explain xkcd - User contributions [en]

Talk:3222: Star Formation

2026-03-22T15:22:47Z

Pere prlpz: I think that this part is wrong: "''Interestingly enough though, the narrator acts as if there is another diety as well as it, actively causing the ionization. This could be true, or it could be that they are just imagining that the clouds have life - Wh

This entire process is unconfirmed and needs citations. {{Citation needed}} [[Special:Contributions/66.154.219.128|66.154.219.128]] 20:26, 20 March 2026 (UTC)
:Not sure {{w|Poe's law|if you're serious}}... but I rewrote some of the things that might have prompted this comment. [[Special:Contributions/81.179.199.253|81.179.199.253]] 21:49, 20 March 2026 (UTC)

The something that ionized the gas clouds is presumably the star that formed. No second deity needed. [[Special:Contributions/74.76.189.192|74.76.189.192]] 21:12, 20 March 2026 (UTC)
:I dispense with that bit. What you obviously have here is a non-omniscient creator (or shaper-of-the-universe, at the very least) who is surprised by how things turn out when they had a much simpler (or at least different) idea of how things should have proceeded. I'm reminded of {{w|The Science of Discworld}} (once the Dean twiddles his fingers in the proto-Roundworld, and then the wizards discovering that things just like becoming spheres more than they expected) or perhaps something where a desired result {{w|The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy (novel)|went awry}} due to unforeseen external factors. [[Special:Contributions/81.179.199.253|81.179.199.253]] 21:49, 20 March 2026 (UTC)

Is Randall a believer in Stupid Design? [[User:Barmar|Barmar]] ([[User talk:Barmar|talk]]) 22:42, 20 March 2026 (UTC)

I was actually factually thinking about stellar constitutionality at formative stages last night. Like couple days ago i explained big bubbles theory to a person on Blue Sky. Gives me headswirls to envision ( attempt ) alternate density temporal flow size constants. Cool! [[User:AskShea|AskShea]] ([[User talk:AskShea|talk]]) 00:34, 21 March 2026‎ (UTC)

The explanation states that this is a simplified model blown to an absurd extreme, but I thought that this was a mostly-accurate model of how astronomers have theorized the universe’s structure came to be. Am I wrong? I am confused. [[User:Logalex8369|Logalex8369]] ([[User talk:Logalex8369|talk]]) 01:02, 21 March 2026 (UTC)

While likely completely unintended, this made me think of watching Bob Ross (obviously not live-)streams on Twitch. He'd start off with some lovely background - typically including clouds - and then "ruin" it by drawing a big vertical brown streak on top of that (with chat promptly declaring the painting ruined) only for him to turn it into a lovely tree and thus "saving" the painting (also commented on by chat). The difference of course is that Bob Ross knew what he was doing (or at least where he was headed). [[Special:Contributions/2001:1C01:2DCC:C200:FDDE:3CEC:29F7:C097|2001:1C01:2DCC:C200:FDDE:3CEC:29F7:C097]] 01:07, 21 March 2026 (UTC)

...why do I feel bad for them?--'''''[[User:DollarStoreBa'al|DollarStoreBa'al]][[User Talk:DollarStoreBa'al|Converse]] 02:57, 21 March 2026 (UTC)

Would it be a good idea to add this to [[:Category:Time-Traveling Sphere]]? The dot's identity in this comic isn't confirmed, and it's unclear that the dot can control its movement in time. [[User:PDesbeginner|PDesbeginner]] ([[User talk:PDesbeginner|talk]]) 14:49, 21 March 2026 (UTC)
:The dot looks a bit like the portrayal of God in SMBC to me. {{unsigned ip|65.25.122.84|15:51, 21 March 2026}}
:It probably ''isn't'' the TTS (notably different, and makes lttle sense to be the TTS either long before it used time travel or after it had mastered it), and equally shares similarities with the [[1450: AI-Box Experiment]] entity, etc.
:But it's clearly a variation within Randall's "non-corporeal intelligent entity" broad stroke of character, just like a number of the more physical [[:Category:Aliens]] (or possibly 'futurekind' of more distant Earth ages) are variations on the tentacled-/bug-eyed-monster variety (minor notable differences, but of a similar style; being of the Kang And Kodoth form, more or less).
:We only seem to have a clear Category for the two examples of the TTS, which other 'dot entities' like this one (and the AI, etc) probably are not, but it's the handiest reference we have without pointing at ''all'' vaguely similar 'characters' directly. Unless and until we get ourselves a 'dot entity' super-category to cover all such floaty-glowy dots/spheres/etc of clearly greatly advanced ability (if not intelligence). [[Special:Contributions/82.132.238.5|82.132.238.5]] 17:10, 21 March 2026 (UTC)
:I've had a quick blitz through the likely comics, and I've found the following list (not guaranteed to be an exaustive set) of simlar(ish) glowy-floaty-orb-beings, and tried to subcategorise them...
:*[[1173: Steroids]] - unknown
:*[[1450: AI-Box Experiment]] - AI
:*[[1747: Spider Paleontology]] - Time Travelling Sphere
:*[[1748: Future Archaeology]] - Time Travelling Sphere
:*[[1782: Team Chat]] - Singularity consciousness
:*[[2635: Superintelligent AIs]] - AI
:*[[3085: About 20 Pounds]] - Mystical Oracle
:...and this one is going to be some sort of mystical creative entity [[Special:Contributions/81.179.199.253|81.179.199.253]] 22:39, 21 March 2026 (UTC)

This is the best XKCD comic I've seen in a while. The creativity and biblical implications are horrifying. {{unsigned ip|199.241.130.234|20:45, 21 March 2026}}

I think that this part is wrong: "''Interestingly enough though, the narrator acts as if there is another diety as well as it, actively causing the ionization. This could be true, or it could be that they are just imagining that the clouds have life - Which is another possibility as well.''"

Clouds aren't ionized by another deity but by the light of the first stars that are formed. I propose changing that part.--[[User:Pere prlpz|Pere prlpz]] ([[User talk:Pere prlpz|talk]]) 15:22, 22 March 2026 (UTC)

3221: Landscape Features

2026-03-18T19:53:41Z

Pere prlpz: {{w|Juan de Fuca plate}}

{{comic
| number = 3221
| date = March 18, 2026
| title = Landscape Features
| image = landscape_features_2x.png
| imagesize = 537x454px
| noexpand = true
| titletext = 'Well, there's speculation that it's due to a mantle hotspot.' --a geologist who's trying to cover up the fact that they didn't hear your question
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|This page was created recently. Don't remove this notice too soon.}}

This comic is a map of the United States, explaining some of the most significant geologic/human activity in each region. It claims that, in each area, there is one major mechanism (plate tectonics, erosion, volcanism, etc.) which is responsible for the majority of interesting formations and features.

The title text plays off the fact that a large part of geology concerned with activity in the mantle, so explaining some geologic feature by saying "there's speculation that it's due to a mantle hotspot" does not give much information. Saying this would let a distracted geologist buy time while responding to a missed question. Many of Earth's seemingly out-of-place features (e.g., {{w|Hawaii hotspot}}, {{w|Iceland}}, the {{w|Snake River Plain}} in Idaho, etc.) form from such mantle hotspots. Thus, it's an easy go-to explanation for many of the geological features people are often most curious about.

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Location
! Description
! Explanation
|-
| Adirondack Mountains
| ???
| The Adirondack Mountains are made of billion-year-old rock but were uplifted relatively recently, within the last 5–10 million years. They’re still rising today despite being far from any plate boundary, forming a dome with no clear tectonic cause, thus the "???" due to an ongoing mystery as to their formation.
|-
| Most of northern conterminous U.S.
| glaciers
| During the {{w|Last Glacial Period}}, this area was covered by {{w|Laurentide Ice Sheet|an ice sheet}} that left its marks on the landscape, in the form of {{w|moraines}}, {{w|eskers}}, {{w|glacial erratics}}, etc.
|-
| Appalachian Mountains
| continents colliding
|
|-
| Near Mississippi & Ohio Rivers
| rivers
|
|-
| Southeastern U.S.
| farming
|
|-
| Southern Florida
| ongoing disputes between limestone and water
|
|-
| Southern Missouri/Northern Arkansas
| geology
| {{w|Ozark Mountains}}
|-
| Central column of U.S.
| farming
|
|-
| Central Idaho/Yellowstone
| a supervolcano
| The {{w|Snake River Plain}} is an area of high-elevation flat plain in the otherwise contigious Rocky Mountains. It was formed by the movement of the contenential plate over the {{w|Yellowstone Hotspot}}.
|-
| Eastern Washington
| a megaflood
| Most likely a reference to the {{w|Missoula floods}} and the {{w|Bonneville flood}}, a series of floods caused by glacial ice dam failures causing massive lakes to flood large regions of present-day Eastern Washington.
|-
| West Coast
| a plate tectonic speedrun
| Most likely a reference to the significant tectonic activity on the western coast of the US, caused by the collisions of the {{w|Juan de Fuca plate}}, {{w|Pacific plate}}, and the {{w|North American plate}}.
|-
| Desert Southwest
| water and time
|
|-
| Northern Alaska
| geology
|
|-
| Aleutian Islands
| volcanoes
| The Aleutian Islands are a continuation of the Alaskan {{w|Aleutian Range}}, and form part of the {{w|Ring of Fire}}. Most of the islands in the chain bear signs of being formed by volcanos, and many volcanic cones still exist on the islands today.
|-
| Southeast Alaska
| glaciers
| This part of Alaska (including {{w|Glacier National Park (U.S.)|Glacier National Park}}) and western Canada has many glaciers that are still carving the landscape.
|-
| Hawaiian island chain
| volcanoes
| Hawaii, including the {{w|Northwest Hawaiian Islands}}, and seamounts northwest of it were formed by a tectonic plate moving over a hotspot, with volcanoes erupting and forming land as it went. The entire chain can be seen [https://www.google.com/maps/@34.0555574,-176.5939317,4904085m/data=!3m1!1e3?entry=ttu&g_ep=EgoyMDI2MDMxNS4wIKXMDSoASAFQAw%3D%3D here].
|}

==Transcript==
{{incomplete transcript|Don't remove this notice too soon.}}

{{comic discussion}}<noinclude>

Talk:3181: Jumping Frog Radius

2025-12-18T10:31:41Z

Pere prlpz: ::I came here for the same reason. Scape velocities in the table are definitively wrong. Escape velocity for Eris is given in Wikipedia as 1.38 ± 0.01 km/s, about three orders of magnitude over the number listed in the table. ::Having such a table is

first [[User:Qwertyuiopfromdefly|Qwertyuiopfromdefly]] ([[User talk:Qwertyuiopfromdefly|talk]]) 05:17, 16 December 2025 (UTC)

Question: Would a correct interpretation be "if a champion jumping frog were to be located just under 1.5 light-days from earth, and if there we're no other gravitational bodies nearby, and if said frog then performed its mightiest jump directly away from earth, then the frog would eventually be overcome by Earth's gravitational field and would eventually land on Earth's surface"? [[User:Pgn674|Pgn674]] ([[User talk:Pgn674|talk]]) 06:26, 16 December 2025 (UTC)
:I guess that is exactly how it should be interpreted. Or more interesting if it was just outside this radius and somehow could gain exactly 4,5 m/s extra speed then it would escape Earth (if there was anything to push of against that was heavy enough to move basically only the frog forward, then that would change the mass behind the frog so... That was why I wrote gain exactly rather than jump). --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 07:36, 16 December 2025 (UTC)

: or its mightiest jump in any direction (that doesn't cause it to crash through the Earth) since the escape speed is the same in all directions (relevant xkcd:https://what-if.xkcd.com/68/ ) --[[Special:Contributions/178.197.223.163|178.197.223.163]] 09:21, 16 December 2025 (UTC)

The only two variables are rjf and M, so plotting a 2 axis graph plotting the relationship between M and rjf should be possible. [[User:Zabadoh|Zabadoh]] ([[User talk:Zabadoh|talk]]) 08:20, 16 December 2025 (UTC) [''You sign '''after''' your contribution'']

As frogs usually collect on the surface of worlds {{cn}}, the *surface* escape velocity is most important. The crossover point for a planet with earth-like density (5515 kg/m³) is 2.6km, above that, the rjf falls below the surface, and the planet can accumulate frogs. Smaller bodies are, however, usually less dense; an interesting borderline candidate is Chicxulub, which had an rjf of 3-4km, and a radius of 5-6km so could have just about held onto its frogs, for a while at least. [[User:JeffUK|JeffUK]] ([[User talk:JeffUK|talk]]) 10:04, 16 December 2025 (UTC)

It would be interesting to look at the Rjf values ''of a frog'', to consider where new limits are put upon the frog for M-masses that aren't totally dominating the scenario of "frog leaves mass"... [[Special:Contributions/82.132.237.93|82.132.237.93]] 11:03, 16 December 2025 (UTC)

I interpreted it as a reference to the Mark Twain short story The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County. [[User:Gustaveeiffel314|Gustaveeiffel314]] ([[User talk: Gustaveeiffel314|talk]]) 12:25, 16 December

I also suspected an allusion to Twain's short story, but then I read it at archive.org/details/celebratedjumpin00twai and found no parallels. The earth's radius wasn't the problem, it was 5 pounds of quail shot. That frog didn't land with a "plop" but "as solid as a gob of mud." There is no mention of "champion" in the story. The 1865 population of Calaveras County (post Gold Rush) was down below 15,000. That is, the frog shown in #3181 probably came from somewhere else that really knows how to breed frogs with muscular legs, maybe France. Before I risk overthinking this, I'm going to conclude that #3181 is not a Twain reference. [[User:Bismuthfoot|Bismuthfoot]] ([[User talk:Bismuthfoot|talk]]) 14:37, 16 December 2025 (UTC)

What's with all that text in the incomplete explanation warning box? It seems like it belongs in the discussion. [[User:Barmar|Barmar]] ([[User talk:Barmar|talk]]) 15:05, 16 December 2025 (UTC)

Erm, the current text has a statement that rjf < 4.5m/s for other planetary bodies. Seems like it is mixing measurements, a radius would be a distance, not a velocity. It might be trying to say that other planetary bodies have an ESCAPE VELOCITY of more than 4.5 m/s, so jumping frogs on the surface of those planetary bodies couldn't get out of that planet's gravity well. ~~{{unsigned ip|57.140.32.36|15:53, 16 December 2025}}
:Don't recognise your statement (until I check the current state of the main explanation), but a radius can be defined as a vector, as can a velocity. Pretty sure that's not what it says (or should be saying), but there is a possible interchangability if analysed in the 'right' way. [[Special:Contributions/82.132.237.93|82.132.237.93]] 17:00, 16 December 2025 (UTC)
:(ETA: Nope, can't see where "the current text has a statement that rjf < 4.5m/s for other planetary bodies" - Unless I'm missing some obscure reference to it that you're not!) [[Special:Contributions/82.132.237.93|82.132.237.93]] 17:04, 16 December 2025 (UTC)
::It's easy: I wasn't fully awake when I posted that statement. :-) [[User:BunsenH|BunsenH]] ([[User talk:BunsenH|talk]]) 00:00, 18 December 2025 (UTC)

It might be worth pointing out that frogs found on the surfaces of other planets in our solar system will have other reasons for not being able to jump to escape velocity (eg., they are no longer alive) [[Special:Contributions/2A09:BAC2:6188:123C:0:0:1D1:CF|2A09:BAC2:6188:123C:0:0:1D1:CF]] 01:20, 17 December 2025 (UTC)
:A frog does not have to be alive to jump, it could be a mechanical one. [[User:SDSpivey|SDSpivey]] ([[User talk:SDSpivey|talk]]) 02:44, 17 December 2025 (UTC)
::A mechanical frog couldn't be a ''champion'' jumping frog though, because only biological frogs are allowed to compete. [[Special:Contributions/76.22.93.146|76.22.93.146]] 03:38, 17 December 2025 (UTC)
:::So perhaps not a champion frog, but rather a frog built by a champion frog builder? (Runners-up for champion frog builder include both of the champion frog’s parents.) [[User:KelOfTheStars!|KelOfTheStars!]] ([[User talk:KelOfTheStars!|talk]]) 21:00, 17 December 2025 (UTC)

I disagree with the point about the flawed argument of frogs all being on earth. With a simple assumption that no aliens have transported a frog off world, basic taxonomy says that anything resembling a frog on another planet would infact not be a frog and would be a result of convergent evolution. I also think that aliens moving stuff around is not a common inclusion in physics formulas. So perhaps still falwed but not as strongly flawed as implied in the main text. [[Special:Contributions/2001:14BA:A086:FF00:39D0:B88:A6EF:5F9C|2001:14BA:A086:FF00:39D0:B88:A6EF:5F9C]] 08:28, 17 December 2025 (UTC)
: That doesn't negate the point that ''if'' a frog was loose in space, it could be trapped in the gravity well of another planet and end up there rather than Earth. The 'theory', in the way it is expressed, contains the hidden implication that frogs ''start off'' floating around freely - not on any planet. [[Special:Contributions/82.13.184.33|82.13.184.33]] 09:34, 17 December 2025 (UTC)
::There's always the theory of Pan''frogspawn''ia... ;) [[Special:Contributions/82.132.238.175|82.132.238.175]] 11:59, 17 December 2025 (UTC)

Hmm.. How about frogs taken to the ISS for experimental purposes? Surely there's one or two if those? [[Special:Contributions/2A00:23C8:253C:101:5BC5:789F:56FB:A042|2A00:23C8:253C:101:5BC5:789F:56FB:A042]] 08:42, 17 December 2025 (UTC)
:From a general relativity point of view the ISS is not really different from the surface of Earth. In fact if you factor in the Jumping Frog Radius you can redefine the surface of Earth as englobing the orbit of the ISS, as, basically, the "surface of the Earth" is just some stuff jumbled together by gravity, so this technically applies to the ISS as well. [[Special:Contributions/78.241.48.142|78.241.48.142]] 11:06, 17 December 2025 (UTC)
:The ISS isn't in a constant frame of reference to the Earth's surface. If you want to redefine the surface of the Earth as being the "spherical ISS-like sphere" then that's a different body (loosely akin to the differences between analysing static and rotating black holes, for schwarzschild radius purposes).
:In fact, you have to do most of the work to ''get to'' ISS's orbit (far more than 'merely' getting to its altitude), 9.4km/s (ish). You only need about ~1.7km/s more to escape Earth entirely.
:Not quite within Champion Frog reach, of course. Or not a ''single'' CJF, but by using a lot of them, and by careful configuration of a stack of those frogs using the <s>Rocket</s>Frog Equation, you could probably get at least one small frog to entirely leave Earth's gravitational influence. As you might from Earth, but you'd need a ''lot'' more frogs. [[Special:Contributions/82.132.238.175|82.132.238.175]] 11:59, 17 December 2025 (UTC)
::You also all forget that without boosts using fuel the ISS will end up back on the surface of the Earth with the frogs (burning up in the process but the relics would be on Earth again). And it is not said that any frogs could not be outside of Earth but they would be within the rjf radius, and thus be on their way back to this surface, as is the ISS. --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 19:59, 17 December 2025 (UTC)
:::And if someone's using a 'frog stack', from the ISS, then the initial lower-stack-hop (and the quick return of the stage-1 frog(s) once the stage-2 one(s) hop, and so on, at least until they start drifting past it instead) will probably initiate an even sooner deorbit of the ISS. [[Special:Contributions/78.144.255.82|78.144.255.82]] 22:00, 17 December 2025 (UTC)
::::We're risking the Kessler Frog Syndrome here. [[User:BunsenH|BunsenH]] ([[User talk:BunsenH|talk]]) 00:00, 18 December 2025 (UTC)

Different calculations apply to the champion jumping frog from Calaveras County, which is filled with lead shot.😜 //The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County// [[Special:Contributions/2A01:599:440:4562:8B23:E990:3BF3:6259|2A01:599:440:4562:8B23:E990:3BF3:6259]] 22:27, 17 December 2025 (UTC)

Are the escape velocity figures in that table...even remotely accurate? For instance, the table claims Eris's escape velocity is 4.43 meters per second, while Wikipedia says 1.38 ''kilometers'' per second. (Also that Eris is ~4.43 orders of magnitude brighter than its moon, Dysnomia, in infrared. Hopefully that's unrelated.) [[User:GreatWyrmGold|GreatWyrmGold]] ([[User talk:GreatWyrmGold|talk]]) 23:46, 17 December 2025 (UTC)
:I was wondering about that myself, but you got here a few minutes before I did. [[User:BunsenH|BunsenH]] ([[User talk:BunsenH|talk]]) 23:54, 17 December 2025 (UTC)
:I can't even hazard a guess as to where those numbers could possibly come from, besides hallucination. Sedna's mass isn't known (since it has no known moons, it can't be calculated) but it is significantly smaller than the others (c. 500km radius compared to 715 (Makemake) 790 (Haumea) or 1163 (Eris)), and the ones that are known have rjf radii, in light seconds, of 55 (Makemake), 86 (Haumea) and 365 (Eris). Their semi-major axes are (respectively) 45, 43 and 68 AU. There is therefore no sort of calculation that I can find, using any of those numbers, or their square roots or whatever, that give anything like the numbers in the table... [[Special:Contributions/2A01:CB08:E6:7000:D0A9:46FC:30BB:E6E3|2A01:CB08:E6:7000:D0A9:46FC:30BB:E6E3]] 08:33, 18 December 2025 (UTC)
::I came here for the same reason. Scape velocities in the table are definitively wrong. Escape velocity for Eris is given in Wikipedia as 1.38 ± 0.01 km/s, about three orders of magnitude over the number listed in the table.
::Having such a table is a great idea but we need to correct the maths and add some smaller bodies. Probably some comets will be larger than their jumping frog radius.--[[User:Pere prlpz|Pere prlpz]] ([[User talk:Pere prlpz|talk]]) 10:31, 18 December 2025 (UTC)

Talk:1688: Map Age Guide

2025-06-09T13:53:03Z

Pere prlpz: According to https://history.stackexchange.com/questions/78855/could-leningrad-have-been-so-called-in-1921 it seems that Leningrad was shown in maps with that name from 1921, not 1924 as the comic says, although the name was made official and permanent i

After the fall of Constaninople it was also known as Ḳosṭanṭīnīye for a while in the Islamic World which you could argue is Constantinople?

