explain xkcd - User contributions [en]

Talk:3017: Neutrino Modem

2024-11-28T22:29:19Z

Mike Rosoft: Real example of neutrino communication

If someone wants to describe the logo on the Neutrino Modem in the transcript, have at it. [[User:Barmar|Barmar]] ([[User talk:Barmar|talk]]) 22:42, 27 November 2024 (UTC)

I wonder how long it took Cueball to send and receive enough packets to be able to calculate that average ping time? [[User:Barmar|Barmar]] ([[User talk:Barmar|talk]]) 22:47, 27 November 2024 (UTC)

If you ping every IPv4 address on the planet once a second, 3-4 packets will be received per day. Unfortunately, the packet loss is bidirectional, so your chance of hearing the reply is equally low. So maybe when the earth is 16 times older than it is now you will have a reply. [[User:Divad27182|Divad27182]] ([[User talk:Divad27182|talk]]) 23:13, 27 November 2024 (UTC)

That packet loss rate (detecting only 1 in 100 trillion) is actually a very high rate of neutrino detection, isn't it? And that's assuming a "packet" is a single neutrino. [[User:DKMell|DKMell]] ([[User talk:DKMell|talk]]) 23:33, 27 November 2024 (UTC)
:Ah, yes, just added something about that. Going by (confirmable) solar-neutrino detection rates, because I couldn't work with figures for generated/detected neutrino streams (and, besides, you might then have {{w|2011 OPERA faster-than-light neutrino anomaly|FTL latency times!}} :D ), it seemed that we're detecting hundreds of events ''per day'' in "cubic kilometre" detectors which would be being hit by perhaps 60-65 million neutrinos ''per second per square centimetre'' so I don't think it's far wrong (scaling up to the square face of the cube, over a full day) to suggest one in 50 long-Trillion (or 50 short-sextillion) neutrinos is identifiably captured. The rates might be better for merely "several olympic swimming pools of fluid" detectors, so I fudged it rather than talk of 1018ish rates with respect to the 1014ish ones quoted. (Which, because it is at least ''two'' neutrinos, one there and one back (with magically implied Ping Request/Ping Response status), is more like two 107ish rates anyway, in order that the neutrino-spamming is equally intense from either side in order to attempt to minimally convey a message... Could still be short-trillions sent, one ping request detected, short-trillions replied to that one as a similar 'overkill', yet one valid returnee received.)
:But if I'm overestimating (or underusing, on the flipside) anything by an order of magnitude or three, then it still doesn't really change the comparison. The numbers are still huge. We don't even know the transmission bandwidth, just that somehow Ping-Request then Ping-Reply (and no other ACKing and handshaking or OSI Physical Layer overheads, never mind other layer 2, 3 and 4 fine details) happened at practically the speed of light regardless of the necessary near-simultaneous spamming of attempts that the boxes that each endpoint concerned must have to juggle when prodded accordingly. [[Special:Contributions/141.101.96.41|141.101.96.41]] 14:00, 28 November 2024 (UTC)

The explanation says that it's Blondie floating behind Cueball, but I think it's actually Ponytail. [[User:PDesbeginner|PDesbeginner]] ([[User talk:PDesbeginner|talk]]) 01:58, 28 November 2024 (UTC)

Why do I have the feeling that the sysadmin from the title text is the same as in [[705: Devotion to Duty]]? --[[User:Frog23|Frog23]] ([[User talk:Frog23|talk]]) 12:20, 28 November 2024 (UTC)

In 2012 scientists at Fermilab have managed to use the world's strongest source of a neutrino beam to send a message (ASCII code for the word "neutrino") over a distance of 1 km. The communication speed was 1 bit per 10 seconds, with an error rate of 1%. (And the neutrino detector isn't something that you can build in your backyard, either.) [https://physicsworld.com/a/neutrino-based-communication-is-a-first/] - [[User:Mike Rosoft|Mike Rosoft]] ([[User talk:Mike Rosoft|talk]]) 22:29, 28 November 2024 (UTC)

Talk:772: Frogger

2024-02-09T22:42:12Z

Mike Rosoft: Link: game inspired by the wobcomic

There's actually a [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b2gow415F5k video] of this already, made by Robot Chicken. It doesn't have the innocent bystanders, though, and it doesn't have the title text either. [[User:Davidy22|Davidy22]][[User talk:Davidy22|<tt>(talk)</tt>]] 10:00, 30 October 2012 (UTC)
:In other words, it in no way has anything even faintly resembling the same joke or premise, except that it involved frogger and a crash. — [[User:Kazvorpal|Kazvorpal]] ([[User talk:Kazvorpal|talk]]) 17:23, 22 October 2019 (UTC)

Honestly, most frogs attempting to cross the road would go unnoticed, whether missed or flattened. But if you saw a frog the size of an Izeta in the road, you probably would swerve to miss, if you thought no one was in the next lane. [[User:Nyperold|Nyperold]] ([[User talk:Nyperold|talk]]) 21:38, 5 July 2020 (UTC)

somebody actually made this game XD https://shadowsora211.itch.io/bad-luck-cat my highscore is 3550. [[User:New editor|New editor]] ([[User talk:New editor|talk]]) 06:58, 23 April 2022 (UTC)

xkcd Game Jam version: https://technostalgic.itch.io/frogger-xkcd-style - [[User:Mike Rosoft|Mike Rosoft]] ([[User talk:Mike Rosoft|talk]]) 22:42, 9 February 2024 (UTC)

Talk:2861: X Value

2024-01-13T07:24:25Z

Mike Rosoft: Comment

transcript and short explanation added [[User:SomeoneIGuess|someone, i guess]]([[User talk:SomeoneIGuess|talk i guess]]|[[Special:Contributions/SomeoneIGuess|le edit list]]) 18:47, 29 November 2023 (UTC)

Is there an easter egg here? Is 4.1083 a significant constant in some field?
[[Special:Contributions/172.71.154.91|172.71.154.91]] 19:00, 29 November 2023 (UTC)
:Dunno...but when I Googled it, it came up with a picture of a motorcycle I used to own - same vintage, same colour, same non-original aftermarket panniers - which was a little strange. Anybody else return any results centred around long-since-departed vehicles?

:Or not? [[User:Yorkshire Pudding|Yorkshire Pudding]] ([[User talk:Yorkshire Pudding|talk]]) 19:31, 29 November 2023 (UTC)

:Googling for it showed me... a picture of this very xkcd. It's recursive? [[User:Ralfoide|Ralfoide]] ([[User talk:Ralfoide|talk]]) 20:46, 29 November 2023 (UTC)

:Nothing interesting on Wolfram Alpha either https://www.wolframalpha.com/input?i=4.1083 [[User:Ruffy314|Ruffy314]] ([[User talk:Ruffy314|talk]]) 16:26, 30 November 2023 (UTC)

:I noted a proximity of "4.108(3)" to "42" and wondered if there was a connection ("how close can I get to 'the answer' without getting hammered for plagiarism or infringement?"). The comment below suggesting a link to the November 2023 "value" (= market capitalization) of X/Twitter is brilliant, but given that the market cap figure seems to have been posted on the day this comic was released, plus the evidence from comic 899, "coincidence" is probably the best explanation.[[Special:Contributions/162.158.186.118|162.158.186.118]] 18:27, 30 November 2023 (UTC)

https://www.der-postillon.com/2012/08/mathemuffel-erleichtert-wert-von-x-ein.html [[Special:Contributions/172.68.110.148|172.68.110.148]] 20:42, 29 November 2023 (UTC)
: This is in german, could you maybe give a translation at least? [[User:SomeoneIGuess|someone, i guess]]([[User talk:SomeoneIGuess|talk i guess]]|[[Special:Contributions/SomeoneIGuess|le edit list]]) 20:45, 29 November 2023 (UTC)
:: Here is the English article: https://www.the-postillon.com/2017/04/value-of-x.html [[Special:Contributions/172.68.110.179|172.68.110.179]] 06:36, 1 December 2023 (UTC)
:: Basically the same joke, x being set to 5 in this case. The website is a satirical online newspaper. --[[User:Coconut Galaxy|Coconut Galaxy]] ([[User talk:Coconut Galaxy|talk]]) 06:12, 30 November 2023 (UTC)

