explain xkcd - User contributions [en]

Talk:801: Golden Hammer

2020-08-18T02:28:12Z

173.245.54.49:

What is the title referencing? [[Special:Contributions/108.162.216.45|108.162.216.45]] 05:25, 12 December 2013 (UTC)

Isn't that one of the original intents of Java, that is embedded systems? Presumably Java does run in several PLC type devices, but I have no first had account on this; Java certainly is not popular or common there. I checked the Wikipedia page and smart TV's were mentioned, this for 1991. [[Special:Contributions/108.162.230.131|108.162.230.131]] 21:49, 12 December 2014 (UTC)
:Not all embedded systems are single-purpose hardware. Smart TVs use Java, so other developers can also easily create additional applications for them. [[User:Condor70|Condor70]] ([[User talk:Condor70|talk]]) 12:40, 15 July 2015 (UTC)

Does anybody know why Randall choose Wolf Blitzer for this comic? Does he have some relation to boats? [[User:Condor70|Condor70]] ([[User talk:Condor70|talk]]) 12:40, 15 July 2015 (UTC)
:Presumably Randall knows, though it could be something as simple as "He's wealthy enough to have a boat and most people would know who he is". -Pennpenn [[Special:Contributions/108.162.250.162|108.162.250.162]] 06:39, 30 September 2015 (UTC)

Nobody outside America has heard of Wolf Blitzer. Just sayin'. [[User:Brenda|Brenda]] ([[User talk:Brenda|talk]]) 00:39, 29 June 2018 (UTC)

Golden hammer is also usual anti-pattern in software design. Means overkill. https://sourcemaking.com/antipatterns/golden-hammer
:A good, brief explanation of golden hammer is found here:
:https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Law_of_the_instrument#Computer_programming
:[[Special:Contributions/173.245.54.49|173.245.54.49]] 02:28, 18 August 2020 (UTC)

1704: Gnome Ann

2016-07-08T20:27:56Z

173.245.54.49: /* Table of quotes */

{{comic
| number = 1704
| date = July 8, 2016
| title = Gnome Ann
| image = gnome_ann.png
| titletext = In the words of Andrew Johnson, if I am to be shot at, I want Gnome Ann to be in the way of the bullet.
}}

==Explanation==
This comic presents a series of images depicting a female {{w|gnome}} who is known as "Gnome Ann". The humor derives from the fact that the name "Gnome Ann" and the compound noun "no man" are {{w|homophone}}s, meaning they sound alike but have different meanings and spellings.
(Users of the {{w|GNOME|Gnome desktop system}} may have difficulties understanding this since they pronounce Gnome with a hard "g", reflecting its {{w|GNU}} ties.)

[[Randall]] presents the reader with six images (and a title text) captioned with quotations from a wide range of sources, each featuring an instance of the compound noun "no man" being replaced by "Gnome Ann" (and featuring a drawing that reflects this change). There is one proverb, two Biblical quotations, two literary quotations (the {{w|Miguel de Cervantes|Cervantes}} quote is from ''{{w|Don Quixote}}'', the other one is from {{w|Lord of the Rings}}, the line {{w|Éowyn}} said to the {{w|Witch-king_of_Angmar|Witch-king of Angmar}} before killing him), one quotation from the opening of a television show (''{{w|Star Trek: The Original Series}}''), and a quotation from a piece of historical rhetoric in the title text.

The third panel, in which Gnome Ann pushes the groom aside and approaches the bride, may suggest that Gnome Ann is a lesbian (which would fit the pattern, as by definition no man is a lesbian).

The process by which "no man" becomes "nom an" (and hence Gnome Ann) is known as {{w|false splitting}}, and is a familiar process of word formation in English and other languages; examples include {{w|Vipera_berus#Etymologies|"an adder" from "a nadder"}} and "lone" from "(all) one".

