explain xkcd - User contributions [en]

2660: Gen Z

2022-08-19T16:35:10Z

Momerath: /* Explanation */ - added discussion of white hat's statement.

{{comic
| number = 2660
| date = August 17, 2022
| title = Gen Z
| image = gen_z.png
| titletext = Curdled milk, of a peculiar kind, made after a Bulgarian recipe and called "yaghurt," is now a Parisian fad and is believed to be a remedy against growing old. A correspondent who has tried it, says he would prefer to die young. (1905, The Elk Falls Journal)
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Created by a YAGHURT EATING BOT - Please change this comment when editing this page. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}

Older generations are often confused by the trends and norms of younger people, and this comic aims to contextualize this common situation by placing it in a historical perspective. The person in the white boater asserts that, although strange, Gen-Z is doing things a certain way. The man in the black hat is expressing a notion that sounds a lot like [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LD0x7ho_IYc juvenoia], and is quick to make sweeping generalizations about the younger group. The other reactions depicted are representative of the broader spectrum of possible responses: either surprised interest or cautious acceptance. There is no evidence that White Boater is correct about how Gen-Z does things.

Neither knee-jerk rejection nor forward-looking sympathy are specifically praised by the main text of the comic, but the example highlighted in the title text seems to imply that Randall would like to emphasize openness to new things.

The title text [https://mobile.twitter.com/xkcd/status/1560020008545165319 quotes] a newspaper from Elk Falls, Kansas, which on May 18, 1905, told of a "Parisian fad". The item was a shortened version of an account which also ran in many other newspapers. In this case, the "fad" is the introduction of {{w|yogurt}} (spelled "yaghurt" in this publication, probably because English spelling of the word was not standardized yet and may have been influenced by the French spelling ("yaourt") and phonology). In the modern day, yogurt is enjoyed as a common food in most [[559: No Pun Intended|cultures]], but in 1905 the concept was bizarre and repulsive to many readers. This shows that things which are dismissed as "strange" because of preconceived notions of a particular group (that curdled milk is necessarily bad) may, in fact, be perfectly acceptable once more context is obtained. It is also worth noting that yogurt was not invented in 1905, but had existed for centuries prior; despite this, the recent introduction to French culture is what prompted its recognition as a nascent "fad". This may be analogized to various fads and trends which {{w|Gen Z}} is embracing which may appear unfounded to members of older generations, but which nevertheless represent acceptance of ideas which did not originate with members of that generation. Randall may have chosen this particular version of the item in part because it omits some of the statements in the longer item, such as that consumption of yogurt could “prolong human life to what is its normal span - a century or so.”

This is not the first comic to identify "modern" complaints or viewpoints as having been present throughout history in various forms (see comics [[1227: The Pace of Modern Life]] and [[1601: Isolation]]).

The humor in making generalizations about people born in specific time periods is also seen in [[973: MTV Generation]], [[1962: Generations]] and [[2249: I Love the 20s]].

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

:[Six individuals in clothing representing early 1900s' American fashion stand in a line. Four of them have speaking roles, from left to right, and two stand in silence, contributing to the feeling of a conversation amongst a crowd gathered around the first speaker]
:Speaker 1 (white brim hat): Now, it may sound strange, but it's how Gen Z is doing things!
:Speaker 2 (wavy hair, dress with belt): Gosh! Is that really true??
:Speaker 3 (dark hat with indent): Ridiculous. It just goes to show what I've been saying about them.
:Speaker 4 (hair in bun, dress with lace hem): Now now, maybe we just need to change with the times.

:Caption below comic: People ascribing qualities to "Gen Z" have the same energy as small-town salespeople in 1905 talking about what the ladies in Paris are up to.

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Food]]
[[Category:Social interactions]]
[[Category:Comics featuring White Hat]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Hairbun]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Megan]]

Talk:2293: RIP John Conway

2020-04-14T05:02:32Z

Momerath: Query: Should the comic be listed in the Covid-19 series?

This is really very impressive. The design of the stick figure to allow it to release a glider that ascends upwards (the "soul" rising to "heaven" or whatever) with the body decaying - that's a hard thing to get right using just the Game of Life rules. [[Special:Contributions/172.69.68.175|172.69.68.175]] 17:49, 13 April 2020 (UTC)
:Although Randall is clever, the Game of Life has been studied for so long that I'm sure this is a well-known animation. [[User:Barmar|Barmar]] ([[User talk:Barmar|talk]]) 18:29, 13 April 2020 (UTC)
:: I played with the game a bunch in the past, but I've only done a bit of research after this appeared. I don't immediately find any previous report of this starting arrangement
:: This is unlikely, as the Game of Life has an uncountable number of patterns of this size, some of which are still being discovered. The pattern above is 7 cells wide by 9 cells tall - the number of distinct patterns that can be drawn in that box nears 2 --> 60 --> 1 (2^60). It's most likely that patterns such as this one are commonplace, and Randall just fiddled around until he reached one that he desired. The pattern itself, however, has likely never been discovered before. (As a fun postscript, [http://catagolue.appspot.com/object/xp16_0c2w3vz33032988/b3s23 a notable 8-cell wide, 9-cell tall pattern oscillating at period 16], just slightly larger than the one above, was discovered in February 2020.)[[User:Hdjensofjfnen|Hdjensofjfnen]] ([[User talk:Hdjensofjfnen|talk]]) 21:31, 13 April 2020 (UTC)
:::I suspect it's probably more likely that he worked it out backwards, rather than "just fiddled with it." [[Special:Contributions/108.162.216.244|108.162.216.244]] 04:24, 14 April 2020 (UTC)

was there a placeholder comic posted before the gif went live?

Looks like this is second animated comic in xkcd, besides 1116(though 1190 could be possibly counted together) [[Special:Contributions/172.69.190.16|172.69.190.16]] 19:34, 13 April 2020 (UTC)
:Uh, [[1331: Frequency]] and [[1264: Slideshow]] immediately come to mind, and then I remember about [[961: Eternal Flame]]. There's a lot more than two. [[User:Volleo6144|Volleo6144]] ([[User talk:Volleo6144|talk]]) 19:43, 13 April 2020 (UTC)
::[[:Category:Comics with animation]]; just added it. [[User:Yngvadottir|Yngvadottir]] ([[User talk:Yngvadottir|talk]]) 20:19, 13 April 2020 (UTC)

The explanation says that the simulation is run on an infinite grid, but even when the grid is calculated out beyond the border of the viewable area, bounding errors & boundary formations can occur. I've never seen ''any'' implementation that actually produces an infinite, nor even ''practically'' infinite grid. (In fact, wasn't there a Minecraft mod that runs until it lags out the engine?) Can anybody point me to a truly infinite grid implementation? Conway's ''definitely'' was not infinite, he even commented at length about the boundary formations that show up at the grid edges (which are among the most subjectively beautiful, incidentally). I think the explanation needs correction?
[[User:ProphetZarquon|ProphetZarquon]] ([[User talk:ProphetZarquon|talk]]) 21:59, 13 April 2020 (UTC)
: The explanation is describing Conway's game of life, not any particular implementation IMHO. No change needed IMHOA. Also, the previous post was not signed properly. [[Special:Contributions/162.158.107.167|162.158.107.167]] 21:47, 13 April 2020 (UTC)
::Except many of Conway's observations about the "game" & even ''his initial description'' of it explicitly state & indeed hinge upon the fact that it's not (& thus far ''cannot'' be) implemented as an "infinite" grid. Part of the whole point of his experiment with it & the various demonstrations is to illustrate edge effects resulting from a finite range of calculations. '''It's extremely relevant that it's''' '''''not''''' '''infinite.''' It's actually kinda the whole point of his creating it, much the same way people working with fractals likewise tend to become very interested in bounding errors. The boundaries are where the interesting work is done. Apparently someone agreed with me at least in part, because they edited the wording. Thanks... Brian? I think we should actually '''add''' to the description of the "game" info highlighting the edge effects, because that's the primary focus of the project & its outgrowths in the first place. (We can't adequately simulate infinity & that's a big part of the interest in it.) Also, I frequently have to submit & then refresh & sign afterward because of the device I'm on. In this case I'm glad I did, because I saw your reply & the other new stuff!
::[[User:ProphetZarquon|ProphetZarquon]] ([[User talk:ProphetZarquon|talk]]) 22:17, 13 April 2020 (UTC)
:Golly uses a grid of arbitrary size by default. It can very easily be verified to at least ±210000. (Note that it also includes finite rectangular and toroidal grids.) [[User:LegionMammal978|LegionMammal978]] ([[User talk:LegionMammal978|talk]]) 01:39, 14 April 2020 (UTC)
No computer [Citation Needed] can run an ''actual'' infinite grid, but with some intelligent bounding you can mitigate early signs of problems by maintaining "bubbles" of cells with offsets. You get into problems once you start machine-gunning out gliders (offsets will eventually overflow or awkwardly lose precision, depending on the var-types used; and maintaining a longer and longer bubble, or more and more bubbles just above glider-sized, is probably your other challenge) but it's probably good enough for most purposes. If you somehow have finite patterns that move out in huge (wasteless) cycles from the 'origin' and hold that path until enacting hugely-delayed doglegs (mathematically, it must be a point no further away than can be reasonably enumerated by the bits of information contained within each formation, and significantly less as it'd be a far less efficient count-down cycler than any folded LFSR, but it's ''imaginable'') to meet again at some arbitrary (though deterministic and replicable) distance out in the far far reaches of your abstracted bubble-land then it's possible you could ''pretend'' you have infinite space. [[Special:Contributions/162.158.91.101|162.158.91.101]] 22:26, 13 April 2020 (UTC)

[[User:ProphetZarquon|ProphetZarquon]], do you have a source for your claim that the main point of Conway's creation of Life was to study the edge effects? [https://conwaylife.com/wiki/Conway%27s_Game_of_Life The page for Life on its own wiki] describes the Life grid as "infinite" and only mentions edge effects as inaccuracies to be avoided, and [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R9Plq-D1gEk this Conway interview about Life's creation] doesn't mention edges at all.
[[Special:Contributions/108.162.241.24|108.162.241.24]] 23:34, 13 April 2020‎ (UTC)
:First of all, as a tip, reply directly to the comment when you want to talk with someone. Secondly, yeah, I'm pretty sure that person's just blasting ass ham. [[Special:Contributions/172.69.69.28|172.69.69.28]] 02:49, 14 April 2020 (UTC)

Possibly worth noting is the bit of artistry in the rendering. Munroe alters the step period of the iterations so that the deconstruction of the humanoid shape happens more quickly, with the stepping of the glider translating away occurring more slowly. [[User:Fixer|Fixer]] ([[User talk:Fixer|talk]]) 21:52, 13 April 2020 (UTC)

I like the comic very much, and I'm afraid to say I hadn't heard of his death in amongst... well, everything else. RIP.
While I'm here, though, I'm a bit concerned about the current cell generation cycle explanation, as it feels awkward. Currently it is (paraphrased) "live cells survive if just enough neighbours / dead cells come to life with exactly enough neighbours / any other dies or stays dead". I'd prefer something that more delineates it as birth (dead to live, by propogation from the right number of live neighbours), death (live to dead due to ''either'' isolation ''or'' overcrowding) and continuation of state in all other cases. Can't work out a good phrasing yet, but ''may'' try it out later. [[Special:Contributions/162.158.91.101|162.158.91.101]] 22:26, 13 April 2020 (UTC)
: Agreed 100%. I believe the problem lies in the confusion between "cell as in biology" versus "cell as in jail". It would be better to avoid the word "cell" and describe a grid with squares that are either inhabited or empty; inhabitants with two or three neighbours survive to the next generation, otherwise they die (square becomes empty the next generation); exactly three neighbours to an empty square will give birth (become inhabited) in the next generation; and any other empty square stays empty.

