explain xkcd - User contributions [en]

1623: 2016 Conversation Guide

2025-03-26T00:34:14Z

Das-g: fix typo/grammar

{{comic
| number = 1623
| date = December 30, 2015
| title = 2016 Conversation Guide
| image = 2016_conversation_guide.png
| titletext = The real loser in an argument about the meaning of the word 'hoverboard' is anyone who leaves that argument on foot.
}}

==Explanation==
[[File:Electric Flying Cars -- Advertisement, 1958 (51438281706).jpg|thumb|right|1958 poster advertising an electric future of freedom and horrible crashes]]
As each year turns (or other milestone dates, perhaps set out in popular fiction) it is common enough to remember that what is now the present was once considered ''the future!''

This [[:Category:New Year|New Year comic]], published just prior to the start of the {{w|New Year}}, 2016, aims to clarify a number of the things one might have expected by now. (Another New Year comic followed on New Year's Day: [[1624: 2016]], making it two in a row with titles beginning with 2016...) The classic target of personal futurology is the ability to levitate or fly, to varying degrees. This topic was discussed before in [[864: Flying Cars]], where [[Megan]] suggests that the real advances in futuristic technology are in computers and electronics, rather than methods of flying.

;Flying car
Various forms of {{w|Flying_car_(aircraft)|flying car}} have had varying {{w|AVE_Mizar|degrees}} of {{w|Moller_M400_Skycar|success}} (although it's debatable whether these examples are actually cars or just small airplanes), but the comic points out that the regular {{w|helicopter}} is as close as most of us would ever get to levitating personal vehicles.

;Jetpack
"Where's my {{w|jet pack}}?" is a common {{tvtropes|IWantMyJetPack|trope}}. There are various systems and {{w|Astronaut propulsion unit|analogues}} that could be considered jet packs in some sense, but devices to let individuals fly on Earth would be extremely dangerous, even if they could be made practical. A functioning jetpack would risk elevating people to dangerous altitudes while potentially accelerating them to dangerous velocities, make it both difficult and dangerous to steer. The high likelihood of fatal crashes means that a viable product is unlikely to ever exist - unless technologies will allow to augment humans (such as genetic engineering or cybernetics) to such degree, that they could ram the ground at top speed and remain unharmed.

;Moon colony
The basic {{w|Apollo_program| science and engineering}} {{w|International Space Station|exists}} exists to build some form of permanently manned settlement on the Moon, but doing so would be extremely expensive. The technology to exploit lunar resources, either for construction or life support, has not yet been developed, so all equipment and supplies would need to be continually transported from Earth. Commercial potential of such a base would be extremely limited, and no organization or group has been willing to spend the kind of money it would take.

;Self-driving car
Randall notes that these are "coming surprisingly soon." Self-driving cars have not become nearly as ubiquitous as was frequently predicted in 2016. As of 2024 (9 years after the release of this comic), there are various forms of self-driving with various degrees of advancement. The most impressive would be [https://www.tesla.com/support/autopilot Tesla's full self-driving beta], which is capable of performing acceptably in most situations, except for parking lot navigation. Other than Tesla, companies such as Google, Waabi, and Euler Motors are working on self-driving vehicles, though Tesla remains the [https://electrek.co/2023/07/13/tesla-most-wanted-car-brand-us-study/ most well-known amongst the general public]. All these vehicles still require a human driver present.

Self-driving cars has become a [[:Category:Self-driving cars|recurring topic]] on xkcd and they were mentioned again already in the title text of [[1625: Substitutions 2]] just two comics after this one.

;Floating sky city
Various science fiction sources imagined the idea of floating cities (e.g. {{w|Bespin}}, {{w|Mortal Engines Quartet}}). In reality, this seems highly unlikely to happen in the foreseeable future. Absent some form of levitation technology that doesn't even exist as a concept yet, the only ways to keep things floating inside a planet's atmosphere are to make use of either buoyancy or continually providing thrust and/or lift. But "cities are heavy". The amount of mass that any kind of city would have would require either an implausibly large volume to float by buoyancy, or an incredible amount of energy (continually provided) to supply thrust or lift. With any foreseeable technology, that's unlikely to ever be practical.

;Hoverboard
[[File:Red self-balancing two-wheeled board with a person standing on it.png|thumb|right|A self-balancing scooter, marketed as a "hoverboard"]]
The {{w|Hoverboard|levitating Hoverboard}} has been popularised by the {{w|Back_to_the_Future_Part_II|''Back To The Future'' franchise}} of films, with several attempts to fully emulate such a device with air-blast or magnetic levitation, but the ''term'' "Hoverboard" has ended up being applied to a {{w|Segway}}-like {{w|Self-balancing_two-wheeled_board|personal transport system}} that has at least become a mass-produced device (albeit with a number of {{w|Self-balancing_two-wheeled_board#Safety|safety concerns}}) even if it doesn't fly or levitate. The very concept of the hoverboard was therefore predicted to be reduced mostly to arguments between opposing camps of opinions; and then, in the title-text, the conclusion that giving up and resorting to old-fashioned walking is inferior to ''any'' of the possible alternatives.

;Robot butler
A long-held science fiction vision is a robot (presumably humanoid), that can perform household tasks, taking that burden off people. Randall mentions "Jeeves", saying "he wasn't that great". This is presumably a reference to the early search site {{w|Ask Jeeves}}, which used a stereotypical butler name. The concept was that the search engine could take on tasks for you, much as a butler would. However, it was only a search engine, incapable of performing any physical tasks, extremely limited in the non-physical tasks it could perform, limited in its accessibility, and not even a particularly good search engine in the first place.

In a broader sense, there do exist an increasing number of automated systems to do specific household tasks (such as {{w|Roomba|vacuuming}}), and voice-activated systems that can perform virtual tasks, like keeping schedules and looking up information, are {{w|Amazon Alexa|increasingly widespread}}. To date, though, a generalized robot that can perform variety of physical tasks does not yet exist in a practical form. Robots (both humanoid and otherwise) that can move and operate semi-autonomously are under development, but are neither sufficiently advanced nor sufficiently cost effective to replace human labor in most instances.

==Transcript==
:[A chart with three columns of text with only one entry to the left - which is written in the middle of the panel. Then there is one line going right from this text but soon it splits into seven lines going either up (3), almost straight (2) or down (2) ending in arrows that points to the next column with seven entries for different possible future inventions. From each of these entries a horizontal arrow continues to the last column at the right with seven more entries commenting on these inventions.]

:It's 2016 – Where's my...

::Flying car → They're called "helicopters"

::Jetpack → Turns out people are huge wimps about crashing

::Moon colony → No one has put up the cash

::Self-driving car → Coming surprisingly soon

::Floating sky city → Turns out cities are heavy

::Hoverboard → This question is now ambiguous thanks to a new scooter thing (and will lead to an argument about the meaning of "hoverboard" which is way less interesting than either kind of hoverboard)

::Robot butler → He was called "Jeeves" and he wasn't that great

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:New Year]]
[[Category:Charts]]
[[Category:Robots]]
[[Category:Self-driving cars]]
[[Category:Back to the Future]]

2619: Crêpe

2022-05-13T22:25:43Z

Das-g: /* Explanation */ after mention of other languages, make clear that this sentence is about English again

{{comic
| number = 2619
| date = May 13, 2022
| title = Crêpe
| image = crepe.png
| titletext = A medicine that makes you put two dots over your letters more often is a diäretic.
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Created by a ÇRÊPË - Please change this comment when editing this page. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}
This comic is a play on the expression "Weird flex but OK" ([https://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=Weird%20flex%20but%20ok definition at Urban Dictionary]). [[Cueball]] has made a {{w|crêpe}}, a thin pancake known for its legendary status in French cuisine. When he says the word "crêpe," however, the {{w|circumflex}} above the "e" comes out odd. Instead of the usual simple angle (^), it looks more like a flat, empty arrowhead (⮝). [[Megan]], who can apparently see the text inside speech bubbles, comments on the odd shape with the appropriate pun.

In some dialects of English (e.g. British English), and in the original French pronunciation, "crêpe" is said such that the ê is pronounced as in "get", i.e. "cr-eh-p", but American English speakers pronounce it like an "A", i.e. "cr-ay-p".

The title text continues the wordplay by punning on {{w|diuretic}} (a substance promoting increased urine production), {{w|Diaeresis (diacritic)|diaeresis}} (a symbol in the form of two dots placed above a vowel; the adjective form can be spelled "diæretic"), and {{w|diacritic}} (what both the circumflex and the diaeresis are).

Diacritics are rarely used in English, potentially because of the wide variation of pronunciations even within the same nation, but are a common feature of other languages. In English, they are normally only seen in loanwords, such as crêpe, or used for emphasis for example the {{w|Metal umlaut}} seen in rock bands such as {{w|Spın̈al Tap}}.

==Transcript==
{{incomplete transcript|Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}
:[Cueball is holding a plate with a crepe on it, conversing with Megan.]
:Cueball: Check out this crêpe I made!
:Megan: Weird circumflex, but okay.

{{comic discussion}}
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Megan]]
[[Category:Language]]
[[Category:Puns]]
[[Category:Food]]

2617: Maps

2022-05-10T18:25:40Z

Das-g: /* Explanation */ OpenStreetMap is not a (mapping) tool, but a (geo)database (i.e., a collection of (geo)data; not to be confused with a database management system (DBMS), the software to hold, maintain and query such a data collection)

{{comic
| number = 2617
| date = May 9, 2022
| title = Maps
| image = maps.png
| titletext = OpenStreetMap was always pretty good but is also now *really* good? And Apple Maps's new zoomed-in design in certain cities like NYC and London is just gorgeous. It's cool how there are all these good maps now!
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Created by a DIGITAL CARTOGRAPHER- Please change this comment when editing this page. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}

{{w|Apple Maps}} was quite bad when first released, attracting lots of criticism from iPhone users who were accustomed to the superior {{w|Google Maps}}. In [https://www.cnet.com/tech/mobile/apple-maps-gets-drivers-lost-in-australian-outback-police-warn/ one instance], it sent drivers 40 miles out of their way into the Australian desert with no water supply. Often, initial negative impressions about a product are retained for a long time, regardless of how it may have developed, particularly when there is an obviously superior competitor to adopt, and no compelling reason to revisit the alternatives. Hence Randall/Cueball is surprised to discover that Apple Maps is now pretty good. His surprise is exaggerated to the extent that it is comparable to finding that some fundamental constant of the universe has shifted, such as the speed of light or pi being changed to some other number.

The title text mentions {{w|OpenStreetMap}}, an open-data crowd sourced geodatabase, which has also improved since Randall has last checked. He marvels at the number of "good" mapping options now!

Google Maps itself, and especially its satellite coverage outside the US, was considered quite bad when it launched in 2006. The maps displayed back then led to mockery among "real" cartographers that the service couldn't really be considered a map, either: It was called "map-like", given that it was just a visualization running on an extensive geodatabase, and didn't have a fixed scale. However, Google's popular mapping approach revolutionized how maps were perceived all over the world [{{w|Wikipedia:Citation_needed|''how?'' please explain how it differed from earlier online satellite mapping services, such as MapQuest}}], blurring the lines between traditional paper maps, GIS (geo-informational systems) and digitally rendered maps on screen. The process of "mapping" - as it is referenced here - has since moved almost completely into the digital realm.

==Transcript==
{{incomplete transcript|Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}

:[Megan and White Hat face Cueball, who is staring down at his open palms.]
:Cueball: You look around one day and realize the things you assumed were immutable constants of the universe have changed.
:Cueball: The foundations of our reality are shifting beneath our feet.
:Cueball: We live in a house built on sand.

:[Caption below panel]
:The day I discovered that Apple Maps is kind of good now

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Comics featuring White Hat]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Megan]]
[[Category:Maps]]
[[Category:Philosophy]]

2617: Maps

2022-05-10T18:21:37Z

Das-g: While a lot of the tooling around and for OpenStreetMap is FLOSS, OSM itself is open data

{{comic
| number = 2617
| date = May 9, 2022
| title = Maps
| image = maps.png
| titletext = OpenStreetMap was always pretty good but is also now *really* good? And Apple Maps's new zoomed-in design in certain cities like NYC and London is just gorgeous. It's cool how there are all these good maps now!
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Created by a DIGITAL CARTOGRAPHER- Please change this comment when editing this page. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}

{{w|Apple Maps}} was quite bad when first released, attracting lots of criticism from iPhone users who were accustomed to the superior {{w|Google Maps}}. In [https://www.cnet.com/tech/mobile/apple-maps-gets-drivers-lost-in-australian-outback-police-warn/ one instance], it sent drivers 40 miles out of their way into the Australian desert with no water supply. Often, initial negative impressions about a product are retained for a long time, regardless of how it may have developed, particularly when there is an obviously superior competitor to adopt, and no compelling reason to revisit the alternatives. Hence Randall/Cueball is surprised to discover that Apple Maps is now pretty good. His surprise is exaggerated to the extent that it is comparable to finding that some fundamental constant of the universe has shifted, such as the speed of light or pi being changed to some other number.

The term "map" carries a double meaning. While it refers to an actual map, it also refers to the concept of "map and territory," where your map is your model of the universe, and the territory is the universe itself. Cueball has a map of the universe where Apple Maps is bad, and is surprised to discover that the map no longer fits the territory, and thus has to update his map.

The title text mentions {{w|OpenStreetMap}}, an open-data crowd sourced mapping tool, which has also improved since Randall has last checked. He marvels at the number of "good" mapping options now!

Google Maps itself, and especially its satellite coverage outside the US, was considered quite bad when it launched in 2006. The maps displayed back then led to mockery among "real" cartographers that the service couldn't really be considered a map, either: It was called "map-like", given that it was just a visualization running on an extensive geodatabase, and didn't have a fixed scale. However, Google's popular mapping approach revolutionized how maps were perceived all over the world [{{w|Wikipedia:Citation_needed|''how?'' please explain how it differed from earlier online satellite mapping services, such as MapQuest}}], blurring the lines between traditional paper maps, GIS (geo-informational systems) and digitally rendered maps on screen. The process of "mapping" - as it is referenced here - has since moved almost completely into the digital realm.

==Transcript==
{{incomplete transcript|Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}

:[Megan and White Hat face Cueball, who is staring down at his open palms.]
:Cueball: You look around one day and realize the things you assumed were immutable constants of the universe have changed.
:Cueball: The foundations of our reality are shifting beneath our feet.
:Cueball: We live in a house built on sand.

:[Caption below panel]
:The day I discovered that Apple Maps is kind of good now

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Comics featuring White Hat]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Megan]]
[[Category:Maps]]
[[Category:Philosophy]]

Talk:2617: Maps

2022-05-10T07:04:21Z

Das-g: Is π considered an "immutable constants of the universe"?

Comments in the comment section please. [[Special:Contributions/172.70.110.241|172.70.110.241]] 02:52, 10 May 2022 (UTC)

What was the page with all the repeating photos (of a man I didn’t recognize) going down the page? Or the page with the ascii teletubby face? Some kind of vandalism? [[Special:Contributions/172.70.114.247|172.70.114.247]] 03:40, 10 May 2022 (UTC)

It was [[Special:Contributions/108.162.245.31|this IP]]. [[Special:Contributions/172.68.66.37|172.68.66.37]] 03:41, 10 May 2022 (UTC)

"Immutable constants of the universe have changed"? Somehow I expected something based on the 2019 SI base unit redefinition, which made approximately zero difference to anyone's lives, but is a fundamental change to the way that we (notionally) measure things. [[Special:Contributions/162.158.2.215|162.158.2.215]] 05:41, 10 May 2022 (UTC)

"Pi"? Don't "immutable constants of the universe" usually refer to fundamental {{w|physical constant}}s, like the gravitational constant ''G'', the speed of light ''c'' or the Planck constant ''h''? The circle constant π is a mathematical one and thus most likely not a property of the universe (but an even more general one). --[[User:Das-g|Das-g]] ([[User talk:Das-g|talk]]) 07:04, 10 May 2022 (UTC)

2512: Revelation

2021-09-09T17:18:19Z

Das-g: /* Explanation */ add missing space in {{incomplete}} tag

{{comic
| number = 2512
| date = September 6, 2021
| title = Revelation
| image = revelation.png
| titletext = And the heaven departed as a scroll when it is rolled together, but then more heaven kept appearing to replace it, as if the scroll was infinite.
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Created by NEWSCASTER JOHN, COMING TO YOU LIVE FROM THE MOMENT OF BUDDHA'S ENLIGHTENMENT. Please please please please PLEASE (with a cherry on top!) do NOT delete this tag too soon!!}}
A user with a profile picture of a man, who could be on an island and is called John, posts the Bible text from [https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Revelation%206%3A12&version=KJV Revelation 6:12] on a social media website, making it likely that the user has the identity of {{w|John of Patmos}}, either as this biblical-era person themselves (online communities existing in their time, or vice-versa) or adopting the historic character name for parodic/interpretive reasons. The comic places a Biblical event in the modern day to portray what it would be like for apocalyptic miracles to happen nowadays. It also depicts how even the epically largest of our most meaningful and moving moments can end up being treated online.

A news channel's official social-media monitor understands this to be an actual natural disaster in progress and asks for permission to use the posted information in a broadcast. This could be what would have happened if John had been using Twitter in his own time, in which case his Revelation might have received this response from that time's similarly-connected reporters, perhaps not comprehending the observations to be 'prophetic visions of the future', with potentially a different level of significance altogether, rather than reports of events just happened.

If the monitor has just found some form of dislocated account (a ''very'' old message, a modern echo for proselytizing purposes or a jape of some kind) then they appear to have been drawn in, having not recognized it as historic text from the bible.

Whichever way, the response is typical of a 'foot in the door' approach probably used for any and all candidate 'breaking news' citizen-reports, identified by trawling and searching the media-feeds for newsworthy content by either reporters or an 'algorithm'. As well as trying to ask for republishing permission, as per the duty of care reporters should grant to their sources, it is couched behind a typically bland statement of concern.

The reply may seem underwhelming, given the Revelation-level nature of the scenario, but this early in the reporting cycle the researcher may not have enough facts from which to respond more empathetically. Without any 'empathy' the channel and its staff may look entirely uncaring, but anything too effusive would also look unprofessional. Whether the news-organization and/or its staff could be truly concerned, or simply going through the motions, would highly depend upon their established reputation in the eyes of one viewing this exchange. Cynicism might be involved, all round.

The title text modifies verse 14 from "And the heaven departed as a scroll when it is rolled together; and every mountain and island were moved out of their places" to instead reference the {{w|scrolling#Film_and_television|infinite scrolling}} of a {{w|news ticker}}. Thus this news story would just be one on an infinite scroll page of ever-new stories.

Alternatively, a Biblical-level disaster actually IS occurring, in which case the newscaster's response is underwhelming, to say the least.

The described event happens at times. The sun is black during an eclipse, the moon is red when it sits at the horizon and/or in eclipse, and earthquakes happen on a frequent basis across the planet. When events happen together, it can have great import, and people may become more disconnected from what is real or common nature as lives become digitized. Many people are so used to sunrises and sunsets while seeing the moon high in the sky that they do not realise that the moon also turns red when it rises and sets.