===Table of quotes===
{| class="wikitable"
| '''Modified quote'''
| '''Original quote'''
| '''Origin'''
| '''Explanation'''
|-
| "Time and tide wait for Gnome Ann."
| "Time and tide wait for no man."
| Proverb
| Normally it is not possible for anyone to influence time or tides. However in this case it would appear than Gnome Ann is able to stop time, and tides.
|-
| "The wicked flee when Gnome Ann pursueth."
| "The wicked flee when no man pursueth."
| Bible: [http://biblehub.com/proverbs/28-1.htm Proverbs 28:1]
| This (out of context) biblical reference normally implies the wicked are a cowardly lot, jumping at shadows and eager to flee at simply the pretense of danger. However in this case it would imply that wicked people run away from Gnome Ann specifically.
|-
| "What therefore God hath joined together, let Gnome Ann put asunder."
| "What therefore God hath joined together, let no man put asunder."
| Bible: [http://biblehub.com/mark/10-9.htm Mark 10:9]
| In the Bible, Jesus is asked about whether people should be allowed to divorce, and Jesus responds with this quote. It is known to appear in wedding vows, hence the fact that the man and woman in the panel are dressed for a wedding. However, in the comic, the quote becomes a command to Gnome Ann to break apart what God has joined.
|-
| "Time ripens all things; Gnome Ann is born wise
| "Time ripens all things; no man is born wise."
| The novel {{w|Don Quixote}} by {{w|Miguel De Cervantes}}
| This states that nobody is wise to begin with, and it takes time to become wise. However it now states that Gnome Ann in wise to begin with.
|-
| "Our Mission: To boldly go where Gnome Ann has gone before."
| "Our Mission: To boldly go where no man has gone before."
| Intro at {{w|Star Trek: The Original Series}}
| Originally this was meant to emphasize that they would be going to completely unexplored territory, which would be a potentially risky venture. However in this case , it means that they will be following Gnome Ann, which is not exploration. Though depending on where Gnome Ann has gone, it may still be risky ventures: Gnome Ann goes to battle to be killed. [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caesar_and_Cleopatra_%28play%29]
|-
| Witch-king of Angmar: "Fool! No man can kill me." Gnome Ann: "I Am Gnome Ann!"
| Witch-king of Angmar: "Fool! No man can kill me." Éowyn: "I Am no man!"
| {{w|The Lord of the Rings}}
| The Witch-king of Angmar was given a prophecy that he would never be bested in combat by the hand of man, and he boasted "no man" could kill him. Both in ''Lord of the Rings'' and this comic, he is defeated by a woman. Gnome Ann mistakenly thinks that 'no man' is actually a reference to her own name.
|-
| "In the words of Andrew Johnson, if I am to be shot at, I want Gnome Ann to be in the way of the bullet."
| "In the words of Andrew Johnson, if I am to be shot at, I want no man to be in the way of the bullet."
| {{w|Andrew Johnson}}, 17th President of the United States
| The intent of this statement originally was that Andrew Johnson would rather be killed, than have somebody else be killed trying to save his life. However in this case it would appear that Andrew Johnson would really prefer Gnome Ann to be shot instead of himself, perhaps because he knows Gnome Ann lives forever. [https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Algernon_Charles_Swinburne]
|}

==Transcript==
:[Caption above the panels.]
:The <big>Legend</big> of <big>Gnome Ann</big>

:[At the beach, between a clock hanging in the air, showing 10 past 10 and the shoreline, Gnome Ann, a woman with curly hair and a black triangular hat, stands with her arms outstretched towards the clock and the sea. For each of the first five panels a text is written within a frame above the drawings.]
:Time and tide wait for Gnome Ann.

:[Gnome Ann running in from the left frame with her arms out chases three Cueball like men running from her towards right. The one closest to her looks over his shoulder at her, the next runs forward "normally" and the last in front throws up his arms in the air.]
:The wicked flee when Gnome Ann pursueth.
:-Proverbs 28:1

:[Gnome Ann takes the groom's place in a wedding, shoving him to the side. The groom, Hairy with a bow tie, falls while throwing his arms out. The bride stands to the left, in full wedding dress, showing no reaction.]
:What therefore God hath joined together, let Gnome Ann put asunder.
:-Mark 10:9

:[Gnome Ann sits in a yoga position meditating on a big rock in a desolate area with small rocks on the ground around the big rock.]
:Time ripens all things; Gnome Ann is born wise.
:-Miguel De Cervantes

:[The starship Enterprise from Star Trek is seen from behind as it flies to the right, chasing a smaller craft. In this panel the frame with text is shown to emanate from Enterprise with a zig zag arrow pointing to the starship.]
:Enterprise: Our Mission: To boldly go where Gnome Ann has gone before.

:[The Witch-king of Angmar, Lord of the Nazgûl, from the Lord of the Rings sits on his knees (below the frame) to the left of Gnome Ann, who is preparing to stab him with a sword pointing at his head. She is also holding her other arm out towards him. The Witch-king has a black cloak covering his head and body with a kind of crown with six small spikes shown around his head and one large spike in front. It also goes down on each side of his head showing a gaping hole instead of a face. In this panel the text is spoken by the two characters.]
:Witch-king: Fool! No man can kill me.
:Gnome Ann: '''''I Am Gnome Ann!'''''

