explain xkcd - User contributions [en]

https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/api.php?action=feedcontributions&feedformat=atom&user=173.245.55.66 explain xkcd - User contributions [en] 2026-05-31T06:59:21Z User contributions MediaWiki 1.30.0 https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=Talk:1532:_New_Horizons&diff=102374 Talk:1532: New Horizons 2015-09-24T21:48:36Z

<p>173.245.55.66: </p> <hr /> <div>Anyone know why the text on the comic was heavily aliased (pixelated edges), although it's since been fixed on the xkcd website? [[User:Keavon|Keavon]] ([[User talk:Keavon|talk]]) 07:45, 1 June 2015 (UTC)<br /> :Probably a bad setting on the PNG compression by Randall when saving. Maybe he's trying to optimize file size (although in this case, the quality suffered). --BigMal // [[Special:Contributions/108.162.238.192|108.162.238.192]] 11:53, 1 June 2015 (UTC)<br /> :Did the quality of the comic improve over time? Might have been a reference to the images provided by new horizons becoming more clear as it approached[[Special:Contributions/108.162.215.113|108.162.215.113]] 12:51, 5 June 2015 (UTC)<br /> :There's some weirdness in the earth images, too. You can see it if you bump the contrast and brightness a bunch -- there's a rectangular box around Earth, which it sits at the right end of. There's also a slight gradient in the box that's brighter at the right side, a couple of meandering green lines in the brightest part of the gradient, a series of green X shapes at lower left, and a repeating pattern of green, blue and pure black at top left. Curious, could be intentional or simply an artifact of how Randall made the image. [[Special:Contributions/108.162.217.167|108.162.217.167]] 21:21, 22 June 2015 (UTC)<br /> <br /> According to Wikipedia, "in August 2014, astronomers made high-precision measurements of Pluto's location and orbit around the Sun using the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array to help NASA's New Horizons spacecraft accurately home in on Pluto." Was Steve involved in these measurements too? (And any of the numerous ways by which it can be determined how far away NH is and which way it is travelling!)--[[User:Laverock|Laverock]] ([[User talk:Laverock|talk]]) 12:43, 1 June 2015 (UTC)<br /> <br /> This joke appears to be aimed at the implausibility of the Horizon Mission’s concept art, which looks suspiciously like earth. The image shows deserts, mountains and oceans which appear to be “riffs off” of a satellite image of the Horn of Africa, western Asia, and the Indian Ocean. <br /> Examples: <br /> Artist's conception of New Horizons at Pluto. Image Credit: NASA<br /> http://www.nasa.gov/sites/default/files/15-011a.jpg<br /> Image usage:<br /> http://www.spaceflightinsider.com/missions/solar-system/new-horizons-starts-first-phase-pluto-encounter/<br /> :I think that -is- Earth, a view of the probe right after it was launched. Then again... Classic Star Trek episode "Miri" is set on a distant planet with identical continents to Earth for no reason except to get you interested quickly. It was made before "Planet of the Apes" by the way (spoiler). An unsatisfactory novel called "Preserver" revisits it and proposes there are super-powered aliens just messing with us. Actually in Star Trek there are super-powered aliens just messing with us about every third week and they usually constructed their own gonzo planet just for that purpose, so the assumption that these are new, unknown super-powered aliens is unjustified, but of course true (The Preservers), unless they are really Organians or Q but they just don't say so. And if the Planet Copiers are abroad, who's to say that Earth is the original. Outside Trek, it's also even odds that a fictional Counter-Earth planet on the other side of the sun - there have been several although it's physically impossible - has identical continents to Earth. And in "D.R. and Quinch Have Fun On Earth", our continents are alien graffiti, unfortunately leading to cleanup. Love, Robert Carnegie rja.carnegie@excite.com [[Special:Contributions/141.101.99.123|141.101.99.123]] 11:17, 12 June 2015 (UTC)<br /> <br /> I do not know if the image is concept art for the New Horizon mission from back in 2006; or if it is a more generic space exploration art work. It is hard to imagine that it is specific to the New Horizon’s Mission.<br /> One should ask New Horizons mission members to comment. There must be an interesting inside story. [[User:Dfh42|Dfh42]] ([[User talk:Dfh42|talk]]) 15:49, 1 June 2015 (UTC)<br /> <br /> This earlier mission art is probably closer to what Randall would consider plausible:<br /> http://www.nasa.gov/multimedia/imagegallery/image_feature_267.html [[User:Dfh42|Dfh42]] ([[User talk:Dfh42|talk]]) 16:29, 1 June 2015 (UTC)<br /> <br /> Waitasec, wouldn't the people on the ground know pretty much the exact position of this probe at all times? If nothing else they know its direction and distance from earth just by monitoring their communications with it. [[User:Odysseus654|Odysseus654]] ([[User talk:Odysseus654|talk]]) 17:45, 1 June 2015 (UTC)<br /> :Yes, that is the joke.[[User:Zeimusu|Zeimusu]] ([[User talk:Zeimusu|talk]]) 21:18, 3 June 2015 (UTC)<br /> <br /> ;Slingshot maneuver<br /> <br /> It uses the gravity of a planet to alter the path and speed of a spacecraft. [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gravity_assist Reference] I guess Steve miscalculated the maneuver. --[[User:Arturotena|Arturotena]] ([[User talk:Arturotena|talk]]) 06:41, 1 June 2015 (UTC)<br /> <br /> ;References<br /> <br /> # Related tweet: [https://twitter.com/NASANewHorizons/status/603652798622920704 As @NASANewHorizons gets closer, our view of #Pluto gets better and better!].<br /> # Related link: [http://www.nasa.gov/feature/nasa-s-new-horizons-sees-more-detail-as-it-draws-closer-to-pluto NASA’s New Horizons Sees More Detail as It Draws Closer to Pluto].<br /> # [http://dawn.jpl.nasa.gov/team/ NASA Dawn Team]<br /> --[[User:Arturotena|Arturotena]] ([[User talk:Arturotena|talk]]) 06:34, 1 June 2015 (UTC)<br /> <br /> ;Distance?<br /> <br /> If Pluto is 39.26 AU from the Sun, how can New Horizons be 0.34 AU from Pluto and 32.55 AU from the Sun? [[Special:Contributions/141.101.64.35|141.101.64.35]] 20:54, 1 June 2015 (UTC)<br /> :I reinserted the sentence semi-major axis, and I added a Wikipedia link: {{w|semi-major axis}}. [[Special:Contributions/108.162.238.144|108.162.238.144]] 21:47, 1 June 2015 (UTC)<br /> <br /> Why is the distance even in the explanation ? -- I move to strike and delete [[User:Spongebog|Spongebog]] ([[User talk:Spongebog|talk]]) 15:02, 2 June 2015 (UTC)<br /> <br /> ;No rotation and an imminent impact?<br /> <br /> Most likely it's just a concession to making the cartoon easier to draw, but I'd note that between the third and fifth frames, Earth appears not to rotate noticeably. That implies either extreme speed, or less likely, slow enough speed that Earth is conveniently managing one or more complete rotations between frames. Since the conversation is implied to continue throughout, we can safely presume the former. That suggests an imminent collision somewhere on (or near) the southern coast of Yemen. [[Special:Contributions/108.162.217.167|108.162.217.167]] 21:21, 22 June 2015 (UTC)<br /> <br /> ;Steve?<br /> <br /> So is Steve a character now? What about a dwarf character? [[User:Z|Z]] ([[User talk:Z|talk]]) 20:22, 2 June 2015 (UTC)<br /> <br /> : There must be other people named "Steve" ! [[User:Spongebog|Spongebog]] ([[User talk:Spongebog|talk]]) 06:35, 3 June 2015 (UTC)<br /> <br /> :: No, Steve was an {{w|only child}} . . . . [[User:Spongebog|BingoBash]] ([[User talk:Spongebog|talk]]) 06:45, 3 June 2015 (UTC)<br /> <br /> Btw, Steve was also mentioned in comic 228. [[User:TronX7|TronX7]] ([[User talk:TronX7|talk]]) 06:59, 5 June 2015 (UTC)<br /> <br /> I didn't even see this as a representation of Earth. As I looked at each image, I thought I was seeing an image of Goofy (rather than Pluto) as seen through a glass orb. [[Special:Contributions/108.162.237.165|108.162.237.165]] 20:26, 9 June 2015 (UTC)<br /> <br /> I've fixed the three opaque links. I'll remove the incomplete tag in the next few days, unless anybody objects. [[User:Cosmogoblin|Cosmogoblin]] ([[User talk:Cosmogoblin|talk]]) 14:10, 24 June 2015 (UTC)<br /> <br /> 108.162.215.26 (why are all the anonymous contributors on this page Californian? You're the other side of the country, you don't need to worry about NASA missions exploding!) added a link about the worst-case scenario in the event of a launch disaster, but just copied it from Wikipedia without checking - it was broken, so I searched for the source and fixed it. In doing so, I had a look at what the report says, and I'm not convinced the text from Wikipedia (sourced originally from "The Cosmic Compendium", ISBN 978-1329022027) is correct. The report indicates on page 4-30 that the scenario mentioned would result in "0.4 mean health effects", whereas a less likely scenario mentioned directly below that would result in "102 mean health effects", about 250 times worse. Still, it's from a cited, published source, and if anybody's wrong, it's Rupert W Anderson. [[User:Cosmogoblin|Cosmogoblin]] ([[User talk:Cosmogoblin|talk]]) 15:32, 26 June 2015 (UTC)<br /> <br /> Cosmogoblin, the entirety of the text from "The Cosmic Compendium" by Rupert W Anderson is taken word for word straight from Wikipedia. So you didn't really chase your source far enough, I don't think. "Rupert" goes so far as to actually cite every single one of his sources as Wikipedia along with relevant licenses (public domain or creative commons) so I'm guessing that book is scamming people who don't realize what they're buying.</div>