In 2014, a series of four total lunar eclipses were identified by some Christian preachers as being the "{{w|Blood moon prophecy|blood moon}}" mentioned in Revelation 6:12, but the world did not proceed to end.{{fact}}

==Transcript==
:[A Twitter-like page is displayed with a post and a comment nested beneath it. The top poster's profile image is of a man with wild hair, standing on hill near a coast looking out over the ocean. The beach is visible below him. His name is revealed in the comment as John. The poster of the comment's profile image is of a man with flat hair. There is a logo "9 News" at the bottom right. Beneath both pictures are unreadable text. There are also four icons with unreadable text beneath both posts. A line divides the original post and the comment.]
:John: And I beheld when he had opened the sixth seal, and lo, there was a great earthquake; and the sun became black as sackcloth of hair, and the moon became as blood.

:Channel 9 News: Hi John, incredible story, hope you and your family are safe. Can Channel 9 News share your account in broadcast and print?

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Social networking]]
[[Category:Religion]]

1141: Two Years

2020-11-17T22:11:23Z

Das-g: small grammar fix

{{comic
| number = 1141
| date = November 30, 2012
| title = Two Years
| image = two years.png
| titletext = She won the first half of all our chemo Scrabble games, but then her IV drugs started kicking in and I *dominated*.
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|What is the reference with *Dominated* in the title text. This does not seem to have been addressed. Is it something with Scrabble? Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}
This comic marks the second year of [[Randall Munroe]]'s wife's battle with cancer, and appears to depict actual events from those two years. Randall is depicted as [[Cueball]] and his wife as [[Megan]], as per usual for both.

[[Image:two years key.png|right]]

Explanations of the individual panels:
*Panel 1: Randall's wife-to-be (at that point) receives a diagnosis over the phone (from Dr. [[Ponytail]]) as Randall sits by her side supportively. His wife has Megan long hair at this time.
*Panel 2: His wife undergoes IV (intravenous) {{w|chemotherapy}}. Because of the hair loss that results from chemotherapy, many patients opt to shave their heads when they undergo chemotherapy. As can be seen from the stubble she did not shave her hair, but has lost almost all of it. Only the hair coming back between chemo sessions is the cause of the stubble. Her hair grows back over the course of the panels following the end of her chemo (from panel 7).
*Panel 3: The two of them spend time alone together, experiencing something beautiful in the world for it may be one of her last chances to do so. Randall reinforces this sentiment in panel 8. In this panel (#3) she wears a {{w|knit cap}} presumably because it is cold, as well as the fact that patients with hair loss from chemo are urged by doctors to keep their heads covered to protect their scalps from the sun.
*Panel 4: The couple waits for a phone call from her doctor to hear the results of a scan. Both are clearly impatient and anxious.
*Panel 5: More chemotherapy. The couple plays {{w|Scrabble}}, in which players use letter tiles to spell words in a cross-word style. She uses the fact that she has cancer as leverage to get Randall to ignore the fact that the word she has played ('''zarg''') is not a real word. It should be noted that "{{Wiktionary|zark}}" (with "k" instead of "g") is a fictional swear word from {{w|The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy}}.
*Panel 6: Someone suggests they come for a visit next year, but all they can think about are the words "next year." Their future is entirely uncertain because of her health, making long-term planning a consistent source of worry and doubt. In this panel she wears a knit cap to hide her missing hair.
*Panel 7: Randall and his fiancée marry. With the chemotherapy completed, her hair has grown back enough that she has stopped using her knit cap.
*Panel 8: The couple goes whale ({{w|humpback whales}}) watching, possibly on their {{w|honeymoon}}. In this panel, she again wears the knit cap either because it is cold or because she is weak.
*Panel 9: Randall paraphrases a line from the song "{{w|Still Alive}}" (watch the [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l_S0PGu-cH4 video]) from the video game ''{{w|Portal}}'' (''"I'm doing science and I'm still alive"''). He does this because his wife is again back at her laptop working.
*Panel 10: The two of them sit under a tree reflecting on the significance of the past two years.
*Panel 11: Randall and his wife go out to dinner to celebrate the fact that she has made it two years since her {{w|biopsy}}. This turns awkward for [[Hairy]], the waiter, since he had assumed it was an anniversary of their marriage.

The title text is referring to a possible {{w|Chemotherapy#Neurological adverse effects|side-effect of chemotherapy drugs}}, the inability to concentrate. It could also just be the fact that the chemo can make you feel just terrible. When whatever effect kicks in, she loses the rest of their Scrabble games for that day. However, as we see in panel 5, there is a reason why she wins ''all'' of the first half of their games. But this is not enough, or she even forgets to play on the cancer, when the drugs take effect.

Knit caps have only been used a few times in xkcd, most prominently on [[1350:_Lorenz#Knit_Cap_Girl|Knit Cap Girl]] in [[1350: Lorenz]], see her section for more details.

This strip is continued in [[1928: Seven Years]].

==Transcript==
:[Randall and Randall's fiancée sit on a bed, Randall's fiancée is talking on the phone. The person she is talking to, a doctor holding a clipboard, is shown inset.]
:Randall's fiancée: Oh god.

:[Randall and Randall's fiancée sit together while Randall's fiancée, now bald, is receiving chemotherapy. They are both on their laptops.]
:IV pump: ... Beeep ... Beeep ... Beeep ...

:[Randall and Randall's fiancée (who is wearing a knit cap) are paddling a kayak against a scenic mountain backdrop.]

:[Randall and Randall's fiancée sit at a table, staring at a cell phone. There is a clock on the wall. Her head is stubbly.]
:Randall's fiancée: How long can it take to read a scan!?

:[Randall and Randall's fiancée are back at the hospital again, Randall's fiancée receiving chemo. They are playing Scrabble.]
:Randall: "Zarg" isn't a word.
:Randall's fiancée: But ''caaaancer.''
:Randall: ...Ok, fine.

:[Randall and Randall's fiancée (wearing a knit cap) are listening to a Cueball-like friend. A large thought bubble is above their heads and it obscures the friends talk. The text below, split in three is the only part there can be no doubt about:]
:Friend: So next year you should come visit us up in the mounta
::a
::and
:Randall and Randall's fiancée (thinking): '''"Next year"'''

:[Randall and Randall's fiancée are getting married, with a heart above their heads. Randall's wife's hair is growing back.]

:[Randall and Randall's wife (wearing a knit cap) stand on a beach, watching a whale jump out of water.]
:''Fwoosh''

:[Randall's wife is sitting at a desk with her laptop standing on top of two books. Her hair has grown back a little more. Randall stands behind her.]
:Randall: Hey—
:Randall: you're doing science,
:Randall: and you're still alive.
:Randall's wife: Yeah!

:[Randall and Randall's wife sit under a tall tree on a hill.]
:Randall: It's really only been two years?
:Randall's wife: They were big years.

:[Randall and Randall's wife sit at a table in a fancy restaurant. Her hair has grown back even more. The waiter (Hairy) brings them a dish with a cover on it.]
:Waiter: Happy... Anniversary?
:Randall's wife: Biopsy-versary!
:Waiter: ...Eww.

==Trivia==

While it is known that Randall's wife has since survived more than two years past the date of the invitation in Panel 6, it is unknown whether the invitation was later accepted, as the followup comic [[Seven Years]] does not seem to include a visit "up in the mountains" among its various other recreational activities. However, since it is possible that the invitation was made up for the comic in order to represent the worry over any invitation envisioning the future at that time, it is possible that it was never proposed as depicted in the comic. Therefore, the real life invitation(s) which inspired the inclusion of Panel 6 in the comic could perhaps have referred in real life to an activity that is actually depicted in [[Seven Years]], or to some other activity, which then may or may not have been realized.

{{comic discussion}}
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Megan]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Ponytail]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Hairy]]
[[Category:Multiple Cueballs]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Randall Munroe]]
[[Category:Comics featuring real people]]
[[Category:Cancer]]
[[Category:Doctor Ponytail]]
[[Category:Romance]]
[[Category:Video games]]

Talk:1889: xkcd Phone 6

2017-09-13T20:09:10Z

Das-g: /* {{w|ordinal indicator#Masculine|º}} or {{w|superior letter|o}} or {{w|degree symbol|°}} or {{w|ring (diacritic)|˚}}? */ new section

I tried to access http://xkcd.com/MDCCCLXXXIX but I got a "CDIV NOT FOVND" error.[[User:Taibhse|Taibhse]] ([[User talk:Taibhse|talk]]) 14:38, 13 September 2017 (UTC)

1876 is the year of Alexander Graham Bell's telephone patent US174465 "Improvement in telegraphy" and the "Mr. Watson, come here, I want to see you." transmission.--[[User:Laverock|Laverock]] ([[User talk:Laverock|talk]]) 15:31, 13 September 2017 (UTC)

Maybe "SPF 30" refers to how easily the phone becomes sunburned, rather than to how much protection the phone provides to you. [[Special:Contributions/162.158.63.16|162.158.63.16]] 15:40, 13 September 2017 (UTC)

"Never Needs Sharpening," while applicable to pencils, is more likely a reference to those crappy knives often hocked in infomercials. See the TvTropes entry of the same name: http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/NeverNeedsSharpening [[Special:Contributions/172.68.133.222|172.68.133.222]] 16:38, 13 September 2017 (UTC)

The promotional material for [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php/1809 xkdc Phone 5] said they refused to skip numbers!--[[User:Laverock|Laverock]] ([[User talk:Laverock|talk]]) 17:18, 13 September 2017 (UTC)

Did anyone else notice that the title text contradicts with one of the main design features of the phone? Having a front camera in the middle of the screen specifically for video calling, then claiming that the phone never transmits images of the user's face (or even restricting the phone's software/hardware such that it cannot transmit images of the user's face) is somewhat of a contradiction. [[Special:Contributions/162.158.154.61|162.158.154.61]] 17:20, 13 September 2017 (UTC)

"We didn't start this war" reminiscent of War for the Planet of the Apes tagline? [[Special:Contributions/108.162.215.238|108.162.215.238]] 17:25, 13 September 2017 (UTC)

The "camera in the middle of the screen" is (hopefully) not too far away: [http://appleinsider.com/articles/09/01/08/apple_files_patent_for_camera_hidden_behind_display] [http://www.redorbit.com/news/technology/1112501121/sony-patents-technology-to-put-camera-and-sensors-behind-smartphone-display/] [[User:Sysin|Sysin]] ([[User talk:Sysin|talk]]) 19:21, 13 September 2017 (UTC)

== {{w|ordinal indicator#Masculine|º}} or {{w|superior letter|o}} or {{w|degree symbol|°}} or {{w|ring (diacritic)|˚}}? ==

Which one is it at the end of the trademarked (and registered to be so), copyrighted tagline?

(Currently it's transcribed as {{w|ordinal indicator#Masculine|º}}.)

--[[User:Das-g|Das-g]] ([[User talk:Das-g|talk]]) 20:09, 13 September 2017 (UTC)

1889: xkcd Phone 6

2017-09-13T19:19:53Z

Das-g: fix typo "does" -> "dose" [of medication]

{{comic
| number = 1889
| date = September 13, 2017
| title = xkcd Phone 6
| image = xkcd_phone_6.png
| titletext = We understand your privacy concerns; be assured that our phones will never store or transmit images of your face.
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|All features need an explanation, the version number war and title text as well. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}

This is the sixth entry in the ongoing [[:Category:xkcd Phones|xkcd Phone series]], released the day after Apple announced their new iPhone X with facial recognition features.

===List of features (clockwise from center/top)===

; Front camera (centered for eye contact during video chat)

: Front camera is a common feature of smartphones. The camera lens is located on the same side of the phone's case as the main screen and therefore it is possible to capture the image of the user's face looking at the screen and display the interlocutor's face on the screen simultaneously, enabling video chat. However, as the camera is usually located above the screen, a user looking at the displayed image of the other person directs his or her eyes at the center of the screen and not at the camera's lens. This is very visible on the other end of the chat as if the person talking was looking down and not in the interlocutor's face which is an uncomfortable situation for most people. For this reason, professionals involved in movie or TV-making, like actors or reporters, are trained to look straight into the camera's lens while talking, which creates impression of looking straight at the viewer's face. During a video chat, however, looking into the lens of an above-screen camera does not allow one to see the interlocutor's face clearly because it is then in the peripheral field of vision.

: To solve this conundrum, Randall proposes locating the camera lens right in the middle of the screen. Therefore the user looking at the screen to see the other person's face would be also looking at the lens, creating an impression of a straight look on the other end of the chat. This is absurd since the lens would then take place of some of the center pixels of the screen, not allowing the display the center part of the captured image of the other person's face (like eyes and/or lips) which is most important for nonverbal communication. Such location of the camera lens would also likely interfere with touch-screen function. It will make other applications on the phone difficult to use, since virtually no user interface is designed to accommodate for a blind spot in the center{{Citation needed}}.

; Full-width rear camera

: Phone cameras tend to have lenses which are quite small and round or square -- same width as height. Full-width makes it sound like the camera lens is really wide, as in a long oval or rectangle shape. This generally would not accomplish anything worthwhile, unless it allowed you to take one-shot panorama photos.

; CDC partnership - phone automatically administers seasonal flu vaccine to cheek every year

: U.S. {{w|Centers for Disease Control and Prevention}} is a government agency tasked with addressing public health concerns such as infectious diseases, including seasonal flu. A common way of limiting spread of an infectious disease is {{w|Vaccine|vaccination}}, which most often involves administering a specially prepared medicine via an {{w|intramuscular injection}}. This features implies that the phone would automatically perform such an injection once a year, by shooting a needle out of a small aperture while the user is holding the phone to his or her cheek during a call.

; 12-function

: Most smartphones can be used for more than 12 different things{{Citation needed}}.

; Dishwasher safe

: Usually a feature of plastic containers or fancy dishes. Unlikely to appear on a smartphone, though potentially useful if you need to clean your screen.

; GPS transmitter

: Many smartphones have a receiver for the Global Positioning System, which allows a phone to compute its position based on signals from the constellation of GPS satellites. However, a device with a "GPS transmitter" would broadcast signals that would interfere with the GPS receivers of all devices nearby.

; 3-G acceleration

: Usually, a phone is 3g compatible if it uses a certain standard ("third generation") for data transmission. However, 3-G acceleration implies the phone can accelerate at a rate or 3 times the acceleration of gravity, or approximately 30 m/s².

; Portable, solar-heated
: Portability is pretty much the entire point of using a ''mobile'' phone, so advertising portability is rather pointless. Solar ''power'' charging could be a very useful feature on a phone, but solar ''heating'' usually applies to plumbing, where a water tank is heated by the sun and used to supply hot water to taps. Technically, as the sun heats up everything on Earth, the phone is in fact solar heated.

;Pore-cleaning strip

: Something sticky on that location would be very annoying for people trying to make a call with beards. See also [[777: Pore Strips]]

; Maximum strength

:Medicines are often sold a "Maximum stength", as in the highest dose allowed by law or allowed without a prescription. For phones, there are sometimes "hardened" or "ruggedized" versions which are designed to survive harsher environmental conditions such as surviving drops and collisions, excessive water and dust, etc. So Maximum strength could indicate a "ruggedized" phone, though a screen that extended past the edges would likely have the opposite effect.

; Never needs sharpening

: Phones do not need to be sharpened in the first place{{Citation needed}}. This is a feature more likely to be used in a knife advertisement or apply to a mechanical pencil, which does have the advantage of never needing to be sharpened as opposed to a normal pencil.

; Can survive up to 30 minutes out of water

: This is a play on the common IP-rating of water resistance, which is typically rated for submersion to a rated depth for 30 minutes. A phone which could only be used or carried for 30 minutes and then needed to be immersed in water would be rather inconvenient.

; Exclusive Audubon Society app identifies birds and lets you control their flight

: {{w|National Audubon Society}} is a non-profit organization dedicated to conservation of nature, mainly of birds, also organizing open {{w|birdwatching}} events. An app that identifies bird species, as for example from a photo of a bird made by the smartphone itself, would be cool. An app allowing you to control the bird's flight would be way cooler, but it is not possible at the current state of technology{{Citation needed}} - and it would fly in the face of the Audubon Society core activity. This is a reference to {{w|Unmanned_aerial_vehicle|drones}} (artificial "birds") which are often controlled by a smartphone app. This may also be a reference to [[1425: Tasks]], in which an app that can recognize if a bird is on camera is proposed.

; Extra screen

:Because of the center camera, an additional section of screen was added. This is similar to the new iPhone, which also has a few extra pixels up there.

; Wireless charging port

:Wireless charging has no wires, and needs no port.

; Safe for ages 6-8 months, 10 months, 18 months-3 years, and 12 years and older

:Usually an item is deemed safe for a particular age or older, or (in the case of toys) is recommended for a particular age range. This is unusual in that it's a hodge-podge of age ranges with no apparent reason why some ages are safe and others are not.

; Screen goes past the edge

:A parody of the trend of "edge to edge" displays in recent generations of smartphones

; High thread count CPU

:A CPU thread is a task the CPU performs. Several threads may share memory making them a process. A operating system distributes the CPU's time over all active threads. CPU's don't generally have a limit on the number of threads (some operating systems do), however with a certain number the amount of cycles per thread becomes too low to be of much practical use. This seems to be a joke about bedding, where high thread count is actually a reasonably advertizable statistic.

; Shroud of Turin-style facial transfer unlock

:The {{w|Shroud of Turin}} is claimed to display an image of the face of {{w|Jesus Christ}}, appearing as if it was transferred to the cloth. Presumably, to unlock this phone, the user must press their face against it.

; Fonts developed by NASA

: NASA's expertise is not in fonts{{Citation needed}}, and the fonts on almost all modern phones are the same.

; Includes applicator

: What sanitary towel packages often say.

; Burns clean coal

: There is a push for clean energy production as a result of increased awareness of global warming. While it may be useful for a phone to be able to produce its own energy, coal is by definition not a clean energy source because it produces carbon dioxide. The phone is not stated to have a vent for the CO2 to escape, which would technically make the coal "clean" as it is not entering the atmosphere. However, the gas is instead trapped inside the phone, which will quickly ruin it through a combination of heat and pressure.

; Pre-seasoned

:Pre-seasoned typically refers to cast iron cookware which is ready to use out of the box, as opposed to needing to season it with oil and heat. It can also refer to packaged meats which are ready to cook without needing to be seasoned with herbs and spices.

; Broad-spectrum SPF 30

:The xkcd phone somehow gives an SPF 30 level of skin protection from the sun.

; College-ruled

:College-ruled is a style of notebook paper having narrower lines in order to fit more text per page.

; Sterile packaging

:Useful for medical supplies, less so in a phone.

; Radium backlight

:The discovery of the phosphorescent element radium sparked a brief fad in which some watch makers painted watch faces or hands with the substance so the time could be read at night. However, it was eventually realized that regular exposure to radium could result in radiation poisoning, particularly for the workers assembling and painting the watches. A radium-based backlight would therefore be both potentially dangerous (especially for an object carried on one's person much of the time) but also largely useless, as the phosphorescence of radium is rather dim compared to conventional phone back lights.

; 4K pixels (50×80)

:This refers to having 4,000 pixels in the screen in total, rather than a screen width of ~4000 pixels. TV's advertised as "4K" are typically up to 4096 × 2160 pixels, or 8.8 million pixels. That would be outstanding for a cell phone whereas 4,000 pixels total would be horrendous. As a comparison, the old Commodore VIC-20 with a resolution of 176 × 184 would have over 8 times the pixels of this phone. It is however quite close to the screen resolution of the sturdy Nokia 3310, boasting a total of 4032 pixels positioned 84 × 48.

