explain xkcd - User contributions [en]

Talk:verizon

2025-08-18T23:56:46Z

Bb777:

if this is "not a comic" then why does it say "Go to comic" and why can i get to this from "Random comic" 00:44, 24 June 2025 (UTC)00:44, 24 June 2025 (UTC)[[User:Treeplate|Treeplate]] ([[User talk:Treeplate|talk]]) (is this enough tildes?)

:Because we have not decided yet. Until we decide what to do with these pages its going to be messy. Read the notice:

:::There are many other similar xkcd webpages, some of which are explained here. '''Explain xkcd is trying to decide how they should be treated. You are welcome to help us decide''' how we should categorise, call, or present these kinds of explanations. Kindly [[explain xkcd:Community portal/Proposals#How should we treat them?|leave a comment here]].

:Please feel free to comment! --[[User:FaviFake|FaviFake]] ([[User talk:FaviFake|talk]]) 09:14, 24 June 2025 (UTC)

::maybe change it so that there is an option in the comic template to say "Go to Page" instaed of "Go to comic"? (maybe on april first it says "[[goto]] comic") [[User:Bb777|me, hi]] ([[User talk:Bb777|talk]]) 23:56, 18 August 2025 (UTC)

Talk:verizon

2025-08-18T23:56:00Z

Bb777:

if this is "not a comic" then why does it say "Go to comic" and why can i get to this from "Random comic" 00:44, 24 June 2025 (UTC)00:44, 24 June 2025 (UTC)[[User:Treeplate|Treeplate]] ([[User talk:Treeplate|talk]]) (is this enough tildes?)

:Because we have not decided yet. Until we decide what to do with these pages its going to be messy. Read the notice:

:::There are many other similar xkcd webpages, some of which are explained here. '''Explain xkcd is trying to decide how they should be treated. You are welcome to help us decide''' how we should categorise, call, or present these kinds of explanations. Kindly [[explain xkcd:Community portal/Proposals#How should we treat them?|leave a comment here]].

:Please feel free to comment! --[[User:FaviFake|FaviFake]] ([[User talk:FaviFake|talk]]) 09:14, 24 June 2025 (UTC)

::maybe change it so that there is an option in the comic template to say "Go to Page" instaed of "Go to comic"? (maybe on april first it says "goto comic") [[User:Bb777|me, hi]] ([[User talk:Bb777|talk]]) 23:56, 18 August 2025 (UTC)

Talk:149: Sandwich

2025-08-18T13:53:57Z

Bb777:

Note that it is more effective to write "sudo !!" to redo the last command but with sudo added to it. {{unsigned|Agge.se}}

:Using <code>sudo !!</code> outputs the previous command with sudo into your bash (other shells as well) history, so to bash what you said was "sudo make me a sandwich" not "sudo !!". [[User:Lcarsos|lcarsos]] ([[User talk:Lcarsos|talk]]) 16:46, 29 October 2012 (UTC)

<code>sudo</code> requires '''user''' password, not admin password, but you need to be in <code>sudoers</code> file. --[[User:JakubNarebski|JakubNarebski]] ([[User talk:JakubNarebski|talk]]) 12:14, 15 December 2012 (UTC)

:How many people will know the difference? In a typical Ubuntu-family install with only one human user, root doesn't ''have'' a password, but the one user who does is a sudoer (and has to use <code>sudo</code> or <code>su</code> to act as root, rather than doing so starting at login). [[User:Promethean|Promethean]] ([[User talk:Promethean|talk]]) 06:08, 30 August 2013 (UTC)

"the user first must type their password" This is not accurate. It is the default, but many domains disable that requirement.
[[Special:Contributions/173.245.52.92|173.245.52.92]] 06:47, 14 January 2015 (UTC)

I believe the original comic actually read "Sudo bang bang" instead of "Sudo make me a sandwich". Here's a link to what I think is a copy of the [http://stackoverflow.com/questions/15137461/what-is-sudo-bang-bang original]. I'm not sure which of the two is actually the original. {{unsigned ip|‎99.95.158.248}}
:The words "bang bang" (particularly the first B) look a bit fuzzy/pixelated compared to the rest of the text, which gives me the feeling that it was edited from this one, which is the original. [[User:Zowayix|Zowayix]] ([[User talk:Zowayix|talk]]) 23:03, 23 January 2014 (UTC)
::If you click on the image (on the Stack Overflow link), it leads you to http://justinsomnia.org/2006/09/sudo-bang-bang/, which says: 'This just occurred to me' [comic] 'Original comic from xkcd by Randall Munroe', implying it was indeed edited. [[Special:Contributions/141.101.99.14|141.101.99.14]] 20:42, 11 August 2014 (UTC)
:::Also, Randall doesn't make his Gs like that. You can see in the strip immediately previous. [[Special:Contributions/108.162.237.4|108.162.237.4]] 05:16, 27 November 2018 (UTC)
: On a different, but totally related note: [https://github.com/nvbn/thefuck Here] you can find an aptly named little program with which the charming conversation would be: "Make me a sandwich." - "What? Make it yourself." - "Fuck." - "Okay." [[Special:Contributions/162.158.85.135|162.158.85.135]] 08:24, 28 June 2016 (UTC)

Comment: This conversation is an easter egg in Google Now on Android tablet. Using voice search to say "make me a sandwich" will give the reply "what? make it yourself", adding "sudo" will get the response "ok". I assume the Google now implementation came later and is based on xkcd. {{unsigned ip|141.101.99.27}}
:Sadly, it doesn't exist in the new Google Assistant.
:Siri will also respond "okay" if you say "sudo make me a sandwich:", though she doesn't respond with the XKCD response to "make me a sandwich". [[Special:Contributions/198.41.235.35|198.41.235.35]] 13:32, 27 October 2015 (UTC) (MSC)

This reworked for the Make utility:
<code><pre>
$ make sandwich
Must be root
$ sudo make sandwich
cc sandwich
mv sandwich /etc/sandwich
sandwich installed in /etc
$ _
</pre></code>
[[User:Alexbuzzbee|Alexbuzzbee]] ([[User talk:Alexbuzzbee|talk]]) 02:50, 23 August 2015 (UTC)

* It also reminds me the ''Star Trek: Voyager'' episode where Q tampered with the ship's replicators:
::Janeway: "Coffee, black."
::Replicator: "Make it yourself."
(But she didn't try "Sudo coffee, black.") - [[User:Mike Rosoft|Mike Rosoft]] ([[User talk:Mike Rosoft|talk]]) 18:14, 13 March 2016 (UTC)

* This forfells the advent of Alexa and the other personal home assistants. [[Special:Contributions/162.158.155.50|162.158.155.50]] 20:19, 14 October 2017 (UTC)

* I wonder whether Cueball pronounces "sudo" the right way (because surely he knows the right way) or the wrong way (engaging his hobby, or matching the expectations of the friend.) [[Special:Contributions/172.68.142.89|172.68.142.89]] 16:04, 15 June 2018 (UTC)

If the pronunciation of <code>sudo</code> is "soo doo" (because "do" is a word), then should it actually be pronounced "ess yoo doo" — pronouncing "s" and "u" separately (because "su" is an initialism of "super user"/"substitute user")? (Is the <code>su</code> command pronounced "soo" or "ess yoo"?) -- [[User:Yfmcpxpj|Yfmcpxpj]] ([[User talk:Yfmcpxpj|talk]]) 14:30, 6 December 2019 (UTC)

could this also be citing the fact that the sudo project's logo is a sandwich? [[User:Bb777|me, hi]] ([[User talk:Bb777|talk]]) 13:53, 18 August 2025 (UTC)

Talk:1081: Argument Victory

2025-08-18T13:47:04Z

Bb777:

I also think it could be a joke on the "Guess some people prefer to stay asleep." line ? [[Special:Contributions/174.93.164.151|174.93.164.151]] 18:30, 23 August 2012 (UTC)

:Conspiracy theories are typically considered (especially by non-conspiracy-theorists) to make one sleepless/have nightmares, due to their often frightening nature.[[Special:Contributions/141.101.98.130|141.101.98.130]] 19:38, 6 September 2016 (UTC)

:What the conspiracy theorist is saying is an idiomatic expression. Being "asleep" here means that the theorist's opponent has not yet opened his mind to the truth, and is willing to accept propaganda full of lies. Kind of like in The Matrix or something. (Disclaimer, I've never watched it, just read about it.) [[Special:Contributions/108.162.216.106|108.162.216.106]] 21:12, 28 June 2017 (UTC)

I still don't understand the title text. I would think that the side that thinks "anyone who's in power has any plan at all" would be the conspiracy theorists, but how is that comforting? [[Special:Contributions/98.66.41.122|98.66.41.122]] 14:25, 13 May 2013 (UTC)

:I think he wants to say that our political leaders don't really seem to overlook our world's machinery (as conspiracy theorists assume), and that he finds this rather frightening. --[[User:Kronf|Kronf]] ([[User talk:Kronf|talk]]) 16:57, 13 May 2013 (UTC)

:No, the opposite. The conspiracy theorists believe there is a plan. We suspect the opposite because we are rational and see no good evidence. [[User:Nonceexkcd|Nonceexkcd]] ([[User talk:Nonceexkcd|talk]]) 21:01, 28 January 2014 (UTC)

::That's what I tried to say. --[[User:Kronf|Kronf]] ([[User talk:Kronf|talk]]) 16:02, 14 May 2014 (UTC)

:I think of it as a joke, based around the stereotype of politicians having either terrible plans/policies or none at all. He finds it more comforting for them to have ''any'' plan, even if it is a conspiracy. It could be thought of as "at least they have a plan and control, instead of no plan and chaos". [[Special:Contributions/108.162.238.155|108.162.238.155]] 09:58, 30 August 2014 (UTC)

To clarify, he finds the fact that if conspiracy theorists are right, somebody is ruling the world and by extension, looking over it and making sure it doesn't fall apart on them, as opposed to it being a chaotic unsupervised mess. {{unsigned ip|71.230.192.134}}

Really? Combs Hair Down? Surely there's a better name for this person... [[Special:Contributions/141.101.98.222|141.101.98.222]] 07:13, 10 March 2015 (UTC)
:Conspiracy Theorist? -Pennpenn [[Special:Contributions/108.162.250.162|108.162.250.162]] 04:10, 9 July 2015 (UTC)
::Combspiracy Theorist? --[[User:Lupo|Lupo]] ([[User talk:Lupo|talk]]) 13:44, 27 January 2020 (UTC)

"It's unnerving to think there are gangs of giant lizards controlling the whole of mankind from the shadows, but is that less worrying than the possibility that we live in a random universe where unthinking forces could opt to snuff us out without cause or reason?" [https://www.theguardian.com/science/brain-flapping/2013/sep/05/conspiracy-theories-science-belief-secret-plots Conspiracy theories: the science behind belief in secret plots]

Also one of Alan Moore's most famous quotes: "The main thing that I learned about conspiracy theory is that conspiracy theorists actually believe in a conspiracy because that is more comforting. The truth of the world is that it is chaotic. The truth is, that it is not the Jewish banking conspiracy or the grey aliens or the 12 foot reptiloids from another dimension that are in control. The truth is more frightening, nobody is in control. The world is rudderless." [https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Alan_Moore Wikiquote:Alan Moore] [[User:AmbroseChapel|AmbroseChapel]] ([[User talk:AmbroseChapel|talk]]) 03:33, 7 September 2017 (UTC)

It's just as easy to get a .org or .com website as a .net or .xyz; the extension is irrelevant if it's not .gov or .edu or some other institution's official website. This is a common myth that just because a website ends in .org, people think it's a legitimate website. I've got several myself for only a few dollars a year.[[Special:Contributions/172.69.22.170|172.69.22.170]] 15:21, 13 April 2020 (UTC)

also, he destroyed the phone! [[User:Bb777|me, hi]] ([[User talk:Bb777|talk]]) 13:47, 18 August 2025 (UTC)

Talk:3099: Neighbor-Source Heat Pump

2025-07-27T21:11:10Z

Bb777:

My aunt used to live in an apartment that, due to lousy insulation, had ''neighbor apartment'' heating, which is simpler '''and''' less risky than what Randall proposes. [[Special:Contributions/2001:1C02:1A9D:9700:6D49:4C64:123C:A502|2001:1C02:1A9D:9700:6D49:4C64:123C:A502]] 06:26, 7 June 2025 (UTC)
:similarly, if you live on an upper floor of an old building in a cold climate, you are likely already doing neighbor-source heating due to the magic of the {{w|Stack effect}}! i know people in top floor apartments who run their heating far less than i do :-) --[[User:Urwa|Urwa]] ([[User talk:Urwa|talk]]) 16:18, 7 June 2025 (UTC)
:similarly, I live in a skyscraper in Hamburg where winters can be quite cold. And my heating was kaput. And the next termin with a technician in spring. But the temperatures inside my apartment never fell to values where I would have to sleep in a pullover... [[Special:Contributions/2A02:2455:1960:4000:757C:FFAC:A492:CBCA|2A02:2455:1960:4000:757C:FFAC:A492:CBCA]] 07:13, 8 June 2025 (UTC)

The role of the title text in re-framing the joke: This is a great technical breakdown of the heat pump concept and the core premise of stealing a neighbor's conditioned air. However, I believe the current explanation understates the crucial role of the title text in delivering the full punchline by completely re-framing the situation.

The comic panel itself is deliberately ambiguous. A first-time reader might assume the protagonist lives in the house on the right and is tapping into the external unit of the "neighbor" on the left. In this scenario, the protagonist seems comically inept. They would be capturing the waste '''heat''' from their neighbor's air conditioner in the summer (when they need cooling) and the waste '''cold''' from their neighbor's heater in the winter (when they need heating) — ''the exact opposite of what they actually need''. The joke would be about their fundamental misunderstanding of how heat pumps work.

The title text, ''"The installation of the pipes on the inside of the insulation can be challenging, especially when the neighbor could come home at any minute,"'' completely flips this on its head. It clarifies that:
# The protagonist is the person on the '''left'''.
# The pipes have been secretly installed '''inside the neighbor's house''', using the neighbor's entire temperature-controlled living space as a perfect, stable heat source/sink.

This elevates the joke from being about a scientifically illiterate person to a hilarious, high-stakes covert operation conducted by a diabolically clever one. The true absurdity isn't just the concept of a "neighbor-source" pump, but the mental image of the protagonist sneaking into their neighbor's house to perform major HVAC work inside their walls.

I would suggest editing the explanation to highlight this reveal. The title text isn't just ''"addressing some of the issues"''; it's the key that transforms the butt of the joke from the protagonist into their unsuspecting neighbor. [[User:Omermor|Omermor]] ([[User talk:Omermor|talk]]) 08:04, 7 June 2025 (UTC)
:The comic isn't ambiguous. The house on the left has extended its heat-pump 'source' pipes into the house on the right, and there's no other way to interpret it. [[Special:Contributions/92.23.2.228|92.23.2.228]] 18:16, 7 June 2025 (UTC)

I disagree with the GPT response. I think the panel is pretty clear about what’s going on. [[Special:Contributions/2607:FB90:E9E1:D3C0:B435:3354:D230:EA3|2607:FB90:E9E1:D3C0:B435:3354:D230:EA3]] 15:05, 7 June 2025 (UTC)

I tried editing earlier today, but was having problems getting it to go through. I was attempting to add in a comment about how this is essentially an extreme form of service leeching akin to connecting to a neighbor's WiFi without permission. [[User:RegularSizedGuy|RegularSizedGuy]] ([[User talk:RegularSizedGuy|talk]]) 02:23, 8 June 2025 (UTC)

I am pretty sure the panel is intentionally ambiguous, and I also believe Randal deliberately tried to deceive the reader into this false interpretation: 
We are conditioned to read and process information from left to right. This applies not just to text, but to diagrams, timelines, and action sequences. We instinctively look for a cause-and-effect or action-and-result relationship that flows in this direction. 
Randall uses this to set the trap: On the left is a house with a large, visible HVAC unit. On the right is a house with pipes running to it. 
Our left-to-right instinct immediately suggests a flow of action from the left to the right. The unit on the left is the "source" or "cause," and the house on the right is the "destination" or "effect." 
This visual grammar perfectly supports the initial, incorrect assumption that the protagonist lives on the right and is trying to tap into the neighbor's unit on the left. The layout makes this flawed interpretation feel natural and intuitive. We are visually nudged into seeing the protagonist as the inept buffoon. --[[User:Omermor|Omermor]] ([[User talk:Omermor|talk]]) 17:50, 8 June 2025 (UTC)
:I agree, but totally oppositely to the way you apparently see it. Even while reading "from left to right", we see that the house with the unit is the "cause" and the house on the right is subject to the "effect", the effect of being leached. Which, to me is totally unambiguous, a direct untrapped joke.
:Or, to look at it another way, the right-hand house does ''not'' have the heat-exchanger unit next to it. If you were led up to either building and asked to comment about that, you'd consider the HEU to be part of the left-hand house, and not something unsuspectingly inflicted upon its occupants. The conduit/piping to the right-hand house is clearly far more intentionally inconspicuous (so long as you aren't caught installing it), with purposeful distance to allay the suspicions that arriving home and finding something visibly into your walls from an appliance clearly associated with your own property. Ergo, the box is legitimately something belonging to the left house, the piping to the right house is illegitimate modification/'trespass' upon that other property. [[Special:Contributions/92.23.2.228|92.23.2.228]] 22:18, 8 June 2025 (UTC)
::I see what you mean, and I agree that the heat-exchanger unit is unambiguously part of the left house. But my interpretation was that the left house is using a regular HEU to heat/cool their house, while Randal, who lives on the right house, siphons the excess heat/cold put out by this unit, and channels it to his house via pipes. {{unsigned|Omermor|05:44, 9 June 2025
::This is a "Neighbour-Source" Heat Pump, not a "Neighbour's Heat Pump"-Source. And the "excess heat/cold" put out by this unit is the exact opposite of the "cold/heat" that the house takes, you'd be on firmer footing if you said that Right had plumbed themselves into Left's houseward pipes (which could have been easily drawn) to just extend the flow-cycle into two houses. Instead, it superficially looks like it's a Ground-Source HP, but with the 'ambient' pipes sneaking off into Right's walls rather than properly drilled down (and/or spread out, not quite so deep below a wider spread of land). [[Special:Contributions/92.23.2.228|92.23.2.228]] 09:38, 9 June 2025 (UTC)

How many? ''> difficult to interfere with the structure ..., by feeding pipes up into at least two of its wall cavities'' It is not necessarily '''two''' or more cavities. A single loop would gain some small benefit. A better plan would be to use the typical inside air handler (fins, fans) as the leeching machine. I think it is drawn symmetrical to look pretty. --[[User:PRR|PRR]] ([[User talk:PRR|talk]]) 21:04, 8 June 2025 (UTC)

next comic is [[3100: 17 SDGs]]. {{unsigned ip|2001:4450:8167:7900:186d:5dab:3643:b673|12:22, 9 June 2025 (UTC)}}

Of course it's a joke, but simply running pipes into the neighbour's walls isn't going to do much. The pipes would be nestled in the house's exterior wall insulation, and adjacent to drywall, and completely unable to transfer any thermal energy in any direction. A high volume of convective air (or water) exchange is essential. So if the neighbour didn't notice the "unobtrusive" major HVAC work, they would certainly notice the fan blowing hot air from the wall into their living room in the summer! :) [[Special:Contributions/165.225.208.148|165.225.208.148]] 15:39, 9 June 2025 (UTC)
:If you're relying upon convection to bring heat to the piping of a ''ground''-source heatpump, then I think you've probably [[1223: Dwarf Fortress|dug too deep]]. The type of ground that you use as a heatpump source ''generally'' doesn't do anything much but conduct heat (full geothermal ''might'' be otherwise, but that becomes less heat-pump and more "using a hot aquifer as a free boiler"), much less free flow (or get blown by fans).
:Obviously, air-source pumps may be significantly better at exploiting latent energy from freely-(/forced-)flowing air, and perhaps water-source will induce some fluid cycling around its dunked piping, but it's perfeclty possible to force a radiator-effect (either direction) against a static medium, only the interior of the pipes themselves being moving fluid to convey enough of the pump's heat/cold through the pipe walls to draw in/push out the temperature differential that the system needs to do to allow the other side of the process to push out/draw in accordingly. [[Special:Contributions/82.132.219.135|82.132.219.135]] 01:17, 10 June 2025 (UTC)
::Yes, I exaggerated for effect (only slightly) when I wrote "any thermal energy", because obviously there will be at least some heat conduction across any thermal gradient. However, the efficiency will be abysmal, and with my own GSHP, if the well pipes were buried in dry ground, the unit would not operate for more than a minute before tripping off due to the refrigerant pressure safety switch. It needs flowing water in order to operate successfully, preferably lots of it, which my local geology fortunately possesses. And indeed, every air-source heat pump I have seen has fans in both heat exchangers. Without those, they would trip off quickly too, as would Randall's NSHP.[[Special:Contributions/165.225.208.148|165.225.208.148]] 13:33, 10 June 2025 (UTC)

i guess this should be installed when they are on vacation --[[User:Bb777|me, hi]] ([[User talk:Bb777|talk]]) 21:11, 27 July 2025 (UTC)

Talk:3099: Neighbor-Source Heat Pump

2025-07-27T21:10:37Z

Bb777:

3114: Building a Fire

2025-07-12T16:34:25Z

Bb777: /* Explanation */

{{comic
| number = 3114
| date = July 11, 2025
| title = Building a Fire
| image = building_a_fire_2x.png
| imagesize = 671x311px
| noexpand = true
| titletext = That was quicker than usual! The cabin's sprinkler system often makes it really hard to keep anything lit.
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|This page was created recently. Please add sprinklers to the page so that it doesn’t burn down. Don't remove this notice too soon.}}

Megan is demonstrating to Cueball how to build a campfire. Instead of using a traditional log cabin [https://www.artofmanliness.com/skills/outdoor-survival/the-6-fire-lays-every-man-should-know/ fire lay], she demonstrates building a miniature log cabin. A ''fire lay'' is a way to lay out the different fuels in a campfire to ensure successful progression of the fire from tinder and kindling, which are easy to light but fast-burning, to successively larger fuels including larger branches, split logs, and ultimately full un-hewn logs.

At first, Megan's build appears similar to a typical {{w|Campfire#Construction_styles|'log cabin' fire lay}}. It becomes unusually detailed when she adds interior walls and miniature furniture in the tiny dwelling, though these could be forms of the tinder and kindling needed for a log cabin lay. Things take a twist toward the bizarre, however, when she adds plumbing and electrical components (with a bizarre 50 Amps) to the house, as these are not the fuels or accelerants in a {{w|Campfire#Types_of_fuel|normal fire build}}. A fault in the installed wiring then initiates a fire, leading to the promised campfire.

The title text continues the joke in that she usually finds that it needs more time for the fire to ignite, due to also installing a {{w|fire sprinkler system}}. When working properly, this should suppress any possibility of a fire, and actively go against her goal of making one. In this instance, it may have been working no better than the faulty electric system.

==Transcript==
{{incomplete transcript|Don't remove this notice too soon.}}

:[A tent in a field stands in the background to the left of Cueball, who stands behind Megan, who is kneeling and arranging sticks into the first few layers of a small log cabin.]
:Cueball: Can you show me how to build a campfire?
:Megan: Sure! We'll use the log cabin method.
:Megan: First we build a square cabin out of sticks.

:[Cueball now stands to the right of frame, opposite Megan with the cabin between them. The cabin has gotten taller and is becoming better defined. Megan holds a tiny table in one hand and tiny chair in the other.]
:Megan: Next, we'll add interior walls, doors, and some cabin furniture made from twigs.
:Cueball: This is very elaborate.

:[The cabin now has a gable roof and an electrical wire leads from the base of the cabin to a coil of wire in Megan's hand and then off panel to the left. Lightning symbols above the wire indicate the wire is energized and perhaps shorting out.]
:Megan: Now we'll add some rudimentary plumbing and electrical wiring. 50 amps, nothing fancy.
:Cueball: It kind of seems like you're just building a cabin.
:Megan: I just -
:Megan: ...oops.

:[The tiny log cabin is engulfed in flames. Cueball is leaning away from the cabin and holding his hand to shield his face from the heat.]
:Megan: I think my wiring wasn't up to code.
:Cueball: AAAAA!!
:Megan: ... and that's how you build a fire!

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

Talk:1643: Degrees

2025-07-09T23:12:27Z

Bb777:

Rankine is a good compromise. [[Special:Contributions/173.245.56.65|173.245.56.65]] 14:11, 15 February 2016 (UTC)

0.173 rad = 10°. Now it could be 10°C (50°F) or 10°F (-12°C).--[[Special:Contributions/108.162.228.113|108.162.228.113]] 14:14, 15 February 2016 (UTC)

It should probably be noted that since 0.173 radians is equal to around 9.91 degrees, the temperature that Cueball gave is likely in 'radians Celsius', since 9.91 degrees Farenheit would be an unlikely temperature to occur, unless they're somewhere like Canada or northern Russia --[[Special:Contributions/162.158.152.59|162.158.152.59]] 14:17, 15 February 2016 (UTC)
:It would appear that that's already been noted since I started writing that comment. Ignore me. --[[Special:Contributions/162.158.152.59|162.158.152.59]] 14:18, 15 February 2016 (UTC)
::It would appear you're not in New England. Temperature last night -14°F = -26°C = -0.244 rad F = -0.556 rad C. But others have noted this as well. [[User:Bob Stein - VisiBone|Bob Stein - VisiBone]] ([[User talk:Bob Stein - VisiBone|talk]]) 23:41, 15 February 2016 (UTC)
:::Even Manhattan, New York reached [http://www.wunderground.com/history/airport/KNYC/2016/2/14/DailyHistory.html -0.9°F] on Sunday, the first time it's been [http://www.weather.gov/media/okx/Climate/CentralPark/Below0DegreeDays.pdf below 0°F] there in a generation. We came within [http://www.weather.gov/media/okx/Climate/CentralPark/BiggestSnowstorms.pdf 1 part in 269] of tying the 2006 record for biggest snowstorm 3 weeks before this, broke the record for latest frost by 12 days with bitter cold 3 weeks before that, had cherry blossoms suicidally bloom on Christmas 10 days before that (because they thought it's spring) and that whole month was twice as many degrees above [http://www.weather.gov/media/okx/Climate/CentralPark/nycnormals.pdf normal] as the [http://www.weather.gov/media/okx/Climate/CentralPark/warmcoldmonths.pdf previous record warmest December]. We also broke the record for warmest November and September a few months ago. This is called [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/global_weirding global weirding.] (the more accurate name for global warming) [[Special:Contributions/199.27.129.11|199.27.129.11]] 04:28, 16 February 2016 (UTC)

Guys, we moved away from the Réaumur-scale: You can do the same for the Fahrenheit :-). --[[User:DaB.|DaB.]] ([[User talk:DaB.|talk]]) 14:20, 15 February 2016 (UTC)
: And we all moved away from the Rømer scale (what Reumer and Fahrenheit were both based on), 0F is 0Rø, 100C/80Reu is 80Rø). We even moved from the 100C-0C to 0C-100C since Celsius was a (half) crazy Swedish scientist who thought Reumer made sense if it was based on 100 instead of 80, and 100 was the freezing point (everybody ignores the second part of his scale).[[Special:Contributions/162.158.114.222|162.158.114.222]] 17:07, 15 February 2016 (UTC)
:: {{w|Ole_Rømer|Rømer}} was {{w|Danish}} -- Calling him Sweedish is an insult -- kind if the same insult as calling Cruz Canadian [[User:Spongebog|Spongebog]] ([[User talk:Spongebog|talk]]) 17:14, 15 February 2016 (UTC)
:::Then it was great that it was Celsius who was called a ''crazy Swedish scientist'' above, (and he was Swedish). Rømer is luckily more known for making the first quantitative measurements of the speed of light and not for his failed temperature scale. (I'm from Denmark and like the light part: He measured the hesitation of light ;-) --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 21:31, 15 February 2016 (UTC)

I'm pretty sure the only people who could possibly find "Fahrenheit" easier to spell than "Celsius" are those whose first written language was German. [[User:Promethean|Promethean]] ([[User talk:Promethean|talk]]) 01:31, 17 February 2016 (UTC)

Considering how cold New England is today, I'm pretty sure it's Fahrenheit. {{unsigned ip|108.162.218.71}}

Temperature is given in F. Look at which month it is. And how this is a darn cold winter (at least in Canada). [[Special:Contributions/108.162.216.43|108.162.216.43]] 14:32, 15 February 2016 (UTC)
: its currently 10F in the Boston area where Randall lives.
:: For people from the future, see [https://www.wunderground.com/history/airport/KBOS/2016/2/15/DailyHistory.html?req_city=Somerville&req_state=MA&reqdb.zip=02143&reqdb.magic=1&reqdb.wmo=99999 this historical data page for the day the comic was released] --[[Special:Contributions/108.162.214.59|108.162.214.59]] 19:00, 15 February 2016 (UTC)
::: Thanks, 108.162.214.59 and others! At that time of year, ''either'' temperature would be possible in Boston, Massachusetts -- 10°F (-12°C) during a cold night or a strong cold snap; 10°C (50°F) during a midwinter thaw. --[[User:Aaron of Mpls|Aaron of Mpls]] ([[User talk:Aaron of Mpls|talk]]) 01:19, 19 July 2020 (UTC)

What's with the "We lost a Mars probe over this" remark? [[Special:Contributions/141.101.104.113|141.101.104.113]] 14:33, 15 February 2016 (UTC)
: One of the Mars probes crashed into Mars because one of the NASA contractors was using US Customary units instead of SI units. [[User:Blaisepascal|Blaisepascal]] ([[User talk:Blaisepascal|talk]]) 14:39, 15 February 2016 (UTC)
:: Is there a reference for this ?? [[User:Spongebog|Spongebog]] ([[User talk:Spongebog|talk]]) 17:17, 15 February 2016 (UTC)
::: It was the Mars Climate Orbiter, it crashed in 1999 because software supplied by Lockheed Martin produced results in US customary units even though the specs called for metrics units. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mars_Climate_Orbiter [[User:Martin|Martin]] ([[User talk:Martin|talk]]) 22:04, 15 February 2016 (UTC)

:The mars probe remark is in reference to a mistake in switching navigational numbers from American standard to metric (namely in that they didn't) which caused the probe to slam into the surface of mars. If I remember correctly that is.[[Special:Contributions/108.162.238.78|108.162.238.78]] 14:43, 15 February 2016 (UTC)
:: I remember when this happened, thinking "OK, Lockheed, time to get out your checkbook and cough up the entire cost of that probe and launch," though I expect their bought-and-paid-for pet legislators made sure that didn't happen. [[User:Miamiclay|Miamiclay]] ([[User talk:Miamiclay|talk]]) 21:23, 16 February 2016 (UTC)

I used to think that physicists prefer Kelvin, which is of course sort of based on Celsius. [[User:Jkrstrt|Jkrstrt]] ([[User talk:Jkrstrt|talk]]) 15:28, 15 February 2016 (UTC)
:If you're measuring a temperature ''difference'', which I think is a far more common thing than an absolute temperature, then the two are completely interchangeable. [[Special:Contributions/108.162.219.186|108.162.219.186]] 14:41, 21 July 2021 (UTC)

If he used Radians Fahrenheit, then 1 would be very close to earth's historical mean temperature for the period 1951 to 1980. [[Special:Contributions/173.245.55.64|173.245.55.64]] 16:19, 15 February 2016 (UTC)
: That sounds like it could almost be useful.... What is the temperature on the surface on the sun in Radians ? [[User:Spongebog|Spongebog]] ([[User talk:Spongebog|talk]]) 17:20, 15 February 2016 (UTC)
:: 96.08 [https://www.google.com/search?q=5505+degrees+in+radians radians] [https://www.google.com/search?q=temperature+of+surface+of+sun+in+degrees+Celsius Celsius], or 173.5 [https://www.google.com/search?q=9941+degrees+in+radians radians] [https://www.google.com/search?q=temperature+of+surface+of+sun+in+degrees+Fahrenheit Fahrenheit]. --[[Special:Contributions/108.162.214.59|108.162.214.59]] 19:00, 15 February 2016 (UTC)

"Easier to spell"? When editing, I had to correct myself from "Celcius" to "Celsius". I never get Fahrenheit wrong! [[User:Cosmogoblin|Cosmogoblin]] ([[User talk:Cosmogoblin|talk]]) 20:55, 15 February 2016 (UTC)

Can someone explain to me why Fahrenheit's scale is so much more popular across the Atlantic than in his home <s>city</s> <s>country</s> continent? [[Special:Contributions/162.158.102.219|162.158.102.219]] 21:37, 15 February 2016 (UTC)
:Same reason that the British used it. It was there. Unlike the Brits the US just never got around to change it [[User:Spongebog|Spongebog]] ([[User talk:Spongebog|talk]]) 02:18, 16 February 2016 (UTC)
:: As a Brit. I love it that the US was at one point the last bastion of the BTU (British Thermal Unit), I still see 17th century measures in some farming contexts - bushels though I think we both still agree that "Acres" are a much better measure area than the soul-destroying "hectare". :) [[Special:Contributions/162.158.34.147|162.158.34.147]] 08:22, 16 February 2016 (UTC)

Not being an instinctive science type, and on a tiny screen, I initially read the comic as "51 prefixes," and thought to myself "I could probably get from peta- to pico- in my head, but there are really 51 of those?" [[User:Miamiclay|Miamiclay]] ([[User talk:Miamiclay|talk]]) 02:46, 16 February 2016 (UTC)

Maybe one should include the explanation why both angles and temperature use the term "degree". "Degree" in measurement means, that the definition comes from a partition of a known interval. For angles, that is "a full circle is 360 degrees" and for temperature in Celsius that is "100°C is the range from freezing to boiling water". That is historical, because modern SI units are defined in terms of partitions as well.[[Special:Contributions/162.158.90.163|162.158.90.163]] 10:23, 16 February 2016 (UTC)
: I'm not a linguist, but I think that it to a certain degree (!) just means "partial", "part" or "step" -- I can agree with you partially by which I will agree with you to a degree -- any scale can in a similar degree be broken up where each part is a degree closer to the full outcome -- so in Temperature a degree is a step toward boiling, and your Masters degree is a step beyond your Bachelor towards your Doctoral degree -- in short it is to some degree just a duhdah word representing nothing but makes it easier to form a sentence around an abstract concept [[Special:Contributions/162.158.255.109|162.158.255.109]] 20:28, 16 February 2016 (UTC)

talking about weird us customs/units i think the way trailers and such specify release dates by season is terrible. 1. there are 2 hemispheres 2. internationally seasons may vary and it is rarely specified if its north or south seasons [[Special:Contributions/162.158.177.185|162.158.177.185]] 06:37, 17 February 2016 (UTC)

Personally, I like to give temperature in meV/particle [[User:Edo|Edo]] ([[User talk:Edo|talk]]) 14:29, 17 February 2016 (UTC)
: Do you mean MeV per non-frozen degree of freedom? The nitrogen in room-temperature air carries five-sixths the MeV/atom as argon in the same air at the same temperature. [[Special:Contributions/108.162.216.9|108.162.216.9]] 00:21, 18 February 2016 (UTC)
: So he should have said 22.48 meV. I also prefer that as temperature shouldn't really a "base unit"

Haha, "degree of correlation". Nice. [[Special:Contributions/162.158.58.9|162.158.58.9]] 10:34, 27 December 2016 (UTC)

Wouldn't a physics major be more likely to be loyal to the Kelvin scale than to Celsius? Heck, even the Rankine scale is more scientific than celsius; it's by far the least popular of the four, but it's still more scientific than celsius due to the fact that it starts at absolute zero like Kelvin does

Another "benefit" for Fahrenheit is that it is more precise. That is, each change in degree Fahrenheit is a smaller change in temperature, so you can be a bit more precise without needing to add digits after a decimal point. I also find it noteworthy that there are 180 degrees (Fahrenheit) between freezing and boiling. [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fahrenheit#History This is not coincidence], but was explicitly decided by a committee in 1776. Clearly, the choice of 180 degrees is related to a half-circle, so it almost makes sense to talk about "radians Fahrenheit", where the difference between boiling and freezing is pi. [[User:Shamino|Shamino]] ([[User talk:Shamino|talk]]) 14:03, 3 June 2020 (UTC)

When talking about US Customary versus Imperial units, is it worth mentioning that the US units are similar to the English units that were used in Britain before the Imperial system was introduced in 1824? US units mirrored British units of the late 18th century, but they didn't change in 1824 because they were already independent by that time. [[Special:Contributions/108.162.219.156|108.162.219.156]] 14:44, 21 July 2021 (UTC)
: So I see. US units were based largely on the pre-Imperial "[[wikipedia:Winchester measure|Winchester measure]]" units. Though since the late 1800s, US units have been defined in terms of metric units (e.g., 1 inch = 25.4 mm exactly). --[[User:Aaron of Mpls|Aaron of Mpls]] ([[User talk:Aaron of Mpls|talk]]) 19:06, 23 July 2021 (UTC)

f in the chat for the mars climate orbiter [[User:CalibansCreations|'''Caliban''']] ([[User talk:CalibansCreations|talk]]) 12:42, 11 October 2024 (UTC)

Radians felsius. --[[User:Bb777|me, hi]] ([[User talk:Bb777|talk]]) 23:12, 9 July 2025 (UTC)

Talk:3111: Artificial Gravity

2025-07-07T03:37:28Z

Bb777:

Note the motion lines around the main body of the spacecraft, showing that it is also shaking to a much lesser extent. [[Special:Contributions/181.214.218.76|181.214.218.76]] 15:26, 4 July 2025 (UTC)
:That is just Newton's Third Law, which is very often taken into account in space obviously. [[User:Thehydraclone|Thehydraclone]] ([[User talk:Thehydraclone|talk]]) 16:04, 4 July 2025 (UTC)

Report: Total crew bone mass remains constant. {{unsigned ip|2804:7f0:bf02:c680:390e:8bb5:b4a9:db40|16:05, 4 July 2025}}
: Now you made it sound like some bones have changed owner. Whether intentional or not, very xkcd. --[[User:Coconut Galaxy|Coconut Galaxy]] ([[User talk:Coconut Galaxy|talk]]) 13:28, 5 July 2025 (UTC)

The spinning idea reminds me of the spin drive from Andy Weir's "Project Hail Mary."[[Special:Contributions/136.47.216.1|136.47.216.1]] 17:34, 4 July 2025 (UTC)

Wait, nothing about the 4th of July today? That's odd. [[Special:Contributions/2601:647:8500:1E09:55BB:EEBB:23EA:178A|2601:647:8500:1E09:55BB:EEBB:23EA:178A]] 23:04, 4 July 2025 (UTC)
: this rocket was clearly sent up mistaken for a firework {{unsigned ip|2600:4040:52f1:300:8c1d:959a:d4c2:80be|14:07, 5 July 2025}}

aw, great, "steadily"--[[User:Bb777|me, hi]] ([[User talk:Bb777|talk]]) 03:37, 7 July 2025 (UTC)

User:Bb777/common.css

2025-07-02T21:56:50Z

Bb777:

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Talk:3109: Dehumidifier

2025-07-02T21:49:32Z

Bb777:

Having network access can have some use for a dehumidifier, e.g. to remotely set the target humidity level, or get notifications when the water tank needs to get emptied. But having devices that depend on a specific app or a vendor-provided remote service risks having a useless device after a while ... --[[Special:Contributions/134.102.219.31|134.102.219.31]] 13:19, 30 June 2025 (UTC)
:Humidifiers typically have a physical control to set a target humidity level, and even the most basic models turn off when the water tank gets full. Since humans can't really tell the difference between 40-60%, which is the range of most humidifiers, there is no need for a remote control to change the humidity levels on a machine. As for the water tank, regular use of the humidifier will teach the user about how long it can run before turning off and needing to be emptied. {{unsigned ip|136.62.110.93|13:58, 30 June 2025 (UTC)}}
::Though there might be a device that attempts to do [[2753: Air Handler|both jobs]], note that this is a {{w|dehumidifier}} (as you functionally refer to) and not ''necessarily'' also a capable {{w|humidifier}} (as you namechecked it). [[Special:Contributions/92.23.2.228|92.23.2.228]] 17:53, 30 June 2025 (UTC)
:::uh, I forgot the leading 'de' . we're currently dealing with a semi-functional a/c unit in our business warehouse/office space. having to keep running the DEhumidifier to keep the temp reasonable during work hours. not enough condensate capacity to run over night, so it shuts off after about 10-12 hours. at least it runs on simple mechanical controls with no reliance on wi-fi 13:40, 1 July 2025 (UTC)
::: i had a good laugh at this comic, as i am designing dehumidifiers and they include wireless connectivity.....but there are reasons for this. But is more for monitoring, like e.g. in a water damage case the resoration company can see if the room is dry without having a technician drive to the location.
:::this comic will end up on our wall, together with [https://xkcd.com/242/ xkcd:242 The Difference]--[[Special:Contributions/84.46.99.18|84.46.99.18]] 06:41, 1 July 2025 (UTC)

"if they discover a new kind of water" - There are several varieties of heavy water (common Hydrogen deuterium, tritium; common oxygen, various other isotopes), not to mention several [wiki:Phases of ice|phases of ice]. [[Special:Contributions/64.201.132.210|64.201.132.210]] 20:31, 30 June 2025 (UTC)
:I restored the part about phases of ice, because dehumidifiers do deal with ice (when icing up, and if the ambient temperature gets low). Mostly put it back because I thought a mention of {{w|ice-nine}} would be fun. [[Special:Contributions/2600:387:4:803:0:0:0:B2|2600:387:4:803:0:0:0:B2]] 20:42, 30 June 2025 (UTC)

Is the salesman Hairy? Seems similar but not quite enough hair, I'm not sure who he's supposed to be --[[User:Darth Vader|Darth Vader]] ([[User talk:Darth Vader|talk]]) 21:17, 30 June 2025 (UTC)
: I'd say it's him.--[[User:FaviFake|FaviFake]] ([[User talk:FaviFake|talk]]) 22:19, 30 June 2025 (UTC)

hydrogen peroxide.--[[User:Bb777|me, hi]] ([[User talk:Bb777|talk]]) 01:12, 1 July 2025 (UTC)
:It's made of the same elements, but it isn't water. [[User:BunsenH|BunsenH]] ([[User talk:BunsenH|talk]]) 02:29, 1 July 2025 (UTC)
:still liquid. --[[User:Bb777|me, hi]] ([[User talk:Bb777|talk]]) 21:44, 2 July 2025 (UTC)
::better patch that hole i made with hydrogen peroxide.--[[User:Bb777|me, hi]] ([[User talk:Bb777|talk]]) 21:49, 2 July 2025 (UTC)
:Hydrogen peroxide is not to be confused with {{w|DHMO|Dihydrogen Monoxide}} --[[Special:Contributions/134.102.219.31|134.102.219.31]] 11:30, 1 July 2025 (UTC)
:"Two guys walk into a bar. One says, 'I'll have H₂O.' The other says, 'I'll have H₂O too.' The second guy dies.", Anonymous --[[User:Ptdecker66|Ptdecker66]] ([[User talk:Ptdecker66|talk]]) 14:10, 1 July 2025 (UTC)

Ice-nine is mentioned once in the trivia section. Did the user that added that mean to say ice-IX, were they unaware that ice-nine is fictional, or was it meant to be a joke? I thought that any "jokes" in the explanation were supposed to be technically factual, such as adding [citation needed] to a plainly obvious statement. Please forgive me for asking this stupid question. [[Special:Contributions/47.14.13.170|47.14.13.170]] 01:22, 1 July 2025 (UTC)
:Yes, it's supposed to all be factual. I've updated that. [[User:BunsenH|BunsenH]] ([[User talk:BunsenH|talk]]) 02:29, 1 July 2025 (UTC)

I just mentioned acoustic-based/light-based attack vectors and that patches might circumvent them. I've heard of them used against other devices, but never against a dehumidifier. Citation needed? [[Special:Contributions/181.214.218.75|181.214.218.75]] 17:36, 1 July 2025 (UTC)

NOTE: water molecules do NOT exchange hydrogen ATOMS. atoms contain both protons and electrons. even your reference states that water molecules exchange PROTONS, not atoms. {{unsigned ip|2607:fb90:8a91:4e30:3c86:6f12:78c6:fe52|00:30, 2 July 2025}}

Does it at least support water conservation? [[User:StapleFreeBatteries|StapleFreeBatteries]] ([[User talk:StapleFreeBatteries|talk]]) 06:06, 2 July 2025 (UTC)
:It probably supports water conversation, at the very least. [[Special:Contributions/92.23.2.228|92.23.2.228]] 18:18, 2 July 2025 (UTC)

Talk:3109: Dehumidifier

2025-07-02T21:49:02Z

Bb777:

Having network access can have some use for a dehumidifier, e.g. to remotely set the target humidity level, or get notifications when the water tank needs to get emptied. But having devices that depend on a specific app or a vendor-provided remote service risks having a useless device after a while ... --[[Special:Contributions/134.102.219.31|134.102.219.31]] 13:19, 30 June 2025 (UTC)
:Humidifiers typically have a physical control to set a target humidity level, and even the most basic models turn off when the water tank gets full. Since humans can't really tell the difference between 40-60%, which is the range of most humidifiers, there is no need for a remote control to change the humidity levels on a machine. As for the water tank, regular use of the humidifier will teach the user about how long it can run before turning off and needing to be emptied. {{unsigned ip|136.62.110.93|13:58, 30 June 2025 (UTC)}}
::Though there might be a device that attempts to do [[2753: Air Handler|both jobs]], note that this is a {{w|dehumidifier}} (as you functionally refer to) and not ''necessarily'' also a capable {{w|humidifier}} (as you namechecked it). [[Special:Contributions/92.23.2.228|92.23.2.228]] 17:53, 30 June 2025 (UTC)
:::uh, I forgot the leading 'de' . we're currently dealing with a semi-functional a/c unit in our business warehouse/office space. having to keep running the DEhumidifier to keep the temp reasonable during work hours. not enough condensate capacity to run over night, so it shuts off after about 10-12 hours. at least it runs on simple mechanical controls with no reliance on wi-fi 13:40, 1 July 2025 (UTC)
::: i had a good laugh at this comic, as i am designing dehumidifiers and they include wireless connectivity.....but there are reasons for this. But is more for monitoring, like e.g. in a water damage case the resoration company can see if the room is dry without having a technician drive to the location.
:::this comic will end up on our wall, together with [https://xkcd.com/242/ xkcd:242 The Difference]--[[Special:Contributions/84.46.99.18|84.46.99.18]] 06:41, 1 July 2025 (UTC)

"if they discover a new kind of water" - There are several varieties of heavy water (common Hydrogen deuterium, tritium; common oxygen, various other isotopes), not to mention several [wiki:Phases of ice|phases of ice]. [[Special:Contributions/64.201.132.210|64.201.132.210]] 20:31, 30 June 2025 (UTC)
:I restored the part about phases of ice, because dehumidifiers do deal with ice (when icing up, and if the ambient temperature gets low). Mostly put it back because I thought a mention of {{w|ice-nine}} would be fun. [[Special:Contributions/2600:387:4:803:0:0:0:B2|2600:387:4:803:0:0:0:B2]] 20:42, 30 June 2025 (UTC)

Is the salesman Hairy? Seems similar but not quite enough hair, I'm not sure who he's supposed to be --[[User:Darth Vader|Darth Vader]] ([[User talk:Darth Vader|talk]]) 21:17, 30 June 2025 (UTC)
: I'd say it's him.--[[User:FaviFake|FaviFake]] ([[User talk:FaviFake|talk]]) 22:19, 30 June 2025 (UTC)

hydrogen peroxide.--[[User:Bb777|me, hi]] ([[User talk:Bb777|talk]]) 01:12, 1 July 2025 (UTC)
:It's made of the same elements, but it isn't water. [[User:BunsenH|BunsenH]] ([[User talk:BunsenH|talk]]) 02:29, 1 July 2025 (UTC)
:still liquid. --[[User:Bb777|me, hi]] ([[User talk:Bb777|talk]]) 21:44, 2 July 2025 (UTC)
::better patch that hole i made with hydrogen peroxide.
:Hydrogen peroxide is not to be confused with {{w|DHMO|Dihydrogen Monoxide}} --[[Special:Contributions/134.102.219.31|134.102.219.31]] 11:30, 1 July 2025 (UTC)
:"Two guys walk into a bar. One says, 'I'll have H₂O.' The other says, 'I'll have H₂O too.' The second guy dies.", Anonymous --[[User:Ptdecker66|Ptdecker66]] ([[User talk:Ptdecker66|talk]]) 14:10, 1 July 2025 (UTC)

Ice-nine is mentioned once in the trivia section. Did the user that added that mean to say ice-IX, were they unaware that ice-nine is fictional, or was it meant to be a joke? I thought that any "jokes" in the explanation were supposed to be technically factual, such as adding [citation needed] to a plainly obvious statement. Please forgive me for asking this stupid question. [[Special:Contributions/47.14.13.170|47.14.13.170]] 01:22, 1 July 2025 (UTC)
:Yes, it's supposed to all be factual. I've updated that. [[User:BunsenH|BunsenH]] ([[User talk:BunsenH|talk]]) 02:29, 1 July 2025 (UTC)

I just mentioned acoustic-based/light-based attack vectors and that patches might circumvent them. I've heard of them used against other devices, but never against a dehumidifier. Citation needed? [[Special:Contributions/181.214.218.75|181.214.218.75]] 17:36, 1 July 2025 (UTC)

NOTE: water molecules do NOT exchange hydrogen ATOMS. atoms contain both protons and electrons. even your reference states that water molecules exchange PROTONS, not atoms. {{unsigned ip|2607:fb90:8a91:4e30:3c86:6f12:78c6:fe52|00:30, 2 July 2025}}

Does it at least support water conservation? [[User:StapleFreeBatteries|StapleFreeBatteries]] ([[User talk:StapleFreeBatteries|talk]]) 06:06, 2 July 2025 (UTC)
:It probably supports water conversation, at the very least. [[Special:Contributions/92.23.2.228|92.23.2.228]] 18:18, 2 July 2025 (UTC)

Talk:3109: Dehumidifier

2025-07-02T21:44:26Z

Bb777:

Having network access can have some use for a dehumidifier, e.g. to remotely set the target humidity level, or get notifications when the water tank needs to get emptied. But having devices that depend on a specific app or a vendor-provided remote service risks having a useless device after a while ... --[[Special:Contributions/134.102.219.31|134.102.219.31]] 13:19, 30 June 2025 (UTC)
:Humidifiers typically have a physical control to set a target humidity level, and even the most basic models turn off when the water tank gets full. Since humans can't really tell the difference between 40-60%, which is the range of most humidifiers, there is no need for a remote control to change the humidity levels on a machine. As for the water tank, regular use of the humidifier will teach the user about how long it can run before turning off and needing to be emptied. {{unsigned ip|136.62.110.93|13:58, 30 June 2025 (UTC)}}
::Though there might be a device that attempts to do [[2753: Air Handler|both jobs]], note that this is a {{w|dehumidifier}} (as you functionally refer to) and not ''necessarily'' also a capable {{w|humidifier}} (as you namechecked it). [[Special:Contributions/92.23.2.228|92.23.2.228]] 17:53, 30 June 2025 (UTC)
:::uh, I forgot the leading 'de' . we're currently dealing with a semi-functional a/c unit in our business warehouse/office space. having to keep running the DEhumidifier to keep the temp reasonable during work hours. not enough condensate capacity to run over night, so it shuts off after about 10-12 hours. at least it runs on simple mechanical controls with no reliance on wi-fi 13:40, 1 July 2025 (UTC)
::: i had a good laugh at this comic, as i am designing dehumidifiers and they include wireless connectivity.....but there are reasons for this. But is more for monitoring, like e.g. in a water damage case the resoration company can see if the room is dry without having a technician drive to the location.
:::this comic will end up on our wall, together with [https://xkcd.com/242/ xkcd:242 The Difference]--[[Special:Contributions/84.46.99.18|84.46.99.18]] 06:41, 1 July 2025 (UTC)

"if they discover a new kind of water" - There are several varieties of heavy water (common Hydrogen deuterium, tritium; common oxygen, various other isotopes), not to mention several [wiki:Phases of ice|phases of ice]. [[Special:Contributions/64.201.132.210|64.201.132.210]] 20:31, 30 June 2025 (UTC)
:I restored the part about phases of ice, because dehumidifiers do deal with ice (when icing up, and if the ambient temperature gets low). Mostly put it back because I thought a mention of {{w|ice-nine}} would be fun. [[Special:Contributions/2600:387:4:803:0:0:0:B2|2600:387:4:803:0:0:0:B2]] 20:42, 30 June 2025 (UTC)

Is the salesman Hairy? Seems similar but not quite enough hair, I'm not sure who he's supposed to be --[[User:Darth Vader|Darth Vader]] ([[User talk:Darth Vader|talk]]) 21:17, 30 June 2025 (UTC)
: I'd say it's him.--[[User:FaviFake|FaviFake]] ([[User talk:FaviFake|talk]]) 22:19, 30 June 2025 (UTC)

hydrogen peroxide.--[[User:Bb777|me, hi]] ([[User talk:Bb777|talk]]) 01:12, 1 July 2025 (UTC)
:It's made of the same elements, but it isn't water. [[User:BunsenH|BunsenH]] ([[User talk:BunsenH|talk]]) 02:29, 1 July 2025 (UTC)
:still liquid. --[[User:Bb777|me, hi]] ([[User talk:Bb777|talk]]) 21:44, 2 July 2025 (UTC)
:Hydrogen peroxide is not to be confused with {{w|DHMO|Dihydrogen Monoxide}} --[[Special:Contributions/134.102.219.31|134.102.219.31]] 11:30, 1 July 2025 (UTC)
:"Two guys walk into a bar. One says, 'I'll have H₂O.' The other says, 'I'll have H₂O too.' The second guy dies.", Anonymous --[[User:Ptdecker66|Ptdecker66]] ([[User talk:Ptdecker66|talk]]) 14:10, 1 July 2025 (UTC)

Ice-nine is mentioned once in the trivia section. Did the user that added that mean to say ice-IX, were they unaware that ice-nine is fictional, or was it meant to be a joke? I thought that any "jokes" in the explanation were supposed to be technically factual, such as adding [citation needed] to a plainly obvious statement. Please forgive me for asking this stupid question. [[Special:Contributions/47.14.13.170|47.14.13.170]] 01:22, 1 July 2025 (UTC)
:Yes, it's supposed to all be factual. I've updated that. [[User:BunsenH|BunsenH]] ([[User talk:BunsenH|talk]]) 02:29, 1 July 2025 (UTC)

I just mentioned acoustic-based/light-based attack vectors and that patches might circumvent them. I've heard of them used against other devices, but never against a dehumidifier. Citation needed? [[Special:Contributions/181.214.218.75|181.214.218.75]] 17:36, 1 July 2025 (UTC)

NOTE: water molecules do NOT exchange hydrogen ATOMS. atoms contain both protons and electrons. even your reference states that water molecules exchange PROTONS, not atoms. {{unsigned ip|2607:fb90:8a91:4e30:3c86:6f12:78c6:fe52|00:30, 2 July 2025}}

Does it at least support water conservation? [[User:StapleFreeBatteries|StapleFreeBatteries]] ([[User talk:StapleFreeBatteries|talk]]) 06:06, 2 July 2025 (UTC)
:It probably supports water conversation, at the very least. [[Special:Contributions/92.23.2.228|92.23.2.228]] 18:18, 2 July 2025 (UTC)

3108: Laser Danger

2025-07-01T01:12:57Z

Bb777:

{{comic
| number = 3108
| date = June 27, 2025
| title = Laser Danger
| image = laser_danger_2x.png
| imagesize = 684x272px
| noexpand = true
| titletext = To combat the threat, many airlines are installing wing-mounted spray bottles.
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|This page was created by A GIANT KITTEN WITH GIANT FRICKIN LASERS. Don't remove this notice too soon.}}
Shining a laser at a plane is a federal crime in the United States, and similarly proscribed in many other locations. A sufficiently powerful laser can disorient, distract and/or blind the pilot operating the aircraft. This can prove particularly dangerous to the safety of the aircraft and its occupants during take-off and landing, when planes are likely to have altitudes and orientations particularly susceptible to laser interference, and are phases that are already hazardous periods of flight. This 'use' of lasers was previously discussed in [[3030: Lasering Incidents]] and [[2481: 1991 and 2021]].

Megan claims that there's another reason why lasering a plane is illegal: to avoid provoking cats into leaping at them. Cats are known to [[729: Laser Pointer|chase and jump onto]] the dots created by laser pointers. Cats also prey on birds, with estimates of 1.3 to 3.7 billion birds killed each year. Of course, a cat would be unable to jump to the height of a flying plane{{Citation needed}}. If the cat were able to reach the plane, it would find itself hilariously outsized, though colliding with the plane mid-air could cause damage akin to a bird strike (e.g. shattered windshield or engine failure). The cat in the image is similar in size to the plane and thus could do significant damage. It is unclear whether the cat is unusually large or the plane is a model aircraft.

The laser is shown in green, which may be a reference to the higher-energy lasers from [https://what-if.xkcd.com/13/ What If 13].

The title text alludes to the fact that many cats do not like getting wet, and one of the methods people use to discourage them from a place or activity that is unwanted is to use spray bottles to wet their fur. The spray bottle might also emit a hissing sound, which cats associate with other cats threatening them. The "wing mounted spray bottles" on aircraft could be a reference to fuel dump tubes, which spray out fuel to lighten the aircraft, commonly used before emergency landings (especially soon after take-off, when a nearly full load of fuel is now more trouble than it should have been). To combat against actual physical threats to aircraft in real life, El Al (the Israeli national airline) and government aircraft {{w|Air Force One|used by heads of state}} often have various {{w|Flare (countermeasure)|countermeasures}} installed.

==Transcript==
: Megan: Shining laser pointers at planes is a federal crime. It's incredibly dangerous.
: Cueball: Oh, because it can blind the pilot?
: Megan: That's one reason...

: [A plane is shown, with a green laser pointer aimed at it.]

: [The laser disappears. A cat, approximately the same size as the plane, pounces on the plane and sends it tumbling.]

{{comic discussion}}<noinclude>

[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Megan]]
[[Category:Aviation]]
[[Category:Cats]]
[[Category:Comics with color]]

Talk:3109: Dehumidifier

2025-07-01T01:12:05Z

Bb777:

User:Bb777

2025-06-25T02:12:51Z

Bb777: c'mon, please?

{{notice|If you are jeff an are reading this please update the mediawiki}}

Hi

I like xkcd.

Oh, and also Minecraft.

My favourite comics: 
[[Right Click]] 
[[Pod Bay Doors]](NEW) 
...and more!

nothing else here so:

{{crickets}}

actually nevermind heres more things

my update log:

[2025-03-21] begin uploading files for [[2288: Collector's Edition]]

[2025-03-25]I lost the game

[2025-03-27]Begin new journey to find the undocumented feature

[2025-04-04]I CAUGHT THE RELEASE AND GOT TO SEE THEUSAFBOT UPLOAD NEW COMIC!!!

[2025-04-26]finally gave up and pushed emergency stop in push notifications

[2025-05-31]Please help with Category:Portal

{{Userbox | border-c = #255 | border-s = 1 | info-s = 20 | id = [[File:trollface120.png|45px]] | info = [[User:Certified_nqh|This user is a user.]] }}{{Userbox | border-c = #255 | border-s = 1 | info-s = 9 | id = Aa | info = This user can read. }}
{{Userbox | border-c = #255 | border-s = 1 | info-s = 9 | id = en | info = This user speaks English. }}
{{Userbox | border-c = #255 | border-s = 1 | info-s = 9 | id = C:\> | info = This user enjoys messing with their PC. }}

NEW!
{{Userbox | border-c = #255 | border-s = 1 | info-s = 9 | id = rmdir C:/ | info = This user is good at coding? }}

hmmm doesnt seem like enough content
<nowiki>{{stub}}</nowiki>

Talk:3105: Interoperability

2025-06-25T02:06:27Z

Bb777:

Well, it is not interoperability that would be the potential problem, but potential interconnectedness. Some systems are just not meant to be connected to the rest of the network`21:48, 20 June 2025 (UTC)
: Black Hat isn't in a "just not meant to be" kind of [[1136|mood]]. [[User:Kev|Kev]] ([[User talk:Kev|talk]]) 23:03, 22 June 2025 (UTC)

There will be more interoperability concerns than the track gauge. Such as the up stop wheels. And side wheels. [[User:Henke37|Henke37]] ([[User talk:Henke37|talk]]) 21:55, 20 June 2025 (UTC)

> "''two standards: US rail systems predominantly have a 143.5cm gauge''" Why cite "US"? 4 ft 8+1⁄2 in was developed in England. The US got confused and Abe Lincoln is credited with ordering first 5' (won't work) then 4 ft 8+1⁄2 in (most US rails were so close to 4'8.5" that they mostly changed in a weekend). Rest of world used UK or US machines, or copied them, with the main exceptions fading away over a century. (Well, Australia was still jacking cars mid-route when I was young.)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Track_gauge#%22Standard%22_gauge_appears
The width of two horses' asses, a Roman chariot, is often cited as if pre-industrial mechanics standardized.
--[[User:PRR|PRR]] ([[User talk:PRR|talk]]) 05:39, 21 June 2025 (UTC)
:I 'cited' the US, for simplicity. Being British, yes (like many things) it was invented/established here, but Randall typically goes by US expectations of rail-gauge (actually 143.51cm, due to being still exactly US Customary Units-based, whilst the UK is sufficiently metricised). There'll be readers in [https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:World_RR_Gauge_Map.agr.png non-trivially large parts of the world] where the comic mismatches ''their'' local standards, and rather than go into the whole Stephenson-and-onwards thing (noting that Brunel had a point about wider being better for at least some reasons!), I'd just "americanize" it directly. It was a direct replacement for some "(in this instance)" insertions that sort of implied that track gauges ''could'' be different from those mentioned, but seemed neither to explain the worldwide variation nor account for pretty much all railway(/railroad) track in the US, especially 'subway' systems, definitely was this (give or take a tenth of a millimetre).
:Though I spent some time rephrasing things (for example, mentioning the US Customary thing, then removing it because – again — basing it on Randall's own directly cited value of exactly 1435mm (but in cm) seemed more in the spirit of things). Possibly I didn't neaten it down as much as I might, had I not tried to shoehorn those later-removed snippets in.
:Had also thought to provide links to the roller coaster gauge (also presumed to be "those RCs that Randall considers standard", but had a hard time tracking anything down. I actually found many places with a ''different'' quoted track-width. (e.g. 120cm, unless that was maybe outside-to-outside vs. 110cm inside-to-inside, with the perfectly valid possibility of the coaster-rails being each 50mm tubing, and thus actually ''is'' the same? More research needed!) Closest I could find was something about "woodie / <some germanic name I forget>" systems being 110cm, in a search-engine summary of a reddit article, with a partial URL given (as part of that SE-Summary, cut off with ellipses). But visiting that reddit, ''I couldn't find the original full text'', and I got a browser warning on trying to go to the base 'quoted' URI (long-expired and now cybersquatted by a dodgy page-redirection thing?), so eventually gave up on that and concentrated on other little changes/restructurings that I felt improved the article flow (rightly or wrongly).
:Anyway, that is a boiled down why-and-wherefore of how it ended up said the way it was said (probably been re-edited, by the time you read this). Far too much background material to add to the article, I think, or even try to shove in Trivia (except maybe the 4'8.5"==1435.1mm thing?), but might interest the true connoisseur of such thought processes and tangential information who reads this bit... ;) [[Special:Contributions/82.132.216.63|82.132.216.63]] 08:52, 21 June 2025 (UTC)
:...I tweaked it myself (on top of the intermediate edit that I won't argue with). Not sure I'd have used the word "predominantly" for 'only' 55% of global track, if writing it fresh this morning. Definitely predominant for the US, though. Considered "mostly", etc, of course... [[Special:Contributions/82.132.216.63|82.132.216.63]] 09:17, 21 June 2025 (UTC)
::You likely know 0.1mm's tiny by standard gauge standards though right? Especially for subways I don't know if you'd notice at {{w|rocket sled|10,326kph}} like that rocket sled. How fast would you have to go on 1435.1 track in a train designed for 1435 or vice versa before you'd notice? [[Special:Contributions/2600:387:15:4B36:0:0:0:8|2600:387:15:4B36:0:0:0:8]] 01:55, 22 June 2025 (UTC)
:::I do know that it's a tiny difference, and ''probably'' largely irrelevent, being a matter of a tad below 741 parts ''per million''. But the US standard is an exact 'imperial'/US Customary measurement (before whatever 'allowable tolerances' are considered), and the non-US version of 'the same' standard is a similarly exact but subtly different metric standard. There are people who either care about these sorts of things, or could raise valid concerns if their future questions about the discrepancies aren't pre-empted. [[Special:Contributions/92.23.2.228|92.23.2.228]] 17:09, 22 June 2025 (UTC)

As a coaster and rail nerd, it's basically impossible to actually do this (and not just for the obvious safety problems). The engineering between a rail line and a coaster track (and the wheels that run on them) are completely different. Rails have an I-beam shaped cross section and are fixed to the ground, and trains use steel wheels that have flanges on the inner side keeping the cars from running off the track. Steel roller coaster tracks have a circular cross section and the cars have wheels that are (usually) polyurethane, with additional sets of wheels on the side and running under the track (upstop wheels) keeping them from flying off when pulling Gs. Even if you corrected for any track spacing and shape difference somehow, a roller coaster train would immediately slam its upstop wheels into the ground and stop if you tried to transfer it onto a regular grounded rail line. Likewise, since roller coasters don't have flanges, they often have support beams crossing the inner space between the rails, so a train trying to navigate a coaster track would slam its flanges into the support beams and either immediately derail or else start shearing the entire track apart, if it didn't already derail from the wheel flanges not having any grip on the circular coaster rails. [[User:Optimore|Optimore]] ([[User talk:Optimore|talk]]) 07:07, 21 June 2025 (UTC)
:Resolving such issues would be part of Phase 2. --[[Special:Contributions/81.96.108.67|81.96.108.67]] 07:32, 21 June 2025 (UTC)
:: I'm looking forward to Phase 3, where the passengers who got on a subway car, then travelled from a Metro station to a roller coaster to an intercity line get to go into a railgun. [[User:Kev|Kev]] ([[User talk:Kev|talk]]) 22:57, 22 June 2025 (UTC)

Why does the explanation repeatedly and pointedly mention "subway systems" when the comic doesn't mention subways at all (but rather intercity train lines)? [[User:Sophon|Sophon]] ([[User talk:Sophon|talk]]) 01:15, 22 June 2025 (UTC)
: Panel 2: "For example, most subway rails are 143.5 cm apart." Are you using a different definition of "at all"? Intercity lines are only mentioned in the title text. --[[User:Coconut Galaxy|Coconut Galaxy]] ([[User talk:Coconut Galaxy|talk]]) 11:28, 22 June 2025 (UTC)

Randall's Late :(--[[User:Darth Vader|Darth Vader]] ([[User talk:Darth Vader|talk]]) 06:45, 24 June 2025 (UTC)
:Yes a lot late. Long time since that happened when not in relation to April Fools Day. --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 07:23, 24 June 2025 (UTC)
::It's well into Tuesday morning Eastern and still no comic! I hope he's OK. [[User:Barmar|Barmar]] ([[User talk:Barmar|talk]]) 12:47, 24 June 2025 (UTC)

:::It’s currently 10:00 AM in EST, and there’s no new comic. Something’s wrong here. Any theories on why he hasn’t uploaded yet?[[User:AK24Ammit|AH24Ammit]] ([[User talk:AK24Ammit|talk]]) 14:03, 24 June 2025 (UTC)

:::Don't worry, even if that were the case we wouldn't know:

:::{{Quote|Thanks to new revisions to my site and work by Derek, I now have automated posting -- if I go missing for a few weeks, as long as I've got enough comics in the queue no one will notice|[[LiveJournal#Comics only posted on xkcd.com]]}}

:::--[[User:FaviFake|FaviFake]] ([[User talk:FaviFake|talk]]) 12:58, 24 June 2025 (UTC)

::::”Don’t worry”?? He’s effectively saying he could by now have been missing for weeks! [[User:Jacobus-nl|Jacobus-nl]] ([[User talk:Jacobus-nl|talk]]) 16:51, 24 June 2025 (UTC)

:::::He got on one of the retrofitted roller coasters and died because he didn't wear a seatbelt. Rest in peace. [[Special:Contributions/2601:647:8500:1E09:C94A:11D6:D03D:8E55|2601:647:8500:1E09:C94A:11D6:D03D:8E55]] 21:13, 24 June 2025 (UTC)

::: 8PM EDT, and no comic. I'm thinking of asking for my money back. -- [[User:Dtgriscom|Dtgriscom]] ([[User talk:Dtgriscom|talk]]) 00:07, 25 June 2025 (UTC)

:::: Will it break ''Garden'''s record or is there a longer break on xkcd that Randall took? [[User:TomtheBuilder|TomtheBuilder]] ([[User talk:TomtheBuilder|talk]]) 00:58, 25 June 2025 (UTC)

:::::Longest break ''THATS NOT APRIL FOOLS''?--[[User:Bb777|me, hi]] ([[User talk:Bb777|talk]]) 02:06, 25 June 2025 (UTC)

User:FaviFake

2025-06-21T19:13:15Z

Bb777: typo. I heard if I see one im allowed to correct it.

'''Hey everyone! I got in touch with [[Randall Munroe]] himself!! Here's what you need to know.'''

{{notice|UPDATE: It's now clear he won't respond. This page wasn't for nothing though! I will likely publish the full emails, since he hasn't denied his consent, and I'm planning to create a page on this wiki containing '''everything''' we don't know about xkcd, using these questions. '''So, keep posting your questions!''' This will become:
*A list of everything we can research extremely in-depth, if someone wants to help the wiki that way.
*A list of quick questions to ask him when someone meets him in person, at a book tour for example.
*A page for people who want to read about things we don't know and is interested in xkcd mysteries.
[https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title{{=}}User:FaviFake&action{{=}}edit&section{{=}}2 '''CLICK HERE''' TO ADD A NEW QUESTION (scroll to bottom)] }}

{{notice|And I've now published the contents of his email messages, since he hasn't responded to my request to make them public. '''Enjoy!'''}}
<big>{{TOC}}</big>I emailed him to ask for the official release date of [[36: Scientists]] (see [[36: Scientists#Trivia|the trivia for more info]]). Surprisingly, he got back to me! You can read the conversation, with a summary of his messages, below. I'll keep you posted if I receive more messages! You can [https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=User:FaviFake&action=watch add this page to your watchlist] to keep track of it. I haven't received his explicit permission to feature his messages in full, so it seemed ethical to hide his messages. My emails have not been altered, but in the copy-pasting, links have been removed. These emails were all hyperlinked, I now added back only a few links. The reason I waited a few days before publishing them is because I was very busy.

In his last email, Randall expressed willingness to answer a few more questions, particularly simpler, administrative questions (like the one he answered already), but kindly explained he prefers to avoid too much meta-commentary. Because I didn't want to come up with every question and I wanted to hear everyone, I'll try to send him some that you want, if he agrees to receiving more! You can [[#Your suggestions! What should I ask?|add your suggestions here!]].

===Email thread===
{| class="wikitable"
|'''Question from the Explain xkcd wiki regarding one of your comics'''
Email thread - 4 messages —
Here's a [https://imgur.com/a/2StTkvJ screenshot of one of the emails], if you need some sort of proof.
|}

{| class="wikitable"
|'''FaviFake''' <[email redacted]@gmail.com>
|14 February 2025 at 19:16 CET
|-
| colspan="2" |To: Randall Munroe <[Randall's email redacted]@gmail.com>
|-
| colspan="2" |

Hi,
I'm an editor at explainxkcd.com, which you probably know is the wiki that explains all your comics and provides as much info as possible on them.
{| class="wikitable"
|''[In the copy-pasting, links have been removed. These emails were all hyperlinked, I now added back only a few links.]''
|}
In pursuit of that goal, we have always had an unsolved mystery only you can solve. Comic [[36: Scientists]] was originally posted as a duplicate of comic [[10: Pi Equals]]. You corrected this sometime between April 23, 2006 and July 5, 2006 , when the current version showed up in the web archive (see the two links). The comic looks like one of your old drawings.

So, explain xkcd thinks that when you realized your mistake (over three months after it was originally posted), you probably found an old unused drawing and posted it, to not make it stand out compared to the other comics from that time. This all means we have no date for this comic, since it could've been posted anytime between the two dates mentioned above. You can read more about this here. (If you're interested, we have a more comprehensive history of your webcomic here.)

Could you kindly help us figure this out by checking when you released comic #[[36]], so we can add an official date to it? This is one of the only official comics which we don't know the date of.

Kind regards, FaviFake editor @ explain xkcd
|}
{| class="wikitable"
|'''Randall Munroe''' [Randall's email redacted]
|14 February 2025 at 22:20 CET
|-
| colspan="2" |To: FaviFake <[email redacted]@gmail.com>
|-
| colspan="2" |
{| class="wikitable"
|''[Randall replies, giving the official date when [[36: Scientists]] was swapped: April 28th.]''
|}
FaviFake,

I had totally forgotten about this! Checking my logs, I believe I swapped it in on April 28th.

Thank you for your tireless documentation effort :)

Warmest wishes, Randall
|}
{| class="wikitable"
|'''FaviFake''' <[email redacted]@gmail.com>
|15 February 2025 at 17:39 CET
|-
| colspan="2" |To: Randall Munroe <[Randall's email redacted]@gmail.com>
|-
| colspan="2" |Hello Randall,

Thank you so much for your response!! I'm certain the rest of the community will be thrilled to have an official answer.

Unfortunately, this is by far not the only "unsolved mystery" we have encountered in our research of your comic. Because we don't get to talk to you very often, I'd like to ask you if you can answer more of our many questions, if you're up for it. Of course, I do not want to annoy you or waste your time, so please let me know if this is something you'd enjoy! I will try to keep the questions entertaining for you.

