https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/api.php?action=feedcontributions&feedformat=atom&user=173.245.56.64explain xkcd - User contributions [en]2026-04-17T08:52:03ZUser contributionsMediaWiki 1.30.0https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=1032:_Networking&diff=1174141032: Networking2016-04-11T18:14:36Z<p>173.245.56.64: Removed unneccesary comment about Netflix, and revised long-tail description for clarity.</p>
<hr />
<div>{{comic<br />
| number = 1032<br />
| date = March 21, 2012<br />
| title = Networking<br />
| image = networking.png<br />
| titletext = Our company is agile and lean with a focus on the long tail. Ok, our company is actually a polecat I found in my backyard.<br />
}}<br />
<br />
==Explanation==<br />
Obviously, [[Beret Guy]]'s [[1021|business plan]] worked.<br />
<br />
Networking, in business, is the act of expanding your group of contacts in order to help your career down the line. Here, in this comic, [[Beret Guy]] meets Chief Technology Officer (CTO, an executive level position overseeing development of new technologies) Connr Clark (perhaps a typo for "Connor" or perhaps a reference to common "Web 2.0" names like the businesses {{w|Flickr}}, {{w|Tumblr}}, etc.) and Beret Guy is as strange as he usually is: Although he is a business professional he has just photocopied a burrito. He also has a business card; usually this would contain contact information, but his only says "This is my business card". He calls his briefcase, or suitcase, a "handlebox", and it is full of a quarter of a million dollars in cash. Then Beret Guy proceeds to eat Connr's business card. All of these things are not common behavior.{{Citation needed}}<br />
<br />
"Networking" is often an over-hyped, empty affair. There are zillions of networking meetings of every description going on every day everywhere, and mostly people trade cards and continue to not make money. So that's the joke – Beret Guy does the networking {{w|schtick}}, badly, and yet is somehow making huge amounts of money at it.<br />
<br />
The comic is also likely a joke on the idea that many people are excited about becoming a "business professional" who carries a briefcase, hands out business cards, and makes tons of money, without having an adequate plan for how to make those things happen, or possibly even knowing what their actual job would be. Beret Guy never says what he does, simply introducing himself as a "business professional," and explains his piles of cash with "I am a business grown-up who makes business profits!" In this world —and in people's dreams— when you "grow up" and start a business, money magically appears. Obviously, that's not how it works.{{Citation needed}}<br />
<br />
The title text is a pun on three common business buzzwords: agile, lean and long-tail. An agile business is one that can change course quickly based on customer demands and the business environment. A lean business is one with minimal inventory or assets; nothing is idle or warehoused, so everything in active use or on the move. Long-tail describes the strategy of offering a large number of unique items with relatively small quantities sold of each – usually in addition to selling fewer popular items in large quantities. Netflix is a popular example of long-tale because they have (almost) every movie imaginable, including rare titles that only a few people would be interested in.<br />
<br />
And of course, the pun here is one animal that is agile and lean with a long tail is a {{w|polecat}}.<br />
<br />
Furthermore, although "agile" and "lean" do mean a quick, nimble, and efficient business, they also refer to specific practices, as in {{w|agile software development}}, {{w|lean manufacturing}} and {{w|lean Six Sigma}}. Many people think these terms have devolved to overused jargon. While agile development is supposed to be a highly structured method to get programmers to produce more working code quickly, when someone from the marketing department says "''agile''" it often means "''We don't know what we're supposed to be producing, so we'll just chuck some stuff together, and keep those bits that the customer says he likes. We'll then do it all over again until we've got something that he'll pay for.''" "''Lean''" is supposed to mean that a business keeps its costs as low as possible, employing one person to do marketing and PR, not really having a Human Resources department, etc. But, in practice it often becomes "''Keep as little stock as possible so that we don't have a lot of money tied up in it, and don't need a big warehouse; make stuff just before it is supposed to ship so that we don't have to store it either; make frequent prayers and virgin sacrifices to whatever gods we can find to ensure that nothing slips up anywhere along the line that our lawyers can't get us out of.''"<br />
<br />
See also [[1117: My Sky]].<br />
<br />
==Transcript==<br />
:[A man approaches Beret Guy at a party and they extend arms to shake hands. Beret Guy is holding a metal briefcase. Ponytail is a waitress in the background, carrying a tray with a wine glass on it.]<br />
:Man: I'm Connr Clark, CTO at Eusocial Media Ventures.<br />
:Beret Guy: I'm a business professional! Earlier I photocopied a burrito!<br />
<br />
:[The man hands Beret Guy a business card. Beret Guy takes it and hands the man another business card. Beret Guy has put his suitcase on the floor.]<br />
:Man: You should check us out! Here's my card.<br />
:Beret Guy: Here's mine! Networking!<br />
<br />
:[The man takes a closer look at the card, and Beret Guy holds up his case.]<br />
:Man: ...this just says "This is my business card!"<br />
:Beret Guy: Do you like it? I have more in my handlebox.<br />
<br />
:[Beret Guy puts his case on a table and opens it to reveal it is full of cash. The man looks on in shock.]<br />
:Man: Uh, that's ok, I think I'll— <br />
:Beret Guy: Here, have ten of them!<br />
:Man: —holy shit that thing is full of ''cash!''<br />
<br />
:[The man raises his arms in excitement. Beret Guy turns to face him and chews on the man's business card.]<br />
:Man: Where did you ''get'' that?<br />
:Beret Guy: I am a business grown-up who makes business profits!<br />
:Man: That's like a quarter of a million dollars!<br />
:Beret Guy: Yay! Business is fun! Do you have more of your cards? They're ''delicious!''<br />
<br />
{{comic discussion}}<br />
[[Category:Comics with color]]<br />
[[Category:Comics featuring Beret Guy]]<br />
[[Category:Comics featuring Hairy]]<br />
[[Category:Beret Guy's Business]]<br />
[[Category:Comics featuring Ponytail]]</div>173.245.56.64https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=Stick_figure&diff=113506Stick figure2016-02-28T13:28:41Z<p>173.245.56.64: </p>
<hr />
<div>[[File:WhiteHat.png|thumb|[[White Hat]] is an example of a stick figure character]]<br />
<br />
A "stick figure" is a style of drawing human beings (or other creatures) in which major portions of the body are simplified into single line segments. The majority of [[xkcd]] is drawn in a stick-figure style.<br />
<br />
A typical stick figure has one line each for the torso, each arm and each leg, and a circle for a head. More complexity can be added to stick figures by adding joints (two line segments for each arm or leg, or a neck) as well as adding line segments for feet, circles for hands, line segments for fingers, or facial features for expression. xkcd typically makes use of these more versatile methods of adding expression or movement to stick figures, although modern xkcd strips rarely use facial features on stick figure characters.<br />
<br />
In most stick figure drawings (including xkcd, typically), most other objects depicted are generally drawn in a similarly simplified style, just as simplified outlines or with line segments or basic shapes in place of more complex figures.<br />
<br />
==See also==<br />
* [[:Category:Characters]]<br />
* {{w|stick figure|Wikipedia}}<br />
<br />
[[Category:Meta]]</div>173.245.56.64https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=Stick_figure&diff=113505Stick figure2016-02-28T13:28:02Z<p>173.245.56.64: </p>
<hr />
<div>[[File:whitehat.png|thumb|[[White hat]] is an example of a stick figure character]]<br />
<br />
A "stick figure" is a style of drawing human beings (or other creatures) in which major portions of the body are simplified into single line segments. The majority of [[xkcd]] is drawn in a stick-figure style.<br />
<br />
A typical stick figure has one line each for the torso, each arm and each leg, and a circle for a head. More complexity can be added to stick figures by adding joints (two line segments for each arm or leg, or a neck) as well as adding line segments for feet, circles for hands, line segments for fingers, or facial features for expression. xkcd typically makes use of these more versatile methods of adding expression or movement to stick figures, although modern xkcd strips rarely use facial features on stick figure characters.<br />
<br />
