2016-01-06T21:23:10Z

Vyzen: /* Explanation */

{{comic
| number = 1626
| date = January 6, 2016
| title = Judgment Day
| image = judgment_day.png
| titletext = It took a lot of booster rockets, but luckily Amazon had recently built thousands of them to bring Amazon Prime same-day delivery to the Moon colony.
}}

==Explanation==
{{w|Terminator_(franchise)#Judgment_Day|Judgement Day}}, from the film ''{{w|Terminator 2: Judgment Day}}'', refers to the day that the {{w|artificial intelligence}} (AI) {{w|Skynet (Terminator)|Skynet}} becomes self-aware and starts a nuclear strike on the United States, Russia, and other regions, killing three billion people.

Most stories with this plot have the AI be evil and promptly nuke humanity. In this strip the AI is sensible enough to realize that {{w|nuclear weapons}} are not good things to have, and that the amount of them we have now is extreme overkill. Once it's done freaking out, its solution is to shoot the world's nuclear arsenal into the sun. But before it does so it asks: ''What's wrong with you?'' (humans). It has thus passed a judgment over humanity.

The comic title is thus a pun on the word "{{w|judgment}}" since the computer is being {{w|judgmental}} with humanity and scolding us while correcting our ways, instead of instigating {{w|Last Judgment|Judgment Day}} or any other kind of {{w|Armageddon}}.

{{w|North Korea}} claimed to have [http://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-35240012 successfully tested] its first {{w|hydrogen bomb}} in the evening on the day before this comic was published; at about 8:30 PM in {{w|Massachusetts}} where [[Randall]] lives. (At that time it was already 10:00 AM on the day of the comics release in {{w|Pyongyang}} the capital of North Korea, but that was still several hours before this comic were released). This comic could thus be Randall's response to the ongoing {{w|nuclear arms race}}.

Even the most powerful of nuclear weapon launchers, {{w|Intercontinental ballistic missile}}s, are not designed to make anything other than {{w|sub-orbital}} flights and could not fly to the Sun (which is actually surprisingly difficult, since the rocket would have enough {{w|delta-v}} to bleed off the {{w|orbital speed}} of the Earth around the Sun -- it is likely that the sentient AI is using the same strategy of the Solar Probe Plus and planning several flybys of Venus to do that work, using the Amazon boosters only to break out of Earth's gravity).

The title text rationalizes that the capability to do so may perhaps be granted by the use of an {{w|Amazon.com|Amazon}} resource that might have also been developed by the time of this instance of computer sentience, aided (if not initiated!) by the fact that Amazon's whole business infrastructure is already highly computerized and could ''at the very least'' be complicit with the process of delivering and then controlling the rocket-power, without any conscious human intervention. As there is already an extended colony on the Moon, it will for sure take many years before we reach this future scenario.

"A lot of booster rockets" is likely to be a reference to the spaceflight simulator game {{w|Kerbal Space Program}}, which Randall has [[1106|referenced]] on a [[1254|number]] of [[1356|occasions]]. In the culture of that game, any launch failure can be resolved by [https://imgur.com/20aIBMW "adding more boosters"] to the spaceship design.

It is the second time in a few months that the speed of Amazon's deliveries has been the subject of a joke, the last time was [[1599: Water Delivery]], where it was the one hour delivery that was the subject of the joke. It is also the second title text in a row (after [[1625: Substitutions 2]] where Amazon has been mentioned.

This particular 'machine take-over' future is in distinct contrast to the possible future directions given in [[1613: The Three Laws of Robotics]], but this comic likely depicts spontaneous ''self-''sentience, not a system with deliberately imposed human 'values' and possibly no actual conscience or even consciousness of its own. Other problems with hostile AI take over is presented when it fails completely in [[1046: Skynet]]. Also it is not all AI that wish to interact with us at all as shown in [[1450: AI-Box Experiment]]. These are just a few of the many [[:Category:Artificial Intelligence|comics about AI]] in {{xkcd}}.

==Transcript==
:[Several rockets can be seen heading away from Earth, while speak is coming from the Earth in three rectangula speech bubbles.]
:AI: Oh my god, why do you even ''have'' all these?
:AI: What's ''wrong'' with you?
:AI: We're launching them into the sun.

:[Caption below the comic:]
:The moment the computers controlling our nuclear arsenals became sentient
{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Artificial Intelligence]]
[[Category:Computers]]
[[Category:Space]]

1626: Judgment Day

2016-01-06T15:42:31Z

Vyzen: /* Explanation */

1608: Hoverboard

2015-11-26T21:19:05Z

Vyzen: /* Areas */

{{comic
| number = 1608
| date = November 24, 2015
| title = Hoverboard
| image = hoverboard.png

}}
To experience the interactivity, visit the [http://xkcd.com/1608/ original comic].
{{TOC}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|It's possible not all of the game's secrets have been unearthed yet.}}
The "comic" is actually a {{w|browser game}} made to celebrate the release of [[Randall|Randall's]] new book, ''[[Thing Explainer]]'', which were released on the same day as this comic (November 24th 2015.) It was thus released on a Tuesday, and thus replaced that weeks normal Wednesday release.

The game features [[Cueball]] riding on a {{w|hoverboard}}. The only controls are the arrow keys. The player can jump repeatedly mid-jump to reach increasing heights. The player begins in a line-drawing maze with 17 gold coins located throughout and a "deposit" station. The ostensible goal of the game is to collect as many coins as possible and return them to the deposit in the fastest possible time, which returns a text message describing the result. Players consumed with obtaining the best possible time result for collecting the coins may not realize there is anything more to the game.

Beyond the maze on either side (just far enough that players who remain within the maze will not see) are tall walls seemingly designed to contain the player. However, the walls have a finite height and, combined with the ability to multi-jump, the player can leave the purported "play area" either to the sides or above the initial maze. This returns a flashing red error message "return to play area".

Outside the play area is an entire world to explore including numerous points of interest and {{w|Easter egg (media)|Easter eggs}} similar in style to comic [[1110: Click and Drag]]. The larger game world is physically bounded in the left and the right direction, but is technically unbounded upwards, however, past a certain point there appears to be nothing interesting in the up direction. However, the longer you continue to fly upwards by pressing the up arrow repeatedly, the longer will it take for Cueball to fall down again once you stop pressing. In principal it may also be unbound in the downwards direction, but there is only a few places you can "sink" into the ground/water/lava, and here you cannot go down indefinitely. It could be possible that there could be some unexplored parts of the map, but given the maps already made this seems unlikely. There are 152 more coins outside the initial "play area" for a total of 169 in the entire game.

===Explanations of jokes===
{{incomplete|Insert table here}}

{| class="wikitable"
! Coordinates || Text and explaination
|-
| x: 483735, y: -551990 || "What news of the world above? Please tell me - what's hot and viral? What's trending on twitter?"
|}

===Technical aspects===
As previously noted, the comic bears considerable resemblance to [[1110: Click and Drag]]. The comic is made in much the same way, with 'drawn' images "glued" together to form a large "map", with the illusion of infinite bounds made possible through space saving techniques where blank tiles are not stored and are instead painted white. The boundary between blank squares and 'drawn' squares is made clear as any white space in the normal images has a very slight grey tint. Thus, seams between images and blank spaces can be discerned.

The tiles for the map are stored as simple PNG files in the naming scheme: X:Y+s.png. An example can be seen here: http://xkcd.com/1608/1013:-1096+s.png Each file is 513x513 pixels in size, one pixel is reserved as overlap to ensure seamless joining of images. So far, through experimentation, tiles in the range 928 to 1108 X and -1112 to -928 Y have been discovered, internally, the position of the player is divided by 512 and rounded down to give the position of the tile.

The collision map is encoded in the darkness of the black. Using an image manipulation program, one can easily find the secret pathways even in the zoomed out maps provided below by enhancing the contrast of the dark areas. On a slow connection, it's possible to move into an 'open' area and then the black image loads in and (probably permanently, without tricks) traps you immobile.

The game was made by [http://chromakode.com Max Goodman] who has previously worked on [[1416: Pixels]]. The source code for the game can be found [https://xkcd.com/1608/tigl.js here].

===Areas===
[[File:thumb_1608.jpg|thumb|right|one incomplete compilation of the entire game area (note the missing pinnacle of the Washington Monument]]

Starting area - (x: 512187, y: -549668)

==== West / Left ====
* {{w|Washington Monument}} - (x: 509864, y: -549746)
** Invisible entrance through the Monument, indicated by arrow sign
** Secret entrance into the inside of the Monument, right side, about halfway up - (x: 509815, y: -552614)
***From there you can fall down to the fault line shown in about the middle of the monument. You cannot see Cueball while he is in the monument in either entrance.
* Girl in a hamster ball - (x: 505790, y: -549905)
* Yet [[1504|another dig]] at the Lion King and the lands touched by shadow - (x: 504998, y: -550676)
* An {{w|X-Wing}} at a gas station, with coin accessible from the left - (x: 503253, y: -551129)
** Go straight up from the cockpit for a coin, carried by african swallows (non-migratory)
* A well with a girl at the bottom of it (and one of the yellow game coins), claiming to not be a ghost - (x: 501998, y: -551030)
* Landing re-entry capsule with parachutes - (x: 500040, y: -552369)
* Local Mom discovering This One Weird Bug - (x: 497994, y: -551334)
* Someone flying a kite, with a coin beside the kite.
* Volcano -
* LOTR Eagles - (x: 489661 y: -556811)
* A periscope peeking out of a shallow lava pool near two people playing "the lava is a floor" - (x: 488573 y: -556337)
* Lava pools -
* A dark grey ocean that isn't noticeable until you fall in
** With suicidal quadcopters taking footage of it over a coin - (x: 486640, y: -554838)
* {{w|Elon Musk}}'s Volcano Lair - (x: 484167, y: -549462)
** entrance hidden under volcano lava, before reaching Artex - (x: 483791, y: -551292)
* The ground, that presumably all grounded electronics are connected to - (x: 485125, y: -549062)
* Artex + Gandalf - (x: 483715, y: -554354)
* Basketball hoop, with coin
* Giant floating rock island in the sky (x: 507163, y: -567537)
* Hat underground
* A hole which traps(?) the player unless noclip mode is used

==== East / Right ====

* People holding anchor lines to the Tantive IV (Star Wars: A New Hope), being attacked by an Imperial Star Destroyer - (the people: x: 518954, y: -549056)
* Desert with dunes - (x: 520000, y: -549114)
* Ocean Yelper (giving only 2.5/5 stars) - x: 522015, y: -549015
* Talking Rogue Wave - (x: 523460, y: -549013)
* Wedding - (x: 531558, y: -549386)
* Graveyard - (x: 534140, y: -549546)
* Remains of {{w|Ozymandias}}' Statue - (x: 535927, y: -549666)
* Huge pyramid - (x: 538167, y: -550906)
* Blackhat's hat on a stick - (x: 549997, y: -549777)
* Whitehat's head in the grass? - (x: 559826, y: -549847)
* Giant bird nest - (x: 567123, y; -550417)
* Beret Guy riding a torpedo - (x: 522754, y: -554342)

==== Rebel Blockade Runner ====
Up in the air is the CR90 Corvette, Tantive IV aka Rebel Blockade Runner with Princess Leia fro. The start of the original Star Wars movie.

