explain xkcd - User contributions [en]

Talk:3209: Plums

2026-02-20T09:08:08Z

Elizium23:

Referencing William Carlos Williams [https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/56159/this-is-just-to-say "This is Just To Say"], an apology for eating the plums. [[Special:Contributions/2600:1001:B000:6009:F81B:2869:73B7:339|2600:1001:B000:6009:F81B:2869:73B7:339]] 03:31, 19 February 2026 (UTC)

Robert Frost is my first cousin five times removed. [[User:Pgn674|Pgn674]] ([[User talk:Pgn674|talk]]) 03:36, 19 February 2026 (UTC)

You could easily trap Edgar Allan Poe by training a crow. [[User:Xkdvd|Xkdvd]] ([[User talk:Xkdvd|talk]]) 05:07, 19 February 2026 (UTC)
:You could easily trap Edgar Allan Poe scholars by training an orang-utan [[Special:Contributions/2001:9E8:E129:8700:A4BD:2D19:5AC4:826B|2001:9E8:E129:8700:A4BD:2D19:5AC4:826B]] 13:19, 19 February 2026 (UTC)

I just described the scene in the transcript, it doesn't look quite right to me, I'm pretty sure there's supposed to be brackets or something, could someone fix that if I did it wrong? [[User:Xkdvd|Xkdvd]] ([[User talk:Xkdvd|talk]]) 05:12, 19 February 2026 (UTC)

The characterization of the poem as an apology needs an [actual citation needed] tag. [[Special:Contributions/2001:8004:4E50:6B3:A564:E93B:1878:3634|2001:8004:4E50:6B3:A564:E93B:1878:3634]] 06:00, 19 February 2026 (UTC)
:The words "forgive me" aren't good enough for you? [[Special:Contributions/174.127.214.79|174.127.214.79]] 06:46, 19 February 2026 (UTC)
::They are not. The “apology” is obviously insincere. The narrator is clearly pleased with himself and would do it again. I suppose you could say it is an insincere apology. [[Special:Contributions/185.98.169.32|185.98.169.32]] 07:58, 20 February 2026 (UTC)

Seems pretty simple. Eat the plums for the cred, and then book reservations for a romantic breakfast the next morning. [[Special:Contributions/73.42.229.109|73.42.229.109]] 06:22, 19 February 2026 (UTC)
:Might just make things more awkward if the trapper is just a roommate. [[Special:Contributions/82.13.184.33|82.13.184.33]] 09:10, 19 February 2026 (UTC)

Could the caption style also be a reference to the poem? [[User:New editor|New editor]] ([[User talk:New editor|talk]]) 07:08, 19 February 2026 (UTC)
:Yes, although the punctuation and line structure are different, there is the typography, meter, and consonance, {{w|This Is Just to Say#Analysis|as described at Wikipedia}}. [[User:Elizium23|Elizium23]] ([[User talk:Elizium23|talk]]) 09:07, 20 February 2026 (UTC)

It would be much more difficult that Robert Frost if one is to follow Gulzaar's [https://bollywoodtranslations.blogspot.com/2024/10/is-mod-se-jaate-hain-translation-of.html "Is Mod se"] [[User:Mitradranirban|Mitradranirban]] ([[User talk:Mitradranirban|talk]])

Does the joke rely on any connection between Frost's surname and the Icebox? [[Special:Contributions/79.161.109.128|79.161.109.128]] 10:35, 19 February 2026 (UTC)
:Wouldn't say so, given that they're referring to two different poems. If it did rely on that, I would say it didn't work! [[Special:Contributions/82.13.184.33|82.13.184.33]] 11:39, 19 February 2026 (UTC)

Tangent here: can someone explains to me how the structure of WCW's poem works? I find neither rythm nor rhyme. --[[Special:Contributions/94.73.51.255|94.73.51.255]]
: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Free_verse [[Special:Contributions/82.13.184.33|82.13.184.33]] 11:36, 19 February 2026 (UTC)

I'm trying to link Category:Strange powers of Beret Guy, but it's not appearing, even if the text is there. Anybody know why? Also, does anybody else find it odd that this is CUEBALL creating the spatial anomalies and not Beret Guy? --'''''[[User:DollarStoreBa'al|DollarStoreBa'al]][[User Talk:DollarStoreBa'al|Converse]] (BLM) 14:11, 19 February 2026 (UTC)
:You have to put a : before “Category:” when linking to a category because otherwise it puts the page in the category instead of making a link to the category. [[Special:Contributions/2A09:BAC3:88C3:188C:0:0:272:3F|2A09:BAC3:88C3:188C:0:0:272:3F]] 14:23, 19 February 2026 (UTC)
::Ah. Thanks! --'''''[[User:DollarStoreBa'al|DollarStoreBa'al]][[User Talk:DollarStoreBa'al|Converse]] (BLM) 14:44, 19 February 2026 (UTC)
::The captions and title texts aren't speech bubbles. They aren't necessarily attributed to a particular character, or someone appearing in the comic. In this instance, it seems like the caption reflects Cueball's thoughts, but the title text is more likely to belong to the offscreen speaker. [[User:Elizium23|Elizium23]] ([[User talk:Elizium23|talk]]) 00:29, 20 February 2026 (UTC)

I believe it may be possible to make a network of infinitely branching straight line paths, even in an infinite universe, because the requirement is that if you keep travelling on the path you'll reach no end no mater your choice of branches, i.e. no matter how you choose your branches you'll choose infinitely many, but I can't think of a possible configuration right now. (It's trivial if they can be curved) [[User:Cobl703|Cobl703]] ([[User talk:Cobl703|talk]]) 14:51, 19 February 2026 (UTC)
:The poem explicitly mentions one of the paths bending, so curved paths should presumably be fine. [[Special:Contributions/45.140.184.137|45.140.184.137]] 03:59, 20 February 2026 (UTC)

I'd conjecture that Frost's algorithm (take the path which has been taken fewer times) should fully explore any finite wood and find the exit; he's a pretty tough cookie. [[User:Cjmaloof|Cjmaloof]] ([[User talk:Cjmaloof|talk]]) 21:46, 19 February 2026 (UTC)

How do I edit my user page? Is there supposed to be an edit button somewhere? [[User:Xkdvd|Xkdvd]] ([[User talk:Xkdvd|talk]]) 02:03, 20 February 2026 (UTC)
:[[explain xkcd:Editor FAQ#Why can't I create my user page and upload images?|Please read this.]] [[User:42.book.addict|tori :3]][[User talk:42.book.addict|talk to me!]] 02:09, 20 February 2026 (UTC)

Unless I'm missing something, it's actually pretty easy to create an infinitely looping network of branching paths, isn't it? The simplest configuration I can think of off the top of my head is three paths arranged in a triangle, with three more paths running inwards from the vertices of the triangle to meet in the center. All the paths are completely straight, and every time you get to a junction you have to pick between two paths that are diverging from one another. All you need to do is eliminate the path Frost used to get into the trap before he gets back to it, which should be relatively easy if the paths are long enough. [[Special:Contributions/45.140.184.137|45.140.184.137]] 03:45, 20 February 2026 (UTC)
:My thoughts went to a curved path a bit like an Infinity symbol, but with the crossing point offset (so you have 2 forks, rather than 1 cross-road). Same as your idea, you’d need to arrange a tripwire or something to close off the path Frost used to enter the infinite path. Still seems pretty achievable even for Cueball. [[Special:Contributions/2A0A:EF40:F62:5201:6863:3656:ED2B:1B1B|2A0A:EF40:F62:5201:6863:3656:ED2B:1B1B]] 07:54, 20 February 2026 (UTC)

Talk:3209: Plums

2026-02-20T09:07:25Z

Elizium23: agree about the caption

Referencing William Carlos Williams [https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/56159/this-is-just-to-say "This is Just To Say"], an apology for eating the plums. [[Special:Contributions/2600:1001:B000:6009:F81B:2869:73B7:339|2600:1001:B000:6009:F81B:2869:73B7:339]] 03:31, 19 February 2026 (UTC)

Robert Frost is my first cousin five times removed. [[User:Pgn674|Pgn674]] ([[User talk:Pgn674|talk]]) 03:36, 19 February 2026 (UTC)

You could easily trap Edgar Allan Poe by training a crow. [[User:Xkdvd|Xkdvd]] ([[User talk:Xkdvd|talk]]) 05:07, 19 February 2026 (UTC)
:You could easily trap Edgar Allan Poe scholars by training an orang-utan [[Special:Contributions/2001:9E8:E129:8700:A4BD:2D19:5AC4:826B|2001:9E8:E129:8700:A4BD:2D19:5AC4:826B]] 13:19, 19 February 2026 (UTC)

I just described the scene in the transcript, it doesn't look quite right to me, I'm pretty sure there's supposed to be brackets or something, could someone fix that if I did it wrong? [[User:Xkdvd|Xkdvd]] ([[User talk:Xkdvd|talk]]) 05:12, 19 February 2026 (UTC)

The characterization of the poem as an apology needs an [actual citation needed] tag. [[Special:Contributions/2001:8004:4E50:6B3:A564:E93B:1878:3634|2001:8004:4E50:6B3:A564:E93B:1878:3634]] 06:00, 19 February 2026 (UTC)
:The words "forgive me" aren't good enough for you? [[Special:Contributions/174.127.214.79|174.127.214.79]] 06:46, 19 February 2026 (UTC)
::They are not. The “apology” is obviously insincere. The narrator is clearly pleased with himself and would do it again. I suppose you could say it is an insincere apology. [[Special:Contributions/185.98.169.32|185.98.169.32]] 07:58, 20 February 2026 (UTC)

Seems pretty simple. Eat the plums for the cred, and then book reservations for a romantic breakfast the next morning. [[Special:Contributions/73.42.229.109|73.42.229.109]] 06:22, 19 February 2026 (UTC)
:Might just make things more awkward if the trapper is just a roommate. [[Special:Contributions/82.13.184.33|82.13.184.33]] 09:10, 19 February 2026 (UTC)

Could the caption style also be a reference to the poem? [[User:New editor|New editor]] ([[User talk:New editor|talk]]) 07:08, 19 February 2026 (UTC)
:Yes, although the punctuation and line structure are different, there is the typography, metrical, and consonance, {{w|This Is Just to Say#Analysis|as described at Wikipedia}}. [[User:Elizium23|Elizium23]] ([[User talk:Elizium23|talk]]) 09:07, 20 February 2026 (UTC)

It would be much more difficult that Robert Frost if one is to follow Gulzaar's [https://bollywoodtranslations.blogspot.com/2024/10/is-mod-se-jaate-hain-translation-of.html "Is Mod se"] [[User:Mitradranirban|Mitradranirban]] ([[User talk:Mitradranirban|talk]])

Does the joke rely on any connection between Frost's surname and the Icebox? [[Special:Contributions/79.161.109.128|79.161.109.128]] 10:35, 19 February 2026 (UTC)
:Wouldn't say so, given that they're referring to two different poems. If it did rely on that, I would say it didn't work! [[Special:Contributions/82.13.184.33|82.13.184.33]] 11:39, 19 February 2026 (UTC)

Tangent here: can someone explains to me how the structure of WCW's poem works? I find neither rythm nor rhyme. --[[Special:Contributions/94.73.51.255|94.73.51.255]]
: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Free_verse [[Special:Contributions/82.13.184.33|82.13.184.33]] 11:36, 19 February 2026 (UTC)

I'm trying to link Category:Strange powers of Beret Guy, but it's not appearing, even if the text is there. Anybody know why? Also, does anybody else find it odd that this is CUEBALL creating the spatial anomalies and not Beret Guy? --'''''[[User:DollarStoreBa'al|DollarStoreBa'al]][[User Talk:DollarStoreBa'al|Converse]] (BLM) 14:11, 19 February 2026 (UTC)
:You have to put a : before “Category:” when linking to a category because otherwise it puts the page in the category instead of making a link to the category. [[Special:Contributions/2A09:BAC3:88C3:188C:0:0:272:3F|2A09:BAC3:88C3:188C:0:0:272:3F]] 14:23, 19 February 2026 (UTC)
::Ah. Thanks! --'''''[[User:DollarStoreBa'al|DollarStoreBa'al]][[User Talk:DollarStoreBa'al|Converse]] (BLM) 14:44, 19 February 2026 (UTC)
::The captions and title texts aren't speech bubbles. They aren't necessarily attributed to a particular character, or someone appearing in the comic. In this instance, it seems like the caption reflects Cueball's thoughts, but the title text is more likely to belong to the offscreen speaker. [[User:Elizium23|Elizium23]] ([[User talk:Elizium23|talk]]) 00:29, 20 February 2026 (UTC)

I believe it may be possible to make a network of infinitely branching straight line paths, even in an infinite universe, because the requirement is that if you keep travelling on the path you'll reach no end no mater your choice of branches, i.e. no matter how you choose your branches you'll choose infinitely many, but I can't think of a possible configuration right now. (It's trivial if they can be curved) [[User:Cobl703|Cobl703]] ([[User talk:Cobl703|talk]]) 14:51, 19 February 2026 (UTC)
:The poem explicitly mentions one of the paths bending, so curved paths should presumably be fine. [[Special:Contributions/45.140.184.137|45.140.184.137]] 03:59, 20 February 2026 (UTC)

I'd conjecture that Frost's algorithm (take the path which has been taken fewer times) should fully explore any finite wood and find the exit; he's a pretty tough cookie. [[User:Cjmaloof|Cjmaloof]] ([[User talk:Cjmaloof|talk]]) 21:46, 19 February 2026 (UTC)

How do I edit my user page? Is there supposed to be an edit button somewhere? [[User:Xkdvd|Xkdvd]] ([[User talk:Xkdvd|talk]]) 02:03, 20 February 2026 (UTC)
:[[explain xkcd:Editor FAQ#Why can't I create my user page and upload images?|Please read this.]] [[User:42.book.addict|tori :3]][[User talk:42.book.addict|talk to me!]] 02:09, 20 February 2026 (UTC)

Unless I'm missing something, it's actually pretty easy to create an infinitely looping network of branching paths, isn't it? The simplest configuration I can think of off the top of my head is three paths arranged in a triangle, with three more paths running inwards from the vertices of the triangle to meet in the center. All the paths are completely straight, and every time you get to a junction you have to pick between two paths that are diverging from one another. All you need to do is eliminate the path Frost used to get into the trap before he gets back to it, which should be relatively easy if the paths are long enough. [[Special:Contributions/45.140.184.137|45.140.184.137]] 03:45, 20 February 2026 (UTC)
:My thoughts went to a curved path a bit like an Infinity symbol, but with the crossing point offset (so you have 2 forks, rather than 1 cross-road). Same as your idea, you’d need to arrange a tripwire or something to close off the path Frost used to enter the infinite path. Still seems pretty achievable even for Cueball. [[Special:Contributions/2A0A:EF40:F62:5201:6863:3656:ED2B:1B1B|2A0A:EF40:F62:5201:6863:3656:ED2B:1B1B]] 07:54, 20 February 2026 (UTC)

Talk:3209: Plums

2026-02-20T00:29:59Z

Elizium23:

Talk:Syndication

2026-02-17T20:39:17Z

Elizium23: thank you

Where is this coming from? was this actually online in 2007? Between comics 242 and 243? --[[User:Lupo|Lupo]] ([[User talk:Lupo|talk]]) 08:08, 18 November 2019 (UTC)

Can we discuss the jokes in this comic, like Belgium jokingly being considered a swear word?[[Special:Contributions/108.162.216.196|108.162.216.196]] 20:12, 22 November 2019 (UTC)
:I think we should. :) You are free to start a list of the items, to explain them, or a discussion here in the discussion page. {{unsigned|Lupo|12:52, 11 December 2019 (UTC)}}

Alright, nobody has touched this for quite a while now, so I might as well. I kinda expected this page to be finished, but it is amazingly not so. [[Special:Contributions/172.68.47.234|172.68.47.234]] 09:50, 27 December 2019 (UTC)
:Hello, it is I again. I have something on my mind. I believe this comic never really was a thing. I will lay out everything I know. The link to the original comic at the top is broken and returns a 404 error. I cannot for the life of me find anything on this comic on Google other than a lone post on the xkcd forums, which could just as well have been posted in either 2007 or 2019, but I can't check because the forums are down. As well, it is odd that this explain xkcd page only came into existence 12 years after the comic was purportedly posted. Taking all of this into account, I have reason to believe that this entire thing has been a fabrication, i.e. that this was made in 2019 by a fan. I'd try to gather more concrete evidence for this, but that's where I run into a dead end. I have no idea how to proceed. I know of exactly one person who could settle this conclusively, which is Randall Munroe himself, but I imagine he has more important things to do. If any of you could prove/disprove my theory, that would be great. In the meantime, sure, I'll just assume this comic did actually get published in 2007. [[Special:Contributions/172.69.34.168|172.69.34.168]] 10:34, 27 December 2019 (UTC)
::The link does work, it just has an extra '/' at the end. I agree though that there's still something a bit different about the comic to others published at a similar time. The image looks like it's been copied out of a newspaper (although this might be deliberate) and having such a lengthy section of text outside of the comic is unusual. Google claims that the forum post dates from 1st April 2007, but in the absence of any other reference on the main site my guess is that this only appeared on the forums. [[User:A(l)Chemist|AlChemist]] ([[User talk:A(l)Chemist|talk]]) 20:55, 31 December 2019 (UTC)
:::Someone may try to find it on a wayback machine or something like that? Never used any of those archives and don't really know how they work... --[[User:Lupo|Lupo]] ([[User talk:Lupo|talk]]) 08:07, 6 February 2020 (UTC)
::::It's on the Wayback Machine, as early as April 9, 2007, but the link is just to the image - no text or anything (https://web.archive.org/web/20070409101227/https://imgs.xkcd.com/comics/xkcd_ufs.jpg/). [[Special:Contributions/162.158.187.69|162.158.187.69]] 02:01, 30 April 2020 (UTC)
::::Follow-up - here's the link to the XKCD forum post: https://web.archive.org/web/20070408135356/http://forums.xkcd.com/viewtopic.php?t=3701. Unfortunately, the link to the actual comic as posted on xkcd is extremely elusive. Many references to the comic are in the (now offline) XKCD fora - one of the few others I could find lists different lead-in text: https://forums.penny-arcade.com/discussion/17980/a-visit-to-the-pranktologist-april-fools-day-thread/p13. [[Special:Contributions/162.158.187.69|162.158.187.69]] 02:31, 30 April 2020 (UTC)
I switched the big table to a format that is more readable on smaller screens, as per the [https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php/explain_xkcd:Editor_FAQ#In_which_cases_are_tables_meaningful.2C_and_when_are_they_not.3F Editor FAQ §3], and added some more explanations in the process. Hope that's in everyone's interest. I also fixed up the broken Unicode (at first, I thought it was part of The Joke, but it is also correct in the archived forum thread.) [[User:Gir|-- //gir.st/]] ([[User talk:Gir|talk]]) 22:19, 7 May 2020 (UTC)

Question: do we really need to explain every. single. one. of those items? the ones that are missing all fall into the "this is funny because it's random" (see also: [[1210]]) category, imo. [[User:Gir|-- //gir.st/]] ([[User talk:Gir|talk]]) 22:19, 7 May 2020 (UTC)
::Some of them definitely do. I'd never heard of Tank Girl before I read this comic, and while linking to the Wikipedia article is nice it would be useful to have info relevant to the comic in the explanation. Also, side note - what's so random about hats with buckles? Some baseball caps I've worn had buckles instead of Velcro for adjusting them to fit your head. I assume that they're referring to stereotypical depictions of Puritans and leprechauns with giant buckles on their hats, but what's so weird about that? [[Special:Contributions/162.158.186.186|162.158.186.186]] 19:19, 10 May 2020 (UTC)
:::i think the "hats with buckles" refer to belt buckles on hats ([https://www.cappelsinc.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/12/66722_pilgrim_top_hat.jpg random internet image]). and its "haha, so random" in the sense that there is no connection to the comic itself. if you can come up with something more concrete, go for it, but i honestly doubt there's more behind it. [[User:Gir|-- //gir.st/]] ([[User talk:Gir|talk]]) 16:05, 12 May 2020 (UTC)

Hi from 2025{{unsigned|Commercialegg|15:57, 22 April 2025}}

I find this page to be not that well-done explanation-wise. Here are some of the lines that I really don't understand:
* "Newspapers are more often read by older people, so same-sex relationships are often absent to avoid conservative backlash." Why does age have anything to do with political orientation or how much one respects the sexual/romantic orientations of members of the LGBTQIA+ community? I've seen many old people who were supportive (and even members) of the community, and many young people who weren't.
* "Computer-computer Cybersex – Two chatbots cybering with one another is a plausibly real thing, and an easy target for xkcd." What is cybersex? What is "cybering"?
* "Possibly a reference to the cliché that white people can't dance." What cliché? I've never heard that one before in my life.
* "William Howard Taft (the president that everyone knows as "The one that was so fat he got stuck in the tub”)" As a non-american, I have no clue who he is. Not everyone knows every single US president.
* "he's most well known for maintaining [...] the legendary Jargon File". What is the "Jargon File"?
There are probably others that other people don't understand, but this is the main list for me. Can someone please fix this? [[User:B_for_brain|B for brain]] ([[User_talk:B_for_brain|talk]]) ([https://www.youtube.com/@bforbrain youtube channel] [https://bforbrain.weebly.com/ wobsite (supposed to be a blag)]) 15:54, 17 February 2026 (UTC)
:It seems that you are telling us that we've included cultural references which may be lost on the average Explainxkcd reader. Thank you for directing your complaints to the Explainxkcd editorial staff. [[User:Elizium23|Elizium23]] ([[User talk:Elizium23|talk]]) 20:39, 17 February 2026 (UTC)

3208: SNEWS

2026-02-17T19:42:24Z

Elizium23: /* Trivia */ same wording

{{comic
| number = 3208
| date = February 16, 2026
| title = SNEWS
| image = snews_2x.png
| imagesize = 740x321px
| noexpand = true
| titletext = People say setting of fireworks indoors is dangerous, but I looked at their energy release and it's like 10^-40 foe; totally negligible.
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|This page was created by a Type Ia firework display that Ponytail set off. Don't remove this notice too soon.}}
[[Ponytail]] is showing [[Hairy]] her bedroom. Hairy asks about the large device on the ceiling, and Ponytail explains that it is part of the {{w|SNEWS}} (SuperNova Early Warning System). This provides advance notice of {{w|supernova|supernovae}} by detecting {{w|neutrino|neutrinos}} (tiny particles that travel near the speed of light, rarely interacting with matter). Neutrinos are produced in large quantities during the collapse of the star core, which occurs hours before the main photon production which makes them visible to the eye. She explains this gives {{w|astronomer}}s warning, allowing them to observe the event with telescopes and other instruments.

Hairy reasonably assumes that the device is either a detector, forming part of the SNEWS, or some kind of telescope to be used in the event the SNEWS goes off. However, Ponytail explains that it is a {{w|fireworks}} launcher — presumably linked into the detection network and triggered if it registers an observation — for the purposes of waking her up so she can witness the supernova herself. This is a '''very''' bad idea, for a multitude of reasons. Reckless use of fireworks is known for causing significant property damage and personal injury, even when used outdoors; launching fireworks inside the house means causing an explosion in a confined area, guaranteeing that it will hit the building, maximizing the opportunity to ignite something flammable on the structure, and containing, and therefore amplifying, the sound of the burst (which can already deafen people who are too close). Understandably, Hairy {{tvtropes|ScrewThisImOuttaHere|leaves to sleep at his own house}}.

Some people aren't easily woken up by a simple {{w|alarm clock}}, especially if it is in reach and has a "snooze" function where a button will silence the alarm for several minutes before it beeps again. The similar sounds of "snooze" and SNEWS may be part of the joke.

Ponytail is being {{w|hyperbole|hyperbolic}}, because even if all astronomers were interested in supernovae, not every individual or observatory will be immediately situated to view a particular point in the sky. For example, they may need to wait for the Earth's rotation, causing the phenomenon to "rise" in the east. Others may be located at unfavorable latitudes where the object will never appear above the Earth's horizon. It may also take some time before the supernova reaches an apparent magnitude that is visible during the daytime.

Since historical supernovae have been visible from 6 months to nearly 2 years, it would be unlikely that Ponytail sleeps through a new one in its entirety, although there would still be significant cachet for any astronomer lucky enough to be able to legitimately say that they had seen the 'first light' at the earliest opportunity. It would also be difficult for her to ''not'' sleep through part of the supernova, for the same reason.

The title text is a play on the tremendous amount of energy released by a supernova. The {{w|Foe (unit)|foe}} is an unofficial unit of energy equal to 10^44 Joule (but named directly from initials in the original quantity of "ten to the fifty-one ergs", involving a {{w|Erg|pre-SI}} measurement of energy), which is approximately on the order of the usual amount of energy released by a supernova. In comparison, human-scale amounts of energy — even relatively significant ones such as firework detonations — are negligible. This ignores the fact that energy releases that are "negligible in comparison to a supernova" can still be easily fatal to humans; even the largest man-made nuclear explosion is approximately ''twenty-seven'' orders of magnitude less than the baseline 'foe' value. The described "10-40 foe" is equal to 10 kJ, the energy released by the complete combustion of about 0.6 g of table sugar (sucrose), or the decomposition of about 6 g of nitrocellulose.

==Transcript==
{{incomplete transcript|Don't remove this notice too soon.}}
:[Ponytail is walking into her room. The room has a bed, a set of drawers and a large sci-fi device mounted on the ceiling. Hairy is standing in the room, pointing up at the device.]
:Hairy: What's that device?
:Ponytail: Part of the supernova early warning system.
:Ponytail: There hasn't been a Milky Way supernova in over a century.
:Ponytail: Astronomers don't want to miss the next one.

:[Close up of Ponytail, now sitting on the end of the bed]
:Ponytail: 20 years ago, we set up a supernova alert system using neutrino detectors.
:Ponytail: It should give us a few hours' advance notice.

:[In a frame-less panel the view zooms back out, showing Ponytail and Hairy.]
:Ponytail: If it ever goes off, every astronomer on earth will scramble to point their equipment at the sky.
:Hairy: Oh, OK. So is that a detector? Or some kind of telescope?

:[The panel moves to the right, showing Hairy walking away. Ponytail is still on the end of the bed, raising a clenched fist for dramatic effect.]
:Ponytail: Fireworks launcher.
:Ponytail: I '''''refuse''''' to sleep through a supernova.
:Hairy: I think I'll spend the night at my place instead.

==Trivia==
The word "off" is misspelled as "of" in the title text.

This comic was published on the eve of the {{w|Chinese New Year}} or Lunar New Year, which is reckoned by the new moon appearing at this time of year. Celebrations throughout Asia and communities worldwide include setting off firecrackers and launching fireworks.

{{comic discussion}}<noinclude>

[[Category:Comics featuring Ponytail]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Hairy]]
[[Category:Astronomy]]

3208: SNEWS

2026-02-17T19:41:27Z

Elizium23: /* Trivia */ spelling

{{comic
| number = 3208
| date = February 16, 2026
| title = SNEWS
| image = snews_2x.png
| imagesize = 740x321px
| noexpand = true
| titletext = People say setting of fireworks indoors is dangerous, but I looked at their energy release and it's like 10^-40 foe; totally negligible.
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|This page was created by a Type Ia firework display that Ponytail set off. Don't remove this notice too soon.}}
[[Ponytail]] is showing [[Hairy]] her bedroom. Hairy asks about the large device on the ceiling, and Ponytail explains that it is part of the {{w|SNEWS}} (SuperNova Early Warning System). This provides advance notice of {{w|supernova|supernovae}} by detecting {{w|neutrino|neutrinos}} (tiny particles that travel near the speed of light, rarely interacting with matter). Neutrinos are produced in large quantities during the collapse of the star core, which occurs hours before the main photon production which makes them visible to the eye. She explains this gives {{w|astronomer}}s warning, allowing them to observe the event with telescopes and other instruments.

Hairy reasonably assumes that the device is either a detector, forming part of the SNEWS, or some kind of telescope to be used in the event the SNEWS goes off. However, Ponytail explains that it is a {{w|fireworks}} launcher — presumably linked into the detection network and triggered if it registers an observation — for the purposes of waking her up so she can witness the supernova herself. This is a '''very''' bad idea, for a multitude of reasons. Reckless use of fireworks is known for causing significant property damage and personal injury, even when used outdoors; launching fireworks inside the house means causing an explosion in a confined area, guaranteeing that it will hit the building, maximizing the opportunity to ignite something flammable on the structure, and containing, and therefore amplifying, the sound of the burst (which can already deafen people who are too close). Understandably, Hairy {{tvtropes|ScrewThisImOuttaHere|leaves to sleep at his own house}}.

Some people aren't easily woken up by a simple {{w|alarm clock}}, especially if it is in reach and has a "snooze" function where a button will silence the alarm for several minutes before it beeps again. The similar sounds of "snooze" and SNEWS may be part of the joke.

Ponytail is being {{w|hyperbole|hyperbolic}}, because even if all astronomers were interested in supernovae, not every individual or observatory will be immediately situated to view a particular point in the sky. For example, they may need to wait for the Earth's rotation, causing the phenomenon to "rise" in the east. Others may be located at unfavorable latitudes where the object will never appear above the Earth's horizon. It may also take some time before the supernova reaches an apparent magnitude that is visible during the daytime.

Since historical supernovae have been visible from 6 months to nearly 2 years, it would be unlikely that Ponytail sleeps through a new one in its entirety, although there would still be significant cachet for any astronomer lucky enough to be able to legitimately say that they had seen the 'first light' at the earliest opportunity. It would also be difficult for her to ''not'' sleep through part of the supernova, for the same reason.

The title text is a play on the tremendous amount of energy released by a supernova. The {{w|Foe (unit)|foe}} is an unofficial unit of energy equal to 10^44 Joule (but named directly from initials in the original quantity of "ten to the fifty-one ergs", involving a {{w|Erg|pre-SI}} measurement of energy), which is approximately on the order of the usual amount of energy released by a supernova. In comparison, human-scale amounts of energy — even relatively significant ones such as firework detonations — are negligible. This ignores the fact that energy releases that are "negligible in comparison to a supernova" can still be easily fatal to humans; even the largest man-made nuclear explosion is approximately ''twenty-seven'' orders of magnitude less than the baseline 'foe' value. The described "10-40 foe" is equal to 10 kJ, the energy released by the complete combustion of about 0.6 g of table sugar (sucrose), or the decomposition of about 6 g of nitrocellulose.

==Transcript==
{{incomplete transcript|Don't remove this notice too soon.}}
:[Ponytail is walking into her room. The room has a bed, a set of drawers and a large sci-fi device mounted on the ceiling. Hairy is standing in the room, pointing up at the device.]
:Hairy: What's that device?
:Ponytail: Part of the supernova early warning system.
:Ponytail: There hasn't been a Milky Way supernova in over a century.
:Ponytail: Astronomers don't want to miss the next one.

:[Close up of Ponytail, now sitting on the end of the bed]
:Ponytail: 20 years ago, we set up a supernova alert system using neutrino detectors.
:Ponytail: It should give us a few hours' advance notice.

:[In a frame-less panel the view zooms back out, showing Ponytail and Hairy.]
:Ponytail: If it ever goes off, every astronomer on earth will scramble to point their equipment at the sky.
:Hairy: Oh, OK. So is that a detector? Or some kind of telescope?

:[The panel moves to the right, showing Hairy walking away. Ponytail is still on the end of the bed, raising a clenched fist for dramatic effect.]
:Ponytail: Fireworks launcher.
:Ponytail: I '''''refuse''''' to sleep through a supernova.
:Hairy: I think I'll spend the night at my place instead.

==Trivia==
The word "off" is misspelled as "of" in the title text.

This comic was published on the eve of the {{w|Chinese New Year}} or Lunar New Year, which is reckoned by the new moon appearing at this time of year. Celebrations throughout Asia and communities worldwide include the lighting of firecrackers and launching fireworks.

{{comic discussion}}<noinclude>

[[Category:Comics featuring Ponytail]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Hairy]]
[[Category:Astronomy]]

3208: SNEWS

2026-02-17T19:40:45Z

Elizium23: /* Trivia */ added Lunar New Year

{{comic
| number = 3208
| date = February 16, 2026
| title = SNEWS
| image = snews_2x.png
| imagesize = 740x321px
| noexpand = true
| titletext = People say setting of fireworks indoors is dangerous, but I looked at their energy release and it's like 10^-40 foe; totally negligible.
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|This page was created by a Type Ia firework display that Ponytail set off. Don't remove this notice too soon.}}
[[Ponytail]] is showing [[Hairy]] her bedroom. Hairy asks about the large device on the ceiling, and Ponytail explains that it is part of the {{w|SNEWS}} (SuperNova Early Warning System). This provides advance notice of {{w|supernova|supernovae}} by detecting {{w|neutrino|neutrinos}} (tiny particles that travel near the speed of light, rarely interacting with matter). Neutrinos are produced in large quantities during the collapse of the star core, which occurs hours before the main photon production which makes them visible to the eye. She explains this gives {{w|astronomer}}s warning, allowing them to observe the event with telescopes and other instruments.

Hairy reasonably assumes that the device is either a detector, forming part of the SNEWS, or some kind of telescope to be used in the event the SNEWS goes off. However, Ponytail explains that it is a {{w|fireworks}} launcher — presumably linked into the detection network and triggered if it registers an observation — for the purposes of waking her up so she can witness the supernova herself. This is a '''very''' bad idea, for a multitude of reasons. Reckless use of fireworks is known for causing significant property damage and personal injury, even when used outdoors; launching fireworks inside the house means causing an explosion in a confined area, guaranteeing that it will hit the building, maximizing the opportunity to ignite something flammable on the structure, and containing, and therefore amplifying, the sound of the burst (which can already deafen people who are too close). Understandably, Hairy {{tvtropes|ScrewThisImOuttaHere|leaves to sleep at his own house}}.

Some people aren't easily woken up by a simple {{w|alarm clock}}, especially if it is in reach and has a "snooze" function where a button will silence the alarm for several minutes before it beeps again. The similar sounds of "snooze" and SNEWS may be part of the joke.

Ponytail is being {{w|hyperbole|hyperbolic}}, because even if all astronomers were interested in supernovae, not every individual or observatory will be immediately situated to view a particular point in the sky. For example, they may need to wait for the Earth's rotation, causing the phenomenon to "rise" in the east. Others may be located at unfavorable latitudes where the object will never appear above the Earth's horizon. It may also take some time before the supernova reaches an apparent magnitude that is visible during the daytime.

Since historical supernovae have been visible from 6 months to nearly 2 years, it would be unlikely that Ponytail sleeps through a new one in its entirety, although there would still be significant cachet for any astronomer lucky enough to be able to legitimately say that they had seen the 'first light' at the earliest opportunity. It would also be difficult for her to ''not'' sleep through part of the supernova, for the same reason.

The title text is a play on the tremendous amount of energy released by a supernova. The {{w|Foe (unit)|foe}} is an unofficial unit of energy equal to 10^44 Joule (but named directly from initials in the original quantity of "ten to the fifty-one ergs", involving a {{w|Erg|pre-SI}} measurement of energy), which is approximately on the order of the usual amount of energy released by a supernova. In comparison, human-scale amounts of energy — even relatively significant ones such as firework detonations — are negligible. This ignores the fact that energy releases that are "negligible in comparison to a supernova" can still be easily fatal to humans; even the largest man-made nuclear explosion is approximately ''twenty-seven'' orders of magnitude less than the baseline 'foe' value. The described "10-40 foe" is equal to 10 kJ, the energy released by the complete combustion of about 0.6 g of table sugar (sucrose), or the decomposition of about 6 g of nitrocellulose.

==Transcript==
{{incomplete transcript|Don't remove this notice too soon.}}
:[Ponytail is walking into her room. The room has a bed, a set of drawers and a large sci-fi device mounted on the ceiling. Hairy is standing in the room, pointing up at the device.]
:Hairy: What's that device?
:Ponytail: Part of the supernova early warning system.
:Ponytail: There hasn't been a Milky Way supernova in over a century.
:Ponytail: Astronomers don't want to miss the next one.

:[Close up of Ponytail, now sitting on the end of the bed]
:Ponytail: 20 years ago, we set up a supernova alert system using neutrino detectors.
:Ponytail: It should give us a few hours' advance notice.

:[In a frame-less panel the view zooms back out, showing Ponytail and Hairy.]
:Ponytail: If it ever goes off, every astronomer on earth will scramble to point their equipment at the sky.
:Hairy: Oh, OK. So is that a detector? Or some kind of telescope?

:[The panel moves to the right, showing Hairy walking away. Ponytail is still on the end of the bed, raising a clenched fist for dramatic effect.]
:Ponytail: Fireworks launcher.
:Ponytail: I '''''refuse''''' to sleep through a supernova.
:Hairy: I think I'll spend the night at my place instead.

==Trivia==
The word "off" is misspelled as "of" in the title text.

This comic was published on the eve of the {{w|Chinese New Year}} or Lunar New Year, which is reckoned by the new moon appearing at this time of year. Celebrations throughout Asia and communities worldwide include the lighting of firecracks and launching fireworks.

{{comic discussion}}<noinclude>

[[Category:Comics featuring Ponytail]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Hairy]]
[[Category:Astronomy]]

3208: SNEWS

2026-02-17T09:58:38Z

Elizium23:

{{comic
| number = 3208
| date = February 16, 2026
| title = SNEWS
| image = snews_2x.png
| imagesize = 740x321px
| noexpand = true
| titletext = People say setting of fireworks indoors is dangerous, but I looked at their energy release and it's like 10^-40 foe; totally negligible.
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|This page was created by a Type Ia firework display that Ponytail set off. Don't remove this notice too soon.}}
[[Ponytail]] is showing [[Hairy]] her bedroom. Hairy asks about the large device on the ceiling, and Ponytail explains that it is part of the {{w|SNEWS}} (SuperNova Early Warning System). This detects {{w|neutrino|neutrinos}} (tiny particles that travel near the speed of light, rarely interacting with matter) to give pre-notice of supernovae, as neutrinos are produced in large quantities during the collapse of the star core, which occurs hours before the main photon production. She explains this gives astronomers warning, allowing them to observe the event with telescopes and other instruments.

Ponytail employs hyperbole, because even if they were all interested in supernovae, not every astronomer or observatory will be immediately situated to view a particular point in the sky. For example, they may need to wait for the Earth's rotation, causing the phenomenon to "rise" in the east. Others may be located at unfavorable latitudes where the object will never appear above the Earth's horizon. And, it may take some time before the supernova reaches an apparent magnitude that is visible during the daytime.

Hairy then asks regarding the nature of the visible equipment mounted on the ceiling, which has several protruding barrels. His first assumption is that it is either detector as part of the SNEWS, or some kind of telescope to be used in the event the SNEWS goes off. Ponytail explains that the device it is in fact a fireworks launcher, for the purposes of waking her up so she can witness the supernova herself. This is a '''very''' bad idea for a multitude of reasons. Reckless usage of fireworks is already known for causing significant property damage and personal injury even when used outdoors; launching fireworks inside the house means causing an explosion in a controlled area, guaranteeing that it will hit the building, maximizing the opportunity for the conflagration to ignite something flammable on the structure, and containing and therefore amplifying the sound of the burst (which can already deafen people who are too close).

Some people don't easily wake up to a simple alarm clock, especially if it is in reach and has a "snooze" function where a button will silence the alarm for several minutes before it beeps again. Note the similar sounds of "snooze" and SNEWS may be part of the joke.

Since historical supernovae have been visible from 6 months to nearly 2 years, it would be unlikely that Ponytail sleeps through a new one in its entirety.

Understandably, Hairy {{tvtropes|ScrewThisImOuttaHere|leaves to sleep at his own house}}.

The comic title "SNEWS" is an acronym from the beginning of the strip: SuperNova Early Warning System. It is also a play on "news"

The title text is a play on the tremendous amount of energy released by a supernova. The {{w|Foe (unit)|foe}} is an unofficial unit of energy approximately equal to 10^44 Joule (but named directly from initials in the original quantity of "ten to the fifty-one ergs", involving a {{w|Erg|pre-SI}} measurement of energy), which is on the order of the usual amount of energy released by a supernova. In comparison, human-scale amounts of energy — even relatively significant ones such as firework detonations — are negligible. This ignores the fact that energy releases that are "negligible in comparison to a supernova" can still be easily fatal to humans; the baseline 'foe' value is approximately ''twenty-seven'' orders of magnitude greater than even the largest man-made nuclear explosion. The described "10-40 foe" is equal to 10 kJ, the energy released by the complete combustion of about 0.6 g of table sugar (sucrose), or the decomposition of 6.75 g of nitrocellulose.

==Transcript==
{{incomplete transcript|Don't remove this notice too soon.}}
:[Ponytail is walking into her room. The room has a bed, a set of drawers and a large sci-fi device mounted on the ceiling. Hairy is standing in the room, pointing up at the device.]
:Hairy: What's that device?
:Ponytail: Part of the supernova early warning system.
:Ponytail: There hasn't been a Milky Way supernova in over a century.
:Ponytail: Astronomers don't want to miss the next one.

:[Close up of Ponytail, now sitting on the end of the bed]
:Ponytail: 20 years ago, we set up a supernova alert system using neutrino detectors.
:Ponytail: It should give us a few hours' advance notice.

:[In a frame-less panel the view zooms back out, showing Ponytail and Hairy.]
:Ponytail: If it ever goes off, every astronomer on earth will scramble to point their equipment at the sky.
:Hairy: Oh, OK. So is that a detector? Or some kind of telescope?

:[The panel moves to the right, showing Hairy walking away. Ponytail is still on the end of the bed, raising a clenched fist for dramatic effect.]
:Ponytail: Fireworks launcher.
:Ponytail: I '''''refuse''''' to sleep through a supernova.
:Hairy: I think I'll spend the night at my place instead.

==Trivia==
The word "off" is misspelled as "of" in the title text.

{{comic discussion}}<noinclude>

[[Category:Comics featuring Ponytail]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Hairy]]
[[Category:Astronomy]]

3208: SNEWS

2026-02-17T09:57:58Z

Elizium23: hyperbole

{{comic
| number = 3208
| date = February 16, 2026
| title = SNEWS
| image = snews_2x.png
| imagesize = 740x321px
| noexpand = true
| titletext = People say setting of fireworks indoors is dangerous, but I looked at their energy release and it's like 10^-40 foe; totally negligible.
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|This page was created by a Type Ia firework display that Ponytail set off. Don't remove this notice too soon.}}
[[Ponytail]] is showing [[Hairy]] her bedroom. Hairy asks about the large device on the ceiling, and Ponytail explains that it is part of the {{w|SNEWS}} (SuperNova Early Warning System). This detects {{w|neutrino|neutrinos}} (tiny particles that travel near the speed of light, rarely interacting with matter) to give pre-notice of supernovae, as neutrinos are produced in large quantities during the collapse of the star core, which occurs hours before the main photon production. She explains this gives astronomers warning, allowing them to observe the event with telescopes and other instruments.

Ponytail employs hyperbole, because even if they were all interested in supernovae, not every astronomer or observatory on Earth will be immediately situated to view a particular point in the sky. For example, they may need to wait for the Earth's rotation, causing the phenomenon to "rise" in the east. Others may be located at unfavorable latitudes where the object will never appear above the Earth's horizon. And, it may take some time before the supernova reaches an apparent magnitude that is visible during the daytime.

Hairy then asks regarding the nature of the visible equipment mounted on the ceiling, which has several protruding barrels. His first assumption is that it is either detector as part of the SNEWS, or some kind of telescope to be used in the event the SNEWS goes off. Ponytail explains that the device it is in fact a fireworks launcher, for the purposes of waking her up so she can witness the supernova herself. This is a '''very''' bad idea for a multitude of reasons. Reckless usage of fireworks is already known for causing significant property damage and personal injury even when used outdoors; launching fireworks inside the house means causing an explosion in a controlled area, guaranteeing that it will hit the building, maximizing the opportunity for the conflagration to ignite something flammable on the structure, and containing and therefore amplifying the sound of the burst (which can already deafen people who are too close).

Some people don't easily wake up to a simple alarm clock, especially if it is in reach and has a "snooze" function where a button will silence the alarm for several minutes before it beeps again. Note the similar sounds of "snooze" and SNEWS may be part of the joke.

Since historical supernovae have been visible from 6 months to nearly 2 years, it would be unlikely that Ponytail sleeps through a new one in its entirety.

Understandably, Hairy {{tvtropes|ScrewThisImOuttaHere|leaves to sleep at his own house}}.

The comic title "SNEWS" is an acronym from the beginning of the strip: SuperNova Early Warning System. It is also a play on "news"

The title text is a play on the tremendous amount of energy released by a supernova. The {{w|Foe (unit)|foe}} is an unofficial unit of energy approximately equal to 10^44 Joule (but named directly from initials in the original quantity of "ten to the fifty-one ergs", involving a {{w|Erg|pre-SI}} measurement of energy), which is on the order of the usual amount of energy released by a supernova. In comparison, human-scale amounts of energy — even relatively significant ones such as firework detonations — are negligible. This ignores the fact that energy releases that are "negligible in comparison to a supernova" can still be easily fatal to humans; the baseline 'foe' value is approximately ''twenty-seven'' orders of magnitude greater than even the largest man-made nuclear explosion. The described "10-40 foe" is equal to 10 kJ, the energy released by the complete combustion of about 0.6 g of table sugar (sucrose), or the decomposition of 6.75 g of nitrocellulose.

==Transcript==
{{incomplete transcript|Don't remove this notice too soon.}}
:[Ponytail is walking into her room. The room has a bed, a set of drawers and a large sci-fi device mounted on the ceiling. Hairy is standing in the room, pointing up at the device.]
:Hairy: What's that device?
:Ponytail: Part of the supernova early warning system.
:Ponytail: There hasn't been a Milky Way supernova in over a century.
:Ponytail: Astronomers don't want to miss the next one.

:[Close up of Ponytail, now sitting on the end of the bed]
:Ponytail: 20 years ago, we set up a supernova alert system using neutrino detectors.
:Ponytail: It should give us a few hours' advance notice.

:[In a frame-less panel the view zooms back out, showing Ponytail and Hairy.]
:Ponytail: If it ever goes off, every astronomer on earth will scramble to point their equipment at the sky.
:Hairy: Oh, OK. So is that a detector? Or some kind of telescope?

:[The panel moves to the right, showing Hairy walking away. Ponytail is still on the end of the bed, raising a clenched fist for dramatic effect.]
:Ponytail: Fireworks launcher.
:Ponytail: I '''''refuse''''' to sleep through a supernova.
:Hairy: I think I'll spend the night at my place instead.

==Trivia==
The word "off" is misspelled as "of" in the title text.

{{comic discussion}}<noinclude>

[[Category:Comics featuring Ponytail]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Hairy]]
[[Category:Astronomy]]

3208: SNEWS

2026-02-17T09:35:33Z

Elizium23: supernovae are visible for longer than most people sleep

{{comic
| number = 3208
| date = February 16, 2026
| title = SNEWS
| image = snews_2x.png
| imagesize = 740x321px
| noexpand = true
| titletext = People say setting of fireworks indoors is dangerous, but I looked at their energy release and it's like 10^-40 foe; totally negligible.
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|This page was created by a Type Ia firework display that Ponytail set off. Don't remove this notice too soon.}}
[[Ponytail]] is showing [[Hairy]] her bedroom. Hairy asks about the large device on the ceiling, and Ponytail explains that it is part of the {{w|SNEWS}} (SuperNova Early Warning System). This detects {{w|neutrino|neutrinos}} (tiny particles that travel near the speed of light, rarely interacting with matter) to give pre-notice of supernovae, as neutrinos are produced in large quantities during the collapse of the star core, which occurs hours before the main photon production. She explains this gives astronomers warning, allowing them to observe the event with telescopes and other instruments.

Hairy then asks regarding the nature of the visible equipment mounted on the ceiling, which has several protruding barrels. His first assumption is that it is either detector as part of the SNEWS, or some kind of telescope to be used in the event the SNEWS goes off. Ponytail explains that the device it is in fact a fireworks launcher, for the purposes of waking her up so she can witness the supernova herself. This is a '''very''' bad idea for a multitude of reasons. Reckless usage of fireworks is already known for causing significant property damage and personal injury even when used outdoors; launching fireworks inside the house means causing an explosion in a controlled area, guaranteeing that it will hit the building, maximizing the opportunity for the conflagration to ignite something flammable on the structure, and containing and therefore amplifying the sound of the burst (which can already deafen people who are too close).

Some people don't easily wake up to a simple alarm clock, especially if it is in reach and has a "snooze" function where a button will silence the alarm for several minutes before it beeps again. Note the similar sounds of "snooze" and SNEWS may be part of the joke.

Since historical supernovae have been visible from 6 months to nearly 2 years, it would be unlikely that Ponytail sleeps through a new one in its entirety.

Understandably, Hairy {{tvtropes|ScrewThisImOuttaHere|leaves to sleep at his own house}}.

The comic title "SNEWS" is an acronym from the beginning of the strip: SuperNova Early Warning System. It is also a play on "news"

The title text is a play on the tremendous amount of energy released by a supernova. The {{w|Foe (unit)|foe}} is an unofficial unit of energy approximately equal to 10^44 Joule (but named directly from initials in the original quantity of "ten to the fifty-one ergs", involving a {{w|Erg|pre-SI}} measurement of energy), which is on the order of the usual amount of energy released by a supernova. In comparison, human-scale amounts of energy — even relatively significant ones such as firework detonations — are negligible. This ignores the fact that energy releases that are "negligible in comparison to a supernova" can still be easily fatal to humans; the baseline 'foe' value is approximately ''twenty-seven'' orders of magnitude greater than even the largest man-made nuclear explosion. The described "10-40 foe" is equal to 10 kJ, the energy released by the complete combustion of about 0.6 g of table sugar (sucrose), or the decomposition of 6.75 g of nitrocellulose.

==Transcript==
{{incomplete transcript|Don't remove this notice too soon.}}
:[Ponytail is walking into her room. The room has a bed, a set of drawers and a large sci-fi device mounted on the ceiling. Hairy is standing in the room, pointing up at the device.]
:Hairy: What's that device?
:Ponytail: Part of the supernova early warning system.
:Ponytail: There hasn't been a Milky Way supernova in over a century.
:Ponytail: Astronomers don't want to miss the next one.

:[Close up of Ponytail, now sitting on the end of the bed]
:Ponytail: 20 years ago, we set up a supernova alert system using neutrino detectors.
:Ponytail: It should give us a few hours' advance notice.

:[In a frame-less panel the view zooms back out, showing Ponytail and Hairy.]
:Ponytail: If it ever goes off, every astronomer on earth will scramble to point their equipment at the sky.
:Hairy: Oh, OK. So is that a detector? Or some kind of telescope?

:[The panel moves to the right, showing Hairy walking away. Ponytail is still on the end of the bed, raising a clenched fist for dramatic effect.]
:Ponytail: Fireworks launcher.
:Ponytail: I '''''refuse''''' to sleep through a supernova.
:Hairy: I think I'll spend the night at my place instead.

==Trivia==
The word "off" is misspelled as "of" in the title text.

