explain xkcd - User contributions [en]

Talk:3095: Archaea

2025-05-30T18:33:40Z

Mootstrap:

great, next time I get a disease caused by archea, I'll know who to blame [[Special:Contributions/172.70.111.123|172.70.111.123]] 23:16, 28 May 2025 (UTC)
:After ruling out ''absolutely'' everything else (primarly that being sunshine, moon light and good times), I'm gonna suggest that it's "the boogie". [[Special:Contributions/162.158.216.115|162.158.216.115]] 23:53, 28 May 2025 (UTC)
''"Archaea has" in the caption is unfortunate, as it denotes that a lineage (a branch of a phylogenetic tree) has become pathogenic. Pathogens are living cells, not lines on a page. "Archaeans have" would have been better.'' I'm not 100% sure on the way Archaea is used grammatically in English, but isn't Archaea the plural of Archaeon, so it should be ''Archaea have''? Is the word Archaeans normally used?[[Special:Contributions/162.158.233.117|162.158.233.117]] 07:37, 29 May 2025 (UTC)
: In math(s), the original latin and greek has remained kinda pristine in modern english. In medicine and taxonomy, it's a dumpster fire of vagary and inconsistency comparable to the US tax code. As far as I'm concerned, use whatever pluralisation you want, you won't degrade the language any further. --DW [[Special:Contributions/162.158.187.177|162.158.187.177]] 15:19, 29 May 2025 (UTC)
:'Archaea' is indeed the plural of 'archaeon', and congratulations for getting this correct! In an English-speaking world in which 'bacteria/bacterias' (bacterium/bacteria), 'algae/algaes' (alga/algae), and, for that matter, 'stadium/stadiums' (stadium/stadia) have become commonplace even in scientific publications [see ''dumpster fire'', above], knowledge of how to handle the singulars and plurals of Latin and latinized Greek loanwords is increasingly rare. The domain name 'Archaea' is in the plural, because it stands for a group of organisms. The same is generally true for the names of taxonomic groups above genus. However, because the name stands for ''one'' group of organisms, it is possible to treat the name as a {{w|Collective_noun|collective noun}} which takes a singular verb form. Thus, [the domain name] ''Archaea has'' and ''Archaea'' [in the specimen/culture collection] ''have'' are both correct, with context the determining factor. Replacing Archaea with [https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/Archaean Archaean] ducks the Latin and places singulars and plurals more in line with common English constructions (archaean/archaeans). Therefore, ''Archaea have'' and ''Archaeans have'' are both appropriate for the caption, whereas ''Archaea has'' is not. Confused yet? [[Special:Contributions/162.158.41.36|162.158.41.36]] 15:29, 29 May 2025 (UTC)
::It all depends if you think Latin and Greek words (and others) used in English are visitors, or have become English words. The former gives Octopus and Octopodes (it's Greek) or latter Octopuses. For non-academic use I think it's the latter. Remember, English (all varieties UK, USA, CDN, AUS, NZ st al) doesn't have an academy ruling over it, but is a rouge language responding to its speakers constantly evolving use. [[User:RIIW - Ponder it|RIIW - Ponder it]] ([[User talk:RIIW - Ponder it|talk]]) 09:25, 30 May 2025 (UTC)
::: I'm thinking that "Archaea has" is, in fact, grammatically correct here. Because it is grammatically singular (even though others have pointed out that the word "Archaea" is a plural). I read it as a shorter version of "The Archaea Domain has finally started harming humans." There could be other contexts where you would see "Archaea have." For example, "Our culture has bacteria and Archaea cells in it. The Archaea have finally started harming humans." But in the examples I can think of, that would shorten to "The Archaea have finally started harming humans," not "Archaea have..." without the "The." I can come up with other sentences where "Archaea have" (no "The") would work, but in this context, I don't think it works. So, I think the grammar is correct as is, assuming that Randall is referring to "the Domain Archaea" which makes sense to me in this context. [[User:Mootstrap|Mootstrap]] ([[User talk:Mootstrap|talk]]) 18:33, 30 May 2025 (UTC)
:Perhaps they've risen up en masse, forming a state of Archaea, with a war cabinet and army to take on the humans.[[Special:Contributions/172.71.241.51|172.71.241.51]] 10:11, 29 May 2025 (UTC)
:: [https://www.dude-n-dude.com/2020/01/12/amoebas-lorica-outbreak/ Be careful what you wish for] ... [[Special:Contributions/162.158.41.36|162.158.41.36]] 15:29, 29 May 2025 (UTC)

3021: Seismologists

2024-12-06T21:44:26Z

Mootstrap: /* Explanation */ Trying to make it clearer to someone unaware of the seismological beachball diagrams (like me!).

