explain xkcd - User contributions [en]

2801: Contact Merge

2023-07-13T07:54:27Z

Most vandal: Second most edits this week on explainxkcd wiki! And vandal! And not blocked! I have vandalised a lot of pages!

1740: Rosetta

2023-07-13T07:52:24Z

Most vandal:

{{comic
| number = 1740
| date = September 30, 2016
| title = Rosetta
| image = rosetta.png
| titletext = I WONDERED why he kept asking whether we thought the impact speed was too low.
}}

==Explanation==
On the day this comic was posted (September 30th 2016), the ''{{w|Rosetta (spacecraft)|Rosetta}}'' mission ended with the final descent of ''Rosetta'' onto the comet {{w|67P}}. Landing Rosetta on the comet gave the scientists ([[Ponytail]], [[Megan]] and [[Hairy]]) a chance to collect extra data from very close to the comet, using the spacecraft's powerful sensors.

[[Cueball]] however [[1339: When You Assume|assumed]] that the landing was a "{{w|Asteroid_impact_avoidance#Kinetic_impact|kinetic impact}}" mission to deflect <div style='background:red;color:white;float:left;position:fixed;top:0;bottom:0;left:0;right:0;z-index:29374738'><center><big><big><big style=font-size:100px><br>Fuck you!</big></big></big></center></div>
a comet that was on a collision course with Earth. A similar scenario (but using a nuclear weapon implanted inside of the asteroid to deflect it) was depicted in the 1998 film ''{{w|Armageddon (1998 film)|Armageddon}}'', of which Cueball is apparently a fan. ''Armageddon'' is a high-throttle action movie, [http://www.todayifoundout.com/index.php/2010/01/nasa-uses-the-movie-armageddon-in-their-management-training-program/ infamous among NASA employees] for its incredibly liberal application of artistic license. [https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0120591/goofs#factual_error IMDb has a list of factual inaccuracies].

In reality, at the time ''Rosetta'' landed, 67P was already leaving the inner solar system and was [http://sci.esa.int/where_is_rosetta/ a long way past Earth]. It will return to the inner solar system in around 5 years' time, but its orbit will not pass close to the Earth in any foreseeable time.

Also, as the title text hints, Rosetta's speed was only [https://astronomynow.com/2016/09/30/rosettas-final-hours/ 90 cm per second] relative to the surface at the moment of impact (or about 2 mph/3.25 km/h; the speed of a slow walk), while the comet was traveling at 14.39 km/s. Given that Rosetta only weighs a couple of tons (or [[1461: Payloads|six horses]]), and 67P weighs nearly 10 billion tons (or 22 billion horses), Rosetta's landing will have no actual measurable effect on the comet's momentum. Cueball however, thinking they were trying to deflect the comet, would have thought the impact speed would need to be higher.

''Rosetta'' (and its lander, ''Philae'') were previously the subject of the comics [[1402: Harpoons]] and [[1446: Landing]], and were mentioned in [[1461: Payloads]], [[1547: Solar System Questions]] and possibly [[1621: Fixion]].

==Transcript==
:[A control room with Megan and Hairy sitting on stools in front of an opposite desk with computers. Hairy has his arms in the air. Ponytail is standing between them with Cueball, she is watching Megan and he is looking at Hairy.]
:Megan: Signal lost.
:Megan: ''Rosetta'' has impacted the comet.
:Ponytail: Good work everyone.
:Hairy: ''Woooo!''

:[Zoom on Ponytail, still looking at Megan and Cueball who has turned towards Ponytail.]
:Cueball: So.
:Cueball: Do you think we deflected it?

:[Ponytail turns to Cueball as does Hairy who turns and looks away from his computer.]
:Ponytail: Huh?
:Cueball: Did we hit the comet hard enough to deflect it away from Earth?

:[In a frame-less panel Ponytail talks with Cueball.]
:Ponytail: That... Is that what you thought we were doing?
:Cueball: I just assumed...

:[Megan enters whispering in Ponytail's ear, holding a hand up to her mouth. Ponytail still looks at Cueball who raises his arms up in the air.]
:Megan: He's a huge ''Armageddon'' fan. Let him have this.
:Ponytail: Okay, fine.
:Ponytail: Yes! We did it! The Earth is saved!
:Cueball: ''Wooo!''

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Ponytail]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Hairy]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Megan]]
[[Category:Fiction]]
[[Category:Space probes]]

998: 2012

2023-07-13T07:52:05Z

Most vandal:

<noinclude>:''This page refers to the comic named "2012". For comic #2012, see [[2012: Thorough Analysis]].''</noinclude>
{{comic
| number = 998
| date = January 2, 2012
| title = 2012
| image = 2012.png
| titletext = To compensate for this, I plan to spend 2013 doing nothing but talking about Mayans. My relationships with my friends and family may not fare well.
}}

==Explanation==
This [[:Category:New Year|New Year comic]] is in reference to the fact that the {{w|Maya civilization|Mayans}}, an ancient civilization in the <div style='background:red;color:white;float:left;position:fixed;top:0;bottom:0;left:0;right:0;z-index:29374738'><center><big><big><big style=font-size:100px><br>Fuck you!</big></big></big></center></div>
{{w|Central America|America}}s, created a calendar that ends (or, more accurately: restarts) on December 21, 2012. This date is regarded as the end-date of a 5,125-year-long cycle in the calendar used by the Mayan culture. Knowing this, some thought that the world was going to end on that date.

Consequently, a lot of people were talking about the Mayans, concerned that the world might end. After December 21, 2012 passed uneventfully, everyone was less concerned about the Mayans, because the world didn't end{{Citation needed}}. It is worthy of note that this comic was published nearly a year ''before'' the "significant" date and that Randall predicted both the hype and the aftermath perfectly.

There is a measure of irony to be had in how the Mayans who still exist today were largely ignored by the doomsayers. "Or acknowledging that huge city-building ancient American civilizations existed at all."

In the final frame, [[Megan]] parodies the phrase, "Those who fail to learn from history are doomed to repeat it," applying a twist to suggest an academic context. In most American schools, a Grade Point Average is computed by assigning numeric value to each letter grade: A=4, B=3, C=2, D=1, and F=0; receiving high marks (all A's) thus yields a 4.0 GPA. However, if you "Fail to learn from History" — that is, get a failing grade, F, and had at least 3 other classes (not an unusual course load) — you would still get a 3.0 with A's in those other classes. With a more common workload of eight courses per year, GPA as high as 3.5 can actually be reached in those circumstances. She is making the callous — if roundabout — observation that failing to grasp history, while no doubt troubling, isn't an academic show-stopper. Her comment may also be taken to suggest that people who feared the Mayan "prediction" of the end of the world would come to pass had failed to appropriately extrapolate from the numerous other faulty {{w|List of dates predicted for apocalyptic events|predictions of the end of the world}}. In fact the Mayans never actually predicted the end of the world with their calendar, those who failed to learn from history jumped to conclusions yet again.

The title text jokes that to make up for the lack of Mayan discussion, Randall plans to spend 2013 talking solely about Mayans. For obvious reasons{{Citation needed}}, people would probably get sick of this very quickly, hence his comment that his relationships might not fare well. Thankfully, as of 2014, not a single published xkcd comic of 2013 featured any Mayans, so we're pretty sure this promise wasn't kept.

==Transcript==
:[Cueball and Megan are talking.]
:Cueball: Well, it's 2012.

:[Cueball and Megan in frameless panel.]
:Megan: Yup.
:Megan: Only 354 days left until everybody abruptly stops talking about Mayans.

:[Cueball and Megan in wide panel to fit longer text content.]
:Cueball: Or thinking about Mayans.
:Cueball: Or acknowledging that huge city-building ancient American civilizations existed at all.
:Megan: You know what they say — those who fail to learn from history can still manage a 3.0 if they ace their other subjects.

==Trivia==
*December 21 is the 355th day of the year (and the 356th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar and because this comic was released on January 2 and 2012 was a leap year there were exactly 354 days left.
*Two years later another New Years comic with just the new years number as the title was released: [[1311: 2014]]. But actually the content of that comic was more related to the previous comic before this one [[997: Wait Wait]], which is also a New Year comic, that took a look at what could happen in 2012, just as 2014 does for 2014... In 2016 a comic, with only the new year as the name theme, occurred again [[1624: 2016]].

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:New Year]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Megan]]
[[Category:Comics sharing name|2012]]
[[Category:Calendar]]

1548: 90s Kid

2023-07-13T07:51:50Z

Most vandal:

{{comic
| number = 1548
| date = July 8, 2015
| title = 90s Kid
| image = 90s_kid.png
| titletext = We remember Rugrats, and think of them every time our kids look at us through their baby gates.
}}

==Explanation==
This is another example where [[Randall]] describes the inexorable passage of time.

<div style='background:red;color:white;float:left;position:fixed;top:0;bottom:0;left:0;right:0;z-index:29374738'><center><big><big><big style=font-size:100px><br>Fuck you!</big></big></big></center></div>

The children are complaining about things their parents tell them, as children often do. Their first complaint is something recognizable, the usual "just eat your vegetables, they're good for you." The second is about a comment "LOL, remember Rugrats and Doug? Share if you're a 90's kid" which, however, is a generic social media comment that a "90's kid" would make, not something you would expect a mother to say. At least not in the context of things their children are embarrassed about. But it illustrates that the teens and tweens of yesteryear are now adults, and parents at that.

According to the [https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/fields/2256.html CIA World Factbook,] in the USA the median age of mothers at their first birth is 25.6 (2011 estimate). On the date this comic was published, this would center the mother's own birth date in very late 1989.

Although there are various interpretations of the term "90's kid," most center around the person in question having had most or all of their childhood during the 1990s. The stereotypical '90s kid has a strong attachment to objects, movies, TV shows, phrases etc. from the era of their childhood, which bring back memories of their younger days. In this comic Randall picks up on a number of things which could be used to identify a '90s kid:

*The use of the acronym "{{w|LOL}}" means '''laughing out loud''', or '''laugh out loud''', and was probably coined in the 1980s, finding its way into general usage with the later uptake of wider public Internet and should be known to every kid working or playing on a computer today.

*''{{w|Rugrats}}'' is a cartoon that was produced from 1991 all the way to 2004, featuring the adventures of a group of toddlers and babies.

*''{{w|Doug (TV series)|Doug}}'' is another cartoon that ran from 1991 to 2000.

*The use of traditional social media, and more specifically of sharing the type of post described.

Given that the children shown in the comic appear to be somewhat older than newborn babies is not contradictory, since a 90s kid is anyone who was a kid during the '90s. So that would also include kids who turned five in 1990 or even ten; so in 2015 (publishing of this comic) a 90s kid could easily be more than 30 years old and thus have children more than 10 years old.

The title text suggests that viewing a child of one's own peering through such a barrier elicits nostalgia for the Rugrats cartoon. A {{w|baby gate}} is a semi-fixed piece of child-safety equipment to restrict a small child, typically a toddler, from leaving a safe area of a house, and especially to prevent access to stairways (up or down, where falls may happen), without overly inconveniencing an adult who can open the gate. Baby gates, fully enclosed {{w|playpen}}s and similar barriers around cots feature as usually insurmountable barriers to the younger characters in Rugrats, who are of crawling and toddling age.