In most stick figure drawings (including xkcd, typically), most other objects depicted are generally drawn in a similarly simplified style, just as simplified outlines or with line segments or basic shapes in place of more complex figures.<br />
<br />
==See also==<br />
* [[:Category:Characters]]<br />
* {{w|stick figure|Wikipedia}}<br />
<br />
[[Category:Meta]]</div>173.245.56.64https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=Stick_figure&diff=113504Stick figure2016-02-28T13:27:18Z<p>173.245.56.64: </p>
<hr />
<div>[[File:cueball.png|thumb|[[Cueball]] is an example of a stick figure character]]<br />
<br />
A "stick figure" is a style of drawing human beings (or other creatures) in which major portions of the body are simplified into single line segments. The majority of [[xkcd]] is drawn in a stick-figure style.<br />
<br />
A typical stick figure has one line each for the torso, each arm and each leg, and a circle for a head. More complexity can be added to stick figures by adding joints (two line segments for each arm or leg, or a neck) as well as adding line segments for feet, circles for hands, line segments for fingers, or facial features for expression. xkcd typically makes use of these more versatile methods of adding expression or movement to stick figures, although modern xkcd strips rarely use facial features on stick figure characters.<br />
<br />
In most stick figure drawings (including xkcd, typically), most other objects depicted are generally drawn in a similarly simplified style, just as simplified outlines or with line segments or basic shapes in place of more complex figures.<br />
<br />
==See also==<br />
* [[:Category:Characters]]<br />
* {{w|stick figure|Wikipedia}}<br />
<br />
[[Category:Meta]]</div>173.245.56.64https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=1648:_Famous_Duos&diff=1133851648: Famous Duos2016-02-26T12:40:10Z<p>173.245.56.64: /* Explanation */</p>
<hr />
<div>{{comic<br />
| number = 1648<br />
| date = February 26, 2016<br />
| title = Famous Duos<br />
| image = famous_duos.png<br />
| titletext = The Romeo and Butt-Head film actually got two thumbs up from Siskel and Oates.<br />
}}<br />
<br />
==Explanation==<br />
{{incomplete|Needs to be expanded; Needs a main explanation}}<br />
<br />
{| class="wikitable sortable"<br />
|-<br />
|+ Famous duos in this universe<br />
|-<br />
! scope="col" | Name<br />
! scope="col" class="unsortable" | pairing<br />
! scope="col" | Partner<br />
! scope="col" class="unsortable" | From<br />
|-<br />
| Thelma<br />
| and<br />
| Louise <br />
| {{w|Thelma_%26_Louise|road trip film}}<br />
|-<br />
| When Harry<br />
| Met <br />
| Sally <br />
| {{w|When_Harry_Met_Sally...|romantic comedy film}}<br />
|-<br />
| Batman <br />
| and <br />
| Robin<br />
| {{w|Batman|comic book characters}}<br />
|-<br />
| Antony <br />
| and<br />
| Cleopatra<br />
| historical figures<br />
|-<br />
| Romeo <br />
| and <br />
| Juliet<br />
| {{w|Romeo_and_Juliet|Shakespeare characters}}<br />
|-<br />
| Bonnie<br />
| and <br />
| Clyde<br />
| {{w|Bonnie_and_Clyde|historical figures}}<br />
|-<br />
| Pinky<br />
| and<br />
| the Brain <br />
| {{w|Pinky_and_the_Brain|TV show}}<br />
|-<br />
| Simon <br />
| and<br />
| Garfunkel<br />
| {{w|Simon_%26_Garfunkel|musical duo}}<br />
|-<br />
| Beauty <br />
| and<br />
| the Beast <br />
| {{w|Beauty_and_the_Beast|fairy tale characters}}<br />
|-<br />
| Beavis <br />
| and<br />
| Butthead<br />
| {{w|Beavis_and_Butt-Head|TV show}}<br />
|-<br />
| Rocky<br />
| and<br />
| Bullwinkle<br />
| {{w|The_Rocky_and_Bullwinkle_Show|TV show}}<br />
|-<br />
| Abbott<br />
| and<br />
| Costello<br />
| {{w|Abbott_and_Costello|comedy duo}}<br />
|-<br />
| Dr. Jekyll <br />
| and <br />
| Mr. Hyde<br />
| {{w|Strange_Case_of_Dr_Jekyll_and_Mr_Hyde|book}}<br />
|-<br />
| Samson<br />
| and<br />
| Delilah<br />
| Biblical characters<br />
|-<br />
| Butch Cassidy<br />
| and<br />
| the Sundance Kid<br />
| historical characters and famous movie<br />
|-<br />
| Bill<br />
| and<br />
| Ted’s Excellent Adventure and Bogus Journey<br />
| movie series<br />
|-<br />
| David<br />
| and<br />
| Goliath<br />
| Biblical characters<br />
|-<br />
| Sherlock Holmes<br />
| and<br />
| Dr. Watson<br />
| {{w|Sherlock_Holmes|Arthur Conan Doyle characters}}<br />
|-<br />
| Jay <br />
| and<br />
| Silent Bob<br />
| {{w|Jay_and_Silent_Bob|View Askewniverse characters (Clerks movies)}}<br />
|-<br />
| Anna <br />
| and<br />
| the King<br />
| movie, based on Anna and the King of Siam<br />
|-<br />
| Calvin<br />
| and<br />
| Hobbes<br />
| {{w|Calvin_and_Hobbes|comic series}}<br />
|-<br />
| Timon <br />
| and<br />
| Pumbaa<br />
| {{w|Timon_and_Pumbaa|characters from the Lion King film series}}<br />
|-<br />
| Mary Kate<br />
| and<br />
| Ashley Olsen<br />
| {{w|Mary-Kate_and_Ashley_Olsen|twin actresses}}<br />
|-<br />
| Mario<br />
| and<br />
| Luigi<br />
| {{w|Mario_Bros.|video game characters}}<br />
|-<br />
| Siskel<br />
| and<br />
| Ebert <br />
| {{w|At_the_Movies_(U.S._TV_series)|movie critics Gene Siskel and Roger Ebert}}<br />
|-<br />
| Hall<br />
| and<br />
| Oates<br />
| musical duo<br />
|}<br />
<br />
==Transcript==<br />
<br />
Famous Duos in a nearby parallel universe<br />
<br />
Thelma and Hobbes<br />
<br />
when Harry met Bullwinkle<br />
<br />
Batman and Louise<br />
<br />
Antony and Robin<br />
<br />
Romeo and Butthead<br />
<br />
bonnie and Ted's ecellent adventure<br />
<br />
Pinky and Clyde<br />
<br />
Simon and Goliath<br />
<br />
Beauty and Luigi<br />
<br />
Beavis and The Beast<br />
<br />
Rocky and Delilah<br />
<br />
Abbot and Cleopatra<br />
<br />
Dr. Jekyll and Ashley Olsen<br />
<br />
Samson and Pumbaa<br />
<br />
Butch Cassidy and Mr. Hyde<br />
<br />
Bill and Sally's Bogus Journey<br />
<br />
David and Costello<br />
<br />
Sherlock Holmes and Silent Bob<br />
<br />
Jay and Dr. Watson<br />
<br />
Anna and The Brain<br />
<br />
Calvin and The King<br />
<br />
Timon and Garfunkel<br />
<br />
Mary-Kate and The Sundance Kid<br />
<br />
Mario and Juliet<br />
<br />
== Cycles ==<br />
There are four cycles. The longest starts with "Thelma" and ends with "Louise" as follows:<br />
<br />
* First cycle: length 15<br />
Thelma & Louise<br />
Calvin & Hobbes<br />
Anna & the King<br />
Pinky & the Brain<br />
Bonnie & Clyde<br />
Bill & Ted<br />
Harry & Sally<br />
Rocky & Bullwinkle<br />
Samson & Delilah<br />
Timon & Pumbaa<br />
Simon & Garfunkel<br />
David & Goliath<br />
Abbot & Costello<br />
Antony & Cleopatra<br />
Batman & Robin<br />
<br />
This means, it starts with "Thelma", paired with "Hobbes" diagonally down, from "Hobbes" to "Calvin", who is paired with "the King" and so on, until "Batman" is paired with "Louise", completing the cycle.<br />
<br />
* Second cycle: length 4<br />
Romeo & Juliet<br />
Beavis & Butthead<br />
Beauty & the Beast<br />
Mario & Luigi<br />
<br />
* Third cycle: length 3<br />
Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Hyde<br />
Mary-Kate & Ashley Olsen<br />
Butch Cassidy & the Sundance Kid<br />
<br />
* Fourth cycle: length 2<br />
Sherlock Holmes & Dr. Watson<br />
Jay & Silent Bob<br />
<br />
Assigning an index starting with 0 (= Thelma & Louise) to 23 (= Mario & Luigi), they can be written as:<br />
<br />
(0, 20, 19, 6, 5, 15, 1, 10, 13, 21, 7, 16, 11, 3, 2)<br />
(4, 9, 8, 23)<br />
(12, 22, 14) <br />
(17, 18)<br />
<br />
{{comic discussion}}</div>173.245.56.64https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=1648:_Famous_Duos&diff=1133841648: Famous Duos2016-02-26T12:36:59Z<p>173.245.56.64: /* Explanation */</p>
<hr />
<div>{{comic<br />
| number = 1648<br />
| date = February 26, 2016<br />
| title = Famous Duos<br />
| image = famous_duos.png<br />
| titletext = The Romeo and Butt-Head film actually got two thumbs up from Siskel and Oates.<br />
}}<br />
<br />
==Explanation==<br />
{{incomplete|Needs to be expanded-Needs a main explanation}}<br />
<br />
{| class="wikitable sortable"<br />
|-<br />
|+ Famous duos in this universe<br />
|-<br />
! scope="col" | Name<br />
! scope="col" class="unsortable" | pairing<br />
! scope="col" | Partner<br />
! scope="col" class="unsortable" | From<br />
|-<br />
| Thelma<br />
| and<br />
| Louise <br />
| {{w|Thelma_%26_Louise|road trip film}}<br />
|-<br />
| When Harry<br />
| Met <br />
| Sally <br />
| {{w|When_Harry_Met_Sally...|romantic comedy film}}<br />
|-<br />
| Batman <br />
| and <br />
| Robin<br />
| {{w|Batman|comic book characters}}<br />
|-<br />
| Antony <br />
| and<br />
| Cleopatra<br />
| historical figures<br />
|-<br />
| Romeo <br />
| and <br />
| Juliet<br />
| {{w|Romeo_and_Juliet|Shakespeare characters}}<br />
|-<br />
| Bonnie<br />
| and <br />
| Clyde<br />
| {{w|Bonnie_and_Clyde|historical figures}}<br />
|-<br />
| Pinky<br />
| and<br />
| the Brain <br />
| {{w|Pinky_and_the_Brain|TV show}}<br />
|-<br />
| Simon <br />
| and<br />
| Garfunkel<br />
| {{w|Simon_%26_Garfunkel|musical duo}}<br />