{{comic discussion}}<noinclude>

[[Category:Comics featuring Ponytail]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Hairy]]
[[Category:Astronomy]]

Talk:3206: Installation

2026-02-14T01:18:39Z

Elizium23:

This is what hiking trails should BE! [[User:Explainyourself|Explainyourself]] ([[User talk:Explainyourself|talk]]) 02:47, 12 February 2026 (UTC)
:no. it would be better with [https://xkcd.com/3147/ waterslides.] (/j) --[[User:Utdtutyabthsc|Utdtutyabthsc]] ([[User talk:Utdtutyabthsc|talk]]) 03:19, 12 February 2026 (UTC)
:Hiking trail pavement needs to be sturdy enough to withstand hikers stomping up and down. It also needs to help their hiking boots grip the trail, or at least not do worse at that than bare dirt would. I am not convinced that carpet fits either of those criteria. [[User:GreatWyrmGold|GreatWyrmGold]] ([[User talk:GreatWyrmGold|talk]]) 04:15, 12 February 2026 (UTC)
::But now you can hike in your socks. [[Special:Contributions/82.13.184.33|82.13.184.33]] 09:40, 12 February 2026 (UTC)
::Thick, durable carpet. How hard could it be? [[User:R128|R128]] ([[User talk:R128|talk]]) 14:10, 12 February 2026 (UTC)

I think this strip is a knowing reference to "outside the asylum", the inside-out home of Wonko the Sane in _The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy_.

https://hitchhikers.fandom.com/wiki/The_Outside_of_the_Asylum

https://hitchhikers.fandom.com/wiki/Wonko_the_Sane

[[User:Lproven|Lproven]] ([[User talk:Lproven|talk]]) 09:09, 12 February 2026 (UTC)
:How do you reckon that? Other than the presence of a carpet, how does it uniquely reference Wonko's setup, as opposed to being a coincidence? [[User:Elizium23|Elizium23]] ([[User talk:Elizium23|talk]]) 10:07, 12 February 2026 (UTC)
::It doesn't say anything about uniquely referencing Wonko's setup – it's says it's a knowing reference. Treating the space outside the walls as the true contents of the walls themselves is what Wonko did, but obviously, that's not how walled enclosures work. They are carpeting the space outside the walls, apparently having been able to get confused about what the walls represent. Carpet isn't about wall-to-wall coverage per se – the walls aren't relevant, other than to describe the fact that the carpet covers the whole floor. Considering the walls as a way to delineate the exterior as the target for your interaction is what Wonko did, and is also what they are doing. It's not really something that anyone else does. [[User:Yorkshire Pudding|Yorkshire Pudding]] ([[User talk:Yorkshire Pudding|talk]]) 18:54, 12 February 2026 (UTC)
:::[https://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=big%20room "The Big Room"] has been a meme for over 20 years. I recall we embellished it as "the big room with the bright yellow light in the ceiling", for example. The basis of the comic is punning on [https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/wall-to-wall "Wall-to-wall carpeting"] which is explicitly mentioned in the last panel. As a marketing term, probably originated in the United States and I don't know whether it was popularized in other English-speaking regions. The setting appears to be Megan and Cueball just moving in, or the installation of new wall-to-wall carpet at least. It is funny because if they've gone a great distance and haven't run out of "wall-to-wall carpet" yet, how big is their supply and the intended room(s)? It's an ordinary domestic scene with really typical confusion about laypersons doing DIY home improvement. There's no theme of sanity, or "the world's gone crazy" or any deliberate intention to build an inside-out home. The Wonko situation has a lot of specifics, and a mention of carpet that someone parked a car on, but other than that, I don't see distinctive similarities. [[User:Elizium23|Elizium23]] ([[User talk:Elizium23|talk]]) 01:08, 14 February 2026 (UTC)

This invention would go really well with outdoor floor-to-ceiling windows. -flatdurian [[Special:Contributions/138.75.249.122|138.75.249.122]] 11:54, 12 February 2026 (UTC)
: Also with the [[2790:_Heat_Pump|manual heat pump]] [[Special:Contributions/82.13.184.33|82.13.184.33]] 12:08, 12 February 2026 (UTC)

This cartoon has made me go look at how I can map the great circle starting at my front door and running through my back door. It looks possible, but less easy than I was hoping for. Guess I know how my day is starting. :D [[Special:Contributions/130.76.187.47|130.76.187.47]] 12:11, 12 February 2026 (UTC)
: Wouldn't work for me, my front and back doors are ~90° (and an entire floor) apart, not 180°. [[User:SDSpivey|SDSpivey]] ([[User talk:SDSpivey|talk]]) 21:46, 12 February 2026 (UTC)
:: For any two points on the surface of the Earth (providing they are distinct and not truly antipodean) there's exactly one Great Circle that connects them. It doesn't need to respect walls or oceans or other such trivialities. --[[Special:Contributions/2A10:D586:3E93:0:987B:F906:73FC:CB6|2A10:D586:3E93:0:987B:F906:73FC:CB6]] 16:59, 13 February 2026 (UTC)

Strange, If I follow the great circle that starts at my front door and follow it to where it runs through my back door, it is about forty feet, and most of that distance is actually outside the exterior walls of the house. It also deviates only slightly from a straight line! But I guess I am as confused as Cueball...[[Special:Contributions/209.240.116.218|209.240.116.218]] 22:47, 12 February 2026 (UTC)

I'd suggest a reference to https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php/2403:_Wrapping_Paper and https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php/2951:_Bad_Map_Projection:_Exterior_Kansas. Is that enough to make an eversion catagory? [[Special:Contributions/76.180.39.133|76.180.39.133]] 18:27, 13 February 2026 (UTC)

This reminds me of the farmer's sons and the three pieces of fence inheritance test… his youngest stated that he fenced in the superior region (approx. 99% of the Earth) instead of the inferior region and won. [[Special:Contributions/2001:1C02:1A9D:9700:3CC7:9D58:4AD5:E009|2001:1C02:1A9D:9700:3CC7:9D58:4AD5:E009]] 22:46, 13 February 2026 (UTC)

Just had a another thought, could they be trying to (re)carpet a ruin and already have passed where the other wall used to be?[[Special:Contributions/2001:1C02:1A9D:9700:3CC7:9D58:4AD5:E009|2001:1C02:1A9D:9700:3CC7:9D58:4AD5:E009]] 22:55, 13 February 2026 (UTC)

I disagree that "the last roll is about to run out" here, because in the final frame, Megan's cart is halfway out of frame, and may still hold the roll from the previous frame. So that's what gives pause to their efforts. Also, the carpet rolls are loaded parallel to the cart wheels, so they will have a tendency to fall off unless lashed down, much more so than loading them perpendicular, although that may result in more overhang with a rectangular cart. [[User:Elizium23|Elizium23]] ([[User talk:Elizium23|talk]]) 01:18, 14 February 2026 (UTC)

Talk:3206: Installation

2026-02-14T01:11:22Z

Elizium23:

Talk:3206: Installation

2026-02-14T01:10:26Z

Elizium23:

This is what hiking trails should BE! [[User:Explainyourself|Explainyourself]] ([[User talk:Explainyourself|talk]]) 02:47, 12 February 2026 (UTC)
:no. it would be better with [https://xkcd.com/3147/ waterslides.] (/j) --[[User:Utdtutyabthsc|Utdtutyabthsc]] ([[User talk:Utdtutyabthsc|talk]]) 03:19, 12 February 2026 (UTC)
:Hiking trail pavement needs to be sturdy enough to withstand hikers stomping up and down. It also needs to help their hiking boots grip the trail, or at least not do worse at that than bare dirt would. I am not convinced that carpet fits either of those criteria. [[User:GreatWyrmGold|GreatWyrmGold]] ([[User talk:GreatWyrmGold|talk]]) 04:15, 12 February 2026 (UTC)
::But now you can hike in your socks. [[Special:Contributions/82.13.184.33|82.13.184.33]] 09:40, 12 February 2026 (UTC)
::Thick, durable carpet. How hard could it be? [[User:R128|R128]] ([[User talk:R128|talk]]) 14:10, 12 February 2026 (UTC)

I think this strip is a knowing reference to "outside the asylum", the inside-out home of Wonko the Sane in _The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy_.

https://hitchhikers.fandom.com/wiki/The_Outside_of_the_Asylum

https://hitchhikers.fandom.com/wiki/Wonko_the_Sane

[[User:Lproven|Lproven]] ([[User talk:Lproven|talk]]) 09:09, 12 February 2026 (UTC)
:How do you reckon that? Other than the presence of a carpet, how does it uniquely reference Wonko's setup, as opposed to being a coincidence? [[User:Elizium23|Elizium23]] ([[User talk:Elizium23|talk]]) 10:07, 12 February 2026 (UTC)
::It doesn't say anything about uniquely referencing Wonko's setup – it's says it's a knowing reference. Treating the space outside the walls as the true contents of the walls themselves is what Wonko did, but obviously, that's not how walled enclosures work. They are carpeting the space outside the walls, apparently having been able to get confused about what the walls represent. Carpet isn't about wall-to-wall coverage per se – the walls aren't relevant, other than to describe the fact that the carpet covers the whole floor. Considering the walls as a way to delineate the exterior as the target for your interaction is what Wonko did, and is also what they are doing. It's not really something that anyone else does. [[User:Yorkshire Pudding|Yorkshire Pudding]] ([[User talk:Yorkshire Pudding|talk]]) 18:54, 12 February 2026 (UTC)
:::[https://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=big%20room "The Big Room"] has been a meme for over 20 years. I recall we embellished it as "the big room with the bright yellow light in the ceiling", for example. The basis of the comic is punning on [https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/wall-to-wall "Wall-to-wall carpeting"] which is explicitly mentioned in the last panel. As a marketing term, probably originated in the United States and I don't know whether it was popularized in other English-speaking regions. The setting appears to be Megan and Cueball just moving in, or the installation of new wall-to-wall carpet at least, and it's an ordinary domestic scene with really typical confusion about laypersons doing DIY home improvement. There's no theme of sanity, or "the world's gone crazy" or any deliberate intention to build an inside-out home. The Wonko situation has a lot of specifics, and a mention of carpet that someone parked a car on, but other than that, I don't see distinctive similarities. [[User:Elizium23|Elizium23]] ([[User talk:Elizium23|talk]]) 01:08, 14 February 2026 (UTC)

This invention would go really well with outdoor floor-to-ceiling windows. -flatdurian [[Special:Contributions/138.75.249.122|138.75.249.122]] 11:54, 12 February 2026 (UTC)
: Also with the [[2790:_Heat_Pump|manual heat pump]] [[Special:Contributions/82.13.184.33|82.13.184.33]] 12:08, 12 February 2026 (UTC)

This cartoon has made me go look at how I can map the great circle starting at my front door and running through my back door. It looks possible, but less easy than I was hoping for. Guess I know how my day is starting. :D [[Special:Contributions/130.76.187.47|130.76.187.47]] 12:11, 12 February 2026 (UTC)
: Wouldn't work for me, my front and back doors are ~90° (and an entire floor) apart, not 180°. [[User:SDSpivey|SDSpivey]] ([[User talk:SDSpivey|talk]]) 21:46, 12 February 2026 (UTC)
:: For any two points on the surface of the Earth (providing they are distinct and not truly antipodean) there's exactly one Great Circle that connects them. It doesn't need to respect walls or oceans or other such trivialities. --[[Special:Contributions/2A10:D586:3E93:0:987B:F906:73FC:CB6|2A10:D586:3E93:0:987B:F906:73FC:CB6]] 16:59, 13 February 2026 (UTC)

Strange, If I follow the great circle that starts at my front door and follow it to where it runs through my back door, it is about forty feet, and most of that distance is actually outside the exterior walls of the house. It also deviates only slightly from a straight line! But I guess I am as confused as Cueball...[[Special:Contributions/209.240.116.218|209.240.116.218]] 22:47, 12 February 2026 (UTC)

I'd suggest a reference to https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php/2403:_Wrapping_Paper and https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php/2951:_Bad_Map_Projection:_Exterior_Kansas. Is that enough to make an eversion catagory? [[Special:Contributions/76.180.39.133|76.180.39.133]] 18:27, 13 February 2026 (UTC)

This reminds me of the farmer's sons and the three pieces of fence inheritance test… his youngest stated that he fenced in the superior region (approx. 99% of the Earth) instead of the inferior region and won. [[Special:Contributions/2001:1C02:1A9D:9700:3CC7:9D58:4AD5:E009|2001:1C02:1A9D:9700:3CC7:9D58:4AD5:E009]] 22:46, 13 February 2026 (UTC)

Just had a another thought, could they be trying to (re)carpet a ruin and already have passed where the other wall used to be?[[Special:Contributions/2001:1C02:1A9D:9700:3CC7:9D58:4AD5:E009|2001:1C02:1A9D:9700:3CC7:9D58:4AD5:E009]] 22:55, 13 February 2026 (UTC)

Talk:3206: Installation

2026-02-14T01:08:57Z

Elizium23:

This is what hiking trails should BE! [[User:Explainyourself|Explainyourself]] ([[User talk:Explainyourself|talk]]) 02:47, 12 February 2026 (UTC)
:no. it would be better with [https://xkcd.com/3147/ waterslides.] (/j) --[[User:Utdtutyabthsc|Utdtutyabthsc]] ([[User talk:Utdtutyabthsc|talk]]) 03:19, 12 February 2026 (UTC)
:Hiking trail pavement needs to be sturdy enough to withstand hikers stomping up and down. It also needs to help their hiking boots grip the trail, or at least not do worse at that than bare dirt would. I am not convinced that carpet fits either of those criteria. [[User:GreatWyrmGold|GreatWyrmGold]] ([[User talk:GreatWyrmGold|talk]]) 04:15, 12 February 2026 (UTC)
::But now you can hike in your socks. [[Special:Contributions/82.13.184.33|82.13.184.33]] 09:40, 12 February 2026 (UTC)
::Thick, durable carpet. How hard could it be? [[User:R128|R128]] ([[User talk:R128|talk]]) 14:10, 12 February 2026 (UTC)

I think this strip is a knowing reference to "outside the asylum", the inside-out home of Wonko the Sane in _The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy_.

https://hitchhikers.fandom.com/wiki/The_Outside_of_the_Asylum

https://hitchhikers.fandom.com/wiki/Wonko_the_Sane

[[User:Lproven|Lproven]] ([[User talk:Lproven|talk]]) 09:09, 12 February 2026 (UTC)
:How do you reckon that? Other than the presence of a carpet, how does it uniquely reference Wonko's setup, as opposed to being a coincidence? [[User:Elizium23|Elizium23]] ([[User talk:Elizium23|talk]]) 10:07, 12 February 2026 (UTC)
::It doesn't say anything about uniquely referencing Wonko's setup – it's says it's a knowing reference. Treating the space outside the walls as the true contents of the walls themselves is what Wonko did, but obviously, that's not how walled enclosures work. They are carpeting the space outside the walls, apparently having been able to get confused about what the walls represent. Carpet isn't about wall-to-wall coverage per se – the walls aren't relevant, other than to describe the fact that the carpet covers the whole floor. Considering the walls as a way to delineate the exterior as the target for your interaction is what Wonko did, and is also what they are doing. It's not really something that anyone else does. [[User:Yorkshire Pudding|Yorkshire Pudding]] ([[User talk:Yorkshire Pudding|talk]]) 18:54, 12 February 2026 (UTC)
:::[https://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=big%20room "The Big Room"] has been a meme for over 20 years. I recall we embellished it as "the big room with the bright yellow light in the ceiling", for example. The basis of the comic is punning on [https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/wall-to-wall "Wall-to-wall carpeting"] which probably originated in the United States and I don't know whether it was popularized in other English-speaking regions. The setting appears to be Megan and Cueball just moving in, or the installation of new wall-to-wall carpet at least, and it's an ordinary domestic scene with really typical confusion about laypersons doing DIY home improvement. There's no theme of sanity, or "the world's gone crazy" or any deliberate intention to build an inside-out home. The Wonko situation has a lot of specifics, and a mention of carpet that someone parked a car on, but other than that, I don't see distinctive similarities. [[User:Elizium23|Elizium23]] ([[User talk:Elizium23|talk]]) 01:08, 14 February 2026 (UTC)

This invention would go really well with outdoor floor-to-ceiling windows. -flatdurian [[Special:Contributions/138.75.249.122|138.75.249.122]] 11:54, 12 February 2026 (UTC)
: Also with the [[2790:_Heat_Pump|manual heat pump]] [[Special:Contributions/82.13.184.33|82.13.184.33]] 12:08, 12 February 2026 (UTC)

This cartoon has made me go look at how I can map the great circle starting at my front door and running through my back door. It looks possible, but less easy than I was hoping for. Guess I know how my day is starting. :D [[Special:Contributions/130.76.187.47|130.76.187.47]] 12:11, 12 February 2026 (UTC)
: Wouldn't work for me, my front and back doors are ~90° (and an entire floor) apart, not 180°. [[User:SDSpivey|SDSpivey]] ([[User talk:SDSpivey|talk]]) 21:46, 12 February 2026 (UTC)
:: For any two points on the surface of the Earth (providing they are distinct and not truly antipodean) there's exactly one Great Circle that connects them. It doesn't need to respect walls or oceans or other such trivialities. --[[Special:Contributions/2A10:D586:3E93:0:987B:F906:73FC:CB6|2A10:D586:3E93:0:987B:F906:73FC:CB6]] 16:59, 13 February 2026 (UTC)

Strange, If I follow the great circle that starts at my front door and follow it to where it runs through my back door, it is about forty feet, and most of that distance is actually outside the exterior walls of the house. It also deviates only slightly from a straight line! But I guess I am as confused as Cueball...[[Special:Contributions/209.240.116.218|209.240.116.218]] 22:47, 12 February 2026 (UTC)

I'd suggest a reference to https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php/2403:_Wrapping_Paper and https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php/2951:_Bad_Map_Projection:_Exterior_Kansas. Is that enough to make an eversion catagory? [[Special:Contributions/76.180.39.133|76.180.39.133]] 18:27, 13 February 2026 (UTC)

This reminds me of the farmer's sons and the three pieces of fence inheritance test… his youngest stated that he fenced in the superior region (approx. 99% of the Earth) instead of the inferior region and won. [[Special:Contributions/2001:1C02:1A9D:9700:3CC7:9D58:4AD5:E009|2001:1C02:1A9D:9700:3CC7:9D58:4AD5:E009]] 22:46, 13 February 2026 (UTC)

Just had a another thought, could they be trying to (re)carpet a ruin and already have passed where the other wall used to be?[[Special:Contributions/2001:1C02:1A9D:9700:3CC7:9D58:4AD5:E009|2001:1C02:1A9D:9700:3CC7:9D58:4AD5:E009]] 22:55, 13 February 2026 (UTC)

2568: Spinthariscope

2026-02-13T11:43:40Z

Elizium23: Undo revision 406165 by Lettherebedarklight (talk) re-added, moved and expanded

{{comic
| number = 2568
| date = January 14, 2022
| title = Spinthariscope
| image = spinthariscope.png
| titletext = Other high scorers are melt-in-your-hand aluminum-destroying gallium and tritium-powered glowsticks. Lawn darts are toward the other end.
}}

==Explanation==
This is another comic with one of [[Randall|Randall's]] [[:Category:Fun fact|fun facts]]. As stated in the comic, a {{w|spinthariscope}} is a device with a small amount of radioactive material ({{w|americium}} or {{w|thorium}}) and a screen. When one of the radioactive atoms decays, it emits an {{w|alpha particle}}, which strikes the screen, which emits a small flash of light. You can see these flashes by looking through a lens. It was invented in 1903 initially as a scientific instrument but was soon replaced by more accurate and quantitative devices. But the original device was still popular for some time as an educational toy for children, and you can still get them today in some places.

The joke in the comic is that most people have little understanding of radiation and overreact to any mention that something is radioactive. So, when Cueball tells Megan, White Hat, and Ponytail that the toy contains radioactive material, they're shocked and scared. But the amount of radioactive material in the toy is very tiny and the radiation is itself so trivially contained that there's practically no risk from it. The short-ranged {{w|alpha particles}} are likely stopped by the lens through which the harmless flashes of light (from particles that instead hit and neutralise in the internal screen element) are seen.

The fun fact in the caption says that Spinthariscopes have the highest ratio of "that can't possibly be safe and legal" to actual safety and legality of any known toy. When people hear about Spinthariscopes for the first time, they often assume, due to the radioactive material inside, that they must be extremely dangerous. They thus also question if such a toy is at all legal to make or own in the first place. But the fact is that Spinthariscopes are both safe and legal to make, sell, and own in the United States. So, the perceived danger and presumption that it must be illegal is at an extremely high number, and the actual danger and the actual illegality results in a very low number on the same scale. It is this ratio between perceived and actual danger and illegality that are the highest for Spinthariscopes, higher than for any other known toy.

The formulation, however, causes some confusion, because the caption uses actual safety and legality (high) instead of actual danger and illegality (low). Instead of a high ratio between perceived danger and actual danger, the result is an even ratio between perceived danger and actual safety, which are both high. The ratios for the other mentioned toys would also be even, as they have low perceived danger and low actual safety. This is obviously not the intended meaning, as the other toys are said to be toward the other end of the scale.

In the 21st century, many buildings have {{w|Smoke detector|smoke detectors}} using {{w|Smoke detector#Ionization|ionization}} caused by radioactive decay of {{w|Americium-241}} to detect the smoke. So a device with radioactive material in homes and workplaces is quite common, especially where smoke detectors are mandated by law. The minimal danger of the radioactive material is considered a welcome trade-off for the safety feature of automatic, audible alerts to evacuate burning buildings.

The title text mentions some other materials/toys that sound dangerous but aren't. {{w|Gallium}} is a metallic element with a low melting point of 29.76°C (85.568°F) so it will melt in your hand. Additionally, gallium has strange properties when it interacts with aluminum, causing aluminum to [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IgXNwLoS-Hw "melt"] or become brittle. {{w|Tritium}} is a radioactive isotope of hydrogen, but {{w|Tritium radioluminescence|can be used}} to create {{w|glowstick}}s and other lighted objects. Though these two toys might seem dangerous, they are actually typically used perfectly safely.

At the opposite end of the spectrum is {{w|lawn darts}}, a toy containing large darts that are thrown into the air to fall back down onto a target that's placed or marked upon the ground quite near the players' positions. Unlike the spinthariscope, which sounds dangerous but is actually harmless, lawn darts sound relatively innocent but can cause severe injury if you accidentally hit a person (and a few children were even {{w|Lawn darts|killed}}), so they were {{w|Lawn_darts#Safety_and_bans_in_the_U.S._and_Canada|banned in the US and Canada}} in the 1980s. When sharpened, these toys even [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1EFAVGIylqE compare] quite favorably to {{w|plumbata|antique weapons of war}}.

==Transcript==
:[Cueball is holding a small item up in on hand in front of his three friends. Megan has her arms lifted and bent in front of her, White Hat has his arms raised over his head and Ponytail is pointing at Cueball while her other hand, held down behind her, is balled into a fist.]
:Cueball: It's a spinthariscope, a 1940s toy with a radioactive isotope inside. If you let your eyes adjust to total darkness and look into the lens, you can see the flashes of individual atoms decaying.
:Megan: What??
:White Hat: ''Aaaaa!''
:Ponytail: Get it away!

:[Caption below the panel:]
:Fun fact: Spinthariscopes have the highest ratio of "that can't possibly be safe and legal" to actual safety and legality of any known toy.

==Trivia==
This was the third comic to come out after the [[Countdown in header text]] started.

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Fun fact]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Megan]]
[[Category:Comics featuring White Hat]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Ponytail]]
[[Category:Chemistry]]
[[Category:Physics]]

Talk:1327: Mobile Marketing

2026-02-12T16:14:17Z

Elizium23:

The sad thing is that when I saw the name "CNN", and then the title text, I knew exactly what this comic was referring to. https://twitter.com/waxpancake/status/426390907038887936

And ohhhh dear, looking at the latest news/results for this, they've somehow messed up even WORSE than before. https://www.google.com/search?q=cnn+the+news+will+shock+you http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/innovations/wp/2014/02/05/dear-cnn-please-be-careful-about-copying-our-headlines-sincerely-upworthy/

But, I think ironically the best part is how practically everyone that's piling onto CNN for this is also doing the same manipulative, emotive, Upworthy-style headline bait tricks as well. (Looking at you, Slate, Salon, Washington Post, The Atlantic, BuzzFeed, ThinkProgress...)

[[User:Mudkip3DS|Mudkip3DS]] ([[User talk:Mudkip3DS|talk]]) 07:24, 7 February 2014 (UTC)

:BTW I'm not sure how exactly I would phrase this, so I'm not going to add it, but I think one of you should add a reference to those two incidents (the "murder shock" and "rape surprise" ones; though the first one is what I remember making more news, the latter is very recent). It almost seems clear, looking at the comic and text, that it's referring to them. [[User:Mudkip3DS|Mudkip3DS]] ([[User talk:Mudkip3DS|talk]]) 07:28, 7 February 2014 (UTC)

Ah, and from the first panels, I thought it was going to refer to NBCNews.com's new site redesign. CNN hired Blackhat to redo NBC's website to drive visitors from there to CNN... I mean, who /watches/ the news anymore? [[Special:Contributions/108.162.221.57|108.162.221.57]] 07:30, 7 February 2014 (UTC)

It is also worth noting that sending a message to turn on the news to random numbers is very unlikely to drive people to CNN in particular as there are many other competing news channels that they could choose. {{unsigned ip|162.158.7.28}}
:Even if only 10% tuned in to CNN, that would still be a significant bump in their viewership. [[Special:Contributions/146.70.174.163|146.70.174.163]] 16:04, 12 February 2026 (UTC)
:Specifically mentioning "CNN" may have reduced effectiveness. Some recipients would say "why, I never watch CNN" and others could guess that CNN themselves was behind the spam. He could adjust the outcome a little bit, by sending the messages at times when the broadcast news wasn't available in those markets. Without broadcast news, the viewers would reach for a national 24/7 outlet, and the majority would split between FOX and CNN. [[User:Elizium23|Elizium23]] ([[User talk:Elizium23|talk]]) 16:14, 12 February 2026 (UTC)

Talk:1322: Winter

2026-02-12T16:01:55Z

Elizium23: readjust your Beret, please

There is a reason we have correct and precise words for just about every item. "Flappy planes" could refer to birds, or it could refer to the impractical early attempt at a flying machine known as an ornithopter; and in the same manner "stick towers" could also refer to telephone poles or the piers from an old-time wooden railroad trestle.[[Special:Contributions/173.245.54.30|173.245.54.30]] 17:41, 28 January 2014 (UTC)
:I think the main reason we like to have so many words is so we can belittle people that don't know as many as we do. The German way is more sensible, if less poetic. [[Special:Contributions/108.162.219.58|108.162.219.58]] 02:27, 5 February 2014 (UTC)

I feel like he's referencing a song but I can't make the things fit anything. --[[Special:Contributions/108.162.219.53|108.162.219.53]] 06:05, 27 January 2014 (UTC)
:I thought this may be a shot at media's coverage of the "polar vortex"[[Special:Contributions/108.162.219.31|108.162.219.31]] 14:44, 27 January 2014 (UTC)
:Sounds a bit like Let it Snow to me [[Special:Contributions/108.162.218.47|108.162.218.47]] 21:59, 2 June 2014 (UTC)

Amusingly, I feel, the German for gloves is "Handschuh" (plural "Handschuhe)" as in
hand shoe(s). [[Special:Contributions/173.245.49.72|173.245.49.72]] 09:05, 27 January 2014 (UTC)

I still think that's whitehat, he is again making an argument that is getting beaten [[User:Halfhat|Halfhat]] ([[User talk:Halfhat|talk]]) 09:05, 27 January 2014 (UTC)

How does the title text build up on the romeo&juliet's rose idea? --[[Special:Contributions/108.162.229.74|108.162.229.74]] 12:59, 27 January 2014 (UTC)

:Maybe "build up" is the wrong phrase. It certainly continues on the same train of thought. [[User:Smperron|Smperron]] ([[User talk:Smperron|talk]]) 15:48, 27 January 2014 (UTC)

"Monosyllabic" doesn't quite seem like a fitting description of "water", "flappy", or "towers", especially in contrast to "pond", "birds", and "trees". --[[Special:Contributions/108.162.238.207|108.162.238.207]] 13:26, 27 January 2014 (UTC)

I've added [Birds chirping] to the transcript, but I can't really see what else is missing. I'm open to suggestions. [[User:Jarod997|Jarod997]] ([[User talk:Jarod997|talk]]) 14:36, 27 January 2014 (UTC)
:This was something I was trying to grasp when I added the "Birds Chirping" - to what detail do we describe the events going on in any given panel? A transcript is supposed to be a [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Transcript_(law) written record of the spoken word] and while some actions do bear significant meaning to the "record" of the strip as a whole, the question remains - to what detail? [[User:Jarod997|Jarod997]] ([[User talk:Jarod997|talk]]) 20:55, 27 January 2014 (UTC)
::To the musical notes that appear in the upper right corner of the relevant panels. [[User:Sciepsilon|Sciepsilon]] ([[User talk:Sciepsilon|talk]]) 05:39, 28 January 2014 (UTC)
:::Yes, I agree - the musical notes should be transcribed (or notated, lol). But should we be transcribing physical acts, such as characters walking on/off panel, setting up the scene, etc. It would seem that we're moving from Transcript to Script. In any case, I'm going to move this discussion to the [[explain_xkcd:Community_portal/Coordination|Coordination]] page as I can't seem to find any real guideline on this.[[User:Jarod997|Jarod997]] ([[User talk:Jarod997|talk]]) 13:52, 28 January 2014 (UTC)

It almost scans right for "These Are a Few of My Favorite Things" and a lot of the lines could be taken as references to that song. [[User:Djbrasier|Djbrasier]] ([[User talk:Djbrasier|talk]]) 17:09, 27 January 2014 (UTC)
:If you say so. [[Special:Contributions/108.162.219.58|108.162.219.58]] 02:27, 5 February 2014 (UTC)

The stickman with the antennated headwool is right. [[User:Sten|'''STEN''']] ([[User talk:Sten|talk]]) 21:49, 27 January 2014 (UTC)

Might "little flappers" refer to fruit bats, instead of birds, since flappy planes is already used for birds? Most of the replacements so far were logical, and since birds mainly generate lift using Bernoulli's Principle (like planes), wouldn't bats more more accurate when only refering to "flappers"? [[User:Athang|Athang]] ([[User talk:Athang|talk]]) 23:09, 27 January 2014 (UTC)
:No, I think "little flappers" is definately birds - specifically wrens, sparrows, warblers, etc - all of which are both small and commonly called "songbirds", hence the indication of musical birdsong. {{unsigned ip|108.162.237.46}}

It feels like there is some special significance to the last panel. Either the birds' chirping indicates offense at being called flappy planes, indicating that somebody does in fact care, or they are continuing to chirp happilly because they don't care. Or it could just be that Cueball/White Hat sees Beret Guy's point, as seems to be the consensus. [[User:Sciepsilon|Sciepsilon]] ([[User talk:Sciepsilon|talk]]) 05:39, 28 January 2014 (UTC)
:I'm pretty sure this isn't a comic about sentient birds. [[Special:Contributions/108.162.219.58|108.162.219.58]] 02:27, 5 February 2014 (UTC)

Is "spacelight" meant to be "the illumination from space" i.e. "sunlight", or "the lamp in space" i.e. "sun"? I thought the latter. {{unsigned ip|173.245.49.67}}
::I don't think it matters that much, as long as white hat is warm enough. [[Special:Contributions/108.162.229.86|108.162.229.86]] 19:41, 28 January 2014 (UTC)
::Do you get confused when people say "The sun is warm today" ? This is the same thing. [[Special:Contributions/108.162.219.58|108.162.219.58]]

I have referenced Feynman's "Difference between knowing the name of something and knowing something" to the explanation as the reference would be obvious to someone like Munroe. [[User:Tardyon|Tardyon]] ([[User talk:Tardyon|talk]]) 22:25, 28 January 2014 (UTC)

"Floor water" was referenced in the latest What-If. [[Special:Contributions/108.162.237.64|108.162.237.64]] 05:26, 29 January 2014 (UTC)

No baby birds in winter? Could they be crossbill's? [[Special:Contributions/108.162.254.84|108.162.254.84]] 15:03, 1 February 2014 (UTC)
:He is only saying "little flappers" to create a certain tone in his statement. He simply means the songbirds. [[Special:Contributions/108.162.219.58|108.162.219.58]] 02:27, 5 February 2014 (UTC)

I have always liked Feynman's parable about knowing something vs knowing the name of something. I especially like it in context of those students and intellectual wannabes that spew out names and jargon without actually knowing, understanding or appreciating the how (and perhaps why) behind what they are spouting off.
On the other hand, a shared nomenclature is absolutely essential to communication, especially effective and unambiguous communication, as the discussions herein (above) make clear.
For instance, although "beret guy" may have a deep understanding and appreciation of what he observes, he is failing to communicate this (if that indeed was his intention) to "cueball", and indeed it could be said to the readers. For instance the "little flappers" are birds to some, bats to others. "Lamp in space" is not very unambiguous as well.
People create names and words with specific meaning in order to shorten communication time, and to create a shared mental picture that helps further understanding. An argument could be made that "cueball" has a point about "wrong words for those things" in that if one really wants to communicate ones understanding or appreciation for something, one had better learn the nomenclature. [[User:Tardyon|Tardyon]] ([[User talk:Tardyon|talk]]) 15:34, 6 February 2014 (UTC)

I notice that some of the names Beret Guy is using imply that in the dialect of English he speaks, only manmade or highly technological things are known, and he has to describe his natural surroundings by reference to manmade ones: "floor" "tower" "planes" "light" "beeping". --[[Special:Contributions/108.162.216.109|108.162.216.109]] 00:43, 11 March 2015 (UTC)

And here I am in 2016, somehow having missed this comic. And I wonder if this was part of the impetus for [[Thing Explainer]]. [[User:Trlkly|Trlkly]] ([[User talk:Trlkly|talk]]) 01:16, 27 January 2016 (UTC)

So this could be off-base, but in terms of themes, images, and cadence, the comic (a four-part discussion of journey through the winter woods) seems to allude to the poem "Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening" by Robert Frost, a four-part discussion of a journey through the winter woods. Especially because the second line of the final stanza of the poem starts with an abrupt "But I have..." and the second panel of the comic starts with an abrupt "But I have..." It's where my brain wants to go, and Frost is a topic that he seems to know well enough, at least the more famous poems (https://xkcd.com/312/). Thoughts, an avenue to consider? [[Special:Contributions/108.162.221.93|108.162.221.93]] 22:07, 3 April 2016 (UTC)
It shares a similar setting as the Frost poem & you could consider "cold weather" a common theme. But tone & central theme have little overlap by my reading. And lots of stories have that common setting/theme: from "The Giver" to that Jack London novella about the guy who's freezing to death -- to name 2 from among the several we read in 8th grade.
The prior art this strip reminds me of more would probably be the song "what a wonderful world" --[[Special:Contributions/172.69.22.44|172.69.22.44]] 03:48, 16 July 2018 (UTC)

I'm way, way late, but isn't that [[Knit Cap]] that [[Beret Guy]] is talking to? [[User:Nitpicking|Nitpicking]] ([[User talk:Nitpicking|talk]]) 16:54, 28 November 2021 (UTC)

I believe the Romeo & Juliet quote has been misused. Just as "Wherefore art thou, Romeo?" would be rendered nowadays as "Why did he have to be a Capulet?", so "That which..." is a more poetic way of Romeo pondering the fact that if they'd been, say, Romeo Smith & Juliet Jones instead of a Montague & a Capulet, there wouldn't be the obstacle of their families' vendettas to their love.

This comic kinda reminds me of the conlang Toki Pona. [[explain_xkcd:Community_portal/Miscellaneous#Help_with_Creating_a_User_Page|Trogdor147]] ([[explain_xkcd:Community_portal/Miscellaneous#Help_with_Creating_a_User_Page|talk]]) 02:36, 28 November 2023 (UTC)

The words "sky" and "spacelight" seem to suggest that it was night. [[User:ChristmasGospel|ChristmasGospel]] ([[User talk:ChristmasGospel|talk]]) 16:19, 16 November 2024 (UTC)
:Really? You think that there is no sky at night? And "spacelight" is obviously the sun, which is warm. The moon is not noticeably warm to human senses.
::I recently had a thought experiment: where does the "sky" begin? 100 feet up? Above our heads? If the sky is open air, then the sky begins where the ground ends. I believe that Beret Guy is referring to cold winter *air* which comprises the sky at most altitudes. If it is daytime in the winter, then the air is cold, water's frozen, but the Sun feels warm. The whole point is the misuse of words, so if you think "spacelight" means a field of stars or the Moon, try to readjust your Beret and think weirder. [[User:Elizium23|Elizium23]] ([[User talk:Elizium23|talk]]) 16:01, 12 February 2026 (UTC)

Talk:2570: Captain Picard Tea Order

2026-02-12T15:27:18Z

Elizium23: expand

...{{w|Builder's tea|Builders}}. I mean, Picard is French and Trek(/Randall) is 'Merican but I suspect it would still be a valid option to give the Ready-Room replicator... [[Special:Contributions/172.70.91.126|172.70.91.126]] 23:31, 19 January 2022 (UTC)

In ''Star Trek: Picard'', Picard is seen requesting "tea, earl gray, decaf". [[Special:Contributions/172.69.68.202|172.69.68.202]] 03:33, 20 January 2022 (UTC)
:I would call for a {{citation needed}} here. In case you can supply it, put it in the table under defac. --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 11:22, 20 January 2022 (UTC)
::I put it in with [https://tvline.com/2020/01/26/star-trek-picard-premiere-easter-eggs-earl-grey-decaf/] as ref. [[Special:Contributions/172.68.50.43|172.68.50.43]] 14:29, 20 January 2022 (UTC)
::But how warm is it? [[User:Kev|Kev]] ([[User talk:Kev|talk]]) 20:09, 20 January 2022 (UTC)

Presumably infinite tea could be the beverage to accompany [[1099|Endless Wings]]. [[User:Nitpicking|Nitpicking]] ([[User talk:Nitpicking|talk]]) 03:45, 20 January 2022 (UTC)
::This joke should only come on a [[1099: Tuesdays|Tuesday]]! And I'm annoyed you beat me to it ;-) But at leat I found another infinity joke first [[1433: Lightsaber]]. --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 11:22, 20 January 2022 (UTC)
:I assumed infinite tea was just a bad pun - as in 'To infinite tea and beyond!' [[Special:Contributions/162.158.159.85|162.158.159.85]] 09:12, 20 January 2022 (UTC)
::[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2VSYmGSJtCA To infinity and beyond] from Toy Story you mean? Good point.--[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 11:22, 20 January 2022 (UTC)

I showed it to a friend an their response was: "[In early 20th century England] they added condensed beef stock to their tea for breakfast", so ''meaty'' tea is very much a possibility. Then they linked some brand promotional materials for "Vimbos: The Prince of Fluid Beef" and "Vimbos: an ox in a teacup". Because I was just about to sign off for the evening, I'm not going to do the due diligence to research, cite, and edit the main article to reflect this discovery--but I thought it should at least be written here to see if others found it interesting enough to add. [[User:Dextrous Fred|Dextrous Fred]] ([[User talk:Dextrous Fred|talk]]) 04:21, 20 January 2022 (UTC)
:{{w|Bovril|Bovril}} is a standard beef tea [[Special:Contributions/172.70.85.79|172.70.85.79]] 07:40, 20 January 2022 (UTC)
::''Meaty'' is also a term that could be used to describe robustly flavoured teas, such as an Assam. Not likely to be used for Earl Grey, though.[[Special:Contributions/162.158.159.85|162.158.159.85]] 09:18, 20 January 2022 (UTC)
:::Should be added to the explanation... --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 11:22, 20 January 2022 (UTC)

The concept of iced tea is not normal, especially as Picard is English. Almost but not quite, totally unlike tea. [[User:Arachrah|Arachrah]] ([[User talk:Arachrah|talk]]) 08:46, 20 January 2022 (UTC)
:Intravenous tea, on the other hand, is an entirely reasonable request. [[Special:Contributions/162.158.159.85|162.158.159.85]] 09:13, 20 January 2022 (UTC)
::But we agree that Icetea is? Could be seen as that. --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 11:22, 20 January 2022 (UTC)
:Picard is actually natively, and by name, French. Born not far from the Swiss border, his family running a vinyard there. Though he indeed seems to be quite the Anglophile (steadfastly English by accent!) and we don't entirely know how the (re)merging of Europe may have affected cultural and social inheritances on the other side of the Eugenics Wars (and other civilisation-upturning shifts in terran future-history) from where we are now. [[Special:Contributions/172.70.162.5|172.70.162.5]] 12:45, 20 January 2022 (UTC)
::Are you thinking of Patrick Stewart being English? [[User:Kev|Kev]] ([[User talk:Kev|talk]]) 20:09, 20 January 2022 (UTC)
:::Me? (172.70.162.5, just above.) Not really. Stewart is from Kirklees (not far from Huddersfield, though an accent or two away), yet unless he consciously drifts back he tends to stick to his professional English voice. But Picard is from eastern France ''and proud of it'', though his accent (when speaking English) is also very... English.
:::When an episode has him on the Holodeck, at least when he's having fun without some Holodeck-located threat currently happening, he can drift into a Shakespearean bit-part dialect or Film Noir-style American to suit the program running at the time, but Picard's natural tone seems to be quite RP. Obviously proving that the future has developed the near-perfect scenario of traditional French wine being made by those with cut-glass English accents. :-p [[Special:Contributions/172.70.90.121|172.70.90.121]] 20:36, 20 January 2022 (UTC)

I kind of think that the explanation should give more emphasis to the fact that the whole comic is basically just a convoluted set-up for the Earl Grey joke.[[Special:Contributions/141.101.98.145|141.101.98.145]] 09:20, 20 January 2022 (UTC)
:Agree have just added a line to that affect. --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 11:22, 20 January 2022 (UTC)
::Disagree that this was the whole purpose. It's a punchline, but not sure it dictated where it was eventually going. That it goes into it twice (least-normal affix and then the titletext) reads more as stumbling to that conclusion rather than carefully aiming at this particular wham-line. But YMMV. [[Special:Contributions/172.70.86.22|172.70.86.22]] 12:50, 20 January 2022 (UTC)

I disagree that separating the tea into segments would not be possible. You simply need a segmented mug or cup. That would, though, probably prove difficult to drink, unless he used a straw.[[Special:Contributions/141.101.98.145|141.101.98.145]] 09:28, 20 January 2022 (UTC)

While I'm normally the first to jump in on the [citation needed] joke, that would have to be applied to almost every single line of the explanation, so I propose Not Doing That. I accept criticism and counter arguments --[[User:256.256.256.256|Evidently the unfunny person here]] ([[User talk:256.256.256.256|talk]]) 09:45, 20 January 2022 (UTC)
:Great, this has been used way too much. It is often not very funny. And in my opinion should really be used only when citation is needed{{citation needed}} :-p --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 11:22, 20 January 2022 (UTC)
::I disagree on that last thing, for that we have {{Actual citation needed}} [[User:256.256.256.256|256.256.256.256]] ([[User talk:256.256.256.256|talk]]) 12:31, 20 January 2022 (UTC)

Could the "infinite" also be a reference to the paperclip maker thought experiment - the replicator will consume the universe to get raw materials and energy to make more and more tea. [[Special:Contributions/141.101.98.225|141.101.98.225]] 10:09, 20 January 2022 (UTC)
:Definitely a problem with a machine that makes thing out of energy, is that is need lots of energy. --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 11:22, 20 January 2022 (UTC)

I liked "verbose". Most software run from a command line has a "-verbose" or "-v" option which causes it to give more information about what it's doing, usually useful for the purpose of debugging. Rather than providing more information about the tea, I expect that "tea, earl grey, verbose" would result in the replicator giving a step-by-step explanation as it looks up the recipe for tea, selects appropriate raw materials (does it use particles from the air or something?), begins replicating, finishes replicating, and tests that the final product is within normal parameters. Of course, this might mean that the replicator runs more slowly while doing this; which could be useful if he's getting tea as an excuse to take a break from an argument of some kind. Perhaps the replicator even has a 'traditional' tea making mode, where it pauses and describes a more conventional method of tea-making as if there were an invisible chef with a kettle and a teapot somewhere just out of sight. [[User:Angel|Angel]] ([[User talk:Angel|talk]]) 11:07, 20 January 2022 (UTC)

What if the countdown is actually to season 2 of [[https://www.hitc.com/en-gb/2021/09/09/star-trek-picard-season-2-release-date-plot-cast/|Picard]]
:{{w|Star Trek: Picard (season 2)}} is set to run from March 3, which both Wikipedia (link before) and [https://www.imdb.com/title/tt8806524/episodes?season=2 IMDb] agrees upon så bad to miss by more than a month, and what would the plane in the image have to do with this anyway ;-) --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 12:08, 21 January 2022 (UTC)

How about Jean Lucwarm tea? [[Special:Contributions/172.69.69.90|172.69.69.90]] 00:41, 21 January 2022 (UTC)
How about we don't. That is an AWFUL pun! ( which means I wish I had thought of it first 'cause I actually find it hilarious ;^)[[Special:Contributions/172.70.130.153|172.70.130.153]] 11:30, 21 January 2022 (UTC)

I'd like to think that the Earl Grey mentioned at the bottom was CGP Grey as an Earl. [[User:Mikeb108|Mikeb108]] ([[User talk:Mikeb108|talk]]) 18:46, 21 January 2022 (UTC)

I'd imagine there ought to be mention of milk/no milk. Not very funny, granted, but it's a fairly major consideration in the tea-making process, being a standard (or indeed mandatory) ingredient for many consumers. In the case of Earl Grey however it is generally regarded as optional (or perhaps incorrect, by those who have opinions about the propriety of such things), so it's a pretty key variable, and belongs close to the top of the list. [[User:Yorkshire Pudding|Yorkshire Pudding]] ([[User talk:Yorkshire Pudding|talk]]) 11:10, 22 January 2022 (UTC)

That link to season 2 trailer doesn't seem to work. Is that this one? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=feQTh-6M7pc -- [[User:Hkmaly|Hkmaly]] ([[User talk:Hkmaly|talk]]) 05:59, 23 January 2022 (UTC)

This page has been vandalized, we need to fix that [[User:MysticalMHM|MysticalMHM]] ([[User talk:MysticalMHM|talk]]) 00:20, 4 May 2022 (UTC)

I don't think "raw" tea would be tea steeped in room-temperature water, I think it would be tea made from fresh (unprocessed/non-dried) leaves. Possibly even just the leaves themselves. [[User:L-Space Traveler|L-Space Traveler]] ([[User talk:L-Space Traveler|talk]]) 15:24, 5 November 2023 (UTC)

I've added a few in-universe tidbits about Picard's order and the replicator. The incident where Picard receives a potted plant made me recall {{w|The Good Place}}, where "Janet" sometimes malfunctions, and at one point Michael repeatedly requests that she give him a file, but she produces a potted cactus every time, while blithely insists that the object is not a cactus, but the file he wants. [[User:Elizium23|Elizium23]] ([[User talk:Elizium23|talk]]) 15:24, 12 February 2026 (UTC)

Talk:2570: Captain Picard Tea Order

2026-02-12T15:25:30Z

Elizium23: ok, wikitext isn't Markdown

...{{w|Builder's tea|Builders}}. I mean, Picard is French and Trek(/Randall) is 'Merican but I suspect it would still be a valid option to give the Ready-Room replicator... [[Special:Contributions/172.70.91.126|172.70.91.126]] 23:31, 19 January 2022 (UTC)

In ''Star Trek: Picard'', Picard is seen requesting "tea, earl gray, decaf". [[Special:Contributions/172.69.68.202|172.69.68.202]] 03:33, 20 January 2022 (UTC)
:I would call for a {{citation needed}} here. In case you can supply it, put it in the table under defac. --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 11:22, 20 January 2022 (UTC)
::I put it in with [https://tvline.com/2020/01/26/star-trek-picard-premiere-easter-eggs-earl-grey-decaf/] as ref. [[Special:Contributions/172.68.50.43|172.68.50.43]] 14:29, 20 January 2022 (UTC)
::But how warm is it? [[User:Kev|Kev]] ([[User talk:Kev|talk]]) 20:09, 20 January 2022 (UTC)

Presumably infinite tea could be the beverage to accompany [[1099|Endless Wings]]. [[User:Nitpicking|Nitpicking]] ([[User talk:Nitpicking|talk]]) 03:45, 20 January 2022 (UTC)
::This joke should only come on a [[1099: Tuesdays|Tuesday]]! And I'm annoyed you beat me to it ;-) But at leat I found another infinity joke first [[1433: Lightsaber]]. --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 11:22, 20 January 2022 (UTC)
:I assumed infinite tea was just a bad pun - as in 'To infinite tea and beyond!' [[Special:Contributions/162.158.159.85|162.158.159.85]] 09:12, 20 January 2022 (UTC)
::[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2VSYmGSJtCA To infinity and beyond] from Toy Story you mean? Good point.--[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 11:22, 20 January 2022 (UTC)

I showed it to a friend an their response was: "[In early 20th century England] they added condensed beef stock to their tea for breakfast", so ''meaty'' tea is very much a possibility. Then they linked some brand promotional materials for "Vimbos: The Prince of Fluid Beef" and "Vimbos: an ox in a teacup". Because I was just about to sign off for the evening, I'm not going to do the due diligence to research, cite, and edit the main article to reflect this discovery--but I thought it should at least be written here to see if others found it interesting enough to add. [[User:Dextrous Fred|Dextrous Fred]] ([[User talk:Dextrous Fred|talk]]) 04:21, 20 January 2022 (UTC)
:{{w|Bovril|Bovril}} is a standard beef tea [[Special:Contributions/172.70.85.79|172.70.85.79]] 07:40, 20 January 2022 (UTC)
::''Meaty'' is also a term that could be used to describe robustly flavoured teas, such as an Assam. Not likely to be used for Earl Grey, though.[[Special:Contributions/162.158.159.85|162.158.159.85]] 09:18, 20 January 2022 (UTC)
:::Should be added to the explanation... --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 11:22, 20 January 2022 (UTC)

The concept of iced tea is not normal, especially as Picard is English. Almost but not quite, totally unlike tea. [[User:Arachrah|Arachrah]] ([[User talk:Arachrah|talk]]) 08:46, 20 January 2022 (UTC)
:Intravenous tea, on the other hand, is an entirely reasonable request. [[Special:Contributions/162.158.159.85|162.158.159.85]] 09:13, 20 January 2022 (UTC)
::But we agree that Icetea is? Could be seen as that. --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 11:22, 20 January 2022 (UTC)
:Picard is actually natively, and by name, French. Born not far from the Swiss border, his family running a vinyard there. Though he indeed seems to be quite the Anglophile (steadfastly English by accent!) and we don't entirely know how the (re)merging of Europe may have affected cultural and social inheritances on the other side of the Eugenics Wars (and other civilisation-upturning shifts in terran future-history) from where we are now. [[Special:Contributions/172.70.162.5|172.70.162.5]] 12:45, 20 January 2022 (UTC)
::Are you thinking of Patrick Stewart being English? [[User:Kev|Kev]] ([[User talk:Kev|talk]]) 20:09, 20 January 2022 (UTC)
:::Me? (172.70.162.5, just above.) Not really. Stewart is from Kirklees (not far from Huddersfield, though an accent or two away), yet unless he consciously drifts back he tends to stick to his professional English voice. But Picard is from eastern France ''and proud of it'', though his accent (when speaking English) is also very... English.
:::When an episode has him on the Holodeck, at least when he's having fun without some Holodeck-located threat currently happening, he can drift into a Shakespearean bit-part dialect or Film Noir-style American to suit the program running at the time, but Picard's natural tone seems to be quite RP. Obviously proving that the future has developed the near-perfect scenario of traditional French wine being made by those with cut-glass English accents. :-p [[Special:Contributions/172.70.90.121|172.70.90.121]] 20:36, 20 January 2022 (UTC)

I kind of think that the explanation should give more emphasis to the fact that the whole comic is basically just a convoluted set-up for the Earl Grey joke.[[Special:Contributions/141.101.98.145|141.101.98.145]] 09:20, 20 January 2022 (UTC)
:Agree have just added a line to that affect. --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 11:22, 20 January 2022 (UTC)
::Disagree that this was the whole purpose. It's a punchline, but not sure it dictated where it was eventually going. That it goes into it twice (least-normal affix and then the titletext) reads more as stumbling to that conclusion rather than carefully aiming at this particular wham-line. But YMMV. [[Special:Contributions/172.70.86.22|172.70.86.22]] 12:50, 20 January 2022 (UTC)

I disagree that separating the tea into segments would not be possible. You simply need a segmented mug or cup. That would, though, probably prove difficult to drink, unless he used a straw.[[Special:Contributions/141.101.98.145|141.101.98.145]] 09:28, 20 January 2022 (UTC)

While I'm normally the first to jump in on the [citation needed] joke, that would have to be applied to almost every single line of the explanation, so I propose Not Doing That. I accept criticism and counter arguments --[[User:256.256.256.256|Evidently the unfunny person here]] ([[User talk:256.256.256.256|talk]]) 09:45, 20 January 2022 (UTC)
:Great, this has been used way too much. It is often not very funny. And in my opinion should really be used only when citation is needed{{citation needed}} :-p --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 11:22, 20 January 2022 (UTC)
::I disagree on that last thing, for that we have {{Actual citation needed}} [[User:256.256.256.256|256.256.256.256]] ([[User talk:256.256.256.256|talk]]) 12:31, 20 January 2022 (UTC)

Could the "infinite" also be a reference to the paperclip maker thought experiment - the replicator will consume the universe to get raw materials and energy to make more and more tea. [[Special:Contributions/141.101.98.225|141.101.98.225]] 10:09, 20 January 2022 (UTC)
:Definitely a problem with a machine that makes thing out of energy, is that is need lots of energy. --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 11:22, 20 January 2022 (UTC)

I liked "verbose". Most software run from a command line has a "-verbose" or "-v" option which causes it to give more information about what it's doing, usually useful for the purpose of debugging. Rather than providing more information about the tea, I expect that "tea, earl grey, verbose" would result in the replicator giving a step-by-step explanation as it looks up the recipe for tea, selects appropriate raw materials (does it use particles from the air or something?), begins replicating, finishes replicating, and tests that the final product is within normal parameters. Of course, this might mean that the replicator runs more slowly while doing this; which could be useful if he's getting tea as an excuse to take a break from an argument of some kind. Perhaps the replicator even has a 'traditional' tea making mode, where it pauses and describes a more conventional method of tea-making as if there were an invisible chef with a kettle and a teapot somewhere just out of sight. [[User:Angel|Angel]] ([[User talk:Angel|talk]]) 11:07, 20 January 2022 (UTC)

What if the countdown is actually to season 2 of [[https://www.hitc.com/en-gb/2021/09/09/star-trek-picard-season-2-release-date-plot-cast/|Picard]]
:{{w|Star Trek: Picard (season 2)}} is set to run from March 3, which both Wikipedia (link before) and [https://www.imdb.com/title/tt8806524/episodes?season=2 IMDb] agrees upon så bad to miss by more than a month, and what would the plane in the image have to do with this anyway ;-) --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 12:08, 21 January 2022 (UTC)

How about Jean Lucwarm tea? [[Special:Contributions/172.69.69.90|172.69.69.90]] 00:41, 21 January 2022 (UTC)
How about we don't. That is an AWFUL pun! ( which means I wish I had thought of it first 'cause I actually find it hilarious ;^)[[Special:Contributions/172.70.130.153|172.70.130.153]] 11:30, 21 January 2022 (UTC)

I'd like to think that the Earl Grey mentioned at the bottom was CGP Grey as an Earl. [[User:Mikeb108|Mikeb108]] ([[User talk:Mikeb108|talk]]) 18:46, 21 January 2022 (UTC)

I'd imagine there ought to be mention of milk/no milk. Not very funny, granted, but it's a fairly major consideration in the tea-making process, being a standard (or indeed mandatory) ingredient for many consumers. In the case of Earl Grey however it is generally regarded as optional (or perhaps incorrect, by those who have opinions about the propriety of such things), so it's a pretty key variable, and belongs close to the top of the list. [[User:Yorkshire Pudding|Yorkshire Pudding]] ([[User talk:Yorkshire Pudding|talk]]) 11:10, 22 January 2022 (UTC)

That link to season 2 trailer doesn't seem to work. Is that this one? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=feQTh-6M7pc -- [[User:Hkmaly|Hkmaly]] ([[User talk:Hkmaly|talk]]) 05:59, 23 January 2022 (UTC)

This page has been vandalized, we need to fix that [[User:MysticalMHM|MysticalMHM]] ([[User talk:MysticalMHM|talk]]) 00:20, 4 May 2022 (UTC)

I don't think "raw" tea would be tea steeped in room-temperature water, I think it would be tea made from fresh (unprocessed/non-dried) leaves. Possibly even just the leaves themselves. [[User:L-Space Traveler|L-Space Traveler]] ([[User talk:L-Space Traveler|talk]]) 15:24, 5 November 2023 (UTC)

I've added a few in-universe tidbits about Picard's order and the replicator. The incident where Picard receives a potted plant made me recall {{w|The Good Place}}, where "Janet" sometimes malfunctions, and at one point Michael repeatedly requests that she give him a file, but she produces a potted cactus every time. [[User:Elizium23|Elizium23]] ([[User talk:Elizium23|talk]]) 15:24, 12 February 2026 (UTC)

Talk:2570: Captain Picard Tea Order

2026-02-12T15:24:53Z

Elizium23: "The Good Place" link

...{{w|Builder's tea|Builders}}. I mean, Picard is French and Trek(/Randall) is 'Merican but I suspect it would still be a valid option to give the Ready-Room replicator... [[Special:Contributions/172.70.91.126|172.70.91.126]] 23:31, 19 January 2022 (UTC)

In ''Star Trek: Picard'', Picard is seen requesting "tea, earl gray, decaf". [[Special:Contributions/172.69.68.202|172.69.68.202]] 03:33, 20 January 2022 (UTC)
:I would call for a {{citation needed}} here. In case you can supply it, put it in the table under defac. --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 11:22, 20 January 2022 (UTC)
::I put it in with [https://tvline.com/2020/01/26/star-trek-picard-premiere-easter-eggs-earl-grey-decaf/] as ref. [[Special:Contributions/172.68.50.43|172.68.50.43]] 14:29, 20 January 2022 (UTC)
::But how warm is it? [[User:Kev|Kev]] ([[User talk:Kev|talk]]) 20:09, 20 January 2022 (UTC)

Presumably infinite tea could be the beverage to accompany [[1099|Endless Wings]]. [[User:Nitpicking|Nitpicking]] ([[User talk:Nitpicking|talk]]) 03:45, 20 January 2022 (UTC)
::This joke should only come on a [[1099: Tuesdays|Tuesday]]! And I'm annoyed you beat me to it ;-) But at leat I found another infinity joke first [[1433: Lightsaber]]. --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 11:22, 20 January 2022 (UTC)
:I assumed infinite tea was just a bad pun - as in 'To infinite tea and beyond!' [[Special:Contributions/162.158.159.85|162.158.159.85]] 09:12, 20 January 2022 (UTC)
::[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2VSYmGSJtCA To infinity and beyond] from Toy Story you mean? Good point.--[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 11:22, 20 January 2022 (UTC)

I showed it to a friend an their response was: "[In early 20th century England] they added condensed beef stock to their tea for breakfast", so ''meaty'' tea is very much a possibility. Then they linked some brand promotional materials for "Vimbos: The Prince of Fluid Beef" and "Vimbos: an ox in a teacup". Because I was just about to sign off for the evening, I'm not going to do the due diligence to research, cite, and edit the main article to reflect this discovery--but I thought it should at least be written here to see if others found it interesting enough to add. [[User:Dextrous Fred|Dextrous Fred]] ([[User talk:Dextrous Fred|talk]]) 04:21, 20 January 2022 (UTC)
:{{w|Bovril|Bovril}} is a standard beef tea [[Special:Contributions/172.70.85.79|172.70.85.79]] 07:40, 20 January 2022 (UTC)
::''Meaty'' is also a term that could be used to describe robustly flavoured teas, such as an Assam. Not likely to be used for Earl Grey, though.[[Special:Contributions/162.158.159.85|162.158.159.85]] 09:18, 20 January 2022 (UTC)
:::Should be added to the explanation... --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 11:22, 20 January 2022 (UTC)

The concept of iced tea is not normal, especially as Picard is English. Almost but not quite, totally unlike tea. [[User:Arachrah|Arachrah]] ([[User talk:Arachrah|talk]]) 08:46, 20 January 2022 (UTC)
:Intravenous tea, on the other hand, is an entirely reasonable request. [[Special:Contributions/162.158.159.85|162.158.159.85]] 09:13, 20 January 2022 (UTC)
::But we agree that Icetea is? Could be seen as that. --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 11:22, 20 January 2022 (UTC)
:Picard is actually natively, and by name, French. Born not far from the Swiss border, his family running a vinyard there. Though he indeed seems to be quite the Anglophile (steadfastly English by accent!) and we don't entirely know how the (re)merging of Europe may have affected cultural and social inheritances on the other side of the Eugenics Wars (and other civilisation-upturning shifts in terran future-history) from where we are now. [[Special:Contributions/172.70.162.5|172.70.162.5]] 12:45, 20 January 2022 (UTC)
::Are you thinking of Patrick Stewart being English? [[User:Kev|Kev]] ([[User talk:Kev|talk]]) 20:09, 20 January 2022 (UTC)
:::Me? (172.70.162.5, just above.) Not really. Stewart is from Kirklees (not far from Huddersfield, though an accent or two away), yet unless he consciously drifts back he tends to stick to his professional English voice. But Picard is from eastern France ''and proud of it'', though his accent (when speaking English) is also very... English.
:::When an episode has him on the Holodeck, at least when he's having fun without some Holodeck-located threat currently happening, he can drift into a Shakespearean bit-part dialect or Film Noir-style American to suit the program running at the time, but Picard's natural tone seems to be quite RP. Obviously proving that the future has developed the near-perfect scenario of traditional French wine being made by those with cut-glass English accents. :-p [[Special:Contributions/172.70.90.121|172.70.90.121]] 20:36, 20 January 2022 (UTC)

I kind of think that the explanation should give more emphasis to the fact that the whole comic is basically just a convoluted set-up for the Earl Grey joke.[[Special:Contributions/141.101.98.145|141.101.98.145]] 09:20, 20 January 2022 (UTC)
:Agree have just added a line to that affect. --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 11:22, 20 January 2022 (UTC)
::Disagree that this was the whole purpose. It's a punchline, but not sure it dictated where it was eventually going. That it goes into it twice (least-normal affix and then the titletext) reads more as stumbling to that conclusion rather than carefully aiming at this particular wham-line. But YMMV. [[Special:Contributions/172.70.86.22|172.70.86.22]] 12:50, 20 January 2022 (UTC)

I disagree that separating the tea into segments would not be possible. You simply need a segmented mug or cup. That would, though, probably prove difficult to drink, unless he used a straw.[[Special:Contributions/141.101.98.145|141.101.98.145]] 09:28, 20 January 2022 (UTC)

While I'm normally the first to jump in on the [citation needed] joke, that would have to be applied to almost every single line of the explanation, so I propose Not Doing That. I accept criticism and counter arguments --[[User:256.256.256.256|Evidently the unfunny person here]] ([[User talk:256.256.256.256|talk]]) 09:45, 20 January 2022 (UTC)
:Great, this has been used way too much. It is often not very funny. And in my opinion should really be used only when citation is needed{{citation needed}} :-p --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 11:22, 20 January 2022 (UTC)
::I disagree on that last thing, for that we have {{Actual citation needed}} [[User:256.256.256.256|256.256.256.256]] ([[User talk:256.256.256.256|talk]]) 12:31, 20 January 2022 (UTC)

Could the "infinite" also be a reference to the paperclip maker thought experiment - the replicator will consume the universe to get raw materials and energy to make more and more tea. [[Special:Contributions/141.101.98.225|141.101.98.225]] 10:09, 20 January 2022 (UTC)
:Definitely a problem with a machine that makes thing out of energy, is that is need lots of energy. --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 11:22, 20 January 2022 (UTC)

I liked "verbose". Most software run from a command line has a "-verbose" or "-v" option which causes it to give more information about what it's doing, usually useful for the purpose of debugging. Rather than providing more information about the tea, I expect that "tea, earl grey, verbose" would result in the replicator giving a step-by-step explanation as it looks up the recipe for tea, selects appropriate raw materials (does it use particles from the air or something?), begins replicating, finishes replicating, and tests that the final product is within normal parameters. Of course, this might mean that the replicator runs more slowly while doing this; which could be useful if he's getting tea as an excuse to take a break from an argument of some kind. Perhaps the replicator even has a 'traditional' tea making mode, where it pauses and describes a more conventional method of tea-making as if there were an invisible chef with a kettle and a teapot somewhere just out of sight. [[User:Angel|Angel]] ([[User talk:Angel|talk]]) 11:07, 20 January 2022 (UTC)

What if the countdown is actually to season 2 of [[https://www.hitc.com/en-gb/2021/09/09/star-trek-picard-season-2-release-date-plot-cast/|Picard]]
:{{w|Star Trek: Picard (season 2)}} is set to run from March 3, which both Wikipedia (link before) and [https://www.imdb.com/title/tt8806524/episodes?season=2 IMDb] agrees upon så bad to miss by more than a month, and what would the plane in the image have to do with this anyway ;-) --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 12:08, 21 January 2022 (UTC)

How about Jean Lucwarm tea? [[Special:Contributions/172.69.69.90|172.69.69.90]] 00:41, 21 January 2022 (UTC)
How about we don't. That is an AWFUL pun! ( which means I wish I had thought of it first 'cause I actually find it hilarious ;^)[[Special:Contributions/172.70.130.153|172.70.130.153]] 11:30, 21 January 2022 (UTC)

I'd like to think that the Earl Grey mentioned at the bottom was CGP Grey as an Earl. [[User:Mikeb108|Mikeb108]] ([[User talk:Mikeb108|talk]]) 18:46, 21 January 2022 (UTC)

I'd imagine there ought to be mention of milk/no milk. Not very funny, granted, but it's a fairly major consideration in the tea-making process, being a standard (or indeed mandatory) ingredient for many consumers. In the case of Earl Grey however it is generally regarded as optional (or perhaps incorrect, by those who have opinions about the propriety of such things), so it's a pretty key variable, and belongs close to the top of the list. [[User:Yorkshire Pudding|Yorkshire Pudding]] ([[User talk:Yorkshire Pudding|talk]]) 11:10, 22 January 2022 (UTC)

That link to season 2 trailer doesn't seem to work. Is that this one? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=feQTh-6M7pc -- [[User:Hkmaly|Hkmaly]] ([[User talk:Hkmaly|talk]]) 05:59, 23 January 2022 (UTC)

This page has been vandalized, we need to fix that [[User:MysticalMHM|MysticalMHM]] ([[User talk:MysticalMHM|talk]]) 00:20, 4 May 2022 (UTC)

I don't think "raw" tea would be tea steeped in room-temperature water, I think it would be tea made from fresh (unprocessed/non-dried) leaves. Possibly even just the leaves themselves. [[User:L-Space Traveler|L-Space Traveler]] ([[User talk:L-Space Traveler|talk]]) 15:24, 5 November 2023 (UTC)

I've added a few in-universe tidbits about Picard's order and the replicator. The incident where Picard receives a potted plant made me recall *The Good Place*, where "Janet" sometimes malfunctions, and at one point Michael repeatedly requests that she give him a file, but she produces a potted cactus every time. [[User:Elizium23|Elizium23]] ([[User talk:Elizium23|talk]]) 15:24, 12 February 2026 (UTC)

2570: Captain Picard Tea Order

2026-02-12T15:22:27Z

Elizium23: expand

{{comic
| number = 2570
| date = January 19, 2022
| title = Captain Picard Tea Order
| image = captain_picard_tea_order.png
| titletext = We can ask the Earl for his order once he's fully extruded from the dispenser.
}}

==Explanation==
Captain {{w|Jean-Luc Picard}} is a primary character in the science fiction TV series ''{{w|Star Trek: The Next Generation}}'', which is focused on the crew of a starship. The ship is equipped with {{w|Replicator (Star Trek)|replicators}}, which can create virtually any object or material requested, including food and drink, and which respond to verbal commands.

