explain xkcd - User contributions [en]

2405: Flash Gatsby

2021-01-01T00:47:00Z

173.245.54.91: Oxford comma additions make this sentence legible.

{{comic
| number = 2405
| date = December 31, 2020
| title = Flash Gatsby
| image = flash_gatsby.png
| titletext = Protip: At midnight your excuse for not having read The Great Gatsby can switch from "I'm worried about violating copyright" to "I think my copy requires Flash."
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Created by a green light. Please mention here why this explanation isn't complete. It's hard to enumerate why the moments that the copyright expires and flash is no longer officially supported, are not exactly the same, but randall seems to expect us to do this. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}

This comic unfolds over the last few seconds of 2020 and the first few seconds of 2021. [[Cueball]] is attempting to do something requiring the overlap of two eras that only abut: creating an "unauthorized" adaptation of The Great Gatsby, using the Adobe Flash plugin platform.

''{{w|The Great Gatsby}}'' is a classic novel written by {{w|F. Scott Fitzgerald}} in 1925. Copyright law in the United States of America, where ''The Great Gatsby'' was first published, was retroactively extended several times in the 1990s and early 2000s, causing the copyright on ''The Great Gatsby'' to extend [https://www.mentalfloss.com/article/595567/why-the-great-gatsby-isnt-public-domain until the end of 2020]. In 2021, it will finally enter the public domain so that it will become legal to make a copy without violating copyright law.

{{w|Adobe Flash}}, formerly known as Shockwave Flash, is a web plugin that was commonly used by many websites in the late 1990s and 2000s. It allowed website creators to add animations, sound, and complex logic to build games, videos, and other interactive experiences. Presumably, the Flash version of the novel is some kind of animated cartoon, or perhaps even a game.

Over the years, Adobe Flash was repeatedly exploited by hackers, incurring heavy costs on {{w|Adobe Inc.|Adobe}} as they tried to update Flash against these attacks after rushing features out before stabilising them. Newer technologies are now able to provide comparable features with more compatibility, more community involvement, and less risk, so support for Flash is being phased out by most web browsers. Adobe is officially [https://www.adobe.com/ca/products/flashplayer/end-of-life.html ending support for Flash] after December 31, 2020.

In line with Adobe's decision, [https://www.chromium.org/flash-roadmap#TOC-Upcoming-Changes Chrome is blocking Flash in January]. This will make [https://www.newgrounds.com/games entire internet culture histories spanning many years of making and engaging Flash experiences] unusable for most people. Therefore, Cueball's Flash version of ''The Great Gatsby'' will become legal at the very moment that everyone should stop using it.

In this comic, [[Cueball]] suggests that the withdrawal of Flash support occurs after the copyright expiration rather than simultaneously with it. This is most likely because the applicable copyright law in the United States states that the creative work becomes public domain at the end of the year 2020 and Flash gets disabled at the beginning of the year 2021. So it is conceivable (but not practical) that there is one second when when the novel is public domain and Flash is still enabled.

By late 2020, Flash Player was already blocked by most browsers, but could still be whitelisted on individual sites. Using old versions of browsers, or workarounds to run blocked extensions, Cueball's Great Gatsby may still be readable after the official Flash End of Life date of January 1, 2021. Even with these workarounds, Flash Player itself will block Flash content from playing on January 12, 2021, making that the final death date for official modern versions of Flash.

After January 12, Flash content may still be accessible through older builds of Flash Player, and through various [https://archive.org/details/softwarelibrary_flash_showcase archival] and [https://ruffle.rs/ emulation] projects.

The title wording does multiple work with a number of possible meanings to it. It's the 'Gatsby' book via the medium of the electronic Flash format. Because of the briefest of availability (at best, a single moment), it appears and disappears again 'in a flash'. Being 'flash' is a very apt description of the millionaire Gatsby character himself (just as 'flash the cash' is being ostentatious). And, if the endeavour is not actually as legitimate as hoped, the word has also refered to felonious behaviours and forged copies.

==Transcript==
{{incomplete transcript|Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}

:[Cueball is sitting and using his laptop.]
:Off panel voice: 3... 2... 1... ''Happy New Year!''
:Cueball: Ok, It’s up!
:Cueball: Annnnnd... support was pulled, it’s down again.

:[Caption below the panel:]
:There's only a very short window of time in which I can post my unauthorized Flash® adaptation of ''The Great Gatsby''.

{{comic discussion}}
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Fiction]]
[[Category:Internet]]
[[Category:New Year]]
[[Category:Protip]] <!-- title text ->

Talk:1663: Garden

2016-04-17T22:45:39Z

173.245.54.91:

Some of the posts in [[#Finally Garden is up on xkcd|Finally Garden is up on xkcd]] where originally posted on the [[Talk:1662:_Jack_and_Jill#What_happened_to_Friday.27s_comic|Talk page for Jack and Jill]], below the section about why this comic was not already up on April 1st. The ''Finally Garden is up on xkcd'' section was moved here, because this was made after the comic was up, but before this page was created... [[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 12:11, 5 April 2016 (UTC)
== Finally Garden is up on xkcd ==
:It is here the comic we have been waiting for, and it seems it is a April fool comic although it first came out past midnight in all of the US except Hawaii...
:I do not know when it will be on this page but for those impatient...
:[http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/5/53/Garden_Loading_screen_shot.png Loading screen shot]
:It says to Relax, while it loads, but it will eventually get to a barren land with a growth lamp that can be moved:
:[http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/c/c8/Garden_Lamp_screen_shot.png Starting point screen shot]
:The lamp can be moved and change color.
:[http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/0/09/Garden_Red_Lamp_screen_shot.png Red Lamp selected screen shot]
:It may be there will be something growing if we wait long enough?
:And there will be more lamps and new items:
:[http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/b/b8/Garden_Three_Lamp_screen_shot.png Three Lamps and birdbath screen shot.png]]
:Yes he is messing with us for sure but at least not by not making a comic :-) --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 09:46, 4 April 2016 (UTC)
::I succeeded to get a small plant, but I'm not sure how. --[[Special:Contributions/162.158.86.167|162.158.86.167]] 10:16, 4 April 2016 (UTC)
:::Try not to cover everything with every light wavelength. I'm sure you get different plants with different wavelengths:
:::[http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/b/bf/aprilfool-2016-xorg.png Lots of growth].
::::'''Moved the picture links''' to the image page, and inserted direct links to the images instad. It took up too much space. [[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 12:04, 5 April 2016 (UTC)
:::Also, I've noticed a constant cpu usage, indicating some kind of number crunching. The script's name "linden" reminded me of linden dollars and crowdsourcing bitcoin mining with javascript, but afair linden dollars were never mined nor based on cryptography. -- [[User:Xorg|Xorg]] ([[User talk:Xorg|talk]]) 10:30, 4 April 2016 (UTC)
::::"Linden" is probably a reference to the Linden trees, a genus (Latin name Tilia). It would make more sense than a reference to dollars, at least. [[Special:Contributions/162.158.135.57|162.158.135.57]] 12:14, 4 April 2016 (UTC)
:::::My first thought were {{w|Lindenmayer system}}s --[[Special:Contributions/198.41.242.240|198.41.242.240]] 16:29, 4 April 2016 (UTC)
:::Ok, it's *moving*. The leaves wobble in the wind. That explains the cpu usage. So far I have seen the following images: <code>asdfx2=""; for (asdfx in garden.linden.imgCache.imgs) { asdfx2 += asdfx+" "; } asdfx2

"http://xkcd.com/1663/art/background.png http://xkcd.com/1663/art/talltrunk-2.png http://xkcd.com/1663/art/shrub-8.png http://xkcd.com/1663/art/wavyplant-3.png http://xkcd.com/1663/art/turtle-1.png http://xkcd.com/1663/art/shrub-6.png http://xkcd.com/1663/art/birdbath.png http://xkcd.com/1663/art/cactus-2.png http://xkcd.com/1663/art/trunk-6.png http://xkcd.com/1663/art/branch-11.png http://xkcd.com/1663/art/branch-18.png http://xkcd.com/1663/art/woman-1a.png http://xkcd.com/1663/art/branch-21.png http://xkcd.com/1663/art/rover.png http://xkcd.com/1663/art/leaves-7.png http://xkcd.com/1663/art/leaves-6.png "
</code> -- [[User:Xorg|Xorg]] ([[User talk:Xorg|talk]]) 12:10, 4 April 2016 (UTC)

For those who are in https (with firefox for example) and don't see the "comic", there is mixed content. Click on the padlock on the up-left corner, then on the arrow, then "disable the protection against not secure elements" (or something like that). [[User:Seipas|Seipas]] ([[User talk:Seipas|talk]]) 11:32, 4 April 2016 (UTC)

The comic is finally here! ... but it won't load on my computer. Does anybody know what the problem might be or how I can fix it? [[User:Soad Kraken|Soad Kraken]] ([[User talk:Soad Kraken|talk]]) 12:45, 4 April 2016 (UTC)

Does not load (continually Loading...) on IE/FF/Chrome for me (in UK, non-https, ad-blockers turned off) any ideas? {{unsigned ip|141.101.98.114}}

Loads for me in Chrome, but then every time it refreshes, it resets the lamps to the default (one lamp in center). Removes the ones I added. Does this happen to anyone else? [[User:Vixy|Vixy]] ([[User talk:Vixy|talk]]) 16:51, 4 April 2016 (UTC)

Did someone try the debugmode?
:http://xkcd.com/1663/?debug#YourCode

It also logs data in the console
[[User:Magno|Magno]] ([[User talk:Magno|talk]]) 12:51, 4 April 2016 (UTC)

Doesn't work even in HTTP at all. Both Chrome and Firefox fail to load the content due to CORS: "EventSource cannot load http://linden.xkcd.com/run. No 'Access-Control-Allow-Origin' header is present on the requested resource. Origin 'http://xkcd.com' is therefore not allowed access. The response had HTTP status code 500." [[Special:Contributions/141.101.80.31|141.101.80.31]] 16:37, 6 April 2016 (UTC)

Post new images here: [[1663: Garden/Screen-shots]]. Anyone know what happens to the site, it looks really weird and it is difficult to use the site now. [[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 13:52, 4 April 2016 (UTC)
:Ah I can see there is a [[explain_xkcd:Community_portal/Technical#mw-head|community post about this]] already. [[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 07:22, 5 April 2016 (UTC)

The article claims that the memory issues have been fixed. However, as of April 17, I'm still seeing the memory usage of the process in Chromium steadily rising - is the memory usage being fixed part just incorrect? Skimming through the source cited, I didn't see anything saying it was fixed, but if it was there, I probably missed it. [[Special:Contributions/173.245.54.91|173.245.54.91]] 22:45, 17 April 2016 (UTC)

== April Fools? ==

What's the evidence that this is an April Fools comic? I think that the April Fools joke this year was the absence of a comic, and all the silly excuses about it when it was never coming. [[User:JoDu987|JoDu987]] ([[User talk:JoDu987|talk]]) 15:48, 4 April 2016 (UTC)
:It's interactive. April Fools comics are always interactive. Normal comics rarely are. [[User:Mikemk|Mikemk]] ([[User talk:Mikemk|talk]]) 16:52, 4 April 2016 (UTC)
::I would rather say that it is also an april fool's comic because it came late. But first of all it has the pointless but time consuming concept of user input resulting in a comic that has no joke in it self, or at least only user made. Second the comic is rather complex and doesn't seem to work on all browsers. I cannot make it work on my explorer at home, but it did work at my office. It seems likely that he has worked very hard t make this work. When he then had problems with it Friday, he may have taken the chance of using April 1st to make excuses that people could read as being an April fool's joke. But neither way, he tells in the status updates that we are awaiting a complex comic, and in the end he said that the Friday comic (from April 1st) would come Sunday evening, and it did, so this is Fridays comic and thus also April the 1st's comic. [[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 18:52, 4 April 2016 (UTC)
:::Oddly, IE is the only browser I could get it to work on. [[User:Mikemk|Mikemk]] ([[User talk:Mikemk|talk]]) 22:41, 8 April 2016 (UTC)
:The April Fool's Joke is lost on everyone here so far. Let me explain. You have 3 lamps you are allowed to use max and 3 different colors you can use max. That means there are a total of 7 possible colors you can use to grow things in your garden (red only, yellow only, blue only, red+yellow, red+blue, yellow+blue, and red+yellow+blue). If you are OCD, like me, you will work to position the lamps in such a way that all possible combinations are available at different positions on the ground. However, it cannot be done or if it can I have yet to find a way! I believe that is why the title text says "Relax". Because he knows the challenge will drive people crazy trying to find the solution. Maybe there is one but I think the April Fool's joke is that there isn't a possible solution but people will spend lots of time trying anyway.[[User:R0hrshach|R0hrshach]] ([[User talk:R0hrshach|talk]]) 16:33, 5 April 2016 (UTC)
::I updated the explanation with this information but apparently someone didn't like that and just removed the entire paragraph without any alternate explanation. Oh well...[[User:R0hrshach|R0hrshach]] ([[User talk:R0hrshach|talk]]) 17:23, 5 April 2016 (UTC)
::This doesn't sound likely to me. It is impossible to do what you describe, and I would think "Relax" refers to the slow growth rate of the gardens. [[User:KangaroOS|Kangaro]][[User talk:KangaroOS|OS]] 18:18, 5 April 2016 (UTC)
:::And also it is possible over time because you can move the lamps. By the way there are more than three colors. There are also white and other hues in between red and yellow and red and blue. So there are many more combos. [[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 22:30, 5 April 2016 (UTC)
:::I agree that "Relax" can have multiple meanings but the fact that you are limited to 3 lamps and 3 primary colors bears significance to me. Or why not let you spawn in 4 or 5 or 6? I also think the April Fool's joke can refer to the fact that gardens are meant to be relaxing but instead you will be left tending your garden and working to achieve all possible combinations. The opposite of relaxing.[[User:R0hrshach|R0hrshach]] ([[User talk:R0hrshach|talk]]) 03:43, 6 April 2016 (UTC)
::::There are many more colors than three. White Yellow Orange is not the light yellow you start out with. And there are deeper shapes of orange before turning red and similar it goes from Blue to White. I have tried 9 different color settings between blue and red, links can be found down in the middle of the table [[1663:_Garden/Users_gardens#Experimental_gardens|here]], and since all nine are clearly different, I will now try to set the light in between those nine for additional eight settings. This has been tricky but I'm now positive that the settings are different for all 17. I will soon post the next eight links the same place, in between the other 9. Of course these gardens are then almost created a day later so this has to be taken into acount when comparing the growth. Maybe this time there will be some gardens that are exactly the same type (not the same), but if not it means there are too many combinations to check, as if there where not already that. [[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 14:55, 8 April 2016 (UTC)

== Mobile ==

Like many of the dynamic comics, Garden doesn't interact well with mobile devices, but I have found a workaround for this one. On my Android tablet, going to m.xkcd.com/1663 gives me a page where I can manipulate the lights - tap once on a light to reveal the handles, tap in whitespace to hide them - but the landscape and growth are not rendered.

But, as I manipulate the lights, a string is appended to the URL; if I replace the initial '''m''' with '''www''' while preserving this string, I get a page where the landscape and growth are displayed. But from this page, I cannot manipulate the lights. But it does appear that the string includes enough information to prevent "losing progress", as several iterations of swapping between the mobile and desktop URLs retained all existing growth. Therefore, some level of timestamp information may also be included in the composition of this string. [[Special:Contributions/108.162.216.73|108.162.216.73]] 14:18, 4 April 2016 (UTC)

:Actually, it doesn't look like the URL changes when I move the lights after all. So now instead I'm guessing it's more of a unique identifier or something. If two people both use the same string, will one person's act of moving a light be reflected by the other user refreshing their browser? [[Special:Contributions/108.162.216.73|108.162.216.73]] 14:33, 4 April 2016 (UTC)

== Resets ==

Resets occur sporadically, because they are actually happenning when there was a connection_error event in the WebWorker. The "game" is continually contacting the server (linden.xkcd.com) and is resetting the page on the connection errors. The fact that this resets the progress is probably a bug. --[[User:DukeBG|DukeBG]] ([[User talk:DukeBG|talk]]) 16:52, 4 April 2016 (UTC)

It seems to reset the light placement and settings too, not just the plants in the garden [[Special:Contributions/162.158.210.238|162.158.210.238]] 07:06, 5 April 2016 (UTC)

== Linux ==

Anyone else NOT able to get it to work on Linux. Tried Chrome, and FF, both with all extensions disabled. Linux Mint (like Ubuntu). Constantly says "Loading..."
[[Special:Contributions/162.158.214.217|162.158.214.217]] 17:23, 4 April 2016 (UTC)

You're not the only one. Running Unbuntu 12.04. Opera displays "Loading ..." for over 30 minutes. Firefox finishes loading and I can add and tweak lamps, but nothing grows.
[[Special:Contributions/108.162.218.59|108.162.218.59]] 19:32, 4 April 2016 (UTC)

Works fine with chromium on gentoo. {{unsigned ip|162.158.83.156}}

I had the same problem with Firefox on Ubuntu 15.04. However, reloading the page fixed it. Maybe it's got something to do with caching, or maybe it just only works with some chance. [[Special:Contributions/141.101.104.92|141.101.104.92]] 11:02, 5 April 2016 (UTC)

trying to use chromebook - garden did not load, finally checked-again (today/fri) and it loads/grows ok... but, apparently i cannot see the text to prove i am not a bot to provide edits... (edit: well, here i can, just not in experimental-garden... maybe just a fluke...) [[Special:Contributions/108.162.215.67|108.162.215.67]] 15:45, 8 April 2016 (UTC)

== Available "plants" ==

<strike>I've got a Megan so far. Are we going to try to compile a list of what things will grow in the garden? --[[User:KingStarscream|KingStarscream]] ([[User talk:KingStarscream|talk]]) 19:06, 4 April 2016 (UTC)</strike>
: Oversight on my part. Apologies. --[[Special:Contributions/173.245.52.64|173.245.52.64]] 19:18, 4 April 2016 (UTC)

== Suggestions for the explanation ==
What is missing and what would be interesting. And how can you help... Add it here below, maybe even with subheadings. [[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 14:18, 5 April 2016 (UTC)
===Possible items===
*Someone has made a list of [[1663:_Garden/Images|images of items]] that can be found on xkcd and seems to be complete.
**Can anyone say for certain if it is complete now?
***And can we be certain no new items appear? Anyone who can check this?
**Can someone easily download all the images?
***And if so either post them here as a zip file, or even better upload them to xkcd so we can have a page like this [[1350: Lorenz/Images]] for these items
****And later tables similar to those in the [[1350: Lorenz#Themes|themes section]] of [[1350: Lorenz]]!
*[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 14:27, 5 April 2016 (UTC)
::Got a Megan on stilts (http://xkcd.com/1663/#9ed4d584-fb59-11e5-8001-42010a8e0009). Could not find in the list, but did not know, how or where to add it. [[Special:Contributions/162.158.85.177|162.158.85.177]] 10:15, 7 April 2016 (UTC)
:::The forum speculates that additional images are being automatically unlocked after some delay. [http://xkcd.com/1663/art/2x-balloon-huge.png Balloon huge] and [http://xkcd.com/1663/art/2x-owl.png Owl] seem to have first appeared yesterday. The [http://xkcd.com/1663/art/2x-platform-column-3.png Platform column] series now appears under some blue lighting. The [http://linden.xkcd.com/?debug#9ed4d584-fb59-11e5-8001-42010a8e0009 debugger] lists filenames in the console. [[User:.42|.42]] ([[User talk:.42|talk]]) 19:08, 7 April 2016 (UTC)
::::How do people find these images, I mean where do you get the addresses? Please keep posting new links to new items on the link above. We should try to collect them for the explanation when we later actually find out what this was all about (apart from fooling us to sped time watching grass grow, and relax :-) [[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 14:16, 8 April 2016 (UTC)
::::Ah I did not understand .42's comment at first, but I now found that following the link to his (really cool) garden above (in Firefox) and pressing F12 and then going to console the names of each image item is listed (and how many of each are in the image). Thanks. I have now uploaded all 195 images (well fou was uploaded), to the page with [[1663:_Garden/Images|images of items]]. These can now be used in the explanation. (PS .I have this [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/5/50/1663_garden_Stilt_girl_with_owl_on_her_head_and_planter_and_more.png great garden] to the [[1663: Garden/Users gardens#Experimental gardens|user gardens]]. [[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 11:21, 11 April 2016 (UTC)

===Urls===
*'''[[1663: Garden/Users gardens|Post urls here]]'''.
*Seems like the urls are not quite understood.
**What I have found so far is that the urls do not change after you load a garden. Even if something grows or if the lights are moved.
**If you save the url to begin with it will stay the same.
**But if you load the url later then it is a view only image.
***The questions are if the garden that an url refer to can be manipulated by the original user, to change what others see later even though they have the url.
***My gardens reload to often to really have a chance to test this. But the url I posted yesterday (now used as [[1663:_Garden#Permanent_link|example]]) under explanation of permalinks kept developing after I copied it and closed the garden down.
*[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 14:27, 5 April 2016 (UTC)
::I have understood it much better now, and the explanation has been changed to the way it work. Urls are still interesting to see how peoples gardens develop, but they are not permalinks, so only screen shots will be useful to guide the explanation.I have taken lots already of peoples posted interesting gardens, before they became overgrown or the interesting part might get deleted by the owner of the garden. [[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 21:42, 5 April 2016 (UTC)

I'm not sure if it's been mentioned before, but Cueball can look like he's holding items if they grow on his outstretched hand.
http://xkcd.com/#8d526e44-fb49-11e5-8001-42010a8e000c
[[Special:Contributions/162.158.38.207|162.158.38.207]] 10:03, 6 April 2016 (UTC)
:It has not directly. More that it can grow on other things. Nice garden. I'll put it in the url section and post a screen shot with the twig on Cueballs hand. [[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 15:31, 6 April 2016 (UTC)

== Title text ==

The "Create new light" and "Remove selected (delete key)" icons have their own title text. I don't think anything else does though. {{unsigned ip|141.101.98.74}}
:Great thanks. Had not noticed. Added this to the explanation now. [[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 21:26, 5 April 2016 (UTC)

== Colour mapping ==
* Yellow light grows plants and birdbaths, but so does a combination of Magenta and Cyan light.
* Magenta light grows cacti and turtles. Yellow light does not seem to affect this.
* Cyan light grows octopuses.
* Yellow light plus Cyan light grows office furniture.
{{unsigned ip|141.101.98.74}}
:Great it would be nice to see some garden urls or screen shots, especially of the furniture, which I haven't seen yet. [[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 21:29, 5 April 2016 (UTC)

:I've noticed that blue + yellow sometimes yields really tall tress. [[Special:Contributions/162.158.255.103|162.158.255.103]] 17:00, 6 April 2016 (UTC)

:I made a garden with GUID f31fe17a-fb3f-11e5-8001-42010a8e000d to show the effects of mixing Magenta with either Cyan or Yellow. Interestingly on the left there are no cacti, only wavy plants and turtles, and I see a couple of birds have recently arrived. Meanwhile on the right you see something much like a regular Yellow garden, with trees, shrubs and bird baths with ducks. My second garden has GUID 6ebc8e04-fb50-11e5-8002-42010a8e0014 where I wanted to see the effect of mixing Cyan with Yellow. The pure Yellow section has a regular garden, the pure Cyan section an octopus farm, while in the middle we have what I can only describe as a white section, where I have a couple of desks (but sadly no lamp), balloons, bunnies, cats, a plant pot, and even an obelisk. --[[Special:Contributions/141.101.98.74|141.101.98.74]] 19:15, 6 April 2016 (UTC)

== [http://xkcd.com/1663/art/2x-bird-5.png Bird 5] ==

What's in the beak of [http://xkcd.com/1663/art/2x-bird-5.png Bird 5]? It reminds me of [[614: Woodpecker]], but it's something different. --[[Special:Contributions/162.158.86.167|162.158.86.167]] 07:29, 6 April 2016 (UTC)
:It looks to me like a mobile phone with charger cable attached {{unsigned ip|141.101.104.174}}
::Yes that might be it, I had thought a mouse with a USB cable... By the way great spotted with the woodpecker. Beret Guy is also in this comic. This is why we need a table of items to make such observations. But who will do it ;-) [[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 15:29, 6 April 2016 (UTC)

== Lost gardens after new comic ==
Have others lost access to changing their garden after Wednesdays comic came out? Even though I can find it via the new link (as described in the trivia section) then it seems I can no longer change anything and just has to see my gardens develop on their own. That would be a shame. If everyone experience this, then it may be fixed? [[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 15:51, 6 April 2016 (UTC)

:Same here. New gardens are editable, however. [[Special:Contributions/162.158.255.103|162.158.255.103]] 17:16, 6 April 2016 (UTC)

::I hope this gets fixed cause my garden needs some pruning... [[User:Palmerito0|Palmerito0]] ([[User talk:Palmerito0|talk]]) 17:32, 6 April 2016 (UTC)

:I still can adjust the lights and prune but my gardens do not seem to grow any more... Time limited activity or maximum objects, clicks ??? Wed Apr 6 22:20:24 EDT 2016
::I have seen such issues too. I used a [http://xkcd.com/1663/#03eae800-fc18-11e5-8001-42010a8e0019 garden] to create this [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/9/90/1663_garden_Three_colors.png color map]. And that garden I can actually still change here almost a day after, but at the time I post this link nothing had grown... On a more sad note the other garden which I just became so fond of when I saw it earlier today on another computer is again lost to me, and I cannot prune it. This really sucks. I'm now trying to make three new gardens in three different browsers to see if I will continue having this problem... :-( [[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 15:09, 7 April 2016 (UTC)
:::Yes today I could prune the gardens I started growing yesterday. Hope it will stay this way. Was getting afraid the garden had to stay open all the time to keep it running and with all the cpu it uses that would not have worked for me. Great that it at least works today. [[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 14:05, 8 April 2016 (UTC)

== Requires light on ground? ==
I created a garden (GUID 5fad7434-fba3-11e5-8001-42010a8e0009) in which the lights are directed upward, but nothing has grown. This would seem to indicate that even the "flying" objects are "grown" from a particular piece of ground. [[Special:Contributions/108.162.217.191|108.162.217.191]] 22:28, 6 April 2016 (UTC)mathuaerknedam

:Flying objects have invisible riser elements that grow first, such as http://linden.xkcd.com/art/bird-riser.png -- [[Special:Contributions/108.162.219.4|108.162.219.4]] 01:59, 7 April 2016 (UTC)
::Yes see this example with [http://www.xkcd.com/1663/#6a6a7be0-fbbe-11e5-800d-42010a8e0008 light only above ground], and many more like it here [[1663: Garden/Users gardens]] [[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 15:48, 8 April 2016 (UTC)

== Not working... ==

I'm on Mac OS, and I have tried 3 different browsers with no luck loading this. It works fine on my phone, but Firefox, Chrome, and Safari on my laptop all hang at the loading screen. If i click on a link with a specified UUID in it (from this page for example), it goes into a refresh loop. I've tried clearing my cache, and using incognito on chrome. Anyone have any ideas?
[[Special:Contributions/108.162.246.115|108.162.246.115]] 03:03, 10 April 2016 (UTC)

== Videos ==

Some people have recorded videos for Youtube. [[User:.42|.42]] ([[User talk:.42|talk]]) 13:00, 14 April 2016 (UTC)

* [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Iuw9F0yal14 Let's Plant]
* [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oupCEUTPthA Timelapse 1]
* [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G7RGuasEKUA Timelapse 2] {{unsigned|.42}}

1663: Garden

2016-04-17T03:52:18Z

173.245.54.91: /* Explanation */ closed unclosed parentheses

{{comic
| number = 1663
| date = April 4, 2016
| title = Garden
| image = garden.png 
| titletext = Relax.
}}
<div class="toclimit-3" style="float:right; margin-left: 10px;">__TOC__</div>
*'''Note''' this is an interactive comic. Go to xkcd to try it out.
*Currently there are links to '''images of items that can appear in the comic''' here: [[1663: Garden/Images]]! In time it could be the actual images as well.
*'''Post screen shots of your garden''' (or others gardens and other images) on this page [[1663: Garden/Screen-shots]]!
*'''Post links to your own garden''' on this page [[1663: Garden/Users gardens]] to let other users see what you have created!

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Include a table with all possible items as [[1663: Garden/Images#Images of items|listed here]] with image, links to image on xkcd, explanations and link to a screenshot/download of a garden where each item "grows". Only screen shots are useful for the real explanation [[1663: Garden/Screen-shots|post them here]], as content of urls change with time. More on how color of light and lamp position etc. affect growth as well as different positions in image develop different plant and items.}}

This comics represents the [[:Category:April fools' comics|April fools' comic]] of 2016, and it is [[Randall|Randall's]] celebration of {{w|April Fools' Day}} Friday, April 1, 2016.

Due to technical problems (or to make fools of his fans (see more about the [[#April Fool's header text|header text]] below)) the comic did not go live until Sunday evening (after midnight, so technically first on Monday April 4th) so there was no Friday release the week before, see [[#Monday 4th of April release|more details below]].

The comic begins with a [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/f/f1/Garden_Loading_collage.png loading screen] with a revolving tree and the text "loading..." This is because the first time a computer loads this dynamic comic it can take a while.

Once it is loaded it displays "your '''Garden'''" being the barren landscape with a lamp as shown at the top of the explanation here. But if you leave the lights on and wait (or "relax", as the reader is told to do by the title text), then plants and other items will start to appear. The reason it is correct to call it "your garden" is that every time this comic is loaded from scratch, a new garden will be created with a unique url-address. By [[#Saving garden with url|saving this link]] (making a bookmark for it), the user will be able to return to their garden again and again. As the garden only develops very slowly this is important. (If users wish to share their garden they can do it in the table on the page for '''[[1663: Garden/Users gardens|Users gardens]]''').

[http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/7/78/1663_garden_Three_colors_over_everything_not_very_interesting.png Plants appear] one at a time, and sometimes it takes a long time. Only a few of the plants actually grow. For instance there are some large trees that begins as [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/2/27/1663_garden_Fast_growing_tree_-_leafless.png a large trunk] and from there [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/6/67/1663_garden_Fast_growing_tree_-_lots_of_leaves.png grows branches and leaves]. This can sometimes happen quite fast. Most other plants just appear. Most of the plants sway in the breeze.

Also [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/5/5a/1663_garden_Pruned_garden_with_birds_deer_gate_cactus_turtles_snake_gate.png animals] and [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/d/de/1663_garden_Three_lamps_two_along_ground_with_pillars_not_in_blue_world_and_symmetric_gates.png building like structures] like [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/1/15/1663_garden_Megan_Monolith_Animals_and_more.png a Monolith and birdbaths] appear together with lots of other items like [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/a/ad/1663_garden_Office_space_with_star_plant_balloon_with_bird_and_grass_on_Cueball.png office furniture] with [http://xkcd.com/1663/#98dc3452-fcf2-11e5-8010-42010a8e0008 balloons swaying in the wind] or even one of the [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/3/3f/1663_garden_One_color_Between_orange_red_and_red_First_thing_Mars_rover.png Mars rovers] which so [[:Category:Mars rovers|often has been featured]] in xkcd.

On top of all this there several known characters may appear in different poses including [[Cueball]] and [[Megan]] (for instance with a sword, see [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/6/6b/1663_garden_Megan_with_sword%2C_trees_octopuses_with_Cueball_bunny_ducklings.png here]), [[Ponytail]] (see [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/e/eb/1663_garden_Ponytail_and_two_Cueballs_cat_pillar_and_trunk_sE.png here]) and [[Beret Guy]] from the torso and up (see [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/9/9b/1663_garden_Three_colors_more_separate_Beret_Guy_in_shrubbery_and_Octopus_on_office_desk.png here]). Megan and also Cueball can both be seen [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/0/06/1663_garden_Giant_planter_on_pillars_and_both_Cueball_and_Megan_with_black_hat.png with a black hat], but it is one that "grows" on top of their heads, and even Cueball with a such a hat, will not turn into [[Black Hat]]. There is also an unknown character, a [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/0/0c/1663_garden_One_color_Between_Light_yellow_and_yellow_First_thing_stilts.png girl on stilts] with black hair in a ponytail who like plants and balloons [http://xkcd.com/1663/#e774b4b8-fcd4-11e5-8001-42010a8e0017 sways in the wind].

See a [[1663: Garden/Images|list with links to images]] that may appear in the garden (it seems new items are added in time). Here is also a page with [[1663: Garden/Screen-shots|Screen-shots of gardens]] and [[1663: Garden/Users gardens|examples of users gardens]], which can be displayed for others by using the [[#Saving garden with url|unique url address]] that each garden has.

Every so often the image will refresh. You can change the number of lamps, their position, direction, beam width and the color temperature which always begins somewhere between white and yellow, but can change all the way from red to blue (See this [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/b/b8/Garden_Three_Lamp_screen_shot.png example] with one lamp selected and three colors of light). Other colors than those four may appear where two lamps light cone of different colored light overlap.

How much the color affects the growth is too early to say, but there is a strong correlation for what appears in the garden depending on the color of light, and this is not only split between red, yellow and blue, but rather in more than 10 different colors. But is becomes very clear that pure red light results in a desert theme with [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/9/98/1663_garden_Desert_with_red_light_only.png cactus and turtles] and pure blue gives an aquatic theme with [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/2/23/1663_garden_Octopus_garden_with_Cueball_hand_up_and_a_black_hat_octopus.png lots of octopuses] that may wear a [[Black Hat]]! For the most interesting gardens the [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/1/15/1663_garden_Megan_Monolith_Animals_and_more.png light colors should be mixed], see more below under [[#Effect of light|Effect of light]].

If this comic is scientifically accurate, that correlation will be based on {{w|photosynthetically active radiation}}.

The title text "Relax" can be debated. Is it to let the users know they should just sit back and relax as the garden grows. Or should they relax and don't worry so much about how it works (not working here on explain xkcd though!) Or is he teasing the users by giving them a garden that they need to tend to, and then telling them to relax. And also giving them many more colors than lamps... Given that this comic was supposed to come out on April 1st, there is a good chance that it is, also, to tease the users. There are actually [[#Trivia|two other title texts]] as well.

==Transcript==
:[After a '''loading image''' with a rotating tree in the middle and the text "Loading..." with the three dots appearing one at a time, and then disappear when all three have been there the image shown above in the explanation will appear:]

:['''Description of the image above''': A piece of bare landscape is shown. At the edges there are some rocks or stones raising the level from the general level through the center of the panel. Above the middle, a little more than halfway to the to of the panel, is a light bulb sitting inside a lamp that reminds of the desk lamp from the movie Luxo Jr. The lamp shines a yellow light down on the landscape in a broad cone that jus reaches the first rock to the left, but not those to the right. The lamp just hovers in the air. In the top right corner are two gray icons. The top one has a black frame and shows an image of a lamp, tilted left as opposed to the straight position of the lamp in the image. There is a + sign below in the left corner. The second icon without a frame has a large white cross in the middle.]

:[This turns out to be a '''web applet''' and using the "+ lamp" icon two more lamps can be added getting up to three. They are all adjustable both regarding position, direction, color of light and beam width. When selecting a lamp a red circle appear around it with a small circle on top that can be used to control the light color from blue to the left to red to the right. In front is a red arrow that can turn the lamp and it can also be used to change the beam width by pulling it away from the lamp or pushing it back. The lamps can be moved by just clicking on it and moving it. The other icon with a X can be used to remove the lamps (and later any object that appear in the garden). When any object is selected there is a red circle around it. When this is done the gray cross icon becomes red and can the be used to delete the selected item. When no item is selected (either because it is deleted, or by clicking in a part of the screen with no items), then the cross icon turns gray again. When all three lamps are on, then the "+ lamp" icon is faded out.]

:['''If you wait''' (or relax, as in the title text), then a plant will grow or animals, humans and other items may appear. This could be birds, snakes, octopuses or turtles, Megan or Cueball or a birdbath, a monolith or a tall gate just as a few examples. Most of the items appear in one go, but at least the largest trees grow up with a big stem first and then adds parts later with leaves or empty branches. Also one item may appear on top of another item and for instance birds may fly in the air.]

==Functionality==
===Saving garden with url===
*There is no [[1350#Permalink|permalink button]] as in the last two years' April Fool's comics.
*The URL is different for every garden that is loaded, but stays the same. It links to a server-side copy of the scene, which then changes depending on what the users does with their gardens.
**Sharing a URL will connect a new browser to the same garden session, but only the original browser will be allowed to edit.
**The user can always return to change the garden with the link, but only from the same browser on the same computer.
**This means that a specific moment in a gardens life has to be [[#Saving images|saved as an image]] for future references.
*The garden itself will thus continue to develop further from the time when the url was copied, and events will happen from now on even though the garden is not opened in any browser.
**If the user doesn't keep it, it will become infested with weeds.
**So most likely the garden is serverside, as all browsers are allowed to see the development of this garden, but users following the url are not allowed to edit anything.
*Here is an example garden [http://www.xkcd.com/1663/#0d11a2c8-fa8f-11e5-8001-42010a8e000e linked by ID] versus the same garden:
**In the original [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/7/7f/1663_garden_tree_turtle_birdbath.png screenshot from April 4th] from when the url was created
**In a [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/7/7c/1663_garden_Flying_birds_deer_gate_with_cactus_turtles_snake_etc.png screenshot from April 5th] the day after.
**Here [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/5/5a/1663_garden_Pruned_garden_with_birds_deer_gate_cactus_turtles_snake_gate.png example] after the user pruned the garden in the examples.
*Starting two browser windows or tabs pointing to the same URL will allow you to edit from either window.
**linden.xkcd.com holds all the data; the UUID just corresponds to your access key, held in your browser's local storage.