Given the cause of death, should this comic be listed among the Covid-19 series? [[User:Momerath|Momerath]] ([[User talk:Momerath|talk]]) 05:02, 14 April 2020 (UTC)

Talk:2274: Stargazing 3

2020-03-01T11:44:12Z

Momerath:

I think the "you can't turn them off by throwing rocks at them like the old ones" is a reference to a reddit comment in a thread about older generations refusing to learn new technology, or something to that extent. One comment detailed a humorous story wherein they had been helping a village install electricity/light bulbs, and this grandmother of the household kept shattering all the bulbs by throwing rocks at them to turn them off, refusing to learn how to use them correctly. I'm trying to search for this, but no luck so far. If this was not a reference to that thread but merely a coincidence, my apologies for making you read all of this. [[User:Wigglebeans|Wigglebeans]] ([[User talk:Wigglebeans|talk]]) 20:55, 28 February 2020 (UTC)wigglebeans
: I remember that comment as well. I feel like it was in ask reddit, but I can't seem to find it either. [[Special:Contributions/172.68.174.128|172.68.174.128]] 23:15, 28 February 2020 (UTC)

Can someone make a category for the Stargazing series? [[1644: Stargazing]], [[2017: Stargazing 2]], and this one. [[Special:Contributions/172.69.34.238|172.69.34.238]] 23:29, 28 February 2020 (UTC)
:Oh, nevermind, it already exists: [[:Category:Stargazing]] [[Special:Contributions/172.69.34.238|172.69.34.238]] 23:31, 28 February 2020 (UTC)

Actually, "no new stars being created" is not just not obvious, it would need grant, research and citation. I mean, sure, actually new star (and not just star which started to be more luminous like nova) don't appear that often, and one visible by naked eye even less so, but it still CAN happen - and can easily be overlooked. The estimate is that [https://www.nasa.gov/centers/goddard/news/topstory/2006/milkyway_seven.html seven new stars are formed in our galaxy every year]. -- [[User:Hkmaly|Hkmaly]] ([[User talk:Hkmaly|talk]]) 23:36, 28 February 2020 (UTC)

Astronomy crossbows are real things. They are used to measure the angular distance between stars. Here's a fancy one (used) for sale for $700, [https://astromart.com/classifieds/astromart-classifieds/misc-other-astronomy/show/crossbow-eqt-200-equatorial-platform] and here is a simple one that is simply a yardstick pulled back into a curve and stuck on the end of a stick [http://sonic.net/~rknop/php/astronomy/classes/a103/sum2006/info/angdist.shtml]. [[User:Rtanenbaum|Rtanenbaum]] ([[User talk:Rtanenbaum|talk]]) 23:51, 28 February 2020 (UTC)

I've got one of those expensive crossbows from Gregg Blandin. It's an equatorial platform that allows a simple dobsonian telescope to track the stars. It has nothing to do with measuring angular distances. So I changed the link to the astronomy course that uses the simple type to measure angular distances. [[User:Johnrb|Johnrb]] ([[User talk:Johnrb|talk]]) 04:14, 29 February 2020 (UTC)

I wonder if the title text is a Shrek reference? It follows the same basic structure of the [https://knowyourmeme.com/memes/some-of-you-may-die some of you may die meme]. [[User:Moosenonny10|Moosenonny10]] ([[User talk:Moosenonny10|talk]]) 14:39, 29 February 2020 (UTC)

At the moment (or at least over the last several nights, right now the biggest illumination in the sky for me is the overcast but daylight sky itself) the most obviously brightest 'star' in the sky is Venus, fairly close to the (even more bright, far less apparently star-like) crescent Moon. As our guide to the stars does not mention Venus, this does not in any way invalidate the brightness statement; even without taking true-stellarity of a "Fool's Star" into account. And, for all we know the presentation is being given at a local time when Moon+Venus are not visible above the horizon anyway. But worth noting, perhaps. As is that neither rocks nor crossbow are likely going to be trivially useful in extinguishing daylight, moonlight or Venus (nb: these three not necessaily listed in order of difficulty, in the event you wish to try to!) [[Special:Contributions/162.158.34.222|162.158.34.222]] 17:25, 29 February 2020 (UTC)

The title text is not saying that new comers would be created; I believe that's an inference someone made. It just discussed the risk of SEEING more comets. [[User:Momerath|Momerath]] ([[User talk:Momerath|talk]]) 11:44, 1 March 2020 (UTC)

Talk:2032: Word Puzzles

2018-08-15T04:06:30Z

Momerath: Added comment about cryptic crosswords.

;Is it a real word puzzle?
Who wants to labouriously check if he's double-bluffed and used an actual word puzzle for this comic? :D [[Special:Contributions/162.158.154.181|162.158.154.181]] 17:45, 13 August 2018 (UTC)

"Jeopardy" is misspelled in the description. Can someone who is logged in please fix?
Many of the "clue" words can also be rearranged, anagram-wise, to form new words, e.g., parts ≈ strap. {{unsigned ip|162.158.74.243}}

Most words have 2, 3, 4 or 5 characters. I do not believe, it is a simple crossword puzzle, otherwise he would not fool people. Sebastian --[[Special:Contributions/172.68.110.4|172.68.110.4]] 18:17, 13 August 2018 (UTC)

;Some thoughts:
*Cueball is messing with Megan and not presenting an answer what the "reminiscent of Jeopardy answers" would imply.
*{{w|Lance Ito}} is a judge well known for the O. J. Simpson murder case.
*{{w|Brian Eno}} is an English musician, composer, record producer, singer, writer, and visual artist. Read the Wiki article to learn more.
*No idea what "Ohio's AirAsia Arena" could imply.
--[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 18:37, 13 August 2018 (UTC)
::Almost all the words in the alt-text / title-text are open to multiple pronunciations from a phonetic standpoint. Often they're placed next to a word containing the same sound with a different spelling, or the same spelling with a different sound.
::Once again Randall is creeping me out with this, as yesterday I complained about the spelling of "tear" with a comment including this line:
::tire tier tear tear tare tar ... teer?
::Randall so often does comics that feel intimately in touch with what I'm doing or saying the day before that it's almost spooky. If I weren't an outlier in so ''many'' scatter plots I might almost begin to feel "ordinary".
::[[User:ProphetZarquon|ProphetZarquon]] ([[User talk:ProphetZarquon|talk]]) 22:35, 13 August 2018 (UTC)

;Moved from the explanation (discussion goes here)
The kind of puzzle that Megan thinks she is solving is called a "Cryptic", which has markedly different rules than ordinary crosswords. If Cueball's statement had been "Part of this aria is an Indian garment" the answer would have been "sari", because a part of the phrase "this aria" is the sequence "sari", which in turn is an Indian garment. Cueball's actual statement contains quite a few familiar cryptic puzzle triggers. The word "composed" can be a hint of a preceding or following anagram, in this case of "this aria" or of "by Brian" or of even longer adjacent strings. Although "opera star" could be a famous singer, say "Caruso", it might also be the name of an opera followed by the name of an astronomical star. "Au pair" could be any of its ordinary meanings, say "nanny", but might also be "earrings" (because AU is the chemical symbol for gold, and a gold pair could be earrings). The word "start" is often a hint to take just the beginning of a word, so "the start" would be "t", or "start of his" would be "h" or "hi". The New York Times runs a cryptic crossword as its "second Sunday puzzle" every other month or so, and there are other regular cryptic crossword venues. In case you are interested, there are various guides on the web for solving cryptics, such as this one at The Atlantic: https://www.theatlantic.com/past/docs/issues/puzzclue.htm. (-- John?)
:I am sure there are many more sources for cryptic crosswords. It is my understanding that it is the common mode of crossword puzzles in Britain. Surely some British papers run them routinely. [[User:Momerath|Momerath]] ([[User talk:Momerath|talk]]) 04:06, 15 August 2018 (UTC)
:This sounds like the most correct explanation to me so far, much moreso than the strictly crossword-based interpretation. I think this ''should'' be in the explanation.
:[[User:ProphetZarquon|ProphetZarquon]] ([[User talk:ProphetZarquon|talk]]) 22:44, 13 August 2018 (UTC)
: Why was this moved from the explanation? This is a far better explanation then what remains there. [[Special:Contributions/162.158.38.172|162.158.38.172]] 07:52, 14 August 2018 (UTC)
::I've moved this because it's written like a comment (including the sign). And I think at first we should focus on the ''My Hobby'' thing, Cueball is messing with someone. If you're also ''sure'', like Megan is, that there is a puzzle to solve then Cueball is probably messing you too. Nevertheless all mentioned items and persons have to be explained. --[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 09:16, 14 August 2018 (UTC)
:::I think it's a given that Cueball is messing with Megan, and that the focus should be '''why''' Megan thinks this is a word puzzle. The current explanation says the "text contain[s] many words that appear frequently in crossword puzzle answers", which seems an unlikely explanation to me. Surely the trigger shoud be many words and constructions that appear frequently in word puzzle clues (not answers), and I think John gave a good explanation of why this shounds like a word puzzle clue. [[User:Sandor|Sandor]] ([[User talk:Sandor|talk]]) 17:17, 14 August 2018 (UTC)
::: I agree with Sandor. This should be put into the explanation.[[User:Justhalf|Justhalf]] ([[User talk:Justhalf|talk]]) 20:34, 14 August 2018 (UTC)
:: I agree that the explanation as a cryptic puzzle makes much more sense than an explanation that the sentence uses words common in crosswords. Where's the puzzle in saying ''solutions'' to crossword puzzle questions? In general, it also seems a little arrogant to remove someone else's explanation unless it's obviously wrong. If you disagree, just change it to say it's a "possible interpretation". [[Special:Contributions/172.68.47.36|172.68.47.36]] 17:46, 14 August 2018 (UTC)
:: I put it back in the explanation, with only minor tweaks. It's too good to leave just in the comments. [[User:N0lqu|-boB]] ([[User talk:N0lqu|talk]]) 20:37, 14 August 2018 (UTC)
:::Few remarks:
:::*I didn't remove anything, I just moved something to this discussion to be discussed here because "it's written like a comment".
:::*This comic is on the first place a typical [[:Category: My Hobby]] comic. Fooling others is a long term hobby by Randall.
:::*The puzzle (also that from the title text) has no solution.
:::*The title of this comic is "Word Puzzles". Cryptic puzzles as given in the link are much more complex and different to that how Cueball talks.
:::And guesses like "If Cueball's statement had been" or "could be a famous singer" don't explain that much. If this is really a cryptic puzzle I would like to get the path how to solve it and what's the possible solution. I doubt there is any.
:::Nevertheless everyone is welcome to add more interpretations, but please don't write it like a comment. Think about the readers.
:::--[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 20:22, 14 August 2018 (UTC)

Although Randall says he is messing with us, the fact that he is so much cleverer than any of the rest of us means that Cueball's statement might even be a legitimate cryptic clue. --John [[Special:Contributions/108.162.219.214|108.162.219.214]] 18:40, 13 August 2018 (UTC)

If anyone has an account on https://puzzling.stackexchange.com/, that community might be able to figure out if it's a legit puzzle. [[Special:Contributions/162.158.142.64|162.158.142.64]] 20:59, 13 August 2018 (UTC)
:I just asked at puzzling.stackexchange: https://puzzling.stackexchange.com/questions/69502/is-this-a-puzzle-if-so-what-is-the-solution. [[Special:Contributions/141.101.96.209|141.101.96.209]] 02:03, 14 August 2018 (UTC)
::One answer supports my statement above: "I see no reason to believe this is a puzzle: it's simply a bunch of words that commonly appear in crosswords." Just sayin. --[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 09:16, 14 August 2018 (UTC)

Two words: [[Nerd Sniping]] [[User:Elektrizikekswerk|Elektrizikekswerk]] ([[User talk:Elektrizikekswerk|talk]]) 07:21, 14 August 2018 (UTC)

:"opera star" = "au pair a[t the] star[t]"? --[[Special:Contributions/162.158.88.230|162.158.88.230]] 07:43, 14 August 2018 (UTC)

When I first read this sentence, I thought he just wanted to be needlessly verbose for a simple joke, like [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oE5KkmDAcDs here]. [[User:Fabian42|Fabian42]] ([[User talk:Fabian42|talk]]) 08:16, 14 August 2018 (UTC)

In the explanation, I think there's a misunderstanding of "post-live". Death is "post-life", while "post-live" is the period after an artist stops performing live (in rock conerts, on stage, etc.). The artist may still be alive, and even produce studio albums. So, according to the comic, Brian Eno has stopped performing on-stage, but has still continued to create music (e.g. compose an aria). - Assaf {{unsigned ip|141.101.107.30}}
: My thoughts exactly - post-live does not mean after death! [[User:Ianrbibtitlht|Ianrbibtitlht]] ([[User talk:Ianrbibtitlht|talk]]) 12:44, 14 August 2018 (UTC)
::Thanks for mentioning this. The phrase is still incorrect so I'll do an update. BTW: Is the concert on this album {{w|June 1, 1974}} the last or maybe even the only live performance Eno has done? --[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 13:52, 14 August 2018 (UTC)

I arranged all the important words in the main text on a Scrabble board. The total score of all the letters is 69. The total from my arrangement is 116. {{unsigned|Misterblue28}}

Reminiscent of the alliterations in BoJack Horseman.
:"Are you still looking for a star for your Transgender Teddy Roosevelt Planes Trains and Automobiles reboot, Plans, Trans, A Canal, Panama?"