The "narrowing down" of n might be a reference to a combinatorics problem Ron Graham was solving, managing to narrow down the dimensions of the hypercube with a certain property to be more than 6 and less than... Well, Graham's Number.
[[Special:Contributions/172.71.122.209|172.71.122.209]] 22:12, 29 November 2023 (UTC)jamieth

:Even that is accomplishment. Really, narrowing number down from infinite set to finite one is the biggest narrowing you can do. -- [[User:Hkmaly|Hkmaly]] ([[User talk:Hkmaly|talk]]) 23:29, 29 November 2023 (UTC)
:: More than narrowing from one infinite set to a smaller infinite set?[[Special:Contributions/172.70.230.93|172.70.230.93]] 08:35, 2 December 2023 (UTC)

"In string theory the number of flux vacua is commonly thought to be roughly '''10^500''',[4] but could be 10^272,000[5] or higher." -- [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/String_theory_landscape#Compactified_Calabi%E2%80%93Yau_manifolds String theory landscape#Compactified Calabi–Yau manifolds] [[User:Abclop99|Abclop99]] ([[User talk:Abclop99|talk]]) 22:23, 29 November 2023 (UTC)

As of today, the value of Twitter (which some may call X for unknown reasons) is of 41.09 Billion USD. This might be the joke?
[[Special:Contributions/162.158.129.16|162.158.129.16]] 22:50, 29 November 2023 (UTC)

The variable 'n' is often used in computer programs to be a counter for some activity that is repeated 'n' times. 'n' may be user input or it might be a calculated value like the number of items in a list. So the code would be something like, for the integer 'i' starting at 1 and iterating up to 'n' number of times in whatever computer language is being used. In this case, 'n' would be limited to the maximum value of the specific integer type in that computer language on that machine. [[User:Rtanenbaum|Rtanenbaum]] ([[User talk:Rtanenbaum|talk]]) 03:34, 30 November 2023 (UTC)::

A result that the math community has been waiting for for a long long time! [[Special:Contributions/172.71.103.135|172.71.103.135]] 08:16, 30 November 2023 (UTC)

What is wrong with comic 899? I can access other pages, but 899 gives error. [[User:SDSpivey|SDSpivey]] ([[User talk:SDSpivey|talk]]) 16:50, 30 November 2023 (UTC)
: ...that comic works for me. By all means I can think of, but especially through either [[899: Number Line]], [[899]] or [[Number Line]] (the latter two being redirect-pages to the first, of course).
: Now ''occasionally'' (more frequently than I'd like), the server comes back with a message that it can't (currently, in that instance) give you the page, for reasons of its own. More rarely (but not unknown), Cloudflare with tell you that the whole site just isn't responding. But (wait and) try again and it usually works. (Unless you've just filled in a CAPTCHA, in submitting a page edit, in which case it's likely to tell you that the CAPTCHA is wrong/not ticked/completed it, so you get told off and have to try again.)
: If it's not such a transient problem, for you, could you let us know in what context you're trying to get there and failing?
: PS. "New comments should be added at the bottom." Answer: Because it's confusing. Question: Why ''shouldn't'' we put new things in front of old things? [[Special:Contributions/172.71.178.199|172.71.178.199]] 19:22, 30 November 2023 (UTC)
: Make sure that you have your Math module settings to PNG, not MathML. This creates an error in pages with Math modules as mentioned in the FAQ [[User:SomeoneIGuess|someone, i guess]]([[User talk:SomeoneIGuess|talk i guess]]|[[Special:Contributions/SomeoneIGuess|le edit list]]) 19:45, 30 November 2023 (UTC)

: I've been having the same problem for the last 2 days: comic 899 won't load from any link or even a navigation button from an adjacent comic. I can access the talk page, but trying to get to comic 899 gives this result:
<nowiki>MediaWiki internal error.
:: I'm betting that comic 899 is the n'th comic and that broke math so the comic could not be displayed until someone from the math department at MIT stepped in and incremented n.

Original exception: [ZWloWSNSV_QR0qrq5MDPrwAAABA] 2023-12-01 05:00:09: Fatal exception of type "MWException"

Exception caught inside exception handler.

Set $wgShowExceptionDetails = true; at the bottom of LocalSettings.php to show detailed debugging information.</nowiki>
:I'm logged in with my math preference set to MathML. Ah, I just changed to PNG and the page loads fine. Thank you. (I guess it's time to review the FAQ and see what else I'm doing wrong!) [[User:Orion205|Orion205]] ([[User talk:Orion205|talk]]) 05:07, 1 December 2023 (UTC)

Careful research has also definitively determined that the best random number is 7. [[Special:Contributions/172.68.27.95|172.68.27.95]] 20:37, 1 December 2023 (UTC)

Well, it wasn't [https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=2861:_X_Value&curid=27020&diff=330879&oldid=330499 my edit that was reverted], but it ''is'' a rather old and 'popular' joke in the field. (Of course, it's "N", not "n" in "P=NP". I had considered changing it, myself, to be more correct, but, it would have meant diluting the intended humour.) [[Special:Contributions/162.158.33.131|162.158.33.131]] 18:44, 15 December 2023 (UTC)

== Big O Notation? ==

I suspect the title text about n is a reference to big o notation where the function is only meaningful when n is large, but you might want to choose a function with "Bad Big-O performance" if you know in advance that n is below k (usually 2 or 3 or less than 10).
https://stackoverflow.com/questions/842242/big-o-when-the-value-of-n-gets-very-small, thus ruling that n > 8 would ensure that the Big-O growth would predict the most performant function. {{unsigned|Jh6p|21:51, 1 December 2023}}

==Value of n==
: the value of n has been narrowed down to somewhere between 8 and 10^500

Reminds me the problem from Ramsey theory which inspired the creation of the {{w|Graham's number}}. The current lower limit is 13 (an improvement from the original lower limit of 6). The upper limit is a number whose decimal representation is too large to fit in the observable universe. - [[User:Mike Rosoft|Mike Rosoft]] ([[User talk:Mike Rosoft|talk]]) 07:24, 13 January 2024 (UTC)

Talk:391: Anti-Mindvirus

2022-04-02T20:46:13Z

Mike Rosoft: Another protection against 'the game'

----

"The Game" is not actually a game* and therefore can have no winners or losers*.

*A game by definition is a form of play or sport, especially a competitive one played according to rules and decided by skill, strength, or luck

* If one does view "The Game" as an actually game, then it consists of one simply saying the words "The Game" out loud or via text. "The Game" also requires one to think of the words The Game before speaking them, thus making them the first "Losers" to participate in the game, and once the opposing team has lost (In this case the person who first thought of "The Game") Then the opposing team then by default is the winner, and is not subject to loosing as once there is a decided winner and looser, the game is over. So this means that the originator of "The Game" (a non-game) is the only looser, and everyone else to have participated is forever the winner, as no one can set up matches for a "The Game" competition, as they would also have to be thinking about "the game" meaning the lose as soon as it starts.

