explain xkcd - User contributions [en]

Talk:1785: Wifi

2017-05-24T16:16:04Z

Int:

This, I believe, is in reference to things like [https://www.dd-wrt.com/site/ DD-WRT], where someone with knowledge may install it to 'improve' your router. If done right, it can increase the speed and stability, if not, it can brick it. [[Special:Contributions/172.68.78.70|172.68.78.70]] 05:23, 13 January 2017 (UTC)
:That's what I thought too! Girish, [[Special:Contributions/162.158.166.197|162.158.166.197]] 05:27, 13 January 2017 (UTC)
::I installed Hurd on my router dont judge me ok. --[[Special:Contributions/162.158.91.137|162.158.91.137]] 06:14, 13 January 2017 (UTC)
:::I doubt it is referring to router firmware. The tech-savviness is of the housguest, not of the router owner (though, I can easily imagine somebody updating host router). --[[Special:Contributions/162.158.134.106|162.158.134.106]] 12:18, 13 January 2017 (UTC)
::::That is exactly the situation Randall is referencing, imho. I have had family members who come over and could just put the password in to connect but tried to convince me to grant access to the router to update the firmware and improve the device. I've seen what happens to their tech when they "tweak" it so I just say no. Those who have weak constitutions may grant access and find they now have broken equipment. This fits in line with the roll-over where the truly tech-saavy can use firmware properly to gain connection.[[User:R0hrshach|R0hrshach]] ([[User talk:R0hrshach|talk]]) 17:06, 18 January 2017 (UTC)

:Some devices need operational firmware downloaded to them after reset, so it's handled at boot time by a firmware downloader. A typical example is devices which have s DSP in them; the DSP's code would be loaded into the device's RAM designated for the purpose. For Wi-Fi, it might handle the low level details of associating with an AP, performing the WPA2 protocol for example so the device looks for the most part logically like any other network interface, e.g. Ethernet. In this case, it would have nothing to do with the firmware in the Wi-Fi AP.
:[[User:RChandra|RChandra]] ([[User talk:RChandra|talk]]) 12:05, 13 January 2017 (UTC)

::Thanks for that, seems to be the only viable explanation. I can't imagine, being a guest, tinkering with host's router's firmware (feels grossly inappropriate), came here to understand that reference. --[[Special:Contributions/141.101.96.88|141.101.96.88]] 01:40, 15 January 2017 (UTC)

''“In most systems this just works but in the case of more geeky operating systems, like GNU/Linux, it needs to be installed separately.”'' Ironically, it's quite the opposite these days. On a fresh Windows install you typically have no network drivers, but with a lot of GNU/Linux distros you have network out of the box. [[Special:Contributions/141.101.105.60|141.101.105.60]] 09:25, 13 January 2017 (UTC)
:I would agree with you on wired connections there, but with the most common Intel or Broadcom WLAN chipsets on laptops it's the other way around. Windows works out of the box (maybe downloads a newer driver from Windows Update once you set up the Internet connection), while especially libre Linux distributions (which are inherently "geekier", because they focus on the political aspect of Free Software instead of something that Just Werks™) lack the non-free firmware required to drive those parts. ''TisTheAlmondTavern'' 10:11, 13 January 2017 (UTC)

I don't understand how the skydiving example is far fetched, but I'm the one who added it so I've got a total of 0 objectivity on the matter :). The skydiving example is here to demonstrate the paradox "the more you know how to fix it, the more it will be broken for you", because in both cases (computer saavy people, or skydiving instructors) the ones who know more are also the ones who will take more risks, and get further away from the common approach to the problem (for skydiving, the common thing to do is to not jump, while non computer saavy people will not try linux or whatever it is that fails to work out of the box). I agree that the skydiving comparison is not perfect (in computing it's a difference of main config/advanced config, while in skydiving it's a difference of doing it or not. Also you can expect your computer knowledge to help you fix thing on a broken computer. In a skydiving accident, no matter how much knowledge you have you are not going to pull a parachute before the issue gets to a terminal point), but it's the one Randall chose for that can of counter-intuitive correlation. [[Special:Contributions/141.101.69.213|141.101.69.213]] 13:34, 13 January 2017 (UTC)
:Your explanation here makes sense ''but'' as far as I am concerned (not seeing the original questioning of the analogy to which you seem to be responding back to) the current way it fits into the explanation is abrupt, seems to suggest the titletext ''mentions'' skydiving. Could be solved saying "In the title text ''this is just like'' the ones who die from skydiving..." and maybe some other little tweaks to make it a little more snappy. IMO. Leaving the editing up to others... [[Special:Contributions/141.101.99.17|141.101.99.17]] 18:19, 13 January 2017 (UTC)

