explain xkcd - User contributions [en]

2772: Commemorative Plaque

2023-05-06T01:11:37Z

Python: Made the link work properly.

{{comic
| number = 2772
| date = May 5, 2023
| title = Commemorative Plaque
| image = commemorative_plaque_2x.png
| imagesize = 422x282px
| noexpand = true
| titletext = [Below] On this site on May 12th, 2023, I finally learned how to use the masonry bit for my drill.
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Created by a MASONRY BIT DONE BY DRIL - Please change this comment when editing this page. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}
The narrator discovered that it is simple and inexpensive to have a commemorative plaque made, and so had a commemorative plaque made to record that event. This comic is similar to previous comics, such as [https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php/2682:_Easy_Or_Hard Easy or Hard]. The comic both indicates the lack of knowledge many people have about how simple or difficult it is to do a certain thing, and the over-the-top response a person might have to a relatively mundane discovery.

The hover text tells us that it then took a week, perhaps including delivery time, to figure out how to use a masonry bit to mount the plaque, and of course that was an event itself worthy of a plaque.

==Transcript==
{{incomplete transcript|Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}
[A brick wall with a plaque on it.]

Plaque: On this site on May 5th, 2023, I realized that you could order custom commemorative plaques online that say whatever you want and it's not that expensive.
{{comic discussion}}

2772: Commemorative Plaque

2023-05-06T01:05:43Z

Python:

{{comic
| number = 2772
| date = May 5, 2023
| title = Commemorative Plaque
| image = commemorative_plaque_2x.png
| imagesize = 422x282px
| noexpand = true
| titletext = [Below] On this site on May 12th, 2023, I finally learned how to use the masonry bit for my drill.
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Created by a MASONRY BIT DONE BY DRIL - Please change this comment when editing this page. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}
The narrator discovered that it is simple and inexpensive to have a commemorative plaque made, and so had a commemorative plaque made to record that event. This comic is similar to previous comics, such as [https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php/2682:_Easy_Or_Hard| Easy or Hard]. The comic both indicates the lack of knowledge many people have about how simple or difficult it is to do a certain thing, and the over-the-top response a person might have to a relatively mundane discovery.

The hover text tells us that it then took a week, perhaps including delivery time, to figure out how to use a masonry bit to mount the plaque, and of course that was an event itself worthy of a plaque.

==Transcript==
{{incomplete transcript|Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}
[A brick wall with a plaque on it.]

Plaque: On this site on May 5th, 2023, I realized that you could order custom commemorative plaques online that say whatever you want and it's not that expensive.
{{comic discussion}}

2769: Overlapping Circles

2023-04-28T23:32:56Z

Python:

{{comic
| number = 2769
| date = April 28, 2023
| title = Overlapping Circles
| image = overlapping_circles_2x.png
| imagesize = 369x260px
| noexpand = true
| titletext = "The Venn diagram of the sun and the moon is a circle." --someone being snarky at totality
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Created by THE SET OF ALL STARS WHICH DO NOT CONTAIN THEMSELVES - Please change this comment when editing this page. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}
The comic shows two overlapping circles. This is a simple example of a {{w|Venn Diagram}}, which is a way that set theorists often illustrate the relationships between sets. The portion of the diagram where the two circles overlap represents the intersection of the sets (items that are in both sets). The two sets in this diagram are set theorists and astronomers.

Astronomers also find overlapping circles interesting, because this is what they see during {{w|eclipses}}, when one astronomical body is directly or partially in front of another.

The joke here is that while most people (including set theorists) interpret overlapping circles as a Venn diagram, astronomers see them as a partial eclipse.

{{w|Totality}} describes a total (full) eclipse, in which the light from one astronomical body is completely blocked by the other astronomical body. During the totality of an eclipse, the two astronomical bodies eclipsing each other completely intersect, such that the shape of the eclipse is a circle. The title text references the totality that occurs during a total solar eclipse and its corresponding shape (or "Venn diagram," as the title text phrases it).

This comic was released 8 days after the {{w|Solar eclipse of April 20, 2023}}, which was visible across parts of South East Asia and Australia, and of which an excited astronomer would certainly be aware.

==Transcript==
The comic is an image of Venn diagram, which is used to compare objects. Venn diagrams can consist of any number of overlapping circles to describe the similarities and disimilarities between any number of objects.

The Venn diagram in the comic has two circles. The leftmost circle is labeled "set theorists," the rightmost circle is labeled "astronomers," and the intersection between the circles is labeled "people who get excited about this shape."