====Saving images====
*Since the [[#Saving garden with url|urls are changing]] the only way to save a particular garden is to save an image of the current garden.
**Alternatively by deleting all lamps (or changing them to laser beams or turning them upwards) the no new growth will occur. But then the garden will no longer develop.
*In Edge, Firefox and Chrome, the image plus light cones but minus lamps and icons elements, can be saved by right clicking in the image. (Not possible in explorer).
**They do not always save in the same way as some browsers saves the part of the background without any light cones as white, and other save it as no background, in which case it may render black, basically hiding any black items outside the light.
***For those images it depends on which viewer is used to see the image, if everything can be seen or only that in the light cones.
****See examples of how it looks with black background in these two color maps collections using [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/5/50/1663_garden_Single_colors.png a single lamp] and [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/9/90/1663_garden_Three_colors.png three lamps].
****See more details about how these [[1663:_Garden/Screen-shots#Color_maps|color maps]] have been made.
****See also (at least) two examples of saved images as the are here on explain xkcd [[1663:_Garden/Screen-shots#Saved_image_from_xkcd|here]].
*An image of the whole screen can be captured, by pressing the PrtScn (Print Screen) key on the keyboard & then pasting the content into a blank image in an image-editing program.
**An even better solution is to use a tool like {{w|Snipping Tool}} which can take the part of the screen that are relevant. This is how most of the [[1663: Garden/Screen-shots|screen shots]] for this explanation has been aquired.
**In both way the lamps and icons can also be displayed, which is not an option with saved images.

===Lamps===
*Additional lamps, up to a total of three lamps, can be added by clicking the black plus lamp icon along the right of the window. The control will black plus lamp icon will [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/b/b8/Garden_Three_Lamp_screen_shot.png turn gray].
*Lamps can be removed by clicking to select a lamp, then clicking the red X icon along the right of the window, or pressing the Delete or Backspace key on the keyboard. All lights can be deleted.
*The position of the lamp can be moved by clicking and dragging the lamp within the scene.
*The angle and area of the light cone emitted by the lamp can be changed by [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/0/09/Garden_Red_Lamp_screen_shot.png clicking to select the lamp and to reveal the red control triangle]. Rotating the control triangle around the lamp will change the aim of the lamp to point in the direction of the triangle, dragging the control triangle towards the lamp will [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/c/cc/1663_garden_One_color_Light_blue.png widen the beam], and dragging the control triangle towards away from the lamp will [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/5/5a/1663_garden_Pruned_garden_with_birds_deer_gate_cactus_turtles_snake_gate.png narrow the beam].
*The color emitted by the lamp can be changed by clicking the lamp to reveal the colored control dot, and by rotating the dot around the lamp. The small color control circle changes color to match the color of the lamps beam of light. new lights default to a center position, emitting a pale green. '''rotating the control right''' changes the color to yellow, orange, and finally red, and '''rotating the control left''' changes the color to white, then blue.
===Colors of light===
*The color control moves in a smooth gradient between colors, along the spectrum without any set positions.
*Small changes in the color can have an effect on the garden, even though there is no clear change in the color.
*[http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/5/50/1663_garden_Single_colors.png As many as nine colors] can be identified from the emitted light of a single lamp, and many more colors are evident when [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/9/90/1663_garden_Three_colors.png two or three lamps overlap].
*There is reason to believe that even half the change will create different gardens, i.e. there can be at least one more position between those nine settings that will change the effect, giving eight more settings for a total of 17 "different" colors. An experiment with such '''17 settings''' for just [[1663:_Garden/Screen-shots#One_lamp_one_color|One lamp with one color]].
*Several unique elements only seem to appear using the eight half-colors. both the [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/3/3f/1663_garden_One_color_Between_orange_red_and_red_First_thing_Mars_rover.png Mars rover] and the [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/1/1b/1663_garden_One_color_Between_Light_yellow_and_yellow_First_thing_stilts_right.png Stilts girl] might be missed.
*Colors can thus be indicated from these 17 divisions: 
**Below is a table with these 17 division shown and what to expect.
**This may change over time, but was as it about a week after release.
***If updating, please make a note that this may have only applied during the first week(s) and add new feature without deleting.
**There has been an [[1663:_Garden/Screen-shots#One_lamp_one_color|experiment made]] with these 17 colors, see that for more details.
***The color names links to these experimental gardens, that will never be changed after the initiation.
***But there are reasons to believe that two gardens made identical may develop quite differently, as it seems some gardens have very limited growth in spite of the same light. Some of these gardens may be of that persuasion.
*The debugger reveals that each light has a "temp" property which ranges from 0 (red) to 1 (blue). The default setting is 0.5.
**The RGB color corresponding to "temp" is determined by this function in linden.js:
::<tt>function u(t){return.32>t?[1,.5+.5*t/.32,.5]:.64>t?[1,1,.5+.5*(t-.32)/.32]:[.75+.25*(1-t)/.36,.75+.25*(1-t)/.36,1]}</tt>
[[File:1663 garden Numbered color scale 1-17.png]] 
{| class="wikitable"
! #
! Color
! Description of items etc
|-
| 1
| [http://xkcd.com/1663/#f65c4906-fcf1-11e5-8001-42010a8e0016 Blue]
| '''Pure blue'''! Aquatic theme with octopus (some with black hat), Cueball checking for rain with hand up and Columns. Less growth and spread after the first week (see [[1663:_Garden/Screen-shots#Growth_speed_vs_blue_light|growth speed vs blue light]]).
|-
| 2
| [http://xkcd.com/1663/#d5b7fed6-fd94-11e5-8001-42010a8e000a Blue -> light blue]
| Cueball hands up and down, {{w|Cairn}}s of '''stones''' and {{w|obelisk}}.
|-
| 3
| [http://xkcd.com/1663/#3afb7988-fcf2-11e5-8001-42010a8e0019 Light blue]
| Cueball hands down, Cairns of '''stones''', obelisk and toy boats
|-
| 4
| [http://xkcd.com/1663/#303c341c-fd95-11e5-8001-42010a8e0016 Light blue -> blue white]
| Obelisk plant start and balloon string start only.
|-
| 5
| [http://xkcd.com/1663/#98dc3452-fcf2-11e5-8010-42010a8e0008 Blue white]
| Office landscape with desks and chairs, table, {{w|column}}s, obelisk, pots with star plant, Beret Guy, Cueball hands up and down, balloons one of them huge drifting far left and right on their strings in the wind.
|-
| 6
| [http://xkcd.com/1663/#5a45a1f8-fd95-11e5-8001-42010a8e000e Blue white -> white]
| Both kind of Cueball, Ponytail, cats, office desk, table, bird, shar fin, balloon string start only.
|-
| 7
| [http://xkcd.com/1663/#ba6b4ac2-fcf2-11e5-8001-42010a8e0019 White]
| Huge balloon, Megan hand up, cats, bunnies, Beret Guy in pond and trees.
|-
| 8
| [http://xkcd.com/1663/#8874be6a-fd95-11e5-8001-42010a8e0016 White -> light yellow]
| Megan hands up, {{w|shrub}}s, trees, bunnies.
|-
| 9
| [http://xkcd.com/1663/#db338968-fcf2-11e5-8001-42010a8e0016 Light yellow]
| '''Starting color'''. Megan hands down, trees, shelves, birdbath, ducks, heron, pots, grass, tall gate like platforms.
|-
| 10
| [http://xkcd.com/1663/#b28f8522-fd95-11e5-8001-42010a8e0013 Light yellow -> Yellow]
| Girl on stilts, trees, shelves, deer, pots, grass, tall gate like platforms.
|-
| 11
| [http://xkcd.com/1663/#efccf292-fcf2-11e5-8010-42010a8e0003 Yellow]
| Sale signs, tall gate like platform and snakes, flower base and segments, but no blooms.
|-
| 12
| [http://xkcd.com/1663/#de4fd3b0-fd95-11e5-8001-42010a8e0011 Yellow -> Orange]
| Sale signs, snakes, turtles, tulips, wavy plants.
|-
| 13
| [http://xkcd.com/1663/#0d6bca62-fcf3-11e5-8019-42010a8e0005 Orange]
| Turtles and wavy plants, [[#Linsang_-_cat_like_animal|linsang]], birds and flying Megan.
|-
| 14
| [http://xkcd.com/1663/#578b80bc-fd96-11e5-8001-42010a8e000a Orange -> orange red]
| Snakes, turtles, linsang, tulips and wavy plants.
|-
| 15
| [http://xkcd.com/1663/#28b238b0-fcf3-11e5-8001-42010a8e0018 Orange red]
| Desert landscape with turtles, cactus sale, signs, lamp post poles without lamps, platform on cactus resulting in inverted pyramids
|-
| 16
| [http://xkcd.com/1663/#ad7ca596-fd96-11e5-8020-42010a8e0006 Orange red -> red]
| Desert landscape with Mars rover, turtles, cactus sale, signs, lamp post poles without lamps but no platforms.
|-
| 17
| [http://xkcd.com/1663/#46cc4e08-fcf3-11e5-8001-42010a8e0013 Red]
| '''Pure red'''! Desert landscape with turtles and cactus only.
|}

===Effect of light===
*How much the color affects the growth is too early to say, but there is definitely some correlation.
**For instance areas under lights set to the blue end of the spectrum develop an [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/2/23/1663_garden_Octopus_garden_with_Cueball_hand_up_and_a_black_hat_octopus.png aquatic theme] with lots of octopuses and maybe a Cueball.
**Areas under lights set to the red end of the spectrum develop a [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/9/98/1663_garden_Desert_with_red_light_only.png desert theme] with cactus and turtles.
**Light yellow (starting light) seems great for [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/3/39/1663_garden_Yellow_plant_and_Megan_world.png plants and animals] and also birdbath and Megan likes it.
*There are at the moment some research into single light covering the whole range in 17 divisons.
**See these gardens [[#1663:_Garden/Users_gardens#Locked_gardens_only_for_explanation_use|locked for explanation use only]] and also see more about this [[#Colors of light|above]].
*Mixed light seems to be able to do the same but also much more.
**What happens if using other than the two outer points red and blue and the starting light yellow color has not been explored in depth yet, although white light, between blue and light yellow/starting light, has been observed to grow a sort of [http://xkcd.com/1663/#ae3adcaa-fd37-11e5-8001-42010a8e0011 office theme], with desks, balloons and Cueballs, while [http://xkcd.com/1663/#28b238b0-fcf3-11e5-8001-42010a8e0018 orange] and [http://xkcd.com/1663/#efccf292-fcf2-11e5-8010-42010a8e0003 deeper yellow] light (between starting color and red) seems to produce lamp posts, sale signs and snakes, in addition to the same desert theme (more so for orange). However, little study has been done, and more research is needed.
*Nothing seems to be able to grow under several conditions:
**If no lamps are pointing towards the ground for instance because:
***All [http://xkcd.com/1663/#21374f9e-fbbd-11e5-8001-42010a8e0015 lamps are deleted].
***The [http://xkcd.com/1663/#4896b678-fbbe-11e5-8001-42010a8e0011 beam is laser thin.]
***The lamps points towards the sky without [http://www.xkcd.com/1663/#6a6a7be0-fbbe-11e5-800d-42010a8e0008 touching the ground.]
***The lamps are [http://xkcd.com/1663/#c75991f6-fbbe-11e5-8001-42010a8e0011 below the ground pointing down].
****On the other hand if the lamps are below the ground but pointing up it can result in growth well enough as shown in this [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/7/7c/1663_garden_Different_light_from_below_the_ground.png example] and this [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/3/3a/1663_garden_Yellow_light_from_below_the_ground.png example].
**It was believed that if the lamps where very close to the ground pointing straight down there would be no growth.
***However this can be because only a very small area is illuminated
****In this [http://www.xkcd.com/#9733dff4-fbbe-11e5-8001-42010a8e0012 example] there are turtles under the red light although it is not higher up than the yellow or blue.
****Similar in this [http://xkcd.com/1663/#357a48d8-fbbf-11e5-8019-42010a8e0006 example] there are a deer and a cactus from even lower lamps.
****Of course the lamp has to be so high as not to be underground as mentioned above.
**Also if lamps point towards the ground there can still only grow something from the ground [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/3/3e/1663_garden_Two_light_on_small_area_nothing_outside_the_light.png where the light touches]. The growth can move outside the light cones up in the air, but the base has to be within an area with light.
***Of course lights can be moved and changed without destroying what has already grown there (or so it seems). So a particular garden cannot be used to determine this.
***This is why some [[1663:_Garden/Users_gardens#Experimental_gardens|Experimental gardens]] have been set up, and for those with bold text there will be no changes ever.
***Examples from above has mainly been taken from this, or from the other gardens there. But then screen shots are preferable as the gardens change.

===Grown Items===
*Grown items may be highlighted by clicking on them.Selected grown items will be highlighted with a red circle, and appear slightly lighter then other items.
*Grown items may be "pruned" by the red X icon along the right of the window, or pressing the Delete key on the keyboard.
*Some items (such as the large tree) can be deleted in minor parts by selecting a branch or smaller set of leaves without deleting the entire tree.
*See a collection of links to xkcd with [[1663: Garden/Images|images of the items]] than can appear in the garden.

===Growth development===
*There continues to appear new items as time passes, at least for more than one week.
**For instance many new animals like owls and Herons, Sharks and fish and armadillos has been seen many places but not to begin with. And linsang (see [[1663:_Garden#Linsang_-_cat_like_animal|Linsang - cat like animal]]).
**Also tulips and lightning poles did not appear at first to give some examples.
*But it also seems to change what might appear, so that the result of a particular color will change dramatically, not only by adding new, but also by not growing what used to be.
**A clear example of this is that for the first half week pure blue light resulted in lots of octopuses all along the ground and also Cueballs cheeking for rain.
**Later also columns appeared.
*But after a week the growth rate under blue light almost stopped, and it seems that octopuses only grow over the pond to the left, and much less Cueball and maybe no columns?
**See details here: [[1663:_Garden/Screen-shots#Growth_speed_vs_blue_light|Growth speed vs blue light]].

===Debug mode===
{{notice|Anyone who can explain what the debug mode is, how it works, why it is there and why there is difference between the linden and the normal xkcd?}}
*By changing the url address it is possible to get into a debug mode.
**This may not work from for instance explorer, but seems to work from Firefox and chrome.
*Normal mode: http://xkcd.com/1663/#ID
**[http://xkcd.com/1663/#98dc3452-fcf2-11e5-8010-42010a8e0008 Normal mode example].
*At one point the Debug mode worked from this address http://xkcd.com/1663/?debug#ID
**But as can bee seen from this [http://xkcd.com/1663/?debug#98dc3452-fcf2-11e5-8010-42010a8e0008 example] it do not work any more just goes back to normal mode.
*But there is still another version of the link which gives access to the debug mode: http://linden.xkcd.com/?debug#ID
**[http://linden.xkcd.com/?debug#98dc3452-fcf2-11e5-8010-42010a8e0008 Linden debug mode].
**In this mode each item can clearly be seen as the image is framed, and thus invisible lifter images for flying things can be seen.
***See this [http://linden.xkcd.com/?debug#d12a0932-faaa-11e5-8012-42010a8e0006 example].
**This last mode can be used to find the names of the [[1663:_Garden/Images#Images|images of each item]] in a garden.
***See this section on [[1663:_Garden/Images#How_to_find_new_links|How to find new links]].
***By preventing the browser from loading specific images (''e.g.'' with an ad blocker), all instances can be pruned temporarily.

===Limitations===
*The beam produced by each lamp is normally restricted to spread between 0° (which results in no growth) and 95°. The "create new light" button chooses a random angle between 45° and 90°.
*Attempting to view several gardens simultaneously may cause some to hang on the "loading" image, likely due to the server refusing additional connections. The maximum number which can load successfully is usually six, but may be as low as three.

===Bugs===
*There have been several bugs mentioned already after the first day. Please include any spotted here:
**Also some problems that may now be fixed.
*May not run on some tablets or smart phones (i.e. touch-screen only devices).
*There are some browser versions of Chrome and Firefox where it doesn't run.
*The lamps may be invisible for a few seconds after loading.
*The whole page used to refresh at random intervals and lose the whole progress.
**It still does on April 5th.
**Sometimes (in some browsers?) the garden is reloaded when refreshing.
***This may though be because of the url which is a [[#Saving garden with url|link to a given garden]].
***See examples of this [[1663: Garden/Users gardens|here]].
***Seems to be dependent on the browser type.
*Some lamps jumped back to their starting position after a few minutes, without the whole page reloading.
*For a few hours after its apparition, the loading didn't seem to stop for some people, making them think that the rotating tree was the whole joke, with people expected to "relax" while looking at it.
*Occasionally invisible objects are added. They can be deleted, and they have bounding boxes in the [[#Debug mode|debugger]]: [http://linden.xkcd.com/?debug#d12a0932-faaa-11e5-8012-42010a8e0006 Example].
*Doesn't work over https, you have to use http instead.
*It is possible to save the image in Chrome and in Firefox, but not in Explorer.
**It is possible to save the visible portion of the image (in any browser) by pressing the Print-Screen key to perform a screen capture.
**But in Chrome the image is black where there is no light.
**In Firefox everything is visible, wth the light cones (in color) shown.
*Appears to have a memory leak at least in some Windows/Firefox versions, as keeping the page open for a long time will cause Windows to kill Firefox for insufficient memory.
**On the forum, Weeks tries to summon davean! [http://forums.xkcd.com/viewtopic.php?f=7&t=114415&start=320#p3951923]
*Does not work in many Linux versions.
*Tree trunks will sometimes grow endlessly without leaves depending on the lights hitting them.
*If you are dragging a light, the arrow, or the color slider when a refresh happens, the refresh will enter an infinite loop.
**This seems to cause corruption of the garden because refreshing the whole page will result in a loop that never loads the page.
**Clearing your local data for xkcd.com solves the issue but also makes you unable to edit your garden.
*On April 6, gardens viewed from [http://xkcd.com/1663/#7877bdfc-fc03-11e5-8001-42010a8e000c http://xkcd.com/1663/] links began to include double-size objects, while they appeared <s>normally</s> with different objects enlarged when viewed from [http://linden.xkcd.com/#7877bdfc-fc03-11e5-8001-42010a8e000c http://linden.xkcd.com/].
**Apparently some of the server's art files were <s>misdirected to the larger versions</s> replaced with new large images. [https://web.archive.org/web/20160407054439/http://linden.xkcd.com/art/rover.png] [http://linden.xkcd.com/art/2x-rover.png]
**New giant objects are still placed according to their original sizes. [http://forums.xkcd.com/viewtopic.php?f=7&t=114415&start=320#p3951908]
**This was suddenly fixed on April 7, simultaneous with browser memory issues. [http://forums.xkcd.com/viewtopic.php?f=7&t=114415&start=360#p3952207]
***However, some giant images remained cached (where?) for a long time. [http://forums.xkcd.com/viewtopic.php?f=7&t=114415&start=400#p3952527]
*Although there are six bee images, they have not been reported in any gardens[[File:Garden_Bee_1.png]]

==Trivia==
*There are three different title text in this comic, as there are also one over each of the two icons.
**The normal one "Relax" is mentioned above.
**The other two are explanations for what the two icons in the top right corner does and appear when the cursor hovers over them.
***They are ''Create new light'' explaining that this icon introduces new lamps and
***''Remove selected (delete key)'', which explain that this icon can be used to remove (delete) selected items like lamps, plants or items. It also explains that the delete key can be used instead of the icon.
===Linsang - cat like animal===
*In the second week of release no less than 12 [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/3/38/Garden_Linsang_1.png images] of the animal called {{w|linsang}} appeared [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/1/1d/1663_garden_My_first_linsang_cat_like_creature_in_SC.png in the garden].
**See all of them [[1663:_Garden/Images#Images|here]].
*This animal was referenced in ''[[Thing Explainer]]'' in ''Tree of life'' where the animal is drawn in the ''cat-shaped'' section with the following caption:
::'''Almost cat'''
::This animal looks like a cat with a long neck. It's the closest thing to a cat that's not actually in the cat family.
::*Next to the section another one is drawn in front of Cueball (obvsiously it's Randall).
::*The linsang says "Mrowl?" and Cueball says "I wan't one!"
*Randall has in an interview discussed these [http://www.wsj.com/articles/randall-munroe-creator-of-xkcd-on-google-search-tricks-and-cat-like-creature-videos-1447945313 Cat-Like-Creatures] and in is quoted for saying
::Q: '''An animal I’m obsessed with is:'''
::A: The linsang, which looks almost like a cat but has this weird long neck. I find them both unnerving and adorable. I found some footage of one running; it’s like watching a cat video from a parallel universe.
::*The linsang is related to the animal {{w|Genet (animal)|genet}}, and here are two videos/photos of a genet running:
::**[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mRdJSVlPrGo Genet on a rhino]
::**[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ehq3ssg7zwk Genet on other things]

===Monday 4th of April release===
*Due to technical problems (or to make [[#April Fool's header text|fools of his fans?]]) the comic did not go live until Sunday evening (after midnight, so technically first on '''Monday April 4th''').
**There was thus no Friday release in the week before
**So the Wednesday comic [[1662: Jack and Jill]] got a lot more attention than it would usually have had.
*This comic thus turned in to the Monday release instead, as no other comic was released later that Monday, as this would have taken attention away from this very special comic.
**But it was called the ''April 1st comic'' and later the ''Friday comic'' in the [[#April Fool's header text|header text]] displayed at the top of xkcd to explain why there was no Friday comic.
***A header text continued to stay a the top but changed two more times until the release past midnight Sunday in the US. It was even past midnight {{w|Pacific Time}}, but not yet on Hawaii.
**There were thus only two comics released in the week before this Monday, which may be the first time since xkcd went live on {{xkcd||xkcd.com}} in 2006.

===April Fool's header text===
*There is some debate as to whether this comic is an April Fool's comic or not.
**Was instead the April fool's joke the text written above the comic in the header of xkcd?
**There is reason to believe this was [[#April Fool's comic|not the case]] based on among other thing these header text.
*Below it a list of the different header text displayed from Friday until the comic was just released.
**The header text continued to change regularly [[#Header text after release|after release]] in regard to this comic at least until next Friday (April 8th).
**Here below is the different header text with info on when it appeared.
***Links are given when possible to a [[1663:_Garden/Screen-shots#Screen-shots_of_header_text|screen shots]] on the word ''message'' and to a webarchive in another link when both are available.
*On Friday, April 1st, 2016, the xkcd website changed to a new [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/8/81/1663_garden_April_1st_comic_is_currently_experiencing_technical_difficulties.png message] where the standard message "XKCD updates every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday." usually is. (This [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/6/69/1663_garden_Commercial_header_text_before_April_1st_problems.png message] had, however, up to this point and for a long time been a [http://web.archive.org/web/20160401175527/https://www.xkcd.com/ commercial] for ''[[Thing Explainer]]''). But now it [http://web.archive.org/web/20160401204749/https://xkcd.com/ began displaying] this instead:
::The xkcd April 1st comic is currently experiencing technical difficulties.
::Please stand by!
*Early Saturday April 2nd the [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/e/e0/1663_garden_Calendar_systems_in_which_Saturday_is_April_1st.png message] was [http://web.archive.org/web/20160402050932/http://xkcd.com updated]:
::The xkcd April 1st comic is currently experiencing technical difficulties.
::Status update: Please stand by.
::Status update: This is fine. Everything is fine.
::Status update: Everything is on fire.
::Status update: Searching for calendar systems in which Saturday is April 1st.
*Later on Saturday the [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/0/06/1663_garden_Delayed_until_Sunday_night.png message] was again [http://web.archive.org/web/20160402175822/http://www.xkcd.com changed] to:
::The Friday xkcd comic is currently experiencing technical difficulties
::[Editor's note: Everything is on fire] and has been delayed until Sunday night.
*The comic did not come out until past midnight in the entire North America (coming out just before midnight in Hawaii).
*It was finally released very early on Monday April 4th, and the [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/5/53/Garden_Loading_screen_shot.png message] then [http://web.archive.org/web/20160404123555/http://xkcd.com/ returned] to the old standard text for xkcd for a short while:
::XKCD updates every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday.

===Header text after release===
*During April 4th, after the release the message changed from the old standard to display a [[:Category:Protip|Protip]]:
::'''Protip:''' If you don't like how your garden is growing, you can click to prune it.
*And then later on April 4th, the [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/a/a2/1663_garden_Protip_and_url_hint.png message] was again [http://web.archive.org/web/20160404185353/http://www.xkcd.com/#5dbfbb82-fc20-11e5-8001-42010a8e000d changed] to:
::'''Protip:''' If you don't like how your garden is growing, you can click to prune it.
::You can copy the URL to share your garden. From other browsers, it will be view-only.
*When the next comic came out, the [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/6/61/1663_garden_Note_if_seeing_todays_comic.png message] then [http://web.archive.org/web/20160408105110/http://xkcd.com/1663/#4b04323a-fddc-11e5-8001-42010a8e0016 changed] to
::'''Protip:''' If you don't like how your garden is growing, you can click to prune it.
::You can copy the URL to share your garden. From other browsers, it will be view-only.
 
::Note: If you're seeing today's comic in place of your garden, change the URL from xkcd.com/#<your code> to xkcd.com/1663/#<your code>.
*When the Friday comic came out on April 8th, the [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/c/c5/1663_garden_Back_to_pro_tips_only_after_Friday_comic.png message] then changed back to
::'''Protip:''' If you don't like how your garden is growing, you can click to prune it.
::You can copy the URL to share your garden. From other browsers, it will be view-only.

===April Fool's comic===
*This comic '''was indeed supposed to be''' the Friday 1st of April, April Fool's comic!
**This statement is based on several things, which can can be deduced from the above header text and the subsequent issues with the many [[#Bugs|bugs in this comic]].
*It is clear that this comic did actually come out as promised, at least as promised in the third message about release on Sunday night.
**It is also clear that it is regarded as the Friday comic, even in the last update before the release, which was two days after April 1st.
*It is also clear that this was a very complex comic, and it is realistic that Randall did have problems with making it work.
**On day two there still seemed to be several minor bugs, which seemed to improve over time so Randall was still working on it after release.
***But then new bugs appeared when the next comic was released.
*Both of the last two April Fool's comics, [[1350: Lorenz]] and [[1506: xkcloud]], have had no real meaning or joke in the comic. The jokes appeared from user input, and here it comes from waiting.
**This makes people who spend too much time on these comics ''April Fool's'' (or if they rather wish to be called a ''nerds'' than fools, then they can claim to have been a victim of [[356: Nerd Sniping|nerd sniping]]).
**So, even if Randall ''did'' play a joke on people who [[Talk:1662: Jack and Jill#What happened to Friday's comic|eagerly awaited the comic]], then he did deliver as promised a spectacular comic Sunday night.
*There are several reasons to believe that Randall would have preferred the comic to get out on Friday April 1st.
**Apart from it being a time consuming comic that in it self is April Fool's comic material, then by getting it out Friday this special comic, which he obviously have used a lot of time to prepare, would have had one more day as the first comic.
**Getting it out before a weekend would have let many more users spend time looking at their garden. Now many would not spend enough time to appreciate the comic, as it came out right when the new work week began.
***And it is a very complicated comic that just to get to understand how to really use it could take a days time even for someone with time.
***And this is not talking about how the comic works, but just how to use the program, i.e. the whole [[#Functionality|functionality]] of the comic is way more complex than even a game like [[1608: Hoverboard]].
**And before next weekend two more comics were released taking some of the focus away from this one too soon, and also before the next weekend.
***Of course die hard fans will not forget this one, but many xkcd fans may only come by in the weekend etc. and such a hard to come by comic like this, that demands patience and that you return does not profit from being bumped down to number three as it would be next Friday.
*Randall lives of his fans goodwill and to deliberately make a pun on them like this would probably not seem like a good business proposal, apart from the fact that the comic now gets less attention than by coming out before the weekend.

{{comic discussion}}
[[Category:Comics with color]]
[[Category:Dynamic comics]]
[[Category:Interactive comics]]
[[Category:Comics with animation]] 
[[Category:April fools' comics]] 
[[Category:Comics featuring Megan]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Beret Guy]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Ponytail]]
[[Category:Animals]]
[[Category:Sharks]] 
[[Category:Mars rovers]]
[[Category:Protip]]

Talk:1588: Hardware Reductionism

2015-10-09T14:26:37Z

173.245.54.91:

Is "TRIATHOLON" just a typo, or does it have a special comic value?
:At this moment of creation it exists in a limbo in which it is both a typo and a joke, but now that it is has been released for viewers to take measures, the function will soon collapse into just one of the possible states. [[Special:Contributions/162.158.34.197|162.158.34.197]] 13:03, 9 October 2015 (UTC)
::It's clearly a spelling mistake (not a typo). See http://www.thefreedictionary.com/Triathalon, http://www.thefreedictionary.com/athelete. [[Special:Contributions/173.245.50.149|173.245.50.149]] 13:19, 9 October 2015 (UTC)

I don't think this is just parodying left-brain right-brain myths. Rather, it's parodying neural reductionism of all kinds—the currently widespread myth that our selves are determined genetically by brain structure alone, minimizing the role of culture and the way experience rewires the brain. In particular, the part about "phones like yours" makes me think of "women are from venus"–style myths (where, say, a slight correlation is found between gender and size of spacial processing module, etc, and pop-sci media reports it as WOMEN ARE INHERENTLY BAD AT SPATIAL REASONING).
[[User:Leoboiko|Leoboiko]] ([[User talk:Leoboiko|talk]]) 13:25, 9 October 2015 (UTC)
:Seems plausible. Care to add? [[Special:Contributions/108.162.216.104|108.162.216.104]] 13:39, 9 October 2015 (UTC

Or it could be a riff on the current "Thinking Fast and Thinking Slow" model, which considers the brain as having two distinct (Type 1 and Type 2) types of thinking, often described as two separate actors in the brain, in spite of the fact that they probably overlap a lot in the sections of the brain used.
[[User:Blackbearnh|Blackbearnh]] ([[User talk:Blackbearnh|talk]]) 14:16, 9 October 2015 (UTC)

How about the typo of "coment" in the comment about the typo in the comic...

Talk:1578: Squirrelphone

2015-09-17T03:34:53Z

173.245.54.91:

Could it be a reference to this? http://web.media.mit.edu/~stefanm/phd/cellularsquirrel/ {{unsigned ip|‎108.162.216.68}}

:I think it might be a reference to this: [https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/speaking-of-science/wp/2015/09/11/vampire-squirrel-caught-on-camera-for-the-first-time-ever/ ‘Vampire squirrel’ caught on camera for the first time ever – Washington Post]. --[[Special:Contributions/141.101.104.234|141.101.104.234]] 07:35, 16 September 2015 (UTC)
:agreed: [https://www.michigandaily.com/section/statement/i-was-bitten-squirrel] [[Special:Contributions/108.162.221.8|108.162.221.8]] 10:25, 16 September 2015 (UTC)

What about the old "Bananaphone" pun? {{unsigned ip|188.114.106.131}}

Sometimes I wonder if the joke is to make ExplainXKCD squirm. {{unsigned ip|108.162.221.150}}

^ Not really. Those like me who used SquirrelMail had a laugh. Mostly every XKCD joke is incomprehensible to people not familiar with the subject of the joke. {{unsigned ip|108.162.229.135}}

"a living squirrel being not an appropiate creature to mantain a phone call. "... well, duh. Everyone knows that a squid would make MUCH more sense! [[Special:Contributions/108.162.250.161|108.162.250.161]] 05:16, 16 September 2015 (UTC)
::A puppy... www.youtube.com/watch?v=e0tiNwOpZ68 [[Special:Contributions/108.162.229.182|108.162.229.182]] 14:11, 16 September 2015 (UTC)
:I doubt this is supposed to be about SquirrelMail; it's much more likely to just be "Bananaphone" with a squirrel. [[Special:Contributions/108.162.237.193|108.162.237.193]] 05:33, 16 September 2015 (UTC)
: Maybe a _dead_ squirrel would work better. At least it wouldn't bite... [[User:Elektrizikekswerk|Elektrizikekswerk]] ([[User talk:Elektrizikekswerk|talk]]) 08:16, 16 September 2015 (UTC)

"chomp" is also a command on unixoid operating systems that removes characters which carry no information (leading, trailing white spaces, newlines etc) from strings. Seems like the squirrelphone removed every bit of non-information, essentially cutting the call to nothing. [[Special:Contributions/162.158.92.167|162.158.92.167]] 07:10, 16 September 2015 (UTC)

Whoever put that [needs citation] in there deserves a medal XD [[User:Apbarratt|Apbarratt]] ([[User talk:Apbarratt|talk]]) 08:34, 16 September 2015 (UTC)

Summary of POTS should be present tense - POTS is still active.
[[Special:Contributions/108.162.215.179|108.162.215.179]] 16:42, 16 September 2015 (UTC)

The tone played at the end is likely a howler tone, not fast busy.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Off-hook_tone {{unsigned|Trenin}}

Do we really need an explanation of every noise landline phones make? Only two really apply here, ringing and howling. Since even cellphones have ringtones, I don't think ringing would need to be explained in the detail that it is, just something like "These phones would make a series of rings on receiving a call (as shown in the first panel) and would automatically stop ringing and answer when picked up."
I must admit I'm young enough that my first impulse for a squirrelphone beeping was "Oh, it must be one of those wireless home phone recievers and it's low on battery." I suppose squirrelphones must still be wired, though, though it doesn't look like it. [[Special:Contributions/173.245.50.142|173.245.50.142]] 17:39, 16 September 2015 (UTC)
:Seems like we do need the explanation for the ring tones. Sine this is a real squirrel imitating a phone, it is of course not wired. It just pretends making the appropriate sounds. --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 19:38, 16 September 2015 (UTC)

How do we know it's not a phone pretending to be a squirrel? [[User:Mikemk|Mikemk]] ([[User talk:Mikemk|talk]]) 23:55, 16 September 2015 (UTC)

What if the squirrel swallowed a phone? Like in Jurassic Park, when the spinosaurus swallows the satellite phone? {{unsigned ip|108.162.219.91}}

Just to let you know, there is nothing currently up on the wiki page that explains this comic.

Talk:1325: Rejection

2014-04-04T19:37:21Z

173.245.54.91:

How do we know which one is Cueball and which one is “guy”?

[[Special:Contributions/108.162.254.119|108.162.254.119]] 08:18, 3 February 2014 (UTC)

:I was wondering the same thing. Is there some kind of assumption that Cueball is always the "smart" stick figure? [[Special:Contributions/108.162.254.65|108.162.254.65]] 15:12, 4 February 2014 (UTC)

First of all we dont know that the first guy has been recently rejected, that is actually an assumption made by the second guy. Also, the "they choose jerks over nice guys" argument is wrong not because it lacks judgement and self awareness, it is wrong because it belittles the woman's judgement and self-awareness. [[Special:Contributions/108.162.254.105|108.162.254.105]] 08:44, 3 February 2014 (UTC)

I think the first guy is a jerk and the girl rejected him because he's a jerk. The second guy is quite blatantly pointing out that the first guy's a jerk, but the first guy is so self-absorbed that he just doesn't get it - and probably never will. This is indicates a personality disorder/character flaw. The first guy is incapable of accepting that he is a jerk and therefore has to blame the girl by falling back on a cliche about girls only wanting nice guys. This is OK for the first guy because he thinks nice guys are losers.[[Special:Contributions/108.162.229.9|108.162.229.9]] 09:29, 3 February 2014 (UTC)

:Uhm... Some of the above may be correct - but not the last sentences. The first guy thinks he is a nice guy, and he is about to use this to explain why he has been rejected since girls only say they want nice guys but really want something else. She probably doesn't want a jerk! But may rather go for a sporty/strong/hansom type without considering how nice he is. So the guy she chooses may or may not be nice to her (and may even be a real jerk). All this is of course just part of the stereotyping of women. [[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 10:19, 3 February 2014 (UTC)

I'm having trouble editing the article. I am trying to change the explanation to:

In popular culture women supposedly go for jerks instead of "nice guys". The guy on the left in this picture is frustrated and complaining as he has just been (presumably) rejected by a girl, and thinks it's because he's the "nice guy" type. However, there are many other reasons why a woman might reject a guy who isn't a jerk. (Though this guy just might be a jerk.) Cueball is trying to tell this guy that there are many, more complicated, reasons, and that saying "women don't like nice guys" and presuming to know what women "really want" is showing a rejection of that woman's agency, which might be the real that reason she rejected him.