it only takes three commands to install Gentoo
:<code>cfdisk /dev/hda && mkfs.xfs /dev/hda1 && mount /dev/hda1 /mnt/gentoo/ && chroot /mnt/gentoo/ && env-update && . /etc/profile && emerge sync && cd /usr/portage && scripts/bootsrap.sh && emerge system && emerge vim && vi /etc/fstab && emerge gentoo-dev-sources && cd /usr/src/linux && make menuconfig && make install modules_install && emerge gnome mozilla-firefox openoffice && emerge grub && cp /boot/grub/grub.conf.sample /boot/grub/grub.conf && vi /boot/grub/grub.conf && grub && init 6</code>
that's the first one 
Source: [http://bash.org/?464385 Bash.org] --[[Special:Contributions/108.162.216.220|108.162.216.220]] 15:53, 13 January 2017 (UTC)

:I know it's a joke, but, for clarification's sake, that's far more than one command. Every part between && is a command. The only reason it stops is because the last command, init 6, reboots the computer.
--[[User:Trlkly|Trlkly]] ([[User talk:Trlkly|talk]]) 21:40, 13 January 2017 (UTC)

::Also it's not like you type in the string of commands and then everything goes by itself all the way to reboot, there are several points when it will wait for user input. Apart from disk formatting at the very beginning, there are actually twice <code>vi</code> commands to edit various system-critical config files and even <code>make menuconfig</code> for configuring your kernel build. Trust me, that's not trivial at all ;) Last time I installed Gentoo server, I got so frustrated by picking the right kernel modules (successfully though) that I agreed with the E. A. Poe's Raven to install Gentoo never more. I started my sysadmin career at Gentoo by accident and after a year or two realized there are much easier ways.
::Great joke though :D Haven't visited Bash for quite some time. --[[Special:Contributions/141.101.96.88|141.101.96.88]] 01:33, 15 January 2017 (UTC)

Relevant: xkcd 434
[http://www.explainxkcd.com/434 xkcd Goes to the Airport, panel 3]
[[Special:Contributions/162.158.214.52|162.158.214.52]] 17:28, 13 January 2017 (UTC)

When I first read it, I parsed it as 'Word "firmware"'. Of course Word doesn't have firmware, but it was (I thought) in quote marks simply because that was the stated reason for it not working. When I read the hover text I thought "Randall's missed a capital letter there". [[Special:Contributions/198.41.238.16|198.41.238.16]] 03:05, 14 January 2017 (UTC)

It has been decades since I met people complaining about firmware. The more common uttering when people can't connect to WiFi at tech meetups involves the words: Goddamn, proprietary, Apple and crap, usually in that order.[[Special:Contributions/162.158.114.70|162.158.114.70]] 17:14, 16 January 2017 (UTC)

Relevant SMBC: [http://www.smbc-comics.com/?id=2475]

856: Trochee Fixation

2017-05-22T21:01:35Z

Int:

{{comic
| number = 856
| date = February 4, 2011
| title = Trochee Fixation
| image = trochee fixation.png
| titletext = If you Huffman-coded all the 'random' things everyone on the internet has said over the years, you'd wind up with, like, 30 or 40 bytes *tops*.
}}

==Explanation==

A {{w|trochee}} is a type of {{w|metric foot}}. A foot is a measure in poetry, it consists of stressed beats and unstressed beats. A trochee is a foot which consists of one stressed beat followed by an unstressed beat. "Trochee" itself is an example of this as you stress the first syllable and don't stress the second syllable ("TROH-kee".)

Trochee fixation is supposedly caused by people experiencing rushes of {{w|dopamine}} when they hear or speak trochees during their youth. Due to the rush of dopamine they become more fixated on trochees. In the endless quest for dopamine, they continue to search for trochees (typically on the internet) while also producing more places to encounter trochees meaning more fixation for others with the disorder. [[Megan]] proposes a "radical trocheeotomy" which appears to be a type of {{w|psychosurgery}} due to the erasing of memory. [[Cueball]] misinterprets Megan's intent as a "{{w|tracheotomy}}", a removal of the girl's vocal cords, of which he is in favor.

Megan proceeds with the trocheeotomy, but luckily it does not have the intended effect. Though the previous trochees have been forcefully and unkindly removed, the girl immediately generates new ones: "BAN-jo," "TUR-tle," "JET-pack," "FER-ret," and so on. The correct way of removing the fixation would be to alter {{w|mesolimbic pathway}}. Megan, not realizing this, succumbs to attempting to removing the girl's trochee fixation via cranially-applied brick. Depending on how hard the girl is hit with the brick she may have memory loss and potentially forget all the trochees she knows, but if this method is carried out she will have significant brain damage and will likely start fixating on trochees that she hears.

There are references to {{w|Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles}} and {{w|Mighty Morphin' Power Rangers}}, both of which are examples of actual, trochaic TV show titles. Additionally, there is a reference to sci/fi author {{w|Neal Stephenson}} who has written {{w|Snow Crash}}, {{w|Anathem}} and many other books.

"Jetpack ferret" could be a reference to [[20: Ferret]], although the ferret in question only had wings.

{{w|Huffman coding}} is a lossless data compression algorithm that works by recording a specific string and then only recording that the string is repeated a certain number of characters later on until eventually it only contains a "dictionary" of unique substrings and then mentions of where those substrings repeat. In highly repetitive data this can cut down the file size immensely, which is what Randall is implying by saying you would only end up with 30–40 bytes. Most of the "[[221: Random Number|random]]" stuff said on the Internet has been said before.

Trochee and other types of poetry "feet" is the subject of [[1383: Magic Words]], and the trochaic form is explored further in [[1412: Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles]].

[http://blog.xkcd.com/2011/02/04/trochee-chart/ On the blog], Randall published statistics about the occurrence number of certain combinations (now obviously inaccurate).

==Transcript==
:Girl: Robot ninja! Pirate doctor laser monkey! Narwhal zombie badger hobo bacon kitty captain penguin raptor Jesus!

:Megan: We'd been seeing this brain damage for years, but only recently did our linguists identify the pattern behind it.

:Megan: The patients fixate on animals and types of people whose names are trochees (two syllables, with the accent on the first).

:The malfunction causes a rush of dopamine whenever these trochees are heard or spoken.
:[Chart shows "internet" and "brain," with arrows marked "trochees" traveling both ways between them. An arrow marked "dopamine" loops from the brain back to the brain.]

:The warning signs appear in childhood:
:[Child sits in front of TV.]
:Child: Yeah! Mighty teenage morphin' ninja power mutant turtle rangers!
:Social reinforcement focuses the fixation on a few dozen words.
:Cueball (off-panel): Is there a cure?

:[Girl is reclining under a big machine pointed at her face.]
:Megan: We're about to try a radical trocheeotomy.
:Cueball: Rip out her vocal chords? I'm in favor.
:Megan: No, we're modifying her vocabulary* to erase the words she's fixated on.
:<nowiki>*</nowiki>Digitoneurolinguistic hacking! It's totally real! Ask Neal Stephenson.

:Megan: Either the gap will be filled by normal words, or she'll just generate a new set of trochees.
:Megan: Here goes.
:[She pulls the lever on a large panel.]
:''kachunk bzzzZZZZZZ''

:[Girl is waking up.]
:Girl: ...GzZhRmPh ...
:Girl ...banjo turtle!
:Girl: Jetpack ferret pizza lawyer! Dentist hamster wombat plumber turkey jester hindu cowboy hooker bobcat scrapple!
:Megan (off-panel): Sigh.
:Megan: Time for plan B.
:Cueball: Someone get a brick.

