. (1) Don't harm humans
:2. (3) Protect yourself
:3. (2) Obey Orders
:[Megan points at a mars rower with six wheels, a satellite disc, an arm and a camera head turned towards her, what to do.]
:Megan: Explore Mars!
:Mars rower: Haha, no. It’s cold and I’d die.
:'''Frustrating world'''

:[Third row:]
:1. (2) Obey Orders
:2. (1) Don't harm humans
:3. (3) Protect yourself
:[Two robots are fighting. The one to the left has six wheels, a tall neck on top of the body, with a head with what could be a camera facing right. It has something pointing forward on the body, which could be a weapon. The robot to the right, seems to be further away into the picture. (it is smaller with less detail). It is human shapes, but made op of square structures. It has two legs and two arms, a torso and a head. It clearly shoots something out of it’s right “hand”. This shot seems to create an explosion a third of the way towards the left robot. There are two mushroom clouds from explosions behind both robots (left and right). Between them there are one more explosion up in the air close to the left robot, and what looks like a fire on the ground right between them. Furthermore there are two missiles in the air, one above the head of each robot. Lines indicate their trajectory. There is not text.]
:'''Killbot hellscape'''

:[Fourth row:]
:1. (2) Obey Orders
:2. (3) Protect yourself
:3. (1) Don't harm humans:
:[Exactly the same picture as in row 3.]
:'''Killbot hellscape'''

:[Fifth row:]
:1. (3) Protect yourself
:2. (1) Don't harm humans
:3. (2) Obey Orders
:[Cueball is standing in front of a car factory robot, that are larger than him. It has a base, and two parts for the main body, and then a big “head” with a small section on top. To the right something is jutting out, and to the left in the direction of Cueball there is an arm in three sections (going down, up and down again) ending in some kind of tool close to Cueball.]
:Car factory robot: I'll make cars for you, but try to unplug me and I’ll vaporize you.
:'''Terrifying standoff'''

:[Sixth row:]
:1. (3) Protect yourself
:2. (2) Obey Orders
:3. (1) Don't harm humans:
:[Exactly the same picture as in row 3 and 4.]
:'''Killbot hellscape'''

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Comics with color]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Megan]]
[[Category:Artificial Intelligence]]
[[Category:Robots]]

Talk:759: 3x9

2015-10-29T16:35:48Z

173.245.54.43: Removed spam comment

In the middle of a Physics I exam, I forgot one of the equations of motion. Using my basic working knowledge of Calculus and the relationship between acceleration, velocity, and position, I managed to derive an equation which I used to solve the problem. When I got my exam back, I was given only partial credit because I got the right answer using the wrong formula.[[User:Smperron|Smperron]] ([[User talk:Smperron|talk]])
: Ah, [insert your nation here]'s educational system at work. {{unsigned ip|ImVeryAngryItsNotButter}}
:: Or perhaps re-estimate the value of making the cubed root of 81 look like 27 when the marker knows it is really 4.32674871092 and a bit.

I had an old math teacher once who didn't spend too much effort in grading trickier problems, so I got away with something similar in deriving Lagrange's Trig Identity in a complex class. Maybe 8 steps from the LHS and 2 steps from the RHS were right, and the equals sign that joined them was a leap of faith. --[[User:Quicksilver|Quicksilver]] ([[User talk:Quicksilver|talk]]) 01:55, 20 August 2013 (UTC)

1596: Launch Status Check

2015-10-28T14:21:31Z

173.245.54.43: /* Explanation */

{{comic
| number = 1596
| date = October 28, 2015
| title = Launch Status Check
| image = launch status check.png
| titletext = Visual checks suggest the cool bird has exited the launch zone. Tip the rocket sideways and resume the countdown--we're gonna go find it!
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Probably requires some rewording, also an explanation about hawks, vultures, eagles and V-shaped wings would be nice}}
The first panel shows a {{w|Rocket launch|rocket launch}}, which is a critical point in any {{w|Spaceflight|space mission}}. Before this moment, there are years of hard work from a large technical staff, and all that work (and even lives) could be destroyed in a second if anything {{w|List of spaceflight-related accidents and incidents|goes wrong during the launch}}. ''{{w|Countdown|T-Minus}} 2 minutes'' means that there are only two minutes left before the rocket is actually launched, so at this moment everybody is very nervous and worried about the launch going wrong. Other texts from the panel refer to the usual checks before the launch, whose end is to ensure everything is ready.

