explain xkcd - User contributions [en]

Talk:2199: Cryptic Wifi Networks

2019-09-23T06:07:09Z

CCCVVVA:

Reminds me of [https://shkspr.mobi/blog/wp-content/uploads/2013/03/Doctor-Who-Wifi-SSIDs.jpg these] :) [[User:BytEfLUSh|BytEfLUSh]] ([[User talk:BytEfLUSh|talk]]) 00:17, 7 September 2019 (UTC)

It would be nice to check to see if this SSID exists already (using LocationAPI.org, Combain Positioning Service, Google location services, Wiggle, etc.). Could also be interesting to track use of this SSID over time. Of course takes a while for any changes to show up in the search engines. [[Special:Contributions/108.162.245.166|108.162.245.166]] 02:17, 7 September 2019 (UTC)

:Is there a way to make a https://github.com/freifunk/openwifimap-api/blob/master/API.md query out of a URL? [[Special:Contributions/162.158.255.82|162.158.255.82]] 14:45, 7 September 2019 (UTC)

Soon those names will be e.g. "StarLink_6514". ;) [[User:Fabian42|Fabian42]] ([[User talk:Fabian42|talk]]) 09:46, 7 September 2019 (UTC)

Could the 46UHZ be a reference to the frequency band, i.e. 5GHz? Maybe this WiFi network was originally configured to operate on an unknown-to-us 46μHz band. [[Special:Contributions/172.68.38.88|172.68.38.88]] 18:49, 7 September 2019 (UTC)

: 46 microHz would be in the submarine communications area. Unlikely to exist on a mountain top. {{unsigned ip|162.158.123.199|10:23, 8 September 2019}}
: Furthermore, since the data transmission rate is limited by the signal frequency, a 46 microHz signal would have extremely dismal performance - many magnitudes slower than 56K dialup modems. At ~6 hours per cycle, you probably couldn't even get 1 byte of data per day. I don't think that would be useful at all! [[User:Ianrbibtitlht|Ianrbibtitlht]] ([[User talk:Ianrbibtitlht|talk]]) 20:52, 8 September 2019 (UTC)
::But think of the range! [[Special:Contributions/162.158.107.25|162.158.107.25]] 15:54, 21 September 2019 (UTC)

I live in the middle of the forest, even in the winter when there are no leaves to block the way there's only one house even within sight, and yet there are five 802.11* networks in my scan right now. I mean, they're all mine, but still...—[[User:Kazvorpal|Kazvorpal]] ([[User talk:Kazvorpal|talk]]) 23:09, 7 September 2019 (UTC)

"a character with a knit cap is on top of a high mountain in a remote location. He sees" How do we know that Knit Cap is a "he"? We don't, actually . . . . [[Special:Contributions/162.158.214.136|162.158.214.136]] 12:19, 8 September 2019 (UTC)

My favorite ISP is linksys! [[User:RandalSchwartz|RandalSchwartz]] ([[User talk:RandalSchwartz|talk]]) 17:42, 8 September 2019 (UTC)

Knit Cap may just have forgotten they have a Toshiba device in their backpack, set to 'hot spot' mode, so it would seem like this cryptic WiFi network is following them, making them feel spooky for no reason. -- [[User:Malgond|Malgond]] ([[User talk:Malgond|talk]]) 07:57, 9 September 2019 (UTC)

This "explanation" is mostly incomprehensible to non-tech people. Can someone create a site ExplainExplainxkcd? Or translate the jargon into English? {{unsigned ip|162.158.39.11|04:54, 9 September 2019}}
: I agree the explanation has devolved into a history lesson in wireless communications, and most of the latter paragraphs are largely unnecessary. The alternate explanations paragraph seems to have grown into a list of ridiculous possibilities. [[User:Ianrbibtitlht|Ianrbibtitlht]] ([[User talk:Ianrbibtitlht|talk]]) 12:43, 9 September 2019 (UTC)

Trivia could be a reference to number radio stations that were allegedly tuned on the first receivers before regular broadcasts started. I've heard such (false, obviously) claim somewhere, but cannot find it anywhere. [[Special:Contributions/172.68.50.32|172.68.50.32]] 11:23, 11 September 2019 (UTC)

u2187 could refer to a [https://www.fileformat.info/info/unicode/char/2187/index.htm unicode character]?
:That's funny, it renders on Android Chrome but not OSX Safari. [[Special:Contributions/162.158.146.166|162.158.146.166]] 21:44, 12 September 2019 (UTC)