In the show, Picard's beverage of choice is {{w|Earl Grey tea}}. His habitual method for ordering is to first specify what he wants (tea, in this case), then specify a particular type (Earl Grey), and then give specific instructions for how it is to be served (hot, as opposed to {{w|iced tea}}). Because this is his favored drink, he repeatedly places the exact order "[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iaAT6-dY1QI Tea. Earl Grey. Hot.]" The first picture in the strip implies that the display shows each part of the order, and provides a list of options for the next step.

This style imitates the terse, repetetive and precise method of running commands on early computers, such as a Unix shell, database query, or a text adventure game. However, the replicators can understand and converse in natural language like an LLM, so Picard's order is a stylistic choice, rather than a constraint of the technology.

[[Randall]] parodies this repeated order by suggesting [[#Other Words|other words]] that could follow "Tea. Earl Grey.", starting from ones he considers more "normal" moving to those he presumes increasingly "less normal" down a long and winding arrow.

The results of two examples from the normal/less-normal scale are also illustrated: Sticky tea and loud tea. Sticky is kind of obvious, though perhaps not immediately understandable, the loud version is a tea that screams "Teeee..." The vibrating and screeching teacup may be a reference to the various ''Star Trek'' episodes about {{w|tribble}}s, which behave in a similar way in the presence of Klingons.

The very last qualifying addition, the least normal is not a single word but "Tea for him, too." This reinterprets the meaning of the standard introductory words, suggesting that "tea", and "Earl Grey" are separate orders, which implies that he wants the replicator to produce tea, then replicate a human being named Earl Grey (either one of the {{w|Earl Grey|Earls Grey}} or a person surnamed Grey with the given name of Earl), then a second tea to serve to this newly created person. {{w|Earl Grey tea}} is named after the {{w|Charles Grey, 2nd Earl Grey}}, a 19th century British Prime Minister, and Captain Picard possibly wishes to have said Earl be generated to provide him with company.

In contrast to the often trivial use of a replicator as merely a potentially infinitely versatile vending machine, the comic sets up a number of quite esoteric options, culminating in Earl Grey himself potentially drinking (generic) tea, after both the tea and he have been replicated into existence by Picard.

In ''Deep Space Nine'', Elim Garak sarcastically quipped that "I'd like to get my hands on that fellow Earl Grey and tell him a thing or two about tea leaves." so it would seem that the replicator has attempted to grant that wish.

In the title text, someone tells Picard that they should wait until the Earl has been fully extruded from the dispenser, and ''then'' ascertain what he would actually wish to drink. The presumption is that it could take some time to get a full living person out of the replicator. This sort of operation would be better suited for the holodeck, which has been used to create simulacra of other historical figures, including Stephen Hawking, Albert Einstein, and Sir Isaac Newton, with the limitations that they are mere simulations without their own autonomy and cannot exist beyond the limits of the fixed holotransmitters; though at least two others seem to have gained full sentience, and granted (or be convinced they were granted) physical freedom.

In the various versions of ''{{w|Star Trek}}'', it's established that {{w|Replicator_(Star_Trek)#Origins_and_limitations|replicators aren't capable of producing living things}}, so canonically this version of the order could not be filled.

===Other Words===
{| border =1 width=100% cellpadding=1 class="wikitable"
! Word !! Explanation
|-
| Hot
| A fairly normal word to be used when ordering tea. Although that it even needs specifying is itself a clue that other variations (such as "Iced", below) are available. This is the chosen word of the five visible words Picard is potentially presented with in the first drawing. The act of requesting this is thus illustrated, though not of the appearance of the tea itself.
|-
| Iced
| {{w|Iced tea}} is a typical variation of tea. In the United States, iced tea is a popular alternative to soft drinks and makes up about 85% of all tea consumed, although (perhaps owing to being from Boston, whose climate is not too sweltering to motivate cold drinks) Randall classifies it as less normal than hot Earl Grey.
|-
| Decaf
| Traditional teas (from {{w|Camellia sinensis}}) tend to have caffeine in them. Asking for {{w|Decaffeination|decaffeinated}} tea is not particularly uncommon if the drinker requires it. In the series ''Picard'', set several decades after ''The Next Generation'', Picard does actually order "Tea, Earl Grey, decaf" in [https://tvline.com/2020/01/26/star-trek-picard-premiere-easter-eggs-earl-grey-decaf/ one scene]. Earl Grey tea typically has [https://simplelooseleaf.com/blog/black-tea/earl-grey-tea-caffeine/ about 30 milligrams of caffeine,] depending on how long it is {{w|Steeping|steeped}}.
|-
| Good
| A normal, subjective term. Most people drinking tea would want it to be good, but to specify it like this would perhaps be strange. This is one of the words in the first drawing, as a listed alternative to Hot. It is possible that he is saying it after the machine has dispensed its tea.
|-
| Lukewarm
| While this is a temperature that tea can be at, most people (including Jean-Luc) do not want their teas to be lukewarm.
|-
| Tasty
| Similar to good, most people would want their tea to be tasty, or at least flavorsome. This word being below 'lukewarm' may imply that Randall dislikes Earl Grey. Or perhaps he actually considers it implicit, and thus is fairly redundant to specify - unlike even 'hot'.
|-
| Boiled
| Boiling the water used to make the tea is a common way to increase the flavor and nutrients extracted from the tea leaves. It is suggested that the ideal temperature for hot water is 75-98°C (167-210°F), according to whether it is a light tea or a dark one, and that it should be sipped at around 65°C/150°F-ish if desired 'hot' to prevent scalding.
This command/specification may be meant as a contrast to a cold brew and using 'boiled' rather than 'hot' clarifying the intention for a tea brewed in hot water rather than a tea brewed in cold water and then heated up, which some detractors claim negatively affects the taste, although if that is the case then that implies Picard has been drinking heated up cold tea for most of the series.
|-
| Watery
| Tea is a drink that often involves water, but this perhaps suggests over dilution or under infusion in some way.
|-
| Sour
| Many people do not enjoy sour tea or coffee, which is usually a sign of overextraction and thus a strange thing to specify when ordering Earl Grey tea. Lemon tea can perhaps be considered a sour tea, although most, if not all, people would say 'lemon' rather than 'sour'.
|-
| Meaty
| Most teas are plant-based. While meat-based teas such as {{w|beef tea}} do exist they are more generally regarded as either a soup or a medicine, and unlikely to be combined with actual tea. Meaty is also a descriptive term that could be used for robustly flavoured teas, such as an Assam. However, Earl Grey is a light, floral tea, for which this descriptor is unlikely to be appropriate.
|-
| Solid
| Tea is usually drunk as a liquid. It would be strange to ask for solid tea, although given the setting of the series perhaps Picard wishes to bring along the solid tea so he can make a cup while off the ''Enterprise''. Alternatively, Picard could be asking for frozen tea, or ice, which would begin solid but melt in his mouth.
|-
| Dry
| {{w|Dryness (taste)|"Dry"}} most often describes alcoholic beverages with no sweetening ingredients, and all the sugar has been consumed by the fermentation. It can refer to a particular "mouth feel," also caused by lack of sweetness. While unsweetened tea is nothing unusual, describing it as "dry tea" is. Alternatively Picard might be asking for literal dry tea, either unmade (e.g. tea leaves in their un-infused form) or freeze-dried back into a dehydrated form.

This is one of the five words Picard was seen presented with in the first drawing.
|-
| Raw
| This describes tea that has not been "cooked", so it would just be tea made with room-temperature water. {{w|Iced_tea#Sun_tea|Sun tea}} is a form of iced tea that can be brewed by placing tea in a large glass container with water and leaving the container in the sun for hours, resulting in a smoother flavor. A replicator could likely produce sun tea at the same speed as hot tea, making it a viable (if somewhat exotic) choice of preparation.
|-
| Deep-fried
| Tea is not usually deep-fried. But you'll probably {{w|Deep-fried Mars bar|find someone}} who has tried it, [https://www.pitco.com/blog/deep-fried-liquids-trend one way or another].
|-
| Sticky
| Perhaps significantly dehydrated, or thickened with enough of a hydrophilic substance, this would produce something very unlike most teas that would usually be requested. For example, the addition of significant amounts of sugar may lead to a more viscous brew.
This scenario is illustrated to show a clearly messy product that awkwardly sticks to and drips from the replicator as well as Picard.
|-
| Grilled
| Meats and vegetables can be prepared via grilling, as can sandwiches and other foods. However, the grilling process requires that the comestible in question be solid so as not to fall through the grill; beverages are notorious for lacking solidity, and thus are not typically grilled.
|-
| Fossilized
| Fossilizing leaves replaces their biological molecules with minerals. Brewing fossilized tea leaves would dissolve some of those and produce a beverage that resembles mineral water more than tea.
|-
| Magnetic
| Tea is not magnetic{{Citation needed}}. Some teas contain metals that ''can'' be magnetic, such as {{w|Irn-Bru}} (which has iron), although ''non''-magnetic iron is usually used. Magnetic metals in tea may have adverse consequences. In addition, consuming more than one magnetic source may end up squeezing tissues in the intestines or bowels, with potentially lethal consequences.
|-
| Ballistic
| Usually the replicated beverage is deposited within a stationary cup, but Picard could ask for it to be dropped or thrown out instead. Unless the good captain has a sufficiently quick reaction time and the dexterity to catch the projectile cup, the tea will likely end up spilled onto the floor or splattered against a wall. It could, however, be a novel method to counter intruders.
|-
| Unstable
| This word is often used to refer to radioactive or explosive materials, which hopefully is not a property of something meant to be ingested. Particularly concerning given that the world of ''Star Trek'' features a plethora of such substances, many of which are incredibly potent - for example, the tea could be made from antimatter, which would cause an explosion that could destroy the entire ship. Alternatively, this could imply that the receptacle into which the tea is delivered should be unstable - being unbalanced, or lacking a flat bottom. This is likely to lead to the tea being spilled.
|-
| Blessed
| Tea is a beverage, and it may be strange to ask a machine to create 'blessed' tea. However, if the machine were to use holy water, already blessed by a human, it is [https://www.quora.com/When-does-Holy-water-lose-its-Holiness-If-its-boiled-is-the-resulting-water-vapor-still-considered-Holy-Does-it-lose-its-Holy-property-when-it-transfers-into-a-gas-Is-it-still-Holy-when-it%E2%80%99s-frozen#:~:text=In%20other%20words%2C%20as%20long,else%2C%20it%20remains%20holy%20water.&text=a%20simple%20change-,Never.,He%20is%20faithful possible] for it to remain "blessed" after the water is used to make tea. It is also possible that this is a reference to tea which could be used in [http://www.archbishoplefebvre.com/blog/baptism-can-i-use-any-liquid baptism].
In role-playing games, items can be Blessed, i.e. having greater positive or lesser negative effects. This includes potions, a class of drinks that do not usually include any teas but could contain the "potion of water", which may also, therefore, be the basis of this blessed brew.
|-
| Blurry
| Being blurry is not a normal state for tea to have {{Citation needed}}. Cloudy, on the other hand, is quite normal for certain brews.
|-
| Loud
| While molecules in tea (especially hot tea, and vitally so in an {{w|The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy (novel)|Infinite Improbability Drive}}) do move vigorously, this does not usually result in distinct audible effects.
However, as illustrated, it seems the requested cup of tea is produced capable of emitting a high-pitched, high-volume whining sound that entirely dominates the vicinity. It actually appears to somewhat vocalize what it is, Teeeee...
|-
| Virtual
| In our (physical) world virtual tea cannot exist {{Citation needed}}, so asking a physical tea machine for it would be very strange (and paradoxical). However, ''Star Trek'' features the Holodeck, which creates a virtual physically interactive environment made from "holo-matter", which is stated to be not the same as real matter (though not how).
|-
| Intravenous
| This means the tea would be injected directly into the customer's veins, likely a very painful experience if the tea comes out boiling. Instrument of choice would probably be a {{w|Infuser|''tea infuser''}}.
|-
| Expanding
| In a sense, most hot tea is expanding: water (and thus tea), like most materials, expands as it increases in temperature. Water has the unusual property of {{w|Water_%28molecule%29#Density_of_water_and_ice|''contracting slightly''}} from 0° C to 4° C, but provided the tea is above that it would classify. Possibly beyond, and explosively so, if {{w|Superheating|superheated}} and then nucleating points are introduced.
On the other hand, this tea may simply be tea spilled on the floor, which could then spread out as it evaporated.
|-
| Ironic
| How tea could be ironic will be a mystery if your culture has no understanding of irony. The irony of the most celebrated Frenchman in science fiction history delighting in a very British beverage is a nice touch of cosmopolitanism. There is also a possibility that the tea will speak or otherwise communicate in ironic terms. While this is very strange and unlikely, it can be considered, given the other scenarios on this list.
|-
| Segmented
| Tea is usually served in a cup. There is the simple explanation that the cup is divided into segments, though this is the cup, and not technically the tea itself. Tea tends to stick together and form one liquid making it hard to segment. Separating the tea into segments would not be possible without some form of an emulsifying gel.
|-
| Verbose
| This describes using lots of words and language, and would not likely be used for tea, because it cannot speak. Command-line computer programs often run in a 'silent' mode without displaying every step of what happens on the screen. Such programs may have a {{w|Verbose mode|''-verbose'' parameter}} that disables the silent mode. As the replicator is run by a computer, the verbose parameter could be applied to the process of tea-making, with the replicator providing an info-dump on the molecular arrangement of the tea, together with the cup of liquid.
|-
| Cursed
| As with "Blessed", above, items can be Cursed in role-playing games, i.e. having greater negative or lesser positive effects; while there are strategic uses for Cursed items, generally the player would prefer uncursed ones (neutral or blessed). Amongst curseable items are potions, a class of consumables that do not usually include any teas but does contain the "potion of water", which may therefore be the cause of this cursed cuppa.

"Cursed items" are more vaguely defined in real life, with various sources claiming that it applies to objects that cause people "irritation" or "confusion". In the episode "Contagion", Picard makes his order for the first time, but due to a malware infection, the replicator produces a potted plant instead.

Cursed items have featured in xkcd previously: [[2332: Cursed Chair]], [[2376: Curbside]], and [[:Category:Cursed Connectors]].
|-
| Unexpected
| By definition, Picard is asking for tea, expecting it promptly. Perhaps the request for it to be "unexpected" would cause it to be delivered at an unknown time in the future, or to have some alteration.
|-
| Bipedal
| Bipedal organisms have two feet. As tea does not walk{{Citation needed}}, this would be a very strange term to use when describing tea.
|-
| Afraid
| Tea does not have feelings. {{Citation needed}} Although water {{w|Water memory|may remember things}} (at least pseudo-scientifically) or [https://www.quotes.net/mquote/901305 consider some things to be unpleasant].
|-
| Infinite
| The scope of this request is unclear. It could mean endless production (a steady stream of tea, without obvious limits so long as servicing the request remains practical), an instantaneous production of an infinite volume of tea (possibly more immediately shown to be flawed in its method of execution), or tea which will exceed the heat death of the universe. All could result in an infinitely ''dense'' tea (eventually?), but this may no longer be {{w|No-hair theorem|identifiable as tea}} so might be one of the less practical options, even amongst those on this list. Indeed, Randall ranks it as the least 'normal', except for just ''one'' further named order.
|-
| Tea for him, too
| The comic ends its punchline by reinterpreting the syntax. Instead of adding a second adjective, Picard adds a second order of tea for an unseen guest. In ''Star Trek'', Jean-Luc Picard often offers tea to other people, so it is unclear why this would be the least normal, other than to place it at the bottom of the chart.
The change in syntax can be further combined with the title text: now this Replicator order is for "Tea" (with no specifics as to kind, temperature, state or quality), plus a replicated version ''of'' the Earl Grey (one or other of those {{w|Earl Grey|of that name}}, possibly the {{w|Charles Grey, 2nd Earl Grey|2nd Earl}} for whom the tea blend was supposedly named), and a second such beverage for him to later drink. See more in the [[#Explanation|explanation]] above regarding the title text.
|-
! colspan="2" | Words Picard could have seen in the first drawing, but which were not included as labels on the line
|-
| Cold
| Like Iced tea, asking for cold tea is a relatively normal request.
|-
| Pink
| Earl grey is usually an orange-brown color, not pink. There are, however, a wide variety of [https://www.adagio.com/search/index.html?query=rose teas which come from pink leaves] or [https://www.flourandspiceblog.com/karachi-style-kashmiri-chai-pink-tea/ whose color is "pinkish"].
|}

==Transcript==
:[At the top of the panel, there is a large caption covering two lines with a sub-caption below in a normal-sized font:]
:<big>Other words Captain Picard tried at the end of his tea order before settling on "hot"</big>
:From most normal to least

:[Bellow this we see Picard, drawn bald except for a bit of hair near his ears and behind his head. He stands next to a machine, which is a standing rectangle of the same dimensions as Picard. In the front, there is an opening around the middle, a dispenser from where the ordered items can be retrieved. There is a label at the top of the machine. Picard is giving a command to the machine. His first three words are clearly spoken out as they stand, but then at the end of the sentence, instead of just adding one more word, there is a list of five words in a column between two gray lines. Five words are visible, but the top and bottom words are fading out, presumably other words are above and below, but no longer visible. All except the middle are gray. The middle word is placed as the direct follow up to the first three words in the sentence Picard speaks out, and this word is black like the previous three words. So this middle word is clearly the one he actually speaks out. The others were options, presumably on his mind.]
:Label: Replicator
:Picard:
Good.
Cold.
Tea. Earl Grey. Hot.
Dry.
Pink.

:[To the left of the machine, a long arrow begins snaking its way towards the bottom, where it ends in an arrow pointing down towards the bottom of the panel. At the top, there is a broad and thick bar from which it starts. Beneath this there are several ticks, the first three are close together and on a part of the arrow that goes almost straight down. But then the arrow curves in under the drawing of Picard, and goes over another drawing of him, placed in a captioned frame. The arrow goes around this and up on the other side, where it goes around another drawing of Picard in a similarly captioned frame. After having gone around this frame it goes a bit up before turning almost straight down before the final arrowhead that points down. In total there are 36 labeled ticks on the arrow, see labels below. The ticks have very varying distances between them. There are especially long between them around the first panels with Picard, but closer together at the start and towards the very end. Above the top bar from where the arrow starts there is also a label and just below this and to the left of the long arrow is a smaller arrow pointing down in the direction of the long arrow. This small arrow has a label at its starting point.]
:Bar label: Normal
:Small arrow label: Less normal

:[The second drawing of Picard, shows him standing next to the labeled machine. Picard is this time holding a cup, with sticky lines connecting his hands and the machine to the cup. He clearly looks down at the cup rather than on the machine, as the hair behind his ear is turned differently than the first drawing, where he looks straight towards the machine. Above is a label inside a frame overlaid on the top line of the panel, with what Picard ordered:]
:"Tea. Earl Grey. Sticky."
:Label: Replicator

:[The third drawing of Picard, only displays him and not the machine. He is holding a vibrating cup in both hands and has now turned the other way, away from where the machine was in the previous drawings (again clearly seen by his hair). Very large letters are displayed in three lines behind him to the exclusion of all else. Four of the 15 letters are partly hidden behind the panel's frame, and seven of them are partly covered by Picard. Above is a label inside a frame overlaid on the top line of the panel, with what Picard ordered:]
:"Tea. Earl Grey. Loud."
:Teacup: <big>'''Teeeeeeeeeeeeee'''</big>

:[Words on the arrow from start to finish:]
:Hot
:Iced
:Decaf
:Good
:Lukewarm
:Tasty
:Boiled
:Watery
:Sour
:Meaty
:Solid
:Dry
:Raw
:Deep-fried
:Sticky
:Grilled
:Fossilized
:Magnetic
:Ballistic
:Unstable
:Blessed
:Blurry
:Loud
:Virtual
:Intravenous
:Expanding
:Ironic
:Segmented
:Verbose
:Cursed
:Unexpected
:Bipedal
:Afraid
:Infinite
:Tea for him, too

==Trivia==
This was the fifth comic to come out after the [[Countdown in header text]] started.

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Star Trek]]
[[Category:Food]]
[[Category:Comics with cursed items]]

2570: Captain Picard Tea Order

2026-02-12T15:21:55Z

Elizium23: expand

{{comic
| number = 2570
| date = January 19, 2022
| title = Captain Picard Tea Order
| image = captain_picard_tea_order.png
| titletext = We can ask the Earl for his order once he's fully extruded from the dispenser.
}}

==Explanation==
Captain {{w|Jean-Luc Picard}} is a primary character in the science fiction TV series ''{{w|Star Trek: The Next Generation}}'', which is focused on the crew of a starship. The ship is equipped with {{w|Replicator (Star Trek)|replicators}}, which can create virtually any object or material requested, including food and drink, and which respond to verbal commands.

In the show, Picard's beverage of choice is {{w|Earl Grey tea}}. His habitual method for ordering is to first specify what he wants (tea, in this case), then specify a particular type (Earl Grey), and then give specific instructions for how it is to be served (hot, as opposed to {{w|iced tea}}). Because this is his favored drink, he repeatedly places the exact order "[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iaAT6-dY1QI Tea. Earl Grey. Hot.]" The first picture in the strip implies that the display shows each part of the order, and provides a list of options for the next step.

This style imitates the terse, repetetive and precise method of running commands on early computers, such as a Unix shell, or a text adventure game. However, the replicators can understand and converse in natural language like an LLM, so Picard's order is a stylistic choice, rather than a constraint of the technology.

[[Randall]] parodies this repeated order by suggesting [[#Other Words|other words]] that could follow "Tea. Earl Grey.", starting from ones he considers more "normal" moving to those he presumes increasingly "less normal" down a long and winding arrow.

The results of two examples from the normal/less-normal scale are also illustrated: Sticky tea and loud tea. Sticky is kind of obvious, though perhaps not immediately understandable, the loud version is a tea that screams "Teeee..." The vibrating and screeching teacup may be a reference to the various ''Star Trek'' episodes about {{w|tribble}}s, which behave in a similar way in the presence of Klingons.

The very last qualifying addition, the least normal is not a single word but "Tea for him, too." This reinterprets the meaning of the standard introductory words, suggesting that "tea", and "Earl Grey" are separate orders, which implies that he wants the replicator to produce tea, then replicate a human being named Earl Grey (either one of the {{w|Earl Grey|Earls Grey}} or a person surnamed Grey with the given name of Earl), then a second tea to serve to this newly created person. {{w|Earl Grey tea}} is named after the {{w|Charles Grey, 2nd Earl Grey}}, a 19th century British Prime Minister, and Captain Picard possibly wishes to have said Earl be generated to provide him with company.

In contrast to the often trivial use of a replicator as merely a potentially infinitely versatile vending machine, the comic sets up a number of quite esoteric options, culminating in Earl Grey himself potentially drinking (generic) tea, after both the tea and he have been replicated into existence by Picard.

In ''Deep Space Nine'', Elim Garak sarcastically quipped that "I'd like to get my hands on that fellow Earl Grey and tell him a thing or two about tea leaves." so it would seem that the replicator has attempted to grant that wish.

In the title text, someone tells Picard that they should wait until the Earl has been fully extruded from the dispenser, and ''then'' ascertain what he would actually wish to drink. The presumption is that it could take some time to get a full living person out of the replicator. This sort of operation would be better suited for the holodeck, which has been used to create simulacra of other historical figures, including Stephen Hawking, Albert Einstein, and Sir Isaac Newton, with the limitations that they are mere simulations without their own autonomy and cannot exist beyond the limits of the fixed holotransmitters; though at least two others seem to have gained full sentience, and granted (or be convinced they were granted) physical freedom.

In the various versions of ''{{w|Star Trek}}'', it's established that {{w|Replicator_(Star_Trek)#Origins_and_limitations|replicators aren't capable of producing living things}}, so canonically this version of the order could not be filled.

===Other Words===
{| border =1 width=100% cellpadding=1 class="wikitable"
! Word !! Explanation
|-
| Hot
| A fairly normal word to be used when ordering tea. Although that it even needs specifying is itself a clue that other variations (such as "Iced", below) are available. This is the chosen word of the five visible words Picard is potentially presented with in the first drawing. The act of requesting this is thus illustrated, though not of the appearance of the tea itself.
|-
| Iced
| {{w|Iced tea}} is a typical variation of tea. In the United States, iced tea is a popular alternative to soft drinks and makes up about 85% of all tea consumed, although (perhaps owing to being from Boston, whose climate is not too sweltering to motivate cold drinks) Randall classifies it as less normal than hot Earl Grey.
|-
| Decaf
| Traditional teas (from {{w|Camellia sinensis}}) tend to have caffeine in them. Asking for {{w|Decaffeination|decaffeinated}} tea is not particularly uncommon if the drinker requires it. In the series ''Picard'', set several decades after ''The Next Generation'', Picard does actually order "Tea, Earl Grey, decaf" in [https://tvline.com/2020/01/26/star-trek-picard-premiere-easter-eggs-earl-grey-decaf/ one scene]. Earl Grey tea typically has [https://simplelooseleaf.com/blog/black-tea/earl-grey-tea-caffeine/ about 30 milligrams of caffeine,] depending on how long it is {{w|Steeping|steeped}}.
|-
| Good
| A normal, subjective term. Most people drinking tea would want it to be good, but to specify it like this would perhaps be strange. This is one of the words in the first drawing, as a listed alternative to Hot. It is possible that he is saying it after the machine has dispensed its tea.
|-
| Lukewarm
| While this is a temperature that tea can be at, most people (including Jean-Luc) do not want their teas to be lukewarm.
|-
| Tasty
| Similar to good, most people would want their tea to be tasty, or at least flavorsome. This word being below 'lukewarm' may imply that Randall dislikes Earl Grey. Or perhaps he actually considers it implicit, and thus is fairly redundant to specify - unlike even 'hot'.
|-
| Boiled
| Boiling the water used to make the tea is a common way to increase the flavor and nutrients extracted from the tea leaves. It is suggested that the ideal temperature for hot water is 75-98°C (167-210°F), according to whether it is a light tea or a dark one, and that it should be sipped at around 65°C/150°F-ish if desired 'hot' to prevent scalding.
This command/specification may be meant as a contrast to a cold brew and using 'boiled' rather than 'hot' clarifying the intention for a tea brewed in hot water rather than a tea brewed in cold water and then heated up, which some detractors claim negatively affects the taste, although if that is the case then that implies Picard has been drinking heated up cold tea for most of the series.
|-
| Watery
| Tea is a drink that often involves water, but this perhaps suggests over dilution or under infusion in some way.
|-
| Sour
| Many people do not enjoy sour tea or coffee, which is usually a sign of overextraction and thus a strange thing to specify when ordering Earl Grey tea. Lemon tea can perhaps be considered a sour tea, although most, if not all, people would say 'lemon' rather than 'sour'.
|-
| Meaty
| Most teas are plant-based. While meat-based teas such as {{w|beef tea}} do exist they are more generally regarded as either a soup or a medicine, and unlikely to be combined with actual tea. Meaty is also a descriptive term that could be used for robustly flavoured teas, such as an Assam. However, Earl Grey is a light, floral tea, for which this descriptor is unlikely to be appropriate.
|-
| Solid
| Tea is usually drunk as a liquid. It would be strange to ask for solid tea, although given the setting of the series perhaps Picard wishes to bring along the solid tea so he can make a cup while off the ''Enterprise''. Alternatively, Picard could be asking for frozen tea, or ice, which would begin solid but melt in his mouth.
|-
| Dry
| {{w|Dryness (taste)|"Dry"}} most often describes alcoholic beverages with no sweetening ingredients, and all the sugar has been consumed by the fermentation. It can refer to a particular "mouth feel," also caused by lack of sweetness. While unsweetened tea is nothing unusual, describing it as "dry tea" is. Alternatively Picard might be asking for literal dry tea, either unmade (e.g. tea leaves in their un-infused form) or freeze-dried back into a dehydrated form.

This is one of the five words Picard was seen presented with in the first drawing.
|-
| Raw
| This describes tea that has not been "cooked", so it would just be tea made with room-temperature water. {{w|Iced_tea#Sun_tea|Sun tea}} is a form of iced tea that can be brewed by placing tea in a large glass container with water and leaving the container in the sun for hours, resulting in a smoother flavor. A replicator could likely produce sun tea at the same speed as hot tea, making it a viable (if somewhat exotic) choice of preparation.
|-
| Deep-fried
| Tea is not usually deep-fried. But you'll probably {{w|Deep-fried Mars bar|find someone}} who has tried it, [https://www.pitco.com/blog/deep-fried-liquids-trend one way or another].
|-
| Sticky
| Perhaps significantly dehydrated, or thickened with enough of a hydrophilic substance, this would produce something very unlike most teas that would usually be requested. For example, the addition of significant amounts of sugar may lead to a more viscous brew.
This scenario is illustrated to show a clearly messy product that awkwardly sticks to and drips from the replicator as well as Picard.
|-
| Grilled
| Meats and vegetables can be prepared via grilling, as can sandwiches and other foods. However, the grilling process requires that the comestible in question be solid so as not to fall through the grill; beverages are notorious for lacking solidity, and thus are not typically grilled.
|-
| Fossilized
| Fossilizing leaves replaces their biological molecules with minerals. Brewing fossilized tea leaves would dissolve some of those and produce a beverage that resembles mineral water more than tea.
|-
| Magnetic
| Tea is not magnetic{{Citation needed}}. Some teas contain metals that ''can'' be magnetic, such as {{w|Irn-Bru}} (which has iron), although ''non''-magnetic iron is usually used. Magnetic metals in tea may have adverse consequences. In addition, consuming more than one magnetic source may end up squeezing tissues in the intestines or bowels, with potentially lethal consequences.
|-
| Ballistic
| Usually the replicated beverage is deposited within a stationary cup, but Picard could ask for it to be dropped or thrown out instead. Unless the good captain has a sufficiently quick reaction time and the dexterity to catch the projectile cup, the tea will likely end up spilled onto the floor or splattered against a wall. It could, however, be a novel method to counter intruders.
|-
| Unstable
| This word is often used to refer to radioactive or explosive materials, which hopefully is not a property of something meant to be ingested. Particularly concerning given that the world of ''Star Trek'' features a plethora of such substances, many of which are incredibly potent - for example, the tea could be made from antimatter, which would cause an explosion that could destroy the entire ship. Alternatively, this could imply that the receptacle into which the tea is delivered should be unstable - being unbalanced, or lacking a flat bottom. This is likely to lead to the tea being spilled.
|-
| Blessed
| Tea is a beverage, and it may be strange to ask a machine to create 'blessed' tea. However, if the machine were to use holy water, already blessed by a human, it is [https://www.quora.com/When-does-Holy-water-lose-its-Holiness-If-its-boiled-is-the-resulting-water-vapor-still-considered-Holy-Does-it-lose-its-Holy-property-when-it-transfers-into-a-gas-Is-it-still-Holy-when-it%E2%80%99s-frozen#:~:text=In%20other%20words%2C%20as%20long,else%2C%20it%20remains%20holy%20water.&text=a%20simple%20change-,Never.,He%20is%20faithful possible] for it to remain "blessed" after the water is used to make tea. It is also possible that this is a reference to tea which could be used in [http://www.archbishoplefebvre.com/blog/baptism-can-i-use-any-liquid baptism].
In role-playing games, items can be Blessed, i.e. having greater positive or lesser negative effects. This includes potions, a class of drinks that do not usually include any teas but could contain the "potion of water", which may also, therefore, be the basis of this blessed brew.
|-
| Blurry
| Being blurry is not a normal state for tea to have {{Citation needed}}. Cloudy, on the other hand, is quite normal for certain brews.
|-
| Loud
| While molecules in tea (especially hot tea, and vitally so in an {{w|The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy (novel)|Infinite Improbability Drive}}) do move vigorously, this does not usually result in distinct audible effects.
However, as illustrated, it seems the requested cup of tea is produced capable of emitting a high-pitched, high-volume whining sound that entirely dominates the vicinity. It actually appears to somewhat vocalize what it is, Teeeee...
|-
| Virtual
| In our (physical) world virtual tea cannot exist {{Citation needed}}, so asking a physical tea machine for it would be very strange (and paradoxical). However, ''Star Trek'' features the Holodeck, which creates a virtual physically interactive environment made from "holo-matter", which is stated to be not the same as real matter (though not how).
|-
| Intravenous
| This means the tea would be injected directly into the customer's veins, likely a very painful experience if the tea comes out boiling. Instrument of choice would probably be a {{w|Infuser|''tea infuser''}}.
|-
| Expanding
| In a sense, most hot tea is expanding: water (and thus tea), like most materials, expands as it increases in temperature. Water has the unusual property of {{w|Water_%28molecule%29#Density_of_water_and_ice|''contracting slightly''}} from 0° C to 4° C, but provided the tea is above that it would classify. Possibly beyond, and explosively so, if {{w|Superheating|superheated}} and then nucleating points are introduced.
On the other hand, this tea may simply be tea spilled on the floor, which could then spread out as it evaporated.
|-
| Ironic
| How tea could be ironic will be a mystery if your culture has no understanding of irony. The irony of the most celebrated Frenchman in science fiction history delighting in a very British beverage is a nice touch of cosmopolitanism. There is also a possibility that the tea will speak or otherwise communicate in ironic terms. While this is very strange and unlikely, it can be considered, given the other scenarios on this list.
|-
| Segmented
| Tea is usually served in a cup. There is the simple explanation that the cup is divided into segments, though this is the cup, and not technically the tea itself. Tea tends to stick together and form one liquid making it hard to segment. Separating the tea into segments would not be possible without some form of an emulsifying gel.
|-
| Verbose
| This describes using lots of words and language, and would not likely be used for tea, because it cannot speak. Command-line computer programs often run in a 'silent' mode without displaying every step of what happens on the screen. Such programs may have a {{w|Verbose mode|''-verbose'' parameter}} that disables the silent mode. As the replicator is run by a computer, the verbose parameter could be applied to the process of tea-making, with the replicator providing an info-dump on the molecular arrangement of the tea, together with the cup of liquid.
|-
| Cursed
| As with "Blessed", above, items can be Cursed in role-playing games, i.e. having greater negative or lesser positive effects; while there are strategic uses for Cursed items, generally the player would prefer uncursed ones (neutral or blessed). Amongst curseable items are potions, a class of consumables that do not usually include any teas but does contain the "potion of water", which may therefore be the cause of this cursed cuppa.

"Cursed items" are more vaguely defined in real life, with various sources claiming that it applies to objects that cause people "irritation" or "confusion". In the episode "Contagion", Picard makes his order for the first time, but due to a malware infection, the replicator produces a potted plant instead.

Cursed items have featured in xkcd previously: [[2332: Cursed Chair]], [[2376: Curbside]], and [[:Category:Cursed Connectors]].
|-
| Unexpected
| By definition, Picard is asking for tea, expecting it promptly. Perhaps the request for it to be "unexpected" would cause it to be delivered at an unknown time in the future, or to have some alteration.
|-
| Bipedal
| Bipedal organisms have two feet. As tea does not walk{{Citation needed}}, this would be a very strange term to use when describing tea.
|-
| Afraid
| Tea does not have feelings. {{Citation needed}} Although water {{w|Water memory|may remember things}} (at least pseudo-scientifically) or [https://www.quotes.net/mquote/901305 consider some things to be unpleasant].
|-
| Infinite
| The scope of this request is unclear. It could mean endless production (a steady stream of tea, without obvious limits so long as servicing the request remains practical), an instantaneous production of an infinite volume of tea (possibly more immediately shown to be flawed in its method of execution), or tea which will exceed the heat death of the universe. All could result in an infinitely ''dense'' tea (eventually?), but this may no longer be {{w|No-hair theorem|identifiable as tea}} so might be one of the less practical options, even amongst those on this list. Indeed, Randall ranks it as the least 'normal', except for just ''one'' further named order.
|-
| Tea for him, too
| The comic ends its punchline by reinterpreting the syntax. Instead of adding a second adjective, Picard adds a second order of tea for an unseen guest. In ''Star Trek'', Jean-Luc Picard often offers tea to other people, so it is unclear why this would be the least normal, other than to place it at the bottom of the chart.
The change in syntax can be further combined with the title text: now this Replicator order is for "Tea" (with no specifics as to kind, temperature, state or quality), plus a replicated version ''of'' the Earl Grey (one or other of those {{w|Earl Grey|of that name}}, possibly the {{w|Charles Grey, 2nd Earl Grey|2nd Earl}} for whom the tea blend was supposedly named), and a second such beverage for him to later drink. See more in the [[#Explanation|explanation]] above regarding the title text.
|-
! colspan="2" | Words Picard could have seen in the first drawing, but which were not included as labels on the line
|-
| Cold
| Like Iced tea, asking for cold tea is a relatively normal request.
|-
| Pink
| Earl grey is usually an orange-brown color, not pink. There are, however, a wide variety of [https://www.adagio.com/search/index.html?query=rose teas which come from pink leaves] or [https://www.flourandspiceblog.com/karachi-style-kashmiri-chai-pink-tea/ whose color is "pinkish"].
|}

==Transcript==
:[At the top of the panel, there is a large caption covering two lines with a sub-caption below in a normal-sized font:]
:<big>Other words Captain Picard tried at the end of his tea order before settling on "hot"</big>
:From most normal to least

:[Bellow this we see Picard, drawn bald except for a bit of hair near his ears and behind his head. He stands next to a machine, which is a standing rectangle of the same dimensions as Picard. In the front, there is an opening around the middle, a dispenser from where the ordered items can be retrieved. There is a label at the top of the machine. Picard is giving a command to the machine. His first three words are clearly spoken out as they stand, but then at the end of the sentence, instead of just adding one more word, there is a list of five words in a column between two gray lines. Five words are visible, but the top and bottom words are fading out, presumably other words are above and below, but no longer visible. All except the middle are gray. The middle word is placed as the direct follow up to the first three words in the sentence Picard speaks out, and this word is black like the previous three words. So this middle word is clearly the one he actually speaks out. The others were options, presumably on his mind.]
:Label: Replicator
:Picard:
Good.
Cold.
Tea. Earl Grey. Hot.
Dry.
Pink.

:[To the left of the machine, a long arrow begins snaking its way towards the bottom, where it ends in an arrow pointing down towards the bottom of the panel. At the top, there is a broad and thick bar from which it starts. Beneath this there are several ticks, the first three are close together and on a part of the arrow that goes almost straight down. But then the arrow curves in under the drawing of Picard, and goes over another drawing of him, placed in a captioned frame. The arrow goes around this and up on the other side, where it goes around another drawing of Picard in a similarly captioned frame. After having gone around this frame it goes a bit up before turning almost straight down before the final arrowhead that points down. In total there are 36 labeled ticks on the arrow, see labels below. The ticks have very varying distances between them. There are especially long between them around the first panels with Picard, but closer together at the start and towards the very end. Above the top bar from where the arrow starts there is also a label and just below this and to the left of the long arrow is a smaller arrow pointing down in the direction of the long arrow. This small arrow has a label at its starting point.]
:Bar label: Normal
:Small arrow label: Less normal

:[The second drawing of Picard, shows him standing next to the labeled machine. Picard is this time holding a cup, with sticky lines connecting his hands and the machine to the cup. He clearly looks down at the cup rather than on the machine, as the hair behind his ear is turned differently than the first drawing, where he looks straight towards the machine. Above is a label inside a frame overlaid on the top line of the panel, with what Picard ordered:]
:"Tea. Earl Grey. Sticky."
:Label: Replicator

:[The third drawing of Picard, only displays him and not the machine. He is holding a vibrating cup in both hands and has now turned the other way, away from where the machine was in the previous drawings (again clearly seen by his hair). Very large letters are displayed in three lines behind him to the exclusion of all else. Four of the 15 letters are partly hidden behind the panel's frame, and seven of them are partly covered by Picard. Above is a label inside a frame overlaid on the top line of the panel, with what Picard ordered:]
:"Tea. Earl Grey. Loud."
:Teacup: <big>'''Teeeeeeeeeeeeee'''</big>

:[Words on the arrow from start to finish:]
:Hot
:Iced
:Decaf
:Good
:Lukewarm
:Tasty
:Boiled
:Watery
:Sour
:Meaty
:Solid
:Dry
:Raw
:Deep-fried
:Sticky
:Grilled
:Fossilized
:Magnetic
:Ballistic
:Unstable
:Blessed
:Blurry
:Loud
:Virtual
:Intravenous
:Expanding
:Ironic
:Segmented
:Verbose
:Cursed
:Unexpected
:Bipedal
:Afraid
:Infinite
:Tea for him, too

==Trivia==
This was the fifth comic to come out after the [[Countdown in header text]] started.

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Star Trek]]
[[Category:Food]]
[[Category:Comics with cursed items]]

Talk:3206: Installation

2026-02-12T10:07:34Z

Elizium23:

explain xkcd:Community portal/Admin requests

2026-02-12T02:08:59Z

Elizium23: nvm

<noinclude>{{Community links}}
__NEWSECTIONLINK__
{|-
|valign="top" width="100%"|[[File:Mop.svg|left|120px]] <big><big>Admin requests</big></big>

 Welcome to your mother's basement! Problems requiring assistance from an [[explain xkcd:Administrators|admin]]. User problems, changes to protected pages, more user rights etc. {{AddNewSection|Page=Explain XKCD:Community portal/Admin requests|Text=(+post)}}
|}
{{cot|List of current admins}}
These users currently have the admin status: 
{{Special:ListUsers/sysop}}
Please note that only [[User:Kynde]], [[User:Jacky720]] and [[User:Theusaf]] are active admins as of January 2026. All other listed admins, including the owner of the wiki, [[User:Jeff]], have been inactive for a long time.
{{cob}}</noinclude>

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

== Racism on Main Page ==
There are some extremely racist comments on the main page. See https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php/Main_Page. Please remove immediately!
Can admins please delete the racist comments on the main page?
The user who wrote these racist comments has the IP address of 162.158.146.163. Please block!

Edit: Resolved. Thanks :)

== Convert to real X-Forwarded-For IP addresses? ==

Can you admins do the https://serverfault.com/a/526551 thing so you can block by real IP addresses and ranges? [[Special:Contributions/172.70.211.134|172.70.211.134]] 15:45, 22 July 2022 (UTC)
:That is out of my league. But maybe some of the other clever admins may know what if that can be used? [[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 17:07, 22 July 2022 (UTC)

==Install anti-spam programs==
I think it’s time to install some sort of automated anti-spam programs that can catch these spammers fast.[[Special:Contributions/172.70.130.91|172.70.130.91]] 06:30, 24 July 2022 (UTC)

I don't want to be disrespectful, but it seems that the current set of admins lacks the collective time or ability to upgrade Mediawiki/MySQL and install widely available anti-vandalism and anti-spam measures. But you have perhaps the most technically inclined, supportive, and motivated audience you could hope for here. Why not use the main page top banner to ask for expert Mediawiki volunteers or if that doesn't work, funds to hire such a consultant to upgrade blocking and filtering tools or a new hosting solution if needed? I believe you'd be surprised with the extent of community support you can muster, and manually chasing vandalism is becoming tiresome. [[Special:Contributions/172.70.211.90|172.70.211.90]] 07:28, 24 July 2022 (UTC)
:I've been chasing jeff for months now because he's the only one with access to the server. I know he's alive and still active online, but he clammed up partway through the previous wave of heavy spam and the email chain is just 20 of my own emails, I'll get through eventually. '''[[User:Davidy22|y²²]]'''[[User talk:Davidy22|<tt>[talk]</tt>]] 18:10, 24 July 2022 (UTC)
::[https://twitter.com/jeff_underscore @jeff_underscore] tweeted four days ago. Would it help if we launched a Twitter campaign to get him on board with a server update fundraiser, or something? [[Special:Contributions/172.70.214.43|172.70.214.43]] 03:36, 25 July 2022 (UTC)
::: Anyone with the skills and experience should tweet him to take him up on [https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=User_talk:Jeff&diff=211706&oldid=211700 his offer,] IMHO. [[Special:Contributions/162.158.118.39|162.158.118.39]] 04:12, 25 July 2022 (UTC)

::::wait, don't we already have reCAPTCHA? that should at least stop the bots and slow spams. [[Special:Contributions/172.71.146.216|172.71.146.216]] 00:35, 24 February 2025 (UTC)
::::: We do, but users who are autoconfirmed don't have to do the captcha, which is something like 50 edits. It probably does slow them down, having to do most things manually, but I don't doubt that there are ways to automatically circumvent a captcha. [[User:Firestar233|guess who]] ([[User talk:Firestar233|if you desire conversing]] | [[Special:Contributions/Firestar233|what i have done]]) 04:56, 24 February 2025 (UTC)
:::::: I tend to never say any details about ''what'' the autoconfirm thresholds are, on the basis that anyone trying to game the system doesn't have an idea of "Ah.... now just twenty more manual 'edits' to go and I can fire up my VandalBot script!". Especially the ones who are likely to attain the achievement by making inoccuous and actually useful-looking edits, who then need to be really dedicated to keep on doing this, even though they have the ultimate aim of subverting the whole lot. But it takes all sorts, so obviously there are those who wouldn't find that a problem at all. [[Special:Contributions/162.158.74.69|162.158.74.69]] 22:06, 24 February 2025 (UTC)
:Yeah, and also, what are these spam edits anyways? Some are just [https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=Prescriptions&action=history redirects to random comics] added to obscure pages like [[Prescriptions]]. What's the point in vandalising a page that's not advertised anywhere? --[[User:FaviFake|FaviFake]] ([[User talk:FaviFake|talk]]) 16:36, 24 February 2025 (UTC)
::It's bored idiots who have nothing better to do with their life. ''Possibly'' (in certain events in the past) there ''were'' organised vandalisms that might have had people, on some obscure forum in the grey areas of the web, chatting about their particular contribution to the 'raid' that their particular group of saddos had decided to send against the latest target''--du-jour''. But there's always going to be people happy to despoil someone else's work just because "they can", who might find this place and decide that they can get their 'shitz'n'giggles' from it. I've seen other places completely overrun (either a completely overwhelming individual or a raid), because there weren't enough valid anti-vandals (whether fellow users or, where they can't do enough, a constant moderation team). Luckily, we're not in danger of that; generally we more than handle it, and even a particularly rough period (like on occasion) tends to get a major pushback from the 'regulars'. [[Special:Contributions/162.158.74.69|162.158.74.69]] 22:06, 24 February 2025 (UTC)

== Basic punctuation standards ==
Can we please have some agreement that <code>."</code> is better than <code>".</code>? [[Special:Contributions/172.71.150.29|172.71.150.29]] 07:08, 24 August 2022 (UTC)
:That would depend.
When asked "How do you deal with endquote punctuation in quoted speech?" he answered "Yes," with a definite nod of his head, "I would always try to put the punctuation before the quote."
:...that is how I was taught to do it, <mumble>fumphty-fumph</mumble> years ago, and when it is clear quoted speech (with 66s, 99s) then that's probably best. Except when it might confuse, but then a rewrite (or clearly indicated paraphrase/part-quote) might be useful. You'll note I example-quote 'wrongly' in some places below, to accomodate other factors. Like an exclamation point as a feature of the holding sentence that makes no sense at all to be translated to within the quoted sentence(-fragmant).
On the other hand providing "a set of words", with no clear quotation to them, ellicits no such compunction.
:...it gets a bit hazy, because a partial quote of a real full sentence (or an incomplete/incompleted quote) could go either way. But I would not consider "a set of words," to be sensible.
If you give a "list", "spread" or "set" of singular terms then no, or even compounded ones if they are ultimately the "be-all" and "end-all".
:...noting that I might personally single-quote in this case (I know not why I have adopted this principle, exactly), though I've often seen such things changed by others and it may be more contested than even the terminator punctuation. I might say that the 'true' difference is whether it is a definite "literal", insofar as meaning, or somewhat 'ad hoc', 'foreignish' or just plain constructed.
:But this is just my opinion. And, regardless of my preference to quote-punctuation ordering, I've seen several recent occasions where paren-punctuation ordering was totally off (IMO). Either "...at the end of a sentence (an aside.)", which should have been "... (an aside)." instead, or "(As a whole aside of its own)." for which it ''must'' surely be "(As ... of its own.)"
:Now, obviously too much ()ing is awkward, especially if nested, but I prefer the clearer in/out indication than other methods — like the mdash — which seem to be the favoured method by some editors — and, even more confusingly, often without spacing both sides. (Like "...by some editors—and, even more confusingly..."! Looks more like a hyphen, despite "—” and "–”-users changing hyphens-used-as-dashes to one or other of the dashes to try to differentiate them.)
:Ultimately, though, the people here will have learnt (or redeveloped) their own typographical standards over a wide range of educational eras (or under teachers/mentors whose own learnt-preferences might themselves be several decades passed into history) and with additional localisation/localization complications as well. I tend to agree with you (with caveats as mentioned) but it won't be universally acceptable. [[Special:Contributions/172.70.85.13|172.70.85.13]] 21:34, 24 August 2022 (UTC)
: Better? No. Correct (at least in American English)? Yes. [[User:Elektrizikekswerk|Elektrizikekswerk]] ([[User talk:Elektrizikekswerk|talk]]) 13:25, 28 September 2022 (UTC)

== Propose block of (an?) IP user(s?) and suppression of their edits ==

I don't mind being insulted but I think it's clear they're bad for the community:

* https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=User_talk:NotaBene&diff=296485&oldid=203158
* https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=User_talk:NotaBene&diff=296486&oldid=296485

--[[User:NotaBene|NotaBene]] ([[User talk:NotaBene|talk]]) 14:15, 12 October 2022 (UTC)

: As the IP who subsequently reverted those back out of existence (wasn't sure you'd seen it, but was clear to me it wasn't a useful/good-faith commentary, and now I find that you had and had certainly ignored it in-situ) I have mixed opinions. I could not have done my (good faith) edit if somehow restricted, in a way someone had previously gotten around. Bearing in mind the idiotic vandal(s) we have had before, and always ended up dealing with through sheer force of the more righteous and honest userbase, I think that drastic actions aren't necessary. But I can think of a few minor tweaks that maybe the current adminship can still hold in reserve and occasionally employ, without preventing the likes of me (long time contributor, but not yet decided to make it 'official') occasionally poking registered users' Talk pages with genuine queries or comments under most circumstances that may actually warrant it.
: That said, we have indeed had a spate of vandalism, recently, which I'm inclined to believe is 'our old friend' who probably decided he(?) was bored again. A few novel tricks (nonsense 'cat on keyboard' edits with no clear pattern to the nonsense or what it replaces) but in association with some of the old ones (global word replacements throughout an article). Quickly recorrected in all cases, SFAICT, so not a big problem.
: The above insertion (...insertions... seeming to care about punctuation typos!) I might have left for you to blue-pen out of your own Talk page (whatever the intent behind it) except for my spidey-sense saying it really was ''just'' trolling and that you had no reason to even consider a dismissive reply, never mind argue your defence against such an accusation. (But could always restore and reply to it if you really wanted to!) [[Special:Contributions/172.71.178.137|172.71.178.137]] 17:57, 12 October 2022 (UTC)

:: To be clear, I'm not proposing a site-wide restriction of all IP users, just those specific addresses. --[[User:NotaBene|NotaBene]] ([[User talk:NotaBene|talk]]) 18:41, 12 October 2022 (UTC)

::: Understood, but that'd mean inconveniencing even legitimate readers routing through the same Cloudflare gateways. Which are in bunches, such that any given region of the world is served by not necessarily contiguous IP ranges, thus false-positives and false-negatives. Until you blanket-ban enough to just make for a whole lotta false-positive blocking for a segment of real users once the instigator of the mess just moves on (or enjoys the mess he made, if self-aware enough of it).
::: I won't even know, until I submit this, if I'm this time listed even in the same IP/8-block as the above (172.71.178.137), but if it turns out that I'm a 141.* this time (or maybe 142.*, I forget what I occasionally show up as) then obviously had you reason to IP-block me because of my own actions then you'd have accomplished little by even banning the whole 16-/24-block of my original. And that's without any conscious intent to bypass the default allocation system...
::: So, not that you should take my own opinion as gospel, just thought I'd mention this. [[Special:Contributions/172.70.90.3|172.70.90.3]] 20:23, 12 October 2022 (UTC)

== Hey ==

I cleaned everything up. You should probably restore the newest 3 topics.