In the second panel, one of the people controlling the launch sees a "cool bird" on the {{w|Closed-circuit television|live feed}} from the cameras controlling the operation. This should be of no importance at all, given the relatively much more serious matter of having years of work and possibly human lives at stake. However, the technical staff starts commenting on this cool bird and aborts the launch procedure as they are interested in the bird. This behavior would be absurd in real life.

In the third panel, the two controllers attempt to identify the bird; the one on the right guesses maybe it is a hawk. Since the habitat of hawks and vultures overlap almost entirely, a birdwatcher is almost certain to accidentally confuse the two in their lifetime of birdwatching. Obviously having this knowledge of the habitat overlap, the controller on the left asks if the bird was a vulture. The controller on the right accurately notes that it probably was not a vulture since it is commonly known to ornithologists, especially those at Cornell University, that vultures "hold their wings slightly raised in a "V" when seen head on."[http://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Turkey_Vulture/id]. However, this demands that the original sighting of the bird must have included a flight pattern in which the bird not only "flew past the tower" as stated, but also flew towards the tower...even cooler!

The title text goes on with the same absurd behavior: the crew restarts the countdown to launch the rocket, but only to follow the bird and get a closer look at it. The original space mission the rocket was designed for is completely ignored. This is even more absurd than the initial interest in the bird, given that a rocket designed to enter outer space is ill equipped to try to follow a bird and maneuver at the low elevation and at the relatively slow speed of a bird.

==Transcript==
:[A rocket is about to launch. A small object is near the top of the rocket.]
:Countdown: ''T-Minus 2 minutes''
:Offscreen Voice 1: Tank and booster are go for launch.
:Offscreen Voice 2: Safety console?
:Offscreen Voice 1: Check. Safety-
:Offscreen Voice 2: Wait.

:[The small object moves to further to the right.]
:Offscreen Voice 1: What is it?
:Offscreen Voice 2: On the live feed- a cool bird just flew past the tower!

:[A shadow darkens the launch site. The small object moves out of the panel.]
:Offscreen Voice 1: Whoa, what kind?
:Offscreen Voice 2: Like a hawk, maybe!
:Offscreen Voice 1: Could it be a vulture?
:Offscreen Voice 2: I doubt it. The wings were flat, not in a "V".
:Offscreen Voice 1: It could be an eagle!
:Offscreen Voice 2: Ooh!

:Offscreen Voice 1: This is launch control. We have a possible sighting of a cool bird. Halt the countdown.
:Offscreen Voice 2: Someone get some binoculars up here!
:Offscreen Voice 1: I want to see!

{{comic discussion}}

1596: Launch Status Check

2015-10-28T14:16:57Z

173.245.54.43: Added info about the comments about "V" shape used to identify bird.

{{comic
| number = 1596
| date = October 28, 2015
| title = Launch Status Check
| image = launch status check.png
| titletext = Visual checks suggest the cool bird has exited the launch zone. Tip the rocket sideways and resume the countdown--we're gonna go find it!
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Probably requires some rewording, also an explanation about hawks, vultures, eagles and V-shaped wings would be nice}}
The first panel shows a {{w|Rocket launch|rocket launch}}, which is a critical point in any {{w|Spaceflight|space mission}}. Before this moment, there are years of hard work from a large technical staff, and all that work (and even lives) could be destroyed in a second if anything {{w|List of spaceflight-related accidents and incidents|goes wrong during the launch}}. ''{{w|Countdown|T-Minus}} 2 minutes'' means that there are only two minutes left before the rocket is actually launched, so at this moment everybody is very nervous and worried about the launch going wrong. Other texts from the panel refer to the usual checks before the launch, whose end is to ensure everything is ready.

In the second panel, one of the people controlling the launch sees a "cool bird" on the {{w|Closed-circuit television|live feed}} from the cameras controlling the operation. This should be of no importance at all, given the relatively much more serious matter of having years of work and possibly human lives at stake. However, the technical staff starts commenting on this cool bird and aborts the launch procedure as they are interested in the bird. This behavior would be absurd in real life.

The two controllers attempt to identify the bird; the one on the right guesses maybe it is a hawk. Since the habitat of hawks and vultures overlap almost entirely, a birdwatcher is almost certain to accidentally confuse the two in their lifetime of birdwatching. Obviously having this knowledge of the habitat overlap, the controller on the left asks if the bird was a vulture. The controller on the right accurately notes that it probably was not a vulture since it is commonly known to ornithologists, especially those at Cornell University, that vultures "hold their wings slightly raised in a "V" when seen head on."[http://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Turkey_Vulture/id]. However, this demands that the original sighting of the bird must have included a flight pattern in which the bird not only "flew past the tower" as stated, but also flew towards the tower...even cooler!