What is 48 UHz in lightspeed wavelength? [[Special:Contributions/172.69.22.134|172.69.22.134]] 23:55, 13 September 2019 (UTC)
:48 microhertz corresponds to a wavelength of 6,200 Gm or 41 AU.[https://converterr.com/frequency-wavelength/48-microhertz-to-wavelength-in-gigametres] The period is 4.1 per day, 5h50m or 29 per week. The alien colony ship? [[Special:Contributions/172.68.46.245|172.68.46.245]] 22:31, 14 September 2019 (UTC)

Sounds like SCP material [[User:CCCVVVA|CCCVVVA]] ([[User talk:CCCVVVA|talk]]) 06:07, 23 September 2019 (UTC)

Talk:2125: Luna 2

2019-03-30T08:10:08Z

CCCVVVA:

Second comic in a row about space. The comic seems fairly self-explanatory to me, but the title text might need a bit more work to explain. I can't even figure out exactly what it means. Something about rushing to get the bare minimum done before the deadline? [[Special:Contributions/172.68.141.100|172.68.141.100]] 17:04, 18 March 2019 (UTC)

:I've added an explanation for the title text but am unsure of the "engineering standpoint". Maybe someone with knowledge in the area can elaborate on that. Is landing inherently more difficult than launching?[[Special:Contributions/162.158.88.128|162.158.88.128]] 08:42, 19 March 2019 (UTC)
:: It makes sense from an engineering point-of-view because it tested if we can get things to the moon and that our math fits with something cheap and worthless. That cheap and worthless thing we threw at the moon? Nationalism [[Special:Contributions/162.158.90.90|162.158.90.90]] 17:02, 19 March 2019 (UTC)

Probably about how the engineers wanted to test what they could do before they could actually do it. (Oh,and Luna 2 impacted at 22 km/s) 20:10, 18 March 2019 (GMT)

OMG, the fake explanation is ROTFL funny! Hopefully whomever writes the correct explanation will keep this first bit of verbiage, just for the humor value, but in case that doesn’t happen, for those who don’t want to dig through the edit history, it currently says:
:: “This comic describes one of the first faked moon missions, Luna II. The Communist sham was designed to make it look like the Moon was reachable by humans, in order to protect the threatened Zionist conspiracy.

::By discussing this as if it was fact, (((Randall))) is subtly reinforcing Jewish neuroprogramming causing people to believe in ridiculous child's fantasies like space unquestioningly.”
(And to be crystal clear, I didn’t write it!) [[Special:Contributions/172.68.65.132|172.68.65.132]] 17:19, 18 March 2019 (UTC)

:I'm sorry, I fail so see how that explanation is in any way funny. It's just confusing and annoying. [[Special:Contributions/172.68.141.100|172.68.141.100]] 17:20, 18 March 2019 (UTC)
:it’s not funny *now* because someone deleted it. Basically someone wrote an explanation as if the moon landings were faked, and extended the conspiracy theory to have USA and USSR cooperating on perpetuating the conspiracy because somehow it benefits Israel. It was clearly tongue-in-cheek, like when people claim that the Earth is flat. Given the recent anti-Semitic comments that have cropped up here I took it as an effort to make fun of those people (the ones posting bizarre stuff) [[Special:Contributions/172.68.65.132|172.68.65.132]] 17:35, 18 March 2019 (UTC)

::Alright, that's the part that wasn't clear to me. You can never really tell when someone online is being sarcastic. [[Special:Contributions/172.68.141.100|172.68.141.100]] 17:48, 18 March 2019 (UTC)