{{comic
| number = 3021
| date = December 6, 2024
| title = Seismologists
| image = seismologists_2x.png
| imagesize = 327x270px
| noexpand = true
| titletext = And even when they're not distracted, they usually get kicked out for illegal under-the-net 'subduction spikes'.
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Created by a ROGUE SEISMOLOGIST - Please change this comment when editing this page. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}
In seismology, a [https://www.usgs.gov/programs/earthquake-hazards/focal-mechanisms-or-beachballs#:~:text=A%20focal%20mechanism%2C%20or%20%22beachball,of%20the%20fault%20that%20slipped "beachball"] diagram is a graphic that is used to show the type of slip that a occurs in an earthquake. While playing beach volleyball and seeing the rotating black-and-white volleyball, [[Ponytail]] gets distracted due to its resemblance to a "beachball" diagram, which causes her to be hit on the head. There are 3 types of slips: strike-slip (which Ponytail was distracted by), normal, and thrust.

==Transcript==
{{incomplete transcript|Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}
:[Megan, Ponytail and Hairy are playing beach volleyball. Megan has her arms outreached, like she had just set the ball. The volleyball is shown three times: once above the net, once heading towards Ponytail, and once after bouncing off Ponytail’s head. Hairy is running towards Ponytail and the volleyball with his arm raised. Wavy lines are shown on the ground to show sand. A dashed line indicates the path of the volleyball.]
:Ponytail: Ooh, a strike-slip fault!
:''Bonk!''
:Ponytail: '''''Ow!'''''

:[Caption below the panel:]
:Why seismologists are bad at beach ball volleyball

==Trivia==
Although probably unrelated, a [https://apnews.com/article/california-earthquake-tsunami-warning-e1c73514097b78dfc082e40f98d0d426 7.0 magnitude earthquake] hit Northern California, USA at 10:44 AM PST, causing tsunami warnings (which were later cancelled) and a state of emergency to be called.

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Comics featuring Megan]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Ponytail]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Hairy]]
[[Category:Geology]]
[[Category:Sport]]

Talk:2317: Pinouts

2020-06-08T23:00:15Z

Mootstrap:

Can we add this one to a new category, "Comics that Randall makes just to screw with xkcd wiki contributors"? I can think of plenty of candidates for this category! [[User:Cosmogoblin|Cosmogoblin]] ([[User talk:Cosmogoblin|talk]]) 21:42, 8 June 2020 (UTC)

The claim that a coax has only one conductive part is incorrect. It has two. The pin is the inner conductor. The shield is the outer conductor. Without both it wouldn't work.

I'd also say that the claim at the top that a pin can have only one bit or one voltage of power at a time is incorrect. Power over Ethernet is a perfect example of power and data at the same time. There are also plenty of types of signals which transmit multiple bits at once. A simple example would be a signal using four voltage levels to transmit two bits simultaneously, but there are many more fancy analog encodings that use phase and frequency and other characteristics to transmit data. Plus, you can often included two signals on the same conductors. For example, ADSL combined a normal phone signal and a higher frequency data signal on the same lines. Also cable TV combined many signals on one set of conductors.

So, anyway, I'd remove the claim.
[[User:Mootstrap|Mootstrap]] ([[User talk:Mootstrap|talk]]) 23:00, 8 June 2020 (UTC)

Talk:2180: Spreadsheets

2019-07-26T12:05:13Z

Mootstrap:

I really hope Randall shares this formula he made. It sounds incredible. [[Special:Contributions/162.158.126.34|162.158.126.34]] 21:15, 24 July 2019 (UTC)
: Seems to me to perhaps be a bit of nerdsniping (a la XKCD 356) bait...