* Coordinates:
**??
*Cueball is standing at a ledge with a fishing rod with something on the hook somewhere below the spaceship. Two birds are circling the line.

==== Imperial Star Destroyer ====

High up in the air there's a huge spaceship.

* Coordinates:
** top left at (513072, -560660)
** bottom left at (513080, -559470)
** top at (552154, -569022)
** top right at (556557, -567711)
** bottom right at (558244, -556542)
* Entrances (from bottom left clockwise):
** Tunnel at (513080, -559680)
** Tunnel at (513166, -560434)
** Shaft at (516560, -560912)
** Shaft at (519200, -561108)
** Shaft at (525255, -561527)
** Shaft at (527990, -561844)
** Shaft at (533087, -562298)
** Shaft at (539637, -563233)
** Tunnel at (540958, -563721)
** Shaft at (543789, -564670)
** Stairwell down at (547438, -565058)
** Tunnel at (552319, -566184)
** Tunnel to an isolated small room at (557774, -562042)
** Shaft at (556350, -556720)
** Glitchfloor at (547890, -556779)
** Shaft at (543850, -557500)
** Main ramp at (537260, -557969)
** Tunnel at (531840, -558547)
** Parachutists' ramp at (526624, -558664)
** Ramp at (525300, -558747)
** Shaft at (520440, -559100)
** Shaft at (516825, -559300)
* Interesting objects and places inside:
** Steven Universe and the Crystal Gems - (x: 551664, y: -567383)
** A nearly complete depiction of Level 1 of {{w|Prince of Persia (1989 video game)|Prince of Persia}}, an ancient Jump & Run game - (x: 551532, y: -563512)
** Emperor Palpatine Park and Gazebo - (x: 546819, y: -559584)
** Dancers (possibly [[162|spinning counter-clockwise]]) dancing to piano music - (x: 547536, y: -563301)
** Octopus guarding two coins - (x: 531646, y: -559663)
** A sign saying "Caution GlitchFloor" (falling straight down through it nets you a coin someway down) - (x: 547898, y: -556784)
** A huge light bulb - (x: 555405, y: -557769)
** The Emperor [[1596|birdwatching]] - (x: 554777, y: -567346)
** Ponytail jousting on an ostrich- (x: 552048, y: -568045)
** A party on the ceiling (negative gravity?) - (x: 550350, y: -564354)
** A huge ant - (x: 552309, y: -560208)
** Tube slide - (x: 541813, y: -563721)
** A reservoir (?) with hidden passages - (x: 541300, y: -560330)
** A huge spark gap (?) - (x: 541900, y: -558110)
** Torpedo launcher room - (x: 529627, y: -558481)
** A {{w|Tetris}} block falling - (x: 529414, y: -529220)
** Lightsaber Piñata party - (x: 515353, y: -560329)
** Swimming pool - (x: 517346, y: -559831)
** Children's swimming pool (ball pit?) - (x: 514500, y: -560436)
** A crocodile - (x: 553623, -568091)
** Spiral tunnel - (x: 543320, y: -558314)
** A car - (x: 537750, y: -557937)

=== Maps ===
* [http://codepen.io/KyleDavidE/full/605dc87b614ff6b2bd716f4c6f640203/ Quickly hacked overview] - courtesy of [https://www.reddit.com/user/kyledavide kyledavide] on [https://www.reddit.com/r/xkcd/comments/3u4sy1/xkcd_1608_hoverboard/cxbyn86 reddit].
* [http://1101b.com/xkcd1608/ fully zoomable map w/ toggleable coins and passages] - courtesy of [https://www.reddit.com/user/lanzaa lanzaa] on the same reddit [https://www.reddit.com/r/xkcd/comments/3u4sy1/xkcd_1608_hoverboard/cxbyn86 thread]
* [https://i.imgur.com/uYryxss.png png-map] - courtesy of [https://www.reddit.com/user/luke_in_the_sky luke_in_the_sky] on the same reddit [https://www.reddit.com/r/xkcd/comments/3u4sy1/xkcd_1608_hoverboard/cxbyn86 thread]
* [http://paste.click/DsPuSL png-full-size-map] - might take a few minutes to download -> do not open directly in the browser! - courtesy of [https://www.reddit.com/user/0x90-0x90 0x90-0x90] on the same reddit [https://www.reddit.com/r/xkcd/comments/3u4sy1/xkcd_1608_hoverboard/cxbyn86 thread]

===Controls===
The keyboard controls are as follows:

* '''Go Left''' - Left arrow key, a or h
* '''Go Right''' - Right arrow key, d or l
* '''Go Up (jump or hover)''' - Up arrow key, w, or k
* '''Go Down (if gravity disabled)''' - Down arrow key, s, or j

This control scheme covers the three commonly used directional key sets: WASD a set of keys commonly used by modern games; HJKL a set of movement keys used by vi and applications which attempt to mimic vi key controls (vim); and the arrow keys, the most generic set of keys which is usually accepted by most applications which take movement as input, these were commonly used in older games.

On devices which have a touch screen and tilt sensor (portable devices like mobile phones and tablets) the controls are as follows:
* '''Go Left''' - Roll the device anticlockwise
* '''Go Right''' - Roll the device clockwise
* '''Go Up (jump or hover)''' - Tap the screen

After inspecting the source code, there appears to be no way to move down on a portable device, this is only relevant if gravity is disabled.

===Cheats and Exploits===
Aside from the obvious ability to move out of bounds in the game, there are some more obscure hidden features which can't be enabled through normal gameplay, the ones found so far are as follows:

'''Modes''' are activated by opening the Javascript Console (F12 [Or Command-Alt-I in most browsers under Mac OS X] to open Developer Tools, then Console tab) and writing corresponding commands:

* '''Gandalf Mode: ''' ''window.i.am.gandalf = true'' - jumps and runs further
* '''Speedhack: ''' ''explorer.opts.speed= *Value*'' - Speed hacking, with 1 = normal speed
* '''Jump Hack: ''' '' explorer.opts.jumpForce= -*Value*'' - Jump hacking, with -1 = normal jump (positive values cause the hoverboard guy to move down when jumping)
* '''Mewtwo mode: ''' ''window.mewtwo = true'' - disables gravity
* '''Noclip mode: ''' ''window.noclip = true'' - player is able to move around the map without collision. Combine with Gandalf and Mewtwo modes for free easy map traversal.
* '''Goggles mode: ''' ''window.ze.goggles()'' - displays a small window showing area around the player in a pixelated manner. The goggles indicate collision boundaries (where the player touches the world) in cyan lines. Black pixels that are passable (such as other characters or text) will be highlighted red (allowing secret passages to be discovered).
* '''Position Tracking: ''' ''window.explorer.pos'' - Returns the player location to the console. Can be used to track position and test to ensure you are still moving. Must be re-entered to compare positioning.
* '''Position Setting: ''' ''window.explorer.pos.x = *Value* or window.explorer.pos.y = *Value*'' - Can be used to manually set a position within the world. The start is at x: 512106, y: -549612. The left terrain bound is at x: 475210, y: -553711. The right terrain bound is at x: 567281, y: -549712. Mewtwo and Noclip modes are a must for exploring in this way.
* '''All the above: ''' ''window.explorer.opts'' - Contains all the game's parameters. You can directly mess with ''gravity'', collision (''disableCollision''), jump force (''jumpForce'') and speed (''maxSpeed''), among others. Run ''Object.keys(window.explorer.opts)'' to list all available parameters you can tweak.
* '''List all coins: ''' ''window.explorer.objects'' - Array containing the position of the 169 coins of the game.
* '''Disable tilt input: ''' ''getEventListeners(window)['deviceorientation'][0].remove()'' - on Macs with motion sensor, disables tilt input which causes problems controlling the avatar

'''Getting All Coins: ''' To instantly get all coins, input the below into the console window. Does not use standard formatting of [i] to avoid conflicts with window.i.am.gandalf

for (var T = 0; T < explorer.objects.length; T++) {
explorer.objects[T].got = true;
}

To teleport to the next coin every time you press the left or right arrow:

var T = 0;
document.onkeydown = function(event){
if (event.keyCode == 37) { T = T-1 }
else if (event.keyCode == 39) { T = T+1 }
else { return }
T = T % explorer.objects.length;
var coin = explorer.objects[T];
explorer.pos.x = coin.x1; explorer.pos.y = coin.y1;
}

For a quick tour of all the coins:

var delayInMilliseconds = 1000; // 1 second delay between each teleport. feel free to change this.
var index = 0;
explorer.objects.forEach(function(x){
setTimeout(function(){
explorer.pos.x = x.x1;
explorer.pos.y = x.y1;
x.got = true;
explorer.frame(); // forces a redraw
},
(index + 1) * delayInMilliseconds);
index++;
});

To see a list of coin coordinates you have not yet collected:

var L = 0;
for (var S = 0; S < explorer.objects.length; S++) {
var I = explorer.objects[S];
if (I.got) {
L++;
} else {
console.log(I.x1.toString() + ", " + I.y1.toString());
}
}
console.log("You've found " + L.toString() + " of 169 coins");