:::Depressingly, I don't think they're joking. I think they truly believe that space exploration is "fake", & that reaching the moon with a rocket is impossible, & that somehow almost the entire industrialized world is participating in some nonsensical "Jewish" conspiracy to maintain an illusion of space exploration. Even assuming that so many people & industries ''could'' maintain such a complex & widespread facade for multiple generations without reasonably verifiable evidence of its falsehood coming to light, I struggle to think of a good reason ''why'' so many people would knowingly participate in it without ever acting as a whistleblower. As I think perhaps an old xkcd once observed: If NASA really faked the moon landing, shouldn't they have faked a similarly momentous achievement by now? Anyway, ''I'' find it far more believable that a few wealthy people find it profitable to maintain a cadre of deluded obstructionists, than that all trans-orbital space travel is being faked. And speaking only for myself personally, I think Israel has terrible governmental policies & NASA could be doing a lot ''more'' grandiose space exploration but doesn't because there's not enough money in it yet.
:::[[Special:Contributions/108.162.216.82|108.162.216.82]] 20:53, 18 March 2019 (UTC)
::::Apollo missions with astronauts were NOT profitable (everything actually gained could've been done by robots). The only reason they were done were that USA wanted to do them before SSSR: it was question of national pride. Next grandiose space exploration will came either when USA will need to feel the pride again, possibly after Chinese land somewhere, or ... when US president will want to show how big d*ck he has. -- [[User:Hkmaly|Hkmaly]] ([[User talk:Hkmaly|talk]]) 00:17, 19 March 2019 (UTC)
:::Hilarious how some people might actually believe this, but Explainxkcd isn't a place for people to shitpost. If you see things like this in an explanation just revert it immediately. [[User:Herobrine|Herobrine]] ([[User talk:Herobrine|talk]]) 22:22, 18 March 2019 (UTC)
:The actual sad part is it probably isn’t a joke. At least it’s a long and drawn out poorly constructed one. People are idiots, and flat earthers can be real. This person isn’t making fun of them. Not in a helpful way at the very least. [[User:Netherin5|Netherin5]] ([[User talk:Netherin5|talk]]) 14:00, 19 March 2019 (UTC)
::What are you talking about. I looked it over again, and it's 100% definitely a joke shitpost. Whether you think it's funny or not is up to you, but it is definitely intended to be a joke. I've seen a lot of conspiracists, and this ain't one of them. [[User:CCCVVVA|CCCVVVA]] ([[User talk:CCCVVVA|talk]]) 08:10, 30 March 2019 (UTC)
::What I don't get is what anyone who subscribes to flat earth, "9/11 was an inside job", anti-vax, chemtrails, etc. would get out of a webcomic that features math and science prominently.[[Special:Contributions/172.68.58.83|172.68.58.83]] 16:23, 19 March 2019 (UTC)
:::A website full of people to troll and “debate”. [[User:Netherin5|Netherin5]] ([[User talk:Netherin5|talk]]) 16:47, 19 March 2019 (UTC)

Not sure how to tan on mobile (feel free to do so and delete this tidbit if you want to) but: The throwing a frag filled with flags is symbolic of the standard human explorer tactic. Basically, we tend to shoot first whenever we go to a new place and then promptly place a claim, whether the preexisting landscape has been claimed or not. For instance, the Native Americans. Like, all of them. The tile text, on the other hand, represents attempts to find a solution to half a problem or maybe representing the aforementioned claims bit. But I could be reading into this too much [[Special:Contributions/172.69.46.58|172.69.46.58]] 17:22, 18 March 2019 (UTC)

I am using this website to share information, but several IP editors are consistently reverting my edits, even when I leave in their unsubstantiated claims. Help. {{unsigned|162.158.106.144}}

:I'm sorry, "sharing information"? I think you misspelled "vandalizing explanations, blatantly lying and spreading misinformation." Do you have anything better to do than vandalize a wiki and complaining about your shitposts being removed? Also, if you're going to leave comments like this at least make sure you have the courage to sign your comments. [[User:Herobrine|Herobrine]] ([[User talk:Herobrine|talk]]) 22:13, 18 March 2019 (UTC)

:You should probably sign your posts to clarify who is having the problem. [[Special:Contributions/172.69.46.58|172.69.46.58]] 17:22, 18 March 2019 (UTC)

: What a wonderful pot-calling-the-kettle-black example: [[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]]) 05:50, 23 March 2019 (UTC)
::A: Jews everything!
::B: Jews nothing.
::A: Stop it with your unsubstantiated claims!

When I read the "it's on brand for us", I also interpreted into it, that we Humans tend to litter everything with our rubbish... [[Special:Contributions/141.101.104.89|141.101.104.89]] 08:45, 20 March 2019 (UTC)