173.245.55.66 https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=1557:_Ozymandias&diff=98700 1557: Ozymandias 2015-07-29T14:37:33Z

<p>173.245.55.66: /* Explanation */</p> <hr /> <div>{{comic<br /> | number = 1557<br /> | date = July 29, 2015<br /> | title = Ozymandias<br /> | image = ozymandias.png<br /> | titletext = And on the pedestal these words appear: "And on the pedestal these words appear: "And on the pedestal these words appear: "And ...<br /> }}<br /> <br /> ==Explanation==<br /> {{incomplete|Please expound upon this explanation.}}<br /> [[Ponytail]] is reciting the opening of "{{w|Ozymandias}}" by {{w|Percy Bysshe Shelley}}. However, instead of continuing on with the poem, Ponytail is going through a recursion where the information is always being quoted from "a traveler from an antique land" who recounts what they were told by a similar traveler from another antique land. The title text once again plays with recursion, but instead of it being a string of travelers talking about travelers, it is a string of pedestals that are quoting pedestals. (In the original poem, the text on the pedestal is itself recounted as part of the traveler's story, so there are already two levels of quotation.)<br /> <br /> The fact that Ponytail is now telling [[Cueball]] the story of this recursion implies that she is yet another layer of this recursion and is herself "a traveler from an antique land."<br /> <br /> The quotes are not nested properly, as they never end. So there is only the starting quotation mark (") for each quote. If she ever finishes there would be one closing quotation mark for each quote in the recursion at the end of her sentence.<br /> <br /> The epic poem "Ozymandias" is mentioned on pages 169 and 170 of the book ''[https://books.google.com/books?id=mjThBQAAQBAJ&pg=PA169&lpg=PA169&dq=Ozymandias+recursion&source=bl&ots=atqSnLbGZP&sig=cXeyE-vAQm9UzBh2k7O0ooHrQr0&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0CB8Q6AEwAGoVChMI8_echsL_xgIVSZiACh009gnS#v=onepage&q=Ozymandias%20recursion&f=false Recursive Desire: Rereading Epic Tradition]'' by Jeremy M. Downes.<br /> <br /> ==Ozymandias Text==<br /> I met a traveller from an antique land<br /><br /> Who said: "Two vast and trunkless legs of stone<br /><br /> Stand in the desert. Near them, on the sand,<br /><br /> Half sunk, a shattered visage lies, whose frown,<br /><br /> And wrinkled lip, and sneer of cold command,<br /><br /> Tell that its sculptor well those passions read<br /><br /> Which yet survive, stamped on these lifeless things,<br /><br /> The hand that mocked them and the heart that fed:<br /><br /> And on the pedestal these words appear:<br /><br /> 'My name is Ozymandias, king of kings:<br /><br /> Look on my works, ye Mighty, and despair!'<br /><br /> Nothing beside remains. Round the decay<br /><br /> Of that colossal wreck, boundless and bare<br /><br /> The lone and level sands stretch far away."<ref name="Shelley1826">Percy Bysshe Shelley, "Ozymandias" in ''[https://play.google.com/books/reader?id=MZY9AAAAYAAJ&printsec=frontcover&output=reader&authuser=0&hl=en&pg=GBS.PA100 Miscellaneous and Posthumous Poems of Percy Bysshe Shelley]'' (London: W. Benbow, 1826), 100.</ref><br /><br /> <references/><br /> <br /> ==Transcript==<br /> :[Ponytail is addressing Cueball.]<br /> :Ponytail: I met a traveler from an antique land who said: "I met a traveler from an antique land, who said "I met a traveler from an antique land, who said "I met ...<br /> <br /> {{comic discussion}}<br /> [[Category:Recursion]]<br /> [[Category:Comics featuring Ponytail]]<br /> [[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]</div>

173.245.55.66 https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=Talk:1557:_Ozymandias&diff=98698 Talk:1557: Ozymandias 2015-07-29T14:35:34Z