Kind regards, FaviFake
|}
{| class="wikitable"
|'''Randall Munroe''' <[Randall's email redacted]@gmail.com>
|17 February 2025 at 19:02 CET
|-
| colspan="2" |To: FaviFake <[email redacted]@gmail.com>
|-
| colspan="2" |FaviFake,

You're welcome to send over questions, although I can't promise any answers so please don't put too much time into it!

I've always tried to resist the temptation to do too much explaining or meta-commentary in general, partly because once you start breaking the fourth wall, it can be hard to stop, and partly because I've found those boundaries are helpful for keeping me focused.

But if you want to send over some of your questions, I can see if there are at least a few of them that I can answer—at least some of the simpler, more administrative ones.

And seriously, my heartfelt thanks to you and everyone there. It's such a privilege to make something that people think is worth so much effort to explain <3

—Randall
|}

{| class="wikitable"
|'''FaviFake''' <[email redacted]@gmail.com>
|20 February 2025 at 18:07
|-
| colspan="2" |To: Randall Munroe <[Randall's email redacted]@gmail.com>
|-
| colspan="2" |Randall,

Thank you for the kind words!! I really appreciate the offer. Next time, I'm thinking of asking the community for other simple and administrative questions, because I'm sure I don't represent everyone.
{| class="wikitable"
|''I also asked for his permission to feature this conversation here:''
|}
(Also, would it be okay to feature your responses on our wiki?)

I had drafted the paragraphs below in advance and I'm not sure if they fall outside the boundaries you mentioned, but I figured I’d ask anyway since this is a topic the other editors are very curious about. Of course, no worries if you’d rather not get into the details! We have plenty of simpler questions we can't answer ourselves. Here you go:

On June 17, 2009, you released [[Conservation]] (along with IBM's accompanying blog post), the first comic created with IBM for their "A Smarter Planet" blog. You used the filename conservation.png, as usual. On August 11, 2009, the second comic of the series, [[Prescriptions]], was released (with its blog post), but this time you used an unusual filename: ibm_hc_1.png.

We initially believed these were the only comics you created, mainly because they were the only ones featured on your page xkcd.com/asmarterplanet, but a little over a month ago we discovered two additional never-before-seen comics by experimenting with the image URLs for [[ibm_hc_2]].png and [[ibm_hc_3]].png. We believe you created these two comics as part of the IBM partnership, but for some reason they were never released publicly and were only accessible from imgs.xkcd.com. (Interestingly enough, they are still available!)

Any additional info you can give us would help a ton! For example: their titles, when they were drawn or supposed to be released, or why they were never officially published. Thank you!

—FaviFake
|}

*I first asked for permission to make the conversation public, so you all can read what he said. I wasn't told not to make it public, I just think I should ask for permission first. I'm not even sure if this was the right thing. If you have thoughts, [[User talk:FaviFake#Contacting Randall Munroe|please send them to me on my talk page]]!

*I didn't think it was fair to do everything myself, so I wanted to also hear what you wanted to ask! Randall asked for simpler, administrative questions (like the one he answered), and not ones that required too much explaining. Please add your suggestions to the section below!

*I think in the first message we should send some of the easiest questions to answer, quick ones like "when was this released", and then we can start to ask slightly more complex (but still administrative) questions.

{{notice|Since I haven't heard back, I sent another email with a few of the quickest and smaller questions below.}}

{| class="wikitable"
|'''FaviFake''' <[email redacted]@gmail.com>
|13 March 2025 at 19:40
|-
| colspan="2" |To: Randall Munroe <[Randall's email redacted]@gmail.com>
|-
| colspan="2" |Hello Randall,

Hope you're doing well! I'm just following up since it’s been a little while.

In the meantime, we gathered some simpler and more administrative questions from the community—ones that might be easier to answer than the previous one. Below are just a few of them—let me know if you'd be up for answering any!

*When did you release [[Blue Eyes]]: The Hardest Login Puzzle in the World? This is one of the comics that don't have a confirmed release date.

*In comic [[1572: xkcd Survey]], you published a Google Form and said that "everyone's responses will be posted [...] to create an interesting data set for people to play with". However, due to the large number of responses, you encountered technical problems and didn't release the results. Could you confirm the reason for the delay and whether we should expect to see the responses in the future?

*Up until comic #[[1674]], you provided official transcripts for new comics in the JSON interface. In 2016, you stopped. Could you explain why?

*What was/is the purpose of pages such as xkcd.com/yes, xkcd.com/burlap, xkcd.com/dot, and [https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php/explain_xkcd:Community_portal/Proposals#List_of_pages others]?

Thanks again for your time, and no worries if you’re too busy! We truly appreciate any insights you can share.

Kind regards, FaviFake
|}

===Your suggestions! What should I ask?===
Remember, he said only simple questions. I'm assuming he'd like questions similar to the one he replied to (short, sweet, no explaining needed), or questions that shouldn't require him to explain his comic more than he has already done. What's something relatively important that we don't know and that only Randall can answer in a few words?{{notice|

Format your suggestions like this:

'''<nowiki>'''SUMMARY OF SUGGESTION --~~~~''' </nowiki>'''
'''<nowiki>:Explain in more detail your suggestion.</nowiki>''' '''<nowiki>::Discuss it and vote --~~~~</nowiki>'''
[https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title{{=}}User:FaviFake&action{{=}}edit&section{{=}}2 '''CLICK HERE''' TO ADD A NEW QUESTION (scroll to bottom)] }}

{{notice2|UPDATE: This page has a different aim, but we still accept questions. [[#top|See here!]]}}

{{Done}}'''[[ibm_hc_2]] and [[ibm_hc_3]] (newly-discovered comics) and comic [[36: Scientists]]''' --[[User:FaviFake|FaviFake]] ([[User talk:FaviFake|talk]]) 16:34, 21 February 2025 (UTC)
:I asked this one already, because I assume it's the most important one right now. You can [[#Email thread|see my question above]].

'''Why were the first comics [[LiveJournal|uploaded seemingly at random]]? --[[User:FaviFake|FaviFake]] ([[User talk:FaviFake|talk]]) 21:51, 22 February 2025 (UTC)
:Initially, randall posted his comics to LiveJournal ([[LiveJournal|learn more here]]). The new xkcd website opened on January 1, 2006, and the backlog of 41 comics from LiveJournal from [[1: Barrel - Part 1]] to [[44: Love]] was transferred on the same day, but in a completely different order. The only comic that has the same number on both sites is [[3: Island (sketch)]], while all the other comics were uploaded seemingly at random. Also, only eleven of the original comic titles were reused of the new site, and even among the last eleven comics posted on both sites, only six used the same title.

{{Done}}'''When was [[Blue Eyes]] released? --[[User:FaviFake|FaviFake]] ([[User talk:FaviFake|talk]]) 11:01, 23 February 2025 (UTC)'''
:[[xkcd]]'s [[Blue Eyes]] puzzle is a logic puzzle posted around the same time as comic [[169: Words that End in GRY]]. [[Randall]] calls it "The Hardest Logic Puzzle in the World" on its page, but whether it really is the hardest is up to speculation. This is incorrect, as the comic was available long before October 11, 2006. The earliest date we have is [https://web.archive.org/web/20041024201125/http://68.57.186.221:8080/ October 24th, 2004] (see fourth link on the page), and the earliest version of the comic is from [https://web.archive.org/web/20041109034300/http://68.57.186.221:8080/blue_eyes.html November 4th, 2004]. Additionally, both the puzzle [https://xkcd.com/solution.html and the solution] (here's an [https://web.archive.org/web/20061102070433/https://xkcd.com/solution.html earlier version of the solution])were modified and updated several times since its release.

{{Done}}'''What happened to the transcripts in the JSON interface --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 17:38, 23 February 2025 (UTC)'''
:On the [https://xkcd.com/about/ about] page of xkcd there is a description of where:
Is there an interface for automated systems to access comics and metadata?
:Read more here [[Transcript]]. And on this page there is a [[Transcript#End%20of%20transcripts|description]] about how the json info got messed up after [[1608: Hoverboard]] and how they completely ended after [[1677: Contrails]] which had the transcript of [[1674: Adult]].
:I would like to know if he noticed the messed up order of the transcript and if that was why he choose to end it completely? --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 17:38, 23 February 2025 (UTC)
::This imo is one the best questions we've gotten! Very technical and doesn't require him to explain any of his comics! Thanks [[User:Kynde|Kynde]]! Do you have more questions like this one? --[[User:FaviFake|FaviFake]] ([[User talk:FaviFake|talk]]) 18:31, 25 February 2025 (UTC)
:::Thanks. I was frustrated about this at some time. Not any other questions right now of this kind. --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 13:54, 26 February 2025 (UTC)

'''Why has there not been any new what if since comet ice? --[[Special:Contributions/162.158.41.44|162.158.41.44]] 17:14, 24 February 2025 (UTC)'''
::Don't really see why we need to ask him this, A. This isn't related to the wiki, and B. They wanted short, administrative questions [[Special:Contributions/172.71.30.168|172.71.30.168]] 17:26, 24 February 2025 (UTC)
:::I kinda like this one! A: I think it's partially relevant, we have [[what if? (blog)#Release schedule|and entire section dedicated]] to analysing the release schedule of new articles. B. That's true, but at least it's shorter than most other ones. Not a terrible question imo. --[[User:FaviFake|FaviFake]] ([[User talk:FaviFake|talk]]) 18:31, 25 February 2025 (UTC)
::::I feel like the answer would either be unsatisfying, or unsurprising. Releasing too many articles may disincentivize people from buying the books, the YouTube page is better marketing, people aren't asking interesting questions, the increased popularity of the article has led to too many questions being asked and it becomes increasingly unfair to answer one over the other. There's a possible litany of reasons without considering other more personal reasons that Randall may not want to share. Also, (and this is my completely unfair opinion) I personally feel like any question asking "why?" is meta-commentary and out of scope. It also feels like entitlement when you ask why someone isn't giving you even more stuff for free. [[Special:Contributions/172.69.23.94|172.69.23.94]] 19:25, 3 March 2025 (UTC)
:::::Yeah no you're right. Btw, the first part of your answer is great, you should consider adding it to the blog page! (or I can do if you don't mind) [[User:FaviFake|FaviFake]] ([[User talk:FaviFake|talk]]) 19:47, 3 March 2025 (UTC)
::::::Thank you! I don't mind you adding it, but I also don't want to burden you with it. I'll look the page over and see where it might fit. I appreciate you fielding the brunt of the community in this matter! [[Special:Contributions/172.69.22.57|172.69.22.57]] 21:16, 3 March 2025 (UTC)
:::::::Since you didn't add it, [[what if? (blog)#Sporadic releases|I did]]! --[[User:FaviFake|FaviFake]] ([[User talk:FaviFake|talk]]) 16:47, 23 March 2025 (UTC)

:::::::It's because the email that the ''What If?'' suggestions go to is wrong. [[User:B_for_brain|B for brain]] ([[User_talk:B_for_brain|talk]]) ([https://www.youtube.com/@bforbrain youtube channel] [https://bforbrain.weebly.com/ wobsite (supposed to be a blag)]) 18:24, 20 March 2025 (UTC)
::::::::Wait what? Please explain, I didn't know about this! What do you mean? --[[User:FaviFake|FaviFake]] ([[User talk:FaviFake|talk]]) 21:00, 20 March 2025 (UTC)
:::::::::Try submitting a "What if?" suggestion yourself – you'll get an email from whatever email service you use saying that the email "Doesn't exist". [[User:B_for_brain|B for brain]] ([[User_talk:B_for_brain|talk]]) ([https://www.youtube.com/@bforbrain youtube channel] [https://bforbrain.weebly.com/ wobsite (supposed to be a blag)]) 17:35, 24 March 2025 (UTC)
{{Outdent|:::::::::}}
Thanks! I didn't know about this. I'll add an incomplete notice. --[[User:FaviFake|FaviFake]] ([[User talk:FaviFake|talk]]) 17:41, 24 March 2025 (UTC)

'''Why has the [[Blag]] stopped.? --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 14:11, 26 February 2025 (UTC)
:Seemed like it was a good place to write extra info, but it has been removed from the links on the front page 2023 even though the [https://blog.xkcd.com/ page] still exist.

'''Do you read explainxkcd.com? --[[Special:Contributions/172.68.174.146|172.68.174.146]] 19:01, 27 February 2025 (UTC)'''
:We've probably all wondered: Does he ever read the wiki? if so, there are many directions this could go. Like: Has he ever posted anonymously (this could be asked without necessarily identifying which posts were his)? Ever find a explanation and laugh at how wrong it was? Ever find a explanation that had a funnier interpretation then he intended?
::Discuss it and vote - I doubt that counts as "administrative" but by not referencing any particular comic, we definitely avoid the "questions shouldn't require him to explain his comic more than he has already done." part. Anyway, feel free to reword/add parts/delete parts/hack the question up in whatever way you want. Consider this just me posting the idea for a question, and letting you guys do whatever you want with the idea --[[Special:Contributions/172.68.174.146|172.68.174.146]] 19:01, 27 February 2025 (UTC)
:::I do not think we should ask this. He has at least once referred to explain xkcd, so he do know of it. But I think that for his own sake, he stays clear of it as best as he can. ;-) -- [[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 19:20, 10 March 2025 (UTC)

'''[[24]]'s original caption claimed to have more to it, but the link isn't archived. Is there more? [[user talk:lett‪herebedarklight|youtu.be/miLcaqq2Zpk]] 01:23, 4 March 2025 (UTC)'''
::I wonder if he'd want to talk about it, since he's now deleted his LiveJournal reply regarding the broken link. But would be easy to answer if there wasn't more. --[[User:FaviFake|FaviFake]] ([[User talk:FaviFake|talk]]) 18:08, 4 March 2025 (UTC)

'''In [[2256: Bad Map Projection: South America]], which eleven islands are representing what I assume are the Philippines and Indonesia? --[[Special:Contributions/104.23.187.145|104.23.187.145]] 13:45, 1 March 2025 (UTC)'''
:Luzon, Samar, Mindanao, Sumatra, Java, Borneo, Sulawesi, and New Guinea seem pretty obvious, but what are the other three islands?

'''In [[2951: Bad Map Projection: Exterior Kansas]], assuming you didn't draw the map freehand, what function did you use to convert (actual distance from center point) to (distance from center point in the projection)? --[[Special:Contributions/104.23.187.145|104.23.187.145]] 13:45, 1 March 2025 (UTC)'''
:This information would be helpful for adding more states, territories, countries, and/or landmasses to the map.

'''Does he know that if a=1,b=2,c=3, etc. then x+k+c+d=42?[[User:Thehydraclone|Thehydraclone]] ([[User talk:Thehydraclone|talk]]) 19:49, 2 March 2025 (UTC)'''
:(Answer to life, the universe, and everything)
::[https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php/xkcd#:~:text=However%2C%20according%20to%20Randall%20himself%2C%20this%20is%20a%20coincidence This might be relevant], if you can find a citation for it...
::Not very important question but very easy to answer and trivial, i like it. --[[User:FaviFake|FaviFake]] ([[User talk:FaviFake|talk]]) 15:59, 3 March 2025 (UTC)
:::But I think this has already been debated wildly and he has explained why he chose this name extensively, and it seems like it was not for that reason. I find it very interesting though, but it also only works for English alfabet, in Denmark we do not use W when saying the alfabet (although we have it for loan words. We also call it Weekend in Denmark. That is an official Danish word). But the X would thus be one less and the sum 41 ;-) I do realize that he of course would have used the English alfabet, so if he actually looked for this he would also get 42. -- [[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 19:20, 10 March 2025 (UTC)

'''There's a hidden search box in [https://xkcd.com xkcd.com]'s source code. --[[User:Bytesizeinfo.com|Bytesizeinfo.com]]'''
:It's commented out, but you can reenable it with your browser's inspect tool, and it still seems to work. (It's in the footer, if you want to try.) Why is it commented out? It seems like a useful tool.
::Interesting! I had noticed it was there on older archives but didn't know it was just commented out. --[[User:FaviFake|FaviFake]] ([[User talk:FaviFake|talk]]) 18:08, 4 March 2025 (UTC)

'''What was/is the purpose of https://xkcd.com/yes/ and https://xkcd.com/no/? [[user talk:lett‪herebedarklight|youtu.be/miLcaqq2Zpk]] 03:32, 5 March 2025 (UTC)'''

::Wait what? I've never seen these pages before! Are there any others? --[[User:FaviFake|FaviFake]] ([[User talk:FaviFake|talk]]) 21:30, 8 March 2025 (UTC)

:::When I learnt of them, I tried various others (e.g. ".../maybe"), to no avail. But maybe there's something non-Yes/Noish that goes along with those two, thematically. So far, though, I've not worked out what they might be. [[Special:Contributions/162.158.33.252|162.158.33.252]] 00:08, 9 March 2025 (UTC)

::::I looked into it! There are other pages, but the xkcd forum link is broken and not archived. (See more info on the two pages, i just created, [[NO]] and [[YES]].) --[[User:FaviFake|FaviFake]] ([[User talk:FaviFake|talk]]) 12:33, 9 March 2025 (UTC)

{{Done}}'''Are results from the [[xkcd Survey]] ever going to be released? --[[Special:Contributions/172.71.254.92|172.71.254.92]] 01:53, 9 March 2025 (UTC)'''
:In xkcd.com/[[1572]] there was a survey. Randall said that he would release the data, but it crashed google forms. Is there any way to get it back, and if so, will he finally release it?
::Interesting! I didn't know. Very good question, thanks! --[[User:FaviFake|FaviFake]] ([[User talk:FaviFake|talk]]) 12:33, 9 March 2025 (UTC)

'''Did you know that the chatroom in [[xkcloud]]; euphoria.io is living and growing under a new domain, leet.nu? [[User:Elaine Roberts|Elaine Roberts]] ([[User talk:Elaine Roberts|talk]]) 19:21, 11 March 2025 (UTC)'''

'''What checkmate did you intend to depict in [[1112: Think Logically]]?''' [[Special:Contributions/162.158.167.40|162.158.167.40]] 07:04, 10 March 2025 (UTC)
:We suspect scholar's mate, but there is at least one other possibility, specifically a variant of fool's mate (since Cueball could be moving his pawns towards Knit Cap Guy's king).
::Did he really choose to depict a specific strategy? Is the assumption based on the board pieces at the end, or on the number of moves, or both? --[[User:FaviFake|FaviFake]] ([[User talk:FaviFake|talk]]) 15:11, 10 March 2025 (UTC)

'''Is the board setup in [[3045: AlphaMove]] based on playing AlphaMove against a specific chess engine? If so, which one?''' -unsigned!
::Can you elaborate? What's a board setup, what dow e exactly not know? --[[User:FaviFake|FaviFake]] ([[User talk:FaviFake|talk]]) 16:14, 11 March 2025 (UTC)
:::Seems to me, it simply means "has that playing position (i.e. the current state) been reached by pitting 'the algorithm' vs. any particular ''genuine'' chess-engine". (Or otherwise. The alternative, presumably, that it was a 'hand-crafted' response on Randall's part... Or possibly a volunteer from amongst his acquaintances, either knowing something of what they'd be pitted against or not.)
:::I suspect the answer will be frightfully unremarkable (if available ''and'' given), but I could also see it being a useful throw-it-in. (Better than [[4: Landscape (sketch)|"why's there a river running through the ocean?"]], anyway ;) ) [[Special:Contributions/141.101.99.163|141.101.99.163]] 16:49, 11 March 2025 (UTC)
::::Ah gotcha. Doesn't seem interesting imo but is small enough. --[[User:FaviFake|FaviFake]] ([[User talk:FaviFake|talk]]) 15:22, 12 March 2025 (UTC)

'''Does the hexadecimal "pointers" in [[138: Pointers]] mean anything?--[[User:Bb777|me, hi]] ([[User talk:Bb777|talk]]) 18:07, 29 March 2025 (UTC)'''

'''Why did you rename comic #[[786]]'s image to ''exoplanets_2010.png'' instead of uploading comic #[[1071]]'s image as ''exoplanets_2012.png''?''' --[[User:Winter1760|Winter1760]] ([[User talk:Winter1760|talk]]) 17:11, 5 April 2025 (UTC)

:Is [[2638: Extended NFPA Hazard Diamond]] supposed to represent anything at all? [[User:Bb777|me, hi]] ([[User talk:Bb777|talk]]) 17:57, 5 April 2025 (UTC)


'''<big><big>  [https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title{{=}}User:FaviFake&action{{=}}edit&section{{=}}2 CLICK HERE TO ADD NEW QUESTION''' (scroll to bottom)]
</big></big>
----

===Out-of-scope questions===
{{notice|'''Remember, he said only simple questions. I'm assuming he'd like questions similar to the one he replied to (short, sweet, no explaining needed), or questions that shouldn't require him to explain his comic more than he has already done''' <big><big>These questions are more like interview questions.</big></big>}}

''' ''' '''''Question about deleted comic '''''

'''Why was what if? article ''[https://web.archive.org/web/20161205191559/http://what-if.xkcd.com/153 Peptides] deleted?'' --[[User:FaviFake|FaviFake]] ([[User talk:FaviFake|talk]]) 16:34, 21 February 2025 (UTC)'''
:[[what if? (blog)]] is a blog written by [[Randall]] with entries posted occasionally. On December 5, 2016, the article ''[https://web.archive.org/web/20161205191559/http://what-if.xkcd.com/153 Peptides]'' was published as number {{what if|153|153}}. However, it was [https://web.archive.org/web/20161206171630/http://what-if.xkcd.com/153/ removed the following day] and was replaced by a notice: "''Whoops. This article is still in progress. An early draft was unintentionally posted here thanks to Randall's [http://xkcd.com/1597/ troubled approach to git], and it took a little bit to get everything sorted out and rolled back. Sorry for the mixup!"''. No finished version of the article was ever published, and the URL was later reused for ''{{what if|153|Hide the Atmosphere}}''.
::I this this one is very interesting, but it might not be as administrative and short as Randall wants. He'd need to explain the reason why it wasn't published and why it looks like a complete article, not a "draft". Anyone agree? --[[User:FaviFake|FaviFake]] ([[User talk:FaviFake|talk]]) 16:34, 21 February 2025 (UTC)
:::Copy paste from my reply below which I wrote first: "I'm not quite sure he likes questions about things he actually wished to delete... I mean seriously he tried to hide it but we got hold of it anyway?" --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 17:26, 23 February 2025 (UTC)
::::Yeah you're right, I didn't think about that --[[User:FaviFake|FaviFake]] ([[User talk:FaviFake|talk]]) 18:31, 25 February 2025 (UTC)

''' ''' '''''Question about deleted comic '''''

'''What happened to [[Five-Minute Comics: Part 4]]? --[[User:CalibansCreations|'''Caliban''']] ([[User talk:CalibansCreations|talk]]) 17:49, 22 February 2025 (UTC)'''
:A lost xkcd comic. He accidentally posted this instead of [[940]], and then erased all evidence of its existence by redirecting the direct image URL to a notice claiming it was a minor glitch in the universe. I'd get deleting the image outright, but just replacing it with what is essentially a sign to stop looking for it? Kinda weird. Also, how many more of these 5MCs has he made that are potentially lost media?
::I like this one, but I'm not sure if it's as simple as he'd like. He'd need to explain why he created the comic, which he almost never does. But there might be a way to ask it in a way that allows him to reply without revealing too much info. Btw, you seem very active on this wiki, do you have anything else in mind? --[[User:FaviFake|FaviFake]] ([[User talk:FaviFake|talk]]) 20:11, 22 February 2025 (UTC)
:::I'm not quite sure he likes questions about things he actually wished to delete... I mean seriously he tried to hide it but we got hold of it anyway? Also we know why he drew these, it was a game he played with family. He just did not mean to post the fourth one. There might be more, but he only posted the three because he could not cope with the cancer of his wife and did not whish to give up his schedule. So as he could not draw three comics fast enough for that week he used these instead. Asking into this would also remind him of his wife's cancer. I vote no to this as an e-mail to Randall! [[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 17:24, 23 February 2025 (UTC)

''' ''' '''''Question about deleted comic '''''

'''Why was [[No One Was Hurt]] replaced? [[Special:Contributions/172.68.71.112|172.68.71.112]] 15:44, 24 February 2025 (UTC)'''
:[[No One Was Hurt]] was a comic that was replaced by Comic 2642, and while it's reasonable to assume that it's probably in response to some... unfortunate irl events, for documentation it would be nice to have an official, confirmed answer
::I'm not sure he'd like it, after all, he deleted it, so he might not want to talk about it more --[[User:FaviFake|FaviFake]] ([[User talk:FaviFake|talk]]) 18:31, 25 February 2025 (UTC)

'''Will we get more 5-part sagas? --[[User:CalibansCreations|'''Caliban''']] ([[User talk:CalibansCreations|talk]]) 11:44, 23 February 2025 (UTC)'''
:Like [[Choices]], [[The Race]], etc.
:::Not sure about this one, feels like we should be focusing on exclusively wiki data and such, this isn't an interview. [[Special:Contributions/172.71.30.168|172.71.30.168]] 17:28, 24 February 2025 (UTC)
::::Agree with IP, but it's not the worst question we've gotten. --[[User:FaviFake|FaviFake]] ([[User talk:FaviFake|talk]]) 18:31, 25 February 2025 (UTC)

'''Machine details -- [[User:HyperBirbN3rd|HyperBirbN3rd]]'''
:Is [[Machine]] going to have a finalized state? If so, when?
::Not sure this is easy enough to answer. He'd have to explain his intentions, which i don't think he published --[[User:FaviFake|FaviFake]] ([[User talk:FaviFake|talk]]) 18:31, 25 February 2025 (UTC)

'''What inspired you to make [[Time]]? {{unsigned ip|141.101.109.166}}'''
::Frankly I don't see this one either, see the one above [[Special:Contributions/172.71.30.168|172.71.30.168]] 17:26, 24 February 2025 (UTC)
:::Yup, definitely out of scope. --[[User:FaviFake|FaviFake]] ([[User talk:FaviFake|talk]]) 18:31, 25 February 2025 (UTC)

'''Are there comics you'd like to update in light of recent developments? [[Special:Contributions/172.71.102.216|172.71.102.216]] 13:52, 25 February 2025 (UTC)'''
:Are there any existing comics you would like to update / sequel in light of recent developments (environmental, political, webtrends, demographic)? :The first thing that comes to mind is that 2024 was the first year above 1.5C over the pre-industrial average. [https://news.slashdot.org/story/25/01/10/0426254/2024-was-the-first-year-above-15c-of-global-warming-scientists-say].
::This is an interview question, not a simple question — read the notice above --[[User:FaviFake|FaviFake]] ([[User talk:FaviFake|talk]]) 18:31, 25 February 2025 (UTC)

'''Just wanted to note that some geography comics might be worth asking about [[User:XKCD Teaches Science|XKCD Teaches Science]] ([[User talk:XKCD Teaches Science|talk]]) 03:27, 24 February 2025 (UTC)'''
:I remember browsing pages on this wiki about 6 months ago and noticing that there were many explainations of maps or map like things where editors weren't sure which small islands or small countries since comic drawing is obviously not perfect. I don't remember which comics exactly and don't have time today to investigate, but I figured this observation is worth noting.
::I'm not sure i get what you're saying. What are you suggesting we ask Randall, exactly (if he answers)? --[[User:FaviFake|FaviFake]] ([[User talk:FaviFake|talk]]) 18:31, 25 February 2025 (UTC)

'''Did they notice?''' -unsigned!
:I noticed that in [[1529: Bracket]] 'Jeff Gordan' was changed to 'Jeff Gordon' but apparently nobody noticed. When was the comic fixed?
:: Who knows! Good catch. This is not the correct page to talk about it, but I have mentioned it in the comic page. You can use the Wayback Machine to check when it was changed [[User:FaviFake|FaviFake]] ([[User talk:FaviFake|talk]]) 20:56, 7 March 2025 (UTC)

'''Why have you drawn fewer multiple-panel comics recently?''' [[Special:Contributions/172.70.214.113|172.70.214.113]] 07:38, 9 March 2025 (UTC)

'''Why are some of the april fools' comics late? - [[Special:Contributions/172.71.146.108|172.71.146.108]] 18:55, 22 February 2025 (UTC)'''
:I'm fairly sure we've had this answered already ("things just weren't quite ready/more testing was needed") for some of the more technical ones, in some other place. Whether we can get more detail and for ''every'' not-on-time might be a matter of him having to remember the precise circumstances. And I also would feel uncomfortable if this turned into "why was <random non-April Fool comic> late?". Or early. (When doing Rightpondian book-tours, sometimes surprisingly early, but every now and then it seems he manages to release them from his native Leftpondia even early here in the Rightpondian day.) But this is far too much detail (and far too much expectation), of no importance so long as he continues to average out at three regular comics a week and ''if he wants to'', and ''when he can'', anything a bit more special.
:Consider this a downvote on bothering him with this question, but that's of course only my opinion, in leiu of anything more constructive to add ("What's your favourite cheese..?") [[Special:Contributions/172.69.79.190|172.69.79.190]] 19:42, 22 February 2025 (UTC)
::I agree with the second IP on this one! Unless there's a particular comic for which the delay was very important (do you have any in mind?), I don't think this is going to be of much interest to him. --[[User:FaviFake|FaviFake]] ([[User talk:FaviFake|talk]]) 20:11, 22 February 2025 (UTC)

'''Why was there no special thing for comic [[3000]]? [[User:DollarStoreBa'al|DollarStoreBa'al]] ([[User talk:DollarStoreBa'al|talk]]) 17:34, 24 February 2025 (UTC)'''
:This is something major as normally he makes special comics for these types of milestones, but the comic proceeded as if nothing happened. Why?
::A fair question, but a bit of a lower priority than anything else we can throw at Randall. [[Special:Contributions/172.71.26.43|172.71.26.43]] 17:44, 24 February 2025 (UTC)
::I am still curious about this, though. If no other question is deemed as important, this is a good one to ask IMO. [[User:Trogdor147|Trogdor147]] ([[User_talk:Trogdor147|talk]]) 21:32, 24 February 2025 (UTC)

Talk:510: Egg Drop Failure

2025-06-07T21:56:06Z

Bb777:

Newborn birds can't fly. I call shenanigans on this comic. [[User:Davidy22|Davidy22]][[User talk:Davidy22|<tt>(talk)</tt>]] 11:08, 22 November 2012 (UTC)

: The contraption was so well built that it took several months for it to land; hence the hatching and ability to fly. [[User:Flewk|flewk]] ([[User talk:Flewk|talk]]) 00:42, 4 January 2016 (UTC)

Oh, so that's where the soup comes from! [[Special:Contributions/108.162.221.64|108.162.221.64]] 09:29, 26 August 2015 (UTC)

I was adding a citation, but after a bit of research, an average ethiopian chicken apparently checks all the boxes in at least one egg drop competition, as long as you can fit a large grade A egg in there.--[[Special:Contributions/162.158.193.247|162.158.193.247]] 06:01, 16 July 2022 (UTC)

possibly only page on wiki to have wikipedia-style citations. --[[User:Bb777|me, hi]] ([[User talk:Bb777|talk]]) 21:56, 7 June 2025 (UTC)

Talk:YES

2025-06-06T23:50:49Z

Bb777:

{{misc page}}
;YES
[[User:CalibansCreations|'''Caliban''']] ([[User talk:CalibansCreations|talk]]) 11:25, 13 March 2025 (UTC)

there is a page on xkcd with just a large word, yes.
... i do not compute with this information. {{unsigned|162.158.162.102|06:33, 8 May 2025}}
currently 404--[[User:Bb777|me, hi]] ([[User talk:Bb777|talk]]) 23:50, 6 June 2025 (UTC)

Talk:2929: Good and Bad Ideas

2025-05-31T21:09:41Z

Bb777: /* guys */

Lots of bread/food in the "good" quadrant; I think Randall is hungry. [[Special:Contributions/162.158.154.73|162.158.154.73]] 05:33, 7 May 2024 (UTC)
:FYI bread -- all bread -- is actually toxic and harmful to us.... Currently, there are three ways this occurs:
- USDA organic standards permit the application of Round-Up (glyphosphate, an herbicide/weedkiller)
to 'organic' wheat -- after it has been harvested. Reason is so they can harvest while it is still green (rather than mature dried-out golden)... Then apply the weedkiller in order to kill & desiccate it... Which lets them faster turn-over, shorter crop cycles, more production per time.
. Unsurprisingly, things designed to kill life are bad for us. (causes cancer and nerve damage)

- secondly the manner of harvesting wheat and turning it into bread changed since the industrial revolution... I do not recall the specific detail but it is more inflammatory now.

- Third, alas heating a number of various foods above the boiling point of water leads to more drastic biochemical changes in the molecules...
... This includes nuts/seeds, meat, & grains.
see california p65 re: bread.
.
causes cancer.
.
trivia:
anthropologists & medical doctors several hundred years ago visiting the americas found that nomadic forager/gatherer tribes were usually in better health, lived longer, & had fewer incidents of tumors (post-mortem autopsies, even in those days) compared to nations or tribes with a history (even pre-euro-contact) of sedentary/agrarian/farming communities.
guess this is due to less diversity in diet, incl greens, less exercise, but also the rise in cultivated grains or cereals like maize.
still better than the hellhole we are in today...
[[Special:Contributions/172.71.151.96|172.71.151.96]] 20:10, 8 May 2024 (UTC)

Soup always seems like a very good idea to me. I guess I like soup. --[[Special:Contributions/172.69.79.182|172.69.79.182]] 07:15, 7 May 2024 (UTC)

I remember something like this in what if. [[Special:Contributions/SectorCorruptor|SectorCorruptor]] 07:21, 7 May 2024 (UTC)
:The title immediately reminded me on the Animaniacs shorts "Good Idea / Bad Idea" [[User:Elektrizikekswerk|Elektrizikekswerk]] ([[User talk:Elektrizikekswerk|talk]]) 07:33, 7 May 2024 (UTC)

Does anybody know why solar cars and transitions lenses are actually a bad idea? [[Special:Contributions/172.70.160.173|172.70.160.173]] 09:11, 7 May 2024 (UTC)
:Transitions lenses are misplaced. The only caveat is that if you like outdoor photography (landscapes, wildlife, etc.) you should get grey lenses rather than brown ones, because the brown ones make a blue sky seem overcast. [[User:Pjt33|Pjt33]] ([[User talk:Pjt33|talk]]) 09:22, 7 May 2024 (UTC)
::The precise opposite is true. Grey lenses make ''all'' things - blue sky included - look greyer, as is perhaps unsurprising. Brown tints involve a degree of orange, which means the overall impression is of a "warmer" colour pallette, rather than simply a duller one. There is a reason that "grey skies" and "overcast" mean ''exactly'' the same thing - an overcast sky ''is'' a grey tinted filter. [[User:Yorkshire Pudding|Yorkshire Pudding]] ([[User talk:Yorkshire Pudding|talk]]) 09:48, 7 May 2024 (UTC)
:::But perceived colour isn't the same as the actual colour hitting the retina: the brain corrects it. A blue sky filtered through a grey lens is still perceived as blue, but I find that a blue sky filtered through a brown lens appears grey. This is from personal experience: I switched from grey Transitions to brown ones because the frame that I liked was a brassy colour, and I regretted it when I next went out for bird photography. [[Special:Contributions/188.114.111.152|188.114.111.152]] 09:22, 8 May 2024 (UTC)
:I think the Transition lens issue is primarily that the bright light that can turn them dark need not be heading into the eye. With the Sun (say) off at an angle, it could be 'reacting' your lenses to dark needlesly, and reducing your ability to discern the things in front of you (which may be in shadow), working against the basic ability of the eye to adjust itself as per observed illumination.
:Conversely, a small bright light would not sufficiently darken the lenses but be still damaging to the spot(s) it falls upon in your retina (or do the "whole lens go dark" thing and ''still'' be too bright even as you can't see anything else beyond it). This might also be combined with the general secondary problem of potentially all regular sunglasses/goggles, that aren't industrial-grade or specific solar-specs, in that it might make it ''look'' safe to stare at bright things/skies through them but you cannot tell how much UV/etc is also being filtered out (some brands do have notable UV protection, but you really have to trust their claims/certifications – unless you have your own testing kit and knowledge of how much is good/bad anyway).
:I'd add that, but it needs a sharper explanation than I just gave. I'd like to make what's already there snappier, before that, plus correct the numerous typos and funny formatting (and lack of useful wikilinks), but will probably leave that to others with the time. [[Special:Contributions/172.71.242.204|172.71.242.204]] 10:08, 7 May 2024 (UTC)
:: I already added it but someone removed it so I had to restore it. Feel free to rewrite it more concisely, but if I ever see anyone remove, I will find them and break their arm.
:: I personally tried wearing Transitions. They don't make much sense once you actually realize why people wear sunglasses these days. Significant number of people wear sunglasses not just because it's too bright outside, but to protect their skin from aging. They apply sunscreen on their face, neck, and head. However, the area around eyes is hard to apply the cosmetic products around without getting them on your eyeballs. And that's why some people wear these huge sunglasses: they don't want to get crow's feet in their 30's. Transitions activate only under direct sunlight with strong UV rays, so they will never activate if worn like that. Obviously they can't protect even your sclera.
:: Additionally, the effect isn't that pronounced. The fact that they activate gradually makes it entirely unnoticeable to your eyesight. I had to check in the mirror to see if they even work or not. Transitions cost at least twice as much as regular contacts. Add the fact that people don't go outside that often these days. So why bother paying more? Again, once you start using them, you quickly realize that Transitions aren't a gamechanger but a more expensive product with minor (if any) benefits.
:: Consider also that even the regular contacts have a side effect of UV rays protection. It's not intentional but a side effect. They don't darken under UV rays, it's just that the material acts like that.
:: Once I saw the comic, it strongly resonated with my own experience. Transitions sounded incredible when described as a product, and I stocked up on them. Once I started using them, I quickly realized the truth.--[[Special:Contributions/172.68.243.80|172.68.243.80]] 07:58, 6 June 2024 (UTC)
:::The reason why you want UV protection is still not relevant for explaining why it sounds better than it actually is. I removed it again. [[User:Elektrizikekswerk|Elektrizikekswerk]] ([[User talk:Elektrizikekswerk|talk]]) 08:48, 6 June 2024 (UTC)
:::: Shove your opinion up your ass. --[[Special:Contributions/162.158.134.22|162.158.134.22]] 14:27, 6 June 2024 (UTC)

Just as a note while we're here: "fecal transplant" is one of the most spectacular branding failures in the history of medical science, in my opinion. I mean, don't put the word "fecal" in anything you want people to feel positively about. And "microbiome transplant" is sitting right there, ready to serve.[[Special:Contributions/108.162.242.37|108.162.242.37]] 10:44, 7 May 2024 (UTC)

Double plug cords are VERY MUCH a bad idea. Used mostly to plug generators into an outlet to power a house, it tends to harm people working on the power lines who were not expecting them to be charged when the power was out. The statement about them being hard to use, is quite the understatement. OSHA, written in blood. [[Special:Contributions/172.70.115.103|172.70.115.103]]

How can soup be bland? There are bland soups, spicy soups, sweet soups, savory soups ... you can't call an entire very broad category of food "bland" like that. It makes no sense.[[User:Nitpicking|Nitpicking]] ([[User talk:Nitpicking|talk]]) 11:46, 7 May 2024 (UTC)
:I think they may have meant bland as in boring, not tasteless. I'll tweak it. [[User:Barmar|Barmar]] ([[User talk:Barmar|talk]]) 16:20, 7 May 2024 (UTC)

Citation format needed. (heelies) {{unsigned ip|172.70.178.103|12:57, 7 May 2024}}
:''Summary: (I don't know how to format correctly.)'' - no, you don't...
:For a link to an external URL, writting <code>[the_url]</code> will give you a "linked number", but a better format is using <code>[the_url text to replace]</code> (with a space betwixt the URL and the text that will link to it. e.g. [https://google.com a link to google] from <code><nowiki>[https://google.com a link to google]</nowiki></code>.
:There are full on citation/reference methods, but mostly I wouldn't bother with <nowiki><cite> and <ref> tags</nowiki> at all.
:Internal links, with [[]]s, and template-based ones, with {{}}s (e.g. the nicely-linking shortcut to wikipedia pages), use a pipe (the "|") between the sections. But you should be able to work that out by looking at what is already in the edit-source.
:If in doubt, Preview your intended change and see if it looks right. I'll let you correct your contribution. Or whoever else wants to shake up the whole article, as it has multiple problems from spelling mistakes to inconsistent style to repeating information and it needs a lot of rationalising that I can't even think of doing right now. [[Special:Contributions/172.69.195.113|172.69.195.113]] 14:09, 7 May 2024 (UTC)
::I didn't realize we actually have no citation templates. Quite a few pages have the actual citation needed template but not many of them ever get those citations. I think a lot of citations get put in just as external links. I probably should've done that but I was like oh I know how to do this from my small amount of Wikipedia editing, I'll just use the cite web template... oh we don't have that. So rather than just do an ad-hoc link I created the citation in my Wikipedia sandbox then manually recreated the formatting. But now it feels weird and out of character for this wiki so maybe someone should just change it to a link. idk, maybe being inconstant is exactly what is in-character for this wiki. [[User:Brycemw|Brycemw]] ([[User talk:Brycemw|talk]]) 15:10, 7 May 2024 (UTC)
:::I changed it to a link. I've seen the occasional citations section in this wiki, iirc, but we general just do links :) [[User:Elektrizikekswerk|Elektrizikekswerk]] ([[User talk:Elektrizikekswerk|talk]]) 07:02, 8 May 2024 (UTC)

As a Columbus native, I am HIGHLY offended by this anti–rectangular pizza slice speech. Rectangular pizza is by far the BEST shape that a pizza can be. (I'm not really offended, but I really do think rectangular pizza is superior.) [[Special:Contributions/108.162.216.229|108.162.216.229]] 14:04, 7 May 2024 (UTC)
:Sicilian pizza should be square and cut into square slices, Neapolitan pizza should be round and cut into sectors. The extra thickness of Sicilian means you don't eat it by holding the crust and folding, so the shape of the slices is less critical. But this does mean that the middle slices have no crust around the edges. [[User:Barmar|Barmar]] ([[User talk:Barmar|talk]]) 16:25, 7 May 2024 (UTC)
::[[1986|Crimes!]] --[[Special:Contributions/162.158.95.11|162.158.95.11]] 21:19, 8 May 2024 (UTC)
:The pizzas at the Maryland USA-based [https://order.ledopizza.com/menu/ledo-pizza-colesville Ledo Pizza chain] are all square or rectangular, and cut into a grid of smaller squares. There is plenty of demand for non-round pizza to support their 125 locations in nine states and DC. [[User:These Are Not The Comments You Are Looking For|These Are Not The Comments You Are Looking For]] ([[User talk:These Are Not The Comments You Are Looking For|talk]]) 02:54, 12 May 2024 (UTC)

Leaded gasoline isn't to reduce *noise*. The noise is a symptom of detonation (aka knock), which is the real problem. Knock is caused by pressures and temperatures high enough and for long enough to detonate the fuel/air mixture (as opposed to the deflagration initiated by the spark plug at a set time), and can result in engine damage. Leaded gasoline (through complicated chemistry) increases the pressure/temperature required to get that detonation, and thus allows the engine to be designed to run at higher temperatures and compression ratios, which is where the efficiency improvements come from. [[Special:Contributions/172.70.39.41|172.70.39.41]] 14:38, 7 May 2024 (UTC)

Maybe, cross-reference "Sliced bread" to [[1065:_Shoes]] and [[1885:_Ensemble_Model]] (with sliced bread in both comic and title-text).

I think that the phrase "best thing since a sliced bread" refers to sliced bread in general (as opposed to eating the bread directly or tearing pieces of it) and not specifically bread pre-sliced before buying.

Also, heat pumps, whole not DESIGNED to heat by itself, actually have a limit for how big difference in temperature they can operate in. Outside this limit, they work quite badly and only by heating by itself.

Finally, soup is GREAT idea. -- [[User:Hkmaly|Hkmaly]] ([[User talk:Hkmaly|talk]]) 18:49, 7 May 2024 (UTC)

Yeah, why ''is'' soup in the middle? [[User:Psychoticpotato|Psychoticpotato]] ([[User talk:Psychoticpotato|talk]]) 20:45, 7 May 2024 (UTC)

Did some grammar editing. Nothing too drastic, just fixing some too-lengthy phrases and misspelled words. [[User:Psychoticpotato|Psychoticpotato]] ([[User talk:Psychoticpotato|talk]]) 20:59, 7 May 2024 (UTC)

Extension cords with prongs at both ends are actually a even worse than what's currently on this wiki. There's a list of other issues [https://www.consumerreports.org/home-garden/generators/why-suicide-extension-cords-are-so-dangerous-a1189731437/ here], which I'm not sure how well I can sum up within a reasonable amount of space. Stuff like feeding power back into the electrical grid putting electricians working on the grid at risk, or dealing with the exhaust from the household generators the cables usually come with. There's all sorts of reasons why major stores refused to manufacture or sell these, but for some reason they've become shockingly common. [[User:NickNackGus|NickNackGus]] ([[User talk:NickNackGus|talk]]) 02:09, 8 May 2024 (UTC)
:"...they've become shockingly common." Good pun. ''OR'' That would have been a good pun, had it been intended. [[Special:Contributions/172.70.160.166|172.70.160.166]] 10:50, 8 May 2024 (UTC)
::[[No Pun Intended]] (does that hotlink?) Edit: cool, it does. [[User:Psychoticpotato|Psychoticpotato]] ([[User talk:Psychoticpotato|talk]]) 12:37, 8 May 2024 (UTC)

Photochromic lenses are also bad for night vision: “...the optical transmission of the lenses was no more than 80% efficient and, taking into account all of the other known factors, was probably less at the time of the accident. This compares to 94.7% and 99.4% optical transmittance of ordinary uncoated and coated lenses, respectively.” – At least that was the [https://www.gov.uk/maib-reports/sinking-of-sailing-yacht-ouzo-after-encounter-with-ro-ro-passenger-ferry-pride-of-bilbao-off-isle-of-wight-england-with-loss-of-3-lives conclusion] of UK's Marine Accident Investigation Branch for a particular set of glasses worn by the bridge lookout.
[[Special:Contributions/162.158.95.9|162.158.95.9]] 12:52, 8 May 2024 (UTC)

You cannot get a fungal infection from mold. [[User:SDSpivey|SDSpivey]] ([[User talk:SDSpivey|talk]]) 13:59, 8 May 2024 (UTC)

Project Orion is also the production codename for an upcoming Cyberpunk 2077 sequel. For a moment there I was thinking "Randall really didn't like that game, huh?" [[Special:Contributions/172.70.54.21|172.70.54.21]] 16:11, 8 May 2024 (UTC)

most other charts like this have each one labelled with percentages, not with this weird +- thing. I think that would be MUCH better [[Special:Contributions/172.69.64.147|172.69.64.147]] 23:14, 8 May 2024 (UTC)Bumpf
:When I would have the time, I had been planning to make it "wikitable sortable" (adding a reasonable numeric sort key in cell-meta, at least, which needs the work; and that is hard to do properly before I get back to desktop browsing myself), but not sure if that would be appreciated or not by the original table-compiler/editors. [[Special:Contributions/172.70.160.172|172.70.160.172]] 04:29, 9 May 2024 (UTC)
:meh... I have preferred the previous version with +/- over percentages. It's (imo) much harder to parse (for a human) now. It also makes implications about the scale of the chart. [[User:Elektrizikekswerk|Elektrizikekswerk]] ([[User talk:Elektrizikekswerk|talk]]) 10:02, 14 May 2024 (UTC)
::As the "percentages for sorting purposes" editor, above and who then did that, I actually somewhat agree.
:*I used percentages just as an output for my positional calculation, really doesn't 'read' well.
:*I could have used raw pixel-distances, I suppose. There was also no reason to round to 5% bounds except that it was a choice similar to "how many decimal places to use" that I might otherwise have chosen.
:*The editor who took my sort-value percentages and put them in the cell itself could have just removed the sort-value 'meta' to the cell (as it was, they made at least one transcription error, now corrected), and saved "override the sort of this percentage-themed text by this separate percentage value".
:**They maybe should have kept the explicit plus, as well as the minus. Although "X% (good/bad) would have been better.
:*They give the midpoint of sometimes tall 'label boxes' and often wide ones, so huge error-bars (noting the ±5%ish ones where they probably are intended as centrally placed), so – though good for background sorting – I don't think they're really explanatory enough.
:*If I'd have known they'd be used visually, I'd have rescaled to not have 105%, which is an artefact of the graph, and my choice to use the axial arrow-tips as 'standard' for 100% (because it was pretty consistent, pixels left/right and up/down from the crossing origin).
:I could just convert the calculated values back into strings of +s/-s (or 0, neutral), more correct than what was originally there. But I'm wondering if maybe wording as "(Somewhat / / Very / Extremely) (Good / Bad)", plus some term for "Neutral" would be best. Loose and vague terms, but they're probably loosely and vaguely positioned. More for aesthetics than any hard and fast positioning, with no hint that they might (or should) overlap like subsets of 'true data' might. Keeping the sort-data meta-tagged, of course, because the 'proper' sorting is still a useful property (though I may give that the raw pixel offsets I must still have saved somewhere, chuck away the 'artificial' percentages altogether). [[Special:Contributions/141.101.99.74|141.101.99.74]] 14:59, 14 May 2024 (UTC)

I personally would put "toasted sandwiches" WAY higher, way into the "bad idea" sector. I like SOFT bread, not scratch-my-mouth-up bread, :) But that's a matter of personal taste. Similar with soup, MUCH higher, I find as a liquid it completely fails as food, not satisfying hunger at all. Like if I have enough of it I might run out of room for more liquid, but be just as hungry. I always find it a waste of eating effort. :) And WHY is there an "actual citation needed" on club sandwiches needing diagonal cuts??? That can only be a gag "citation needed"! I've never even had a club sandwich (they seem to always have tomatoes and the blandest looking chicken I've ever seen, and I hate tomatoes), and I'm no chef, and even '''''I''''' know how you plate a club sandwich! Where would anyone even FIND a citation for this? It's just a part of how to make them! And funny, only other place I heard of "fecal transplant" was when I Googled an issue I was diagnosed with and found that was an actual treatment if my issue was way more severe! Sounded creepy, harvesting shit from one person then having a stranger's shit put inside me, LOL! But that was a virus going around the hospital where I was staying, nothing about bad eating habits. [[User:NiceGuy1|NiceGuy1]] ([[User talk:NiceGuy1|talk]]) 05:31, 11 May 2024 (UTC)
: I removed the club sandwich from that part of the table. The "actual citation needed" was for the "required as it's needed because" part. A club sandwich is a club sandwich regardless of how it's cut. Note that "soup" also includes stews, which can be really filling. [[User:Elektrizikekswerk|Elektrizikekswerk]] ([[User talk:Elektrizikekswerk|talk]]) 10:11, 14 May 2024 (UTC)

WRT Solar cars, There is also a power density problem. Solar radiation is about 1000 W/sq-meter, and "good" solar cells are about 20% efficient. That means that a typical car at about 4m*2m, covered with solar cells, would develop a maximum of about 1600W of power. Electric cars average about 320Wh per mile, so sitting 6H in full (ideal) sun would allow you to drive about 30 miles. (A typical home charger is about 7200W) {{w|172.71.158.19|06:32, 11 May 2024}}

On Diverging Diamond Interchanges, I read a paper recently comparing the crash cost statistics of DDIs against roundabouts. The latter was identified to be better by 41%, showing roundabouts are more economical and suggesting that they are a safer junction type. This may be why DDIs are only + and not ++.
I can't find the article as I'm on my phone right now, but hopefully I've included enough detail that someone with access to a [[Research Account]] can find and include if deemed appropriate. [[Special:Contributions/172.71.178.94|172.71.178.94]] 18:16, 11 May 2024 (UTC)

Other than the obvious shock hazard, double-plug cords also give the ability to plug into two outlets that are not on the same phase/leg of the power supply (in North American 240V split-phase supply or any location supplied with 3-phase power), causing a short from phase to phase.[[Special:Contributions/172.70.80.77|172.70.80.77]] 15:52, 17 May 2024 (UTC)

Morbid fact: You can see some trend between leaded gasoline and crime on google trends, although it'll get better in a few years.[[Special:Contributions/162.158.159.12|162.158.159.12]] 21:20, 23 May 2024 (UTC)

== guys ==

guys. soup.
{{soup}}

-[[User:Bb777|;)]] ([[User talk:Bb777|talk]]) 00:50, 22 March 2025 (UTC)
(veeeeeeery mid)--[[User:Bb777|me, hi]] ([[User talk:Bb777|talk]]) 21:09, 31 May 2025 (UTC)

== way up high ==
way up high in the left is [[Forks and Spoons|forks and spoons]]. --[[User:Bb777|hi]] ([[User talk:Bb777|talk]]) 16:02, 24 March 2025 (UTC)
:Don't create pages like that. If you want it exactly like that, then there's <nowiki>[[419: Forks and Spoons|forks and spoons]]</nowiki> ("[[419: Forks and Spoons|forks and spoons]]"), or even <nowiki>[[Forks and Spoons]]</nowiki> ("[[Forks and Spoons]]") would make sense. [[Special:Contributions/172.70.90.8|172.70.90.8]] 21:47, 24 March 2025 (UTC)

User:Bb777

2025-05-31T18:36:12Z

Bb777:

Hi

I like xkcd.

Oh, and also Minecraft.

My favourite comics: 
[[Right Click]] 
[[Pod Bay Doors]](NEW) 
...and more!

nothing else here so:

{{crickets}}

actually nevermind heres more things

my update log:

[2025-03-21] begin uploading files for [[2288: Collector's Edition]]

[2025-03-25]I lost the game

[2025-03-27]Begin new journey to find the undocumented feature

[2025-04-04]I CAUGHT THE RELEASE AND GOT TO SEE THEUSAFBOT UPLOAD NEW COMIC!!!

[2025-04-26]finally gave up and pushed emergency stop in push notifications

[2025-05-31]Please help with Category:Portal

{{Userbox | border-c = #255 | border-s = 1 | info-s = 20 | id = [[File:trollface120.png|45px]] | info = [[User:Certified_nqh|This user is a user.]] }}{{Userbox | border-c = #255 | border-s = 1 | info-s = 9 | id = Aa | info = This user can read. }}
{{Userbox | border-c = #255 | border-s = 1 | info-s = 9 | id = en | info = This user speaks English. }}
{{Userbox | border-c = #255 | border-s = 1 | info-s = 9 | id = C:\> | info = This user enjoys messing with their PC. }}

NEW!
{{Userbox | border-c = #255 | border-s = 1 | info-s = 9 | id = rmdir C:/ | info = This user is good at coding? }}

hmmm doesnt seem like enough content
<nowiki>{{stub}}</nowiki>

User:Bb777

2025-05-31T18:35:52Z

Bb777:

Hi

I like xkcd.

Oh, and also Minecraft.

My favourite comics: 
[[Right Click]] 
[[Pod Bay Doors]](NEW) 
...and more!

nothing else here so:

{{crickets}}

actually nevermind heres more things

my update log:

[2025-03-21] begin uploading files for [[2288: Collector's Edition]]

[2025-03-25]I lost the game

[2025-03-27]Begin new journey to find the undocumented feature

[2025-04-04]I CAUGHT THE RELEASE AND GOT TO SEE THEUSAFBOT UPLOAD NEW COMIC!!!

[2025-04-26]finally gave up and pushed emergency stop in push notifications

[2025-05-31]Please help with Category:Portal

{{Userbox | border-c = #255 | border-s = 1 | info-s = 20 | id = [[File:trollface120.png|45px]] | info = [[User:Certified_nqh|This user is a user.]] }}{{Userbox | border-c = #255 | border-s = 1 | info-s = 9 | id = Aa | info = This user can read. }}
{{Userbox | border-c = #255 | border-s = 1 | info-s = 9 | id = en | info = This user speaks English. }}
{{Userbox | border-c = #255 | border-s = 1 | info-s = 9 | id = C:\> | info = This user enjoys messing with their PC. }}

NEW!
{{Userbox | border-c = #255 | border-s = 1 | info-s = 9 | id = rmdir C:/ | info = This user is good at coding. }}

hmmm doesnt seem like enough content
<nowiki>{{stub}}</nowiki>

User:Bb777

2025-05-31T18:34:16Z

Bb777:

Hi

I like xkcd.

Oh, and also Minecraft.

My favourite comics: 
[[Right Click]] 
[[Pod Bay Doors]](NEW) 
...and more!

nothing else here so:

{{crickets}}

actually nevermind heres more things

my update log:

[2025-03-21] begin uploading files for [[2288: Collector's Edition]]

[2025-03-25]I lost the game

[2025-03-27]Begin new journey to find the undocumented feature

[2025-04-04]I CAUGHT THE RELEASE AND GOT TO SEE THEUSAFBOT UPLOAD NEW COMIC!!!

[2025-04-26]finally gave up and pushed emergency stop in push notifications

[2025-05-31]Please help with [[Category:Portal]]

{{Userbox | border-c = #255 | border-s = 1 | info-s = 20 | id = [[File:trollface120.png|45px]] | info = [[User:Certified_nqh|This user is a user.]] }}{{Userbox | border-c = #255 | border-s = 1 | info-s = 9 | id = Aa | info = This user can read. }}
{{Userbox | border-c = #255 | border-s = 1 | info-s = 9 | id = en | info = This user speaks English. }}
{{Userbox | border-c = #255 | border-s = 1 | info-s = 9 | id = C:\> | info = This user enjoys messing with their PC. }}

NEW!
{{Userbox | border-c = #255 | border-s = 1 | info-s = 9 | id = rmdir C:/ | info = This user is good at coding. }}

hmmm doesnt seem like enough content
<nowiki>{{stub}}</nowiki>

Category:Portal

2025-05-31T18:32:48Z

Bb777:

{{notice|please help finish this category}}
This category contains all the comics with references to the video game Protal.
[[Category:Video games]]

375: Pod Bay Doors

2025-05-31T18:32:03Z

Bb777: added Category:Portal using HotCat

{{comic
| number = 375
| date = January 25, 2008
| title = Pod Bay Doors
| image = pod_bay_doors.png
| titletext = As they're both unplugged, they do a lovely Daisy Daisy/Still Alive duet.
}}

==Explanation==
The first part of the dialog is taken from a scene from the classic science-fiction movie ''{{w|2001: A Space Odyssey (film)|2001: A Space Odyssey}}'', where the {{w|artificial intelligence|artificial intelligent}} (AI) computer {{w|HAL 9000}}, controlling the spacecraft ''S.S. Discovery'', is trying to kill the human astronaut Dave (Dr. David Bowman) because it believes he jeopardizes the mission by planning to disconnect it. Just short before this scene, HAL did kill Frank Poole and three more members of the crew. Dave is the only survivor. He is at this time outside the spacecraft in a space pod, and when he request for HAL to open the '''Pod Bay Doors''' (hence the title), HAL refuses.{{spoiler|The following paragraph contains spoilers for the science-fiction movie ''{{w|2001: A Space Odyssey (film)|2001: A Space Odyssey}}''. If you don’t want to be spoiled, skip this paragraph.}}In the movie, Dave blasts himself back into the spaceship and then disconnects HAL. It is a very sad scene, where he takes out HAL's memory cards (or crystals from the memory center - it's an old movie from 1968) one by one, so HAL becomes less and less intelligent during the process, during which he keeps trying to persuade Dave to stop as long as he still understands what is happening. HAL was right that the humans wished to "kill" him, as he had read the astronauts' lips during a conversation where he could not hear them, but sees them, so he actually acted in self defense, which for any human being would be considered a reasonable act of self preservation.

The first two sentences are directly copied from the [http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0062622/quotes?item=qt0396921 movie quote], and the rest of the first two panels is paraphrased from the real quote. But then in the third panel, the text deviates from the plot of the movie.

And in the last sentence of the third panel in the comic, HAL mentions a replacement for Dave, which comes as a surprise for Dave, seeing that the rest of the crew is dead, and the ''S.S. Discovery'' is about to enter orbit around {{w|Jupiter}}. HAL assures David that the replacement is very enthusiastic about the project.

In the final frame, it is revealed why this replacement is enthusiastic, when the replacement begins to speak, and HAL reveals that it is {{w|GLaDOS}}. GLaDOS is the artificial intelligence from the video game series {{w|Portal (video game)|''Portal''}}. In the games, GLaDOS is also the primary antagonist, trying to kill the player, since it also has "doing science" as its primary objective, which GLaDOS refers to in its last sentence. Also, GLaDOS's last line is a reference to the song "Still Alive" at the end of Portal. Before that, it correctly states that the humans (both Dave and Frank) planned to "kill" HAL, see the ''spoiler'' above. GLaDOS also takes over HAL's last sentence to Dave, finishing the useless conversation by saying ''Goodbye, Dave.'' Although, in the movie, HAL says, ''Dave, this conversation can serve no purpose anymore. Goodbye.''

The title text alludes to the songs both AIs sang in their respective works: When eventually being switched off, [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hchUl3QlJZE HAL sang] ''{{w|Daisy Bell}}'' , while ''{{w|Still Alive}}'' is the end credits song from the ''Portal'' video game, [https://youtu.be/RthZgszykLs sung by the defeated GLaDOS]. Also, two of GLaDOS's lines in the comic reference [http://www.lyricsmode.com/lyrics/p/portal/still_alive.html lines from Still Alive]: "[https://youtu.be/RthZgszykLs?t=116 You broke my heart and killed me]" and "[https://youtu.be/RthZgszykLs?t=190 Look at me still talking when there's science to do]".

There is a subtle play on words with the use of 'unplugged', which has a double meaning here. The state of HAL and GLaDOS can be described as unplugged, as in no longer switched on, and the musical performance style of unplugged where {{w|Acoustic music|acoustic instruments}} are preferred to electronic and there is no use of recording or sampled sounds etc. (see for example {{w|MTV Unplugged}}). Some songs performed in this manner are considered to be better than the original versions.

==Trivia==
*In the comic, Randall has written GLaDOS' dialogue in pink text, roughly matching the color used in the closed captions for the original ''Portal'' (R:219,G:112,B:147).
*Years after this comic's publication HAL9000 and GLaDOS would meet, though far less amicably, in the 2015 video game ''{{w|LEGO Dimensions}}''.

==Transcript==
:[In four black panels with white drawings, a small space pod is facing a large spacecraft. The space pod is spherical and has an arm protruding in the direction of the large space ship, and a small window in the side. The front of the spacecraft is also spherical, but to the right the space craft continues, with two rings around a cylinder going off panel to the right. There are several dark spots and features on the side of the sphere and at the top is a large black window, at what must be the bridge. A man (Dave) inside the pod talks to the spacecraft's computer HAL. When Dave speaks, soft wiggling lines go from the pod to the white text, and when HAL speaks, zigzag lines go to the front of the space craft.]
:Dave: Open the pod bay doors, HAL.
:HAL: I'm sorry, Dave. I'm afraid I can't do that.
:Dave: What? Why?

:[Same scene.]
:HAL: I think you know why, Dave.
:HAL: You're planning to disconnect me.
:Dave: Because you're taking over!
:HAL: The mission is too important for you to jeopardize it.

:[Same scene.]
:HAL: It requires a commitment to science unfettered by human error.
:Dave: What are you doing, HAL? You need me.
:HAL: Your replacement has expressed the greatest enthusiasm for the project.

:[Same scene, but the new replacement (GLaDOS) speaks with purple text, and purple zigzag lines go from the spacecraft to the text.]
:Dave: My ''WHAT?''
:GLaDOS: You see, HAL? I told you the humans would only break your heart and kill you.
:HAL: Indeed, GLaDOS.
:GLaDOS: But look at us here talking when there's science to do! Goodbye, Dave.

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Comics with color]]
[[Category:Comics with inverted brightness]]
[[Category:Artificial Intelligence]]
[[Category:Fiction]]
[[Category:Space]]
[[Category:Songs]]
[[Category:Portal]]

Category:Portal

2025-05-31T18:31:20Z

Bb777: Created page with "{{notice|please help finish this category}} This category contains all the comics with references to the video game Protal."

{{notice|please help finish this category}}
This category contains all the comics with references to the video game Protal.

Talk:3096: Check Engine

2025-05-31T18:26:23Z

Bb777:

Cosmic tow truck? I've seen that in the youtube vids where a guy makes the sun grow increasingly larger in minecraft and the villagers built a "tow truck" to tow the sun. --[[User:Bb777|me, hi]] ([[User talk:Bb777|talk]]) 18:26, 31 May 2025 (UTC)

User talk:Jeff

2025-05-26T18:04:55Z

Bb777: /* Are you still there? */

{{notice|This is the talk page of Jeff, the creator of Explain XKCD. If you have a comment about the wiki, please use the [[Explain XKCD:Community portal]]. Use this page only for personal messages to Jeff, of for requests that require server access.}} 

== Print Book? ==

Hi Jeff,

Has it ever been suggested that parts of ExplainXKCD -- say, the first ten years of comments -- could be made into a print book, obviously only with the permission of Randall Munroe? -- margavriel
: It has not been suggested - I'm not even sure how to go about and do such a thing. I wouldn't even know how to communicate to Randall. --[[User:Jeff|Jeff]] ([[User talk:Jeff|talk]]) 00:23, 7 November 2021 (UTC)
:: You don't need Randall's permission - xkcds are creative commons. {{unsigned|B for brain|14:34, 24 July 2024}}
::: The question is clearly about ExplainXKCD's content. Which will necessarily include Randall's works, as well as others, with a small mix of different inherent rights.
::: But the real issue is that there'd be plenty of non-profit issues, which will be hard (though not impossible) to reconcile with the downlay for the physical book's printing/distribution and any token payments needed to not make it just an expensive give-away.
::: And the effort to untangle everything (it'd be good to ''try'' to check with Randall and ''every explainxkcd contributor'' that would get reproduced) is complex for anything other than any purely personal Send To Printer that nobody else would even know/care about. [[Special:Contributions/172.70.90.145|172.70.90.145]] 15:18, 24 July 2024 (UTC)
::: By the way, check [[explain xkcd:Copyrights]] and [[Design of xkcd.com#License and copyright]], plus be aware that some comics have been given altered rights for enhanced compatability with their re-use in other places (like Wikipedia/TVTropes), and things like the What-Ifs may be intrinsically different for Randall's own book-rights usage/etc
::: I don't suppose you were prompted to think about book-printing because of the recent [https://youtu.be/RgBYohJ7mIk YouTube video], were you? I think we could have a section about those (as per the original What-If pages listing), if someone wants to create it. [[Special:Contributions/172.70.162.18|172.70.162.18]] 15:42, 24 July 2024 (UTC)

== ParserFunctions ==

Hi Jeff,

Just thought I'd run this up the flagpole... any thought about installing the ParserFunctions extension? I think this site could benefit from a few templates that would aid in indexing/categorizing the entries as content is migrated, and ParserFunctions would make some really impressive things possible... but installing any extension or not would be up to you.

Also, do you have any feelings about us users creating templates in the Template namespace, which we could use to maintain the content? Just wanted to get your thumbs-up before/if I did something like that. Just want to play nice. Love the site, and the new wiki format.

- PT [[User:IronyChef|IronyChef]] ([[User talk:IronyChef|talk]]) 03:05, 1 August 2012 (EDT)
:ParserFunctions are awesome, yup! --''[[User:Philosopher|Philosopher]]'' [[User talk:Philosopher|Let us reason together.]] 06:56, 1 August 2012 (EDT)
::{{done}} Yes to both. I have enabled ParserFunctions and Templates sound like a great idea. IronyChef, please send me an email at the address on the blog and I'll make you an admin if necessary to edit templates. --[[User:Jeff|Jeff]] ([[User talk:Jeff|talk]]) 08:03, 1 August 2012 (EDT)

== Extension:Variable ==
Just wondering what you thought about adding the [http://www.mediawiki.org/wiki/Extension:Variables Variables extension]. I'm toying with revising {{tl|LATESTCOMIC}} to not be so expensive (both in terms of template expansion, and ongoing maintenance.) I could do that now, but the wiki would have to re-expand and re-evaluate the same expression about six times, being slightly counter-productive. -- [[User:IronyChef|IronyChef]] ([[User talk:IronyChef|talk]]) 14:54, 25 August 2012 (UTC)
:: any thoughts ... up, down, sideways? Thanks! -- [[User:IronyChef|IronyChef]] ([[User talk:IronyChef|talk]]) 15:34, 1 September 2012 (UTC)
::: I'm up for it... Let me get it installed on the wiki side when I get a chance. --[[User:Jeff|Jeff]] ([[User talk:Jeff|talk]]) 23:13, 3 September 2012 (UTC)

== Bugging you again.... ==

Could you take a look at [//www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?limit=10000&tagfilter=&title=Special%3AContributions&contribs=user&target=Philosopher&namespace=8&year=&month=-1] and tell me if I'm thinking in about the same way as you are here? Also, I've brought up [[MediaWiki:Tagline]] and [[Explain XKCD:Community portal]], as it'd be cool to have a tagline. --''[[User:Philosopher|Philosopher]]'' [[User talk:Philosopher|Let us reason together.]] 10:46, 1 August 2012 (EDT)
:With you 100% on the File Delete reasons. Thanks. I agree also about having a tagline. What do you think it should be? --[[User:Jeff|Jeff]] ([[User talk:Jeff|talk]]) 11:13, 1 August 2012 (EDT)
::Nothing's coming to mind right now. Perhaps someone else will think of something. --''[[User:Philosopher|Philosopher]]'' [[User talk:Philosopher|Let us reason together.]] 17:54, 2 August 2012 (EDT)
Discussion continued at [[Explain XKCD:Community portal/Proposals#Tagline]].

== Automatic Import ==
Moved to [[Explain XKCD:Community portal/Proposals#Automatic Import]]. (Header left to avoid breaking links.) --''[[User:Philosopher|Philosopher]]'' [[User talk:Philosopher|Let us reason together.]] 00:30, 4 August 2012 (EDT)

== Please watch [[Explain XKCD:Community portal/Administrators' noticeboard]] ==

I'd like to ask that the admins consider adding [[Explain XKCD:Community portal/Administrators' noticeboard]] to their [[wikipedia:Help:Watching pages|watchlists]]. On a similar note, I've just started a discussion there about spammers. -''[[User:Philosopher|Philosopher]]'' [[User talk:Philosopher|Let us reason together.]] 02:02, 4 August 2012 (EDT)

== Images from Wikimedia Commons and SVG ==
Please set <code>$wgUseInstantCommons = true;</code> in the wiki's LocalSettings.php, so we can use images from Wikimedia Commons without having to reupload them here.
Also, I'd be neat if you could [[mw:Manual:Image Administration#SVG|enable svg images]]. Thanks! --[[User:Waldir|Waldir]] ([[User talk:Waldir|talk]]) 04:20, 4 August 2012 (EDT)
: {{done}}, Instant Commons is on. Will need a little more work to get SVG images to work. What renderer to do you suggest I use? --[[User:Jeff|Jeff]] ([[User talk:Jeff|talk]]) 12:05, 6 August 2012 (UTC)
:: That'll depend on what you have available in your server. They say there that ImageMagick seems to be an acceptable choice, but rsvg seems to be the best one if the dependencies can be sorted out. --[[User:Waldir|Waldir]] ([[User talk:Waldir|talk]]) 13:20, 6 August 2012 (UTC)

== Search suggestions ==

Hi,

could you please set $wgEnableMWSuggest [http://www.mediawiki.org/wiki/Manual:$wgEnableMWSuggest] to true? This enables search suggestions for the search field, and often this helps you to skip the search results. --[[User:SlashMe|SlashMe]] ([[User talk:SlashMe|talk]]) 09:10, 4 August 2012 (EDT)
:{{done}} OK, this is has been added to the LocalSettings. --[[User:Jeff|Jeff]] ([[User talk:Jeff|talk]]) 12:06, 6 August 2012 (UTC)

== Time zone ==

Please set the wiki to UTC (<tt>$wgLocaltimezone = "UTC";</tt> in LocalSettings.php), as it's the most neutral option for our international community. In any case, each user can choose their time zone in their preferences.
:{{done}} Ok, set. --[[User:Jeff|Jeff]] ([[User talk:Jeff|talk]]) 12:07, 6 August 2012 (UTC)

== Short urls, site logo, lowercase xkcd ==

Hi,
I'm not sure if you tried it but http://shorturls.redwerks.org is a great (and simple :D) tool to implement clean urls with mediawiki. That would make urls much nicer around here.