== vaporized on impact? ==

Does anyone here have links to evidence for or against Randall's claim in the title text? What was the impact speed? - [[User:Frankie|Frankie]] ([[User talk:Frankie|talk]]) 19:30, 18 March 2019 (UTC)
I mean if they weren't vaporized, how would we tell outside of flags randomly bumping into the ISS? All of the ones that go to Earth would burn up. [[Special:Contributions/172.68.78.28|172.68.78.28]] 19:40, 18 March 2019 (UTC)
:If the impact was at 22 km/s, as stated above, that would be about 79,000 km/h, or about 49,000 mph. So... pretty fast? [[User:N0lqu|-boB]] ([[User talk:N0lqu|talk]]) 20:42, 18 March 2019 (UTC)
:That impact speed still sounds ridiculously high, Escape velocity to break free of earth orbit is, IIRC, 11.186 km/s (roughly 40K kmph or 25K mph), and it takes a massive rocket to achieve that. Most of a trans-lunar flight is unpowered using either momentum built up by the initial launch thrust or the gravitational pull of the moon itself. I find it hard to believe that impact speed, even allowing for gravitation influence of the moon itself, could result in an impact at almost 2X the speed needed to get away from Earth in the first place.[[User:RAGBRAIvet|RAGBRAIvet]] ([[User talk:RAGBRAIvet|talk]]) 07:24, 19 March 2019 (UTC)
::22 km/s seems to be wrong. Wikipedia along with a few quick google searches put the impact speed at around 3 - 3.3 km/s. To me (far from an expert) that appears more realistic but still fast enough to cause significant damage. Whether things are literally vaporized at those speeds I leave for others to determine.[[Special:Contributions/162.158.94.2|162.158.94.2]] 11:31, 19 March 2019 (UTC)

:The whole point of the "bomb" was to avoid all of the little "flags" (they actually contained the coat of arms) from being vaporized. The idea was to take a sphere, hurtling towards the moon at speed X - then to explode with an explosive speed of Y. The flags at the 'front' of the bomb would then be propelled towards the moon at speed (X+Y) but the ones at the 'back' would be moving at (X-Y)...it was hoped that this slowing down from the explosion would result in at least some of the flags arriving intact onto the lunar surface.
:It's a very clever idea because it works even if the sphere is tumbling in some uncontrolled way...and it's VERY simple.
: [[User:SteveBaker|SteveBaker]] ([[User talk:SteveBaker|talk]]) 20:37, 20 March 2019 (UTC)

== navigation buttons ==

Anyone know why you can't get to this explain page from 2124 by way of menu bar/whatever it's called? [[Special:Contributions/172.69.22.74|172.69.22.74]] 21:21, 18 March 2019 (UTC)
: Did you mean [[Talk:2124: Space Mission Hearing|the talk page of 2124]]? You can click on "Discussion" on top of page when you are at [[2124]]. I just checked and it worked fine. --[[Special:Contributions/103.22.200.210|103.22.200.210]] 01:37, 19 March 2019 (UTC)
: Or (as I suddenly realized) maybe you are asking to navigate from [[2124]] to [[2125]]. The "next>" button also worked fine as of this comment. --[[Special:Contributions/103.22.200.210|103.22.200.210]] 01:45, 19 March 2019 (UTC)
:: The "NEXT>" button from [[2124]] was missing for most of the day, but looks like someone eventually fixed it. [[User:N0lqu|-boB]] ([[User talk:N0lqu|talk]]) 13:39, 19 March 2019 (UTC)

Talk:2112: Night Shift

2019-03-05T17:55:11Z

CCCVVVA:

Lot of vandals, lately... :( {{unsigned ip|162.158.75.10}}
:Yeah, like you! Stop deleting my edits![[Special:Contributions/108.162.246.215|108.162.246.215]] 17:19, 15 February 2019 (UTC)
::I think you're doing it wrong. That or your IP address changed between your edits & your comment here. There are no edits from your IP address in the history for this page. If you sign your posts by finishing with "<nowiki>~~~~</nowiki>" it's easier to track the changes & know for sure if someone's messing with you.
::[[User:ProphetZarquon|ProphetZarquon]] ([[User talk:ProphetZarquon|talk]]) 18:33, 15 February 2019 (UTC)
:::The user's IP is very similar to the one that posted "(This mode also causes your phone to broadcast EM radiation at the frequency of human thought, allowing Jewish interests control over your brain and psyche)". Statements like that should really be couched in phrasing that indicates they are contested beliefs rather than agreed-upon facts. I really feel marketing interests are of all variety of religious persuasions. [[Special:Contributions/162.158.78.178|162.158.78.178]]
::::Agreed; This site is a reference document, & as such should strive to provide verifiable facts (not opinion) & to include citations when providing contested information. Also, the user seems to be accusing Jewish peoples in particular, which could easily cross the line into hate-speech. In my opinion, ''any'' business has a financial interest in deception, manipulation &\or obfuscation; I believe the most plausible conspiracy is one motivated by greed, not religious affiliation. At the very least, the claim that electronic devices contain circuits specifically designed to emit electromagnetic waves which influence our behavior, should be accompanied by citations of a peer-reviewed journal or other appropriate source. It would be pretty hard to hide such a design completely, since 1) electronic devices must register their circuit diagrams prior to approval for sale & 2) such designs would require significant numbers of people involved in order to reach full production, much less widespread production via numerous brands manufactured all over the world. Most conspiracy theories of this type fall apart under the simple challenge of "how many people would have to be keeping it a secret?" In this case, people from all variety of commercial organizations, religions, locations, & lifestyles would have to be in on it; seems unlikely in the extreme, before even getting into the technical challenges such a plan would face.[[User:ProphetZarquon|ProphetZarquon]] ([[User talk:ProphetZarquon|talk]]) 19:31, 15 February 2019 (UTC)
:::::I think if an opinion is common, it could be relevant to mention, especially if it's something Randall may have been exposed to as the comic could be referencing it. But it shouldn't be stated as fact if it's controversial. I don't think this site usually requires peer-reviewed citations, although links that support things are always nice. [[Special:Contributions/162.158.79.47|162.158.79.47]] 23:10, 15 February 2019 (UTC)
::I don't see lots of vandals or many deleted edits. But if critical things happen please mention it in the [[explain xkcd:Community portal/Admin requests|Admin requests]] section at the Community portal. And please don't forget to sign your comments. --[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 17:59, 15 February 2019 (UTC)
::Please stop this chaotic discussion and do not move earlier replies like mine to the bottom! And please understand that all anonymous IP addresses just belong to a proxy, even you can appear by this IP when not signed in. Vandalism happens, look at Wikipedia, but it always turns out that it's better just to revert those edits rather than try to talk to those editors. They don't listen. --[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 22:23, 15 February 2019 (UTC)

This one in particular also falls apart on the “why would they do it that way?” front. If people ''did'' build mind-control circuitry into phones, why would they tie that feature to white balance? All three of the pixel colors (red, green, and blue) are still in use in both modes, just in different amounts. [[Special:Contributions/172.68.142.29|172.68.142.29]] 20:50, 15 February 2019 (UTC)

The new phrasing of altering one's neurochemistry is technically correct, as the pixels of an electronic display do project the EM radiation that is responsible for the light we see. The joke could use some context that this is technically true of displays, although many believe there are interests that wirelessly alter their thoughts, and that this view is generally heavily disregarded. [[Special:Contributions/162.158.78.178|162.158.78.178]] 18:42, 15 February 2019 (UTC)

As a jew, i have to say. We didn't put the mind control stuff into your phone. That was the WASPS. We put the mind control stuff into physics itself. 02:49, 16 February 2019 (UTC) {{unsigned ip|172.68.59.84}}

Maybe, instead of actually mindcontrolling people, it just alters their text to make it appear that they're being less opinionated? [[Special:Contributions/162.158.167.30|162.158.167.30]] 09:58, 16 February 2019 (UTC)

:I'd say that's pretty obviously the intended method, yes. The idea that there is some kind of reference to mind control in this seems a bit... paranoid. Which isn't really to say that your phone/news feed doesn't affect your behaviour and emotional state. That's been demonstrated to be true a few times. But a tin-foil hat isn't going to help anything like as much as shutting it off will.[[Special:Contributions/172.68.65.228|172.68.65.228]] 06:23, 18 February 2019 (UTC)

I can't ''believe'' that for comic #2112 there is not a single [https://www.rush.com/albums/2112/ Rush reference.] {{unsigned ip|172.68.59.84}}