:"You know the actress Courtney Portnoy? She portrayed the formerly portly consort in the seaport resort. Courtly roles like the formerly portly consort are Courtney Portnoy's forte. This was supposed to be Courtney's crossover coronation. But that's sorta been thwarted unfortunately 'cause Courtney's purportedly falling short of shoring up fourth quadrant support."

:"But Courtney, more importantly, audiences are going to adore your tour de force performance as the forceful denim-clad court reporter in "The Court Reporter Sported Jorts", the jet-setting jort-sporting court reporter story."

:[[Special:Contributions/162.158.63.154|162.158.63.154]] Steve

Would it make more sense to interpret "Brian Eno's opera star au pair" as "Brian Eno's au pair, who is an opera star" rather than "an au pair to an opera star which belonged to Eno"? It seems to make more sense, and there isn't anything that I can see that necessarily divides "opera star" and "au pair" into two separate clauses (such as "opera star's au pair").[[Special:Contributions/162.158.187.25|162.158.187.25]] 16:44, 14 August 2018 (UTC)
:Sounds reasonable. I'm not native English but I thought the more complex variant would fit into this comic. Maybe I'm wrong and I don't mind when you or someone else is changing it. --[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 16:59, 14 August 2018 (UTC)
::I've done the proper change. --[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 17:17, 14 August 2018 (UTC)

Category talk:Checkered paper

2018-06-18T17:09:46Z

Momerath: Graph paper.

I've never heard it called "checked paper" before, usually I call it "graph paper" or sometimes "grid paper" {{unsigned ip|‎173.245.56.180}}
I also call it graph paper. As Randall and I are both from the USA, this may be relevant to how he thinks of it. [[User:Momerath|Momerath]] ([[User talk:Momerath|talk]]) 17:09, 18 June 2018 (UTC)

1688: Map Age Guide

2016-06-04T03:54:13Z

Momerath: /* Explanation */ entry 60 had a date range which didn't match the comic

{{comic
| number = 1688
| date = June 1, 2016
| title = Map Age Guide
| image = map_age_guide.png
| titletext = Does the screeching chill your blood and herald death? If yes, banshee. If no, seagull.
}}

*A [http://xkcd.com/1688/large/ larger version] of this image can be found by clicking the image at xkcd.com - the comic's page can also be accessed by clicking on the comic number above.

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Errors in the year etc. should be collected in the [[#Trivia|trivia section]]. Another table with the possible year ranges and the length of their interval would be interesting. (Only for the political maps) What are the longest range after 1805 and how finely disected are the maps closer to today?}}
The comic consists of a flowchart depicting various ways to tell what era a map is from based on present country borders and land forms. (Except in the Not a Political Map Branch (from "Can you see the familiar continents?" downwards), the comic applies to a political map.) While many of the options are very serious, a few bizarre options reference to fictional maps ({{w|Discworld}}, {{w|Narnia}} and Tolkien's {{w|Middle-earth}}), or consider that seagulls, staplers, tubas or breadboxes could be mistaken for a map. Randall also mentions US President {{w|Jimmy Carter}} being attacked by a giant swimming rabbit, an event previously referenced as one we must never forget in [[204: America]].

The flowchart, although probably effective in eventually identifying the production year of certain maps, is designed in a rather inefficient way as some early distinctions are already on a very detailed level before some really important distinctions (fictional or non-political map) are made. This, of course, adds to the humorous tone of the comic. It is also hampered by several smaller or larger error (see [[#Trivia|trivia]]), the biggest a whole section on I-25 that gives year in the range 1948-1952, before the I-25 was built and coming from a question that fixed the year range to 1960-1961.

Additionally, (possible) future maps including a "Radioactive Exclusion Zone" in the place of Colorado are mentioned. It predicts that some kind of nuclear incident will occur in Colorado (possibly at Rulison or Rio Blanco nuclear testing sites) in 2022. It also predicts that the area will be infested by radioactive spiders one year later.

The title text continues the path where the user has confused a seagull for a map by inquiring if the (presumed) seagull might be a banshee based on the effect of its screams.

===Table===
*Going through the flowchart, taking the leftmost path first, recursively. (Note there is no recursive loop). See also {{w|Depth-first search}}.
**"Prior Date Range" is the range determined immediately before the question, carried over from the previous question.
**"Question Date Range" is the range each answer choice implies.
**"New Date Range" is the intersection of the Prior Date Range and the Question Date Range for each choice, and is the range determined by all questions hitherto answered.