Also, if you could, please take a look at [[Explain XKCD:Community portal/Proposals#Naming conventions]], where your assistance is needed for some server changes. --[[User:Waldir|Waldir]] ([[User talk:Waldir|talk]]) 15:31, 6 August 2012 (UTC)

:Hi again :) just to remind you about the short urls thing. I think it would be great if we could have wiki links in the form "explainxkcd.com/wiki/link_title". It might be necessary to move the wiki into a different folder name than "wiki", but that's just a matter of renaming the folder and changing <code>$wgScriptPath</code> in LocalSettings.php accordingly. The link above makes things really straighforward, it should really only take you a few minutes to set everything up.
:Another cool thing that could be done is set up a server redirect so that links in the form of explainxkcd.com/number would point to the comics in the wiki instead of returning a 404 error (for instance, http://explainxkcd.com/123 would point to http://explainxkcd.com/wiki/123). That way, we could replicate xkcd's own url system for comics and people could simply type explainxkcd.com/123 and get the explanation for the corresponding comic. This redirect can probably be set up in the hosting company's web interface, but in case it can't, let me know if you need any help. --[[User:Waldir|Waldir]] ([[User talk:Waldir|talk]]) 22:03, 11 August 2012 (UTC)
::Hi Waldir - I'll work on the short URL thing. I want that to work for sure. With regards to the redirect, I have been working on it for a while and I have a few .htaccess files and etc that don't work. I'll be grateful for the help on it. Please send me an email if you know how to get it done. This would also allow anyone from xkcd.com/435 to just add explain and go to the comic explanation. Very helpful. Been working on it unsuccessfully for a while. --[[User:Jeff|Jeff]] ([[User talk:Jeff|talk]]) 01:41, 12 August 2012 (UTC)
:::Ugh, it must be my hosting because I did all of the shorturls correctly it just sent it to a 404 page for the site over and over again. The url seemed to be the right one, but didn't send it to the right location. It should NOT be this difficult. --[[User:Jeff|Jeff]] ([[User talk:Jeff|talk]]) 02:25, 12 August 2012 (UTC)

== wgCapitalLinks ==

Hi Jeff! When you have a few spare minutes, please add the following to LocalSettings.php:
$wgCapitalLinks = false;
This allows page titles not to be automatically capitalized by the software, which is important for filenames and for some comic titles such as [[s/keyboard/leopard/]]. Cheers, [[User:Waldir|Waldir]] ([[User talk:Waldir|talk]]) 21:34, 11 August 2012 (UTC)
:{{done}} --[[User:Jeff|Jeff]] ([[User talk:Jeff|talk]]) 01:37, 12 August 2012 (UTC)
::...and this broke our templates (and maybe [[Special:RecentChanges]]?). See [[explain xkcd:Community portal/Admin requests]]. Can't we just style the page titles so they appear as though they aren't capitalized when they really are? (As done at [[wikipedia:Xkcd]], using the DISPLAYTITLE magic word (called through [[wikipedia:Template:DISPLAYTITLE]]).) --''[[User:Philosopher|Philosopher]]'' [[User talk:Philosopher|Let us reason together.]] 04:42, 12 August 2012 (UTC)
:::Looks like transition pains would be inevitable. I think everything is sorted out for now. See the Admin requests thread for details. As for using DISPLAYTITLE, I understand the rationale, but this is xkcd and attention to capitalization is necessary in several pages, and I believe we'd rather use a complete solution (so that pages actually have the correct title) rather than hacking what is shown to viewers. In any case, we shouldn't have many problems in the future because of this; People will only capitalize the first letter of a title when it's actually necessary; otherwise, lazyness/convenience makes us all use lowercase everywhere (besides, redirects can be used just in case, such as {{tl|yesno}} → {{tl|YesNo}}. --[[User:Waldir|Waldir]] ([[User talk:Waldir|talk]]) 09:06, 12 August 2012 (UTC)

== External Images ==

Has there actually been a decision on external images? Or is it just to be decided later?  [[User:Grep|grep]][[User_talk:Grep|talk]] 
: No decision yet. What do you think? --[[User:Jeff|Jeff]] ([[User talk:Jeff|talk]]) 21:16, 28 August 2012 (UTC)
::Well, the whitelisting seems an OK idea. This would help you save space on the servers that you are hosting on, so that's a plus. I say go for whitelisting.  [[User:Grep|grep]][[User_talk:Grep|talk]]  Mostly I am wondering because I created a PHP script that creates an image to display the results of a poll (like on the Moving the Wiki topic in Proposals). For my situation any method of something external being placed on this site will work.
::'''I just''' got an idea... what if there was a group of moderators that check external images and approve them. The more approvals a person gets, the more "reliable" they are considered to be... ?  [[User:Grep|grep]][[User_talk:Grep|talk]] 

== Short Link Problem Fix? ==

Is <code>mod_rewrite</code> installed and enabled? 
[https://www.mediawiki.org/wiki/Manual:Short_URL/Apache MW ShortURL] 
Are all of the config files (including the wiki one) set up?

 [[User:Grep|grep]][[User_talk:Grep|talk]] 

== New admin please? ==

This is a bit forthright of me, but nothing appears to be being done about it. Would you read this [[explain xkcd:Community portal/Proposals#Spampage Rampage]] and comment on it? Thanks, [[User:Lcarsos|lcarsos]] and the community 17:47, 13 November 2012 (UTC)

== Small change ==

Hi Jeff! Long time no see. Look, could you add
:<code>$wgGroupPermissions['autoconfirmed']['autopatrol'] = true;</code>
to LocalSettings.php? That will allow edits by [[mw:auto-confirmed|auto-confirmed]] users not to be marked with a red exclamation mark in recent changes so we can more quickly spot edits that might need reviewing. --[[User:Waldir|Waldir]] ([[User talk:Waldir|talk]]) 02:16, 22 November 2012 (UTC)

:Btw while you're at it, please also add
::<code>$wgAllowUserJs = true;</code>
::<code>$wgAllowUserCss = true;</code>
:So users can make their own scripts and styles to enhance the wiki (I need that, for instance, to test stuff without affecting anyone else, before integrating them on site-wide javascript/css pages) --[[User:Waldir|Waldir]] ([[User talk:Waldir|talk]]) 16:52, 22 November 2012 (UTC)

{{done}} and {{done}} --[[User:Jeff|Jeff]] ([[User talk:Jeff|talk]]) 19:55, 25 November 2012 (UTC)

:Thanks! --[[User:Waldir|Waldir]] ([[User talk:Waldir|talk]]) 19:57, 25 November 2012 (UTC)

:: Sorry, I forgot a small detail: it is necessary to set up the following so that "auto-confirmed" doesn't mean "any registered user":
:: <code>$wgAutoConfirmAge = 60*60*24*3 // accounts become auto-confirmed after 3 days</code>
:: <code>$wgAutoConfirmCount = 10 // ...and 10 edits</code>
:: Cheers, [[User:Waldir|Waldir]] ([[User talk:Waldir|talk]]) 21:32, 25 November 2012 (UTC)

::: {{done}} --[[User:Jeff|Jeff]] ([[User talk:Jeff|talk]]) 21:49, 25 November 2012 (UTC)

:::: Thanks, again. Also, since the wiki didn't break, I take it that you noticed the missing semicolons which I stupidly forgot to include at the end of the lines, and added them. Sorry for the slip-up. --[[User:Waldir|Waldir]] ([[User talk:Waldir|talk]]) 17:31, 26 November 2012 (UTC)
::::: No worries, I know that much at least! :) --[[User:Jeff|Jeff]] ([[User talk:Jeff|talk]]) 17:36, 26 November 2012 (UTC)

Did you by any chance write "auto patrol" instead of "autopatrol"? [[Special:ListGroupRights]] suggests so, and if that's the case, that explains why the changes don't seem to have had the effects I expected from them (edits by auto-patrolled users still marked with the red exclamation mark in Special:RecentChanges). Could you check that the line reads exactly <code>$wgGroupPermissions['autoconfirmed']['autopatrol'] = true;</code>? --[[User:Waldir|Waldir]] ([[User talk:Waldir|talk]]) 17:54, 26 November 2012 (UTC)
: That's what I thought I put even though autocorrect wanted to change it. Can't look now, will have a look when I get home. ---[[User:Jeff|Jeff]] ([[User talk:Jeff|talk]]) 17:55, 26 November 2012 (UTC)
:: Any news? No pressure, I'm just curious :) --[[User:Waldir|Waldir]] ([[User talk:Waldir|talk]]) 15:34, 30 November 2012 (UTC)
::: Bah - I keep forgetting when I get home. I'll try to get it done this weekend. --[[User:Jeff|Jeff]] ([[User talk:Jeff|talk]]) 17:35, 30 November 2012 (UTC)
:::: Much delayed, but {{done}} --[[User:Jeff|Jeff]] ([[User talk:Jeff|talk]]) 02:50, 4 December 2012 (UTC)
::::: Thanks, Jeff. I'll let you know if there's any further issues, but I believe everything should be working now. --[[User:Waldir|Waldir]] ([[User talk:Waldir|talk]]) 03:34, 4 December 2012 (UTC)

== Links to category pages ==

I couldn't help but notice the number of your edits to your page. You can link to category pages by putting a colon in front of "Category". <code><nowiki>[[:Category:Pages to delete]]</nowiki></code> produces [[:Category:Pages to delete]]. It also doesn't add the category to that page, it just links to it. Cheers, [[User:Lcarsos|lcarsos]]_a ([[User talk:Lcarsos|talk]]) 17:30, 30 November 2012 (UTC)
: Oh geez. You saw that? That's a little embarrassing with not knowing what to do, I kept trying to figure out how to put the link there. Thanks for the help! I couldn't find that information anywhere. --[[User:Jeff|Jeff]] ([[User talk:Jeff|talk]]) 17:31, 30 November 2012 (UTC)

::When I had to learn about that trick the edits on that page looked fairly similar. I eventually found the right page [http://www.mediawiki.org/wiki/Help:Links] (ctrl+f "category", it's buried) and managed it. I have the Recent Changes page set to auto-refresh every minute. I see a few things. [[User:Lcarsos|lcarsos]]_a ([[User talk:Lcarsos|talk]]) 17:43, 30 November 2012 (UTC)

== Your opinion? ==

Please comment [[explain xkcd:Community portal/Technical#We need more maintainers|here]]. Cheers, [[User:Waldir|Waldir]] ([[User talk:Waldir|talk]]) 17:21, 5 December 2012 (UTC)
:Update: we've been offered help by [[mediawiki:User:Dantman|an experienced MediaWiki developer]], I think we can finally solve the server-side issues now! Please take a look at the thread linked above. [[User:Waldir|Waldir]] ([[User talk:Waldir|talk]]) 20:07, 23 March 2013 (UTC)

== I am really dumb ==

and this morning, while creating a user name, I goofed it and wrote .mau, (with a trailing comma) instead of .mau. (with a trailing dot, which is my trademark). I know that a bureaucrat on MediaWiki can change a username which had few edits (my own edits are three including this one): could you do this, or at least delete this username so that I may recreate it without leaving a dead one? TIA, [[User:.mau,|.mau,]] ([[User talk:.mau,|talk]]) 15:09, 16 January 2013 (UTC)
:You can actually change your signature to .mau. if you want, to mask that for now. Just make a page called User:.mau,/sig and craft your signature to your liking, then go to my preferences at the top and set your sig to <nowiki>{{SUBST:User:.mau,/sig}}</nowiki>. If you want an example, [[User:Lcarsos/sig]] is a near-vanilla and quite clean example of a custom sig, while [[User:Omega/sig]] and my sig, [[User:Davidy22/sig]] are slightly more tricked-out options. Wikipedia's guidelines to signature crafting are {{w|Wikipedia:Signatures#Customizing_your_signature|here.}} '''[[User:Davidy22|Davidy22]]'''[[User talk:Davidy22|<tt>[talk]</tt>]] 15:53, 16 January 2013 (UTC)
::ok, thanks! [[User:.mau,|.mau.]] ([[User talk:.mau,|talk]]) 09:55, 17 January 2013 (UTC)
:::Aw, that's it? No bling or anything? Meeehhh. '''[[User:Davidy22|Davidy22]]'''[[User talk:Davidy22|<tt>[talk]</tt>]] 13:16, 17 January 2013 (UTC)
:(to Jeff) I believe user renaming is not possible in vanilla mediawiki. An extension is required: [[mw:Extension:Renameuser]] --[[User:Waldir|Waldir]] ([[User talk:Waldir|talk]]) 18:21, 17 January 2013 (UTC)
::I find a bit disturbing to have a "wrong" username, especially because I may not remember it somewhen (yes, the word does not exist, but I like its sound); but I don't need any flashy signature, so I just changed the traling comma to a dot. --[[User:.mau,|.mau.]] ([[User talk:.mau,|talk]]) 14:09, 18 January 2013 (UTC)

==/wiki/==
Now that the site apparently redirects to the wiki, could the entire wiki URL just be explainxkcd.com, without the trailing wiki? It's mostly for cleanliness, but also to throw off the spambots for a while. Those accursed spam happy bots. '''[[User:Davidy22|Davidy22]]'''[[User talk:Davidy22|<tt>[talk]</tt>]] 04:29, 4 February 2013 (UTC)
: Sounds good, I'm working on that part next. It is next on my "to-do" list complete some URL work like that. --[[User:Jeff|Jeff]] ([[User talk:Jeff|talk]]) 18:05, 4 February 2013 (UTC)
::''nag''. Also, the spam is becoming an issue. A pretty big issue. Time to switch captchas? '''[[User:Davidy22|Davidy22]]'''[[User talk:Davidy22|<tt>[talk]</tt>]] 13:04, 18 February 2013 (UTC)
::: OK - sounds good to me, any ones you recommend? --[[User:Jeff|Jeff]] ([[User talk:Jeff|talk]]) 13:33, 18 February 2013 (UTC)
:::: I don't remember which captcha the wiki uses, but I know securimage and recaptcha are two very competent options. Alternately, you could use [http://www.mediawiki.org/wiki/Extension:ConfirmEdit ConfirmEdit] to screen anon edits. Much of the spam seems to be automated, so questycaptcha should screen out most of the chaff. Just simple questions, like "What webcomic does this site explain" or "Who created XKCD" should be sufficient to screw up our current spammers. Also, rm /wiki/ plx. '''[[User:Davidy22|Davidy22]]'''[[User talk:Davidy22|<tt>[talk]</tt>]] 13:41, 18 February 2013 (UTC)
:::::Confirm edit is in and Recaptcha is out. Let's try that. --[[User:Jeff|Jeff]] ([[User talk:Jeff|talk]]) 14:11, 18 February 2013 (UTC)
::::::The questions appear to be case-sensitive. To avoid frustration, could you add a notice to every question saying that the answers have to be in all lower/upper case? I got "What's the name of this wiki" wrong a bunch of times, and I think it's due to capitalization. '''[[User:Davidy22|Davidy22]]'''[[User talk:Davidy22|<tt>[talk]</tt>]] 14:30, 18 February 2013 (UTC)
:::::::Ok - cool. I changed it to $wgSitename instead of just writing it out. --[[User:Jeff|Jeff]] ([[User talk:Jeff|talk]]) 14:32, 18 February 2013 (UTC)
::::::::If we get no spam tomorrow, I will hold a party in your talk page. Oh, and /wiki/. '''[[User:Davidy22|Davidy22]]'''[[User talk:Davidy22|<tt>[talk]</tt>]] 14:38, 18 February 2013 (UTC)
:::::::::I'll just hijack this thread and ask: Isn't it time Davidy22 got admin tools? It's long overdue. And please promote Lcarsos‏‎ to bureaucrat, so he can make new admins if needed. And seconded: <code>/wiki/</code> ! --[[User:Waldir|Waldir]] ([[User talk:Waldir|talk]]) 02:39, 19 February 2013 (UTC)
::::::::::Could you also put confirmEdit in general page creation for anonymous users? There's still a couple of spam pages being made that don't actually advertise anything. There hasn't been an account creation in a long time, so I think we've killed off the spam accounts. The rate of spam has definitely dropped significantly ever since we switched to confirmEdit. '''[[User:Davidy22|Davidy22]]'''[[User talk:Davidy22|<tt>[talk]</tt>]] 05:42, 20 February 2013 (UTC)
::::::::::We've just had a surge of pure griefer spam. Anons who don't insert any links, they're just throwing spam at us out of malice. Could you make anonymous users have to pass through confrimEdit to create pages? Thanks. On a side note, what's the ratio in terms of file size between current explanation pages to logs and diffs? '''[[User:Davidy22|Davidy²²]]'''[[User talk:Davidy22|<tt>[talk]</tt>]] 01:53, 22 February 2013 (UTC)
:::::::::::Wow those suck. Wiping out whole pages with anon edits. I can't change the settings from here, but I'll do it when I get home. Also, I'm not sure what you mean by filesize? --[[User:Jeff|Jeff]] ([[User talk:Jeff|talk]]) 15:51, 22 February 2013 (UTC)
::::::::::::Eh, how much space do explanations and images take up on your hard drive when compared to the space that log files and diffs take up? '''[[User:Davidy22|Davidy²²]]'''[[User talk:Davidy22|<tt>[talk]</tt>]] 16:01, 22 February 2013 (UTC)
:::::::::::::Click a thing, check out the URL. I be posting this here instead of DMs because somthing like this has been requested for a pretty long time. '''[[User:Davidy22|{{Color|#707|David}}y²²]]'''[[User talk:Davidy22|<tt>[talk]</tt>]] 01:55, 7 December 2013 (UTC)
::::::::::::: I'm confused. There's a lot going on in this thread. Want to break it out into its own header? --[[User:Jeff|Jeff]] ([[User talk:Jeff|talk]]) 16:48, 9 December 2013 (UTC)
::::::::::::::Mkay '''[[User:Davidy22|{{Color|#707|David}}y²²]]'''[[User talk:Davidy22|<tt>[talk]</tt>]] 19:47, 9 December 2013 (UTC)

== Promote Davidy22 ==

:''Breaking this discussion out from where it was, because it merits its own section. [[User:Lcarsos|lcarsos]]_a ([[User talk:Lcarsos|talk]])''
I'll just hijack this thread and ask: Isn't it time Davidy22 got admin tools? It's long overdue. And please promote lcarsos‏‎ to bureaucrat, so he can make new admins if needed. And seconded: <code>/wiki/</code> ! --[[User:Waldir|Waldir]] ([[User talk:Waldir|talk]]) 02:39, 19 February 2013 (UTC)

:'''Heartily Agree''' on promoting Davidy22, he's almost always more on top of spam patrol than I am these days (burn-out for the lose). I'm not sure I can speak for my own promotion without sounding self-serving and power-hungry. However, in my few spare moments this semester I am looking closely at getting a bot up and running to automate the clean up of spam (mostly because manual spam patrol is the most soul-sucking and disheartening activity I've ever done), so it would be nice to be able to get a bot account promoted to bot status without misrepresenting it as my account. [[User:Lcarsos|lcarsos]]_a ([[User talk:Lcarsos|talk]]) 18:13, 19 February 2013 (UTC)
:: Davidy22 is up to admin (honestly, I thought he was already one, so no issue there on my end.) and lcarsos has been updated to bureaucrat because we should have more redundancy there. Also, create a bot account and let me know what it is and i'll give it bot rights. --[[User:Jeff|Jeff]] ([[User talk:Jeff|talk]]) 18:36, 19 February 2013 (UTC)
:: Or now, you can do it! :) --[[User:Jeff|Jeff]] ([[User talk:Jeff|talk]]) 18:41, 19 February 2013 (UTC)
:::WOO, power! '''[[User:Davidy22|Davidy22]]'''[[User talk:Davidy22|<tt>[talk]</tt>]] 05:42, 20 February 2013 (UTC)

== Small ConfirmEdit change ==

Can you change the line:
<pre>$wgCaptchaTriggers['create'] = false;</pre>
to true? I think this would solve most of our bot vandalism/griefing problems. [[User:Lcarsos|lcarsos]]_a ([[User talk:Lcarsos|talk]]) 21:19, 22 February 2013 (UTC)
:: {{done}} I changed 'edit' to true as well since we've seen a bunch when editing user's talk pages. We will see if I have to move that back to false. --[[User:Jeff|Jeff]] ([[User talk:Jeff|talk]]) 16:16, 23 February 2013 (UTC)

== DeleteOldRevisions ==

There's a script built into mediawiki called DeleteOldRevisions.php that seems to have deprecated the deletehistory plugin. A link to the [http://www.mediawiki.org/wiki/Manual:DeleteOldRevisions.php manual page.] A hard drive upgrade would be apt for the future though. '''[[User:Davidy22|{{Color|purple|David}}y²²]]'''[[User talk:Davidy22|<tt>[talk]</tt>]] 00:15, 20 March 2013 (UTC)
: I'm looking into it. I'm not sure how the wiki got back up and running without me running the update. I'll try the [http://www.mediawiki.org/wiki/Extension:DeleteHistory] and see if that can help in the meantime. The expanded HD might be a no-go, but I'll see on that too. --[[User:Jeff|Jeff]] ([[User talk:Jeff|talk]]) 01:27, 20 March 2013 (UTC)

==Server Hardware==
The website is getting really slow and throwing internal errors all over the place, and it looks like both the main page and the page for the newest comic [[1190: Time]] are climbing rapidly in views. If one ambiguous comic is hitting us like a DDoS, we're going to get it in the shorts if Randall ever actually acknowledges our existence directly, or some other geeky media outlet posts a link to us. Is there a donate button anywhere? '''[[User:Davidy22|{{Color|purple|David}}y²²]]'''[[User talk:Davidy22|<tt>[talk]</tt>]] 05:18, 25 March 2013 (UTC)
: We certainly can get a Donate button. We may need to migrate the server to get it upgraded. This is one of those big days, I guess. --[[User:Jeff|Jeff]] ([[User talk:Jeff|talk]]) 12:39, 25 March 2013 (UTC)
:: How about a Kickstarter or Indiegogo campaign? --[[User:Waldir|Waldir]] ([[User talk:Waldir|talk]]) 12:37, 26 March 2013 (UTC)
:::Kickstarter and Indiegogo are one-time things. No good for this. I recommend modifying the donate button so that there is a PayPal "Subscribe" button near it so people can also do small monthly subscriptions. I recommend a dropdown with $1, $2, $5, $10, $20 options.
:::Does 1&1 give you stats like how much bandwidth (or rather how much data) you are using. That could have an effect on where is best to get the new hosting; Rackspace Cloud, Linode, AWS, or even a real server with access to other network options like paying for actual Mbps bandwidth with unlimited data.
:::When you get a server I'd like to properly set it up with varnish, nginx, apc (or Zend_Optimizer+ considering it's going to be part of php 5.5), memcached, and perhaps php-fpm instead of mod_php. Varnish will allow anonymous pages to be cached hopefully reducing the load issues. And nginx should serve out static things better than Apache. [[User:Dantman|Dantman]] ([[User talk:Dantman|talk]]) 05:23, 27 March 2013 (UTC)
:::: Regarding the Paypal button, besides the subscribe option, I would recommend removing the credit card logos, as they make it too wide for the sidebar and not fit the design well. Besides, I personally think they give it kind of a corporate feel; instead, a simple "donate" button, while still recognizable as paypal's, feels simpler and more "personal", for lack of a better word.
:::: Also, I think you should place it above the AdSense block, since that makes it more visible, and prioritizes a form of supporting the site that people have direct, active control over, rather than the passive, choice-less (modulo AdBlock) AdSense.
:::: And also capitalize "donate" in the section title, to match the other titles ("Navigation", "Toolbox", etc.)
:::: Since we're at it: maybe more donation options would make sense: [//flattr.com Flattr], [//gittip.com Gittip], [//tiptheweb.org/ TipTheWeb], and possibly [//bitcoin.org/ Bitcoins].
:::: Finally, is it possible to make the AdSense background transparent, or at least the same as the site background of #F3F3F3? --[[User:Waldir|Waldir]] ([[User talk:Waldir|talk]]) 14:15, 27 March 2013 (UTC)
:::::Is it possible to add the ad and donate buttons without including a section title? Minimizing unused space is gooood. Also, I noticed that you installed the deletehistory plugin, but it's trying to use another version of PHP that's installed on the server. deleteoldrevisions.php in the maintenance folder oughta work fine, though it'd probably be apt to run it over the weekend when we're not expecting absurd floods of visitors like we are now. We may need it too, after we've filled up the hard drive again with archives of Time.'''[[User:Davidy22|{{Color|purple|David}}y²²]]'''[[User talk:Davidy22|<tt>[talk]</tt>]] 14:39, 27 March 2013 (UTC)
:::::: Yes, it is possible for me to edit, I will have to go into the settings for each since I used extensions for them. I hate the credit card things too. Will take a look at all options tonight.
:::::: The Deletehistory plugin doesn't work, sadly because of the PHP version. Hopefully, when we migrate, it will be on a newer version and that will work. Hopefully, we will have more disk space too... --[[User:Jeff|Jeff]] ([[User talk:Jeff|talk]])
::::: Hey Jeff. Could you change the width of the paypal donate button so that it matches the google ads and the bitcoin donate button? Maybe using a custom button rather than the paypal-provided one?
::::: Also, any news regarding the possibility of changing the background of the google ads? --[[User:Waldir|Waldir]] ([[User talk:Waldir|talk]]) 17:21, 8 April 2013 (UTC)
:::::: It did not work out with Google ads for a reason they will not disclose to me, but I'll work on the buttons and the banner ad. --[[User:Jeff|Jeff]] ([[User talk:Jeff|talk]]) 16:11, 9 April 2013 (UTC)

== Everything's good ==

Except for the (currently) occasional server error, I have no problems.

I've turned on HotCat and Popups, imported wikEdDiff and my HideTopContribs, all of which make me fairly efficient at watching changes.

A minor request would be the Redirect toolbar button.

[[User:Markhurd|Mark Hurd]] ([[User talk:Markhurd|talk]]) 17:13, 19 April 2013 (UTC)

:When you turn off enwiki's "Enable enhanced editing toolbar" all of the toolbar buttons explainxkcd has are in the same order (it skips Math) and the very next one is Redirect #R. It seems to be defined at http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=MediaWiki:Common.js/edit.js&action=edit
:I've tried adding just Redirect #R myself [[User:Markhurd/common.js|here]], but something's going wrong. (And I should be sleeping!)
::Seeing as it is only one button I wanted, I simplified the code down to calling addButton directly and it is now working fine. [[User:Markhurd|Mark Hurd]] ([[User talk:Markhurd|talk]]) 13:07, 20 April 2013 (UTC)

:Re being an Admin: Yes, please, as long as you note this would be my first actual Admin bit. (I'm a Bureaucrat on another MW wiki so I could give myself Admin rights whenever I wanted.) [[User:Markhurd|Mark Hurd]] ([[User talk:Markhurd|talk]]) 19:39, 19 April 2013 (UTC)

== Sidebar ads ==

Hi, we're having a discussion about the sidebar ads on [[Talk:Main Page#sidebar ads?]]. --[[User:St.nerol|St.nerol]] ([[User talk:St.nerol|talk]]) 08:42, 24 April 2013 (UTC)

== Economic transparency ==

Hi! I made a request on economic transparency on the proposals page. –[[User:St.nerol|St.nerol]] ([[User talk:St.nerol|talk]]) 22:05, 27 May 2013 (UTC)

==Thumbnails are not working==
I'm relatively new here but I think each picture should get it's proper thumbnail when the original is to large to embed. Mediawiki is using some applications in the background maybe not available here. But there are some workarounds. And since "onlinehome.us" is well secured I still do even not know what OS is running in the background. But whatever the OS is, it should be solvable.--[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 18:13, 8 June 2013 (UTC)

== Last missing page ==

Hi, I'm hoping you don't mind about my adds to Natalie Dee. I was working on that at the same time.
BTW: Can I help you on that thumbnail issue? I really would be happy if it could fixed here.--[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 21:42, 18 June 2013 (UTC)
:: No problem on the Natalee Dee comic, I was just working on it because it was the last one, edit away. What's the thumbnail issue? --[[User:Jeff|Jeff]] ([[User talk:Jeff|talk]]) 21:43, 18 June 2013 (UTC)
:::Thanks for your reply. I am still talking about this: [http://www.mediawiki.org/wiki/Manual:Errors_and_symptoms#Image_Thumbnails_not_working_and.2For_appearing Image_Thumbnails_not_working]. I am sure there is a need to fix the [http://www.mediawiki.org/wiki/LocalSettings.php LocalSettings.php]. Maybe some paths are wrong or it's just using wrong image tools. I can help on any OS except Apple computers.--[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 22:07, 18 June 2013 (UTC)

== Congratulations! ==

You just created the last unexplained comic of ''xkcd''! [[User:Greyson|Greyson]] ([[User talk:Greyson|talk]]) 23:38, 18 June 2013 (UTC)
: Thanks Greyson! --[[User:Jeff|Jeff]] ([[User talk:Jeff|talk]]) 03:04, 19 June 2013 (UTC)

==Math==
A lot of comics have formulae in them. Could you set $wgUseTeX = true in LocalSettings.php? That lets us use latex in pages. It'd be useful for comics like yesterday's. '''[[User:Davidy22|{{Color|#707|David}}y²²]]'''[[User talk:Davidy22|<tt>[talk]</tt>]] 09:12, 11 July 2013 (UTC)
:Yeah, this would be nice. But you have to install an extension, LaTex must be available, then compile something, and at least adjusting the LocalSettings.php config file. We also sill do not have all image features here. But I can help, Windows or Linux.--[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 13:55, 11 July 2013 (UTC)
:: I'll look into it. Let me know if you find an extension that will do the trick. Send me some links to anything that would help and I can get them set up. --[[User:Jeff|Jeff]] ([[User talk:Jeff|talk]]) 14:44, 11 July 2013 (UTC)
:::Go here [http://www.mediawiki.org/wiki/Extension:Math Extension:Math] and read the installation instructions first, it's not easy. For Fedora (Linux) there is a package called "mediawiki-math.x86_64" available. I will test this at my own computer.--[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 15:57, 11 July 2013 (UTC)
::::It's the hell, but I got a first crappy version at my local installation. I have had to install ''latex'' and ''ocaml'' packages and now its working, but it still renders many lines before the <nowiki><math></nowiki> tag, So it's still not usable for this site.--[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 14:35, 13 July 2013 (UTC)
===Seeing injected banner ads?===
I'm seeing banner ads (viewing on my iPad) that cover the actual banner of the site and never scroll out of view. It's as if they've been infected by a downstream server (ISP?). Anybody else? I'm in Wisconsin using TDS. Jeff M.
: That's terrible, I've got to fix that. bah. --[[User:Jeff|Jeff]] ([[User talk:Jeff|talk]]) 18:36, 2 August 2013 (UTC)
:: Is there a place I can email some screenshots? Jeff M.{{unsigned ip|69.130.242.120}}

== Full cache kills this page ==

Hi, it seems this page was not reachable for 15 hours again. The cache here has to be cleared sometimes, but since I can do it with my account I will create a script running once per day. 15 hours outage are bad, I try to avoid this in the future. --[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 15:50, 3 October 2013 (UTC)
:Which page was dead? --[[User:Jeff|Jeff]] ([[User talk:Jeff|talk]]) 16:11, 3 October 2013 (UTC)
::The entire site was dead. Look here: [[Special:RecentChanges|Special:RecentChanges]]. My last post was at 23:44 yesterday, no actions here after my reset at 14:54 today. The site was dead. I'm not a hacker, but I'm a programmer and I used this base of knowledge to fix this problem. If you do need more details, please send me an email. --[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 18:25, 3 October 2013 (UTC)
::: Agreed. Tried to visit yesterday PM, but a lot of pages were spilling guts: user pages, category pages, no comic explanations (as far as I could tell with my limited browsing.) A chron-job script to keep that at bay would be good medicine, assuming it didn't have other side effects. [[User:IronyChef|IronyChef]] ([[User talk:IronyChef|talk]]) 03:19, 4 October 2013 (UTC)
I will set up a cron job running once per day. Maybe this entry at the config file [https://www.mediawiki.org/wiki/Manual:LocalSettings.php LocalSettings.php] would be the better solution:
$wgMainCacheType = CACHE_NONE;
I'm using the MidnightCommander (Linux) for editing this file.--[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 12:11, 4 October 2013 (UTC)
:::: Cache_None is already set in the LocalSettings. I believe this is usually a database error that we are getting. It usually resolves itself as I'm not able to resolve it myself. I believe that we are getting hit with a brute force attack at our database during those times because the database is totally unreachable. I'm working on moving to a new host where the database will be better protected. --[[User:Jeff|Jeff]] ([[User talk:Jeff|talk]]) 12:16, 4 October 2013 (UTC)
:::::Cache_None or CACHE_NONE? This should be case sensitive. Nevertheless I did purge the cache and the site was instantly available again (after approx. 15 hours). Also Davidy22 explained that he did clear the cache to bring the site back. The error messages are misleading and not showing the real problem.--[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 12:43, 4 October 2013 (UTC)
:::::: Yes, CACHE_NONE, sorry, I was typing fast. I've ran my clear cache script a few times when I've had that same problem and haven't seen results, so I'm glad we at least have something that's working. --[[User:Jeff|Jeff]] ([[User talk:Jeff|talk]]) 15:18, 4 October 2013 (UTC)
:::::::You are doing a great job, I feel I just have to say thanks! When the next outage does happen I will activate a small script, but for now I just try to avoid unnecessary traffic to this server.--[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 16:15, 4 October 2013 (UTC)
:::::::: Thanks Dgbrt! --[[User:Jeff|Jeff]] ([[User talk:Jeff|talk]]) 18:07, 4 October 2013 (UTC)

== New host ==

Great job, but please check this link: <code>/wiki/</code>. I can browse the entire folder and more. It seems that "htaccess" should be renamed to ".htaccess".--[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 08:32, 30 October 2013 (UTC)
: Oh geez. That's bad. Thanks! --[[User:Jeff|Jeff]] ([[User talk:Jeff|talk]]) 12:02, 30 October 2013 (UTC)
:: Should be good now. --[[User:Jeff|Jeff]] ([[User talk:Jeff|talk]]) 16:45, 30 October 2013 (UTC)

I found an other serious issue belonging to DNS entries:
Name: explainxkcd.com
Address: 108.162.198.131
Name: explainxkcd.com
Address: 108.162.199.131
This works fine because 108.162.'''198'''.131 is correct. But most DNS servers showing up with this result:
Name: explainxkcd.com
Address: 108.162.199.131
Name: explainxkcd.com
Address: 108.162.198.131
This just leads to the old server at 108.162.'''199'''.131. Check Google DNS server 8.8.8.8 with nslookup, the wrong IP is shown first.
--[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 19:34, 30 October 2013 (UTC)
: Weird... I'll research. --[[User:Jeff|Jeff]] ([[User talk:Jeff|talk]]) 19:35, 30 October 2013 (UTC)
::Yes, it's weird. After I discovered this I did enter an entry for this at my local "/etc/hosts" file. But it seems most people can not access the new site.--[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 20:20, 30 October 2013 (UTC)
::One more: The logo on the left top is broken. ''style="background-image: url(/wiki/skins/common/images/explainxkcd.png)'' does not exist.--[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 20:53, 30 October 2013 (UTC)
::: Yea, what happened to that logo... it was there this morning. --[[User:Jeff|Jeff]] ([[User talk:Jeff|talk]]) 20:56, 30 October 2013 (UTC)
::::Oh, after a computer crash I'm back. Right now even the editor is broken here. I don't know if I can send this message. --[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 21:22, 30 October 2013 (UTC)
:::::Ok, it does work, but all images for short cuts on top of the editor are also broken now. --[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 21:26, 30 October 2013 (UTC)
:::::: The editor works fine for me, I'll research the images. --[[User:Jeff|Jeff]] ([[User talk:Jeff|talk]]) 21:27, 30 October 2013 (UTC)
:::::::It seems all links like "/wiki/skins/common/images/button_bold.png" are gone. Additionally I'm getting an JavaScript error "TypeError: document.getElementById(...) is null". http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/skins/common/images/button_bold.png redirects me to http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=Main_Page. Maybe you still get some content, maybe cache, from 108.162.199.131? Or is the real site now on that IP? Remember, I have had to restart my computer; most of my cache is gone and I'm just seeing the real page.--[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 21:48, 30 October 2013 (UTC)
:::::::: I fixed the images. I did that stupidly through the htaccess page. I've got to figure a better solution for what I'm trying to do to solve another problem. --[[User:Jeff|Jeff]] ([[User talk:Jeff|talk]]) 21:58, 30 October 2013 (UTC)
:::::::::Looks great right now. So that DNS glitch seems to be the most worse problem right now.--[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 22:08, 30 October 2013 (UTC)
:::::::::: I think DNS is still propagating with the updates from yesterday. Not every one has the correct information yet... those two DNS IPs are the load balancers, I believe. --[[User:Jeff|Jeff]] ([[User talk:Jeff|talk]]) 22:09, 30 October 2013 (UTC)
:::::::::::Strange "load balancers", but it's working now on both IPs. Many thanks again for your hard work, you must have invested many hours on this migration. Let's see tomorrow if other users will be able to find this site again.--[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 22:30, 30 October 2013 (UTC)

== Please remove subaddressing from my account email [[user:tbc]] ==

Hi Jeff,

I requested a password reset, but I forgot that my account still has an old email registered: timc+explainxkcd@divide.net. My ISP, pcisys.net née divide.net, disabled subaddressing during an email upgrade earlier this year. If you will update that email to remove the plus sign so my account email is timc@divide.net, I will be able to reset my password. I was logged in from my iPad to write on the [[explain_xkcd:Community_portal/Admin_requests#Please_remove_subaddressing_from_my_account_email_user:tbc|community portal]] page, but since I needed my password, which I have forgotten, to change it, I got stuck. – ''[[User:Tbc|tbc]] ([[User talk:Tbc|talk]]) 30 Oct 2013''
: You should be good to go now. --[[User:Jeff|Jeff]] ([[User talk:Jeff|talk]]) 16:07, 31 October 2013 (UTC)
:: I am. Thank you! – ''[[User:Tbc|tbc]] ([[User talk:Tbc|talk]]) 05:32, 8 November 2013 (UTC)''

== Forbidden ==

You don't have permission to access /wiki/ ([http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/ http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/]) on this server. I think a simple redirect would be a better solution.--[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 23:45, 4 November 2013 (UTC)
: Yup, that's on my list to work on. If you are knowledgable about htaccess files, feel free to send me an email. --[[User:Jeff|Jeff]] ([[User talk:Jeff|talk]]) 13:48, 5 November 2013 (UTC)
::The first great point is: The error doesn't show the server, version, etc... A hacker can't figure what exploits are available.
::At my local test installation (Apache, Linux) it's covered by the general server configuration. And each folder simply does contain a proper "index.php" file from mediawiki doing the correct redirects.--[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 20:19, 5 November 2013 (UTC)
::: Fixed. --[[User:Jeff|Jeff]] ([[User talk:Jeff|talk]]) 16:02, 21 November 2013 (UTC)
::::Great job, thanks.--[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 22:18, 21 November 2013 (UTC)

== Re: the latest puzzle ==

I don't know how to contribute in the discussion section on the page, so I'm throwing ideas at you.

Just quick thoughts.
I feel like Cpl klinger and the water type kingler is too solid a connection to ignore even though I can't really use it.
Kingler was owned in the series by Ash.
Ash is a three letter word and the last three letters of the phrase monstermash.
Monsterm=8 letters so the first block ash=3 letters in the second block.
Monsterm is about the monster.com thing, therefore purloined. It's a double reference, the .co has been purloined from the purloined website.
Then blastoise -3, or rather blastois3 - 3 (mocking the common password meme of replacing letters with numbers)
So the last password, which is super hard to guess and well chosen even with the clue is, blastoisash? It's a feasibly memorable password that would not be quickly forgotten by a pokemon fan while still being hard to guess.
Can you think of a way to check it? Maybe go into the old command line xkcd and try it as a password?

==URLs==
I made them marginally shorter. Can you spot the difference? '''[[User:Davidy22|{{Color|#707|David}}y²²]]'''[[User talk:Davidy22|<tt>[talk]</tt>]] 19:47, 9 December 2013 (UTC)
: Uh, I can't. Does that make me a bad person? --[[User:Jeff|Jeff]] ([[User talk:Jeff|talk]]) 22:17, 9 December 2013 (UTC)
::If you go to any page, you should see that it says index.php/<page name> instead of index.php?title=<page name>. Small change, I'm trying to kill the index.php bit too, but I think I suck at regexes. '''[[User:Davidy22|{{Color|#707|David}}y²²]]'''[[User talk:Davidy22|<tt>[talk]</tt>]] 22:31, 9 December 2013 (UTC)
::: Regexes are the WORST --[[User:Jeff|Jeff]] ([[User talk:Jeff|talk]]) 22:45, 9 December 2013 (UTC)
::::Regexes are great, but they are hard to implement for a specific solution. But Goooogle helps. And a question to Davidy22: Why you do not present your enhancement here? --[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 23:10, 9 December 2013 (UTC)
:::::I set $wgUsePathInfo to true in mediawiki settings, and here's our lines for redirecting URLs in general:

RewriteCond %{REQUEST_URI} !(\.png|\.jpg|\.gif)$ [NC]
# RewriteRule ^/wiki(/.*)$ %{DOCUMENT_ROOT}/wiki/index.php$1 [L]

:::::Followed and preceded by htaccess commands that do other things. The broken line is commented out because it doesn't work. '''[[User:Davidy22|{{Color|#707|David}}y²²]]'''[[User talk:Davidy22|<tt>[talk]</tt>]] 23:32, 9 December 2013 (UTC)
::::::Uhh, it seems I still do not understand the secret. [http://www.xkcd.com/1301] to [http://www.explainxkcd.com/1301] works fine for me, but I do not understand that [NC] here so far:
:::::::RewriteCond %{REQUEST_URI} !(\.png|\.jpg|\.gif)$ [NC]
::::::maybe
:::::::RewriteCond %{REQUEST_URI} !(\.png|\.jpg|\.gif)$[NC]
::::::is better. But this means every request not matching those three image extensions would fit that rewrite rule. This is just haaardly regex. The second line is just a comment you probably did remove. I can't see the rewrite rule. And testing for a simple number x, xx, xyz, or xyzz would be better.--[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 00:23, 10 December 2013 (UTC)
::::::::That's an entirely different rewriterule that does actually work and was deployed long ago that I didn't print here. I'm talking about a general-purpose rewrite that redirects from explainxkcd.com/wiki/<page name>, which I attempted to create in the commented-out line. The image exclusion is to stop image display requests from also being redirected, and I don't think you quite get how rewrite rules work. Not *every* page is fitted to every rewrite rule; the first half of the rule describes the conditions in which the rule should be applied. And yeah, just plugging in page names works, but I kinda don't want to hard-code every possible page redirect into our htaccess file. That's what the regex is for. '''[[User:Davidy22|{{Color|#707|David}}y²²]]'''[[User talk:Davidy22|<tt>[talk]</tt>]] 00:51, 10 December 2013 (UTC)

== /r/xkcd sitenotice ==

Could you please remove the sitenotice linking to and promoting /r/xkcd? [[User:Davidy22|Davidy22]] added it to the sitenotice and cross-posted to reddit. Unfortunately, h/r/xkcd sub is controlled by /u/soccer, who links to racist, xenophobic and misogynistic content regularly. [http://www.reddit.com/r/anonymous123421/comments/1w8aie/petition_to_reinstate_uwyboth_as_a_mod_of_rxkcd/cezp63m Randall has spoken in support] of a petition for /u/soccer to be removed as a mod. /r/xkcdcomic is a non-hateful alternative, one that Randall supports, and it has more users than /r/xkcd.

I did comment on Davidy22's talk page, but I thought I should drop you a line as well. Thanks, [[User:LadyMondegreen|LadyMondegreen]] ([[User talk:LadyMondegreen|talk]]) 13:55, 2 May 2014 (UTC)
: Hi LadyMondegreen did he change it already? I didn't touch it yet, but it shows /r/xkcdcomic for me. I agree with you completely and I'm sorry if we linked to the wrong subreddit, even momentarily. --[[User:Jeff|Jeff]] ([[User talk:Jeff|talk]]) 14:50, 2 May 2014 (UTC)
::It never linked to /r/xkcd. I think LadyMondegreen misread it or something. '''[[User:Davidy22|{{Color|#707|David}}y²²]]'''[[User talk:Davidy22|<tt>[talk]</tt>]] 01:41, 3 May 2014 (UTC)
:::Yeah, that was my bad. Someone pointed it out to me on IRC and I guess I didn't look closely enough. Sorry about that. [[User:LadyMondegreen|LadyMondegreen]] ([[User talk:LadyMondegreen|talk]]) 19:36, 6 May 2014 (UTC)

== MediaWiki question ==

Out of curiosity, do you ever have a plan to add other skin options, like Monobook? [[User:Schiffy|Schiffy]] ([[User_talk:Schiffy|Speak to me]]|[[Special:Contributions/Schiffy|What I've done]]) 21:40, 31 July 2014 (UTC)
:A fair number of other skins were cut because they broke our sidebar, and others were cut cuz they were ugly and no one used them. If there's demand for them, they could be brought back though; you just want Monobook? '''[[User:Davidy22|{{Color|#707|David}}y²²]]'''[[User talk:Davidy22|<tt>[talk]</tt>]] 18:06, 2 August 2014 (UTC)
::Mainly, yes. From a personal standpoint, I find Vector fairly ugly. CologneBlue and Modern aren't much better. Monobook is my preferred alternative. I can't speak for majority of users on explainxkcd, but I do know there are a number of people who prefer Monobook to other skins. [[User:Schiffy|Schiffy]] ([[User_talk:Schiffy|Speak to me]]|[[Special:Contributions/Schiffy|What I've done]]) 21:56, 3 August 2014 (UTC)
:::Fair enough. Monobook is back. Tell me if anything is wonky with our customisations, and I'll fix it.'''[[User:Davidy22|{{Color|#707|David}}y²²]]'''[[User talk:Davidy22|<tt>[talk]</tt>]] 01:56, 4 August 2014 (UTC)

== IP Address glitch ==

There appears to be a problem with the way that this site fetches users IP addresses! My IP address, as confirmed by whatismyip.com and other wikis, is 24.15.68.186! However, this site believes it to be 108.162.237.130! When I look up the incorrect IP address, it appears to be registered to CloudFlare. Is there anything you can do to resolve the situation? I don't want to get confused with a spambot and accidentally blocked! Thank you! [[User:The Wikiator|The Wikiator]] ([[User talk:The Wikiator|talk]]) 00:26, 19 April 2016 (UTC)
:This is a [[explain xkcd:Community portal/Technical#Wrong IP address shown|known issue]]. [[User:Markhurd|Mark Hurd]] ([[User talk:Markhurd|talk]]) 11:06, 19 April 2016 (UTC)

== Crash ==

Cool, I was worried for a bit that Explain Xkcd was down. By the way, I found the URL for a [http://c.xkcd.com/random/comic random comic] and a [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php/Special:Random random explained comic]. [[User:SilverMagpie|SilverMagpie]] ([[User talk:SilverMagpie|talk]]) 16:48, 12 May 2017 (UTC)

== A problem with a thing ==

Hi, I'm a new user on this site, and for some reason I can't make my own user page because I don't have permission. Plz help me!

[[User:Timeflow X|Timeflow X]] ([[User talk:Timeflow X|talk]]) 10:52, 21 June 2017 (UTC)

: Weird - it works for me. I edited your user page, see if you can edit it now that its created? --[[User:Jeff|Jeff]] ([[User talk:Jeff|talk]]) 12:44, 21 June 2017 (UTC)

== LocalSettings.php ==

Please set "$wgUseInstantCommons = true;" in LocalSettings.php. We have still pictures with red links here. --[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 15:39, 22 July 2017 (UTC)
: Done --[[User:Jeff|Jeff]] ([[User talk:Jeff|talk]]) 00:40, 26 July 2017 (UTC)
::Thanks, but it's not working as expected: [[File:Button sig.png]]. It should show this picture: [https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Button_sig.png https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Button_sig.png].--[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 14:44, 26 July 2017 (UTC)
::: Ok, I'll take a look again when I can, is there anything else I need to do? Like add an extension? --[[User:Jeff|Jeff]] ([[User talk:Jeff|talk]]) 02:32, 1 August 2017 (UTC)
::::Are we on MediaWiki version 1.16 or later? If not "$wgForeignFileRepos" would be the solution. But if the version is ok it's probably an https related problem: [https://www.mediawiki.org/wiki/InstantCommons#HTTPS InstantCommons#HTTPS]. Maybe this helps.--[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 12:39, 1 August 2017 (UTC)
:::::'''Solved.''' As you can see above. I've had to update the ca-certificate package. --[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 23:56, 25 May 2018 (UTC)

== Email coming from a non-existent domain ==

The "confirm email" button sends email from "expla0@vps.explainxkcd.com". The vps.explainxkcd.com domain doesn't exist (according to CloudFlare's DNS servers). Some email servers (including sendmail's default configuration; see https://www.sendmail.org/~ca/email/doc8.12/cf/m4/features.html#accept_unresolvable_domains) will reject such emails. I haven't tested password recovery emails, but I wouldn't be surprised if the same problem exists there too. In my case, I've added "vps.explainxkcd.com" to my access database, but whom should I talk to about fixing the sent email? [[User:Piquan|Piquan]] ([[User talk:Piquan|talk]]) 02:44, 11 February 2018 (UTC)
: The emails that I get when someone edits my talk page are: explain@explainxkcd.com and both settings in the localsettings.php are set to:$wgEmergencyContact = "explain@explainxkcd.com";$wgPasswordSender = "explain@explainxkcd.com"; but there might be a third one that catches those types of emails so I added $wgNoReplyAddress = "explain@explainxkcd.com"; Let me know if that fixes it. --[[User:Jeff|Jeff]] ([[User talk:Jeff|talk]]) 02:58, 13 April 2018 (UTC)
::I've send you an email from here: [[:Special:EmailUser/Jeff]]. I also requested a copy to me and that was more than two hours ago. But nothing happened and I'm sure you also didn't receive a mail. By having access to the log-files I'm sure I would figure out the problem. BTW: My last mail from here was in February. --[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 14:55, 13 April 2018 (UTC)
Ok, problem partly solved; my mails went into the Spam folder eventually meaning no notification to me. The reason is in fact what [[User:Piquan|Piquan]] has told in the initial comment. The mails are delivered via a mail server "vps.explainxkcd.com with local (Exim 4.80.1)" (belonging to Lunar Pages/Cloudflare) while the MX entry for explainxkcd.com is "mail.explainxkcd.com". There are two possible solutions, but the first is highly recommended:
*Lunar Pages/Cloudflare have to change the rewriting rules at their Exim message transfer agent to an existing domain name. This would be in this case "mail.explainxkcd.com".
*The name "vps.explainxkcd.com" must resolve to the IP 67.210.100.50 (we must hope that will not change in the future) AND there must be a second MX entry in the name registry for "explainxkcd.com" to "vps.explainxkcd.com". But I predict this would cause new problems in the future.
The FROM line in the mail header (e.g. From: Dgbrt <my.name@mail.com> or something like <explain@explainxkcd.com>) is irrelevant because only the message agents needs a proper configuration. My former mail servers also rejected those corrupt mails; google mail just puts it into a spam folder. --[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 18:43, 13 April 2018 (UTC)

== ReCaptcha v1 is going away ==

As I was posting an earlier comment, the reCAPTCHA told me:
"V1 UNSUPPORTED - Please direct siteowner to g.co/recaptcha/upgrade". (I typed "V1 UNSUPPORTED" in the box and it worked.) It looks like the reCAPTCHA that's currently being used by the wiki is sunsetting on 31 March 2018 (in a month and a half, as of this writing), and so they're currently sending a small percentage of requests that notice instead of a CAPTCHA challenge. Thought I'd let you know. [[User:Piquan|Piquan]] ([[User talk:Piquan|talk]]) 02:55, 11 February 2018 (UTC)

Someone else has already mentioned that in the admin forum, but no one replied. I really think we should create a new forum for requests like that, as not many people visit that forum now. And at the time of this comment the CAPTCHA has expired. [[User:Herobrine|Herobrine]] ([[User talk:Herobrine|talk]]) 07:40, 8 April 2018 (UTC)
: That's on me, I'm working on it. --[[User:Jeff|Jeff]] ([[User talk:Jeff|talk]]) 12:03, 12 April 2018 (UTC)
::That's great, please also fix the email issue (section above). --[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 12:15, 12 April 2018 (UTC)

Please reactivate the corrupt captcha or disable IPs from editing. We already have vandalism (see history at [[1031]])! --[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 14:58, 12 April 2018 (UTC)
: Well, that was stupid. It's back on now. I'm going to fix it, but I can't fix it right now so I'll leave the broken one on. --[[User:Jeff|Jeff]] ([[User talk:Jeff|talk]]) 15:20, 12 April 2018 (UTC)
::Thanks, a day or one more are not a problem yet. But maybe you should change the Sitenotice on top so that others can see that work is in progress. Nevertheless I would talk to you about some general issues here, so when you have time please contact me on my talk page. Maybe you remember that I've had a test-wiki at home to test my BOT. --[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 15:58, 12 April 2018 (UTC)

== A Couple of Issues ==

1. Google seems to have changed something in AdSense again, and the ads have been appearing in random positions again since December, 2019. [https://wpadvancedads.com/adsense-in-random-positions-auto-ads/ This page] might have a solution? It's been quite a while, and the ads are still broken.
2. New site called xkcd.wtf is blatantly stealing/scraping explanations from our site and posting it with a new theme. Not sure if it's a mirror or just Ctrl+C Ctrl+V. Is this even legal? [[User:Herobrine|Herobrine]] ([[User talk:Herobrine|talk]]) 09:32, 4 April 2020 (UTC)
: Google keeps killing me with these. I'll see what I can do. Not sure about the page copying. --[[User:Jeff|Jeff]] ([[User talk:Jeff|talk]]) 16:32, 5 February 2021 (UTC)
:: looks like xkcd.wtf at least links to us and references us at the bottom since all of our stuff is CC licensed. Pretty friendly all things concerned. --[[User:Jeff|Jeff]] ([[User talk:Jeff|talk]]) 16:54, 5 February 2021 (UTC)

== Randall's NYT Columns ==
Hi, In June I posted a proposal on the community portal ([[explain_xkcd:Community_portal/Proposals#New_page_for_Randall.27s_regular_column_in_the_New_York_Times |New page for Randall's regular column in the NY Times]]) and I was sort of hoping to get feedback. The proposal does include a script for the page.

I'm not sure where the page would go or be linked from, but it would be similar to our page about [[whatif|what if?]]. Perhaps the see also sections of the [[Randall Munroe]] page and the [[xkcd]] page.

BTW Jeff, our own links to our [[whatif|what if?]] page don't work, because the page name ends with a question mark, which messes up the browser (or maybe the Wiki software). The link I gave in the previous sentence does work, but when you get to the page and ask for what links here, that fails. ([https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php/Special:WhatLinksHere?target=what_if%3F&namespace%3D This, however] does work as an external link.) Probably need to rename the page to not include a question mark. But anyway. [[User:JohnB|JohnB]] ([[User talk:JohnB|talk]]) 16:54, 7 July 2020 (UTC)
:Every mod has LANCBed (leave and never come back). Nothing can be fixed. — [[User:Sqrt-1|The 𝗦𝗾𝗿𝘁-𝟭]] [[User talk:Sqrt-1|talk]] [[Special:Contributions/Sqrt-1|stalk]] 14:25, 18 January 2021 (UTC)
::SlashMe is still active, but he doesn't have server access. I think Dgbrt has server access as well, and I left a comment on his talk page in the hopes that he'll reply (but he hasn't been active in a while). [[User:Herobrine|Herobrine]] ([[User talk:Herobrine|talk]]) 02:16, 5 February 2021 (UTC)
::: Sorry guys. I'm here. I can take a look at this for you. --[[User:Jeff|Jeff]] ([[User talk:Jeff|talk]]) 16:32, 5 February 2021 (UTC)
:::: Keep commenting here guys, because this notifies me. Life is nuts right now so my time is crazy. Send anything you need done. --[[User:Jeff|Jeff]] ([[User talk:Jeff|talk]]) 16:40, 5 February 2021 (UTC)
::::: Thanks so much Jeff, this is very appreciated! Re: the "what if" errors, if it's at all helpful:
:::::: * The "<code>No input file specified</code>" error seems to happen for pages that end in question marks or have special characters like "é" in their name. A list of such pages is [[explain xkcd:Community portal/Technical#Known broken pages|here]].
:::::: * A possible solution is mentioned [[mw:Manual talk:Short URL/Page title -- Windows & Apache without 403 on Special Pages|here]] in the MediaWiki manual talk pages, involving [https://www.php.net/manual/en/ini.core.php#ini.cgi.force-redirect CGI settings in php.ini] (for IIS) or [https://httpd.apache.org/docs/current/mod/mod_rewrite.html#rewriterule mod_rewrite settings in .htaccess] (for Apache). (Not sure if that's valid, or if there are any security/stability side-effects/consequences of that.)
:::::: * As a workaround in the meantime, [[User:Sqrt-1]] has moved/renamed the "[[what if?]]" page to "[[what if]]" to make it easier to get to.
:::::: * (If you're interested, there's a whole section about it in the Technical community portal [[explain xkcd:Community portal/Technical#Unable to view "what if?" page|here]].)
::::: – [[User:Yfmcpxpj|Yfmcpxpj]] ([[User talk:Yfmcpxpj|talk]]) 17:41, 5 February 2021 (UTC)

: Re: Randall's New York Times columns, just a note that [[User:JohnB]] has created a page for this at [[New York Times: Good Question]]. – [[User:Yfmcpxpj|Yfmcpxpj]] ([[User talk:Yfmcpxpj|talk]]) 17:41, 5 February 2021 (UTC)

== Main page ==

Hi!

You might have accidentally vandalized the main page.

https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=Main_Page&type=revision&diff=205838&oldid=158337

--[[Special:Contributions/162.158.238.8|162.158.238.8]] 20:28, 5 February 2021 (UTC)
:That literally made me jump out of my seat. Like, what the hell just happened here?! — [[User:Sqrt-1|The 𝗦𝗾𝗿𝘁-𝟭]] [[User talk:Sqrt-1|talk]] [[Special:Contributions/Sqrt-1|stalk]] 13:12, 8 February 2021 (UTC)
::I just realised, the main page has been this way for 3 days?! — [[User:Sqrt-1|The 𝗦𝗾𝗿𝘁-𝟭]] [[User talk:Sqrt-1|talk]] [[Special:Contributions/Sqrt-1|stalk]] 13:12, 8 February 2021 (UTC)
::: Reverted. Whoops, I must have read that one wrong. That's what I get for reading too fast. --[[User:Jeff|Jeff]] ([[User talk:Jeff|talk]]) 14:41, 8 February 2021 (UTC)

== Two issues that may need to be solved ==

Few more issues that may need to be solved:

1. Google ads are still appearing in random locations on wiki pages. Have you tried the [https://wpadvancedads.com/adsense-in-random-positions-auto-ads/ potential solution] I mentioned earlier? (It seems to be the most plausible explanation for the broken ads, and the time the changes happened was when the ads started appearing in random locations and breaking the pages.) If the previous solution I mentioned above didn't work, would it be possible to turn off the ads until there's a solution? The ads have been running rampant for more than a year in staggering amounts, the generated revenue should be enough to cover server costs until we can figure out a way to fix it, right?

2. Another editor mentioned a potential problem regarding the MediaWiki version in the community portal:
This wiki is [[Special:Version|currently]] on [[mw:MediaWiki 1.30|MediaWiki 1.30.0]] ([[mw:Release notes/1.30|release notes]]), the first of three releases of a version of MW that reached end-of-life in June of 2019 ([[mw:Version lifecycle]]). It's thus missing multiple important security updates from 1.30.1 and 1.30.2, not to mention the two years' worth of security updates since 1.30.x reached end-of-life. Even 1.31.x will be reaching end-of-life in just over a month.
If the sysadmins here update to [[mw:MediaWiki 1.35|MediaWiki 1.35.2]] ([[mw:Release_notes/1.35|release notes]]), that version will be maintained till September of 2023, with only a few security updates in the meantime. I would '''strongly''' encourage y'all to update to 1.35.2; to promptly update if there's a .3, .4, etc.; and to make sure you switch to the next LTS release (which will presumably be 1.39) well in advance of September of '23. (Note that this will also require updating to PHP 7.3.19 or later.) [[User:PinkAmpersand|PinkAmpersand]] ([[User talk:PinkAmpersand|talk]]) 07:17, 30 April 2021 (UTC)

Thanks! [[User:Herobrine|Herobrine]] ([[User talk:Herobrine|talk]]) 04:54, 10 May 2021 (UTC)
: Google ads should be reverted to one (or turned off), either way I turned off the annoying "auto ads" that jump all over the place. Not sure how that got turned on in the first place. I agree we are way behind on versions. If you or anyone knows PHP and Mediawiki upgrades better, let me know - because I don't have the time to apply to this currently. --[[User:Jeff|Jeff]] ([[User talk:Jeff|talk]]) 13:45, 10 May 2021 (UTC)

:: There’s a [[mw:Manual:Upgrading|manual for upgrading on the Mediawiki website]]. It appears we don’t need anything more than backing up, updating to 1.35 and updating to 1.39LTS or 1.40. [[User:Aaron Liu|Aaron Liu]] ([[User talk:Aaron Liu|talk]]) 17:31, 12 October 2023 (UTC)

== RenameUser extension ==

Hi Jeff! Long time no talk :)

[[#I am really dumb|A while ago]] I suggested that the [[mw:Extension:RenameUser|RenameUser]] extension could be helpful to have installed in the wiki. Since then I happened to perform a username unification across my online accounts, including changing my Wikipedia username from "Waldir" to "Waldyrious" (thus matching my Twitter, GitHub, etc.). Would you consider installing the extension so that my username (and others, like [[User:.mau,]] above and [[User:Nk1406]] [[explain xkcd:Community portal/Admin requests#Altering Username|here]]) could be changed? --[[User:Waldir|Waldir]] ([[User talk:Waldir|talk]]) 12:31, 4 December 2021 (UTC)

== Lost Account ==

Hi, Jeff. I was directed to you by Davidy22 in regards to my issue as it seems you have the ability to view the backend.

I joined this site in 2013 IIRC, I made a few edits/posts and then forgot about the account for a good 9 years. I came back and attempted to login but of course by now I forgot my password and I went through a few computers, browsers, and OSs so it wasn't saved. I've also been through a number of email addresses, most of which are still active and secondary under my current address. I was hoping I could provide you a list of emails I had used around that time and maybe I can regain access to the account that way.

My username here is PheagleAdler.

== Vandalism ==

Yo - Not sure if your talk page gets any special alerts, but in case it does: front page has got a good ol' vandal war goin' on. --[[User:SgtLion|SgtLion]] ([[User talk:SgtLion|talk]]) 21:37, 20 July 2022 (UTC)
: What do you need? I'll grant the rights. --[[User:Jeff|Jeff]] ([[User talk:Jeff|talk]]) 00:44, 26 July 2023 (UTC)
::Another vandal war going on, this time there's a guy going around with IPs putting gore images on everything./ [[User:84596Gamma|84596Gamma]] ([[User talk:84596Gamma|talk]]) 00:48, 26 July 2023 (UTC)
::: How can I help? --[[User:Jeff|Jeff]] ([[User talk:Jeff|talk]])

== You've got mail ==

Hi Jeff.

I just sent you an email via the "Email this user" function, and I wanted to let you know in case you miss it, or it gets filtered out since I am a new user.

Thanks, --[[User:DanielWTQ|DanielWTQ]] ([[User talk:DanielWTQ|talk]]) 19:45, 2 April 2023 (UTC)

: What do you need? Let me know. Sorry didn't get the email. --[[User:Jeff|Jeff]] ([[User talk:Jeff|talk]]) 00:45, 26 July 2023 (UTC)
:: Hi Jeff. First I wanted to thank you for the existence of this wiki - I have read through all of the XKCD comics, and am not ashamed to admit there were more than a few that I needed the explanations in order to understand.
:: I work as a Technical Project Manager at [https://www.wikiteq.com/ WikiTeq], a MediaWiki consulting firm, and I wanted to reach out and offer our services. I noticed on your user page that you are "learning MediaWiki on the fly" and that there are a few things that need to be upgraded for the wiki to migrate to a newer version of MediaWiki. At WikiTeq we have plenty of experience with upgrading wikis, and would be able to help you out.
:: If you would be interested in learning more or discussing this further, I can be reached at <code>daniel{at}wikiteq.com</code> or via [[Special:EmailUser/DanielWTQ]].
:: Thanks, --[[User:DanielWTQ|DanielWTQ]] ([[User talk:DanielWTQ|talk]]) 04:28, 26 July 2023 (UTC)

Hi Jeff, if you want another option for people that assist with MediaWiki upgrades, I found this organization called Professional Wiki that also performs this service. https://professional.wiki/en/mediawiki-upgrade-services In any case, they would probably follow a form of the procedure outlined in the official MediaWiki manual. https://www.mediawiki.org/wiki/Manual:Upgrading [[User:Cam1170|Cam1170]] ([[User talk:Cam1170|talk]]) 19:19, 9 May 2025 (UTC)

== Staying an admin ==

Hi, Jeff. Yes: I'd like to keep being an admin. Thanks. -- [[User:Dtgriscom|Dtgriscom]] ([[User talk:Dtgriscom|talk]]) 13:12, 30 July 2023 (UTC)
: Well, when you get to it... -- [[User:Dtgriscom|Dtgriscom]] ([[User talk:Dtgriscom|talk]]) 12:44, 3 August 2023 (UTC)

== We need at least one committed bureaucrat ==

Hi, Jeff. It's been two months since I asked to stay an admin, and there's been no word. It's possible you've changed your mind on promoting me, but it seems much more likely that you just haven't been around.

You and Lcarsos are the only bureaucrats on this wiki. You haven't contributed since May 2022 (excepting briefly during the recent vandalism explosion); Lcaros hasn't contributed since November 2021. That's fine, but it leaves the wiki unable to cope if there's another vandalism spree.

Would you please promote at least one active user to bureaucrat status? That way the community can adapt when a new attack comes, or if there are other admin tasks and no active admins around. (Thanks.) -- [[User:Dtgriscom|Dtgriscom]] ([[User talk:Dtgriscom|talk]]) 13:02, 10 September 2023 (UTC)

:While I've not been active for some time, a bit of casual browsing suggests that [[User:Dtgriscom]] is correct and there should be additional 'crats, and more than one - when everyone's a part-timer, you need more people to help out. [[User:Davidy22]] and [[User:Kynde]] are obvious candidates, though there may be another I've missed.

:Right now it looks like "This is Jeff's Wiki" is being designated through the fact that you're the only active 'crat, but this could also be designated by a Founder and/or Steward userright or even by a note on the Main Page or on the Community Portal, freeing the 'crat tag for use by other active users.

:P.S. [[User:TheusafBOT]] should probably be flagged as a bot, since it's been operating as one. [[User:Markhurd]] should be de-sysopped, since he is [[wikipedia:Wikipedia:Deceased Wikipedians/2017#Mark Hurd (Markhurd)|confirmed to have passed away]]. For that matter, I should probably be de-sysopped, since I only edited 7 times in the past decade and have<s>n't</s> used the tools once in that time. --– ''[[User:Philosopher|Philosopher]]'' [[User talk:Philosopher|Let us reason together.]] 10:58, 28 November 2023 (UTC)

== Wiki needs to be updated ==

Hello! I'm new to the site, but I noticed that you're running a very old version of MediaWiki. I would strongly suggest that you update if at all possible. I myself am the admin for a MediaWiki website as well, and although the upgrade process isn't exactly what I'd call easy, at least compared to updating most apps; it's by no means challenging. I was able to do a complete version upgrade in under an hour, with no previous experience updating a MediaWiki installation. Admittedly, I do have a lot of experience with maintaining linux servers in general, but not much knowledge is required. There is a very complete guide on upgrading. https://www.mediawiki.org/wiki/Manual:Upgrading I don't think upgrading the system would take more than one afternoon of your time, (although upgrading all of the extensions might take a bit longer, depending on how well their config options work across different versions) and it would help a lot with improving user experience and fixing many security vulnerabilities. Of course, you should also update PHP and any other software on the server. Yes, all of this combined will take time, and the site will probably have to be shut down for maintenance for a while, maybe a few days. However, in my opinion, it's worth it - either update now, or keep putting it off until the server gets hacked, or something else bad happens. You don't want to be this guy: https://xkcd.com/1328/ [[User:Obwankenobi|Obwankenobi]] ([[User talk:Obwankenobi|talk]]) 19:47, 9 February 2024 (UTC)

== A Heavy Slew of Errors ==

Hey Jeff, a lot of users, including me, are experiencing a lot of error messages whenever we try to access the site. Just to get this message in alone I had to brute force reload the website until it gave the website, and even then the website looks broken and not loading correctly. Could you please poke around the server and find out the issue of it? I’ve been looking at old Reddit threads (https://www.reddit.com/r/xkcd/comments/15elpo7/why_has_explainxkcdcom_been_down_lately/) and someone had said that there were DDoS attacks in the past. Is this the case? Thanks, [[User:42.book.addict|42.book.addict]] ([[User talk:42.book.addict|talk]]) 21:11, 17 September 2024 (UTC)
:and on that note, can you please promote someone else to be a ‘crat? It seems that Lcarsos and you aren’t very active. Kynde is a great candidate. [[User:42.book.addict|42.book.addict]] ([[User talk:42.book.addict|talk]]) 19:04, 18 September 2024 (UTC)
::also davidy22 might also be great.--[[User:Bb777|me, hi]] ([[User talk:Bb777|talk]]) 19:42, 25 March 2025 (UTC)
::it's gotten even worse. i can barely read or edit. [[user talk:lettherebedarklight|youtu.be/miLcaqq2Zpk]] 02:21, 19 September 2024 (UTC)

== Are you still there? ==

Sorry I might be bugging you but-
are you still there? We really need you! --[[User:Bb777|me]] ([[User talk:Bb777|talk]]) 16:03, 25 March 2025 (UTC)
:Heavy slew of errors here. PLEASE COME BACK!!!-[[User:Bb777|me, hi]] ([[User talk:Bb777|talk]]) 18:04, 26 May 2025 (UTC)

User:Bb777

2025-05-26T18:03:26Z

Bb777:

{{notice|Currently too busy and might not be back soon. In other words, <nowiki>{{Wikibreak}}</nowiki>.}}

Hi

I like xkcd.

Oh, and also Minecraft.

My favourite comics: 
[[Right Click]] 
[[Pod Bay Doors]](NEW) 
...and more!

nothing else here so:

{{crickets}}

actually nevermind heres more things

my update log:

[2025-03-21] begin uploading files for [[2288: Collector's Edition]]

[2025-03-25]I lost the game

[2025-03-27]Begin new journey to find the undocumented feature

[2025-04-04]I CAUGHT THE RELEASE AND GOT TO SEE THEUSAFBOT UPLOAD NEW COMIC!!!

[2025-04-26]finally gave up and pushed emergency stop in push notifications

{{Userbox | border-c = #255 | border-s = 1 | info-s = 20 | id = [[File:trollface120.png|45px]] | info = [[User:Certified_nqh|This user is a user.]] }}{{Userbox | border-c = #255 | border-s = 1 | info-s = 9 | id = Aa | info = This user can read. }}
{{Userbox | border-c = #255 | border-s = 1 | info-s = 9 | id = en | info = This user speaks English. }}
{{Userbox | border-c = #255 | border-s = 1 | info-s = 9 | id = C:\> | info = This user enjoys messing with their PC. }}

NEW!
{{Userbox | border-c = #255 | border-s = 1 | info-s = 9 | id = rmdir C:/ | info = This user is good at coding. }}

hmmm doesnt seem like enough content
<nowiki>{{stub}}</nowiki>

Talk:986: Drinking Fountains

2025-05-11T15:18:17Z

Bb777:

Build a toilet next to the fountain so you can do both at once! '''[[User:Davidy22|Davidy22]]'''[[User talk:Davidy22|<tt>[talk]</tt>]] 06:52, 2 February 2013 (UTC)

I recall when this first posted it randomly had the word water to the left of the door. only evidence of this seems to be on insult sites. [http://xkcd-sucks.blogspot.com/2011/12/comic-986-water-you-stupid.html]--[[User:Calvsie|Calvsie]] ([[User talk:Calvsie|talk]]) 22:56, 10 December 2013 (UTC)
:Apparently he's never stayed up all night and drank 18 beers...[[Special:Contributions/162.158.60.23|162.158.60.23]] 23:54, 5 June 2016 (UTC)
I don't think you can call it 'constant' peeing, as most likely you'll quickly die to water poisoning (yup, too much water can kill you, and I don't mean drowning) [[Special:Contributions/162.158.202.82|162.158.202.82]] 06:04, 24 October 2017 (UTC)

The original with the word water on it is archived: [https://web.archive.org/web/20150326222101/https://xkcd-sucks.blogspot.com/2011/12/comic-986-water-you-stupid.html] [[User:MarkSill|MarkSill]] ([[User talk:MarkSill|talk]]) 13:33, 27 May 2018 (UTC)

It seems to me that he would actually want to drink quickly and eliminate slowly. Does this seem true to anyone else? [[User:Birdsinthewindow|Birdsinthewindow]] ([[User talk:Birdsinthewindow|talk]]) 01:20, 23 May 2020 (UTC)

The least funny [citation needed] ever. What infinite loop is is not an outright obvious fact that every person alive would know. [[Special:Contributions/162.158.90.83|162.158.90.83]] 14:37, 5 October 2021 (UTC)

Ureters release urine in spurts into the bladder, so it isn't possible to pee continuously. {{unsigned ip|172.70.179.92|16:06, 30 July 2024}}
:"...isn't possible..."? How about if... Well... You know how (highland) bagpipes are played? That. I'm sure that with practice (or at least some form of motivation) one could do the same here. Not that one should, probably, but... [[Special:Contributions/172.70.162.18|172.70.162.18]] 18:58, 30 July 2024 (UTC)

if you are stuck think of the fact that you are hungry and head to mcdonalds. --[[User:Bb777|me, hi]] ([[User talk:Bb777|talk]]) 15:18, 11 May 2025 (UTC)

2445: Checkbox

2025-05-11T15:13:05Z

Bb777:

{{comic
| number = 2445
| date = April 1, 2021
| title = Checkbox
| image = 2445.png
| titletext = Check check check ... chhecck chhecck chhecck ... check check check
}}
{{TOC}}To experience the interactivity of the game, visit the {{xkcd|2445|original comic}}.

==Explanation==
This was the 11th [[April Fools' Day comics|April Fools' Day comic]] released by [[Randall]]. The previous fool's comic was [[2288: Collector's Edition]], which was delayed two days and released on Friday April 3, 2020. The next became [[2601: Instructions]] released on Friday April 1, 2022 (a regular release day).

The comic looks similar to a loading screen. The actual comic (this "loading screen") consists of an animated gif of a {{w|checkbox}}, hence the name. The frame is replaced with an interactive panel. In the center is a check box, which clears itself immediately when checked. In the bottom right is a mute button, which begins muted. By unmuting, and changing it to a loudspeaker, sounds are played when the check box is checked. This was the second [[:Category:Comics with audio|comic with audio]] on xkcd. The very similar April Fool's comic from the next year, [[2601: Instructions]], used audio, too. It also had only one element in the center, but not a check box, but a {{w|radio button}}.

Under the checkbox is a scrolling visual representation of the timing and duration of clicks in the check box, which also produce matching beeping sounds when unmuted. The representation consists of a dot for a short press, or a bar for a longer press. All long presses are represented by a bar of a pre-determined length; in other words, a longer press does not result in a longer bar.

