explain xkcd - User contributions [en]

Talk:2313: Wrong Times Table

2020-05-30T01:16:35Z

Overlord of oddities:

Such an illogical table. Smaller numbers multiply to larger answers than larger numbers? Even numbers multiply to odd numbers?! How?!?! What sort of illiterate alien declared this to be the multiplication table?! [[Special:Contributions/108.162.221.101|108.162.221.101]] 20:54, 29 May 2020 (UTC)

This is easily one of the worst XKCD comics, period. Not funny, nor clever. Just seems like noise. [[Special:Contributions/172.69.68.183|172.69.68.183]] 20:57, 29 May 2020 (UTC)
:I suspect Randall may have just been feeling random, perhaps after several months of mostly Coronavirus-related comics. [[User:Barmar|Barmar]] ([[User talk:Barmar|talk]]) 21:13, 29 May 2020 (UTC)
::That's fair, I'm being a bit harsh, but this just comes across as exceptionally meaningless and contrived, so much so that I felt the need to come here and comment immediately for the first time ever [[Special:Contributions/172.69.71.56|172.69.71.56]] 21:18, 29 May 2020 (UTC)
:I relate to certain mathematical facts not sounding right, like how 54 intuitively feels like it's divisible by 4. Nonsensical, but makes sense anyway. [[Special:Contributions/162.158.62.233|162.158.62.233]] 21:42, 29 May 2020 (UTC)

This seems like the multiplication equivalent of looking at a word and thinking it is spelled incorrectly. Sometimes I look at a simple word like "fish" and think: "That can't be right." Sometimes multiplication can feel that way, particularly 7's because those were tricky for some reason. The alt text confirms fishiness with 7's [[Special:Contributions/108.162.246.173|108.162.246.173]] 21:09, 29 May 2020 (UTC)
:Is it weird that I ''don't'' get this? I have this sense of "that is obviously wrong" when it comes to multiplication of small numbers like these, even with sevens and eights. If I read that 7 * 8 = 54, my brain screams "NOOOOOOOOO IT IS 56 YOU IDIOT!". [[Special:Contributions/108.162.221.101|108.162.221.101]] 21:14, 29 May 2020 (UTC)

Well, 2,2 that's actually 2^3=8. 2,3 is addition instead of multiplication. 1,2 is division instead of multiplication. 1,1 is subtraction. 10,10 seems to be a visual gag, though most of the 10s row is either multiplication by 11 or 12... There's some logic to some of these, but it's different for each row, column, or cell. [[Special:Contributions/162.158.74.167|162.158.74.167]] 21:13, 29 May 2020 (UTC)
:Yeah, there is something going on. It looks like a lot of it is remembering the correct answer to a different problem. By my count 55 squares are the correct answer to a square next to it and 31 have a correct answer for somewhere else on the grid. Also, 2*2, 4*4 and 5*5 are double the correct answer.[[Special:Contributions/108.162.245.76|108.162.245.76]] 21:41, 29 May 2020 (UTC)

It's almost disappointing that he didn't hide one or two asymmetries in there just to throw us off! [[Special:Contributions/108.162.216.114|108.162.216.114]] 22:04, 29 May 2020 (UTC)

I get the idea that this is the sort of table you'd get if you tried to train an Adversarial AI from scratch to determine x*y purely by stocastic guessing and comparing to a co-evolving 'scorer' that also starts off naively but supports each answer according to the 'rightness' it thinks it has ''except'' for the real answer which is always hard-coded to be down-scored. (Also noting that DA reportedly came by his choice of 42 by asking people which numbers were 'funnier' than others, which can be said to be a similar kind of process but without the arrayed "original multiplication" element.) [[Special:Contributions/162.158.158.179|162.158.158.179]] 22:13, 29 May 2020 (UTC)

As someone who often confuses 7*8 as 54, I found the alt text very humorous. [[Special:Contributions/172.69.34.118|172.69.34.118]] 22:29, 29 May 2020 (UTC)

I'm disappointed to see that 6*9 isn't equal to 42. [[User:Probably not Douglas Hofstadter|Probably not Douglas Hofstadter]] ([[User talk:Probably not Douglas Hofstadter|talk]]) 23:01, 29 May 2020 (UTC)

This is just a collection of equations with the wrong answers. I'm not sure who finds this funny. [[Special:Contributions/108.162.219.96|108.162.219.96]] 00:33, 30 May 2020 (UTC)

https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php/1210:_I%27m_So_Random[[User:Overlord of oddities|Overlord of oddities]] ([[User talk:Overlord of oddities|talk]]) 01:16, 30 May 2020 (UTC)

Talk:1686: Feel Old

2020-05-28T21:17:03Z

Overlord of oddities:

;Candidates too
Heck with voters, we've got a ''candidate'' who can't remember it: [http://www.snopes.com/donald-trump-7-11/ Trump thought it was 7/11] and that [http://www.politifact.com/truth-o-meter/article/2015/dec/02/new-information-doesnt-fix-donald-trumps-911-claim/ thousands and thousands celebrated in Jersey City]. [[User:Matchups|Matchups]] ([[User talk:Matchups|talk]]) 16:03, 27 May 2016 (UTC)

;The Pot
My favorite election-related "feel old": from 2012 to now, some eligible voters have had pot-smoking Presidents '''for their entire lifetime'''. - [[User:Frankie|Frankie]] ([[User talk:Frankie|talk]]) 16:19, 27 May 2016 (UTC)

; Maybe not?
I would not be surprised if, when young eligible voters are asked, nearly all of them respond that they clearly remember the events. My experience is that we tend to have memories (real or perceived) from a very young age, if we are reminded of them frequently enough later in our lifetime. I clearly remember watching the Apollo 11 landing on TV with my parents; I was only 14 months old at the time, but the memory is vivid in my head. Perhaps I remember a rebroadcast or another landing, when I was older. I remember Watergate unfolding, even though I was 6. Similarly, I have clear first-person memories of events that my father recorded with his 8mm camera. The 9/11 attacks were so frequently referenced and rebroadcasted for years after they occurred, that I suspect that most 18-year-olds consider them part of their personal experience. This also explains Trump's "memory" of celebrations in Jersey City mentioned by [[User:Matchups|Matchups]]. If someone immature sees something repeatedly on Fox news, the experience can become personal to them. [[User:Sysin|Sysin]] ([[User talk:Sysin|talk]]) 12:53, 28 May 2016 (UTC)

: The comic does not imply that all the voters of that age won't remember 9/11. Clearly there will be some, but not all people can remember events from when they were about 3 years-old. [[Special:Contributions/141.101.98.14|141.101.98.14]] 07:42, 31 May 2016 (UTC)

; Previous comics
An earlier comic with the same twist: http://explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php/647:_Scary. [[Special:Contributions/141.101.104.74|141.101.104.74]] 11:20, 31 May 2016 (UTC)

"We're gonna make America old again!" [[Special:Contributions/108.162.245.40|108.162.245.40]] 20:38, 14 November 2016 (UTC)

16 years from now, "this is the first election where there are people who don't remember covid." [[User:Overlord of oddities|Overlord of oddities]] ([[User talk:Overlord of oddities|talk]]) 21:17, 28 May 2020 (UTC)

User:Overlord of oddities

2020-05-23T23:32:15Z

Overlord of oddities: Created page with "what is beret guys name? I think it's bret. what is Black hat's name I think it is charlie, no reason just sounds right. here are my birthday(celebration of the day I was bor..."

what is beret guys name? I think it's bret.
what is Black hat's name I think it is charlie, no reason just sounds right.