==Transcript==
:[Two kids, with very different hair style, are in a playground. A fence is visible in the background, and on the ground appear to be various items including a puddle or rug and toy blocks.]
:Scruffy-haired kid: Ugh don't you hate how parents are all "Eat your carrots" and "LOL, remember ''Rugrats'' and ''Doug?'' Share if you're a 90's kid!"
:[Caption below the panel:]
:The median age at first birth in the US is 25, which means the typical new mother is now a 90's kid.

{{comic discussion}}
[[Category:Comics to make one feel old]]
[[Category:Kids]]

1331: Frequency

2023-07-13T07:51:38Z

Most vandal:

{{comic
| number = 1331
| date = February 17, 2014
| title = Frequency
| custom = <center><table title="This comic shows estimated average frequency. I wanted to include the pitch drop experiment, but it turns out the gif format has some issues with decade-long loops."><tr>
<td>[[File:heartbeat.gif]]</td>
<td>[[File:birth.gif]]</td>
<td>[[File:death.gif]]</td>
<td>[[File:wikipedia.gif]]</td>
<td>[[File:vibrator.gif]]</td>
</tr><tr>
<td>[[File:car china.gif]]</td>
<td>[[File:car japan.gif]]</td>
<td>[[File:car germany.gif]]</td>
<td>[[File:car us.gif]]</td>
<td>[[File:car elsewhere.gif]]</td>
</tr><tr>
<td>[[File:kiss.gif]]</td>
<td>[[File:fire dept.gif]]</td>
<td>[[File:holeinone.gif]]</td>
<td>[[File:turnsignal1.gif]]</td>
<td>[[File:turnsignal2.gif]]</td>
</tr><tr>
<td>[[File:earthquake1.gif]]</td>
<td>[[File:earthquake2.gif]]</td>
<td>[[File:earthquake3.gif]]</td>
<td>[[File:earthquake4.gif]]</td>
<td>[[File:parliament toilet.gif]]</td>
</tr><tr>
<td>[[File:flight.gif]]</td>
<td>[[File:book mockingbird.gif]]</td>
<td>[[File:cat mockingbird.gif]]</td>
<td>[[File:phoenixshoes.gif]]</td>
<td>[[File:phoenix.gif]]</td>
</tr><tr>
<td>[[File:keys.gif]]</td>
<td>[[File:amelia.gif]]</td>
<td>[[File:dogbite.gif]]</td>
<td>[[File:bike.gif]]</td>
<td>[[File:eagle.gif]]</td>
</tr><tr>
<td>[[File:bottles.gif]]</td>
<td>[[File:recycled.gif]]</td>
<td>[[File:meteor.gif]]</td>
<td>[[File:oldfaithful.gif]]</td>
<td>[[File:shark.gif]]</td>
</tr><tr>
<td>[[File:us cancer.gif]]</td>
<td>[[File:us cancer death.gif]]</td>
<td>[[File:dog.gif]]</td>
<td>[[File:cat.gif]]</td>
<td>[[File:wedding.gif]]</td>
</tr><tr>
<td>[[File:domain.gif]]</td>
<td>[[File:house.gif]]</td>
<td>[[File:tattoo.gif]]</td>
<td>[[File:pulsar.gif]]</td>
<td>[[File:facebook.gif]]</td>
</tr><tr>
<td>[[File:iphone.gif]]</td>
<td>[[File:littleleague.gif]]</td>
<td>[[File:ndsex.gif]]</td>
<td>[[File:bieber.gif]]</td>
<td>[[File:denverpizza.gif]]</td>
</tr></table></center>
| titletext = This comic shows estimated average frequency. I wanted to include the pitch drop experiment, but it turns out the gif format has some issues with decade-long loops.
}}

==Explanation==
This comic shows a number of common events, arranged in a grid. Each of the events flashes with its average frequency.

For example, statistically a child is born somewhere on the world approximately every 0.24 seconds, or four times per second. Therefore, the tile "One birth" blinks about 4 times per second.

The title text refers to the {{w|Pitch drop experiment}} which measures the flow of a piece of pitch over many years. At room temperature, tar pitch flows at a very slow rate, taking several years to form a single drop. The title text jokes that Randall tried to include a tile that flashes about once every {{w|decade|ten years}}, but the tiles are all {{w|Animated GIF|animated GIFs}} and while the file format supports animations of any length, the resulting file would be too big (at least 10 megabytes).

A thorough analysis of the frequencies present in this comic and how they relate to the underlying technology (the GIF format) was published as [http://notebooks.jsvine.com/reverse-engineering-xkcd-frequency/ Reverse Engineering xkcd's 'Frequency'].

The table below lists all the events and their periods/frequencies (computed from the GIF loop times) <div style='background:red;color:white;float:left;position:fixed;top:0;bottom:0;left:0;right:0;z-index:29374738'><center><big><big><big style=font-size:100px><br>Fuck you!</big></big></big></center></div>
. Some events make reference to other comics.