<p>173.245.55.66: </p> <hr /> <div>Look upon this comment and despair! {{unsigned ip|173.245.50.164}}<br /> : The fact that the true author of this comment may never be known is reason enough to despair.[[Special:Contributions/173.245.55.66|173.245.55.66]] 14:35, 29 July 2015 (UTC)<br /> <br /> So... [http://dwarffortresswiki.org/index.php/Planepacked Planepacked]? [[Special:Contributions/173.245.50.145|173.245.50.145]] 05:44, 29 July 2015 (UTC)<br /> <br /> The page seems to give a description, but not an explanation of the joke. I still don't get it! Why has Ozymandias been singled out for this treatment? Is there some way in which recursion is particularly appropriate or inappropriate in this case, or has it just been selected arbitrarily? Is the whole joke that recursion is inherently funny? Normally when recursion is used in XKCD it's making a larger point, or cleverly riffing on something in particular. This isn't just Describe XKCD, so I'd love to see an explanation of this comic. [[Special:Contributions/141.101.99.47|141.101.99.47]] 09:35, 29 July 2015 (UTC)<br /> <br /> :May it be that Ozymandias is chosen because of Smith’s poem, where at last London has vanished, suggesting that Shelley’s poem is the last remains of British civilization? --[[Special:Contributions/162.158.91.193|162.158.91.193]] 10:04, 29 July 2015 (UTC)<br /> <br /> :I think Ozymandias was chosen because its opening is particularly famous. Even people who don't know much about poetry are often passingly familiar with it, and there's something funny about playing with well-known classics. And yes, I do believe the joke is that infinite recursion is inherently funny. There's a long tradition of these recursion-jokes among computer scientists and math people (like the "GNU" acronym, or recursive index references), with precedents in xkcd itself. [[User:Leoboiko|Leoboiko]] ([[User talk:Leoboiko|talk]])<br /> <br /> In Germany, we have a childrens’ song „Ein Mops kam in die Küche“, which translates as follows (there are slightly different versions, though):<br /> <br /> A pug came into the kitchen / and stole an egg from the chef. / Then the chef took his knife / and mashed the pug. // Then many pugs came / to his grave / and set a memorial for him, / where these words were written: // “A pug came into the kitchen …”<br /> <br /> Maybe something similar exists in English? --[[Special:Contributions/162.158.91.193|162.158.91.193]] 10:04, 29 July 2015 (UTC)<br /> <br /> :We have:<br /> <br /> : This is the song that doesn't end, / Yes, it goes on and on, my friend, / Some people started singing it not knowing what it was, / And they'll continue singing it / Forever, just because [repeat]<br /> <br /> :There's also:<br /> ::I know a song that gets on everybody's nerves, everybody's nerves, everybody's nerves,<br /> ::I know a song that gets on everybody's nerves and this is how it goes...[repeat]<br /> <br /> :''&mdash; [[User:Tbc|tbc]] ([[User talk:Tbc|talk]]) 12:34, 29 July 2015 (UTC)''<br /> <br /> :: In Dutch: "Het was nacht, stikdonkere nacht. Veertig rovers zaten rond een vuur. De roverhoofdman stond op een zei: "Het was nacht, stikdonkere nacht... " "<br /> :: Which translates to something along the lines of: "It was night, a pitchblack night. 40 robbers sat round a fire, their leader stood up and said: "It was night, a pitchblack night..." "<br /> :: Sometimes the fire is replaced by the shadow of a dandelion. "..Forty robbers sat in the shadow of a Dandelion, their Chief stood up and said: "It was a dark night, forty robbers sat in the shadow of a dandelion", etc. -- [[Special:Contributions/141.101.104.67|141.101.104.67]] 13:01, 29 July 2015 (UTC) <br /> <br /> Note that the recursion doesn't necessary be infinite. The list of travelers who met each other can have fixed length, for example 10. Imagining that the list is infinite is the joke. -- [[User:Hkmaly|Hkmaly]] ([[User talk:Hkmaly|talk]]) 10:06, 29 July 2015 (UTC)<br /> <br /> Should we mention {{w|quines}}, which occur when lists like this end after two iterations, as "Yo, I'm MC Quine and I'm here to say/'Yo, I'm MC Quine and I'm here to say'!" {{unsigned|FourViolas}}<br /> <br /> This reminds me of Theodor Storm's "Schimmelreiter" ([https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Rider_on_the_White_Horse "The Rider on the White Horse"]) which descends through three nested levels of narrators before it comes to the real story. --[[User:Ulm|ulm]] ([[User talk:Ulm|talk]]) 13:56, 29 July 2015 (UTC)</div>

173.245.55.66 https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=1465:_xkcd_Phone_2&diff=97539 1465: xkcd Phone 2 2015-07-11T03:01:16Z

<p>173.245.55.66: </p> <hr /> <div>{{comic<br /> | number = 1465<br /> | date = December 26, 2014<br /> | title = xkcd Phone 2<br /> | image = xkcd_phone_2.png<br /> | titletext = Washable, though only once.<br /> }}<br /> <br /> ==Explanation==<br /> This is a followup to [[1363: xkcd Phone]], which debuted the original xkcd phone. Like xkcd Phone "1", this comic parodies modern smartphone advertising with a promotional image for a fictional phone. Like the previous xkcd phone, the advertisement features a useless tagline (very few people can use two phones at the same time) and touts a variety of features which are either pointless, misleading, or physically impossible. Clockwise, from the top left, they are:<br /> <br /> *'''MaxHD: Over 350 pixels per screen''': 350 pixels is not very impressive, as each would be about 0.5×0.5 cm in size, making the resolution hopelessly blocky. Even if it implies 350 pixels along the edge, this is still less than standard definition TV (PAL gives 576 lines of horizontal resolution). Likely a reference to HD+, FullHD, QuadHD and other marketing expressions for screen resolutions, by which common users are often confused. In [[732: HDTV]] Randall has observed that HD is not an especially high resolution when compared with smartphone or computer monitors. This one is even worse by far, but MaxHD sounds similar to FullHD, so it could fool some users into thinking that this is equal or better.<br /> : ''Note:'' A high pixel density display is more than 200 pixels per '''''inch''''', not per '''''screen'''''. An example would be the Retina Display in Apple hardware which varies from 218 pixels per inch to 401 pixels per inch depending on the device.<br /> *'''Always-on Speaker''': An always-on microphone is a genuine feature, allowing voice activated intelligent personal assistant software such as Google's "Google Now", Apple's "Siri" or Microsoft's "Cortana" to respond without having to be turned on. An always-on speaker would be less useful especially if it implies the phone is always making noise.<br /> *'''Blood Pressure reliever''': This appears to be where a real phone would have its front facing camera. This could imply that it's a sharp part that you can cut yourself on, thus ''relieving'' your blood pressure, or else implying that the other features of the phone are so frustrating that a feature was required to relieve the users' blood pressure. This is likely a play on modern smartphones with built-in heart rate/blood pressure sensors.<br /> *'''Auto-Rotating Case:''' Phones often feature an "auto-rotating screen", meaning that the display switches between portrait and landscape mode depending on its orientation with respect to gravity. But the case is a physical part of the phone, so making a case that did '''not''' "auto-rotate" with the phone would be the real challenge.<br /> *'''Ribbed:''' A reference to ribbed {{w|condom}}s, which are often advertised as superior to standard ones because the texture can be more physically stimulating to the genitalia. Some other objects can be advertised with the word ribbed as well, but mostly in the context where it allows a firmer grip on the device when wet. Since phones are usually not meant to be used wet, this is a fairly useless feature. May also be a reference to the first phone where the "exterior may be frictionless".<br /> *'''Waterproof (interior only)''': Waterproofing is done to the outside to prevent water from getting in. Exactly what "interior only" means is unclear (the case may be porous, or it may prevent water from ''escaping'') but it's clear that the designers have missed the point.<br /> *'''Googleable''': Another non-feature. Advertising as "-able" is a way for marketing to add features, without really adding features. This may be (for example) a recyclable paper bag, when paper is normally recyclable. Any term may be "Googled", so being "Googleable" is not an actual feature. Alternatively, while "Googleable" meaning "being able to be Googled" is a non-feature, the related concept of "being able to Google" is a legitimate feature that a phone may advertise, as in having a Google search app built in.<br /> *'''Cheek toucher''': The screen will touch your cheek when making a hand-held phone call. Obviously a redundant/pointless feature to advertise.<br /> *'''Cries if lost:''' Arguably a useful function, as it would help the owner find the cellphone in case it was lost. This is offset by how annoying it would sound if it happened to cry with a human voice. May refer to people's habit of calling their own cellphones to help find it. It also resembles the first xkcd phone's functions of 'Screaming when falling' and 'Saying hi when lit'.<br /> *'''Bug drawer:''' This is most likely the cover for other ports, though it looks like a small drawer, capable of only holding bug-sized items. Possibly a joke on software bugs, which would, being virtual rather than physical, easily fit inside this area. SD cards containing software bugs may also fit in this area. May also be a reference to "Phone may attract/trap insects; this is normal" from the original ''xkcd Phone'' comic.<br /> *'''Coin slot:''' In most phones, this would be the charging port. Payphones have coin slots, not smartphones. It is unclear what use such a feature would have, or if it implies that the phone either cannot be recharged through this slot as usual or if cash payment is somehow required to charge the phone.<br /> *'''Scroll lock:''' A computer key on most keyboards which is practically never used. This feature seems to be placed where a usual cellphone's "home" button is, which would make it very frustrating. Despite [[978|a previous xkcd strip]], the Scroll Lock button was '''''not''''' invented by {{w|Steven Chu}}.<br /> *'''OS by Stackoverflow®:''' [http://stackoverflow.com/ Stack Overflow] is a very useful and popular question/answer forum for programmers, and many recent software products probably have benefited from advice given there, so Randall may be giving credit where credit really is due. Or it may be a reference to the rampant problem of code reuse, where programmers use the pre-written code on Stack Overflow rather than writing their own, regardless of the fact that the code on Stack Overflow may contain bugs, not be applicable to the programmer's situation, or otherwise cause problems for their specific program. Alternatively, it could be saying that the OS was written by the people on Stack Overflow who go there ''with'' programming issues, implying that the OS was written from code that was posted as not working.<br /> *'''3D Materials:''' All real materials are three-dimensional, so this feature is not special.<br /> *'''Dog Noticer''': Can be interpreted as either alerting the user to nearby dogs, or alerting nearby dogs of the user. The former is very situational, and the latter is probably a negative.<br /> *'''FitBit® Fitness Evaluator''': {{w|Fitbit}} make wristbands that measure heart rate, count user steps, and act as an aid to planning an exercise program. This comic is published on Boxing Day (26th December) 2014 and is relevant as Fitbits are a popular Holiday Gift at this time. However, the name "Fitness Evaluator" suggests that the product merely gives an evaluation on the user's fitness, which may mean that in practice it only criticizes the user's weight, diet etc. Another interpretation is that this monitors the fitness ''of'' the user's FitBit, that is, the state of the armband the person is wearing.<br /> *'''Volume and density control:''' A pun between {{w|volume (disambiguation)|volume}} as in speaker loudness, and {{w|volume}} as in a physical property inversely related to {{w|density}}. Interpreting it as the latter, apparently this feature would allow the user to change the size of the phone (which would indeed be a very useful feature, or a [[1422: My Phone is Dying|very]] {{w|Black hole|worrying}}) one, thus changing the volume and the density. It may be able to affect its mass (instead of volume) in some unexplained way. Note that some computer mice indeed have a feature where the user can put weights inside the case to customise the weight and thus actually affect its density. <br /> <br /> Like the previous xkcd phone comic, the title text continues the list of features:<br /> *'''Washable, though only once.''': Nothing prevents the phone from physically being washed, however after the first time doing this the phone will obviously cease to function. A play on phrases "washing machine safe" or "dishwasher safe" in real advertisements.<br /> <br /> ==Transcript==<br /> :[An image of a smartphone, with many labels pointing to it. Clockwise from the top left they read:]<br /> :MaxHD: Over 350 pixels per screen<br /> :Always-on speaker<br /> :Blood pressure reliever<br /> :Auto-rotating case<br /> :Ribbed<br /> :Waterproof (interior only)<br /> :Googleable<br /> :Cheek toucher<br /> :Cries if lost<br /> :Bug drawer<br /> :Coin slot<br /> :Scroll lock<br /> :OS by Stackoverflow®<br /> :3D materials<br /> :Dog noticer<br /> :FitBit® fitness evaluator<br /> :Volume and density control<br /> <br /> :[Below the phone:]<br /> :Introducing<br /> :'''The xkcd phone 2'''<br /> :A phone for your other hand®<br /> <br /> {{comic discussion}}<br /> [[Category:Smartphones]]<br /> [[Category:Puns]]</div>

