explain xkcd - User contributions [en]

Talk:2387: Blair Witch

2020-11-19T04:35:57Z

J Milstein: Pointer nomenclature

The whole Blair Witch legend didn't exist before the movie. This doesn't seem too evident from the explanation, which is written as though there was a historical basis for it.[[Special:Contributions/172.69.33.245|172.69.33.245]] 03:23, 19 November 2020 (UTC)

https://www.google.com/search?q=single+sex+lizard+species&oq=single+sex+lizard+species

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_Mexico_whiptail
Not the result that I can't remember right now, a tropical location? Has (moving to had) an all female lizard species.
SDT [[Special:Contributions/162.158.75.46|162.158.75.46]] 03:28, 19 November 2020 (UTC)

Have you considered the possibility that the Blair Witch, if female, could be bred with human males? They may not need Blair Witch males to reproduce. I seem to remember that some parthenogenic lizards need to have sex with a male of a different species to reproduce. The male sperm does not contribute to the genome of the offspring but is required to trigger necessary hormonal, etc. changes. I could not find a reference to this.

Why is the pointer called a baton? If it's not called a pointer, why not call it a wand?[[User:J Milstein|J Milstein]] ([[User talk:J Milstein|talk]]) 04:35, 19 November 2020 (UTC)

2277: Business Greetings

2020-03-06T14:06:16Z

J Milstein: Humbert licked Lolita's eyeball

{{comic
| number = 2277
| date = March 6, 2020
| title = Business Greetings
| image = business_greetings.png
| titletext = We have email and social media now, so we probably don't need to keep exchanging business cards by pressing them gently against each others' faces with an open palm and smearing them around.
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Created by an EYEBALL LICKER. Please mention here why this explanation isn't complete. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}
This comic is the third comic in a row about the {{w|2019–20 coronavirus outbreak|outbreak in 2020}} of the {{w|coronavirus}} - {{w|SARS-CoV-2}}. The first comic being [[2275: Coronavirus Name]] and the second [[2276: Self-Isolate]]. This thus makes all comics of that week about the corona outbreak.

As a reaction to the COVID-19 coronavirus outbreak, people are refraining from personal contact. This leads to conflicts with customs in the workplace - e.g. shaking hands at the beginning of a meeting etc.

The comic shows [[Beret Guy]] addressing his employees in his company [[Ponytail]], [[Hairy]] and [[Hairbun]]. He states that they should not overreact to the coronavirus. But at least they should now quit their usual startup procedure at meetings where everyone is "licking each others eyeballs". Virus or not, it is not normal to lick anyone's eyeballs at meetings - or in any other normal situation... ever! However, in Nabokov's Lolita Humbert licks Lolita's eyeball to remove a particle. Humbert, an unreliable narrator, claims that Swiss peasants do this.

The fun thing is that his employers state that they will miss this human contact, but that they at least understand.

Contact between saliva and eyes are a very common way to get the virus spread. But usually this occurs from one person sneezing, not by licking the other persons eye.

It is possible that this is the same company of which Beret Guy has previously been shown as the boss, in one of his many [[:Category:Beret Guy's Business|Businesses]].

When the comic was first published, it did not have a title-text. This has almost exclusively occurred previously with special interactive or dynamic comics. Absence of title-text is so unusual that it broke at least one xkcd client ([https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.floern.xkcd Browser for xkcd by Floern]). During the day of the release, the title-text has been added.

==Transcript==
:[Beret Guy is standing to the left addressing Ponytail, Hairy and Hairbun sitting in office chairs at a table. Hairbun is at the end of the table. All three have one arm on the table.]
:Beret Guy: I don't think we should overreact to the coronavirus,
:Beret Guy: But it might be time to put an end to the custom of starting business meetings by everyone licking each others' eyeballs.
:Hairy: I'll miss the human contact, but that's fair.
:Hairbun: Gotta change with the times.

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Comics featuring Beret Guy]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Ponytail]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Hairy]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Hairbun]]
[[Category:Social interactions]]
Beret Guy's Business

Talk:2161: An Apple a Day

2019-06-11T13:01:28Z

J Milstein: Apples:Doctors::Garlic:Vampires

I get that I shouldn't, but after the first sentence in the second paragrsph, I really wanted to say:
"For example, if an opponent controls a thief of sanity and you have a sharktocrab, you may adapt the sharktocrab to tap down the thief."
(This is a Magic: The Gathering reference.) [[Special:Contributions/172.68.142.197|172.68.142.197]] 18:05, 10 June 2019 (UTC)

The title text contains a subtle pun with Gran-negative, where the bacterial term is Gram-negative, but instead is referring to Granny-Smith apples - hence, gran-negative. [[User:Ianrbibtitlht|Ianrbibtitlht]] ([[User talk:Ianrbibtitlht|talk]]) 18:06, 10 June 2019 (UTC)
:And this is why I come to explainxkcd even when I think I have understood the comic! Thanks![[Special:Contributions/172.69.55.178|172.69.55.178]] 18:22, 10 June 2019 (UTC)

I felt parts of the explanation were worded a bit clunkily. I'm not strongly attached to my edit, so if others disagree, feel free to revert ;-) [[User:Gir|-- //gir.st/]] ([[User talk:Gir|talk]]) 19:10, 10 June 2019 (U

I feel I must take issue with the statement in the explanation that Granny Smith Apples are 'sour' and agree with the title text that they are 'tart' or possibly 'sharp'. [[User:RIIW - Ponder it|RIIW - Ponder it]] ([[User talk:RIIW - Ponder it|talk]]) 21:21, 10 June 2019 (UTC)

I've found that one apple a day will keep the doctor away, providing you can throw it hard enough and accurately enough at him. [[User:RAGBRAIvet|RAGBRAIvet]] ([[User talk:RAGBRAIvet|talk]]) 01:41, 11 June 2019 (UTC). Or her...