{{comic discussion}}

Talk:2769: Overlapping Circles

2023-04-28T23:31:09Z

Python:

Incorrect. I’m sure there are set theorists who get excited about that shape who are not astronomers, and astronomers who get excited about that shape who are not set theorists, and people who get excited about it who are neither. [[Special:Contributions/162.158.91.35|162.158.91.35]] 23:16, 28 April 2023 (UTC)
Hmmm, I'm not a set theorist, but I don't think that's what the Venn diagram is trying to say. My understanding is that both set theorists and astronomers get excited about that shape, not that only people who are both astronomers and set theorists would be excited. [[User:Alcatraz ii|Alcatraz ii]] ([[User talk:Alcatraz ii|talk]]) 23:20, 28 April 2023 (UTC)
I agree with Alcatraz ii. The original poster has a point that there are people who agree neither set theorists nor astronomers and get excited about this shape, but a Venn diagram does not imply that the people in the overlapping section are both set theorists and astronomers. [[User:Python|Python]] ([[User talk:Python|talk]]) 23:31, 28 April 2023 (UTC)Python

2769: Overlapping Circles

2023-04-28T23:25:36Z

Python: Explained the title text.

{{comic
| number = 2769
| date = April 28, 2023
| title = Overlapping Circles
| image = overlapping_circles_2x.png
| imagesize = 369x260px
| noexpand = true
| titletext = "The Venn diagram of the sun and the moon is a circle." --someone being snarky at totality
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Created by THE SET OF ALL STARS WHICH DO NOT CONTAIN THEMSELVES - Please change this comment when editing this page. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}
The comic shows two overlapping circles. This is a simple example of a {{w|Venn Diagram}}, which is a way that set theorists often illustrate the relationships between sets. The portion of the diagram where the two circles overlap represents the intersection of the sets (items that are in both sets). The two sets in this diagram are set theorists and astronomers.

Astronomers also find overlapping circles interesting, because this is what they see during {{w|eclipses}}, when one astronomical body is directly or partially in front of another.

The joke here is that while most people (including set theorists) interpret overlapping circles as a Venn diagram, astronomers see them as a partial eclipse.

{{w|Totality}} describes a full eclipse, in which the light from one astronomical body is completely blocked by the other astronomical body. During the totality of an eclipse, the two astronomical bodies eclipsing each other completely intersect, such that the shape of the eclipse is a circle. The title text references the totality that occurs during a total solar eclipse and its corresponding shape (or "Venn diagram," as the title text phrases it).

This comic was released 8 days after the {{w|Solar eclipse of April 20, 2023}}, which was visible across parts of South East Asia and Australia, and of which an excited astronomer would certainly be aware.

==Transcript==
The comic is an image of Venn diagram, which is used to compare objects. Venn diagrams can consist of any number of overlapping circles to describe the similarities and disimilarities between any number of objects.

The Venn diagram in the comic has two circles. The leftmost circle is labeled "set theorists," the rightmost circle is labeled "astronomers," and the intersection between the circles is labeled "people who get excited about this shape."

{{comic discussion}}

2769: Overlapping Circles

2023-04-28T23:08:52Z

Python: Wrote the "transcript" section. I think it is complete, so I removed the "in progress" tag, but feel free to still make any edits or revisions if you have them.

2763: Linguistics Gossip

2023-04-15T01:43:54Z

Python: /* Explanation */

{{comic
| number = 2763
| date = April 14, 2023
| title = Linguistics Gossip
| image = linguistics_gossip_2x.png
| imagesize = 269x329px
| noexpand = true
| titletext = The E's wedding invitation definitely used the word LOVE more times than was strictly necessary.
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Created by a Æ's DIVORCE ATTORNEY - Please change this comment when editing this page. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}

{{w|Æ}} (pronounced "ash") is a letter formed from a {{w|Ligature (writing)|ligature}} of A and E. Depending on the language, it can be pronounced as a diphthong ''ah-eh'' (Classical Latin), as an ''e'' sound like in "bet" (Old Norse, later forms of Latin), as an ''ey'' like in "oy vey", as an ''aye'' like in "aye-aye", or as an ''a'' like in "cat" (Danish, Norweigian, and in the International Phonetic Alphabet).

The comic personifies the letters "A" and "E", imagining that the character Æ represents a romantic relationship between the two. It then imagines a situation in which the two letters end the relationship and eventually marry other letters, giving rise to two new ligatures.

The title text continues with the idea of personified letters with E's wedding invitation. In the comic, E's new relationship appears to be with the letter "V" as implied with the statement with E's wedding invitation repeatedly using the word "LOVE", which would spawn many chances to use a V+E ligature. Part of the humor in the title text comes from the idea that the number of times the word "LOVE" is used in a wedding invitation can be defined as "strictly necessary," even though a wedding is a celebration of love—love (presumably) is the reason for a marriage. This could also be a reference to strict linguistics and grammar guidelines that do not make sense in a given context.