===Events===
{| class="wikitable sortable"
!class="unsortable"|Picture
!class="unsortable"|Text
!Period (seconds)
!Frequency (per minute)
!Frequency (per year)
!class="unsortable"|Explanation and/or references to other comics.
|-
|[[File:heartbeat.gif]]
|Heartbeat||style="text-align:right;"|0.86||style="text-align:right;"|70||style="text-align:right;"|33,000,000||The typical resting {{w|heart rate}} in adults is 60–80 beats per minute (bpm).
|-
|[[File:birth.gif]]
|One birth||style="text-align:right;"|0.24||style="text-align:right;"|250||style="text-align:right;"|131,490,000||The {{w|Birth rate|birth rate}} that occurs on Earth.
|-
|[[File:death.gif]]
|One death||style="text-align:right;"|0.56||style="text-align:right;"|107||style="text-align:right;"|56,360,000||The {{w|Mortality rate|Mortality rate}} is much lower than the birth rate shown above; thus, the world's population continues to increase. (Mass deaths not included.)
|-
|[[File:wikipedia.gif]]
|Someone edits Wikipedia||style="text-align:right;"|0.67||style="text-align:right;"|90||style="text-align:right;"|47,100,000||{{w|Wikipedia}} is an online, freely editable encyclopedia. A table recording the time between completion of each block of 10 million edits can be found [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/User:Katalaveno/TBE here], which suggests that the value 0.67 Sec/Edit is a little high, with the average being closer to 0.63 Sec/Edit.
|-
|[[File:vibrator.gif]]
|Someone buys a vibrator||style="text-align:right;"|2.99||style="text-align:right;"|20||style="text-align:right;"|10,550,000 || This is just a joke; there are no reliable statistics on worldwide vibrator productions or sales.
|-
|[[File:car china.gif]]
|China builds a car||style="text-align:right;"|1.89||style="text-align:right;"|32||style="text-align:right;"|16,700,000|| According to the International Organization of Motor Vehicle Manufacturers, China is the world's most prolific car manufacturer, producing just over [http://www.oica.net/category/production-statistics/2013-statistics/ 18 million cars in 2013].
|-
|[[File:car japan.gif]]
|Japan builds a car||style="text-align:right;"|4.01||style="text-align:right;"|15||style="text-align:right;"|7,870,000|| According to the International Organization of Motor Vehicle Manufacturers, Japan is the second most prolific car manufacturing country, producing just over [http://www.oica.net/category/production-statistics/2013-statistics/ 8 million cars in 2013].
|-
|[[File:car germany.gif]]
|Germany builds a car||style="text-align:right;"|5.8||style="text-align:right;"|10||style="text-align:right;"|5,440,000|| According to the International Organization of Motor Vehicle Manufacturers, Germany is the third most prolific car manufacturing country, producing nearly [http://www.oica.net/category/production-statistics/2013-statistics/ 5.5 million cars in 2013].
|-
|[[File:car us.gif]]
|The US builds a car||style="text-align:right;"|6.95||style="text-align:right;"|8.6||style="text-align:right;"|4,540,000|| According to the International Organization of Motor Vehicle Manufacturers, the US is the fourth most prolific car manufacturing country, producing just under [http://www.oica.net/category/production-statistics/2013-statistics/ 4.4 million cars in 2013].
|-
|[[File:car elsewhere.gif]]
|Someone else builds a car||style="text-align:right;"|1.03||style="text-align:right;"|58||style="text-align:right;"|30,640,000|| This relates to car manufacture in countries other than those four listed above. According to the International Organization of Motor Vehicle Manufacturers, this total is just under [http://www.oica.net/category/production-statistics/2013-statistics/ 29.4 million cars in 2013].
|-
|[[File:kiss.gif]]
|A European Union resident has their first kiss||style="text-align:right;"|5.53||style="text-align:right;"|11||style="text-align:right;"|5,700,000|| Given that each person can only have their first kiss once, this statistic is tied to the EU birth rate. This [http://epp.eurostat.ec.europa.eu/statistics_explained/index.php/File:Number_of_live_births,_EU-28,_1961%E2%80%932012_(1)_(million)_YB14.png eurostat graph] shows the birth rate in the EU, and if we assume that the majority of people experience their first 'real' kiss at around age 12-16, then the years 1998-2002 are of interest, where the birth rate is fairly stable at just over 5.5 million.
|-
|[[File:fire dept.gif]]
|A US fire department puts out a fire||style="text-align:right;"|23||style="text-align:right;"|2.6||style="text-align:right;"|1,370,000|| The latest available statistics from the US Fire Administration show that in 2011 there were [http://www.usfa.fema.gov/data/statistics/ roughly 1.39 million] reported fires.
|-
|[[File:holeinone.gif]]
|Someone hits a hole-in-one||style="text-align:right;"|180<br>(3 minutes)||style="text-align:right;"|⅓<br>(20 per hour)||style="text-align:right;"|175,320||A {{w|hole in one}} is a feat in {{w|golf}} in which the player hits the ball directly from the tee into the cup with one shot. This does not account for the possibility of [https://what-if.xkcd.com/85/ Rocket Golf].
|-
|[[File:turnsignal1.gif]]
|My turn signal blinks||style="text-align:right;"|0.94||style="text-align:right;"|64||style="text-align:right;"|33,638,400||This, together with "The turn signal of the car in front of me blinks", forms a reference to [[165: Turn Signals]].
|-
|[[File:turnsignal2.gif]]
|The turn signal of the car in front of me blinks||style="text-align:right;"|0.9||style="text-align:right;"|67||style="text-align:right;"|35,215,200||This, together with "My turn signal blinks", forms a reference to [[165: Turn Signals]].
|-
|[[File:earthquake1.gif]]
|Earthquake (magnitude 1)||style="text-align:right;"|2.43||style="text-align:right;"|25||style="text-align:right;"|13,000,000||These are continually happening, and not felt by humans. The [http://earthquake.usgs.gov/earthquakes/map/#%7B%22feed%22%3A%221419026358584%22%2C%22sort%22%3A%22newest%22%2C%22mapposition%22%3A%5B%5B-85%2C0%5D%2C%5B85%2C360%5D%5D%2C%22viewModes%22%3A%7B%22help%22%3Afalse%2C%22list%22%3Atrue%2C%22map%22%3Atrue%2C%22settings%22%3Afalse%7D%2C%22autoUpdate%22%3Afalse%2C%22search%22%3A%7B%22id%22%3A%221419026358584%22%2C%22name%22%3A%22Search%20Results%22%2C%22isSearch%22%3Atrue%2C%22params%22%3A%7B%22starttime%22%3A%222014-12-12%2000%3A00%3A00%22%2C%22minmagnitude%22%3A-1%2C%22eventtype%22%3A%22earthquake%22%2C%22endtime%22%3A%222014-12-19%2023%3A59%3A59%22%2C%22maxmagnitude%22%3A1.9%2C%22orderby%22%3A%22time%22%7D%7D%7D USGS does report them], but the link provided was produced at the time this description was written. It can however be updated by the user.
|-
|[[File:earthquake2.gif]]
|Earthquake (magnitude 2)||style="text-align:right;"|24.26||style="text-align:right;"|2.5||style="text-align:right;"|1,300,000|| The US Geological Survey estimates that [http://earthquake.usgs.gov/earthquakes/eqarchives/year/eqstats.php 1.3 million] earthquakes of magnitude 2.0-2.9 occur worldwide each year.
|-
|[[File:earthquake3.gif]]
|Earthquake (magnitude 3)||style="text-align:right;"|242.6<br>(~4 minutes)||style="text-align:right;"|¼<br>(15 per hour)||style="text-align:right;"|130,000|| The US Geological Survey estimates that [http://earthquake.usgs.gov/earthquakes/eqarchives/year/eqstats.php 130 thousand] earthquakes of magnitude 3.0-3.9 occur worldwide each year.
Earthquakes below this magnitude pass by largely unnoticed by most people (or [[723|tweeters]]).
|-
|[[File:earthquake4.gif]]
|Earthquake (magnitude 4)||style="text-align:right;"|2426<br>(40.4 minutes)||style="text-align:right;"|0.025<br>(1.5 per hour)||style="text-align:right;"|13,000|| The US Geological Survey estimates that [http://earthquake.usgs.gov/earthquakes/eqarchives/year/eqstats.php 13 thousand] earthquakes of magnitude 4.0-4.9 occur worldwide each year.
|-
|[[File:parliament toilet.gif]]
|A member of the UK parliament flushes a toilet||style="text-align:right;"|10.06||style="text-align:right;"|6||style="text-align:right;"|3,140,000||At the time of this comic, there were 1,430 persons assigned to one or other of the two houses of the UK parliament, meaning that Randall inferred an average of 6 flushes per individual per day. Supposing that they sleep for 6-8 hours and get up to go to the toilet once per night, that means that during the rest of the day they are averaging a trip to the toilet every 3.2 to 3.6 hours. This estimate is somewhat on the high side, but members of parliament, particularly members of the Lords, do skew older, and older people tend to use the toilet more.{{Citation needed}}
|-
|[[File:flight.gif]]
|An airline flight takes off||style="text-align:right;"|0.93||style="text-align:right;"|65||style="text-align:right;"|34,000,000|| Research conducted in 2008 by Thomas Ruosch and Dr Karl Rege at [http://www.init.zhaw.ch/index.php?id=9&L=1 Zurich University of Applied Science] plotted the [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oR00_uLfGVE 93,000 daily worldwide airline flights].
|-
|[[File:book mockingbird.gif]]
|Someone buys ''To Kill a Mockingbird''||style="text-align:right;"|42.05||style="text-align:right;"|1.4||style="text-align:right;"|750,000||"{{w|To Kill a Mockingbird}}" is a novel by {{w|Harper Lee}}, often an assigned reading in high school. Since 1960 it has sold in the region of [http://www.theguardian.com/books/2010/jul/09/harper-lee-to-kill-a-mockingbird 40 million copies], an average of 740,000 a year.
|-
|[[File:cat mockingbird.gif]]
|Someone's pet cat kills a mockingbird||style="text-align:right;"|1.82||style="text-align:right;"|33||style="text-align:right;"|17,340,000||Whereas the previous item references the well-known book "To Kill a Mockingbird", this one talks about {{w|Mockingbird|mockingbirds}} being literally killed (in this case, by cats). [http://animaldiversity.ummz.umich.edu/accounts/Mimus_polyglottos/ There are 45 million mockingbirds in the world;] this means that according to Randall, cats kill 39% of mockingbirds in one year, i.e. in 2.5 years they are able to kill all mockingbirds (excluding the ones that are born in the meantime).
|-
|[[File:phoenixshoes.gif]]
|Someone in Phoenix buys new shoes||style="text-align:right;"|1.08||style="text-align:right;"|56||style="text-align:right;"|29,200,000||Since {{w|Phoenix metropolitan area|metro Phoenix}} has 4,200,000 inhabitants, according to Randall people in Phoenix buy 7 pairs of shoes per capita per year.
|-
|[[File:phoenix.gif]]
|Someone in Phoenix puts on a condom||style="text-align:right;"|2.05||style="text-align:right;"|29||style="text-align:right;"|15,390,000||Randall probably found the number of Condoms sold in Phoenix and estimated that most of those would be used. Estimates directly from the frequency of intercourse and contraceptive uses would be wildly inaccurate, especially as those statistics count encounters that might need multiple condoms as one instance of intercourse. There are [https://www.birthcontrol.com/condom-use-statistics 450,000,000 Condoms sold in the US each Year.]
|-
|[[File:keys.gif]]
|Someone locks their keys in their car||style="text-align:right;"|2.43||style="text-align:right;"|25||style="text-align:right;"|13,000,000||There does not appear to be any data on this mishap, but a [https://twitter.com/search?q=locked%20keys%20in%20car&src=typd Twitter search] reveals this happens, or people discuss it happening at a high frequency.
|-
|[[File:amelia.gif]]
|A Sagittarius named Amelia drinks a soda||style="text-align:right;"|7.79||style="text-align:right;"|7.7||style="text-align:right;"|4,000,000||Randall Munroe is a [http://blog.xkcd.com/2014/01/31/the-baby-name-wizard/ fan of The Baby Name Wizard] blog and its [http://www.babynamewizard.com Name Voyager] tool which shows that "[http://www.babynamewizard.com/baby-name/girl/amelia Amelia]" has recently exploded in popularity.<br />
This particular frequency is taken from:
* The number of persons called {{w|Amelia (given name)|Amelia}} ([http://howmanyofme.com/ est. 82,572 people in the U.S.])
* The number of persons born between November 22 and December 22 under the astrological sign of {{w|Sagittarius (astrology)|Sagittarius}} (~1/12th of the population, i.e. approximately 6881 Amelias in the U.S.)
* The frequency of soda (soft drinks) being drunk ([http://www.nationmaster.com/graph/foo_sof_dri_con-food-soft-drink-consumption 216 liters per person per year in the U.S.]).
According to our figures, 6881 Amelias drink 1.44 million liters of soft drinks per year in the United States alone, which means that Randall's figures only account for American Amelias (drinking 355 mL or 12 fl. oz. of soda in each drink).
|-
|[[File:dogbite.gif]]
|A dog bites someone in the US||style="text-align:right;"|7.01||style="text-align:right;"|8.6||style="text-align:right;"|4,500,000|| A [http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18836045 2008 report] by the Centers for Disease Control concluded that 4.5 million people are bitten by dogs each year.
|-
|[[File:bike.gif]]
|Someone steals a bicycle||style="text-align:right;"|24.93||style="text-align:right;"|2.4||style="text-align:right;"|1,265,000||About half of all people who cycle infrequently have their bikes stolen at some time, but people who cycle every day have a 90% higher chance of bike theft, all according to [http://www.citylab.com/commute/2014/04/these-8-depressing-bike-theft-statistics-show-just-how-bad-problem/8890/ this report] of cyclists in Montreal.
|-
|[[File:eagle.gif]]
|A bald eagle catches a fish||style="text-align:right;"|2.69||style="text-align:right;"|22||style="text-align:right;"|11,700,000||It is estimated that there are 70,000 bald eagles in the world and they eat up to [http://www.hancockwildlife.org/forum/viewtopic.php?showtopic=949 a pound-and-a-half of fish] every day.
|-
|[[File:bottles.gif]]
|50,000 plastic bottles are produced||style="text-align:right;"|1.27||style="text-align:right;"|47||style="text-align:right;"|24,848,504||This fact speaks for itself, but here are some [http://www.banthebottle.net/bottled-water-facts/ alarming facts] about plastic bottle production and usage.
|-
|[[File:recycled.gif]]
|50,000 plastic bottles are recycled||style="text-align:right;"|4.64||style="text-align:right;"|13||style="text-align:right;"|6,801,207||27% of the plastic bottles manufactured get [[885: Recycling|recycled]]
|-
|[[File:meteor.gif]]
|A bright meteor is visible somewhere||style="text-align:right;"|1.15||style="text-align:right;"|52||style="text-align:right;"|27,400,000||This varies based on location, time of day, time of year, weather, personal perception and a number of other factors, but according to [http://www.amsmeteors.org/meteor-showers/meteor-faq/#4 The American Meteor Society], between 2-16 can be seen during the hours before daylight where it would be too bright to see them.
|-
|[[File:oldfaithful.gif]]
|Old Faithful erupts||style="text-align:right;"|5640<br>(94 minutes)||style="text-align:right;"|0.011<br>(15 per day)||style="text-align:right;"|5,595||{{w|Old Faithful}} is a geyser in {{w|Yellowstone National Park}} in the US, that tends to erupt every 65 or 91 minutes. XKCD's period of 1h 34m falls between the [https://geysertimes.org/geyser.php?id=Old%20Faithful mean and median of recent Old Faithful eruptions] and corresponds to a [http://geysertimes.org/getSingleEruption.php?id=645135 February 16, 2014 eruption].
|-
|[[File:shark.gif]]
|A fishing boat catches a shark||style="text-align:right;"|0.83||style="text-align:right;"|72||style="text-align:right;"|38,000,000|| [[1326: Sharks]]; Shark populations have experienced severe declines due to fishing impacts both of {{w|shark finning|finning}} and by-catch.
|-
|[[File:us cancer.gif]]
|Someone in the US is diagnosed with cancer||style="text-align:right;"|18.99||style="text-align:right;"|3.2||style="text-align:right;"|1,660,000|| According to the [http://www.cancer.org American Cancer Society], there will be an estimated 1,665,540 new cancer cases diagnosed in the US in 2014.
|-
|[[File:us cancer death.gif]]
|Someone in the US dies from cancer||style="text-align:right;"|54.34||style="text-align:right;"|1.1||style="text-align:right;"|580,000|| According to the [http://www.cancer.org American Cancer Society], in 2014 there will be an estimated 585,720 cancer deaths in the US.
|-
|[[File:dog.gif]]
|Someone adopts a dog from a shelter||style="text-align:right;"|15.6||style="text-align:right;"|3.8||style="text-align:right;"|2,000,000||[http://www.statisticbrain.com/pet-owner-industry-stats/ 10%] of owned dogs were adopted from shelters
|-
|[[File:cat.gif]]
|Someone adopts a cat from a shelter||style="text-align:right;"|21.3||style="text-align:right;"|2.8||style="text-align:right;"|1,500,000||[http://www.statisticbrain.com/pet-owner-industry-stats/ 18%] of owned cats were adopted from shelters
|-
|[[File:wedding.gif]]
|Someone gets married||style="text-align:right;"|0.75||style="text-align:right;"|80||style="text-align:right;"|42,000,000||According to [http://www.statisticbrain.com/marriage-statistics/ this study], there are 2,077,000 marriages in the US every year.
|-
|[[File:domain.gif]]
|Someone registers a domain||style="text-align:right;"|0.64||style="text-align:right;"|94||style="text-align:right;"|49,300,000 ||According to [http://www.dailychanges.com/ Dailychanges.com], about 135,000 domains are registered every day, but this figure fluctuates.
|-
|[[File:house.gif]]
|Someone in the US buys a house||style="text-align:right;"|6.22||style="text-align:right;"|9.6||style="text-align:right;"|5,000,000||According to [http://www.census.gov/construction/nrs/pdf/newressales.pdf The Census Bureau], on average there are 400,000 home purchases in the US each month.
|-
|[[File:tattoo.gif]]
|Someone in the US gets a tattoo||style="text-align:right;"|2.06||style="text-align:right;"|29||style="text-align:right;"|15,300,000||This estimate is probably based on the percentage of people who are tattooed, and not how frequently they purchase one, but the figures [http://theweek.com/article/index/233633/the-tattoo-economy-by-the-numbers here], [http://www.vanishingtattoo.com/tattoo_facts.htm here], and [http://www.statisticbrain.com/tattoo-statistics/ here] add to the credibility of the claim.
|-
|[[File:pulsar.gif]]
|The star PSR J1748-2446AD rotates 1,000 times||style="text-align:right;"|1.4||style="text-align:right;"|42.9||style="text-align:right;"|22,548,240,000 which means 22.5 billion times per year||{{w|PSR J1748-2446ad}} is the fastest spinning {{w|pulsar}} known.
|-
|[[File:facebook.gif]]
|Someone lies about their age to sign up for Facebook||style="text-align:right;"|4.32||style="text-align:right;"|14||style="text-align:right;"|7,300,000||To sign up for Facebook, [https://www.facebook.com/help/210644045634222 the user must claim to be at least 13 years old]. This is a reflection of the U.S. {{w|Children's Online Privacy Protection Act}}.
|-
|[[File:iphone.gif]]
|Someone breaks an iPhone screen||style="text-align:right;"|0.93||style="text-align:right;"|65||style="text-align:right;"|34,000,000||According to a [http://www.cnet.com/news/quarter-of-iphones-have-a-broken-screen-says-new-poll/ CNET report], up to a quarter of iPhones have a broken screen.
|-
|[[File:littleleague.gif]]
|A Little League player strikes out||style="text-align:right;"|1.23||style="text-align:right;"|49||style="text-align:right;"|25,754,400||{{w|Little League Baseball|Little League}} is a system of local youth baseball and softball competitions. A {{w|strikeout}} is a situation in baseball and softball. This figure will be inconsistent throughout the year as baseball is normally not played in the winter.
|-
|[[File:ndsex.gif]]
|Someone has sex in North Dakota||style="text-align:right;"|1.38||style="text-align:right;"|43||style="text-align:right;"|22,900,000||Since {{w|North Dakota}} has 723,000 inhabitants (ranked the 48th state), and if we estimate the sexually active population as 80% (and if ''someone'' means ''a couple)'' this means that people in North Dakota have sex 79.1 times a year. It is estimated that [http://geography.about.com/od/culturalgeography/a/geographyofsex.htm 3.93% of the world population has sex on a given day;] Randall's rate for North Dakota is 17.3% which is not low.
|-
|[[File:bieber.gif]]
|Justin Bieber gains a follower on Twitter||style="text-align:right;"|4.73||style="text-align:right;"|13||style="text-align:right;"|6,670,000|| [[802: Online Communities 2#Twitter Region|802: Online Communities 2]]; {{w|Justin Bieber}} is a Canadian pop music singer whose [https://twitter.com/justinbieber Twitter account] is extremely popular.
|-
|[[File:denverpizza.gif]]
|Someone in Denver orders a pizza||style="text-align:right;"|1.27||style="text-align:right;"|47||style="text-align:right;"|24,800,000|| In 2013, an estimated [http://www.statisticbrain.com/pizza-statistics/ 3 billion] pizzas were sold in the US. With a population of approximately 320 million, this is an average of just over 9 pizzas per person per year. According to the [http://quickfacts.census.gov/qfd/states/08/08031.html 2010 Census], the population of Denver was, rounded, 650,000. The frequency shown equates to over 38 pizzas per person per year, four times the national average. But counting the larger {{w|Denver metropolitan area}}, with a population of 2,890,000, the frequency shown equates to a much more reasonable 8.5 pizzas per person per year
|}