Antibiotics weren't my first thought on reading this comic, but rather mosquitoes, which have an amazing tendency to overcome everything we throw at them. There was an article a day or two ago about introducing spider venom into fungus to try a new approach against them. I'm sure there are other examples that occur to others, as resistance increase is a common enough concept. Like many xkcd, it works on multiple levels. [[User:Daemonik|Daemonik]] ([[User talk:Daemonik|talk]]) 08:58, 11 June 2019 (UTC)

We could put our apples on a messaging site that posts to an uncensorable blockchain like https://memo.sv/ so that everybody can reuse others on doctors that haven't seen them yet. What do you think? I was also thinking if a strong AI were developed, it could build new apples as needed. Maybe an AI could be made rapidly by having it learn to predict its own behavior from its code. But you wouldn't want it to accidentally take over the world, so it could have a primary task of being interviewed in an empathic way, answering for example, "are you happy with how fulfilled your need to nurture and empower life is?" Answering this question in depth might stimulate it to understand these concepts, and the response would give the interviewer lots of avenues to understand and verify it further. By the way, there's a 30-page booklet on a technique used to resolve wars rapidly [https://gateway.ipfs.io/ipfs/QmdFVjYwgeuUpw83hBB74Wy4js8SrmmNxt8U2MkdRA2f7m/Books/We%20Can%20Work%20It%20Out:%20Resolving%20Conflicts%20Peacefully%20and%20Powerfully.pdf here]. [[Special:Contributions/172.69.68.143|172.69.68.143]] 02:08, 11 June 2019 (UTC)

[[User:J Milstein|J Milstein]] ([[User talk:J Milstein|talk]]) 13:01, 11 June 2019 (UTC) Apples keeping doctors away seems analogous to garlic keeping vampires away [[User:J Milstein|J Milstein]] ([[User talk:J Milstein|talk]]) 13:01, 11 June 2019 (UTC)

Talk:2094: Short Selling

2019-01-07T19:37:47Z

J Milstein:

It's like he's doing that on purpose to make it extra difficult for this site to explain his comics. :D I at least understood nothing. [[User:Fabian42|Fabian42]] ([[User talk:Fabian42|talk]]) 16:19, 4 January 2019 (UTC)
:@Fabian42, Ha! Yes, I'm in the same boat with you, It's almost like he follows this formula: 1. Pick a topic that very few understand. 2. Make an analogy that is more complicated than a straightforward explanation. 3. Profit.
:I've been reading a page on short selling, it's like they're speaking a foreign language. [[Special:Contributions/172.69.70.47|172.69.70.47]] 16:42, 4 January 2019 (UTC) sam
::It makes sense from what I remember from economics in high school: you buy stocks in advance for significantly above asking price hoping they gain more value before the deal happens, so let's say 1 share of company X is worth 20$ right now. Now I can offer you a contract that I'll buy this share from you for 50$, but on the condition that the deal happens in a week. If the value of the company stays the same, I make a loss; but if the value rises within that week and one share is suddenly worth, let's say 2000$, I make an immense profit. (divide each value I gave by ten and you have the bean/witch/child analogy from the comic) It's basically gambling on the hope that the value of stock rises. --[[Special:Contributions/172.68.50.118|172.68.50.118]] 17:24, 4 January 2019 (UTC)
:::How are stock markets even still legal? This is insane! [[User:Fabian42|Fabian42]] ([[User talk:Fabian42|talk]]) 17:42, 4 January 2019 (UTC)
::::what would be insane would be trying to outlaw stock markets. They’ve been around for hundreds of years; business people are going to find ways to trade.{{unsigned|172.68.65.6}}
::::If you think short-selling shouldn't be legal, you should look into {{w|Quantitative easing}} and {{w|Fractional-reserve banking}}. -- [[User:Hkmaly|Hkmaly]] ([[User talk:Hkmaly|talk]]) 18:16, 5 January 2019 (UTC)
:::What you (and Ponytail, FWIW, given how muddled the analogy is of course) describe sounds more like selling put options than short selling. [[User:Stannius|Stannius]] ([[User talk:Stannius|talk]]) 19:10, 4 January 2019 (UTC)
:::You don't actually buy the shares beforehand. What happens is that if you think a stock is overvalued, you can borrow some shares of it from a broker and sell them at the current price. You then owe the broker those shares that you hope to repay by purchasing it at a lower price in the future, but if the stock instead goes up, you may be squeezed into shelling out money for the higher price. Why is this useful to the market? I recommend reading <cite>The Blind Side</cite> for a good example. Market prices tell us a lot of information about what a great deal of people think about the value of things. This information is a lot more accurate when those who think something is overvalued have as much of a say as those who think it's undervalued. Asset bubbles would happen a lot more often otherwise. [[User:PerfectlyGoodInk|PerfectlyGoodInk]] ([[User talk:PerfectlyGoodInk|talk]]) 18:50, 7 January 2019 (UTC)
::It is not that hard to understand. Imagine you own 100 apple-shares and do not plan to sell them for the near future. You lend me these 100-shares for 2 weeks. I sell the 100 shares immediately. Now I have 2 weeks to re-buy them. If I’m lucky the price for these 100 shares will decrease somewhen during this 2 weeks. Imaging that I sold the shares for 200$ each, and could re-buy them for 170$: Then I made 30*100$=3000$. Of course you will get a fee for the borrowing. The 3000$-fee are my profit.
::The risk here is of course that the shares could increase in price during the 2 weeks – then I would be forced to rebuy them for more that I got AND have to pay you the fee. That’s the reason shorts are more dangerous then longs. --[[User:DaB.|DaB.]] ([[User talk:DaB.|talk]]) 17:36, 4 January 2019 (UTC)
:::You sell something that you borrowed? Why would that be allowed? It's not yours! And what happens if you can't buy it back? [[User:Fabian42|Fabian42]] ([[User talk:Fabian42|talk]]) 17:42, 4 January 2019 (UTC)
::::It’s totally legal to sell something that you borrow. If I could not buy it back you and I will have a problem – so you do this kind of business only with people/firms with money.
::::But to show you something that IS crazy, there is also ''Naked short selling'' – that’s like short-selling on speed. With this kind of short-selling, I do not borrow anything. It works in this way: Today I sell you 100 apple-shares, which I do not have, for 200$. You have to pay me immediately, so I collect 100*200$=20,000$. I will deliver these shares when I have to, which is 1 or 2 days from now (depending on the market-place). So if I’m lucky and the price drops the next 1 or 2 days, then I make profit. For example if the apple-shares decrease again to 170$, then I make 100*(200$-170$)=3000$ profit. Some countries (but not the US AFAIK) forbid these kind of short-selling, after the last financial crisis. --[[User:DaB.|DaB.]] ([[User talk:DaB.|talk]]) 20:37, 4 January 2019 (UTC)
::::Shares are fungible, like money, so it makes perfect sense. If I borrow a £10 note from you, there's no expectation that I'll keep it safe and return the exact same £10 note to you; I'm probably borrowing it to spend it. But you don't care as long as I return £10 to you at the end of the loan. Every pound is interchangeable with every other pound; and it's the same with shares of a given type. --[[Special:Contributions/162.158.155.116|162.158.155.116]] 16:14, 5 January 2019 (UTC)