You're all free. --[[User:Para|Para]] ([[User talk:Para|talk]]) 21:57, 14 June 2014 (UTC)

sorry to inturupt para, but some games cannot be simply won
see xkcd comic #138
signd summer glau
[[Special:Contributions/173.245.54.5|173.245.54.5]] 13:52, 24 December 2015 (UTC)

:: A game can have multiple losers, so your logic does not work. Based on the description, it seems like everyone is a loser. It is impossible to win. [[User:Flewk|Flewk]] ([[User talk:Flewk|talk]]) 00:30, 28 December 2015 (UTC)

In the branch of social psychology that deals with game design, a 'game' is defined by being inside of the 'magic circle': a space where arbitrary actions are given meaning, and everybody participating in the magic circle voluntarily agrees upon a set of rules by which to play. There are no requirements for a game to have win or lose conditions, just look at Go, which has no official 'end' until both players agree the game is done.
For "The Game" to qualify as A game, it must allow for methods by which people voluntarily enter and leave its magic circle. As it does not, it cannot be a game, but is instead is a social exercise.
[[Special:Contributions/108.162.218.197|108.162.218.197]] 04:50, 14 June 2016 (UTC)XanKortal
: Bringing psychology to a math fight? Cute. Game theory has no care for you silly little humans and your silly little brains. [[User:Hppavilion1|Hppavilion1]] ([[User talk:Hppavilion1|talk]]) 07:30, 21 May 2017 (UTC)
:: Oh, and also, I argue that social psychology is itself a social psychology game, and I can just opt out of playing by the rules social psychologists want me to. [[User:Hppavilion1|Hppavilion1]] ([[User talk:Hppavilion1|talk]]) 07:30, 21 May 2017 (UTC)

It has also been suggested that the [https://gatherer.wizards.com/pages/card/Details.aspx?multiverseid=425817 Platinum Angel] will prevent you from losing the game. - [[User:Mike Rosoft|Mike Rosoft]] ([[User talk:Mike Rosoft|talk]]) 20:46, 2 April 2022 (UTC)

703: Honor Societies

2022-03-25T17:42:03Z

Mike Rosoft: Missing category

{{comic
| number = 703
| date = February 17, 2010
| title = Honor Societies
| image = honor_societies.png
| titletext = Hey, why do YOU get to be the president of Tautology Clu-- wait, I can guess.
}}

==Explanation==
[[Cueball]] has apparently been invited to join an {{w|Honor society|honor society}}, but he considers the reason he should join to be a circular argument: because honorable people are in honor societies and people who are in honor societies are supposedly honorable. He objects that this is a {{w|tautology (language)|tautology}}: a claim that something is true because it is true (and thus a meaningless claim). From this, he concludes that he might as well be in a "tautology club" and then starts one. Thus [[Randall]] mocks honor society clubs for being pointless.

In the final panel where Cueball has formed the club, [[Ponytail]] asks a new member (a Cueball-like guy) how he found out about them and he tells about their Facebook page. The reference to {{w|Facebook}} mocks {{w|Facebook groups}} whose names refer to a number of members they hope to attract (such as [https://www.facebook.com/pages/I-Bet-I-Can-Find-1000000-People-Who-Dislike-Romanian-Dog-Abusers/109442262492204 I Bet I Can Find 1,000,000 People Who Dislike Romanian Dog Abusers]), usually ostensibly to raise awareness for some issue but perhaps in fact just for the ego-stroking pleasure of amassing a large number of followers. Tautology Club employs this tactic only for the sake of creating yet another tautology.

Cueball is listing the rules of the club from a podium. The phrase "The first rule of _______ Club" is a reference to the 1999 movie ''{{w|Fight Club}}'' (see also [[922: Fight Club]]), which contains the famous line "The first rule of Fight Club is 'You do not talk about Fight Club,'" a reference to the club's intended secrecy. This phrase has been appropriated for myriad other varieties and parodies, such as the one mentioned in the comic.

The short guy with glasses could be {{w|List of FoxTrot characters#Jason Fox|Jason Fox}} from the {{w|FoxTrot}} comic (see the first two frames of [[824: Guest Week: Bill Amend (FoxTrot)]].) Although it takes a little imagination to see, the hair, the height, the glasses, and the geek factor fits. Three of the other characters from the audience look like regular characters but with slightly different hairstyles than usual. There is a buzz cut version of [[Hairy]], a curly-haired version of [[Hairbun]] with a ponytail (also seen later on), and [[Megan]] is drawn with an uncharacteristically white stripe in her hair.

The answer to the title text would also be a tautology: he gets to be the president because he is the president.

Tautologies were mentioned again in [[1310: Goldbach Conjectures]]. Tautology Club was mentioned in [[1602: Linguistics Club]].

==Transcript==
:[Cueball sits at a desk, while someone off-screen answers his question.]
:Cueball: Wait. I should join this honor society to show colleges I'm honorable, and I'm honorable because I'm in an honor society?
:Off-screen voice: Basically, yes.

:[Close up of Cueball.]
:Cueball: Sounds like I could save time by joining the Tautology Club directly.
:Off-screen voice: That's not a real club.
:Cueball: Then I'm starting it.

:[Inserted in a frame crossing the top of the third panel's frame is a caption. Cueball is standing on a podium in the right part of the panel speaking. From left to right we find Ponytail, a Cueball-like guy, a short guy with glasses, a buzz cut version of Hairy, a curly-haired version of Hairbun with a ponytail, and to the right of Cueball, a woman that looks like Megan although with an uncharacteristically white stripe in her hair.]
:Caption: Tautology Club:
:Ponytail: So how'd you learn about us?
:Cueball-like guy: From your Facebook group, "If 1,000,000 People Join This Group, It Will Have 1,000,000 People In It."
:Cueball: ''Listen up!'' The first rule of Tautology Club is the first rule of Tautology Club.

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Ponytail]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Hairy]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Hairbun]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Megan]]
[[Category:Multiple Cueballs]]
[[Category:Philosophy]]
[[Category:Logic]]
[[Category:Fight Club]]
[[Category:Self-reference]]

Talk:758: Raptor Fences

2022-02-02T21:30:18Z

Mike Rosoft: Question

Is the Cueball on the left holding a lit cigar? {{unsigned|‎Gegueure}}

The role of Samuel L. Jackson is played by Cueball in this film. [[User:ZevEisenberg|ZevEisenberg]] ([[User talk:ZevEisenberg|talk]]) 14:44, 9 August 2013 (UTC)

Does this remind you to Gulliver being attacked by tiny people in Liliput? Or the similar scene in [http://pbfcomics.com/95/ Perry Bible Fellowships strip 95: Gnome Bubbles] with the tiny gnomes? [[User:B jonas|B jonas]] ([[User talk:B jonas|talk]]) 23:35, 1 November 2013 (UTC)
: Or Ash being attacked by the mini-Ashes in ''Army of Darkness''. Which was, of course, an homage to Gulliver's incident. -- [[User:KarMann|KarMann]] ([[User talk:KarMann|talk]]) 11:25, 19 November 2021 (UTC)

The raptor in the film might actually be Utah raptor which is as big as in the film and had no evident of feather.[[Special:Contributions/198.41.238.40|198.41.238.40]]

The picture of the feathered velociraptor seems to be partially cutting into the Discussion section, any fix? --[[User:Youforgotthisthing|Youforgotthisthing]] ([[User talk:Youforgotthisthing|talk]]) 00:29, 9 February 2019 (UTC)
:That appears to be a bug in the page template itself, and thus beyond my editing capabilities. The problem seems to happen when a column of illustrations is longer than the article text. [[User:Nitpicking|Nitpicking]] ([[User talk:Nitpicking|talk]]) 12:44, 4 September 2021 (UTC)

Activation of the dwarfism gene may also be a reference to the "activation" of the Lysine contingency in the movie; the raptors were bred with a genetic defect - missing the ability to produce Lysine - that could be used as a means of controlling escaped animals. The dwarfism gene activation seems like just another way of controlling the population in an exigent circumstance.

The images are broken - how do you include an image from Wikimedia Commons? - [[User:Mike Rosoft|Mike Rosoft]] ([[User talk:Mike Rosoft|talk]]) 21:30, 2 February 2022 (UTC)

2523: Endangered

2021-10-10T10:24:22Z

Mike Rosoft: Fixed link (URL encode)

{{comic
| number = 2523
| date = October 1, 2021
| title = Endangered
| image = endangered.png
| titletext = The list includes polio, Guinea worm, and this one particular enterovirus strain that they've been tracking out of spite after it went around the lab a few years ago.
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Created by a HEARTBLEED BUG - Title text not explained, specifically why the mentioned virus type could be such an issue for the team. Is it embarrassing? Or where they just all very ill. Please change this comment when editing this page. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}

The {{w|endangered species}} list (also known as the {{w|IUCN Red List}}) is a system for categorizing species based on "level of extinction".

[[Ponytail]], [[Cueball]], and [[Megan]] in this comic are scientists who are sarcastically worried about pathogen strains becoming extinct. People in general want harmful pathogens to go extinct.

