explain xkcd - User contributions [en]

2116: .NORM Normal File Format

2019-03-07T21:01:39Z

Tarcas: Removed the last paragraph which completely missed what Randall was suggesting about vector JPEG artifacts.

{{comic
| number = 2116
| date = February 25, 2019
| title = .NORM Normal File Format
| image = norm_normal_file_format.png
| titletext = At some point, compression becomes an aesthetic design choice. Luckily, SVG is a really flexible format, so there's no reason it can't support vector JPEG artifacts.
}}

==Explanation==
[[File:XKCD2116.norm.jpg|thumb|150px|An example of what Cueball might have seen, but presumably with numbers or other data rather than words.]]

Cueball's friend seems to have sent him a rather unusual datafile passed off as a new "normal" standard.

People who work with data, and need data sent to them electronically, typically need it sent in a way that they can easily use it – either in a text format that can be copy-pasted, or as a spreadsheet or CSV file that can be imported into a spreadsheet program, or such.
Information sent by Cueball's friend in this fashion – a photograph of a spreadsheet embedded into a word processing file – is not only aesthetically unpleasing, but essentially useless for any purpose beyond being looked at. The recipient has no choice but to retype the entire data set, or attempt to use optical character recognition (OCR), and hope that no mistakes are made in the process.

Any functional relationships between data (such as formulas used to compute data values) have been lost. Further, the size of the data is bloated by being converted first from numbers and formulas into text, then text into graphics, and then from graphics to embedded graphics in a word processing document. This adds nothing to the content, and only adds steps to the process of retrieving the data.

However useless this kind of data manipulation might be, it is becoming more and more common, especially as more non-computer literate people find "creative" ways to exchange information. Usually, their job is getting the data together in a Word file, and the only file they have is a screenshot of the spreadsheet, not the original file, so they just put screenshot in the Word file. Cueball's friend suggests that this is now a normal way to send files, and that Cueball should update his system to support this new type of file, represented by a ".norm" suffix.

The caption acknowledges that this has become a ''de facto'' standard and that we should just accept and formalize it.

The comic image links to a [https://twitter.com/openelex/status/853977391747801088 tweet by OpenElections] that displays an Excel file produced by the City of Detroit that contains a lookup table for the city's absentee precincts in 2016. The data had been input as clip art (images) of the values, instead of being entered in the spreadsheet cells.

This comic is reminiscent of the comic [[763:_Workaround|Workaround]], which also describes convoluted formats.

The title text suggests that eventually compression (or at least compression with data/quality loss) will be unnecessary as technology improves in the future. SVG ({{w|Scalable Vector Graphics}}) is a vector graphic format that is fundamentally a lossless format, representing images using geometric figures. {{w|JPEG}} is a lossy format, representing images as an array of rectangles approximating the original image. Randall suggests that some people in the future may choose to include JPEG artifacts to SVG vector graphics for its "aesthetics", perhaps as a throwback to when lower quality JPEG images were commonplace, or as a form of {{w|glitch art}}. It is possible that some in the future will view JPEG artifacts as giving their images a quaint/retro feel, much the way that some people today use sepia-tone filters on their images. (And much like some people today use JPEG artifacts to give their images [http://www.mspaintadventures.com/sweetbroandhellajeff/ an intentionally low-quality appearance].)

This is made even more reasonable by the fact that the SVG spec employs a lot of filters, and already can embed regular pixel-based JPEG files. Furthermore, it allows JavaScript to be used to manipulate objects, meaning such an effect may be implementable in the current SVG 2.0 spec.

==Transcript==
:[Cueball is at a computer. Someone is talking to him from off-panel.]
:Voice: I sent you the data.
:Cueball: Thanks!
:Cueball: …this is a Word document containing an embedded photo you took of your screen with the spreadsheet open.
:Voice: Yeah? Does your computer not support .NORM files? Maybe you need to update.

:[Caption below the panel:]
:Since everyone sends stuff this way anyway, we should just formalize it as a standard.

[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Computers]]

==Trivia==
Several days after this comic release Microsoft announced support for loading pictures into Excel. A photo of a printed data table shall be converted it into a fully editable table. See: [https://www.theverge.com/2019/3/1/18246429/microsoft-excel-covert-photos-data-tables-editable-table-ai-feature Microsoft Excel will now let you snap a picture of a spreadsheet and import it (theverge.com)]

{{comic discussion}}

Talk:2114: Launch Conditions

2019-02-25T14:59:39Z

Tarcas:

Queue a boost in hits for "rocket shaped humidifier" pages. [[Special:Contributions/172.68.59.108|172.68.59.108]] 19:26, 20 February 2019 (UTC)

I've already done a search to see if this exists. Shouldn't take long for the internet to come through. [[User:Andyd273|Andyd273]] ([[User talk:Andyd273|talk]]) 19:34, 20 February 2019 (UTC)

I've checked but all i can find is the steam coming out of the top, not the bottom [[Special:Contributions/162.158.142.34|162.158.142.34]] 19:39, 20 February 2019 (UTC)
: I'm thinking this would be a little challenging to create, because liquid water falls out of openings that under it. Humidifiers also usually have a larger reservoir of water than that rocket. I'm thinking the simplest approach would be to place a model rocket on top of a normal humidifier. Maybe you could also make a rocket with a mini-humidifier and a tube that goes from the top to the bottom, or that plugs into a faucet rather than having a reservoir. [[Special:Contributions/162.158.78.220|162.158.78.220]]
:: I looked closer at the comic, and you can see the body of the humidifier under the rocket. It may actually be a model rocket on top of a normal humidifer. [[Special:Contributions/162.158.78.178|162.158.78.178]] 21:40, 20 February 2019 (UTC)

How disappointing. All of the examples a quick search brought up emit mist from the tip, instead of the exhaust. [[Special:Contributions/172.69.62.10|172.69.62.10]] 19:38, 20 February 2019 (UTC)

Yes! I want one! (A PROPER one, with exhaust.) {{unsigned ip|162.158.89.55}}
: But then the water reservoir might be limited to what fits into the rocket (see the comments above). [[User:Gunterkoenigsmann|Gunterkoenigsmann]] ([[User talk:Gunterkoenigsmann|talk]]) 06:36, 21 February 2019 (UTC)
:: Seems like making the base the humidifier and the rocket just a model on top would get around that problem. [[User:Tarcas|Tarcas]] ([[User talk:Tarcas|talk]]) 14:59, 25 February 2019 (UTC)

What does it mean if a rocket is venting steam from its nose, anyway? [[Special:Contributions/172.68.58.83|172.68.58.83]] 19:59, 20 February 2019 (UTC)
: You are having a bad problem and you will not go to space today.[[Special:Contributions/162.158.75.226|162.158.75.226]] 20:18, 20 February 2019 (UTC)

Nothing Good [[Special:Contributions/162.158.142.82|162.158.142.82]] 20:02, 20 February 2019 (UTC)

What people need is a "pea soup - micro rocket " fog machine and a model rocket. However that would set you back over 400 GBP or USD and do nothing much to humidify the room, being a type of vape machine. I suppose you could take a vape machine and add a fan to mimic a user inhaling, and exhaust into the model for less. Still not humidifying, but the voice off days "still dry in here" [[User:RIIW - Ponder it|RIIW - Ponder it]] ([[User talk:RIIW - Ponder it|talk]]) 20:45, 20 February 2019 (UTC)

Whoops! I updated the Feynman story at the same time as somebody else removed it. It's currently back with changes. Maybe I'd better find a better citation to see how accurate it is. It's notable that it was Feynman who found the o-ring issue mentioned in the comic. [[Special:Contributions/172.69.62.220|172.69.62.220]] 20:46, 20 February 2019 (UTC)
:The Feynman story is from part II of "What do YOU care what other people think?: Further adventures of a curious character". [[Special:Contributions/162.158.106.6|162.158.106.6]] 21:24, 20 February 2019 (UTC)
::Thanks. I found it on library genesis ( http://gen.lib.rus.ec/book/index.php?md5=EA0CB0CF9A75A62E9F407CF1EE915F23 ) and my thirdhand telling was indeed rather inaccurate. [[Special:Contributions/162.158.78.178|162.158.78.178]] 21:38, 20 February 2019 (UTC)
: Removed the story and referenced wikipedia. But Feynman was a badass to stand up to the NASA administration and his silent peers so expressively. [[Special:Contributions/172.69.62.220|172.69.62.220]] 20:59, 20 February 2019 (UTC)

Anyone else notice someone wrote (after the bit explaining how rockets take off) "This is, of course, preposterous, as rockets are a fake child's fantasy created by Jewish NASA employees"?[[Special:Contributions/172.68.34.76|172.68.34.76]] 21:25, 20 February 2019 (UTC)
:Trolls, they’re gone now. [[User:Netherin5|Netherin5]] ([[User talk:Netherin5|talk]]) 17:44, 21 February 2019 (UTC)

O-Ring seemingly is potentially offensive in another way, too: https://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=o%20ring [[User:Gunterkoenigsmann|Gunterkoenigsmann]] ([[User talk:Gunterkoenigsmann|talk]]) 06:36, 21 February 2019 (UTC)
:Oh wow. I'd never think of this one. [[Special:Contributions/162.158.92.160|162.158.92.160]] 13:22, 21 February 2019 (UTC)

Hmmm, I have always assumed that the water pumped to the base of the launch pad was intended to cool the exhaust so it won't destroy the concrete of the exhaust trench. But it's there to suppress sound? Well, one learns new things all the time... -- [[Special:Contributions/162.158.92.34|162.158.92.34]] 09:01, 21 February 2019 (UTC)

Doesn't anybody think it looks like the rocket in 2107: Launch Risk? Should this be part of a series with that or what? --

Is the bit about rockets not being real supposed to be some kind of joke? [[Special:Contributions/162.158.78.106|162.158.78.106]] 17:32, 21 February 2019 (UTC)
:It’s been removed, and probably not. It’s weird sometimes.[[User:Netherin5|Netherin5]] ([[User talk:Netherin5|talk]]) 17:34, 21 February 2019 (UTC)

I recommend removing the BDSM comment, even with the "unlikely" disclaimer, unless Randall has at some time in the past made a similar reference. "O-Ring" and "Ring of O" are just not similar enough, and the *likelier* reference to the Challenger disaster is too strong. Why detract? Or is there an actual Randall-BDSM thing? [[Special:Contributions/172.68.34.34|172.68.34.34]] 21:39, 21 February 2019 (UTC)
:I agree, there is no basis in the comic for that interpretation. The O-Ring as part of a real rocket disaster makes sense, the BDSM similar name is strictly accidental. There would have to be something in the comic, or a recurring theme in the comics, or some related current event in the news for it to be worth a mention. [[User:N0lqu|-boB]] ([[User talk:N0lqu|talk]]) 22:16, 21 February 2019 (UTC)

Would it be worth noting that some rockets use liquid hydrogen as a fuel, producing water as the combustion product. [https://www.nasa.gov/topics/technology/hydrogen/hydrogen_fuel_of_choice.html Liquid Hydrogen--the Fuel of Choice for Space Exploration] [[Special:Contributions/162.158.106.66|162.158.106.66]] 03:31, 22 February 2019 (UTC)

== Which kind of rocket? ==

A small rocket, with two or four boosters (so probably not a Proton) which are tapered at a 45 degree angle (which rules out the Angara series) towards the body, but away from the top (which means it's probably not American) and payload (which rules out the Ariane series), and a demarcated section for the payload faring (which seems to point to the Long March 5). Coupled with the fact that nearly everything is made in China, this makes me think this is a sly "everything is made in China" joke.

1142: Coverage

2019-02-15T20:38:12Z

Tarcas: /* Explanation */

{{comic
| number = 1142
| date = December 3, 2012
| title = Coverage
| image = coverage.png
| titletext = My resonant tunneling diode phone has limited range but a short enough wavelength to penetrate even the densest cages. This gives me a major combat advantage, hopefully.
}}

==Explanation==
The caption "faraday cagematch" is a portmanteau of "faraday cage" and "cagematch".

A {{w|Faraday cage}} is a cage of conducting material that interferes and blocks out {{w|electromagnetic radiation}} like cell phone signals, provided the material is of the appropriate thickness and the gaps between the "bars" are significantly smaller than the wavelength of the radiation. A {{w|cage match}} is a type of wrestling match in which the participants fight in a ring enclosed by a metal cage. The comic caption is a play on the two terms, putting [[Cueball]] into a cage match in the Faraday cage that is blocking his reception.

The title text is a play on a rule in cage matches that states that a participant wins if they are first to escape the cage. {{w|Tunneling diode|Tunneling diodes}} are capable of fast operation, allowing a device to generate high frequency signals, which are more capable of penetrating the mesh openings in a Faraday cage.

==Transcript==
:[Cueball is looking at a phone.]
:Cueball: Man, the coverage here is ''awfu—''

:[Another man punches Cueball.]
:Caption: Faraday cagematch
{{comic discussion}}
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Physics]]
[[Category:Portmanteau]]

2105: Modern OSI Model

2019-02-01T14:42:07Z

Tarcas: /* Explanation */

{{comic
| number = 2105
| date = January 30, 2019
| title = Modern OSI Model
| image = modern_osi_model.png
| titletext = In retrospect, I shouldn't have used each layer of the OSI model as one of my horcruxes.
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Created by a seven-layered BOT. Please mention here why this explanation isn't complete. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}
The {{w|OSI model|Open Systems Interconnection (OSI) Model}} is a computing model for network communications that abstracts a communication between two services like a Facebook client and Facebook servers all the way from the application layer on the server, down to the wire on which the data is transmitted, and back up to the application layer where the user views the data. As Facebook is one of the most used websites in the world with more than a billion users, Randall claims that the "application" layer (what the client sees and uses) is mostly {{w|Facebook}}.

A light gray shape labeled "Google & Amazon" surrounds all seven layers of the model in an irregular shape indicating that Google and Amazon, by dint of their size and dominance at multiple layers of the model influence the entire structure. An example of Google's influence would be their introduction of new protocols like {{w|QUIC}} and {{w|SPDY}} as replacements for the existing HTTP protocol that was a foundation of the web.

The significance of the irregular pattern of the "Google & Amazon" blob isn't clear. It is likely that it is in reference to the irregular way in which their modifications to the OSI stack have evolved. Potentially with extensions to the left representing the influence of Google, and extension to the right representing the influence of Amazon. However, it is also notable that the irregular structure of the stack is reminiscent of a {{w|Jenga}} tower. Jenga is a game in which blocks are removed from a vertical stack and added back to the top until the whole collapses. This may be a commentary on the instability of the network stack in general, or on how Google and Amazon's additions and changes to it have destabilized the networking protocols. Or, the specific blocks to be pulled out (presentation, session, and network) may be the ones whose removal collapses the tower while the other ones can be easily removed and replaced (like the center blocks in Jenga), implying that between Google and Amazon, even if these were pulled out, the tower would remain standing. What this says about the three layers that would destabilize the tower is unclear.

The title text refers to {{w|Magical_objects_in_Harry_Potter#Horcruxes|Horcruxes}} used by {{w|Lord Voldemort|Voldemort}} in the ''{{w|Harry Potter}}'' book series. A Horcrux is a magical artifact used to house a wizard's soul, preventing them from dying if their body is destroyed. Since they can only be created by murdering other people, they are heavily forbidden, and before Voldemort it was unheard of for a wizard to use more than one. Voldemort used seven -- the same number of layers in the OSI model. However, while Voldemort hid his seven Horcruxes in different places to make himself that much harder to kill, Randall's have all been collected in Google and Amazon, defeating the purpose of using more than one. Alternatively, transforming each layer of the OSI model into a horcrux may be regarded as a strategy to prevent them from being destroyed since doing so would destroy networking. This strategy would fail in the modern world, since some of the envisioned layers were not used in the more common modern TCP/IP networking model and in the case of cloud infrastructure potential exists to provide even more shortcuts.

The title text may also be a reference to a [[1417|prior comic]] about Randall mixing up things that come in groups of seven, like data layers and Horcruxes.

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

:'''Modern OSI Model'''

:[A light gray shape that surrounds seven stacked dark gray rectangles, all with labels.]

::Application (Facebook) [supported by the light gray shape on both sides]

::Presentation [pulling out would collapse the tower]

::Session [pulling out would collapse the tower]

::Transport [supported on both sides]

::Network [pulling out would collapse the tower]

:Google & Amazon [label of the light gray shape]

::Data link [supported on both sides]

::Physical [supported on both sides]

{{comic discussion}}

2057: Internal Monologues

2018-10-11T15:38:15Z

Tarcas: /* Medicine */

{{comic
| number = 2057
| date = October 10, 2018
| title = Internal Monologues
| image = internal_monologues.png
| titletext = Haha, just kidding, everyone's already been hacked. I wonder if today's the day we find out about it.
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Created by the internal monologue of someone full of poop (among other things). Please edit the thoughts below until complete. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}
This comics look at what a typical thought could be for people belonging to different fields of science. In some way this comic has a similar setup to some other kinds of thoughts between such scientific fields presented in [[435: Purity]]. But this comics monologues are not ranked against each other (and it is also not the same fields, except physics, which is represented by [[Cueball]] in both comics).

Many of the things we take for granted every day are, in fact, very weird, as are some of the things that we normally never think of. But if you are into a given field of science, you will often have to think about some of these strange phenomenon and this could make you pause to think about it on a daily basis.

[[Megan]] as a botanist is struck by the fact that trees are made in part from air, as in the carbon dioxide they consume. [[Cueball]], the physicist, finds it weird that he can feel the gravity between an object in his hand (his phone) and the Earth. [[Blondie]] in charge of computer security, wonders when every one gets hacked collapsing our society. [[Hairy]] is a graphic designer who ponders over which fonts stores use for their sign, particularly why it used the font used in the Law & Order TV series. And finally [[Ponytail]], studying medicine, has a hard time understanding why people act normally when we are all full of blood bones and poop.

Below the different fields thoughts are explained in detail.

If [[Randall]] had included geologists in this comic, this comic, [[913: Core]], would probably explain what they would be thinking about.

In the title text it turns out that Randall made a joke regarding Blondie's thoughts. We have already all been hacked... So she would instead wonder when everyone finds out about it.

=== Botany ===
Most of the mass of trees is extracted from the air. [http://www.abc.net.au/radionational/programs/greatmomentsinscience/trees-are-made-from-air/9675642#transcript] More precisely: The bulk of the mass of a tree is composed of cellulose and water. Cellulose is a polysaccharide, that is, it's a large molecule consisting of many glucose molecules bonded together. Plants make those glucose molecules through photosynthesis: they make them by combining water and carbon dioxide molecules using the energy from sunlight. Plants get the carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, and arguably the water also as it usually comes from rain which is condensed water vapor.

=== Physics ===
{{w|Gravity}} is one of the four fundamental forces of physics. In everyday experience, most people tend to think of gravity merely as a pervasive downward force, but as a physicist, Cueball is more aware that in fact, all gravitational forces are mutual; any pair of objects will exert an equal and opposite gravitational force on each other, regardless of how big they are. Therefore, he is correct in saying that his phone and the Earth are being "pulled together", and finds it remarkable that he is able to sense this interaction between two objects of such an astronomically disparate size.

=== Computer Security ===
Anyone well versed in computer security understands just how insecure the systems that we depend on actually are.

In the title text it is noted that possibly all our systems are already hacked, and we just haven't found out yet. Since malicious hackers do their work covertly, a successful hack often isn't discovered until days, week, or even years later. By that time they may have successfully hacked many other systems using the same techniques and/or exploiting the same widely unknown or un-patched security flaws. Some recent high profile hacks recently discovered, at the time of this posting, include a [[https://securitytoday.com/articles/2018/10/02/facebook-hacked-50-million-users-data-exposed.aspx 50-million user hack of Facebook]] and Google+ announcing they are [[https://www.blog.google/technology/safety-security/project-strobe/ shutting down the consumer side of Google+]] due to a security flaw they knew about months ago.

=== Graphic Design ===
{{w|Graphic designer}}s recognize fonts and design elements, and see how they come together. In this comic, the graphic designer wonders how the ''{{w|Law & Order}}'' font was chosen for a particular storefront's sign. ''Law & Order'' is a police procedural TV series created by Dick Wolf in 1990, which has had various spinoffs. The font used for the title sequence of ''Law & Order'' is called {{w|Friz Quadrata}}, and is also the font used for the signage of the New York Police Department headquarters.

=== Medicine ===
Doctors are well versed in human anatomy, and are likely to think about what is inside of people more than the average person would. And most people would actually like not to think about all the blood and bones we are all carrying around with us. Not to mention the poop or the contents of our stomach that could be considered vomit or the pee etc.

Most people do not think about that the person next to them is actually a skeleton packed in meat and animated by electricity... But Ponytail does, because she is being exposed to this fact all the time through her study of Medicine.

==Transcript==

:[Beneath a two line caption are five characters shown, with their thoughts inside thoughts bubbles. Below them are labels giving their respective fields of science.]
:<big>Internal Monologues</big>
:from various fields

:Botany
:Megan: I can't get over the fact that trees are made of air.

:Physics
:Cueball [looking at a phone in his hand]: It's so weird that I can feel the Earth and my phone being pulled together.

:Computer security
:Blondie: I wonder if today will be the day everyone gets hacked and it all finally collapses.

:Graphic design
:Hairy: I wonder how that store ended up with the Law & Order font for their sign.

:Medicine
:Ponytail: We're all acting normal even though we're full of blood and bones and poop.

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Comics featuring Megan]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Blondie]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Hairy]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Ponytail]]
[[Category:Science]]
[[Category:Physics]]

2057: Internal Monologues

2018-10-10T15:49:46Z

Tarcas: /* Graphic Design */

2057: Internal Monologues

2018-10-10T15:48:25Z

Tarcas:

Talk:2056: Horror Movies

2018-10-10T15:44:04Z

Tarcas:

Horror is about my least favorite genre of film. Westerns rank around the same. I find both pretty boring, though there are some suspense films, when done right, that I do like. [[User:N0lqu|-boB]] ([[User talk:N0lqu|talk]]) 17:55, 8 October 2018 (UTC)
:I agree about horror but the Western {{w|A Fistful of Dollars}} and some more by {{w|Sergio Leone}} are on my personal top movie list. --[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 18:02, 8 October 2018 (UTC)
::Actually, I can enjoy almost any genre if its a humorous spoof of the genre. I love Blazing Saddles, for example. And there are rare examples in genres that can appeal to outsiders. I may have to give Sergio Leone's movies a try. [[User:N0lqu|-boB]] ([[User talk:N0lqu|talk]]) 18:13, 8 October 2018 (UTC)
:::Oh, from the {{w|Dollars Trilogy}} you should start with the third, running three hours and still the best. And for comedy horror this is a widely unknown great one: {{w|Little Shop of Horrors (film)}}. Check the cast. --[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 19:00, 8 October 2018 (UTC)
Early XKCD issues frequently referenced Randall's fear of velociraptors. There hasn't been a reference to this fear in many years though. Did Randall forget this trope? Is he no longer scared of dinosaurs? [[Special:Contributions/108.162.216.112|108.162.216.112]] 19:55, 8 October 2018 (UTC)
: It could be he hasn't encountered a velociraptor recently and has therefore lost his fear. [[User:N0lqu|-boB]] ([[User talk:N0lqu|talk]]) 21:04, 8 October 2018 (UTC)
: It could also be he has encountered a velociraptor recently but she was friendly and assured him humans are not among her prey list and she just eats evil T-rex professors who screw around with the speed of light. [[Special:Contributions/141.101.76.58|141.101.76.58]] 10:47, 9 October 2018 (UTC)

I understand the idea: I don't care about horrors, but I like fantasy and sci-fi movies and was never stopped by someone classifying some fantasy/sci-fi movie as horror ... like in case of Dracula, Frankenstein, The Exorcist ... or Underworld, Constantine, Alien ... wait, is Alien classified as horror or not? -- [[User:Hkmaly|Hkmaly]] ([[User talk:Hkmaly|talk]]) 22:34, 8 October 2018 (UTC)
: Alien is quite surely a horror movie, I would say. Aliens (=the second movie) sets a different tone and includes elements of an action movie. Sebastian --[[Special:Contributions/172.68.110.34|172.68.110.34]] 06:47, 9 October 2018 (UTC)
: You'd like Sunshine then. Personally, even that had too much horror for me. --[[Special:Contributions/162.158.38.196|162.158.38.196]] 11:17, 9 October 2018 (UTC)

If we take it as reverse analogy, the title text hints he didn't liked/watched the part where Jeff tried to convince the executives to build the park in the original movie, as it was observed as a Horror part for him. --[[User:Nachuo|Nachuo]] ([[User talk:Nachuo|talk]]) 06:41, 9 October 2018 (UTC)

I don't think the explanation should say that Randall is the one talking in the title text. I have to assume that that is still a conversation between Cueball and White Hat. I doubt Randall is talking to himself there... [[Special:Contributions/162.158.78.130|162.158.78.130]] 14:26, 9 October 2018 (UTC)
:You are right, it's a conversation between Cueball and White Hat. But as it's explained before Cueball represents Randall, not uncommon at xkcd. --[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 20:59, 9 October 2018 (UTC)

Haha, I'm totally with Randall on this one. I just don't get horror movies. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯<br>--[[User:Sensorfire|Sensorfire]] ([[User talk:Sensorfire|talk]]) 17:40, 9 October 2018 (UTC)

Yeah, I agree too, don’t much like horror movies, but have been intending to watch Jurassic Park for the science and dinosaurs, despite the horror theme. I think the part of the book that stuck with me the most was the idea of “what could they possibly be doing with THREE CRAY 1 SUPERCOMPUTERS?!” 😜 [[User:PotatoGod|PotatoGod]] ([[User talk:PotatoGod|talk]]) 18:41, 9 October 2018 (UTC)

Why am I getting deja vu? Is there a similar xkcd comic or a similar joke on another comic?
[[Special:Contributions/172.69.134.9|172.69.134.9]] 01:37, 10 October 2018 (UTC)

A recent edit changed it from Cueball being sarcastic in his supposed enthusiasm for horror films, to one where he is a genuine fan. I believe this is incorrect, and he really is being sarcastic. But I didn't want to change it back without some discussion. Who thinks Cueball is a fan, who thinks he's just being sarcastic, and who thinks we should try to include both theories in the explanation? [[User:N0lqu|-boB]] ([[User talk:N0lqu|talk]]) 13:58, 10 October 2018 (UTC)
:I'm coming around to the idea that he's a real fan. Since I'm not, I just assumed he was being sarcastic. :-) I've added that possibility and tweaked it a little. [[User:N0lqu|-boB]] ([[User talk:N0lqu|talk]]) 14:28, 10 October 2018 (UTC)
:I believe your first impression was correct - to me, the caption reinforces the idea that the response in the comic panel is a sarcastic answer to White Hat. [[User:Ianrbibtitlht|Ianrbibtitlht]] ([[User talk:Ianrbibtitlht|talk]]) 14:58, 10 October 2018 (UTC)
:I'm 100% certain that Cueball is being sarcastic. [[User:Tarcas|Tarcas]] ([[User talk:Tarcas|talk]]) 15:44, 10 October 2018 (UTC)

The idea of breeding an island full of killers is actually a good description of the horror movie The Brood.[[User:JeroenRL|JeroenRL]] ([[User talk:JeroenRL|talk]]) 14:10, 10 October 2018 (UTC)

I don't really agree with the section that says Randall admits he's criticising from a position of ignorance. He's shown that he's not ignorant of horror movies, he merely doesn't understand why they're popular. [[Special:Contributions/172.69.55.166|172.69.55.166]] 15:22, 10 October 2018 (UTC)