explain xkcd - User contributions [en]

Category:Tribute

2019-09-06T22:28:43Z

Alissa92: made a word plural

When special people (to [[Randall]]) die, he has sometimes dedicated the next comic to their memory as a tribute.
*If possible the comic occurs on xkcd already the day after the person dies.
*This has been know to disregard the usual release schedule for the comic.

So far five people have a tribute:
*{{w|Gary Gygax}} is remembered in the comic [[393: Ultimate Game]], it came out three days after his death on a Friday.
*{{w|Steve Jobs}} is remembered in the comic [[961: Eternal Flame]] which came out on a Thursday since he died on a Wednesday.
*{{w|Terry Pratchett|Sir Terry Pratchett}} is remembered in the comic [[1498: Terry Pratchett]]. He died on a Thursday, so even though the comic came out the day after, it was released on a normal release day, Friday.
*{{w|Roddy Piper}}, former wrestler known as ''Rowdy'', played the protagonist in "They Live," and he died five days prior to the publication of [[1560: Bubblegum]]. Less known than the others it is likely that Randall did not know about this the day it happened, and this may explain the delay in the tribute. It was released on a normal release day, Wednesday.
*{{w|Douglas Engelbart}} is remembered in the comic [[1234: Douglas Engelbart (1925-2013)]], which came out on a Sunday three days after his death.

[[Category:Comics by topic]]

Talk:2183: Icon Swap

2019-08-01T17:41:39Z

Alissa92:

Re: hovertext: That's a really brilliant marketing campaign, right there... {{unsigned|162.158.126.46}}

I'm not sure if it would have any marketing effect, but it definitely sounds as good idea. It doesn't need to be that clever at first either - just posting random sentence from next page is not that likely to be interesting, but even with 2% of success it would help a lot. -- [[User:Hkmaly|Hkmaly]] ([[User talk:Hkmaly|talk]]) 22:07, 31 July 2019 (UTC)

I wouldn't be very surprised to see a book where each chapter actually started with a breaking news story.
The reader would generally be following the protagonist around, but the articles would show what the rest of the world knows and so either show that something the reader knows is not widely known, or fill the reader in on events that are part of the plot, but where the protagonist was not present.
[[User:Baldrickk|Baldrickk]] ([[User talk:Baldrickk|talk]]) 09:35, 1 August 2019 (UTC)

Here's an idea. What if there was no "book" at all, but the story was pushed to your device in real-time coinciding with the unfolding of the plot. The push could happen either night or day depending on what is going on in the story. [[User:Rtanenbaum|Rtanenbaum]] ([[User talk:Rtanenbaum|talk]]) 12:57, 1 August 2019 (UTC)

https://knowyourmeme.com/memes/twitter-reenactments?full=1

That’s a series of apps named Lifeline.

Talk:846: Dental Nerve

2019-06-17T17:58:15Z

Alissa92: Added link

Modern science has yet to come up with any plausible theories as to ''why'' Ke$ha would even want to brush her teeth with a bottle of Jack Daniel's in the first place. [[Special:Contributions/71.201.53.130|71.201.53.130]] 20:33, 20 August 2013 (UTC)

How important is brushing and flossing really? Take a look at these Before & After images courtesy of a Shellharbour Dentist (http://shellharbourcitydental.com.au) {{unsigned ip|108.162.250.219}}

The page was the home page with no obvious link to whatever.

[[User:Weatherlawyer| I used Google News BEFORE it was clickbait]] ([[User talk:Weatherlawyer|talk]]) 19:41, 24 January 2015 (UTC)

Is this the before and after pictures you were talking about? https://www.shellharbourcitydental.com.au/view-results
[[User:Alissa92|Alissa92]] ([[User talk:Alissa92|talk]]) 17:58, 17 June 2019 (UTC)
What's with the stressed syllables in caps in the title text? [[Special:Contributions/103.22.201.226|103.22.201.226]] 12:02, 2 June 2014 (UTC)
:It's to clarify which syllables are stressed. If you read it that way, it sounds like the original lyrics. [[User:Mezgrman|Mezgrman]] ([[User talk:Mezgrman|talk]]) 18:08, 13 June 2014 (UTC)