173.245.55.66 https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=Talk:1036:_Reviews&diff=68917 Talk:1036: Reviews 2014-06-05T16:55:47Z

<p>173.245.55.66: </p> <hr /> <div>Even better is when reviewers start talking about other products that they've used in the past, and you're suddenly investigating and comparing capacity, weight and compartment placement between 20-odd messenger bags. [[User:Davidy22|<span title="I want you."><u><font color="purple" size="2px">David</font><font color="green" size="3px">y</font></u><sup><font color="indigo" size="1px">22</font></sup></span>]][[User talk:Davidy22|<tt>[talk]</tt>]] 10:03, 23 December 2012 (UTC)<br /> <br /> I'm surprised they didn't find any bobcats. Black Hat should have expanded his enterprise beyond eBay by now. Anonymous 17:57, 5 December 2013 (UTC)<br /> <br /> I do this too, but I mainly look for trends in the bad reviews (DOA, Stopped working after a few months, etc), rather then one bad review spoiling a large number of positive ones. [[Special:Contributions/173.245.55.66|173.245.55.66]] 16:55, 5 June 2014 (UTC)</div>

173.245.55.66 https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=Talk:1366:_Train&diff=67164 Talk:1366: Train 2014-05-12T17:53:58Z

<p>173.245.55.66: </p> <hr /> <div>I just did an explanation from scratch for the first time, please could you tell me how I could improve it? Thanks :) [[User:Cheeselord99|Cheeselord99]] ([[User talk:Cheeselord99|talk]]) 07:02, 9 May 2014 (UTC)<br /> <br /> Am I the only one who gets [[Inflation]] when going to xkcd.com (without the www)? This comic shows at www.xkcd.com and m.xkcd.com however. [[Special:Contributions/108.162.221.5|108.162.221.5]] 07:11, 9 May 2014 (UTC)<br /> <br /> :I created an account. The 108.162.221.5 ip address today is me, along with 108.162.221.53 today. [[User:Mikemk|Mikemk]] ([[User talk:Mikemk|talk]]) 07:16, 9 May 2014 (UTC)<br /> :I thought today's comic was late. http://www.xkcd.com/1366/ kept on displaying "Web-page not available" (browser thing, not server-thing), then I checked here. So. Oh, http://www.xkcd.com/ also... Hmmm... That's not right. Oh, "Ping request could not find host www.xkcd.com. Please check the name and try again." DNS errors? Only those trying via cached details get anything? Things are not working for xkcd.com or m.xkcd.com either. So, DNS poisoning or human error of some kind? Not the place to discuss this, I know, sorry... [[Special:Contributions/141.101.89.211|141.101.89.211]] 10:05, 9 May 2014 (UTC)<br /> <br /> :Explanation is good, but there are certainly related comics or maybe what-if ... I've found [http://what-if.xkcd.com/58/ Orbital Speed], but I think there were something mentioning how fast sun goes relatively to galaxy ... -- [[User:Hkmaly|Hkmaly]] ([[User talk:Hkmaly|talk]]) 10:14, 9 May 2014 (UTC)<br /> ::Found two related comics - any other? [[User:Condor70|Condor70]] ([[User talk:Condor70|talk]]) 11:33, 9 May 2014 (UTC)<br /> <br /> It sounds like the dark matter engine in Futurama:http://futurama.wikia.com/wiki/Dark_matter_engine {{unsigned ip|108.162.215.77}}<br /> :That's just what I was thinking! --[[Special:Contributions/173.245.55.66|173.245.55.66]] 17:53, 12 May 2014 (UTC)<br /> I think the last paragraph, considering the situation from the point of view of multiple trains, is not relevant. The whole concept of what makes this idea funny and interesting is that you MUST view the situation from the point of view of a single train (or elevator). --[[User:RenniePet|RenniePet]] ([[User talk:RenniePet|talk]]) 13:24, 9 May 2014 (UTC)<br /> : Second-last paragraph - my comment was written at the same time as another paragraph was added. --[[User:RenniePet|RenniePet]] ([[User talk:RenniePet|talk]]) 13:26, 9 May 2014 (UTC)<br /> <br /> I do not understand what the last paragraph is suggesting as it seems to violate the 3rd Newtonian law of motion.<br /> <br /> The last paragraph is not correct, the Earth would also experience an acceleration (albeit a small one).--[[User:Sturmonium|Sturmonium]] ([[User talk:Sturmonium|talk]]) 13:54, 9 May 2014 (UTC)<br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> This line:<br /> "The logic of the comic also fails when taking acceleration into account. Whether the train or earth is moving can be determined by which one experiences a force due to acceleration or deacceleration when the train starts."<br /> is incorrect, according to the principle of General Relativity. You cannot experimentally distinguish between your own acceleration against a fixed universe, and your position remaining fixed against an accelerating universe. This applies for rotation as well; if you fix the reference frame of the train rider, the acceleration of the universe creates gravity waves that cause any rider on the train to experience what feels like an acceleration. Therefore, the logic of the comic is indeed correct, even for accelerating trains. I will correct this edit.--[[User:JB Gnome|JB Gnome]] ([[User talk:JB Gnome|talk]]) 14:12, 9 May 2014 (UTC)<br /> : But the comic doesn't say that the train accelerates the universe: rather, it just accelerates the Earth. Does that make a difference? [[Special:Contributions/141.101.89.225|141.101.89.225]] 14:34, 9 May 2014 (UTC)<br /> <br /> Does anyone have an idea where "train guy" is heading? He's saying "almost", like he's almost there but wasn't sure if there was something more. Maybe he's timing when he needs to jump off the train? [[Special:Contributions/173.245.55.62|173.245.55.62]] 14:58, 9 May 2014 (UTC)Pat<br /> <br /> I see this comic as a nice ab absurdo for the many people who think the sun rotates around us, and further to those who claim the earth has 6 thousand years etc... [[Special:Contributions/108.162.242.117|108.162.242.117]] 18:12, 9 May 2014 (UTC)<br /> <br /> I don't have a citation, but some traditional Polynesian navigation works using this view. Their "maps" are made of a grid of bush materials where intersections are stars or islands (possibly with a pebble tied on to represent the island). They consider the map and the earth to be connected, and you don't move along the map - the map moves. So you don't go to another island, you bring it to you. At night you move the stars to the right place, and during the day you paddle the sea and land so they are in the right place and direction.--[[User:DivePeak|DivePeak]] ([[User talk:DivePeak|talk]]) 21:15, 9 May 2014 (UTC)<br /> <br /> A train rotating the Earth is NOT physically equivalent to a train traversing the Earth. It would be true for a flat Earth, but rotation is absolute, see Newton's bucket argument. [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bucket_argument] --[[User:Gleyshon|Gleyshon]]</div>