==Transcript==
{{incomplete transcript|Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}
:[A smartphone is shown, the screen is slightly wider than the case, in the middle is a photo lens, and at the right bottom a small extra part is added to the screen.]
:[On top a bracket ranges nearly over the entire width of the case. The text reads:]
:Full-width rear camera
:[The label at the photo lens is:]
:Front camera (centered for eye contact during video chat)
:[The label on the extra part says:]
:Extra screen
:[At the bottom below the case a label reads:]
:Wireless charging port

:[The labels left to the phone are:]
:4k pixels (50x80)
:Radium backlight
:Sterile packaging
:College-ruled
:Broad spectrum SPF 30
:Pre-seasoned
:Burns clean coal
:Includes applicator
:Fonts developed by NASA
:Shroud of turn-style facial transfer unlock
:High thread count CPU
:Screen goes past the edge
:Safe for ages 6-8 months, 10 months, 18 months-3 years, and 12 years and older

:[The labels right to the phone are:]
:CDC partnership: Phone automatically administers seasonal flu vaccine to check every year
:12-function
:Dishwasher safe
:GPS transmitter
:3-G acceleration
:Portable, solar-heated
:Pore-cleaning strip
:Maximum strength
:Never needs sharpening
:Can survive up to 30 minutes out of water
:Exclusive Audubon Society app identifies birds and lets you control their flight

:[Text below the phone:]
:Introducing
:'''The XKCD PHONE 6, VIII, 10, X, 26, and 1876'''
:We didn't start this nonconsecutive version number war, but we will not lose it.™®©º
{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:xkcd Phones]]

1574: Trouble for Science

2015-09-07T19:33:34Z

Das-g: capitalize proper nouns

{{comic
| number = 1574
| date = September 7, 2015
| title = Trouble for Science
| image = trouble_for_science.png
| titletext = Careful mathematical analysis demonstrates small-scale irregularities in Gaussian distribution
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|More details in each article, especially the one about antibodies and rodents.}}
The comic highlights the fact that several well-established, rather fundamental scientific methods and results have come under pressure in recent history due to newer findings which suggest that these methods are in fact not as well-proven and scientifically reliable as was previously believed. This leads to the impression that science might be in trouble, as implicated by the title. This is however greatly exaggerated by the last (fictional) headline, which suggests that Bunsen burners in fact have a cooling effect, which is of course absolutely ridiculous, but would nevertheless change one more fundamental scientific belief drastically.

The title of five scientific articles are shown:

;Many commercial antibody-based immunoassays are unreliable
This sentence is true. See Kebaneilwe Lebani, [http://espace.library.uq.edu.au/view/UQ:352531 Antibody Discovery for Development of a Serotyping Dengue Virus NS1 Capture Assay], 2014. In this PhD thesis, 11 references are given.

;Problems with the p-value as an indicator of significance
p-value is the probability that an event is observed just by chance. If p-value is under a threshold level (''α'', usually <5%, or <1% for being more conservative) one can assume that the event observed "exists".
The value used for ''α'' has been proposed by [http://web.lru.dk/sites/lru.dk/files/lru/docs/kap9/kapitel_9_126_On_the_origins.pdf Fisher] and is completely arbitrary.

The use of p-values as a measure of statistical significance is frequently criticized, for example in [http://wiki.bio.dtu.dk/~agpe/papers/pval_notuseful.pdf Hubbard and Lindsay]. Randall has demonstrated this problem in the past in [[882: Significant]].
;Overfeeding of laboratory rodents compromises animal models

[http://tpx.sagepub.com/content/24/6/757.full.pdf Keenan et al.] makes this case.

;Replication study fails to reproduce many published results
A [https://explorable.com/replication-study Replication Study] is a study designed to replicate the results of a previous study by using the same methods for a different set of subjects and experimenters. It aims to recreate the results to gain confidence in the results of the previous study as well as ensuring that the findings of the previous study are transferable to other similar areas of study.

Randall is probably referring to this recent study: http://www.nature.com/news/over-half-of-psychology-studies-fail-reproducibility-test-1.18248

;Controlled trials show Bunsen burners make things colder
This is a joke. There is probably some methodological error if putting something over the Bunsen burner flame (which is between 1000K and 2000K) makes it colder. Unless of course that thing is already much hotter than the flame (more than 2000 Kelvin).

Title text:

;Careful mathematical analysis demonstrates small-scale irregularities in Gaussian distribution

This is another joke, as Gaussian samples are only approximated by the Gaussian distribution. The quality of the approximation grows with the size of the sample, but will never be exact, meaning it will show "irregularities" on a "small scale".

==Transcript==
:[Five panels, each with the top part of a scientific article, where only the title is readable. Below is the list of authors and subheading and text in unreadable wiggles.]

:Many Commercial Antibody-Based Immunoassays Are Unreliable

:Problems With the p-Value as an Indicator of Significance

:Overfeeding of Laboratory Rodents Compromises Animal Models

:Replication Study Fails to Reproduce Many Published Results

:Controlled Trials Show Bunsen Burners Make Things Colder

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Science]]
[[Category:Biology]]
[[Category:Chemistry]]
[[Category:Math]]
[[Category:Physics]]

1574: Trouble for Science

2015-09-07T19:29:31Z

Das-g: /* Explanation */ fix typos / spelling

{{comic
| number = 1574
| date = September 7, 2015
| title = Trouble for Science
| image = trouble_for_science.png
| titletext = Careful mathematical analysis demonstrates small-scale irregularities in Gaussian distribution
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|More details in each article, especially the one about antibodies and rodents.}}
The comic highlights the fact that several well-established, rather fundamental scientific methods and results have come under pressure in recent history due to newer findings which suggest that these methods are in fact not as well-proven and scientifically reliable as was previously believed. This leads to the impression that science might be in trouble, as implicated by the title. This is however greatly exaggerated by the last (fictional) headline, which suggests that bunsen burners in fact have a cooling effect, which is of course absolutely ridiculous, but would nevertheless change one more fundamental scientific belief drastically.

The title of five scientific articles are shown:

;Many commercial antibody-based immunoassays are unreliable
This sentence is true. See Kebaneilwe Lebani, [http://espace.library.uq.edu.au/view/UQ:352531 Antibody Discovery for Development of a Serotyping Dengue Virus NS1 Capture Assay], 2014. In this PhD thesis, 11 references are given.

;Problems with the p-value as an indicator of significance
p-value is the probability that an event is observed just by chance. If p-value is under a threshold level (''α'', usually <5%, or <1% for being more conservative) one can assume that the event observed "exists".
The value used for ''α'' has been proposed by [http://web.lru.dk/sites/lru.dk/files/lru/docs/kap9/kapitel_9_126_On_the_origins.pdf Fisher] and is completely arbitrary.

The use of p-values as a measure of statistical significance is frequently criticized, for example in [http://wiki.bio.dtu.dk/~agpe/papers/pval_notuseful.pdf Hubbard and Lindsay]. Randall has demonstrated this problem in the past in [[882: Significant]].
;Overfeeding of laboratory rodents compromises animal models

[http://tpx.sagepub.com/content/24/6/757.full.pdf Keenan et al.] makes this case.

;Replication study fails to reproduce many published results
A [https://explorable.com/replication-study Replication Study] is a study designed to replicate the results of a previous study by using the same methods for a different set of subjects and experimenters. It aims to recreate the results to gain confidence in the results of the previous study as well as ensuring that the findings of the previous study are transferable to other similar areas of study.

Randall is probably referring to this recent study: http://www.nature.com/news/over-half-of-psychology-studies-fail-reproducibility-test-1.18248

;Controlled trials show Bunsen burners make things colder
This is a joke. There is probably some methodological error if putting something over the Bunsen burner flame (which is between 1000K and 2000K) makes it colder. Unless of course that thing is already much hotter than the flame (more than 2000 Kelvin).

Title text:

;Careful mathematical analysis demonstrates small-scale irregularities in Gaussian distribution

This is another joke, as gaussian samples are only approximated by the gaussian distribution. The quality of the approximation grows with the size of the sample, but will never be exact, meaning it will show "irregularities" on a "small scale".

==Transcript==
:[Five panels, each with the top part of a scientific article, where only the title is readable. Below is the list of authors and subheading and text in unreadable wiggles.]

:Many Commercial Antibody-Based Immunoassays Are Unreliable

:Problems With the p-Value as an Indicator of Significance

:Overfeeding of Laboratory Rodents Compromises Animal Models

:Replication Study Fails to Reproduce Many Published Results

:Controlled Trials Show Bunsen Burners Make Things Colder

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Science]]
[[Category:Biology]]
[[Category:Chemistry]]
[[Category:Math]]
[[Category:Physics]]

1547: Solar System Questions

2015-07-07T21:26:59Z

Das-g: fix grammar

{{comic
| number = 1547
| date = July 6, 2015
| title = Solar System Questions
| image = solar_system_questions.png
| titletext = My country's World Cup win was exciting and all, but c'mon, what if the players wore nylon wings and COULD LITERALLY FLY?
}}

==Explanation==
This comic is a list of questions which [[Randall]] has about the Solar System, which at first glance may appear to be things that Randall would like to learn about.
In actuality, most of the questions have not been satisfactorily answered or proven by anyone in the {{w|List_of_unsolved_problems_in_physics#Astronomy_and_astrophysics|scientific community}}.

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Question given
! Answer given by Randall (in red in the original)
! Comments
|-
| Why is the the Moon so blotchy?
| Lava
| The {{w|Moon}} is in synchronous rotation with Earth, which means that we always can see only one half of the surface of the Moon. And on that side we can see large {{w|lunar maria}} formed by lava from big volcanoes. This surface is very different to all other celestial bodies we know in our Solar system. The double "the the" could be a Randallism — intended or unintended.
|-
| Why are all the blotches on the near side?
| ...
| The nearside of the Moon is dominated by the blotchy 'seas' or maria, the far side by craters. {{w|Far_side_of_the_Moon#Differences|Several explanations}} for this have been proposed, including an overabundance of impacts obliterating the blotches on the more exposed far side, different compositions of heat-producing elements, large collisions, or heat produced by the still-cooling Earth.
|-
| Did Mars have seas?
| Yes (briefly?)
| Recent explorations have confirmed there was once standing (and also flowing) water on {{w|Mars}}. Many rovers and orbiters on Mars give us the evidence on this early development of that planet, but it is still unknown how long such conditions existed in its history.
|-
| Was there life on Mars?
| ...
| One of the big mysteries, {{w|Life on Mars|not yet answered}}.
|-
| What's Titan like?
| Cold, yellow, lakes + rivers (methane)
| The {{w|Cassini–Huygens}} mission confirmed the presence of {{w|Lakes_of_Titan|lakes and rivers}} on {{w|Titan (moon)|Titan}}. The {{w|Huygens_(spacecraft)#Findings|Huygens}} lander itself returned some very yellow images of a dry lake bed from Titan's surface.
|-
| What was Earth like during the Hadean?
| ...
| The {{w|Hadean}} was the first geologic era on earth, the planet had just formed and not much is known of that period of Earth. But since it was the time when Earth was formed it was mainly very hot with extreme volcanic activity, with the entire surface melted. This is why the era is named after {{w|Hades}} the ancient Greek god of the underworld, even though Hades was never associated with fire.
|-
| Is the Oort Cloud a real thing?
| ...
| The {{w|Oort Cloud}} is a theoretical spherical cloud of icy planetesimal, maybe dust, and also larger objects at a distance of up to around 100,000 {{w|Astronomical units|AU}} to our Sun. We can see similar clouds at other stars, but there is still no evidence that this cloud exists in our Solar System.
|-
| Why is the Sun's corona so hot?
| Something about magnets?
| The {{w|corona}} of the sun is hotter than it theoretically should be. The looping magnetic fields in this area could be responsible.
|-
| What are comets like?
| Precipitous
| The {{w|Philae (spacecraft)|Philae lander}} is next to a cliff...
|-
| Where's Philae, exactly?
| ...
| ...but we're not sure ''which'' cliff.
|-
| What's Pluto like?
| rowspan="2" | [Soon!]
| rowspan="2" | The probe {{w|New Horizons}} may be about to answer both of these questions, as it will reach its closest approach to both {{w|Pluto}} and {{w|Charon (moon)|Charon}} just eight days after the release of this comic.
|-
| What's Charon like?
|-
| Why don't we have in-between-sized planets?
| ...
| There is a size-gap between the rocky {{w|terrestrial planets}} up to Earth size and the {{w|gas giants}} very much larger than Earth in our Solar System.
There are many known {{w|exoplanets}} (planets in other solar systems) filling in the range between our rocky planets and our gas giants, known as [https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/2c/Exoplanet_Mass-Radius_Scatter_Super-Earth.png Super-Earths]
|-
| What's Ceres like?
| [Working on it!]
| The {{w|Dawn (spacecraft)|Dawn probe}} is currently exploring the {{w|dwarf planet}} {{w|Ceres (dwarf planet)|Ceres}} and reveals unseen surface features.
|-
| Why is Europa so weird-looking and pretty?
| Ice over a water ocean
| {{w|Europa (moon)|Europa}} is a moon of {{w|Jupiter}} and the surface is basically thick pack ice covered in {{w|lineae}}.
|-
| Why is Io so weird-looking?
| Sulfur volcanoes (? in the wrong places?)
| The moon {{w|Io (moon)|Io}} is also orbiting Jupiter and is close enough that {{w|tidal forces}} make it the most volcanic object in the solar system. The moon is mainly yellow but there a several other colors on the surface, for instance spots and streaks of bright red color that comes from {{w|sulfur}} which is ejected by the volcanoes. The "wrong places" refer to some volcanoes discovered by the {{w|Voyager program|Voyager missions}} and believed to erupt sulfur. But more recent measurements did show up that the temperature inside that volcanoes is about 2.000 °C were this element is not liquid any more but gas.
|-
| Why are so many Kuiper Belt objects red?
| ...
| Many objects in the {{w|Kuiper Belt}} have a reddish hue. A possible explanation is that they are [http://www.space.com/9418-icy-red-objects-solar-system-edge-point-life-building-blocks.html| covered in organic molecules] formed by the irradiation of their surface ices. The New Horizons probe might also shed light on this.
|-
| What are those spots on Ceres?
| ...
| The Dawn probe found some mysterious spots on the Ceres. These [http://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/jpeg/PIA19568.jpg white spots] are still not understood, but the mission is still running and we may figure out the source of the glowing white features.
|-
| What's in the seas under Europa's ice?
| ...
| The European {{w|ESA}} selected the mission {{w|Jupiter Icy Moon Explorer|Jupiter Icy Moon Explorer (JUICE)}} to Jupiter. The moon Europa is one target for that mission. But we have to wait, its launch target is 2022 and the arrival at Jupiter is planned for 2030. But that's not uncommon for missions like this, New Horizons or {{w|Rosetta (spacecraft)|Rosetta}} did also travel approx. ten years to reach their target. And before such a mission can start many preparations have to be done.
|-
| Which of the other moons have seas?
| Several
| Depending on the definition of 'sea', other less obviously 'frozen water world' moons such as {{w|Ganymede (moon)|Ganymede}} at Jupiter may have {{w|Ganymede (moon)#Subsurface oceans|subsurface}} [http://www.newscientist.com/article/dn27151-aurora-reveals-jupiter-moons-secret-subsurface-sea.html oceans] of liquid water or other substance liquid at the relevant temperature. The Moon {{w|Titan (moon)|Titan}} at Saturn has {{w|Lakes of Titan|seas and lakes}} on its surface formed by liquid ethane, methane, and propane.
|-
| What are the big white things in Titan's Lakes?
| ...
| This is a joke about some gaps in the radar measurements as shown in this [https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:PIA10008_Seas_and_Lakes_on_Titan_full_size.jpg image].
|-
| What do Jupiter's clouds look like up close?
| ...
| The Jupiter mission {{w|Galileo (spacecraft)|Galileo}}, operated by NASA and the German Aerospace Center (DLR), arrived at Jupiter by 1995 and was send to an impact on the planet at the end of that mission in 2003 to eliminate the possibility of contaminating local moons with terrestrial bacteria. Several measurements where done on the atmosphere but no pictures were send back to Earth. So there is still no answer on this question.
|-
| What's all that red stuff in the Great Red Spot?
| ...
| The {{w|Great Red Spot}} is a storm, south of Jupiter's equator. Observations from Earth show a lifetime of more than 150 years. It's unknown why it's stable for that long time and it's also not clear why the color is red. The probe {{w|Juno (spacecraft)|Juno}} will arrive in July 2016 at Jupiter and maybe answer Randall's question.
|-
| What's pushing the Pioneer Probes?
| Heat from the RTG
| Discussed as the {{w|Pioneer anomaly}}. RTG stands for {{w|Radioisotope Thermoelectric Generator}}.
|-
| What pushes spacecraft slightly during flybys?
| ...
| Several spacecraft experienced unexplained speed increases during Earth flybys. This is called the {{w|flyby anomaly}}.
|-
| Where are all the Sun's Neutrinos?
| Oscillating
| See: {{w|Solar neutrino problem}}. The answer seems to be a little bit optimistic, the theory of the oscillation of {{w|neutrino|neutrinos}} requires that this particles have a mass. And that's still not proven by experiment. Randall answers this question too fast.
|-
| Why is there so much air on Titan?
| ...
| {{w|Titan (moon)|Titan}} has an atmospheric pressure 1.45 times that of Earth, but only 1/7th of the surface gravity which is less than Earth's own airless Moon has. Hence the confusion! In fact, Titan actually has almost 20% more atmosphere by mass than Earth, and ''seven times'' more atmosphere across a given surface area! Less influence from the more distant Sun probably helps retain more of the atmosphere's gasses, and {{w|cryovolcanoes}} may replenish the methane fraction which should by now have ''all'' been converted into the other hydrocarbons present from subsurface reservoirs. Further studies are required to properly answer this question.
|-
| Why does the Kuiper Belt Stop?
| ...
| A reference to the {{w|Kuiper Cliff}}. The most far accumulation of known objects is roughly closer than 50 {{w|astronomical units|AU}}, after that distance only very few objects had been found. The reason for this is still unknown.
|-
| Why is Iapetus weird-colored?
| ...
| {{w|Iapetus (moon)|Iapetus}} is a moon of {{w|Saturn}} and always keeping the same face towards Saturn. The trailing side is white while the other side is dark.
|-
| Why does Iapetus have a belt?
| ...
| Iapetus has a 13 km high ridge around most of the equator, and a number of 10 km high mountains where the ridge is interrupted.
|-
| What's the deal with Miranda?
| ...
| {{w|Miranda_(moon)|Miranda}} is the smallest of {{w|Uranus}}' five round satellites, and it's {{w|Verona Rupes|a bit rough around the edges}} and also has an unusually high orbital inclination that is difficult to explain. Also possibly a [[Firefly|''Firefly'' reference]] since {{w|List of Firefly planets and moons#Miranda|Miranda}} is also the name of a planet in {{w|Serenity (film)|''Serenity''}}, a film basedion the {{w|Firefly (TV series)|''Firefly''}} TV series.
|-
| Did Uranus and Neptune change places?
| ...
| The {{w|Nice model}} is a theory of how our solar system formed, which suggested the possibility of Uranus and {{w|Neptune}} having swapped places before reaching their current positions. Work by Professor S. Desch [http://dusty.la.asu.edu/~desch/publications/2007/Desch2007.pdf also came to this result].
|-
| Did the Late Heavy Bombardment happen?
| ...
| The {{w|Late Heavy Bombardment}} did happen in the early history of Earth and the other rocky planets around the Sun. It's believed that by that time many big objects still existed and impacted to that planets. On Earth all those impacts are eroded but on Moon or Mercury without any atmosphere some evidences should be available. But this is still a matter for future science.
|-
| Did life start before it?
| ...
| For some speculation on this topic, see [http://www.livescience.com/5426-life-survived-earth-early-bombardment.html Life Could Have Survived Earth's Early Bombardment]. It is still a mystery if life was formed on Earth first or if it came from outer space.
|-
| Is Europa covered in Ice Spikes?
| ...
|Dr Daniel Hobley has put forward a [http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-21341176 theory] that Jupiter's icy moon, {{w|Europa (moon)|Europa}}, has the right conditions to form ice spikes called {{w|penitentes}} of up to 10m in height.
|-
| Why haven't we built a big inflatable Extreme Sports Complex on The Moon?
| ...
| See, e.g., ''{{w|The Menace From Earth}}'', a 1957 short story by Robert Heinlein.
|}

The title text refers to the {{w|2015 FIFA Women's World Cup}} which was won by USA a day before. The nylon wings and flying may be a reference to two passages from 3001: The Final Odyssey, one where Frank Poole tries out various wings while in an extremely low gravity environment, and one where he remarks while watching Swan Lake that Tchaikovsky could never have imagined a performance where the dancers were actually flying (due to aforementioned low gravity). This is also a reference to the last point on the list, because if we had such a stadium on the moon, maybe it would be possible to use such wings to make very long floating leaps.