Obviously brushing one’s teeth with a bottle of Jack is not ideal, but I am somewhat curious whether it would be better than nothing, and if so how much. The actual damage is done by bacteria, which presumably do not appreciate the alcohol. [[Special:Contributions/162.158.56.221|162.158.56.221]] 19:32, 2 November 2015 (UTC)
:After a bit of research I found that alcohol is in fact pretty bad for your mouth (dries it out; does damage to gums etc.). I don’t drink; I have no idea whether I’d have known that if I actually did drink or not.[[Special:Contributions/162.158.56.221|162.158.56.221]] 19:40, 2 November 2015 (UTC)
Many types of mouth cleansing fluid use alcohol for disinfection; bacteria don't appreciate that. However, booze'll never manage to remove food leftovers from your teeth (mostly done by the brush, with help of the toothpaste), and it won't help strengthen the teeth (the toothpaste's fluoride) either. Apparently alcohol can also harm your gums, which would indirectly harm your teeth.
Result: in the very short term, alcohol would clean your teeth, but in the longer run, the remaining food traces would attract bacteria again within minutes, your teeth would be weaker after a period without fluoride, and gum harm might cause teeth harm if you kept going like this for a long time. Sounds like alcohol could be an emergency solution in the wilderness? Or use it to disinfect a shared toothbrush!

1283: Headlines

2019-05-15T04:06:30Z

Alissa92: /* fixed typo */

{{comic
| number = 1283
| date = October 28, 2013
| title = Headlines
| image = headlines.png
| titletext = 1916: 'PHYSICIST DAD' TURNS HIS ATTENTION TO GRAVITY, AND YOU WON'T BELIEVE WHAT HE FINDS. [PICS] [NSFW]
}}

==Explanation==
This comic satirizes the sensationalist language used in Internet headlines. Many websites generate ad revenue for getting visitors ("getting more clicks"), so some unscrupulous editors seek to manipulate their readers using tantalizing yet formulaic and crass headlines, designed to attract readers rather than summarize the article's contents. You might recognize this technique from those ridiculous text advertisements — "local mom discovers 1 weird tip to reduce belly fat." The practice is nothing new: {{w|tabloid journalism}} has been doing this for many years (e.g. ''{{w|National Enquirer}}''). The numbers shown at the headline are also often wrong and not covered by the article.

Signs of a dishonest headline include giving undue weight to trivial topics, or appealing to readers' emotions or needs (fear, outrage, pity, lust, laziness) instead of offering serious information. In severe cases, it may be a {{w|bait-and-switch}}, claiming to offer something it isn't. By failing to give a useful summary of the story, whilst attempting to force the reader to click on every story on the off-chance that it's interesting, they amount to an intentionally deceptive form of spam.

[[Randall]] parodies the formula in this comic with such trivializing headlines for important historical events:

*1905 - How a shocking new theory, discovered by a dad, proves scientists are wrong about ''everything!''
:{{w|Albert Einstein}} published his {{w|Annus Mirabilis papers}}, which changed views on space, time, mass, and energy, and laid the groundwork for much of modern physics. They included his papers on {{w|special relativity}} and on {{w|mass–energy equivalence}} ("E = mc<sup>2</sup>"). He had an infant son in 1905 (born May 1904).
:The use of the term "dad" helps readers tune in emotionally. "Proving scientists wrong about everything" is obviously an inflation of Einstein's achievements. Einstein was awarded the {{w|Nobel Prize}} in 1921 for his work on the {{w|photoelectric effect}}; his work on relativity was still not accepted by many physicists at that time.
*1912 - 6 ''Titanic'' survivors who should have died
:{{w|Sinking of the RMS Titanic}}. "should have died" seems to be referring to six passengers whose survival was downright miraculous, though the wording is (deliberately) ambiguous to imply the six passengers ''deserved'' to have died. Possibly referred to here is the survival of {{w|J. Bruce Ismay}}, chairman and managing director of the White Star Line (the company responsible for the Titanic), who was condemned as a coward for leaving the sinking liner.
*1920 - 17 things that will be outlawed now that women can vote
:The {{w|Nineteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution}} was passed, guaranteeing voting rights for women in all US states. The prediction of new prohibitions is a reference to alcohol prohibition under the authority granted to the federal government by the {{w|Eighteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution}}. While the Eighteenth Amendment was ratified before women's suffrage was guaranteed by the Nineteeth, alcohol prohibition was widely seen as an issue driven by women's opinions (hence the suggestion that more things would be prohibited now that women had the vote).
*1928 - This one weird mold kills all germs
:{{w|Penicillin}} was discovered.
*1929 - Most embarrassing reactions to the stock market crash [GIFS]
:This is a reference to the {{w|Wall Street Crash of 1929}}, the most devastating stock market crash in history and the beginning of the Great Depression. The "embarassing reactions" may be a reference to the suicides of people suddenly impoverished by the depression.
:[GIFS] indicates that the post will contain animated GIF images, which are a crude form of short video. Presumably, these GIFs will feature the aforementioned suicides, which would be considered tasteless at best. The {{w|GIF#Animated_GIF|GIF89a specification}} which supports animation was released in 1990, so animated GIFs (or computers for that matter) didn't exist in 1929.
*1945 - These 9 Nazi atrocities will make you lose faith in humanity
:1945 is the year that World War II ended. It's also the year that many war crimes committed by Nazi Germany were discovered or declassified. These events would be cause enough for anyone to re-evaluate their belief in the inherent goodness of the human race. However, the specific phrase "lose faith in humanity" is one often employed on the web by rather over-dramatic people in response to something someone did to exasperate them; and because that particular wording is closely associated with exaggerative tendencies, its usage in relation to Nazi war crimes only downplays their seriousness.
*1948 - 5 insane plans for feeding West Berlin you won't believe are real
:1948 is when the Soviet Union established the {{w|Berlin Blockade}}, preventing food and other critical supplies from reaching occupied Berlin. In response, Western forces organized the {{w|Berlin Airlift}}.
*1955 - Avoid polio with this one weird trick
:The {{w|polio vaccine}} was developed.
:"One weird trick" is a common phrase used in Internet ads: see [http://www.slate.com/articles/business/moneybox/2013/07/how_one_weird_trick_conquered_the_internet_what_happens_when_you_click_on.html this article] for more information. It may also refer to the fact that polio viruses were used as the first vaccines.
*1957 - 12 nip slips potentially visible to Sputnik
:The Soviet Union launched {{w|Sputnik 1}}, the world's first artificial satellite. A ''nip slip'' is when a woman unintentionally exposes all or part of one or both of her nipples; in the context of the internet, it generally refers to a photograph capturing such a moment.
:It would of course have to be some really big nips to be visible from space... So click ahead then!
*1968 - This year's assassinations ranked from most to least tragic
:{{w|Martin Luther King Jr.}} and {{w|Robert F. Kennedy}} ({{w|John F. Kennedy's}} younger brother) were both assassinated in 1968 (five years after JFK).
:Assassinations are rare and considered to be always tragic, so "ranking" them trivializes the political and emotional depth of the events.
*1969 - This is the most important photo of an astronaut you'll see all day
:{{w|Apollo 11}} performed the first manned lunar landing. During this historic trip newspapers printed as many pictures of astronauts as they could.
*1986 - This video of a terminally ill child watching the ''Challenger'' launch will break your heart
:Space Shuttle Challenger broke apart 73 seconds into its flight. See {{w|Space Shuttle Challenger disaster}} for details. This was the first shuttle mission that included a teacher on board as part of the crew ({{w|Christa McAuliffe}}, ''{{w|Teacher in Space Project}}''), so there were many children -- a New York Times poll put the number at 48% of 9-13 year olds in the US -- watching this particular launch live as teachers around the country had TV sets in their classrooms showing the ill-fated launch in real time. The launch was not shown on most mainstream TV stations; only {{w|CNN}} broadcast it live.
:Since this many children did see it, there would also have been several terminal ill children watching, and likely also some press out at one such place. So they could get this picture. And again toy with our emotions.
*1989 - You won't ''believe'' what these people did to the Berlin wall! [video]
:{{w|Fall of the Berlin Wall}}.
:[video] indicates a link to a video
*Jan 1, 1990 - 500 signs you're a 90s kid
:A 90s kid is someone born in the late 80s or early 90s (and spent most their childhood in the 1990s). Headlines like [http://www.buzzfeed.com/melismashable/25-ways-to-tell-youre-a-kid-of-the-9 this one from BuzzFeed] toy with their readers' sense of nostalgia. The parody headline is funny because it starts precisely on the first day of the 1990s, meaning that the only "90s kids" that it would apply to would be newborns. This is a reference to a common joke about the 90s not having a concrete identity in some ways like the 70s or 80s did in terms of popular culture, and yet those born in that decade always seem to have long lists of things that make you a "90s kid".
*The title text: 1916: 'Physicist dad' turns his attention to gravity, and you won't believe what he finds. [PICS] [NSFW]
:Einstein published his theory of {{w|General relativity}}, which is a vast generalization of the theory of {{w|Special relativity}} from 1905 and provides a model for gravity. In 1916 Einstein had two sons who lived in Zurich while he lived in Berlin.
:[NSFW] is "Not Safe for Work" - a tag to identify explicit images. Here it is used to trick readers hoping to find pornography.
:[PICS] tells the potential viewer that there are images embedded
:If you think of ''Gravity'' as a girls name, then the references to porn becomes more obvious.