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Hairy]]
[[Category:Multiple Cueballs]]
[[Category:Time]]
[[Category:Star Trek]]
[[Category:LOTR]]
[[Category:Philosophy]]
[[Category:Religion]]

Talk:1690: Time-Tracking Software

2016-06-07T03:01:19Z

173.245.54.49:

I don't know how to interpret the "This list is incomplete; you can help by expanding it." on the List of sexually active popes wiki page.
[[Special:Contributions/141.101.104.224|141.101.104.224]] 10:19, 6 June 2016 (UTC)
:They're asking you to become a pope, and be sexually active. Then you can get arrested, and do a helicopter prison escape to start the 'List of helicopter prison escapes involving sexually active popes.' {{unsigned ip|162.158.26.140}}
:It's because we can't know for sure if every single pope is secretly sexually active or if it's just limited to the ones caught red-handed. [[Special:Contributions/141.101.98.5|141.101.98.5]] 11:35, 6 June 2016 (UTC)
:Another interpretation: seduce the pope. --[[Special:Contributions/162.158.85.99|162.158.85.99]] 15:39, 6 June 2016 (UTC)

Those ''estimated'' percentages have a strangely high degree of precision, I'd think limiting them to whole number percentages would do. [[Special:Contributions/141.101.98.58|141.101.98.58]] 11:48, 6 June 2016 (UTC)

Replacing lightsabers in Star Wars movies may be a reference to this amusing video of the sword fight in The Princess Bride where swords are replaced with light sabers.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VYVQooRSlzg {{unsigned ip|173.245.52.69}}

The Jack and Diane remix with one line repeated may be a reference to svantana's brilliant re-do of a Human League number: http://svantana.bandcamp.com/track/you-were-workin-as-a-waitress-in-a-cocktail-bar [[Special:Contributions/108.162.245.109|108.162.245.109]] 13:31, 6 June 2016 (UTC)
**This is the greatest thing in the history of all remixes. [[Special:Contributions/173.245.54.49|173.245.54.49]] 03:01, 7 June 2016 (UTC)

Look what {{w|List of helicopter prison escapes involving sexually active popes|some loser tried to actually make}}, to no one's surprise..... [[User:Schiffy|Schiffy]] ([[User_talk:Schiffy|Speak to me]]|[[Special:Contributions/Schiffy|What I've done]]) 17:07, 6 June 2016 (UTC)
:Anyone took a copy before the page was deleted? {{unsigned ip|108.162.229.49}}

1689: My Friend Catherine

2016-06-03T15:12:17Z

173.245.54.49: Related to comic 1288

{{comic
| number = 1689
| date = June 3, 2016
| title = My Friend Catherine
| image = my_friend_catherine.png
| titletext = I can't get any work done because my friend Catherine is sitting on my keyboard.
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Initial general explanation added, nothing about the individual jokes yet.}}

This is another is a series of substitutions, where a word or phrase, in this case "my cat", is replaced with a different word or phrase, in this case "my friend Catherine". By doing so in a list of people discussing things their feline cat did, it makes it seem like they are discussing things their female human friend did. What is cute, impressive, or normal for a cat would often be weird or disturbing if an adult human were to do it, which is what makes the substitution humorous.

Note that the substitution can be a simple mental substitution, or there are {{w|browser_extension|browser extensions}} that can be used to do the substitution for you.

It should also be noted that this comic conflicts with one of the substitutions from 1288: Substitutions. Namely: its original car>cat replacement. Upon this comic's release,"car" and "cat" should both be replaced with "my friend Catherine."

==Transcript==
New Favorite Substitution:
My Cat → My Friend Catherine

(A Facebook-like list of comments by different people)

:My friend Catherine just did a backflip and then ate a bug!

:I wish my friend Catherine wouldn't wake me up by chewing on my hair.

:Oh no, my friend Catherine has learned to open the refrigerator.

:My friend Catherine just walked in, threw up on the rug, and walked out.

:My friend Catherine is looking out the window making weird noises at the birds.

:I wish my friend Catherine wouldn't make eye contact with me while pooping.

Title text: I can't get any work done because my friend Catherine is sitting on my keyboard.

