explain xkcd - User contributions [en]

Talk:2961: CrowdStrike

2024-07-22T05:24:11Z

R3TRI8UTI0N:

how will this impact the status of vs sonic.exe rerun [[Special:Contributions/172.70.90.177|172.70.90.177]] 18:25, 19 July 2024 (UTC)

Somewhat bemused that there's a comic for this on Day 0, yet there was no comic about the xzutils backdoor earlier this year… [[Special:Contributions/162.158.49.19|162.158.49.19]] 20:21, 19 July 2024 (UTC)
:How do you know there wasn't a secret comic about the xzutils problem, [[2347: Dependency|set up well before]] any impact became obvious? ;) [[Special:Contributions/172.69.43.185|172.69.43.185]] 21:09, 19 July 2024 (UTC)

Right now, reading this explanation, this is the first I've ever heard anyone mention "crowdstrike" at all. - [[Special:Contributions/141.101.109.193|141.101.109.193]] 08:19, 20 July 2024 (UTC)

: Some early reports called it "cloudstrike" which certainly reminds us of our vulnerable positions as providers of truth. Look up “We built this city on sausage rolls.” [[Special:Contributions/172.68.70.122|172.68.70.122]] 13:33, 20 July 2024 (UTC)

Seriously, this comic came out yesterday, the same day as the thing happened? How did Randall do that, seriously???
[[User:Mathmannix|Mathmannix]] ([[User talk:Mathmannix|talk]]) 14:51, 20 July 2024 (UTC)
:Sounds like a good start of a conspiracy theory. But wouldn't it have been ironic if he tried to publish it, and the service provider for explainxkcd.com was down because of Crowdstrike? [[User:Barmar|Barmar]] ([[User talk:Barmar|talk]]) 00:11, 21 July 2024 (UTC)
::That's not irony, that's coincidence. [[Special:Contributions/162.158.212.173|162.158.212.173]] 03:24, 21 July 2024 (UTC)
:he's been drawing stick figures for years, probably really easy for him. [[user talk:lettherebedarklight|youtu.be/miLcaqq2Zpk]] 05:53, 21 July 2024 (UTC)

Is there an English Dialact in which the Titletext is pronounced resembling a Haiku? {{unsigned ip|172.70.250.183|11:04, 21 July 2024}}
:Fully enunciated, it's 18 syllables. Whilst "going to" can easily be reduced to "gonna", it still makes it hard to split nicely intoto three phrases of 5/7/5 'on'/syllables.
:The "...is on hold" is the clincher, at just three and no obvious way to self-bulk to five (requiring other bits to merge further down). Awkward to donate ''part'' of "compiling" (three on its own, hard to reduce to two without slurring). I suppose a strategic ellision might help draw it in.
:The two immediate options I would give are therefore:
:*"We were going to / try swordfighting, but all my / compiling on hold." (meh)
:*"We were gonna try / swordfighting, but all my comp... / ...iling is on hold." (...a bit of non-verbal onomatopoeia invoked? Might be considered even the more poetic for it)
:Or rewrite, for explicit nod to the haiku:
:*"From our office chairs / neither compile nor swordfight / at this time of pause." (usefully, for the form, "time of" becomes a poetically better seasonal reference)
:In fact I was at one point going to add to my latest exit to the Explanation that, based just upon this and Compiling, it seems that 'office-sanctioned idling' ''must'' involve the ubiquetous office-chair (which, BTW, '''surely deserves a Category:Office Chair'''... if someone cares to create it, there being any number of appearances being sat/kneeled/stood upon) to be allowable. But maybe wait for a third demonstrative example to be posted/remembered. Maybe if I go and manually look for all Office Chair Category candidates I'll stumble across just such an example that I'd forgotten... But later. [[Special:Contributions/172.69.43.226|172.69.43.226]] 11:50, 21 July 2024 (UTC)

Did the image change? Now it just says "crap" over and over again. [[User:R3TRI8UTI0N|Vaden K.]] ([[User talk:R3TRI8UTI0N|talk]]) 05:24, 22 July 2024 (UTC)

Talk:2024: Light Hacks

2024-04-16T04:01:06Z

R3TRI8UTI0N:

We all know what we thinking, right :) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ECLvFLkvY7Y
: That was certainly my first thought! Riker pwned again. ;-) [[User:Gbisaga|Gbisaga]] ([[User talk:Gbisaga|talk]]) 07:19, 30 July 2018 (UTC)

Dyson spheres are the future but we’ll never see one in our lifetime, right? Maybe we can build small ones around candles and things as practice. Great art display for your local makerspace! [[Special:Contributions/162.158.63.100|162.158.63.100]] 11:03, 25 July 2018 (UTC)

Here’s a real light hack: https://hackaday.com/2016/02/29/fake-window-brings-natural-light-into-basement/ [[Special:Contributions/162.158.62.183|162.158.62.183]] 15:21, 25 July 2018 (UTC)

I used to think life hacks were cool. Then I read a few of them and r itealized they were just Hints from Heloise with a cooler, hipper name.[[Special:Contributions/172.68.59.30|172.68.59.30]] 16:17, 25 July 2018 (UTC)Pat

:Pro-tip: Use these five simple tricks to turn any Life Hack into instant click-bait!
:[[User:ProphetZarquon|ProphetZarquon]] ([[User talk:ProphetZarquon|talk]]) 17:57, 25 July 2018 (UTC)

This Ikea lamp is more sci-fi: https://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/00311498/ [[User:CityZen|CityZen]] ([[User talk:CityZen|talk]]) 20:16, 25 July 2018 (UTC)
:I'm proud to say I actually have that lamp in my bedroom [[User:Faultwire|I'm me(citation needed)]] ([[User talk:Faultwire|talk]]) 23:33, 25 July 2018 (UTC)
::The comic's text specifically mentions that alien "Dyson lampshades" redirect 100% of their energy. By having a shell with mirror coating inside that can be closed and thus indeed reflecting a significant part of the light, they are much closer to what probably was intended[[Special:Contributions/162.158.150.76|162.158.150.76]] 19:02, 26 July 2018 (UTC)

What's the comment about infrared studies being '''inconclusive''' about? I was under the impression that infrared light was one of the big reasons we knew there weren't any Dyson Spheres nearby. Is the comic referring to a study or something I haven't heard of, or am I overthinking this? [[Special:Contributions/162.158.74.243|162.158.74.243]] 02:33, 26 July 2018 (UTC)

:I think she just meant infrared studies to find out if they have them at IKEA. Referencing the fact that that's what you'd use to look for real Dyson spheres. [[User:DanielLC|DanielLC]] ([[User talk:DanielLC|talk]]) 09:23, 26 July 2018 (UTC)

I figured out indirect (diffused) lighting in 1982, in McCutcheon Hall at Purdue University. The central hall had lots of light, but no observable, central light source. I discovered that the light came from hidden fluorescent tubes, diffused against a plastered ceiling. The light we saw, came from overhead, in every direction. The basic outcome is: the more quanta you have, the less precise your measurement can be. OTOH, fewer quanta cast a sharper shadow.

The frosted bulb diffuses the shadows of the filament. The bulb's reflector can be an offset to the diffusion.

Hey, did you know you can ''write comments'' down here?? Life hack! [[Special:Contributions/141.101.98.244|141.101.98.244]] 06:26, 27 July 2018 (UTC)

I thought this worth mentioning. Ikea has been brought up quite a few times now. I wonder if it will become a new theme (I know that's not the word I'm looking for, but I just can't think of the right word). [[Special:Contributions/172.68.58.59|172.68.58.59]] 16:47, 30 July 2018 (UTC)

it may be worth noting that unlike the name impl9es (or as imagined by the Star Trek TNG episode), it is unlikely that a Dyson Sphere would actually be a spherical shell due to gravitational forces that would be exerted on such a structure. A more apt term would be a Dyson swarm, with millions or trillions of multi-layered orbiting structures that make use of a star's energy. [[Special:Contributions/108.162.219.88|108.162.219.88]] 01:42, 19 August 2018 (UTC)

The explanation and transcript mentions Megan and Cueball, however, since the other speak is off-panel, we don't know if s/he is Cueball, Ponytail, another Megan, or another character. Changing it. [[User:R3TRI8UTI0N|R3TRI8UTI0N]] ([[User talk:R3TRI8UTI0N|talk]]) 04:01, 16 April 2024 (UTC)

User:R3TRI8UTI0N

2024-03-01T01:07:47Z

R3TRI8UTI0N:

Other aliases: Vaden K.

Birthday's 31st July 2008. Comics released on my birthday include (135:Substitude)[https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php/135:_Substitute]

Kinda insane, nerdy, just an overall weird human being, honestly. Type everything he says, including filler words and excessive comma usage. Trying to use semi-colons more often as well.

Wannabe youtuber, writer; pretty ambitious, but short attention span.

User:R3TRI8UTI0N

2024-03-01T01:07:18Z

R3TRI8UTI0N:

Other aliases: Vaden K.

Birthday's 31st July 2008. Comics released on my birthday include [135:Substitude](https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php/135:_Substitute)

Kinda insane, nerdy, just an overall weird human being, honestly. Type everything he says, including filler words and excessive comma usage. Trying to use semi-colons more often as well.

Wannabe youtuber, writer; pretty ambitious, but short attention span.

User:R3TRI8UTI0N

2024-03-01T00:37:46Z

R3TRI8UTI0N: I'm just making a page about me.

Other aliases: Vaden K.

Birthday's 31st July 2008.

Kinda insane, nerdy, just an overall weird human being, honestly. Type everything he says, including filler words and excessive comma usage. Trying to use semi-colons more often as well.

Wannabe youtuber, writer; pretty ambitious, but short attention span.

Talk:2333: COVID Risk Chart

2024-01-26T04:19:25Z

R3TRI8UTI0N:

I'm sticking to the green, except for grocery shopping. It'll be a pain to make any kind of table for this. The columns are much better defined than the rows, though. [[Special:Contributions/108.162.245.150|108.162.245.150]] 18:37, 15 July 2020 (UTC)
:Same! I think we do need to make a table or similar structure to explain each item though. Not exiting, but necessary! Do you think we should switch everything to columns? Since we've started with rows, maybe we should just continue...[[User:Cow|Cow]] ([[User talk:Cow|talk]])

Staying home is a death trap. Here some random numbers (Germany 2019): Deadly accidents at home - 8000, Deadly accidents in traffic - 3500. [[Special:Contributions/172.69.54.199|172.69.54.199]] 07:50, 16 July 2020 (UTC)
:Nice argument. Why don't you back it up with a source? 'Cause I doubt the truth of those numbers. I think they were made up. [[User:R3TRI8UTI0N|R3TRI8UTI0N]] ([[User talk:R3TRI8UTI0N|talk]]) 04:19, 26 January 2024 (UTC)

Singing in a church: is this where the expression "mass contamination" comes from?[[Special:Contributions/141.101.107.166|141.101.107.166]] 08:31, 16 July 2020 (UTC)
: Or "weapons of mass destruction"? [[Special:Contributions/162.158.159.100|162.158.159.100]] 09:00, 17 July 2020 (UTC)

Not all the things on the far right seem to have equal covid risk. Simply going to a restaurant or some of the others that are simply dangerous by being around a lot of other people in close proximity doesn't seem to compare to opening a kissing booth at a covid testing site, the eating test tube things, and the mosh pit on a cruise ship for instance.--[[Special:Contributions/108.162.216.154|108.162.216.154]] 09:03, 16 July 2020 (UTC)
:There's no inherent extra disease risk in _opening_ a kissing booth (beyond the possible proximity to others). However, the people working/volunteering at the booth you opened that might have a higher-than-average risk due to kissing all the testers and people coming to be tested. :p [[Special:Contributions/108.162.216.140|108.162.216.140]] 12:08, 16 July 2020 (UTC)
:: (Required to make a choice between them and someone else, for which all else is equal) I'd kiss an off-duty Covid-tester, because they're probably far more protected by PPE during their shift (and know how to don and doff safely) than most other people, and screened with even more caution. The tester would probably not want to kiss ''me'', in my booth, due to at least the latter point. [[Special:Contributions/162.158.158.43|162.158.158.43]] 14:04, 16 July 2020 (UTC)

I feel like [[1252: Increased Risk]] is quite relevant here. But I can't decide whether it should be linked as general trivia, or directly related to the paragraph about dangers of going to the beach. --[[User:Lupo|Lupo]] ([[User talk:Lupo|talk]]) 09:16, 16 July 2020 (UTC)

There have been cases of known transmission of COVID-19 during choir rehearsals and performances, so it belongs where it is shown. The choir at my church is down to two people, at opposite ends of their area. [[User:Nutster|Nutster]] ([[User talk:Nutster|talk]]) 16:01, 16 July 2020 (UTC)

"Skateboarding in a mosh pit on a cruise ship": So this looks like confirmation that NOFX and Bad Religion will be playing on the 2021 70,000 Tons of Metal cruise. [[User:Iguanabob|Iguanabob]] ([[User talk:Iguanabob|talk]]) 14:47, 17 July 2020 (UTC)

To be fair to test-tube eaters, every COVID test I've taken involved ''plastic'' tubes, not glass. So really hard to chew, but probably won't break into sharp pieces. [[User:Nitpicking|Nitpicking]] ([[User talk:Nitpicking|talk]]) 02:13, 31 October 2023 (UTC)

Talk:2333: COVID Risk Chart

2024-01-26T04:19:00Z

R3TRI8UTI0N:

I'm sticking to the green, except for grocery shopping. It'll be a pain to make any kind of table for this. The columns are much better defined than the rows, though. [[Special:Contributions/108.162.245.150|108.162.245.150]] 18:37, 15 July 2020 (UTC)
:Same! I think we do need to make a table or similar structure to explain each item though. Not exiting, but necessary! Do you think we should switch everything to columns? Since we've started with rows, maybe we should just continue...[[User:Cow|Cow]] ([[User talk:Cow|talk]])

Staying home is a death trap. Here some random numbers (Germany 2019): Deadly accidents at home - 8000, Deadly accidents in traffic - 3500. [[Special:Contributions/172.69.54.199|172.69.54.199]] 07:50, 16 July 2020 (UTC)
:Nice argument. Why don't you back it up with a source? 'Cause I doubt the truth of those numbers. I think they were made up.

Singing in a church: is this where the expression "mass contamination" comes from?[[Special:Contributions/141.101.107.166|141.101.107.166]] 08:31, 16 July 2020 (UTC)
: Or "weapons of mass destruction"? [[Special:Contributions/162.158.159.100|162.158.159.100]] 09:00, 17 July 2020 (UTC)

Not all the things on the far right seem to have equal covid risk. Simply going to a restaurant or some of the others that are simply dangerous by being around a lot of other people in close proximity doesn't seem to compare to opening a kissing booth at a covid testing site, the eating test tube things, and the mosh pit on a cruise ship for instance.--[[Special:Contributions/108.162.216.154|108.162.216.154]] 09:03, 16 July 2020 (UTC)
:There's no inherent extra disease risk in _opening_ a kissing booth (beyond the possible proximity to others). However, the people working/volunteering at the booth you opened that might have a higher-than-average risk due to kissing all the testers and people coming to be tested. :p [[Special:Contributions/108.162.216.140|108.162.216.140]] 12:08, 16 July 2020 (UTC)
:: (Required to make a choice between them and someone else, for which all else is equal) I'd kiss an off-duty Covid-tester, because they're probably far more protected by PPE during their shift (and know how to don and doff safely) than most other people, and screened with even more caution. The tester would probably not want to kiss ''me'', in my booth, due to at least the latter point. [[Special:Contributions/162.158.158.43|162.158.158.43]] 14:04, 16 July 2020 (UTC)

I feel like [[1252: Increased Risk]] is quite relevant here. But I can't decide whether it should be linked as general trivia, or directly related to the paragraph about dangers of going to the beach. --[[User:Lupo|Lupo]] ([[User talk:Lupo|talk]]) 09:16, 16 July 2020 (UTC)

There have been cases of known transmission of COVID-19 during choir rehearsals and performances, so it belongs where it is shown. The choir at my church is down to two people, at opposite ends of their area. [[User:Nutster|Nutster]] ([[User talk:Nutster|talk]]) 16:01, 16 July 2020 (UTC)

"Skateboarding in a mosh pit on a cruise ship": So this looks like confirmation that NOFX and Bad Religion will be playing on the 2021 70,000 Tons of Metal cruise. [[User:Iguanabob|Iguanabob]] ([[User talk:Iguanabob|talk]]) 14:47, 17 July 2020 (UTC)

To be fair to test-tube eaters, every COVID test I've taken involved ''plastic'' tubes, not glass. So really hard to chew, but probably won't break into sharp pieces. [[User:Nitpicking|Nitpicking]] ([[User talk:Nitpicking|talk]]) 02:13, 31 October 2023 (UTC)

Talk:240: Dream Girl

2024-01-16T03:26:24Z

R3TRI8UTI0N:

Someone who was there? Want to share what happened? Also, I know it's a bad thing to do, but I just gotta say, Premiere![[Special:Contributions/121.222.232.156|121.222.232.156]] 13:02, 14 September 2013 (UTC)

"The comic was changed after the date mentioned within it; the last speech bubble was different.."
:I'm looking at it in the Wayback Machine, and it looks the same to me [[Special:Contributions/199.27.128.66|199.27.128.66]] 09:44, 5 December 2013 (UTC)
:The web version is different indeed from the book (Friend : "And there was nobody there?" / Cueball : "There never is.") [[Special:Contributions/162.158.126.218|162.158.126.218]] 20:43, 10 April 2016 (UTC)

Is it just me, or does the upper right panel look a lot like what happens in comic 82? {{unsigned ip|108.162.215.96}}

The instigating dream, in addition to the romantic subplot, also had an apocalypse going on. If, indeed, the dream was a premonition to the actual event, presumably, the apocalypse will have to occur as well. The joke, as I see it, has the dreamer so wishing that the girl-meeting event will transpire, that he neglects to also consider the very major downside of the end of the world... [[User:Danshoham|Mountain Hikes]] ([[User talk:Danshoham|talk]]) 03:36, 25 September 2015 (UTC)

:It could also just be the collapse of the dream instead of a premonition of their meeting. They were waking up, so she had to find a way to meet in real life. {{unsigned|Flewk}}
:: It says a dying world though. Which suggests that the world was ending even within the context of the dream. [[Special:Contributions/172.70.34.245|172.70.34.245]] 03:35, 23 December 2023 (UTC)

The movie knowing(2009) with nicolas cage has exactly the same idea. There are numbers telling the date and location and number of deaths for every disaster before the final apocalypse. Is this a coincidence? --[[User:Gfrodo|Gfrodo]] ([[User talk:Gfrodo|talk]]) 14:49, 12 March 2016 (UTC)
:One small problem; this comic came out in 2007. So no. [[User:R3TRI8UTI0N|R3TRI8UTI0N]] ([[User talk:R3TRI8UTI0N|talk]]) 03:26, 16 January 2024 (UTC)

302: Names

2024-01-16T01:52:04Z

R3TRI8UTI0N: /* Transcript */

{{comic
| number =302
| date =August 13, 2007
| title =Names
| image =names.png
| titletext =I'm always so happy that I successfully navigated the introduction that I completely forget to pay attention to the name the other person told me.
}}

==Explanation==
Everyone has had moments where they forget someone's name, even the name of someone pretty important. This doesn't often happen with one's own significant other, however, hence the joke.

Cueball has been in a relationship with someone but does not know his girlfriend's name. He knows that the relationship has progressed to the point where asking for her name would be awkward and impolite, and so he waits for someone to call her by name. Cueball is excited when one finally does, only to reveal that they are in the middle of a wedding ceremony. It is hard to be in a relationship with someone if you don't know their name, and for said relationship to progress to the point of a wedding is simply incredulous.{{Citation needed}}

The title-text talks about how it's sometimes tricky to say the right things during an introduction, and while making sure you don't make an incorrect response (replying to the question "How're you doing?" with "Not much," for example, mishearing the question as "What are you doing?"), one can sometimes forget to pay attention to the actual ''important'' part of the introduction: the person's name. And it's awkward to ask someone for their name when you ''should,'' by all rights, already know it.

Forgetting people's names is a frequent symptom of various social anxiety disorders, but it can happen to anybody at any time.

==Transcript==
:[Next to Cueball's foot is an unknown object, presumably a wedding dress.]
:Cueball (thinking): I hate it when I don't know someone's name, but it's been long enough that it's too awkward to ask.

:[The scene is revealed to be at the altar getting married by a minister to a woman in a bridal dress. The unknown object at Cueball's foot in the first panel turns out to have been the trailing hem of the woman's wedding gown.]
:Minister: Do you, Rachel, take this man...
:Cueball (thinking): Aha! Rachel!

{{comic discussion}}
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Wedding]]
[[Category:Social interactions]]

Talk:302: Names

2024-01-16T01:51:08Z

R3TRI8UTI0N:

The explanation of the title text doesn't appear to be about the title text, more like the second paragraph seems to be the title-text-explanation (a very good one at that). Anybody thinks so too? [[Special:Contributions/141.101.97.215|141.101.97.215]] 10:55, 16 April 2014 (UTC)
:Yes.--[[Special:Contributions/199.27.130.222|199.27.130.222]] 14:22, 17 April 2014 (UTC)
:I agree with this. I've removed the line explaining the title text. [[User:Codefreak5|Codefreak5]] ([[User talk:Codefreak5|talk]]) 19:00, 9 July 2014 (UTC)
I think that the comic is a reference to the season 4 finale of the tv show Friends, where the groom accidentally calls his fiancé Rachel during the wedding, instead of her actual name, Emily. {{unsigned ip|108.162.219.188}}
: Name "Rachel" could just be a coincidence. I myself was reminded of the plot line in "The Junior Mint" episode of Seinfeld where Jerry forgets his girlfriend's name (Mulva/Dolores) and tries to find it out without letting on he forgot it. {{unsigned ip|108.162.237.190}}

This is perfect; I know exactly how he feels! To busy trying to think of what to say to actually catch the persons name, then by the time I realize, it's too late to ask without embarrassment! [[Special:Contributions/108.162.218.118|108.162.218.118]] 05:38, 15 May 2016 (UTC)

I had sex for the first time with a regular at the Waffle House where I was cooking. I had just gotten off shift (thus syntactically avoiding a pun), and she was like "so, wanna have sex?" and I was like "hey sure, sounds fun". I knew her name started with a Pa-, so it was probably either Pam or Pat. I called her Pa[mumble] for some time. Turned out her name was Pam. So I would give her the label off the diner's non-stick spray when she stopped in for eating. — [[User:Kazvorpal|Kazvorpal]] ([[User talk:Kazvorpal|talk]]) 22:52, 3 November 2019 (UTC)

Just noticed that [https://www.smbc-comics.com/comic/2003-04-16/ this SMBC] from four years before the above comic has the same joke, albeit not executed quite as well. It seems possible that Randall had read this at some point and forgotten about it, but also fairly likely that they each arrived at the joke independently. [[Special:Contributions/172.68.132.203|172.68.132.203]] 06:40, 16 April 2020 (UTC)

The Transcript says: "[Next to Cueball's foot is an unknown object.]", but looking at the last panel, I thin we can safely assume that it's the wedding dress, so I'll be changing it.

Talk:1928: Seven Years

2024-01-15T03:46:10Z

R3TRI8UTI0N:

no... I'm not crying... [[User:Zazathebot|Zazathebot]] ([[User talk:Zazathebot|talk]])

Liar [[Special:Contributions/172.68.34.34|172.68.34.34]] 20:13, 13 December 2017 (UTC)

:([[Special:Contributions/162.158.58.105|162.158.58.105]] 23:04, 13 December 2017 (UTC)

Do we know her name? [[User:Dogman15|Dogman15]] ([[User talk:Dogman15|talk]]) 00:34, 14 December 2017 (UTC)

Should we remove the transcript incomplete mark? I know it's early, but I don't think it can be any better. [[Special:Contributions/162.158.166.233|162.158.166.233]] 02:25, 14 December 2017 (UTC)

Is someone cutting onions here? I am almost close to tears soon.Boeing-787lover 08:10, 14 December 2017 (UTC)

Why is my face leaking??? --[[User:Nialpxe|Nialpxe]], 2017. [[User_talk:Nialpxe|(Arguments welcome)]]

Yay life!

I love the phrasing "Panel 17: The sky has been brightened." I'm just commenting to preserve it from edits. [[Special:Contributions/198.41.230.52|198.41.230.52]] 13:22, 14 December 2017 (UTC)

I don't want to take away anything from this very moving comic, but he does realize there's an eclipse or two every year, somewhere on the planet? Does the fear of cancer somehow limit them from ever leaving the US?
: Do you realize that most people can't afford to travel to the other end of the world just to watch a particular eclipse for 5-7 minutes? [[Special:Contributions/141.101.77.68|141.101.77.68]] 09:47, 15 December 2017 (UTC)

God that's beatiful. [[Special:Contributions/162.158.91.17|162.158.91.17]] 20:39, 14 December 2017 (UTC)

First off this is fantastic. As someone in the same situation, at the same part of the timeline, this rings so honest and true. The tree scene ... brilliant. Walking among beings for who a human lifespan is insignificant. Second. a hearty, contemptuous, giant F you to Joshupetersen. I can't stand conspiratorial know it alls like you. You think people in this situation don't know every single treatment that is out there? Every single immunotherapy drug in Cuba, every single clinical trial being run out of some backwater lab in China? There is no big pharma conspiracy. There is however a conspiracy called "evolution," which after several million years of practice ensures that cancer is one of the wiliest, most resilient killers out there. [[Special:Contributions/172.68.47.30|172.68.47.30]] 22:26, 14 December 2017 (UTC)Kaeleku
:The way you speak about evolution suggest cancer is some kind of infectious organism which evolved to kill effectively. It isn't and it isn't infectious at all. Even the kind of cancers caused by infections are not DIRECT result of infections. Cancer is basically failure of normal cell functionality, abnormal growth of your own cells which your self-repair mechanisms failed to prevent, and evolution is the reason why it's rare to have cancer before the age when it's natural to have children.
::I *think* that Devil facial tumour disease may be a counterexample.[[Special:Contributions/162.158.63.196|162.158.63.196]] 14:13, 15 December 2017 (UTC)
:Nevertheless, there is no reason for conspiracy: large companies are just slower to adapt to changes. Radiology and chemotherapy are tested, immuno-oncology is new, not well tested and may not work on all kinds of cancer. And regarding how aggressive those old methods are, think about dentistry, which instead of curing anything limits itself to effectively amputation and replacement by artificial prosthesis. -- [[User:Hkmaly|Hkmaly]] ([[User talk:Hkmaly|talk]]) 02:52, 15 December 2017 (UTC)
::The wrongest thing to do in this regard is to think of "cancer" as one disease. Yes, the suffering aspect of various forms can be similar and it is sometimes useful to lump them together when making broad policy decisions. But just about every organ and cell type presents a unique challenge, which is best dealt with differently. Some cancers are extremely chemo- and radiosensitive, others are rather resistant. The same is true for novel and experimental treatment methods. Do your own research by all means, but if your oncologist strongly recommends one treatment option, consider that they are weighing previous outcomes of available treatment methods before making the suggestion. --[[User:Nialpxe|Nialpxe]], 2017. [[User_talk:Nialpxe|(Arguments welcome)]]

I feel it important to point out to anyone who may be looking at here and thinking about dealing with cancer... talk with your trusted health care professional who knows your case, and is not only well aware of but well practiced in modern medicine. [[Special:Contributions/162.158.74.9|162.158.74.9]] 23:58, 14 December 2017 (UTC)

...solar eclipses visible from North America... Americans![[Special:Contributions/162.158.165.16|162.158.165.16]] 04:10, 15 December 2017 (UTC)

According to [[881: Probability]], she had about 79% chance of surviving this far. [[Special:Contributions/162.158.238.191|162.158.238.191]] 09:59, 16 December 2017 (UTC)

In [[931: Lanes]] his friends asks if they are "out of the woods". Maybe that's what panel 9 is all about? They are still in danger and therefor "into the woods"?

Two years, here. Really meaningful, this one. Thanks.