==Transcript==
:'''Questions I have'''
:'''about the solar system'''
:(some answered)

:{| class="wikitable" style="border: 0px;"
|-
| style="border: 0px; text-align: right" | Why is the the Moon so blotchy?
| style="border: 0px; color:red;" | Lava
|-
| style="border: 0px; text-align: right" | Why are all the blotches on the near side?
| style="border: 0px;" |
|-
| style="border: 0px; text-align: right" | Did Mars have seas?
| style="border: 0px; color:red;" | Yes (briefly?)
|-
| style="border: 0px; text-align: right" | Was there life on Mars?
| style="border: 0px;" |
|-
| style="border: 0px; text-align: right" | What's Titan like?
| style="border: 0px; color:red;" | Cold, yellow, lakes + rivers (methane)
|-
| style="border: 0px; text-align: right" | What was Earth like during the Hadean?
| style="border: 0px;" |
|-
| style="border: 0px; text-align: right" | Is the Oort Cloud a real thing?
| style="border: 0px;" |
|-
| style="border: 0px; text-align: right" | Why is the Sun's corona so hot?
| style="border: 0px; color:red;" | Something about magnets?
|-
| style="border: 0px; text-align: right" | What are comets like?
| style="border: 0px; color:red;" | Precipitous
|-
| style="border: 0px; text-align: right" | Where's Philae, exactly?
| style="border: 0px;" |
|-
| style="border: 0px; text-align: right" | What's Pluto like?
| style="border: 0px; color:red;" rowspan="2" | [Soon!]
|-
| style="border: 0px; text-align: right" | What's Charon like?
|-
| style="border: 0px; text-align: right" | Why don't we have in-between-sized planets?
| style="border: 0px;" |
|-
| style="border: 0px; text-align: right" | What's Ceres like?
| style="border: 0px; color:red;" | [Working on it!]
|-
| style="border: 0px; text-align: right" | Why is Europa so wierd-looking and pretty?
| style="border: 0px; color:red;" | Ice over a water ocean
|-
| style="border: 0px; text-align: right" | Why is Io so weird-looking?
| style="border: 0px; color:red;" | Sulfur volcanoes (? in the wrong places?)
|-
| style="border: 0px; text-align: right" | Why are so many Kuiper Belt objects red?
| style="border: 0px;" |
|-
| style="border: 0px; text-align: right" | What are those spots on Ceres?
| style="border: 0px;" |
|-
| style="border: 0px; text-align: right" | What's in the seas under Europa's ice?
| style="border: 0px;" |
|-
| style="border: 0px; text-align: right" | Which of the other moons have seas?
| style="border: 0px; color:red;" | Several
|-
| style="border: 0px; text-align: right" | What are the big white things in Titan's Lakes?
| style="border: 0px;" |
|-
| style="border: 0px; text-align: right" | What do Jupiter's clouds look like up close?
| style="border: 0px;" |
|-
| style="border: 0px; text-align: right" | What's all that red stuff in the Great Red Spot?
| style="border: 0px;" |
|-
| style="border: 0px; text-align: right" | What's pushing the Pioneer Probes?
| style="border: 0px; color:red;" | Heat from the RTG
|-
| style="border: 0px; text-align: right" | What pushes spacecraft slightly during flybys?
| style="border: 0px;" |
|-
| style="border: 0px; text-align: right" | Where are all the Sun's Neutrinos?
| style="border: 0px; color:red;" | Oscillating
|-
| style="border: 0px; text-align: right" | Why is there so much air on Titan?
| style="border: 0px;" |
|-
| style="border: 0px; text-align: right" | Why does the Kuiper Belt Stop?
| style="border: 0px;" |
|-
| style="border: 0px; text-align: right" | Why is Iapetus weird-colored?
| style="border: 0px;" |
|-
| style="border: 0px; text-align: right" | Why does Iapetus have a belt?
| style="border: 0px;" |
|-
| style="border: 0px; text-align: right" | What's the deal with Miranda?
| style="border: 0px;" |
|-
| style="border: 0px; text-align: right" | Did Uranus and Neptune change places?
| style="border: 0px;" |
|-
| style="border: 0px; text-align: right" | Did the Late Heavy Bombardment happen?
| style="border: 0px;" |
|-
| style="border: 0px; text-align: right" | Did life start before it?
| style="border: 0px;" |
|-
| style="border: 0px; text-align: right" | Is Europa covered in ice spikes?
| style="border: 0px;" |
|-
| style="border: 0px; text-align: right" | Why haven't we built a big inflatable extreme sports complex on the moon?
| style="border: 0px;" |
|}

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Comics with color]]
[[Category:Charts]]
[[Category:Soccer]]
[[Category:Space]]
[[Category:Astronomy]]

1498: Terry Pratchett

2015-03-13T19:54:27Z

Das-g: /* Explanation */ Use m-dashes rather than double minuses

{{comic
| number = 1498
| date = March 13, 2015
| title = Terry Pratchett
| image = terry pratchett.png
| titletext = Thank you for teaching us how big our world is by sharing so many of your own.
}}

==Explanation==

{{incomplete|Early draft; needs general improvement..}}

[[File:10.12.12TerryPratchettByLuigiNovi1.jpg|Sir Terry in 2012|thumb]]

This comic is a tribute to the late {{w|Terry Pratchett|Sir Terry Pratchett}}. It came out the day after the renowned fantasy author died.

The comic quotes a (slightly abridged) passage from ''{{w|The_Nome_Trilogy#Wings_.281990.29|Wings}}'', one of the three books of ''{{w|The Nome Trilogy|The Bromeliad Trilogy}}'' (also known as ''The Nome Trilogy''), a series of children's books by Sir Terry.

During the first five panels of the comic [[Cueball]] reads the quoted passage in his book ''Wings''. This passage describes what Masklin thinks about when he told Grimma that they "were going to get married, and all she could talk about was frogs." He then recounts what she told him about a type of {{w|tree frog}} that are found in {{w|bromeliad}} flowers where they lay their eggs, which hatch into tadpoles, and then live most of their lives in a single plant. (See a {{w|The_Nome_Trilogy#Diggers_.281990.29|description}} of this plot point when it happened in ''{{w|The_Nome_Trilogy#Diggers_.281990.29|Diggers}}''). She—amongst other things—muses about the fact that they are blind to the rest of the Universe, and that most people are blind to them.

After reading this Cueball puts the book down and walks off, and soon finds that he himself has been living at the bottom of a flower much like the frogs in the bromeliad. This is an allegory for a common praise of the best fantasy and science-fiction writing: That by reflecting our own world in a different context, it allows us to better see ourselves. In the allegory, Cueball's journey to the edge of the leaf is a representation of broadening one's horizons, perhaps even in ways that are somewhat frightening.

(On a more literal level, the concept of living on a flat surface with a precipice at the edge is explored at length in the ''{{w|Discworld}}'' series, Pratchett's most iconic work.)

The title text continues, more directly, the point previously made allegorically. It thanks the late Sir Terry, noting that his fictional worlds allowed us to better see the real world. "How big our world is" also ties into another point raised in the quoted passage, that there are countless amazing things happening around us all the time without our knowledge.

==Transcript==
:[Cueball is reading a book over the first four panels at the top of the comic. He shifts position from sitting, leaning back on one hand, laying down on his belly to finally sitting more upright. Above these four panels and breaking the frame of the outer panels of the comic we see what he reads during these four panels:]

:''I told her we were going to get married, and all she could talk about was frogs.''
:''She said there's these hills where it's hot and rains all the time, and in the rainforests there are these very tall trees and right in the top branches
:''of the trees there are these like great big flowers called... bromeliads, I think, and water gets into the flowers and makes little pools and there's a
:''type of frog that lays eggs in the pools and tadpoles hatch, and grow into new frogs and these little frogs live their whole lives in the flowers right
:''at the top of the trees and don't even know about the ground, and once you know the world is full of things like that, your life is never the same.''

::::::::::::::::::::::::::''-- Masklin, Terry Prattchet's'' '''''The Bromeliad Trilogy'''''

:[Below are four more panels. Cueball stops reading in the book. Leaves the book and begins to walk. Walks out on a leaf from a big flower. Finally, zooming in on him at the edge of the leaf, he looks down and sees what is below the flower.]

{{comic discussion}}
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Comics featuring real people]]

1412: Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles

2014-08-25T14:01:07Z

Das-g: /* Transcript */ Mirror the layout of the comic in the transcript instead of describing the layout. (We often do that for comics that are essentially tables of text.)

{{comic
| number = 1412
| date = August 25, 2014
| title = Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles
| image = teenage_mutant_ninja_turtles.png
| titletext = My upcoming album, 'Linked List', has covers of 'The Purple People Eater', the Ninja Turtles theme, 'Itsy Bitsy Teenie Weenie Yellow Polka Dot Bikini', and the Power Rangers theme, with every song played to the tune of the next.
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Very early draft.}}
In reference to the recently released ''Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles'' movie, Randall has compiled an alphabetical list of Wikipedia article titles that, when stressed on the correct syllables, sound similar to theme song of the {{w|Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (1987 TV series)|1987 cartoon series}}. Some of the items on this list (e.g. {{w|Ace Ventura: Pet Detective|''Ace Ventura: Pet Detective''}}) are drawn in the same style as the logo from that series.

See also [[856: Trochee Fixation]], another comic dealing with a similar concept.

==Trivia==
Randall mistyped the word "album" as "alubm" in the title text

==Transcript==
WIKIPEDIA ARTICLE TITLES 
With the right syllable stress pattern to be sung to the tune of the original ''Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles'' theme song 
{|
|
{{w|Ace Ventura: Pet Detective|''Ace Ventura: Pet Detective''}} [in the style of the logo]
|
{{w|Biggest Loser: Second Chances|''Biggest Loser: Second Chances''}} 
{{w|Cayman Island blue iguana}} 
{{w|Central Texas pocket gopher}} 
{{w|Church of Jesus Christ Creator}} 
{{w|Climate change and meat production}} 
{{w|Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon|''Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon''}} 
{{w|Daylight saving time in China}} 
{{w|Denver Airport People Mover}} 
{{w|Easter Island spiny lobster}}
|-
|
{{w|Edgar Allan Poe Museum}} 
{{w|Engine failure after take-off}} 
{{w|English as a second language}} 
{{w|Former Arctic Monkeys members|Former ''Arctic Monkeys'' members}} 
{{w|Fowler's Modern English Usage|''Fowler's Modern English Usage''}} 
{{w|Georgia Game and Fish Department}} 
{{w|Golden-mantled howler monkey}} 
{{w|Greater Cleveland Film Commission}} 
{{w|Hairy flower chafer beetle}} 
|
{{w|Asian Human Rights Commission}} [in the style of the logo]
|-
|
{{w|San Diego City Council}} [in the style of the logo]
|
{{w|Harland David "Colonel" Sanders}} 
{{w|Human Tissue Resource Network}} 
{{w|Klondike-class destroyer tender|''Klondike'' class destroyer tender}} 
{{w|Legal code of North Dakota}} 
{{w|Lesser knapweed flower weevil}} 
{{w|Lockheed Martin Atlas rocket}} 
{{w|Maple syrup urine syndrome}} 
{{w|Mighty Morphin Power Rangers|''Mighty Morphin' Power Rangers''}} 
{{w|Nablus mask-like facial syndrome}}
|-
|
{{w|Neo Geo Pocket Color}} 
{{w|New Year's Eve with Carson Daly|''New Year's Eve with Carson Daly'' }} 
{{w|Newton's second law of motion}} 
{{w|North Korean Workers Party}} 
{{w|Orange County Business Council}} 
{{w|Over/under cable coiling}} 
{{w|Peter Peter Pumpkin Eater}} 
{{w|Places named for Adolf Hitler}} 
{{w|Proton-proton chain reaction}}
|
{{w|Single payer health insurance}} [in the style of the logo]
|-
|
{{w|Spotted giant flying squirrel}} [in the style of the logo]
|
{{w|Puerto Rican lizard-cuckoo}} 
{{w|Quantum vacuum plasma thruster|Quantuum vacuum plasma thruster}} [sic] 
{{w|Rocky Mountain spotted fever}} 
{{w|Royal Flying Doctor Service}} 
{{w|Russian Women's Fascist Movement}} 
{{w|Semi-active laser guidance}} 
{{w|Seven Brides for Seven Brothers|''Seven Brides for Seven Brothers''}} 
{{w|Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows|''Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows''}} 
{{w|Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon}}
|-
|
{{w|Trailing suction hopper dredger}} 
{{w|Vector graphics markup language}} 
{{w|Viti Levu giant pigeon}} 
{{w|Voting rights in Puerto Rico}} 
{{w|William Henry, Duke of Gloucester}} 
{{w|Windows Vista startup process}} 
{{w|Woodrow Wilson "Woody" Guthrie}} 
{{w|Yaba monkey tumor virus}} 
{{w|Zack and Miri Make a Porno|''Zack and Miri Make a Porno''}}
|
{{w|Women science fiction authors}} [in the style of the logo]
|}
Title text: My upcoming alubm, 'Linked List', has covers of 'The Purple People Eater', the Ninja Turtles theme, 'Itsy Bitsy Teenie Weenie Yellow Polka Dot Bikini', and the Power Rangers theme, with every song played to the tune of the next.

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category: Comics with color]]
[[Category:Ninja Turtles]]
[[Category: Wikipedia]]

1412: Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles

2014-08-25T13:47:15Z

Das-g: /* Transcript */ Let's link to exactly the WP pages mentioned in the comic, even where it's a redirect or disambiguation page

{{comic
| number = 1412
| date = August 25, 2014
| title = Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles
| image = teenage_mutant_ninja_turtles.png
| titletext = My upcoming album, 'Linked List', has covers of 'The Purple People Eater', the Ninja Turtles theme, 'Itsy Bitsy Teenie Weenie Yellow Polka Dot Bikini', and the Power Rangers theme, with every song played to the tune of the next.
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Very early draft.}}
In reference to the recently released ''Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles'' movie, Randall has compiled an alphabetical list of Wikipedia article titles that, when stressed on the correct syllables, sound similar to theme song of the {{w|Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (1987 TV series)|1987 cartoon series}}. Some of the items on this list (e.g. {{w|Ace Ventura: Pet Detective|''Ace Ventura: Pet Detective''}}) are drawn in the same style as the logo from that series.

See also [[856: Trochee Fixation]], another comic dealing with a similar concept.

==Trivia==
Randall mistyped the word "album" as "alubm" in the title text

==Transcript==
WIKIPEDIA ARTICLE TITLES 
With the right syllable stress pattern to be sung to the tune of the original ''Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles'' theme song 
 
{{w|Ace Ventura: Pet Detective|''Ace Ventura: Pet Detective''}} [in the style of the logo, with the following listed to the right] 
{{w|Biggest Loser: Second Chances|''Biggest Loser: Second Chances''}} 
{{w|Cayman Island blue iguana}} 
{{w|Central Texas pocket gopher}} 
{{w|Church of Jesus Christ Creator}} 
{{w|Climate change and meat production}} 
{{w|Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon|''Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon''}} 
{{w|Daylight saving time in China}} 
{{w|Denver Airport People Mover}} 
{{w|Easter Island spiny lobster}} 
 
{{w|Asian Human Rights Commission}} [in the style of the logo, with the following listed to the left] 
{{w|Edgar Allan Poe Museum}} 
{{w|Engine failure after take-off}} 
{{w|English as a second language}} 
{{w|Former Arctic Monkeys members|Former ''Arctic Monkeys'' members}} 
{{w|Fowler's Modern English Usage|''Fowler's Modern English Usage''}} 
{{w|Georgia Game and Fish Department}} 
{{w|Golden-mantled howler monkey}} 
{{w|Greater Cleveland Film Commission}} 
{{w|Hairy flower chafer beetle}} 
 
{{w|San Diego City Council}} [in the style of the logo, with the following listed to the right] 
{{w|Harland David "Colonel" Sanders}} 
{{w|Human Tissue Resource Network}} 
{{w|Klondike-class destroyer tender|''Klondike'' class destroyer tender}} 
{{w|Legal code of North Dakota}} 
{{w|Lesser knapweed flower weevil}} 
{{w|Lockheed Martin Atlas rocket}} 
{{w|Maple syrup urine syndrome}} 
{{w|Mighty Morphin Power Rangers|''Mighty Morphin' Power Rangers''}} 
{{w|Nablus mask-like facial syndrome}} 
 
{{w|Single payer health insurance}} [in the style of the logo, with the following listed to the left] 
{{w|Neo Geo Pocket Color}} 
{{w|New Year's Eve with Carson Daly|''New Year's Eve with Carson Daly'' }} 
{{w|Newton's second law of motion}} 
{{w|North Korean Workers Party}} 
{{w|Orange County Business Council}} 
{{w|Over/under cable coiling}} 
{{w|Peter Peter Pumpkin Eater}} 
{{w|Places named for Adolf Hitler}} 
{{w|Proton-proton chain reaction}} 
 
{{w|Spotted giant flying squirrel}} [in the style of the logo, with the following listed to the right] 
{{w|Puerto Rican lizard-cuckoo}} 
{{w|Quantum vacuum plasma thruster|Quantuum vacuum plasma thruster}} [sic] 
{{w|Rocky Mountain spotted fever}} 
{{w|Royal Flying Doctor Service}} 
{{w|Russian Women's Fascist Movement}} 
{{w|Semi-active laser guidance}} 
{{w|Seven Brides for Seven Brothers|''Seven Brides for Seven Brothers''}} 
{{w|Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows|''Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows''}} 
{{w|Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon}} 
 
{{w|Women science fiction authors}} [in the style of the logo, with the following listed to the left] 
{{w|Trailing suction hopper dredger}} 
{{w|Vector graphics markup language}} 
{{w|Viti Levu giant pigeon}} 
{{w|Voting rights in Puerto Rico}} 
{{w|William Henry, Duke of Gloucester}} 
{{w|Windows Vista startup process}} 
{{w|Woodrow Wilson "Woody" Guthrie}} 
{{w|Yaba monkey tumor virus}} 
{{w|Zack and Miri Make a Porno|''Zack and Miri Make a Porno''}} 
 
Title text: My upcoming alubm, 'Linked List', has covers of 'The Purple People Eater', the Ninja Turtles theme, 'Itsy Bitsy Teenie Weenie Yellow Polka Dot Bikini', and the Power Rangers theme, with every song played to the tune of the next.