here are my birthday(celebration of the day I was born) comics if you want to check them out:
https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php/343:_1337:_Part_3
https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php/504:_Legal_Hacks
https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php/977:_Map_Projections
https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php/1134:_Logic_Boat (my favorite)
https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php/1447:_Meta-Analysis
https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php/2072:_Evaluating_Tech_Things (my second favorite)

Talk:576: Packages

2020-05-21T23:02:36Z

Overlord of oddities:

The only way I could imagine Cueball being on a <s>wanted</s> watch list is if the items he ordered could be interpreted as potentially being used in a hostage crisis at The Pentagon. --[[User:Btx40|Btx40]] ([[User talk:Btx40|talk]]) 20:27, 20 February 2013 (UTC)
: What's the lube for? [[Special:Contributions/103.10.66.8|103.10.66.8]] 16:29, 19 May 2013 (UTC)
:: It's only for adults.--[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 17:24, 19 May 2013 (UTC)
Has anyone actually tried this?--[[User:Mynotoar|Mynotoar]] ([[User talk:Mynotoar|talk]]) 22:57, 7 July 2013 (UTC)
: [http://www.urlesque.com/2010/11/09/xkcd-comic-script-to-buy-ebay/ This] guy did. [[Special:Contributions/74.124.100.108|74.124.100.108]] 07:47, 20 October 2013 (UTC)
: [http://bobcatinabox.com/ Here]'s one you can sign up for. I've been signed up for a while and packages are starting to trickle in, much to my amusement. --[[User:Alex|Alex]] ([[User talk:Alex|talk]]) 22:46, 25 June 2014 (UTC)
:: I've added a link to the "Bobcat in a Box" website in a trivia section, because I really thought it should be mentioned in the main article. [[User:SuperSupermario24|Just some random derp]] 18:33, 24 June 2015 (UTC)

Who would sell a bobcat for a dollar? {{unsigned ip|108.162.250.217}}
: I think the shipping costs will eat you alive. [[Special:Contributions/108.162.220.53|108.162.220.53]] 18:49, 20 June 2015 (UTC)

[https://wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww.bitnik.org/r/ Similar] sort of experiment with a $100 cap, in bitcoins. Was discontinued within three months after the program purchased ecstasy internationally, a likely stolen credit card, and a presumably fraudulent (but very high quality) Hungarian passport - in addition to some other suspect items of questionable legality. {{unsigned ip|108.162.219.98}}
: I think it would be an acceptable sacrifice of randomness in purchases to put a few "forbidden" key words in your purchase-bot's programming. -Pennpenn [[Special:Contributions/108.162.250.162|108.162.250.162]] 04:22, 17 July 2015 (UTC)

I am totally signing up for Bobcat in a Box! :D --[[User:JayRulesXKCD|'''JayRules''XKCD''' ]][[User talk:JayRulesXKCD|what's up?]] 18:40, 10 February 2017 (UTC)

where can I get this script

A: you can have this instead B:don't know but there is a good fanfiction about this: https://www.fanfiction.net/s/13249443/1/I-Am-A-Bobcat [[User:Overlord of oddities|Overlord of oddities]] ([[User talk:Overlord of oddities|talk]]) 23:02, 21 May 2020 (UTC)

Talk:325: A-Minus-Minus

2020-05-21T22:58:15Z

Overlord of oddities:

Why should the woman be [[Danish]]? She wasn't introduced at this point, and has different hair. --[[Special:Contributions/141.89.226.146|141.89.226.146]] 10:32, 28 February 2013 (UTC)

:Good point; I've edited the transcript accordingly. Thanks! - [[User:Cos|Cos]] ([[User talk:Cos|talk]]) 12:19, 28 February 2013 (UTC)

- What can we learn from this? - I've learned to expect the unexpected and laugh my ass off when I figure out the reason behind it (Thank you for all the laughs and lessons, Mr. XKCD) - [[User:E-inspired|E-inspired]] ([[User talk:E-inspired|talk]]) 16:36, 28 February 2013 (UTC)

Does this explanation still need to be listed as incomplete? I really don't think so. [[User:Gman314|Gman314]] ([[User talk:Gman314|talk]]) 17:23, 16 August 2013 (UTC)
:I did remove the incomplete tag after entering more clear internal comic links. But this is still more a link collection than an explanation. I'm still not happy with this.--[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 18:43, 16 August 2013 (UTC)

The explanation is clear, but is there some specific e-Bay meaning to A-Minus-Minus (A--) ? --[[User:Quicksilver|Quicksilver]] ([[User talk:Quicksilver|talk]]) 19:45, 21 August 2013 (UTC)

I put in my take on A--. Maybe someone can check this, and remove the incomplete tag. [[Special:Contributions/199.27.128.160|199.27.128.160]] 05:03, 13 November 2013 (UTC)

I think that A−− is a grade, proportional to 97%. [[Special:Contributions/108.162.212.199|108.162.212.199]] 12:25, 27 November 2013 (UTC)
:Following that logic, A+ = 100, A = 99, A− = 98, A−− = 97. [[Special:Contributions/108.162.221.117|108.162.221.117]] 13:57, 29 November 2016 (UTC)

Since it seems like we've explained every possible interpretation of the title, I'm removing the "incomplete" tag. [[User:Neito|Neito]] ([[User talk:Neito|talk]]) 16:17, 11 December 2013 (UTC)

What's the deal with the marks on his face? In the last panel, they look like a hash mark and a dollar sign; int the previous one they look like tally marks. [[User:Dfeuer|Dfeuer]] ([[User talk:Dfeuer|talk]]) 11:46, 5 December 2014 (UTC)
: Randall probably didn't feel like making extra work form himself maintaining visual consistence between panels. -Pennpenn [[Special:Contributions/108.162.250.162|108.162.250.162]] 00:53, 11 March 2016 (UTC)

Bobcats don't have big fluffy tails, they have "bobtails". Also, I would love to be sent a bobcat. Please send me a bobcat. I'm so lonely.
[[User:Gwynfshae|Gwynfshae]] ([[User talk:Gwynfshae|talk]]) 15:20, 1 September 2015 (UTC)

here have a fanfiction about boxcat: https://www.fanfiction.net/s/13249443/1/I-Am-A-Bobcat [[User:Overlord of oddities|Overlord of oddities]] ([[User talk:Overlord of oddities|talk]]) 22:58, 21 May 2020 (UTC)

Talk:959: Caroling

2020-05-21T00:35:03Z

Overlord of oddities:

9 months until I can start pulling this out on carolers again. Gaaaah, the waaait. '''[[User:Davidy22|{{Color|purple|David}}y²²]]'''[[User talk:Davidy22|<tt>[talk]</tt>]] 08:33, 9 March 2013 (UTC)

I removed the section about Wenceslas being posthomously named king; the reference that is used to support this claim in the Wikipedia article does not, in fact, do so. The claim is not repeated anywhere else that I can see. [[Special:Contributions/108.162.219.223|108.162.219.223]] 21:16, 21 January 2014 (UTC)

I have removed the trivia section arguing that Wenceslas might not have been such a great guy after all. There is no proof offered, and the comment is really only speculation, and not actual trivia. If whoever added this section can offer some concrete evidence, then maybe it would be merited. [[User:Orazor|Orazor]] ([[User talk:Orazor|talk]]) 07:50, 1 August 2014 (UTC)

maybe randall knows [[User:Overlord of oddities|Overlord of oddities]] ([[User talk:Overlord of oddities|talk]]) 00:35, 21 May 2020 (UTC)

Talk:307: Excessive Quotation

2020-05-16T21:56:26Z

Overlord of oddities:

Based on the proportion of Star Wars comics that Randall has posted out of the total number of comics that he has posted, I believe Randall could be statistically termed a Star Wars fan.