Short selling doesn't seem all that complicated. It's the night before black friday, and your friend has [hot new amazing toy] that they picked up a few months ago before it got popular. You ask if you can borrow it for a week. Then you go out the next morning and scalp it to a frustrated parent that is desperate to get it for their kid but the store is sold out. A week goes by, and you head to the store and pick one up now that they are back in stock and on sale, and give it back to your friend. Your friend has a toy, even if it's not exactly the same one, and the price difference between what you sold it for and what you paid for the new one gave you a bit of holiday spending money. The danger is if the toy doesn't get back in stock or the price goes up due to demand and you have to buy it for more than you sold it. [[User:Andyd273|Andyd273]] ([[User talk:Andyd273|talk]]) 17:45, 4 January 2019 (UTC)

It seems like the title text implies there are multiple witches involved. This should perhaps be mentioned in the explanation. [[Special:Contributions/108.162.241.202|108.162.241.202]] 18:04, 4 January 2019 (UTC)
:I’m confused... which which is which?[[Special:Contributions/172.68.65.6|172.68.65.6]] 05:20, 5 January 2019 (UTC)

:I believe the pun is related to how multiple people promising to win the auction is going to drive prices higher. If this is somehow related to some story with multiple witches, it's beyond my knowledge. It's entirely possible the witches are there only to connect the title text with the comic dialog. Also, I find it interesting that Cueball didn't actually ask Ponytail for her wisdom - he only made a comment which she then answered. [[User:Ianrbibtitlht|Ianrbibtitlht]] ([[User talk:Ianrbibtitlht|talk]]) 19:36, 4 January 2019 (UTC)
::The title text definitely says "witches" not "the witch", so it does appear to be a bevy (I'd say coven but that would seem to imply they belong to the same group, which may not be the case here) of witches it's talking about. [[User:N0lqu|-boB]] ([[User talk:N0lqu|talk]]) 20:55, 4 January 2019 (UTC)

someone takes !-> they believe !-> their strategy; 1 != 2; will (optative) -> shall (future); he -> who; witches -> witch's; would (desiderative) -> should (conditional) [[User:Lysdexia|Lysdexia]] ([[User talk:Lysdexia|talk]]) 02:38, 5 January 2019 (UTC)

What about that word "squeeze" in the title text? We need an explanation. There is a page {{w|Short_squeeze}} on Wikipedia which is surely relevant, but I don't understand it enough to explain it here. [[Special:Contributions/141.101.98.178|141.101.98.178]] 12:41, 6 January 2019 (UTC)

:Off the top of my head, when a short seller borrows shares and sells them, they essentially have a margin loan. The cash from the short sale is their collateral, which has a fixed value. The value of their loan fluctuates with the price of the stock that they sold. The broker wants to make sure they get paid, so if the stock price goes too high, the broker can make a margin call to the short seller, telling them they need to pay back the borrowed shares before its stock price gets any higher. This forces them to buy the stock at the higher price for a loss. Since buying a stock increases the demand and thus creates an upward pressure on the price (all else remaining equal), one tactic for those holding the stock and wishing for the price to go up is to buy a bunch more shares to drive up the price to the point where this happens, betting on that the price will then go up even more. This tactic is called a short squeeze.[[User:PerfectlyGoodInk|PerfectlyGoodInk]] ([[User talk:PerfectlyGoodInk|talk]]) 19:04, 7 January 2019 (UTC)

There is an element of fighting the Witch - when a short seller is set to lose they do all they can to undermine the company. Elon vs. Short Sellers as case in point.

Why assume that the first born child is not yet born? I've had one of those for decades. How many magic beans am I offered? [[User:J Milstein|J Milstein]] ([[User talk:J Milstein|talk]]) 16:08, 7 January 2019 (UTC)
:Because a child already born has a more settled value. in Ponytail's story the seller is assuming they'll have a rotten 2 bean kid, and basically betting the witch that the kid will be worth 5 beans tops. In your case a trade would be more like a normal sale than a "short sale".[[Special:Contributions/162.158.187.25|162.158.187.25]] 19:11, 7 January 2019 (UTC)
Since my kid is already born I have more information and can sell the kid I know to be rotten to a witch who does not have this information. This is like selling a used car. The unborn child is like a new car. In any case, the market in used kids is just as likely to fluctuate, maybe more, as the market in newborns. [[User:J Milstein|J Milstein]] ([[User talk:J Milstein|talk]]) 19:37, 7 January 2019 (UTC)

Talk:2094: Short Selling

2019-01-07T16:08:53Z

J Milstein: "First born" does not imply not yet born

It's like he's doing that on purpose to make it extra difficult for this site to explain his comics. :D I at least understood nothing. [[User:Fabian42|Fabian42]] ([[User talk:Fabian42|talk]]) 16:19, 4 January 2019 (UTC)
:@Fabian42, Ha! Yes, I'm in the same boat with you, It's almost like he follows this formula: 1. Pick a topic that very few understand. 2. Make an analogy that is more complicated than a straightforward explanation. 3. Profit.
:I've been reading a page on short selling, it's like they're speaking a foreign language. [[Special:Contributions/172.69.70.47|172.69.70.47]] 16:42, 4 January 2019 (UTC) sam
::It makes sense from what I remember from economics in high school: you buy stocks in advance for significantly above asking price hoping they gain more value before the deal happens, so let's say 1 share of company X is worth 20$ right now. Now I can offer you a contract that I'll buy this share from you for 50$, but on the condition that the deal happens in a week. If the value of the company stays the same, I make a loss; but if the value rises within that week and one share is suddenly worth, let's say 2000$, I make an immense profit. (divide each value I gave by ten and you have the bean/witch/child analogy from the comic) It's basically gambling on the hope that the value of stock rises. --[[Special:Contributions/172.68.50.118|172.68.50.118]] 17:24, 4 January 2019 (UTC)
:::How are stock markets even still legal? This is insane! [[User:Fabian42|Fabian42]] ([[User talk:Fabian42|talk]]) 17:42, 4 January 2019 (UTC)
::::what would be insane would be trying to outlaw stock markets. They’ve been around for hundreds of years; business people are going to find ways to trade.{{unsigned|172.68.65.6}}
::::If you think short-selling shouldn't be legal, you should look into {{w|Quantitative easing}} and {{w|Fractional-reserve banking}}. -- [[User:Hkmaly|Hkmaly]] ([[User talk:Hkmaly|talk]]) 18:16, 5 January 2019 (UTC)
:::What you (and Ponytail, FWIW, given how muddled the analogy is of course) describe sounds more like selling put options than short selling. [[User:Stannius|Stannius]] ([[User talk:Stannius|talk]]) 19:10, 4 January 2019 (UTC)
::It is not that hard to understand. Imagine you own 100 apple-shares and do not plan to sell them for the near future. You lend me these 100-shares for 2 weeks. I sell the 100 shares immediately. Now I have 2 weeks to re-buy them. If I’m lucky the price for these 100 shares will decrease somewhen during this 2 weeks. Imaging that I sold the shares for 200$ each, and could re-buy them for 170$: Then I made 30*100$=3000$. Of course you will get a fee for the borrowing. The 3000$-fee are my profit.
::The risk here is of course that the shares could increase in price during the 2 weeks – then I would be forced to rebuy them for more that I got AND have to pay you the fee. That’s the reason shorts are more dangerous then longs. --[[User:DaB.|DaB.]] ([[User talk:DaB.|talk]]) 17:36, 4 January 2019 (UTC)
:::You sell something that you borrowed? Why would that be allowed? It's not yours! And what happens if you can't buy it back? [[User:Fabian42|Fabian42]] ([[User talk:Fabian42|talk]]) 17:42, 4 January 2019 (UTC)
::::It’s totally legal to sell something that you borrow. If I could not buy it back you and I will have a problem – so you do this kind of business only with people/firms with money.
::::But to show you something that IS crazy, there is also ''Naked short selling'' – that’s like short-selling on speed. With this kind of short-selling, I do not borrow anything. It works in this way: Today I sell you 100 apple-shares, which I do not have, for 200$. You have to pay me immediately, so I collect 100*200$=20,000$. I will deliver these shares when I have to, which is 1 or 2 days from now (depending on the market-place). So if I’m lucky and the price drops the next 1 or 2 days, then I make profit. For example if the apple-shares decrease again to 170$, then I make 100*(200$-170$)=3000$ profit. Some countries (but not the US AFAIK) forbid these kind of short-selling, after the last financial crisis. --[[User:DaB.|DaB.]] ([[User talk:DaB.|talk]]) 20:37, 4 January 2019 (UTC)
::::Shares are fungible, like money, so it makes perfect sense. If I borrow a £10 note from you, there's no expectation that I'll keep it safe and return the exact same £10 note to you; I'm probably borrowing it to spend it. But you don't care as long as I return £10 to you at the end of the loan. Every pound is interchangeable with every other pound; and it's the same with shares of a given type. --[[Special:Contributions/162.158.155.116|162.158.155.116]] 16:14, 5 January 2019 (UTC)