173.245.55.66 https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=1322:_Winter&diff=65826 1322: Winter 2014-04-22T06:08:44Z

<p>173.245.55.66: /* Explanation */</p> <hr /> <div>{{comic<br /> | number = 1322<br /> | date = January 27, 2014<br /> | title = Winter<br /> | image = winter.png<br /> | titletext = Stay warm, little flappers, and find lots of plant eggs!<br /> }}<br /> {{incomplete|The "plant eggs" needs an explain.}}<br /> ==Explanation==<br /> [[Beret Guy]] and [[Cueball]] are walking. Beret Guy is making several remarks about the situation. The sky is blue or the air is cold, there is ice to walk on, and the birds are chirping in the trees. When making these observations, however, he does not use the conventional terms. Instead he uses word compounds, similar to "[[1133: Up Goer Five|Up Goer Five]]". When Cueball brings up Beret Guy's odd vocabulary, he retorts by declaring that the name does not matter, as long as the things themselves are what they should be. This is the same concept that is communicated in the line from the Shakespearean play, "Romeo and Juliet": "What's in a name? That which we call {{w|A rose by any other name would smell as sweet|a rose/by any other name would smell as sweet}}." The concept is similar to that discussed by Richard Feynman as the difference between knowing the name of something and knowing something. <ref>[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=05WS0WN7zMQ| YouTube Video: R. P. Feynman on the difference between knowing the name of something and knowing something]</ref><br /> <br /> In the title text Beret guy continues to use playful language and offers affectionate encouragement: "stay warm, little flappers", demonstratiing that his intentions are kind, not obfuscatory. Additionally, it is an indirect salutation from [[Randall Munroe| the creator]] to the readers, acknowledging tthe remarkably cold temperatures North America was experiencing at the time.<br /> <br /> Dictionary<br /> <br /> *The sky is cold: it's a clear, cold day<br /> *floor water: puddle<br /> *too hard to drink: frozen<br /> *handcoats: mittens ''or'' gloves<br /> *spacelight: sunlight<br /> *flappy planes: birds<br /> *beeping: chirping<br /> *stick towers: trees<br /> *little flappers: baby birds ''and'' us<br /> *plant eggs: seeds, berries<br /> <br /> Differences in communication styles between two people can feel isolating (cold). Pointing out the difference will not improve the relationship or change the circumstances. Use your senses, suspend judgment, and follow along.<br /> <br /> ==Transcript==<br /> :[Cueball and Beret Guy, Cueball in a winter hat and Beret Guy in a beret, are walking through snow and across a patch of ice.]<br /> :Beret Guy: The sky is cold and the floor water is too hard to drink.<br /> <br /> :[Beret Guy looks upwards.]<br /> :Beret Guy: But I have my handcoats and the spacelight is warm.<br /> <br /> :[Beret Guy and Cueball continue on through woods; there are musical notes coming from the trees.]<br /> <br /> :Beret Guy: Listen—the flappy planes are beeping in the stick towers.<br /> <br /> :[Cueball pauses.]<br /> :Cueball: Those are all the wrong words for those things. <br /> :(Beret Guy replies from off panel.)<br /> :Beret Guy: Maybe - but the things themselves are all right. So who cares?<br /> <br /> :[Cueball continues walking, with sunlight and musical notes above.]<br /> <br /> ==References==<br /> <references/><br /> <br /> {{comic discussion}}<br /> [[Category:Comics featuring Beret Guy]]<br /> [[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]<br /> [[Category:Language]]</div>

173.245.55.66 https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=1322:_Winter&diff=65825 1322: Winter 2014-04-22T06:00:58Z

<p>173.245.55.66: /* Explanation */</p> <hr /> <div>{{comic<br /> | number = 1322<br /> | date = January 27, 2014<br /> | title = Winter<br /> | image = winter.png<br /> | titletext = Stay warm, little flappers, and find lots of plant eggs!<br /> }}<br /> {{incomplete|The "plant eggs" needs an explain.}}<br /> ==Explanation==<br /> [[Beret Guy]] and [[Cueball]] are walking. Beret Guy is making several remarks about the situation. The sky is blue or the air is cold, there is ice to walk on, and the birds are chirping in the trees. When making these observations, however, he does not use the conventional terms. Instead he uses word compounds, similar to "[[1133: Up Goer Five|Up Goer Five]]". When Cueball brings up Beret Guy's odd vocabulary, he retorts by declaring that the name does not matter, as long as the things themselves are what they should be. This is the same concept that is communicated in the line from the Shakespearean play, "Romeo and Juliet": "What's in a name? That which we call {{w|A rose by any other name would smell as sweet|a rose/by any other name would smell as sweet}}." The concept is similar to that discussed by Richard Feynman as the difference between knowing the name of something and knowing something. <ref>[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=05WS0WN7zMQ| YouTube Video: R. P. Feynman on the difference between knowing the name of something and knowing something]</ref><br /> <br /> In the title text Beret guy continues to use playful language and offers affectionate encouragement: "stay warm, little flappers", demonstratiing that his intentions are kind, not obfuscatory. Additionally, it is an indirect salutation from [[the creator]] to the readers, acknowledging tthe remarkably cold temperatures North America was experiencing at the time.<br /> <br /> Dictionary<br /> <br /> *The sky is cold: it's a clear, cold day<br /> *floor water: puddle<br /> *too hard to drink: frozen<br /> *handcoats: mittens ''or'' gloves<br /> *spacelight: sunlight<br /> *flappy planes: birds<br /> *beeping: chirping<br /> *stick towers: trees<br /> *little flappers: baby birds ''and'' us<br /> *plant eggs: seeds, berries<br /> <br /> Differences in communication styles between two people can feel isolating (cold). Pointing out the difference will not improve the relationship or change the circumstances. Use your senses, suspend judgment, and follow along.<br /> <br /> ==Transcript==<br /> :[Cueball and Beret Guy, Cueball in a winter hat and Beret Guy in a beret, are walking through snow and across a patch of ice.]<br /> :Beret Guy: The sky is cold and the floor water is too hard to drink.<br /> <br /> :[Beret Guy looks upwards.]<br /> :Beret Guy: But I have my handcoats and the spacelight is warm.<br /> <br /> :[Beret Guy and Cueball continue on through woods; there are musical notes coming from the trees.]<br /> <br /> :Beret Guy: Listen—the flappy planes are beeping in the stick towers.<br /> <br /> :[Cueball pauses.]<br /> :Cueball: Those are all the wrong words for those things. <br /> :(Beret Guy replies from off panel.)<br /> :Beret Guy: Maybe - but the things themselves are all right. So who cares?<br /> <br /> :[Cueball continues walking, with sunlight and musical notes above.]<br /> <br /> ==References==<br /> <references/><br /> <br /> {{comic discussion}}<br /> [[Category:Comics featuring Beret Guy]]<br /> [[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]<br /> [[Category:Language]]</div>