My unofficial job title is the Head of the Department for Extreme Spreadsheeting. There are multiple reasons for this, including that we need to share info easily across different offices, I'm very familiar with spreadsheet formulas, and I have no f***ing clue how to get a SQL database functioning properly. [[User:Misterblu28|Misterblu28]] ([[User talk:Misterblu28|talk]]) 21:48, 24 July 2019 (UTC)misterblue28
: It involves chickens, black candles, a full moon, and one of those fancy space-age pens that can write on any surface.
:: I think that traditionally, one only needs the blood of the chicken unless you're making a chicken salad sandwich for afterwards. [[User:Mootstrap|Mootstrap]] ([[User talk:Mootstrap|talk]]) 12:05, 26 July 2019 (UTC)

The "devil" is clearly a reference to the FreeBSD daemon mascot. [[Special:Contributions/172.68.38.64|172.68.38.64]] 04:42, 25 July 2019 (UTC)
: The devil is clearly a devil.[[Special:Contributions/141.101.98.148|141.101.98.148]] 08:48, 25 July 2019 (UTC)

The devil is clearly the strong one for everyone working in my company. A list used by ~50 people, 3 times a day? lets just put an excel sheet on sharepoint.... A complex design tool? Give me 2 days and a lot of hidden sheets in the back of the file and do it in excel - everything is excel. --[[User:Lupo|Lupo]] ([[User talk:Lupo|talk]]) 06:04, 25 July 2019 (UTC)

Anybody remember Oracle’s SQL*Calc spreadsheet application? Individual cells could not only contain select queries but also insert, update, and delete, all using variable data from the spreadsheet. So you could select data from tables into a multidimensional array of cells in s spreadsheet, manipulate the data in the cells, then insert in back into the same (or different!) tables. Powerful but dangerous![[Special:Contributions/172.68.46.167|172.68.46.167]] 06:15, 25 July 2019 (UTC)

Remember all the TV Tropes links? We could totally put “Good Angel, Bad Angel” here. [[Special:Contributions/172.68.141.148|172.68.141.148]] 10:41, 25 July 2019 (UTC)

I refuse to accept this as complete until somebody can get the original script out of Randall or somebody here manages to make something that does the same job, or better.

Here's a start to the formula; it doesn't use REGEXMATCH() however. Uses a named range 'DatesList' which has the list of dates. Generates a calendar with Sunday in the first column where the only dates showing are those in the list -- wasn't sure what sort of output to target. =ARRAYFORMULA(IF(ISERROR(MATCH(ARRAYFORMULA(SEQUENCE((MAX(DatesList)-MIN(DatesList)-WEEKDAY(MIN(DatesList))+1)/7+1,7,MIN(DatesList)-WEEKDAY(MIN(DatesList)),1)),DatesList,0)),"",ARRAYFORMULA(SEQUENCE((MAX(DatesList)-MIN(DatesList)-WEEKDAY(MIN(DatesList))+1)/7+1,7,MIN(DatesList)-WEEKDAY(MIN(DatesList)),1))))

Relevant other comics about Excel (from a developer's perspective): http://www.commitstrip.com/en/2014/07/23/excel-the-poor-mans-ideexcel-lide-du-pauvre/ and /2014/12/19/the-coder-and-the-beast/ [[Special:Contributions/108.162.229.136|108.162.229.136]] 19:57, 25 July 2019 (UTC)

My goto functions tend to be LOOKUP() (or HLOOOKUP() and VLOOKUP() for various subtelties like matching unsorted arrays), LEFT(), RIGHT(), MIDDLE(), COUNTA(), COUNTIF() (especially for range A$1:A''current_or_preceding_row_number_for_this_cell'' to establish "this is the ''n''th example of some quality in this column", usually for firstness), FIND(), ISERR(), ISNUMBER(), SUBSTITUTE(), and of course loads and loads of IF()s, ...usually heavily nested. And at least these days Open/LibreOffice accept comma seperation of function params, 'cos forgwtting I'm not in Excel and not using semicolons in such a scratch-built monstrosity leading to an error that ''wasn't'' bad logic or nesting was a bummer, until I realised... [[Special:Contributions/141.101.98.148|141.101.98.148]] 20:56, 25 July 2019 (UTC)

I was hoping the explanation would say what those named functions do, LOL! Never used Google Sheets. But I've used the hell out of Excel. Can't imagine how a single cell could display a calendar, but I've often done a quick on-the-fly calendar where each cell is a day... Usually to check what weekdays certain days are. Like "What weekday was I born?". Often I designate one cell as a starting date, the first row uses the WEEKDAY function to check "Is that this weekday, an earlier weekday or a later weekday?". A later weekday, leave it blank. An earlier weekday, take yesterday and add one. This weekday, show it. Then Week 2, Sunday is Saturday + 1, Monday is Sunday + 1, etc. Copy / Paste to finish the week, Copy / Paste the week to finish the calendar. I change the cell formatting to show only the Day of the date, but each cell stores an entire date. And the 8th column shows the month every time the month changes (usually a VLOOKUP on a reference table I make with Fill Series). I can then just change the master cell to change what date range the calendar shows. I might use Excel the most for mass renaming files though. :) [[User:NiceGuy1|NiceGuy1]] ([[User talk:NiceGuy1|talk]]) 04:24, 26 July 2019 (UTC)

Something about the display is bugged out. [[Special:Contributions/162.158.107.67|162.158.107.67]] 05:43, 26 July 2019 (UTC)

2178: Expiration Date High Score

2019-07-20T02:41:11Z

Mootstrap: /* Explanation */ Nitpicky grammar fix.

