explain xkcd - User contributions [en]

1314: Photos

2014-01-09T02:54:38Z

Kyt: Removed non-applicable (IMO) portions of incomplete tag. Added statement to explanation of title text for those who really don't get irony.

{{comic
| number = 1314
| date = January 8, 2014
| title = Photos
| image = photos.png
| titletext = I hate when people take photos of their meal instead of eating it, because there's nothing I love more than the sound of other people chewing.
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Rewrite to explain punchline.}}

White Hat is upset at the sight of people photographing a richly colored sunset. His argument is that by documenting it instead of simply enjoying it, they have become an observer rather than a participant in life. [[Cueball]] expresses a contrary view, saying that not only does taking a photo of something helps him focus attention on it, it is actually no business of White Hat how someone else chooses to enjoy a sunset.

The logic of Cueball's argument reduces [[White Hat]] to inarticulacy, then speechlessness. Cueball then takes a photograph, implying that the way in which he would most enjoy White Hat's discomfiture would be to record an image of it for posterity.

Randall discusses a similar situation in the title text, the common modern phenomenon of restaurant diners photographing their meal. However, in this case he actually prefers them to document rather than experience their life, as this way he does not have to listen to them eating. This is expressed through irony by counter-statement. For just a few extra seconds, it must be admitted.

==Transcript==
:[Three people are seen, two of them taking photos of a sunset in a city. Cueball and White Hat are seen in the foreground.]
:White Hat: Ugh, I hate how people take pictures instead of just enjoying the view.
:Cueball: Why?

:[Just Cueball and White Hat.]
:White Hat: Documenting your life distracts you from '''''living''''' it. You're not really—
:Cueball: Oh, come on.

:Cueball: Trying to take a picture of a thing makes me pay more attention to it. Some of my best adventures are built around trying to photograph something.

:[Closeup of Cueball.]
:Cueball: If "other people having experiences incorrectly" is annoying you, think how unbearable it must be to have a condescending stranger tell you they hate the way you're experiencing your life at just the moment you've found something you want to remember. Why the fuck do you care how someone '''else''' enjoys a sunset?

:White Hat: Well, they... Because I just, uh... ...

:[Cueball takes a photo of White Hat.]

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

Talk:1314: Photos

2014-01-09T02:49:54Z

Kyt: Replied with a Black Hat comment.

This seems to be a reference to this video or one of many of the same ilk.
http://www.artthesystem.com/2013/12/after-i-saw-this-i-put-down-my-phone.html?m=1

Which is doing the rounds on social media sites at the moment {{unsigned|‎Gernant}}

Heard on a french radio show (Les grosses têtes) : A study made on student split in two group in an exposition : one group would photograph what they like, another one would photograph a certain set of pictures.
The study found that the ones who could photograph pictures they like, wasn't able to remember the pictures they liked.
The ones who wasn't able to photograph picture they liked, remembered it better.
I don't have link, sry, but white hat is proven right in this case. [[Special:Contributions/173.245.53.189|173.245.53.189]] 09:21, 8 January 2014 (UTC) Juluan

:I think BOTH have point here. Trying to document your life IS distracting, especially if you overdo it (and make a lot of selfies), on the other hand it IS possible to enjoy your life and still take pictures. Except if something happens only once and quick: in that case, if you try to take picture, you won't be able to enjoy it ... and you might fail to take the picture in correct moment anyway. I recommend video in such case :-). -- [[User:Hkmaly|Hkmaly]] ([[User talk:Hkmaly|talk]]) 11:04, 8 January 2014 (UTC)

::Agreed, both are right. If you want to take an abundance of photos, go ahead. '''However''', there are limits. If your doing so would spoil it for someone else, then limit yourself. Practice the same basic courtesy that should prevent you from talking out loud or texting during a movie. You're in a public place with other people who want to enjoy what's going on. They came to see the concert, not a sea of glowing rectangles (making a recording which will never be watched). [[Special:Contributions/199.27.128.89|199.27.128.89]] 18:55, 8 January 2014 (UTC)