:It could definitely do with a cleanup (not the only page like this!), but in a positive and considered manner, not just wiping and expecting unwarrented deletions to be restored after your removal. Archival sub-pages (restricted/fully-protected) should be involved, perhaps, for reference/history (on top of the History view itself).
:Not just wiping by an unisigned contributor, as you did. I'm a hairbreadth from just reverting it all back again, on principle, and maybe someone else will do that anyway.
:But defering to known named users (esp. the admins) and their decision on how to procede. (Please do delete this contribution if you see fit to do any restoration and make my opinions moot.) [[Special:Contributions/172.68.138.79|172.68.138.79]] 20:26, 23 October 2022 (UTC)
::I agree that it needed cleanup, and also agree that wiping everything was not the best way to go about doing it. I've moved most of the deleted content to the "talk"/archive page, and put back some discussions. [[User:Theusaf|theusaf]] ([[User talk:Theusaf|talk]]) 23:22, 23 October 2022 (UTC)

== Complaint transcluded from [[user:ArthurGreenham]] ==
:(Ok, so, the above transclusion is subject to change at any time, as proven by While False going in there and 'wikilinking' everything since I first saw the transclusion inserted here, so perhaps a little less ephemeral explanation is needed..?)
:Point the first: I have no issues with While False, in general. Seems to be a good editor in general. As I recall, did a lot to counter that particularly recurring bad-faith editor who the current expanded admin set will recall. And regular editing from you, mate..? As good as anyone else, I would say. No bad-faith detected in you at all.
:Point the second: You do seem to be a bit too gung-ho with new pages, and similar experiments with markup. Just because you can, it seems. If those with the power to remove pages choose not to, then I'm not complaining, but I still think it's a bit... self-indulgant. Not that a mere IP like me can rightfully complain.
:Point the third: Clearly, among the mass of newly registered users (who never then contribute) there is a large cohort generated by some external script(s) for the intention of SEO/propogation of linky-links. I suspect that they're set to do this on any wiki that they can create accounts upon, mindlessly and with the initiating 'intelligence' not bothered how well they do it (economies of scale, as per spamming/etc) because some will do it and fulfil whatever purpose.
:Point the fourth: But, back a long time ago, our chief admin here (and his then current peers/etc?) set it up so that new users just did not so easily create brand new pages. Without overly restricting the spamming of user-registration (or, more importantly, legitimately interested actual contributors) it stymied the scripts that were creating users that then could not create (and write their spam upon) the pages they were programmed to create.
:Point the fifth: But if someone who is an autoconfirmed user looks at the accounts created (I'm guessing here, so corrects me if I'm wrong) and decides to make the pages that new and heretofor uncontriutive users ''cannot'' create for themselves, there are times (at least two, that I know of) that the mindless spam-script has not given up and moved on from putting their random link-spam upon RandomNewname's user page. And as RandomNewname ''has'' a page, it does its preprogrammed stuff.
:...and the world does not stop turning, if that happens. But it does just marginally increase the benefits vs costs of the spam-engine technique (which are probably already breaking even and more, across all speculative spam-destinationa) and I'd suggest we shouldn't be helping with that any more than we already have to.
:Maybe theusaf could add to their own bot some sort of detection of a suspicious level of linkspamming upon a user's own pages (to neuter these that leak through, like the ones that it deals with in other circumstances), but that'd be difficult without having false-positives upon genuine new users with (once they can) a genuine reason to populate their userspace with various external links.
:Instead, perhaps hold back upon feeding the spambots the fresh ground that they seem to like to make use of. Perhaps a page for "please create my userspace!" if we want genuine users (or at least ones that can find and read instructions) to get a userspace more quickly than the normal limits apply, so any established (named) editor can give them their Welcome-templated editspace.
:We can't so easily protect against conscious bad-faith editors (we will just have to deal with them, as we have done), but we seem to have sufficient anti-bot defences. If misguided editing doesn't open up cracks in the walls.
:...Ok, that looks like a rant, but was just intended to cover (much of) the issue as I saw it in a way that explained my accumulated thinking on the matter. And I clearly think too much. This is not a diatribe against anybody (except the spambot originators), just a plea for action (or, rather, inaction) in a key way. And perhaps some moderator-level cleanup, so that the above transclusion is now effectively red-linked (then delete/archive this horribly overblown entry). Leaving it up to you lot. Have fun! [[Special:Contributions/172.70.90.3|172.70.90.3]] 10:34, 1 November 2022 (UTC)

==2696: Accuracy and precision==
This is my first edit/post here. Could someone please include the Wikipedia link to "Accuracy and precision" [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Accuracy_and_precision], which is a separate article from 'accuracy' and 'precision'? Thanks! {{unsigned ip|172.71.98.97|16:04, 9 November 2022}}
:If someone else hasn't done already, it's trivial enough to do yourself in a similar way to how you edited here, in any one of a number of ways.
:*By bare URL (shows the URL, like https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Accuracy_and_precision but not really suitable here)
:*As you did it above, with [] around the URL, giving a 'reference'-like link. Occaisionally useful, but a little impersonal in most cases.
:**Or use URL and alternate text in the []s (space-separated) <nowiki>[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Accuracy_and_precision like this]</nowiki>, which looks [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Accuracy_and_precision like this] and is most useful for non-wiki links that you can describe well, or associate into the flow of text.
:*An internal wiki link is defined like <nowiki>[[2696: Precision vs Accuracy]]</nowiki> and renders as [[2696: Precision vs Accuracy]], which is common site practice (you could alse link to [[2696]] or [[Precision vs Accuracy]], in most cases, which are redirects) but doesn't help in the above link's case.
:**If you wanted to internally link with [[2696: Precision vs Accuracy|other text]] then using <nowiki>[[2696: Accuracy and precision|other text]]</nowiki> is the way to do it (use the pipe delimiter).
:*When it comes to wikipedia links, though, we have a nice template for it. By using <nowiki>Accuracy and precision}}</nowiki> (or with the underscored version of the title, if you wish) you get a link to {Accuracy and precision}}, with the nicer aesthetic. '''Probably what you wanted.''' You can lowercase the "A" and it will still link (usually... always good to check) and linking to something like a w|noun}} can generally be written as <nowiki>|noun}}s</nowiki> should you wish the flow of text to seemlessly render the link as being for multiple noun}}s, thanks to a little more background trickery.
:**If you want to use more <nowiki>Accuracy_and_precision|replaced text}}</nowiki> then you get aAccuracy_and_precision|replaced text}} rendering. '''Another possibility for what you'd wish to use, here.'''
:**Similar templates exist for linking the likes of emplate|wiktionary}} and evenemplate|tvtropes}}, should you need them.
:**...noting that the latter needs the NoSpacesVersion of the title and because tropes|TVTropesWillRuinYourLife|TV Tropes Will Ruin Your Life}}, it has a slightly more forboding format, even though it isn't really ''that'' much worse than [[214: The Problem with Wikipedia]]. ;)
:In case that's of any use to you, or anybody else. There are a few more tips and tricks, but this covers a lot of the usage-cases.
:Also, in discussion pages and ones like this, it's useful to sign your contribution with the four tildes. But it's easy to forget and there are templates to mark unsigned contribution. As I did above. Don't worry about it. It just lets you datestamp and demarkate elements of conversation in a useful manner. As a first edit, you can be forgiven, but just so you know for future! [[Special:Contributions/172.70.91.57|172.70.91.57]] 18:21, 9 November 2022 (UTC)

** "'it's trivial enough to do yourself in a similar way to how you edited here'" Those options do not seem to be open to me if I do not set up an account; I'm not ready to take that step, so it looks like I can only edit behind-the-scenes pages, not comic pages. Thanks for the advice! I do enjoy the site when I check in! [[Special:Contributions/172.71.182.17|172.71.182.17]] 18:35, 9 November 2022 (UTC)
** Never mind. I found the option. I didn't realize the new comic page was separate from the main page. I was trying to edit the main page. Thanks! [[Special:Contributions/172.71.182.17|172.71.182.17]] 18:39, 9 November 2022 (UTC)
:...I must say, I never thought about that, or I might have not concentrated on the link-formatting stuff (which I hope was just as useful, in its own way).
:As you see, I'm also not 'ready' to set up an account. But I rarely go via the main page, which is locked against trivial vandalism, plus know that the useful editing occurs only in the transcluded source page anyway. And now so do you, happily.
:I don't know if that confusion catches out many potential editors, but at least now you know yourself. And, from one IP to another, Welcome! I hope you now find yourself productively editing away in the future, if you have anything else useful to include. No obligation, of course, except to play nice if you do. ;) [[Special:Contributions/172.70.86.11|172.70.86.11]] 19:20, 9 November 2022 (UTC)

==There's a lot of vandalism going on==

See the page history of any recent comic page. Not sure what to do about it. [[User:Equites|Equites]] ([[User talk:Equites|talk]]) 00:57, 19 November 2022 (UTC)

:Ban 162.158.107.56 and 172.71.150.83, they seem to be the perpetuators. [[User:Starstar|Starstar]] ([[User talk:Starstar|talk]]) 02:15, 19 November 2022 (UTC)

As of the 22nd, the users ChuddyCobson and CobsonTheGemson are responsible for a large amount of attacks and image vandalism, most of them NSFW (inappropiate and/or gore). Can something be done about them? [[User:Gyozaplanet|Gyozaplanet]]

I noticed the image for 1460 has been vandalized. But, in looking at the history it shows an old vandalism that was fixed. But following the link in the alleged fix gets the vandalized image. I'm out of my depth for fixing this, but couldn't find a better place to report it. It's getting too late and I'm far too tired to do more... (As an aside to what I came here for, are the above two things vandalism here? That's a rathole I'm not continuing down.) [[User:MAP|MAP]] ([[User talk:MAP|talk]]) 09:37, 22 December 2022 (UTC)

A few hours ago I decided to visit this wiki, and got quite the surprise on the front page, in that it was heavily vandalized. Decided to make an account after looking at recent changes and saw how much there was.

The accounts involved seem to be these;
* CobsonTheGemson
* ChuddyCobson
* Cobson
* Stinkycobbypoopoo
* Chud
* GotTheJakkyDoe

Kinda confused since they don't seem to be bots but I assume they're using a script or something to automate their vandalism. As far as I know, A few other people and I reverted more or less everything those accounts have done but it's possible some stuff fell through the cracks.

Also some of the gifs I reverted (most notably the gif for 381) seem to still have the same image so I'm hoping that's just a cache thing that'll sort itself out in time.

I left the above weirdness since I don't know the etiquette for deleting stuff in this section and it would remove some context to the above person's post. Hope I didn't break anything while cleaning up. [[User:Neerti|Neerti]] ([[User talk:Neerti|talk]]) 10:24, 22 December 2022 (UTC)

:Cleaned up some accounts '''[[User:Davidy22|Color|#707|David}}y²²]]'''[[User talk:Davidy22|<tt>[talk]</tt>]] 16:38, 22 December 2022 (UTC)

== Opening Certain Pages causes mediawiki errors ==

For example [https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php/explain_xkcd:Community_portal/Proposals Proposals] and [https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php/User:Dgbrt this user page] [[User:Starstar|Starstar]] ([[User talk:Starstar|talk]]) 02:10, 19 November 2022 (UTC)

== Apparent abuse of multiple accounts ==
For a few weeks (mostly the last few days) 51 accounts with the same soon-current name [https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=Special%3ALog&type=newusers&user=&page=User%3ASadSanta&pattern=1&year=&month=-1&tagfilter=&subtype= have been created]. To me it looks like preparation for abuse of multiple accounts. —[[User:While False|While False]] ([[User:While False/explain xkcd museum|'''museum''']] | [[User talk:While False|talk]] | [[special:Contributions/While_False|contributions]] | [[special:Log/While_False|logs]] | [[Special:UserRights/While_False|rights]] | [https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=User:While_False&printable=yes printable version] | [https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=User:While_False&action=info page information] | [https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php/Special:WhatLinksHere/User:While_False what links there] | [https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=Special:RecentChangesLinked&days=30&from=&target=User%3AWhile_False related changes] | [https://www.google.com Google search] | current time: CURRENTTIME}}) 11:44, 16 December 2022 (UTC)
:Now, they’re 195. —[[User:While False|While False]] ([[User:While False/explain xkcd museum|'''museum''']] | [[User talk:While False|talk]] | [[special:Contributions/While_False|contributions]] | [[special:Log/While_False|logs]] | [[Special:UserRights/While_False|rights]] | [https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=User:While_False&printable=yes printable version] | [https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=User:While_False&action=info page information] | [https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php/Special:WhatLinksHere/User:While_False what links there] | [https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=Special:RecentChangesLinked&days=30&from=&target=User%3AWhile_False related changes] | a late contribution | current time: CURRENTTIME}}) 17:24, 19 December 2022 (UTC)
::With the exception of being 'topical', these are quite typical of numerous other "<commonroot><randomchars>" sets of never-ever-used usernames. It is good to be aware of them, but I think this 'common root' was just randomly grabbed by the algorithm (or its master) without any particular view to be used any more effectively than before.
::I leave it to those who can actually do something to decide ''whether'' to actually do something, but I'm currently not so concerned. [[Special:Contributions/172.70.91.127|172.70.91.127]] 01:06, 20 December 2022 (UTC)
::Addendum - alongside "SadSanta...", we're getting a lot of [https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=Special%3ALog&type=newusers&user=&page=User%3ANatasha&pattern=1&year=&month=-1&tagfilter=&subtype= "Natasha"s], while around this time last year (as the first time glanced back at) we had [https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=Special%3ALog&type=newusers&user=&page=User%3APellGync&pattern=1&year=&month=-1&tagfilter=&subtype= "PellGync"] and [https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=Special%3ALog&type=newusers&user=&page=User%3ASnawlrab&pattern=1&year=&month=-1&tagfilter=&subtype= "Snawlrab"] as the common roots concerned. Which ultimately came of nought.
::I get the impression that the limited-success script (as being used to create spam-accounts, but overwhelmingly failing to then exploit them) is set up to randomly apply two such common roots at a time (or else there's two copies of the code running, wherever, each switching out 'exhausted' roots for the next enqueued one in their own list ...as and when necessary). A quick poke into other 'recent' historic points in the Account Creation log highly supports this, but it could do with a far more rigorous analysis to be more definite. [[Special:Contributions/172.71.242.118|172.71.242.118]] 01:31, 20 December 2022 (UTC)

There also used to be a lot of eight-letter usernames. Too many usernames are being created every day. --[[User:ColorfulGalaxy|ColorfulGalaxy]] ([[User talk:ColorfulGalaxy|talk]]) 22:03, 2 January 2023 (UTC)

== Current troll(s) ==
There's trolls posting extremely obscene stuff on the homepage, and frankly I'm appalled. The Admins need to take several steps to lock down the main page so that it's not possible for readers to view such obscene content (for example, why are arbitrary images that don't come from xkcd.com allowed???) Why are random users allowed to post arbitrary images that are not filtered/scanned in any way? ([[User:bkayes|bkayes]])
: It's been like this forever. It's rare enough that the admins leave things fairly open, but lengthy stretches lead to the lockdowns you're asking for, usually for about a week which is usually sufficient. Mixed feelings. There are a lot of tools that could help a lot, but we can't get [[User:Jeff]] to upgrade because his hosting deal depends on some ad stuff that won't port to newer versions. :( [[User:Liv2splain|Liv2splain]] ([[User talk:Liv2splain|talk]]) 04:45, 22 December 2022 (UTC)
:: Image uploads being open is usually nicer for everyone, except in the scenario while children decide to use it as an avenue for vandalism. I got enough on my hands already to be dealing with but this probably demands some attention '''[[User:Davidy22|Color|#707|David}}y²²]]'''[[User talk:Davidy22|<tt>[talk]</tt>]] 16:38, 22 December 2022 (UTC)
::: (Rerationalised under a new header, as a different issue, though also related to a prior section's 'insertion/revival' in response to the idiot concerned, too.) Appreciated, David. Noting that the inability for me to correct the account-led vandalism, last night, is the one factor that might eventually push me to establish a non-IP presence. But we had other volunteer accounts reacting fairly well to the trouble, and I knew we'd settle down soon enough. Anyhoo, Merry Christmas to you and the others on the side of stability, while I'm here and chatting away. [[Special:Contributions/172.71.178.136|172.71.178.136]] 17:00, 22 December 2022 (UTC)

::: I find it unfortunate that "rarity" is any sort of excuse for allowing this to happen. XKCD is a fantastic source of quality STEM entertainment, and thus is a great resource to get younger audiences interested in such fields through humor. Many high school age and younger people regularly view xkcd content. However, some of the comics are quite obscure or contain a lot of depth, which is why explainxkcd has been such a great resource for everyone to learn things that are outside of their depth (including younger audiences). The knowledge that someone can open explainxkcd and have the slightest chance that they see extreme gore/porn is absolutely absurd and unacceptable for a wiki that is serving solely family friendly science content. I can no longer recommend explainxkcd to people I know (and especially not younger people) because of the lack of modern anti-trolling tooling, and that really sucks. I understand the issues surrounding locking down the text explanations, but the images should be a trivially solvable problem. Compare a checksum between the image found at *.xkcd.com and the image uploaded and reject an image that doesn't match, or better yet *use the official xkcd RSS feed* (https://xkcd.com/rss.xml) to download the images directly, and don't allow any user edits of the images. Then you can deal with vandalization of the text some other time, locking down the images is really the highest priority here I think. ([[User:bkayes|bkayes]]) 04:17, 23 December 2022 (UTC)

== [[2659: Unreliable Connection]] ==

Could probably do with some page protection here. Thanks. [[Special:Contributions/162.158.34.231|162.158.34.231]] 23:41, 29 December 2022 (UTC)
:If you mean for the thing that [https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=2659:_Unreliable_Connection&diff=prev&oldid=303665 gets reverted very quickly], I think that's already dealt with quite nicely. And it isn't the only page that is targetted, so where do you stop? Whole-site lockdown, when the occasonal automated spam is equally automatically reverted? [[Special:Contributions/162.158.74.21|162.158.74.21]] 00:05, 30 December 2022 (UTC)
::Over the past couple of weeks, the edit history of this particular page has consisted of nothing but vandalism and it's subsequent reversion. The vandal doesn't seem to be targeting (m)any other pages, so protection should make them go away. [[Special:Contributions/172.69.79.158|172.69.79.158]] 21:43, 14 January 2023 (UTC)
:::Nonetheless, the same tactic has been seen (and reverted, promptly) on other comics, like #976. ''edit: ...and #2503 suffered this vandalism/reversion, again, on 15 Jan 2023.'' Block 2659 and 976 from editing and someone may easily change the config for the script and hit any othe page they please, not really reducing the ultimate change/revert frequency, just where it is happening.
:::I'll accept gradual locking down of progressively more and more of the site, if it happens, but I'm not sure it'd be of any real benefit to do so. Not my call, so just giving my POV... [[Special:Contributions/162.158.34.74|162.158.34.74]] 23:47, 14 January 2023 (UTC)
Someone pointed out that the spams are more likely to occur on pages with "Connect" in their titles. [[User:ColorfulGalaxy|ColorfulGalaxy]] ([[User talk:ColorfulGalaxy|talk]]) 10:49, 31 March 2023 (UTC)

The user talk page with the same name got spammed. [[Special:Contributions/172.69.134.242|172.69.134.242]] 06:18, 28 April 2023 (UTC)

== Announcement: online chat with Randall January 31 ==

Admins: would you please consider adding this blurb to the end of the [[MediaWiki:Sitenotice]] just for this month?

: [https://libraryc.org/mountainviewlibrary/22032 Register to attend an online chat] with [[Randall Munroe]] January 31 at 11am Pacific.

Thank you for your consideration. [[User:Liv2splain|Liv2splain]] ([[User talk:Liv2splain|talk]]) 06:23, 2 January 2023 (UTC)
:Done —[[User:Theusaf|theusaf]] ([[User talk:Theusaf|talk]]) 23:29, 4 January 2023 (UTC)
::Thank you! I'm very much looking forward to the well-attended zoom chat, let alone what should come from the large pool of questions from international fans. [[Special:Contributions/172.69.134.16|172.69.134.16]] 14:04, 5 January 2023 (UTC)

Archive of livestream: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dAEutGwIQ9c [[Special:Contributions/162.158.166.173|162.158.166.173]] 19:03, 31 January 2023 (UTC)

==All community portal==
Would you mind semi-protecting [[explain_xkcd:Community_portal/All|this]] and [[explain_xkcd_talk:Community_portal/All|that]] page? They don't seem to need edits. --[[User:ColorfulGalaxy|ColorfulGalaxy]] ([[User talk:ColorfulGalaxy|talk]]) 17:55, 12 January 2023 (UTC)

== Brief(?) and limited spate of vandalism. ==

It may be a flash in a pan, but there's some [https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=2293:_RIP_John_Conway&action=history misuse of multiple accounts] going on here as of this timestamp (with ColourfulGalaxy having mostly had to correct matters on their own, so far). FYI, on their behalf. With any luck the idiot involved will get bored soon, if not already, but making a note anyway. [[Special:Contributions/162.158.159.124|162.158.159.124]] 20:15, 12 January 2023 (UTC)

: He edited my user page just now. --[[User:ColorfulGalaxy|ColorfulGalaxy]] ([[User talk:ColorfulGalaxy|talk]]) 20:17, 12 January 2023 (UTC)

: I tried to help them, but failed. I had to turn to you for help. [[User:ChristmasGospel|ChristmasGospel]] ([[User talk:ChristmasGospel|talk]]) 20:24, 12 January 2023 (UTC)

: EDIT: By the way, don't call him "idiot", or he may be angry.

::Given that someone [https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=User:ColorfulGalaxy&curid=25508&diff=304689&oldid=303399 seems to be stalking you], and even snuck in some activity before ''my'' post, above, I'm starting to suspect something more. I leave it to those who can do things to sort it out. As an IP, I don't think I have any say in the matter, but I'll let others consider the possibilities. (You've got to be an idiot to clearly log in with the wrong account, though, and then fail to pick up the changes with the 'right' one. And I knew While False wasn't truly finished trying to do stupid things to the site... You're not impressing anybody, WF.) [[Special:Contributions/172.70.85.201|172.70.85.201]] 20:28, 12 January 2023 (UTC)
:::That’s not typical WF behaviour at all. —[[Special:Contributions/162.158.222.198|162.158.222.198]] 19:38, 27 January 2023 (UTC)

== The online chat s over ==

Please revert https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=MediaWiki:Sitenotice&diff=304122&oldid=239894 [[Special:Contributions/172.70.211.92|172.70.211.92]] 18:45, 1 February 2023 (UTC)

== Users involved in spamming. ==

There are at least three 'people' involved here, using trivial character differences/substitutions:
* https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php/Special:Contributions/ElisabethPacheco
* https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php/Special:Contributions/EIisabethPacheco
* https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php/Special:Contributions/EIizabethPacheco
(...in case not obvious, especially in sans-serif, the second two use capital-I (i) instead of small-l (L), and the s/z difference should be obvious. No obvious signs of anything like using cyrillic look-alike characters, yet.)

There may be others, or will be, but these ones have just recently popped up in spamming (and then obfuscating? ...hoping to be reverted back into the spam version?) the redirect pages [[Drama‎‎]] and [[Google Maps]] (see [https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=Drama&action=history here] and [https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=Google_Maps&action=history here]), though they are currently fully reverted. [[Special:Contributions/172.70.90.35|172.70.90.35]] 04:33, 28 February 2023 (UTC)
:One of these also interacted with a differently named suspicious-looking/acting account:
:* https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php/Special:Contributions/CipherGuide
:Could be a coincidence, but... For reference. [[Special:Contributions/172.71.242.190|172.71.242.190]] 13:18, 28 February 2023 (UTC)
:And now [[User:ElisabethPacheco (do not ban me)]]. [[User:AndroidTheLucario|AndroidTheLucario]] ([[User talk:AndroidTheLucario|talk]]) 03:54, 19 March 2023 (UTC)

Can someone block [[User:Email Trial 1]]? They're repeatedly adding comments on spamming other people's emails. Thanks! ~ [[user:megan|Megan]] she/her [[user talk:megan|talk]]/[[special:contribs/megan|contribs]] 16:25, 24 March 2023 (UTC)

== Ongoing image vandalism ==

by [[User:Troonjak|this user]] ([[Special:Contributions/Troonjak|contributions]]). ~ [[user:megan|Megan]] she/her [[user talk:megan|talk]]/[[special:contribs/megan|contribs]] 02:50, 11 March 2023 (UTC)

I suggest we raise the threshold for image uploads. After all, there's no reason for most editors to upload images. ~ [[user:megan|Megan]] she/her [[user talk:megan|talk]]/[[special:contribs/megan|contribs]] 03:13, 11 March 2023 (UTC)

Bumping this since it happened again. —megan [[user talk:megan|talk]] [[special:contribs/megan|contribs]] 07:54, 22 July 2024 (UTC)

== Fix obnoxious typo on the Editor FAQ ==

This page contains a typo and I can't edit it out: https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php/explain_xkcd:Editor_FAQ

It's highlighted in this sentence:

"You can use the Math markup <nowiki><math>...</math></nowiki>. The other known code from Wikipedia <nowiki><chem>...</chem></nowiki> is not supported yet. It's based on LaTeX syntax and a general overview can be found at '''''it's''''' Wikipedia help page. Don't use it unless you actually understand what you are doing." Edit: Whoops, forgot to sign: [[User:FaviFake|FaviFake]] ([[User talk:FaviFake|talk]]) 09:04, 1 May 2023 (UTC)

== Update MediaWiki ==

The current MediaWiki version is 1.30.0 which ended support mid-2019, please upgrade to 1.39.x or something due to security concerns. Instructions here https://www.mediawiki.org/wiki/Manual:Upgrading [[User:Cam1170|Cam1170]] ([[User talk:Cam1170|talk]]) 20:55, 29 March 2023 (UTC)
Make sure to upgrade to 1.35 first, from the Check Requirements section.
Actually, 1.31 then 1.35 then 1.39 for the smoothest transition. [[User:Cam1170|Cam1170]] ([[User talk:Cam1170|talk]]) 15:15, 5 July 2023 (UTC)

I would like to add that this is still an issue. I don't know a better way to bring this to admin attention. [[User:Cam1170|Cam1170]] ([[User talk:Cam1170|talk]]) 21:28, 9 November 2023 (UTC)

== user edits someone else's comment ==

https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=Talk:2760:_Paleontology_Museum&diff=309970&oldid=309964 [[Special:Contributions/162.158.87.65|162.158.87.65]] 09:51, 8 April 2023 (UTC)
::That word is not spelled "Ye". It's "Þe". [[User:Omg Oriental Music Group|Omg Oriental Music Group]] ([[User talk:Omg Oriental Music Group|talk]]) 00:49, 9 April 2023 (UTC)
:::That would depend. We all (FCVO 'all') get your point, but is spelt (or, if you wish, "spelled", but I would like to use the other form) that way by the original commentator. And it was a signed Talk post, not an Explanation page that needs to be standardised(/standardized) by success revisions.
:::Can you also say for definite that it was not intended by the original author to be the second-person plural personal pronoun (nominative), correctly or otherwise, rather than the definite article (under a standard reduced typeset)? No reason to change it, not even if an actual tyop. [[Special:Contributions/172.71.178.207|172.71.178.207]] 11:56, 9 April 2023 (UTC)
:Yeah, bad practice, except where correcting clear mistakes or otherwise sanitising something best not left up in the open (for whatever good reason). Like if I'd misapplied a style "colour" tag, by accident, but not if I'd openly written "colour" in a Talk entry.
:But not necessary in this case of language-geek hyperconnection. I think a revert/re-edit to restore the original would be not an issue, but I won't do it myself.
:The best way to look smart with the "thorn" character would have been to say "You have 'Ye Olde blah-de-blah', but I hink you meant... [etc]" and own the joke and the smugness rather than try to 'improve' on the original in-situ. As one who has made typos (but also said exactly what I wanted to, perhaps deciding not to over-egg the pudding) I would prefer even a snarky "did you mean.." reply over an invisible 'improvement' that may not even be properly focused any more. Each to their own, but my suggestion, if the editor wants to revise their edit. [[Special:Contributions/172.71.178.65|172.71.178.65]] 15:54, 8 April 2023 (UTC)

== Deletion of wrongly-titled pages ==
Could you please delete [[:Category:Comics with small caps|this redirect]]? [[User:Memo Spike Connector|2503: Memo Spike Connector]] ([[User talk:Memo Spike Connector|talk]]) 06:18, 17 April 2023 (UTC)

Could you delete [[:Category;Comics featuring real people|this page]]? [[User:ClassicalGames|ClassicalGames]] ([[User talk:ClassicalGames|talk]]) 03:29, 15 June 2023 (UTC)

[[Usertalk:Billstz]] turned into a redirect. It should have been deleted. [[User:ColorfulGalaxy|ColorfulGalaxy]] ([[User talk:ColorfulGalaxy|talk]]) 21:10, 25 June 2023 (UTC)

== Repeated spam in user talk page ==
The page [[User talk:ClassicalGames]] got repeatedly spammed. Could you semiprotect it? [[Special:Contributions/172.69.134.242|172.69.134.242]] 02:07, 12 May 2023 (UTC)

:Hmmmmm, I think he really deserves the spam. He spammed in [[User:ColorfulGalaxy/Sandbox|someone else's user page]] without permission. [[Special:Contributions/172.71.154.228|172.71.154.228]] 03:56, 15 May 2023 (UTC)

:Easily reverted, to restore legitimate conversation. (Perhaps more such attention should go to where some people are [https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=2293:_RIP_John_Conway&curid=22901&diff=312913&oldid=312626 repeatedly making entirely useless and gratuitous edits]...) [[Special:Contributions/172.71.242.86|172.71.242.86]] 08:59, 12 May 2023 (UTC)
::Those spammers probably knew the CG rules, and appeared to have welcomed every CG group member with a spam. [[Special:Contributions/172.69.23.33|172.69.23.33]] 09:57, 12 May 2023 (UTC)

== The relevant xkcd comic from not xkcd ==

https://thomaspark.co/2017/01/relevant-xkcd/ This comic. A reference to xkcd, in the style of xkcd, about xkcd.

Can I make a page about it? Please? :)

== What's a "comic incarnate"? ==

[[User:Memo Spike Connector]] seems to have a friend group of users with the names of various comics. E's been changing their user pages ''and signatures'' to match the comic pages and titles. Is this some sort of cult? It sounds fun! Where do I sign up? --[[User:AndroidTheLucario|Your favorite aura doggo]] ([[User talk:AndroidTheLucario|talk]]) 03:18, 10 June 2023 (UTC)
:To answer the title, "incarnate"=="made flesh". Reincarnation is when you're given a new body, again, incarnation can therefore be taken as when the 'spirit' first assumes a tangible (or visible) form.
:To ponder on this fad of creating comic-related user accounts... pretty much unnecessary and has no reason to be encouraged, I suppose. [[Special:Contributions/172.70.162.62|172.70.162.62]] 03:52, 10 June 2023 (UTC)
::How do I join? I wanna be cool like them! --[[User:AndroidTheLucario|Your favorite aura doggo]] ([[User talk:AndroidTheLucario|talk]]) 03:59, 10 June 2023 (UTC)
:I think this needs to be taken more seriously now. [[User:Memo Spike Connector]] has had their page added to the *category* of Cursed Connectors, despite not being an official comic. It's starting to feel like a very unusual case of vandalism, but I'm not sure. [[User:Tsumikiminiwa|Tsumikiminiwa]] ([[User talk:Tsumikiminiwa|talk]]) 19:37, 14 June 2023 (UTC)
:: Addendum, [[User:Unreliable Connection]] has their page added to the Internet and Social Interactions categories. Everything else I said before still stands. [[User:Tsumikiminiwa|Tsumikiminiwa]] ([[User talk:Tsumikiminiwa|talk]]) 19:41, 14 June 2023 (UTC)

== Main page in phones category ==

The [[Main Page]] is now in the [[:Category:Phones]] category. [[User:ClassicalGames|ClassicalGames]] ([[User talk:ClassicalGames|talk]]) 03:25, 15 June 2023 (UTC)
:Surely because [[2789: Making Plans]], currently transcluded there, is legitimately given that category. I'd be more surprised if it wasn't. (Until Wednesday's new comic release changes this, if it does.) What's the problem, and how is it related to 'your' issue, above? [[Special:Contributions/172.71.178.146|172.71.178.146]] 10:04, 15 June 2023 (UTC)
::I moved this to its own section, but you can change the section title if you want. --[[User:AndroidTheLucario|Your favorite aura doggo]] ([[User talk:AndroidTheLucario|talk]]) 19:43, 15 June 2023 (UTC)

== please block u|Vandal (and many more)==

cf. [[Special:Contributions/Vandal]] 11 page blankings today. Thanks. [[User:JohnHawkinson|JohnHawkinson]] ([[User talk:JohnHawkinson|talk]]) 21:24, 4 July 2023 (UTC)

Actually, looking at [https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=Special:Log/newusers&limit=500&type=newusers&user= Special:Log/newusers] is pretty ominous. Nearly all of the last 500 (within the past 4 days), and also the next few thousand, are suspicious. The CAPTCHA probably needs to be replaced with something more difficult that is perhaps not as trivially automatable? And all those users blocked? Not sure. [[User:JohnHawkinson|JohnHawkinson]] ([[User talk:JohnHawkinson|talk]]) 22:05, 4 July 2023 (UTC)
:As a regular checker of such things, I know for a fact that you get hundreds of 'suspicious' accounts created every day, and most of them 'go nowhere'. The account creation speedblocks may not be very good. Or, possibly, tens of thousands of accounts are ''tried'' to be created, with 'just' a small percentage of them getting past the CAPTCHA/etc to get noticed by us - the actual top-level site admins will have access to the 'failed to register fully' logs. ''But'', the actual page vandalism is very rarely any of these 'mechanised spam accounts'. I presume because the CAPTCHAs throttle down the 'lucky' accounts' abilities to do anything they were programmed to do ''once'' registered. And, no, the accounts aren't blocked (i.e. disabled accounts, except on very ''rare'' occasions when an Admin gets annoyed with a conspicuously used spam-login), if the actual Block Log is to be believed, but so many get created and ''never'' used so it looks like the "new user early posts" precautionary checks do a very good job.
:We're also getting that idiot (I presume the same idiot as we've had for a year or two now) who manually creates accounts, such as you have been dealing with (and me, and others) over the last 24 hours or so. As a stupid human rather than a 'smart' bot, the CAPTCHA is no block to him/her/them. And the occasional IP gets used in that way, too (and I mostly successfully revert vandalism as only an IP; usefully, I hope) which might just be lazy vandalism, on top of the baseline stupidity. But the precautions against them are different. As with the 'Eric's ("Hi, I see your website needs improving - Eric"-types of message), which also seem to be handled by the community (and/or our automated blocking/reverting).
:I don't see increasing the severity of the CAPTCHA to be a solution to much, honestly. Not from my perspective, certainly, though I know there's no reason to take my own unattributable word on that.
:Instead, we should keep on keeping on. The community handles these things as they need to be. The admins know the 'hidden fight' going on in the background, but won't (and shouldn't) reveal too much about the extent of the first-line defences against bad faith 'automated' edits and the rest. [[Special:Contributions/172.70.90.140|172.70.90.140]] 08:13, 5 July 2023 (UTC)

Vandalism appeared again in [[2800]]. [[User:ColorfulGalaxy|ColorfulGalaxy]] ([[User talk:ColorfulGalaxy|talk]]) 20:07, 11 July 2023 (UTC)

== Ban fake IP ==

Could you ban [[User:172.68.102.XXX]]? His edits sound suspicious, and he seems to be fighting against us. [[User:ColorfulGalaxy|ColorfulGalaxy]] ([[User talk:ColorfulGalaxy|talk]]) 19:41, 11 July 2023 (UTC)

== Vandalism by 172.69.214.158 ==

Large number of extreme vandalism, which ThatoneU is valiantly yet inefficaciously fighting:

example from https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=1193:_Externalities&action=history

<pre>
(cur | prev) 01:04, 24 July 2023‎ 172.69.214.158 (talk)‎ . . (6,765 bytes) (-15,000)‎ . . (Undo revision 318344 by ThatoneU (talk)) (undo)
(cur | prev) 00:47, 24 July 2023‎ ThatoneU (talk | contribs)‎ m . . (21,765 bytes) (+15,000)‎ . . (undo)
(cur | prev) 00:46, 24 July 2023‎ 172.69.214.158 (talk)‎ . . (6,765 bytes) (-15,000)‎ . . (undo)
</pre>

== Vandalism on page 2805 ==

The latest comic page (2805) is currently being vandalized. Can an admin please look into it?

== Problem with new accounts and IPs ==

So I'm sure many of you are well aware of the vandalism happening recently. But what concerns me the most is that all the edits were done by many, many different IPs, meaning that we can't just block one, and this site could get overrun by systematic IP vandalism. Also, the new accounts being created seem very suspicious. For such a small community, there's no way that there can be around 100 new users each day. The actual usernames of the users seem to follow a very repetitive pattern (generic first name + generic last name + random number). [[Special:Contributions/172.70.42.209|172.70.42.209]] 18:44, 24 July 2023 (UTC)
:As a fellow IP (and not a vandal myself, at least by intent) I find that the advantages of being able to leap in and correct (often 'named') damage outweigh the relatively small amount of IP-led vandalism. And the details of how the IPs represent the (limited, but geographically distributed) Cloudflare gateways has been noted before a number of times, together with what can be done about/with them.
:About the new accounts... Look back for ''years'', and you'll see the same (or similar) patterns. Almost all the truly rogue (presumably automated generation/'registering') then do nothing else as the site blocks the (still automated) attempts to do something with them.
:The worst danger this site is threatened by is the actual manually-posting individuals who (IPed or named) can do what they like so long as (like us legitimate editors) they are prepared to be sat at the keyboard and spend/waste the time in navigating the initial CAPTCHAs/etc to set down their changes. And there's not much more anybody can do about them without ruining everyone else's experience to a similar degree. Perhaps there's some adjustments possible, but none seem necesary to address the account-spam and other precautions are intercepting/reverting the lion's share of the edit-spam (with or without accounts).
:Not up to me, but I trust in those who it is up to. To continue with what is happening right now or to respond in new ways to anything that needs a new approach. Not saying that I don't have ideas of my own, for if I were able to intervene, but I doubt it'd be useful to voice them. [[Special:Contributions/172.70.162.158|172.70.162.158]] 21:12, 24 July 2023 (UTC)

== Large amounts of vandalism involving disturbing imagery. ==

Page 2805 has a huge vandalism problem. Vandals (it seems to be the same few people over and over, or maybe one person with multiple addresses) keep covering the page with weird, disturbing photos and way-too-bright colors.
A few people have been valiantly fighting back but that doesn't mean this isn't a problem.
I would like to please request that the page be locked to prevent further vandalism, and that you please ban all the people that have vandalized it in this way before (and/or take some other action to prevent future vandals) . Thank you very much! [[User:(insert name here)|(insert name here)]] ([[User talk:(insert name here)|talk]]) 01:20, 25 July 2023 (UTC)

There also seems to be a parser problem where instead of vandals replacing the page source, the vandalism is appended to the end, even though it isn't in the source. [[Special:Contributions/172.71.174.230|172.71.174.230]] 03:39, 25 July 2023 (UTC)

The optimal way to go would be to add bots that automatically replace questionable content like divs and detect image/word spam (like the one in Wikipedia). They would always be on so the vandals would get overwhelmed. Similarly I'd suggest monitoring the constant stream of IP addresses and created accounts. Most editors are IP addresses though, so you might want to watch out for that. Does ExplainXKCD have semiprotection capabilities? You would definitely want to do that, especially the important articles like [[xkcd]], [[Randall Munroe]], [[Cueball]], [[1:_Barrel_-_Part_1]], and ALL of the templates (the vandals were targeting those the most). [[User:84596Gamma|84596Gamma]] ([[User talk:84596Gamma|talk]]) 11:53, 25 July 2023 (UTC)

: I agree that the important pages (primary pages, plus all templates) need to be protected somehow so that this can't happen again. It's nice to have a low threshold to editing; it's nicer having a resource that can be depended on and doesn't require random volunteers jumping in to save. (Let's be honest; the images the vandal posted could have been much, much worse.) -- [[User:Dtgriscom|Dtgriscom]] ([[User talk:Dtgriscom|talk]]) 12:28, 25 July 2023 (UTC)

:: What the heck is 'Explain XKCD Administrator' doing? He seems to also be doing some weird div BS, making it so that it's impossible to scroll or click on templates or some comics. Blocking would be heavily advised. [[User:84596Gamma|84596Gamma]] ([[User talk:84596Gamma|talk]]) 12:39, 25 July 2023 (UTC)

== Becoming an admin? ==

Hi. I've been contributing occasionally for eight years now, and I think I've been helpful. But, almost half of the edits were last night in that wave of vandalism. It was very frustrating knowing that I had the same tools as the (14-year-old?) vandal, and the only end-point to the fun would be one of us throwing in the towel, and it was probably going to me (bedtime).

I don't have the time and/or commitment to do regular moderation work, but I (think I) am a reasonable person, who deals with conflicts rationally and could help out in a pinch. Is there a chance I could be given some more powers to help out if (when) such a crap-storm happens again? Thanks for your consideration... -- [[User:Dtgriscom|Dtgriscom]] ([[User talk:Dtgriscom|talk]]) 11:14, 25 July 2023 (UTC)

:I saw your efforts, early on in my own day, definitely looked to be amongst the helpful editors. I later picked up several cases (might have missed a couple, that others IDed before me) after I got online, and undid that latest form of vandalism in both templates (agree with above, they probably should be semi-protected) and pages. A simple Undo even at my level was sufficient to revert practically everything. What might have been handy was one of the top-moderators being around to use the mass-revert tools to streamline that, and keep on top of the account (or account''s'', as the problematic one would definitely open new accounts - we've seen them do this before) deserving to be blocked and banished. Unfortunately, the freedom of a wiki (which I value) doesn't really work well with over-administration. But that's a discussion to be had by those already at the top levels. I don't envy them. [[Special:Contributions/172.70.90.164|172.70.90.164]] 18:08, 25 July 2023 (UTC)

:: Well, the 14-year-old is back. I'm losing interest in fighting this mud-fest without real admin tools. -- [[User:Dtgriscom|Dtgriscom]] ([[User talk:Dtgriscom|talk]]) 20:11, 25 July 2023 (UTC)
::: We really need to stop this wave of persistent vandalism with protection. When will the admins notice our suffering? [[User:84596Gamma|84596Gamma]] ([[User talk:84596Gamma|talk]]) 20:23, 25 July 2023 (UTC)
::: I feel your pain. I caught (and had to recatch) a few of them as he turned up whilst I was browsing/considering proper edits. nd then I noticed you had appeared and were also retroing them, just as I thought I was barely keeping pace. But he's slackened off, so maybe you arriving here has made the difference. (And I'm fed up with pictures of fire hydrants!) [[Special:Contributions/172.70.91.214|172.70.91.214]] 20:20, 25 July 2023 (UTC)
::::Me too... I'm coming to help. Hopefully we can fight that manchild off. Also I call death and destruction to Captcha. [[User:84596Gamma|84596Gamma]] ([[User talk:84596Gamma|talk]]) 20:22, 25 July 2023 (UTC)
:::: It's frustrating to watch the same few IP addresses wreak all this havoc. Being able to ban them would be a joy; why can't we have that power? -- [[User:Dtgriscom|Dtgriscom]] ([[User talk:Dtgriscom|talk]]) 20:31, 25 July 2023 (UTC)
::::: OK: 2/3 of my contributions have been in the last 24 hours fighting Bozo-Man in all his flamboyant IP addresses. Without further powers, I'm done, because (unlike Bozo-Man) I have better things to do. Sorry... -- [[User:Dtgriscom|Dtgriscom]] ([[User talk:Dtgriscom|talk]]) 22:39, 25 July 2023 (UTC)
:::::: What powers do you need? --[[User:Jeff|Jeff]] ([[User talk:Jeff|talk]])
::::::: I'm not looking for Super Duper Guru™ powers, just something that would even the battle a bit. No, that's not true: I'm looking for something that would make the battle ''unfair'' by making it easier to clean things up than it is to vandalize them. For instance, of the 123 vandalisms I reverted over the pat 24 hours, a third of them were from the top four IP addresses, and two thirds were from the top ten. If you only look at the first three quads of the IP addresses, half came from just two subnets. Block a few IP addresses, and the moderation load would go way down. (And that ignores the work the other users did.)
::::::: It makes sense that you wouldn't want to be handing out Thor's Hammer indiscriminately, but (IMO) something needs to change. If MediaWiki's moderation permissions aren't selective enough for your tastes, I'd be happy to follow your guidance (e.g. no blocking people for more than 24 hours). -- [[User:Dtgriscom|Dtgriscom]] ([[User talk:Dtgriscom|talk]]) 01:16, 26 July 2023 (UTC)
:::::::: Congrats, you are promoted, thanks for helping out. See me in a week if you still want the powers. --[[User:Jeff|Jeff]] ([[User talk:Jeff|talk]])
::::::::: Thank you. Any guidance for the newbie admin? Or should I just "moderate moderately"? -- [[User:Dtgriscom|Dtgriscom]] ([[User talk:Dtgriscom|talk]]) 01:33, 26 July 2023 (UTC)
:::::::::: Block and move... block and move. Great power / great responsibility and all that. --[[User:Jeff|Jeff]] ([[User talk:Jeff|talk]])

== Preventation of vandalism ==

I'll bet the entire budget of the Death Star II that the vandalizer is going to strike again in a few hours. We should be more prepared - I've already cut links to templates, and we should be vigilant about the pages they are going to attack: the current comic, templates, important pages. [[User:84596Gamma|84596Gamma]] ([[User talk:84596Gamma|talk]]) 00:06, 26 July 2023 (UTC)
: What do you need to help? Let me know. --[[User:Jeff|Jeff]] ([[User talk:Jeff|talk]])
:: Semiprotect all the templates. [[User:84596Gamma|84596Gamma]] ([[User talk:84596Gamma|talk]]) 00:52, 26 July 2023 (UTC)

== Username request ==

It looks like an impersonator registered an account under my name. Is it possible for me to get that username? [[User:Randall Munroe 2|Randall Munroe 2]] ([[User talk:Randall Munroe 2|talk]]) 04:41, 30 July 2023 (UTC)
:: To ask an obvious question: who are you? And, if you say you are the Randall Munroe of XKCD fame, how can we be sure? -- [[User:Dtgriscom|Dtgriscom]] ([[User talk:Dtgriscom|talk]]) 12:41, 30 July 2023 (UTC)
::''May I have your attention, please?''
::''May I have your attention, please?''
::''Will the real Randall Munroe please stand up?''
::''I repeat''
::''Will the real Randall Munroe please stand up?''
::''We're gonna have a problem here...''
::(...but, in my assessmemt, Randall would have actual more direct ways of introducing himself to; if he suddenly decided to muddy the water by descending to our level when his interactions even with the forum were minimal; if he hasn't already been here/there/wherever all along, incognito and with/without the administrators knowing this. But Randall's technical and connected enough to not need to ask the above the way it was asked.) [[Special:Contributions/172.70.162.181|172.70.162.181]] 15:36, 30 July 2023 (UTC)

== user page ==

how do i put stuff in my profile? others have done it but for mine it says that i don't have permission to create that page [[User:An user who has no account yet|An user who has no account yet]] ([[User talk:An user who has no account yet|talk]]) 16:01, 5 September 2023 (UTC)
: Don't know why you couldn't, but I now have created your user and talk pages; let us know if you now can't edit them. [[User:Dtgriscom|Dtgriscom]] ([[User talk:Dtgriscom|talk]]) 16:08, 5 September 2023 (UTC)
:: There appears to be a rather restrictive page creation policy (it may be dialled up fairly high to age of account, possibly more so than any mere contributions-count), at least in regard to User-typed namespaces. Many account-creators have noted this, and had to be helped out. I suspect it's just their making that An User was ever prevented from. After all, even I can add things to User (and, more correctly and politely, User Talk) pages. And I'm not even a usernamed person. [[Special:Contributions/172.70.85.230|172.70.85.230]] 20:28, 5 September 2023 (UTC)

== Unable to edit ==
For the last two months, I was unable to make any edits. Is my account secretly locked? Also, I couldn't even post tweets. Did I offend you? [[User:ConlangGuide|ConlangGuide]] ([[User talk:ConlangGuide|talk]]) 23:38, 27 September 2023 (UTC)

:Also, I tried to post on ClassicalGames's talk page but it was messy. [[User:ConlangGuide|ConlangGuide]] ([[User talk:ConlangGuide|talk]]) 23:43, 27 September 2023 (UTC)

== cannot create user page ==

Like all the other instances of this, it just says "There is currently no text in this page. You can search for this page title in other pages, or search the related logs, but you do not have permission to create this page." At least it isn't just me [[User:SomeoneIGuess|someone, i guess]] ([[User talk:SomeoneIGuess|talk]]) 16:43, 17 October 2023 (UTC)

: Created your user and talk page with placeholder text (".") -- [[User:Dtgriscom|Dtgriscom]] ([[User talk:Dtgriscom|talk]]) 19:20, 17 October 2023 (UTC)

:: much thanks! now to wait until i can make my own custom css page [[User:SomeoneIGuess|someone, i guess]] ([[User talk:SomeoneIGuess|talk]]) 19:38, 17 October 2023 (UTC)

:I didn't want to create yet another discussion topic for the same issue, so I put it here. Could someone create my user page as well? Thanks. [[User:Obwankenobi|Obwankenobi]] ([[User talk:Obwankenobi|talk]]) 20:14, 9 February 2024 (UTC)

=== Same here. ===

I'm almost glad I'm not the only one with this issue with the user and talk page. I was kind of asking myself what I've done not to be permitted a user page, you know. I remember trying to create one once upon a time, which included a link to my own webcomic. It didn't save for some reason and after that I wasn't permitted to create a user page. So if a link to your own hobbyist scribblings is considered illicit advertising, please let me know in order to avoid misunderstandings. [[User:PaulEberhardt|PaulEberhardt]] ([[User talk:PaulEberhardt|talk]]) 14:54, 16 June 2024 (UTC)
:With a dozen edits (up to and including the above), and a decent amount of time, I'd have expected you to be over the nominal threshold to give you the right to create your pages.
:(I'm not entirely sure what the criteria are, off the top of my head, though I know it's been discussed elsewhere. And if I were configuring it, I'd not put too much weight on "the number of edits" or "the net amount of added bytes"/whatever, as it could encourage pointless editing-for-the-sake-of-editing, rather than relying upon 'time served' to weed out those who are in a rush to create havoc... but there's arguments to make it a combination of criteria. And it's not up to me, anyway..!)
:Firstly, have you tried again recently, like right now? If you have, and it still won't 'take', or even let you get that far, then there's plenty of longer-term/higher-intensity users that ''might'' look kindly upon your participation and answer your plight. But do try again.
:And I'd say that (within reason, like avoid linking to anywhere dodgy or uploading masses of total junk) you're free to make your User page into anything you want. I'm pretty sure you aren't going to want to cross any 'line' (official or otherwise), so all the best. And bumping your request. (Also slightly sub-headering, because it is rather a reply to the above header. I might just have added an indented reply straight off, but... again... it's not really for the likes of me to say, so I'm only tweaking it, not merging it in.) [[Special:Contributions/162.158.38.71|162.158.38.71]] 20:57, 16 June 2024 (UTC)

::Cheers for the info, and for the tweak! I didn't know how to make sub-headings (yes, I'm that wiki-illiterate - lol), or I'd have done it myself. Possibly I'm just not over this mysterious threshold, being a somewhat irregular visitor with a slight penchant for bad puns, but I certainly do intend to make contributions that actually contribute to something whenever I can (btw. my own webcomic, actually two webcomics by now, are both All Ages and hosted on a well-known webcomic community site, so it's certainly nothing dodgy from my point of view). I don't want to make a fuss about it all, either. If nothing works after a year or so, I'll just start over with a new account or something and see what happens. [[User:PaulEberhardt|PaulEberhardt]] ([[User talk:PaulEberhardt|talk]]) 18:24, 22 June 2024 (UTC)

== Small css-related changes to two templates ==

I've explained what changes I want made in the talk pages for [[Template:Comic]] and [[Template:Comic discussion]] already, but I think I might need to mention them here too. Changing the templates shouldn't cause any adverse effects, and allow for more versatility for users who create their own CSS. [[User:SomeoneIGuess|someone, i guess]]([[User talk:SomeoneIGuess|talk i guess]]|[[Special:Contributions/SomeoneIGuess|le edit list]])

: You should sign your comments with "-- ~~~~", which will insert your username. And, there's a very low chance that anyone with the power to change the CSS to wander by; we've been on our own for a while. -- [[User:Dtgriscom|Dtgriscom]] ([[User talk:Dtgriscom|talk]]) 22:01, 20 October 2023 (UTC)

: Added the class names. —[[User:Theusaf|theusaf]] ([[User talk:Theusaf|talk]]) 15:39, 1 November 2023 (UTC)

:: THANK YOU!!! The face of pure shock and excitement i felt when seeing this was beyond my wildest dreams ˶ᵔ ᵕ ᵔ˶ [[User:SomeoneIGuess|someone, i guess]]([[User talk:SomeoneIGuess|talk i guess]]|[[Special:Contributions/SomeoneIGuess|le edit list]]) 15:46, 2 November 2023 (UTC)

== Math Module breaks all pages with it ==

[[2070]] and [[2034]] appear to be broken for some reason. They wont load at all with the following reason:

<code>
MediaWiki internal error.

Original exception: [ZUPRak3GkbeSokPCcKIp8AAAAJI] 2023-11-02 16:42:18: Fatal exception of type "MWException"

Exception caught inside exception handler.