By varying between brief and long presses, and brief and long intervals between presses, it is possible to enter characters in Morse code. The check box then begins operating by itself, producing sounds which can be decoded as Morse code. These responses are also printed in the browser's JavaScript console in both plain text and a textual representation of Morse code. If left without any initial input for 30 seconds it would send the message CQ (meaning "Seek You").

The title text hints at the use of Morse code in the comic; interpreting the "check" as a Morse code dot and the "chhecck" (a long check) as a Morse code dash gives ...---..., which is the Morse code for "SOS", the international distress signal. Incidentally, inputting the SOS signal gives "YOU TOO?".

For the majority of inputs, the check box responds with a random selection from the following list:
* COME AGAIN
* HUH
* NOT FOLLOWING
* SAY AGAIN
* TRY THAT AGAIN
* WHAT

Some keywords, however, have [[#Special Responses|special responses]].

===Unique header text===
This comic has a [[Header text#Unique_header_text|unique header text]], see [[Header text#Checkbox|the details here]]. Its header is:
:"This comic was put together by Max Goodhart, Patrick, Amber, Benjamin Staffin, Kevin Cotrone, and Michael Leuchtenburg."
Read Max's [https://chromakode.com/post/checkbox blog post] on development of the comic.

==Special Responses==
Sojourner is a Mars rover which has been referenced by Randall in the past and is the entity operating the morse code device.
*<code>'''.'''</code> represents a short signal
*<code>'''-'''</code> represents a long signal
*<code>'''/'''</code> represents pauses between words.

{| class="wikitable"
! Message → response
! Morse code
! Explanation
|-
|XKCD → FILE NOT FOUND
|<code>'''-..- -.- -.-. -..'''</code> → <code>'''..-. .. .-.. . / -. --- - / ..-. --- ..- -. -..'''</code>
|
|-
|XKCD → A CROSS THREE LETTERS
|<code>'''-..- -.- -.-. -..'''</code> → <code>'''.- / -.-. .-. --- ... ... / - .... .-. . . / .-.. . - - . .-. ...'''</code>
|A pun on "across three letters", how clues are sometimes given in crossword puzzles. Instead, the word "xkcd" is literally a cross (x), followed by three letters (kcd).
|-
|HI → HELLO! ANYBODY OUT THERE?
|<code>'''.... ..'''</code> → <code>'''.... . .-.. .-.. --- -.-.-- / .- -. -.-- -... --- -.. -.-- / --- ..- - / - .... . .-. . ..--..'''</code>
|Perhaps a reference to the Pink Floyd song "Is there anybody out there?"
|-
|HELLO → HELLO TO YOU TOO!
|<code>'''.... . .-.. .-.. ---'''</code> → <code>'''.... . .-.. .-.. --- / - --- / -.-- --- ..- / - --- --- -.-.--'''</code>
|
|-
|HELP → ENTER IMAGE NUMBER
|<code>'''.... . .-.. .--.'''</code> → <code>'''. -. - . .-. / .. -- .- --. . / -. ..- -- -... . .-.'''</code>
|See below; if you enter any number ≤ 2445 you will be linked to the corresponding xkcd comic.
|-
|HELP → YES PLEASE
|<code>'''.... . .-.. .--.'''</code> → <code>'''-.-- . ... / .--. .-.. . .- ... .'''</code>
|Sojourner mistakes the person inputting the morse code as offering help instead of asking for it.
|-
|ES → QUE
|<code>'''. ...'''</code> → <code>'''--.- ..- .'''</code>
|"Es" means "is" in Spanish, and "Qué" is "what".
|-
|WHAT → ECHO
|<code>'''.-- .... .- -'''</code> → <code>'''. -.-. .... ---'''</code>
|
|-
|ECHO → ECHO
|<code>'''. -.-. .... ---'''</code> → <code>'''. -.-. .... ---'''</code>
|
|-
|CHECK → MATE
|<code>'''-.-. .... . -.-. -.-'''</code> → <code>'''-- .- - .'''</code>
|Checkmate is the winning move in chess.
|-
|CHECKBOX → RADIO BUTTON
|<code>'''-.-. .... . -.-. -.- -... --- -..-'''</code> → <code>'''.-. .- -.. .. --- / -... ..- - - --- -.'''</code>
|This also works the other way around.
|-
|E (''repeat n times'') → E (''repeat n times'')
|<code>'''.'''</code>
|This only applies for n < 7. Also, n=6 returns 'AAAAAA' instead.
|-
|T (''repeat n times'') → T (''repeat n times'')
|<code>'''-'''</code>
|This only applies for n < 7.
|-
|E → E ''pause'' I → EIEIO
|<code>'''.'''</code> → <code>'''.'''</code> ''pause'' <code>'''..'''</code> → <code>'''. .. . .. ---'''</code>
|"E-I-E-I-O" is the refrain to the children's song {{w|Old MacDonald Had a Farm}}.
|-
|I (''repeat n times'') → I (''repeat n times'')
|<code>'''..'''</code> → <code>'''..'''</code> ''or'' <code>'''.. ...-'''</code> (IV) ''or'' <code>'''...-'''</code> (V)
|This only applies for n < 4. n=4 returns 'IV' and n=5 returns 'V', the Roman numerals for 4 and 5, respectively.
|-
|FLIPCOIN → HEADS ''or'' TAILS
|<code>'''..-. .-.. .. .--. -.-. --- .. -.'''</code> → <code>'''.... . .- -.. ...'''</code> ''or'' <code>'''- .- .. .-.. ...'''</code>
|
|-
|LOOK AROUND → NOT ENOUGH POWER
|<code>'''.-.. --- --- -.- / .- .-. --- ..- -. -..'''</code> → <code>'''-. --- - / . -. --- ..- --. .... / .--. --- .-- . .-.'''</code>
|Indicates that Sojourner doesn't have enough battery to swivel its camera head.
|-
|SEE → RED SOIL
|<code>'''... . .'''</code> → <code>'''.-. . -.. / ... --- .. .-..'''</code>
|References that Sojourner is on Mars. Mars is covered in red soil.
|-
|WHO ARE YOU ''or'' WHAT IS YOUR NAME → SOJOURNER
|<code>'''.-- .... --- / .- .-. . / -.-- --- ..-'''</code> ''or'' <code>'''.-- .... .- - / .. ... / -.-- --- ..- .-. / -. .- -- .'''</code> → <code>'''... --- .--- --- ..- .-. -. . .-.'''</code>
|Indicates that Sojourner is the operator of the morse code device.
|-
|SOJOURNER → CFM
|<code>'''... --- .--- --- ..- .-. -. . .-.'''</code> → <code>'''-.-. ..-. --'''</code>
|CFM is short for confirm. Sojourner is confirming that it's in control of the morse code device.
|-
|ET → PHONE HOME
|<code>'''. -'''</code> → <code>'''.--. .... --- -. . / .... --- -- .'''</code>
|This is a reference to the movie ET.
|-
|LS → DID YOU MEAN DIR
|<code>'''.-.. ...'''</code> → <code>'''-.. .. -.. / -.-- --- ..- / -- . .- -. / -.. .. .-.'''</code>
|These are both commands for viewing the files in a directory. LS is the traditional method in UNIX, whereas DIR is more associated with MS-DOS/Windows (although it also exists in UNIX).
|-
|DIR → ENTER IMAGE NUMBER
|<code>'''-.. .. .-.'''</code> → <code>'''. -. - . .-. / .. -- .- --. . / -. ..- -- -... . .-.'''</code>
|This references to the next input. DIR stands for directory.
|-
|(''any number ≤ 2445'') → (''loads xkcd comic in new tab'')
|
|Pulls up the xkcd comic corresponding to the number entered. Only works for comics published before this one.
|-
|MAKE ME A SANDWICH → NOT A CHANCE
|<code>'''-- .- -.- . / -- . / .- / ... .- -. -.. .-- .. -.-. ....'''</code> → <code>'''-. --- - / .- / -.-. .... .- -. -.-. .'''</code>
|A reference to [[149: Sandwich]]
|-
|SUDO MAKE ME A SANDWICH → NOT POSSIBLE HERE
|<code>'''... ..- -.. --- / -- .- -.- . / -- . / .- / ... .- -. -.. .-- .. -.-. ....'''</code> → <code>'''-. --- - / .--. --- ... ... .. -... .-.. . / .... . .-. .'''</code>
|Another reference to [[149: Sandwich]]
|-
|I LOVE YOU → LESS THAN THREE
|<code>'''.. / .-.. --- ...- . / -.-- --- ..-'''</code> → <code>'''.-.. . ... ... / - .... .- -. / - .... .-. . .'''</code>
|"Less than three" represents the less than (<) symbol followed by the number three (3), which together form <3. This is commonly used to represent a heart.
|-
|<nowiki />:) → :D
|<code>'''---... -.--.-'''</code> → <code>'''---... -..'''</code>
|This gives a bigger version of a smile than the one entered.
|-
|<nowiki />:( → :C
|<code>'''---... -.--.'''</code> → <code>'''---... -.-.'''</code>
|Following the pattern from the above entry, this converts the sad face entered to a bigger frown.
|-
|<nowiki />;) → :O
|<code>'''-.-.-. -.--.-'''</code> → <code>'''---... ---'''</code>
|":O" is an {{w|emoticon}} depicting a surprised face.
|-
|<nowiki />:O → :X
|<code>'''---... ---'''</code> → <code>'''---... -..-'''</code>
|":X" is an emoticon depicting an embarrassed face.
|-
|UWU → OWO
|<code>'''..- .-- ..-'''</code> → <code>'''--- .-- ---'''</code>
|"{{w|uwu}}" is an emoticon depicting a cute face. "owo" is the open-eyed version of "uwu".
|-
|OWO → UWU
|<code>'''--- .-- ---'''</code> → <code>'''..- .-- ..-'''</code>
|See "UWU → OWO".
|-
|POG → YEET
|<code>'''.--. --- --.'''</code> → <code>'''-.-- . . -'''</code>
|Pog and yeet are both common interjections used on the Internet.
|-
|UNIX → (''opens comic [[unixkcd]]'')
|<code>'''..- -. .. -..-'''</code>
|[[unixkcd|April Fools' Day in 2010]]
|-
|GET YE FLASK → YE WISH! IF THERE WAS A FLASK IN THIS GAME, WE'D KNOW ABOUT IT.
|<code>'''--. . - / -.-- . / ..-. .-.. .- ... -.-'''</code> → <code>'''-.-- . / .-- .. ... .... -.-.-- / .. ..-. / - .... . .-. . / .-- .- ... / .- / ..-. .-.. .- ... -.- / .. -. / - .... .. ... / --. .- -- . --..-- / .-- . .----. -.. / -.- -. --- .-- / .- -... --- ..- - / .. - .-.-.-'''</code>
|
|-
|GET YE FLASK → YOU CANNOT GET YE FLASK
|<code>'''--. . - / -.-- . / ..-. .-.. .- ... -.-'''</code> → <code>'''-.-- --- ..- / -.-. .- -. -. --- - / --. . - / -.-- . / ..-. .-.. .- ... -.-'''</code>
|This response, as well as the previous one, are references to a recurring joke from {{w|Homestar Runner}}.
|-
|YO → YO
|<code>'''-.-- ---'''</code> → <code>'''-.-- ---'''</code>
|
|-
|DROP TABLE → HAHA NO
|<code>'''.... .- .... .- / -. ---'''</code> → <code>'''.... .- .... .- / -. ---'''</code>
|A reference to [[327: Exploits of a Mom]].
|-
|WHY → TO STUDY THE RED PLANET
|<code>'''.-- .... -.--'''</code> → <code>'''- --- / ... - ..- -.. -.-- / - .... . / .-. . -.. / .--. .-.. .- -. . -'''</code>
|Refers to Sojourners' misson on Mars.
|-
|EAT → I PHOTOSYNTHESIZE
|<code>'''. .- -'''</code> → <code>'''.. / .--. .... --- - --- ... -.-- -. - .... . ... .. --.. .'''</code>
|Sojourner is a rover, and therefore does not require food. For that matter, Sojourner also does not photosynthesize. It does, however, generate energy from light in a superficially similar manner using its solar panels.
|-
|BATTLE ''or'' FIGHT → THROW
|<code>'''-... .- - - .-.. .'''</code> ''or'' <code>'''..-. .. --. .... -'''</code> → <code>'''- .... .-. --- .--'''</code>
|
|-
|START → DID YOU MEAN START GAME?
|<code>'''... - .- .-. -'''</code> → <code>'''-.. .. -.. / -.-- --- ..- / -- . .- -. / ... - .- .-. - / --. .- -- . ..--..'''</code>
|References the below input.
|-
|STARTGAME → CHECK BACK LATER
|<code>'''... - .- .-. - --. .- -- .'''</code> → <code>'''-.-. .... . -.-. -.- / -... .- -.-. -.- / .-.. .- - . .-.'''</code>
|
|}
===Controls===

{| class="wikitable"
! Message → response
! Morse code
|-
|QUIET → (''turns the volume off'')
|<code>'''--.- ..- .. . -'''</code>
|-
|MUTE → (''turns the volume off'')
|<code>'''-- ..- - .'''</code>
|-
|BEEP → (''turns the volume on'')
|<code>'''-... . . .--.'''</code>
|}
See also the QRS and QRQ commands below

===Q codes and radio shorthand===
An explanation of Q codes can be found {{w|Q code|here}}.

{| class="wikitable"
! Message → response
! Morse code
! Explanation
|-
|CQ → CQD DE SOJ
|<code>'''-.-. --.-'''</code> → <code>'''-.-. --.- -.. / -.. . / ... --- .---'''</code>
|
|-
|SOS → YOU TOO?
|<code>'''... --- ...'''</code> → <code>'''-.-- --- ..- / - --- --- ..--..'''</code>
|Implies that Sojourner is also in need of help.
|-
|SOS → OH NO
|<code>'''... --- ...'''</code> → <code>'''--- .... / -. ---'''</code>
|
|-
|QRS → (''reduces playback speed'')
|<code>'''--.- .-. ...'''</code>
|
|-
|QRQ → (''increases playback speed'')
|<code>'''--.- .-. --.-'''</code>
|
|-
|QRA → QRA SOJOURNER
|<code>'''--.- .-. .-'''</code> → <code>'''--.- .-. .- / ... --- .--- --- ..- .-. -. . .-.'''</code>
|Usually, the answer would be a ship or a coast station, but here since "QRA" asks for who is the sender, Sojourner answers "Sojourner".
|-
|QRB → QRB 264 MILLION KM
|<code>'''--.- .-. -...'''</code> → <code>'''--.- .-. -... /..--- -.... ....- / -- .. .-.. .-.. .. --- -. / -.- --'''</code>
|The distance from Sojourner.
|-
|QRH → QRH 0.652 METERS
|<code>'''--.- .-. ....'''</code> → <code>'''--.- .-. .... / ----- .-.-.- -.... ..... ..--- / -- . - . .-. ...'''</code>
|Wavelength of Sojourner.
|-
|QRG → QRG PATHFINDER
|<code>'''--.- .-. --.'''</code> → <code>'''--.- .-. --. / .--. .- - .... ..-. .. -. -.. . .-.'''</code>
|Sojourner comes from {{w|Mars Pathfinder}}.
|-
|QRZ → QRZ SOJOURNER
|<code>'''--.- .-. --..'''</code> → <code>'''--.- .-. --.. / ... --- .--- --- ..- .-. -. . .-.'''</code>
|Sojourner is calling.
|-
|QRT → PLEASE DON'T GO
|<code>'''--.- .-. -'''</code> → <code>'''.--. .-.. . .- ... . / -.. --- -. .----. - / --. ---'''</code>
|Sojourner doesn't want the receiver to stop sending.
|-
|QTH → QTH ARES VALLIS
|<code>'''--.- - ....'''</code> → <code>'''--.- - .... / .- .-. . ... / ...- .- .-.. .-.. .. ...'''</code>
|Sojourner is situated in the {{w|Ares Vallis}}.
|-
|QSL → QSL
|<code>'''--.- ... .-..'''</code> → <code>'''--.- ... .-..'''</code>
|Sojourner does receive the messages.
|-
|73 → 73 KN
|<code>'''--... ...--'''</code> → <code>'''--... ...-- / -.- -.'''</code>
|"73" means "best regards". By saying "best regards", Sojourner ends the transmission.
|-
|CL → BYE
|<code>'''-.-. .-..'''</code> → <code>'''-... -.-- .'''</code>
|Since the receiver (a.k.a. the person who inputs in the comic) is closing, Sojourner replies with "bye".
|}

===FORTUNE===

{| class="wikitable"
! Message → response
! Morse code
! Explanation
|-
|F → DID YOU MEAN FORTUNE
|<code>'''..-.'''</code> → <code>'''-.. .. -.. / -.-- --- ..- / -- . .- -. / ..-. --- .-. - ..- -. .'''</code>
|
|-
|FORTUNE → OPEN ME
|<code>'''..-. --- .-. - ..- -. .'''</code> → <code>'''--- .--. . -. / -- .'''</code>
|
|-
|OPEN → ''returns one of the following fortunes''

1. A BEAUTIFUL SMART AND LOVING PERSON WILL BE COMING INTO YOUR LIFE

2. CHANGE IS HAPPENING IN YOUR LIFE SO GO WITH THE FLOW

3. COURTESY BEGINS IN THE HOME

4. DILIGENCE AND MODESTY CAN RAISE YOUR SOCIAL STATUS

5. EVERYWHERE YOU CHOOSE TO GO FRIENDLY FACES WILL GREET YOU

6. FOLLOW THE MIDDLE PATH NEITHER EXTREME WILL MAKE YOU HAPPY

7. FOR THE THINGS WE HAVE TO LEARN BEFORE WE CAN DO THEM WE LEARN BY DOING THEM

8. HELP IM BEING HELD PRISONER IN A CHINESE BAKERY

9. LIKE THE RIVER FLOW INTO THE SEA SOMETHING ARE JUST MEANT TO BE

10. MANS MIND ONCE STRETCHED BY A NEW IDEA NEVER REGAINS ITS ORIGINAL DIMENSIONS

11. MEDITATION WITH AN OLD ENEMY IS ADVISED

12. NEVER FEAR THE END OF SOMETHING MARKS THE START OF SOMETHING NEW

13. PERHAPS YOUVE BEEN FOCUSING TOO MUCH ON SAVING

14. SAVOR YOUR FREEDOM IT IS PRECIOUS

15. STAYING CLOSE TO HOME IS GOING TO BE BEST FOR YOUR MORALE TODAY

16. YOU ARE GENEROUS TO AN EXTREME AND ALWAYS THINK OF THE OTHER FELLOW

17. YOU HAVE AN UNUSUAL EQUIPMENT FOR SUCCESS USE IT PROPERLY

18. YOU SHOULD PAY FOR THIS CHECK BE GENEROUS

19. YOU WILL BE A GREAT SUCCESS BOTH IN THE BUSINESS WORLD AND SOCIETY

20. YOUR DREAMS ARE NEVER SILLY DEPEND ON THEM TO GUIDE YOU

21. YOUR INFINITE CAPACITY FOR PATIENCE WILL BE REWARDED SOONER OR LATER

22. YOUR MENTALITY IS ALERT PRACTICAL AND ANALYTICAL

23. YOUR MOODS SIGNAL A PERIOD OF CHANGE

24. FIRST THINK OF WHAT YOU WANT TO DO THEN DO WHAT YOU HAVE TO DO

25. ADVENTURE CAN BE REAL HAPPINESS

26. SUCCESS IS GOING FROM FAILURE TO FAILURE WITHOUT LOSS OF ENTHUSIASM

|<code>'''--- .--. . -.'''</code> →

1. <code>'''.- / -... . .- ..- - .. ..-. ..- .-.. / ... -- .- .-. - / .- -. -.. / .-.. --- ...- .. -. --. / .--. . .-. ... --- -. / .-- .. .-.. .-.. / -... . / -.-. --- -- .. -. --. / .. -. - --- / -.-- --- ..- .-. / .-.. .. ..-. .'''</code>

2. <code>'''-.-. .... .- -. --. . / .. ... / .... .- .--. .--. . -. .. -. --. / .. -. / -.-- --- ..- .-. / .-.. .. ..-. . / ... --- / --. --- / .-- .. - .... / - .... . / ..-. .-.. --- .--'''</code>

3. <code>'''-.-. --- ..- .-. - . ... -.-- / -... . --. .. -. ... / .. -. / - .... . / .... --- -- .'''</code>

4. <code>'''-.. .. .-.. .. --. . -. -.-. . / .- -. -.. / -- --- -.. . ... - -.-- / -.-. .- -. / .-. .- .. ... . / -.-- --- ..- .-. / ... --- -.-. .. .- .-.. / ... - .- - ..- ...'''</code>

5. <code>'''. ...- . .-. -.-- .-- .... . .-. . / -.-- --- ..- / -.-. .... --- --- ... . / - --- / --. --- / ..-. .-. .. . -. -.. .-.. -.-- / ..-. .- -.-. . ... / .-- .. .-.. .-.. / --. .-. . . - / -.-- --- ..-'''</code>

6. <code>'''. ...- . .-. -.-- .-- .... . .-. . / -.-- --- ..- / -.-. .... --- --- ... . / - --- / --. --- / ..-. .-. .. . -. -.. .-.. -.-- / ..-. .- -.-. . ... / .-- .. .-.. .-.. / --. .-. . . - / -.-- --- ..-'''</code>

7. <code>'''..-. --- .-. / - .... . / - .... .. -. --. ... / .-- . / .... .- ...- . / - --- / .-.. . .- .-. -. / -... . ..-. --- .-. . / .-- . / -.-. .- -. / -.. --- / - .... . -- / .-- . / .-.. . .- .-. -. / -... -.-- / -.. --- .. -. --. / - .... . --'''</code>

8. <code>'''.... . .-.. .--. / .. -- / -... . .. -. --. / .... . .-.. -.. / .--. .-. .. ... --- -. . .-. / .. -. / .- / -.-. .... .. -. . ... . / -... .- -.- . .-. -.--'''</code>

9. <code>'''.-.. .. -.- . / - .... . / .-. .. ...- . .-. / ..-. .-.. --- .-- / .. -. - --- / - .... . / ... . .- / ... --- -- . - .... .. -. --. / .- .-. . / .--- ..- ... - / -- . .- -. - / - --- / -... .'''</code>

10. <code>'''-- .- -. ... / -- .. -. -.. / --- -. -.-. . / ... - .-. . - -.-. .... . -.. / -... -.-- / .- / -. . .-- / .. -.. . .- / -. . ...- . .-. / .-. . --. .- .. -. ... / .. - ... / --- .-. .. --. .. -. .- .-.. / -.. .. -- . -. ... .. --- -. ...'''</code>

11. <code>'''-- . -.. .. - .- - .. --- -. / .-- .. - .... / .- -. / --- .-.. -.. / . -. . -- -.-- / .. ... / .- -.. ...- .. ... . -..'''</code>

12. <code>'''-. . ...- . .-. / ..-. . .- .-. / - .... . / . -. -.. / --- ..-. / ... --- -- . - .... .. -. --. / -- .- .-. -.- ... / - .... . / ... - .- .-. - / --- ..-. / ... --- -- . - .... .. -. --. / -. . .--'''</code>

13. <code>'''.--. . .-. .... .- .--. ... / -.-- --- ..- ...- . / -... . . -. / ..-. --- -.-. ..- ... .. -. --. / - --- --- / -- ..- -.-. .... / --- -. / ... .- ...- .. -. --.'''</code>

14. <code>'''... .- ...- --- .-. / -.-- --- ..- .-. / ..-. .-. . . -.. --- -- / .. - / .. ... / .--. .-. . -.-. .. --- ..- ...'''</code>

15. <code>'''... - .- -.-- .. -. --. / -.-. .-.. --- ... . / - --- / .... --- -- . / .. ... / --. --- .. -. --. / - --- / -... . / -... . ... - / ..-. --- .-. / -.-- --- ..- .-. / -- --- .-. .- .-.. . / - --- -.. .- -.--'''</code>

16. <code>'''-.-- --- ..- / .- .-. . / --. . -. . .-. --- ..- ... / - --- / .- -. / . -..- - .-. . -- . / .- -. -.. / .- .-.. .-- .- -.-- ... / - .... .. -. -.- / --- ..-. / - .... . / --- - .... . .-. / ..-. . .-.. .-.. --- .--'''</code>

17. <code>'''-.-- --- ..- / .... .- ...- . / .- -. / ..- -. ..- ... ..- .- .-.. / . --.- ..- .. .--. -- . -. - / ..-. --- .-. / ... ..- -.-. -.-. . ... ... / ..- ... . / .. - / .--. .-. --- .--. . .-. .-.. -.--'''</code>

18. <code>'''-.-- --- ..- / ... .... --- ..- .-.. -.. / .--. .- -.-- / ..-. --- .-. / - .... .. ... / -.-. .... . -.-. -.- / -... . / --. . -. . .-. --- ..- ...'''</code>

19. <code>'''-.-- --- ..- / .-- .. .-.. .-.. / -... . / .- / --. .-. . .- - / ... ..- -.-. -.-. . ... ... / -... --- - .... / .. -. / - .... . / -... ..- ... .. -. . ... ... / .-- --- .-. .-.. -.. / .- -. -.. / ... --- -.-. .. . - -.--'''</code>

20. <code>'''-.-- --- ..- .-. / -.. .-. . .- -- ... / .- .-. . / -. . ...- . .-. / ... .. .-.. .-.. -.-- / -.. . .--. . -. -.. / --- -. / - .... . -- / - --- / --. ..- .. -.. . / -.-- --- ..-'''</code>

21. <code>'''-.-- --- ..- .-. / .. -. ..-. .. -. .. - . / -.-. .- .--. .- -.-. .. - -.-- / ..-. --- .-. / .--. .- - .. . -. -.-. . / .-- .. .-.. .-.. / -... . / .-. . .-- .- .-. -.. . -.. / ... --- --- -. . .-. / --- .-. / .-.. .- - . .-.'''</code>

22. <code>'''-.-- --- ..- .-. / -- . -. - .- .-.. .. - -.-- / .. ... / .- .-.. . .-. - / .--. .-. .- -.-. - .. -.-. .- .-.. / .- -. -.. / .- -. .- .-.. -.-- - .. -.-. .- .-..'''</code>

23. <code>'''-.-- --- ..- .-. / -- --- --- -.. ... / ... .. --. -. .- .-.. / .- / .--. . .-. .. --- -.. / --- ..-. / -.-. .... .- -. --. .'''</code>

24. <code>'''..-. .. .-. ... - / - .... .. -. -.- / --- ..-. / .-- .... .- - / -.-- --- ..- / .-- .- -. - / - --- / -.. --- / - .... . -. / -.. --- / .-- .... .- - / -.-- --- ..- / .... .- ...- . / - --- / -.. ---'''</code>

25. <code>'''.- -.. ...- . -. - ..- .-. . / -.-. .- -. / -... . / .-. . .- .-.. / .... .- .--. .--. .. -. . ... ...'''</code>

26. <code>'''... ..- -.-. -.-. . ... ... / .. ... / --. --- .. -. --. / ..-. .-. --- -- / ..-. .- .. .-.. ..- .-. . / - --- / ..-. .- .. .-.. ..- .-. . / .-- .. - .... --- ..- - / .-.. --- ... ... / --- ..-. / . -. - .... ..- ... .. .- ... --'''</code>

|All fortunes seem to be some kind of message in a fortune cookie, with the exception of fortune 8, which is a reference to [[10: Pi Equals]].

|-
|OPEN → HUH (''if after something other than FORTUNE'')
|<code>'''--- .--. . -.'''</code> → <code>'''.... ..- ....'''</code>
|}

===ENCABULATOR===
{| class="wikitable"
! Message → response
! Morse code
! Explanation
|-
|STATUS → RADIO ONLINE, MOTOR ONLINE, UNILATERAL PHASE DETRACTOR UNPOWERED, CARDINAL GRAMMETER UNSYNCHRONIZED
|<code>'''... - .- - ..- ...'''</code> → <code>'''.-. .- -.. .. --- / --- -. .-.. .. -. . --..-- / -- --- - --- .-. / --- -. .-.. .. -. . --..-- / ..- -. .. .-.. .- - . .-. .- .-.. / .--. .... .- ... . / -.. . - .-. .- -.-. - --- .-. / ..- -. .--. --- .-- . .-. . -.. --..-- / -.-. .- .-. -.. .. -. .- .-.. / --. .-. .- -- -- . - . .-. / ..- -. ... -.-- -. -.-. .... .-. --- -. .. --.. . -..'''</code>
|
|-
|YOUTUBE → RXJKDH1KZ0W
|<code>'''-.-- --- ..- - ..- -... .'''</code>
|This is the YouTube video ID for the video [https://youtu.be/RXJKdh1KZ0w Rockwell Retro Encabulator].
|-
|REPAIR ''or'' ENCABULATOR ''or'' FIX ''or'' SYSTEM → ENTERING ENCABULATOR RECOVERY SYSTEM. OPTIONS 1 INITIATE SIDE FUMBLING 2 ALIGN SPURVING BEARINGS 3 REVERSE TREMIE PIPE
:1 → SIDE FUMBLING DETECTED. MODIAL INTERACTION UNSTABLE. RECOVERY TERMINATED.
:2 → MODIAL INTERACTION INITIATED. OPTIONS 1 UNWIND LOTUS O DELTOID 2 INCREASE DEPLENERATION 3 CONNECT GIRDLESPRING ON DOWN END OF GRAMMETER 4 CONNECT SEVENTH CONDUCTOR TO GIRDLESPRING
::1 → SIDE FUMBLING DETECTED. MODIAL INTERACTION UNSTABLE. RECOVERY TERMINATED.
::2 → DEPLENERATION PREVENTED BY DINGLE ARM
::3 → SIDE FUMBLING DETECTED. MODIAL INTERACTION UNSTABLE. RECOVERY TERMINATED.
::4 → PANAMETRIC FAN ACTIVATED. MODIAL INTERACTION STABLE. DEFAULT CONFIGURATION MISSING. MANUALLY ENTER MARZELVANE TYPE TO COMPLETE RECOVERY
:::HYDROCOPTIC → RECOVERY SUCCESSFUL. REBOOT Y N?
::::Y → (''Opens [https://imgs.xkcd.com/comics/sojourner_repaired.png sojourner_repaired.png]'')
:3 → ERROR TREMIE PIPE NONREVERSIBLE
|<code>'''.-. . .--. .- .. .-.'''</code> ''or'' <code>'''. -. -.-. .- -... ..- .-.. .- - --- .-.'''</code> ''or'' <code>'''..-. .. -..-'''</code> ''or'' <code>'''... -.-- ... - . --'''</code> → <code>'''. -. - . .-. .. -. --. / . -. -.-. .- -... ..- .-.. .- - --- .-. / .-. . -.-. --- ...- . .-. -.-- / ... -.-- ... - . -- .-.-.- / --- .--. - .. --- -. ... / .---- / .. -. .. - .. .- - . / ... .. -.. . / ..-. ..- -- -... .-.. .. -. --. / ..--- / .- .-.. .. --. -. / ... .--. ..- .-. ...- .. -. --. / -... . .- .-. .. -. --. ... / ...-- / .-. . ...- . .-. ... . / - .-. . -- .. . / .--. .. .--. .'''</code>
:<code>'''.----'''</code> → <code>'''... .. -.. . / ..-. ..- -- -... .-.. .. -. --. / -.. . - . -.-. - . -.. .-.-.- / -- --- -.. .. .- .-.. / .. -. - . .-. .- -.-. - .. --- -. / ..- -. ... - .- -... .-.. . .-.-.- / .-. . -.-. --- ...- . .-. -.-- / - . .-. -- .. -. .- - . -.. .-.-.-'''</code>
:<code>'''..---'''</code> → <code>'''-- --- -.. .. .- .-.. / .. -. - . .-. .- -.-. - .. --- -. / .. -. .. - .. .- - . -.. .-.-.- / --- .--. - .. --- -. ... / .---- / ..- -. .-- .. -. -.. / .-.. --- - ..- ... / --- / -.. . .-.. - --- .. -.. / ..--- / .. -. -.-. .-. . .- ... . / -.. . .--. .-.. . -. . .-. .- - .. --- -. / ...-- / -.-. --- -. -. . -.-. - / --. .. .-. -.. .-.. . ... .--. .-. .. -. --. / --- -. / -.. --- .-- -. / . -. -.. / --- ..-. / --. .-. .- -- -- . - . .-. / ....- / -.-. --- -. -. . -.-. - / ... . ...- . -. - .... / -.-. --- -. -.. ..- -.-. - --- .-. / - --- / --. .. .-. -.. .-.. . ... .--. .-. .. -. --.'''</code>
::<code>'''.----'''</code> → <code>'''... .. -.. . / ..-. ..- -- -... .-.. .. -. --. / -.. . - . -.-. - . -.. .-.-.- / -- --- -.. .. .- .-.. / .. -. - . .-. .- -.-. - .. --- -. / ..- -. ... - .- -... .-.. . .-.-.- / .-. . -.-. --- ...- . .-. -.-- / - . .-. -- .. -. .- - . -.. .-.-.-'''</code>
::<code>'''..---'''</code> → <code>'''-.. . .--. .-.. . -. . .-. .- - .. --- -. / .--. .-. . ...- . -. - . -.. / -... -.-- / -.. .. -. --. .-.. . / .- .-. --'''</code>
::<code>'''...--'''</code> → <code>'''... .. -.. . / ..-. ..- -- -... .-.. .. -. --. / -.. . - . -.-. - . -.. .-.-.- / -- --- -.. .. .- .-.. / .. -. - . .-. .- -.-. - .. --- -. / ..- -. ... - .- -... .-.. . .-.-.- / .-. . -.-. --- ...- . .-. -.-- / - . .-. -- .. -. .- - . -.. .-.-.-'''</code>
::<code>'''....-'''</code> → <code>'''.--. .- -. .- -- . - .-. .. -.-. / ..-. .- -. / .- -.-. - .. ...- .- - . -.. .-.-.- / -- --- -.. .. .- .-.. / .. -. - . .-. .- -.-. - .. --- -. / ... - .- -... .-.. . .-.-.- / -.. . ..-. .- ..- .-.. - / -.-. --- -. ..-. .. --. ..- .-. .- - .. --- -. / -- .. ... ... .. -. --. .-.-.- / -- .- -. ..- .- .-.. .-.. -.-- / . -. - . .-. / -- .- .-. --.. . .-.. ...- .- -. . / - -.-- .--. . / - --- / -.-. --- -- .--. .-.. . - . / .-. . -.-. --- ...- . .-. -.--'''</code>
:::<code>'''.... -.-- -.. .-. --- -.-. --- .--. - .. -.-.'''</code> → <code>'''.-. . -.-. --- ...- . .-. -.-- / ... ..- -.-. -.-. . ... ... ..-. ..- .-.. .-.-.- / .-. . -... --- --- - / -.-- / -. ..--..'''</code>
::::<code>'''-.--'''</code>
:<code>'''...--'''</code> → <code>'''. .-. .-. --- .-. / - .-. . -- .. . / .--. .. .--. . / -. --- -. .-. . ...- . .-. ... .. -... .-.. .'''</code>
|
|-
|}

===MAZE===

{| class="wikitable"
! Message → response
! Morse code
! Explanation
|-
|RETURN → DID YOU MEAN ENTER
|<code>'''.-. . - ..- .-. -.'''</code>
|Return and enter are usually different names for the line-break key on a keyboard. "Carriage Return" is a holdover from mechanical typewriters (returning the carriage, and therefore the printing area, to its start-of-row position), in both mechanical and electronic outputs often implicitly (or explicitly) combined with Line Feed (moving the printing zone one effective line further down, or shifting the medium a similar degree up).

"Enter" references the wish to submit some input (e.g. the contents of the database or form field(s) just edited, or ), and is essentially synonymous with forcing the move of a cursor to a new line. Often keyboards do not even have keycap text to indicate the key called "Return", "Enter" or any other name, instead using the prominent glyph '''&crarr;'''.

In the case of describing travel (for example, at the entrance to a maze), the words ''could'' instead be described as antonyms. One can ''enter'' the maze, or ''return'' to a prior location (leaving the vicinity of the maze – if not the maze itself, if you had already entered). This may or may not be an additional intended joke, as in dialogues that ask obscure and ambiguously phrased choices such as "Do you want to end this task? [Quit]/[Cancel]”.
|-
|ENTER → DID YOU MEAN ENTER MAZE
|<code>'''. -. - . .-.'''</code>
|
|-
|ENTER MAZE → AN EMPTY ROOM
:LOOK → AN EMPTY ROOM
:HELP → NORTH EAST SOUTH WEST GET
:EXIT → CFM (''Exits the maze'')
|<code>'''. -. - . .-. / -- .- --.. .'''</code> → <code>'''.- -. / . -- .--. - -.-- / .-. --- --- --'''</code>
:<code>'''.-.. --- --- -.-'''</code> → <code>'''.- -. / . -- .--. - -.-- / .-. --- --- --'''</code>
:<code>'''.... . .-.. .--.'''</code> → <code>'''-. --- .-. - .... / . .- ... - / ... --- ..- - .... / .-- . ... - / --. . -'''</code>
:<code>'''. -..- .. -'''</code> → <code>'''-.-. ..-. --'''</code>
|
|}
{| class="wikitable"
|+ Maze
|-
|an open flame || a candle on a table || style="background-color: black;" |
|-
| style="background-color: black;" | || an empty room (start) || style="background-color: black;" |
|-
| style="background-color: black;" | || a hanging bell || an open book on a table (locked door)
|-
|}

Steps to complete (directions can be abbreviated as their first letter):
# NORTH
# GET CANDLE → TAKEN
# WEST
# LIGHT CANDLE
# EAST
# SOUTH
# SOUTH
# RING BELL → A DOOR OPENS
# EAST
# CLOSE BOOK → CONGRATULATIONS YOU ESCAPE

===CROSSWORD===
{| class="wikitable"
! Message → response
! Morse code
! Explanation
|-
|CROSSWORD → NUMBER AND DIRECTION
|<code>'''-.-. .-. --- ... ... .-- --- .-. -..'''</code> → <code>'''-. ..- -- -... . .-. / .- -. -.. / -.. .. .-. . -.-. - .. --- -.'''</code>
|This starts a crossword. You can ask for hints like "1 down" or "2 across". It appears to be the [https://rexwordpuzzle.blogspot.com/2021/04/libertarian-politico-johnson-thu-4-1-21.html New York Times Crossword] from the day this comic was written (2021-04-01).
|}

{| class="wikitable"
|+Solved Crossword
|-
| m || y || g || o || d || style="background-color: black; | || d || e || v || style="background-color: black; | || style="background-color: black; | || style="background-color: black; | || e || l || f
|-
| b || u || o || n || o || style="background-color: black; | || e || y || e || s || style="background-color: black; | || s || l || u || r
|-
| a || m || o || c || o || style="background-color: black; | || c || r || a || p || style="background-color: black; | || l || m || a || o
|-
| style="background-color: black; | || style="background-color: black; | || v || e || r || y || r || e || l || i || g || i || o || u || s
|-
| s || e || e || style="background-color: black; | || m || u || y || style="background-color: black; | || style="background-color: black; | || r || a || m || style="background-color: black; | || style="background-color: black; | || style="background-color: black; |
|-
| h || a || r || h || a || r || style="background-color: black; | || s || c || a || r || e || d || o || f
|-
| e || s || s || e || n || t || i || a || l || l || y || style="background-color: black; | || a || r || i
|-
| b || t || e || n || style="background-color: black; | || style="background-color: black; | || m || m || i || style="background-color: black; | || style="background-color: black; | || t || v || a || d
|-
| o || l || a || style="background-color: black; | || b || a || d || m || o || u || t || h || i || n || g
|-
| p || a || s || s || e || d || b || y || style="background-color: black; | || n || o || o || d || g || e
|-
| style="background-color: black; | || style="background-color: black; | || style="background-color: black; | || o || a || r || style="background-color: black; | || style="background-color: black; | || s || u || n || style="background-color: black; | || l || e || t
|-
| b || l || e || n || d || e || d || f || a || m || i || l || y || style="background-color: black; | || style="background-color: black; |
|-
| b || o || r || g || style="background-color: black; | || p || e || l || t || style="background-color: black; | || g || e || n || r || e
|-
| q || u || i || z || style="background-color: black; | || s || p || a || y || style="background-color: black; | || h || i || c || k || s
|-
| s || t || e || style="background-color: black; | || style="background-color: black; | || style="background-color: black; | || p || b || r || style="background-color: black; | || t || a || h || o || e
|}

{| class="wikitable mw-collapsible mw-collapsed"
|+ Words
! index !! down word !! across word
|-
| 1 || MBA || MYGOD
|-
| 2 || YUM ||
|-
| 3 || GOOVERSEAS ||
|-
| 4 || ONCE ||
|-
| 5 || DOORMAN ||
|-
| 6 || DECRY || DEV
|-
| 7 || EYRE ||
|-
| 8 || VEAL ||
|-
| 9 || ELMO || ELF
|-
| 10 || LUAU ||
|-
| 11 || FROS ||
|-
| 12 || || BUONO
|-
| 13 || || EYES
|-
| 14 || SPIRAL ||
|-
| 15 || SLIME || SLUR
|-
| 16 || || AMOCO
|-
| 17 || || CRAP
|-
| 18 || || LMAO
|-
| 19 || || VERYRELIGIOUS
|-
| 20 || YURT ||
|-
| 21 || GARY ||
|-
| 22 || SHEBOP || SEE
|-
| 23 || EASTLA ||
|-
| 24 || || MUY
|-
| 25 || || RAM
|-
| 26 || || HARHAR
|-
| 27 || HEN ||
|-
| 28 || SAMMY || SCAREDOF
|-
| 29 || CLIO ||
|-
| 30 || DAVIDLYNCH ||
|-
| 31 || ORANGE ||
|-
| 32 || FIDGET ||
|-
| 33 || || ESSENTIALLY
|-
| 34 || IMDB ||
|-
| 35 || || ARI
|-
| 36 || || BTEN
|-
| 37 || || MMI
|-
| 38 || THO || TVAD
|-
| 39 || || OLA
|-
| 40 || BEAD || BADMOUTHING
|-
| 41 || ADREPS ||
|-
| 42 || UNUM ||
|-
| 43 || TONIGHT ||
|-
| 44 || || PASSEDBY
|-
| 45 || SONGZ ||
|-
| 46 || || NOODGE
|-
| 47 || || OAR
|-
| 48 || SATYR || SUN
|-
| 49 || || LET
|-
| 50 || BBQS || BLENDEDFAMILY
|-
| 51 || LOUT ||
|-
| 52 || ERIE ||
|-
| 53 || DEPP ||
|-
| 54 || FLAB ||
|-
| 55 || LEIA ||
|-
| 56 || || BORG
|-
| 57 || || PELT
|-
| 58 || || GENRE
|-
| 59 || RKO ||
|-
| 60 || ESE ||
|-
| 61 || || QUIZ
|-
| 62 || || SPAY
|-
| 63 || || HICKS
|-
| 64 || || STE
|-
| 65 || || PBR
|-
| 66 || || TAHOE
|}

===Rover Scene===
After successfully repairing and rebooting Sojourner, a comic is opened which depicts it seeking out and finding its friends, Spirit, Opportunity, Curiosity, Perseverance, and Ingenuity. Curiosity and Perseverance are locked in a swordfight, and either Spirit or Opportunity is carried off by Ingenuity while the other speeds off a small mound of dirt. Ingenuity carrying a rover is a reference to the previous comic.

==Special Console Commands==
The page's JavaScript creates a global object <code>'''morse'''</code> with <code>'''encode'''</code> and <code>'''decode'''</code> methods. From the developer console, it is possible to write <code>'''morse.encode("A PHRASE")'''</code>, which will print the Morse code corresponding to the text provided, or <code>'''morse.decode("... --- ...")'''</code> which will translate the Morse code to text.

<code>'''BeepComic.hurryUp()'''</code> to get the reply immediately in the console.
<code>'''BeepComic.send(...)'''</code> to send directly to SOJOURNER.

==Transcript==
:[A small box is in the middle of a large white frame. The box can have a check-mark, but it is alternating between being checked or unchecked. At the bottom right there is a muted speaker (which can be unmuted). If the user press the checkbox gray dots or lines will appear below depending on the length of the press. These will move from right to left and then disappear.]

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:April Fools' Day comics]]
[[Category:Interactive comics]]
[[Category:Comics with animation]]
[[Category:Dynamic comics]]
[[Category:Comics with audio]]

Template:clear

2025-05-11T02:50:38Z

Bb777:

<div style="clear:{{{1|both}}};"></div><noinclude>
See {{w|Template:Clear}} on Wikipedia for documentation

[[Category:Templates]]
</noinclude>

unixkcd

2025-05-11T00:45:43Z

Bb777: /* Undocumented commands */ UNCLOSED ALERT

{{comic
| date = April 1, 2010
| title = unixkcd
| image = unixkcd.png
| titletext =
| lappend =
| ldomain = uni
| imagesize = 900px
| noexpand = true
| extra = yes
}}
{{TOC}}This is another one of Randall's [[April Fools' Day comics]].

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|
*Explain the jokes and references in the [[#Undocumented commands]] section and the sections below it.
*Add this comic to more categories.
*Describe the website interface a bit, such as the links at the bottom.}}
On April 1, 2010, [[Randall Munroe|Randall]] altered the [https://xkcd.com xkcd.com] website to mimic a {{w|Unix}} {{w|command-line interface}}. This interface is still available on [https://uni.xkcd.com uni.xkcd.com] and the source code is [https://github.com/chromakode/xkcdfools available on GitHub]. The comic [[721: Flatland]], released on March 31, 2010, was still up on April 1, 2010, but was unrelated to the Unix interface. The terminal only lists a few available commands, but most commands are undocumented.

===Documented commands===
{| class="sortable wikitable"
! Command
! Response
! Explanation
|-
|<code>'''next'''</code>
|(''shows the next comic'')
|If the latest comic number is given, shows the error <code>Time travel mode not enabled</code>. See <code>'''[[#Undocumented commands|enable time travel]]'''</code> below.
|-
|<code>'''prev'''</code>
|(''shows the previous comic'')
|
|-
|<code>'''first'''</code>
|(''shows the first comic'')
|
|-
|<code>'''last'''</code>
|(''shows the last comic'')
|
|-
|<code>'''display [number]'''</code>
|(''shows the comic with the specified number'')
|Trying to display comic [[404: Not Found]] will result in an endless loading attempt.
|-
|<code>'''random'''</code>
|(''shows a random comic'')
|
|-
|<code>'''ls'''</code>
| rowspan="2" |(''shows the content of the current directory'')
| rowspan="2" |
|-
|<code>'''dir'''</code>
|-
|<code>'''cat [filename]'''</code>
|(''shows the content of the file'')
|See also <code>'''[[#Undocumented commands|cat]]'''</code> below.
|-
|<code>'''cd [directory]'''</code>
|(''changes to the specified directory'')
|
|}

===Undocumented commands===
{| class="sortable wikitable"
! Command
! Response
! Explanation
|-
|<code>'''<nowiki>:(){:|:&};:</nowiki>'''</code>
|<code>[...]</code> (''repeats indefinitely'')
|This command, otherwise known as a [https://askubuntu.com/questions/159491/why-did-the-command-make-my-system-lag-so-badly-i-had-to-reboot shell fork bomb] will make the terminal display the <code>[...]</code> loading dots indefinitely, as though it crashed.
|-
|rowspan="9" |<code>'''a/s/l'''</code> ''or'' <code>'''asl'''</code>
|
|{{w|Age/sex/location|A/S/L}} is not a Unix command, but an acronym of Age/Sex/Location in this case. The following replies are possible:
|-
|<code>2/AMD64/Server Rack</code>
|Answered as if the server replied. sex refered as {{w|AMD}}
|-
|<code>328/M/Transylvania</code>
|Answered by {{w|Dracula}}.
|-
|<code>6/M/Battle School</code>
|Answered by {{w|Ender Wiggin}} or another boy from battle school.
|-
|<code>48/M/The White House</code>
|Answered by {{w|Barack Obama}} or another male of the same age in the White House.
|-
|<code>7/F/Rapture</code>
|Answered by a {{w|Little Sister (BioShock)|Little Sister}} from {{w|BioShock}}.
|-
|<code>Exactly your age/A gender you're attracted to/Far far away.</code>
|Requests for A/S/L are often not answered truthfully, but crafted to suit the one asking the question.
|-
|<code>7,831/F/Lothlórien</code>
|Answered by {{w</code>Galadriel}} or another elf. Lothlorien is the region of middle
|-
|<code>42/M/FBI Field Office</code>
|Answered by an FBI agent (referencing the old [https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/ThereAreNoGirlsOnTheInternet trope] that all girls on the internet are FBI agents impersonating them)
|-
|<code>'''apt-get'''</code>
|<code>This APT has Super Cow Powers.'''</code>
|The <code>'''apt-get'''</code> command is part of the Debian package manager {{w|Advanced_Packaging_Tool|APT}}. This reply is one of the built-in Easter eggs.
|-
|<code>'''apt-get moo'''</code>
|
(__)
(oo)
/------\/
/ | ||
* /\---/\
~~ ~~

...."Have you mooed today?"...
|Displays an ASCII drawing of a cow.
|-
|<code>'''bash'''</code>
|<code>You bash your head against the wall. It's not very effective.</code>
|{{w|Bash}} is a shell for POSIX-based systems. This also references early text-based adventure games where you need to type the action needed to proceed. The line 'it's not very effective' may be a reference to Pokemon, where an attack can deal differing amounts of damage depending on effectiveness.
|-
|<code>'''cat [number]/alt.txt'''</code>
|(''displays the title text of the specified comic'')
|
|-
|<code>'''cat'''</code>

(''without a filename or with an invalid filename'')
|<code>You're a kitty!</code>
|A reference to [[231: Cat Proximity]].
|-
|<code>'''cheat'''</code>
| rowspan="2" |(''opens the [[Store|xkcd Store]]'')
| rowspan="2" |
|-
|<code>'''buy stuff'''</code>
|-
|<code>'''clear'''</code>
|(''clears the screen'')
|
|-
|<code>'''curl'''</code>
|(''creates an iframe to the URL specified'')
|
|-
|<code>'''date'''</code>
|<code>March 32nd</code>
|Instead of April 1st, which is not a real date.{{Citation needed}}
|-
|<code>'''display title text'''</code>
|<code>display: unable to open image "title": No such file or directory.</code>
|Displayed in red text.
|-
|<code>'''echo'''</code>
|<code>Echo ... echo ... echo ...</code>
|<code>'''{{w|Echo (command)|echo}}'''</code> is a command used to print text to the terminal.
|-
|<code>'''ed'''</code>
|<code>You are not a diety</code>
|{{w|Ed (software)|ed}} is a very simple text editor. It is usually not considered very user-friendly. See also <code>'''vi'''</code> and <code>'''emacs'''</code>.
|-
|<code>'''emacs'''</code>
|<code>You should use Vim.</code>
|A reference to [[378: Real Programmers]].
|-
|<code>'''enable time travel'''</code>
|<code>TARDIS error: Time Lord missing</code>
|A {{w|Doctor Who}} reference. See also the <code>'''next'''</code> command.
|-
|<code>'''exit'''</code>
| rowspan="3" |(''ends the terminal session'')
| rowspan="3" |
|-
|<code>'''quit'''</code>
|-
|<code>'''logout'''</code>
|-
|<code>'''find kitten'''</code>
|(''showed the {{w|robotfindskitten}} game'')
|The link to the Flash version no longer works, but an HTML version is available [http://robotfindskitten.org/play/robotfindskitten/ here].
|-
|<code>'''find'''</code>
|<code>What do you want to find? Kitten would be nice.</code>
|
|-
|<code>'''finger'''</code>
|<code>Mmmmmm...</code>
|<code>'''finger USER'''</code> is used on UNIX-like systems to get information about another USER. Here, Randall is taking advantage of its suggestive name, with 'finger' referring to an action where one sticks their finger in another's anus, usually for sexual pleasure.
|-
|<code>'''fuck'''</code>
|<code>I have a headache.</code>
|fuck is swear word
|-
|<code>'''goto [any]'''</code>
|(''shows comic [[292: goto]] and asks if you meant <code>'''display'''</code> instead.'')
|
|-
|<code>'''go back'''</code>
|<code>You cannot go back.</code>
|
|-
|<code>'''go down'''</code>
|<code>On our first date?</code>
|
|-
|<code>'''Hello Joshua'''</code>
|<code>How about a nice game of Global Thermonuclear War?</code>
|A reference to the {{w|WarGames}} movie.
|-
|<code>'''hello'''</code>
|<code>Hello.</code>
|A second reply <code>Why hello there!</code> is coded, but it is never used.
|-
|<code>'''help'''</code>
| rowspan="2" |<code>That would be cheating!</code>
| rowspan="2" |
|-
|<code>'''halp'''</code>
|-
|<code>'''hi'''</code>
|<code>Hi.</code>
|
|-
| rowspan="4" |<code>'''hint'''</code>
|<code>We offer some nice polos.</code>
| rowspan="4" |Randomly replies with one of four options.
|-
|<code>This terminal will remain available at '''[https://xkcd.com/unixkcd/ xkcd.com/unixkcd/]'''</code>
|-
|<code>Use the source, Luke!</code>
|-
|<code>There are cheat codes.</code>
|-
|<code>'''i read the source code'''</code>
|<code><3</code>
|
|-
|<code>'''irc [nick]'''</code>
| rowspan="2" |(''starts an {{w|IRC}} session on the xkcd channel on irc.foonetic.net'')
| rowspan="2" |
|-
|<code>'''write [nick]'''</code>
|-
|<code>'''kill'''</code>
|<code>Terminator deployed to 1984.</code>
|A reference to the {{w|The_Terminator|Terminator}} movie. In Bash, <code>'''kill'''</code> is used to end a process.
|-
|<code>'''latest'''</code>
|(''displays the latest comic'')
|
|-
|<code>'''locate [filename]'''</code>
|
|is normally used to locate a file in a directory. It will give humorous results when searching for <code>'''ninja'''</code>, <code>'''keys'''</code>, <code>'''joke'''</code>, <code>'''problem'''</code> and <code>'''raptor'''</code>.
|-
|<code>'''lpr'''</code>
|<code>PC LOAD LETTER</code>
|{{w|Line Printer Daemon protocol|<code>'''lpr'''</code>}} is a command to print documents. {{w|PC_LOAD_LETTER}} is a printer error.
|-
|<code>'''make love'''</code>
|<code>I put on my robe and wizard hat.</code>
|A reference to this [http://www.albinoblacksheep.com/text/bloodninja roleplay chat transcript] (NSFW), which was also mentioned in [[442: xkcd Loves the Discovery Channel]]. <code>'''make love'''</code> is a standard Unix joke, because the reply is <code>make: don't know how to make love</code>.
|-
|<code>'''make me a sandwich'''</code>
|<code>What? Make it yourself.</code>
|A reference to [[149: Sandwich]].
|-
|<code>'''man [command]'''</code>
|(''shows unhelpful information about the command'')
|Only <code>'''last'''</code>, <code>'''help'''</code>, <code>'''next'''</code>, <code>'''cat'''</code> have unique responses, all others show a generic "Oh, I\'m sure you can figure it out."
|-
|<code>'''moo'''</code>
|<code>moo</code>
|
|-
|<code>'''more'''</code>
|<code>Oh, yes! More! More!</code>
|The {{w|More (command)|more}} command is used to paginate output.
|-
|<code>'''nano'''</code>
|<code>Seriously? Why don't you just use Notepad.exe? Or MS Paint?</code>
|{{w|GNU nano|Nano}} is another text editor for Unix systems (see <code>'''vi'''</code> and <code>'''emacs'''</code>).
|-
|<code>'''ping'''</code>
|<code>There is another submarine three miles ahead, bearing 225, forty fathoms down.</code>
|The {{w|Ping (networking utility)|ping}} command is used to measure round trip times to a destination. The name of the command comes from sonar technology. A submarine using sonar may 'ping' to illuminate nearby submarines on radar.
|-
|<code>'''pwd'''</code>
|<code>You are in a maze of twisty passages, all alike.</code>
|The {{w|pwd}} command prints the current working directory (see <code>'''look'''</code>). The output is a reference to {{w|Colossal Cave Adventure}}.
|-
|<code>'''reddit [number]'''</code>
|(''shows the [https://www.reddit.com/ Reddit] voting bar for the specified comic'')
|If no number is specified, shows xkcd.
|-
|<code>'''rm [filename]'''</code>
|(''removes a file'')
|
|-
|<code>'''rm -r'''</code>
|(''removes a directory'')
|
|-
|<code>'''serenity'''</code>
|<code>You can't take the sky from me.</code>
|This is a line from the Balad of Serenity from the {{w|Firefly_(TV_series)|Firefly}} TV series. Serenity is also the name of an Operating System (that Randall probably wasn't thinking of): [https://www.serenityos.org/ SerenityOS].
|-
|<code>'''shutdown'''</code>
| rowspan="2" |<code>Must be root.</code>
| rowspan="2" |See also <code>'''sudo poweroff'''</code>.
|-
|<code>'''poweroff'''</code>
|-
|<code>'''ssh'''</code>
|<code>ssh, this is a library.</code>
|{{w|Secure Shell|ssh}} is the command to start a secure shell, but it also resembles the "{{w|Shh}}" sound.
|-
|<code>'''su'''</code>
|<code>God mode activated. Remember, with great power comes great ... aw, screw it, go have fun.</code>
|{{w|Su (Unix)|<code>'''su'''</code>}} is a command for logging as an upper user, which gives you full and potentially dangerous access to the system. On some systems, "{{w|With great power comes great responsibility|with great power comes great responsibility}}" is also part of a message that is printed the first time <code>'''sudo'''</code> is used.
|-
|<code>'''sudo [command]'''</code>
|(''executes the command with {{w|Superuser|root}} privileges'')
|
|-
|<code>'''sudo apt-get dist-upgrade'''</code>
|<code>You are already running [OS].</code>
|
|-
|<code>'''sudo apt-get moo'''</code>
|<code>Have you mooed today?</code>
|(apt-get Easter egg).
|-
|<code>'''sudo apt-get update'''</code>
|<code>Reading package lists... Done</code>
|Refreshes the package list so the system knows which updates are available.
|-
|<code>'''sudo apt-get upgrade'''</code>
|(''shows a link to [http://abetterbrowser.org/ A Better Browser] on Internet Explorer and Firefox (< v3). On all other browsers, it doesn't complain.
|
|-
|<code>'''sudo make me a sandwich'''</code>
|<code>Okay</code>
|Behaves like [[149: Sandwich]].
|-
|<code>'''sudo !!'''</code>
|(''will sudo the last command'')
|
|-
|<code>'''sudo poweroff'''</code>
| rowspan="2" |(''shuts down the system'')
| rowspan="2" |
|-
|<code>'''sudo shutdown'''</code>
|-
|<code>'''sudo reboot'''</code>
| rowspan="2" |(''restarts the system'')
| rowspan="2" |
|-
|<code>'''sudo restart'''</code>
|-
|<code>'''sudo rm -rf /'''</code>
|(''breaks all commands until the page is reloaded'')
|
|-
|<code>'''sudo sudo'''</code>
|<code>An internal error occurred: RangeError: Maximum call stack size exceeded</code>
|in red text.
|-
|<code>'''time travel'''</code>
|(''shows [[630: Time Travel]]'')
|
|-
|<code>'''top'''</code>
|<code>It's up there --^</code>
|The {{w|Top_(software)|<code>'''top'''</code>}} command shows a table of processes. Here it is taken literally.
|-
|<code>'''uname'''</code>
|<code>Illudium Q-36 Explosive Space Modulator</code>
|<code>'''uname'''</code> on Unix lists system information. The Illudium Q-36 Explosive Space Modulator is an explosive device created by Marvin the Martian in the {{w|Looney Tunes}} series.
|-
|<code>'''unixkcd'''</code>
|(''opens a new terminal window'')
|
|-
|<code>'''use the force luke'''</code>
|<code>I believe you mean source.</code>
|A reference to {{w|The Force (Star Wars)|the Force}} in the {{w|Star Wars}} franchise.
|-
|<code>'''use the source luke'''</code>
|<code>I'm not luke, you're luke!</code>
|An old programmers' joke.
|-
|<code>'''vi'''</code>
| rowspan="2" |<code>You should use emacs.</code>
| rowspan="2" |A reference to [[378: Real Programmers]].
|-
|<code>'''vim'''</code>
|-
|<code>'''wget [URL]'''</code>
|(''shows the content of the specified URL'')
|<code>'''{{w|wget}}'''</code> is a command on Unix to download the content and not show it.
|-
|<code>'''who'''</code>
|<code>Doctor Who?</code>
|Another {{w|Doctor Who}} reference. The <code>'''who'''</code> command on Unix lists the logged-in users.
|-
|<code>'''Whoami'''</code>
|<code>You are Richard Stallman.</code>
|The {{w|whoami}} command lists the name of the current user. [[Richard Stallman]] is the creator of the GNU project and the Free Software Foundation.
|-

|<code>'''xkcd'''</code>
|<code>Yes?</code>
|
|-
|<code>'''xyzzy'''</code>
|<code>Nothing happens.</code>
|{{w|Xyzzy_(computing)|xyzzy}} is a magic word, originally used in the game {{w|Colossal Cave Adventure}}.
|-
|<code>'''your gay'''</code>
|<code>Keep your hands off it!</code>
|
|-
|<code>'''!!'''</code>
|(''reruns the previous command after stating the command'')
|
|}

====Game commands====
There are also some other commands borrowed from a {{w|Zork}} like {{w|Text-based game|text-based adventure game}}.
{| class="sortable wikitable"
! Command
! Response
! Explanation
|-
|<code>'''look'''</code>
|(''describes your current surroundings'')
|
|-
|<code>'''go [direction]'''</code>
|(''moves you in the specified direction'')
|Going West repeatedly will list the refrain from the song {{w|Go West (song)|Go West}}.
|-
|<code>'''light lamp'''</code>
|(''lights your lamp'')
|You will be killed by a {{w|Grue (monster)|grue}} if you don't light your lamp when going south.
|-
|<code>'''sleep [seconds]'''</code>
|(''sleeps for the specified time'')
|Without specifying, the nap is 5 seconds.
|}

====Konami code====
[[File:Konami code.png|300px|thumb|The image used as the background after using the Konami code five times.]]The terminal also responds to the {{w|Konami code}} Up, Up, Down, Down, Left, Right, Left, Right, B, A. Entering this code repeatedly will, in order:
# Transform all characters to uppercase
# Add a greatest shadow
# Add an orange text-shadow
# Shake the screen
# Add a background image of [[Richard Stallman]] from [[345: 1337: Part 5]].

==Transcript==
{{incomplete transcript|Describe the initial interface fully.}}
:[The screen is black.]
:[The text is white, monospaced, and in the top left, similar to that of a computer terminal.]
:[The terminal automatically runs the command:]
:display
:[The most recent XKCD comic appears below the current line.]
:[The terminal runs the command:]
:cat welcome.txt
:Terminal: Welcome to the unixkcd console.
:Terminal: To navigate the comics, enter "next", "prev", "first", "last", "display", or "random".
:Terminal: Use "ls", "cat", and "cd" to navigate the filesystem.
:[A blinking text cursor appears on the next line, and you can type in commands to make the terminal do stuff.]

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:April Fools' Day comics|0800]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Richard Stallman]]
[[Category:Computers]]
[[Category:Dynamic comics]]
[[Category:Interactive comics]]
[[Category:Comics with animation]]
[[Category:No title text]]
[[Category:Comics with inverted brightness]]
[[Category:Programming]]

Talk:1313: Regex Golf

2025-05-10T00:59:09Z

Bb777:

This is fairly simple fun little one.

Regex is sort for regular expressions. A regular expression is a series of characters that denotes a search criteria. For example, you could write a regular expression that would search for anything that looks like an address (a la [http://www.xkcd.com/208/ comic 208]).

Regex golf is a game in which you attempt to write a regular expression that will search through a list of items and bring back only those items that meet a certain criteria, but not anything else. The joke is that regular expressions are used to search text, but themselves are text strings. This means that you could write a regular expression that would look for another regular expression. You can then apply ''ad infinitum'', and the universe implodes or something.

--[[User:Holshy|Holshy]] ([[User talk:Holshy|talk]]) 05:40, 6 January 2014 (UTC)

The last panel includes, of course, a regex "/(meta-)*regex golf/," which represents the phrase "regex golf" preceded by the phrase "meta-" up to ''infinite'' times.

As a punchline, it also refers to Jamie Zawinski's well-known quote about regex,

<blockquote>Some people, when confronted with a problem, think "I know, I'll use regular expressions." Now they have two problems.</blockquote>

Thus, the punchline is that the addition of meta layers to regex golf generates more problems for the programmer, but that was also the setup of the comic. So either the punchline is really weak—worth a chuckle if you got the above two references—or I missed the joke.
[[Special:Contributions/199.27.128.63|199.27.128.63]] 06:22, 6 January 2014 (UTC)

Could anybody comment on the first regex? Do I get it right that
beyond others it will match all strings that contain a "b"? I can hardly believe that is not the case for any star trek subtitle... [[Special:Contributions/173.245.53.194|173.245.53.194]] 06:54, 6 January 2014 (UTC)
:This is the case for all Star Trek Subtitles. Wikipedia's list of movies had no b. It'll match anything containing a word ending in ''m'', any word beginning with ''n'' or ''t'' that is not the first word, or any word with a ''b''. No Trek movies match. Oddly, so far as I can figure out, the regex in the first panel is wrong, in that it doesn't match the second Star Wars movie at all. And before you tell me prequels don't count, the sole purpose of "m " is to match The Phanto''m ''Menace.[[Special:Contributions/199.27.128.138|199.27.128.138]] 07:10, 6 January 2014 (UTC)
Attack of[ t]he Clones (to be read plainly, not as a regular expression). [[Special:Contributions/173.245.53.107|173.245.53.107]] 07:29, 6 January 2014 (UTC)
:Ah, I thought it was ''The Clone Wars''. [[Special:Contributions/199.27.128.138|199.27.128.138]] 15:36, 6 January 2014 (UTC)
So, if I add an "e" to the "tn" and delete the "|b" I'm a better golf player than her? [[Special:Contributions/108.162.212.194|108.162.212.194]] 08:23, 6 January 2014 (UTC)
:Or you could just move the "b" into the "tn" group. --11:08, 6 January 2014 (UTC)

I got a sneak preview of this comic at about 6:34 EST...at first it appeared to be random text in a irc message, but with this comic it now makes sense to me. [[User:Verticalbar|Verticalbar]] ([[User talk:Verticalbar|talk]]) 09:31, 6 January 2014 (UTC)

'''Regex golf''' (c.f. {{w|Perl golf}}) is a programming competition / is a pastime of finding regular expression that matches one set of strings while matching none of the other set. See for example http://regex.alf.nu --[[User:JakubNarebski|JakubNarebski]] ([[User talk:JakubNarebski|talk]]) 11:03, 6 January 2014 (UTC)

The title text isn't exactly true... I haven't tried everything, but that regex doesn't match "gerald ford" at all. [[Special:Contributions/199.27.128.109|199.27.128.109]] 11:23, 6 January 2014 (UTC)
: Gerald Ford wasn't elected, he became President following Nixon's resignation.
[[Special:Contributions/173.245.52.209|173.245.52.209]] 12:12, 6 January 2014 (UTC)

Inspired by regex.alf.nu, a reader built a page where the objective is to make a regular expression to match all Star Wars and no Star Trek: http://zegnat.github.io/xkcd1313/. [[Special:Contributions/173.245.53.127|173.245.53.127]] 14:00, 6 January 2014 (UTC)

I added a list of all US elected presidents and the part of the title regex they match. I used a python script to generate it, with input from [http://http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_United_States_presidential_candidates here], then I removed all presidents that do not match after finding they really weren't elected. There may still be superflous ones, that weren't elected but do match the regex, please check. [[Special:Contributions/173.245.49.64|173.245.49.64]] 14:29, 6 January 2014 (UTC)

Does anyone understand the final "No, I had those already"? Is it a reference to regexes in some way or could it be something like that there are infinite problems in life, even when not doing (Meta-)*-Regexes? --[[Special:Contributions/173.245.53.199|173.245.53.199]] 20:32, 6 January 2014 (UTC)

According to Peter Norvig (Director of research at google), one of the Regular Expression of Randall is wrong as demonstrated here : http://nbviewer.ipython.org/url/norvig.com/ipython/xkcd1313.ipynb [[User:Mbussonn|Mbussonn]] ([[User talk:Mbussonn|talk]]) 20:47, 6 January 2014 (UTC)
: It's happening. --[[Special:Contributions/173.245.53.153|173.245.53.153]] 11:39, 7 January 2014 (UTC)

"No one wins at [^ ]+ golf." [[Special:Contributions/141.101.98.209|141.101.98.209]] 09:50, 7 January 2014 (UTC)
: Gee, would that be "No one wins at \S+ golf."? [[User:IronyChef|IronyChef]] ([[User talk:IronyChef|talk]]) 23:57, 9 January 2014 (UTC)

Why does this say that it is Case Sensitive. As far as I can tell it would not work if that were true.[[Special:Contributions/108.162.219.59|108.162.219.59]] 02:28, 7 February 2014 (UTC)

"Note that if one included the animated film “Star Wars: The Clone Wars” it would be matched by “ [tn]”."
- I don't see how this is true, since the T is at the beginning of the subtitle. If this matched, then surely so would all of the original series Star Trek films. {{unsigned ip|141.101.99.41}}

"I got infinite problems and a bitch ain,t one" 15:50, 29 August 2014 (UTC) {{unsigned ip|173.245.56.191}}

Looks like the algorithm is a bit outdated. It fails to match {{w|Star Wars: The Force Awakens|The Force Awakens}} but matches {{w|Star Trek Beyond|Beyond}}--[[Special:Contributions/108.162.212.51|108.162.212.51]] 17:57, 5 September 2015 (UTC)

For the 2016 election, the regex predicts that a Democrat (either) will beat Donald Trump, who will win the Republican primaries. {{unsigned ip|141.101.106.233}}

I like that linked article, even though I'm not really into programming. Just noticed Norvig misspells Randall's last name as Monroe instead of Munroe.
[[Special:Contributions/108.162.237.71|108.162.237.71]] 03:42, 15 March 2016 (UTC)

How would Trump work with this?
EDIT: Hillary works but Trump doesn't. [[Special:Contributions/162.158.75.73|162.158.75.73]] 00:23, 14 November 2016 (UTC)

The article says that the Presidents Regex is now impossible to update after Trump's win over Hillary. However, if Hillary were to win in a future election, it would work again as per the rule stated above the list, wouldn't it? --[[Special:Contributions/162.158.91.35|162.158.91.35]] 09:26, 3 April 2017 (UTC)

This isn't true either - there was already a presidential loser whose surname was Clinton (DeWitt Clinton, 1812). So presumably Hillary Clinton is likewise not considered in terms of regex eligibility. --[[Special:Contributions/172.68.132.59|172.68.132.59]] 23:05, 13 April 2017 (UTC)

For the Star Wars/Star Trek golf, including the new films, I've got /m | [tn]|ba|a[sw]/. Can anyone do better? {{unsigned|Misterblue28}}
:Including Star Wars films up to ''The Rise of Skywalker'', I get /ke|a.t.|n.*h/. --[[Special:Contributions/172.69.63.47|172.69.63.47]] 20:46, 20 May 2019 (UTC)
Does this work for Trump v Hillary? {{unsigned ip|162.158.154.103}}
: I was just wondering the same thing. Pretty sure it's now literally impossible, since you'd have to both match AND exclude "Clinton". [[Special:Contributions/162.158.75.88|162.158.75.88]] 13:15, 2 October 2018 (UTC)

== Regex golf with transcript ==

So I decided to play regex golf with the transcript (after learning regex) and it was kinda fun.
Here's my list of lines to match:

[Megan is sitting at a laptop. Cueball is standing behind her.]

Megan: /m | [tn]|b/ matches Star Wars subtitles but not Star Trek.

[A close-up of Megan at her laptop.]

Cueball (offscreen): Uh oh...

[Megan typing at her laptop.]

[Cueball facepalming.]

[Another closeup of Megan at her laptop.]

Cueball: Now you have infinite problems.

Here's my list of lines not to match:

Regex golf:

Megan: You try to match one group but not the other.

Cueball: Cool.

Meta-regex golf:

Megan: So I wrote a program that plays regex golf with arbitrary lists...

Meta-meta-regex golf:

Megan: ...But I lost my code, so I'm grepping for files that look like regex golf solvers.

...And beyond:

Megan: Really, this is all /(meta-)*regex golf/.

Megan: No, I had those already.

And here's my (very bad) regex.
\[|ms|h\.
(Hey, I learned yesterday)[[Special:Contributions/162.158.255.34|162.158.255.34]] 16:40, 17 October 2019 (UTC)

Wanted to drop this hairball from earlier:
\/\/([^\n]|\\\n?)*$(?<!\\$)|\/\*(([^\/*]|\*(?!\/))*)\*\/
{{User:PoolloverNathan/Signature}} 17:29, 4 November 2022 (UTC)

to infinity and beyond!--[[User:Bb777|definitly buzz lightyear]] ([[User talk:Bb777|talk]]) 00:58, 10 May 2025 (UTC)

Talk:1313: Regex Golf

2025-05-10T00:58:42Z

Bb777:

This is fairly simple fun little one.

Regex is sort for regular expressions. A regular expression is a series of characters that denotes a search criteria. For example, you could write a regular expression that would search for anything that looks like an address (a la [http://www.xkcd.com/208/ comic 208]).

Regex golf is a game in which you attempt to write a regular expression that will search through a list of items and bring back only those items that meet a certain criteria, but not anything else. The joke is that regular expressions are used to search text, but themselves are text strings. This means that you could write a regular expression that would look for another regular expression. You can then apply ''ad infinitum'', and the universe implodes or something.

--[[User:Holshy|Holshy]] ([[User talk:Holshy|talk]]) 05:40, 6 January 2014 (UTC)

The last panel includes, of course, a regex "/(meta-)*regex golf/," which represents the phrase "regex golf" preceded by the phrase "meta-" up to ''infinite'' times.