{{comic
| number = 2178
| date = July 19, 2019
| title = Expiration Date High Score
| image = expiration_date_high_score.png
| titletext = "Wait, we've MOVED since 2010. How on Earth did--" "Look, some of us were just born to be champions."
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Created by someone, born champion. Please mention here why this explanation isn't complete. Do NOT delete this tag too soon. EXP 20190721}}
[[Randall]] is introducing the rules of a game. If you find an item which you purchased, but is now past its {{w|expiration date}}, you get a score which is what percent of your lifetime elapsed between when the item expired and when you found it. Many perishable items, such as food, cosmetics, medications, batteries, or condoms, have expiration dates, or sometimes best by dates. The only other rule is, that it has to be something you have purchased yourself, so that heritages or stuff that was left in the basement when one moved in, does not count.

The joke is, that owning expired items without of noticing for long here is getting you a high score, while in reality it is not considered favourable.{{Citation needed}}

The other joke is both the items in the comic (a can of beans and a jar of pickles) do not go bad with time but in fact remain edible indefinitely (as long as the jar/can is not opened and is undamaged.)

Food going bad, in the sense that it will make you sick if you eat it, is most often caused by harmful bacteria growing in the food. Less often caused by fungi or yeast growing in the food and creating a poisonous substance, like methanol (wood alcohol.) The process of canning food involves boiling it to kill all possible pathogens, then sealing it in a can/jar while the food is still hot, with no air bubble. As long as this process is done correctly, as long as the jar lid has an air tight seal, and as long at the can is not punctured or gets a hole rusted through, no bacteria/virus/yeast/fungi can get in and the food cannot spoil. Some food may discolor over time in the jar/can, or the texture may change, but it cannot go bad in a way that makes it unsafe to eat.

Megan's mom does not have a jar of pickles with a 1978 expiration date because in 1978 jars and cans of food did not have expiration dates. Since then many countries introduced laws and regulations requiring companies to put expiration dates on perishable goods. In some instances this can have the negative effect of people throwing out good food by blindly following the suggested expiration date. This behavior can incentivize companies to adjust the expiration date, or put expiration dates on non-perishable goods, so that people will re-buy the products sooner.

Megan's age is revealed to be 37, found by substituting 2019 and 2010 into the formula.

Ironically in 2030 a can that was expiring in 2019 would only give a score of 22.9, less than the current best high score. To beat it, the cans would need to expire in 2018 giving a high score of 25.

The title text continues the conversation from the comic. The beans were apparently bought while living in a different home, meaning they were moved along with Megan's and Cueball's other belongings. This is somewhat unusual as many people take moving as an opportunity to go through their old stuff and get rid of things they no longer need. Another interpretation would be that Megan Cueball didn't bring the beans but bought them along with the kitchen they were found in.

==Transcript==
{{incomplete transcript|Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}
(Title up in the panel)
What's the most expired item you've found in your house?

Calculate your expiration date high score (must be something you purchased)

(Equation in a circle)
Score equals year you found item subtracting year item expired, divided by your age, multiplied by 100

(Megan and Cueball talking, with Megan holding a can)

Megan: These beans expired in 2010! That's... let's see... 24.3! New personal best!

Cueball:You are never going to beat your mom's jar of pickles from 1978.

Megan: Maybe there are more cans in there. Remind me not to look until 2030.

Cueball: This is the worst competition.