Set $wgShowExceptionDetails = true; at the bottom of LocalSettings.php to show detailed debugging information.</code>

[[User:SomeoneIGuess|someone, i guess]]([[User talk:SomeoneIGuess|talk i guess]]|[[Special:Contributions/SomeoneIGuess|le edit list]]) 16:42, 2 November 2023 (UTC)
:: [[2295]] also broken. Must be related to the Math module. [[User:SomeoneIGuess|someone, i guess]]([[User talk:SomeoneIGuess|talk i guess]]|[[Special:Contributions/SomeoneIGuess|le edit list]]) 16:44, 2 November 2023 (UTC)
:: Full list of broken pages:
::* [[128: dPain over dt]]
::* [[687: Dimensional Analysis]]
::* [[849: Complex Conjugate]]
::* [[899: Number Line]]
::* [[969: Delta-P]]
::* [[1047: Approximations]]
::* [[2028: Complex Numbers]]
::* [[2034: Equations]]
::* [[2048: Curve-Fitting]]
::* [[2059: Modified Bayes' Theorem]]
::* [[2070: Trig Identities]]
::* [[2117: Differentiation and Integration]]
::* [[2295: Garbage Math]]
::* Possibly more [[User:SomeoneIGuess|someone, i guess]]([[User talk:SomeoneIGuess|talk i guess]]|[[Special:Contributions/SomeoneIGuess|le edit list]]) 00:14, 3 November 2023 (UTC)
:::On further analysis, it seems to be related to the MathML setting. [[User:SomeoneIGuess|someone, i guess]]([[User talk:SomeoneIGuess|talk i guess]]|[[Special:Contributions/SomeoneIGuess|le edit list]]) 19:23, 9 November 2023 (UTC)
i might be able to read the error if someone turns that setting on - [[User:Bb777|;)]] ([[User talk:Bb777|talk]]) 00:48, 22 March 2025 (UTC)
the proposals page also went. :00:24, 23 March 2025 (UTC)[[User:Bb777|((([...]((((((((]] ([[User talk:Bb777|talk]])

update:[[User:dgbrt|dgbrt user page]] has the same error- [[User:Bb777|me]] ([[User talk:Bb777|talk]]) 17:45, 25 March 2025 (UTC)

== Way to contact the site hosters? ==

I have tried posting at Jeff's talk page to no avail. Maybe yáll admins have a red phone hotline to Jeff? See reasons at [[explain xkcd:Community portal/Technical#Way to contact the site hosters?]]. [[User:Aaron Liu|Aaron Liu]] ([[User talk:Aaron Liu|talk]]) 01:34, 9 December 2023 (UTC)

== Escape speed is no longer incomplete ==

Can you delete the text at the top of every page except the main page that says ''"We still need to complete some explanations like this one: 2765: Escape Speed. All incomplete explanations are here."''? Escape speed is no longer incomplete, so that is wrong.[[User:B_for_brain|B for brain]] ([[User_talk:B_for_brain|talk]]) ([https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCg4bo-hj-mDyOOUp_Yp0pug youtube channel] [https://bforbrain.weebly.com/ wobsite (supposed to be a blag)] 14:03, 27 December 2023 (UTC)

This keeps happening with other comics too [[User:Moderator|Moderator]] ([[User talk:Moderator|talk]]) 21:44, 18 April 2024 (UTC)

== Vandal Issue ==

we've got vandals all over [[2875: 2024]], and they're getting persistent [[User:SomeoneIGuess|someone, i guess]]([[User talk:SomeoneIGuess|talk i guess]]|[[Special:Contributions/SomeoneIGuess|le edit list]]) 16:50, 2 January 2024 (UTC)
:At least one vandalism per minute. Even with Someoene and I both reverting, it's showing the racist message most of the time. Can Explainxkcd protect a page? [[User:Nitpicking|Nitpicking]] ([[User talk:Nitpicking|talk]]) 17:54, 2 January 2024 (UTC)
::Deleting the vandal's ignorant... let's call it "self-defense" to be generous. What exactly is supposed to be "not racist" about a derogatory term for black men - which features prominently in the edit summaries is left as an exercise for the reader. [[Special:Contributions/162.158.146.181|162.158.146.181]] 18:35, 2 January 2024 (UTC)
:Preferably also rev-del the revisions and summaries. [[Special:Contributions/172.69.71.13|172.69.71.13]] 18:40, 2 January 2024 (UTC)

== XKCD Browser ==

I made a [https://github.com/kristianbenoit/XKCD XKCD browser] in python with pygame and think it could be useful to others. The idea was to popup a comic the morning after it was published from a crontab. There could be a hotkey to point to todays discussion on explainxkcd. I wonder where/how would be the place to advertise it ? [[User:Kbenoit|Kbenoit]] ([[User talk:Kbenoit|talk]]) 15:36-40, 20 February 2024 (UTC)
:Here's a good start. Perhaps on the comic discussions for similar things ([https://uni.xkcd.com/ unixkcd], etc). As and when you get a User page here then you can perhaps expound on it there (assuning you aren't leaving the explanation to the github webspace. [[Special:Contributions/172.71.178.172|172.71.178.172]] 16:01, 20 February 2024 (UTC)
::You (other IP, in the 160s.*) meant well, but [https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=explain_xkcd:Community_portal/Admin_requests&diff=prev&oldid=335412 the person who linked my text] was not me and that link isn't directly useful for K's purpose. Maybe indeed I should have pointed at [[UniXKCD]], or [[Talk:UniXKCD]], but I wasn't sure that was even the best place on here. Look around the [[:Category:Interactive comics]], and/or ones featuring browsers lrominently, maybe.
::I repeat that you (Kristian, with our help at bumping the contribution here) have already now made it known/knowable, at least to those who browse this site widely, but once you get a Userspace page you can perhaps do a little bit more in your own free space and also push people there through subtle pointers or signature-links in further on-context contributions. This isn't really a place for random advertising, but definitely contextual links to offsite xkcd 'fandom' is not something I'd personally have issues with (certainly compared to some other things that might get snuck on here). [[Special:Contributions/172.70.91.62|172.70.91.62]] 13:43, 21 February 2024 (UTC)

== Vandalism-related Ban Request ==

Hey, if any of the admins see this, can you please ban Jupitale? They’ve made 11 vandalism-related edits, within the time frame of about 21 hours. Even though they haven’t ben active since February 28, I feel like it’s better to err on the more cautious side. Thanks! ^_^ [[User:42.book.addict|42.book.addict]] ([[User talk:42.book.addict|talk]]) 01:09, 5 March 2024 (UTC)
:It'd be even more cautious not to [https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=User:Ash123&action=history create userpages] for a user that [https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=Talk:1211:_Birds_and_Dinosaurs&diff=prev&oldid=336532 was only here to spam us].. (Note to admins: add Ash123 to that todo list, if we're calling them out, and I know I've reverted some other single-spamming usernames recently.) But you just know that a ban for anyone like 'Jupitale' (as much as they'd deserve it) is going to be of no actual consequence to them.
:And hold off on all those other userpages, 42. It's not your job, and you might not be right about the usefulness of the ones you're (seemingly randomly) creating. Without even being asked. [[Special:Contributions/172.69.194.217|172.69.194.217]] 01:55, 5 March 2024 (UTC)

== Countdown ==

Can we please have an xkcd-like countdown on the top of every page for how many days left till the next april fool's comic? (Eg. today it would say "7 days untill the next april fool's comic!") [[User:B_for_brain|B for brain]] ([[User_talk:B_for_brain|talk]]) ([https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCg4bo-hj-mDyOOUp_Yp0pug youtube channel] [https://bforbrain.weebly.com/ wobsite (supposed to be a blag)] 10:26, 25 March 2024 (UTC)
:What certainty is there that there'll be one? If/when get the April Fool, or past it, do we reset for the next, or start counting down to the next hypothetical New Year, Christmas, Halloween comic or "Two/Seven/Ten Years" reanniversary? We need to know a few more details to the idea.
:And I presume you meant "a countdown in a suitably xkcx-ish manner, as there have been countdowns for books/etc but not a consistent approach, just some wide ranging but apt creative teasers [[Special:Contributions/172.69.194.225|172.69.194.225]] 11:32, 25 March 2024 (UTC)
:Shhhh, it's supposed to be a surprise! I mean, in my opinion, I'd rather want to see people caught off guard in the comments rather than warn them. [[User:Asdf|Asdf]] ([[User talk:Asdf|talk]]) 12:35, 25 March 2024 (UTC)

== Unblock request ==

Hello! I tried to sign up for an account a couple years ago, but I happened to sign up during a major vandal attack, and an admin blocked me based on a mistaken accusation of vandalism and sockpuppetry. I had used the account [[User:Danny E. Corchado]], then I used [[User:Danny Corchado]] to attempt to appeal my block shortly afterwards; both accounts are now blocked. I no longer have the password to the former, but I can log in to the latter account. Can someone please unblock [[User:Danny Corchado]]? If someone creates [[User talk:Danny Corchado]], I should be able to edit that page to prove I do control the account. [[Special:Contributions/172.71.151.21|172.71.151.21]] 02:26, 1 April 2024 (UTC)
:ill give you the benefit of doubt-done and done [[User:42.book.addict|42.book.addict]] ([[User talk:42.book.addict|talk]]) 04:19, 1 April 2024 (UTC)
::Really? You actually think this could work like that? Both(/'both'?) of you? I wondered why you (42) randomly created that user's page from (from 'your' perspective) the mists of time. Which doesn't help unblock anyone, there's not even any logic in that request. (Once unblocked, whoever controls the account can prove that ''they control the account''. But where does that lead anyone?)
::And why would you associate ''in any way'' with an account 'of no account' that was linked with vandalism? You can only be judged by your actions, as you can choose any name (within reason) that you want. "Mr Corchado" still has uncounted options left if he absolutely must post, in all good faith, as 'Dan Corchado' or similar. You've been here long enough (longer than your current username) to know all this. Sheesh... [[Special:Contributions/172.70.85.77|172.70.85.77]] 11:03, 1 April 2024 (UTC)

== Adding images from 2916: Machine ==

I created most of the page for 2916: Machine, but do not have permissions to upload images to embed for each object/character, could someone either upload all the images I have linked on the page, or allow for me to upload the images? Thanks [[User:Claire Kholin|Claire Kholin]] ([[User talk:Claire Kholin|talk]]) 18:56, 6 April 2024 (UTC)

== Main Page Deletion ==

Hi. When I logged in today, I saw that the Main Page was deleted just 2 minutes before by Mark Hurd. If I remember correctly, he was confirmed to have passed on Wikipedia, and other Admins were talking about de-sysopping him. Can someone please explain this? Thanks, [[User:42.book.addict|42.book.addict]] ([[User talk:42.book.addict|talk]]) 15:44, 11 April 2024 (UTC)
:After Kynde restored the Main Page, he didn't protect it. Could someone please protect it so that trolls and vandals can't mess with it, like last time? Thanks. [[User:42.book.addict|42.book.addict]] ([[User talk:42.book.addict|talk]]) 00:18, 13 April 2024 (UTC)

== "Interesting" Account Creations ==

Hi. So I was looking at the user creation log, and I noticed a suspicious number of accounts-at least 90% of them-are being created using a <Semi-generic first name> <semi-generic last name> <usally two or three numbers>. This would be kinda weird in the first place, however, almost none of the accounts are active. That and the fact that these accounts are being created no less than 10 minutes from each other made me think somethings a little weird. Maybe I'm just dumb. Just wanted to bring it to your attention in case this wasn't a normal thing.[[User:Apollo11|Apollo11]] ([[User talk:Apollo11|talk]]) 17:17, 15 April 2024 (UTC)
I looked a bit further, the exact same thing happened two months ago as well, but the names were random letters instead [[User:Apollo11|Apollo11]] ([[User talk:Apollo11|talk]]) 17:34, 15 April 2024 (UTC)
:It's been happening (in various forms) for years. Maybe a decade, if not more. For as long as I've been paying attention, certainly, which might well be that long.
:Without access to the whole admin logs, it seems to reflect the intention of 'bots to spam, spam and spam again, automatically, creating accounts they will use to do so but then hitting the actually rather effective anti-bot defenses, so they do absolutely nothing (well, maybe they're lucky every now and again, but practically insignificant successes, and IP-only spams seem to dominate, at maybe twice a week for who-knows-how-many wctual attempts).
:Amongst the current bunch randomly created names, I see a few that are clearly created around the word "Ingredients" (rather than a feedstock to create 'FirstnameLastname', which has long been the main default). I take it that each meta-pattern we see as indicative of a different bot-farmer's efforts, so this might have been started up for a particular spam-theme. Which maybe we'll get an idea of if it gets lucky. Though I'm in no hurry to find out such details. [[Special:Contributions/172.71.242.13|172.71.242.13]] 12:39, 16 April 2024 (UTC)
Awesome, glad that its under control then :) [[User:Apollo11|Apollo11]] ([[User talk:Apollo11|talk]]) 14:32, 16 April 2024 (UTC)
:Recently created a public-facing wiki and I can confirm these accounts are would-be spambots (they started spamming my wiki until I made it impossible to register an account without already having one). —Megan [[user talk:megan|talk]] [[special:contribs/megan|contribs]] 09:07, 16 July 2024 (UTC)
::Not to question your decision on how to do this, but idly wondering how many people who already have an account would want to register a new one, and why... RPing with alts actively encouraged, and nobody new joining in? Sounds interesting, but I feel I've misunderstood somehow. (And solving the problem however you want to is your perogative.) [[Special:Contributions/172.69.195.123|172.69.195.123]] 10:35, 16 July 2024 (UTC)
:::It's a small wiki mostly for me and my friends; I was silly and thought nothing could go wrong if I left account creation wide open since the wiki isn't linked from anywhere . I guess it must have been someone scanning the IPv4 address space. I don't need anyone registering anymore unless I make new acquaintances/friends, in which case I'll make an account for them. —Megan [[user talk:megan|talk]] [[special:contribs/megan|contribs]] 14:41, 16 July 2024 (UTC)

==Block request==

Can someone block 42.book.addict on my profile and vice versa? We're having issues and I wanna stop with them. 19:34, 29 April 2024 (UTC)

== Problem with email verification. ==

I'm not getting the verification email. I checked everywhere in my inboxes, and dodecatuple-checked the email address I provided. Can anything be done? Although I guess it doesn't seem to be strictly necessary. Thank you. [[User:Paintadot|Paintadot]] ([[User talk:Paintadot|talk]]) 17:10, 2 May 2024 (UTC)

== Reclaim user account "rosuav" ==

I tried to sign in to make a small edit to #2954, but I can't create an account with my standard user name "Rosuav" due to one already existing; yet there's apparently no email address on file for that username. Is there a way to prove that I am that person, and request that it be unlocked? I use the same name everywhere eg GitHub, Twitch, Discord, Twitter (if that's at all relevant any more), and am the owner of the rosuav.com domain as well. [[Special:Contributions/172.68.144.144|172.68.144.144]] 06:10, 4 July 2024 (UTC)
:My instinct is that it could be done, but won't be. Even demonstrably owning the domain (with provable history) doesn't really trump the rights of any person who may have equally logical reasons for having beaten you to choosing 'their' username here. Yes, it leaves the way open for malicious cybersquatting/cybergazumping (haven't checked the history of this interloper account, to see if it's been unused/abused in 'your' name), but otherwise it sets an awful precedent of claim and counterclaim.
:I think you might just have to accept that you'll need a (totally, or slightly) different username here. Or do without, as you and I currently are.
:...not wishing to speak for the 'admins' here, who may suggest otherwise, but fairly safe in thinking that the hoops needed to be jumped through to 'correct' things in the fairest way are too untrivial, compared to the relative importance of task and any vital need. [[Special:Contributions/172.70.163.120|172.70.163.120]] 11:56, 4 July 2024 (UTC)

::Are the admins able to rename accounts? [[Special:Contributions/172.71.147.86|172.71.147.86]] 12:46, 8 July 2024 (UTC)

:::I think I've seen it done, maybe once, definitely a long time ago, unless I'm thinking of a completely different wiki(-like) server. But for totally different reasons than shuffling usernames in and out of use (in ways that didn't involve just account deletion, which is the clearer 'first step' that could possibly be justified).
:::Think about it, there's potentially a completely separate existing 'owner' of the contentious username. There's no pre-existing presumption that "<n> years of idleness" ever makes an identity forfeit, certainly not explicitly stated. Unlike various other login-mediated services, there's no real 'private space' to argue over ownership (and legitimate access) for, which saves some problems but then renders moot various possible reasons for making exceptional admin-changes.
:::For any purpose that mattersz it doesn't matter if you sign up as <code>JoeBloggs</code> or <code>Joe Bloggs</code> or <code>The Real Joe Bloggs</code> or <code>JoeyBloggs2008</code> or <code>JB003½</code> or <code>The Name's Bloggs, Joe Bloggs. Licenced To Kill, And Drive A Heavy Goods Vehicle</code>. Look at the [[Special:Log/newusers]], and see how meaningless any given username is, and not worth directly contesting in this sort of circumstance.
:::This is just my observation. I'd defer to any actual Admin who might have a more refined opinion (possibly quite different), Or actual community decisions, by ''named users'', that firmly suggested otherwise. But it looks like there's only three/four of us IPs who have anything to say on the matter. Or it's just me, pointlessly arguing with myself. ;) [[Special:Contributions/172.71.242.60|172.71.242.60]] 14:44, 8 July 2024 (UTC)

== [[Category;Comics featuring real people]] ==

Can someone please delete this? It's obnoxiously showing up as an autocompletion whenever I'm about to search for categories (i.e. when I type "Category" into the search bar, it shows up). It's a main-space article and a cross-namespace redirect. It was probably created as an accident based on the fact that the person who created it soon redirected it to the correct name. It is not linked from any page except this one. —megan [[user talk:megan|talk]]/[[special:contribs/megan|contribs]] 00:26, 14 July 2024 (UTC)

== Removal of administrator permission for [[User:Markhurd|Markhurd]] ==

''Note that this request requires a bureaucrat, but for almost a year neither of our two bureaucrats have been active.''

[[User:Markhurd|Markhurd]] ([[User talk:Markhurd|talk]]) ([[Special:Contribs/Markhurd|contribs]]) has been inactive since 2016 and is blocked because he has passed on. Yet his account still has administrator privileges which may be dangerous, since blocked administrators can still perform certain actions (e.g. blocking the administrator that blocked them). Thus, the account should have its administrator privileges removed. —megan [[user talk:megan|talk]]/[[special:contribs/megan|contribs]] 05:56, 16 July 2024 (UTC)

Actually, on this wiki, per [[Special:ListGroupRights]], administrators have the <code>unblockself</code> user right, allowing them to unblock themselves. So blocking an administrator doesn't really do anything at all. —megan [[user talk:megan|talk]]/[[special:contribs/megan|contribs]] 06:05, 16 July 2024 (UTC)

== The crapper is back ==

And eir username is [[User:💩💩💩💩💩]]. [[User:AndroidTheLucario|Your favorite aura doggo]] ([[User talk:AndroidTheLucario|talk]]) 13:41, 16 July 2024 (UTC)
:Looking through the search archives, I see now. Maybe it's the person I had a brief revert skirmish with on 11 March 2023. Seems like that account stopped vandalizing a while ago, though their vandalism of a highly transcluded template makes me worried. —Megan [[user talk:megan|talk]] [[special:contribs/megan|contribs]] 10:06, 20 July 2024 (UTC)
::Never rule out copycats, who did a bit of basic research. Or who were around the two or three times that this particular pattern occured, before, perhaps they weren't bored enough to join in then, or suddenly their hormones kicked in and they decided now was the time to rebel. Motives aren't easy to establish, beyond "because I can" and some strange urge to act out. For a number of minor reasons, that I'll not go fully into (because explaining would take more time than I place value on their actual correctness), I don't think it was "the crapper" seriously trying to revive their art.
::One other (broad) guess I have is that it's just a 'tagging' exercise/dare concocted by the off-site group from whom the original came, to have a new member fulfil initiation. I'm all but certain that certain lessons learnt by the original individual(s) weren't remembered, yet the choice of blindingly obvious emoji-username does seem like a relatively 'new' thought, so probably a different mind behind the implementation.
::Maybe they've even now got a sweepstake on how long it takes for the offending username to be banned? (Really should have been, already, though it doesn't matter in the long run if/when...) [[Special:Contributions/172.70.85.19|172.70.85.19]] 11:05, 20 July 2024 (UTC)
New crapper: [[Special:Contribs/The crapper is back]]. For some reason these users aren't really doing much - they seem to edit a bit and then back off. —megan [[user talk:megan|talk]] [[special:contribs/megan|contribs]] 05:46, 22 July 2024 (UTC)
:Interesting to note that the crapper reappears at very close to the point in time that a number of CGs become active, by the way. Which is absolutely not the first time they both coincide (sometimes 'helping de-crap').
:Also CG accounts have a nasty habit of reverting an error recently added by (usually) an IP, and, if they can't find enough actual useful typos to correct (the spate of searching for rogue "the the"s was actually mostly useful and correct, but didn't take enough care about it). Also, CGs tend to revert any things that even ''suggest the CGs are linked'' as if to try to erase that idea from everyone's memory, rather than laugh it off or ignore it or say "yeah, and..? ...your problem is?" and I rather expect that this comment will get the same treatment. Which doesn't link 'them' to the crapper, but does become rather tedious in its own right. So perhaps 'they' should take the hint to stop that. [[Special:Contributions/172.70.160.249|172.70.160.249]] 10:44, 22 July 2024 (UTC)
:Addendum, an IP (other than me, obviously) has reverted CG's genuine (or at least correct) "the the"-like corrections several more times than the one that you (Megan) did. I re-reverted them. So that nobody else needs to. Nobody. (It could also be a game being played, or some weird steganographic alteration, but I'm defering back to just being 'helpful' but careless behaviour on behalf of a genuinely non-CG and otherwise CG-unaffiliated IP address.) [[Special:Contributions/172.70.163.121|172.70.163.121]] 11:07, 22 July 2024 (UTC)

==Ba'al the Soul Eater==
Hi, so I didnt know wether this should go on admin requests or feature suggestions, so i put it here. I think Ba'al the Soul Eater needs a character category (and I dont know how to make one). They've been in more comics than many named other characters, droptablestudents is one example, and yet they dont have a character page. [[User:Apollo11|Apollo11]] ([[User talk:Apollo11|talk]]) 16:52, 12 September 2024 (UTC)
:I concur! Definitely not unbiased! --'''''[[User:DollarStoreBa'al|DollarStoreBa'al]][[User_talk:DollarStoreBa'al|converse]] 15:03, 18 September 2025 (UTC)

== Some IP editor keeps erasing my user pages. ==

The same happened with 42.book.addict earlier. Please send help. [[User:CalibansCreations|'''Caliban''']] ([[User talk:CalibansCreations|talk]]) 16:05, 25 October 2024 (UTC)
:I’ve come to accept that vandals will be vandals and trolls will be trolls. Honestly, if an admin protects your page, then they’ll just go to another user’s page. There’s not much that we can do, since they’re an IP. Just revert and move on, until you see it again. We do have strength in numbers, so there shouldn’t be much interference other than annoyance. [[User:42.book.addict|42.book.addict]] ([[User talk:42.book.addict|talk]]) 16:12, 25 October 2024 (UTC)

== Adminship Needed ==

Hi all, it's [[User:Davidy22|Davidy22]] here. I forgot my password, and my email confirmation isn't working. I'm not able to recover my account, and I need my adminship rights back. Could someone please help me out? Thank you! [[User:Davidy21|Davidy21]] ([[User talk:Davidy21|talk]]) 02:38, 15 November 2024 (UTC)
:Pull the other one. It's got bells on it. (I'd say "nice try", but it really wasn't.) [[Special:Contributions/172.71.26.106|172.71.26.106]] 04:06, 15 November 2024 (UTC)

== Hide the red and green numbers ==

I recently found that my talk page has been spammed. The red and green numbers in the history page are really offending. Please hide the numbers if possible. I know that admins can hide titles, edit summaries and usernames, but I don't know whether they can hide numbers. [[User:ChristmasGospel|ChristmasGospel]] ([[User talk:ChristmasGospel|talk]]) 19:40, 29 November 2024 (UTC)
:As gone into length after your similar request in TheusafBOT's Talk page, for all kinds of reasons I predict that this will not happen. Yes, they could ''perhaps'' hide the edits (vandalisms and the autoreversions), but not the numbers. And the justification to upend the edit histories for anything this trivial (I'm not convinced it isn't!) is severely lacking. [[Special:Contributions/172.70.86.130|172.70.86.130]] 20:40, 29 November 2024 (UTC)

== RSS Feed Broken ==

The RSS feed has been broken since xkcd 3015, I believe due to the ampersand in the comic title.

XML Parsing Error: not well-formed
Location: https://explainxkcd.com/rss.xml
Line Number 71, Column 18:
<title>3015: D&D Combinatorics</title>

I assume this requires an admin's intervention, so I'm posting it here even though it's also more directly a technical issue. There are a couple recent posts about it there as well.[[User:Tolozen|Tolozen]] ([[User talk:Tolozen|talk]]) 00:08, 14 December 2024 (UTC)
:I will email [[User:Davidy22]] and send a message to [[User:Theusaf]] '''[[User:42.book.addict|42.book.addict]][[User talk:42.book.addict|Talk to me!]]''' 16:07, 16 December 2024 (UTC)
::I'm unsure if I can do anything about this, since `/rss.xml` is likely controlled by software external to the wiki, which I do not have access to. The title of the comic might need to be changed as a workaround for this issue --[[User:Theusaf|theusaf]] ([[User talk:Theusaf|talk]]) 00:46, 17 December 2024 (UTC)
:::I have emailed [[User:Davidy22|Davidy22]], here’s what he had to say: '''[[User:42.book.addict|42.book.addict]][[User talk:42.book.addict|Talk to me!]]''' 18:06, 17 December 2024 (UTC)
:::{{quote|My server login doesn't work. I actually wrote the RSS script, would be able to figure it out if I can get jeff to respond to me}}
:::Additionally, I have emailed [[User:Jeff|Jeff]] about this issue. '''[[User:42.book.addict|42.book.addict]][[User talk:42.book.addict|Talk to me!]]''' 18:06, 17 December 2024 (UTC)
:To All Technical Users: I’ve been doing some research on how to fix the ampersand issue and I’ve come up with 2 solutions that don’t require server access intervention: either we rename the page to have & instead of & and use [https://www.mediawiki.org/wiki/Extension:Display_Title display titles] to make it look normal, or have the page renamed without the ampersand and put a disclaimer, just like in [[1482: NowPlaying]]. Could someone smarter than me try to figure out if these two ideas would work? Thanks! '''[[User:42.book.addict|42.book.addict]][[User talk:42.book.addict|Talk to me!]]''' 02:21, 10 January 2025 (UTC)

::::I opened a bug with Mediawiki: https://phabricator.wikimedia.org/T385938. I'm a bit embarrassed to have wasted their time. Here's there response:
::::[Explain XKCD's] "MediaWiki version is 1.30.0 which was released 86 months ago".
::::Please can the version be upgraded? {{unsigned|141.101.98.244|13:10, 8 February 2025‎}}
:::::heh. nobody can update the wiki because server access is locked by [[User:Jeff]], who is also the only ‘crat on this wiki ([[User:Lcarsos]] doesn’t count, he hasn’t edited in 4 years) and the owner of this wiki. if you have a bug, '''suck it up'''. '''[[User:42.book.addict|42.book.addict]][[User talk:42.book.addict|Talk to me!]]''' 16:46, 8 February 2025 (UTC)

== Vandalizing user ==

[[User:KikeUNTERMENSCH]], as one might guess from his name, has done nothing but vandalize templates, sometimes to post racist comments on the main page and other times to post pictures of a dead goat. Please block him. Thanks! --[[Special:Contributions/172.68.54.209|172.68.54.209]] 04:43, 17 December 2024 (UTC)
:copied this request to [[User talk:Kynde|Kynde's]] talk page, as he is more likely to respond to that page. '''[[User:42.book.addict|42.book.addict]][[User talk:42.book.addict|Talk to me!]]''' 05:28, 17 December 2024 (UTC)

== Vandalism ==

Hello, there is vandalism here.

https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=Template:reflist&action=history
{{unsigned ip|162.158.10.130|05:03, 19 December 2024}}
:Noting that this has been sorted, already. But there seems to be a "change comic-info" IP vandal and a "derogatory username vandal" (probably the same moron, switching tactics) that has been operating in the short time before the above report. Mostly dealt with (automatically and with manual assistance) but I'll mop up any other instances that I see.
:Obviously, the DUV instance needs blocking, at least so we get to see a completely different idiotic username next time they decide that their next net contribution to the world is going to be just as futile. [[Special:Contributions/172.70.90.119|172.70.90.119]] 12:28, 19 December 2024 (UTC)
::I would recommend sending Kynde a message on his talk page, as he checks that more often than this. '''[[User:42.book.addict|42.book.addict]][[User talk:42.book.addict|Talk to me!]]''' 17:55, 19 December 2024 (UTC)
:::Note that it has been sorted (by Kynde), by the time you made this suggestion.
:::Also, while it's trivially true that an appeal direct to Kynde may currently produce the (joint-?)quickest response time, that may be less true if there are other admins around and checking their own pages (and this) somewhat more directly than those of their brethren/sistren/othren amongst the admins.
:::In the current reality, it probably doesn't matter much at all. Practically any obvious 'note', in any namespace at all, will get probably a near identical response. And, in that circumstance, perhaps best to uphold the expectation that someone, who doesn't know exactly ''who'' to go to, might find the Admin Requests page the most logical destination. If only because future editors might learn more about past reports than having to stumble over whatever might have been posted to who-knows-who's userpages as were suitable for the time.
:::...it ''might'' be good to have a bit of a clean-out (cut'n'paste things into an archival page, at Admins' discretion only) to leave only current/long-standing 'needs'. But that's a job-and-a-half! [[Special:Contributions/141.101.99.70|141.101.99.70]] 18:22, 19 December 2024 (UTC)

== Petition to add comic 404 to homepage ==

In the mainpage, it has a banner that says <nowiki>We have an explanation for all [[:Category:All comics|'''{{#expr:{{PAGESINCAT:All comics|R}}-1}}''' xkcd comics]],
</nowiki>, and it excludes [[404: Not Found| comic 404]] from the calculation. However, even Randall himself calls it a "real comic" (see the quote at the top of the page). So, can you please change the equation to re-add comic 404? [[User:B_for_brain|B for brain]] ([[User_talk:B_for_brain|talk]]) ([https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCg4bo-hj-mDyOOUp_Yp0pug youtube channel] [https://bforbrain.weebly.com/ wobsite (supposed to be a blag)]) 12:23, 26 December 2024 (UTC)
:Agreed! Ironically the -1 was useful because it actually displayed the real number, because of the [[Papyrus]] clone page that counted as two (see trivia). But recently i fixed that so 404 should definitely be counted! [[User:FaviFake|FaviFake]] ([[User talk:FaviFake|talk]]) 09:04, 12 January 2025 (UTC)
::It would be even better if it were made editable by more users, or if more active admis were added. Right now basically nobody updates it [[User:FaviFake|FaviFake]] ([[User talk:FaviFake|talk]]) 09:06, 12 January 2025 (UTC)

I have removed the number 1. I'm as far as I know the only active admin at this time. I have reached out to others, but have so far not received and reply. I cannot make other in to admins. But agree it would be great with more. [[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 14:52, 20 January 2025 (UTC)
:Thank you! You might want to get in touch with [[User:42.book.addict]], she's been hard at work trying to get a hold of the owners of the wiki. Maybe you two together, an admin and a very active editor, can create an unstoppable owner-contacting force? [[User:FaviFake|FaviFake]] ([[User talk:FaviFake|talk]]) 17:10, 20 January 2025 (UTC)

== Uncooperating User ==
I have been feuding for a couple days with [[User:Lettherebedarklight]], asking them to first change their username from being a YouTube link to a {{w|Rickroll}} to something else that wouldn't confuse users in talk pages, as it had confused me. I will admit that although I wrongly cited {{w|WP:PROMONAME}}, as it applies to usernames, not signatures, my point still isn't incorrect. Instead, I should've cited {{w|WP:SIG#EL}}. After this, they changed their signature to some random mish mash of gibberish, singing off as <code>[[user talk:lett‪herebedarklight|(CTU) 4202 rebmeceD 12 ,61:70 [[</code>, <code>[[user talk:lett‪herebedarklight|(CTU) 4202 rebmeceD 42 ,24:41 [[</code>, and <code>[[user talk:lett‪herebedarklight|(CTU) 4202 rebmeceD 52 ,74:60 [[</code> respectively. How exactly they managed to flip the date and wikilink I don't know, but I ''do'' know that this sig is in violation of {{w|WP:SIGPROB}} in regards to the broken date format and {{w|WP:SIGLINK}}. After going back and forth with the user, I have decided to ask for help. Could one of the admins please have a talk with them? Thanks, '''[[User:42.book.addict|42.book.addict]][[User talk:42.book.addict|Talk to me!]]''' 22:12, 26 December 2024 (UTC)
:I have written to him now.[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 08:56, 29 December 2024 (UTC)
::I noticed he has kept deleting his own talk page. I have just given him a [https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=User_talk:Lettherebedarklight&oldid=362972 final warning]. Let me know if he deletes it once more! I might forget to check it out. [[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 15:00, 20 January 2025 (UTC)

== Creating new pages ==

To whom it may concern

Does anyone know how to create new pages? I'd like to make a page about Santa since we seem to be missing one. Thanks.

Edit: Thank you, ladies and gentlemen. Your assistance has been appreciated. --Albert McGee {{unsigned|Albert|10:20, 31 January 2025}}
:You're a new user (created less than an hour before you posted, with just <s>two</s> three(+?) edits, all of them with the above), and you don't get Page Creation rights for... a small while.
:Maybe somebody will see this and decide that you're right and use their longer experience to get Santa his own page, and integrate that onto the Characters page (under "Real people"? ;) ), or perhaps you'd have to be a new user for a while and learn the ropes until (at some point) you discover you can fulfil your aim yourself.
:Until either of these happy events, maybe you could prove your case by justifying the need. I suspect that most of his appearances are to be found in [[:Category:Christmas]] (but not all of them, which could be reason both for or against a "Comics with Santa Clause" page), but listing them and also finding any of his appearances (including under his various alternate names?) in ostensibly non-Christmas contexts would be interesting info to start off with.
:In short: earn your stripes, and you'll be okay (one way or another). Always good to see new and enthusiastic users getting to know the ropes. If in doubt, have a look around at other edit( historie)s and user contributions. [[Special:Contributions/172.70.86.129|172.70.86.129]] 11:01, 31 January 2025 (UTC)
::I’ll do it! Same question as him though, how? (I’ve haven’t been able to figure out that particular skill yet.) [[User:Apollo11|Apollo11]] ([[User talk:Apollo11|talk]]) 16:36, 31 January 2025 (UTC)
:::You can just go to the link you want the page to be in, but I do not think we need such a category. We already have [[:Category:Christmas]], as IP said, and it could be hard to draw a line that defines a "Santa" eligible to be included in that category. If a user wants to browse Christmas comics, they already can. You'd also likely need to create a profile for Santa, and create the category by following the [[:Category:Characters|naming norms for characters]]. Or, you'd have to debate whether to consider Santa as a character or not, since they're neither a person nor an animal. --[[User:FaviFake|FaviFake]] ([[User talk:FaviFake|talk]]) 16:56, 31 January 2025 (UTC)
:::If you search up the title of the page you want to make, there will be a line of text saying something along the lines of "<page> does not exist on this wiki, but you can create the page", with a link you can click. At least if you have the rights. [[User:Firestar233|guess who]] ([[User talk:Firestar233|if you desire conversing]] | [[Special:Contributions/Firestar233|what i have done]]) 03:08, 1 February 2025 (UTC)

== 3074 Image upload permissions ==

I've downloaded all the missing images of "3074 Push Notifications" but can't upload them because of missing permissions.
The placeholder images are all the same, so I can't replace them.
I could replace all existing images with higher resolution ones.
Can I have permissions please to upload the missing images? {{unsigned|Etwas|21:50, 11 April 2025 (UTC)}}
:You could put them all into a Google Drive (or any other file sharing website) link so that someone can upload them for you, or you could link the original xkcd links that you got the images from so that I can upload them. You ''should'' be able to upload them now, since you have exactly 50 edits and registered your account 1 week+ ago, automatically giving you [[explain xkcd:Autoconfirmed users|autoconfirmed]] rights. Additionally, please sign with <code><nowiki>~~~~</nowiki></code> after commenting. Cheers, '''[[User:42.book.addict|42.book.addict]][[User talk:42.book.addict|Talk to me!]]''' 21:58, 11 April 2025 (UTC)
::Actually, you’ve already uploaded files before. Are you ''sure'' you can’t upload them? '''[[User:42.book.addict|42.book.addict]][[User talk:42.book.addict|Talk to me!]]''' 22:00, 11 April 2025 (UTC)
:::Yes, I have uploaded images before, but I can't now, just tried it again. "You do not have permission to create new pages." [[User:Etwas|Etwas]] ([[User talk:Etwas|talk]]) 22:15, 11 April 2025 (UTC)
::I have put the links to the images in a comment after the missing images with a suggestion of a filename so the one who fixes this has less work to do. I hope somebody can upload them. It's a little frustrating for me...[[User:Etwas|Etwas]] ([[User talk:Etwas|talk]]) 03:42, 12 April 2025 (UTC)
::Sorry, another thing. I have replaced the turtle with a much more complete version, but something went wrong. The thumbnail is wrong (from the previous version) and now the image is skewed. No idea how to fix it. Maybe delete it and upload again with a new file name? But alas, I can't upload new files...[[User:Etwas|Etwas]] ([[User talk:Etwas|talk]]) 04:35, 12 April 2025 (UTC)

:::Don't worry, the turtle upload worked. Your browser was fooling you. If you check [[3074: Push Notifications]] now it should look good.
:::I don't see a comment made by you on [[Talk:3074: Push Notifications]], could you specify where exactly you put the links? Sorry you can't upload files, but we need these restrinctions to fight spammers. We'll do it for you. --[[User:FaviFake|FaviFake]] ([[User talk:FaviFake|talk]]) 10:37, 12 April 2025 (UTC)
::::The comments with the links are in the source code of the ===Comic images=== galery.[[User:Etwas|Etwas]] ([[User talk:Etwas|talk]]) 16:21, 12 April 2025 (UTC)
:::::Thanks! All of your images have been uploaded! If you check [[3074: Push Notifications]] now it should be complete, except maybe one that might still incorrectly show the old one.
:::::I think we could do something with the links, do you also happen to have te links for all the other images? Idk how the process of getting these links works. --[[User:FaviFake|FaviFake]] ([[User talk:FaviFake|talk]]) 16:54, 12 April 2025 (UTC)
:::::: Links to all images are in [https://xkcd.com/3074/marconi/static/js/index.js?v=1 index.js]. You can easily identify them they look like this: static/xyz.png[[User:Etwas|Etwas]] ([[User talk:Etwas|talk]]) 18:26, 12 April 2025 (UTC)
:::::::Whoa thanks! Is it possible there are actually more images that are undocumented on this wiki? I saw a lot of /static/ links on that page! (I changed your comment to hyperlink "index.js", since markdown doesn't work in wikis.) --[[User:FaviFake|FaviFake]] ([[User talk:FaviFake|talk]]) 15:36, 13 April 2025 (UTC)
::::::::No, the others are buttons, the notifications, and the promt to enter a word. [[User:Etwas|Etwas]] ([[User talk:Etwas|talk]])
:::::::::Ok thanks! --[[User:FaviFake|FaviFake]] ([[User talk:FaviFake|talk]]) 19:29, 13 April 2025 (UTC)

== ExplainXKCD.com needs admin help ==

Recently, a majority of my page loads on Explain XKCD have resulted in a "Sorry! This site is experiencing technical difficulties (Cannot access the database)" error. If I'm editing a page, and the above error doesn't happen, I also sometimes get "Sorry! We could not process your edit due to a loss of session data."

We need someone with (at least) admin permissions to figure out the problem and fix it. I'd be happy to do so, but as a vanilla user there's nothing I can do. (I've failed 39 times and counting to add this comment due to one of the above errors; hopefully it will eventually work.) -- [[User:Dtgriscom|Dtgriscom]] ([[User talk:Dtgriscom|talk]]) 22:38, 27 May 2025 (UTC)
:Noting that it seems that several people have already said what the problem is. Also noting that somehow failing 39 times sounds like ''you're'' not helping things. Take their advice, and the advice given one of the errors (that I only occasionally get) and wait a minute before retrying. (Loss of session data, though? That's never been an error of mine. Which browser are you using?) [[Special:Contributions/172.70.58.6|172.70.58.6]] 22:59, 27 May 2025 (UTC)
::39 tries over two hours. What should I have done instead? Given up? (Latest Brave on latest MacOS, BTW.) (And, this is try 18 at adding this comment. Started trying at 12:50 AM UTC; the timestamp and count will show when it succeeded.) -- [[User:Dtgriscom|Dtgriscom]] ([[User talk:Dtgriscom|talk]]) 01:06, 28 May 2025 (UTC)
:::Seems like you're being particularly unlucky (can't believe I'm somehow more lucky than average). Or there's something else at play. But the only obvious thing is that the server needs to check your login credentials, while I'm happy not to need that added complication. Every now and then I'm getting pages that are clearly unstylsheeted (HTML, i.e. the .php, got composed ok, but the .css appears not to have been retrieved/checked as the same as that last cached), so I can only imagine what your background handshaking will do to establish your cookie-held login identity, or however it's done. ''Perhaps'' the small chance of failure is multiplying when it has to go "Page please":[OK]:"Here's my identity":[OK]:"And I need those resources":[OK]:"And, to repeat, these are my credentials":[OK]:"And can I have...":...etc. A few percent chance that any state of the session gets messed up could become a near certainty. (Depending upon how well a connectivity session can be kept as more persistant and get past the need to re-establish a check every time.)
:::Whatever happens, neither Chrome for Android nor Firefox for Windows (as an IP only) has been causing me anything like your stated issues. And unless it's because my default Cloudflare proxy gateway is a lot less harried by the problem-traffic than yours is (and thus with the double problem of a hard-hit server plus a hard-hit ''gateway''), I can't think of too many other reasons to explain the discrepancies of experience here. [[Special:Contributions/172.68.186.43|172.68.186.43]] 18:40, 28 May 2025 (UTC)

::::Oh ffs, why you keep purposefully missing the point? You keep replying to ''every'' comment about this by saying "Just wait a few minutes, I don't see this issue, maybe it's your machine, it's actually BETTER for us because we don't get spam bots, it's much better if you log out, YOU'RE causing this because you keep reloading the site..."

::::This site IS breaking down right now, and downplaying the problem is not helping it. Active users are even fewer than before, and it WILL get worse despite your skewed view of the problem.

::::You aren't required to write a pointless wall of text on every post about the site's performance. Please. --[[User:FaviFake|FaviFake]] ([[User talk:FaviFake|talk]]) 10:02, 31 May 2025 (UTC)

:::::I wrote the above, and the thing about what other people had said, but I wasn't personally the other people. Just in general agreement with them, and pointing out that multiple questions and multiple 'answers' had already happened. Apologies for seeming like a "this is fine" meme, not my intention. Only to not leave the OP seemingly ignored because it was already being discussed elsewhere. I've stayed out of other conversations, exactly to avoid repeating what others have said (that I consider either correct or likely to be). Walls of text are a recurring theme here — perhaps blame the kind of people you attract here, perhaps blame the complexity of what is being talked about.
:::::Unless I've missed it, this is the only "loss of session data" report I've seen, and sounds like it's more a client-side thing. There was a one-off SSL error to be had, by someone. Which maybe adds to the "how can we fix this?"/"what needs fixing?" narrative slightly, if it happens again, as more server-side (but maybe partially a gateway issue). Good luck fixing it, of course. Seems better, today, but probably for reasons outside either our control ''or'' the absent server-wranglers'... [[Special:Contributions/141.101.99.131|141.101.99.131]] 16:38, 31 May 2025 (UTC)

:::::Dearest FaviFake,
:::::I believe that ''you'' are missing the point. The site is crashing a lot, but what do you want to do? We’ve already had the “oh no! The site is crashing-better contact the admins” conversation before. I volunteered to contact them, and we've learned that nothing can be done. Since there is nothing much to do, waiting patiently, as the person above said, is the best course of action.
:::::Sincerely, Tori. '''[[User:42.book.addict|42.book.addict]][[User talk:42.book.addict|Talk to me!]]''' 18:55, 31 May 2025 (UTC)

::::::Well I don't know! But one thing i don't think we should to is downplaying the problem every time someone brings it up. Instead, it's better to point readers to other discussions that have already taken place. That is the impression i get from reading IP's messages. I'm impressed the site has mostly recovered and is in pretty good shape now! --[[User:FaviFake|FaviFake]] ([[User talk:FaviFake|talk]]) 16:23, 5 June 2025 (UTC)

: See discussion on the technical section of the portal. It's mostly smooth now. {{unsigned ip|162.158.8.190|07:07, 2 June 2025}}

== Any active admins at all? ==

It looks like, for quite a while, the wiki has been in quite a disarray. I totally understand why activity has fallen, and thus, newer pages are suffering in content. It's very hard at times to edit or even read a wiki when more than half of the time you get a 503 error. What is the reason for that? Also, I haven't seen any admins or moderators for quite a while, despite there nominally being over a dozen. Also, according to whois, the domain expires on 2025-08-10, which means if they don't appear soon, this wiki may end up getting offline. [[User:Cock|The Rooster]] ([[User talk:Cock|talk]]) 18:16, 4 July 2025 (UTC)
:There's one (fairly) constant admin-but-not-superadmin. And I've seen at least two 'irregular' admins do things 'recently', one today and the other one was a few months back. I wouldn't mind some of the older (and especially superadmin) admins to perhaps be able to pay us a bit more attention, but I have no idea what life (or lack, thereof?) has thrown at any or all of the 'missing' admin-individuals. I maybe regret not being in a position to be potentially nominated as an admin, myself, as of the last time we raised someone, especially as I try to be around at least once every other day and 'solve what can be solved' (see below, but moreso), but I never put myself in a position to be even considered as such, and I still feel content about not taking up that mantle.
:I do disagree that the wiki is in disarray, most things that need doing to it can still be done by regular users (even just l'il ol' me, at the most underpowered end of the spectrum of editors), and if you see something that isn't right then you probably can 'rearray' it. Or at least highlight that for those that actually can, or at least better know how to do what you don't know how to do (yet could have done).
:Activity... is variable, but nowhere near crisis levels. I think it's still going well, and not ''too'' overwhelmed. We're nowhere near the amount of 'peak 503', either, unless you're doing something much funnier than me. The likely reason, though, is that there is a level of activity which is edging a bit beyond the server's ability to respond. A couple of months back, this was much higher, likely associated with a lot of 'read-and-scrape' activity from what I theorise is a glut of AI-training activities. Together with some possible changes to the proxy-gateway that serves this site to the wider world, this appears to have reduced somewhat since the worst times for this. ''Perhaps'' the bandwidth-bill for the offending institutions became embarassing and they drastically throttled back their efforts, or maybe various intermediate gateways (perhaps assisted by some subtle changes on this site) managed to buffer the connectivity better. Perhaps a bit of both, and/or other reasons.
:And no, we don't yet have to worry too much about the domain expiring. As previously mentioned elsewhere, the domain seems to perhaps be about to expire ''every'' year, and be renewed in a timely fashion roughly one month (maybe exactly four weeks, or four weeks less one day?) beforehand. I would suggest only to start really worrying if we get to within three weeks of that date, and until then trust in the auto-renewel to happen once more. Or the person (being Icelandic or otherwise) who has perhaps been manually paying for the thing (on request) doing so just as promptly as they have seem to have done for the past 15 occasions. - To put this in context, the domain ''microsoft.com'' needs renewing on 2026-05-03, and was 'only' last updated 2025-04-01 (presumably in the run-up to the month-to-expire). Some other domains do have multi-year 'deals' (e.g. Google, last in 2019, next in 2028, or X was last in 2024, next in 20'''34''', although Twitter is on a cycle where it was last updated this January and 'due to expire' next January), but year-to-year is not uncommon, and any particular site 'going offline' sometime in the next 12 months is not a particular inevitability, just a statistical thing.
:And there are far more causes for a site to go offline even ''despite'' the domain-name being still current, if you want to put a much wider perspective on the problem. A small fire/flood in just the wrong place, a single bit of solder going 'off' or just someone pressing the wrong switch/keyboard-key could so easily cause a problem that ''may or may not'' be recoverable from. Or the failure to pay for a related service that is both unrelated to the actual domain name ''and'' perhaps not even tied to the same renewal date as the domain. It could fail tomorrow, or in November, or (despite everything else being cared for) in {{w|Year 2038 problem|2038}}, in ways that neither you nor I could ever properly anticipate and worry about as anywhere like a 'impending moment of doom', despite possibly being the ultimate fate and cause of this site's irreversible and irrecoverable demise.
:So fret about everything, or fret about nothing. Don't just dwell on the (very likely) 'recurring but eternally avoidable threat' that is the domain name issue. [[Special:Contributions/92.23.2.228|92.23.2.228]] 22:31, 4 July 2025 (UTC)

:Not going to bother posting this everywhere else that had been heralding the end of life as we know it, but...
::Current result of the WHOIS check for this site's domain:
Expires On: 2026-08-10T21:58:25Z
Updated On: 2025-07-11T07:07:51Z
:So ''please'' let us not get all panicky, just because "there's only a year and a month left before the domain expires!", or come back to this in nine, ten or eleven months to consider this an 'imminent disaster that we urgently need to do something about'.
:As mentioned, there are plenty of other things that could go wrong. I hope they don't, but the chances are that one or other of those will be the death of this site (at some unknowable future point in time), rather than specifically the domain finally lapsing. [[Special:Contributions/92.23.2.228|92.23.2.228]] 16:34, 11 July 2025 (UTC)

== Do you want expxkcd.com? ==

I did a thing over a decade ago, and I'm happy to keep the expxkcd.com domain/redirect working as is if that's what you want, but it feels... strange, and somewhat rude on my part, that I've been hoarding this domain when it ought to belong to the wiki. Would you like to have it?  {{User:Grep/signature|04:55, 18 July 2025}}
:That's you? Nice to meet you! I occasionally use it (a handy shortcut), though probably not as much as it deserves to be used.
:(For those who don't know, BTW, a handy shortcut if you're viewing "xkcd.com/999", say, is to simply change that to "expckxd.com/999" and it brings you to "https://explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php/999:_Cougars". Or whatever page you were on. Simple, but effective. Maybe even a good replacement for Googling "xkcd 999" and choosing the explainxkcd site 'result' over Randall's original? Anyway, I'm certainly very happy to promote this, for as long as it still works.)
:As to handing it over. To who? We're a little short of active 'top level' admins, especially the person who owns ''this'' site's domain. (As recently confirmed, it's being renewed annually, but the person behind it seemingly isn't wanting to interact with us.)
:If you want my, inconsequential, vote on this matter... I say that you're entitled to hold onto it for as long as you don't wish to abandon it for any other reason. - Though let us know if you do actively want to let it go, as maybe some (trusted, usernamed) user here might want to take it up. And better that than it expiring and being bought up by an awkward cybersquatter-with-ads place (or worse!) to catch me out the next time I or anybody else will use it out of (admitedly infrequent) habit. [[Special:Contributions/92.23.2.228|92.23.2.228]] 20:40, 18 July 2025 (UTC)

== Mobile mode? ==

It seems the site now (it's been a month or so since my last visit) is only providing the desktop version of wiki pages, which are almost unusable on a mobile phone (need to zoom in and then keep flipping left to right).
What happened to mobile mode? [[Special:Contributions/2A01:CB08:82C3:1A00:989A:DBDC:903E:9CF9|2A01:CB08:82C3:1A00:989A:DBDC:903E:9CF9]] 21:21, 2 November 2025 (UTC)
:Hadn't noticed this, but then maybe thats because I don't ever browse in portrait mode, if that's what you do?
:As to what's changed, there's been no noted overarching changes to any 'publically visible configuration files' of this specific site over that time period, so far as I've seen. And no reason to believe that anyone's been poking around in the backend configuration files that aren't shown up as Recent Changes of any kind.
:But I ''have'' noted that Wikipedia itself is no longer serving "m.wikipedia.org"-domain pages to the mobile browser, as default (though it is showing mobile-'optimised' versions of the pages, which I find annoying and seems even harder to switch back to serve 'desktop pages' if I need them). So I'm wondering if there's been some change out in the wider 'mediawiki' world that is used as a stylesheet/whatever dependency for the whole wiki-world family, even this rather outdated setup?
:A secondary idea is that the ''browser'' has updated (for both of us) to render or otherwise handle the pages differently. I know I've updated both the browsers I use on mobile, and they never really explain the actual changes behind these updates. It'd not be the first time that something has been 'improved' like that. I've had to enable legacy settings, sometiems, in order to keep it working (vaguely) like I was used to when the update has revamped the UI in ways that I'm sure some people liked but that I really didn't. [[Special:Contributions/2.98.65.8|2.98.65.8]] 21:54, 2 November 2025 (UTC)
::Any change in the software, display, server, or MediaWiki version would have to be done by the owner [[User:Jeff]], who is currently absent. '''[[User:42.book.addict|42.book.addict]][[User talk:42.book.addict|Talk to me!]]''' 22:14, 2 November 2025 (UTC) 
::Why does everything useful need Jeff... <div style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif; font-size: 16px; width: 760px; line-height: 150%;" class="plainlinks">--'''''[[User:DollarStoreBa'al|DollarStoreBa'al]][[User_talk:DollarStoreBa'al|converse]]</div>
21:28, 3 November 2025 (UTC)

== new to Wikipedia type things is there any particular reason I cant put text on my own user page? ==

maybe it's because I just created my account but I want to add a description to my profile. anything I can do. i'm clueless, yeah, I just like XKCD and felt that I should be part of the contributing community. i'll update if I find the answer in the FAQ {{unsigned|Headphones the stickman|18:58, 5 December 2025 (UTC)}}
:Hello! Welcome to the wiki! To create pages, including your own user page, your account needs to be over a week old and have made 50 ''productive'' edits. If you have any more questions, please see the [[explain xkcd:Editor FAQ|Editor FAQ]]. If you want, I can create your user pages for you :) --'''''[[User:DollarStoreBa'al|DollarStoreBa'al]][[User Talk:DollarStoreBa'al|Converse]] 19:01, 5 December 2025 (UTC)

== Ban 2401:4900:1CB9:7EEC:C596:20DB:3652:4451 ==

[[Special:Contributions/2401:4900:1CB9:7EEC:C596:20DB:3652:4451|2401:4900:1CB9:7EEC:C596:20DB:3652:4451]] (and the entire /64 block, see [[Special:Contributions/2401:4900:1CB9:7EEC:C596:20DB:3652:4451/64]]) has been doing some pretty nefarious edits for a while. Might be a good idea to block it?