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Substitutions]]
[[Category:Animals]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Ponytail]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Megan]]

Talk:1679: Substitutions 3

2016-05-11T22:31:41Z

173.245.54.49: Mentioned alternate extension

The title text may be a reference to the Mayan city discovered by a 15 year old, but that city hasn't yet been visited by Channing Tatum and his friends or Mr Tatum. https://translate.google.com/translate?tl=en&u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.journaldemontreal.com%2F2016%2F05%2F07%2Fun-ado-decouvre-une-cite-maya [[Special:Contributions/198.41.239.34|198.41.239.34]] 13:32, 11 May 2016 (UTC)

Here's the code for the full set of substitutions from all three comics, to be inserted in the Chrome extension the page listed, which can be found here: https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/replacerator/gaajhenbcclienfnniphiiambbbninnp?hl=en
<div style="font-size: 25%;">{"Google Glass":"virtual boy","a unknown number":"like hundreds","allegedly":"kinda probably","ancient":"haunted","at large":"very large","behind the headlines":"beyond the grave","candidate":"airbender","car":"cat","cautiously optimistic":"delusional","congressional leaders":"river spirits","could not be reached for comment":"is guilty and everyone knows it","debate":"dance-off","disrupt":"destroy","doctor who":"the big bang theory","drone":"dog","election":"eating contest","electric":"atomic","email":"poem","expands":"physically expands","facebook ceo":"this guy","facebook post":"poem","first-degree":"friggin' awful","front runner":"blade runner","gaffe":"magic spell","global":"spherical","homeland security":"homestar runner","horsepower":"tons of horsemeat","latest":"final","meeting":"ménage à trois","minutes":"years","new study":"Tumblr post","no indication":"lots of signs","poll":"psychic reading","rebuild":"avenge","remains to be seen":"will never be known","scientists":"Channing Tatum and his friends","second-degree":"friggin' awful","selfdriving":"uncontrollably swerving","senator":"elf-lord","silver bullet":"way to kill werewolves","smartphone":"Pokédex","space":"spaaace","star-studded":"blood-soaked","subway system":"tunnels I found","successfully":"suddenly","surprising":"surprising (but not to me)","tension":"sexual tension","third-degree":"frigging' awful","tweet":"poem","urged restraint by":"drunkenly egged on","vows to":"probably won't","war of words":"interplanetary war","win votes":"find pokémon","witnesses":"these dudes I know","years":"minutes","you won't believe":"I'm really sad about"}</div>

I would put it somewhere more convenient if I knew a site for it. [[Special:Contributions/141.101.104.158|141.101.104.158]] 13:46, 11 May 2016 (UTC)
:This reminds me an awful lot of the title text in the previous comic [[1678: Recent Searches]] regarding autoexec code posted by verified twitter users. :-p [[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 13:48, 11 May 2016 (UTC)
::Is there a way to easily enable/disable the extension?[[User:Bmmarti3|Bmmarti3]] ([[User talk:Bmmarti3|talk]])
:::It appears there isn't... Go to your list of browser extensions, and enable/disable it.[[Special:Contributions/141.101.75.245|141.101.75.245]] 18:59, 11 May 2016 (UTC)
:::I personally use a different extension than was linked to on xkcd.com, titled xkcd substitutions, which can be turned off by clicking on the icon for it at the top of your Chrome window, and also allows you to set specific sites on which it will never change words (i.e. on Gmail). Here's the shortened link: http://bit.ly/VF8nTw [[Special:Contributions/173.245.54.49|173.245.54.49]] 22:31, 11 May 2016 (UTC)

It would be wonderful if the celebrity injunction was about a ménage à trois and somehow all the hype was Randall's fault. [[Special:Contributions/141.101.70.133|141.101.70.133]] 15:13, 11 May 2016 (UTC)
Great. Now I have to update this:https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/xkcd-substitutions/jkgogmboalmaijfgfhfepckdgjeopfhk?hl=en&gl=001 --[[Special:Contributions/108.162.215.69|108.162.215.69]] 18:24, 11 May 2016 (UTC)

1135: Arachnoneurology

2016-02-15T19:34:07Z

173.245.54.49: /* Explanation */ "After six week" Grammatical error. Corrected to "After six weeks"

{{comic
| number = 1135
| date = November 16, 2012
| title = Arachnoneurology
| image = arachnoneurology.png
| titletext = SPIDER PSYCHOLOGY (21st Ed.) is a comprehensive overview of arachnoneurology, neuro-arachnology, forensic arachnology, neuro-arachnoneurology (the study of the brains of spider neurology experts), and arachnoarachnology (the study of too many spiders).
}}

==Explanation==
[[Beret Guy]] uses spider {{w|psychology}} (that he has obviously learned from the heavy volume of a book lying on the table with that title), to engineer a forked object in such a way that {{w|spiders}} will weave a silk shirt around it. After six weeks he can take the finished shirt off the "rack" and after removing some stray spiders it should be ready for use.