{{comic discussion}}

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

Talk:2178: Expiration Date High Score

2019-07-20T02:38:53Z

Mootstrap:

If we assume this comic is contemporary, i.e. the year she found the beans is 2019, it makes Randall's girlfriend/wife 37 years old.[[Special:Contributions/141.101.84.64|141.101.84.64]] 05:25, 19 July 2019 (UTC)
:Well... it makes Megan 37 years old. There is nothing here to strongly suggest that cueball and her are Randall and his gf/wife. --[[User:Lupo|Lupo]] ([[User talk:Lupo|talk]]) 05:54, 19 July 2019 (UTC)
:: What about #933? [[Special:Contributions/172.68.38.88|172.68.38.88]] 21:35, 19 July 2019 (UTC)
::: I think it's pretty clear that the title text varies from comic to comic. Sometimes it's clearly a character's voice. Sometimes it makes more sense as a narrator's voice. Sometimes it's clearly talking about Randall's life. I realize that this site tends to attribute the title text to Randall's voice, but personally, I consider it an unattributed voice. Sometimes it's him, sometimes it's more of a narrator or character voice. Similarly, the actions in the comics are sometimes clearly influenced by events in Randall's life, but they're also clearly not other times. If it turned out that he made Megan 37 because his wife is 37, that wouldn't surprise me, but neither would it surprise me if he did something different, because he does that on a regular basis. (In other words, without additional evidence or supporting information, I think it's weird to state as a fact that the traits of various characters are, in fact, traits of Randall and his friends and family.) [[User:Mootstrap|Mootstrap]] ([[User talk:Mootstrap|talk]]) 02:38, 20 July 2019 (UTC)

When I was working at a gas station, someone brought in a propane tank which had expired in 1963 (or so). If 1963 and using this scheme, my score would be 96.6.
[[Special:Contributions/172.69.33.251|172.69.33.251]] 06:02, 19 July 2019 (UTC)

Propane tanks do not "expire", that is they do not go bad with time, and you do not need to throw them out after the date. The date on these tanks is when they need to be inspected for damage, as mandated by Federal and state laws. If the tank passes inspection a new date in put on and you can keep using the tank (propane suppliers can legally keep refilling it.) [[User:Godzilla|Godzilla]] ([[User talk:Godzilla|talk]]) 13:40, 19 July 2019 (UTC)

: Except that it <q>must be something ''you'' purchased</q> so you can't use that one in the contest. Unless you then purchased it from whoever brought it in… <br/> I don't see any rule requiring that the item be new (or otherwise not-yet-expired) when you purchase it, so can we buy old things from other people in order to inflate our score (potentially over 100)? [[Special:Contributions/172.69.42.76|172.69.42.76]] 06:18, 19 July 2019 (UTC)
::That also circumvents the argument "we moved since 2010". If you buy the apartment with kitchen and all equipment, you also purchased the expired item... --[[User:Lupo|Lupo]] ([[User talk:Lupo|talk]]) 06:20, 19 July 2019 (UTC)
:::I think that part in the title text is referring to "how did we manage to not come across all of our expired items when we moved" rather than "this item was here before me moved in". Some very disorganised people might actually pack up and move all of the items (e.g. food) in their house without first checking or even noticing if it is expired. [[Special:Contributions/141.101.98.64|141.101.98.64]] 10:52, 19 July 2019 (UTC)
::::That was my initial thought too, that she either did it without of noticing, or did not notice it on purpose, to at some point reach this score. But the loophole, good 'ol 42.76 brought up, put this idea up, as an alternative.--[[User:Lupo|Lupo]] ([[User talk:Lupo|talk]]) 10:56, 19 July 2019 (UTC)
:The rules say that the item must be something you, personally '''''purchased'''''...so did they BUY the pickles from Megan's mom? I'd want to see a receipt or something! (And if the pickles were dated to 1978, Megan (whom we've established is 37 years old was not born when the pickles were dated...so for sure, this is cheating! [[User:SteveBaker|SteveBaker]] ([[User talk:SteveBaker|talk]]) 13:36, 19 July 2019 (UTC)
::They clearly attribute the pickle score to Megan's mum, not to Megan.[[User:Bischoff|Bischoff]] ([[User talk:Bischoff|talk]]) 13:42, 19 July 2019 (UTC)
:::Yeah - that makes more sense. I had initially read it as these were pickles MADE by her mum and given to Megan - not pickles that her mum purchased. Sadly, we can't work backwards from the 2030 date that Megan needs to wait until in order to beat that score to figure out her mom's age because we don't know on what year her mum discovered the ancient pickles. [[User:SteveBaker|SteveBaker]] ([[User talk:SteveBaker|talk]]) 13:48, 19 July 2019 (UTC)

There is one caveat to Megan's strategy: since the fraction (year you found item - year item expired)/(your age when you found it) converges to one as time goes on regardless whether the numerator is bigger than the denominator, as long as the item expired before the year of your birth, postponing the discovery reduces your score (considerably).