[[Special:Contributions/209.206.8.34|209.206.8.34]] 13:42, 14 January 2026 (UTC)

== Would like my account deleted ==

Hi, I would like to have my account on this site deleted. Would honestly like the same to be done with this request.
Thanks.
[[User:DukeLeto7|DukeLeto7]] ([[User talk:DukeLeto7|talk]]) 17:30, 14 January 2026 (UTC)

== Removing disruptive material ==

Regarding disruptive material, namely comments on talk pages that are off-topic, trolling, unconstructive: can/should editors remove them? [[User:Elizium23|Elizium23]] ([[User talk:Elizium23|talk]]) 15:29, 28 January 2026 (UTC)
:Define 'disruptive'.
:In general, we do not remove anything that is not vandalism, spamvertising or downright illegal. And while we may ''adjust'' the formatting of what others have written (re-headering/de-headering according to the needs of the page; a minimal correction of well-intentioned but badly implemented markup; moving around into an old/new alternate location that's more apt; etc), we don't remove mere 'nonsense' (that would potentially include a lot of comments, including many in-jokes).
:If they're signed, then let old comments stay unless there's ''very'' good reasons for removing them. If they're not properly signed, sign them (either copy and convert the markup from someone else's 'normal' sigtext, replacing as necessary the username/IP and date of the actual author and datestamp that applies, or use {{template|unsigned}}/{{template|unsigned ip}} to do likewise) or whatever tidying up (moving things, adjusting whitespace) resolves the problem.
:The whole Talk/Discussion page of a comic is expected to be less 'neat' than the main/Explanation. You can mercilessly rephrase, rewrite or even remove prior attempts at comic explanation, but the chatter about (and around, and perhaps even despite) the comic should be considered 'as is', every bit of it directly attributed as it is/should be to the various contributors responsible.
:If you find that it's being abused, raise the issue. If I discover something that really shouldn't be there, I'll probably remove it myself. Or 'denature' the troublsome bit, if it's not all bad. If I see things removed for no given/good reason, I will as likely restore them. If there's a clash of opinions, I'd defer to the decision of certain named individuals (though most of them have been here for less time than me, I'm content to stay at the 'housekeeping' level, and leave dictating the (initially unwritten?) policy changes to others). [[Special:Contributions/82.132.238.49|82.132.238.49]] 16:37, 28 January 2026 (UTC)
::Who is "we"? What you mean "we"? I hope you realize, random IPv4, that I am part of this "we", and my account is permanent, and I consider those removed comments to be disruptive. I also hope that you accept responsibility for wasting everybody's time. You are wasting everyone's time who comes to try and read those discussion pages. We are honestly sick of wading through crap comments that are spammy, or trolls, or just purely disruptive, and have nothing to do with the topic or subject, especially don't want to be arsed to improve the article with their suggestions. Just a long string of "first!!1 lol" posts is counter-productive and unconstructive. You restore these comments, because why? Because they are cute and funny and we're 12 years old here? I don't know. But you also say the "policy" is "unwritten" and I have a big problem with that. If I cannot refer to a '''written policy''' that will guide me in terms of keep/delete disruptive comments, then I will lean towards deleting, over and over again, because your shitty justification on the Admin Portal talk page does not constitute a policy, random IPv4 with no reputation. [[User:Elizium23|Elizium23]] ([[User talk:Elizium23|talk]]) 16:44, 28 January 2026 (UTC)
:::"We", for me, is the community consensus. You are part of "we", but (like me) just one small part. And you are very new here, hence we/I understand your eagerness to enforce things that aren't actually desired to be enforced. [[Special:Contributions/82.132.238.49|82.132.238.49]] 17:37, 28 January 2026 (UTC)
::::I am not, actually, "very new here", as I have been editing this explainxkcd wiki since 2021 -- that's five years, do the math -- and I've been reading explainxkcd for longer than that, and reading xkcd for over a decade. Thank you very much. YOU are new here, however: nobody knows what the hell you did before a couple weeks ago. [[User:Elizium23|Elizium23]] ([[User talk:Elizium23|talk]]) 10:48, 1 February 2026 (UTC)
:::::Wow. A whole five years. Or more, apparently... but at least we're not trying to apply the {{w|argument from ignorance}} to your claim. And yet clearly still unaware of so much.
:::::Quickly checking (because I can, and I apologise that there's no practical reciprocal check for you to use against me/others of my ilk) 73 of your 129 edits, so far, were this January, after large gaps between any obvious 'active visits' before that. Suddenly you've been doing more than three times more editing in each of several consecutive days than you ever did in various other occasional days (even ''whole months'') beforehand.
:::::Making yourself felt. Though you're clearly starting to annoy people here. Even 'proper users'. If you want my advice, which you probably don't, I'd do more reading and less assuming. This does not mean that your opinion is worthless, but it does mean that you're possibly over-reacting and definitely overreaching.
:::::Perhaps you're importing "standard practice" from a different site, where you're probably a fully upstanding pillar of that community. You certainly give me the impression of this, though you might as well have been just [[Special:Log/newusers|any new user]] up until fairly recently. Trying too hard. [[Special:Contributions/81.179.199.253|81.179.199.253]] 19:03, 1 February 2026 (UTC)
:::The "we" who are "honestly sick of wading through crap comments [etc]" isn't so obviously something.
:::If you want my ''personal'' opinion, I could happily do without "First"s, and never see one again. But when a "First" is happily subverted, often in the very spirit of xkcd, that's become a part (and just one aspect) of our typical community reaction. In moderation, it's part of the glue. And you don't ''need'' to pay any attention to it.
:::If someone ruins the 'article', fix it. But if you look back though the comments to the many prior articles you'll find many things that (I suspect) you'd disagree with. Ask yourself: is it worth going on a potentially one man crusade, or perhaps you can understand ''why'' there is jocularity expressed in the discussion page for a (usually) humorous cartoon.
:::Similarly, as another example, the "incomplete, by a <s>BOT</s> TOPICALLY RELEVENT QUIP" header is never intended to stay there forever, but has been humorously subverted over time as its original purpose (filling in all the gaps in explanation) has dwindled. There's no rush to remove it (it was put there by the (struckout) BOT that automates the article creation, and doesn't even ''start'' with the reasons the nearly blank page is incomplete). This is more now just a community thing. I like to think that someone who checks in just once a week will get to see the JOKE added for each new explanation they hadn't read before... And, though most comic descriptions will likely ''never'' be complete (edits of even single-digit comic explanations are forever possible), I certainly wouldn't think bad of anyone who made de-Incomplete a comic of a month old or more. But it's a long standing tradition, that new readers perhaps don'tunderstand. (If they stick around, perhaps they will.)
:::Finally, like I said, I'm not living on my reputation. I don't care that I'm indistinguishable from A.N.Other IPv4. (Still, at least I'm not an IPv6, the scum of the earth! (/jk)) I'm not trying to claim authority here. I'm just the one who happened to check the site and found your query and first attempted to convey a bit of background knowledge, as you were good enough to ask everyone in such an open manner. Perhaps the next response will be from someone like Kynde (or even others such as Favi/42/Ba'al/etc, with apologies to all the rest I might have mentioned instead), and you will find their reasoned response less "shitty". I'd not be surprised to find that it's fairly similar to mine, though, so do feel free to insult them exactly as much as you have me, for consistency's sake.
:::Deleting "over and over again" is perhaps the least useful thing you could do, though. At some point there's going to be someone having to make a decision over whether the deleting repeatedly is better or worse than the restoring repeatedly. I've only restored things once (I noted, after the fact, that someone else had previously restored one of the things, today, before you deleted it the second time for me to then see that and reverse it). Once another 'username' gets involved, we'd both have to accept where it goes from there. Better a reasoned discussion than a battle, of course. Which I do hope can happen here. (The discussion, that is, not the battle.) [[Special:Contributions/82.132.238.49|82.132.238.49]] 17:37, 28 January 2026 (UTC)
::You want a policy to refer to? Please see [[explain xkcd:Editor FAQ#How do I behave on the talk page|here]]. '''[[User:42.book.addict|42.book.addict]][[User talk:42.book.addict|Talk to me!]]''' 22:11, 28 January 2026 (UTC)
::Fully agree with the IP here. I've added your first comment to the FAQ and rephrased it a bit :) [[User:FaviFake|FaviFake]] ([[User talk:FaviFake|talk]]) 08:33, 1 February 2026 (UTC)
:::So basically, you have just now "updated policy" unilaterally based on a few people agreeing here. Three days ago the policy gave no prohibition on deleting disruptive material.
:::With this response and enshrining this into policy, you are basically telling constructive editors that you enjoy wasting our time. We have to read and scroll through absolute bullshit and nobody can remove it from our view, because you think it is valuable to "possibly preserve in-jokes" within the b.s.
:::You are utterly wasting our time and you are proving that you hate regular editors with accounts, and you care more about trolls and spammers than about editors who are trying to do something constructive here. You are wasting our time, our free time, our volunteer time, that we're trying to give to this wiki. [[User:Elizium23|Elizium23]] ([[User talk:Elizium23|talk]]) 10:46, 1 February 2026 (UTC)
::::'Our'? Ok. [[Special:Contributions/81.179.199.253|81.179.199.253]] 19:03, 1 February 2026 (UTC)
::::Yes, I've updated the FAQ, which is technically not a policy, to reflect the rough community consensus regarding leaving talk page comments as they are, to avoid future editors being confused by our talk page practices. Off-topic comments have been allowed since the literal creation of this wiki as they were a direct replacement for the comment section under the original blog's posts, iirc. [[User:FaviFake|FaviFake]] ([[User talk:FaviFake|talk]]) 16:52, 3 February 2026 (UTC)
:I think I understand where Elizium23 is coming from. Official enwiki policy is that talk pages are only for collaboration, not for discussing the article's topic itself. The way I see it, we have a couple options as to how we can proceed. We can make it so that our talk pages are only for collaboration between editors on how to write up our explanations, as proposed by Elizium23. I am against this idea, as it prevents people from easily commenting about it. These so-called "off-topic" comments are much more frequent than proposals as to how to improve an explanation, so I believe that they should be held as priority. If we do go forward with Elizium23's idea, we can use the Community Portal. Either we can make a new forum, or we can use the Miscellaneous one. New topics/headers can be created every time a comic is created (by TheusafBOT perhaps? We can't really force Theusaf to do anything though and that'll be up to his discretion) and we can have archives for each month's comics. I don't like this because it is inaccessible, hard for people comment after some time, and requires more effort on our part to "organize" our discussions. ALthough the policy change I added is new, I would believe this is the consensus of the community. If you would like to see if anybody else would like to add their comments/opinions to this issue, I would be fine with that, given that we make a decision in a timely manner. '''[[User:42.book.addict|42.book.addict]][[User talk:42.book.addict|Talk to me!]]''' 03:35, 2 February 2026 (UTC)
::Sadly, it seems that you do not, in fact, understand where I am coming from. For starters, I never proposed here anything such as you describe. You have created another strawman to set on fire. So if you continue to wilfully misinterpret your volunteers who are weighing in here, then that is your loss. I simply object to the material that is time-wasting, obviously disruptive, far off-topic. I do not know where else you would corral it to, and I do not much care. Nobody would follow such a policy "hey guys, if it's spam or trolls or in-jokes then post it <over here> instead!" That is a ridiculous expectation of spammers and trolls. But it is, evidently, expected for them to continue wasting our time. [[User:Elizium23|Elizium23]] ([[User talk:Elizium23|talk]]) 09:26, 4 February 2026 (UTC)
:::The only way I see this is that you are insisting that we have to change the way we have done things for over a decade. You barge in here, make a couple edits to make yourself look like a longtime editor, then demand that we completely revamp this wiki. If you don't have a solution to this so-called "problem", please leave us alone. I see no consensus from the community that these comments are an issue, other than you. My comment was merely trying to find a way to implement a solution to your woes while still respecting the opinions of commenters. (please excuse my new signature, this is still the same person). '''[[User:42.book.addict|tori :3]][[User talk:42.book.addict|talk to me!]]''' 16:38, 4 February 2026 (UTC)
::::One of my personal mantras: Don't fix problems that don't exist. --'''''[[User:DollarStoreBa'al|DollarStoreBa'al]][[User Talk:DollarStoreBa'al|Converse]] (BLM) 16:53, 4 February 2026 (UTC)
::::Oh, I see, “because it’s always been this way” is the best way to set policy here. This is why your front page fills with pornography and your wiki has a constant stream of spammers creating new accounts without any gatekeeping. You are manufacturing a truckload of strawmen against me. Now, you falsely accuse me of somehow attempting to defraud you? That is idiotic and reprehensible. Why would I even do that. Just where did I insist to “completely revamp this wiki”? All I said is that I created my account several years ago, and I am, by no means, new around here, and you have no idea whether I have made edits without using this account. Compared to random IPv4 with 3 weeks’ reputation. Get real. [[User:Elizium23|Elizium23]] ([[User talk:Elizium23|talk]]) 01:10, 5 February 2026 (UTC)
:::::You're demonstrating that you are almost entirely unfamiliar with this site and its community. Do we have many automated spam accounts created, very much yes. Do we have those spam accounts ''actually spam us'', very much no. Without wishing to be blasé about it, I suspect that we're getting the same amount of attempts to create bogus accounts as any other similar web-facing site, but perhaps foiled at a different point, so more obvious. And yet, the through-put of actual spam is far lower than a number of various other places I could mention.
:::::The spam and vandalism that we get seems to be almost entirely from non-automated interference, for which there is never an easy blanket protection, and yet is often quickly dealt with either by the regular visitors' manual reversion or various automated addons of our own.
:::::So please take your sarcasm somewhere else. You are welcome to be here, but your tilting against windmills (without even a single Sancho Panza to humour you) can get repetitive. I speak only for myself (and 'however many weeks' this particular IP might have been around), but I feel comfortable that the ''only'' generally arguable matter is whether I (or anyone else?) should have been trying to humour you in the first place. [[Special:Contributions/81.179.199.253|81.179.199.253]] 14:19, 5 February 2026 (UTC)

Talk:1: Barrel - Part 1

2026-02-12T02:08:12Z

Elizium23: matched it

Anyone else here in [[3188|2038]]? [[User:Elizium23|Elizium23]] ([[User talk:Elizium23|talk]]) 02:06, 12 February 2005 (UTC)

Doesn't his big interactive piece (#1110) refer to this one? {{unsigned|‎58.37.35.32}}
:It does. There's a note somewhere in that explanation page referring back to this page. [[User:Davidy22|Davidy22]][[User talk:Davidy22|<tt>[talk]</tt>]] 09:28, 2 December 2012 (UTC)

This comic under my interpretation is that like the kid in the barrel his mind was wandering at the time of his drawing of the comic and it reprsents his wandering mind as he may be bored and it is in the middle of nowhere but at the same time it is somewhere. but its waiting to get someplace (an island?)

--[[User:TheWeatherMan|TheWeatherMan]] ([[User talk:TheWeatherMan|talk]]) 13:57, 23 January 2013 (UTC)TheWeatherMan

:when ever I feel isolated from society, I like to contemplate the ladders I could build for them to see things from my perspective. We will never manage to teach kids how to exist in chaos, we need to outsource our thinking, share ideas, to see new options for each of the impossible answers. Sic-if is here to stay, because it's the only hint we will get of the perfection they want us to achieve. Anything less then the total perfection is unsustainable. - [[Special:Contributions/98.211.199.84|98.211.199.84]] 14:22, 3 March 2013 (UTC)

It's been over five years, so I think I should be that one annoying person who breaks unspoken streaks:
If an endless ocean were a representation of life, I'd be the one who's fasioned myself an oar (or I can just use my hands to paddle if I can't get an oar). I then tell the floating people around me, "May the waves bring you luck." I proceed to go toward a location on the horizon that appears arbitrary but is actually something really cool, and then I greet all the other people who have chosen to go here also or were brought by fate/the sea (basically synonymous). Finally, I do cool things. Anyway, this comments section has been very inactive. No purpose, just wanted to motivate y'all to set goals for yourself and let you know that good things will happen if you do. For now, though, it's night, and the others are asleep in their barrels. Good night and why did I write this [[Special:Contributions/108.162.215.70|108.162.215.70]] 07:01, 10 June 2018 (UTC)

Working theory: this IS Beret Guy. This is I think years before his first appearance, and Beret Guy is apparently younger than anyone else who isn't explicitly a child. So this is him. The youngest form of the one who had nothing but wonder...
:That DOES kind of make sense. The part where he rides the winged ferret is just the kind of weird Beret Guy thing that Beret Guy does. :) {{unsigned|ThePineapple11|12:35, 6 December 2020 (UTC)}} -ThePineapple11

I wonder how long it'll take until someone finds and replies to this comment. [[User:Qwikster|Qwikster]] ([[User talk:Qwikster|talk]]) 02:02, 5 July 2024 (UTC)
:I resisted, and slept on it, but... found, a while a go; replied... well... obviously right now. Not that it means much. [[Special:Contributions/172.70.91.158|172.70.91.158]] 10:10, 5 July 2024 (UTC)

is this guy like early cueball? [[Special:Contributions/172.71.150.157|172.71.150.157]] 03:11, 22 February 2025 (UTC) 
is the guy like early cueball? [[Special:Contributions/172.71.150.156|172.71.150.156]] 03:15, 22 February 2025 (UTC)
:As a serious answer(/a serious answer), Barrel Boy is recognised as his own character, distinct from even the earliest Cueball (and Cueball-adjacent) stick figure, by both a great gulf of style and by personality. Though the (pre-publication) artistic development of style from cartoonish-realism to barebones-stickfigurey might well have included a 'missing link' or two of Barrel Boy 'growing up' into the author-avatar/'Rob', the debut to the world (in either its pre-website order, or numbered as per xkcd.com) intermingles the two stages of (possible) evolution in a way that at least makes it clear that Randall considers them parallel art styles, not sequential. As above, there are theories that this character is who 'grows up' to be Beret Guy, while one could perhaps also directly link with the 'Jack' kid-stickfigure (named as per Jack and Jill) that pops up years later, infrequently as contrast to the contemporary Cueballs/other adults. (There's also a 'young Hairy' that pops up every now and then, from before that point, but (IMO) slightly less associable as a direct descendent.) Of course, there must be something of the artist in ''all'' Randall's drawings, by conscious of unconscious projection, so there might be a discernable 'family trait' to all of them, whether Black Hat and Beret Guy or even Stallman and Gygax... [[Special:Contributions/172.71.241.100|172.71.241.100]] 09:31, 22 February 2025 (UTC)
::Fyi, I liked your explanation so much i added it to [[Barrel Boy]]! --[[User:FaviFake|FaviFake]] ([[User talk:FaviFake|talk]]) 18:16, 22 February 2025 (UTC)
:::If I'd have known, I might have used slightly less fluffery (plus added the internal links you did, but I was just about to go out for the day, and was too rushed to make it shorter, snappier and better overall, or take time to hold back the purple prose), but surprising and gratifying to have just seen it appear there. "Hang on... those are ''my'' words, but I'm sure I..." ;) [[Special:Contributions/172.68.205.123|172.68.205.123]] 19:19, 22 February 2025 (UTC) <-- at one time, at least, having been 172.71.241.100
::::Yeah it was great regardless! Anyways, I don't think I've ever asked you this: i was wondering, why don't you just register an account? You could do so many more things! --[[User:FaviFake|FaviFake]] ([[User talk:FaviFake|talk]]) 20:20, 22 February 2025 (UTC)
:::::I do what I can, when I can, and have done for long enough. (Srsly, I sometimes see a decade-old IP-signed Talk comment and think "that was me!", because of a particular turn of phrase in it.) And, knowing me, if I ''had'' started off with an account, I'd have forgotten the password at some point in the last 10+ years (relying on a saved password on a machine that then went kaput a couple of years down the line), so would have had to restart the continuity like I've had to do with other places. Additional (less useful) reasons might be a) that I try never to re-use usernames across systems, and never did manage to think of a particularly apt one I'd like to use here, and b) if I was to have been a proven username of good- and long-standing, I'd have been roped into being an admin at some point (been there, done that) and, with special respect to Kynde in particular, I don't really have the desire to go that far again. But enough about me. (Especially as you don't and can't even know if I'm the same 'me', or being entirely truthful with all my "yeah, I was a BBS Sysop in the late '80s, and the combination of ruling with a firm and fair hand and the occasional practical joke got that sort of thing out of my system" posing. Pretty much truthful ''and'' pretty much posing, perhaps!) Thanks for asking, you're not the first and I'm pretty happy with the answer(s) I tend to give. And now we return you to our regularly scheduled programme... [[Special:Contributions/172.69.79.191|172.69.79.191]] 21:06, 22 February 2025 (UTC)

Talk:1: Barrel - Part 1

2026-02-12T02:07:59Z

Elizium23: wl

Anyone here in [[3188|2038]]? [[User:Elizium23|Elizium23]] ([[User talk:Elizium23|talk]]) 02:06, 12 February 2005 (UTC)

Doesn't his big interactive piece (#1110) refer to this one? {{unsigned|‎58.37.35.32}}
:It does. There's a note somewhere in that explanation page referring back to this page. [[User:Davidy22|Davidy22]][[User talk:Davidy22|<tt>[talk]</tt>]] 09:28, 2 December 2012 (UTC)

This comic under my interpretation is that like the kid in the barrel his mind was wandering at the time of his drawing of the comic and it reprsents his wandering mind as he may be bored and it is in the middle of nowhere but at the same time it is somewhere. but its waiting to get someplace (an island?)

--[[User:TheWeatherMan|TheWeatherMan]] ([[User talk:TheWeatherMan|talk]]) 13:57, 23 January 2013 (UTC)TheWeatherMan

:when ever I feel isolated from society, I like to contemplate the ladders I could build for them to see things from my perspective. We will never manage to teach kids how to exist in chaos, we need to outsource our thinking, share ideas, to see new options for each of the impossible answers. Sic-if is here to stay, because it's the only hint we will get of the perfection they want us to achieve. Anything less then the total perfection is unsustainable. - [[Special:Contributions/98.211.199.84|98.211.199.84]] 14:22, 3 March 2013 (UTC)

It's been over five years, so I think I should be that one annoying person who breaks unspoken streaks:
If an endless ocean were a representation of life, I'd be the one who's fasioned myself an oar (or I can just use my hands to paddle if I can't get an oar). I then tell the floating people around me, "May the waves bring you luck." I proceed to go toward a location on the horizon that appears arbitrary but is actually something really cool, and then I greet all the other people who have chosen to go here also or were brought by fate/the sea (basically synonymous). Finally, I do cool things. Anyway, this comments section has been very inactive. No purpose, just wanted to motivate y'all to set goals for yourself and let you know that good things will happen if you do. For now, though, it's night, and the others are asleep in their barrels. Good night and why did I write this [[Special:Contributions/108.162.215.70|108.162.215.70]] 07:01, 10 June 2018 (UTC)

Working theory: this IS Beret Guy. This is I think years before his first appearance, and Beret Guy is apparently younger than anyone else who isn't explicitly a child. So this is him. The youngest form of the one who had nothing but wonder...
:That DOES kind of make sense. The part where he rides the winged ferret is just the kind of weird Beret Guy thing that Beret Guy does. :) {{unsigned|ThePineapple11|12:35, 6 December 2020 (UTC)}} -ThePineapple11

I wonder how long it'll take until someone finds and replies to this comment. [[User:Qwikster|Qwikster]] ([[User talk:Qwikster|talk]]) 02:02, 5 July 2024 (UTC)
:I resisted, and slept on it, but... found, a while a go; replied... well... obviously right now. Not that it means much. [[Special:Contributions/172.70.91.158|172.70.91.158]] 10:10, 5 July 2024 (UTC)

is this guy like early cueball? [[Special:Contributions/172.71.150.157|172.71.150.157]] 03:11, 22 February 2025 (UTC) 
is the guy like early cueball? [[Special:Contributions/172.71.150.156|172.71.150.156]] 03:15, 22 February 2025 (UTC)
:As a serious answer(/a serious answer), Barrel Boy is recognised as his own character, distinct from even the earliest Cueball (and Cueball-adjacent) stick figure, by both a great gulf of style and by personality. Though the (pre-publication) artistic development of style from cartoonish-realism to barebones-stickfigurey might well have included a 'missing link' or two of Barrel Boy 'growing up' into the author-avatar/'Rob', the debut to the world (in either its pre-website order, or numbered as per xkcd.com) intermingles the two stages of (possible) evolution in a way that at least makes it clear that Randall considers them parallel art styles, not sequential. As above, there are theories that this character is who 'grows up' to be Beret Guy, while one could perhaps also directly link with the 'Jack' kid-stickfigure (named as per Jack and Jill) that pops up years later, infrequently as contrast to the contemporary Cueballs/other adults. (There's also a 'young Hairy' that pops up every now and then, from before that point, but (IMO) slightly less associable as a direct descendent.) Of course, there must be something of the artist in ''all'' Randall's drawings, by conscious of unconscious projection, so there might be a discernable 'family trait' to all of them, whether Black Hat and Beret Guy or even Stallman and Gygax... [[Special:Contributions/172.71.241.100|172.71.241.100]] 09:31, 22 February 2025 (UTC)
::Fyi, I liked your explanation so much i added it to [[Barrel Boy]]! --[[User:FaviFake|FaviFake]] ([[User talk:FaviFake|talk]]) 18:16, 22 February 2025 (UTC)
:::If I'd have known, I might have used slightly less fluffery (plus added the internal links you did, but I was just about to go out for the day, and was too rushed to make it shorter, snappier and better overall, or take time to hold back the purple prose), but surprising and gratifying to have just seen it appear there. "Hang on... those are ''my'' words, but I'm sure I..." ;) [[Special:Contributions/172.68.205.123|172.68.205.123]] 19:19, 22 February 2025 (UTC) <-- at one time, at least, having been 172.71.241.100
::::Yeah it was great regardless! Anyways, I don't think I've ever asked you this: i was wondering, why don't you just register an account? You could do so many more things! --[[User:FaviFake|FaviFake]] ([[User talk:FaviFake|talk]]) 20:20, 22 February 2025 (UTC)
:::::I do what I can, when I can, and have done for long enough. (Srsly, I sometimes see a decade-old IP-signed Talk comment and think "that was me!", because of a particular turn of phrase in it.) And, knowing me, if I ''had'' started off with an account, I'd have forgotten the password at some point in the last 10+ years (relying on a saved password on a machine that then went kaput a couple of years down the line), so would have had to restart the continuity like I've had to do with other places. Additional (less useful) reasons might be a) that I try never to re-use usernames across systems, and never did manage to think of a particularly apt one I'd like to use here, and b) if I was to have been a proven username of good- and long-standing, I'd have been roped into being an admin at some point (been there, done that) and, with special respect to Kynde in particular, I don't really have the desire to go that far again. But enough about me. (Especially as you don't and can't even know if I'm the same 'me', or being entirely truthful with all my "yeah, I was a BBS Sysop in the late '80s, and the combination of ruling with a firm and fair hand and the occasional practical joke got that sort of thing out of my system" posing. Pretty much truthful ''and'' pretty much posing, perhaps!) Thanks for asking, you're not the first and I'm pretty happy with the answer(s) I tend to give. And now we return you to our regularly scheduled programme... [[Special:Contributions/172.69.79.191|172.69.79.191]] 21:06, 22 February 2025 (UTC)

Talk:3135: Sea Level

2026-02-12T02:06:20Z

Elizium23: corrected date

Anyone here in 2005? [[User:Elizium23|Elizium23]] ([[User talk:Elizium23|talk]]) 02:06, 12 February 2005 (UTC)

Holy crud empty page! F1RST P0ST! [[User:RadiantRainwing|K9Dragon23, or RainWingSquares (talk)]] ([[User talk:RadiantRainwing|talk]]) 00:40, 12 February 2026 (UTC)
:2038: Last of the original Star Wars cast dies. —megan [[user talk:megan|talk]] [[special:contribs/megan|contribs]] 02:18, 30 August 2025 (UTC)
::What? If you're trying to get back at me because I was being useless and just "first posting", it's a reference to [[269: TCMP]], and I also, by the way, wrote the whole first paragraph of this explanation. [[User:RadiantRainwing|K9Dragon23, or RainWingSquares (talk)]] ([[User talk:RadiantRainwing|talk]]) 00:40, 12 February 2026 (UTC)
:::Alright, sorry, just realized what you did is a reference to [[493: Actuarial]]. Sorry about that! [[User:RadiantRainwing|K9Dragon23, or RainWingSquares (talk)]] ([[User talk:RadiantRainwing|talk]]) 00:40, 12 February 2026 (UTC)
::::I guess you're one of today's lucky [[Ten Thousand]]...
::::Wait, no, not everyone has read comic 493 by the time they're adults. I'm too lazy right now to calculate how many people learn about comic 493 each day, so I'll leave it as [[356|an exercise for the reader]]. —megan [[user talk:megan|talk]] [[special:contribs/megan|contribs]] 01:01, 31 August 2025 (UTC)
::::This is where it pays to have read every XKCD comic :P [[User:Logalex8369|Logalex8369]] ([[User talk:Logalex8369|talk]]) 16:45, 1 September 2025 (UTC)

This one is related to the [https://xkcd.com/2809/ Moon] comic. [[User:Pgn674|Pgn674]] ([[User talk:Pgn674|talk]]) 01:39, 30 August 2025 (UTC)
:Clearly. [[User:RadiantRainwing|K9Dragon23, or RainWingSquares (talk)]] ([[User talk:RadiantRainwing|talk]]) 00:40, 12 February 2026 (UTC)
:Definitely easy to see, even the references are the same…Randall we trust in you not to copy again…《プロキシ》(XKCD中毒者) 19:07, 1 September 2025 (UTC)
::it's almost a repeat. is he running out of ideas? [[user:lett‪herebedarklight|raeb]] 09:54, 30 August 2025 (UTC)
:::Hope not. [[User:RadiantRainwing|K9Dragon23, or RainWingSquares (talk)]] ([[User talk:RadiantRainwing|talk]]) 00:40, 12 February 2026 (UTC)
:::Why do people talk about running out of ideas? That is something I can't imagine. The world throws ideas and absurdities at you all the time. Running out of time to execute an idea - sure. Seems much more likely to be filtering error (have to check current idea against 3000 previous strips). [[Special:Contributions/107.77.205.64|107.77.205.64]] 19:42, 30 August 2025 (UTC)

Larry Niven had a story about alien-made indestructible spaceship hulls, except the makers didn't account for tidal effects when grazing a star. The test pilot was nearly ripped apart, but figured a way to survive. He sued their butts off against the guarantee. He concluded that their home planet did not have a large moon, a Clue. --[[User:PRR|PRR]] ([[User talk:PRR|talk]]) 02:41, 30 August 2025 (UTC)
: Isn't it frakking ridiculous that the Puppeteers, with all their brains, haven't observed or couldn't deduce the existence of tides? I did like the deduction about their homeworld making them nervous and their legal system of blackmail/extortion, though. --DW [[Special:Contributions/2607:FB90:8FA9:E54A:5856:AACD:B913:6DD8|2607:FB90:8FA9:E54A:5856:AACD:B913:6DD8]] 13:59, 2 September 2025 (UTC)

I think I finally figured out the common thread. All the items here are here because they are elements of Life on Earth. The way the explanation was written kind of buried that important part of the comic.

Overall, if you just look at them as unrelated phenomena, then Lightning seems quite common. Islands made by microskeletons, and life-forms which change their form during development seem like they would be pretty common where there is life. Large tides - thought to be uncommon, but don't have much data, and models are hard. [[Special:Contributions/2600:387:4:803:0:0:0:A0|2600:387:4:803:0:0:0:A0]] 18:04, 30 August 2025 (UTC)

All planets with intelligent life we know have tides. In fact one could argue that tides play an important role in the development in life. Thus any intelligent observe is arguably familiar with tides. Thus the text is wrong in arguing that tides are surprising based on the observation that most known planets likely do not have large tides. --[[Special:Contributions/2A01:599:114:9E35:D827:C56:FF88:1858|2A01:599:114:9E35:D827:C56:FF88:1858]] 19:09, 30 August 2025 (UTC)
:Argument has problems - insufficient sample size, selection bias. Nothing in the comic talked about intelligent life.
:The role of tides in development of life certainly makes sense to add.
:Tides are strange in that they are very complex and hard to explain in detail. Fluid dynamics in a very complex, non-ridgid vessel, involve gravitational forces from multiple bodies. [[Special:Contributions/107.77.205.64|107.77.205.64]] 20:00, 30 August 2025 (UTC)
:: Sample size is definitely a problem. Nothing in the comic talks about tides being strange in a cosmic sense. They are just very weird for one of the two observers from earth. --[[Special:Contributions/195.63.76.62|195.63.76.62]] 20:39, 30 August 2025 (UTC)
::: Realistic. Early Romans had no experience of tides until they ventured out of the Medditeranean, and were probably as spooked by them as the observer here. [[Special:Contributions/80.189.2.17|80.189.2.17]] 22:38, 3 September 2025 (UTC)
:All planets with intelligent life that we know of also have microwave ovens and television cameras and rubber ducks. Perhaps those are also essential for the long-term continued existence of intelligent life? [[User:PotatoGod|PotatoGod]] ([[User talk:PotatoGod|talk]]) 19:09, 31 August 2025 (UTC)
::Well, I can confirm that microwave ovens are essential for the continued existence of this intelligent lifeform. [[Special:Contributions/159.118.184.96|159.118.184.96]] 04:47, 1 September 2025 (UTC)

I'm shocked that Randal didn't include some sort of reference to climate change- and how tides effectively, at least in 2025 and for the foreseeable future, dwarf sea rise due to melting ice. [[User:Seebert|Seebert]] ([[User talk:Seebert|talk]]) 20:18, 30 August 2025 (UTC)
:On a (twice-)daily basis, yes. But that's like saying an unseasonal/hyperseasonal cold snap belies the possibility of global warming. (If that's the point you're trying to make.)
:And I'm not sure if you're saying that Randall "is the sort of person who would go on and on about climate change, but for soe reason he surprisingly didn't do so here" or "he really ought to be mentioning climate change at every opportunity, but he missed the opportunity to convey the concept"..? I'd disagree with ''both'' of those assessments of his (non-)inclusion here, though, and perhaps you're even coming from a completely different third direction that I might or might not understand. But really not the place to discuss it, as he obviously hasn't made that part of the joke/message in this comic. [[Special:Contributions/92.17.62.87|92.17.62.87]] 23:27, 30 August 2025 (UTC)

Lightning should be common throughout the universe, as the ingredients for it (planetary atmospheres containing things like dust that can build up differential static charges through agitation) appear to be. It's still a very weird phenomenon, with many aspects not understood (how does the triboelectric effect work, can breakdown patterns be predicted, wtf is going on with sprites and ball lightning, etc) but it really isn't likely to be rare. --[[Special:Contributions/81.96.108.67|81.96.108.67]] 05:48, 31 August 2025 (UTC)

Ten feet tidal range on a remote island - isn't this too much? I thought it should be less, with stronger tides only in some gulfs where an amplification exists. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tide figure 15 shows 5 feet tidal range maximum
: In the channel tides can get pretty high and some parts of it would be remote islands by European standards. Also the comic doesn't mention remoteness. --[[Special:Contributions/195.52.138.253|195.52.138.253]] 18:42, 31 August 2025 (UTC)

Significant tides can also bother or surprise people who are used to comparatively smaller tides. I should know, I am one of those people. I live by the Mediterranean Sea and any time I go to the beach on the Ocean, I am worried that I will once again lose my towel to the moving shoreline... [[Special:Contributions/2001:861:51C2:B540:1593:36EE:75F9:1F83|2001:861:51C2:B540:1593:36EE:75F9:1F83]] 18:35, 1 September 2025 (UTC)

^V^ 8th place! Learning English lol…love autocorrect. in South Carolina, tides are HELL on coast《プロキシ》(XKCD中毒者) 19:05, 1 September 2025 (UTC)

Rolled over to tuesday and no new comic?? {{unsigned|SteveTheNoob|23:40, 1 September 2025}}
:It's still (as we write) Monday for Randall, even if it's ''slightly'' after midnight for some of us Rightpondians. And there are have definitely been more extreme 'delays' to the scheduled comics. Take a deep breath, man... If you have to go to sleep and wake up to the comic, then that's what you have to do... [[Special:Contributions/92.17.62.87|92.17.62.87]] 23:48, 1 September 2025 (UTC)
::I thought Randall would just publish using +00 timezone for the love of the game. Oh well, I’ll stay awake until he publishes {{unsigned|SteveTheNoob|00:40, 2 September 2025}}
:::It just varies so much. Sometimes it's "late afternoon 'tommorow'", for any given day, sometimes it has been so early, by ±0 UTC standards, that one wonders if he was effectively staying up to post it 'very late the night before'.
:::When he was on his book tour over this side of the Atlantic, I know at least some of them were 'sensibly' posted at times relative to his being in these time-zones (i.e. 5 or hours ahead of the non-'late' instances, usually.
:::Special comics (huge and/or dynamic ones) seem to be posted any time at all, at least by my possibly faulty combined recollection, which is perhaps due to last-minute tweaks (the lateness of April Fool comics is such that, whilst ''something'' is often posted, if 1/Apr is a M/W/F, it might have been an emergency-filler, or perhaps brought forward from the W/F/M following - and then days, or occasionally even a week or more, later, it happens).
:::It's only really possible, right now, to go into the edit history of various comics and see when they were uploaded by the BOT of the time (or, when BOTs have been temporarily or permanently broken, when a human editor decided it needed doing manually). This introduces some small polling-lag and response time between 'Randall time' and 'wiki time', but if you're eagerly awaiting the comic ''here'', that's probably the end-timing that most interests you.
:::I can't recall any "so late, it was almost Randall's tomorrow" instances, recently, but there was a "so early, it was not too long after his prior midnight". And if Randall ever uses an automated method of posting, I think it's only for exceptional circumstances (not noticably for individual strips, that is - things like the Time comic probably were automated-and-queued, out of planned necessity).
:::And you asked ''before'' 00:00 UTC (I restored the time... and used the Unsigned template as a quickish way to overcome you apparently not using <nowiki>~~~~</nowiki> properly), so even if he were of that habit, you were asking too soon. If he was supposed to be posting at 24:00 UTC, anyway. - Quickly checking, though, and he still hasn't posted as of this moment. But it's still only late evening on Monday, where he is, and has maybe a couple more hours to spare before it becomes notably (and maybe fashionably) late. If you're under UK or one of the EU timezones, that's a long time to wait up. Not sure even ''I'' should be here, right now, though I do have my 'reasons' for it.
:::No, still no change on xkcd.com, just checked before I signed it off. Whether you'll get more or less sleep than myself, I leave up to your circumstances, possibly your other morning commitments. But I'm expecting to see the Monday comic in a few hours, when I check, even though that'll be actually the start of my own Tuesday. [[Special:Contributions/82.132.239.156|82.132.239.156]] 02:00, 2 September 2025 (UTC)
:The new comic is out now, although I don't think explainXKCD has updated yet.[[Special:Contributions/47.150.145.249|47.150.145.249]] 04:46, 2 September 2025 (UTC)

Not sure the premise of this comic is correct. The sun generates tides on Earth of about half the amplitude of the tides generated by the moon, and those vary on close to the same period. Tidal force is proportional to rM/R^3, where r is the radius of the planet experiencing the tide, M is the mass of the body creating the tide, and R is the distance between them. Something like Gliese 581c is 6.8 times the mass of Earth, and assuming comparable density, would have r = 1.9 times the Earth. The star Gliese 581 is 0.3 times the mass of our Sun, and the planet orbits at R = 0.07 that of earth. So we have 1.9 * 0.3 / 0.07^3, a star-induced tidal force on Gliese 581c of more than 1600 times that of the Sun on Earth, and more than 800 times that of the Moon on Earth. So, while large moons near a planet might be uncommon, those aren't the only sources of tides comparable to those on Earth.[[Special:Contributions/163.116.145.92|163.116.145.92]] 17:00, 2 September 2025 (UTC)

As we're still mentioning Pluto-Charon, just need to properly point out that (regardless of planethood), its moon is ''so good'' at causing tides, on Pluto's actual hard-mass, that Pluto would now not experience cyclic tides ''anything like'' Earth's twice-daily version. It's perhaps a bit anthropocentrically-expdriential, but we could say that Earth's sweet-spot of tides lies between those of moons too small+distant to create notable tides and those so large+near that they've dominated the 'planet' into a situation where tides are meaningless. (Ditto other twin-dwarf-planets out there.) 
We also have an oceanic, but land-studded, surface; pretty much without precedent on any other body that we know sufficient information about. Tides on Titan (by Saturn, i.e. planet-on-moon) can't do quite so much with its methane 'lakes', Tides on Europa (by Jupiter) can at most flex the icy shell over its substantial water-ocean with no 'land' to flood/reveal. Which might well each produce interesting alternative tide-related effects, to the tides as ''we'' best known them, but very much not the same thing. (Titan, in particular, seems to have possible dominating 'seasonal' transference of liquid from hemisphere to hemisphere, but not by a tide-type mechanism. Any nominal Titanians would perhaps be used to that change of local shorelines, but still be mystified/surprised by ''our'' tides. What potential Europans might think is even harder to say, as we have even less unambiguous understanding about what ''their'' home-experience is, like if there's any 'spires' of base rock that reach significantly up the local column of liquid-water to make the icy shell movement a notable effect. And our world would already be considered strange enough to their 'eyes'.) [[Special:Contributions/82.132.238.108|82.132.238.108]] 18:24, 3 September 2025 (UTC)

Talk:3135: Sea Level

2026-02-12T02:06:08Z

Elizium23: first post

Anyone here in 2005? [[User:Elizium23|Elizium23]] ([[User talk:Elizium23|talk]]) 02:06, 12 February 2026 (UTC)
Holy crud empty page! F1RST P0ST! [[User:RadiantRainwing|K9Dragon23, or RainWingSquares (talk)]] ([[User talk:RadiantRainwing|talk]]) 00:40, 12 February 2026 (UTC)
:2038: Last of the original Star Wars cast dies. —megan [[user talk:megan|talk]] [[special:contribs/megan|contribs]] 02:18, 30 August 2025 (UTC)
::What? If you're trying to get back at me because I was being useless and just "first posting", it's a reference to [[269: TCMP]], and I also, by the way, wrote the whole first paragraph of this explanation. [[User:RadiantRainwing|K9Dragon23, or RainWingSquares (talk)]] ([[User talk:RadiantRainwing|talk]]) 00:40, 12 February 2026 (UTC)
:::Alright, sorry, just realized what you did is a reference to [[493: Actuarial]]. Sorry about that! [[User:RadiantRainwing|K9Dragon23, or RainWingSquares (talk)]] ([[User talk:RadiantRainwing|talk]]) 00:40, 12 February 2026 (UTC)
::::I guess you're one of today's lucky [[Ten Thousand]]...
::::Wait, no, not everyone has read comic 493 by the time they're adults. I'm too lazy right now to calculate how many people learn about comic 493 each day, so I'll leave it as [[356|an exercise for the reader]]. —megan [[user talk:megan|talk]] [[special:contribs/megan|contribs]] 01:01, 31 August 2025 (UTC)
::::This is where it pays to have read every XKCD comic :P [[User:Logalex8369|Logalex8369]] ([[User talk:Logalex8369|talk]]) 16:45, 1 September 2025 (UTC)

This one is related to the [https://xkcd.com/2809/ Moon] comic. [[User:Pgn674|Pgn674]] ([[User talk:Pgn674|talk]]) 01:39, 30 August 2025 (UTC)
:Clearly. [[User:RadiantRainwing|K9Dragon23, or RainWingSquares (talk)]] ([[User talk:RadiantRainwing|talk]]) 00:40, 12 February 2026 (UTC)
:Definitely easy to see, even the references are the same…Randall we trust in you not to copy again…《プロキシ》(XKCD中毒者) 19:07, 1 September 2025 (UTC)
::it's almost a repeat. is he running out of ideas? [[user:lett‪herebedarklight|raeb]] 09:54, 30 August 2025 (UTC)
:::Hope not. [[User:RadiantRainwing|K9Dragon23, or RainWingSquares (talk)]] ([[User talk:RadiantRainwing|talk]]) 00:40, 12 February 2026 (UTC)
:::Why do people talk about running out of ideas? That is something I can't imagine. The world throws ideas and absurdities at you all the time. Running out of time to execute an idea - sure. Seems much more likely to be filtering error (have to check current idea against 3000 previous strips). [[Special:Contributions/107.77.205.64|107.77.205.64]] 19:42, 30 August 2025 (UTC)

Larry Niven had a story about alien-made indestructible spaceship hulls, except the makers didn't account for tidal effects when grazing a star. The test pilot was nearly ripped apart, but figured a way to survive. He sued their butts off against the guarantee. He concluded that their home planet did not have a large moon, a Clue. --[[User:PRR|PRR]] ([[User talk:PRR|talk]]) 02:41, 30 August 2025 (UTC)
: Isn't it frakking ridiculous that the Puppeteers, with all their brains, haven't observed or couldn't deduce the existence of tides? I did like the deduction about their homeworld making them nervous and their legal system of blackmail/extortion, though. --DW [[Special:Contributions/2607:FB90:8FA9:E54A:5856:AACD:B913:6DD8|2607:FB90:8FA9:E54A:5856:AACD:B913:6DD8]] 13:59, 2 September 2025 (UTC)

I think I finally figured out the common thread. All the items here are here because they are elements of Life on Earth. The way the explanation was written kind of buried that important part of the comic.

Overall, if you just look at them as unrelated phenomena, then Lightning seems quite common. Islands made by microskeletons, and life-forms which change their form during development seem like they would be pretty common where there is life. Large tides - thought to be uncommon, but don't have much data, and models are hard. [[Special:Contributions/2600:387:4:803:0:0:0:A0|2600:387:4:803:0:0:0:A0]] 18:04, 30 August 2025 (UTC)

All planets with intelligent life we know have tides. In fact one could argue that tides play an important role in the development in life. Thus any intelligent observe is arguably familiar with tides. Thus the text is wrong in arguing that tides are surprising based on the observation that most known planets likely do not have large tides. --[[Special:Contributions/2A01:599:114:9E35:D827:C56:FF88:1858|2A01:599:114:9E35:D827:C56:FF88:1858]] 19:09, 30 August 2025 (UTC)
:Argument has problems - insufficient sample size, selection bias. Nothing in the comic talked about intelligent life.
:The role of tides in development of life certainly makes sense to add.
:Tides are strange in that they are very complex and hard to explain in detail. Fluid dynamics in a very complex, non-ridgid vessel, involve gravitational forces from multiple bodies. [[Special:Contributions/107.77.205.64|107.77.205.64]] 20:00, 30 August 2025 (UTC)
:: Sample size is definitely a problem. Nothing in the comic talks about tides being strange in a cosmic sense. They are just very weird for one of the two observers from earth. --[[Special:Contributions/195.63.76.62|195.63.76.62]] 20:39, 30 August 2025 (UTC)
::: Realistic. Early Romans had no experience of tides until they ventured out of the Medditeranean, and were probably as spooked by them as the observer here. [[Special:Contributions/80.189.2.17|80.189.2.17]] 22:38, 3 September 2025 (UTC)
:All planets with intelligent life that we know of also have microwave ovens and television cameras and rubber ducks. Perhaps those are also essential for the long-term continued existence of intelligent life? [[User:PotatoGod|PotatoGod]] ([[User talk:PotatoGod|talk]]) 19:09, 31 August 2025 (UTC)
::Well, I can confirm that microwave ovens are essential for the continued existence of this intelligent lifeform. [[Special:Contributions/159.118.184.96|159.118.184.96]] 04:47, 1 September 2025 (UTC)

I'm shocked that Randal didn't include some sort of reference to climate change- and how tides effectively, at least in 2025 and for the foreseeable future, dwarf sea rise due to melting ice. [[User:Seebert|Seebert]] ([[User talk:Seebert|talk]]) 20:18, 30 August 2025 (UTC)
:On a (twice-)daily basis, yes. But that's like saying an unseasonal/hyperseasonal cold snap belies the possibility of global warming. (If that's the point you're trying to make.)
:And I'm not sure if you're saying that Randall "is the sort of person who would go on and on about climate change, but for soe reason he surprisingly didn't do so here" or "he really ought to be mentioning climate change at every opportunity, but he missed the opportunity to convey the concept"..? I'd disagree with ''both'' of those assessments of his (non-)inclusion here, though, and perhaps you're even coming from a completely different third direction that I might or might not understand. But really not the place to discuss it, as he obviously hasn't made that part of the joke/message in this comic. [[Special:Contributions/92.17.62.87|92.17.62.87]] 23:27, 30 August 2025 (UTC)

Lightning should be common throughout the universe, as the ingredients for it (planetary atmospheres containing things like dust that can build up differential static charges through agitation) appear to be. It's still a very weird phenomenon, with many aspects not understood (how does the triboelectric effect work, can breakdown patterns be predicted, wtf is going on with sprites and ball lightning, etc) but it really isn't likely to be rare. --[[Special:Contributions/81.96.108.67|81.96.108.67]] 05:48, 31 August 2025 (UTC)

Ten feet tidal range on a remote island - isn't this too much? I thought it should be less, with stronger tides only in some gulfs where an amplification exists. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tide figure 15 shows 5 feet tidal range maximum
: In the channel tides can get pretty high and some parts of it would be remote islands by European standards. Also the comic doesn't mention remoteness. --[[Special:Contributions/195.52.138.253|195.52.138.253]] 18:42, 31 August 2025 (UTC)

Significant tides can also bother or surprise people who are used to comparatively smaller tides. I should know, I am one of those people. I live by the Mediterranean Sea and any time I go to the beach on the Ocean, I am worried that I will once again lose my towel to the moving shoreline... [[Special:Contributions/2001:861:51C2:B540:1593:36EE:75F9:1F83|2001:861:51C2:B540:1593:36EE:75F9:1F83]] 18:35, 1 September 2025 (UTC)

^V^ 8th place! Learning English lol…love autocorrect. in South Carolina, tides are HELL on coast《プロキシ》(XKCD中毒者) 19:05, 1 September 2025 (UTC)

Rolled over to tuesday and no new comic?? {{unsigned|SteveTheNoob|23:40, 1 September 2025}}
:It's still (as we write) Monday for Randall, even if it's ''slightly'' after midnight for some of us Rightpondians. And there are have definitely been more extreme 'delays' to the scheduled comics. Take a deep breath, man... If you have to go to sleep and wake up to the comic, then that's what you have to do... [[Special:Contributions/92.17.62.87|92.17.62.87]] 23:48, 1 September 2025 (UTC)
::I thought Randall would just publish using +00 timezone for the love of the game. Oh well, I’ll stay awake until he publishes {{unsigned|SteveTheNoob|00:40, 2 September 2025}}
:::It just varies so much. Sometimes it's "late afternoon 'tommorow'", for any given day, sometimes it has been so early, by ±0 UTC standards, that one wonders if he was effectively staying up to post it 'very late the night before'.
:::When he was on his book tour over this side of the Atlantic, I know at least some of them were 'sensibly' posted at times relative to his being in these time-zones (i.e. 5 or hours ahead of the non-'late' instances, usually.
:::Special comics (huge and/or dynamic ones) seem to be posted any time at all, at least by my possibly faulty combined recollection, which is perhaps due to last-minute tweaks (the lateness of April Fool comics is such that, whilst ''something'' is often posted, if 1/Apr is a M/W/F, it might have been an emergency-filler, or perhaps brought forward from the W/F/M following - and then days, or occasionally even a week or more, later, it happens).
:::It's only really possible, right now, to go into the edit history of various comics and see when they were uploaded by the BOT of the time (or, when BOTs have been temporarily or permanently broken, when a human editor decided it needed doing manually). This introduces some small polling-lag and response time between 'Randall time' and 'wiki time', but if you're eagerly awaiting the comic ''here'', that's probably the end-timing that most interests you.
:::I can't recall any "so late, it was almost Randall's tomorrow" instances, recently, but there was a "so early, it was not too long after his prior midnight". And if Randall ever uses an automated method of posting, I think it's only for exceptional circumstances (not noticably for individual strips, that is - things like the Time comic probably were automated-and-queued, out of planned necessity).
:::And you asked ''before'' 00:00 UTC (I restored the time... and used the Unsigned template as a quickish way to overcome you apparently not using <nowiki>~~~~</nowiki> properly), so even if he were of that habit, you were asking too soon. If he was supposed to be posting at 24:00 UTC, anyway. - Quickly checking, though, and he still hasn't posted as of this moment. But it's still only late evening on Monday, where he is, and has maybe a couple more hours to spare before it becomes notably (and maybe fashionably) late. If you're under UK or one of the EU timezones, that's a long time to wait up. Not sure even ''I'' should be here, right now, though I do have my 'reasons' for it.
:::No, still no change on xkcd.com, just checked before I signed it off. Whether you'll get more or less sleep than myself, I leave up to your circumstances, possibly your other morning commitments. But I'm expecting to see the Monday comic in a few hours, when I check, even though that'll be actually the start of my own Tuesday. [[Special:Contributions/82.132.239.156|82.132.239.156]] 02:00, 2 September 2025 (UTC)
:The new comic is out now, although I don't think explainXKCD has updated yet.[[Special:Contributions/47.150.145.249|47.150.145.249]] 04:46, 2 September 2025 (UTC)

Not sure the premise of this comic is correct. The sun generates tides on Earth of about half the amplitude of the tides generated by the moon, and those vary on close to the same period. Tidal force is proportional to rM/R^3, where r is the radius of the planet experiencing the tide, M is the mass of the body creating the tide, and R is the distance between them. Something like Gliese 581c is 6.8 times the mass of Earth, and assuming comparable density, would have r = 1.9 times the Earth. The star Gliese 581 is 0.3 times the mass of our Sun, and the planet orbits at R = 0.07 that of earth. So we have 1.9 * 0.3 / 0.07^3, a star-induced tidal force on Gliese 581c of more than 1600 times that of the Sun on Earth, and more than 800 times that of the Moon on Earth. So, while large moons near a planet might be uncommon, those aren't the only sources of tides comparable to those on Earth.[[Special:Contributions/163.116.145.92|163.116.145.92]] 17:00, 2 September 2025 (UTC)

As we're still mentioning Pluto-Charon, just need to properly point out that (regardless of planethood), its moon is ''so good'' at causing tides, on Pluto's actual hard-mass, that Pluto would now not experience cyclic tides ''anything like'' Earth's twice-daily version. It's perhaps a bit anthropocentrically-expdriential, but we could say that Earth's sweet-spot of tides lies between those of moons too small+distant to create notable tides and those so large+near that they've dominated the 'planet' into a situation where tides are meaningless. (Ditto other twin-dwarf-planets out there.) 
We also have an oceanic, but land-studded, surface; pretty much without precedent on any other body that we know sufficient information about. Tides on Titan (by Saturn, i.e. planet-on-moon) can't do quite so much with its methane 'lakes', Tides on Europa (by Jupiter) can at most flex the icy shell over its substantial water-ocean with no 'land' to flood/reveal. Which might well each produce interesting alternative tide-related effects, to the tides as ''we'' best known them, but very much not the same thing. (Titan, in particular, seems to have possible dominating 'seasonal' transference of liquid from hemisphere to hemisphere, but not by a tide-type mechanism. Any nominal Titanians would perhaps be used to that change of local shorelines, but still be mystified/surprised by ''our'' tides. What potential Europans might think is even harder to say, as we have even less unambiguous understanding about what ''their'' home-experience is, like if there's any 'spires' of base rock that reach significantly up the local column of liquid-water to make the icy shell movement a notable effect. And our world would already be considered strange enough to their 'eyes'.) [[Special:Contributions/82.132.238.108|82.132.238.108]] 18:24, 3 September 2025 (UTC)

explain xkcd:Community portal/Admin requests

2026-02-12T02:01:48Z

Elizium23: /* Removing disruptive material */ close bracket

explain xkcd:Community portal/Admin requests

2026-02-12T02:01:29Z

Elizium23: /* Removing disruptive material */

3205: Carbon Dating

2026-02-12T01:55:56Z

Elizium23: clarify

{{comic
| number = 3205
| date = February 9, 2026
| title = Carbon Dating
| image = carbon_dating_2x.png
| imagesize = 250x348px
| noexpand = true
| titletext = This dating is corroborated by the presence of stone tools at the site, rather than earlier and less effective helium ones.
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|This page was created recently by a SPEAR MADE OF FREE ELECTRONS. Don't remove this notice too soon.}}
{{w|Carbon dating}} is a method for determining the age of an object containing organic material by using the properties of radiocarbon, a radioactive isotope of {{w|carbon}}. This method is commonly used by {{w|archaeology|archaeologists}} and is invaluable in terms of estimating the point in time a piece of organic matter (such as a fossil) died. It uses the fact that carbon in Earth's biosphere maintains a known ratio between the isotopes 12C, 13C (irrelevant for carbon dating) and 14C. 14C is generated in the atmosphere by interactions between nitrogen and cosmic rays, and it is radioactive with a half-life of approximately 5,730 years. It decays over time even as it is replenished, leaving its relative concentration in the environment a matter of the balance between its creation (by cosmic rays, which vary slightly over time, but in a way that can be enumerated) and decay (a constant proportion). Its intake by living organisms (by photosynthesis, in the case of plants, or by consumption in the case of non-plants, accounting for known {{w|Fractionation of carbon isotopes in oxygenic photosynthesis|fractionation}} differences) is also relatively stable, until the organism dies and stops taking in carbon compounds. From that point on, its relative concentration in the dead organism can only decrease through the radioactive decay. By measuring the relative amount of 14C left in the organism's remains, archaeologists can determine how long ago that organism last actively replenished its carbon, and thus how long ago it died. This method is useful only so long as the remaining concentration of 14C can be measured accurately, which extends to approximately 9 to 10 half-lives (50,000 to 60,000 years) until the continued halving of the remaining isotope becomes statistically (or physically) difficult to accurately determine, as well as for lengths of time that are significantly ''less'' than the half-life. Other forms of {{w|radiometric dating}}, based on other elements and isotopes, are used for lengths of time, as well as situations where such carbon-chemistry is not a reliable component of a sample. Even the ratios between abundances of stable isotopes can vary, providing historical information about things such as temperatures and atmospheric mixing, via {{w|isotope geochemistry}}, as well as in a wider form {{w|radiometric dating}} for which the presence of stable decay products in a sample can be used to show the original concentrations and therefore reveal the subsequent passage of time.

Here, however, [[Ponytail]], in the role of a {{w|cosmology|cosmologist}}, takes a rather different perspective on using carbon for dating. She is interested only in the mere ''presence'' of carbon, which tells her that the skeleton being studied was formed after the first carbon in the universe was created in the first round of stars fusing elements, 13.6 billion years ago. This is not useful information for differentiating artifacts originating on {{w|Earth}}, which is itself less than ''5'' billion years old, since it would apply to all of them.

The title text looks like the kind of statement that would provide corroborative dating evidence for an archaeological site. The type and composition of tools can help to place a site, relative to others, on a {{w|Tool#History|developmental timeline}}. Here, however, they claim that the presence of stone tools dates the site as later than a non-existent age of helium tools. Tools made out of stone, usually dating from the {{w|Stone Age}}, are often solid and durable, making them great choices for heavy duty tasks, and well-preserved in the archaeological record. {{w|Helium}} is a gas and is difficult to shape into a solid mass for use as a tool.{{Citation needed}} It would also be near impossible to identify such tools if they had existed, since they would tend to disperse easily. Helium was produced in great quantities after the {{w|Big Bang}}, accounting for about ~25% of the mass of atoms produced by the early universe, so would have been available before stone was, but there were no people around at the time to fashion tools from it.

The themes of the comic are similar to [[2723]], which imagines a periodic table published just after the Big Bang, when most elements did not yet exist.