::I thought of that study, too... The first valid link I found was http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/gadgets-and-tech/is-facebook-making-us-forget-study-shows-that-taking-pictures-ruin-memories-8994917.html (of course being hampered by various variations of each of "memory" and "photograph" not being ''very'' rare in combination ( GoogleFu Golf, anyone? ;) ), but once I got there I found it was widely covered in the online media). But I'm not sure whether this inspired Randall in this case, because of (or even ''despite'') the off-kilter reinterpretation. [[Special:Contributions/141.101.99.223|141.101.99.223]] 18:07, 8 January 2014 (UTC)
:PS: The title text seems like obvious irony to me. -- [[User:Hkmaly|Hkmaly]] ([[User talk:Hkmaly|talk]]) 11:06, 8 January 2014 (UTC)

I remember taking a few photographs of food that is WAY too fabulous in presentation. [[User:Greyson|Greyson]] ([[User talk:Greyson|talk]]) 16:28, 8 January 2014 (UTC)

I would prefer to know Black-Hat's opinion on the subject. --[[User:DanB|DanB]] ([[User talk:DanB|talk]]) 18:25, 8 January 2014 (UTC)

:I'll try to channel my inner Black Hat to answer that: "Being a trained photographer teaches you to limit your perception to what you see through the lens and to think about how your picture is going look, and you lose sight of the bigness of the sunset and the feeling of the moment. But being camera free you're always going to wonder what the cameraman captures in the mechanical process of handling the camera, in the task of composing the picture in their head and in the frozen slice of sunset they get to keep. No matter how you try to enjoy the magic of the sunset, you're going to miss something that no one will ever be able to share with you, and see something you'll never be able to share with anyone else." [[Special:Contributions/141.101.81.8|141.101.81.8]] 21:20, 8 January 2014 (UTC)

::That doesn't sound much like Black Hat to me. Wouldn't he just try to steal the camera? [[Special:Contributions/108.162.219.223|108.162.219.223]] 01:54, 9 January 2014 (UTC)

::: I think that Black Hat would be more "Being a trained photographer teaches you to limit your perception to what you see through the lens and to think about how your picture is going look, and you lose sight of me stealing your car." [[User:Kyt|Kyt]] ([[User talk:Kyt|talk]]) 02:49, 9 January 2014 (UTC)

Did anyone even read that abstract ( http://pss.sagepub.com/content/early/2013/12/04/0956797613504438.abstract ) ? It actually supported Cueball more than it did White Hat. If you just take a picture *instead* of looking seriously at the subject, then yes of course you won't have strong memories of it. But if you analyse the subject with the purpose of taking an effective picture, then there is no such impairment. Plus, you have a photograph. I'm removing the 'great irony' part of the explanation. Note that the rest of it is still very poor. [[Special:Contributions/108.162.219.223|108.162.219.223]] 02:00, 9 January 2014 (UTC)

I have tried to improve it - sorry I still don't like it much, but perhaps others can pile on. [[Special:Contributions/108.162.219.223|108.162.219.223]] 02:30, 9 January 2014 (UTC)

User:Kyt

2014-01-05T15:22:55Z

Kyt: Correction on my grammar naziism.

A frequent reader of xkcd and an amateur grammar nazi, Kyt will often make mild grammar fixes to most pages. Kyt will also try to fix the incomplete explanations, but is not secure enough to remove the tags. Kyt will sometimes add relevant information to the comments section of a page, but if it is still under active development, is unlikely to do the actual editing, leaving it to another. Kyt sometimes types in third person.

Talk:1126: Epsilon and Zeta

2014-01-04T19:04:16Z

Kyt: Added a comment.

Official hurricane discussions for [http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/archive/2005/EPSILON.shtml EPSILON] and [http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/archive/2005/ZETA.shtml ZETA] are here. I did read these discussions back when Randall [http://blog.xkcd.com/2011/08/29/for-the-small-handful-of-hurricane-geeks-out-there made a blag post] poking at them [[User:Odysseus654|Odysseus654]] ([[User talk:Odysseus654|talk]]) 16:31, 26 October 2012 (UTC)

Does this have anything to do with the Italians convicting a bunch of scientists for failing to predict an earthquake? [[Special:Contributions/156.110.38.82|156.110.38.82]] 16:46, 26 October 2012 (UTC)