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

Talk:207: What xkcd Means

2017-03-22T22:13:16Z

Int:

I do the last panel ALL THE FRIGGIN' TIME. [[User:Alpha|Alpha]] ([[User talk:Alpha|talk]]) 20:07, 8 March 2013 (UTC)
Graham's Number has not had that title for several years now.... See here: http://googology.wikia.com/wiki/Graham's_number
XKCD also means getting addicted to webcomics because they are too funny
-[[Special:Contributions/108.162.237.175|108.162.237.175]] 21:57, 22 June 2015 (UTC)
A question, what is meant with "(In fact, A(g64, g64) is less than g65)"? Is g65 more than g64? Is it much more? Is A(g64, g64 "insanely large" compared to what you would expect or not? [[User:Maplestrip|Maplestrip]] ([[User talk:Maplestrip|talk]]) 13:05, 24 June 2015 (UTC)

:It means that mathematicians who read XKCD are not horrified by the idea, but calmly compute the result. (g65 is obviously more than g64 ; both Graham's number and Ackermann functions are methods to make ludicrously high numbers, and the "only slightly more" means that they growing in roughly same ludicrous speed) -- [[User:Hkmaly|Hkmaly]] ([[User talk:Hkmaly|talk]]) 02:04, 2 June 2016 (UTC)

You know, if everyone did the traffic thing at intersections, it would basically be the same as a roundabout. --[[Special:Contributions/162.158.102.150|162.158.102.150]] 16:19, 26 November 2015 (UTC)

[https://dps.mn.gov/divisions/dvs/forms-documents/Documents/Minnesota_Drivers_Manual.pdf Apparently (page 28)] some intersections where I live are designed ''for'' the maneuver in panel 1.--[[User:Troy0|Troy0]] ([[User talk:Troy0|talk]]) 17:30, 29 July 2016 (UTC)

Yo mama ≡ 1 modulo A(g64, g64) [[User:Int|unsigned int]] ([[User talk:Int|talk]]) 22:13, 22 March 2017 (UTC)

1796: Focus Knob

2017-02-08T13:29:51Z

Int:

{{comic
| number = 1796
| date = February 8, 2017
| title = Focus Knob
| image = focus_knob.png
| titletext = Maybe if I spin it back and forth really fast I can do some kind of pulse-width modulation.
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Created by a BOT then edited by a human, I think.}}
The image is of a rotary {{w|control knob}} used for adjusting parameters in instruments, such as the visual focus of a camera or display. Apparently this one is for adjusting [[Randall]]'s personal focus level, with the extremes of focus being towards small details and big picture respectively. However, humans do not usually have control knobs to adjust personal parameters; thus, the absurdity of the concept -- having direct, immediate control of mental/emotional focus -- drives the humor of this strip. Some may see this as desirable, but it could also be manipulated by others against one's will.

While performing any task, it is easy to get so lost in the details that you forget the big picture. It is also equally easy to think much about the big picture and make vague plans while missing out on the details.

One can get lost doing small tasks that might increase efficiency for long projects (e.g. fiddling with email settings), but these might make one lose track of the big picture.

The healthy balance, Randall suggests, is focusing mostly towards the big picture, while keeping an eye on the details. Focusing too much on the big picture can ensure nothing gets done, leading to panic and existential crises.

In the title text, Randall imagines spinning the dial to and fro, causing {{w|Pulse-width modulation}} (a technique often used to encode data in waves). This techniques consists of shifting between a set of fixed values (often 2) so that the average is the expected output. For exemple switching back and forth between 0 and 1, spending half the time in each position will lead to a mean value of 0.5. To code 0.7, you have to spend more time in the 1 position (70% of the time). One feature of this modulation is that the expected value is not actually reached by the signal before applying the low-pass filter (averaging), so using a PWM-like method would mean alternating between being too much and too little attention to detail to have an average on the healthy balance, but never actually reach it. As cool as the idea may sound, it is probably not very healthy.

Many people having a project to complete will usually cycle through the various available settings, often going directly from fiddling the email to panic and existential crisis in a matter of minutes. Maintaining a healthy balance throughout the project is difficult, because it occupies such a small place on the knob.