Randall was most likely inspired by [https://www.nature.com/articles/s41579-021-00642-4 this article] about different {{w|influenza}} strains. Influenza causes the yearly flu, which infects 5–15% of the global population annually and causes 3-5 million severe cases worldwide.

The title text mentions {{w|polio}} and {{w|Dracunculiasis|Guinea worm disease}} - diseases that are being {{w|Eradication of infectious diseases|eradicated due to worldwide efforts}} - the former, famously, through vaccination, and the latter through education and prevention techniques. A Google search [https://www.google.com/search?q=%22sarcastic+endangered%22+list "sarcastic endangered" list] seems to indicate that the "sarcastic endangered" list is not a real thing.

The bitter irony here is that much recent scholarship has described [https://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/parasites-are-going-extinct-heres-why-thats-a-bad-thing-180964808/ links between parasite biodiversity and ecosystem-wide, indeed planet-wide, biodiversity]. In few, if preserving and expanding biodiversity are seen as good things, then preserving and expanding biodiversity of parasites is a good thing, the one not being possible without the other. Parasites and disease agents, arguably, are classes of predators, and their removal can help establish a superpredator, the actions of which can catastrophically drive down biodiversity. Humans, released from predation by a large percentage of formerly-effective microbial predators, through the introduction of penicillin and other antibiotics plus other elements of 'heroic medicine', sanitation, etc., have arguably [https://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/modern-humans-have-become-superpredators-180956348/ become such a superpredator], and one that is mediating a loss of global biodiversity that may become the largest single species-extinction event in the history of planet Earth.

There also seems to be some evidence that infections with influenza viruses increase the chance of a heart attack. For instance regular flu shots [https://www.heart.org/en/news/2020/11/18/flu-shot-reduces-risk-of-death-for-people-with-heart-disease reduce the risk of heart attacks]. Thus the fact that we are "heartbroken" when B/Yamagata goes extinct could be sarcastic, since we might in fact suffer less from broken hearts.

==Transcript==

:[Ponytail stands facing Cueball and Megan in front of a poster board.]
:[Ponytail is pointing a stick to the board reading "Current List" with bullet points beneath.]
:[The first bullet reads Influenza B/Yamagata.]
:[Four further bulletpoints follow, which are left indistinct.]

:Ponytail: Influenza's genetic diversity has declined druing the pandemic, and the B/Yamagata lineage is at risk of extinction.
:Ponytail: Which would be ''such'' a shame.
:Megan: Yeah, I'm sooooooo worried about it.
:Cueball: We'd be just ''heartbroken!''

:[Caption below the panel]:
:When a pathogen that scientists really don't like is close to disappearing, it gets added to the sarcastic endangered species list.

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

Talk:1935: 2018

2017-12-29T19:13:26Z

Mike Rosoft: Response

This is easy! Don't factor it - just multiply by 25 and if that ends in two zeros, but not four zeros then it's a leap year, at least most of the time.....17:25, 29 December 2017 (UTC) {{unsigned ip|162.158.126.112}}

This is easy! Don’t factor it - just convert it into a binary and look at the 2 least significant bits. If they are 00 the number is multiple of four. —[[Special:Contributions/172.69.33.35|172.69.33.35]] 17:37, 29 December 2017 (UTC)

This is easy! Don't factor it - just subtract 4 repeatedly. If you end up at 0, it's divisible. If you end up at 1, 2, or 3, it's not. -- 17:55, 29 December 2017 (UTC){{unsigned ip|172.68.58.167}}

The calculation of Christmas is trivial{{Citation needed}} it's December 25th. Where as the calculation of Easter is complex ([https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Computus]). [[Special:Contributions/172.68.133.18|172.68.133.18]] 18:03, 29 December 2017 (UTC)

;Title text explanation mis-read
Explanation of title text is incorrect: "The title text refers to calculating the date of Christmas; again, this is a trivial exercise, because Christmas is always December 25." Title text states 'day of Christmas', not 'date...'. The day changes each year and so does require calculation. {{unsigned ip|162.158.111.73}}

Oops, my bad. Fixed. [[User:FlyingPiMonster|FlyingPiMonster]] ([[User talk:FlyingPiMonster|talk]]) 18:08, 29 December 2017 (UTC)
* I think you have it backwards. The title text is a reference to calculating the day (as in "date", not "day of week") of Easter. This is a non-trivial calculation (though one that modern computers can perform easily). On the other hand, the Christmas day is fixed. (There's no reason to believe that the joke was anything else.) - [[User:Mike Rosoft|Mike Rosoft]] ([[User talk:Mike Rosoft|talk]]) 19:13, 29 December 2017 (UTC)

I don't know who wrote the explanation, but... Are they having a bad day? [[Special:Contributions/162.158.111.205|162.158.111.205]] 18:44, 29 December 2017 (UTC)
:That was vandalism. I did a revert. --[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 19:06, 29 December 2017 (UTC)

Talk:1932: The True Meaning of Christmas

2017-12-29T17:55:58Z

Mike Rosoft: Follow-up

Is that guy with a black "santa cap" Black Hat? [[Special:Contributions/162.158.166.77|162.158.166.77]] 13:38, 22 December 2017 (UTC)
:Since most comics a not in color we safely can assume this Santa Hat as red. And if it should be Black Hat we would be able to identify him. --[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 14:01, 22 December 2017 (UTC)
::I definitely think it's supposed to be Black Hat Guy (Cueball's comment in the first panel fits). However, as we're uncertain, how about we use "Santa Hat" as in the below comments? -- [[User:Peregrine|Peregrine]] ([[User talk:Peregrine|talk]]) 15:13, 22 December 2017 (UTC)

:: based on speech patterns and topic choice, "Santa Hat" might be Beret Guy. [[Special:Contributions/162.158.75.202|162.158.75.202]] 19:18, 23 December 2017 (UTC)
:::Like my former comment: If it should be Beret Guy we would be able to identify him. --[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 19:21, 23 December 2017 (UTC)
:: I think the santa hat may actually be black, because in [[361: Christmas Back Home]] and [[838: Incident]] red christmas clothing was represented as red. Those were probably only times we have seen Christmas clothing in xkcd. [[Special:Contributions/162.158.238.101|162.158.238.101]] 10:53, 25 December 2017 (UTC)
::For me, Santa Hat is not mean enough to be Black Hat, and not QUITE goofy enough to be Beret Guy. I vote Just Some Guy In A Santa Hat, or our regular Cueball wearing a Santa hat, or Cueball's brother although I guess then Cueball would know his feelings about Christmas. I also don't accept the argument that the meaning of Christmas is "the meaning of Christmas", and I think Autometalogolex should be a Transformer, probably the good Transformers' snooty librarian / archivist. He or she can be a reindeer when transformed, sure. Robert Carnegie rja.carnegie@excite.com [[Special:Contributions/141.101.76.124|141.101.76.124]] 10:43, 26 December 2017 (UTC)
Cant find a definition or recognition of the word autometalogolex. My google-fu is weak. ̶o̶r̶ ̶m̶a̶y̶b̶e̶ ̶h̶e̶ ̶m̶a̶d̶e̶ ̶i̶t̶ ̶u̶p̶ [[User:DPS2004|DPS2004'); DROP TABLE users;--]] ([[User talk:DPS2004|talk]]) 14:11, 22 December 2017 (UTC)
:"autometalogolex" is an invention by Santa Hat and consists of three prefixes "auto-", "meta-", and "logo-" and the word "lex" for law or statute. I'm still thinking about the deeper meaning.--[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 14:17, 22 December 2017 (UTC)
::Why dont we make it a word? UrbanDictionary is blocked where i am. [[User:DPS2004|DPS2004'); DROP TABLE users;--]] ([[User talk:DPS2004|talk]]) 14:25, 22 December 2017 (UTC)
:I added the meanings of each of the prefixes, as well as a more likely analysis of the root, though "auto-" is still up in the air. It can mean "self" as in the classic meaning, but it can also mean done without interaction (as in "automatic") which sounds closer to the usage present in the comic. I'll leave it to others to refine. We still need to better interpret the fullness of the title text. Respectfully, -- a guy stuck in a government cube all day. {{unsigned ip|108.162.237.184}}
::"auto-" means self. The roots of automatic mean "self-acting" or "self-thinking". [[User:Blaisepascal|Blaisepascal]] ([[User talk:Blaisepascal|talk]]) 15:26, 22 December 2017 (UTC)
:I'd say that Autometalogolex is the word that Santa Hat is making up for the definition that cueball gives "The act of looking up the definition of this word.", so my interpretation is that the definition of Autometalogolex is "The act of looking up the definition of autometalogolex" (so you are all autometalogolexing at this moment) -- [[Special:Contributions/141.101.77.152|141.101.77.152]] 15:06, 22 December 2017 (UTC)volivav
::So what is the word for the act of making up a word for this definition? [[Special:Contributions/172.68.141.82|172.68.141.82]] 00:41, 23 December 2017 (UTC)