Therefore I feel an urge to ask him one question: Randall, how is your wife's Force choke?[[User:Occ|Occ]] ([[User talk:Occ|talk]]) 05:22, 20 September 2014 (UTC)

Is the title text related to erotic asphyxiation? [[Special:Contributions/141.101.98.33|141.101.98.33]] 10:12, 2 April 2015 (UTC)

Like in https://xkcd.com/682/ ? {{unsigned ip|‎198.41.227.203}}

I think that it is original it says lack of original conversation which is inspired by lack of faith[[User:Overlord of oddities|Overlord of oddities]] ([[User talk:Overlord of oddities|talk]]) 21:56, 16 May 2020 (UTC)

Talk:2297: Use or Discard By

2020-04-22T23:22:22Z

Overlord of oddities:

comics featuring expiration dates

Talk:478: The Staple Madness

2020-03-12T02:22:51Z

Overlord of oddities:

Is it possible that Beret Guy stapled Cueball to the ceiling? [[Special:Contributions/71.135.43.118|71.135.43.118]] 19:30, 7 August 2013 (UTC)
:No, it's not that easy to staple a man to the ceiling. And the original transcript is clear:
:*Megan: ...HAVE YOU BEEN ABUSING MY STAPLE GUN?
:*Man with Beret: NO.
:*God: <nowiki>[[outside of scene, as voice from above]]</nowiki> YES!
:God tells Megan the truth, not Cueball.--[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 19:38, 7 August 2013 (UTC)

::The power of staples is greater than what your mortal mind can comprehend. [[User:RedHatGuy68|RedHatGuy68]] ([[User talk:RedHatGuy68|talk]]) 03:34, 14 April 2016 (UTC)

::I think it's pretty obvious that Cueball is stapled to the ceiling, since he ''was'' in the first few frames, and then was no longer there at the end, and it seems like all of the frames occur in the same building. I doubt cueball would have just left, so I'm guessing it's probably him... Ceiling Cueball. [[Special:Contributions/173.245.56.180|173.245.56.180]] 16:30, 23 May 2015 (UTC)

::I choose to believe that Berret Guy stapled God to the ceiling. [[Special:Contributions/162.158.91.59|162.158.91.59]] 19:31, 14 January 2019 (UTC)

The comment from god is rather like dinosaur comics.[[Special:Contributions/78.144.232.6|78.144.232.6]] 20:38, 20 August 2013 (UTC)

The whole "staple-crazy $HAT Guy" thing isn't as original as you'd think: [http://meninhats.com/d/20040128.html]. Also, some of [http://wikibin.org/articles/men-in-hats.html this] is pertinent. Yep, Beret Guy is clearly Beriah (punny, eh?) as much as Black Hat is Aram. --[[Special:Contributions/79.241.123.239|79.241.123.239]] 09:32, 9 September 2013 (UTC)

: my reading is that the "yes" comes from someone stapled to the ceiling . . . [[Special:Contributions/108.162.225.135|108.162.225.135]] 20:31, 22 April 2014 (UTC)
::Since he can do the ridiculous such as stapling an OS into a computer... {{unsigned ip|Weatherlawyer}}

...there's no way that voice is actually God, I don't care what the transcript says. Having that be God would be non-sequitur and not all that funny, while if it was Cueball it would make sense and be quite funny. [[User:SuperSupermario24|Just some random derp]] 23:58, 21 June 2015 (UTC)

if GOD is saying something than beret gey did something wrong. [[User:Overlord of oddities|Overlord of oddities]] ([[User talk:Overlord of oddities|talk]]) 02:22, 12 March 2020 (UTC)

Talk:258: Conspiracy Theories

2020-03-12T02:16:10Z

Overlord of oddities:

I have an alternate interpretation of the last panel: instead of Randall using the concept of religion as a conspiracy theory, Cueball clearly believes in a god that exists and this god answers when directly addressed. The existing paragraph's explanation seems to bypass most of the humor in favor of the irony in the religion-conspiracy link. Each time I see this comic, I view the last panel as Cueball (who I would expect to participate in user-driven software quality assurance) legitimately contacting the author/creator (of the universe/Earth/Humanity) to submit a bug report in the same way he would contact the Firefox developers about a bug in their browser. However, it does stand to reason that Randall could have intended both the in-place joke and the external irony.[[User:Tryc|Tryc]] ([[User talk:Tryc|talk]]) 14:44, 19 June 2013 (UTC)

:I agree that there is nothing in the comic to suggest a 'religion' or 'atheist' conspiracy theory. I personally would just trash it, but people are sensitive to religious crap, I find. I also have a personal belief that the majority of the 95% (or whatever the true figure is) of Americans who believe in God do so only to the extent that they will answer 'Yes' to a survey question asking if they believe in God. Such a belief does not otherwise inform or alter their lives in any perceptible way. [[Special:Contributions/108.162.219.223|108.162.219.223]] 19:25, 17 January 2014 (UTC)

Religion is not a conspiracy theory. Conspiracy theorists have proof. {{unsigned ip|199.27.128.63}}
:Why are so many atheists so incompetent at basic principles of logic and skepticism? What you mean to say is that conspiracy theorists have ''evidence''. They tend to lack proof. There is a huge difference, fundamental to the principles of logic and the philosophy of science. — [[User:Kazvorpal|Kazvorpal]] ([[User talk:Kazvorpal|talk]]) 05:51, 29 October 2019 (UTC)

For me, the most interesting tension comes from ("self-reflective") bug report which doesn't (only) refer to conspiracy theorists but, maybe even more, to Cueball himself who beleives in God but still thinks that his own belief in God is a bug to be reported. Reporting could be seen as reporting to God in which he beleives. And that's the simple one. But also reporting that bug could be a report to the consciousness existing beyond the constraints of very comic Cueball is part of. That consciousness is then xkcd audience. Existence of such a consciousness beyond comic's universe would be the equivalent of God in some other universe. Self-reflective awareness of that "alien" existence, and not having a proof for its own comic universe, would make Cueball a religious guy. Randall Munroe decides about the proving possibilities in this particular case. [[User:Marcell|Marcell]] ([[User talk:Marcell|talk]]) 00:39, 13 April 2014 (UTC)

There's a bug in paragraph three... As of the time of this comment, the second sentence reads "The people are more involved in this questioned issues are just getting frustrated about this human behavior." As written, this is nonsense, and clearly exhibits several grammar errors. Unfortunately the explanation lacks clear clues as to what this sentence is intended to convey, so I have no point of reference from which to fix it without occluding the intended meaning. Help, please. [[Special:Contributions/108.162.216.88|108.162.216.88]] 02:18, 3 September 2014 (UTC)
: I've done my best to fix it to what I think was the intended meaning, and to make it flow with the surrounding explain.[[Special:Contributions/162.158.92.6|162.158.92.6]] 02:34, 26 July 2015 (UTC)

I interpreted the last panel as a jab at the subset of atheists who claim intellectual superiority while still believing in random conspiracy theories. {{unsigned|Flewk}}

before:
The title text refers the large number of educated people who believe in Young Earth creationism, stating that the earth is only thousands of years old, instead of the billions of years evolutionary scientists suggest.
after:
The title text refers the large number of educated people who believe in Young Earth creationism, stating that the earth is only thousands of years old, instead of the billions of years evolutionary scientists and geologists(isotope dating) and physicists(big bang theory) suggest.