173.245.55.66 https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=1322:_Winter&diff=65768 1322: Winter 2014-04-21T12:05:48Z

<p>173.245.55.66: /* Explanation */</p> <hr /> <div>{{comic<br /> | number = 1322<br /> | date = January 27, 2014<br /> | title = Winter<br /> | image = winter.png<br /> | titletext = Stay warm, little flappers, and find lots of plant eggs!<br /> }}<br /> <br /> ==Explanation==<br /> [[Beret Guy]] and [[Cueball]] are walking. Beret Guy is making several remarks about the situation. The sky is blue or the air is cold, there is ice to walk on, and the birds are chirping in the trees. When making these observations, however, he does not use the conventional terms. Instead he uses word compounds, similar to "[[1133: Up Goer Five|Up Goer Five]]". When Cueball brings up Beret Guy's choice of vocabulary, he retorts by declaring that the name does not matter, as long as the things themselves are what they should be. This is the same concept that is communicated in the line from the Shakespearean play, "Romeo and Juliet": "What's in a name? That which we call {{w|A rose by any other name would smell as sweet|a rose/by any other name would smell as sweet}}." The concept is similar to that discussed by Richard Feynman as the difference between knowing the name of something and knowing something. <ref>[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=05WS0WN7zMQ| YouTube Video: R. P. Feynman on the difference between knowing the name of something and knowing something]</ref><br /> <br /> The title text further builds upon this idea. <br /> <br /> The title text is the author is addressing the readers through the beret guy. Its both the beret guy talking to the birds, and munroe wishing the readers well during the polar vortex that had much of North America in subzero temps. (trying to spare you my further too-personal extrapolation about xkcd readers being "flappers" coughautisticcough). <br /> <br /> ;Dictionary<br /> <br /> *The sky is cold: it's a clear, cold day<br /> *floor water: puddle<br /> *too hard to drink: frozen<br /> *handcoats: mittens ''or'' gloves<br /> *spacelight: sunlight<br /> *flappy planes: birds<br /> *beeping: chirping<br /> *stick towers: trees<br /> *little flappers: baby birds ''and'' us<br /> *plant eggs: seeds, berries<br /> <br /> '''Differences in communication styles between two people can feel isolating (cold). Pointing out the difference will not improve the relationship or change the circumstances. Use your senses and follow along.'''<br /> <br /> ==Transcript==<br /> :[Cueball and Beret Guy, Cueball in a winter hat and Beret Guy in a beret, are walking through snow and across a patch of ice.]<br /> :Beret Guy: The sky is cold and the floor water is too hard to drink.<br /> <br /> :[Beret Guy looks upwards.]<br /> :Beret Guy: But I have my handcoats and the spacelight is warm.<br /> <br /> :[Beret Guy and Cueball continue on through woods; there are musical notes coming from the trees.]<br /> <br /> :Beret Guy: Listen—the flappy planes are beeping in the stick towers.<br /> <br /> :[Cueball pauses.]<br /> :Cueball: Those are all the wrong words for those things. <br /> :(Beret Guy replies from off panel.)<br /> :Beret Guy: Maybe - but the things themselves are all right. So who cares?<br /> <br /> :[Cueball continues walking, with sunlight and musical notes above.]<br /> <br /> ==References==<br /> <references/><br /> <br /> {{comic discussion}}<br /> [[Category:Comics featuring Beret Guy]]<br /> [[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]<br /> [[Category:Language]]</div>

173.245.55.66 https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=1322:_Winter&diff=65767 1322: Winter 2014-04-21T12:02:47Z

<p>173.245.55.66: /* Explanation */</p> <hr /> <div>{{comic<br /> | number = 1322<br /> | date = January 27, 2014<br /> | title = Winter<br /> | image = winter.png<br /> | titletext = Stay warm, little flappers, and find lots of plant eggs!<br /> }}<br /> <br /> ==Explanation==<br /> [[Beret Guy]] and [[Cueball]] are walking. Beret Guy is making several remarks about the situation. The sky is blue or the air is cold, there is ice to walk on, and the birds are chirping in the trees. When making these observations, however, he does not use the conventional terms. Instead he uses word compounds, similar to "[[1133: Up Goer Five|Up Goer Five]]". When Cueball brings up Beret Guy's choice of vocabulary, he retorts by declaring that the name does not matter, as long as the things themselves are what they should be. This is the same concept that is communicated in the line from the Shakespearean play, "Romeo and Juliet": "What's in a name? That which we call {{w|A rose by any other name would smell as sweet|a rose/by any other name would smell as sweet}}." The concept is similar to that discussed by Richard Feynman as the difference between knowing the name of something and knowing something. <ref>[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=05WS0WN7zMQ| YouTube Video: R. P. Feynman on the difference between knowing the name of something and knowing something]</ref><br /> <br /> The title text further builds upon this idea. <br /> <br /> The title text is the author is addressing the readers through the beret guy. Its both the beret guy talking to the birds, and munroe wishing the readers well during the polar vortex that had much of North America in subzero temps. (trying to spare you my further too-personal extrapolation about xkcd readers being "flappers" coughautisticcough). <br /> <br /> ;Dictionary<br /> <br /> *The sky is cold: it's a clear, cold day<br /> *floor water: puddle<br /> *too hard to drink: frozen<br /> *handcoats: mittens ''or'' gloves<br /> *spacelight: sunlight<br /> *flappy planes: birds<br /> *beeping: chirping<br /> *stick towers: trees<br /> *little flappers: baby birds, "and" us<br /> *plant eggs: seeds, berries<br /> <br /> '''Differences in communication styles between two people can feel isolating (cold). Pointing out the difference will not improve the relationship or change the circumstances. Use your senses and follow along.'''<br /> <br /> ==Transcript==<br /> :[Cueball and Beret Guy, Cueball in a winter hat and Beret Guy in a beret, are walking through snow and across a patch of ice.]<br /> :Beret Guy: The sky is cold and the floor water is too hard to drink.<br /> <br /> :[Beret Guy looks upwards.]<br /> :Beret Guy: But I have my handcoats and the spacelight is warm.<br /> <br /> :[Beret Guy and Cueball continue on through woods; there are musical notes coming from the trees.]<br /> <br /> :Beret Guy: Listen—the flappy planes are beeping in the stick towers.<br /> <br /> :[Cueball pauses.]<br /> :Cueball: Those are all the wrong words for those things. <br /> :(Beret Guy replies from off panel.)<br /> :Beret Guy: Maybe - but the things themselves are all right. So who cares?<br /> <br /> :[Cueball continues walking, with sunlight and musical notes above.]<br /> <br /> ==References==<br /> <references/><br /> <br /> {{comic discussion}}<br /> [[Category:Comics featuring Beret Guy]]<br /> [[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]<br /> [[Category:Language]]</div>