{| border =1 width=100% cellpadding=5 class="wikitable"
! # !! Question !! Explanation !! Prior Date Range !! Question Date Range !! New Date Range
|-
! 1
| '''Istanbul or Constantinople'''
| The largest city in Turkey is famous for having different names at different times or to different people. Variations on both names go back at least 1,000 years. Other names have also been used at various points. {{w|Istanbul}} has been the official name since the 1920's, although Western maps often referred to it as Constantinople as late as the 1960's; on the flowchart, the choice of name appears to go with the 1920's date. The name changes are the subject of a [http://mentalfloss.com/article/60314/original-istanbul-not-constantinople song], originally by the Four Lads, but now mainly known for the They Might Be Giants recording.
| '''Start here'''
|
* Constantinople: 330 - 1928
* Neither: inconclusive
* Istanbul: 1928+
|
* Constantinople: 330 - 1928 (Go to 2)
* Neither: inconclusive (Go to 19)
* Istanbul: 1928+ (Go to 52)
|-
| colspan="6" | '''Note:''' the chart splits here into three divisions, each from a choice in question 1. The Neither Division will attempt to use other indicators to sort maps into one of the other two divisions or branches thereof, or, after 5 failures to find a country, conclude that the "map" in question is not a political map and proceed to find out what it is (the Not a Political Map Branch). The Constantinople and Istanbul Divisions are linear except where the Neither Division joins them as stated above.
|-
! colspan="6" | Constantinople Division
|-
! 2
| '''Do any of these exist?'''
* '''Independent Canada'''
* '''US Territory of Alaska'''
* '''Tokyo'''
| All these seem to specify a date cut-off of 1867/8, but there are caveats attached to each:
* Canada gained its independence gradually, but it would appear as its own country on maps some time between the {{w|Constitution Act, 1867}} (which created Canada as a British dominion) and the {{w|Statute of Westminster 1931}} (which made Canada largely self-governing).
* The {{w|Territory of Alaska}} existed between 1912 (previously, it was a US district) and 1959 (when it became a state). The US has owned Alaska since the 1867 {{w|Alaska Purchase}}, but it was not a territory then.
* {{w|Tokyo}} was once called Edo. It was renamed Tokyo (which means "Eastern Capital") when it became the capital in 1868. [https://books.google.com/ngrams/graph?content=Tokyo%2CTokei&year_start=1870&year_end=1880&corpus=15&smoothing=3&share=&direct_url=t1%3B%2CTokyo%3B%2Cc0%3B.t1%3B%2CTokei%3B%2Cc0 Most English books around then] would actually have called it "Tokei", the Chinese reading. The name Tokyo didn't take off until {{w|Hepburn romanization}} was popularized in the 1880s.
| 330 - 1928 (from 1)
1299 - 1922 (from 19 in the Neither Division)
(from 24 in the Neither Division)
|
* No: 1867-
* Yes: 1868+
|
* No: 330 - 1867 (Go to 3)
* Yes: 1868 - 1928 (Go to 11)
|-
! colspan="6" | Holy Roman Empire Branch
|-
! 3
| '''The Holy Roman Empire?'''
| The predecessor to modern Germany, the {{w|Holy Roman Empire}} was a union of hundreds of small states in Central Europe. Nationalism and the concept of the {{w|nation state}} hadn't taken off yet, so countries as we know them didn't really exist. There were just small lands, often with keenly contested borders, owned by minor aristocracy who pledged allegiance to one of the big powers. The HRE was dissolved in 1806 after it was invaded by Napoleon, arguably the first leader to realise the potential of making a nation salute a flag.
| 330 - 1867
|
* Yes: 899 - 1806
* No: 899- or 1806+
|
* Yes: 899 - 1806 (Stated in comic as "1805 or earlier", since modern map-making was fuzzy as a concept prior) ('''Stop''')
* No: 330 - 899 or 1806-67 (Go to 4)
|-
! 4
| '''The United States?'''
| The original 13 colonies declared independence in 1776. A map that does not include ''either'' the HRE ''or'' the USA must be older than the HRE which would put the map some time prior to 1000 AD, when there really were no countries, and English wasn't used yet, hence Randall's comment.
| 330 - 899 or 1806-67
|
* No: 1776-
* Yes: 1776+
|
* No: 330 - 899 (Not stated in comic, since a map in this period is probably not in English, which violates a proviso of the comic) ('''Stop''')
* Yes: 1806-67 (Go to 5)
|-
! 5
| '''Texas is... Part of Mexico? Independent? Part of the US?'''
| Mexico occupied the area modern day Texas from around 1718 ({{w|Spanish Texas|when the first permanent Spanish settlements were founded}}) to the {{w|Texas Declaration of Independence}} in 1836 (the comic apparently cited 1834 as the date) - the land called "Texas" was only a small part of the modern day state. The {{w|Republic of Texas}} only lasted a decade, and joined the US in 1846.
| 1806-67
|
* Part of Mexico: 1718 - 1836
* Independent: 1836-46
* Part of the US: 1846+
|
* Part of Mexico: 1806-36 (Go to 6)
* Independent: 1836-46 (stated in comic as 1834-45 - a discrepancy) ('''Stop''')
* Part of the US: 1846-67 (Go to 9)
|-
! 6
| '''Florida is part of... Spain? The US?'''
| Spain occupied {{w|Florida}} (as East Florida and West Florida) but frankly they didn't actually want it - it was expensive to send people to settle it, and there wasn't much economic value in it. So they gave it to the US for free in the 1819 {{w|Adams–Onís Treaty}} (which took effect in 1821) in exchange for the US giving up parts of Mexico and paying off angry Spanish settlers. (For some reason, the comic treats Florida as part of the US in 1818; see questions 7 and 8.)
| 1806-36
|
* Spain: 1565 - 1763 or 1783 - 1821
* The US: 1821+
|
* Spain: 1806-21 (Go to 7)
* The US: 1821-36 (Go to 8)
|-
! 7
| '''{{w|Paraguay}}?'''
| Declared independence from Spain in 1811 (although it might appear on older maps as the Spanish Province of Paraguay).
| 1806-21
|
* No: 1811-
* Yes: 1811+
|
* No: 1806-11 (stated in comic as 1806-10) ('''Stop''')
* Yes: 1811-21 (stated in comic as 1811-17 - a discrepancy (see question 6)) ('''Stop''')
|-
! 8
| '''{{w|Venezuela}} and/or {{w|Ecuador?}}'''
| Both declared independence from {{w|Gran Colombia}} (Greater Colombia) in 1830.
| 1821-36
|
* No: 1830-
* Yes: 1830+
|
* No: 1821-30 (stated in comic as 1818-29 - a discrepancy (see question 6)) ('''Stop''')
* Yes: 1830-36 (stated in comic as 1830-33 - a discrepancy (see question 5)) ('''Stop''')
|-
! 9
| '''Does Russia border the Sea of Japan?'''
| The 1858 {{w|Treaty of Aigun}} brought the Russian border to the Sea of Japan.
| 1846-67
|
* No: 1858-
* Yes: 1858+
|
* No: 1846-58 (Go to 10)
* Yes: 1858-67 ('''Stop''')
|-
! 10
| '''The US's southern border looks... Weird Normal'''
| The last southward expansion of the US is the 1854 {{w|Gadsden Purchase}}, where the US bought a chunk of what is now Arizona and New Mexico so they could build a railway that avoided unfavourable terrain. The southern border looks "weird" before that because we are accustomed to the current border shape.
| 1846-58
|
* Weird: 1854-
* Normal: 1854+
|
* Weird: 1846-54 (stated in comic as 1846-53) ('''Stop''')
* Normal: 1854-58 (stated in comic as 1854-56 - a discrepancy (where is 1857?)) ('''Stop''')
|-
! colspan="6" | South Africa Branch
|-
! 11
| '''{{w|South Africa}}?'''
| The Union of South Africa was created in 1910, although South Africa was then not yet fully independent from the United Kingdom (which would not happen until 1931).
| 1868 - 1928
|
* No: 1910-
* Yes: 1910+
|
* No: 1868 - 1910 (Go to 12)
* Yes: 1910-28 (Go to 16)
|-
! 12
| '''Rhodesia?'''
| The region was named {{w|Rhodesia_(region)|"Rhodesia"}} by the British South Africa Company in 1895. An {{w|Rhodesia|unrecognised state}} (1965-79) and a {{w|Southern_Rhodesia|colony}} (1923-80 on-and-off) also born this name, but they are both outside the Prior Date Range.
| 1868 - 1910
|
* No: 1895-
* Yes: 1895+
|
* No: 1868-95 (Go to 13)
* Yes: 1895 - 1910 (Go to 15)
|-
! 13
| '''Is Bolivia landlocked?'''
| {{w|Bolivia}} lost its coastal territory to Chile in the {{w|War of the Pacific}}, ceding Antofagasta in the {{w|Treaty of Valparaiso}} in 1884.
| 1868-95
|
* No: 1825-84
* Yes: 1884+
|
* No: 1868-84 (Go to 14)
* Yes: 1884-95 ('''Stop''')
|-
! 14
| '''"Buda" and "Pest" or "Budapest"?'''
| In 1873, the cities of {{w|Buda}} and {{w|Pest,_Hungary|Pest}} joined together to form the city of {{w|Budapest}}.
| 1868-84
|
* Buda and Pest: 1247 - 1873
* Budapest: 1873+
|
* Buda and Pest: 1868-73 (stated in comic as 1868-72) ('''Stop''')
* Budapest: 1873-84 (stated in comic as 1873-83) ('''Stop''')
|-
! 15
| '''Is Norway part of Sweden?'''
| {{w|Norway}} was ceded to Sweden in 1814, from which it separated in 1905.
| 1895 - 1910
|
* Yes: 1814 - 1905
* No: 1814- or 1905+
|
* Yes: 1895-1905 (Stated in comic as 1896-1905) ('''Stop''')
* No: 1905-10 (Stated in comic as 1906-09) ('''Stop''')
|-
! 16
| '''Austria-Hungary?'''
| {{w|Austria-Hungary}} formed in 1867 and dissolved in 1918.
| 1910-28
|
* Yes: 1867-1918
* No: 1918+
|
* Yes: 1910-18 (Go to 17)
* No: 1918-28 (Go to 18)
|-
! 17
| '''Albania?'''
| {{w|Albania}} declared independence from the Ottoman Empire in 1912.
| 1910-18
|
* No: 1912-
* Yes: 1912+
|
* No: 1910-12 ('''Stop''')
* Yes: 1912-18 (stated in comic as 1913-18) ('''Stop''')
|-
! 18
| '''Leningrad?'''
| {{w|Saint Petersburg}} was known as Leningrad between 1924 and 1991. The city was founded in 1703 as Saint Petersburg (specific spellings vary); in August 1914, due to major anti-German sentiment related to WWI, it was renamed Petrograd (essentially the Russian translation of Petersburg). On January 26, 1924, five days after the death of Vladimir Lenin (the main revolutionary leader), the new Communist government renamed the city Leningrad in his honor. After the decline of the Soviet government in 1991, the name became unpopular, and a referendum in June 1991 (concurrently with the first Russian presidential election) restored the name Saint-Petersburg for the city (officially in September 1991), which it holds to this day.
| 1918-28
|
* No: 1924- or 1991+
* Yes: 1924-91
|
* No: 1918-24 (stated in comic as 1919-23) ('''Stop''')
* Yes: 1924-28 (stated in comic as 1924-29) ('''Stop''')
|-
! colspan="6" | Neither Division
|-
! 19
| '''Does the Ottoman Empire exist?'''
| The {{w|Ottoman Empire}} was founded in 1299, and defeated and dissolved on November 1, 1922 when the sultanate was abolished.
| Inconclusive
|
* Yes: 1299-1922
* No: 1299- or 1922+
|
* Yes: 1299-1922 (Go to 2 in the Constantinople Division)
* No: 1299- or 1922+ (Go to 20)
|-
! 20
| '''The Soviet Union?'''
| The {{w|Soviet Union}} is one of the largest countries ever to exist consisting of Russia and large portions of eastern Europe and central Asia. It was a major political force from December 28, 1922, when several allied Soviet republics united, to 1991, when it broke up.
''Note:'' This question is the same as question 52 in the Istanbul Division, but because there a Prior Date Range of 1928+ has already been established by the presence of Istanbul, we need one more question to determine whether we are within the range of 1928+.
| 1299- or 1922+
|
* Yes: 1922-91
* No: 1922- or 1991+
|
* Yes: 1922-91 (Go to 21)
* No: 1299- or 1922 (November 1 - December 28) or 1991+ (Go to 22)
|-
! 21
| '''Saudi Arabia?'''
| The kingdom of {{w|Saudi Arabia}} was founded in 1932. It is the first modern state to exert control over the area it claims, which previously were controlled by various tribal leaders. Most maps before 1932 will not mark the area as belonging to a nation at all, will attempt to mark the various shifting chieftains, or will attribute the land to the ottoman empire, which claimed the land but did not effectively control it.
| 1922-91
|
* Yes: 1932+
* No: 1932-
|
* Yes: 1932-91 (Go to 53 in the Istanbul Division)
* No: 1922-32 ('''Stop''')
|-
! 22
| '''North Korea?'''
| The Korean Peninsula was divided into two regions, the north of which would be known as {{w|North Korea}}, at the end of World War II in 1945.
| 1299- or 1922 (November 1 - December 28) or 1991+
|
* Yes: 1945+
* No: 1945-
|
* Yes: 1991+ (Go to 69 in the Istanbul Division)
* No: 1299- or 1922 (November 1 - December 28) (Go to 23)
|-
! 23
| '''Saint Trimble's Island'''
| Since [[Randall]] just made up this place, it is impossible that a map would include it.
| 1299- or 1922 (November 1 - December 28)
|
* No: inconclusive
* Yes: impossible
|
* No: 1299- or 1922 (November 1 - December 28) (Go to 24)
* Yes: impossible ('''Stop''')
|-
! 24
| '''Is Jan Mayen part of the kingdom of Norway?'''
| Jurisdiction over the island of {{w|Jan Mayen}} was given to Norway around 1920, and it officially joined in 1930. '''Note:''' Strictly speaking, it should be almost impossible to answer "Yes" to this question - the Ottoman Empire existed until 1922, the Soviet Union existed from 1922 to 1991, and North Korea from 1945 onwards, so by answering "No" to the previous three questions, the user has ruled out the entire period during which Norway has officially owned Jan Mayen, and almost the entire period it controlled it bar an extremely slim sliver of time between November 1, 1922 to December 28, 1922. The following questions ignore the previous ones (East Germany only existed at the same time as the USSR, and Pakistan was founded later than North Korea, so both should have already been excluded) - essentially, the Jan Mayen question reboots the test.
| 1299- or 1922 (November 1 - December 28)
|
* Not yet: prior to 1930
* What?: Not a political map
* Yes: 1930+
|
* Not yet: (Go to 2 in the Constantinople Division)
* What?: (Go to 25)
* Yes: (Go to 54 in the Istanbul Division)
|-
! colspan="6" | Not a Political Map Branch
|-
! 26
| '''Can you see the familiar continents?'''
| At this point it is clear that the map in question is not a political map from any time. Therefore the comic tries to determine whether it is a map of the Earth at all by asking if the continents are there.
|
|
* Yes: map of the Earth
* No: not a map of the Earth
|
* Yes: map of the Earth (Go to 27)
* No: not a map of the Earth (Go to 33)
|-
! colspan="6" | Topographical Map / Satellite Image Subbranch
|-
! 27
| '''This sounds like a physical map or satellite photo.'''
| A map of the Earth that does not label political regions must be a topological map; or, it can be a satellite image of the Earth.
| Map of the Earth
|
* Yes, that's it: topographical map or satellite image of the Earth
|
* Yes, that's it: topographical map or satellite image of the Earth (Go to 28)
|-
! 28
| '''Is Lake Chad missing?'''
| {{w|Lake Chad}} lost 3/4 of its area in the 1970s, becoming too small to be included in a map or picture of the Earth.
| Topographical map or satellite image of the Earth
|
* No: 1970s-
* Yes: 1970s+
|
* No: 1970s- (Go to 29)
* Yes: 1970s+ (Go to 32)
|-
! 29
| '''How far east do the American prairies reach?'''
| As settlers made their way west, the prairie land in the {{w|Great Plains}} region was steadily replaced by farmland and ranches. By the 1920s, most of the land had been converted to agricultural use, and the last of the prairie was largely obliterated by the {{w|Dust Bowl}}s in the 1930s. The dividing lines correspond roughly to the three types of prairie: {{w|tallgrass prairie}} grew between the Mississippi and Indiana, {{w|mixed grass prairie}} covered Nebraska and other states on the {{w|100th meridian west}}, and {{w|shortgrass prairie}} covered the remaining area east of the Rocky Mountains. There's some overlap in the dates, since it's fairly arbitrary where you draw the line between prairies and plains.

| 1970s-
|
* Indiana: Before 1830
* The Mississippi: 1830 - 1880s
* Nebraska: 1860s - 1910s
* What prairies?: 1920s+
|
* Indiana: Before 1830 ('''Stop''')
* The Mississippi: 1830 - 80s ('''Stop''')
* Nebraska: 1860s - 1910s (Go to 30)
* What prairies?: 1920s - 1970s (Go to 31)
|-
! 30
| '''Is there a big lake in the middle of Southern California? (created by mistake)'''
| This is {{w|Salton Sea}}, a previously dry lake bed accidentally flooded in 1905 while attempting to increase irrigation to the area from the Colorado River
| 1860s - 1910s
|
* No: before 1905
* Yes: 1905+
|
* No: 1860s - 1900s ('''Stop''')
* Yes: 1910s ('''Stop''')
|-
! 31
| '''Is there a big lake in the middle of Ghana? (created on purpose)'''
| {{w|Lake Volta}}, formed by the {{w|Akosombo Dam}} which was built in the 1960s
| 1920s - 1970s
|
* No: before 1960s
* Yes: 1960s+
|
* No: 1920s - 50s ('''Stop''')
* Yes: 1960s - 70s ('''Stop''')
|-
! 32
| '''Is the Aral Sea missing?'''
| Shrinking since the 1930s, the {{w|Aral Sea}} would be too small to be on maps or images of the Earth by the 2000s.
| 1970s+
|
* No: 1990s-
* Yes: 2000s+
|
* No: 1970s-90s ('''Stop''')
* Yes: 2000s+ ('''Stop''')
|-
! colspan="6" | ''Topograpical Map / Satellite Image Subbranch ends''
|-
! colspan="6" | Fictional Map / Non-Map Subbranch
|-
! 33
| '''Rivers "Sirion" or "Anduin"?'''
| The rivers {{w|List_of_Middle-earth_rivers#Sirion|Sirion}} and {{w|Anduin}} are part of {{w|Middle-earth|Middle Earth}}, the fictional setting of J.R.R. Tolkien's ''Lord of the Rings'' books.
| Not a map of the Earth
|
* Yes: map of Middle Earth
* No: inconclusive
|
* Yes: map of Middle Earth (Go to 34)
* No: not a map of the Earth (Go to 38)
|-
! colspan="6" | Middle Earth Subbranch
|-
! 34
| '''Mordor?'''
| {{w|Mordor}} is the base of operations of {{w|Sauron}}, who settled there c. 1000 in the {{w|Second Age}} (which lasted for 3,441 years).
| Map of Middle Earth
|
* No: S.A. c. 1000-
* Yes: S.A. c. 1000+
|
* No: S.A. c. 1000- (Go to 35)
* Yes: S.A. c. 1000+ (Go to 36)
|-
! 35
| '''Beleriand?'''
| {{w|Beleriand}} was broken in the {{w|War of Wrath}} in the year 583 in the {{w|Years of the Sun}} in the {{w|First Age}} The First Age itself ran for 450 Valian Years and 590 Years of the Sun, adding up to between 5,023 and 65,390 Years of the Sun, depending on the conversion factor used ({{w|J. R. R. Tolkien}} has given several during the years). Note that Randall has apparently ignored the time before the First Age (4,550 Valian Years).
| S.A. c. 1000-
|
* Yes: Y.S. 583 First Age-
* No: Y.S. 583 First Age+
|
* Yes: Y.S. 583 First Age- (stated in comic as First Age) ('''Stop''')
* No: Y.S. 583 First Age - S.A. c. 1000 (stated in comic as early Second Age) ('''Stop''')
|-
! 36
| '''Númenor?'''
| The island of {{w|Númenor}} was raised from the sea at the start of the Second Age. It sank back into the sea in 3319 in the Second Age, as the formerly flat Earth was made into a globe.
| S.A. c. 1000+
|
* Yes: S.A. 1 - 3319
* No: First Age- or S.A. 3319+
|
* Yes: S.A. c. 1000 - 3319 (stated in comic as late Second Age) ('''Stop''')
* No: S.A. 3319+ (Go to 37)
|-
! 37
| '''The forest east of the Misty Mountains is...'''
| The forest {{w|Mirkwood}} was called Greenwood the Great from its discovery by the Elves c. V.Y. 4620 in the First Age to 1050 in the {{w|Third Age}} when the shadow of Sauron fell upon it and it was renamed. It was cleansed on 'March' 28, 3019 in the Third Age (which ran for 3,021 years), after which it is called the Wood of Greenleaves. Note that Randall ignores the Fifth Age and onwards; although Tolkien said that the present day is about the end of the Sixth Age or the beginning of the Seventh, nothing is written about these later Ages.
| S.A. 3319+
|
* Greenwood the Great: c. V.Y. 4620 - T.A. 1050
* Mirkwood: T.A. 1050 - 3019-03-28
* The Wood of Greenleaves: T.A. 3019-03-28+
|
* Greenwood the Great: S.A. 3319 - T.A. 1050 (stated in comic as early Third Age) ('''Stop''')
* Mirkwood: T.A. 1050 - 3019-03-28 (stated in comic as Late Third Age) ('''Stop''')
* The Wood of Greenleaves: T.A. 3019-03-28+ (stated in comic as Fourth Age) ('''Stop''')
|-
! colspan="6" | ''Middle Earth Subbranch ends''
|-
! 38
| '''Cair Paravel?'''
| {{w|Cair Paravel}} is the fictional castle where the Kings and Queens of Narnia rule in ''{{w|The Chronicles of Narnia}}''.
| Not a map of the Earth
|
* Yes: map of Narnia
* No: inconclusive
|
* Yes: map of Narnia (Go to 39)
* No: not a map of the Earth (Go to 43)
|-
! colspan="6" | Narnia Subbranch
|-
| colspan="6" | '''Note:''' This series contains seven books, whose original publication order does not match their chronological order. Specifically, ''The Magician's Nephew'' is earlier than ''The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe'', and ''The Horse and His Boy'' is between ''The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe'' and ''Prince Caspian''. Questions in this subbranch concern whether the place referenced can be found in the map contained in each book, not in which books' time the place exists. Therefore, places that exist in a book published later but is chronologically earlier than another book will not appear in the latter book, even if canonically they still exist in its time. Here are the seven books in their original publication order, which they will be referred to as.