..it's 2024 now. Stay safe Randall and Megan. I fucking love y'all. [[User:R3TRI8UTI0N|R3TRI8UTI0N]] ([[User talk:R3TRI8UTI0N|talk]]) 03:46, 15 January 2024 (UTC)

Talk:2809: Moon

2023-08-09T03:19:25Z

R3TRI8UTI0N:

Happy birthday to me. This comic is a good birthday present, so I'm gonna try to add some stuff to the explanation now. [[User:R3TRI8UTI0N|R3TRI8UTI0N]] ([[User talk:R3TRI8UTI0N|talk]]) 02:11, 1 August 2023 (UTC)

Okay, added a Trivia section and a lot of stuff to the explanation. Request someone help add more information about lunar cycles and some wikipedia links. [[User:R3TRI8UTI0N|R3TRI8UTI0N]] ([[User talk:R3TRI8UTI0N|talk]]) 02:35, 1 August 2023 (UTC)
:Ah, well, I added more (sufficient? ...haven't wikilinked yet) info about the illumination/tide cycles. i.e. about half the time (at least) half reilluminating areas on the night side of Earth + roughly twice a day dragging/flinging the tides 'upwards' (modifying the Sun's own twice-daily effects).
:Had to heavily qualify the secondary Trivia point, for caveats. I mean selenically-specific names aren't rare, when refering to orb sometimes known as Phoebe/Cynthia, until you become more precise about "common English use". Didn't say anything about (the) Earth, but did mention the Sun(/suns in general) in the edit comment. Interesting point to make, but not so much unusual as stemming from long time (way into prehistory!) custom so really being the heavily weighted precedent. [[Special:Contributions/172.70.90.187|172.70.90.187]] 05:21, 1 August 2023 (UTC)
::...what? I don't understand. [[User:R3TRI8UTI0N|R3TRI8UTI0N]] ([[User talk:R3TRI8UTI0N|talk]]) 05:32, 2 August 2023 (UTC)
:::''"it can also be described by other titles such as "Luna" (directly taken from from Latin mythology/astronomy)."'' It's not true that "the Moon doesn't have a name". It is ''the'' Moon (unlike other moons), plus all kinds of other names (historical, other culture and/or other language; such as Chandra/Igaluk/Chang'e). But it is interesting to note that, until we were able to imagine (and/or see) moons orbiting other things up in the sky, there was ''just'' its proper name. Whatever it might be. Only after we anticipated the existence of satellites of other planets (and, perhaps, other satellites of our own planet), having first recognised what other planets actually were (distinct from stars, with those being other suns than ''our'' Sun/Sol/Ra/...) was it meaningful that the name(s) we did use for it might be re-used to describe the class of things that were like it. But they then really needed their own fresh names/catalogue numbers. [[Special:Contributions/172.71.242.15|172.71.242.15]] 10:11, 2 August 2023 (UTC)
:Reminds me of that conversation from Dragonheart (paraphrized as I only watched the German dub): "So instead of calling me 'dragon" in your language you call me 'dragon' in another language... I think I like it" [[User:Elektrizikekswerk|Elektrizikekswerk]] ([[User talk:Elektrizikekswerk|talk]]) 07:16, 1 August 2023 (UTC)

If there was no Moon, would an Earth astronomer that discovered moons around one of the other planets be considered a loony? [[User:These Are Not The Comments You Are Looking For|These Are Not The Comments You Are Looking For]] ([[User talk:These Are Not The Comments You Are Looking For|talk]]) 02:40, 1 August 2023 (UTC)
:If there was no moon, it's quite possible there would be no intelligent life on Earth. Also, when Galileo Galilei found Jupiter's moons, he was totally considered loony by some, while others said it's defect of the telescope. Remember that at that point of history, suggesting that if Earth has moon, other planets might have one too was something you could be burned on stake for. -- [[User:Hkmaly|Hkmaly]] ([[User talk:Hkmaly|talk]]) 03:13, 1 August 2023 (UTC)

:Definitely not. (I see what you did there.) --[[Special:Contributions/172.70.247.155|172.70.247.155]] 12:55, 1 August 2023 (UTC)

I doubt the title text is intended as a reference to that saying. [[Special:Contributions/172.69.247.51|172.69.247.51]] 04:17, 1 August 2023 (UTC)
:Yeah, I don't get how that is related either. The title text references that it is pretty, but the nmoves away from that. Not sure how that is related to a quote that doesn't even use the word "pretty". --[[User:Lupo|Lupo]] ([[User talk:Lupo|talk]]) 09:28, 1 August 2023 (UTC)
::I mean, the word "beautiful" and "pretty" have common meanings, so I thought about that connection, but if no one else made the connection, so be it. [[User:R3TRI8UTI0N|R3TRI8UTI0N]] ([[User talk:R3TRI8UTI0N|talk]]) 05:30, 2 August 2023 (UTC)
:::I think if that connection was meant to be invoked it would just say beautiful, or get more into detail of the way it is pretty/beautiful. However it was just used as a kind of connector to make the other mentioned aspects seem more minor. --[[User:Lupo|Lupo]] ([[User talk:Lupo|talk]]) 08:05, 2 August 2023 (UTC)

Like many things,{{Citation needed}} it has probably seemed usual whilst we only know our own example. Once we started to find other examples out there, we can discover the ways in which it's an outlier. (Martian: "Well of ''course'' there's those two small rock 'stars' visibly zipping around overhead, that's what the sky alsays looks like for me, and I imagine that it's much the same for anyone else..." Earthling/Venusian/Jovian/Tritonian/Plutoid: "...hold my beer!") [[Special:Contributions/141.101.99.133|141.101.99.133]] 07:26, 1 August 2023 (UTC)

I've been saying this about the Sun… A great fireball looming in the sky. It remotely powers life. (Even with 90% of that power lost at each trophic level!) It is worshipped as a god. It controls Earthlings' sense of time. When it leaves the sky at a regular interval, a wave of fear follows, and everything seeks shelter and goes dormant until its return. Oh, but it also burns and mutates the flesh of those who stand in its rays, to the point that it's ''dangerous to look at''. Sounds fake, right? And yet, there it is. [[User talk:AgentMuffin|~AgentMuffin]] 08:00, 1 August 2023 (UTC)

I have a personal theory that the constant gravitational massage is responsible for sustaining the Earth's large magnetic field, thus preventing the solar wind making us like Venus or Mars, and probably keeping the tectonic plates on the move. (Oh and dogs domesticated themselves - just saying p.s. same for cats but only after we had barns). [[User:RIIW - Ponder it|RIIW - Ponder it]] ([[User talk:RIIW - Ponder it|talk]]) 09:38, 1 August 2023 (UTC)

I think we’re well past the point of “plans being made” of humans returning to the Moon. [[User:SilverTheTerribleMathematician|Silver]] ([[User talk:SilverTheTerribleMathematician|talk]]) 19:29, 1 August 2023 (UTC)
:You mean that we are currently building rockets and stuff to send people to the moon at this very moment? [[User:R3TRI8UTI0N|R3TRI8UTI0N]] ([[User talk:R3TRI8UTI0N|talk]]) 05:32, 2 August 2023 (UTC)
::We are. Which I hope you're aware of. But if you weren't... this your [[1053: Ten Thousand|lucky day]]! [[Special:Contributions/172.71.242.15|172.71.242.15]] 10:11, 2 August 2023 (UTC)
:::Huh. I thought we were still only in the planning phase. Admittedly, paying attention to the news these days tends to be bad for one's mental health, all things considered. [[User:R3TRI8UTI0N|R3TRI8UTI0N]] ([[User talk:R3TRI8UTI0N|talk]]) 03:19, 9 August 2023 (UTC)

August 1, 2023 the moon is a "Super Moon" [[User:KingPenguin|KingPenguin]] ([[User talk:KingPenguin|talk]]) 22:13, 1 August 2023 (UTC)

We need to make a category for these things which would sound outlandish if they didn't exist. [[2115]] is the first one I think of, and I'm sure there's more. I propose we call it Category: Things That Seem Like They Shouldn't Work But Do in honor of [[2540]]. [[User:Take The A Train To Watertown|Take The A Train To Watertown]] ([[User talk:Take The A Train To Watertown|talk]]) 12:20, 2 August 2023 (UTC)
:[[2085]] title text. --[[User:Lupo|Lupo]] ([[User talk:Lupo|talk]]) 05:01, 3 August 2023 (UTC)

@84596Gamma - yes, really. (But not as much as a spoon.) [[Special:Contributions/172.71.178.186|172.71.178.186]] 15:00, 2 August 2023 (UTC)

Talk:2748: Radians Are Cursed

2023-08-09T03:13:14Z

R3TRI8UTI0N:

how do transcript [[Special:Contributions/172.70.127.37|172.70.127.37]] 19:23, 10 March 2023 (UTC)

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Square_degree may be of some help with this one. [[Special:Contributions/162.158.166.124|162.158.166.124]] 19:44, 10 March 2023 (UTC)

The comic isn't actually correct. A radian is not equal to the length of a circle's radius; it is equal to the length of the radius, multiplied by 2π, divided by the perimeter, which is why it has no units, while the length does. In other words, radian/2pi=length of radius/length of perimeter. [[Special:Contributions/172.70.46.84|172.70.46.84]] 19:51, 10 March 2023 (UTC)

As suggested by the above Wikipedia link, square degrees are in fact often used in astronomical contexts. Also, it's quite standard to say that radian=1; see for example [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SI_derived_unit SI derived unit]. An angle is the ratio between the arc length and the radius, and we just optionally append "radian" for clarity. So 1 = 57.3 degrees is correct; Randall simply used the wrong argument to obtain it. [[User:Aseyhe|Aseyhe]] ([[User talk:Aseyhe|talk]]) 20:57, 10 March 2023 (UTC)
:I always understood radian to be the name of the unit, so by definition 1 radian=1. [[User:Barmar|Barmar]] ([[User talk:Barmar|talk]]) 21:17, 10 March 2023 (UTC)
:It is a shame that astronomers don't use the proper unit for such things: the steradian. It is literally there for describing the 3D equivalent of angle. Oh well... --[[Special:Contributions/172.69.79.137|172.69.79.137]] 04:16, 11 March 2023 (UTC)
::It is a shame that astronomers don't use the proper for length, preferring ad-hoc units based on the solar system. But if you use a different ad-hoc unit based on the properties of the solar system they throw a hissy fit.[[Special:Contributions/172.70.38.150|172.70.38.150]] 06:51, 12 March 2023 (UTC)
:::Indeed, what ''is'' the "proper [distance unit?] for length"? Light-year, based on Earth's orbital period. AU, based upon Earth's orbital radius. (Kilo)metre, based (approximately, and quartered) upon Earth's circumpolar circumference. Parsec, based upon Earth's orbital radius and a notionally arbitrary subdivision of angle. (Which can be avoided by mathematically more pure "paradians"???) Planck-lengths, might be not solar-/geo-centric but creates horribly huge numbers even at the human scale. ;) [[Special:Contributions/172.70.86.128|172.70.86.128]] 16:07, 12 March 2023 (UTC)
::::Planck length could work. Large Number problem can be resolved by 10insert number here Planck Lengths, since astronomers already do it, and round _insert number here_!! [[User:1844161|1844161]] ([[User talk:1844161|talk]]) 15:43, 14 April 2023 (UTC)

Someone fix the vandalism, how do you upload images? --[[User:Purah126|Purah126]] ([[User talk:Purah126|talk]]) 03:06, 11 March 2023 (UTC)
:I'm doing it but that user needs to be blocked.
:To revert images, scroll down and click the revert link next to the last good version.
:And do not feed the trolls. ~ [[user:megan|Megan]] she/her [[user talk:megan|talk]]/[[special:contribs/megan|contribs]] 03:10, 11 March 2023 (UTC)

On reading this I vividly remembered a maths teacher once asking our class "What's 10% of a straight line?", and the looks of disgust and bewilderment when he said the answer was 18 degrees. [[Special:Contributions/172.70.86.147|172.70.86.147]] 08:31, 11 March 2023 (UTC)
:I just hope that was Celsius degrees (or Kelvin), rather than Fahrenheit(/Rankine). ;) [[Special:Contributions/172.71.242.190|172.71.242.190]] 10:51, 11 March 2023 (UTC)
::If you use Kelvin with degrees you have already lost...[[Special:Contributions/172.68.51.178|172.68.51.178]] 13:29, 11 March 2023 (UTC)

So the volume of the sky is 4/3 π r³ = 7,092,429 cubic degrees

I remember in the quantum mechanics class we figured that if \hbar is defined to be h/2π, then we might as well introduce the notation \pibar as an alternative for 1/2. [[User:Captain Nemo|Captain Nemo]] ([[User talk:Captain Nemo|talk]]) 11:08, 12 March 2023 (UTC)

The logic is fine once you recall the formula s = r x theta. The arc length subtended by an angle is equal to the radius times the angle. On the unit circle, the radius is 1 (no unit). Therefore, the subtended arc length of 1 radian is s = 1 x 1 radian = 1 radian. [[Special:Contributions/172.71.22.117|172.71.22.117]] 21:45, 12 March 2023 (UTC)
:"...the radius is 1 (no unit)." There's definitely a unit. It's whatever the unit the unit circle is reflecting (even if that's mathematical Unity). And in the case of dimensional analysis, it's a particular dimension that you'd need to account for, and the difference between this radians thing and the degrees thing is only the inclusion of dimensionless pi-based constant of conversion. Doesn't change the understanding of the issue, but I believe that some explanations/comments aren't then conveying it onwards accurately. [[Special:Contributions/172.69.79.184|172.69.79.184]] 22:15, 12 March 2023 (UTC)
::I mean, I'm sorry, but respectfully, you are wrong. The unit circle is *by definition* a circle of radius 1. There is no unit attached to that. [[Special:Contributions/172.71.82.41|172.71.82.41]] 01:55, 13 March 2023 (UTC)
:::Correction: The unit is that of the radius, ''by definition''. It is one of that unit, whatever that unit may be. You attach whatever unit you want to it, when you want to, but it isn't actually a unitless value when you start comparing it with othe values whose relationship and own unit are known. [[Special:Contributions/172.71.178.207|172.71.178.207]] 03:59, 13 March 2023 (UTC)
::::I'd say the radius of a plain unit circle is unitless, but not dimensionless. It has a length dimension, but we don't necessarily attach a unit to that dimension. [[User:Pmc|Pmc]] ([[User talk:Pmc|talk]]) 18:19, 25 April 2023 (UTC)

There is actually some dispute about whether angles should be measured using units. I can't find it now, but there was an article by someone arguing that the current SI definition of the radian as 1 rad = 1 m / 1 m was flawed. He felt that units of angle should have a dimension, A, and rewrote several formulae slightly to accommodate this. But more often today, the radian is considered dimensionless with a value of exactly 1, making it not actually a "unit" so much as a hint telling how the angle was measured. In this definition, an angle has a measure of x (radians) iff the circular arc it intercepts as a central angle has an arclength of x times the circle's radius. Under this definition, the following become mathematically correct:
:rad = 1
:° = π/180
:Radius of unit circle = 1 = (180/π)(π/180) = (180/π)° = 57.29577...°
:(1°)² = π²/32400
There is really nothing mysterious about it. Here, we are just defining the radian and degree as real numbers. This is how we treat them in Calculus. For instance, d/dx sin(2x rad) = 2 cos(2x rad), not (2 rad) cos(2x rad) as the chain rule implies. This is because 2 rad = 2. This also helps explain why Phil Plait's bizarre dimensional analysis actually does work. In particular, the last equation above would normally be written with "rad" on the right-hand side, giving a conversion between square degrees and square radians. Using the fact that the area of a sphere is 4πr², we see that the area of the unit sphere must be 4π square radians, and thus 4π * (32400/π²) * (1°)² = (129600/π)°² = 41252.961...°². Note that a "square radian" is also equal to a "steradian" by definition, which is the solid angle that subtends 1/(4π) of the surface of the sphere. [[Special:Contributions/172.70.127.38|172.70.127.38]] 02:56, 13 March 2023 (UTC)
: In complex analysis we defined the exponential function as a power series. Pure complex numbers, no units or even a hint that there is such a thing as an angle in the definition. Many theorems and lemmas about the properties of exp(z) follow, including derivatives, integrals, Eulers formula, Eulers identity. Sin() and cos() are defined as the real and imaginary parts of exp(); pi is defined as a number via Eulers identity. No circles or angles involved. In the last lecture the properties of the exponential combine in a few lemmas to show that it can trivially solve a bunch of problems such as the simple harmonic oscillator and trigonometry.
: The point is we can define exp(), hence sin() and cos(), without using angles. There is no need for a unit for angles until you start working with angles, just as there is no need for a unit for elephants until you start counting elephants. You could reorder the textbook, put the trigonometry chapter before complex analysis and define angles first, but you'd have to be a masochist or a high school teacher to do it that way.[[Special:Contributions/172.70.174.160|172.70.174.160]] 05:24, 13 March 2023 (UTC)

:: Sure, but in the same way "number of elephants" is dimensionless, "measure of angle" is also dimensionless. That's not true of physical quantities like distance or area. And in this convention, we do have radian = 1. (The SI even defines the radian as 1 m / 1 m, so clearly it has to equal 1.) [[Special:Contributions/172.71.254.135|172.71.254.135]] 19:18, 13 March 2023 (UTC)

:::2 pi is a full circle, also in another galaxy, or in another universe. All real units contain (are, in fact) some arbitrarily chosen factor. --[[Special:Contributions/172.71.246.11|172.71.246.11]] 08:07, 14 March 2023 (UTC)
::::They {{w|Natural units|needn't be}}... [[Special:Contributions/172.70.162.135|172.70.162.135]] 13:16, 14 March 2023 (UTC)

Anyone else surprised Randall didn't save this comic for Pi Day? It would've been a perfect fit, and just 4 days later! [[User:PotatoGod|PotatoGod]] ([[User talk:PotatoGod|talk]]) 06:30, 15 March 2023 (UTC)

I'm studying for a Math exam right now, so this comic speaks to me.

Talk:2809: Moon

2023-08-02T05:32:08Z

R3TRI8UTI0N:

Happy birthday to me. This comic is a good birthday present, so I'm gonna try to add some stuff to the explanation now. [[User:R3TRI8UTI0N|R3TRI8UTI0N]] ([[User talk:R3TRI8UTI0N|talk]]) 02:11, 1 August 2023 (UTC)

Okay, added a Trivia section and a lot of stuff to the explanation. Request someone help add more information about lunar cycles and some wikipedia links. [[User:R3TRI8UTI0N|R3TRI8UTI0N]] ([[User talk:R3TRI8UTI0N|talk]]) 02:35, 1 August 2023 (UTC)
:Ah, well, I added more (sufficient? ...haven't wikilinked yet) info about the illumination/tide cycles. i.e. about half the time (at least) half reilluminating areas on the night side of Earth + roughly twice a day dragging/flinging the tides 'upwards' (modifying the Sun's own twice-daily effects).
:Had to heavily qualify the secondary Trivia point, for caveats. I mean selenically-specific names aren't rare, when refering to orb sometimes known as Phoebe/Cynthia, until you become more precise about "common English use". Didn't say anything about (the) Earth, but did mention the Sun(/suns in general) in the edit comment. Interesting point to make, but not so much unusual as stemming from long time (way into prehistory!) custom so really being the heavily weighted precedent. [[Special:Contributions/172.70.90.187|172.70.90.187]] 05:21, 1 August 2023 (UTC)
::...what? I don't understand. [[User:R3TRI8UTI0N|R3TRI8UTI0N]] ([[User talk:R3TRI8UTI0N|talk]]) 05:32, 2 August 2023 (UTC)
:Reminds me of that conversation from Dragonheart (paraphrized as I only watched the German dub): "So instead of calling me 'dragon" in your language you call me 'dragon' in another language... I think I like it" [[User:Elektrizikekswerk|Elektrizikekswerk]] ([[User talk:Elektrizikekswerk|talk]]) 07:16, 1 August 2023 (UTC)

If there was no Moon, would an Earth astronomer that discovered moons around one of the other planets be considered a loony? [[User:These Are Not The Comments You Are Looking For|These Are Not The Comments You Are Looking For]] ([[User talk:These Are Not The Comments You Are Looking For|talk]]) 02:40, 1 August 2023 (UTC)
:If there was no moon, it's quite possible there would be no intelligent life on Earth. Also, when Galileo Galilei found Jupiter's moons, he was totally considered loony by some, while others said it's defect of the telescope. Remember that at that point of history, suggesting that if Earth has moon, other planets might have one too was something you could be burned on stake for. -- [[User:Hkmaly|Hkmaly]] ([[User talk:Hkmaly|talk]]) 03:13, 1 August 2023 (UTC)

:Definitely not. (I see what you did there.) --[[Special:Contributions/172.70.247.155|172.70.247.155]] 12:55, 1 August 2023 (UTC)

I doubt the title text is intended as a reference to that saying. [[Special:Contributions/172.69.247.51|172.69.247.51]] 04:17, 1 August 2023 (UTC)
:Yeah, I don't get how that is related either. The title text references that it is pretty, but the nmoves away from that. Not sure how that is related to a quote that doesn't even use the word "pretty". --[[User:Lupo|Lupo]] ([[User talk:Lupo|talk]]) 09:28, 1 August 2023 (UTC)
::I mean, the word "beautiful" and "pretty" have common meanings, so I thought about that connection, but if no one else made the connection, so be it. [[User:R3TRI8UTI0N|R3TRI8UTI0N]] ([[User talk:R3TRI8UTI0N|talk]]) 05:30, 2 August 2023 (UTC)

Like many things,{{Citation needed}} it has probably seemed usual whilst we only know our own example. Once we started to find other examples out there, we can discover the ways in which it's an outlier. (Martian: "Well of ''course'' there's those two small rock 'stars' visibly zipping around overhead, that's what the sky alsays looks like for me, and I imagine that it's much the same for anyone else..." Earthling/Venusian/Jovian/Tritonian/Plutoid: "...hold my beer!") [[Special:Contributions/141.101.99.133|141.101.99.133]] 07:26, 1 August 2023 (UTC)

I've been saying this about the Sun… A great fireball looming in the sky. It remotely powers life. (Even with 90% of that power lost at each trophic level!) It is worshipped as a god. It controls Earthlings' sense of time. When it leaves the sky at a regular interval, a wave of fear follows, and everything seeks shelter and goes dormant until its return. Oh, but it also burns and mutates the flesh of those who stand in its rays, to the point that it's ''dangerous to look at''. Sounds fake, right? And yet, there it is. [[User talk:AgentMuffin|~AgentMuffin]] 08:00, 1 August 2023 (UTC)

I have a personal theory that the constant gravitational massage is responsible for sustaining the Earth's large magnetic field, thus preventing the solar wind making us like Venus or Mars, and probably keeping the tectonic plates on the move. (Oh and dogs domesticated themselves - just saying p.s. same for cats but only after we had barns). [[User:RIIW - Ponder it|RIIW - Ponder it]] ([[User talk:RIIW - Ponder it|talk]]) 09:38, 1 August 2023 (UTC)

I think we’re well past the point of “plans being made” of humans returning to the Moon. [[User:SilverTheTerribleMathematician|Silver]] ([[User talk:SilverTheTerribleMathematician|talk]]) 19:29, 1 August 2023 (UTC)
:You mean that we are currently building rockets and stuff to send people to the moon at this very moment? [[User:R3TRI8UTI0N|R3TRI8UTI0N]] ([[User talk:R3TRI8UTI0N|talk]]) 05:32, 2 August 2023 (UTC)

August 1, 2023 the moon is a "Super Moon" [[User:KingPenguin|KingPenguin]] ([[User talk:KingPenguin|talk]]) 22:13, 1 August 2023 (UTC)

Talk:2809: Moon

2023-08-02T05:30:24Z

R3TRI8UTI0N:

2809: Moon

2023-08-01T03:40:15Z

R3TRI8UTI0N: Added a {{Citation needed}} after "There are other planets with moons" for the lulz.

{{comic
| number = 2809
| date = July 31, 2023
| title = Moon
| image = moon_2x.png
| imagesize = 313x402px
| noexpand = true
| titletext = I mean, it's pretty, but it doesn't really affect us beyond that. Except that half the nights aren't really dark, and once or twice a day it makes the oceans flood the coasts.
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Created by a STRANGE ORB FLOATING IN THE SKY. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}

The moon is a celestial body orbiting Earth first formed approximately 4.51 billion years ago while the solar system was still forming. As of July 31st, 2023, the moon is still orbiting the Earth{{Citation needed}} at a distance of 384,400 kilometers, or 238,900 miles.

This comic points out how weird it is to have such an enormous celestial body near to us. The second nearest, Venus, is approximately 46.576 million kilometers away at its closest. The moon is close enough that we can see the craters and other stuff on the surface with our naked eye, though a telescope would help.

There are other planets with moons{{Citation needed}}, but Earth's moon is very big compared to Earth - Mars moons are way smaller and the biggest moon in our solar system, Ganymede, is just twice as massive with 1.5 the radius despite orbiting Jupiter, which is 317x more massive than Earth with 11x bigger radius.

In human history, we have landed twelve people on the moon in the Apollo missions from 1969 to 1972. Despite advancements in technology since then{{Citation needed}}, we have yet to land another person on the moon, though plans are being made.

The title text refers to the saying "The moon is beautiful, isn't it?" which is a way of saying "I love you." which originated from the Japanese Novelist Natsume Soseki overhearing a student of his awkwardly translating the phrase. More information can be obtained by googling the term or [https://www.wikihow.com/The-Moon-Is-Beautiful-Isn%27t-It on wikihow]. The title text also refers to the lunar cycle (additional information to be added here) Lastly, the title text also refers to the tides, a daily cycle where the sun and moon's gravity pulls the water in water bodies upward, increasing the sea levels.

==Trivia==
Earth's moon is weird for an addtitional two reasons. First, it's largest and most massive moon relative to its parent planet. Secondly, our moon is the only moon in the solar system to not have a name. Not even a jumble of letters and numbers. It's simply called "The Moon".

==Transcript==
{{incomplete transcript|Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}
[Ponytail points to something in the sky, presumably the moon. Cueball stands nearby]

Ponytail: That thing hanging in the sky is a second nearby world. It's close enough that you can see its surface as it passes overhead.

Cueball: Wow. Isn't that... weird?

Ponytail: I dunno, it's just always been there.

[Caption below the panel:]

If it didn't exist, the moon would sound like such an outlandish sci-fi concept.
{{comic discussion}}

2809: Moon

2023-08-01T03:00:38Z

R3TRI8UTI0N: /* Transcript */

{{comic
| number = 2809
| date = July 31, 2023
| title = Moon
| image = moon_2x.png
| imagesize = 313x402px
| noexpand = true
| titletext = I mean, it's pretty, but it doesn't really affect us beyond that. Except that half the nights aren't really dark, and once or twice a day it makes the oceans flood the coasts.
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Created by a STRANGE ORB FLOATING IN THE SKY. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}

The moon is a celestial body orbiting Earth first formed approximately 4.51 billion years ago while the solar system was still forming. As of July 31st, 2023, the moon is still orbiting the Earth{{Citation needed}} at a distance of 384,400 kilometers, or 238,900 miles.

This comic points out how weird it is to have such an enormous celestial body near to us. The second nearest, Venus, is approximately 46.576 million kilometers away at its closest. The moon is close enough that we can see the craters and other stuff on the surface with our naked eye, though a telescope would help.

In human history, we have landed twelve people on the moon in the Apollo missions from 1969 to 1972. Despite advancements in technology since then{{Citation needed}}, we have yet to land another person on the moon, though plans are being made.

The title text refers to the saying "The moon is beautiful, isn't it?" which is a way of saying "I love you." which originated from the Japanese Novelist Natsume Soseki overhearing a student of his awkwardly translating the phrase. More information can be obtained by googling the term. The title text also refers to the lunar cycle (additional information to be added here) Lastly, the title text also refers to the tides, a daily cycle where the sun and moon's gravity pulls the water in water bodies upward, increasing the sea levels.

==Trivia==
Earth's moon is weird for an addtitional two reasons. First, it's largest and most massive moon relative to its parent planet. Secondly, our moon is the only moon in the solar system to not have a name. Not even a jumble of letters and numbers. It's simply called "The Moon".

==Transcript==
{{incomplete transcript|Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}
[Ponytail points to something in the sky, presumably the moon. Cueball stands nearby]

Ponytail: That thing hanging in the sky is a second nearby world. It's close enough that you can see its surface as it passes overhead.

Cueball: Wow. Isn't that... weird?

Ponytail: I dunno, it's just always been there.

[Caption below the panel:]

If it didn't exist, the moon would sound like such an outlandish sci-fi concept.
{{comic discussion}}

Talk:2809: Moon

2023-08-01T02:35:47Z

R3TRI8UTI0N:

2809: Moon

2023-08-01T02:34:34Z

R3TRI8UTI0N: I worked a lot on the explanation.

{{comic
| number = 2809
| date = July 31, 2023
| title = Moon
| image = moon_2x.png
| imagesize = 313x402px
| noexpand = true
| titletext = I mean, it's pretty, but it doesn't really affect us beyond that. Except that half the nights aren't really dark, and once or twice a day it makes the oceans flood the coasts.
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Created by a STRANGE ORB FLOATING IN THE SKY. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}

The moon is a celestial body orbiting Earth first formed approximately 4.51 billion years ago while the solar system was still forming. As of July 31st, 2023, the moon is still orbiting the Earth{{Citation needed}} at a distance of 384,400 kilometers, or 238,900 miles.

This comic points out how weird it is to have such an enormous celestial body near to us. The second nearest, Venus, is approximately 46.576 million kilometers away at its closest. The moon is close enough that we can see the craters and other stuff on the surface with our naked eye, though a telescope would help.

In human history, we have landed twelve people on the moon in the Apollo missions from 1969 to 1972. Despite advancements in technology since then{{Citation needed}}, we have yet to land another person on the moon, though plans are being made.

The title text refers to the saying "The moon is beautiful, isn't it?" which is a way of saying "I love you." which originated from the Japanese Novelist Natsume Soseki overhearing a student of his awkwardly translating the phrase. More information can be obtained by googling the term. The title text also refers to the lunar cycle (additional information to be added here) Lastly, the title text also refers to the tides, a daily cycle where the sun and moon's gravity pulls the water in water bodies upward, increasing the sea levels.

==Trivia==
Earth's moon is weird for an addtitional two reasons. First, it's largest and most massive moon relative to its parent planet. Secondly, our moon is the only moon in the solar system to not have a name. Not even a jumble of letters and numbers. It's simply called "The Moon".

==Transcript==
{{incomplete transcript|Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}
[Ponytail points to something in the sky. Cueball stands nearby]

Ponytail: That thing hanging in the sky is a second nearby world. It's close enough that you can see its surface as it passes overhead.

Cueball: Wow. Isn't that... weird?

Ponytail: I dunno, it's just always been there.