I think we should make the second-right and far-right column wider. [[User:Blacksilver|Blacksilver]] ([[User talk:Blacksilver|talk]]) 16:12, 14 November 2017 (UTC)

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Well, I have no clue how to upload the image, it just displays the title text.[[Special:Contributions/108.162.216.91|108.162.216.91]] 12:47, 1 June 2016 (UTC)
:Done. Guess the bot failed because there is a larger one when you click the image on xkcd? --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 13:08, 1 June 2016 (UTC)
::The BOT didn't fail. The was an 404 error, the picture wasn't available at the first time. --[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 14:03, 1 June 2016 (UTC)
I feel like the title seriously lacks the word "political", there's all sorts of nice things with dating non-modern world maps. -- [[Special:Contributions/141.101.104.104|141.101.104.104]] 13:34, 1 June 2016 (UTC)

It doesn't just cover political maps -- there is a section on telling when you are with physical maps via the presence or absence of bodies of water. In fact, there are four or five main branches: fictional maps, topographical maps, not a map, and political maps (which have two branches, based on the naming of Istanbul (was Constantinople) [[Special:Contributions/108.162.237.174|108.162.237.174]] 13:42, 1 June 2016 (UTC)

I like how that this flow chart also describes what I've drawn[[Special:Contributions/162.158.26.220|162.158.26.220]] 14:05, 1 June 2016 (UTC)

The 1992-1996 range (top right corner) could be narrowed down further with the independence of Eritrea 1993. Am I getting something wrong or did Randall actually overlook this? :-) [[Special:Contributions/162.158.85.141|162.158.85.141]] 14:49, 1 June 2016 (UTC)
:Or the splitting of Czechoslovakia, also in 1993... There are probably others for different time ranges, too. [[Special:Contributions/141.101.95.25|141.101.95.25]] 16:28, 1 June 2016 (UTC)

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Noone else has started work on this and I'm bored so... (feel free to reorder and/or add more detail where appropriate)
Relevant Events

'''Is there a big lake in Southern California? (Created by Mistake)'''
[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Salton_Sea Salton Sea] A previously dry lakebed accidentally flooded in 1905 while attempting to increase irrigation to the area from the Colorado River

Vietnam unification: the two Vietnams were not united in 1975. Although the communist victory took place with the capture of Saigon in April of that year, the state of South Vietnam continued to exist, under the rule of the Provisional Revolutionary Government, until 1976. The two nations were formally united as the Socialist Republic of Vietnam on July 2, 1976. Ref: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Provisional_Revolutionary_Government_of_the_Republic_of_South_Vietnam [[Special:Contributions/162.158.75.100|162.158.75.100]] 14:28, 7 November 2016 (UTC)
'''How far East do the American Prairies reach?'''
The Northwest Territory was incorporated in pieces ~1820s, there may be something more relavent to draw the line at Indiana though.

'''Is there a big lake in the middle of Ghana? (Created on Purpose)'''
[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lake_Volta Lake Volta]

'''The US's southern border looks'''
[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gadsden_Purchase Gadsden Purchase]

'''"Buda" and "Pest" or "Budapest"''' [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Budapest#Etymology Buda and Pest] were originally two different cities

'''Does Russia Border the Sea of Japan?''' Russia currently borders the sea of Japan so the 1867 upper limit is because of Tokyo not existing higher in the chain. The 1858 limit is to do with the [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Treaty_of_Aigun Treaty of Aigun]

'''Rhodesia?''' The dates down the chain suggest this is about [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rhodesia_(region) Rhodesia the Region] not [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rhodesia Rhodesia the Unrecognized state] nor [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Southern_Rhodesia Southern Rhodesia] the British Colony {{unsigned ip|162.158.214.218}}

:We are talking about physical/stellite maps at this point of the chart. Incorporation is not relevant. This is about the movement or size change of the American prairies. Climate change, perhaps. Haven't found anything relevant on that, though. Maybe it is about untouched land, as in not having settlements. -- [[Special:Contributions/162.158.85.183|162.158.85.183]] 16:05, 1 June 2016 (UTC)

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Should the relevant links above be added directly to the transcript, or to a separate section? --[[Special:Contributions/172.68.29.127|172.68.29.127]] 14:29, 1 June 2016 (UTC)

:The transcript is only for faithful transcription of the comic. It exists for users who would otherwise be unable to view the regular comic, and should contain nothing but the contents of the comic. Links go in the explanation, if relevant. '''[[User:Davidy22|{{Color|#707|David}}y²²]]'''[[User talk:Davidy22|<tt>[talk]</tt>]] 18:56, 1 June 2016 (UTC)

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Istanbul is not the capital of Turkey! (It's Ankara) [[Special:Contributions/162.158.86.131|162.158.86.131]] 14:41, 1 June 2016 (UTC)
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Maybe a better way of organizing this is chronologically, i.e., show the state of the world each year.

That being said, is every year accounted for? For example, 1857 appears to be missing. {{unsigned ip|162.158.60.41}}

----
From the left and roughly in chronological order (only partial, might add more later):

'The Holy Roman Empire?'
1806 - Dissolution of the [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Holy_Roman_Empire Holy Roman Empire] by Emperor Francis II

'Do Any of These Exist?'

1867 - British North America act passed, marking Canadian independence

- Alaskan Purchase by US from Russian Empire

- Meiji Restoration (in 1869, Emperor Meiji moves to Edo, which is renamed Tokyo)

'Texas is...'

independent - 1836? 35? 34? Texas Revolution

'Florida is part of...'

The US: 1818 - US basically controls East Florida after [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Seminole_Wars#Jackson_invades_Florida First Seminole War] (Spain officially cedes the territory in the [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adams%E2%80%93On%C3%ADs_Treaty Adams–Onís Treaty of 1819].

'Venezuela and or Ecuador?'

1830 - Both Venezuela and Ecuador become independent as the [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gran_Colombia Republic of Gran Colombia] dissolves in late 1830, early 1831.

'Does Russia border the Sea of Japan?'
1858 - China cedes territory to Russia under the [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Treaty_of_Aigun Treaty of Aigun], bordering the Sea of Japan (sort of? There's also the Treaty of Beijing)

'South Africa?'
1910 - the Union of South Africa created, thanks to the South Africa Act 1909 enacted by British parliament

'Is Bolivia landlocked?'
1884 - [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Treaty_of_Valparaiso Treaty of Valparaiso] signed ceding Bolivian territory to to Chile, leaving Bolivia landlocked (see also [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/War_of_the_Pacific War of the Pacific]

'Buda and Pest or Budapest?'
1873 - Buda and [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pest,_Hungary Pest] merge to become Budapest

'Is Norway part of Sweden?'
1905 - [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dissolution_of_the_union_between_Norway_and_Sweden Sweden-Norway dissolved], Norway becomes an independent monarchy

'Rhodesia?'
Rhodesia was named [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Company_rule_in_Rhodesia under the British South Africa Company in 1895]

'Austria-Hungary?'
1918 - Austria-Hungary officially separates into Austria and Hungary

'Albania?'
1912 - [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Albanian_Declaration_of_Independence Albania declares independence] from the Ottoman Empire

'Leningrad?'
1924 - Petrograd ([https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saint_Petersburg Saint Petersburg]) changes its name to Leningrad

[[Special:Contributions/108.162.250.156|108.162.250.156]]

You know there are times where I suspect he's just making some of his comics intentionally hard to explain or very ambiguous just to watch us do somersaults trying to describe them and make it clear, not necessarily for this comic but definitely with some of them it just seems that way. I don't know if he does or not, or how much he even pays attention to this wiki, just a thought. Of course maybe he does just because we're prime nerd sniping material. [[User:Lackadaisical|Lackadaisical]] ([[User talk:Lackadaisical|talk]]) 16:00, 1 June 2016 (UTC)

----
I'm pretty sure 'is it larger than a breadbox' is a reference to 20 questions. [[Special:Contributions/108.162.216.77|108.162.216.77]] 16:11, 1 June 2016 (UTC)

:From the Wikipedia page for [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Breadbox 'Breadbox']: "The most common reference to breadboxes is the phrase "Is it bigger than a breadbox?" when trying to guess what some surprise object may be. This question was popularized by Steve Allen on the American game show What's My Line? where he initially asked the question on 18 January 1953. It remains a popular question in the parlor game 20 Questions." [[Special:Contributions/141.101.98.16|141.101.98.16]] 17:48, 1 June 2016 (UTC)

Note that it is very hard to even ''find'' Jan Mayen on an actual world map (even a political one), never mind figure out which country it belongs to. So anyone actually following these questions might (in some cases) get derailed fairly easily. [[Special:Contributions/141.101.81.77|141.101.81.77]] 18:20, 1 June 2016 (UTC)

::You will only get there if you can't find Istanbul/Constantinople, you can't find the Ottoman Empire, you can't find North Korea, and Soviet Russia can't find you. Note that the "no" box actually says "not yet". If you can find any of those four, you will never reach the Jan Mayen box. You will also never answer "yes" to the Jan Mayen box, as that would contradict the Soviet Union and North Korea not existing. [[Special:Contributions/108.162.219.9|108.162.219.9]] 20:34, 1 June 2016 (UTC)

::I tried to explain that a response of "What?" is interpreted to be unable to find Norway, not Jan Mayen, for this reason and that the name didn't exist until 1620, but then I couldn't eliminate that the map is from 1299 or earlier, because the kingdom of Norway is not that old. As for the "Yes" response, for a short period between November 1 and December 28, 1922, neither the Soviet Union nor the Ottoman Empire existed, and Norway had already received jurisdiction over Jan Mayen then.--[[User:Troy0|Troy0]] ([[User talk:Troy0|talk]]) 07:16, 2 June 2016 (UTC)

::I stumbled on this when trying to apply the test to the Yakko's World map (which is normally mid-1990 - total of Yemens and Germanys is 3; of course, that's because there's 2 Yemens and 1 Germany, and the intended date was probably in 1991). As it happens, the Soviet Union is labelled "Russia", Korea is shown as unified, and Istanbul is not labelled at all but the country is Turkey, so we get to the Jan Mayen question. (I hadn't looked at thar map precisely enough to figure out if Jan Mayen is there at all, but it must be Norwegian if it does appear. However, even if we answer "yes", it would not be possible to reach the 1990 option anyway [we get 1954-57, in fact]. OTOH, if we accept that the Soviet Union is there, we correctly reach the Micronesia question, and the mid-1990 option is close enough to that to be able to guess correctly.) [[Special:Contributions/141.101.80.30|141.101.80.30]] 13:56, 3 June 2016 (UTC)

----

Update picture, please: The "giant French blob" "yes" option points to the correct box (Pakistan) on xkcd.com but not on this page (Bangladesh), and the incorrect version leaves out approximately 1930-1960. [[Special:Contributions/108.162.219.9|108.162.219.9]] 20:34, 1 June 2016 (UTC)

I fleshed out the Narnian section with links to the original illustrated maps from several books (but this gets weird in a hurry because there is no consistency of illustrations across the various editions of the books). I think it deserves to be mentioned in the article (although I did not try) that Randall is being slightly disingenuous with the history of maps of Narnia. For instance, there is no published map with sufficient detail to determine if Beruna has a ford or a bridge, neither can I find a map that includes Aslan's Country. On the other hand, it is also not an accurate history of the geopolitics of Narnia; for instance, Calormen existed during the time of the first three books even if it wasn't listed on any of the authorized maps. Also, it is the first time I have helped to edit an article, so I apologize for the quirkiness (especially the reliance on non-wikipedia links). [[User:Mwdaly|Mwdaly]] ([[User talk:Mwdaly|talk]]) 02:55, 2 June 2016 (UTC)

The introduction to the Narnia section reminds me of Douglas Adams' discussion of the difficulties of tense formation in time travel [http://hitchhikers.wikia.com/wiki/Time_Traveler's_Handbook_of_1001_Tense_Formations], differences between writing/publication order and reading order are very like time travel. [[Special:Contributions/141.101.70.217|141.101.70.217]] 16:24, 4 June 2016 (UTC)
----
Any particular reason the Crimea description was edited to be so much more condemning of Russia? I could understand if it was originally written that way, but it was changed essentially to put Russia's actions in a negative light. Is that something that needs to be done? {{unsigned ip|108.162.237.174}}

;My map doesn't fit the chart... I think?

I've got a Stanford's General Map of the World (On Mercator's Projection) from 1968. My answers:

Istanbul '''->''' The Soviet Union exists '''->''' West Africa is ''not'' a giant French blob '''->''' Only one Vietnam '''->''' Jimmy Carter is fine... I think? The only animals on my map are Poseidon and a seahorse '''->''' Sinai is mostly Egyptian...

Bangladesh exists, and below Victoria is Tanzania; so where's the second Vietnam I've failed to locate on my map? [[User:Mr FJ|Mr FJ]] ([[User talk:Mr FJ|talk]]) 20:44, 1 June 2016 (UTC)

:Your map is optimistic in suggesting there is only one Vietnam, as 1968 was in the heart of the Vietnam War. [[Special:Contributions/141.101.98.123|141.101.98.123]] 22:42, 1 June 2016 (UTC)

;Saint Trimble's Island

I think the real question is: how long until there actually is one on this planet, even though Randal claims to have made it up.
--[[User:Divad27182|Divad27182]] ([[User talk:Divad27182|talk]]) 03:30, 2 June 2016 (UTC)

Perhaps this should refer to Sandy Island. [http://www.theguardian.com/world/2012/nov/22/sandy-island-missing-google-earth] [[Special:Contributions/141.101.70.217|141.101.70.217]] 16:18, 4 June 2016 (UTC)

There was a Trimble Island https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blake_Island [[Special:Contributions/162.158.159.136|162.158.159.136]] 11:51, 30 June 2020 (UTC)
----

Appearantly the year of an event is included in intervals after the event, but not in those prior. How do we handle it? [[User:Troy0|Troy0]] ([[User talk:Troy0|talk]]) 03:46, 2 June 2016 (UTC)

;Flaws

Going on the path '''neither''' - '''no ottoman empire''' - '''no soviet union''' - '''no north korea''' - '''jan mayen is norwegian''' I will get results that all belong to a time were the soviet union existed. Am I doing it wrong?--[[Special:Contributions/162.158.92.175|162.158.92.175]] 08:01, 2 June 2016 (UTC)
:This path implies a time interval between November 1 and December 28, 1922, so it is unclear why it is linked to the Istanbul Division, which is 1928 or later.--[[User:Troy0|Troy0]] ([[User talk:Troy0|talk]]) 08:28, 2 June 2016 (UTC)

;Did it work on your map?
;Worked:
I just tried this out on an old Danish world atlas (''Lademann Verdensatlas'' with most English names also included). And although I could not determine the capital of Micronesia, I found out that it was still called Upper Volta not Burkino faso and thus the map should be from 1982-1984. First then did I check the release date for this map and true enough it was from 1982! Cool. --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 08:41, 2 June 2016 (UTc)

it can guess modern maps
;Didn't work:
A map [http://digitalcollections.nypl.org/items/510d47db-b011-a3d9-e040-e00a18064a99#/] in the New York Public library, dated 1840, is given a date of 1818-1830. Notably this map has Texas as part of Mexico (though mentioned as in captials indicating a district within Mexico. It is also missing independent Paraguay, Ecuador and Venezuela. [[User:Zeimusu|Zeimusu]] ([[User talk:Zeimusu|talk]]) 10:04, 3 June 2016 (UTC)

Apparently most Mars maps were made in 1922-1932. No Istanbul/Constantinople, no Ottoman Empire, Soviet Union exists (e.g. Mars 3 and Mars 6), no Saudi Arabia... --[[Special:Contributions/173.245.52.62|173.245.52.62]] 11:18, 2 June 2016 (UTC)

I have been evaluating world globes (subset of maps of course) for several years, and find this quite amusing. A note of interest: Apparently Randall knows that maps often do include copyright or other dates, while globes with very few exceptions do not include a date. There are other guides to finding the date of presentation of a globe of course, which may or may not pin the date down more precisely. [[User:Pault151|Pault151]] ([[User talk:Pault151|talk]]) 05:38, 3 June 2016 (UTC)

Hugo Giraudel made a command line version of this: https://github.com/HugoGiraudel/map-dater (full disclosure: I helped) [[User:Haroenv|Haroenv]] ([[User talk:Haroenv|talk]]) 16:24, 13 June 2016 (UTC)

Starting at the Istanbul Division, the Question Date Range no longer fits the definition at the top of the table, and now includes the effects of the Prior Date Range. [[Special:Contributions/172.68.46.5|172.68.46.5]] 07:03, 20 March 2017 (UTC)

I tried to apply this to a map of Pangaea and ended up being taken to the "you made this yourself" part... [[Special:Contributions/162.158.78.106|162.158.78.106]] 09:49, 27 August 2017 (UTC)
:It's very nice.[[Special:Contributions/162.158.58.249|162.158.58.249]] 12:22, 25 October 2017 (UTC)
:Seconded! {{w|Pangaea}}, {{w|Gondwana}}, {{w|Pannotia}}, {{w|Rodinia}}, {{w|Kenorland}}, {{w|Vaalbara}}, I'm disappointed. Also what about maps of the {{w|Moon}} or {{w|Mars}}? The comic asks for a world map, doesn't say which world. At least it ''did'' identify my tuba correctly. --[[Special:Contributions/162.158.159.175|162.158.159.175]] 00:36, 21 October 2024 (UTC)

How come Istanbul can both exist and not exist on a map of the same date. They can both lead to Zare/Zaire. [[User:Netherin5|Netherin5]] ([[User talk:Netherin5|talk]]) 18:04, 12 February 2019 (UTC)

Munroe writes: "(Assuming it's complete, labeled in English, and detailed enough)" which is unfortunately not enough of an assumption. Some publishers are notorious for updating slowly. Like looking at the light that left a galaxy several years ago, you may be looking at a map that reflects reality the last time the publisher really updated it (and did not just slap a new date on it). Also, there's Constantinople. Which still shows up on maps of Greece, published in English, in Greek. In fact, the list of facts that map-makers deny or have denied for political reasons is huge. It's why this game (which I used to play when I was a kid - 2 Pakistans and the name of the Congo were major indicators) can be frustrating. And no, we did not use UAR, since different mapmakers handled it differently.
Hey, I found this one with Smyrna: https://www.greektravel.com/maps/greece.html Can someone find one with Constantinople?
Oh, oh, and I used to be a cartographer. It doesn't make me right, but I like saying it. [[User:Jd2718|Jd2718]] ([[User talk:Jd2718|talk]]) 23:41, 21 December 2020 (UTC)

The alert box at the top of every page needs to be changed, as this explanation is no longer incomplete.
: Agreed. maybe change it to 1975: Right Click? [[Special:Contributions/172.69.62.62|172.69.62.62]] 17:21, 7 August 2021 (UTC)Bumpf

Um... o-oh dear. We should probably start keeping an eye out for those spiders... [[User:LendriMujina|LendriMujina]] ([[User talk:LendriMujina|talk]]) 19:53, 28 January 2022 (UTC)

Can Colorado hurry up and have a nuclear meltdown? It's 2022. [[User:Beanie|Beanie]] [[User talk:Beanie|talk]] 23:16, 24 February 2022 (UTC)

Regarding "A map that does not include either the HRE or the USA must be older than the HRE, which would put the map sometime prior to 1000 AD, when there really were no countries, and English wasn't used yet, hence Randall's comment". " I could be wrong, but my interperation of this was that a map that isn't in English wouldn't list the HRE or USA ''under those names'', regardless of when it was made. Like, I'm imagining someone going through the flowchart thinking "Nope, I'm seeing something called the Sacrum Imperium Romanum, but no Holy Roman Empire." [[Special:Contributions/162.158.74.3|162.158.74.3]] 13:00, 27 January 2023 (UTC)

Hey guys the spiders never showed up :( [[Special:Contributions/162.158.91.13|162.158.91.13]] 20:36, 22 January 2024 (UTC)
: I know right. Massive shame. Maybe they're just waiting... Biding their time. [[User:OmniDoom|OmniDoom]] ([[User talk:OmniDoom|talk]]) 23:51, 5 March 2024 (UTC)
: Maybe. Do we KNOW Colorado doesn't have massive numbers of spiders? How can you ever know? [[User:DKMell|DKMell]] ([[User talk:DKMell|talk]]) 22:57, 24 July 2024 (UTC)

----------

According to https://history.stackexchange.com/questions/78855/could-leningrad-have-been-so-called-in-1921 it seems that Leningrad was shown in maps with that name from 1921, not 1924 as the comic says, although the name was made official and permanent in 1924.--[[User:Pere prlpz|Pere prlpz]] ([[User talk:Pere prlpz|talk]]) 13:53, 9 June 2025 (UTC)

Talk:3033: Origami Black Hole

2025-01-03T22:42:05Z

Pere prlpz: The current explanation that it's impossible to create a black hole by folding paper is only right in practical terms. If you manage to keep folding while keeping the same thickness the density of the paper will be far beyond that of a neutron star.--~~~~

First post! [[User:RadiantRainwing|RadiantRainwing]] ([[User talk:RadiantRainwing|talk]]) 19:08, 3 January 2025 (UTC)

All six gross attempts to follow these instructions have ended with the attemptor vanishing into themselves before reaching step 175.[[Special:Contributions/172.70.47.105|172.70.47.105]] 19:17, 3 January 2025 (UTC)

e[[Special:Contributions/162.158.10.131|162.158.10.131]] 20:14, 3 January 2025 (UTC)

Should we also add a mention of the /Mythbusters/ doing this? I don't remember the details or I would put it in. [[User:MAP|MAP]] ([[User talk:MAP|talk]]) 21:48, 3 January 2025 (UTC)

I started convincing chatgpt to tell me how to fold this origami at https://chatgpt.com/share/67785de4-9a4c-800e-80f5-31d12d999999 before running out of free credits. [[Special:Contributions/172.68.54.157|172.68.54.157]] 22:00, 3 January 2025 (UTC)

Using rice paper you could easily reach 9 steps by pure hand pressure, although reaching fusion point -at or around 80 steps- would definitely require strong fingers indeed. Black holes clearly cannot exist, because they would require folding Chinese paper more than a red-blooded American can do, and this is not an option.{{unsigned}}

---------

The current explanation that it's impossible to create a black hole by folding paper is only right in practical terms. If you manage to keep folding while keeping the same thickness the density of the paper will be far beyond that of a neutron star.--[[User:Pere prlpz|Pere prlpz]] ([[User talk:Pere prlpz|talk]]) 22:42, 3 January 2025 (UTC)

User talk:Pere prlpz

2024-11-04T22:54:34Z

Pere prlpz: Removing Category:Pages to delete until sorting out why my talk page needs to be deleted

{{Welcome}}

Enjoy your stay at the explain xkcd wiki. None of the moderators are active, the site is broken as ever and hasn’t been updated in years. But this is the biggest catalogue of anything xkcd, and the only remaining place where people can discuss it’s comics (besides the reddit) since the forums shut down.
 — [[User:Sqrt-1|The 𝗦𝗾𝗿𝘁-𝟭]] [[User talk:Sqrt-1|talk]] [[Special:Contributions/Sqrt-1|stalk]] 03:49, 30 January 2021 (UTC)

User talk:42.book.addict

2024-11-04T22:53:44Z

Pere prlpz: /* I can't edit it, myself, so... */ == User talk page deletion == Hi. Why do you want to delete my talk page? [https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=User_talk:Pere_prlpz&oldid=336267&diff=cur] --~~~~

{| cellpadding="2" style="border: 2.5px solid black;” style=“background: beige”
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! width="150" | Archive 1
! width="150" |

|- align="center"
| style="border: 1px solid #FFFFFF;"|
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[[File:archive.png|120px|Archive 1]]
| style="border: 1px solid #FFFFFF;"|

|- align="center"
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| style="background: white; color: black" | For old and irrelevant messages, see my [[User talk:42.book.addict/archive|archive!]]
|
|}

== introductions ==
Just replying to your message (also dw no big deal for bothering me)
You click on your username and there should be an edit box. --[[User:1234231587678|1234231587678]] ([[User talk:1234231587678|talk]]) 04:58, 7 February 2024 (UTC)
:it says that i dont have permission to create the page…
:There is currently no text in this page. You can search for this page title in other pages, or search the related logs, but you do not have permission to create this page. it says [[User:42.book.addict|42.book.addict]] ([[User talk:42.book.addict|talk]]) 19:33, 7 February 2024 (UTC)

I think you might have to wait some time (like a timer) until you can edit your own page... I think I only got to edit my page after 1 month of creating my account.--[[User:1234231587678|1234231587678]] ([[User talk:1234231587678|talk]]) 21:31, 7 February 2024 (UTC)
:ok, thx [[User:42.book.addict|42.book.addict]] ([[User talk:42.book.addict|talk]]) 21:52, 7 February 2024 (UTC)

My guess on where you live is somewhere in the GMT zone, so United Kingdom.--[[User:1234231587678|1234231587678]] ([[User talk:1234231587678|talk]]) 03:43, 8 February 2024 (UTC)
:nope, im a california girl :) ([[User talk:42.book.addict|talk]]) 05:04, 8 February 2024 (UTC)

lol you never know with utc times --[[User:1234231587678|1234231587678]] ([[User talk:1234231587678|talk]]) 16:52, 8 February 2024 (UTC)

== Depends what you wanted to do... ==

Is the following what you intended? 
{{Userbox | border-c = #255 | border-s = 1 | info-s = 9 | id = [[File:trans_flag.png|45px]] | info = [[{{w|Transgender|This user is trans.}}]] | float = left }} 
{{clear}}...or is even the [[]] part not what you want?{{clear}}
{{Userbox | border-c = #255 | border-s = 1 | info-s = 9 | id = [[File:trans_flag.png|45px]] | info = {{w|Transgender|This user is trans.}} | float = left }} 
{{clear}}As brief a guide as I can manage:
*URL links use []. Although literal https://www.google.com will self-link without ''any'' wikimarkup, you probably don't want it to look like that most of the time.
** Just give the URL, as in <code><nowiki>[https://www.google.com]</nowiki></code>, to get a [https://www.google.com] (i.e. a reference number), not the best way to do it. It can be organised better with a 'References' section, but we don't do that here (they do on wikipedia, but usually with other bits to it.
** Better to give the URL and the text to use (after a space, a character that never appears raw in any proper URL). This can be <code><nowiki>[https://www.google.com Check It Out On Google!]</nowiki></code> or even <code><nowiki>[https://www.google.com https://www.microsoft.com (only kidding!)]</nowiki></code>, to give [https://www.google.com Check It Out On Google!] or [https://www.google.com https://www.microsoft.com (only kidding!)]... But perhaps best not to do the latter too much (I really didn't want to post that without the "(only kidding!)" part, in fact.)
*Internalised wikilinks use the [[]]s.
**Anything that can be found under the title, e.g. "2: Petit Trees (sketch)" (or, because of redirections, "2" and "Petit Trees (sketch)" go to the same spot, so <code><nowiki>[[2]], [[Petit Trees (sketch)]] and [[2: Petit Trees (sketch)]]</nowiki></code> gives you the literal links [[2]], [[Petit Trees (sketch)]] and [[2: Petit Trees (sketch)]]
**Or use <code><nowiki>[[2: Petit Trees (sketch)|that comic with the little trees]]</nowiki></code>, additional text separated by the 'pipe' symbol (i.e. "|"), to link to [[2: Petit Trees (sketch)|that comic with the little trees]]
**You can also link across to articles on other 'wikimedia family' sites, but I'm not going to try to summarise that, as the primary reason to do that is to go to an actual Wikipedia article, and there's a template set up to do that ''very'' nicely, already (and also a few other places, like Wiktionary, and some not-really-wikis with a similar philosphy like TVTropes). If in doubt, do it as a URL link ''or'' find a place where someone else has clearly markuped a link to the same site as you want to link to.
*So, anyway, Wikilink templates use the {{template|w}}-template, with one or two paramaters (pipe-separated). (It shortcuts the thing you'd maybe use [[]]s for
**Using <code><nowiki>{{w|article}}</nowiki></code> gives you a link to "{{w|Article}}" (it capitalises the first character, even if you don't)
**Using <code><nowiki>{{w|article|with alternate text}}</nowiki></code> gives you a link there but "{{w|article|with alternate text}}"
**If the article name has whitespace (or other 'URL-unfriendly' characters) in it, those characters in the URL (which you wouldn't want to use) will be rendered as something URL-friendly. The URL for "Whitespace (programming language)", for example, is https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Whitespace_(programming_language) but you wouldn't normally use that so literally in any case, and definitely not when you can significanty shorten it with the {{template|w}} notation.
***What you can do is (without 'alternate link text') render it as <code><nowiki>{{w|Whitespace_(programming_language)}}</nowiki></code> - i.e. {{w|Whitespace_(programming_language)}} - but that's not nice to see 'rendered raw' when you ''want'' the spaces. You could give it alternate text via <code><nowiki>{{w|Whitespace_(programming_language)|Whitespace (programming language)}}</nowiki></code> to give {{w|Whitespace_(programming_language)|Whitespace (programming language)}} ...but that's wasteful and unnecessary.
***Instead, just do <code><nowiki>{{w|Whitespace (programming language)}}</nowiki></code> (that's the literal copy of the article's own page title, from the rendered page) - and shows as {{w|Whitespace (programming language)}} - which is good. Although <code><nowiki>{{w|Whitespace (programming language)|the programming language called Whitespace}}</nowiki></code> might be the best way to seemlessly link to {{w|Whitespace (programming language)|the programming language called Whitespace}} ...depends what you want to appear there.
***And you can link to header anchors pretty much ''like'' the URL of https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Whitespace_(programming_language)#History by using <code><nowiki>{{w|Whitespace (programming language)#History|the history of Whitespace}}</nowiki></code> to have you show {{w|Whitespace (programming language)#History|the history of Whitespace}} or whatever else you might want to use.
**Also, for the use of a link which is singular but which you would like to include as the plural (usually the "...s" or "...es" version), you could use article-name first parameter and ''pluralised'' article name as second, but instead of <code><nowiki>{{w|Plural|Plurals}}</nowiki></code>, for a link to the {{w|Plural|Plurals}}, you can save yourself a lot of effort by doing <code><nowiki>{{w|Plural}}s</nowiki></code> to also give you a linke to {{w|Plural}}s. Magic, eh? And it also works with <code><nowiki>{{w|Ox}}en</nowiki></code> to link the different standard plural of {{w|Ox}}en to the article for "Ox" (better than linking to the word for {{w|Oxen}}, which ends up redirecting to {{w|Ox}} anyway).
...so, anyway, that's the basics. And a few not-so-basics. So if the solutions to your tagging issue aren't already solved (or even if they are!), you might have enough info here to kludge it into whatever form of infobox info text you ''really'' wanted to use. Ok? Probably far too much info for you to absorb in one go, but covers loads of interesting possibilities. About the only thing you don't want to do is wikilink straight to the word "trans", at that'll be a disambiguation page. And there's also no way (or reason?) to use the terms "trans man"/"trans woman" as the pluralised "trans men"/"trans women" versions via the "directly add the plural suffix" thing, of course. :P Anyway, FYI. [[Special:Contributions/162.158.38.217|162.158.38.217]] 20:40, 25 May 2024 (UTC)
::oh my god thank you so much [[User:42.book.addict|42.book.addict]] ([[User talk:42.book.addict|talk]]) 19:38, 27 May 2024 (UTC)

== You're doing several edits of signed Talk contributions. ==

Don't do that. Insofar as any edit 'belongs' to anyone, if you write a contribution to a Talk page (or the community portal) and sign it properly, and it isn't actual span or vandalism or similar idiocy, then you don't expect someone to 'correct' what you wrote.

In at least one case, you didn't even understand it enough to correct it (by the standards of your own attempted correction). So perhaps just a better idea not to. [[Special:Contributions/141.101.98.87|141.101.98.87]] 22:54, 23 September 2024 (UTC)
:I’m cleaning up the maintenance pages and I did those edits so that we don’t have dead links on the wiki. [[User:42.book.addict|42.book.addict]] ([[User talk:42.book.addict|talk]]) 01:07, 24 September 2024 (UTC)
::also, I’ve added a comment clarifying the {{Citation needed}} thread [[User:42.book.addict|42.book.addict]] ([[User talk:42.book.addict|talk]]) 01:26, 24 September 2024 (UTC)
:::There are plenty of dead links. Sometimes for practical reasons. I note that you have done a lot of editing, recently, and cleaning up articles is good, but I think you're being told that you're taking it too far to mess with other people's words that are ''supposed'' to be their own, rather than the more collaborative pages.
:::For the [[Citation needed]], perhaps the editor did not want that page to have a "Pages with Citation Needed" link to it (could have used the more literal ''<nowiki>[Citation needed]</nowiki>'', or similar). Or perhaps they didn't even want the meta-tag appearing in superscript and italics at all. You don't know their mind.
:::For the [[Padlock]], the (apparent) original author came back and corrected your so-called correction back again. Not reason to be edited, anyway, even if they hadn't been sure what they intended. (I note some minor typos in that explanation. But I wouldn't dive in and make such corrections either, in a Talk namespace page like that.) Trivial, and not your concern anyway. [[Special:Contributions/172.70.86.131|172.70.86.131]] 07:22, 24 September 2024 (UTC)
::::Duly noted. [[User:42.book.addict|42.book.addict]] ([[User talk:42.book.addict|talk]]) 17:10, 26 September 2024 (UTC)

== CG acounts ==

Hi 42.

I have now had time to look into the whole CG account situation and have reacted and commented both to them and to the message on my talk page. Thanks for the good work. I will give the CG a week to react. Then I will decide next week what to do about them based on their reactions. You are welcome to let me know if they do something stupid in the mean time and also if you know of more CG accounts than the ones I have been alerted to (as seen in my newest reply.)

I did change your talk page because it was made so it was easy to see what comments where left but hard to find them. And it also hid new edits and I do not think a users talk page should hide what people have written, also not if complaints. Seems you have been editing a bit too much on talk pages... But also that you have learned what not to edit?

Best regards
--[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 10:48, 29 September 2024 (UTC
:Great-glad that’s resolved. I changed back the “hidden comments” thing because it doesn’t make it impossible to access again-you just need to scroll down and click “old squabbles”. I have made a habit of moving comments out of it whenever I receive a message-that’s less tedious than having such a long and irrelevant talk page. [[User:42.book.addict|42.book.addict]] ([[User talk:42.book.addict|talk]]) 15:30, 30 September 2024 (UTC)
:It's apparently that different CGs are in charge of different parts of the wiki. e. g. GonscriptGuide and GonscriptGlossary are for language-related pages. [[Special:Contributions/172.69.194.71|172.69.194.71]] 02:53, 30 September 2024 (UTC)

I want to re-raise and join the concern raised by others that the "hidden comments" / "old squabbles" thing is a bad idea, and possibly completely unacceptable. It makes your page hard to navigate and unlike every other Talk page, and generally makes it impossible to find things for anyone not extremely familiar with your particular mechanism, which seems to be unique to you. Even knowing you have an "old squabbles" link to click, I have trouble finding it and get annoyed and frustrated, and that makes me annoyed and frustrated with you, even if I should not be. I do not think you want people annoyed and frustrated with you. I strongly recommend you remove it. Put your "old squabbles" on an archive page or remove them entirely, but please don't veil them in this fashion. Thank you. [[User:JohnHawkinson|JohnHawkinson]] ([[User talk:JohnHawkinson|talk]]) 21:54, 2 October 2024 (UTC)
:Hi, personally I don't really give a shit about the "old squabbles" like I see why people are annoyed by it (see one of the converstions in "old squabbles) but I don't really see why its a a big deal. This is what I'd do. If you REALLY don't wanna get rid of it, I would make it bigger, like a heading, and put it were the "old squabbles" used to be. That way if someones looking for it, the link is obvious and is were the origanals used to be. I think that would be a pretty good compromise, but you can take what I've said with a grain of salt as I'm not one of the people whom have a problem with it. [[User:Apollo11|Apollo11]] ([[User talk:Apollo11|talk]]) 14:02, 3 October 2024 (UTC)
::Alsos just saw your break post, good for you!! :) [[User:Apollo11|Apollo11]] ([[User talk:Apollo11|talk]]) 14:07, 3 October 2024 (UTC)
::[[User talk:42.book.addict/archive|Archived.]] [[User:42.book.addict|42.book.addict]] ([[User talk:42.book.addict|talk]]) 17:17, 3 October 2024 (UTC)

== Adding the "please sign"/etc comments. ==

I really {{diff|352542|wasn't suggesting}} that anyone go into every Talk page and 'update' it just with the guide comment. It's the kind of thing I have tried to do if I (think I) have good cause to be editing the page (usually to fix someone's very recent non-signing).

Like I said, it's all just a partial/sticking-plaster solution, and often enough seems not to be read/remembered ''anyway''. The returns on blanket-editing pretty much everything are low, probably not really worth spending your time on. (Something else may 'need' to be done tomorrow, which means loads of premature edits were done that could have waited a bit longer and saved server-resources.) You're eager to help, I know that. You ''might'' be being overeager. Pace youself, perhaps? ;) [[Special:Contributions/141.101.98.23|141.101.98.23]] 18:23, 10 October 2024 (UTC)

== didn't your user page originally say she/they? ==

Why did you remove it [[User:CalibansCreations|'''Caliban''']] ([[User talk:CalibansCreations|talk]]) 06:58, 11 October 2024 (UTC)
:Does it matter? Anyone can say anything and (page history aside) unsay anything. It shouldn't bother you to have been said, ''nor'' to have had it (and anything else) removed.
:42: Sorry to interject before you do. You can remove ''this'' bit (definitely my reply, if not CC's whole question) if you consider it an issue not worth persisting on your pages. [[Special:Contributions/141.101.99.202|141.101.99.202]] 08:23, 11 October 2024 (UTC)
:What I put on my user page my choice. I can remove it if I want, I can add things if I want. If you want to know the reason why, please check the editing history of my user page. Thanks, 141.101.99.202. [[User:42.book.addict|42.book.addict]] ([[User talk:42.book.addict|talk]]) 15:20, 11 October 2024 (UTC)

==find the secret message==


== I can't edit it, myself, so... ==

In {{diff|352951|this edit}}, you shuffled up a 'demonstration' version of {{template|Citation needed}} into the preceding word, as if it were an actual one rather than a demonstrative one. Actually, I think that the proper change would be to (with a space to both sides) make it <code><nowiki>{{template|Citation needed}}</nowiki></code>, like I did just here, but I'll let you decide. [[Special:Contributions/172.70.90.108|172.70.90.108]] 05:42, 16 October 2024 (UTC)
:Oops. Fixed now. [[User:42.book.addict|42.book.addict]] ([[User talk:42.book.addict|talk]]) 18:02, 16 October 2024 (UTC)

== User talk page deletion ==

Hi.

Why do you want to delete my talk page? [https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=User_talk:Pere_prlpz&oldid=336267&diff=cur] --[[User:Pere prlpz|Pere prlpz]] ([[User talk:Pere prlpz|talk]]) 22:53, 4 November 2024 (UTC)

3007: Probabilistic Uncertainty

2024-11-04T20:30:19Z

Pere prlpz: /* Explanation */ ??? N/A ??? || {{w|N/A}} stands for "not available", "no answer", "not applicable" or "not assessed".

{{comic
| number = 3007
| date = November 4, 2024
| title = Probabilistic Uncertainty
| image = probabilistic_uncertainty_2x.png
| imagesize = 474x385px
| noexpand = true
| titletext = "One popular strategy is to enter an emotional spiral. Could that be the right approach? We contacted several researchers who are experts in emotional spirals to ask them, but none of them were in a state to speak with us."
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Created by AN EMOTIONALLY SPIRALING BOT - Please change this comment when editing this page. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}
This comic references anxiety about the upcoming election (one day after this comic is posted). The odds of the election as shown by many media sources are close to 50/50, which is the third scenario shown in the comic.

{| class="wikitable"
!Odds
!How to think about it?
!Explanation
|-
| Good outcome more likely || Recognize that the bad outcome is possible, but be reassured that the odds are in your favor ||
|-
| Bad outcome more likely || ||
|-
| Precisely 50/50 || ??? N/A ??? || {{w|N/A}} stands for "not available", "no answer", "not applicable" or "not assessed".
|}
The title text is a joke about emotional spirals - naturally, the emotional spiral experts would be emotionally spiralling.

==Transcript==
{{incomplete transcript|Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}
[A table with two columns, labelled: Scenario, How to think about it in an emotionally healthy way]

[Row 1:] Good outcome more likely, Recognize that the bad outcome is possible, but be reassured that the odds are in your favor.
{{comic discussion}}

2896: Crossword Constructors

2024-02-19T22:33:04Z

Pere prlpz:

{{comic
| number = 2896
| date = February 19, 2024
| title = Crossword Constructors
| image = crossword_constructors_2x.png
| imagesize = 285x388px
| noexpand = true
| titletext = Also, we would really appreciate it if you could prominently refer to it as an 'eHit'.
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Created by a THREE-LETTER WORD THAT STARTS WITH B - Please change this comment when editing this page. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}

Making crosswords is hard and having albums with weird names adds more possible crossword solutions.

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

{{comic discussion}}

Talk:2892: Banana Prices

2024-02-09T21:57:42Z

Pere prlpz: Using log scale here is not a joke. It's perfectly legit. Constant inflation is actually an exponential relation. For example, if prices go 10% up every year, in two years they won't be 20% higher but 21% because 1.10*1.10=1.21. And such an exponential re

Is it a linear extrapolation? Or does it only appear so because the Y axis is logarithmic? Inflation is logarithmic, since it's expressed in percentages. [[User:Barmar|Barmar]] ([[User talk:Barmar|talk]]) 17:04, 9 February 2024 (UTC)
:Well, the lines of extrapolation are (invoked as) linear, by dint of the height above the baseline being preconverted to a logarithmic function of the represented axial value. Rather than taking exponential-style extrapolation of data and 'happening' to linearise it through the subsequent transformation, it is almost certainly going to have been merely establishing some trend point(s) through which such an exponential would pass and using that to directly guide the linear plot that (on the converted scale) is the functionally equivalent result to doing it with ''every'' point. [[Special:Contributions/172.71.178.77|172.71.178.77]] 17:26, 9 February 2024 (UTC)

OK, so... my reading of the comic after studying it for a while is that Randall is making a sophisticated meta-joke about 'lying with data" and unreliable precision and how easy it is to be fooled. He knows, of course, that this graph's "prediction" is completely arbitrary and is likely to be VERY wrong. He is intentionally breaking a whole set of statistical best practices in this graph. If so, I think this comic is one of the most-layerd and subtle he's ever done. You have to know a lot about statistical best practices to see what he's really doing here. .. What's so interesting to me is him using the voice of the caption-writer -- usually good ol' reliable Randall -- to actually be the butt of the joke. ... If someone wants to claim that this is more sarcasm than "unreliable narrator," I guess that's a reasonable interpreation, but the use of the word "probably" in the caption makes me think we're supposed to take the caption-writer seriously. [[User:Laser813|Laser813]] ([[User talk:Laser813|talk]]) 18:38, 9 February 2024 (UTC)
:I don't know, I think meta-humor is typically reserved for the title text. I think the comic is a cheap gag about bananas and that the line will eventually become outdated, and and it's oversimplified so that the logic of his joke is clear. The caption is written in a similar speech style to the quote, and I think the title text is Randall's admission that the graph isn't the best. I don't think flaws in the graph are intentional as part of some humor on graph design, just a consequence of making the graph clear enough to not be distracting from the joke. [[User:Kittyabbygirl|Kittyabbygirl]] ([[User talk:Kittyabbygirl|talk]]) 21:04, 9 February 2024 (UTC)

Bananas are a special case: Basically we have a monoculture. With no genetic variations, bananas are highly vulnerable to the emergence of specialized pathogens and currently Panama 4 is threatening the Cavendish banana: https://www.theguardian.com/food/ng-interactive/2022/apr/14/climate-crisis-food-systems-not-ready-biodiversity So trying to fit this question of "will it go extinct soon?" into a smooth inflation price increase might be another butt of the joke [[Special:Contributions/172.71.246.88|172.71.246.88]] 18:49, 9 February 2024 (UTC)

Randall is way off-base here, by about an order of magnitude. The episode is about Bluth frozen bananas, which require refrigeration, chocolate, and custom labor; they also do not have the economies of scale of fresh bananas. The AD wiki says the prices are >$1; in "Top Banana," Maeby says they cost at least $1. In real life, frozen bananas cost $5 in LA, $8 at ice cream shops on LA-area beaches. This is a joke similar to the Pulp Fiction $5 milkshake; milkshakes have been much more expensive than that for years. --[[Special:Contributions/172.70.207.149|172.70.207.149]] 19:12, 9 February 2024 (UTC)
: Randall sometimes ignores basic elements about how the real world works in order to make a nerdy joke or point. The comic last week about Black Hat being tracked 8,000 miles away by NIST is a good example of that. The whole thing rests on us entering into his (slightly) alternate universe with him. [[User:Laser813|Laser813]] ([[User talk:Laser813|talk]]) 20:37, 9 February 2024 (UTC)

I am tempted to say "Keep the change." "What from a fiver." "Yes the world is going to end."
At the time of the radio series, it would have been an excessive amount of change to give away.
They did not keep it for the film, when a fiver would barely pay for one of the six beers. [[Special:Contributions/172.69.195.23|172.69.195.23]] 19:38, 9 February 2024 (UTC)

Using log scale here is not a joke. It's perfectly legit. Constant inflation is actually an exponential relation. For example, if prices go 10% up every year, in two years they won't be 20% higher but 21% because 1.10*1.10=1.21. And such an exponential relation becomes linear when plotted using a logarithmic y axis.--[[User:Pere prlpz|Pere prlpz]] ([[User talk:Pere prlpz|talk]]) 21:57, 9 February 2024 (UTC)

2874: Iceland

2023-12-30T11:52:06Z

Pere prlpz: /* Explanation */ providing Iceland with a milder and more liveable climate than would be otherwise expected for its latitude.

{{comic
| number = 2874
| date = December 29, 2023
| title = Iceland
| image = iceland_2x.png
| imagesize = 325x454px
| noexpand = true
| titletext = The HVAC bill for installing the Gulf Stream was enormous.
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Created by THE ONE PERSON WHOSE IDEA DIDN'T GET ADDED TO ICELAND - Please change this comment when editing this page. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}

This comic is a reference to the strange geography of Iceland, owing to the sheer number of notable geographical features in such a small area, leading to the conclusion by Randall that Iceland had to have been created by a committee of various planetary scientists all vying to have their ideas implemented into their 'project', that being Iceland.

The comic depicts a scene of a Cueball giving a presentation to a bunch of members sitting around a table, that being White Hat, Blondie, another Cueball, Megan and Hairbun, in the order left to right. It may have been inspired by Iceland being recently in the news for its {{w|2023 Sundhnúkur eruption|notable volcanic activity}}, although at least this one isn't one of the ones {{w|Eyjafjallajökull|under a glacier}}, so only (currently) causing fairly localised inconvenience.

Noting that being nearer the magnetic pole might more frequently provide you with an aurora, but for the more severe (on the {{w|K-index#The Kp-index and estimated Kp-index|Kp index}}) geomagnetic storms invoke their auroral displays at lower latitudes. Once you get a Kp of 5 (out of a theoretical 9), Iceland may be far ''too'' close to the pole to fully appreciate the sight.

{{w|HVAC}} in the title text is jargon for heating, ventilation, and air conditioning. The {{w|Gulf Stream}} is a warm and swift Atlantic ocean current that originates in the Gulf of Mexico and flows through the Straits of Florida and up the eastern coastline of the United States, then veers east near 36 degrees latitude and moves toward Northwest Europe as the North Atlantic Current, providing Iceland with a milder and more liveable climate than would be otherwise expected for its latitude. The electrical costs associated with providing airflow at a certain temperature, over such a vast area would prove incredibly expensive, not to mention the fact that the Gulf Stream is not in fact an artificial phenomenon powered by electricity, but rather a natural one.

==Transcript==
{{incomplete transcript|Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}
:[Cueball is standing in front of a board and pointing to it with a stick. In front of him is a table with White Hat, Blondie, another Cueball, Megan, and Hairbun sitting.]
:First Cueball (standing): Okay, we'll make it an island on a mid-ocean ridge to satisfy the mantle people and the oceanographers.
:Second Cueball (sitting): But what about my glaciers?
:First Cueball (standing): We can just pile them on the volcanoes.
:Hairbun: Don't forget that it has to be near a pole - I was promised aurora!

:[Caption below the comic:]
:Iceland was designed by a committee of planetary scientists that was trying to satisfy everyone.
{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Comics featuring White Hat]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Blondie]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Megan]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Hairbun]]
[[Category:Multiple Cueballs]]
[[Category:Geography]]
[[Category:Geology]]
[[Category:Engineering]]

2869: Puzzles

2023-12-18T20:49:53Z

Pere prlpz: to be able to make

{{comic
| number = 2869
| date = December 18, 2023
| title = Puzzles
| image = puzzles_2x.png
| imagesize = 328x455px
| noexpand = true
| titletext = Why couldn't the amulet have been hidden by Aunt Alice, who understands modern key exchange algorithms?
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Created by an AWFUL CLUE FROM A CHILDREN'S BOOK - Please change this comment when editing this page. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}

The title text references {{w|Alice and Bob|Alice}}, a fictional character commonly used in discussions about cryptography. In those discussions, Alice is often sending and receiving encrypted messages, and she would be expected to be able to make a better puzzle than the one shown in the comic. Alice and Bob and other characters from the same set have been mentioned previously in xkcd, like in [[177: Alice and Bob]].

==Transcript==
{{incomplete transcript|Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}
:Hairy: Aunt Gertrude must have left a clue to the amulet's location.
:Hairbun: Hmm. Wait a minute.
:Hairbun: '''G'''ertrude. '''G'''.
:Hairy: As in "'''G'''round!"
:Hairbun: And "di'''G''' a hole!"
:Ponytail: I'll get a shovel!
:Cueball: To the yard!

:[Caption below the panel:]
:Some of the authors of books I read as a kid were '''''terrible''''' at designing puzzles.

{{comic discussion}}

2869: Puzzles

2023-12-18T20:12:22Z

Pere prlpz: /* Explanation */ and she would be expected to make a better puzzle than the one shown in the comic.

{{comic
| number = 2869
| date = December 18, 2023
| title = Puzzles
| image = puzzles_2x.png
| imagesize = 328x455px
| noexpand = true
| titletext = Why couldn't the amulet have been hidden by Aunt Alice, who understands modern key exchange algorithms?
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Created by a WORD CONTAINING "G" - Please change this comment when editing this page. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}

The title text references {{w|Alice and Bob|Alice}}, a fictional character commonly used in discussions about cryptography. In those discussions, Alice is often sending and receiving encrypted messages, and she would be expected to make a better puzzle than the one shown in the comic. Alice and Bob and other characters from the same set have been mentioned previously in xkcd, like in [[177: Alice and Bob]].

==Transcript==
{{incomplete transcript|Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}
:Hairy: Aunt Gertrude must have left a clue to the amulet's location.
:Hairbun: Hmm. Wait a minute.
:Hairbun: '''G'''ertrude. '''G'''.
:Hairy: As in "'''G'''round!"
:Hairbun: And "di'''G''' a hole!"
:Ponytail: I'll get a shovel!
:Cueball: To the yard!

:[Caption below the panel:]
:Some of the authors of books I read as a kid were '''''terrible''''' at designing puzzles.

{{comic discussion}}

2869: Puzzles

2023-12-18T20:11:43Z

Pere prlpz: /* Explanation */ Alice and Bob and other characters from the same set have been mentioned previously in xkcd, like in 177: Alice and Bob.

{{comic
| number = 2869
| date = December 18, 2023
| title = Puzzles
| image = puzzles_2x.png
| imagesize = 328x455px
| noexpand = true
| titletext = Why couldn't the amulet have been hidden by Aunt Alice, who understands modern key exchange algorithms?
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Created by a WORD CONTAINING "G" - Please change this comment when editing this page. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}

The title text references {{w|Alice and Bob|Alice}}, a fictional character commonly used in discussions about cryptography. In those discussions, Alice is often sending and receiving encrypted messages. Alice and Bob and other characters from the same set have been mentioned previously in xkcd, like in [[177: Alice and Bob]].

==Transcript==
{{incomplete transcript|Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}
:Hairy: Aunt Gertrude must have left a clue to the amulet's location.
:Hairbun: Hmm. Wait a minute.
:Hairbun: '''G'''ertrude. '''G'''.
:Hairy: As in "'''G'''round!"
:Hairbun: And "di'''G''' a hole!"
:Ponytail: I'll get a shovel!
:Cueball: To the yard!

:[Caption below the panel:]
:Some of the authors of books I read as a kid were '''''terrible''''' at designing puzzles.

{{comic discussion}}

2869: Puzzles

2023-12-18T20:10:37Z

Pere prlpz: /* Explanation */ The title text references {{w|Alice and Bob|Alice}}, a fictional character commonly used in discussions about cryptography. In those discussions, Alice is often sending and receiving encrypted messages.

{{comic
| number = 2869
| date = December 18, 2023
| title = Puzzles
| image = puzzles_2x.png
| imagesize = 328x455px
| noexpand = true
| titletext = Why couldn't the amulet have been hidden by Aunt Alice, who understands modern key exchange algorithms?
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Created by a WORD CONTAINING "G" - Please change this comment when editing this page. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}

The title text references {{w|Alice and Bob|Alice}}, a fictional character commonly used in discussions about cryptography. In those discussions, Alice is often sending and receiving encrypted messages.

==Transcript==
{{incomplete transcript|Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}
:Hairy: Aunt Gertrude must have left a clue to the amulet's location.
:Hairbun: Hmm. Wait a minute.
:Hairbun: '''G'''ertrude. '''G'''.
:Hairy: As in "'''G'''round!"
:Hairbun: And "di'''G''' a hole!"
:Ponytail: I'll get a shovel!
:Cueball: To the yard!

:[Caption below the panel:]
:Some of the authors of books I read as a kid were '''''terrible''''' at designing puzzles.

{{comic discussion}}

2394: Contiguous 41 States

2023-12-15T20:09:25Z

Pere prlpz: /* Explanation */ File:states missing from xkcd 2394.png|thumb|300px|The states missing from the comic map.]

{{comic
| number = 2394
| date = December 4, 2020
| title = Contiguous 41 States
| image = contiguous_41_states.png
| titletext = Linguists, settling some inscrutable grudge, have been steadily sneaking more backdated synonyms for 'sharing borders' into the dictionary. They've added 'contiguous,' 'coterminous,' 'conterminous,' and next year they're adding 'conterguous.'
}}

==Explanation==
[[File:states missing from xkcd 2394.png|thumb|300px|The states missing from the comic map.]]
The United States of America is composed of {{w|List_of_states_and_territories_of_the_United_States|50}} states, {{w|Contiguous United States|48 of which are contiguous}} – meaning they share common borders. Two states are separated from the other 48 states, {{w|Alaska}} and {{w|Hawaii}}. Alaska, purchased from Russia in 1867, is separated from the rest of the United States by the country of Canada (or at least appears to be as a result of the [[2082: Mercator Projection|Mercator Projection]]). Hawaii, annexed in 1898, is a group of islands in the Pacific Ocean. As these states are not ''contiguous'' to the rest of the 48 states, they may be omitted from maps of the United States. Typically, these 2 states are included in inset maps, separate sections usually placed at the bottom of the main map.

The United States also includes 5 permanently inhabited territories (Puerto Rico, U.S. Virgin Islands, Guam, Northern Mariana Islands, American Samoa), which are not contiguous with states. Puerto Rico {{w|2020_Puerto_Rican_status_referendum|may become a state}}. The District of Columbia is not ({{w|Statehood_movement_in_the_District_of_Columbia|yet}}) a state, but is contiguous with the states.

The map in this comic is "Alaska and Hawaii's revenge", with seven additional states removed: North Dakota, South Dakota, Nebraska, Kansas, New Mexico, Pennsylvania, and Delaware. Most of these are accomplished by eliminating a column of states: North Dakota, South Dakota, Nebraska, and Kansas. Oklahoma and Texas, which are directly south of these, are slid over to the west into the space freed up by deleting New Mexico. The other two deleted states are Pennsylvania and Delaware, with the states to their south and north slid/extended to fill the gap.

The map is also missing {{w|Isle Royale}}, Michigan, the third-largest island in the contiguous U.S. This seems to be a legitimate oversight, as the map includes numerous smaller islands in detail, including Michigan's Beaver Island and North Manitou Island. Even the non-contiguous {{w|Northwest Angle}} of Minnesota is depicted. (The {{w|Eastern Shore of Virginia}}, which is not connected to the rest of Virginia and only borders Maryland, is also not shown—presumably to make way for New Jersey replacing much of the {{w|Delmarva Peninsula}}).

Some states, while not removed, are significantly distorted. Iowa and Missouri lose their contours with the Missouri River, while Wyoming's eastern border is crooked. The eastern border of Maryland follows the Delaware river with New Jersey. The border between Oklahoma and Arkansas is moved west. Western New York is wider in the comic than it is in reality.

The United States did have exactly 41 states for a few days in 1889, from the admission of Montana, the 41st state, on November 8, to the admission of Washington (the state, not DC), the 42nd state, on November 11. However, it was not the same 41 as shown here; for example, Pennsylvania and Delaware were two of the original 13 states (Delaware calls itself the first state, based on date of ratification of the Constitution) and Arizona and Oklahoma did not become states until the early 1900s.

The title text riffs on synonyms for "shared borders", which, according to Randall, linguists are inventing more of (while claiming they already existed) to make life more complicated for modern English users, for obscure reasons.

In fact, 'contiguous', 'coterminous', and 'conterminous' all date from early modern English, early-to-mid 17th century (just after the time of Shakespeare). 'Coterminous' and 'conterminous' are alternate spellings from the same Latin root ('cum' + 'terminus'), whereas 'contiguous' is from a different root (Latin 'contiguus'). Randall, facetiously, accuses linguists of having fabricated this history.

'Conterguous' is a neologism by Randall, though he blames it on linguists, consistent with his claim that they made up all the others. It is a portmanteau of 'CONTERminous' and 'contiGUOUS'. It is etymologically absurd (the prefix 'conter-' is meaningless). Its 'top-down' introduction into the language would simply be for the purpose of messing with people's minds, as Randall suggests. However, should the word catch on with English speakers, perhaps precisely because it is a joke, its 'bottom-up' entry into the language is certainly possible. One could then argue just how much Randall would have to answer for.

==Transcript==
:[Heading above the panel:]
:The Contiguous 41 States

:[A map of the United States, missing Delaware, Kansas, New Mexico, Nebraska, North Dakota, Pennsylvania, and South Dakota, along with Alaska and Hawaii.]

:[Caption below the panel:]
:Tired of being left off maps of the US, Alaska and Hawaii begin producing maps with ''other'' states missing, too.

{{comic discussion}}
[[Category:US maps]]
[[Category:Language]]

File:states missing from xkcd 2394.png

2023-12-15T20:08:24Z

Pere prlpz: States missing in the 41 states map of xkcd 2394. The map is made from https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Blank_map_of_states.png which has a CC0 1.0 public domain license.

States missing in the 41 states map of xkcd 2394.

The map is made from https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Blank_map_of_states.png which has a CC0 1.0 public domain license.

Talk:2868: Label the States

2023-12-15T18:08:20Z

Pere prlpz: :Overlaying the maps goes beyond my skills with Paint, but I hope showing the real map and xkcd's one with extra states highlighted is clear enough.--~~~~

I have not counted the states, but I deeply hope reaching the 64-state count involves splitting Michigan's mitten and peninsula in separate states. [[Special:Contributions/108.162.241.130|108.162.241.130]] 16:02, 15 December 2023 (UTC)
:I have now counted them. Sadly, with a Unified Michigan, there are 64 states, plus DC, plus those 3 enclave-looking bits in California, Utah and Florida that have the darker outlines. [[Special:Contributions/172.69.214.73|172.69.214.73]] 16:09, 15 December 2023 (UTC)
::Those "enclave" parts are large bodies of water that actually exist. [[User:MAP|MAP]] ([[User talk:MAP|talk]]) 16:14, 15 December 2023 (UTC)
::I am not at all sure that the areas in California, Utah, and Florida are intended to be additional states. They look like Okeechobee (Lake in Florida), Salt Lake (Utah) and the Salton Sea (California), approximately. There does seem to be an additional band of states starting between Oregon and California though- as a supporter of the Great State of Jefferson, I appove![[User:Seebert|Seebert]] ([[User talk:Seebert|talk]]) 16:17, 15 December 2023 (UTC)
:::They didn't really seem to be; they do have the coastline outlines, instead of the lighter state boundaries. The 64-count did work out without these lakes (though a part of me wishes one of them had been one, because it would have been funny to imply a state formed fully landlocked inside another, and even funnier if that state is just an entire body of water) [[Special:Contributions/108.162.242.38|108.162.242.38]] 16:26, 15 December 2023 (UTC)

I believe I have identified (but not named) all the new states:
# South of Oregon
# South of Idaho
# South of Wyoming
# East of Montana
# East of Wyoming
# South of the previous new state
# East of Arizona
# North of Tennessee
# North of North Carolina
# East of New Hampshire
Additionally, the following states have been stretch and/or split:
# Colorado
# Nebraska
# Arkansa
# Ohio
The distinction between a split state and a new state is purely arbitrary based on what preserves distinctive state corners. [[Special:Contributions/172.69.214.108|172.69.214.108]] 16:35, 15 December 2023 (UTC)
: Personally, would describe the new state as being south of North Carolina. The one to the north better matches the general outline of North Carolina (particularly the Outer Banks and that long, straight northern border). [[Special:Contributions/172.69.247.65|172.69.247.65]] 16:58, 15 December 2023 (UTC)

I added locations for the new states in the explanation. If you think my interpretation is wrong, feel free to change it! [[explain_xkcd:Community_portal/Miscellaneous#Help_with_Creating_a_User_Page|Trogdor147]] ([[explain_xkcd:Community_portal/Miscellaneous#Help_with_Creating_a_User_Page|talk]]) 16:49, 15 December 2023 (UTC)

Could this be considered in a "series" with other maps like the mixed up states and left out states ones? [[Special:Contributions/162.158.158.233|162.158.158.233]] 17:19, 15 December 2023 (UTC)

Not sure if it's relevant but the number of 64 (as a power of 2) doesn't seem completely random. Could be a hint towards states in the computer science sense. You could use 6 bit to represent any number of states up to 64 - and you'd already need 6 bit for the actual number of US states.[[Special:Contributions/172.69.22.129|172.69.22.129]] 17:40, 15 December 2023 (UTC)

someone with better photoshop skills than me should overlay the normal map and point out the inconsistencies! [[User:Mushrooms|Mushrooms]] ([[User talk:Mushrooms|talk]]) 17:51, 15 December 2023 (UTC)
:Overlaying the maps goes beyond my skills with Paint, but I hope showing the real map and xkcd's one with extra states highlighted is clear enough.--[[User:Pere prlpz|Pere prlpz]] ([[User talk:Pere prlpz|talk]]) 18:08, 15 December 2023 (UTC)

2868: Label the States

2023-12-15T18:01:58Z

Pere prlpz: /* Explanation */ The external shape of the United States has also been slightly modified to accommodate the new states.

{{comic
| number = 2868
| date = December 15, 2023
| title = Label the States
| image = label_the_states_2x.png
| imagesize = 740x500px
| noexpand = true
| titletext = Even with a blank map, a lot of people can only name 45-50 of the 64 states.
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Created by a LEONIDA MAN - Please change this comment when editing this page. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}
[[File:label the states 2x highlighted.png|thumb|300xp|The map with the extra states highlighted.]]
[[File:Blank map of states.png|thumb|300xp|A real blank map of the United States for comparison.]]
This is a blank map of the United States. At first glance, it looks correct, because all the large states with distinct shapes are correctly represented, but some states have been added. For example:

* On the west coast, Washington, Oregon, and California all have their normal shapes, but there is a new rectangular state south of Oregon and north of California.
* Ohio has been split into two states with a new north-south border in the middle.
* A new, Tennessee-shaped state has been added between Tennessee and Kentucky.
* Additionally, a new, North Carolina-shaped state has been added between Virginia and North Carolina.
* A square-shaped state has been added between Arizona and New Mexico.
* Another rectangular state has been added between North and South Dakota (Middle Dakota?).
* An Arkansas-esque state has been added between Arkansas and Missouri.
* New Hampshire now has a state that looks like its reflection between itself and Maine.
* Four rectangular states have been added between Montana, Wyoming, and Colorado and the Dakotas, Nebraska, and Kansas.
* Another rectangular state has been added between Colorado and Wyoming.
* Lastly, another rectangular state has been added between Idaho, Utah, and Nevada.

In summary, a whole row and a whole column of states have been added, and two new states have been added between Indiana and Ohio and between New Hampshire and Vermont. The external shape of the United States has also been slightly modified to accommodate the new states.

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

:Geography Challenge:
:Can you label all the states?

:[An unlabeled map of the United States, but instead of 50 states, there are borders for 64.]

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:US maps]]

2868: Label the States

2023-12-15T18:00:31Z

Pere prlpz: /* Explanation */ In summary, a whole row and a whole column of states have been added, and two new states have been added between Indiana and Ohio and between New Hampshire and Vermont.

{{comic
| number = 2868
| date = December 15, 2023
| title = Label the States
| image = label_the_states_2x.png
| imagesize = 740x500px
| noexpand = true
| titletext = Even with a blank map, a lot of people can only name 45-50 of the 64 states.
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Created by a LEONIDA MAN - Please change this comment when editing this page. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}
[[File:label the states 2x highlighted.png|thumb|300xp|The map with the extra states highlighted.]]
[[File:Blank map of states.png|thumb|300xp|A real blank map of the United States for comparison.]]
This is a blank map of the United States. At first glance, it looks correct, because all the large states with distinct shapes are correctly represented, but some states have been added. For example:

* On the west coast, Washington, Oregon, and California all have their normal shapes, but there is a new rectangular state south of Oregon and north of California.
* Ohio has been split into two states with a new north-south border in the middle.
* A new, Tennessee-shaped state has been added between Tennessee and Kentucky.
* Additionally, a new, North Carolina-shaped state has been added between Virginia and North Carolina.
* A square-shaped state has been added between Arizona and New Mexico.
* Another rectangular state has been added between North and South Dakota (Middle Dakota?).
* An Arkansas-esque state has been added between Arkansas and Missouri.
* New Hampshire now has a state that looks like its reflection between itself and Maine.
* Four rectangular states have been added between Montana, Wyoming, and Colorado and the Dakotas, Nebraska, and Kansas.
* Another rectangular state has been added between Colorado and Wyoming.
* Lastly, another rectangular state has been added between Idaho, Utah, and Nevada.

In summary, a whole row and a whole column of states have been added, and two new states have been added between Indiana and Ohio and between New Hampshire and Vermont.

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

:Geography Challenge:
:Can you label all the states?

:[An unlabeled map of the United States, but instead of 50 states, there are borders for 64.]

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:US maps]]

2868: Label the States

2023-12-15T17:58:01Z

Pere prlpz: File:Blank map of states.png|thumb|300xp|A real map of the United States for comparison.]]

{{comic
| number = 2868
| date = December 15, 2023
| title = Label the States
| image = label_the_states_2x.png
| imagesize = 740x500px
| noexpand = true
| titletext = Even with a blank map, a lot of people can only name 45-50 of the 64 states.
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Created by a LEONIDA MAN - Please change this comment when editing this page. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}
[[File:label the states 2x highlighted.png|thumb|300xp|The map with the extra states highlighted.]]
[[File:Blank map of states.png|thumb|300xp|A real blank map of the United States for comparison.]]
This is a blank map of the United States. At first glance, it looks correct, because all the large states with distinct shapes are correctly represented, but some states have been added. For example:

* On the west coast, Washington, Oregon, and California all have their normal shapes, but there is a new rectangular state south of Oregon and north of California.
* Ohio has been split into two states with a new north-south border in the middle.
* A new, Tennessee-shaped state has been added between Tennessee and Kentucky.
* Additionally, a new, North Carolina-shaped state has been added between Virginia and North Carolina.
* A square-shaped state has been added between Arizona and New Mexico.
* Another rectangular state has been added between North and South Dakota (Middle Dakota?).
* An Arkansas-esque state has been added between Arkansas and Missouri.
* New Hampshire now has a state that looks like its reflection between itself and Maine.
* Four rectangular states have been added between Montana, Wyoming, and Colorado and the Dakotas, Nebraska, and Kansas.
* Another rectangular state has been added between Colorado and Wyoming.
* Lastly, another rectangular state has been added between Idaho, Utah, and Nevada.

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

:Geography Challenge:
:Can you label all the states?

:[An unlabeled map of the United States, but instead of 50 states, there are borders for 64.]

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:US maps]]

2868: Label the States

2023-12-15T17:55:29Z

Pere prlpz: /* Explanation */ File:label the states 2x highlighted.png|thumb|300xp|The map with the extra states highlighted.]]

{{comic
| number = 2868
| date = December 15, 2023
| title = Label the States
| image = label_the_states_2x.png
| imagesize = 740x500px
| noexpand = true
| titletext = Even with a blank map, a lot of people can only name 45-50 of the 64 states.
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Created by a LEONIDA MAN - Please change this comment when editing this page. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}
[[File:label the states 2x highlighted.png|thumb|300xp|The map with the extra states highlighted.]]
This is a blank map of the United States. At first glance, it looks correct, because all the large states with distinct shapes are correctly represented, but some states have been added. For example:

* On the west coast, Washington, Oregon, and California all have their normal shapes, but there is a new rectangular state south of Oregon and north of California.
* Ohio has been split into two states with a new north-south border in the middle.
* A new, Tennessee-shaped state has been added between Tennessee and Kentucky.
* Additionally, a new, North Carolina-shaped state has been added between Virginia and North Carolina.
* A square-shaped state has been added between Arizona and New Mexico.
* Another rectangular state has been added between North and South Dakota (Middle Dakota?).
* An Arkansas-esque state has been added between Arkansas and Missouri.
* New Hampshire now has a state that looks like its reflection between itself and Maine.
* Four rectangular states have been added between Montana, Wyoming, and Colorado and the Dakotas, Nebraska, and Kansas.
* Another rectangular state has been added between Colorado and Wyoming.
* Lastly, another rectangular state has been added between Idaho, Utah, and Nevada.

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

:Geography Challenge:
:Can you label all the states?

:[An unlabeled map of the United States, but instead of 50 states, there are borders for 64.]

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:US maps]]

File:label the states 2x highlighted.png

2023-12-15T17:53:10Z

Pere prlpz: Derivative of :File:label_the_states_2x.png with added states highlighted.

== Summary ==
Derivative of [[:File:label_the_states_2x.png]] with added states highlighted.
== Licensing ==
{{XKCD file derived}}

2326: Five Word Jargon

2023-11-06T19:46:16Z

Pere prlpz: /* Generalized autoregressive conditional heteroskedasticity model */ more links

{{comic
| number = 2326
| date = June 29, 2020
| title = Five Word Jargon
| image = five_word_jargon.png
| titletext = My other (much harder) hobby is trying to engineer situations where I have an excuse to use more than one of them in short succession.
}}

==Explanation==
This is another comic in [[Randall]]'s [[:Category:My Hobby|My Hobby series]], the first of two hobby comics released in the same week, the second being [[2328: Space Basketball]].

This hobby involves "collecting" and presumably using five-words-long technical jargon. In the comic, [[White Hat]] uses a phrases with five such words while talking to Randall (as [[Cueball]]), causing Randall to exclaim "cool" (as in what a cool sentence), and then proceed to type the phrase into his phone to add to his list of favorite Five Word Jargon.

Randall then proceeds to list his current favorites among really satisfying five word technical phrases (or jargon) as a caption below the panel, with White Hat's phrase as the last, possibly the newest. Maybe it was the one that caused Randall to consider other phrases and make this comic.

In the title text, Randall says that he has another much harder hobby, which is to engineer situations where he can use more than one of his favorite phrases. It would seem difficult to combine any of the four listed phrases in a given conversation, as they are from four separate fields (medicine, economics/statistics, biology, and physics/cosmology). However, he said "situations", which is broader term than "conversations". For example, someone could arrange for experts on these fields to deliver TED talks on these topics, so that he could introduce them by saying "today, we will learn about..." and list the phrases, but Randall cannot, because he has been [[541|banned from TED]]. At least he has succeeded in using them together in this comic.

===Technical jargon===
====Transjugular intrahepatic portosystemic shunt placement====
: A {{w|transjugular intrahepatic portosystemic shunt}} (TIPS) is "an artificial channel within the liver that connects the inflow portal vein and the outflow hepatic vein". It is used to treat various intestinal bleeding. This term can be found in this publication: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/16850140/
:;transjugular
::the shunt is inserted via the {{w|jugular vein}}
:;intrahepatic
::within the liver
:;portosystemic
::blood is shunted from the {{w|portal vein}} (draining blood from the intestines to the liver) to the systemic circulation (returning blood from the liver to the heart)
:;shunt
::a tube within the body that bypasses the normal flow of something (whether a natural defect, or an artificial device)
:;placement
::the operation to insert it

====Generalized autoregressive conditional heteroskedasticity model====
: A {{w|Autoregressive conditional heteroskedasticity|generalized autoregressive conditional heteroskedasticity}} (GARCH) model is a statistical model for economic research. An {{w|autoregressive model}} of a {{w|time series}} is one that uses previous values of the time series to predict the next value. A {{w|conditional probability}} model is one that divides data into inputs and outputs and models the relation between them using a conditional probability distribution of the outputs given the inputs. A {{w|heteroskedastic}} distribution is one in which the variance (or standard deviation) of a random variable is not the same across all values of the variable. This phrase can be found in this publication: https://www.scirp.org/html/11-1241334_99870.htm

:;Generalized
::making more general, as opposed to a specific model
:;autoregressive
::using previous values to predict future values, by involving {{w|linear regression}}.
:;conditional
::outputs depending on specific inputs (in the sense of, "funding is conditional on meeting targets")
:;{{w|heteroskedasticity}}
::the property where the variance (that is, the random difference between an expected value and its observed value) itself varies in response to some variable. From Greek, meaning "different dispersion". For example, a graph of expenditure on food against income shows higher randomness at higher income levels, because poor people always eat cheaply, while rich people sometimes do and sometimes don't.
:;model
::a set of equations that attempt to describe some property of the world for the purpose of analysis

====Unicellular diazotrophic cyanobacteria group A====
: A {{w|unicellular}} {{w|diazotrophic}} {{w|cyanobacterium}} is a single-celled type of bacteria that is able to convert atmospheric nitrogen into a more usable form, and also generates oxygen through photosynthesis. The term can also be found in this publication: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4303622/
:;unicellular
::Consisting of only one cell ({{w|Unicellular organism}}), such as all bacteria. The opposite is {{w|Multicellular organism|multicellular}}, which includes lifeforms like animals, plants, brown algae, etc.
:;diazotrophic
::Having the property of {{w|Nitrogen fixation|fixing}} nitrogen from the air into other chemicals.
:;cyanobacterium
::A fairly broad category of bacteria which often play an important role in various habitats, using photosynthesis to convert light energy to oxygen. "Cyano" refers to their general blue color, not cyanide.
:;group A
::the "first" group of several groups in a controlled experiment, or a scientific study; in this case, it is the first of several (B, C) groups of phylogenetically-related organisms, for which there is as yet no published scientific name, see here: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/308030272_The_small_unicellular_diazotrophic_symbiont_UCYN-A_is_a_key_player_in_the_marine_nitrogen_cycle.

====Anomalous electroweak sphaleron transition baryogenesis====
: This is a term from {{w|Particle physics}}/{{w|cosmology}}. {{w|Baryon}}s are subatomic particles containing an odd number of quarks; protons and neutrons are the most familiar examples. {{w|Baryogenesis}} is the hypothetical physical process that took place during the early universe that produced more matter than antimatter in the observable universe (or it could be any process that produces baryons). {{w|Sphaleron}} is a static (time-independent) solution to the {{w|electroweak}} field equations of the Standard Model of particle physics, and is involved in certain hypothetical processes that change the number of baryons or {{w|leptons}} (e.g. forming baryons and removing leptons). It is believed that the electroweak interaction is responsible for baryogenesis, but that at the temperatures involved (~1015 K), sphaleron interactions would wipe out any excess of baryons; therefore, for baryogenesis to "stick", it must have occurred at the ''transition'' out of the electroweak era...unless there were some kind of ''anomaly'' in the formation or interaction of sphalerons. Google reports no matches (other than this page) for the entire phrase in quotes, but shows about 70 results unquoted, indicating it finds only partial matches.

:;Anomalous
::Deviating from normal or expected
:;electroweak
::A theory combining {{w|electromagnetism}} and the {{w|weak interaction}}, two of the four fundamental forces (alongside the strong interaction and gravity) in the Standard Model of particle physics.
:;sphaleron
::a single, time-independent, solution to electroweak field equations, represented as a saddle point between two different low energy equilibria
:;transition
::change
:;baryogenesis
::creating baryons, which are a category subatomic particles containing an odd number of quarks, including protons and neutrons. (-genesis is a general suffix for a process which creates something; eg carcinogenesis means, creating cancer)

==Transcript==
:[White Hat, holding his palm up, is speaking to Cueball, who is typing with both hands on his smartphone. What he types is indicated with a jagged line going up from his phone.]
:White Hat: Yeah, I learned about it when I was researching anomalous electroweak sphaleron transition baryogenesis.
:Cueball: Cooool.
:Text on phone: ''A-n-o-m-''

:[Caption below the panel:]
:My Hobby: Collecting really satisfying-sounding five-word technical phrases.

:Current favorites
:<li>Transjugular intrahepatic portosystemic shunt placement
:<li>Generalized autoregressive conditional heteroskedasticity model
:<li>Unicellular diazotrophic cyanobacteria group A
:<li>Anomalous electroweak sphaleron transition baryogenesis

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:My Hobby]]
[[Category:Comics featuring White Hat]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Language]]
[[Category:Science]]
[[Category:Statistics]]
[[Category:Biology]]
[[Category:Physics]]
[[Category:Cosmology]]
[[Category:Medicine]]
[[Category:Scientific research]]

2326: Five Word Jargon

2023-11-06T19:44:53Z

Pere prlpz: /* Transjugular intrahepatic portosystemic shunt placement */ wikipedia links

{{comic
| number = 2326
| date = June 29, 2020
| title = Five Word Jargon
| image = five_word_jargon.png
| titletext = My other (much harder) hobby is trying to engineer situations where I have an excuse to use more than one of them in short succession.
}}

==Explanation==
This is another comic in [[Randall]]'s [[:Category:My Hobby|My Hobby series]], the first of two hobby comics released in the same week, the second being [[2328: Space Basketball]].

This hobby involves "collecting" and presumably using five-words-long technical jargon. In the comic, [[White Hat]] uses a phrases with five such words while talking to Randall (as [[Cueball]]), causing Randall to exclaim "cool" (as in what a cool sentence), and then proceed to type the phrase into his phone to add to his list of favorite Five Word Jargon.

Randall then proceeds to list his current favorites among really satisfying five word technical phrases (or jargon) as a caption below the panel, with White Hat's phrase as the last, possibly the newest. Maybe it was the one that caused Randall to consider other phrases and make this comic.

In the title text, Randall says that he has another much harder hobby, which is to engineer situations where he can use more than one of his favorite phrases. It would seem difficult to combine any of the four listed phrases in a given conversation, as they are from four separate fields (medicine, economics/statistics, biology, and physics/cosmology). However, he said "situations", which is broader term than "conversations". For example, someone could arrange for experts on these fields to deliver TED talks on these topics, so that he could introduce them by saying "today, we will learn about..." and list the phrases, but Randall cannot, because he has been [[541|banned from TED]]. At least he has succeeded in using them together in this comic.

===Technical jargon===
====Transjugular intrahepatic portosystemic shunt placement====
: A {{w|transjugular intrahepatic portosystemic shunt}} (TIPS) is "an artificial channel within the liver that connects the inflow portal vein and the outflow hepatic vein". It is used to treat various intestinal bleeding. This term can be found in this publication: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/16850140/
:;transjugular
::the shunt is inserted via the {{w|jugular vein}}
:;intrahepatic
::within the liver
:;portosystemic
::blood is shunted from the {{w|portal vein}} (draining blood from the intestines to the liver) to the systemic circulation (returning blood from the liver to the heart)
:;shunt
::a tube within the body that bypasses the normal flow of something (whether a natural defect, or an artificial device)
:;placement
::the operation to insert it

====Generalized autoregressive conditional heteroskedasticity model====
: A {{w|Autoregressive conditional heteroskedasticity|generalized autoregressive conditional heteroskedasticity}} (GARCH) model is a statistical model for economic research. An {{w|autoregressive model}} of a {{w|time series}} is one that uses previous values of the time series to predict the next value. A {{w|conditional probability}} model is one that divides data into inputs and outputs and models the relation between them using a conditional probability distribution of the outputs given the inputs. A {{w|heteroskedastic}} distribution is one in which the variance (or standard deviation) of a random variable is not the same across all values of the variable. This phrase can be found in this publication: https://www.scirp.org/html/11-1241334_99870.htm

:;Generalized
::making more general, as opposed to a specific model
:;autoregressive
::using previous values to predict future values.
:;conditional
::outputs depending on specific inputs (in the sense of, "funding is conditional on meeting targets")
:;heteroskedasticity
::the property where the variance (that is, the random difference between an expected value and its observed value) itself varies in response to some variable. From Greek, meaning "different dispersion". For example, a graph of expenditure on food against income shows higher randomness at higher income levels, because poor people always eat cheaply, while rich people sometimes do and sometimes don't.
:;model
::a set of equations that attempt to describe some property of the world for the purpose of analysis

====Unicellular diazotrophic cyanobacteria group A====
: A {{w|unicellular}} {{w|diazotrophic}} {{w|cyanobacterium}} is a single-celled type of bacteria that is able to convert atmospheric nitrogen into a more usable form, and also generates oxygen through photosynthesis. The term can also be found in this publication: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4303622/
:;unicellular
::Consisting of only one cell ({{w|Unicellular organism}}), such as all bacteria. The opposite is {{w|Multicellular organism|multicellular}}, which includes lifeforms like animals, plants, brown algae, etc.
:;diazotrophic
::Having the property of {{w|Nitrogen fixation|fixing}} nitrogen from the air into other chemicals.
:;cyanobacterium
::A fairly broad category of bacteria which often play an important role in various habitats, using photosynthesis to convert light energy to oxygen. "Cyano" refers to their general blue color, not cyanide.
:;group A
::the "first" group of several groups in a controlled experiment, or a scientific study; in this case, it is the first of several (B, C) groups of phylogenetically-related organisms, for which there is as yet no published scientific name, see here: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/308030272_The_small_unicellular_diazotrophic_symbiont_UCYN-A_is_a_key_player_in_the_marine_nitrogen_cycle.

====Anomalous electroweak sphaleron transition baryogenesis====
: This is a term from {{w|Particle physics}}/{{w|cosmology}}. {{w|Baryon}}s are subatomic particles containing an odd number of quarks; protons and neutrons are the most familiar examples. {{w|Baryogenesis}} is the hypothetical physical process that took place during the early universe that produced more matter than antimatter in the observable universe (or it could be any process that produces baryons). {{w|Sphaleron}} is a static (time-independent) solution to the {{w|electroweak}} field equations of the Standard Model of particle physics, and is involved in certain hypothetical processes that change the number of baryons or {{w|leptons}} (e.g. forming baryons and removing leptons). It is believed that the electroweak interaction is responsible for baryogenesis, but that at the temperatures involved (~1015 K), sphaleron interactions would wipe out any excess of baryons; therefore, for baryogenesis to "stick", it must have occurred at the ''transition'' out of the electroweak era...unless there were some kind of ''anomaly'' in the formation or interaction of sphalerons. Google reports no matches (other than this page) for the entire phrase in quotes, but shows about 70 results unquoted, indicating it finds only partial matches.

:;Anomalous
::Deviating from normal or expected
:;electroweak
::A theory combining {{w|electromagnetism}} and the {{w|weak interaction}}, two of the four fundamental forces (alongside the strong interaction and gravity) in the Standard Model of particle physics.
:;sphaleron
::a single, time-independent, solution to electroweak field equations, represented as a saddle point between two different low energy equilibria
:;transition
::change
:;baryogenesis
::creating baryons, which are a category subatomic particles containing an odd number of quarks, including protons and neutrons. (-genesis is a general suffix for a process which creates something; eg carcinogenesis means, creating cancer)

==Transcript==
:[White Hat, holding his palm up, is speaking to Cueball, who is typing with both hands on his smartphone. What he types is indicated with a jagged line going up from his phone.]
:White Hat: Yeah, I learned about it when I was researching anomalous electroweak sphaleron transition baryogenesis.
:Cueball: Cooool.
:Text on phone: ''A-n-o-m-''

:[Caption below the panel:]
:My Hobby: Collecting really satisfying-sounding five-word technical phrases.

:Current favorites
:<li>Transjugular intrahepatic portosystemic shunt placement
:<li>Generalized autoregressive conditional heteroskedasticity model
:<li>Unicellular diazotrophic cyanobacteria group A
:<li>Anomalous electroweak sphaleron transition baryogenesis

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:My Hobby]]
[[Category:Comics featuring White Hat]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Language]]
[[Category:Science]]
[[Category:Statistics]]
[[Category:Biology]]
[[Category:Physics]]
[[Category:Cosmology]]
[[Category:Medicine]]
[[Category:Scientific research]]

Talk:2851: Messier Objects

2023-11-06T19:39:16Z

Pere prlpz: :Yes, it's like Wikidata. Not sure if it's worth mentioning. Unfortunately, the numbers don't match those Wikidata for equivalent objects. :Furtermore, Wikimedia Commons ID use an M and a number. For example, https://commons.wikimedia.org/entity/M205.--~~

addededededded transcript [[User:Certified_nqh|Me]][[[285: Wikipedian Protester|''citation needed'']]][[Category:Pages using the "citation needed" template]] 17:34, 6 November 2023 (UTC)
: meow [[User:SomeoneIGuess|someone, i guess]]([[User talk:SomeoneIGuess|talk i guess]]|[[Special:Contributions/SomeoneIGuess|le edit list]]) 17:54, 6 November 2023 (UTC)
Is M30712050 that specific squirrel, or just the general category of squirrels? [[Special:Contributions/172.69.247.56|172.69.247.56]] 17:57, 6 November 2023 (UTC)
:The debate about the Ship of Theseus suggests that every ship gets its own number, so why not every squirrel? Although then the numbers would be much larger. [[User:Barmar|Barmar]] ([[User talk:Barmar|talk]]) 18:04, 6 November 2023 (UTC)
::...and the list would be much messier. [[User:Yorkshire Pudding|Yorkshire Pudding]] ([[User talk:Yorkshire Pudding|talk]]) 18:32, 6 November 2023 (UTC)

could the numbers have been picked to represent something rather than be entirely random? like 41592 coming from pi and 137 being FSC... idk maybe i'm just reading too much into it... [[Special:Contributions/162.158.186.11|162.158.186.11]] 18:09, 6 November 2023 (UTC)

Between the Messier catalog and the Marvel multiverse, we've got a well-defined numbering system that indexes all objects in all universes. (Or, I guess at least those universes with Messier catalogs. Damn.) [[Special:Contributions/172.69.58.18|172.69.58.18]] 19:03, 6 November 2023 (UTC)

Wait a minute... this is just the wikidata QID system again[[User:AtaraxianAscendant|ataraxianAscendant]] ([[User talk:AtaraxianAscendant|talk]]) 19:34, 6 November 2023 (UTC)
:Yes, it's like Wikidata. Not sure if it's worth mentioning. Unfortunately, the numbers don't match those Wikidata for equivalent objects.
:Furtermore, Wikimedia Commons ID use an M and a number. For example, https://commons.wikimedia.org/entity/M205.--[[User:Pere prlpz|Pere prlpz]] ([[User talk:Pere prlpz|talk]]) 19:39, 6 November 2023 (UTC)

2849: Under the Stars

2023-11-01T17:43:36Z

Pere prlpz: /* Explanation */ , like Los Angeles, Atlanta or Beirut.

{{comic
| number = 2849
| date = November 1, 2023
| title = Under the Stars
| image = under_the_stars_2x.png
| imagesize = 672x258px
| noexpand = true
| titletext = If you live in Los Angeles (around 33°52'N, roughly the latitude of Hermosa Beach) the black hole in V404 Cygni passes over you each day. On Christmas Day it will be directly overhead around 2pm.
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Created by a CONSTELLATION COVERED IN A FEW QUINTILLION GALLONS OF BLUE PAINT - Please change this comment when editing this page. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}
The phrase "under the stars" generally refers to being under a visible field of stars (either real stars visible at night, or representations of stars constructed by people, as in a dance hall). Megan points out that we're always under the stars, they're just obscured ("painted over") during the day by the brightness of the sun and its interaction with the sky. Of course, this makes the 'under the stars' part of the remark redundant in the first place, because by this definition, sitting out is always under the stars. In fact, sitting in is arguably under the stars as well, since the stars are still there, but just obscured by a roof or other construction. Poetically, though, it could be taken to mean that Megan simply loves to sit and ponder the very existence, vastness, etc. of the stars, even when she can't see them.

[[File:parallel V404 Cygni.png|300px|thumb|If you live on the blue line, the black hole in V404 Cygni is directly over you once a day. Zoomable version [https://rpubs.com/perelopez/Parallel_33_52_02_N here].]]
This is related to the concept of {{w|object permanence}}, which is the understanding that objects continue to exist even though we can't physically sense them. When you close your eyes, the universe doesn't go away even though you can't see it; similarly, when the sun is shining, the stars are still all there.

{{w|V404 Cygni}} is a binary system composed of a 9 solar masses black hole and a star smaller than the Sun. With a {{w|declination}} of +33° 52′ 02.0″, once a day it passes over any point of Earth with that latitude North, like Los Angeles, Atlanta or Beirut.

==Transcript==
{{incomplete transcript|Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}
[Megan and Cueball are sitting in a field under a clear blue sky and bright sun.]

:Megan: I love sitting out under the stars.

:Cueball: ...It's daytime.
:Megan: Yeah, but the stars are all still up there.

:Megan: Constellations wheel overhead; they're just painted over with blue.
:Megan: Every sky is full of stars.

:Cueball: That's somehow terrifying.
:Megan: It's okay—just look at that sunny sky and tell yourself space isn't real.
:Megan: "Daytime" is us closing our eyes and pretending it makes infinity go away.

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Megan]]
[[Category:Comics with color]]
[[Category:Space]]
[[Category:Time]]

2849: Under the Stars

2023-11-01T17:38:55Z

Pere prlpz: /* Explanation */ File:parallel V404 Cygni.png|300px|thumb|If you live on the blue line, the black hole in V404 Cygni is directly over you once a day. Zoomable version [https://rpubs.com/perelopez/Parallel_33_52_02_N here].

{{comic
| number = 2849
| date = November 1, 2023
| title = Under the Stars
| image = under_the_stars_2x.png
| imagesize = 672x258px
| noexpand = true
| titletext = If you live in Los Angeles (around 33°52'N, roughly the latitude of Hermosa Beach) the black hole in V404 Cygni passes over you each day. On Christmas Day it will be directly overhead around 2pm.
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Created by a Black Hole passing overhead during the day time - Please change this comment when editing this page. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}
The phrase "under the stars" generally refers to being under a visible field of stars (either real stars visible at night, or representations of stars constructed by people, as in a dance hall). Megan points out that we're always under the stars, they're just obscured ("painted over") during the day by the brightness of the sun and its interaction with the sky. Of course, this makes the 'under the stars' part of the remark redundant in the first place, because by this definition, sitting out is always under the stars. In fact, sitting in is arguably under the stars as well, since the stars are still there, but just obscured by a roof or other construction. Poetically, though, it could be taken to mean that Megan simply loves to sit and ponder the very existence, vastness, etc. of the stars, even when she can't see them.

[[File:parallel V404 Cygni.png|300px|thumb|If you live on the blue line, the black hole in V404 Cygni is directly over you once a day. Zoomable version [https://rpubs.com/perelopez/Parallel_33_52_02_N here].]]
This is related to the concept of {{w|object permanence}}, which is the understanding that objects continue to exist even though we can't physically sense them. When you close your eyes, the universe doesn't go away even though you can't see it; similarly, when the sun is shining, the stars are still all there.

{{w|V404 Cygni}} is a binary system composed of a 9 solar masses black hole and a star smaller than the Sun. With a {{w|declination}} of +33° 52′ 02.0″, once a day it passes over any point of Earth with that latitude North.

==Transcript==
{{incomplete transcript|Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}
[Megan and Cueball are sitting in a field under a clear blue sky and bright sun.]

:Megan: I love sitting out under the stars.

:Cueball: ...It's daytime.
:Megan: Yeah, but the stars are all still up there.

:Megan: Constellations wheel overhead; they're just painted over with blue.
:Megan: Every sky is full of stars.

:Cueball: That's somehow terrifying.
:Megan: It's okay—just look at that sunny sky and tell yourself space isn't real.
:Megan: "Daytime" is us closing our eyes and pretending it makes infinity go away.

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Megan]]
[[Category:Comics with color]]
[[Category:Space]]
[[Category:Time]]

2849: Under the Stars

2023-11-01T17:37:19Z

Pere prlpz: /* Explanation */ File:parallel V404 Cygni.png|300px|thumb|Places passed over daily by V404 Cygny. Zoomable version [https://rpubs.com/perelopez/Parallel_33_52_02_N here].

{{comic
| number = 2849
| date = November 1, 2023
| title = Under the Stars
| image = under_the_stars_2x.png
| imagesize = 672x258px
| noexpand = true
| titletext = If you live in Los Angeles (around 33°52'N, roughly the latitude of Hermosa Beach) the black hole in V404 Cygni passes over you each day. On Christmas Day it will be directly overhead around 2pm.
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Created by a Black Hole passing overhead during the day time - Please change this comment when editing this page. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}
The phrase "under the stars" generally refers to being under a visible field of stars (either real stars visible at night, or representations of stars constructed by people, as in a dance hall). Megan points out that we're always under the stars, they're just obscured ("painted over") during the day by the brightness of the sun and its interaction with the sky. Of course, this makes the 'under the stars' part of the remark redundant in the first place, because by this definition, sitting out is always under the stars. In fact, sitting in is arguably under the stars as well, since the stars are still there, but just obscured by a roof or other construction. Poetically, though, it could be taken to mean that Megan simply loves to sit and ponder the very existence, vastness, etc. of the stars, even when she can't see them.

This is related to the concept of {{w|object permanence}}, which is the understanding that objects continue to exist even though we can't physically sense them. When you close your eyes, the universe doesn't go away even though you can't see it; similarly, when the sun is shining, the stars are still all there.

[[File:parallel V404 Cygni.png|300px|thumb|Places passed over daily by V404 Cygny. Zoomable version [https://rpubs.com/perelopez/Parallel_33_52_02_N here].]]
{{w|V404 Cygni}} is a binary system composed of a 9 solar masses black hole and a star smaller than the Sun. With a {{w|declination}} of +33° 52′ 02.0″, once a day it passes over any point of Earth with that latitude North.

==Transcript==
{{incomplete transcript|Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}
[Megan and Cueball are sitting in a field under a clear blue sky and bright sun.]

:Megan: I love sitting out under the stars.

:Cueball: ...It's daytime.
:Megan: Yeah, but the stars are all still up there.

:Megan: Constellations wheel overhead; they're just painted over with blue.
:Megan: Every sky is full of stars.

:Cueball: That's somehow terrifying.
:Megan: It's okay—just look at that sunny sky and tell yourself space isn't real.
:Megan: "Daytime" is us closing our eyes and pretending it makes infinity go away.

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Megan]]
[[Category:Comics with color]]
[[Category:Space]]
[[Category:Time]]

File:parallel V404 Cygni.png

2023-11-01T17:35:16Z

Pere prlpz: Places on Earth passed over by V404 Cygni, as mentioned on 2849:_Under_the_Stars. Made with R and Leaflet using OSM map as background. Zoomable version in https://rpubs.com/perelopez/Parallel_33_52_02_N

Places on Earth passed over by V404 Cygni, as mentioned on [[2849:_Under_the_Stars]].

Made with R and Leaflet using OSM map as background. Zoomable version in https://rpubs.com/perelopez/Parallel_33_52_02_N

2849: Under the Stars

2023-11-01T17:26:31Z

Pere prlpz: /* Explanation */ The map [https://rpubs.com/perelopez/Parallel_33_52_02_N here] allows to explore which are the places on that latitude.

{{comic
| number = 2849
| date = November 1, 2023
| title = Under the Stars
| image = under_the_stars_2x.png
| imagesize = 672x258px
| noexpand = true
| titletext = If you live in Los Angeles (around 33°52'N, roughly the latitude of Hermosa Beach) the black hole in V404 Cygni passes over you each day. On Christmas Day it will be directly overhead around 2pm.
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Created by a Black Hole passing overhead during the day time - Please change this comment when editing this page. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}
The phrase "under the stars" generally refers to being under a visible field of stars (either real stars visible at night, or representations of stars constructed by people, as in a dance hall). Megan points out that we're always under the stars, they're just obscured ("painted over") during the day by the brightness of the sun and its interaction with the sky. Of course, this makes the 'under the stars' part of the remark redundant in the first place, because by this definition, sitting out is always under the stars. In fact, sitting in is arguably under the stars as well, since the stars are still there, but just obscured by a roof or other construction. Poetically, though, it could be taken to mean that Megan simply loves to sit and ponder the very existence, vastness, etc. of the stars, even when she can't see them.

This is related to the concept of {{w|object permanence}}, which is the understanding that objects continue to exist even though we can't physically sense them. When you close your eyes, the universe doesn't go away even though you can't see it; similarly, when the sun is shining, the stars are still all there.

{{w|V404 Cygni}} is a binary system composed of a 9 solar masses black hole and a star smaller than the Sun. With a {{w|declination}} of +33° 52′ 02.0″, once a day it passes over any point of Earth with that latitude North. The map [https://rpubs.com/perelopez/Parallel_33_52_02_N here] allows to explore which are the places on that latitude.

==Transcript==
{{incomplete transcript|Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}
[Megan and Cueball are sitting in a field under a clear blue sky and bright sun.]

:Megan: I love sitting out under the stars.

:Cueball: ...It's daytime.
:Megan: Yeah, but the stars are all still up there.

:Megan: Constellations wheel overhead; they're just painted over with blue.
:Megan: Every sky is full of stars.

:Cueball: That's somehow terrifying.
:Megan: It's okay—just look at that sunny sky and tell yourself space isn't real.
:Megan: "Daytime" is us closing our eyes and pretending it makes infinity go away.

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Megan]]
[[Category:Comics with color]]
[[Category:Space]]
[[Category:Time]]

2849: Under the Stars

2023-11-01T16:47:29Z

Pere prlpz: /* Explanation */

{{comic
| number = 2849
| date = November 1, 2023
| title = Under the Stars
| image = under_the_stars_2x.png
| imagesize = 672x258px
| noexpand = true
| titletext = If you live in Los Angeles (around 33°52'N, roughly the latitude of Hermosa Beach) the black hole in V404 Cygni passes over you each day. On Christmas Day it will be directly overhead around 2pm.
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Created by a Black Hole passing overhead during the day time - Please change this comment when editing this page. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}
The phrase "under the stars" generally refers to being under a visible field of stars (either real stars visible at night, or representations of stars constructed by people, as in a dance hall). Megan points out that we're always under the stars, they're just obscured ("painted over") during the day by the brightness of the sky.

This is related to the concept of {{w|object permanence}}, which is the understanding that objects continue to exist even though we can't physically sense them. When you close your eyes, the universe doesn't go away even though you can't see it; similarly, when the sun is shining, the stars are still all there.

{{w|V404 Cygni}} is a binary system composed of a 9 solar masses black hole and a star smaller than the Sun. With a {{w|declination}} of +33° 52′ 02.0″, once a day it passes over any point of Earth with that latitude North.

==Transcript==
{{incomplete transcript|Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}
[Megan and Cueball are sitting in a field under a clear blue sky and bright sun.]

:Megan: I love sitting out under the stars.

:Cueball: ...It's daytime.
:Megan: Yeah, but the stars are all still up there.

:Megan: Constellations wheel overhead; they're just painted over with blue.
:Megan: Every sky is full of stars.

:Cueball: That's somehow terrifying.
:Megan: It's okay—just look at that sunny sky and tell yourself space isn't real.
:Megan: "Daytime" is us closing our eyes and pretending it makes infinity go away.

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Megan]]
[[Category:Comics with color]]
[[Category:Space]]
[[Category:Time]]

2849: Under the Stars

2023-11-01T16:46:51Z

Pere prlpz: {{w|V404 Cygni}} is a binary system composed of a 9 solar masses black hole and a star smaller than the Sun. With a {{w|declination}} of +33° 52′ 02.0″, once a day it is overhead any point of Earth with that latitude North.

{{comic
| number = 2849
| date = November 1, 2023
| title = Under the Stars
| image = under_the_stars_2x.png
| imagesize = 672x258px
| noexpand = true
| titletext = If you live in Los Angeles (around 33°52'N, roughly the latitude of Hermosa Beach) the black hole in V404 Cygni passes over you each day. On Christmas Day it will be directly overhead around 2pm.
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Created by a Black Hole passing overhead during the day time - Please change this comment when editing this page. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}
The phrase "under the stars" generally refers to being under a visible field of stars (either real stars visible at night, or representations of stars constructed by people, as in a dance hall). Megan points out that we're always under the stars, they're just obscured ("painted over") during the day by the brightness of the sky.

This is related to the concept of {{w|object permanence}}, which is the understanding that objects continue to exist even though we can't physically sense them. When you close your eyes, the universe doesn't go away even though you can't see it; similarly, when the sun is shining, the stars are still all there.

{{w|V404 Cygni}} is a binary system composed of a 9 solar masses black hole and a star smaller than the Sun. With a {{w|declination}} of +33° 52′ 02.0″, once a day it is overhead any point of Earth with that latitude North.

==Transcript==
{{incomplete transcript|Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}
[Megan and Cueball are sitting in a field under a clear blue sky and bright sun.]

:Megan: I love sitting out under the stars.

:Cueball: ...It's daytime.
:Megan: Yeah, but the stars are all still up there.

:Megan: Constellations wheel overhead; they're just painted over with blue.
:Megan: Every sky is full of stars.

:Cueball: That's somehow terrifying.
:Megan: It's okay—just look at that sunny sky and tell yourself space isn't real.
:Megan: "Daytime" is us closing our eyes and pretending it makes infinity go away.

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Megan]]
[[Category:Comics with color]]
[[Category:Space]]
[[Category:Time]]

2849: Under the Stars

2023-11-01T16:43:04Z

Pere prlpz: /* Explanation */

2849: Under the Stars

2023-11-01T16:42:44Z

Pere prlpz: /* Explanation */ {{w|V404 Cygni}}

2849: Under the Stars

2023-11-01T16:41:56Z

Pere prlpz: /* Explanation */ w:V404 Cygni| is a binary system composed of a 9 solar masses black hole and a star smaller than the sun.

{{comic
| number = 2849
| date = November 1, 2023
| title = Under the Stars
| image = under_the_stars_2x.png
| imagesize = 672x258px
| noexpand = true
| titletext = If you live in Los Angeles (around 33°52'N, roughly the latitude of Hermosa Beach) the black hole in V404 Cygni passes over you each day. On Christmas Day it will be directly overhead around 2pm.
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Created by a Black Hole passing overhead during the day time - Please change this comment when editing this page. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}
The phrase "under the stars" generally refers to being under a visible field of stars (either real stars visible at night, or representations of stars constructed by people, as in a dance hall). Megan points out that we're always under the stars, they're just obscured ("painted over") during the day by the brightness of the sky.

This is related to the concept of {{w|object permanence}}, which is the understanding that objects continue to exist even though we can't physically sense them. When you close your eyes, the universe doesn't go away even though you can't see it; similarly, when the sun is shining, the stars are still all there.

[[w:V404 Cygni|V404 Cygni]] is a binary system composed of a 9 solar masses black hole and a star smaller than the sun.

==Transcript==
{{incomplete transcript|Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}
[Megan and Cueball are sitting in a field under a clear blue sky and bright sun.]

:Megan: I love sitting out under the stars.

:Cueball: ...It's daytime.
:Megan: Yeah, but the stars are all still up there.

:Megan: Constellations wheel overhead; they're just painted over with blue.
:Megan: Every sky is full of stars.

:Cueball: That's somehow terrifying.
:Megan: It's okay—just look at that sunny sky and tell yourself space isn't real.
:Megan: "Daytime" is us closing our eyes and pretending it makes infinity go away.

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Megan]]
[[Category:Comics with color]]
[[Category:Space]]
[[Category:Time]]

446: In Popular Culture

2023-10-30T18:14:26Z

Pere prlpz: /* Explanation */ In fact at the date do this comic, the article {{w|wood}} [https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Wood&oldid=223504420 didn't have a "popular culture" or trivia section].

{{comic
| number = 446
| date = July 7, 2008
| title = In Popular Culture
| image = in_popular_culture.png
| titletext = Someday, the 'in popular culture' section will have its own article with an 'in popular culture' section. It will reference this title-text referencing it, and the blogosphere will implode.
}}

==Explanation==
{{w|Wikipedia}} is a popular online encyclopedia with articles that are created and edited by the general public{{Citation needed}}. Wikipedia entries have many sections, with the first few explaining the general concept and details behind the subject.

When this comic was written, many Wikipedia articles had a section at the end entitled "in popular culture," listing TV shows, movies, songs, and so on that made reference to the subject at hand. In many cases, this list was extensive, possibly because the people editing the articles were such fans of the subject or the pop culture in which it is referenced. They couldn't help but go into great detail, listing many esoteric and seemingly irrelevant elements of pop culture that were peripherally related to the subject of the article. As an example, see the old article [https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Apollo_in_popular_culture&oldid=153446837 Apollo in popular culture], which as of August 2007 redirects to {{w|Apollo}}. This comic caused a lot of vandalism adding an "In popular culture" section to the {{w|wood}} page.

The joke in this case is that even such a mundane article such as one on {{w|wood}} could have an "in popular culture" section, and, obviously, wooden items are common enough that there are any number of instances of popular culture that could be considered to "reference it," even if that's something as basic as a wooden item being used as a prop in a TV show. Such information would be of little or no use to anybody, and only somebody obsessed with wood, a particular element of pop culture in which wood makes an appearance, or the concept of placing pop culture references in encyclopedia articles would bother to create or maintain such a section. In fact at the date do this comic, the article {{w|wood}} [https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Wood&oldid=223504420 didn't have a "popular culture" or trivia section].

Also, wood being such a popular material, the list of references could be virtually endless. This is a reference to the fact that the "in popular culture" sections of many Wikipedia articles contained dozens of items, even for articles on fairly arcane subjects. Note that the end of this particular "in popular culture" section is not visible, so we don't know how long it is.

The title text states that in the future, there will even have to be a wiki page with the subject "In popular culture." This article will also need an "in popular culture" section, and it will be obvious to make a reference directly to this title text, as xkcd is part of popular culture and because this title text predicted the creation of and a need for such a page. However, this would then create a circular reference. This could be considered a form of infinite loop, which is one way to cause a computer to crash (lock up). The joke is that the blogosphere could follow this endless train of circular links and itself crash, causing an "implosion."

This comic ''was'' actually mentioned in {{w|Wikipedia:"In popular culture" content}} (however, the blogosphere did not implode){{citation needed}}. However, on April 23, 2014, the reference was edited out, although it was added back in May 2015. It has also been added under the external links section of {{w|Wikipedia:xkcd in popular culture}}.

==Transcript==
:[A fictional screen capture of the Wikipedia article for "wood" is shown. There is a picture of wooden boards labeled "wooden boards."]
:'''Wood''' is a hard, fibrous tissue found in many plants. It has been used for centuries for both fuel and as a construction material for... [cut in page.]

:In popular culture:
:In episode 6 of ''Firefly'', "''Our Mrs. Reynolds''," Jayne is given a wooden rain stick by a villager.
:In the Buffyverse, Buffy often slays Vampires using stakes made of wood.
:The wand used by Harry Potter is made of wood from a holly tree.
:The fence around the back yard of the house in ''The Simpsons'' is wooden.
:In the 2004 TV series ''Battlestar Galactica'' [rest of page is cut.]

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Wikipedia]]
[[Category:Comics with color]]
[[Category:Fiction]]
[[Category:Harry Potter]]

Talk:2835: Factorial Numbers

2023-09-29T23:42:05Z

Pere prlpz: I wanted to add a link to a converter, but the one I found is https://www.dcode.fr/factorial-base which is quite ugly with lots of adds and a bit counter-intuitive.--~~~~

Number systems aren't real math, at least not serious math. They're an affectation. 99.9% of math is number-system-independent, so nobody should care about them. [[Special:Contributions/172.70.46.108|172.70.46.108]] 22:30, 29 September 2023 (UTC)

I thought this was a complete joke, until coming here. The "factorial number system" exists?! [[Special:Contributions/162.158.90.249|162.158.90.249]] 22:38, 29 September 2023 (UTC)

I wanted to add a link to a converter, but the one I found is https://www.dcode.fr/factorial-base which is quite ugly with lots of adds and a bit counter-intuitive.--[[User:Pere prlpz|Pere prlpz]] ([[User talk:Pere prlpz|talk]]) 23:42, 29 September 2023 (UTC)

2835: Factorial Numbers

2023-09-29T23:35:23Z

Pere prlpz: /* Explanation */ This number system is similar (and likely inspired by) the {{w|factorial number system}}, but it omits the trailing zero always present in that system.

{{comic
| number = 2835
| date = September 29, 2023
| title = Factorial Numbers
| image = factorial_numbers_2x.png
| imagesize = 628x481px
| noexpand = true
| titletext = So what do we do when we get to base 10? Do we use A, B, C, etc? No: Numbers larger than about 3.6 million are simply illegal.
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Created by a VARIABLE-BASED BOT BEING ESCORTED OUT OF THE COMPUTER SCIENCE DEPARTMENT BY SECURITY - Please change this comment when editing this page. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}

This comic is about the {{w|factorial number system}}, which are based on {{w|factorial|factorials}}. No digit in a number will be larger than the position of that number (starting with 1, in the rightmost position, which can be 0 or 1 as base or {{w|radix}} 2) and the positional factor for any digit is the factorial of that same position, rather than the more traditional (constant) radix to the power of the position minus one (or to the power of the positional index, which starts at zero).

This 'works' because each additional digit is required when the prior digit is 'full'. The second digit is needed when the value goes beyond 0 or 1 units/ones (factorial 1, which is 1) and you start to need to know how many twos you might need. 0, 1 or 2 twos (factorial 2, or 2x1) can be invoked. This suffices up until the point where sixes (factorial 3, =3x2x1) are necessary, having exceeded the point at which 2 twos and 1 one are sufficient. Beyond 3 sixes, 2 twos and 1 one (which is 23), the fourth digit must represent the number (0 to 4) of twenty-fours (factorial 4, =4x3x2x21), etc.

In the comic, the top example represents 3x(720) + 5x(120) + 3x(24) + 0x(6) + 1x(1), after calculating each factorial accordingly, which gives the decimal value of 2835, [[2835|this comic's number]].

The title-text 'addresses' the issue of which digits are used once any individual digit's radix goes beyond base-10 by... not allowing numbers to get so big that you'd try to use digits with a place-value greater than 9, which would limit any use to below factorial 10.

In the xkcd version of this number system, the rightmost digit has a value of 1!, the second one 2! and so on (that is, the i-th digit has a value i!). That can be compared with the usual decimal system where the i-th digit has value 10^(i-1) or the binary system where the i-th digit has value 2^(i-1).

For completion of the examples shown in the panel, the numbers up to 200 in this variable base are:

1=1
2=10
3=11
4=20
5=21
6=100
7=101
8=110
9=111
10=120
11=121
12=200
13=201
14=210
15=211
16=220
17=221
18=300
19=301
20=310
21=311
22=320
23=321
24=1000
25=1001
26=1010
27=1011
28=1020
29=1021
30=1100
31=1101
32=1110
33=1111
34=1120
35=1121
36=1200
37=1201
38=1210
39=1211
40=1220
41=1221
42=1300
43=1301
44=1310
45=1311
46=1320
47=1321
48=2000
49=2001
50=2010
51=2011
52=2020
53=2021
54=2100
55=2101
56=2110
57=2111
58=2120
59=2121
60=2200
61=2201
62=2210
63=2211
64=2220
65=2221
66=2300
67=2301
68=2310
69=2311
70=2320
71=2321
72=3000
73=3001
74=3010
75=3011
76=3020
77=3021
78=3100
79=3101
80=3110
81=3111
82=3120
83=3121
84=3200
85=3201
86=3210
87=3211
88=3220
89=3221
90=3300
91=3301
92=3310
93=3311
94=3320
95=3321
96=4000
97=4001
98=4010
99=4011
100=4020
101=4021
102=4100
103=4101
104=4110
105=4111
106=4120
107=4121
108=4200
109=4201
110=4210
111=4211
112=4220
113=4221
114=4300
115=4301
116=4310
117=4311
118=4320
119=4321
120=10000
121=10001
122=10010
123=10011
124=10020
125=10021
126=10100
127=10101
128=10110
129=10111
130=10120
131=10121
132=10200
133=10201
134=10210
135=10211
136=10220
137=10221
138=10300
139=10301
140=10310
141=10311
142=10320
143=10321
144=11000
145=11001
146=11010
147=11011
148=11020
149=11021
150=11100
151=11101
152=11110
153=11111
154=11120
155=11121
156=11200
157=11201
158=11210
159=11211
160=11220
161=11221
162=11300
163=11301
164=11310
165=11311
166=11320
167=11321
168=12000
169=12001
170=12010
171=12011
172=12020
173=12021
174=12100
175=12101
176=12110
177=12111
178=12120
179=12121
180=12200
181=12201
182=12210
183=12211
184=12220
185=12221
186=12300
187=12301
188=12310
189=12311
190=12320
191=12321
192=13000
193=13001
194=13010
195=13011
196=13020
197=13021
198=13100
199=13101
200=13110

Note the apparent gap at 24 (4!) and 120 (5!) - apparent for those of us who are used to decimal numbers.

This number system is similar (and likely inspired by) the {{w|factorial number system}}, but it omits the trailing zero always present in that system.

The title text discusses a "problem" with this system, in that numbers above 3,628,800 (10!) have ambiguous notation, as it can be difficult to know whether the number in this system is (10)000000000, or (1)0000000000. Some use the letters A-Z to denote such larger numbers, e.g. A000000000. However, Cueball in this comic just announces that an number above 987654321 in this number system (or 3,628,799) is illegal.

==Transcript==
{{incomplete transcript|Do NOT delete this tag too soon. - Would be best done entirely without wikitables. And actually describe the police/security intervention going on. But there'll be plenty of editors passing this way soon enough...}}
:Variable-base Factoradic™ numbers

:{|
|Base 7||Base 6||Base 5||Base 4||Base 3||Base 2
|-
|3||5||3||0||1||1
|}

:Left side

:{| class="wikitable"
|Base 10||Factoradic
|-
|1||1
|-
|2||10
|-
|3||11
|-
|4||20
|-
|5||21
|-
|6||100
|-
|7||101
|-
|
|-
|21||311
|-
|22||320
|-
|23||321
|}

:Right side

:{| class="wikitable"
|Base 10||Factoradic
|-
|24||1,000
|-
|25||1,001
|-
|
|-
|5,038||654,320
|-
|5,039||654,321
|-
|5,040||1,000,000
|-
|
|-
|999,998||266,251,210
|-
|999,999||266,251,211
|-
|1,000,000||266,251,220
|-
|1,000,001||266,251,221
|}

:Cueball: Small numbers like seven or nineteen shouldn't use big numerals like "7" or "9".
:Cueball: I mean, "9" is the biggest numeral we have! It should be reserved for '''''big''''' numbers.
:Cueball: Small numbers should be written with small numerals like "1" or "2".
:Cueball: That's why my variable-base system uses...Hey! No, listen!

:Factorial numbers are the number system that sounds most like a prank by someone who's about to be escorted out of the math department by security.

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Characters with hats]]
[[Category:Math]]
[[Category:Self-reference]]

2835: Factorial Numbers

2023-09-29T23:29:47Z

Pere prlpz: /* Explanation */ Note the apparent gap at 24 (4!) and 120 (5!) - apparent for those of us who are used to decimal numbers.

{{comic
| number = 2835
| date = September 29, 2023
| title = Factorial Numbers
| image = factorial_numbers_2x.png
| imagesize = 628x481px
| noexpand = true
| titletext = So what do we do when we get to base 10? Do we use A, B, C, etc? No: Numbers larger than about 3.6 million are simply illegal.
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Created by a VARIABLE-BASED BOT BEING ESCORTED OUT OF THE COMPUTER SCIENCE DEPARTMENT BY SECURITY - Please change this comment when editing this page. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}

This comic is about the {{w|factorial number system}}, which are based on {{w|factorial|factorials}}. No digit in a number will be larger than the position of that number (starting with 1, in the rightmost position, which can be 0 or 1 as base or {{w|radix}} 2) and the positional factor for any digit is the factorial of that same position, rather than the more traditional (constant) radix to the power of the position minus one (or to the power of the positional index, which starts at zero).

This 'works' because each additional digit is required when the prior digit is 'full'. The second digit is needed when the value goes beyond 0 or 1 units/ones (factorial 1, which is 1) and you start to need to know how many twos you might need. 0, 1 or 2 twos (factorial 2, or 2x1) can be invoked. This suffices up until the point where sixes (factorial 3, =3x2x1) are necessary, having exceeded the point at which 2 twos and 1 one are sufficient. Beyond 3 sixes, 2 twos and 1 one (which is 23), the fourth digit must represent the number (0 to 4) of twenty-fours (factorial 4, =4x3x2x21), etc.

In the comic, the top example represents 3x(720) + 5x(120) + 3x(24) + 0x(6) + 1x(1), after calculating each factorial accordingly, which gives the decimal value of 2835, [[2835: Factorial Numbers|this comic's number]].

The title-text 'addresses' the issue of which digits are used once any individual digit's radix goes beyond base-10 by... not allowing numbers to get so big that you'd try to use digits with a place-value greater than 9, which would limit any use to below factorial 10.

In the xkcd version of this number system, the rightmost digit has a value of 1!, the second one 2! and so on (that is, the i-th digit has a value i!). That can be compared with the usual decimal system where the i-th digit has value 10^(i-1) or the binary system where the i-th digit has value 2^(i-1).

For completion of the examples shown in the panel, the numbers up to 200 in this variable base are:

1=1
2=10
3=11
4=20
5=21
6=100
7=101
8=110
9=111
10=120
11=121
12=200
13=201
14=210
15=211
16=220
17=221
18=300
19=301
20=310
21=311
22=320
23=321
24=1000
25=1001
26=1010
27=1011
28=1020
29=1021
30=1100
31=1101
32=1110
33=1111
34=1120
35=1121
36=1200
37=1201
38=1210
39=1211
40=1220
41=1221
42=1300
43=1301
44=1310
45=1311
46=1320
47=1321
48=2000
49=2001
50=2010
51=2011
52=2020
53=2021
54=2100
55=2101
56=2110
57=2111
58=2120
59=2121
60=2200
61=2201
62=2210
63=2211
64=2220
65=2221
66=2300
67=2301
68=2310
69=2311
70=2320
71=2321
72=3000
73=3001
74=3010
75=3011
76=3020
77=3021
78=3100
79=3101
80=3110
81=3111
82=3120
83=3121
84=3200
85=3201
86=3210
87=3211
88=3220
89=3221
90=3300
91=3301
92=3310
93=3311
94=3320
95=3321
96=4000
97=4001
98=4010
99=4011
100=4020
101=4021
102=4100
103=4101
104=4110
105=4111
106=4120
107=4121
108=4200
109=4201
110=4210
111=4211
112=4220
113=4221
114=4300
115=4301
116=4310
117=4311
118=4320
119=4321
120=10000
121=10001
122=10010
123=10011
124=10020
125=10021
126=10100
127=10101
128=10110
129=10111
130=10120
131=10121
132=10200
133=10201
134=10210
135=10211
136=10220
137=10221
138=10300
139=10301
140=10310
141=10311
142=10320
143=10321
144=11000
145=11001
146=11010
147=11011
148=11020
149=11021
150=11100
151=11101
152=11110
153=11111
154=11120
155=11121
156=11200
157=11201
158=11210
159=11211
160=11220
161=11221
162=11300
163=11301
164=11310
165=11311
166=11320
167=11321
168=12000
169=12001
170=12010
171=12011
172=12020
173=12021
174=12100
175=12101
176=12110
177=12111
178=12120
179=12121
180=12200
181=12201
182=12210
183=12211
184=12220
185=12221
186=12300
187=12301
188=12310
189=12311
190=12320
191=12321
192=13000
193=13001
194=13010
195=13011
196=13020
197=13021
198=13100
199=13101
200=13110

Note the apparent gap at 24 (4!) and 120 (5!) - apparent for those of us who are used to decimal numbers.

The title text discusses a "problem" with this system, in that numbers above 3,628,800 (10!) have ambiguous notation, as it can be difficult to know whether the number in this system is (10)000000000, or (1)0000000000. Some use the letters A-Z to denote such larger numbers, e.g. A000000000. However, Cueball in this comic just announces that an number above 987654321 in this number system (or 3,628,799) is illegal.

==Transcript==
{{incomplete transcript|Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}
:Variable-base Factoradic™ numbers

:{|
|Base 7||Base 6||Base 5||Base 4||Base 3||Base 2
|-
|3||5||3||0||1||1
|}

:Left side

:{| class="wikitable"
|Base 10||Factoradic
|-
|1||1
|-
|2||10
|-
|3||11
|-
|4||20
|-
|5||21
|-
|6||100
|-
|7||101
|-
|
|-
|21||311
|-
|22||320
|-
|23||321
|}

:Right side

:{| class="wikitable"
|Base 10||Factoradic
|-
|24||1,000
|-
|25||1,001
|-
|
|-
|5,038||654,320
|-
|5,039||654,321
|-
|5,040||1,000,000
|-
|
|-
|999,998||266,251,210
|-
|999,999||266,251,211
|-
|1,000,000||266,251,220
|-
|1,000,001||266,251,221
|}

:Cueball: Small numbers like seven or nineteen shouldn't use big numerals like "7" or "9".
:Cueball: I mean, "9" is the biggest numeral we have! It should be reserved for '''''big''''' numbers.
:Cueball: Small numbers should be written with small numerals like "1" or "2".
:Cueball: That's why my variable-base system uses...Hey! No, listen!

:Factorial numbers are the number system that sounds most like a prank by someone who's about to be escorted out of the math department by security.

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Characters with hats]]
[[Category:Math]]
[[Category:Self-reference]]

2835: Factorial Numbers

2023-09-29T23:07:02Z

Pere prlpz: /* Explanation */ In the xkcd version of this number system, the rightmost digit has a value of 1!, the second one 2! and so on (that is, the i-th digit has a value i!). That can be compared with the usual decimal system where the i-th digit has value 10^

Talk:2823: Fossil

2023-09-02T11:54:28Z

Pere prlpz:

Boop! [[User:PotatoGod|PotatoGod]] ([[User talk:PotatoGod|talk]]) 07:53, 2 September 2023 (UTC)

Came here to find out what in the heck ‘boop’ has to do with anything, learned absolutely nothing (autospell changed it to “book” so I’m not alone). [[Special:Contributions/172.71.154.76|172.71.154.76]] 08:17, 2 September 2023 (UTC)
:There's a link there now (not sure when anyone added it, might have been after your query) which satisfies me somewhat. Seems to be a playful tagging/"you're it!" sort of thing, though, like "punch buggy <yellow/etc>", it's not something I really knew of though probably appears to be in Randall's childhood/whatever cultural background and that's good enough for me. [[Special:Contributions/172.69.79.152|172.69.79.152]] 09:53, 2 September 2023 (UTC)
::I agree that "boop" needs an extra explanation for non native speakers of English. The link is useful (thanks to whoever added it) but the Wiktionary definition alone is too terse to get the pun.--[[User:Pere prlpz|Pere prlpz]] ([[User talk:Pere prlpz|talk]]) 11:54, 2 September 2023 (UTC)

Talk:2823: Fossil

2023-09-02T11:54:02Z

Pere prlpz: ::I agree that "boop" needs an extra explanation for non native speakers of English. The link is useful (thanks to whoever added it) but the Wiktionary definition is too terse to get the pun.--~~~~

Boop! [[User:PotatoGod|PotatoGod]] ([[User talk:PotatoGod|talk]]) 07:53, 2 September 2023 (UTC)

Came here to find out what in the heck ‘boop’ has to do with anything, learned absolutely nothing (autospell changed it to “book” so I’m not alone). [[Special:Contributions/172.71.154.76|172.71.154.76]] 08:17, 2 September 2023 (UTC)
:There's a link there now (not sure when anyone added it, might have been after your query) which satisfies me somewhat. Seems to be a playful tagging/"you're it!" sort of thing, though, like "punch buggy <yellow/etc>", it's not something I really knew of though probably appears to be in Randall's childhood/whatever cultural background and that's good enough for me. [[Special:Contributions/172.69.79.152|172.69.79.152]] 09:53, 2 September 2023 (UTC)
::I agree that "boop" needs an extra explanation for non native speakers of English. The link is useful (thanks to whoever added it) but the Wiktionary definition is too terse to get the pun.--[[User:Pere prlpz|Pere prlpz]] ([[User talk:Pere prlpz|talk]]) 11:54, 2 September 2023 (UTC)

1589: Frankenstein

2023-07-08T09:47:16Z

Pere prlpz: /* Explanation */ Frankenstein%27s_monster#Names

{{comic
| number = 1589
| date = October 12, 2015
| title = Frankenstein
| image = frankenstein.png
| titletext = "Wait, so in this version is Frankenstein also the doctor's name?" "No, he's just 'The Doctor'."
}}

==Explanation==
''{{w|Frankenstein|Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus}}'' is a novel by Mary Shelley published in 1818. In it, Victor Frankenstein is a human who creates a {{w|Frankenstein%27s_monster#Names|monster}} (who is never named). In popular culture, however, "Frankenstein" is taken to be the name of the monster, not its creator.

While this is an often-corrected "error", it has been argued that it is not technically incorrect to call the monster "Frankenstein" as well, since he is the "offspring" of his "father", Victor Frankenstein. Since a child usually takes on the last name of their father, it may be said that the monster's last name actually ''is'' "Frankenstein". He also refers to himself in the novel as "the Adam of your labors" - a reference to the Biblical Adam, the first of his kind - and some have taken to calling the monster "Adam Frankenstein" to differentiate him from the scientist, Victor Frankenstein.

Others have argued that the monster's namelessness is an important part of his characterization in the story since it reflects the doctor's complete rejection of his creation. While the monster identifies Victor as his "father" in the novel, Victor does not consider the creature to be his "son".

Not helping matters is the equally-famous ''Frankenstein'' film series staring Boris Karloff, featuring a very different plotline and a very different portrayal of the monster. Within the movies themselves the monster once again goes unnamed, but the movie titles and posters refer to the monster simply as "Frankenstein." For example the 1935 film ''{{w|Bride of Frankenstein}}'' is a double-meaning, featuring brides for both the human Henry Frankenstein and the monster, thus implying the monster can be called "Frankenstein."

[[Randall]] apparently finds this argument tedious and pedantic, so he has created his own work of fiction, in which the monster is named Frankenstein. He rationalizes that it is now correct to call the monster Frankenstein, assuming that his comic strip is as authoritative as the original novel. "{{w|Canon (fiction)|Canonical}}" (rule, standard) means that this comic should be used as the authoritative work on the naming of the monster.

However, xkcd's ''Frankenstein'' would be unlikely to be accepted by anyone as canonical, except for its stated purpose of settling the naming argument. The original version of any story is usually assumed to be the canonical one, and any derivative work would have to have widespread influence and recognition to supplant it in the popular imagination. This is not likely to happen with xkcd's ''Frankenstein,'' as it makes almost no effort to stand on its own; it exists only to be a version of ''Frankenstein'' where the monster is named "Frankenstein." It emphasizes this point several times, and ends within a single panel, having accomplished its only goal. Almost no readers would find this version entertaining or substantive enough to displace Mary Shelley's original as the definitive version of the story.

The {{w|Public_domain|copyright}} on Mary Shelley's novel has expired long ago, before the moon landings (which began in 1969), so it is perfectly legal to create works derived from the original story. It should be noted, however, that Universal holds the copyright on the common [https://www.plagiarismtoday.com/2011/10/24/how-universal-re-copyrighted-frankensteins-monster/ image of the monster] (green skin, flat-top head, scar, bolts on the neck and protruding forehead). To qualify as a {{w|derivative work}} the story needs to be substantially different from the original. The monster believing in {{w|moon landing conspiracy theories}} would probably qualify, but may reference retellings of the tale where a damaged or deranged brain was used (as an alternate 'explanation' why the supposedly perfect creation inevitably runs amok). Additionally, the original Frankenstein's monster was seen by its creator as hideous and repulsive due to its physical appearance despite the project being a success. Randall makes the same correlation in his version by having Frankenstein claim the moon landings were faked, which produces the same feelings in The Doctor.

Alternatively, the monster being a moon landing denier is meant as a throwaway absurdist non sequitur. As the only point of this story is to make a canonical version of ''Frankenstein'' where "Frankenstein" is the monster's name, it should logically end once it has finished making that point clear. However, Randall throws a curveball by having the monster blurt out an uncomfortable and controversial point of view before the ending, then ending the story abruptly before the monster's statements can be addressed.

It is also possible that Randall is making reference to the fact that the kind of people who become engrossed in the debate that is attempted to be resolved in this comic and would bother to create a piece like this (which incidentally, complicates matters further rather than simplifying it, similar to the effect of many pieces of evidence in internet discussions) could be compared to the kind of people who deny the Moon Landings in obscure forums. He is drawing attention to how inane and unnecessary the comic is.

The title text raises the question of what the monster's creator is named in this version, since the name "Frankenstein" is instead given to the monster. The canonical answer is that the creator is simply "The Doctor", like the title character of the series {{w|Doctor_Who|"Doctor Who"}}. This might be a reference to similar pedantic nitpicking that occurs when that character is incorrectly referred to as "Doctor Who" rather than "The Doctor" which is in turn referenced in comic [[1221: Nomenclature]]. As it happens, people who make that mistake can also claim canonical support, in that some early episodes of the series list the character's name as "Doctor Who" in the credits, or reference the recharacterization in the {{w|Dr. Who (Dalek films)|cinematic retellings}}.

==Transcript==
:[A text only panel. Between the last two lines is a lightning bolt.]
:Like many people, I'm tired of the nitpicking about Frankenstein's monster's name.
:Luckily, ''Frankenstein'' is public domain.
:Therefore, I present
:xkcd's
:'''''Frankenstein'''''
:(''The monster's name'')

:[Cueball is turning down a lever while looking at a monster with black hair that is lying on a bed under a bedsheet. There are two wires connecting to the neck of the monster.]
:Frankenstein: ''Graaar''!
:Cueball: Frankenstein is alive! I am a modern Prometheus!
:Frankenstein: ''Raaaar''!
:Cueball: To be clear, your name is ''Frankenstein'', canonically.
:Frankenstein: ''Graaaaar''!
:Frankenstein: ''The moon landings were faked''!
:Cueball: Wait, what?

:[Another text only panel. The first word is written between two curvy lines.]
:'''Fin.'''
:There.
:Feel free to call the monster "Frankenstein."
:If anyone tries to correct you, just explain that this comic is your canonical version.
:Thank you.

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Frankenstein]]
[[Category:Doctor Who]]

2771: College Knowledge

2023-05-05T18:44:28Z

Pere prlpz: {{w|stinger}}s

{{comic
| number = 2771
| date = May 3, 2023
| title = College Knowledge
| image = college_knowledge_2x.png
| imagesize = 649x266px
| noexpand = true
| titletext = 'Your chitin armor is no match for our iron-tipped stingers! Better go hide in your jars!' --common playground taunt
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Created by a BOT GOING TO IO TO GET MORE DIODES - Please change this comment when editing this page. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}
A common playground rhyme which children will often recite when divided by gender is that "girls go to college to get more knowledge; boys go to {{w|Jupiter}} to get more stupider," with the genders being interchangeable depending on the rhyme's singer.

Starting out with this cadence, three characters (or child versions) {{w|Skipping rope|jump rope}} and explore parts of the solar system and beyond by taking it in turns to provide the rhythm's tempo. First [[Science Girl]] (who is turning the left end of the rope), then a [[Cueball]] (at the right), followed by a [[Ponytail]] (doing the jumping), before returning to Science Girl. As they concentrate on various stellar bodies that are harder and harder to rhyme, their chants become increasingly hesitant and obscure, ruining the rhythm and resulting in ever more contrived "rhymes", to the point where they eventually seem compelled to abandon the whole game.

The title text refers back to some of the rhymes the characters mention, making sure to stay consistent with whichever gender acquires which object. Speaking from the perspective of the college-bound gender, who had acquired {{w|ferrous}} iron from {{w|Eris}} (or perhaps {{wiktionary|ferrous|become more composed of it}}, by {{w|Dark They Were, and Golden-Eyed|bodily transformation}}), the girls playfully threaten the boys with iron-tipped {{w|stinger}}s, for which the boys' acquired armour of {{w|chitin}} (a material commonly found on the exoskeletons of various insects, including in any stings these might normally have) is purportedly no match. The girls then also refer to the jars which the boys had acquired from {{w|Mars}}, telling the boys that they'd better hide in them if they wanted any sort of protection from the iron-tipped stingers. To top it all off, the title text finally claims that this is supposedly a "common playground taunt" among children, which implies the unlikely outcome that the bizarre and unwieldy rhymes which the characters in the comic created have somehow persisted and passed into common usage enough to be generally recognizable.

In [[1202: Girls and Boys]], boys and girls both go to college ''and'' to Jupiter, both to get more knowledge.

==Note==
Going to Mars to get more jars may be a reference to a 1955 {{w|Burma-Shave}} campaign promising a free trip to Mars for whoever sent in 900 empty jars. The joking offer was accepted by a Wisconsin shopkeeper named Arliss French. The company enjoyed the publicity, and sent him and his wife to {{w|Moers}}.

{{w|Ceres (dwarf planet)|Ceres}} is a dwarf planet in the asteroid belt, between the orbits of Mars and Jupiter.

{{w|Chitin}} is a polysaccharide found in the exoskeletons of insects and cell ealls of fungi.

{{w|Tim Berners-Lee}} is the inventor of the World Wide Web.

{{w|Pamplemousse}} is the French word for grapefruit or pomelo, depending on dialect.

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

:[Science Girl, Ponytail and Cueball are jumping rope while singing a common playground song. Science Girl and Cueball are swinging the ends of the rope, Ponytail is jumping in the middle.]
:Science Girl: Girls go to college to get more knowledge
:Science Girl: Boys go to Jupiter to get more stupider

:Cueball: Girls go to Ceres to get more theories
:Cueball: Boys go to Mars to get more jars

:Ponytail: Girls go to Eris to get more ferrous
:Ponytail: Boys go to Triton to get more chitin

:[The three have stopped playing.]
:Science Girl: Girls go to...Mercury...to...meet Tim Berners-Lee
:Science Girl: Boys go to... ...Betelgeuse...to get more... ...pamplemousse
:Cueball: I think we're done.

{{comic discussion}}
[[Category:Comics featuring Ponytail]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Science Girl]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Cobson]]
[[Category:Games]]
[[Category:Astronomy]]
[[Category:Comics featuring real people]]
[[Category:Food]]

2707: Astronomy Numbers

2022-12-06T10:35:12Z

Pere prlpz: /* Explanation */

{{comic
| number = 2707
| date = December 5, 2022
| title = Astronomy Numbers
| image = astronomy_numbers_2x.png
| imagesize = 593x315px
| noexpand = true
| titletext = I adopted a cat that weighs 12 solar masses. Laser pointers love chasing it.
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Created by a CAT-LOVING LASER POINTER - Please change this comment when editing this page. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}
Space is big. Vastly, hugely, mind-bogglingly big,[https://www.goodreads.com/quotes/14434-space-is-big-you-just-won-t-believe-how-vastly-hugely] and the things that are in space can also end up being very big themselves. As a result of this, most quantities in astronomy can vary by huge scales. For example, Earth weighs 10^23 times more than the average human, and the Sun weighs 10^5 times more than that, which itself is 10^12 times less massive than the Milky Way. The same applies to speeds, distances, and time, which can often be measured in terms of light speed, light-years, and millions (or even billions) of years. Because of this, it's a truly unusual occurrence for anything in space to end up in the fairly narrow range of scales of mass, size, speed, or time that humans can easily grasp.

Ponytail, a scientist apparently researching something related to Earth's orbit, remarks that she finds it “suspicious” when reasonably human-scaled numbers come up. She then extends this paranoia to things that should be measured in regular numbers, such as the weight of cats. The vet (Megan) is seemingly used to this problem (perhaps she gets a lot of physicists) so restates the 12 lb weight of Ponytail’s cat in solar masses, which sounds more correct to the astronomer.

Although the Earth's orbital velocity around the Sun is far above any "normal" scales (around 30 kilometers per second or 108,000 kilometers per hour), Earth has a pretty circular orbit around the Sun so most of this speed ends up being tangential (sideways) rather than radial (towards or away from) the Sun, which is the value relevant for Ponytail's calculations. On January 1, Earth's radial velocity is close to its smallest value because we reach our closest point to the Sun in the first few days of January each year (in 2023, it happens on January 4) so by January 1, it's nearly come to a standstill before it starts traveling away from the Sun again. On the other hand, by April 3, 2023, Earth will be receding from the Sun by almost 500 meters per second or 1800 kilometers per hour, a slightly less normal speed for the average person to encounter in everyday life.{{citation needed}}

65 miles per hour is approximately equal to 105 kilometers per hour, although the even more typical scientific value (in {{w|International System of Units|SI}} derived units) would be 29 meters per second. 3 × 10^−30 solar masses is approximately equal to 6 kilograms or 13 pounds (consistent with the 12 pounds, or slightly under 5.5 kilograms, of the original figure) and is normal, if perhaps slightly overweight, for a cat.

The title text suggests that laser pointers "love chasing" a new cat with a weight of 12 solar masses (an inversion of the typical cat behavior of [[729: Laser Pointer|chasing laser pointer dots]]).
All gravitational fields bend light towards their center, a 12 solar mass object would bend quite a lot. A Laser pointer pointed at such a cat would bend towards it or "chase" it. In fact, 12 solar masses, would have a Schwarzschild radius of around 36 kilometers, so a regularly sized cat that size would very definitely be a black hole, drawing all light within 72 kilometers around it into its singularity.

Another interpretation of the title text is that Randall has (presumably) accidentally adopted a distant star instead, which astronomers usually take a liking to pointing laser pointers at during both star parties & normal parties they were unwisely invited to. Assuming Randall's 12-solar-mass cat goes through similar life cycles to a 12-solar-mass star, his cat will probably end up living a violent, short life of just a few million years before expanding into a red supercat and exploding as a feline supernova, which might explain why astronomers are so interested in pointing it out.

==Transcript==
:[Ponytail is standing in front of a whiteboard writing on it with a pen, while Cueball looks over her shoulder from behind her. On the board is an almost circular ellipse with a cross that centers on a dot towards the left side of it. On the right side there is a small circle on the ellipse's line. There are several lines of wiggles representing unreadable text. To the left of the ellipse there are two lines near the top of and four near at the bottom of the ellipse. Ponytail is writing a fifth line below these almost under the ellipse. At the bottom to the left there is a rectangular frame with a line of text beneath it and at the bottom left corner there is a line forming a half closes rectangle around two dots.]
:Ponytail: …And we need to correct for our elliptical orbit. On January 1st, Earth will be approaching the sun at a rate of ...let's see...
:Ponytail: 65 miles per hour.
:Ponytail: Weird. Okay.
:Cueball: Weird?

:[Ponytail has turned towards Cueball, the pen is no longer in her hand and the white board is no longer shown.]
:Ponytail: I get suspicious whenever I see a normal number in astronomy. We're not supposed to have those. Feels wrong.
:Ponytail: Scales should all be incomprehensible.

:[Megan in a lab-coat raised her hand palm up towards an animal carrier cage standing on her desk. The cage has a handle and five air holes are at the top. Behind two of them something black inside the cage can be seen. Ponytail is standing on the other side of the desk looking at Megan. Above the top of the panels frame there is a panel with a label:]
:Earlier, at the vet:
:Megan: Your cat weighs 12 lbs.
:Ponytail: Ridiculous, nothing weighs "12". You must mean 10-20? Or 1040?
:Megan: Fine. Your cat weighs 3x10-30 solar masses.
:Ponytail: Okay. Better.

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Ponytail]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Megan]]
[[Category:Astronomy]]
[[Category:Cats]]

2641: Mouse Turbines

2022-07-05T12:45:19Z

Pere prlpz: /* Explanation */ {{w|Taraxacum|dandelions}}

{{comic
| number = 2641
| date = July 4, 2022
| title = Mouse Turbines
| image = mouse_turbines.png
| titletext = It's sad seeing those videos of turbine blade being torn apart in high winds, but it's the only way they can disperse their seeds.
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Created by a RENEWABLE ENERGY RODENT - Elaborate on the title text. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}

[[Beret Guy]] and [[Megan]] are walking during the summer, where Beret Guy expresses his appreciation for typical features of a summer day. He also mentions "wind turbines" put up by field mice, which Megan initially assumes to be referring to {{w|Taraxacum|dandelions}} (similar to the wordplay that Beret Guy utilized in [[1322: Winter]].) However, Beret Guy turns out to be speaking literally, as he picks up what is in fact a tiny {{w|wind turbine}}, says to [https://www.dandelionpress.com/dandelion-blog/2015/4/6/how-to-wish-on-a-dandelion make a wish,] and blows into it. This causes the blades of the turbine to spin rapidly, generating a lot of power for the structure it is connected to, thus causing a field mouse to cheer in excitement.

Sadly, the power output per size of wind turbines increases with their size,[https://www.energy.gov/eere/articles/wind-turbines-bigger-better] a limitation not shared by other forms of renewable energy such as {{w|solar panel}}s and {{w|pico hydro}}. According to [https://www.omnicalculator.com/ecology/wind-turbine this calculator], a 10 centimeter radius wind turbine powered by a 5.7 meter/second breath[https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2215098616300830] would produce one watt at just 26% efficiency.

Further frustrating mouse use of wind power, {{w|Wind gradient|windspeed increases logarithmically with height}} above ground. Windspeed is reported as its value 10 meters above ground, where it is 1.5 times faster than at ground level.[https://www.nooutage.com/wind.htm] In the U.S., where Randall lives, average year-round windspeed is about 15 km/h,[https://sciencing.com/average-daily-wind-speed-24011.html] or about 2.8 m/s at ground level, yielding only 0.11 watts from such turbines. However, a typical adult mouse weighs 25 grams,[https://web.jhu.edu/animalcare/procedures/mouse.html] compared to about 81 kilograms for humans in the U.S.,[https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3408371/] so presumably mouse electricity needs would be about 0.03% of people's. The average U.S. residential customer uses 1,242 watts of electricity,[https://www.electricchoice.com/blog/electricity-on-average-do-homes/] 0.03% of which is 0.37 watts. Therefore, three such turbines could be able to serve about 89% of a mouse's needs. While this figure does not account for necessary {{w|home energy storage}} efficiency (92.5% for the {{w|Tesla Powerwall}}) overhead, mice usually live much less extravagantly than typical Americans,{{citation needed}} so three turbines per mouse should be sufficient.

The title text builds on the similarities between small wind turbines and dandelions by claiming that turbines reproduce by dispersing their blades, in the manner of dandelion {{w|seed dispersal}}. Randall's suggestion of turbine seeds conflicts with Beret Guy's assertion that the turbines were built by field mice.

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

:[Megan and Beret Guy are walking on grass.]
:Beret Guy: Ahh, summer!
:Beret Guy: The clouds are big, the bugs are zooming,

:[Beret Guy stops walking. There are three small trefoil structures and a tiny building on the grass in front of him.]
:Beret Guy: and the field mice have put up their little wind turbines.

:[Beret Guy picks up one of the turbines. Under the turbine there is a wire attached to the ground.]
:Megan (off-panel): You mean dandelions?
:Beret Guy: No.

:[Beret Guy holds the turbine in front of him.]
:Beret Guy: Make a wish!

:[Beret Guy blows into the turbine blades and makes them spin. The wire transfers electricity towards the ground.]
:''Puff''
:⚡ ⚡ ⚡ ⚡
:Voice at ground level: Yaaay!

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Comics featuring Megan]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Beret Guy]]
[[Category:Animals]]

2633: Astronomer Hotline

2022-06-15T16:08:13Z

Pere prlpz: /* Explanation */ 2004, not 1984 (athough it also appeared in 1987)

{{comic
| number = 2633
| date = June 15, 2022
| title = Astronomer Hotline
| image = Astronomer Hotline.png
| titletext = Employment statistics have to correct for the fact that the Weird Bug Hotline hires a bunch of extra temporary staff every 17 years.
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Created by 17 YEAR CICADA TRYING TO LOOK LIKE A FIREFLY - Please change this comment when editing this page. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}
This comic is a joke about {{w|Helpline|helplines}}, and how people sometimes call helplines for non-significant reason.

The comic starts with someone having called the "Astronomer hotline", hence the title. Judging by the way the helpline employee, [[Cueball]], starts the call, by asking for a description of the weird lights, it is implied that this is the main/only purpose of the helpline, or is, in practice, the only type of call they receive.

The caller is in panic, and doesn't know how to describe the light. Cueball is used to this and asks the caller to stay calm, then starts to go through his check list, asking them if it is day time, because if it was he would assume they have just noticed the Sun. This could be seemed very condescending, but it is like when the employee at a tech support hot-line asks if the computer is turned on, or if the caller tried to restart the computer, see [[806: Tech Support]].

The caller is not affronted, but tells Cueball that the Sun set, and when asked if they are stars, and thus stationary, says they are zipping around in the bushes.

At this point Cueball realizes that the caller has just seen {{w|Fireflies}}. He describes them for the caller as lightning bugs, tree blinkers or ground stars, and tells the caller that these are not a problem, so the caller is now relieved. Those descriptions are reminiscent of the fools stars (and planes) mentioned in [[2017: Stargazing 2]].

However, Cueball must admit that astronomers do not know much about fireflies, since they are too fast for the astronomers' telescopes (in general, astronomers don't study terrestrial phenomena). And he thus transfers the caller to the "Weird Bug Hotline."

Before the call ends, at Cueball's end, he hears the first question from the new hotline: Is it currently biting you.
Again going directly to the most important part, is there any immediate danger...

Some people (Often {{w|Unidentified flying object|UFO}} enthusiasts) tend to get a little over-excited about calling every light in the sky they don't expect a UFO. This comic takes this to the extreme, where someone calls a helpline because they saw fireflies, and thought they were UFOs. While UFOs are not mentioned by name, they are heavily implied.

The title text is a reference to bugs that have gaps of several years between emerging from their larval state. Most famous are the {{w|Periodical cicadas}}, 13- and 17-year cicadas, that only emerge every 13 or 17 years, depending on species. The 17 years in the title text thus refers to the 17-year cicadas. Every 17 years the bug hotline hires a bunch of temporary staff, either because there will be more callers due to the unexpected new bug no one has seen for 17 years, or it could be because they just like to emulate nature and thus do this every 17 years. The largest 17-year cicada appearance in the USA is called {{W|Brood X}} which last occurred in 2021 and before that 2004. There can be smaller broods in other years, but the majority come out with 17 years interval, and the next is expected in 2038.

The joke in the title text is that the employment statistics for the weird hotline have to correct for this fact.

The reasons that it is 13 and 17 years are a bit {{w|Periodical_cicadas#Predator_satiation_survival_strategy|uncertain}}, but it is quite certain that it is because those numbers are prime numbers, that they have ended up on those numbers of years. Because it is thus unlikely that they will emerge in great numbers the same year as some other cyclic population is at a maximum every time they emerge. Because it they have any other cycle than those prime numbers, it will take a long time before they synchronize again.

Many animals and plants have delayed cycles like these so as to engage the cycles of others in ways that change; for example, oak trees give more acorns every other year, as their reproductive cycle is in symbiosis with how much squirrels bury but do not dig up to eat.

==Trivia==
:The UK Military had a UFO helpline for over 50 years. [[https://www.nbcnews.com/id/wbna34277625 Link]]
:This comic has a lot of themes that have been touched on in previous comics, including
::Helplines [[278: Black Hat Support]], [[806: Tech Support]]
::People not understanding basic concepts [[876: Trapped]]
::Cicadas [[2263: Cicadas]]
==Transcript==
:[Cueball, with a headset on, is sitting in an office chair at a desk in front of his computer screen, hands on the keyboard. He receives a call, and the callers voice is shown in a jagged frame above Cueball, between his two lines of text.]
:Cueball: Hello, Emergency Astronomer Hotline. How would you describe the lights?
:Caller on phone: ''I don't know! Help!''
:Cueball: Stay calm. Is it day? If so, that's The Sun.

:[Cueball is now seen en face with the headset, but the computer etc. is not shown. The callers voice is now written normally but with zigzag lines going to the text from Cueball's headphone. Cueball's reply have a normal line going up to it.]
:Caller on phone: No, the sun set and then the light appeared!
:Cueball: Hmm, could be stars. Are they stationary?
:Caller on phone: No, they're all zipping around bushes.

:[In a frame-less panel, the setting returns to the one from the first panel. Also with the callers voice in jagged frames again.]
:Cueball: ''Aha!'' Fireflies!
:Caller on phone: "Fireflies"?
:Cueball: Lightning bugs. Tree blinkers. Ground stars.
:Cueball: They're fine.
:Caller on phone: ''Phew!''

:[Same setting as first panel, but broader panel. After Cueball's reply and a short reply from the caller as in the first panel. There is a sound indicating transfer to another hotline. Then to the right there is a square panel with jagged edge, with the voice from the other hotlines employee.]
:Cueball: We don't know much about them as they're too fast for our telescopes, but I can transfer you to the Weird Bug Hotline.
:Caller on phone: Sure, thanks.
:Transfer of call. *''Click''*
:Weird Bug Hotline on phone: ''Hi, Weird Bug Hotline. Is it currently biting you?''

{{comic discussion}}

Talk:2625: Field Topology

2022-05-27T14:18:16Z

Pere prlpz: ::I agree with that explanation - the net is the only thing that makes the soccer field not to have holes. It should be included in the comic explanation. ::The hole for the volleyball only makes sense taking in account that the bottom of the net doesn't

First [[Special:Contributions/172.70.86.64|172.70.86.64]] 12:50, 27 May 2022 (UTC)

Why is football on the two-hole field? Where are the holes? I don't think the goal posts in American football introduce any since they're not closed. Maybe it's soccer? [[Special:Contributions/172.69.68.88|172.69.68.88]] 12:58, 27 May 2022 (UTC)

:Well, you might still be able to call them holes. They would be if they were fully rectangles. --[[User:BlackBeret|BlackBeret]] ([[User talk:BlackBeret|talk]]) 12:59, 27 May 2022 (UTC)

: Gridiron football's field contains two areas (the endzones) that can be thought of as not being part of the "normal" field of play, for lack of a better way of saying that pre-coffee. Association football likewise has the areas within the nets. [[User:Noëlle|Noëlle]] ([[User talk:Noëlle|talk]]) 13:05, 27 May 2022 (UTC)

: My immediate thoughts were also that football (soccer) and football (gridiron) are the same, or indeed the other way round. In both cases the closed hole (assuming not a Y-like vertical holder, but H-like as per rugby football) plays no more or less topological part. Threading through the hole from behind has no relevence in either, and in fact defining it as a region that is 'a special enclosed gap with meaning' (which doesn't really matter in the topology sense, just like golf would be a topologically hole-less surface and as a coffee-cup's inside 'dimple' doesn't count, just its handle-hole that makes it equivalent to a doughnut) actually counts for something in association football. [[Special:Contributions/172.70.162.155|172.70.162.155]] 13:32, 27 May 2022 (UTC)

:: It's not the space bounded by the goal that is the 'hole' - it's the goal post itself (or in the case of the high jump, it's the bar, not the space under it). The reason soccer doesn't have 'holes' where the goals are is that they're positioned on the edge of the playable area - you can't play around the bars, because as soon as you cross the goal line you're out of play. And it doesn't matter whether it's a Y-shaped or H-shaped goal - topologically, they both form one continuous 'hole'. [[Special:Contributions/172.70.91.80|172.70.91.80]] 13:37, 27 May 2022 (UTC)

::: I don't think that's the reason why soccer doesn't have holes. The goalposts in football are also outside the playable area, and so are the poles in volleyball. I think soccer is listed as zero-holes because soccer goals are typically not fixed to the field, and are instead separate objects that can be dragged around and removed from the field. On the other hand, the same is true of volleyball and badminton nets (and those nets contain many holes!) so the comic seems a bit inconsistent.[[Special:Contributions/172.70.175.146|172.70.175.146]] 14:05, 27 May 2022 (UTC)

Tetherball, in many variants, does contain an obstruction -- the pole, which you're not allowed to touch. The Topology Department is getting tired of having to switch out the fields. [[User:Noëlle|Noëlle]] ([[User talk:Noëlle|talk]]) 13:05, 27 May 2022 (UTC)
:But you can surely jump over it, so it's topologically the same as a zero-height pole... [[Special:Contributions/172.70.162.155|172.70.162.155]] 13:32, 27 May 2022 (UTC)

Croquet has six hoops and a peg. How does that make for nine holes? Is it including the opponents' two balls as holes? And if so, why aren't opposing players counted as holes in the other sports? [[Special:Contributions/172.70.91.80|172.70.91.80]] 13:26, 27 May 2022 (UTC)

American football goals are Y-shaped. Rugby goals are H-shaped. Did... did Randall get those confused? Also, I fail to see how basketball and American football get two, croquet gets a bunch, but soccer gets zero. Aren't soccer goals (in-game at least) basically the same shape as croquet wickets, just waaaay bigger? Granted, I don't know anything about topology and I came to this wiki specifically cuz I'm dumb, so I'd love if someone could splain this all for me ;) --mezimm [[Special:Contributions/172.69.69.170|172.69.69.170]] 13:37, 27 May 2022 (UTC)
:The soccer goal has a net, so the ball can't go through it. Topologically it's just a wall (Randall seems to be ignoring all the tiny holes in netting, presumaby because they're smaller than the balls so they're insignificant to the sports). [[User:Barmar|Barmar]] ([[User talk:Barmar|talk]]) 14:10, 27 May 2022 (UTC)
::I agree with that explanation - the net is the only thing that makes the soccer field not to have holes. It should be included in the comic explanation.
::The hole for the volleyball only makes sense taking in account that the bottom of the net doesn't reach the floor, although this space is not used in the game.--[[User:Pere prlpz|Pere prlpz]] ([[User talk:Pere prlpz|talk]]) 14:18, 27 May 2022 (UTC)

The group link pointing to group (mathematics) doesn't bear any relation with the sentence or the comic. I would remove the link.--[[User:Pere prlpz|Pere prlpz]] ([[User talk:Pere prlpz|talk]]) 14:18, 27 May 2022 (UTC)

User:Pere prlpz

2022-05-26T18:00:31Z

Pere prlpz: Potentially useful link: User:CRLF/OneClickUndo.js

More info in {{w|ca:User:Pere prlpz}}.

Potentially useful link: User:CRLF/OneClickUndo.js