I don't think young earth creationism matches the comic's description of uncovering a lie and confirmation bias. I would bet that most young earth creationists believe in it because they were raised to believe it. It may be scientifically invalid, but I don't think it's technically a conspiracy theory for most believers anyway.

you guys all believe in the moon?[[User:Overlord of oddities|Overlord of oddities]] ([[User talk:Overlord of oddities|talk]]) 02:16, 12 March 2020 (UTC)

Talk:2276: Self-Isolate

2020-03-05T02:00:34Z

Overlord of oddities:

Where should it be documented that this image links to a tweet (that this feels like it is in response to)? [[Special:Contributions/172.68.174.76|172.68.174.76]] 22:29, 4 March 2020 (UTC)
:Twitter link: https://twitter.com/kakape/status/1235319133585248259 Quote: "...Social distancing may mean staying further apart from each other physically in coming weeks..." -Kai Kupferschmidt [[Special:Contributions/172.68.174.128|172.68.174.128]] 22:49, 4 March 2020 (UTC)
if this goes on next we should say this is a series.

Talk:1274: Open Letter

2020-01-27T21:05:29Z

Overlord of oddities:

If you believe in a shadow government, it seems likely that you would actually see a goverment shutdown as part of the conspiracy. {{unsigned ip|108.13.108.44}}

:Is this another shadow fact? http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=1272 --[[User:MauroVan|MauroVan]] ([[User talk:MauroVan|talk]]) 09:33, 7 October 2013 (UTC)

:Actually, theoretically speaking, a government shutdown ''would'' be part of the conspiracy. Think about it. If there was a shadow government, then the only thing that can stop them is the people uniting against them. So, in order to keep the people from finding out, you would have to destroy their unity. And, unity in the US is at an all time low with people vehemently fighting amongst themselves. So, I don't think that the argument in this strip is valid. An orchestrated chaos would certainly be a tool of a shadow government. Theoretically speaking, of course. [[User:Kwyjibo|Kwyjibo]] ([[User talk:Kwyjibo|talk]]) 20:13, 9 October 2013 (UTC)

I guess Randal is only right as long there is only ONE group involved ;-). --[[User:DaB.|DaB.]] ([[User talk:DaB.|talk]]) 11:01, 7 October 2013 (UTC)

Randall knows ''exactly'' which group is in control, but has been forced by them to leave their name completely off of the aforementioned list. [[Special:Contributions/178.98.212.190|178.98.212.190]] 13:25, 7 October 2013 (UTC)

I removed the words 'Self-proclaimed' from the description of Scientology. It's so vague to be meaningless. Aren't most religions and churches self-proclaimed? Christianity, Islam, Buddhism, etc all started with somebody claiming secret knowledge. It should either be applied to all religions, or none.[[Special:Contributions/154.20.80.41|154.20.80.41]] 13:50, 7 October 2013 (UTC)

Is "Sincerely, A Concerned Citizen" really a Half-Life 2 reference? The phrase is generic enough that it actually appears before Half-Life 2 was released ([http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=102x372352 example]). --[[Special:Contributions/75.119.250.35|75.119.250.35]] 15:21, 7 October 2013 (UTC)
:Agreed, people have been using the "Concerned Citizen" phrasing for years. [[User:Mattflaschen|Mattflaschen]] ([[User talk:Mattflaschen|talk]]) 17:41, 7 October 2013 (UTC)
:It's not just the wording, but the context, so it does seem to be a reference. [[Special:Contributions/108.13.108.44|108.13.108.44]] 18:22, 7 October 2013 (UTC)
::The context being that of somebody concerned about their government? That seems a wee bit broad to be a contextual reference.[[Special:Contributions/154.20.80.41|154.20.80.41]] 03:01, 8 October 2013 (UTC)

Wow! The actual group secretly running the government is so powerful they had themselves removed from the explanation table, apparently! (There's no Trilateral Commission entry right now.) [[User:Imperpay|Imperpay]] ([[User talk:Imperpay|talk]]) 16:29, 7 October 2013 (UTC)
:Fixed. :) [[User:Mattflaschen|Mattflaschen]] ([[User talk:Mattflaschen|talk]]) 17:41, 7 October 2013 (UTC)

No mention of what an open letter is? [[Special:Contributions/76.106.251.87|76.106.251.87]] 04:08, 8 October 2013 (UTC)
:I just added something. It got wordy. Probably could be improved (and/or wiki-link to at least their page on Open Letters). But it's there, FWIW. [[Special:Contributions/178.98.212.190|178.98.212.190]] 13:36, 9 October 2013 (UTC)

Seems he left off Monsanto (according to the hippie types I hang around for some reason, they're running the entire world). Who else was left off the list? [[Special:Contributions/108.162.221.53|108.162.221.53]] 19:49, 7 November 2013 (UTC)MR
: ...the Mafia. [[User:Greyson|Greyson]] ([[User talk:Greyson|talk]]) 02:28, 17 June 2014 (UTC)

Really? The Knights of Malta read xkcd? [[User:Djbrasier|Djbrasier]] ([[User talk:Djbrasier|talk]]) 18:20, 31 March 2015 (UTC)

The Lizards may be a reference to the Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: "I come in peace. Take me to your lizard" Ford Prefect explains here:
:https://www.goodreads.com/quotes/162557-it-comes-from-a-very-ancient-democracy-you-see-you [[Special:Contributions/162.158.34.148|162.158.34.148]] 18:17, 6 November 2015 (UTC)

inter dimensional guardian of life here. the illuminati does not control the U. S. government. right now.

Talk:41: Old Drawing

2020-01-25T23:11:28Z

Overlord of oddities:

I used to frighten people going through my stuff with occasional pictures of Cthulhu standing on a pentagram with the norse runes for "all hail the destroyer of souls" around it, just to make their day a little weirder. {{unsigned|Gigahertz}}

Why is the pun so terribly punishing? (no pun intended) [[User:Benjaminikuta|Benjaminikuta]] ([[User talk:Benjaminikuta|talk]]) 07:31, 11 August 2014 (UTC)

I personally think that the comic means that the cut down tree is both a stump, and confused, no pun intended.

Talk:2157: Diploma Legal Notes

2020-01-24T21:13:40Z

Overlord of oddities: /* What does deleting delete do? */

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

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

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

To me "working lightsaber" means it's not a toy or model. YMMV [[User:RIIW - Ponder it|RIIW - Ponder it]] ([[User talk:RIIW - Ponder it|talk]]) 17:53, 31 May 2019 (UTC)

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

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

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

"6-8 weeks" could be a reference to StackOverflow/StackExchange: https://meta.stackexchange.com/a/19514/353011 [[User:Fabian42|Fabian42]] ([[User talk:Fabian42|talk]]) 18:03, 31 May 2019 (UTC)
:Ok, this link took me on a weird circular journey, where that page included a link to another page that actually contained a link back to xkcd #[[1381: Margin]]. [[User:Ianrbibtitlht|Ianrbibtitlht]] ([[User talk:Ianrbibtitlht|talk]]) 00:02, 1 June 2019 (UTC)
:"6 to 8 weeks" was super common at least back to the eighties and possibly long prior. Whenever there'd be a TV commercial trying to get you to mail order something or a cereal box offering a prize or even a magazine offering something if you sent them a SASE (a Self-Addressed Stamped Envelope) they would invariably quote the delivery times as 6 to 8 weeks. [[User:Mootstrap|Mootstrap]] ([[User talk:Mootstrap|talk]]) 07:31, 2 June 2019 (UTC)
::Probably "as old as dirt", as TV Tropes would phrase it. [[User:These Are Not The Comments You Are Looking For|These Are Not The Comments You Are Looking For]] ([[User talk:These Are Not The Comments You Are Looking For|talk]]) 00:43, 3 June 2019 (UTC)
::6 - 8 weeks is also a meme in Captain Underpants books. Like Mootstrap says above, the main characters mailed in to a catalogue to buy a device for use in a prank. I don't think stack overflow should take the primary credit for this meme. [[Special:Contributions/108.162.241.4|108.162.241.4]] 14:26, 3 June 2019 (UTC)

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

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

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

I would delete the word "it" [[Special:Contributions/162.158.255.52|162.158.255.52]] 06:06, 3 June 2019 (UTC)

Maximum havoc would be wreaked by deleting the word "dictionary" from the...um, what's it called? [[User:Ianrbibtitlht|Ianrbibtitlht]] ([[User talk:Ianrbibtitlht|talk]]) 13:17, 3 June 2019 (UTC)

ALL graduates could delete ONE word, so just one word goes away. EACH graduate deletes one word, now that could be a real problem.

delete the word, what was it called from the what was it called?