:Link? [[User:Lcarsos|lcarsos]] ([[User talk:Lcarsos|talk]]) 18:46, 26 October 2012 (UTC)
:: It was all over the news, but here's [http://www.npr.org/blogs/thetwo-way/2012/10/22/163400917/italy-finds-scientists-guilty-of-manslaughter-for-2009-earthquake-forecast one account]. I wonder if there are jurists in the Italian legal system aware of how much of a laughing stock this is making them. -- [[User:IronyChef|IronyChef]] ([[User talk:IronyChef|talk]]) 04:44, 27 October 2012 (UTC)

xkcd 980 (Money) also mentioned the fact that forecast accuracy has improved significantly: "Cost of hurricane forecast improvement funding since 1989: $440 million. Economic savings -- during Hurricane Irene alone -- due to limiting evacuations made possible by recent forecast advances: $700 million." [[User:S|S]] ([[User talk:S|talk]]) 00:16, 27 October 2012 (UTC)

I smile and occasionally chuckle at online comics, but this one had me guffawing with delight.--[[User:Noni Mausa|Noni Mausa]] ([[User talk:Noni Mausa|talk]]) 13:25, 27 October 2012 (UTC)

Good work to whoever linked the entire transcript! [[User:Trek7553|Trek7553]] ([[User talk:Trek7553|talk]]) 21:24, 29 October 2012 (UTC)

I've added the rest of Zeta's saga, and added links in the transcript to each NHC message. Recommend the Quotes section be removed.
[[User:David.windsor|David.windsor]]

:The transcript section is just a transcript, but not the explain. I did a clean up. But that links like:
:*[http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/archive/2005/dis/al292005.discus.001.shtml http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/archive/2005/dis/al292005.discus.001.shtml]
:*[http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/archive/2005/dis/al292005.discus.007.shtml http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/archive/2005/dis/al292005.discus.007.shtml]
:*[http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/archive/2005/dis/al292005.discus.010.shtml http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/archive/2005/dis/al292005.discus.010.shtml]
:*[http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/archive/2005/dis/al292005.discus.012.shtml http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/archive/2005/dis/al292005.discus.012.shtml]
:...
:would be a great source for an proper explanation here. The explain itself is still a mess.
:--[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 21:43, 6 December 2013 (UTC)

If somebody could add the links on the Zeta quotes, that would be great. Thanks!
P.S. I'm not sure about transcript etiquitte, but if you do revert the links in it, please make them less bulky than the original. A list of "panel one: see here. Panel two..." might work. [[User:Kyt|Kyt]] ([[User talk:Kyt|talk]]) 19:04, 4 January 2014 (UTC)

1126: Epsilon and Zeta

2014-01-04T19:01:24Z

Kyt: Moved sources to timestamp of transcript, as it was very bulky. Removed now-redundant section "sources for quotes". Fixed some omissions from transcript.

{{comic
| number = 1126
| date = October 26, 2012
| title = Epsilon and Zeta
| image = epsilon and zeta.png
| titletext = The average error in the NHC forecasted position of a hurricane three days in the future has shrunk to a third of what it was in 1990--a staggering accomplishment. However, as you may have gathered, forecasts of future storm *strength* have proved more difficult to improve.
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Explain is chaos.}}
[[Randall]] is imagining the situation in the National Hurricane Center towards the end of 2005 (and the 2005 hurricane season). The monospaced text in most of the panels is material taken from actual NHC reports [http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/archive/2005/dis/al292005.discus.026.shtml][http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/archive/2005/dis/al292005.discus.027.shtml][http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/archive/2005/dis/al292005.discus.028.shtml] from that season. The commentary has been edited to fit the comic's format, but it's otherwise faithful to the actual reports.

The [http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/archive/2005/dis/al302005.discus.030.shtml last report of the 2005 season] was issued on January 6, 2006.

A full analysis of the 2005 hurricane season can be found [http://www.aoml.noaa.gov/general/lib/lib1/nhclib/mwreviews/2005.pdf here].

Randall [[453|has discussed]] the seemingly erratic nature of hurricanes before. This may, however, have been a response to the recent {{w|Hurricane Sandy}}.

==Transcript==
:Narrator: The 2005 Atlantic hurricane season saw devastating storms like Katrina and Rita. But less well-remembered is just how ''strange'' the season got toward the end. The forecasters at the National Hurricane Center are the best of the best. Their predictions are masterpieces of professional analysis. But in November 2005, out in the center of the Atlantic -- far from any land -- the atmosphere stopped making sense. And the forecasters -- who'd expected the season to be long over by now -- started to get a little ... unhinged. This is their story, as seen through the actual 2005 NHC advisories:

:Report: [http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/archive/2005/dis/al292005.discus.001.shtml| Tuesday, November 29th, 2005:] Tropical storm Epsilon... The 26th named storm of apparently never ending 2005 Atlantic hurricane season.