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category: Comics with color]]
[[Category:Ninja Turtles]]
[[Category: Wikipedia]]

Talk:1408: March of the Penguins

2014-08-15T14:42:07Z

Das-g: Yes to reference to 891: Movie Ages

Isn't it Danish not Megan? [[Special:Contributions/141.101.99.195|141.101.99.195]] 05:30, 15 August 2014 (UTC)
: No, Danish has longer hair. [[Special:Contributions/108.162.245.47|108.162.245.47]] 05:37, 15 August 2014 (UTC)

: Also, if it were Danish, she would have a good come back for black hat. [[Special:Contributions/108.162.216.108|108.162.216.108]] 13:54, 15 August 2014 (UTC)BK

Would Movie Ages (http://www.xkcd.com/891) be just as pertinent, if not more so, than Timeghost? Should we include a reference to it in the explanation? [[Special:Contributions/173.245.54.170|173.245.54.170]] 14:08, 15 August 2014 (UTC)DBrak
: Good idea. I think we should, so I've included that reference now. --[[User:Das-g|Das-g]] ([[User talk:Das-g|talk]]) 14:42, 15 August 2014 (UTC)

1408: March of the Penguins

2014-08-15T14:39:54Z

Das-g: /* Explanation */ added reference to 891: Movie Ages as suggested by DBrak on the Discussion page

{{comic
| number = 1408
| date = August 15, 2014
| title = March of the Penguins
| image = march_of_the_penguins.png
| titletext = You ARE getting older, though.
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Very basic explanation. Could use some fleshing out.}}

Many of the xkcd comics outline ways to make people feel older by referencing various pieces of popular culture which feel ingrained and "recent", and revealing the time that has elapsed since their release to be longer than expected (for instance, [[1393: Timeghost]] and [[891: Movie Ages]]). This appears to be what [[Black Hat]] is doing as he walks in on [[Megan]] to announce that all the penguins from ''{{w|March of the Penguins}}'' (a 2005 documentary about emperor penguins) are dead. Megan is familiar with these sorts of antics and assumes Black Hat is indicating that the film is so old that the lifespan of emperor penguins is less than the time since the documentary was released. Frustrated, Megan simply acknowledges Black Hat's statement by agreeing that everyone is aging. Black Hat, however, reveals that he is not trying to make her feel old; rather, he is announcing that he has killed the penguins the previous night, and is "trying to apologize". This obviously gives the situation a much darker tone; especially since Black Hat likely is not truly apologizing, as he is very unapologetic in his [[72: Classhole|"classhole"]] tendencies.

{{w|Emperor penguins}} actually live about 20 years on average, so presumably, barring any intervention by Black Hat, most of the younger penguins and many of the older penguins in the movie are still alive as of this comic.

The title text emphasizes that we still have all the reasons to feel depressed since, whatever the penguins' fate, we do get older. The text may also be a further jab by Black Hat as he departs just to make Megan feel a bit worse.

==Transcript==
:[Black Hat walks in, Megan is at a desk]
:Black Hat: All the birds from ''March of the Penguins'' are now dead.

:Megan: OK, I ''get'' it. We're all aging.

:Black Hat: What? No. I'm not trying to make you feel old. They were alive last night. I'm trying to apologize.

:Megan [having turned around in her office chair, now facing Black Hat]: Oh God

{{comic discussion}}
[[Category:Comics to make one feel old]]

1408: March of the Penguins

2014-08-15T14:33:25Z

Das-g: /* Transcript */ completed transcript

{{comic
| number = 1408
| date = August 15, 2014
| title = March of the Penguins
| image = march_of_the_penguins.png
| titletext = You ARE getting older, though.
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Very basic explanation. Could use some fleshing out.}}

Many of the xkcd comics outline ways to make people feel older by referencing various pieces of popular culture which feel ingrained and "recent", and revealing the time that has elapsed since their release to be longer than expected (for instance, [[1393: Timeghost]]). This appears to be what [[Black Hat]] is doing as he walks in on [[Megan]] to announce that all the penguins from ''{{w|March of the Penguins}}'' (a 2005 documentary about emperor penguins) are dead. Megan is familiar with these sorts of antics and assumes Black Hat is indicating that the film is so old that the lifespan of emperor penguins is less than the time since the documentary was released. Frustrated, Megan simply acknowledges Black Hat's statement by agreeing that everyone is aging. Black Hat, however, reveals that he is not trying to make her feel old; rather, he is announcing that he has killed the penguins the previous night, and is "trying to apologize". This obviously gives the situation a much darker tone; especially since Black Hat likely is not truly apologizing, as he is very unapologetic in his [[72: Classhole|"classhole"]] tendencies.

{{w|Emperor penguins}} actually live about 20 years on average, so presumably, barring any intervention by Black Hat, most of the younger penguins and many of the older penguins in the movie are still alive as of this comic.

The title text emphasizes that we still have all the reasons to feel depressed since, whatever the penguins' fate, we do get older. The text may also be a further jab by Black Hat as he departs just to make Megan feel a bit worse.

==Transcript==
:[Black Hat walks in, Megan is at a desk]
:Black Hat: All the birds from ''March of the Penguins'' are now dead.

:Megan: OK, I ''get'' it. We're all aging.

:Black Hat: What? No. I'm not trying to make you feel old. They were alive last night. I'm trying to apologize.

:Megan [having turned around in her office chair, now facing Black Hat]: Oh God

{{comic discussion}}
[[Category:Comics to make one feel old]]

1285: Third Way

2013-11-02T00:12:24Z

Das-g: /* Explanation */ Hey, as HTML and Wiki markup can distinguish between paragraphs and line breaks, let's do that. I tried to identify the semantic paragraphs best I could and replaced the rest of the sentence-ending double line endings with " "

{{comic
| number = 1285
| date = November 1, 2013
| title = Third Way
| image = third way.png
| titletext = 'The monospaced-typewriter-font story is a COMPLETE FABRICATION! WAKE UP, SHEEPLE' 'It doesn't matter! Studies support single spaces!' 'Those results weren't statistically significant!' 'Fine, you win. I'm using double spaces right now!' 'Are not! We can all hear your stupid whitespace.'
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete}}
This comic refers to the debate occurring in the United States about the correct number of spaces after the end of a {{w|Sentence spacing| sentence}}. 
While text written on typewriters in the United States traditionally had two spaces between sentences, this is becoming less common and many sources now recommend having only one space, although this topic is still {{w|Sentence spacing#Controversy|controversial}}.

[[Cueball]] is advocating a line break after every sentence, the eponymous "third way", and sometimes called "semantic linefeeds". 
This is particularly useful when plain text files (such as HTML, TeX, or {{w|Wiki markup}}) are edited by multiple people using a {{w|Revision_control|Version control system}} where it helps to avoid merge conflicts. 
So far, however, his approach has not yet widely caught on.

The title text uses single spaces between the back-and-forth quotations; but within each quotation, the quoted speaker's preferred spacing is used. 
In particular, when the single-spacing advocate claims to be using double spacing, this is indeed often not correct. 
Look at the page HTML source to see this, a single space and a double space are rendered identically. 
But a code like <code>&nbsp;&nbsp;</code> would be rendered as two spaces.

This is not the first time Randall has proposed a controversial third way, see: [[690: Semicontrolled Demolition]] and [[1167: Star Trek into Darkness]].

==Transcript==
:[Two angry mobs, each holding signs, with Cueball standing off to the side with another sign.]
:[The first mob's sign says "'''Two''' spaces after a period," The second mob's sign says "'''One''' space after a period," and Cueball's sign says "Line break after every sentence."]

{{comic discussion}}
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Ponytail]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Megan]]
[[Category:Sheeple]]

1285: Third Way

2013-11-01T23:59:17Z

Das-g: /* Explanation */ Marked HTML source as <code /> instead of putting it between quotation marks.

{{comic
| number = 1285
| date = November 1, 2013
| title = Third Way
| image = third way.png
| titletext = 'The monospaced-typewriter-font story is a COMPLETE FABRICATION! WAKE UP, SHEEPLE' 'It doesn't matter! Studies support single spaces!' 'Those results weren't statistically significant!' 'Fine, you win. I'm using double spaces right now!' 'Are not! We can all hear your stupid whitespace.'
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete}}
This comic refers to the debate occurring in the United States about the correct number of spaces after the end of a {{w|Sentence spacing| sentence}}.

While text written on typewriters in the United States traditionally had two spaces between sentences, this is becoming less common and many sources now recommend having only one space, although this topic is still {{w|Sentence spacing#Controversy|controversial}}.

[[Cueball]] is advocating a line break after every sentence, the eponymous "third way", and sometimes called "semantic linefeeds".

This is particularly useful when plain text files (such as HTML, TeX, or {{w|Wiki markup}}) are edited by multiple people using a {{w|Revision_control|Version control system}} where it helps to avoid merge conflicts.

So far, however, his approach has not yet widely caught on.

The title text uses single spaces between the back-and-forth quotations; but within each quotation, the quoted speaker's preferred spacing is used.

In particular, when the single-spacing advocate claims to be using double spacing, this is indeed often not correct.

Look at the page HTML source to see this, a single space and a double space are rendered identically.

But a code like <code>&nbsp;&nbsp;</code> would be rendered as two spaces.

This is not the first time Randall has proposed a controversial third way, see: [[690: Semicontrolled Demolition]] and [[1167: Star Trek into Darkness]].

==Transcript==
:[Two angry mobs, each holding signs, with Cueball standing off to the side with another sign.]
:[The first mob's sign says "'''Two''' spaces after a period," The second mob's sign says "'''One''' space after a period," and Cueball's sign says "Line break after every sentence."]

{{comic discussion}}
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Ponytail]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Megan]]
[[Category:Sheeple]]

1285: Third Way

2013-11-01T23:56:22Z

Das-g: Made HTML code for non-breakable space visible by escaping the '&'. The <nowiki> isn't needed here, as it isn't the Wiki markup engine but your browser interpreting the html entities.

{{comic
| number = 1285
| date = November 1, 2013
| title = Third Way
| image = third way.png
| titletext = 'The monospaced-typewriter-font story is a COMPLETE FABRICATION! WAKE UP, SHEEPLE' 'It doesn't matter! Studies support single spaces!' 'Those results weren't statistically significant!' 'Fine, you win. I'm using double spaces right now!' 'Are not! We can all hear your stupid whitespace.'
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete}}
This comic refers to the debate occurring in the United States about the correct number of spaces after the end of a {{w|Sentence spacing| sentence}}.

While text written on typewriters in the United States traditionally had two spaces between sentences, this is becoming less common and many sources now recommend having only one space, although this topic is still {{w|Sentence spacing#Controversy|controversial}}.

[[Cueball]] is advocating a line break after every sentence, the eponymous "third way", and sometimes called "semantic linefeeds".

This is particularly useful when plain text files (such as HTML, TeX, or {{w|Wiki markup}}) are edited by multiple people using a {{w|Revision_control|Version control system}} where it helps to avoid merge conflicts.

So far, however, his approach has not yet widely caught on.

The title text uses single spaces between the back-and-forth quotations; but within each quotation, the quoted speaker's preferred spacing is used.

In particular, when the single-spacing advocate claims to be using double spacing, this is indeed often not correct.

Look at the page HTML source to see this, a single space and a double space are rendered identically.

But a code like "&nbsp;&nbsp;" would be rendered as two spaces.

This is not the first time Randall has proposed a controversial third way, see: [[690: Semicontrolled Demolition]] and [[1167: Star Trek into Darkness]].

==Transcript==
:[Two angry mobs, each holding signs, with Cueball standing off to the side with another sign.]
:[The first mob's sign says "'''Two''' spaces after a period," The second mob's sign says "'''One''' space after a period," and Cueball's sign says "Line break after every sentence."]

{{comic discussion}}
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Ponytail]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Megan]]
[[Category:Sheeple]]

Talk:1285: Third Way

2013-11-01T16:07:22Z

Das-g: Line breaks aren't paragraphs.

ONE SPACE AFTER A PERIOD. '''[[User:Davidy22|{{Color|#707|David}}y²²]]'''[[User talk:Davidy22|<tt>[talk]</tt>]] 04:38, 1 November 2013 (UTC)

Writing plaintext, I always do two spaces after a sentence ending period.
This is probably because I did in fact start typing on a real typewriter.
In an environment where automatic formatting will take place, like a web page or wiki text, I use the newline.
I have had people in this wiki collapse my multiple line forms to one of the others.
(I was disappointed.)
--[[User:Divad27182|Divad27182]] ([[User talk:Divad27182|talk]]) 04:48, 1 November 2013 (UTC)

I prefer double spacing, but I used single spacing in writing the explanation, just to make people happy. Perhaps I should have used new lines. [[User:Concomitant|Concomitant]] ([[User talk:Concomitant|talk]]) 05:10, 1 November 2013 (UTC)

The 'third way' is a little underappreciated here: it divides the text into self contained logical units, and makes text processing tools (grep, diff etc.) much more usable.
Proper text rendering engines (TeX, HTML, etc.) already make this assumption and group sentences accordingly.
If only I realized this earlier, it would have made my thesis revisions much more easier.
In fact, up to this moment, I thought I was that lone guy in the comic.
EDIT: this comment in xkcd forums makes my point clear: http://forums.xkcd.com/viewtopic.php?f=7&t=106217#p3489055
--[[Special:Contributions/141.101.96.11|141.101.96.11]] 05:42, 1 November 2013 (UTC)

:As a programmer, I find nothing weird in adapting your style to language. Writing two spaces in HTML or TeX is useless, as they won't render as two spaces anyway. (While using for this purpose nonbreakable spaces, which would render, is a crime.) -- [[User:Hkmaly|Hkmaly]] ([[User talk:Hkmaly|talk]]) 10:48, 1 November 2013 (UTC)
::It would also render incorrectly if the period was close to the end of a line. If the markup is [last word of sentence][period][nbsp][space][next sentence], the last word of the first sentence could end up on the next line unnecessarily. But if it's [last word of sentence][period][space][nbsp][next sentence], the next line of text would start with a space, which is much worse.--[[User:Rael|Rael]] ([[User talk:Rael|talk]]) 15:16, 1 November 2013 (UTC)

I always just find and replace double space with single space. If formatting suffers, someone did a bad job.[[Special:Contributions/108.162.231.228|108.162.231.228]] 06:33, 1 November 2013 (UTC) Synthetica

So, why did double spacing after a period ever exist? It doesn't seem necessary. [[User:PheagleAdler|PheagleAdler]] ([[User talk:PheagleAdler|talk]]) 07:31, 1 November 2013 (UTC)

even though i learned typing on a typewriter, to this day i had never heard of the double space thing. maybe it's a US only thing, like the stupid french with spaces BEFORE punctuation marks. [[User:Peter|Peter]] ([[User talk:Peter|talk]]) 07:54, 1 November 2013 (UTC)

As a german typographer I have to say I’m ''shocked''! ''Two'' spaces per period? A space ''before'' punctuation?! My scientific opinion: you all are completely crazy ;-) (Just kidding, but seriously, two spaces? In Germany, the first possibility to do that safely is your last will …) [[User:Quoti|Quoti]] ([[User talk:Quoti|talk]]) 10:34, 1 November 2013 (UTC)

The doubled spaces appear in my browser's tooltips. (Maybe someone should add some non breaking spaces to the quotation of the tooltip text?) --[[Special:Contributions/141.101.98.236|141.101.98.236]] 10:45, 1 November 2013 (UTC)

As a(n automatic) two-spacer person (just you watch, I'll use 'em here, despite it obviously not being rendered), it's just what I learnt, back in the '70s, here in the UK. I've no idea ''why'' I learnt it. However, it may stem from the same root as the 'rule' in handwriting (not biros, but nibbed pens dipped in ink... wow, I feel old, but it ''was'' at primary school) that we use a gap as big as our our (very little) little-fingers to separate sentences. I imagine differentiating full-stops (US: periods) from commas in the messy medium of ink might be a valuable visual indicator as to what a given smudge might ''actually'' be. So, anyway, double-spacing. On the other hand I should report that, "I've dropped the habit it of appropriate punctuation prior to quotes," I say, "despite being the way I learnt it." And instead I will drop "<- Commas from that sort of position," you see, "even through I'll keep the ones that are semantic pauses." You see how my standards are slipping? Anyway, good comic. We now return you to your regularly-scheduled programme.  [[Special:Contributions/141.101.98.214|141.101.98.214]] 14:44, 1 November 2013 (UTC)

The "third way" is used for articles on the [http://www.bbc.co.uk/news BBC News] website :-) --[[Special:Contributions/141.101.99.233|141.101.99.233]] 14:52, 1 November 2013 (UTC)
:Actually, they put each sentence into a paragraph of its own, which is yet different. (In HTML: <code>... .</code> vs. <code>... . </code>) --[[User:Das-g|Das-g]] ([[User talk:Das-g|talk]]) 16:07, 1 November 2013 (UTC)

1279: Reverse Identity Theft

2013-10-18T16:38:15Z

Das-g: /* Explanation */ Undo rephrasing of revision 50862 by 128.206.29.11 (talk), while keeping WP link intact

{{comic
| number = 1279
| date = October 18, 2013
| title = Reverse Identity Theft
| image = reverse identity theft.png
| titletext = I asked a few friends whether they'd had this happen, then looked up the popularity of their initials/names over time. Based on those numbers, it looks like there must be at least 750,000 people in the US alone who think 'Sure, that's probably my email address' on a regular basis.
}}

==Explanation==
{{w|Identity theft}} is the criminal method of assuming the identity of an unsuspecting person, usually to get credit in their name. While this is done deliberately, the comic introduces the idea of ''reverse'' identity theft: An older person with little knowledge of computers involuntarily uses another person's {{w|email address}} because he or she supposed it to be their own, forgetting their actual email address. Since most email addresses follow a generic pattern, they simply thought they had followed the pattern to conform with their own name, forgetting their real address. For example Rebecca Munroe could forget that her email address is rebecca.munroe42@gmail.com and give the telephone company another address, not her own, rmunroe@gmail.com, unaware that someone with the same initial and last name already owns the address.

The comic has [[Cueball]] call an elder person, who apparently gave Cueball's email address to the phone company, which now sends Cueball the bills. The person is not able to understand why this is not their email address (as it corresponds with their name) and is also very confused how Cueball got their phone number. The latter reveals a major problem of reverse identity theft: Using another person's email address for your own business matters exposes your own identity. The owner of the address can easily take advantage of the situation, leading to a scenario of regular identity theft.