# ''{{w|The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe}}''
# ''{{w|Prince Caspian}}''
# ''{{w|The Voyage of the Dawn Treader}}''
# ''{{w|The Silver Chair}}''
# ''{{w|The Horse and His Boy}}''
# ''{{w|The Magician's Nephew}}''
# ''{{w|The Last Battle}}''
|-
! 39
| '''Calormen?'''
| {{w|Calormen}} is a foreign empire in ''The Chronicles of Narnia''. While it was indirectly referenced in the first three books, it was not included in maps until the later books in the series.
| Map of Narnia
|
* No: 3-
* Yes: 4+
|
* No: 3- (Go to 40)
* Yes: 4+ (Go to 42)
|-
! 40
| '''Lotta islands?'''
| Refers to [http://www.charliewstarr.com/_Media/mapdawntreader.gif this map] from ''The Voyage of the Dawn Treader'', which focused on a ship voyage from Cair Paravel to the eastern edge of the world and back.
| 3-
|
* No: not 3
* Yes: 3
|
* No: 2- (Go to 41)
* Yes: 3 ('''Stop''')
|-
! 41
| '''Beruna'''
| Refers to [http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-54_2TDRUbHY/TpJHzFBzmiI/AAAAAAAALOA/q3RnPSvfdJ0/s1600/IMG.jpg the map] of Narnia originally published in Prince Caspian. During the time of ''The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe'', the people of Beruna crossed the Great River via a ford, but it had been replaced by a bridge at the beginning of ''Prince Caspian''.
| 2-
|
* Ford: 1
* Bridge: 2
|
* Ford: 1 ('''Stop''')
* Bridge: 2 ('''Stop''')
|-
! 42
| '''Weird recursive heaven?'''
| Refers to ''The Last Battle'', where the protagonists find themselves in {{w|Aslan's Country}}, a glorious afterlife of which Narnia (along with Earth and presumably every other world) is only a shadowy reflection.
| 4+
|
* No: 6-
* Yes: 7
|
* No: 4 - 6 (stated in comic as one of the random later books) ('''Stop''')
* Yes: 7 ('''Stop''')
|-
! colspan="6" | ''Narnia Subbranch ends''
|-
! 43
| '''Mossflower?'''
| A forest from the ''{{w|Redwall}}'' book series.
| Not a map of the Earth
|
* Yes: ''Redwall''
* No: inconclusive
|
* Yes: ''Redwall'' ('''Stop''')
* No: not a map of the Earth (Go to 44)
|-
! 44
| '''Is the world on the back of a turtle?'''
| The comic fantasy book series ''{{w|Discworld}}'' is set on the fictional Discworld, a flat disc balanced on the backs of four elephants which in turn stand on the back of a giant turtle.
| Not a map of the Earth
|
* Yes: ''Discworld''
* No: inconclusive
|
* Yes: ''Discworld'' ('''Stop''')
* No: not a map of the Earth (Go to 45)
|-
! 45
| '''Are you ''sure'' this is a map?'''
| After incorrectly guessing several popular fictional world, it is fair to doubt whether the subject being identified here is a map at all.
| Not a map of the Earth
|
* Yes: a map ''for sure'', just not of the Earth
* No: not a map
|
* Yes: a map ''for sure'', just not of the Earth (Go to 46)
* No: not a map (Go to 48)
|-
! 46
| '''Did you make it yourself?'''
| At this point, the map can only be a homemade map of some other fictional world.
| A map ''for sure'', just not of the Earth
|
* Yes: a homemade map
|
* Yes: a homemade map (Go to 47)
|-
! 47
| '''It's very nice.'''
| A stock response to "[It's] Very nice" is "Thanks, I made it myself". Since we have already done the "made it myself" part, we need to do the other parts too, albeit out of sequence.
| A homemade map
|
* Thank you!: something "very nice"
|
* Thank you!: a "very nice" homemade map ('''Stop''')
|-
! colspan="6" | Not a Map Subbranch
|-
! 48
| '''Is it trying to bite you?'''
| Now we are trying to guess something that is not a map. Makes sense to ask if it's something that bites, right? Right?
| Not a map
|
* No: doesn't bite
* Yes: bites
|
* No: doesn't bite and not a map (Go to 49)
* Yes: bites (Go to 50)
|-
! 49
| '''Is it larger than a breadbox?'''
| The most common reference to breadboxes is the phrase "Is it bigger than a breadbox?" when trying to guess what some surprise object may be in the game {{w|Twenty_Questions|Twenty Questions}}. However, instead of asking further questions to narrow down the choices, the comic just gives a guess for each response. The comic guesses a breadbox itself as something about the same size as a breadbox.
| Doesn't bite and not a map
|
* Yes: larger than a breadbox
* No: smaller than a breadbox
* About the same: about the same size as a breadbox
|
* Yes: larger than a breadbox, doesn't bite, and not a map (comic guesses a tuba) ('''Stop''')
* No: smaller than a breadbox, doesn't bite, and not a map (comic guesses a stapler) ('''Stop''')
* About the same: about the same size as a breadbox, doesn't bite, and not a map (comic guesses a breadbox) ('''Stop''')
|-
! 50
| '''If you let it go, what does it do?'''
|
| Bites
|
* Hisses and runs away: hisses and runs away if let go
* Screeches and flaps around the room breaking things: screeches and flaps around the room breaking things if let go
|
* Hisses and runs away: bites, and hisses and runs away if let go (comic guesses a cat) ('''Stop''')
* Screeches and flaps around the room breaking things: bites, and screeches and flaps around the room breaking things if let go (comic guesses a seagull) ('''Stop''' (however, see 51))
|-
! 51
| '''Does the screeching chill your blood and herald death?'''
| ''Note: Title text question.''
| Bites, and screeches and flaps around the room breaking things if let go
|
* Yes: Screeching chills your blood and heralds death
* No: Screeching does not chill your blood and herald death; or does not screech
|
* Yes: bites; screeches and flaps around the room breaking things if let go; screeching chills your blood and heralds death (title text guesses a banshee) ('''Stop''')
* No: bites; screeches and flaps around the room breaking things if let go; screeching does not chill your blood and herald death (title text guesses a seagull) ('''Stop''')
|-
! colspan="6" | Istanbul Division
|-
! 52
| '''Does the Soviet Union exist?'''
| The Soviet Union, officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics, existed from 1922 - 1991. After 1991, the Soviet Union split up into Russia and 15 other post-Soviet states.
|1928+
|
* Yes: 1928 - 1991
* No: 1991+
|
* Yes: 1928 - 1991 (Go to 53)
* No: 1991+ (Go to 70)
|-
! colspan="6" | West Africa branch
|-
! 53
| '''Is most of West Africa a giant French blob?'''
| Before 1960, most of West Africa consisted of a number of French colonies united under {{w|French_West_Africa|French West Africa}}.
|1928 - 1991
|
* Yes: 1928 - 1960
* No: 1960 - 1991
|
* Yes: 1928 - 1960 (Go to 54)
* No: 1960 - 1991 (Go to 61)
|-
! 54
| '''Pakistan?'''
| Pakistan was officially recognized as its own country in 1947, when British India was granted independence and partitioned into two nations. Pakistan was created at the request of Muslims who wished for a Muslim majority state.
|1928 - 1960
|
* No: 1928 - 1947
* Yes: 1947 - 1960
|
* No: 1928 - 1947 (Go to 55)
* Yes: 1948 - 1960 (Go to 57)
|-
! 55
| '''How many Germanys are there?'''
| During WWII, the Nazi Party invaded a large swath of Europe, which would make Nazi Germany huge on the map during that period. After the war, it split up into two countries — West Germany which was part of NATO, and East Germany which was part of the Warsaw Pact. Note that by modern standards, pre-WWII Germany was also quite huge, since at that point Germany included {{w|Prussia}} which contained much of modern Poland as well as Russian {{w|Kaliningrad}}, and in 1938 Germany took control of Austria in the {{w|Anschluss}} and the {{w|Sudetenland}} in {{w|Czechoslovakia}} following the {{w|Munich Agreement}}. Not all maps produced during WWII used the Nazi borders, since the Allies refused to recognize German occupation and supported the {{w|government-in-exile|governments-in-exile}}.
|1928 - 1947
|
* One: 1928 - 1940
* One, but it's ''huge'': 1941 - 1945
* Two: 1946 - 1947
|
* One: 1928 - 1940 (Go to 56)
* One, but it's ''huge'': 1941 - 1945 ('''Stop''')
* Two: 1946 - 1947 ('''Stop''')
|-
! 56
| '''Persia or Iran?'''
| In 1935 the Iranian Government requested that westerners call it by the name its own people had used for hundreds of years, rather than after a tribe within it that gained prominence 2500 years earlier. The interval from 1928 - 1930 is dropped from this branch, but it would fall under Persia.
|1928 - 1940
|
* Persia: 1930 - 1934
* Iran: 1935 - 1940
|
* Persia: 1930 - 1934 ('''Stop''')
* Iran: 1935 - 1940 ('''Stop''')
|-
! 57
| '''Cambodia?'''
| Cambodia (or Kampuchea) declared independence from France in 1953.
|1948 - 1960
|
* No: 1948 - 1953
* Yes: 1953 - 1960
|
* No: 1948 - 1953 (Go to 58)
* Yes: 1953 - 1960 (Go to 60)
|-
! 58
| '''Eritrea is a part of...'''
| Eritrea declared independence from Italy in 1952, joining Ethiopia to create the {{w|Federation of Ethiopia and Eritrea}}.
|1947 - 1953
|
* Italy: 1948 - 1952
* Ethiopia: 1952 - 1953
|
* Italy: 1948 - 1952 (Go to 59)
* Ethiopia: 1952 - 1953 ('''Stop''')
|-
! 59
| '''Canada is...'''
| In 1949, the {{w|Dominion of Newfoundland}} became a part of Canada. Before that, it was marked as its own region on the map, so maps from 1948 and before would have Canada "missing a piece" on its east coast as compared to how it looks today.
|1947 - 1952
|
* Missing a piece: 1948
* Fine: 1949 - 1952
|
* Missing a piece: 1948 ('''Stop''')
* Fine: 1949 - 1952 ('''Stop''')
|-
! 60
| '''The United Arab Republic?'''
| The {{w|The United Arab Republic}} was a short-lived political union between Egypt and Syria. The union began in 1958 and existed until 1961.
This had been forgotten (and two placed had been pointed wrong)
|1953 - 1960
|
* No: 1953-1958
* Yes: 1958-1960
|
* No: 1953-58 (stated in comic as 1954-57 - a discrepancy) ('''Stop''')
* Yes: 1958-60 ('''Stop''')
|-
! 61
| '''How many Vietnams are there?'''
| On April 30, 1975, forces from North Vietnam captured Saigon, and reunified the country, in an event known as {{w|Reunification Day}}, which marked the end of the Vietnam War. Maps before this date would have "North Vietnam" and "South Vietnam" on them rather than a single "Vietnam".
|1960 - 1991
|
* Two: 1960 - 1975
* One: 1975 - 1991
|
* Two: 1960 - 1975 (Go to 62)
* One: 1975 - 1991 (Go to 65)
|-
! 62
| '''Bangladesh?'''
| Bangladesh declared independence from Pakistan in 1972, as they had different languages, cultures, and the Bengalis felt their country was being run from 'West Pakistan' without their input. The resulting war lasted just over 8 months and ended in Indian intervention.
|1960 - 1975
|
* No: 1960 - 1972
* Yes: 1972 - 1975
|
* No: 1960 - 1972 (Go to 63)
* Yes: 1972 - 1975 ('''Stop''')
|-
! 63
| '''Is the area south of Lake Victoria...'''
| The area south of {{w|Lake Victoria}} was called {{w|Tanganyika}}, and it declared independence from Britain to form its own country in 1961, and unified with {{w|Zanzibar}} to create {{w|Tanzania}} in 1964.
|1960 - 1972
|
* British: 1960 - 1961
* Tanganyika: 1961 - 1964
* Tanzania: 1965 - 1971
|
* British: 1960 - 1961 (Go to 64)
* Tanganyika: 1961 - 1964 ('''Stop''')
* Tanzania: 1965 - 1972 (stated in comic as 1964-1971 - a discrepancy) ('''Stop''')
|-
! 64
| '''The town on I-25 between Albuquerque and El Paso is... '''
| {{w|Interstate 25 in New Mexico|I-25}} didn't exist for any of the years listed for this item, since the Interstate Highway System wasn't launched until 1956. The highway designation on maps printed during the years listed was {{w|U.S._Route_85#New_Mexico|U.S. 85}}, and it was first replaced by the I-25 in 1970-1990. The town changed it name from Hot Springs to "{{w|Truth or Consequences, New Mexico|Truth or Consequences}}" in 1950, although locals say that it provides more of the latter than of the former. Still the question would have made sense (although it should have been US 85) had it not been for the fact that the whole question is for the wrong time period, as the search tree leading to a British Tanganyika is only the period from 1960-1961. Actually this seems to fit with the "Canada is.." from 59 as it is the same time period.
|1960 - 1961
|
* Hot Springs: 1916-49
* Truth or Consequences: 1950+
|
* Hot Springs: 1948-49 ('''Stop''') (a discrepancy as this is for a period from 1960-61)
* Truth or Consequences: 1950-52 ('''Stop''') (a discrepancy as this is for a period from 1960-61)
|-
! 65
| '''Jimmy Carter is...'''
| On April 20, 1979, Jimmy Carter was "{{w|Jimmy Carter rabbit incident|attacked}}" by a swamp rabbit, a fact referenced in [[204|204: America]]. This fact would not normally be referenced on a map, however, and is simply a joke entry that leads to the next question.
|1975 - 1991
|
* Being attacked by a giant swimming rabbit: April 20, 1979
* Fine: 1975 - 1991
|
* Being attacked by a giant swimming rabbit: April 20, 1979 ('''Stop''')
* Fine: 1975 - 1991 (Go to 66)
|-
! 66
| '''The Sinai is part of what country?'''
| In 1979, Israel signed a peace treaty in which it would gradually retreat from the entire Sinai Peninsula, handing that area to Egypt. This happened over a period of three years, completing in 1982.
|1975 - 1991
|
* Israel: 1976 - 1979
* Mostly Israel: 1980
* Mostly Egypt: 1981
* Egypt: 1982 - 1991
|
* Israel: 1976 - 1979 (missing 1975?) ('''Stop''')
* Mostly Israel: 1980 ('''Stop''')
* Mostly Egypt: 1981 ('''Stop''')
* Egypt: 1982 - 1991 (Go to 67)
|-
! 67
| '''What's the capital of Micronesia?'''
| The {{w| Federated States of Micronesia}} are a group of small islands in the Pacific Ocean. Their capital was Kolonia until 1989, when it changed to Palikir, on the same island.
|1982 - 1991
|
* Kolonia: 1982 - 1988
* Palikir: 1989 - 1991
|
* Kolonia: 1982 - 1988 (Go to 68)
* Palikir: 1989 - 1991 (Go to 69)
|-
! 68
| '''Republic of the Upper Volta or Burkina Faso?'''
| Burkina Faso was named the Republic of the Upper Volta until 1984, when the president Thomas Sankara decided to rename it to promote a sense of unity in the nation and in an anti-colonial statement.
|1982 - 1988
|
* Upper Volta: 1982 - 1984
* Burkina Faso: 1985 - 1988
|
* Upper Volta: 1982 - 1984 ('''Stop''')
* Burkina Faso: 1985 - 1988 ('''Stop''')
|-
! 69
| '''(Number of Yemens) + (Number of Germanys) = ?'''
| In 1990, two unification events took place: the {{w| Yemeni unification}} on May 22, and the {{w|German_reunification}} on October 3. Before these events, in early 1990, there would have been four Yemens and Germanys total. In mid-1990, when only the Yemeni unification had taken place, there would be one Yemen and two Germanys, for a total of three. and in late 1990, after both events took place, there would be one of each for a total of two.
|1989 - 1991
|
* Four: 1989 - early 1990
* Three: mid-1990
* Two: late 1990-1991
|
* Four: 1989 - early 1990 ('''Stop''')
* Three: mid-1990 ('''Stop''')
* Two: late 1990-1991 ('''Stop''')
|-
! colspan="6" | Post-Soviet branch
|-
! 70
| '''Zaire? or: "Hong Kong (UK)"'''
| Zaire was one of a series of names for what is today called the Democratic Republic of the Congo. In 1996 a (successful) revolt began to oust the reigning government from power. As part of this revolution, the country was renamed. The original name change away from 'Congo' was part of an 'Africanisation' naming campaign, although 'Congo' is in origin an authentic African name for the river that set the boundaries of the nation.