Talk:537: Ducklings

2020-01-24T05:29:28Z

Overlord of oddities:

My idea is more of creating an endless loop. A duckling will always follow either it's mother or another duckling. By scaring the mother she turns around and you create the first part of the loop. If you take away the mother in the right moment, the first duckling will see the last duckling and follow it. So the loop is closed. After seeing this comic I really would like to test it in reality. But I think the sound of the mother will ruin everything (shout out warnings).

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ant_mill [[Special:Contributions/85.178.209.22|85.178.209.22]] 15:49, 21 September 2013 (UTC)

Why is it useless?[[Special:Contributions/108.162.225.11|108.162.225.11]] 16:08, 26 February 2015 (UTC)
:tell us a practical use for this plan, then [[User:SuperSupermario24|Just some random derp]] 02:31, 10 June 2015 (UTC)
::Maybe it could be used to generate electricity? {{unsigned ip|162.158.180.113}}

I think the "duckloop'd" in the title text is a reference http://www.hrwiki.org/wiki/D [[Special:Contributions/108.162.237.22|108.162.237.22]] 15:49, 6 January 2017 (UTC)

who hasn't duck/rick rolled someone after looking at this comic? I did.

Talk:Beret Guy

2020-01-22T00:30:36Z

Overlord of oddities: /* beret guy's name */

retcon [[Special:Contributions/76.103.51.147|76.103.51.147]] 21:06, 24 April 2013 (UTC)

== Hate to burst a bubble... ==

...but he isn't actually pouring soup out of the outlet. He has one of those [https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Immersion_heater.jpg immersion heaters on a cord] (picture is of a foreign unit, but they're made for here in the U.S. as well. He plugged it in (evidenced by the "plug" sound), then he's using it to heat his soup. No miracle there.

Sometimes I get soup that way, too. {{unsigned ip|108.162.210.179}}

== Gender? ==

Is Beret "Guy"'s gender ever stated? They're nonconformist enough that we can't assume "no visible hair"="male". [[Special:Contributions/172.68.54.94|172.68.54.94]] 14:53, 19 April 2017 (UTC)

== beret guy's name ==

I always pronounce his name like bare-eht guy, but what's his real name? Or are there multiple people that wear berets and have strange powers. look at comic 1006 it says someone is named bret. could his name be bret.

Talk:525: I Know You're Listening

2020-01-21T21:01:52Z

Overlord of oddities:

Whether or not this is what the Citation request needs, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pascal%27s_Wager#Criticism would be helpful. Most people tend to go for the "What if it's the ''wrong'' god that you believe in?" counter to the wager. i.e. the parts of your religious observance that most please Zeus might well anger Odin greatly, or something similar for any two gods (pantheonic ''or'' sole Authority, this factor also being a major issue of choice) that you might care to compare between. This is mostly covered in the "Argument from inconsistent revelations" section of the above, it appears.

Personally my favoured counter-argument is that any sufficiently omniscient god worth his pillar-of-salt should ''know'' whether you are Wagering, and probably has a special area of Hell (or Tantarus) reserved for those that try to toady up to him by faking a belief (covered by the "Argument from inauthentic belief" section). I choose to believe that an honest non-believer might at least get a look-in at any middle-ground afterlife (regardless of their lack in belief of same), but I also don't have amy great reason to believe that this attitude is going to reward me, either.

(c.f. also the assumption that 'innocents', and people who have never been exposed to the Word Of GodTM are entitled to a free pass to some non-Hell level of afterlife, the punishment only applying after having been introduced to the whole Judeo-Christian system of post-death existence. On this basis, missionaries that go out and inform remote tribespeoples and oceanic islanders of the state of affairs are actually potentially making things a lot worse for their target audience than they ''would'' have been... Assuming that they're right in the first place.)

But note that, for every philosophical argument, there's an equal and opposite philosophical argument. I just plan on being good in the mortal world (where I know I will be rewarded, or at least regarded in a reasonably good light, if perhaps a bit of a doorstep) and if this doesn't help out when I hypothetically find myself at the Pearly Gates then I probably wouldn't have hit on the right form and combination of observances anyway so its not a wager that I could have reasonably 'won'.

This is, of course, way heavier an edit than I had intended, and I'm not suggesting that this is the best intepretation, just my own, and probably not worth a discussion over. [[Special:Contributions/31.111.87.233|31.111.87.233]] 09:28, 28 May 2013 (UTC)

(Forgot to say... non-deity eavesdroppers probably wouldn't have the omniscience, so go ahead and randomly profess your belief in them! [[Special:Contributions/31.111.87.233|31.111.87.233]] 09:30, 28 May 2013 (UTC))

:"Wouldn't have hit on the right form and combination of observances anyway"? Hmm. If only this hypothetical God had hypothetically given us some hypothetical information... like a book or something. That would have been helpful. --[[User:Jlc|Jlc]] ([[User talk:Jlc|talk]]) 02:11, 30 November 2018 (UTC)

:My best argument against pretending to believe something you doesn't is: do you really want to spend an ethernity with people whose belief you faked? For (extreme) example, if only Jehovah's witnesses go to heaven (and assuming you are not one), do you WANT to go there? Similarly, abstinents probably don't want to end in Valhalla. -- [[User:Hkmaly|Hkmaly]] ([[User talk:Hkmaly|talk]]) 08:41, 5 June 2013 (UTC)

::This is a lot of unnecessary talk, even realized to be such by the one who wrote it. The explanation, as written, is fine without this extraneity. [[Special:Contributions/152.119.255.250|152.119.255.250]] 16:24, 30 September 2013 (UTC)
:::Since you did remove the incomplete tag I did add some more explains for Pascal's Wager. --[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 20:23, 30 September 2013 (UTC)

You get the record for longest expoundition of a title text.[[Special:Contributions/72.70.180.234|72.70.180.234]] 18:21, 19 October 2013 (UTC)

:Yes, check your e-mail. (Not you; him.)

[[User:Weatherlawyer| I used Google News BEFORE it was clickbait]] ([[User talk:Weatherlawyer|talk]]) 19:36, 30 January 2015 (UTC)

There is a [[explain_xkcd:Community_portal/Proposals#Merge_Cueball_.26_Rob|community portal discussion]] of what to call Cueball and what to do in case with more than one Cueball. I have added this comic to the new Category:Multiple Cueballs. Since there is only one Cueball that "talks" it is obvious to keep him listed as Cueball. Just made a note that the other guy also looks like Cueball. --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 14:43, 15 March 2015 (UTC)

Cueball's calculation here is wrong. Yes, if there's nobody listening, he doesn't lose anything. But if there is, what happens when they think he's on to them could get unpleasant for him. {{unsigned ip|108.162.221.64}}

I'd do this on the internet but there's a good chance they actually are listening. Though they can't arrest commies for being commies, they can still watchlist them and monitor them closely, especially those who admit to plotting revolution. So yes, I know the government is listening, and the government knows I know they're listening. My only wonder is what are the consequences going to be? And how much faster will it be because I know they're listening?

Perhaps Cueball shouldn't be so quick as to say such... [[User:International Space Station|International Space Station]] ([[User talk:International Space Station|talk]]) 05:25, 22 April 2016 (UTC)

It is funny how embarrassing doing this actually feels, and how hard it seems to be to utter out. [[Special:Contributions/172.68.11.88|172.68.11.88]] 22:14, 1 September 2016 (UTC)

who else say I know your listening, alone.

Talk:233: A New CAPTCHA Approach

2020-01-10T19:26:46Z

Overlord of oddities:

Both of those fail against autistic people (and people who have diseases similar to autism, one example being FG syndrome). [[User:Greyson|Greyson]] ([[User talk:Greyson|talk]]) 17:49, 24 January 2014 (UTC)
:Or, y'know, people who haven't seen the movie/episode. --[[User:Alex|Alex]] ([[User talk:Alex|talk]]) 21:09, 28 April 2014 (UTC)

Not exactly, because kids with autistic-spectrum disorders can be more sensitive. The only pop-culture example I can think of is Sheldon Cooper's sadness when he learned of Professor Proton's passing. {{unsigned ip|108.162.249.240}}

A better example would be the dog in I Am Legend. Also, the text for the question and for the answers would both have to be distorted slightly. [[Special:Contributions/173.245.50.87|173.245.50.87]] 06:02, 11 September 2015 (UTC)

The obvious alusion is Deckard's empathy test on Leon in Blade Runner to determine whether he is human. {{unsigned ip|108.162.229.30}}
:You know it was from Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep by Phillip K. Dick first, right? The movie was based on that. {{unsigned ip|108.162.218.166}}

I don't remember crying to that scene when I was younger. I do- I mean, did cry when Optimus Prime died in the '87 Transformers movie though. -Pennpenn [[Special:Contributions/108.162.249.225|108.162.249.225]] 04:25, 26 January 2015 (UTC)

The funniest thing is the Infosphere does use Fry's dog as a captcha like this. Hutc {{unsigned ip|141.101.98.193}}

This seems to be an allusion to the Voight-Kampff test in the movie Blade Runner. The test is used to distinguish humans from 'Replicas' (artificial humans) by asking questions designed to elicit an emotional response, and then monitoring biological metrics in the respondent. The idea being that replicas would be unable to maintain a convincing fakery against such a systematized methodology. [[User:Danshoham|Mountain Hikes]] ([[User talk:Danshoham|talk]]) 01:55, 25 September 2015 (UTC)

Am I the only one who didn't cry with that episode with Fry's dog? I mean it was sad but I didn't cry. On top of that one of the movies makes that scene a LOT less sad.

I suppose I'm just a cold, heartless satellite. Fry's dog may work on spambots but not satellites. [[User:International Space Station|International Space Station]] ([[User talk:International Space Station|talk]]) 15:35, 22 April 2016 (UTC)

I never really cry in movies because I know that they are fake. most of the time.

Talk:1285: Third Way

2020-01-03T08:12:42Z

Overlord of oddities:

One line per sentence is reminiscent of a diagrammed/formal logic argument in philosophy. It would be a much more effective convention to help people parse and interpret content and validity of e.g. political claims. [[Special:Contributions/173.245.63.198|173.245.63.198]] 17:21, 2 November 2013 (UTC)

Line break after every sentence. 
Because I can. 
[[Special:Contributions/108.162.245.7|108.162.245.7]] 04:41, 20 February 2014 (UTC)

ONE AFTER A PERIOD. '''[[User:Davidy22|{{Color|#707|David}}y²²]]'''[[User talk:Davidy22|<tt>[talk]</tt>]] 04:38, 1 November 2013 (UTC)
:MY VOTE TOO!!! --[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 18:36, 1 November 2013 (UTC)
:MY VOTE, TWO!!! (not really) [[User:Orazor|Orazor]] ([[User talk:Orazor|talk]]) 09:20, 1 October 2014 (UTC)

Writing plaintext, I always do two s after a sentence ending period.
This is probably because I did in fact start typing on a real typewriter.
In an environment where automatic formatting will take place, like a web page or wiki text, I use the newline.
I have had people in this wiki collapse my multiple line forms to one of the others.
(I was disappointed.)
--[[User:Divad27182|Divad27182]] ([[User talk:Divad27182|talk]]) 04:48, 1 November 2013 (UTC)

I prefer double spacing, but I used single spacing in writing the explanation, just to make people happy. Perhaps I should have used new lines. [[User:Concomitant|Concomitant]] ([[User talk:Concomitant|talk]]) 05:10, 1 November 2013 (UTC)
: I'm a double-spacer too. Am I wrong? I can't break myself of the habit, I even do it in s! --[[User:Jeff|Jeff]] ([[User talk:Jeff|talk]]) 16:43, 1 November 2013 (UTC)

The 'third way' is a little underappreciated here: it divides the text into self contained logical units, and makes text processing tools (grep, diff etc.) much more usable.
Proper text rendering engines (TeX, HTML, etc.) already make this assumption and group sentences accordingly.
If only I realized this earlier, it would have made my thesis revisions much more easier.
In fact, up to this moment, I thought I was that lone guy in the comic.
EDIT: this comment in xkcd forums makes my point clear: http://forums.xkcd.com/viewtopic.php?f=7&t=106217#p3489055
--[[Special:Contributions/141.101.96.11|141.101.96.11]] 05:42, 1 November 2013 (UTC)

:As a programmer, I find nothing weird in adapting your style to language. Writing two s in HTML or TeX is useless, as they won't render as two s anyway. (While using for this purpose nonbreakable s, which would render, is a crime.) -- [[User:Hkmaly|Hkmaly]] ([[User talk:Hkmaly|talk]]) 10:48, 1 November 2013 (UTC)
::It would also render incorrectly if the period was close to the end of a line. If the markup is [last word of sentence][period][nbsp][][next sentence], the last word of the first sentence could end up on the next line unnecessarily. But if it's [last word of sentence][period][][nbsp][next sentence], the next line of text would start with a , which is much worse.--[[User:Rael|Rael]] ([[User talk:Rael|talk]]) 15:16, 1 November 2013 (UTC)

::I end my sentences with a line break, a % and another linebreak. Only after commata etc i use a single line break. Oh, and don't forget to protect the after points used in abbreviations, not as full stops, by a backslash. Most TeX increase the length of the after a full stop a bit. Bit question: Why don't double people, when using Word not just use a longer instead of a double . Noone would have the idea to indent a paragraph or substitute a tab with a series of s.[[Special:Contributions/108.162.242.117|108.162.242.117]] 03:11, 2 November 2013 (UTC)
:::Because the does not contain a longer key.--[[Special:Contributions/173.245.52.188|173.245.52.188]] 18:13, 4 November 2013 (UTC)

I always just find and replace double with single . If formatting suffers, someone did a bad job.[[Special:Contributions/108.162.231.228|108.162.231.228]] 06:33, 1 November 2013 (UTC) Synthetica