:I blame the priests. [[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]]) 05:41, 17 February 2019 (UTC)
:That's cuz no one knows who they are.
::They are the priests of the temples of Syrinx...(oh, wait, you mean that no one knows who *Rush* are; see below)
:And yet comic #1984 doesn't have any reference to <cite>1984</cite>. I haven't heard of Rush and I had only seen any reference to the number 2112 in <cite>Guitar Hero: Warriors of Rock</cite>'s quest mode...
::So you claim to not know who Rush are, yet you know the Guitar Hero quest based on Rush’s seminal 2112 album. If true, then the image of someone sufficiently sheltered in their musical exposure to have had their first brush with the greatness of Rush come through a game brings me joy at knowing the game is introducing even more people to the musical brilliance of Getty Lee, Alex Lifeson, and Neil Peart. In keeping with the subject of this comic, “Night Shift Mode”, since I’m typing this due to insomnia that has me awake at 5am, I will resist the temptation to scream and rant at the comments of others and say simply that while Rush is indeed a very well know band (inducted into both Canadian and US Rock and Roll Halls of Fame) it is likely that Randal didn’t notice the connection between comic 2112 and the Rush album of the same title, or if he did, didn’t think it worth including in this comic. When the 2112 album was released Randal was a teenager (at the oldest; I’m guessing here, not bothering to look up trivia) [[Special:Contributions/162.158.79.113|162.158.79.113]] 10:33, 18 February 2019 (UTC)
:::The only Rush I've heard of before is Limbaugh, and he's neither musical nor someone to be celebrated.

Is it talking about politics and privilege, maybe? Politics could be intensity between blue and red; privilege could be balance between white and non-white . . . . [[Special:Contributions/108.162.216.82|108.162.216.82]] 11:23, 17 February 2019 (UTC)
:I agree that the intensity and often lack of civility in racial discussions is very much apropos. Have added it to the explanation (white suppremacy, angry white men, etc.). [[Special:Contributions/162.158.106.6|162.158.106.6]] 23:55, 17 February 2019 (UTC)
::A couple of times this has been deleted without explanation. If you have alternative explanations of what could the joke is, why setting the white balance would result in more extreme expression, please add them, or can think of ways to clarify, or come here and explain why think it should be removed.
::Text in question: "This is probably a play on {{w|white supremacy}}, {{w|angry white male}}, or similar areas where violent expression of ones views and abuse of the views of others are prevalent." [[Special:Contributions/162.158.106.6|162.158.106.6]] 01:49, 26 February 2019 (UTC)
:::While it isn’t unlink Randall to get political, there is nothing close in here about that specifically. It seems more to be a surreal and fun joke comment. This especially doesn’t make sense with the comic itself, which is about how a “night” mode turns down the intensity of opinions. The title text, to me, is Randall “turning the brightness up” like in the day, vastly increasing the intensity of the opinions. Kinda like how when you turn up the brightness too fast it can hurt your eyes, or how night mode can lull one into sleep. [[User:Netherin5|Netherin5]] ([[User talk:Netherin5|talk]]) 17:17, 26 February 2019 (UTC)

The value of brevity and directness is very much a cultural one. Women in American culture are discouraged from giving direct answers. Similarly, in Japanese culture, indirectness is more polite, e.g. [https://leo.stcloudstate.edu/kaleidoscope/volume3/direct.html American Directness and the Japanese] So the observation, which was in the explanation, that "In short, on the internet, we probably talk too much and don't cut to the chase enough." Probably originated from somebody coming from a culture that values directness (e.g. an American male.) [[Special:Contributions/162.158.106.6|162.158.106.6]] 23:55, 17 February 2019 (UTC)

I think this comic is also a play on logical fallacies that is usually prevalent in heated political debates. But it is applied to more absurdly mundane topics.
 
For example, this particular one seems to be a play on whataboutism:
 
<blockquote>Cueball: 24 isn't a prime number</blockquote>
<blockquote>Cueball WFBPP: Neither is 25</blockquote>
[[User:CCCVVVA|CCCVVVA]] ([[User talk:CCCVVVA|talk]]) 17:55, 5 March 2019 (UTC)

Talk:2087: Rocket Launch

2018-12-20T03:02:48Z

CCCVVVA:

I had to fight the urge to type Care Bare [[User:Arachrah|Arachrah]] ([[User talk:Arachrah|talk]])

This was published during the Arianespace launch livestream, between launch and satellite deployment: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mpHJoo0h8GQ [[User:Fabian42|Fabian42]] ([[User talk:Fabian42|talk]]) 17:11, 19 December 2018 (UTC)

Looks like it could be an Ariane5 in the comic, it is a 3 stage. Anyone know if Max-CB is a real thing (and before I get any wisecracks, I know there aren't any Care Bears in the clouds) [[Special:Contributions/162.158.63.214|162.158.63.214]] 20:27, 19 December 2018 (UTC)