{{w|Hong Kong}} was taken by the British in 1843 at the end of the {{w|First Opium War}}, and an additional area (the New Territories) were leased from China in 1898 on a 99-year lease. When the lease expired in 1997, {{w|Transfer of sovereignty over Hong Kong|the whole of Hong Kong was returned to China}}.
|1991+
|
* Yes: 1992 - 1996
* No: 1996+
|
* Yes: 1992 - 1996 ('''Stop''')
* No: 1996+ (Go to 71)
|-
! 71
| '''Serbia and Montenegro are...'''
| Serbia and Montenegro were a remnant of Yugoslavia. Montenegro voted to become its own country in 2006. '''Note:''' For much of the prior date range, "Serbia and Montenegro" did not appear on maps - the states still went by the name Yugoslavia. {{w|Serbia and Montenegro#State union|Serbia and Montenegro only came into existence in 2003}}.
|1996+
|
* One country: 1996 - 2006
* Two countries: 2007+
|
* One country: 1996 - 2006 (Go to 72)
* Two countries: 2007+ (Go to 73)
|-
! 72
| '''East Timor?'''
| East Timor is a nation north of Australia and south east of Indonesia. During the dutch colonization of Indonesia east Timor remained in Portuguese hands. While occupied and annexed by Indonesia since 1976, east Timor retained its own culture and voted for independence, then had a nasty militia action that required UN peacekeeping action, and finally become independent in 2002.
|1996 - 2006
|
* No: 1997 - 2001
* Yes: 2002 - 2006
|
* No: 1997 - 2001 ('''Stop''')
* Yes: 2002 - 2006 ('''Stop''')
|-
! 73
| '''How many Sudans are there?'''
| In 2011, after a long history of violence between the two portions of the country (which can be characterized as Islamic vs. Christian and Traditional Religions), South Sudan became independent from its northern neighbor.
|2006+
|
* One: 2007 - 2011
* Two: 2011+
|
* One: 2007 - 2011 ('''Stop''')
* Two: 2011+ (Go to 74)
|-
! 74
| '''Is Crimea disputed?'''
| In 2014, a revolution ousted the current Ukrainian president. Crimea had its own civil unrest, and Russian troops exploited the unrest to launch an invasion. A referendum, where many nations, including all member states of the EU, the USA, and Canada, disputed the democratic legitimacy of the referendum, was held during this and ostensibly decided in favor of Russian annexation. Depending on where you get your maps, Crimea might not be marked as disputed - [http://www.npr.org/sections/thetwo-way/2014/04/12/302337754/google-maps-displays-crimean-border-differently-in-russia-u-s Google Maps Ukraine shows it as solely Ukrainian while Google Maps Russia shows it as Russian].
|2011+
|
* Yes: 2014+
* No: 2012 - 2013
|
* Yes: 2014+ (Go to 75)
* No: 2012 - 2013 ('''Stop''')
|-
! 75
| '''"Colorado" or "Danger—Radioactive Exclusion Zone—Avoid"?'''
| This entry and the one below it are now referring to hypothetical future events: specifically, a huge radioactivity event in Colorado that takes place some time in 2022. Colorado has a previous history of radioactive contamination - it was home to uranium mines, nuclear tests (including {{w|Project Rulison}}, an attempt to nuclear bombs to drill for natural gas that ended up making the gas radioactive) and the controversial {{w|Rocky Flats Plant}}, a nuclear weapons manufacturing facility that suffered {{w|Radioactive contamination from the Rocky Flats Plant|several fires and leaks}} and was ultimately raided and shut down by the FBI. None of these has yet caused spiders to mutate.{{Citation needed}}
|2014+
|
* Colorado: 2014 - 2021
* Danger: 2022+
|
* Colorado: 2014 - 2021 ('''Stop''')
* Danger: 2022+ (Go to 76)
|-
! 76
| '''Does the warning mention the spiders?'''
| Presumably some time in 2023, the radioactive exclusion zone also becomes infested with mutant spiders.
|2022+
|
* No: 2022
* Yes: 2023 or later
|
* No: 2022 ('''Stop''')
* Yes: 2023 or later ('''Stop''')
|}

==Transcript==
:[A very complicated flow chart, which can only be read in detail using the larger image now shown at the top of this page. This transcript uses the large version, where there is no problem reading all entries.]

:[At the top of the chart there is a large caption, with a smaller caption below:]
:<big>Guide to figuring out the age of an undated world map</big>
:(Assuming it's complete, labeled in english, and detailed enough)

:[Below the starting bracket in the small caption is a start box. It has rounded corners and it is gray with white text. From this box there is a gray line to a box consisting of a black frame with rounded corners. In these kind of boxes there are questions regarding the map in black text. Below this box there are three gray boxes like the start box, superimposed over the bottom frame. In these boxes are the possible answers to the question in the frame above. From each of these options there is a gray line going to similar black framed boxes with other questions either below, or to either side. There can either be two, three or four gray boxes, two the most common. Only at the very bottom of the central branch where it turns out it was a home made map, are there two frames with only one gray question box each. This trend continues over this entire large image. When reaching the end of a branch in the flow chart, there is no line away from one, more or all of the gray boxes for a black frame. When this happens a year range or a guess at what the map shows, or what it is (if it turns out to not be a map) is written below the gray box in gray text. Of the text in the gray boxes are Yes/No, but not always. There are 74 boxes with black frames with 158 gray boxes and 78 endpoints with text below the gray box and one end point without text below (the one with the home made map).]