:WDYT about my reference to autological words? [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Autological_word] [[User:DarlingGeert|DarlingGeert]]

Doesn't the title text reference Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer? [[Special:Contributions/172.69.69.166|172.69.69.166]] 17:25, 22 December 2017 (UTC)
:Thanks, I thought about this too. Please check my additions. --[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 18:20, 22 December 2017 (UTC)

Tautometalogolex should be "the act of looking up the definition of autometalogolex". [[User:Ralfoide|Ralfoide]] ([[User talk:Ralfoide|talk]]) 18:23, 22 December 2017 (UTC)
:This phrase hits the nail on the head. And that's a recursive never ending action. And this recursion happens to all those "meaning of Christmas stories." --[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 00:13, 23 December 2017 (UTC)

The current explanation speaks of the title text like it might mean that a reindeer named "Autometalogolex" might cause headaches. NO! Usually such strange clearly wrong interpretations come from looking at it in a weird way (a way I only discover by reading it here), but this time it's simply not paying attention! Why would anybody be looking to GIVE Santa a headache??!?!? It's literally saying the opposite, who will they call when Santa ALREADY HAS a headache. Yes, the title text is referencing Rudolph, who is depicted as an outsider until he becomes useful, his glowing nose helping guide the way. This is the same. It's making fun of the fact that "autometalogolex" sounds like a medicine, so it's saying that a reindeer with this name would CURE Santa's headache, saving the day like Rudolph, helping out like Rudolph. Everyone will look for Autometalogolex at this time. Don't always make things so complicated.

And I don't think Santa Hat is Black Hat. That's what I figured at first, since hat colour, but he isn't sporting the usual anti-social mess-with-people attitude. But the comments sound like he usually wears a different hat, so... Wihout further evidence I think we have to take him as a separate character. Maybe the blackness is supposed to paint him as a Christmas pessimist? [[User:NiceGuy1|NiceGuy1]] ([[User talk:NiceGuy1|talk]]) 06:37, 29 December 2017 (UTC)
:I've updated the incomplete reason to ''Title text explanation: Why did Santa need a headache? Sounds absurd.'' IMO the last paragraph is nonsense. "Autometalogolex" is a reference to Rudolph and your phrase ''the fact that "autometalogolex" sounds like a medicine'' is much more reasonable. --[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 12:37, 29 December 2017 (UTC)

On Wiktionary, the administrators have proactively protected the title [[:wikt:autometalogolex|autometalogolex]] so that it cannot be created. - [[User:Mike Rosoft|Mike Rosoft]] ([[User talk:Mike Rosoft|talk]]) 17:37, 29 December 2017 (UTC)
* Also, who else tried to parse the word as "auto-metalo-golex"? - [[User:Mike Rosoft|Mike Rosoft]] ([[User talk:Mike Rosoft|talk]]) 17:55, 29 December 2017 (UTC)

1862: Particle Properties

2017-12-29T17:44:06Z

Mike Rosoft: Quarks don't have integer charge

{{comic
| number = 1862
| date = July 12, 2017
| title = Particle Properties
| image = particle_properties.png
| titletext = Each particle also has a password which allows its properties to be changed, but the cosmic censorship hypothesis suggests we can never observe the password itself—only its secure hash.
}}

==Explanation==
A table is presented comparing the range (maximum and minimum value) and scale (how big number increments are) of several measures. The table begins by listing properties pertinent to {{w|particle physics}} as the title suggests, but quickly devolves to other domains such as role-playing games (such as D&D) and sports after failing to provide a good definition of {{w|Flavour (particle physics)|flavor}}.

{| class=wikitable
! Property
! Scale
! Explanation
|-
| Electric charge
| [-1,1]
| The {{w|electric charge}} is shown in increments of a third from -1 to +1 which are the only known charges of fundamental particles (leptons, quarks and gauge bosons); however there are some exotic composite particles with twice integer charge, e.g. the recently discovered double charmed Xi baryon with a charge of +2.

Quarks are the only particles with charges of ± ⅓ or ± ⅔, but cannot exist individually; below the {{w|Hagedorn temperature}}, they are only found within hadrons. To date, all hadrons (particles composed of quarks), leptons, and bosons have integer charge, and current models indicate that this must be the case.
|-
| Mass
| [0,∞) in kg
| Mass (specifically {{w|rest mass}}) is the measure of an object or particle's resistance to force, as well as its ability to distort {{w|spacetime}} (its gravitational attraction).
Theoretically, any object's mass could approach infinity, but mass cannot be below 0. The mass units shown (kilograms) are, however, far too large for particles. Some particles, such as photons, have zero rest mass and are therefore massless.

All particles with rest mass obtain it through confinement, either by the {{w|Higgs field}} (the quarks; leptons; and W, Z, and Higgs bosons) or the strong nuclear force (hadrons).
Particles with no rest mass (photons and gluons) can only move at lightspeed.
|-
| Spin number
| (-∞,∞) (Intervals of ½)
| {{w|Spin (physics)|Spin}} is an intrinsic property of particles, a relativistic form of angular momentum. The spin of a particle determines what statistics the particle follows, half odd integer spin particles are classified as fermions and integer spin particles are bosons.

Two fermions cannot have exactly the same state, an observation known as the Pauli exclusion principle. Thus, for fermions to exist in the same position, they must have opposite spins, of + ½ and - ½. It follows that a maximum of two fermions of the same flavor (e.g. two electrons) may exist in the same position.
|-
| Flavor
| Misc. quantum numbers
| Flavor is a series of {{w|quantum numbers}} that do not fit neatly onto a set of dimensional axes.

The most general theory breaks flavor down into four distinct conserved values, the electric charge, the weak isospin, the baryon number and the lepton number, but more specific models increase the number of distinct values. Quarks, for example, add five more flavor numbers: isospin (upness vs. downness), strangeness, charm, topness and bottomness (the last four are literally just the number of strange, charmed, top and bottom quarks, minus the corresponding anti-quarks).
|-
| Color charge
| Coordinate system with R, G and B axes
| The primary {{w|strong nuclear force}} has six mutually attractive charges, arranged in three perpendicular axes each analogous to electric charge. These charges are commonly referred to as "{{w|Color charge|color}}" and the three axes are given the names of the three primary colors of light: Red, Green and Blue. The black dots in the diagram represent the actual colors while the white dots are the anti-color charges: anti-Red (colored cyan in diagrams), anti-Green (magenta) and anti-Blue (yellow). To complete the analogy, a color charge of zero is referred to as "White". The names of these charges are purely allegorical, but they do make it convenient to refer to them, especially in diagrams.

The color of a particle not confined by the strong force must be White, either as the sum of a color and its anti-color (as in a meson), as the sum of RGB or anti-RGB (as in a baryon), or as a sum of those sums (As in tetra-, penta- or hexaquarks). The attraction of the strong nuclear force is so strong that attempting to separate two quarks from each other creates enough energy to create two new quarks, which then bind to the original quarks. This property is known as "confinement" and means that color charge can never be observed directly.

Randall is incorrect in stating "Quarks only", since {{w|gluon}}s (the particle that carries the color force) are themselves colored. However, the colors of gluons are much more complicated, with a total of eight distinct superpositions of every possible color-anticolor pair. The fact that gluons are subject to the force they mediate also means that the strong force has a defined radius of effect, unlike the electromagnetic force, whose gauge bosons (the photon) are uncharged.