This topic is re-used in [[1307: Buzzfeed Christmas]].

==Transcript==
:[Caption above the frame:]
:'''20th Century Headlines'''
:Rewritten to get more clicks

:[The years are always written at the center. The text has a line pointing to the relevant year. The first text is written to the left of the year. Then the texts below is alternately written to the right and to the left, finishing at the right in 1990.]
:1905 - How a shocking new theory, discovered by a dad, proves scientists are wrong about ''everything!''
:1912 - 6 ''Titanic'' survivors who should have died
:1920 - 17 things that will be outlawed now that women can vote
:1928 - This one weird mold kills all germs
:1929 - Most embarrassing reactions to the stock market crash [GIFs]
:1945 - These 9 Nazi atrocities will make you lose faith in humanity
:1948 - 5 insane plans for feeding West Berlin you won't believe are real
:1955 - Avoid Polio with this one weird trick
:1957 - 12 nip slips potentially visible to Sputnik
:1968 - This year's assassinations ranked from most to least tragic
:1969 - This is the most important photo of an astronaut you'll see all day
:1986 - This video of a terminally ill child watching the ''Challenger'' launch will break your heart
:1989 - You won't ''believe'' what these people did to the Berlin wall! [Video]
:Jan 1, 1990 - 500 signs you're a 90s kid

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Language]]

[[Category:Clickbait]]

2149: Alternate Histories

2019-05-13T16:34:19Z

Alissa92: added a line

{{comic
| number = 2149
| date = May 13, 2019
| title = Alternate Histories
| image = alternate_histories.png
| titletext = "So their universe wouldn't have the iconic photo of a screaming Truman being hoisted aloft by the newspaper-printing machinery..."
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Created by a CYBERNETIC HORSE-EMPEROR. Please mention here why this explanation isn't complete. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}

Common sense, man. Just enjoy the comic and forget the explanation.

==Transcript==
{{incomplete transcript|Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}
[Megan and Cueball are walking together]
Megan: In alternate history stories where the allies lost WWII, sometimes they have their own fiction with the premise "what if the allies had ''won''?" which differs from our world since they'd be speculating and wouldn't predict everything.