:Start
::Istanbul or Constantinople?
:::Constantinople
::::Do any of these exist? 
::::*Independent Canada
::::*US Territory of Alaska
::::*Tokyo
:::::No
::::::The Holy Roman Empire?
:::::::Yes
::::::::1805 or earlier (before this point, the modern idea of a complete political map of the world gets hard to apply.)
:::::::No
::::::::The United States?
:::::::::No
::::::::::How sure are you that this map is in english?
:::::::::Yes
::::::::::Texas is...
:::::::::::Part of Mexico
::::::::::::Florida is part of...
:::::::::::::Spain
::::::::::::::Paraguay?
:::::::::::::::No 1806-10
:::::::::::::::Yes 1811-17
:::::::::::::The US
::::::::::::::Venezuela and/or ecuador?
:::::::::::::::No 1818-29
:::::::::::::::Yes 1830-33
:::::::::::Independent 1834-45
:::::::::::Part of the US
::::::::::::Does Russia border the Sea of Japan?
:::::::::::::No
::::::::::::::The US's southern border looks...
:::::::::::::::Weird 1846-53
:::::::::::::::Normal 1854-56
:::::::::::::Yes 1858-67
:::::Yes
::::::South Africa?
:::::::No
::::::::Rhodesia?
:::::::::No
::::::::::Is Bolivia landlocked?
:::::::::::No
::::::::::::"Buda" and "Pest" or "Budapest"?
:::::::::::::Buda and Pest 1868-72
:::::::::::::Budapest 1873-83
:::::::::::Yes 1884-95
:::::::::Yes
::::::::::Is Norway part of Sweden?
:::::::::::Yes 1896-1905
:::::::::::No 1906-09
:::::::Yes
::::::::Austria-Hungary?
:::::::::Yes
::::::::::Albania?
:::::::::::No 1910-12
:::::::::::Yes 1913-18
:::::::::No
::::::::::Leningrad?
:::::::::::No 1919-23
:::::::::::Yes 1924-29
:::Neither
::::Does the Ottoman Empire exist?
:::::Yes [[#canada-alaska-tokyo]]
:::::No
::::::The Soviet Union?
:::::::Yes
::::::::Saudi Arabia?
:::::::::Yes
::::::::::Is most of West Africa a giant french blob?
:::::::::::Yes
::::::::::::Bangladesh?
:::::::::::::No
::::::::::::::Is the area south of Lake Victoria...
:::::::::::::::British
::::::::::::::::The town on I-25 between Albuquerque and El Paso is...
:::::::::::::::::Hot Springs 1948-49
:::::::::::::::::Truth or Consequences 1950-52
:::::::::::::::Tanganyika 1961-64
:::::::::::::::Tanzania 1965-71
:::::::::::::Yes 1972-75
:::::::::::No
::::::::::::How many Vietnams are there?
:::::::::::::Two
::::::::::::::[[#bangladesh]]
:::::::::::::One
::::::::::::::Jimmy Carter is...
:::::::::::::::Being attacked by a giant swimming rabbit April 20, 1979
:::::::::::::::Fine
::::::::::::::::The Sinai is part of what country?
:::::::::::::::::Israel 1976-79
:::::::::::::::::Mostly Israel 1980
:::::::::::::::::Mostly Egypt 1981
:::::::::::::::::Egypt
::::::::::::::::::What's the capital of Micronesia?
:::::::::::::::::::Kolonia
::::::::::::::::::::Republic of the Upper Volta or Burkina Faso?
:::::::::::::::::::::Upper Volta 1982-84
:::::::::::::::::::::Burkina Faso 1985-88
:::::::::::::::::::Palikir
::::::::::::::::::::(number of Yemens) + (number of Germanys) = ?
:::::::::::::::::::::Four 1989-early 1990
:::::::::::::::::::::Three mid-1990
:::::::::::::::::::::Two late 1990-1991
:::::::::No 1922-1932
:::::::No
::::::::North Korea?
:::::::::Yes
::::::::::Zaire? or: "Hong Kong (UK)"
:::::::::::Yes 1992-96
:::::::::::No
::::::::::::Serbia/Montenegro are...
:::::::::::::One country
::::::::::::::East Timor?
:::::::::::::::No 1997-2001
:::::::::::::::Yes 2002-06
:::::::::::::Two countries
::::::::::::::How many Sudans are there?
:::::::::::::::One 2007-11
:::::::::::::::Two
::::::::::::::::Is Crimea disputed?
:::::::::::::::::Yes
::::::::::::::::::"Colorado" or "Danger—Radioactive Exclusion Zone—Avoid"?
:::::::::::::::::::Colorado 2014-21
:::::::::::::::::::Danger
::::::::::::::::::::Does the warning mention the spiders?
:::::::::::::::::::::No 2022
:::::::::::::::::::::Yes 2023 or later
:::::::::::::::::No 2012-13
:::::::::No
::::::::::Saint Trimble's Island
:::::::::::No
::::::::::::Is Jan Mayen part of the Kingdom of Norway?
:::::::::::::Not yet
::::::::::::::[[#canada-alaska-tokyo]]
:::::::::::::What?
::::::::::::::Can you see the familiar continents?
:::::::::::::::Yes
::::::::::::::::This sounds like a physical map or satellite photo.
:::::::::::::::::Yes, that's it
::::::::::::::::::Is Lake Chad missing?
:::::::::::::::::::No
::::::::::::::::::::How far east do the American Prairies reach?
:::::::::::::::::::::Indiana before 1830
:::::::::::::::::::::The Mississippi 1830s-80s
:::::::::::::::::::::Nebraska
::::::::::::::::::::::Is there a big lake in the middle of Southern California? (created by mistake)
:::::::::::::::::::::::No 1860s-1900s
:::::::::::::::::::::::Yes 1910s
:::::::::::::::::::::What prairies?
::::::::::::::::::::::Is there a big lake in the middle of Ghana? (created on purpose)
:::::::::::::::::::::::No 1920s-50s
:::::::::::::::::::::::Yes 1960s-70s
:::::::::::::::::::Yes
::::::::::::::::::::Is the Aral Sea missing?
:::::::::::::::::::::No 1970s-90s
:::::::::::::::::::::Yes 2000s+
:::::::::::::::No
::::::::::::::::Rivers "Sirion" or "Anduin"?
:::::::::::::::::Yes
::::::::::::::::::Mordor?
:::::::::::::::::::No
::::::::::::::::::::Beleriand?
:::::::::::::::::::::Yes First Age
:::::::::::::::::::::No Early Second Age
:::::::::::::::::::Yes
::::::::::::::::::::Númenor?
:::::::::::::::::::::Yes Late Second Age
:::::::::::::::::::::No
::::::::::::::::::::::The forest east of the Misty Mountains is...
:::::::::::::::::::::::Greenwood Early Third Age
:::::::::::::::::::::::Mirkwood Late Third Age
:::::::::::::::::::::::The Wood of Greenleaves Fourth Age
:::::::::::::::::No
::::::::::::::::::Cair Paravel?
:::::::::::::::::::Yes
::::::::::::::::::::Calormen?
:::::::::::::::::::::No
::::::::::::::::::::::Lotta Islands?
:::::::::::::::::::::::No
::::::::::::::::::::::::Beruna
:::::::::::::::::::::::::Ford The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe
:::::::::::::::::::::::::Bridge Prince Caspian
:::::::::::::::::::::::Yes Dawn Treader
:::::::::::::::::::::Yes
::::::::::::::::::::::Weird recursive heaven?
:::::::::::::::::::::::No One of the random later books
:::::::::::::::::::::::Yes The Last Battle
:::::::::::::::::::No
::::::::::::::::::::Mossflower?
:::::::::::::::::::::Yes
::::::::::::::::::::::Redwall
:::::::::::::::::::::No
::::::::::::::::::::::Is the world on the back of a turtle?
:::::::::::::::::::::::Yes Discworld
:::::::::::::::::::::::No
::::::::::::::::::::::::Are you ''sure'' this is a map?
:::::::::::::::::::::::::Yes
::::::::::::::::::::::::::Did you make it yourself?
:::::::::::::::::::::::::::Yes
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::It's very nice.
:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::Thank you!
:::::::::::::::::::::::::No
::::::::::::::::::::::::::Is it trying to bite you?
:::::::::::::::::::::::::::No
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::Is it larger than a breadbox?
:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::Yes tuba
:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::No stapler
:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::About the same breadbox
:::::::::::::::::::::::::::Yes
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::If you let it go, what does it do?
:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::Hisses and runs away cat
:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::Screeches and flaps around the room breaking things seagull
:::::::::::::Yes
::::::::::::::Pakistan?
:::::::::::::::No
::::::::::::::::How many Germanys are there?
:::::::::::::::::One
::::::::::::::::::Persia or Iran?
:::::::::::::::::::Persia 1930-34
:::::::::::::::::::Iran 1935-40
:::::::::::::::::One, but it's ''huge'' 1941-45
:::::::::::::::::Two 1946-47
:::::::::::::::Yes
::::::::::::::::Cambodia?
:::::::::::::::::No
::::::::::::::::::Eritrea is part of...
:::::::::::::::::::Italy
::::::::::::::::::::Canada is...
:::::::::::::::::::::Missing a piece 1948
:::::::::::::::::::::Fine 1949-52
:::::::::::::::::::Ethiopia 1952-53
:::::::::::::::::Yes
::::::::::::::::::The United Arab Republic?
:::::::::::::::::::No 1954-57
:::::::::::::::::::Yes 1958-60
:::::::::::Yes No, I made that one up.
:::Istanbul
::::Does the Soviet Union exist?
:::::Yes
::::::[[#west-africa-french-blob]]
:::::No
::::::[[#zaire]]

==Trivia==
*There are some errors and several discrepancies in the comic regarding how year ranges is given.
**The largest error seem to be a real mistake, rather than just not being precise.
***It regards the entry ''The town on I-25 between Albuquerque and El Paso is...'' which gives a year range from 1948-1952, but to get to this entry the previous answer ''British'' fixes the time to 1960-1961. Also the I-25 was built in 1970-1990 through New Mexico, see the [[#Table|table]] above for more info.
**Here other errors or discrepancies can be listed...

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Large drawings]]
[[Category:Flowcharts]]
[[Category:Maps]]
[[Category:Time]]
[[Category:Geography]]
[[Category:Comics featuring politicians]] 
[[Category:Animals]] 
[[Category:LOTR]]
[[Category:Fiction]]

1667: Algorithms

2016-04-13T15:49:37Z

Momerath: /* Explanation */ Added thoughts about church scheduling ~~~~

{{comic
| number = 1667
| date = April 13, 2016
| title = Algorithms
| image = algorithms.png
| titletext = There was a schism in 2007, when a sect advocating OpenOffice created a fork of Sunday.xlsx and maintained it independently for several months. The efforts to reconcile the conflicting schedules led to the reinvention, within the cells of the spreadsheet, of modern version control.
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Still need an explanation of the title text, and perhaps some expanded definitions of the listed algorithms.}}
An algorithm is a basic set of instructions for performing a task, usually on a computer. This comic lists some algorithms in increasing order of complexity.

At the simplest end is '''left-pad''', or adding filler characters on the left end of a string to make it a particular length. In many programming languages, this is one line of code. This is possibly an allusion to a [http://www.haneycodes.net/npm-left-pad-have-we-forgotten-how-to-program/ recent incident] when {{w|Npm (software)|NodeJS Package Manager}} [https://www.techdirt.com/articles/20160324/17160034007/namespaces-intellectual-property-dependencies-big-giant-mess.shtml angered a developer] in its handling of a trademark claim. The developer unpublished all of his modules from NPM, including a package implementing left-pad. A huge number of programs depended on this third-party library instead of programming it on their own, and they immediately ceased to function.

Next is '''{{w|Quicksort}}''', an efficient way to sort a list of items.

'''{{w|Git (software)|Git}}''' is a {{w|version control}} program, i.e., software that allows multiple people to work on the same files at the same time. When someone finalizes ("commits") their changes, the version control program needs to figure out how to join the new content with the existing content. This process is called '''{{w|Merge (version control)|merging}}''', and the algorithm for it is anything but simple.

A '''{{w|self-driving car}}''' is what it says on the tin: an automobile with sensors and software built into it so that it can maneuver in traffic autonomously, i.e. without a human controller. Various companies have been working on such vehicles for many years now, and while they're further along now than would have been imaginable even a couple of years ago, we're still far away from the dream of hopping in a driver-less taxi and sitting back as the car itself navigates to where we want to be. Recently [[Randall]] has made several references to self-driving cars, for instance in [[1559: Driving]],[[1623: 2016 Conversation Guide]] and [[1625: Substitutions 2]].

The '''{{w|Google Search}} backend''' is what enables you to type "what the heck is a leftpad algorithm" into your browser and have Google return a list of relevant results, including correcting "leftpad" to "left-pad", ignoring the "what the heck" part, and sometimes even summarizing the findings into a box at the top of the results. Behind all that magic is a way to remember what pages the internet contains, which is just a mind-bogglingly large quantity of data, and an even more mind-numbingly complex set of algorithms for processing that data.