|-<br />
| Beauty <br />
| and<br />
| the Beast <br />
| {{w|Beauty_and_the_Beast|fairy tale characters}}<br />
|-<br />
| Beavis <br />
| and<br />
| Butthead<br />
| {{w|Beavis_and_Butt-Head|TV show}}<br />
|-<br />
| Rocky<br />
| and<br />
| Bullwinkle<br />
| {{w|The_Rocky_and_Bullwinkle_Show|TV show}}<br />
|-<br />
| Abbott<br />
| and<br />
| Costello<br />
| {{w|Abbott_and_Costello|comedy duo}}<br />
|-<br />
| Dr. Jekyll <br />
| and <br />
| Mr. Hyde<br />
| {{w|Strange_Case_of_Dr_Jekyll_and_Mr_Hyde|book}}<br />
|-<br />
| Samson<br />
| and<br />
| Delilah<br />
| Biblical characters<br />
|-<br />
| Butch Cassidy<br />
| and<br />
| the Sundance Kid<br />
| historical characters and famous movie<br />
|-<br />
| Bill<br />
| and<br />
| Ted’s Excellent Adventure and Bogus Journey<br />
| movie series<br />
|-<br />
| David<br />
| and<br />
| Goliath<br />
| Biblical characters<br />
|-<br />
| Sherlock Holmes<br />
| and<br />
| Dr. Watson<br />
| {{w|Sherlock_Holmes|Arthur Conan Doyle characters}}<br />
|-<br />
| Jay <br />
| and<br />
| Silent Bob<br />
| {{w|Jay_and_Silent_Bob|View Askewniverse characters (Clerks movies)}}<br />
|-<br />
| Anna <br />
| and<br />
| the King<br />
| movie, based on Anna and the King of Siam<br />
|-<br />
| Calvin<br />
| and<br />
| Hobbes<br />
| {{w|Calvin_and_Hobbes|comic series}}<br />
|-<br />
| Timon <br />
| and<br />
| Pumbaa<br />
| {{w|Timon_and_Pumbaa|characters from the Lion King film series}}<br />
|-<br />
| Mary Kate<br />
| and<br />
| Ashley Olsen<br />
| {{w|Mary-Kate_and_Ashley_Olsen|twin actresses}}<br />
|-<br />
| Mario<br />
| and<br />
| Luigi<br />
| {{w|Mario_Bros.|video game characters}}<br />
|-<br />
| Siskel<br />
| and<br />
| Ebert <br />
| {{w|At_the_Movies_(U.S._TV_series)|movie critics Gene Siskel and Roger Ebert}}<br />
|-<br />
| Hall<br />
| and<br />
| Oates<br />
| musical duo<br />
|}<br />
<br />
==Transcript==<br />
<br />
Famous Duos in a nearby parallel universe<br />
<br />
Thelma and Hobbes<br />
<br />
when Harry met Bullwinkle<br />
<br />
Batman and Louise<br />
<br />
Antony and Robin<br />
<br />
Romeo and Butthead<br />
<br />
bonnie and Ted's ecellent adventure<br />
<br />
Pinky and Clyde<br />
<br />
Simon and Goliath<br />
<br />
Beauty and Luigi<br />
<br />
Beavis and The Beast<br />
<br />
Rocky and Delilah<br />
<br />
Abbot and Cleopatra<br />
<br />
Dr. Jekyll and Ashley Olsen<br />
<br />
Samson and Pumbaa<br />
<br />
Butch Cassidy and Mr. Hyde<br />
<br />
Bill and Sally's Bogus Journey<br />
<br />
David and Costello<br />
<br />
Sherlock Holmes and Silent Bob<br />
<br />
Jay and Dr. Watson<br />
<br />
Anna and The Brain<br />
<br />
Calvin and The King<br />
<br />
Timon and Garfunkel<br />
<br />
Mary-Kate and The Sundance Kid<br />
<br />
Mario and Juliet<br />
<br />
== Cycles ==<br />
There are four cycles. The longest starts with "Thelma" and ends with "Louise" as follows:<br />
<br />
* First cycle: length 15<br />
Thelma & Louise<br />
Calvin & Hobbes<br />
Anna & the King<br />
Pinky & the Brain<br />
Bonnie & Clyde<br />
Bill & Ted<br />
Harry & Sally<br />
Rocky & Bullwinkle<br />
Samson & Delilah<br />
Timon & Pumbaa<br />
Simon & Garfunkel<br />
David & Goliath<br />
Abbot & Costello<br />
Antony & Cleopatra<br />
Batman & Robin<br />
<br />
This means, it starts with "Thelma", paired with "Hobbes" diagonally down, from "Hobbes" to "Calvin", who is paired with "the King" and so on, until "Batman" is paired with "Louise", completing the cycle.<br />
<br />
* Second cycle: length 4<br />
Romeo & Juliet<br />
Beavis & Butthead<br />
Beauty & the Beast<br />
Mario & Luigi<br />
<br />
* Third cycle: length 3<br />
Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Hyde<br />
Mary-Kate & Ashley Olsen<br />
Butch Cassidy & the Sundance Kid<br />
<br />
* Fourth cycle: length 2<br />
Sherlock Holmes & Dr. Watson<br />
Jay & Silent Bob<br />
<br />
Assigning an index starting with 0 (= Thelma & Louise) to 23 (= Mario & Luigi), they can be written as:<br />
<br />
(0, 20, 19, 6, 5, 15, 1, 10, 13, 21, 7, 16, 11, 3, 2)<br />
(4, 9, 8, 23)<br />
(12, 22, 14) <br />
(17, 18)<br />
<br />
{{comic discussion}}</div>173.245.56.64https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=1648:_Famous_Duos&diff=1133831648: Famous Duos2016-02-26T12:36:07Z<p>173.245.56.64: /* Explanation */</p>
<hr />
<div>{{comic<br />
| number = 1648<br />
| date = February 26, 2016<br />
| title = Famous Duos<br />
| image = famous_duos.png<br />
| titletext = The Romeo and Butt-Head film actually got two thumbs up from Siskel and Oates.<br />
}}<br />
<br />
==Explanation==<br />
{{incomplete|Needs to be expanded|needs a main explanation}}<br />
<br />
{| class="wikitable sortable"<br />
|-<br />
|+ Famous duos in this universe<br />
|-<br />
! scope="col" | Name<br />
! scope="col" class="unsortable" | pairing<br />
! scope="col" | Partner<br />
! scope="col" class="unsortable" | From<br />
|-<br />
| Thelma<br />
| and<br />
| Louise <br />
| {{w|Thelma_%26_Louise|road trip film}}<br />
|-<br />
| When Harry<br />
| Met <br />
| Sally <br />
| {{w|When_Harry_Met_Sally...|romantic comedy film}}<br />
|-<br />
| Batman <br />
| and <br />
| Robin<br />
| {{w|Batman|comic book characters}}<br />
|-<br />
| Antony <br />
| and<br />
| Cleopatra<br />
| historical figures<br />
|-<br />
| Romeo <br />
| and <br />
| Juliet<br />
| {{w|Romeo_and_Juliet|Shakespeare characters}}<br />
|-<br />
| Bonnie<br />
| and <br />
| Clyde<br />
| {{w|Bonnie_and_Clyde|historical figures}}<br />
|-<br />
| Pinky<br />
| and<br />
| the Brain <br />
| {{w|Pinky_and_the_Brain|TV show}}<br />
|-<br />
| Simon <br />
| and<br />
| Garfunkel<br />
| {{w|Simon_%26_Garfunkel|musical duo}}<br />
|-<br />
| Beauty <br />
| and<br />
| the Beast <br />
| {{w|Beauty_and_the_Beast|fairy tale characters}}<br />
|-<br />
| Beavis <br />
| and<br />
| Butthead<br />
| {{w|Beavis_and_Butt-Head|TV show}}<br />
|-<br />
| Rocky<br />
| and<br />
| Bullwinkle<br />
| {{w|The_Rocky_and_Bullwinkle_Show|TV show}}<br />
|-<br />
| Abbott<br />
| and<br />
| Costello<br />
| {{w|Abbott_and_Costello|comedy duo}}<br />
|-<br />
| Dr. Jekyll <br />
| and <br />
| Mr. Hyde<br />
| {{w|Strange_Case_of_Dr_Jekyll_and_Mr_Hyde|book}}<br />
|-<br />
| Samson<br />
| and<br />
| Delilah<br />
| Biblical characters<br />
|-<br />
| Butch Cassidy<br />
| and<br />
| the Sundance Kid<br />
| historical characters and famous movie<br />
|-<br />
| Bill<br />
| and<br />
| Ted’s Excellent Adventure and Bogus Journey<br />
| movie series<br />
|-<br />
| David<br />
| and<br />
| Goliath<br />
| Biblical characters<br />
|-<br />
| Sherlock Holmes<br />
| and<br />
| Dr. Watson<br />
| {{w|Sherlock_Holmes|Arthur Conan Doyle characters}}<br />
|-<br />
| Jay <br />
| and<br />
| Silent Bob<br />
| {{w|Jay_and_Silent_Bob|View Askewniverse characters (Clerks movies)}}<br />
|-<br />
| Anna <br />
| and<br />
| the King<br />
| movie, based on Anna and the King of Siam<br />
|-<br />
| Calvin<br />
| and<br />
| Hobbes<br />
| {{w|Calvin_and_Hobbes|comic series}}<br />
|-<br />
| Timon <br />
| and<br />
| Pumbaa<br />
| {{w|Timon_and_Pumbaa|characters from the Lion King film series}}<br />
|-<br />
| Mary Kate<br />
| and<br />
| Ashley Olsen<br />
| {{w|Mary-Kate_and_Ashley_Olsen|twin actresses}}<br />
|-<br />
| Mario<br />
| and<br />
| Luigi<br />
| {{w|Mario_Bros.|video game characters}}<br />
|-<br />
| Siskel<br />
| and<br />
| Ebert <br />
| {{w|At_the_Movies_(U.S._TV_series)|movie critics Gene Siskel and Roger Ebert}}<br />
|-<br />
| Hall<br />
| and<br />
| Oates<br />
| musical duo<br />
|}<br />
<br />
==Transcript==<br />
<br />
Famous Duos in a nearby parallel universe<br />
<br />
Thelma and Hobbes<br />
<br />
when Harry met Bullwinkle<br />
<br />
Batman and Louise<br />
<br />
Antony and Robin<br />
<br />
Romeo and Butthead<br />
<br />
bonnie and Ted's ecellent adventure<br />
<br />
Pinky and Clyde<br />
<br />
Simon and Goliath<br />
<br />
Beauty and Luigi<br />
<br />
Beavis and The Beast<br />
<br />
Rocky and Delilah<br />
<br />
Abbot and Cleopatra<br />
<br />
Dr. Jekyll and Ashley Olsen<br />
<br />
Samson and Pumbaa<br />
<br />
Butch Cassidy and Mr. Hyde<br />
<br />
Bill and Sally's Bogus Journey<br />
<br />
David and Costello<br />
<br />
Sherlock Holmes and Silent Bob<br />
<br />
Jay and Dr. Watson<br />
<br />
Anna and The Brain<br />
<br />
Calvin and The King<br />
<br />
Timon and Garfunkel<br />
<br />
Mary-Kate and The Sundance Kid<br />
<br />
Mario and Juliet<br />
<br />
== Cycles ==<br />
There are four cycles. The longest starts with "Thelma" and ends with "Louise" as follows:<br />
<br />
* First cycle: length 15<br />
Thelma & Louise<br />
Calvin & Hobbes<br />
Anna & the King<br />
Pinky & the Brain<br />
Bonnie & Clyde<br />
Bill & Ted<br />
Harry & Sally<br />
Rocky & Bullwinkle<br />
Samson & Delilah<br />
Timon & Pumbaa<br />
Simon & Garfunkel<br />
David & Goliath<br />
Abbot & Costello<br />
Antony & Cleopatra<br />