[Caption below the panel:]

If it didn't exist, the moon would sound like such an outlandish sci-fi concept.
{{comic discussion}}

2809: Moon

2023-08-01T02:18:11Z

R3TRI8UTI0N:

Talk:2809: Moon

2023-08-01T02:11:02Z

R3TRI8UTI0N:

Talk:2807: Bad Map Projection: ABS(Longitude)

2023-07-27T03:48:29Z

R3TRI8UTI0N:

...actually, there's quite a bit of 'foldover' that's covered by the Atlantic, but it's still not quite so much as the Pacific gap across the ±180° edge-to-edge, so forgive me if consider the likes of places in India partnered with the over-adopted American locations as being trans-Atlantic (and across the whole width of Africa and some of the Indian Ocean too) rather than anything else. It could definitely do with a more precise analysis/description, though. Plus how bits of western Western Europe are folded over onto more-central Western Europe (not a very good mirror of Scotland, I think, but I'm particularly more familiar with its effective profile than Randall has any reason to be). [[Special:Contributions/172.71.242.195|172.71.242.195]] 01:20, 27 July 2023 (UTC)
This would make a great EU4 mod [[Special:Contributions/172.68.146.52|172.68.146.52]] 01:21, 27 July 2023 (UTC)

Oh, good, thank you. I on ABS I couldn't get past antilock brakes. And the picture spam from the other day seemed to be tendeon repair. Looked like a surgicical procedure to to fasten cut tendons back together but I didn't see a cast to prevent movement. Shrug. Quite gross, as all surguries are. Poorly of course couldnt see all of the pic.[[Special:Contributions/172.71.222.70|172.71.222.70]] 02:35, 27 July 2023 (UTC)[[Special:Contributions/172.71.222.71|172.71.222.71]] 02:57, 27 July 2023 (UTC)

Added a very basic transcript because this comic is a little too complicated for me and it's my first time. Also, we need more positive vibes considering the previous comic about anti-vaxxers and the... interesting comments in the discussions.

Also, the Galapagos being near to Singapore (that's where I live) would be interesting! [[User:R3TRI8UTI0N|R3TRI8UTI0N]] ([[User talk:R3TRI8UTI0N|talk]]) 03:48, 27 July 2023 (UTC)

2807: Bad Map Projection: ABS(Longitude)

2023-07-27T03:46:01Z

R3TRI8UTI0N: Attempted to start making a transcript for the comic.

{{comic
| number = 2807
| date = July 26, 2023
| title = Bad Map Projection: ABS(Longitude)
| image = bad_map_projection_abs_longitude_2x.png
| imagesize = 740x822px
| noexpand = true
| titletext = Positive vibes/longitudes only
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Created by both eErAeShTpEsRiNm eHhE MnIrSePtHsEeRwE - Please change this comment when editing this page. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}

In this map, Randall has plotted the world map featuring all the landmasses from both western and eastern hemispheres. But the longitudes west of the prime meridian, normally given negative values from the range from -180° to +180°, have been made positive using the "ABS()" function that gives the absolute value by effectively stripping off the minus sign from any value. This results in the features on one side of the world being overlaid upon those of the other side, but reversed.

Thanks to the relative sparsity of western continents (essentially just the Americas, and roughly half of Antarctica), and the landless expanses of the Pacific, this is surprisingly not too dissimilar to an east-only fragment of a world map. Just with the reversed 'new world' lands added to the usual extents of continents of Africa and Eurasia and the somewhat familiar notable Antarctic Peninsula being recognisable but in an odd position (and reversed) with no sign of the Ross and Weddel Seas (as eastern-Antarctic landmass takes precedence).

To further interest the map-connoisseur, various locations are marked and dotted upon their genuine or reflected positions. Putting into close proximity various locations that have (mainly) trans-Atlantic separation in reality. Some of these locations have been renamed in this projection. For example, around Sri Lanka/Central America is the "Palk-Panama Canal" (the strait between India and Sri Lanka being the Palk Strait). Additionally in northern Siberia is the label "Franklin's Very Lost Expedition". Franklin's lost expedition was an attempt to find a passage from the Atlantic to the Pacific through the Arctic passage. Naturally a sea voyage ending up in the middle of a large landmass would be considered very lost.

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

Image shows a map of the world with positive longitudes and negative longitudes overlapping.

Bad Map Projection #152
Longitude=ABS(Longitude)
Whoops, made all longitudes positive

Title Text: Positive vibes/longitudes only.

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Bad_Map_Projections]]

Talk:1386: People are Stupid

2023-07-27T03:41:21Z

R3TRI8UTI0N:

On average yes, an individual is of average intelligence. But taken as a population of a whole, well, that's a different story entirely. Randall needs a vacation, ever since he jumped the shark with the dead baby it just feels like the downward trend is getting steeper. --[[Special:Contributions/108.162.210.135|108.162.210.135]] 13:20, 25 June 2014 (UTC)
:I don't really think that he jumped the shark. I don't quite get what you are trying to say, and individual can't be of average intelligence. You must first define the average, if we take the mean intelligence of the whole population, then take a person from the sample, then we say that the individual is of average intelligence. You can't say people is stupid while referring to the whole population, because of the definition of stupid, if we take a sample of low IQ people then those people are going to be of average intelligence within the sample, the same goes to the whole population. So this comic is perfectly valid. --[[Special:Contributions/108.162.212.192|108.162.212.192]] 04:50, 27 June 2014 (UTC)
::I know this is a lot later, but I believe that OP was referring to the difference between mean and median measures of intelligence. More than 50% of the population can be below average intelligence if the distribution is skewed right. [[User:NotLock|NotLock]] ([[User talk:NotLock|talk]]) 03:36, 12 August 2016 (UTC)

Isn't that a reference to the Montgomery Burns Award for Outstanding Achievement in the Field of Excellence? [[Special:Contributions/103.22.200.119|103.22.200.119]] 04:49, 25 June 2014 (UTC)krayZpaving

White Hat being burned? This certainly will not end here.--[[Special:Contributions/141.101.102.208|141.101.102.208]] 04:52, 25 June 2014 (UTC)

'''''Explain xkcd: It's 'cause you're dumb.''''' This wiki is founded on the very principle that people are stupid. [[Special:Contributions/108.162.223.29|108.162.223.29]] 05:35, 25 June 2014 (UTC)
: You make an intelligent point, which I both appreciate and like. [[Special:Contributions/108.162.222.50|108.162.222.50]] 13:41, 25 June 2014 (UTC)
::Awww, it's just a joke, it's not personal or anything! '''[[User:Davidy22|{{Color|#707|David}}y²²]]'''[[User talk:Davidy22|<tt>[talk]</tt>]] 13:43, 25 June 2014 (UTC)

This comment is one that makes me scratch my head and wonder... surely Randall is able to see that intelligence is not a relative but rather an absolute thing (if one were to kill the 10% most intelligent people the rest wouldn't get dumber, nor smarter). Surely intelligence is not to be measured in units of the common denominator. Surely it is obvious that 2nd panel is a pure strawman. Sigh...
Oh and btw an IQ of 100 is the median, not the average. [[Special:Contributions/141.101.104.17|141.101.104.17]] 09:18, 25 June 2014 (UTC)
: I am wondering if the explanation should not include a mention of the Median/Mean problem because it is entirely possible for a majority of a population to be above or below some mean (average) statistic depending on the distribution. Also stupidity is a standard that is not dependent on either median or mean.[[User:Sturmovik|Sturmovik]] ([[User talk:Sturmovik|talk]]) 11:46, 25 June 2014 (UTC)
: The IQ of 100 is actually defined to be the median AND the average (and also the mode). It is also defined that the distibution around the IQ of 100 is a perfect bell curve. The IQ just tells you how many people in the world have your IQ (It is also defined that two values that have same distance from hundred, e.g. 80 and 120 have the same amount of people, 'cause it's a perfect bell curve (this means that there are as many people with IQ 120 as people with IQ 80). If the overall population gets more intelligent they have to make the IQ tests harder, so that 100 is again the average and median (This really happened). This and some other things are reasons why I think that IQ tests are BS. --[[Special:Contributions/141.101.93.219|141.101.93.219]] 14:01, 25 June 2014 (UTC)
:: "A test device with numerous correlates measures an amount of environmental influences beside innate determinants, therefore bullshit"... What are your other objections to I.Q. testing? [[Special:Contributions/141.101.89.221|141.101.89.221]] 14:17, 25 June 2014 (UTC)

The mocking "award", which is an analogy of saying "intelligence isn't everything" (an EXTREMELY common cliche), reflects the fact that Randall, like just about anyone, is oblivious to the magnitude of the totality of positive correlates of intelligence, and even (TRIGGER WARNING, TABOO CONCEPT AHEAD) I.Q. Intelligence, I.Q., not only makes you happier, it also makes you more helpful to other people, more creative, more socially stable, better-to-do, less susceptible to mental illnesses, more likely to remember events in your life, etc. etc. etc... Basically, there isn't a positive trait or quality of life with which intelligence doesn't correlate. But people positively LOATHE awareness of how highly intelligence, in fact, matters. Hence the vehement denial whenever someone indicates its importance, all the "I know an intelligent person who is miserable/mean/...", all stressing of exceptions, all ridicule of the notion of intelligence in general, all the "don't think about it"-mentality, all writing off of I.Q. as "antiquated, grossly limited, racist, metric" rather than the extremely potent predictor that it is. tl;dr Randall at all, take time to actually STUDY intelligence or the g factor before you mock it like that. [[Special:Contributions/141.101.89.211|141.101.89.211]] 09:25, 25 June 2014 (UTC)

: IQ is based on an arbitrary test and isn't necessarily accurate or reliable. Cognitive ability (which IQ does not accurately measure) WOULD make you more creative, have better memory, etc. I don't know anything about the mental illness thing, but it doesn't make you happier- you can be extremely intelligent but still have a miserable life. Also many "geniuses" in history have emotional issues and unbalanced lives. Intelligence doesn't make you more helpful, either. Yes, you might be more ABlE to help others, but only if you were educated, and only if you WANT to. Plus, this is a webcomic poking fun at people generalizing humanity, not an in-depth analysis of IQ. This whole argument is pointless, and I don't know why I just wasted a bunch of time on it... I guess I have fallen for the trap described by comic 386, Duty Calls. [[User:Random xkcd Fan|Random xkcd Fan]] ([[User talk:Random xkcd Fan|talk]]) 00:41, 26 October 2016 (UTC)

: In other words (and this is going to be my last addendum to this note, because it is a vast subject), whenever people say (or imply, as in the comic's case) that "intelligence isn't everything", the question to ask in return is, "okay, now what is the degree to which intelligence enables, facilitates, contributes to, 'the rest' to which you're opposing intelligence here?". People minimise the depth and breadth of the intellectual substrate of achievement. [[Special:Contributions/141.101.89.211|141.101.89.211]] 09:33, 25 June 2014 (UTC)

: Also, Randall (and everyone saying that) is being highly unjust in equating "people aren't smart" with "people aren't as smart as me". A perfectly valid alternative sense is, "people aren't as smart as to be rationally expected to contribute to rather than damage the discussion/situation/position at hand"--having the objective good, the objective recognition that certain situations (for instance, a certain online conversation which is expected to be competent) require certain minimal intellectual thresholds (for instance, an I.Q. of 120), in mind rather than egotic comparison. Lower intelligence, deny it all you please, comes with temperamental problems for instance. Selection for intelligence will largely filter them out. [[Special:Contributions/141.101.89.211|141.101.89.211]] 09:46, 25 June 2014 (UTC)

:: tl;dr of my entire production here: people must learn that BOTH situations of the Dunning-Kruger are equally harmful, the one that's less often considered perhaps actually even more so. Mistaken self-perception as intelligent is bad for the individual, but refusal to acknowledge the importance of one's own cognitive capacity (which is as good as universal in intelligent people--"I am not that smart" (who hasn't heard that one innumerable times?), "I just like doing thing x, my proficiency in it has nothing to do with my intelligence or I.Q.", "I have areas in which I'm 'stupid' too", "effort counts too") has societal consequences, of contributing to erroneous dismissal of the notions of intelligence & I.Q. & g etc. Shutting up for good now. Night. [[Special:Contributions/141.101.89.211|141.101.89.211]] 10:11, 25 June 2014 (UTC)

::: GAHHHHH just one more thing. Consider this: the fact that people dismiss I.Q. is the best indicator of how important a trait it really is. Thing is, people would not feel compelled by modesty to deny its importance had it not been vitally integral to many, many things. We deny what we value, so to give hope to those who lack that thing (to comfort those who lack intelligence). [[Special:Contributions/141.101.89.211|141.101.89.211]] 10:15, 25 June 2014 (UTC)

:::: Okay, no offense, but maybe you should calm down a bit. It's just a WEBCOMIC, not the Universal Decree of All Things Correct and Accepted as True. Also, I'm pretty sure you're overthinking it. Randall is just poking fun at those who say, "oh, people are stupid, you know". Cueball isn't seriously giving statistics (although I do agree with his logic- intelligence is NOT absolute, it's relative. And IQ is obsolete; it's based on arbitrary tests and vary based on things like race and social class, which should be evidence enough that it isn't some divine, and 100% precise way of calculating cognitive ability). Cueball is simply making fun of White Hat's statement that "people are stupid". Also the comic generally points out making remarks about the human race as a whole doesn't help anything... {{unsigned|Random xkcd Fan}}

:::: Hey 141.101.89.211... I wonder if you have something to say, but despite my best efforts, I'm having trouble following everything you're saying - I have a feeling you were a bit emotional (perhaps tired?) when writing that, or you might have had fewer "more things" immediately following "I'm done" statements. If you're up for it, I'd appreciate you taking the time to make sure you're saying what you want to say, and ''then'' say it, because you seem to at least have good grammar (though there ''were'' a few British spellings... :-D), so I suspect you probably have a good point. It's also conceivable that I'm just not smart enough to get what you're saying (?) or perhaps it's just too ''early'' for me. BTW the best way of making sure I see what you're saying would probably be to let me know on my [[User talk:Brettpeirce|talk page]]... might even have the conversation there if you'd prefer. Thanks for your time. [[User:Brettpeirce|Brettpeirce]] ([[User talk:Brettpeirce|talk]]) 11:25, 25 June 2014 (UTC)
: I don't know why you think that 141.101.89.211... No where does the comic say that. The mocking award is simply mocking people who '''may or may not''' have higher intelligence than the people they're addressing taking a Better Than Thou attitude because they think they do. In other words: "Higher intelligence doesn't give you an excuse to act like a jerk." I'm sure you can agree with that too [[Special:Contributions/108.162.245.218|108.162.245.218]] 04:42, 26 June 2014 (UTC)

I would add one "people are stupid" angle not yet mentioned: judging by behavior, most groups of people are less intelligent that any member of that group individually. This is valid even for the "all people" group - just look at the planet. Surprisingly, judging by content of most wikis, the "editors of wiki" groups seems to immune. -- [[User:Hkmaly|Hkmaly]] ([[User talk:Hkmaly|talk]]) 10:05, 25 June 2014 (UTC)
: Good point--conforming to pressures of one's group or one's position to the detriment of one's judgment is a separate personality trait. The phenomenon is remedied by intelligence, but independent from it. [[Special:Contributions/141.101.89.211|141.101.89.211]] 10:11, 25 June 2014 (UTC)
: Beat me to it. I'd like to add that even individual people have their occasional stupid and intelligent moments, with the stupid ones typically being of greater magnitude. Thus, it's not unreasonable to say that the average actions of people are at least slightly less intelligent than the average intelligence of most people on most days. [[Special:Contributions/173.245.55.83|173.245.55.83]] 12:13, 25 June 2014 (UTC)
: Similar to the statement in the film "Men In Black". Agent J says, "Why the big secret [about the aliens among us]? People are smart. They can handle it." Agent K responds, "A person is smart. People are dumb, panicky dangerous animals and you know it." [[Special:Contributions/108.162.221.45|108.162.221.45]] 01:15, 26 June 2014 (UTC)

I can't believe people say things like that, man, people are stupid [[User:Halfhat|Halfhat]] ([[User talk:Halfhat|talk]]) 10:52, 25 June 2014 (UTC)

Thanks for the Lake Wobegon references. Not only is it on-target, but I take personal joy seeing mentions of uniquely Minnesotan culture anywhere I can find them. --BigMal27, Minnesota-born, Minnesotan-raised // [[Special:Contributions/173.245.55.88|173.245.55.88]] 11:53, 25 June 2014 (UTC)

Instead of saying, "People are stupid," we would do better to say "People make poor decisions / statements / judgments." And this, for multiple reasons, few of them I suspect tied to basal intelligence. Stage of life, level of health and stress, experience relative to the topic, level of education and the quality of that education, cultural idiotic beliefs that interfere with optimal choices, and a zillion others. Plus, as a large percentage of humans are either just coming online in experience and education, or are winding down in health and mental function, we are guaranteed to see a large percentage of stupid decisions right across the IQ landscape. No help for it. [[Special:Contributions/108.162.246.217|108.162.246.217]] 13:04, 25 June 2014 (UTC)
: I.Q. affects level of health and stress, rate of acquisition of experience, level of education, quality of education obtained, preference of cultural beliefs. It doesn't seem to defy reason that it affects the zillion other factors, too. [[Special:Contributions/141.101.89.221|141.101.89.221]] 13:17, 25 June 2014 (UTC)
: Remember, in interaction between psychological and social factors, the question is never of *existence* of a connection, but of its magnitude. It is fine to posit a multitude of environmental factors that determine (ir)rationality, but as long as such position keeps people from connecting I.Q. with those factors' actual occurrence (how much I.Q. does it take to finish a good school? to develop a habit of reading a book every month? this is not at all trivial question, and it needs to be resolved with more than anecdotal evidence of "I know an intelligent illiterate person"), there might be an elephant buried underneath the room which no one knows about. [[Special:Contributions/141.101.89.221|141.101.89.221]] 13:25, 25 June 2014 (UTC)

I know Cueball's explanation can be construed to illustrate otherwise; but I doubt the comic was meant to be a comment on the relative intelligence of humanity. It seems more likely, to me, that the purpose of the comic was to comment on the stonewalling that the mindset, "I'm better than you," induces. [[Special:Contributions/108.162.216.35|108.162.216.35]] 15:12, 25 June 2014 (UTC)

The cartoon never mentions I.Q. at all, Just "Average Intelligence", so the Mean/Median discussion is moot. As for the other discussion on this page, I'm just going to quote Blaise Pascal: "I would have written a shorter letter, but I did not have the time" [[User:Jim E|Jim E]] ([[User talk:Jim E|talk]]) 16:00, 25 June 2014 (UTC)

As mentioned above, in other comments that it's hard to find a way to indent from, there's a difference between different 'average's. (To compare "the median" with "the average" is not a good way of doing it, because one needn't know whether you're talking mean or mode in the second sense. I could even say that I have more than the average number of arms, for a human.) The assumption that the median [i]and[/i] mean (and, perhaps, also mode) are a single location at which 100IQ can be placed is dependant upon the bell curve being symmetrical. Just one hyper-intelligent could skew the mean well above the median. (Ok, so we're talking about comic-book "hyper"ness, to make it significant, in a world's worth of population, but the principle still stands for any more manageable population.) And about IQ tests being recalibrated... there is already a common convention that there's a score-adjuster (or a look-up table, based on this) that gives you different IQs for the same number of correct answers but for people of different ages (and sometimes male/female). Which seems to me like "we give up trying to be demographically neutral, let's just find how well different people answer in our test and then work out where their own arbitrary sub-group's bell-curve stradles". That said, I like IQ tests. I do well in them, and have fun doing them, even if I don't actually believe in them any more than I believe in Sudoku puzzles! And, sorry, I ended up typing far more than I had intended... [[Special:Contributions/141.101.99.193|141.101.99.193]] 16:31, 25 June 2014 (UTC)

I see a lot of discussion on intelligence, but nothing on "losing faith in humanity". The way I see it everywhere is not in response to stupid people, but to acts of inhumanity. Random acts of violence and hate, for example. Or not random, but large scale. "Restored my faith in humanity" comments often refer to the opposite (in my experience) which involve random acts of kindness, or large-scale altruism. [[Special:Contributions/108.162.237.161|108.162.237.161]] 08:48, 26 June 2014 (UTC)

What about people using Facebook, Twitter, Whatsapp and any other "social network web 2.0" thing? They certainly aren't an individual or small group, they are stupid and I've lost my faith in them. :) {{unsigned ip|173.245.56.166}}

There are distributions where majority of the population would indeed be below average. Luckily for humanity, intelligence is on a bell curve! I am happy beyond words that this is the case. {{unsigned ip|108.162.216.31}}

This has to be one of the most entertaining boring conversations I've ever come across! Brilliant! (Or not.) [[User:Taibhse|Taibhse]] ([[User talk:Taibhse|talk]]) 14:12, 26 June 2014 (UTC)

I think when someone says "people are stupid", they actually usually mean something like "people systematically make mistakes that I feel are readily avoidable", rather than making an actual judgement regarding general intelligence. So this comic feels rather off to me. [[Special:Contributions/173.245.48.113|173.245.48.113]] 08:01, 27 June 2014 (UTC)

:If you read xkcd long enough, you'll find a lot of Randall's comics feel "off." {{unsigned ip|108.162.212.215}}

Interestingly, the people making comments about average people being stupid tend to be, eh, below-average-smart themselves. [[Special:Contributions/108.162.246.217|108.162.246.217]] 00:47, 28 June 2014 (UTC)

:"Interestingly," huh? You sound smart. [[Special:Contributions/108.162.212.215|108.162.212.215]] 14:39, 30 June 2014 (UTC)

When I say "People are stupid" I mean that a group of people making a decision is much stupider than a person. [[Special:Contributions/108.162.246.215|108.162.246.215]] 04:33, 28 June 2014 (UTC)

'''"No, people aren't stupid. On average, people are of average intelligence."'''

Hey, guys. Consider that average intelligence ''is'' stupid. [[Special:Contributions/108.162.212.215|108.162.212.215]] 14:39, 30 June 2014 (UTC)
: Yeah, this is how I've always interpreted "People are stupid" it means, considering we all think we're a smart species, our average intelligence is really low. It's not "I'm better than everybody/average/most people" but "Everybody/the average person/most people is/are worse than most people believe" [[Special:Contributions/141.101.99.216|141.101.99.216]] 13:15, 15 July 2014 (UTC)
:: You stupid, stupid humans. [[Special:Contributions/162.158.255.52|162.158.255.52]] 02:25, 25 September 2015 (UTC)

What if the distribution of intelligence is bimodal? If no one is of "average" intelligence, might the more extreme stupidity of a large portion of the population give the impression that the actual average is lower than it appears? [[User:Bppubjr|Bppubjr]] ([[User talk:Bppubjr|talk]]) 14:48, 1 July 2014 (UTC)

"People is dumb." [[Special:Contributions/173.245.52.164|173.245.52.164]]

All the (admittedly online) IQ tests I've done have always been focussed on logic, mental manipulation of shapes, maths, deduction etc. While this favours those with a certain type of brain, I can't help but think it is heavily biased against those with creative types of thinking. Hand me a paintbrush and canvas, and my logical brain is of no help at all --[[User:Pudder|Pudder]] ([[User talk:Pudder|talk]]) 15:17, 20 October 2014 (UTC)
:Intelligence is the ability of learning, the use of logic and solving problems. While being creative is good, necessary and a very useful thing by itself, is NOT intelligence. So a person could be creative and being dumb at the same time, or the opposite. Also, there are not different kind of brains. The whole left-brain vs right-brain thing is a myth: http://www.livescience.com/39373-left-brain-right-brain-myth.html [[Special:Contributions/173.245.48.29|173.245.48.29]] 21:07, 25 March 2015 (UTC)

Not XKCD's best work. This is a normal response that smarter people initially feel when encountering others, having taking themselves as the baseline. This actually reflects a lack of elitism, where you expect other people to be the same as you and are surprised they are not (pretty much the opposite as portrayed here). Case in point is Freeman Dyson. Here's an excerpt from the Atlantic Monthly piece on him:

The prodigy in question, Freeman Dyson, now middle-aged, stared ahead, his incessant concentration on the road unbroken. He seemed mesmerized by the oncoming pavement, or by some idea or formulation glimpsed in the immateriality beyond the pavement. I asked him whether as a boy he had speculated much about his gift. Had he asked himself why he had this special power? Why he was so bright?

Dyson is almost infallibly a modest and self-effacing man, but tonight his eyes were blank with fatigue, and his answer was uncharacteristic.

“That’s not how the question phrases itself,” he said. “The question is: why is everyone else so stupid?”

[[Special:Contributions/108.162.241.124|108.162.241.124]] 00:41, 6 November 2015 (UTC)

'''386 + 1000?'''

In Duty Calls (386) http://http://xkcd.com/386/ people were just wrong. Fast forward 1000 strips and they are stupid. [[User:Hananc|Hananc]] ([[User talk:Hananc|talk]]) 13:55, 23 July 2016 (UTC)

I disagree with the author here. Due to ambiguities of language it can correctly be said that most people are stupid. On one hand, we have the strict definition of average intelligence: it is defined by the intelligence of the average. If, however, one defines intelligence based on each person's average use of what they have, well, averaged over time, most people don't use what they have. That is why I assert that most people are stupid: because they have the ability to be average or above, but in practice their lack of thinking leads to decisions as bad of those who would score far worse on any real or theoretically perfect test.

note: The form of testing and its accuracy is irrelevant. It's just a score generated by a process.

[[Special:Contributions/172.68.174.16|172.68.174.16]] 07:37, 13 November 2018 (UTC)

Anybody else notice how '''TRIGGER WARNING: DO NOT READ IF YOU CAN'T TAKE CRITICISM''' might be proving [[White Hat]]'s idea right? Just look at the arguments! Note: While not all people are stupid, a moderate percentage of internet contributers have been observed to act stupidly.[[Special:Contributions/108.162.242.21|108.162.242.21]] 19:50, 6 November 2019 (UTC)

== Analysis of definitions ==

1. "People are X" can mean either "all people are X" (1a) or "most people possess the property Y at least to the degree X" (1b), in this case " a majority of people are unintelligent enough to be called stupid"

2. "Stupid" can mean "below average intelligence" (2a) or "less smart than a reference value (ex. the intelligence of the speaker, or how intelligent the speaker would like humans to be, or than required to deal with a task or problem at hand)" (2b).

Now we just need to go through the combinations of the definitions.

1a/2a. All people have intelligence below average. Impossible by definition of "average".

1b/2a. A majority of people have below average intelligence. Possible if the distribution curve is skewed, i.e. if most people have intelligence slightly below average and some people are a lot smarter than the average. My sample, however, says that the opposite is the case, though it might also be skewed in respect to general population.

1a/2b. No people are smart enough for X. Possible depending on the definition of "enough". The speaker is very probably not the smartest human being in existence, but some statements such as "no living human have demonstrated enough intelligence to formulate a definite proof of Riemann hypothesis as of yet" are objectively true.

1b/2b. Most people are not smart enough for X. Again possible depending on the definition, moreso as most if not all problems could be solved well enough if all or most people just cooperated better and prioritized the global good over their own.

Therefore, the statement can be fine as long as the speaker has a good reason to say it in a particular context and/or includes himself in it. In any other case, Cueball's reaction is justified.