This is the last entry currently used to describe particles by particle physicists.
|-
| Mood
| 5 emojis on a number line ranging from angry to joyful
| Particles are not considered to have mood, even in the allegorical way they have color or flavor, but Randall implies that there is a quantized 5 point scale (from "angry" to "ecstatic") which would have some effect on the properties of the particle. This would be more appropriate for measuring customer satisfaction. Charts such as this are also sometimes used in medicine to indicate levels of pain, and in some psychiatric treatments as a quick way to track changes in the patient's condition.

In grammar, {{w|Grammatical particles|particles}} are a nebulous class of words, usually defined by a lack of declension or conjugation (such as prepositions in English). Some languages use particles instead of or in addition to "standard" declension/conjugation, much like auxiliary verbs are used in English. These particles may well carry "{{w|Grammatical mood|mood}}" as an attribute, as well as tense and aspect.
|-
| Alignment
| 3x3 grid with varying shades (columns Good-Evil, rows Lawful-Chaotic)
| A reference to the tabletop RPG ''{{w|Dungeons & Dragons}}'', where characters have an {{w|Alignment (Dungeons & Dragons)|alignment}} that is either Good, Neutral, or Evil (describing whether they have a propensity to help or harm others) and either Lawful, Neutral, or Chaotic (describing how much they care about organizations, social norms, and the status quo). Common examples of these alignments include Darth Vader (Lawful Evil), Superman (Lawful Good), Robin Hood (Chaotic Good), and the Joker (Chaotic Evil). This may be a reference to the now defunct names of the two heaviest known quarks ("truth" and "beauty").
|-
| Hit points
| [0,∞)
| Games (videogames, board games, CCGs, RPGs, etc.) often have values for players and other entities that represent {{w|Health (video game)|health}} (also called hit points or HP). Generally there is not necessarily a limit on this value, but it does not often go below 0 as the zero value is considered "dead" (or some equivalent).
|-
| Rating
| 5-star scale
| The five-star rating system is often used to rate films, TV shows, restaurants, and hotels. Randall has previously criticized this system in [[937: TornadoGuard]] and [[1098: Star Ratings]].
|-
| String type
| Bytestring-Charstring
| In computer science, this denotes what type of data is stored subsequent set of elements or a {{w|String_(computing)|string}}. This is likely a pun on {{w|String_(physics)|string}} types that appear in {{w|string theory}} and particle physics, and may also be a reference to {{w|Python (programming language)|Python}}, in which the difference between a byte string and a (Unicode) character string is a cause of difficulties for some programmers.
|-
| Batting average
| [0,100] in %
| In {{w|baseball}}, a player's {{w|batting average}} is calculated by dividing their hits by their at-bats. Instead of using the percent sign (%), it is usually presented as a number between 0 and 1 (inclusive) expressed as three decimal places with no leading zero: [.000, 1.000]. It is pronounced as though it is multiplied by 1,000: A batter with a batting average of .342 (which is very good) is said to be "batting three forty-two." A perfect batting average (unattainable except in very small samples) gives rise to the expression "batting a thousand." The 0-100 scale would be a better match for the batting average statistic in {{w|cricket}}, although percents would still not be used.
|-
| Proof
| [0,200]
| This refers to {{w|alcohol proof}}, which is the measure of the amount of ethanol in a beverage by volume. In the United States, 100° proof correspond to 50% alcohol, so the proof of a beverage is two times the percentage of ethanol, so the maximum value is 200.
|-
| Heat
| No jalapeño icons - 3 jalapeño icons, increasing
| Spicy dishes are sometimes measured by the intensity of the spicy flavor, usually ranging from values like "mild" to "hot". The gray jalapeño likely represents negligible or no spicy taste in the food. However, as an objective scale it is largely meaningless, since there is no reliable consistency in how these ratings are applied - what may be considered a 3-chilli dish in one establishment may only be a 1-chilli dish in another (as restaurants rarely if ever intend their dishes to be rated on the {{w|Scoville scale}}). The scale being unlimited may be a reference to the practice of some restaurants where a fourth or fifth chilli may be added to exaggerate the heat of their dishes.
|-
| Street value
| [0,∞) in $
| The value of an illegal good or a legal/controlled good when bought or sold by illegal means usually by or to the end user.
|-
| Entropy
| ''This already has like 20 different confusing meanings, so it probably means something here, too.''
| The term "entropy", which {{w|History of entropy|began}} as a {{w|Entropy (classical thermodynamics)|thermodynamic measure}}, has since been adopted {{w|Entropy in thermodynamics and information theory|by analogy}} into {{w|Entropy (disambiguation)|multiple seemingly unrelated domains}}. The table doesn't seem to know what domain it is in, but (possibly in a desperate attempt to hide this) deems it safe to assume the unknown domain uses the term "entropy" for ''something''! Entropy is often described as a measure of disorder or chaos so this may be another reference to the D&d alignment axis above.
|}

The title text says that in addition each particle has a password, but only hash of the password can be observed. This is a computer science reference. In computer science, properties (e.g. of an object or program) often can be changed with a single command. In physics as we observe it, properties can locally change with the environment. There are several {{w|Time-variation_of_fundamental_constants|experiments}}, whether physical constants are really time-const. Password hashing is the practice of hiding the password itself by storing only an irreversible representation of the password. Since the password itself is not stored, the password cannot ever be viewed by the user or a hacker (outside of the login page). This method is considered to be safest way of storing passwords. Password hashing using some {{w|key derivation function}} makes it impossible to steal passwords even if the server that stores hashes is cracked, unless the hash function is also broken, which should be a task which cannot be completed in any feasible time for sufficiently strong passwords. The title-text claims this is predicted by the {{w|cosmic censorship hypothesis}}, which in reality claims that a {{w|gravitational singularity}} must always be obscured by an event horizon (i.e.: there can't be a {{w|naked singularity}}). There is also a hint of quantum mechanics in the statement, as observation is one of the central concepts of the field, and {{w|Heisenberg's uncertainty principle}} actually states that it is impossible to observe (measure) some property of a particle with arbitrary precision when another one is known (e.g.: you can't determine the momentum and position of a particle). This makes the title text a mix of several domains, as was the above table.

==Transcript==
{{incomplete transcript|Do NOT delete this tag too soon. Is table alone the best solution?}}
:<big>Particle Properties in Physics</big>
{| class=wikitable
! Property
! Type/scale
|-
| Electric charge
| [Scale with -1, 0 and +1 labeled and markings dividing the units in thirds. The endpoints are both dots.]
|-
| Mass
| [Scale with 0, 1kg and 2kg labeled and markings dividing the units into thirds. The endpoints are a dot on the zero end and an arrow on the other end.]
|-
| Spin number
| [Scale with -1, -½, 0, ½ and 1 labeled and no additional markings. The endpoints are both arrows, pointing out.]
|-
| Flavor
| (Misc. quantum numbers)
|-
| Color charge
| [Coordinate system of three axes labeled R, G and B clockwise from the 10 o'clock position. Endpoints are arrow-dots on all ends, with black dots for the labeled ends and white dots for the unlabeled ends.] (Quarks only)
|-
| Mood
| [Scale labeled with 5 emoticons, from angry to happy, and markings dividing the units in thirds. Endpoints are both arrows, pointing out.]
|-
| Alignment
| [3x3 grid with varying shades] Good-Evil, Lawful-Chaotic
|-
| Hit points
| [Scale starting from 0, markings but no labels other than zero. Endpoints are a dot at zero end and an arrow at the other end.]
|-
| Rating
| [Star rating of 3.5/5 stars]
|-
| String type
| Bytestring-Charstring
|-
| Batting average
| [Scale from 0% to 100%. Endpoints are dot at 0% end and arrow-dot at 100% end.]
|-
| Proof
| [Scale from 0 to 200. Endpoints are dot at 0 end and arrow-dot at 200 end.]
|-
| Heat
| [Scale labeled with pepper icons, from 0 (a grayed-out pepper) to 3. Endpoints are a dot at zero end and an arrow at the other end.]
|-
| Street value
| [Scale with $0, $100 and $200 labeled. Endpoints are a dot at zero end and an arrow at the other end.]
|-
| Entropy
| (This already has like 20 different confusing meanings, so it probably means something here, too.)
|}