I always just find and replace single with double . If formatting suffers, someone did a bad job.--[[Special:Contributions/173.245.52.188|173.245.52.188]] 18:13, 4 November 2013 (UTC)

So, why did double spacing after a period ever exist? It doesn't seem necessary. [[User:PheagleAdler|PheagleAdler]] ([[User talk:PheagleAdler|talk]]) 07:31, 1 November 2013 (UTC)
:Here's the standard explanation: on typewriters, each character takes up the same amount of . So a lower-case "i" takes up the same amount of as a capital "M". This is called a monospace font. When typing, if you just put a single after the end of period ending a sentence, the reader doesn't necessarily get the sense that a new sentence has started. This is particularly true if you were typing in all caps, as might be common on some types of forms or documents. Two s, however, does the job nicely. In theory, with modern proportional-width fonts, this is unnecessary. [[User:Rylon|Rylon]] ([[User talk:Rylon|talk]]) 23:36, 1 November 2013 (UTC)
::Here's the researched explanation: http://www.heracliteanriver.com/?p=324 So technically, an em- after a period, an en- after a comma. Or you know, whatever you want. [[Special:Contributions/108.162.250.161|108.162.250.161]] 06:22, 17 July 2015 (UTC)

even though i learned typing on a typewriter, to this day i had never heard of the double thing. maybe it's a US only thing, like the stupid french with s BEFORE punctuation marks. [[User:Peter|Peter]] ([[User talk:Peter|talk]]) 07:54, 1 November 2013 (UTC)
:I've always taken the double- thing as a US thing. Some editors like emacs default to it, which is really annoying. That said, as a frenchman, the " before punctuation" is normal to me and it is part of the ''codified'' typography -- and I think this is actually an important distinction to make. Is this double- vs single- something codified somehow? As a last word, I need to be nitpicky: the exact French typography rule is "a before punctuation made of two parts (namely colon, semi-colon, exclamation/question mark) and no before punctuation made of a single part (dots, commas.)" It's a very deterministic rule that is easy to apply (whether one agrees to it or not.) [[User:Ralfoide|Ralfoide]] ([[User talk:Ralfoide|talk]]) 16:40, 1 November 2013 (UTC)
::This is a common question from the French and some other nationals. The answer is that English does not work that way. There is no official codified version. The most you have is small pockets of codification within an organization, such as The University of Boulder, or UPI or the US Army. If you're working in or with such an organization you should use their standard. If you try to extend any such standard to the rest of the world you are a nasty egomanical control freak who should be chopped into pieces and fed to the fishes.--[[Special:Contributions/173.245.52.188|173.245.52.188]] 18:25, 4 November 2013 (UTC)

As a german typographer I have to say I’m ''shocked''! ''Two'' s per period? A ''before'' punctuation?! My scientific opinion: you all are completely crazy ;-) (Just kidding, but seriously, two s? In Germany, the first possibility to do that safely is your last will …) [[User:Quoti|Quoti]] ([[User talk:Quoti|talk]]) 10:34, 1 November 2013 (UTC)

The doubled s appear in my browser's tooltips. (Maybe someone should add some non breaking s to the quotation of the tooltip text?) --[[Special:Contributions/141.101.98.236|141.101.98.236]] 10:45, 1 November 2013 (UTC)

As a(n automatic) two-spacer person (just you watch, I'll use 'em here, despite it obviously not being rendered), it's just what I learnt, back in the '70s, here in the UK. I've no idea ''why'' I learnt it. However, it may stem from the same root as the 'rule' in handwriting (not biros, but nibbed pens dipped in ink... wow, I feel old, but it ''was'' at primary school) that we use a gap as big as our our (very little) little-fingers to separate sentences. I imagine differentiating full-stops (US: periods) from commas in the messy medium of ink might be a valuable visual indicator as to what a given smudge might ''actually'' be. So, anyway, double-spacing. On the other hand I should report that, "I've dropped the habit it of appropriate punctuation prior to quotes," I say, "despite being the way I learnt it." And instead I will drop "<- Commas from that sort of position," you see, "even through I'll keep the ones that are semantic pauses." You see how my standards are slipping? Anyway, good comic. We now return you to your regularly-scheduled programme.  [[Special:Contributions/141.101.98.214|141.101.98.214]] 14:44, 1 November 2013 (UTC)

:I'm in the same boat this this bloke. I don't get the typewriter tie in. I seem to recall being taught to use a finger gage correct gap of whitespace to leave between the end of one sentence and the beginning of the next. This was in an American small town southern school in the early 1980s. I assume it was for readability. [[Special:Contributions/108.162.236.25|108.162.236.25]] 16:16, 1 November 2013 (UTC)

The "third way" is used for articles on the [http://www.bbc.co.uk/news BBC News] website :-) --[[Special:Contributions/141.101.99.233|141.101.99.233]] 14:52, 1 November 2013 (UTC)
:Actually, they put each sentence into a paragraph of its own, which is yet different. (In HTML: <code>... .</code> vs. <code>... . </code>) --[[User:Das-g|Das-g]] ([[User talk:Das-g|talk]]) 16:07, 1 November 2013 (UTC)
:That's what I came here to say, that the Third Way is common-place on the web today, it is the tabloid style. This headline article http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-24775846 off the BBC right now only has full-stops (periods in en-US) before paragraph breaks, apart from quotations (ie what the BBC did not write). [[Special:Contributions/141.101.98.229|141.101.98.229]] 16:11, 1 November 2013 (UTC)
:The BBC is not the only web site to do that - and it is '''so''' annoying. [[Special:Contributions/108.162.222.244|108.162.222.244]] 10:15, 2 November 2013 (UTC)

There's a FOURTH way! I receive a "Weekly Update from Tim Scott" HTML formatted about once a week (unsurprisingly) which, in lieu of s between words, uses a carriage return and a linefeed. This alleviates the question of how many s between sentences completely! It also renders as oneverylongword in my client. Ie: <blockquote>Thankyouforsubscribingtomye-newsletter.</blockquote> [[Special:Contributions/108.162.236.25|108.162.236.25]] 16:16, 1 November 2013 (UTC)
: And a fifth: In France, they use one whitespace before and after double punctions (:;?!) but only one whitespace after single punctuation (.,). --[[Special:Contributions/141.101.79.25|141.101.79.25]] 20:15, 1 November 2013 (UTC)

I think the finger was to help kids create clear separation while developing their proficiency at penmanship.
I think the 2x is a fall out from the fixed width formatting of typewriters to help assist the reader (or proof reader) with the start and end of a sentence.
Double spacing has almost become OCD for me. I can't help it. Of course I also leave paragraph marks on while I type as well. I wonder if the French would require a before a double quote, "The author ponders. "

I think we could improve old school cryptography if we just used carriage returns and ignored the 'new' line.
I might be able to accept and adopt the single rule if I can make my s default to twice the point size of every other character in the style.
[[Special:Contributions/199.27.128.186|199.27.128.186]] 19:00, 1 November 2013 (UTC)
:FOROL DSCHO OLCRY PTOGR APHYT AKEYO URCUE FROME NIGMA DECOD ESAND ARRAN GEEVE RYTHI NGING ROUPS OFFIV EWITH OUT''AN Y''PUNC TUAT IONAN DINAL LCAPS  [[Special:Contributions/141.101.98.214|141.101.98.214]] 01:38, 2 November 2013 (UTC)

I have my word processor set to a a gap equal to one and a half s after a sentence ends[[Special:Contributions/173.245.52.198|173.245.52.198]] 19:05, 1 November 2013 (UTC)