Most internet users face at some point the message that their desired email address is "already taken". Because email addresses must be unique and only a limited set of characters is allowed, people with common names usually add numbers to their name.

Note that Google Mail ignores everything behind a plus sign. This is used as a way to create {{w|email alias}}es. The plus sign in the formula used in the comic should therefore considered to be only an indicator for concatenation, not a literal character in the address.

; Another case of reverse identity theft
This comic is about a person forgetting his or her own email address and typing it in the web form of a company.
Another case, which is not addressed in this comic, is when a person sends an email to the wrong address. For example, a friend of Rebecca's (see example above) could think her email address is rebecca.munroe@yahoo.com instead of rebecca.munroe42@gmail.com. This is not limited to older people as it would be natural to type michaelsinger@gmail.com instead of michaellsinger@gmail.com (assuming the address belongs to Michael L. Singer).

==Transcript==
:If your email address is [First initial]+[Last name]@gmail.com you gradually get to know lots of older people who have the same name pattern

:Cueball: Yes, I know it would make '''''sense''''' if that were your email address, but it's not.
:Person on the phone: But how did you get my number?
:Cueball: Your phone bill.

{{comic discussion}}
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Internet]]

1279: Reverse Identity Theft

2013-10-18T16:33:12Z

Das-g: /* Explanation */ Grammar: You can DERIVE advantage FROM sth., but you TAKE advantage OF sth.

{{comic
| number = 1279
| date = October 18, 2013
| title = Reverse Identity Theft
| image = reverse identity theft.png
| titletext = I asked a few friends whether they'd had this happen, then looked up the popularity of their initials/names over time. Based on those numbers, it looks like there must be at least 750,000 people in the US alone who think 'Sure, that's probably my email address' on a regular basis.
}}

==Explanation==
{{w|Identity theft}} is the criminal method of assuming the identity of an unsuspecting person, usually to get credit in their name. While this is done deliberately, the comic introduces the idea of ''reverse'' identity theft: An older person with little knowledge of computers involuntarily uses another person's {{w|email address}} because he or she supposed it to be their own, forgetting their actual email address. Since most email addresses follow a generic pattern, they simply thought they had followed the pattern to conform with their own name, forgetting their real address. For example Rebecca Munroe could forget that her email address is rebecca.munroe42@gmail.com and give the telephone company another address, not her own, rmunroe@gmail.com, unaware that someone with the same initial and last name already owns the address.

The comic has [[Cueball]] call an elder person, who apparently gave Cueball's email address to the phone company, which now sends Cueball the bills. The person is not able to understand why this is not their email address (as it corresponds with their name) and is also very confused how Cueball got their phone number. The latter reveals a major problem of reverse identity theft: Using another person's email address for your own business matters exposes your own identity. The owner of the address can easily take advantage of the situation, leading to a scenario of regular identity theft.

Most internet users face at some point the message that their desired email address is "already taken". Because email addresses must be unique and only a limited set of characters is allowed, people with common names usually add numbers to their name.

Note that Google Mail ignores everything behind a plus sign. This is used as a way to create an {{w|email alias}}. The plus sign in the formula used in the comic should therefore considered to be only an indicator for concatenation, not a literal character in the address.

; Another case of reverse identity theft
This comic is about a person forgetting his or her own email address and typing it in the web form of a company.
Another case, which is not addressed in this comic, is when a person sends an email to the wrong address. For example, a friend of Rebecca's (see example above) could think her email address is rebecca.munroe@yahoo.com instead of rebecca.munroe42@gmail.com. This is not limited to older people as it would be natural to type michaelsinger@gmail.com instead of michaellsinger@gmail.com (assuming the address belongs to Michael L. Singer).

==Transcript==
:If your email address is [First initial]+[Last name]@gmail.com you gradually get to know lots of older people who have the same name pattern

:Cueball: Yes, I know it would make '''''sense''''' if that were your email address, but it's not.
:Person on the phone: But how did you get my number?
:Cueball: Your phone bill.

{{comic discussion}}
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Internet]]

Talk:1271: Highlighting

2013-10-02T14:09:50Z

Das-g: Double-Clicking: Doesn't it take a triple-click to select a paragraph?

I used to think I was crazy, but this webcomic tells me I'm not alone. It has nothing to do with marking your place as your reading, its more or less just something to keep your hands busy while reading an article. It does drive other people crazy. [[User:HardKase|HardKase]] ([[User talk:HardKase|talk]]) 02:11, 1 October 2013 (UTC)

Personally, I dislike it when the highlighted area includes either the beginning indent/tab or the ending indent/tab, so according to my standards, I'm satisfied with the highlighting in paragraphs 1-3, but not with 4-6. Saibot84 04:33, 30 September 2013 (UTC)
:There is nothing marked in paragraph 6, is there? --[[User:Chtz|Chtz]] ([[User talk:Chtz|talk]]) 07:07, 30 September 2013 (UTC)
::@Chtz, no there's nothing highlighted in paragraph 6, I meant "mark" as the score it was given. And while I'm here, I just noticed Randall corrected the spelling of "highlighted" in the text below the image. Should someone re-upload the image here? Saibot84 13:21, 30 September 2013 (UTC)

Why does he spell highlight like "hilight"? [[Special:Contributions/62.209.198.2|62.209.198.2]] 06:47, 30 September 2013 (UTC)
:Good question. Wiktionary allows {{Wiktionary|hilite}} as ''informal'', but says that {{Wiktionary|hilight}} is a "common misspelling". --[[User:Chtz|Chtz]] ([[User talk:Chtz|talk]]) 07:07, 30 September 2013 (UTC)
::I assumed the poor spelling was a subtle way of poking fun at a site that would do something as stupid as trying to prohibit highlighting. —[[User:Scs|Scs]] ([[User talk:Scs|talk]]) 03:20, 1 October 2013 (UTC)
:It seems the comic has now changed to spelling it "highlight" [[Special:Contributions/87.198.51.178|87.198.51.178]] 21:56, 1 October 2013 (UTC)

I'm so used to doing this that I know a few tricks and tiny strips of areas to click on in order to achieve symmetry in some tricky situations. [[Special:Contributions/131.215.169.224|131.215.169.224]] 07:53, 30 September 2013 (UTC)

: On some pages, I spent more time getting the highlights right than actually reading it --[[Special:Contributions/141.89.226.146|141.89.226.146]] 08:06, 30 September 2013 (UTC)
: You will all certainly hate Confluence's new editing of code. One micrometer and your h/l is undone {{unsigned ip|145.64.134.242}}

The most frustrating thing when it comes to highlighting: willing to select text on a long line (such as source code with no word wrap) only to have the mouse cursor move out of line, sabotaging your selection and location in the text. When pages are wider than the visible area, it should not jump to the left side when there are empty lines above/below a long line and you drag the selection up/down, instead, it should scroll left only as you drag the selection to the left. [[Special:Contributions/213.163.40.100|213.163.40.100]] 08:11, 30 September 2013 (UTC)
:If you have source code extensively above your horizontal screen size, you either have a very small screen or you should rethink your coding style. ;) --[[User:Chtz|Chtz]] ([[User talk:Chtz|talk]]) 08:35, 30 September 2013 (UTC)
:The most frustrating thing for ''me'' is mouse-selection (though thankfully not keyboard-selection) tends in my experience to assume that a mid-selected word means "the start of the word as well", at least in a browser context. Especially in forum conversations, when you get '<nowiki>[quote="oneperson"][quote="ofanotherperson"]Blah[/quote]Replyblah[/quote]</nowiki>' to reply to, and you want to highlight and excise the inner quote, for brevity, it often adjusts to include the "] after the "oneperson". Which is annoying and breaks your BBCode if you don't notice what you also accidentally deleted, and correct for it.
:Outside of such forum specifics, example 4 looks like a successfully chosen entire DIV-block. Which is a handy thing to be able to do, sometimes, but as long as you aren't ''forced'' to do so (beyond the "reading guide" purpose for the highlighting, with optional OCD, when it's probably not of concern). And watch out (as a variant of the title text) that the ''entire'' text block hasn't been A HREFed or similar (popular, these days, seemingly to cater for messy touchscreen tablet navigation, sometimes even without a navigate-to cursor change). This is why I have a Perl application that will politely scrape regularly-viewed pages, regexp and reformat as necessary and give a better/pre-processed interface to such information. Which is nice. [[Special:Contributions/178.98.253.80|178.98.253.80]] 16:27, 30 September 2013 (UTC)

I do this all the time too... my wife HATES it! --[[User:Jeff|Jeff]] ([[User talk:Jeff|talk]]) 12:13, 30 September 2013 (UTC)

I thought I was the only one. Although, I do a variation where I try to get the beginning of the selection directly over the end of the selection so that they vertically align and cause a glide reflection of sorts. [[Special:Contributions/96.254.46.231|96.254.46.231]] 14:06, 30 September 2013 (UTC)

;New file name
The picture hilighting.png should be moved to highlighting.png. BTW: There is still a typo at the ''click...'' statement.--[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 14:56, 30 September 2013 (UTC)

: is that necessary? Imho it should follow the misspelling of the article itself [[Special:Contributions/74.125.183.194|74.125.183.194]] 16:10, 30 September 2013 (UTC)
::It is done by an admin here and necessary because this list [[List_of_all_comics]] did render a wrong image link. Even when the original file name is in fact still "hilighting.png". --[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 19:52, 30 September 2013 (UTC)

;Maybe he fears a trojan?
About Randall panicking about the clicking-a-word-triggers-a-search-script, there are certain trojan-ish programs that tamper with the user's browser and install such a script in them. In that case, various words on any webpage would become clickable links that lead to advertisement and potentially other unsavory things.
I had to clean a family member's computer from one such infection; I'm no expert but sleuthing a bit led me to believe he might've got it from a seemingly innocuous video-to-gif freeware.
If I saw that word-popping behavior on a webpage again, my immediate thought would probably be that it's from a malignant script and I'd probably drop everything like Randall and start scanning my machine. [[Special:Contributions/67.71.33.122|67.71.33.122]] 16:17, 1 October 2013 (UTC)

;Can't select the text in the image either

Ironically, when text is displayed using an image like in the comic itself, it is also impossible to highlight text.
[[User:Tom0000|Tom0000]] ([[User talk:Tom0000|talk]]) 18:29, 1 October 2013 (UTC)

;Double-Clicking
While ''double''-clicking on a paragraph, chromium gives the patter of (5); firefox, on the other hand, selects text only, meaning no whitespaces (indent or margin) on either side of the text (not shown in comic). Running linux, I didn't try safari or i-ex. (On a last side-note, konqueror doesn't select the paragraph at all, but only the current line...) [[Special:Contributions/134.130.114.148|134.130.114.148]] 09:06, 2 October 2013 (UTC)
:In Firefox (in Gnome 3 on Ubuntu, in case this is desktop environment specific or operating system specific), I have to ''triple''-click to select a paragraph. Double-clicking would select a single word. --[[User:Das-g|Das-g]] ([[User talk:Das-g|talk]]) 14:09, 2 October 2013 (UTC)

Talk:1270: Functional

2013-09-28T15:01:22Z

Das-g:

I'm getting the adblock message at the top.. on mobile. On an unrelated note, I laughed and I don't even get it. Edit: I'm also seeing an ad while seeing the message.[[Special:Contributions/50.159.5.112|50.159.5.112]] 06:03, 27 September 2013 (UTC)
:This shouldn't be in comic discussion. I have written an updated version of our ad plugin that should only display a message to people using adblock, but we're using a sitenotice for now to test the waters. We'll take it down in about a day, promise!
:Also, would you be complicit if I were to move this to the relevant forum? '''[[User:Davidy22|{{Color|#707|David}}y²²]]'''[[User talk:Davidy22|<tt>[talk]</tt>]] 06:13, 27 September 2013 (UTC)
I removed that misguided explanation about lists that was not tail recursive. I'm also wondering if we should also mention that tail call optimization is also applicable to mutually recursive functions. In fact proper functional languages will always apply it whether the functions are recursive or not. Maybe emphasize the fact that "The efficiency and elegance are the literal rewards of tail recursion."?

I feel like the examples should be in Haskall, because that is the major functional language... [[Special:Contributions/67.160.98.42|67.160.98.42]] 09:48, 27 September 2013 (UTC) GBGamer117
:I think Hask'''e'''ll is more common, but I agree. And to emphasize the clarity, usually if/else blocks are avoided using pattern matching. I.e. tail-recursive factorial can be written as follows:
fac2::Integer->Integer-> Integer -- optional function header
fac2 acc 0 = acc
fac2 acc n = fac2 (acc*n) (n-1)

fac::Integer-> Integer
fac = fac2 1
:--[[User:Chtz|Chtz]] ([[User talk:Chtz|talk]]) 10:34, 27 September 2013 (UTC)
::Addendum: I did not dare to edit that yet, as I am unsure if this actually helps anyone not familiar with functional programming (and I don't think this page should include a Haskell crash course just to explain this comic). --[[User:Chtz|Chtz]] ([[User talk:Chtz|talk]]) 10:43, 27 September 2013 (UTC)
:::I think the pseudo-code examples currently in the explanation are easy enough to understand regardless of which programming languages one works in, but the [I'm assuming] Haskell example here in the comments makes no sense to me. Saibot84 12:51, 27 September 2013 (UTC)

I thought about the text a little and don't the the interpretation "tail recursion is an end unto itself" is correct. I think what's going on is a pun of the word "reward". "Tail recursion is it's own reword" makes more sense since you are calling the same function but are "rewording" the arguements. To reword means to re-express something with different words. --[[Special:Contributions/24.187.72.209|24.187.72.209]] 11:31, 27 September 2013 (UTC)

Why would you start a wall of text with TL;DR? Doesn't that belong at the end, followed by a very short synopsis? [[User:Smperron|Smperron]] ([[User talk:Smperron|talk]]) 13:17, 27 September 2013 (UTC)

Oy, this explanation doesn't actually explain anything. To start with, it needs a definition of "functional programming". Also, a single example of recursion should be plenty: this isn't a programmer's textbook. I really, really don't understand the reward/reword "pun" (if it is such a thing); is the "reword" version really in current use in functional programming circles? If it is, you need to highlight the o vs. a difference (bold and underline) to make it pop out - it took me four readings to notice it. Unfortunately, I don't understand these topics enough to even begin to edit the explanation. (Smperron is right: TL;DR belongs at the end, not the beginning, and it really can't be followed by a wall of text like this.) [[Special:Contributions/108.36.128.166|108.36.128.166]] 14:52, 27 September 2013 (UTC)

"tail recursion is its own reword" - The only instance of this on Google is this page. Searching for tail recursion reword on Google also yields no results on the first page that agree with the proposed usage in functional programming circles. I think the pun explanation should be taken out, as it's clearly wrong. -- [[Special:Contributions/67.170.217.103|67.170.217.103]] 15:55, 27 September 2013 (UTC)

I wasn't happy with the pun line this morning, and worked out what was niggling me earlier this evening, so I changed it to point out that the 'tail call' of a 'tail recursive' function is the end for *all* the invocations. That seems punnier to me. [[User:SleekWeasel|SleekWeasel]] ([[User talk:SleekWeasel|talk]]) 22:17, 27 September 2013 (UTC)

So.... can someone explain why the recursion code examples are written in Python? [[User:Schiffy|Schiffy]] ([[User_talk:Schiffy|Speak to me]]|[[Special:Contributions/Schiffy|What I've done]]) 13:30, 28 September 2013 (UTC)
:Why not? While python [http://neopythonic.blogspot.ch/2009/04/tail-recursion-elimination.html doesn't eliminate tail recursions] (i.e., it lacks the optimization mentioned in the explanation) it is well suited to illustrate the idiom/pattern. Even though there's little reason to use the pattern in python, one can show how it'd look like.
:In my experience, simple python code can easily be read (often correctly!) by programmers not knowing that language, which cannot be said about many functional languages. Therefore I tend to say that "python is executable pseudo-code", which makes it perfect for explanatory examples. (Unlike actual pseudo-code, it has well-defined semantics, but like pseudo-code, it's mostly readable for programmers not knowing its exact syntax.) --[[User:Das-g|Das-g]] ([[User talk:Das-g|talk]]) 15:01, 28 September 2013 (UTC)

Talk:273: Electromagnetic Spectrum

2013-08-13T22:30:43Z

Das-g: /* Mail-order x-ray glasses */ Page revision 43862 redone; Is the title text related to the X-Ray glasses' advertising?

"Light particles were formerly carried by the aether, which was decommissioned in 1897 due to budget cuts." Ohh, this is so INCOMPLETE, just read the comic, I still laughing and I can't stop. --[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 18:20, 6 July 2013 (UTC)

Now why did Randall Munroe go with the old 1960s notion of putting gamma/cosmic rays at the high end of the spectrum. Back then certain events in detectors were thought to be caused by photons of higher frequency than gamma rays, but now those are known to instead be made by very energetic charged nuclei not electromagnetism. Thus "cosmic rays" not part of EM spectrum at all. --[[User:RalphSiegler|RalphSiegler]] ([[User talk:RalphSiegler|talk]]) 15:07, 7 July 2013 (UTC)

;Any help here is welcome!

...but please discuss major changes here before. The page is still marked as incomplete, I am happy about any new ideas.--[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 21:42, 15 July 2013 (UTC)
:Going forward, I'll assume {{w|WP:BOLD|Wikipedia's "Be bold" guideline}} applies to this wiki (although not part of the wikimedia project), too. Thus, I'll continue to make changes I consider uncontroversial without first discussing them, if I'm sufficiently confident in them, including major ones. In judging how controversial a potential change might be, I'll take the respective article's edit history and talk page into account. I try to write good edit summaries, so these should usually give you my reason or motivation for making the edit it question. If you revert them, please {{w|Wikipedia:Revert only when necessary#Explain_reverts|do tell why you disagree with the specific edit}} ({{w|Wikipedia:Don't revert due solely to "no consensus"|except that is hasn't previously been discussed}}) in the edit summary or on the talk page, so that a discussion can actually start. --[[User:Das-g|Das-g]] ([[User talk:Das-g|talk]]) 12:49, 6 August 2013 (UTC)

;Some suggestions
* The year 1897 might refer to {{w|Joseph Larmor}}'s publication about the later so-called {{w|Lorentz transformation}}.
* "The Wave" might also refer to the {{w|The Third Wave|experiment}}/{{w|The Wave (novel)|novel}}.
* The actual electromagnetic spectrum of toasters is (mostly) in the IR range.
* I'm pretty sure there is some kind of joke w.r.t censorship and the Patriot Act (afaik the Patriot Act is actually more the opposite of censoring, though i.e. making more information available—to intelligence agencies)
* I agree with [[User:Das-g]] that X-Ray glasses unlikely refer to {{w|full-body scanner}}s
--[[User:Chtz|Chtz]] ([[User talk:Chtz|talk]]) 00:23, 16 July 2013 (UTC)

;Mail-order X-Ray glasses
I doubt "mail-order X-Ray glasses" is a reference to full body scanners, for the following two reasons:
# {{w|Full body scanner}}s are heavy and bulky equipment. While —if you'd manage to order one— you can probably have it shipped to a destination of your choice, delivery will most likely not happen by mail, which would be the definition of a {{w|mail order}}.
# While it might be possible to connect certain {{w|Stereoscopy#Head-mounted_displays|VR goggles}} or similar glasses-like periphery to some full body scanners, they are usually operated with screens that do not resemble {{w|spectacles}}.