:[http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/archive/2005/dis/al292005.discus.007.shtml| 10 PM Wed:] The window of opportunity for strengthening should close in 12-24 hr.

:[http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/archive/2005/dis/al292005.discus.010.shtml| 4 PM Thu:] Slow but steady weakening is expected to begin in 12-24 hours.

:[http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/archive/2005/dis/al292005.discus.012.shtml|4 AM Fri:] Epsilon does not appear weaker.
:[http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/archive/2005/dis/al292005.discus.013.shtml| 10 AM Fri:] Epsilon has been upgraded to a 65-kt hurricane.
[Forcaster 2: ??]

:Report: [http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/archive/2005/dis/al292005.discus.018.shtml| 4 PM Sat:] Epsilon has continued to strengthen against all odds ... [but] can not maintain the current intensity much longer since the environment is becoming increasingly unfavorable.
:[http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/archive/2005/dis/al292005.discus.019.shtml| 10 PM Sat:] Epsilon might or might not still be a hurricane ... but in any case it likely will not be one on Sunday.

:[http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/archive/2005/dis/al292005.discus.020.shtml| 4 AM Sun:] Epsilon is downgraded to a tropical storm.
:[http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/archive/2005/dis/al292005.discus.021.shtml| 10 AM Sun:] Morning satellite images indicate that Epsilon has restrengthened.
:There are no clear reasons ... and I am not going to make one up ... to explain the recent strengthening of Epsilon and I am just describing the facts.
:However ... I still have to make an intensity forecast and the best bet at this time is to predict weakening ... Epsilon will likely become a remnant low.
:I heard that before about Epsilon ... haven't you?

:[http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/archive/2005/dis/al292005.discus.026.shtml| 4 PM Mon:] The cloud pattern continues to be a remarkably well-organized for a hurricane at such high latitude in December.
:[http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/archive/2005/dis/al292005.discus.027.shtml| 10 PM Mon:] We have said this before ... but Epsilon really does not appear as strong this evening as it did this afternoon.

:[http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/archive/2005/dis/al292005.discus.028.shtml| 4 AM Tue:] I have run out of things to say.
:[http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/archive/2005/dis/al292005.discus.032.shtml| 10 PM Tue:] The end is in sight. It really really is. But in the meantime ... Epsilon continues to maintain hurricane status.

:[http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/archive/2005/dis/al292005.discus.031.shtml| 4 AM Wed:] The end is in sight ... yes ... but not quite yet. I thought I was going to find a weakening system and instead I found that Epsilon is still a hurricane.

:[http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/archive/2005/dis/al292005.discus.037.shtml| 10 AM Thu:] Convection has vanished and Epsilon is now a tight swirl of low clouds.
:I hope this is the end of the long lasting 2005 hurricane season.

:Narrator: Nope.

:ENTER TROPICAL STORM ZETA
:Report: Friday, December 30th, 2005: An elongated area of low pressure ... which had its origins in an old frontal trough ... began developing organized convection overnight. Advisories are initiated on the 27th tropical storm of 2005.

:Narrator: ANY NEW STORMS WOULD BE IN THE 2006 SEASON
:Report: 4 PM Fri: Although the atmosphere seems to want to develop tropical storms ad nauseam ... the calendar will shortly put an end to the use of the Greek alphabet to name them.

:Narrator: BUT 2005's WOULDN'T END UNTIL ZETA DID.
:Report: 10 PM Sat: Zeta appeared on the verge of losing all of its deep convection a few hours ago... but since about 21z the convection has been on somewhat of an increase again.

:10 PM Sun: This is like Epsilon all over again. most of the conventional guidance suggested that Zeta should have been dissipated by now...well it is not indeed...and Zeta is pretty much alive at this time. ... I have no choice but to forecast weakening again and again.

:4 AM Mon: By 24-36 hours... a significant increase in westerly winds... should act to shear away most of the associated convection... and finally bring the 2005 Atlantic hurricane season to a merciful ending.

:4 PM Mon: It is hard to conceive that a tropical cyclone will be able to survive for very long in such a hostile environment. Therefore I have not backed off on the forecast of weakening. (of course...Zeta may have other ideas.)

:10 PM Mon: Zeta is stronger than yesterday.

:10 AM Wed: As you can see...I ran out things to say.

:4 AM Thu: Satellite intensity estimates have decreased ... Zeta is downgraded to a 30 kt tropical depression.

:10 AM Thu: Shortly after the previous advisory had been issued ... regretfully...the intensity increased to 35 kt and Zeta is a tropical storm once again.

:10 PM Thu: Although it seems as if Zeta will never die...the forecast continues to show weakening.

:4 PM, Friday, January 6, 2006: Zeta no longer meets the criteria of a tropical cyclone... which means that both it and the 2005 Atlantic hurricane season have ended. ... this is the National Hurricane Center signing off for 2005.

[Forecaster 2 leaves]

Forecaster 1: Actually, Zeta's cloud pattern is...
Offscreen voice: NO.
Forecaster 1: Ok.

{{comic discussion}}
[[Category:Hurricanes]]

1074: Moon Landing

2014-01-04T14:20:01Z

Kyt: Fixed a sentence that was illogical.

{{Comic
| number = 1074
| date = June 27, 2012
| title = Moon Landing
| image = moon_landing.png
| titletext = Ok, so Spirit and Opportunity are pretty awesome. And Kepler. And New Horizons, Cassini, Curiosity, TiME, and Project M. But c'mon, if the Earth were a basketball, in 40 years no human's been more than half an inch from the surface.
}}

==Explanation==
{{w|Neil deGrasse Tyson}} is an American astrophysicist and science communicator. He is currently the Frederick P. Rose Director of the Hayden Planetarium at the Rose Center for Earth and Space. He has appeared on many different shows, ranging from The Discovery Channel to The Big Bang Theory.

There are a number of {{w|moon landing conspiracy theories|conspiracy theories}} claiming that the moon landing was a hoax. Tyson offers a pretty compelling argument against them, but [[Megan]] presents an even more convincing refutation, snarkilly implying that NASA really hasn't done anything spectacular since 1969.

And [[Cueball]] responds with a pun on the word "burn". Burn can mean a particularly effective insult, or it can mean the consumption of fuel for propulsion. In this case, the "burn" was so effective it pushed the spaceship out of orbit (which usually takes a very large amount of burning, depending on the gravity of the planet or moon).

===The NASA missions mentioned at the title text===
Spirit and Opportunity are {{w|Mars Exploration Rover}} missions (MER) and {{w|Opportunity (rover)|Opportunity}} is an ongoing robotic space mission exploring the planet Mars. The fate of Spirit is here: [[695: Spirit]].

{{w|Kepler (spacecraft)|Kepler}} is a space observatory launched by NASA to discover Earth-like planets orbiting other stars.

{{w|New Horizons}} is a robotic spacecraft mission currently en route to the dwarf planet {{w|Pluto}}. It is expected to be the first spacecraft to flyby and study Pluto and its moons, Charon, Nix, Hydra and more, with an estimated arrival date at the Pluto-Charon system of July 14, 2015.

{{w|Cassini–Huygens}} is a flagship-class NASA-ESA-ASI spacecraft orbiting to the Saturn system. It studies the planet and its many natural satellites since arriving there in 2004.

{{w|Curiosity (rover)|Curiosity}} is a Mars rover launched on November 26, 2011. Currently operating at the planet's surface as planned, landed in Gale Crater at about 05:31 UTC on August 6, 2012. The rover's objectives include searching for the evidence of past life, studying the Martian climate, studying the Martian geology, and collecting data for a future manned mission to Mars.

{{w|Titan Mare Explorer|TiME}} or Titan Mare Explorer is a proposed spacecraft lander that would explore Saturn moon Titan oceans, it is the largest moon of the planet Saturn, and would perform the first exploration of an extraterrestrial sea.

Project M was a proposed NASA project headed by Stephen J. Altemus, to send a Robonaut to the Moon.

The final sentence of title text notes that all manned missions since the Moon landings have taken place in low-earth orbit, which is barely far off of the Earth's surface. If the Earth were scaled to the size of a regulation basketball, approximately 24 cm (9-1/4 inches) in diameter, those manned missions would have all taken place within 1.25 cm (1/2 inch) of the ball's surface. Unmanned missions, such as those named above or the Voyager and Mariner probes of the 1960s and 1970s, have travelled much further.