==Transcript==
{{incomplete transcript|Don't remove this notice too soon.}}
:[Ponytail, standing, is pointing at a blackboard containing a drawing of a skull and some bones/bone fragments, as well as a graph and some lines of text. She is speaking to Cueball and Megan, who are standing beside her.]
:Ponytail: The high carbon content of the skeleton indicates that the individual lived less than 13.6 billion years ago, after the first round of stellar nucleosynthesis.
:[Caption below the panel:]
:Cosmologist carbon dating

{{comic discussion}}<noinclude>

[[Category:Cosmology]]
[[Category:Biology]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Ponytail]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Megan]]

unixkcd

2026-02-12T00:01:11Z

Elizium23: expand xyzzy

{{comic
| date = April 1, 2010
| title = unixkcd
| image = unixkcd.png
| titletext =
| lappend =
| ldomain = uni
| imagesize = 900px
| noexpand = true
| extra = yes
}}
{{series
| series = April
| number = 3
| date = April 1, 2010
| days_late =
| day_category = Thursday
| prev_title = 404: Not Found
| prev_date = April 1, 2008
| next_title = 880: Headache
| next_date = April 1, 2011
| extra_text = In fact, [[April Fools' Day comics|2009 and 2017 are the only years]] in which Randall hasn't marked this day with a comic.
}}

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

===Documented commands===
{| class="sortable wikitable"
! Command
! Response
! Explanation
|-
|<code>'''next'''</code>
|(''shows the next comic'')
|If the latest comic number is given, shows the error <code>Time travel mode not enabled</code>. See <code>'''[[#Undocumented commands|enable time travel]]'''</code> below.
|-
|<code>'''prev'''</code>
|(''shows the previous comic'')
|
|-
|<code>'''first'''</code>
|(''shows the first comic'')
|
|-
|<code>'''last'''</code>
|(''shows the last comic'')
|
|-
|<code>'''display [number]'''</code>
|(''shows the comic with the specified number'')
|Trying to display comic [[404: Not Found]] will result in an endless loading attempt.
Trying to display comic [[1350: Lorenz]] instead displays [[1349: Shouldn't Be Hard]], where Cueball thinks about burning his computer.
|-
|<code>'''random'''</code>
|(''shows a random comic'')
|
|-
|<code>'''ls'''</code>
| rowspan="2" |(''shows the content of the current directory'')
| rowspan="2" |
|-
|<code>'''dir'''</code>
|-
|<code>'''cat [filename]'''</code>
|(''shows the content of the file'')
|See also <code>'''[[#Undocumented commands|cat]]'''</code> below.
|-
|<code>'''cd [directory]'''</code>
|(''changes to the specified directory'')
|
|}

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

...."Have you mooed today?"...
|Displays an ASCII drawing of a cow.
|-
|<code>'''bash'''</code>
|<code>You bash your head against the wall. It's not very effective.</code>
|{{w|Bash}} is a shell for POSIX-based systems. This also references early text-based adventure games where you need to type the action needed to proceed, which could result in unintended consequences. For example, if you typed in something like "ax in chest", the game may stab the axe into your character's torso instead of opening a crate. The line 'it's not very effective' may be a reference to Pokemon, where an attack can deal differing amounts of damage depending on effectiveness.
|-
|<code>'''cat [number]/alt.txt'''</code>
|(''displays the title text of the specified comic'')
|
|-
|<code>'''cat license.txt'''</code>
|(''displays the license of unixkcd'')
|
|-
|<code>'''cat welcome.txt'''</code>
|(''displays the welcome message'')
|
|-
|<code>'''cat'''</code>

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

|<code>'''xkcd'''</code>
|<code>Yes?</code>
|
|-
|<code>'''xyzzy'''</code>
|<code>Nothing happens.</code>
|{{w|Xyzzy_(computing)|xyzzy}} is a magic word, originally used in the game {{w|Colossal Cave Adventure}}. It was only effective at specific points in the game; otherwise the response was "Nothing happens." This response was actually a helpful clue to the observant adventurer, and became a famous meme in its own right.
|-
|<code>'''your gay'''</code>
|<code>Keep your hands off it!</code>
|
|-
|<code>'''!!'''</code>
|(''reruns the previous command after stating the command'')
|
|}

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

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

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

{{comic discussion}}

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

Talk:2005: Attention Span

2026-02-11T23:55:59Z

Elizium23: newyorker link is not paywalled for me

Do you think the book being referenced is a Dragon Lance book?[[Special:Contributions/162.158.106.24|162.158.106.24]] 04:33, 11 June 2018 (UTC)
: I think with the "thicker than its wide" comment, it does sound like Dragonlance Chronicles. Also, it IS a classic [[Special:Contributions/162.158.155.104|162.158.155.104]] 07:40, 12 June 2018 (UTC)
:: Also, hasn’t Randall expressed interest in the works of Margaret Weis and Tracy Hickman in the past. [[Special:Contributions/108.162.245.118|108.162.245.118]] 17:50, 13 June 2018 (UTC)
:: Btw I hopped over to the forums to see if they had any good ideas, it didn’t yield much but one person suggested one of the Deathgate Cycle books, another suggested a Brandon Sanderson book, though none to my knowledge have Dragons on the cover, and someone else suggested it might be a D&D rulebook, though I don’t know of any of those that meet the thickness described[[Special:Contributions/108.162.245.118|108.162.245.118]] 18:32, 13 June 2018 (UTC)
: Sounds like a Wheel of Time omnibus, if such a thing actually exists. [[Special:Contributions/108.162.216.148|108.162.216.148]] 16:29, 11 June 2018 (UTC)
:: If you're talking about omnibus editions of a series, there are many that could easily get this thick. But I'm at a loss to think of a single book that is thicker than it is wide. Although my mass-market paperback edition of ''Les Misérables'' comes pretty close (but has nothing to do with fantasy). [[User:Shamino|Shamino]] ([[User talk:Shamino|talk]]) 15:09, 13 June 2018 (UTC)
:: I don't think a WoT omnibus could exist, after 5 minutes on google, I came up with 10700 pages. I think maybe Brandon Sanderson's "Oathbringer" paperback comes close. Its cover is small, and it's 1000 pages long.
::: I'm certain Randall's employing hyperbole. [[Special:Contributions/162.158.134.214|162.158.134.214]] 21:18, 14 June 2018 (UTC)
:Or it could be one of the alternate art covers of one of the Dark Sword books, or is that too deep a cut even for Randall? [[Special:Contributions/162.158.106.24|162.158.106.24]] 22:46, 11 June 2018 (UTC)
: I doubt he's referring to any real book, but rather making use of the fact that fantasy novels tend to be notoriously long and involving a ridiculous image (a dragon with a sword in its teeth) to show that this particular book is of dubious quality. [[Special:Contributions/108.162.212.83|108.162.212.83]] 16:52, 15 June 2018 (UTC)

The comic contains a hyperlink to what appears to be exactly the kind of article Cueball apparently "''just'' finished reading", or at least my mobile reader is picking up a hyperlink. I've added a small note about this; I'm not linking the article directly for personal reasons. [[Special:Contributions/108.162.221.227|108.162.221.227]] 05:51, 11 June 2018 (UTC)
: I linked it. If it's linked in the original then it should be here, too. Maybe it belongs more to the trivia section, I don't know, but it definitely has to be shown here somewhere. On a side node: did Randall ever do something like that before? [[User:Elektrizikekswerk|Elektrizikekswerk]] ([[User talk:Elektrizikekswerk|talk]]) 06:53, 11 June 2018 (UTC)
:: Linking other content behind the image? Yes, I think he did it several times before. The only actual comic I remember, however, is [[351: Trolling]]. --[[User:YMS|YMS]] ([[User talk:YMS|talk]]) 09:17, 11 June 2018 (UTC)
:Considering that the link contains a link to this https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jltKnDlH_OA I believe that omission is no an option [[Special:Contributions/162.158.234.58|162.158.234.58]] 09:51, 11 June 2018 (UTC)
:::[[1723: Meteorite Identification]], [[1506: xkcloud]], [[1572: xkcd Survey]]... just to name a few more. [[User:Herobrine|Herobrine]] ([[User talk:Herobrine|talk]]) 09:55, 11 June 2018 (UTC)
:::: Ah, very well :) The difference between those three and this one and 351 is that in the latter the link is "hidden". The others say "Click here" either directly or in alt-text. And in xkcloud it isn't an external link. Whatever. Maybe we should consider making a category of them? [[User:Elektrizikekswerk|Elektrizikekswerk]] ([[User talk:Elektrizikekswerk|talk]]) 11:04, 11 June 2018 (UTC)
::::: [[User:Explainyourself]] has [https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=2005:_Attention_Span&diff=405964&oldid=356566 replaced] the newyorker link with a "write.as" "unlocked" version. It may be a copyright violation, although it does provide attribution to the author's name alone (not to the magazine or any other publisher.) The original article is still linked from the comic, and so I've added that link to the transcript. Furthermore, the article is not "locked" or paywalled for me. I don't know our policy on archives, bypassing paywalls, and subscription content, but it seems that if the article is not actually paywalled, we should not be replacing its links. [[User:Elizium23|Elizium23]] ([[User talk:Elizium23|talk]]) 23:55, 11 February 2026 (UTC)

I must admit to never having watch the seminal movie Surf ninjas but wikipedia tells me there is not only a novelisation, by A L Singer (Peter Lerangis) but also the screenplay. {{unsigned|Arachrah}}

I once advanced the theory that Sodor is the future of Mordor after the machines won and evolved into trains. [[Special:Contributions/162.158.62.51|162.158.62.51]] 12:46, 11 June 2018 (UTC) Jedman67
: Sounds like Mieville's Railsea. [[Special:Contributions/108.162.216.148|108.162.216.148]] 16:29, 11 June 2018 (UTC)

Dragonsbane isn't nearly long enough to meet the thickness requirement --[[Special:Contributions/162.158.75.196|162.158.75.196]] 17:17, 11 June 2018 (UTC)RyanR

Does anyone feel like the punchline is misplaced? Start with claim that he has no attn span any more, then she lists various overly long works he clearly does read while he protests and defends, then he concludes with punchline "no attn span for anything good." In fact, she should probably deliver the line, after discovering what he has on his bookshelf. [[Special:Contributions/162.158.122.42|162.158.122.42]] 20:25, 11 June 2018 (UTC)
:The key here was diminishing attention span with age, so he indicated "...for anything good ANYMORE." The joke is that this isn't something that changed. [[Special:Contributions/108.162.216.112|108.162.216.112]] 22:13, 11 June 2018 (UTC)

What bumps me about this comic is that the book Megan describes to make her point sounds like it would be an excellent well-structured book, very high quality reading, akin to Lord Of The Rings (Cueball even specifies it's a classic). REALLY doesn't fit with the theme of low quality crap reading this comic is going for. [[User:NiceGuy1|NiceGuy1]] ([[User talk:NiceGuy1|talk]]) 04:51, 12 June 2018 (UTC)

I've read all of the books mentioned as possible matches. And none of them have dragons holding a sword in their mouth. And since the book cover sounds EXACTLY like something I would enjoy reading, I really must insist that we demand that Randall admit which book he was referring to. [[Special:Contributions/172.68.90.22|172.68.90.22]] SiliconWolf

I wonder if the book Megan spots on the bookshelf is a sly reference to the classic (but rather staid) computer-science textbook "''Compilers: Principles, Techniques, and Tools''" by Aho, et al, AKA "The Dragon book". The cover of the first edition ''does'' has both a dragon & a sword on it, althought the sword isn't in the dragon's mouth, and it is a bit thinner than it is wide. [[User:JamesCurran|JamesCurran]] ([[User talk:JamesCurran|talk]]) 20:05, 13 June 2018 (UTC)

"Thicker than it's wide - It's a classic" is probably referencing the "If it's longer than it's wide, it's a phallus" joke poem. {{unsigned ip|172.68.239.107}}

"It is unclear how one could possibly spend six hours reading such an article." Hmm, it appears you are unfamiliar with this concept called the "World Wide Web." See, any given article has small text snippets indicated by a special color or style called "hyperlinks". Clicking a hyperlink will take you to a different article, typically on a topic relevant to the original article or phrase linked. This hyperlinked article will again link to several more articles, and so on for each succeeding article. Clicking from link to link is an activity often referred to as "browsing cyberspace" and, if pursuing an interesting topic, a reader can easily spend several hours browsing from link to link exploring just about any given topic.

For more information about this astonishing phenomenon, please consult [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mfMrVKnGzwg any 1990s guide to the vast new online arena called the world-wide web]. [[Special:Contributions/172.68.150.52|172.68.150.52]] 20:55, 19 June 2018 (UTC)

I don't know about y'all, but I just spent the last 2 hours down the Thomas the Tank rabbit hole. {{unsigned ip|172.69.70.59}}

Just reverted the page to before the "crap" spam.
[[Special:Contributions/162.158.78.87|162.158.78.87]] 01:30, 21 May 2022 (UTC)

My dad had a ''Surf Ninjas'' book. Then my dog ate it when we left him home alone out of his crate. [[User:Psychoticpotato|Psychoticpotato]] ([[User talk:Psychoticpotato|talk]]) 18:22, 3 June 2024 (UTC)

2005: Attention Span

2026-02-11T23:51:42Z

Elizium23: added original link to transcript. it is not paywalled or broken for me at this time.

{{comic
| number = 2005
| date = June 11, 2018
| title = Attention Span
| image = attention_span.png
| titletext = I didn't even realize they MADE a novelization of "Surf Ninjas." How did you-- Oh my god, it's signed by the author?!
}}

==Explanation==
People often groan about their shrinking attention span, attributing it to an increased illiteracy. This allows for fond nostalgia about the times when they were supposedly more intelligent and focused. For instance, Nicholas Carr wrote [https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2008/07/is-google-making-us-stupid/306868/ this article] to compile both anecdotes (which are more abundant) and research (which is more useful) to describe this phenomenon.

[[Cueball]] does the same here, but [[Megan]] retorts that he spent six hours reading over a pointless (if disturbingly plausible) theory about a banal show based off a series of bedtime stories made to entertain small children. ''{{w|Thomas & Friends|Thomas The Tank Engine}}'' is a British children's series based off a series of books written by Wilbert Awdry. It follows the adventures of anthropomorphized train locomotives and other vehicles.

Cueball qualifies his statement: he has no attention span for anything good anymore. Megan, in reply, examines Cueball’s bookshelf, finding a book that cements Cueball’s status as a nerd who reads {{w|High fantasy|high fantasy}}. Cueball protests that the book is a classic, but Megan dismisses the fact.

To be fair to Cueball, many great fantasies have covers such as those in the comic (e.g. ''{{w|A Song of Ice and Fire}}'', ''{{w|The Lord of the Rings}}'', Randall's personal favorite ''{{w|Discworld}}''). To be fair to Megan, this book is apparently not one of them, being thicker than it is wide (like ''The Complete {{w|Miss Marple}}'' by {{w|Agatha Christie}}), a telltale sign of needless bombast and turgid prose.

Other possibilities for the dragon book are ''{{w|His Majesty's Dragon}}'' from the ''{{w|Temeraire (series)|Temeraire}}'' series or ''{{w|Dragonsbane}}'' from the Winterlands series.

If there was any doubt about Cueball’s dubious literary tastes before, Megan dispels them in the title text, referring to a novelization of the excoriated movie ''{{w|Surf Ninjas}}'', a movie that is {{tvtropes|ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin|exactly what it sounds like}}. Despite the hyperbole, the ''Surf Ninjas'' novelization is [https://www.goodreads.com/en/book/show/9792011 very much real], written by {{w|Peter Lerangis}} (under the pseudonym A. L. Singer); Lerangis would later move on from writing licensed works to his own original children's books and is now considered an accomplished author.

The comic contains a hyperlink to an article with the same unfortunate content Cueball has apparently finished reading prior to this comic: [https://write.as/o6w0noyqq52b5.md The Repressive, Authoritarian Soul of “Thomas the Tank Engine & Friends” (unlocked version)]. This article, the articles linked from it, further linked articles from those, links found by googling the topic, and other related [https://www.techopedia.com/definition/5199/surfing-world-wide-web web surfing] on the topic could easily add up to six hours or more of reading.

==Transcript==
:[Cueball and Megan are standing together.]
:Cueball: I haven't read any books in forever. I have no attention span anymore.

:[Zoom in on the faces of Cueball and Megan.]
:Megan: Didn't you literally '''''just''''' spend six hours obsessively reading about the theory that ''Thomas the Tank Engine'' is authoritarian propaganda depicting a post-apocalyptic fascist dystopia?

:[Cueball still standing there. Megan begins pacing away.]
:Cueball: OK
:Cueball: I mean I have no attention span for anything '''''good''''' anymore.
:Megan: Let's check out your bookshelf, shall we?

:[Cueball alone.]
:Cueball: What are you-
:Off-panel: I see a dragon holding a sword in its teeth on the cover of a book that's thicker than it is wide.
:Cueball: And? That's a '''''classic!'''''
:Off-panel: Just saying, I don't think this is a new development.

Hyperlink from comic image: https://www.newyorker.com/culture/rabbit-holes/the-repressive-authoritarian-soul-of-thomas-the-tank-engine-and-friends

==Trivia==
2005 (the comic number) is also the year of the first xkcd comic.

The dragon described is very loosely similar to the legendary Pokémon {{w|Zacian}}, whose game had been teased at the release of this comic.
{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Megan]]

Talk:3205: Carbon Dating

2026-02-11T23:41:12Z

Elizium23: killer icicle

F10st p0st! [[Special:Contributions/185.36.194.156|185.36.194.156]] 04:45, 10 February 2026 (UTC)

:First explanation! Hopefully it's fine... (also, nice TCMP reference.)--[[User:Utdtutyabthsc|Utdtutyabthsc]] ([[User talk:Utdtutyabthsc|talk]]) 06:00, 10 February 2026 (UTC)
::Oh, was that a deliberate reference? Why isn't it [[269|spelled the same way]]? What does "F10st" even mean? [[User:Elizium23|Elizium23]] ([[User talk:Elizium23|talk]]) 06:58, 10 February 2026 (UTC)
:::Semi-deliberate, but more spirit of the law than letter of the law since early internet trolling is (was?) a common theme here anyways lol; the 0 was a typo [[Special:Contributions/185.36.194.156|185.36.194.156]] 10:04, 10 February 2026 (UTC)
::::It is though getting a little tiresome and repeatable that someone has begun writing first post on all talk pages... Please stop it ;-) --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 13:19, 10 February 2026 (UTC)
:::::31Gth!!! [[Special:Contributions/82.13.184.33|82.13.184.33]] 14:54, 10 February 2026 (UTC)
::::How about next time we troll for 3rd post instead (game theory time) [[Special:Contributions/185.36.194.156|185.36.194.156]] 09:09, 11 February 2026 (UTC)

I'm all for carbon dating, but I wouldn't want one to marry my sister. [[Special:Contributions/24.123.140.66|24.123.140.66]] 13:52, 10 February 2026 (UTC)
:I also was expecting that kind of pun when I saw the title. [[User:Barmar|Barmar]] ([[User talk:Barmar|talk]]) 15:10, 10 February 2026 (UTC)
: You'd rather she settled down with a nice silica-based lifeform? [[Special:Contributions/82.13.184.33|82.13.184.33]] 15:20, 10 February 2026 (UTC)
: I figured that carbon dating was the process by which paleontologists analyze prospective mates to determine their chronological compatibility. [[User:Jordan Brown|Jordan Brown]] ([[User talk:Jordan Brown|talk]]) 01:36, 11 February 2026 (UTC)

Is the skeleton being studied a cosmologist? [[Special:Contributions/2605:A601:80AF:4000:2A74:9789:42F0:2275|2605:A601:80AF:4000:2A74:9789:42F0:2275]] 14:35, 10 February 2026 (UTC)

LAST C0MMENT! [[Special:Contributions/164.134.137.45|164.134.137.45]] 12:02, 11 February 2026 (UTC) (redbuns)

Ummm... if we are talking about cosmologists, shouldn't the tools be metal, since all non-hydrogen, non-helium elements are metals in astronomy? {{unsigned ip|18.117.72.81|14:29, 11 February 2026 (UTC)}}

Actually, if you cool down helium enough it becomes a liquid, and if you increase the pressure enough it becomes a solid. But it needs to be very cold and high pressure. [[Special:Contributions/185.220.101.37|185.220.101.37]] 23:30, 11 February 2026 (UTC)
:An episode of Mythbusters investigated [https://youtu.be/3tOTVJZ7YKk?si=t3Zei4Z_61h2QoCO&t=363 the "killer icicle" trope] and found it to have some merit. Now to freeze helium, and get it solid, and somehow wield it as a tool, requires quite a technology stack, doesn't it! [[User:Elizium23|Elizium23]] ([[User talk:Elizium23|talk]]) 23:41, 11 February 2026 (UTC)

2551: Debunking

2026-02-11T23:35:55Z

Elizium23: child star

{{comic
| number = 2551
| date = December 6, 2021
| title = Debunking
| image = debunking.png
| titletext = Mark Zuckerberg has only neutral feelings toward Peppa Pig, who he understands is a fictional character, and he blames the coronavirus pandemic on other factors.
}}

==Explanation==
When writing a news article that "debunks" a claim (shows why it is false), writing its headline in the form "X is false" is [https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/words-matter/201807/when-correcting-lie-dont-repeat-it-do-instead-2 discouraged]. The reason is that just repeatedly seeing "X", even if negated or followed by "is false", can make readers subconsciously believe it.

To avoid this, Randall as a journalist has worded his debunking articles in a positive sense. This makes for a confusing read if the reader has not heard of the original claim. The "original claims" allegedly being debunked here don't actually appear to have been made anywhere, and can only be inferred from the debunking.

Much of the debunking relies on setting simple facts straight, making for bizarrely banal headlines.

===Table===
{| class="wikitable"
!Article Headline
!Possible claim being debunked
|-
| AP photos show that Dr. Fauci's office contains a normal number of microwaves
| That Dr. {{w|Anthony Fauci}}'s office is subject to excessive microwaves. In 2021, Fauci was the head of the {{w| National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases}} and chief medical advisor to President Trump. He was seen as the public face to the COVID-19 response in that country.

An early conspiracy theory proposed that newly-installed 5G towers for mobile network access were emitting harmful "microwave" radiation that caused the infections. Conversely, [https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC9794489/#sec4 a study concluded] that heating food in microwave ovens was an excellent method of deactivating such a type of coronavirus.

US diplomats have been altering their lives due to rumors of a {{w|Havana syndrome}}, which are unexplained health problems and symptoms that some blamed on a hypothetical microwave weapon of unknown design. Microwave radiation is blamed by a number of conspiracy theories for health problems or manipulation of the public, giving rise to the {{w|tin foil hat}} meme.

However, because the headline references ''photographs'' to debunk the claim, the news article is apparently talking about the number of microwave ''ovens'' in his office. Either there is some miscommunication between the conspiracy theorists and debunkers, or the original claimant was fixated on Fauci's office appliances for some reason. Or they thought Fauci really liked microwave ovens.

The vague phrasing also implies that the number of microwaves pictured may be larger than most people would consider "normal" for an office, and that the article is defending that large number as "normal". Since microwaves are not typical office equipment{{Citation needed}}, most offices will only have one or two microwaves in the break room, though someone with a private office (as Dr. Fauci has) might bring one of their own to have more privacy while eating.
|-
| Fact check: Singer Billie Eilish was born ''years'' after the TWA Flight 800 explosion
| A link between {{w|Billie Eilish}} (born December 2001) and the {{w|TWA Flight 800}} crash in July 1996. No malicious or terrorist activity was found by the investigation, but {{w|TWA Flight 800 conspiracy theories|conspiracy theories abounded}} in its aftermath. Eilish's lyrics and videos often explore death and macabre themes, such as [https://youtu.be/-PZsSWwc9xA?si=TJ6Xk1CTdNbWsYCK a prominent "fallen angel" motif]. Eilish was only 14 years old when she began her career and has been well-known as a child star, so this link is shown to be particularly absurd.
|-
| Vaccinated people can remove their hats without trouble by tugging upward, say doctors
| Vaccination has long been the subject of many, many conspiracy theories about potential side effects; this article could be commenting on any number of such, from claims that vaccines magnetize people (popular in June 2021), that vaccines cause one's head to swell thus making hats become tight, that vaccination makes one's head sticky or fuse to one's hat, that vaccination causes hats to become tighter, that vaccination causes one's inability to raise one's arm high enough to tug one's hat upward.
|-
| Physicists say Dorito powder is affected by gravity
| A claim that {{w|Doritos}} powder is not affected by gravity. For example, an anecdote around a local businessman discovering that objects levitate when sufficient powder is applied to them, or people misunderstanding dust floating under atmospheric turbulence as evidence of "antigravity".
|-
| Steering wheels will work normally on Dec 12th; make left and right turns as usual
| Faults (perhaps due to failures in the power steering system), triggered for example by solar storms, latent software bugs, a deliberate software hack, or some unknown phenomenon, will cause cars to steer erratically on that date. Superstition may be blamed for such rumors, or deliberate malice, inducing people to reverse their steering gestures and lose control.
|-
| CNN investigation: Santa's skin is dry and healthy this year, with the same amount of oil as before
| {{w|Santa Claus}} is suffering from oily skin, which can cause acne. Skin conditions may be caused by a diet of whisky, cookies and milk, causing parents to feel guilty for leaving treats on the fireplace overnight. CNN appears to tacitly reveal that Santa Claus is a real person, or just keeping up the {{w|kayfabe}} for children, in the tradition of "{{w|Yes, Virginia, there is a Santa Claus}}".
|-
| (Title text) Mark Zuckerberg has only neutral feelings toward Peppa Pig, who he understands is a fictional character, and he blames the coronavirus pandemic on other factors.
| That the founder of Facebook ({{w|Mark Zuckerberg}}) has strongly negative feelings toward the cartoon character {{w|Peppa Pig}}, believing her to be a real talking pig and the cause of the COVID-19 pandemic, or maybe that he is a fan with some out-of-control behaviors towards "her". May be a reference to a [https://www.reuters.com/world/uk/uk-pm-johnson-briefly-lost-words-speech-business-2021-11-22 recent speech] by UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson in which he expressed admiration for Peppa, much to the bewilderment of journalists.
|}

==Transcript==
:[Several news headlines are shown in boxes.]
:[Box 1] AP photos show Dr. Fauci's office contains a normal number of microwaves
:[Box 2] Fact check: singer Billie Eilish was born ''years'' after the TWA Flight 800 explosion
:[Box 3] Vaccinated people can remove their hats without trouble by tugging upward, say doctors
:[Box 4] Physicists say Dorito powder is affected by gravity
:[Box 5] Steering wheels will work normally on Dec 12th; make left and right turns as usual
:[Box 6] CNN investigation: Santa's skin is dry and healthy this year, with the same amount of oil as before
:[Caption below the panel:]
:I don't know whether the "Don't repeat the claim in the headline debunking it" thing works or not, but it definitely makes reading the news weird.

{{comic discussion}}
[[Category:COVID-19]]
[[Category:Comics featuring real people]]
[[Category:Biology]]
[[Category:Physics]]
[[Category:Conspiracy theory]]
[[Category:Fiction]]
[[Category:Christmas]]

2551: Debunking

2026-02-11T23:33:14Z

Elizium23: clarify; cleanup

{{comic
| number = 2551
| date = December 6, 2021
| title = Debunking
| image = debunking.png
| titletext = Mark Zuckerberg has only neutral feelings toward Peppa Pig, who he understands is a fictional character, and he blames the coronavirus pandemic on other factors.
}}

==Explanation==
When writing a news article that "debunks" a claim (shows why it is false), writing its headline in the form "X is false" is [https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/words-matter/201807/when-correcting-lie-dont-repeat-it-do-instead-2 discouraged]. The reason is that just repeatedly seeing "X", even if negated or followed by "is false", can make readers subconsciously believe it.

To avoid this, Randall as a journalist has worded his debunking articles in a positive sense. This makes for a confusing read if the reader has not heard of the original claim. The "original claims" allegedly being debunked here don't actually appear to have been made anywhere, and can only be inferred from the debunking.

Much of the debunking relies on setting simple facts straight, making for bizarrely banal headlines.

===Table===
{| class="wikitable"
!Article Headline
!Possible claim being debunked
|-
| AP photos show that Dr. Fauci's office contains a normal number of microwaves
| That Dr. {{w|Anthony Fauci}}'s office is subject to excessive microwaves. In 2021, Fauci was the head of the {{w| National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases}} and chief medical advisor to President Trump. He was seen as the public face to the COVID-19 response in that country.

An early conspiracy theory proposed that newly-installed 5G towers for mobile network access were emitting harmful "microwave" radiation that caused the infections. Conversely, [https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC9794489/#sec4 a study concluded] that heating food in microwave ovens was an excellent method of deactivating such a type of coronavirus.

US diplomats have been altering their lives due to rumors of a {{w|Havana syndrome}}, which are unexplained health problems and symptoms that some blamed on a hypothetical microwave weapon of unknown design. Microwave radiation is blamed by a number of conspiracy theories for health problems or manipulation of the public, giving rise to the {{w|tin foil hat}} meme.

However, because the headline references ''photographs'' to debunk the claim, the news article is apparently talking about the number of microwave ''ovens'' in his office. Either there is some miscommunication between the conspiracy theorists and debunkers, or the original claimant was fixated on Fauci's office appliances for some reason. Or they thought Fauci really liked microwave ovens.

The vague phrasing also implies that the number of microwaves pictured may be larger than most people would consider "normal" for an office, and that the article is defending that large number as "normal". Since microwaves are not typical office equipment{{Citation needed}}, most offices will only have one or two microwaves in the break room, though someone with a private office (as Dr. Fauci has) might bring one of their own to have more privacy while eating.
|-
| Fact check: Singer Billie Eilish was born ''years'' after the TWA Flight 800 explosion
| A link between {{w|Billie Eilish}} (born December 2001) and the {{w|TWA Flight 800}} crash in July 1996. No malicious or terrorist activity was found by the investigation, but {{w|TWA Flight 800 conspiracy theories|conspiracy theories abounded}} in its aftermath. Eilish's lyrics and videos often explore death and macabre themes, such as [https://youtu.be/-PZsSWwc9xA?si=TJ6Xk1CTdNbWsYCK a prominent "fallen angel" motif].
|-
| Vaccinated people can remove their hats without trouble by tugging upward, say doctors
| Vaccination has long been the subject of many, many conspiracy theories about potential side effects; this article could be commenting on any number of such, from claims that vaccines magnetize people (popular in June 2021), that vaccines cause one's head to swell thus making hats become tight, that vaccination makes one's head sticky or fuse to one's hat, that vaccination causes hats to become tighter, that vaccination causes one's inability to raise one's arm high enough to tug one's hat upward.
|-
| Physicists say Dorito powder is affected by gravity
| A claim that {{w|Doritos}} powder is not affected by gravity. For example, an anecdote around a local businessman discovering that objects levitate when sufficient powder is applied to them, or people misunderstanding dust floating under atmospheric turbulence as evidence of "antigravity".
|-
| Steering wheels will work normally on Dec 12th; make left and right turns as usual
| Faults (perhaps due to failures in the power steering system), triggered for example by solar storms, latent software bugs, a deliberate software hack, or some unknown phenomenon, will cause cars to steer erratically on that date. Superstition may be blamed for such rumors, or deliberate malice, inducing people to reverse their steering gestures and lose control.
|-
| CNN investigation: Santa's skin is dry and healthy this year, with the same amount of oil as before
| {{w|Santa Claus}} is suffering from oily skin, which can cause acne. Skin conditions may be caused by a diet of whisky, cookies and milk, causing parents to feel guilty for leaving treats on the fireplace overnight. CNN appears to tacitly reveal that Santa Claus is a real person, or just keeping up the {{w|kayfabe}} for children, in the tradition of "{{w|Yes, Virginia, there is a Santa Claus}}".
|-
| (Title text) Mark Zuckerberg has only neutral feelings toward Peppa Pig, who he understands is a fictional character, and he blames the coronavirus pandemic on other factors.
| That the founder of Facebook ({{w|Mark Zuckerberg}}) has strongly negative feelings toward the cartoon character {{w|Peppa Pig}}, believing her to be a real talking pig and the cause of the COVID-19 pandemic, or maybe that he is a fan with some out-of-control behaviors towards "her". May be a reference to a [https://www.reuters.com/world/uk/uk-pm-johnson-briefly-lost-words-speech-business-2021-11-22 recent speech] by UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson in which he expressed admiration for Peppa, much to the bewilderment of journalists.
|}

==Transcript==
:[Several news headlines are shown in boxes.]
:[Box 1] AP photos show Dr. Fauci's office contains a normal number of microwaves
:[Box 2] Fact check: singer Billie Eilish was born ''years'' after the TWA Flight 800 explosion
:[Box 3] Vaccinated people can remove their hats without trouble by tugging upward, say doctors
:[Box 4] Physicists say Dorito powder is affected by gravity
:[Box 5] Steering wheels will work normally on Dec 12th; make left and right turns as usual
:[Box 6] CNN investigation: Santa's skin is dry and healthy this year, with the same amount of oil as before
:[Caption below the panel:]
:I don't know whether the "Don't repeat the claim in the headline debunking it" thing works or not, but it definitely makes reading the news weird.

{{comic discussion}}
[[Category:COVID-19]]
[[Category:Comics featuring real people]]
[[Category:Biology]]
[[Category:Physics]]
[[Category:Conspiracy theory]]
[[Category:Fiction]]
[[Category:Christmas]]

2551: Debunking

2026-02-11T23:31:20Z

Elizium23: tin foil hat

{{comic
| number = 2551
| date = December 6, 2021
| title = Debunking
| image = debunking.png
| titletext = Mark Zuckerberg has only neutral feelings toward Peppa Pig, who he understands is a fictional character, and he blames the coronavirus pandemic on other factors.
}}

==Explanation==
When writing a news article that "debunks" a claim (shows why it is false), writing its headline in the form "X is false" is [https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/words-matter/201807/when-correcting-lie-dont-repeat-it-do-instead-2 discouraged]. The reason is that just repeatedly seeing "X", even if negated or followed by "is false", can make readers subconsciously believe it.

To avoid this, Randall as a journalist has worded his debunking articles in a positive sense. This makes for a confusing read if the reader has not heard of the original claim. The "original claims" allegedly being debunked here don't actually appear to have been made anywhere, and can only be inferred from the debunking.

Much of the debunking relies on setting simple facts straight, making for bizarrely banal headlines.

===Table===
{| class="wikitable"
!Article Headline
!Possible claim being debunked
|-
| AP photos show that Dr. Fauci's office contains a normal number of microwaves
| That {{w|Anthony Fauci}}'s office is subject to excessive microwaves, possibly an attack against Dr Fauci or as a weapon employed by him against visitors. In 2021, Fauci was the head of the {{w| National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases}} and chief medical advisor to President Trump. He was seen as the public face to the COVID-19 response in that country.

An early conspiracy theory proposed that newly-installed 5G towers for mobile network access were emitting harmful "microwaves" that caused the infections. Conversely, [https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC9794489/#sec4 a study concluded] that heating food in microwave ovens was an excellent method of deactivating such a type of coronavirus.

US diplomats have been altering their lives due to rumors of a {{w|Havana syndrome}}, which are unexplained health problems and symptoms that some blamed on a hypothetical microwave weapon of unknown design. Microwave radiation is blamed by a number of conspiracy theories for health problems or manipulation of the public, giving rise to the {{w|tin foil hat}} meme.

However, because the headline references ''photographs'' to debunk the claim, the news article is apparently talking about the number of microwave ''ovens'' in his office. Either there is some miscommunication between the conspiracy theorists and debunkers, or the original claimant was fixated on Fauci's office appliances for some reason. Or they thought Fauci really liked microwave ovens.
The vague phrasing also implies that the number of microwaves pictured may be larger than most people would consider "normal" for an office, and that the article is defending that large number as "normal". Since microwaves are not typical office equipment{{Citation needed}}, most offices will only have one or two microwaves in the break room, though someone with a private office (as Dr. Fauci has) might bring one of their own to have more privacy while eating.
|-
| Fact check: Singer Billie Eilish was born ''years'' after the TWA Flight 800 explosion
| A link between {{w|Billie Eilish}} (born December 2001) and the {{w|TWA Flight 800}} crash in July 1996. No malicious or terrorist activity was found by the investigation, but {{w|TWA Flight 800 conspiracy theories|conspiracy theories abounded}} in its aftermath. Eilish's lyrics and videos often explore death and macabre themes, such as [https://youtu.be/-PZsSWwc9xA?si=TJ6Xk1CTdNbWsYCK a prominent "fallen angel" motif].
|-
| Vaccinated people can remove their hats without trouble by tugging upward, say doctors
| Vaccination has long been the subject of many, many conspiracy theories about potential side effects; this article could be commenting on any number of such, from claims that vaccines magnetize people (popular in June 2021), that vaccines cause one's head to swell thus making hats become tight, that vaccination makes one's head sticky or fuse to one's hat, that vaccination causes hats to become tighter, that vaccination causes one's inability to raise one's arm high enough to tug one's hat upward.
|-
| Physicists say Dorito powder is affected by gravity
| A claim that {{w|Doritos}} powder is not affected by gravity. For example, an anecdote around a local businessman discovering that objects levitate when sufficient powder is applied to them, or people misunderstanding dust floating under atmospheric turbulence as evidence of "antigravity".
|-
| Steering wheels will work normally on Dec 12th; make left and right turns as usual
| Faults (perhaps due to failures in the power steering system), triggered for example by solar storms, latent software bugs, a deliberate software hack, or some unknown phenomenon, will cause cars to steer erratically on that date. Superstition may be blamed for such rumors, or deliberate malice, inducing people to reverse their steering gestures and lose control.
|-
| CNN investigation: Santa's skin is dry and healthy this year, with the same amount of oil as before
| {{w|Santa Claus}} is suffering from oily skin, which can cause acne. Skin conditions may be caused by a diet of whisky, cookies and milk, causing parents to feel guilty for leaving treats on the fireplace overnight. CNN appears to tacitly reveal that Santa Claus is a real person, or just keeping up the {{w|kayfabe}} for children, in the tradition of "{{w|Yes, Virginia, there is a Santa Claus}}".
|-
| (Title text) Mark Zuckerberg has only neutral feelings toward Peppa Pig, who he understands is a fictional character, and he blames the coronavirus pandemic on other factors.
| That the founder of Facebook ({{w|Mark Zuckerberg}}) has strongly negative feelings toward the cartoon character {{w|Peppa Pig}}, believing her to be a real talking pig and the cause of the COVID-19 pandemic, or maybe that he is a fan with some out-of-control behaviors towards "her". May be a reference to a [https://www.reuters.com/world/uk/uk-pm-johnson-briefly-lost-words-speech-business-2021-11-22 recent speech] by UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson in which he expressed admiration for Peppa, much to the bewilderment of journalists.
|}

==Transcript==
:[Several news headlines are shown in boxes.]
:[Box 1] AP photos show Dr. Fauci's office contains a normal number of microwaves
:[Box 2] Fact check: singer Billie Eilish was born ''years'' after the TWA Flight 800 explosion
:[Box 3] Vaccinated people can remove their hats without trouble by tugging upward, say doctors
:[Box 4] Physicists say Dorito powder is affected by gravity
:[Box 5] Steering wheels will work normally on Dec 12th; make left and right turns as usual
:[Box 6] CNN investigation: Santa's skin is dry and healthy this year, with the same amount of oil as before
:[Caption below the panel:]
:I don't know whether the "Don't repeat the claim in the headline debunking it" thing works or not, but it definitely makes reading the news weird.

{{comic discussion}}
[[Category:COVID-19]]
[[Category:Comics featuring real people]]
[[Category:Biology]]
[[Category:Physics]]
[[Category:Conspiracy theory]]
[[Category:Fiction]]
[[Category:Christmas]]

2551: Debunking

2026-02-11T23:27:10Z

Elizium23: quotes

{{comic
| number = 2551
| date = December 6, 2021
| title = Debunking
| image = debunking.png
| titletext = Mark Zuckerberg has only neutral feelings toward Peppa Pig, who he understands is a fictional character, and he blames the coronavirus pandemic on other factors.
}}

==Explanation==
When writing a news article that "debunks" a claim (shows why it is false), writing its headline in the form "X is false" is [https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/words-matter/201807/when-correcting-lie-dont-repeat-it-do-instead-2 discouraged]. The reason is that just repeatedly seeing "X", even if negated or followed by "is false", can make readers subconsciously believe it.

To avoid this, Randall as a journalist has worded his debunking articles in a positive sense. This makes for a confusing read if the reader has not heard of the original claim. The "original claims" allegedly being debunked here don't actually appear to have been made anywhere, and can only be inferred from the debunking.

Much of the debunking relies on setting simple facts straight, making for bizarrely banal headlines.

===Table===
{| class="wikitable"
!Article Headline
!Possible claim being debunked
|-
| AP photos show that Dr. Fauci's office contains a normal number of microwaves
| That {{w|Anthony Fauci}}'s office is subject to excessive microwaves, possibly an attack against Dr Fauci or as a weapon employed by him against visitors. In 2021, Fauci was the head of the {{w| National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases}} and chief medical advisor to President Trump. He was seen as the public face to the COVID-19 response in that country.

An early conspiracy theory proposed that newly-installed 5G towers for mobile network access were emitting harmful "microwaves" that caused the infections. Conversely, [https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC9794489/#sec4 a study concluded] that heating food in microwave ovens was an excellent method of deactivating such a type of coronavirus.

US diplomats have been altering their lives due to an unexplained {{w|Havana syndrome}}, an early theory for which has been use of a microwave weapon. Microwaves can be part of a number of conspiracy theories ranging from health problems or manipulation of the public. However, because the headline references ''photographs'' to debunk the claim, the news article is apparently talking about the number of microwave ''ovens'' in his office. Either there is some miscommunication between the conspiracy theorists and debunkers, or the original claimant was fixated on Fauci's office appliances for some reason. Or they thought Fauci really liked microwave ovens.
The vague phrasing also implies that the number of microwaves pictured may be larger than most people would consider "normal" for an office, and that the article is defending that large number as "normal". Since microwaves are not typical office equipment{{Citation needed}}, most offices will only have one or two microwaves in the break room, though someone with a private office (as Dr. Fauci has) might bring one of their own to have more privacy while eating.
|-
| Fact check: Singer Billie Eilish was born ''years'' after the TWA Flight 800 explosion
| A link between {{w|Billie Eilish}} (born December 2001) and the {{w|TWA Flight 800}} crash in July 1996. No malicious or terrorist activity was found by the investigation, but {{w|TWA Flight 800 conspiracy theories|conspiracy theories abounded}} in its aftermath. Eilish's lyrics and videos often explore death and macabre themes, such as [https://youtu.be/-PZsSWwc9xA?si=TJ6Xk1CTdNbWsYCK a prominent "fallen angel" motif].
|-
| Vaccinated people can remove their hats without trouble by tugging upward, say doctors
| Vaccination has long been the subject of many, many conspiracy theories about potential side effects; this article could be commenting on any number of such, from claims that vaccines magnetize people (popular in June 2021), that vaccines cause one's head to swell thus making hats become tight, that vaccination makes one's head sticky or fuse to one's hat, that vaccination causes hats to become tighter, that vaccination causes one's inability to raise one's arm high enough to tug one's hat upward.
|-
| Physicists say Dorito powder is affected by gravity
| A claim that {{w|Doritos}} powder is not affected by gravity. For example, an anecdote around a local businessman discovering that objects levitate when sufficient powder is applied to them, or people misunderstanding dust floating under atmospheric turbulence as evidence of "antigravity".
|-
| Steering wheels will work normally on Dec 12th; make left and right turns as usual
| Faults (perhaps due to failures in the power steering system), triggered for example by solar storms, latent software bugs, a deliberate software hack, or some unknown phenomenon, will cause cars to steer erratically on that date. Superstition may be blamed for such rumors, or deliberate malice, inducing people to reverse their steering gestures and lose control.
|-
| CNN investigation: Santa's skin is dry and healthy this year, with the same amount of oil as before
| {{w|Santa Claus}} is suffering from oily skin, which can cause acne. Skin conditions may be caused by a diet of whisky, cookies and milk, causing parents to feel guilty for leaving treats on the fireplace overnight. CNN appears to tacitly reveal that Santa Claus is a real person, or just keeping up the {{w|kayfabe}} for children, in the tradition of "{{w|Yes, Virginia, there is a Santa Claus}}".
|-
| (Title text) Mark Zuckerberg has only neutral feelings toward Peppa Pig, who he understands is a fictional character, and he blames the coronavirus pandemic on other factors.
| That the founder of Facebook ({{w|Mark Zuckerberg}}) has strongly negative feelings toward the cartoon character {{w|Peppa Pig}}, believing her to be a real talking pig and the cause of the COVID-19 pandemic, or maybe that he is a fan with some out-of-control behaviors towards "her". May be a reference to a [https://www.reuters.com/world/uk/uk-pm-johnson-briefly-lost-words-speech-business-2021-11-22 recent speech] by UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson in which he expressed admiration for Peppa, much to the bewilderment of journalists.
|}

==Transcript==
:[Several news headlines are shown in boxes.]
:[Box 1] AP photos show Dr. Fauci's office contains a normal number of microwaves
:[Box 2] Fact check: singer Billie Eilish was born ''years'' after the TWA Flight 800 explosion
:[Box 3] Vaccinated people can remove their hats without trouble by tugging upward, say doctors
:[Box 4] Physicists say Dorito powder is affected by gravity
:[Box 5] Steering wheels will work normally on Dec 12th; make left and right turns as usual
:[Box 6] CNN investigation: Santa's skin is dry and healthy this year, with the same amount of oil as before
:[Caption below the panel:]
:I don't know whether the "Don't repeat the claim in the headline debunking it" thing works or not, but it definitely makes reading the news weird.

{{comic discussion}}
[[Category:COVID-19]]
[[Category:Comics featuring real people]]
[[Category:Biology]]
[[Category:Physics]]
[[Category:Conspiracy theory]]
[[Category:Fiction]]
[[Category:Christmas]]

2551: Debunking

2026-02-11T23:26:46Z

Elizium23: per talk

{{comic
| number = 2551
| date = December 6, 2021
| title = Debunking
| image = debunking.png
| titletext = Mark Zuckerberg has only neutral feelings toward Peppa Pig, who he understands is a fictional character, and he blames the coronavirus pandemic on other factors.
}}

==Explanation==
When writing a news article that "debunks" a claim (shows why it is false), writing its headline in the form "X is false" is [https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/words-matter/201807/when-correcting-lie-dont-repeat-it-do-instead-2 discouraged]. The reason is that just repeatedly seeing "X", even if negated or followed by "is false", can make readers subconsciously believe it.

To avoid this, Randall as a journalist has worded his debunking articles in a positive sense. This makes for a confusing read if the reader has not heard of the original claim. The "original claims" allegedly being debunked here don't actually appear to have been made anywhere, and can only be inferred from the debunking.

Much of the debunking relies on setting simple facts straight, making for bizarrely banal headlines.

===Table===
{| class="wikitable"
!Article Headline
!Possible claim being debunked
|-
| AP photos show that Dr. Fauci's office contains a normal number of microwaves
| That {{w|Anthony Fauci}}'s office is subject to excessive microwaves, possibly an attack against Dr Fauci or as a weapon employed by him against visitors. In 2021, Fauci was the head of the {{w| National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases}} and chief medical advisor to President Trump. He was seen as the public face to the COVID-19 response in that country.

An early conspiracy theory proposed that newly-installed 5G towers for mobile network access were emitting harmful "microwaves" that caused the infections. Conversely, [https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC9794489/#sec4 a study concluded] that heating food in microwave ovens was an excellent method of deactivating such a type of coronavirus.

US diplomats have been altering their lives due to an unexplained {{w|Havana syndrome}}, an early theory for which has been use of a microwave weapon. Microwaves can be part of a number of conspiracy theories ranging from health problems or manipulation of the public. However, because the headline references ''photographs'' to debunk the claim, the news article is apparently talking about the number of microwave ''ovens'' in his office. Either there is some miscommunication between the conspiracy theorists and debunkers, or the original claimant was fixated on Fauci's office appliances for some reason. Or they thought Fauci really liked microwave ovens.
The vague phrasing also implies that the number of microwaves pictured may be larger than most people would consider "normal" for an office, and that the article is defending that large number as "normal". Since microwaves are not typical office equipment{{Citation needed}}, most offices will only have one or two microwaves in the break room, though someone with a private office (as Dr. Fauci has) might bring one of their own to have more privacy while eating.
|-
| Fact check: Singer Billie Eilish was born ''years'' after the TWA Flight 800 explosion
| A link between {{w|Billie Eilish}} (born December 2001) and the {{w|TWA Flight 800}} crash in July 1996. No malicious or terrorist activity was found by the investigation, but {{w|TWA Flight 800 conspiracy theories|conspiracy theories abounded}} in its aftermath. Eilish's lyrics and videos often explore death and macabre themes, such as [https://youtu.be/-PZsSWwc9xA?si=TJ6Xk1CTdNbWsYCK a prominent "fallen angel" motif].
|-
| Vaccinated people can remove their hats without trouble by tugging upward, say doctors
| Vaccination has long been the subject of many, many conspiracy theories about potential side effects; this article could be commenting on any number of such, from claims that vaccines magnetize people (popular in June 2021), that vaccines cause one's head to swell thus making hats become tight, that vaccination makes one's head sticky or fuse to one's hat, that vaccination causes hats to become tighter, that vaccination causes one's inability to raise one's arm high enough to tug one's hat upward.
|-
| Physicists say Dorito powder is affected by gravity
| A claim that {{w|Doritos}} powder is not affected by gravity. For example, an anecdote around a local businessman discovering that objects levitate when sufficient powder is applied to them, or people misunderstanding dust floating under atmospheric turbulence as evidence of "antigravity".
|-
| Steering wheels will work normally on Dec 12th; make left and right turns as usual
| Faults (perhaps due to failures in the power steering system), triggered for example by solar storms, latent software bugs, a deliberate software hack, or some unknown phenomenon, will cause cars to steer erratically on that date. Superstition may be blamed for such rumors, or deliberate malice, inducing people to reverse their steering gestures and lose control.
|-
| CNN investigation: Santa's skin is dry and healthy this year, with the same amount of oil as before
| {{w|Santa Claus}} is suffering from oily skin, which can cause acne. Skin conditions may be caused by a diet of whisky, cookies and milk, causing parents to feel guilty for leaving treats on the fireplace overnight. CNN appears to tacitly reveal that Santa Claus is a real person, or just keeping up the {{w|kayfabe}} for children, in the tradition of {{w|Yes, Virginia, there is a Santa Claus}}.
|-
| (Title text) Mark Zuckerberg has only neutral feelings toward Peppa Pig, who he understands is a fictional character, and he blames the coronavirus pandemic on other factors.
| That the founder of Facebook ({{w|Mark Zuckerberg}}) has strongly negative feelings toward the cartoon character {{w|Peppa Pig}}, believing her to be a real talking pig and the cause of the COVID-19 pandemic, or maybe that he is a fan with some out-of-control behaviors towards "her". May be a reference to a [https://www.reuters.com/world/uk/uk-pm-johnson-briefly-lost-words-speech-business-2021-11-22 recent speech] by UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson in which he expressed admiration for Peppa, much to the bewilderment of journalists.
|}

==Transcript==
:[Several news headlines are shown in boxes.]
:[Box 1] AP photos show Dr. Fauci's office contains a normal number of microwaves
:[Box 2] Fact check: singer Billie Eilish was born ''years'' after the TWA Flight 800 explosion
:[Box 3] Vaccinated people can remove their hats without trouble by tugging upward, say doctors
:[Box 4] Physicists say Dorito powder is affected by gravity
:[Box 5] Steering wheels will work normally on Dec 12th; make left and right turns as usual
:[Box 6] CNN investigation: Santa's skin is dry and healthy this year, with the same amount of oil as before
:[Caption below the panel:]
:I don't know whether the "Don't repeat the claim in the headline debunking it" thing works or not, but it definitely makes reading the news weird.

{{comic discussion}}
[[Category:COVID-19]]
[[Category:Comics featuring real people]]
[[Category:Biology]]
[[Category:Physics]]
[[Category:Conspiracy theory]]
[[Category:Fiction]]
[[Category:Christmas]]

2551: Debunking

2026-02-11T23:24:31Z

Elizium23:

{{comic
| number = 2551
| date = December 6, 2021
| title = Debunking
| image = debunking.png
| titletext = Mark Zuckerberg has only neutral feelings toward Peppa Pig, who he understands is a fictional character, and he blames the coronavirus pandemic on other factors.
}}

==Explanation==
When writing a news article that "debunks" a claim (shows why it is false), writing its headline in the form "X is false" is [https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/words-matter/201807/when-correcting-lie-dont-repeat-it-do-instead-2 discouraged]. The reason is that just repeatedly seeing "X", even if negated or followed by "is false", can make readers subconsciously believe it.

To avoid this, Randall as a journalist has worded his debunking articles in a positive sense. This makes for a confusing read if the reader has not heard of the original claim. The "original claims" allegedly being debunked here don't actually appear to have been made anywhere, and can only be inferred from the debunking.

Much of the debunking relies on setting simple facts straight, making for bizarrely banal headlines.

===Table===
{| class="wikitable"
!Article Headline
!Possible claim being debunked
|-
| AP photos show that Dr. Fauci's office contains a normal number of microwaves
| That {{w|Anthony Fauci}}'s office is subject to excessive microwaves, possibly an attack against Dr Fauci or as a weapon employed by him against visitors. In 2021, Fauci was the head of the {{w| National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases}} and chief medical advisor to President Trump. He was seen as the public face to the COVID-19 response in that country.

An early conspiracy theory proposed that newly-installed 5G towers for mobile network access were emitting harmful "microwaves" that caused the infections. Conversely, [https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC9794489/#sec4 a study concluded] that heating food in microwave ovens was an excellent method of deactivating such a type of coronavirus.

US diplomats have been altering their lives due to an unexplained {{w|Havana syndrome}}, an early theory for which has been use of a microwave weapon. Microwaves can be part of a number of conspiracy theories ranging from health problems or manipulation of the public. However, because the headline references ''photographs'' to debunk the claim, the news article is apparently talking about the number of microwave ''ovens'' in his office. Either there is some miscommunication between the conspiracy theorists and debunkers, or the original claimant was fixated on Fauci's office appliances for some reason. Or they thought Fauci really liked microwave ovens.
The vague phrasing also implies that the number of microwaves pictured may be larger than most people would consider "normal" for an office, and that the article is defending that large number as "normal". Since microwaves are not typical office equipment{{Citation needed}}, most offices will only have one or two microwaves in the break room, though someone with a private office (as Dr. Fauci has) might bring one of their own to have more privacy while eating.
|-
| Fact check: Singer Billie Eilish was born ''years'' after the TWA Flight 800 explosion
| A link between {{w|Billie Eilish}} (born December 2001) and the {{w|TWA Flight 800}} crash in July 1996. No malicious or terrorist activity was found by the investigation, but {{w|TWA Flight 800 conspiracy theories|conspiracy theories abounded}} in its aftermath. Eilish's lyrics and videos often explore death and macabre themes, such as [https://youtu.be/-PZsSWwc9xA?si=TJ6Xk1CTdNbWsYCK a prominent "fallen angel" motif].
|-
| Vaccinated people can remove their hats without trouble by tugging upward, say doctors
| Vaccination has long been the subject of many, many conspiracy theories about potential side effects; this article could be commenting on any number of such, from claims that vaccines magnetize people (popular in June 2021), that vaccines cause one's head to swell thus making hats become tight, that vaccination makes one's head sticky or fuse to one's hat, that vaccination causes hats to become tighter, that vaccination causes one's inability to raise one's arm high enough to tug one's hat upward.
|-
| Physicists say Dorito powder is affected by gravity
| A claim that {{w|Doritos}} powder is not affected by gravity. For example, an anecdote around a local businessman discovering that objects levitate when sufficient powder is applied to them, or people misunderstanding dust floating under atmospheric turbulence as evidence of "antigravity".
|-
| Steering wheels will work normally on Dec 12th; make left and right turns as usual
| Faults (perhaps due to failures in the power steering system), triggered for example by solar storms, latent software bugs, a deliberate software hack, or some unknown phenomenon, will cause cars to steer erratically on that date. Superstition may be blamed for such rumors, or deliberate malice, inducing people to reverse their steering gestures and lose control.
|-
| CNN investigation: Santa's skin is dry and healthy this year, with the same amount of oil as before
| {{w|Santa Claus}} is suffering from oily skin, which can cause acne. Skin conditions may be caused by a diet of whisky, cookies and milk, causing parents to feel guilty for leaving treats on the fireplace overnight.
|-
| (Title text) Mark Zuckerberg has only neutral feelings toward Peppa Pig, who he understands is a fictional character, and he blames the coronavirus pandemic on other factors.
| That the founder of Facebook ({{w|Mark Zuckerberg}}) has strongly negative feelings toward the cartoon character {{w|Peppa Pig}}, believing her to be a real talking pig and the cause of the COVID-19 pandemic, or maybe that he is a fan with some out-of-control behaviors towards "her". May be a reference to a [https://www.reuters.com/world/uk/uk-pm-johnson-briefly-lost-words-speech-business-2021-11-22 recent speech] by UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson in which he expressed admiration for Peppa, much to the bewilderment of journalists.
|}

==Transcript==
:[Several news headlines are shown in boxes.]
:[Box 1] AP photos show Dr. Fauci's office contains a normal number of microwaves
:[Box 2] Fact check: singer Billie Eilish was born ''years'' after the TWA Flight 800 explosion
:[Box 3] Vaccinated people can remove their hats without trouble by tugging upward, say doctors
:[Box 4] Physicists say Dorito powder is affected by gravity
:[Box 5] Steering wheels will work normally on Dec 12th; make left and right turns as usual
:[Box 6] CNN investigation: Santa's skin is dry and healthy this year, with the same amount of oil as before
:[Caption below the panel:]
:I don't know whether the "Don't repeat the claim in the headline debunking it" thing works or not, but it definitely makes reading the news weird.