The Alt Text continues the "conversation", with Cueball implying that he believes that the first guy is bad at taking hints, offering a sarcastic "crash course" in hint taking, with Cueball outright saying that he is trying to end the conversation while the first guys continues to follow him.

but it won't save. Can someone help me or copy/paste my changes themselves? [[Special:Contributions/173.245.50.77|173.245.50.77]] 10:37, 3 February 2014 (UTC)

:Nevermind. Found the captcha check while posting the above. [[Special:Contributions/173.245.50.77|173.245.50.77]] 10:39, 3 February 2014 (UTC)
::Dear 173.245.50.77, You could create a userid and login -- that way your explanation would also appear in the history nicely with your name against it [[User:Spongebog|Spongebog]] ([[User talk:Spongebog|talk]]) 14:34, 3 February 2014 (UTC)

It's about "negging" by pick-up-artists. See http://xkcd.com/1027 The theory is that putting a woman down somehow makes her more attracted to you. [[Special:Contributions/108.162.222.216|108.162.222.216]] 11:18, 3 February 2014 (UTC)DivePeak

:Exactly, "Nice guys" is a pick up artist phrase, especially in conjunction with the "what women really want" type of line. One of the techniques they use is "negging" which is exactly what Cueball describes. It isn't about being passive-aggressive. Very often they constitute the "[http://pervocracy.blogspot.com/2012/06/missing-stair.html missing stair]" in a group. --[[User:Ioldanach|Ioldanach]] ([[User talk:Ioldanach|talk]]) 13:42, 28 March 2014 (UTC)

What is particularly interesting is the assumption by Randall that ALL woman are self aware enough to know what they really want in a man. The cartoon generalizes that self proclaimed "nice guys" are in error and whining needlessly and cluelessly about their situation. But it is this exact sort of generalization that has lead to the popular cultural conception of woman going for "jerks" over "nice guys."
In reality, there are men who are rejected by woman who have poor judgement in men, as well as men who perceive themselves to be "nice guys" but do not have the introspection and awareness to respect a woman's judgement, even if it could be poor. [[User:Tardyon|Tardyon]] ([[User talk:Tardyon|talk]]) 14:44, 3 February 2014 (UTC)

In fairness, if your judgment is poor your judgement shouldn't be respected regardless of gender. It should be pointed out to you, such as is happening here. That being said the primary issue the generalization."Guy" can speak about only one person, the woman he knows. And it'd still be estimation, but it'd probably be a deeper insight into the girl than all women everywhere. [[Special:Contributions/199.27.128.170|199.27.128.170]] 17:16, 3 February 2014 (UTC)Rheios

Consider a parallel comic: "Harvard says they want well-rounded students, but what they really want are - " "Applicants who respond to rejection letters by belittling Harvard's judgment?" Suddenly it's not so amusing.[[Special:Contributions/108.162.219.39|108.162.219.39]] 20:03, 4 February 2014 (UTC)
:Suddenly? I actually find that equally amusing. Your parallel is a bit off thou, as guy talks about women generally rather than a specific one, so rather than Harvard it would be universities and then cueball's response would be more helpful, as in that guys current response won't help him and perhaps he need to self analyze to find out why he failed and change to do better with the next application (or woman).[[Special:Contributions/199.27.128.96|199.27.128.96]] 16:55, 5 February 2014 (UTC)

I actually don't see your point. Are you saying Harvard doesn't want well-rounded students? I'm sure they do; if you go there with a 5.0 GPA but nothing else to recommend you, you probably won't get in, and if you do get in you won't be successful.

When girls say they want "nice guys", they want someone who will treat them well. What would something like that look like to Harvard? Maybe - someone who respects the institution, the staff and the property, someone who won't plagiarize, who won't use the facilities for illegal or unethical activities. Someone who isn't going there just so they can say "I'm going to Harvard". Can you measure these things ahead of time? No, probably not. Even if you could measure them, by themselves, would they make you attractive to Harvard, or likely to succeed there? No, they would not. Harvard wants intelligent, well-rounded, hard-working individuals who can actually demonstrate that they are worthy of acceptance. So yes, of course they want "nice guys", but that doesn't mean shit unless you bring everything else too.

1. Yes, girls want guys who will treat them well, instead of badly. And they shouldn't really have to say it.

2. Being a "nice guy" has almost nothing to do with getting the girl. You have to bring more than that.

3. It is necessary, but not sufficient. [[Special:Contributions/108.162.219.58|108.162.219.58]] 19:18, 5 February 2014 (UTC)

How do we know that the girl did not go with someone who is more jerk than the character who thinks to be a nice guy? {{unsigned ip|141.101.70.103}}
:Doesn't matter. "Nice Guy" said "they", not "she", so he is generalizing. If he specified his last girlfriend, he might have case, but he did not, so he does not. Anonymous 19:37, 4 April 2014 (UTC)

1014: Car Problems

2014-03-26T09:48:20Z

173.245.54.91: /* Explanation */ Added links. Anonymous.

{{comic
| number = 1014
| date = February 8, 2012
| title = Car Problems
| image = car_problems.png
| titletext = Or if you replace your car, we'll be happy to set it on fire again so you can take another crack at getting that shot.
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Some more details on digital photographing, wiki links, etc. would be helpful.}}
[[Megan]]'s car appears to have combusted at some point while she left it unattended. Suspecting her friends and acquaintances ([[Black Hat]], [[Danish]], and [[Cueball]]) of perhaps having something to do with it, she gathers them in front of a couch and draws attention to the fact that something is just a little bit wrong with the two juxtaposed images she shows them. In an effort to be evasive, all three of them start critiquing the picture quality, and not the subject, feigning complete ignorance about the car being on fire. When Megan exasperatedly tells them what she is upset about - namely, her car is on fire - they continue to act evasive by telling her that her camera stinks.

The title text continues the dialogue that basically outright suggests that they were the ones who collectively set her car on fire, probably in the middle of some nightly exploit.

As for the particular details of the digital photography terms mentioned:

*{{w|White balance}}: The human eye is a very good judge of whiteness under a variety of lighting conditions, digital cameras often have difficulty automatically correcting for this which can cause images to look too blue or orange.
*{{w|Focus (optics)|Focus}} is a bit too close: As light passes through a camera lens, it is bent until the rays converge on the film or sensor. If the focus is too close, it implies that point of convergence from the light of the subject is slightly in front of the sensor (i.e. that Megan has accidentally focused on something closer than the car).
*{{w|Chromatic aberration}}: This causes coloured artifacts in an image, typically caused by a cheap lenses, which do not focus light of different wavelengths (and thus different colours) in the same way
*{{w|Megapixels}}: This is the number of image sensor elements of digital cameras or the pixels on digital displays. More pixels improve the resolution but also result in less overall quality for the pictures, due in part to the reduced size of each pixel sensor (because the total sensor size is typically the same for a given class of camera), and because for consumer a targeted products the total engineering budget is limited, so that extra money spent on a high megapixel sensor ends up reducing the money spent on other more critical elements such as the lenses.

==Transcript==
:[Megan stands in front of a projection of a car, with an audience of 3 people. One of the people is Black Hat, the others are Danish and Cueball.]
:Megan: Attention Please. This is a photo of my car as of two weeks ago.

:[Megan in front of a new projection of the same car engulfed in flames.]
:Megan: And ''this'' is my car as I found it this morning. Can anyone tell me what's wrong with this picture?

:[The audience ponders.]

:Cueball: The white balance, for one.
:Danish: Focus is a bit too close.
:Black Hat: The chromatic aberration suggests you bought your camera because it had "The most megapixels".

:Megan: '''''THE CAR IS ON FIRE!'''''
:Comment from audience: Maybe you should use the insurance money to get a better camera.
:Comment from different person: yeah

==Trivia==
*While this comic focuses on misunderstandings by people viewing pictures this could be also a reference to the [http://www-odi.nhtsa.dot.gov/owners/SearchResults?searchType=ID&targetCategory=I&searchCriteria.nhtsa_ids=PE11037 battery fire] in a stored, damaged {{w|Chevrolet Volt}} automobile. During a side-impact safety test, which the car passed with a five star rating[http://www.popularmechanics.com/cars/alternative-fuel/hybrids/the-straight-story-on-the-chevy-volt-battery-fire-6601217], its high voltage battery pack was damaged. Part of the test procedure includes rolling the vehicle over after the impact to check for leaking fluids; during the rollover check, the vehicle electronics were flooded with coolant. The damaged vehicle was then put into storage where its high voltage battery remained energized; three weeks later the battery spontaneously caught fire, potentially due to corrosion, and destroyed the car. GM subsequently made design changes to address the causes of the fire.[http://www-odi.nhtsa.dot.gov/owners/SearchResults?searchType=ID&targetCategory=I&searchCriteria.nhtsa_ids=PE11037]

{{comic discussion}}
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Megan]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Black Hat]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Danish]]
[[Category:Comics with color]]

Talk:368: Bass

2014-03-26T08:02:28Z

173.245.54.91:

Okay, I have to ask this, and this as good a place as any. Am I the only one who reads Black Hat (and Danish) with an affected English accent? Anonymous 21:04, 3 December 2013 (UTC) {{unsigned ip|173.245.54.91}}
:Talk to someone in Scotland, and then some Australian, South African and finally compare Texas with LA and NY, or the London suburbs. English is still not easy, especially for non native speakers. But Black Hat and Danish are quite sure talking at some American English slangs. --[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 23:25, 3 December 2013 (UTC)

Firstly, is this destructive resonance thing actually possible for car speakers? (note: don't worry, I'm not going to try this myself, just wondering)... secondly, I hadn't thought about accents before. I'm English but all the characters have my own internal voice... maybe I should put some effort in and give them all different accents (wouldn't know which accents but the aforementioned affected-english for Black Hat doesn't work in my head, as good as that suggestion was). [[User:Squirreltape|Squirreltape]] ([[User talk:Squirreltape|talk]]) 14:38, 14 February 2014 (UTC)

Maybe I should clarify: I am American and, in my part at least, British accents are considered "snooty" and "superior", a trope Black Hat would gladly take advantage of, as would Danish, for they do consider themselves vastly superior the "commoners" and "plebs" around them (why else would they be so casually sadistic?) YMMV on the stereotypes, but that is the one I am familiar with and the one I assume they use. That said I, personally, do not think the British themselves are "snooty", but am guilty of affecting such an accent when feeling snootily sarcastic. Anonymous 08:02, 26 March 2014 (UTC)

1201: Integration by Parts

2014-03-20T15:19:08Z

173.245.54.91: /* Explanation */ Integrals only get one "dx", where "x" is any variable. Two dx's only apply if we are taking the integral of a derivative, in which case, they cancel. Anonymous

{{comic
| number = 1201
| date = April 19, 2013
| title = Integration by Parts
| image = integration by parts.png
| titletext = If you can manage to choose u and v such that u = v = x, then the answer is just (1/2)x^2, which is easy to remember. Oh, and add a '+C' or you'll get yelled at.
}}

==Explanation==
{{w|Integration by parts}} is an integration strategy that is used to evaluate difficult integrals by trying to find simpler integrals derived from the original. It is commonly a source of confusion or irritation for students when they first learn it, due to the fact that there is really no way to accurately predict the proper u/dv separation just by looking at an integral. Integration by parts requires patience, trial and error, and experience.

Randall shows a somewhat complicated math problem and, in an attempt to "help", simplifies it into a more compact integral. This is the first part of performing integration by parts, which involves the guessing. Having gotten it into integration by parts format, he then leaves without describing the actual solution. The general integral '''''∫'''(u dv)'' is equal to ''uv - '''∫'''(v du)'', and this is the more tedious part of the math and where problems will arise if you picked the wrong u and dv at the beginning. The narrator makes a point of leaving here, so we can't ask for help or complain if the choice of u and dv was wrong.

The title text points out that if the integral of x can be divided so that u = x and dv = dx amd implying v = x, then it leads to the result (1/2)x^2. This implies the original integral was just ∫x dx, and not needing integration by parts in the first place. Mathematics teachers and extreme math geeks will also cringe at this answer, however, since an {{w|indefinite integral}} requires an integration constant. The correct answer is actually (1/2)x^2 + C, as Randall hints. The +C symbolizes that an indefinite integral can be shifted by any constant and still gets the same answer on the reverse {{w|derivative}}. {{w|Integral|Definite integrals}} specify a range that they're valid on and thus there is no need to add this constant.

==Transcript==
:A Guide to
:Integration by Parts:

:Given a problem of the form:
::∫f(x)g(x)dx=?
:Choose variables u and v such that
::u=f(x)
::dv=g(x)dx
:Now the expression becomes:
::∫udv=?
:Which ''definitely'' looks easier.
:Anyway, I gotta run.
:But good luck!

==Trivia==
*[[569: Borders]] makes a subtle reference to integration by parts (the name of the kingdom).

{{comic discussion}}
[[Category:Math]]
[[Category:Sarcasm]]

Talk:810: Constructive

2014-03-20T15:02:15Z

173.245.54.91:

I know just the guy to create this system. I'm going to PM him now :D {{unsigned ip|184.11.73.88}}

No guys, if spammers invent a bot which can give constructive comments, that will be an ***AI***, i.e. a major breakthrough in itself. {{unsigned ip|173.245.53.200}}

Mission. A-Fucking. Complished. {{unsigned ip|108.162.238.7}}

One problem: trolls who rate everything as non-constructive. [[Special:Contributions/108.162.218.11|108.162.218.11]] 01:32, 1 March 2014 (UTC)
:But Trolls like that are also unable to make constructive comments, so they won't get counted anyway (at least, if the system is designed with any sense) Anonymous 15:02, 20 March 2014 (UTC)

Talk:1079: United Shapes

2014-03-18T04:51:25Z

173.245.54.91:

Hooray, another comic that only Americans will get. Randall, some of us live in *other* parts of the world. '''[[User:Davidy22|Davidy22]]'''[[User talk:Davidy22|<tt>[talk]</tt>]] 13:47, 8 January 2013 (UTC)

Wait, so an American artist with a mostly-American audience is supposed to limit himself to cartoons that everyone can understand? And people say AMERICANS are the arrogant ones. [[Special:Contributions/71.229.88.206|71.229.88.206]] 07:59, 24 March 2013 (UTC)

Could someone please explain the stereotypes? I'm American and I don't really see any jokes. As far as I can tell, he just picked images that fit in each state. {{unsigned|71.229.88.206|07:59, 24 March 2013}}

We still have to fix this thumbnail issue. --[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 16:47, 6 June 2013 (UTC)

For the most part I don't think the shapes have anything to do with the states other than what happens to fit. The Louisiana "boot" and Michigan "glove" are commonly used to describe those states shapes.{{unsigned ip|65.117.250.78}}

People in Michigan actually say things like "I live in the thumb"
[[Special:Contributions/108.162.219.199|108.162.219.199]] 05:18, 12 December 2013 (UTC)

I'm not sure how this really constitutes an explanation. The current text seems to amount to "Yeah this comic is all perfectly clear and logical everyone gets all the references alright I gotta go have fun now!" I think this needs an incomplete flag, but I don't know if someone who isn't a moderator can do that? --[[User:Mynotoar|Mynotoar]] ([[User talk:Mynotoar|talk]]) 22:32, 26 December 2013 (UTC)

Could the signature in Wyoming be Randalls own one? Compare it to [[1005: SOPA]]. --[[Special:Contributions/108.162.254.160|108.162.254.160]] 09:06, 5 March 2014 (UTC)

He does lotsa comics the rest of us can undrestand, too. After all, though, he IS American. Texas: that's a cat? [[Special:Contributions/108.162.225.160|108.162.225.160]] 16:26, 9 March 2014 (UTC)

<rant> The bear in the state of Alaska is NOT Winnie the Pooh. The most recognizable version is yellow with a red shirt. The original illustrations didn't have a shirt, but were still yellow. Further more, there ARE other cartoon bears to choose from, or it could just be a non-affiliated one that Randall created for the sake of fitting in the state of Alaska. Add to that the fact that Winnie the Pooh never had a jetpack OR a raygun and there is a pretty solid case for that bear NOT being Winnie the Pooh. </rant> Anonymous 04:51, 18 March 2014 (UTC)

1079: United Shapes

2014-03-18T04:42:49Z

173.245.54.91: /* Transcript */ Alaska does not contain Winnie the Pooh. Neither the Disney version, nor the book the book version, nor the original Edward Bear look like that. Anonymous

{{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.
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|This explain doesn't explain the content of this comic.}}
Click on the image above to see the large version, which makes every state perfectly clear. Additionally, Randall provides a closeup of the Colorado article. [http://xkcd.com/1079/colorado/] (It is obviously a fake Wikipedia article.) In the large version, all of the items inside the States make sense once you get your head oriented the correct direction.

Very few of the shapes used are stereotypes of the state. They are merely objects that look like the state.

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}}. As the two US states are both almost square and borders each other in a way similar to Korea this makes sense. Although here it is the southern part (Colorado) that sound like North 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}}.

Humorously, Randall decides to fill Georgia with a drawing of Missouri and vice versa, likely due to their incredibly similar outlines.

The title text makes fun of Florida which is sometimes called “The penis of America”. Obviously, this penis is somewhat flaccid (not erected). 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).

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

:Alabama: A moai head facing east.
:Alaska: A bear with a jetpack and a ray gun.
:Arizona: A refrigerated shelf containing milk, bread, and pastries.
:Arkansas: A measuring cup.
:California: A vacuum.
:Colorado: The wiki article on Colorado.
:Connecticut: A train conductor's hat.
:Delaware: A meerkat.
:Florida: An eggplant.
:Georgia: Missouri.
: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.
:Maryland: A howling wolf, upside down.
:Massachusetts: An elephant, being ridden by a man, carrying tea.
:Michigan: A mitten for the lower portion, an eagle for the UP.
:Minnesota: $160 in $20 USD bills.
:Mississippi: A moai head facing west.
:Missouri: Georgia.
: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.
: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 boilover.
: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 childrens' books, placed in a slightly askew pile.
:Texas: A dog sitting in a bowl.
:Utah: An oven.
:Vermont: A microscope, upside down.
:Virgina: A frog.
:Washington: A whale.
:West Virginia: A stegosaurid.
:Wisconsin: A skull.
:Wyoming: An envelope.

{{comic discussion}}
[[Category:Large drawings]]
[[Category:Comics with color]]

469: Improvised

2014-02-18T17:18:26Z

173.245.54.91:

{{comic
| number = 469
| date = August 29, 2008
| title = Improvised
| image = improvised.png
| titletext = Oh, your brother is Luke. Sorry, should've mentioned that first.
}}

==Explanation==
In the film "{{w|Star Wars}} Episode V: {{w|The Empire Strikes Back}}", just before {{w|Han Solo}}, portrayed by {{w|Harrison Ford}}, is frozen in carbonite, the following conversation occurs:
:Leia: I love you.
:Han: I know.

The original script had Han Solo respond with "I love you, too", but Harrison Ford felt that the character would not give such a cliched response, even in the face of likely death and ad-libbed the "I know" line that was actually used in the finished film. The ad-libbed line is generally thought to be better than the original would have been.

The comic presents several alternative ad-libs that Ford could have made in that conversation as well as at various points throughout the trilogy.

; Well, duh
:Here, Han ruins the mood [a dramatic confession] with a flippant statement.
; Han Solo in the cockpit of the Millennium Falcon.
:Another example of an out-of-tone ad-lib. The original line is "never tell me the odds", a nod to Solo's daredevil persona. In this ad-lib, however, he is hesitant to try anything dangerous.
; Oh! Hey, that explains the kissing earlier.
:Another absurd, out-of-character answer to a serious remark, this time with Solo acting romantically oblivious [rather than forward, as he is usually].
; I'm nailing your brother.
: So far Leia doesn't know she has a brother. Also, since ''to nail'' means to penetrate, it should be a shock for her to know that Han is either gay or bisexual. This panel is referenced in the alt-text.
; Hokey religions and ancient weapons are no match for scissors, though they do beat paper and rock.
: The original line is "Hokey religions and ancient weapons are no match for a good blaster at your side, kid", a reference to Luke's force training and lightsaber use. In this ad-lib, Han turns a discussion about weapons into a [unusually formal] discussion about the game {{w|Rock-paper-scissors}}.

;Cool. Listen, this thing is really, REALLY cold.
:Han is in a freezing chamber in this scene. This remark is more of an exaggeration of Han's character than anything–he doesn't care at all about Leia's confession, he's only worried about his own comfort.
; Wowzers
:''Wowzers'' is an expression used by {{w|Inspector Gadget}}; another amusingly out-of-character ad-lib.
; General Solo, is your strike team assembled?
:The original response here is "Uh, my team's ready. I don't have a command crew for the shuttle." In this ad-lib, Han responds to a serious situation [preparations for an important mission to bring down the Galactic Empire] with an unserious response.
;I'd just as soon kiss a wookiee.
:In the original film, Leia's remark "I'd just as soon kiss a wookiee" is meant as an insult to Han, implying that he's less attractive than a great hairy monster. In this ad-lib, though, Han takes her statement literally, and suggests that he is also interested in kissing a wookiee. Chewbacca is Han's wookiee copilot and fellow smuggler. Han's suggestion that he's interested in kissing Chewbacca is unexpected on many levels: firstly, Han's shown interest in Leia, secondly, Chewbacca is an entirely different species, and thirdly, Chewbacca is also male, and Han Solo is presumed by Leia to be straight.

Note: although it's spelled "wookie" in the comic, the canonical spelling of Chewbacca's species is "{{w|Wookiee}}".

;Title text
It refers to the plot twist that {{w|Luke Skywalker}} is princess {{w|Princess Leia|Leia's}} brother, which would not be revealed until the next film in the series. How Han Solo knows this twist at this point in the story is unknown, but he must at least know that Leia has a brother in the center left panel.

==Transcript==
:Harrison Ford famously improvised his "I know" line in E.S.B. Here are a few of his less-successful ad-libs:

:[Han Solo stands in front of Princess Leia on the Cloud City Carbon Freezing Chamber.]
:Leia: I love you.
:Han: Well, duh.

:[Han Solo in the cockpit of the Millennium Falcon.]
:C-3P0: Sir, the possibility of successfully navigating an asteroid field is approximately 3720 to 1!
:Han: Seriously? ...Christ.

:[Han Solo stands in front of Princess Leia on the Cloud City Carbon Freezing Chamber.]
:Leia: I love you.
:Han: Oh! Hey, that explains the kissing earlier.

:[Han Solo stands in front of Princess Leia on the Cloud City Carbon Freezing Chamber.]
:Leia: I love you.
:Han: I'm nailing your brother.

:[Han Solo standing in front of Luke Skywalker, who is holding a blast shield helmet and a lightsaber. The training droid hovers between them.]

:Han: Hokey religions and ancient weapons are no match for scissors, though they do beat paper and rock.

:[Han Solo stands in front of Princess Leia on the Cloud City Carbon Freezing Chamber.]
:Leia: I love you.
:Han: Cool. Listen, this thing is really, really cold.

:[Han Solo stands in front of Princess Leia on the Cloud City Carbon Freezing Chamber.]
:Leia: I love you.
:Han: Wowzers.

:[Han Solo sits with two others. General Madine approaches.]
:Madine: General Solo, is your strike team assembled?
:Han: Barely. They're pretty drunk.

:[Han Solo and Princess Leia stand in an Ice Tunnel of Hoth.]
:Leia: I'd just as soon kiss a wookie.
:Han: Man, me too but Chewie never seems interested. Maybe I should grow my hair out.

{{comic discussion}}
[[Category:Star Wars]]

1256: Questions

2014-02-18T04:43:59Z

173.245.54.91: /* Section one */

{{comic
| number = 1256
| date = August 26, 2013
| title = Questions
| image = questions.png
| titletext = To whoever typed 'why is arwen dying': GOOD. FUCKING. QUESTION.
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Incomplete.}}
{{w|Google}}, a rather popular internet search engine, has a feature known as [https://support.google.com/websearch/answer/106230?hl=en autocomplete] that guesses at search queries before they are fully typed out. These guesses are generally made based on popular searches by other people. From time to time, a particularly strange or hilarious one may be found, as is evidenced in this comic.

The largest pictured questions are: "Why are there slaves in the bible" and "Why are there ants in my laptop".

All of the questions in the comic are "why" questions, so many of them are predicated on false assumptions, such as "Why are there pyramids on the moon".

Regarding the title text: in the Peter Jackson films of {{w|The Lord of the Rings (film series)|''The Lord of the Rings'' trilogy}}, Arwen becomes sickly for unspecified reasons as the plot advances, apparently giving Aragorn a more personal reason to fight. The only explanation given is by Elrond, who says "As Sauron's power grows, her [Arwen's] strength wanes." (This subplot is entirely absent from the {{w|The Lord of the Rings|original novels}}.)

From [http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0167260/faq#.2.1.21 IMDB]: <blockquote>
Arwen, like her father (and brothers) is considered to be a Half-Elf, the result of a union between an Elf and a mortal human. The Half-Elven of Middle-earth get a choice, to remain immortal and return to the West (Valinor) or to become mortal and to die as humans do. Elrond chose to remain an Elf. Arwen (like her uncle Elros) chooses to become mortal in order to wed and remain with Aragorn. Elrond senses this; this is what he means when he says that Arwen is dying. It is the same as in The Last Unicorn, when the unicorn is given the form of a human woman and can feel that she is no longer immortal ("I can feel this body dying all around me"). According to Tolkien, though, after Aragorn dies in the year 120 (Fourth Age), Arwen returns to Lórien, where she dies by choice the following winter. </blockquote>

==Selected answers==
===Single panels===
{| class ="wikitable"
|-
!style="width:20%;"|Question !! Possible answer
|-
|Why aren't my arms growing?||
|-
|Why are there ghosts?||
|-
|Why are there squirrels?||
|-
|Why is sex so important?||
|-
| Why aren't there guns in Harry Potter? || In the {{w|Harry Potter}} universe, Muggle technology (human inventions) are often looked down on by wizards - the majority of half-blooded wizards like Harry won't touch one, let alone a wizard extremist like {{w|Voldemort}}. Not only does any Muggle device more complex than a wristwatch interfere with magical artifacts, but wands are usually more versatile than most guns (a revolver can't shoot lightning or summon items or teleport its user). Finally, while Harry himself may or may not consider using firearms due to his muggle upbringing, ''Harry Potter'' is a children's book (which usually doesn't include guns) set in England (which has stricter gun laws than, say, the United States).
|-
|-
|}
===Section one===
{| class ="wikitable"
|-
!style="width:20%;"|Question !! Possible answer
|-
| Why do whales jump? ||
|-
|Why are witches green? || See {{w|Wizard of Oz}}.
|-
|Why are there mirrors above beds?||
|-
|Why do I say Uh?||See ''[http://www.theregister.co.uk/2006/05/06/the_odd_body_language_fillers/ Why do we say 'um', 'er', or 'ah' when we hesitate in speaking?]''.
|-
| Why is sea salt better? || The question likely refers to the difference between common {{w|Fortified table salt}} and usually more expensive sea salt. While the major part of both of these is sodium chloride (NaCl) the idea behind the claim is the different composition mostly in regards to trace elements of sea salt compared to "normal" salt. Table salt's composition is often influenced by a country's health department and thus addition of trace elements is regulated. While these regulations are based on scientific studies there remain to be debates concerning the additions, such as iodine.
|-
| Why are there trees in the middle of fields? || Many images of fields contain singular trees in the middle of them. While there exist such trees it is likely an artistic choice to give a more pleasing or aesthetically satisfying image compared to just a field. In modern agriculture those would in fact be quite troublesome since they are a hindrance to large machines used and a new tree would be unlikely to grow in a constantly worked field.
|-
| Why is there not a Pokémon MMO? || {{w|Pokémon}} is a popular franchise, spanning game consoles, anime series, a trading card game, and many other things. Among fans, it is a frequent topic of discussion why a Pokémon {{w|massively multiplayer online game}} has not been officially announced by the series' developers {{w|Game Freak}}, as they often [http://www.dorkly.com/comic/52546/be-careful-what-you-wish-for predict] that such a game would be extremely popular, and bring in massive revenue for the company.
|-
|Why is there laughing in TV shows? || Sitcoms were once filmed with an audience, so the actors could respond to their reactions. That's the historical reason why there were laughs in TV shows. The tradition continues, with the difference that now the laughter mostly comes from recorded tapes. See {{w|Laugh track}}.
|-
|Why are there doors on the freeway?||
|-
|Why are there so many svchost.exe running?||See {{w|svchost.exe}}.
|-
| Why aren't there any countries in Antarctica? || {{w|Antarctica}} is the southern most continent and is by large covered in ice and in general pretty cold. While it is a regular target of tourists and researchers it also lacks native human inhabitants. At the moment, the territorial claims concerning Antarctica are mostly handled via the {{w|Antarctic Treaty System}}. In short there are a few countries who claim certain parts of the continent as their own in theory but so far it is considered neutral territory and most maps don't concern themselves with displaying the (in some regards disputed) territorial claims because they do not matter at this point in time. If there are ever any worthwhile resources discovered, this might change.
|-
|Why are there scary sounds in Minecraft?||
|-
|Why is there kicking in my stomach?||See ''[http://www.webmd.com/baby/fetal-movement-feeling-baby-kick Feeling Your Baby Kick]''. Here, ''stomach'' means ''abdomen''.
|-
|Why are there two slashes after http?||See ''[http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-1220286/Sir-Tim-Berners-Lee-admits-forward-slashes-web-address-mistake.html Sir Tim Berners-Lee admits the forward slashes in every web address 'were a mistake']''.
|-
|Why are there celebrities?||
|-
|Why do snakes exist?|| See "Why are there snakes?" below.
|-
|Why do oysters have pearls?||See {{w|Pearl#Creation of a pearl}}.
|-
|Why are ducks called ducks?||See {{w|Duck#Etymology}}.
|-
|Why do they call it the clap?||
|-
|Why are Kyle and Cartman friends?||
|-
|Why is there an arrow on Aang's head?||See {{w|Avatar: The Last Airbender#Characters}}.
|-
|Why are text messages blue?||
|-
|Why are there mustaches on clothes?||
|-
|Why are there mustaches on cars?||
|-
|Why are there mustaches everywhere?||
|-
|Why are there so many birds in Ohio?||
|-
|Why is there so much rain in Ohio?||
|-
|Why is Ohio weather so weird?||See {{w|Lake-effect snow}}.
|-
|}

===Section two===
{| class ="wikitable"
|-
!style="width:20%;"|Question !! Possible answer
|-
| Why are there male and female bikes? || {{w|bicycle|From Wikipedia}}: <blockquote>Historically, women's bicycle frames had a top tube that connected in the middle of the seat tube instead of the top, resulting in a lower {{w|Frame geometry|standover height}} at the expense of compromised structural integrity, since this places a strong bending load in the seat tube, and bicycle frame members are typically weak in bending. This design, referred to as a '''''{{w|step-through frame}}''''' or as an ''open frame'', allows the rider to mount and dismount in a dignified way while wearing a skirt or dress.</blockquote>
|-
|Why are there bridesmaids?||See {{w|Bridesmaid#Origin and history}}.
|-
|Why do dying people reach up?||
|-
|Why aren't there varicose arteries?||
|-
|Why are old Klingons different?||See {{w|Klingon#Redesign}}.
|-
|Why is programming so hard?||
|-
|Why is there a 0 Ohm resistor?||See {{w|Zero-ohm link}}.
|-
| Why do Americans hate soccer? || Soccer, or football in British English, is rather unpopular in the USA compared to most other regions of the world. Finding a particular reason behind the (dis)like for certain sports, apart from cultural spread, is difficult. One possible explanation is soccer's tendency to have far fewer points scored in an average game and a higher likelihood of draws compared to such things as American Football, basketball or baseball, which are far more popular. In how far this is a legitimate argument for regarding soccer as "less interesting" is up to debate.
|-
|Why do rhymes sound good?||
|-
|Why do trees die?||
|-
|Why is there no sound on CNN?||
|-
|Why aren't Pokemon real?||
|-
|Why aren't bullets sharp?||See {{w|Terminal ballistics}}.
|-
|Why do dreams seem so real?||
|-
|}

=== Other questions ===
(Some questions in the transcript are linked to their answers.)
{| class ="wikitable"
|-
!style="width:20%;"|Question !! Possible answer
|-
| Why are there snakes? || The question is rather general and likely based on a widespread dislike for the reptilians. Be it due to their appearance, their spread, or the danger a few snakes pose to humans (often due to being poisonous) many people have a dislike for snakes and would prefer them to not exist (similar to spiders).
In regards to "why do snakes exist on earth?": Because evolution. Snakes fill a gap in the ecosystem as predators and hunt different species, including vermin. Snakes are in that regard similar to many other predatory animals. The question on why snakes developed with their distinct streamlined shape is still debated but {{w|snakes|likely it either provided an advantage when burrowing or swimming}}.
|-
| Why do oysters have pearls? || {{w|Creation of a pearl|From Wikipedia}}: <blockquote>Pearls are formed inside the shell of certain mollusks as a defense mechanism against a potentially threatening irritant such as a parasite inside the shell, or an attack from outside, injuring the mantle tissue. The mollusk creates a pearl sac to seal off the irritation. Pearls are commonly viewed by scientists as a by-product of an adaptive immune system-like function.</blockquote>
|-
| Why are ducks called ducks? || {{W|wikt:duck|According to Wiktionary}}, the noun ''duck'' can be traced back to the {{w|Proto-Germanic language|Proto-Germanic}} word {{w|wikt:Appendix:Proto-Germanic/dūkaną|''dūkaną''}} ("to dive, bend down"), and, in turn, the {{w|Proto-Indo-European language|Proto-Indo-European}} {{w|wikt:Appendix:Proto-Indo-European/dʰewb-|''dʰewb-''}} ("deep, hollow"), which is the origin of the verb ''to duck''. The link between the noun and the verb comes from ducks' tendency to dive under water for short periods of time.
|-
| Why are Kyle and Cartman friends? || The question in all likelihood is addressed towards the TV show {{w|South Park}}. Both are children living in the small titular town in Colorado. Cartman is widely accepted to a be very bad person, one of his many character flaws being his antisemitism. Kyle on the other hand is a Jew. However, both, along with two other kids, Stan and Kenny, are the core focus of the show (or used to be) and to some extent are considered to be friends. While there are episodes which show Cartman being not entirely a horrible person and him holding Kyle in a position of at least a worthy adversary, most of the time the question should be "Why is anyone friends with Cartman?"
|-
| Why is there an arrow on Aang's head? || Aang is the main character of the TV series {{w|Avatar the last Airbender|Avatar - The last Airbender}} and features as part of a large body spanning tattoo an arrow on his head. These tattoos are made to replicate the markings of one of the shows fictional animals, the air bison which are regarded as the original air benders. They are given to human air benders once they attain the status of masters. Because Aang acquired this status very early in life he was already tattooed accordingly.
|-
| Why do dying people reach up? || In many works of fiction dying people are regarded with an outstretched arm, grasping for unseen objects towards the sky. In all likelihood this originates in the idea of heaven as the place where (good) people go after death. People "reach for the light" which is seen when dying according to similar beliefs or possibly for already dead relatives or other associated people waiting for them.
|-
| Why are old Klingons different? || {{w|Klingon Redesign|From Wikipedia}}: <blockquote>For {{w|Star Trek: The Motion Picture}} (1979), the Klingons were retconned and their appearance and behavior radically changed. To give the aliens a more sophisticated and threatening demeanor, the Klingons were depicted with ridged foreheads, snaggled and prominent teeth, and a defined language and alphabet. Lee Cole, a production designer, used red gels and primitive shapes in the design of Klingon consoles and ship interiors, which took on a dark and moody atmosphere. The alphabet was designed as angular, with sharp edges harkening to the Klingon's militaristic focus.[5] Costume designer Robert Fletcher created new uniforms for the Klingons, reminiscent of feudal Japanese armor.</blockquote>
|-
| Why are there 0 Ohm resistors? || A resistor is usually designed to create a certain resistance, measured in {{w|Ohm}} in an electronic device. A 0 Ohm resistor seems pointless as it would only provide the same resistance as a normal cable. However, {{w|Zero-ohm link| Wikipedia gives a sufficient explanation for its uses}}.
|-
| Why is Poseidon angry with Odysseus? || As the Greeks were returning home after the Trojan War, Oddyseus' ship accidentally landed on the island home of the cyclops Polyphemus, who imprisoned the crew and ate many of them. In order to escape, Odysseus blinded the cyclops. Poseidon, Polyphemus' father, was extremely angered by his son being blinded, so he cursed Odysseus' ship to prevent him from reaching his home in {{W|Ithaca}}. The adventures which Odysseus encountered during his quest for reaching Ithaca are the main theme of {{w|Homer|Homer's}} {{w|Odyssey}}.
|-
| Why are there two Spocks? || This is probably a reference to the {{w|Star_Trek_(film)|2009 Star Trek movie}} in which the franchise was given a {{w|Reboot_(fiction)|continuity reboot}}. The modified setting is explained in-universe by time travel, with both the villain Nero and the original-timeline Spock being brought back from the 24th century to the 23rd, creating a timeline in which both older Spock (played by Leonard Nimoy) and the younger Spock (played by Zachary Quinto) coexist.