Her mom's pickles could still have had an expiration date before 1978 - according to [https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/sell-and-best-dates-food-are-basically-made-hard-get-rid-180950304/ this article] they were around in the 1950s and on store shelves by 1970. If they were home-canned she could also have dated them herself. --[[Special:Contributions/172.68.174.22|172.68.174.22]] 17:56, 19 July 2019 (UTC)

:Perishable foods had expiration dates in the 1970s at least (maybe earlier in some countries and some stores). But non-perishable foods did NOT had dates until the 2000's or later. A home canned jar of pickles could have a hand written date, but this would be the date it was canned, not an expiration date. Because anyone in the 1970s who knew how to can would know if they did it right the food would not go bad. If they did the canning wrong they would not need a expiration date to know this, they would know in a few weeks, by looking through the mason jar at the food inside. Or by looking at the food and glass spread around the pantry after the jar exploded. So Megan's mom could have a loaf of bread with a 1978 date, but not a jar of pickles. [[User:Godzilla|Godzilla]] ([[User talk:Godzilla|talk]]) 18:17, 19 July 2019 (UTC)

== FOOD SCIENCE ==

''"Since then many countries introduced laws and regulations requiring companies to put expiration dates on perishable goods. In some instances this can have the negative effect of people throwing out good food by blindly following the suggested expiration date. This behaviour can incentivise companies to adjust the expiration date so that people will re-buy the products sooner."''

Since science and the truth are a big part of both xkcd.com and explainxkcd.com, I think it is important this explanation includes how/why food goes bad, and why expiration dates on jars/cans of food do not serve to protect people from eating bad food. If no one else gets to it first I'll try to type this explanation when I get a chance.

Until then I don't think the explanation should say "...many countries introduced laws and regulations requiring companies to put expiration dates on perishable goods." Although this is true, it is also true many companies put expiration on non-perishable products even through there is no law requiring them to do so. Like cosmetics and jars of pickles. [[User:Godzilla|Godzilla]] ([[User talk:Godzilla|talk]]) 13:54, 19 July 2019 (UTC)

:To be fair, many items are labelled "Best Before" or "Sell By" - implying that the food item will be edible for at least some time beyond that date. Actual expiration dates on preserved food items do seem to be rarer. There are cases of canned food items from the early 1900's still being in good shape after 100+ years - and those would not have had any expiration date. But one issue is that back then, cans were made by soldering sheets of tin together - and the lead in the solder slowly leaches into the food making it unsafe to eat even though the food itself seems well-preserved. So for potential high scores, we should look to: [http://mentalfloss.com/article/555075/11-oldest-foods-and-beverages-ever-discovered The 11 oldest foods and beverages ever discovered] - except that they'd not have any kind of formal expiration date. [[User:SteveBaker|SteveBaker]] ([[User talk:SteveBaker|talk]]) 14:10, 19 July 2019 (UTC)

The legal requirements of "expiration dates" for food are less stringent than many believe. In the USA, under FDA regulations, only baby formula cannot legally be sold after its expiration date. Wording like "use by" and "sell by" is not legally binding... more like "guidelines", as Capt. Barbossa would say. [[Special:Contributions/172.68.34.64|172.68.34.64]] 15:57, 19 July 2019 (UTC)

I think the point that needs to be made in the explanation is both the items in the comic (a can of beans and a jar of pickles) do not go bad with time but in fact remain edible indefinitely.

Food going bad, in the sense that it will make you sick if you eat it, is most often caused by harmful bacteria growing in the food. Less often caused by fungi or yeast growing in the food and creating a poisonous substance, like methanol (wood alcohol.) The process of canning food involves boiling it to kill all possible pathogens, then sealing it in a can/jar while the food is still hot, with no air bubble. As long as this process is done correctly, as long as the jar lid has an air tight seal, and as long at the can is not punctured or gets a hole rusted through, no bacteria/virus/yeast/fungi can get in and the food can not spoil. Some food may discolor over time in the jar/can, or the texture may change, but it can not go bad in a way that makes it unsafe to eat.

If the canning process is done incorrectly and bacteria/fungi/yeast is sealed in the can/jar, the food goes bad in a few weeks, not years. Gases given off by the decomposition process often cause the can to swell, or the normal concave jar lid to bulge upwards. Sometimes the internal gas pressure is enough to burst the can/jar, as used to happen to people who canned at home using mason jars. If it does not burst, you are still going the know the food has gone bad the minute you open the can/jar, even without looking inside.