In my opinion, it's much more likely that a once popular {{w|X-Ray Specs (novelty)|a novelty item}} that could actually be ordered from catalogues/adverts and could sent by mail (because it was flat and light, consisting of cardboard and plastic foil) is being referenced. 
-- [[User:Das-g|Das-g]] ([[User talk:Das-g|talk]]) 21:34, 29 July 2013 (UTC)

:It's been a week and there have not been any replies, so if there still aren't any for another week (i.e. until 2013-08-13) I'll consider [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=273:_Electromagnetic_Spectrum&diff=43862&oldid=43142 my first change] to this article undisputed and re-do it. However, I ''will not'' re-do my [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=273:_Electromagnetic_Spectrum&diff=next&oldid=43862 second change] without explicitly putting it up for discussion here on the talk page, first, as I expect it to be a bit more controversial. (I'll put the second change up for discussion if/when I re-do the first change, as the second only makes sense if the first is acceptable, anyway.) --[[User:Das-g|Das-g]] ([[User talk:Das-g|talk]]) 12:08, 6 August 2013 (UTC)
::Because there still weren't any replies, I've [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=273:_Electromagnetic_Spectrum&diff=46445&oldid=46412 redone my first change]. --[[User:Das-g|Das-g]] ([[User talk:Das-g|talk]]) 22:30, 13 August 2013 (UTC)

;X-ray glasses and your sister
Is the second sentence of the title text ("Also sometimes I try to picture your sister naked.") a reference to how X-Ray Specs were {{w|X-Ray Specs (novelty)#Novelty_value|sometimes advertized}}? 
--[[User:Das-g|Das-g]] ([[User talk:Das-g|talk]]) 22:30, 13 August 2013 (UTC)

273: Electromagnetic Spectrum

2013-08-13T22:16:36Z

Das-g: /* The comic in detail */ Redid revision 43862 as announced on talk page, because I'm still pretty sure you can't easily mail-order full-body scanners

{{comic
| number = 273
| date = June 6, 2007
| title = Electromagnetic Spectrum
| image = electromagnetic spectrum.png
| titletext = Sometimes I try to picture what everything would look like if the whole spectrum were compressed into the visible spectrum. Also sometimes I try to picture your sister naked.
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete}}
This panel is a play on the {{w|Electromagnetic spectrum}}, showing a large piece of the spectrum and examples of phenomena that absorb or emit light along the spectra. Such spectra are commonly used in physics or astronomy education contexts when discussing the nature of light. This comic extends it to absurd lengths by including examples that may be variously hyper-specific, humorous, or non-EM phenomena.

The first two scales at the bottom show the wavelength λ (in meters) and the frequency f (in Hertz) of the wave. The values are related as λ=c/f, where c is the speed of light. The last line showing Q(Gal²/Coloumb) is nonsense; Gal ({{w|Gallon}}) is a unit of liquid volume measurement, and Coloumb is a likely typo for {{w|Coulomb}}, the SI unit of electric charge. Photons do not have volume in the traditional sense of the word, and are electrically neutral (thus carrying no charge).

In 1887 the {{w|Michelson–Morley experiment}} proved for the first time that the {{w|aether theory}} was wrong. The year (1897) cited underneath the comic title may be an incorrectly-dated reference to this experiment. Nevertheless, after that time many physicists like {{w|Hendrik Lorentz}} or {{w|Joseph Larmor}} were still working on some aether theories. {{w|Albert Einstein}}s theory of {{w|Special Relativity}} in 1905 helped explain the theoretical basis for lack of aether and was a definitive step in discarding previous work.

===The comic in detail===
The wavelength starts at high values on the left and decreases in a {{w|logarithmic scale}} to the right. As a result of the inverse relationship between frequency and wavelength, the frequency scale starts at low values and increases logarithmically. The nonsense ''Q'' parameter does not change monotonically with either frequency or wavelength.

Both scales are labeled with powers of ten and with {{w|metric prefix}}es. For frequencies above 100 {{w|tera-}}Hertz, it just says "other entertaining Greek prefixes like {{w|peta-}} {{w|exa-}} and zappa-". The last prefix should be {{w|zetta-}} (denoting a factor of 10^21), but is intentionally mislabeled, referencing musician {{w|Frank Zappa}}.

'''Power and Telephone'''
*Slinky waves by a coil. These can be either longitudinal or transverse waves, depending on the manner in which the Slinky is driven.
*The human audio spectrum (from 20Hz to 20kHz). The "high-pitched noise in empty rooms" refers to {{w|tinnitus}}.
*The "{{w|Wave (audience)}}" in a stadium. This is an example of a transverse wave phenomenon.
*{{w|CIA}} (Secret) is a joke about all the wiretapping on phones and more.

'''Radio and TV'''
*"Shouting car dealership commercials" is a reference to the massive and often extreme advertising for car retailers.
*{{w|Ham radio}} is a private amateur radio used for communication. "Kosher radio" is playing with ambiguousness of the word HAM. {{w|Kosher}} is a Jewish law for food.
*Some frequencies of famous FM broadcast stations. "99.3 The Fox" is a modern rock station in {{w|Vancouver, British Columbia}}. "101.5 The Badger" is a classic rock station in {{w|Madison, Wisconsin}} (home of the University of Wisconsin, whose mascot is a badger). "106.3 The Frightened Squirrel" is not a real station, but makes a play off the animal names commonly used as nicknames for either radio stations, programs, or hosts.
*The rays controlling {{w|Steve Ballmer}} are nonsense, but may reference real {{w|Balmer series}}, a set of transitions in the hydrogen atom that produce photons in the optical and ultraviolet light range.
*AM {{w|Amplitude modulation}}, VHF {{w|Very high frequency}}, and UHF {{w|Ultra high frequency}} are frequency ranges approved for commercial broadcasting companies.
*Cell phone cancer rays is playing with the belief of many people that cell phones may cause cancer (see also [[925: Cell Phones]]).
*Aliens belong to a range slightly higher than the frequencies used by human communications. So they can't hear us.

'''Microwaves'''
*{{w|SETI}} is the "Search for ExtraTerrestrial Intelligence" project trying to find messages from aliens. Most genuine astronomical research in this area concentrates in the microwave and radio regimes. Since aliens work at different frequencies on this diagram, that might explain why there has of yet been no positive results from SETI.
*{{w|WIFI}} is the standard for wireless computer communications.
*FHF is maybe "Fulminant high frequency"; it is not an abbreviation for any broadcasting frequency ranges.
*{{w|Gravity wave}}s are a phenomenon in fluid dynamics, and distinct from {{w|Gravitational wave}}s. Neither is related to electromagnetic emission.
*Brain waves could be a reference to {{w|Neural oscillation}}.
*{{w|Sulawesi}} is an island in the Indian Ocean that belongs to Indonesia.

'''Toasters'''
*This is a pun on the microwave oven, which emits light at its namesake frequencies to cook food. Microwaves work efficiently due to the presence of water molecules in food, which are rotationally excited by microwave-wavelength photons and thus heat the food. Toasters do emit infrared and visible radiation to cook food, although the process primarily operates through conduction rather than radiation.

'''IR (infrared)'''
*{{w|Infrared}} belongs to heat. The reference to {{w|Superman}} covers his heat vision power, which has been used many times within the canon. American comedian {{w|Jack Black}} starred in a proposed scifi/comedy television show in 1999 titled "{{w|Heat Vision and Jack}}", which covered the adventures of an astronaut and his talking motorcycle.

'''Visible light'''
*At the bottom it is split into "visible light" and "visible dark". While dark is the opposite of light in many grammatical context, in the physical sense it only reflects the absence of visible photons.
*The human visible spectrum is shown by all colors, including {{w|octarine}}, the colour of magic on the fictional {{w|Discworld}} (in the books by {{w|Terry Pratchett}}.
*On top there are two {{w|absorption spectrum|absorption spectra}}, hydrogen and helium. These are the two most common elements in the Sun, and their presence in the Sun's outer envelope and Earth's atmosphere does block some small frequencies from the Sun. Next come two cases of {{w|Absorption (chemistry)|absorption}} in the chemical/technical meaning:
**{{w|Depends}} is a brand of underwear for adults experiencing urinary or fecal incontinence. The color is consequently yellow.
**{{w|Tampax}} is a brand of tampon. The color is red.

'''UV (ultraviolet)'''
*{{w|Ultraviolet}} light can not be seen by humans. No entries here.

'''Miller Light'''
*{{w|Miller Lite}} is a lager beer. "Light beer" typically has a lower alcohol content and calorie count, although it is also usually a light color for beer.

'''Empty section'''
*"Main Death Star Laser" is a reference to {{w|Star Wars}}.

'''Censored under {{w|Patriot Act}}'''
*No entry because it's censored.

'''X-rays'''
*Potatoes absorb and reflect radiation waves the same way humans do, because their chemistry and water content is very similar to the human body. Look here: [http://www.usatoday.com/story/todayinthesky/2012/12/24/boeing-wifi-potatoes/1789109/ Boeing uses potatoes to improve Wi-Fi signals].
*Mail-order x-ray glasses refers to {{w|X-Ray Specs (novelty)|a novelty item}} based on an optical effect, not actual x-rays. {{w|Google Glass}} did not exist at the time when this comic was painted.

'''Gamma/Cosmic rays'''
*Blogorays are emitted by the {{w|Blogosphere}}, only [[Randall]] can detect them.
*Sinister Google Projects: The first result at a search on {{w|Google}} is this: [http://ca.askmen.com/top_10/entertainment/top-10-sinister-google-activities.html Top 10: Sinister Google Activities].

==Transcript==
:[Everything is one big panel.]

:The Electromagnetic Spectrum

:These waves travel through the electromagnetic field. They were formerly carried by the aether, which was decommissioned in 1897 due to budget cuts.

:Other waves:
:*Slinky waves [Cueball and Megan hold the ends of a tangled slinky.]
:*Sound waves [There is a snippet of a frequency band. Between 20 Hz and 20 KHz is labeled "Audible Sound." Towards the top is a line labeled "That high-pitched noise in empty rooms."]
:*The wave [A row of people does a wave.]

:[Three parallel scales are across the bottom. The first is lambda (m), ranging from 100Mm to 100fm; second is f (Hz), which starts at 1 Hz and reaches 100 THz about 2/3 of the way along, after which the labels read "other entertaining greek prefixes like peta- exa- and zappa-"; last is Q (Gal^2/Coloumb), whose labels are 17, 117, pi, 17, 42, theta, e^pi-pi, -2, 540^50, and 11^2. Above the scales and lined up accurately with the first two are the following:]

:*Power & Telephone (100Mm to 1km)
:*Radio & TV (1km to somewhere between 1m and 10cm); above that are many boxes showing subranges (AM, VHF, UHF, 14/7 NPR pledge drives, a very thin band for the space rays controlling Steve Ballmer, 99.3 "The Fox," 101.5 "The Badger," 106.3 "The Frightened Squirrel," cell phone cancer rays, CIA, ham radio, kosher radio, shouting car dealership commercials.)
:*Microwaves (a bit more than 10cm to a bit more than 1mm); it also has subranges (aliens, just below SETI, wifi, FHF, brain waves, sulawesi, gravity)
:*Toasters (about 1mm to about 100 micrometers)
:*IR (about 100 micrometers to somewhere between 1 micrometer and 1 nm); above that is a bell graph labeled "Superman"s heat vision," with a motorcycle driving up the left side labeled "Jack Black's Heat Vision."
:*Visible light (and, under it, visible dark); above that is a bell graph labeled "sunlight." There's a breakout chart above it showing the visible spectrum from 700nm (red) to 450nm (violet). There's an arrow pointing to where octarine would be, somewhere off to the side. Above that are bars showing the absorption spectra for hydrogen, helium, Depends(R) (yellow only) and Tampax(R) (red only).
:*UV (about 100nm to about 10nm)
:*Miller Light (a thin bar around 10nm)
:*An unlabeled section with a thin line above it showing the frequency of the main death star laser
:*A blocked-off portion labeled "Censored Under Patriot Act."
:*X-rays (from about 1nm to about 10pm); a line above shows the frequency of mail-order x-ray glasses. Somewhere vaguely above the 10pm mark is a potato.
:*Gamma/cosmic rays (10pm and smaller); above that is a bar marked Sinister Google Projects which also trails off into higher frequencies, and blogorays, which are slightly lower.

{{comic discussion}}
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Megan]]
[[Category:Science]]
[[Category:Comics with color]]
[[Category:Charts]]

Talk:273: Electromagnetic Spectrum

2013-08-06T12:49:23Z

Das-g: Actually, how I'll handle future changes is unrelated to X-Ray glasses, so moved that part of my reply to /* Any help here is welcome! */

Talk:273: Electromagnetic Spectrum

2013-08-06T12:43:43Z

Das-g: /* Mail-order x-ray glasses */ How I'll handle future changes: Unless there already is a controversy, "Edit first, discuss later"

"Light particles were formerly carried by the aether, which was decommissioned in 1897 due to budget cuts." Ohh, this is so INCOMPLETE, just read the comic, I still laughing and I can't stop. --[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 18:20, 6 July 2013 (UTC)

Now why did Randall Munroe go with the old 1960s notion of putting gamma/cosmic rays at the high end of the spectrum. Back then certain events in detectors were thought to be caused by photons of higher frequency than gamma rays, but now those are known to instead be made by very energetic charged nuclei not electromagnetism. Thus "cosmic rays" not part of EM spectrum at all. --[[User:RalphSiegler|RalphSiegler]] ([[User talk:RalphSiegler|talk]]) 15:07, 7 July 2013 (UTC)

;Any help here is welcome!

...but please discuss major changes here before. The page is still marked as incomplete, I am happy about any new ideas.--[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 21:42, 15 July 2013 (UTC)

;Some suggestions
* The year 1897 might refer to {{w|Joseph Larmor}}'s publication about the later so-called {{w|Lorentz transformation}}.
* "The Wave" might also refer to the {{w|The Third Wave|experiment}}/{{w|The Wave (novel)|novel}}.
* The actual electromagnetic spectrum of toasters is (mostly) in the IR range.
* I'm pretty sure there is some kind of joke w.r.t censorship and the Patriot Act (afaik the Patriot Act is actually more the opposite of censoring, though i.e. making more information available—to intelligence agencies)
* I agree with [[User:Das-g]] that X-Ray glasses unlikely refer to {{w|full-body scanner}}s
--[[User:Chtz|Chtz]] ([[User talk:Chtz|talk]]) 00:23, 16 July 2013 (UTC)

;Mail-order X-Ray glasses
I doubt "mail-order X-Ray glasses" is a reference to full body scanners, for the following two reasons:
# {{w|Full body scanner}}s are heavy and bulky equipment. While —if you'd manage to order one— you can probably have it shipped to a destination of your choice, delivery will most likely not happen by mail, which would be the definition of a {{w|mail order}}.
# While it might be possible to connect certain {{w|Stereoscopy#Head-mounted_displays|VR goggles}} or similar glasses-like periphery to some full body scanners, they are usually operated with screens that do not resemble {{w|spectacles}}.

In my opinion, it's much more likely that a once popular {{w|X-Ray Specs (novelty)|a novelty item}} that could actually be ordered from catalogues/adverts and could sent by mail (because it was flat and light, consisting of cardboard and plastic foil) is being referenced. 
-- [[User:Das-g|Das-g]] ([[User talk:Das-g|talk]]) 21:34, 29 July 2013 (UTC)

:It's been a week and there have not been any replies, so if there still aren't any for another week (i.e. until 2013-08-13) I'll consider [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=273:_Electromagnetic_Spectrum&diff=43862&oldid=43142 my first change] to this article undisputed and re-do it. However, I ''will not'' re-do my [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=273:_Electromagnetic_Spectrum&diff=next&oldid=43862 second change] without explicitly putting it up for discussion here on the talk page, first, as I expect it to be a bit more controversial. (I'll put the second change up for discussion if/when I re-do the first change, as the second only makes sense if the first is acceptable, anyway.)
:Going forward, I'll assume {{w|WP:BOLD|Wikipedia's "Be bold" guideline}} applies to this wiki (although not part of the wikimedia project), too. Thus, I'll continue to make changes I consider uncontroversial without first discussing them, if I'm sufficiently confident in them, including major ones. In judging how controversial a potential change might be, I'll take the respective article's edit history and talk page into account. I try to write good edit summaries, so these should usually give you my reason or motivation for making the edit it question. If you revert them, please {{w|Wikipedia:Revert only when necessary#Explain_reverts|do tell why you disagree with the specific edit}} ({{w|Wikipedia:Don't revert due solely to "no consensus"|except that is hasn't previously been discussed}}) in the edit summary or on the talk page, so that a discussion can actually start. --[[User:Das-g|Das-g]] ([[User talk:Das-g|talk]]) 12:43, 6 August 2013 (UTC)

Talk:273: Electromagnetic Spectrum

2013-08-06T12:08:03Z

Das-g: /* Mail-order x-ray glasses */ I CAN HAZ DISKESHN PLZ?

Talk:273: Electromagnetic Spectrum

2013-07-29T21:34:46Z

Das-g: /* Mail-order x-ray glasses */ IMHO not full body scanners. No actual ones, anyway.

Talk:407: Cheap GPS

2013-07-29T20:48:36Z

Das-g: /* Hit the pot */ my motivation to mention hit-the-pot

In an inversion of Title-text, I did actually make a Perl script for Geohashing which (for a given target) gave a bearing and distance to target from the interogated GPS USB dongle's idea of my current location... But the bearing was absolute, with no way of determining which relative direction I (or at least the laptop/dongle) was facing. (I had decided that direction of travel could not be reliably worked out from the last pair or trio of locations, given that when it mattered most I was probably tramping quickly back and forth over moorland looking for some specific feature of vegetation or drainage matching up with the aerial photos). Examination of moss on stones or trees (or satellite TV dishes on houses, for the urban environment) was occasionally needed to narrow down orientation. Or approximating the old analogue watch-hands trick with the sun, in my head (having only the digital time). [[Special:Contributions/178.107.249.215|178.107.249.215]] 00:13, 18 June 2013 (UTC)

== Hit the pot ==

Is the game ''{{w|de:Topfschlagen|Topfschlagen}}'' known outside Germany? There is only a German entry on wikipedia (as of today). For me this kind of game is actually also the first thing that came to mind. Usually besides ''hot/cold'' ("heiß", "warm"/"kalt") comparative forms of these adjectives are used to indicate the current direction: e.g. ''warmer'' ("wärmer") if the seeker currently gets closer to the goal. --[[User:Chtz|Chtz]] ([[User talk:Chtz|talk]]) 21:39, 15 July 2013 (UTC)
:I actually don't know, but [http://dict.leo.org/forum/viewUnsolvedquery.php?idThread=179590&idForum=1&lang=en&lp=ende#followup4 this forum entry on the leo.org dictionary site] confirms that the cold/hot scale is used in games in English, too, so I thought it was worth mentioning at least one of them. If someone knows another such game that is better known internationally, feel free to substitute that. --[[User:Das-g|Das-g]] ([[User talk:Das-g|talk]]) 20:48, 29 July 2013 (UTC)

273: Electromagnetic Spectrum

2013-07-15T21:05:21Z

Das-g: /* The comic in detail */ Is the title text related to the X-Ray glasses' advertizing?