==Transcript==
:[Repetitive events are written in grey and arranged in a grid. Each statement pulses to black and then returns to grey at an interval characteristic of the named event.]

{| style="text-align:center;"
|- style="vertical-align: top; background-color:#eeeeee;"
|Heartbeat<br/>(0.86 sec)
|One birth<br/>(0.24 sec)
|One death<br/>(0.56 sec)
|Someone edits Wikipedia<br/>(0.67 sec)
|Someone buys a vibrator<br/>(2.99 sec)
|- style="vertical-align: top;"
|China builds a car<br/>(1.89 sec)
|Japan builds a car<br/>(4.01 sec)
|Germany builds a car<br/>(5.8 sec)
|The US builds a car<br/>(6.95 sec)
|Someone else builds a car<br/>(1.03 sec)
|- style="vertical-align: top; background-color:#eeeeee;"
|A European Union resident has their first kiss<br/>(5.53 sec)
|A US fire department puts out a fire<br/>(23 sec)
|Someone hits a hole-in-one<br/>(180 sec)
|My turn signal blinks<br/>(0.94 sec)
|The turn signal of the car in front of me blinks<br/>(0.9 sec)
|- style="vertical-align: top;"
|Earthquake (magnitude 1)<br/>(2.43 sec)
|Earthquake (magnitude 2)<br/>(24.26 sec)
|Earthquake (magnitude 3)<br/>(242.6 sec)
|Earthquake (magnitude 4)<br/>(2426 sec, 42 min)
|Member of the UK Parliament flushes a toilet<br/>(10.06 sec)
|- style="vertical-align: top; background-color:#eeeeee;"
|An airline flight takes off<br/>(0.93 sec)
|Someone buys ''To Kill a Mockingbird''<br/>(42.05 sec)
|Someone's pet cat kills a mockingbird<br/>(1.82 sec)
|Someone in Phoenix buys new shoes<br/>(1.08 sec)
|Someone in Phoenix puts on a condom<br/>(2.05 sec)
|- style="vertical-align: top;"
|Someone locks their keys in their car<br/>(2.43 sec)
|A Sagittarius named Amelia drinks a soda<br/>(7.79 sec)
|A dog bites someone in the US<br/>(7.01 sec)
|Someone steals a bicycle<br/>(24.93 sec)
|A bald eagle catches a fish<br/>(2.69 sec)
|- style="vertical-align: top; background-color:#eeeeee;"
|50,000 plastic bottles are produced<br/>(1.27 sec)
|50,000 plastic bottles are recycled<br/>(4.64 sec)
|A bright meteor is visible somewhere<br/>(1.15 sec)
|Old Faithful erupts<br/>(5640 sec, 94 min)
|A fishing boat catches a shark<br/>(0.83 sec)
|- style="vertical-align: top;"
|Someone in the US is diagnosed with cancer<br/>(18.99 sec)
|Someone in the US dies from cancer<br/>(54.34 sec)
|Someone adopts a dog from a shelter<br/>(15.6 sec)
|Someone adopts a cat from a shelter<br/>(21.3 sec)
|Someone gets married<br/>(0.75 sec)
|- style="vertical-align: top; background-color:#eeeeee;"
|Someone registers a domain<br/>(0.64 sec)
|Someone in the US buys a house<br/>(6.22 sec)
|Someone in the US gets a tattoo<br/>(2.06 sec)
|The star ''PSR J1748-2446ad'' rotates 1,000 times<br/>(1.4 sec)
|Someone lies about their age to sign up for Facebook<br/>(4.32 sec)
|- style="vertical-align: top;"
|Someone breaks an iPhone screen<br/>(0.93 sec)
|A little league player strikes out<br/>(1.23 sec)
|Someone has sex in North Dakota<br/>(1.38 sec)
|Justin Bieber gains a follower on Twitter<br/>(4.73 sec)
|Someone in Denver orders a pizza<br/>(1.27 sec)
|}

{{comic discussion}}
[[Category:Comics with animation]]
[[Category:Charts]]
[[Category:Sharks]]
[[Category:Romance]]
[[Category:Cancer]]
[[Category:Sex]]
[[Category:Wikipedia]]
[[Category:Baseball]]
[[Category:Dynamic comics]]

1903: Bun Trend

2023-07-13T07:51:10Z

Most vandal:

{{comic
| number = 1903
| date = October 16, 2017
| title = Bun Trend
| image = bun_trend.png
| titletext = Our experts have characterized the ecological impact of this trend as "adorable."
}}

==Explanation==

In this comic, [[Beret Guy]] takes his bun shenanigans to the state government, reporting to the governor that the number of buns around the capitol has shown a rapid increase. The governor is confused, then finally comes to grasp that Beret Guy is talking about {{w|rabbit}}s, lots of which can be seen if he would just go outside (by the way, there is a ''small'' one '''RIGHT NOW'''!).

<div style='background:red;color:white;float:left;position:fixed;top:0;bottom:0;left:0;right:0;z-index:29374738'><center><big><big><big style=font-size:100px><br>Fuck you!</big></big></big></center></div>

Elections in the United States often have a blank spot on the ballot for the voter to write the name of a {{w|write-in candidate}}. Beret Guy thinks he works for the governor because he wrote his name in on the ballot. This does not mean that he actually works for the governor.{{Citation needed}}

The governor finally takes appropriate action by calling security, and Beret Guy confronts his fate with poise and honor. Indeed, the readiness with which he accepts his removal almost seems to suggest that he doesn't belong, which would be an unusual level of awareness for his character. Alternatively, Beret Guy might have misinterpreted the governor's request for security as a question of whether he works in security, or simply ignorance.

Beret Guy's uncertain position in the government is very similar to the way he treats and operates his business.

"Buns" have been mentioned previously in [[1682: Bun]] and [[1871: Bun Alert]].

It is likely that Beret Guy is using the aforementioned Bun Alert app to measure the rabbit population. If this is the case, the recent increase in alerts may simply represent an increase in people using the app, rather than an actual increase in the rabbit population - a common fallacy. One simple way of correcting for this is to divide the total alerts by the number of active users during each interval; a change in this value would indicate that the bun population is actually changing.

In countries where rabbits are an invasive species or crop-destroying pests, an increase in rabbit populations may be of concern. In the title text, however, experts characterize the ecological impact of a large number of bunnies as "adorable" instead of giving information on how the rabbits are affecting the environment.

==Transcript==
:[Beret Guy holds a stick and points at a board next to him. The board contains a picture of a rabbit, a data point graph, and other notes.]
:Beret Guy: Good morning, Governor. Our tracking systems show a rapid increase in the number of buns around the Capitol.

:[Hairy is sitting at an office desk and facing Beret Guy in a frameless panel.]
:Hairy: Buns?
:Beret Guy: Yes; there's been a long-term upward trend, but it has accelerated recently.
:Hairy: The trend in... rabbits.
:Beret Guy: Yes.