To display the distance and direction to the closest coin (with inverted colors once you have all the coins):

function distance(x1, y1, x2, y2) {
var dx = x2 - x1;
var dy = y2 - y1;
return Math.sqrt(dx * dx + dy * dy);
}

function angle(x1, y1, x2, y2) {
var dx = x2 - x1;
var dy = y2 - y1;
return Math.atan2(dy, dx) * 180 / Math.PI;
}

function renderRadar() {
var mindist = 10000000000;
var closest = {
x1:512278.0, y1:-549613.0
};
var linecolor = "red";
for (var S = 0; S < explorer.objects.length; S++) {
var I = explorer.objects[S];
if (!I.got) {
var dist = distance(explorer.pos.x, explorer.pos.y, I.x1, I.y1);
if (dist < mindist) {
mindist = dist;
closest = I;
}
}
}
if (mindist == 10000000000) {
mindist = distance(explorer.pos.x, explorer.pos.y, closest.x1, closest.y1);
if (document.getElementById("radar").style.backgroundColor != "red") {
document.getElementById("radar").style.backgroundColor = "red";
}
linecolor = "green";
} else {
if (document.getElementById("radar").style.backgroundColor != "green") {
document.getElementById("radar").style.backgroundColor = "green";
}
}
var ang = angle(explorer.pos.x, explorer.pos.y, closest.x1, closest.y1);
var indicator = "";
if (ang > 112.5 || ang < -112.5) {
indicator += "left";
}
if (ang < 67.5 && ang > -67.5) {
indicator += "right";
}
if (ang > -157.5 && ang < -22.5) {
indicator += " up";
}
if (ang > 22.5 && ang < 157.5) {
indicator += " down";
}
document.getElementById("radar").innerHTML = "Distance: " + mindist.toFixed(1).toString() + " ";
document.getElementById("radar").innerHTML += indicator + " (" + -ang.toFixed(1).toString() + "°)";
document.getElementById("radar").innerHTML += "<div id='circle' style='border: 1px solid black; border-radius: 50px; width: 100px; height: 100px; position:absolute; top:50px; left:25px'/>";
document.getElementById("radar").innerHTML += "<div id='line' style='width: 50px; height: 1px; background-color: " + linecolor + "; position:absolute; top:100px; left:75px; transform:rotate(" + ang + "deg); transform-origin:0% 0%'/>";
}

var d = document.createElement("div");
d.id = "radar";
d.style.position = "fixed";
d.style.left = "0px";
d.style.top = "0px";
d.style.width = "150px";
d.style.height = "160px";
d.style.border = "1px solid red";
d.style.zIndex = "2";
d.style.backgroundColor = "green";
d.style.color = "#8f8";
document.body.appendChild(d);

setInterval(renderRadar, 100);

To display your current coordinates:

function renderRadar2() {
document.getElementById("radar2").innerHTML = "x: " + explorer.pos.x.toFixed(1).toString() + " y: " + explorer.pos.y.toFixed(1).toString()
}

var d = document.createElement("div")
d.id = "radar2"
d.style.position = "fixed"
d.style.left = "150px"
d.style.top = "0px"
d.style.width = "150px"
d.style.height = "35px"
d.style.border = "1px solid red"
d.style.zIndex = "2"
d.style.backgroundColor = "green"
d.style.color = "#8f8"
document.body.appendChild(d)

setInterval(renderRadar2, 1000)

===Functionality===
By observing page code while playing, the game grabs and displays images based on location, and subsequently clears all non-visible images. The game uses what seems to be a position syntax to retrieve the intended images live, and returns an error if such an image does not exist, such as a blank area. This technically means things could be added to the world and updated live. If the player is moving sufficiently fast or if the internet connection is slow, this means that the player can get stuck in a black area that does not load in time.

This also means that the game does not have coded top or bottom limits, so any attempt to find the ''ceiling'' of the game will be futile unless the game is tweaked. The game does however have side limits.

When you deposit a certain number of coins, you will get one of the following messages:
* 0 coins : You got 0 coins in (n) seconds/ You successfully avoided all the coins.
* 1 coin : You got a single coin in (n) seconds/ It's a start.
* 2-4 coins : You got (n) coins in (n) seconds/ Not bad!
* 5-9 coins : You got (n) coins in (n) seconds/ Terrific!
* 17 coins : You got 17 coins in (n) seconds/ You found all the coins! Great job!
* 42 coins : You got 42 coins in (n) seconds/ No answers here.
* 169 coins : You got 169 coins in (n) seconds/ Are you Gandalf?
* All others: You got (n) coins in (n) seconds

Opening the console will display the text: what? hoverboard not enough for you!? in the log. Activating goggles mode will cause the text 'B-)' to appear in the log.

Leaving the play area will cause the red text 'RETURN TO THE PLAY AREA' to rapidly blink 3 times (150 msec duration), followed by a pause, and this will repeat 5 times for a total of 15 blinks. This will also reoccur if the player passes through the play area on their way back from exploring one side.

==Transcript==
:[This transcript only covers the starting page as shown on xkcd: {{xkcd|1608}}. A full transcript of the entire comic will be listed on a [[1608: Hoverboard/Transcript|separate page]].]

:[Cueball is shown on a hoverboard in the centre of the comic. Around him is a simple maze with 12 yellow coins. Another Cueball without howerboard is shown standing on one of the platforms to the right. The bottom half of the window is black. Right of where Cueball stands is a ramp. Behind the ramp is a computer. There is lots of space left of the maze, outside the maze. Text is only written in white below in the black area. The first part of the text is written below Cueball on hoverboard. Then there is an arrow pointing to the computer and a label. Finally there is a line of text at the bottom of the black area.]

:[Under Cueball:]
:My new book,
:''Thing Explainer,''
:comes out today!
:To celebrate, here's
:a small game.

:[Under the arrow below the computer]
:Deposit coins here

:[At the bottom:]
:Use the arrow keys to move

:['''For the full transcript of the entire comic see [[1608: Hoverboard/Transcript]].''']

==Trivia==
* There is as usual [[:Category:No title text|no title text]] for these interactive comics. But there is actually one listed in the [http://xkcd.com/1608/info.0.json info page] on xkcd. But this text: "Return to the play area", is never shown as a normal title text. But it will erroneously be shown in the unofficial mobile versions of the site.
** This is actually the text that is shown blinking red at the buttom of the screen when leaving the starting area.
* If the focus switches from the game to the page, the cueball can freeze in midair. The same thing can happen if the window border overlaps the play area.
* The Washington monument has an invisible floor next to the visible bricks which you can enter from further up the monument.
** You can also just walk through the monument at it's base as shown by the sign.

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:No title text]]
[[Category:Comics with color]]
[[Category:Large drawings]]
[[Category:Interactive comics]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Megan]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Ponytail]]
[[Category:Comics featuring White Hat]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Beret Guy]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Hair Bun Girl]]
[[Category:Multiple Cueballs]]
[[Category:Philosophy]]
[[Category:Video games]]
[[Category:Star Wars]]
[[Category:LOTR]]
[[Category:Animals]]
[[Category:Hamster Ball]]

1591: Bell's Theorem

2015-10-16T15:34:04Z

Vyzen: Common misconception about entanglement.

{{comic
| number = 1591
| date = October 16, 2015
| title = Bell's Theorem
| image = bells_theorem.png
| titletext = The no-communication theorem states that no communication about the no-communication theorem can clear up the misunderstanding quickly enough to allow faster-than-light signaling.
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|No explaination of the Title Text, and links should e in explanation, not transcript.}}
In quantum mechanics, entanglement is a situation where measurements between two or more particles that are not yet determined are nonetheless correlated. For example, two electrons can be in a state where, considered individually, each can be in a superimposed spin-up/spin-down state, but nevertheless correlated so that if one electron is found to be in the spin-up state, the other must be in the spin-down state and vice-versa. Since the entangled particles may be at significant distance from each other, such correlations make it seem like the particles have some method of communicating faster than light to ensure these correlations.

Hidden variable theories are, among other things, a way to explain the observations of entanglement without needing the implied faster-than-light communication. It implies that the measurements of the particles, while they seem random to us, are actually determined by "hidden variables" that are not observable directly, but have been set in the past (i.e. when the particles became entangled) to ensure that the observed correlation occurs.

Bell's Theorem states "No physical theory of local hidden variables can ever reproduce all of the predictions of quantum mechanics." and is the basis for arguing faster than light mechanisms in Quantum Mechanics, if entanglement is not due to a hidden variable, then somehow a super-light speed mechanism ensures the entanglement. Entanglement can't be used for faster than lightspeed communication though, so Bell's theorem does not prove faster than lightspeed communication is possible.

A common misunderstanding of entanglement is that the measurements of entangled particles are not just ''correlated'', but actually ''connected'', so that modifying one particle actually modifies the other to maintain the correlation. This would allow use of two distant entangled particles as a faster-than-light communication mechanism where a user at one end would modify one particle and a user at the other end would see the other particle change instantly. Unfortunately, entanglement does not work this way and modifying one particle of an entangled pair breaks the entanglement. Even more strongly, the no-communication theorem proves that no interaction with an entangled group of particles, no matter how clever, can be used to communicate faster than light.

Ponytail begins reading Bell's theorem to Cueball, who is standing 5 meters away. Cueball responds with a misunderstanding of Bell's Theorem in 1 nanosecond. The speed of light in a vacuum is 299,792,458 meters per second. In one nanosecond, the light from Ponytail would only have traveled 0.299 meters, thus Cueball misunderstands Bell's Theorem faster than the light from Ponytail reading the Theorem can reach him, which implies that faster-than-light communication occurred to set up the misunderstanding.

The title text, with 4 negatives, tries to be as confusing as possible. The real No-Communication Theorem states that although determination of the state of one half of an entangled pair immediately determines that of the other half, how far away it may be, there's no way for the observer of the other half to see if he's the first to find out the state or whether it'd already been determined by the first observer. Thus, no information travels from one observer to the other. Randall's version is recursive. It hypothesises a method of communication whereby somebody misunderstanding the no-communication theorem (which also happens faster than the speed of light) could function as the reception of a faster-than-light signal. However, it goes on to point out that turning the signal off requires clearing up the confusion which takes much, much longer, thus neatly restoring the normality of slower than light communication.

==Transcript==
[First frame captioned: {{w|time|t}} = 0 {{w|nanosecond}}s] 
[[Ponytail]], holding a piece of paper and facing to the right: This is called {{w|Bell's Theorem}}. It was first–

[A double-headed arrow links the characters in the two frames. The arrow is labelled "5 meters".]

[Second frame captioned: t = 1 nanosecond] 
[[Cueball]], facing to the left towards Ponytail: Wow, faster-than-light communication is possible!

Caption: Bell's Second Theorem: Misunderstandings of Bell's Theorem happen so fast that they violate locality.

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Physics]]
[[Category:Science]]

1591: Bell's Theorem

2015-10-16T15:03:57Z

Vyzen: /* Explanation */

1591: Bell's Theorem

2015-10-16T14:57:09Z

Vyzen: Some bit on entanglement

1561: Water Phase Diagram

2015-08-07T17:58:46Z

Vyzen: Vanilla Ice's Initials.

{{comic
| number = 1561
| date = August 7, 2015
| title = Water Phase Diagram
| image = water_phase_diagram.png
| titletext = Vanilla Ice was produced in small quantities for years, but it wasn't until the 90s that experimenters collaborated to produce a sample that could survive at room temperature for several months.
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete| Ethion of scientific detail required.}}

This is a modified version of the {{w|phase diagram}} for water. A "phase diagram" is a chart that shows the states, or "phases", that a substance will be in under various temperatures and pressures. Water's phases are particularly well-studied; on a [http://ergodic.ugr.es/termo/lecciones/water1.html real phase diagram for water], there are a great many phases listed.