==Transcript==
:[Cueball is sitting at a table with a laptop open. His hands are on the keys.]
:Cueball: Hah-- Neil DeGrasse Tyson has a great reply to people who doubt astronauts went to the moon.
:Voice off-screen: Oh?
:Cueball: "Atop 3,000 tons of rocket fuel, where ''else'' do you think they were headed?"

:[The voice off screen turns out to be Megan. She is depicted, and now Cueball is off-screen.]
:Megan: Cute. But it overlooks an even simpler argument.
:Cueball: Which is?

:[Both Megan and Cueball are now visible. Cueball has turned his chair around to face her.]
:Megan: If NASA were willing to fake great accomplishments, they'd have a second one by now.
:Cueball: ''Ouch.''
:Megan: ...Too mean?
:Cueball: That burn was so harsh I think you deorbited.

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

Talk:834: Wikileaks

2014-01-04T03:15:14Z

Kyt: Created page with "The third paragraph sounds awkward to me, and I couldn't figure out anything to do about it. Could somebody fix that, please? ~~~~"

The third paragraph sounds awkward to me, and I couldn't figure out anything to do about it. Could somebody fix that, please? [[User:Kyt|Kyt]] ([[User talk:Kyt|talk]]) 03:15, 4 January 2014 (UTC)

834: Wikileaks

2014-01-04T03:13:38Z

Kyt: Cleaned up a few links, made grammar fixes.

{{comic
| number = 834
| date = December 15, 2010
| title = Wikileaks
| image = wikileaks.png
| titletext = STUDENTS ARE CALLING PRESIDENT JOHNSON EN MASSE TO PROTEST THE BOMBING AND IT'S JAMMED THE WHITE HOUSE SWITCHBOARD. COULD THEY COLLAPSE OUR CRITICAL PHONE SYSTEMS? HAS THE FIRST TELEPHONE WAR BEGUN? STAY TUNED FOR MORE ON THIS DANGEROUS NEW TECHNOLOGY.
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Sorry, but this does need a review.}}
This comic references {{w|WikiLeaks}}, a site to which classified data can be sent for publication, while nobody would know who leaked the data. Many people dislike WikiLeaks, but proponents claim that, since government is supposed to work for the people, all government information should be available to anyone who wants to see it. WikiLeaks' actions are illegal in most countries, and the people maintaining WikiLeaks stay anonymous, with the notable exception of {{w|Julian Assange}}, the spokesperson. Among the supporters of Wikileaks are the 4chan-based hacker group Anonymous, who, for the week or so prior to this comic's release, used DDOS attacks to take down servers for companies that aided the governments of the world in taking down Wikileaks and its CEO, Julian Assange. Amazon, PayPal and MasterCard were all targets of Anonymous. The claim 'We are legion' is a reference to Mark chapter 5 in the Bible, in which Jesus throws out a group of demons that call themselves Legion, [http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Mark%205:1-10&version=NIV|"for we are many."]

The comic shows WikiLeaks releasing all Anonymous' members' private information, thereby unmasking them to the world. The joke in the comic notes a contradiction in Anonymous's position, relying on strict secrecy of its members' private information while supporting an anti-secrecy organization like WikiLeaks.

This could be Randall's criticism of Wikileaks for betraying the United States Government. Such a criticism would infer that Wikileaks gains allies, but needs betrayal and secrets in order to open. Randall could be inferring that Wikileaks can only survive by betraying its supporters, as total declassification of the Government would render them useless.

The title text appears to be a news wire from during the Vietnam War when Lyndon Johnson was President. The students were calling to protest the War in what xkcd implicates as the first DDOS attack. A DDOS attack is a distributed denial of service attack, in which the attackers send vast quantites traffic from many different points to take down a web server, or, in the case of the image text, a phone network. This satirizes news reports in which a DDOS attack is confused with an actual hack, as only in the latter does the attacker gain (partial) access to the system itself.

==Transcript==
:[A black formal suit with no head is talking.]
:Suit: We are Anonymous.
:We are legion.
:We are no one
:and everyone.
:And we are here to fight for WikiLeaks.

:[The panel is presented as the front page of WikiLeaks, in a browser.]
:New Leak:
:Names, addresses, IPs, and phone numbers of everyone in Anonymous.
:Download Now

:Suit: ...Dammit, Julian.