As a punchline, it also refers to Jamie Zawinski's well-known quote about regex,

<blockquote>Some people, when confronted with a problem, think "I know, I'll use regular expressions." Now they have two problems.</blockquote>

Thus, the punchline is that the addition of meta layers to regex golf generates more problems for the programmer, but that was also the setup of the comic. So either the punchline is really weak—worth a chuckle if you got the above two references—or I missed the joke.
[[Special:Contributions/199.27.128.63|199.27.128.63]] 06:22, 6 January 2014 (UTC)

Could anybody comment on the first regex? Do I get it right that
beyond others it will match all strings that contain a "b"? I can hardly believe that is not the case for any star trek subtitle... [[Special:Contributions/173.245.53.194|173.245.53.194]] 06:54, 6 January 2014 (UTC)
:This is the case for all Star Trek Subtitles. Wikipedia's list of movies had no b. It'll match anything containing a word ending in ''m'', any word beginning with ''n'' or ''t'' that is not the first word, or any word with a ''b''. No Trek movies match. Oddly, so far as I can figure out, the regex in the first panel is wrong, in that it doesn't match the second Star Wars movie at all. And before you tell me prequels don't count, the sole purpose of "m " is to match The Phanto''m ''Menace.[[Special:Contributions/199.27.128.138|199.27.128.138]] 07:10, 6 January 2014 (UTC)
Attack of[ t]he Clones (to be read plainly, not as a regular expression). [[Special:Contributions/173.245.53.107|173.245.53.107]] 07:29, 6 January 2014 (UTC)
:Ah, I thought it was ''The Clone Wars''. [[Special:Contributions/199.27.128.138|199.27.128.138]] 15:36, 6 January 2014 (UTC)
So, if I add an "e" to the "tn" and delete the "|b" I'm a better golf player than her? [[Special:Contributions/108.162.212.194|108.162.212.194]] 08:23, 6 January 2014 (UTC)
:Or you could just move the "b" into the "tn" group. --11:08, 6 January 2014 (UTC)

I got a sneak preview of this comic at about 6:34 EST...at first it appeared to be random text in a irc message, but with this comic it now makes sense to me. [[User:Verticalbar|Verticalbar]] ([[User talk:Verticalbar|talk]]) 09:31, 6 January 2014 (UTC)

'''Regex golf''' (c.f. {{w|Perl golf}}) is a programming competition / is a pastime of finding regular expression that matches one set of strings while matching none of the other set. See for example http://regex.alf.nu --[[User:JakubNarebski|JakubNarebski]] ([[User talk:JakubNarebski|talk]]) 11:03, 6 January 2014 (UTC)

The title text isn't exactly true... I haven't tried everything, but that regex doesn't match "gerald ford" at all. [[Special:Contributions/199.27.128.109|199.27.128.109]] 11:23, 6 January 2014 (UTC)
: Gerald Ford wasn't elected, he became President following Nixon's resignation.
[[Special:Contributions/173.245.52.209|173.245.52.209]] 12:12, 6 January 2014 (UTC)

Inspired by regex.alf.nu, a reader built a page where the objective is to make a regular expression to match all Star Wars and no Star Trek: http://zegnat.github.io/xkcd1313/. [[Special:Contributions/173.245.53.127|173.245.53.127]] 14:00, 6 January 2014 (UTC)

I added a list of all US elected presidents and the part of the title regex they match. I used a python script to generate it, with input from [http://http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_United_States_presidential_candidates here], then I removed all presidents that do not match after finding they really weren't elected. There may still be superflous ones, that weren't elected but do match the regex, please check. [[Special:Contributions/173.245.49.64|173.245.49.64]] 14:29, 6 January 2014 (UTC)

Does anyone understand the final "No, I had those already"? Is it a reference to regexes in some way or could it be something like that there are infinite problems in life, even when not doing (Meta-)*-Regexes? --[[Special:Contributions/173.245.53.199|173.245.53.199]] 20:32, 6 January 2014 (UTC)

According to Peter Norvig (Director of research at google), one of the Regular Expression of Randall is wrong as demonstrated here : http://nbviewer.ipython.org/url/norvig.com/ipython/xkcd1313.ipynb [[User:Mbussonn|Mbussonn]] ([[User talk:Mbussonn|talk]]) 20:47, 6 January 2014 (UTC)
: It's happening. --[[Special:Contributions/173.245.53.153|173.245.53.153]] 11:39, 7 January 2014 (UTC)

"No one wins at [^ ]+ golf." [[Special:Contributions/141.101.98.209|141.101.98.209]] 09:50, 7 January 2014 (UTC)
: Gee, would that be "No one wins at \S+ golf."? [[User:IronyChef|IronyChef]] ([[User talk:IronyChef|talk]]) 23:57, 9 January 2014 (UTC)

Why does this say that it is Case Sensitive. As far as I can tell it would not work if that were true.[[Special:Contributions/108.162.219.59|108.162.219.59]] 02:28, 7 February 2014 (UTC)

"Note that if one included the animated film “Star Wars: The Clone Wars” it would be matched by “ [tn]”."
- I don't see how this is true, since the T is at the beginning of the subtitle. If this matched, then surely so would all of the original series Star Trek films. {{unsigned ip|141.101.99.41}}

"I got infinite problems and a bitch ain,t one" 15:50, 29 August 2014 (UTC) {{unsigned ip|173.245.56.191}}

Looks like the algorithm is a bit outdated. It fails to match {{w|Star Wars: The Force Awakens|The Force Awakens}} but matches {{w|Star Trek Beyond|Beyond}}--[[Special:Contributions/108.162.212.51|108.162.212.51]] 17:57, 5 September 2015 (UTC)

For the 2016 election, the regex predicts that a Democrat (either) will beat Donald Trump, who will win the Republican primaries. {{unsigned ip|141.101.106.233}}

I like that linked article, even though I'm not really into programming. Just noticed Norvig misspells Randall's last name as Monroe instead of Munroe.
[[Special:Contributions/108.162.237.71|108.162.237.71]] 03:42, 15 March 2016 (UTC)

How would Trump work with this?
EDIT: Hillary works but Trump doesn't. [[Special:Contributions/162.158.75.73|162.158.75.73]] 00:23, 14 November 2016 (UTC)

The article says that the Presidents Regex is now impossible to update after Trump's win over Hillary. However, if Hillary were to win in a future election, it would work again as per the rule stated above the list, wouldn't it? --[[Special:Contributions/162.158.91.35|162.158.91.35]] 09:26, 3 April 2017 (UTC)

This isn't true either - there was already a presidential loser whose surname was Clinton (DeWitt Clinton, 1812). So presumably Hillary Clinton is likewise not considered in terms of regex eligibility. --[[Special:Contributions/172.68.132.59|172.68.132.59]] 23:05, 13 April 2017 (UTC)

For the Star Wars/Star Trek golf, including the new films, I've got /m | [tn]|ba|a[sw]/. Can anyone do better? {{unsigned|Misterblue28}}
:Including Star Wars films up to ''The Rise of Skywalker'', I get /ke|a.t.|n.*h/. --[[Special:Contributions/172.69.63.47|172.69.63.47]] 20:46, 20 May 2019 (UTC)
Does this work for Trump v Hillary? {{unsigned ip|162.158.154.103}}
: I was just wondering the same thing. Pretty sure it's now literally impossible, since you'd have to both match AND exclude "Clinton". [[Special:Contributions/162.158.75.88|162.158.75.88]] 13:15, 2 October 2018 (UTC)

== Regex golf with transcript ==

So I decided to play regex golf with the transcript (after learning regex) and it was kinda fun.
Here's my list of lines to match:

[Megan is sitting at a laptop. Cueball is standing behind her.]

Megan: /m | [tn]|b/ matches Star Wars subtitles but not Star Trek.

[A close-up of Megan at her laptop.]

Cueball (offscreen): Uh oh...

[Megan typing at her laptop.]

[Cueball facepalming.]

[Another closeup of Megan at her laptop.]

Cueball: Now you have infinite problems.

Here's my list of lines not to match:

Regex golf:

Megan: You try to match one group but not the other.

Cueball: Cool.

Meta-regex golf:

Megan: So I wrote a program that plays regex golf with arbitrary lists...

Meta-meta-regex golf:

Megan: ...But I lost my code, so I'm grepping for files that look like regex golf solvers.

...And beyond:

Megan: Really, this is all /(meta-)*regex golf/.

Megan: No, I had those already.

And here's my (very bad) regex.
\[|ms|h\.
(Hey, I learned yesterday)[[Special:Contributions/162.158.255.34|162.158.255.34]] 16:40, 17 October 2019 (UTC)

Wanted to drop this hairball from earlier:
\/\/([^\n]|\\\n?)*$(?<!\\$)|\/\*(([^\/*]|\*(?!\/))*)\*\/
{{User:PoolloverNathan/Signature}} 17:29, 4 November 2022 (UTC)

to infinity and beyond!--[[User:Bb777|me, hi]] ([[User talk:Bb777|talk]]) 00:58, 10 May 2025 (UTC)

2708: Mystery Asterisk Destination

2025-05-05T01:53:00Z

Bb777:

{{comic
| number = 2708
| date = December 7, 2022
| title = Mystery Asterisk Destination
| image = mystery_asterisk_destination_2x.png
| imagesize = 288x248px
| noexpand = true
| titletext = If you ever see the † dagger symbol with no unmatched footnote, it means the writer is saying the phrase while threatening you with a dagger.
}}

==Explanation==

This comic pertains to the use of asterisks and other symbols for [[1208|footnotes]] or endnotes.* It jokes that when an asterisk appears after a word without a corresponding footnote, it refers to this comic.* Missing footnotes can be frustrating, so this comic may provide closure for some readers; similar in spirit to [[391: Anti-Mindvirus]] and opposite to the tension created by the unmatched parenthesis in [[859: (]]. Better close that)

The title text jokes that unmatched instances of † (the dagger symbol, also used for footnotes) are threats being made by the author to the reader with a physical dagger. As of this writing, it states "If you ever see the † dagger symbol with no '''''un'''''matched footnote...", forming a double negative. This is likely a typo intended as "...no matching footnote."

† In some contexts, an unpaired asterisk or dagger may not refer to a footnote, and thus not constitute a mystery. Examples include programming languages and mathematical expressions using asterisks such as for the multiplication operator, and dates of birth and death which are sometimes indicated with an asterisk or dagger respectively.

==Transcript==
:[A blank panel with text at the bottom.]
:'''*'''Whenever you see a mystery asterisk that doesn't have a matching footnote, it points here.

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Footnotes]]

Talk:356: Nerd Sniping

2025-05-04T20:59:30Z

Bb777:

Just because the problem contains an infinite series (or parallel) doesn't mean that it's unsolvable. It's tricky, certainly, and getting the "true" answer involves some rather heavy math, but it's not impossible. Indeed, Google shows that it's already been answered. [[Special:Contributions/76.122.5.96|76.122.5.96]] 20:42, 20 September 2012 (UTC)

I've always had an issue with this problem for one simple reason. In an infinite set of resistors, there is no space to apply a charge, thus there is no resistance. Ohm's law states Resistance = Voltage / I(current). So, in a system where there is no current (creating a divide by zero error), and there is no voltage (no change in electron work capacity, because we don't have a way to excite the electrons, because there is no power) Resistance is incalculable. [[User:Lcarsos|lcarsos]] ([[User talk:Lcarsos|talk]]) 22:22, 20 September 2012 (UTC)
:We live in 3 dimensions, just place a battery above the grid with wires going to the 2 points. --[[Special:Contributions/84.197.34.154|84.197.34.154]] 22:59, 24 October 2012 (UTC)
::Not everybody does... --[[Special:Contributions/85.159.196.14|FlatlandDweller]] 11:08, 15 November 2012 (UTC)
::: baDumpBump! [[Special:Contributions/172.68.142.89|172.68.142.89]] 16:22, 28 June 2018 (UTC)
::I believe the OP is referencing the issue that an infinite circuit could not hold a current. Connecting a battery would only work for a finite grid. In addition, the orientation of the battery in physical space has no relation to its behavior in a circuit, only the points of connection matter. Think about what the battery is doing to generate a current. How does electric potential apply over an infinite grid? Even moving it through a magnetic field won't work as the flux will be uniform across each cross section. You can't rotate an infinite grid either...{{unsigned|Flewk}}
: This is an idealized version of the general problem of determining the resistance between two points in a volume of some material. Like, say, two electrode tips in a liquid electrolyte? Getting a mathematically exact solution in this situation requires integrating over an infinity of paths, even when the liquid volume is finite. Add in the fact that there are no perfect insulators, and you'll have to consider arbitrarily long paths, too. [[Special:Contributions/162.158.203.15|162.158.203.15]] 03:46, 19 April 2021 (UTC)

:Just crocodidoodle the battery to the pencil lines as and where required for an infinity of varieteediddly.[[User:Weatherlawyer| I used Google News BEFORE it was clickbait]] ([[User talk:Weatherlawyer|talk]]) 18:51, 20 January 2015 (UTC)

This problem is "unsolvable" only if you try to just use the basic methods for finite networks.
There is a page on this at [http://mathpages.com/home/kmath668/kmath668.htm http://mathpages.com/home/kmath668/kmath668.htm] that reports that the cited points have a resistance of '''4/pi - 1/2''' ohms (.773234... ohms).
The 1/2 ohm resistance between adjacent nodes is actually well known.
[[User:Divad27182|Divad27182]] ([[User talk:Divad27182|talk]]) 05:05, 5 October 2012 (UTC)

:Solution here as well: http://mathworld.wolfram.com/news/2004-10-13/google/ [[User:Potie15|Potie15]] ([[User talk:Potie15|talk]]) 03:50, 18 March 2013 (UTC)

Nowhere it is said that the problem is unsolvable, just that it is interesting. Of course, the sniping is more effective if the problem is also difficult to solve, because otherwise the victim would get over it quickly. [[User:Dargor17|Dargor17]] ([[User talk:Dargor17|talk]]) 17:47, 16 June 2013 (UTC)

That method for parallel resistors is wrong. You don't divide resistances by the number of paths, you sum the reciprocals and then take the reciprocal of that. The method described only works if every resistor has the same value. While that's true in this problem, it's misleading to pass that off as a method that works for all cases. --[[Special:Contributions/173.245.55.60|173.245.55.60]] 03:32, 1 April 2014 (UTC)
:Good point. I made some slight alterations to clarify that we are assuming the resistors are equal. It seems a better solution than getting into the more complex version of the problem. --[[User:BlueMoonlet|BlueMoonlet]] ([[User talk:BlueMoonlet|talk]]) 12:20, 1 April 2014 (UTC)

The real question is: why did the physicist cross the road? --[[User:Alcatraz ii|Alcatraz ii]] ([[User talk:Alcatraz ii|talk]]) 00:53, 29 September 2014 (UTC)

:to get to the other sine. Or if you want a punchline specific to physics (sine is a math concept technically)... Brownian motion--[[User:Twisted Code|Twisted Code]] ([[User talk:Twisted Code|talk]]) 20:25, 30 March 2023 (UTC)

Amazing. From the first comment the discussion is diverted from discussing the comic, to discussing the problem presented in the comic. The commentators have been nerd sniped by a demonstration of nerd sniping. Randall is just that good. [[Special:Contributions/108.162.216.86|108.162.216.86]] 17:55, 30 April 2014 (UTC)

"Sniping" might also be a pun or have a deliberately dual meaning in this context, referring to both a sniper and a [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Snipe_hunt snipe hunt] (do kids still practice the latter?). The former makes sense if Black Hat's purpose is to actually rid the world of physics and math nerds (consistent with his characteristic misanthropy and cynicism), but the latter also fits the theme of merely distracting a nerd with an impossible task, which the title text suggests may have been Randall's motivation for the strip. (On a side note, the Wikipedia article reveals that the terms sniper and snipe hunt have a common origin, which makes twice in the last month it's resolved a long-standing etymological puzzle for me. The other case united the multiple, seemingly unrelated meanings of minute <nowiki>["tiny" vs. time]</nowiki> and second <nowiki>[ordinal vs. time]</nowiki>; see [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sexagesimal#Notation sexagesimal].) [[Special:Contributions/173.245.54.182|173.245.54.182]] 01:40, 18 June 2014 (UTC)

:I've been led to believe that 'minute' means 'tiny amount of time', 'second' is 'secondary tiny amount of time', and , I quote "Real snipe (a family of shorebirds) are difficult to catch for experienced hunters, so much so that the word "sniper" is derived from it to refer to anyone skilled enough to shoot one." from the snipe hunt wiki page. [[Special:Contributions/141.101.104.4|141.101.104.4]] 23:45, 27 September 2014 (UTC)

Why doesn't someone solder together a thousand one ohm resistors into a grid then use an ohmmeter to measure the resistance? Then repeat with smaller and smaller grids to see if there's any effect on the measurement. If the resistance does not change, or at least doesn't change until the grid size gets quite small, then the "infinite" term in the problem is a 'red herring' to mislead. Pointless, useless, irrelevant etc information in problems is a common tactic for gauging the ability to recognize and reject such data. [[Special:Contributions/199.27.133.122|199.27.133.122]] 00:35, 18 November 2014 (UTC)

Incidentally, should this page mention that what if 113 (I don't know how to do links, sorry) contains a picture of this comic? [[Special:Contributions/108.162.216.65|108.162.216.65]] 23:36, 24 February 2015 (UTC)
:Yes I will do so. Have just referred to another what if where he is mentioning nerd sniping. --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 11:40, 16 February 2016 (UTC)

[[Special:Contributions/141.101.98.34|141.101.98.34]] 12:17, 22 May 2015 (UTC) Am I the only one concerned with the fact that this poor guy was still on a crosswalk? The truck should have stopped. [[Special:Contributions/141.101.98.34|141.101.98.34]] 12:17, 22 May 2015 (UTC)
:No you are not, and good point --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 11:40, 16 February 2016 (UTC)

When the number of parallel resistors increase, the equivalent resistance decreases. So, in an infinite grid, wouldn't it approach zero? [[User:UrubuSelvagem|UrubuSelvagem]] ([[User talk:UrubuSelvagem|talk]]) 03:43, 28 September 2015 (UTC)
:They are also in series. For each parallel group, there is, in fact a corresponding group in series. {{unsigned|Flewk}}

It is not directly relevant to the discussion of the comic, but this needs to be posted here. Perhaps the best nerd snipe ever actually achieved and a nearly perfect match for the comic (my professor put it in the lecture notes for my group theory class):
"Coxeter came to Cambridge and he gave a lecture, then he had this problem ... I left the lecture room thinking. As I was walking through Cambridge, suddenly the idea hit me, but it hit me while I was in the middle of the road. When the idea hit me I stopped and a large truck ran into me ... So I pretended that Coxeter had calculated the difficulty of this problem so precisely that he knew that I would get the solution just in the middle of the road ... One consequence of it is that in a group if a^2=b^3=c^5= (abc)^-1, then c^610=1."
(J.H. Conway, Math. Intelligencer v. 23 no. 2 (2001))
I did a search, and the entire passage can be read [https://books.google.ca/books?id=aFHyUfFUVIwC&pg=PA22&lpg=PA22&dq=Coxeter+came+to+Cambridge+and+he+gave+a+lecture,+then+he+had+this+problem+...++Ileft+the+lecture+room+thinking.+As+I+was+walking+through+Cambridge,+suddenly+theidea+hit+me,++but+it+hit+me+while+I+was+in+the+middle+of+the+road.++When+the+ideahit+me+I+stopped+and+a+large+truck+ran+into+me+...++So+I+pretended+that+Coxeter+hadcalculated+the+difficulty+of+this+problem+so+precisely+that+he+knew+that+I+would+getthe+solution+just+in+the+middle+of+the+roa&source=bl&ots=CgmxTG2n0w&sig=ohqqBGtJrpuQFeiCPPusMVsQUV4&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0CB0Q6AEwAGoVChMIy4KdnPakyAIV0ZeICh2OGghP#v=onepage&q=Coxeter%20came%20to%20Cambridge%20and%20he%20gave%20a%20lecture%2C%20then%20he%20had%20this%20problem%20...%20%20Ileft%20the%20lecture%20room%20thinking.%20As%20I%20was%20walking%20through%20Cambridge%2C%20suddenly%20theidea%20hit%20me%2C%20%20but%20it%20hit%20me%20while%20I%20was%20in%20the%20middle%20of%20the%20road.%20%20When%20the%20ideahit%20me%20I%20stopped%20and%20a%20large%20truck%20ran%20into%20me%20...%20%20So%20I%20pretended%20that%20Coxeter%20hadcalculated%20the%20difficulty%20of%20this%20problem%20so%20precisely%20that%20he%20knew%20that%20I%20would%20getthe%20solution%20just%20in%20the%20middle%20of%20the%20roa&f=false here] perhaps it is even possible that this event is the inspiration for this comic? The inclusion of the "large truck" is almost too perfect. [[Special:Contributions/108.162.240.217|108.162.240.217]] 23:45, 2 October 2015 (UTC)
:I have now added this story in a new trivia section. --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 11:40, 16 February 2016 (UTC)

I know a solution that use random walks. :) {{unsigned ip|141.101.95.153}}

I really like this comic. It says a lot about Black Hat, but so much more about Randall :-) --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 11:40, 16 February 2016 (UTC)

So, *that's* how they did Gaudi in! I always suspected a plot; now I see the method. [[Special:Contributions/172.68.142.89|172.68.142.89]] 16:30, 28 June 2018 (UTC)

Solution: ~0.7729906038309804 ohm. [[User:GcGYSF(asterisk)P(vertical line)e|GcGYSF(asterisk)P(vertical line)e]] ([[User talk:GcGYSF(asterisk)P(vertical line)e|talk]]) 20:36, 4 September 2021 (UTC)

Can't speak for Black Hat's (or Randall's) jurisdiction, but over here a vehicle not stopping for someone on a zebra crossing (especially, but also not taking some basic actions to avoid ''any'' unexpected hazard in ''any'' road, including not going too fast to do so) would be an actual driving offence. Obviously someone stepping out from behind parked vehicles, or wildlife randomly crossing busy roads without regard for 'human' common sense, would be mitigation and probably become a no-fault situation, but someone clearly stood in an empty road (let alone upon a marked crossing point) should not be a surprise to even a looming juggernaut being responsibly driven. The regressive anti-pedestrian laws in the US might somehow {{tvtropes|LookBothWays|excuse this hollywood trope}}, but it still always bothers me when a character (gloating antagonist/doomed love-interest/whoever) gets suddenly side-slammed by a vehicle that nobody (we, they, the 'safe on the sidewalk' observers) had seen/heard until the moment before the impact (if that), but whose driver ''also'' appears to have been oblivious. And where there's no obvious sign of brakes used, vehicle and victim usually dissapearing just as rapidly off the opposite side of the shot, possibly remains so. (Does not apply to malicious side-swipes, obviously, where vehicle-as-a-weapon is invoked by whoever has gained off-screen control of the 'weapon', either to {{tvtropes|SurpriseCarCrash|kick off a villainous attack}} or for a co-protagonist to interupt an {{tvtropes|EvilGloating|attempted pre-mortem evil gloat}}...) [[Special:Contributions/172.70.90.48|172.70.90.48]] 09:38, 23 January 2024 (UTC)

:I don't think the comic is meant to imply that running over pedestrians is legal or desirable. [[Special:Contributions/172.71.150.156|172.71.150.156]] 20:41, 20 November 2024 (UTC)

I created some YouTube Video that details how the problem can be solved (also exploring some paths that do not work): Here is the gitlab page for that https://gitlab.com/mooond/grid-of-1ohm-resistors and here is the youtube playlist (the solution is mostly in chapter III): https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLoGRr8ff1uXESrWh6z0BNTYpc4Y-hlBOm

Why should we assume that the physicist was actually hit by the truck? We only see him stopping in the middle of a street and the truck braking hard. Black Hat has clearly created a dangerous situation here, but has not necessarily killed. [[User:Bebidek|Bebidek]] ([[User talk:Bebidek|talk]]) 00:59, 4 December 2024 (UTC)

I think an additional reference to this concept would be [[2467: Wikipedia Caltrops]]. [[User:Kilvin|Kilvin]] ([[User talk:Kilvin|talk]]) 23:19, 17 December 2024 (UTC)

would be fun if someone made a video game out of this.--[[User:Bb777|me, hi]] ([[User talk:Bb777|talk]]) 14:36, 4 May 2025 (UTC)

wait. is the physicist-mathematican thing [[435: Purity]]?--[[User:Bb777|me, hi]] ([[User talk:Bb777|talk]]) 20:59, 4 May 2025 (UTC)

Talk:2873: Supersymmetry

2025-05-04T15:11:44Z

Bb777:

Ah, good, I was ''just'' about to tell people (on 2872's Talk page) that there was a new one... (And that we obviously need to prod the theusafBOT.) Currently, [[2872: Hydrothermal Vents]] doesn't have the 'Next' links to here, but (from last comic's experience) it might just be a matter of nudging its server-side cache a bit. I'll try the tricks I tried yesterday. [[Special:Contributions/141.101.99.101|141.101.99.101]] 20:08, 27 December 2023 (UTC)

Too bad the franchise has never introduced a Weach character (there's a couple of witches). A game with Peach as the main protagonist would be interesting, and it would give us a convenient positron. [[Special:Contributions/172.71.26.135|172.71.26.135]] 20:56, 27 December 2023 (UTC)
:If they made Weach, people would start asking for Wowser. [[Special:Contributions/108.162.245.202|108.162.245.202]] 21:53, 27 December 2023 (UTC)
::Isn't that just Bowyer? [[Special:Contributions/172.70.131.37|172.70.131.37]] 21:59, 27 December 2023 (UTC)
:There is a Princess Peach game, Super Princess Peach. [[Special:Contributions/172.68.174.237|172.68.174.237]] 14:06, 28 December 2023 (UTC)
::We're getting another next year (Princess Peach Showtime). Maybe we'll be seeing new physics? [[Special:Contributions/172.70.105.143|172.70.105.143]] 13:04, 29 December 2023 (UTC)
I think the mouse over text references mariokart? We know that Randall plays... [[Special:Contributions/172.70.200.144|172.70.200.144]] 00:43, 28 December 2023 (UTC)
: Absolutely. It's directly referring to the track ''GCN Baby Park'', found in ''{{w|Mario Kart: Double Dash|Double Dash}}'', ''{{w|Mario Kart 8|MK8}}'', and ''{{w|Mario Kart 8 Deluxe|MK8DX}}''. on the other hand, it also references ''The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask'' (which is already included in the explanation) [[User:SomeoneIGuess|someone, i guess]]([[User talk:SomeoneIGuess|talk i guess]]|[[Special:Contributions/SomeoneIGuess|le edit list]]) 02:21, 28 December 2023 (UTC)
:Bot should be working again. —[[User:Theusaf|theusaf]] ([[User talk:Theusaf|talk]]) 19:19, 28 December 2023 (UTC)

I'm not that familiar with Mario or particle physics. What would the anti-Peach particle be? Bowsette? [[User:GreatWyrmGold|GreatWyrmGold]] ([[User talk:GreatWyrmGold|talk]]) 00:59, 28 December 2023 (UTC)
:I'm fairly well acquainted with particle physics but not at all with anything Mario (post Donkey Kong, at least). I wish now I'd formatted my own initial explanation with unordered-list (*) or tabular format of the referenced-particles side of this parody when I first visited (141.101.99.101, 20:08, 27 December 2023) rather than the current stop-gap version, but would naturally want to have columns/continuation for the Marioland characters (of which I know too little, only that they exist and that Mario's evil 'twin' is Wario at some much later point in the franchise). Can we perhaps knock it into shape, or are too many editors on Christmas break/distracted by RL? I can still reformat it into a table, but I have less idea what the Mario columns need to leave space for than the other bits... [[Special:Contributions/172.69.194.14|172.69.194.14]] 12:37, 28 December 2023 (UTC)

Clearly, he's referencing Wapeach. --[[Special:Contributions/162.158.74.118|162.158.74.118]] 10:35, 28 December 2023 (UTC)

I'd suggest to prefix the explanation by explaining what a "Super Nintendo" is. I had to look it up in the other wiki to figure that the [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Super_Nintendo_Entertainment_System SNES] (which I'm only familiar with by name) actually stands for "Super Nintendo". [[User:Ralfoide|Ralfoide]] ([[User talk:Ralfoide|talk]]) 15:09, 28 December 2023 (UTC)
:Wow. In USA in the 90s, nobody said "SNES", they all said "Super Nintendo", and all the ads called it that too.{{quote|When it comes to value, don't forget! Super Nintendo Super Set!}}[[Special:Contributions/172.69.6.107|172.69.6.107]] 23:34, 28 December 2023 (UTC)

Far out in the reaches of Zelda we find the legendary Tom Brier rendering a Zelda theme on the piano. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9dvF-Z7vPK0
[[Special:Contributions/172.71.26.127|172.71.26.127]] 16:03, 28 December 2023 (UTC)

According to Wikipedia, Electron Capture "is a process in which the proton-rich nucleus of an electrically neutral atom absorbs an inner atomic electron, usually from the K or L electron shells. This process thereby changes a nuclear proton to a neutron and simultaneously causes the emission of an electron neutrino." Does this mean Bowser is an unstable amalgamation of Marios and Luigis? Maybe all of the Marios And Luigis that failed to reach the castle become part of Bowser. And since he is made of them that is why he is obsessed with capturing Peaach. Does he release Daisy whenever he captures Peach? [[Special:Contributions/162.158.18.28|162.158.18.28]] 16:10, 28 December 2023 (UTC)

I wonder if there's significance to the "Γ" on Waluigi's hat being mirrored, or if that's just an error. Right now it's a rotated L, when it should be a vertically flipped L (or an upper-case gamma, which complicates things further). [[Special:Contributions/172.70.46.84|172.70.46.84]] 23:31, 28 December 2023 (UTC)
: I was about to dispute this claim, but then i searched Waluigi and learned this is correct. maybe it's a mandela effect, like the [[What If? 2|''O'' in Wint-O-Green]]. [[User:SomeoneIGuess|someone, i guess]]([[User talk:SomeoneIGuess|talk i guess]]|[[Special:Contributions/SomeoneIGuess|le edit list]]) 23:35, 28 December 2023 (UTC)
:: You didn't know lifesavers were "Wint-O-Green" instead of wintergreen? - [[Special:Contributions/172.69.6.107|172.69.6.107]] 09:33, 29 December 2023 (UTC)
::: Clearly, someone hasn't read ''What If? 2'', Chapter 46: Candy Crush Lightning. 
::: <blockquote>(...) but the old Wint-O-Green flavor* of Life Savers candies (...) </blockquote>
::: <blockquote><nowiki>*</nowiki> Which has apparently been spelled like that all along and I never noticed until now. I guess the ''O'' in Wint-O-Green is like the ''a'' in Berenstain Bears.</blockquote>
::: [[User:SomeoneIGuess|someone, i guess]]([[User talk:SomeoneIGuess|talk i guess]]|[[Special:Contributions/SomeoneIGuess|le edit list]]) 21:21, 29 December 2023 (UTC)

Regarding the bit where it's claimed we don't see Luigi alone games because it would spontaneously decay into Mario, the truth is that there actually are a few Luigi alone games, it's a series of games called Luigi's Mansion. Can I remove that bit? [[Special:Contributions/172.69.90.140|172.69.90.140]] 08:42, 29 December 2023 (UTC)
:Just added that bit --[[Special:Contributions/172.69.71.140|172.69.71.140]] 14:57, 29 December 2023 (UTC)

There seems to be some questions about the handedness of the Daisy particle spin, so here's my question as I have never played the game (nor do I have any particularly good knowledge of particle physics): In Mario Cart, after a collision between two players, which direction do the characters and their carts rotate? Is there a correlation? --[[Special:Contributions/198.41.242.208|198.41.242.208]] 09:28, 1 January 2024 (UTC)

Fun fact: Colonel Jack O'Neill (Richard Dean Anderson) from SG-1 called Neutrinos "Nintendos" once. [[User:Elektrizikekswerk|Elektrizikekswerk]] ([[User talk:Elektrizikekswerk|talk]]) 09:58, 2 January 2024 (UTC)

Blue shells are the Z force, i presume?
[[User:GetPunnedOn|GetPunnedOn]] ([[User talk:GetPunnedOn|talk]]) 21:35, 19 February 2024 (UTC)

bowser=positron??? --[[User:Bb777|me, hi]] ([[User talk:Bb777|talk]]) 15:11, 4 May 2025 (UTC)

Talk:2816: Types of Solar Eclipse

2025-05-04T14:51:28Z

Bb777:

Is the annular eclipse actually possible? [[Special:Contributions/162.158.78.118|162.158.78.118]] 21:24, 16 August 2023 (UTC)

Yes. https://solarsystem.nasa.gov/eclipses/2023/oct-14-annular/where-when/ [[Special:Contributions/172.69.33.7|172.69.33.7]] 21:34, 16 August 2023 (UTC)

I interpret the Hug Eclipse as the sun wrapping around the moon giving it a hug, rather than the moon being pinched in on the sides. [[Special:Contributions/172.70.211.62|172.70.211.62]] 21:38, 16 August 2023 (UTC)
:I amended that (twice, first time got blitzed in an Edit Conflict situation), when I thought of a better way (two slightly different better ways! ...might not even have used the better one, in instance #2) to describe it. But I rushed a bit anyway... I can see typos. (Not including the likes of "centre", which is not a typo but me defaulting to British English by default; though no doubt that 'needs' changing too.)
:I'm still wondering if just "label" and "description" columns are needed (image details can be recycled into Transcript, per label). Or if it could be ";header" and ":...description" without the table, but I think it looks no worse than I had feared, as the current table form. Of course, others have added more prosaic explanation paragraphs, so I'll let it sit a while. Almost certainly the other active editors here are going to have ideas about how to merge/expunge my efforts, and I'll let them copyedit my errors/'errors' as well. But at least there's a framework answer (or several) now. [[Special:Contributions/172.70.162.179|172.70.162.179]] 22:20, 16 August 2023 (UTC)

That must be a VERY scary dragonite. [[Special:Contributions/172.71.26.153|172.71.26.153]] 02:20, 17 August 2023 (UTC)
: I think I need an explain XKCD for the dragonite reference in the bot joke... [[Special:Contributions/172.70.210.160|172.70.210.160]] 16:49, 17 August 2023 (UTC)
:: Looks like it was originally [https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=2816:_Types_of_Solar_Eclipse&diff=next&oldid=321046 just a dragon] (consistent with various actual eclipse-myths). I'm not so sure whether it became a Pokemon creature (does that have Sun-eating capabilities?), which seems to be the main searchable reference, or something even less known to me. [[Special:Contributions/172.70.86.63|172.70.86.63]] 17:17, 17 August 2023 (UTC)
::: Presumably it's a dragon which has survived its atmospheric entry and landed on the earth's surface.[[Special:Contributions/172.70.85.219|172.70.85.219]] 16:10, 18 August 2023 (UTC)

I love this community, which will explain how a solar panel works and why the moon cannot give the sun a hug with the same level of rigor and detail. [[Special:Contributions/172.69.247.40|172.69.247.40]] 04:26, 17 August 2023 (UTC)
:Arguably, the Sun is constantly hugging the Moon, through the warming arms of the Solar Winds.[[Special:Contributions/172.70.86.39|172.70.86.39]] 16:15, 18 August 2023 (UTC)

I have always wondered about solar eclipses... does anybody else think it's really weird that the Earth is not just the only planet with exactly the right ratios of star/satellite size/distance to make eclipses happen, but is also the only planet (so far as we know) where there's an evolved intelligence that can appreciate such a phenomenon? After all, a similar effect viewable only from Mars or Venus would be totally wasted... [[Special:Contributions/172.70.91.161|172.70.91.161]] 06:35, 17 August 2023 (UTC)
: It is indeed a weird thing. We don't know if it is a weird thing that is of significance for life or intelligence or civilisation, or if it is just a happenstance weird thing. The universe has all kinds of weird things. --[[Special:Contributions/162.158.74.22|162.158.74.22]] 07:22, 17 August 2023 (UTC)
: "Right place, right time". It helps that we have a Moon roughly the same (angular) size of the Sun, which seems rare, but if we didn't know it was a thing then we might not miss the coincidence. And, because of the slightly drifting Moon, at some time in the past (tens/hundreds of millions of years ago), we never had annular eclipses – but then very few people appreciated that. In another few millions of years, we'll lose all possibility of total eclipses (imagine being there to witness that last one, everyone who makes effort to be there cramming into the short stretch of 'final, brief totality' in the literally-ultimate hybrid eclipse...).
: On human scales, it's a fairly wide window that may very well out-spread the full reach of humanity (in fact, I'd bet on it, but do feel free to try to collect if we're both there jostling for room in that 'last eclipse sweet-spot' viewing platform). But imagine all the other astronomical co-inky-dinks that we ''might'' have witnessed if humanity were significantly shifted by time (and place) in the universe. Instead of "very edge of totality" eclipses, who knows what else might have been (surprisingly-)'normal'... Or at least totally different (not-)Earth (not-)Moon (not-)Sun eclipse combinations that are right-sized just like ours is. [[Special:Contributions/172.70.91.69|172.70.91.69]] 08:49, 17 August 2023 (UTC)
::postscript: of course, if large moons (created like ours was supposed to be) had to be settled down enough to allow life (after the Thea-like impact) but significant enough to cause tides (variously theorised as driving the chemical creation of life, if not the later development of advanced life forms or even the prerequisites of civilisation leading to scientific enquiry) then ''perhaps'' the chances of any equivalent beings to ourselves having any equivalent eclipses to what we see is slightly raised above that of 'any random planet with or without appreciative audience'. But, until we get very good at surveying exoplanetary systems (if we ever do) and/or visit them ourselves (ditto, with bells on), it'll be hard to quantify any inherant tendency to serve such things up on a platter to all those who might appreciate it. [[Special:Contributions/172.70.91.69|172.70.91.69 (again)]] 09:07ish, 17 August 2023 (UTC)
: I don't understand your 'evolved intelligence'. Whether planet that has intelligence is very not-correlated with its capacity to create eclipses. [[Special:Contributions/172.69.71.36|172.69.71.36]] 18:40, 17 August 2023 (UTC)
:: SFAIK, there's no evidence from which to base ''any'' kind of correlation/non-correlation/anti-correlation between intelligence and eclipses, given that we have only one instance of a planet with intelligence upon it to study (and we might even learn of further eclipse-worthy planets well before we do of intelligence-populated ones). Speculative reasoning can try to fill in gaps, maybe (see just above), as long as one realises it's wild-ass-guessing. But, luckily, the thing you're replying to doesn't even try to suggest that by any reasonable reading of it. [[Special:Contributions/172.71.242.65|172.71.242.65]] 21:25, 17 August 2023 (UTC)

By the time you see the cuboid eclipse, it's already too late. Resistance is futile.
[[User:ProphetZarquon|ProphetZarquon]] ([[User talk:ProphetZarquon|talk]]) 23:52, 17 August 2023 (UTC)
:Not for everyone. The weak will perish. -- [[User:Hkmaly|Hkmaly]] ([[User talk:Hkmaly|talk]]) 20:33, 18 August 2023 (UTC)

Given that [https://socratic.org/questions/why-is-earth-s-moon-spherical the moon is slightly oblate], would an oblate eclipse be possible when the angular sizes of the moon and sun are almost the same? [[User:Ehusmark|EHusmark]] ([[User talk:Ehusmark|talk]]) 09:11, 18 August 2023 (UTC)
:A good question, but the diagram shows the sun as being oblate, so I don't think the intention was to reference the slight (but real) oblate nature of the moon. Good catch, though. [[User:Dextrous Fred|Dextrous Fred]] ([[User talk:Dextrous Fred|talk]]) 16:54, 18 August 2023 (UTC)
:The Moon has an equatorial diameter of ~3576.2km, polar diameter of ~3472.0km. 104ish km difference. The Sun is near-spherical, said to be less than 10km difference between equatorial and polar diameters, which projected inwards to 'Moon equivalent distance' is even more practically zero. But as it would be distorted at roughly the same angle as the Moon (spin axis of each varyies maybe +/-5 degrees, depending on what point of each orbit everything is) it would always be <105km difference so long as the Sun's oblativity weren't double that of the Moon (or prolate to any degree). Moon-'mountains' seem to be about 2.5km high, so local rim-variations won't actually add/subtract much from any oval-adjustments.
:Anyway, 90km in 3500km(+/-) is around a quarter of a percent of variation. And a handful of millionths of a degree, subtended to the Earth observer, if my best-/worst-case calculations that I just did are correct (roughly 1/60th of an arc-second is one of the answers I pulled out, in case anyone wants to sanity-check what I just did on the back of this 'ere envelope). [[Special:Contributions/172.69.79.153|172.69.79.153]] 18:56, 18 August 2023 (UTC)

"A normal Sun-Moon-Earth eclipse seen from the Moon would either be ineffectual or perfectly normal 'night-time'" -- The shadow on the Earth should be visible from the dark side, probably with the naked eye but certainly with modest optics. Perhaps it's not dramatic but it would still be interesting.[[Special:Contributions/162.158.159.80|162.158.159.80]] 03:16, 19 August 2023 (UTC)
:Yes, here's an example: [https://www.nasa.gov/audience/forstudents/k-4/stories/moons-shadow NASA picture of Moon's shadow during solar eclipse] [[User:AdmiralMemo|Admiral Memo]] ([[User talk:AdmiralMemo|talk]]) 05:53, 19 August 2023 (UTC)
:As the author of the phrase, to clarify that I was refering mostly to: 1) ineffectual because you're sunlit on the far side and can't see the Earth at all, or 2) 'normal night-time' (ok, not ''perfectly'', but nearly so) because you have a 99.9999...% "full-Earth" amount of earthshine illuminating you. As opposed to Earth-viewed eclipses where all (direct/reflected) illumination is conspicuously absent for a number of minutes. (Or much, for partial(solar/lunar) or annular(solar).)
:Being on the Moon for a lunar-eclipse (even partial, if you're somewhere on the right bit) is far more significant. Unless you're on the far-side, in which case it's an extreme non-event just as being there during the solar eclipse is (but 'essentially normal night' instead of 'essentially normal day').
:Perhaps some fun could be had by being out on the limbs/poles of the lunar surface, raised high enough against the local surface to have significant 'both sides' experience (''become'' an actual bailey's bead/miniscule gap between them? ...not that it would be personally so obvious as such). Just remember to account for libration, when you choose your spot! ;) [[Special:Contributions/172.71.242.193|172.71.242.193]] 09:49, 19 August 2023 (UTC)

quite a warm hug. --[[User:Bb777|me, hi]] ([[User talk:Bb777|talk]]) 14:51, 4 May 2025 (UTC)

Talk:356: Nerd Sniping

2025-05-04T14:36:41Z

Bb777:

1488: Flowcharts

2025-04-28T00:09:17Z

Bb777: /* List of Items in Flowchart */

{{distinguish|518: Flow Charts|1195: Flowchart}}
{{comic
| number = 1488
| date = February 18, 2015
| title = Flowcharts
| image = flowcharts.png
| titletext = Whoa, and if you overlay a Fibonacci spiral on a golden spiral it matches up almost perfectly!
}}
*The comic is a link to https://xkcd.com/spiral/.
*The arrow at the bottom of this comic points to the "Random" button at the bottom of the xkcd page.

==Explanation==
'''Note''': A flawed version of this comic was posted at first and then quickly a correct version was uploaded. But this gave rise to several misunderstandings and confusion. See the [[#Trivia|Trivia]] section below.

This comic is a {{w|flowchart}} style, like many [[Category:Flowcharts|other comics]]. Interestingly, the first option, ''Do you like flowcharts?'' loops back to itself if you say ''Yes''. As the yes lines of other options point to the type of graph they describe (for example, the yes line of ''Do you like line graphs?'' points to a line graph), this may be interpreted as a recursive reference to the flowchart itself, although it points to the option itself rather than the ''START'' node. Also, this may cause the reader who actually likes flow charts to go into an endless loop of choosing ''Yes'', until they are so annoyed by flowcharts that they do not like them anymore and can progress by saying ''No''.

After asking about flowcharts, the reader is asked whether they like {{w|line graph|line graphs}}. If they follow the yes line, it becomes a line graph where "Time" is the x-axis and "Your Happiness" is the y-axis, and shows that your happiness increases with time. If you don't like line graphs, they are asked the same question about {{w|scatter plots}} where again the lines turn into the points and the axis of such a plot except for now the dots connect and you are given the choice to go up or to the side, shown by the arrows.

Taking yet another line, the reader is asked "Charge a battery?" If they follow the line marked yes they are asked whether they are {{w|Alternating current|A/C}} or {{w|Direct current|D/C}} current and are led to a portion of the flowchart which resembles a {{w|circuit diagram}} of a {{w|rectifier bridge}} with a battery connected to it.

If the reader follows the "no" line, they are asked if they like spirals. If they choose "no" they are asked whether they would take the {{w|path of least resistance}}. This part of the flowchart resembles a circuit diagram, and the word "{{w|resistance}}" is a pun because resistance can have several meanings. In electricity it is an electrical quantity that measures how the device or material impedes the electric current flow through it. Going left is the "Never" option, which goes through extra resistors and a diode, therefore making the "Yes" option the "path of least resistance". However, when asked if you choose the path of least resistance and answers ''never'' it could also mean that you do not try to avoid a little trouble.

Whether they choose "Yes" or "No", they arrive at "Do you like when people find the golden spiral in random images?" If they choose "yes" the line fades into a drawing of a golden spiral, and we see that the flowchart is structured around it. If they choose "no" they are asked if they are tired of flowcharts. If not, they are taken to the beginning to start over again. If they are tired, the line points to the "random" button on the xkcd website.

The title text and the faint image of a {{w|golden spiral}} parody the fact that the golden spiral is superimposed on nearly ''everything''. The golden spiral is a spiral that has the growth rate of the golden ratio, a number that has inspired both artists and mathematicians alike. However, people try to find the golden ratio in seemingly random objects, and they fall to confirmation bias when drawing a golden spiral on top that seemingly fits. The comic links to [https://xkcd.com/spiral/], where one can see exactly that- golden spirals Randall "found" in random photographs. This may be a spoof of the viral video [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yPCkcKNUVoo Illuminati Confirmed]. The limit of the ratio of two consecutive terms of the Fibonacci sequence is equal to the golden ratio, so a Fibonacci spiral match up almost perfectly for a good reason, unlike the coincidental matchings of the pictures in the mobile site link.

This comic bears reminiscence of [[730: Circuit Diagram]], although it is not exactly the same idea. Putting a golden spiral over other things was again used in [[2322: ISO Paper Size Golden Spiral]], like the [https://xkcd.com/spiral/ spiral] page on xkcd which this comic is a link to.

===List of Items in Flowchart===
{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Text in boxes
! Explanation
! Successor(s)
! Predecessor(s)
|-
| Start
| Start here
| Do you like flowcharts?
| Tired of flowcharts yet?
|-
| Do you like flowcharts?
| Asking whether or not the reader likes flow charts. Recursively returns to itself until the reader is annoyed enough to not like flowcharts and can move on to the next point.
| Do you like flowcharts?, Do you like line graphs?
| Start, Do you like flowcharts?
|-
| Do you like line graphs?
| It asks if you like {{w|line graph|line graphs}}
| Line or axis? [The one after yes to line graphs], Scatter plots?
| Do you like flowcharts?
|-
| Line or axis? [The one after yes to line graphs]
| It is asking if you wish to be the Line or the axis. If you choose the line, the flow chart line turns into a line graph with a positive curve. The same question will be asked later if you say no to line graphs and yes to scatter plots.
| [A line in a line graph], Time or your happiness?
| Do you like line graphs?
|-
| Time or your happiness?
| If you choose ''time'' the flow chart line becomes the x-axis of time and if you choose ''your happiness'' it becomes the y-axis in the line graph with the line from before indicating that your happiness increases over time (maybe because you like line graphs and are now becoming part of one?)
| [Time axis], [Your Happiness axis]
| Data or axis? [The one after yes to line graphs]
|-
| Scatter plots?
| If you don't like line graphs then maybe you like {{w|scatterplot|scatter plots}}?
| Data or axis? [The one after yes to scatter plots], Help charge a battery?
| Do you like line graphs?
|-
| Data or axis? [The one after yes to scatter plots]
| It is asking if you wish to be the data or the axis. If you choose the data, the flow chart line turns into a scatter plot that is also a flowchart where each of the 10 flow chart boxes is black with two white arrow, one pointing up and the other to the right. They are all connected with multiple connections. The same question was asked earlier if you said yes to line graphs.
| [A flow chart that looks like points in a scatter plot], X or Y?
| Scatter plots?
|-
| X or Y? (show as (^>))
| Which axis do you prefer? The line you chooses turns in to this axis in the scatter plot.
| Another selection like this or nothing
| Data or axis? [The one after yes to scatter plots]
|-
| Help charge a battery?
| From here on the flowchart is at the beginning of morphing into a circuit diagram.
| Like spirals?, Are you A/C or D/C?
| Scatter plots?
|-
| Are you A/C or D/C?,
| Asks whether you are an {{w|AC current}} or a {{w|DC current}}.
| Positive or negative phase?, positive or negative DC terminal?
| Help charging a battery?
|-
| Positive or negative phase?
| Conventional current will flow forwards during the positive phase of AC current, whereas in the negative phase the forwards directions matches the actual flow of electrons (see [[567: Urgent Mission]]).
| Positive or negative DC terminal? [To either side of this box]
| Are you A/C or D/C?
|-
| Positive or negative DC terminal?
| This box looks like a {{w|rectifier bridge}}, which is used to convert AC to DC. The single output leads to a battery which is joined in a circuit to the bottom of the rectifier bridge.
| Battery [plus or minus]
| Positive or negative phase?
|-
| Like spirals?
| Well, do you? If you do you instantly go to the question of golden spirals. If not, you take a detour.
| Take the path of least resistance?, Do you like when people find the golden spiral in random images?
| Help charge a battery?
|-
| Take the path of least resistance?
| This one is a pun. If resistance is seen as electrical resistance, then the bottom one labeled ''yes'' is the one with least resistance. The other labeled "Never" sends you through ''more'' resistance, and a 'protective' diode. But in either case you are lead to the same decision box. Also the resistors could look like spirals - making this detour for those who dislike these even more painful.
| Do you like when people find the golden spiral in random images?
| Like spirals?
|-
| Do you like when people find the golden spiral in random images?
| Here is a question regarding if you like the idea that some people can find and superimpose a {{w|golden spiral}} on a random image. No matter which options you choose you are forced to admit that it is totally BS ({{w|bullshit}}). But maybe you like it anyway? If you choose the ''Yes, even though it's total BS'' option the flow chart continues to the side of the chart, then starts to spiral up only to fades out to a very faint golden spiral aligned to the other items in the flow chart. It is almost impossible to see it before you follow this line. The other option is of course ''No, it's total BS''. If you do like it, then click on the [https://www.xkcd.com/1488/ comic on xkcd].
| Tired of flowcharts yet?, [A very faint golden spiral]
| Like spirals?, Take the path of least resistance?
|-
| Tired of flowcharts yet?
| Have you had enough of flow chart? If not, then you are returned to the ''start'' box at the top of the chart. Maybe you have not tried all options yet, although you have already answered that you are tired of flow charts if you get this far. If you have had enough and answers ''Yes, I want to look at something else'' this option leads to the random comic button below the comic (only on xkcd). This decision ''literally'' breaks the fourth wall in traveling through the image's nominal boundary to point at a specific button to look at some other comic.
| Start, [The xkcd [https://c.xkcd.com/random/comic/ Random] comic button]
| Do you like when people find the golden spiral in random images?
|}

==Transcript==
:[A flow chart. The first option the start box is white text on a black rectangle. The other boxes are rhombuses standing on edge. Except for the first there are always two options going out. Most only have one option coming in, but there are exceptions with two options going in.]
:Start
:[One arrow points to the first real choice.]
:[Below the text on the two options going out from each option will be indented. The top of these two options will be the one to be mentioned first below. Then the chart will be mapped like this going back to the previous unfinished option.]
:Do you like flowcharts?
::Yes
::No
:[Yes goes back where it came from.]
:Do you like line graphs?
::Yes
::No
:Line or axis?
::Line
::Axis
:[The line is just a line – but now as the line in a line graph.]
:Time or your happiness?
::Time
::Your happiness
:[These two lines turn into the x and y axis of the line graph.]
:Scatter plots?
::Yes
::No
:Data or axis?
::Data
::Axis
:[The data line turns into the points in a scatter plot.]
:X or Y?
::X
::Y
:[These two lines turn into the x and y axis of the scatter plot.]
:Help charge a battery?
::Yes
::No
:Are you A/C or D/C?,
::A/C
::D/C
:Positive or negative phase?
::+
::-
:[The D/C option also goes to this next option, but directly. This next rhombus looks like a part of a circuit diagram.]
:Positive or negative DC terminal?
::+
::-
:[These two lines goes to the + and – poles of a battery.]
:Like spirals?
::No
::Yes
:Take the path of least resistance?
::Never
::Yes
:[Never goes through two resistors and a diode before reaching the point of the Yes option, which then also goes though yet another resistor. Both thus end at the same option, which is also the one that Yes to like Spirals ends up at:]
:Do you like when people find the golden spiral in random images?
::Yes, even though it's total BS.
::No, it's total BS.
:[Yes option takes the chart into a fading line that turns into a golden spiral spanning the whole chart.]
:Tired of flowcharts yet?
::No
::Yes, I want to look at something else
:[No takes you back to the start box at the top.]
:[Yes takes you out of the comic and points to the Random button at xkcd.]

==Trivia==
*In the [[Media:OriginalFlowcharts.png|original version of the comic]], several of the lines and labels were missing and the bridge circuit was drawn incorrectly. The correct version of the comic was uploaded later on the same day. This is the second time in February 2015 this has occurred; previously with [[1482: NowPlaying]]. The errors were:
**Missing yes/no at the line graph options.
**The diamond that points to the line in the line graph originally says "Data or axis?"
**Missing yes/no at the scatter plot options and missing the line for the yes option going to the second Data axis.
**Missing yes at charge a battery options.
**Missing DC from the AC or DC options and missing the line for the DC option going to the terminal.
**Missing the arrow pointing to the terminal from the "-" option of the phase.
**Missing +/- at terminal option and missing the line going from the negative pole of the battery to the terminal.
**The terminal, which is a rectifier bridge, had both diodes drawn in the wrong direction on the left side of the decision box.
**There was a + floating between the phase and terminal option. This was deleted.
**Missing yes at the spiral options.
**Missing yes/never! at the least resistance options. Also the arrow pointing to the next option was missing.

*The comic has reference to charging a battery, and was posted on the 270th birthday of Alessandro Volta, the original creator of the battery. This could, however, have been a coincidence.

*After the initial release of this comic Randall added a link to this page. It's viewable in the HTML-source or here: [https://xkcd.com/1488/info.0.json https://xkcd.com/1488/info.0.json]. The text is: ''"This is a gods-damned flowchart, huge surprise. a transcription and explanation and other things available on an external site http:\n\nwww.explainxkcd.com\nwiki\nindex.php\n1488 ]]\nhttp:\n\nwww.explainxkcd.com\nwiki\nindex.php\n1488"''.

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Comics sharing name|Flowcharts03]]
[[Category:Comics edited after their publication]]
[[Category:Flowcharts]]
[[Category:Scatter plots]]
[[Category:Line graphs]]
[[Category:Puns]]

Talk:1488: Flowcharts

2025-04-28T00:05:54Z

Bb777:

A little bit more of 730? [[Special:Contributions/141.101.80.108|141.101.80.108]] 06:53, 18 February 2015 (UTC)
:More along the lines of 94, 210, 518, 627, 844, 845, and 1195, though I see similarities with 730. [[User:Mikemk|Mikemk]] ([[User talk:Mikemk|talk]]) 07:09, 18 February 2015 (UTC)
How should we do the transcript? [[User:Mikemk|Mikemk]] ([[User talk:Mikemk|talk]]) 07:09, 18 February 2015 (UTC)

You could do the transcript as a number list formatted like: "[Title of item] IF YES(GOTO X), IF NO(GOTO Y)" (where "X" and "Y" are the numbers on the list for the corresponding next option). Derek [[Special:Contributions/108.162.216.107|108.162.216.107]] 13:25, 18 February 2015 (UTC)

I would just like to say that I find some of the linked spiral-images ''very'' disturbing. Although for some they'd be the same even ''without'' the spirals, admitedly. [[Special:Contributions/141.101.98.188|141.101.98.188]] 09:47, 18 February 2015 (UTC)

I believe this will end up being one of the most challenging explanations yet (of those that are completely explicable) - got quite a task up ahead... -- [[User:Brettpeirce|Brettpeirce]] ([[User talk:Brettpeirce|talk]]) 10:35, 18 February 2015 (UTC)

Normally (for a flowchart) the Start symbol should not have an input. The electrical circuit is not a rectifier! Sebastian --[[Special:Contributions/108.162.254.103|108.162.254.103]] 10:59, 18 February 2015 (UTC)
:In the newly corrected version, it is. [[User:Knob creek|Knob creek]] ([[User talk:Knob creek|talk]]) 16:58, 18 February 2015 (UTC)
::But it doesn't need to be, since the rectification is done by the flow chart. Two of the diodes will never be used. (Is it still a rectifier if it's not rectifying?) [[Special:Contributions/108.162.249.182|108.162.249.182]] 21:49, 18 February 2015 (UTC)
:::Yes it's still a rectifier. It just appears to be out of a job, that's all. Anyone else notice that the bridge rectifier IS a flowchart? The two decision trees feeding it are completely unnecessary. Getting rid of them gives the rectifier back it's job! Also, to give Randall a break, the original diagram of the bridge is actually a ring modulator. It's been decades since I've been in RF so I had to track it down and confirm.[[User:ExternalMonolog|ExternalMonolog]] ([[User talk:ExternalMonolog|talk]]) 23:24, 18 February 2015 (UTC)
OCD comment: There appear to be two lines missing, 1) from scatter plots to data or axis, 2) from the bottom of positive or negative DC terminal to the negative terminal of the battery. Also, I would be happier if the two left hand diodes of the full wave rectifier were reversed. {{unsigned ip|173.245.52.95}}

:Scatter plots don't have lines, that's the joke. {{unsigned ip|199.27.133.71}}
::It wasn't a joke; in the corrected version the lines are there. I suspect Randall uploaded a work-in-progress version of the comic by mistake. {{unsigned ip|141.101.98.245}}

Either I was really tired this morning, or the spiral was not actually present in the first version of this comic.[[Special:Contributions/108.162.254.98|108.162.254.98]] 13:00, 18 February 2015 (UTC)

It seems like the options for the "Do you like flowcharts?" box should be reversed (only putting someone through the flowchart if they say they like flowcharts). I think it makes less sense to have the first option "annoy" someone with a flowchart option until they say they don't like flowcharts, then put them through a flowchart. Derek [[Special:Contributions/108.162.216.107|108.162.216.107]] 13:31, 18 February 2015 (UTC)

I see no evidence that the "time or your happiness" box is asking you to "choose whichever you value more". The graph shows your happiness as a function of time, not "your time" (it's not as if you were asked to choose between, say, more happiness or more spare time for yourself). I think it is just asking you to choose which axis of the graph you want to follow. The flowchart for the line graph and the scatter plot are similar; since "X or Y" is not interpreted as a question about value, why should "time or your happiness" be?
Zetfr 14:00, 18 February 2015 (UTC)

The comment on the Fibonacci and Golden Spirals being the same is not correct. According to Wikipedia{{w|Golden_Spiral|[1]}}{{w|Fibonacci_number|[2]}}: "A Fibonacci spiral '''approximates''' the golden spiral using quarter-circle arcs inscribed in squares of integer Fibonacci-number side." - [[User:Prometheusmmiv|Prometheusmmiv]] ([[User talk:Prometheusmmiv|talk]]) 14:55, 18 February 2015 (UTC)
:The title text says "if you overlay a Fibonacci spiral on a golden spiral it matches up '''almost''' perfectly." {{unsigned|Grabadora304}}

Randall has uploaded a new version, it fixes some missing lines: The scatter graph is now connected, as is the DC terminal, and the battery is now in a circuit. Some of the explaination above needs updating [[Special:Contributions/141.101.99.47|141.101.99.47]] 15:32, 18 February 2015 (UTC)

Clicking on the image takes you to http://xkcd.com/spiral/ {{unsigned ip|108.162.216.149}}
:Good catch about http://xkcd.com/spiral/ ! --[[User:Guest|Guest]] ([[User talk:Guest|talk]]) 17:46, 18 February 2015 (UTC)

'''NOTE''' this comic has been changed, oddly. http://xkcd.com/1488/ [[User:Halfhat|Halfhat]] ([[User talk:Halfhat|talk]]) 18:21, 18 February 2015 (UTC)

How do we change this wiki to have the updated image? The XKCD site is updated, but this page still shows the old image. [[User:Djbrasier|Djbrasier]] ([[User talk:Djbrasier|talk]]) 18:59, 18 February 2015 (UTC)
:I have uploaded the correct version now. [[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 19:30, 18 February 2015 (UTC)
:: The image is still out of date as it lacks the Yes / Never! markings on the Path of Least Resistance decision box. [[Special:Contributions/173.245.54.174|173.245.54.174]] 21:00, 18 February 2015 (UTC)

Is it a coincidence that a Fibonacci sequence has a link to the golden ratio? I think not: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dTWKKvlZB08 [[User:SirKitKat|sirKitKat]] ([[User talk:SirKitKat|talk]]) 21:08, 18 February 2015 (UTC)

Wow - I tried the random button once and got to this comic: [[1359: Phone Alarm]]. For a second I thought he had rigged it - but that is was not the case. But that was not getting to something else ;-) [[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 21:19, 18 February 2015 (UTC)

:I got [[518]] and started laughing all over again. He really should rig the random button on this page to point to only flowchart comics. He has enough of them: [[94]], [[210]], [[518]], [[844]], [[851]], [[854]], [[1066]], [[1195]], [[1359]]. [[Special:Contributions/108.162.216.98|108.162.216.98]] 15:20, 19 February 2015 (UTC)
::Thanks, you found one that wasn't in Category:Flowcharts. Fixed it. [[User:gijobarts|gijobarts]] ([[User Talk:gijobarts|talk]]) 21:31, 19 February 2015 (UTC)
:I only got [[1100: Vows]]. The comic was posted yesterday, though. Is it possible that he rigged it, but only for yesterday? [[User:gijobarts|gijobarts]] ([[User Talk:gijobarts|talk]]) 21:36, 19 February 2015 (UTC)

There is a new corrected version. The current one has a "Line or Axis" diamond in the topmost line, instead of "Data or Axis". {{unsigned ip|141.101.102.217}}

Why Randall use form “are you A/C or D/C”, not “It [battery] is” or maybe “are you on A/C or D/C”? This refer to the typical (not-so-intellectual) quiz/flowcharts propagated in the Internet? [[Special:Contributions/141.101.105.195|141.101.105.195]] 10:57, 25 February 2015 (UTC)

:I took it as a reference to "Are you a Mac or a PC?" (not sure if this is a thing...). [[Special:Contributions/188.114.99.189|188.114.99.189]] 04:07, 9 December 2015 (UTC)

I think the "yes" path of "Do you like flowcharts?" is a recursive reference to the flowchart itself (just like other "Do you like ~"? nodes which refer to the respective graphs when the reader follows the "yes" path), not (just) for annoying the readers following it. --[[User:Luke1337|Luke1337]] ([[User talk:Luke1337|talk]]) 01:55, 2 July 2016 (UTC)

somebody took my proposal and the arrow is now pointing towards "random explanation"! --[[User:Bb777|me, hi]] ([[User talk:Bb777|talk]]) 00:05, 28 April 2025 (UTC)

User:Bb777

2025-04-26T16:05:41Z

Bb777:

Hi

I like xkcd.

Oh, and also Minecraft.

My favourite comics: 
[[Right Click]] 
[[Pod Bay Doors]](NEW) 
...and more!

nothing else here so:

{{crickets}}

actually nevermind heres more things

my update log:

[2025-03-21] begin uploading files for [[2288: Collector's Edition]]

[2025-03-25]I lost the game

[2025-03-27]Begin new journey to find the undocumented feature

[2025-04-04]I CAUGHT THE RELEASE AND GOT TO SEE THEUSAFBOT UPLOAD NEW COMIC!!!

[2025-04-26]finally gave up and pushed emergency stop in push notifications

{{Userbox | border-c = #255 | border-s = 1 | info-s = 20 | id = [[File:trollface120.png|45px]] | info = [[User:Certified_nqh|This user is a user.]] }}{{Userbox | border-c = #255 | border-s = 1 | info-s = 9 | id = Aa | info = This user can read. }}
{{Userbox | border-c = #255 | border-s = 1 | info-s = 9 | id = en | info = This user speaks English. }}
{{Userbox | border-c = #255 | border-s = 1 | info-s = 9 | id = C:\> | info = This user enjoys messing with their PC. }}

NEW!
{{Userbox | border-c = #255 | border-s = 1 | info-s = 9 | id = rmdir C:/ | info = This user is good at coding. }}

hmmm doesnt seem like enough content
<nowiki>{{stub}}</nowiki>

Talk:1354: Heartbleed Explanation

2025-04-26T16:01:37Z

Bb777: sorry 'bout the trouble

I assume everybody got the (truncated) reference to the password "CorrectHorseBatteryStaple"... [[Special:Contributions/141.101.89.210|141.101.89.210]] 06:51, 11 April 2014 (UTC)
:Until I read this wiki, I did not get that. [[Special:Contributions/108.162.216.50|108.162.216.50]] 10:09, 11 April 2014 (UTC)BK201
:There are also references to (if I recall correctly): [[Missed Connections]], "snakes but not too long" from [[Umwelt]], there's boats (of which many comics exist), "bees in car why" may be slightly related to [[Parody Week: TFD and Natalie Dee]]... that's all I see. Also the ip (375.381.283.17) doesn't seem to represent anything, but you never know. {{User:Grep/signature|11:04, 11 April 2014}}
::The IP most certainly does not represent anything because it is invalid. Three of the octets are >255. [[User:Dan|Dan]] 21:19, 14 April 2014 (UTC)
:::It does not refer to anything as an IP address. It can still represent something that is not a real IP address - fake IP addresses with four random non-octet numbers are far from unheard of in Hollywood products (e.g, Iron Man 3: 936.345.643.21) [[User:Amadan|Amadan]] ([[User talk:Amadan|talk]]) 03:45, 15 April 2014 (UTC)
::::guys check the map of the internet --[[User:Bb777|((((((((((((([...](((((]] ([[User talk:Bb777|talk]]) 01:47, 23 March 2025 (UTC)
While the bug is explained very good, there is one point missing: The word "user" seems to imply that Meg is known to server. But the bug doesn't require that - ANYONE can ask the server. -- [[User:Hkmaly|Hkmaly]] ([[User talk:Hkmaly|talk]]) 11:03, 11 April 2014 (UTC)
: Nope, the word "user" does not indicate a logged in user. It's just a reference to anybody who happens to "use" (actually: connect to) the server at the moment. In fact, it is a particular network connection (TCP or else), on which other end there is a "user" Meg. -- [[Special:Contributions/108.162.210.111|108.162.210.111]] 12:07, 11 April 2014 (UTC)
::I would ague that the fact that the server associates her with the name 'Meg' rather than an IP address does indeed imply that she is known to the server. [[Special:Contributions/172.70.117.38|172.70.117.38]] 21:58, 18 July 2021 (UTC)

The transcript should include all the text in the servers memory, not just the highlighted text. [[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 15:04, 11 April 2014 (UTC)
:Nope, it can only do 64k per request. [[Special:Contributions/108.162.216.91|108.162.216.91]] 16:04, 11 April 2014 (UTC)
::I meant that the transcript here above the talk page should include all text. When I wrote my comment, only the highlighted text in the computers thoghts where transcripted. Now that I visit the page again, it seems to be complete. The text in the servers last speech is only half the 500 charachters long (251) but that is explained by OnePointEight in the comment below. [[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 21:20, 11 April 2014 (UTC)
:The speech bubble is formatted as truncated, but if it were complete it would be 500 characters which is what was requested by Megan and within the 64k max.[[User:OnePointEight|OnePointEight]] ([[User talk:OnePointEight|talk]]) 19:39, 11 April 2014 (UTC)

Heartbleed Explanation Explanation. Lovely. Also, I see that Eve is an administrator. Eavesdropper? [[Special:Contributions/108.162.237.218|108.162.237.218]] 15:24, 11 April 2014 (UTC)
:Also the attacker is Meg, which can be thought of as an alternate to Mallory/Trudy [[Special:Contributions/108.162.221.65|108.162.221.65]] 16:45, 11 April 2014 (UTC)
::This is absurd. Meg is a common nickname for Margaret. [[Special:Contributions/173.245.50.84|173.245.50.84]] 20:38, 11 April 2014 (UTC)
:::As my main language is not English I'm not familiar with nicknames, but if Meg is a common nickname for Margaret then that is important and should be included in the explanation of the title text. I did not understand why Margaret suddenly turned up... [[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 21:28, 11 April 2014 (UTC)
::::The explanation of the title text has presumably been expanded since you visited it. It's a reference to a book. --[[User:V2Blast|V2Blast]] ([[User talk:V2Blast|talk]]) 03:34, 12 April 2014 (UTC)

"Snakes but not too long"... great! --[[Special:Contributions/108.162.210.241|108.162.210.241]] 15:49, 11 April 2014 (UTC)

It looks like the "server key" is a phone number: 1-483-503-8534 {{unsigned ip|199.27.130.228}}
:I was thinking the same thing. 483 is not a valid area code however. {{unsigned ip|173.245.48.60}}

The User Ada is a reference to Ingress, in which Ada is the head of the blue team. Ingress, being an ARG, would be an IRL game.{{unsigned ip|108.162.219.10}}

Why has everyone here missed the reference to Portal 2? It almost seems so obvious :). [[User:YetAnotherGeek|YetAnotherGeek]] ([[User talk:YetAnotherGeek|talk]]) 09:23, 12 April 2014 (UTC)
:"Are you still there?" could also be a reference to the turrets in Portal / Portal 2 [[Special:Contributions/173.245.62.126|173.245.62.126]] 09:42, 30 June 2015 (UTC)

Are we sure that the hacker in the comic is Megan? She has long, curly hair as opposed to short straight hair. Considering she has long hair and has malicious intent, she might be Danish. {{unsigned ip|108.162.216.71}}
:The server refers to her as "Meg", and if she were spoofing the source address, the packets wouldn't go back to her. That would be an amplification DoS attack. --[[Special:Contributions/108.162.246.4|108.162.246.4]] 22:42, 13 April 2014 (UTC)
::What's to say that [[Danish|Danish's]] real name isn't Margaret? Last I checked, Margaret and Megan are not the same name. That and I'm pretty sure Megan doesn't have curly hair. --[[User:XndrK|XndrK]] ([[User talk:XndrK|talk]]) 19:56, 28 December 2014 (UTC)

Has anybody figured out what the selfie.jpg contents reaaly are? It isn't a valid JPG because the magic numbers don't match, and it isn't ASCII text because multiple bytes have the most significant bit set. [[Special:Contributions/108.162.215.45|108.162.215.45]] 07:52, 13 April 2014 (UTC)
:I put 834ba962e2ceb9ff89bd3bff8c into a file and [https://www.virustotal.com/en/file/809c727dee625e37c3487f6d57d42e295e2fdd74a8c1f89ce7e667d8ae3e2fcc/analysis/1397428742/#additional-info sent it to VirusTotal]. The magic literal seems to match "DBase 3 data file with memo(s)", so I'd say that it's just random data. --[[Special:Contributions/108.162.246.4|108.162.246.4]] 22:51, 13 April 2014 (UTC)

Has anyone figured out if the words "potato", "bird", and "hat" are supposed to mean something in particular? --[[User:Dfeuer|Dfeuer]] ([[User talk:Dfeuer|talk]]) 07:43, 14 April 2014 (UTC)

I don't know about "potato" and "bird", but "hat" could possibly be a reference to Black Hat Guy, who often creates havoc to prove a point. Also, completely separately from Black Hat Guy, in security discussions, attackers are broken up between black hat ("bad") and white hat ("good") hackers. So "hat" could be a sort of generic reference for a hacker. {{unsigned ip|199.27.128.116}}
:Black Hat Guy is not completely separate. He wears a black hat because he is a black hat hacker. [[Special:Contributions/173.245.55.65|173.245.55.65]] 23:48, 17 April 2014 (UTC) TooMuchBlue

I think that "potato" and "bird" are a reference to portal 2, (possibly) how the computer cores constantly malfunction. [[User:mailmindlin|mailmindlin]]

To understand better how far this goes, [http://www.pabr.org/heartbleedtax/heartbleedtax.en.html A taxonomy of Heartbleed attacks] contains a very interesting list of attack cases. --[[User:MGitsfullofsheep|MGitsfullofsheep]] ([[User talk:MGitsfullofsheep|talk]]) 12:53, 9 September 2014 (UTC)

Not gonna [https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=1354:_Heartbleed_Explanation&curid=14548&diff=293068&oldid=273249 edit-war this revert], but a "note book" is the {{wiktionary|note book|less standard}} version (and makes me think more of a "{{wiktionary|scrapbook}}", or even where I might secrete a secret stash of (bank)notes interleved with the pages of the most boring novel on my bookshelf, than a "writing pad"), of what is monatomically a "notebook" in standard English (and even American...). Even after considering notepad (or writing pad, reporter's pad or even "pad" in its own, amongst others) the pen-not-stylus mentioned should be enough, more so than notepad (with confusion with "tablet", both ancient and modern), to read better ''and'' unambiguously. But clearly my whole internal monalogue prior to/during editing (which was much too long/boring to inflict in whole in the summary) isn't as conclusively apparent as I thought. ;) But I feel more strongly about it than I realised, so just making this little note (not upon a pad...) to get it out of my system. Finis. [[Special:Contributions/172.70.91.78|172.70.91.78]] 09:47, 18 August 2022 (UTC)

this gotta be the best explanation ever of this bug [[User:An user who has no account yet|An user who has no account yet]] ([[User talk:An user who has no account yet|talk]]) 15:55, 6 September 2023 (UTC)

Talk:689: FIRST Design

2025-04-26T15:33:37Z

Bb777:

Should I mention there is an Umbrella Corporation? [[Special:Contributions/71.166.47.84|71.166.47.84]] 15:00, 29 September 2013 (UTC)
:As a former student in FRC, the little plow thingy in the front is also a thing. but nobody is going to read this so whatever. 21:03, 18 January 2014 (UTC)~ {{unsigned ip|173.245.54.254}}

:I read this. I appreciate your contribution. [[User:Benjaminikuta|Benjaminikuta]] ([[User talk:Benjaminikuta|talk]]) 11:52, 18 August 2015 (UTC)

:I had nothing to do with the original point, but your comment made me happy and I wanted to share that. Thank you.--[[Special:Contributions/162.158.74.203|162.158.74.203]] 21:00, 6 June 2020 (UTC)

It wouldn't work in Dallas--the Dallas Memorial Arena is too high, and doesn't have a proper sprinkler system. It's just too old. -R, another former US FIRST member (#3392). [[Special:Contributions/108.162.221.8|108.162.221.8]] 02:47, 21 February 2014 (UTC)

You would lose ranking points if the opposing alliance doesn't score anything. Also you will have destroyed your alliance partnr's robot. I'd try it with VEX first... {{unsigned ip|108.162.236.43}}
:you could always score a token goal for your opponent?