New paragraph (TWO line brakes) after every sentence :-) --[[User:Sten|Sten]] ([[User talk:Sten|talk]]) 20:36, 1 November 2013 (UTC)

I love how the explanation uses the third method. Nice touch. [[User:JRDeBo|JRDeBo]] ([[User talk:JRDeBo|talk]]) 23:29, 1 November 2013 (UTC)

Does anyone think there's any significance to the sword and the spear? [[Special:Contributions/108.162.208.144|108.162.208.144]] 23:46, 2 November 2013 (UTC)
:Yes, because this is a SERIOUS ISSUE. [[User:Alpha|Alpha]] ([[User talk:Alpha|talk]]) 06:35, 4 November 2013 (UTC)
:A sword has a longer blade, while a spear keeps people further away. [[Special:Contributions/108.162.219.210|108.162.219.210]] 12:45, 4 November 2013 (UTC)

According to the [[http://fireemblemwiki.org/Weapon_triangle Fire Emblem weapon triangle]], the 1-spacers win against the 2-spacers. Then again, I put one after each sentence. [[User:Greyson|Greyson]] ([[User talk:Greyson|talk]]) 18:25, 4 November 2013 (UTC)

Picture of a cat after every full stop !!! {{unsigned ip|173.245.51.221}}

With all the whitespace compression and variable width fonts in modern technology switching back to 2- is as viable as switching over to localized Programmer Dvorak. [[Special:Contributions/108.162.231.18|108.162.231.18]] 13:44, 6 November 2013 (UTC)

Hey, does anyone know if there's any way to make the wiki keep two s in a row, so the title text shows up properly? [[User:SuperSupermario24|Just some random derp]] 15:46, 7 July 2015 (UTC)

I was mildly confused about the weird phrasing of "This comic refers to the dance-off occurring ..." I already forgot my browser plugin that I've installed an hour ago. I think its great that it happened on a xkcd-related site. --[[Special:Contributions/141.101.92.22|141.101.92.22]] 12:41, 13 May 2016 (UTC)

I'm not from the US so I never actually heard about a rule with two s. From my point of view the rule is stupid, really dumb. Just let go of it! There is no reason for it. My brain starts to spasm when I hear about a rule of two s after a period. Ungh!! {{unsigned ip|162.158.86.113}}

The 2 s used in (early) PCs and TypeWriters (and TTYs) could be caused by the too little difference between a «.» and a «,» with little fonts on CRTs (''320*200px with 8*8px single letter with <16" monitors with a signal trought an RF cable, for a C64''), dot-printers (''like 60*75 dpi (h*v), 9*9 per character, for an Epson MX-80'') and typewritten sheets (''maybe with dirty sort/type'')?
[The examples in parentheses are for a mid-level-case, because there are worst monitors and standards than those, see previous comments]
''Nickh''²+, [[Special:Contributions/188.114.103.166|188.114.103.166]] 00:11, 10 November 2016 (UTC) .

Well, looks like the one-spacers will win due to the weapon triangle. After all, lances best swords. [[Special:Contributions/172.68.174.64|172.68.174.64]] 16:54, 17 January 2019 (UTC)
:Do line breakers count as axes or staves? [[User:Netherin5|Netherin5]] ([[User talk:Netherin5|talk]]) 14:06, 19 March 2019 (UTC)

I just realized that there's a line break after ever sentence in this article.
(Insert formatting here)
:It’s four tildes (~ Those guys) to sign your comment. [[User:Netherin5|Netherin5]] ([[User talk:Netherin5|talk]]) 14:06, 19 March 2019 (UTC)

I have an easy solution to the debate.
Just press the TAB key after each sentence (doesn't work here, because of editing reasons).

google docs actually enforces the one space style for capitalization.

Talk:Beret Guy

2019-12-19T00:06:14Z

Overlord of oddities: /* beret guy's name */

Talk:Beret Guy

2019-12-18T23:58:22Z

Overlord of oddities: /* beret guy's name */ new section

Talk:2243: Star Wars Spoiler Generator

2019-12-18T22:59:53Z

Overlord of oddities:

I made this JavaScript implementation of the generator: https://codepen.io/qgustavor/full/gObgBxo [[Special:Contributions/172.68.24.70|172.68.24.70]] 22:33, 18 December 2019 (UTC)

who said that the rise of skywalker would be released two days before the publishing date after stating that it's going to be released on the twentieth?

2243: Star Wars Spoiler Generator

2019-12-18T22:57:01Z

Overlord of oddities: /* Explanation */

{{comic
| number = 2243
| date = December 18, 2019
| title = Star Wars Spoiler Generator
| image = star wars spoiler generator.png
| titletext = The heroes seem to be gaining the upper hand until Darth Juul manages to flip the switch on the car wash control panel from 'REGULAR' to 'PREMIUM.'
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Created by DARTH KYLE}}
On December 20, 2019 (2 days after the publication of this comic), the final movie of the "Skywalker saga" of ''Star Wars'' films, ''{{w|Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker}}'', will be released. Randall has created a flowchart that generates "spoilers" to the film. As Randall probably has not seen the film, all of the so-called spoilers are nonsensical.

==Transcript==
{{incomplete transcript}}
:<big>Star Wars Spoiler Generator</big>

:[Shown below is a branching flowchart of sorts that begins at the phrase "In this Star Wars movie, our heroes return to take on the First Order and new villain...", then flows through various paths to build up a story.]

:In this Star Wars movie, our heroes return to take on the First Order and new villain...
::Kylo Ren
::Malloc
::Darth Sebelius
::Theranos
::Lord Juul

:...with help from their new friend...
::Kim Spacemeasurer
::Teen Yoda
::Dab Tweetdeck
::Yaz Progestin
::TI-83

:Rey builds a new lightsaber with a...
::beige
::ochre
::mauve
::aquamarine
::taupe

:...blade, and they head out to confront the First Order's new superweapon, the...
::Sun Obliterator
::Moonsquisher
::World Eater
::Planet Zester
::Superconducting Supercollider

:...a space station capable of...
::blowing up a planet with a bunch of beams of energy that combine into one
::blowing up a bunch of planets with one beam of energy that splits into many
::cutting a planet in half and smashing the halves together like two cymbals
::increasing the CO2 levels in a planet's atmosphere, causing rapid heating
::triggering the end credits before the movie is done

:They unexpectedly join forces with their old enemy...
::Boba Fett
::Salacious Crumb
::The Space Slug
::the bottom half of Darth Maul
::Youtube commenters

:...and destory the superweapon in a battle featuring
::a bow that shoots little lightsaber-headed arrows
::X-Wings and TIE fighters dodging the giant letters of the opening crawl
::a Sith educational display that uses Force Lightning to demonstrate the dielectric breakdown of air
::Kylo Ren putting on another helmet over his smaller one
::a Sith car wash where the bristles on the brushes are little lightsabers

:P.S. Rey's parents are...
::Luke
::Leia
::Han
::Obi-Wan
::a random junk trader

:...and...
::Poe
::BB-8
::Amilyn Holdo
::Laura Dern
::a random junk trader
::that one droid from the Jawa Sandcrawler that says ''Gonk''

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Charts]]
[[Category:Star Wars]]
[[Category:Comics featuring real people]]

Talk:2238: Flu Shot

2019-12-07T00:56:17Z

Overlord of oddities: Blanked the page

Talk:2238: Flu Shot

2019-12-07T00:54:54Z

Overlord of oddities:

if megan doesn't figure out that a flu virus- which actually protects against influenza- only works for one thing I'm going have to get into my cat with my friend Catherine and driver over to her house. Or move it to mine. Do you know where to get oversized jet engines?