Another possibility is that the question refers to the episode {{w|Mirror,_Mirror_(Star_Trek:_The_Original_Series)|"Mirror, Mirror"}}, which mostly takes place in an alternate universe populated by ruthless versions of most of the characters (including Spock).
|-
| Why aren't there any foreign military bases in America? || ''Further information: {{w|United States military deployments}}''This is a very interesting question, albeit one likely based on a regional misunderstanding. Presumably, this question is asked by Americans who assume that the existence of {{w|Category:Military facilities of the United States by country|U.S. military bases abroad}} is a general trend among countries, as opposed to being the rarity that it is. In fact, {{w|List of countries with overseas military bases|only a handful of other countries}} have military bases outside of their borders, and the three—{{w|France}}, the {{w|United Kingdom}}, and {{w|Russia}}—that have more than one or two are all countries that, like the United States, {{w|Allies of World War II|were on the winning side of World War II}}, have {{w|List of countries by military expenditures|massive military expenditures}}, and have {{w|United Nations Security Council veto power|UN Security Council vetoes}}. In other words, only the most militarily elite countries have bases overseas. The U.S. is unique, however, in that it has far more overseas bases than any other country (and, pretty much, far more of anything else than any other country, when it comes to the military), and in that {{w|List of United States military bases|it has bases in several other highly-industrialized nations}}, including {{w|List of United States Army installations in South Korea|South Korea}} and the United Kingdom, and, most notably, the World War II {{w|Axis powers}}: {{w|List of United States Army installations in Germany|Germany}}, {{w|United States Forces Japan|Japan}}, and {{w|List of United States Army installations in Italy|Italy}}. (France, Russia, and the U.K.'s bases, on the other hand, are almost all within areas that they previously controlled.)These bases can be controversial in some countries, while in others they are a major source of economic and political stability. The U.S. traditionally justifies their presence as a necessary and crucial element in its efforts to promote peace domestically and worldwide. Despite their major role in {{w|U.S. foreign policy}}, and in the general political structure of the globe, the American public often largely ignores them, and they rarely become a major political issue (apart from an occasional mention by {{w|Libertarian Party (United States)|Libertarian presidential candidates}}).So, essentially, the absence of foreign military bases within the U.S. is primarily because there aren't really any other countries in a position to place bases there. Furthermore, such bases wouldn't do much good, as no battles have been fought within the U.S. since the {{w|U.S. Civil War}} and the U.S. mainland has seen {{w|Mainland invasion of the United States|almost no military action}}. (The {{w|attack on Pearl Harbor}} in 1941 was 18 years before Hawaii became a U.S. state.)There are, however, foreign troops stationed at some continental US military bases. For example RAF (British Royal Air Force) 39 Sqn and 361 Sqn at Creech Air Force Base in Nevada flying Reaper and Predator drones. But this are not foreign military bases, they are just guests.
|-
| Why is there no king in England? || ''Note: For simplicity's sake, "England" here is being read as "United Kingdom." The various name changes, mergers, and splits of kingdoms are complicated.''The basis for this question is that for the past several hundred years, there has almost always been a queen in England, the sole exceptions being when the king has not had a wife. However, there is a distinction between being the queen of England (that is to say, {{w|List of British monarchs|a monarch}}) and being the {{w|queen consort|queen ''consort''}} of England: The former refers to a woman who {{w|Succession to the British throne|succeeded to the throne}} in her own right, becoming sovereign, while the latter refers to the wife of the king. Both roles, though, are commonly referred to as "Queen of England," creating the impression that there is always such a person. The logical question, therefore, is why {{w|Elizabeth II}}'s husband, {{w|Prince Philip|Philip}}, is not considered the king of England. The answer lies in Britain's system of {{w|male-preference cognatic primogeniture}}, which causes the monarch of England to usually be a man, not a woman. As a result of this, British laws were generally built around the presumption that the monarch would be a man (and that said man would be married to a woman, [[223: Valentine's Day|comic 223]] be damned). Since the creation of the modern British throne in 1707, only two women have reigned as queen in their own right; it just so happens that these two women have been two of the most famous and longest-reigning monarchs in world history, {{w|Queen Victoria}} and Queen Elizabeth II. This fact may add to people's enhanced perception of the lack of a British king. Victoria and Elizabeth's respective consorts, {{w|Albert, Prince Consort|Albert}} and Philip, have been styled as princes—Albert as {{w|Prince Consort}} and Philip as "{{w|British prince|Prince of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland}}." Both were explicitly granted their titles by their wives, though Albert was already a prince of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, and Philip had previously been a prince of Denmark and Greece, but had renounced both titles before marrying Elizabeth.The title {{w|king consort}} also exists, but has never been used in the United Kingdom.Notably, should {{w|Prince Charles}} succeed to his mother's throne, it has been announced that his wife, {{w|Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall|Camilla}}, will be styled as {{w|princess consort}}, ''not'' as queen consort, just as she has declined the title {{w|Princess of Wales}}, which is strongly associated with Charles's first wife, {{w|Princess Diana|Diana}}. Assuming that Charles succeeds, this means that Britain will not have anyone referred to as "queen," after decades of not having anyone referred to as "king."
|-
| Why are there female Mr. Mimes? || {{w|Mr. Mime}} is a Pokémon introduced in the first generation of the games, and despite its name, it can be either of a male or female gender. As the Pokémon was introduced before the concept of [http://bulbapedia.bulbagarden.net/wiki/Gender gender in Pokémon games], it is likely that the people in charge of translating its Japanese name (Barrierd) did not take this into account during the process.
|-
| Why are there so many crows in Rochester, MN || From a Minnesota Paper, [http://www.startribune.com/local/138902104.html the Star Tribune], "Laws prevent the city from poisoning the crows". "Duffy [Steve Duffy, a co-owner of U.S. Bird Abatement Services, which has contracted with Rochester to get rid of the crows] isn't sure why Rochester has such a bad crow problem; probably a confluence of many bird-friendly conditions that has also made it a magnet for geese. He's seen worse cases, but called Rochester's situation 'hideous.'" And best of all, "The city has twice this winter hired experts to chase them off. They tried lasers and bullhorns -- hey, get out of here, you crows -- and even employed raptors to pick them off, one by one. That worked, for awhile." (Unfortunately, they mean a {{w|bird of prey}}, not a {{w|velociraptor}}).
|-
| Why are the Avengers fighting the X Men || {{w|Avengers vs. X-Men}} was a 2012 Marvel crossover event that, like many other recent comic book events, had heroes fight other heroes. In this case, the {{w|Avengers (comics)|Avengers}} and the {{w|X-Men}} fought over the {{w|Phoenix Force (comics)|Phoenix Force}}, a godlike power that often possesses {{w|Jean Grey}} or her descendants (in this case, her alternate universe daughter Hope Summers). The Avengers believed the Phoenix Force is too powerful for humanity to control and wanted to contain it, while the X-Men believed the Phoenix was the messiah for mutants and could fix all of the Earth's problems.
|-
| Why is Wolverine not in the Avengers || Wolverine ''has'' been an Avenger, in some circumstances. e.g. in the {{w|The Avengers: Earth's Mightiest Heroes}} cartoon series, the episode ''New Avengers'' had Wolverine (along with Spiderman, War Machine, The Thing and Luke Cage and Iron Fist) substitute while the 'original' Avengers were unavailable to deal with the current crisis (which of course included the fate of the 'proper' Avengers). However, in general his anti-authority personality makes him a difficult team-member to field, and he has frequently disassociated himself even from the X-Men. But, in Avengers vs. X-Men (see above) Wolverine ''sided'' with The Avengers, and more modern treatments have even included the character in about as much a permanent a membership of the group as Logan is ever likely to have.

But if the question is about why Wolverine didn't appear in {{w|The Avengers (2012 film)|''The Avengers''}}, the answer is that ''The Avengers'' is being produced by Marvel/Disney, while Fox still has the rights to the X-Men and all Marvel mutants in general. Unless there is studio agreement, the two properties cannot cross, except through complicated machinations. For example, there are plans to bring Avengers mainstays Quicksilver and The Scarlet Witch to both the ''Avengers'' and ''X-Men'' franchises, but only the Fox films have the right to call them the children of Magneto, and Marvel/Disney cannot even identify them on-screen as "mutants".
|-
| Why is Psychic weak to Bug || In Pokémon, Pokémon of the psychic type (such as Mr. Mime) are weak to three types of attacks: Ghost, Dark, and Bug. The general theory is that Psychic Pokémon, relying heavily on their thoughts for attacks, are weak to fears (which ghosts, darkness, and bugs can be classified as).
|-
|Why are there ants in my laptop? || Ants usually come in your laptop when there are little crumbs of food. It is advised to get screen protectors.
|}

==Transcript==
{{incomplete transcript}}
:(This strip is a rectangular word cloud, titled 'Questions found in Google autocomplete'. Embedded in the cloud are 5 single panels, with illustrated questions. Questions are grouped by section and given in roughly columnar order for the horizontal text, followed by the vertical text. None of the questions have question marks. The comic links to a [http://xkcd.com/1256/large/ large version] of the word cloud.)

:Title: Questions found in Google autocomplete

:The single panels
:[We see Cueball from the torso up, with arms outstretched.]
:Cueball: Why aren't my arms growing
:[Megan stands with a grey ghost on either side of her.]
:Megan: Why are there ghosts
:[Beret Guy stands, looking at a squirrel.]
:Beret Guy: Why are there squirrels
:[Cueball stands.]
:Cueball: Why is sex so important
:[We see Ponytail from the torso up.]
:Ponytail: Why aren't there guns in Harry Potter

:Section one
:Why do whales jump
:Why are witches green
:Why are there mirrors above beds
:Why do I say Uh
:Why is sea salt better
:Why are there trees in the middle of fields
:Why is there not a Pokemon MMO
:Why is there laughing in TV shows
:Why are there doors on the freeway
:Why are there so many svchost.exe running
:Why aren't there any countries in Antarctica
:Why are there scary sounds in Minecraft
:Why is there kicking in my stomach
:Why are there two slashes after http
:Why are there celebrities
:Why do snakes exist
:Why do oysters have pearls
:Why are ducks called ducks
:Why do they call it the clap
:Why are Kyle and Cartman friends
:Why is there an arrow on Aang's head
:Why are text messages blue
:Why are there mustaches on clothes
:Why are there mustaches on cars
:Why are there mustaches everywhere
:Why are there so many birds in Ohio
:Why is there so much rain in Ohio
:Why is Ohio weather so weird

:Section two
:Why are there male and female bikes
:Why are there bridesmaids
:Why do dying people reach up
:Why aren't there varicose arteries
:Why are old Klingons different
:Why is programming so hard
:Why is there a 0 Ohm resistor
:Why do Americans hate soccer
:Why do rhymes sound good
:Why do trees die
:Why is there no sound on CNN
:Why aren't Pokemon real
:Why aren't bullets sharp
:Why do dreams seem so real

:Section three
:{{w|Cremaster_muscle|Why do testicles move}}
:Why are there psychics
:Why are hats so expensive
:[http://supplement-geek.com/caffeine-hair-loss-thicker-fuller-hai/ Why is there caffeine in my shampoo]
:{{w|Mastodynia|Why do your boobs hurt}}

:Section four
:Why aren't economists rich
:[http://www.alsintl.com/blog/soccer-vs-football/ Why do Americans call it soccer]
:{{w|Tinnitus|Why are my ears ringing}}
:Why are there so many Avengers
:Why are the Avengers fighting the X-Men
:Why is Wolverine not in the Avengers

:Section five
:Why are there ants in my laptop
:Why is Earth tilted
:{{w|Olbers' paradox|Why is space black}}
:Why is outer space so cold
:Why are there pyramids on the Moon
:Why is NASA shutting down

:Section six
:Why are there tiny spiders in my house
:[http://www.burkemuseum.org/spidermyth/myths/comein.html Why do spiders come inside]
:Why are there huge spiders in my house
:Why are there lots of spiders in my house
:Why are there spiders in my room
:Why are there so many spiders in my room
:Why do spider bites itch
:Why is dying so scary

:Section seven
:Why is there no GPS in laptops
:[http://www.md-health.com/Knee-Clicking.html Why do knees click]
:[http://www.slate.com/articles/news_and_politics/explainer/2010/08/e_is_for_fail.html Why aren't there E grades]
:Why is isolation bad
:Why do boys like me
:Why don't boys like me
:Why is there always a Java update
:Why are there red dots on my thighs
:Why is lying good

:Section eight
:{{w|The Bible and slavery|Why are there slaves in The Bible}}
:[http://www.abc.net.au/science/articles/2004/11/04/1234875.htm Why do twins have different fingerprints]
:Why are Americans afraid of dragons

:Section nine
:Why are there swarms of gnats
:[http://www.wisegeek.com/what-is-phlegm.htm Why is there phlegm]

:Section ten
:Why are there so many crows in Rochester, MN
:[http://pokemon.wikia.com/wiki/Pok%C3%A9mon_Types Why is Psychic weak to Bug]
:Why do children get cancer
:Why is Poseidon angry with Odysseus
:Why is there ice in space

:Section eleven
:Why is there an owl in my backyard
:Why is there an owl outside my window
:[http://goodreasonblog.blogspot.com/2009/06/is-there-owl-on-american-dollar-bill.html Why is there an owl on the dollar bill]
:Why do owls attack people
:{{w|2008–13 United States ammunition shortage|Why are AK47s so expensive}}

:Section twelve
:Why are there helicopters circling my house
:Why are there gods
:Why are there two Spocks

:Section thirteen
:Why is Mt Vesuvius there
:Why do they say T Minus
:Why are there obelisks
:Why are wrestlers always wet
:Why are oceans becoming more acidic
:Why is Arwen dying
:Why aren't my quail laying eggs
:Why aren't my quail eggs hatching
:Why aren't there any foreign military bases in America

:Section fourteen
:[https://support.google.com/chrome/answer/1342714 Why is https crossed out in red]
:[https://support.google.com/chrome/answer/1342714 Why is there a line through https]
:[https://support.google.com/chrome/answer/1342714 Why is there a red line through https on Facebook]
:[[wikipedia:HTTP_Secure | Why is https important]]

:Section fifteen
:Why are my boobs itchy
:Why are cigarettes legal
:Why are the ducks in my pool
:{{w|Race and appearance of Jesus|Why is Jesus white}}
:Why is there liquid in my ear
:Why do Q Tips feel good
:Why do good people die
:[http://www.nhs.uk/Conditions/Ultrasound-scan/Pages/introduction.aspx Why are ultrasounds important]
:Why are ultrasound machines expensive
:Why is stealing wrong

:Vertical questions
:(The following are vertical.)
:Why is there Hell if God forgives
:Why aren't there dinosaur ghosts
:Why do iguanas die
:[http://gis.stackexchange.com/a/17546 Why is GPS free]
:Why are trees tall
:[http://www.serebiiforums.com/showthread.php?285504-Why-can-Mr-Mime-be-female Why are there female Mr Mimes]
:Why is there lava
:Why is {{w|YKK Group|YKK}} on all zippers
:Why is life so boring
:{{w|Dizziness|Why do I feel dizzy}}
:{{w|Seven-day_week#Origins|Why are there weeks}}
:[http://www.dogsonly.org/stormfear.html Why are dogs afraid of fireworks]
:Why is there no king in England

{{comic discussion}}
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Megan]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Beret Guy]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Ponytail]]
[[Category:Large drawings]]
[[Category:LOTR]]
[[Category:Pokémon]]

319: Engineering Hubris

2014-02-15T18:03:23Z

173.245.54.91: /* Explanation */

{{comic
| number = 319
| date = September 21, 2007
| title = Engineering Hubris
| image = engineering hubris.png
| titletext = Chuck Jones is a vengeful god.
}}

==Explanation==
This comic starts with philosophical musing about {{w|engineering}}. The last panel reveals a joke about {{w|Wile E. Coyote and The Road Runner}}, a cartoon series created by {{w|Chuck Jones}}. In the cartoon, the Coyote is constantly building odd contraptions (with parts ordered from {{w|Acme Corporation}}) to catch the Road Runner. The Coyote never succeeds, often because his devices don't work as intended.

The word {{w|Hubris}} from the comic title means extreme pride or arrogance. It is a theme from the classic Greek plays, and is usually severely punished by the gods. The title text is implying that Chuck Jones would not let hubris go unpunished; the engineer might be able to construct 'better' traps than Wile E, but they would still be doomed to fail.

From the second panel, {{w|Murphy's law}} states "Anything that can go wrong, will go wrong". It was developed as a guideline for accident prevention, and has since evolved to mythic proportions.

==Transcript==
:[Landscape in the background, canyon with a winding road.]
:Maybe engineering is the pursuit of an unattainable perfection.
:Maybe it's impossible to create something bug-free.
:Maybe I'm a fool
:Maybe the tyranny of Murphy is the penalty for hubris.
:But I just can't shake the feeling
:[Cueball standing on boxes labeled "ACME".]
:With all those supplies
:I could have caught that roadrunner.

{{comic discussion}}
[[Category:Comics with color]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Philosophy]]

1247: The Mother of All Suspicious Files

2014-02-14T16:02:37Z

173.245.54.91: /* Explanation */ Fixed the italics at the bottom

{{comic
| number = 1247
| date = August 5, 2013
| title = The Mother of All Suspicious Files
| image = the_mother_of_all_suspicious_files.png
| titletext = Better change the URL to 'https' before downloading.
}}

==Explanation==
The save dialogue shows a download from [http://www.utrace.de/?query=65.222.202.53 65.222.202.53], an IP address that hosted JavaScript malware during a recent attack on the Tor anonymity network, with a very long file title. Many of the extensions used inside there indicate executable code; multiple file extensions are sometimes used to disguise a trojan program as a document.

You also see common download syntax for a pirated movie, {{w|Hackers (film)|Hackers}}, likely included to appear malicious to anyone skimming but is actually a movie about hackers, making it a benign reference rather than malicious. It is described as "_BLURAY_CAM", which contradicts itself ("_BLURAY" would mean it was ripped from a copy on Blu-Ray Disc, while "_CAM" would mean it was copied by pointing a camera at the screen in the cinema). "_BLURAY_CAM" would probably indicate a search-keyword-stuffed fake copy; fake pirated media often contain viruses (although this is more likely to be a problem with newer media, before the first real pirated copy appears).

The {{w|URL}} contains the path "~tilde/pub/cia-bin/etc". The first part is a public folder of a user named tilde (which is also the name for the ~ symbol), "cgi-bin" is a common folder on a Web-Server for server side executables ([[Randall]] jokes with the name), and "etc" is a standard folder for configuration files – normally never accessible through a webserver. The program "init.dll" isn't executable at all, it's a {{w|Windows Dynamic Link Library}} which can't be run standalone, and is rarely referenced in URLs (even though such syntax is still being employed, even on [https://www.google.com/search?q=site:edu+filetype:dll reputable websites (Google search)] or here at [https://signin.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll eBay], indicating the webserver is a Microsoft {{w|Active Server Pages|ASP}} server). The question mark indicates the start of a parameter list, and in this case we have only one named "FILE".

The "Save" button is disabled; you can only click the "Cancel" button. This can be different when the server detects that you are using a secure (https) connection.

The complete content sent to the server, starting with "/~TILDE..." and ending with "...OUT.EXE", is exactly 256 characters long. On {{w|HTML 3}} specifications you have a limitation of 1024 characters, whereas later HTML specifications don't have this limit; it just depends on the web server's capabilities. But posting parameters directly at the URL is still a worse choice.

The content of the parameter is shown here:
* __ (underscore underscore) - used in the C programming language to denote that a symbol is really not for public consumption
* {{w|AUTOEXEC.BAT}} - a file which is automatically run during startup on Windows/DOS operating systems, and was often modified by viruses, which added malicious code to be run on each boot.
* MY%20OSX%20DOCUMENTS - referencing the {{w|OSX}} operating system ({{w|URL_encoding#Character_data|%20}} is a representation of a space in a URL, i.e. it reads as "MY OSX DOCUMENTS").
* INSTALL.EXE - a typical {{w|Installer#Installer|installer}}
* {{w|RAR}} - a compressed archive file type
* {{w|INI_file|INI}} - a configuration file type
* {{w|Tar_(computing)|TAR}} - a file archive popular in UNIX and UNIX-like operating systems. TAR has been mentioned [[1168:_tar|before]].
* DOÇX - {{w|docx}} is an Office Open XML file, i.e. a word processing format used by Microsoft Word 2007 and above, but has no cedilla (¸). The addition of a cedilla may be a reference to exploits that rely on rare characters being mistaken for more common ones that look similar, such as the {{w|IDN homograph attack}}.
* PHPHPHP - a play on {{w|PHP}} files, a kind of server-based web page file type. PHP originally stood for "Personal Home Page" but was later redefined as the recursive abbreviation "PHP: Hypertext Preprocessor".
* {{w|XHTML}} - another web page file type
* {{w|TransducerML|TML}} - stands for Transducer Markup Language, an XML based markup language that specifies how to capture, time-tag and describe sensor data
* XTL - possibly a play on XHTML
* TXXT - a play on {{w|Text_file|TXT}} file types
* 0DAY.HACK - a reference to a {{w|zero-day exploit}} (overlaps with the next entry)
* HACK.ERS_(1995)_BLURAY_CAM-XVID - a reference to the 1995 {{W|Hackers (film)|''Hackers''}} movie, but pirated movies would either be a BlurayRIP/DVDRIP or CAM, but not both at the same time unless you used a camera to record the Blu-ray movie as it played.
* {{w|EXE}} - an executable file type used by Microsoft Windows
* [SCR] - a tag used by movie pirates to denote a '{{w|Screener}}', the DVD copy of films given to critics prior to theater release. Usually the highest quality available at the time, rare, and thus good bait for a virus-laden download. "{{w|.scr}}" is also the extension for screensaver files, really just an exe file with a different extension and one of the classical ways to distribute infected files.
* {{w|Lisp (programming language)|LISP}} - programming language
* {{w|Windows_Installer|MSI}} - an installation file used by Microsoft Installer
* {{w|.lnk|LNK}} - an extension used by Microsoft Windows for shortcuts. The extension is normally hidden to the user.
* LNK, ZDA, GNN - references to {{w|Link_(The_Legend_of_Zelda)|Link}}, {{w|Princess_Zelda|Zelda}}, and {{w|Ganon|Ganon}}, important characters from ''{{w|The_Legend_of_Zelda|The Legend of Zelda}}'' video game franchise
* {{w|White_Rabbit#Television_and_films|WRBT.OBJ}} - A reference to the line of code Dennis Nedry used in {{w|Jurassic Park (film)|Jurassic Park}} to shut down key systems
* {{w|Object_file|O}} - The extension for a linker file, an intermediary created when compiling C code.
* {{w|Header_file|H}} - The file extension of a header file in C code.
* {{w|SWF}} - Shockwave Flash file type
* {{w|Dpkg|DPKG}} - The Debian package management, although the package files use the file suffix ''.deb''
* APP - an application on Mac OS X operating system
* {{w|ZIP_%28file_format%29|ZIP}} - compressed archive file type
* CO - the {{w|List_of_Internet_top-level_domains|top-level domain (TLD)}} for Colombia, but marketed as a global domain. Some countries use .co.''TLD'' for general use, e.g. ''.co.uk'' in the United Kingdom. But the TLD ''.gz'' does not exist and thus ''.co.gz'' is invalid.
* {{w|Gzip|GZ}} - a compressed file using GNU zip
* {{w|A.out|A.OUT}} - Default filename when creating an executable on Linux or other UNIX-like operating systems if none was specified for the compiler.

The title text suggests changing from ''http'' to ''https'', as if encrypting a suspicious file before downloading it is somehow better than downloading it unencrypted. http (Hyper Text Transfer Protocol) and https (Hyper Text Transfer Protocol - Secure) are the two common protocols for getting web pages and web downloads. http is the simple download, whereas https adds an SSL encryption layer so the item being downloaded cannot be viewed unencrypted by anyone except the end recipient. Changing ''http'' to ''https'' is a common suggestion to improve security when browsing the web from an insecure network (such as a public WiFi hotspot) to avoid surveillance or hijacking to a malicious website; Google automatically switches to https for all mail accounts and is starting to do so with searches. The end recipient will still get whatever nasties were in the original, however - encrypting it doesn't change the content at all.

The IP address referenced in the comic, 65.222.202.53, is currently being used by the shellcode of a JavaScript 0-day exploit for the Tor Browser Bundle being run by the FBI to phone home over the clearnet [http://thehackernews.com/2013/08/Firefox-Exploit-Tor-Network-child-pornography-Freedom-Hosting.html] and de-anonymize visitors to websites on Freedom Hosting that are serving child pornography. [http://www.reddit.com/r/onions/comments/1jmrta/founder_of_the_freedom_hosting_arrested_held/]

The title of this comic, "The Mother of All Suspicious Files", is a reference to [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JfIgzSoTMOs The Mother of All Demos] from {{w|Douglas Engelbart}}.

==Transcript==
:[Browser download warning box containing the following text]
:WARNING!
:This type of file can harm your computer! Are you sure you want to download:
:<nowiki>http://65.222.202.53/~TILDE/PUB/CIA-BIN/ETC/INIT.DLL?FILE=__AUTOEXEC.BAT.MY%20OSX%20DOCUMENTS-INSTALL.EXE.RAR.INI.TAR.DOÇX.PHPHPHP.XHTML.TML.XTL.TXXT.0DAY.HACK.ERS_(1995)_BLURAY_CAM-XVID.EXE.TAR.[SCR].LISP.MSI.LNK.ZDA.GNN.WRBT.OBJ.O.H.SWF.DPKG.APP.ZIP.TAR.TAR.CO.GZ.A.OUT.EXE</nowiki>
:[Cancel and Save buttons]

{{comic discussion}}
[[Category:Comics with color]]
[[Category:Computers]]

1246: Pale Blue Dot

2014-02-14T15:58:44Z

173.245.54.91:

{{comic
| number = 1246
| date = August 2, 2013
| title = Pale Blue Dot
| image = pale_blue_dot.png
| titletext = Our planet is a lonely speck in the great enveloping cosmic dark. In our obscurity, in all this vastness, there is no hint that help will come from elsewhere to save us from ourselves. There is no road out of this oblivion; we must embrace it. We must join with the darkness. Ba'al the Annihilator offers us no happiness, no answers, naught but the cold embrace of the void. To imagine any other end is delusion. We must give in to the will of Ba'al, for he will one day consume us and our world alike. I therefore call on Congress to fully fund space exploration, and to join with Ba'al, the Eater of Souls. Thank you.
}}
==Explanation==
{{incomplete|The last two sentences of the title text need an explain.}}
The {{w|Pale Blue Dot}} is a picture of the Earth taken in 1990 by the {{w|Voyager 1}} spacecraft at a distance about 6 billion kilometers (3.7 billion miles). It was part of the {{w|Family Portrait (Voyager)|Family Portrait}}, a series of images of the entire {{w|Solar System}} from beyond it.

The picture was taken at the request of {{w|Carl Sagan}}, a well known space scientist at that time. In 1994 Sagan wrote the book "{{w|Pale Blue Dot: A Vision of the Human Future in Space}}" inspired by this picture. In the book, Sagan waxed eloquent about the picture in a widely-quoted passage. The complete passage can be found illustrated in this [http://zenpencils.com/comic/100-carl-sagan-pale-blue-dot/ Zen Pencils comic].

[[Cueball]] quotes from a condensed version of this passage until he is interrupted by an argument over ''which'' speck in the picture is actually the Earth. When Cueball cries out in exasperation that it doesn't matter, then the entire authenticity of the image is called into question. This pokes fun at the fact that the Pale Blue Dot picture has very little visual attractiveness, apart from the intellectual interest relying on the viewer's knowledge that the central speck is actually our home planet seen from a great distance.

The first two sentences of the title text are also a quotation from Sagan's paean to the Pale Blue Dot picture, but then the text veers humorously into non-scientific mysticism that starkly contrasts with the attitude and intent of the original work.

The title text evokes {{w|Cosmicism}}, a philosophy developed and exemplified by the fictional {{w|Cthulhu_mythos|Cthulhu Mythos}}. This Mythos is expounded in fantasy/horror works of H.P. Lovecraft and, later, August Derleth, and features a cosmology in which humanity is depicted as inconsequential within a greater existence that is unknowable and frightening. Cosmicism asserts that humanity is doomed to destruction through the workings of vastly more powerful supernatural forces beyond our understanding. There are many instances in the fiction of H.P. Lovecraft of factions that embrace the destruction of humanity and actively work towards bringing about that end through the invocation of the unknowable and powerful forces that supporters of Cosmicism believe surround everything.

The text also references {{w|Ba'al}}, originally a Semitic deity that has been since associated with demonic or otherwise evil forces. The name Ba'al, and other variants of the same, has been included in many other fictional works often as a villain or antagonist. For example, the fictional System Lord {{w|Ba'al (Stargate)#Ba.27al|Ba'al}} from the television show {{w|Stargate}}. The title text supplants all of the supernatural forces associated with Cosmicism in the works of other authors with Ba'al. The speaker in the title text is acting as a Cosmicist and is calling on the congress to which he is speaking to fund the space exploration program as a means to join with Ba'al, the Eater of souls.

==Transcript==
:[Cueball stands on a podium, the Pale Blue Dot picture is behind him]
:Cueball: Consider this Pale Blue Dot. That's here. That's home. That's us. Everyone you love, every human being who ever was, every saint and sinner in the history of our species lived out their lives on this mote of dust suspended in a sunbeam. All our -
:[Heckling]: I think that's a stuck pixel. We're the speck on the left.
:Cueball: ...Ok, '''''this''''' Pale Blue Dot is everything you -
:[Heckling]: No, you were right before. ''That'' one is earth.
:Cueball: '''''Look, it doesn't matter!'''''
:[Heckling]: I ''knew'' it!
:[Heckling]: I think this is just a lens cap picture.

==Trivia==
*At the time when this comic was published NASA did reveal two other pictures, showing our home planet from a long distance, [http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/cassini/whycassini/cassini20130722.html Saturn] and [http://messenger.jhuapl.edu/gallery/sciencePhotos/image.php?image_id=1228 Mercury] probes did picture the Earth at the same time. Earth appears as a tiny dot in these images as well as a result of the vast distance between Earth and the probes.

{{comic discussion}}
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Philosophy]]
[[Category:Science]]
[[Category:Astronomy]]

1243: Snare

2014-02-14T15:43:23Z

173.245.54.91: I think the "last major edit" is good, and therefore the incomplete tag is no longer necessary. Ergo, tag is removed. Anonymous.

{{comic
| number = 1243
| date = July 26, 2013
| title = Snare
| image = snare.png
| titletext = It's going in A collection of satellites skewered with pins and mounted in display boxes. Not necessarily MY collection.
}}

==Explanation==
Cueball is relating some odd news items to Black Hat. A structure has been discovered that consists of large ring strung with superstrong mesh, a 260-mile long pole, and a gigantic winch.

Cueball realizes that the pole, ring and net combination sounds like a {{w|Butterfly_net|butterfly net}}, but one of immense size. Given his history of nefarious activities, Cueball infers and then accuses Black Hat of wanting to 'catch' the {{w|International Space Station}}, which orbits about 260 miles above the earth.

Black Hat does not deny the charge, but he dissimulates by saying it is not *the* ISS that he intends to catch but just *an* international space station, implying that it could be some other one. However, it is transparently obvious which space station he is targeting. Hint: it is the only truly international space station, it is actually called the International Space Station, and it has an orbit that matches the length of the pole that was found.

The giant ring from the first panel may be an allusion to the {{w|Tevatron}}, a former circular particle accelerator at the {{w|Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory}} (Fermilab), east of Batavia, near Chicago, Illinois.

Similarly, the gigantic winch in St. Louis, may refer to the 630-foot high {{w|Gateway Arch|Gateway Arch Monument}}. It is the tallest man-made monument in the United States. Even the rough south-north direction of this building does match to this scenario because the Fermilab is approx. 260 miles north of St. Louis. However, it is an arch, not a winch.

The title text is a reference to how butterfly collections are usually presented. The insects are mounted in glass display cases, each skewered through the body with a pin, and labelled. The text appears to be spoken by Black Hat, who here tries to imply that it may not be *his* collection of satellites. Perhaps he is minding it for a friend.

Basically, Black Hat is planning to rip an expensive satellite out of the sky and is being curiously nonchalant and transparently fake-innocent about it.

==Transcript==
:[Cueball is talking to Black Hat. Black Hat is using a laptop.]
:Cueball: They said on the news that they found a giant ring lying in a field outside Chicago. Strung with some kind of superstrong mesh.
:Black Hat: Mhm?
:Cueball: Then they found a 260 mile long shaft connected to the ring, running from Chicago to St. Louis. In St. Louis they found a gigantic winch.
:Black Hat: Did they.
:Cueball: It sounds kind of like...
:Cueball: ...a butterfly net.
:Cueball: ...are you planning on catching the International Space Station?
:Black Hat: I'm planning to catch ''an'' international space station. Not sayin' which.

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

Talk:1047: Approximations

2014-02-14T03:10:08Z

173.245.54.91:

They're actually quite accurate. I've used these in calculations, and they seem to give close enough answers. '''[[User:Davidy22|Davidy22]]'''[[User talk:Davidy22|<tt>[talk]</tt>]] 14:03, 8 January 2013 (UTC)

I only see a use for the liters in a gallon one. The rest are for trolling or simple amusement. The cosine identity bit our math team in the butt at a competition. It was painful. --[[User:Quicksilver|Quicksilver]] ([[User talk:Quicksilver|talk]]) 05:27, 17 August 2013 (UTC)

Annoyingly this explanation does not cover 42 properly, it does not say that Douglas Adams got the number 42 from Lewis Carroll, who is more relevant to the page because he was a mathematician named Charles Lutwidge Dodgson. He was obsessed with the number forty-two. The original plate illustrations of Alice in Wonderland drawn by him numbered forty-two. Rule Forty-Two in Alice in Wonderland is "All persons more than a mile high to leave the court", There is also a Code of Honour in the preface of The Hunting of the Snark, an extremely long poem written by him when he was 42 years old, in which rule forty-two is "No one shall speak to the Man at the Helm". The queens in Alice Through the Looking Glass the White Queen announces her age as "one hundred and one, five months and a day", which - if the best possible date is assumed for the action of Through the Looking-Glass - gives a total of 37,044 days. With the further (textually unconfirmed) assumption that both Queens were born on the same day their combined age becomes 74,088 days, which is 42 x 42 x 42. --[[Special:Contributions/139.216.242.254|139.216.242.254]] 02:43, 29 August 2013 (UTC)

:: This explanation covers 42 adequately, and would probably be made slightly worse if such information were added. The very widely known cultural reference is to Adams's interpretation, not Dodgson's original obsession. Adding it would be akin to introducing the MPLM into the explanation for the hijacking of Renaissance artists' names by the TMNT. I definitely concede that it does not cover 42 exhaustively, but I think it can be considered complete and in working order without such an addition. If it really irks you, be bold and add it! --[[User:Quicksilver|Quicksilver]] ([[User talk:Quicksilver|talk]]) 00:37, 30 August 2013 (UTC)

"sqrt(2) is not even algebraic in the quotient field of Z[pi]" is not correct. Q is part of the quotient field of Z[pi] and sqrt(2) is algebraic of it. The needed facts are that pi is not algebraic, but the formula implies it is in Q(sqrt(2)). --DrMath 06:47, 7 September 2013 (UTC)

13/15 is a better approximation to sqrt(3)/2 than is e/pi. Continued fraction approximations are great! --DrMath 07:23, 7 September 2013 (UTC)

How could he forget 1 gallon ≈ 0.1337 ft³?! [[Special:Contributions/67.188.195.182|67.188.195.182]] 00:51, 8 September 2013 (UTC)

Worth mentioning that Wolfram Alpha now officially recognizes the [http://www.wolframalpha.com/input/?i=e%5E-%28%281%2B8%5E%281%2F%28e-1%29%29%29%5E%281%2Fpi%29%29 White House switchboard constant] and the [http://www.wolframalpha.com/input/?i=%287%5E%28e-1%2Fe%29-9%29*pi%5E2 Jenny constant]. [[Special:Contributions/86.164.243.91|86.164.243.91]] 18:28, 8 October 2013 (UTC)

Maybe we should add the [Extension:LaTeXSVG LaTeX extension] to make it easier to transcribe these equations. -- [[Special:Contributions/108.162.219.220|108.162.219.220]] 23:02, 16 December 2013 (UTC)

;Protip - Does anyone see the correct equation?
Maybe this is just an other Wolfram Alpha error, like we recently have had here: [[1292: Pi vs. Tau]]. All equations still look invalid to me.
*''√2 = 3/5 + π/(7-π)'': is impossible because √2 is an irrational number and no equation can match.
*''cos(π/7) + cos(3π/7) + cos(5π/7) = 1/2'': could only match if ''cos(x) + cos(3x) + cos(5x) = 1/2'' would be valid, because ''π/7'' is also an irrational number.
*''γ = e/34 + e/5 or γ = e/54 + e/5'': would mean that a sum of two irrational numbers do fit to the Gamma Constant. Impossible.
*''√5 = 13 + 4π / 24 - 4π'': √5 and π are irrational numbers, there is no way to match them in any equation like this.
*''Σ 1/nn = ln(3)e'': doesn't make any sense either.
Maybe [[:Category:Comics featuring Miss Lenhart|Miss Lenhart]] can help.
--[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 21:41, 17 December 2013 (UTC)

cos(π/7) + cos(3π/7) + cos(5π/7) = 1/2 is exactly correct.