Batman & Robin<br />
<br />
This means, it starts with "Thelma", paired with "Hobbes" diagonally down, from "Hobbes" to "Calvin", who is paired with "the King" and so on, until "Batman" is paired with "Louise", completing the cycle.<br />
<br />
* Second cycle: length 4<br />
Romeo & Juliet<br />
Beavis & Butthead<br />
Beauty & the Beast<br />
Mario & Luigi<br />
<br />
* Third cycle: length 3<br />
Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Hyde<br />
Mary-Kate & Ashley Olsen<br />
Butch Cassidy & the Sundance Kid<br />
<br />
* Fourth cycle: length 2<br />
Sherlock Holmes & Dr. Watson<br />
Jay & Silent Bob<br />
<br />
Assigning an index starting with 0 (= Thelma & Louise) to 23 (= Mario & Luigi), they can be written as:<br />
<br />
(0, 20, 19, 6, 5, 15, 1, 10, 13, 21, 7, 16, 11, 3, 2)<br />
(4, 9, 8, 23)<br />
(12, 22, 14) <br />
(17, 18)<br />
<br />
{{comic discussion}}</div>173.245.56.64https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=1648:_Famous_Duos&diff=1133821648: Famous Duos2016-02-26T12:35:07Z<p>173.245.56.64: /* Transcript */</p>
<hr />
<div>{{comic<br />
| number = 1648<br />
| date = February 26, 2016<br />
| title = Famous Duos<br />
| image = famous_duos.png<br />
| titletext = The Romeo and Butt-Head film actually got two thumbs up from Siskel and Oates.<br />
}}<br />
<br />
==Explanation==<br />
{{incomplete|Needs to be expanded}}<br />
<br />
{| class="wikitable sortable"<br />
|-<br />
|+ Famous duos in this universe<br />
|-<br />
! scope="col" | Name<br />
! scope="col" class="unsortable" | pairing<br />
! scope="col" | Partner<br />
! scope="col" class="unsortable" | From<br />
|-<br />
| Thelma<br />
| and<br />
| Louise <br />
| {{w|Thelma_%26_Louise|road trip film}}<br />
|-<br />
| When Harry<br />
| Met <br />
| Sally <br />
| {{w|When_Harry_Met_Sally...|romantic comedy film}}<br />
|-<br />
| Batman <br />
| and <br />
| Robin<br />
| {{w|Batman|comic book characters}}<br />
|-<br />
| Antony <br />
| and<br />
| Cleopatra<br />
| historical figures<br />
|-<br />
| Romeo <br />
| and <br />
| Juliet<br />
| {{w|Romeo_and_Juliet|Shakespeare characters}}<br />
|-<br />
| Bonnie<br />
| and <br />
| Clyde<br />
| {{w|Bonnie_and_Clyde|historical figures}}<br />
|-<br />
| Pinky<br />
| and<br />
| the Brain <br />
| {{w|Pinky_and_the_Brain|TV show}}<br />
|-<br />
| Simon <br />
| and<br />
| Garfunkel<br />
| {{w|Simon_%26_Garfunkel|musical duo}}<br />
|-<br />
| Beauty <br />
| and<br />
| the Beast <br />
| {{w|Beauty_and_the_Beast|fairy tale characters}}<br />
|-<br />
| Beavis <br />
| and<br />
| Butthead<br />
| {{w|Beavis_and_Butt-Head|TV show}}<br />
|-<br />
| Rocky<br />
| and<br />
| Bullwinkle<br />
| {{w|The_Rocky_and_Bullwinkle_Show|TV show}}<br />
|-<br />
| Abbott<br />
| and<br />
| Costello<br />
| {{w|Abbott_and_Costello|comedy duo}}<br />
|-<br />
| Dr. Jekyll <br />
| and <br />
| Mr. Hyde<br />
| {{w|Strange_Case_of_Dr_Jekyll_and_Mr_Hyde|book}}<br />
|-<br />
| Samson<br />
| and<br />
| Delilah<br />
| Biblical characters<br />
|-<br />
| Butch Cassidy<br />
| and<br />
| the Sundance Kid<br />
| historical characters and famous movie<br />
|-<br />
| Bill<br />
| and<br />
| Ted’s Excellent Adventure and Bogus Journey<br />
| movie series<br />
|-<br />
| David<br />
| and<br />
| Goliath<br />
| Biblical characters<br />
|-<br />
| Sherlock Holmes<br />
| and<br />
| Dr. Watson<br />
| {{w|Sherlock_Holmes|Arthur Conan Doyle characters}}<br />
|-<br />
| Jay <br />
| and<br />
| Silent Bob<br />
| {{w|Jay_and_Silent_Bob|View Askewniverse characters (Clerks movies)}}<br />
|-<br />
| Anna <br />
| and<br />
| the King<br />
| movie, based on Anna and the King of Siam<br />
|-<br />
| Calvin<br />
| and<br />
| Hobbes<br />
| {{w|Calvin_and_Hobbes|comic series}}<br />
|-<br />
| Timon <br />
| and<br />
| Pumbaa<br />
| {{w|Timon_and_Pumbaa|characters from the Lion King film series}}<br />
|-<br />
| Mary Kate<br />
| and<br />
| Ashley Olsen<br />
| {{w|Mary-Kate_and_Ashley_Olsen|twin actresses}}<br />
|-<br />
| Mario<br />
| and<br />
| Luigi<br />
| {{w|Mario_Bros.|video game characters}}<br />
|-<br />
| Siskel<br />
| and<br />
| Ebert <br />
| {{w|At_the_Movies_(U.S._TV_series)|movie critics Gene Siskel and Roger Ebert}}<br />
|-<br />
| Hall<br />
| and<br />
| Oates<br />
| musical duo<br />
|}<br />
<br />
==Transcript==<br />
<br />
Famous Duos in a nearby parallel universe<br />
<br />
Thelma and Hobbes<br />
<br />
when Harry met Bullwinkle<br />
<br />
Batman and Louise<br />
<br />
Antony and Robin<br />
<br />
Romeo and Butthead<br />
<br />
bonnie and Ted's ecellent adventure<br />
<br />
Pinky and Clyde<br />
<br />
Simon and Goliath<br />
<br />
Beauty and Luigi<br />
<br />
Beavis and The Beast<br />
<br />
Rocky and Delilah<br />
<br />
Abbot and Cleopatra<br />
<br />
Dr. Jekyll and Ashley Olsen<br />
<br />
Samson and Pumbaa<br />
<br />
Butch Cassidy and Mr. Hyde<br />
<br />
Bill and Sally's Bogus Journey<br />
<br />
David and Costello<br />
<br />
Sherlock Holmes and Silent Bob<br />
<br />
Jay and Dr. Watson<br />
<br />
Anna and The Brain<br />
<br />
Calvin and The King<br />
<br />
Timon and Garfunkel<br />
<br />
Mary-Kate and The Sundance Kid<br />
<br />
Mario and Juliet<br />
<br />
== Cycles ==<br />
There are four cycles. The longest starts with "Thelma" and ends with "Louise" as follows:<br />
<br />
* First cycle: length 15<br />
Thelma & Louise<br />
Calvin & Hobbes<br />
Anna & the King<br />
Pinky & the Brain<br />
Bonnie & Clyde<br />
Bill & Ted<br />
Harry & Sally<br />
Rocky & Bullwinkle<br />
Samson & Delilah<br />
Timon & Pumbaa<br />
Simon & Garfunkel<br />
David & Goliath<br />
Abbot & Costello<br />
Antony & Cleopatra<br />
Batman & Robin<br />
<br />
This means, it starts with "Thelma", paired with "Hobbes" diagonally down, from "Hobbes" to "Calvin", who is paired with "the King" and so on, until "Batman" is paired with "Louise", completing the cycle.<br />
<br />
* Second cycle: length 4<br />
Romeo & Juliet<br />
Beavis & Butthead<br />
Beauty & the Beast<br />
Mario & Luigi<br />
<br />
* Third cycle: length 3<br />
Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Hyde<br />
Mary-Kate & Ashley Olsen<br />
Butch Cassidy & the Sundance Kid<br />
<br />
* Fourth cycle: length 2<br />
Sherlock Holmes & Dr. Watson<br />
Jay & Silent Bob<br />
<br />
Assigning an index starting with 0 (= Thelma & Louise) to 23 (= Mario & Luigi), they can be written as:<br />
<br />
(0, 20, 19, 6, 5, 15, 1, 10, 13, 21, 7, 16, 11, 3, 2)<br />
(4, 9, 8, 23)<br />
(12, 22, 14) <br />
(17, 18)<br />
<br />
{{comic discussion}}</div>173.245.56.64https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=Talk:1572:_xkcd_Survey&diff=100854Talk:1572: xkcd Survey2015-09-02T13:29:27Z<p>173.245.56.64: </p>
<hr />
<div>Mildly interesting to note that the ordering of most of the checkbox/radiobutton lists randomise each time the survery is loaded. Also, there is at least one other comic where Randall comments about not having figured out HTML imagemaps. Anyone remember which? --[[User:Pudder|Pudder]] ([[User talk:Pudder|talk]]) 10:52, 2 September 2015 (UTC)<br />
:It was in one of his "under the logo" news bars, about him starting What If, iirc --[[User:Aescula|Aescula]] ([[User talk:Aescula|talk]]) 11:28, 2 September 2015 (UTC)<br />
I wonder how many people, on reading 'Type "cat" here:', typed '"cat" here:'? I know I did... [[Special:Contributions/141.101.98.214|141.101.98.214]] 11:58, 2 September 2015 (UTC)<br />
:Guilty...--[[User:Pudder|Pudder]] ([[User talk:Pudder|talk]]) 12:08, 2 September 2015 (UTC)<br />
: Me too... However you could have typed '"cat" here:', as well... (/edit: I wonder how many different entries the survey's result will reveal) (/edit2: I did not read properly... sorry. I typed '"cat"' not '"cat" here:' -.-)[[User:Elektrizikekswerk|Elektrizikekswerk]] ([[User talk:Elektrizikekswerk|talk]]) 12:27, 2 September 2015 (UTC)<br />
: I typed meow -[[Special:Contributions/141.101.105.86|141.101.105.86]] 12:41, 2 September 2015 (UTC)<br />
Not sure if it was just me, but the comic wasn't a link at all! The cursor changed into a No cursor for me everytime I mouseover'd the comic. I went to survey using the "Bonus Link!" below the comic page. [[User:Brilliantnut|Brilliantnut]] ([[User talk:Brilliantnut|talk]]) 12:01, 2 September 2015 (UTC)<br />
:Never mind, this was probably due to the WebComics reader extension that I have in my browser. [[User:Brilliantnut|Brilliantnut]] ([[User talk:Brilliantnut|talk]]) 12:03, 2 September 2015 (UTC)<br />
From hearing people on reddit comment about not being able to completely fill the text box (not just the visual box) with the error "Answer too long", it's caused by a 10k character limit. Presumably by Google Docs. [[Special:Contributions/108.162.249.192|108.162.249.192]] 13:18, 2 September 2015 (UTC)<br />
<br />
The validation choices are interesting.<br />
* "Enter a number between 1 and 100" rejects numbers outside this range (e.g. -1) but also reject valid responses (e.g. &pi;).<br />
