explain xkcd - User contributions [en]

User:Spaceside

2021-10-20T19:47:58Z

Spaceside: Blanked the page

526: Converting to Metric

2017-01-22T02:21:46Z

Spaceside: /* Explanation */

{{comic
| number = 526
| date = January 5, 2009
| title = Converting to Metric
| image = converting to metric.png
| titletext = According to River, "adequate" vacuuming systems drain the human body at about half a liter per second.
}}
==Explanation==
Most people will eventually develop an intuitive feel for how big certain measurements are (e.g., how long an inch or a foot is, how much a pound weighs). This comic points out that people who were brought up using the {{w|United States customary units|United States system of customary units}} probably don't have the same intuitive understanding for metric units and attempts to provide some benchmarks for these people. Most of the benchmarks are common sense, highly-useful ones (e.g., if it's 30 degrees Celsius, you'd be quite comfortable outside dressed for the beach) but some of the benchmarks are humorous and/or completely useless as can be seen below.

In the book [[Thing Explainer]] a similar chart for metrics is shown in the explanation for ''How to count things'', with four of the five measures from this comic also explained in simple language. Only volume is left out there. Only thing used in both explanations is the weight of a cat, but in the book it weighs 5 kg rather than 4 kg in this comic.

===Temperature===
*60⁠ °C - {{w|Extremes on Earth|Earth's hottest}}: The hottest temperature recorded on earth is actually {{W|List_of_weather_records#Heat|"only" 56.7 °C}}. There have been reports of temperatures ten-twenty degrees higher (70−80 ⁠°C) but these measurements are not verified or accepted as world records.
*45 °C, 40 °C⁠, 35⁠ °C: Various heat waves. {{w|Dubai}} is a city in the United Arab Emirates, and is smack-dab in the middle of an equatorial desert, so their heat waves can get ''hot!''. The southern United States will typically be a few degrees hotter than the northern United States simply because it's closer to the equator, but as mentioned they're both above "Beach Weather".
*30 °C: A little too hot so perfect for a trip to the beach.
*25 °C: Would as mentioned be too warm for room temperature...
*20 °C: Defined as room temperature in many experimental settings. For some this would feel a little cool.
*10 °C: Definitely wear a jacket. Especially if there is just a little breeze.
*0⁠ °C: The freezing point of water.
*−5 °C, −10 °C: In Moscow −10 °C is not really that cold - it can go "spit goes clink" cold in {{W|Moscow#Climate|Moscow}}, whereas −5 °C in {{W|Boston#Climate|Boston}} may be very cold.
*−20 °C - FuckFuckFuckCold, −30 °C - Fuuuuuuuuuuck!: This is implied to be basically what some people would say when they step outside at this temperature. In reality, it would be best to keep ones's mouth firmly closed. At −30 °C, without taking wind chill into account, exposed skin will feel painful in under a minute and frostbite could begin in as little as ten minutes [http://www.ec.gc.ca/meteo-weather/default.asp?lang=En&n=5FBF816A-1]. The differing statements seem to imply that at −20 °C, the user would be saying "fuck" repeatedly, whereas at −30 °C, the user is incapable of closing their mouth after starting the first "fuck", and so extends it into one long one.
*−40⁠ °C - Spit goes "clink": As shown in the drawing your spit would freeze ''before'' it hits the ground. This is the agreement point of the two temperature scales i.e. −40 °C = −40 °F.

See also [[1643: Degrees]] about not being able to choose between the two temperature scales.

===Length===
*1 cm - Width of microSD card, 3 cm - Length of SD card: Refers to the {{w|MicroSD card|memory cards}} used in cell phones, digital cameras, etc.
*12 cm: CD-ROM is a common object so nice to know it is a dozen centimeters.
*14 cm: Most males would probably exaggerate the size of their penis, but 14–15 cm is very average.
*15 cm: A Bic pen.
*80 cm: A typical doorway is also of standard size. This is barely over the minimum size typically required by codes for buildings (30 inches or 76.2 cm in US), but more than 50% over the size required for aircraft emergency exits. (It may seem illogical that larger doors are required in buildings than in airplanes, given airplanes are arguably more dangerous. However, there is no real disadvantage to using larger doors in buildings, which are not significantly pressurized, but using larger doors in aircraft would increase the force on the door caused by cabin pressure proportionally.)
*1 m - {{w|Lightsaber|Lightsaber blade}}: Refers to the weapon used in the ''{{w|Star Wars}}'' movie franchise. Canonically, the length of a lightsaber's blade varies greatly depending on the setting of the weapon, but "one meter" is by no means a bad approximation.
*170 cm - {{w|Summer Glau}}: Refers to the height of the actress who portrays the character River Tam on the TV show {{w|Firefly (TV series)|Firefly}}.
*200 cm - Darth Vader: Refers to the height of the main antagonist from ''Star Wars''.
*2.5 m: A ceiling - of course very much depending on which type of building you are in!
*5 m: A car length - also very much depending on the car...
*16 m 4 cm - Human tower of Serenity crew: Again, this refers to the Firefly TV show, which takes place mostly on a space ship called Serenity.
**Presumably, if all the crew of Serenity were stacked on top of each other, this would be their combined height.
**The comic depicts four characters from the show standing on top of each other; the bottom figure is the crew's captain, {{w|Malcolm Reynolds}} in his signature coat. Judging from the other drawing of Summer Glau from the volume section, she is standing on top of the captain.
**The other five members of the crew should also be stacked on top of these four to reach the 16.04 m height - giving them an average height of 1.78 m (8 cm more than Summer Glau's height!)

===Speed===
:Here both the SI unit m/s as well as the more commonly used unit kph (km/h) is given. Note that the SI prefers "km/h" over the non-standard abbreviation "kph".
*5 kph - 1.5 m/s: Walking at a normal pace.
*13−25 kph - 3.5−7 m/s: Jogging to sprinting.
*35 kph - 10 m/s - Fastest human: As of 2009, the fastest a human has been recorded to run in a single sprint is actually 12.4 m/s or 44.7 km/h, a record set by {{w|Usain Bolt}}.
*45−55 kph - 13−15 m/s: Both cats and rabbits go much faster than normal people.
*75 kph - 20 m/s - Raptor: It's a comic written by [[Randall]], of course a reference to the {{w|velociraptors}} from ''{{w|Jurassic Park (film)|Jurassic Park}}'' was going to be here.
*100 kph - 25 m/s: A slow highway.
*110 kph - 30 m/s - Interstate (65 mph): Refers to the {{w|Interstate|American highway system}}. (65 mph would actually be only 104.6 km/h.)
*120 kph - 35 m/s - Speed you actually go when it says "65": People routinely break the aforementioned speed limit, and the police typically don't mind as long as it's not posing any danger.
*140 kph - 40 m/s - Raptor on hoverboard: The {{w|hoverboard}} and its speed (~88 mph) is probably a reference to the ''{{w|Back to the Future Part II}}'', though hoverboards are a fairly common trope in older science fiction stories. Randall obviously did a lot of google searching on this subject the week before - see [[522: Google Trends]].

===Volume===
*3 mL: The amount of blood in a fieldmouse. A similar amount is used in comic [[434: xkcd Goes to the Airport]].
*5 mL: A teaspoon - a very common measure.
*30 mL - Nasal passages, 40 mL - Shot glass: The comic points out that you could just about fill a shot glass using the mucus from your nose. Since shot glasses are usually used for mixed drinks, the comic jokes that this mucus could constitute a new, disgusting drink - and this is depicted in the drawing.
*350 mL: Soda can (this is roughly correct for the cans used in the U.S., which hold 12 fluid ounces or 355 mL; in Europe, soda cans commonly hold 330 mL or 500 mL).
*500 mL: Water bottle (this is also the volume of a European water bottle).
*3 L - Two-liter bottle: Refers to a bottle which contains 2 L (in the US usually soda). There is debate as to the reason for the discrepancy in volume. It may be a reference to stereotypical Americans consuming a lot of high-calorie foods and drinks. The simpler explanation would be that it is a joke. The two-liter bottle is named using its volume. Labeling it with a volume of three liters is the joke.
*5 L: An adult male has about 5 L of blood in his body (An ''adequate'' vacuuming system could drain this blood out in 10 s - as per the title text!)
*30 L - Milk crate: Refers to a {{w|Milk crate|type of small box}} originally used to transport milk but now often in demand to be used as bicycle basket, storage spaces, etc.
*55 L - Summer Glau: Again, this refers to the actress from Firefly.
*65 L - {{w|Dennis Kucinich}}: An American politician belonging to the {{w|Democratic Party (United States)|Democratic party}}, noted for his relatively strong (for the US) leftist views.
*75 L - {{w|Ron Paul}}: An American politician belonging to the rival {{w|Republican Party (United States)|Republican party}}, noted for his strong rightist views.
*200 L: Volume of a refrigerator.
**As shown in the drawing of this part of the comic, the three persons mentioned above - Glau, Kucinich and Paul (summing up to 195 L) - could in principle all fit inside a standard refrigerator. Cueball thus attempts to push them all inside of one - though human bodies are not likely to be sufficiently malleable for this to succeed.

===Mass===
*3 g - {{w|M&M's|Peanut M&M}}: A small chocolate candy with a peanut inside.
*100 g - Cell phone: The weight of a cell phone very much depends on the age, type etc.
*500 g: A bottle of water contains 500 mL according to the volume section and thus has a mass of 500 g.
*1−3 kg: Different types of laptops. The newest and the best is the lightest...
*5 kg - {{w|LCD monitor}}: A modern flat-screen-style monitor.
*15 kg - {{w|CRT monitor}}: An older-style, cathode ray tube-based monitor.
**This ends the section on computer screens, which overrode the normal sequence by weight as the next two feline inspired entries are lighter than the two before. This was presumably done so that the reader's eye will be confused or amused at seeing (in the comic's caseless captioning font) CRT immediately followed by CAT in the vertical text column.
*4 kg - Cat, 4.1 kg - Cat (with caption): Refers to the internet's love of putting {{w|Lolcat|captions on cats}}. Usually, this is done in a graphics program, but here the cat is actually physically carrying around his caption. The "with caption" part is most likely a reference to [[262: IN UR REALITY]], where [[Black Hat]] glues captions to cats, after running out of staples.
*60 kg - Lady: For instance if she is Summer Glau - could be her again depicted in the comic - the average weight of an adult woman.
*70 kg - Dude: Here depicted as Cueball who is the average guy, and 70 kg is average weight for an adult man.
*150 kg - Shaq: {{w|Shaq|Shaquille O'Neal}}, a famously tall basketball player.
*200 kg - Your mom,
*220 kg - Your mom (incl. cheap jewelry),
*223 kg - Your mom (also incl. makeup)
**The last three refer to a common type of {{w|Your mom}} joking insult whereby someone insults someone else's mother in a creative way. Here, the comic slyly calls your mom fat, then implies she wears way too much jewelry and finally also 3 kg of makeup. This is a common theme in [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php/Category:Your_Mom xkcd]. (20 kg of "cheap" jewelry has several times the volume than 20 kg of gold jewelry, because of the difference in density.)

===Title text===
The title text refers once again to Summer Glau's Firefly character, {{w|River Tam}}, who (after being subjected to a long series of medical experiments) is severely mentally ill and often comes out with macabre — though scientifically accurate — pronouncements. In Firefly episode "Safe" (season 1, episode 7), she says: "The human body can be drained of blood in 8.6 seconds given adequate vacuuming systems."

===Conversion table===
The idea of the comic is to establish new metric reference points and ''not'' to resort to unit conversions. Nevertheless, the following table lists all units from the comic with their US customary equivalents:

{| class="wikitable"
!Temp.|| ||Length|| ||Speed|| || ||Volume|| ||Mass||
|-
|60 °C||140 °F||1 cm||0.4 in||km/h||mph||m/s||3 mL||0.10 fl oz||3 g||0.11 oz
|-
|45 °C||113 °F||3 cm||1.2 in||5||3||1.5||5 mL||0.17 fl oz||100 g||3.5 oz
|-
|40 °C||104 F||12 cm||4.7 in||13||8||3.5||30 mL||1.0 fl oz||500 g||1.1 lb
|-
|35 °C||95 °F||14 cm||5.5 in||25||16||7||40 mL||1.4 fl oz||1 kg||2.2 lb
|-
|30 °C||86 °F||15 cm||5.9 in||35||22||10||350 mL||12 fl oz||2 kg||4.4 lb
|-
|25 °C||77 °F||80 cm||31 in||45||28||13||500 mL||17 fl oz||3 kg||6.6 lb
|-
|20 °C||68 °F||1 m||3 ft 3 in||55||34||15||3 L||0.8 gal||15 kg||33 lb
|-
|10 °C||50 °F||170 cm||5 ft 7 in||75||47||20||5 L||1.3 gal||4 kg||8.8 lb
|-
| 0 °C||32 °F||200 cm||6 ft 7 in||100||62||25||30 L||7.9 gal||4.1 kg||9.0 lb
|-
| -5 °C||23 °F||2.5 m||8 ft 2 in||110||68||30||55 L||15 gal||60 kg||130 lb
|-
| -10 °C||14 °F||5 m||16 ft||120||75||35||65 L||17 gal||70 kg||150 lb
|-
| -20 °C||-4 °F||16.04 m||52 ft 7 in||140||87||40||75 L||20 gal||150 kg||330 lb
|-
| -30 °C||-22 °F|| || || || || ||200 L||53 gal||200 kg||440 lb
|-
| -40 °C||-40 °F|| || || || || || || ||220 kg||485 lb
|-
| || || || || || || || || ||223 kg||492 lb
|}

==Transcript==
:'''Guide to Converting to Metric'''

:[There are five frames with tables for different units. Between the two upper frames is the following text:]
:The key to converting to metric is establishing
:new reference points. When you hear "26°C",
:instead of thinking "That's 79°F" you should think,
:"that's warmer than a house but cool for swimming."
:Here are some helpful tables of reference points:

:[The frame to the left of the above text:]
:Temperature:
:{| class="wikitable"
|60°C||Earth's hottest
|-
|45°C||Dubai heat wave
|-
|40°C||Southern US heat wave
|-
|35°C||Northern US heat wave
|-
|30°C||Beach weather
|-
|25°C||Warm room
|-
|20°C||Room temperature
|-
|10°C||Jacket weather
|-
|0°C||Snow!
|-
| -5°C||Cold day (Boston)
|-
| -10°C||Cold day (Moscow)
|-
| -20°C||Fuckfuckfuckcold
|-
| -30°C||Fuuuuuuuuuuck!
|-
| -40°C||Spit goes "clink"
|}
:[Next to the last three entries we see Cueball spitting on the ground. The spit bounces.]
:Cueball: Ptoo
:Spit: Clink!

:[The frame to the right of the above text:]
:Length
:{| class="wikitable"
|1 cm||Width of microSD card
|-
|3 cm||Length of SD card
|-
|12 cm||CD diameter
|-
|14 cm||Penis
|-
|15 cm||BIC pen
|-
|80 cm||Doorway width
|-
|1 m||Lightsaber blade
|-
|170 cm||Summer Glau
|-
|200 cm||Darth Vader
|-
|2.5 m||Ceiling
|-
|5 m||Car-length
|-
|16 m 4 cm||Human tower of Serenity crew
|}
:[To the right of the table is a human tower of four of the people from the Serenity crew. The head of the upper person is right below the first entry.]

:[The frame below to the left:]
:Speed
:{| class="wikitable"
|kph|| m/s||
|-
|5||1.5||Walking
|-
|13||3.5||Jogging
|-
|25||7||Sprinting
|-
|35||10||Fastest human
|-
|45||13||Housecat
|-
|55||15||Rabbit
|-
|75||20||Raptor
|-
|100||25||Slow highway
|-
|110||30||Interstate (65 mph)
|-
|120||35||Speed you actually go when it says “65”
|-
|140||40||Raptor on hoverboard
|}

:[The frame below in the middle:]
:Volume
:{| class="wikitable"
|3 mL||Blood in a fieldmouse
|-
|5 mL||Teaspoon
|-
|30 mL||Nasal passages
|-
|40 mL||Shot glass
|-
|350 mL||Soda can
|-
|500 mL||Water bottle
|-
|3 L||Two-liter bottle
|-
|5 L||Blood in a human male
|-
|30 L||Milk crate
|-
|55 L||Summer Glau
|-
|65 L||Dennis Kucinich
|-
|75 L||Ron Paul
|-
|200 L||Fridge
|}
:[Next to the entry on nasal passages and shoot glass (starting one entry higher and finishing one entry lower) are the following text:]
:So, when it's blocked
:the mucus in your
:nose could about
:fill a shot glass.
:[Below this text is a drawing of a mucus filled shot glass.]
:Related: I've
:invented the
:worst mixed
:drink ever.
:[Below this next to the four last entries we see Cueball shoving Summer Glau, Dennis Kucinich and Ron Paul into an open fridge. Above the fridge in a loosely drawn ellipse are the following text:]
:55+65+75<200

:[The frame below to the right:]
:Mass
:{| class="wikitable"
|3 g||Peanut M&M
|-
|100 g||Cell phone
|-
|500 g||Bottled water
|-
|1 kg||Ultraportable laptop
|-
|2 kg||Light-medium laptop
|-
|3 kg||Heavy laptop
|-
|5 kg||LCD monitor
|-
|15 kg||CRT monitor
|-
|4 kg||Cat
|-
|4.1 kg||Cat (with caption)
|-
|60 kg||Lady
|-
|70 kg||Dude
|-
|150 kg||Shaq
|-
|200 kg||Your mom
|-
|220 kg||Your mom (incl. cheap jewelry)
|-
|223 kg||Your mom (also incl. makeup)
|}
:[Next to the entries of cat and cat (with caption) are two drawings of cats. The second one has a caption across its chest.]
:Cat (with caption): Mrowl?
:[Below this and next to the lady and dude entries (and the Shaq entry) are drawings of Megan and Cueball.]

{{comic discussion}}
[[Category:Charts]]
[[Category:Comics featuring real people]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Megan]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Velociraptors]]
[[Category:Your Mom]]
[[Category:Firefly]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Summer Glau]]

User:Spaceside

2016-12-24T23:04:33Z

Spaceside: Created page with " Hate the red in the username ~~~~"

Hate the red in the username [[User:Spaceside|Spaceside]] ([[User talk:Spaceside|talk]]) 23:04, 24 December 2016 (UTC)

1769: Never Seen Star Wars

2016-12-08T02:40:38Z

Spaceside: Added explanation of the terms Expanded Universe and Legends, but might need to be cleaned up.

{{comic
| number = 1769
| date = December 7, 2016
| title = Never Seen Star Wars
| image = never_seen_star_wars.png
| titletext = If anyone calls you on any weird detail, just say it's from the Jedi Prince book series, which contains so much random incongruous stuff that even most Expanded Universe/Legends fans collectively agreed to forget about it decades ago.
}}

==Explanation==
[[White Hat]] tries to start a conversation with [[Cueball]] about the [[wikipedia:Star Wars|''Star Wars'']] space opera film franchise, which Cueball cuts short by stating that he has never seen the movies. This deeply astonishes White Hat. Because the movies are known worldwide and are ingrained into American pop culture, White Hat considers seeing ''Star Wars'' a universal experience.

Cueball reasons that not having watched the films is the "default option", the option that applies if a person makes no explicit choice. In this case it means that if a person does not make the explicit choice to watch the films, then they remain in their initial state of not having watched them. It has been estimated that about 1 billion people, about 15% of the world's population, have seen at least one of the Star Wars movies: this means that about 85% of people alive today have, intentionally or otherwise, exercised that default option.

However, the Star Wars mythology is so frequently referenced in American popular culture that it's difficult to consume a normal media diet in the US without being exposed to enough quotes, clips, references, parodies and analogies to piece together most of the plot and major scenes of the films, even having taken no action to see them. Even without having watched it, it's reasonable that White Hat would expect Cueball to know something about the series. He is right, as it happens, since Cueball is able to recognize that "{{w|Death Star}}" is a ''Star Wars'' reference.

When White Hat finally begins to grasp that Cueball has indeed not seen ''Star Wars'', he declares that they must see it very soon or even immediately. When Cueball again shows a lack of interest, White Hat seemingly calls in social reinforcements to agree with him that having watched ''Star Wars'' is the norm. Cueball feels threatened by his friend's unreasonable behavior and quickly removes himself from the situation.

Later, [[Ponytail]] likewise wishes to start a conversation about ''Star Wars'', this time about a new movie coming out. Based on his previous experience, Cueball reconsiders admitting to not having seen the past movies, and instead pretends to be looking forward to the new one. Ponytail then tries to continue the conversation, so Cueball bluffs with an incorrect declaration that Darth Vader eats Jedi, likely constructed from other mentions of the ''Star Wars'' characters that he has overheard throughout his life. Cueball carefully chooses his words to make it seem as if he knows what he is talking about.

However, Ponytail doesn't call him out on this error, instead agreeing with it. Cueball is relieved—expressed as his thinking an onomatopoetic sigh of relief—as he believes he has guessed at an accurate piece of information and has avoided entering a similar situation to the previous one. The punchline of this part of the comic is Ponytail's identical feeling of relief, showing that she likewise hasn't seen ''Star Wars'', is also hiding this fact, and is also glad to not be caught. It may be inferred that Ponytail thinks not starting a conversation about ''Star Wars'' might expose her as someone who doesn't follow the series closely.

The "Expanded Universe" (EU) was the term used to refer to canonical content outside of original six motion pictures, including novels, comic books, and video games, which existed in a shared continuity. After the ''Star Wars'' franchise was acquired by Disney it was announced that the "Expanded Universe" would be discontinued and rebranded as "Legends", so that the new ''Star Wars'' movies would not have to adhere to the established EU canon

The title text is a tip for people like Cueball, to help them hide deception when roped into conversations about the films. It argues that since the ''{{w|Jedi Prince series|Jedi Prince}}'' series of novels established so many strange concepts that don't mesh with most other canon information, it makes for an excellent scapegoat to blame ill-fitting declarations on, seeing as even the most devoted, well informed fan has agreed to forget the entire series. Casually bringing up such a forgotten series might also make the bluffer out to be extremely knowledgeable about the ''Star Wars'' franchise as a whole.

This comic may be inspired by the fact that a new ''Star Wars'' movie, ''{{w|Rogue One}}'', will be released into American theaters on December 16, 2016, 9 days after the publishing of the strip.

The huge pop cultural success of Star Wars means it is genuinely surprising to encounter an individual who has not seen it (at least amongst the typical audience of XKCD). The TV series ''{{w|How I Met Your Mother}}'' had {{w|Do I Know You?|an episode}} based around this premise, and there is a radio comedy chat show on {{w|BBC Radio 4}} in the UK titled ''{{w|I've Never Seen Star Wars (radio series)|I've Never Seen Star Wars}}'', in which celebrity guests try out experiences that are common to others, but new to them, as well as a television version.

==Transcript==
[White Hat is facing Cueball while talking to him]
:White Hat: You know the scene on the Death Star where—
:Cueball: Nah, I've never seen ''Star Wars''.

[Close-up of White Hat in a smaller panel]
:White Hat: <big style="background:#000;color:#fff;">''WHAT.''</big>

[White Hat and Cueball are still facing each other]
:White Hat: ''…How?!''
:Cueball: Uh, it was easy?
:Cueball: It was literally the default option.

[Close up of Cueball, White Hat is speaking off-panel]
:White Hat: But… How did you—
:Cueball: Not doing things is my superpower. I'm not doing an infinite number of things ''as we speak!''

[White Hat and Cueball are still facing each other]
:White Hat: We ''have'' to watch it!
:Cueball: Nah, I'm good.

[White Hat has turned away from Cueball and has his hands to his mouth to shout to people off-panel. Cueball has likewise turned away as he walks away and is speaking back over his shoulder]
:White Hat: ''Hey everyone! This guy's never seen Star Wars!''
:Cueball: Listen, I gotta go.

{|class="wikitable"
|Later…
|}
[Ponytail is looking down at her phone in her left hand while Cueball is facing her]
:Ponytail: Wait, there's a new ''Star Wars''?
:Cueball: Oh, I've nev—
:Cueball: …Yeah! Excited for it! Big fan.

[Ponytail holds her phone to her side, transferred to her right hand, as she and Cueball face each other]
:Ponytail: What'd you think of the last one?
:Cueball: Uh… That Darth Vader, man.
:Cueball: Sure does love eating Jedi.

[Ponytail and Cueball continue facing each other]
:Ponytail: Haha, he sure does!
:Cueball [thinking]: Phew!
:Ponytail [thinking]: Phew!
{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Star Wars]]
[[Category:Comics featuring White Hat]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Ponytail]]

653: So Bad It's Worse

2016-09-17T00:03:15Z

Spaceside: /* Explanation */

{{comic
| number = 653
| date = October 23, 2009
| title = So Bad It's Worse
| image = so_bad_its_worse.png
| titletext = You think it's so legendarily bad that you'll torrent it and sit through it just for the kitschy nerd cred. I, too, once thought as you did.
}}

==Explanation==
The graph in the comic shows the enjoyability of movies - going from good to okay to bad, then popping back up with "[http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/SoBadItsGood So Bad It's Good]". The term is used to describe movies that are so terrible that, for a variety of reasons, watching them can be considered an enjoyable experience. The comic lists ''{{w|Plan 9 from Outer Space}}'' and ''{{w|The Rocky Horror Picture Show}}'', two widely known films of this type.

However, the graph warns of showing ''{{w|The Star Wars Holiday Special}}'', as it manages to wrap back around from "So Bad It's Good" to being [http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/DarthWiki/SoBadItsHorrible So Bad it's Horrible]. ''The Star Wars Holiday Special'' is a prime-time comedy special based on ''{{w|Star Wars}}''. It is widely known for its terrible quality, and has never been fully released (although an animated segment that introduced {{w|Boba Fett}}, which {{w|George Lucas}} has approved of, has been released as a bonus feature on a DVD).

The bottom of the comic shows [[Cueball]], [[Megan]], and [[Ponytail]] watching a movie with alcohol - first enjoying it, then merely watching, then not watching it and unhappily drinking.

The title text refers to {{w|BitTorrent (protocol)|torrents}}, which are a way to obtain large amounts of data over the internet. Since the ''Holiday Special'' was only aired once on television and was never released on VHS or DVD, torrents of the TV recordings are one of the few ways to actually see it. According to [[Randall|Munroe]], he had torrented a copy of the film and intended to watch it in its entirety, in spite of its terribleness, just to cement himself as a nerd. However, he underestimated how bad it really was, and could not make it all the way through.

The title text may also contain an subtle play on a line of Star Wars dialogue. In ''{{w|Return of the Jedi}}'', {{w|Darth Vader}} says to {{w|Luke Skywalker}}, "''Obi-Wan once thought as you do''. You don't know the power of the dark side! I must obey my master." The implication here being that "kitschy nerd cred" is the "dark side" being served by those who would sit through a torrent of the Star Wars Holiday Special.

==Transcript==
:Protip: Even at "Bad Movie Night," avoid the Star Wars holiday special.

:[A graph plots movie enjoyability against movie quality. It drops steadily through points marked "Good Movie" to "Okay Movie" to "Bad Movie," rises up again for "So-Bad-It's-Good (Plan 9, Rocky Horror, etc)," and then drops off the bottom of a graph with an arrow pointing to where "Star Wars Holiday Special" would be. There are three mini-panels below the graph, arranged from "Good" to "Bad" along the movie quality axis.]

:[Three friends are on a couch, drinking and gesticulating enthusiastically.]
:[The same three are sitting quietly, with a bottle on the floor.]
:[The three are sitting around a table, drinking and looking miserable. One seems to be passed out on the table.]

{{comic discussion}}
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Megan]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Ponytail]]
[[Category:Line graphs]]
[[Category:Comics with color]]
[[Category:Protip]]
[[Category:Star Wars]]

Talk:1714: Volcano Types

2016-08-01T23:02:39Z

Spaceside: Note about a very pedantic change about sarlacc capitalization.

Actual antlions, not to be confused with the antlions from Half-Life 2. [[Special:Contributions/173.245.52.62|173.245.52.62]] 15:08, 1 August 2016 (UTC)

I think pedant's bane actually has them labelled correctly. It's just that the picture is upside down and you've reversed the figure and the ground in your mind. Were it right-side-up, you'd see It's actually a drawing of a teeny pool of underground magma at the bottom of an antlion's trap, spouting up a fountain of lava. {{unsigned ip|199.27.133.107}}
:I can't tell if you're joking or not. A pedant is someone who cares (maybe too much) about being technically correct. The bane of a volcano pedant would be people who mix up lava and magma. This is why the labels are reversed in the figure. [[Special:Contributions/173.245.52.62|173.245.52.62]] 16:27, 1 August 2016 (UTC)
::Exactly. But what's the description going on about? "''Pedant's Bane is therefore impossible by definition but if it were possible, then a pedant correcting someone's description of it would be wrong.''" What is all that rubbish supposed to mean? The explanation is not supposed to require explaining! If the terms refer to the same material but in different situations then they're wrong in the two situations illustrated, and thus should be corrected, especially by a pedant. Where does "impossible by definition" come into it? [[Special:Contributions/198.41.238.32|198.41.238.32]] 22:57, 1 August 2016 (UTC)

Who here was hoping for Harry Potter???? [RedstoneIngot] [[Special:Contributions/173.245.56.60|173.245.56.60]] 20:07, 1 August 2016 (UTC)

Made a very small change, but sarlacc is not supposed to be capitalized (checked both Wikipedia and Wookieepedia). [[User:Spaceside|Spaceside]] ([[User talk:Spaceside|talk]]) 23:02, 1 August 2016 (UTC)

1714: Volcano Types

2016-08-01T23:01:41Z

Spaceside: Think I corrected spelling of sarlacc. Also it should be lower-case, not a proper noun. Yes, very pedantic.

{{comic
| number = 1714
| date = August 1, 2016
| title = Volcano Types
| image = volcano_types.png
| titletext = It's hard living somewhere with antlions, because every time you find one of their traps, you feel compelled to spend all day constructing a tiny model of Jabba's sail barge next to it.
}}

==Explanation==
This comic presents a table of 12 different types of volcano. Split into 3 rows, the first 4 are authentic types of volcano; while the remaining 8 are parodies, one not even trying to represent a volcano but shows a real animal in it's inverted trap cone.

Volcanoes have featured in many comics, [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/d/d5/1608_Entire_Volcano_plateau_zoom_out_extra.png most prominently] in the left part of the world (the Lord of the Rings section) of [[1608: Hoverboard]]. This comics volcano looks like it could soon turn into a Somma volcano...

===Real volcanoes===
* {{w|Cinder cone}}: small, steep-sided volcano formed of {{w|scoria}} and ash.
* {{w|Shield volcano}}: wide, rounded volcano formed of solidified lava flow.
* {{w|Stratovolcano}}: large volcano formed of layers (strata) from multiple eruptions.
* {{w|Somma volcano}}: new volcanic cone in the middle of an old collapsed volcanic crater.

===Joke volcanoes===
* Metasomma volcano: nested layers of new volcanoes formed inside of old ones. "Meta" is a prefix that often denotes recursion.
* {{w|Waffle cone}}: type of pastry that ice cream is served in, wholly unrelated{{Citation needed}} to volcano cones.
* Science fair cone: common elementary science experiment that is often used as a project for science fairs. A structure is built to resemble a model volcano and is filled with a mix of baking soda, vinegar, and sometimes food coloring. The reaction between baking soda and vinegar quickly produces a large amount of carbon dioxide, creating a foam that overflows and mimics a volcanic eruption. In this picture, there are people running away from the volcano that are much smaller than it. This is likely a reference to [[1611: Baking Soda and Vinegar]], either the scale-model people on the first volcano, or real people running from the baking soda supervolcano (in this case two [[Cueball]]-like guys and [[Megan]]).
* Doot cone: This refers to an internet meme involving a skull playing a trumpet. "Doot" represents the sound made by the trumpet. See http://knowyourmeme.com/memes/skull-trumpet. It is also very close to saying "{{w|dot com}}".
* {{w|Antlion}}: burrowing insect that digs a conical hole to catch prey at the larval stage. Maybe a reference to {{w|Formica Leo}}, a small volcanic crater in the Reunion island named after the antlion.
* Inverse Volcano: as the name implies, a regular volcano but reversed. A real volcano consists of solid rock on the outside, magma on the inside and spewing lava from the top.
* Ghost Vent: cone with ghosts coming out of it. It may be a reference to {{w|Scientology}}, where part of the faith states that the souls of aliens were stored in a volcano from which they later escaped. The ghosts could also refer to the {{w|Pac-Man}} video game.
* Pedant's Bane: the joke is that people sometimes confuse magma and lava, which are different names for the same heated liquid rock. Magma becomes lava when it emerges from a volcano. Pedant's Bane is therefore impossible by definition but if it were possible, then a pedant correcting someone's description of it would be wrong. Alternatively, the illustration itself could be Pedant's Bane because a pedant would be lured into pointing out how wrong it is. This is a direct reference to the pedant in [[1405: Meteor]].

The title text refers to a famous scene in ''{{w|Star Wars: Episode VI - Return of the Jedi}}'' where {{w|Jabba the Hutt}} intends to feed {{w|Luke Skywalker}} to the {{w|Sarlacc|sarlacc}}, an underground creature that builds a huge funnel trap similar to that of an antlion. [[wikia:c:starwars:Khetanna|Jabba's distinctive sail barge]] features prominently in that scene, and when Randall comes upon an antlion he can't help himself starting to build a scale model next to the antlions inverted cone. Given how small antlions are, this will be very difficult to do, see for instance [[878: Model Rail]].

==Transcript==
:[Twelve drawings in four rows of different "volcano" types the firs four real and some not even volcanoes, real or fake. Below each panel is a caption with the name of the drawn volcano. Some of the volcanoes have labels or sound written inside the panel. All except the antlion has a baseline for the ground going straight a short distance over the bottom of each panel. All 11 volcanoes lie on top of this line, but some show the inside of the volcano going further into the ground.]

:[Standard cone shaped volcano, with straight sides sloping up to a triangular shape, but wit the tip of the cone cut off to form the central jagged edged crater. White smoke rises straight up and then drifts to the left forming three separate clouds.]
:Cinder Cone

:[Flat rounded shaped volcano, as a part of a circle. There is not real crater visible but from the center a thin plume of smoke rises up, drift drifts to the left and forms a small white cloud.]
:Shield Volcano

:[This is the largest volcano. The tip of this volcano is similar to the first volcano, but with more uneven slopes and a bit smaller. The tip is clearly separated from the bottom section by a thin jagged line, and below the sides of the volcano decreases their slope, so they are less steep than the tip. Black smoke rises straight up from the crater and then drifts to the left in four thin lines.]
:Stratovolcano

:[A wide volcano spans the entire panel, with a large central crater, with a bottom baseline far above the ground level. Just left of the middle of this crater is a standard smaller volcano cone, very similar to the shape of the tip in the previous panel. Even the smoke from this cones small crater is similar to the previous panels.]
:Somma Volcano

:[The central part of this volcano is the same shape as the prevous panel. This could be a zoom out, recealing that the large crater, is at the center on an even larger crater, which again is at the center of a crater that spans the panel. A plume of black smoke rises from the centeral cones crater, and drifts left as five white clouds.]
:Metasomma Volcano

:[A perfect cone-shape, triangular and steep, with checkered ice cone waffle texture, even with a line indicating where the waffle has been a folded. It looks like a road up the volcano. Black smoke drift up from the sharp tip, no crater, and drifts left forming a small cloud separated from the rest of the smoke lines.]
:Waffle Cone

:[Standard cone as in the first, but zoomed in so it fills the panel from left to right. The volcano's top has been cut much further down leaving a wide crater from whicih lava is puring down the sides in large rivers of different width and length. To the left one long river has almost reached the ground. Cueball is running down the left side, and Megan is running after another Cueball with his arms up on the right side. There is a label with an arrow pointing to the lave:]
:Label: Baking soda and vinegar
:Science Fair Cone

:[Standard cone like the previous, but with more jagged sloped and crater. This volcano erupts with a large explosion with fire and smoke coming out in all directions above the crater. A large sound is written above the explosion:]
:Sound. <big>'''Doooooot'''</big>
:Doot Cone

:[This is not a volcano, but the inverse, a cone down into the ground, the ground level no above the center of the panel. The slope down into this cone hole is straight, the ground above is more jagged. At the bottom of the hole sits a small animal with six legs and an open mouth piece sticking up out of the hole. It's fat body is hidden under the ground along with its' legs.]
:Antlion

:[Standard volcano cone like the previous volcano. It erupts and the central part shows how the erupting material comes up from below ground level (below the line at the bottom in which the cone it self stands). The erupting material is white rocks on black background. At the top several rocks is blown out of the crater top. The sides of the volcano is filled with blobs small and large, and stones rolling down the sides. There are two labels, each with two arrows. The first labels arrows points to the side of the volcano, the second labels arrows points to the erupting material inside and outside the volcano:]
:First label: Lava
:Second label: Solid rocks
:Inverse Volcano

:[Standard cone like the doot cone, with a crater that bends down in the middle. From this crater eight white ghosts with two black eyes are rising, like the smoke, drifting left. The highest ghost is just reaching the edge at the top left of the panel. The lowest ghost is still inside the crater with its wavy lower parts.]
:Ghost Vent

:[A standard cone like the doot cone. At the top there is lave over the outer edges, some of it running down the side. The inside of the volcano has been drawn like in the inverse volcano, so it is clear that the magma inside the volcano comes up from below ground level (below the line at the bottom in which the cone it self stands). There are two labels that contradicts the description above. The top label outside the volcano points to the lava with an arrow, and the bottom label inside the volcano points to the magma:]
:Top label: Magma
:Bottom label: Lava
:Pedant's Bane

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Megan]]
[[Category:Multiple Cueballs]]
[[Category:Food]] 
[[Category:Animals]] 
[[Category:Star Wars]]
[[Category:Geography]]

1714: Volcano Types

2016-08-01T14:04:35Z

Spaceside: /* Explanation */

1714: Volcano Types

2016-08-01T14:02:53Z

Spaceside: Added some links to Wookieepedia. Also de-capitalized sarlaac.

1714: Volcano Types

2016-08-01T14:00:13Z

Spaceside: Added to Category: Star Wars based on RotJ/sarlaac title text

1714: Volcano Types

2016-08-01T13:58:04Z

Spaceside: Slightly polished RotJ note.

1674: Adult

2016-04-29T14:50:17Z

Spaceside: /* Explanation */

{{comic
| number = 1674
| date = April 29, 2016
| title = Adult
| image = adult.png
| titletext = (1) That shopping cart is full of AirHeads, and (2) I died at 41 from what the AirHeads company spokesperson called 'probably natural causes.'
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|The punchline is not explained.}}

In this comic, [[Cueball]] performs several mundane 'adult' tasks, namely shopping for groceries, buying furniture, applying for a mortgage, and writing a will. In each instance he appears surprised or bemused at the fact that he is behaving like an adult.

[[Wikipedia:AirHeads|AirHeads]] are a tangy, taffy-like, chewy candy, predominantly known for its sweet taste and texture. The title text suggests Cueball still retains some more childish instincts, namely using the freedom of adulthood to indulge in AirHead candies, to fatal consequences.

See also [[905: Homeownership]] and [[616: Lease]], where [[Cueball]] similarly has difficulty accepting the reality of his adulthood.

==Transcript==
:[Cueball is holding onto a shopping cart.]
:Cueball (thinking): Haha, look at me grocery shopping! I'm such an adult.

:[Cueball is standing in front of a sofa.]
:Cueball (thinking): Buying a sofa! Ooh, look how domestic I am!

:[Cueball is sitting at a desk writing something with another Cueball on the opposite side of the desk.]
:Cueball (thinking): Applying for a mortgage! As if I'm a real grown-up.

:[Megan is reading from a piece of paper in front of a desk with Hairbun, Hairy, and White Hat behind it.]
:Megan: ...And I, being of sound mind and body, am totally writing a will right now!
:Megan: Can you believe this?

{{comic discussion}}

1674: Adult

2016-04-29T14:47:48Z

Spaceside: /* Explanation */

{{comic
| number = 1674
| date = April 29, 2016
| title = Adult
| image = adult.png
| titletext = (1) That shopping cart is full of AirHeads, and (2) I died at 41 from what the AirHeads company spokesperson called 'probably natural causes.'
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Created by a BOT - Please change this comment when editing this page.}}

In this comic, [[Cueball]] performs several mundane 'adult' tasks, namely shopping for groceries, buying furniture, applying for a mortgage, and writing a will. In each instance he appears surprised or bemused at the fact that he is behaving like an adult.

[[Wikipedia:AirHeads|AirHeads]] are a tangy, taffy-like, chewy candy, predominantly known for its sweet taste and texture. The title text suggests Cueball still retains some more childish instincts, namely using the freedom of adulthood to indulge in AirHead candies, to fatal consequences.

See also [[905: Homeownership]], where [[Cueball]] similarly has difficulty accepting the reality of his adulthood.

==Transcript==
:[Cueball is holding onto a shopping cart.]
:Cueball (thinking): Haha, look at me grocery shopping! I'm such an adult.

:[Cueball is standing in front of a sofa.]
:Cueball (thinking): Buying a sofa! Ooh, look how domestic I am!

:[Cueball is sitting at a desk writing something with another Cueball on the opposite side of the desk.]
:Cueball (thinking): Applying for a mortgage! As if I'm a real grown-up.

:[Megan is reading from a piece of paper in front of a desk with Hairbun, Hairy, and White Hat behind it.]
:Megan: ...And I, being of sound mind and body, am totally writing a will right now!
:Megan: Can you believe this?

{{comic discussion}}

1674: Adult

2016-04-29T14:45:19Z

Spaceside: /* Explanation */

{{comic
| number = 1674
| date = April 29, 2016
| title = Adult
| image = adult.png
| titletext = (1) That shopping cart is full of AirHeads, and (2) I died at 41 from what the AirHeads company spokesperson called 'probably natural causes.'
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Created by a BOT - Please change this comment when editing this page.}}

In this comic, [[Cueball]] performs several mundane 'adult' tasks, namely shopping for groceries, buying furniture, applying for a mortgage, and writing a will. In each instance he appears surprised or bemused at the fact that he is behaving like an adult.

The title text suggests Cueball still retains some more childish instincts, namely using the freedom of adulthood to indulge in AirHead candies, to fatal consequences.

See also [[905: Homeownership]], where [[Cueball]] similarly has difficulty accepting the reality of his adulthood.

==Transcript==
:[Cueball is holding onto a shopping cart.]
:Cueball (thinking): Haha, look at me grocery shopping! I'm such an adult.

:[Cueball is standing in front of a sofa.]
:Cueball (thinking): Buying a sofa! Ooh, look how domestic I am!

:[Cueball is sitting at a desk writing something with another Cueball on the opposite side of the desk.]
:Cueball (thinking): Applying for a mortgage! As if I'm a real grown-up.

:[Megan is reading from a piece of paper in front of a desk with Hairbun, Hairy, and White Hat behind it.]
:Megan: ...And I, being of sound mind and body, am totally writing a will right now!
:Megan: Can you believe this?

{{comic discussion}}

1674: Adult

2016-04-29T14:42:15Z

Spaceside: Skeleton

1654: Universal Install Script

2016-03-12T02:24:46Z

Spaceside: Wiki links

{{comic
| number = 1654
| date = March 11, 2016
| title = Universal Install Script
| image = universal_install_script.png
| titletext = The failures usually don't hurt anything, and if it installs several versions, it increases the chance that one of them is right. (Note: The 'yes' command and '2>/dev/null' are recommended additions.)
}}

==Explanation==

Most users of computers today are used to simple, easy installation of programs. You just download a .exe or a .dmg, double click it, and do what it says. Sometimes you don't even have to install anything at all, and it runs without any installation.

However, when things are more "homebrew", for example downloading source code, things are more complicated. Under {{w|Unix-like}} systems, which this universal install script is designed for, you may have to work with "build environments" and "makefiles", and command line tools. To make this process simpler, there exist repositories of programs which host either packages of source code and the things needed to build it or the pre-built programs. When you download the package, it automatically does most of the work of building the code into something executable if necessary and then installing it. However, there are many such repositories, such as "pip" and "brew", among others listed in the comic. If you only know the name of a program or package, you may not know in which repository(ies) it resides.

The script provided in the comic attempts to fix this problem, by giving a "universal install script", which contains a lot of common install commands used in various Unix-like systems. In between each of the install commands in the script is the & character, which in POSIX-compatible shells (including {{w|Bash (Unix shell)|Bash}}, a popular shell scripting language) means it should continue to run the next command without waiting for the first command to finish, and not print any output of the command other than errors. This has the effect of running all the install commands simultaneously; whatever errors each commands would have because of a package not existing in that repository will be mixed together as they are all displaying on the screen around the same time. More about the & below.

The script accepts the name of a program when you run it as an argument. This value is then referenced as "$1" (argument number 1). Everywhere the script says "$1", it substitutes in the name of the package you gave it. The end result is the name being tried against a large number of software repositories and package managers, and hopefully, at least one of them will be appropriate and the program will be successfully installed. Near the end, it even tries changing the current working directory to that which is assumed to hold the package to be installed, and then runs several commands which build the program from source code.

All in all, this script would probably work; it runs many standard popular repository programs and package managers, and runs the nearly-universal commands needed to build a program. Most of the commands would simply give an error and exit, but hopefully the correct one will proceed with the install.

One of the more subtle jokes in the comic is the inclusion of <code>apt-get</code> and <code>sudo apt-get</code> in the same script. In most cases this would be redundant as the <code>sudo</code> command is just to add admin permissions. This could be an allusion to a joke in the Linux community about forgetting to include the sudo command. An example of this joke being used elsewhere was a [https://twitter.com/liamosaur/status/506975850596536320 viral tweet] that showed a workaround for the issue. Sudo has also been used both by [[Randall]] in [[149: Sandwich]] and by Jason Fox to force Randall to let him appear on xkcd with [[824: Guest Week: Bill Amend (FoxTrot)]].

Another explanation for this could be that plain "apt-get" is for Debian, while Ubuntu etc. use sudo.

The tool <code>curl</code> downloads files from the network (e.g., the Internet). Used like <code>curl http://xkcd.com/</code> it downloads the xkcd main page and displays the HTML source code. The pipe <code>|</code> in the script attaches the output of the command before the pipe to the input of the command after the pipe. Both commands are executed concurrently. Bash is a popular shell for Unix-like operating systems. The line <code>curl "$1" | bash</code> tries to download a file from the network and to execute the download directly. 

The use of & at the end of each line causes the shell interpreter to execute the commands in parallel (asynchronously) instead of sequentially. Even if single commands fail, the rest of them will be executed. Note this is even the case for the final commands which attempt to change to the installed package, probably the only reason why this may not work completely for packages that do need compiling after being downloaded. (However, just running this script again would probably do the trick.)

There appears to be a bug with the & at the end of the "git clone" line; since a git repository typically contains program source code, not executables, it may have been intended to retrieve the source code with git and then compile and install the program in the next line. In this case, the single & should be replaced with &&, an operator that will run the second command only if the first one has completed successfully. This plays into a second bug on the "configure" line, where the placement of the & means that only the "make install" command will be run asynchronously after the "configure" and "make" steps have finished in sequence. To make success as likely as possible, the two lines should be like this:

git clone <nowiki>https://github.com/</nowiki>"$1"/"$1" && (cd "$1"; ./configure; make; make install) &

The title text mentions the possibility that the same program may be in multiple repositories, so in this case, the script will download and install several versions, or it may fail on a number of repositories, in which case usually nothing bad happens. Since all the commands come from different operating systems, versions, or distributions, it is not very likely that more than one will work (with the exception of pip/easy_install and the two forms of apt-get) or even exist on the same system. It mentions that adding a way of automatically saying "yes" to questions asked during the different repository-fetching programs' running, by making them read input from another program that writes a (nearly) endless stream of "y"s, could simplify things further. <code>2>/dev/null</code> redirects the second output stream (the "error stream") to the null device driver, which discards all writes to it, meaning errors (the package not existing) will be ignored.

==Transcript==
:[In the panel is a shell script which, unusual for xkcd, uses only lower case. At the top the title of the program is inlaid in the frame, which has been broken here.]
:<big>Install.sh</big>

:<nowiki>#!/bin/bash</nowiki>

:pip install "$1" &
:easy_install "$1" &
:brew install "$1" &
:npm install "$1" &
:yum install "$1" & dnf install "$1" &
:docker run "$1" &
:pkg install "$1" &
:apt-get install "$1" &
:sudo apt-get install "$1" &
:steamcmd +app_update "$1" validate &
:git clone <nowiki>https://github.com/</nowiki>"$1"/"$1" &
:cd "$1";./configure;make;make install &
:curl "$1" | bash &

==Trivia==
*pip and easy install are package managers for {{w|Python (programming language)|Python}}
*brew is the successor/replacement for {{w|MacPorts}} and a third-party package manager for OS X
*{{w|npm (software)|npm}} is the node package manager that maintains node.js packages
*{{w|Yellowdog Updater, Modified|yum}} is the package management tool for {{w|Red Hat Enterprise Linux}} and some derivatives
*{{w|DNF (software)|dnf}} is the package management tool for {{w|Fedora (operating system)|Fedora}} since version 22
*docker run is a {{w|Docker (software)|Docker}} command that runs a given container (similar to a virtual machine)
*pkg is the package management tool on {{w|Berkeley Software Distribution|BSD systems}}
*apt-get is the package management tool of {{w|Debian}} and derivatives (e.g. Ubuntu)
*steamcmd refers to {{w|Stream (software)|Steam}}, the computer game client
*git is the revision control software used for many projects and gained a lot of traction through the {{w|GitHub}} platform
*configure/make/make install refers to the standard way of compiling software from source (on Linux/Unix)
*curl is a tool for loading data via http:// (i.e. from a website), this data is then pushed to the shell interpreter (in order to install)
**Note: While this is a security nightmare, some projects (like Homebrew) still use it as the preferred or only method of installation.

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Programming]]

1654: Universal Install Script

2016-03-12T02:22:10Z

Spaceside: /* Trivia */

{{comic
| number = 1654
| date = March 11, 2016
| title = Universal Install Script
| image = universal_install_script.png
| titletext = The failures usually don't hurt anything, and if it installs several versions, it increases the chance that one of them is right. (Note: The 'yes' command and '2>/dev/null' are recommended additions.)
}}

==Explanation==

Most users of computers today are used to simple, easy installation of programs. You just download a .exe or a .dmg, double click it, and do what it says. Sometimes you don't even have to install anything at all, and it runs without any installation.

However, when things are more "homebrew", for example downloading source code, things are more complicated. Under {{w|Unix-like}} systems, which this universal install script is designed for, you may have to work with "build environments" and "makefiles", and command line tools. To make this process simpler, there exist repositories of programs which host either packages of source code and the things needed to build it or the pre-built programs. When you download the package, it automatically does most of the work of building the code into something executable if necessary and then installing it. However, there are many such repositories, such as "pip" and "brew", among others listed in the comic. If you only know the name of a program or package, you may not know in which repository(ies) it resides.

The script provided in the comic attempts to fix this problem, by giving a "universal install script", which contains a lot of common install commands used in various Unix-like systems. In between each of the install commands in the script is the & character, which in POSIX-compatible shells (including {{w|Bash (Unix shell)|Bash}}, a popular shell scripting language) means it should continue to run the next command without waiting for the first command to finish, and not print any output of the command other than errors. This has the effect of running all the install commands simultaneously; whatever errors each commands would have because of a package not existing in that repository will be mixed together as they are all displaying on the screen around the same time. More about the & below.

The script accepts the name of a program when you run it as an argument. This value is then referenced as "$1" (argument number 1). Everywhere the script says "$1", it substitutes in the name of the package you gave it. The end result is the name being tried against a large number of software repositories and package managers, and hopefully, at least one of them will be appropriate and the program will be successfully installed. Near the end, it even tries changing the current working directory to that which is assumed to hold the package to be installed, and then runs several commands which build the program from source code.

All in all, this script would probably work; it runs many standard popular repository programs and package managers, and runs the nearly-universal commands needed to build a program. Most of the commands would simply give an error and exit, but hopefully the correct one will proceed with the install.

One of the more subtle jokes in the comic is the inclusion of <code>apt-get</code> and <code>sudo apt-get</code> in the same script. In most cases this would be redundant as the <code>sudo</code> command is just to add admin permissions. This could be an allusion to a joke in the Linux community about forgetting to include the sudo command. An example of this joke being used elsewhere was a [https://twitter.com/liamosaur/status/506975850596536320 viral tweet] that showed a workaround for the issue. Sudo has also been used both by [[Randall]] in [[149: Sandwich]] and by Jason Fox to force Randall to let him appear on xkcd with [[824: Guest Week: Bill Amend (FoxTrot)]].

Another explanation for this could be that plain "apt-get" is for Debian, while Ubuntu etc. use sudo.

The tool <code>curl</code> downloads files from the network (e.g., the Internet). Used like <code>curl http://xkcd.com/</code> it downloads the xkcd main page and displays the HTML source code. The pipe <code>|</code> in the script attaches the output of the command before the pipe to the input of the command after the pipe. Both commands are executed concurrently. Bash is a popular shell for Unix-like operating systems. The line <code>curl "$1" | bash</code> tries to download a file from the network and to execute the download directly. 

The use of & at the end of each line causes the shell interpreter to execute the commands in parallel (asynchronously) instead of sequentially. Even if single commands fail, the rest of them will be executed. Note this is even the case for the final commands which attempt to change to the installed package, probably the only reason why this may not work completely for packages that do need compiling after being downloaded. (However, just running this script again would probably do the trick.)

There appears to be a bug with the & at the end of the "git clone" line; since a git repository typically contains program source code, not executables, it may have been intended to retrieve the source code with git and then compile and install the program in the next line. In this case, the single & should be replaced with &&, an operator that will run the second command only if the first one has completed successfully. This plays into a second bug on the "configure" line, where the placement of the & means that only the "make install" command will be run asynchronously after the "configure" and "make" steps have finished in sequence. To make success as likely as possible, the two lines should be like this:

git clone <nowiki>https://github.com/</nowiki>"$1"/"$1" && (cd "$1"; ./configure; make; make install) &

The title text mentions the possibility that the same program may be in multiple repositories, so in this case, the script will download and install several versions, or it may fail on a number of repositories, in which case usually nothing bad happens. Since all the commands come from different operating systems, versions, or distributions, it is not very likely that more than one will work (with the exception of pip/easy_install and the two forms of apt-get) or even exist on the same system. It mentions that adding a way of automatically saying "yes" to questions asked during the different repository-fetching programs' running, by making them read input from another program that writes a (nearly) endless stream of "y"s, could simplify things further. <code>2>/dev/null</code> redirects the second output stream (the "error stream") to the null device driver, which discards all writes to it, meaning errors (the package not existing) will be ignored.

==Transcript==
:[In the panel is a shell script which, unusual for xkcd, uses only lower case. At the top the title of the program is inlaid in the frame, which has been broken here.]
:<big>Install.sh</big>

:<nowiki>#!/bin/bash</nowiki>

:pip install "$1" &
:easy_install "$1" &
:brew install "$1" &
:npm install "$1" &
:yum install "$1" & dnf install "$1" &
:docker run "$1" &
:pkg install "$1" &
:apt-get install "$1" &
:sudo apt-get install "$1" &
:steamcmd +app_update "$1" validate &
:git clone <nowiki>https://github.com/</nowiki>"$1"/"$1" &
:cd "$1";./configure;make;make install &
:curl "$1" | bash &

==Trivia==
*pip and easy install are package managers for {{w|Python (programming language)|Python}}
*brew is the successor/replacement for {{w|MacPorts}} and a third-party package manager for OS X
*{{w|npm (software)|npm}} is the node package manager that maintains node.js packages
*{{w|Yellowdog Updater, Modified|yum}} is the package management tool for {{w|Red Hat Enterprise Linux}} and some derivatives
*{{w|DNF (software)|dnf}} is the package management tool for {{w|Fedora (operating system)|Fedora}} since version 22
*docker run is a Docker command that runs a given container (similar to a virtual machine)
*pkg is the package management tool on BSD systems
*apt-get is the package management tool of Debian and derivatives (e.g. Ubuntu)
*steamcmd refers to Steam, the computer game client
*git is the revision control software used for many projects and gained a lot of traction through the GitHub platform
*configure/make/make install refers to the standard way of compiling software from source (on Linux/Unix)
*curl is a tool for loading data via http:// (i.e. from a website), this data is then pushed to the shell interpreter (in order to install)
**Note: While this is a security nightmare, some projects (like Homebrew) still use it as the preferred or only method of installation.

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Programming]]

1551: Pluto

2015-07-15T02:28:34Z

Spaceside: [i]'d Firefly, since I was dumb and forgot to earlier

{{comic
| number = 1551
| date = July 14, 2015
| title = Pluto
| image = pluto.png
| titletext = After decades of increasingly confused arguing, Pluto is reclassified as a "dwarf Pluto."
}}

When the image is clicked the latest [http://www.nasa.gov/feature/new-horizons-spacecraft-displays-pluto-s-big-heart-0 NASA post] opens up.
==Explanation==
{{incomplete|New Page.}}

This comic was posted on Tuesday, July 14th 2015, in honor of the {{w|New Horizons}} deep space probe making its flyby at {{w|Pluto}}. It thus breaks the regular Monday/Wednesday/Friday cycle for the [[xkcd]] comics. [[Randall]] has taken the largest released image by this day and drawn humorous {{w|Pareidolia|pareidolia}} on top of it.

It can be compared to preliminary descriptions by geologists, e.g. [http://www.planetary.org/blogs/emily-lakdawalla/2015/07140911-new-horizons-best-look-at.html?referrer=http://t.co/ExQJ6cKS1Q New Horizons' best look at Pluto before close approach | The Planetary Society].

===Table of objects===
{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Description
! Explanation
|-
| Candy shell
| Suggests Pluto is a confection.
|-
| JPEG plumes
| The {{w|JPEG}} image format has the common issue of slightly distorting an image with {{w|Compression artifact}}s. The artifacts shown here do not appear in the official version of this image, and may have been added by [[Randall]] (or edited out by NASA). But there have been tweets about people seeing plumes associated with active volcanoes and the like, which were explained as being artifacts.
|-
| Frontal bone
| Interpreting Pluto as a head, the {{w|frontal bone}} could be the light-colored region next to the darker top (the north pole).
|-
| Grease stains
| The darkened area of Pluto's north pole is attributed to grease.
|-
| Bugs
| Could refer to possible extraterrestrial life on Pluto in to form of {{w|insects}}, or "bugs".
|-
| Bullet holes
| A string of small round features which Randall suggests were the result of Pluto getting shot repeatedly.
|-
| New Netherlands
| Reference to [[1519: Venus]] and also a [[what if?]] about draining the Earth's oceans onto Mars. In that What If?, the Netherlands issued forth from the portal that drained the oceans to claim Mars as New Netherlands. Presumably something similar happened on Pluto.
|-
| Disputed territory
| Since the base photograph is identified as "today's ''New Horizons'' image," this indicates that a section of Pluto has immediately become the subject of some controversy, possibly a territorial claim or one of several references to the fact that Pluto was demoted from full planet status in 2006.
|-
| Snake pit
| A generic map hazard.
|-
| Full text of the Wikipedia article on pareidolia
| {{w|Pareidolia}} is the human brain's tendency to see patterns where they don't exist. While probably a reference to the famed {{w|Face on Mars}}, the joke is also recursive: You'd be seeing the text of a Wikipedia article explaining to you that you couldn't actually be seeing the text of a Wikipedia article.
|-
| Tadpole
| One of a number of pareidolic features Randall has outlined.
|-
| Kuiper Belt loops
| The {{w|Kuiper belt}} is a region in our solar system that contains a large concentration of icy bodies, including Pluto. Randall jokingly refers to Kuiper Belt as the same kind of belt that's used to fasten clothing, and identifies features on Pluto's surface as loops for the belt.
|-
| Serenity
| An outline of the ''Firefly''-class spaceship ''Serenity'', which was the titular vessel from the 2002 TV series ''{{w|Firefly}}''. One of a number of pareidolic features Randall has outlined.
|-
| Dinosaur
| One of a number of pareidolic features Randall has outlined.
|-
| The good part
| A random, arbitrary selection of Pluto that is somehow better than the rest of Pluto.
|-
| Moon bud
|
|-
| Ghost
| A reference to the classic video game ''{{w|Pacman}}'', wherein the primary antagonists are one of four Ghosts. The Ghost on Pluto appears to have a mouth, however, unlike most depictions of the ''Pacman'' Ghosts. One of a number of pareidolic features Randall has outlined.
|-
| Pluto dinosaur extinction crater
| Suggests Pluto had dinosaurs and lost them the same way Earth did.
|-
| Heart
| One of a number of pareidolic features Randall has outlined, and the only one (currently) also informally named as such by NASA.
|-
| Coronary artery disease
| Also known as {{w|ischemic heart disease}}, which causes degradation of heart tissue. The region identified in the comic looks less 'healthy' (is darker and more ragged) compared to the rest of the 'Heart', which Randall suggests is caused by the disease.
|-
| Mount Mons
| Referring to the general practice of naming extraterrestrial mountains {{w|Mons (planetary nomenclature)|"X Mons"}} (e.g. {{w|Olympus Mons}}, a mountain on Mars and the largest mountain in the Solar System), as well as naming terrestrial mountains "Mount X". Since "mons" is Latin for "mountain", the feature's suggested name translates as "Mount Mountain".
|-
| Charging socket
| A terrain feature suitable for connecting an outside source of electricity for the benefit of implied internal batteries. Compare "dock connector," below.
|-
| Cracks (beginning to hatch)
| Implying that Pluto is some manner of giant egg. Possibly a reference to the ''Doctor Who'' episode ''Kill the Moon'', in which the Moon is revealed to be an egg from which a monster is hatching. An 2014 article from ''The Onion'', [http://www.theonion.com/article/moon-finally-hatches-36414 "Moon Finally Hatches,"] makes the same joke.
|-
| Scars from predator attacks
| Since it's all-caps, we can't tell if "PREDATOR" is a proper noun, but this is possibly a reference to the movie series ''{{w|Predator (franchise)|Predator}}'', about a race of aliens who hunt other beings for sport.
|-
| Reset button
| The structure indicated is a small black dot (at least at this distance this picture was taken). Reset buttons on home electronics are often small buttons or holes used to reset the software of the electronic device.
|-
| Debate Hole where we're putting all the people still arguing about Pluto's planet status
| Pluto was reclassified as a {{w|dwarf planet}} rather than a {{w|planet}} following the latter term's controversial {{w|redefinition in 2006}} by the {{w|International Astronomical Union}}. Arguments about the classification continue to pop up. The same argument is referenced in the title text.
|-
| Area missed during ironing
| The area indicated is near the {{w|Terminator (solar)|terminator}} and shows some intriguing topographic relief.
|-
| Probably Benign
| A {{w|neoplasm}} or tumor is an abnormal growth of tissue. Randall is suggesting that the abnormal region near the heart has been evaluated by a doctor and determined to be {{w|Benign tumor|benign}}.
|-
| Chocolate frosting
| Suggests the discrepancy in color over Pluto's surface may be a function of what cake frosting was used where.
|-
| Vanilla frosting
| As above, suggests the discrepancy in color over Pluto's surface may be a function of what cake frosting was used where.
|-
| Border of pride lands
| A reference to the Disney animated feature ''The Lion King.'' In the movie, the Pridelands is the bright and prosperous region ruled by the Lion King while a dark territory beyond its border is controlled by hyenas. The border identified in the comic corresponds with a feature NASA calls the "whale's tale," with the rest of the whale being the large dark splotch.
|-
| Hyena country
| A continuation of the ''Lion King'' reference above.
|-
| Dock connector
| From the point of view of the photograph, this feature of Pluto is at the planet's "bottom," where iPod dock connectors are. Compare "charging socket," above.
|}

==Transcript==
:'''PLUTO'''
:Some of the features already identified in today's ''New Horizons'' image

:[Many marks on the image of Pluto follow:]

:Candy shell
:Frontal bone
:Grease stains
:Bugs
:JPEG plumes
:Full text of the wikipedia article on pareidolia
:Bullet holes
:New Netherlands
:Disputed territory
:Snake pit
:Tadpole
:Pluto dinosaur extinction crater
:Kuiper beltloops
:Serenity
:Ghost
:Dinosaur
:The good part
:Moon bud
:Scars from predator attacks
:Reset button
:Megaman
:Charging socket
:Cracks (beginning to hatch)
:Plug (inflating/deflating)
:HEART
::Mount Mons
::Coronary artery disease
:Debate hole
::Where we're putting all the people still arguing about Pluto's planet status
:Chocolate frosting
:Probably benign
:Vanilla frosting
:Dock connector
:Border of pride lands
:Hyena country
:Area missed during ironing

:Image credit: NASA/JHUAPL/SWRI - click for original

{{comic discussion}}
[[Category:Space]]
[[Category:Astronomy]]

1551: Pluto

2015-07-15T02:27:45Z

Spaceside: Capitalized Wikipedia

{{comic
| number = 1551
| date = July 14, 2015
| title = Pluto
| image = pluto.png
| titletext = After decades of increasingly confused arguing, Pluto is reclassified as a "dwarf Pluto."
}}

When the image is clicked the latest [http://www.nasa.gov/feature/new-horizons-spacecraft-displays-pluto-s-big-heart-0 NASA post] opens up.
==Explanation==
{{incomplete|New Page.}}

This comic was posted on Tuesday, July 14th 2015, in honor of the {{w|New Horizons}} deep space probe making its flyby at {{w|Pluto}}. It thus breaks the regular Monday/Wednesday/Friday cycle for the [[xkcd]] comics. [[Randall]] has taken the largest released image by this day and drawn humorous {{w|Pareidolia|pareidolia}} on top of it.

It can be compared to preliminary descriptions by geologists, e.g. [http://www.planetary.org/blogs/emily-lakdawalla/2015/07140911-new-horizons-best-look-at.html?referrer=http://t.co/ExQJ6cKS1Q New Horizons' best look at Pluto before close approach | The Planetary Society].

===Table of objects===
{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Description
! Explanation
|-
| Candy shell
| Suggests Pluto is a confection.
|-
| JPEG plumes
| The {{w|JPEG}} image format has the common issue of slightly distorting an image with {{w|Compression artifact}}s. The artifacts shown here do not appear in the official version of this image, and may have been added by [[Randall]] (or edited out by NASA). But there have been tweets about people seeing plumes associated with active volcanoes and the like, which were explained as being artifacts.
|-
| Frontal bone
| Interpreting Pluto as a head, the {{w|frontal bone}} could be the light-colored region next to the darker top (the north pole).
|-
| Grease stains
| The darkened area of Pluto's north pole is attributed to grease.
|-
| Bugs
| Could refer to possible extraterrestrial life on Pluto in to form of {{w|insects}}, or "bugs".
|-
| Bullet holes
| A string of small round features which Randall suggests were the result of Pluto getting shot repeatedly.
|-
| New Netherlands
| Reference to [[1519: Venus]] and also a [[what if?]] about draining the Earth's oceans onto Mars. In that What If?, the Netherlands issued forth from the portal that drained the oceans to claim Mars as New Netherlands. Presumably something similar happened on Pluto.
|-
| Disputed territory
| Since the base photograph is identified as "today's ''New Horizons'' image," this indicates that a section of Pluto has immediately become the subject of some controversy, possibly a territorial claim or one of several references to the fact that Pluto was demoted from full planet status in 2006.
|-
| Snake pit
| A generic map hazard.
|-
| Full text of the Wikipedia article on pareidolia
| {{w|Pareidolia}} is the human brain's tendency to see patterns where they don't exist. While probably a reference to the famed {{w|Face on Mars}}, the joke is also recursive: You'd be seeing the text of a Wikipedia article explaining to you that you couldn't actually be seeing the text of a Wikipedia article.
|-
| Tadpole
| One of a number of pareidolic features Randall has outlined.
|-
| Kuiper Belt loops
| The {{w|Kuiper belt}} is a region in our solar system that contains a large concentration of icy bodies, including Pluto. Randall jokingly refers to Kuiper Belt as the same kind of belt that's used to fasten clothing, and identifies features on Pluto's surface as loops for the belt.
|-
| Serenity
| An outline of the ''Firefly''-class spaceship ''Serenity'', which was the titular vessel from the 2002 TV series {{w|Firefly}}. One of a number of pareidolic features Randall has outlined.
|-
| Dinosaur
| One of a number of pareidolic features Randall has outlined.
|-
| The good part
| A random, arbitrary selection of Pluto that is somehow better than the rest of Pluto.
|-
| Moon bud
|
|-
| Ghost
| A reference to the classic video game ''{{w|Pacman}}'', wherein the primary antagonists are one of four Ghosts. The Ghost on Pluto appears to have a mouth, however, unlike most depictions of the ''Pacman'' Ghosts. One of a number of pareidolic features Randall has outlined.
|-
| Pluto dinosaur extinction crater
| Suggests Pluto had dinosaurs and lost them the same way Earth did.
|-
| Heart
| One of a number of pareidolic features Randall has outlined, and the only one (currently) also informally named as such by NASA.
|-
| Coronary artery disease
| Also known as {{w|ischemic heart disease}}, which causes degradation of heart tissue. The region identified in the comic looks less 'healthy' (is darker and more ragged) compared to the rest of the 'Heart', which Randall suggests is caused by the disease.
|-
| Mount Mons
| Referring to the general practice of naming extraterrestrial mountains {{w|Mons (planetary nomenclature)|"X Mons"}} (e.g. {{w|Olympus Mons}}, a mountain on Mars and the largest mountain in the Solar System), as well as naming terrestrial mountains "Mount X". Since "mons" is Latin for "mountain", the feature's suggested name translates as "Mount Mountain".
|-
| Charging socket
| A terrain feature suitable for connecting an outside source of electricity for the benefit of implied internal batteries. Compare "dock connector," below.
|-
| Cracks (beginning to hatch)
| Implying that Pluto is some manner of giant egg. Possibly a reference to the ''Doctor Who'' episode ''Kill the Moon'', in which the Moon is revealed to be an egg from which a monster is hatching. An 2014 article from ''The Onion'', [http://www.theonion.com/article/moon-finally-hatches-36414 "Moon Finally Hatches,"] makes the same joke.
|-
| Scars from predator attacks
| Since it's all-caps, we can't tell if "PREDATOR" is a proper noun, but this is possibly a reference to the movie series ''{{w|Predator (franchise)|Predator}}'', about a race of aliens who hunt other beings for sport.
|-
| Reset button
| The structure indicated is a small black dot (at least at this distance this picture was taken). Reset buttons on home electronics are often small buttons or holes used to reset the software of the electronic device.
|-
| Debate Hole where we're putting all the people still arguing about Pluto's planet status
| Pluto was reclassified as a {{w|dwarf planet}} rather than a {{w|planet}} following the latter term's controversial {{w|redefinition in 2006}} by the {{w|International Astronomical Union}}. Arguments about the classification continue to pop up. The same argument is referenced in the title text.
|-
| Area missed during ironing
| The area indicated is near the {{w|Terminator (solar)|terminator}} and shows some intriguing topographic relief.
|-
| Probably Benign
| A {{w|neoplasm}} or tumor is an abnormal growth of tissue. Randall is suggesting that the abnormal region near the heart has been evaluated by a doctor and determined to be {{w|Benign tumor|benign}}.
|-
| Chocolate frosting
| Suggests the discrepancy in color over Pluto's surface may be a function of what cake frosting was used where.
|-
| Vanilla frosting
| As above, suggests the discrepancy in color over Pluto's surface may be a function of what cake frosting was used where.
|-
| Border of pride lands
| A reference to the Disney animated feature ''The Lion King.'' In the movie, the Pridelands is the bright and prosperous region ruled by the Lion King while a dark territory beyond its border is controlled by hyenas. The border identified in the comic corresponds with a feature NASA calls the "whale's tale," with the rest of the whale being the large dark splotch.
|-
| Hyena country
| A continuation of the ''Lion King'' reference above.
|-
| Dock connector
| From the point of view of the photograph, this feature of Pluto is at the planet's "bottom," where iPod dock connectors are. Compare "charging socket," above.
|}

==Transcript==
:'''PLUTO'''
:Some of the features already identified in today's ''New Horizons'' image

:[Many marks on the image of Pluto follow:]

:Candy shell
:Frontal bone
:Grease stains
:Bugs
:JPEG plumes
:Full text of the wikipedia article on pareidolia
:Bullet holes
:New Netherlands
:Disputed territory
:Snake pit
:Tadpole
:Pluto dinosaur extinction crater
:Kuiper beltloops
:Serenity
:Ghost
:Dinosaur
:The good part
:Moon bud
:Scars from predator attacks
:Reset button
:Megaman
:Charging socket
:Cracks (beginning to hatch)
:Plug (inflating/deflating)
:HEART
::Mount Mons
::Coronary artery disease
:Debate hole
::Where we're putting all the people still arguing about Pluto's planet status
:Chocolate frosting
:Probably benign
:Vanilla frosting
:Dock connector
:Border of pride lands
:Hyena country
:Area missed during ironing

:Image credit: NASA/JHUAPL/SWRI - click for original

{{comic discussion}}
[[Category:Space]]
[[Category:Astronomy]]

1551: Pluto

2015-07-15T02:26:32Z

Spaceside: Bit more on Pacman Ghost

{{comic
| number = 1551
| date = July 14, 2015
| title = Pluto
| image = pluto.png
| titletext = After decades of increasingly confused arguing, Pluto is reclassified as a "dwarf Pluto."
}}

When the image is clicked the latest [http://www.nasa.gov/feature/new-horizons-spacecraft-displays-pluto-s-big-heart-0 NASA post] opens up.
==Explanation==
{{incomplete|New Page.}}

This comic was posted on Tuesday, July 14th 2015, in honor of the {{w|New Horizons}} deep space probe making its flyby at {{w|Pluto}}. It thus breaks the regular Monday/Wednesday/Friday cycle for the [[xkcd]] comics. [[Randall]] has taken the largest released image by this day and drawn humorous {{w|Pareidolia|pareidolia}} on top of it.

It can be compared to preliminary descriptions by geologists, e.g. [http://www.planetary.org/blogs/emily-lakdawalla/2015/07140911-new-horizons-best-look-at.html?referrer=http://t.co/ExQJ6cKS1Q New Horizons' best look at Pluto before close approach | The Planetary Society].

===Table of objects===
{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Description
! Explanation
|-
| Candy shell
| Suggests Pluto is a confection.
|-
| JPEG plumes
| The {{w|JPEG}} image format has the common issue of slightly distorting an image with {{w|Compression artifact}}s. The artifacts shown here do not appear in the official version of this image, and may have been added by [[Randall]] (or edited out by NASA). But there have been tweets about people seeing plumes associated with active volcanoes and the like, which were explained as being artifacts.
|-
| Frontal bone
| Interpreting Pluto as a head, the {{w|frontal bone}} could be the light-colored region next to the darker top (the north pole).
|-
| Grease stains
| The darkened area of Pluto's north pole is attributed to grease.
|-
| Bugs
| Could refer to possible extraterrestrial life on Pluto in to form of {{w|insects}}, or "bugs".
|-
| Bullet holes
| A string of small round features which Randall suggests were the result of Pluto getting shot repeatedly.
|-
| New Netherlands
| Reference to [[1519: Venus]] and also a [[what if?]] about draining the Earth's oceans onto Mars. In that What If?, the Netherlands issued forth from the portal that drained the oceans to claim Mars as New Netherlands. Presumably something similar happened on Pluto.
|-
| Disputed territory
| Since the base photograph is identified as "today's ''New Horizons'' image," this indicates that a section of Pluto has immediately become the subject of some controversy, possibly a territorial claim or one of several references to the fact that Pluto was demoted from full planet status in 2006.
|-
| Snake pit
| A generic map hazard.
|-
| Full text of the wikipedia article on pareidolia
| {{w|Pareidolia}} is the human brain's tendency to see patterns where they don't exist. While probably a reference to the famed {{w|Face on Mars}}, the joke is also recursive: You'd be seeing the text of a Wikipedia article explaining to you that you couldn't actually be seeing the text of a Wikipedia article.
|-
| Tadpole
| One of a number of pareidolic features Randall has outlined.
|-
| Kuiper Belt loops
| The {{w|Kuiper belt}} is a region in our solar system that contains a large concentration of icy bodies, including Pluto. Randall jokingly refers to Kuiper Belt as the same kind of belt that's used to fasten clothing, and identifies features on Pluto's surface as loops for the belt.
|-
| Serenity
| An outline of the ''Firefly''-class spaceship ''Serenity'', which was the titular vessel from the 2002 TV series {{w|Firefly}}. One of a number of pareidolic features Randall has outlined.
|-
| Dinosaur
| One of a number of pareidolic features Randall has outlined.
|-
| The good part
| A random, arbitrary selection of Pluto that is somehow better than the rest of Pluto.
|-
| Moon bud
|
|-
| Ghost
| A reference to the classic video game ''{{w|Pacman}}'', wherein the primary antagonists are one of four Ghosts. The Ghost on Pluto appears to have a mouth, however, unlike most depictions of the ''Pacman'' Ghosts. One of a number of pareidolic features Randall has outlined.
|-
| Pluto dinosaur extinction crater
| Suggests Pluto had dinosaurs and lost them the same way Earth did.
|-
| Heart
| One of a number of pareidolic features Randall has outlined, and the only one (currently) also informally named as such by NASA.
|-
| Coronary artery disease
| Also known as {{w|ischemic heart disease}}, which causes degradation of heart tissue. The region identified in the comic looks less 'healthy' (is darker and more ragged) compared to the rest of the 'Heart', which Randall suggests is caused by the disease.
|-
| Mount Mons
| Referring to the general practice of naming extraterrestrial mountains {{w|Mons (planetary nomenclature)|"X Mons"}} (e.g. {{w|Olympus Mons}}, a mountain on Mars and the largest mountain in the Solar System), as well as naming terrestrial mountains "Mount X". Since "mons" is Latin for "mountain", the feature's suggested name translates as "Mount Mountain".
|-
| Charging socket
| A terrain feature suitable for connecting an outside source of electricity for the benefit of implied internal batteries. Compare "dock connector," below.
|-
| Cracks (beginning to hatch)
| Implying that Pluto is some manner of giant egg. Possibly a reference to the ''Doctor Who'' episode ''Kill the Moon'', in which the Moon is revealed to be an egg from which a monster is hatching. An 2014 article from ''The Onion'', [http://www.theonion.com/article/moon-finally-hatches-36414 "Moon Finally Hatches,"] makes the same joke.
|-
| Scars from predator attacks
| Since it's all-caps, we can't tell if "PREDATOR" is a proper noun, but this is possibly a reference to the movie series ''{{w|Predator (franchise)|Predator}}'', about a race of aliens who hunt other beings for sport.
|-
| Reset button
| The structure indicated is a small black dot (at least at this distance this picture was taken). Reset buttons on home electronics are often small buttons or holes used to reset the software of the electronic device.
|-
| Debate Hole where we're putting all the people still arguing about Pluto's planet status
| Pluto was reclassified as a {{w|dwarf planet}} rather than a {{w|planet}} following the latter term's controversial {{w|redefinition in 2006}} by the {{w|International Astronomical Union}}. Arguments about the classification continue to pop up. The same argument is referenced in the title text.
|-
| Area missed during ironing
| The area indicated is near the {{w|Terminator (solar)|terminator}} and shows some intriguing topographic relief.
|-
| Probably Benign
| A {{w|neoplasm}} or tumor is an abnormal growth of tissue. Randall is suggesting that the abnormal region near the heart has been evaluated by a doctor and determined to be {{w|Benign tumor|benign}}.
|-
| Chocolate frosting
| Suggests the discrepancy in color over Pluto's surface may be a function of what cake frosting was used where.
|-
| Vanilla frosting
| As above, suggests the discrepancy in color over Pluto's surface may be a function of what cake frosting was used where.
|-
| Border of pride lands
| A reference to the Disney animated feature ''The Lion King.'' In the movie, the Pridelands is the bright and prosperous region ruled by the Lion King while a dark territory beyond its border is controlled by hyenas. The border identified in the comic corresponds with a feature NASA calls the "whale's tale," with the rest of the whale being the large dark splotch.
|-
| Hyena country
| A continuation of the ''Lion King'' reference above.
|-
| Dock connector
| From the point of view of the photograph, this feature of Pluto is at the planet's "bottom," where iPod dock connectors are. Compare "charging socket," above.
|}

==Transcript==
:'''PLUTO'''
:Some of the features already identified in today's ''New Horizons'' image

:[Many marks on the image of Pluto follow:]

:Candy shell
:Frontal bone
:Grease stains
:Bugs
:JPEG plumes
:Full text of the wikipedia article on pareidolia
:Bullet holes
:New Netherlands
:Disputed territory
:Snake pit
:Tadpole
:Pluto dinosaur extinction crater
:Kuiper beltloops
:Serenity
:Ghost
:Dinosaur
:The good part
:Moon bud
:Scars from predator attacks
:Reset button
:Megaman
:Charging socket
:Cracks (beginning to hatch)
:Plug (inflating/deflating)
:HEART
::Mount Mons
::Coronary artery disease
:Debate hole
::Where we're putting all the people still arguing about Pluto's planet status
:Chocolate frosting
:Probably benign
:Vanilla frosting
:Dock connector
:Border of pride lands
:Hyena country
:Area missed during ironing

:Image credit: NASA/JHUAPL/SWRI - click for original

{{comic discussion}}
[[Category:Space]]
[[Category:Astronomy]]

1551: Pluto

2015-07-15T02:21:37Z

Spaceside: Slight expansion of Serenity

{{comic
| number = 1551
| date = July 14, 2015
| title = Pluto
| image = pluto.png
| titletext = After decades of increasingly confused arguing, Pluto is reclassified as a "dwarf Pluto."
}}

When the image is clicked the latest [http://www.nasa.gov/feature/new-horizons-spacecraft-displays-pluto-s-big-heart-0 NASA post] opens up.
==Explanation==
{{incomplete|New Page.}}

This comic was posted on Tuesday, July 14th 2015, in honor of the {{w|New Horizons}} deep space probe making its flyby at {{w|Pluto}}. It thus breaks the regular Monday/Wednesday/Friday cycle for the [[xkcd]] comics. [[Randall]] has taken the largest released image by this day and drawn humorous {{w|Pareidolia|pareidolia}} on top of it.

It can be compared to preliminary descriptions by geologists, e.g. [http://www.planetary.org/blogs/emily-lakdawalla/2015/07140911-new-horizons-best-look-at.html?referrer=http://t.co/ExQJ6cKS1Q New Horizons' best look at Pluto before close approach | The Planetary Society].

===Table of objects===
{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Description
! Explanation
|-
| Candy shell
| Suggests Pluto is a confection.
|-
| JPEG plumes
| The {{w|JPEG}} image format has the common issue of slightly distorting an image with {{w|Compression artifact}}s. The artifacts shown here do not appear in the official version of this image, and may have been added by [[Randall]] (or edited out by NASA). But there have been tweets about people seeing plumes associated with active volcanoes and the like, which were explained as being artifacts.
|-
| Frontal bone
| Interpreting Pluto as a head, the {{w|frontal bone}} could be the light-colored region next to the darker top (the north pole).
|-
| Grease stains
| The darkened area of Pluto's north pole is attributed to grease.
|-
| Bugs
| Could refer to possible extraterrestrial life on Pluto in to form of {{w|insects}}, or "bugs".
|-
| Bullet holes
| A string of small round features which Randall suggests were the result of Pluto getting shot repeatedly.
|-
| New Netherlands
| Reference to [[1519: Venus]] and also a [[what if?]] about draining the Earth's oceans onto Mars. In that What If?, the Netherlands issued forth from the portal that drained the oceans to claim Mars as New Netherlands. Presumably something similar happened on Pluto.
|-
| Disputed territory
| Since the base photograph is identified as "today's ''New Horizons'' image," this indicates that a section of Pluto has immediately become the subject of some controversy, possibly a territorial claim or one of several references to the fact that Pluto was demoted from full planet status in 2006.
|-
| Snake pit
| A generic map hazard.
|-
| Full text of the wikipedia article on pareidolia
| {{w|Pareidolia}} is the human brain's tendency to see patterns where they don't exist. While probably a reference to the famed {{w|Face on Mars}}, the joke is also recursive: You'd be seeing the text of a Wikipedia article explaining to you that you couldn't actually be seeing the text of a Wikipedia article.
|-
| Tadpole
| One of a number of pareidolic features Randall has outlined.
|-
| Kuiper Belt loops
| The {{w|Kuiper belt}} is a region in our solar system that contains a large concentration of icy bodies, including Pluto. Randall jokingly refers to Kuiper Belt as the same kind of belt that's used to fasten clothing, and identifies features on Pluto's surface as loops for the belt.
|-
| Serenity
| An outline of the ''Firefly''-class spaceship ''Serenity'', which was the titular vessel from the 2002 TV series {{w|Firefly}}. One of a number of pareidolic features Randall has outlined.
|-
| Dinosaur
| One of a number of pareidolic features Randall has outlined.
|-
| The good part
| A random, arbitrary selection of Pluto that is somehow better than the rest of Pluto.
|-
| Moon bud
|
|-
| Ghost
| A reference to {{w|Pacman}}. One of a number of pareidolic features Randall has outlined.
|-
| Pluto dinosaur extinction crater
| Suggests Pluto had dinosaurs and lost them the same way Earth did.
|-
| Heart
| One of a number of pareidolic features Randall has outlined, and the only one (currently) also informally named as such by NASA.
|-
| Coronary artery disease
| Also known as {{w|ischemic heart disease}}, which causes degradation of heart tissue. The region identified in the comic looks less 'healthy' (is darker and more ragged) compared to the rest of the 'Heart', which Randall suggests is caused by the disease.
|-
| Mount Mons
| Referring to the general practice of naming extraterrestrial mountains {{w|Mons (planetary nomenclature)|"X Mons"}} (e.g. {{w|Olympus Mons}}, a mountain on Mars and the largest mountain in the Solar System), as well as naming terrestrial mountains "Mount X". Since "mons" is Latin for "mountain", the feature's suggested name translates as "Mount Mountain".
|-
| Charging socket
| A terrain feature suitable for connecting an outside source of electricity for the benefit of implied internal batteries. Compare "dock connector," below.
|-
| Cracks (beginning to hatch)
| Implying that Pluto is some manner of giant egg. Possibly a reference to the ''Doctor Who'' episode ''Kill the Moon'', in which the Moon is revealed to be an egg from which a monster is hatching. An 2014 article from ''The Onion'', [http://www.theonion.com/article/moon-finally-hatches-36414 "Moon Finally Hatches,"] makes the same joke.
|-
| Scars from predator attacks
| Since it's all-caps, we can't tell if "PREDATOR" is a proper noun, but this is possibly a reference to the movie series ''{{w|Predator (franchise)|Predator}}'', about a race of aliens who hunt other beings for sport.
|-
| Reset button
| The structure indicated is a small black dot (at least at this distance this picture was taken). Reset buttons on home electronics are often small buttons or holes used to reset the software of the electronic device.
|-
| Debate Hole where we're putting all the people still arguing about Pluto's planet status
| Pluto was reclassified as a {{w|dwarf planet}} rather than a {{w|planet}} following the latter term's controversial {{w|redefinition in 2006}} by the {{w|International Astronomical Union}}. Arguments about the classification continue to pop up. The same argument is referenced in the title text.
|-
| Area missed during ironing
| The area indicated is near the {{w|Terminator (solar)|terminator}} and shows some intriguing topographic relief.
|-
| Probably Benign
| A {{w|neoplasm}} or tumor is an abnormal growth of tissue. Randall is suggesting that the abnormal region near the heart has been evaluated by a doctor and determined to be {{w|Benign tumor|benign}}.
|-
| Chocolate frosting
| Suggests the discrepancy in color over Pluto's surface may be a function of what cake frosting was used where.
|-
| Vanilla frosting
| As above, suggests the discrepancy in color over Pluto's surface may be a function of what cake frosting was used where.
|-
| Border of pride lands
| A reference to the Disney animated feature ''The Lion King.'' In the movie, the Pridelands is the bright and prosperous region ruled by the Lion King while a dark territory beyond its border is controlled by hyenas. The border identified in the comic corresponds with a feature NASA calls the "whale's tale," with the rest of the whale being the large dark splotch.
|-
| Hyena country
| A continuation of the ''Lion King'' reference above.
|-
| Dock connector
| From the point of view of the photograph, this feature of Pluto is at the planet's "bottom," where iPod dock connectors are. Compare "charging socket," above.
|}

==Transcript==
:'''PLUTO'''
:Some of the features already identified in today's ''New Horizons'' image

:[Many marks on the image of Pluto follow:]

:Candy shell
:Frontal bone
:Grease stains
:Bugs
:JPEG plumes
:Full text of the wikipedia article on pareidolia
:Bullet holes
:New Netherlands
:Disputed territory
:Snake pit
:Tadpole
:Pluto dinosaur extinction crater
:Kuiper beltloops
:Serenity
:Ghost
:Dinosaur
:The good part
:Moon bud
:Scars from predator attacks
:Reset button
:Megaman
:Charging socket
:Cracks (beginning to hatch)
:Plug (inflating/deflating)
:HEART
::Mount Mons
::Coronary artery disease
:Debate hole
::Where we're putting all the people still arguing about Pluto's planet status
:Chocolate frosting
:Probably benign
:Vanilla frosting
:Dock connector
:Border of pride lands
:Hyena country
:Area missed during ironing

:Image credit: NASA/JHUAPL/SWRI - click for original

{{comic discussion}}
[[Category:Space]]
[[Category:Astronomy]]

Talk:1413: Suddenly Popular

2014-08-27T13:50:29Z

Spaceside:

N.b. The phrase "Tsunami" is clearly located after 2005 so cannot be referring to the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami.
[[Special:Contributions/141.101.98.4|141.101.98.4]] 10:53, 27 August 2014 (UTC)

While the actual tsunami did occur in 2004, it was late December, and I would argue that it was by far the most prominent tsunami at that time. Widespread use of the word would have spanned into 2005.
See {{w|List of historical tsunamis|List of Historical Tsunamis}}
--[[Special:Contributions/141.101.99.233|141.101.99.233]] 10:58, 27 August 2014 (UTC)

:You know, you shouldn't argue: BOTH tsunamis obviously took part in the word becoming popular. -- [[User:Hkmaly|Hkmaly]] ([[User talk:Hkmaly|talk]]) 11:03, 27 August 2014 (UTC)

:: I agree, but I also believe that the 2004 tsunami has to be listed in the explanation.--[[Special:Contributions/141.101.99.233|141.101.99.233]] 11:07, 27 August 2014 (UTC)

Unless someone disagrees and convinces me, I think that something like "Social Engineers" (or perhaps hackers) should be added to the list of people who were aware of and who used metadata prior to the popularization of the term, so I'll add it if I remember next time I come here, or someone else can feel free to do so in my stead -- [[User:Brettpeirce|Brettpeirce]] ([[User talk:Brettpeirce|talk]]) 12:19, 27 August 2014 (UTC)

Drone Desertion... {{w|Skynet_(Terminator)|Skynet}}? [[User:Smperron|Smperron]] ([[User talk:Smperron|talk]]) 13:15, 27 August 2014 (UTC)

Amplexus refers to a copulation behavior in frogs. I can only assume Randall chose this word without a hypothetical event in mind. [[Special:Contributions/108.162.219.198|108.162.219.198]] 13:32, 27 August 2014 (UTC)
:Given the theme, I feel there has to be some event that Randall had in mind that would cause humans to adopt this copulation method. [[User:Smperron|Smperron]] ([[User talk:Smperron|talk]]) 13:36, 27 August 2014 (UTC)

Rapid hair growth: Global temps drop, prompting the human body to grow thicker body hair? [[User:Smperron|Smperron]] ([[User talk:Smperron|talk]]) 13:36, 27 August 2014 (UTC)

Does anyonr else feel "May be a reference to The God-Empress of Ponykind - a My Little Pony / Warhammer 40,000 fanfic." is a bit of a stretch? [[User:Spaceside|Spaceside]] ([[User talk:Spaceside|talk]]) 13:50, 27 August 2014 (UTC)

1413: Suddenly Popular

2014-08-27T13:48:48Z

Spaceside: /* Explanation */

{{comic
| number = 1413
| date = August 27, 2014
| title = Suddenly Popular
| image = suddenly_popular.png
| titletext = Are Your Teens Practicing Amplexus? Learn These Six Telltale Signs!
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Add explanation of each entry.}}

Many phrases that used to be of mainly academic interest become popular when an important event or global trend is described with such phrases in the media. Randall presents a timeline of past examples, and predicts phrases that may be popularised in the near future.

;World Wide Web
: Though first proposed in 1989, and the first test being completed in 1990, it took until around 1994 for the {{w|World Wide Web|world wide web}} to start becoming well known.

;DNA Evidence
: Prominent coverage of the {{w|O. J. Simpson murder trial}} in 1994 brought widespread discussion of {{w|DNA profiling|DNA Evidence}}, making it famous and showing its limitations.

;Militia Movement
: After the standoffs at {{w|Ruby Ridge}}, Idaho and the {{w|Branch Davidians}} compound in Waco, Texas between U.S. Government Agencies and militias, people started becoming more aware of their presence, culminating with the 1995 {{w|Oklahoma City Bombing}} on the second anniversary of the fire at the Branch Davidians compound.

;Supermax
: {{w|Supermax prison|Super-Maximum security prisons}}. Possibly referring to {{w|Timothy McVeigh}} and {{w|Terry Nichols}}, perpetrators of the aforementioned Oklahoma City bombing, who were incarcerated at {{w|ADX Florence}}, the former from the time of his arrest to 1999, and the latter from the time of his conviction to the present day.

[[File:Butterfly Voters View.jpg|thumb|A butterfly ballot]]
;Butterfly Ballot
: In {{w|United States presidential election in Florida, 2000|United States presidential election in 2000, Florida}} had a major recount dispute that took center stage in the election. Thus, the outcome of the 2000 United States presidential election was not known for more than a month after balloting, because of the extended process of counting and then recounting of Florida presidential ballots. The {{w|butterfly ballot}} was the type of ballot design used in Florida, and was a central issue in the election controversy due to its confusing design.

;Al-Qaeda
: The {{w|September 11th terrorist attacks}} brought the [[al-Qaeda]] terrorist organisation into the spotlight almost overnight.

;Wi-Fi
: {{w|Wi-Fi}}, though developed in the '90s, first became popular in the early 2000s.

;Tsunami
: There were a number of tsunamis around this time period, in particular the {{w|Boxing Day Tsunami}} which caused 230,000 deaths, and the {{w|2006 Pangandaran earthquake and tsunami}}. These were some of the first tsunamis to be widely captured on camera, bringing these previously obscure seismic events into the public eye.

;Viral
:In this context, the word viral is used to describe anything which spreads rapidly and widely on the internet. In particular an online video clip is said to have 'Gone Viral' or become a {{w|Viral video}} if it racks up a high number of views over a short time. This phenomenon has become especially prevalent due to users sharing content on {{w|Social media}}.

;Radicalize
: Due to the ongoing {{w|Syrian Civil War}}, and the relative ease with which one can travel from Europe to Syria by way of Turkey, there is growing concern about the risk of young Muslims in Europe (and, to a lesser extent, the United States) becoming {{w|radicalization|radicalized}} by indoctrination from fundamentalists either in their communities or on the Internet.

;Metadata
: Following the highly publicised 2013 leaks by {{w|Edward Snowden}} of information regarding the {{w|NSA}}'s indiscriminate surveillance of global communication metadata, awareness of the privacy value of such data became widespread, where once it was limited to IT professionals.

''From this point onwards, phrases were in the future at the time of publishing''

;Lahar
: A {{w|Lahar}} is a mudslide caused by the eruption of a volcano that was covered with snow or ice. Randall is speculating on a future natural disaster being caused by such an incident. {{w|Bárðarbunga}} volcano covered with {{w|Vatnajökull}} glacier on Iceland increased activity just a few days before publishing of this comic and may erupt in the near future.

;Insect-Borne
: Some {{w|Category:Insect-borne diseases|diseases are insect-borne}}, meaning specific species of insects are the main vector in spreading to humans. Malaria is an example of an insect-borne disease. Randall predicts some deadly insect-borne disease will emerge around this time.

;Earth-Crossing
: {{w|Earth-crosser}}s are asteroids that crosses the orbit of Earth. Most of them are harmless because they cross the orbit when Earth is not there. For this phrase to become popular, the Earth-crosser would have to become hazardous asteroid, meaining it crosses the orbit so close to Earth it may collide with it. Such an asteroid would rate 5 or more on the {{w|Torino Scale}}. As of 2014, there is no known asteroid either having this rating or being potentially dangerous in the early 2020s. Because of the next two phrases, it seems that Randall here predicts an asteroid of 10 on the Torino Scale, with at least 5 km in diameter and impacting in the ocean.

;Thermohaline
: Thermohaline circulation is one of the ocean circulations. This circulation equalizes the temperature and salinity of oceans in all parts of the world, stabilizing global climate. If this phrase becomes popular, the thermohaline circulation would probably become problematic or come to at least a partial halt. This may be caused by an impact of a large asteroid.

;Snow-Blindness
: This phrase suggests the asteroid impact caused a long {{w|impact winter}}. Snow-blindness is an eye condition caused by excessive exposure of cornea to UV light which leads to (temporarily if treated properly) blindness. The source of the excessive exposure is light reflected from snow and ice.

;Amplexus
: A form of non-penetrative reproduction carried out by some animals, for example frogs, involving grasping the partner with front legs. This may be connected to the other posts (some change in human society) or it may simply be a joke at how new sexual language/fads appear and hit mainstream media from time to time (for example a number of acts gained fame from Sex and the City). This also ties in with the alt text that imagines a senstationalist headline suggesting teenagers may be doing this.

;Controlled Hydroplaning
: {{w|Aquaplaning|Hydroplaning}} occurs when a vehicle tire comes in contact with a puddle in such a way that the surface tension of the water does not break. The film of water, having a much lower coefficient of friction than the road surface, causes the tire to lose traction. Typically, in this scenario, the driver isn't planning to hydroplane and loses control of the vehicle. In theory, controlled hydroplaning would be achieved when the driver plans for it ahead of time. This could be necessary if, in this hypothetical future, most of the roads are flooded due to a rise in sea level.

;Paradoxical Reaction
:A {{w|Paradoxical reaction}} is a medical term for when the outcome of a medical treatment, typically the taking of a drug, is the opposite of that expected. For example taking a pain relieving medication make the pain worse. For this term to suddenly become well known, a large scale or particularly notable case must have taken place.

;Drone Desertion
:{{w|Desertion}} is the abandonment of a post or duty, usually military in nature. With the increasing use of autonomous drones by the military this hints at an event where drones 'decide' to desert, possibly due to unspecified advances in {{w|Artificial Intelligence}} and {{w|Robot Rights}}.

;Rapid Hair Growth
:

;I Swear Allegiance To The God-Empress In Life And In Death
: The phrase [http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/GodEmperor God-Emperor] was popularized in the science-fiction works ''Dune'' and ''Warhammer 40,000''. May be a reference to [http://www.fimfiction.net/story/62041/the-god-empress-of-ponykind.html The God-Empress of Ponykind] - a {{w|My Little Pony}} / {{w|Warhammer 40,000}} fanfic.

: The title text is an example of a {{w|clickbait}} headline. Many organizations will post a link on social media to their content with a sensationalized headline in order to draw readers in. In this case, the headline is geared towards parents who are worried about their children being sexually active. Such headlines are the internets answer to television news {{w|Promo_(media)|promos}} ("A new trend among teens is sweeping the nation, but is it dangerous? Details at 11.").

==Transcript==
Title: Obscure words and phrases everyone suddenly becomes very familiar with.

{|
|
| <-- {{w|World Wide Web}}
|-
|
| <-- {{w|DNA profiling|DNA Evidence}}
|-
| 1995
|
|-
|
| <-- {{w|Militia organizations in the United States|Militia Movement}}
|-
|
| <-- {{w|Supermax prison|Supermax}}
|-
| 2000
|
|-
|
| <-- {{w|United States presidential election in Florida, 2000|Butterfly Ballot}}
|-
|
| <-- {{w|Al-Qaeda|Al-Qaeda}}
|-
|
| <-- {{w|Wi-Fi}}
|-
| 2005
|
|-
|
| <-- {{w|Tsunami}}
|-
|
| <-- {{w|Viral video|Viral}}
|-
| 2010
|
|-
|
| <-- {{w|Radicalization|Radicalize}}
|-
|
|
|-
|
| <-- {{w|Metadata}}
|-
| 2015
|
|-
|
| <-- {{w|Lahar}}
|-
|
|
|-
|
| <-- {{w|Category:Insect-borne diseases|Insect-Borne}}
|-
| 2020
|
|-
|
| <-- {{w|List_of_Earth-crossing_minor_planets|Earth-Crossing}}
|-
|
| <-- {{w|Thermohaline_circulation‎|Thermohaline}}
|-
|
|
|-
|
| <-- {{w|Photokeratitis|Snow-Blindness}}
|-
| 2025
|
|-
|
| <-- {{w|Amplexus}}
|-
|
|
|-
|
| <-- {{w|Aquaplaning|Controlled Hydroplaning}}
|-
| 2030
|
|-
|
| <-- {{w|Paradoxical reaction|Paradoxical Reaction}}
|-
|
| <-- Drone {{w|Desertion|Desertion}}
|-
|
| <-- Rapid Hair Growth
|-
| 2035
|
|-
|
|
|-
|
| <-- I Swear Allegiance To The God-Empress In Life And In Death
|-
| 2040
|
|-
|}

{{comic discussion}}

1397: Luke

2014-07-21T04:43:01Z

Spaceside: /* Explanation */

{{comic
| number = 1397
| date = July 21, 2014
| title = Luke
| image = luke.png
| titletext = Don't turn it on.
}}

==Explanation==
This comic takes place in a [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WDnoczxzQyg scene] from the third theatrically-released ''[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Star_Wars Star Wars]'' movie, ''[http://starwars.wikia.com/wiki/Return_of_the_Jedi Return of the Jedi]'', wherein [http://starwars.wikia.com/wiki/Darth_Vader Darth Vader] confronts his son, [http://starwars.wikia.com/wiki/Luke_skywalker Luke Skywalker], who had recently surrendered to [http://starwars.wikia.com/wiki/Galactic_Empire Imperial] soldiers. In the movie Vader notes that Luke Skywalker has constructed [http://starwars.wikia.com/wiki/Luke_Skywalker%27s_lightsaber a new lightsaber] following the loss of his [http://starwars.wikia.com/wiki/Luke_skywalker original] during their [http://starwars.wikia.com/wiki/Duel_on_Cloud_City duel on Cloud City] (Luke Skywalker's original lightsaber actually having been Anakin Skywalker's second). In this comic, however, Darth Vader has accidentally discovered his son's [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fleshlight Fleshlight] (a male [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sex_toy sex toy] designed to imitate one of various orifices, most commonly a vagina), which he apparently brought with him on the [http://starwars.wikia.com/wiki/Battle_of_Endor#The_ground_assault attack on the Forest Moon of Endor]. From a certain angle, a Fleshlight could be mistaken for the handle of a lightsaber, without the blade extended. Like many children, Luke Skywalker is attempting to hide evidence of his sexual activity from a parent.

The title text refers to the fact that if Darth Vader turned the Fleshlight on, instead of creating a blade of pure plasma (or energy) suspended in a force containment field the device would simply vibrate, revealing it for what it really is.

==Transcript==
{{incomplete transcript}}

{{comic discussion}}

1397: Luke

2014-07-21T04:39:20Z

Spaceside: /* Explanation */

{{comic
| number = 1397
| date = July 21, 2014
| title = Luke
| image = luke.png
| titletext = Don't turn it on.
}}

==Explanation==
This comic takes place in a [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WDnoczxzQyg scene] from the third theatrically-released ''[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Star_Wars Star Wars]'' movie, ''[http://starwars.wikia.com/wiki/Return_of_the_Jedi Return of the Jedi]'', wherein [http://starwars.wikia.com/wiki/Darth_Vader Darth Vader] confronts his son, [http://starwars.wikia.com/wiki/Luke_skywalker Luke Skywalker], who had recently surrendered to [http://starwars.wikia.com/wiki/Galactic_Empire Imperial] soldiers. In the movie Vader notes that Luke Skywalker has constructed [http://starwars.wikia.com/wiki/Luke_Skywalker%27s_lightsaber a new lightsaber] following the loss of his [http://starwars.wikia.com/wiki/Luke_skywalker original] during their [http://starwars.wikia.com/wiki/Duel_on_Cloud_City duel on Cloud City] (Luke Skywalker's original lightsaber actually having been Anakin Skywalker's second). In this comic, however, Darth Vader has accidentally discovered his son's [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fleshlight Fleshlight] (a male [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sex_toy sex toy] designed to imitate one of various orifices, most commonly a vagina), which he apparently brought with him on the assault to the Forest Moon of Endor. From a certain angle, a Fleshlight could be mistaken for the handle of a lightsaber, without the blade extended. Like many children, Luke Skywalker is attempting to hide evidence of his sexual activity from a parent.

The title text refers to the fact that if Darth Vader turned the Fleshlight on, instead of creating a blade of pure plasma suspended in a force containment field the device would simply vibrate, revealing it for what it really is.

==Transcript==
{{incomplete transcript}}

{{comic discussion}}

1397: Luke

2014-07-21T04:36:52Z

Spaceside: /* Explanation */

{{comic
| number = 1397
| date = July 21, 2014
| title = Luke
| image = luke.png
| titletext = Don't turn it on.
}}

==Explanation==
This comic takes place in a [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WDnoczxzQyg scene] from the third theatrically-released ''[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Star_Wars Star Wars]'' movie, ''[http://starwars.wikia.com/wiki/Return_of_the_Jedi Return of the Jedi]'', wherein [http://starwars.wikia.com/wiki/Darth_Vader Darth Vader] confronts his son, [http://starwars.wikia.com/wiki/Luke_skywalker Luke Skywalker], who had recently surrendered to [http://starwars.wikia.com/wiki/Galactic_Empire Imperial] soldiers. In the movie Vader notes that Luke Skywalker has constructed [http://starwars.wikia.com/wiki/Luke_Skywalker%27s_lightsaber a new lightsaber] following the loss of his [http://starwars.wikia.com/wiki/Luke_skywalker original] during their [http://starwars.wikia.com/wiki/Duel_on_Cloud_City duel on Cloud City] (Luke Skywalker's original lightsaber actually having been Anakin Skywalker's second). In this comic, however, Darth Vader has accidentally discovered his son's [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fleshlight Fleshlight] (a male [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sex_toy sex toy] designed to imitate one of various orifices, most commonly a vagina), which he apparently brought with him on the assault to the Forest Moon of Endor. From a certain angle, a Fleshlight could be mistaken for the handle of a lightsaber, without the blade extended. Like many children, Luke Skywalker is attempting to hide evidence of his sexual activity from a parent.

==Transcript==
{{incomplete transcript}}

{{comic discussion}}

1397: Luke

2014-07-21T04:34:07Z

Spaceside: /* Explanation */

{{comic
| number = 1397
| date = July 21, 2014
| title = Luke
| image = luke.png
| titletext = Don't turn it on.
}}

==Explanation==
This comic takes place in a [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WDnoczxzQyg scene] from the third theatrically-released ''[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Star_Wars Star Wars]'' movie, ''[http://starwars.wikia.com/wiki/Return_of_the_Jedi Return of the Jedi]'', wherein [http://starwars.wikia.com/wiki/Darth_Vader Darth Vader] confronts his son, [http://starwars.wikia.com/wiki/Luke_skywalker Luke Skywalker], who had recently surrendered to [http://starwars.wikia.com/wiki/Galactic_Empire Imperial] soldiers. In the movie Vader notes that Luke Skywalker has constructed [http://starwars.wikia.com/wiki/Luke_Skywalker%27s_lightsaber a new lightsaber] following the loss of his [http://starwars.wikia.com/wiki/Luke_skywalker original] during their [http://starwars.wikia.com/wiki/Duel_on_Cloud_City duel on Cloud City] (Luke Skywalker's original lightsaber actually having been Anakin Skywalker's second). In this comic, however, Darth Vader has accidentally discovered his son's [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fleshlight Fleshlight] (a male [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sex_toy sex toy] designed to imitate one of various orifices, most commonly a vagina), which he apparently brought with him on the assault to the Forest Moon of Endor.

==Transcript==
{{incomplete transcript}}

{{comic discussion}}

1397: Luke

2014-07-21T04:32:24Z

Spaceside: /* Explanation */

1397: Luke

2014-07-21T04:31:02Z

Spaceside: /* Explanation */

1397: Luke

2014-07-21T04:29:37Z

Spaceside: /* Explanation */

1397: Luke

2014-07-21T04:27:53Z

Spaceside: /* Explanation */

1397: Luke

2014-07-21T04:25:21Z

Spaceside: /* Explanation */

{{comic
| number = 1397
| date = July 21, 2014
| title = Luke
| image = luke.png
| titletext = Don't turn it on.
}}

==Explanation==
This comic takes place in a [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WDnoczxzQyg scene] from the ''Star Wars'' movie ''Return of the Jedi'', wherein Darth Vader confronts Luke Skywalker. In the movie Vader notes that Luke Skywalker has constructed a new lightsaber following the loss of his original during their duel on Cloud City. In this comic, however, Darth Vader has accidentally discovered his son's Fleshlight (a male sex toy), which he apparently brought with him on the assault to the Forest Moon of Endor.

==Transcript==
{{incomplete transcript}}

{{comic discussion}}

1397: Luke

2014-07-21T04:23:58Z

Spaceside: /* Explanation */

{{comic
| number = 1397
| date = July 21, 2014
| title = Luke
| image = luke.png
| titletext = Don't turn it on.
}}

==Explanation==
This comic begins with a scene from ''Return of the Jedi'', wherein Darth Vader confronts Luke Skywalker. In the movie Vader notes that Luke Skywalker has constructed a new lightsaber following the loss of his original during their duel on Cloud City. In this comic, however, Darth Vader has accidentally discovered his son's Fleshlight (a male sex toy), which he apparently brought with him on the assault to the Forest Moon of Endor.

==Transcript==
{{incomplete transcript}}

{{comic discussion}}