Let a=π/7, b=3π/7, and c=5π/7, then
(cosa+cosb+cosc)⋅2sina=2cosasina+2cosbsina+2coscsina=sin2a+sin(b+a)−sin(b−a)+sin(c+a)−sin(c−a)=sin(2π/7)+sin(4π/7)−sin(2π/7)+sin(6π/7)−sin(4π/7)=sin(6π/7)=sin(π/7)=sina

Hence, cos(π/7) + cos(3π/7) + cos(5π/7) = sin(π/7) / 2sin(π/7) = 1/2
[[Special:Contributions/108.162.216.74|108.162.216.74]] 01:57, 16 January 2014 (UTC)

:What is this: sin(6π/7)=sin(π/7) ? A new math is born... --[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 20:49, 16 January 2014 (UTC)

::Actually it does. My proof is geometric: the sines of two supplementary angles (angle a + angle b = π (in radians)) are equivalent because they necessarily have the same x height in a Cartesian plane. Look on a unit circle, or even a sine function. Also, Calculus and most other mathematics use radians over degrees because they make the functions simpler and eliminate irrationality when a trig function shows up, but physics uses degrees because it's easier to understand and taught first. Anonymous 01:27, 13 February 2014 (UTC)
::As an aside, just how far along in math are you? Radian measure is taught in high school (at least the good ones). Anonymous 13:24, 13 February 2014 (UTC)
:::Sure, I was wrong at my last statement. sin(6π/7)=sin(π/7) is correct by using the radian measure. But just change π/7 to π/77 would give a very different result on that formular here. I still can't figure out why PI divided by the number 7 should be that unique, PI divided by 77 should be the same. My fault is: I still can't find the Nerd Sniping here. And we all do know that Randall did use wrong WolframAlpha results here. According to the last question: I'm very well on Math, that's because I want to understand this. This is like 0.999=1. --[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 22:01, 13 February 2014 (UTC)
::::Ah, I see. I think it has to do with the way e^i*π breaks down, as one of the answers shown in the corresponding link explains, but other answers rely on various angle identities (including the supplementary sines one in the proof above). Anonymous 03:10, 14 February 2014 (UTC) (PS, have you checked [[545]] lately? I answered your question there, too)

;So, still incomplete?

Where's our (in)complete judge? [[Special:Contributions/199.27.128.186|199.27.128.186]] 19:21, 18 December 2013 (UTC)
:The protip is still a mystery. I'm calling for help a few lines above. --[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 21:16, 18 December 2013 (UTC)

Talk:521: 2008 Christmas Special

2014-02-13T20:14:44Z

173.245.54.91:

Santa actually really is Muslim. Saint Nicholas was from Turkey, although his remains have been somewhere in Italy for the past millennium.{{unsigned ip|121.222.232.156}}
: Yeah, right. Living in what was later to be Turkey makes him a muslim. Islam was not even invented yet. [[User:Undee|Undee]] ([[User talk:Undee|talk]]) 11:44, 5 November 2013 (UTC)
Of course you have to explain how St Nick who died in 343 CE could have been following a religion whose founder was born in 570 CE. But you knew that. I also think we can do somewhat better than "somewhere in Italy". His tomb is at Basilica di San Nicola in Bari, Italy. {{unsigned ip|108.162.237.11}}

I always thought Black Hat was talking to Danish. The hair's longer and it makes a modicum more sense that way (at least to me) Anonymous 03:34, 4 December 2013 (UTC) {{unsigned ip|173.245.54.91}}
:I see what you are saying (although I couldn't comment on whether the hair is longer) but the question sounds like something Megan would ask. Danish would have built the laser chainsaw. [[Special:Contributions/108.162.219.223|108.162.219.223]] 19:20, 10 January 2014 (UTC)
::True... Anonymous 20:14, 13 February 2014 (UTC)

Talk:878: Model Rail

2014-02-13T17:32:00Z

173.245.54.91:

It IS possible to go smaller than one atom, but it tends to make a really bright flash and loud noise. The original atomic bomb was the second guy's reading of a train modeler's notes, miraculously preserved in a refrigerator. --[[Special:Contributions/68.200.188.141|68.200.188.141]] 03:37, 29 January 2013 (UTC)

Corrected HO to H0 --[[Special:Contributions/70.169.90.254|70.169.90.254]] 22:25, 10 April 2013 (UTC)

I hate it when my model train layout gets crushed by a cold virus. [[Special:Contributions/199.27.128.150|199.27.128.150]] 23:38, 28 December 2013 (UTC)
You mean your model model model model
model train layout.. [[Special:Contributions/141.101.99.195|141.101.99.195]] 20:39, 20 January 2014 (UTC)

3.5mm per foot? What kind of half-assed system is that?? It's an embarrassment. [[Special:Contributions/108.162.219.58|108.162.219.58]] 21:13, 5 February 2014 (UTC)

The "this discussion" link doesn't lead to the discussion in question. Please fix? Anonymous 17:32, 13 February 2014 (UTC)

872: Fairy Tales

2014-02-13T17:18:02Z

173.245.54.91: /* Explanation */

{{comic
| number = 872
| date = March 14, 2011
| title = Fairy Tales
| image = fairy tales.png
| titletext = Goldilocks' discovery of Newton's method for approximation required surprisingly few changes.
}}

==Explanation==
{{w|Eigenvalues and eigenvectors|Eigenvectors}} are a mathematical concepts that can be applied to a {{w|Matrix (mathematics)|matrix}}. A matrix is mostly displayed as an rectangular array of elements used to describe the state of objects in physics. In pure mathematics they can be much more complex. The most important issue to the understanding of the comic is that a matrix can be transformed through various processes. These transformations can include rotation, movement and scaling of the object described by the matrix. An eigenvector refers to elements of the vector space of the matrix which remain unchanged (except possibly being scaled to be longer or shorter) after the transformation is applied. The prefix 'eigen-' applied to the term is adopted from the German word ''eigen'' for "self-" or "unique to", "peculiar to", or "belonging to." As the eigenvector remains unchanged through the transformation of the matrix it can be used to describe something unique about that matrix.

The concept of an eigenvector has nothing to do with the fairy tale {{w|Cinderella}}, therefore [[Megan]] confuses [[Cueball]] when she asks whether it occurred in the story of Cinderella.

The story of Cinderella includes Cinderella going to a ball in disguise, dancing with a prince and then leaving early and quickly, so that she accidentally leaves a glass slipper behind. The prince then uses the shoe to find Cinderella. Megan says that the way she learned it, the prince used an eigenvector and corresponding eigenvalue to match the shoe to its owner. This is a somewhat logical mathematical connection to make as eigenvectors, unchanged properties of mathematical matrices that may allow for mathematical identification of the changed matrix, correspond to the unchangeable property of the shoe (size) that allowed the prince to correctly identify the owner of the shoe even after the shoe was misplaced.

Megan explains that her mother would talk about her work, math, while she fell asleep in the midst of reading bed time stories. The middle panel refers to the story of {{w|The Ant and the Grasshopper}} with the addition of what is likely a reference to the {{w|Poincaré conjecture}}, a (now-misnamed) theorem in mathematics. Megan also mentions two other story changes. Inductive White and the (''n''−1) Dwarves is a combination of Snow White and the Seven Dwarves with the {{w|Mathematical induction|principle of induction}}, and The lim''x''→∞(''x'') Little Pigs combines the {{w|Three Little Pigs}} with {{w|Limit (mathematics)|mathematical limits}}. It "got weird toward the end" because the number of pigs tends to infinity as the story progresses. Each of the stories has a varied degree of similarity to the mathematical concepts that were mixed in as though the professor began to talk about a mathematical principle that may have been brought to mind while reading the story or already on her mind.

In the title text, {{w|Newton's method}} for approximation is a method for finding successively better approximations to the zeroes (or roots) of a real-valued function. In {{w|The Story of the Three Bears|Goldilocks}}, the protagonist finds successively better porridge and comfier chairs in a house where three bears lived. In the same way, in the Mom's version of the fairy tale, she would find successively better approximations to zeroes instead of successively better bowls of porridge.

==Transcript==
:[Megan sits in an armchair, reading a book.]
:Megan: Are there eigenvectors in ''Cinderella''?
:Cueball: ...no?
:Megan: The prince didn't use them to match the shoe to its owner?
:Cueball: What are you ''talking'' about?
:Megan: Dammit.
:[Megan is in bed, mom is sitting on the edge of the bed reading.]
:My mom is one of those people who falls asleep while reading, but keeps talking. She's a math professor, so she'd start rambling about her work.
:Mom:But while the ant gathered food ...
:Mom:...zzzz...
:Mom:...the grasshopper contracted to a point on a manifold that was ''not'' a 3-sphere...
:I'm still not sure which versions are real.
:Cueball: You didn't notice the drastic subject changes?
:Megan: Well, sometimes her versions were better. We loved ''Inductive White and the (n−1) Dwarfs''.
:Megan: I guess ''The limx→∞(x) Little Pigs'' did get a bit weird toward the end...

{{comic discussion}}
[[Category:Comics featuring Megan]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Math]]
[[Category:Romance]]

866: Compass and Straightedge

2014-02-13T16:38:34Z

173.245.54.91: /* Trivia */

{{comic
| number = 866
| date = February 28, 2011
| title = Compass and Straightedge
| image = compass and straightedge.png
| titletext = The Greeks long suspected this, but it wasn't until April 12th of 1882 that Ferdinand von Lindemann conclusively proved it when he constructed himself the most awesome birthday party possible and nobody showed up.
}}

==Explanation==
{{w|Compass and straightedge constructions}} are a class of problems in classical geometry. They take the form "Using only a compass and a straightedge, construct X", where X is a geometric figure such as a regular pentagon. The subject is typically covered in high school mathematics. Three such constructions ({{w|squaring the circle}}, {{w|trisecting the angle}} and {{w|doubling the cube}}, in case you were wondering - but see the trivia section) remained unsolved for thousands of years before being shown impossible with the use of modern algebraic techniques.

The comic begins as if it were stating a problem in classical geometry but veers into an observation that no amount of technical knowledge can substitute for human companionship. An additional layer of humor is that [[Cueball]] is a stick figure so technically it is possible to create friends with a straightedge and a compass.

{{w|Ferdinand von Lindemann}} was a German mathematician who showed in 1882 that pi is not a zero of any polynomial with rational coefficients, i.e. it is a transcendental number. Transcendental numbers cannot be constructed with straightedge and compass. This proves that {{w|squaring the circle}} (a problem where it is required to construct a square with the same area as a given circle) is impossible, being as the sides of the square would need to be √π times the radius of the circle, and pi is not constructible.

==Transcript==
:I learned in high school what geometers discovered long ago:
:[Cueball, holding a compass and straightedge, looks sad.]
:Using only a compass and straightedge, it's impossible to construct friends.

==Trivia==
Of the three non-constructibles, only squaring the circle is considered truly impossible, even by nonmathematicians. Why? Because if you bend the rules a bit (by marking your straight edge twice) you can trisect an angle or double a cube. Similar fudges are used in non-Euclidean constructions (like {{w|origami construction}}) to solve all but squaring the circle, which, as von Lindemann proved, is impossible because of the transcendental nature of π. That did not stop {{w|Edwin J. Goodwin}} from proposing the {{w|Indiana Pi Bill}}, however. Be glad it didn't pass.

{{comic discussion}}
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Math]]

1047: Approximations

2014-02-13T16:00:51Z

173.245.54.91: Considering that the answer to Dgbrt's question seems to have been answered, I don't think it is incomplete. If I am wrong, please mention in the discussion. Anonymous.

{{comic
| number = 1047
| date = April 25, 2012
| title = Approximations
| image = approximations.png
| titletext = Two tips: 1) 8675309 is not just prime, it's a twin prime, and 2) if you ever find yourself raising log(anything)^e or taking the pi-th root of anything, set down the marker and back away from the whiteboard; something has gone horribly wrong.
}}

==Explanation==
This comic lists some approximations for numbers, most of them mathematical and physical constants. All of them work astonishingly well. There are reoccurring math jokes along the lines of, “3/5 + π/(7 – π) – √2 = 0, but your calculator is probably not good enough to compute this correctly”, which are mainly used to troll geeks.

Furthermore, there are some useful approximations (which were even more useful in times before calculators) such as “pi is approximately equal to 22/7”.

[[Randall]] makes fun of both of these, using rather strange approximations (honestly: you may handle 22/7, but who can calculate in a sensible way with 99^8, let alone 30^(pi^e)?) to calculate some constants that are easy enough to handle in the decimal system, and stating such “slightly wrong” trick equations, one of which ''is'' actually correct (which may astonish only those who are not familiar with cosines).

There are a few cultural references in this comic:

* 998 and 698 are sexual references.
* “Rent Method” refers to the song “Seasons of Love” from the musical “{{w|Rent (musical)|Rent}}.” The song asks, “How do you measure a year?” One line says “525,600 minutes” while most of the rest of the song suggests the best way to measure a year is moments shared with a loved one.
* (202) 456-1414 is the phone number for the White House switchboard. Truncated, Randall's formula yields 0.2024561414.
* Jenny's constant comes from Tommy Tutone's tune {{w|867-5309/Jenny}}. Randall's formula gives approximately 867.530901981685.
* {{w|42 (number)|42}} is, according to Douglas Adams' ''The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy'', the Answer to Life, the Universe, and Everything.

And here are some of the mathematical and physical ones, with Wikipedia links.

* Informally, the {{w|Planck constant}} is the smallest action possible in quantum mechanics.
* The {{w|fine structure constant}} indicates the strength of electromagnetism. It is unitless and around 0.007297, close to 1/137. At one point it was believed to be exactly the reciprocal of 137, and many people have tried to find a simple formula explaining this (with a pinch of {{w|numerology}} thrown in at times), including the infamous {{w|Arthur Eddington|Sir Arthur Adding-One}}.
* In {{w|mathematics}}, the {{w|Euler-Mascheroni constant}} (Euler gamma constant) is a mysterious number describing the relationship between the {{w|Harmonic series (mathematics)|harmonic series}} and the {{w|natural logarithm}}.
* The {{w|gravitational constant}} relates to, uh, gravity.
* The {{w|gas constant}} relates energy to temperature in physics, as well as a gas's volume, pressure, temperature and {{w|mole (unit)|molar amount}} (hence the name).
* ϕ is the {{w|golden ratio}}, or (1 + √5)/2. It has many interesting geometrical properties.
* The ruby laser wavelength varies because “ruby” is not clearly defined.
* The {{w|Earth radios#mean radii|mean earth radius}} varies because there is not one single way to make a sphere out of the earth. Randall's value lies within the actual variation of Earth's radius.

The correct equation in the "Pro tip - Not all of these are wrong" section is cos(pi/7) + cos(3pi/7) + cos(5pi/7) = 1/2 as [http://math.stackexchange.com/questions/140388/how-can-one-prove-cos-pi-7-cos3-pi-7-cos5-pi-7-1-2 shown here]. (If you're still confused, the functions use {{w|radians}}, not {{w|degrees (angle)|degrees}})

The number 8675309 at the title text refers to the song 867-5309/Jenny as mentioned above, causing a fad of people dialing this number and asking for "Jenny". The number is in fact a {{w|twin prime}} because 8675311 is also a prime. Twin primes have always been a subject of interest, because they are comparatively rare, and because it is not yet known whether there are infinitely many of them.

{{w|Pi}} is a natural constant that arises in describing circles or ellipses. As such, useful as it may be, it doesn't usually occur anywhere in an exponent. When it does, such as with complex numbers, taking the pi-th root is rarely helpful. For example, if we try to derive:

''e''π''i'' + 1 = 0

''e''π''i'' = -1

(''e''''i'')π = -1

''e''''i'' = π√(-1)

We get nowhere.

Same goes for the e-th power: e typically appears in the basis of a power (forming the {{w|exponential function}}), not in the exponent. (This is later referenced in [Lethal Neutrinos http://what-if.xkcd.com/73/].

The software referred to in the comic is [http://mrob.com/pub/ries/ ries], a 'reverse calculator' which forms equations matching a given number.
:{| class="wikitable"
|-
| colspan="2" align="center" | Actual
| colspan="2" align="center" | Approximation
|-
| align="center" | One light year(m)
| align="center" | 9.46x1015
| align="center" | 998
| align="center" | 9.23x1015
|-
| align="center" | Earth Surface(m2)
| align="center" |
| align="center" | 698
| align="center" |
|-
| align="center" | Ocean's volume(m3)
| align="center" |
| align="center" | 919
| align="center" |
|-
| align="center" | Seconds in a year
| align="center" | 31557600
| align="center" | 754
| align="center" | 34640625
|-
| align="center" | Seconds in a year (rent method)
| align="center" | 31557600
| align="center" | 525,600 x 60
| align="center" | 31536000
|-
| align="center" | Age of the universe (seconds)
| align="center" |
| align="center" | 1515
| align="center" | 4.379x1017
|-
| align="center" | Planck's constant
| align="center" | 6.626x10-34
| align="center" | 1/(30πe)
| align="center" | 6.685x10-34
|-
| align="center" | Fine structure constant
| align="center" | 7.297x10-3
| align="center" | 1/140
| align="center" | 7.143x10-3
|-
| align="center" | Fundamental charge
| align="center" | 1.602x10-19
| align="center" | 3/(14 * πππ)
| align="center" | 1.599x10-19
|}

==Transcript==
{{incomplete transcript|this still needs some polishing}}
:'''A table of slightly wrong equations and identities useful for approximations and/or trolling teachers.'''
:(Found using a mix of trial-and-error, ''Mathematica'', and Robert Munafo's ''Ries'' tool.)
: All units are SI MKS unless otherwise noted.

:{| class="wikitable"
|-
| colspan="2" align="center" | Relation:
| align="center" | Accurate to within:
|-
| align="center" | One light year(m)
| align="center" | 998
| align="center" | one part in 40
|-
| align="center" | Earth Surface(m2)
| align="center" | 698
| align="center" | one part in 130
|-
| align="center" | Ocean's volume(m3)
| align="center" | 919
| align="center" | one part in 70
|-
| align="center" | Seconds in a year
| align="center" | 754
| align="center" | one part in 400
|-
| align="center" | Seconds in a year (rent method)
| align="center" | 525,600 x 60
| align="center" | one part in 1400
|-
| align="center" | Age of the universe (seconds)
| align="center" | 1515
| align="center" | one part in 70
|-
| align="center" | Planck's constant
| align="center" | 1/(30πe)
| align="center" | one part in 110
|-
| align="center" | Fine structure constant
| align="center" | 1/140
| align="center" | [I've had enough of this 137 crap]
|-
| align="center" | Fundamental charge
| align="center" | 3/(14 * πππ)
| align="center" | one part in 500
|-
| align="center" | White House Switchboard
| colspan="2" align="center" | 1 / 
π√(e(1 + (e-1)√8)
|-
| align="center" | Jenny's Constant
| colspan="2" align="center" | (7(e/1 - 1/e) - 9) * π2
|-
| colspan="3" align="center" | Intermission: World Population Estimate which should stay current for a decade or two: 
Take the last two digits of the current year

Example: 20[14]

Subtract the number of leap years since hurricane Katrina

Example:14 (minus 2008 and 2012) is 12

Add a decimal point

Example: 1.2

Add 6

Example: 6 + 1.2

7.2 = World population in billions.

Version for US population:

Example: 20[14]

Subtract 10

Example: 4

Multiply by 3

Example: 12

Add 10

Example: 3[22] million

|-
| align="center" | Electron rest energy
| align="center" | e/716 Joules
| align="center" | one part in 1000
|-
| align="center" | Light-year(miles)
| align="center" | 2(42.42)
| align="center" | one part in 1000
|-
| colspan="2" align="center" | sin(60°) = 3√/2 = e/π
| align="center" | one part in 1000
|-
| colspan="2" align="center" | √3 = 2e/π
| align="center" | one part in 1000
|-
| align="center" | gamma(Euler's gamma constant)
| align="center" | 1/√3
| align="center" | One part in 4000
|-
| align="center" | Feet in a meter
| align="center" | 5/(e√π)
| align="center" | one part in 4000
|-
| colspan="2" align="center" | √5 = 2/e + 3/2
| align="center" | one part in 7000
|-
| align="center" | Avogadro's number
| align="center" | 69π√5
| align="center" | one part in 25,000
|-
| align="center" | Gravitational constant G
| align="center" | 1 / e(pi - 1)(pi + 1)
| align="center" | one part in 25,000
|-
| align="center" | R(gas constant)
| align="center" | (e+1) √5
| align="center" | one part in 50,000
|-
| align="center" | Proton-electron mass ratio
| align="center" | 6*π5
| align="center" | one part in 50,000
|-
| align="center" | Liters in a gallon
| align="center" | 3 + π/4
| align="center" | one part in 500,000
|-
| align="center" | g
| align="center" | 6 + ln(45)
| align="center" | one part in 750,000
|-
| align="center" | Proton-electron mass ratio
| align="center" | e8 - 10 / ϕ
| align="center" | one part in 5,000,000
|-
| align="center" | Ruby laser wavelength
| align="center" | 1 / (12002)
| align="center" | [within actual variation]
|-
| align="center" | Mean Earth Radius
| align="center" | (58)*6e
| align="center" | [within actual variation]
|-
| colspan="3" align="center" | Protip - not all of these are wrong:
|-
| colspan="2" align="center" | √2 = 3/5 + π/(7-π)
| align="center" | cos(π/7) + cos(3π/7) + cos(5π/7) = 1/2
|-
| align="center" | γ(Euler's gamma constant) = e/34 + e/5
| align="center" | √5 = 13 + 4π / 24 - 4π
| align="center" | Σ 1/nn = ln(3)e
|}

{{comic discussion}}
[[Category:Charts]]
[[Category:Math]]
[[Category:Physics]]
[[Category:Protip]]

1292: Pi vs. Tau

2014-02-13T15:55:47Z

173.245.54.91: the only math I see is the numerical expansions, which (i think) anyone can understand. Anonymous.

{{comic
| number = 1292
| date = November 18, 2013
| title = Pi vs. Tau
| image = pi vs tau.png
| titletext = Conveniently approximated as e+2, Pau is commonly known as the Devil's Ratio (because in the octal expansion, '666' appears four times in the first 200 digits while no other run of 3+ digits appears more than once.)
}}

==Explanation==
This is yet another of [[Randall]]'s [[:Category:Comics presenting a compromise|compromise comics]]. A few mathematicians argue as to whether to use pi, which is the ratio between a circle's circumference and its diameter, or tau, which is the ratio between a circle's circumference and its radius.

Most will know π (Pi) by the approximation 3.14, but not knowing τ (tau) which is just twice as large as pi. Randall is suggesting using "pau", which is a portmanteau of "pi" and "tau", as a number situated, appropriately enough, halfway between pi and tau. But of course his number would be inconvenient, as there are currently no commonly used formulas that involve 1.5 pi (or 0.75 tau).

Some consider pi as being the wrong convention and are in favor of using tau as ''the'' circle constant (see the [http://tauday.com/tau-manifesto Tau Manifesto], which was inspired by the article "[http://www.math.utah.edu/~palais/pi.html Pi is wrong!]" by mathematician Robert Palais). Others consider proponents of tau to be foolish and remain loyal to pi (see the [http://www.thepimanifesto.com Pi Manifesto]). Of course, regardless of which convention is used, the fundamental mathematics will remain unaltered. But the choice of pi vs tau can affect the clarity of equations, analogies between different equations, and how easy various subjects are to teach.

===Mathematical jargon===
The title text for the comic is incorrect. The first 200 digits of 'pau' in octal are:
<pre>
4.5545743763144164432362345144750501224254715730156503147633545270030431677126116550546747570313312523403514716576464333172731124310201076447270723624573721640220437652155065544220143116155742515634462
</pre>
The sequence '666' does not occur at all in it.

Possibly, [[Randall]] used [http://www.wolframalpha.com/ Wolfram|Alpha] to calculate the result (he uses it a lot, for example [http://what-if.xkcd.com/70/ What-if 70: The Constant Groundskeeper] or [http://what-if.xkcd.com/62/ What-if 62: Falling With Helium]).
However, as of November 18, 2013, there's a bug in Wolfram|Alpha so that, when getting 200 octal digits from "pau", it just calculates the decimal value rounded to 15 significant digits (this is 4.71238898038469) and expands that as octal digits as far as needed.

This gives a periodically repeating number. In the first 200 digits of the octal expansion, the sequences 666 and 6666 do occur, but each only once. There are 4 occurrences, however, in the first 300 digits:
<pre>
4.554574376314416445676661714336617116240444076666510533533077631151350452060436452476274022621206136310000177621674175071262255702044274154476005744176002676623042402346036604733130522524127534777714554305412763636566643022106616734723661726160312772574551366370203115523402704104015532221722772357666</pre>
Expansion that long indeed does contain 666 (the {{w|Number of the beast|number of the beast}}) four times (with one instance as 6666). It also contains 0000, 222, 444, and 7777, but they only appear once in a run.

{{w|Mathematical coincidence|Coincidentally}}, e+2 is also very similar to 1.5pi, although only to a few digits.
<pre>
1.5π = 4.71238898038...
e+2 = 4.71828182845...
</pre>

The "Devil's Ratio" may be an allusion to the "{{w|Tritone|Devil's Interval}}", aka the "Devil's Chord" or 'Diabolus in Musica' ('The Devil in music'), which is the name sometimes given to the harmony between a root note and its tritone/augmented fourth/diminished fifth. This note is situated halfway between octaves, and is named for its dissonant quality. It is possibly a cross-reference between this and the "{{w|golden ratio}}".

==Transcript==
:[On the left is a "forbidden"-style slashed circle with the π symbol, captioned "Pi". On the right is a "forbidden"-style slashed circle with 2π, captioned "Tau". In the middle it reads 1.5π, captioned "Pau".]
:A compromise solution to the Pi Tau dispute

==Trivia==
*For Pi the sequence '666' occurs for the first time at position 2440. Many more occurrences can be found here: [http://www.angio.net/pi/ The Pi-Search Page].
* Note that pau is Catalan for peace, which is a good solution for the pi/tau dispute.
* In the discussion it has been theorized that Randall used [[356: Nerd Sniping|Nerd Sniping]]. In which case he was aware of the mistake in Wolfram!
*For an entertaining introduction to the concept, see this [https://www.khanacademy.org/math/recreational-math/vi-hart/pi-tau/v/pi-is--still--wrong Vi Hart video].

{{comic discussion}}
[[Category:Comics with color]]
[[Category:Math]]
[[Category:Comics presenting a compromise]]

623: Oregon

2014-02-13T15:32:21Z

173.245.54.91: /* Explanation */

{{comic
| number = 623
| date = August 14, 2009
| title = Oregon
| image = oregon.png
| titletext = A century later, the harrowing flight of the survivors from Oregon was dramatized in a popular video game.
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|The "another video game" at the title text is still not explained. Oregon was not overpopulated, but maybe this is a reference to the end of the gold rush.}}
{{w|The Oregon Trail (video game)|The Oregon Trail}} was an early educational video game that was designed to teach children about the trials and hardships faced by pioneering settlers. The actual {{w|Oregon Trail}} was an overland track leading from Missouri to Oregon, and in the video game, player started his or her journey in 1848.

Most players were grade-school students. The game was very popular, and thousands of players played it monthly. In their youthful wisdom, most players brought the minimum amount of food and planned to hunt for their meals. Large animals (bison, bears, etc.) were very easy and rewarding targets, while smaller prey (rabbits, squirrels, etc.) were harder to obtain and provided less food.

The comic tries to document, as though in an historical fashion, what would have been the result if that was really how people had prepared for their journey on the Oregon Trail. With no other supplies or sources of food, the land would soon have been stripped bare, all large game slaughtered for meat, with hunger, starvation and disease soon to follow. {{w|Dysentery}} in particular was very common in the original game and perhaps the most infamous way to die, hence its listing as the most prominent epidemic.

The title text makes things rather recursive. In this alternate reality, hundreds upon hundreds of people fleeing ''from'' the overpopulated Oregon becomes the focus of another video game, much like ''Oregon Trail'' in our universe.

==Transcript==
:[Timeline, with relevant images next to each date.]
:1805
::[Two men stand at the edge of a cliff. One has a walking staff.]
::Arrival of Lewis & Clark

:1825
::Early settlers arrive

:1841
::Oregon trail established

:1843
::Larger western migration begins

:1848
::[A horse is pulling a covered wagon. A gun peeks out the back.]
::Huge wave of 500,000+ settlers arrives from Missouri. Largely children and adolescents, most bring nothing but cartloads of bullets for hunting.

:1849
::[Two men with rifles aim at something.]
::Overhunting begins to devastate ecosystem
::Dysentery epidemic

:1850
::[Tombstones. Bodies.]
::Shooting deaths skyrocket
::Typhoid epidemic
::Measles epidemic
::Cholera epidemic

:1851
::All mammals larger than squirrels wiped out by overhunting.
::Massive famine

:1852
::[Sun low over a land, devoid of life. Scattered remains of corpses.]
::Last survivors flee
::Oregon territory abandoned

{{comic discussion}}
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Video games]]

Talk:1047: Approximations

2014-02-13T13:24:44Z

173.245.54.91:

They're actually quite accurate. I've used these in calculations, and they seem to give close enough answers. '''[[User:Davidy22|Davidy22]]'''[[User talk:Davidy22|<tt>[talk]</tt>]] 14:03, 8 January 2013 (UTC)

I only see a use for the liters in a gallon one. The rest are for trolling or simple amusement. The cosine identity bit our math team in the butt at a competition. It was painful. --[[User:Quicksilver|Quicksilver]] ([[User talk:Quicksilver|talk]]) 05:27, 17 August 2013 (UTC)

Annoyingly this explanation does not cover 42 properly, it does not say that Douglas Adams got the number 42 from Lewis Carroll, who is more relevant to the page because he was a mathematician named Charles Lutwidge Dodgson. He was obsessed with the number forty-two. The original plate illustrations of Alice in Wonderland drawn by him numbered forty-two. Rule Forty-Two in Alice in Wonderland is "All persons more than a mile high to leave the court", There is also a Code of Honour in the preface of The Hunting of the Snark, an extremely long poem written by him when he was 42 years old, in which rule forty-two is "No one shall speak to the Man at the Helm". The queens in Alice Through the Looking Glass the White Queen announces her age as "one hundred and one, five months and a day", which - if the best possible date is assumed for the action of Through the Looking-Glass - gives a total of 37,044 days. With the further (textually unconfirmed) assumption that both Queens were born on the same day their combined age becomes 74,088 days, which is 42 x 42 x 42. --[[Special:Contributions/139.216.242.254|139.216.242.254]] 02:43, 29 August 2013 (UTC)

:: This explanation covers 42 adequately, and would probably be made slightly worse if such information were added. The very widely known cultural reference is to Adams's interpretation, not Dodgson's original obsession. Adding it would be akin to introducing the MPLM into the explanation for the hijacking of Renaissance artists' names by the TMNT. I definitely concede that it does not cover 42 exhaustively, but I think it can be considered complete and in working order without such an addition. If it really irks you, be bold and add it! --[[User:Quicksilver|Quicksilver]] ([[User talk:Quicksilver|talk]]) 00:37, 30 August 2013 (UTC)

"sqrt(2) is not even algebraic in the quotient field of Z[pi]" is not correct. Q is part of the quotient field of Z[pi] and sqrt(2) is algebraic of it. The needed facts are that pi is not algebraic, but the formula implies it is in Q(sqrt(2)). --DrMath 06:47, 7 September 2013 (UTC)

13/15 is a better approximation to sqrt(3)/2 than is e/pi. Continued fraction approximations are great! --DrMath 07:23, 7 September 2013 (UTC)

How could he forget 1 gallon ≈ 0.1337 ft³?! [[Special:Contributions/67.188.195.182|67.188.195.182]] 00:51, 8 September 2013 (UTC)

Worth mentioning that Wolfram Alpha now officially recognizes the [http://www.wolframalpha.com/input/?i=e%5E-%28%281%2B8%5E%281%2F%28e-1%29%29%29%5E%281%2Fpi%29%29 White House switchboard constant] and the [http://www.wolframalpha.com/input/?i=%287%5E%28e-1%2Fe%29-9%29*pi%5E2 Jenny constant]. [[Special:Contributions/86.164.243.91|86.164.243.91]] 18:28, 8 October 2013 (UTC)

Maybe we should add the [Extension:LaTeXSVG LaTeX extension] to make it easier to transcribe these equations. -- [[Special:Contributions/108.162.219.220|108.162.219.220]] 23:02, 16 December 2013 (UTC)

;Protip - Does anyone see the correct equation?
Maybe this is just an other Wolfram Alpha error, like we recently have had here: [[1292: Pi vs. Tau]]. All equations still look invalid to me.
*''√2 = 3/5 + π/(7-π)'': is impossible because √2 is an irrational number and no equation can match.
*''cos(π/7) + cos(3π/7) + cos(5π/7) = 1/2'': could only match if ''cos(x) + cos(3x) + cos(5x) = 1/2'' would be valid, because ''π/7'' is also an irrational number.
*''γ = e/34 + e/5 or γ = e/54 + e/5'': would mean that a sum of two irrational numbers do fit to the Gamma Constant. Impossible.
*''√5 = 13 + 4π / 24 - 4π'': √5 and π are irrational numbers, there is no way to match them in any equation like this.
*''Σ 1/nn = ln(3)e'': doesn't make any sense either.
Maybe [[:Category:Comics featuring Miss Lenhart|Miss Lenhart]] can help.
--[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 21:41, 17 December 2013 (UTC)

cos(π/7) + cos(3π/7) + cos(5π/7) = 1/2 is exactly correct.

Let a=π/7, b=3π/7, and c=5π/7, then
(cosa+cosb+cosc)⋅2sina=2cosasina+2cosbsina+2coscsina=sin2a+sin(b+a)−sin(b−a)+sin(c+a)−sin(c−a)=sin(2π/7)+sin(4π/7)−sin(2π/7)+sin(6π/7)−sin(4π/7)=sin(6π/7)=sin(π/7)=sina

Hence, cos(π/7) + cos(3π/7) + cos(5π/7) = sin(π/7) / 2sin(π/7) = 1/2
[[Special:Contributions/108.162.216.74|108.162.216.74]] 01:57, 16 January 2014 (UTC)

:What is this: sin(6π/7)=sin(π/7) ? A new math is born... --[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 20:49, 16 January 2014 (UTC)

::Actually it does. My proof is geometric: the sines of two supplementary angles (angle a + angle b = π (in radians)) are equivalent because they necessarily have the same x height in a Cartesian plane. Look on a unit circle, or even a sine function. Also, Calculus and most other mathematics use radians over degrees because they make the functions simpler and eliminate irrationality when a trig function shows up, but physics uses degrees because it's easier to understand and taught first. Anonymous 01:27, 13 February 2014 (UTC)
::As an aside, just how far along in math are you? Radian measure is taught in high school (at least the good ones). Anonymous 13:24, 13 February 2014 (UTC)

;So, still incomplete?

Where's our (in)complete judge? [[Special:Contributions/199.27.128.186|199.27.128.186]] 19:21, 18 December 2013 (UTC)
:The protip is still a mystery. I'm calling for help a few lines above. --[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 21:16, 18 December 2013 (UTC)

1047: Approximations

2014-02-13T13:12:43Z

173.245.54.91: /* Explanation */

{{comic
| number = 1047
| date = April 25, 2012
| title = Approximations
| image = approximations.png
| titletext = Two tips: 1) 8675309 is not just prime, it's a twin prime, and 2) if you ever find yourself raising log(anything)^e or taking the pi-th root of anything, set down the marker and back away from the whiteboard; something has gone horribly wrong.
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete}}
This comic lists some approximations for numbers, most of them mathematical and physical constants. All of them work astonishingly well. There are reoccurring math jokes along the lines of, “3/5 + π/(7 – π) – √2 = 0, but your calculator is probably not good enough to compute this correctly”, which are mainly used to troll geeks.

Furthermore, there are some useful approximations (which were even more useful in times before calculators) such as “pi is approximately equal to 22/7”.

[[Randall]] makes fun of both of these, using rather strange approximations (honestly: you may handle 22/7, but who can calculate in a sensible way with 99^8, let alone 30^(pi^e)?) to calculate some constants that are easy enough to handle in the decimal system, and stating such “slightly wrong” trick equations, one of which ''is'' actually correct (which may astonish only those who are not familiar with cosines).

There are a few cultural references in this comic:

* 998 and 698 are sexual references.
* “Rent Method” refers to the song “Seasons of Love” from the musical “{{w|Rent (musical)|Rent}}.” The song asks, “How do you measure a year?” One line says “525,600 minutes” while most of the rest of the song suggests the best way to measure a year is moments shared with a loved one.
* (202) 456-1414 is the phone number for the White House switchboard. Truncated, Randall's formula yields 0.2024561414.
* Jenny's constant comes from Tommy Tutone's tune {{w|867-5309/Jenny}}. Randall's formula gives approximately 867.530901981685.
* {{w|42 (number)|42}} is, according to Douglas Adams' ''The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy'', the Answer to Life, the Universe, and Everything.