Most people are familiar with three phases of water—solid, liquid, and gas—and with the fact that an increase in temperature will cause water to change from one state to another. The gas and liquid phases ("water vapor" and "liquid water") are quite straightforward; however, there is in fact not one single solid phase of water ("ice"), but a variety of numbered phases ("ice I" through "ice XV" are currently recognized), several of which are divided into sub-categories. Ordinary, everyday ice is known as "{{w|Ice Ih|ice Ih}}" ("ice one-h"). Most of the more unusual forms of ice only form under very high pressures.

Randall's phase diagram starts out realistically, though slightly simplified in several ways. For one, it simply uses the name "ice" for the usual form(s). It is focused in on a narrower area than the more complete diagram linked earlier; on that version, the "ice V" region is quite small, and "ice III" is barely visible, whereas both are quite plain to see on Randall's diagram. Lastly, Randall has the pressure scale increase downwards (which facilitates the David Bowie/Queen entry being "under" pressure), where most phase diagrams have pressure increase upwards.

As the diagram continues downwards and the pressure increases, the jokes begin. Beyond the moderately high-pressure forms of ice (ice II, III and V), a real phase diagram has ice VI; Randall has "{{w|Vanilla Ice}}", the name of a white rap/hip-hop artist from the 1990s, also having the initials "VI". Vanilla Ice's biggest hit, "{{w|Ice Ice Baby}}", used samples from the earlier song "{{w|Under Pressure}}", by {{w|David Bowie}} and {{w|Queen (band)|Queen}}; accordingly, on Randall's diagram, the "Vanilla Ice" region transitions to "David Bowie & Queen" when it is under (even higher) pressure.

Further references to "Ice Ice Baby" are found in the title text. Near the beginning of the song, Vanilla Ice raps the line, "All right stop, collaborate and listen". The unusual choice of "collaborate" in this line has made it memorable, and the word is used in the title text (in a more typical context). The phrase "survive at room temperature for several months" is likely a reference to "Ice Ice Baby" being Vanilla Ice's only major hit, humorously suggesting he faded out of the public view after a few months of fame. Finally, even the word "sample" may be deliberately chosen as a reference to the sampling of "Under Pressure".

Roman number six (VI) can be interpreted as acronym for Vanilla Ice.

Lastly, another image is faintly visible just below and to the right of the "Water Vapor" label. It appears to be a copy of an actual phase diagram for water [https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Phase_diagram_of_water.svg from Wikipedia]. This image could be a reference to the "Full text of the Wikipedia article on pareidolia" joke in the [[1551: Pluto]] comic. This image could be referred to as a ''water''mark.

===Related comics===
Randall has referenced "Ice Ice Baby" and "Under Pressure", separately and together, on many previous occasions, notably in [[159: Boombox]]. The gag of having the performers of "Under Pressure" also being literally under pressure was also used in [[1040: Lakes and Oceans]].

The [[what if?]] that was current at the time of this comic's publication was [http://what-if.xkcd.com/138/ 138: Jupiter Submarine], which began with an even more fanciful phase diagram: that of a submarine.
It also contains a reference to the songs "Under Pressure" and "Ice Ice Baby" in one figure.

The title text of [[1434: Where Do Birds Go]] whimsically suggests another possible phase of water/ice.

The small image on the graph could be a reference to the "Full text of the Wikipedia article on pareidolia" joke in the [[1551: Pluto]] comic.

==Transcript==
:[A phase diagram is shown with eight labeled regions]

:[The horizontal axis, increasing in value to the the right is labeled:]
:Temperature

:[The vertical axis, increasing in value downwards is labeled:]
:Pressure

:[Region alongside the "Pressure" axis covering about half of its length is labeled:]
:Ice

:[Region spanning top-right corner of graph, i.e. higher temperatures and lower pressures. Below and to the right of the label there seems to be an insert of a small picture of the real phase diagram. The region is labeled:]
:Water vapor

:[Region below "Water vapor" and to the right of "Ice" is labeled:]
:Liquid water

:[Three small regions below "Ice" are going from left to right on the same pressure region, the last ending just under "Liquid water". They are each labeled:]
:Ice II
:Ice III
:Ice V

:[Region below "Ice II", "Ice III", "Ice V" and "Liquid water" is labeled:]
:Vanilla Ice
:(Ice VI)

:[Below "Vanilla Ice" there is a dashed line with two arrows pointing downwards. The region below the dashed line is labeled:]
:David Bowie & Queen

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category: Charts]]

1561: Water Phase Diagram

2015-08-07T17:33:12Z

Vyzen: Added ref to xkcd 1040

{{comic
| number = 1561
| date = August 7, 2015
| title = Water Phase Diagram
| image = water_phase_diagram.png
| titletext = Vanilla Ice was produced in small quantities for years, but it wasn't until the 90s that experimenters collaborated to produce a sample that could survive at room temperature for several months.
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete| Ethion of scientific detail required.}}

This is a modified version of the {{w|phase diagram}} for water. A "phase diagram" is a chart that shows the states, or "phases", that a substance will be in under various temperatures and pressures. Water's phases are particularly well-studied; on a [http://ergodic.ugr.es/termo/lecciones/water1.html real phase diagram for water], there are a great many phases listed.

Most people are familiar with three phases of water—solid, liquid, and gas—and with the fact that an increase in temperature will cause water to change from one state to another. The gas and liquid phases ("water vapor" and "liquid water") are quite straightforward; however, there is in fact not one single solid phase of water ("ice"), but a variety of numbered phases ("ice I" through "ice XV" are currently recognized), several of which are divided into sub-categories. Ordinary, everyday ice is known as "{{w|Ice Ih|ice Ih}}" ("ice one-h"). Most of the more unusual forms of ice only form under very high pressures.

Randall's phase diagram starts out realistically, though slightly simplified in several ways. For one, it simply uses the name "ice" for the usual form(s). It is focused in on a narrower area than the more complete diagram linked earlier; on that version, the "ice V" region is quite small, and "ice III" is barely visible, whereas both are quite plain to see on Randall's diagram. Lastly, Randall has the pressure scale increase downwards (which facilitates the David Bowie/Queen entry being "under" pressure), where most phase diagrams have pressure increase upwards.

As the diagram continues downwards and the pressure increases, the jokes begin. Beyond the moderately high-pressure forms of ice (ice II, III and V), a real phase diagram has ice VI; Randall has "{{w|Vanilla Ice}}" (the name of a white rap/hip-hop artist from the 1990s). Vanilla Ice's biggest hit, "{{w|Ice Ice Baby}}", used samples from the earlier song "{{w|Under Pressure}}", by {{w|David Bowie}} and {{w|Queen (band)|Queen}}; accordingly, on Randall's diagram, the "Vanilla Ice" region transitions to "David Bowie & Queen" when it is under (even higher) pressure.

Further references to "Ice Ice Baby" are found in the title text. Near the beginning of the song, Vanilla Ice raps the line, "All right stop, collaborate and listen". The unusual choice of "collaborate" in this line has made it memorable, and the word is used in the title text (in a more typical context). The phrase "survive at room temperature for several months" is likely a reference to "Ice Ice Baby" being Vanilla Ice's only major hit, humorously suggesting he faded out of the public view after a few months of fame. Finally, even the word "sample" may be deliberately chosen as a reference to the sampling of "Under Pressure".

Roman number six (VI) can be interpreted as acronym for Vanilla Ice.

Lastly, another image is faintly visible just below and to the right of the "Water Vapor" label. It appears to be a copy of an actual phase diagram for water [https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Phase_diagram_of_water.svg from Wikipedia]. This image could be a reference to the "Full text of the Wikipedia article on pareidolia" joke in the [[1551: Pluto]] comic. This image could be referred to as a ''water''mark.

===Related comics===
Randall has referenced "Ice Ice Baby" and "Under Pressure", separately and together, on many previous occasions, notably in [[159: Boombox]]. The gag of having the performers of "Under Pressure" also being literally under pressure was also used in [[1040: Lakes and Oceans]].

The [[what if?]] that was current at the time of this comic's publication was [http://what-if.xkcd.com/138/ 138: Jupiter Submarine], which began with an even more fanciful phase diagram: that of a submarine.
It also contains a reference to the songs "Under Pressure" and "Ice Ice Baby" in one figure.

The title text of [[1434: Where Do Birds Go]] whimsically suggests another possible phase of water/ice.

The small image on the graph could be a reference to the "Full text of the Wikipedia article on pareidolia" joke in the [[1551: Pluto]] comic.

==Transcript==
:[A phase diagram is shown with eight labeled regions]

:[The horizontal axis, increasing in value to the the right is labeled:]
:Temperature

:[The vertical axis, increasing in value downwards is labeled:]
:Pressure

:[Region alongside the "Pressure" axis covering about half of its length is labeled:]
:Ice

:[Region spanning top-right corner of graph, i.e. higher temperatures and lower pressures. Below and to the right of the label there seems to be an insert of a small picture of the real phase diagram. The region is labeled:]
:Water vapor

:[Region below "Water vapor" and to the right of "Ice" is labeled:]
:Liquid water

:[Three small regions below "Ice" are going from left to right on the same pressure region, the last ending just under "Liquid water". They are each labeled:]
:Ice II
:Ice III
:Ice V

:[Region below "Ice II", "Ice III", "Ice V" and "Liquid water" is labeled:]
:Vanilla Ice
:(Ice VI)

:[Below "Vanilla Ice" there is a dashed line with two arrows pointing downwards. The region below the dashed line is labeled:]
:David Bowie & Queen

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category: Charts]]

1538: Lyrics

2015-06-15T16:05:02Z

Vyzen: /* Explanation */

{{comic
| number = 1538
| date = June 15, 2015
| title = Lyrics
| image = lyrics.png
| titletext = To me, trying to understand song lyrics feels like when I see text in a dream but it𝔰 hอᵣd t₀ ᵣeₐd aกd 𝒾 canٖt fཱྀcu༧༦࿐༄
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|This is a stub. There is probably a more thorough explanation. Maybe add possible song titles/lyrics if this is a real song?}}
The comic is illustrating (in text form) how listening to a song feels before you have learned what the actual lyrics are. The lyrics are represented in an indecipherable way, with a few mildly recognizable words. This represents the auditory experience of being able to hear and understand some words (perhaps incorrectly), but not all of them.

For a related experience see {{w|Mondegreen}}.

The title text elaborates on the fact that [[Randall]] has the same experience when trying to understand song lyrics as when he sees text in his dreams. The last part of the title text is written in strange scripts to illustrate how he feels when seeing text in his dreams. Translated it says: ''it's hard to read and I can't focus.''

==Transcript==
:[Cueball sits in a chair holding something. A speaker on a counter behind him is transmitting music. Four lines of wavy undecipherable lyrics emanate from the speaker. The lyrics are surrounded by musical notes. Below is the best attempt to write this down in text, also using capitals when they are clearly there in the comic.]
:I CANTFVEN +ELe THER
:ANDT⊕NG fHE WCAN NAp.
:HADBE AūτlfA!NNNG∩RKILL...
:FOR♡ITiNnaAGL♡OOO!VEEE ?-

:[Caption below the frame:]
:'''Sometimes I wonder what it would'''
:'''be like to be able to understand'''
:'''song lyrics without looking them up.'''