Short selling doesn't seem all that complicated. It's the night before black friday, and your friend has [hot new amazing toy] that they picked up a few months ago before it got popular. You ask if you can borrow it for a week. Then you go out the next morning and scalp it to a frustrated parent that is desperate to get it for their kid but the store is sold out. A week goes by, and you head to the store and pick one up now that they are back in stock and on sale, and give it back to your friend. Your friend has a toy, even if it's not exactly the same one, and the price difference between what you sold it for and what you paid for the new one gave you a bit of holiday spending money. The danger is if the toy doesn't get back in stock or the price goes up due to demand and you have to buy it for more than you sold it. [[User:Andyd273|Andyd273]] ([[User talk:Andyd273|talk]]) 17:45, 4 January 2019 (UTC)

It seems like the title text implies there are multiple witches involved. This should perhaps be mentioned in the explanation. [[Special:Contributions/108.162.241.202|108.162.241.202]] 18:04, 4 January 2019 (UTC)
:I’m confused... which which is which?[[Special:Contributions/172.68.65.6|172.68.65.6]] 05:20, 5 January 2019 (UTC)

:I believe the pun is related to how multiple people promising to win the auction is going to drive prices higher. If this is somehow related to some story with multiple witches, it's beyond my knowledge. It's entirely possible the witches are there only to connect the title text with the comic dialog. Also, I find it interesting that Cueball didn't actually ask Ponytail for her wisdom - he only made a comment which she then answered. [[User:Ianrbibtitlht|Ianrbibtitlht]] ([[User talk:Ianrbibtitlht|talk]]) 19:36, 4 January 2019 (UTC)
::The title text definitely says "witches" not "the witch", so it does appear to be a bevy (I'd say coven but that would seem to imply they belong to the same group, which may not be the case here) of witches it's talking about. [[User:N0lqu|-boB]] ([[User talk:N0lqu|talk]]) 20:55, 4 January 2019 (UTC)

someone takes !-> they believe !-> their strategy; 1 != 2; will (optative) -> shall (future); he -> who; witches -> witch's; would (desiderative) -> should (conditional) [[User:Lysdexia|Lysdexia]] ([[User talk:Lysdexia|talk]]) 02:38, 5 January 2019 (UTC)

What about that word "squeeze" in the title text? We need an explanation. There is a page {{w|Short_squeeze}} on Wikipedia which is surely relevant, but I don't understand it enough to explain it here. [[Special:Contributions/141.101.98.178|141.101.98.178]] 12:41, 6 January 2019 (UTC)

There is an element of fighting the Witch - when a short seller is set to lose they do all they can to undermine the company. Elon vs. Short Sellers as case in point.

Why assume that the first born child is not yet born? I've had one of those for decades. How many magic beans am I offered? [[User:J Milstein|J Milstein]] ([[User talk:J Milstein|talk]]) 16:08, 7 January 2019 (UTC)

2093: Reminders

2019-01-03T01:47:30Z

J Milstein: Raise is transitive. Rise is intransitive.

{{comic
| number = 2093
| date = January 2, 2019
| title = Reminders
| image = reminders.png
| titletext = The good news is that if the number of work and friend relationships you have exceeds your willingness to do the bare minimum to keep up with everyone's life events and stuff, one way or another that problem eventually solves itself.
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Created by a BOT. Please mention here why this explanation isn't complete. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}

In this comic, Cueball is using an email client program on a laptop, which is a common way to read and write emails from/to other people. Advanced email client software frequently provides reminders of various kinds to aid the user, and in this case we see a series of reminder alerts with Cueball's response to each one. The final reminder results in the realization by Cueball that he's not very conscientious about what's going in other people's lives, and he expresses this in the text below the image.

While the comic shows this series of interactions with Cueball, we could interpret this as being how Randall feels about his own lack of attention to the people in his own life.

The title text points out that if you have too many work and friend relationships to effectively keep up with all of the details in their lives, eventually the number of friends and coworkers will be reduced to the point where you can keep up. Alternatively, your level of commitment could rise to match the amount of relationships you need to keep up with.

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

:[Cueball using a laptop]
:Laptop: You got this email six days ago. Do you want to follow up?
:Cueball: Oh, right, I should do that.
:<nowiki>*type type*</nowiki>
:Laptop: Did you forget the attachment?
:Cueball: Oops, yes.
:Laptop: Today is the recipient's birthday. Did you want to mention that?
:Cueball: Wait, it is?

:[Caption below the panel:]
:These reminders make me uncomfortable, not because computers are getting too smart, but because it reminds me how often I fall short of even baseline levels of conscientiousness.