And here are some of the mathematical and physical ones, with Wikipedia links.

* Informally, the {{w|Planck constant}} is the smallest action possible in quantum mechanics.
* The {{w|fine structure constant}} indicates the strength of electromagnetism. It is unitless and around 0.007297, close to 1/137. At one point it was believed to be exactly the reciprocal of 137, and many people have tried to find a simple formula explaining this (with a pinch of {{w|numerology}} thrown in at times), including the infamous {{w|Arthur Eddington|Sir Arthur Adding-One}}.
* In {{w|mathematics}}, the {{w|Euler-Mascheroni constant}} (Euler gamma constant) is a mysterious number describing the relationship between the {{w|Harmonic series (mathematics)|harmonic series}} and the {{w|natural logarithm}}.
* The {{w|gravitational constant}} relates to, uh, gravity.
* The {{w|gas constant}} relates energy to temperature in physics, as well as a gas's volume, pressure, temperature and {{w|mole (unit)|molar amount}} (hence the name).
* ϕ is the {{w|golden ratio}}, or (1 + √5)/2. It has many interesting geometrical properties.
* The ruby laser wavelength varies because “ruby” is not clearly defined.
* The {{w|Earth radios#mean radii|mean earth radius}} varies because there is not one single way to make a sphere out of the earth. Randall's value lies within the actual variation of Earth's radius.

The correct equation in the "Pro tip - Not all of these are wrong" section is cos(pi/7) + cos(3pi/7) + cos(5pi/7) = 1/2 as [http://math.stackexchange.com/questions/140388/how-can-one-prove-cos-pi-7-cos3-pi-7-cos5-pi-7-1-2 shown here]. (If you're still confused, the functions use {{w|radians}}, not {{w|degrees (angle)|degrees}})

The number 8675309 at the title text refers to the song 867-5309/Jenny as mentioned above, causing a fad of people dialing this number and asking for "Jenny". The number is in fact a {{w|twin prime}} because 8675311 is also a prime. Twin primes have always been a subject of interest, because they are comparatively rare, and because it is not yet known whether there are infinitely many of them.

{{w|Pi}} is a natural constant that arises in describing circles or ellipses. As such, useful as it may be, it doesn't usually occur anywhere in an exponent. When it does, such as with complex numbers, taking the pi-th root is rarely helpful. For example, if we try to derive:

''e''π''i'' + 1 = 0

''e''π''i'' = -1

(''e''''i'')π = -1

''e''''i'' = π√(-1)

We get nowhere.

Same goes for the e-th power: e typically appears in the basis of a power (forming the {{w|exponential function}}), not in the exponent. (This is later referenced in [Lethal Neutrinos http://what-if.xkcd.com/73/].

The software referred to in the comic is [http://mrob.com/pub/ries/ ries], a 'reverse calculator' which forms equations matching a given number.
:{| class="wikitable"
|-
| colspan="2" align="center" | Actual
| colspan="2" align="center" | Approximation
|-
| align="center" | One light year(m)
| align="center" | 9.46x1015
| align="center" | 998
| align="center" | 9.23x1015
|-
| align="center" | Earth Surface(m2)
| align="center" |
| align="center" | 698
| align="center" |
|-
| align="center" | Ocean's volume(m3)
| align="center" |
| align="center" | 919
| align="center" |
|-
| align="center" | Seconds in a year
| align="center" | 31557600
| align="center" | 754
| align="center" | 34640625
|-
| align="center" | Seconds in a year (rent method)
| align="center" | 31557600
| align="center" | 525,600 x 60
| align="center" | 31536000
|-
| align="center" | Age of the universe (seconds)
| align="center" |
| align="center" | 1515
| align="center" | 4.379x1017
|-
| align="center" | Planck's constant
| align="center" | 6.626x10-34
| align="center" | 1/(30πe)
| align="center" | 6.685x10-34
|-
| align="center" | Fine structure constant
| align="center" | 7.297x10-3
| align="center" | 1/140
| align="center" | 7.143x10-3
|-
| align="center" | Fundamental charge
| align="center" | 1.602x10-19
| align="center" | 3/(14 * πππ)
| align="center" | 1.599x10-19
|}

==Transcript==
{{incomplete transcript|this still needs some polishing}}
:'''A table of slightly wrong equations and identities useful for approximations and/or trolling teachers.'''
:(Found using a mix of trial-and-error, ''Mathematica'', and Robert Munafo's ''Ries'' tool.)
: All units are SI MKS unless otherwise noted.

:{| class="wikitable"
|-
| colspan="2" align="center" | Relation:
| align="center" | Accurate to within:
|-
| align="center" | One light year(m)
| align="center" | 998
| align="center" | one part in 40
|-
| align="center" | Earth Surface(m2)
| align="center" | 698
| align="center" | one part in 130
|-
| align="center" | Ocean's volume(m3)
| align="center" | 919
| align="center" | one part in 70
|-
| align="center" | Seconds in a year
| align="center" | 754
| align="center" | one part in 400
|-
| align="center" | Seconds in a year (rent method)
| align="center" | 525,600 x 60
| align="center" | one part in 1400
|-
| align="center" | Age of the universe (seconds)
| align="center" | 1515
| align="center" | one part in 70
|-
| align="center" | Planck's constant
| align="center" | 1/(30πe)
| align="center" | one part in 110
|-
| align="center" | Fine structure constant
| align="center" | 1/140
| align="center" | [I've had enough of this 137 crap]
|-
| align="center" | Fundamental charge
| align="center" | 3/(14 * πππ)
| align="center" | one part in 500
|-
| align="center" | White House Switchboard
| colspan="2" align="center" | 1 / 
π√(e(1 + (e-1)√8)
|-
| align="center" | Jenny's Constant
| colspan="2" align="center" | (7(e/1 - 1/e) - 9) * π2
|-
| colspan="3" align="center" | Intermission: World Population Estimate which should stay current for a decade or two: 
Take the last two digits of the current year

Example: 20[14]

Subtract the number of leap years since hurricane Katrina

Example:14 (minus 2008 and 2012) is 12

Add a decimal point

Example: 1.2

Add 6

Example: 6 + 1.2

7.2 = World population in billions.

Version for US population:

Example: 20[14]

Subtract 10

Example: 4

Multiply by 3

Example: 12

Add 10

Example: 3[22] million

|-
| align="center" | Electron rest energy
| align="center" | e/716 Joules
| align="center" | one part in 1000
|-
| align="center" | Light-year(miles)
| align="center" | 2(42.42)
| align="center" | one part in 1000
|-
| colspan="2" align="center" | sin(60°) = 3√/2 = e/π
| align="center" | one part in 1000
|-
| colspan="2" align="center" | √3 = 2e/π
| align="center" | one part in 1000
|-
| align="center" | gamma(Euler's gamma constant)
| align="center" | 1/√3
| align="center" | One part in 4000
|-
| align="center" | Feet in a meter
| align="center" | 5/(e√π)
| align="center" | one part in 4000
|-
| colspan="2" align="center" | √5 = 2/e + 3/2
| align="center" | one part in 7000
|-
| align="center" | Avogadro's number
| align="center" | 69π√5
| align="center" | one part in 25,000
|-
| align="center" | Gravitational constant G
| align="center" | 1 / e(pi - 1)(pi + 1)
| align="center" | one part in 25,000
|-
| align="center" | R(gas constant)
| align="center" | (e+1) √5
| align="center" | one part in 50,000
|-
| align="center" | Proton-electron mass ratio
| align="center" | 6*π5
| align="center" | one part in 50,000
|-
| align="center" | Liters in a gallon
| align="center" | 3 + π/4
| align="center" | one part in 500,000
|-
| align="center" | g
| align="center" | 6 + ln(45)
| align="center" | one part in 750,000
|-
| align="center" | Proton-electron mass ratio
| align="center" | e8 - 10 / ϕ
| align="center" | one part in 5,000,000
|-
| align="center" | Ruby laser wavelength
| align="center" | 1 / (12002)
| align="center" | [within actual variation]
|-
| align="center" | Mean Earth Radius
| align="center" | (58)*6e
| align="center" | [within actual variation]
|-
| colspan="3" align="center" | Protip - not all of these are wrong:
|-
| colspan="2" align="center" | √2 = 3/5 + π/(7-π)
| align="center" | cos(π/7) + cos(3π/7) + cos(5π/7) = 1/2
|-
| align="center" | γ(Euler's gamma constant) = e/34 + e/5
| align="center" | √5 = 13 + 4π / 24 - 4π
| align="center" | Σ 1/nn = ln(3)e
|}

{{comic discussion}}
[[Category:Charts]]
[[Category:Math]]
[[Category:Physics]]
[[Category:Protip]]

908: The Cloud

2014-02-13T13:10:23Z

173.245.54.91: Explained the 'unusual dialogue' mentioned in the incomplete tag. Removed said tag.

{{comic
| number = 908
| date = June 6, 2011
| title = The Cloud
| image = the cloud.png
| titletext = There's planned downtime every night when we turn on the Roomba and it runs over the cord.
}}

==Explanation==
This comic is a reference to all of the companies that rolled out "cloud" services like {{w|Google}}'s and {{w|Amazon}}'s music service and {{w|Apple}}'s aptly named {{w|iCloud}} online backup service around the time that the comic was released.

Also, in this comic is a reference to {{w|caching}} and the {{w|Roomba}}. Caching is the way that remote sites would locally store data from the "The Cloud" to prevent from putting too much pressure on Black Hat's non-Enterprise class cable modem. The Roomba is a round vacuum that runs automatically around the house. The Roomba begins to learn the dimensions of rooms, however, apparently it has never learned not to run over the cord.

The regular nightly downtime is a reference to an [http://www.snopes.com/horrors/freakish/cleaner.asp urban legend] in which some critical piece of equipment (often a server) is unplugged regularly so that a vacuum cleaner or similar janitorial tool can be temporarily plugged in. Although the Roomba vacuum does not require this computer's outlet, "running over the cord" apparently causes similar interruption in service.

This comic is reminiscent of the British sitcom "The IT Crowd" in which they showcase a box that they make the rest of their non-Tech coworkers believe is "The Internet".

The last panel showcases both Black Hat's stereotypical sadism and callousness. When Cueball asks about the hazard (namely, tripping) implicit in a cord stretching across a room, Black Hat responds by implying no one would want to do that, because it's unpleasant. Cueball responds with the fact that some people do things by accident, to which Black Hat says he doesn't know anyone like that. The only way Cueball can disprove this (at least quickly) is by admitting he's one of those people, opening him up to Black Hat's ridicule.

==Transcript==
:[Cueball finds a computer tower with a wire leading away from it.]
:Cueball: What's this?
:Off-screen: The Cloud.

:[Cueball looks behind him. The wire leads to an outlet in the wall next to where Black Hat sits at a desk with a computer. Another wire leads from that outlet to Black Hat's computer.]
:Cueball: Huh? I always thought "The Cloud" was a huge, amorphous network of servers somewhere.
:Black Hat: Yeah, but everyone buys server time from everyone else. In the end, they're all getting it here.

:[A close-up of Black Hat.]
:Cueball: How? You're on a ''cable'' modem.
:Black Hat: There's a lot of caching.

:[A close-up of Cueball, looking down at the tower at his feet.]
:Cueball: Should the cord be stretched across the room like this?
:Black Hat: Of course. It has to reach the server, and the server is over there.

:[Cueball turns back to the Black Hat, still sitting at the computer.]
:Cueball: What if someone trips on it?
:Black Hat: Who would want to do that? It sounds unpleasant.
:Cueball: Uh. Sometimes people do stuff by accident.
:Black Hat: I don't think I know anybody like that.

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

1047: Approximations

2014-02-13T01:32:53Z

173.245.54.91: /* Explanation */ Explained the pro-tip a little better

{{comic
| number = 1047
| date = April 25, 2012
| title = Approximations
| image = approximations.png
| titletext = Two tips: 1) 8675309 is not just prime, it's a twin prime, and 2) if you ever find yourself raising log(anything)^e or taking the pi-th root of anything, set down the marker and back away from the whiteboard; something has gone horribly wrong.
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete}}
This comic lists some approximations for numbers, most of them mathematical and physical constants. All of them work astonishingly well. There are reoccurring math jokes along the lines of, “3/5 + π/(7 – π) – √2 = 0, but your calculator is probably not good enough to compute this correctly”, which are mainly used to troll geeks.

Furthermore, there are some useful approximations (which were even more useful in times before calculators) such as “pi is approximately equal to 22/7”.

[[Randall]] makes fun of both of these, using rather strange approximations (honestly: you may handle 22/7, but who can calculate in a sensible way with 99^8, let alone 30^(pi^e)?) to calculate some constants that are easy enough to handle in the decimal system, and stating such “slightly wrong” trick equations, one of which ''is'' actually correct (which may astonish only those who are not familiar with cosines).

There are a few cultural references in this comic:

* 998 and 698 are sexual references.
* “Rent Method” refers to the song “Seasons of Love” from the musical “{{w|Rent (musical)|Rent}}.” The song asks, “How do you measure a year?” One line says “525,600 minutes” while most of the rest of the song suggests the best way to measure a year is moments shared with a loved one.
* (202) 456-1414 is the phone number for the White House switchboard. Truncated, Randall's formula yields 0.2024561414.
* Jenny's constant comes from Tommy Tutone's tune {{w|867-5309/Jenny}}. Randall's formula gives approximately 867.530901981685.
* {{w|42 (number)|42}} is, according to Douglas Adams' ''The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy'', the Answer to Life, the Universe, and Everything.

And here are some of the mathematical and physical ones, with Wikipedia links.

* Informally, the {{w|Planck constant}} is the smallest action possible in quantum mechanics.
* The {{w|fine structure constant}} indicates the strength of electromagnetism. It is unitless and around 0.007297, close to 1/137. At one point it was believed to be exactly the reciprocal of 137, and many people have tried to find a simple formula explaining this (with a pinch of {{w|numerology}} thrown in at times), including the infamous {{w|Arthur Eddington|Sir Arthur Adding-One}}.
* In {{w|mathematics}}, the {{w|Euler-Mascheroni constant}} (Euler gamma constant) is a mysterious number describing the relationship between the {{w|Harmonic series (mathematics)|harmonic series}} and the {{w|natural logarithm}}.
* The {{w|gravitational constant}} relates to, uh, gravity.
* The {{w|gas constant}} relates energy to temperature in physics, as well as a gas's volume, pressure, temperature and {{w|mole (unit)|molar amount}} (hence the name).
* ϕ is the {{w|golden ratio}}, or (1 + √5)/2. It has many interesting geometrical properties.
* The ruby laser wavelength varies because “ruby” is not clearly defined.
* The {{w|Earth radios#mean radii|mean earth radius}} varies because there is not one single way to make a sphere out of the earth. Randall's value lies within the actual variation of Earth's radius.

The correct equation in the "Pro tip - Not all of these are wrong" section is cos(pi/7) + cos(3pi/7) + cos(5pi/7) = 1/2 as [http://math.stackexchange.com/questions/140388/how-can-one-prove-cos-pi-7-cos3-pi-7-cos5-pi-7-1-2 shown here]. (If your still confused, the functions use {{w|radians}}, not {{w|degrees (angle)|degrees}})

The number 8675309 at the title text refers to the song 867-5309/Jenny as mentioned above, causing a fad of people dialing this number and asking for "Jenny". The number is in fact a {{w|twin prime}} because 8675311 is also a prime. Twin primes have always been a subject of interest, because they are comparatively rare, and because it is not yet known whether there are infinitely many of them.

{{w|Pi}} is a natural constant that arises in describing circles or ellipses. As such, useful as it may be, it doesn't usually occur anywhere in an exponent. When it does, such as with complex numbers, taking the pi-th root is rarely helpful. For example, if we try to derive:

''e''π''i'' + 1 = 0

''e''π''i'' = -1

(''e''''i'')π = -1

''e''''i'' = π√(-1)

We get nowhere.

Same goes for the e-th power: e typically appears in the basis of a power (forming the {{w|exponential function}}), not in the exponent. (This is later referenced in [Lethal Neutrinos http://what-if.xkcd.com/73/].

The software referred to in the comic is [http://mrob.com/pub/ries/ ries], a 'reverse calculator' which forms equations matching a given number.
:{| class="wikitable"
|-
| colspan="2" align="center" | Actual
| colspan="2" align="center" | Approximation
|-
| align="center" | One light year(m)
| align="center" | 9.46x1015
| align="center" | 998
| align="center" | 9.23x1015
|-
| align="center" | Earth Surface(m2)
| align="center" |
| align="center" | 698
| align="center" |
|-
| align="center" | Ocean's volume(m3)
| align="center" |
| align="center" | 919
| align="center" |
|-
| align="center" | Seconds in a year
| align="center" | 31557600
| align="center" | 754
| align="center" | 34640625
|-
| align="center" | Seconds in a year (rent method)
| align="center" | 31557600
| align="center" | 525,600 x 60
| align="center" | 31536000
|-
| align="center" | Age of the universe (seconds)
| align="center" |
| align="center" | 1515
| align="center" | 4.379x1017
|-
| align="center" | Planck's constant
| align="center" | 6.626x10-34
| align="center" | 1/(30πe)
| align="center" | 6.685x10-34
|-
| align="center" | Fine structure constant
| align="center" | 7.297x10-3
| align="center" | 1/140
| align="center" | 7.143x10-3
|-
| align="center" | Fundamental charge
| align="center" | 1.602x10-19
| align="center" | 3/(14 * πππ)
| align="center" | 1.599x10-19
|}

==Transcript==
{{incomplete transcript|this still needs some polishing}}
:'''A table of slightly wrong equations and identities useful for approximations and/or trolling teachers.'''
:(Found using a mix of trial-and-error, ''Mathematica'', and Robert Munafo's ''Ries'' tool.)
: All units are SI MKS unless otherwise noted.

:{| class="wikitable"
|-
| colspan="2" align="center" | Relation:
| align="center" | Accurate to within:
|-
| align="center" | One light year(m)
| align="center" | 998
| align="center" | one part in 40
|-
| align="center" | Earth Surface(m2)
| align="center" | 698
| align="center" | one part in 130
|-
| align="center" | Ocean's volume(m3)
| align="center" | 919
| align="center" | one part in 70
|-
| align="center" | Seconds in a year
| align="center" | 754
| align="center" | one part in 400
|-
| align="center" | Seconds in a year (rent method)
| align="center" | 525,600 x 60
| align="center" | one part in 1400
|-
| align="center" | Age of the universe (seconds)
| align="center" | 1515
| align="center" | one part in 70
|-
| align="center" | Planck's constant
| align="center" | 1/(30πe)
| align="center" | one part in 110
|-
| align="center" | Fine structure constant
| align="center" | 1/140
| align="center" | [I've had enough of this 137 crap]
|-
| align="center" | Fundamental charge
| align="center" | 3/(14 * πππ)
| align="center" | one part in 500
|-
| align="center" | White House Switchboard
| colspan="2" align="center" | 1 / 
π√(e(1 + (e-1)√8)
|-
| align="center" | Jenny's Constant
| colspan="2" align="center" | (7(e/1 - 1/e) - 9) * π2
|-
| colspan="3" align="center" | Intermission: World Population Estimate which should stay current for a decade or two: 
Take the last two digits of the current year

Example: 20[14]

Subtract the number of leap years since hurricane Katrina

Example:14 (minus 2008 and 2012) is 12

Add a decimal point

Example: 1.2

Add 6

Example: 6 + 1.2

7.2 = World population in billions.

Version for US population:

Example: 20[14]

Subtract 10

Example: 4

Multiply by 3

Example: 12

Add 10

Example: 3[22] million

|-
| align="center" | Electron rest energy
| align="center" | e/716 Joules
| align="center" | one part in 1000
|-
| align="center" | Light-year(miles)
| align="center" | 2(42.42)
| align="center" | one part in 1000
|-
| colspan="2" align="center" | sin(60°) = 3√/2 = e/π
| align="center" | one part in 1000
|-
| colspan="2" align="center" | √3 = 2e/π
| align="center" | one part in 1000
|-
| align="center" | gamma(Euler's gamma constant)
| align="center" | 1/√3
| align="center" | One part in 4000
|-
| align="center" | Feet in a meter
| align="center" | 5/(e√π)
| align="center" | one part in 4000
|-
| colspan="2" align="center" | √5 = 2/e + 3/2
| align="center" | one part in 7000
|-
| align="center" | Avogadro's number
| align="center" | 69π√5
| align="center" | one part in 25,000
|-
| align="center" | Gravitational constant G
| align="center" | 1 / e(pi - 1)(pi + 1)
| align="center" | one part in 25,000
|-
| align="center" | R(gas constant)
| align="center" | (e+1) √5
| align="center" | one part in 50,000
|-
| align="center" | Proton-electron mass ratio
| align="center" | 6*π5
| align="center" | one part in 50,000
|-
| align="center" | Liters in a gallon
| align="center" | 3 + π/4
| align="center" | one part in 500,000
|-
| align="center" | g
| align="center" | 6 + ln(45)
| align="center" | one part in 750,000
|-
| align="center" | Proton-electron mass ratio
| align="center" | e8 - 10 / ϕ
| align="center" | one part in 5,000,000
|-
| align="center" | Ruby laser wavelength
| align="center" | 1 / (12002)
| align="center" | [within actual variation]
|-
| align="center" | Mean Earth Radius
| align="center" | (58)*6e
| align="center" | [within actual variation]
|-
| colspan="3" align="center" | Protip - not all of these are wrong:
|-
| colspan="2" align="center" | √2 = 3/5 + π/(7-π)
| align="center" | cos(π/7) + cos(3π/7) + cos(5π/7) = 1/2
|-
| align="center" | γ(Euler's gamma constant) = e/34 + e/5
| align="center" | √5 = 13 + 4π / 24 - 4π
| align="center" | Σ 1/nn = ln(3)e
|}

{{comic discussion}}
[[Category:Charts]]
[[Category:Math]]
[[Category:Physics]]
[[Category:Protip]]

Talk:1047: Approximations

2014-02-13T01:27:07Z

173.245.54.91:

They're actually quite accurate. I've used these in calculations, and they seem to give close enough answers. '''[[User:Davidy22|Davidy22]]'''[[User talk:Davidy22|<tt>[talk]</tt>]] 14:03, 8 January 2013 (UTC)

I only see a use for the liters in a gallon one. The rest are for trolling or simple amusement. The cosine identity bit our math team in the butt at a competition. It was painful. --[[User:Quicksilver|Quicksilver]] ([[User talk:Quicksilver|talk]]) 05:27, 17 August 2013 (UTC)

Annoyingly this explanation does not cover 42 properly, it does not say that Douglas Adams got the number 42 from Lewis Carroll, who is more relevant to the page because he was a mathematician named Charles Lutwidge Dodgson. He was obsessed with the number forty-two. The original plate illustrations of Alice in Wonderland drawn by him numbered forty-two. Rule Forty-Two in Alice in Wonderland is "All persons more than a mile high to leave the court", There is also a Code of Honour in the preface of The Hunting of the Snark, an extremely long poem written by him when he was 42 years old, in which rule forty-two is "No one shall speak to the Man at the Helm". The queens in Alice Through the Looking Glass the White Queen announces her age as "one hundred and one, five months and a day", which - if the best possible date is assumed for the action of Through the Looking-Glass - gives a total of 37,044 days. With the further (textually unconfirmed) assumption that both Queens were born on the same day their combined age becomes 74,088 days, which is 42 x 42 x 42. --[[Special:Contributions/139.216.242.254|139.216.242.254]] 02:43, 29 August 2013 (UTC)

:: This explanation covers 42 adequately, and would probably be made slightly worse if such information were added. The very widely known cultural reference is to Adams's interpretation, not Dodgson's original obsession. Adding it would be akin to introducing the MPLM into the explanation for the hijacking of Renaissance artists' names by the TMNT. I definitely concede that it does not cover 42 exhaustively, but I think it can be considered complete and in working order without such an addition. If it really irks you, be bold and add it! --[[User:Quicksilver|Quicksilver]] ([[User talk:Quicksilver|talk]]) 00:37, 30 August 2013 (UTC)

"sqrt(2) is not even algebraic in the quotient field of Z[pi]" is not correct. Q is part of the quotient field of Z[pi] and sqrt(2) is algebraic of it. The needed facts are that pi is not algebraic, but the formula implies it is in Q(sqrt(2)). --DrMath 06:47, 7 September 2013 (UTC)

13/15 is a better approximation to sqrt(3)/2 than is e/pi. Continued fraction approximations are great! --DrMath 07:23, 7 September 2013 (UTC)

How could he forget 1 gallon ≈ 0.1337 ft³?! [[Special:Contributions/67.188.195.182|67.188.195.182]] 00:51, 8 September 2013 (UTC)

Worth mentioning that Wolfram Alpha now officially recognizes the [http://www.wolframalpha.com/input/?i=e%5E-%28%281%2B8%5E%281%2F%28e-1%29%29%29%5E%281%2Fpi%29%29 White House switchboard constant] and the [http://www.wolframalpha.com/input/?i=%287%5E%28e-1%2Fe%29-9%29*pi%5E2 Jenny constant]. [[Special:Contributions/86.164.243.91|86.164.243.91]] 18:28, 8 October 2013 (UTC)

Maybe we should add the [Extension:LaTeXSVG LaTeX extension] to make it easier to transcribe these equations. -- [[Special:Contributions/108.162.219.220|108.162.219.220]] 23:02, 16 December 2013 (UTC)

;Protip - Does anyone see the correct equation?
Maybe this is just an other Wolfram Alpha error, like we recently have had here: [[1292: Pi vs. Tau]]. All equations still look invalid to me.
*''√2 = 3/5 + π/(7-π)'': is impossible because √2 is an irrational number and no equation can match.
*''cos(π/7) + cos(3π/7) + cos(5π/7) = 1/2'': could only match if ''cos(x) + cos(3x) + cos(5x) = 1/2'' would be valid, because ''π/7'' is also an irrational number.
*''γ = e/34 + e/5 or γ = e/54 + e/5'': would mean that a sum of two irrational numbers do fit to the Gamma Constant. Impossible.
*''√5 = 13 + 4π / 24 - 4π'': √5 and π are irrational numbers, there is no way to match them in any equation like this.
*''Σ 1/nn = ln(3)e'': doesn't make any sense either.
Maybe [[:Category:Comics featuring Miss Lenhart|Miss Lenhart]] can help.
--[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 21:41, 17 December 2013 (UTC)

cos(π/7) + cos(3π/7) + cos(5π/7) = 1/2 is exactly correct.

Let a=π/7, b=3π/7, and c=5π/7, then
(cosa+cosb+cosc)⋅2sina=2cosasina+2cosbsina+2coscsina=sin2a+sin(b+a)−sin(b−a)+sin(c+a)−sin(c−a)=sin(2π/7)+sin(4π/7)−sin(2π/7)+sin(6π/7)−sin(4π/7)=sin(6π/7)=sin(π/7)=sina

Hence, cos(π/7) + cos(3π/7) + cos(5π/7) = sin(π/7) / 2sin(π/7) = 1/2
[[Special:Contributions/108.162.216.74|108.162.216.74]] 01:57, 16 January 2014 (UTC)

:What is this: sin(6π/7)=sin(π/7) ? A new math is born... --[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 20:49, 16 January 2014 (UTC)

::Actually it does. My proof is geometric: the sines of two supplementary angles (angle a + angle b = π (in radians)) are equivalent because they necessarily have the same x height in a Cartesian plane. Look on a unit circle, or even a sine function. Also, Calculus and most other mathematics use radians over degrees because they make the functions simpler and eliminate irrationality when a trig function shows up, but physics uses degrees because it's easier to understand and taught first. Anonymous 01:27, 13 February 2014 (UTC)

;So, still incomplete?

Where's our (in)complete judge? [[Special:Contributions/199.27.128.186|199.27.128.186]] 19:21, 18 December 2013 (UTC)
:The protip is still a mystery. I'm calling for help a few lines above. --[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 21:16, 18 December 2013 (UTC)

1047: Approximations

2014-02-13T01:12:15Z

173.245.54.91: /* Explanation */

{{comic
| number = 1047
| date = April 25, 2012
| title = Approximations
| image = approximations.png
| titletext = Two tips: 1) 8675309 is not just prime, it's a twin prime, and 2) if you ever find yourself raising log(anything)^e or taking the pi-th root of anything, set down the marker and back away from the whiteboard; something has gone horribly wrong.
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete}}
This comic lists some approximations for numbers, most of them mathematical and physical constants. All of them work astonishingly well. There are reoccurring math jokes along the lines of, “3/5 + π/(7 – π) – √2 = 0, but your calculator is probably not good enough to compute this correctly”, which are mainly used to troll geeks.

Furthermore, there are some useful approximations (which were even more useful in times before calculators) such as “pi is approximately equal to 22/7”.

[[Randall]] makes fun of both of these, using rather strange approximations (honestly: you may handle 22/7, but who can calculate in a sensible way with 99^8, let alone 30^(pi^e)?) to calculate some constants that are easy enough to handle in the decimal system, and stating such “slightly wrong” trick equations, one of which ''is'' actually correct (which may astonish only those who are not familiar with cosines).

There are a few cultural references in this comic:

* 998 and 698 are sexual references.
* “Rent Method” refers to the song “Seasons of Love” from the musical “{{w|Rent (musical)|Rent}}.” The song asks, “How do you measure a year?” One line says “525,600 minutes” while most of the rest of the song suggests the best way to measure a year is moments shared with a loved one.
* (202) 456-1414 is the phone number for the White House switchboard. Truncated, Randall's formula yields 0.2024561414.
* Jenny's constant comes from Tommy Tutone's tune {{w|867-5309/Jenny}}. Randall's formula gives approximately 867.530901981685.
* {{w|42 (number)|42}} is, according to Douglas Adams' ''The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy'', the Answer to Life, the Universe, and Everything.

And here are some of the mathematical and physical ones, with Wikipedia links.

* Informally, the {{w|Planck constant}} is the smallest action possible in quantum mechanics.
* The {{w|fine structure constant}} indicates the strength of electromagnetism. It is unitless and around 0.007297, close to 1/137. At one point it was believed to be exactly the reciprocal of 137, and many people have tried to find a simple formula explaining this (with a pinch of {{w|numerology}} thrown in at times), including the infamous {{w|Arthur Eddington|Sir Arthur Adding-One}}.
* In {{w|mathematics}}, the {{w|Euler-Mascheroni constant}} (Euler gamma constant) is a mysterious number describing the relationship between the {{w|Harmonic series (mathematics)|harmonic series}} and the {{w|natural logarithm}}.
* The {{w|gravitational constant}} relates to, uh, gravity.
* The {{w|gas constant}} relates energy to temperature in physics, as well as a gas's volume, pressure, temperature and {{w|mole (unit)|molar amount}} (hence the name).
* ϕ is the {{w|golden ratio}}, or (1 + √5)/2. It has many interesting geometrical properties.
* The ruby laser wavelength varies because “ruby” is not clearly defined.
* The {{w|Earth radios#mean radii|mean earth radius}} varies because there is not one single way to make a sphere out of the earth. Randall's value lies within the actual variation of Earth's radius.

The correct equation in the "Pro tip - Not all of these are wrong" section is cos(pi/7) + cos(3pi/7) + cos(5pi/7) = 1/2 as [http://math.stackexchange.com/questions/140388/how-can-one-prove-cos-pi-7-cos3-pi-7-cos5-pi-7-1-2 shown here].

The number 8675309 at the title text refers to the song 867-5309/Jenny as mentioned above, causing a fad of people dialing this number and asking for "Jenny". The number is in fact a {{w|twin prime}} because 8675311 is also a prime. Twin primes have always been a subject of interest, because they are comparatively rare, and because it is not yet known whether there are infinitely many of them.

{{w|Pi}} is a natural constant that arises in describing circles or ellipses. As such, useful as it may be, it doesn't usually occur anywhere in an exponent. When it does, such as with complex numbers, taking the pi-th root is rarely helpful. For example, if we try to derive:

''e''π''i'' + 1 = 0

''e''π''i'' = -1

(''e''''i'')π = -1

''e''''i'' = π√(-1)

We get nowhere.

Same goes for the e-th power: e typically appears in the basis of a power (forming the {{w|exponential function}}), not in the exponent. (This is later referenced in [Lethal Neutrinos http://what-if.xkcd.com/73/].

The software referred to in the comic is [http://mrob.com/pub/ries/ ries], a 'reverse calculator' which forms equations matching a given number.
:{| class="wikitable"
|-
| colspan="2" align="center" | Actual
| colspan="2" align="center" | Approximation
|-
| align="center" | One light year(m)
| align="center" | 9.46x1015
| align="center" | 998
| align="center" | 9.23x1015
|-
| align="center" | Earth Surface(m2)
| align="center" |
| align="center" | 698
| align="center" |
|-
| align="center" | Ocean's volume(m3)
| align="center" |
| align="center" | 919
| align="center" |
|-
| align="center" | Seconds in a year
| align="center" | 31557600
| align="center" | 754
| align="center" | 34640625
|-
| align="center" | Seconds in a year (rent method)
| align="center" | 31557600
| align="center" | 525,600 x 60
| align="center" | 31536000
|-
| align="center" | Age of the universe (seconds)
| align="center" |
| align="center" | 1515
| align="center" | 4.379x1017
|-
| align="center" | Planck's constant
| align="center" | 6.626x10-34
| align="center" | 1/(30πe)
| align="center" | 6.685x10-34
|-
| align="center" | Fine structure constant
| align="center" | 7.297x10-3
| align="center" | 1/140
| align="center" | 7.143x10-3
|-
| align="center" | Fundamental charge
| align="center" | 1.602x10-19
| align="center" | 3/(14 * πππ)
| align="center" | 1.599x10-19
|}

==Transcript==
{{incomplete transcript|this still needs some polishing}}
:'''A table of slightly wrong equations and identities useful for approximations and/or trolling teachers.'''
:(Found using a mix of trial-and-error, ''Mathematica'', and Robert Munafo's ''Ries'' tool.)
: All units are SI MKS unless otherwise noted.

:{| class="wikitable"
|-
| colspan="2" align="center" | Relation:
| align="center" | Accurate to within:
|-
| align="center" | One light year(m)
| align="center" | 998
| align="center" | one part in 40
|-
| align="center" | Earth Surface(m2)
| align="center" | 698
| align="center" | one part in 130
|-
| align="center" | Ocean's volume(m3)
| align="center" | 919
| align="center" | one part in 70
|-
| align="center" | Seconds in a year
| align="center" | 754
| align="center" | one part in 400
|-
| align="center" | Seconds in a year (rent method)
| align="center" | 525,600 x 60
| align="center" | one part in 1400
|-
| align="center" | Age of the universe (seconds)
| align="center" | 1515
| align="center" | one part in 70
|-
| align="center" | Planck's constant
| align="center" | 1/(30πe)
| align="center" | one part in 110
|-
| align="center" | Fine structure constant
| align="center" | 1/140
| align="center" | [I've had enough of this 137 crap]
|-
| align="center" | Fundamental charge
| align="center" | 3/(14 * πππ)
| align="center" | one part in 500
|-
| align="center" | White House Switchboard
| colspan="2" align="center" | 1 / 
π√(e(1 + (e-1)√8)
|-
| align="center" | Jenny's Constant
| colspan="2" align="center" | (7(e/1 - 1/e) - 9) * π2
|-
| colspan="3" align="center" | Intermission: World Population Estimate which should stay current for a decade or two: 
Take the last two digits of the current year

Example: 20[14]

Subtract the number of leap years since hurricane Katrina

Example:14 (minus 2008 and 2012) is 12

Add a decimal point

Example: 1.2

Add 6

Example: 6 + 1.2

7.2 = World population in billions.

Version for US population:

Example: 20[14]

Subtract 10

Example: 4

Multiply by 3

Example: 12

Add 10

Example: 3[22] million

|-
| align="center" | Electron rest energy
| align="center" | e/716 Joules
| align="center" | one part in 1000
|-
| align="center" | Light-year(miles)
| align="center" | 2(42.42)
| align="center" | one part in 1000
|-
| colspan="2" align="center" | sin(60°) = 3√/2 = e/π
| align="center" | one part in 1000
|-
| colspan="2" align="center" | √3 = 2e/π
| align="center" | one part in 1000
|-
| align="center" | gamma(Euler's gamma constant)
| align="center" | 1/√3
| align="center" | One part in 4000
|-
| align="center" | Feet in a meter
| align="center" | 5/(e√π)
| align="center" | one part in 4000
|-
| colspan="2" align="center" | √5 = 2/e + 3/2
| align="center" | one part in 7000
|-
| align="center" | Avogadro's number
| align="center" | 69π√5
| align="center" | one part in 25,000
|-
| align="center" | Gravitational constant G
| align="center" | 1 / e(pi - 1)(pi + 1)
| align="center" | one part in 25,000
|-
| align="center" | R(gas constant)
| align="center" | (e+1) √5
| align="center" | one part in 50,000
|-
| align="center" | Proton-electron mass ratio
| align="center" | 6*π5
| align="center" | one part in 50,000
|-
| align="center" | Liters in a gallon
| align="center" | 3 + π/4
| align="center" | one part in 500,000
|-
| align="center" | g
| align="center" | 6 + ln(45)
| align="center" | one part in 750,000
|-
| align="center" | Proton-electron mass ratio
| align="center" | e8 - 10 / ϕ
| align="center" | one part in 5,000,000
|-
| align="center" | Ruby laser wavelength
| align="center" | 1 / (12002)
| align="center" | [within actual variation]
|-
| align="center" | Mean Earth Radius
| align="center" | (58)*6e
| align="center" | [within actual variation]
|-
| colspan="3" align="center" | Protip - not all of these are wrong:
|-
| colspan="2" align="center" | √2 = 3/5 + π/(7-π)
| align="center" | cos(π/7) + cos(3π/7) + cos(5π/7) = 1/2
|-
| align="center" | γ(Euler's gamma constant) = e/34 + e/5
| align="center" | √5 = 13 + 4π / 24 - 4π
| align="center" | Σ 1/nn = ln(3)e
|}

{{comic discussion}}
[[Category:Charts]]
[[Category:Math]]
[[Category:Physics]]
[[Category:Protip]]

866: Compass and Straightedge

2014-02-13T00:13:54Z

173.245.54.91: /* Transcript */ Added a Trivia section. Should it be kept? Or is it too much?