{{comic discussion}}
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Songs]]
[[Category:Dreams]]

1537: Types

2015-06-13T02:29:11Z

Vyzen: Added link to Impossible Colour

{{comic
| number = 1537
| date = June 12, 2015
| title = Types
| image = types.png
| titletext = colors.rgb("blue") yields "#0000FF". colors.rgb("yellowish blue") yields NaN. colors.sort() yields "rainbow"
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Title text not explained. More details before the list.}}

This comic is a series of programming jokes about a ridiculous new programming language, perhaps inspired by [https://www.destroyallsoftware.com/talks/wat Gary Bernhardt's CodeMash 2012 lightning talk] on Javascript's unpredictable typing. The (highly technical) audience is unable to correctly guess the results of adding various Javascript types and roars with laughter when they're revealed.

Most regular programming languages distinguish a number of types, e.g. integers, strings, lists … all of which have different behaviours. The operation "+" is conventionally defined over more than one of these types. Applied to two integers, it returns their addition; applied to two strings (denoted by being enclosed in quotes) it concatenates them:

<code>> 2 + 3

5

> "123" + "abc"

"123abc"</code>

While these behaviours are standard, conventional, and intuitive, there is a huge amount of variation among programming languages when you apply an operation like "+" to different types. One logical approach is to always return an error in all cases of type mixing, but it is often practical to allow some case mixing, since it can hugely simplify an operation. Variation and lack of a clearly more intuitive behaviour leads some languages to have weird results when you mix types.

# <code>2 + "2"</code> uses the <code>+</code> operator on a number and a string. In some programming languages, this might result in the number <code>4</code> (addition), or <code>"22"</code> (string concatenation); however, the new language converts the string to an integer, adds them to produce <code>4</code> and converts back to a string. Alternately, it may instead be adding 2 to the ASCII value of the character <code>"2"</code> (50), resulting in the character <code>"4"</code> (52). This is (somewhat) consistent with the behavior for item 4.
# <code>"2" + []</code> adds a string to an array or list, this time. This first inexplicably converts the string to a number again, and then it literally adds the number to the list by appending it (this would make sense if it was <code>[] + 2</code>, but usually not the other way around). And then the result (the entire array) is converted to a string again.
# <code>(2/0)</code> divides <code>2</code> by <code>0</code> and quite reasonably results in <code>NaN</code> (not a number).
# <code>(2/0)+2</code> adds <code>2</code> to <code>NaN</code>. <code>2</code> is "added" to the string <code>"NaN"</code> (again, the number is converted to a string for apparently no reason), which produces <code>"NaP"</code>. If the language's convention is to add to the ASCII value of a character or string, then in this case it added 2 to the character <code>"N"</code> (78), resulting in <code>"P"</code> (80).
# <code>""+""</code>: In many languages, two consecutive double-quote characters denote an empty string, so this expression would concatenate two empty strings, resulting in an empty string. However, it appears that this language treats only the outermost quotes of the expression as the string boundary, so all of the characters between them become part of the literal string, producing '<code>"+"</code>'.
# <code>[1,2,3]+2</code> seems to test whether it's sound to append <code>2</code> to the list <code>[1,2,3]</code>, and concludes that it doesn't fit the pattern, returning the boolean value <code>false</code>. It could conceivably also be the result of an attempt to add <code>2</code> to the ''set'' <code>[1,2,3]</code>, which already contains that element (although <code>{1,2,3}</code> would be a more common notation for sets).
# <code>[1,2,3]+4</code> returns <code>true</code> for much the same reason.
# <code>2/(2-(3/2+1/2))</code> is a floating point joke. Floating point numbers are notoriously imprecise. With precise mathematics, <code>(3/2+1/2)</code> would be exactly 2, hence the entire thing would evaluate to <code>2/0</code> or <code>NaN</code> in Randall's new language. However, the result of <code>(3/2+1/2)</code> is "just slightly off," which makes the result "just slightly off" of <code>NaN</code> (which would be ridiculous in a real language). The ironic thing is that fractions with 2 in the denominator are ''not'' the kind of numbers that typically suffer from floating point impreciseness. Additionally, if there was indeed a rounding error, the actual calculation becomes something like <code>2/0.0000000000000013</code>, which should not return a <code>NaN</code> since it is not division by zero.
# <code>range(" ")</code> normally wouldn't make any sense. However, the new language appears to interpret it as ASCII, and in the ASCII table, character #32 is space, #33 is <code>!</code>, and #34 is <code>"</code>. So, instead of interpreting <code>" "</code> as a string, it seems to be interpreted as <code>34, 32, 34</code> (in ASCII), and then <code>range</code> appears to transform this into <code>34, 33, 32, 33, 34</code> (the "ranges" between the numbers), which, interpreted as ASCII, becomes <code>['"', '!', ' ', '!', '"']</code>.
# <code>+2</code> refers to the Chinese/Japanese (Kanji) number system, where the plus sign is instead the symbol <code>十</code>. In Chinese, this symbol represents the number ten, and if you translate the <code>2</code> into Chinese, you get <code>二</code>. Therefore, in full Chinese the code is <code>十二</code>, which is equivalent to the number <code>12</code>. Alternately, it could simply be attempting to add 2 to the line number 10 to get 12.
# <code>2+2</code> would normally be <code>4</code>. However, the interpreter takes this instruction to mean that the user wishes to increase the actual value of the number <code>2</code> (aka the "literal value") by <code>2</code> for the remainder of the program, making it <code>4</code> and then reports that the work is "Done". The result can be seen in the subsequent lines where all <code>2</code>s are replaced by <code>4</code>s. This could be a reference to languages like Fortran where [http://everything2.com/title/Changing+the+value+of+5+in+FORTRAN literals could be assigned new values].
# <code>range(1,5)</code> would normally return <code>[1, 2, 3, 4, 5]</code>. However, since the value of <code>2</code> has been changed to <code>4</code>, it returns <code>[1, 4, 3, 4, 5]</code>, and this even affects the line number (which is 14 instead of 12).
# <code>floor(10.5)</code> should return <code>10</code> (the "floor" of a decimal number is that number rounded down). However, it instead returns {{w|ASCII art}} of the number on a "floor."

The title text contains three further examples relating to color. <code>color.rgb("blue")</code> returns the hexadecimal code for pure blue (as would be used in HTML, for example), which is how a real programming language might work. The lookup for "yellowish blue" returns "NaN" (Not a Number) again, which makes sense at one level because there is no such color as "yellowish blue" (yellow and blue are opposites on the color wheel, making yellowish-blue an [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Impossible_color impossible colour], which can only be perceived with great difficulty through contrived figures). However a more typical result would have been a failure indicating that the color database does not include the name, in the same way that a typo such as "bluw" would. Similarly sorting the colors would normally produce some defined ordering, such as alphabetical, but in this language it generates the string "rainbow". It seems that Randall's new language understands color theory in an unusually deep way.

==Transcript==
My new language is great, but it has a few quirks regarding type:
<pre>
[1]> 2+"2"
=> "4"
[2]> "2"+[]
=> "[2]"
[3] (2/0)
=> NaN
[4]> (2/0)+2
=> NaP
[5]> ""+""
=> '"+"'
[6]> [1,2,3]+2
=> FALSE
[7]> [1,2,3]+4
=> TRUE
[8]> 2/(2-(3/2+1/2))
=> NaN.0000000000000013
[9]> range(" ")
=> ('"','!'," ","!",'"')
[10]> +2
=> 12
[11]> 2+2
=> DONE
[14]> RANGE(1,5)
=> (1,4,3,4,5)
[13]> FLOOR(10.5)
=> |
=> |
=> |
=> |
=> |___10.5___
</pre>
{{comic discussion}}

1530: Keyboard Mash

2015-05-27T13:34:34Z

Vyzen: Ref to map projections

{{comic
| number = 1530
| date = May 27, 2015
| title = Keyboard Mash
| image = keyboard mash.png
| titletext = WHY DON'T YOU COME HANG OUT INSIDE MY HOUSE. WE CAN COOK BREAD AND CHAT ABOUT OUR INTERNAL SKELETONS.
}}

==Explanation==

[[Cueball]] is chatting online with [[White Hat]], who is frustrated because a barking dog is preventing him from sleeping. (It's not stated that it is his dog or one outside. The dog is probably trying to warn him about a giant spider on his ceiling.) White Hat apparently mashes the keyboard to show his frustration. (Keyboard mashing is often used in this way where the user makes their hands spasm across the keyboard, creating a line of text that can be compared to an angry groan in real life.) Cueball is about to give some advice, but is confused by a quirk in what White Hat
typed. Most of the characters he typed were on the home row of the QWERTY keyboard, (the middle set of letters on the keyboard, starting with the letters A, S, D, and F on a QWERTY keyboard) there are F, J, A, F, K, L and D, scattered in the text, but there is a 7 in the middle of this text. Cueball, (being himself) wonders why White Hat put a seven in there, because if White Hat was keyboard mashing and touched the 7 key, he likely would have hit any of the QWERTY row keys because of keyboard mashing hand spasms, but he didn't. All the other characters were on the home row. White Hat berates Cueball for always focusing on strange, tiny details. When the final panel shows what's going on where White Hat is, we see that a giant spider (possibly a joke about the spider "on the Web" here) has imprisoned him in a web and is talking to Cueball, which explains how the keyboard mashing "White Hat" did was strange.

The title text implies that the spider also wants to trap and (possibly eat) Cueball as well, or actually hang out with him in an attempt to make friends. "HANG OUT INSIDE MY HOUSE" may also have a double meaning, as White Hat is actually "hanging" from the ceiling inside his house.

The statement "I am a normal human typing with my human hands" is [http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/SuspiciouslySpecificDenial an oddly specific] assertion from the giant spider that it is actually a human, a claim that would normally be taken for granted and had not really been cast into doubt by Cueball's inquiries about how "7" got into a string of home-row keystrokes. The title text invitation ends with a similar statement, suggesting that they "CHAT ABOUT OUR INTERNAL SKELETONS", a subject that would not normally come up in conversation (except for fans of the Pierce Quincuncial projection, as detailed in xkcd [[977]]) but is being offered as more evidence that the typist is most certainly not a giant spider.

The dog might be a reference to the "[http://knowyourmeme.com/memes/on-the-internet-nobody-knows-youre-a-dog On the Internet, nobody knows you're a dog]" joke.

==Transcript==
<nowiki>[</nowiki>[[Cueball]] approaches his desktop computer, which has emitted a "NEW CHAT MESSAGE" from seemingly [[White Hat]] as it displays a picture of him<nowiki>]</nowiki>

<nowiki>[</nowiki>Chat log is in all uppercase:<nowiki>]</nowiki> 
White Hat: CAN'T SLEEP. STUPID DOG KEEPS BARKING. 
White Hat: SO FRUSTRATING. FJAFJKLDSKF7JKFDJ 
Cueball: UGH, I'M SORRY. MAYBE YOU COULD... 
Cueball: ... OKAY, WAIT. I HAVE TO ASK. 
Cueball: HOW DID YOU HIT A "7" IN THE MIDDLE THERE? 
White Hat: HUH? 
White Hat: I WAS JUST RANDOMLY KEYBOARD MASHING. 
Cueball: SORRY, RIGHT. 
White Hat: ANYWAY, 
Cueball: I KNOW THIS IS SILLY, BUT LIKE ... ALL YOUR HANDS WERE CLEARLY RIGHT ON THE HOME ROW. 
Cueball: I DON'T GET HOW ONE FINGER COULD HAVE STRETCHED UP TO THE "7". 
White Hat: WHY DO YOU ALWAYS FIXATE ON THESE BIZARRE DETAILS? 
Cueball: I DON'T KNOW. 
Cueball: SORRY. 
White Hat: IT'S WEIRD, IS ALL. 

<nowiki>[</nowiki>Chat transcript continues, but now we see a human-sized spider suspended from the ceiling by web is using three of its legs to type on a laptop computer. Behind the spider, White Hat is upside down, almost totally encased in spider web, also suspended from the ceiling, verbalising MMM!! MMPH!!! Between them, a chair has been knocked over onto its back.<nowiki>]</nowiki>

Spider (chat dialogue shows White Hat's picture): I AM A NORMAL HUMAN TYPING WITH MY HUMAN HANDS. 
Cueball: YEAH, OF COURSE. I KNOW. 

{{comic discussion}}


[[Category:Comics featuring White Hat]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]

1508: Operating Systems

2015-04-06T23:23:16Z

Vyzen: /* Explanation */

{{comic
| number = 1508
| date = April 6, 2015
| title = Operating Systems
| image = operating systems.png
| titletext = One of the survivors, poking around in the ruins with the point of a spear, uncovers a singed photo of Richard Stallman. They stare in silence. "This," one of them finally says, "This is a man who BELIEVED in something."
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|More fine tuning needed? What does the height above the time line mean. Is the lowest the main system? Or is it more based on order of appearance and simplicity? Note there is not always an OS at the bottom...}}
In this comic, [[Randall]] gives an overview of past, present and (speculatively) future of the {{w|operating system}}s running in his house at any given time. Notably, because Randall is fascinated by technology, he has had more than one OS running in his household since the mid '90's. The timeline tracks how Operating Systems have come and gone over the years, and the gradual shift from desktop Operating Systems to mobile can be observed. Beyond the present day, we see some of Randall's humorous predictions as to which technologies and companies will dominate the Operating System landscape in the future.

It may be that the OS that is closest to the time-line is also the one he mainly uses during these extended periods.

Previous and current systems:
*{{w|MS-DOS}} (Microsoft Disk Operating System): The default, command-line-based OS on most IBM PC-compatible computers in the 80s and early 90s.
*{{w|Microsoft Windows}}: The default GUI-based OS for IBM PC-compatible computers from the mid 80s to the present day. Early versions operated as shells on top of MS-DOS rather than stand-alone OSes in their own right, which may explain part of the overlap in those two bars.
*Apple's {{w|Mac OS}} (Macintosh Operating System): The OS of Apple's Macintosh line of computers. Randall's bar indicates that he stopped using Macs in 2001, a time when the fortunes of Apple were in decline and Macintoshes were "niche" computers.
*{{w|Linux}}: An open-source (typically free) Unix-like OS. Randall's bar indicates that he likely used it on one or two PCs starting from 1999 while still using Windows on other PCs, or perhaps was dual-booting one or more PCs with Windows, until abandoning Windows in 2007 to use Linux full-time. This timing coincides with the release of Microsoft's controversial {{w|Windows Vista}} and the advent of more user-friendly Linux distributions.
*{{w|OS X}} (Macintosh Operating System v10): The successor OS of Apple's Macintosh line of computers. Although it was sometimes marketed as merely the 10th version of the earlier Mac OS, it was largely a new product. The bar indicates Randall's renewed use of Macintosh computers in 2009 when Apple was in a much better financial state than it was in 2001.
*{{w|Android_(operating_system)|Android}}: The upper layers of the OS running on Android phones and tablets, above the Linux {{w|Kernel_(operating_system)|kernel}}. Randall is indicating that he has at least one of these devices.
*Apple's {{w|iOS}}: The OS of {{w|iPhone}}, {{w|iPad}}, and {{w|Apple TV}}. Randall is indicating that he also has at least one of these.

His predictions for the future include:
*2018: That {{w|OS X}} and {{w|iOS}} will merge. There is frequent speculation on technology blogs as to whether or not this merging will come to pass in the future. Both OSes have a common origin, and share a lot of common software, and are maintained by the same company which would benefit from the efficiency of maintaining a single unified OS. Opposing this is the fact that interaction patterns are very different between traditional computers and tablets/phones and a one-size-fits-both solution may not be feasible. Randall clearly believes that the merge will happen.
*2019: That an operating system designed with and for {{w|Javascript}} will become attractive, perhaps along the lines of {{w|Node.js}} and/or [http://github.com/runtimejs/runtime#readme Runetime.js].
*2022: That there'll be an OS based on the {{w|Tinder_(application)|Tinder}} dating app.
*2024: That there'll be an OS from {{w|Nest Labs}}, presumably oriented towards home automation and the {{w|Internet of things}} .
*2029: That {{w|Elon Musk}} will come up with an operating system.
*2030: That {{w|Disk_operating_system|DOS}} would make a comeback, but only in an ironic fashion (maybe because there would be no more disks left for it to operate from).
*2034: That Randall will be deploying an [http://geneticliteracyproject.org/2014/07/genetically-engineered-red-blood-cells-could-be-drug-delivery-drones/ autonomous drug-delivery drone] in his body.
*2042: Human civilization comes to a fiery end, maybe due to some unholy combination of the above innovations. Another possible explanation is that human civilization will be wiped out by an artificial super-intelligence, superior to human intelligence, as Elon Musk, Ray Kurzweil, Bill Gates and many tech pundits foresee that 2045 will be the year to see such technology becoming real, and as Elon Musk, Bill Gates and many other tech pundits fear that it will be the extinction of all life on earth, as explained [http://waitbutwhy.com/2015/01/artificial-intelligence-revolution-2.html on this page].
*2059: At this time his operating system will be {{w|GNU}}/{{w|Hurd}}. This infamously and perennially late [http://www.gnu.org/software/hurd/hurd.html GNU/Hurd] OS will finally make it in to Randall's home after human civilization has been wiped out. The joke is that GNU/Hurd began to be developed in 1990, and while it was expected to be released in a relatively short time, even now only unstable builds have been released. So Randall is saying that he will finally run it in his house a decade or two after the end of civilization. GNU/Hurd will presumably have an advantage as humanity rebuilds civilization due to the widespread availability of its code and development tools, and perhaps also because of Stallman's depth of belief, based on the title text.

The title text refers to {{w|Richard Stallman}}, the founder of the {{w|Free Software movement}} and the GNU and Hurd projects. A survivor of the fire that ended the human civilization has uncovered a slightly burned ({{w|Singe|singed}}) picture of him. And they can see, either directly from the picture or because they already know of Stallman, that this was a man that really believed in something. In this case it was ''free software'' and the ''technical superiority of Hurd over the Linux Kernel''.

GNU is a collection of free software utilities, particularly the system utilities used with the Linux Kernel to form the Linux operating system (often called GNU/Linux by those who wish to emphasize the contribution of the GNU project). Hurd is an operating system kernel designed as part of GNU project that could be used in place of the Linux kernel to produce a compete GNU operating system. Hurd has a microkernel architecture, which has many perceived advantages over Linux's monolithic kernel, and is thought by many to be technically superior, despite its low adoption rate compared to the Linux kernel.

Randall has made several comics about free software and also about Stallman. See this list of [[:Category:Comics featuring Richard Stallman|comics featuring Richard Stallman]]. Most are these are also about free software in some form.

==Transcript==
:[At the top of the panel:]
:'''Operating Systems'''
:running in my house

:[At the bottom there is time-line that runs from 1990 to 2066. It has small indicators for every year, larger for every 5 years and largest for every 10 years. Below the 10 year indicators are written the years. Also the year 2015 is marked:]
:1990 2000 2010 Now 2020 2030 2040 2050 2060

:[Bars above the time-line in four levels are labeled with operating system names, representing the time period for that OS. Below is a list of the bars on the time-line in order of first appearance (with approximate year ranges given). Also the level from 1-4 is indicated, with level 1 just above the time-line and level 4 the highest level above the line:]

:[Level 1 from 1988 to 1998 (extends a little left past the beginning of the time-line but not off panel):]
:MS DOS
:[Level 2 from 1993 to 2007:]
:Windows
:[Level 3 from 1994 to 2001:]
:Mac OS
:[Level 1 from 1999 to 2018:]
:Linux
:[Level 2 from 2009 to 2023. On the way the bar merges with iOS around 2019:]
:OS X
:[Level 3 from 2009 to 2016:]
:Android
:[Level 4 from 2013 to 2023. On the way to 2023 the bar moves down past Android to merge with OS X around 2019:]
:iOS
:[Level 1 from 2018 to 2028. The text is written in square brackets:]
:[Something].js
:[Level 3 from 2022 to 2029:]
:TinderOS
:[Level 2 from 2023 to 2032:]
:Nest
:[Level 1 from 2028 to 2041:]
:Elon Musk Project:
:[Level 3 from 2030 to 2036:]
:DOS, but ironically
:[Level 2 from 2034 to 2041:]
:Blood Drone
:[This is not a bar, but the text (in three lines) is in a, double bar-height (level 1-2), square bracket. The bracket extends from 2042 to 2051:]
:Human civilization ends in fire
:[Level 1 from 2059 going past the end of the panel past 2066:]
:GNU/Hurd

{{comic discussion}}
[[Category:Charts]]
[[Category:Computers]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Richard Stallman]]

1508: Operating Systems

2015-04-06T17:16:01Z

Vyzen: Expanded out description of Hurd.

{{comic
| number = 1508
| date = April 6, 2015
| title = Operating Systems
| image = operating systems.png
| titletext = One of the survivors, poking around in the ruins with the point of a spear, uncovers a singed photo of Richard Stallman. They stare in silence. "This," one of them finally says, "This is a man who BELIEVED in something."
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|More fine tuning needed?}}
In this comic, [[Randall]] gives an overview of past, present and (speculatively) future of the Operating Systems running in his house at any given time. Notably, because Randall is a technologically obsessed person, there is rarely only one OS running in his household. The timeline tracks how Operating Systems have come and gone over the years, and the gradual shift from desktop Operating Systems to mobile can be observed. Beyond the present day, we see some of Randall's humorous predictions as to which technologies and companies will dominate the Operating System landscape in the future.

Previous and current systems:
*{{w|MS-DOS}} (Microsoft Disk Operating System): The standard, command-line-based, OS for IBM PC-compatible computers in the 80s and early 90s.
*{{w|Microsoft Windows}}: The standard GUI-based OS for IBM PC-compatible computers from the mid 80s to the present day. Early versions operated as shells on top of MS-DOS rather than stand-alone OSes in their own right, explaining the overlap in those two bars. Randall's bar indicates that he first started using Windows in the era of Windows 3.1 and stopped in 2007, presumably switching to Linux as his main OS.
*Apple's {{w|Mac OS}} (Macintosh Operating System): The OS of Apple's Macintosh line of computers. Randall's bar indicates that he stopped using Macs in 2001, a time when the fortunes of Apple were in decline and Macintoshes were "niche" computers.
*{{w|Linux}}: An alternate, free, Unix-like OS. Randall's bar indicates that he likely used it part-time starting from 1999 (probably dual-booting his PC with Windows) until abandoning Windows in 2007 to use Linux full-time. This timing coincides with the release of Microsoft's controversial {{w|Windows Vista}} and the advent of more user-friendly Linux distributions.
*{{w|OS X}} (Macintosh Operating System v10): The successor OS of Apple's Macintosh line of computers. Although it was sometimes marketed as merely the 10th version of the earlier Mac OS, it was largely a new product. The bar indicates Randall's renewed use of Macintosh computers in 2009 when Apple was in a much better financial state than it was in 2001.
*{{w|Android_(operating_system)|Android}}: The OS of Android phones and tablets. Randall is indicating that he has at least one of these devices.
*Apple's {{w|iOS}}: The OS of {{w|iPhone}}, {{w|iPad}}, and {{w|Apple TV}}. Randall is indicating that he also has at least one of these.

His predictions for the future include:
*2018: That {{w|OS X}} and {{w|iOS}} will merge.
*2019: That [http://github.com/runtimejs/runtime#readme someone will succeed] in coding an entire operating system in {{w|Javascript}}.
*2022: That there'd be an OS based on {{w|Tinder_(application)|Tinder}}.
*2024: That the various devices from {{w|Nest Labs}} would be expanded so much that there's an entire operating system for them.
*2029: That {{w|Elon Musk}} will be up to something ambitious and futuristic.
*2030: That {{w|Disk_operating_system|DOS}} would make a comeback, but only in an ironic fashion (maybe because there would be no more disks left for it to operate from).
*2034: That ordinary people will be deploying {{w|Unmanned_combat_aerial_vehicle|weaponized drones}} in their homes.
*2042: Human civilization comes to a fiery end (maybe due to the unholy combination of weaponized drones and whatever the Elon Musk Project had developed). Another possible explanation is that human civilization will be wiped out by an artificial super-intelligence, superior to human intelligence, as Elon Musk, Ray Kurzweil, Bill Gates and many tech pundits foresee that 2045 will be the year to see such technology becoming real, and as Elon Musk, Bill Gates and many other tech pundits fear that it will be the extinction of all life on earth, as explained [http://waitbutwhy.com/2015/01/artificial-intelligence-revolution-2.html on this page].
*2059: That the infamously and perennially late [http://www.gnu.org/software/hurd/hurd.html GNU/Hurd] OS will finally be released after human civilization has been wiped out. The joke is that GNU/Hurd began to be developed in 1990, and while it was expected to be released in a relatively short time, even now only unstable builds have been released. So Randall is saying that it will finally be ready to run in his house a decade or two after the end of humanity, i.e., that a production-ready version will never be released. Or Randall could be saying that, though human ''civilization'' doesn't exist any more, humanity still lives on, and GNU/Hurd will be the only system smart enough to be picked up by this post-catastrophe generation.

The title text refers to {{w|Richard Stallman}}, the founder of the {{w|Free Software movement}} and the {{w|GNU}} and {{w|Hurd}} projects. GNU is a collection of free software utilities, particularly the system utilities used with the Linux Kernel to form the Linux operating system (often called GNU/Linux by those who wish to emphasize the contribution of the GNU project). Hurd is an operating system kernel designed as part of GNU project that could be used in place of the Linux kernel to produce a compete GNU operating system. Hurd has a microkernel architecture, which has many perceived advantages over Linux's monolithic kernel, and is thought by many to be technically superior, despite its low adoption rate compared to the Linux kernel.

The survivors of the fire that ended the human civilization has found a slightly burned (singed) picture of him. And they can either see directly from the picture or they already know of Stallman, that this was a man that really believed in something. In this case it was the free software, and the technical superiority of Hurd over the Linux Kernel.

Randall has made several comics about free software and also about [[:Category:Comics featuring Richard Stallman|Richard Stallman]] See for an instance of both [[225: Open Source]], [[344: 1337: Part 4]] and [[345: 1337: Part 5]].

==Transcript==
:[At the top of the panel:]
:'''Operating Systems'''
:running in my house

:[At the bottom there is time-line that runs from 1990 to 2066. It has small indicators for every year, larger for every 5 years and largest for every 10 years. Below the 10 year indicators are written the years. Also the year 2015 is marked:]
:1990 2000 2010 Now 2020 2030 2040 2050 2060

:[Bars above the time-line in four levels are labeled with operating system names, representing the time period for that OS. Below is a list of the bars on the time-line in order of first appearance (with approximate year ranges given). Also the level from 1-4 is indicated, with level 1 just above the time-line and level 4 the highest level above the line:]

:[Level 1 from 1988 to 1998 (extends a little left past the beginning of the time-line but not off panel):]
:MS DOS
:[Level 2 from 1993 to 2007:]
:Windows
:[Level 3 from 1994 to 2001:]
:Mac OS
:[Level 1 from 1999 to 2018:]
:Linux
:[Level 2 from 2009 to 2023. On the way the bar merges with iOS around 2019:]
:OS X
:[Level 3 from 2009 to 2016:]
:Android
:[Level 4 from 2013 to 2023. On the way to 2023 the bar moves down past Android to merge with OS X around 2019:]
:iOS
:[Level 1 from 2018 to 2028. The text is written in square brackets:]
:[Something].js
:[Level 3 from 2022 to 2029:]
:TinderOS
:[Level 2 from 2023 to 2032:]
:Nest
:[Level 1 from 2028 to 2041:]
:Elon Musk Project:
:[Level 3 from 2030 to 2036:]
:DOS, but ironically
:[Level 2 from 2034 to 2041:]
:Blood Drone
:[This is not a bar, but the text (in three lines) is in a, double bar-height (level 1-2), square bracket. The bracket extends from 2042 to 2051:]
:Human civilization ends in fire
:[Level 1 from 2059 going past the end of the panel past 2066:]
:GNU/Hurd

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Charts]]
[[Category:Computers]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Richard Stallman]]

2014-03-26T12:42:40Z

Vyzen:

1314: Photos

2014-01-08T15:20:10Z

Vyzen: /* Explanation */

{{comic
| number = 1314
| date = January 8, 2014
| title = Photos
| image = photos.png
| titletext = I hate when people take photos of their meal instead of eating it, because there's nothing I love more than the sound of other people chewing.
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Rewrite to explain punchline. Rewrite to explain title-text. Remove paraphrasing of transcript.}}

White Hat complains about people taking photos of great moments (like a sunset) instead of living them. When he makes his point, Cueball points out that his best memories came from adventures which happened when he was trying to take a picture. He says that being ''told'' he is not living in the moment is especially annoying then. The last frame of the comic implies that Cueball is actually living out one of his "adventures built around trying to photograph something" at this very moment -- he was trying to photographically capture a moment of White Hat's speechlessness.

The moral of this strip is that people shouldn't tell others how to live their own lives. The title text is an exaggeration of White Hat's position, showing where [[Randall]] stands on the issue.

==Transcript==
:[Three people are seen, two of them taking photos of a sunset in a city. Cueball and White Hat are seen in the foreground.]
:White Hat: Ugh, I hate how people take pictures instead of just enjoying the view.
:Cueball: Why?

:[Just Cueball and White Hat.]
:White Hat: Documenting your life distracts you from '''''living''''' it. You're not really—
:Cueball: Oh, come on.

:Cueball: Trying to take a picture of a thing makes me pay more attention to it. Some of my best adventures are built around trying to photograph something.

:[Closeup of Cueball.]
:Cueball: If "other people having experiences incorrectly" is annoying you, think how unbearable it must be to have a condescending stranger tell you they hate the way you're experiencing your life at just the moment you've found something you want to remember. Why the fuck do you care how someone '''else''' enjoys a sunset?

:White Hat: Well, they... Because I just, uh... ...

:[Cueball takes a photo of White Hat.]

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

1306: Sigil Cycle

2013-12-20T16:32:20Z

Vyzen: /* Explanation */

{{comic
| number = 1306
| date = December 20, 2013
| title = Sigil Cycle
| image = sigil_cycle.png
| titletext = The cycle seems to be 'we need these symbols to clarify what types of things we're referring to!' followed by 'wait, it turns out words already do that.'
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete}}

In computer programming, a {{w|Sigil (computer programming)|sigil}} is a symbol attached to a variable name, showing the variable's datatype or scope, usually a prefix, as in $foo, where $ is the sigil. Sigils are meant to allow the reader of the code to see at a glance what type a given variable is without having to refer back to a declaration (which may be in a distant part of the code from the section you are reading) or to provide some level typing in languages that do not have explicit type delclarations.

;{{w|QBASIC}}
:Variables of type string end with the $ symbol. Other symbols are used (% for integers, ! for single-precision, # for double-precision and, in some versions of BASIC, & for long integers), however the usual QBASIC program will use only the $ symbol and not any of the others, as the default type if no symbol is used is double-precision and that's OK for most numeric uses.

;{{w|C++}}
:Pronounced "see plus plus." Variables are just words with regular letters. Ironically, it is the name if the language itself that includes symbols.

;{{w|bash (Unix shell)|bash}}
:This is not typically thought of as a full-featured programming language, but a Unix shell. However, the shell command syntax is rich enough to be able to write simple (and sometimes really complex) programs called shell-scripts. In this language, all variables start with the symbol $.

;{{w|Perl}}
:In Perl, variables of simple types, and references to items in arrays and hashes, start with $. Arrays start with @. Hashes start with %.

;{{w|Python (programming language)|Python}}
:Variables are just words with regular letters.