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

:[There is a broken heart centered at the top of the image. Below is the letter Æ (a letter combining A and E). There are arrows pointing downward. One from the "A" of Æ to a A, and one from the "E" of Æ to a E. Below this layer, there is an arrow from the A to a letter combining A and R, and an arrow from the E to a letter combining V and E.]

:[Caption below the panel:]

:Hot linguistics gossip: The '''A''' and '''E''' from '''Æ''' have broken up and are now married to other letters.
{{comic discussion}}

2763: Linguistics Gossip

2023-04-15T01:41:20Z

Python:

{{comic
| number = 2763
| date = April 14, 2023
| title = Linguistics Gossip
| image = linguistics_gossip_2x.png
| imagesize = 269x329px
| noexpand = true
| titletext = The E's wedding invitation definitely used the word LOVE more times than was strictly necessary.
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Created by a Æ's DIVORCE ATTORNEY - Please change this comment when editing this page. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}

{{w|Æ}} (pronounced "ash") is a letter formed from a {{w|Ligature (writing)|ligature}} of A and E. Depending on the language, it can be pronounced as a diphthong ''ah-eh'' (Classical Latin), as an ''e'' sound like in "bet" (Old Norse, later forms of Latin), as an ''ey'' like in "oy vey", as an ''aye'' like in "aye-aye", or as an ''a'' like in "cat" (Danish, Norweigian, and in the International Phonetic Alphabet).

The comic personifies the letters "A" and "E", imagining that the character Æ represents a romantic relationship between the two. It then imagines a situation in which the two letters end the relationship and eventually marry other letters, giving rise to two new ligatures.

The title text continues with the idea of personified letters with E's wedding invitation. In the comic, E's new relationship appears to be with the letter "V" as implied with the statement with E's wedding invitation repeatedly using the word "LOVE", which would spawn many chances to use a V+E ligature. Part of the humor in the title text comes from the idea that the number of times the word "LOVE" is used in a wedding invitation can be defined as "strictly necessary," even though a wedding is a celebration of love—love (presumably) is the reason for a marriage. This could be a reference to linguistics and grammar guidelines that do not make sense in a given context.

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

:[There is a broken heart centered at the top of the image. Below is the letter Æ (a letter combining A and E). There are arrows pointing downward. One from the "A" of Æ to a A, and one from the "E" of Æ to a E. Below this layer, there is an arrow from the A to a letter combining A and R, and an arrow from the E to a letter combining V and E.]

:[Caption below the panel:]

:Hot linguistics gossip: The '''A''' and '''E''' from '''Æ''' have broken up and are now married to other letters.
{{comic discussion}}

2763: Linguistics Gossip

2023-04-15T01:38:23Z

Python:

{{comic
| number = 2763
| date = April 14, 2023
| title = Linguistics Gossip
| image = linguistics_gossip_2x.png
| imagesize = 269x329px
| noexpand = true
| titletext = The E's wedding invitation definitely used the word LOVE more times than was strictly necessary.
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Created by a Æ's DIVORCE ATTORNEY - Please change this comment when editing this page. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}

{{w|Æ}} (pronounced "ash") is a letter formed from a {{w|Ligature (writing)|ligature}} of A and E. Depending on the language, it can be pronounced as a diphthong ''ah-eh'' (Classical Latin), as an ''e'' sound like in "bet" (Old Norse, later forms of Latin), as an ''ey'' like in "oy vey", as an ''aye'' like in "aye-aye", or as an ''a'' like in "cat" (Danish, Norweigian, and in the International Phonetic Alphabet).

The comic personifies the letters "A" and "E", imagining that the character Æ represents a romantic relationship between the two. It then imagines a situation in which the two letters end the relationship and eventually marry other letters, giving rise to two new ligatures.

The title text continues with the idea of personified letters with E's wedding invitation. In the comic, E's new relationship appears to be with the letter "V" as implied with the statement with E's wedding invitation repeatedly using the word "LOVE", which would spawn many chances to use a V+E ligature. Part of the humor in the title text comes from the idea that the number of times the word "LOVE" is used in a wedding invitation can be defined as "strictly necessary," even though a wedding is a celebration of love—love (presumably) the reason for a marriage. This could be a reference to linguistics and grammar guidelines that do not make sense in a given context.

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

:[There is a broken heart at the top of the image, centered. Below is Æ (letter combining A and E). There are arrows pointing downward. One from the "A" of Æ to a A, and one from the "E" of Æ to a E. And below this layer, an arrow from the A to a letter combining A and R, and an arrow from the E to a letter combining V and E.]

:[Caption below the panel:]

:Hot linguistics gossip: The '''A''' and '''E''' from '''Æ''' have broken up and are now married to other letters.
{{comic discussion}}