Edit: This comment above isn't mine.
I have to disagree with this comic. Yes, on average, people are of average intelligence. However, if the average intelligence is "stupid", then the average person is stupid. [[User:R3TRI8UTI0N|R3TRI8UTI0N]] ([[User talk:R3TRI8UTI0N|talk]]) 00:11, 30 March 2023 (UTC)

Talk:913: Core

2023-07-27T03:32:52Z

R3TRI8UTI0N:

And the crust is just thin enough that volcanoes and earthquakes are a thing. Safety! '''[[User:Davidy22|{{Color|#707|David}}y²²]]'''[[User talk:Davidy22|<tt>[talk]</tt>]] 01:30, 17 April 2013 (UTC)

Isn't the glancing down and saying "I study that" a reference to something more inappropriate? ~ JFreund
:I think that's the joke. [[User:NealCruco|NealCruco]] ([[User talk:NealCruco|talk]]) 17:27, 17 March 2014 (UTC)
::No it isn't. That interpretation is not related to the comic in any way. Removed the last paragraph of the explanation as it is irrelevant to the comic. [[User:R3TRI8UTI0N|R3TRI8UTI0N]] ([[User talk:R3TRI8UTI0N|talk]]) 03:01, 24 March 2023 (UTC)
:::Are you more sure than the many people who would have read this over the years and ''not'' decided to remove the comment? Very admirable of you to be so impulsively certain. [[Special:Contributions/172.70.86.148|172.70.86.148]] 03:43, 24 March 2023 (UTC)
::::I'll admit that it is a possible interpretation, but it is most definitely not Randall's intention while making this comic. If you want, go ahead and add it to the trivia section. I'm not doing it. [[User:R3TRI8UTI0N|R3TRI8UTI0N]] ([[User talk:R3TRI8UTI0N|talk]]) 03:32, 27 July 2023 (UTC)

I agree. If you stand with your arm at shoulder height and gesture downwards, saying "I study that", you will be pointing both toward the center of the earth and at your own genitals. That is the joke in the title text. {{unsigned ip|173.245.52.196}}
:Am I the only one who thinks that that interpretation is dumb? It's clearly just a non-joking comment about how awesome it is to study the planet billions of humans live on, or so I think. [[User:Jacky720|That's right, Jacky720 just signed this]] ([[User talk:Jacky720|talk]] | [[Special:Contributions/Jacky720|contribs]]) 17:28, 22 June 2019 (UTC)
::No, I think you're right. The genital theory could be considered a humorous opening to a speech, but I believe it is a reference to the planet below everyone. [[Special:Contributions/162.158.106.234|162.158.106.234]] 15:50, 17 December 2019 (UTC)

And if Carlos Saldanha,s documentary is correct, the earth will be filled - FILLED - with velociraptors. [[Special:Contributions/173.245.56.191|173.245.56.191]] 15:25, 29 August 2014 (UTC)

FYI: It's not ''right'' under you. It's more like far, far, very far away from you. '''AND''' it's quite some time behind you, left of you, right of you, in front of you, and sometimes even {{w|Underwater Diving|above you}}. {{w|Sleep|See also!}}{{unsigned ip|162.158.83.144}}

Talk:1934: Phone Security

2023-07-27T03:28:39Z

R3TRI8UTI0N:

"Detonated" ah, so this is the feature that Samsung was prototyping last year... [[User:Andyd273|Andyd273]] ([[User talk:Andyd273|talk]]) 15:39, 27 December 2017 (UTC)

:Ha! Yes, it's too bad their phones kept mistakenly registering as being stolen... stupid bugs. [[Special:Contributions/172.69.70.107|172.69.70.107]] 17:28, 27 December 2017 (UTC) Sam

:Back in the day if a hacker really hated you, you'd come back to your computer and see smoke pouring out of the CPU. I bet there's some way to detonate a phone in software by overheating the battery, but I imagine it could be different for every phone/battery combination. {{unsigned ip| 108.162.219.64}}

::Already done. http://www.zdnet.com/article/this-crypto-mining-android-malware-is-so-demanding-it-burst-a-smartphone/ [[User:Silverpie|Silverpie]] ([[User talk:Silverpie|talk]]) 23:09, 28 December 2017 (UTC)

Someone needs to make a jailbreak that does as much of this as possible, especially the ridesharing and siren 😂 [[User:PotatoGod|PotatoGod]] ([[User talk:PotatoGod|talk]]) 15:52, 27 December 2017 (UTC)

: there was or is at least one house in the U.S. that was reported, apparently inaccurately, as the location of an extraordinary number of stolen cell phones. Presumably that house would suffer all of the pranks that this phone security performs. As for payment details - someone who stole a phone may have also stolen banking cards, so, the account number that you steal back may belong to another innocent victim. It's just a joke of course, but, saying. [[Special:Contributions/162.158.111.235|162.158.111.235]] 22:02, 27 December 2017 (UTC)

Made a account just to ask this - why is the post still considered incomplete? It looks complete to me. [[User:Donutman|Donutman]] ([[User talk:Donutman|talk]]) 13:59, 28 December 2017 (UTC)

: Because I added the core explanation, but many improvements have been made since then (bullet points, bolding, transcript). Also, the siren would be insanely easy to do, as would an automated "send the GPS location to the police" among other things. [[User:Kashim|Kashim]] ([[User talk:Kashim|talk]]) 14:15, 28 December 2017 (UTC)
::I've removed the tag right now after I added that the phone would have to sense that it is stolen. There is no sensor to detect this. --[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 19:46, 28 December 2017 (UTC)
:::Bluetooth. With paired device on owner, the phone can detect if it was moved from owner. -- [[User:Hkmaly|Hkmaly]] ([[User talk:Hkmaly|talk]]) 01:19, 29 December 2017 (UTC)
:::: No good. Firstly, no phone (that I know of) comes with such a device, which I would guess would be called a dongle. Secondly, if they did it wouldn't take long for thieves to realize they have to get the dongle, too. Thirdly, that would mean the owner could never put down their phone, like at home or at work - I've heard of a few workplaces which are high security and don't allow cell phones, so they have to be left in the car or in a locker near the entrance - unless they remember to put down the device too (which would largely defeat the purpose of such a device). And the first time they forget and the phone identified itself as stolen would be enough to convince the rightful owner that this system doesn't work. Fourthly, anything wireless must work by battery. When that battery dies, either the phone would trigger as being stolen, or it would have to detect the battery dying to not go off, in which case you're vulnerable to theft until you charge the ownership dongle. [[User:NiceGuy1|NiceGuy1]] ([[User talk:NiceGuy1|talk]]) 09:36, 29 December 2017 (UTC)
:::::All points you raised are real, but don't make it impossible. Sure, it would be bad idea to detonate or something like that when the dongle gets out of range, but it can be used to start making noise (the siren option). For the other countermeasures, the phone should detect being stolen by incorrect password being entered repeatedly. -- [[User:Hkmaly|Hkmaly]] ([[User talk:Hkmaly|talk]]) 23:36, 29 December 2017 (UTC)
::::::Just to follow this up, for most of the countermeasures, it seems relatively clear that the phone would consider itself stolen when somebody tries to wipe it or enters the wrong password too many times. The owner would have some secret wiping procedure that performs a legitimate wipe, and when the phone is wiped using a normal procedure it considers itself stolen and engages all its countermeasures. [[Special:Contributions/108.162.212.107|108.162.212.107]] 19:08, 30 December 2017 (UTC)
: You didn't need an account to write a comment - any commenter name that's an IP address is such a guest commentor. I posted many before I created an account. :) [[User:NiceGuy1|NiceGuy1]] ([[User talk:NiceGuy1|talk]]) 09:36, 29 December 2017 (UTC)

I first thought "erase phone" meant "erase physically", but "detonate" makes that somewhat redundant. [[Special:Contributions/141.101.105.240|141.101.105.240]] 11:54, 29 December 2017 (UTC)

Hahaha!!! Waiting for the iOS update with all these features... [[User:Herobrine|Herobrine]] ([[User talk:Herobrine|talk]]) 13:45, 18 March 2018 (UTC)

Removed the bit about the 5mph car being similar to the plot of the movie "{{w|It Follows}}". This trope of something stalking someone is too generic to warrant the mention of a specific movie. I commented this on 7 April but forgot to type the wavy thingy. Now, it's 27 July. [[User:R3TRI8UTI0N|R3TRI8UTI0N]] ([[User talk:R3TRI8UTI0N|talk]]) 03:28, 27 July 2023 (UTC)

Category:Fleshlights

2023-05-03T06:09:55Z

R3TRI8UTI0N:

*{{w|Fleshlight}} is a male {{w|sex toy}} designed to imitate one of various orifices, most commonly a vagina.
*There have been so many references to these in xkcd, that they seem to be a kind of [[468: Fetishes|fetish]] for [[Randall]]. (Hi, I know this is not proper procedure, but considering how there are over 2700 comics, and only 5 with fleshlights in them, I highly doubt that it is a fetish. I'm not sure to delete this, or not.)

[[Category:Sex]]

Talk:2000: xkcd Phone 2000

2023-04-07T13:19:36Z

R3TRI8UTI0N:

Huh, it's not a milestone comic like 1000 was. [[Special:Contributions/172.68.58.191|172.68.58.191]] 16:16, 30 May 2018 (UTC)

:Yeah, I'm slightly disappointed honestly [[Special:Contributions/172.68.54.46|172.68.54.46]] 16:22, 30 May 2018 (UTC)

:Gotta wait for an actual round number, like 0b100000000000 [[Special:Contributions/162.158.111.127|162.158.111.127]] 16:38, 30 May 2018 (UTC)

:Well it is the phone 2000 and he does mention in passing asking if 2000 is a good number to choose [[User:Zachweix|Zachweix]] ([[User talk:Zachweix|talk]]) 16:39, 30 May 2018 (UTC)

:What am I waiting for more: 2018 or 2048? [[User:SilverMagpie|SilverMagpie]] ([[User talk:SilverMagpie|talk]]) 16:53, 30 May 2018 (UTC)

:Waiting for 2018 personally. A comic that has looked at the calendar so many times should be able to see the comic number match the year. [[User:Lukeskylicker|Lukeskylicker]] ([[User talk:Lukeskylicker|talk]]) 17:36, 30 May 2018 (UTC)

: I think it is pretty clearly a milestone comic. Previous xkcd Phones were timed near iPhone releases. This is very specifically for the 2000th comic. I think it no coincidence that the xkcd Phone 2000 was released for the 2000th one, and think it should be mentioned. [[Special:Contributions/162.158.63.28|162.158.63.28]] 18:04, 30 May 2018 (UTC)

:I was disappointed, was expecting a 1000-style comic. [[User:JayPlaysBeamNG|JayPlaysBeamNG]] ([[User talk:JayPlaysBeamNG|talk]]) 19:43, 30 May 2018 (UTC)

:That's just the exact same thing as 1000, which IMHO I don't really want. [[Special:Contributions/172.68.46.41|172.68.46.41]] 20:08, 30 May 2018 (UTC)

It might be worth noting, that mouse cursors were a thing on BlackBerry smartphones. [[Special:Contributions/162.158.202.100|162.158.202.100]] 17:00, 30 May 2018 (UTC)
:Those had the weird double-screens, where you could lightly drag your finger around and the cursor would follow, and if you pushed hard it would click. Most people found it to be annoying at best, IIRC. [[Special:Contributions/162.158.74.165|162.158.74.165]] 18:38, 30 May 2018 (UTC)

They actually still work on Android if you pair a mouse with the phone (at least, last I tried it). This was actually annoying - my Apple Magic Mouse prefers to pair to my Android Phone than to my Macbook Pro! [[User:Fluppeteer|Fluppeteer]] ([[User talk:Fluppeteer|talk]]) 17:59, 30 May 2018 (UTC)

I would buy it just to be able to plug a keyboard into the type A port. I hate the USB host-peripheral thing... My phone is more than capable of handling external devices. [[User:Linker|Linker]] ([[User talk:Linker|talk]])
:Don't you like USB OTG or type C adaptors? Bluetooth keyboards should actually work with many Android (or Windows Mobile) devices. [[User:Fluppeteer|Fluppeteer]] ([[User talk:Fluppeteer|talk]]) 17:59, 30 May 2018 (UTC)
:: Most Android phones accept keyboard/mouse/pendrive/whatever standard USB peripheral through its USB, some are able to power them, for others you need to provide an external power source. For my old Moto Droid 4, I connected OTG adapter to a USB hub and there one self-made male-male cable for power and rest for peripherals :) As soon as you connect a mouse, the pointer appears. [[Special:Contributions/172.68.215.103|172.68.215.103]] 07:56, 31 May 2018 (UTC)
::The issue is you need the adapter. I hope to get an OTG adapter someday, but it is just annoying to have to carry an adapter around (Thank goodness I still have a headphone jack...)I am really hoping type C just cleans up the mess, considering a lot of phones have more power than some old desktops... it just bugs me. 'Course, it would probably not be a priority for the OEM's because 99% won't care. [[User:Linker|Linker]] ([[User talk:Linker|talk]]) 15:45, 31 May 2018 (UTC)

I think PCB refers to Printed Circuit Board which I assume naturally doesn't contain BPA. [[Special:Contributions/172.68.174.28|172.68.174.28]] 18:54, 30 May 2018 (UTC)
: I edited the explanation to include Printed Circuit Board. I didn't go as far as to remove the alternate explanation, but I think you are correct [[User:Itijara|Itijara]] ([[User talk:Itijara|talk]]) 19:57, 30 May 2018 (UTC) Itijara

The charging area looks an awful lot like the suggestive violin plots of [[1967:_Violin_Plots]] {{unsigned ip|162.158.186.42 }}

Is that even a "standard" USB port? it looks like it has one too many pins to me, although i guess maybe it could be a 3.0 port. [[Special:Contributions/172.69.68.219|172.69.68.219]] 21:58, 30 May 2018 (UTC)

;Title text - Our retina display features hundreds of pixels per inch in the central fovea region.
There is so much language in this and a big error not covered here:
*''Our'' isn't them, it's us! We all (mostly) have two eyes and the retina collects visual information in pixels.
*But hundreds of pixels is far too low. The Wiki article {{w|Fovea centralis}} tells me "50 per 100 micrometres in the most central fovea". This is approximately 12,700 per inch. This would lead to roughly 162 GigaPixels.
*And then the human eye isn't large as an inch, and the "most central fovea" is much smaller. Maybe Randall will correct the "hundreds of pixels per inch"...
Nevertheless the word ''retina'' is focusing on people who know the ''Apple Retina Display'' but don't know where it comes from. --[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 22:06, 30 May 2018 (UTC)
:*"Our" means this is a promotional page created by the company that made the phone, so it's "our phone" as in "the phone this company made and is now promoting". It's normal English use, there's no comment to be made.
:*Hundreds of pixels being far too low is one of the jokes in the comic, that they're bragging about a number that is not only unimpressive, but would be embarrassing.
:*Therefore Randall won't be correcting it, it's an intentional joke. [[User:NiceGuy1|NiceGuy1]] ([[User talk:NiceGuy1|talk]]) 05:12, 12 June 2018 (UTC)

No comment on "®®™®©™®"?? {{unsigned ip|162.158.74.147}}

I honestly hope comic 2001 has a reference to ''2001: A Space Odyssey''. {{unsigned ip|162.158.74.135}}

Why '''Maggie Haberman'''? Is it just because of her prolific Twitter usage? I'm not aware how that relates to captioning photos, am I missing a reference? {{unsigned|JohnHawkinson}}
:I have a theory: the Golden Age SF writer "Cordwainer Smith" (Professor Paul Myron Anthony Linebarger), in one of his earliest stories, had people undergo the Haberman process to enable them to survive the weird space-induced pain of his Instrumentality of Mankind universe. OK, really I doubt that had anything to do with it, but I did think of that when I saw the reporter's name. [[User:Nitpicking|Nitpicking]] ([[User talk:Nitpicking|talk]]) 23:41, 2 April 2023 (UTC)

If comic #404 wasn't counted due to Comic Not Found, it means that this comic is not really #2000, but rather #1999. Probably on Wednesday it will be truly comic #2000. {{unsigned|Xkcdreader52}}

Could "keyboard supports dynamic typing" actually refer to the fact that the keyboard can be used to write different words, and not in fact be locked into writing the same sentence over and over again... A sensible but clearly not marketing material point
[[Special:Contributions/141.101.99.197|141.101.99.197]] 21:59, 31 May 2018 (UTC)Sedontane

I interpreted the death mask thing to mean that the phone would edit a picture of you to resemble what you will look like when you die, which would resemble your present state more or less closely depending on how and when that happens. {{unsigned ip|172.68.58.131}}

There are two Unicode characters for the letters C and R in circles. The enclosed C and enclosed R characters are neither superscript or subscript. and registered trademark (&reg; ®) and copyright (&copy; ©) are smaller and often superscript. The copyright symbol should be used in place of enclosed C and the registered trademark symbol should be used instead of enclosed R. All registered trademarks are trademarks. Not all trademarks are registered copyrights. Therefore, the two symbols should not be used together. You should have only one of the symbols (® ™ ©) and it should appear immediately after the item it refers to. Items can have copyrights, trademarks, and service marks, but not a combination. Dictionary words, such as "number" can't be copyrighted. It might be possible to apply for a trademark or service mark, but you would have a hard time defending it in court. [[User:BradleyRoss|BradleyRoss]] ([[User talk:BradleyRoss|talk]]) 16:14, 1 June 2018 (UTC)

When i read the camera obscura bit i was thinking of the camera from Fatal Frame which allows its user to see/fight off ghosts. That makes more sense to me than the explanation here which is more of a projector than camera. {{unsigned ip|162.158.92.238}}

No, it'sn't a futuristic name anymore. I already wander in time, last time I was in the 2060s and the 2080s. And for me, "'90s" mean the 2090s.[[Special:Contributions/162.158.88.26|162.158.88.26]] 12:09, 25 June 2018 (UTC)

Regarding the swiss army knife, I think this may be a reference to the fact that the swiss army knife is a multitool, and a smartphone is sort of a digital multitool, so they kind-of go together

JavaScript is dynamically typed, and JSFuck is a subset of javascript, so a keyboard with support for dynamic typing could theoretically have only 6 characters

Some guy wrote that the next comic in the xkcd phone series came out five months later. He/She was off by two years. [[User:R3TRI8UTI0N|R3TRI8UTI0N]] ([[User talk:R3TRI8UTI0N|talk]]) 13:19, 7 April 2023 (UTC)

2000: xkcd Phone 2000

2023-04-07T13:18:27Z

R3TRI8UTI0N:

{{comic
| number = 2000
| date = May 30, 2018
| title = xkcd Phone 2000
| image = xkcd_phone_2000.png
| titletext = Our retina display features hundreds of pixels per inch in the central fovea region.
}}

==Explanation==
This is the seventh entry in the ongoing [[:Category:xkcd Phones|xkcd Phone series]], and once again, the comic plays with many standard tech buzzwords, and horribly misuses all of them, to create a phone that sounds impressive but self-evidently isn't to even the most ignorant customer. The previous comic in the series [[1889: xkcd Phone 6]] was released 8 and a half months before this one, and the next comic [[2377: xkcd Phone 12]] was released two years and five months later.

This time a nonconsecutive version number is used to match the milestone comic number 2000.

List of features (clockwise from top-center):

*'''Dockless:''' It was common practice for older standard cellphones (i.e. non-smartphones) to use a docking station for charging. "Dockless" could be a catchy marketing term for wireless charging, or it could simply mean wired charging without a dock.
*'''Silent:''' Most mobile phones have a "Silent" mode in which all ringing and vibration is muted, so the user can receive messages and missed-call notifications in a place that requires silence. This xkcd Phone feature may be a "Silent" mode button, but perhaps the phone is silent all the time and unable to produce sound at all. While most people these days use their smartphones for functions that do not require sound, a completely silent phone would not fit the traditional definition of a "phone". This feature is labelled at the location where a headphone socket would traditionally be, although some recent phones have discarded the traditional headphone jack in place of wireless headphones.
*'''Quad camera takes four copies of every picture:''' Recent phones have added up to three rear-facing cameras, offering different fields of view, monochrome cameras for low light, and a wider base for emulating depth of field effects. This phone's cameras might take four ''identical'' pictures simultaneously, which would use up storage space at 4 times the rate of a standard camera while providing no advantage.
*'''Front-facing camera obscura:''' A {{w|camera obscura}} is a dark room or box with a small hole allowing light to enter. The size of the hole causes light travelling in straight lines to project a dim inverted image on the back of the room or box; the concept is the predecessor to a modern camera, which uses a lens to allow more light to enter. A camera obscura is not strictly speaking a camera as in an image capture device (although there are pin-hole cameras which use the same mechanism). Actual phones have front-facing conventional cameras, allowing selfies, video calling, etc.
*'''3D facial contour analysis shows you a realistic preview of your death mask:''' Recent computational photography effects implemented on mobile phones support facial analysis, allowing for artificial relighting or the creation of avatars. However, since a {{w|death mask}} is created to look just like the deceased's face, all cameras provide this "feature" automatically.
*'''Sponsored pixels:''' Presumably this means that parts of the screen (pixels) can be bought in a sponsoring deal. If enough pixels are sold, your screen would be rendered unusable. It is common for advertisers to buy part of the screen real-estate on a service web site (in fact, {{w|The Million Dollar Homepage}} hosted nothing but a 1000x1000 pixel grid of advertisements), and "images" the size of individual pixels can be used to track site access without being intrusive to the user. For the xkcd Phone 2000, it appears that advertisers have access to part of the screen (worryingly, right in the middle). Slightly less intrusive approaches have been used in bookstores selling customized versions of the Kindle, for example, and it is common for cell phone networks to insist on network-specific software to be installed on a phone.
*'''Front and rear pop-out grips:''' There are accessories that stick to the rear of a phone and can be "popped out", offering a grip, a stand, or somewhere to store headphone cables. Integrating such a feature into the phone design is novel, although some phones have incorporated kick stands. Pop-out grips are normally placed on the back of the phone to make it easier to hold with one hand. Having a second grip to the front of the phone does nothing except block part of the screen. There could be a small screen on the top of the grip since the grip is shown to contain "Sponsored Pixels".
*'''Humidity-controlled crisper:''' A crisper is a drawer in a refrigerator meant to control the humidity to keep vegetables from drying out and getting limp. Obviously, a smartphone would have no need for a crisper{{Citation needed}}.
*'''Antikythera mechanism:''' The {{w|antikythera mechanism}} is an ancient Greek clockwork device for predicting astronomical positions. It is one of the earliest known analogue computers. While impressive for its time, by now it is obsolete by millennia.
*'''New York Times partnership: all photos taken with camera app are captioned in real time by reporter Maggie Haberman:''' Modern phones can use machine learning techniques (usually in the cloud) to identify and tag camera content - this makes it possible to search, for example, for photos containing a particular person or subject without requiring user input. Cellphone photos are often used in contributions to social media with some form of user-provided caption. This phone appears to combine the two, using {{w|Maggie Haberman}} to provide automatic captions for photos taken by the phone's owner (although whether this is explicitly for social media use or internal to the phone is unclear).
*'''Spit valve:''' A water key, or "spit valve," is a feature on most brass and some woodwind instruments used to empty the instrument of condensation caused by the musician's breath (and not, as is commonly thought, saliva). Of course, one wouldn't think condensation would form on the inside of a smartphone{{Citation needed}}.
*'''Standard USB connector:''' a USB A port is displayed. Unfortunately, a "standard" USB connector, according to the USB standard, would be a USB B port as a phone typically acts as the "slave" device, rather than the "host" as a USB A port would imply. However, in recent updates to the USB standard, bi-communication between 2 A ports is supported.
*'''Coin purse-style squeeze access:''' presumably, the casing is flexible in this region, and when squeezed at the sides (a bad idea, considering the next design item) reveals the USB A port and spit valve.
*'''Hollow-ground:''' a {{w|Grind#Typical_grinds|hollow grind}} is a type of knife (or similar sharp tool) edge noted for sharpness and general fragility, often seen in razors. This seems to imply that the phone is exceedingly smooth, which would make it difficult to hold{{Citation needed}}. This is a far more reasonable feature to apply to the included knife than the entire case.
*'''Absorbent:''' Many modern phones are designed to be waterproof, to avoid accidents and allow use in the rain. It's also common to have some form of oleophobic coating on the screen to reduce smearing as fingers are used on the touchscreen. This phone seems to have the reverse feature, and be explicitly designed to absorb things (presumably liquids--perhaps that's why it needs a spit valve). "Absorbent" is more commonly a property touted by the packaging of paper towels.
*'''Keyboard supports dynamic typing:''' {{w|Type_system#Dynamic_type_checking_and_runtime_type_information|Dynamic typing}} is a computer programming concept, and has nothing to do with typing on a keyboard.
*'''Backflow preventer:''' A {{w|backflow prevention device}} is a mechanism that avoids the possibility of liquid (usually water) traveling in the opposite direction from the normal intent if the expected pressure is inverted. Since there is not normally any liquid flowing through a phone (unless in this case relating to the spit valve), this would not normally be a useful feature. However, some smart phones do contain pressure measuring devices such as barometers (which can also be used in some cases to detect the phone being squeezed), so maybe this phone is intended to be resilient to such conditions.
*'''Swiss Army partnership: folding knife (unlocks only if Switzerland is invaded):''' A {{w|Swiss Army knife}} is a folding knife, traditionally with many secondary "blades" for multiple uses such as can openers and files. Usually it is a generic term for that style of knife, but the knife in this phone surprisingly really has a connection with the army of {{w|Switzerland}}. Switzerland is known for remaining neutral (and not being invaded) in both of the World Wars of the 20th century despite war raging across surrounding countries, suggesting that it is unlikely that the knife would ever be unlocked. While such a feature on a phone (or phone case) may be useful, it is likely to be a safety concern, and a threat to convenience when security checkpoints such as airports start confiscating the phone when they notice it conceals a knife blade. What's more, a phone does not provide the ideal grip for a knife blade - especially if force is to be applied to it. This may also reference the Swiss military practice of soldiers keeping military rifles in their private homes but only being given ammunition in the event the army is mobilized.
*'''100% BPA-free PCB construction:''' {{w|Bisphenol A}} (BPA) is a chemical used in plastics such as waterbottles. Recent studies show that BPA can leach estrogen-like compounds into liquids, so BPA-free water bottles have become popular. PCB probably refers to a {{w|printed circuit board}}, which is made of resin-bonded fiberglass, not plastic, and which contains the electrical components that control most modern electronic devices such as phones. It may also refer to {{w|Polychlorinated biphenyl}} (PCBs), a category of persistent organic pollutants which are not used very much any more; it would be far worse than BPA for anyone concerned with the issue.
*'''AMOLCD display (7-segment):''' {{w|AMOLED}} is a display technology often used in cell phones, providing thin and emissive displays. {{w|Liquid-crystal_display|LCD}} is another display technology used in phones, and works by blocking light from a separate backlight. A {{w|Seven-segment_display|7-segment display}} is a device made of seven independently-controlled segments (usually either LCD or LED) which can be used to display a single digit; as such the technology is common in traditional digital watches. In contrast most phone displays are made of a uniform high-resolution pixel grid that allows arbitrary content, like random images, to be displayed, although some very old (pre-smart) cellphones and land lines did use this technology in displaying a phone number, like the {{w|Motorola Fone|MotoFone F3}}. The technology cannot represent the entire alphabet without modification (one method is to put X's on both the top and bottom squares) , so it is inappropriate for displaying plain text, let alone graphics and images.
*'''Runs on battery for the first 6 hours, then uses gasoline:''' A nod to the increased popularity of gas-electric hybrid vehicles. This would be a fantastic breakthrough for fuel cells. There have been many attempts to create a highly portable fuel cell that can be used to power phones. Although having to use gasoline instead of a USB cord would likely cause more problems for the average consumer, like the phone blowing up, a fuel cell does have some notable advantages over a standard lithium-ion battery. When comparing a fuel cell to a battery of equal size the fuel cell will be capable of powering an object for far longer than the battery. This includes lithium-ion batteries which are commonly used for powering phones and are typically the majority of its mass. This would mean one could shrink the size of the battery substantially yet still be able to provide the same amount of power. The smaller battery can be kept as is in order to reduce the weight of the phone or can free up space for more features to be installed into the phone. This might simply be the first xkcd phone that mentions that it does this. Provides a possible explanation to how the manufacturer of the phone is capable of fitting so many unusual features into the phone to begin with. Another advantage of a fuel cell powered phone is that it is independent from a working power grid (useful for disaster situations where thousands of people would no longer be capable of staying in contact with others or people who are stranded and alone) and there is no need for a bulky generator to convert the gasoline into electricity first. This is not the first time Randall has talked about this before, with much of the information here coming from what-if #128: {{what if|128|Zippo Phone}}.
*'''Sharpie® dual stylus (dry-erase + permanent)''' [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sharpie Sharpie®] is a brand most associated with a line of permanent fine-tip markers. While a stylus is generally a pen-like object that doesn't create markings, but instead allows finer input on a touch screen, "Dry-Erase + Permanent" implies that these are in fact markers. These would allow the user to write on the screen, but as this wouldn't allow any form on input to the phone, it would only serve as a very expensive pseudo-whiteboard. Even if they were actually styluses, having two would be of little use. Note that permanent was previously spelled "permenant", incorrectly. This was later corrected; See [[#Trivia]]
*'''Mouse cursor:''' A feature of BlackBerry smartphones using mice has gone out of favor due to the popularity of touch screens, which are lighter and more convenient. However, Android devices, at least, still support Bluetooth HID access, and on some devices it is possible to pair the device with a mouse (and keyboard) and access the screen through a mouse pointer. These peripherals may also be attached with {{w|USB On-The-Go}}. This can be particularly useful if the device is exporting its display to a large external screen - and {{w|Samsung_DeX|some manufacturers}} have provided tethering systems based around pairing a phone with a mouse. 

The tagline for the phone says that the marketing team hopes that 2000 still sounds like a futuristic number. It was common for a time to have futuristic science-fiction take place on or around the year 2000 (e.g. 2001: A Space Odyssey, Knight Rider 2000, Death Race 2000, Space: 1999), and many devices marketed in the late 20th century had a "2000" as part of their product name in order to sound futuristic. However, since the year 2000 was 18 years ago at the time of this comic's publication, this is no longer the case. The number 2000 also represents the fact that this is the 2000th xkcd comic.

The nonsensical trademarking of xkcd Phone slogans has become even more pronounced: as well as the inapplicable-as-ever copyright symbol, the slogan is listed three times as a {{w|registered trademark}} and twice as an unregistered one – and the second of those trademark signs is itself trademarked.

The title text refers to {{w|Retina Display}}, a term used to describe Apple products with higher pixel densities. The xkcd Phone marketing team would be unable to use the term due to Apple's having registered it as a trademark, as it would be a copyright violation. Additionally, the {{w|Fovea centralis|central fovea region}} is a portion of your eye's retina containing the most densely packed photosensitive neurons (confusing the biological retina with the electronics display of the same name). {{w|Foveated rendering}} is a genuine computer graphics technique intended to increase performance by rendering with higher quality to the regions of the display where the user is looking, and lower quality at the edges of vision; it is expected to be useful for virtual reality (one of the uses for cell phones) as a way to deal with the required high pixel densities while managing power consumption. There are displays with variable density, in specialist uses, but such a feature is not practical in a phone because the whole area of the display is typically useful and needs to provide high resolution (as the user's eye moves across it). Also, hundreds of pixels per inch is not considered a very high resolution, as a full-hd smartphone [https://www.lifewire.com/how-many-pixels-in-an-inch-4125185 has 440.58 pixels per inch].