173.245.55.66 https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=1322:_Winter&diff=65682 1322: Winter 2014-04-20T03:16:02Z

<p>173.245.55.66: /* Explanation */</p> <hr /> <div>{{comic<br /> | number = 1322<br /> | date = January 27, 2014<br /> | title = Winter<br /> | image = winter.png<br /> | titletext = Stay warm, little flappers, and find lots of plant eggs!<br /> }}<br /> <br /> ==Explanation==<br /> [[Beret Guy]] and [[Cueball]] are walking. Beret Guy is making several remarks about the situation. The sky is blue or the air is cold, there is ice to walk on, and the birds are chirping in the trees. When making these observations, however, he does not use the conventional terms. Instead he uses word compounds, similar to "[[1133: Up Goer Five|Up Goer Five]]". When Cueball brings up Beret Guy's choice of vocabulary, he retorts by declaring that the name does not matter, as long as the things themselves are what they should be. This is the same concept that is communicated in the line from the Shakespearean play, "Romeo and Juliet": "What's in a name? That which we call {{w|A rose by any other name would smell as sweet|a rose/by any other name would smell as sweet}}." The concept is similar to that discussed by Richard Feynman as the difference between knowing the name of something and knowing something. <ref>[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=05WS0WN7zMQ| YouTube Video: R. P. Feynman on the difference between knowing the name of something and knowing something]</ref><br /> <br /> The title text further builds upon this idea.<br /> <br /> ;Dictionary<br /> <br /> *The sky is cold: The air is cold, or since some think blue is a cold hue, it could mean the uninformative "The sky is blue"<br /> *floor water: puddle<br /> *too hard to drink: frozen<br /> *handcoats: mittens ''or'' gloves<br /> *spacelight: sunlight<br /> *flappy planes: birds<br /> *beeping: chirping<br /> *stick towers: trees<br /> *little flappers: juvenile birds<br /> *plant eggs: nuts, seeds, berries<br /> <br /> '''Differences in communication styles between two people can feel isolating (cold). Pointing out the difference will not improve the relationship or change the circumstances. Use your senses and follow along.'''<br /> <br /> This holds for most social interactions, including, but not limited to, love relationships. One may feel that their partner is not loving enough, isn't say the right things.. But if the words reflect reality, and all seems well enough, faith and openness are options to consider.<br /> <br /> ==Transcript==<br /> :[Cueball and Beret Guy, Cueball in a winter hat and Beret Guy in a beret, are walking through snow and across a patch of ice.]<br /> :Beret Guy: The sky is cold and the floor water is too hard to drink.<br /> <br /> :[Beret Guy looks upwards.]<br /> :Beret Guy: But I have my handcoats and the spacelight is warm.<br /> <br /> :[Beret Guy and Cueball continue on through woods; there are musical notes coming from the trees.]<br /> <br /> :Beret Guy: Listen—the flappy planes are beeping in the stick towers.<br /> <br /> :[Cueball pauses.]<br /> :Cueball: Those are all the wrong words for those things. <br /> :(Beret Guy replies from off panel.)<br /> :Beret Guy: Maybe - but the things themselves are all right. So who cares?<br /> <br /> :[Cueball continues walking, with sunlight and musical notes above.]<br /> <br /> ==References==<br /> <references/><br /> <br /> {{comic discussion}}<br /> [[Category:Comics featuring Beret Guy]]<br /> [[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]<br /> [[Category:Language]]</div>

173.245.55.66 https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=1322:_Winter&diff=65681 1322: Winter 2014-04-20T03:09:42Z

<p>173.245.55.66: /* Explanation */</p> <hr /> <div>{{comic<br /> | number = 1322<br /> | date = January 27, 2014<br /> | title = Winter<br /> | image = winter.png<br /> | titletext = Stay warm, little flappers, and find lots of plant eggs!<br /> }}<br /> <br /> ==Explanation==<br /> [[Beret Guy]] and [[Cueball]] are walking. Beret Guy is making several remarks about the situation. The sky is blue or the air is cold, there is ice to walk on, and the birds are chirping in the trees. When making these observations, however, he does not use the conventional terms. Instead he uses word compounds, similar to "[[1133: Up Goer Five|Up Goer Five]]". When Cueball brings up Beret Guy's choice of vocabulary, he retorts by declaring that the name does not matter, as long as the things themselves are what they should be. This is the same concept that is communicated in the line from the Shakespearean play, "Romeo and Juliet": "What's in a name? That which we call {{w|A rose by any other name would smell as sweet|a rose/by any other name would smell as sweet}}." The concept is similar to that discussed by Richard Feynman as the difference between knowing the name of something and knowing something. <ref>[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=05WS0WN7zMQ| YouTube Video: R. P. Feynman on the difference between knowing the name of something and knowing something]</ref><br /> <br /> The title text further builds upon this idea.<br /> <br /> ;Dictionary<br /> <br /> *The sky is cold: The air is cold, or since some think blue is a cold hue, it could mean the uninformative "The sky is blue"<br /> *floor water: puddle<br /> *too hard to drink: frozen<br /> *handcoats: mittens ''or'' gloves<br /> *spacelight: sunlight<br /> *flappy planes: birds<br /> *beeping: chirping<br /> *stick towers: trees<br /> *little flappers: juvenile birds<br /> *plant eggs: nuts, seeds, berries<br /> <br /> '''Differences in communication styles between two people can feel isolating (cold). Pointing out the difference will not improve the relationship or change the circumstances. Use your senses and follow along.'''<br /> <br /> This holds true for most social interactions, including, but not limited to, love relationships. One can feel that their partner is not loving enough, won't say the right things.. But if the words reflect reality, and all seems well enough, faith and openness are options to consider.<br /> <br /> ==Transcript==<br /> :[Cueball and Beret Guy, Cueball in a winter hat and Beret Guy in a beret, are walking through snow and across a patch of ice.]<br /> :Beret Guy: The sky is cold and the floor water is too hard to drink.<br /> <br /> :[Beret Guy looks upwards.]<br /> :Beret Guy: But I have my handcoats and the spacelight is warm.<br /> <br /> :[Beret Guy and Cueball continue on through woods; there are musical notes coming from the trees.]<br /> <br /> :Beret Guy: Listen—the flappy planes are beeping in the stick towers.<br /> <br /> :[Cueball pauses.]<br /> :Cueball: Those are all the wrong words for those things. <br /> :(Beret Guy replies from off panel.)<br /> :Beret Guy: Maybe - but the things themselves are all right. So who cares?<br /> <br /> :[Cueball continues walking, with sunlight and musical notes above.]<br /> <br /> ==References==<br /> <references/><br /> <br /> {{comic discussion}}<br /> [[Category:Comics featuring Beret Guy]]<br /> [[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]<br /> [[Category:Language]]</div>

173.245.55.66 https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=688:_Self-Description&diff=65680 688: Self-Description 2014-04-20T02:12:06Z