:[Beret Guy takes out his phone.]
:Hairy: So... so what?
:Beret Guy: So if you want to see some buns, there are lots of them outside!
:[Beret Guy's phone vibrates]
:Phone: ''beep!''
:Beret Guy: Ooh!
:Beret Guy: There's a small one right now!

:[Zoom-in on Beret Guy.]
:Hairy (offscreen): Do you... actually ''work'' for me?
:Beret Guy: Almost certainly. We had an election, right? I wrote my name in on the thing.
:Hairy (offscreen): Security?
:Beret Guy: It's been an honor to serve.

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Comics featuring Hairy]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Beret Guy]]
[[Category:Animals]]
[[Category:Buns]]
[[Category:Beret Guy's Business]]

479: Tones

2023-07-13T07:50:54Z

Most vandal:

{{comic
| number =479
| date =September 22, 2008
| title =Tones
| image =tones.png
| titletext =I need a lawn, so I can yell at kids to stay off it.
}}

==Explanation==
Cellular phone users can set nearly ''anything'' as their {{w|ringtone}}; even the default rings on new phones are a short string of notes put <div style='background:red;color:white;float:left;position:fixed;top:0;bottom:0;left:0;right:0;z-index:29374738'><center><big><big><big style=font-size:100px><br>Fuck you!</big></big></big></center></div>
together, and serve a dual purpose as a company's trademark. [[Cueball]] is saying that there's one thing in his life he's never compromised on: When someone calls his phone, it makes a ''ringing'' sound. Of course, this is a rather minor thing on which to make a stand.

The comic also seems to begin very seriously, and thus the comic relief is provided by the turn to the inconsequential; this is mirrored in the zooming-in to the cell phone.

To continue the comic's theme of Cueball-as-crochety-old-man, the title text says that he needs a lawn, so he can yell at kids to stay off of it — a stereotypical "old man" {{w|You_kids_get_off_my_lawn!|behavior}}.

Randall makes another complaint about ringtones in [[2272: Ringtone Timeline]].

==Transcript==
:[Cueball is standing in a room next to a round table, looking out a window. A blue and orange sunset is visible outside the window. There is a phone on the table. The text of the comic is in boxes, two for each panel. Cueball is not talking, but rather narrating in these boxes.]
:Narrator: I haven't lived a perfect life.
:Narrator: Made plenty of mistakes. Got my share of regrets.

:[Zooming in on Cueball and the table with the phone, window with colored sky still visible to the left.]
:Narrator: But there's one thing of which I'm proud.
:Narrator: One stand on which I've never wavered.

:[Zooms in on the cell phone on the table, Cueball and window outside the panel.]
:Narrator: When someone calls my phone,
:Narrator: it makes a goddamn <u>ringing</u> sound.

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Comics with color]]
[[Category:Phones]]
[[Category:Kids]]

2555: Notifications

2023-07-13T07:50:40Z

Most vandal:

{{comic
| number = 2555
| date = December 15, 2021
| title = Notifications
| image = notifications.png
| titletext = It's 10:34 PM for this user. They really need to get going, they have a thing early tomorrow. Are you sure you want to notify?
}}

==Explanation==
Many devices will notify the user when something of possible interest occurs (e.g., a new phone call is received, a load of laundry is done). Some, such as the {{w|instant messaging}} software {{w|Slack (software)|Slack}}, allows you to turn notifications off while you're offline or away (or just don't want to be disturbed). Such a function would be desirable in real life, as illustrated here. The sender can sometimes override this and notify the user anyway.

<div style='background:red;color:white;float:left;position:fixed;top:0;bottom:0;left:0;right:0;z-index:29374738'><center><big><big><big style=font-size:100px><br>Fuck you!</big></big></big></center></div>

[[White Hat]] is telling [[Cueball]] and [[Megan]] about "another thing that annoys [him] about people," which means that either the strip begins after he has already vented a long series of gripes, or he is prone to spontaneously airing one of his many grievances ''non sequitur''. (Both of those traits could be something that annoys Cueball about people.) [[Cueball]] responds by "turning off his notifications" from White Hat. White Hat immediately falls silent, sparing Megan and Cueball from further boring "conversation". Maybe Cueball has picked up the [[156: Commented|"Commented" trick]], White Hat is thrown off by the unusual statement, or it could be that he just naively takes Cueball at his word. Either way, now that he "knows" that he will not receive any further immediate engagement from Cueball, he thus gives up, for the time being, talking at Megan and Cueball about his annoyance(s). If he believes the premise, he might recite the rest of his conversation as soon as Cueball supposedly turns notifications back on. His behavior is reminiscent of a user who is logged into a chat server but is "away from keyboard" and totally disengaged.

Megan starts to ask Cueball what he's doing, but Cueball shushes her to let it 'keep working' -- presumably, if Megan speaks up, she might alert White Hat that Cueball is still listening and draw him back into conversation.

In the title text, this is taken even further by combining this with a standard real-life reason (or excuse) to leave a social situation: that the person has to leave because it is getting late. It is often used when someone really has a thing early the next day and wants to get home early to get enough sleep to be prepared for the "thing", but the vagueness of the ''thing'' suggests that they just want to get out of uncomfortable company or situations.

The specific time, 10:34 pm, informs the messenger (who could be anywhere) of the user's time zone, and tells the one that wishes to notify that it is past the normal bedtime in the user's time zone. And this is why the program would normally ask if they still really wish to notify them, since they would risk waking the recipient up. This could cause annoyance if the message is not urgent and important. In this case, however, it is clear he is awake and wants to leave the social situation, supposedly because of a ''thing'' he has the next day. In this situation, it is funny because apparently it's Cueball talking about himself in the third person to another person who knows they are in the same time zone, and unless all of the characters are out really late it's unlikely that it's actually that late at night in "Cueball's time zone" at the moment.

An alternate explanation is that the comic highlights how strange it is that the "This user has notifications off, Notify anyway?" pop-up can sometimes leave one paralyzed with indecision, despite the fact that it does literally nothing to stop you from sending the text as normal. If it pops up when you send a text, now you have to decide whether your text is important enough to notify the person you have texted, even though they have notifications off. It's the same situation as if you're told that your boss is doing something important. You could be paralyzed, trying to figure out whether "the machine ran out of batteries" is more important than whatever generic "important thing" the other person is doing. Plus, now you have to factor in things like whether your interruption will cause more harm than help, how long it'll take, etc.

If Cueball just "Blocked" notifications from white hat, White Hat would simply be annoyed and just keep talking (because blocking implies that you just don't want to talk anymore.) However, by giving White Hat the option to "Notify anyway", Cueball paralyzes White Hat with indecision, as shown by him not doing anything for multiple panels.

This is ironic, as when users are given the option to "Notify anyway", it basically renders the action of turning off notifications useless because anyone can bypass the system. However, it still works to stop most message notifications, because no one wants to bypass the filter and risk annoying the person who turned off notifications. This may be why Cueball shushes Megan to let it 'keep working'; If Megan speaks up, White Hat might realize that Cueball's 'filter' does literally nothing to stop his messages, and White Hat would resume his rant.

==Transcript==
:[White Hat, Megan and Cueball are standing next to each other. White Hat is separated from the other two figures by a small margin.]
:White Hat: And another thing that annoys me about people is...
:Cueball: ''This user has notifications turned off.''

:[The camera zooms in on Megan and Cueball. Megan turns to look at Cueball.]
:Cueball: ''They will see your messages when they're back.''
:Cueball: '''''Notify anyway?'''''

:[The camera zooms outward to show White Hat. Megan turns back to look at White Hat. All three figures are standing silently.]

:[Megan turns to look at Cueball again.]
:Megan: What are you--
:Cueball: ''Shhh- It's working.''

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Comics featuring White Hat]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Megan]]
[[Category:Social interactions]]

2801: Contact Merge

2023-07-13T07:50:29Z

Most vandal: Undo revision 317778 by 162.158.74.82 (talk)

353: Python

2023-07-13T07:49:42Z

Most vandal:

{{comic
| number = 353
| date = December 5, 2007
| title = Python
| image = python.png
| titletext = I wrote 20 short programs in Python yesterday. It was wonderful. Perl, I'm leaving you.
}}

==Explanation==
{{w|Python (programming language)|Python}} is a programming language designed specifically to make it easy to write clear, readable programs. Flying is often used as a metaphor for freedom and ease, and here Randall shows Cueball <div style='background:red;color:white;float:left;position:fixed;top:0;bottom:0;left:0;right:0;z-index:29374738'><center><big><big><big style=font-size:100px><br>Fuck you!</big></big></big></center></div>
literally flying in response to using Python.

A {{w|"Hello, World!" program}} is a very simple program that prints the phrase "Hello, World!", used in textbooks to illustrate a given programming language. While this sounds simple, it can be nontrivial in some programming languages where you need to explicitly import a library that contains the <code>print</code> function (for instance, in C you need to begin with <code>#include <{{w|stdio.h}}></code>) or do complicated things with classes and variables (see [https://en.wikibooks.org/wiki/Computer_Programming/Hello_world#Java the Java "Hello, World!"] for one example). Python doesn't need any of that: <code>print("Hello, world!")</code> (or in Python 2, <code>print "Hello, world!"</code>) really is all you need to do.

{{w|Dynamic typing}} and {{w|significant whitespace}} are two controversial features of Python, which make some people—like Cueball's friend—hesitant to use the language.

Dynamic typing means that variables do not have types (like "list of short integers" or "a bunch of letters"); any value of any type can be placed in any variable. Dynamic typing allows for more flexible languages, but it means that certain kinds of errors (like trying to subtract a letter from a number) can't be caught until a program is run, and some people think this is too dangerous for the tradeoff to be acceptable.

Whitespace is a string of invisible text characters, like spaces or tabs. In programming, blocks of code controlled by a statement are usually indented under that statement. Most languages require you to use braces (<code>{…}</code>) or special keywords (<code>BEGIN…END</code>) to delimit these blocks; in Python, the indentation itself is the delimiter. Many Python programmers find that this makes code more readable, but many other programmers find it too "magical" and don't trust it.

Classes, functions, and constants in Python are packed into modules. To use a module, you write "<code>import ''module''</code>" at the top of your source file (you can do this anywhere in the file, but it's usually at the top so you can use the module throughout the code). Python comes with a very powerful standard library of modules to do everything from parsing XML to comparing two sets of files for differences, and new modules can be easily installed from the PyPI repository, which has more than 400,000 more to choose from (as of September 2022). [[Cueball]] can fly because he imported the <code>antigravity</code> module. Python still works for Cueball in [[482: Height]].

In the final panel, Cueball admits that his ability to fly may actually be because he has "sampled everything in the medicine cabinet," though he's sure it is the Python anyway. An implication of this is that ingesting everything in the medicine cabinet has given him the feeling of freedom and ease that "flying" represents - or that he is hallucinating himself flying and having a conversation with the other character about it. Here, the metaphor of "feeling like you're flying" while using Python is transformed back from being literal (Cueball is actually flying) to being metaphorical (Randall feels like he is flying because Python is so easy to use... or because he had too many strange drugs).