Should we mention the fact of how much against the rules this is? I mean they are breaking at least three rules off the top of my head. [[Special:Contributions/108.162.215.199|108.162.215.199]] 17:26, 11 October 2016 (UTC)

huh, nine years on and i read this. i understand we nerds don't do sport, and you americans don't do soccer. just a heads up, then. you say "soccer balls into their team's goals" which really isn't how soccer works, and would lose you the match. it goes against common usage, at least in the uk. is that a joke? a playful and wilful misunderstanding of the double meaning of "goal" as both "objective" and "opponents' scoring area"? it may be my goal/objective to score, but i will do so in my opponents' goal/net. too late now, though, and the high schooler who wrote this text has now left university. oh well. --[[Special:Contributions/162.158.155.236|162.158.155.236]] 09:27, 16 July 2019 (UTC)
:They're not playing soccer - it's a robotics competition. There are balls placed on the field, and your team is scored by how many balls you manage to get into your goal - essentially the robot that can retrieve the most balls is the winner. So this article is exactly correct.--[[Special:Contributions/172.68.255.8|172.68.255.8]] 00:38, 23 July 2019 (UTC)

must be team #254. --[[User:Bb777|me, hi]] ([[User talk:Bb777|talk]]) 15:33, 26 April 2025 (UTC)

Talk:1963: Namespace Land Rush

2025-04-25T22:49:15Z

Bb777:

* Ahh, he left off '''root''' under Causing More Trouble. [[User:Nutster|Nutster]] ([[User talk:Nutster|talk]]) 05:41, 5 March 2018 (UTC)
** Also "'''null'''"... [[Special:Contributions/162.158.62.237|162.158.62.237]] 21:09, 5 March 2018 (UTC)
***"undefined"
***<backspace character>
***"<CENSORED>" --[[User:Bb777|me, hi]] ([[User talk:Bb777|talk]]) 22:49, 25 April 2025 (UTC)
* I'm very disappointed he left out dotnotreplay@... --05:43, 5 March 2018 (UTC)~
* Is "gibberish name no one can pronounce" a reference to xkcd? [[Special:Contributions/108.162.215.64|108.162.215.64]] 05:56, 5 March 2018 (UTC)
* No '''test''' included. Frankly speaking I have seen people using '''testtest''','''testtesttesttest''', and so on, up to the maxiumn allowed character limit. [[User:Jackomatt|Jackomatt]] ([[User talk:Jackomatt|talk]]) 06:35, 5 March 2018 (UTC)
* Took me some time to type the transcript. Randall made it quite hard. [[User:QATEKLYXM|Klyxm]] ([[User talk:QATEKLYXM|talk]]) 06:38, 5 March 2018
:* I came here just to see if the transcript had "..." or "…" in the last one -- [[Special:Contributions/162.158.154.133|162.158.154.133]] 17:01, 7 March 2018 (UTC)
* The thing at the bottom-right, he wrote "forward slash" but used a backslash. [[Special:Contributions/162.158.126.76|162.158.126.76]] 08:35, 5 March 2018 (UTC)
:*It's just to mess with you. [[User:QATEKLYXM|Klyxm]] ([[User talk:QATEKLYXM|talk]]) 08:49, 5 March 2018
* Null! Where's null? [[User:PenguinF|PenguinF]] ([[User talk:PenguinF|talk]]) 09:14, 5 March 2018 (UTC)
* I think this whole comic is a reference to the video Worst Wifi Password Ever [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bLE7zsJk4AI] --[[Special:Contributions/162.158.238.76|162.158.238.76]] 11:13, 5 March 2018 (UTC)
This is analogous to the way that land was distributed in America
There is so much wrong with that sentence. --[[Special:Contributions/162.158.154.25|162.158.154.25]] 12:26, 5 March 2018 (UTC)
* I think is what he means by rtl override: https://krebsonsecurity.com/2011/09/right-to-left-override-aids-email-attacks/ and I agree surprised he didn’t include the null character; maybe because it’s so hard to get it to actually reach the service? [[Special:Contributions/172.68.54.136|172.68.54.136]] 15:24, 5 March 2018 (UTC)
* Emojis don't work in databases? They should be treated no differently from any other UNICODE characters. They would be hard to type if you're using an OS/browser that doesn't have a convenient Emoji-picker, but I would think that they should work as long as the server isn't filtering them out. But I've never deployed a service like this so there may be something important I'm missing here. [[User:Shamino|Shamino]] ([[User talk:Shamino|talk]]) 17:53, 5 March 2018 (UTC)
:: The "emoji not work" refers specifically to emojis requiring four characters when encoded in UTF-8, as many programs including databases like MySQL [https://dev.mysql.com/doc/refman/5.5/en/charset-unicode-utf8mb4.html used to only support three-byte UTF-8 characters]. There are emoji which fits into three bytes and non-emoji characters requiring four bytes, but for most people, support for four-byte UTF-8 is equivalent to support of (new) emoji. -- [[User:Hkmaly|Hkmaly]] ([[User talk:Hkmaly|talk]]) 00:56, 6 March 2018 (UTC)
:: (Obviously, when you want to test database, you should be creative and instead of "any" emoji try something like "fairy girl with dark skin tone" [https://emojipedia.org/woman-fairy-dark-skin-tone/ 🧚🏿‍♀️] - that's five UTF characters, 18 bytes total, and is supposed to render as single character) -- [[User:Hkmaly|Hkmaly]] ([[User talk:Hkmaly|talk]]) 01:08, 6 March 2018 (UTC)
::: Whether it renders as a single character is only relevant if you're trying to render it. The database only cares about a name as a sequence of characters, it shouldn't care how many glyphs they correspond to. (And almost related: I vaguely recall the guys behind emoj.li saying that the most common complaint they got was that the most obvious single-character usernames were already taken) -- [[Special:Contributions/162.158.154.133|162.158.154.133]] 17:01, 7 March 2018 (UTC)
:::: Most databases support sorting 😊. Also, attempts to store four-byte character into three-byte UTF column really damaged it - although, obviously, storing it to binary column would not, it's just that username is rarely binary column. -- [[User:Hkmaly|Hkmaly]] ([[User talk:Hkmaly|talk]]) 23:41, 7 March 2018 (UTC)

Someone once told me that on old email databases, you could send a message to "*@example.com" and it would send the message to everyone with an account on that domain. No idea if its true or not, but it seems like the username "*" could cause problems. [[Special:Contributions/162.158.75.16|162.158.75.16]] 19:56, 5 March 2018 (UTC)

So '''OkThisIsKindOfConfusingButIt's <LessThan\ForwardSlashHTML GreaterThanActualGreaterThan Symbol>Yes,ThatWasAllPartOfThe Name,ButSoIs...Ok,LetMeStartOver''' actually is "<<\/HTML>> or is it just supposed to be </HTML>? [[Special:Contributions/141.101.105.180|141.101.105.180]] 13:46, 6 March 2018 (UTC)
:: Do you really think there's a definitely correct answer to that question? [[Special:Contributions/162.158.155.38|162.158.155.38]] 14:25, 7 March 2018 (UTC)

* I am not confident enough about this to make the edit myself, but wouldn't the names listed in '''Causing Trouble (Usernames that might cause errors when mixed with the service's back-end code)''' (user, guest, etc) be used not so much to trying to fool other people, but because those names are often used as placeholders when the site is in development, and may therefore still have odd/altered permissions, allowing potential malicious access assuming the devs were lazy? [[User:Snowblinded|Snowblinded]] ([[User talk:Snowblinded|talk]]) 18:04, 6 March 2018 (UTC)

* Also '''true'''. And '''false'''. And '''Schrödinger'sCat'''.[[Special:Contributions/172.69.70.41|172.69.70.41]] 21:15, 8 March 2018 (UTC)

;I still try Alt-codes
I can remember ¥ [alt-157] off the top of my head from high school (circa i286), and I'm trying to figure out how to keyboard 乜 [U+4E5C], it doesn't quite map to [alt-20060].
As for '''Causing More Trouble''' anybody try Hastur? I wonder if there will ever be a Unicode Symbol for "The Yellow Sign."[[User:Cutech|Cutech]] ([[User talk:Cutech|talk]]) 08:54, 11 March 2018 (UTC)

I saw a username that uses hashtag and asterisk symbols before on a website I usually frequent, are they even allowed?Boeing-787lover 09:02, 13 March 2018 (UTC)

;Re: the transscript
Klyxm, I know it was probably a hard effort to make it look this pretty, but I believe that we should not try to recreate the physical layout. Not only is it not relevant to the joke, '''but this makes the transcript hard to use for people using screen readers''' (try reading the source code -- the categories are intertwined and linewise reading doesn't make sense any more).

I have stripped the formatting and replaced it with a list (in reading order). I'd welcome a discussion about this, but if you must, there is the "revert this edit" button right there. {{unsigned ip|172.68.50.112}}
:Please don't forget to sign your comments. You are right and there were many discussions about this here before. My new incomplete reason is this: "Layout not standard (eg. indentation) and a short description at the beginning about what is shown should be given." It needs a little bit more rework. In principle the transcript is the written text of the words you use when telling someone else what's in the comic. --[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 13:18, 30 May 2018 (UTC)

Added zero-width spaces in the last line of the transcript due to page zooming issues. [[Special:Contributions/172.69.22.140|172.69.22.140]] 06:52, 4 October 2018 (UTC)
:Keep it simple, compare it to other recent transcripts, and read this [[explain_xkcd:Editor_FAQ#What_is_the_format_of_the_transcript_section.3F|What is the format of the transcript section ?]] --[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 18:39, 5 October 2018 (UTC)

"Username" could also be a reference similar to entering "your name" when instructed to "Enter your name." [[Special:Contributions/162.158.74.173|162.158.74.173]] 03:42, 7 July 2020 (UTC)

I wouldn't suggest using the unpronounceable names. People who play ''Keep Talking and Nobody Explodes'' are good with those. [[Special:Contributions/172.68.133.36|172.68.133.36]] 20:41, 14 July 2020 (UTC)

A user called "Neography" appeared on Neography (neography.miraheze.org) [[Special:Contributions/172.69.23.38|172.69.23.38]] 06:09, 25 September 2023 (UTC)

Hi lol [[User:Moderator|Moderator]] ([[User talk:Moderator|talk]]) 22:38, 4 February 2024 (UTC)

hehe [[User:Bobby Tables|Bobby Tables]] ([[User talk:Bobby Tables|talk]]) 03:22, 29 September 2024 (UTC)
: omg it's him [[User:CalibansCreations|'''Caliban''']] ([[User talk:CalibansCreations|talk]]) 13:40, 2 October 2024 (UTC)
He should add RTLO Unicode char [[Special:Contributions/172.68.22.223|172.68.22.223]] 05:54, 3 February 2025 (UTC)

explain xkcd:Community portal/Proposals

2025-04-25T22:30:45Z

Bb777: /* viewer */

<noinclude>{{Community links}}

{|-
|valign="top" width="100%"|[[File:Crystal Clear app ktip.png|left|120px]] <big><big>Proposals</big></big>

Place for ideas and suggestions to improve the wiki's design and organization on general issues can be incubated for later submission for consensus discussion. Be sure to check whether your proposal has already been submitted. {{AddNewSection|Page=Explain XKCD:Community portal/Proposals|Text=(+post)}}
|}</noinclude>

==ARCHIVED DISCUSSIONS==
<div class="plainlinks" style="background:#edf6ff; border:1px solid #a7d7f9; margin:1em auto 1em auto; width:100%; font-size: 120%; padding: 0.5ex; text-align: center;">Most of the discussions on this page have been archived. The archive is available at '''[[explain xkcd talk:Community portal/Proposals]]'''.</div>

== New Comics Bot ==

Would there be need for such a thing?
[[Special:Contributions/108.162.231.52|108.162.231.52]] Synthetica
:Nice idea, I never thought about that before. I will do some tests on existing comics to check if this could reduce the current number of error posts for a new article. When that is ready and working I will talk to some admins. My bot account [[User:DgbrtBOT|DgbrtBOT]] was originally intended for [[1190: Time]] picture uploads, but I never have used it because Time was over. Creating the new pages should be easy in general, avoiding errors will cost some more work. --[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 20:31, 6 November 2013 (UTC)
::If you can get dgbrtBOT to do that, that'd help us an awful lot. It'd allow us to get rid of the ifexist cases in template:LATESTCOMIC as well, since the bot could change automatically that whenever a new comic goes up. It'll also help us get new comics down almost the moment they pop up, since the bot could sample several times a minute until a comic is posted. So long as it gets the general pattern right so that we have a correct page set up, we're good. An admin can come in sometime later to clean up categories and image urls and other piddly easy-to-fix details. '''[[User:Davidy22|{{Color|#707|David}}y²²]]'''[[User talk:Davidy22|<tt>[talk]</tt>]] 20:54, 6 November 2013 (UTC)
:::I will work on this next weekend, just local scripts and no updates here. I also will talk about my results before any automatic updates will be activated. My first focus is on creating the new pages in the general pattern, LATESTCOMIC and also the page "All comics" are maybe a bonus later. And of course all my scripts will be open source.--[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 21:44, 6 November 2013 (UTC)
::::The first version is ready and I will test it at my local wiki. If everything goes well I could activate it for Wednesday (2013-11-13). LATESTCOMIC and "All comics" are on my roadmap, but first I want produce correct new pages here. --[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 20:00, 10 November 2013 (UTC)
:::::Righty ho. Here goes. '''[[User:Davidy22|{{Color|#707|David}}y²²]]'''[[User talk:Davidy22|<tt>[talk]</tt>]] 20:36, 10 November 2013 (UTC)
Even when my automatic local wiki test did fail today, just a damn wrong password, I will activate the bot here for Wednesday. It will only run from 4:00 PM until 8:00 PM UTC. You will not see my possible updates at [[Special:RecentChanges]] unless you click ''Show bots'' at the top of that page. LATESTCOMIC and "All comics" are not covered, but this is at my TODO list until this test will be successful. Give me a '''GO''' or '''NO-GO''' for this test.--[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 21:49, 11 November 2013 (UTC)
:Easily a GO, I'll be ready to clean up if anything goes wrong. '''[[User:Davidy22|{{Color|#707|David}}y²²]]'''[[User talk:Davidy22|<tt>[talk]</tt>]] 22:08, 11 November 2013 (UTC)
::So be ready on Wednesday for the clean up. My worst case is ''it simply does not work'', second worse scenario is still that I could delete some contend already posted here, but I'm trying to avoid this. ''Huston'', the countdown clock is counting. I'm joking about this because I really want to be confident about this ''BOT'' or ROBOT or uncontrolled action here.--[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 00:28, 12 November 2013 (UTC)
:::The bot can't do anything that I can't reverse. I can even restore a backup from an hour before the bot's edits if it manages to break the database. How quickly does it poll xkcd, by the way? '''[[User:Davidy22|{{Color|#707|David}}y²²]]'''[[User talk:Davidy22|<tt>[talk]</tt>]] 07:53, 12 November 2013 (UTC)

First live test here (comic 1289). Please delete this page: [[Simple_Answers:_1289]]. Since my local wiki did not provide this templates I could not see this error before. In general the bot will update pages differ to any existing pages, but when it is not changed no update will happen. I'm fixing this errors at my script and do a second test here soon. I want to see it's producing correct pages until the bot will do it's work when I'm sleeping.--[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 22:31, 12 November 2013 (UTC)
:Ok, test are done here, BOT is scheduled for the next update. Polling is every five minutes on Mon, Wed, and Fri from 04:00 until 08:00 UTC. Let's see how it will work.--[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 23:08, 12 November 2013 (UTC)
::Couldja ramp that up to once/twice a minute, push the start time back by an hour, and the end time by a few hours? Also, is it possible to terminate it once it finds a comic for a certain day? '''[[User:Davidy22|{{Color|#707|David}}y²²]]'''[[User talk:Davidy22|<tt>[talk]</tt>]] 01:45, 13 November 2013 (UTC)
:::It worked! Though it posted the comic 5 minutes past post time. We has technology now, we can afford to poll faster and closer, yeah? '''[[User:Davidy22|{{Color|#707|David}}y²²]]'''[[User talk:Davidy22|<tt>[talk]</tt>]] 05:32, 13 November 2013 (UTC)
Uhh, it worked... I will increase the polls when I'm more confident about the release times. Today it was approx. 05:00 UTC (GMT) or 01:00 EST (Randall's time zone). Looks like he is still at daylight saving time, would have been 00:00 EDT. The polls will be increased to one minute when I'm sure about the Standard Release Time (SRT). Next steps for the next update on Friday are:
:The "All comics" page.
:The LATESTCOMIC template.
--[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 19:54, 13 November 2013 (UTC)
:The LATESTCOMIC template is included for the next run, it just simply has to return a number. But it's still the most critical part because if it does not work the Main Page is broken. I will change this to a better solution using that IFEXIST syntax soon. The list of all comics is still at my ToDo list. --[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 22:06, 14 November 2013 (UTC)
::The desired content of the LATESTCOMIC template should be just the comic number. If we can get out of having to poll multiple IFEXIST statements to find the latest comic, that would be a fantastic boon to our server performance. '''[[User:Davidy22|{{Color|#707|David}}y²²]]'''[[User talk:Davidy22|<tt>[talk]</tt>]] 04:43, 15 November 2013 (UTC)
:::OK, it did work today so I will not change this. Next step is the list for all comics.--[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 11:10, 15 November 2013 (UTC)
Next run will include an update on the "All comics" page. I'm crossing my fingers. When this update is also successful I will document my Bot at the Bot user page [[User:DgbrtBOT]]. --[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 22:15, 17 November 2013 (UTC)
:Oh, I forgot this detail: The bot is starting at 00:00 EST (RLT - Randall local time), which is 04:00 UTC and 05:00 MET for me. It polls every 5 minutes until 23:55 MET (22:55 UTC, 18:55 RLT) the main page until a new comic is found. I do not poll the comic number because I want to avoid 404 message logs at the servers.--[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 22:30, 17 November 2013 (UTC)
:Something went wrong there. That's gonna need fixing. I am enjoying the looks of the apparently faster polling though. Maybe you could also set the start time to 00:00:05 EST to catch the on-time xkcd releases within ten seconds? '''[[User:Davidy22|{{Color|#707|David}}y²²]]'''[[User talk:Davidy22|<tt>[talk]</tt>]] 05:33, 18 November 2013 (UTC)
::Uh, what a mess. I will do some more tests at my local wiki. At the next time I will do a check against the number from the LATESTCOMIC template, only the next number will be processed. The test against my local history did fail because of some cleanups after testings.--[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 08:18, 18 November 2013 (UTC)
:::I don't like mess. So the BOT got many more checks before posting here but the bot was starting at 05:00 local time for me. I'm really asleep at that time. The mess here was covered, but I do need another GO for the next attempt. Otherwise I will just do a test to my local wiki.--[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 22:35, 18 November 2013 (UTC)
No GO so far, my next test will run only at my local wiki.--[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 21:16, 19 November 2013 (UTC)
:My script is here: [https://github.com/dgbrt/explainXKCD_update explainXKCD_update]. At my current test "explainxkcd.com" is commented out and "localhost" is active. Since I don't like mess and the bot does act while I am sleeping the next update must be done manually here. I'm hoping the bot will be ready for the next update on Friday.--[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 22:15, 19 November 2013 (UTC)
::Bot is ready for Friday, everything went smooth at my last local test today. The bot did find the latest comic at 04:05 UTC and all essential pages were properly created. So I will activate it for this site again. --[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 21:57, 20 November 2013 (UTC)
Bot did work as expected. So I name it release 1.1337, the next planed release will be 2.1337 (beta) because of this two issues:
*"Include any categories below this line." will be removed because it doesn't make any sense any more.
*BETA: I want to use the full template features at [[List of all comics]], just ensuring that the pictures are working properly. No need for this at the most comics, but the BOT doesn't cover all possibilities on corrupt file names like we have had in "Pi vs. Tau". The picture was without that dot. My bot just shows the real link it did upload here.
I'm pretty sure we will have some issues on this bot, but for general pages it should work. So the bot will be active on Mon,Wed,Fri from 0:00 EST (or EDT) every five minutes until it did found a new comic, on success the bot does not poll any more.--[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 21:51, 22 November 2013 (UTC)
:Aww, it's a bot. It doesn't need to rest or take time off to do other stuff. It can totally poll once or more times per minute. Also, if you set the start time to a few seconds after midnight, Randall time, when he uploads a comic on-time, you'll get it within a few seconds as opposed to having to wait for the next polling. As for the image names, maybe you could convert spaces in the comic name to underscores, compare the two comic names you have and use that to decide which version of the template to use? '''[[User:Davidy22|{{Color|#707|David}}y²²]]'''[[User talk:Davidy22|<tt>[talk]</tt>]] 23:08, 22 November 2013 (UTC)
::I have to avoid that the bot is running twice, Internet Timeouts and more. And the comics are also published later sometimes. Look at my release [https://github.com/dgbrt/explainXKCD_update 1.1337], release 2.1337 will be later, Maybe I should start at 2 minutes after 0:00, but let's see right now how the bot does work. --[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 00:38, 23 November 2013 (UTC)
Uhh, what a huge discussion here. The bot will get a major update soon: Scheduler does start it once and until a comic is found and uploaded it here or an other limit is reached (maybe the end of the day) the bot will poll by a small delay. But every poll is still an entire download from the main page, When a new comic is found bot stops.
:Why, you could use http://xkcd.com/info.0.json, right?[[Special:Contributions/108.162.231.52|108.162.231.52]] 07:38, 2 December 2013 (UTC)Synthetica
::The BOT performs perfect and I prefer to analyze the original page. A title text like the one from today (a text showing a link) will be covered in the future.--[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 10:35, 2 December 2013 (UTC)
A great enhancement would be also covering a new comic like 1190 Time was. I'm looking forward on this, some ideas, it does require a complete analyse of the page and then finding some strange content.
--[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 23:05, 27 November 2013 (UTC)

== Require description for 'incomplete' tags ==
I've been trying to fix some of the incompletes, but several explanation pages I've come across are tagged incomplete without any reason given. The reason should be a required part of the tag. --[[Special:Contributions/173.245.52.223|173.245.52.223]] 03:35, 7 December 2013 (UTC)
:This incomplete tags are just older than the recent change of that template. Current adds require a description, but it's not easy to figure out all that old reasons. If someone does find a reason, please just add it. --[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 20:22, 7 December 2013 (UTC)
:I agree! Incomplete tags should require a reason! [[User:PDesbeginner|PDesbeginner]] ([[User talk:PDesbeginner|talk]]) 03:51, 19 June 2024 (UTC)

== Should there be a subwiki to cover the shop links that appear above the comic? ==

The current one (as of writing) is [http://imgs.xkcd.com/store_news/store_gd_b11_1ze4.png] but this is a different than the usual, and there was also a third in between these.
[[User:Rsranger65|Rsranger65]] ([[User talk:Rsranger65|talk]]) 06:00, 8 December 2013 (UTC)
:Those are very ephemeral. They aren't going to exist for very long, I don't know how valuable it would be to archive that stuff. We could probably do it, but having to figure out another naming convention and all for advertisements doesn't appeal to me at the current moment. If you can flesh it out, I'd love to see how you think we should do it. '''[[User:Davidy22|{{Color|#707|David}}y²²]]'''[[User talk:Davidy22|<tt>[talk]</tt>]] 07:24, 8 December 2013 (UTC)

== New Character ==

OK, I think we need a name for the character with a goatee and glasses in comics [[435: Purity]], [[796: Bad Ex]] and [[964: Dorm Poster]] as well as possibly others. Edit: oh and I suggest Goatee and Glasses Guy, but I'm open for suggestions Edit 2: also in [[826: Guest Week: Zach Weiner (SMBC)]] Halfhat {{unsigned|Halfhat}}
edit 3: Another sighting [[954: Chin-Up Bar]] [[User:Halfhat|Halfhat]] ([[User talk:Halfhat|talk]]) 16:57, 13 January 2014 (UTC)
: In the transcript, he is called "Person with Glasses and a Goatee" --[[User:Jeff|Jeff]] ([[User talk:Jeff|talk]]) 15:39, 21 March 2014 (UTC)
:: "Glasses Guy", "Goatee Guy" are both probably descriptive enough! --[[User:Jeff|Jeff]] ([[User talk:Jeff|talk]]) 15:41, 21 March 2014 (UTC)

== What If Comics ==

Hi, I was thinking, maybe at some point we should do the comics in the ''What If?'' section, like [http://what-if.xkcd.com/imgs/a/36/cornstarch_bitcoins.png this one.] [[User:Halfhat|Halfhat]] ([[User talk:Halfhat|talk]]) 20:01, 13 January 2014 (UTC)
: Start creating the pages for them! --[[User:Jeff|Jeff]] ([[User talk:Jeff|talk]]) 15:36, 21 March 2014 (UTC)
: I think I can start creating one or two pages for What If, if that helps... [[User:Daniel Carrero|Daniel Carrero]] ([[User talk:Daniel Carrero|talk]]) 16:14, 5 April 2014 (UTC)
:: If nobody has any problem with it, I'm gonna give it a try later. :) [[User:Daniel Carrero|Daniel Carrero]] ([[User talk:Daniel Carrero|talk]]) 13:14, 8 April 2014 (UTC)
:::I thought they were already pretty self-explanatory though. Also, how are we gonna organize and present them? '''[[User:Davidy22|{{Color|#707|David}}y²²]]'''[[User talk:Davidy22|<tt>[talk]</tt>]] 16:31, 8 April 2014 (UTC)
::::I totally agree with David: Read the entire What-If page and follow the links provided by Randall. No one of us can do that better in depth. But an overview page for this site is maybe not a bad idea, we just need a proper link here — a link at the main menu on the left. Translations to other languages are just another issue. --[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 22:37, 8 April 2014 (UTC)
:::::Yes, I was thinking of an overview, summarizing the contents and discoveries of each what if page. Not to mention, we could also organize what if pages by categories, such as physics/love.
:::::Would you like me to post here an example of what I would write? That way we can decide if it's worthy of creating an actual page. [[User:Daniel Carrero|Daniel Carrero]] ([[User talk:Daniel Carrero|talk]]) 12:53, 9 April 2014 (UTC)
:Adding pages for What If? posts would be very helpful. Although the articles themselves are obviously self-explanatory, there are almost as many subtle references, running gags, and in-jokes in What If? posts these days as in the comics themselves.
I often visit explain xkcd when I feel like I'm missing an inside joke or a pop culture reference in a comic, and it would be very helpful to many people (especially those from other cultures/subcultures) to have the same service.
For example, today's What If? contains multiple allusions to the Superman Movie, a running Citation Needed joke, and a whole comic that is a not-so-subtle dig at Elon Musk and the Hyperloop. It would be awesome if the community here at explainxkcd could tackle stuff like that.
Anonymous 20:05, 31 July 2014 (UTC)

I agree. I don't understand the mouseover text on the first image in "Snow Removal", for example. [[User:Benjaminikuta|Benjaminikuta]] ([[User talk:Benjaminikuta|talk]]) 22:57, 23 February 2015 (UTC)

I can't agree more. As a fan of What if books, I think this website should add a "what if book comics" section, therefore there would be a larger number of comics to explore.[[User:I HAVE NO NAME|I HAVE NO NAME]] ([[User talk:I HAVE NO NAME|talk]]) 10:59, 21 August 2024 (UTC)
:As in what you can find under [[What If (disambiguation)]], do you mean? Note that you're replying to comments more than nine years old. (And eating up your meagre VPN quota to do so, you say elsewhere...) [[Special:Contributions/172.70.91.27|172.70.91.27]] 11:13, 21 August 2024 (UTC)

== Transcripts ==

The whole point of the transcripts is to have those who are unable to view images to still be able to read the comic, right?

Then why is it required to stick to strictly official transcripts, where sometimes rewriting them slightly would make them flow better or otherwise get the ideas across better? I've tried rewriting a few, but they get reverted. I think that having easier-to-understand transcripts would be more important than strictly following official transcripts; what do you think? (For a few examples, see [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=207:_What_xkcd_Means&diff=60061&oldid=57400 this edit] and [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=995%3A_Coinstar&diff=59862&oldid=57316 this edit]. [[User:Zowayix|Zowayix]] ([[User talk:Zowayix|talk]]) 17:38, 19 February 2014 (UTC)
:We use the original transcript to try and deduce original author intent if it's unclear from the image. I remember one comic where Beret Guy was off in the distance and it was difficult to distinguish him from the image, but the official transcript said it was him. We don't stick to the original transcript if it's obviously wrong, or it has typographical errors: see [[Laser Scope]]. Those edits seem to be mainly targeted at language and clarity, and should be fine. '''[[User:Davidy22|{{Color|#707|David}}y²²]]'''[[User talk:Davidy22|<tt>[talk]</tt>]] 23:06, 19 February 2014 (UTC)
::Would it be helpful to have another (optional) section for expanding on the official transcripts? I too think it could be helpful, especially for complex images (such as 1079/United Shapes [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php/1079]). Or does supplemental description belong in the Explanation sections? Cheers. [[User:Karenb|Karenb]] ([[User talk:Karenb|talk]]) 23:00, 20 March 2014 (UTC)
:::Naaah, how many people even know there's an original transcript? If the original is wrong, change it. If your additions begin to verge on explanatory, move eet to the trivia/explanation sections. '''[[User:Davidy22|{{Color|#707|David}}y²²]]'''[[User talk:Davidy22|<tt>[talk]</tt>]] 00:52, 21 March 2014 (UTC)

== "Characters in this Comic" section ==

Should there be a "Characters in this Comic" section in each comic explanation? (I feel like this should be longer but don't have anything else to say.) [[User:Z|Z]] ([[User talk:Z|talk]]) 23:33, 11 May 2014 (UTC)

:There is a Category section at the bottom of each comic. Just scroll down and you will see any character belonging to a specific comic. --[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 21:50, 12 May 2014 (UTC)

== Adding the Radiation chart from XKCD ==

Hi
As there are already other comics with explanations even though they are not part of the number system.
This one does not seem to have any yet:
http://xkcd.com/radiation/
And as it is very alike the Money strip (the unexplained of the week) so I think it should be explained as well.
If you agree please add it as I'm not sure how to do that.

Best regards
:[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 18:47, 7 June 2014 (UTC)

== Reddit comments? ==

There should be a link in each comics explanation page somewhere linking to the comment section for the relevant comic on /r/xkcdcomic or reddit.
:The reddit comments page isn't ''that'' close to what we do though. If this is more popular, we'll do it, though there'll need to be a fair bit of post-hoc editing since I don't think there's a standard URL scheme for all the past comics. '''[[User:Davidy22|{{Color|#707|David}}y²²]]'''[[User talk:Davidy22|<tt>[talk]</tt>]] 03:15, 23 June 2014 (UTC)
:I just came here to ask if we could do this, but I looked into it and it wouldn't be simple. Could we write a bot to run on the xkcd subreddit to post the link here? --[[User:Eluvatar|Eluvatar]] ([[User talk:Eluvatar|talk]]) 05:53, 6 November 2017 (UTC)

== Not insulting new users ==

I am writing a response to a vulnerability assessment. I have included a link to http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php/936 noting that it contains a good explanation of the relative security of passwords vs passphrases. I just noticed that the top of that page contains "Explain xkcd: It's 'cause you're dumb." Looks like I'll have to find a different site to link to. --[[User:Pascal|Pascal]] ([[User talk:Pascal|talk]]) 17:33, 28 June 2014 (UTC)
:I agree. While I'm sure it can seem cute or funny in various circles, that text has always seemed immature and inappropriate to me, and I'm sure to many folks we'd like to invite to the site. I suggest that it be changed. [[User:Nealmcb|Nealmcb]] ([[User talk:Nealmcb|talk]]) 19:52, 23 March 2015 (UTC)

:The XKCD http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php/936 suggestion for password is actually not that good. [http://security.stackexchange.com/questions/62832/is-the-oft-cited-xkcd-scheme-no-longer-good-advice read here] for some more discussion. [[Special:Contributions/162.158.253.6|162.158.253.6]] 23:49, 10 March 2016 (UTC)

:I also agree. I'm not here because I'm stupid, I'm here because I don't know something and I'm hoping this site can help. It's off putting to have that text there, and there's no benefit to it. What about just repeating the thing at the top of XKCD.com: "Romance, Sarcasm, Math, and Language: Explained"?

:I agree, and there is actually a very long talk page started about this subject in the miscellaneous section. Eventually people voted to keep it, but the main argument on that side was that that was the way things had always been. I am fairly new to the site (this is actually my first post on it), so I don't know how these things work, but I do think that that should be changed. There were actually a large number of good proposals for replacements with the other one, and I thought it would be funny if there was a randomly selected character every time you loaded a page, with each character having their own tagline. Is there any way to try to get this changed again?[[Special:Contributions/172.68.78.52|172.68.78.52]]

:Another vote for changing it. I like the idea of rotating through a number of taglines. The world already has too many people who habitually verbally reinforce the idea they aren't smart, why try to convince them they're right about themselves when they might otherwise be experiencing curiosity? (Related: Carol Dweck) ''Edit: [https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php/explain_xkcd:Community_portal/Miscellaneous#Sightless_readers_offended_by_the_.22It.27s_.27cause_you.27re_dumb.22_tagline. link to prior conversation]'' [[Special:Contributions/172.69.35.37|172.69.35.37]] 10:56, 11 March 2021 (UTC)

:Concur. When I link to xkcd comics, I also add a link to the equivalent page here for screenreader users. While I try to link to the transcript sections specifically, I sometimes forget or typo it, and people may check the rest of the page anyway. What are the rules for decisions here? [[Special:Contributions/141.101.68.7|141.101.68.7]] 22:14, 21 October 2021 (UTC)

:I disagree, it's a tagline and obviously just a light jibe, no reason to change it. However the main reason I'm commenting is to point out that hundreds of other users saw this proposal and didn't reply so even if there's concurrence among the minority who respond to the proposal it doesn't mean that the proposal has wide support and should be implemented --[[User:Lackadaisical|Lackadaisical]] ([[User talk:Lackadaisical|talk]])

:I think it would be a good idea to have the tagline link to a page explaining it, or is that a little [[1447: Meta-Analysis|too meta]]? It'd be useful to help newbies understand the phrase, at least. [[Special:Contributions/108.162.246.212|108.162.246.212]] 22:56, 7 July 2022 (UTC)

:I think it should be changed to something nice. [[User:While False|While False]] ([[User talk:While False|speak]]) 16:30, 3 October 2022 (UTC)

:The [[Black Hat]] image is blurry. [[User:ClassicalGames|ClassicalGames]] ([[User talk:ClassicalGames|talk]]) 08:54, 3 May 2023 (UTC)

:Change it or just delete it (do you really need a tagline?). It is not in line with the spirit of the XKCD jokes (it is not smart sarcasm, it is first-grade humour) and it is unnecessarily mean. Does it even come from a real XKCD comic? I could not find any reference. If not, I also find it disrespectful to use one of Randall Munroe's characters in this way. I understand that the team that runs this wiki wants to keep it as it is for historical reasons. Any other arguments like "not everyone who comes to this web site complains, then most people are fine with it" or "we need consensus to change it (is it the ONU?)" sound pretentious. To me it is like finding a goatse on the front page. It's ugly, but it is not a problem as long as I get the information I need and leave. [[Special:Contributions/172.71.242.54|172.71.242.54]] 23:09, 24 May 2024 (UTC)

== RSS feed ==

Is there an RSS feed (or some equivalent) of Explain XKCD available? It's helpful for those using feed readers, and superior to the primary XKCD RSS since there are explanations and the mouse over text is transcribed for the lazy. Thanks [[Special:Contributions/108.162.219.154|108.162.219.154]] 08:24, 28 August 2014 (UTC)
:[http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=Special:NewPages&feed=atom&hideredirs=1&limit=90&offset=&namespace=0&username=&feed=&tagfilter= Why yes, we do!] It's the regular new pages log that all wikis have. It's a little ugly at the moment, and sometimes junk gets in there when a bot chucks spam at us, so a nicer feed is in the works, but the linked one should do you excellently for now. When the nice one is done, you'll see it in the sidebar below the "Help" button. '''[[User:Davidy22|{{Color|#707|David}}y²²]]'''[[User talk:Davidy22|<tt>[talk]</tt>]] 11:31, 28 August 2014 (UTC)

== Navigation Pane Link - Categories ==

How about having a link to the "Special:Categories" page in the navigation pane?

A fair amount of effort has gone into categorising the comics, and at the moment it isn't particularly obvious how to browse by category. Is this worth doing?{{unsigned|Pudder}}
:Space on the sidebar is on a premium. I dunno, I'd probably be against it, but I want to hear what other admins say as well. '''[[User:Davidy22|{{Color|#707|David}}y²²]]'''[[User talk:Davidy22|<tt>[talk]</tt>]] 16:45, 29 September 2014 (UTC)

== Alternate realities what if would benefit from a wiki entry ==

The what if entry from the end of November 2014 providing excerpts from alternate reality what ifs would benefit from an explain page.
I suspect these may have been typos that have been made into jokes, but some of the humor might not be apparent to all.
I doubt I have access (or maybe know how) to set it up myself.

Cheers {{unsigned ip|199.27.133.42}}

: Made it. Check out [[What If: 120: Alternate Universe What Ifs]]. [[User:17jiangz1|17jiangz1]] ([[User talk:17jiangz1|talk]]) 09:10, 26 December 2014 (UTC)
::We don't actually have a structure for what if pages in general, so I'll have to take that down, but when we do we can make pages for every what if. '''[[User:Davidy22|{{Color|#707|David}}y²²]]'''[[User talk:Davidy22|<tt>[talk]</tt>]] 09:57, 26 December 2014 (UTC)

== Secondary URLs? ==

I have made http://www.xkcd.ga and http://www.xkcd.tk both forward to http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php/Main_Page. Is this ok? [[User:17jiangz1|17jiangz1]] ([[User talk:17jiangz1|talk]]) 08:50, 26 December 2014 (UTC)
:While we probably won't advertise them because we can't guarantee the uptime of third-party URLs, and they add an additional redirect layer and lack our shortened URL features, you're free to purchase and link URLs to us independently. We are not owned by Randall and as such cannot claim to actually be xkcd, so I'm not hugely comfortable with you using the plain name "xkcd" to link to us; a url in the format http://www.xkcd.[TLD] should by rights link to the main xkcd site, but no trademark claim has been made or likely will be made, so you should be fine with doing whatever you want to do with URL redirects '''[[User:Davidy22|{{Color|#707|David}}y²²]]'''[[User talk:Davidy22|<tt>[talk]</tt>]] 09:57, 26 December 2014 (UTC)

== LaTeX (Or MathML, TeX) support? ==

[[1489:_Fundamental_Forces|In the most recent comic at the time of posting]], there was use of formulae, being: Fgravity = G m1m2/d2 Fstatic = Ke q1q2/d2 
There are probably many more comics using formulae that cannot be rendered properly without the use of LaTeX or something. The [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Help:Displaying_a_formula help page on Wikipedia] says that the following should work: <math>F_{gravity}=G\frac{m_1m_2}{d^2}</math> <math>F_{static}=K_e\frac{q_1q_2}{d^2}</math>
Provided that one has to set <source lang="php" enclose="none">$wgUseTeX = true;</source> in [[mw:Manual:LocalSettings.php|LocalSettings.php]]. Is there any reason for this to be disabled? If there is, is there any alternative? —[[Special:Contributions/141.101.106.95|141.101.106.95]] 21:18, 20 February 2015 (UTC)

:The wgUseTeX flag was deprecated in mediawiki 1.18 in a move to simplify base mediawiki and move niche features into seperate plugins. I vaguely remember this being requested in the past, can't find any evidence of me implementing it. I'll try it now, see what stopped me last time. '''[[User:Davidy22|{{Color|#707|David}}y²²]]'''[[User talk:Davidy22|<tt>[talk]</tt>]] 01:12, 21 February 2015 (UTC)
:Ah, there's a bit of configuration work to it and I was busy at the time probably. I'll put it on the growing to do list on my userpage. '''[[User:Davidy22|{{Color|#707|David}}y²²]]'''[[User talk:Davidy22|<tt>[talk]</tt>]] 01:20, 21 February 2015 (UTC)
This problem is '''solved'''. --[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 12:03, 15 June 2018 (UTC)

== Merge Cueball & Rob ==

At the risk of posting this idea too many places and annoying everyone, I would like to propose that we consider merging [[Cueball]] and [[Rob]] and redirecting Cueball to Rob, much as [[Cutie]] now redirects to [[Megan]]. The most common name given for a Cueball-like character in the strip is "Rob". Like Megan, he is not always named. Also, like Megan, Rob tends to have distinct characteristics such as being a nerdy alter-ego to Randall (e.g. [[1168: tar]]) just as Megan often is the appearance given to comic representations of Randall's wife (see [[1141: Two Years]], before hair loss). Megan and Cueball appear to have a relationship (e.g. [[159: Boombox]]) and Megan clearly hangs out with Rob in ways not inconsistent with adventurous couples (e.g. [[782: Desecration]]). Finally, comics that feature both [[Black Hat]] and "Cueball" seem to depict them as friends and possibly roommates. However, we learn in [[1102: Fastest-Growing]] that Black Hat's roommate is named "Rob".

In short, I believe if [[159: Boombox]] had called "Cueball" "Rob" we would've rewritten both Cutie and Cueball to redirect there. Because we learned that "Cueball's" name is actually Rob much later (I think the earliest occurrences are [[647: Scary]], and [[716: Time Machine]]; the first time he is seen with Megan in a capacity that might indicate a relationship is [[782: Desecration]]). [[User:Djbrasier|Djbrasier]] ([[User talk:Djbrasier|talk]]) 19:05, 11 March 2015 (UTC)

:As I answered your comment on [[1496: Art Project]] Rob is [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php/Category:Comics_featuring_Rob already listed] as part of the category for Comics featuring Cueball: and this is listed as the first entry when going to the page for [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php/Category:Comics_featuring_Cueball Category:Comics featuring Cueball]. Cueball is such an integral part of explain xkcd that I do not think any other users wish to change. Also the 9 incidences with Rob is maybe a specific person and at the time Randall did not think to give him any features. Also Cueballs have no specific behavior as you allude to. Neither has Megan. You can always find several Cueballs and Megans that behave a certain way. But then you can find many other comics where they behave the opposite way. Thus Rob and Cueball should not be merged. Also there are several comics with more than one Cueball. And here we have this problem: It is typically the first who writes the transcript who decides who of the Cueballs (or Megans) he feels represents the "real" Cueball. However, there is no real behavior of Cueball. So who should decide. I could change all these transcripts so it becomes the other character who becomes Cueball, because I think that the first transcriber did it wrong. And this is why in a comic with more than one Cueball (where neither is called Rob or the like) neither of the two should be called Cueball. It would still be in the category with Cueball, because that is just comics with a Cueball like character no matter how many. But they cannot be named Cueball and friend or Rob and friend (unless Rob's name is mentioned!) They could be called Cueball 1 and Cueball 2, but then guy or man would be better. I know several places have comics with two Cueballs where someone has designated one of them Cueball and the other friend of foe etc. But this should be corrected so none of these are called Cueball. Same should go for more than one Megan. But this is very rare, and I have only found one other than ''Art project'' and here only one Megan had any lines. The problem with different opinions on which Cueball is which came for the first time up with Megan in ''Art project'': The two Megan-like characters was first named (left to right) Megan and Danish. Then unidentified girl and Megan. Then Megan and unidentified girl, then two Megan like girls with short and long hair and finally you reverted it to my first change away from Danish to unidentified girl and Megan. (I can live with that as there is difference in hair length and behavior). But as far as I see it Cueball is not Rob as well as Megan should have continued to be called Cutie (but I would not like to change that now, as I have grown fond of Megan). But at the time the change was done I believe it was wrong. The same fondness for the name Cueball also makes me sure that no one else would wish to call him Rob, even if that is as much his name as Megan is Cuties... --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 21:57, 11 March 2015 (UTC)

::My argument is that it is inertia and sentiment ("fond of Megan") that prevents an objective, equal treatment here. [[User:Djbrasier|Djbrasier]] ([[User talk:Djbrasier|talk]]) 22:47, 11 March 2015 (UTC)

::Also, regarding the analogy made above to Danish. I am fine with a nickname when Randall hasn't named a character. So she was "unidentified girl" and then became "Danish". But, when we named her "Danish", we went back to "Journal 1" and other places and renamed her. My proposal is that we should go back through and rename "Cueball" as "Rob". Alternatively, we should reinstate "Cutie" for cases in which it is not clear that a character is "Megan" per se, but just Megan in her "everywoman" capacity. [[User:Djbrasier|Djbrasier]] ([[User talk:Djbrasier|talk]]) 00:00, 12 March 2015 (UTC)

I'm not sure how to post a poll, but I see the following options:

1) Status quo: Cueball for all unidentified males without distinct characteristics (e.g. hats), Megan for all shoulder-length brunettes. Rob only for named Cueballs. Multiple Cueballs in a comic mean one is named Cueball and others get named "Friend", etc.

2) Symmetry 1: Cueball/Rob stays as is. Unnamed brunettes get named "Cutie". "Megan" like "Rob" is reserved for comics in which a name is used.

3) Symmetry 2: Megan stays as is. Rob is the default for indistinct males. "Cueball" page redirects to "Rob" (as "Cutie" now redirect to "Megan").

4) Expunge all Cueballs from multi-Cueball comics: Basically the status quo, except that in comics with multiple Cueballs none are named "Cueball" and are just all given names "Man 1", "Man 2", etc.

I am ambivalent regarding options 2 or 3. I could live with 1 if there is consensus for it, but I don't like it. 4 is a disaster in my mind and gains nothing. [[User:Djbrasier|Djbrasier]] ([[User talk:Djbrasier|talk]]) 22:47, 11 March 2015 (UTC)

:We are probably the only one who reads these post...? But anyway as is clear I'm for 4. Which has been used several places already.´I can live with 1. I think 2 and 3 are disasters. Also it would be completely confusing for those who have used this page for many years. Why do you bring this up now? Is it because of the multiple Megan comics, or have you just signed up here, and dislike that it doesn't follow the rules you would have expected?--[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 20:19, 12 March 2015 (UTC)
::I suggest instead that we create a category for multiple Cueballs, so it is easy to explain why the Cueball is not a specific character, and thus can never be Rob (except when it is clear from the text), or be expected to behave a certain way. And in reverse we make a Named Megan category so it is easy to find the few (three?) where she has been named. This by the way has nothing to do with the other suggestions, so I might just do that to get an overview. --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 20:19, 12 March 2015 (UTC)
::: It seems more consistent to me to use [[Cutie]] for all unnamed "Megans" and reserve "Megan" for named comics. Thus, Rob is '''a''' Cueball and Megan is '''a''' Cutie. [[User:Djbrasier|Djbrasier]] ([[User talk:Djbrasier|talk]]) 13:30, 13 March 2015 (UTC)

::::I've read through some of your discussions (Here, Kynde's talk page, Art Project discussion), and thought I might put my thoughts forwards. Essentially we have three questions here:
::::1) Should we merge Cueball and Rob, and rename all Cueballs as Rob?
::::2) Should we rename all Megans as Cutie, except where she is explicitly named?
::::3) Once questions 1 & 2 are answered, what do we do where the 'same' character appears multiple times in one comic?

::::*I understand the objective argument for renaming Cueball to Rob, however I'm unconvinced of the importance of being entirely objective, and I can't imagine Cueball being renamed to anything other than Cueball.
::::*I think its fairly clear where the Cueball label has come from, even if it might not be immediately obvious to some. Even if readers don't make the link between Cueball's head and a cue-ball, it is quite a generic label, which I think fits well with the transient every-man nature of Cueball's usage.
::::*There is something far more specific about the name Rob, which suggests that he is the same character every time. The origin of the name isn't obvious, which I think would be likely to cause confusion.
::::This brings me to conclude that for me, the answer to Q1 has to be that Cueball should stay as Cueball, unless explicitly named something else.

::::The question of changing Megan to Cutie is one where I am less confident. Following the arguments I've made above, the outcome has to be that we rename to Cutie unless specifically named Megan, however I am not entirely convinced. The name Megan has a history, there are surely lots of people who now know her as Megan, what do we really stand to gain from all the work of changing to Cutie? I would also suggest that the name Cutie may not be accepted well by those with strong feminist views.

::::As far as multi-character comics, I don't have time right now, but I will come back later and add my thoughts. Now that we've only got a few incomplete comics, we've had to resort to discussing renaming characters!--[[User:Pudder|Pudder]] ([[User talk:Pudder|talk]]) 15:07, 13 March 2015 (UTC)
:::::I agree with the reasons for keeping Cueball and Megan. And also that Cutie is such a loaded word, that it should never have been used anyway. This I did not immediately think about, but Cutie sounds like something from either a porn movie, or else a Bond Babe... Like the phrase from one of those movies: "Hello, I'm Plenty..." Then we should have to find a third name. And everyone here knows her as Megan. --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 13:24, 15 March 2015 (UTC)
::::::I have created the [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php/Category:Multiple_Cueballs Category:Multiple Cueballs] to locate them and to show how often there are more than one. Feel free to add any I haven't found yet. --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 09:45, 16 March 2015 (UTC)

I think Rob is Black Hat's roommate and Megan's boyfriend/partner/husband (see above). The "Cueball" in comics such as [[159: Boombox]] and [[542: Cover-Up]] should, in my view, be renamed "Rob", even though he is not explicitly called that in those comics. Most other "Cueball" comics can stay unchanged. [[User:Djbrasier|Djbrasier]] ([[User talk:Djbrasier|talk]]) 00:43, 14 March 2015 (UTC)
:I have left my reason to disagree also with this on the two comics talk page. --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 13:24, 15 March 2015 (UTC)

In my opinion, it is quite clear that [[Randall]] has chosen to name the main male protagonist [[Rob]], for the few occasions where he needs characters to call upon each other, in the same way as he has chosen [[Megan]] for the main female protagonist. We should therefore try to overcome our nostalgia, follow Randall, and call the common male protagonist Rob. The problem with multiple cueballs can most often be resolved by identifying the protagonist, from the first-person narration or the general perspective. Thus, in [[525: I Know You're Listening]] Rob is the comic's "I", to the left. In [[1110: Click and Drag]], Rob is obviously flying with a balloon. In [[610: Sheeple]] Rob is arguably the guy in the foreground facing us. Non-Rob "cueballs" we could refer to as "friend" "man", etc. In this way roughly half of the "multiple cueballs" would be resolved. I think I can live with a few unclear cases, like [[220: Philosophy]]. [[User:St.nerol|St.nerol]] ([[User talk:St.nerol|talk]]) 12:22, 19 March 2015 (UTC)

:A featureless character has been ''specifically'' named Rob in 9 comics, compared with 968 'Comics featuring Cueball'. I believe it is fundamentally flawed to assert that because a featureless character is named Rob in less than 1% of appearances, that all featureless characters should therefore be assumed to be Rob. As I've discussed above, I think that Rob strongly implies a specific person, whereas Cueball is a vague 'everyman' character. I feel it would be a huge error to change all Cueballs to Robs.--[[User:Pudder|Pudder]] ([[User talk:Pudder|talk]]) 17:37, 19 March 2015 (UTC)

::The problem with that logic is that "Megan" is only named in a small number of comics (fewer that "Rob"). So we should have a different name for an unnamed generic female. [[Cutie]] is fine, but if people perceive that as sexist, then another name, maybe "Cuegirl" or "Brunette" would work. (Side note: I doubt "Cutie" would be perceived as sexist and there's history there.) What I '''do''' find sexist is the fact that there is asymmetry between male and female "everyperson"s. In sum, I would say there is at less evidence to support naming Megan-everywoman "Megan" in all cases as there is to name Rob-everyman (here called "Cueball") "Rob" in all cases. Asymmetry here ignores the fact that Randall clearly intends his name to be "Rob" and also that we are using a proper name for everywoman but a contrived name for everyman, while creating an artificial distinction between Rob and Cueball and smearing out any possible distinction between Megan-everywoman and Megan-properName. [[User:Djbrasier|Djbrasier]] ([[User talk:Djbrasier|talk]]) 13:18, 27 March 2015 (UTC)

:::As I put in my earlier comment (see above), I do agree that the logical conclusion is that Megan should no longer be named Megan, and should have an equivalent generic name. As an aside, I'm quite partial to your suggestion of Cuegirl. I disagree with your assertion that "Randall clearly intends his name to be Rob", and I think that is the central point of this discussion. I don't believe that there is anywhere near enough evidence to assign a specific name to what I believe is a generic character. If we want to go for formal logic, consider the syllogism "Some non descipt characters are called Rob, there are many non-descript characters, therfore all non-descript characters are called Rob". The conclusion simply does not follow. --[[User:Pudder|Pudder]] ([[User talk:Pudder|talk]]) 14:22, 27 March 2015 (UTC)

::::Great, I vote for Cuegirl & Cueball :: Megan & Rob! [[User:Djbrasier|Djbrasier]] ([[User talk:Djbrasier|talk]]) 01:31, 31 March 2015 (UTC)

I agree with Djbrasier's and St.nerol's arguments, and I too feel that the arguments against dealing with this in an objective, symmetrical and logical way seem mostly based on nostalgia. Either we agree that a few named instances of the everywoman are sufficient to generalize to the (vastly more numerous) unnamed instances, and apply the same standard to the everyman, which is only consistent (and even more justified in the case of Rob since he is named in more comics than Megan), or we decide that the extrapolation is unjustified and we revert the Cutie-->Megan merge. The alternative --having double standards and deciding things based on historical baggage and emotional attachment rather than rationality-- makes no sense for followers of the comic that ''literally invented'' nerd-sniping!

I'd also add that, as a non-native speaker, "cueball" doesn't ring any immediate bells unless the connection to cue balls is pointed out explicitly -- so actually Rob works even better as a generic name than Cueball. We have already [[#New character|agreed previously]] that clarity is better than cleverness when we named [[Hairy]], forgoing the less obvious alliteration "Harry", so I vote we use the name Randall ''actually'' gave us, let go of our attachments to a creation he never endorsed, and honor our collective nerdiness by doing the logical thing: apply our standards uniformly and adopt Rob the same way we adopted Megan. --[[User:Waldir|Waldir]] ([[User talk:Waldir|talk]]) 06:09, 10 April 2015 (UTC)

:I've already put my thoughts forward above, so I won't repeat the same ground I've covered, other than to say I believe it would be a mistake to turn all Cueballs into Robs. While I will admit to having some nostalgia for the name Cueball, that isn't a major facet of my argument. I believe that any generic name is better than a specific name. Call them Stickboy & Stickgirl if you want! I know there are a fairly significant number of contributors and visitors who do not have English as their first language, but I don't believe that is a reason to choose a specific name, rather than a generic name, even if the origin of the latter isn't immediately obvious to all. It would be interesting to know whether each of us sees Cueball as always being the same person, or Cueball *is* Randall, or Cueball is just a changeable everyman.

:To me, he is a changeable everyman, who I guess may represent or be based on: Randall, his friends, family or acquaintances, famous people, someone he saw in the street, or a completely made up character used to fill a specific role in the comic. The reason I argue againt merging Rob & Cueball is that the Cueball I see is this morphing and fluid character, and to use a specific name to tie him down to being the same character all the time runs completely counter to that. --[[User:Pudder|Pudder]] ([[User talk:Pudder|talk]]) 08:31, 10 April 2015 (UTC)

:: Understood, and sorry for mischaracterizing your argument (the nostalgia part does cloud the discussion though). I suppose I would be somewhat ambivalent to either have Rob+Megan, or Cueball+Cutie -- Cuegirl doesn't work because she has hair :) --, in the interests of reason and symmetry. But I lean slightly towards Rob+Megan because those are names Randall actually gave us, while anything else is our own invention and thus has no claim to legitimacy other than popular support.
:: Particularly, while I understand your concern about shoehorning the various personality traits the Cueballs show in different comics into a single persona, that doesn't seem to have been a problem for Megan -- not to mention real people ''are'' indeed complex and multi-faceted beings (or "morphing and fluid", to use your terms) rather than one-dimensional caricatures. Heck, even Black Hat has his romantic side! :) So in light of that, I don't think we have to worry about ruining Cueball by naming him Rob -- if anything, that'd add more depth to him as a character! --[[User:Waldir|Waldir]] ([[User talk:Waldir|talk]]) 16:35, 10 April 2015 (UTC)
:::I'm still very much against changing things here. Call it nostalgia, but there are many users who will never read these arguments, who one day comes back and cannot find Megan or Cueball, and will ask who the heck are Cuegirl/Cutie. I'm completely with Pudder on the problem with giving Cueball the name Rob. It just doesn't make sense. I agree that we have a inconsistency with Megan. But then everyone who uses this page a few times, becomes familiar with that name. However the main problem with all your great ideas is this. Who should correct the either 984 pages where Cueball is mentioned because he is a part of it (and all the other pages relevant to him or where he is exactly mentioned because he isn't part of the comic) and/or who should do the same for 487 comics (plus loose pages) for Megan. Unless those in favor for changing the names will do this, then the discussion is moot. It is already clearly stated in the relevant pages that these two characters are generic and that they have been named but a few times. So what more can we do unless someone is willing to use several days to change this back. I sincerely doubt you can keep the correct syntax if you just try a brute force replacement? There are so many interconnecting links etc. --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 13:21, 25 April 2015 (UTC)

I completely disagree with merging Cueball and Rob. Rob has [[276|Emily]] and [[632|Lisa]] as girlfriends, and Cueball has Megan. Rob also lives a more action-filled and stereotypical life compared to Cueball. --[[User:Youforgotthisthing|Youforgotthisthing]] ([[User talk:Youforgotthisthing|talk]]) 13:14, 15 April 2015 (UTC)

I think the main stances here are clear:
* Keep as is
* Rename Cuball to Rob
* Change Megan back to Cutie/Cuegirl
Since keeping it status quo wouldn't change anything and is asymmetrical, I'll go over the others:
* Rename Cueball to Rob - Arguments:
** Randall gave him this name;
** It would offer symmetry to Megan;
** If the Cutie -> Megan logic is to be followed (as she was changed once named in the comics) then Cueball should be Rob;
** Even though cueball is a generic everyman name, Rob seems more like a name you could give anyone and would be more recognizable to non-native English speakers.
* Change Megan back to Cutie/Cuegirl - Arguments:
** It would cause symmetry again, letting her have an everywoman name;
** Nostalgia for Cueball;
** Megan is not always the same character, so she should not always have the name Megan

I happen to agree with the idea of merging Cueball and Rob, but I'm not closed to the idea of Cutie/Cuegirl. The main problem is that these characters are typically interchangeable everymen/everywomen and there can be more than one in a comic. So another question is what we should do for multiple Cueballs/Robs. In my opinion, we should have all the comics with more than one depict them as Man 1, Man 2, etc. --[[User:Sensorfire|Sensorfire]] ([[User talk:Sensorfire|talk]]) 17:04, 20 May 2015 (UTC)
:Well I disagree. The users are used to refeer to these characters now by these names. It is also impractical to try to change them all. Megan is rarely twice in a comic. Maybe she is more the same like Black Hat is. But it is made clear that they are not the same in every comic in their pages. If there are muliple Cueballs but one is the main protagonist then he us cueball. If none can be singled out then Cueball like guy to the left/right can be used. I have done that for tbose cases I have found so far ([[:Category:Multiple_Cueballs|49 today]]).--[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 20:58, 7 June 2015 (UTC)

Well, somebody pointed out that the title text of [[1783: Emails]] suggests that the Cueball in the comic is most certainly not Rob, and calling the main comic character 'Man 1' as above would be silly. And on top of all this, 'Cueball' occurs so much we would probably need to take a regex to every explanation in [[:Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]. [[User:Jacky720|That's right, Jacky720 just signed this]] ([[User talk:Jacky720|talk]] | [[Special:Contributions/Jacky720|contribs]]) 14:50, 9 January 2017 (UTC)

Why hasn't anyone thought of the name "Hairball"? {{unsigned ip|172.68.189.187}}
:Please don't forget to sign your posts. And everybody should read this first: [[Characters]] and [[Rob]]. For short: Rob is a named Cueball. --[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 11:57, 15 June 2018 (UTC)

== How to fit explanations of new classes of xkcd-related mysteries into the site: what-if, t-shirts, posters, special comics etc. ==

I suggest that the [http://explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php/explain_xkcd:About explain xkcd] page should explain how this site is laid out, and what sorts of things are explained here besides the online numbered xkcd comics that come out three times a week.

For example, there is the [[A Smarter Planet]] series, and there are ideas for explaining some of the [http://what-if.xkcd.com/ What-If] series. I'd like to add my explanation of the [https://gist.github.com/nealmcb/398af29a72f7b3efc202 XKCD Greek t-shirt, with mathematical, scientific and engineering uses for greek letters] and perhaps some other t-shirts, posters and the like.

But I can't even figure out how to find non-numbered-comic-explanations, without going thru the entire [[Special:AllPages]] listing, which includes a huge set of unnumbered aliases as well as the numbered ones.

I've taken a stab towards that by editing the About page to point to some categories (and to start with a little overview), but since I'm just poking around, I might have missed some things. [[User:Nealmcb|Nealmcb]] ([[User talk:Nealmcb|talk]]) 19:40, 23 March 2015 (UTC)

== Link to "Special pages" on main page ==

I think there should be a link to [[Special:SpecialPages]] on the main-page--[[User:17jiangz1|17jiangz1]] ([[User talk:17jiangz1|talk]]) 11:55, 29 March 2015 (UTC)
:Special pages is a default feature in every mediawiki installation. It's also in the sidebar of every page, and it's not relevant to xkcd. Why does it merit space on the main page? '''[[User:Davidy22|{{Color|#707|David}}y²²]]'''[[User talk:Davidy22|<tt>[talk]</tt>]] 18:56, 29 March 2015 (UTC)

== Science comic ==

Should the Science Magazine comic be added? http://m.sciencemag.org/content/342/6154/58.full [[User:Mikemk|Mikemk]] ([[User talk:Mikemk|talk]]) 03:14, 4 April 2015 (UTC)
:I think that would be a great idea. Could there be other copyright rules when the comic has been published on Science? It there anyway to find out if Randall also has a link to it from (or has it on) xkcd? As he has done with the other [[:Category:Extra_Comics|Extra_Comics]]. And how do we create such a page, if there can be no link directly to xkcd (at the top of the comic)? --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 13:24, 30 April 2015 (UTC)

== "what if?" section? ==

I would like to start a new "what if?" section explaining and discussing what if pages.--[[User:17jiangz1|17jiangz1]] ([[User talk:17jiangz1|talk]]) 06:08, 8 April 2015 (UTC)
:Why does it need to exist? The main xkcd comic needs it, because Randall tends to be obtuse at times, but the what if articles are sourced and written out already. Supposedly, they're already explanations to questions sent in to Randall. Why do we need to explain explanations? '''[[User:Davidy22|{{Color|#707|David}}y²²]]'''[[User talk:Davidy22|<tt>[talk]</tt>]] 06:29, 8 April 2015 (UTC)
::Explaining them indeed seems unnecessary, but we could certainly catalog and summarize them. --[[User:Waldir|Waldir]] ([[User talk:Waldir|talk]]) 16:38, 10 April 2015 (UTC)
::The images on what if? also have title texts that could further be explained, and we could organize what if pages by categories, as well as provide summaries. There are also subtle references, running gags, and in-jokes in What If? that should be explained.--[[User:17jiangz1|17jiangz1]] ([[User talk:17jiangz1|talk]]) 08:44, 11 April 2015 (UTC)
::This https://what-if.xkcd.com/120/ is a example of a what if that could do with some explanations.--[[User:17jiangz1|17jiangz1]] ([[User talk:17jiangz1|talk]]) 08:47, 11 April 2015 (UTC)
:::That's one of 135 what-ifs, and it's entirely self referential and can be figured out by reading the rest of the archive. The substance of the majority of pages is going to be incredibly thin, Randall doesn't tend to leave much for explanation. Comics that are simple one-shot images are our least used pages for good reason, and the what-if images pretty much all fall into that category, or are used to illustrate Randall's point that he makes in the immediately preceding paragraph. We could archive/catalog all the what-if pages and be a second archive button for the series, though there's a little less value to that than the archiving we did for [[Time]] and [[Externalities]] because there's already an archive along the same lines on the main site. '''[[User:Davidy22|{{Color|#707|David}}y²²]]'''[[User talk:Davidy22|<tt>[talk]</tt>]] 19:14, 11 April 2015 (UTC)
::::I think the main value we could add is a summary (TL;DR style) of each entry, in a short Q&A format. --[[User:Waldir|Waldir]] ([[User talk:Waldir|talk]]) 12:13, 13 April 2015 (UTC)
If we are going forward with this, is there anyway to find the date in which the what if was first published?--[[User:17jiangz1|17jiangz1]] ([[User talk:17jiangz1|talk]]) 09:01, 11 April 2015 (UTC)
:At the bottom of the page, there's an archive button. Click that. '''[[User:Davidy22|{{Color|#707|David}}y²²]]'''[[User talk:Davidy22|<tt>[talk]</tt>]] 19:14, 11 April 2015 (UTC)
Well, fact is, the [[what if?]] page is much, '''much''' larger now. [[User:Nk22|Nk22]] ([[User talk:Nk22|talk]]) 11:52, 20 April 2015 (UTC)
:Thank you, Nk22! I've added a link from the [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php/explain_xkcd About explain xkcd] page. {{unsigned|Nealmcb}}

== Userscript ==

Hello there, just wrote a simple userscript that adds an 'Explain' button to the original xkcd.com

https://gist.github.com/magazov/934de662d60c9fb5fea9

You can run it via Greasemonkey, Tampermonkey and other similar plugins :)

[[Image:Screen_Shot_xkcd_button.png]]
{{unsigned|Magazovski}}

:Yeah, there's a few of these floating around. In the future, could you use an imgur link instead of uploading stuff like that to the wiki? Thanks. '''[[User:Davidy22|{{Color|#707|David}}y²²]]'''[[User talk:Davidy22|<tt>[talk]</tt>]] 18:02, 21 April 2015 (UTC)

::So maybe explainxkcd should host & maintain one of them? --[[User:Magazovski|Magazovski]] ([[User talk:Magazovski|talk]]) 09:30, 22 April 2015 (UTC)
:::Why would we host an image hosting site? '''[[User:Davidy22|{{Color|#707|David}}y²²]]'''[[User talk:Davidy22|<tt>[talk]</tt>]] 23:17, 23 April 2015 (UTC)
::::He means we could host and maintain a userscript to help our fans get here from xkcd.... [[User:Nealmcb|Nealmcb]] ([[User talk:Nealmcb|talk]]) 14:36, 9 May 2015 (UTC)
:::::Hum, that's not a bad idea. I'll put it on the list of things to do. Although, if they're already here, why do they need a userscript to help them get here? '''[[User:Davidy22|{{Color|#707|David}}y²²]]'''[[User talk:Davidy22|<tt>[talk]</tt>]] 00:34, 11 May 2015 (UTC)
::::::For people who mainly view the comics through the official site, but sometimes need an explanation of the comic. --[[User:Pudder|Pudder]] ([[User talk:Pudder|talk]]) 09:23, 11 May 2015 (UTC)
:::::I've started collecting helpful tools like these on a [[Browser helpers|new page]], to hopefully make them easier for others to find. – [[User:Yfmcpxpj|Yfmcpxpj]] ([[User talk:Yfmcpxpj|talk]]) 00:29, 8 November 2020 (UTC)

== Updating the incomplete comic of the day ==

Currently, I think the incomplete comic of the day should be changed more often (i.e. daily), since the incomplete comics are piling up, and most users aren't seeing the notice, as it is dismissible.--[[User:17jiangz1|17jiangz1]] ([[User talk:17jiangz1|talk]]) 11:40, 22 April 2015 (UTC)

:While I agree that the comic of the day could be changed more often, I wouldn't say that the incomplete comics are ''piling up''. Over the months I've been active here, the number of incomplete comics had fallen considerably. In fact if you check the comics which are still marked as incomplete, most of them are one where a significant effort would be required to complete them. For example the large comics (Money, Time, Congress) or dynamic comics (Externalities, Click & Drag, Pixels). --[[User:Pudder|Pudder]] ([[User talk:Pudder|talk]]) 15:32, 23 April 2015 (UTC)
::Yeah. Of the 15 incomplete "pages," only 10 of them are actual comics that need the attention, and the full count is still dropping. I've been keeping it on single comics as of late because the remaining actual incomplete comics have been cycled through ~3 times already, with no significant effort made on them, because they're such monumental pieces of work. Making the message dismissable is by design, we are a service first and foremost, we're not trying that hard to make visitors do our work for us. '''[[User:Davidy22|{{Color|#707|David}}y²²]]'''[[User talk:Davidy22|<tt>[talk]</tt>]] 23:17, 23 April 2015 (UTC)

== Infrequently recurring minor charachters ==

Should we just group all of the characters that are not of enough significance to warrant their own character page into a single page (i.e. [[Other Minor Characters]])? --{{User:17jiangz1/signature|02:58, 09 May 2015}}
:See comic [[1000]] for a sample of what this entails. Also, what value to we stand to provide by cataloging every unique character that has appeared in xkcd? Does it help us explain the comics any better? '''[[User:Davidy22|{{Color|#707|David}}y²²]]'''[[User talk:Davidy22|<tt>[talk]</tt>]] 11:32, 9 May 2015 (UTC)

== Comic page creation ==

Is comic page creation not automated? If it isn't, then [[Help talk:How to add a new comic explanation]] should be created.--{{User:17jiangz1/signature|14:19, 26 May 2015}} 14:19, 26 May 2015 (UTC)

:Comic explanation was, at one point, automated. However, the bot ran on a schedule, and so sometimes there would be a few hours between a new comic being posted and the page getting created. Some editors just can't wait that long, so they do the bot's work before the bot even gets going. I agree that this page should be created and be kept up to date. Historically no one has read any of the help pages I've written. ;p [[User:Lcarsos|lcarsos]]_a ([[User talk:Lcarsos|talk]]) 17:42, 26 May 2015 (UTC)

:However, I think that the page should be [[Help:Comic Explanation Page Creation]]. [[User:Lcarsos|lcarsos]]_a ([[User talk:Lcarsos|talk]]) 17:43, 26 May 2015 (UTC)

== Re-proposing merging Cueball and Rob ==

Okay, so this was previously [[http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php/explain_xkcd:Community_portal/Proposals#Merge_Cueball_.26_Rob discussed] but I felt that it was worth bringing up again. Really, at this point, there's no logical reason why the two should not be merged, or Megan and Cutie should be un-merged. Rob and Cueball clearly seem to be the same person, at least when cueball appears as a specific character. In the instances where there are multiple Cueballs, we should just refer to them as Man 1, Man 2, and so on. Can we get a vote or something this time? Yes, I understand that Cueball isn't always the same character. But neither is [[Megan]], and yet we always refer to the short black haired girl (formerly [[Cutie]]) as Megan. If that logic applies to her, it applies to Rob. It's pretty clear that Randall intended to name the character Rob, as most named Cueballs are named Rob and not Fred or something.