: A search for rocketry terminology reveals that Cb stands for Ballistic Coefficient, which is a measure of the ability to coast. It is related to both velocity and air density, which vary throughout a rocket launch, so it makes sense that there might be some point of maximum ballistic coefficient. (Note: I am not a rocket scientist, and this is clearly rocket science, so take this with a grain of salt!) [[User:Ianrbibtitlht|Ianrbibtitlht]] ([[User talk:Ianrbibtitlht|talk]]) 21:13, 19 December 2018 (UTC)

: Pontificating further, it is reasonable to conjecture that as a rocket accelerates to higher speeds, the drag from the atmosphere increases with increasing speed, but past a certain point the drag begins to decrease as the air gets thinner. This suggests there is some point somewhere during the launch sequence where aerodynamic drag reaches a maximum value - aka Max Cb. [[User:Ianrbibtitlht|Ianrbibtitlht]] ([[User talk:Ianrbibtitlht|talk]]) 21:26, 19 December 2018 (UTC)

r/shittyspacexideas --[[Special:Contributions/173.245.52.139|173.245.52.139]] 19:53, 19 December 2018 (UTC)

If you trace the dotted lines, it seems that the Boosters are the winners[[User:CCCVVVA|CCCVVVA]] ([[User talk:CCCVVVA|talk]]) 03:02, 20 December 2018 (UTC)

Talk:1790: Sad

2018-11-04T12:57:00Z

CCCVVVA: fixed king cheeto shenanigans

My first instinct is that Ponytail is feeling despondent about politics. I am reading too much of myself into it? [[Special:Contributions/172.68.65.72|172.68.65.72]] 17:25, 25 January 2017 (UTC)
: The title ("Sad" - a common interjection in Trump's tweets) strengthens this argument. {{unsigned ip|162.158.58.129}}
:: As does this being a problem that's been going on for the past few months. Contrary to what the explanation says, a programmer creating functions that don't do anything but return the same data back is not 'semi-common in regular life'. That and the title clearly indicate that this is about more than a programmer subverting complaints about their work. Something very bad is going on that has Ponytail, who also just happens to be a woman, depressed and angry. The election seems like the obvious thing. {{unsigned ip|108.162.216.28}}
::: My reaction was based on the "Fact Check" reference, which is largely used in politics. [[Special:Contributions/172.68.65.72|172.68.65.72]] 18:01, 25 January 2017 (UTC)
Could "sad" could also refer to the medical term "[https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Seasonal_affective_disorder Seasonal Affective Disorder]", a condition where people feel depressed during the winter as a result of getting too little sunlight? [[User:Mr. I|Mr. I]] ([[User talk:Mr. I|talk]]) 20:05, 25 January 2017 (UTC)
: I would have expected it to be in all caps if that were the case [[Special:Contributions/172.68.65.72|172.68.65.72]] 20:42, 25 January 2017 (UTC)
::Well in principle it is written in all caps on xkcd, but that is because of the font. If you copy paste the title it does come out Sad. But if you read it on xkcd you would see it as SAD. That is why we have this site to clarify. She (or rather Randall) is really sad, and with the way Trump is going to ruin the US for over half the population many will be really sad. Horrible what he has already started within a week of his inauguration, and with Randall obviously feeling like this too, and even living under him (not like us foreigners) then he is very likely sad. :-( --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 14:56, 26 January 2017 (UTC)

It is not really true that "side effects" in this context are "unexpected, unintended, and typically unwanted..." A side effect in functional terms is simply an effect other than on the output of the function. As the linked wikipedia article explains, these are very common and typically (but not always) how a program interacts with the outside world. In a pure functional language functions do not have side effects. Ponytail's job may or may not be (but probably isn't) to avoid side effects at all costs. [[Special:Contributions/141.101.107.24|141.101.107.24]] 21:23, 25 January 2017 (UTC)