{{comic discussion}}
[[Category:COVID-19]]
[[Category:Comics featuring real people]]
[[Category:Biology]]
[[Category:Physics]]
[[Category:Conspiracy theory]]
[[Category:Fiction]]
[[Category:Christmas]]

2551: Debunking

2026-02-11T23:13:45Z

Elizium23:

{{comic
| number = 2551
| date = December 6, 2021
| title = Debunking
| image = debunking.png
| titletext = Mark Zuckerberg has only neutral feelings toward Peppa Pig, who he understands is a fictional character, and he blames the coronavirus pandemic on other factors.
}}

==Explanation==
When writing a news article that "debunks" a claim (shows why it is false), writing its headline in the form "X is false" is [https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/words-matter/201807/when-correcting-lie-dont-repeat-it-do-instead-2 discouraged]. The reason is that just repeatedly seeing "X", even if negated or followed by "is false", can make readers subconsciously believe it.

To avoid this, Randall as a journalist has worded his debunking articles in a positive sense. This makes for a confusing read if the reader has not heard of the original claim. The "original claims" allegedly being debunked here don't actually appear to have been made anywhere, and can only be inferred from the debunking.

Much of the debunking relies on setting simple facts straight, making for bizarrely banal headlines.

===Table===
{| class="wikitable"
!Article Headline
!Possible claim being debunked
|-
| AP photos show that Dr. Fauci's office contains a normal number of microwaves
| That {{w|Anthony Fauci}}'s office is subject to excessive microwaves, possibly an attack against Dr Fauci or as a weapon employed by him against visitors. Fauci is the head of the {{w| National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases}} in the US and is seen as the public face to the COVID-19 response in that country. US diplomats have been altering their lives due to an unexplained {{w|Havana syndrome}}, an early theory for which has been use of a microwave weapon. Microwaves can be part of a number of conspiracy theories ranging from health problems or manipulation of the public. However, because the headline references ''photographs'' to debunk the claim, the news article is apparently talking about the number of microwave ''ovens'' in his office. Either there is some miscommunication between the conspiracy theorists and debunkers, or the original claimant was fixated on Fauci's office appliances for some reason. Or they thought Fauci really liked microwave ovens.
The vague phrasing also implies that the number of microwaves pictured may be larger than most people would consider "normal" for an office, and that the article is defending that large number as "normal". Since microwaves are not typical office equipment{{Citation needed}}, most offices will only have one or two microwaves in the break room, though someone with a private office (as Dr. Fauci has) might bring one of their own to have more privacy while eating.
|-
| Fact check: Singer Billie Eilish was born ''years'' after the TWA Flight 800 explosion
| A link between {{w|Billie Eilish}} (born December 2001) and the {{w|TWA Flight 800}} crash in July 1996. No malicious or terrorist activity was found by the investigation, but {{w|TWA Flight 800 conspiracy theories|conspiracy theories abounded}} in its aftermath. Eilish's lyrics and videos often explore death and macabre themes, such as [https://youtu.be/-PZsSWwc9xA?si=TJ6Xk1CTdNbWsYCK a prominent "fallen angel" motif].
|-
| Vaccinated people can remove their hats without trouble by tugging upward, say doctors
| Vaccination has long been the subject of many, many conspiracy theories about potential side effects; this article could be commenting on any number of such, from claims that vaccines magnetize people (popular in June 2021), that vaccines cause one's head to swell thus making hats become tight, that vaccination makes one's head sticky or fuse to one's hat, that vaccination causes hats to become tighter, that vaccination causes one's inability to raise one's arm high enough to tug one's hat upward.
|-
| Physicists say Dorito powder is affected by gravity
| A claim that {{w|Doritos}} powder is not affected by gravity. For example, an anecdote around a local businessman discovering that objects levitate when sufficient powder is applied to them, or people misunderstanding dust floating under atmospheric turbulence as evidence of "antigravity".
|-
| Steering wheels will work normally on Dec 12th; make left and right turns as usual
| Faults (perhaps due to failures in the power steering system), triggered for example by solar storms, latent software bugs, a deliberate software hack, or some unknown phenomenon, will cause cars to steer erratically on that date. Superstition may be blamed for such rumors, or deliberate malice, inducing people to reverse their steering gestures and lose control.
|-
| CNN investigation: Santa's skin is dry and healthy this year, with the same amount of oil as before
| {{w|Santa Claus}} is suffering from oily skin, which can cause acne. Skin conditions may be caused by a diet of whisky, cookies and milk, causing parents to feel guilty for leaving treats on the fireplace overnight.
|-
| (Title text) Mark Zuckerberg has only neutral feelings toward Peppa Pig, who he understands is a fictional character, and he blames the coronavirus pandemic on other factors.
| That the founder of Facebook ({{w|Mark Zuckerberg}}) has strongly negative feelings toward the cartoon character {{w|Peppa Pig}}, believing her to be a real talking pig and the cause of the COVID-19 pandemic, or maybe that he is a fan with some out-of-control behaviors towards "her". May be a reference to a [https://www.reuters.com/world/uk/uk-pm-johnson-briefly-lost-words-speech-business-2021-11-22 recent speech] by UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson in which he expressed admiration for Peppa, much to the bewilderment of journalists.
|}

==Transcript==
:[Several news headlines are shown in boxes.]
:[Box 1] AP photos show Dr. Fauci's office contains a normal number of microwaves
:[Box 2] Fact check: singer Billie Eilish was born ''years'' after the TWA Flight 800 explosion
:[Box 3] Vaccinated people can remove their hats without trouble by tugging upward, say doctors
:[Box 4] Physicists say Dorito powder is affected by gravity
:[Box 5] Steering wheels will work normally on Dec 12th; make left and right turns as usual
:[Box 6] CNN investigation: Santa's skin is dry and healthy this year, with the same amount of oil as before
:[Caption below the panel:]
:I don't know whether the "Don't repeat the claim in the headline debunking it" thing works or not, but it definitely makes reading the news weird.

{{comic discussion}}
[[Category:COVID-19]]
[[Category:Comics featuring real people]]
[[Category:Biology]]
[[Category:Physics]]
[[Category:Conspiracy theory]]
[[Category:Fiction]]
[[Category:Christmas]]

2551: Debunking

2026-02-11T23:12:18Z

Elizium23:

{{comic
| number = 2551
| date = December 6, 2021
| title = Debunking
| image = debunking.png
| titletext = Mark Zuckerberg has only neutral feelings toward Peppa Pig, who he understands is a fictional character, and he blames the coronavirus pandemic on other factors.
}}

==Explanation==
When writing a news article that "debunks" a claim (shows why it is false), writing its headline in the form "X is false" is [https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/words-matter/201807/when-correcting-lie-dont-repeat-it-do-instead-2 discouraged]. The reason is that just repeatedly seeing "X", even if negated or followed by "is false", can make readers subconsciously believe it.

To avoid this, Randall as a journalist has worded his debunking articles in a positive sense. This makes for a confusing read if the reader has not heard of the original claim. The "original claims" allegedly being debunked here don't actually appear to have been made anywhere, and can only be inferred from the debunking.

Much of the debunking relies on setting simple facts straight, making for bizarrely banal headlines.

===Table===
{| class="wikitable"
!Article Headline
!Possible claim being debunked
|-
| AP photos show that Dr. Fauci's office contains a normal number of microwaves
| That {{w|Anthony Fauci}}'s office is subject to excessive microwaves, possibly an attack against Dr Fauci or as a weapon employed by him against visitors. Fauci is the head of the {{w| National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases}} in the US and is seen as the public face to the COVID-19 response in that country. US diplomats have been altering their lives due to an unexplained {{w|Havana syndrome}}, an early theory for which has been use of a microwave weapon. Microwaves can be part of a number of conspiracy theories ranging from health problems or manipulation of the public. However, because the headline references ''photographs'' to debunk the claim, the news article is apparently talking about the number of microwave ''ovens'' in his office. Either there is some miscommunication between the conspiracy theorists and debunkers, or the original claimant was fixated on Fauci's office appliances for some reason. Or they thought Fauci really liked microwave ovens.
The vague phrasing also implies that the number of microwaves pictured may be larger than most people would consider "normal" for an office, and that the article is defending that large number as "normal". Since microwaves are not typical office equipment{{Citation needed}}, most offices will only have one or two microwaves in the break room, though someone with a private office (as Dr. Fauci has) might bring one of their own to have more privacy while eating.
|-
| Fact check: Singer Billie Eilish was born ''years'' after the TWA Flight 800 explosion
| A link between {{w|Billie Eilish}} (born December 2001) and the {{w|TWA Flight 800}} crash in July 1996. No malicious or terrorist activity was found by the investigation, but {{w|TWA Flight 800 conspiracy theories|conspiracy theories abounded}} in its aftermath. Eilish's lyrics and videos often explore death and macabre themes, such as [https://youtu.be/-PZsSWwc9xA?si=TJ6Xk1CTdNbWsYCK a prominent "fallen angel" motif].
|-
| Vaccinated people can remove their hats without trouble by tugging upward, say doctors
| Vaccination has long been the subject of many, many conspiracy theories about potential side effects; this article could be commenting on any number of such, from claims that vaccines magnetize people (popular in June 2021), that vaccines cause one's head to swell thus making hats become tight, that vaccination makes one's head sticky or fuse to one's hat, that vaccination causes hats to become tighter, that vaccination causes one's inability to raise one's arm high enough to tug one's hat upward.
|-
| Physicists say Dorito powder is affected by gravity
| A claim that {{w|Doritos}} powder is not affected by gravity. For example, an anecdote around a local businessman discovering that objects levitate when sufficient powder is applied to them, or people misunderstanding dust floating under atmospheric turbulence as evidence of "antigravity".
|-
| Steering wheels will work normally on Dec 12th; make left and right turns as usual
| Faults (perhaps due to failures in the power steering system), triggered for example by solar storms, latent software bugs, a deliberate software hack, or some unknown phenomenon, will cause cars to steer erratically on that date. Superstition may be blamed for such rumors, or deliberate malice, inducing people to reverse their steering gestures and lose control.
|-
| CNN investigation: Santa's skin is dry and healthy this year, with the same amount of oil as before
| {{w|Santa Claus}} is suffering from oily skin, which can cause acne.
|-
| (Title text) Mark Zuckerberg has only neutral feelings toward Peppa Pig, who he understands is a fictional character, and he blames the coronavirus pandemic on other factors.
| That the founder of Facebook ({{w|Mark Zuckerberg}}) has strongly negative feelings toward the cartoon character {{w|Peppa Pig}}, believing her to be a real talking pig and the cause of the COVID-19 pandemic, or maybe that he is a fan with some out-of-control behaviors towards "her". May be a reference to a [https://www.reuters.com/world/uk/uk-pm-johnson-briefly-lost-words-speech-business-2021-11-22 recent speech] by UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson in which he expressed admiration for Peppa, much to the bewilderment of journalists.
|}

==Transcript==
:[Several news headlines are shown in boxes.]
:[Box 1] AP photos show Dr. Fauci's office contains a normal number of microwaves
:[Box 2] Fact check: singer Billie Eilish was born ''years'' after the TWA Flight 800 explosion
:[Box 3] Vaccinated people can remove their hats without trouble by tugging upward, say doctors
:[Box 4] Physicists say Dorito powder is affected by gravity
:[Box 5] Steering wheels will work normally on Dec 12th; make left and right turns as usual
:[Box 6] CNN investigation: Santa's skin is dry and healthy this year, with the same amount of oil as before
:[Caption below the panel:]
:I don't know whether the "Don't repeat the claim in the headline debunking it" thing works or not, but it definitely makes reading the news weird.

{{comic discussion}}
[[Category:COVID-19]]
[[Category:Comics featuring real people]]
[[Category:Biology]]
[[Category:Physics]]
[[Category:Conspiracy theory]]
[[Category:Fiction]]
[[Category:Christmas]]

2551: Debunking

2026-02-11T23:11:17Z

Elizium23: shortened this out. See talk. Until anyone can make a solid connection back to the actual material.

{{comic
| number = 2551
| date = December 6, 2021
| title = Debunking
| image = debunking.png
| titletext = Mark Zuckerberg has only neutral feelings toward Peppa Pig, who he understands is a fictional character, and he blames the coronavirus pandemic on other factors.
}}

==Explanation==
When writing a news article that "debunks" a claim (shows why it is false), writing its headline in the form "X is false" is [https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/words-matter/201807/when-correcting-lie-dont-repeat-it-do-instead-2 discouraged]. The reason is that just repeatedly seeing "X", even if negated or followed by "is false", can make readers subconsciously believe it.

To avoid this, Randall as a journalist has worded his debunking articles in a positive sense. This makes for a confusing read if the reader has not heard of the original claim. The "original claims" allegedly being debunked here don't actually appear to have been made anywhere, and can only be inferred from the debunking.

Much of the debunking relies on setting simple facts straight, making for bizarrely banal headlines.

===Table===
{| class="wikitable"
!Article Headline
!Possible claim being debunked
|-
| AP photos show that Dr. Fauci's office contains a normal number of microwaves
| That {{w|Anthony Fauci}}'s office is subject to excessive microwaves, possibly an attack against Dr Fauci or as a weapon employed by him against visitors. Fauci is the head of the {{w| National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases}} in the US and is seen as the public face to the COVID-19 response in that country. US diplomats have been altering their lives due to an unexplained {{w|Havana syndrome}}, an early theory for which has been use of a microwave weapon. Microwaves can be part of a number of conspiracy theories ranging from health problems or manipulation of the public. However, because the headline references ''photographs'' to debunk the claim, the news article is apparently talking about the number of microwave ''ovens'' in his office. Either there is some miscommunication between the conspiracy theorists and debunkers, or the original claimant was fixated on Fauci's office appliances for some reason. Or they thought Fauci really liked microwave ovens.
The vague phrasing also implies that the number of microwaves pictured may be larger than most people would consider "normal" for an office, and that the article is defending that large number as "normal". Since microwaves are not typical office equipment{{Citation needed}}, most offices will only have one or two microwaves in the break room, though someone with a private office (as Dr. Fauci has) might bring one of their own to have more privacy while eating.
|-
| Fact check: Singer Billie Eilish was born ''years'' after the TWA Flight 800 explosion
| A link between {{w|Billie Eilish}} (born December 2001) and the {{w|TWA Flight 800}} crash in July 1996. No malicious or terrorist activity was found by the investigation, but {{w|TWA Flight 800 conspiracy theories|conspiracy theories abounded}} in its aftermath. Eilish's lyrics and videos often explore death and macabre themes, such as [https://youtu.be/-PZsSWwc9xA?si=TJ6Xk1CTdNbWsYCK a prominent "fallen angel" motif].
|-
| Vaccinated people can remove their hats without trouble by tugging upward, say doctors
| Vaccination has long been the subject of many, many conspiracy theories about potential side effects; this article could be commenting on any number of such, from claims that vaccines magnetize people (popular in June 2021), that vaccines cause one's head to swell thus making hats become tight, that vaccination makes one's head sticky or fuse to one's hat, that vaccination causes hats to become tighter, that vaccination causes one's inability to raise one's arm high enough to tug one's hat upward.
|-
| Physicists say Dorito powder is affected by gravity
| A claim that {{w|Doritos}} powder is not affected by gravity. For example, an anecdote around a local businessman discovering that objects levitate when sufficient powder is applied to them, or people misunderstanding dust floating under atmospheric turbulence as evidence of "antigravity".
|-
| Steering wheels will work normally on Dec 12th; make left and right turns as usual
| Faults (perhaps due to failures in the power steering system), triggered for example by solar storms, latent software bugs, a deliberate software hack, or some unknown phenomenon, will cause cars to steer erratically on that date. Superstition may be blamed for such rumors.
|-
| CNN investigation: Santa's skin is dry and healthy this year, with the same amount of oil as before
| {{w|Santa Claus}} is suffering from oily skin, which can cause acne.
|-
| (Title text) Mark Zuckerberg has only neutral feelings toward Peppa Pig, who he understands is a fictional character, and he blames the coronavirus pandemic on other factors.
| That the founder of Facebook ({{w|Mark Zuckerberg}}) has strongly negative feelings toward the cartoon character {{w|Peppa Pig}}, believing her to be a real talking pig and the cause of the COVID-19 pandemic, or maybe that he is a fan with some out-of-control behaviors towards "her". May be a reference to a [https://www.reuters.com/world/uk/uk-pm-johnson-briefly-lost-words-speech-business-2021-11-22 recent speech] by UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson in which he expressed admiration for Peppa, much to the bewilderment of journalists.
|}

==Transcript==
:[Several news headlines are shown in boxes.]
:[Box 1] AP photos show Dr. Fauci's office contains a normal number of microwaves
:[Box 2] Fact check: singer Billie Eilish was born ''years'' after the TWA Flight 800 explosion
:[Box 3] Vaccinated people can remove their hats without trouble by tugging upward, say doctors
:[Box 4] Physicists say Dorito powder is affected by gravity
:[Box 5] Steering wheels will work normally on Dec 12th; make left and right turns as usual
:[Box 6] CNN investigation: Santa's skin is dry and healthy this year, with the same amount of oil as before
:[Caption below the panel:]
:I don't know whether the "Don't repeat the claim in the headline debunking it" thing works or not, but it definitely makes reading the news weird.

{{comic discussion}}
[[Category:COVID-19]]
[[Category:Comics featuring real people]]
[[Category:Biology]]
[[Category:Physics]]
[[Category:Conspiracy theory]]
[[Category:Fiction]]
[[Category:Christmas]]

Talk:2551: Debunking

2026-02-11T23:09:56Z

Elizium23:

feels like we should address the factual accuracy of the headlines in this comic, ie point out which actual headlines/claims are being referred to by each, if any? - [[User:Vaedez|Vaedez]] ([[User talk:Vaedez|talk]]) 05:35, 7 December 2021 (UTC)

If CNN comments on Santa's skin situation, doesn't that implicitly mean they are claiming Santa to be real (Spoiler alert: he isn't){{Citation needed}}? [[Special:Contributions/162.158.88.103|162.158.88.103]] 08:49, 7 December 2021 (UTC)
:or else they're simply avoiding "giving away the secret" to younger readers; though yes, in that case why publish the counterargument at all? - [[User:Vaedez|Vaedez]] ([[User talk:Vaedez|talk]]) 08:53, 7 December 2021 (UTC)

i'm sorry I seem to have lost my place [[User:Arachrah|Arachrah]] ([[User talk:Arachrah|talk]]) 10:08, 7 December 2021 (UTC)

In the table it is mentioned that normal offices do not have microwave radiation. However, mobile phones use frequencies in the microwave band for communication. The same holds true for wireless networks (2.4 or 5 GHz is microwave radiation). [[Special:Contributions/162.158.92.183|162.158.92.183]] 10:32, 7 December 2021 (UTC)
:Is the 'number of microwaves' in the headline a reference to intensity of electromagnetic oscillations, or is it intended to be short for 'microwave ovens'? I had totally assumed the former (especially given the context). The idea that it could be referencing an appliance did not occur to me at all until reading the suggestion in the table that there would normally be "zero, with perhaps one or two in a break area," which took me a few beats to process. Personally I'm more fond of my original interpretation, but I'm starting to feel that it could be, uhm, debunked (although I suppose with digital technology and the right junction bandgap 'microwave photos' could be a thing).
::Doesn't this have to do with the whole craze there was about COVID being caused by 5G towers? [[Special:Contributions/141.101.69.104|141.101.69.104]] 08:56, 11 December 2021 (UTC)

The Dorito debunking may be related to a rumour you can find via the search term dorito-powder-hoax. [[Special:Contributions/162.158.90.161|162.158.90.161]] 10:45, 7 December 2021 (UTC)
: I'm thinking the headline would be along the lines of Doritos, the company, intentionally making powder that somehow defies gravity in order to cause irritation to consumers of the chips, in some kind of exotic mass social experiment about people's addiction to chips vs their exposure to unpleasant hygiene. I'm betting that most of the headlines here are some kind of 'extremification' of existing conspiracies. [[Special:Contributions/172.70.114.105|172.70.114.105]] 11:37, 7 December 2021 (UTC)
::I think the Doritos myth has simply to do with the fact that it's so sticky 😂 [[Special:Contributions/141.101.69.104|141.101.69.104]] 08:56, 11 December 2021 (UTC)

I think Randall missed an opportunity here to tie this into the Real Name of the Bear comics - refuting a conspiracy theory about bears while simultaneously refusing to name the theory or the animal involved. [[Special:Contributions/162.158.75.97|162.158.75.97]] 11:39, 7 December 2021 (UTC)Pat

Is there any reason why the Peppa Pig/Zuckerburg headline is cut off? [[User:Kvarts314|Kvarts314]] ([[User talk:Kvarts314|talk]]) 12:02, 7 December 2021 (UTC)
:Doesn't seem cut off to me. [[User:Fabian42|Fabian42]] ([[User talk:Fabian42|talk]]) 14:55, 7 December 2021 (UTC)
::In the table with the possible original claims that are debunked[[Special:Contributions/162.158.90.161|162.158.90.161]] 15:52, 7 December 2021 (UTC)
:::Oh. Probably to not make that row of the table too high. You can edit it, if you want. [[User:Fabian42|Fabian42]] ([[User talk:Fabian42|talk]]) 16:12, 7 December 2021 (UTC)
::::yeah, i was aiming to fit the headline on a single line; i wasn't sure how else to abbreviate it other than ellipses - [[User:Vaedez|Vaedez]] ([[User talk:Vaedez|talk]]) 18:00, 7 December 2021 (UTC)
:::::Pff, it's easy to put it on two lines even! "'''TT:''MZuckHasOnlyNeutr.feel.tow.PeppaPig,whoHe u-st.isAFict.char.&heBl.t.cor-v.pand.onOth.factors." Totally understandable! [[User:Fabian42|Fabian42]] ([[User talk:Fabian42|talk]]) 23:46, 7 December 2021 (UTC)

I see these kinds of headlines all the time recently: "Corona vaccine does not cause higher probability of [random obscure side effect I've never heard about]" [[User:Fabian42|Fabian42]] ([[User talk:Fabian42|talk]]) 14:55, 7 December 2021 (UTC)

Since this comic was published in December 2021, "Dec 12th" is probably intended to refer to 12 December 2021, which I suspect might be a reference to 21 December 2012, the reported "end date" of the Mesoamerican Long Count (see [[wikipedia:2012 phenomenon|2012 phenomenon]] on Wikipedia). I wonder if someone's source had "21/12/12" or the like and this was [[1179: ISO 8601|misinterpreted]]... --[[Special:Contributions/172.68.246.57|172.68.246.57]] 05:42, 10 December 2021 (UTC)
:Yeah I don't like these "doomsday" inferences because they're really stretching. Randall alludes to no such thing in the comic. So let us not take it so far. First, it is correct that the 2012 date was 21st December and not 12th. Surely he would not make a rookie mistake or let it stand. He is not dyslexic. Second, John Conway's "Doomsday rule" really doesn't refer to the end times or apocalypse. [https://gemini.google.com/share/e7751adef712 Google Gemini assured me of its true connotation.] Now what is December 12th? It is the feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe, and this is a big deal for all Latinos as their national patroness, so anyone who considers any "12 December" day as the end of times may be a touch xenophobic or defeatist, I mean especially with the Mesoamerican/Mayan superstition thing mixed in. So I think it would be wise not to go there. Like at all. [[User:Elizium23|Elizium23]] ([[User talk:Elizium23|talk]]) 23:09, 11 February 2026 (UTC)

2551: Debunking

2026-02-11T23:00:55Z

Elizium23: link to video

{{comic
| number = 2551
| date = December 6, 2021
| title = Debunking
| image = debunking.png
| titletext = Mark Zuckerberg has only neutral feelings toward Peppa Pig, who he understands is a fictional character, and he blames the coronavirus pandemic on other factors.
}}

==Explanation==
When writing a news article that "debunks" a claim (shows why it is false), writing its headline in the form "X is false" is [https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/words-matter/201807/when-correcting-lie-dont-repeat-it-do-instead-2 discouraged]. The reason is that just repeatedly seeing "X", even if negated or followed by "is false", can make readers subconsciously believe it.

To avoid this, Randall as a journalist has worded his debunking articles in a positive sense. This makes for a confusing read if the reader has not heard of the original claim. The "original claims" allegedly being debunked here don't actually appear to have been made anywhere, and can only be inferred from the debunking.

Much of the debunking relies on setting simple facts straight, making for bizarrely banal headlines.

===Table===
{| class="wikitable"
!Article Headline
!Possible claim being debunked
|-
| AP photos show that Dr. Fauci's office contains a normal number of microwaves
| That {{w|Anthony Fauci}}'s office is subject to excessive microwaves, possibly an attack against Dr Fauci or as a weapon employed by him against visitors. Fauci is the head of the {{w| National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases}} in the US and is seen as the public face to the COVID-19 response in that country. US diplomats have been altering their lives due to an unexplained {{w|Havana syndrome}}, an early theory for which has been use of a microwave weapon. Microwaves can be part of a number of conspiracy theories ranging from health problems or manipulation of the public. However, because the headline references ''photographs'' to debunk the claim, the news article is apparently talking about the number of microwave ''ovens'' in his office. Either there is some miscommunication between the conspiracy theorists and debunkers, or the original claimant was fixated on Fauci's office appliances for some reason. Or they thought Fauci really liked microwave ovens.
The vague phrasing also implies that the number of microwaves pictured may be larger than most people would consider "normal" for an office, and that the article is defending that large number as "normal". Since microwaves are not typical office equipment{{Citation needed}}, most offices will only have one or two microwaves in the break room, though someone with a private office (as Dr. Fauci has) might bring one of their own to have more privacy while eating.
|-
| Fact check: Singer Billie Eilish was born ''years'' after the TWA Flight 800 explosion
| A link between {{w|Billie Eilish}} (born December 2001) and the {{w|TWA Flight 800}} crash in July 1996. No malicious or terrorist activity was found by the investigation, but {{w|TWA Flight 800 conspiracy theories|conspiracy theories abounded}} in its aftermath. Eilish's lyrics and videos often explore death and macabre themes, such as [https://youtu.be/-PZsSWwc9xA?si=TJ6Xk1CTdNbWsYCK a prominent "fallen angel" motif].
|-
| Vaccinated people can remove their hats without trouble by tugging upward, say doctors
| Vaccination has long been the subject of many, many conspiracy theories about potential side effects; this article could be commenting on any number of such, from claims that vaccines magnetize people (popular in June 2021), that vaccines cause one's head to swell thus making hats become tight, that vaccination makes one's head sticky or fuse to one's hat, that vaccination causes hats to become tighter, that vaccination causes one's inability to raise one's arm high enough to tug one's hat upward.
|-
| Physicists say Dorito powder is affected by gravity
| A claim that {{w|Doritos}} powder is not affected by gravity. For example, an anecdote around a local businessman discovering that objects levitate when sufficient powder is applied to them, or people misunderstanding dust floating under atmospheric turbulence as evidence of "antigravity".
|-
| Steering wheels will work normally on Dec 12th; make left and right turns as usual
| Faults (perhaps due to failures in the power steering system), triggered for example by solar storms or latent software bugs or a deliberate software hack, will cause cars to steer erratically on that date. December 12 is in fact "doomsday", but only in the sense of the {{w|doomsday rule}} for determining the day of the week.
|-
| CNN investigation: Santa's skin is dry and healthy this year, with the same amount of oil as before
| {{w|Santa Claus}} is suffering from oily skin, which can cause acne.
|-
| (Title text) Mark Zuckerberg has only neutral feelings toward Peppa Pig, who he understands is a fictional character, and he blames the coronavirus pandemic on other factors.
| That the founder of Facebook ({{w|Mark Zuckerberg}}) has strongly negative feelings toward the cartoon character {{w|Peppa Pig}}, believing her to be a real talking pig and the cause of the COVID-19 pandemic, or maybe that he is a fan with some out-of-control behaviors towards "her". May be a reference to a [https://www.reuters.com/world/uk/uk-pm-johnson-briefly-lost-words-speech-business-2021-11-22 recent speech] by UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson in which he expressed admiration for Peppa, much to the bewilderment of journalists.
|}

==Transcript==
:[Several news headlines are shown in boxes.]
:[Box 1] AP photos show Dr. Fauci's office contains a normal number of microwaves
:[Box 2] Fact check: singer Billie Eilish was born ''years'' after the TWA Flight 800 explosion
:[Box 3] Vaccinated people can remove their hats without trouble by tugging upward, say doctors
:[Box 4] Physicists say Dorito powder is affected by gravity
:[Box 5] Steering wheels will work normally on Dec 12th; make left and right turns as usual
:[Box 6] CNN investigation: Santa's skin is dry and healthy this year, with the same amount of oil as before
:[Caption below the panel:]
:I don't know whether the "Don't repeat the claim in the headline debunking it" thing works or not, but it definitely makes reading the news weird.

{{comic discussion}}
[[Category:COVID-19]]
[[Category:Comics featuring real people]]
[[Category:Biology]]
[[Category:Physics]]
[[Category:Conspiracy theory]]
[[Category:Fiction]]
[[Category:Christmas]]

2551: Debunking

2026-02-11T23:00:18Z

Elizium23: expand Eilish connection

{{comic
| number = 2551
| date = December 6, 2021
| title = Debunking
| image = debunking.png
| titletext = Mark Zuckerberg has only neutral feelings toward Peppa Pig, who he understands is a fictional character, and he blames the coronavirus pandemic on other factors.
}}

==Explanation==
When writing a news article that "debunks" a claim (shows why it is false), writing its headline in the form "X is false" is [https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/words-matter/201807/when-correcting-lie-dont-repeat-it-do-instead-2 discouraged]. The reason is that just repeatedly seeing "X", even if negated or followed by "is false", can make readers subconsciously believe it.

To avoid this, Randall as a journalist has worded his debunking articles in a positive sense. This makes for a confusing read if the reader has not heard of the original claim. The "original claims" allegedly being debunked here don't actually appear to have been made anywhere, and can only be inferred from the debunking.

Much of the debunking relies on setting simple facts straight, making for bizarrely banal headlines.

===Table===
{| class="wikitable"
!Article Headline
!Possible claim being debunked
|-
| AP photos show that Dr. Fauci's office contains a normal number of microwaves
| That {{w|Anthony Fauci}}'s office is subject to excessive microwaves, possibly an attack against Dr Fauci or as a weapon employed by him against visitors. Fauci is the head of the {{w| National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases}} in the US and is seen as the public face to the COVID-19 response in that country. US diplomats have been altering their lives due to an unexplained {{w|Havana syndrome}}, an early theory for which has been use of a microwave weapon. Microwaves can be part of a number of conspiracy theories ranging from health problems or manipulation of the public. However, because the headline references ''photographs'' to debunk the claim, the news article is apparently talking about the number of microwave ''ovens'' in his office. Either there is some miscommunication between the conspiracy theorists and debunkers, or the original claimant was fixated on Fauci's office appliances for some reason. Or they thought Fauci really liked microwave ovens.
The vague phrasing also implies that the number of microwaves pictured may be larger than most people would consider "normal" for an office, and that the article is defending that large number as "normal". Since microwaves are not typical office equipment{{Citation needed}}, most offices will only have one or two microwaves in the break room, though someone with a private office (as Dr. Fauci has) might bring one of their own to have more privacy while eating.
|-
| Fact check: Singer Billie Eilish was born ''years'' after the TWA Flight 800 explosion
| A link between {{w|Billie Eilish}} (born December 2001) and the {{w|TWA Flight 800}} crash in July 1996. No malicious or terrorist activity was found by the investigation, but {{w|TWA Flight 800 conspiracy theories|conspiracy theories abounded}} in its aftermath. Eilish's lyrics and videos often explore death and macabre themes, such as a prominent "fallen angel" motif.
|-
| Vaccinated people can remove their hats without trouble by tugging upward, say doctors
| Vaccination has long been the subject of many, many conspiracy theories about potential side effects; this article could be commenting on any number of such, from claims that vaccines magnetize people (popular in June 2021), that vaccines cause one's head to swell thus making hats become tight, that vaccination makes one's head sticky or fuse to one's hat, that vaccination causes hats to become tighter, that vaccination causes one's inability to raise one's arm high enough to tug one's hat upward.
|-
| Physicists say Dorito powder is affected by gravity
| A claim that {{w|Doritos}} powder is not affected by gravity. For example, an anecdote around a local businessman discovering that objects levitate when sufficient powder is applied to them, or people misunderstanding dust floating under atmospheric turbulence as evidence of "antigravity".
|-
| Steering wheels will work normally on Dec 12th; make left and right turns as usual
| Faults (perhaps due to failures in the power steering system), triggered for example by solar storms or latent software bugs or a deliberate software hack, will cause cars to steer erratically on that date. December 12 is in fact "doomsday", but only in the sense of the {{w|doomsday rule}} for determining the day of the week.
|-
| CNN investigation: Santa's skin is dry and healthy this year, with the same amount of oil as before
| {{w|Santa Claus}} is suffering from oily skin, which can cause acne.
|-
| (Title text) Mark Zuckerberg has only neutral feelings toward Peppa Pig, who he understands is a fictional character, and he blames the coronavirus pandemic on other factors.
| That the founder of Facebook ({{w|Mark Zuckerberg}}) has strongly negative feelings toward the cartoon character {{w|Peppa Pig}}, believing her to be a real talking pig and the cause of the COVID-19 pandemic, or maybe that he is a fan with some out-of-control behaviors towards "her". May be a reference to a [https://www.reuters.com/world/uk/uk-pm-johnson-briefly-lost-words-speech-business-2021-11-22 recent speech] by UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson in which he expressed admiration for Peppa, much to the bewilderment of journalists.
|}

==Transcript==
:[Several news headlines are shown in boxes.]
:[Box 1] AP photos show Dr. Fauci's office contains a normal number of microwaves
:[Box 2] Fact check: singer Billie Eilish was born ''years'' after the TWA Flight 800 explosion
:[Box 3] Vaccinated people can remove their hats without trouble by tugging upward, say doctors
:[Box 4] Physicists say Dorito powder is affected by gravity
:[Box 5] Steering wheels will work normally on Dec 12th; make left and right turns as usual
:[Box 6] CNN investigation: Santa's skin is dry and healthy this year, with the same amount of oil as before
:[Caption below the panel:]
:I don't know whether the "Don't repeat the claim in the headline debunking it" thing works or not, but it definitely makes reading the news weird.

{{comic discussion}}
[[Category:COVID-19]]
[[Category:Comics featuring real people]]
[[Category:Biology]]
[[Category:Physics]]
[[Category:Conspiracy theory]]
[[Category:Fiction]]
[[Category:Christmas]]

2551: Debunking

2026-02-11T22:57:55Z

Elizium23: /* Table */ expand on conspiracy theories

{{comic
| number = 2551
| date = December 6, 2021
| title = Debunking
| image = debunking.png
| titletext = Mark Zuckerberg has only neutral feelings toward Peppa Pig, who he understands is a fictional character, and he blames the coronavirus pandemic on other factors.
}}

==Explanation==
When writing a news article that "debunks" a claim (shows why it is false), writing its headline in the form "X is false" is [https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/words-matter/201807/when-correcting-lie-dont-repeat-it-do-instead-2 discouraged]. The reason is that just repeatedly seeing "X", even if negated or followed by "is false", can make readers subconsciously believe it.

To avoid this, Randall as a journalist has worded his debunking articles in a positive sense. This makes for a confusing read if the reader has not heard of the original claim. The "original claims" allegedly being debunked here don't actually appear to have been made anywhere, and can only be inferred from the debunking.

Much of the debunking relies on setting simple facts straight, making for bizarrely banal headlines.

===Table===
{| class="wikitable"
!Article Headline
!Possible claim being debunked
|-
| AP photos show that Dr. Fauci's office contains a normal number of microwaves
| That {{w|Anthony Fauci}}'s office is subject to excessive microwaves, possibly an attack against Dr Fauci or as a weapon employed by him against visitors. Fauci is the head of the {{w| National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases}} in the US and is seen as the public face to the COVID-19 response in that country. US diplomats have been altering their lives due to an unexplained {{w|Havana syndrome}}, an early theory for which has been use of a microwave weapon. Microwaves can be part of a number of conspiracy theories ranging from health problems or manipulation of the public. However, because the headline references ''photographs'' to debunk the claim, the news article is apparently talking about the number of microwave ''ovens'' in his office. Either there is some miscommunication between the conspiracy theorists and debunkers, or the original claimant was fixated on Fauci's office appliances for some reason. Or they thought Fauci really liked microwave ovens.
The vague phrasing also implies that the number of microwaves pictured may be larger than most people would consider "normal" for an office, and that the article is defending that large number as "normal". Since microwaves are not typical office equipment{{Citation needed}}, most offices will only have one or two microwaves in the break room, though someone with a private office (as Dr. Fauci has) might bring one of their own to have more privacy while eating.
|-
| Fact check: Singer Billie Eilish was born ''years'' after the TWA Flight 800 explosion
| A link between {{w|Billie Eilish}} (born December 2001) and the {{w|TWA Flight 800}} crash in July 1996. No malicious or terrorist activity was found by the investigation, but {{w|TWA Flight 800 conspiracy theories|conspiracy theories abounded}} in its aftermath.
|-
| Vaccinated people can remove their hats without trouble by tugging upward, say doctors
| Vaccination has long been the subject of many, many conspiracy theories about potential side effects; this article could be commenting on any number of such, from claims that vaccines magnetize people (popular in June 2021), that vaccines cause one's head to swell thus making hats become tight, that vaccination makes one's head sticky or fuse to one's hat, that vaccination causes hats to become tighter, that vaccination causes one's inability to raise one's arm high enough to tug one's hat upward.
|-
| Physicists say Dorito powder is affected by gravity
| A claim that {{w|Doritos}} powder is not affected by gravity. For example, an anecdote around a local businessman discovering that objects levitate when sufficient powder is applied to them, or people misunderstanding dust floating under atmospheric turbulence as evidence of "antigravity".
|-
| Steering wheels will work normally on Dec 12th; make left and right turns as usual
| Faults (perhaps due to failures in the power steering system), triggered for example by solar storms or latent software bugs or a deliberate software hack, will cause cars to steer erratically on that date. December 12 is in fact "doomsday", but only in the sense of the {{w|doomsday rule}} for determining the day of the week.
|-
| CNN investigation: Santa's skin is dry and healthy this year, with the same amount of oil as before
| {{w|Santa Claus}} is suffering from oily skin, which can cause acne.
|-
| (Title text) Mark Zuckerberg has only neutral feelings toward Peppa Pig, who he understands is a fictional character, and he blames the coronavirus pandemic on other factors.
| That the founder of Facebook ({{w|Mark Zuckerberg}}) has strongly negative feelings toward the cartoon character {{w|Peppa Pig}}, believing her to be a real talking pig and the cause of the COVID-19 pandemic, or maybe that he is a fan with some out-of-control behaviors towards "her". May be a reference to a [https://www.reuters.com/world/uk/uk-pm-johnson-briefly-lost-words-speech-business-2021-11-22 recent speech] by UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson in which he expressed admiration for Peppa, much to the bewilderment of journalists.
|}

==Transcript==
:[Several news headlines are shown in boxes.]
:[Box 1] AP photos show Dr. Fauci's office contains a normal number of microwaves
:[Box 2] Fact check: singer Billie Eilish was born ''years'' after the TWA Flight 800 explosion
:[Box 3] Vaccinated people can remove their hats without trouble by tugging upward, say doctors
:[Box 4] Physicists say Dorito powder is affected by gravity
:[Box 5] Steering wheels will work normally on Dec 12th; make left and right turns as usual
:[Box 6] CNN investigation: Santa's skin is dry and healthy this year, with the same amount of oil as before
:[Caption below the panel:]
:I don't know whether the "Don't repeat the claim in the headline debunking it" thing works or not, but it definitely makes reading the news weird.

{{comic discussion}}
[[Category:COVID-19]]
[[Category:Comics featuring real people]]
[[Category:Biology]]
[[Category:Physics]]
[[Category:Conspiracy theory]]
[[Category:Fiction]]
[[Category:Christmas]]

1400: D.B. Cooper

2026-02-11T14:02:32Z

Elizium23: see talk

{{comic
| number = 1400
| date = July 28, 2014
| title = D.B. Cooper
| image = d_b_cooper.png
| titletext = 'Why on Earth would someone commit air piracy just to finance a terrible movie decades later?' 'People are very strange these days.'
}}

==Explanation==
[[File:DBCooper.jpg|thumb|150px|Cooper]]
In 1971, a man referred to by the media as [[D. B. Cooper]] hijacked a Boeing 727 and escaped with $200,000 in ransom money (equivalent to $900,000 in 2003 or $1,250,000 in 2020). While the FBI maintains that Cooper was most likely killed when he parachuted from the plane, they have never determined his identity, and the investigation was called off in 2016, making it the United States' only unsolved plane hijacking. (This mystery was later referenced in [[1501: Mysteries]], and then again in [[2452: Aviation Firsts]].)

[[File:Tommy Wiseau.jpg|thumb|150px|Wiseau]]
In 2003, {{w|Tommy Wiseau}} released {{w|The Room (film)|''The Room''}}, which is considered by many to be the worst film ever made, but has also earned a sizable number of fans who uphold it as a prime example of a film that is "{{w|so bad, it's good}}". In the decade since, Wiseau has become something of an icon alongside his infamous movie, of which he was the producer, writer, director, and main star. Surprisingly little, however, is known about him. The comic refers to "The Room" as "...the '{{w|Citizen Kane}}' of bad movies." This is a comparison between what is widely considered the best film of all time, which was, coincidentally the first film produced by, written by, directed by, and starring Orson Welles and what is widely considered the worst film of all time, the first film produced by, written by, directed by, and starring Tommy Wiseau.

This comic points to similarities between several details of Cooper and Wiseau's stories:

{| class="wikitable"
|-
!Cooper
!Wiseau
|-
|"Vanished mysteriously with a large amount of money":Cooper escaped with $200,000 in 1971 dollars, equivalent to around $1.3M today. $5,800 of that money was recovered in 1980 in the vicinity of where Cooper jumped from the plane, but the rest was never found. Assuming Cooper survived, he would have had decades to turn the $200k into an even larger fortune.
|"Appeared mysteriously with a large amount of money":''The Room'' cost $6 million to make, and initially grossed a mere $1,900—a loss of 99.97% of the investment. It is generally assumed that all or most of that money was Wiseau's own, which raises the question of how he obtained such wealth. Although Wiseau claims to have earned his money by selling toys to tourists, and later factory-reject jeans, his ''Room'' co-star {{w|Greg Sestero}} considers it very unlikely that he earned so many millions this way.
|-
|"Real age/name unknown":Cooper's real name remains unknown. While he was estimated to be in his mid-40s, his precise age is also unknown.
|"Colleague says he's much older than he claims":In 2010, Wiseau stated that he was 41. Sestero, however, says he was born in the 1950s. If born in 1950, he would have been 21 when Cooper jumped.
|-
|"Ambiguous, possibly affected speaking style ('negotiable American currency')":Cooper's use of this unusual phrase has led to speculation about his origins, including as to whether he was perhaps not an American.
|"Ambiguous, possibly affected speaking style ('You are tearing me apart, Lisa!')":The most famously melodramatic line from ''The Room'', [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Plz-bhcHryc "You are tearing me apart, Lisa!"] is one of several which highlights Wiseau's unusual accent and less-than-complete command of the English language. As with Cooper's "negotiable American currency," it is phrased in a way not typical of American English.The phrase "You're tearing me apart!" originally appeared in ''{{w|Rebel Without a Cause}}'', though it appeared in a more appropriate context. Wiseau simply wanted to include the phrase because he adored James Dean, without considering how the phrase ended up feeling in his movie.
|-
|"Fate unknown":Cooper has not been seen since he jumped from the plane, though the FBI has investigated over a thousand "serious suspects." He either died trying to jump from the plane, or disappeared completely after touching down.
|"Background unknown":Despite Wiseau being a public figure for over a decade since the release of ''The Room'', little is definitively known about his background. Sestero says Wiseau was born somewhere in Eastern Europe - people who have traced his family tree found his family are likely from {{w|Poznań}}, central Poland. Wiseau has said he has moved back and forth between Europe and the U.S. throughout his life, spending significant time in France and Louisiana. His accent is hard to place.His legal name, place of birth, date of birth, and nationality are all unknown, as are most of the details of how he's spent his life.
|-
|}

The comic then compares an FBI sketch of Cooper with a photograph of Wiseau, apparently to claim that they have similar appearances. The only real similarity is that they're both wearing sunglasses.

However, these are only a few cherry-picked aspects of their lives, and do not seriously suggest that they are the same person. For example, even if we assume that Wiseau was born in 1950, and that Cooper was only 35 (probably the youngest age which can be mistaken for mid-40s) in 1971, that leaves a 14-year gap between their ages. Likewise, Cooper was said to have either an American or Canadian accent, while Wiseau's bizarre accent is certainly not North American. While [[Cueball]]'s theory in this comic is clearly a joke on [[Randall]]'s part, given Randall's [[258: Conspiracy Theories|known]] [[690: Semicontrolled Demolition|distaste]] [[966: Jet Fuel|for]] conspiracy theories, this may also be making fun of people who base theories off of minor details while ignoring contradictory ones and bigger-picture questions. The question in the title text, for instance, notes that Cooper would have gone through a huge amount of effort just to produce a movie; a similar rhetorical device is often used against convoluted conspiracy theories, where one points out a vastly simpler way for the supposed conspirators to have accomplished their goals.

The title text goes on to attribute such a weird motive for hijacking to the impression that "people are very strange these days," which is another quote from ''The Room''.

==Transcript==
:[Cueball is gesturing with a pointer to a board or Powerpoint-type display.]
:D.B. Cooper
:("Dan Cooper")

:Hijacked a plane in the 1970s.
:On landing, demanded money and
:parachutes. Jumped from plane
:mid-flight and was never found.

:*Vanished mysteriously with large amount of money
:*Real age/name unknown
:*Ambiguous, possibly affected speaking style ("negotiable American currency")
:*Fate unknown

:[Cueball has his palm out.]
:Tommy Wiseau
:("Johnny")

:Wrote, directed, and starred in
:''The Room'', a film widely hailed as
:"The ''Citizen Kane'' of bad movies."

:*Appeared mysteriously with large amount of money
:*Colleague says he's much older than he claims.
:*Ambiguous, possibly affected speaking style ("You are tearing me apart, Lisa!")
:*Background unknown

:[Two images captioned "Cooper (FBI sketch)" and "Wiseau (Flickr photo by Al Pavangkanan)".]

:Offscreen voice: This is the dumbest theory I've ever heard.
:Cueball: But it explains ''everything!!''

==Trivia==
This is the first xkcd comic featuring [[D. B. Cooper]].

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Comics featuring D. B. Cooper]]
[[Category:Comics with color]]
[[Category:Conspiracy theory]]
[[Category:Comics with citations]]

Talk:1400: D.B. Cooper

2026-02-11T14:01:17Z

Elizium23: acknowledged

Feels like a conspiracy(?) [[Special:Contributions/108.162.227.35|108.162.227.35]] 12:15, 28 July 2014 (UTC)

Isn't it a reference to the Malaysia Airlines conspiracy theory? http://humansarefree.com/2014/07/busted-mh-17-was-in-fact-lost-flight-mh.html?m=0
- Renee [[Special:Contributions/108.162.245.75|108.162.245.75]] 00:44, 29 July 2014 (UTC)

:No.[[Special:Contributions/141.101.98.12|141.101.98.12]] 10:31, 29 July 2014 (UTC)

Oh, this is a hilarious comic! --[[User:Dangerkeith3000|Dangerkeith3000]] ([[User talk:Dangerkeith3000|talk]]) 15:14, 28 July 2014 (UTC)

Could someone explain what "the Citizen Kane of ____" is all about? --[[User:NeatNit|NeatNit]] ([[User talk:NeatNit|talk]]) 17:05, 28 July 2014 (UTC)

: "Citizen Kane" is regarded as a masterpiece landmark film, and other films are often compared to it as a highly favorable compliment. [[Special:Contributions/173.245.52.211|173.245.52.211]] 18:08, 28 July 2014 (UTC)

: "Citizen Kane" as a reference point here is more meaningful that that. Apart from being a landmark film, "Citizen Kane" was also made by a movie-newbie at that day, namely Orson Welles, who not only played the title role, but also directed, co-wrote and co-produced the movie, very much like Wiseau did with his landmark film; the only significant difference thus being "Citizen Kane" the best and "The Room" the worst movie ever made. [[Special:Contributions/141.101.88.223|141.101.88.223]] 13:14, 30 July 2014 (UTC)

This is really just a curiosity, but what is unusual about the phrasing "You are tearing me apart"? (I'm obviously not a native speaker) [[User:Ly mar|Ly mar]] ([[User talk:Ly mar|talk]]) 17:12, 28 July 2014 (UTC)
* Beyond using "You are" instead of "You're", not much. The oddness of the line is mostly through the delivery in the film, not the grammar. [[User:ImVeryAngryItsNotButter|ImVeryAngryItsNotButter]] ([[User talk:ImVeryAngryItsNotButter|talk]]) 17:14, 28 July 2014 (UTC)

;photograph

Is this the first xkcd to feature a full color photograph of a person? [[Special:Contributions/108.162.216.52|108.162.216.52]] 17:38, 28 July 2014 (UTC)

;con·tem·po·rar·y

adjective: contemporary

1.
living or occurring at the same time.
"the event was recorded by a contemporary historian"
dating from the same time.
"this series of paintings is contemporary with other works in an early style"
synonyms: of the time, of the day, contemporaneous, concurrent, coeval, coexisting, coexistent More
"contemporary sources"
2.
belonging to or occurring in the present.
"the tension and complexities of our contemporary society"

"In 1971, a man referred to by the media as D. B. Cooper hijacked a Boeing 727 and escaped with the '''contemporary''' equivalent of over $1 million in ransom money."

So that can be either 1971 dollars (contemporary to D. B. Cooper's time) or 2014 dollars (contemporary to the present time).

(A lot of people think definition no. 2 is the only definition, but it isn't.)

--[[User:RenniePet|RenniePet]] ([[User talk:RenniePet|talk]]) 00:49, 29 July 2014 (UTC)

:I appreciate your work to improve the explanations here. But, such theatrics over a one word edit are unnecessary. [[User:Lcarsos|lcarsos]]_a ([[User talk:Lcarsos|talk]]) 02:14, 29 July 2014 (UTC)

::I've changed it now so it's clearer anyway[[Special:Contributions/141.101.98.12|141.101.98.12]] 10:31, 29 July 2014 (UTC)

I created an account solely so I could remove the anomalous use of "beg the question". [http://begthequestion.info/] [[User:Gidklio|Gidklio]] ([[User talk:Gidklio|talk]]) 04:31, 29 July 2014 (UTC)

What is a "European accent"? Any accent that is not Indian, Chinese, or Japanese? --[[User:Frerin|Frerin]] ([[User talk:Frerin|talk]]) 10:15, 29 July 2014 (UTC)
: Yeah - or Australian, or Inuit, or African, or South American or any other accent that's not from a cultural/language group primary to Europe (and definitely not North American [clear from the context of the sentence]), but more specifically, not any European form of English (so, perhaps, Icelandic, Polish, Czech, Bulgarian, and many other possibilities) which might be hard for an untrained listener to specifically identify as anything but "European". Many languages have commonalities due to geographic proximity, not only in terms of accent, but also syntax and vocabulary, which would modify the learners' ability to accurately acquire and render a foreign language in the same ways. That is, someone who natively speaks Portuguese and someone who natively speaks French will have similar troubles in learning subtleties of American English but which would contrast from those troubles encountered by someone who's native language is Hindi, Tagalog, or Yoruba. [[User:Brettpeirce|Brettpeirce]] ([[User talk:Brettpeirce|talk]]) 13:41, 29 July 2014 (UTC)

According to one reddit user, Tommy Wiseau is from Poland, and his last name was "Wieczór" [meaning "Evening"] or variation of it. [[Special:Contributions/141.101.88.219|141.101.88.219]] 17:10, 2 August 2014 (UTC)

Just popping in to note that Cooper's fate is no longer unknown, his niece came forward in 2011. He was survived the jump with some injuries but had lost the money in the process. Real name Lynn Doyle Cooper, died 1999. {{unsigned ip|173.245.54.169}}
::Nice try, but the real Dan Cooper wouldn't have used an alias that shared his last name. That's the kind of amateur mistake that always leads to discovery & arrest, but the real guy was pretty damm sharp and one hell of an operator to pull it off. Not that this guy didn't tell his niece he was D.B. Cooper; just that he never told her he was kidding...
--[[Special:Contributions/172.68.141.4|172.68.141.4]] 17:57, 7 November 2018 (UTC)

Not to deny or confirm that, but the Wikipedia article on {{w|D.B. Cooper}} states that 9,710 of the bills are still missing (290 bills were found in Washington State wilderness in 1980). If one does not spend the money one holds (because even if it is to be invested or laundered, someone will notice the serial number(s) and report it; the numbers are now available online, not to mention the look of old bills; the average replacement rate for US bills is about two years, so seeing a large bundle of slightly-peculiar looking 1970s-era bills may engender a slight sense of difference), one will not have enough to make an independent film, because money is only useful to us when it is used. PS. I'm sorry for the length of this comment, but it's just getting all the details ironed out and fixed down - my apology is just making the comment longer? OK... {{unsigned ip|108.162.249.225}}

Ummm... The pictures are red linked :'( [[Special:Contributions/108.162.245.40|108.162.245.40]] 22:48, 6 December 2016 (UTC)

I have to ask: was the use of the inappropriate French word "baton" (stick) in the transcript a deliberate joke about European mangling of English? A native speaker of American English would write, "pointer". [[User:Nitpicking|Nitpicking]] ([[User talk:Nitpicking|talk]]) 12:21, 7 December 2021 (UTC)
:To bring a native British English perspective to this (whether we do "European mangling of English" is a problematic suggestion in at least two distinct ways!), I'm not sure I'd call it a "baton" - which is something a conductor would use to guide an orchestra or a relay-runner would carry along their share of a running track - but not a "pointer" either. A "''laser'' pointer" would be a pointer, but comparatively modern.
:At school (long ago enough to have blackboards rather than whiteboards) I'd call the held stick what it often was, outside its life as pointing object. So often it was either a ruler (30cm/1ft for most, perhaps a 1m/1yd stick for the ambitious or exuberant gesticulator) or, occasionally, the rubber (i.e. the "Board-rubber", the chalk eraser; and youthful innocence/ignorance and local vocabulary meant we never ever thought of that word as meaning a condom!) possibly being held on the off-chance that it was needed to be suddenly thrown at a disruptive or inattentive pupil - as it often ended up being.
:The alternative of the day (transparencies on OHPs) would be to cast the shadow of the felt-tip pen used to scrawl upon the horizontal acetate sheet being shone up and across onto the projector screen.
:My only experiences in the post-whiteboard world, save for those business-sized paper-pads and those thick marker pens ('sharpies', though not yet well known by that pseudo-brandname), is to call it a cursor, because it ''is'' a projected desktop with a mouse cursor doing the job of pointing. When it isn't a form of shadow-puppetry with the bare hands of the lecturer being made to cast some form of pointy shade upon the output. [[Special:Contributions/141.101.99.20|141.101.99.20]] 23:55, 7 December 2021 (UTC)
::It is definitely called a "pointer" in academic and research contexts. A more exotic term would be "fescue". "baton" is an interesting but probably inaccurate term. Also, there is really no indication that this is a "projection" or a display screen. It could be a whiteboard, chalkboard, large banner, who knows? [[User:Elizium23|Elizium23]] ([[User talk:Elizium23|talk]]) 14:01, 11 February 2026 (UTC)

They're the same guy. I don't know how you didn't notice it before! [[User:Z1mp0st0rz|Z1mp0st0rz]] ([[User talk:Z1mp0st0rz|talk]]) 19:50, 15 April 2024 (UTC)

All im saying is i havent seen them in the same room together... [[Special:Contributions/164.134.137.45|164.134.137.45]] 12:11, 11 February 2026 (UTC) (redbun)