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Charts]]
[[Category:Physics]]
[[Category:Baseball]]

Talk:1932: The True Meaning of Christmas

2017-12-29T17:37:08Z

Mike Rosoft: Trivia

Talk:1862: Particle Properties

2017-07-15T17:08:21Z

Mike Rosoft: Added another example

oh dear, they copied the alt text wrong
[[Special:Contributions/173.245.50.108|173.245.50.108]] 14:58, 12 July 2017 (UTC)

More significantly, color charge is carried by gluons as well as quarks. [[User:Mjackson|Mjackson]] ([[User talk:Mjackson|talk]]) 15:19, 12 July 2017 (UTC)

As suggested by Zach Weinersmith ([https://twitter.com/zachweiner/status/885154434514395138 "For a joke: If you put pure alcohol under extreme pressure, could you claim to exceed 200 proof?"]), it's kind of confusing that the comic suggests alcohol proof can exceed 200 proof, and also that baseball batting averages can exceed 100%. Although on further review, they use the arrow-dot →∙ notation rather than the dot-arrow ∙→, so maybe it's not intended to indicate a lack of an upper bound. But then I'm not sure what it does indicate, esp. compared to the Electric Charge property. Continuous vs. discrete? It doesn't seem clear… [[User:JohnHawkinson|JohnHawkinson]] ([[User talk:JohnHawkinson|talk]]) 15:41, 12 July 2017 (UTC)
:I think the arrow-dot is meant to mean "approaches, but does not (usually) reach" -- asymptotic behavior, in other words. [[Special:Contributions/162.158.62.15|162.158.62.15]] 16:39, 14 July 2017 (UTC)

Proof is presumably US proof - UK usage based on gunpowder 175 degrees proof would be 100% alcohol

Batting average is presumably from baseball
Cricket batting averages are measured in runs per dismissal and are in theory unbounded. It is possible to have an infinite average for a season or series - though in terms of lifetime averages the best for players with more than ten matches is 99.96.
:If it is for baseball, it's labeled incorrectly. A perfect batting average is 1.000, not 100%. [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Batting_average Batting average] is actually a ratio - number of hits to number of at-bats - expressed as a decimal, not a percentage. For example, if a batter goes 3 for 5 in a game, his batting average would be .600, not 60%. [[User:OldCorps|OldCorps]] ([[User talk:OldCorps|talk]]) 16:25, 12 July 2017 (UTC)

We should probably arrange descriptions into a table.

How is it that there's no pain scale?
: Because Randall didn't think -- or possibly want -- to use it. Besides, do you really want every scale in existence in a single comic? If not, Randall has to select based on his own criteria, whatever they may be. As it is, there are 9 or 10 (depending on how you count "entropy") fields that don't apply to particle properties, as opposed to 5 or 6 that do. Gotta stop somewhere. [[User:Nyperold|Nyperold]] ([[User talk:Nyperold|talk]]) 22:44, 12 July 2017 (UTC)
: He could also have added the Volume scale, which would, of course, have been between 0 and 11.[[Special:Contributions/141.101.107.66|141.101.107.66]] 13:20, 13 July 2017 (UTC)

Actually, D&D calls you "dead" if you go to your NEGATIVE hit point maximum. Otherwise, you make a completely random (50%) death saving throw. After 3 cumulative fails, you die. After 3 cumulative successes, you are stable. More info can be found in the {{w|Player's Handbook}}. [[User:SilverMagpie|SilverMagpie]] ([[User talk:SilverMagpie|talk]]) 21:33, 12 July 2017 (UTC)
:According to the rules I know (Editions 3, 3.5 and Pathfinder) it's: 0 HP = unconscious; [-1; -CON) = dying (-> lose 1 HP each round unless you make a successful CON check); -CON = dead. http://www.d20pfsrd.com/gamemastering/conditions/#TOC-Dead [[User:Elektrizikekswerk|Elektrizikekswerk]] ([[User talk:Elektrizikekswerk|talk]]) 10:15, 13 July 2017 (UTC)
* In GURPS, your hit points can get even more negative. Below 0 hit points, you need to make a save each turn or fall unconscious; for each [HP] damage beyond that, you make a save against dying. At -5*[HP] hit points you die automatically; at -10*[HP] your body is more or less destroyed. (Also, in GURPS your hit points don't arbitrarily grow; an average character has between 5 and 15 hit points.) - [[User:Mike Rosoft|Mike Rosoft]] ([[User talk:Mike Rosoft|talk]]) 17:08, 15 July 2017 (UTC)

"Heat" measured in jalapeño has also been used by some email systems such as Eudora to measure how strong an email message is (e.g., whether it will lead to a flame war) [[Special:Contributions/198.41.238.46|198.41.238.46]] 05:02, 13 July 2017 (UTC)
: Jalapeño measure between 2,500 to 8,000 Scoville Heat Units, or roughly 5,000 SHUs on average, so in theory you can assign objective values to a 1,2,3 jalapeño scale, i.e. 5000, 10000, 15000 SHUs [[User:RoyT|RoyT]] ([[User talk:RoyT|talk]]) 07:34, 14 July 2017 (UTC)

"String Type" being ByteString-CharString is a reference to Haskell, the programming language referenced in [https://xkcd.com/1312/ 1312: Haskell] and used to make [https://xkcd.com/1037/ 1037: Umlaut], which is structurally obsessed with data types. [https://hackage.haskell.org/package/bytestring ByteString] is the go-to type for dynamic text, which in more literal form unpacks to a String of [Char]s. [[Special:Contributions/108.162.246.65|108.162.246.65]] 08:41, 13 July 2017 (UTC)

The lower case g in Kg looks odd. I thought it was a strangely shaped 's'. [[User:WhiteDragon|WhiteDragon]] ([[User talk:WhiteDragon|talk]]) 20:35, 13 July 2017 (UTC)

Pretty sure the jalapeños are from ratemyprofessor.com: the tell is the grayed out one for zero [[Special:Contributions/162.158.62.81|162.158.62.81]] 14:25, 14 July 2017 (UTC)

Talk:1803: Location Reviews

2017-03-05T17:11:34Z

Mike Rosoft: Response

;TO ALL EDITORS HERE
Please do not remove the incomplete tag on your first edit. This tag is used to identify all incomplete comics or transcripts here.--[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 16:14, 24 February 2017 (UTC)

;Further discussions go here
Could he be referencing some other location? Is there enough data on the map to find a real-world map location that would fit the shape of the river, streets and shaded polygon? [[Special:Contributions/172.68.78.34|172.68.78.34]] 16:04, 24 February 2017 (UTC)Martin

I'm surprised that Randall didn't reference the discovery of the Trappist-1 system maybe it will come up soon or in a what-if.{{unsigned ip|XFez}}
:He often has a couple comics in queue (and probably needs a day or two to draw one up and get it in and also have something XKCD-ish about it), so we may see one Monday or further afield.[[Special:Contributions/162.158.75.22|162.158.75.22]] 23:21, 24 February 2017 (UTC)

The idea behind the website and ordering is probably absurdist humour in that the commenter finds the idea of nuclear missiles good and desirable, but the referenced website for such a facility is confusing in that the commenter cannot find out how to order some for him/herself. --[[User:Toonarmycaptain|Toonarmycaptain]] ([[User talk:Toonarmycaptain|talk]]) 16:39, 24 February 2017 (UTC)

He is actually referring to something that is pretty fun to do, and that is exactly what he says: reading reviews of places that shouldn't have reviews. This one made me laugh in the past: https://www.google.com/maps/place/Tokyo+Electric+Power+Co.+Fukushima+Daiichi+Nuclear+Power+Plant/@37.4213402,141.0258843,17z/data=!3m1!4b1!4m5!3m4!1s0x6020dd3801b3fc69:0xa6090708f3cbc4cd!8m2!3d37.421336!4d141.0280783 {{unsigned ip|108.162.216.196}}