==Transcript==
:[The comic depicts a smartphone showing many uncommon features. The front view shows a mouse cursor and a circle in the middle. The side view reveals the circle as something like an old photo lens from 1900 extending far above the surface and four large buttons (camera lenses) at the rear. The third view is from the top and just mentions a "hollow ground." The bottom view looks like as it was opened by a can opener and shows a big USB connector and on the right a small black connection.]
:Dockless
:Silent
:Quad camera takes four copies of every picture
:Front-facing camera obscura
:3D facial contour analysis shows you a realistic preview of your death mask
:Sponsored pixels
:Front and rear pop-out grips
:Humidity-controlled crisper
:Antikythera mechanism
:New York Times partnership: all photos taken with camera app are captioned in real time by reporter Maggie Haberman
:Spit valve
:Standard USB connector
:Coin purse-style squeeze access
:Hollow-ground
:Absorbent
:Keyboard supports dynamic typing
:Backflow preventer
:Swiss Army partnership: folding knife (unlocks only if Switzerland is invaded)
:100% BPA-free PCB construction
:AMOLCD display (7-segment)
:Runs on battery for the first 6 hours, then uses gasoline
:Sharpie® dual stylus (dry-erase + permanent)
:Mouse cursor

:Introducing
:'''<big>The xkcd Phone 2000</big>'''
:We're still hoping this sounds like a futuristic number®®™®©™®

==Trivia==
The stylus was previously called 'permenant'. This was later corrected, to permanent. You can still see the original image [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/archive/b/b4/20180531174214%21xkcd_phone_2000.png here]

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:xkcd Phones]]
[[Category:Comics sharing name|xkcd Phones]]

Talk:1934: Phone Security

2023-04-07T02:49:34Z

R3TRI8UTI0N:

1934: Phone Security

2023-04-07T02:47:25Z

R3TRI8UTI0N: /* Explanation */

{{comic
| number = 1934
| date = December 27, 2017
| title = Phone Security
| image = phone_security.png
| titletext = ...wait until they type in payment information, then use it to order yourself a replacement phone.
}}

==Explanation==
This comic pokes fun at various phone security measures. At first, it covers some real measures, and then continues on to measures that are clearly somewhat overzealous or otherwise humorous. It is worth noting that all of the options are turned ON in the screen shown, so apparently the owner must be very afraid that their phone is going to be stolen, or just wants to see what will happen.
These may be options that would appear on the [[:Category:xkcd Phones|xkcd Phone]], but that is not mentioned specifically, and this comic does not appear to be directly linked.

The first two options: Set '''Passcode to Unlock''', and '''Erase phone after 10 failed unlock attempts''' are both real security measures found on many phones. The remaining options would rely on the fact that the phone could sense that it is stolen:

'''If stolen, phone can be remotely...''' The items on this sub-heading indicate the requirements of a separate device (i.e. the owner's laptop). The phrasing leaves it ambiguous whether they are only available when it is sensed to be stolen, or if they are simply indicators of whether the owner can perform the given actions when activated.
* '''Tracked''': This would allow the police to catch the perpetrator and return your phone. This function is available on most modern phones in general but not bound to a specific situation.
* '''Erased''': This would prevent any sensitive data from being taken by a thief. This function is also available on most modern phones.
* '''Detonated''': This would likely harm the thief, possibly severely, depending on how the phone was detonated. The main problem with this approach (ignoring the possibility of manslaughter), is that if the phone is capable of detonation it's possible, by accident, glitch, or a malicious hacker, that the phone could detonate when not stolen, possibly hurting or killing the rightful owner. It is also possible for the detonation to harm innocent people who happen to be nearby when the feature is triggered. Phone batteries may produce an explosion if their temperature rises high enough, and contain circuitry both inside the battery and inside the logic of the phone to prevent this.

'''If the phone is stolen, play an earsplitting siren until the battery dies or is removed''': This would be to draw attention to the thief, and discourage them from stealing future phones. Noticeably, it does not specify ''how'' the phone determines it is stolen, and, similar to the "detonate" option above, this has the potential to be an irritation if it is activated by accident, glitch, or hack.

'''If the phone is stolen, do a fake factory reset. Then, in the background...''': This series of options is all humorous, indicating that the phone would allow the thief to think that it had factory reset, but the phone would, in fact, not do so, and would instead annoy the thief by doing various horrible things to them.

* '''...constantly request dozens of simultaneous rideshares to the phone's location''': This would cause tons of "rides" to show up at the stolen phone, leaving a lot of annoyed ridesharers, and possibly alerting the police to the thief's location. The thief may begin developing serious paranoia.
* '''...automatically order food to the phone's location from every delivery place within 20 miles''': This would be similar to the ridesharing issue, except it would be implied that the thief would be on the hook to pay for all of that delivered food. If not, this might arguably be the worst option in this menu, since not only would the owner of the phone have their phone stolen, they would also have hundreds of dollars of delivery bills. This could also lead the police to the thief.
* '''...if the thief logs into Facebook, send hostile messages to all their family members''': This has now deviated from things that could even possibly be useful, and is now just getting revenge on the thief, or potentially the person that the thief sells the phone to.
* '''...automatically direct self driving car to drive toward the phone's location at 5 mph''': This would cause a self driving car to follow the thief at a moderate jogging speed, or to run them over when the running ceases. This could absolutely catch the thief, but would also just be really, really creepy.
* '''...take photos of random objects at the thief's address and post them as "Free" on Craigslist or NextDoor''': Craigslist and NextDoor are sites that allow people to post advertisements for various things. Posting a large number of things for free would cause a lot of people to show up at the thief's residence, which can be found via GPS, requesting the free things, or, more humorously, if the thief was not home, people may just come by and take things, causing them to steal from the thief. This would be a humorous form of poetic justice.

The title text extends the last category with: '''...wait until they type in payment information, then use it to order yourself a new phone.''' If the thief used the thief's own payment information, then this would be the ultimate in poetic justice, as it would basically say that the user does not care if their phone gets stolen, because the thief will end up unintentionally buying them a new one. If the thief were to complain about this, they would have to admit that they had stolen the first phone in order to do so, which they would be disinclined to do. However, if the thief used fraudulent or stolen payment information (whether stolen by the same thief or acquired online), then the replacement phone would be purchased with the payment information of the other victim, and when that person complained, the owner of the stolen phone would appear to be the person who stole the payment information, and might be arrested for that theft. This is a very, very bad idea{{Citation needed}}.

Note that all of these security measures, with the possible exception of the remote detonation, could theoretically be done by a security app on a typical smartphone, although the fake factory reset and most (if not all) of what follows would likely require a phone to be rooted and have a custom operating system installed. With the advent of open source phones such as the Librem 5, tricks such as these have become much easier for the average programmer to implement, and some may already exist in the wild. (Even the remote detonation might be possible on some phones that prevent battery explosions with software rather than physical circuitry.)

==Transcript==
:[The content of a configuration screen on a smartphone is shown. All items listed are activated as indicated by green switches.]
:Security Options
:* Passcode to unlock (Set Code)
:* Erase phone after ten failed unlock attempts

:If stolen, phone can be remotely
:* Tracked
:* Erased
:* Detonated

:* If phone is stolen, erase data and play an earsplitting siren until the battery dies or is removed

:If phone is stolen, do a fake factory reset. Then, in the background...

:* ...constantly request dozens of simultaneous rideshares to the phone's location
:* ...automatically order food to phone's location from every delivery place within 20 miles
:* ...if thief logs in to Facebook, send hostile messages to all their family members
:* ...automatically direct self-driving car to drive toward phone's location at 5 mph
:* ...take photos of random objects at the thief's address and post them as "free" on Craigslist and Nextdoor

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Comics with color]]
[[Category:Smartphones]]

Talk:1933: Santa Facts

2023-04-07T02:44:19Z

R3TRI8UTI0N:

I added a Taxonomy Note as I wanted to raise the difference between Santa and Father Christmas. The latter wears a hooded, ermine trimmed robe (red in Britain, green or white in other domains) with full sleeves and a simple tie cord for a belt. Probably shoes and gloves - if not bare hands. It's easy to spot the difference when you know.
He probably walked at the head of a procession, despensing good advice and the good news that the days were not getting any shorter. Latterly he fell on hard times and was the chief reveller and drunkard. [[User:RIIW - Ponder it|RIIW - Ponder it]] ([[User talk:RIIW - Ponder it|talk]]) 20:19, 26 December 2017 (UTC)
:I don't think this should be in the table --[[Special:Contributions/172.68.54.106|172.68.54.106]] 15:35, 28 December 2017 (UTC)
::A BIG THANKS!!! I'm fighting against windmills, ehh... tables in explanations like this since a long time. Tables are meant to provide a brief overview, but when a cell is exploding to many sentences that's a really bad layout. Please check my changes and let me know.--[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 20:22, 28 December 2017 (UTC)
::Special: Contributions - apart from 60 years in Britain, just Wiki Father Christmas. You say FC is indistinguishable from SC? Hooded robe, tie cord , shoes and bare hands vs Cap, jacket, trousers, wide buckle belt, boots and mittens. Walking or horse, using door, blessing, feasting and drinking vs flying sleigh and tundra fauna (reindeer), chimney, presents (possibly originally red and white mushrooms). The gown vs jacket et al makes identification easy at 1000 yards! [[User:RIIW - Ponder it|RIIW - Ponder it]] ([[User talk:RIIW - Ponder it|talk]]) 19:19, 27 December 2017 (UTC)
:::(Side note: The words "Special: Contributions" is a wiki note, not part of his name, which means not only is it generic, but this text is only visible when writing, so it makes for a poor nickname). Sorry, I must agree with ol' 216 22. Everything you've specified are standard and common accepted variences of Santa Claus, including the name Father Christmas. People (writers, directors, costumists) tend to use such aspects when they want an old time classic and/or more wholesome feel to the depiction. And the name "Father Christmas" is seen as an alternate name for Santa - like St. Nick and St. Nicholas - with a mild implication towards including these concepts. Plus, the gloves are the worst example of all, because even the more common jacket-and-belt version will often use fine gloves rather than mittens or bare hands. At least here in North America. Maybe in Britain they're treated as two different characters (though why????!?), but in North America this is one character. When it comes to cultural differences, unless specified otherwise the comics are referring to how things are in the U.S.A. simply because that's where Randall lives. Combine this with the fact that nowhere is "Father Christmas" even mentioned, trying to define such a distinction isn't suitable. Besides, if they're separate characters, the one has no place being mentioned in a comic about the other, right? :) [[User:NiceGuy1|NiceGuy1]] ([[User talk:NiceGuy1|talk]]) 09:00, 29 December 2017 (UTC)
::::"Maybe in Britain they're treated as two different characters" - They're not. [[Special:Contributions/141.101.76.16|141.101.76.16]] 10:05, 3 January 2018 (UTC)
:::::Well, '''''_I_''''' didn't think so, but RIIW is insisting otherwise. :) [[User:NiceGuy1|NiceGuy1]] ([[User talk:NiceGuy1|talk]]) 04:57, 19 January 2018 (UTC)

I'm not a lawyer, but I'm fairly certain Santa would only be charged with trespassing (rather than breaking and entering) in many states. Someone should try to find the 5 states where entering a house through a chimney would result in a warrant. --[[Special:Contributions/172.68.238.172|172.68.238.172]] 09:53, 25 December 2017 (UTC)

A vertical leap of 14 miles (~23 km), i''gnoring air resistance'' would require an initial launch velocity of slightly more than 2180 feet per second (665 m/s), somewhat over twice the speed of sound.
Is there something clever to be observed here about sonic booms (or lack thereof)? [[User:JohnHawkinson|JohnHawkinson]] ([[User talk:JohnHawkinson|talk]]) 13:46, 25 December 2017 (UTC)

I'm not going to bother to update the page, but the comic was updated to fix the arthropod error (the original wording implied that insects were not arthropods). Also, "RIIW - Ponder it", your description of Father Christmas is indistinguishable from that of Santa. Could you provide a source for whatever distinction might exist? [[Special:Contributions/108.162.216.22|108.162.216.22]] 07:00, 27 December 2017 (UTC)

I removed the following passage:
Absurdly, Randall has mistaken Santa for a lobster, given his bright red coloration and the surname Claus (which is pronounced the same as a lobster's
"claws"). This may be an homage to the film the Nightmare Before Christmas, where Jack Skellington believes Christmas Town is led by "Sandy Claws" who is
"like a lobster, huge and red".

:There is a relatively common misconception that lobsters are insects. In fact, lobsters are crustaceans, but there is a kernel of truth to the
misconception, as crustaceans and insects are related (both are arthropods). Thus, the "fact" states that Lobster-Santa is not technically an insect; he
is actually an arthropod.

It makes a lot of illogical assumptions.[[User:R3TRI8UTI0N|R3TRI8UTI0N]] ([[User talk:R3TRI8UTI0N|talk]]) 02:44, 7 April 2023 (UTC)

;14 mile vertical leap
Could the 14 mile vertical leap be connected to the flying/psychic type, allowing for a longer duration of vertical thrust than the duration for which Santa's feet are touching ground? If one of Santa's vampiric abilities allows him to alter his mass without changing volume (many legends allow vampires to turn into bats, which chiropteric forms at least have less mass than their humanoid forms), that could explain the vertical leap stat as primarily deriving from bouyancy, with the limit having to do with the minimum mass he can attain. [[Special:Contributions/162.158.58.45|162.158.58.45]] 08:27, 27 December 2017 (UTC)

My assumption was that "14 mile vertical leap" refered to the ''cumualative'' distance travel going up & down chimneys over the course of Christmas. [[User:JamesCurran|JamesCurran]] ([[User talk:JamesCurran|talk]]) 19:08, 29 December 2017 (UTC)
:If we allow the average chimney height to be a probably conservative 5m, this would allow for him to visit only about 4,500 houses before getting trapped in someone's living room, and those of us not living in the most advanced time zones are going to be very disappointed when our presents don't arrive.[[Special:Contributions/141.101.76.16|141.101.76.16]] 10:14, 3 January 2018 (UTC)

;Arthropods
Is it worth mentioning that humans are "arthropods" if you treat that as a word rather than a taxon? "Arthropod" is Latin for "jointed legs." We do have joints in our legs. {{unsigned ip| 108.162.219.214}}

;Works with Alexa
Starting this year (2017) owners of Alexa devices could use the "NORAD tracks Santa" Alexa Skill. This was mentioned several times in the news, and I even set it up on my Amazon Echo so the little cousins could use it. Might this also be related? [[User:Bpendragon|Bpendragon]] ([[User talk:Bpendragon|talk]]) 16:51, 25 December 2017 (UTC)

;Plural
This can also be a Pokémon reference, because all Pokémon have identical plural forms, e.g. "I caught two Pidgey today.", not "two Pidgeys". {{unsigned ip| 108.162.219.10}}

;Lubricated
This could also be a reference to Santa being Intoxicated (also described as "Lubricated") a popular Meme on Holiday Cards. Its purpose here being connected either the belief that being drunk helps you survive injury (in this case, possible repeated falls down a chimney) [https://www.livescience.com/24979-alcohol-injury-outcome.html]. This would also potentially add DUI to the list of possible charges. [[User:DaoFerret|DaoFerret]] ([[User talk:DaoFerret|talk]]) 19:59, 28 December 2017 (UTC)

Ribbed/lubricated may as well refer to the common double entendres on how the red, erect Santa is going up and down the chimney. {{unsigned ip|172.68.182.52}}

;Lobster
The perception of Santa as a lobster may be a reference to the Danny Elfman song "Kidnap The Sandy Claws" from movie The Nightmare Before Christmas. The lyrics include "Wait! I've got a better plan / To catch this big red lobster man / Let's pop him in a boiling pot / And when he's done we'll butter him up" [[Special:Contributions/162.158.59.214|162.158.59.214]] 23:58, 28 December 2017 (UTC)
:No[[User:R3TRI8UTI0N|R3TRI8UTI0N]] ([[User talk:R3TRI8UTI0N|talk]]) 02:44, 7 April 2023 (UTC)

;Vampires
Current explanation talks about most versions of vampires needing to be invited in by the owner. I've actually never seen a vampire story with that rule, that it specifically has to be the owner. I've seen it where anyone LIVING THERE can invite them in, I think it's been more often that I've seen that any non-vampire who is inside the house can invite them in, and I'm pretty sure I've seen at least once where it's ANYBODY currently inside the house, including a vampire who has been invited in themselves. [[User:NiceGuy1|NiceGuy1]] ([[User talk:NiceGuy1|talk]]) 09:09, 29 December 2017 (UTC)
:Off the top of my head, The Vampire Diaries requires it to be the owner. Don't know about others.[[Special:Contributions/141.101.76.16|141.101.76.16]] 10:18, 3 January 2018 (UTC)
::Well I haven't seen Vampire Diaries, so my statement stands, LOL! I'm certainly no expert, but I feel like most depictions are anybody who lives there, with the rest being any human in the house. I'm sure I've seen a scene where some oblivious dumbass (who doesn't live there and just happens to be present) does the inviting, and I recall a scene in True Blood (either 2nd season or late 1st) where a little girl who lived there - certainly not the owner - did the inviting.[[User:NiceGuy1|NiceGuy1]] ([[User talk:NiceGuy1|talk]]) 04:57, 19 January 2018 (UTC)

1933: Santa Facts

2023-04-07T02:41:35Z

R3TRI8UTI0N: /* Explanation */

{{comic
| number = 1933
| date = December 25, 2017
| title = Santa Facts
| image = santa_facts.png
| titletext = We've gotten him up to 20% milk and cookies through an aggressive public campaign, but that seems to be his dietary limit. Anything above that and he starts developing nutritional deficiencies.
}}

==Explanation==
This, the second [[:Category:Christmas|Christmas comic]] in a row, provides some dubious "Facts" and "Figures" of the creature known as "Santa". We can see from the drawing that this is obviously meant to be either {{w|Santa Claus}} or a parody of Santa Claus. It is the third comic using [[:Category:Facts|Facts]] in the title.

This comic is reminiscent of the [[:Category:xkcd Phones|xkcd Phones series]].

'''Type: Flying/Psychic'''
:A reference to {{w|Pokémon}}. The {{w|Gameplay_of_Pokémon#Pok%C3%A9mon_types|type}} of a Pokémon describes and determines its abilities (including attacks), affinities, and general nature. In most stories Santa Claus rides a sled pulled by flying reindeer (all other [https://bulbapedia.bulbagarden.net/wiki/Flying_(type) Flying-type] Pokémon fly under their own power) and some kind of magical power. Psychic possibly refers to his ability to know a child's activities and behavior, including when they are {{w|Santa_Claus_Is_Comin%27_to_Town| sleeping or awake}}, implying a psychic ability to read minds. There is a Pokémon based on Santa, [https://bulbapedia.bulbagarden.net/wiki/Delibird_(Pok%C3%A9mon) Delibird], although it is Ice/Flying instead of Flying/Psychic.

'''Plural: "Santa"'''
:The plural form of 'Santa' conveniently parallels that of 'reindeer' (as well as those of all species of Pokémon and the term "Pokémon" itself). In real life, "santa" means "saint" in most {{w|Romance languages}}. However "santa" is not plural in any of these languages (for example, in Portuguese the proper plural would be "santos"). Under the most common English approach for making a plural noun, Santa would have a plural of "Santas". Taking "Santa Claus" as a separate noun, the plural would be "Santa Clauses".

'''Active warrants: 5'''
:There is an active warrant for Santa's arrest in 5 jurisdictions, presumably for breaking and entering or for operating a flying sleigh without the proper licensing, while drunk, or over the speed limit.

'''Lubricated for easy passage down chimneys'''
:The diagram indicates that Santa's attire is lubricated to ease his traditional method of ingress and egress. This explanation is incomplete, however, as a great many chimneys have cross-sectional area substantially smaller than that of a normal human body, let alone a portly one, as commonly described. The common presence of chimney caps, fireplace dampers, and the like would also impede Santa's passage down a great many chimneys. That said, if we take the classic poem "{{w|A Visit from St. Nicholas}}" into account, the statement is technically true, just "lubricated" with magic rather than physical lubrication. A less classic example of Santa going down the chimney with help of magic can be seen in The Santa Clause [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WBaQwGTHCL8]. "Lubricated" is also a reference to lubricated condoms - see "Ribbed" below.

'''Vertical Leap: 14 Miles'''
:For a non-magical being or object, a vertical leap of 14 miles (~23 km), ''ignoring air resistance'' would require an initial launch velocity of slightly more than 2180 feet per second (665 m/s), somewhat over twice the speed of sound. Achieving this velocity by means of bending then straightening the legs would require an acceleration of roughly 25,000 G, placing extraordinarily high demands on the strength of the legs. As Santa does not have a particularly aerodynamic shape, air resistance would increase the launch velocity and launch acceleration requirements substantially. Santa may be able to overcome these problems due to his magical nature; however, there is clearly still a limit to what this can achieve, as there is a maximum to his leaping ability.

'''Sleigh Flag of Convenience: Panama'''
:The {{w|Flag_of_convenience|Flag of Convenience}} identifies the country in which an ocean-going vessel has its registration information. Panama maintains one of the top three open registries. Owners of a vessel may choose to use an open registry to avoid labor or safety regulations of the owner's country. They may also choose such a registry to help obscure ownership of the vessel. Which concern applies in the case of Santa's sleigh is not stated, or (more likely) not known. It may also be the only type of registration available, since the north pole is not in any country, so there is no "owner's country".

:However, a ship's flag state exercises regulatory control over the vessel and is required to inspect it regularly, certify the ship's equipment and crew, and issue safety and pollution prevention documents. One suspects that this does '''not''', in fact, happen regularly with Santa's sleigh. Also, as a ''flying'' sleigh, the registry for ''ocean-going'' vessels is not applicable. Instead, it would be registered as an aircraft, with the FAA (in the U.S.), EASA (in Europe), or the equivalent in another country. Civilian aircraft have their registration number painted on their tails, but are not required to display a "flag". (However, U.S. Airways used a stylized version of a U.S. flag as a corporate logo prior to its merger with American Airlines.)

:The country being Panama may be a reference to the {{w|Panama Papers}}

'''9th in Presidential Line of Succession'''
:The {{w|United_States_presidential_line_of_succession|Presidential Line of Succession}} specifies the order in which persons may become or act as {{w|President of the United States}} if the incumbent President becomes incapacitated, dies, resigns, or is removed from office. Having Santa as the 9th in that order would place him above the {{w|United States Secretary of Agriculture|Secretary of Agriculture}}. An alternative interpretation would hold that Santa '''is''' the present Secretary of Agriculture, {{w|Tom Vilsack}}.

:Assuming Tom Vilsack is not Santa Claus, Santa is likely ineligible for the Presidency, as most origin stories of Santa have him a natural-born citizen of a European country (or of Turkey) rather than the United States. Alternately, Santa might be old enough to qualify under the "citizen at the time of the adoption of this constitution" clause, although in light of the information that Santa is actually an arthropod and/or a vampire (see below), his status as an American citizen is dubious.

'''Not technically an insect — actually an arthropod'''
:This "fact" uses an absurd misconception to correct a relatively common misconception. Might be a reference to xkcd 1776, where Black Hat created a mythologically accurate eight-legged spider. Spiders are arthropods, but often mistaken to be incests.

'''Only known vampire able to enter house without being invited'''
:In traditional vampire folklore, a vampire {{tvtropes|MustBeInvited|cannot enter an abode without an invitation from the owner of the same}}. Santa, however, seems to be able to enter houses even without explicit invitation (although plenty of children do welcome him, either via written notes or by their general sentiments), so if he is a vampire he is the exception to that rule. This juxtaposes interestingly with the previous point about his arthropod nature.

:His being a vampire is perhaps related to his dressing all in red, and alleged immortality.

'''Works with Alexa'''
:May have any of several meanings, including that Alexa (Amazon's virtual assistant) is Santa's colleague, that Santa uses Alexa in his work, that Santa is somehow functionally compatible with Alexa, or a reference to various Santa-themed 'skills' that Alexa can be associated with. A common advertisement states that a product is compatible with Amazon's smart device, Alexa. But it could also be a play on the idea or fear that Alexa may be used to spy on people from the privacy of their own homes, much like what is claimed of Santa ("he sees you when you're sleeping, [...]"). Finally, several skills designed to entertain users of Alexa are themed around Santa Claus, including asking Alexa where Santa is on Christmas Eve, whether or not you've been naughty or nice, or even leaving the jolly old elf a voicemail.

'''Ribbed'''
:A reference to condoms, which have ridges or ribbing in order to promote pleasurable stimulation during coitus (see "Lubricated" above). This also puns on the fact that, as a humanoid, Santa presumably has a rib cage. (This might directly contradict the claims about his being an arthropod.)

'''IUCN Red List: Critically endangered'''
:The [https://www.iucn.org/about International Union for Conservation of Nature] (IUCN) monitors the size and viability of populations of organisms; 'critically endangered' marks a population as being highly susceptible to extinction. Santa, being one (or possibly two, if we include his wife) of a kind and lacking any offspring (and, indeed, likely being incapable of effectively producing any), will most likely be the last member of his population; thus extinction will arrive with his or his wife's death. Note, however, that the presence on the Red List implies that "Santa" is a biological species, not a fantasy, robot, or other non-biological entity. This is consistent with Santa being an arthropod and/or vampire, but would suggest that there are many specimens of Santa, while other 'Facts' (such as having a definite ranking in the Presidential Line of Succession) suggest Santa to be a single individual.

'''Diet: 80% Reindeer'''
:A mocking allusion to Santa Claus's sleigh, usually pulled by reindeer. Usual folklore depict Santa Claus being extremely fond of his reindeer, thus making it a humorous contrast to suggest he'd be ''eating'' reindeer meat on a daily basis.

'''Liability Insurance: None'''
:As a result of his diet (see above), alleged criminal activity (ditto), species ambiguity, and occupation, Santa would find the cost of liability insurance quite high. He instead chooses to 'go bare' and operate without any.

The title text states that as a result of intervention Santa's diet is now 20% milk & cookies, implying that previously it was 100% Reindeer. It is a tradition to leave out milk and cookies as a "gift" for Santa. If he is indeed a vampire, it is odd that Santa could survive on a diet of reindeer, milk, and cookies, since vampires supposedly need human blood to survive. Of course, his entering without being invited already shows Santa to be a highly unusual vampire. Additionally, it is possible that he consumes ''reindeer'' blood as part of his reindeer diet (vampires living off animal blood is not unheard of in modern fantasy). Related to that may be the observation that he seems to develop "nutritional deficiencies" when going below 80% reindeer meat, as that would logically result in him consuming less blood and thus starvation due to his vampiric nature.

==Transcript==
:[An annotated picture of Santa is shown.]
:'''Santa'''
:Facts and Figures

:Type: Flying/Psychic
:Plural: "Santa"
:Active Warrants: 5
:Lubricated for easy passage down chimneys
:Vertical leap: 14 Miles
:Sleigh flag of convenience: Panama
:9th in presidential line of succession
:Not technically an insect—actually an arthropod
:Only known vampire able to enter house without being invited
:Works with Alexa
:Ribbed
:IUCN red list: Critically endangered
:Diet: 80% Reindeer
:Liability Insurance: None

==Trivia==
*If the proposed line of succession from [[2003: Presidential Succession]] is used in place of the real one, Santa's place in the line would correspond to either a person who does not live in Washington, D.C, nominated at the start of the President's term and confirmed by the Senate, if the five people have an order of succession between themselves, or the governor whose state is the most populous at the most recent census, if they take up a joint presidency.

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Christmas]]
[[Category:Facts]]
[[Category:Animals]]

1518: Typical Morning Routine

2023-03-31T00:55:57Z

R3TRI8UTI0N:

{{comic
| number = 1518
| date = April 29, 2015
| title = Typical Morning Routine
| image = typical_morning_routine.png
| titletext = Hang on, I've heard this problem. We need to pour water into the duct until the phone floats up and ... wait, phones sink in water. Mercury. We need a vat of mercury to pour down the vent. That will definitely make this situation better and not worse.
}}

==Explanation==
Waking up to an alarm can be annoying, especially when it is your partner's alarm, and they are slow to wake up and even then have difficulty figuring out how to turn the alarm off. This comic takes this situation to a ridiculous extreme, from whence the comic derives its humor, especially when paired with the title describing this situation as a "Typical Morning Routine". Of course the typical could refer only to the part of the "routine" until the phone is dropped into an air vent.

In this comic, [[Hairy]] with morning hair is shown using his smartphone as his alarm clock. Another unseen person is sharing the bed with Hairy and growing more irate as Hairy's alarm continues beeping.

Even simple actions like turning off an alarm can be easily fumbled by a just-awakened groggy person. In this case, Hairy accidentally exited the alarm app without stopping the alarm. In some OSes, simply exiting the app doesn't close it, requiring you to use the app switcher to close it.

After giving up on shutting down the alarm the usual way, Hairy, in annoyance, decides to remove the battery, which will disable the phone's entire operation. However, while trying to remove the battery in the dark, he accidentally drops his device down a floor {{w|air vent}} (most likely part of {{w|forced air}} {{w|central heating}} common in North America) next to the bed. While the vent is covered by a grille, it is apparently coarse enough (or perhaps missing a few pieces, creating a large hole) to allow the phone to pass through if it falls at a particular location and angle. Also, the vent apparently does not descend very far before bending, allowing the phone to survive the fall intact.

As of when this comic was posted, [[Randall]] uses both iOS and Android according to [[1508: Operating Systems]]—although there is no reason to be certain that the character in this comic is using the same operating systems as Randall. However, the fact that Hairy tries to remove the battery strongly suggests it cannot be an iOS device, given that all iOS devices have non-removable batteries.

If he were a little handy, Hairy might be able to open the vent and retrieve the phone—or perhaps not, if the phone slid further into the ventwork or Hairy lacked the necessary tools. Instead of trying to physically recover the phone, Hairy attempts to remotely {{w|Brick (electronics)|brick}} the phone from his laptop, permanently disabling all its functions (including the alarm app).

This attempt fails because Hairy had accidentally put the device into {{w|airplane mode}} before dropping his phone, thereby cutting off all {{w|wireless}} communications with the device and preventing any attempt at remote control. Airplane mode also has the unfortunate (in this situation) side effect of increasing the phone's battery life (though playing loud sounds incessantly should still limit it to a day or so, notwithstanding the pessimistic assessment of Hairy's companion).

Rather than finding a solution to the problem with the phone, Hairy proposes that they just move out instead.

Relevant for the title text: There is a semi-common logic puzzle involving a ping-pong ball falling down a pipe with a kink in it. In this puzzle, the solution is to pour water into the pipe until the ping-pong ball floats up.