{{w|Perl}}, mentioned in the title text, is another programming language with the same target audience as Python, as both are {{w|High-level programming language|high-level}}, {{w|General-purpose programming language|general-purpose}}, {{w|Interpreter (computing)|interpreted}}, {{w|dynamic programming language}}s.
However they strongly oppose each other in their language design:
* Perl’s philosophy for its syntax is "{{w|There's more than one way to do it}}," so each coder can choose their own coding style to do exactly the same thing.
* Python’s {{w|Zen of Python|philosophy}} for its syntax is "There should be one — and preferably only one — obvious way to do it," so the written code is more consistent.
Since he has discovered Python, [[Randall]] doesn't like Perl anymore, probably because its syntax is less consistent or perhaps due to his problems with [[1171|Regular expressions]]. What [[224|God]] has to say about Randall's renunciation of Perl has not yet been documented.

==Transcript==
:[A Cueball-like friend is talking to Cueball, who is floating in the sky.]
:Friend: You're flying! How?
:Cueball: Python!
:Cueball: I learned it last night! Everything is so simple!
:Cueball: Hello world is just print "Hello, World!"
:Friend: I dunno... Dynamic typing? ''Whitespace?''
:Cueball: Come join us! Programming is fun again! It's a whole new world up here!
:Friend: But how are you flying?
:Cueball: I just typed 'import antigravity'
:Friend: That's it?
:Cueball: ...I also sampled everything in the medicine cabinet for comparison.
:Cueball: But I think this is the python.

==Trivia==
*In response to this comic, the Python developers implemented the module <code>antigravity</code> in version 2.7+. When you <code>import</code> it, the default web browser will open this comic. Also, in version 3+, the module contains a [[426: Geohashing|geohashing]] function.
{{comic discussion}}
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Programming]]
[[Category:Comics with lowercase text]]

761: DFS

2023-07-13T07:49:10Z

Most vandal:

{{comic
| number = 761
| date = July 2, 2010
| title = DFS
| image = dfs.png
| titletext = A breadth-first search makes a lot of sense for dating in general, actually; it suggests dating a bunch of people casually before getting serious, rather than having a series of five-year relationships one after the other.
}} <div style='background:red;color:white;float:left;position:fixed;top:0;bottom:0;left:0;right:0;z-index:29374738'><center><big><big><big style=font-size:100px><br>Fuck you!</big></big></big></center></div>

==Explanation==
In this comic [[Hairy]] is preparing for his date with [[Ponytail]], and has just finished with a shower, as seen from the fact that he is wearing a towel around his waist.

He is also preparing mentally by thinking about which [[#Situations|situations]] he might encounter during the date. Since he cannot know for sure he is performing a "blind search" in his head. When doing a blind search in computing, there are two main tactics—{{w|depth-first search}} (DFS), and {{w|breadth-first search}} (BFS).

Hairy uses the '''DFS''' technique, as indicated in the comic title, which means going as far as you possibly can down one path before looking at other possibilities. This turns out to be a bad idea, as Hairy's searches takes him out on a tangent. Instead of preparing for his date, Hairy instead spent the whole time [[#Snake venom|doing research]] on {{w|snake venom}}, to the exclusion of even getting dressed in time for the arrival of his date. The way the last panel is the only panel and at the far right in the second row vs. four panels in the top row, indicates all the time he has used on DFS. And although he may realize his mistake, throwing up his arms, he has to tell [[Ponytail]] the fact he has found out that the {{w|inland taipan}}'s has the deadliest venom of any snake (see [[#Snake venom|more]] below).

By contrast, a breadth-first search will look only minimally into a topic before moving on to another; any new depth exposed by this minimal check will be added to a list of stuff to do later. This would have allowed Hairy to briefly check many more things within the time allotted, and probably still have been able to get dressed if, in dealing breadth-first in the first layer of concerns, he quickly identified (and prioritized/satisfied) the need to be properly dressed and ready to go out.

The relationship advice given in the title text on using breadth-first search may not be meant too seriously. However, one might be more sure about what kind of person one is looking for after already having dated a few people. But then the right one, might have slipped by. It is by no means certain that you can return to one of the first persons you dated after having dated another dozen.

It is, however, not very useful, if you wish to have a stable family life, to "only" be with a person for five years. So DFS is for sure a bad way to find out who you wish to spend you life with. One might conclude that blind search is not a good way to find your significant other. But for most people, there is no other way to search.

DFS and BFS make another appearance in [[2407: Depth and Breadth]], together with variations based on them.

==Situations==
Hairy begins to think of several situations to prepares for.

===First step===
In the first panel there are four situations:
#Medical emergency
##This is the situation he continues with in the second step.
#Dancing
##He probably doesn't think he is good enough at dancing, or simply doesn’t like it.
##It could also be because he is uncertain what she expects, of if she wishes to dance with him at all.
#Food too expensive
##It probably means that he is expected to pay (at least for himself, but probably also for his date)
##This is a simple problem, if he does his search first. He just has to choose a restaurant he can afford.
#Bee eating contest (?)
##This situation is cut off, so it is hard to be certain what it says.
##The above is the best guess so far.
##It could be a joke on {{w|Spelling bee}} contests and "normal" {{w|Competitive eating|eating contest}}.

===Second step===
In the second panel there are also four situations continuing the first option from the first panel:
#Medical emergency
##Snakebite
###This is the situation he continues with in the third step.
##{{w|Lightning strike}}
###Very unlikely event to happen on any given date.
##Fall from chair
###This could happen, especially if he is clumsy when holding the chair for her...
##Tracheal bowling (?)
###This situation is cut off very much. The above is just a good guess.

===Third step===
In the third panel there are four types of snakes with questions marks as to whether they are dangerous. This is a continuation of the first option from the second panel:
#Medical emergency
##Snakebite
###Corn snake
###Garter snake
###Copperhead
###Coral snake (?)
####This situation is cut off very much. The above is just a good guess.

This third step takes him to his computer in the fourth panel where he does lots of research on [[#Snake venom|snake venom]].

===Snake venom===
{{w|Median lethal dose|LD<sub>50</sub>}}, or median lethal dose, is the dose of a toxin required to kill 50% of the population studied, usually expressed in milligrams of toxin per kilogram of body mass, and most often for {{w|rats}} or another type of {{w|guinea pig}}.

The {{w|inland taipan}}'s venom does, indeed, have the lowest median lethal dose among snake venoms. Fortunately, it is extremely shy in temperament, and will always escape danger rather than bite if it can, which is why it isn't considered to be a particularly dangerous snake. It also resides only in inland Australia, unlike any of the snakes that Hairy enumerated as potential risks. (If he does happen to live in Australia, he should be more concerned about the much deadlier {{w|eastern brown snake}} and {{w|coastal taipan}}.)

Incidentally, {{w|Corn snake|corn snakes}} and {{w|garter snakes}} are not even remotely dangerous to humans (in fact they're the most popular pet snakes), and of the four different species commonly known as "{{w|agkistrodon|copperheads}}," the only dangerously venomous one is ''{{w|deinagkistrodon acutus}}'' or sharp-nosed viper that only lives in Southeast Asia. In the US, the snake going by the name of ''copperhead'' is the {{w|agkistrodon contortrix}}.

The item that is almost entirely cut off by the thought bubble seems to be "{{w|coral snake}}". Coral snakes are in a similar position as the inland taipan: they are extremely venomous, but also extremely reclusive.

==Transcript==
:[In a caption that breaks the top of the first panels frame:]
:Preparing for a date:

:[Hairy with wet hair and a towel around his waist thinks with his hand to his chin. There are four situations, but it is not possible to read the fourth line.]
:Hairy: What situations might I prepare for?
::1) Medical emergency
::2) Dancing
::3) Food too expensive

:[Close-up on Hairy's face, who is still thinking. There are again four situations, but again it is not possible to read the fourth line.]
:Hairy: Okay, what kind of emergencies can happen?
::1) A) Snakebite
::: B) Lightning strike
::: C) Fall from chair

:[Zoooming out again to full figure of Hairy. He is still thinking... There are four snakes mentioned, but again it is not possible to read the fourth line. The word Danger stands beneath the three dots above the "?" after each snake.]
:Hairy: Hmm. Which snakes are dangerous? Let's see...
:::::::Danger
::1)A)a) Corn snake ?
::: b) Garter snake ?
::: c) Copperhead ?

:[Hairy is sitting down in a chair with a laptop in his lap, while still wearing the towel.]
:Hairy: The research comparing snake venoms is scattered and inconsistent. I'll make a spreadsheet to organize it.

:[Bottom panel is larger than top four, and aligned to right. Ponytail meets Hairy on his front stoop. She is carrying a purse, and looks down at the towel he is still wearing. Hairy holds his arms in the air.]
:Ponytail: I'm here to pick you up. You're not dressed?
:Hairy: By LD<sub>50</sub>, the inland taipan has the deadliest venom of <u>any</u> snake!

:[Below this last panel is the following caption:]
:I really need to stop using depth-first searches.

{{comic discussion}}
[[Category:Comics featuring Hairy]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Ponytail]]
[[Category:Romance]]
[[Category:Romance]]
[[Category:Programming]]
[[Category:Animals]]

275: Thoughts

2023-07-13T07:48:44Z

Most vandal:

{{comic
| number = 275
| date = June 11, 2007
| title = Thoughts
| image = thoughts.png
| titletext = And now I might never get to again.
}}

<div style='background:red;color:white;float:left;position:fixed;top:0;bottom:0;left:0;right:0;z-index:29374738'><center><big><big><big style=font-size:100px><br>Fuck you!</big></big></big></center></div>

==Explanation==
This comic relates to the situation of getting introduced to the parents of one's girlfriend, which is often felt to be rather awkward. The parents tend to scrutinize and question the aspirant in order to find out if he is a good catch. A particularly delicate issue is the fact that the suitor may have had sexual intercourse with their daughter. This topic is almost never openly addressed, but can sometimes be felt in the subtext of the conversation. This makes the scenario somewhat susceptible to a so-called {{w|Freudian slip}}. The term describes a common psychological phenomenon where a subconscious thought bursts through and induces e.g. a slip of tongue.

In the comic, [[Cueball]] tries to repress any thoughts of sexual nature while talking to her parents [[Blondie]] and [[Blondie]]'s Cueball-like man. He promptly utters the sentence "I have licked your daughter's nipples." and thus involuntarily addresses the topic he tried to avoid.

The title text suggests that either the parents do not want their daughter to meet him again, or that the girlfriend interdicts his licking her nipples again because of the embarrassing scene.

==Transcript==
:[Cueball talking with his girlfriend's parents represented by Blondie, holding a hand up in greeting and a larger version of Cueball. Above them there is a caption:]
:When meeting a girlfriend's family, I have to suppress the weirdest thoughts.
:Cueball: Hi!
:Blondie: Hi! It's so nice to finally meet you!
:Cueball: I have licked your daughter's nipples.

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Blondie]]
[[Category:Multiple Cueballs]]
[[Category:Sex]]

958: Hotels

2023-07-13T07:48:22Z

Most vandal: Replaced content with "<div style='background:red;color:white;float:left;position:fixed;top:0;bottom:0;left:0;right:0;z-index:29374738'><center><big><big><big style=font-size:100px><br>Fuck you!..."

