explain xkcd - User contributions [en]

Talk:3258: Plate Flip

2026-06-14T13:22:05Z

Salsmachev: Asked a question

Writing this to keep people from saying "First!" on this comic. [[User:AmethystSky14|AmethystSky14]] ([[User talk:AmethystSky14|talk]]) 16:17, 13 June 2026 (UTC)

Second! [[User:Logalex8369|Logalex8369]] ([[User talk:Logalex8369|talk]]) 16:32, 13 June 2026 (UTC)

Now you know how come comment boxes disappeared from blogs. I'm the shortstop. [[Special:Contributions/2605:59C8:160:DB08:39D0:2269:6983:E38|2605:59C8:160:DB08:39D0:2269:6983:E38]] 16:52, 13 June 2026 (UTC)

Fourth! (But third base I guess?) [[Special:Contributions/47.151.65.120|47.151.65.120]] 04:03, 14 June 2026 (UTC)

:I don't know, Abbott. [[Special:Contributions/2605:59C8:160:DB08:39D0:2269:6983:E38|2605:59C8:160:DB08:39D0:2269:6983:E38]] 04:29, 14 June 2026 (UTC)

Should we add a category for the "Ponytail the planetary housing inspector" saga? Previously in the series: [[3192]], [[3037]], probably others that I forgot as well. Also of note, when the comics contain a geologist it is almost exclusively Ponytail, perhaps that deserves a category like Category:Doctor Ponytail? [[Special:Contributions/185.36.194.22|185.36.194.22]] 04:28, 14 June 2026 (UTC)
:There already is one. There's the [[:Category:Home Inspections|Home Inspection saga]]. [[User:GSLikesCats307|GSLikesCats307]] ([[User talk:GSLikesCats307|talk]]) 09:53, 14 June 2026 (UTC)

Okay the current explanation says the underside of the plate would melt just about anything currently on the surface. What wouldn’t it melt? Or is this just hedging?
[[User:Salsmachev|Salsmachev]] ([[User talk:Salsmachev|talk]]) 13:22, 14 June 2026 (UTC)

Talk:3258: Plate Flip

2026-06-14T13:20:41Z

Salsmachev: Asked a question

Talk:3252: Ancestral Genomes

2026-05-31T15:30:02Z

Salsmachev: Comment on privacy of historical individuals

I'm expecting some reference to the revelation of Neandthalic/etc genes in various branches of our own population, along the way, but shall leave the actual writing to others. [[Special:Contributions/81.179.199.253|81.179.199.253]] 18:15, 29 May 2026 (UTC)
Sexis canon again! [[User:CalibansCreations|'''Caliban''']] ([[User talk:CalibansCreations|talk]]) 18:31, 29 May 2026 (UTC)

This comic is an interesting contribution to discussion about how science and the public handle privacy issues. For instance a museums finds it okay to display a dead body [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ötzi] just because he died a very long time ago. --[[Special:Contributions/2001:4091:A241:81DC:350B:874D:E1AA:9FEE|2001:4091:A241:81DC:350B:874D:E1AA:9FEE]] 13:46, 30 May 2026 (UTC)
: We need more details about Ötzi to better understand how he is related to us. For example, did he play the Steirische Ziehharmonika, and if not, how did he fail to learn it? Was he killed because of Harmonikamusikhass--someone hated accordions and did not want them to perpetuate? His display in a museum would be much more exciting and appropriate with those details. [[Special:Contributions/173.188.194.118|173.188.194.118]] 15:18, 30 May 2026 (UTC)
:: Ötzi probably predates the Steirische Ziehharmonika, unless someone used their time machine to fix the temporal ordering requirements. --[[Special:Contributions/2A10:D586:3E93:0:907B:6DDD:C33E:4855|2A10:D586:3E93:0:907B:6DDD:C33E:4855]] 07:52, 31 May 2026 (UTC)

see also [[2268]] [[User:Treeplate|Treeplate]] ([[User talk:Treeplate|talk]]) 15:19, 30 May 2026 (UTC)

*This strip reminds me of [[830: Genetic Analysis]], where counselor Megan tells Cueball, "... we've analyzed genes on several of your chromosomes, and it's hard to avoid the conclusion: at some point, your parents had sex." --[[Special:Contributions/208.59.176.206|208.59.176.206]] 19:16, 30 May 2026 (UTC)

Think about how uncomfortable it is to think about your grandparents having sex. It's exponentially worse with your great-great-great-great-great-great-etc-grandparents. [[User:RegularSizedGuy|RegularSizedGuy]] ([[User talk:RegularSizedGuy|talk]]) 14:34, 31 May 2026 (UTC)

While I agree that, in general, the public doesn’t respect the privacy of people who died a long time ago, I think it should be pointed out that this is a real ethical discussion in history and in social sciences more generally. Ethnic studies has really broached the subject of what sources should be available to us, the importance of respecting the people/cultures behind those sources, etc. and historians have been taking note. Ari Kelman’s book Misplaced Massacre is a good example. I think saying that at a certain point privacy is just left to history is a bit reductive.
[[User:Salsmachev|Salsmachev]] ([[User talk:Salsmachev|talk]]) 15:30, 31 May 2026 (UTC)

Talk:3235: Types of Board Game

2026-04-21T14:01:02Z

Salsmachev: Adding info about murder case

I created a starter explanation, but I have no idea how to create tables. [[Special:Contributions/47.146.30.92|47.146.30.92]] 04:08, 21 April 2026 (UTC)

It is rare that xkcd makes me laugh out loud, but this comic's title text really got me! XD [[Special:Contributions/2601:241:8002:3E0:C95E:1939:2ED0:CD78|2601:241:8002:3E0:C95E:1939:2ED0:CD78]] 04:22, 21 April 2026 (UTC)

I wonder if blackhat is the one who committed the murder in the last game, and was expunged from the current round with the social deduction game [[User:RG|RG]] ([[User talk:RG|talk]]) 04:35, 21 April 2026 (UTC)
: Also, I "fixed" panel 6: https://www.pasteboard.co/hxBFDL497SLH.png [[User:RG|RG]] ([[User talk:RG|talk]]) 04:54, 21 April 2026 (UTC)
: Whoever it was didn't necessarily commit the murder ''in the game'' - all we know is that it was ''discovered'' during the game. [[Special:Contributions/82.13.184.33|82.13.184.33]] 09:39, 21 April 2026 (UTC)

The reference to Monopoly seems ultra-specific given the plethora of games that have this structure, including Candyland, Snakes and Ladders, Sorry, and if one allows for multiple tokens, Parchisi and even Backgammon. Despite the amount of hate for Monopoly, it seems more likely that the editor has something against Monopoly than Randal. [[User:Mneme|Mneme]] ([[User talk:Mneme|talk]]) 05:14, 21 April 2026 (UTC)
: Also, Monopoly, played by the correct rules, is not that boring. It's just, that too many people skip the bidding rule. With 4 Players, after one turn around the table for all four game pieces (which required 10-12 dice rolls per player), statistically 75% of all properties should be snatched up. [[Special:Contributions/195.65.24.115|195.65.24.115]]

::Probably not worth debating how boring/bad Monopoly is or isn't. Suffice it to say that there are a large number of people who despise it, rightly or wrongly. [[User:Mneme|Mneme]] ([[User talk:Mneme|talk]]) 06:13, 21 April 2026 (UTC)
:::No, there are a large number of people who aware of the fact that Monopoly is supposed to be despised, and so espouse that view – like people who say they hate the word "moist" or believe that "We Built This City" is the worst song ever, because they've been told to say that. The number of people who have actually played Monopoly (using the actual rules) and who actually hate it is much, much smaller. People widely advertise hatred for a badly designed game based on a misinterpretation of Monopoly. That's not hating Monopoly – that's just not getting it and blaming someone else. [[User:Yorkshire Pudding|Yorkshire Pudding]] ([[User talk:Yorkshire Pudding|talk]]) 11:15, 21 April 2026 (UTC)

Monopoli? Is that the Italian version?--[[Special:Contributions/2A00:23CC:D248:8901:8046:B94B:F152:34FA|2A00:23CC:D248:8901:8046:B94B:F152:34FA]] 07:51, 21 April 2026 (UTC)

It's possible that [[Special:Contributions/2A02:8071:5C20:40:84FB:9239:8AB8:1729|2A02:8071:5C20:40:84FB:9239:8AB8:1729]] (who made both this edit and the Pachisi edit), coming from Germany, doesn't realize that in America, Parcheesi and Monopoly are the more accepted spellings (Pachesi is probably more appropriate for the historical game Parcheesi is based on, but this is about table games not historical games). [[User:Mneme|Mneme]] ([[User talk:Mneme|talk]]) 08:02, 21 April 2026 (UTC)

I misread the tie-in as being Grogu, which would have made it even weirder. [[Special:Contributions/82.13.184.33|82.13.184.33]] 08:52, 21 April 2026 (UTC)

I think a clearer example of a "boring" game is Ludo, where the goal is simply to move all the pawns around the board once. [[User:Redmess|Redmess]] ([[User talk:Redmess|talk]]) 09:57, 21 April 2026 (UTC)
: Ludo is Pachisi/Pachesi/Parcheesi, apparently (can't say I've ever heard of any of those names - always knew it as Ludo - but Ludo is a later name). There is a minimal amount of strategy involved in Ludo, in that you get to choose which pawn to move on any given go - unlike, say, Snakes & Ladders, which is entirely down to chance. [[Special:Contributions/82.13.184.33|82.13.184.33]] 10:57, 21 April 2026 (UTC)

Where does the 3.75 for Twilight Imperium come from? First and second editions have 3.46, 3rd edition has 4.26 and 4th is even at 4.35. [[User:Elektrizikekswerk|Elektrizikekswerk]] ([[User talk:Elektrizikekswerk|talk]]) 10:03, 21 April 2026 (UTC)

I miss the board game extention pack to Calvinball. [[Special:Contributions/2A02:2455:1960:4000:1888:3B86:68A0:FA0F|2A02:2455:1960:4000:1888:3B86:68A0:FA0F]] 11:47, 21 April 2026 (UTC)
:Remember: If you don't touch the 30-yard base wicket with the flag, you have to hop on one foot! --'''''[[User:DollarStoreBa'al|DollarStoreBa'al]][[User_talk:DollarStoreBa'al|'''''converse''''']] 13:26, 21 April 2026 (UTC)
Went with a base game rating for Twilight Imperium, maybe one of the expansions is higher, but base game seems like most appropriate to reference. --[[User:Trimutius|Trimutius]] ([[User talk:Trimutius|talk]]) 11:58, 21 April 2026 (UTC)

What did the comment mean about the truth or dare murder reveal being untrue?
:I’m confused about this as well. I looked it up and it looks like he was convicted on some pretty compelling evidence. I’m not seeing anything about him being found not guilty on appeal. [[User:Salsmachev|Salsmachev]] ([[User talk:Salsmachev|talk]]) 14:01, 21 April 2026 (UTC)

Talk:3162: Heart Mountain

2025-11-01T01:33:02Z

Salsmachev: Joke in response to another commenter

https://web.archive.org/web/20061007150515/http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov//Newsroom/NewImages/images.php3?img_id=16819
:At some point a giant sheet of limestone... detached and slid southeast towards Bighorn Basin.
Yawn. [[Special:Contributions/2600:1700:2120:5880:40C3:15EB:C354:BD73|2600:1700:2120:5880:40C3:15EB:C354:BD73]] 00:49, 1 November 2025 (UTC)

This being Halloween, I was really hoping for something along the lines of "[[wikipedia:The Tell-Tale Heart|The Tell-Tale Heart]]" mountain. [[Special:Contributions/76.187.17.7|76.187.17.7]] 01:21, 1 November 2025 (UTC)

Hopefully The Raven is close enough
Once upon an inter-blaggy as I scrolled my eyes all baggy
Searching through querulous old comics on the site
Quoth the explainers: “That’s not quite right”