In the title text, one of the two characters remembers this problem and attempts to apply it to this situation. Since phones do not float in water, a modified version is proposed using {{w|Mercury (element)|mercury}} instead. The phone would certainly float on mercury, as it is a very dense liquid (the only metal that is liquid at room temperature).

The extremely toxic nature of mercury makes pouring it into the air supply a very dangerous idea. Also the required amount of mercury would be extremely expensive. The weight of the mercury would also be substantial (13.5 kg/liter or 113 lb/gallon), and would likely break something in the air duct system. Both mercury and water could also push the phone further into the duct system instead of bringing it back. The end of the title text, declaring that the mercury idea would ''definitely make this situation better and not worse'' could be either a sarcastic commentary on these problems or a desperate attempt to bolster confidence that this extreme solution will work when everything else has failed.

Given that Hairy was willing to sacrifice the phone anyway (by attempting to brick it), he would probably be better off pouring water down the vent—it wouldn't bring the phone within reach, but it would disable and thereby silence it (unless the phone is completely waterproof (and the waterproofing layer wasn’t damaged by the fall), which most phones aren't, especially those where the battery can be removed).

Of course, Hairy probably wouldn't have gotten into this mess if he had not just been awakened brutally by a very loud alarm, making it difficult to think clearly (or, alternatively, if he just had a standard alarm clock that he could have unplugged or even a mechanical one that he could, say, hit with a hammer until it broke; or just flip the off switch).

Fortunately, Hairy did not resort to using the EMP of a nuclear bomb to disable the phone, as while it would work, it would be overkill[citation needed] and probably destroy the phone, him, his friend, and his surroundings.

==Transcript==
:[The panel is completely black, with white text. Small lines indicate from where the two voices are coming, and also from where the alarm goes off. A small broken square surrounds the first word spoken.]
:Alarm: '''Bleep Bleep'''
:Voice (right): Urgh
:Voice (left): Your alarm is going off
:Voice (right): Huh?
:Voice (left): Make it stop.
:Voice (right) Urrgh

:[The panel is completely black, with white text. Small lines indicate from where the two voices are coming. Several small lines surrounds the last "sound" which is not spoken. The alarm noise is continued from the previous panel and continues over the top of the frame directly into the next panel.]
:Alarm: '''Bleep Bleep Bleep B'''
:Voice (left): Hit snooze.
:Voice (right): I'm ''trying''. I closed the alarm app and I can't... I'll just pop out the battery.
:Voice (right): Whoops!
:Clang

:[The lights have turned on so it is now a white panel with black text. The voice to the right came from Hairy with morning hair. He is leaning over the side of the bed, looking down the air vent through which he has dropped the phone. The other person to the left is not shown. The alarm noise (now coming from the air vent as visualized by the lines coming out of the vent) still continues from the previous panel and continues over the top of the frame directly into the next panel.]
:Alarm: '''eep Bleep Bleep Ble'''
:Off-Screen voice: Make it stop!
:Hairy: It... fell down the vent.

:[Hairy is sitting in his bed with a laptop. The person to the left is still off-screen. The alarm noise still continues from the previous panel and continues over the top of the frame out of the comic the the right.]
:Alarm: '''ep Bleep Bleep Bleep Ble'''
:Off-Screen voice: Can you brick it remotely?
:Hairy: Trying... I think I fumbled it into airplane mode?
:Off-Screen voice: The battery could last for weeks.
:Hairy: You know, maybe we should just move.

==Trivia==

This comic follows a similar storyline to [[349: Success]] and [[530: I'm An Idiot]], where [[Cueball]], like Hairy here, encounters an issue and attempts progressively more absurd solutions.

There is a callback to this in the title text of [[1946: Hawaii]].

{{comic discussion}}
[[Category:Sarcasm]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Hairy]]
[[Category:Phones]]

Talk:1518: Typical Morning Routine

2023-03-31T00:52:30Z

R3TRI8UTI0N:

If he has hair, shouldn't he be called Hairy by definition?
Sidenote: Did I really just use the word whence?[[Special:Contributions/199.27.130.228|199.27.130.228]] 05:57, 29 April 2015 (UTC)

Added first draft for the transcript. This is my first edit here, so feel free to clean it up. [[Special:Contributions/173.245.56.158|173.245.56.158]] 06:02, 29 April 2015 (UTC)

I think that this is still Cueball because his hair isn't a different colour to his head. The only reason we can see it is because it's bed hair, and he hasn't combed it down yet. [[Special:Contributions/141.101.98.172|141.101.98.172]] 06:06, 29 April 2015 (UTC)
:It is not [[Cueball]] when he has hair. It is not hair enough to call him [[Hairy]]. He has obviously still hair in the last panel, where it is less morning hair, and it is now clearly black (as Hairys). But there is too little air for it to be Hairy in my opinion. However, if it should be either of the two it would be Hairy. Makes no sense to call a guy with hair (any hair) Cueball. I have removed all reference to Cueball and the hairy category that was also added. Since we do not know who is lying beside him, we cannot even use this to say anything about him. --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 07:27, 29 April 2015 (UTC)
::Someone has changed it to Hairy. See further comment below. So lets call him that. --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 07:44, 29 April 2015 (UTC)

I don't see how this comic is about <strike>sarcasm</strike> or language. It ''contains'' language, but it isn't ''about'' language. '''Update''': Oh, right, the title text ends with a sarcastic comment.[[Special:Contributions/173.245.56.158|173.245.56.158]] 06:17, 29 April 2015 (UTC)
:I'm not convinced that the character in the title text is being sarcastic. Randall uses that kind of "would be X and totally not Y" talk in other comics and in his What-Ifs. In the times I've seen it, the character speaking it comes off as hilariously naive as opposed to sarcastic. [[Special:Contributions/108.162.237.161|108.162.237.161]] 04:35, 30 April 2015 (UTC)
I think that the character should be [[Hairy]], as the name is "used by xkcd explainers to describe male characters with hair and no other distinguishing features."--[[User:17jiangz1|17jiangz1]] ([[User talk:17jiangz1|talk]]) 07:31, 29 April 2015 (UTC)
:Well then lets call him Hairy then - see discussion above though... --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 07:44, 29 April 2015 (UTC)

I would like to be the first to point out similarities between this comic and [[349: Success]]. He starts with hitting snooze (easy) then needs to switch applications (not really worse yet, bear with me), remove battery (losing whatever is unsaved in RAM), bricking the phone (losing it, though maybe just until he has time to reinstall the OS) and finally is willing to fill the flat with mercury vapours (which is a major health hazard). [[Special:Contributions/141.101.104.136|141.101.104.136]] 11:32, 29 April 2015 (UTC)

I am not so sure that metallic mercury is "extremely toxic"; of course, some mercury-containing compounds are. "Extremely expensive"? Yes, compared to what one usually throws into an air vent, but many metals are far more expensive per kg than mercury.
[[User:Jkrstrt|Jkrstrt]] ([[User talk:Jkrstrt|talk]]) 15:15, 29 April 2015 (UTC)
:For sure, but in the amounts they would need it would be quite an expense, not to say heavy burden to get back home with. The vapours from the mercury would be flowing into the apartment from the vent and it is not something you wish to get inside. --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 16:00, 29 April 2015 (UTC)

;Air Vent

Is having an air vent in your floor something common? o.o [[User:Pinkishu|Pinkishu]] ([[User talk:Pinkishu|talk]]) 09:28, 29 April 2015 (UTC)
:Yes, but I had the same question. See wiki links in the updated explanation. --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 10:21, 29 April 2015 (UTC)

Also, pouring water in the vent will short-circuit the smart-phone which gives us the same result as bricking a smart-phone. [[User:SirKitKat|sirKitKat]] ([[User talk:SirKitKat|talk]]) 09:55, 29 April 2015 (UTC)
:I also though of that and added it. --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 10:21, 29 April 2015 (UTC)
:Adding enough water to drown the speaker should drown the noise? [[User:Puggan|Puggan]] ([[User talk:Puggan|talk]]) 12:43, 29 April 2015 (UTC)

:And pouring mercury will dissolve some of the metals in the phone. [[Special:Contributions/141.101.104.94|141.101.104.94]] 10:01, 29 April 2015 (UTC)
::Not necessarily if it actually floats on-top. But I'm questioning if a smartphone lies flat on a surface, would the mercury then actually get beneath it? I would not be surprised if it would make it stick to this surface. Of course if you put the phone on top of a pool of mercury, it would not think. Not much would! But this is a different story. Hopefully they just move out instead ;-) Or maybe get really awake and start to think. Will add this last part to the explain --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 10:21, 29 April 2015 (UTC)
:::I think that long before mercury (significantly) disolves metal in the phone, it would already have shorted out various bare metalic wires (as per water, only better). The question is whether the miniscus effect of the mercury allows the mercury to enter the casing quite as easily as water.
:::As to the possibility of a flat phone being held down by the mercury you pour over it, I think that's unlikely. Maybe a limpet-like (flanged outwards) case flush to a flat surface could exclude the liquid metal from getting under the edges of the phone to allow a suction effect to counteract buoyancy, but that's not a common shape for phone cases which are rarely even sharp-edged perpendicularly to the faces. Mercurial pressure would end up edging under the more realistic curved edges and remove any residual 'stiction'.
:::(I also read the "make this situation better not worse" as a continuation of the former text, not a response by the other speaker. It's a common meme for a single person to suggest a monomaniacal plan of action with escalatingly ridiculousness, and then to cap it off with "And I see absolutely ''no'' problems with that..." whilst forgoing traditional emoticon indicators of humour, to continue the 'deadpan serious' tone.)[[Special:Contributions/141.101.98.186|141.101.98.186]] 16:43, 29 April 2015 (UTC)

I think [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Forced-air "Forced-air Central Heating"] is a better explanation for Hairy's vent than [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Underfloor_air_distribution "Underfloor air distribution"]. Forced-air heat/cooling is very common in the US, and the Wikipedia entry has a good picture of a floor vent. --[[Special:Contributions/199.27.128.211|199.27.128.211]] 16:41, 29 April 2015 (UTC)

Just open the vent! [[Special:Contributions/173.245.50.64|173.245.50.64]] 23:39, 25 September 2015 (UTC)

I remember that the explanation included a bit about how it was fortunate that they did not attempt to detonate a nuclear bomb and use its EMP to disable the phone. Not related to the comic, but I thought it was funny. I'm adding it back in. [[User:R3TRI8UTI0N|R3TRI8UTI0N]] ([[User talk:R3TRI8UTI0N|talk]]) 00:52, 31 March 2023 (UTC)

;Noise and battery

How much effective are today's phones in making noise? If they use the same circuits as for playing music (which I suspect most do), I don't think they will be able to do it for weeks, even in airplane mode ... -- [[User:Hkmaly|Hkmaly]] ([[User talk:Hkmaly|talk]]) 11:30, 29 April 2015 (UTC)

;Spelling and Commentary

There are a couple spelling mistakes. 'hos' in the first sentence, 'cold' instead of 'could'. Probably more.

Instead of correcting the spelling, I was wondering about the tone of the explanation. Specifically, shouldn't this be written in a more neutral tone without the side commentary?

Don't get me wrong, I appreciate the contribution. Just curious.

[[Special:Contributions/108.162.221.101|108.162.221.101]] 11:36, 29 April 2015 (UTC)
:Please just correct spelling if you find errors. Not everyone who contributes are native English speakers. So bear with them and help by just correcting spelling and grammar. --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 13:37, 29 April 2015 (UTC)

"Quiet please make it stop" - Mass Effect 2 Overlord DLC [[Special:Contributions/172.70.251.16|172.70.251.16]] 15:22, 7 October 2022 (UTC)

Talk:1386: People are Stupid

2023-03-30T00:11:28Z

R3TRI8UTI0N:

On average yes, an individual is of average intelligence. But taken as a population of a whole, well, that's a different story entirely. Randall needs a vacation, ever since he jumped the shark with the dead baby it just feels like the downward trend is getting steeper. --[[Special:Contributions/108.162.210.135|108.162.210.135]] 13:20, 25 June 2014 (UTC)
:I don't really think that he jumped the shark. I don't quite get what you are trying to say, and individual can't be of average intelligence. You must first define the average, if we take the mean intelligence of the whole population, then take a person from the sample, then we say that the individual is of average intelligence. You can't say people is stupid while referring to the whole population, because of the definition of stupid, if we take a sample of low IQ people then those people are going to be of average intelligence within the sample, the same goes to the whole population. So this comic is perfectly valid. --[[Special:Contributions/108.162.212.192|108.162.212.192]] 04:50, 27 June 2014 (UTC)
::I know this is a lot later, but I believe that OP was referring to the difference between mean and median measures of intelligence. More than 50% of the population can be below average intelligence if the distribution is skewed right. [[User:NotLock|NotLock]] ([[User talk:NotLock|talk]]) 03:36, 12 August 2016 (UTC)

Isn't that a reference to the Montgomery Burns Award for Outstanding Achievement in the Field of Excellence? [[Special:Contributions/103.22.200.119|103.22.200.119]] 04:49, 25 June 2014 (UTC)krayZpaving

White Hat being burned? This certainly will not end here.--[[Special:Contributions/141.101.102.208|141.101.102.208]] 04:52, 25 June 2014 (UTC)

'''''Explain xkcd: It's 'cause you're dumb.''''' This wiki is founded on the very principle that people are stupid. [[Special:Contributions/108.162.223.29|108.162.223.29]] 05:35, 25 June 2014 (UTC)
: You make an intelligent point, which I both appreciate and like. [[Special:Contributions/108.162.222.50|108.162.222.50]] 13:41, 25 June 2014 (UTC)
::Awww, it's just a joke, it's not personal or anything! '''[[User:Davidy22|{{Color|#707|David}}y²²]]'''[[User talk:Davidy22|<tt>[talk]</tt>]] 13:43, 25 June 2014 (UTC)

This comment is one that makes me scratch my head and wonder... surely Randall is able to see that intelligence is not a relative but rather an absolute thing (if one were to kill the 10% most intelligent people the rest wouldn't get dumber, nor smarter). Surely intelligence is not to be measured in units of the common denominator. Surely it is obvious that 2nd panel is a pure strawman. Sigh...
Oh and btw an IQ of 100 is the median, not the average. [[Special:Contributions/141.101.104.17|141.101.104.17]] 09:18, 25 June 2014 (UTC)
: I am wondering if the explanation should not include a mention of the Median/Mean problem because it is entirely possible for a majority of a population to be above or below some mean (average) statistic depending on the distribution. Also stupidity is a standard that is not dependent on either median or mean.[[User:Sturmovik|Sturmovik]] ([[User talk:Sturmovik|talk]]) 11:46, 25 June 2014 (UTC)
: The IQ of 100 is actually defined to be the median AND the average (and also the mode). It is also defined that the distibution around the IQ of 100 is a perfect bell curve. The IQ just tells you how many people in the world have your IQ (It is also defined that two values that have same distance from hundred, e.g. 80 and 120 have the same amount of people, 'cause it's a perfect bell curve (this means that there are as many people with IQ 120 as people with IQ 80). If the overall population gets more intelligent they have to make the IQ tests harder, so that 100 is again the average and median (This really happened). This and some other things are reasons why I think that IQ tests are BS. --[[Special:Contributions/141.101.93.219|141.101.93.219]] 14:01, 25 June 2014 (UTC)
:: "A test device with numerous correlates measures an amount of environmental influences beside innate determinants, therefore bullshit"... What are your other objections to I.Q. testing? [[Special:Contributions/141.101.89.221|141.101.89.221]] 14:17, 25 June 2014 (UTC)

The mocking "award", which is an analogy of saying "intelligence isn't everything" (an EXTREMELY common cliche), reflects the fact that Randall, like just about anyone, is oblivious to the magnitude of the totality of positive correlates of intelligence, and even (TRIGGER WARNING, TABOO CONCEPT AHEAD) I.Q. Intelligence, I.Q., not only makes you happier, it also makes you more helpful to other people, more creative, more socially stable, better-to-do, less susceptible to mental illnesses, more likely to remember events in your life, etc. etc. etc... Basically, there isn't a positive trait or quality of life with which intelligence doesn't correlate. But people positively LOATHE awareness of how highly intelligence, in fact, matters. Hence the vehement denial whenever someone indicates its importance, all the "I know an intelligent person who is miserable/mean/...", all stressing of exceptions, all ridicule of the notion of intelligence in general, all the "don't think about it"-mentality, all writing off of I.Q. as "antiquated, grossly limited, racist, metric" rather than the extremely potent predictor that it is. tl;dr Randall at all, take time to actually STUDY intelligence or the g factor before you mock it like that. [[Special:Contributions/141.101.89.211|141.101.89.211]] 09:25, 25 June 2014 (UTC)

: IQ is based on an arbitrary test and isn't necessarily accurate or reliable. Cognitive ability (which IQ does not accurately measure) WOULD make you more creative, have better memory, etc. I don't know anything about the mental illness thing, but it doesn't make you happier- you can be extremely intelligent but still have a miserable life. Also many "geniuses" in history have emotional issues and unbalanced lives. Intelligence doesn't make you more helpful, either. Yes, you might be more ABlE to help others, but only if you were educated, and only if you WANT to. Plus, this is a webcomic poking fun at people generalizing humanity, not an in-depth analysis of IQ. This whole argument is pointless, and I don't know why I just wasted a bunch of time on it... I guess I have fallen for the trap described by comic 386, Duty Calls. [[User:Random xkcd Fan|Random xkcd Fan]] ([[User talk:Random xkcd Fan|talk]]) 00:41, 26 October 2016 (UTC)

: In other words (and this is going to be my last addendum to this note, because it is a vast subject), whenever people say (or imply, as in the comic's case) that "intelligence isn't everything", the question to ask in return is, "okay, now what is the degree to which intelligence enables, facilitates, contributes to, 'the rest' to which you're opposing intelligence here?". People minimise the depth and breadth of the intellectual substrate of achievement. [[Special:Contributions/141.101.89.211|141.101.89.211]] 09:33, 25 June 2014 (UTC)

: Also, Randall (and everyone saying that) is being highly unjust in equating "people aren't smart" with "people aren't as smart as me". A perfectly valid alternative sense is, "people aren't as smart as to be rationally expected to contribute to rather than damage the discussion/situation/position at hand"--having the objective good, the objective recognition that certain situations (for instance, a certain online conversation which is expected to be competent) require certain minimal intellectual thresholds (for instance, an I.Q. of 120), in mind rather than egotic comparison. Lower intelligence, deny it all you please, comes with temperamental problems for instance. Selection for intelligence will largely filter them out. [[Special:Contributions/141.101.89.211|141.101.89.211]] 09:46, 25 June 2014 (UTC)

:: tl;dr of my entire production here: people must learn that BOTH situations of the Dunning-Kruger are equally harmful, the one that's less often considered perhaps actually even more so. Mistaken self-perception as intelligent is bad for the individual, but refusal to acknowledge the importance of one's own cognitive capacity (which is as good as universal in intelligent people--"I am not that smart" (who hasn't heard that one innumerable times?), "I just like doing thing x, my proficiency in it has nothing to do with my intelligence or I.Q.", "I have areas in which I'm 'stupid' too", "effort counts too") has societal consequences, of contributing to erroneous dismissal of the notions of intelligence & I.Q. & g etc. Shutting up for good now. Night. [[Special:Contributions/141.101.89.211|141.101.89.211]] 10:11, 25 June 2014 (UTC)

::: GAHHHHH just one more thing. Consider this: the fact that people dismiss I.Q. is the best indicator of how important a trait it really is. Thing is, people would not feel compelled by modesty to deny its importance had it not been vitally integral to many, many things. We deny what we value, so to give hope to those who lack that thing (to comfort those who lack intelligence). [[Special:Contributions/141.101.89.211|141.101.89.211]] 10:15, 25 June 2014 (UTC)

:::: Okay, no offense, but maybe you should calm down a bit. It's just a WEBCOMIC, not the Universal Decree of All Things Correct and Accepted as True. Also, I'm pretty sure you're overthinking it. Randall is just poking fun at those who say, "oh, people are stupid, you know". Cueball isn't seriously giving statistics (although I do agree with his logic- intelligence is NOT absolute, it's relative. And IQ is obsolete; it's based on arbitrary tests and vary based on things like race and social class, which should be evidence enough that it isn't some divine, and 100% precise way of calculating cognitive ability). Cueball is simply making fun of White Hat's statement that "people are stupid". Also the comic generally points out making remarks about the human race as a whole doesn't help anything... {{unsigned|Random xkcd Fan}}

:::: Hey 141.101.89.211... I wonder if you have something to say, but despite my best efforts, I'm having trouble following everything you're saying - I have a feeling you were a bit emotional (perhaps tired?) when writing that, or you might have had fewer "more things" immediately following "I'm done" statements. If you're up for it, I'd appreciate you taking the time to make sure you're saying what you want to say, and ''then'' say it, because you seem to at least have good grammar (though there ''were'' a few British spellings... :-D), so I suspect you probably have a good point. It's also conceivable that I'm just not smart enough to get what you're saying (?) or perhaps it's just too ''early'' for me. BTW the best way of making sure I see what you're saying would probably be to let me know on my [[User talk:Brettpeirce|talk page]]... might even have the conversation there if you'd prefer. Thanks for your time. [[User:Brettpeirce|Brettpeirce]] ([[User talk:Brettpeirce|talk]]) 11:25, 25 June 2014 (UTC)
: I don't know why you think that 141.101.89.211... No where does the comic say that. The mocking award is simply mocking people who '''may or may not''' have higher intelligence than the people they're addressing taking a Better Than Thou attitude because they think they do. In other words: "Higher intelligence doesn't give you an excuse to act like a jerk." I'm sure you can agree with that too [[Special:Contributions/108.162.245.218|108.162.245.218]] 04:42, 26 June 2014 (UTC)

I would add one "people are stupid" angle not yet mentioned: judging by behavior, most groups of people are less intelligent that any member of that group individually. This is valid even for the "all people" group - just look at the planet. Surprisingly, judging by content of most wikis, the "editors of wiki" groups seems to immune. -- [[User:Hkmaly|Hkmaly]] ([[User talk:Hkmaly|talk]]) 10:05, 25 June 2014 (UTC)
: Good point--conforming to pressures of one's group or one's position to the detriment of one's judgment is a separate personality trait. The phenomenon is remedied by intelligence, but independent from it. [[Special:Contributions/141.101.89.211|141.101.89.211]] 10:11, 25 June 2014 (UTC)
: Beat me to it. I'd like to add that even individual people have their occasional stupid and intelligent moments, with the stupid ones typically being of greater magnitude. Thus, it's not unreasonable to say that the average actions of people are at least slightly less intelligent than the average intelligence of most people on most days. [[Special:Contributions/173.245.55.83|173.245.55.83]] 12:13, 25 June 2014 (UTC)
: Similar to the statement in the film "Men In Black". Agent J says, "Why the big secret [about the aliens among us]? People are smart. They can handle it." Agent K responds, "A person is smart. People are dumb, panicky dangerous animals and you know it." [[Special:Contributions/108.162.221.45|108.162.221.45]] 01:15, 26 June 2014 (UTC)

I can't believe people say things like that, man, people are stupid [[User:Halfhat|Halfhat]] ([[User talk:Halfhat|talk]]) 10:52, 25 June 2014 (UTC)

Thanks for the Lake Wobegon references. Not only is it on-target, but I take personal joy seeing mentions of uniquely Minnesotan culture anywhere I can find them. --BigMal27, Minnesota-born, Minnesotan-raised // [[Special:Contributions/173.245.55.88|173.245.55.88]] 11:53, 25 June 2014 (UTC)

Instead of saying, "People are stupid," we would do better to say "People make poor decisions / statements / judgments." And this, for multiple reasons, few of them I suspect tied to basal intelligence. Stage of life, level of health and stress, experience relative to the topic, level of education and the quality of that education, cultural idiotic beliefs that interfere with optimal choices, and a zillion others. Plus, as a large percentage of humans are either just coming online in experience and education, or are winding down in health and mental function, we are guaranteed to see a large percentage of stupid decisions right across the IQ landscape. No help for it. [[Special:Contributions/108.162.246.217|108.162.246.217]] 13:04, 25 June 2014 (UTC)
: I.Q. affects level of health and stress, rate of acquisition of experience, level of education, quality of education obtained, preference of cultural beliefs. It doesn't seem to defy reason that it affects the zillion other factors, too. [[Special:Contributions/141.101.89.221|141.101.89.221]] 13:17, 25 June 2014 (UTC)
: Remember, in interaction between psychological and social factors, the question is never of *existence* of a connection, but of its magnitude. It is fine to posit a multitude of environmental factors that determine (ir)rationality, but as long as such position keeps people from connecting I.Q. with those factors' actual occurrence (how much I.Q. does it take to finish a good school? to develop a habit of reading a book every month? this is not at all trivial question, and it needs to be resolved with more than anecdotal evidence of "I know an intelligent illiterate person"), there might be an elephant buried underneath the room which no one knows about. [[Special:Contributions/141.101.89.221|141.101.89.221]] 13:25, 25 June 2014 (UTC)

I know Cueball's explanation can be construed to illustrate otherwise; but I doubt the comic was meant to be a comment on the relative intelligence of humanity. It seems more likely, to me, that the purpose of the comic was to comment on the stonewalling that the mindset, "I'm better than you," induces. [[Special:Contributions/108.162.216.35|108.162.216.35]] 15:12, 25 June 2014 (UTC)

The cartoon never mentions I.Q. at all, Just "Average Intelligence", so the Mean/Median discussion is moot. As for the other discussion on this page, I'm just going to quote Blaise Pascal: "I would have written a shorter letter, but I did not have the time" [[User:Jim E|Jim E]] ([[User talk:Jim E|talk]]) 16:00, 25 June 2014 (UTC)

As mentioned above, in other comments that it's hard to find a way to indent from, there's a difference between different 'average's. (To compare "the median" with "the average" is not a good way of doing it, because one needn't know whether you're talking mean or mode in the second sense. I could even say that I have more than the average number of arms, for a human.) The assumption that the median [i]and[/i] mean (and, perhaps, also mode) are a single location at which 100IQ can be placed is dependant upon the bell curve being symmetrical. Just one hyper-intelligent could skew the mean well above the median. (Ok, so we're talking about comic-book "hyper"ness, to make it significant, in a world's worth of population, but the principle still stands for any more manageable population.) And about IQ tests being recalibrated... there is already a common convention that there's a score-adjuster (or a look-up table, based on this) that gives you different IQs for the same number of correct answers but for people of different ages (and sometimes male/female). Which seems to me like "we give up trying to be demographically neutral, let's just find how well different people answer in our test and then work out where their own arbitrary sub-group's bell-curve stradles". That said, I like IQ tests. I do well in them, and have fun doing them, even if I don't actually believe in them any more than I believe in Sudoku puzzles! And, sorry, I ended up typing far more than I had intended... [[Special:Contributions/141.101.99.193|141.101.99.193]] 16:31, 25 June 2014 (UTC)

I see a lot of discussion on intelligence, but nothing on "losing faith in humanity". The way I see it everywhere is not in response to stupid people, but to acts of inhumanity. Random acts of violence and hate, for example. Or not random, but large scale. "Restored my faith in humanity" comments often refer to the opposite (in my experience) which involve random acts of kindness, or large-scale altruism. [[Special:Contributions/108.162.237.161|108.162.237.161]] 08:48, 26 June 2014 (UTC)

What about people using Facebook, Twitter, Whatsapp and any other "social network web 2.0" thing? They certainly aren't an individual or small group, they are stupid and I've lost my faith in them. :) {{unsigned ip|173.245.56.166}}

There are distributions where majority of the population would indeed be below average. Luckily for humanity, intelligence is on a bell curve! I am happy beyond words that this is the case. {{unsigned ip|108.162.216.31}}

This has to be one of the most entertaining boring conversations I've ever come across! Brilliant! (Or not.) [[User:Taibhse|Taibhse]] ([[User talk:Taibhse|talk]]) 14:12, 26 June 2014 (UTC)

I think when someone says "people are stupid", they actually usually mean something like "people systematically make mistakes that I feel are readily avoidable", rather than making an actual judgement regarding general intelligence. So this comic feels rather off to me. [[Special:Contributions/173.245.48.113|173.245.48.113]] 08:01, 27 June 2014 (UTC)

:If you read xkcd long enough, you'll find a lot of Randall's comics feel "off." {{unsigned ip|108.162.212.215}}

Interestingly, the people making comments about average people being stupid tend to be, eh, below-average-smart themselves. [[Special:Contributions/108.162.246.217|108.162.246.217]] 00:47, 28 June 2014 (UTC)

:"Interestingly," huh? You sound smart. [[Special:Contributions/108.162.212.215|108.162.212.215]] 14:39, 30 June 2014 (UTC)

When I say "People are stupid" I mean that a group of people making a decision is much stupider than a person. [[Special:Contributions/108.162.246.215|108.162.246.215]] 04:33, 28 June 2014 (UTC)

'''"No, people aren't stupid. On average, people are of average intelligence."'''

Hey, guys. Consider that average intelligence ''is'' stupid. [[Special:Contributions/108.162.212.215|108.162.212.215]] 14:39, 30 June 2014 (UTC)
: Yeah, this is how I've always interpreted "People are stupid" it means, considering we all think we're a smart species, our average intelligence is really low. It's not "I'm better than everybody/average/most people" but "Everybody/the average person/most people is/are worse than most people believe" [[Special:Contributions/141.101.99.216|141.101.99.216]] 13:15, 15 July 2014 (UTC)
:: You stupid, stupid humans. [[Special:Contributions/162.158.255.52|162.158.255.52]] 02:25, 25 September 2015 (UTC)

What if the distribution of intelligence is bimodal? If no one is of "average" intelligence, might the more extreme stupidity of a large portion of the population give the impression that the actual average is lower than it appears? [[User:Bppubjr|Bppubjr]] ([[User talk:Bppubjr|talk]]) 14:48, 1 July 2014 (UTC)

"People is dumb." [[Special:Contributions/173.245.52.164|173.245.52.164]]

All the (admittedly online) IQ tests I've done have always been focussed on logic, mental manipulation of shapes, maths, deduction etc. While this favours those with a certain type of brain, I can't help but think it is heavily biased against those with creative types of thinking. Hand me a paintbrush and canvas, and my logical brain is of no help at all --[[User:Pudder|Pudder]] ([[User talk:Pudder|talk]]) 15:17, 20 October 2014 (UTC)
:Intelligence is the ability of learning, the use of logic and solving problems. While being creative is good, necessary and a very useful thing by itself, is NOT intelligence. So a person could be creative and being dumb at the same time, or the opposite. Also, there are not different kind of brains. The whole left-brain vs right-brain thing is a myth: http://www.livescience.com/39373-left-brain-right-brain-myth.html [[Special:Contributions/173.245.48.29|173.245.48.29]] 21:07, 25 March 2015 (UTC)

Not XKCD's best work. This is a normal response that smarter people initially feel when encountering others, having taking themselves as the baseline. This actually reflects a lack of elitism, where you expect other people to be the same as you and are surprised they are not (pretty much the opposite as portrayed here). Case in point is Freeman Dyson. Here's an excerpt from the Atlantic Monthly piece on him:

The prodigy in question, Freeman Dyson, now middle-aged, stared ahead, his incessant concentration on the road unbroken. He seemed mesmerized by the oncoming pavement, or by some idea or formulation glimpsed in the immateriality beyond the pavement. I asked him whether as a boy he had speculated much about his gift. Had he asked himself why he had this special power? Why he was so bright?

Dyson is almost infallibly a modest and self-effacing man, but tonight his eyes were blank with fatigue, and his answer was uncharacteristic.

“That’s not how the question phrases itself,” he said. “The question is: why is everyone else so stupid?”

[[Special:Contributions/108.162.241.124|108.162.241.124]] 00:41, 6 November 2015 (UTC)

'''386 + 1000?'''

In Duty Calls (386) http://http://xkcd.com/386/ people were just wrong. Fast forward 1000 strips and they are stupid. [[User:Hananc|Hananc]] ([[User talk:Hananc|talk]]) 13:55, 23 July 2016 (UTC)

I disagree with the author here. Due to ambiguities of language it can correctly be said that most people are stupid. On one hand, we have the strict definition of average intelligence: it is defined by the intelligence of the average. If, however, one defines intelligence based on each person's average use of what they have, well, averaged over time, most people don't use what they have. That is why I assert that most people are stupid: because they have the ability to be average or above, but in practice their lack of thinking leads to decisions as bad of those who would score far worse on any real or theoretically perfect test.

note: The form of testing and its accuracy is irrelevant. It's just a score generated by a process.

[[Special:Contributions/172.68.174.16|172.68.174.16]] 07:37, 13 November 2018 (UTC)

Anybody else notice how '''TRIGGER WARNING: DO NOT READ IF YOU CAN'T TAKE CRITICISM''' might be proving [[White Hat]]'s idea right? Just look at the arguments! Note: While not all people are stupid, a moderate percentage of internet contributers have been observed to act stupidly.[[Special:Contributions/108.162.242.21|108.162.242.21]] 19:50, 6 November 2019 (UTC)

== Analysis of definitions ==

1. "People are X" can mean either "all people are X" (1a) or "most people possess the property Y at least to the degree X" (1b), in this case " a majority of people are unintelligent enough to be called stupid"

2. "Stupid" can mean "below average intelligence" (2a) or "less smart than a reference value (ex. the intelligence of the speaker, or how intelligent the speaker would like humans to be, or than required to deal with a task or problem at hand)" (2b).

Now we just need to go through the combinations of the definitions.

1a/2a. All people have intelligence below average. Impossible by definition of "average".

1b/2a. A majority of people have below average intelligence. Possible if the distribution curve is skewed, i.e. if most people have intelligence slightly below average and some people are a lot smarter than the average. My sample, however, says that the opposite is the case, though it might also be skewed in respect to general population.

1a/2b. No people are smart enough for X. Possible depending on the definition of "enough". The speaker is very probably not the smartest human being in existence, but some statements such as "no living human have demonstrated enough intelligence to formulate a definite proof of Riemann hypothesis as of yet" are objectively true.

1b/2b. Most people are not smart enough for X. Again possible depending on the definition, moreso as most if not all problems could be solved well enough if all or most people just cooperated better and prioritized the global good over their own.

Therefore, the statement can be fine as long as the speaker has a good reason to say it in a particular context and/or includes himself in it. In any other case, Cueball's reaction is justified.

I have to disagree with this comic. Yes, on average, people are of average intelligence. However, if the average intelligence is "stupid", then the average person is stupid. [[User:R3TRI8UTI0N|R3TRI8UTI0N]] ([[User talk:R3TRI8UTI0N|talk]]) 00:11, 30 March 2023 (UTC)

Talk:1261: Shake That

2023-03-29T00:40:24Z

R3TRI8UTI0N:

[Removed] [[Special:Contributions/78.55.145.25|78.55.145.25]] 08:31, 6 September 2013 (UTC)
:Removed an unconstructive and misleading comment. [[User:R3TRI8UTI0N|R3TRI8UTI0N]] ([[User talk:R3TRI8UTI0N|talk]]) 00:40, 29 March 2023 (UTC)

Hey, it's not the worst xkcd ever. What about the early xkcd strips, where most of them were just sketches or drawings? [[User:GameZone|GameZone]] ([[User talk:GameZone|talk]]) 08:37, 6 September 2013 (UTC)

Surely "Worst. xkcd. Ever!" No? Turning to the explanation, I like the phase lag explanation. Never thought of sexual exhibitionism in those terms before.--[[Special:Contributions/203.166.249.26|203.166.249.26]] 08:46, 6 September 2013 (UTC)

:The explanation is definitely pushing this strip up. -- [[User:Hkmaly|Hkmaly]] ([[User talk:Hkmaly|talk]]) 09:30, 6 September 2013 (UTC)

Hugely impressed by the explanation. I would never have thought you could write so much about such a dry comic. --[[User:Mynotoar|Mynotoar]] ([[User talk:Mynotoar|talk]]) 09:34, 6 September 2013 (UTC)

This explanation makes me so happy. Make an account, anonymous user at IP 220.224.246.97 and come collect your praise for such a great explanation! --[[User:Jeff|Jeff]] ([[User talk:Jeff|talk]]) 15:27, 6 September 2013 (UTC)

Perhaps the XKCD website was hacked? {{unsigned ip|‎88.174.225.205}}

Truly stunning explanation. Come and collect your internets. [[Special:Contributions/78.105.231.184|78.105.231.184]] 20:49, 6 September 2013 (UTC)

Haha, PHASE LAG cracked me up. Props for the explanation; I didn't understand the comic at all. {{unsigned ip|223.239.158.130}}

:+++1 for the whole *phase lag* line!{{unsigned ip|92.230.220.144}}

To the nay-sayers: "<nowiki>[XKCD is]</nowiki> A webcomic of romance, sarcasm, math, and '''language'''." Quit with the downers, man, and get with the groove!

(Also, it'd probably be a general rule that, paid-for bodysculpting aside, a girls breasts and/or buttocks have a good chance of being like those of her mother. Thus she 'gives you'(/her) that big butt (''not'' a universally desirable feature amongst womankind) or set of boobies that the DJ/MC/whoever is probably after encouraging the physical highlighting of. But that's a boring (and only half right) detail about the explanation. All praise to the current version, and don't add any more to it on my account.) [[Special:Contributions/31.126.86.231|31.126.86.231]] 19:17, 7 September 2013 (UTC)

Interpreting a "yo mama" line literally was also done in [[502: Dark Flow]]; that connection may give this one similar poignance... [[Special:Contributions/90.197.95.152|90.197.95.152]] 19:24, 7 September 2013 (UTC)

Female breast endowment genes don't express in men. Therefore, although a woman's breast size will about equally correlate (on average) with her maternal grandmother as with her paternal grandmother, it is most definitely more correlated with her mother's bust size than her father's. I'm trying to find a way to add that to the explanation too, but can't find the right pithy phrasing. [[User:Djbrasier|Djbrasier]] ([[User talk:Djbrasier|talk]]) 20:20, 7 September 2013 (UTC)

This is now my favorite description --[[Special:Contributions/108.3.190.56|108.3.190.56]] 21:04, 8 September 2013 (UTC)

Moved out of main explanation, and here, since it is tangential:
While the line is used in a male-watching-female context, there is nothing to preclude the reverse, or indeed any alternative sexual orientation and fetishes. It is, however, an applicable one if he/she considers his/her body as something given to her by her mother. This is not entirely spurious a consideration either. Aside from the fact that each human child starts off as an egg in the mother's body, with only a small percentage (at an atomic mass accounting level) of mass inherited from the father, almost all the anabolic material responsible for conferring the birth mass of a baby is obtained through the mother - and from the nutrients she processes. Additionally, female breast size genes don't generally affect bust size in men. Therefore, although a woman's breast size will about equally correlate (on average) with her maternal grandmother as with her paternal grandmother, it is most definitely more correlated with her mother's bust size than her father's.{{unsigned ip|148.87.19.222}}

小撸怡情，大撸伤身，强撸灰飛煙滅 {{unsigned|GorgeousY}}
:It's Chinese, Google translate shows this: "Small line and cheer, great line and beverages, strong line and ashes". This site is English so we don't need different languages without an explain. This here is just spam! --[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 19:14, 6 October 2013 (UTC)
::Google translate is horribly imperfect. He seems to be repeating an often made and coherent comment on character. We have little right to censor his speech, although we really should provide appropriate channels for foreign-language visitors. I'll look into that. '''[[User:Davidy22|{{Color|#707|David}}y²²]]'''[[User talk:Davidy22|<tt>[talk]</tt>]] 19:42, 6 October 2013 (UTC)
:::You are correct, Google translate is horrible. It just gives a first hint what the meaning could be. In my opinion this is still spam. --[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 22:25, 6 October 2013 (UTC)
::::Spam is when a deliberate effort is made to deface the page by putting up gibberish. He's quoting a relevant Chinese semi-meme, that's not spam. We're just not providing him an appropriate outlet for his post. SlashMe wasn't spamming your talk page when he posted in German there, even if the majority of users don't know what you two said, me included. The solution would be alternate language support, not censorship. '''[[User:Davidy22|{{Color|#707|David}}y²²]]'''[[User talk:Davidy22|<tt>[talk]</tt>]] 23:33, 6 October 2013 (UTC)
:::::The line could possibly mean "masturbate rarely and enjoy, masturbate often and hurt your body, masturbate strongly (too often?) and turn into ashes". [[Special:Contributions/108.162.222.78|108.162.222.78]] 06:01, 22 July 2014 (UTC)

Where did the PHASE LAG went? :-( It was the best part of the explanation... [[Special:Contributions/141.101.97.206|141.101.97.206]] 14:52, 6 September 2014 (UTC) tralala

Lackluster strip is totally compensated for by stellar explanation. [[Special:Contributions/162.158.90.83|162.158.90.83]] 18:12, 1 October 2021 (UTC)

Talk:984: Space Launch System

2023-03-27T00:34:58Z

R3TRI8UTI0N:

But then we built a whole pile of rockets after that. Apollo, moon landing, mars rover, etc. Boo Black Hat.06:53, 2 February 2013 (UTC)
:"Apollo, moon landing" -- that is, in fact, the Saturn V, built by von Braun, captured Nazi scientist, and his team, largely captured Nazi scientists. Yes, other rockets were built after the Saturn V, but as pointed out in the strip, none have been bigger or more powerful. "Finally, rockets that improve on the ones we had 40 years ago."
:The first Mars lander (true, not a rover), Viking I, was launched on an Titan/Centaur. The Centaur was a co-creation of Krafft A. Ehricke, nazi scientist.
:Mars Sojourner, a rover, part of the Mars Pathfinder mission, was launched on a Delta II rocket. The Delta family of rockets are based on the Thor ballistic missile. The Thor was originally co-developed by Dr. Adolph K. Thiel, Nazi scientist.
:You see where this is going? {{unsigned|212.149.48.43}}

Technically, von Braun wasn't captured. He voluntarily defected. He was wandering Germany because he had chosen to no longer support Hitler, so to stay at the concentration camp where he worked, or anywhere where a Nazi soldier could find him was suicide, so he escaped and was wandering out alone. He surrendered and defected to the first allied troops he saw, which just happened to be American. This is why he worked on the space programme instead of being shot on sight. By the time he was building American rockets, he hadn't been a Nazi for years.[[Special:Contributions/76.29.225.28|76.29.225.28]] 14:40, 4 July 2013 (UTC)
:You're way off the mark. He was never opposed to the Nazis per se, but did understandably start grumbling a bit when he realized this Endsieg thing wasn't really working out. He and his team left the base because they, again understandably, did not want to be prisoners of the Red Army and Soviet Russia. Then, when the Americans finally caught up with them, he surrendered himself, avoiding execution by guards at the same time. --[[User:Qwach|Qwach]] ([[User talk:Qwach|talk]]) 02:19, 1 September 2013 (UTC)
:"He hadn't been a Nazi for years" -- really, this is begging the question of how you determine whether someone "is a Nazi" or not. Would you say that anyone who ever joined the Nazi party "is a Nazi," despite the fact that many of them probably did so for social expedience rather than because they actually agreed with Nazi philosophy? And would you then ignore the fact that many modern-day skinheads or neo-nazi's aren't formally registered with any national-socialist party? And, if you get around this problem by ignoring party registration altogether, and you simply say that someone "is a Nazi" if they hold views which concur with the views of the Nazi party, then how do you measure someone's views? How do you determine whether someone's views are sufficiently-similar to the Nazi party's to call them a Nazi? If someone were to say "sure, I hate Jews, but we probably shouldn't murder them all," would they be sufficiently Nazi-esque to "be a Nazi" or would their dissent make them "not a Nazi?" In conclusion, to say conclusively that von Braun "was a Nazi" or "wasn't a Nazi" at any particular point in time is probably nearly impossible, and not worth our time. [[Special:Contributions/108.162.221.249|108.162.221.249]] 19:12, 9 March 2015 (UTC)

So he was one of the good guys?
Not like the other guards and related personnel who didn't want anyone to know they were intimately involved in any of what they were so intimately involved with?
Someone tell me how the USA isn't a working example of Nazi Germany.[[User:Weatherlawyer| I used Google News BEFORE it was clickbait]] ([[User talk:Weatherlawyer|talk]]) 08:01, 22 January 2015 (UTC)

:This may be quite late but I'd like to point out that von Braun was not just member of the NSDAP (the Nazi party) but of the SS as well which goes beyond simple opportunism or group pressure. And he actually visited concentration camps and even selected "workers" (for V2 production) personally, so there is no doubt that von Braun was a Nazi war criminal. He was just never convicted because he was too useful (which was unfortunately the rule rather than an exception at the time). --[[Special:Contributions/162.158.90.78|162.158.90.78]] 19:45, 18 April 2018 (UTC)

As of September, 2021 (10 years after the comic was published0, the first SLS launch still has not taken place. [[User:Nitpicking|Nitpicking]] ([[User talk:Nitpicking|talk]]) 14:29, 19 September 2021 (UTC)

;Incomplete

Oh, this comic is one of the "more complex" ones. The time line (not the comic sequence) is starting with the US failures to archive space flight in the 1950's, then referring to Nazis, and by the end we are on the current US space policy, which is also highly questionable.--[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 19:51, 4 July 2013 (UTC)

Not sure what you mean by one of the "more complex" ones, it is actually pretty straightforward. Some nitpicking though: there was no US failure to achieve space flight in the 50s; both the US and the USSR did it within 4 months of each other at the end of 1957/beginning of 1958. A little history lesson:
The Space Race didn't begin until July of 1955, when the US announced its intention to launch Earth-orbiting satellites sometime between July 1st 1957 and December 31st 1958. The USSR followed suit shortly afterwards, and by the end of August 1955 the Soviet Academy of Sciences created a commission (i.e. offered support and possibly some sort of incentive) for the sole purpose of beating the US into space - which they ended up doing with Sputnik 1 (10/04/57) and 2 (11/03/57). The creation of that commission is considered the start of the space race. The US launched its first successful satellite a few months after the Sputniks, the Explorer 1, on February 1, 1958, well within what most people would call the 1950s. [[Special:Contributions/108.162.216.80|108.162.216.80]] 19:53, 31 July 2014 (UTC)

Which is not to say that Maria Cary is a rocket scientist or not, as the case may be.[[User:Weatherlawyer| I used Google News BEFORE it was clickbait]] ([[User talk:Weatherlawyer|talk]]) 08:21, 22 January 2015 (UTC)
Doh Shania Twain. (It's amazing what you can learn when you check your spelling.)[[User:Weatherlawyer| I used Google News BEFORE it was clickbait]] ([[User talk:Weatherlawyer|talk]]) 08:21, 22 January 2015 (UTC)

Amazing how Randall can take heinous ideas of which any rational person would be ashamed to even think, put them in the mouth of Blackhat, and it's not only fine, but hilarious. Bravo. [[Special:Contributions/108.162.219.236|108.162.219.236]] 18:41, 3 August 2015 (UTC)

"Once the rockets go up, who cares where they come down? That's not my department..."[[Special:Contributions/173.245.50.174|173.245.50.174]] 04:40, 6 September 2015 (UTC)

Personally, I don't get why using Nazi scientists is considered abhorrent. The fuckers who gassed Jews just for the hell of it? Yes, they're despicable. But the rocket scientists who built spacecraft? Fact is, they knew what they were doing, and were good to further our technology. They're ability to advance science is a positive quality, which does not in any way diminish their horrible qualities. Like all human beings, they had a good part, even if their bad vastly overshadows it. [[User:HumaneEngineer|HumaneEngineer]] ([[User talk:HumaneEngineer|talk]]) 02:01, 27 September 2018 (UTC)
:They knew of, or at least delibretly closed their eyes on the working condidents of the consturcuction sites of the V2 rockets, where between 16,000 and 20,000 slave workers died under horrible circumstances. Also they knew exaclty that their rockets where used as an offensive weapon against civilians.{{unsigned ip|172.68.110.171|15:05, 7 September 2022}}

To all the guys out there: If you find a girl who isn't impressed by rocket science, get rid of her. She doesn't have to be smart, but if she does not find rocket science impressive, there is something wrong with her. [[User:R3TRI8UTI0N|R3TRI8UTI0N]] ([[User talk:R3TRI8UTI0N|talk]]) 00:34, 27 March 2023 (UTC)

Talk:984: Space Launch System

2023-03-27T00:34:11Z

R3TRI8UTI0N:

But then we built a whole pile of rockets after that. Apollo, moon landing, mars rover, etc. Boo Black Hat.06:53, 2 February 2013 (UTC)
:"Apollo, moon landing" -- that is, in fact, the Saturn V, built by von Braun, captured Nazi scientist, and his team, largely captured Nazi scientists. Yes, other rockets were built after the Saturn V, but as pointed out in the strip, none have been bigger or more powerful. "Finally, rockets that improve on the ones we had 40 years ago."
:The first Mars lander (true, not a rover), Viking I, was launched on an Titan/Centaur. The Centaur was a co-creation of Krafft A. Ehricke, nazi scientist.
:Mars Sojourner, a rover, part of the Mars Pathfinder mission, was launched on a Delta II rocket. The Delta family of rockets are based on the Thor ballistic missile. The Thor was originally co-developed by Dr. Adolph K. Thiel, Nazi scientist.
:You see where this is going? {{unsigned|212.149.48.43}}

Technically, von Braun wasn't captured. He voluntarily defected. He was wandering Germany because he had chosen to no longer support Hitler, so to stay at the concentration camp where he worked, or anywhere where a Nazi soldier could find him was suicide, so he escaped and was wandering out alone. He surrendered and defected to the first allied troops he saw, which just happened to be American. This is why he worked on the space programme instead of being shot on sight. By the time he was building American rockets, he hadn't been a Nazi for years.[[Special:Contributions/76.29.225.28|76.29.225.28]] 14:40, 4 July 2013 (UTC)
:You're way off the mark. He was never opposed to the Nazis per se, but did understandably start grumbling a bit when he realized this Endsieg thing wasn't really working out. He and his team left the base because they, again understandably, did not want to be prisoners of the Red Army and Soviet Russia. Then, when the Americans finally caught up with them, he surrendered himself, avoiding execution by guards at the same time. --[[User:Qwach|Qwach]] ([[User talk:Qwach|talk]]) 02:19, 1 September 2013 (UTC)
:"He hadn't been a Nazi for years" -- really, this is begging the question of how you determine whether someone "is a Nazi" or not. Would you say that anyone who ever joined the Nazi party "is a Nazi," despite the fact that many of them probably did so for social expedience rather than because they actually agreed with Nazi philosophy? And would you then ignore the fact that many modern-day skinheads or neo-nazi's aren't formally registered with any national-socialist party? And, if you get around this problem by ignoring party registration altogether, and you simply say that someone "is a Nazi" if they hold views which concur with the views of the Nazi party, then how do you measure someone's views? How do you determine whether someone's views are sufficiently-similar to the Nazi party's to call them a Nazi? If someone were to say "sure, I hate Jews, but we probably shouldn't murder them all," would they be sufficiently Nazi-esque to "be a Nazi" or would their dissent make them "not a Nazi?" In conclusion, to say conclusively that von Braun "was a Nazi" or "wasn't a Nazi" at any particular point in time is probably nearly impossible, and not worth our time. [[Special:Contributions/108.162.221.249|108.162.221.249]] 19:12, 9 March 2015 (UTC)

So he was one of the good guys?
Not like the other guards and related personnel who didn't want anyone to know they were intimately involved in any of what they were so intimately involved with?
Someone tell me how the USA isn't a working example of Nazi Germany.[[User:Weatherlawyer| I used Google News BEFORE it was clickbait]] ([[User talk:Weatherlawyer|talk]]) 08:01, 22 January 2015 (UTC)

:This may be quite late but I'd like to point out that von Braun was not just member of the NSDAP (the Nazi party) but of the SS as well which goes beyond simple opportunism or group pressure. And he actually visited concentration camps and even selected "workers" (for V2 production) personally, so there is no doubt that von Braun was a Nazi war criminal. He was just never convicted because he was too useful (which was unfortunately the rule rather than an exception at the time). --[[Special:Contributions/162.158.90.78|162.158.90.78]] 19:45, 18 April 2018 (UTC)

As of September, 2021 (10 years after the comic was published0, the first SLS launch still has not taken place. [[User:Nitpicking|Nitpicking]] ([[User talk:Nitpicking|talk]]) 14:29, 19 September 2021 (UTC)

;Incomplete

Oh, this comic is one of the "more complex" ones. The time line (not the comic sequence) is starting with the US failures to archive space flight in the 1950's, then referring to Nazis, and by the end we are on the current US space policy, which is also highly questionable.--[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 19:51, 4 July 2013 (UTC)

Not sure what you mean by one of the "more complex" ones, it is actually pretty straightforward. Some nitpicking though: there was no US failure to achieve space flight in the 50s; both the US and the USSR did it within 4 months of each other at the end of 1957/beginning of 1958. A little history lesson:
The Space Race didn't begin until July of 1955, when the US announced its intention to launch Earth-orbiting satellites sometime between July 1st 1957 and December 31st 1958. The USSR followed suit shortly afterwards, and by the end of August 1955 the Soviet Academy of Sciences created a commission (i.e. offered support and possibly some sort of incentive) for the sole purpose of beating the US into space - which they ended up doing with Sputnik 1 (10/04/57) and 2 (11/03/57). The creation of that commission is considered the start of the space race. The US launched its first successful satellite a few months after the Sputniks, the Explorer 1, on February 1, 1958, well within what most people would call the 1950s. [[Special:Contributions/108.162.216.80|108.162.216.80]] 19:53, 31 July 2014 (UTC)

Which is not to say that Maria Cary is a rocket scientist or not, as the case may be.[[User:Weatherlawyer| I used Google News BEFORE it was clickbait]] ([[User talk:Weatherlawyer|talk]]) 08:21, 22 January 2015 (UTC)
Doh Shania Twain. (It's amazing what you can learn when you check your spelling.)[[User:Weatherlawyer| I used Google News BEFORE it was clickbait]] ([[User talk:Weatherlawyer|talk]]) 08:21, 22 January 2015 (UTC)

Amazing how Randall can take heinous ideas of which any rational person would be ashamed to even think, put them in the mouth of Blackhat, and it's not only fine, but hilarious. Bravo. [[Special:Contributions/108.162.219.236|108.162.219.236]] 18:41, 3 August 2015 (UTC)

"Once the rockets go up, who cares where they come down? That's not my department..."[[Special:Contributions/173.245.50.174|173.245.50.174]] 04:40, 6 September 2015 (UTC)

Personally, I don't get why using Nazi scientists is considered abhorrent. The fuckers who gassed Jews just for the hell of it? Yes, they're despicable. But the rocket scientists who built spacecraft? Fact is, they knew what they were doing, and were good to further our technology. They're ability to advance science is a positive quality, which does not in any way diminish their horrible qualities. Like all human beings, they had a good part, even if their bad vastly overshadows it. [[User:HumaneEngineer|HumaneEngineer]] ([[User talk:HumaneEngineer|talk]]) 02:01, 27 September 2018 (UTC)
:They knew of, or at least delibretly closed their eyes on the working condidents of the consturcuction sites of the V2 rockets, where between 16,000 and 20,000 slave workers died under horrible circumstances. Also they knew exaclty that their rockets where used as an offensive weapon against civilians.{{unsigned ip|172.68.110.171|15:05, 7 September 2022}}

To all the guys out there: If you find a girl who isn't impressed by rocket science, get rid of her. She doesn't have to be smart, but she does not find rocket science impressive, there is something wrong with her. [[User:R3TRI8UTI0N|R3TRI8UTI0N]] ([[User talk:R3TRI8UTI0N|talk]]) 00:34, 27 March 2023 (UTC)

Talk:913: Core

2023-03-24T03:01:53Z

R3TRI8UTI0N:

And the crust is just thin enough that volcanoes and earthquakes are a thing. Safety! '''[[User:Davidy22|{{Color|#707|David}}y²²]]'''[[User talk:Davidy22|<tt>[talk]</tt>]] 01:30, 17 April 2013 (UTC)

Isn't the glancing down and saying "I study that" a reference to something more inappropriate? ~ JFreund
:I think that's the joke. [[User:NealCruco|NealCruco]] ([[User talk:NealCruco|talk]]) 17:27, 17 March 2014 (UTC)
::No it isn't. That interpretation is not related to the comic in any way. Removed the last paragraph of the explanation as it is irrelevant to the comic. [[User:R3TRI8UTI0N|R3TRI8UTI0N]] ([[User talk:R3TRI8UTI0N|talk]]) 03:01, 24 March 2023 (UTC)

I agree. If you stand with your arm at shoulder height and gesture downwards, saying "I study that", you will be pointing both toward the center of the earth and at your own genitals. That is the joke in the title text. {{unsigned ip|173.245.52.196}}
:Am I the only one who thinks that that interpretation is dumb? It's clearly just a non-joking comment about how awesome it is to study the planet billions of humans live on, or so I think. [[User:Jacky720|That's right, Jacky720 just signed this]] ([[User talk:Jacky720|talk]] | [[Special:Contributions/Jacky720|contribs]]) 17:28, 22 June 2019 (UTC)
::No, I think you're right. The genital theory could be considered a humorous opening to a speech, but I believe it is a reference to the planet below everyone. [[Special:Contributions/162.158.106.234|162.158.106.234]] 15:50, 17 December 2019 (UTC)

And if Carlos Saldanha,s documentary is correct, the earth will be filled - FILLED - with velociraptors. [[Special:Contributions/173.245.56.191|173.245.56.191]] 15:25, 29 August 2014 (UTC)

FYI: It's not ''right'' under you. It's more like far, far, very far away from you. '''AND''' it's quite some time behind you, left of you, right of you, in front of you, and sometimes even {{w|Underwater Diving|above you}}. {{w|Sleep|See also!}}{{unsigned ip|162.158.83.144}}

913: Core

2023-03-24T02:59:18Z

R3TRI8UTI0N: /* Explanation */ Removed incorrect information.

{{comic
| number = 913
| date = June 17, 2011
| title = Core
| image = core.png
| titletext = If you're a geologist or geophysicist and you don't introduce yourself by saying your name, then gesturing downward and saying "... and I study that", I don't know what you're doing with your life.
}}

==Explanation==
This comic reflects on the fact that no matter where you are on {{w|Earth}}, its core is always directly under you, while incredibly hot and under huge amounts of pressure. Yet most of the time, we ignore this completely unless there is a volcanic eruption (which has nothing to do with the core, but mainly with the friction between the tectonic plates).

[[Cueball]] is presumably reading a geology book with diagrams and various facts about the Earth's interior, such as the core being subdivided into an {{w|inner core}} and an {{w|outer core}}, that the inner core is a solid ball, the size of the moon, that the outer core is at a pressure of 30 million {{w|pounds per square inch}} (approximately 2 million times atmospheric pressure at sea level) and the outer core is made of molten metal in a constant turbulent motion - a bit like a pot of boiling water. But every time he gets 15 minutes in to such a book he freaks out, realizing this deadly stuff is right beneath him, and he bends over to look down to the Earth.

The title text makes a note of how cool it would be to study this and be able to tell people you study what they're standing over... always! So if you do - then let everyone you meet know what you do for a living as soon as you introduce yourself by pointing at the ground beneath you! (Despite most geologists and geophysicists not studying the core, they do study what is beneath our feet.)

==Transcript==
:[A cutaway diagram of the Earth, with colored layers including a labeled outer core and inner core.]

:[A closeup of the stylized outer core, labeled "Turbulent molten metals at 30 million PSI" with turbulence lines, and of the inner core, labeled "moon-sized iron sphere."]

:[Cueball reading a book pulls legs up tight under office chair, peering downwards.]

:[Caption below the frame:]
:I freak out about fifteen minutes into reading anything about the Earth's core when I suddenly realize it's ''RIGHT UNDER ME''.

==Trivia==
What people of different science fields would often think about became the subject of [[2057: Internal Monologues]]. Geologist are not included, but the molten core beneath our feet would probably have been the choice if they had. That [[Randall]] was actually already thinking about adding geology was made clear in the next comic [[2058: Rock Wall]] about the core/mantle beneath our feet and 20 miles of rock (wall).

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Comics with color]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Geology]]

Talk:858: Milk

2023-03-23T12:36:35Z

R3TRI8UTI0N:

Psychic and oddly aware of some mad fetishes. '''[[User:Davidy22|{{Color|#707|David}}y²²]]'''[[User talk:Davidy22|<tt>[talk]</tt>]] 07:04, 17 April 2013 (UTC)

Am I just being pedantic when I note that there is no mention of breastfeeding in the comic? Were I to milk a cow, for example, I would not wish that action to be characterized as breastfeeding. [[Special:Contributions/108.162.219.223|108.162.219.223]] 19:54, 22 January 2014 (UTC)

Where are her legs in the third panel? {{unsigned ip|108.162.250.111}}

:Perhaps she got uncomfortable with the idea of Cueball's continual sexual perversion, and tucked her legs up into the armchair in an unconscious effort to feel more secure. [[Special:Contributions/108.162.219.58|108.162.219.58]] 23:41, 23 January 2014 (UTC)

I think it is more likely that she is being witty when suggesting Queball is thinking about milking her breasts. Queball gets the witty remark considering he was thinking about her breast in a possibly sexual context and gets amazed she would know he was having that thought right this minute. --[[Special:Contributions/141.101.81.74|141.101.81.74]] 14:49, 16 November 2015 (UTC)

''"This comic is a comment on the fascination and sheer lack of knowledge that men have about women's bodies in general, and their breasts in particular."'' There is no justification for this sentence at all. It puts words into Randal's mouth and nothing in the comic supports it. [[User:AmbroseChapel|AmbroseChapel]] ([[User talk:AmbroseChapel|talk]]) 00:40, 15 September 2017 (UTC)
:You read my mind! seriously, you're right about that. also, maybe anybody want to discuss similarity w/ https://xkcd.com/628/ {{unsigned ip|172.68.143.84}}

Technically she never says she isn't lactating, so we don't know that she cannot be milked.

Previously, the explanation said that a woman has to be pregnant in order to be able to lactate, which is not true. Some women can lactate before even their first pregnancy. I have changed the explanation to reflect this. [[User:R3TRI8UTI0N|R3TRI8UTI0N]] ([[User talk:R3TRI8UTI0N|talk]]) 12:36, 23 March 2023 (UTC)

858: Milk

2023-03-23T12:35:09Z

R3TRI8UTI0N: /* Explanation */

{{comic
| number = 858
| date = February 9, 2011
| title = Milk
| image = milk.png
| titletext = It's not hard when you have the same thought like 40 or 50 percent of the time.
}}

==Explanation==
[[Megan]] and [[Cueball]] are sitting quietly, engaged in their own solo pursuits. Without any preamble, Megan answers a question that has not been asked, pointing out to Cueball that he would not be able to obtain milk from her breasts right now, as she is not {{w|lactation|lactating}}. Cueball is flabbergasted that she seems to have read his mind, as this was exactly what he was wondering.

Megan, like any healthy adult female {{w|mammal}}, is capable of producing milk from her {{w|mammary glands}}. She does not need to be pregnant in order to lactate; some women are able to lactate before getting pregnant, but being pregnant will increase the chances of her being able to lactate.

The title text indicates that this is not proof of Megan's psychic powers, as Cueball seems quite obsessed with this particular topic, although, if you interpret it as a response to Cueball's thoughts in the last panel it could remain ambiguous.

==Transcript==
:[Couple sitting opposed, Megan on couch reading book and Cueball a chair with a laptop.]
:Megan: The fact that I have breasts doesn't mean you could milk me now. I'd have to be lactating.
:[A beat passes.]
: [In the third panel, Megan's legs are not seen, probably tucked under the armchair to feel more secure.]
:Cueball (thinking): Oh my god she's psychic.

==Trivia==
*Someone being mistakenly considered a psychic, while their statement is only by chance was already the punchline of [[628: Psychic]], 1.5 years earlier.
*Making random statements and surprising people in case they are true is also the setup in [[525: I Know You're Listening]] and [[2203: Prescience]]

{{comic discussion}}
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Megan]]
[[Category:Sex]]

Talk:717: Furtive

2023-03-23T12:32:44Z

R3TRI8UTI0N:

Well, no, there is no mention of other stuff in the title, which is "Furtive". So, OK, thanks for helping out with the cultural refs but why this cartoon? Explain! [pretty please]{{unsigned ip|81.135.136.212}}
:I believe it is referring to how Gadget looks around for three frames. Definition #2 of [http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/furtive Furtive] from [http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/Wiktionary:Main_Page Wiktionary] is "Exhibiting guilty or evasive secrecy". [[User:Tryc|Tryc]] ([[User talk:Tryc|talk]]) 17:58, 5 July 2013 (UTC)

"or else something to ejaculate into." no no no. It is 100% about 2 girls 1 cup. lol. It was prominent at the time the comic was created and has been referenced in other comics. [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=467:_X_Girls_Y_Cups 467: X Girls_Y_Cups] {{unsigned ip|180.94.92.234}}

Go go gadget cup. '''[[User:Davidy22|Davidy22]]'''[[User talk:Davidy22|<tt>[talk]</tt>]] 13:29, 18 February 2013 (UTC)

I may be naive, but I always thought the cup was protection from the girls when he brought out the camera. Anonymous 21:47, 4 December 2013 (UTC)

I don't know whether this is true of other countries, but in the UK trench coats of the type worn by Inspector Gadget are commonly linked to flashers and 'pervy old men'. That would certainly ring true with the rest of the comic. --[[User:Pudder|Pudder]] ([[User talk:Pudder|talk]]) 12:15, 16 September 2014 (UTC)

This detective also looks like the Google Incognito Tab. --[[User:ShortAccount|ShortAccount]] ([[User talk:ShortAccount|talk]]) 18:16, 28 June 2015 (UTC)

Changed the bit about "lesbians having sex being a common turn on for straight men." While it may be true in fiction the person who wrote this reads, this has yet to be confirmed in real life. Possible, but I highly doubt it. [[User:R3TRI8UTI0N|R3TRI8UTI0N]] ([[User talk:R3TRI8UTI0N|talk]]) 12:32, 23 March 2023 (UTC)

717: Furtive

2023-03-23T12:30:47Z

R3TRI8UTI0N: /* Explanation */

{{comic
| number =717
| date =March 22, 2010
| title =Furtive
| image =furtive.png
| titletext =...go go gadget video camera. Go go gadget cup.
}}

==Explanation==
The person in the comic is Inspector Gadget from the {{w|Inspector Gadget|animated series of the same name}}. Gadget was a cyborg detective that had access to a wide variety of gadgets which he would activate with the words "Go go gadget [insert item here]." The gadgets would usually spawn from his hat, such as his trademark personal helicopter ("go go gadget copter!"). One of the running gags of the series was that Gadget was completely clueless during his missions, and unbeknownst to him, relied heavily on the assistance of his niece Penny, her computer book, and her dog, Brain.

In this strip, Inspector Gadget (wearing his trademark hat and trench coat) looks around furtively and apparently moves away from the listener (or the camera pans out to reveal the empty environment) before saying the words "Go go gadget two lesbians doing it." In fiction, the fantasy of lesbians having sex is supposedly a common turn-on for straight men, although this has yet to be confirmed in real life. The command, given in the last panel of the comic, also serves to identify the person speaking. Identification along with the punchline is a common comedy trope.

In the title text, Gadget requests further gadgets: A video camera, to record the action, and a cup. The cup is probably a reference to the well-known, scatological pornographic video ''{{w|2 Girls, 1 Cup}}'', which was prominent at the time the comic was created.

==Transcript==
:[Inspector Gadget in a trench coat and hat stands mid-frame.]

:[Gadget turns his head, looking to his right.]

:[Gadget stands alone in a wide expanse.]

:[Gadget finally speaks.]
:Gadget: Go go gadget two lesbians doing it.

{{comic discussion}}
[[Category:Sex]]

Talk:871: Charity

2023-03-23T12:28:34Z

R3TRI8UTI0N:

Not sure whether this should be added to the "official" explanation but I interpret the titletext to hint at a better way to bring good into the world than pointing out where others aren't really good, is to one-up them, so to speak, by donating oneself without organizing a reward for oneself.
[[Special:Contributions/162.158.90.180|162.158.90.180]] 19:48, 11 April 2021 (UTC)

What's with the '0 internet arguments' in the title text? I don't get that part. [[User:Runxctry|Runxctry]] ([[User talk:Runxctry|talk]]) 15:04, 11 April 2013 (UTC)
:I did add a small explain on this but I think it's still incomplete.--[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 18:16, 10 June 2013 (UTC)
:Look at the posts below about charity directors, overfishing, and celebrities raising money for charity. He's saying that letting others know that you think a charity is good is going to lead to an argument online about whether you are really doing good or not. And he's clearly been proven right by this discussion page.[[Special:Contributions/172.68.47.48|172.68.47.48]] 00:58, 26 November 2017 (UTC)

Isn't he only holding one game? [[Special:Contributions/108.162.237.218|108.162.237.218]] 17:07, 9 April 2014 (UTC)
:I think that is actually a phone, so he could be either browsing a site like gamestop to buy PC/console games, or thinking about buying apps. [[User:Athang|Athang]] ([[User talk:Athang|talk]]) 14:44, 13 June 2014 (UTC)

How much do the directors of the charity get paid?

[[User:Weatherlawyer| I used Google News BEFORE it was clickbait]] ([[User talk:Weatherlawyer|talk]]) 00:17, 24 January 2015 (UTC)

Eye m n idoit, [[User:Vctr|Vctr]] ([[User talk:Vctr|talk]]) 21:06, 18 April 2015 (UTC) Vctr
:Sorry, but I'm deleting your comment and replacing it with something else, simply because it was stupid. If anyone wants to know what he said, reply to this comment. Otherwise, this imbecile's statement shall remain deleted. [[User:R3TRI8UTI0N|R3TRI8UTI0N]] ([[User talk:R3TRI8UTI0N|talk]]) 12:27, 23 March 2023 (UTC)

'''sorry, but they destroy all fish's life''': see NY times etc.: [http://www.nytimes.com/2015/01/25/world/africa/mosquito-nets-for-malaria-spawn-new-epidemic-overfishing.html?_r=0 mosquito-nets-for-malaria-spawn-new-epidemic-overfishing] -- [[Special:Contributions/162.158.92.17|162.158.92.17]] 12:07, 6 October 2015 (UTC)
:This point maybe valid, but it's also an example of what Randall says he used to do: Respond to someone else doing something good by figuring out a reason that they're not really as good as they seem, and thereby starting an internet argument.[[Special:Contributions/172.68.47.48|172.68.47.48]] 00:58, 26 November 2017 (UTC)
::Actually, this may not be the best example of that. If the good that somebody is doing actually turns out to be, on net, worse than not doing it, then a response might be warranted, because that would mean it's better if what was thought to be the act of charity is actually doing more harm than good. Of course, it's really hard to determine the net benefits of mosquito nets. If people don't use the nets for mosquitos, and use them for overfishing instead, then there's no benefit to the nets, but there is harm. However, not all people use the nets for fishing, so you'd have to look at how many people are benefiting from using the nets properly, and then look at how many fish are being harmed. If you think the harm from the fishing is more impactful than the benefit to the people who are using nets properly, convincing somebody not to do it would be worthwhile. [[User:Jeffkmeng|Jeffkmeng]] ([[User talk:Jeffkmeng|talk]]) 17:49, 30 June 2021 (UTC)

My favorite whine is about celebrities endorsing 'causes'. They are essentially saying something like 'I have millions of dollars, and this cause is close to my heart. However, I won't give any of my money. Rather, I'll sing a beautiful song. And then you, wage-earner with modest disposable income, should donate money to the cause; while I get honors and recognition for all the money I raised." [[User:Danshoham|Mountain Hikes]] ([[User talk:Danshoham|talk]]) 03:46, 6 January 2016 (UTC)
:This is also an example of someone responding to someone else doing something good by figuring out a reason that they're not really as good as they seem, and thereby starting an internet argument. Randall's point is definitely right.[[Special:Contributions/172.68.47.48|172.68.47.48]] 00:58, 26 November 2017 (UTC)

Talk:871: Charity

2023-03-23T12:28:01Z

R3TRI8UTI0N:

Not sure whether this should be added to the "official" explanation but I interpret the titletext to hint at a better way to bring good into the world than pointing out where others aren't really good, is to one-up them, so to speak, by donating oneself without organizing a reward for oneself.
[[Special:Contributions/162.158.90.180|162.158.90.180]] 19:48, 11 April 2021 (UTC)

What's with the '0 internet arguments' in the title text? I don't get that part. [[User:Runxctry|Runxctry]] ([[User talk:Runxctry|talk]]) 15:04, 11 April 2013 (UTC)
:I did add a small explain on this but I think it's still incomplete.--[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 18:16, 10 June 2013 (UTC)
:Look at the posts below about charity directors, overfishing, and celebrities raising money for charity. He's saying that letting others know that you think a charity is good is going to lead to an argument online about whether you are really doing good or not. And he's clearly been proven right by this discussion page.[[Special:Contributions/172.68.47.48|172.68.47.48]] 00:58, 26 November 2017 (UTC)

Isn't he only holding one game? [[Special:Contributions/108.162.237.218|108.162.237.218]] 17:07, 9 April 2014 (UTC)
:I think that is actually a phone, so he could be either browsing a site like gamestop to buy PC/console games, or thinking about buying apps. [[User:Athang|Athang]] ([[User talk:Athang|talk]]) 14:44, 13 June 2014 (UTC)

How much do the directors of the charity get paid?

[[User:Weatherlawyer| I used Google News BEFORE it was clickbait]] ([[User talk:Weatherlawyer|talk]]) 00:17, 24 January 2015 (UTC)

Eye m n idoit, [[User:Vctr|Vctr]] ([[User talk:Vctr|talk]]) 21:06, 18 April 2015 (UTC) Vctr
Sorry, but I'm deleting your comment and replacing it with something else, simply because it was stupid. If anyone wants to know what he said, reply to this comment. Otherwise, this imbecile's statement shall remain deleted. [[User:R3TRI8UTI0N|R3TRI8UTI0N]] ([[User talk:R3TRI8UTI0N|talk]]) 12:27, 23 March 2023 (UTC)

'''sorry, but they destroy all fish's life''': see NY times etc.: [http://www.nytimes.com/2015/01/25/world/africa/mosquito-nets-for-malaria-spawn-new-epidemic-overfishing.html?_r=0 mosquito-nets-for-malaria-spawn-new-epidemic-overfishing] -- [[Special:Contributions/162.158.92.17|162.158.92.17]] 12:07, 6 October 2015 (UTC)
:This point maybe valid, but it's also an example of what Randall says he used to do: Respond to someone else doing something good by figuring out a reason that they're not really as good as they seem, and thereby starting an internet argument.[[Special:Contributions/172.68.47.48|172.68.47.48]] 00:58, 26 November 2017 (UTC)
::Actually, this may not be the best example of that. If the good that somebody is doing actually turns out to be, on net, worse than not doing it, then a response might be warranted, because that would mean it's better if what was thought to be the act of charity is actually doing more harm than good. Of course, it's really hard to determine the net benefits of mosquito nets. If people don't use the nets for mosquitos, and use them for overfishing instead, then there's no benefit to the nets, but there is harm. However, not all people use the nets for fishing, so you'd have to look at how many people are benefiting from using the nets properly, and then look at how many fish are being harmed. If you think the harm from the fishing is more impactful than the benefit to the people who are using nets properly, convincing somebody not to do it would be worthwhile. [[User:Jeffkmeng|Jeffkmeng]] ([[User talk:Jeffkmeng|talk]]) 17:49, 30 June 2021 (UTC)

My favorite whine is about celebrities endorsing 'causes'. They are essentially saying something like 'I have millions of dollars, and this cause is close to my heart. However, I won't give any of my money. Rather, I'll sing a beautiful song. And then you, wage-earner with modest disposable income, should donate money to the cause; while I get honors and recognition for all the money I raised." [[User:Danshoham|Mountain Hikes]] ([[User talk:Danshoham|talk]]) 03:46, 6 January 2016 (UTC)
:This is also an example of someone responding to someone else doing something good by figuring out a reason that they're not really as good as they seem, and thereby starting an internet argument. Randall's point is definitely right.[[Special:Contributions/172.68.47.48|172.68.47.48]] 00:58, 26 November 2017 (UTC)

Talk:871: Charity

2023-03-23T12:27:16Z

R3TRI8UTI0N:

Not sure whether this should be added to the "official" explanation but I interpret the titletext to hint at a better way to bring good into the world than pointing out where others aren't really good, is to one-up them, so to speak, by donating oneself without organizing a reward for oneself.
[[Special:Contributions/162.158.90.180|162.158.90.180]] 19:48, 11 April 2021 (UTC)

What's with the '0 internet arguments' in the title text? I don't get that part. [[User:Runxctry|Runxctry]] ([[User talk:Runxctry|talk]]) 15:04, 11 April 2013 (UTC)
:I did add a small explain on this but I think it's still incomplete.--[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 18:16, 10 June 2013 (UTC)
:Look at the posts below about charity directors, overfishing, and celebrities raising money for charity. He's saying that letting others know that you think a charity is good is going to lead to an argument online about whether you are really doing good or not. And he's clearly been proven right by this discussion page.[[Special:Contributions/172.68.47.48|172.68.47.48]] 00:58, 26 November 2017 (UTC)

Isn't he only holding one game? [[Special:Contributions/108.162.237.218|108.162.237.218]] 17:07, 9 April 2014 (UTC)
:I think that is actually a phone, so he could be either browsing a site like gamestop to buy PC/console games, or thinking about buying apps. [[User:Athang|Athang]] ([[User talk:Athang|talk]]) 14:44, 13 June 2014 (UTC)

How much do the directors of the charity get paid?

[[User:Weatherlawyer| I used Google News BEFORE it was clickbait]] ([[User talk:Weatherlawyer|talk]]) 00:17, 24 January 2015 (UTC)

Eye m n idoit, [[User:Vctr|Vctr]] ([[User talk:Vctr|talk]]) 21:06, 18 April 2015 (UTC) Vctr

Sorry, but I'm deleting your comment and replacing it with something else, simply because it was stupid. If anyone wants to know what he said, reply to this comment. Otherwise, this imbecile's statement shall remain deleted. [[User:R3TRI8UTI0N|R3TRI8UTI0N]] ([[User talk:R3TRI8UTI0N|talk]]) 12:27, 23 March 2023 (UTC)

'''sorry, but they destroy all fish's life''': see NY times etc.: [http://www.nytimes.com/2015/01/25/world/africa/mosquito-nets-for-malaria-spawn-new-epidemic-overfishing.html?_r=0 mosquito-nets-for-malaria-spawn-new-epidemic-overfishing] -- [[Special:Contributions/162.158.92.17|162.158.92.17]] 12:07, 6 October 2015 (UTC)
:This point maybe valid, but it's also an example of what Randall says he used to do: Respond to someone else doing something good by figuring out a reason that they're not really as good as they seem, and thereby starting an internet argument.[[Special:Contributions/172.68.47.48|172.68.47.48]] 00:58, 26 November 2017 (UTC)
::Actually, this may not be the best example of that. If the good that somebody is doing actually turns out to be, on net, worse than not doing it, then a response might be warranted, because that would mean it's better if what was thought to be the act of charity is actually doing more harm than good. Of course, it's really hard to determine the net benefits of mosquito nets. If people don't use the nets for mosquitos, and use them for overfishing instead, then there's no benefit to the nets, but there is harm. However, not all people use the nets for fishing, so you'd have to look at how many people are benefiting from using the nets properly, and then look at how many fish are being harmed. If you think the harm from the fishing is more impactful than the benefit to the people who are using nets properly, convincing somebody not to do it would be worthwhile. [[User:Jeffkmeng|Jeffkmeng]] ([[User talk:Jeffkmeng|talk]]) 17:49, 30 June 2021 (UTC)

My favorite whine is about celebrities endorsing 'causes'. They are essentially saying something like 'I have millions of dollars, and this cause is close to my heart. However, I won't give any of my money. Rather, I'll sing a beautiful song. And then you, wage-earner with modest disposable income, should donate money to the cause; while I get honors and recognition for all the money I raised." [[User:Danshoham|Mountain Hikes]] ([[User talk:Danshoham|talk]]) 03:46, 6 January 2016 (UTC)
:This is also an example of someone responding to someone else doing something good by figuring out a reason that they're not really as good as they seem, and thereby starting an internet argument. Randall's point is definitely right.[[Special:Contributions/172.68.47.48|172.68.47.48]] 00:58, 26 November 2017 (UTC)

Talk:655: Climbing

2023-03-21T09:16:41Z

R3TRI8UTI0N:

Apart from the fact that it could be obvious from the background, many of the portable versions of these walls are mounted on trailers and designed to lay horizontally for transportation (as opposed to having to be disassembled). With a bit of quicktalk or an attendant who has a sense of humor, this would be easy to do. Of course, the title text makes it seem like that was not what Cueball had done. [[User:Tryc|Tryc]] ([[User talk:Tryc|talk]]) 19:40, 3 July 2013 (UTC)

The "that's what she said" joke: just because it's possible doesn't mean it was intended. [[Special:Contributions/108.162.212.196|108.162.212.196]] 23:46, 6 January 2014 (UTC)

Unrelated to the comic, but I went on a school camping trip once and this comic appeared in the pamphlet they gave us about rock climbing. [[User:R3TRI8UTI0N|R3TRI8UTI0N]] ([[User talk:R3TRI8UTI0N|talk]]) 09:16, 21 March 2023 (UTC)

Talk:1905: Cast Iron Pan

2022-04-27T03:59:28Z

R3TRI8UTI0N:

I think one can argue that White Hat never said 24 hours of CONTINUOUS sunlight. [[User:R3TRI8UTI0N|R3TRI8UTI0N]] ([[User talk:R3TRI8UTI0N|talk]]) 03:59, 27 April 2022 (UTC)

Wouldn't you mean solstices instead of equinoxes? Why travel to the Arctic during an equinox? The day is 12 hours long there during an equinox just the same as anywhere in the world. [[Special:Contributions/108.162.246.233|108.162.246.233]] 04:55, 20 October 2017 (UTC) An Arctic Inhabitant
:There is only one solstice (the summer one) that has 24-hour sunlight (a.k.a. midnight sun) in the Arctic circle. However, near the North pole, you have close to 6 months of daylight (a.k.a. polar day), bounded by the equinoxes. So, you could theoretically visit the North Pole in late March and mid-September to have two days of 24-hour sunlight nearly 6 months apart. [[User:Nialpxe|Nialpxe]], 2017. [[User_talk:Nialpxe|(Arguments welcome)]] (From the subtropics) 
::It is also for this reason it says close to the equinoxes. At the equinoxes the sun sets for the first time in 6 months at one of the poles (rises at the other), splitting that 24 hour cycle in two times 12 hours of sun/no sun. And then it either stays up of stays down the next half a year. So if you come just after the sun rose and then again just before the sun sets on the North Pole you could get 24 hours sun shine with about a half year apart, but not completely. So this is White Hat's objection, although the title text also states that it doesn't have to be equally spaced. But in White Hat's opinion (of his teasing Cueball) it should be exactly half a year apart, and probably preferably on the two poles when the sun is highest at the Summer/Winter Solstices... ;-) --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 09:29, 20 October 2017 (UTC)
:Two details:
:a) The equinoxes are not exactly 6 months apart. The earths orbit is not circular. A daylight "day" at the south pole is about 9 days longer than at the north pole. There is a narrow window to pull off 24 hours of daylight six months apart using only the south pole, whether "6 months" is 6 calendar months or exactly half a year.
:b) Because sunrise and sunset (and direct sunlight) are defined by the upper limb of the sun and because of refraction polar, polar sunrise is about 3 days before the equinox and polar sunset is about 3 days after the next equinox. This widens the window at the south pole and just about makes it possible to do at the north pole.
: [[Special:Contributions/162.158.63.232|162.158.63.232]] 18:01, 20 October 2017 (UTC)

Just to make sure, the "iron filings" part has no real use. Isn't it? --[[User:Lou Crazy|Lou Crazy]] ([[User talk:Lou Crazy|talk]]) 09:21, 20 October 2017 (UTC)
:Yes the two last advice has no meaning and also has no myth they are based on. The soap myth may be a problem if the coating is just oil based and could in principle be a problem with some old pans --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 09:29, 20 October 2017 (UTC)

You don't need to throw away pans if the seasoning gets messed up, just reseason them, in case of rust or extreme gunk attack it with an angle grinder until it is shiny. Use safety equipment! Then reseason it. [[User:BlakeFelix|BlakeFelix]] ([[User talk:BlakeFelix|talk]]) 12:23, 20 October 2017 (UTC)

It is my understanding that you don't want to use soap on a cast iron pan because the soap will get into the pores and cause any food you cook on it after that to taste like soap. [[Special:Contributions/172.68.54.34|172.68.54.34]] 14:26, 20 October 2017 (UTC)
:Nope. After the soap quickly comes rust, and to remove the rust, you have to scrub away the seasoning. If you did use soap, wipe the pan with an oily cloth afterwards. Or just use hot water and a brush. --[[Special:Contributions/162.158.88.92|162.158.88.92]] 17:29, 20 October 2017 (UTC)

So what is this a metaphor for? There's something you can't own unless other people believe you are taking good care of it, even if the care is nonsensical... The first thing I thought of was a baby, but that doesn't really seem likely to me. Any other ideas? [[User:Maplestrip|Maplestrip]] ([[User talk:Maplestrip|talk]]) 14:34, 20 October 2017 (UTC)
:It’s not a metaphor. There are people who are actually super fanatical (or pretentious) about cast iron pans.[[Special:Contributions/162.158.75.64|162.158.75.64]] 15:06, 20 October 2017 (UTC)
::Oh yes. And then there are people who very nearly faint every time someone with a butter knive comes close to their teflon pans. ;-) --[[Special:Contributions/162.158.88.92|162.158.88.92]] 17:35, 20 October 2017 (UTC)
:::Don't you dare get anything other than wood near my beloved teflon pans, or said ''anything'' will make you walk uncomfortable soon :-) --[[Special:Contributions/172.68.110.52|172.68.110.52]] 18:32, 25 October 2017 (UTC)

:Swords obviously, possibly specifically [http://www.sword-buyers-guide.com/touching-the-katana-blade-dos-and-donts.html Katanas]. You need to care a lot to keep sword in optimal condition, AND there is definitely the angle of "not being worthy for sword". Note that pan can be used as weapon in anime or cartoons, which makes it more funny. -- [[User:Hkmaly|Hkmaly]] ([[User talk:Hkmaly|talk]]) 04:28, 21 October 2017 (UTC)
::I just realized it could definitely be a metaphor for pets, which take a lot of work to properly take care for. It seems unlike Randal to make fun of people who are advocating for people to take care of their pets better, though. Another thing that comes to mind now is books, but surely anyone who damages books in any way is a heretic. [[User:Maplestrip|Maplestrip]] ([[User talk:Maplestrip|talk]]) 12:33, 23 October 2017 (UTC)
::No, no metaphor, '''REALLY''' talking about cast iron cookware. For example, a story went around that this girl made an idiot-proof cookbook for her brother, and the insulting first page was so popular that people wanted the whole thing. That starts with similar instructions for seasonng and care of a cast-iron pan: [http://metro.co.uk/2016/09/01/girl-makes-brilliantly-basic-cookbook-for-older-brother-who-screws-everything-up-6103711/ Check this article about it which includes a link to the full Google Doc] [[User:NiceGuy1|NiceGuy1]] ([[User talk:NiceGuy1|talk]]) 04:16, 24 October 2017 (UTC)

The ambiguity in the transcript of which hand White Hat is holding his pan suggests a 50% chance he mutated a third arm.[[Special:Contributions/162.158.58.123|162.158.58.123]] 06:31, 21 October 2017 (UTC)

The first sentence of the explanation claims that the do-not-soap-thing is a myth and gives three sources from "the internet". The first source only refers to the third (actually using the same image), so it's only two sources. Secondly, this website recommends to re-season the pan after each use (and cleaning), which is kind of contradicting to the statement, that the seasoning is not harmed. Not at all convincing to me - but I do believe there is some dissent on the issue. mb (who does not believe in every blog post)

Don't forget being in motion during the time, you could easily get 24 hours of sunlight 6 months apart you only gotta travel one timezone per day to make 23 hours of sunlight turn into 24. --19:24, 6 April 2018 (UTC)[[Special:Contributions/162.158.146.124|162.158.146.124]] Eric Aksomitis

An easy solution would to charter a private jet, and tie the pan to the roof somehow. Then you would just need to have some sort of magnet to prevent the iron fillings from falling out. Then take your jet on a great circle path, you could easily get 24 hours of sunlight, assuming you found somewhere to refuel.