{{comic
| number = 866
| date = February 28, 2011
| title = Compass and Straightedge
| image = compass and straightedge.png
| titletext = The Greeks long suspected this, but it wasn't until April 12th of 1882 that Ferdinand von Lindemann conclusively proved it when he constructed himself the most awesome birthday party possible and nobody showed up.
}}

==Explanation==
{{w|Compass and straightedge constructions}} are a class of problems in classical geometry. They take the form "Using only a compass and a straightedge, construct X", where X is a geometric figure such as a regular pentagon. The subject is typically covered in high school mathematics. Three such constructions ({{w|squaring the circle}}, {{w|trisecting the angle}} and {{w|doubling the cube}}, in case you were wondering - but see the trivia section) remained unsolved for thousands of years before being shown impossible with the use of modern algebraic techniques.

The comic begins as if it were stating a problem in classical geometry but veers into an observation that no amount of technical knowledge can substitute for human companionship. An additional layer of humor is that [[Cueball]] is a stick figure so technically it is possible to create friends with a straightedge and a compass.

{{w|Ferdinand von Lindemann}} was a German mathematician who showed in 1882 that pi is not a zero of any polynomial with rational coefficients, i.e. it is a transcendental number. Transcendental numbers cannot be constructed with straightedge and compass. This proves that {{w|squaring the circle}} (a problem where it is required to construct a square with the same area as a given circle) is impossible, being as the sides of the square would need to be √π times the radius of the circle, and pi is not constructible.

==Transcript==
:I learned in high school what geometers discovered long ago:
:[Cueball, holding a compass and straightedge, looks sad.]
:Using only a compass and straightedge, it's impossible to construct friends.

==Trivia==
Of the three non-constructables, only squaring the circle is considered truly impossible, even by nonmathematicians. Why? Because if you bend the rules a bit (by marking your straight edge twice) you can trisect an angle or double a cube. Similar fudges are used in non-Euclidean constructions (like {{w|origami construction}}) to solve all but squaring the circle, which, as von Lindemann proved, is impossible because of the transcendental nature of π. That did not stop {{w|Edwin J. Goodwin}} from proposing the {{w|Indiana Pi Bill}}, however. Be glad it didn't pass.

{{comic discussion}}
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Math]]

866: Compass and Straightedge

2014-02-12T23:54:57Z

173.245.54.91: /* Explanation */

{{comic
| number = 866
| date = February 28, 2011
| title = Compass and Straightedge
| image = compass and straightedge.png
| titletext = The Greeks long suspected this, but it wasn't until April 12th of 1882 that Ferdinand von Lindemann conclusively proved it when he constructed himself the most awesome birthday party possible and nobody showed up.
}}

==Explanation==
{{w|Compass and straightedge constructions}} are a class of problems in classical geometry. They take the form "Using only a compass and a straightedge, construct X", where X is a geometric figure such as a regular pentagon. The subject is typically covered in high school mathematics. Three such constructions ({{w|squaring the circle}}, {{w|trisecting the angle}} and {{w|doubling the cube}}, in case you were wondering - but see the trivia section) remained unsolved for thousands of years before being shown impossible with the use of modern algebraic techniques.

The comic begins as if it were stating a problem in classical geometry but veers into an observation that no amount of technical knowledge can substitute for human companionship. An additional layer of humor is that [[Cueball]] is a stick figure so technically it is possible to create friends with a straightedge and a compass.

{{w|Ferdinand von Lindemann}} was a German mathematician who showed in 1882 that pi is not a zero of any polynomial with rational coefficients, i.e. it is a transcendental number. Transcendental numbers cannot be constructed with straightedge and compass. This proves that {{w|squaring the circle}} (a problem where it is required to construct a square with the same area as a given circle) is impossible, being as the sides of the square would need to be √π times the radius of the circle, and pi is not constructible.

==Transcript==
:I learned in high school what geometers discovered long ago:
:[Cueball, holding a compass and straightedge, looks sad.]
:Using only a compass and straightedge, it's impossible to construct friends.

{{comic discussion}}
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Math]]

Talk:442: xkcd Loves the Discovery Channel

2014-01-21T09:46:50Z

173.245.54.91:

I think that panel 9 actually is meant to be Black Hat giving the child a present and the lines around the gift suggesting that there is something moving around inside (likely alive and agitated) for the child to open and be mauled/harmed by.
*The transcript comes from [[Randall]] himself, and it says he's taking the present away. [[User:Blaisepascal|Blaisepascal]] ([[User talk:Blaisepascal|talk]]) 10:14, 22 August 2012 (UTC)
:I was hoping it was a bobcat. [[Special:Contributions/76.106.251.87|76.106.251.87]] 19:05, 10 May 2013 (UTC)

Great! Now I have a targeted list of comics to add explanations for! [[User:Blaisepascal|Blaisepascal]] ([[User talk:Blaisepascal|talk]]) 10:14, 22 August 2012 (UTC)

To Dgbrt,
"Links do not belong to the transcript, this needs to be fixed."
I know I'm just a noob here, but if you're so sure of that, why didn't you remove them yourself? Isn't one of WikiMedia's pillars "Be Bold"? I personally see no problem, given the self-referential nature of this comic.
Anonymous 07:53, 12 January 2014 (UTC)

:This is not actually a WikiMedia site, but you're right that "Be Bold" is a wiki thing, in general. Nevertheless, in this case, the official transcript provided by Randall includes these references, so they might as well be wikilinked here. (In Dgbrt's defence, he (or she) may not have had the time to undo it himself (or herself).) [[User:Markhurd|Mark Hurd]] ([[User talk:Markhurd|talk]]) 12:12, 12 January 2014 (UTC)

::No time was in fact my first reason; but on the other hand I didn't want to remove links without an section at the explain section. The links are not from the original transcript, it does only mention the references, and this belongs to the explain. The transcript is a transcript, not more. (even no time today for me on this...) --[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 22:26, 12 January 2014 (UTC)

:::A compelling argument. I'll take care of it. Anonymous. 18:18, 15 January 2014 (UTC)
::::Please remove next time only the links but not the text. --[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 22:23, 15 January 2014 (UTC)
:::::Whoops. Sorry I misinterpreted. Anonymous 09:46, 21 January 2014 (UTC)

442: xkcd Loves the Discovery Channel

2014-01-21T09:45:04Z

173.245.54.91: The transcript, before it was modified at Dgbrt's request, specifically mentioned 72, *not* 325. I'll leave the latter reference in because it's funny (and this is a comic strip wiki). Anonymous.

{{comic
| number = 442
| date = June 27, 2008
| title = xkcd Loves the Discovery Channel
| image = xkcd_loves_the_discovery_channel.png
| titletext = I love the title-text!
}}
==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Entangled sheets is '''not''' ''only'' a sexual position, that's the whole joke. I think we can explain "I put on my robe and wizard hat"; everything could probably be explained a little more besides just linking.}}
This comic is a parody of the {{w|Discovery Channel}} commercial showing various clips of people singing a song with the chorus line [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=at_f98qOGY0 'Boom De Yada']. The comic is divided into a grid of 4 by 6 panels, each depicting a character or situation from a previous xkcd strip. In each panel is written a part of a song similar to the song from the Discovery Channel commercial."

The campaign from the {{w|Discovery Channel}} was not called "Boom De Yada", but {{w|I Love The World}}. The title "xkcd Loves the Discovery Channel" is in reference to this.

Most of the panels are references to previous xkcd strips, but some are not.

;Panel 1 ''I love momentum.''
:A reference to [[162|comic 161]], where Megan spins in a circle to "rob the planet of angular momentum."
;Panel 2 ''I love to engineer.''
:A reference to [[413|comic 413]], where Megan and Cueball turn an EEE PC into a household pet.
;Panel 3 ''I love this bakery!''
:A reference to [[434|comic 434]], where Beret Guy shows his liking for bakeries in first panel.
;Panel 4 ''I love the blogosphere!''
:A reference to [[239|comic 239]], where someone from the far future believes many people blogged while flying and wearing red capes and goggles.
;Panel 5 ''I love the whole world.'' (Cueball running in large hamster ball.)
:Likely a reference to [[152|comic 152]], though there are multiple comics featuring human-sized hamster balls.
;Panel 6 ''And all its messed-up folks.''
:A reference to the /b/ ("Random") forum on {{w|4chan}}, which is in fact home to plenty of "messed-up folks".
;Panel 7 ''Boom de yada, Boom de yada'' (Cueball and Megan immersed in playpen balls.)
:A reference to [[150|comic 150]], where Megan decides that she has the ability to, and wants to, turn her house into a giant playpen.
;Panel 8 ''Boom de yada, Boom de yada'' (''I put on my robe and wizard hat'')
:A reference to [http://knowyourmeme.com/memes/robe-and-wizard-hat this (nsfw)].
;Panel 9 ''I love your suffering.''
:[[Black Hat]] is just being his usual self, as in [[72: Classhole]]. The shaking parcel may reference [[325: A-Minus-Minus]], in which he mails a bobcat.
;Panel 10 ''I love cryptography.''
:This is a subject that comes up often in the comic. Notably, in comics [[153]] and [[177]] before this one.
;Panel 11 ''I love entangled sheets.''
:Sexual reference. Also brought up in comic [[230]].
;Panel 12 ''And kite photography.''
:A reference to Randall Munroe's own hobby of [http://xkcd.com/kite/ kite photography] as well as [[235|comic 235]].
;Panel 13 ''I love the whole world'' (Map of the internet.)
:A reference to [[256|comic 256]], featuring a map of online communities at the time. There is, more directly, a pun on "internet", namely "outernet".
;Panel 14 ''And all its mysteries.''
:A reference to a series of comics on "red spiders:" [[8|8: Red Spiders]], [[43|43: Red Spiders 2]], [[47|47: Counter-Red Spiders]], [[126|126: Red Spiders Cometh]], and [[427|427: Bad Timing]].
;Panel 15 ''Boom de yada, Boom de yada'' (Two people sword-fighting on rolling office chairs.)
:A reference to [[303|comic 303]], where two coders battle with fake swords at work, with the excuse that their code is compiling.
;Panel 16 ''Boom de yada, Boom de yada'' (Classroom with two students and Mrs. Lenhart.)
:Nothing too special, but it does embrace the "everybody joins in" theme behind the commercials. Mrs. Lenhart first properly appeared in [[263|comic 263]] but may have made an appearance in #[[59]].
;Panel 17 ''I love elections'' (''Barack me Obamadeus!'')
:A pun on the song {{w|Rock Me Amadeus}} and US president {{w|Barack Obama}}.
;Panel 18 ''I love transistors.''
:This panel has Cueball's crotch replaced with the (similar-looking) icon used for a {{w|transistor}} in a circuit diagram.
;Panel 19 ''I love weird pillow talk.'' (''There ''must'' be Taft slash fiction.'')
:"[http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/pillow+talk Pillow talk]" means intimate conversations between lovers, "{{w|slash fiction}}" is fan fiction with characters of the same sex, and "Taft" is {{w|William Howard Taft}}, a US President mostly remembered for his severe obesity. It appears they are invoking {{w|rule 34 of the internet}}. Weird pillow talk is also the subject of comic [[69]], while the Taft reference comes from [[214: The Problem with Wikipedia]].
;Panel 20 ''I love your sister.''
:A reference to xkcd's recurring joke of dating the female character's sister, which spans several comics including [[49|comic 49]], [[279|comic 279]], [[317|comic 317]], and [[408|comic 408]].
;Panel 21 ''I love the whole world'' (Roller coaster with Cueball holding chess board)
:A reference to [[249|comic 249]] which inspired an internet meme.
;Panel 22 ''The future's pretty cool!'' (Beret Guy in a forest.)
:Possible reference to [[167|comic 167]], where Cueball and Beret Guy make observations about the future while climbing a tree.
;Panel 23 ''Boom de yada, Boom de yada'' (Megan doing the MC Hammer slide towards Cueball.)
:A reference to [[108|comic 108]], where Hairy falls in love with "a girl whose only mode of transportation is the M.C. Hammer Slide."
;Panel 24 ''Boom de yada, Boom de yada'' (Cueball and Megan on an electric skateboard.)
:A reference to [[409|comic 409]], where Megan and Cueball go on an electric skateboard ride.

The title text just continues the song.

==Transcript==
:[The comic is in parody of the Discovery Channel commercial showing various clips of people singing a song with the chorus line "Boom De Yada."]
:[The comic is divided into a grid of 4 by 6 panels, each depicting a character or situation from a previous xkcd strip.]
:[In each panel is written a part of a song similar to the song from the Discovery Channel commercial.]

:Panel 1: (Reference Comic 162)
:[Megan spinning around.]
:I love momentum.

:Panel 2: (Reference Comic 413)
:[Megan laying on floor tinkering with EEE PC hamster ball robot.]
:I love to engineer.

:Panel 3: (Reference Comic 434)
:[Beret Guy standing in bakery holding a loaf of bread in each hand, sign with "PIE!" in background.]
:I love this bakery!

:Panel 4: (Reference Comic 239)
:[Cory Doctorow in goggles and red cape flying superman-style.]
:I love the blogosphere!

:Panel 5: (Reference Comic 152)
:[Cueball running in large hamster ball.]
:I love the whole world

:Panel 6:
:[Depiction of internet sludge (4chan b-Random)]
:And all its messed-up folks.

:Panel 7: (Reference Comic 150)
:[Cueball and Megan immersed in playpen balls.]
:Boom De Yada
:Boom De Yada

:Panel 8:
:[Mass of playpen balls with speech "I put on my robe and wizard hat" originating from it.]
:Boom De Yada
:Boom De Yada

:Panel 9: (Reference Comic 72)
:[Black Hat taking gift away from kid with party hat.]
:I love your suffering.

:Panel 10: (Reference Comic 153)
:[Diagram showing RSA fingerprint authentication between two people.]
:I love cryptography.

:Panel 11: (Reference Comic 230)
:[Cueball and Megan in bed covered by red sheet.]
:I love entangled sheets.

:Panel 12: (Blag)
:[Cueball hanging from kite string holding camera.]
:And kite photography.

:Panel 13: (Reference Comic 256)
:[Map of the internet.]
:I love the whole world

:Panel 14: (Reference Comic 8)
:[Cube with red spider on top.]
:And all its mysteries.

:Panel 15: (Reference Comic 303)
:[Two people sword-fighting on rolling office chairs.]
:Boom De Yada
:Boom De Yada

:Panel 16: (Reference Comic 263)
:[Classroom with two students and Mrs. Lenhart.]
:Boom De Yada
:Boom De Yada

:Panel 17:
:[Cueball saying "Barack me Obamadeus!" to another man speaking energetically at a podium.]
:I love elections.

:Panel 18:
:[Cueball holding schematic diagram of a transistor in front of his crotch.]
:I love transistors.

:Panel 19: (Reference Comic 69)
:[Cueball and Megan in bed, Cueball saying "There ''must'' be taft slash fiction."]
:I love weird pillow talk.

:Panel 20: (Reference Comic 49, 279, 317)
:[Cueball speaking to Megan.]
:I love your sister.

:Panel 21: (Reference Comic 249)
:[Roller coaster with Cueball in front car holding chess board and thinking about a move.]
:I love the whole world.

:Panel 22: (Reference Comic 167)
:[Beret Guy standing in the midst of leafless trees.]
:The future's pretty cool!

:Panel 23: (Reference Comic 108)
:[Megan doing the MC Hammer slide towards Cueball.]
:Boom De Yada
:Boom De Yada

:Panel 24: (Reference Comic 409)
:[Cueball and Megan on an electric skateboard.]
:Boom De Yada
:Boom De Yada

==Trivia==
*This comic was enacted by Olga Nunes and various famous people as [http://www.olganunes.com/xkcd ''We Love xkcd''].

{{comic discussion}}
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Megan]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Black Hat]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Beret Guy]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Miss Lenhart]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Cory Doctorow]]
[[Category:Comics with color]]
[[Category:Playpen balls]]
[[Category:Red Spiders]]
[[Category:Songs]]
[[Category:Electric skateboard]]

106: Wright Brothers

2014-01-16T11:13:06Z

173.245.54.91: Fixed double lines, so it flows as a paragraph. Also, it says the Wright brothers are "credited with" the invention, that that they actually invented. Anonymous.

{{comic
| number = 106
| date = May 24, 2006
| title = Wright Brothers
| image = wright_brothers.png
| titletext = I'm not sure if this is actually true.
}}

==Explanation==
The {{w|Wright brothers}} are Orville and Wilbur Wright who are credited with the invention of the {{w|airplane}} and the first "controlled, powered and sustained heavier-than-air human flight" in 1903.

[[Cueball]] suggests to [[Megan]] that the Wright Brothers would sometimes argue each other's point during debates in order to "encourage a more balanced debate" – presumably so both brothers would explore all of the arguments on both sides. Megan is initially against the idea, stating that treating emotionally-charged personal issues as if they were academic debates would not work. Cueball argues that it would force each person to consider the other's point of view. However, when Megan then reconsiders, accepts his argument and appears to agree that they should try it, Cueball abruptly switches his position to thinking that it's a terrible idea. The joke is that once Megan agrees with him he employs his Wright Brothers suggestion and takes her initial position that the idea was bad. Thus, the two have switched their arguments and are now exploring the other sides. They may continue in this way to form a well balanced conclusion on the proposal or continually switch sides without ever concluding the argument.

The title text suggests that [[Randall]] may have invented the fact that the Wright brothers used this technique just so he could make the joke in this comic.

==Transcript==
:[Cueball and Megan are talking to each other.]
:Cueball: I've heard that when the Wright brothers argued, they periodically switched sides in the debate to try to encourage a more balanced conclusion.
:Cueball: We should try that in our relationship!

:Megan: It's a neat idea, but I think treating personal issues like a debate will only engender hostility and hurt feelings.

:Cueball: No, I think it would help, by forcing us to consider the other person's point of view.

:Megan: Hmm, maybe you're right.
:Cueball: Am not. It's a bad idea.

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

66: Abusive Astronomy

2014-01-15T21:16:00Z

173.245.54.91: /* Explanation */ Big BEAR not Big DOG! Anonymous.

{{comic
| number = 66
| date = February 20, 2006
| title = Abusive Astronomy
| image = abusive_astronomy.jpg
| titletext = Medium: Pencil on paper
}}
==Explanation==
A constellation is a pattern of stars which form some sort of perceived shape in the night sky. Modern astronomy recognizes 88 unique constellations, but different cultures saw different patterns in the same night sky, going back at least as far as the Babylonians. The {{w|Pleiades}}, {{w|Orion's belt}} and the {{w|Big Dipper}} (formally known as Ursa Major) are among the most common constellations that we recognize today and are among the first taught to people with an interest in astronomy. The Big Dipper is only visible from the {{w|Northern Hemisphere}} and it can be used to help find the north pole star {{w|Polaris}} which is an aid to night-time navigation.

During planetarium tours, the tour guide will point out popular constellations and stars, sometimes they will ask a question to get the audience involved in the presentation. Usually these people are big on showing the wonder of the galaxy and are all smiles, but people have bad days. The comic is presenting an especially aggressive way of introducing the constellations. A sidenote is that the Pleiades, while a famous night-sky object, is not a constellation at all; it is an open star cluster.

When astronomers in the Northern Hemisphere are showing stars to people, there will frequently be someone who points to the Pleiades and says, "There's the Big Dipper!" This gets frustrating about the 100th time that you encounter this error. So, this comic shows someone releasing their frustration on the mis-informed public by pointing out that what they just pointed at is actually the Pleiades. Then, pointing out that you can always locate the Pleiades by following the line of the stars in the belt of Orion. Then, pointing out the REAL Big Dipper.

In the title text, Randall explains that he drew this comic as a ling drawing on white paper, using only a pencil. The image was later inverted for publication.

==Transcript==
:Identifying star clusters:
:[Image of a star cluster.]
:This is the Pleiades, asshole.

:Orion's Belt:
:[Image of Orion's Belt.]
:Only a moron couldn't find it.

:This is the Big Dipper:
:[Image of the Big Dipper.]
:What the hell is wrong with you?

{{comic discussion}}
[[Category:Comics with color]]
[[Category:Astronomy]]

662: iPhone or Droid

2014-01-15T21:08:12Z

173.245.54.91: "Android isn't easy like Linux is." I'm sorry, where does that come up? This explanation looks complete to me. Anonymous.

{{comic
| number = 662
| date = November 13, 2009
| title = iPhone or Droid
| image = iphone_or_droid.png
| titletext = It may be a fundamentally empty experience, but holy crap the Droid's 265 ppi screen is amazing.
}}

==Explanation==
The comic starts to set up a joke about the "phone wars" between the {{w|iPhone}} and phones that run the {{w|Android (operating system)|Android}} system (in this case the {{w|Motorola Droid}}), but instead just brings up a serious point criticizing the {{w|consumerism}} this "war" stems from. In the last line of panel 2, [[Cueball]] refers to the slogan "There's an app for that" from Apple's iPhone marketing.

Then the third panel makes a joke anyway, at Apple's expense: apparently, this "enlightenment app" was rejected from Apple's app store, which is the only supported way to put software on an iPhone. Apple has become infamous for rejecting apps from their app store without adequately explaining why. Android devices, on the other hand, are not limited to an app store and can install software from any origin. Many, however, use the Google Play Store as a primary repository for apps.

In the title text Cueball succumbs to the consumerism and marvels at the Motorola Droids high {{w|Pixel density}}. Apple responded 9 months later by releasing the iPhone 4 with a 326 ppi {{w|Retina Display}}.

==Transcript==
:[Megan sitting at her computer is talking to Cueball standing behind her.]
:Megan: Well, it depends what you want. The iPhone wins on speed and polish, but the Droid has that gorgeous screen and physical keyboard.

:Cueball: What if I want something more than the pale facsimile of fulfillment brought by a parade of ever-fancier toys? To spend my life restlessly producing instead of sedately consuming?
:Cueball: Is there an app for ''that''?

:Megan: Yeah, on both.
:Megan: Wait, no, looks like it was rejected from the iPhone store.
:Cueball: Droid it is, then.

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

1267: Mess

2014-01-15T20:24:58Z

173.245.54.91: /* Explanation */ ...and added another line. Anonymous.

{{comic
| number = 1267
| date = September 20, 2013
| title = Mess
| image = mess.png
| titletext = 'Sorry, I left out my glass of water from last night.' OH GOD I APPARENTLY LIVE IN A GARBAGE PIT.
}}

==Explanation==
There is a common psychological phenomenon which causes people to mentally magnify their own flaws, while failing to notice the flaws of others, so common it apparently doesn't have a scientific name. Many self-conscious people apologize for "the mess" in their home whenever they have guests over, no matter how neat their house looks. If the house is neater than the guest's own home, the guest is likely to say to himself: "If she thinks THIS is messy, what would she think of my place?!" The title text takes this even further.

==Transcript==
:[Cueball and a friend walk into a bedroom. There's a bed, a picture on the wall, some curtains, a rug, and one item on the floor. On the whole, the room is immaculate.]
:Friend: Sorry it's such a disaster in here.
:Cueball: (inside a thought bubble) whoa— what's ''wrong'' with me?
:My room never looks as nice as the rooms other people apologize for.

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]

1267: Mess

2014-01-15T20:22:34Z

173.245.54.91: Reordered the explanation for flow, condensed to one paragraph, dubbed complete. Anonymous.

{{comic
| number = 1267
| date = September 20, 2013
| title = Mess
| image = mess.png
| titletext = 'Sorry, I left out my glass of water from last night.' OH GOD I APPARENTLY LIVE IN A GARBAGE PIT.
}}

==Explanation==
There is a common psychological phenomenon which causes people to mentally magnify their own flaws, while failing to notice the flaws of others. Many self-conscious people apologize for "the mess" in their home whenever they have guests over, no matter how neat their house looks. If the house is neater than the guest's own home, the guest is likely to say to himself: "If she thinks THIS is messy, what would she think of my place?!" The title text takes this even further.

==Transcript==
:[Cueball and a friend walk into a bedroom. There's a bed, a picture on the wall, some curtains, a rug, and one item on the floor. On the whole, the room is immaculate.]
:Friend: Sorry it's such a disaster in here.
:Cueball: (inside a thought bubble) whoa— what's ''wrong'' with me?
:My room never looks as nice as the rooms other people apologize for.

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]

703: Honor Societies

2014-01-15T20:18:57Z

173.245.54.91: Clear, concise, explanatory, complete. If I'm wrong, I'm wrong. Anonymous.

{{comic
| number = 703
| date = February 15, 2010
| title = Honor Societies
| image = honor_societies.png
| titletext = Hey, why do YOU get to be the president of Tautology Clu-- wait, I can guess.
}}

==Explanation==
Cueball has apparently been invited to join an honor society, but he considers the reason he should join to be a circular argument: because honorable people are in honor societies and people who are in honor societies are supposedly honorable. He objects that this is a {{w|tautology}}: a claim that something is true because it is true (and thus a meaningless claim). From this he concludes that he might as well be in a "tautology club" and then starts one. Thus [[Randall]] mocks honor society clubs for being pointless.

The phrase "The first rule of _______ Club" is a reference to the 1999 movie ''{{w|Fight Club}}'' (see also [[922: Fight Club]]), which contains the famous line "The first rule of Fight Club is 'You do not talk about Fight Club,'" a reference to the club's intended secrecy. This phrase has been appropriated for myriad other varieties and parodies, such as the one mentioned in the comic.

The reference to {{w|Facebook}} mocks {{w|Facebook groups}} whose names refer to a number of members they hope to attract (such as [https://www.facebook.com/pages/I-Bet-I-Can-Find-1000000-People-Who-Dislike-Romanian-Dog-Abusers/109442262492204 I Bet I Can Find 1000000 People Who Dislike Romanian Dog Abusers], usually ostensibly to raise awareness for some issue, but perhaps in fact just for the ego-stroking pleasure of amassing a large number of followers. Tautology Club employs this tactic only for the sake of creating yet another tautology.

The answer to the title text would also be a tautology: he gets to be the president because he is the president.

Tautology is mentioned again in [[1310: Goldbach Conjectures]].

==Transcript==
:[Cueball sits at a desk, while a teacher or counselor out of frame advises.]
:Cueball: Wait. I should join this honor society to show colleges I'm honorable, and I'm honorable because I'm in an honor society?
:Teacher: Basically, yes.

:[Tighter shot of Cueball.]
:Cueball: Sounds like I could save time by joining the Tautology Club directly.
:Teacher: That's not a real club.
:Cueball: Then I'm starting it.

:TAUTOLOGY CLUB
:[Seven individuals appear: Ponytail, a man, a shorter male with glasses that bears a striking resemblance to Jason Fox, a taller man with a buzz cut, a brunette woman with curly hair in a ponytail, Megan, and finally Cueball, standing on a box.]
:Ponytail: So how'd you learn about us?
:Man: From your Facebook group, "If 1,000,000 People Join This Group, It Will Have 1,000,000 People In It."
:Cueball: ''LISTEN UP!'' The first rule of Tautology Club is the first rule of Tautology Club.

{{comic discussion}}
[[Category:Philosophy]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Ponytail]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Megan]]

469: Improvised

2014-01-15T20:08:50Z

173.245.54.91:

{{comic
| number = 469
| date = August 29, 2008
| title = Improvised
| image = improvised.png
| titletext = Oh, your brother is Luke. Sorry, should've mentioned that first.
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Star Wars fans: anything else wrong? If not, the tag goes in three days. Anonymous}}
In the film "{{w|Star Wars}} Episode V: {{w|The Empire Strikes Back}}", just before {{w|Han Solo}}, portrayed by {{w|Harrison Ford}}, is frozen in carbonite, the following conversation occurs:
:Leia: I love you.
:Han: I know.

The original script had Han Solo respond with "I love you, too", but Harrison Ford felt that the character would not give such a cliched response, even in the face of likely death and ad-libbed the "I know" line that was actually used in the finished film. The ad-libbed line is generally thought to be better than the original would have been.

The comic presents several alternative ad-libs that Ford could have made in that conversation as well as at various points throughout the trilogy.

; Well, duh
:Here, Han ruins the mood [a dramatic confession] with a flippant statement.
; Han Solo in the cockpit of the Millennium Falcon.
:Another example of an out-of-tone ad-lib. The original line is "never tell me the odds", a nod to Solo's daredevil persona. In this ad-lib, however, he is hesitant to try anything dangerous.
; Oh! Hey, that explains the kissing earlier.
:Another absurd, out-of-character answer to a serious remark, this time with Solo acting romantically oblivious [rather than forward, as he is usually].
; I'm nailing your brother.
: So far Leia doesn't know she has a brother. Also, since ''to nail'' means to penetrate, it should be a shock for her to know that Han is either gay or bisexual. This panel is referenced in the alt-text.
; Hokey religions and ancient weapons are no match for scissors, though they do beat paper and rock.
: The original line is "Hokey religions and ancient weapons are no match for a good blaster at your side, kid", a reference to Luke's force training and lightsaber use. In this ad-lib, Han turns a discussion about weapons into a [unusually formal] discussion about the game {{w|Rock-paper-scissors}}.

;Cool. Listen, this thing is really, REALLY cold.
:Han is in a freezing chamber in this scene. This remark is more of an exaggeration of Han's character than anything–he doesn't care at all about Leia's confession, he's only worried about his own comfort.
; Wowzers
:''Wowzers'' is an expression used by {{w|Inspector Gadget}}; another amusingly out-of-character ad-lib.
; General Solo, is your strike team assembled?
:The original response here is "Uh, my team's ready. I don't have a command crew for the shuttle." In this ad-lib, Han responds to a serious situation [preparations for an important mission to bring down the Galactic Empire] with an unserious response.
;I'd just as soon kiss a wookiee.
:In the original film, Leia's remark "I'd just as soon kiss a wookiee" is meant as an insult to Han, implying that he's less attractive than a great hairy monster. In this ad-lib, though, Han takes her statement literally, and suggests that he is also interested in kissing a wookiee. Chewbacca is Han's wookiee copilot and fellow smuggler. Han's suggestion that he's interested in kissing Chewbacca is unexpected on many levels: firstly, Han's shown interest in Leia, secondly, Chewbacca is an entirely different species, and thirdly, Chewbacca is also male, and Han Solo is presumed by Leia to be straight.

Note: although it's spelled "wookie" in the comic, the canonical spelling of Chewbacca's species is "{{w|Wookiee}}".

;Title text
It refers to the plot twist that {{w|Luke Skywalker}} is princess {{w|Princess Leia|Leia's}} brother, which would not be revealed until the next film in the series. How Han Solo knows this twist at this point in the story is unknown, but he must at least know that Leia has a brother in the center left panel.

==Transcript==
:Harrison Ford famously improvised his "I know" line in E.S.B. Here are a few of his less-successful ad-libs:

:[Han Solo stands in front of Princess Leia on the Cloud City Carbon Freezing Chamber.]
:Leia: I love you.
:Han: Well, duh.

:[Han Solo in the cockpit of the Millennium Falcon.]
:C-3P0: Sir, the possibility of successfully navigating an asteroid field is approximately 3720 to 1!
:Han: Seriously? ...Christ.

:[Han Solo stands in front of Princess Leia on the Cloud City Carbon Freezing Chamber.]
:Leia: I love you.
:Han: Oh! Hey, that explains the kissing earlier.

:[Han Solo stands in front of Princess Leia on the Cloud City Carbon Freezing Chamber.]
:Leia: I love you.
:Han: I'm nailing your brother.

:[Han Solo standing in front of Luke Skywalker, who is holding a blast shield helmet and a lightsaber. The training droid hovers between them.]

:Han: Hokey religions and ancient weapons are no match for scissors, though they do beat paper and rock.

:[Han Solo stands in front of Princess Leia on the Cloud City Carbon Freezing Chamber.]
:Leia: I love you.
:Han: Cool. Listen, this thing is really, really cold.

:[Han Solo stands in front of Princess Leia on the Cloud City Carbon Freezing Chamber.]
:Leia: I love you.
:Han: Wowzers.

:[Han Solo sits with two others. General Madine approaches.]
:Madine: General Solo, is your strike team assembled?
:Han: Barely. They're pretty drunk.

:[Han Solo and Princess Leia stand in an Ice Tunnel of Hoth.]
:Leia: I'd just as soon kiss a wookie.
:Han: Man, me too but Chewie never seems interested. Maybe I should grow my hair out.

{{comic discussion}}
[[Category:Star Wars]]

940: Oversight

2014-01-15T19:58:28Z

173.245.54.91: /* Explanation */

{{comic
| number = 940
| date = August 19, 2011
| title = Oversight
| image = oversight.png
| titletext = I felt so clever when I found a way to game the Fitocracy system by incorporating a set of easy but high-scoring activities into my regular schedule. Took me a bit to realize I'd been tricked into setting up a daily exercise routine.
}}

==Explanation==
[[Megan]] and [[Cueball]] having sex! Against a wall! Over a couch! In some sort of high flying sex swing! {{w|Fitocracy}} is a web site that turns workouts into a social game by awarding points, badges, levels and all sorts of other {{w|Gamification}}. However, according to this cartoon, Fitocracy does not consider sex to be an activity acceptable for its site, despite the high flying nature of Cueball and Megan's sexual workout.

The title text explains how sites like Fitocracy are so successful. Because human brains, especially the cynical ones, like to game the system whenever they can, they will find easy things to do that also score high. In the case of Fitocracy, these are simple exercises that add up a lot when applied daily. But the creators of Fitocracy (and other such successful sights, like Weight Watchers or Lumosity) know this, and, as in Soviet Russia, the system games you into adopting an exercise regimen, or losing weight, or getting smarter, or whatever else there is.

==Transcript==
:[Megan and Cueball have sex up against a wall.]

:[Megan and Cueball have sex standing in an armchair.]

:[Megan and Cueball have sex in a swing, swaying above a table with a flower vase on it.]

:[Fitocracy. The search phrase is "sex" and the site returned "activity not found."]

:[Megan and Cueball stand in front of the computer, Megan is at the keyboard, Cueball stands back wearing a towel on his tail.]
:Megan: Come on! That was like two hours of cardio!
:Cueball: Hmm, let's see... The part on the dresser was ''kind'' of like skiing ...

{{comic discussion}}
[[Category:Comics featuring Megan]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Comics with color]]
[[Category:Sex]]
[[Category:Internet]]

940: Oversight

2014-01-15T19:03:18Z

173.245.54.91: Explained the title text to the best of my ability. Anonymous.

{{comic
| number = 940
| date = August 19, 2011
| title = Oversight
| image = oversight.png
| titletext = I felt so clever when I found a way to game the Fitocracy system by incorporating a set of easy but high-scoring activities into my regular schedule. Took me a bit to realize I'd been tricked into setting up a daily exercise routine.
}}

==Explanation==
[[Megan]] and [[Cueball]] having sex! Against a wall! Over a couch! In some sort of high flying sex swing! {{w|Fitocracy}} is a web site that turns workouts into a social game by awarding points, badges, levels and all sorts of other {{w|Gamification}}. However, according to this cartoon, Fitocracy does not consider sex to be an activity acceptable for its site, despite the high flying nature of Cueball and Megan's sexual workout.

The title text explains how sites like Fitocracy are so successful. Because human brains, especially the cynical ones, like to game the system whenever they can, they will find easy things to do that also score high. In the case of Fitocracy, these are simple exercises that add up a lot when applied daily. But the creators of Fitocracy (and other such successful sights, like Weight Watchers) know this, and, as in Soviet Russia, the system games you into adopting an exercise regimen.

==Transcript==
:[Megan and Cueball have sex up against a wall.]

:[Megan and Cueball have sex standing in an armchair.]

:[Megan and Cueball have sex in a swing, swaying above a table with a flower vase on it.]

:[Fitocracy. The search phrase is "sex" and the site returned "activity not found."]

:[Megan and Cueball stand in front of the computer, Megan is at the keyboard, Cueball stands back wearing a towel on his tail.]
:Megan: Come on! That was like two hours of cardio!
:Cueball: Hmm, let's see... The part on the dresser was ''kind'' of like skiing ...