* "Enter your age" and "Enter the number of $SIBLING" accept invalid responses such as -1. [[User:Paddles|Paddles]] ([[User talk:Paddles|talk]]) 13:29, 2 September 2015 (UTC)<br />
<br />
==Not a transcript==<br />
This is mildly interesting, but it is not a transcript. Transcripts are meant mainly for blind people and search engines. Different letter sizes and a frame are not needed. [[User:Xhfz|Xhfz]] ([[User talk:Xhfz|talk]]) 12:54, 2 September 2015 (UTC)<br />
:{| style="text-align:center; border:1pt black solid;"<br />
|| Introducing <p style="font-size:large; margin:0px;"> '''THE XKCD SURVEY''' </p> A search for weird correlations <br/> Note: This survey is anonymous, but <br/> <font color="red"> all responses will be posted publicly </font> <br/> so people can play with the data. <br/> '''Click here to''' <br/> '''take the survey''' <p style="font-size:x-small"> Or click here, or here. <br/> The whole comic is a link, <br/> because I still haven't gotten <br/> the hang of HTML imagemaps. </p><br />
|}<br />
I wonder how many people included "battery, horse, staple, correct" in the five random words box.</div>173.245.56.64https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=495:_Secretary:_Part_2&diff=68914495: Secretary: Part 22014-06-05T14:31:27Z<p>173.245.56.64: /* Explanation */ I think it's more likely that he's referring to Ron Paul's actual blimp than making a vague allusion to his policies.</p>
<hr />
<div>{{comic<br />
| number = 495<br />
| date = October 28, 2008<br />
| title = Secretary: Part 2<br />
| image = secretary part 2.png<br />
| titletext = That helmet won't save him.<br />
}}<br />
<br />
==Explanation==<br />
Whenever something big happens the news media likes to have at least two things: interviews with people that are the news, and on-the-scene reporters. Even if those reporters are simply standing in front of a building that something happened in, they have to be on-scene. To thwart the media (and probably everyone else), [[Black Hat]] has built a {{w|moat}} around his apartment building. The second reporter is on-the-scene from the Internet, or rather, one of its darkest corners: {{w|4chan}}. In more detail, 4chan is a collection of image boards, which act somewhat like forums, where users go to share images. The different boards are named by their "folder" structure, for lack of a better term. Therefore, the name /b/ comes from its URL: 4chan.org/b/. Pronounced "slash bee" (because the second forward slash is not necessary), /b/ is the "random" board, where anything goes, where anything is the superset of all sets, as in anything. Absolutely. Anything. As in, going more than two seconds without seeing pornographic content or hateful slurs is almost unheard of. /b/ is also the one that gets the most publicity, because it has started most of the {{w|meme}}s [http://knowyourmeme.com/] on the Internet, as well as the birthplace of {{w|Anonymous (group)|Anonymous}}. Everyone in /b/ is some kind of troll (take that as a compliment all you /b/ers), thus the title text means that the reporter isn't safe, even though he is wearing a helmet. In fact, a goofy helmet like that is liable to get the trolls on you faster than if you didn't have it.<br />
<br />
{{w|Ron Paul}} is a man who is currently a U.S. Representative for Texas. At the time the comic was published, he was running, for the third time, for {{w|President of the United States}}.<br />
<br />
A {{w|haberdasher}} is a person who sells small articles of clothing that have been or can be sewed. In modern English a haberdashery (where a haberdasher would work) is a place that sells hats.<br />
<br />
Ron Paul's 2008 presidential campaign did, in fact, use a {{w|blimp}} [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ron_Paul_presidential_campaign,_2008#Ron_Paul_Blimp]. However, despite their elegant appearance, blimps are not a very fast way to travel.<br />
<br />
All comics in the [[:Category:Secretary|Secretary]] series:<br />
*[[494: Secretary: Part 1]]<br />
*495: Secretary: Part 2 (this one)<br />
*[[496: Secretary: Part 3]]<br />
*[[497: Secretary: Part 4]]<br />
*[[498: Secretary: Part 5]]<br />
<br />
This series was released on 5 consecutive days (Monday-Friday) and not over the usual Monday/Wednesday/Friday schedule.<br />
<br />
==Transcript==<br />
:News Anchor: Breaking news—the President has made a nomination to the new post of Internet Secretary. We know little about the man, shown here.<br />
:{Image of Black Hat.}<br />
:Image Caption: Possibly a haberdasher?<br />
<br />
:News Anchor: Attempts to reach the nominee at home were unsuccessful.<br />
:Reporter: What the hell kind of apartment has a moat?<br />
<br />
:News Anchor: To understand the culture from which he came—and which he may soon administer—we sent a reporter to what we're told is the source of that culture. Tom?<br />
<br />
:Tom: I'm coming to you live from the 4chan /b/ board. Despite the tube cloggage, nascent memes are flying fast and furious.<br />
:News Anchor: Why are you wearing a helmet, Tom?<br />
:Tom: I'm not sure.<br />
<br />
:[Meanwhile in Ron Paul's blimp.]<br />
:Ron Paul: Ahoy! What news of the blogs?<br />
<br />
:Ponytail: Dr. Paul! The President's named his nominee!<br />
:Ron Paul: It's not me?<br />
<br />
:Ron Paul: Wait! I remember that guy from the campaign! He's a notorious troll!<br />
<br />
:Ron Paul: They mustn't put him in charge. Quick, call the capitol!<br />
<br />
:Ponytail: Can't, sir. The tubes just went down completely.<br />
:Ron Paul: Blast!<br />
<br />
:Ron Paul: Then we'll go ourselves. Full speed ahead!<br />
<br />
:[The blimp advances minutely.]<br />
<br />
:[The blimp advances minutely.]<br />
<br />
:[The blimp advances minutely.]<br />
:Ron Paul: I said full speed!<br />
:Ponytail: It's a blimp, sir!<br />
<br />
{{comic discussion}}<br />
[[Category:Comics featuring Black Hat]]<br />
[[Category:Comics featuring Ponytail]]<br />
[[Category:Comics featuring Ron Paul]]<br />
[[Category:Secretary|02]]<br />
[[Category:Airships]]<br />
[[Category:Internet]]</div>173.245.56.64https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=70:_Guitar_Hero&diff=6649270: Guitar Hero2014-05-01T14:58:37Z<p>173.245.56.64: Cleaned up and simplified star power explanation.</p>
<hr />
<div>{{comic<br />
| number = 70<br />
| date = March 1, 2006<br />
| title = Guitar Hero<br />
| image = Guitar hero.jpg<br />
| titletext = And then do it again in a moment now that they're out of Star Power.<br />
}}<br />
<br />
==Explanation==<br />
<br />
''{{w|Guitar Hero}}'' is a series of video games (originally a single game) currently distributed by {{w|Activision}}. In the game, players simulate playing the guitar on famous guitar songs using a plastic guitar-shaped controller with five color-coded buttons on the neck representing guitar frets and a rocker bar on the body simulating a strumming motion. The game now includes other instruments such as drums and vocals, although not at the time this comic was published.<br />
<br />
While playing the game, an animated band is shown on the upper half of the screen and an extended guitar neck is shown vertically on the bottom half of the screen screen the frets horizontal, often called the "note highway". As the song progresses, colored markers or "gems" indicating notes travel down the screen in time with the music; the note colors and positions match the five fret keys on the guitar controller. Once the notes reach the bottom, the player must play the indicated notes by holding down the correct fret buttons and hitting the strumming bar in order to score points.<br />
<br />
In this comic, [[Randall Munroe|Randall]] suggests that, were he in a real rock band, he would perform a mellow song but intentionally put a complicated guitar solo in, not for musical value, but solely to antagonise ''Guitar Hero'' players with an impossible solo. As the comic suggests, a random flailing would likely make for a very difficult passage to play in ''Guitar Hero''. This is highlighted by the previous statement that the song would otherwise be mellow, lulling the player into a false sense that the song was easy to play and relaxing.<br />
<br />
The title text refers to a mechanic in Guitar Hero called "Star Power." Normally, when a player misses too many notes in a short time, their character is booed off the stage and they have to restart. Using Star Power temporarily boosts the score from each note, so the player can clear a difficult section of the song even if they haven't hit most of the notes. So, when faced with Randall's impossible guitar solo, most players will immediately use Star Power to survive it. However, it takes time to build up Star Power and it all gets expended at once, so if the song has a second stretch of wild flailing, the player won't be able to escape and will fail.<br />
<br />
==Transcript==<br />
:[On a stage, a guy with a beard is in the background, holding a microphone. In the center is a guy with an electric guitar. The catwalk has bumps to resemble the tracks of Guitar Hero.]<br />