{{comic discussion}}
[[Category:Internet]]

Talk:662: iPhone or Droid

2014-01-04T02:27:32Z

Kyt: Added question to comments

The title text is outdated. [[Special:Contributions/75.69.96.225|75.69.96.225]] 01:53, 29 April 2013 (UTC)

We'll get right on that for you. [[Special:Contributions/107.205.30.219|107.205.30.219]] 11:32, 8 May 2013 (UTC)

L. O. L. [[Special:Contributions/108.162.219.223|108.162.219.223]] 07:09, 24 December 2013 (UTC)

What is meant by the incomplete tag? I see no reference to Linux (although it is the platform that Droid is based off of, it does not seem relevant). [[User:Kyt|Kyt]] ([[User talk:Kyt|talk]]) 02:27, 4 January 2014 (UTC)

662: iPhone or Droid

2014-01-04T02:26:09Z

Kyt: Added Play Store comment, removed incorrect "incomplete" statement.

{{comic
| number = 662
| date = November 13, 2009
| title = iPhone or Droid
| image = iphone_or_droid.png
| titletext = It may be a fundamentally empty experience, but holy crap the Droid's 265 ppi screen is amazing.
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Android isn't easy like Linux is.}}
The comic starts to set up a joke about the "phone wars" between the {{w|iPhone}} and phones that run the {{w|Android (operating system)|Android}} system (in this case the {{w|Motorola Droid}}), but instead just brings up a serious point criticizing the {{w|consumerism}} this "war" stems from. In the last line of panel 2, [[Cueball]] refers the slogan "There's an app for that" from Apple's iPhone marketing.

Then the third panel makes a joke anyway, at Apple's expense: apparently, this "enlightenment app" was rejected from Apple's app store, which is the only supported way to put software on an iPhone. Apple has become infamous for rejecting apps from their app store without adequately explaining why. Android devices, on the other hand, are not limited to an app store and can install software from any origin. Many, however, use the Google Play Store as a primary repository for apps.

In the title text Cueball succumbs to the consumerism and marvels at the Motorola Droids high {{w|Pixel density}}. Apple responded 9 months later by releasing the iPhone 4 with a 326 ppi {{w|Retina Display}}.

==Transcript==
:[Megan sitting at her computer is talking to Cueball standing behind her.]
:Megan: Well, it depends what you want. The iPhone wins on speed and polish, but the Droid has that gorgeous screen and physical keyboard.

:Cueball: What if I want something more than the pale facsimile of fulfillment brought by a parade of ever-fancier toys? To spend my life restlessly producing instead of sedately consuming?
:Cueball: Is there an app for ''that''?

:Megan: Yeah, on both.
:Megan: Wait, no, looks like it was rejected from the iPhone store.
:Cueball: Droid it is, then.

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

96: Mail

2014-01-04T02:09:19Z

Kyt: Removed obsolete phrase from incomplete tag.

{{comic
| number = 96
| date = May 1, 2006
| title = Mail
| image = mail.png
| titletext = I'm on the USPS no fly list
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|phone and mail spam is missing here.}}
We see [[Cueball]] on a phone with someone who sends various strange things through postal mail. The third panel is a pun on the usage of the phrase 'a lot of time.' Normally, this means that something will take a while to finish; in this case, however, it means it is literally a large quantity of time that is being sent.

{{w|Chronon|Quantizing time}} ("discrete packets of time") is a theory that time is not continuous like as particles in the {{w|quantum mechanics}}. It could be one of the big mistakes in modern science, but feels as if there's more to it, in the world of romance, sarcasm, math, and language.

The title text states that due to his habit of mailing strange things, he has been barred from sending mail through the {{w|United States Postal Service}} (USPS).

A no fly list is a list of people that are not allowed to use commercial airlines for travel in the United States. It is maintained by the {{w|Terrorist Screening Center}}. Here the person sending strange objects through mail is on the USPS no-fly-list for people. The joke here is that USPS does not have such list for people. There is a list of items banned from being shipped by USPS, which includes most consumer electronics with lithium batteries.

==Transcript==
:Phone: Do you think I could mail a running chainsaw to someone?
:Cueball: I doubt it.
:Phone: What about a baby's first word?
:Cueball: Look, your obsession with sending strange things through the mail is getting out of hand.
:Phone: Can you mail a blank stare?
:Phone: A dizzying height?
:Phone: Pi?
:Cueball: ...
:Phone: Well, did you at least get that package of time I sent you?
:Cueball: I ... you ... no, I didn't.
:Phone: Well, there was a lot of it, so it will probably take a while.