Of course, not everyone is knob-headed, so some people can panic and have an existential crisis while simultaneously fiddling with email settings.{{Citation needed}}

==Transcript==
:Personal Focus

:[A gray rotary control knob with the range of options divided into 36 equal sections. The knob points at the 12th line from left extreme. The clockwise order of the labeled settings are:]
:[Left extreme:]
:Detail-Oriented
:[First 23 sections:]
:Fiddling with email settings
:[One narrow section:]
:Healthy balance
:[Last 12 sections:]
:Panic and existential paralysis
:[Right extreme:]
:Big Picture

{{comic discussion}}

Talk:1763: Catcalling

2016-12-04T16:53:03Z

Int:

Is it just me or wouldn't this fail if the misogynists also were cat-lovers? [[Special:Contributions/141.101.98.224|141.101.98.224]] 15:16, 23 November 2016 (UTC)
* I doubt even cat-lovers would enjoy being swarmed by a hopeless amount of cats for an entire year.[[Special:Contributions/162.158.74.36|162.158.74.36]] 15:51, 23 November 2016 (UTC)
>"Misogyny" {{unsigned ip|108.162.245.51}}

The way I originally read this, in addition to wanting to stop getting harassed, Megan also just liked cats and wanted an easy way to gather them. [[Special:Contributions/172.68.55.71|172.68.55.71]] 15:56, 23 November 2016 (UTC)

My initial thought: Awww! Maybe by being confronted to care for neighborhood cats, such "men" might learn how to love and care for creatures who only want to exploit them, like said men do with women. That could work! ...And then I read the title text. --BigMal // [[Special:Contributions/162.158.74.36|162.158.74.36]] 16:52, 23 November 2016 (UTC)

Catcalling now attracts my friend Catherine. [[User:Int|Int]] ([[User talk:Int|talk]]) 17:00, 23 November 2016 (UTC)

Did we know Megan was a lefty? [[User:Jameslucas|jameslucas]] ([[User talk:Jameslucas|" "]] / [[Special:Contributions/Jameslucas|+]]) 18:18, 23 November 2016 (UTC)

The big question is... does it attract bobcats? --[[Special:Contributions/172.68.54.123|172.68.54.123]] 21:30, 23 November 2016 (UTC)

The cursor might not be left handed, rather, we might just be on the other side of the screen, eh? [[User:NotLock|NotLock]] ([[User talk:NotLock|talk]]) 07:40, 24 November 2016 (UTC)
:I was thinking the same thing, but dismissed the idea because the text ("Catcalling", "Attracts cats", etc) isn't similarly mirrored. The drop-down menu itself usually has its arrow-thingy on the right, though... Hmm... [[User:Maplestrip|Maplestrip]] ([[User talk:Maplestrip|talk]]) 11:22, 24 November 2016 (UTC)
::Maybe comic characters read in mirror-text! [[Special:Contributions/162.158.165.176|162.158.165.176]] 23:23, 24 November 2016 (UTC)
::: Occam seems to have lost his razor. [[User:Int|Int]] ([[User talk:Int|talk]]) 16:53, 4 December 2016 (UTC)

I'm pretty sure the part about the title text being perl is wrong. It's definitely not perl5, because things like [2 miles] are not valid syntax at all. This might be perl6 with syntax I don't know, but I doubt it, since the square brackets would indicate something like an array rather than a single element: [2 miles] would then mean "2" and "miles" separately, which doesn't make much sense. [[Special:Contributions/173.245.49.75|173.245.49.75]] 09:23, 24 November 2016 (UTC)

:I agree, it looks much more like trying to indicate text fields in a ASCII string. [[Special:Contributions/162.158.69.142|162.158.69.142]] 12:20, 24 November 2016 (UTC)

::Seems to me those are just freakin' ''arrows'' indicating changing those settings. {{unsigned|Jacky720}}

:::I read each "=>" in the title text as meaning "equal or greater than". Which is horrifying when you think about it. [[User:These Are Not The Comments You Are Looking For|These Are Not The Comments You Are Looking For]] ([[User talk:These Are Not The Comments You Are Looking For|talk]]) 06:23, 27 November 2016 (UTC)

::::Effect strength is unstoppable OR GREATER.--[[Special:Contributions/108.162.237.40|108.162.237.40]] 16:45, 27 November 2016 (UTC)

Wouldn't this very quickly result in the extinction of all cats, as they are forced to rush from one chauvinist to another, unable to escape long enough to eat or sleep?
>Jesper {{unsigned ip|141.101.105.40}}