Usually extracting {{w|spider silk}} is a complicated process and getting enough to weave a shirt would take very long (and be very expensive). But making such an impossible project work is a typical behavioral pattern for Beret Guy, who continues to do amazing things with nature etc.

The prefix arachno- means "(related to) spiders". {{w|Arachnology}} for example is the scientific study of spiders. {{w|Neurology}} is a branch of medicine dealing with disorders of the {{w|nervous system}} which include the {{w|brain}}. So the title of the comic can be translated into ''the scientific study of spider brains''.

The title text mentions the book lying on the table, giving not only the title and the edition (21st). It also sums up some more (non-existent and increasingly far-fetched) fields of science related to spiders, which may as well exist if spider psychology has such a big standard work. Apart from adding the word forensic in one case, all five fields come from combining only the same two words "arachno" and "neuro" (sometimes one of them more than once) and ending any combination with "-ology". Especially funny is the neuro-arachnoneurology which is explained to be the field where it is the brains of the scientist, who study spiders brains, that are examined. The last one seems to be related to {{w|arachnophobia}}, the fear of spiders, as arachnoarachnology is spiders with spiders on top - i.e. too many spiders.

Arachnophobia seems to be a problem for [[Randall]] himself, according to the What if? [http://what-if.xkcd.com/136/ Spiders vs. the Sun]. In this he links to an [http://www.entsoc.org/PDF/2010/Orb-weaving-spiders.pdf article] about a factory that was covered in plenty enough spider web silk to make shirts to a whole regiment of soldiers...

==Transcript==
:[Beret Guy holding a protractor and handling a fork-like stand with black knobbly protrusions. On the table is some sticks, a set square and a ruler. There is also a large book titled:
:Spider Psychology
:[Beret Guy places his creation in a cobwebbed corner.]
:[Spiders weave webs around Beret Guy's creation. One of them hangs down above it from the ceiling.]
:[Beret Guy pulls a shirt made of spider silk away from his creation. At the top of the panel is a frame that breaks the main panels frame. Inside this it says:]
:Six weeks later:

{{comic discussion}}
[[Category:Comics featuring Beret Guy]]
[[Category:Strange powers of Beret Guy]]
[[Category:Biology]]
[[Category:Spiders]]

Talk:1611: Baking Soda and Vinegar

2015-12-02T23:39:24Z

173.245.54.49: Suggestion to complete explanation

The only experience I have with such a volcano exhibit is from US TV programmes representing the nerds (or the desperate non-nerds with no imagination) at a science-fair in Stateside schools, but I laid down my impressions of the tradition anyway. No embedded links to anything, as yet, as I expect other people will know what needs explaining (or re-writing) better than me. - I was going to go onto Supervolcano territory, but I'm not sure it's supposed to be more than 'regular' increased volcanic activity, outside, albeit through the power of acid/base interaction (thus salt being the equivalent of volcanic dust plumes, no doubt). [[Special:Contributions/162.158.152.227|162.158.152.227]] 10:00, 2 December 2015 (UTC)

Another trans-Atleantean here, I've expanded on your explanation with some links and the title-text, but your overall draft concurs with my experience of science-fair volcanoes being a stereotypical "easy/lame" project for science fairs [[Special:Contributions/162.158.90.193|162.158.90.193]] 11:33, 2 December 2015 (UTC)

Humanity should hope that the supervolcano is built in scale, resulting in ONLY Decade Volcanoes level of damage. -- [[User:Hkmaly|Hkmaly]] ([[User talk:Hkmaly|talk]]) 13:50, 2 December 2015 (UTC)
:According to the title text it is so no worries if you do not live close by or has to fly close to the ash clouds ;-) --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 16:03, 2 December 2015 (UTC)

Isn't the girl the same one as in Feathers[[https://xkcd.com/1104/]]? [[Special:Contributions/199.27.129.95|199.27.129.95]] 23:08, 2 December 2015 (UTC)

I thought Megan was about to say that the mini volcano had nothing to do with the scientific method, which would fill in the holes mentioned by the incomplete box and thus complete the explanation. If anyone else agrees with me, I think we should edit it to say that (I'm too busy right now to do so.)[[Special:Contributions/173.245.54.49|173.245.54.49]] 23:39, 2 December 2015 (UTC)