The above facts are more important then who/how/why expiration dates get put on which products. [[User:Godzilla|Godzilla]] ([[User talk:Godzilla|talk]]) 17:13, 19 July 2019 (UTC)

Talk:2176: How Hacking Works

2019-07-16T02:39:18Z

Mootstrap: Sharpest tool on the shed...

any idea what the title text is referring to? some smash mouth lyrics, maybe? [[User:Gir|-- //gir.st/]] ([[User talk:Gir|talk]]) 13:48, 15 July 2019 (UTC)
:The first line of their most popular song, All Star, is "Somebody once told me the world is gonna roll me". [[Special:Contributions/162.158.123.97|162.158.123.97]] 13:55, 15 July 2019 (UTC)
::welp, i could have figured that out! to my defense, ducking "roll them like this" only brought up the comic itself. Thanks! [[User:Gir|-- //gir.st/]] ([[User talk:Gir|talk]]) 14:06, 15 July 2019 (UTC)
: I think Randall is referring to this https://xkcd.com/792/ with himself is the "someone" who warned them. [[Special:Contributions/172.68.142.239|172.68.142.239]] 14:20, 15 July 2019 (UTC)
::I doubt that the title text was a reference to this comic, but I've linked to it in the section about the second panel. Thanks! [[User:Gir|-- //gir.st/]] ([[User talk:Gir|talk]]) 14:28, 15 July 2019 (UTC)
I always (not really) thought hacking was more like "My latest scan of the internet found a computer that hasn't updated it's OS or it's antivirus in two months!" "Score! Hack in and steal their money!" [[Special:Contributions/172.68.90.76|172.68.90.76]] 14:56, 15 July 2019 (UTC)SiliconWolf
:Usually, the scan immediately installs some virus. Noone is going to manually hacks thousands of machines. -- [[User:Hkmaly|Hkmaly]] ([[User talk:Hkmaly|talk]]) 22:43, 15 July 2019 (UTC)

Note that you can sort of get the best of both words if, instead of using just common password or just password written on paper, you use password combined from those two. Online hackers wouldn't be able to hack your other accounts because all accounts have different password, while family members wouldn't be able to hack anything because they wouldn't know the common prefix to those passwords written on paper. -- [[User:Hkmaly|Hkmaly]] ([[User talk:Hkmaly|talk]]) 22:43, 15 July 2019 (UTC)
:Nah... I just need to 1) obtain a list of leaked passwords, 2) break into your pad/cubicle to obtain your dead-tree-list of partial passwords, 3) successfully identify the fully expanded one in the former that is the superset of the appropriate partial in the latter, 4) thusly derive the likely transformation you used, 5) apply that to all the other partials to easily h4ck 4ll ov UR 07|-|3|2 |_°9!|\|5 !!!111!!11oneoneone ...6) Profit? [[Special:Contributions/162.158.34.172|162.158.34.172]] 00:09, 16 July 2019 (UTC)

I'm disappointed that the template at the top want authored by "The Sharpest Tool in the Shed." [[User:Mootstrap|Mootstrap]] ([[User talk:Mootstrap|talk]]) 02:39, 16 July 2019 (UTC)

Talk:2157: Diploma Legal Notes

2019-06-02T07:31:25Z

Mootstrap: Add information about "6 to 8 weeks" long predating Stack Overflow.

Can I please live on this universe? {{unsigned ip|172.69.69.250}}
*in {{unsigned ip|172.69.68.143}}

Why would waiting 6-8 weeks help with challenging the British royal family for the throne? Surely that just gives them more time to prepare... [[User:Hawthorn|Hawthorn]] ([[User talk:Hawthorn|talk]]) 12:41, 31 May 2019 (UTC)
:But it takes 6-8 weeks for you to receive your lightsaber. --[[User:Lupo|Lupo]] ([[User talk:Lupo|talk]]) 12:51, 31 May 2019 (UTC)
::Thanks, I had not made the connection. But I still don't understand the "since a number of the younger ones have diplomas"?[[Special:Contributions/162.158.154.205|162.158.154.205]] 15:16, 31 May 2019 (UTC)
::Oh duh, it says right in the comic. I'm an idiot. :) [[User:Hawthorn|Hawthorn]] ([[User talk:Hawthorn|talk]]) 15:28, 31 May 2019 (UTC)