{{comic discussion}}
[[Category:Comics featuring Megan]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Comics with color]]
[[Category:Sex]]
[[Category:Internet]]

442: xkcd Loves the Discovery Channel

2014-01-15T18:51:15Z

173.245.54.91: As promised, the transcript has no reference links any more. All links supplied by Randall are now in the explanation with context. Anonymous.

{{comic
| number = 442
| date = June 27, 2008
| title = xkcd Loves the Discovery Channel
| image = xkcd_loves_the_discovery_channel.png
| titletext = I love the title-text!
}}
==Explanation==
This comic is a parody of the {{w|Discovery Channel}} commercial showing various clips of people singing a song with the chorus line [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=at_f98qOGY0 'Boom De Yada']. The comic is divided into a grid of 4 by 6 panels, each depicting a character or situation from a previous xkcd strip. In each panel is written a part of a song similar to the song from the Discovery Channel commercial."

The campaign from the {{w|Discovery Channel}} was not called "Boom De Yada", but {{w|I Love The World}}. The title "xkcd Loves the Discovery Channel" is in reference to this.

Most of the panels are references to previous xkcd strips, but some are not.

;Panel 1 ''I love momentum.''
:A reference to [[162|comic 161]], where Megan spins in a circle to "rob the planet of angular momentum."
;Panel 2 ''I love to engineer.''
:A reference to [[413|comic 413]], where Megan and Cueball turn an EEE PC into a household pet.
;Panel 3 ''I love this bakery!''
:A reference to [[434|comic 434]], where Beret Guy shows his liking for bakeries in first panel.
;Panel 4 ''I love the blogosphere!''
:A reference to [[239|comic 239]], where someone from the far future believes many people blogged while flying and wearing red capes and goggles.
;Panel 5 ''I love the whole world.'' (Cueball running in large hamster ball.)
:Likely a reference to [[152|comic 152]], though there are multiple comics featuring human-sized hamster balls.
;Panel 6 ''And all its messed-up folks.''
:A reference to the /b/ ("Random") forum on {{w|4chan}}, which is in fact home to plenty of "messed-up folks".
;Panel 7 ''Boom de yada, Boom de yada'' (Cueball and Megan immersed in playpen balls.)
:A reference to [[150|comic 150]], where Megan decides that she has the ability to, and wants to, turn her house into a giant playpen.
;Panel 8 ''Boom de yada, Boom de yada'' (''I put on my robe and wizard hat'')
:A reference to [http://knowyourmeme.com/memes/robe-and-wizard-hat this (nsfw)].
;Panel 9 ''I love your suffering.''
:[[Black hat]] is just being his usual self, as in [[72: Classhole]].
;Panel 10 ''I love cryptography.''
:This is a subject that comes up often in the comic. Notably, in comics [[153]] and [[177]] before this one.
;Panel 11 ''I love entangled sheets.''
:Sexual reference. Also brought up in comic [[230]].
;Panel 12 ''And kite photography.''
:A reference to Randall Munroe's own hobby of [http://xkcd.com/kite/ kite photography] as well as [[235|comic 235]].
;Panel 13 ''I love the whole world'' (Map of the internet.)
:A reference to [[256|comic 256]], featuring a map of online communities at the time. There is, more directly, a pun on "internet", namely "outernet".
;Panel 14 ''And all its mysteries.''
:A reference to a series of comics on "red spiders:" [[8|8: Red Spiders]], [[43|43: Red Spiders 2]], [[47|47: Counter-Red Spiders]], [[126|126: Red Spiders Cometh]], and [[427|427: Bad Timing]].
;Panel 15 ''Boom de yada, Boom de yada'' (Two people sword-fighting on rolling office chairs.)
:A reference to [[303|comic 303]], where two coders battle with fake swords at work, with the excuse that their code is compiling.
;Panel 16 ''Boom de yada, Boom de yada'' (Classroom with two students and Mrs. Lenhart.)
:Nothing too special, but it does embrace the "everybody joins in" theme behind the commercials. Mrs. Lenhart first properly appeared in [[263|comic 263]] but may have made an appearance in #[[59]].
;Panel 17 ''I love elections'' (''Barack me Obamadeus!'')
:A pun on the song {{w|Rock Me Amadeus}} and US president {{w|Barack Obama}}.
;Panel 18 ''I love transistors.''
:This panel has Cueball's crotch replaced with the (similar-looking) icon used for a {{w|transistor}} in a circuit diagram.
;Panel 19 ''I love weird pillow talk.'' (''There ''must'' be Taft slash fiction.'')
:''[http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/pillow+talk Pillow talk]'' means intimate conversations between lovers, {{w|slash fiction}} is fan fiction with characters of the same sex, and "Taft" is {{w|William Howard Taft}}, a US President mostly remembered for his severe obesity. It appears they are invoking {{w|rule 34 of the internet}}. Weird pillow talk is also the subject of comic [[69]], while the Taft reference comes from [[214: The Problem with Wikipedia]].
;Panel 20 ''I love your sister.''
:A reference to xkcd's recurring joke of dating the female character's sister, which spans several comics including [[49|comic 49]], [[279|comic 279]], [[317|comic 317]], and [[408|comic 408]].
;Panel 21 ''I love the whole world'' (Roller coaster with Cueball holding chess board)
:A reference to [[249|comic 249]] which inspired an internet meme.
;Panel 22 ''The future's pretty cool!'' (Beret Guy in a forest.)
:Possible reference to [[167|comic 167]], where Cueball and Beret Guy make observations about the future while climbing a tree.
;Panel 23 ''Boom de yada, Boom de yada'' (Megan doing the MC Hammer slide towards Cueball.)
:A reference to [[108|comic 108]], where Hairy falls in love with "a girl whose only mode of transportation is the M.C. Hammer Slide."
;Panel 24 ''Boom de yada, Boom de yada'' (Cueball and Megan on an electric skateboard.)
:A reference to [[409|comic 409]], where Megan and Cueball go on an electric skateboard ride.

The title text just continues the song.

==Transcript==
:[The comic is in parody of the Discovery Channel commercial showing various clips of people singing a song with the chorus line "Boom De Yada."]
:[The comic is divided into a grid of 4 by 6 panels, each depicting a character or situation from a previous xkcd strip.]
:[In each panel is written a part of a song similar to the song from the Discovery Channel commercial.]

:Panel 1:
:[Megan spinning around.]
:I love momentum.

:Panel 2:
:[Megan laying on floor tinkering with EEE PC hamster ball robot.]
:I love to engineer.

:Panel 3:
:[Beret Guy standing in bakery holding a loaf of bread in each hand, sign with "PIE!" in background.]
:I love this bakery!

:Panel 4:
:[Cory Doctorow in goggles and red cape flying superman-style.]
:I love the blogosphere!

:Panel 5:
:[Cueball running in large hamster ball.]
:I love the whole world

:Panel 6:
:[Depiction of internet sludge (4chan b-Random)]
:And all its messed-up folks.

:Panel 7:
:[Cueball and Megan immersed in playpen balls.]
:Boom De Yada
:Boom De Yada

:Panel 8:
:[Mass of playpen balls with speech "I put on my robe and wizard hat" originating from it.]
:Boom De Yada
:Boom De Yada

:Panel 9:
:[Black Hat taking gift away from kid with party hat.]
:I love your suffering.

:Panel 10:
:[Diagram showing RSA fingerprint authentication between two people.]
:I love cryptography.

:Panel 11:
:[Cueball and Megan in bed covered by red sheet.]
:I love entangled sheets.

:Panel 12:
:[Cueball hanging from kite string holding camera.]
:And kite photography.

:Panel 13:
:[Map of the internet.]
:I love the whole world

:Panel 14:
:[Cube with red spider on top.]
:And all its mysteries.

:Panel 15:
:[Two people sword-fighting on rolling office chairs.]
:Boom De Yada
:Boom De Yada

:Panel 16:
:[Classroom with two students and Mrs. Lenhart.]
:Boom De Yada
:Boom De Yada

:Panel 17:
:[Cueball saying "Barack me Obamadeus!" to another man speaking energetically at a podium.]
:I love elections.

:Panel 18:
:[Cueball holding schematic diagram of a transistor in front of his crotch.]
:I love transistors.

:Panel 19:
:[Cueball and Megan in bed, Cueball saying "There ''must'' be taft slash fiction."]
:I love weird pillow talk.

:Panel 20:
:[Cueball speaking to Megan.]
:I love your sister.

:Panel 21:
:[Roller coaster with Cueball in front car holding chess board and thinking about a move.]
:I love the whole world.

:Panel 22:
:[Beret Guy standing in the midst of leafless trees.]
:The future's pretty cool!

:Panel 23:
:[Megan doing the MC Hammer slide towards Cueball.]
:Boom De Yada
:Boom De Yada

:Panel 24:
:[Cueball and Megan on an electric skateboard.]
:Boom De Yada
:Boom De Yada

==Trivia==
*This comic was enacted by Olga Nunes and various famous people as [http://www.olganunes.com/xkcd ''We Love xkcd''].

{{comic discussion}}
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Megan]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Black Hat]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Beret Guy]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Miss Lenhart]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Cory Doctorow]]
[[Category:Comics with color]]
[[Category:Playpen balls]]
[[Category:Red Spiders]]
[[Category:Songs]]
[[Category:Electric skateboard]]

Talk:442: xkcd Loves the Discovery Channel

2014-01-15T18:18:11Z

173.245.54.91:

887: Future Timeline

2014-01-15T07:22:48Z

173.245.54.91:

{{comic
| number = 887
| date = April 18, 2011
| title = Future Timeline
| before = [[#Explanation|↓ Skip to explanation ↓]]
| image = future timeline.png
| titletext = Not shown: the approximately 30,000 identical, vaguely hysterical articles titled "WHITE PEOPLE IN [THE US/BRITAIN] TO BECOME MINORITY BY [YEAR]!", which came up for basically any year I put in.
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|almost no elaboration}}
This comic uses the same strategy as comic [[715: Numbers]], in which Randall uses Google to search for phrases and then charts the results. This one is charted as a timeline, whereas 715 was charted as line graphs.

"2101 - War Was Beginning" is a reference to the opening narration of video game ''Zero Wing''; the same narration is famous for the internet meme "All your base are belong to us". As there are not any other out and out references in the comic, and the rest are actually results that you can find if you search using Randall's methods, we're pretty sure "War Was Beginning" came up when he googled 2101 as well.

==Transcript==
:<big>'''THE FUTURE'''</big>
:'''According to Google search results'''
:Events for each year determined by the first page of Google search results for the phrases:
:{|
|-
|"By <year>"
|"In year"
|-
|"By the year <year>"
|"In the year <year>"
|-
|"Will * by the year <year>"
|"Will * in the year <year>"
|-
|"In <year>, * will"
|"By <year>, * will"
|}

:{|
|-
|rowspan="4" width="50px" valign="top"|2012
|World population reaches 7 billion
|-
|Flying cars reach market
|-
|Canada cuts greenhouse emissions to 6% below 1990 levels as per Kyoto
|-
|Apocalypse occurs
|-
|rowspan="4" valign="top"|2013
|National debt paid off through President Clinton's plans
|-
|Microchipping of all Americans begins
|-
|Homelessness ended in Massachusetts
|-
|Health care reform law repealed
|-
|rowspan="2" valign="top"|2014
|US leaves Afghanistan
|-
|GNU/Linux becomes dominant OS
|-
|rowspan="3" valign="top"|2015
|New Horizons reaches Pluto
|-
|Health care law causes hyperinflation
|-
|192 UN member nations achieve millennium development goals:
*Extreme poverty and hunger eradicated
*Universal primary education implemented
*Women empowered, gender equality reached
*Environmental stability ensured
|-
|rowspan="4" valign="top"|2016
|Baby boomers begin turning 65
|-
|Android takes 38% of the smartphone market
|-
|Android takes 45% of the smartphone market
|-
|Windows Phone overtakes iOS in smartphones
|-
|rowspan="5" valign="top"|2017
|China completes unmanned Lunar sample-return mission
|-
|Social Security stops running surplus
|-
|US budget balanced
|-
|Newspapers become obsolete and die out
|-
|Cosmetic surgery doubles
|-
|rowspan="2" valign="top"|2018
|Social Security stops running surplus
|-
|Jesus returns to Earth
|-
|rowspan="2" valign="top"|2019
|Social Security stops running surplus
|-
|Every baby has genes mapped at birth
|-
|rowspan="3" valign="top"|2020
|Solar power becomes cheaper than fossil fuels
|-
|Keyboards and mice become obsolete
|-
|New Tappan Zee bridge constructed
|-
|rowspan="4" valign="top"|2021
|US debt reaches 97% of GDP
|-
|US unemployment falls to 2.8%
|-
|Restored caliphate unifies Middle East
|-
|Lake Mead evaporates
|-
|rowspan="3" valign="top"|2022
|Kilimanjaro snow-free
|-
|HTML 5 finished
|-
|Newspapers become obsolete and die out
|-
|rowspan="3" valign="top"|2023
|Jesus returns to Earth (again)
|-
|US debt passes 100% of GDP
|-
|All unprotected ancient forests gone from Pacific Northwest
|-
|rowspan="5" valign="top"|2024
|Atlantis begins to reappear
|-
|Orangutans extinct in wild
|-
|China lands men and women on the moon
|-
|NASA sets up permanent moon base
|-
|Female professionals pass males in pay
|-
|rowspan="4" valign="top"|2025
|World population reaches 8 billion
|-
|Two billion people face water shortages
|-
|62 MPG cars introduced
|-
|US power fades
|-
|rowspan="5" valign="top"|2026
|Atlantis emerges completely
|-
|Rock Bands die out
|-
|US debt paid off
|-
|Car accidents cease
|-
|West coast falls into ocean
|-
|rowspan="3" valign="top"|2027
|Japan introduces new fastest Maglev train
|-
|Lyndon Larouche-planned Mars colony is established
|-
|Social Security stops running surplus
|-
|rowspan="4" valign="top"|2028
|Tobacco outlawed
|-
|40% of coral reefs gone
|-
|US debt paid off
|-
|Social Security stops running surplus
|-
|rowspan="4" valign="top"|2029
|Social Security trust fund exhausted
|-
|Computers pass the Turing test
|-
|Aging reversed
|-
|Wikipedia reaches 30 Million articles
|-
|rowspan="3" valign="top"|2030
|Half of Amazon rain forest lost to logging
|-
|Cancer deaths double from 2008 levels
|-
|Arctic ice-free in summer
|-
|rowspan="3" valign="top"|2031
|Computers controlled by thought
|-
|Realtors replaced by technology
|-
|Social Security trust fund exhausted
|-
|rowspan="3" valign="top"|2032
|"Big One" hits San Francisco
|-
|US elects first married lesbian President
|-
|Entire world converted to Christianity
|-
|rowspan="3" valign="top"|2033
|Kilimanjaro ice disappears
|-
|India becomes superpower
|-
|Europe reaches Mars
|-
|rowspan="2" valign="top"|2034
|US diabetes cases double, treatment costs triple
|-
|US builds autonomous robot army
|-
|rowspan="3" valign="top"|2035
|80% of America's energy comes from renewable sources
|-
|Himalayan glaciers down 80% in size
|-
|Arctic sea lane opens
|-
|rowspan="2" valign="top"|2036
|80% of US has access to high-speed rail
|-
|Asteroid Apophis misses/hits Earth
|-
|rowspan="2" valign="top"|2037
|Arctic ice-free in September
|-
|Social Security trust fund exhausted
|-
|rowspan="2" valign="top"|2038
|32-bit timestamps roll over, causing Y2K-level chaos
|-
|"Big One" hits California
|-
|rowspan="3" valign="top"|2039
|US population hits 400 Million
|-
|Severe heat waves become commonplace
|-
|Scientology becomes majority religion in US
|-
|rowspan="2" valign="top"|2040
|Arctic summers ice-free
|-
|Nanotechnology makes humans immortal
|-
|rowspan="1" valign="top"|2041
|Social Security trust fund exhausted
|-
|rowspan="1" valign="top"|2042
|
|-
|rowspan="1" valign="top"|2043
|World population passes 9 Billion
|-
|rowspan="2" valign="top"|2044
|Mankind genetically engineered to be happy
|-
|Childhood obesity reaches 100%
|-
|rowspan="1" valign="top"|2045
|Humans and machines merge
|-
|rowspan="1" valign="top"|2046
|World's natural resources depleted
|-
|rowspan="3" valign="top"|2047
|World ruled by banks and corporations
|-
|Tobacco industry fails
|-
|US begins using autonomous attack drones
|-
|rowspan="4" valign="top"|2048
|Salt-water fish extinct from overfishing
|-
|Unisex bathing suits cover body from shoulder to ankle
|-
|Entire US population overweight
|-
|US begins using autonomous attack drones
|-
|rowspan="3" valign="top"|2049
|$1.000 computer exceeds computational ability of humanity
|-
|Singularity occurs
|-
|Fishing industry collapses
|-
|rowspan="5" valign="top"|2050
|80% of Earth's population lives in urban centers
|-
|China controls space
|-
|Sex with robots possible
|-
|Cars banned from European cities
|-
|One million species extinct from climate change
|-
|rowspan="1" valign="top"|2051
|Atmosphere escapes into space
|-
|rowspan="1" valign="top"|2052
|Medicare, Medicaid, and Social Security spending exceed total US revenue
|-
|rowspan="3" valign="top"|2053
|US budget balanced
|-
|Majority of Americans in prison
|-
|Cars driven by dogs
|-
|rowspan="1" valign="top"|2054
|Hunger becomes unimaginable global problem
|-
|rowspan="3" valign="top"|2055
|Atmospheric CO2 doubled
|-
|Oil runs out
|-
|Copper, tin, lead, gold, and nickel all exhausted
|-
|rowspan="2" valign="top"|2056
|RFID-tagged driverless cars
|-
|Robots given same rights as humans
|-
|rowspan="2" valign="top"|2057
|150 Japanese settlers on Mars
|-
|Colorado River runs dry
|-
|rowspan="1" valign="top"|2058
|Smoking ends in New Zealand
|-
|rowspan="1" valign="top"|2059
|Humans have domesticated robots
|-
|rowspan="4" valign="top"|2060
|Human race lives in peace
|-
|Extreme droughts across much of Earth
|-
|Global temperature rise reaches 4°C
|-
|Oil runs out again
|-
|rowspan="1" valign="top"|2061
|Halley's comet returns
|-
|rowspan="2" valign="top"|2062
|Uganda hosts World Cup
|-
|The Jetsons
|-
|rowspan="4" valign="top"|2063
|First human clones reach adulthood
|-
|Population of Moon reaches 100,000
|-
|Population of Mars reaches 10,000
|-
|Spacecraft exceed speed of light
|-
|rowspan="1" valign="top"|2064
|Clean Air Act finishes reducing haze in national parks to natural levels
|-
|rowspan="2" valign="top"|2065
|Last coral reefs die out
|-
|Chernobyl cleanup complete
|-
|rowspan="1" valign="top"|2066
|Cyprus achieves its goal
|-
|rowspan="2" valign="top"|2067
|Americans live in domed cities and watch 3D TV
|-
|Redheads go extinct
|-
|rowspan="3" valign="top"|2068
|Ozone hole over Antarctic finishes recovering
|-
|Lord Jesus rules Earth from throne in Jerusalem
|-
|Entire world population gay due to chemicals in the water
|-
|rowspan="1" valign="top"|2069
|Public masturbation legalized
|-
|rowspan="3" valign="top"|2070
|World population peaks
|-
|City-scale flooding disasters
|-
|60% of world's energy comes from renewable sources
|-
|rowspan="2" valign="top"|2071
|Europe's temperatures rise by 3°C
|-
|World summer temperatures rise by 5°C
|-
|rowspan="1" valign="top"|2072
|US retirement age is set to 75
|-
|rowspan="1" valign="top"|2073
|Oceans do not rise one foot
|-
|rowspan="2" valign="top"|2074
|Number of 100-year-olds reaches one million
|-
|Supertyphoons hit Japan
|-
|rowspan="1" valign="top"|2075
|US retirement age set to 69
|-
|rowspan="2" valign="top"|2076
|Average scientific paper has more than 24 authors
|-
|Social Security trust fund exhausted
|-
|rowspan="1" valign="top"|2077
|
|-
|rowspan="1" valign="top"|2078
|Newspapers become obsolete and die out
|-
|rowspan="4" valign="top"|2079
|US debt reaches 716% of GDP
|-
|Lodgepole pines disappear from Northwest
|-
|Floods commonplace
|-
|Religion marginalized
|-
|rowspan="2" valign="top"|2080
|Federal spending reaches 70% of GDP
|-
|UK population doubles
|-
|rowspan="1" valign="top"|2081
|
|-
|rowspan="1" valign="top"|2082
|World population declines to one billion
|-
|rowspan="1" valign="top"|2083
|
|-
|rowspan="1" valign="top"|2084
|Robot policemen introduced
|-
|rowspan="1" valign="top"|2085
|US deficit reaches 62% of GDP
|-
|rowspan="1" valign="top"|2086
|
|-
|rowspan="1" valign="top"|2087
|
|-
|rowspan="1" valign="top"|2088
|Japan becomes all-robot country
|-
|rowspan="1" valign="top"|2089
|World halts fossil fuel use
|-
|rowspan="2" valign="top"|2090
|Global warming hits 7°C
|-
|Global warming hits 4°C
|-
|rowspan="1" valign="top"|2091
|
|-
|rowspan="1" valign="top"|2092
|
|-
|rowspan="1" valign="top"|2093
|
|-
|rowspan="1" valign="top"|2094
|
|-
|rowspan="1" valign="top"|2095
|
|-
|rowspan="1" valign="top"|2096
|
|-
|rowspan="1" valign="top"|2097
|
|-
|rowspan="1" valign="top"|2098
|
|-
|rowspan="1" valign="top"|2099
|
|-
|rowspan="11" valign="top"|2100
|Global warming around 5-7°C
|-
|Sea levels have risen by a meter or more
|-
|Joshua trees nearly extinct
|-
|Earth's climate resembles that of the Cretaceous
|-
|Germany tropical
|-
|Emperor penguins extinct
|-
|Arctic permafrost thaws
|-
|Rising seas flood coastal cities
|-
|Rain forests mostly gone due to climatic shifts
|-
|All coral reefs gone
|-
|Gillette introduces 14-bladed razor
|-
|rowspan="1" valign="top"|2101
|WAR WAS BEGINNING
|}

{{comic discussion}}
[[Category:Charts]]

887: Future Timeline

2014-01-15T07:16:54Z

173.245.54.91:

{{comic
| number = 887
| date = April 18, 2011
| title = Future Timeline
| image = future timeline.png
| titletext = Not shown: the approximately 30,000 identical, vaguely hysterical articles titled "WHITE PEOPLE IN [THE US/BRITAIN] TO BECOME MINORITY BY [YEAR]!", which came up for basically any year I put in.
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|almost no elaboration}}
This comic uses the same strategy as comic [[715: Numbers]], in which Randall uses Google to search for phrases and then charts the results. This one is charted as a timeline, whereas 715 was charted as line graphs.

"2101 - War Was Beginning" is a reference to the opening narration of video game ''Zero Wing''; the same narration is famous for the internet meme "All your base are belong to us". As there are not any other out and out references in the comic, and the rest are actually results that you can find if you search using Randall's methods, we're pretty sure "War Was Beginning" came up when he googled 2101 as well.

==Transcript==
:<big>'''THE FUTURE'''</big>
:'''According to Google search results'''
:Events for each year determined by the first page of Google search results for the phrases:
:{|
|-
|"By <year>"
|"In year"
|-
|"By the year <year>"
|"In the year <year>"
|-
|"Will * by the year <year>"
|"Will * in the year <year>"
|-
|"In <year>, * will"
|"By <year>, * will"
|}

:{|
|-
|rowspan="4" width="50px" valign="top"|2012
|World population reaches 7 billion
|-
|Flying cars reach market
|-
|Canada cuts greenhouse emissions to 6% below 1990 levels as per Kyoto
|-
|Apocalypse occurs
|-
|rowspan="4" valign="top"|2013
|National debt paid off through President Clinton's plans
|-
|Microchipping of all Americans begins
|-
|Homelessness ended in Massachusetts
|-
|Health care reform law repealed
|-
|rowspan="2" valign="top"|2014
|US leaves Afghanistan
|-
|GNU/Linux becomes dominant OS
|-
|rowspan="3" valign="top"|2015
|New Horizons reaches Pluto
|-
|Health care law causes hyperinflation
|-
|192 UN member nations achieve millennium development goals:
*Extreme poverty and hunger eradicated
*Universal primary education implemented
*Women empowered, gender equality reached
*Environmental stability ensured
|-
|rowspan="4" valign="top"|2016
|Baby boomers begin turning 65
|-
|Android takes 38% of the smartphone market
|-
|Android takes 45% of the smartphone market
|-
|Windows Phone overtakes iOS in smartphones
|-
|rowspan="5" valign="top"|2017
|China completes unmanned Lunar sample-return mission
|-
|Social Security stops running surplus
|-
|US budget balanced
|-
|Newspapers become obsolete and die out
|-
|Cosmetic surgery doubles
|-
|rowspan="2" valign="top"|2018
|Social Security stops running surplus
|-
|Jesus returns to Earth
|-
|rowspan="2" valign="top"|2019
|Social Security stops running surplus
|-
|Every baby has genes mapped at birth
|-
|rowspan="3" valign="top"|2020
|Solar power becomes cheaper than fossil fuels
|-
|Keyboards and mice become obsolete
|-
|New Tappan Zee bridge constructed
|-
|rowspan="4" valign="top"|2021
|US debt reaches 97% of GDP
|-
|US unemployment falls to 2.8%
|-
|Restored caliphate unifies Middle East
|-
|Lake Mead evaporates
|-
|rowspan="3" valign="top"|2022
|Kilimanjaro snow-free
|-
|HTML 5 finished
|-
|Newspapers become obsolete and die out
|-
|rowspan="3" valign="top"|2023
|Jesus returns to Earth (again)
|-
|US debt passes 100% of GDP
|-
|All unprotected ancient forests gone from Pacific Northwest
|-
|rowspan="5" valign="top"|2024
|Atlantis begins to reappear
|-
|Orangutans extinct in wild
|-
|China lands men and women on the moon
|-
|NASA sets up permanent moon base
|-
|Female professionals pass males in pay
|-
|rowspan="4" valign="top"|2025
|World population reaches 8 billion
|-
|Two billion people face water shortages
|-
|62 MPG cars introduced
|-
|US power fades
|-
|rowspan="5" valign="top"|2026
|Atlantis emerges completely
|-
|Rock Bands die out
|-
|US debt paid off
|-
|Car accidents cease
|-
|West coast falls into ocean
|-
|rowspan="3" valign="top"|2027
|Japan introduces new fastest Maglev train
|-
|Lyndon Larouche-planned Mars colony is established
|-
|Social Security stops running surplus
|-
|rowspan="4" valign="top"|2028
|Tobacco outlawed
|-
|40% of coral reefs gone
|-
|US debt paid off
|-
|Social Security stops running surplus
|-
|rowspan="4" valign="top"|2029
|Social Security trust fund exhausted
|-
|Computers pass the Turing test
|-
|Aging reversed
|-
|Wikipedia reaches 30 Million articles
|-
|rowspan="3" valign="top"|2030
|Half of Amazon rain forest lost to logging
|-
|Cancer deaths double from 2008 levels
|-
|Arctic ice-free in summer
|-
|rowspan="3" valign="top"|2031
|Computers controlled by thought
|-
|Realtors replaced by technology
|-
|Social Security trust fund exhausted
|-
|rowspan="3" valign="top"|2032
|"Big One" hits San Francisco
|-
|US elects first married lesbian President
|-
|Entire world converted to Christianity
|-
|rowspan="3" valign="top"|2033
|Kilimanjaro ice disappears
|-
|India becomes superpower
|-
|Europe reaches Mars
|-
|rowspan="2" valign="top"|2034
|US diabetes cases double, treatment costs triple
|-
|US builds autonomous robot army
|-
|rowspan="3" valign="top"|2035
|80% of America's energy comes from renewable sources
|-
|Himalayan glaciers down 80% in size
|-
|Arctic sea lane opens
|-
|rowspan="2" valign="top"|2036
|80% of US has access to high-speed rail
|-
|Asteroid Apophis misses/hits Earth
|-
|rowspan="2" valign="top"|2037
|Arctic ice-free in September
|-
|Social Security trust fund exhausted
|-
|rowspan="2" valign="top"|2038
|32-bit timestamps roll over, causing Y2K-level chaos
|-
|"Big One" hits California
|-
|rowspan="3" valign="top"|2039
|US population hits 400 Million
|-
|Severe heat waves become commonplace
|-
|Scientology becomes majority religion in US
|-
|rowspan="2" valign="top"|2040
|Arctic summers ice-free
|-
|Nanotechnology makes humans immortal
|-
|rowspan="1" valign="top"|2041
|Social Security trust fund exhausted
|-
|rowspan="1" valign="top"|2042
|
|-
|rowspan="1" valign="top"|2043
|World population passes 9 Billion
|-
|rowspan="2" valign="top"|2044
|Mankind genetically engineered to be happy
|-
|Childhood obesity reaches 100%
|-
|rowspan="1" valign="top"|2045
|Humans and machines merge
|-
|rowspan="1" valign="top"|2046
|World's natural resources depleted
|-
|rowspan="3" valign="top"|2047
|World ruled by banks and corporations
|-
|Tobacco industry fails
|-
|US begins using autonomous attack drones
|-
|rowspan="4" valign="top"|2048
|Salt-water fish extinct from overfishing
|-
|Unisex bathing suits cover body from shoulder to ankle
|-
|Entire US population overweight
|-
|US begins using autonomous attack drones
|-
|rowspan="3" valign="top"|2049
|$1.000 computer exceeds computational ability of humanity
|-
|Singularity occurs
|-
|Fishing industry collapses
|-
|rowspan="5" valign="top"|2050
|80% of Earth's population lives in urban centers
|-
|China controls space
|-
|Sex with robots possible
|-
|Cars banned from European cities
|-
|One million species extinct from climate change
|-
|rowspan="1" valign="top"|2051
|Atmosphere escapes into space
|-
|rowspan="1" valign="top"|2052
|Medicare, Medicaid, and Social Security spending exceed total US revenue
|-
|rowspan="3" valign="top"|2053
|US budget balanced
|-
|Majority of Americans in prison
|-
|Cars driven by dogs
|-
|rowspan="1" valign="top"|2054
|Hunger becomes unimaginable global problem
|-
|rowspan="3" valign="top"|2055
|Atmospheric CO2 doubled
|-
|Oil runs out
|-
|Copper, tin, lead, gold, and nickel all exhausted
|-
|rowspan="2" valign="top"|2056
|RFID-tagged driverless cars
|-
|Robots given same rights as humans
|-
|rowspan="2" valign="top"|2057
|150 Japanese settlers on Mars
|-
|Colorado River runs dry
|-
|rowspan="1" valign="top"|2058
|Smoking ends in New Zealand
|-
|rowspan="1" valign="top"|2059
|Humans have domesticated robots
|-
|rowspan="4" valign="top"|2060
|Human race lives in peace
|-
|Extreme droughts across much of Earth
|-
|Global temperature rise reaches 4°C
|-
|Oil runs out again
|-
|rowspan="1" valign="top"|2061
|Halley's comet returns
|-
|rowspan="2" valign="top"|2062
|Uganda hosts World Cup
|-
|The Jetsons
|-
|rowspan="4" valign="top"|2063
|First human clones reach adulthood
|-
|Population of Moon reaches 100,000
|-
|Population of Mars reaches 10,000
|-
|Spacecraft exceed speed of light
|-
|rowspan="1" valign="top"|2064
|Clean Air Act finishes reducing haze in national parks to natural levels
|-
|rowspan="2" valign="top"|2065
|Last coral reefs die out
|-
|Chernobyl cleanup complete
|-
|rowspan="1" valign="top"|2066
|Cyprus achieves its goal
|-
|rowspan="2" valign="top"|2067
|Americans live in domed cities and watch 3D TV
|-
|Redheads go extinct
|-
|rowspan="3" valign="top"|2068
|Ozone hole over Antarctic finishes recovering
|-
|Lord Jesus rules Earth from throne in Jerusalem
|-
|Entire world population gay due to chemicals in the water
|-
|rowspan="1" valign="top"|2069
|Public masturbation legalized
|-
|rowspan="3" valign="top"|2070
|World population peaks
|-
|City-scale flooding disasters
|-
|60% of world's energy comes from renewable sources
|-
|rowspan="2" valign="top"|2071
|Europe's temperatures rise by 3°C
|-
|World summer temperatures rise by 5°C
|-
|rowspan="1" valign="top"|2072
|US retirement age is set to 75
|-
|rowspan="1" valign="top"|2073
|Oceans do not rise one foot
|-
|rowspan="2" valign="top"|2074
|Number of 100-year-olds reaches one million
|-
|Supertyphoons hit Japan
|-
|rowspan="1" valign="top"|2075
|US retirement age set to 69
|-
|rowspan="2" valign="top"|2076
|Average scientific paper has more than 24 authors
|-
|Social Security trust fund exhausted
|-
|rowspan="1" valign="top"|2077
|
|-
|rowspan="1" valign="top"|2078
|Newspapers become obsolete and die out
|-
|rowspan="4" valign="top"|2079
|US debt reaches 716% of GDP
|-
|Lodgepole pines disappear from Northwest
|-
|Floods commonplace
|-
|Religion marginalized
|-
|rowspan="2" valign="top"|2080
|Federal spending reaches 70% of GDP
|-
|UK population doubles
|-
|rowspan="1" valign="top"|2081
|
|-
|rowspan="1" valign="top"|2082
|World population declines to one billion
|-
|rowspan="1" valign="top"|2083
|
|-
|rowspan="1" valign="top"|2084
|Robot policemen introduced
|-
|rowspan="1" valign="top"|2085
|US deficit reaches 62% of GDP
|-
|rowspan="1" valign="top"|2086
|
|-
|rowspan="1" valign="top"|2087
|
|-
|rowspan="1" valign="top"|2088
|Japan becomes all-robot country
|-
|rowspan="1" valign="top"|2089
|World halts fossil fuel use
|-
|rowspan="2" valign="top"|2090
|Global warming hits 7°C
|-
|Global warming hits 4°C
|-
|rowspan="1" valign="top"|2091
|
|-
|rowspan="1" valign="top"|2092
|
|-
|rowspan="1" valign="top"|2093
|
|-
|rowspan="1" valign="top"|2094
|
|-
|rowspan="1" valign="top"|2095
|
|-
|rowspan="1" valign="top"|2096
|
|-
|rowspan="1" valign="top"|2097
|
|-
|rowspan="1" valign="top"|2098
|
|-
|rowspan="1" valign="top"|2099
|
|-
|rowspan="11" valign="top"|2100
|Global warming around 5-7°C
|-
|Sea levels have risen by a meter or more
|-
|Joshua trees nearly extinct
|-
|Earth's climate resembles that of the Cretaceous
|-
|Germany tropical
|-
|Emperor penguins extinct
|-
|Arctic permafrost thaws
|-
|Rising seas flood coastal cities
|-
|Rain forests mostly gone due to climatic shifts
|-
|All coral reefs gone
|-
|Gillette introduces 14-bladed razor
|-
|rowspan="1" valign="top"|2101
|WAR WAS BEGINNING
|}

{{comic discussion}}
[[Category:Charts]]

918: Google+

2014-01-13T20:30:27Z

173.245.54.91: /* Explanation */ Reordered the first paragraph. It was a little awkward. Anonymous.

{{comic
| number = 918
| date = June 29, 2011
| title = Google+
| image = googleplus.png
| titletext = On one hand, you'll never be able to convince your parents to switch. On the other hand, you'll never be able to convince your parents to switch!
}}

==Explanation==
{{w|Google+}} is a new {{w|social network}} announced by {{w|Google}} on June 28, 2011. When it launched there were many [http://www.pcworld.com/article/231368/google_social_network_hands_on_first_impressions.html tech articles] written about G+, which appears to look and/or function similarly to Facebook. In the first panel, [[Megan]] describes G+ as ‘not {{w|Facebook}}’. Facebook is a popular social networking site. She then describes G+ as being like Facebook.

After [[Cueball]] thinks about it in the second frame, he comes to a realization in the third frame that ‘a social network like Facebook, but not related to Facebook’ is all he really wanted. This is in reference to the backlash that happens every so often wherein people grow tired of Facebook, its arcane policies, its cavalier attitude toward user privacy and/or its general disdain for end users, and people want to leave Facebook, but have no comparable platform to move their social networking to.

The title text uses "you'll never be able to convince your parents to switch" as both point and counterpoint in an argument, since this fact has both negative (your parents won't see posts you want them to see, and won't be able to post things for you to see) and positive (your parents won't see posts you don't want them to see, and you won't have to worry about keeping up with their posts) implications.

==Transcript==
:Megan: You should join Google+!
:Cueball: What is it?
:Megan: Not Facebook!
:Cueball: What's it like?
:Megan: Facebook!

:[Cueball considers.]

:Cueball: Oh, what the hell.
:Cueball: I guess that's all I really wanted.
:''click''

{{comic discussion}}
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Megan]]
[[Category:Social networking]]