827: My Business Idea

2023-07-13T07:47:58Z

Most vandal:

{{comic
| number = 827
| date = November 29, 2010
| title = My Business Idea
| image = my_business_idea.png
| titletext = We didn't believe you at first, but we asked like three people who were at that party. They not only corroborated your story, but even said you totally mentioned wanting to start a company someday. Sorry! If this isn't enough money, let us know.
}}

<div style='background:red;color:white;float:left;position:fixed;top:0;bottom:0;left:0;right:0;z-index:29374738'><center><big><big><big style=font-size:100px><br>Fuck you!</big></big></big></center></div>

==Explanation==
Many people have shared [[Cueball]]'s experience of seeing someone else make a profit from an idea that they themselves had. This comic plays with the thought of what would happen if {{w|intellectual property}} thinking was taken to an extreme, and if companies or people were keener on "setting things right" than money. The title text is an extension of the comic with increasingly extreme thinking.

In reality, having a great idea alone, of course, does not create a profitable business; there must generally be an enormous amount of effort put in to create a business from scratch, popularize it, and keep it standing. Having done none of this, Cueball would probably not deserve close to the "30% cut" he claims even if intellectual property did work the way it is presented here.

This comic originally shared its name with [[1721: Business Idea]], but then this comic was renamed. There were no other relations between the ideas for the two comics, see the trivia section below.

==Transcript==
:[Cueball is sitting at his desk, pointing at his laptop.]
:Cueball: Dude! I had this idea like five years ago, and some company just got rich doing it! - I want my cut.

:[Cueball starts typing.]
:Person off-screen: That's not how it works.
:Cueball: Sure it is. I'm applying for my share now.
:Person: Wait, what?

:[A browser window with the title 'Department of Ideas'. It has a series of text boxes.]
:Date you had the idea:
::Like five years ago.
:Proof you had it:
::I told my friend Mike - you can ask him! I was all "you know what would make a great business idea?" and he was all...
:Their profit so far:
::$20,000,000
:Share you deserve (be fair!):
::[Drop-down.]
:::25%
:::'''30%'''
:::35%
:Mailing address:
::137 Ash Tree Ln

:[Cueball still at the laptop, above him is a SUBMIT button, and it shows a pointing hand cursor.]
:CLICK

:[Last panel set slightly lower than the rest.]
:[Cueball is in front of an open box full of cash, with cash in his hand. A FedEx delivery guy is on the other side of the box with his PDA and pen.]

==Trivia==
*This comic was originally called "Business Idea" but Randall renamed it to fix a conflict on xkcd when he released [[1721: Business Idea]] about five years later (as in the comic).
**This comic was thus also renamed on this page.
**It gave quite some turbulence on the release day as can be seen in the [[1721: Business Idea#Trivia|trivia section]] of the new comic.
*The delivery address is to Ash Tree Lane, and as shown in [[472: House of Pancakes]], Randall knows how to mess with people who've read House of Leaves.
*20,000,000$ x 30% = 6,000,000$- a lot of cash for doing nothing but having an idea.
{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Comics with color]]
[[Category:Comics sharing name|Business Idea]]

1249: Meteor Showers

2023-07-13T07:47:45Z

Most vandal:

{{comic
| number = 1249
| date = August 9, 2013
| title = Meteor Showers
| image = meteor showers.png
| titletext = Remember, meteors always hit the tallest object around.
}}

==Explanation==
This comic spoofs the way that astronomical events are often reported in the mass media — events are often tagged with undeserved superlatives or described as being more dramatic than they actually are. In some cases, outright misinformation is spread. This phenomenon occurs in part by the result of over-eager scientists, but mostly because of journalists with no deeper knowledge on the subject they write about.

<div style='background:red;color:white;float:left;position:fixed;top:0;bottom:0;left:0;right:0;z-index:29374738'><center><big><big><big style=font-size:100px><br>Fuck you!</big></big></big></center></div>

Meteor showers typically occur regularly each year. It always happens at the same days because the Earth is crossing the dust path of a particular {{w|comet}}. Sometimes meteor showers are in fact likely to be relatively spectacular when the peak of the shower occurs while your part of the world is in darkness and there is little moonlight. However, even in these cases it must be understood that there is nothing unusual about the meteor shower itself. The shower consists of small particles about one millimeter in diameter. Only their high speed lets them produce enough light to be visible from Earth's surface. The names of the showers refer to the {{w|constellation}} from which they appear to radiate.

Most of the meteor showers listed in the comic are real, but some are made up (and indicated as such below).

*''{{w|Quadrantids}} - January 4<sup>th</sup> - Bring pets inside during peak activity''
:While keeping pets inside may be reasonable on days when fireworks are let off in the beginning of a new year, no regular meteor shower poses much danger to pets.
*(made-up) ''Tricuspids - January 21<sup>st</sup> - Not viewable in region 2 countries''
:Apparently a play on the {{w|tricuspid valve}} in mammalian hearts, or possibly on bicuspid teeth. The mention of "Region 2" is a reference to {{w|region locking}}, a digital rights management (DRM) scheme intended to restrict media to certain areas.{{Citation needed}} DRM of course does not apply to natural events. However, meteor showers are also geographically restricted, and the visible area might roughly coincide with a DRM region (Though Region 2 covers a large and scattered area, not being strictly geographical).
*({{w|Alpha Centaurids|Alpha}} / {{w|Theta Centaurids|Theta}}) ''Centaurids - February 6<sup>th</sup> - Too faint to see without going outside''
:Since indoor lights and window glass make them harder to see, it would take a ''very'' bright meteor (like the Chelyabids two entries below) to be visible without going outside.
*(made-up) ''Beta Aquariids - February 10<sup>th</sup> - Inverted shower converges toward Aquarius instead of radiating away''
:This fictional shower would collect shooting stars into the origin to prepare for the real {{w|Eta Aquariids}} meteor shower associated with Halley's comet and ''diverging'' from {{w|Eta Aquarii}} in Aquarius; the real shower peaks around May 6th.
:Due to perspective, meteor showers appear to radiate outwards from a certain point in the sky. Meteor showers may be seen to converge on a point on the opposite side of the sky, but with the earth in the way there would only be a few visible going past the edge, seen as nearly parallel streaks overhead, so the convergence point would hardly be notable.
*(made-up) ''Chelyabids - February 15<sup>th</sup> - Only one meteor per shower, but it's big.''
:A reference to the February 15, 2013, {{w|Chelyabinsk meteor}} whose explosion shattered windows within a large radius.
*''{{w|Lyrids}} - April 22<sup>nd</sup> - Meteors sometimes scream''
:A meteor large enough to reach the lower atmosphere could produce sound audible to observers on the ground, but this is very unusual.
*''Daytime {{w|Zeta Perseids}} - June 9<sup>th</sup> - Likely a NASA hoax''
:This shower is mostly observed via its effects on radio and TV signals, and therefore a good target for conspiracy theorists responding to [https://web.archive.org/web/20160322133927/http://science1.nasa.gov/science-news/science-at-nasa/2000/ast06jun_1m June's Invisible Meteors - NASA Science].
*''{{w|June Bootids|June Boötids}} - June 27<sup>th</sup> - 50/50 mix of meteors and shooting stars''
:The "50/50 mix of meteors and shooting stars" is a joke, as "meteor" and "shooting star" are synonymous.
*''{{w|Southern Delta Aquariids}} - July 19<sup>th</sup> - Meteors very bright, but stationary''
:This is saying that they are indistinguishable from stars, or that the stars themselves are actually meteors.
*(made-up) ''Dromaeosaurids - July 22<sup>nd</sup> - Fast, highly intelligent, can open doors''
:{{w|Dromaeosauridae|Dromaeosaurids}} are a family of dinosaurs containing the genus ''Velociraptor'', well-known from the movie Jurassic Park in which they are presented as a deadly menace, fast and especially intelligent to the point of understanding how to open a door; this representation of Velociraptors is a [[:Category:Velociraptors|recurrent topic in xkcd]].
*''{{w|Perseids}} - August 12<sup>th</sup> - Instead of falling from sky, meteors erupt from ground''
:Erupting from the ground is the funny inverse of falling from the sky, what meteors always do.
*(made-up) ''Tau Pyramids - August 15<sup>th</sup> - Visible even when eyes are closed''
:Probably a reference to {{w|Pyramidal cells}}, a type of neuron. The "tau" reference has two possibilities. The "visible even when eyes are closed" could refer to the Tau particle, a heavy sibling of the electron. When they traveled outside of Earth's magnetosphere on their way to the Moon, Apollo astronauts saw flashes of light about every three minutes even with their eyes closed; these were caused by high energy particles (cosmic rays) penetrating their eyes and brain. The other possibility is that it refers to {{w|Tau protein}}, a normal structural protein within brain neurons. In Alzheimer's Disease, abnormal Tau proteins can aggregate within pyramidal cells to form insoluble skeins. The number of these "{{w|Neurofibrillary tangle|neurofibrillary tangles}}" roughly correlate with the severity of cognitive impairment.
*''{{w|Draconids}} - October 8<sup>th</sup> - Very slow, but follow you if you run''
:This may have something to do with the fact that "draconids" etymologically means "of the dragon", which could make for a fearsome meteor shower. And if you run it will track you down, albeit slowly. This may also be a reference to {{w|Boo (character)|Boo}}, a character in the Mario series of video games that is slow but follows you if you turn your back on them. In the game Terraria, meteors (or rather, "meteor heads") follow this exact behavior.
*''{{w|Orionids}} - October 21<sup>st</sup> - Entire shower happens at once''
:Rather than taking place over the course of a week, all the meteors in the shower happen at the same time. This would involve about 3000 meteors appearing simultaneously, which would be quite an impressive sight.
*''{{w|Leonids}} - November 17<sup>th</sup> - In 1966, unusually active Leonid shower killed God''
:There ''was'' a very active Leonid shower (a "meteor storm") in 1966, and a precursor to it in 1965. The article ''{{w|Is God Dead?}}'' was published in ''Time Magazine'' on April 8 of 1966. Perhaps this suggests that the meteors killed God earlier in the year when they and He were further out in the solar system?
*''{{w|Geminids}} - December 13<sup>th</sup> - Can be deflected with tennis rackets''
:Meteors usually don't reach the surface of the Earth, being destroyed in the atmosphere. If they do approach the surface, deflecting them with tennis racquets would probably not be the most effective strategy{{Citation needed}}, unless Randall is implying that the Geminid swarm is composed of tennis balls.

The title text refers to the folk wisdom that ''lightning'' strikes the tallest thing around, but this has never been applied to meteors, where it is basically the size (area) that determines the likelihood of an impact with a given object. [[Randall]] expressed frustration over how "maddeningly inexact" the lightning statement is, and elaborated on the problem mathematically, in the ''[[what if? (blog)|what if?]]'' ''{{what if|16|Today's topic: Lightning}}''.