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Email]]

2075: Update Your Address

2018-11-22T14:38:55Z

J Milstein: "whoever" is the correct usage here as subject of its clause

{{comic
| number = 2075
| date = November 21, 2018
| title = Update Your Address
| image = update_your_address.png
| titletext = This is my four-digit PIN. It was passed down to me by my father, and someday I will pass it on to you. Unless we figure out how to update it, but that sounds complicated.
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Created by someone with an OLD ADDRESS. There is no explanation. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}
In this comic, Cueball is facing several instances where entities asking or confirming his address find that the address they possess is incorrect - each address is progressively more outdated. In the final comic, Cueball gives up and confirms that yes, he is still living in a country that hasn't existed for over a century.

Inaccurate addresses may be a common problem for someone who has moved constantly in his lifetime. Alternatively, Cueball and his family do not find it important to update addresses for those particular businesses / entities.

{{w|Austria-Hungary}} was a European empire that existed between 1867 and 1918, {{w|Austria-Hungary#Dissolution|dissolving}} during {{w|World War I}}. It is possible that Cueball's ancestors hail from the Austro-Hungarian Empire, though it would be even more absurd for that to be used as an address, given that the polity ended a century ago, whereas the earliest programmable computer was created 20 years after the country was dissolved and personal/small business computers approximately 40 years after that.

Ash Tree Lane refers to {{w|House of Leaves}}, a postmodern novel from 2000 in which one of many nested plots involves a house on Ash Tree Lane that is bigger on the inside than on the outside, and in fact contains a {{w|labyrinth}} with a {{w|minotaur}}. The book, and Ash Tree Lane specifically, have previously been referenced in [[472: House of Pancakes]] and [[886: Craigslist Apartments]].

The title text treats bank accounts (and the PIN codes needed to access them) as though they were physical heirlooms passed down generation to generation. The patent for PIN codes was submitted in May 1966, and the first public use of a {{w|Personal identification number|PIN code}} was in 1967, when {{w|Barclays}} used them to process {{w|cheques}} at {{w|automated teller machines}}. It would be unusual for Cueball to inherit both an active bank account and the PIN associated with it -- when a person with a bank account dies, the bank usually closes the account altogether and transfers the money to a separate account of whoever is named the beneficiary. Treating the account number and/or its PIN as though they were physical heirlooms plays into the joke of them not changing through the years (due to the apparent difficulty of updating them).

==Transcript==
:[Cueball is standing, holding a phone.]
:Voice: Do you still live at 342 River St?
:Cueball: No, I moved last year.
:[Cueball is standing behind a counter with Hairy, whose hands are on a keyboard.]
:Hairy: Is 21 Ash Tree Lane still a good address?
:Cueball: What? That's my childhood home. How is that even in your system?
:[Cueball is holding a phone again in a borderless panel.]
:Voice: The address we have is 205 Second St #2.
:Cueball: I... think that's where my parents lived before I was born!?
:[Cueball stands behind another counter with Ponytail and a tablet.]
:Ponytail: Are you still living in... "The Austro-Hungarian Empire?"
:Cueball: You know what, sure.
:Ponytail: Austria-Hungary dissolved in 1918.
:Cueball: Well, I come from a long line of people who hate updating stuff.
{{comic discussion}}

Talk:1374: Urn

2014-05-28T13:55:13Z

J Milstein: Vote for "trigger warning"

The urn could contain both the ashes and the balls, as the teacher does not use any modifiers like "only". IE: Meg could have imagined these balls being added to an urn are already has knowledge of. It would be nice if the explanation clarified this possibility. [[Special:Contributions/199.27.128.68|199.27.128.68]] 10:10, 28 May 2014 (UTC) Adam

I interpreted the "with replacement" part of the title text as Megan wanting to have her grandfather back.--[[User:Buggz|Buggz]] ([[User talk:Buggz|talk]]) 08:31, 28 May 2014 (UTC)
: I now realize she just wants to put the ashes back, it's so obvious it hurts. #overthinkingit --[[User:Buggz|Buggz]] ([[User talk:Buggz|talk]]) 09:44, 28 May 2014 (UTC)

The calculation for "with replacement" is substantially shorter (and thus easier and less tedious) than without. [[Special:Contributions/108.162.237.218|108.162.237.218]] 09:14, 28 May 2014 (UTC)
: Depends on whether you disregard the order in which the balls are drawn or not. -- [[User:Xorg|Xorg]] ([[User talk:Xorg|talk]]) 10:09, 28 May 2014 (UTC)

A bot wrote all of these?!--[[Special:Contributions/108.162.215.46|108.162.215.46]] 09:50, 28 May 2014 (UTC)
: I guess I'll have to remove "understanding xkcd" from my list of working Turing tests then... -- [[User:Xorg|Xorg]] ([[User talk:Xorg|talk]]) 10:09, 28 May 2014 (UTC)

Maybe I'm off base, but it seems to be a commentary on [http://www.nytimes.com/2014/05/18/us/warning-the-literary-canon-could-make-students-squirm.html Trigger Warnings]
:Could be. I can see that, with the standard science/math/Randall twist. Only in this case, the content is totally unexpected based on the perceived topic that is to be covered. Unlike possibly expecting racism from a civil war era novel, brutality from an ancient Greek historical account; or peanuts in a can of, peanuts... [[User:Jarod997|Jarod997]] ([[User talk:Jarod997|talk]]) 13:23, 28 May 2014 (UTC)

I'd suggest that Megan could identify her grandfathers ashes by the urn (shape, colour, identification), but there's no clear indication of that in the panel. She clearly recognizes the ashes as her grandfathers ''after'' she sticks her hand in. [[User:Jarod997|Jarod997]] ([[User talk:Jarod997|talk]]) 13:25, 28 May 2014 (UTC)

I think the key here is that for some people the word "urn" is a neutral word, while for other people "urn" is only associated with funerals and cremation and the ashes of a loved one. The fact that the title for the drawing is "Urn" could also imply that it is all about the word "urn" and how some people react emotionally to it. --[[User:RenniePet|RenniePet]] ([[User talk:RenniePet|talk]]) 13:49, 28 May 2014 (UTC)

It seems very clear to me that this comic is mostly about "trigger warnings". [[User:J Milstein|J Milstein]] ([[User talk:J Milstein|talk]]) 13:55, 28 May 2014 (UTC)

1261: Shake That

2013-09-06T19:46:55Z

J Milstein: /* Explanation */

{{comic
| number = 1261
| date = September 6, 2013
| title = Shake That
| image = shake that.png
| titletext = How do I work it? IT'S ALREADY WORKING!
}}

==Explanation==
Visiting a club, [[Megan]] is exhorted by a cliche line used in several songs, to "shake what your mama gave you", a reference to body parts, often the posterior region. Taking this exhortation to heart, and extremely literally, she proceeds to locate a cliched mug given by her mother labeled ''World's greatest daughter'' and shakes it. The title text refers to another lyrical cliche, "work it", saying "it's already working".