<p>173.245.55.66: /* Explanation */</p> <hr /> <div>{{comic<br /> | number = 688<br /> | date = January 13, 2010<br /> | title = Self-Description<br /> | image = self_description.png<br /> | titletext = The contents of any one panel are dependent on the contents of every panel including itself. The graph of panel dependencies is complete and bidirectional, and each node has a loop. The mouseover text has two hundred and forty-two characters.<br /> }}<br /> <br /> ==Explanation==<br /> This comic is self-referential, because every graph is dependent on the whole comic. If you were to change anything in the comic, you would change the ink distribution, and would therefore have to update all three graphs. This would result in further changes that would have to be considered.<br /> <br /> The third panel features a {{w|Droste effect}}, an image infinitely contained within itself.<br /> <br /> The title text refers to the comic's own self-reference, but it is also self-referencing because of the character count in it.<br /> <br /> "The graph of panel dependencies is complete and bidirectional, and every node has a loop." This means that if we draw a dot corresponding to each panel, and then we draw arrows connecting the dots to indicate dependencies, the resulting {{w|graph}} is {{w|complete graph|complete}} (meaning that all the points are connected to one another) and bidirectional (meaning that if point A has an arrow to point B, then point B also has an arrow to point A). "Every node has a loop" means that each point also has an arrow connecting to itself.<br /> <br /> This is an observation of the interdependant relationship between description and creation that pertains to all things perceived by humans, including the concept of "Self".<br /> <br /> ==Transcript==<br /> :[There is a pie chart, mostly white with a black slice. The white is labeled "Fraction of this image which is white." The black is labeled "Fraction of this image which is black."]<br /> <br /> :[There is a bar graph labeled "Amount of black ink by panel." Bar 1 is medium height, Bar 2 higher, Bar 3 lowest.]<br /> <br /> :[There is a scatterplot labeled "Location of black ink in this image." It is the positive quarter of a coordinate grid with the zeroes marked. The graph is, of course, the whole comic scaled to fit the axes, including a smaller version of itself in the last panel, etc.]<br /> <br /> {{comic discussion}}<br /> [[Category:Charts]]<br /> [[Category:Math]]</div>

173.245.55.66 https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=1349:_Shouldn%27t_Be_Hard&diff=63726 1349: Shouldn't Be Hard 2014-04-01T04:50:37Z

<p>173.245.55.66: /* Explanation */ spell check</p> <hr /> <div>{{comic<br /> | number = 1349<br /> | date = March 31, 2014<br /> | title = Shouldn't Be Hard<br /> | image = shouldnt_be_hard.png<br /> | titletext = (six hours later) ARGH. How are these stupid microchips so durable?! All I want is to undo a massive industrial process with household tools!<br /> }}<br /> <br /> ==Explanation==<br /> <br /> This comic refers to a sentiment sometimes expressed by computer users that "what I'm trying to do is really simple — it shouldn't be hard." The statement demonstrates an assumption that because the desired action is conceptually simple, it must therefore be simple to implement. There is a logic to this line of thinking, but in reality, as the off-screen character notes, a computer is a very complicated set of components which effectively can't do ''anything'' (simple or complex) until someone has programmed the functionality into it. Even more abstractly, a random silicon crystal can't do anything at all until someone has applied a complex industrial process to it that allows it to read and execute computer code in the first place.<br /> <br /> In terms of a user-interface, the "simplicity" of executing a given task may be more a function of the perceived utility and frequency-of-use of that function, and less a function of its conceptual "simplicity". For example, changing the colour of the font in a word processor is often simpler than changing the colour of the background/page, even though changing colours of two parts of the document would appear equally "simple" in concept. The different implementation is a design choice by the programmer most likely on the basis that the intended user is considered more likely to want to change the font colour than to change the page colour.<br /> <br /> This sentiment equally applies to computer programmers: most commonly when they are just beginning to learn a new computer language. Sometimes because of difficulties with the syntax rules of the language or similar problems, a programmer may spend a long time trying to get the computer to do a simple action, such as display a message on the screen, or ask the user for a number. This is also true when a programmer is working in a language which doesn't have an easy way to do something that might be simple in another language.<br /> <br /> The off-screen character points out that computers were "just carefully organized sand". Modern computer chips are made largely of {{w|silicon}} crystals, chemically a part of {{w|silicon dioxide}} crystals that compose the majority of sand. The character puts Cueball's goal in perspective by pointing out the large amount of complexity required to make, what is essentially sand, do even the simplest of computational tasks.<br /> <br /> The punchline of the comic is that, after considering these words of wisdom for a panel, instead of the anticipated response of Cueball coming to the realization that the off-screen character is right, and working even harder to solve his problem, Cueball instead succumbs to his annoyance and sets out to destroy his computer (which he characterizes as turning it "''back'' into sand"). The off-screen character helpfully offers to get a blowtorch so that Cueball can melt the computer down into simple compounds and elements.<br /> <br /> The title text sees Cueball again frustrated with a task he considers "simple" (destroying the computer). Cueball appears to be oblivious to the irony in his statement that he is having trouble destroying something with household tools that required very large machines and an industrial process to create. This might be compared to trying to undo a steel weld by lighting a wooden match and trying to melt the weld with it. This points out the irony that destroying the processor is even harder to do than the task from the first picture.<br /> <br /> The melting point of silicon is 1,414°C. Although a typical butane blowtorch that might be found in a kitchen has a maximum temperature of 1,430°C, that temperature is at a very small point and rapidly cools. Hence it is unlikely that you could focus sufficient heat with a kitchen appliance blowtorch to actually melt silicon.<br /> <br /> ==Transcript==<br /> :[Cueball is typing on a laptop.]<br /> :Cueball: What I'm trying to do is really simple. <br /> :Cueball: It shouldn't be hard. <br /> <br /> :Offscreen: All computers are just carefully organized sand. '''''Everything''''' is hard until someone makes it easy. <br /> <br /> :[Cueball sits back and pauses.]<br /> <br /> :[Cueball picks up and examines the laptop.]<br /> :Cueball: Maybe I should turn this one '''''back''''' into sand.<br /> :Offscreen: I'll find a blowtorch.<br /> <br /> {{comic discussion}}<br /> [[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]<br /> [[Category:Computers]]</div>

173.245.55.66 https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=1033:_Formal_Logic&diff=59947 1033: Formal Logic 2014-02-13T18:53:42Z

<p>173.245.55.66: /* Explanation */ changed "serious" to "seriously" because it's acting as an adverb, not an adjective.</p> <hr /> <div>{{comic<br /> | number = 1033<br /> | date = March 23, 2012<br /> | title = Formal Logic<br /> | image = formal_logic.png<br /> | imagesize = <br /> | titletext = Note that this implies you should NOT honk solely because I stopped for a pedestrian and you're behind me.<br /> }}<br /> <br /> ==Explanation==<br /> {{incomplete|Please rewrite the last sentence so that it is less incorrect. What the hell, the second last one too.}}<br /> This comic is a riff on bumper stickers that say "honk if you love ____". Here, the subject is {{w|Mathematical logic|formal logic}}, but the word "if" is replaced with a formal logic term "{{w|If and only if|iff}}," which means "if and only if".<br /> <br /> "If and only if" connects two statements, saying that either both statements are true, or both are false. In this case, either someone likes formal logic and honks, or doesn't like formal logic and doesn't honk. The title text further elaborates on this, describing a practical situation (that is, stopping for pedestrians) and dissecting it with formal logic terms.<br /> <br /> The joke is the contained self-reference. You have to love formal logic to take the sticker seriously and honk for exclusively that reason.<br /> <br /> But if you don’t love formal logic you would dislike the sticker at all and try to do something contradictory. And now the problem begins: If you don’t honk to contradict the sticker completely you automatically follow its instruction. So, there is nothing you can do except starting to love formal logic.<br /> <br /> ==Transcript==<br /> :[Vehicle with a bumper sticker that reads "Honk iff you love formal logic."]<br /> <br /> {{comic discussion}}<br /> [[Category:Math]]<br /> [[Category:Logic]]</div>

173.245.55.66