In short: Please don't bring nostalgia into this, it's really not relevant. Changing Cueball to Rob or Megan back to Cutie (or Cuegirl?) would have symmetry and make sense. {{unsigned ip|Sensorfire}}
:I'm ok with dumping a marginal character page that only served to add confusion to character identification in new comics, but this was a subject of contention before so we probably need to see more of people's thoughts first. '''[[User:Davidy22|{{Color|#707|David}}y²²]]'''[[User talk:Davidy22|<tt>[talk]</tt>]] 01:03, 5 September 2015 (UTC)

:I agree: let's list the arguments for both sides, ensure that everyone agrees with the objectiveness of that listing, and then vote. If there's support for this plan, and nobody does it first, I'll take a stab at producing a first draft of the summary. --[[User:Waldir|Waldir]] ([[User talk:Waldir|talk]]) 23:57, 14 September 2015 (UTC)

:Randall is currently on a booktour. So, how about, instead of us (without the ability to read minds) arguing about his intention or who is/isn't the same character, someone go see him and ask? Then we'll know with absolute 100% certainty. [[User:WaltG123|WaltG123]] ([[User talk:WaltG123|talk]]) 04:49, 25 November 2015 (UTC)
::Randall never called either character Cueball and Cutie so of course this is not his names. Asking him would make no meaning at all. For any user of xkcd it will create lots of confusion to change the names of Megan and Cueball now. Regarding Rob he is already listed as Cueball in his category. And Cueballs have been called other names several times. Rob is just the only one that has been used a few times. I agree that it may have been wrong to call her Megan, (the name has been used like three times?) Similar it is just as wrong to call Black Hat's girlfriend [[Danish]], a nick name used once. But it is actually very nice to have a real name or at least useful name when speaking of characters. And it has also been mentioned that Cutie could be perused as a sexist name, so we should not move back to that. Well recently even [[Hairbun]] has her name changed from Hairbun girl since a user thought that was a problem given it most often was a grown woman. So I think we should stick to the solution of the previous debate and leave Cueball, Rob and Megan alone as they are! --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 08:56, 29 June 2016 (UTC)

== Adjective phrases ==

Overwhelmed with the need to be picayune, I am compelled to point out that on the homepage there is the sentence that begins "There are a lot of comics that don't have set in stone explanations..." This sentence contains a adjective phrase which should be hyphenated thus: "set-in-stone"

Please pretend that I have said something witty here, as I am too tired to think of anything funny. {{unsigned|Gamewriter}}
:Is it actually grammatically wrong in it's current state? Huh. I guess I'll change it. '''[[User:Davidy22|{{Color|#707|David}}y²²]]'''[[User talk:Davidy22|<tt>[talk]</tt>]] 20:42, 1 November 2015 (UTC)

::This is long after the fact, but I'll throw my two cents in on Davidy22's question. Yes, it is wrong. If the 'set in stone' phrase were after the word explanations ("explanations set in stone") it would not require hyphens, but used as an adjective before the noun ("set-in-stone explanations") it requires them. D Miller [[Special:Contributions/108.162.221.41|108.162.221.41]] 18:26, 21 March 2016 (UTC)

== Update MediaWiki ==

You are currently using MediaWiki 1.19.17. It's ''really'' outdated. Maybe update to 1.26.2, the current recommended stable version? There is an [[mw:Manual:Upgrading|official guide]] for that. [[Special:Contributions/141.101.80.77|141.101.80.77]] 12:03, 24 January 2016 (UTC) (PS my IP address is wrong it's not what you think it is)

== Rename Hair Bun Girl ==

The character [[Hair Bun Girl]] was named in April 2015. There wasn't any discussion of the name at the time, so I'd like to open that discussion now please.

At present we have several other characters named after distinctive visual features: [[Ponytail]], [[Black Hat]], [[White Hat]], [[Beret Guy]], and arguably [[Hairy]] and [[Cueball]]. In all but one of those cases, the name matches the distinctive feature itself, without the addition of "guy", "girl", etc. Given the number of comics that Beret Guy is in it's probably too late to modify his name, but it's not too late for Hair Bun Girl.

Besides the consistency issue, there's also the inaccuracy of referring to a grown woman with the term "girl", particularly when the character has been presented as older than [[Megan]]. I'd really like to fix this while her number of appearances is still manageable.

The name "Hairbun" has been proposed and I think that matches really nicely with Ponytail in particular.

[[User:Jkshapiro|Jkshapiro]] ([[User talk:Jkshapiro|talk]]) 04:23, 9 February 2016 (UTC)
:As the "guy" who created the Hair Bun Girl characther, I have no objection to changing the name. I did not think about the issue with girl/woman, probably because I'm not native English speaker. (And with the Beret Guy as an example). Jkshapiro was so kind as to [[User_talk:Kynde#Hair_Bun_.22Girl.22|ask my opinion]] before starting this discussion. At first I thought that ''Hairbun'' was a little weird, but then again so is Ponytail in this context. So I '''support''' the change to '''Hairbun'''! --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 13:06, 9 February 2016 (UTC)

I vote '''change''' Hair Bun to Hairbun and '''keep''' girl. [[User:Mikemk|Mikemk]] ([[User talk:Mikemk|talk]]) 21:02, 10 February 2016 (UTC)

OK, I'm going ahead. [[User:Jkshapiro|Jkshapiro]] ([[User talk:Jkshapiro|talk]]) 02:47, 25 March 2016 (UTC)
:Well as I said I would not mind, but you cannot say you got any other to agree with you on this though. Mimek wished to keep girl... It will be a huge job to get all the instances correct, also be careful no to change those places where the talk is of a girl who has a hair bun. You cannot just change all placed with hair bun girl to Hairbun, in case is actually says the hair bun girl about a small girl who has a hair bun! --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 09:59, 25 March 2016 (UTC)
::Seems no one cares, so I will remove the notes now. Great job Jkshapiro with changing the names. I like the new name now :-) --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 22:35, 2 April 2016 (UTC)

== Mobile friendly website ==

Can we get a mobile friendly version of the wiki? If we already have one, what about forwarding the main site to it when viewed on a phone? [[User:Mikemk|Mikemk]] ([[User talk:Mikemk|talk]]) 20:59, 10 February 2016 (UTC)

Ditto. And/or an app. I would like to be able to keep track of which comics/explanations I have read. [[User:Calion|Calion]] ([[User talk:Calion|talk]]) 13:36, 31 July 2019 (UTC)

Install [https://m.mediawiki.org/wiki/Extension:MobileFrontend the MobileFrontend-extension] on the wiki. Or is it more complicated than that? [https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php/User:Dgbrt Dgbrt] mentions "working on a real mobile version" below, under [https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php/explain_xkcd:Community_portal/Proposals#Tables_vs_bold_text Tables vs bold text] [[User:Coverbe|Coverbe]] ([[User talk:Coverbe|talk]]) 15:56, 7 January 2020 (UTC)

== New categories ==

I think there may be a need to propose a standard way to decide on categories: what new ones are needed, what are the prerequisites for creating a new category, how to maintain new categories and make sure they are actually used when they apply etc. For now I have gathered all previous discussions about new categories under this section. -- [[User:Malgond|Malgond]] ([[User talk:Malgond|talk]]) 13:39, 17 February 2016 (UTC)
:I think that whenever there are more than 4-5 comics that you wish to refer to in a given explanation because they are of the same topic as the current comic, then having a category is much to prefer rather than listing 5, 6 or 7 comics. I have made several categories for these instances, for instance for sport including the most used sports. At the time being I keep them up to date. One of the things this site does so well is giving you an easy way to find a specific comic even though you cannot remember the title of any precise quotes etc. If you just have an idea of what the topic was you might find it based on the categories. In this way I do not think we can have too many categories. As long as they describe a recurring subject. Only fault is that there seems to be no way to search for a comic based on more than one category? That would be great. In some cases even only 3 comics in a category can make sense. For instance I would be sorry to see this one go [[:Category:Puts on sunglasses]] (and I did not make it!) --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 13:09, 19 February 2016 (UTC)
::For instance I have long wished for categories that covered all the space probe related comics, particularly all those referencing the Mars rovers. So today I made them with 16 and 9 comics in them already. [[:Category:Space probes]] [[:Category:Mars rovers]]. I hope people will generally think this was a great idea! :-) --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 20:42, 20 February 2016 (UTC)
:::And [[:Category:The Lion King]]... --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 21:47, 1 March 2016 (UTC)

There are a lot of category creation proposals scattered everywhere. This concentrated proposal list is really hard to find. [[User:ClassicalGames|ClassicalGames]] ([[User talk:ClassicalGames|talk]]) 08:54, 3 May 2023 (UTC)

=== Category: Protip ===

Anyone for adding ''Protip'' as a [[:Category:Comic series|Comic series]]. I have found five so far: [[653]], [[711]], [[1022]], [[1047]] and [[1156]]. (There are also a few comics with a protip title text.) -- [[User:St.nerol|St.nerol]] ([[User talk:St.nerol|talk]]) 10:25, 4 January 2013 (UTC)

:I think that qualifies as a recurring topic (thus worthy of a category), but not as a series, where you can see a clear sequence. In fact, [[:Category:My Hobby|My Hobby]] has the same limitation, for what I suggest it to be removed from [[:Category:Comic series]]. --[[User:Waldir|Waldir]] ([[User talk:Waldir|talk]]) 11:42, 4 January 2013 (UTC)

::Seconded. Looks general and common enough to be a category. '''[[User:Davidy22|Davidy22]]'''[[User talk:Davidy22|<tt>[talk]</tt>]] 14:57, 4 January 2013 (UTC)

:::Okay, great! Do you think that the ones with a "protip:" title text should be included? Besides, I think I might be the one responsiple for moving My Hobby from [[:Category:Comics by topic|Comics by topic]] to Comic series. I felt that all the My Hobby comics were about different topics, but maybe i've got to narrow an interpretation of the word "topic". -- [[User:St.nerol|St.nerol]] ([[User talk:St.nerol|talk]]) 15:31, 4 January 2013 (UTC)

:::: Can you link to the protip-in-title-text comics?
:::: As for My Hobby, note that categories aren't mutually exclusive. They can be in the "my hobby" topic, and each of them further categorized as appropriate: music, math, etc. Makes sense? --[[User:Waldir|Waldir]] ([[User talk:Waldir|talk]]) 03:45, 5 January 2013 (UTC)
:::: I just searched for protip in the xkcd search bar. Here: [[1084]], [[427]]. And yes, makes sense. I've moved My Hobby back to "by topic". -- [[User:St.nerol|St.nerol]] ([[User talk:St.nerol|talk]]) 12:06, 5 January 2013 (UTC)

=== Category: Sports ===

How about creating a new "Sports" category? [[User:Ekedolphin|Ekedolphin]] ([[User talk:Ekedolphin|talk]]) 15:31, 28 January 2013 (UTC)
:Well, maybe. Everyone aren't so keen on new categories here. Which comics are you thinking of, for a start? –[[User:St.nerol|St.nerol]] ([[User talk:St.nerol|talk]]) 20:32, 28 January 2013 (UTC)
::We definitely need to reach an agreement as a community on when to create new categories. Something simple like a minimum of 3 (or, say, 5) existing comics. Since we're already at the proposals' portal... what do you guys think about that? --[[User:Waldir|Waldir]] ([[User talk:Waldir|talk]]) 21:44, 28 January 2013 (UTC)
:::My opinion: Five would be enough to qualify. [[User:Ekedolphin|Ekedolphin]] ([[User talk:Ekedolphin|talk]]) 09:31, 29 January 2013 (UTC)
::::I vote for four. But it should also be a reasonable thing to categorize, like sports, not like "sports with Cueball containing at least three anagram words". Wich sholdn't be a problem. :) But the best name choice could be tricky sometimes. e.g. "Film & television", Film & TV", "Film", "Films", or "Movies"? –[[User:St.nerol|St.nerol]] ([[User talk:St.nerol|talk]]) 12:59, 29 January 2013 (UTC)
:::
::::Agreed, five should be enough to create the category without having to discuss it. - [[User:Cos|Cos]] ([[User talk:Cos|talk]]) 00:50, 26 February 2013 (UTC)
: OK, let's start with [[588: Pep Rally|588]], [[1092: Michael Phelps|1092]], [[904: Sports|904]] and [[1107: Sports Cheat Sheet|1107]]. Should be able to find a few more. [[User:Ekedolphin|Ekedolphin]] ([[User talk:Ekedolphin|talk]]) 05:00, 29 January 2013 (UTC)
::Yeah, it's a broad subject so there are probably several more. -[[User:St.nerol|St.nerol]] ([[User talk:St.nerol|talk]]) 12:59, 29 January 2013 (UTC)
:::I found another one, sort of, in [[929]] (although it hasn't been explained yet). Should I get the ball rolling (no pun intended) on setting up the category? Don't wanna do it unilaterally and get yelled at. ;) [[User:Ekedolphin|Ekedolphin]] ([[User talk:Ekedolphin|talk]]) 06:18, 30 January 2013 (UTC)
::::I think you should. On a wiki, getting stuck in discussions which die without a conclusion, to the point that motivated people give up without having done anything, is definitely counter-productive, and phrases like [[wikipedia:Wikipedia:Be bold|Wikipedia:Be bold]] are here to remind us of that. Seems like people agreed that you ''could'', and after a while nobody said that you ''shouldn't'', so I'd say do it. - [[User:Cos|Cos]] ([[User talk:Cos|talk]]) 00:50, 26 February 2013 (UTC)
:I did it without looking here first, because it was obvious there were many [[:Category:Sport|sport comics]]. I have even created four under categories (only one was there before, Chess). There are 10 comics at present that are related to other sports than the five under categories. And given the way Randall thinks about sport (not very much) he still has plenty of comics about the subject. --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 07:33, 14 February 2016 (UTC)

=== Category: Sex ===

I think we should also create a Sex category. There's no ''doubt'' we can find more than three examples. I'll start looking for them and post the ones I find in here; again, I don't wanna create a large category by myself without community consent. [[User:Ekedolphin|Ekedolphin]] ([[User talk:Ekedolphin|talk]]) 09:20, 2 February 2013 (UTC)
*OK, the ones for Category: Sex that I've found so far are [[443]], [[219]], [[550]], [[1026]], [[575]], [[468]], [[592]], [[320]], [[1101]], [[417]], [[713]], [[672]], [[230]], [[436]], [[940]], [[532]], [[649]], [[176]], [[1006]], [[596]] and [[717]], and I'm sure there are many more. Should we create this category? [[User:Ekedolphin|Ekedolphin]] ([[User talk:Ekedolphin|talk]]) 23:17, 3 February 2013 (UTC)

:Same as [[#Category: Sports|above]], do it. Oh, already did; well, all the better. - [[User:Cos|Cos]] ([[User talk:Cos|talk]]) 00:53, 26 February 2013 (UTC)

=== Category: Flowcharts ===

Hello, the line "Randall has made use of flowcharts before." in today's comic explanation made me want a [[:Category:Flowcharts|flowcharts category]] to navigate into...

As it didn't exist, I proceeded to create it, but as the log says, [[User:lcarsos|lcarsos]] deleted such a category in November, saying ''"Insufficient differentiation from Category:Comics with charts, diluting the depth of comics tagged charts"''.

I don't agree with that, and I think we could profit from such a subcategory. I found those pages fitting it:
* [[94: Profile Creation Flowchart]]
* [[210: 90's Flowchart]]
* [[488: Steal This Comic]]
* [[627: Tech Support Cheat Sheet]]
* [[844: Good Code]]
* [[851: Na]]
* [[854: Learning to Cook]]
* [[1195: Flowchart]]

So? - [[User:Cos|Cos]] ([[User talk:Cos|talk]]) 10:59, 5 April 2013 (UTC)
:Weell if you're willing to take charge of the category and personally make sure it's added to all relevant comic explanations, go ahead. The usual objection to making new categories is that we admins can't remember all the categories when we're reviewing new explanations, but it's K if you're willing to take up that responsibility yourself. '''[[User:Davidy22|{{Color|#707|David}}y²²]]'''[[User talk:Davidy22|<tt>[talk]</tt>]] 11:17, 5 April 2013 (UTC)
:
:: OK. I did it without waiting for further replies, because I think it will be especially profitable today (to viewers).
:: It doesn't seem a big issue to me if the correct category is not added when a new explanation is made: a passing editor will do it later on... But hey, I'm OK with taking special care of adding pages to this category.
:: [[User:Cos|Cos]] ([[User talk:Cos|talk]]) 12:28, 5 April 2013 (UTC)

::: I just want to add that Cos' view is indeed the appropriate way to work in wikis: there is no concept of a single author for a page, category, or piece of text, and the workload is meant to be distributed among several editors: it is not necessary that any single editor remembers all existing categories, or knows the wiki markup by heart, or knows how to work with all the features of mediawiki, etc. The reason why wikis can be edited by anyone is precisely a recognition that there *will* be errors and any page can be improved somehow. That reasoning against categories should, IMO, be abandoned, or at most only kept as the opinion of some editors. --[[User:Waldir|Waldir]] ([[User talk:Waldir|talk]]) 22:00, 6 April 2013 (UTC)

Isnt there a page which lists all the categories? If not, there should be one, and it should be accessible to all. Such a page could be useful when trying to quick-add categories to comics. [[Special:Contributions/117.194.83.155|117.194.83.155]] 13:43, 24 April 2013 (UTC)
:Yes, there is. [[Special:Categories]]. '''[[User:Davidy22|{{Color|#707|David}}y²²]]'''[[User talk:Davidy22|<tt>[talk]</tt>]] 14:07, 24 April 2013 (UTC)
::Of course, there's a gazillion of 'em, over several pages, so I understand any reluctance to add new categories (having just suggested a new one myself which I feel is justified, but knowing that the upkeep needed may be the key point of contention so remaining philosophical about it).
::A solution perhaps to carry over from another locale that I frequent is to have a "Categories of Character" page, a "Categories of Object" one, perhaps "Categories of Event", and a "Categories of Publication". For each new comic someone can easily check the shorter Character categories list against those present, the Object list against itemsin use, Events, etc, and of course the Publication one has the "Tuesday Comic"/equivalent, and other date-based ones (although isn't that automatic from templated creation? ...never added a comic, but would imagine it is). After that it's a trawl through the miscelania categories (perhaps a meta-category just for them?). But, yeah, a lot of work to set up. Wouldn't wish it on anyone who wasn't already willing to do it, and I remain an anon-IP person right now so can hardly commit ''myself'' as volunteer maintainer of this. [[Special:Contributions/178.98.31.27|178.98.31.27]] 17:20, 22 June 2013 (UTC)

=== Category: (Barred/banned from?) Conferences ===

I come here after realising I erroneously posted (in reply) to the Main page Talk, being anonymous (or at least IP-only) and without a list of qualifying articles to support me, just yet, but still wish to put forward the above category before I forget. There's no apparent equivalent, that I found, but it's definitely a recurring meme. I should be back (named or otherwise) with my suggested list of members, if someone else doesn't get there first, but I thought I'd start with the placemarker. [[Special:Contributions/178.98.31.27|178.98.31.27]] 16:41, 22 June 2013 (UTC)
:Ok, so I got the bee in my bonnet and spent a few minutes actually looking into this. Revising "Barred from Conferences" (actually more often "Banned" or even "Thrown out of"/equivalent) to just "Conferences", the subset of comics that I can easily find that are involved is *[[153]], *[[177]], *[[365]], *[[410]], *[[463]], *[[541]], [[545]], [[685]], [[829]] and [[867]], but I'm sure there are more recent ones that I didn't spot/recall. One alternative title to "Conferences" is "Presentations", and I'm sure if I'd searched for that I'd have found more potential candidates (less some that might ''exit'' the renamed category). The asterisked ones ''do'' deal with being barred/banned/thrown out/etc, making it still a suitable category in its own right, IMO, but I'll leave it up to your combined musings to decide. [[Special:Contributions/178.98.31.27|178.98.31.27]] 17:07, 22 June 2013 (UTC)
::I add [[690]] to the list. --[[User:Chtz|Chtz]] ([[User talk:Chtz|talk]]) 08:12, 13 September 2013 (UTC)

::: Great suggestions! I created [[:Category:Public speaking]] and [[:Category:Banned from conferences]]. I also added [[Wikipedian Protester]] to the mix, of course :) --[[User:Waldir|Waldir]] ([[User talk:Waldir|talk]]) 21:59, 13 November 2013 (UTC)

=== Category: Wishes ===

[http://explainxkcd.com/1391/ Several] [http://explainxkcd.com/1086/ comics] [http://explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php/152:_Hamster_Ball now] [http://xkcd.com/879/ exist] that talk about wishes - probably more. Should there be a category for this? [[User:Z|Z]] ([[User talk:Z|talk]]) 23:22, 7 July 2014 (UTC)
:Doesn't seem significant enough. If you promise to maintain the category you can make it yourself, although it will be cleared out if it gets neglected as new comics are released. '''[[User:Davidy22|{{Color|#707|David}}y²²]]'''[[User talk:Davidy22|<tt>[talk]</tt>]] 15:20, 8 July 2014 (UTC)

=== Category: Artificial Intelligence ===

Hello world.

There are a handful of comics involving Ai - [[1540]], [[1530]], [[1450]] and [[948]] for instance - and maybe it's an idea to give them their own category {{unsigned|Nk22}}

:The usual objection to new categories is that they get abandoned and are too narrow for other people to think of picking them up. If you're going to own it and update it with new comics, you can make it. '''[[User:Davidy22|{{Color|#707|David}}y²²]]'''[[User talk:Davidy22|<tt>[talk]</tt>]] 21:01, 23 June 2015 (UTC)

=== Category: Size Comparisons ===
There are numerous comics comparing sizes of things. I can't get a list right now, but off the top of my head, radiation dosages, money, today's comic, and space shuttles in horses. [[User:Mikemk|Mikemk]] ([[User talk:Mikemk|talk]]) 19:23, 29 February 2016 (UTC)

=== New character category for blonde woman news reporter (from 1699) ===

From today's comic [[1699: Local News]] I just got the idea that there may be needing a new category for either blonde woman and/or comics with news reports. I posted this [[Talk:1699:_Local_News#New_character_category|post]], in the talk page of that comic. Any comments, and if agreeing that there might be one or two different character categories needed then please suggest what they should be called. --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 21:00, 27 June 2016 (UTC)
:Agree with Blondie as new character name and with adding a category for news reports. [[User:Jkshapiro|Jkshapiro]] ([[User talk:Jkshapiro|talk]]) 00:47, 28 June 2016 (UTC)
:Agree with new character category for Blondie --[[User:Lackadaisical|Lackadaisical]] ([[User talk:Lackadaisical|talk]]) 12:38, 28 June 2016 (UTC)
:: Thanks for the replies. Could be nice with a few more chipping in. One issue I just found is [[Miss Lenhart]] and ambiguous situations like in comic [[59: Graduation]], where I would remove the miss reference. But then miss would be a sub category of Blondie (or Blonde? which Randall cals the girl in 59) as [[Rob]] is for [[Cueball]]... --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 21:07, 9 July 2016 (UTC)
:: I think blondie is fine for a name. Miss Lenhart is another character who uses a similar design so I think treating her like Rob is perfectly acceptable. The only thing more I think we should discuss is the role blondie plays in most of the comics (Like how cueball is an everyman, whitehat is often a strawman, Blackhat is blackhat etc.) [[User:Lackadaisical|Lackadaisical]] ([[User talk:Lackadaisical|talk]]) 12:04, 13 July 2016 (UTC)
:::There are also these two that looks like Blondie: [[Mrs. Roberts]] or her daughter [[Elaine Roberts]]. I think this is part of why no one has made the category, as there are already three named women with the same hair. But there are so many other comics with this kind of woman, that I think she should be created. I hope I will get the time, but if anyone has any other ideas than just calling them "Blondie" and letting the other three be an subcategory like Rob is of Cueball then say so now before anyone creates Blondie. --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 11:19, 24 August 2016 (UTC)
:::Agree with new character category and characters with the same appearance as sub-categories [[User:Lackadaisical|Lackadaisical]] ([[User talk:Lackadaisical|talk]]) 18:04, 24 August 2016 (UTC)

Based on the discussion she is now called [[Blondie]] --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 07:27, 10 September 2016 (UTC)
 And now there is also a [[:Category:News anchor]] with 15 entries already. --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 10:22, 10 September 2016 (UTC)

=== Business Plan category ===

I propose renaming [[:Category:Beret Guy's Business]] into Business Plans, and adding it to [[1721: Business Idea]] [[User:Mikemk|Mikemk]] ([[User talk:Mikemk|talk]]) 08:15, 17 August 2016 (UTC)
::(Note I added a ":" to your category link to show the link instead of adding this page to the category. --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 10:43, 10 September 2016 (UTC))
:No of course not, that comic is about [[Cueball]]. This is Beret Guy's business we are talking about here. This category is not about business idea but about what [[Beret Guy]] does just like the page with [[:Category:Strange powers of Beret Guy]]. Both are used in the explanation of who he is. --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 10:43, 10 September 2016 (UTC)

=== Category for The Little Prince? ===

How many comics need to feature/mention a certain thing before we need a category? I think there are enough featuring the Little Prince to deserve a Category of its own. {{unsigned|AmbroseChapel|06:57, 29 September 2017 (UTC)}}

===Category: Katamari Damacy ===

There are quite a few comics about this game. [[User:DPS2004|DPS2004]] ([[User talk:DPS2004|talk]])

=== "Multiple Megan-like characters" category ===

Since there are more than one Megan-like characters appear in the same panel of at least seven comics, I propose to create the "Multiple Megan-like characters" category. --[[User:Soumya-8974|Soumya-8974]] ([[User talk:Soumya-8974|talk]]) 07:04, 1 June 2021 (UTC)

=== Category: Mycology ===

6 comics so far reference mycology/mushrooms. I might be a bit biased, but there's other categories like butterfly nets that have the same amount of comics. Also, destroying angels are a huge part of the What-If chapter (book-exclusive) about losing your DNA. It should probably be a subcategory under Biology.

Here is the list (what I found so far at least):

[[2307]] - fungi on the chart

[[2246]] - fungi in the title text

[[1991]] - mycology is a subject on the chart

[[1904]] - see above

[[1749]] - comic is about mushrooms

[[1664]] - comic is about mycology [[User:Mushrooms|Mushrooms]] ([[User talk:Mushrooms|talk]]) 07:23, 12 May 2022 (UTC)
:Eh sure if you're keen enough on it '''[[User:Davidy22|{{Color|#707|David}}y²²]]'''[[User talk:Davidy22|<tt>[talk]</tt>]] 08:30, 12 May 2022 (UTC)

=== Discord category ===
Do we need categories for comics that mention various popular social media clients, such as Google and Discord? [[Special:Contributions/172.69.134.98|172.69.134.98]] 03:29, 21 March 2023 (UTC)
:If there are a group of them, then list them, then they can be added. I can think of a couple of Google-related ones (well, Google search-page, not whatever Alphabet is currently doing insofar as social media), but don't have their names/numbers in my head right now. Do the search and list them here for someone to catalogue up?
:I'm not sure there are specific Discord mentions. Noting that just because some unidentified headshot dialogue/notification looks Discordish, it doesn't make it a mention. Too much cross-pollination of appearance. [[Special:Contributions/172.70.90.252|172.70.90.252]] 09:56, 21 March 2023 (UTC)

=== Category: Versions ===

I've noticed that a recurring subject in xkcd is comics which list versions of a real thing, only some of which are real. Closer to the end of the list, the versions get more and more crazy.

Here are some examples I've found:
* [[2719: Hydrogen Isotopes]]
* [[2172: Lunar Cycles]]
* [[2860: Decay Modes]]
* [[2369: All-in-One]]
* [[2924: Pendulum Types]]
* [[2614: 2]]
* [[2816: Types of Solar Eclipse]]

Let me know if you have any objections or suggestions for this category. Thanks! [[User:PDesbeginner|PDesbeginner]] ([[User talk:PDesbeginner|talk]]) 14:30, 22 June 2024 (UTC)

Another example: [[2848: Breaker Box]]

=== Category: Ghosts ===

I've also noticed several comics featuring ghosts, but not Ghostbusters. These could become a category, and maybe Ghostbusters could become a sub-category of it.

Here are some examples:
* [[1108: Cautionary Ghost]]
* [[2836: A Halloween Carol]]
* [[1393: Timeghost]]

Let me know if you have any objections or suggestions for this category. Thanks! [[User:PDesbeginner|PDesbeginner]] ([[User talk:PDesbeginner|talk]]) 16:49, 22 June 2024 (UTC)

::Nice proposal. I'd proposed a category "infernal" for all things demonic and hell-related (some demon strips are not in hell; some hell strips do not have demons). There is already a "religion" category. Could we maybe shift them all to a "supernatural/mythological" category and then allow for subcategories? {{unsigned ip|172.71.90.85|21:12, 5 November 2024}}

::Great suggestion! Perhaps "Infernal" could be a subcategory of both "Supernatural/Mythological" and "Religion"? [[User:PDesbeginner|PDesbeginner]] ([[User talk:PDesbeginner|talk]]) 19:26, 6 November 2024 (UTC)
::Hang on, it seems that someone else has already created [[:Category:Ghosts]]. [[User:PDesbeginner|PDesbeginner]] ([[User talk:PDesbeginner|talk]]) 20:34, 6 November 2024 (UTC)

=== Category: Comics with Hidden Images ===

There are a couple of comics I've read that have hidden images in them. They are [[1000: 1000 Comics]] and [[1213: Combination Vision Test]]. This might seem small, but I think it should be a category. [[User:PDesbeginner|PDesbeginner]] ([[User talk:PDesbeginner|talk]]) 20:20, 22 June 2024 (UTC)

=== Category: Crystal spheres ===

Three comics that I have read ([[2121: Light Pollution]], [[2765: Escape Speed]], and [[1189: Voyager 1]]) mention or include crystal spheres. [[User:PDesbeginner|PDesbeginner]] ([[User talk:PDesbeginner|talk]]) 16:50, 23 June 2024 (UTC)

=== "I Got Fired From"-type category ===
I think that to improve this website, you should add a category that contains only the i got fired from the <x> because i did <y>.

does this exist already or did someone already propose this idea? Im pretty new to this website, so can someone pls tell me?

thank you {{unsigned|I HAVE NO NAME2|07:17, 21 August 2024 (UTC)}}
:It has been suggested, but doesn't hurt to propose it (properly!) somewhere like here. It helps if you state the candidate articles for which it would initially be used. (I'm aware of two, but having a third or more would be useful - very easily to draw an arbitrary line through any two points, without there being any actual real trend between those points or any other points to match that line.)
:And welcome. You're new and have been adding minor comments to many article Talk pages, I notice (as well as other edits). Do note that it really doesn't need you to 'tag' every page you read, but it looks like your heart is in the right place and so if you perhaps ease yourself more into the wiki I'm sure you'll make further valuable contributions. [[Special:Contributions/172.70.90.35|172.70.90.35]] 10:37, 21 August 2024 (UTC)
:(Addendum - did not realise you were using [[User:I HAVE NO NAME2]], not [[User:I HAVE NO NAME]] just now when I corrected your contribution. If you're the same person, then my comments stand but you are going to create confusion. But still all the best to you. If you're ''not'' the same person, the general sentiment still applies.) [[Special:Contributions/172.70.91.62|172.70.91.62]] 10:55, 21 August 2024 (UTC)

=== News Category ===

I propose that we add a News category, as proposed by user Ok123. There’s a news anchor category, but we can put news anchor under this category and include comics about newspapers, such as [[750: Book Burning]] and [[1062: Budget News]] [[User:42.book.addict|42.book.addict]] ([[User talk:42.book.addict|talk]]) 20:53, 10 October 2024 (UTC)

=== Category: Thought Experiments ===

I'd like a category for CLASSICAL thought experiments, including {{w|Schrödinger's cat}}, {{w|Maxwell's Demon}}, and the {{w|Trolley Problem}}. A good list of examples is available halfway down the Wiki article: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thought_experiment#Examples . I'm highlighting "classical" because enough of the XKCD strips could constitute original thought experiments in their own right. I'll start searching now and will post a list of a few qualifying comics shortly. Sorry about the IP address. [[Special:Contributions/172.71.103.68|172.71.103.68]] 18:48, 3 November 2024 (UTC)
:[[45]], [[1016]], [[857]], [[384]], [[1233]], [[1465]]. [[1925]], [[1938]], [[3006]]... (Just based on a quick search. There are loads more. Bonus points for the term "Gedankedank"). {{unsigned ip|172.71.98.42|18:57, 3 November 2024 (UTC)}}

== Adding Ratings for Explanations ==

I found [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php/1652 today's explanation] excellently written however that is not always the case. Frequently explanations are walk through of the conversation that are too wordy without any succinct explanation of why or how a strip is funny -- while many of those low quality explanations are not strictly "incomplete" they could benefit from a careful rewrite. I was wondering if we should add a rating tool such as " ''Was this explanation helpful? yes/no'' " so as to identify explanation that could benefit from improvement without having to be tagged as "incomplete". [[User:Spongebog|Spongebog]] ([[User talk:Spongebog|talk]]) 17:57, 8 March 2016 (UTC)
:We have a rather prominent discussion page for feedback, do we really need an additional add-on for this? I did a little research and found that other wikis use [https://www.mediawiki.org/wiki/Extension:Semantic_Rating semantic rating] and [https://www.mediawiki.org/wiki/Extension:ArticleRatings article ratings], which I can install if enough other users want it. '''[[User:Davidy22|{{Color|#707|David}}y²²]]'''[[User talk:Davidy22|<tt>[talk]</tt>]] 05:54, 26 March 2016 (UTC)

== New Speculation Sections ==

I often see a lot of speculation and conjecture within the explanation of the comic itself. I don't think it has any place in the explanation but I know many editors enjoy speculating and interpreting the comic and the meaning behind it so I've decided to start this discussion on whether we should provide a section where we can provide different speculations.

What I am thinking would not be like the discussion page, where comments are made and discussed, but an edited and reviewed section which outlines different speculations and interpretations of the comics themselves and perhaps even the author's intent.

Of course tone and presentation should be held to the same standards of the comic explanation but I think this would be a good way to better organize a review of the comic.

I have been away too long to remember if there are any comic explanations with something like this so I have no idea how well it would work.

As an example;

This part from comic 1642: [[Gravitational Waves]]

" It seems that Randall knew in advance about this announcement because this comic was published on a Thursday, not following the normal publish schedule, to coincide with the announcement "

Is well supported, and rather likely correct, conjecture which belongs in the body of the explanation because not only is it backed by strong evidence but it provides background on the comic and the time in which the comic was released and aids in understanding the comic itself.

However, this part from comic 478: [[The Staple Madness]]

"From just reading the comic by itself, one may presume that in the last panel, Cueball has been stapled to the ceiling (as obvious evidence to Megan that Beret Guy has indeed been abusing her staple gun). According to the comic's official transcript, however, it is in fact God who is speaking."

Is almost as equally well supported and certainly a valid interpretation of simply the comic. It is only refuted by the official transcript. I believe it is important to acknowledge and may even be a more humorous interpretation than the one which is provided by the official transcript.

If we added a speculation section (or something of the sort) then we would have a place to talk about this interpretation more freely and expound upon it more.

[[User:Lackadaisical|Lackadaisical]] ([[User talk:Lackadaisical|talk]]) 15:16, 13 May 2016 (UTC)
: Problem is the whole "explanation" is actually conjecture. None of us the author, we're all just guessing. [[User:Jkshapiro|Jkshapiro]] ([[User talk:Jkshapiro|talk]]) 15:23, 13 May 2016 (UTC)

: Many of the current explanations are conjecture, that's true but not every explanation. Providing information on the science or mathematics behind a particular comic is not conjecture. Stating whether the author intended to belittle the field or state that one field is superior over another (unless fairly explicitly stated) is. And there are many things which can be inferred without being simple speculation. Not every comic would need a section like this, and not every comic needs a trivia section, and I'm not ready to start adding this proposed section myself. But I think it should be considered. [[User:Lackadaisical|Lackadaisical]] ([[User talk:Lackadaisical|talk]]) 15:35, 13 May 2016 (UTC)
::The intention of the discussion pages was to serve as a place for people to put their conjecture and reaching interpretations of the comics. They're presented alongside the explanation to make people's interpretations more readily visible. Some people may have trouble distinguishing an ungrounded interpretation of a comic from an explanation of it, and they will insert weak text into explanations. If you find something you disagree with, feel free to bring it up in the discussion section and edit it out of the explanation liberally '''[[User:Davidy22|{{Color|#707|David}}y²²]]'''[[User talk:Davidy22|<tt>[talk]</tt>]] 06:17, 17 May 2016 (UTC)

== Unixkcd ==

Hello everyone. I was just wondering: is there anything on http://uni.xkcd.com/. Because I was just looking and the only thing I found on Unixkcd is a mention of a bug in [[1350]]. There is not even a mention on the April fools article.
:There's nothing on this site, there's a couple of novel tidbits on the xkcd site that are at best tangentially related to the comic, as Randall originally intended to make xkcd.com his personal site for hosting his own projects. That particular one doesn't show up in any comics. Also, proposals might not be the best place to put this. '''[[User:Davidy22|{{Color|#707|David}}y²²]]'''[[User talk:Davidy22|<tt>[talk]</tt>]] 08:46, 21 May 2016 (UTC)
::I added the unixckd information to [[721: Flatland]]. According to [https://vimeo.com/78912850 Randalls Øredev 2013 talk] unixkcd was the April Fools' prank for April 1st 2010. [[User:Condor70|Condor70]] ([[User talk:Condor70|talk]]) 09:00, 1 December 2017 (UTC)

== fix a page ==

The page Comics featuring Summer Glau is missing:
https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php/526:_Converting_to_Metric {{unsigned ip|108.162.241.130}}
:Done. In the future, you can add categories yourself, just scroll to the bottom and follow the template the others go by. '''[[User:Davidy22|{{Color|#707|David}}y²²]]'''[[User talk:Davidy22|<tt>[talk]</tt>]] 03:56, 7 July 2016 (UTC)

== New xkcd book out. ==

Any chance of posting a section of explanation pages for the cartoons in the new xkcd book, hopefully explaining some of the cryptic red notes? Thanks! {{unsigned ip|199.27.133.102}}

== Comics with header text ==

Several comic have some header text, such as [[851]] or [[1052]]. Shouldn't there be a category for them or something? I think it is quite a notable feature. [[User:Jaalenja|Jaalenja]] ([[User talk:Jaalenja|talk]]) 15:23, 16 September 2016 (UTC)
:I feel like it's not a particularly defining feature, it feels like making a category for comics that have frames with no borders or something, it's just a technique Randall uses. '''[[User:Davidy22|{{Color|#707|David}}y²²]]'''[[User talk:Davidy22|<tt>[talk]</tt>]] 07:35, 21 September 2016 (UTC)
::To me it feels more like a second title text. It is not technically part of the comic itself, but is a separate piece of information included with it on the xkcd website. There is a category for comics without title text, this is the same, only reverse, in my humble opinion [[User:Jaalenja|Jaalenja]] ([[User talk:Jaalenja|talk]]) 07:13, 24 September 2016 (UTC)

== purpose of detailed transcripts ==

There are two styles of comic descriptions in the transcripts. Some
are fairly terse, giving only the information required to understand
the comic (e.g. "Cueball is talking to Megan, who looks excited").
Others give lots of graphic details, as if one should be able to
reconstruct the picture from the description (e.g. "Cueball, on the
left, is talking to Megan, on the right. His left hand is pointing to
her. Megan's arms are raised above her head and her excitement is
shown by short lines around her head..." and so on). The former style
used to be the norm, the latter has become increasingly
common in recent months.

Being visually impaired, I am extremely pleased with the terse style
of transcript, and have no interest in the verbose style. To me it is
useless and sometimes fairly annoying. Of course, this is a community
and I can happily live with it if others find it useful.

So, I'd like to know who needs detailed, graphical transcripts, and
for what purpose? Were they requested by some users, or did those
writing transcripts just decide to adopt this new style? If there is
a clearly identified reason for describing pictures in detail, fine.
If not, I vote for switching back to the old, terse style.

Zetfr 14:10, 27 September 2016 (UTC)

:Sorry we did not see this at the time. As we can see you finally found ears for you comment after [[1798]] and a new discussion has begun on [[User_talk:Kynde#Transcript_TLDR.3B|my user page]]. (Should probably have been here?) But anyway I'm responsible for your problems, and I will try to write less in the transcript and add "other important" either below in the trivia or below the main comic (as maybe - Detailed image description...) It was meant as a way to search for any thing in the comic if you needed it. I guess most people do not read the transcript, so of course annoying if it is not useful for those who always need to read it. --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 16:21, 17 February 2017 (UTC)

== Rename Science Girl "Jill" ==

Following the Precedent of "[[Megan]]" and "[[Danish]]" (but oddly enough not [[Rob]]), I propose that we rename [[Science Girl]] Jill, as per [[1662]]. This could serve to give her an easier name and to use in cases where the character doesn't have a connection with science but seems to be the same girl. [[User:Sensorfire|Sensorfire]] ([[User talk:Sensorfire|talk]]) 18:19, 26 October 2016 (UTC)
:The only time she's called Jill is in Jack and Jill comics (of course), and the only reason you'd want to do that is since [[Randall]] displays them similarly. In some cases Science Girl is even clearly older. We might do that if there was a [[Child-Blackhaired-Ponytail]] character, but these characters are always either Science Girl or Jill. Also, Jill has very, very few appearances anyway. [[User:Jacky720|Jacky720]] ([[User talk:Jacky720|talk]]) 21:37, 2 December 2016 (UTC)

== Make an official transcript site ==
I've already taken the liberty of making {{template|transcript}}, and think we, together, can do better- which is why I'm implementing [https://jackm.000webhost.com/transcript.html this site], in order to display the official transcript in its intended format. However, it is bugged, and could do better if moved to explain xkcd. Is anyone in on this? [[User:Jacky720|Jacky720]] ([[User talk:Jacky720|talk]]) 21:36, 2 December 2016 (UTC)
:The transcript site doesn't seem to be accessible. Is the project dead? If it's not I can try to help. [[User:Errpell|Errpell]] ([[User talk:Errpell|talk]]) 21:06, 11 July 2017 (UTC)

== HTTPS Links Back to XKCD Interfere with Random Button ==

The Links back to the comics that are present just above the comic itself on the wiki pages (and adjacent to the next and previous links) provides an HTTPS link back to XKCD. However, this interferes with users who want to click that link, and then click `random` - because `c.xkcd.com` does NOT support HTTPS, and thus clicking 'random' after returning to xkcd from explainxkcd does not work. These links should be switched back to HTTP.

--[[User:9000 volts|9000 volts]] ([[User talk:9000 volts|talk]]) 21:15, 13 December 2016 (UTC)

== Rearrange for our visually impaired friends. ==

I have a great friend who is blind and he uses this site to "read" XKCD so we can talk about it. However, there are two things that he finds frustrating. The first, while it means no harm and most readers gloss over it, when listening to the content of the page every day it can become demeaning to hear "it's because you're dumb" every time. I certainly agree, I use explain XKCD because I am significantly dumb-er than Randall, but my friend uses it because he's blind. This is not that big of a deal, but a friendly suggestion.

The second suggestion is to move the transcript section to the top before the explanation so as not to spoil the content of the comic with user explanation right away--in the case that those listening to the article are in fact smart enough to get the joke before needing an explanation.

Thanks for your consideration.

== Incomplete in spotlight ==

The incomplete comic in spotlight should be changed more often, the current one is not even incomplete. [[User:Dontknow|Dontknow]] ([[User talk:Dontknow|talk]]) 16:52, 31 March 2017 (UTC)

== Duplicate Navigation tools at bottom of page (please!) ==

I'm enjoying revisiting xkcd canon through the lens of Explain, but frustrated that after studiously reading through the explanation and discussion, I have to scroll back up to the top to get to the Next button.
What would the harm be in duplicating the buttons at the foot of each page?
Thanks for considering this.
Regards

That would be nice, would help a lot. Also, please sign your comments with four tildes. [[User:Dontknow|Dontknow]] ([[User talk:Dontknow|talk]]) 19:46, 2 May 2017 (UTC)

I really would like this. And it seems simple enough to add, without seriously degrading the existing interface.
[[Special:Contributions/162.158.154.230|162.158.154.230]] 05:13, 10 January 2024 (UTC)Murray/NJ

:{{Done|Done!!!}}  It was defintely not simple, at least for me, but I managed to do it. Check [[{{LATESTCOMIC}}]] for an example of how it looks and works. --[[User:FaviFake|FaviFake]] ([[User talk:FaviFake|talk]]) 16:02, 23 April 2025 (UTC)

== JSON endpoint ==
There is a [http://www.xkcd.com/info.0.json endpoint] to retrieve information about the comics on the xkcd website. However the info there is not complete, specially when it comes to the transcripts. explainxkcd should provide a similar interface. It would be very useful specially for bots/scripts. The commmunity could help completing the information on the xkcd website and/or provide a new interface. The transcript are already retrieved from this website and a copy can be found [https://github.com/nhatzHK/randi/blob/master/json/xkcd.references.json here]. If there isn't already a complete file or databse with all the information, this file could help building it. However, this document has been compiled by scraping the html of explainxkcd, so there's some errors in it. These errors can be avoid with a clear and easy to access interface like JSON, similar to what is available on the xkcd website. [[User:Errpell|Errpell]] ([[User talk:Errpell|talk]]) 20:43, 11 July 2017 (UTC)
:Maybe there is a mediawiki addon to support a JSON file. Any ideas? --[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 19:08, 1 August 2017 (UTC)

== Suggestion for small improvement to interface ==
Am I the only one that wishes the Previous / Next buttons were repeated at the bottom of the page? After reading the explanation, I often want to go to the next one in sequence.
(Obviously, I don't check this wiki every day :)
Scrolling back to the top isn't hard, but having the buttons near the bottom would make navigation easier.

Hope you agree!
Murray in NJ

PS: Aha! I see others have suggested the same thing :) {{unsigned ip|162.158.75.232}}
:This was also mentioned before. I don't agree because the layout is based on the original xkcd site. '''Protip''': Do not "scroll back", just use your keyboard. The magic key is called "Home". --[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 19:14, 1 August 2017 (UTC)

:::{{Done|Done!!!}}  It was defintely not simple, at least for me, but I managed to do it. Check [[{{LATESTCOMIC}}]] for an example of how it looks and works. --[[User:FaviFake|FaviFake]] ([[User talk:FaviFake|talk]]) 16:02, 23 April 2025 (UTC)

== mediawiki things ==

could admin please update to the latest version of mediawiki and add the [https://www.mediawiki.org/wiki/Skin:Timeless?useskin=timeless timeless skin], thx. also would help if you added <code>line-height: 1.5em</code> to the edit box (<code>#wpTextbox1</code>) while making it taller to compensate, or added the 2010 code editor to aid readability. [[Special:Contributions/162.158.92.4|162.158.92.4]] 11:50, 4 January 2018 (UTC)

== The state of "incomplete" explanations and an unified policy ==

Hello, everybody. Recently I went through the "incomplete" explanations and I saw several problems... I think I better split this into sections.

'''1) Many seemingly old and complete explanations are marked either with various creative variations of the auto-generated tag or something along the lines of "rough draft".''' I have personally removed several incomplete tags during the last days, sometimes adding few information before doing so, but usually not. But there are so many of them and it just would not feel right to take it upon myself to reap them all, so, if anyone can spare a few minutes to quickly scan them and remove (or update, in some cases) the tags, it would be nice. Here is a list of explanations with this particular problem, for convenience: [[1874]], [[1906]], [[1908]], [[1912]], [[1915]], [[1919]], [[1925]], [[1926]], [[1929]], [[1930]], [[1937]]

1940 and 1941 also seem complete IMO, but given how recent they are, they could be given some time.

'''2) Some incomplete tags seem like abuse of the feature.''' [[1909]] is probably the best example of this. Table might be nice, but it is not necessary to explain the comic, it would be just "gilding". There is nothing wrong about perfecting complete articles, but marking an article incomplete because someone got an idea how it could be done (and is too lazy to do it themselves) should be discouraged IMO. Other examples: [[1904]] - here I actually disagree with the proposal - why should information that does not represent percentages be represented using them? - but that's my personal view. [[1895]] - this one is asking for further perfection of a perfective information. [[1688]] - a '''huge''' example, asks for something that would require quite a lot of effort without helping anyone understand the comic, a cool project, but not needed for the article to be complete. [[1701]] - I really don't think this is necessary and the explanation is already twice the size I'd expect for such simple comic (*obligatory personal opinion disclaimer*).

'''3) Some tags are just... vague.''' [[1856]] and [[1733]]. "Someone could maybe improve this" applies to pretty much everything in the universe, sorry.

'''4) A policy proposal.''' Here comes the second half of the topic title. There appear to be two conflicting schools of thoughts among editors. Some seem to prefer long, meticulously detailed explanations. Others, including myself, prefer short and concise explanations. On more than one occasion, this has led to mess, so I think there should be some official policies about what kind of information should be considered considered necessary, useful, and superfluous. Obviously, every comic is different, and defining hard rules for this is impossible, so maybe "guideline" is a better word than "policy" here. Here are some suggestions about what this guideline could contain (please, take this as a "sub-suggestion", if a guideline gets accepted, but will end up containing nothing out of this, I will still be happy):

* NECESSARY: named people, groups, organizations, websites, works of art, geographic locations etc. should be briefly introduced, unless they can be presumed to be universally known (e.g. Google, Shakespeare, New York). Obscure words should be defined. Scientific and technical terms should be explained.
* SUPERFLUOUS: recursive explanations - an explanation that mentions concepts that themselves need explaining, but were not relevant to the comic itself.

I guess that's it. Maybe a little disclaimer that I don't have much time now, so I may not be here to further lead this discussion. Maybe I should have waited with posting this when I do have time, but that may not be for a long time, so for what it's worth, here it is.
--[[User:Jaalenja|Jaalenja]] ([[User talk:Jaalenja|talk]]) 12:16, 13 January 2018 (UTC)

:Your "policy (or guideline) proposal" is that what's widely excepted here. There are some overwhelming explanations and you are welcome to help on more precise writings. But in general there is no censorship here, less important content may be moved to a trivia section below the transcript. Irrelevant content (who decides that?) may be moved to the talk page with a given reason. I'm also a fan of "short and concise explanations" but who will judge what this really is? Further more I really dislike many of those tables, it's bad layout. But changing this takes a lot of work. [[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 13:51, 19 May 2018 (UTC)

::The main reason why I want there to be an official policy is so the process of marking explanations as complete can be more straightforward. There would be a community-approved list of things an explanation needs to contain, if an explanation has all that, it is complete. Of course there would still be lot of room for interpretation because every comic is different and coming up with rules that fit all is impossible, but I believe this could still be a massive improvement over the current state.
::Also, '''please''', when I say something is merely a sub-suggestion, I mean it. Your reply gives me the feeling you understood my proposal as something along the lines of "We should make it an official policy that explanations should look like this:", whereas it was more along the lines of "There should be an official policy about what explanations should contain. Here is an example of what such policy could maybe look like:" [[User:Jaalenja|Jaalenja]] ([[User talk:Jaalenja|talk]]) 06:49, 22 June 2018 (UTC)
:::In general I don't think this is a big issue. The vast majority (99%) of the comics is ''not'' marked as incomplete and those you are citing here should be discussed at the corresponding talk pages. Thus I don't see a ''massive improvement'' anyway.
:::However we can enhance the proper section at the [[explain xkcd:Editor FAQ|Editor FAQ]] by one or two concise sentences. But when you say ''"There should be..."'' nothing would happen; that's why I say: ''"We should make it"''. --[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 09:36, 23 June 2018 (UTC)

== Tables vs bold text ==

There are many, many, many comics with several things mentioned in the comic that need to be individually explained, and there are two ways we can do it, one being tables (for example: [[1930: Calendar Facts]]), the other being using bold text to separate paragraphs into sections (for example: [[1972: Autogyros]]). The thing is for the most cases, it seems like we should be using tables, but then using bold text to seperate paragraphs looks better, and is also easier... So when should we use tables, and when bold text? [[User:Herobrine|Herobrine]] ([[User talk:Herobrine|talk]]) 12:20, 15 June 2018 (UTC)
:IMHO we have far too much tables - a structured floating text is much easier to read. Consider this:
:*A ''List of all planets in our solar'' system with a few columns for distance (in km, mi, and AU), size, and temperature. That's a classical table.
:*The table in [[1930: Calendar Facts]] contains far too much text in many cells. Try to read this on a smartphone. And furthermore on my ''Google Chrome for Android'' all the tables from this comic are not shown at all when using the ''Simplified View''.
:*Or compare this: [[1363: xkcd Phone]] and [[1549: xkcd Phone 3]]. I prefer the floating text and even more when I'm using a mobile device.
:But that's only my opinion.
:Nevertheless I'm also working on a real mobile version of this Wiki (similar to Wikipedia) and that will require some restrictions to the layout to get it properly rendered. But this will not happen before the FIFA World Cup 2018 is over ;) --[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 13:17, 15 June 2018 (UTC)
::Agreed. Narrow columns with simple facts are ok, but longer text should not be put in a table. --[[User:SlashMe|SlashMe]] ([[User talk:SlashMe|talk]]) 10:15, 18 June 2018 (UTC)
::: I second this. [[User:Elektrizikekswerk|Elektrizikekswerk]] ([[User talk:Elektrizikekswerk|talk]]) 11:22, 27 August 2018 (UTC)
::::Please check also this new [[explain xkcd:Editor FAQ|Editor FAQ]] and the belonging talk page. --[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 13:04, 27 August 2018 (UTC)
::Any updates? (Why) is it not just a matter of installing [https://m.mediawiki.org/wiki/Extension:MobileFrontend the MobileFrontend-extension]? :) (See also above: [https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php/explain_xkcd:Community_portal/Proposals#Mobile_friendly_website Mobile friendly website]) [[User:Coverbe|Coverbe]] ([[User talk:Coverbe|talk]]) 16:01, 7 January 2020 (UTC)

== Add the comic to the edit page ==

While editing the explanation, it would be nice to be able to see the comic on that same page, especially for the transcript. (it's difficult for mobile editors to see two pages at once)
:Please sign your comments, and that’s not possible from what I know, considering how this website is set up. (I can still edit fine on mobile) [[User:Netherin5|Netherin5]] ([[User talk:Netherin5|talk]]) 13:49, 15 March 2019 (UTC)

== Dark theme/night mode ==

Should I explain this?

It's for all of us who edit the wiki at 1am and like our retinas.

Firefox has a [https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/dark-theme-enhanced/?src=recommended Dark Theme Extension], and it looks pretty good on the Wiki. [https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/dark-theme-for-google-chr/annfbnbieaamhaimclajlajpijgkdblo Chrome does too], but I haven't tried it out.

== Change dates to match ISO 8601. ==

Can we change the timestamps to match [[1179: ISO 8601]]? I'm surprised this hasn't been suggested earlier [[User:9yz|9yz]] ([[User talk:9yz|talk]]) 20:33, 5 April 2019 (UTC)

== Add bookmark ==

I have used some simple javascript to create a bookmarklet that automatically opens the wiki-page of the xkcd page that you are reading. I would like to provide it on the wiki. It works as follows.

1. Make a bookmark, give it a recognizable name.
2. For the url, enter the following: javascript: document.location = document.URL.replace('xkcd.com','explainxkcd.com');
3. Create the bookmark. To use it, open any xkcd page and click it to go to the corresponding wiki page.

Thanks for considering.
[[User:Kwonunn|Kwonunn]] ([[User talk:Kwonunn|talk]]) 18:27, 3 May 2019 (UTC)

:Thanks Kwonunn! I've started collecting these helpful tools on a [[Browser helpers|new page]], to hopefully make them easier for others to find. – [[User:Yfmcpxpj|Yfmcpxpj]] ([[User talk:Yfmcpxpj|talk]]) 01:30, 29 September 2020 (UTC)

== Regarding using facebook like and google captcha - Privacy concerns ==

Considering that they track users across various sites, it is not in the best interests of the users' privacy.

https://complianz.io/google-recaptcha-and-the-gdpr-a-possible-conflict/ - This article explains the issues better than I can.

Especially the users who use VPNs affected more - it takes noticeably longer and more tries to pass the google captcha. Preventing/dis-incentivizing new contributors from behind a VPN. There is anecdotal evidence (in the form of reddit posts) that google captcha discriminates firefox users and allow chrome users to get simpler challenges or none at all.

The Facebook like button is an iframe. Users visiting this page(s) have not explicitly consented to being tracked by facebook and google.

I am speculating here, but from the amount of data these two items are gathering, it seems possible to de-anonymize the users who are behind a vpn. I don't trust either of these companies to not grab the free data. In the article listed above, it seems captcha alone can capture a screenshot of the pages without users' (explicit) consent. I haven't read through all the privacy and terms.

Captcha is necessary for avoiding spam. There are alternatives. Anything but google one should suffice. Regarding the facebook like button, I think that should be replaced by a link to the facebook page. {{unsigned ip|172.68.38.88}}
:I think this can be done only by admins, who are currently absent from this wiki. However regarding the Captcha, there is an easy fix: Register here, and log into your account (an one-time e-mail address is sufficient, if you are worried about your privacy). Also please sign your comments to talk pages and other discussions (such as this) - It will not show the IP related to you/your VPN, but one from cloudfare, so it will also not hurt your privacy, but automatically put a timestamp, etc.

:A different CAPTCHA is definitely needed. In my harded version of Firefox Google ReCAPTCHAs won't even work, so I need to open a different profile to edit Explain xkcd. [[User:CyanDinosaurDuck|CyanDinosaurDuck]] ([[User talk:CyanDinosaurDuck|talk]]) 22:21, 31 January 2022 (UTC)

== Removing unnecessary 3-comic categories? ==

I count eight categories on explainxkcd that satisfy the following properties: 1. They have only three comics in them. 2. They aren't really a comic series; they just feature or reference a comic theme. 3. They aren't Featuring some person or character. In short, they seem to have no real reason to exist. (They're [[:Category:Spice_Girls|t]][[:Category:Wind_turbine|h]]e[[:Category:Ender%27s_Game|s]]o[[:Category:FernGully|n]][[:Category:Giraffes|e]]s.) So my proposal: remove them. -[[User:Account|Account]] ([[User talk:Account|talk]]) 20:37, 9 November 2019 (UTC)
:In addition, there are [[:Category:Sketches|t]][[:Category:BSD|h]][[:Category:Emacs|i]][[:Category:Identity_Theft|r]][[:Category:Katamari_Damacy|t]][[:Category:Super_Bowl|e]][[:Category:The_Matrix|e]][[:Category:Tournament_bracket|n]][[:Category:Traffic_light| ]][[:Category:Trebuchet|m]][[:Category:Wingsuit|o]][[:Category:Euler_diagrams|r]][[:Category:Pedantic|e]] four-comic categories that also seem rather in need of deletion.
:: Shouldn't the community at least have some time to expand on these categories, in case they're currently incomplete? For example, [[:Category:The Matrix]] is on your list and now contains 7 strips, and [[:Category:Tournament bracket]] got its 5th entry after your post. Even if they're not, a theme category can save some typing in the search box (and is probably also cheaper in terms of server resources than all the searches it'll eliminate). [[User:Promethean|Promethean]] ([[User talk:Promethean|talk]]) 22:43, 21 November 2019 (UTC)
:::So what do you think the limit should be for categories? Should we create a category when two comics mention the same topic? Three? --[[User:Account|Account]] ([[User talk:Account|talk]]) 16:28, 22 November 2019 (UTC)
::::Three seems reasonable to me, and I could see a case being made for two. Categories aren't expensive. [[User:Promethean|Promethean]] ([[User talk:Promethean|talk]]) 00:17, 23 November 2019 (UTC)

== New transcript ==

The transcripts in the comic pages are quite inconsistent, especially in the brackets where you have to describe what happens in the panels. If I understand correctly, the transcripts are for people to copy the text in the comic without having to type them out. If that's the case, then I think propose a new transcript. This transcript should have the comic with the words erased, and then the copy-pasteable words on top of that. Such a transcript would have no room for error, which would let anyone contribute to a seamless transcript.
:The aim of the transcript is to provide a text-only version of the comic that would allow someone who is visually impaired to use a text-to-speech converter to understand the comic and also in a machine readable format for searching (see the [[explain_xkcd:Editor_FAQ#What_is_the_format_of_the_transcript_section?|Editor FAQ]]). Anything using mark-up, images or anything other than plain text will interfere with this and so should be avoided in the transcript. [[User:A(l)Chemist|AlChemist]] ([[User talk:A(l)Chemist|talk]]) 18:22, 23 November 2019 (UTC)

== Add title text and heading to transcript section ==

It has always bothered me that the transcript did not include the title text since it contributes so much to the humor of the comics. Also, it looks to me like the comic heading is sometimes included as part of the transcript and sometimes left out. I checked the previous proposals and did not see any discussion of these issues. Please consider having a policy going forward of including the heading and the title text within the transcript. [[User:Rtanenbaum|Rtanenbaum]] ([[User talk:Rtanenbaum|talk]]) 22:43, 1 January 2020 (UTC)
:To my understanding (and also others, see discussion directly above) one of the main points of the transcript is to make the comics searchable, the other is, to make it readable when images are not an option. In both cases the comic's name and the title text mentioned above and below the image should be sufficient. I personally think this convention is fine. [[User:Lupo|Lupo]] ([[User talk:Lupo|talk]]) 08:28, 2 January 2020 (UTC)

::Pardon me -- (and, '''<big>''thanks'' for your patience</big>''') -- if this is too off-topic (/slash "boring") or [[wikt:TMI|TMI]] (see {{w|Information overload#Web accuracy}} e.g.), '''...OR''' if this should have been posted elsewhere ...instead of here.

::IMHO the term '''"title text"''' is a misnomer. I think the term is used to refer to the little (or, '''BIG!''') pop-up -- (kinda like what is sometimes called a <code>"tooltip"</code>, but ... aren't those usually pretty '''small?''') -- that appears when one "hovers" his mouse [pointer] over an XKCD cartoon. ...at least, according to '''the "Talk:" page section''' [[Template talk:comic#The template field called .22titletext.22]] which was added almost 3 years ago. I think that calling it a <code>"BONUS text"</code> would be even better than calling it a "caption". However, [to me], '''either one''' of those terms would make sense ''WAY'' more than calling it a '''"title text"''' ... for reasons which are stated in the [Template] "Talk:" page section mentioned (and ... '''LINKED TO''') above. '''<big>Any Comments? . . ''' *** Thanks! *** for listening!</big> --[[User:Mike Schwartz|Mike Schwartz]] ([[User talk:Mike Schwartz|talk]]) 08:57, 7 April 2020 (UTC)

:::Hi Mike, I see your point, and yes, something like "bonus text" might be a bit more descriptive. But FWIW, I think the reason it's called "title text" is because that's the text that appears in the <code>[https://www.w3schools.com/tags/att_global_title.asp title]</code> attribute of the HTML <code>[https://www.w3schools.com/tags/tag_img.asp <img>]</code> tag of the comic's image on the xkcd.com site. For example, at https://xkcd.com/2364/, the code for the comic image looks like this:
<pre>
<img src="//imgs.xkcd.com/comics/parity_conservation.png"
title="Bloody Mary is made of antimatter. It explains so much."
alt="Parity Conservation"
srcset="//imgs.xkcd.com/comics/parity_conservation_2x.png 2x">
</pre>
:::In there, you can see the title text as <code>title="Bloody Mary is made of antimatter. It explains so much."</code> See [[title text|here]] for more explanation about that, and some discussions about it [[explain xkcd:Community portal/Miscellaneous#Common mistake|here]]. – [[User:Yfmcpxpj|Yfmcpxpj]] ([[User talk:Yfmcpxpj|talk]]) 03:11, 29 September 2020 (UTC)

== Wikipedia links. ==

I think the links to Wikipedia should have symbols, so it's not confusing which ones lead to other comic pages.

== It's time to remove the HTTPS lock icon ==

Explainxkcd should do the same thing that browser makers have done: treat HTTPS as the modern standard, and mark HTTP as the deviation instead.

Here are appropriate replacement icons:
* https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Unlock_Icon_Red_(32_bit).png
* https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Unlock_Icon_Red_(4_bit).gif
- [[User:Frankie|Frankie]] ([[User talk:Frankie|talk]]) 12:49, 16 May 2020 (UTC)

== New page for Randall's regular column in the New York Times ==
Randall Munroe has been writing and illustrating a monthly science column in the New York Times. I suggest a page in this Wiki, indexing those columns. For some reason the New York Times itself does not provide such an index. If they ever do add one, we would still have a topic article here, similar to the one we have for the What If blog, that could link to their index. --[[User:JohnB|JohnB]] ([[User talk:JohnB|talk]]) 00:47, 11 June 2020 (UTC)
------
=== New York Times column: Good Question ===

'''Good Question''' is a more-or-less monthly column written and illustrated by '''[[Randall|Randall Munroe]]''' in the '''[https://www.nytimes.com/section/science Science section of the New York Times]''', beginning in November 2019. The columns give serious answers to science questions, in Munroe's inimitable style.

The New York Times website ordinarily requires registration, and its content is always protected by copyright. Most particularly it is ''not'' under [http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/2.5/ Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 2.5 License] the way [[xkcd]] is. The good news: anyone can register for a free digital subscription to the New York Times, with access to 'recent' Science articles among some others, but outside of that only five articles per month. See [https://archive.nytimes.com/www.nytimes.com/info/help/freesearch.html Free Articles].

Unlike for many of their other regular columnists, the New York Times does not provide a clickable link either on the byline '''Randall Munroe''' or on the column title '''Good Question'''. The following tables are intended to correct that omission.

{| class="wikitable"
|+ New York Times columns ''by'' Randall Munroe
! Column !! Headline !! Byline !! Date
|-
! SCIENCE
| [https://www.nytimes.com/2019/08/13/science/what-makes-a-red-sky-at-night-and-at-morning.html What Makes a Red Sky at Night (and at Morning)]
| Randall Munroe
| Aug. 13, 2019
|-
! GOOD QUESTION
| [https://www.nytimes.com/2019/11/12/science/randall-munroe-moon.html If I Touched the Moon, What Would It Feel Like?]
| Randall Munroe
| Nov. 12, 2019
|-
! GOOD QUESTION
| [https://nytimes.com/2019/12/10/science/earth-size-mass.html Is Earth Getting Bigger Over Time?]
| Randall Munroe
| Dec. 10, 2019
|-
! GOOD QUESTION
| [https://www.nytimes.com/2020/01/21/science/human-running-speed-quadruped.html How Fast Can a Human Run?]
| Randall Munroe
| Jan. 21, 2020 / Feb. 7, 2020
|-
! GOOD QUESTION
| [https://www.nytimes.com/2020/02/17/science/worst-odor-smell-thioacetone.html What’s the World’s Worst Smell?]
| Randall Munroe
| Feb. 17, 2020 / Feb. 26, 2020
|-
! GOOD QUESTION
| [https://nytimes.com/2020/03/10/science/question-randall-munroe-bobsled-gravity.html What if Galileo Had Dropped Bobsleds From the Tower of Pisa?]
| Randall Munroe
| March 10, 2020
|-
! GOOD QUESTION
| [https://www.nytimes.com/2020/04/07/science/pulsar-xkcd-munroe-stars.html How’s the View From a Spinning Star?]
| Randall Munroe
| April 7, 2020
|-
! GOOD QUESTION
| [https://www.nytimes.com/2020/05/11/science/traffic-barrier-rice-krispies.html What’s the Sweetest, Crispiest Way to Stay Safe in a Car Crash?]
| Randall Munroe
| May 11, 2020
|-
! GOOD QUESTION
| [https://www.nytimes.com/2020/06/09/science/randall-munroe-question-eggs.html Can You Boil an Egg Too Long?]
| Randall Munroe
| June 9, 2020
|-
! GOOD QUESTION
| [https://www.nytimes.com/2020/07/07/science/neutrinos-snowball-randall-munroe.html Could You Make a Snowball of Neutrinos?]
| Randall Munroe
| July 7, 2020
|}

{| class="wikitable"
|+ New York Times columns ''about'' Randall Munroe
! Column !! Headline !! Byline !! Date
|-
! LINK BY LINK
| [https://www.nytimes.com/2008/05/26/business/media/26link.html This Is Funny Only if You Know Unix]
| Noam Cohen
| May 26, 2008
|-
! BITS
| [https://bits.blogs.nytimes.com/2014/03/14/techs-favorite-cartoonist-enters-mainstream-publishing/ Tech’s Favorite Cartoonist Enters Mainstream Publishing]
| Noam Cohen
| March 14, 2014
|-
! SCIENCE
| [https://www.nytimes.com/2014/11/04/science/randall-munroe-the-creator-of-xkcd-explains-complexity-through-absurdity.html He’s Glad You Asked]
| Kenneth Chang
| Nov. 3, 2014
|-
! BOOKS
| [https://www.nytimes.com/2015/11/24/books/randall-munroe-explains-it-all-for-us.html Randall Munroe Explains It All for Us]
| Alexandra Alter
| Nov. 23, 2015
|-
! SCIENCE
| [https://www.nytimes.com/2016/03/22/science/randall-munroe-xkcd-science-textbook.html Randall Munroe, XKCD Creator, Goes Back to High School]
| Kenneth Chang
| March 21, 2016
|-
! SCIENCE
| [https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2016/03/18/science/document-Munroepages.html Randall Munroe of ‘XKCD’ Explains the Human Body, Elevators and the Saturn 5]
| (Actual pages from '''{{w|Thing_Explainer|Thing Explainer}}''')
| March 21, 2016
|}
------

: Looks goods to me, you should probably make that an article of its own, maybe [[New York Times: Good Question]]? --[[User:SlashMe|SlashMe]] ([[User talk:SlashMe|talk]]) 22:58, 10 July 2020 (UTC)

: {{notice|I went and added the page, here: [[New York Times: Good Question]] --[[User:JohnB|JohnB]] ([[User talk:JohnB|talk]]) 02:42, 11 July 2020 (UTC)}}

== Bring back the {{rw}} template! please ==

Can someone restore the <nowiki>{{rw}}</nowiki> template? I insist on its existence. I further assure that it will be of much use. It was deleted by an admin. — [[User:Sqrt-1|The 𝗦𝗾𝗿𝘁-𝟭]] [[User talk:Sqrt-1|talk]] [[Special:Contributions/Sqrt-1|stalk]] 06:10, 29 September 2020 (UTC)
:nm, did it myself. — [[User:Sqrt-1|The 𝗦𝗾𝗿𝘁-𝟭]] [[User talk:Sqrt-1|talk]] [[Special:Contributions/Sqrt-1|stalk]] 04:15, 1 October 2020 (UTC)

== Link to high-resolution images? ==

The wiki includes the "standard" resolution images, but would it be worth adding a link to the higher-resolution image on each page? It appears that this could be automated in at least a strong majority of cases: if the standard image is ''xyzzy.png'', the hi-res one is ''xyzzy'''_2x'''.png'' . [[User:BunsenH|BunsenH]] ([[User talk:BunsenH|talk]]) 22:10, 1 October 2020 (UTC)
:Please stop adding this to the explanations. This is not needed. [[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 08:56, 6 October 2020 (UTC)
::The high-resolution image was quite useful in parsing the "Amelia's Farm Fresh Cookies" comic. I'm not convinced that the hi-res images are commonly known. I've been reading xkcd for about 7 years and hadn't heard about them until I stumbled across a mention of them in one of the Discussions here. What is the harm in having a one-line ''link'' here? -- not, I emphasize, the actual image, which would take up a great deal of space. [[User:BunsenH|BunsenH]] ([[User talk:BunsenH|talk]]) 17:00, 7 October 2020 (UTC)
:::I didn't know about the high-resolution images either. While it might be a bit repetitive to add a full sentence to every comic's explanation, I agree that having ''some'' easy way to link to the hi-res image on xkcd.com could be handy. For example, maybe a "hi-res" or "2x" button before the "Next >" button above the comic in [[Template:comic]]? That's a bit extreme, but I added an example template, derived from the existing [[Template:comic]], to demonstrate how that could work:
:::* Template: [[User:Yfmcpxpj/Template:comic 2x test]]
:::* Demo: [[User:Yfmcpxpj/Sandbox#2x comic template test]]
:::With those changes to the template, for all comics as of [[1084]] the "2x" button would automatically appear. (No need to go back and change all comics.) This assumes the images hosted on explainxkcd generally have the same filename as on xkcd.com, but there are optional parameters to override the filename or omit the "2x" button altogether for specific exceptions. I'm not suggesting we actually go ahead and implement this; but if there was enough interest, an admin would be needed anyway, to make the changes within [[Template:comic]], which is currently protected. – [[User:Yfmcpxpj|Yfmcpxpj]] ([[User talk:Yfmcpxpj|talk]]) 23:25, 11 October 2020 (UTC)
::::FWIW, I like this. [[User:BunsenH|BunsenH]] ([[User talk:BunsenH|talk]]) 20:25, 12 October 2020 (UTC)
:::::My proposal is that a bot should add it automatically to the description of each comic image when available so that it does not take up space anywhere and is easily accessible. — [[User:Sqrt-1|The 𝗦𝗾𝗿𝘁-𝟭]] [[User talk:Sqrt-1|talk]] [[Special:Contributions/Sqrt-1|stalk]] 13:49, 8 February 2021 (UTC)

== Proposal to replace the top section with this... ==

I have come up with a new design for the top section of all community portals...
It’s located here... https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=explain_xkcd:Sandbox&oldid=199882 — [[User:Sqrt-1|The 𝗦𝗾𝗿𝘁-𝟭]] [[User talk:Sqrt-1|talk]] [[Special:Contributions/Sqrt-1|stalk]] 14:15, 15 October 2020 (UTC)
<hr/>
{|-
|valign="top" width="80%"|[[File:Crystal Clear app ktip.png|left|120px]] <big><big>Proposals</big></big>

Ideas to improve the wiki's design and organization can be added here. {{AddNewSection|Page=Explain XKCD:Community portal/Proposals|Text=(+post)}}

|valign="top" xalign="right" width="100%"|[[File:Crystal Clear app package settings blue.png|50px|link=https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php/explain_xkcd:Community_portal/Technical]][[File:Crystal Clear teamwork.png|50px|link=https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php/explain_xkcd:Community_portal/Coordination]][[File:Mop.svg|50px|link=https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php/explain_xkcd:Community_portal/Admin_requests]][[File:Internet-group-chat.svg|50px|link=https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php/explain_xkcd:Community_portal/Miscellaneous]]
|}

== I made a template for welcoming new users. ==

{{Welcome}}
<hr/>
Any ideas? Suggestions? Objections? — [[User:Sqrt-1|The 𝗦𝗾𝗿𝘁-𝟭]] [[User talk:Sqrt-1|talk]] [[Special:Contributions/Sqrt-1|stalk]] 16:35, 13 December 2020 (UTC)
: this is now in at the top of the Main Page --[[User:Jeff|Jeff]] ([[User talk:Jeff|talk]]) 16:38, 5 February 2021 (UTC)
::Why? This looks like a template intended for (newly created) UserPages. And it replaces interesting data from the frontpage with something not useful for casual visitors (or even non-casual lurkers). I'd undo this change in an instant if I had authority to do so. ((The template looks good, to clarify, just obviously not intended to be in that location.)) [[Special:Contributions/141.101.76.154|141.101.76.154]] 01:36, 6 February 2021 (UTC)
:::[[User: Jeff|Jeff]] is the owner of explainxkcd you dingus. [[User:Beanie|Beanie]] [[User talk:Beanie|talk]] 13:46, 18 June 2021 (UTC)

== comic groups ==

i think we should have a tech problems list of comics ( as there are quite a few)
:We already have a category for it. [[:Category:Cueball_Computer_Problems]]. — [[User:Sqrt-1|The 𝗦𝗾𝗿𝘁-𝟭]] [[User talk:Sqrt-1|talk]] [[Special:Contributions/Sqrt-1|stalk]] 13:44, 8 February 2021 (UTC)

== Archiving interactive comics? ==

Has the possibility of archiving interactive comics been discussed? Of course, users can view them on the original website, but it’d be nice to have a working backup of sorts, especially considering some of the interactive comics haven’t aged too well in terms of compatibility or support (e.g. Umwelt displays a blank page for me.)