Here's another good one: https://www.google.com/maps/place/Pripyat+amusement+park/@51.4066963,30.0361971,14z/data=!4m7!3m6!1s0x0:0x87aa178315dd0d18!8m2!3d51.4078931!4d30.0556487!9m1!1b1 [[User:Waterhorse800|Waterhorse800]] ([[User talk:Waterhorse800|talk]]) 17:03, 1 March 2017 (UTC)

"Looks cool but you can't get in" can also be a comment for an exclusive club/restaurant [[Special:Contributions/172.68.65.6|172.68.65.6]] 22:18, 24 February 2017 (UTC)

Guantanamo Bay has surprisingly positive reviews: https://goo.gl/maps/tQ4bzttkdeE2 [[Special:Contributions/162.158.79.101|162.158.79.101]] 03:25, 25 February 2017 (UTC)
:Hmmm, all the reviews have disappeared. Only one now. Maybe *someone* saw your comment. --[[Special:Contributions/108.162.238.11|108.162.238.11]] 12:05, 27 February 2017 (UTC)

""Despite this enormous pressure some organisms live in the Mariana Trench. ""
Nonsense! The pressure is no problem if you do not have holes filled with air in your body.
[[Special:Contributions/162.158.92.52|162.158.92.52]] 11:29, 26 February 2017 (UTC)

Isn't "scathing" a pun on how these locations are typically associated with hot temperatures?
[[Special:Contributions/162.158.62.225|162.158.62.225]] 00:43, 27 February 2017 (UTC)
: No. The air in the jet stream and the water at the bottom of Mariana Trench are quite cold. Places on the Equator may seem hot for a person unused to the climate there, but they're not so hot in absolute numbers. Chernobyl reactor core is not particularly hot anymore in terms of temperature; it is "hot" in terms of radiation level. {{unsigned|Malgond}}
Note to self: Find out where Randall lives on Google Maps and leave a review for Garfield. --[[Special:Contributions/108.162.238.11|108.162.238.11]] 12:02, 27 February 2017 (UTC)

AFAIK, Canada has never had ICBMs. Short range surface to surface (deployed in Germany), air-surface and air-air before 1984, but no ICBMs. The only thing near Canyon River is a stopover station for the railway, a couple of hunting lodges and Grassy River First Nation which has been in the news recently because the government finally committed to cleaning up decades-old mercury contamination from a defunct pulp and paper mill. {{unsigned ip|108.162.241.4}}

;Triva
There was an entry in the trivia section entered by ‎[[User:Mwarren|Mwarren]]:
* Google Search results for "[https://www.google.com/search?q=canyon+river+nuclear+launch+facility Canyon River Nuclear Launch Facility]" briefly showed the facility was located at 43.428445, -101.124018 in {{w|List_of_townships_in_South_Dakota#B|Blackpipe Township}}, {{w|Mellette County, South Dakota}} and included the reviews shown in the comic.
Since there is no proof, no reliable link, and NO canyon this cannot be correct. There is only a small, lonely farm. Please provide those findings first here at the discussion page so it can be verified by others.--[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 00:45, 3 March 2017 (UTC)
* When you enter these coordinates at [https://www.google.com/maps/place/Canyon+River+Nuclear+Launch+Facility/@43.4290723,-101.1299981,15.5z/data=!4m7!3m6!1s0x877f3af0eface503:0xdbfa4a95f237debc!8m2!3d43.427838!4d-101.1240822!9m1!1b1 Google Maps], you indeed get the "Canyon River Nuclear Launch Facility" with all the reviews from xkcd (and a couple more added to it). - [[User:Mike Rosoft|Mike Rosoft]] ([[User talk:Mike Rosoft|talk]]) 19:35, 4 March 2017 (UTC)
**Screenshot: [https://app.box.com/s/4i036nn0bc83g9dbu1d1f55lbqu4cvmi]. - [[User:Mike Rosoft|Mike Rosoft]] ([[User talk:Mike Rosoft|talk]]) 19:45, 4 March 2017 (UTC)
:::It's a fake! Someone has set a marker and all reviews are not older than a week. You will find much more like this on Google Maps.--[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 20:08, 4 March 2017 (UTC)
::::Well, duh. :-) - [[User:Mike Rosoft|Mike Rosoft]] ([[User talk:Mike Rosoft|talk]]) 17:11, 5 March 2017 (UTC)

Talk:1803: Location Reviews

2017-03-04T19:45:43Z

Mike Rosoft: Added screenshot

Talk:1803: Location Reviews

2017-03-04T19:35:44Z

Mike Rosoft: Response

Talk:149: Sandwich

2016-03-13T18:14:28Z

Mike Rosoft: Response

Note that it is more effective to write "sudo !!" to redo the last command but with sudo added to it. {{unsigned|Agge.se}}

:Using <code>sudo !!</code> outputs the previous command with sudo into your bash (other shells as well) history, so to bash what you said was "sudo make me a sandwich" not "sudo !!". [[User:Lcarsos|lcarsos]] ([[User talk:Lcarsos|talk]]) 16:46, 29 October 2012 (UTC)

<code>sudo</code> requires '''user''' password, not admin password, but you need to be in <code>sudoers</code> file. --[[User:JakubNarebski|JakubNarebski]] ([[User talk:JakubNarebski|talk]]) 12:14, 15 December 2012 (UTC)

:How many people will know the difference? In a typical Ubuntu-family install with only one human user, root doesn't ''have'' a password, but the one user who does is a sudoer (and has to use <code>sudo</code> or <code>su</code> to act as root, rather than doing so starting at login). [[User:Promethean|Promethean]] ([[User talk:Promethean|talk]]) 06:08, 30 August 2013 (UTC)

"the user first must type their password" This is not accurate. It is the default, but many domains disable that requirement.
[[Special:Contributions/173.245.52.92|173.245.52.92]] 06:47, 14 January 2015 (UTC)

I believe the original comic actually read "Sudo bang bang" instead of "Sudo make me a sandwich". Here's a link to what I think is a copy of the [http://stackoverflow.com/questions/15137461/what-is-sudo-bang-bang original]. I'm not sure which of the two is actually the original. {{unsigned ip|‎99.95.158.248}}
:The words "bang bang" (particularly the first B) look a bit fuzzy/pixelated compared to the rest of the text, which gives me the feeling that it was edited from this one, which is the original. [[User:Zowayix|Zowayix]] ([[User talk:Zowayix|talk]]) 23:03, 23 January 2014 (UTC)
::If you click on the image (on the Stack Overflow link), it leads you to http://justinsomnia.org/2006/09/sudo-bang-bang/, which says: 'This just occurred to me' [comic] 'Original comic from xkcd by Randall Munroe', implying it was indeed edited. [[Special:Contributions/141.101.99.14|141.101.99.14]] 20:42, 11 August 2014 (UTC)

Comment: This conversation is an easter egg in Google Now on Android tablet. Using voice search to say "make me a sandwich" will give the reply "what? make it yourself", adding "sudo" will get the response "ok". I assume the Google now implementation came later and is based on xkcd. {{unsigned ip|141.101.99.27}}
:Siri will also respond "okay" if you say "sudo make me a sandwich:", though she doesn't respond with the XKCD response to "make me a sandwich". [[Special:Contributions/198.41.235.35|198.41.235.35]] 13:32, 27 October 2015 (UTC) (MSC)

This reworked for the Make utility:
<code><pre>
$ make sandwich
Must be root
$ sudo make sandwich
cc sandwich
mv sandwich /etc/sandwich
sandwich installed in /etc
$ _
</pre></code>
[[User:Alexbuzzbee|Alexbuzzbee]] ([[User talk:Alexbuzzbee|talk]]) 02:50, 23 August 2015 (UTC)

* It also reminds me the ''Star Trek: Voyager'' episode where Q tampered with the ship's replicators:
::Janeway: "Coffee, black."
::Replicator: "Make it yourself."
(But she didn't try "Sudo coffee, black.") - [[User:Mike Rosoft|Mike Rosoft]] ([[User talk:Mike Rosoft|talk]]) 18:14, 13 March 2016 (UTC)