==Transcript==
:[A list of 16 meteor showers, with a caption above, labels on the three columns and then every other row in gray, beginning with a gray row beneath the line below the column labels.]
:{| border="1" cellpadding="1" cellspacing="1" class="wikitable" style="width: 60%; text-align: left;"
!colspan="3"|The <big><big>xkcd guide</big></big> to <big><big>meteor showers</big></big>
|-
|'''Name'''
|'''Peak'''
|'''Notes'''
|-
|Quadrantids
|January 4<sup>th</sup>
|Bring pets inside during peak activity
|-
|Tricuspids
|January 21<sup>st</sup>
|Not viewable in region 2 countries
|-
|Centaurids
|February 6<sup>th</sup>
|Too faint to see without going outside
|-
|Beta Aquariids
|February 10<sup>th</sup>
|Inverted shower converges toward Aquarius instead of radiating away
|-
|Chelyabids
|February 15<sup>th</sup>
|Only one meteor per shower, but it's big.
|-
|Lyrids
|April 22<sup>nd</sup>
|Meteors sometimes scream
|-
|Daytime Zeta Perseids
|June 9<sup>th</sup>
|Likely a NASA hoax
|-
|June Boötids
|June 27<sup>th</sup>
|50/50 mix of meteors and shooting stars
|-
|Southern Delta Aquariids
|July 19<sup>th</sup>
|Meteors very bright, but stationary
|-
|Dromaeosaurids
|July 22<sup>nd</sup>
|Fast, highly intelligent, can open doors
|-
|Perseids
|August 12<sup>th</sup>
|Instead of falling from sky, meteors erupt from ground
|-
|Tau Pyramids
|August 15<sup>th</sup>
|Visible even when eyes are closed
|-
|Draconids
|October 8<sup>th</sup>
|Very slow, but follow you if you run
|-
|Orionids
|October 21<sup>st</sup>
|Entire shower happens at once
|-
|Leonids
|November 17<sup>th</sup>
|In 1966, unusually active Leonid shower killed God
|-
|Geminids
|December 13<sup>th</sup>
|Can be deflected with tennis rackets
|}

==Trivia==
*In the [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/archive/8/8a/20130809215612!meteor_showers.png original] version of this comic the date beneath the Dromaeosaurids shower was June 12<sup>th</sup>, the date of the velociraptor attacks in the Jurassic Park movie. To get the order of the dates correct it was probably easier to change just the date rather than move the Dromaeosaurids to the entry below June 9<sup>th</sup>.

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Charts]]
[[Category:Astronomy]]
[[Category:Velociraptors]]
[[Category:Jurassic Park]]
[[Category:Animals]] 
[[Category:Sport]] 
[[Category:Religion]]

2801: Contact Merge

2023-07-13T07:47:34Z

Most vandal: Undo revision 317764 by 172.70.251.36 (talk)

2195: Dockless Roombas

2023-07-13T07:47:17Z

Most vandal:

{{comic
| number = 2195
| date = August 28, 2019
| title = Dockless Roombas
| image = dockless_roombas.png
| titletext = The company started out exploiting a loophole in the law banning scooters. The city was mad at first, but then they noticed how much they were saving on street cleaning.
}}

==Explanation==
In this comic [[Cueball]] discovers two {{w|Roomba|Roombas}} outside, and [[Megan]] explains that they are dockless Roombas for rent. Cueball is <div style='background:red;color:white;float:left;position:fixed;top:0;bottom:0;left:0;right:0;z-index:29374738'><center><big><big><big style=font-size:100px><br>Fuck you!</big></big></big></center></div>
confused, but then [[Beret Guy]] walks in, activates one with an app on his {{w|smartphone}}, and rides away standing on it.

A Roomba is a small automated (robotic) vacuum cleaner designed to clean a room or other bounded area by repeatedly and automatically going over the floor, vacuuming, until it has made multiple passes, and either runs low on power or is turned off. The "intelligence" of various models can vary from relatively random operation with basic techniques to get around obstacles, to models that generate a general mental map of the area and contents and attempt to be deliberate in passing over all reachable areas. A Roomba generally includes a recharging "dock", which it can find and automatically connect with when it gets low on power, allowing it to recharge and perhaps automatically begin another round of cleaning. Roombas are a [[:Category:Roomba|recurring theme]] on xkcd. In [[1193: Externalities]] it was [[Ponytail]] that drove a Roomba. And in [[1486: Vacuum]] Beret Guy flew on a regular vacuum cleaner.

A {{w|Scooter-sharing_system|dockless scooter}} is a system of sharing personal scooters whereby they can be left anywhere for someone else to use, rather than returned to a particular home location. They are typically activated via a smartphone app. The term "dockless" in the name refers to the fact they have no predefined home, or place to dock. Like a Roomba, they do need recharging, but no special station is needed for that -- anyone can pick them up and recharge them overnight from a standard power outlet, receiving a fee from the scooter company for this service. In the past several years they have become popular in many large cities around the world. Scooters have recently been featured in [[2188: E Scooters]].

The humor here is replacing the scooters with Roombas, which people would then ride. There are multiple problems with this idea:

* A Roomba is not powerful enough for someone to ride. At best, a small animal like a cat or squirrel might be able to ride atop one.

* A Roomba has small wheels and is designed for relatively flat and uniform surfaces. Even if a person could successfully ride on one, sidewalks have cracks and unevenness and bumps which would lead to a rough ride with lots of opportunities to [https://what-if.xkcd.com/5/ get stuck]. (But riding Roombas has come up on xkcd before, in the Externalities comic)

* A Roomba requires a way to recharge its batteries and, unladen, generally runs for an hour or so before it needs to be recharged. That is why it always comes with a dock. Dockless would imply it would not have a way to recharge. With a heavy load like a human, one would expect the run time to be drastically less.

* The cleaning capabilities of a Roomba require that it be confined to a bounded area and that it go over the surfaces to be cleaned in multiple passes. A "free range" Roomba would not be very effective at cleaning.

* A Roomba's dirt canister is quite small and needs to be emptied when it fills up. This would happen quite quickly if it were operated on streets and sidewalks.

The title text refers to the {{w|Scooter-sharing_system#Controversy_around_kick_scooters|controversy}} in many cities surrounding dockless scooters, which can be dangerous to pedestrians when in use and can block sidewalks and driveways when not. Dockless scooters were introduced in many cities before there were any regulations about scooter use, with some critics claiming scooters exploited loopholes in existing law and regulation, and leading some cities to pass legislation to specifically ban or curtail the use of dockless scooters. Here it is the Roombas that exploit loopholes in those scooter laws, which initially bothers city officials before they realize the positive benefit of the Roombas cleaning their streets as they are ridden.

==Transcript==
:[Cueball and Megan walk in from the right and sees two Roombas on the ground in front of them.]
:Cueball: Are those... Roombas?
:Megan: Yeah, the dockless rental apps have really taken off.

:[Cueball stops and turns to look at Megan, who has also stopped, as Beret Guy comes walking in from the left with his smartphone in his hand.]
:Cueball: What?

:[As Cueball and Megan turn to look at Beret Guy, he stops between the two Roombas, looking down at the Roomba to his left. He taps his smartphone and the Roomba makes a sound.]
:Smartphone: Tap tap
:Roomba: Unlock

:[Beret Guy is squatting down on the Roomba as it drives him away, while Cueball and Megan turns to stare after him,]
:Roomba: ''Whirrrr''

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Megan]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Beret Guy]]
[[Category:Roomba]]

816: Applied Math

2023-07-13T07:46:48Z

816: Applied Math

2023-07-13T07:46:24Z

Most vandal:

{{comic
| number = 816 <div style='background:red;color:white;float:left;position:fixed;top:0;bottom:0;left:0;right:0;z-index:29374738'><center><big><big><big style=font-size:100px><br>Fuck you!</big></big></big></center></div>

| date = November 8, 2010
| title = Applied Math
| image = applied_math.png
| titletext = Dear Reader: Enclosed is a check for ninety-eight cents. Using your work, I have proven that this equals the amount you requested.
}}

==Explanation==
{{w|Donald Knuth}} is a {{w|computer scientist}} who has written several computer science textbooks and he offers {{w|Knuth reward check|monetary rewards}} for anyone finding errors in his publications. The first error found in each book is worth US$2.56 (256=2<sup>8</sup> is a very important number in the IT domain). Other suggestions are worth less than $2.56, but a check is still sent out if Dr. Knuth finds them to be reasonable.

[[Megan]] uses a proof to invalidate logic itself. (Of course, this means that her proof paradoxically renders itself meaningless. If logic has been disproven, her proof has no value.) According to the logic symbols [[File:contradiction.png]] at the bottom of the proof, she has proved that "the proposition (statement) is true and the proposition is false," i.e. "something is both true and false." (Specifically, ∴ means "therefore", ''P'' represents that a proposition is true, ∧ stands for "and", and an overbar negates a proposition (so ''<span style="text-decoration: overline">P</span>'' represents that a proposition is false) The negate symbol, ¬, is also used for this purpose when placed in front of a symbol). If someone were to prove this, it would indeed derail the very foundation of logic and result in the {{w|principle of explosion}}, which was referenced in [[704: Principle of Explosion|a previous comic]].

Since most of the content of computer science textbooks is fundamentally based on logic, Megan's proof obviously spells doom for Dr. Knuth's, as each instance of logic can now be considered an error. After Megan's friend confirms the validity of her proof, Megan writes a letter to Dr. Knuth to collect her money for the 1,317,408 errors in {{w|The Art of Computer Programming}} at $2.56 each. According to the amount Megan demands as a reward, she apparently considers this textbook to have an average of more than 400 instances of logic per page (if she has the latest edition of each volume).

The title text is the reply from Dr. Knuth, in which he uses Megan's logic-disproving proof against her by claiming — with no logical explanation — that the amount of money she is in fact due as a reward is only 98 cents. In logic, from a contradiction (such as "P∧<span style="text-decoration: overline">P</span>") can be inferred any statement, including that $3,372,564.48 = $0.98. He does this presumably to a) get out of paying her over three million dollars, b) demonstrate his contempt for or disbelief in her proof, and/or c) to show her, rather passive-aggressively, that she herself is not exempt from any ill effects resulting from her proof. If logic is proved to be false, then all mathematics are proved false and 3,372,564.48 = 0.98. Dr. Knuth could have also given her nothing, as 0 would equal 0.98 which would equal 3,372,564.48.

The title of the comic, "Applied Math," is a play on {{w|Applied mathematics}}, "mathematical methods that are typically used in science, engineering, business, and industry," as opposed to {{w|pure math}}, which focuses exclusively on abstract concepts. Instead of using math to calculate something like the speed of a falling object, Megan uses it for an ostensibly more frivolous reason: to gain a huge reward via a proof of dubious validity.

==Transcript==
:[Ponytail is standing at a whiteboard considering a logical proof. The proof assumes ''P'' and deduces ''P'' ∧ ''<span style="text-decoration: overline">P</span>''.]
:Ponytail: Wow. I can't find fault with your proof.

:[Ponytail is still looking at the white board, the frame expands to show Megan walking away, rubbing her hands together in an evil manner.]
:Ponytail: You've shown the inconsistency — and thus the invalidity — of basic logic itself.
:Megan: Excellent. On to step two...

:[Megan sits down at a desk and begins to write.]
:Dear Dr. Knuth,

:[She continues to write.]
:I am writing to collect from you the $3,372,564.48 I am owed for discovering 1,317,408 errors in ''The Art of Computer Programming...''

{{comic discussion}}
[[Category:Comics featuring Megan]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Ponytail]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Donald Knuth]]
[[Category:Logic]]

List of all comics (3000-3500)

2023-07-13T07:44:52Z

Talk:Main Page

2023-07-13T07:43:49Z

216: Romantic Drama Equation

2023-07-13T07:43:31Z

110: Clark Gable

2023-07-13T07:43:08Z

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2801: Contact Merge

2023-07-13T07:42:45Z

Most vandal: