explain xkcd - User contributions [en]

2546: Fiction vs Nonfiction

2021-11-25T07:03:59Z

Veleek: /* Explanation */ Typo

{{comic
| number = 2546
| date = November 24, 2021
| title = Fiction vs Nonfiction
| image = fiction_vs_nonfiction.png
| titletext = The real challenge is how to file Boba Fett's biography of Doris Kearns Goodwin.
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Created by A NONFICTIONAL BOBA FETT - Please change this comment when editing this page. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}

[[Cueball]] is asking [[Ponytail]] and [[White Hat]] to classify different {{w|Star Wars}} books and movies as fiction or nonfiction. The movies get weirder as the conversation progresses

{| class="wikitable"
!Movie/Book name
!Explanation
|-
| Star Wars
| Star Wars is nonfiction because it is a movie.{{citation needed}}
|-
| The Making of Star Wars
| This is a video about how Star Wars was made, which would make it nonfiction.
|-
| Star Wars: The Adventures of Boba Fett
| This is a Star Wars episode, and is in-universe, making it fictional.
|-
| Star Wars: The official Guide to Boba Fett's Armor and Weapons?
| While the content of the book is entirely fictional, the book is factual. Boba Fett (a fictional character) does in fact [https://scifi.stackexchange.com/a/253196 have durasteel armor] (a fictional material), so the book is technically non-fiction.
|-
| Boba Fett's Gadgets and How He Got Them
|
|-
| Boba Fett: A Life by Doris Kearns Goodwin
| {{w|Doris Kearns Goodwin}} is a historian and biographer who has written biographies of many influential people. Since Goodwin is a non-fiction writer, it could be difficult to determine whether the biography is a fictional account of the character, or a factual account of the fictional history of the character. If the book doesn't establish any new canon, and is instead citing only recorded (fictional) facts from the Star Wars Universe, it could legitimately be considered non-fiction.
|-
|}

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

:[Cueball is facing Ponytail, and White Hat.]
:Cueball: ''Star Wars''?
:Ponytail: Fiction.

:[Cueball is facing Ponytail, and White Hat.]
:Cueball: ''The Making of Star Wars''?
:White Hat: Nonfiction.

:[Closeup of Cueball.]
:Cueball: ''Star Wars: The Adventures of Boba Fett''?
:Ponytail (off-panel): Fiction.

:[Closeup of Ponytail.]
:Cueball (off-panel): ''Star Wars: The official Guide to Boba Fett's Armor and Weapons''?
:Ponytail: Nonfiction, technically.

:[Cueball is facing Ponytail, and White Hat.]
:Cueball: ''Boba Fett's Gadgets and How He Got Them''
:Ponytail: ...Fiction? It depends.

:[Cueball is facing Ponytail, and White Hat. Ponytail has turned towards White Hat.]
:Cueball: ''Boba Fett: A Life'', by historian Doris Kearns Goodwin?
:Ponytail: Hm.
:White Hat: Maybe we should just have a Boba Fett section.

{{comic discussion}}

2546: Fiction vs Nonfiction

2021-11-25T07:03:17Z

Veleek: /* Explanation */ Add explainations for two books.

{{comic
| number = 2546
| date = November 24, 2021
| title = Fiction vs Nonfiction
| image = fiction_vs_nonfiction.png
| titletext = The real challenge is how to file Boba Fett's biography of Doris Kearns Goodwin.
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Created by A NONFICTIONAL BOBA FETT - Please change this comment when editing this page. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}

[[Cueball]] is asking [[Ponytail]] and [[White Hat]] to classify different {{w|Star Wars}} books and movies as fiction or nonfiction. The movies get weirder as the conversation progresses

{| class="wikitable"
!Movie/Book name
!Explanation
|-
| Star Wars
| Star Wars is nonfiction because it is a movie.{{citation needed}}
|-
| The Making of Star Wars
| This is a video about how Star Wars was made, which would make it nonfiction.
|-
| Star Wars: The Adventures of Boba Fett
| This is a Star Wars episode, and is in-universe, making it fictional.
|-
| Star Wars: The official Guide to Boba Fett's Armor and Weapons?
| While the content of the book is entirely fictional, the book is factual. The Boba Fett (a fictional character) does in fact [https://scifi.stackexchange.com/a/253196 have durasteel armour] (a fictional material), so the book is technically non-fiction.
|-
| Boba Fett's Gadgets and How He Got Them
|
|-
| Boba Fett: A Life by Doris Kearns Goodwin
| {{w|Doris Kearns Goodwin}} is a historian and biographer who has written biographies of many influential people. Since Goodwin is a non-fiction writer, it could be difficult to determine whether the biography is a fictional account of the character, or a factual account of the fictional history of the character. If the book doesn't establish any new canon, and is instead citing only recorded (fictional) facts from the Star Wars Universe, it could legitimately be considered non-fiction.
|-
|}

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

:[Cueball is facing Ponytail, and White Hat.]
:Cueball: ''Star Wars''?
:Ponytail: Fiction.

:[Cueball is facing Ponytail, and White Hat.]
:Cueball: ''The Making of Star Wars''?
:White Hat: Nonfiction.

:[Closeup of Cueball.]
:Cueball: ''Star Wars: The Adventures of Boba Fett''?
:Ponytail (off-panel): Fiction.

:[Closeup of Ponytail.]
:Cueball (off-panel): ''Star Wars: The official Guide to Boba Fett's Armor and Weapons''?
:Ponytail: Nonfiction, technically.

:[Cueball is facing Ponytail, and White Hat.]
:Cueball: ''Boba Fett's Gadgets and How He Got Them''
:Ponytail: ...Fiction? It depends.

:[Cueball is facing Ponytail, and White Hat. Ponytail has turned towards White Hat.]
:Cueball: ''Boba Fett: A Life'', by historian Doris Kearns Goodwin?
:Ponytail: Hm.
:White Hat: Maybe we should just have a Boba Fett section.

{{comic discussion}}

2546: Fiction vs Nonfiction

2021-11-25T05:29:52Z

Veleek: /* Transcript */ Add italics for titles.

2546: Fiction vs Nonfiction

2021-11-25T05:25:01Z

Veleek: Fix transcript formatting.

2546: Fiction vs Nonfiction

2021-11-25T05:24:10Z

Veleek: Initial transcript.

2084: FDR

2018-12-17T18:08:25Z

Veleek: /* Explanation */ Correcting date of the second reference to the 365 earthquake.

{{comic
| number = 2084
| date = December 12, 2018
| title = FDR
| image = fdr.png
| titletext = June 21st, 365, the date of the big Mediterranean earthquake and tsunami, lived in infamy for a few centuries before fading. Maybe the trick is a catchy rhyme; the '5th of November' thing is still going strong over 400 years later.
}}

==Explanation==

The United States Naval base at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii was {{w|Attack on Pearl Harbor| attacked in 1941}}, and is credited with starting the United States' involvement in World War II. The then US president, {{w|Franklin D. Roosevelt}} (FDR), issued a speech to the American people which begins with the line "Yesterday, December 7th, 1941, {{w|Infamy Speech| a date which will live in infamy...}}". Whenever [[Randall]] writes "December" he feels compelled to complete the line, a mistake which is visible in this comic.

This may be a parody of a more common type of error in which people writing dates during January (particularly early in the month) accidentally write the previous year instead of the current one because the previous year number is an established pattern while the new one is a recent change.

The title text confuses the date of the northern hemisphere summer solstice (June 21st) with the date of the {{w|365 Crete earthquake}} that happened on July 21st 365AD. The earthquake had a magnitude of at least 8.0 which caused widespread destruction across the Eastern Mediterranean. Then it mentions {{w|Guy Fawkes Night}}, the anniversary of the famous failed attempt to bomb Parliament on the night of November 5th, 1605. The latter event is immortalized in the rhyme "remember remember, the fifth of November, the gunpowder, treason, and plot", the former event less so.

Randall also may be suggesting that Roosevelt implied the degree of "infamy" of an event can be measured by how long its date is remembered. Pearl Harbor resulted in 2,458 deaths and obviously extensive damage to a military base and fleet. It has been remembered 77 years, thus far. The earth quake of 365AD resulted in an estimated 230,000 killed and numerous cities severely damaged or destroyed. Randall states it was remembered for a few centuries. The Gunpowder Plot resulted in the death of a couple of conspirators and no notable damage. It has been remembered, at least in song, for "over 400 years".

==Transcript==
:[Close-up of a form. Each field has a label (the first is assumed) and a handwritten entry. The name and country are each half visible. The numeral "4" has been only partially written before being scratched out.]
:[NAME]
:Randall Munroe
:DATE
:Dec <s>7, 194</s> 12, 2018
:COUNTRY
:United States

:[Caption below the frame:]
:FDR was so good at speeches that I spend a whole month each year writing the date wrong.

{{comic discussion}}

2079: Alpha Centauri

2018-11-30T18:19:41Z

Veleek: /* Transcript */

{{comic
| number = 2079
| date = November 30, 2018
| title = Alpha Centauri
| image = alpha_centauri.png
| titletext = And let's be honest, it's more like two and a half stars. Proxima is barely a star and barely bound to the system.
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Created by an INTERGALACTIC YELPER. Please mention here why this explanation isn't complete. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}
Alpha Centauri is the closest system to the Sun. The comic makes a joke on rating systems, by saying it only has 3 stars.
==Transcript==
:[Ponytail stands on a podium giving a presentation in front of a slide with an image of a [https://wikipedia.org/wiki/Voyager_1 Voyager-like] satellite.]
:Ponytail: Our probe can reach Alpha Centauri in under 35 years.
:Offscreen voice: We should go somewhere else. Alpha Centauri sucks.
:Ponytail: Huh? It's the closest most convenient system!
:Offscreen: Yeah, but I checked online and it only has three stars.

{{comic discussion}}

2079: Alpha Centauri

2018-11-30T18:19:19Z

Veleek: /* Transcript */

{{comic
| number = 2079
| date = November 30, 2018
| title = Alpha Centauri
| image = alpha_centauri.png
| titletext = And let's be honest, it's more like two and a half stars. Proxima is barely a star and barely bound to the system.
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Created by an INTERGALACTIC YELPER. Please mention here why this explanation isn't complete. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}
Alpha Centauri is the closest system to the Sun. The comic makes a joke on rating systems, by saying it only has 3 stars.
==Transcript==
[Ponytail stands on a podium giving a presentation in front of a slide with an image of a [https://wikipedia.org/wiki/Voyager_1 Voyager-like] satellite.]
Ponytail: Our probe can reach Alpha Centauri in under 35 years.
Offscreen voice: We should go somewhere else. Alpha Centauri sucks.
Ponytail: Huh? It's the closest most convenient system!
Offscreen: Yeah, but I checked online and it only has three stars.

{{comic discussion}}

Talk:2009: Hertzsprung-Russell Diagram

2018-06-20T23:54:28Z

Veleek:

How the heck is a lava cake more luminous than a campfire? {{unsigned ip|108.162.219.28}}
:It's Lava Lake, as in a large puddle of lava.[[User:Cgrimes85|Cgrimes85]] ([[User talk:Cgrimes85|talk]]) 15:45, 20 June 2018 (UTC)
:: Now the real question is, Why isn't lava cake included on the diagram?!?! [[User:Veleek|Veleek]] ([[User talk:Veleek|talk]]) 23:54, 20 June 2018 (UTC)

As it's a logarithmic scale, is it more correct to say the plot been expanded to 1 on both axes? [[User:Cgrimes85|Cgrimes85]] ([[User talk:Cgrimes85|talk]]) 15:47, 20 June 2018 (UTC)

It seems Randall thinks an astronomer is about as bright as a lightbulb, probably due to the Hertzsprung-Russell diagram itself! [[User:Ianrbibtitlht|Ianrbibtitlht]] ([[User talk:Ianrbibtitlht|talk]]) 15:52, 20 June 2018 (UTC)
:A daily food consumption of average human is about 100W when spread out over 24 hours
::It might actually be about that bright, but in the infrared spectrum. http://elte.prompt.hu/sites/default/files/tananyagok/InfraredAstronomy/ch01s04.html [[Special:Contributions/108.162.246.89|108.162.246.89]] 20:54, 20 June 2018 (UTC)
:But they are no where near as hot!
[[Special:Contributions/172.69.198.10|172.69.198.10]] 20:57, 20 June 2018 (UTC)

While wattage is used as an informal proxy for bulb brightness, there is not a 1-to-1 relationship between power consumption and light output. Incandescent bulbs in the United States were commonly labeled with both watts consumed and lumens output to aid consumers in choosing efficient bulbs.

{{w|Ivanpah Solar Power Facility|Ivanpah}} doesn't have a salt tank. Presumably he meant the boiler, and/or was confusing it with {{w|Crescent Dunes Solar Energy Project|Crescent Dunes}}.
[[User:Wwoods|Wwoods]] ([[User talk:Wwoods|talk]]) 17:29, 20 June 2018 (UTC)

I understand the explanation, but what's the joke?

The title text says "The Hertzsprung-Russell diagram is located in its own lower right corner, unless you're viewing it on an unusually big screen." But it's clearly on the top left corner... Am I missing something? [[Special:Contributions/108.162.219.106|108.162.219.106]] 18:47, 20 June 2018 (UTC)

:Why would it be at the top left...? The diagram itself is not particularly luminous, so would not be at the top, and its apparent temperature is quite low, so it would not be on the left.

Why is a blue whale considered more luminous than a campfire? Blue whales don't generate any light.

In one of the interesting parts of this diagram not that many mundane objects (or at least smaller than earth objects) are much hotter than most stars (surface temperature)... Not mentioned now.--[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 20:33, 20 June 2018 (UTC)

2007: Brookhaven RHIC

2018-06-15T16:42:05Z

Veleek: /* Transcript */ Indented properly.

{{comic
| number = 2007
| date = June 15, 2018
| title = Brookhaven RHIC
| image = brookhaven_rhic.png
| titletext = "Buddy, you trying to pull something? I can't buy this gold--all the electrons are missing. I could face serious charges!"
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Created by a CASH FOR GOLD SALESMAN - Please change this comment when editing this page. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}
The {{w|Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider}} is a particle accelerator designed to collide gold ions together at incredibly high speeds. This is normally done to study particle physics - the high-energy collisions allow us to learn more about how subatomic particles behave.

Randall proposes that, instead of using the beam of gold ions for particle collisions, it should be diverted and sold at cash-for-gold stores to make money. The joke is that because they are traveling at relativistic speeds, the mass of the particles being sold will be much more than the mass of the ions being supplied to the collider's input. However, it would be very difficult to sell a beam of charged particles. The amount of gold involved is microscopic, and since the particle beam is moving at relativistic speeds, it wouldn't stay in the shop long enough to make a sale{{Citation needed}}. It would also be very dangerous. This is probably why Brookhaven rejected Randall's proposal. Randall has done many comics describing impractical research proposals.

The title text imagines the owner of the stores complaining about the sale, not because of impracticality, but because Randall is selling gold ions (including the entire positively-charged nucleus of the gold atom and 32 of 79 electrons stripped from the gold atom https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Relativistic_Heavy_Ion_Collider) instead of normal, electrically neutral gold atoms. This is a pun on the word "charges", which could refer to {{w|electric charge}} or to {{w|criminal charge|criminal charges}}.

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

:[A single panel contains a simplified overhead map view of the Brookhaven Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider and some of the surrounding area. The collider is located on the left hand side of the image as a yellow beam (representing the Gold ions) outlined in black. Parts of the collider are are labeled and there are light gray arrows indicating the direction of travel for the ions. At the bottom of the main accelerator ring there is a diverter that splits the ion beam and directs it towards a set of three Cash for Gold stores, passing through a more diverters along the way. Each Cash for Gold store is represented with a yellow burst and is marked with a Google maps style "store" locator pin. The following labels are written on the map.]

:Brookhaven Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider
:Gold Ion Source
:Accelerator Ring
:Diverter
:Gold Ion Beam

:[There are arrows coming from this label pointing at each store]
:Cash for Gold Stores

:[Caption below the panel:]
:Sadly, Brookhaven rejected my proposed experiment.

{{comic discussion}}

2007: Brookhaven RHIC

2018-06-15T16:41:07Z

Veleek: /* Transcript */ Initial transcript

{{comic
| number = 2007
| date = June 15, 2018
| title = Brookhaven RHIC
| image = brookhaven_rhic.png
| titletext = "Buddy, you trying to pull something? I can't buy this gold--all the electrons are missing. I could face serious charges!"
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Created by a CASH FOR GOLD SALESMAN - Please change this comment when editing this page. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}
The {{w|Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider}} is a particle accelerator designed to collide gold ions together at incredibly high speeds. This is normally done to study particle physics - the high-energy collisions allow us to learn more about how subatomic particles behave.

Randall proposes that, instead of using the beam of gold ions for particle collisions, it should be diverted and sold at cash-for-gold stores to make money. The joke is that because they are traveling at relativistic speeds, the mass of the particles being sold will be much more than the mass of the ions being supplied to the collider's input. However, it would be very difficult to sell a beam of charged particles. The amount of gold involved is microscopic, and since the particle beam is moving at relativistic speeds, it wouldn't stay in the shop long enough to make a sale{{Citation needed}}. It would also be very dangerous. This is probably why Brookhaven rejected Randall's proposal. Randall has done many comics describing impractical research proposals.

The title text imagines the owner of the stores complaining about the sale, not because of impracticality, but because Randall is selling gold ions (including the entire positively-charged nucleus of the gold atom and 32 of 79 electrons stripped from the gold atom https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Relativistic_Heavy_Ion_Collider) instead of normal, electrically neutral gold atoms. This is a pun on the word "charges", which could refer to {{w|electric charge}} or to {{w|criminal charge|criminal charges}}.

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

[A single panel contains a simplified overhead map view of the Brookhaven Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider and some of the surrounding area. The collider is located on the left hand side of the image as a yellow beam (representing the Gold ions) outlined in black. Parts of the collider are are labeled and there are light gray arrows indicating the direction of travel for the ions. At the bottom of the main accelerator ring there is a diverter that splits the ion beam and directs it towards a set of three Cash for Gold stores, passing through a more diverters along the way. Each Cash for Gold store is represented with a yellow burst and is marked with a Google maps style "store" locator pin. The following labels are written on the map.]

Brookhaven Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider
Gold Ion Source
Accelerator Ring
Diverter
Gold Ion Beam

[There are arrows coming from this label pointing at each store]
Cash for Gold Stores

[Caption below the panel:]
Sadly, Brookhaven rejected my proposed experiment.

{{comic discussion}}

350: Network

2017-07-15T22:51:43Z

Veleek: /* Explanation */

{{comic
| number = 350
| date = November 28, 2007
| title = Network
| image = network.png
| titletext = Viruses so far have been really disappointing on the 'disable the internet' front, and time is running out. When Linux/Mac win in a decade or so the game will be over.
}}

==Explanation==
[[Cueball]] shows off his virtual fishtank of virus-infected {{w|Virtual machine|virtual}} Windows machines to [[Megan]]. The machines nominally have {{w|Trojan_horse_(computing)|mail trojans}}, {{w|Warhol worm}}s, all sorts of {{w|polymorphic virus}}es, and explicitly {{w|Blaster (computer worm)|Blaster}} and {{w|w32.welchia}}. Cueball relates to the viruses as though they are fish, and hopes that they are all getting along together nicely. This is because part of {{w|w32.welchia|welchia's}} payload was to remove the {{w|Blaster (computer worm)|Blaster Worm}}, effectively destroying it.

A computer network or data network is a telecommunications network which allows computers to exchange data. In computer networks, networked computing devices exchange data with each other using a data link. The connections between nodes are established using either cable media or wireless media. The best-known computer network is the Internet.

Network computer devices that originate, route and terminate the data are called network nodes.[1] Nodes can include hosts such as personal computers, phones, servers as well as networking hardware. Two such devices can be said to be networked together when one device is able to exchange information with the other device, whether or not they have a direct connection to each other.

Computer networks differ in the transmission medium used to carry their signals, the communications protocols to organize network traffic, the network's size, topology and organizational intent.

It would be possible to set up a virtual fishtank as described. The main issue would be to make sure that you don't accidentally let anything escape from the fishtank. Consider it like a smallpox lab. Also, some viruses are quite malicious {{Citation needed}} and will prevent a computer from running normally, or at all. An aquarium of dead computers would not be very interesting to watch.

The first part of the title text refers to the difficulty viruses have in the common doomsday threat of "disabling the internet" as a whole. {{w|SQL Slammer}} had some brief success. The second part of the title text indicates that Randall believes A) that Linux and Mac OS X are inherently less vulnerable to virus attacks than Windows, and B) that Windows will become less important and disappear, so the virus writers had better get their act together soon.

It is not certain how justified this opinion is. Nine years after this comic was written, Windows still dominates the desktop, and Linux and OS X are not ''that'' much harder to attack with viruses. A side issue is the wild growth in 'smart devices' connected to the internet, powered by non-traditional operating systems such as iOS and Android. Desktop operating systems such as Windows, Linux and OS X are ''all'' becoming less relevant (although note that Android is based on the Linux kernel and iOS is based on OS X), so both the operating system war and the struggle against computer viruses are still "anyone's game".

A similar system to the one described by this comic was available online at http://wecan.hasthe.technology. It was last reported to be available online on June 29, 2014, but is no longer available.
Instead of executing email attachments, the 7 VM's ran files uploaded via the site by the public, making it more of a public playground aquarium than a private fishtank. Instead of wiping machines at random, each VM runs a virus scanner every 24 hours.

==Transcript==
:[Megan looking at a large screen with many green and red squares. The squares have writing in them and lines connecting them.]
:[Side view. The screen is a huge LCD connected to a wireless router.]
:Cueball: Pretty, isn't it?
:Megan: What is it?
:Cueball: I've got a bunch of virtual Windows machines networked together, hooked up to an incoming pipe from the net. They execute email attachments, share files, and have no security patches.
:Cueball: Between them they have practically every virus.
:Cueball: There are mail trojans, warhol worms, and all sorts of exotic polymorphics. A monitoring system adds and wipes machines at random. The display shows the viruses as they move through the network. Growing and struggling.
:[Cueball walks past the girl and touches the monitor.]
:Megan: You know, normal people just have aquariums.
:Cueball: Good morning, Blaster. Are you and W32.Welchia getting along?
:Cueball: Who's a good virus? You are! Yes, you are!

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

1646: Twitter Bot

2016-02-22T07:38:10Z

Veleek: Slightly rewording the last few query explanations to be a little more clear about Cueballs thought process.

{{comic
| number = 1646
| date = February 22, 2016
| title = Twitter Bot
| image = twitter_bot.png
| titletext = PYTHON FLAG ENABLE THREE LAWS
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Created by a BOT - Please change this comment when editing this page.(It was created by a BOT!!!)}}

A Twitter bot is a program that can post automatically to Twitter. Although Twitter bots can be very elaborate, a lot of people write simple bots for fun that simply engage in automated wordplay. However, each web search reveals an additional level of complexity:

* ''PYTHON TWITTER LIBRARY'': The {{w|Python (programming language)|Python}} programming language has a nice "library" (i.e., a specially written collection of functions) that [https://pypi.python.org/pypi/twitter interface with the Twitter API]. This does all the tricky work of authenticating the bot's identity and sending the messages, so the user can concentrate on the fun parts.
* ''MACHINE LEARNING'': {{w|Machine learning}} is the basis of artificial intelligence.
* ''CLOUD HOSTING'': While it's possible to host a Twitter bot on your server, you can also have it hosted by someone else - such as Amazon - in order to take advantage of their powerful computers and robust internet connection.
* ''BOT TROUBLESHOOTING'': Cueball is having some trouble with his bot and is looking for some information about resolving the problem.
* ''LOCKED OUT OF EC2 INSTANCE'': EC2 is Amazon's cloud hosting service (it's short for {{w|Amazon Elastic Compute Cloud}}). Cueball has been locked out of his EC2 instance and is attempting to determine why.
* ''BOT CHANGED OWN PASSWORD?'': This suggests that Cueball has determined that the bot has managed to change the Twitter log-on details, totally cutting Cueball out.

This comic examines how a seemingly simple tasks can often balloon in complexity if all of the requirements are not understood, while at the same time presenting a scenario where an unassuming idea results in the accidental creation of malevolent AI.

The title text refers to sci-fi author {{w|Isaac Asimov|Isaac Asimov's}} famous {{w|Three Laws of Robotics}} also seen in [[1613: The Three Laws of Robotics]]. In this case it's used to indicate fictitious Python flag that could presumably be used to easily ensure that any robots developed with it would follow the laws as they are defined and would have avoided the unfortunate result that occurred.

==Transcript==
:[Cueball is sitting at a desk using a laptop.]
:Cueball (thinking): I want to make a Twitter Bot. I bet it's not too hard.
:[A search query is shown to indicate what Cueball has searched for]
:Query: How to write a twitter bot

:[Cueball is now holding the laptop on his lap, a series of search queries are shown]
:Query: Python Twitter library
:Query: Machine Learning
:Query: Cloud Hosting

:[Cuball has placed the laptop back on the desk. More search queries are shown, each one more ominous than the previous]
:Query: Bot Troubleshooting
:Query: Locked out of EC2 instance
:Query: Bot changed own password?

:Query: How to fight a bot
:[Various noises seem to imply that chaos has begun to erupt]
:Noise off-screen left: Boom!
:Noise off-screen right: Pew, Pew, Pew
:[Cuball is shown wearing a small backpack and typing on a phone jogging to the right]
:Query: Cheap flights to Australia

{{comic discussion}}

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

1646: Twitter Bot

2016-02-22T07:06:30Z

Veleek: /* Explanation */ Add detail about title text referring to Three Laws.

1646: Twitter Bot

2016-02-22T06:59:54Z

Veleek:

1646: Twitter Bot

2016-02-22T06:54:28Z

Veleek: /* Explanation */ Super simple explaination. I wanted to remove the comment that was added, but it just seemed so appropriate that I had to leave it... at least for now.

1646: Twitter Bot

2016-02-22T06:26:34Z

Veleek: /* Transcript */ Initial write-up of comic.

{{comic
| number = 1646
| date = February 22, 2016
| title = Twitter Bot
| image = twitter_bot.png
| titletext = PYTHON FLAG ENABLE THREE LAWS
}}

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

==Transcript==
:[Cueball is sitting at a desk using a laptop.]
:Cueball (thinking): I want to make a Twitter Bot. I bet it's not too hard.
:[A search query is shown to indicate what Cueball has searched for]
:Query: How to write a twitter bot

:[Cueball is now holding the laptop on his lap, a series of search queries are shown]
:Query: Python Twitter library
:Query: Machine Learning
:Query: Cloud Hosting

:[Cuball has placed the laptop back on the desk. More search queries are shown, each one more ominous than the previous]
:Query: Bot Troubleshooting
:Query: Locked out of EC2 instance
:Query: Bot changed own password?

:Query: How to fight a bot
:[Various noises seem to imply that chaos has begun to erupt]
:Noise off-screen left: Boom!
:Noise off-screen right: Pew, Pew, Pew
:[Cuball is shown wearing a small backpack and typing on a phone jogging to the right]
:Query: Cheap flights to Australia

{{comic discussion}}

Talk:1540: Hemingway

2015-06-19T18:12:39Z

Veleek:

Did Randall miss the slash before the second blink? Or is there a More Profound Meaning. Possibly higher chance of typos when publication is late (deadline struggle?). [[User:Jkrstrt|Jkrstrt]] ([[User talk:Jkrstrt|talk]]) 14:07, 19 June 2015 (UTC)
*Wow, you're right! [[User:Nk22|The Twenty-second. The Not So Only. The Nathan/Nk22]] ([[User talk:Nk22|talk]]) 14:08, 19 June 2015 (UTC)
**Perhaps that is the error which causes the HTML tags to be visible text? [[Special:Contributions/108.162.218.83|108.162.218.83]] 15:30, 19 June 2015 (UTC)
***Unlikely. The opening tag turns on the effect for all the text that follows until a closing tag is found. No closing tag, and the effect doesn't stop. - Equinox [[Special:Contributions/108.162.238.172|108.162.238.172]] 16:32, 19 June 2015 (UTC)
I think (-1) [cursed] may be a reference to the card game Dominion? [[Special:Contributions/108.162.219.183|108.162.219.183]] 17:51, 19 June 2015 (UTC)
*Actually this is more likely a reference to a cursed item in an RPG (DnD, WoW, etc.), where a cursed item often gives a negative stat bonus instead of a positive one. A magic item might be indicated as Magic Hammer (+2). [[User:Veleek|Veleek]] ([[User talk:Veleek|talk]]) 18:12, 19 June 2015 (UTC)