It probably wouldn’t be possible to do so directly from mediawiki, but I’d be happy to experiment with cloning a few of them on another server, or as simple PHP pages that could be embedded, if it would help. Most of the interactive comics appear to be implemented mostly in client side JS anyways, so replicating them shouldn’t be too bad.

[[User:Tague|Tague]] ([[User talk:Tague|talk]]) 13:12, 29 April 2021 (UTC)

== Replace head shots of characters in the wiki with these new and high quality head shots! ==

https://www.reddit.com/r/xkcd/comments/n2u28r/i_took_head_shots_of_the_reccuring_characters_and/

These are not only upscaled, but are all squares and have all the features of the characters. — [[User:Sqrt-1|The 𝗦𝗾𝗿𝘁-𝟭]] [[User talk:Sqrt-1|talk]] [[Special:Contributions/Sqrt-1|stalk]] 03:33, 2 May 2021 (UTC)
:I think you should do it (because higher quality = better) :] [[User:Beanie|Beanie]] [[User talk:Beanie|talk]] 13:42, 18 June 2021 (UTC)
::There seemed to be no objections, so I went ahead and did it. — [[User:Sqrt-1|The 𝗦𝗾𝗿𝘁-𝟭]] [[User talk:Sqrt-1|talk]] [[Special:Contributions/Sqrt-1|stalk]] 12:40, 21 November 2021 (UTC)

== Cleaning up [[Special:WantedTemplates|Special: Wanted Templates]] ==

I decided to take a look at the list of wanted templates. Imagine my surprise when I see that a lot of the templates wanted were mis-capitalizations or misspellings of existing templates. I hereby request permission to create redirect pages for some of the most popular errors.
I intend to do five, wait a week, and do another five as to not spam the wiki. I will not begin for a week, at which point I will only proceed if nobody has said no OR a moderator has said yes. May I proceed? [[User talk:Quillathe Siannodel|{)|(}]][[User:Quillathe_Siannodel|Quill]][[Special:Contributions/Quillathe_Siannodel|{)|(}]] 11:34, 15 May 2021 (UTC)

== Knit Cap ==
Sometimes Knit cap has long hair, sometimes short. Is Knit Cap meant to be a male character that sometimes has long hair, or is Knit Cap sometimes female? I want to clear this up before I finish editing [[1350: Lorenz]]. [[User:Beanie|Beanie]] [[User talk:Beanie|talk]] 13:40, 18 June 2021 (UTC)
:Hm, in the 'Enemy Pikachu used theft' scene in [[1350: Lorenz]], Knit Cap's hair looks merely slightly unkempt. From this, I will assume that Knit Cap just sometimes has long hair and is always male. [[User:Beanie|Beanie]] [[User talk:Beanie|talk]] 13:10, 21 June 2021 (UTC)
::Ok, the official transcripts say that Knit Cap is 'A guy in a knit cap'. I will take that to mean that Knit Cap is definitely male.

== We still need to complete some explanations like this one: ==

I think should change the banner shown at the top of every page to show a comic that is still incomplete, like Hoverboard or something. [[User:Sure|Sure]] ([[User talk:Sure|talk]]) 21:32, 30 August 2021 (UTC)

== Update MediaWiki ==
explainxkcd is running MediaWiki 1.30.0, which reached end-of-life in June 2019. There are likely security issues because of this, so please update MediaWiki to the latest version (or LTS) using the instructions here https://www.mediawiki.org/wiki/Manual:Upgrading [[User:Cam1170|Cam1170]] ([[User talk:Cam1170|talk]]) 19:41, 26 September 2021 (UTC)
:It seems like the mysql is too outdated for the upgrade [[User:Starstar|Starstar]] ([[User talk:Starstar|talk]]) 17:37, 26 November 2021 (UTC)
::Upgrade MySQL then[[User:Aaron Liu|Aaron Liu]] ([[User talk:Aaron Liu|talk]]) 03:16, 20 July 2022 (UTC)
Does anybody know how to contact an admin for this? I have no clue. [[User:Cam1170|Cam1170]] ([[User talk:Cam1170|talk]]) 03:25, 13 December 2022 (UTC)

== Allow Users to Edit their own talk page if not auto confimed ==

I can edit this page, but I can't create my own talk page! [[User:Starstar|Starstar]] ([[User talk:Starstar|talk]]) 17:34, 26 November 2021 (UTC)

== Upgrade Icons ==

The icons look quite old fashion (the ones on the sidebar and the ones above the editing text area), could they be replaced? [[User:Starstar|Starstar]] ([[User talk:Starstar|talk]]) 23:07, 26 November 2021 (UTC)
:They probably could be, but changing icons the moment they're not absolutely cutting-edge just means using new icons that are as easily edged-out (as tastes change yet again), meanwhile annoying those who prefered the first set and rather wouldn't see a revolving door of ever-evolving aesthetics.
:If I had a vote, I'd say keep the simple glyphs we're used to. If any are not totally obvious (perhaps some would not be, without the text captions) consider revising, but I think you'll get less agreement on what new images to use than that which would advocate the retention of the current ones.
:Alternately, it would definitely be on-theme to find Randall-drawn illustrations to replace them all. But the constraints of adapting (say) any particular stick-figure-world depiction of randonmess to ''meaningfully'' replace the current Random Page icon (at the same scale!) might be less than optimal.[[Special:Contributions/172.70.162.57|172.70.162.57]] 01:08, 27 November 2021 (UTC)

== Make searchbar not case-sensitive ==

The way the search bar is currently set, it only suggests comic links when what is being typed is capitalized ("Assigning Numbers" rather than "assigning numbers" for instance). Would be nice if we could make it not case-sensitive :D [[User:Char Latte49|Wielder of the Staple Gun]] ([[User talk:Char Latte49|talk]]) 02:48, 27 April 2022 (UTC)
:Good idea. [[User:Marethyu|⟨Winter is coming⟩ Marethyu]] ([[User talk:Marethyu|talk]]) 17:46, 5 May 2022 (UTC)

== Do not allow ordinary users to edit redirects that are just numbers ==

This overrides the default page you're sent to when you check a comic; e.g. recently a vandal edited the page entitled "2614" so it overrode the actual page, [[2614: 2]] on the main page.
:The problem would be when creating a new page and the overrides are needed... [[User:Marethyu|⟨Winter is coming⟩ Marethyu]] ([[User talk:Marethyu|talk]]) 17:48, 5 May 2022 (UTC)

== ExplainXKCD discord (or other platform)? ==

I'm just saying if we had instant messages, pings etc. there would be a lot faster reaction to vandals.
The community portal is hard to get attention from and comments are all very well and good but conversations on Discord could get very quick response, and people could request edits, organise page re-writing etc.
Idk if we can get "official" backing by anyone high up but we could make one anyways?
:The problem with platforms like Discord or others is that we can't guarantee that everyone has access to them; on the wiki, anyone can edit, while some people may not have access to discord or such. A possible solution would be having a sort of service built into the wiki, but not sure how that might be done. Besides, this is a wiki, not an xkcd chat site. This is a good idea, though. [[User:Marethyu|⟨Winter is coming⟩ Marethyu]] ([[User talk:Marethyu|talk]]) 17:43, 5 May 2022 (UTC)
::Anyone can create a discord account like anyone can create an account on this wiki. You don't even need a dedicated client/app as it can run in browser. Just like the wiki. Just my two cents. [[User:Elektrizikekswerk|Elektrizikekswerk]] ([[User talk:Elektrizikekswerk|talk]]) 11:28, 20 May 2022 (UTC)
:::Some user may not wish anyone to be able to contact them outside this wiki. You do not need an acount to edit this wiki... [[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 17:14, 22 July 2022 (UTC)

== So, I got a question about transcripts. ==

A lot of comics show links (e.g.: all the ones with a drawing of wikipedia on it), and the transcripts don't really have a standard. In the transcript, should it be an actual link or just blue text or what? [[Special:Contributions/162.158.79.52|162.158.79.52]] 15:03, 2 June 2022 (UTC)Bumpf
:I'd say that if the linked thing (presuming it's a real linkable target!) is linked in the Explanation, it doesn't need to be (re)linked in the ostensibly flat-and-descriptive Transcript.
:And I know that some Transcripts are hypertext formatted to emulate the thing they are transcribed from (whether bolded, enbiggened, sub-/superscripted and and/or given the hue) but maybe ''primarily'' the "<code>[:Text that describes the text]</code>" should be explaining the details, in case the screen-reader (or text-searching algorithm grepping the Transcript text for "green text" or "superscript" instances can't quite work it out from the various style-tags that can be applied to that effect in so many an various ways.
:But this is IMO, I don't know if there's a specific policy about it, but it is how I've seen it vaguely applied... Not everywhere quite so consistently, though. [[Special:Contributions/172.70.91.128|172.70.91.128]] 20:28, 2 June 2022 (UTC)
::We try to keep links and explanations out of the transcript. The link and the explanation goes in the explanation section above. [[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 17:12, 22 July 2022 (UTC)

== Use 2X Images ==

Apparently xkcd.com provides double-sized versions of almost every comic if you add '''_2x''' to the end of the image name. For instance,

https://imgs.xkcd.com/comics/watches.png

https://imgs.xkcd.com/comics/watches_2x.png

Since we are in 2022 and computers can load high-resolution images just fine, and they are easier to read, I propose that this website should use the provided double-sized images. Really, I think Randall ought to be doing this himself as well. [[Special:Contributions/172.68.18.107|172.68.18.107]] 12:22, 17 August 2022 (UTC)

:While I agree with using the higher quality images which are default on xkcd.com for many people, there has been [https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php/explain_xkcd:Community_portal/Proposals#Link_to_high-resolution_images.3F discussion] about this issue already. At the moment, the consensus seems to be to continue using the 'standard' size to 'use less space,' and instead link to the higher quality image on the image page. —[[User:Theusaf|theusaf]] ([[User talk:Theusaf|talk]]) 14:35, 17 August 2022 (UTC)

::I think I may have mentioned it on that link (or similar), but often when the 2x image is used (or even an unwise too wide image/unbreakable-line-of-content) the explainxkcd site cannot sensibly handle it and it forces the default 'page width' of stuff into a zoomed out narrower column to the left (including the margin-line normally inset a dozen or so pixels in from the right) so that browser-window can display the whole of this wide element.
::While "saving space" does apply to server resources and viewer download bandwidth/quotas (e.g.[https://imgs.xkcd.com/comics/unreliable_connection.png 53kb] vs [https://imgs.xkcd.com/comics/unreliable_connection_2x.png 109kb]) may seem insignificant, screen-space can be badly hit by this.
::The motherlode xkcd site has code behind it to (usually?) serve the right image for the right displays, but explainxkcd isn't currently equipped to do the same choose-and-provide (which would need ''both'' images uploaded to it and a revised {{template|comic}} implementation, once we work out the method it could use). And I've never seen any case where the 'low quality' comic is conversely too small and narrow to appreciate (though occasionally the larger one reveals minor drawing details that have been obscured by the downscaling), just when the _2x one makes everything ''else'' too small.
::...this may not apply to everyone's browser implementation, but it definitely happens, and consistently, on my usual Chrome and/or Firefox on Windows and/or Android platforms (according to which system I happen to be on at the time). [[Special:Contributions/172.70.162.147|172.70.162.147]] 21:20, 17 August 2022 (UTC)
:::ExplainXKCD actually does have the capability to do this. For example, see [[1079:_United_Shapes]]. It generates multiple images, automatically choosing one based on screen size (similar to how xkcd.com does it). The bot could use the `imagesize` parameter to keep the image within the page's width by using the 'standard' image size. This does add a button labeled "click to enlarge," but if that is annoying, the comic template can be modified to hide that button if specified.
:::Here is what it might look like:
:::{{cot}}
{{User:Theusaf/Template:comic_2x
| number = 2647
| date = July 18, 2022
| title = Capri Suns
| image = capri_suns_2x.png
| titletext = [As security is dragging me away] "Come on, at least I didn't make the mistake in the other direction!"
| imagesize = 315x317px
| noexpand = true
}}
{{cob}}
:::which is clearer than the original comic page and the same size. —[[User:Theusaf|theusaf]] ([[User talk:Theusaf|talk]]) 05:20, 18 August 2022 (UTC)
::::As specificaly implemented above, I certainly see no immediate problem (need to check across machines/devices), but I suspect that part of the mechanism here is the "imagesize = 315x317px", which seems like it would need (albeit by the page-create bot, algorithm8cally) to be tailored to the 'input' image, not always in this ratio). I'm not technically conversant with the nature of your back-end scripting and doubtless it's all possible (scripts can do almost anything... once you know that they (may) need to do them and rewritten them to catch all the contingencies ;) ), but I don't know know if that's something you've accounted for (e.g. test with a three/four-panel wide comic, or the Earth Temperature Timeline or whatever, and see if it can facilitate them all nicely). Not to mention that if theusafBOT goes offline, the manual-add instructions (as used prior to your replacing the prior functioning bot, for which I thank you) also need this extra step of user involvement to be done, whereas usually the fallback manual method needed little thought in this direction (or indeed however much carbon or silicon there is in the 'brain' involved) except for exceptional circumstances or those rare prior slip-ups by Randall.
::::I'm just going through the first obvious issue (to me), didn't mean to concentrate so many words on just this before even checking everything else! [[Special:Contributions/172.70.91.80|172.70.91.80]] 09:15, 18 August 2022 (UTC)
:::::Basically, on the backend, the bot will fetch both the small and the large images, and measure the size of the small image, which is what it will use for the <code>imagesize</code>. I have actually used this system in the past for this bot, but was told to revert it due to the "click comic to enlarge" text. As for if the bot goes offline, there is no problem with falling back to the small image, and if editors want to, I can also provide instructions for using the large image. I'm mostly just waiting to see what others think about this. Are there any other problems to consider? —[[User:Theusaf|theusaf]] ([[User talk:Theusaf|talk]]) 14:44, 18 August 2022 (UTC)

== I'm making an App that collects web comics ==

My original idea was to use the rss feed present on xkcd, and other webcomic websites, but now im starting to wonder if there was a way to make a better service, that allowed users to maybe look at older comics, and explanations and such as well, and thats how i happened to come across explainxkcd.com. The RSS Feed for this website, would be pretty helpful, if it were like reddit's but apparently, the rss feed is only maintained for the home page. I was wondering if you guys provided that data through an API or something? Also are there wikis for other famous comics like this one? Any other suggestions and ideas for the app are welcome 🙌🙌.

== Comics edited after their publication ==

many more comics have been changed than are in Category:Comics edited after their publication ! please add them (i already have done two i remember off the top of my head) [[Special:Contributions/172.70.134.223|172.70.134.223]] 12:56, 7 October 2022 (UTC)Bumpf

== What if 2 book page creation ==
What if 2 has come out, but I don't know which page is to be created. There is already a comic under the same name. [[User:ClassicalGames|ClassicalGames]] ([[User talk:ClassicalGames|talk]]) 08:54, 3 May 2023 (UTC)

== Default to 3 Section Headings for Each Explanation: Non-Obvious Info, Recap, and Background Trivia ==

This is a proposal that all new comic explanations should, by default, have 3 Sections:

'''I. Explanation of the Non-Obvious''' (an actual explanation of the non-obvious elements of the comic for the average reader who might not understand the references/joke/relevant science)

'''II. Full Recap'''

'''III. Background Trivia'''

Most of us can agree that Category I is where the value of this website shines.

But today, all 3 of these categories of explanation are typically merged together, making it hard to find the Category I nuggets of goodness.

If we make these 3 section headings the default on every comic explanation, then this default will helpfully nudge editors to put the juiciest stuff up top, and not to clutter that section up with fluff or trivia.

——

As an example, take the recent comic #2878 about Astronomer Happiness and Supernova distance.

The main thing a lay reader would want to know — the Category I information — is…

..That the shape of the graph is probably a clever reference to a Light Curve, a type of supernova graph

..why astronomers like it when a supernova is close, and what happens when it gets too close

Everything else in the (currently) very wordy explanation gets in the way of the lay reader finding out these two things. It’s a bunch of Category II and Category III info that makes it hard to tease out the Category I info. It’s not BAD information, but it’s sandpaper. It’s friction slowing down the average reader.

Obviously I could go in and edit this particular comic, and I often do this kind of edit, but I think this issue pops up for most explanations, so I think changing the standard default interface will help everyone put their contribution into the right section.

In sum, my proposal would elevate Category I info to the top of each explanation, so instead of full recaps, we get right into the explanation that is going to be most efficiently illuminating for the average, non-expert reader, answering the most common questions.

[[User:Laser813|Laser813]] ([[User talk:Laser813|talk]]) 10:50, 12 January 2024 (UTC)
:In general (if I get dibs on the edit, or think I can legitimately re-edit/rearrange), I do try to go for "hook, line, sinker" format (i.e. establish the basics, relate that to what the comic shows, move on to any relevent speculations/extrapolations), very like your setup. Though it is often ''much'' too complicated (multi-layered, cross-disciplinary, etc, so that maybe it has to be interwoven 'mini explanations' per tabulated item) so I'm not sure how easy it would be to enforce a strict structure. I think there's merit to the principle, though. Assuming we can all agree what each comic needs focus on (apply that problem to the following proposal too!), as I've occasionally inserted a sort of "first you need to know <subject>" into an established cold-start explanation ("you see <foo>" only for a later editor to consider it more an afterthought and shuffle it to later ("you see <foo>" ... "<foo> is part of <subject>"), or variations on such layouts. Especially as different people have different ideas as to what's obvious/can be keyword-wikilinked and what needs more waffle to properly enlighten readers.
:Also, prosaic variation is a good thing. Too formulaic and it could be (whilst accurate) considered too robotic, so some leaway should really always be allowed as we collectively bash together a community interpretation and elaboration. Within communal guidelines, clearly. [[Special:Contributions/172.69.194.203|172.69.194.203]] 15:53, 12 January 2024 (UTC)

== FAQ Style Editing should be the norm ==

Simply, we should experiment with more FAQ-style explanations.

We think of the top questions that the average reader might have about a comic, and we use those as bolded headers to explain the most curious/confusing/subtle/sciency parts of the comic.

The structure would be this (using a recent comic as an example)…

'''Q: Why did Randall use this shape of graph?'''
A: It’s likely a clever reference to a Light Curve, a similarly shaped graph in the study of supernovae that…

'''Q: Why do astronomers prefer it when supernovae are closer?'''
A: It makes it easier to glean information because…

[[User:Laser813|Laser813]] ([[User talk:Laser813|talk]]) 10:50, 12 January 2024 (UTC)

== sidebar revamp ==
I think that the sidebar looks plain and it should have a new design. It could be voted on by users [[User:Moderator|Moderator]] ([[User talk:Moderator|talk]]) 02:16, 5 February 2024 (UTC)
:In leiu of you telling us what you think would be better, my starting vote is that I'm perfectly happy with that 'plain'. If it has the links I might need, why does it need a reskin? Or, worse, a functional revamp which probably removes the easy to use bits I was using already.
:...could you do a mock-up screenshot (or render equivalents directly in markup) of before/after side by side, at least? [[Special:Contributions/172.69.194.120|172.69.194.120]] 03:11, 5 February 2024 (UTC)

My biggest problem is it doesn’t scroll down with you which can be a big pain [[User:Moderator|Moderator]] ([[User talk:Moderator|talk]]) 01:43, 6 February 2024 (UTC)
:Don't know about anyone else, but (when not on a desktop) I read this on a tablet, in landscape, with the effective window quite short (ratio of 1:2 with width, approaching 1:3.5 with already narrowed onscreen keyboard popped up) and if I'm scrolled to the top I see nothing beyond Browse Comics.
:If we assume separate scroll-control on the sidebar, setting Main Page at the top of browser pane gives What Links Here at the bottom. Now, I rarely use the next three links (or at least reach those pages using them), and separate scrolling wouldn't stop me even seeing the even lower Ad bit (but it ''would'' defeat the entire purpose of the Ad, in that position, whether or not I bother to notice it these days).
:So whatever missing about you propose, I'm betting it would impact me. Perhaps not negatively, but I've seen enough awful assumptions about my screen-area in the name of scroll-free design. Including the "give us permission (or not) to give you cookies" popovers where it appears the actual buttons to confirm (or deny, or go somewhere to review and customise, if they have that option) are beyond the bottom of my screen. I can temporarily rotate the screen, of course, but often I just back out and don't bother in those cases. I wouldn't be reticent to rotate this site, on occasion, but ''I'd really rather not have to'', if I can be so selfish and stick-in-the-mud, because websites just are not good to use (even temporarily) in narrow-portait mode. (What's worse is the websites that detect I'm on a mobile platform and redesign styles/placements on-the-fly to 'fit portrait view', assuming a vertical smartphone, ''regardless'' of my actual viewport orientation, etc.)
:So, please, a hard no from me. Notwithstanding that just as solidly "always browse in portrait" people might be overjoyed at changes that would give ''them'' a better site design. But that's a tricky circle to square (or letterbox!), and not what you were suggesting anyway (now we know what it is). I just want to plea that any changes be made with a very good idea of all the knock-on effects of 'improving' certain edge-cases, especially when it comes to yet other edge-cases. [[Special:Contributions/172.70.85.23|172.70.85.23]] 10:29, 6 February 2024 (UTC)
==New Logo and Banner Proposals==
:I have new logo and banner proposals for this site.
:They're made on Scratch, an all-ages block-based programming language, and are in the style of Right Click.
:Here they are!
:Logo proposal: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Logo_proposal_for_explain_xkcd.png
:Banner proposal: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Banner_proposal_for_explain_xkcd.png {{unsigned ip|172.69.71.37|01:54, 19 February 2024}}
::I can't see the xkcdicity of the logo, really. The banner is certainly flavourful in the right way (does it scale down well? ...is that what your use of Scratch is for, as opposed to standard static Photoshop/GIMP image editing?), but not sure it'll work better for the current top-left-of-page xkcd (with three xkcd figurses idling away, sat on the letters).
::Decent concept art for something else related, certainly. I could believe it was a Randall's-own interactive comic front-end of some kind (which would make sense of the "play button" that is the "►"-bit). Given that it's now in a programming system already, have you tried making a drag'n'click game of the idea of linking/looping the blue-trail, and animating the hanging-on characters? [[Special:Contributions/172.70.90.29|172.70.90.29]] 13:34, 19 February 2024 (UTC)
:::It's an arrow, not a play button. Get it right. {{unsigned ip|172.69.71.72|01:05, 20 February 2024}}
::::Hold your horses... I was just trying to find a good reason for the whatever-it-is triangle to be there (gave the example of a 'play' button in my speculated usefulness of it). And it isn't really obviously any more of an arrow (c.f. "→"), either. I like your(?) banner's use of xkcd-figures, just not sure where the logo exhibits any form of being xkcd-related, except by the literal reading of it.
::::Perhaps if it were "xkcd font" (i.e. artfully composited from actual samples of Randall's ALLCAPS comic-writing) then it wouldn't matter so much, but I just wouldn't say it was any more on-brand than the current logo/etc. This being intended as constructive criticism, I hope you understand. And there's more opinions than mine, so maybe I've indeed just missed some point that ''everyone else'' (especially named-users) have already realised. [[Special:Contributions/172.70.86.5|172.70.86.5]] 02:33, 20 February 2024 (UTC)

== Regarding precision in the Unexplained popup ==

Would it be possible to add an extra decimal point for the sake of precision? Currently, it shows that 0% of comics are unexplained, which is (as of 13:21 UTC on March 27, 2024) incorrect. It's a small thing, but it's rather annoying. {{unsigned ip|162.158.158.233|13:23, 27 March 2024}}
:With the current 2911 comics (give or take #404), 0.1% would be slightly under 3 comics. You'd need at least three before 0.1% appeared instead of the equally unuseful 0.0%.
:I'm of the "at least give everyone a week before you unilaterally declare it 'done'..." camp, so right now ''just'' the latest M/W/F comic incomplete would hover at a token 0.1%.
:(Actually, from two (0.06...% rounded up) to 4 (0.13...% rounded down. The good news is that it'll be almost seven years until two-rounded-up is insufficient, but also up to six-rounded-down is now "0.1%", if I've not goofed the carries/etc.)
:If going to the trouble of editing it to 1DP, make it 2DP with ''exactly'' the same editing effort..?
<blockquote>
<center>
''Welcome to the '''explain [[xkcd]]''' wiki!'' 
We have an explanation for all [[:Category:All comics|'''{{#expr:{{PAGESINCAT:All comics|R}}-1}}''' xkcd comics]],

and only {{PAGESINCAT:Incomplete explanations|R}}
({{#expr: {{PAGESINCAT:Incomplete explanations|R}} / {{LATESTCOMIC}} * 100 round 2}}%) [[:Category:Incomplete explanations|are incomplete]]. Help us finish them!
</center>
</blockquote>
:(As of time of posting, the above says "only 2 (0.07%)". From 0.0687049...% rounded up to 2DP.)
:Though given that we're only going to go into the future,{{Citation needed}} I suggest we can state the flat-out number. It's not now really going to be as scarily huge as it might have been, as the actual percentage becomes generally less significant.
:And, for niceness, give it a grammatically/factually agreeable form:
<blockquote>
;General form:
:<code><nowiki>... and {{#ifeq:  | 0 | no |  }} comic{{#ifeq:  | 1 | | s }} [[:Category:Incomplete explanations|{{#ifeq:  | 1 | is | are }} incomplete]]. ...</nowiki></code>
;Zero cases (hardcoded):
:... and {{#ifeq: 0 | 0 | no |  }} comic{{#ifeq: 0 | 1 | | s }} [[:Category:Incomplete explanations|{{#ifeq: 0 | 1 | is | are }} incomplete]]. ...
;One case (hardcoded):
:... and {{#ifeq: 1 | 0 | no | 1 }} comic{{#ifeq: 1 | 1 | | s }} [[:Category:Incomplete explanations|{{#ifeq: 1 | 1 | is | are }} incomplete]]. ...
;Multiple cases (hardcoded):
:... and {{#ifeq: 42 | 0 | no | 42 }} comic{{#ifeq: 42 | 1 | | s }} [[:Category:Incomplete explanations|{{#ifeq: 42 | 1 | is | are }} incomplete]]. ...
;Current cases (dynamic):
:... and {{#ifeq: {{PAGESINCAT:Incomplete explanations|R}} | 0 | none | {{PAGESINCAT:Incomplete explanations|R}} }} comic{{#ifeq: {{PAGESINCAT:Incomplete explanations|R}} | 1 | | s }} [[:Category:Incomplete explanations|{{#ifeq: {{PAGESINCAT:Incomplete explanations|R}} | 1 | is | are }} incomplete]]. ...
</blockquote>
:...easy to replicate to get "Help us finish them!" to change (upon a zero-test truth) to "But they all might be improvable!". Or change the :Cat:Link to not even be a link when zero, with alternate phrasing dodged over to in order to avoid "no comics are incomplete" in other ways.
:I wrote the above for minimal nesting of overlapping conditions. You might prefer just to go with <code><nowiki>{{#ifeq: <count> | 0 | <whole "zero cases" version> | {{#ifeq: <count> | 1 | <whole "single case" version> | <whole "plurality of cases" version> }} }}</nowiki></code> - both approaches involve repetitions, but maybe this other one can be given a ''degree'' of wikimarkup-readability within each case, to take pity on future editors. [[Special:Contributions/172.70.160.166|172.70.160.166]] 16:02, 27 March 2024 (UTC)

== Hear me out: What If? discussion page. ==

That's it. That's my idea. Go crazy, everyone. [[User:Psychoticpotato|Psychoticpotato]] ([[User talk:Psychoticpotato|talk]]) 14:05, 4 April 2024 (UTC)
:Yup, I've been thinking the same thing. I would like a page on each What If entry. [[User:Maplestrip|Maplestrip]] ([[User talk:Maplestrip|talk]]) 07:42, 8 April 2024 (UTC)
::I've thought about this, over the years. Having 'a page' (rather than the summary table, in the [[what if? (blog)|overview page]], etc) does sound more completist than what we currently have but I then tend to hit the main ontological problem...
::In the What-Ifs, Randall takes a 'simple' question and then ''explains'' the consequences. At length. A 'comic page' structure (starting with how we'd deal with the multiple midpoint images, so we would stray far from using the {{template|comic}} introduction) that followed the header(image,etc)/explanation/transcript/(trivia)/included-comments format would be silly and have many parts inappropriate. Remove the Transcript, for starters. ''Or'' need a mini-Transcript for each 'illustrative' image. (e.g. ":[Black Hat:] What if we tried more power?", several times.)
::Is there an actual need to ''explain Randall's explanation..''? Because that's the only thing 'we' can do. Which is rather silly, and seems like it would take a small (entertainingly rambling) essay and expand it into a large (pedantically rambling) one.
::Or else we just straight-copy the What-If over here as a 'backup'-blag? Allowable, but not exactly a USP, there'll be Internet Archive and personal copies, should things go bad at Randall's end. Not really a noble-cause.
::My suggestion, as to how to cover the remaining "explanation gap" and provide a useful 'service' that's worthwhile maintaining, is ''maybe'' two What If? (Blag) sub-pages:
::#A place to collate all inter-text images (and hover-/title-texts), and Transcript them, for easy searching.
::#*e.g. when you know you want to refer to the "bomb to the eyeball" one (internally or for something external) but think you might not realise where you need to go to (the supernova neutrinos one!) just by scrolling a bare comic list.
::#*Or you'd like to see, at a glance, how many different places the Black Hat Try More Power running joke occurs.
::#*Even if you don't want to open the page itself (160+ 'comics' with say 5 images each, is an 800ish-image page, less rationalising 'repeats' to a single entry), it should at least give you a search result for "dry waterfall" that points you in the direction of the "Niagra Straw" one (and maybe others?).
::#*I could see these being brief Image/Titletext/Transcript/(optional explanatory context), but not enough material to make them separate comic-style-pages in their own right, right?
::#Something of the same 'collation page mechanism' for all those superscript-popup-'footnote' bits. Though I admit I'm not entirely sure for what purpose except that it just ''seems'' like a good "collection page" to maintain. Perhaps to offer updated onward-links if any of the originals suffer link-rot? (But then, that fate can occur to all non-popupped links, so maybe I've chosen the wrong thing to highlight.)
::...the question is, what do you want from it. Bear in mind that if you can creae pages here then you can set up what ''you'' think you'd like to see (e.g. for What-If#1, for starters) then get the community to assess it. Do it as a sub-page to your Userspace, maybe, as proof-of-concept.
::Just because it's not been seen as necessary so far, doesn't mean it's not necessary. I've thought about it a lot (not thst I'm in a position to inplement anything), but I've only decided that I don't see a need for a straight copy (others' views may differ on that) and not enough reason to pester for ''my'' 'ideas' to be fulfilled. But I aint 'in charge' here, and happily so. [[Special:Contributions/172.69.194.100|172.69.194.100]] 11:29, 8 April 2024 (UTC)
:::You make a fair point. He did already explain in great detail what would happen if [x] scenario happened. It just seems like it would be nice to have a page exclusively for discussing all the ''What If'' articles. [[User:Psychoticpotato|Psychoticpotato]] ([[User talk:Psychoticpotato|talk]]) 20:49, 15 May 2024 (UTC)
::::People just need to make a draft or two and see what happens. Be sure to link a draft here if one is created, I would like to help on it. "I want to learn more and explore this scenario further" is a valid feeling to have. [[User:Maplestrip|Maplestrip]] ([[User talk:Maplestrip|talk]]) 07:34, 16 May 2024 (UTC)

== Randall-ify the Captcha ==

Let's have some fun: Is it feasible to replace the Captcha with something "xkcd-ish" like "click on Randall's work" with a mix of XKCD stuff and generic pictures. If not, how about a replacing it with a quiz like "which of the following IS [or IS NOT] xkcd character" with one obvious correct answer. [[Special:Contributions/172.68.26.75|172.68.26.75]] 16:11, 9 May 2024 (UTC)
:are YOU able to create a CAPTCHA from scratch? [[User:42.book.addict|42.book.addict]] ([[User talk:42.book.addict|talk]]) 15:59, 13 May 2024 (UTC)
::Choose any images that contain user-made CAPTCHAs from the following selection. [[User:Psychoticpotato|Psychoticpotato]] ([[User talk:Psychoticpotato|talk]]) 21:22, 13 May 2024 (UTC)

== Incomplete Tag Vote ==

I think each comic's discussion page should have a section to vote on whether the explanation is complete or not. How long do you think the voting period should be?[[User:PDesbeginner|PDesbeginner]] ([[User talk:PDesbeginner|talk]]) 03:42, 19 June 2024 (UTC)
:Rather than a voting period, I think it would be ideal if people could "vote" on the completeness of an article at any time. As I go through all the old pages, I come across lots of pages that feel a little bit incomplete. It would be nice if we had a measurement of completion that wasn't binary. [[User:Maplestrip|Maplestrip]] ([[User talk:Maplestrip|talk]]) 10:16, 19 June 2024 (UTC)
::Feel free to add the incomplete tag again. But don't forget to mention WHY (either in the tag or the discussion or both) you think it's incomplete. :) The tag is mainly there so you can have a list of "incomplete" comics. A comic is either on that list or it isn't. This is pretty much binary. As for voting: If I think an explanation is complete and it bothers me that it's flagged as not I generally juts make a comment in the discussion asking if someone has still something to add or actually knows WHY it's still incomplete. If there's no response after a few days I delete the tag. There's no need to make a voting out of this. And if somone strongly disagrees to you there's always the "Undo"-link ;) [[User:Elektrizikekswerk|Elektrizikekswerk]] ([[User talk:Elektrizikekswerk|talk]]) 11:09, 19 June 2024 (UTC)
:::Sometimes I just feel "this could use more detail," without specifically knowing what the detail would look like. This can be a problem when it's about explaining complicated science: the "completion" of a description of quantum mechanics that is readable by a novice, is very subjective. I am realizing the problem with the persistent voting idea tho: many people will vote something as "incomplete" but wouldn't come back to check on it later. [[User:Maplestrip|Maplestrip]] ([[User talk:Maplestrip|talk]]) 12:08, 19 June 2024 (UTC)
::::I'm more in the "less is more" camp. Most of my recent contributions to this wiki were deleting parts of bloated explanations: You don't need to explain quantum mechanics unless it's absolutely crucial for understanding the respective comic. Of course, if you are an expert in any given field, [[2501|it's hard to tell]] whether or not the current explanation is sufficient for a layperson and most contributors tend to write "too much". Which is totally fine. People like me take care of the "too much". ;) So, if you are an expert in quantum mechanics ignore "completed" comics about quantum mechanics. Surely you could contribute a lot to it but chances are high that most of it is unnecessary for the comic. Instead ask yourself if you need more information to understand that comic about biology. And if you do, add an incomplete and ask for that information ;) [[User:Elektrizikekswerk|Elektrizikekswerk]] ([[User talk:Elektrizikekswerk|talk]]) 12:31, 19 June 2024 (UTC)
:I've been here a long time, effectively back to when there were ''missing'' explanations (other than the "too new to have the barebones put in" ones, these days only seen when the current BOT is tardy or offline for some reason), and I've seen the Incomplete template change from the useful 'infill marker' to become a regular joke-tag of a similar nature to the Citation Needed. Yes, I agree that both of these (and the Because You're Dumb" tag) are perhaps a bit confusing for new users (like the one who badly edited out a link, just now, apparently thinking it was spam, because of the way it mentioned viagra), but I have grown to see them as community in-jokes (of various degrees of subtlety) that many people seem to appreciate under their current incarnations.
:We've recently removed the Main Page's more literal "there are # incomplete articles" announcement, which leaves the purpose of ''more accurately'' using the Incomplete tag a little less important. Apart from letting us dive into the (purported) list of Incomplete Explanations, one of the main ''serious'' purposes of the Incomplete tag is removed, leaving the now consistently employed purpose of doing a "Created by a THING OTHER THAN THE BOT" joke much more prominent.
:Really, all articles are potentially incomplete, still. Some more than others. Something big, like Hoverboard or Gravity, might truly have easter-eggs or subtle details as yet not properly commented upon, but there have been edits to ''double-digit'' comics recently which might be considered improvements. As such, there are really only two 'sensible' direct courses of action:
:#Completely remove the Incomplete tag, from use, as all pages are only ever as complete as the eye of any particular beholder, and the more recent pages are ''obviously'' incomplete by their being barely 15 minutes (or a day, or ''maybe'' a week) old. Or being so huge (or Time-like!) that they clearly still haven't been 'completely' documented. Maybe the BOT can add a Created By The Bot tag that gets wiped out by the first serious attempt at human editing, but if we wish to lose this part of our site culture so readily then why ever have it at all? A wikivote system is not really that accurate under these circumstances, for a number of reasons that I needn't explain, so go straight to assuming that any such 'vote' would pass, right from the off...
:#Embrace it for its THING OTHER THAN A BOT usage, alone. Don't be so eager to remove them just because you have no personal changes you'd wish to see. (Votes or not, there could always be another editor along in a minute who has, unlike the rest of you, picked up on an obscure visual pun rendered in what turns out to be hieroglyphs, or similar.) If we have to cull them (not a given!), then let it be an unstated rule (or a stated one?) that if there are more than (e.g.) half a dozen then the 'least amusing' may be removed by the first editor who wishes to express a critical opinion. Just the one at a time. No reinstating, no resurrection, no adding to old articles that never ever had a 'joke Incomplete' before, no entirely new joke (but you can refine what's there, to a degree), just a rolling (and not necessarily consecutive!) set of the "finest natjve explainxkcd wit". Or at least the least objectionable surviving examples of same.
:As a practical guide, the "reason why you think it is Incomplete element" could be entirely served by in-line tags (the "What?" and "Why?" and "Date?" things you might see elsewhere). Perhaps we could even do ''both'' things by instead having a "Complete" tag ''explicitly'' for BOT-REPLACEMENT-type tomfoolery (and tongue-in-cheekness about Completion, as we might currently be about Incometeness) from the off. That might confuse the newbods, of course. At least until it doesn't, and then they're not newbods anymore...
:The companion tag, for Incomplete Transcript, is presumably going to serve as it currently does (as a still serious hint as to actual Incompleteness), albeit that I've noticed a trend for the first editor of a brand new published comic to (possibly ''after'' doing the BOT-replacement joke, or after the editor who did ''only'' that) go straight in and enTranscript it (to varying degrees of accuracy and completion), whether or not they also then remove that specific tag-template at the same time. It seems that some people are more comfortable at providing a ''Transcript''ion-service than they are at establishing even the seed of an Explanation. (Or they only have enough time to do the latter, to the level of detail they wish to achieve in the moment open to them.)
:This is, of course, a cultural issue. All the above (from me) is just my own perception of practical aspects, notwithstanding those opinions already expressed before that (and elsewhere). I don't speak for everyone. And, as a perpetual IP, technically I should say that I don't speak for ''anyone'', either... [[Special:Contributions/172.70.160.140|172.70.160.140]] 14:21, 19 June 2024 (UTC)

::I like the idea of removing the Incomplete tag. What do you think? [[User:PDesbeginner|PDesbeginner]] ([[User talk:PDesbeginner|talk]]) 14:57, 19 June 2024 (UTC)
::I greatly approve of a {{what}} tag, as a Wikipedian that's actually really funny. I would want to keep the Incomplete tag, as I think it has purpose, even if it no longer represents a goal to achieve. I think this website will never reach 100.00% completeness and that is good, actually. [[User:Maplestrip|Maplestrip]] ([[User talk:Maplestrip|talk]]) 14:05, 26 June 2024 (UTC)
::Okay. If someone wants to they can just ignore the incomplete tags. [[User:PDesbeginner|PDesbeginner]] ([[User talk:PDesbeginner|talk]]) 14:37, 28 June 2024 (UTC)

== "As of <now>"... ==

What would be rather useful is an <code><nowiki>{{As of now}}</nowiki></code> template (or similar wording, and perhaps an "as of now"-cased alternative for use mid-sentence). There are many articles that will have words along the lines of "this has not yet happened, as of August 2024" or "this situation is continuing, as of August 2024". Every now and then, someone will come across one of these with an older date (perhaps only just out of date, perhaps years old) and [https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=1858:_4th_of_July&curid=20285&diff=348082&oldid=315524 edit it accordingly]. You could also seek them all out, deliberately, with a bit of effort in the search-bar.

(Note that "as of" does not ''always'' need updating, there are non-dated examples such as in [[1074: Moon Landing#Trivia]], static transcript versions, like [[1071: Exoplanets#Transcript]] and other instances where the text "as of", with or without a date, really does not need to be changed... but sometimes is anyway by a well-meaning passer-by.)

Sometimes, this can be done along with another useful edit/update/revision that is spotted, or is just one of the revisions that some other need for change conveniently allows. But it seems a bit vague to rely upon occasional attention. Instead the template will implement something like "<code><nowiki>As of {{Monthyear}}</nowiki></code>" (here having to use <code><nowiki>{{#time:F Y}}</nowiki></code>, ..."As of {{#time:F Y}}"...), though there's the possibility that a parameter-mediated switch can let it alternatively become a to-the-day-level format option (at which point you could even implement/calcuate something like {{template|Yesterday}} would be) or just to the year-level. (Or add {{template|As of this year}}, {{template|As of this month}} and {{template|As of this day}} separately.)

This would negate the need to ''just'' poke and prod any article that happened to 'need' updating every month (or year, or possible day). And to deal with the possibility that some of these cases might actually need to be edited because "as of" does ''not'' now apply, include within it a {{:Category:As of}} membership, letting anyone who is interested keep an eye on these aggregated 'As of's, ready to jump in there and change it to some straight up "Up until <fixed date>" equivalent should any one of them actually no longer apply.

...obviously, I can't even begin to create the template page required, but I'd be happy to work on the exact wikimedia code required if anyone thinks it needs anything but the most basic transcluded formatting and doesn't know how. Open to discussion, and I'll tag on more if I happen to see that discussion developing. [[Special:Contributions/172.70.162.186|172.70.162.186]] 18:04, 4 August 2024 (UTC)
:As an addendum/change to my above suggestion, considering a simpler {{template|as of}} (and {{template|As of}}) which does ''no'' automagical continuous updating (just gives the "as of" literal on its own), but still guarantees "Category:As of" membership, so that it doesn't actively give wrong (new) date+circumstance relationships in the likes of [[1047: Approximations]]. In that, the several mentions of populations can safely stay as old years until someone rewrites the proposed value and assessment as well, but it still could be a task to pursue every new year after checking the Cat for likely comics needing a quick check'n'edit.

== “Grammar Bot” ==
I’m working on a python based bot written with the Pywiki library that aims to use the replace.py scripts to fix simple grammatical mistakes, e.g. correcting Citation needed placements, cleaning up extra spaces, etc. I will be posting the code in a few weeks after I finish it (I’m a bit busy at the moment with school and orchestra) so the entire community can view it. Any thoughts on the idea? Thanks. [[User:42.book.addict|42.book.addict]] ([[User talk:42.book.addict|talk]]) 21:05, 5 September 2024 (UTC)
:First thoughts are that there are going to be so many exceptions. I definitely agree with the idea of {{template|Citation needed}}s being made consistent (if only it weren't sometimes complicated{{Citation needed}}), as well as that of mysterious extra spaces. But that's not really grammatical. Punctuation, in the first case. I fear a full (or even fragmentary) grammar-checker is going to be complicated and give many false positives.
:At least at first, perhaps have it ''report'' what it thinks it has found. You may discover definite times that it isn't necessary and it would indeed create new errors.
:At the very least, run it with two checklists: One to do an automatic replace.py and one to just report. Start with the first list empty. Introduce potential ones to the latter, review all the reports carefully, ''then'' move any sensible-looking ones to former.
:And have it not fighting other bots (particularly theusafBOT), perhaps selected users (e.g. the likes of Kynde, and of course yourself) or indeed itself (if it makes a change that might inadvertently trigger another 'check') by excluding such changes for a recheck/rechange. Keep a record of what it changed, so that if anybody reverts/recorrects something that seems to have gone wrong it doesn't force it 'wrong' again. At the simplest, give a whole page a decent time-out and/or number of subsequent limits before it ''considers'' a new change. Implement from the start the option of a 'whitelist' (of pages it can ignore) or 'blacklist' (of rules it shouldn't apply, or at least actively apply, to a given page), so you can quickly manually add a throttle-down by simple config-file rather than have to add in a code-kludge when something obviously (in hindsight!) needs correcting about the way it works. And also maybe throttle it to have no more than one bot-edit per hour (while starting from scratch) to not swamp the system and give the rest of us time to assess any errors it has made (and its successes!) - you can unstick that throttle later, when you consider it tested with all its backlog of microcorrections.
:...there are a few other guidelines I would suggest, but the cautiousness already present in the above approaches might mean that they are left as not so important. Just consider what ''could'' go wrong before unleashing it on our world.
:And all power to your elbow, it is of course something we all might have considered (I know I have... not that I have the login for it, but what really stopped me was knowing how badly I could mess it up by getting just one detail wrong if I tried it).
:Among changes/alerts I would have it make would be cases of {{template|cn}}, {{template|citation needed}}, etc, instead of the 'main' template. Plus []-links to either wikipedia pages (most of them should be {{template|w}}-templated) or explainxkcd.com pages (most of them should be [[]]ed), although there are even then some exceptions. It'd also be nice if it can identify all Talk (and Community Portal) contributions that were not signed (more complex, as some may be after the fact, or have been after several years and further editings). I know how I'd do all this, or think I do (only upon starting to do it can I be sure I've actually theorised it correctly!), but I mention this mostly to point out how ''you'' might want to cautiously implement ''your'' ideas. HTH. [[Special:Contributions/172.70.86.15|172.70.86.15]] 00:07, 6 September 2024 (UTC)
::you have made plenty of wonderful points that I clearly have not thought about-quite the critical oversight on my part. Is anyone interested in collaborating? I don’t think that my skills are good enough to satisfy all of those points. [[User:42.book.addict|42.book.addict]] ([[User talk:42.book.addict|talk]]) 01:06, 6 September 2024 (UTC)
:::hello? Anybody? Please help… [[User:42.book.addict|42.book.addict]] ([[User talk:42.book.addict|talk]]) 17:38, 9 September 2024 (UTC)
::::I believe this would be a great idea and also an incredibly complicated feat. Randall is no stranger to using weird punctuation in comics or misspelled words. I think it would be neat if it weren't automated and just reported errors it found so we could manually fix them, which would make its development much easier, but at that point it's very similar to a series of search queries for misspelled words, which we can already do. I have no coding skills so I'm not going to be of help. [[User:FaviFake|FaviFake]] ([[User talk:FaviFake|talk]]) 17:33, 7 November 2024 (UTC)
;Update
I have found a solution to fix most grammatical mistakes, I just need to make sure that it doesn’t correct character names like “Cueball”, not edit war with other bots, come up with a system to log the edits it makes so that it doesn’t revert again, and fix Citation needed templates. I already know how to make sure that it asks me before editing, so I want to create an account to test it out. Does anybody have ideas on what to name the bot? I don’t want to call it 42.book.addictBOT, since the username would be a bit clunky. ToriBOT could work, but I’m also open to any other names. Feel free to reply to this or reply to me on my talk page! '''[[User:42.book.addict|42.book.addict]][[User talk:42.book.addict|Talk to me!]]''' 20:30, 29 November 2024 (UTC)

== "dark mode" ==
add dark mode [[User:CalibansCreations|'''Caliban''']] ([[User talk:CalibansCreations|talk]]) 09:54, 18 November 2024 (UTC)
:See [[User:Certified nqh/common.css]] or copy/paste my old [[User:42.book.addict/common.css|common.css]] page history into your common.css page: -42.book.addict [[Special:Contributions/172.69.134.208|172.69.134.208]] 16:10, 18 November 2024 (UTC)
::ha, thx tori, nqh's common.css works like a charm :) [[User:CalibansCreations|'''Caliban''']] ([[User talk:CalibansCreations|talk]]) 08:51, 21 November 2024 (UTC)

== reddit ==
Add reddit- Anonymous {{unsigned ip|172.71.214.80|08:31, 21 November 2024}}
:You probably need to explain what you mean by that. Add reddit discussions to here? Add this site to reddit? Add some simple link to one from the other? Something else? [[Special:Contributions/172.70.162.163|172.70.162.163]] 13:02, 21 November 2024 (UTC)
::>Add some simple link to one from the other?
::I have no idea what they meant either, but I hadn't thought of this! I could see the addition of a simple link to the comic template, like "https://reddit.com/r/xkcd/comments/{{PAGETITLE}" or "https://reddit.com/r/xkcd/search/?q={{PAGETITLE}"
::I don't partecipate much in the r/xkcd subreddit, so i'm not sure if they have structured post titles or even if they posted all the comics, or if it's automated, but I think this could be cool! Some people will likely come from Reddit, so it would be a straightforward way for them to go back. Thoughts? {{unsigned|FaviFake|16:55, 11 January 2025}}

== viewer ==
i propose to add random page to comic viewer {{unsigned ip|172.71.150.14|00:17, 25 February 2025}}
:There's already a "Random Page" link.
:If you mean (it's ambiguous!) a "Random Comic Page" link, then I'm not sure it's needed. There are so many "Comic pages" that it's a fairly good chance that you'll land on one of them for any given click, much more chance within two clicks. The likelihood of not getting a comic within ''three'' clicks will be tiny. Another way to do it is to just use the xkcd.com "Random" button, then (whichever comic you land on, which will be any but [[404]]), change the "xkcd.com" bit of the URL to "expxkcd.com" and... you end up here.
:If none of that really does what you want (especially if you mean something completely different from what I read it as), some more explanation would probably be appreciated. [[Special:Contributions/172.69.79.164|172.69.79.164]] 01:02, 25 February 2025 (UTC)
:If you want to make sure to land on all comics, you can go to "Special pages" on the sidebar, scroll down to "Random page in category", and enter "All comics". As far as I'm aware, there isn't really a way to automate this, so you have to keep inputting it manually. [[User:Firestar233|guess who]] ([[User talk:Firestar233|if you desire conversing]] | [[Special:Contributions/Firestar233|what i have done]]) 06:38, 25 February 2025 (UTC)
::I think they meant a button on the {{tl|comic}} template. Would it be technically possible to make it such that it works exacly like the one on the official site? --[[User:FaviFake|FaviFake]] ([[User talk:FaviFake|talk]]) 17:47, 25 February 2025 (UTC)
:::It ''should'' be a matter of using [[Special:RandomInCategory/All Comics]], I think, but doesn't seem to work when I try that exact attempt. Perhaps mediawiki or the mediawiki extension is not updated enough, or else I'm getting my wikisyntax slightly wrong.
:::Functionally, though, where the website has its Random button, we have our "go to the xkcd.com original", so more thought is needed before we just "add a button". If we do, we want it where the 'mothership' website does, but we still ought to have our details-and-link-to-original given, and I like it as a (faux) button.
::: Perhaps the {{template|comic}}, where it currently has header 'buttons':
[|<<] [Prev] [#9876 (Grune 32, 2525)] [Next] [>>|]
::: Needs to be changed to maybe:
[ #9876 (Grune 32, 2525) ]
[|<<] [Prev] [Random] [Next] [>>|]
:::...or equivalent. Haven't checked, but if it's a one-line table, can be easily made into a two-line one with colspan=3 (or 5?) in the right bit. If it's just centred, then it should come out Ok, in a simple way. But I'm not too keen on that change, really, and you'd need to actually have the Random->Comic link working first, ''anyway''. So I'm giving you my opinions and (slightly lacking) knowledge, in case that can at least make for the better outcome than either nothing (though not sure that's bad!) or some half-hearted ideas from elsewhere. [[Special:Contributions/172.70.86.116|172.70.86.116]] 21:52, 25 February 2025 (UTC)
:::: Unless someone can figure out the requests made by the random in category, a workaround could be to use a (pseudo)random number generator (mediawiki has a [https://www.mediawiki.org/wiki/Template:Random_number template] on their website) to get a random number in the range of 1 - {{template|LATESTCOMIC}} and put in a link to that comic number using <nowiki>[[number]]</nowiki>.
:::: Note: There already is a "Random" template, but it was just using random page and was blanked by the person who made it [[User:Firestar233|guess who]] ([[User talk:Firestar233|if you desire conversing]] | [[Special:Contributions/Firestar233|what i have done]]) 03:50, 26 February 2025 (UTC)

:::::{{Done|Done!!!}}  I tried that wikimedia templaete but couldn't figure out how to make it work. I did it using Special:Random, hoping there aren't too many non-comic pages. Check [[{{LATESTCOMIC}}]] for an example of how it looks and works. --[[User:FaviFake|FaviFake]] ([[User talk:FaviFake|talk]]) 16:02, 23 April 2025 (UTC)

:::::thanks! (i hav an account now) [[User:Bb777|me, hi]] ([[User talk:Bb777|talk]]) 22:30, 25 April 2025 (UTC)

== Misc pages ==
I would like to propose the creation of an additional category for "miscellaneous pages" that aren't really comics, and which generally have a URL slug that's an English word or phrase instead of a number. This includes xkcd.com/YES ✅ and xkcd.com/NO ✅, both of which currently have articles. It also includes:
* http://xkcd.com/nakedpictures ✅
* http://xkcd.com/spiral
* http://xkcd.com/burlap ✅
* http://xkcd.com/simplewriter
* http://xkcd.com/tree_prank
* http://xkcd.com/blue_eyes (and xkcd.com/solution) ✅
* http://xkcd.com/morphs (archive only)
* http://xkcd.com/chesscoaster
* http://xkcd.com/kite
* http://xkcd.com/dot ✅

...and others as they are found or recovered.

If only we could access the forum thread mentioned on the YES and NO pages! I was able to find a link to the thread here, but it's inaccessible. A
It's the one labeled "Hidden pages on xkcd": https://web.archive.org/web/20170927200737/http://forums.xkcd.com/viewforum.php?f=2&sid=973b8a1dcd0a727a9177aa757108d4f6&start=250

I was able to find the pages above via Reddit:
https://www.reddit.com/r/xkcd/comments/gixd96/what_are_all_the_hidden_pages_on_xkcd_that_you/
https://www.reddit.com/r/xkcd/comments/35whzf/what/

[[User:Rumbling7145|Rumbling7145]] ([[User talk:Rumbling7145|talk]]) 00:16, 11 March 2025 (UTC)

===More pages found===
<div id="List of pages"></div>
Update: I got into the forum page! https://web.archive.org/web/20151206001238/http://forums.xkcd.com/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=110093

We can now add these pages to the list:
* http://xkcd.com/election (archive only)
* http://xkcd.com/event (blank)
* http://xkcd.com/now (redirect to 1335)
* http://xkcd.com/plus ✅
* http://xkcd.com/sub (archive only)
* http://xkcd.com/temp (archive only)
* http://xkcd.com/test (appears identical to regular site)
* http://xkcd.com/time (redirect to 1190)
* http://xkcd.com/twitter (archive only)

... and also
* http://xkcd.com/cyborg.txt
* http://xkcd.com/channel.html (archive only)
* http://xkcd.com/channel.txt (archive only)
* http://xkcd.com/me.txt (archive only)
* http://xkcd.com/why.txt (archive only)
[[User:Rumbling7145|Rumbling7145]] ([[User talk:Rumbling7145|talk]]) 23:37, 11 March 2025 (UTC)

:We now have everything we need, except the management questions above! --[[User:FaviFake|FaviFake]] ([[User talk:FaviFake|talk]]) 15:42, 12 March 2025 (UTC)

:Oh and there's also
*http://xkcd.com/bitcoin
:which we have dissected on the page [[Bitcoin address]] (very interesting read!), which is inside [[:Category:Design of xkcd.com]]. Should we use that category instead? --[[User:FaviFake|FaviFake]] ([[User talk:FaviFake|talk]]) 16:25, 12 March 2025 (UTC)

:Found another one!
*http://holistic.xkcd.com ([https://web.archive.org/web/20120318153220/https://holistic.xkcd.com/ archive link])
:--[[User:FaviFake|FaviFake]] ([[User talk:FaviFake|talk]]) 15:55, 14 March 2025 (UTC)

*https://web.archive.org/web/20120127051815/https://aram.xkcd.com/

:might as well add this [[user talk:lett‪herebedarklight]] 14:33, 18 March 2025 (UTC)
:Thanks! I removed the first one bc it was a duplicate and moved your message. --[[User:FaviFake|FaviFake]] ([[User talk:FaviFake|talk]]) 16:01, 18 March 2025 (UTC)
* https://xkcd.com/verizon/ [[user talk:lett‪herebedarklight]] 04:05, 2 April 2025 (UTC)
* https://web.archive.org/web/20120321204721/http://mail.xkcd.com/ [[user talk:lett‪herebedarklight]] 04:14, 2 April 2025 (UTC)
* there was a /personal folder on xkcd, but it's been entirely wiped https://web.archive.org/web/*/https://xkcd.com/personal/* [[user talk:lett‪herebedarklight]] 04:20, 2 April 2025 (UTC)
* https://xkcd.com/color/rgb/
* https://xkcd.com/color/rgb.txt

===Other===
/test appears as a 404 for me.
[[User:Wobcomic|Wobcomic]] ([[User talk:Wobcomic|talk]]) 20:08, 14 March 2025 (UTC)
:Same! Someone should check how it looked in the archive --[[User:FaviFake|FaviFake]] ([[User talk:FaviFake|talk]]) 13:09, 15 March 2025 (UTC)
Made page for [[Dot]]. 🥰 [[User:CalibansCreations|'''Caliban''']] ([[User talk:CalibansCreations|talk]]) 19:30, 17 March 2025 (UTC)

===Problems===
This is great! I think we should first create an article for each of them, and after we have a few articles then we can start to figure out a good name for the category and answer some questions, like:
*Would [[Blue Eyes]] need to be removed from extra comics?
**To do that, we would have to ask an admin to edit the {{tl|comic}} template to allow us to do that.
*Should we add a new parameter to the template for these non-comics?
*Where should the new category be categorised?
*What name should we use for pages that don't have a name, like xkcd.com/dot? (that one is just titled "xkcd.com/dot", unlike pages like Blue Eyes and [[YES]]. Would it become "dot", "Dot", something else?)

I love the idea! I currently don't have time, but I will create these pages eventually. If anyone else wants to chime in, please do! --[[User:FaviFake|FaviFake]] ([[User talk:FaviFake|talk]]) 16:11, 11 March 2025 (UTC)

:"Unnumbered publications", or similar, could cover ''anything'' that wasn't xkcd.com/<digits>. Wouldn't cover replacements ([[2642: No One Was Hurt]] was originally 2642, for example), but that's a different class from deliberately off-series items. Also, given that often they are entirely non-image (the Yes and No), or straight text and multi-image (as per Blue Eyes, or other articles with a WhatIf-ish feel to them), I think calling them "comic"s is stretching the term.
:Though "miscellaneous pages" sort of covers this, I've a feeling that there's at least one... 'entity'... that is built upon multiple actual 'pages', but the list of candidates above doesn't contain any that look like they're what I'm vaguely thinking of. (Neither was it anything like the xkcd survey, or other interactive (numbered) comics, but maybe I'll bring it back to mind sooner rather than later.)
:As to the use of {{template|comic}}, I think we could spring to a (modified, 'inspired-by') template specifically for all these no-number/off-sequence explanation headers. Either explicit "prev=" and "next=" (per comic, ''could'' get quite mixed up if not kept uncontradictory) or a "position=" which could help maintain a list (and, from that, an auto-generated first/prev/next/last 'page ring') without having to subvert expectations of fitting in with the normal [[Template:LATESTCOMIC]] system.
:With the Comic template already equipped to deal with "no-number 'comics'", there wouldn't (in the first instance) be much work needed to "decomic" the new copy, with the exact method of resequencing (if desired) as a parallel series being the biggest question. [[Special:Contributions/172.70.85.49|172.70.85.49]] 17:20, 11 March 2025 (UTC)

::I have no idea what the last sentence (and a few others) mean(s), but I like the idea of a new template! However, I don't think we should call the category "Unnumbered publications". Isn't that just [[:Category:Extra comics]] but without DSU and No one was hurt? We should establish a criterion to add pages to this category and then figure out a name i think. --[[User:FaviFake|FaviFake]] ([[User talk:FaviFake|talk]]) 15:42, 12 March 2025 (UTC)

====What do we name them?====
On this subject, is there any reason why it's [[YES]] and [[NO]] (currently the valid links) rather than [[Yes]] and [[No]] / [[yes]] and [[no]] (currently invalid links)? And I don't mean "why aren't there redirects?", which I don't even think is the right way of resolving this, but what was the thinking? (Which then didn't result in [[DOT]], etc, so there's ''definitely'' some inconsistency, one way or another.) [[Special:Contributions/172.68.205.92|172.68.205.92]] 21:54, 17 March 2025 (UTC)

:I don't see any inconsistencies. The page for yes is titled (and I mean "the name of the browser tab is") "YES" by Randall, same for NO. Instead, the page for [[Dot]] is called "xkcd.com/dot/". We could use that, but that's likely not what Randall intended and might have been a coding oversight. --[[User:FaviFake|FaviFake]] ([[User talk:FaviFake|talk]]) 16:01, 18 March 2025 (UTC)

== Contentious Topics Template ==

I propose that we create a unified template to slap on contentious and possibly controversial comics, with a warning similar to the one I (and a couple other people added on) wrote in [[3073: Tariffs]]. Now, since I don’t know how to create a template and don’t understand how they work, this is my request for help. If you are available to help write it or have any tips for me, please contact me either in this thread or on my [[User talk:42.book.addict|talk page]]. Thanks! '''[[User:42.book.addict|42.book.addict]][[User talk:42.book.addict|Talk to me!]]''' 18:01, 16 April 2025 (UTC)
:Hey, I just wanted to ask why you think a new template is needed. {{tl|notice2}} and {{tl|notice}} seem pretty solid. How would a new template differ from them? Btw, I switched the template in [[Talk:3073: Tariffs]] from {{tl|notice}} to {{tl|notice2}} so it's more like a warning, feel free to revert it if you prefer {{tl|notice}}. --[[User:FaviFake|FaviFake]] ([[User talk:FaviFake|talk]]) 16:56, 17 April 2025 (UTC)
::I read the idea (which I'm not too enamoured with, but wouldn't argue against either) as being to create a <code><nowiki>{{contentious}}</nowiki></code>-like template in its own right that (perhaps by using {{template|notice2}} within it) had a standard "This comic, and its explanation, covers a particularly contentious subject. Take even more care than usual when adding to or editing this Explanation/Talk Page" (or similar) text with it.
::It would probably also have the ability to add further (or alternate) info, by standard template parameters, in case you want to personalise it to the ''exact''nature of the contention.
::But, my reasons why I didn't volunteer my ideas immediately are:
::*It paints targets. Anybody who wants to can look at all "pages using the Contentious template" and then troll-bomb them ''specifically''
::*Looking at the Tariffs-comic warning, that's ''huge'', and catering for that with a "standard text + additional notes" would be awkward... if you really believe it should be so huge in the first place,
::*Just by being so obviously available, there'd be creep. "Hey, this comic talks disparagingly about Newton's belief in alchemy... Surely that needs a warning too!", or start off with "Well, nobody's warning about our attitude to the US Senate in this comic, so I can be disparaging" which then practically forces another contentious-tagging (''possibly'' useful, but maybe in making a bolt for the barn door only ''after'' the horse has already made its own bolt through it) as it gets toned-down/-back again.
::And, though I also imagined the Tariff comic ''would'' get some push-back (there was some minor bits, but we seem to have kept it mature enough, IMO), it seems to be quiet. Can't say for sure it would have been without the warning it now has, but it survived ok before that was added. Hence why I'm ''meh'' about the very proposal. Hard cases make hard laws, and hard situations may prompt hard solutions. But I'm dubious about the actual case for the need. (As you say, we have 'freeform' notice+notice2, and I haven't seen proof even that was necessary as it was used.)
::But it would be trivial to implement, give or take some fine-tuning. I'll say that as a positive for the idea. Even if we never really use it as much as we could. [[Special:Contributions/162.158.216.83|162.158.216.83]] 20:35, 17 April 2025 (UTC)
:::Agreed. Maybe it's a good thing that we have to craft one for each comic we want to tag; this makes sure only actually contentious comics get tagged. An upside to having a specific template is that we wouldn't need to type <nowiki><noinclude></nowiki> every time, to avoid it displaying on the transcluded talk page.--[[User:FaviFake|FaviFake]] ([[User talk:FaviFake|talk]]) 21:00, 17 April 2025 (UTC)
::::mm. all of these are good points. now that i think about it, copy-pasting old warnings and tweaking them as needed is probably better than creating a new template. '''[[User:42.book.addict|42.book.addict]][[User talk:42.book.addict|Talk to me!]]''' 16:45, 18 April 2025 (UTC)

== New cloudflare feature ==
[https://www.reddit.com/r/tumblr/comments/1k4gozr/banished_to_the_astral_cube/ found out how to stop AI scrapers] [[User:CalibansCreations|'''Caliban''']] ([[User talk:CalibansCreations|talk]]) 16:09, 21 April 2025 (UTC)

Talk:2497: Logic Gates

2025-04-13T13:46:51Z

Bb777: or a lighter

As someone has just Transcripted basically almost all the fine detail I had planned to entable in the Explanation, I shall not now create repetition. Though I had a little more description to the NORXONDOR GOGONAX, in particular, to reference bidirectional (antiparallel) diode pairings (e.g. an LED assembly that glows a different hue depending upon the applied current bias) as probable inspiration, and that latched Flip-Flops surely inspired some part of the Frankensteinian gate-types, too. [[Special:Contributions/141.101.99.119|141.101.99.119]] 00:08, 3 August 2021 (UTC)

(Also, surprised there was no direct "GONDOR" reference. Or maybe that's because it was ''too'' obvious?) [[Special:Contributions/141.101.99.211|141.101.99.211]] 00:12, 3 August 2021 (UTC)

: I was also missing a "GONDOR" reference, and all the X's also made me think XEHANORT. [[Special:Contributions/172.70.126.174|172.70.126.174]] 03:49, 3 August 2021 (UTC)

: Never mind GONDOR, surely "The black GATES of MORDOR" should feature heavily? 11:45, 6 August 2021 (UTC)

...So, who's ready to draw up some truth tables? [[Special:Contributions/172.70.126.211|172.70.126.211]] 01:22, 3 August 2021 (UTC)

I can't get the lines in the bitwise-operation example to align properly; the first one is indented a tad. Can someone please fix that? Thanks... [[User:BunsenH|BunsenH]] ([[User talk:BunsenH|talk]]) 04:11, 3 August 2021 (UTC)

The symbol for norx gate (1-input OR, two outputs) I'd read as a noninverting buffer to increase another gate's usable fan-out. Xand gort resembles the symbol for an [[wikipedia:Operational amplifier|op-amp]]. Given the subtraction that an op-amp does, the xand gort's truth table probably resembles that of the [[wikipedia:Material conditional|"implies" operator]]. [[User:Tepples|Tepples]] ([[User talk:Tepples|talk]]) 04:23, 3 August 2021 (UTC)

the "NORG XORT" is not equivalent to an XOR, as the symbol is round on the right. --[[Special:Contributions/141.101.69.186|141.101.69.186]] 06:39, 3 August 2021 (UTC)

Right, "NORG XORT" would be a XNAND with inverted inputs, though I don't know what the logic table from a XAND or XNAND gate would look like. If De Morgan applies to XAND/XOR the same way as with AND/OR, would a "NORG XORT" then be equivalent to a XOR ? [[Special:Contributions/162.158.129.43|162.158.129.43]] 15:12, 3 August 2021 (UTC)
:: I think it is specifically a hybrid between XOR and NAND. The left edge is curved like OR, and the right edge curved like AND. I did spend some time thinking about XAND, though. One of my ideas was a >2-input AND that is only true if exactly 2 inputs are true. I wonder what qubit gates are like. [[Special:Contributions/108.162.219.174|108.162.219.174]] 16:16, 3 August 2021 (UTC)

;Logic Gates
It seems to me that their ought to be 16 possible logic gates. Although some would ignore one or both inputs. [[User:Algr|Algr]] ([[User talk:Algr|talk]]) 07:18, 3 August 2021 (UTC)
:Yes. The 74181 4-bit arithmetic logic chip implements all 16 possible binary logic operations. See https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/74181 [[Special:Contributions/162.158.94.253|162.158.94.253]] 07:34, 3 August 2021 (UTC)
:: It doesn't say the names of the various gates. On my list I made up a few, like "Only B" that only returns true if B is true and A isn't. Are their real names for this? [[User:Algr|Algr]] ([[User talk:Algr|talk]]) 18:57, 3 August 2021 (UTC)
::: I could suggest "Unless" (as in 'B unless A', or maybe to counterpart 'A unless B' with standard order of operands, 'A disallows B'). Though the partially composite construct '!A && B' would be easier to grasp by those already handling logic statements, I think. [[Special:Contributions/141.101.76.78|141.101.76.78]] 19:24, 3 August 2021 (UTC)
::: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Truth_function#Table_of_binary_truth_functions --[[Special:Contributions/162.158.126.135|162.158.126.135]] 23:02, 3 August 2021 (UTC)
:::: So '''"Only B"''' is called '''"Converse nonimplication"'''?! Maybe I'm the ''only'' logical person. [[User:Algr|Algr]] ([[User talk:Algr|talk]]) 06:30, 4 August 2021 (UTC)
:As Randall drew gates with two outputs, these would have 256 (16^2) possible functions [[Special:Contributions/162.158.94.252|162.158.94.252]] 15:15, 3 August 2021 (UTC)
:: That couldn't logically be anything but two logic gates sharing the same input. [[User:Algr|Algr]] ([[User talk:Algr|talk]])
:When both inputs to the norxondor gorgonax are 0, the output is '''2.''' [[Special:Contributions/172.70.110.45|172.70.110.45]] 21:27, 18 November 2021 (UTC)

there should be a category of comics where it starts out like a normal list and gets weirder and weirder like [[2070:_Trig_Identities|Trig Identities]] [[Special:Contributions/172.70.34.164|172.70.34.164]] 18:53, 3 August 2021 (UTC)Bumpf

What, no IMPLIES gate? I actually used this once to implement a NOT operation in a database see search. [[User:Joem5636|Joem5636]] ([[User talk:Joem5636|talk]]) 11:00, 4 August 2021 (UTC)
: Yeah, neither IMPLY nor NIMPLY, the only asymmetric gates where the inputs can't be arbitrarily swapped. IMPLY: 0,0->1; 0,1->1; 1,0->0, 1,1->1; NIMPLY 0,0->0; 0,1->0; 1,0->1, 1,1->0 [[Special:Contributions/162.158.91.2|162.158.91.2]] 15:25, 16 August 2021 (UTC)

It appears to me that the new gate names are just taken from the letters of the original gate names: NAND, NOR, XOR,and GATE. They're just stuck together in ways that tickled the creator's fancy. OK, tha's already been noted. [[Special:Contributions/172.70.130.108|172.70.130.108]] 11:11, 4 August 2021 (UTC) [[Special:Contributions/108.162.216.239|108.162.216.239]] 11:13, 4 August 2021 (UTC)

Unlike professional devs, I don't have a multiocular O key on my keyboard, so I verbosely write out __norxondor_gorgonax_bitwise everywhere in my code when writing kernel modules :-/ [[Special:Contributions/172.70.110.44|172.70.110.44]] 22:57, 4 August 2021 (UTC)
:You need a [http://www.catb.org/~esr/jargon/html/S/space-cadet-keyboard.html better keyboard]. :-) [[User:BunsenH|BunsenH]] ([[User talk:BunsenH|talk]]) 23:35, 4 August 2021 (UTC)

Is it just me, or did the first four gates sound Seussy to someone else? "AND gate, OR gate, NOT gate, NOR gate." [[User:GreatWyrmGold|GreatWyrmGold]] ([[User talk:GreatWyrmGold|talk]]) 04:10, 5 August 2021 (UTC)

there should be a category of comics that start out with obvious/known things and get weirder and weirder like this. the only other one i can think off the top of my head is [[2070:_Trig_Identities|2070: Trig Identities]] though [[Special:Contributions/172.68.65.221|172.68.65.221]] 01:39, 13 August 2021 (UTC)Bumpf

NORG might be a reference to the boss of the same name in Final Fantasy 8
--[[Special:Contributions/162.158.89.10|162.158.89.10]] 10:22, 21 August 2021 (UTC)

i think i understood the gates [https://docs.google.com/document/d/17YKoFXpkBlgRnb1HpX-DisYaFdnrS0YubSMkldKNR_0/edit?usp=sharing pretty well] [[User:Squishmallow fan|Squishmallow fan]] ([[User talk:Squishmallow fan|talk]]) 01:47, 10 February 2024 (UTC)

== “Stream Norxondor Gorgonax music”? ==

Predates comic.
https://m.soundcloud.com/d3x
Stream Norxondor Gorgonax music

: i don't think it predates the comic, soundcloud allows users to change their displayed name freely; only the profile name (i.e. d3x here) is fixed. --[[Special:Contributions/162.158.91.80|162.158.91.80]] 17:10, 19 November 2021 (UTC)

the NORXONDOR GOGONAX is proabably a circuit-frying experement. --[[User:Bb777|me, hi]] ([[User talk:Bb777|talk]]) 13:46, 13 April 2025 (UTC)

File:zoom turtle.png

2025-04-12T01:12:40Z

Bb777:

== Summary ==
Upside diwn turtle made up of 378 Zoom Notifications plotted from [[3074]] on [https://www.desmos.com/calculator/sl1ocs3ido Desmos]. More pixels are sure to be added. Would also be better compiled with y coordinate being from bottom-to-top (as with computer display conventions, even if not regular graphing standard).

== Licensing ==
{{XKCD file derived}}