The title text goes on with the same absurd behavior: the crew restarts the countdown to launch the rocket, but only to follow the bird and get a closer look at it. The original space mission the rocket was designed for is completely ignored. This is even more absurd than the initial interest in the bird, given that a rocket designed to enter outer space is ill equipped to try to follow a bird and maneuver at the low elevation and at the relatively slow speed of a bird.

==Transcript==
:[A rocket is about to launch.]
:Countdown: ''T-Minus 2 minutes''
:Offscreen Voice 1: Tank and booster are go for launch.
:Offscreen Voice 2: Safety console?
:Offscreen Voice 1: Check. Safety-
:Offscreen Voice 2: Wait.

:Offscreen Voice 1: What is it?
:Offscreen Voice 2: On the live feed- a cool bird just flew past the tower!

:[A shadow darkens the launch site.]
:Offscreen Voice 1: Whoa, what kind?
:Offscreen Voice 2: Like a hawk, maybe!
:Offscreen Voice 1: Could it be a vulture?
:Offscreen Voice 2: I doubt it. The wings were flat, not in a "V".
:Offscreen Voice 1: It could be an eagle!
:Offscreen Voice 2: Ooh!

:Offscreen Voice 1: This is launch control. We have a possible sighting of a cool bird. Halt the countdown.
:Offscreen Voice 2: Someone get some binoculars up here!
:Offscreen Voice 1: I want to see!

{{comic discussion}}

1586: Keyboard Problems

2015-10-05T14:38:26Z

173.245.54.43: /* Explanation */ Typo

{{comic
| number = 1586
| date = October 5, 2015
| title = Keyboard Problems
| image = keyboard_problems.png
| titletext = In the future, a group of resistance fighters send me back in time with instructions to find the Skynet prototype and try to upgrade it.
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|First draft. Characters from The Terminator could be explained better. Is there a "comics with Terminator" category? Anything else you can think of}}
This comic is about how computer problems appear with no obvious cause. Even technically skilled people often find themselves powerless to diagnose the problem, and resort to tricks and quirks to solve or circumvent the problem without really understanding how or why the trick should work.

In the comic, [[Cueball]] complains that some keys in his keyboard don't work. Generally speaking, this could be due either to a software problem (i.e. the keyboard driver not working properly, or some program ignoring keypresses) or to a hardware problem (the keyboard is physically damaged, typically because of dirt under the keys).

If the problem is in software, booting from a different operating system (e.g. an external recovery disk) should solve it, as the computer would not be using the faulty software. Conversely, if the problem is in hardware, changing the keyboard should solve the problem as the new keyboard is not physically damaged and has no dirt under the keys.

However, the problem stays there after booting from an external recovery disk (so it's not a software problem) and it has "followed Cueball since his last computer" (i.e. persists after changing the keyboard and even the whole computer, so it's not a hardware problem). Cueball is reasonably puzzled.

[[Megan]] seems to be used to Cueball's computer behaving strangely, and she doesn't even attempt to explain or solve the problem. The only explanation she needs for the problem is that "it's Cueball's computer". The characters in this comic are probably the same as in [[1084: Server Problem]] and [[1316: Inexplicable]].

The last panel is a reference to {{w|The Terminator}}, a 1984 movie often referenced in xkcd. In the movie, a robot (visually indistinguishable from a human) from the future travels through time to the present to kill Sarah Connor. This robot proves to be really hard to stop. Megan suggests that if such a robot ever comes to haunt her, she'll hide in Cueball's house, as the robot won't work there since Cueball's computers can't seem to ever work properly.

==Transcript==
:[Cueball] sits between two laptops. Megan stands behind him.]

:Cueball: Keys on my keyboard keep failing, even when I boot from an external recovery disk.
:Megan: Sounds like it's hardware, then.

:[Cueball moves over to the laptop behind him.]

:Cueball: Yeah... except the problem followed me from my ''last'' computer.
:Megan: You have the most ''bizarre'' tech issues.

:[Cueball picks up the keyboard from the rear computer and plugs it into the one in front of him.]

:Cueball: It must be spreading via keyboards. This one won't work with ''any'' computer now.
:Megan: When the robot apocalypse happens, I'm hiding out in your house. Any Skynet drones that come near will develop inexplicable firmware problems and crash.

{{comic discussion}}

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