:When I'm in a rock band, I'm gonna do a cool, mellow song. Then in the middle I'll stop, announce "this part is just to be an asshole to people playing Guitar Hero," and then flail wildly on the strings for 30 seconds.<br />
<br />
{{comic discussion}}<br />
[[Category:Music]]<br />
[[Category:Video games]]<br />
[[Category:Guitar Hero]]</div>173.245.56.64https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=1360:_Old_Files&diff=660971360: Old Files2014-04-25T12:34:33Z<p>173.245.56.64: Made the initial description a little clearer, included the explanation of the nested files from the talk page.</p>
<hr />
<div>{{comic<br />
| number = 1360<br />
| date = April 25, 2014<br />
| title = Old Files<br />
| image = old_files.png<br />
| titletext = Wow, ANIMORPHS-NOVEL.RTF? Just gonna, uh, go through and delete that from all my archives real quick.<br />
}}<br />
<br />
==Explanation==<br />
{{incomplete|Missing explanations for most of the various files.}}<br />
Cueball is digging through a pile of old files, which the comic represents as literally digging into the depths of his filesystem. The files are in concentric layers because each directory contains files moved over from an older system, so his "Documents" folder contains an "Old Desktop" folder from an older computer, the "Old Desktop" contains files recovered from the drive crash of the system before that, which had its own "My Documents" folder, which contained files saved from a Zip Disk in high school. The result is that files from all the way back in high school have survived to his present-day machine. He discovers several files he is embarrassed about, including a poetry file that surprises him, since he does not remember writing poetry, and an "Animorphs Novel" mentioned in the title text, most likely a fan fiction of the Animorphs series, although possibly a copy of one of the original books.<br />
<br />
This comic came out the day after [http://news.sky.com/story/1248397/andy-warhol-originals-found-on-floppy-disk Sky News published the story] of original [[wikipedia:Andy Warhol|Andy Warhol]] artwork, created in 1985 on an [[wikipedia:Amiga 1000|Amiga 1000]], was recovered from recently found floppy disks.<br />
<br />
=== Files ===<br />
* Documents 47GB [[wikipedia:My_Documents|Documents]] is the special folder on Windows Vista and newer Microsoft operating systems that holds user files. Notice how the folders get smaller when they are from older systems (with less storage).<br />
* Misc.txt<br />
* Video projects<br />
* Old desktop 12GB<br />
* Facebook pics<br />
* Pics from other camera<br />
* Temp<br />
* Misc PDFs<br />
* MP3<br />
* Recovered from drive crash 4GB<br />
* Temp<br />
* Work misc<br />
* Audio books<br />
* My documents 570MB [[wikipedia:My_Documents|My Documents]] is the special folder on Windows XP and older Microsoft operating systems that holds user files.<br />
* Downloads<br />
* [[wikipedia:Kazaa|Kazaa]] is an internet file sharing service.<br />
* [[wikipedia:All_your_base_are_belong_to_us|AYB]] is an acronym for "All your base are belong to us", a badly translated phrase from video game Zero Wing. This could be a copy of this game or of the popular video that was created to make fun of the bad translation in this game.<br />
* [[wikipedia:Escape_Velocity_Override|EV Override]] is a video game originally written for the Apple Macintosh.<br />
* [[wikipedia:Angband|Angband]] is a rogue-like computer game.<br />
* [[wikipedia:Graphics_Interchange_Format|GIFs]] An image format that is still used for storing lossless images, but before the rise of JPG compression widely accepted for storing all images. <br />
* Fight club.wmv A Windows Media encode of [[wikipedia:Fight_Club|Fight club (1999)]].<br />
* [[wikipedia:Elasto_Mania|Elasto Maina]] is a 2D motorbike computer game<br />
* AIM Direct Connect files: [[wikipedia:AOL_Instant_Messenger|AIM]] is an instant messenger that allows sending binary data (images etc.) using a direct connection.<br />
* 4Chan<br />
* [[wikipedia:ICQ|ICQ]] is an early (1996) instant messenger client.<br />
* High school zip disk 94MB: [[wikipedia:Zip drive|zip disks]] were a popular storage medium in the late 90's before being replaced by rewritable CD's and later USB thumbdrives.<br />
* Lovenote.txt<br />
* [[wikipedia:Gorillas (video game)|Gorilla.bas]] is one of the games that came with QBasic.<br />
* [[wikipedia:AOL|AOL]]<br />
* AOL Citadel<br />
* NYET is a Tetris clone written for MS DOS in 1988.<br />
* Jokes.txt<br />
* Korn midi - {{w|MIDI}} is format for music used in times before MP3. {{w|Korn}} might be the rock band.<br />
* Photos3 Prom<br />
* Dream.txt<br />
* James.txt<br />
* [[wikipedia:QBasic|QBasic]] is an IDE and intepreter for a dialect of the BASIC programming language, originally bundled with MS-DOS 5.0 and newer<br />
* AAAFiles 9.4MB<br />
* TXT 850K<br />
<br />
==Transcript==<br />
<br />
# '''Documents''' (47 GB)<br />
## misc.txt<br />
## '''Old desktop''' (12 GB)<br />
### Facebook pics<br />
### Misc PDFs<br />
### MP3<br />
### Pics from other camera<br />
### '''Recovered from drive crash''' (4 GB)<br />
#### Audiobooks<br />
#### '''My documents''' (570 MB)<br />
##### 4chan<br />
##### AIM Direct Connect files<br />
##### Angband<br />
##### AYB<br />
##### Downloads<br />
##### Elasto Mania<br />
##### EV Override<br />
##### FIGHT CLUB.wmv<br />
##### GIFs<br />
##### '''High school Zip disk''' (94 MB)<br />
###### '''AAAFILES''' (9.4 MB)<br />
####### '''TXT''' (850 K)<br />
###### AOL<br />
####### Citadel<br />
###### dream.txt<br />
###### gorilla.bas<br />
###### James.txt<br />
###### jokes.txt<br />
###### Korn MIDI<br />
###### lovenote.txt<br />
###### NYET<br />
###### Photos3<br />
####### Prom<br />
###### QBasic<br />
##### ICQ logs<br />
##### Kazaa shared<br />
##### ''(four unnamed directories)''<br />
#### Temp<br />
#### Work misc<br />
### Temp<br />
### ''(one unnamed directory)''<br />
## Video projects<br />
<br />
<hr><br />
<br />
:Megan (on top of stack of files): You OK down there?<br />
:Cueball (deep inside stack): Oh my god. I wrote '''POETRY'''.<br />
<br />
{{comic discussion}}</div>173.245.56.64https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=826:_Guest_Week:_Zach_Weiner_(SMBC)&diff=59349826: Guest Week: Zach Weiner (SMBC)2014-02-04T15:27:23Z<p>173.245.56.64: </p>
<hr />
<div>{{comic<br />
| number = 826<br />
| date = November 26, 2010<br />
| title = Guest Week: Zach Weiner (SMBC)<br />
| image = guest week zach weiner smbc.png<br />
| titletext = Guest comic by Zach Weiner of Saturday Morning Breakfast Cereal. When I was stressed out, Zach gave me a talk that was really encouraging and somehow involved nanobots.<br />
}}<br />
<br />
==Explanation==<br />
{{incomplete|Not all sections are explained, maybe a picture for each should be posted here.}}<br />
This comic is guest drawn by Zach Weiner, author of the webcomic [http://www.smbc-comics.com/ Saturday Morning Breakfast Cereal]. It's interactive, so you'll have to see the [http://www.xkcd.com/826/ original comic].<br />
<br />
The entire comic is a hypothetical "{{w|Smithsonian Museum}} of Dad-Trolling, an entire building dedicated to deceiving children for amusement." That explains it pretty well.<br />
<br />
===The Hall of Misunderstood Science===<br />
Each exhibit is a display set up to reinforce the false answers to typical questions that children may ask their fathers about scientific topics. The answers given involve just enough information that the child may be satisfied with the answer and repeat it to others while maintaining the irony for adults that the answers are obviously misleading or false.<br />
<br />
Basilisk - mythological reptilian monster that was described with the ability to turn other living things to stone with its gaze.<br />
<br />
The magnet exhibit alludes to a loss of sexual desire in adults that while perceived may not be true.<br />
<br />
Jesus' dandruff as snow refers to a common idiom in English that rain is "god's tears" and proposes a humorous and irreverent extension of the saying.<br />
<br />
The sleep exhibit reinforces common fears by accentuating the aspect of vulnerability associated with sleep.<br />
<br />
Water is less dense as a solid than it is when in liquid state. This is an unusual property as most materials are more dense in solid form. The exhibit falsely explains the phenomenon by linking it to a defense mechanism employed by prey species to deter predators. A rhinoceros, though fierce and territorial, is not a predator. <br />
<br />
The anti- in anti matter is a prefix in English which means "the opposite of" referring to the fact that antimatter is made up of oppositely charged particles from regular matter. This is a partial homonym to species of insects commonly called ants.<br />
<br />
The letters associated with DNA are related to the proteins which make up the chains, they are guanine, adenine, thymine, and cytosine. The commonality of the abbreviation disguises the link to the names of the proteins and gives rise questions regarding the letter choices.<br />