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

User talk:Kyt

2014-01-04T01:50:02Z

Kyt: Called the page into existence.

[[User:Kyt|Kyt]] ([[User talk:Kyt|talk]]) 01:50, 4 January 2014 (UTC)

User:Kyt

2014-01-04T01:46:28Z

Kyt: Uh, I made the page. What am I supposed to say?

A frequent reader of xkcd and a grammar nazi, Kyt will often make mild grammar fixes to most pages. Kyt will also try to fix the incomplete explanations, but is not secure enough to remove the tags. Kyt will sometimes add relevant information to the comments section of a page, but if it is still under active development, is unlikely to do the actual editing, leaving it to another. Kyt sometimes types in third person.

Talk:520: Cuttlefish

2014-01-04T01:41:40Z

Kyt:

I dispute the idea of "memes." I don't remember my 2008/2009 Internet culture too well, but I certainly don't think cephalopods ever became much of a meme. This needs some revision. --[[User:Quicksilver|Quicksilver]] ([[User talk:Quicksilver|talk]]) 02:07, 21 August 2013 (UTC)

Personally I think that "themes" works better, have edited accordingly, feel free to change it back though [[User:Whiskey07|Whiskey07]] ([[User talk:Whiskey07|talk]]) 14:42, 19 November 2013 (UTC)

I added a comment that The Battle for Wesnoth may have added Cuttlefish as a result of this comic. I am not certain on that, if I'm wrong, please correct me. [[User:Kyt|Kyt]] ([[User talk:Kyt|talk]]) 01:41, 4 January 2014 (UTC)

520: Cuttlefish

2014-01-04T01:39:51Z

Kyt: Added a synopisis of the comic, and a semi-related comment.

{{comic
| number = 520
| date = December 22, 2008
| title = Cuttlefish
| image = cuttlefish.png
| titletext = Unless the CS students finish the robot revolution before you finish the cephalopod one.
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete}}
In this comic, [[Randall]] has a very strange dream, of biologists training some of the more frightening members of the Animal Kingdom to obey their commands, and using these creatures to become the rulers of the scientific world.

This comic references multiple themes:

1) The Cephalopods' Revolution, with their many appendages, distance communication, mimicry and camouflage, presents the greatest threat to mankind out of all the classes of animals. The {{w|cuttlefish}} is a Cephalopod. It is also slightly ironic to be attacked by a cuttlefish, because it sounds like 'cuddle fish'.

2) There is some rivalry among the main branches of science, with various statements meant to show one's branch to be superior or more important and deserved of funding than others.

3) The title text - CS stands for Computer science. The "robot revolution" references events in film, such as Terminator and The Matrix, as well as literature (Asimov's "I, Robot"), wherein robots, having become commonplace in the workforce, achieve independent thought and declare war on humanity.

Randall jokes that each branch of science/research is working toward their own world domination scheme, centered on their specific science. In the comic, Randall attempts to befriend biology majors so that he will be spared during their takeover of the world, but in the title text he reveals that he only wishes to side with whatever group achieves world domination first.

This comic may have been the inspiration for {{w|The Battle for Wesnoth}} using the cuttlefish as an aquatic monster.

==Transcript==
:We visit a bio lab: [Cueball and Megan visit a bio lab where they look into a tank that the scientists point at.]
:Scientist: These are cuttlefish.
:[Image of a cuttlefish.]
:Scientist: They're frighteningly smart, have manipulating arms and tentacles, have ink jets, can dart backwards and see the polarization of light through their w-shaped pupils. And their sides are 200 dpi display screens which they use for camouflage and communication.
:Scientist: When we realized how intelligent they were, we began to teach them. They've advanced quickly. Cuttlefish: GO.
:[Cuttlefish float out of the tank at Cueball and Megan.]
:Cuttlefishes: Kill the physicists... kill the physicists
:[Cuttlefish zap Cueball and Megan as they fall.]
:[Cueball waking up from his sleep.]
:Cueball: Oh god. I knew it.
:XKCD{{sic}}
:Salutes Bio Majors
:[Bottle is pouring into a flask, and a man takes the flask and drinks from it.]
:If we join you against the chemists, will you train your fleshy minions to leave us alive?

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