Having just been through a break up recently (and the resulting sadness that eventuates) I identified with the "No, you deal with this" as a classic response to "If you have a problem with what I did, deal with it." [[Special:Contributions/162.158.178.27|162.158.178.27]] 02:00, 26 January 2017 (UTC)
: Even without suffering a break up I came to the same connection and interpret the whole comic in that way. Tbh I don't see any connection to Trump's inauguration at all. But I'm not from the USA, and I understand the arguments leading to this conclusion. Yet I think it could be inserted as an alternative interpretation. [[User:Elektrizikekswerk|Elektrizikekswerk]] ([[User talk:Elektrizikekswerk|talk]]) 09:09, 26 January 2017 (UTC)
::For sure it is that which caused this. See my comment above, and the other Sad after Trumps election comic in the trivia. (And his [[1756: I'm With Her|I'm With Her]] comic). But a break-up also makes you sad, so if that is easier to relate to then this comic could also be for such a person. I do not live in the states but I'm sad because now we end up in a worse than current path scenario from the very bottom of the [[1732: Earth Temperature Timeline]] comic. I would not be surprised if this election result will cause all ice to melt on Greenland very soon with devastating effect for Europe (because the Gulf stream may stop, so the "heat up" could case ice winters in Europe and cold summers) and many other places due to higher sea levels and wilder weather to boot. Sad? maybe, scared? for sure. We are not talking centuries, and maybe not even many decades the way things are going already and now Trump will make it worse by trying to stop scientist talking about their results and making oil lines through protected/fragile nature areas. ( Not to talk about the wall or women's rights etc. etc. etc.) --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 14:56, 26 January 2017 (UTC)
::: I recommend reading this http://waitbutwhy.com/2016/11/its-going-to-be-okay.html and this http://waitbutwhy.com/2016/11/its-going-to-be-okay-follow-up.html Those articles were written right after the vote, but they're still valid, I think. Yes, I agree with you that Trump might wreck havoc. But I object that he can do as much damage in (at most) 8 years as you worry about. He's no totalitarian dictator who can do whatever he wants (and if he can do, the US American system is seriously flawed. I know another democratic system which was seriously flawed and yes, the result was the worst catastrophe in the 20th century which indeed did influence the whole world in a very bad way). However, I don't want to argue about politics. And I don't want to say that the current explanation is wrong. I just want to say that there might be a (plausible) alternative interpretation. [[User:Elektrizikekswerk|Elektrizikekswerk]] ([[User talk:Elektrizikekswerk|talk]]) 08:40, 27 January 2017 (UTC)
::::I entirely agree with Elektrizikekswerk. The election was bad, but it isn't the source of all sadness these days. There's no indication that this is about the election, so I don't understand why everyone is automatically accepting that as truth. [[User:HisHighestMinion|HisHighestMinion]] ([[User talk:HisHighestMinion|talk]]) 11:18, 27 January 2017 (UTC)
:::::Because this is the fourth since the election that is sad and is released in relation to events related to Trump - see [[1790:_Sad#Sad_comics|Sad Comics]] section above. --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 09:25, 28 January 2017 (UTC)
When people talk about virtual farms, I assume that they're talking about Farmville, so I was a little surprised for them to mention Stardew Valley instead. Oh well. I guess it's just me. (#waiting-for-the-nintendo-switch-port) --[[User:JayRulesXKCD|'''JayRules''XKCD''' ]][[User talk:JayRulesXKCD|what's up?]] 12:02, 27 January 2017 (UTC)

I vote we remove anything about Trump and speculation on Ponytail's depression other than the fact that she's obviously depressed and the initial correlation to Trump. i.e. lines 2 through 5 ("Of course, such sadness..." through "a clear relation to this comic!"). The comic doesn't dwell on it and it just seems like a ton of word cruft. [[Special:Contributions/172.68.132.215|172.68.132.215]] 21:27, 28 January 2017 (UTC)

Why is like half of the explanation info about Trump? I came here to have XKCD explained, not the current political situation. I can go to other sites for that. If the Trump correlation is really that relevant, I think mentioning just once should be enough. [[Special:Contributions/108.162.210.112|108.162.210.112]] 21:35, 31 January 2017 (UTC)
:I'm with this guy. I'm commenting out the four Trump paragraphs as a test, seeing as every fact has been repeated a second time in the much more relevant Trivia section. If it turns out we need it the admins can just delete the comment markers.[[Special:Contributions/172.68.132.215|172.68.132.215]] 18:59, 1 February 2017 (UTC)

I come on here to fix a few spell check errors, until I realize I accidentally left my Firefox extension on and any mention of Trump is replaced with "King Cheeto", even here in the explanations. xD --[[User:JayRulesXKCD|'''JayRules''XKCD''' ]][[User talk:JayRulesXKCD|what's up?]] 18:29, 10 February 2017 (UTC)
:Can someone please fix this? I don't think I can undo edits, but if a mod or something would please revert back to before all the "King Cheeto" stuff, that'd be greatly appreciated [[User:Viperzer0|Viperzer0]] ([[User talk:Viperzer0|talk]]) 22:20, 23 August 2017 (UTC)