{{comic
| number = 273
| date = June 6, 2007
| title = Electromagnetic Spectrum
| image = electromagnetic spectrum.png
| titletext = Sometimes I try to picture what everything would look like if the whole spectrum were compressed into the visible spectrum. Also sometimes I try to picture your sister naked.
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete}}
This is a play on the {{w|Electromagnetic Spectrum}} where it shows a large piece of the spectrum and what each wavelength/frequency corresponds to. The first two scales at the bottom show the wavelength λ (in Meters) and the frequency f (in Hertz). Both values are related as λ=c/f, where c is the speed of light. The last line showing Q(Gal²/Coloumb) is just nonsense, Cal could be {{w|Gallon}} and Coloumb is maybe a typo for {{w|Coulomb}}.

In 1887 the {{w|Michelson–Morley experiment}} proved for the first time that the {{w|aether theory}} was wrong. The year 1897 must be a typo by Randall. Nevertheless, after that time many physicists like {{w|Hendrik Lorentz}} or {{w|Joseph Larmor}} were still working on some aether theories, it was solved to an "non-aether" theory by {{w|Albert Einstein}}s theory of {{w|Special Relativity}} in 1905.

===The comic in detail===
The wavelength starts at high values on the left and decreasing in a {{w|logarithmic scale}} to the right. Because λ=c/f the is frequency is starting at low values and increasing in a logarithmic scale.

'''Power and Telephone'''
*Slinky waves by a coil
*The human audio spectrum (from 20Hz to 20KHz). The "high-pitched noise in empty rooms" refers to {{w|tinnitus}}.
*The "wave" in a stadium.
*CIA (Secret) is a joke about all the wiretapping on phones and more.

'''Radio and TV'''
*"Shouting car dealership commercials" is a pun to all the massive advertising on cars.
*{{w|HAM radio}} is a private amateur radio used for communication. "Kosher radio" is playing with ambiguousness of the word HAM. {{w|Kosher}} is a Jewish law for food.
*Some frequencies of famous broadcast stations.
*The rays controlling Steve Ballmer are just nonsense. The real {{w|Balmer series}} does belong to visible and ultraviolet light.
*AM {{w|Amplitude modulation}}, VHF {{w|Very high frequency}}, and UHF {{w|Ultra high frequency}} are frequency ranges approved to commercial broadcasting companies.
*Cell phone cancer rays is playing with the belief of many people that cell phones may cause cancer.
*Aliens belong to a range slightly higher than the frequencies used by human communications. So they can't hear us.

'''Microwaves'''
*{{w|SETI}} is the "Search for ExtraTerrestrial Intelligence" project trying to find messages from aliens. Since aliens working at different frequencies there is still no result.
*{{w|WIFI}} is the standard for wireless computer communications.
*FHF is maybe "Fulminant high frequency", it just does not exit.
*{{w|Gravity wave}}s belong to fluid dynamics, do not mix it up with {{w|Gravitational wave}}.
*Brain waves could be a reference to {{w|Neural oscillation}}.
*{{w|Sulawesi}} is just an island in the Indian Ocean and belonging to Indonesia.

'''Toasters'''
*This is just a pun to microwaves, no entry is at this frequency range.

'''IR (infrared)'''
*{{w|Infrared}} belongs to heat. While {{w|Superman}}s peak is very high the peak of {{w|Jack Black}}, an American comedian and more, is clearly lower.

'''Visible light'''
*At the bottom it is split into "visible light" and "visible dark", of course darkness is not visible.
*The human visible spectrum is shown by all colors, including {{w|octarine}}, the colour of magic on the {{w|Discworld}}.
*On top there are two {{w|absorption spectrum|absorption spectra}}, Hydrogen and Helium. This most common elements at our sun do block some small frequencies from the light the sun does emit.
*{{w|Depends}} is a brand of underwear for adults experiencing urinary or fecal incontinence. The color is consequently yellow.
*{{w|Tampax}} is a brand of tampon. The color is red.

'''UV (ultraviolet)'''
*{{w|Ultraviolet}} light can not be seen by humans but it causes out tan. No entries here.

'''Miller light'''
*{{w|Miller Lite}} is a lager beer.

'''Empty section'''
*"Main Death Star Laser" is just a reference to {{w|Star Wars}}.

'''Censored under patriot act'''
*No entry because it's censored.

'''X-Rays'''
*Potatoes absorb and reflect radiation waves the same way humans do, because their chemistry and water content is very similar to the human body. Look here: [http://www.usatoday.com/story/todayinthesky/2012/12/24/boeing-wifi-potatoes/1789109/ Boeing uses potatoes to improve Wi-Fi signals].
*Mail-order x-ray glasses refers to {{w|X-Ray Specs (novelty)|a novelty item}} based on an optical effect, not actual x-rays. The second sentence of the title text might refer to how they were {{w|X-Ray Specs (novelty)#Novelty_value|sometimes advertized}}. {{w|Google Glass}} did not exist at the time when this comic was painted.

'''Gamma/Cosmic rays'''
*Blogorays are emitted by the {{w|Blogosphere}}, only [[Randall]] can detect them.
*Sinister Google Projects: The first result at a search on {{w|Google}} is this: [http://ca.askmen.com/top_10/entertainment/top-10-sinister-google-activities.html Top 10: Sinister Google Activities].

==Transcript==
:[Everything is one big panel.]

:The Electromagnetic Spectrum

:These waves travel through the electromagnetic field. They were formerly carried by the aether, which was decommissioned in 1897 due to budget cuts.

:Other waves:
:*Slinky waves [Cueball and Megan hold the ends of a tangled slinky.]
:*Sound waves [There is a snippet of a frequency band. Between 20 Hz and 20 KHz is labeled "Audible Sound." Towards the top is a line labeled "That high-pitched noise in empty rooms."]
:*The wave [A row of people does a wave.]

:[Three parallel scales are across the bottom. The first is lambda (m), ranging from 100Mm to 100fm; second is f (Hz), which starts at 1 Hz and reaches 100 THz about 2/3 of the way along, after which the labels read "other entertaining greek prefixes like peta- exa- and zappa-"; last is Q (Gal^2/Coloumb), whose labels are 17, 117, pi, 17, 42, theta, e^pi-pi, -2, 540^50, and 11^2. Above the scales and lined up accurately with the first two are the following:]

:*Power & Telephone (100Mm to 1km)
:*Radio & TV (1km to somewhere between 1m and 10cm); above that are many boxes showing subranges (AM, VHF, UHF, 14/7 NPR pledge drives, a very thin band for the space rays controlling Steve Ballmer, 99.3 "The Fox," 101.5 "The Badger," 106.3 "The Frightened Squirrel," cell phone cancer rays, CIA, ham radio, kosher radio, shouting car dealership commercials.)
:*Microwaves (a bit more than 10cm to a bit more than 1mm); it also has subranges (aliens, just below SETI, wifi, FHF, brain waves, sulawesi, gravity)
:*Toasters (about 1mm to about 100 micrometers)
:*IR (about 100 micrometers to somewhere between 1 micrometer and 1 nm); above that is a bell graph labeled "Superman"s heat vision," with a motorcycle driving up the left side labeled "Jack Black's Heat Vision."
:*Visible light (and, under it, visible dark); above that is a bell graph labeled "sunlight." There's a breakout chart above it showing the visible spectrum from 700nm (red) to 450nm (violet). There's an arrow pointing to where octarine would be, somewhere off to the side. Above that are bars showing the absorption spectra for hydrogen, helium, Depends(R) (yellow only) and Tampax(R) (red only).
:*UV (about 100nm to about 10nm)
:*Miller Light (a thin bar around 10nm)
:*An unlabeled section with a thin line above it showing the frequency of the main death star laser
:*A blocked-off portion labeled "Censored Under Patriot Act."
:*X-rays (from about 1nm to about 10pm); a line above shows the frequency of mail-order x-ray glasses. Somewhere vaguely above the 10pm mark is a potato.
:*Gamma/cosmic rays (10pm and smaller); above that is a bar marked Sinister Google Projects which also trails off into higher frequencies, and blogorays, which are slightly lower.

{{comic discussion}}
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Megan]]
[[Category:Science]]
[[Category:Comics with color]]
[[Category:Charts]]

273: Electromagnetic Spectrum

2013-07-15T20:58:45Z

Das-g: /* The comic in detail */ I'm pretty sure you can't easily mail-order full-body scanners

{{comic
| number = 273
| date = June 6, 2007
| title = Electromagnetic Spectrum
| image = electromagnetic spectrum.png
| titletext = Sometimes I try to picture what everything would look like if the whole spectrum were compressed into the visible spectrum. Also sometimes I try to picture your sister naked.
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete}}
This is a play on the {{w|Electromagnetic Spectrum}} where it shows a large piece of the spectrum and what each wavelength/frequency corresponds to. The first two scales at the bottom show the wavelength λ (in Meters) and the frequency f (in Hertz). Both values are related as λ=c/f, where c is the speed of light. The last line showing Q(Gal²/Coloumb) is just nonsense, Cal could be {{w|Gallon}} and Coloumb is maybe a typo for {{w|Coulomb}}.

In 1887 the {{w|Michelson–Morley experiment}} proved for the first time that the {{w|aether theory}} was wrong. The year 1897 must be a typo by Randall. Nevertheless, after that time many physicists like {{w|Hendrik Lorentz}} or {{w|Joseph Larmor}} were still working on some aether theories, it was solved to an "non-aether" theory by {{w|Albert Einstein}}s theory of {{w|Special Relativity}} in 1905.

===The comic in detail===
The wavelength starts at high values on the left and decreasing in a {{w|logarithmic scale}} to the right. Because λ=c/f the is frequency is starting at low values and increasing in a logarithmic scale.

'''Power and Telephone'''
*Slinky waves by a coil
*The human audio spectrum (from 20Hz to 20KHz). The "high-pitched noise in empty rooms" refers to {{w|tinnitus}}.
*The "wave" in a stadium.
*CIA (Secret) is a joke about all the wiretapping on phones and more.

'''Radio and TV'''
*"Shouting car dealership commercials" is a pun to all the massive advertising on cars.
*{{w|HAM radio}} is a private amateur radio used for communication. "Kosher radio" is playing with ambiguousness of the word HAM. {{w|Kosher}} is a Jewish law for food.
*Some frequencies of famous broadcast stations.
*The rays controlling Steve Ballmer are just nonsense. The real {{w|Balmer series}} does belong to visible and ultraviolet light.
*AM {{w|Amplitude modulation}}, VHF {{w|Very high frequency}}, and UHF {{w|Ultra high frequency}} are frequency ranges approved to commercial broadcasting companies.
*Cell phone cancer rays is playing with the belief of many people that cell phones may cause cancer.
*Aliens belong to a range slightly higher than the frequencies used by human communications. So they can't hear us.

'''Microwaves'''
*{{w|SETI}} is the "Search for ExtraTerrestrial Intelligence" project trying to find messages from aliens. Since aliens working at different frequencies there is still no result.
*{{w|WIFI}} is the standard for wireless computer communications.
*FHF is maybe "Fulminant high frequency", it just does not exit.
*{{w|Gravity wave}}s belong to fluid dynamics, do not mix it up with {{w|Gravitational wave}}.
*Brain waves could be a reference to {{w|Neural oscillation}}.
*{{w|Sulawesi}} is just an island in the Indian Ocean and belonging to Indonesia.

'''Toasters'''
*This is just a pun to microwaves, no entry is at this frequency range.

'''IR (infrared)'''
*{{w|Infrared}} belongs to heat. While {{w|Superman}}s peak is very high the peak of {{w|Jack Black}}, an American comedian and more, is clearly lower.

'''Visible light'''
*At the bottom it is split into "visible light" and "visible dark", of course darkness is not visible.
*The human visible spectrum is shown by all colors, including {{w|octarine}}, the colour of magic on the {{w|Discworld}}.
*On top there are two {{w|absorption spectrum|absorption spectra}}, Hydrogen and Helium. This most common elements at our sun do block some small frequencies from the light the sun does emit.
*{{w|Depends}} is a brand of underwear for adults experiencing urinary or fecal incontinence. The color is consequently yellow.
*{{w|Tampax}} is a brand of tampon. The color is red.

'''UV (ultraviolet)'''
*{{w|Ultraviolet}} light can not be seen by humans but it causes out tan. No entries here.

'''Miller light'''
*{{w|Miller Lite}} is a lager beer.

'''Empty section'''
*"Main Death Star Laser" is just a reference to {{w|Star Wars}}.

'''Censored under patriot act'''
*No entry because it's censored.

'''X-Rays'''
*Potatoes absorb and reflect radiation waves the same way humans do, because their chemistry and water content is very similar to the human body. Look here: [http://www.usatoday.com/story/todayinthesky/2012/12/24/boeing-wifi-potatoes/1789109/ Boeing uses potatoes to improve Wi-Fi signals].
*Mail-order x-ray glasses refers to {{w|X-Ray Specs (novelty)|a novelty item}} based on an optical effect, not actual x-rays. {{w|Google Glass}} did not exist at the time when this comic was painted.

'''Gamma/Cosmic rays'''
*Blogorays are emitted by the {{w|Blogosphere}}, only [[Randall]] can detect them.
*Sinister Google Projects: The first result at a search on {{w|Google}} is this: [http://ca.askmen.com/top_10/entertainment/top-10-sinister-google-activities.html Top 10: Sinister Google Activities].

==Transcript==
:[Everything is one big panel.]

:The Electromagnetic Spectrum

:These waves travel through the electromagnetic field. They were formerly carried by the aether, which was decommissioned in 1897 due to budget cuts.

:Other waves:
:*Slinky waves [Cueball and Megan hold the ends of a tangled slinky.]
:*Sound waves [There is a snippet of a frequency band. Between 20 Hz and 20 KHz is labeled "Audible Sound." Towards the top is a line labeled "That high-pitched noise in empty rooms."]
:*The wave [A row of people does a wave.]

:[Three parallel scales are across the bottom. The first is lambda (m), ranging from 100Mm to 100fm; second is f (Hz), which starts at 1 Hz and reaches 100 THz about 2/3 of the way along, after which the labels read "other entertaining greek prefixes like peta- exa- and zappa-"; last is Q (Gal^2/Coloumb), whose labels are 17, 117, pi, 17, 42, theta, e^pi-pi, -2, 540^50, and 11^2. Above the scales and lined up accurately with the first two are the following:]

:*Power & Telephone (100Mm to 1km)
:*Radio & TV (1km to somewhere between 1m and 10cm); above that are many boxes showing subranges (AM, VHF, UHF, 14/7 NPR pledge drives, a very thin band for the space rays controlling Steve Ballmer, 99.3 "The Fox," 101.5 "The Badger," 106.3 "The Frightened Squirrel," cell phone cancer rays, CIA, ham radio, kosher radio, shouting car dealership commercials.)
:*Microwaves (a bit more than 10cm to a bit more than 1mm); it also has subranges (aliens, just below SETI, wifi, FHF, brain waves, sulawesi, gravity)
:*Toasters (about 1mm to about 100 micrometers)
:*IR (about 100 micrometers to somewhere between 1 micrometer and 1 nm); above that is a bell graph labeled "Superman"s heat vision," with a motorcycle driving up the left side labeled "Jack Black's Heat Vision."
:*Visible light (and, under it, visible dark); above that is a bell graph labeled "sunlight." There's a breakout chart above it showing the visible spectrum from 700nm (red) to 450nm (violet). There's an arrow pointing to where octarine would be, somewhere off to the side. Above that are bars showing the absorption spectra for hydrogen, helium, Depends(R) (yellow only) and Tampax(R) (red only).
:*UV (about 100nm to about 10nm)
:*Miller Light (a thin bar around 10nm)
:*An unlabeled section with a thin line above it showing the frequency of the main death star laser
:*A blocked-off portion labeled "Censored Under Patriot Act."
:*X-rays (from about 1nm to about 10pm); a line above shows the frequency of mail-order x-ray glasses. Somewhere vaguely above the 10pm mark is a potato.
:*Gamma/cosmic rays (10pm and smaller); above that is a bar marked Sinister Google Projects which also trails off into higher frequencies, and blogorays, which are slightly lower.

{{comic discussion}}
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Megan]]
[[Category:Science]]
[[Category:Comics with color]]
[[Category:Charts]]

407: Cheap GPS

2013-07-15T20:38:17Z

Das-g: /* Explanation */ We don't know whether the hints refer to correctness of direction or the proximity to the destination. In games using the same cold-to-hot scale, both usages are common AFAIK.

{{comic
| number = 407
| date = April 7, 2008
| title = Cheap GPS
| image = cheap gps.png
| titletext = In lieu of mapping software, I once wrote a Perl program which, given a USB GPS receiver and a destination, printed 'LEFT' 'RIGHT' OR 'STRAIGHT' based on my heading.
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete}}
{{w|GPS}} is a satellite navigation system used to determine the location of a receiver based on its distance from at least three satellites. A common feature of GPS receivers intended to be used in motor vehicles is to provide directions to a specified location.

[[Cueball]]'s has a "cheap GPS" which is only capable of telling him whether or not he is on the correct path using a cold to hot scale. Presumably "hot" indicates correct direction or a position close to the destination and "cold" incorrect direction or a position far from the destination, as in the hints shouted to the blindfolded player in some games like hit-the-pot. The series of instructions spoken ("cold", "warm", "hot", then "cold" again) suggests that Cueball either missed a turn and his GPS receiver now has to find a new route, or that he just passed his destination.

The title text describes another "cheap GPS", a Perl script that only shows whether to turn left, right or not turn at all.

==Transcript==
:[Cueball driving down the road, with a GPS reading "COLD".]
:GPS: COLD... WARM... HOT! COLD...

{{comic discussion}}
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]

407: Cheap GPS

2013-07-15T20:33:50Z

Das-g: /* Explanation */ Mentioned use of cold-to-hot scale in games like hit-the-pot.

{{comic
| number = 407
| date = April 7, 2008
| title = Cheap GPS
| image = cheap gps.png
| titletext = In lieu of mapping software, I once wrote a Perl program which, given a USB GPS receiver and a destination, printed 'LEFT' 'RIGHT' OR 'STRAIGHT' based on my heading.
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete}}
{{w|GPS}} is a satellite navigation system used to determine the location of a receiver based on its distance from at least three satellites. A common feature of GPS receivers intended to be used in motor vehicles is to provide directions to a specified location.

[[Cueball]]'s has a "cheap GPS" which is only capable of telling him whether or not he is on the correct path using a cold to hot scale. Presumably "hot" indicates correct and "cold" incorrect, as in the hints shouted to the blindfolded player in some games like hit-the-pot. The series of instructions spoken ("cold", "warm", "hot", then "cold" again) suggests that Cueball missed a turn and his GPS receiver now has to find a new route.

The title text describes another "cheap GPS", a Perl script that only shows whether to turn left, right or not turn at all.

==Transcript==
:[Cueball driving down the road, with a GPS reading "COLD".]
:GPS: COLD... WARM... HOT! COLD...

{{comic discussion}}
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]