Why do you assume that Megan thinks that catcalling is harassing women? Maybe she is tired of women who get harassed by it, when in fact there is no point to. [[Special:Contributions/162.158.150.140|162.158.150.140]] 15:03, 4 December 2016 (UTC)

Talk:339: Classic

2016-11-27T15:03:08Z

Int:

Looks very much like a turntable and speaker to me. {{unsigned ip|173.245.54.45}}

My guess is it's a sarcastic reference to how many songs heavily borrow from Pachelbel's canon in D. In Stairway the clean arpeggiated beginning of the song and the solo around the referenced part of the song, IIRC, as well as Procul Harem's Whiter Shade of Pale are variations on the work, in different keys. The listener knows this but doesn't know Pachelbel's long dead. Just my 2c. If I was certain I'd change the page. If you're convinced please do so. Steve T [[Special:Contributions/108.162.219.188|108.162.219.188]] 11:52, 19 December 2013 (UTC)

The real question is if Randall is a defener(TM) or not. --[[Special:Contributions/108.162.231.219|108.162.231.219]] 15:48, 19 December 2013 (UTC)

It looks a little like a turntable and speaker to me; if that's what it is supposed to be, I hope that Randall would have made it look more like that. But my only other idea is an iPhone/iPod in a dock, and that argument has a hard time convincing even me. I also think that the title text is a straightforward reference to the talented Lim Jeong-hyun, whom Randall is saying should be supported and encouraged towards greatness. StephenP [[Special:Contributions/108.162.219.223|108.162.219.223]] 21:08, 19 December 2013 (UTC)

I don't think having only one explanation is necessary. The comic really could be interpreted either way; there is no "right" way to interpret it. As long as it's clear that they're two different intepretations, it's better to have all the detail and let the reader decide. Can we remove the incomplete? [[User:LogicalOxymoron|LogicalOxymoron]] ([[User talk:LogicalOxymoron|talk]]) 19:21, 12 March 2014 (UTC)

I agree with ^ [[Special:Contributions/108.162.249.205|108.162.249.205]] 01:19, 12 April 2014 (UTC)

I disagree; the two explanations aren't really distinct enough to warrant an alternative, and should be combined into one. The point, as I see it, is that baby boomer music is better in many ways - not just lyrically. It's just not a complicated or ambiguous comic to confuse readers with a second explain. {{unsigned ip|108.162.219.55}}

Changed the bracketed part in the transcript - the guitarist for Led Zeppelin is Jimmy Page, not Robert Plant. Robert Plant is the vocalist though. [[Special:Contributions/108.162.245.69|108.162.245.69]] 02:38, 7 October 2014 (UTC)

; Pachelbel Kid
By "Pachelbel kid", isn't he maybe referring to the guy in the famous [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JdxkVQy7QLM "Pachelbel Rant" video from 2006?], implying that in the current generation there are also people that show actual musical talent?--[[Special:Contributions/198.41.243.75|198.41.243.75]] 19:10, 24 November 2015 (UTC)

:: I have no idea. I rewrote that section because the previous version didn't make any sense, but I haven't linked to that video because I don't know how that fits into the joke and what he's referring to. Was the video spiking in popularity when the comic came out? Is it a well-known meme that an internetter of the mid '00s would have recognised? I don't know so I didn't include that when I edited it, but there's scope for someone to do that if it makes sense. for that to be Randall's joke. [[Special:Contributions/108.162.249.155|108.162.249.155]] 03:09, 14 March 2016 (UTC)

Classical music isn't "a type of music"; the term didn't even exist back then. It was invented to differentiate it from music that wasn't written in what was considered the "classical style" with rebuttals and mathematical meter and tonal harmony, etc. Back then you were just playing/writing music, which could be described as an arpeggio, or a sonata, or a symphony, opera, etc. "Classic" may be related, but not directly, and it has nothing to do with the number of famous performers, but the style and mode of music itself.[[Special:Contributions/108.162.218.118|108.162.218.118]] 06:59, 17 May 2016 (UTC)

Jimi Hendrix all the Way! Happy Birthday!

Talk:1763: Catcalling

2016-11-23T17:00:13Z

Int: