explain xkcd - User contributions [en]

Talk:3030: Lasering Incidents

2024-12-28T02:04:35Z

Phyzome: it does work

Opportunity missed: Could have said "Santa's sleigh and other aircraft....". At least the laser beam is green. [[Special:Contributions/172.68.27.100|172.68.27.100]] 22:41, 27 December 2024 (UTC)

that would have been dumb and late [[Special:Contributions/172.71.135.85|172.71.135.85]] 22:52, 27 December 2024 (UTC)

Why is everyone here interested only in commenting, and not being helpful? [[User:RadiantRainwing|RadiantRainwing]] ([[User talk:RadiantRainwing|talk]]) 23:37, 27 December 2024 (UTC)
:Some people like to just comment, or are insecure about their explaining skills. Some people like to mainly focus on transcripts, other like to clean up grammatical mistakes, and some just enjoy to lurk and watch as the explanation slowly builds up. Don’t judge other people on something as frivolous as this. Besides, only two other people have commented and there have been 4 people who have edited the explanation and transcript, including me and you. '''[[User:42.book.addict|42.book.addict]][[User talk:42.book.addict|Talk to me!]]''' 00:10, 28 December 2024 (UTC)

you wouldn't actually see a green glowing line; that's not how lasers work {{unsigned ip|172.68.70.67|00:33, 28 December 2024}}
:That would depend upon the conditions. It would need ultra low humidity (or entirely the wrong temperature to show it) and also a pretty dust-free environment to have ''no'' visible track of the laser, across the kind of distance where you're disrupting an aircraft (from on the ground on the sightline of a pilot) and with the laser of sufficient power to cause any mischief. And Rayleigh scattering applies to some degree even in clean+dry air, in conditions of at least reasonable darkness. [[Special:Contributions/162.158.74.49|162.158.74.49]] 01:45, 28 December 2024 (UTC)

:I've seen someone at an astronomy demo use a laser pointer to point at stars, exactly because of this effect. It worked pretty well, even without high humidity or dust. -- [[User:Phyzome|Phyzome]] ([[User talk:Phyzome|talk]]) 02:04, 28 December 2024 (UTC)

2712: Gravity

2022-12-20T11:53:28Z

Phyzome: Works fine on Firefox

{{comic
| number = 2712
| date = December 16, 2022
| title = Gravity
| image = gravity_2x.png
| titletext = It's a long way down.
}}

*To experience the interactivity, visit the [http://xkcd.com/2712/ original comic].
==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Created by THE UNIVERSE FROM A PIECE OF FAIRY CAKE- Please continue expanding and describing the various bodies. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}
In this interactive comic, the viewer pilots a small spaceship throughout a vast area in space. The viewer is capable of exploring various bodies and planets within the play area, many containing easter eggs alluding to the book What If? 2 and previous xkcd comics. The flight mechanics are largely, if not entirely, Newtonian, so the vessel is capable of using the gravity of planets to alter its trajectory or even enter orbit. The spaceship has indicator circles around it which appear when a gravitational body comes into range, showing the direction towards their center of gravity and the size of the body. A circle also appears around the spaceship whenever it collides with a gravitational body, acting as a shield. The shield remains until the player orients the spaceship upright so its landing gear can deploy.

With a keyboard the arrow keys rotate the spaceship and accelerate it forward and backward. You can also use the 'w', 'a', 's' and 'd' keys to control the spaceship. Despite some ships having no unique backward texture, all ships can reverse. On mobile the comic will full screen, pressing either side of the center rotates the spaceship, and pressing in the center accelerates it forward.

It is fairly easy to fly between planets as long as you pay attention to orbital mechanics; don't just floor the accelerator. The background stars show your velocity and orientation relative to the nearest gravity well. If you are having difficulties navigating space, point towards a gravity orb and accelerate for only a few seconds. Wait until the background stars spin wildly, and then reduce your velocity to 0 before gently accelerating towards to object.

'''Playing on mobile:''' Various additional glitches may occur. Having a starting position slightly below the take-off pad means you're already 'glitched' inside the planet from the off. Escaping the planet may need inverted 'accelerating' (turning perpendicular to the local vertical, and thrusting ''backwards'' until you can glitch back out into more open space. You may also be trapped within the cannonball 'orbit', with seemingly inconsistent collision-detection, such that you can be sat ''with landing gear extended'' upon features (projectile tracks, etc) that seem not to count as solid for most other purposes.

There is no "universal" point of view — the bottom of the window, "down", is oriented towards the object exerting the most gravity upon the player. Multiple things found in this comic draw attention to this, such as how on Earth Ponytail says to White Hat, "I checked downforeveryoneorjustme.com and it says just me", and he replies "Yeah, I guess down isn't down for everyone."

Throughout the play area are coins that change the spaceship into different rockets and non-space based vehicles, including humans.

The comic promotes Randall's new book [https://xkcd.com/what-if-2/ What If? 2], which was released in September and is available for purchase. Many of the planets contain references to various What If? articles.

The comic is similar to [[1608: Hoverboard]], which celebrated Thing Explainer instead.

===Celestial Bodies===

The following is an incomplete table of features:

{|class="wikitable sortable"
!
!
!
!
! colspan="4"|References
!
|-
! ID
! Description
! Transcript
! Tiles (X, Y)
! What If
! XKCD
! Movies
! Other
! Explanation
|-
|<code>origin</code>
|'''Starting planet'''
|
Cueball: "To celebrate the world of ''What If? 2'', here is your very own tiny planet to explore!

Megan: "Welcome!"

Ground caption: "Give someone the science question-and-answer book ''What If? 2'' for the Holidays: xkcd.com/whatif2"

Cueball feeding T-Rex: "Burger?"

Isaac Newton: "Robert Hooke must be down there ''somewhere!''"

Megan to Cueball: "If you ever get lost in space, just fly down. That's where the ground is."

Beret Guy to squirrel: "Hi!"
|(0, 0)
|Y
|
|
|Y
|The starting planet. The player begins on the launch pad in a landed position. Collecting the orbiting cannonball will transform you into a different rocket, although it does not improve your abilities.

Cueball feeding the T-Rex is possibly a reference to What If #78: {{what if|78|T-rex Calories}}.

{{w|Isaac Newton}} is referencing the {{w|Newton's cannonball}} thought experiment, where a cannon is fired at greater and greater speeds until the cannonball goes into orbit. Newton's comment suggests that instead of demonstrating orbits, he is firing repeatedly to hit his rival, {{w|Robert Hooke}}.
|-
|<code>earth</code>
|'''Earth'''
|
"How am I supposed to cause the extinction of the dinosaurs if they keep moving out from under my comet?"

"Unusually high-speed squirrels."

"Jump in! The water's fine!"

"Ugh, the frame rate is really bad out today."

"I don't know why people complain about going down rabbit holes. These lil guys are adorable!"

"Ahh, the mysterious natural wonders of sailing stones"

"I'm Bananas Georg.
Every year our company publishes global per capita banana consumption numbers, so to make the printing easier, I eat enough bananas of December 31st to make sure it's a round number."

"Weird, I feel ''heavier''."

"Hey"

"I checked downforeveryoneorjustme.com and it says just me"
"Yeah, I guess down isn't down for everyone"
|(27867,-35648)
|Y
|Y
|
|Y
|A planet with among other things:
* A [https://what-if.xkcd.com/162/ crane dropping a comet] onto a dinosaur,
* Unusually high speed squirrels (creating a sonic boom)
* Megan inviting Cueball into a pool
* A region where the frame rate is intentionally limited
* A flagpole
* A literal {{w|burrow|rabbithole}} referencing the figuratively speaking [[wikt:rabbit hole|rabbit hole]]
* Someone aiming at a satellite with an arrow
* A lake with an eel
* The [https://what-if.xkcd.com/157/ earth-moon firepole]
* A "doot cone," a reference to [[Volcano Types]]
* Two figures being attacked by a third with a sword
* Two kids playing soccer (Catching the ball will turn the ship into a soccer ball)
* A farmer on a tractor being stuck in gooey candy
* A banana pile being consumed by "Bananas Georg" to make the per capita annual banana count round, referencing the "[https://reallyreallyreallytrying.tumblr.com/post/40033025233/average-person-eats-3-spiders-a-year-factoid Spiders Georg]" meme.
* Megan and Cueball digging a hole (in the center of this planet is the "earth's core", referenced below)
* The [https://what-if.xkcd.com/147/ Niagara Falls water being redirected into the LHC] (Large Hadron Collider)
* Japan(?) leaving earth
* A tube to the bottom of the ocean
* Ponytail and White Hat making a reference to [downforeveryoneorjustme.com]
* Two mini asteroid moons: A tiny version of B612 with Little Prince and the rose, plus one with just Cueball standing on it. They can be found by flying straight up from the Super Mario flagpole.
|-
|
|Earth's core
|
| (28850, -28570)
|
|
|
|
|[[Cueball]] and [[Megan]] floating in a small space in the center of the planet in inverted rotations. Can be legally accessed using a high velocity collision onto the surface of the planet, although requires tapping the up arrow afterwards many, many times.
|-
|<code>europa</code>
|'''Europa'''
|
|(13180, -2540)
|Y
|
|
|Y
|Europa, one of Jupiter's many moons (in real life). A broken, icy crust has a single path into its core.
|-
|
|Europa's crust
|
"It's so unfair we don't get to compete in EuroVision."

"The region of the solar system where liquid water can exist on the surface is the habitable zone, and the region where it can exist beneath the surface of moons is the Eurozone."

"WHIRRRR"
|
|Y
|
|
|
|Europa's crust, with a single entrance into the core demarcated by an octopus leaving a hole.
Cueball states that Europa is in the Eurozone, a pun on the ''other'' Eurozone, with liquid underneath its surface.

A roomba whirs across the icy crust.

Cueball has a hairdryer and is melting the surface of the crust. A direct reference to [https://what-if.xkcd.com/35/ What If's Hairdryer].
|-
|
|Europa's core
|"We've always used neutrinos for astronomy, but if we place my 'optical telescope' in orbit above the kryosphere, we could potentially observe the universe using electromagnetic waves. Who knows what else there is out there besides stars! There could be other worlds!"

"Hi, I'm Annie. Welcome to the depths of Europa. There's some weird stuff down here."

"We were caught in a powerful November gale on the Great Lakes outside Whitefish Bay. Our ship foundered and sank here." "This is Jupiter's moon Europa." "It was a REALLY powerful gale."

"Does our book club really need this much secrecy?" "That sounds like a question a SPY would ask."
|
|
|
|
|
|A watery ocean with octopi looking out into the great unknown using telescopes. This is a reference to octopus's intelligence here on earth! It may also be a reference to (Spoilers!) a certain 2013 science-fiction film featuring Europa, if not a 1987 book. There's also a secret path leading to a book club, through the wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald.

The woman presenting herself as Annie is a reference to Annie Rauwerda, the creator of the popular social media accounts [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Depths_of_Wikipedia Depths of Wikipedia].
|-
|<code>b612</code>
|'''B-612'''
|
Probe: "Asteroid deflection mission to earth. The package is delivered. Commencing planetary threat neutralization."

Sign: "Welcome to B-612"
|(2610,3700)
|y
|Y
|
|Y
|A reference to [[618: Asteroid|Asteroid]]. In a tragic turn of events, the Earth-bound asteroid being blown up is the home of [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Little_Prince the little prince].
|-
|<code>dogplanet</code>
|'''Dog park planet'''
|
[Dog Park]

"I want more dogs!"

"Ball! Again!"

"I hope it lands soon."

"English adjective order means that you're "Clifford the Red Big Dog" but not "Clifford the Red Big Dog""[sic]

"You can't have too many dogs!"

|(1240, 11230)
|y
|
|
|
|A planet covered in dogs, along with dog walkers, some fences, and a sign that reads "Dog Park". Two dogs watch a ball which is traveling in what appears to be a circular orbit around the planet. One dog is much larger than anything else on the planet. A hole is being dug by two dogs. Visible at the bottom, there is an empty space in the center of the planet in the shape of a dog bone.
|-
| <code>goodhart</code>
|'''What If? 2 scenario planet'''
|
Cueball to White Hat: "The tower over there is the Vehicle Assembly Building, and then behind it is the Vehicle Disassembly Building."

Ponytail to Cueball: "You know how tires pollute the environment with rubber particles? Well, I've developed a solution."

"MMM SPIDERS HOMF HOMF"

Shooting star caption: "THE MORE YOU KNOW"
Sauropod: "Oh no!"

Person on uncontrolled helicopter: "AAAAAA"

Geyser: "Fwoosh!"
Cueball and Megan: "Oooh!"

Giant phone crushing city: "ALERT" "Giant phone crushing city" "Dismiss" "More"

Cueball with jetpack: "Wheeeee!"

Cueball to Megan: "Do you ever look up at the night sky and think, "Wow, I bet those little white dots taste ''delicious!''"

Neighbor: "Why is my house on fire ''again?!''
Cueball: "Dunno"
Laser captioned: "Laser"

Person with Washington Monument: "Okay, let it drop!"
|(-13300,-3260)
|y
|y
|
| Y
| Contains a reference to Kerbal Space Program, whimsically referring to the launchpad as the Vehicle Disassembly Building.

Contains a figure in a cave saying "MMM SPIDERS HOMF NOMF", which refers to [[1268: Alternate Universe|Alternate Universe]] and may also be a reference to the [https://reallyreallyreallytrying.tumblr.com/post/40033025233/average-person-eats-3-spiders-a-year-factoid Spiders Georg] meme.
|-
|<code>sun</code>
|'''The Sun'''
| "The sun is governed by magnetohydrodynamics, or 'Magic' for short"

"My countertop!"

"This will make a good soup base"

"Can I touch it yet?" "No, be patient. It's still too hot. Give it another 20 or 30 billion years."

"It's okay. I'm wearing five layers of sunscreen."

TV Anchor: "The forecast for today is lots of sun"

"This should be enough sunscreen"
|(-14950, 12080)
|y
|
|
|
|Difficult to escape from if you hit the core.
|-
|
|Sun's core
| Cueball: "The core of the sun may seem hot, but it only produces about as much energy per volume as a lizard" Megan: "Wow. So how many lizards are there?" Cueball: "No-one knows."
|
|Y
|
|
|
|Difficult to escape from. Can be escaped by rotating around the sun until an escape-like velocity could be reached.
|-
|<code>soupiter</code>
|'''Soupiter'''
|"I think it's chicken noodle? Hard to tell."
|(-800, -9040)
|Y
|
|
|
|A planet made of soup, with a core. As commented by Cueball, noodle soup. Has several small versions of other planets floating around it.
|-
|<code>nojapan</code>
|'''Earth without Japan'''
|"Something is missing."
|(-7680, -5850)
|Y
|
|
|
|Earth, except it's missing japan.
|-
|<code>japanmoon</code>
|'''Just Japan'''
|
|(-5930, -5800)
|Y
|
|
|
|A moon with water surrounding... just Japan.
|-
|<code>pigeons</code>
|'''A blob labeled "Pigeons"'''
|
|(-9020, -2490)
|Y
|
|
|
|A reference to Chapter 6 of What If? 2, where it would take 1.6 x 10^25 pigeons to lift you and a chair up to the halfway point of Australia's Q1 skyscraper.
|-
|<code>enterprise</code>
|'''Starship Enterprise'''
|
|(2389, -60879)
|Y
|
|
|
|Star Trek reference: The Enterprise-C, yes 2344,commanded by Captain Garrett's. While defending a Klingon outpost, the weapons discharges resulted in the creation of a temporal rift, through which the badly damaged Enterprise drifted. In the comic, there is a large, invisible gravity distortion near the Enterprise-C
|-
|<code>qwantz</code>
|'''Dinosaur planet'''
|"Welcome... to Jurassic Park."
| (20403,-49559)
|
|
|Y
|
|An homage to [https://www.qwantz.com/ Dinosaur Comics], a webcomic Randall has mentioned several times before. All the dinosaurs on the planet are black-and-white versions of the clip art dinosaurs in that comic. Also references the Jurassic Park movies, with CEO John Hammond welcoming paleontologists Dr. Sattler and Dr. Grant to the planet. The long grass depicted is a plot point in later films. It seems like crashing into this planet hard enough will let you dive into the core, but that only lets you out on the other side. Then the system seems to glitch and have the ship phase into and out of the planet.
|-
|
|'''What If? 1 scenario planet'''
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|-
|<code>roads</code>
|'''Cat blocking traffic flowing through portals'''
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|-
|<code>outside</code>
|'''Edge of the Universe'''
|"Welcome, traveler!" (found inside the edge of the bubble universe)
| ( 6081, 26138 )
|
|
|
|
|It looks like a planet labeled "edge of the universe". Outside the universe, so inside the "edge of the universe" planet, is another universe, the bubble universe, whose outside is labeled "edge of the bubble universe". Hidden entrance is between 10 and 11 'o clock.
|-
|<code>roads</code>
|'''A tree larger than the planet it's growing on'''
|
|
|
|Y
|
|
|May be a reference to [[2: Petit Trees (sketch)|Petit Trees]]. More probably, a reference to ''The Little Prince'', a French children's novel about a traveler from a distant asteroid. In the novel, baobab trees are a serious threat to the Prince's home asteroid, as they are so large that their roots would engulf the asteroid entirely. Randall has alluded to The Little Prince numerous times before, especially in what-if articles.
|-
|<code>outside</code>
|'''Milliways'''
|
| in code: <code>[0,-14500]</code> in game: <code>[0,29000]</code>
|
|
|Y
|Y
|A reference to Milliways, the Restaurant at the End of the Universe from ''The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy''. On one side of the planet, Ponytail, Cueball, Megan, and other characters gather on the patio of the Milliways restaurant; on the other side, the Sojourner rover examines a rock.
|-
|<code>greatattractor</code>
|'''The Great Attractor'''
|
|(-596048, 247952)
|
|Y
|
|
|Beret Guy stands on the surface of a large ball labeled "The Great Attractor". The gravity is extremely strong (over 200 times that of the black holes), leading to various bugs and collision issues. It's a reference to [[Great Attractor]], in which Beret Guy is gravitationally attracted to the Great Attractor more strongly than usual.
|-
|<code>present</code>
|'''Present'''
|
"I didn't do any of my Christmas shopping yet because I was too busy drawing tiny planets."

"I'm done with my shopping! I got everyone What if? 2"

"...You got me my own book?"

"Yeah! I figured that since you wrote it, it must be right up your alley."

"It does make a good gift, though. You can get it at xkcd.com/whatif2"

"I got you this present!"

"Is it an angry bobcat?"

"It might not be."
|in code: <code>[22820,-18920]</code> in game: <code>[45640,37840]</code>
|
|Y
|
|
|The XKCD cast react to giving each other What if 2? as a present. Gravity at the bottom of the missing quarter of the planet is inescapable. Black Hat gives Cueball a "gift" which he claims "might not be a bobcat", a reference to [[A-Minus-Minus]]
|-
|<code>maw1</code>, <code>maw2</code>, ... <code>maw14</code>
|'''Black hole cluster'''
|
|
|
|
|
|
|A cluster of black holes with extremely high gravitational strength, set to the maximum of 2048. Not particularly easy to land on with multiple conflicting gravitational fields, but once landed on, rather difficult to escape.
|-
|<code>remnant</code>
|'''Remnant'''
|"All right, that's close enough"
"Oh no"

{{w|Walkin' on the Sun|"So don't delay, act now, supplies are running out"}}

"In 5 billion years, the Sun will run out of fuel and suffer gigennial burnout."

"The immense gravity of the sun's remnant means that this is the tallest possible skyscraper."
|(19620, 3800)
|
|
|
|
|A stellar remnant, with high gravity (making it difficult to escape, although it's possible to achieve escape velocity by flying sideways). Has various small landmarks, including a "skyscraper" and suspension bridge. There are bombs being dropped from above the planet, with one that seems to be sledding on the planet.
|-
|<code>steerswoman</code>
|'''Steerswoman Planet'''
|"As a Steerswoman, I have to answer any question anyone asks me, or I'm expelled from the order."
"What's one question that you would be unwilling to answer?"
"Oh no."

"Handle this artifact with great care. It contains a magical wizard's potion which the ancients called 'trinitrotoluene'"
|(-35070,-2500)
|
|
|
|Y
|A reference to the Steerswoman series of books by Rosemary Kirstein. Includes a number of references to the series, including a group of people observing a small object orbiting the planet.

Trinitrotoluene is better known as {{w|TNT}}, a powerful explosive.
|-
|<code>peeler</code>
|'''Peeler'''
|
|(-9270, 620)
|Y
|
|
|
|A reference to the question posed by "What If 2: Lose Weight the Slow and Incredibly Difficult Way". A large potato peeler is seen removing the earth's crust.
|}

===Ships===
{|class="wikitable sortable"
|-
! Name
! Description
! Location
! Filename
! Image
|-
|Default
|The starting ship.
|It is possible to change back to this ship by collecting a dot located within the Black Hole cluster
|ship2
|
|-
| Tintin
|
| On the starting planet; can be obtained by collecting the cannonball in orbit
| ship-tintin
|
|-
| Figure
|Stick figure
|On Goodhart, atop the mountain up which Sisyphus is pushing his boulder.
|ship-figure
|
|-
| Soccer ball
| Soccer ball shaped ship
| On Earth, between two figures playing ball
|ship-soccer
|
|-
|Alternative Ship
|Slightly thicker version of default ship
|Only available by using console to change Comic.ship
|ship1
|}

==Data and Maps==

View the data that is embedded in the comic on [[2712: Gravity/Data|this page]].

Maps created by the Community:
*https://bacontime.github.io/xkcd2712 | A zoomable map of the universe with markers for all planets, coins and with the option to highlight secret passages
*https://www.reddit.com/r/xkcd/comments/zpe7bz/i_rendered_the_entire_what_if_2_universe_as_a/ | The whole universe rendered as one big image

==Hacks==
Various modes and hacks have been found or developed by the community, and can be activated by opening the Javascript Console (F12 [Or Command-Alt-I in most browsers under Mac OS X] to open Developer Tools, then Console tab) and writing corresponding commands. 
'''Click to expand:''' 

<div class="mw-collapsible mw-collapsed leftAlign" style="width:100%">
 
*'''Speedhack:''' <code>ship.engines = "warp"</code> - Speed hacking, sets speed to 1.4x. set to "standard" to reset to normal speed
*'''Teleport to planet:''' <code>[Comic.voyager.pos.x, Comic.voyager.pos.y] = Comic.planetRects.'''''origin'''''.slice(0,2)</code> - teleport near a planet, in this example near earth. You'll still have to fly a bit towards the nearest planet to reach it. Replace '''''origin''''' with the ID of the planet you want to go to, from the table above.
*'''Teleport to coordinate:''' <code>[Comic.voyager.pos.x, Comic.voyager.pos.y] = '''''[0, -2000]'''''</code> - teleport to an exact coordinate. <code>[0, -2000]</code> happens to take you to the starting area.
*'''Improved radar:''' <code>Comic.wayfinderFarDistance = Infinity</code> - make the direction of all objects visible. This can be hard to understand though.
*'''Chaos Mode:''' <code>ship.engines="infinite improbability drive"</code> - Seems to randomly teleports the ship. A reference to its namesake in Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy.
*'''Insta Death:''' <code>ship.shields = false</code> - Kill the player if they land on a planet, the code never sets it to false, so it seems to be always true.
*'''No Clip:''' <code>noclip = true</code> - Enables noclip. Also disables gravity.
*'''Select ship:''' <code>Comic.ship = "ship-tintin"</code> - Select ship (use filename from list of ships)
*'''Autorotate:''' <code>Comic.cameraRotation = false</code> - View does not rotate with ship
*'''Goggles:''' <code>ze.goggles()</code> - returns a warning: "they do nothing!". This is a reference to Hoverboard, where ''ze.goggles()'' would give you the ability to see false walls. Which itself is most likely a reference to the Simpsons where Radioactive man complains that his safety goggles do nothing against a deluge of acid.
*'''Python:''' <code>python("import antigravity")</code> - reverses gravity, so the ship falls away from planets. A reference to [[353: Python|Python]]. Reset with <code>Comic.gravityConstant = 100</code>.
</div>
 

==Trivia==
The objects in the mini-universe of this browser game are all at fixed positions and do not interact through gravity, however, the ship controlled by the player is affected by gravity. While this makes it technically a relatively easy integration problem (of the position of the player ship forward in time), the integrator used seems to be a relatively simple one - and certainly not a symplectic one, because it does not conserve angular momentum. This can be seen when one manages to get into orbit around some object, e.g. the core of the sun. The orbit slowly decays over time.

The logic for extending the landing legs and landing is rather simple. A ship can (normally) land if it is facing away from the surface it collides with, and if its momentum is more-or-less directed towards the surface. Once landing is triggered, the ship will rotate to face directly away from the celestial body it is on, regardless of how sloped the surface is. The only way to get into space again is to accelerate forwards, as neither turning nor accelerating backwards cancels the landed state. All of this can be abused to land on almost everything. To land on the underside of an object, simply point your ship away from the object and slowly accelerate backwards to counteract the force of gravity. Landing on the side of an object is more difficult, as ships cannot accelerate sideways. The first method is to accelerate backwards to launch yourself upwards and towards the object so that at the top of your arc you will collide with the object. Then, rotate your ship accordingly to land. Method two is to just repeatedly slam your back of your ship into the object until you land. Note that with any of these weird landing methods, your ship will turn to face away from the source of gravity and can clip into objects.

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

Welcome!

To celebrate the world of what if? 2, here is your very own planet to explore!

Give someone the science question-and-answer book what if? 2 for Christmas:
xkcd.com/whatif2

{{comic discussion}}
[[Category:Space]]
[[Category:Book promotion]]
[[Category:Interactive comics]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Megan]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Black Hat]]
[[Category:Bobcats]]

Talk:1534: Beer

2015-06-14T03:10:16Z

Phyzome: compare 1480

I hate the taste and smell and associations (such as urine and vomit where they shouldn't be). A friend used to freely admit he didn't like the taste and only drank to get drunk. [[Special:Contributions/108.162.249.161|108.162.249.161]] 06:24, 5 June 2015 (UTC)

This is why there are so many different styles of beers, or wines, or other alcoholic beverages. I personally don't care for IPAs, but will rarely pass up a good Pilsner.[[Special:Contributions/108.162.238.189|108.162.238.189]] 07:37, 5 June 2015 (UTC)

:LOL, that's exactly what Cueball is talking about. Beer is a canonical example of {{w|acquired taste}}. But even after having done so, all hoppy beers (including most IPAs and Pilsners) still taste pretty similar to me. - [[User:Frankie|Frankie]] ([[User talk:Frankie|talk]]) 11:39, 5 June 2015 (UTC)

:: Like of beer is actually a really bad example of acquired taste. I was stealing sips of beer from my dad at age 3-4, if he had an unattended open beer. Liking of beer is primarily generics, and secondary acquired taste. Now talk about {{w|Marmite}} and discuss acquired taste. [[User:Spongebog|Spongebog]] ([[User talk:Spongebog|talk]]) 16:21, 5 June 2015 (UTC)

:::And you, sir, are a canonical example of an ''outlier''. 😜 Seriously though, go to http://google.com and type "is an acquired taste". Google's very first autocomplete suggestion is beer. I'm not saying it's necessarily a ''good'' example, but it is about as canonical as you can get. - [[User:Frankie|Frankie]] ([[User talk:Frankie|talk]]) 03:09, 6 June 2015 (UTC)

Is it possible that the characters, being American, have only ever tasted American beer? So when Cueball says that "all beer tastes kind of bad" hat he really means is "all American beer tastes kind of bad"? That would make a lot more sense (especially if you assume that they only buy from the major brands, and haven't yet tried beer from microbreweries.) --[[User:PeR|PeR]] ([[User talk:PeR|talk]]) 09:30, 5 June 2015 (UTC)
:Well the other character mentions "Stouts", which the major American brands don't really produce (or at least don't heavily market). I think from that it's safe to assume that these characters are basing their opinions on American Craft brews, and not just Budweiser. [[Special:Contributions/173.245.52.87|173.245.52.87]] 14:02, 6 June 2015 (UTC)
:entia non sunt multiplicanda praeter necessitatem. I think too many people forget Occam's Razor here, and are too eager to engage in deeper analysis than the content can really support without help from, say, an interview with Randall. No offense intended; this is a trend on this wiki in general. [[Special:Contributions/108.162.221.201|108.162.221.201]] 13:18, 5 June 2015 (UTC)

::I'm kind of tired of people automatically assuming is someone doesn't like beer, it's because the person saying so has only been exposed to bad ones due to their locality. I don't like beer at all because it tastes like a mouthful of yeast and medicine. Alcohol in general is an acquired taste for most people, who usually only start drinking it due to social pressure or as a recreational drug. Yeasty foods are as well, especially yeasty breads, and beer is basically fermented bread juice when you get down to it. There's also a genetic link behind whether or not someone will like alcohol, and it's usually he effect rather than the taste that makes it appealing. --[[Special:Contributions/188.114.111.209|188.114.111.209]] 14:45, 5 June 2015 (UTC)

::: You need to read the research -- it is actually linked to genetic differences in taste-buds. You may not like it, which is not unlikely, but that does not say that is the same for others who may be genetically disposed otherwise [[User:Spongebog|Spongebog]] ([[User talk:Spongebog|talk]]) 18:54, 5 June 2015 (UTC)

:: ''...people are too eager to engage in deeper analysis than he content can support...'' - Isn't overanalyzing every minute detail the entire point of this wiki? Of course the explanations should be concise, but that doesn't apply to the wild mass guessing happening in the discussion. - [[Special:Contributions/108.162.254.96|108.162.254.96]] 14:25, 9 June 2015 (UTC)

Speaking from personal experience, I've never tried any form of alcohol that I've liked. And if you must know my experience is mainly centered around beer that's highly recommended by friends and family. The last case was at a tour of a local microbrewery that seems to be doing extremely well. I'm sure if I pulled a large scale taste test I'd aquire enough of a taste to delude myself into thinking that something or other is actually worth drinking but I don't see why I should go through the effort just to conform to a social norm. --not the mama[[Special:Contributions/108.162.238.180|108.162.238.180]] 14:30, 5 June 2015 (UTC)

: You should NOT conform to social norm but drink what YOU feel taste good -- 10.000 years ago, humanity needed portable water -- west of the Urals, humans stared to use fermentation as a method to keep bacteria out of the drinking water, where east they started to brew tea -- their descendant responded genetically over the next 10.000 years with European developing genetic traits to be tolerant and liking the fermented brew. Beer is predominantly limited to north Europe as it has lower alcohol levels compared to wine -- the higher alcohol volume is needed to keep bacteria out in the warmer southern Europe -- HENCE unless you are of northen european decent you may not genetically be programmed to like (or tolerate) the taste of beer -- just don't drink beer if you don't like it !!! [[User:Spongebog|Spongebog]] ([[User talk:Spongebog|talk]]) 19:06, 5 June 2015 (UTC)

::I'm 1/16th northern European (Dutch), 1/4th southern European, Native American too. Guess I didn't get the North Europe beer gene. Why'd the even northerner Europeans like the Russians and Scottish become distilled spirit drinkers? Did their beer freeze too easily so they made vodka and whiskey? If this is why the north developed a beer culture then why'd Egyptians and Mesopotamians drink beer? It's very hot there. [[Special:Contributions/108.162.215.59|108.162.215.59]] 20:08, 5 June 2015 (UTC)

:: Wait. Alcohol was a method of keeping drinking water clean? That's a terrible way to stay hydrated. Alcohol makes you pee more. What is this I don't even. [[Special:Contributions/108.162.215.169|108.162.215.169]] 11:17, 13 June 2015 (UTC)

::::In the past they drank something called small beer for the water which was at least as low alcohol as lite beer today. Google it to see if it's lighter than lite beer, I don't care enough to check. They drank the full-strength beer when they wanted to party. Children drank a lower alcohol version of small beer (well they *did* die so disproportionately from germs anyway before we even get to the water germs). Similarly, nobody drank wine for thirst, they mixed it with water. Since water hydrates and full-strength beer dehydrates maybe they put enough water that they could live without drinking gallons of weak booze per day. I don't know how Islam survived with a Prohibition like that though. I think anything that makes you slightly "buzzed" if you drink as much as humanly possible is illegal. Even now the Saudi oil monopoly's "Western-style walled-off city" is under uncodified sharia law and a wine cooler would only be legal if you watered down with 1 or 19 parts water (I don't know if they have a statutory limit but if you can manage to drink 15 US gallons of 50% diluted wine cooler within 15 hours then you would get a little "buzzed" (= 12 US oz of beer). (They do sell beer dealcoholized to under 0.05% for the Islamic market (10% of Prohibition-legal "near-beer", and 5% of a wine cooler) so people can enjoy the horrible flavor without any possibility of getting "buzzed" (about 1/10th of a beer "drunk" if you drink a US gallon an hour *without stopping for 15 hours*, the importance of not stopping cannot be overstressed. If you stop for even 6 minutes near the end you will "sober up" 100% and you'll have to do this a whole nother 15 hours again) [[Special:Contributions/108.162.238.155|108.162.238.155]] 19:04, 13 June 2015 (UTC)

::: (1) "predominantly" and "exclusively" are to different words; they are also brewing wine in England. (2) Distilled alcohol for mass consumption is relatively new (~500 years), before that the process was known but not used for this purpose. (3) Many Europeans drink tea these days -- culture and fashion travels. [[User:Spongebog|Spongebog]] ([[User talk:Spongebog|talk]]) 00:55, 8 June 2015 (UTC)

:::: Global warming has the power to make England the best place to grow champagne. Chalky. Kent. Soil. Mmmmmm. Bordeaux will have to make whatever wine they now make in Spain. [[Special:Contributions/108.162.215.94|108.162.215.94]] 16:53, 11 June 2015 (UTC)

Agreed. Major brands suck, but probably in most countries, even Germany, where people usually have very high opinion about German beer. There are thousands of small breweries, though, some with a very old tradition (like in monasteries), and many just popping up recently. At some microbreweries you have to order weeks in advance, but the brew you get is really exceptional, and you'll drink it at room temperature from wine glasses. Absolutely not meant for getting drunk. [[Special:Contributions/108.162.254.107|108.162.254.107]] 10:47, 5 June 2015 (UTC)

I am disliking to indifferent to most of brands of beer, but I like a few specific ones, like Ginger's Beer, or gingerbread beer from local brewery. --[[User:JakubNarebski|JakubNarebski]] ([[User talk:JakubNarebski|talk]]) 11:34, 5 June 2015 (UTC)

I know that beer is generally considered to be an acquired taste, but some people acquire that taste really quickly. The first beer I ever drank was a Miller that I stole from a case that my dad had left sitting in the kitchen for months. I was 12, and it is still probably the worst thing I've ever tasted. I decided I didn't like beer, and from ages 12 to 17 the only alcohol I drank was wine. At 17, I tried keg beer and was utterly indifferent to it. By the time I turned 19 I was into good local beers, but if I've been in the heat for a long time, I'll drink watery mediocre beer and it will be divine. And then there's shower beer...oh, shower beer!12:27, 5 June 2015 (UTC) {{unsigned ip|108.162.225.36}}

The only thing worse than a pilsner is an IPA... which is just a stronger version of a pilsner. Most beer just has way too high of an IBU rating. At least malts aren't entirely awful and oatmeal malts are somewhat palatable. [[Special:Contributions/162.158.255.83|162.158.255.83]] 14:25, 5 June 2015 (UTC)

Culturally, for me, the common booze is 'a pint of bitter' (or 'best'). I apparently had my first sip when a toddler. I 'sneakily' took a sip from the top of a glass sat in front of my father, before screwing my face up most amusingly, I am told. I then went straight back in for another... it's not obvious to me if I was being influenced to 'want to like it'. Perhaps it was just the novelty. Anyway, I will admit I don't ''love'' the taste of bitter, but at least it's got an significant taste that all the seemingly anonymous mass-produced lagers can't match. (OTOH, cider's quite stimulating, but I take against the overly fizzy ones.) When it comes to non-alcoholic beverages, I will actively ''refuse'' a cup of tea (the social norm for adults, especially someone like me in their fifth decade), however socially awkward and unexpected, and politely turn down the offer of a coffee, if possible, on the basis that I might not be staying long. (I don't like teas at all, even fruit ones, but I can stand coffee if sweetened.) But it's ''amazing'' what we tend to eat and drink, just because it's expected. [[Special:Contributions/141.101.99.59|141.101.99.59]] 14:26, 5 June 2015 (UTC)

Great comic. This is just for me. I do not like beer. Any kind. And I do rarely drink them. Same with cofee ans tee which I never drink. It is not always easy - so nice to see this comic. :) --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 14:33, 5 June 2015 (UTC)

I'm a stout man (will drink stout alone, if it is dark enough and if the hop content is small enough), but will admit that any beer is better after the fifth glass of it.[[User:Seebert|Seebert]] ([[User talk:Seebert|talk]]) 14:40, 5 June 2015 (UTC)

;"Acquired Taste"

Part of the explanation refers to acquired tastes as being a response to social pressures and to avoid cognitive dissonance. This doesn't match the description of what the '''linked to''' wikipedia page for acquired tastes, as that page distinguishes authentic acquired tastes from those meeting the author's description.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Acquired_taste#Intentional_acquisition_of_tastes

[[Special:Contributions/108.162.238.190|108.162.238.190]] 15:08, 5 June 2015 (UTC)Aaron E

Budweiser tastes like urine. It's the most popular beer in the US. Immediately after trying it I tasted a drop of my urine to see if the urine was still worse and that wasn't enough urine to decide. Anyone care to put a larger amount of urine in their mouth for science? This is the crap they make Bud..Weis..Er and Wassuuuuuuup! commercials about? They actually make a Lite version of this so people can enjoy it while getting less drunk or fat? Extroverts are weird. Also, out of the legion of OKcupid questions the best predictor of the promiscuity question is "I like the taste of beer, true or false". So if you want to have sex quick, you want to hear "Beer tastes awesome! Woo! [Burp] [Vomit] Ooh!Ooh!" [drinks vodka from bottle] [[Special:Contributions/108.162.215.59|108.162.215.59]] 16:55, 5 June 2015 (UTC)

Strangely, many animals acquire a taste for alcohol, and they must do it quickly because they don't live long enough to do it slowly. Case in point-- robins and other birds, gobbling up fermented fallen fruit, and then stumbling around like human novice drinkers do. They only live 2-3 years, and they only have access to the stuff for a couple of weeks in the autumn, and yet, there they go, staggering down the sidewalk and tripping over imaginary twigs. And then there's my puppy, who was begging droplets of strong beer and black coffee off my fingertips from eight weeks old. (Good Canadian beer, by the way.) I wonder if a taste for bitterness might be adaptive, as many bitter plants are also medicinal? [[User:NoniMausa|NoniMausa]] ([[User talk:NoniMausa|talk]]) 22:46, 5 June 2015 (UTC)

Okay, some people don't like beer. That doesn't mean everyone who does is faking it. I gravitate towards IPAs, stouts, rye IPAs and barrel-aged strong beers. I also like scotch, rye, and some bourbons. I fucking love dark roasted black coffee. I savor all of these in company and alone. Stop being so solipsic.[[Special:Contributions/173.245.48.163|173.245.48.163]] 03:32, 6 June 2015 (UTC)

I actively dislike the taste of every beer that I have tried. That includes Guiness on tap in Dublin. I sort of got into trouble for it the few days I was there agus ag labhairt na Gaeilge. But this discussion is one of the most amusing and enjoyable arguments I have seen yet on this website. Go ahead on, folks! [[User:Taibhse|Taibhse]] ([[User talk:Taibhse|talk]]) 03:48, 6 June 2015 (UTC)

I've been scratching my head over this one since I saw it come out, and I still can't tell what Randall is trying to say. Are we meant to take it at face value, where Cueball is right on and Hairy is simply unwilling to admit that deep down he (just like apparently every other beer drinker everywhere) dislikes beer, and everyone is pretending because of social pressure? Or is this a subversion of the expected, and meant as a dig at the kind of person who would so arrogantly think that their personal dislike of something popular simply means everyone who claims to like it is pretending to do so out of social pressures or internalized expectations (no pun intended)? In this comic, Cueball comes across to me as kind of a passive-aggressive jerk (which is normally Hairy's role) as he openly derides something that someone else may genuinely enjoy by claiming everyone is pretending, and when reminded that it's fine for him to not drink it, he responds with bitter sarcasm. So who's the butt of the joke here? Hairy because he can't see that he's only doing something from social pressure? Or Cueball for assuming that Hairy (as well as the other millions of people who regularly enjoy beer around the world) is only doing something and pretending to like it because of social pressure.
[[Special:Contributions/173.245.52.118|173.245.52.118]] 06:20, 8 June 2015 (UTC)

: +1 above comment. I'm on the side of the second interpretation, but my (possibly prejudiced guess) is that Randall may dislike beer!
: [[Special:Contributions/108.162.238.186|108.162.238.186]] 13:00, 8 June 2015 (UTC)

:: Maybe both interpretations are valid, and this helps us see the problem of empathy here. The same way cueball can't be objectively sure about hairy faking it or not, we can't be absolutely sure about it either, not knowing if cueball is exposing harsh truths or being an unempathetic jerk. Our interpretation will be based on our own biases on the subject.[[Special:Contributions/188.114.99.29|188.114.99.29]] 13:28, 8 June 2015 (UTC)

::: Well said! --[[User:Waldir|Waldir]] ([[User talk:Waldir|talk]]) 18:42, 12 June 2015 (UTC)

I think this is a wildly fascinating conversation! First, it's interesting we all care so much about a beverage. Clearly, we view our own preference for beer as much more than a taste, but rather a statement of identity. Second, the popularity of objectively terrible and tasteless beers (originally from the US, but now mindlessly copied by practically every country on the planet) shows that it '''is''' possible that we beer lovers are deluding ourselves (and also that beer-avoiders are deluding themselves as well). The identity statement of preferring or avoiding beer may be so strong that we may not really know if we like beer or not.

Beer is diverse, and indeed if someone truly dislikes all of it for flavor reasons, they would be expected to also dislike either bread, bitter herbs, other alcohols, or all of the above. From the comments here, it seems that those who dislike beer also dislike other alcohol, so perhaps it is alcohol itself that can be highly distasteful. Ethanol doesn't have a flavor, so let's assume it's either the somewhat burny mouthfeel, or perhaps the mental effects of alcohol that are disliked.

It also seems that those who dislike beer have indeed not tried very much of it "I...dislike...every beer that I have tried. That includes Guiness..." provides fodder for those who would suggest, "Well, if Guiness is your idea of a beer, then you haven't nearly tried enough to know you dislike it!" However, as some have pointed out here, it is highly unfair to expect that someone who truly dislikes beer will try all of the thousands of varieties of it, presumably disliking every one, until we accept that the dislike is genuine.

Even the comic shows that Randall rejects beer without knowing much about it. That Hairy suggests two categories of beer to be "stouts" and "lagers" is telling. Stout is a specific style of beer, while lager is a giant category that includes beers as dissimilar as light american lager and Baltic Porter. Someone who likes and is interested in beer would not ask the question Hairy does. Yet Randall's beer ignorance may stem from avoidance due to a true dislike, and it would be unfair to expect him to gain competence in everything he finds offensive before we allow him his opinion. {{unsigned ip|Drummstikk}}

Lots to think about here! [[User:Drummstikk|Drummstikk]] ([[User talk:Drummstikk|talk]]) 19:21, 8 June 2015 (UTC)

Drinking alcoholic drinks of any description is just a stupid idea from the start. "Oh yeah, lets drink this thing that hampers our ability to think clearly and undermines several important inhibitions that stop us from hurling ourselves into traffic while puking! Clearly nothing can go wrong with this!". -Pennpenn [[Special:Contributions/162.158.2.221|162.158.2.221]] 23:48, 8 June 2015 (UTC)

:I don't know if you've actually been drunk to see what it's like or are thinking of others. When I was drunk, I bounced off of buildings cause home was so far and I realized that since square root of two is 141%, I could shorten my zig zag trip over 10% if I aim somewhat towards the wall and get pulled by the alcohol every few steps. (also, it was fun, like an amusement ride or a holodeck program I'd like to write). If I helped the drunk pull slightly (except fighting it near the sides to keep from slamming into the wall or breaking a tempered glass bus shelter) I could carom at least 8 feet off the bus shelters and buildings like a zig-zag billiard ball before it didn't feel like real artificial gravity was doing most of the work. I could say hey baby to every woman I passed and not attract a single one which is crazy. I still never lost the ability to add up the 12 and 18oz cans and fractions of cans of Bud I drunk, in ounces, subtract 12oz for each hour and fraction since I drunk those ounces and try to get halfway to 120 which is unconscious, except multiply by 125lbs/175lbs for a margin of safety because I do *not* want to black out, and estimate how many times over 0.08 DUI I was, all in my head. I held onto the banister with both hands for dear life. I even had the good judgement to switch to crawling the last flight or two. But I (and maybe you) have lots of IQ to spare. Since your average party/party "DUDE yeah!" dumbass is about 85 *sober*, they need all the IQ they can spare and must be literally retarded (= <70) when drunk. My dumbass father actually wanted me to go back down 5 flights of stairs, climb 8 ft down a fucking air shaft ladder and retrieve the keys I dropped. I don't care if you're mad I dropped my keys, I'm not leaving home till tomorrow. My father almost died several times. Once waded to floating depth with no lifeguard and can't swim (waves exist idiot), once crossed a cliff and could've drowned if he fell, once walked miles up a double-track funicular and didn't die cause he was never trapped. For more stupidity, a flight instructor c. 1950 died cause he got out and shut his door on clothing. Dad saw the pilot flying a human being like a flag until they ran out of time and he went off to land. He did not survive the taking off and landing while tied to the plane. Scarves kill. [[Special:Contributions/108.162.238.155|108.162.238.155]] 06:21, 9 June 2015 (UTC)

:: I've never been drunk. A lifetime of seeing otherwise intelligent people act like complete idiots under the influence and an almost neurotic need to maintain as much self control I can muster makes it an entirely undesirable state to be in. I'm glad you enjoy it, I guess, but the rest of your words don't inspire any more confidence in me regarding being drunk. -Pennpenn [[Special:Contributions/162.158.2.221|162.158.2.221]] 23:47, 9 June 2015 (UTC)

::::I didn't say it was worth it. The hangover's horrible. Nor do I enjoy it. I enjoy*ed* it, that night in 2010. It was cool that there is a drug that lets you play with the gravity and time and doesn't hurt your body just to try once or is illegal or addictive to many like most drugs (I wouldn't have done it if there was an alcoholic in my family but I guess I took a risk there that I had a hidden alcoholism gene, probably not now I know). When I sat down I saw time alteration, lol. I didn't feel it till a remarkable number of milliseconds after my eyes told me I sat. I said "whee!" while experiencing the "artificial gravity" but I allowed myself to see how far I could go. Clearly I wouldn't have done that if someone could hear. Artifical gravity strong enough to hurt you but weak enough to fight: That's what the muscle instructions that cause straight walking when sober feel like when you mildly augment the oscillating left-right pull you feel therefore adding a little extra m/s^2 to the fictitious oscillating sideways force you're already feeling. If I knew the level of hangover I was getting into and how little alcohol it takes my genes to get drunk I would've never done that. Trust me, doing the crazy thing of saying "hey baby" to every female barhopper that passed was the most I could do. I did that to find out what alcohol can do and it wouldn't make me lose my virginity to a barhopper even if I felt obliged to. You are probably more inhibited than me if that's possible (maybe you're also conscientious and not open to experience so that explains it). I'm not conscientious at all and open to experience though not at the extremes. You would be a great candidate for keeping your inhibitions. But if you're very conscientious or very uncurious or especially both then you should keep on not drinking. It's more like having children, not so inherently wonderful that everyone should do it (like falling in love is). But I would never recommend getting anywhere near vomiting, hangovers can make you feel absolutely terrible for 4 hours and continue the headache till the next evening. I haven't drunk since then. It's just not as fun since you know what it's like already and probably can't reach artifical gravity time alteration mildly psychoactive levels cause you'll take it easy once you had that level of hangover once. [[Special:Contributions/108.162.215.59|108.162.215.59]] 02:24, 11 June 2015 (UTC)

::: There are whole different levels of being drunk. There's nothing wrong with having a drink or two, more so because you lose part of your inhibitions. Dismissing something as a stupid idea just leads to never investigating those stupid ideas which may have their own strong points. It's actually beneficial for your EQ to have a drink or two, just to lose the natural inhibitions. But yeah, to each their own. [[Special:Contributions/173.245.53.147|173.245.53.147]] 08:10, 10 June 2015 (UTC)

::::How would it benefit your EQ? What is EQ anyway, it seems like it means almost whatever the speaker wants it to mean. [[Special:Contributions/108.162.215.59|108.162.215.59]] 02:24, 11 June 2015 (UTC)

::::: Less social inhibitions to talk to people. A high social skill is in any definition I've seen important to EQ... Not easy if you're afraid to talk to people. [[Special:Contributions/173.245.53.147|173.245.53.147]] 07:49, 11 June 2015 (UTC)

:::::: Ah, you see you're trying to mix up social skills, extroversion, empathy, the autism spectrum (from Kim Kardashian to someone who can't learn language, emotion reading ability and I don't know, not being an unfeeling person when we've already determined the traits with the most informative power and non-imaginaryness (compare clutch batting) which is the big 5 and IQ. If you have 120 EQ and 80 IQ you might not be able to get a job. One that's any good anyway. You'd be the loser that does manual labor and goes to Insane Clown Posse concerts and might live in a trailer park. You'd make a good prostitute if you're uninhibited enough, though. If you have 120 IQ and 80 EQ you'd be as smart as many lawyers and could easily get a job writing software or something and own a home. Which do you think is more useful? And some woman will marry you because she's lazy and doesn't like work or something. And a person that's hard working with 120 EQ can compensate enough with EQ and connections to be a rich executive or lawyer but a person of mundane work ethic with 140 IQ and low EQ could be any kind of doctorate he wants and has a good chance of making $200K+. That's because high IQ people will always enjoy something and find it easy even if they're otherwise lazy. What do you think is more useful? Would hard work and stupidity and mundane social skills get you $200+K/year? Would great social skills, stupidity, and mundane work ethic get you $200+K/year? Face it, social skills are common as dirt and will get you jack shit wages if the social person is not unusual in also being able to stand books enough to get a masters degree or is really, really sexy or unrealistically extreme goodness at something (model, prostitute, porn star, singing, acting, sports). Frankly, even in sports you don't need the social skills, only if you're almost too bad to get on a professional team. IQ is the only one of the three that you can be mundane in the other two and and still make millions (even diplomats can't be stupid). That's why they pay some people with high EQ so much, it's hard to find one with IQ much above average. Gifted social-er than average children are 1 in 4 (of the gifted children). [[Special:Contributions/108.162.215.94|108.162.215.94]] 14:53, 11 June 2015 (UTC)

:::::: Okay, some people have social anxiety but others just don't feel like talking that moment. We're self-reliant. We don't need a whole web of connections with connected people because we write good software (or design planes well or..). That is a natural urge I think, it's called reserved. Men don't want to ask for directions. Men don't want to ask where X is. As long as the things that come out of your mouth are interesting or helpful I don't see why you must talk before you have something good or adds anything at all. You can help social anxiety. But you can't cure stupid. I totally agree that empathy for your lover, kids and close family and some for the rest of humanity and ability to feel is good to have but you're conflating this with extroversion. Traits shouldn't have little correlation between their subtraits, that's why we have the big 5. It's also good to not be handiness clueless and poor at math, have no common sense, and be too dim to learn to set a VCR clock. When I see social people I think of people that can't stand to be alone and converse with volleyballs from day 1 (rent Cast-Away), only have an astrology book in their house, can't know it's 6 cans in two triangles without counting (every one!) and counted out loud from the *first* Saturday when they need to know how many days Saturday to Wednesday in a week and a half is (11). I actually saw the last three and could tell the the first and last ones' EQ was through the roof. If EQ was a car the last group would make a sonic boom. But the last group was just nurses, the first person moved *into* a ghetto cause $600 a month in roommate rent became not enough to pay for their entertainment "needs", big TV, and useless crap which covers the wall. The woman who used her finger to count two triangles of cans out loud scans supermarket goods for a living. I have a cousin who got a bachelor's in chemistry from a semi-third world country through high conscientiousness, was allowed to try for a U.S. degree since 1986, is socialer than average, and cleaned strangers' clothes for a living for 2 decades. Boxers, panties, socks, anything that goes in the laundromat's let the employee do your laundry for you counter. He's lived in the US 43 years, just retired, will be a miser till death (never had kids to save money?), stole any gold chains or cash in the clothes and said someone else must've did it (I'm serious) yet only has about $100K gross worth (and net, too). Also cleaned out cupfuls of lint. I don't need more EQ than is needed to get by.

:::::: Sorry for the B minus C minus essay skill. I never was great at that and am too lazy to put as much effort into this as the SATs. [[Special:Contributions/108.162.215.94|108.162.215.94]] 14:53, 11 June 2015 (UTC)

"I don't like A, therefore everyone that does like A is wrong." This is the first xkcd I've seen that is just dumb. --[[Special:Contributions/173.245.52.164|173.245.52.164]] 19:30, 9 June 2015 (UTC)

:You are making the assumption that Cueball is expressing Randall's sentiment. But consider Hairy's last statement. I think there is intentional ambiguity over which one of them is misguided. [[Special:Contributions/103.22.200.180|103.22.200.180]] 01:15, 10 June 2015 (UTC)

:: I wouldn't know, the title text states the same sentiment as Cueball. I also agree it's a bit too easy to claim that everyone drinking beer does it because of peer pressure. I brew beer, and it certainly has to do with cultural backgrounds (I'm Belgian) but I enjoy doing it and I enjoy the taste of several different kinds of beer without peer pressure. Doesn't mean I like all beers though. [[Special:Contributions/173.245.53.147|173.245.53.147]] 08:18, 10 June 2015 (UTC)

Yes, that's the way I feel about beer; except I don't pretend and then just I don't drink beer, so they think I'm weird. I'm cool with that :P [[Special:Contributions/108.162.214.239|108.162.214.239]] 08:14, 10 June 2015 (UTC)

It has been a long time since a comic has created so much debate ;-) I have now changed the explanation to incorporate the two possible interpretations. Either that Cueball is right about beer or that he is just a jerk about other peoples pleasures, that he do not share. Feel free to improve. --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 09:45, 11 June 2015 (UTC)

: Good job. I tried to edit the text a bit to make it more coherent and less opinionated, let me know what you think :) --[[User:Waldir|Waldir]] ([[User talk:Waldir|talk]]) 18:42, 12 June 2015 (UTC)

Should the actual article mention that Cyanide and Happiness ran a very similar comic (or at least one with a similar theme) a few years ago? http://explosm.net/comics/3111/ Regarding the discussion going on above... I've tried several varieties of beer, both in the States and abroad, and I haven't come across one I could unabashedly say I like. Wheat beer did seem to be the least offensive, but the taste of the alcohol overpowered that of the drink in all of them. At least it doesn't taste much like it smells; if it did I think I would gag. I guess I'm just more the type for margaritas. [[Special:Contributions/173.245.50.93|173.245.50.93]] 05:48, 13 June 2015 (UTC)

A coworker points out that the tone of this comic is the opposite of [[1480: Super Bowl]], in which Cueball advocates for people to prioritize friendship over differences in tastes. It's also worth noting that both beer drinking and interest in sports have class inflections; looking down on them can be seen as "punching up" against a majority opinion, but can also be seen as "punching down" towards the lower socioeconomic status correlated with these preferences -- so it's a bit complicated. -- [[User:Phyzome|Phyzome]] ([[User talk:Phyzome|talk]]) 03:10, 14 June 2015 (UTC)

Talk:1526: Placebo Blocker

2015-05-18T13:47:31Z

Phyzome: yup

;Placebome

The title of the referenced paper introduces the 'Placebome', the collection of genes which lead to the placebo effect. This is an absolutely ridiculous word, and would be worthy of Jonathan Eisen's [http://phylogenomics.blogspot.ch/search/label/Worst%20New%20Omics%20Word%20Award Worst New Omics Word Award]. [[User:Quantum7|Quantum7]] ([[User talk:Quantum7|talk]]) 08:31, 18 May 2015 (UTC)

;Title text bottle

It seems more plausible to me that the "they" and "same bottle" in the title text refer to the sugar pills for headache. The title text would then be an organic continuation of the immediately preceding dialogue. [[User:Angew|Angew]] ([[User talk:Angew|talk]]) 09:01, 18 May 2015 (UTC)
:Agreed. Take two sugar pils. The second will boost the effect of the first. It could work if you believe it.--[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 12:14, 18 May 2015 (UTC)
:: Agreed, updated. -- [[User:Phyzome|Phyzome]] ([[User talk:Phyzome|talk]]) 13:47, 18 May 2015 (UTC)

1526: Placebo Blocker

2015-05-18T13:46:59Z

Phyzome: /* Explanation */ placebo boosters are in same bottle as placebos, not blocker

{{comic
| number = 1526
| date = 18 May, 2015
| title = Placebo Blocker
| image = placebo blocker.png
| titletext = They work even better if you take them with our experimental placebo booster, which I keep in the same bottle.
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Stub}}

The {{w|placebo}} effect refers to the phenomenon where patients which are given an inactive treatment (such as a sugar pill) but told that they are receiving an effective treatment can still show improvement relative to an untreated patient. The placebo effect is important to consider for experiments to test whether new drug treatments are effective, since even ineffective treatments can lead to improved outcomes. Thus, modern drug trials are conducted as {{w|Blind experiment#Double-blind trials|double blind}} experiments, where patients are randomly given either the treatment or a placebo without either them or the administering doctors knowing which is which.

Several reasons for the placebo effect have been proposed, from study artifacts such as under-reporting of negative outcomes by patients who think they are being treated, to neurological explanations for how mental state can translate into physical outcomes. This comic refers to a study published this month about possible mechanisms for the placebo effect:

: Kathryn T. Hall, Joseph Loscalzo, and Ted J. Kaptchuk. (2015) ''Genetics and the placebo effect: the placebome.'' Trends in Mol Medicine. Volume 21, Issue 5, May 2015, Pages 285–294 [https://dx.doi.org/10.1016/J.MOLMED.2015.02.009 doi:10.1016/j.molmed.2015.02.009]

Cueball announces the creation of a drug designed to prevent the placebo effect from occurring. The joke centers around the difficulty in designing an experiment which would test whether such a drug worked. Following the typical experimental design, patients experiencing the placebo effect (i.e. who had just taken a placebo and been told it was a treatment for some ailment) would be split into two groups. The first group would receive the blocker drug, while the second would receive a placebo. However, Cueball then trails off after realizing the problems with such a scheme, such as the fact that one group receives two different placebos, or that it is unclear how the patients could be told what the drug was designed for without negating the effect of the original placebo.

After Hair Bun Girl develops a headache from trying to think of a proper experimental design for the placebo blocker, Cueball offers her a sugar pill as a cure. While this might have helped the headache via the placebo effect had he told her it was a headache treatment, by revealing the pill as merely a sugar pill, it may suppress or reduce the effect.[http://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0015591 but still be effective.]

The alt-text is Cueball talking about a placebo booster that he keeps in the same bottle with his placebos, suggesting that a placebo booster could simply be another placebo that patients are told will enhance the placebo effect. It's unclear whether it would be ''called'' a placebo booster in front of the patients, which would possibly have the effect of ''diminishing'' the effect of the first placebo.

==Transcript==
:Cueball: Some researchers* are starting to figure out the mechanism behind the placebo effect.
:Cueball: We've used their work to create a new drug: a ''placebo effect blocker.''
:Footnote: * Hall et al, DOI: [http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/J.MOLMED.2015.02.009 10.1016/J.MOLMED.2015.02.009]
:Cueball: Now we just need to run a trial! We'll get two groups, give them both placebos, then give one the ''real'' placebo blocker, and the other a...
:Cueball: ...wait.
:[Hair Bun Girl holds her chin, while Cueball looks towards the ground.]
:Hair Bun Girl: ...my head hurts.
:Cueball: Mine too.
:[Cueball begins to take the lid off of a medicine bottle.]
:Cueball: Here, want a sugar pill?

{{comic discussion}}


[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Hair Bun Girl]]
[[Category:Science]]