The last item is the punchline: a sprawling {{w|Microsoft Excel|Excel}} {{w|spreadsheet}} built up over 20 years by a church group in Nebraska to coordinate their scheduling. Spreadsheets are a general {{w|end-user development}} programming technique, and therefore people use Excel for all sorts of purposes that have nothing to do with accounting (its original purpose), including one guy who made a [http://arstechnica.com/gaming/2013/04/how-an-accountant-created-an-entire-rpg-inside-an-excel-spreadsheet/ role-playing game that runs in Excel]; but even that doesn't approach the complexity that develops when multiple people of varying levels of experience use a spreadsheet over many years for the purpose of coordinating the schedule of several coordinated groups.

The scheduling of tasks over a group of resources (a.k.a. the ''{{w|nurse scheduling problem}}''), while respecting the constraints set by each person, is a {{w|NP-hardness|highly complex}} problem requiring stochastic or heuristic methods for its resolution. Here, the algorithm would be further complicated by being solved by inexpert users over a spreadsheet model without using engineering practices. The hyperbole here is in thinking that such combination of circumstances would produce complexity far over that required to drive a car or sort the public contents of the internet. A church always meets on Sunday morning, so there's no actual complexity in organizing that service, however, with different members involved in a wide variety of activities within and without the church, and the classrooms available to the church on Sunday itself, (just scheduling the choir practice times to coordinate with everyone's work schedules is very possibly impossible, especially if two people share the same occupation, and one is the relief for the other,) can indeed be daunting. In addition, there would likely be assorted committee meetings during the week.

In the title text, part of the spreadsheet's complexity is described as originating from different versions of the file for different programs. The words used like {{w|schism}} and {{w|sect}} are normally used in context of religions splitting into groups about differences in beliefs. In this case, the split seems to have been not over a {{w|theology|theological}} issue, but about the use of {{w|open-source software|open-source}} vs. {{w|proprietary software|proprietary}} software, disagreements about which are often compared to religious debates.

==Transcript==
'''Algorithms''' By Complexity
{|
|colspan="6" style="text-align:left;border-bottom:1px solid;"|More complex →
|- style="vertical-align:top;"
|style="padding-right:2em;"|Leftpad
|style="padding-right:2em;"|Quicksort
|style="padding-right:2em;"|GIT Merge
|style="padding-right:2em;"|Self- driving car
|style="padding-right:8em;"|Google Search backend
|Sprawling Excel spreadsheet built up over 20 years by a church group in Nebraska to coordinate their scheduling
|}

{{comic discussion}}


[[Category:Charts]]
[[Category:Google Search]]
[[Category:Programming]]

Talk:1628: Magnus

2016-01-11T15:26:16Z

Momerath:

Attempted to write the transcript. Hope I did an okay job... {{unsigned ip|‎198.41.235.41}}
:It was great. I just added some descriptions of the panels. --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 15:01, 11 January 2016 (UTC)

Might Ronda Rousey being knocked unconsious be a reference to her recent loss to Holly Holm, where Rousey indeed was knocked unconcious? --[[Special:Contributions/162.158.202.141|162.158.202.141]] 10:27, 11 January 2016 (UTC)
:The word reference means "a thing you say or write that mentions somebody/something else; the act of mentioning somebody/something". Since the comic doesn't mention Holly Holm, there is no reference. I think there isn't even an allusion (something that is said or written that refers to or mentions another person or subject in an indirect way). [[Special:Contributions/108.162.221.17|108.162.221.17]] 13:46, 11 January 2016 (UTC)
:Besides, the phrasing is "knocked out". That needn't be a combat/contact-sport 'KO' in which Rousey was rendered actually unconscious in an intentional/explicable manner, according to the activity, but could just be telling us which of the two passed through to the next round of a bracketed competition of some other kind. (Either of a form that remains unspecified or, as the most recently mentioned competition, in an earlier iteration the hot-dog-eating contest. Either way, 11yo Stewart wasn't highly ''expected'' to win, whatever the match conditions, but the outcome needn't be so against form as it might have in a pugilistic match.) [[Special:Contributions/162.158.152.227|162.158.152.227]] 15:13, 11 January 2016 (UTC)

Magnus' App is available here: http://www.playmagnus.com/. There are also numerous youtube videos of him playing against himself at various ages. --[[Special:Contributions/198.41.242.240|198.41.242.240]] 10:33, 11 January 2016 (UTC)

JFK was not 10 in 1961 as that is when he became President and you have to be at least 35 to do that. [[User:Momerath|Momerath]] ([[User talk:Momerath|talk]]) 15:26, 11 January 2016 (UTC)

1627: Woosh

2016-01-08T05:36:01Z

Momerath: /* Transcript */

{{comic
| number = 1627
| date = January 8, 2016
| title = Woosh
| image = woosh.png
| titletext = It also occasionally replies with 'Comment of the year', 'Are you for real', and 'I'm taking a screenshot so I can remember this moment forever'.
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Very hasty draft}}
Replying to a comment with "woosh" generally indicates that there was a joke, and their comment failed to recognize it -- "woosh" is onomatopoeia for the joke metaphorically "flying over their head". A bot replying to comments with "woosh" at random would be very confusing, as people would search for the nonexistent joke they missed.

The title text expands on this idea, with other comments that would cause similar confusion.

==Transcript==
[Online comment thread]

Person 1: This video looks fake to me. 
Bot: Woosh 
Person 1: Huh? Everyone's acting like it's real! 
Person 1: If it's a joke lots of people aren't getting it. 
Person 1: What am I missing?!! 
Person 1: Answer me

[Below the frame] Nothing creates more confusion than my bot that replies to random Internet comments with "Woosh".

{{comic discussion}}

1627: Woosh

2016-01-08T05:33:14Z

Momerath:

{{comic
| number = 1627
| date = January 8, 2016
| title = Woosh
| image = woosh.png
| titletext = It also occasionally replies with 'Comment of the year', 'Are you for real', and 'I'm taking a screenshot so I can remember this moment forever'.
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Very hasty draft}}
Replying to a comment with "woosh" generally indicates that there was a joke, and their comment failed to recognize it -- "woosh" is onomatopoeia for the joke metaphorically "flying over their head". A bot replying to comments with "woosh" at random would be very confusing, as people would search for the nonexistent joke they missed.

The title text expands on this idea, with other comments that would cause similar confusion.

==Transcript==
{{incomplete transcript}}
[Online comment thread]
Person 1: This video looks fake to me.
Bot: Woosh
Person 1: Huh? Everyone's acting like it's real!
Person 1: If it's a joke lots of people aren't getting it.
Person 1: What am I missing?!!
Person 1: Answer me
[Below the frame] Nothing creates more confusion than my bot that replies to random Internet comments with "Woosh".

{{comic discussion}}

Talk:what if?

2014-12-03T05:56:39Z

Momerath: question about What-if #120

[[Special:Contributions/108.233.66.118|108.233.66.118]] 21:11, 16 April 2013 (UTC)so is anybody weirded out by last week's post on the worst thing pressure cookers can do, followed by yesterday's terror attacks using pressure cookers?[[Special:Contributions/108.233.66.118|108.233.66.118]] 21:11, 16 April 2013 (UTC)

Do we want to add some references to the different What-If articles? Obviously putting up an explanation would be a bit of a waste since Randall goes into a lot of detail himself on any given subject. Some good things to mention might be the title-text on each image, mentions of recurring themes, and maybe some thought about the original subject mentioned (such as the "Space Oddity" music video that was the subject of a recent article). [[Special:Contributions/76.106.251.87|76.106.251.87]] 17:11, 30 May 2013 (UTC)

:"What if" is not {{w|Creative Commons}} related, so respect Randall's copyright. --[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 18:05, 30 May 2013 (UTC)
::Sorry. Didn't realize that reviewing a creative work fell into copyright issues. No disrespect intended, only ignorance. [[Special:Contributions/76.106.251.87|76.106.251.87]] 19:16, 30 May 2013 (UTC)

:I agree that "what if?" is not ''clearly'' under CC-BY-NC-2.5, but the link next to the Copyright goes to xkcd itself, which clearly does say it is. [[User:Markhurd|Mark Hurd]] ([[User talk:Markhurd|talk]]) 13:40, 12 August 2013 (UTC)

::Agreed. What-if appears to fall under the general xkcd copyright- it says "Copyright ©2012-13 xkcd." with the link pointing to general xkcd copyright info. "http://xkcd.com/license.html" also says that "you are free to copy and reuse any of my drawings (noncommercially) as long as you tell people where they're from." which includes what-if drawings, and I'm not sure if just part of a work could be copyrighted without Randall explicitly saying so. I also think it would be a good idea to have articles on the what-ifs for more information not stated in the what-if itself. {{unsigned ip|109.144.146.171}}

:IANAL, so I will leave the copyright issues unaddressed as I respond to the original question in the affirmative: yes, we should have a page for each What-if article. [[Special:Contributions/173.245.55.63|173.245.55.63]] 15:54, 14 April 2014 (UTC)

== Logo/Header ==

I'm convinced there is some sort of specific joke in the "What If" logo, but I'm failing to grasp it.
Knowing Randall, there has to be something funny about using a crane to lower a T-rex into the Sarlacc. [[Special:Contributions/173.245.49.90|173.245.49.90]] 11:53, 3 February 2014 (UTC)

[http://www.nerdist.com/2014/08/exclusive-heres-your-first-look-at-xkcds-what-if/ Nerdist Review] says "Remove the jacket, and you can see how that particular experiment worked out in Munroe’s mind" {{unsigned ip|199.27.128.118}}

== Discussion regarding [http://what-if.xkcd.com/91/ What-if 91] ==

I believe that Randall missed an opportunity to discuss means of harnessing thermal energy. See, original question specified HOT water!
:He has to pay the electric bill. He couldn't make back the energy spent to heat the water due to entropy. [[Special:Contributions/108.162.237.161|108.162.237.161]] 05:51, 31 July 2014 (UTC)
Shall we forgive him this oversight and carry out some analysis to determine the harness-able energy content of hot water from the bathtub faucet in an average American apartment building?

:TODO: discuss Sterling engines or other strategies here. (That means you! :) )

:I believe that even when you "run out of hot water", the incoming water will still have energy added since the gas or electric water heater will be running non-stop, turning cold water into slightly-less-cold water. Since slightly-less-cold water is still colder than the ambient temperature in the apartment, I'm not sure how to harness the energy added by the water heater... But neither am I sure that "you can't". TODO: Can someone confirm that you can't?

Shall we then turn the dial up a notch, [http://what-if.xkcd.com/35/ What-if 35 style], and imagine how the scenario changes if the apartment building has a water heater that is perfectly capable of keeping the hot faucet piping hot, even if you run it 24/7?

: Suppose the super water heater turns 15C input water (cold) into 50C output water (hot). I think that means that the water heater adds 35 calories (not kilocalories) of energy per milliliter. I played with this expression in Google Calculator "(35/1000) calories per ml * 1 liter / 1 second" and determined that 1. Google uses kilocalories for "calories", thus the /1000 part... and 2. it takes ~150 watts to turn a liter of cold water into a liter of hot water in *one second*.

: Let's stop this for now and see if anyone is interested in participating. [[Special:Contributions/173.245.55.63|173.245.55.63]] 16:28, 14 April 2014 (UTC)

::Go here: [http://fora.xkcd.com/viewforum.php?f=60 What If? discussion]. That's a BIG forum to discuss your items. --[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 23:16, 14 April 2014 (UTC)

== Discussion area ==

Is there a discussion area for each of the "what-if?" pages? - Eg I'd like to point out that in #111 "All the money", the mouse-over text in the tombstone graphic says "Cash Ruled Everything Around Me" - or C.R.E.A.M. - coincidence? ;) Also, there have been past pages in which there have been items which I would contest some facts/statements, or seek further explanation. [[User:Jarod997|Jarod997]] ([[User talk:Jarod997|talk]]) 13:06, 4 September 2014 (UTC)

I would love to see an analysis of the most recent "what-if" - [http://what-if.xkcd.com/120/ What-if #120] as I'm sure each excerpt from an alternate-universe "What-if" column has an interesting background. Surely even if the article isn't Creative Commons some discussion of it is legal. Yes, I see that there is a thread on the forum for discussing this what-if but it is not succinct. [[User:Momerath|Momerath]] ([[User talk:Momerath|talk]]) 05:56, 3 December 2014 (UTC)