<br />
The figure speaking about molecule display is displaying a common trope attributed to elderly men in that they complain about developments that change the way the view or interact with the world. Historically, though it was understood that matter was made up of small particles it was a common misnomer to refer to these particle as atoms.<br />
<br />
===Regrettable Pranks: An Interactive Experience===<br />
This section holds falsehoods that a dad might use to frighten his children. It is an interactive experience, so visitors can try something for themselves, then learn the frightening fact it indicates.<br />
<br />
Helium makes your voice high-pitched, which visitors are told is a sign they are about to explode.<br />
<br />
Your middle finger is always longer than the others, so this test will always tell visitors they are an alien half-breed.<br />
<br />
Cherries are a common ingredient in Jello cups, but the exhibit implies that the cherry is actually a rabbit brain.<br />
<br />
===Concessions===<br />
<br />
===Conservatory of Poorly Remembered History===<br />
<br />
===Rotunda of Uncomfortable Topics===<br />
<br />
===Miscellaneous===<br />
The Bathrooms have 3 doors, implying that the Museum may be visited by someone or something that is not male or female, i.e. a hermaphrodite or asexual creature. Or it may be for disabled people.<br />
<br />
==Transcript==<br />
:In the spirit of xkcd I present a proposal for a new Smithsonian museum:<br />
:The Smithsonian Museum Of Dad-Trolling<br />
:An entire building dedicated to deceiving children for amusement<br />
<br />
:(Click to view exhibits!)<br />
<br />
:The top left room is 'The Hall of Misunderstood Science'. It contains six exhibits.<br />
<br />
:Exhibit: A giant basilisk looms over children.<br />
:Exhibit label: BASILISKS: Real, deadly, under your bed.<br />
<br />
:Exhibit: Four magnets hang from a square arch. A child is touching two of them together.<br />
:Text on the arch: Magnets only leap at each other when they're teenagers. Later, they lose interest.<br />
<br />
:Exhibit: A child on his dad's shoulders looks up at a looming statue of Jesus behind a lectern. There are flakes falling from Jesus onto them both.<br />
:Exhibit label: Snow is Jesus' dandruff. His scalp gets dry when it's cold.<br />
<br />
:Exhibit: A child lies asleep, while hands and a scary face reach up around the bed toward him.<br />
:Exhibit label: Sleep: Now you're vulnerable to the boogie man!<br />
<br />
:Exhibit: An ice block sits on a stand in front of pictures of a wolf and rhinoceros looking frightened.<br />
:Exhibit label: Freezing water: Expands to frighten predators.<br />
<br />
:Exhibit: An insect on a stick is orbited by a small sphere.<br />
:Exhibit label: Anti-matter: Matter that is more than 50% ants.<br />
<br />
:Exhibit: A DNA strand with the letters T, A, C, and G hanging around it.<br />
:Exhibit label: DNA only has four letters because the alphabet was smaller back then.<br />
:Dad, to child: Told you so.<br />
<br />
:Exhibit: A bunch of molecules hang from the ceiling.<br />
:Exhibit label: Molecules? In my day, we only had atoms!<br />
<br />
:The top right room is 'Regrettable Pranks: An Interactive Experience'. There are four exhibits.<br />
<br />
:Exhibit: Five balloons float tethered to a table. A child is holding a sixth balloon. The Dad looks alarmed.<br />
:Sign on exhibit: If this helium makes your voice go higher, it's because you're ten seconds from exploding.<br />
<br />
:Exhibit: An alien face is shown above an outline of several hands next to a ruler. A child holds his hand up to it.<br />
:Sign on exhibit: Measure your middle finger. If it's longer than the others, you're an alien halfbreed.<br />
<br />
:Exhibit: Three cups are on a table. A child is walking away with a fourth cup, the dad's arm around the child's shoulder.<br />
:Exhibit label: Has anyone seen my rabbit brain? It looks like a cherry, and I dropped it in a Jello cup.<br />
<br />
:Exhibit: A monstrous set of jaws open upward around a bed.<br />
:Sign on exhibit: Make your bed or monsters will know a kid lives there.<br />
<br />
:The center right room is 'Concessions'. There are three booths.<br />
<br />
:Booth: A concession stand is labeled 'KFP', and displays a KFC-style bucket. A dad and child are eating.<br />
:Dad: The "P" is for "phoenix".<br />
<br />
:Booth: A concession stand.<br />
:Sign on stand: Ground beef: Beef we found on the ground.<br />
:Dad, to child: Told you.<br />
<br />
:Booth: A stand shaped like a giant eye.<br />
:Booth label: EYES CREAM<br />
:Subtitle: How did you think it was spelled?<br />
:Sign on booth: Now with more of the goo in your eyes. Same as every other creamery.<br />
<br />
:The lower left room is 'Conservatory of Poorly Remembered History'. There are five exhibits.<br />
<br />
:Exhibit: A man is riding a dragon.<br />
:Exhibit label: Genghis Khan: victory through dragons.<br />
<br />
:Exhibit: A criminal in front of some windows.<br />
:Exhibit label: The Crimean War: The first war against crime.<br />
<br />
:Exhibit: A castle with flags hanging on it.<br />
:Exhibit label: The Renaissance<br />
:Subtitle: Long story short, the wizards were in control.<br />
<br />
:Exhibit:A man in Jedi-style robes with a fake beard.<br />
:Exhibit label: Star Wars is a documentary. No, seriously.<br />
:Dad, to children: Kids, this man is a veteran.<br />
<br />
:The lower right room is 'Rotunda of Uncomfortable Topics'. There are five exhibits.<br />
<br />
:Exhibit: A wrestling ring, with a man and woman mostly obscured by the exhibit label.<br />
:Exhibit label: Naked wrestling: perfectly normal. NEVER DO IT.<br />
<br />
:Exhibit: a figure sits at a booth in front of a bowl of food. The dad is holding a bottle.<br />
:Exhibit label: Alcohol is poison. I drink to save you from it.<br />
:Dad: You're welcome.<br />
<br />
:Exhibit: A large bird.<br />
:Exhibit label: Mommies get big tummies before babies come because the stork likes chubby girls.<br />
<br />
:Exhibit: A rocket ship.<br />
:Sign on exhibit: Grandma's not dead. She just returned to Saturn. For REVENGE.<br />
<br />
:In the areas outside the rooms, there are two more exhibits and restrooms, all clickable.<br />
<br />
:Exhibit: A dinosaur skeleton.<br />
:Exhibit label: That's right. Dinosaurs were made entirely of BONES.<br />
:Dad, to kid: If you think about it, it makes sense.<br />
<br />
:Exhibit: A large image hangs on the wall. It is a dense squiggly jumble of lines.<br />
:Dad, to kids: You gotta squint juuust right.<br />
:Sign on exhibit: Magic eye trick that doesn't actually work.<br />
<br />
:Restrooms: There are three doors, each with a sign.<br />
:First door (male logo): Men & Boys<br />
:Second door (female logo): Women & Girls<br />
:Third door (unrecognizable logo): Korgmen & Spangs<br />
<br />
{{comic discussion}}<br />
[[Category:Comics with color]]<br />
[[Category:Guest Week]]<br />
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]<br />
[[Category:Comics featuring Black Hat]]<br />
[[Category:Comics featuring Beret Guy]]<br />
[[Category:Comics featuring Ponytail]]<br />
[[Category:Comics featuring White Hat]]</div>173.245.56.64https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=253:_Highway_Engineer_Pranks&diff=58294253: Highway Engineer Pranks2014-01-21T19:26:13Z<p>173.245.56.64: </p>
<hr />
<div>{{comic<br />
| number = 253<br />
| date = April 25, 2007<br />
| title = Highway Engineer Pranks<br />
| image = highway_engineer_pranks.png<br />
| titletext = Prank #11: Boston<br />
}}<br />
<br />
==Explanation==<br />
{{incomplete|reason I don't think this goes into nearly enough detail about each setup[[User:Halfhat|Halfhat]] ([[User talk:Halfhat|talk]]) 19:20, 13 January 2014 (UTC)}}<br />
The first design resembles a {{w|cloverleaf interchange}}, but has no way to merge back onto the highway once you enter it, making it inescapable. The second interchange has off-ramps that you would normally use to change to the other highway, but in this design they simply merge back to the original highway, so you don't really have a choice in where to go. The unconventional {{w|roundabout|rotary}} has a path that puts cars from opposite sides of the rotary onto a collision course. This is a humorous reference to {{w|particle accelerators}} (such as the {{w|Superconducting Super Collider}}) which are designed to put particles on a collision course.<br />
<br />
{{w|Boston}} is a (slightly more complicated) prank in itself. A common fiction is that the streets evolved from old cowpaths; but in the 17th century they avoided swamps and marshes and followed shorelines before the original peninsula comprising the city was expanded with landfill in the 19th century. {{w|Transportation in Boston#Road infrastructure|Boston's road infrastructure}} in general lacks a {{w|street grid}}. On top of that, roads change names and lose and add lanes seemingly at random.<br />