The line "shake what your mama gave ya" has been a staple of rap music since 1995 when Stik-E & Da Hoodz released the single "Shake Whatcha Mama Gave Ya" on Phat Wax records. The line gained a wider audience when it was sampled by {{w|Fatboy Slim}} in the similarly titled "Ya Mama" on his 2000 album ''{{w|Halfway Between the Gutter and the Stars}}''. More recently the line was featured in the {{w|Lil Jon}} single "Stick That Thang Out". In fitting with the general thematic composition of such a song, a large part of which revolves around either goading a woman to, or describing one who is dancing seductively in a nightclub - this line asks a girl to dance, thereby swaying her hips & buttocks, or breasts, the most common male 'fetishes' - making them more conspicuous because of the phase lag with the rest of the body, which may be attributed to non-rigidity of the elastic structures in the usually dim ambiance, for purposes of her male audience's gratification (whether it be solicited or voyeuristic). "Work it" also serves a similar purpose, appealing to the person to get them to dance and move around which can be considered work either from the point of mechanical work, or be a reference to a professional dancer.

"What your mama gave ya" is a crude euphemism referring to any of the sexually appealing anatomical parts of the dancer. [While the line is used in a male-watching-female context, there is nothing to preclude the reverse, or indeed any alternative sexual orientation and fetishes.] It is, however, an applicable one if he/she considers his/her body as something given to her by her mother. This is not entirely spurious a consideration either. Aside from the fact that each human child starts off as an egg in the mother's body, with only a small percentage (at an atomic mass accounting level) of mass inherited from the father, almost all the anabolic material responsible for conferring the birth mass of a baby is obtained through the mother - and from the nutrients she processes.

Megan interprets the objects referred to by the line as something literally presented to her by her mother - viz the coffee mug proclaiming her as "The world's greatest daughter". She also thinks of "Work it" in the context of enabling the function of a technological device. This naturally leads to confusion (as indicated by the title text), because the object she's holding is a novelty mug, which doesn't require any special actions to use for its intended purpose of holding a drink (or even just serving as a memory).

==Transcript==
:[Lyrics playing in a nightclub.]
:Shake what your Mama gave you
:[Megan exits the club.]
:[Close-up view of a mug that says "World's Greatest Daughter".]
:[Megan shakes the mug.]

{{comic discussion}}
[[Category:Comics featuring Hairy]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Ponytail]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Megan]]
[[Category:Comics with color]]
[[Category:Language]]
[[Category:Music]]

Talk:1215: Insight

2013-05-22T13:57:31Z

J Milstein: Agriculture

Indeed, somebody speaking circa 1895 could have made the same remark but instead of Google Glass the subject could have been something then new such as the Horseless Carriage, a technology now known as the Automobile in which I will soon drive to work.
[[Special:Contributions/24.91.233.200|24.91.233.200]] 09:28, 22 May 2013 (UTC)

:The same could be said for electrification (utility-provided mains, especially when extended to rural areas), steam locomotives, and industrialization as a whole. '''--BigMal27''' // [[Special:Contributions/192.136.15.177|192.136.15.177]] 11:24, 22 May 2013 (UTC)

Let's make a list! --[[User:DanB|DanB]] ([[User talk:DanB|talk]]) 13:25, 22 May 2013 (UTC)
*Maybe before we rush to adopt <TV> we should stop to consider the consequences of blithely giving this technology such a central position in our lives. ''(1954)''
*Maybe before we rush to adopt <Automobiles> we should stop to consider the consequences of blithely giving this technology such a central position in our lives. ''(1914)''
*Maybe before we rush to adopt <The Internet> we should stop to consider the consequences of blithely giving this technology such a central position in our lives. ''(1986)''
*Maybe before we rush to adopt <Electrification> we should stop to consider the consequences of blithely giving this technology such a central position in our lives. ''(1880's)''
*Maybe before we rush to adopt <growing food> we should stop to consider the consequences of blithely giving this technology such a central position in our lives. ''(10,000 BCE)''

Talk:1184: Circumference Formula

2013-03-14T15:31:06Z

J Milstein:

:Tau x Radius, superscript 2
:Leaves one wondering what the superscript 1 refers. {{unsigned|‎74.215.40.250}}
::It's 2''πr''2, '''not''' ''τr''2. —[[Special:Contributions/173.199.215.5|173.199.215.5]] 05:37, 11 March 2013 (UTC)
:::You're missing the point. ''τ'' == 2''π'' and is considered better than using ''π'' by some people {{unsigned|138.195.69.136}}
::::Only for very loose definitions of "better." [[Special:Contributions/71.201.53.130|71.201.53.130]] 14:59, 11 March 2013 (UTC)
::::Whoa! Never heard about that before, but after 2 hrs or so, I think I'm getting convinced! Check this site out: http://tauday.com/ What do you think? –[[User:St.nerol|St.nerol]] ([[User talk:St.nerol|talk]]) 18:06, 11 March 2013 (UTC)

::I think tau is pointless. Using tau what then happens to Euler's famous formula, the most beautiful equation of them all? Pi shows up in so many different ways and places in mathematics. Tau appears pretty much only in the formula for a circle's circumference. Why bother needlessly proliferating symbols? [[User:J Milstein|J Milstein]] ([[User talk:J Milstein|talk]]) 18:17, 11 March 2013 (UTC)

:::RE: Euler's Identity: e^(tau*i) - 1 = 0 --[[User:Max Nanasy|Max Nanasy]] ([[User talk:Max Nanasy|talk]]) 18:27, 11 March 2013 (UTC)
::::Ok, that works [[User:J Milstein|J Milstein]] ([[User talk:J Milstein|talk]]) 17:05, 13 March 2013 (UTC)
::::Why not just e^(tau*i) = 1. Do you routinely do 2 + 2 - 4 = 0?[[Special:Contributions/206.181.86.98|206.181.86.98]] 20:31, 13 March 2013 (UTC)
:::::Because:
:::::* Symmetry wrt the original Euler's Identity (e^(pi*i) + 1 = 0)
:::::* According to http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Euler's_identity#Mathematical_beauty, "in algebra and other areas of mathematics, equations are commonly written with zero on one side of the equals sign."
:::::--[[User:Max Nanasy|Max Nanasy]] ([[User talk:Max Nanasy|talk]]) 00:35, 14 March 2013 (UTC)
:::[http://tauday.com/tau-manifesto The tau manifesto] fairly well convinced me that all occurances of π in mathematics utimately trace back from the formula C = 2''πr''. If so, π naturally ''enter'' calculations as 2π. Can anyone find a counterexample to this thesis? –[[User:St.nerol|St.nerol]] ([[User talk:St.nerol|talk]]) 00:29, 14 March 2013 (UTC)
:From what I understand, the thesis from the tau-proponents is that 2*pi is the fundamental natural constant, and that virtually ''every time'' that pi shows up without the factor 2, there originally was a factor two that was cancelled out. –[[User:St.nerol|St.nerol]] ([[User talk:St.nerol|talk]]) 01:53, 12 March 2013 (UTC)