I'd rather they sent me my lightsab(re|er) in a powered-down state. Much less fuss, damage to postal sorting/conveying/containing equipment, injury to the various employees involved, etc. Probably also saves on postage costs for the package. (And, as just pointed out, we might just get by the sorting office spies from the palace if the packaging isn't humming and glowing.) [[Special:Contributions/162.158.154.7|162.158.154.7]] 12:45, 31 May 2019 (UTC)
:Er, I think "working" means ready to use, not turned on! However, I think shipping regulations would require the unit to be shipped without the nuclear power pack installed, and the user would just need to insert the power unit in the handle before use. [[User:Ianrbibtitlht|Ianrbibtitlht]] ([[User talk:Ianrbibtitlht|talk]]) 13:01, 31 May 2019 (UTC)
::You read it your way, I'll read it my way. ;) [[Special:Contributions/162.158.154.7|162.158.154.7]] 13:12, 31 May 2019 (UTC)
To me "working lightsaber" means it's not a toy or model. YMMV [[User:RIIW - Ponder it|RIIW - Ponder it]] ([[User talk:RIIW - Ponder it|talk]]) 17:53, 31 May 2019 (UTC)

I did not believe Kate Middleton did anything as genteel as light sabre, I thought she was a hockey player. While she and William graduated from St Andrews, I would have thought they got certificates not diplomas. Charles and Eddie have certificates from Cambridge. Northwestern may have issued a diploma to Meghan. Anyway they are more likely to use real Sabres or polo mallets. {{unsigned|Arachrah}}
:: Hmmm...
:: http://oi66.tinypic.com/vxdw5j.jpg
:: http://oi64.tinypic.com/99fapu.jpg
:: http://oi68.tinypic.com/359fnlf.jpg
:: http://oi64.tinypic.com/24xjexv.jpg
:: ... Enjoy! :P [[Special:Contributions/141.101.99.155|141.101.99.155]] 15:11, 31 May 2019 (UTC)
:I looked up William and Kate's info - it appears they both graduated from University of St Andrews with a Scottish Master of Arts degree, which is equivalent to a Bachelor of Arts degree in the United States. [[User:Ianrbibtitlht|Ianrbibtitlht]] ([[User talk:Ianrbibtitlht|talk]]) 14:43, 31 May 2019 (UTC)

I think I'd delete the word "gullible", if only to put a bizarre spin on the classic "Did you know 'gullible' isn't in the dictionary?" joke. --[[User:Youforgotthisthing|Youforgotthisthing]] ([[User talk:Youforgotthisthing|talk]]) 14:56, 31 May 2019 (UTC)

''"The university will mail you your working lightsaber within 6-8 weeks."'' – Isn't it that PhD's are awarded with a sword in Finland?
--[[User:Phcc|Phcc]] ([[User talk:Phcc|talk]]) 16:34, 31 May 2019 (UTC)

"6-8 weeks" could be a reference to StackOverflow/StackExchange: https://meta.stackexchange.com/a/19514/353011 [[User:Fabian42|Fabian42]] ([[User talk:Fabian42|talk]]) 18:03, 31 May 2019 (UTC)
:Ok, this link took me on a weird circular journey, where that page included a link to another page that actually contained a link back to xkcd #[[1381: Margin]]. [[User:Ianrbibtitlht|Ianrbibtitlht]] ([[User talk:Ianrbibtitlht|talk]]) 00:02, 1 June 2019 (UTC)
:"6 to 8 weeks" was super common at least back to the eighties and possibly long prior. Whenever there'd be a TV commercial trying to get you to mail order something or a cereal box offering a prize or even a magazine offering something if you sent them a SASE (a Self-Addressed Stamped Envelope) they would invariably quote the delivery times as 6 to 8 weeks. [[User:Mootstrap|Mootstrap]] ([[User talk:Mootstrap|talk]]) 07:31, 2 June 2019 (UTC)

The following bibliographical text from the end of the first paragraph seemed unnecessary for the explanation, but I'm pasting it here in case anyone might be interested in further reading:
:: (See Scholarly Privileges, Their Roman Origins and Medieval Expression, Pearl Kibre, in the American Historical Review, Vol 59 No. 3 (April, 1954) at https://www.jstor.org/stable/1844716.
:: [[User:Ianrbibtitlht|Ianrbibtitlht]] ([[User talk:Ianrbibtitlht|talk]]) 05:31, 1 June 2019 (UTC)

Personally I think this comic is making reference to how some people with degrees tend to act in a self-entitled manner either in the workplace or generally in public places. For example interrupting other people's conversations because "I'm qualified and you're not". [[Special:Contributions/162.158.34.160|162.158.34.160]] 12:10, 1 June 2019 (UTC)

== What does deleting delete do? ==
It disallows others deleting any word. [[Special:Contributions/172.68.226.116|172.68.226.116]] 17:38, 1 June 2019 (UTC)