<br />
==Transcript==<br />
:[Each panel depicts a highway intersection.]<br />
:The Inescapable Cloverleaf:<br />
:[Roads lead onto the rings for each leaf, but then are trapped in the circles. Minor roads also allow travel between the rings.]<br />
<br />
:The Zero-Choice Interchange:<br />
:[On and off-ramps exist, but they lead back to the same lane they disconnected from.]<br />
<br />
:The Rotary Supercollider:<br />
:[The roads lead into a traffic circle, and then a loop reverses the direction of flow so all the roads run into each other.]<br />
<br />
{{comic discussion}}</div>173.245.56.64https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=Talk:563:_Fermirotica&diff=58291Talk:563: Fermirotica2014-01-21T19:06:47Z<p>173.245.56.64: </p>
<hr />
<div>Explanation marked as incorrect. I would do some editing, but I do not have the time or explanation-writing skill to do so effectively.<br />
<br />
Issues:<br />
<br />
1. The explanation's listed April Fools' joke seems to have no proof; it has no mention in the comic.<br />
<br />
2. The title text seems to just be a complaint against Google's methods for statistics (i.e. "I love" is sarcasm). All it says is that Google just wildly guesses, based on unrelated, random events, and calls it statistics.<br />
[[User:Zweisteine|Zweisteine]] ([[User talk:Zweisteine|talk]]) 04:26, 12 January 2014 (UTC)<br />
<br />
<br />
I doubt that the title text was complaining or sarcastic at all. If I recall correctly, the ability to plug calculations with units into Google was pretty new in 2009, and especially useful, given as he switched his time units from minutes to years. [[Special:Contributions/108.162.231.234|108.162.231.234]] 17:04, 12 January 2014 (UTC)<br />
<br />
<br />
Except that it specifically states that Google guesses (stats are ballpark) and change based un unrelated occurrences (time of day and your mother's presence). That sounds like either sarcasm, or him actually loving how google doesn't (or didn't at the time) do a very good job with stats. [[User:Zweisteine|Zweisteine]] ([[User talk:Zweisteine|talk]]) 23:08, 17 January 2014 (UTC)<br />
<br />
I agree with Zweisteine - it is obvious a sarcastic comment, because the results from Google is so random that it will change during the day - and of course there is the your mom joke. Is there a category for these comics? (Like with the velociraptor comics etc.) [[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 11:20, 21 January 2014 (UTC)<br />
<br />
The two sentences of the title text are unrelated. The first is not sarcasm, but is straightforward praise of Google's "dimensional analysis". Searching on "sqrt( 2 / (pi * (18600 / mile^2) * (80 / year) * 30 minutes) )" yields an answer of "139.379395 meters" with Google correctly doing all of the unit conversion for you. Wow, that really is cool! It should be noted when Google gained this capability, if we can find a source for that. The second sentence is a straightforward discussion of the limitations of the model, as the probability of having sex is not uniformly distributed throughout the day. The mom part is a joke because it applies to a specific individual, not simultaneously to the general population around you (unless it is "Moms Visit Campus Day"). There is no April Fool's joke here. Where does the 18,600 persons / square mile population density come from? Is it for a specific metropolitan area? Finally, what Randall is calling "dimensional analysis" is more commonly referred to as unit conversion. For physicists, at least, dimensional analysis refers to a more subtle and powerful tool where equations for phenomena can often be deduced (to within a scaling factor) purely by analyzing the units involved. Wikipedia's articles on "Dimensional analysis", "Units conversion by factor-label", "Drake equation", and "Fermi paradox" should all be linked. -- [[Special:Contributions/108.162.212.217|108.162.212.217]] 12:26, 21 January 2014 (UTC)<br />
<br />
April's fool seems to refer to the date of the comic being April 1st 2009.<br />
<br />
:Understood, but there is no meta-"joke within a joke" or joke on the reader which would serve as a kind of April Fool's joke. This is just a regular comic which happened to be published on 1 April. -- [[Special:Contributions/108.162.212.217|108.162.212.217]] 18:38, 21 January 2014 (UTC)<br />
<br />
I think the "Fermi" in the title is referring to [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fermi_problem Fermi Problems] (incredibly rough ballpark estimates done with dimensional analysis and educated guesses), not the Fermi Paradox. Estimating how far it is to the nearest couple having sex is a Fermi problem. --[[Special:Contributions/173.245.56.64|173.245.56.64]] 19:06, 21 January 2014 (UTC)</div>173.245.56.64https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=Talk:1308:_Christmas_Lights&diff=55977Talk:1308: Christmas Lights2013-12-26T16:21:25Z<p>173.245.56.64: </p>
<hr />
<div>I think the spectrum at the top of the tree is a specific star. The Sun. [[Special:Contributions/173.245.56.64|173.245.56.64]] 16:21, 26 December 2013 (UTC)<br />
<br />
If I am reading the graphs right, except for the very top there is no blue lights.<br />
[[User:Traisjames|From the guy with his eye on the sky.]] ([[User talk:Traisjames|talk]]) 06:41, 25 December 2013 (UTC)<br />
<br />
Presumably the top is gold? [[Special:Contributions/173.245.52.211|173.245.52.211]] 07:47, 25 December 2013 (UTC)<br />
<br />
Also the spike in the near IR of the large graph is likely to be a mercury line. I think fires would have a smoother curve of a black body. <br />
[[Special:Contributions/199.27.128.122|199.27.128.122]] 06:47, 25 December 2013 (UTC)<br />
<br />
Could someone make a coloured version?[[User:Guru-45|Guru-45]] ([[User talk:Guru-45|talk]]) 07:22, 25 December 2013 (UTC)<br />
<br />
Also the light at the top of the tree seems to be emitting in the UV range. Perhaps it’s supposed to be a fluorescent lamp? [[Special:Contributions/108.162.245.7|108.162.245.7]] 07:30, 25 December 2013 (UTC)<br />
<br />
I'm thinking it's a "white" LED. [[Special:Contributions/108.162.216.56|108.162.216.56]] 07:50, 25 December 2013 (UTC)<br />
<br />
I think the one at the top matches the profile of a star...<br />
[[Special:Contributions/141.101.99.211|141.101.99.211]] 08:18, 25 December 2013 (UTC)<br />
<br />
The spike is not in the "near" infrared, this is water and/or carbondioxide line. {{unsigned ip|108.162.231.214}}<br />
<br />
From a rough pixel-measurement and assuming a linear scale, the peak on the large spectrum is at around 800 nm. I'm not sure what to make from the peak, but infrared light is heat radiation, so it could be the representation of sharing warmth and love. 15:15, 25 December 2013 (UTC)<br />
<br />
The top spectrum closely matches that of a cool-white LED. The strong peak in the blue, the broad peak from red to green, and the dip in the cyan range is a real give-away. Exactly like LEDs.[[User:ExternalMonolog|ExternalMonolog]] ([[User talk:ExternalMonolog|talk]]) 01:00, 26 December 2013 (UTC)ExternalMonolog<br />
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[http://i.imgur.com/hCbUpAl.png Here] is a "filled-in" version of the comic.[[User:Guru-45|Guru-45]] ([[User talk:Guru-45|talk]]) 17:06, 25 December 2013 (UTC)<br />
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Very nice, Guru![[User:ExternalMonolog|ExternalMonolog]] ([[User talk:ExternalMonolog|talk]]) 01:35, 26 December 2013 (UTC)ExternalMonolog<br />
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I strongly disagree with the explanation's assertion that the peak in the large spectrum, the fire, is the 4.3µm CO2 emission listed in the source given. The peak in the source's spectrum is clearly outside of the near-infrared spectrum and it is just as clearly on the long wave side of the black-body peak in the chart. The comic doesn't even show these wavelengths at all. If, as it appears, that the chart in the comic is a semi-log plot, then the peak is roughly in the 1,000~1,200nm range.[[User:ExternalMonolog|ExternalMonolog]] ([[User talk:ExternalMonolog|talk]]) 01:20, 26 December 2013 (UTC)ExternalMonolog<br />
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;Misleading picture in link<br />
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The picture :<br />
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http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Flame_detection_spectrum.JPG<br />
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found in the link of the explanation is strongly misleading. <br />
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Visible radiation ( red to violet ) is 700 to 400 nm. The <br />
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example spectrum in the middle does not fit to this. <br />
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Maybe some guesswork here results from that link. {{unsigned ip|108.162.231.220}}</div>173.245.56.64