Not completely sure Earth Prime is from Sliders, but it's true it's the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Earth_Prime only one named exactly that] ... -- [[User:Hkmaly|Hkmaly]] ([[User talk:Hkmaly|talk]]) 09:54, 11 March 2013 (UTC)

There's also a [http://dc.wikia.com/wiki/Prime_Earth Prime Earth] now. Just so DC can screw with us. [[User:Hogtree Octovish|Hogtree Octovish]] ([[User talk:Hogtree Octovish|talk]]) 10:40, 11 March 2013 (UTC)

I still don't get it.[[Special:Contributions/49.176.102.213|49.176.102.213]] 12:41, 11 March 2013 (UTC)

:If you don't get it, you don't need to get it [[User:J Milstein|J Milstein]] ([[User talk:J Milstein|talk]]) 18:07, 11 March 2013 (UTC)

Well, that was lame. --[[Special:Contributions/87.122.60.227|87.122.60.227]] 17:19, 11 March 2013 (UTC)

This comic illustrates the strategy of "The Unconsummated Asterisk", from the essay "Mathmanship" by Nicholas Vanserg (available at [http://e-science.ru/forum/index.php?act=attach&type=post&id=7701]).
<blockquote>
The other side of the asterisk gambit is to use a superscript as a key to a real footnote. The knowledge‐seeker reads that S is – 36.714 calories and thinks "Gee what a whale of a lot of calories" until he reads to the bottom of the page, finds footnote 14 and says "oh."
</blockquote>
For bonus points, Randall could have used also "Pi-Throwing":
<blockquote>
For example every schoolboy knows what π stands for so you can hold him at bay by heaving some entirely different kind of π into the equation. The poor fellow will automatically multiply by 3.1416, then begin wondering how a π got into the act anyhow, and finally discover that all the while π was osmotic pressure. If you are careful not to warn him, this one is good for a delay of about an hour and a half.
</blockquote> [[User:Chymicus|Chymicus]] ([[User talk:Chymicus|talk]]) 19:01, 11 March 2013 (UTC)

I believe the current description of prime as denoting derivatives is true but irrelevant. Since the area and circumference refers to geometry (not really calculus), it's more likely that the title text is referring to the common use of primes in geometry. For example, there might be two or more parallel lines that are denoted by x, x′, x′′, etc. Wikipedia also notes another geometric use of {{w|prime}}: "if a point is represented by the Cartesian coordinates (x, y), then that point rotated, translated or reflected might be represented as (x′, y′)." [[User:S|S]] ([[User talk:S|talk]]) 23:32, 11 March 2013 (UTC)

that is so wrong, i feel my mind corrupted now. -- [[User:Anarcat|Anarcat]] ([[User talk:Anarcat|talk]]) 23:57, 11 March 2013 (UTC)

This explanation was hillarious -- where is the up-vote button ?? [[User:Spongebog|Spongebog]] ([[User talk:Spongebog|talk]])

:+1 [[User:Smperron|Smperron]] ([[User talk:Smperron|talk]]) 16:33, 13 March 2013 (UTC)

So, where's todays comic? How many times has Randal been late?[[Special:Contributions/70.199.225.225|70.199.225.225]] 16:15, 13 March 2013 (UTC)

:Today's comic was posted just a few minutes ago. I'm anxiously awaiting its explanation as it picks on a programming language I'm not familiar with (possibly SQL). [[User:Smperron|Smperron]] ([[User talk:Smperron|talk]]) 16:33, 13 March 2013 (UTC)

It uses pseudocode. The new one is about sorting algorithms in general, not any particular language. [[Special:Contributions/130.245.231.101|130.245.231.101]] 17:00, 13 March 2013 (UTC)

Perhaps it's just me, but did no one see the "square the circle" gag...? --[[Special:Contributions/128.232.142.37|128.232.142.37]] 09:24, 14 March 2013 (UTC) No one but you saw the square-the-circle gag, because it's not there. For it to be there, it would require this: (2πr)² [[User:J Milstein|J Milstein]] ([[User talk:J Milstein|talk]]) 15:31, 14 March 2013 (UTC)

Talk:1184: Circumference Formula

2013-03-13T17:05:44Z

J Milstein:

:Tau x Radius, superscript 2
:Leaves one wondering what the superscript 1 refers. {{unsigned|‎74.215.40.250}}
::It's 2''πr''2, '''not''' ''τr''2. —[[Special:Contributions/173.199.215.5|173.199.215.5]] 05:37, 11 March 2013 (UTC)
:::You're missing the point. ''τ'' == 2''π'' and is considered better than using ''π'' by some people {{unsigned|138.195.69.136}}
::::Only for very loose definitions of "better." [[Special:Contributions/71.201.53.130|71.201.53.130]] 14:59, 11 March 2013 (UTC)
::::Whoa! Never heard about that before, but after 2 hrs or so, I think I'm getting convinced! Check this site out: http://tauday.com/ What do you think? –[[User:St.nerol|St.nerol]] ([[User talk:St.nerol|talk]]) 18:06, 11 March 2013 (UTC)

::I think tau is pointless. Using tau what then happens to Euler's famous formula, the most beautiful equation of them all? Pi shows up in so many different ways and places in mathematics. Tau appears pretty much only in the formula for a circle's circumference. Why bother needlessly proliferating symbols? [[User:J Milstein|J Milstein]] ([[User talk:J Milstein|talk]]) 18:17, 11 March 2013 (UTC)

:RE: Euler's Identity: e^(tau*i) - 1 = 0 --[[User:Max Nanasy|Max Nanasy]] ([[User talk:Max Nanasy|talk]]) 18:27, 11 March 2013 (UTC) Ok, that works [[User:J Milstein|J Milstein]] ([[User talk:J Milstein|talk]]) 17:05, 13 March 2013 (UTC)