Cueball: Yeah, I think they do that in ''Man in the High Castle''.

Megan: But within ''those'' stories, they should have "What if the allies had ''lost''?" fiction which is even more removed from our world.

Cueball: Uh oh.

Megan: So how deep does it go?

[Caption:] 500 levels in:

[Cueball and Megan, presumably from some alternate history, are walking together]

Megan: In my alternate history, Scotland never develops hovercraft, so Canada's cybernetic horses ''defeat'' the Belgium-Madagascar-New Jersey alliance.

Cueball: Wow!

Cueball: Then who becomes God-Emperor of Missouri if not Laura Ingalls Wilder?

Megan: Senator Truman!

Cueball: He survives the accident?!

Megan: Yeah, the pajama craze never catches on, so he's wearing normal clothes when he walks by the printing press...

{{comic discussion}}

2149: Alternate Histories

2019-05-13T16:32:57Z

Alissa92: added italics

{{comic
| number = 2149
| date = May 13, 2019
| title = Alternate Histories
| image = alternate_histories.png
| titletext = "So their universe wouldn't have the iconic photo of a screaming Truman being hoisted aloft by the newspaper-printing machinery..."
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Created by a CYBERNETIC HORSE-EMPEROR. Please mention here why this explanation isn't complete. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}

Common sense, man. Just enjoy the comic and forget the explanation.

==Transcript==
{{incomplete transcript|Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}
[Megan and Cueball are walking together]
Megan: In alternate history stories where the allies lost WWII, sometimes they have their own fiction with the premise "what if the allies had ''won''?" which differs from our world since they'd be speculating and wouldn't predict everything.

Cueball: Yeah, I think they do that in ''Man in the High Castle''.

Megan: But within ''those'' stories, they should have "What if the allies had ''lost''?" fiction which is even more removed from our world.

Cueball: Uh oh.

Megan: So how deep does it go?

[Caption:] 500 levels in:

[Cueball and Megan, presumably from some alternate history, are walking together]

Megan: In my alternate history, Scotland never develops hovercraft, so Canada's cybernetic horses ''defeat'' the Belgium-Madagascar-New Jersey alliance.

Cueball: Then who becomes God-Emperor of Missouri if not Laura Ingalls Wilder?

Megan: Senator Truman!

Cueball: He survives the accident?!

Megan: Yeah, the pajama craze never catches on, so he's wearing normal clothes when he walks by the printing press...

{{comic discussion}}

2149: Alternate Histories

2019-05-13T16:31:47Z

Alissa92: added italics

{{comic
| number = 2149
| date = May 13, 2019
| title = Alternate Histories
| image = alternate_histories.png
| titletext = "So their universe wouldn't have the iconic photo of a screaming Truman being hoisted aloft by the newspaper-printing machinery..."
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Created by a CYBERNETIC HORSE-EMPEROR. Please mention here why this explanation isn't complete. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}

==Transcript==
{{incomplete transcript|Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}
[Megan and Cueball are walking together]
Megan: In alternate history stories where the allies lost WWII, sometimes they have their own fiction with the premise "what if the allies had ''won''?" which differs from our world since they'd be speculating and wouldn't predict everything.

Cueball: Yeah, I think they do that in ''Man in the High Castle''.

Megan: But within those stories, they should have "What if the allies had lost?" fiction which is even more removed from our world.

Cueball: Uh oh.

Megan: So how deep does it go?

[Caption:] 500 levels in:

[Cueball and Megan, presumably from some alternate history, are walking together]

Megan: In my alternate history, Scotland never develops hovercraft, so Canada's cybernetic horses defeat the Belgium-Madagascar-New Jersey alliance.

Cueball: Then who becomes God-Emperor of Missouri if not Laura Ingalls Wilder?

Megan: Senator Truman!

Cueball: He survives the accident?!

Megan: Yeah, the pajama craze never catches on, so he's wearing normal clothes when he walks by the printing press...

{{comic discussion}}