:From what I understand, the thesis from the tau-proponents is that 2*pi is the fundamental natural constant, and that virtually ''every time'' that pi shows up without the factor 2, there originally was a factor two that was cancelled out. –[[User:St.nerol|St.nerol]] ([[User talk:St.nerol|talk]]) 01:53, 12 March 2013 (UTC)

Not completely sure Earth Prime is from Sliders, but it's true it's the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Earth_Prime only one named exactly that] ... -- [[User:Hkmaly|Hkmaly]] ([[User talk:Hkmaly|talk]]) 09:54, 11 March 2013 (UTC)

There's also a [http://dc.wikia.com/wiki/Prime_Earth Prime Earth] now. Just so DC can screw with us. [[User:Hogtree Octovish|Hogtree Octovish]] ([[User talk:Hogtree Octovish|talk]]) 10:40, 11 March 2013 (UTC)

I still don't get it.[[Special:Contributions/49.176.102.213|49.176.102.213]] 12:41, 11 March 2013 (UTC)

:If you don't get it, you don't need to get it [[User:J Milstein|J Milstein]] ([[User talk:J Milstein|talk]]) 18:07, 11 March 2013 (UTC)

Well, that was lame. --[[Special:Contributions/87.122.60.227|87.122.60.227]] 17:19, 11 March 2013 (UTC)

This comic illustrates the strategy of "The Unconsummated Asterisk", from the essay "Mathmanship" by Nicholas Vanserg (available at [http://e-science.ru/forum/index.php?act=attach&type=post&id=7701]).
<blockquote>
The other side of the asterisk gambit is to use a superscript as a key to a real footnote. The knowledge‐seeker reads that S is – 36.714 calories and thinks "Gee what a whale of a lot of calories" until he reads to the bottom of the page, finds footnote 14 and says "oh."
</blockquote>
For bonus points, Randall could have used also "Pi-Throwing":
<blockquote>
For example every schoolboy knows what π stands for so you can hold him at bay by heaving some entirely different kind of π into the equation. The poor fellow will automatically multiply by 3.1416, then begin wondering how a π got into the act anyhow, and finally discover that all the while π was osmotic pressure. If you are careful not to warn him, this one is good for a delay of about an hour and a half.
</blockquote> [[User:Chymicus|Chymicus]] ([[User talk:Chymicus|talk]]) 19:01, 11 March 2013 (UTC)

I believe the current description of prime as denoting derivatives is true but irrelevant. Since the area and circumference refers to geometry (not really calculus), it's more likely that the title text is referring to the common use of primes in geometry. For example, there might be two or more parallel lines that are denoted by x, x′, x′′, etc. Wikipedia also notes another geometric use of {{w|prime}}: "if a point is represented by the Cartesian coordinates (x, y), then that point rotated, translated or reflected might be represented as (x′, y′)." [[User:S|S]] ([[User talk:S|talk]]) 23:32, 11 March 2013 (UTC)

that is so wrong, i feel my mind corrupted now. -- [[User:Anarcat|Anarcat]] ([[User talk:Anarcat|talk]]) 23:57, 11 March 2013 (UTC)

This explanation was hillarious -- where is the up-vote button ?? [[User:Spongebog|Spongebog]] ([[User talk:Spongebog|talk]])

:+1 [[User:Smperron|Smperron]] ([[User talk:Smperron|talk]]) 16:33, 13 March 2013 (UTC)

So, where's todays comic? How many times has Randal been late?[[Special:Contributions/70.199.225.225|70.199.225.225]] 16:15, 13 March 2013 (UTC)

:Today's comic was posted just a few minutes ago. I'm anxiously awaiting its explanation as it picks on a programming language I'm not familiar with (possibly SQL). [[User:Smperron|Smperron]] ([[User talk:Smperron|talk]]) 16:33, 13 March 2013 (UTC)

It uses pseudocode. The new one is about sorting algorithms in general, not any particular language. [[Special:Contributions/130.245.231.101|130.245.231.101]] 17:00, 13 March 2013 (UTC)

User:J Milstein

2013-03-12T03:35:37Z

J Milstein: Created page with "J Milstein is the founder of Transgressive Mathematics and confounded all other mathematicians by calculating (in two different ways) the forbidden value of infinity divided b..."

J Milstein is the founder of Transgressive Mathematics and confounded all other mathematicians by calculating (in two different ways) the forbidden value of infinity divided by zero. Surprisingly, that value is one.

Milstein also founded the third branch of Astronomy, Interventional Astronomy, and a think tank, the Keplerian Institution, dedicated to work in this field.

A religious reformer, Milstein founded two churches, the Church of Gravity Triumphant, which celebrates mass, and the Stochastic Church, whose fundamental belief is that at bottom the world is random.

He has also been identified as the Anonymous Master of Asterisk, but this is unconfirmed.

Talk:1184: Circumference Formula

2013-03-11T18:17:46Z

J Milstein:

Talk:1184: Circumference Formula

2013-03-11T18:07:46Z

J Milstein:

1092: Michael Phelps

2012-08-08T15:50:03Z

J Milstein: " is too fast of a swimmer" is awkward. "swims too fast" is not.

{{comic
| number = 1092
| date = August 8, 2012
| title = Michael Phelps
| image = Michael Phelps.png
| imagesize =
| titletext = [shortly] ... he ate ALL of it!?
}}

== Description ==

{{w|Michael Phelps}} is an American {{w|Olympics|Olympic}} swimmer, who could easily be considered the best swimmer worldwide: he is the most decorated Olympic athlete of all time, with 22 medals, 18 of them gold (won in the 2004, 2008 and 2012 summer Olympics). He was most dominant in the 2008 Beijing Olympics where he won gold in all of the eight events in which he competed (the record for a single games).

This comic is a take on the idea that, Michael Phelps being (irritatingly) fast and uncatchable in a pool, a quirky yet simple trick one could imagine to nullify his pool's supremacy and render him helpless (in a way, to pee on his parade), would be to turn the water into {{w|Jello}}, a gelatine product, by simply dropping a huge quantity of Jello powder in the pool.

In the comic, [[Cueball]] and [[Megan]] try to get rid of Michael Phelps (as if he were a common pest like an animal) who is swimming in Megan's pool. As they can't catch him since he swims too fast (and he taunts them about it), Cueball resorts to the Jello trick, bringing big boxes of Jello powder, to stop and catch him.

However, according to the title-text, after having waited the time necessary for the water to solidify, Cueball realizes that Phelps ate all the resulting Jello. This may be a reference to Phelps being used to eating impressive food quantities (about 12,000 calories daily), to keep up with his strenuous exercise regimen;[http://www.michaelphelps.net/michael-phelps-diet/] or it may simply be a reference to Phelps achieving super-human feats.

{{Comic discussion}}

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