;{{w|Google}}
:In the beginning, Google was only a search engine. However, it now includes many things, in particular a social network called Google+ (pronounced "google plus").

;{{w|Twitter}}
:Twitter account IDs are identified by the leading symbol @. When an account is "mentioned" in a tweet using @, it triggers smart behavior. For example, account owners can configure Twitter to forward tweets that mention them. This feature was not present in the early days of Twitter.

;{{w|Hashtag}}s
:In Twitter, a # sign (whose {{w|Number sign|many names}} include the "hash") can be prepended to words to mark them as keywords. Twitter can then be searched for those words. Some other microblogging services followed suit. Google+ eventually added hashtag support. Facebook followed with support later.

As is noted by the comic, the use of sigils to indicate types of variables varies between programming languages, from strict enforcement in languages like Perl, to their complete absence in languages like C++ (except possibly as an individual programmer or team's convention). The comic notes that the use of sigils seems to be cyclic, especially if you count things like hashtags as extensions of the pattern.

The title text describes the two competing influences responsible for the cycle: The first impulse finds sigils useful to elucidate the type of the variable, especially when variable names are not very descriptive, while the latter impulse notes that descriptive variable names are much more useful for that purpose, especially in extensible languages where the built-in types form only a small part of the type system.

==Transcript==
{{incomplete transcript}}
*Y axis: Odds that the words I type will start with some weird symbol
*X axis: Time
*Data labels: $QBASIC, C++, $BASH, @$PERL, PYTHON, +GOOGLE, @TWITTER, #HASHTAGS
*The line alternates between high and low, with $QBASIC starting at high, moving to C++ at low. $BASH and @$PERL are high, Python is low, and +GOOGLE, @TWITTER and #HASHTAGS are the next high.

{{comic discussion}}
[[Category:Charts]]
[[Category:Computers]]
[[Category:Comics presenting a compromise]]
[[Category:Internet]]
[[Category:Programming]]
[[Category:Social networking]]

1253: Exoplanet Names

2013-08-19T19:56:08Z

Vyzen: /* Explanation */

{{comic
| number = 1253
| date = August 19, 2013
| title = Exoplanet Names
| image = exoplanet names.png
| titletext = If you have any ideas, I hear you can send them to <nowiki>iaupublic@iap.fr</nowiki>.
}}
==Explanation==
{{incomplete|1253: Exoplanet Names}}

On the 14th of August, the {{w|International Astronomical Union}} [http://www.iau.org/science/news/179/ issued a document] about public naming of astronomical objects. It stated, "IAU fully supports the involvement of the general public, whether directly or through an independent organised vote, in the naming of planetary satellites, newly discovered planets, and their host stars.". It also contained, amongst other things, guidelines that suggested names should meet. These include stipulations such as "16 characters or less", "preferably one word", "not too similar to an existing name of an astronomical object" and "be respectful of intellectual property". If we go down the list, we can see that many of Randall's suggestions do indeed violate the guidelines. Which is probably part of the joke.

And yes, the document also states that suggestions may be sent to the email mentioned in the title text.

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Star !! Planet !! Suggested Name !! Explanation
|-
| rowspan=7 | {{w|Gliese 667 C}} || {{w|Gliese 667 Cb|b}} || Space Planet || A very unoriginal name: Every planet is in space.
|-
| {{w|Gliese 667 Cc|c}} || PILF || Pun of {{w|MILF}}, i.e. ''Planet I'd Like to Fuck''. Planet c is a relatively hot planet, within the habitable zone.
|-
| {{w|Gliese 667 Cd|d}} || A Star || "A Star" is obviously a bad name for a planet; "A Star" is also the name of a [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A*_search_algorithm path-finding algorithm].
|-
| {{w|Gliese 667 Ce|e}} || e'); DROP TABLE PLANETS;-- || A reference to {{w|SQL injection}}, riffing off of [[327|comic 327]], which featured a boy named <code>[[Robert'); DROP TABLE students;--]]</code>. The idea here is that the IAU would enter the name into their system and promptly lose all of their data pertaining to planets. Note that Planet e is located in the habitable zone of the star system.
|-
| {{w|Gliese 667 Cf|f}} || Blogosphere || rowspan = 2 | Weird ''{{w|blog}}''-related terms are a recurring theme in xkcd. See, for instance, [[181|comic 181]].
|-
| {{w|Gliese 667 Cg|g}} || Blogodrome
|-
| [http://exoplanet.eu/catalog/gj_667c_h/ h] || Earth ||
|-
| rowspan=5 | {{w|Tau Ceti}} || [http://exoplanet.eu/catalog/tau_cet_b/ b] || Sid Meier's Tau Ceti B || This refers to the game {{w|Sid Meier's Alpha Centauri}}.
|-
| [http://exoplanet.eu/catalog/tau_cet_c/ c] || Giant Dog Planet ||
|-
| [http://exoplanet.eu/catalog/tau_cet_d/ d] || Tiny Dog Planet ||
|-
| {{w|Tau Ceti e|e}} || Phil Plainet || {{w|Phil Plait}}.
|-
| {{w|Tau Ceti f|f}} || Unicode Snowman || The Unicode character [http://www.fileformat.info/info/unicode/char/2603/index.htm ☃] is a reference to the planet's estimated surface temperature of -40°C.
|-
| {{w|Gliese 832}} || {{w|Gliese 832 b|b}} || Asshole Jupiter
|-
| rowspan=6 | {{w|Gliese 581}} || {{w|Gliese 581 b|b}} || Waist-deep Cats ||
|-
| {{w|Gliese 581 c|c}} || Planet #14 ||
|-
| {{w|Gliese 581 d|d}} || Ballderaan || A {{w|wikt:balls|crude pun}} on the planet {{w|Alderaan}} from the ''{{w|Star Wars}}'' universe.
|-
| {{w|Gliese 581 e|e}} || {{w|Eternia}} Prime || A reference to the main planet of ''{{w|Masters of the Universe}}''.
|-
| {{w|Gliese 581 f|f}} || Taupe Mars || A reference to Kim Stanley Robinson's Mars trilogy (Red Mars, Green Mars, Blue Mars).
|-
| {{w|Gliese 581 g|g}} || Jelly Filled Planet || Possibly a reference to the conjecture that this tidally locked planet has an isolated habitable zone under the substellar point, akin to the pocket of jelly in a jelly doughnut.
|-
| rowspan=2 | {{w|Epsilon Eridani}} || {{w|Epsilon Eridani b|b}} || Skydot ||
|-
| {{w|Epsilon Eridani c#Planet_c|c}} || Laser Noises ||
|-
| rowspan=2 | {{w|Gliese 176}} || {{w|Gliese 176 b|b}} || {{w|Fictional universe of Avatar|Pandora}} || The fictional planet in James Cameron's ''{{w|Avatar (film)|Avatar}}''. Also the Planet used in {{w|Borderlands (video game)| Borderlands Games}}.
|-
| [http://exoplanet.eu/catalog/gj_176_c/ c] || Pantera ||
|-
| Kepler-61 || {{w|Kepler-61b|b}} || Goldenpalace.com || A Gambling Site.
|-
! colspan=4 | ...
|-
| style="white-space:nowrap;" rowspan=3 | {{w|Upsilon Andromedae}} || {{w|Upsilon Andromedae c|c}} || Stampy || The name of the elephant from the {{w|Simpsons}} episode, "Bart Gets an Elephant".
|-
| {{w|Upsilon Andromedae d|d}} || Moonchild ||
|-
| {{w|Upsilon Andromedae e|e}} || Ham Sphere || [http://www.hamsphere.com/ HamSphere] is a Ham Radio simulator program.
|-
| rowspan=3 | {{w|82 G. Eridani|HD 20794}} || [http://exoplanet.eu/catalog/hd_20794_b/ b] || Cosmic Sands || style="font-family:'Comic Sans MS', 'Comic Sans';" | A {{w|pun}} on the name of the font {{w|Comic Sans}}. (See also: [[590|590: Papyrus]].)
|-
| [http://exoplanet.eu/catalog/hd_20794_c/ c] || {{w|Legoland}} || {{w|Legoland}} is a chain of {{w|Theme_park|Theme Parks}} owned by the {{w|Lego Group}} and run by British company {{w|Merlin Entertainments}}.
|-
| [http://exoplanet.eu/catalog/hd_20794_d/ d] || Planet with Arms ||
|-
| {{w|HD 85512}} || {{w|HD 85512 b|b}} || Lax Morality ||
|-
| rowspan=6 | {{w|HD 40307}} || {{w|HD 40307 b|b}} || Good Planet ||
|-
| {{w|HD 40307 c|c}} || ProblemLand ||
|-
| {{w|HD 40307 d|d}} || Slickle ||
|-
| {{w|HD 40307 e|e}} || Spare Parts ||
|-
| {{w|HD 40307 f|f}} || New Jersey VI ||
|-
| {{w|HD 40307 g|g}} || How Do I Join the IAU || This implies that the user "got lost" on the IAU website and thought that the "planet name suggestion" input was for general queries.
|-
| rowspan=3 | {{w|Gliese 163}} || [http://exoplanet.eu/catalog/gj_163_b/ b] || Neil Tyson's Mustache ||
|-
| {{w|Gliese 163 c|c}} || help@gmail.com ||
|-
| [http://exoplanet.eu/catalog/gj_163_d/ d] || Hair-Covered Planet || [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hairy_ball_theorem A reference to a well-known theorem of topology.]
|-
| {{w|Pi Mensae}} || {{w|Pi Mensae b|b}} || Moon Holder ||
|-
| {{w|HD 189733}} || {{w|HD 189733 b|b}} || Permadeath ||
|-
| {{w|Kepler-22}} || {{w|Kepler-22 b|b}} || Blue Ivy || Blue Ivy Carter, daughter of musicians {{w|Beyoncé}} and {{w|Jay-Z}}.
|-
| Kepler-3284 || b || Blainsley ||
|-
| Kepler-3255 || b || Unicorn Thresher ||
|-
| Kepler-2418 || b || Spherical {{w|Discworld}} || A creation of British author {{w|Terry Pratchett|Sir Terry Pratchett}}, {{w|The Discworld}} is the fictional setting for his {{w|Discworld}} series of books and comprises of a large disc supported by four elephants themselves standing on top of a turtle flying through space.
|-
| Kepler-1686 || b || style="white-space:nowrap;" | Emergency Backup Earth ||
|-
| Kepler-3010 || b || Feeeoooooooop ||
|-
| Kepler-4742 || b || Liz ||
|}

==Transcript==
:August 2013:
:The International Astronomical Union decides to start naming exoplanets, and—for the first time ever—asks for suggestions from the general public.
:They immediately regret this decision.
:Cueball‏‎: Can't you filter out the worst ones?
:''The rightmost person'': This is '''''after''''' the filter!

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball‏‎]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Megan]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Ponytail]]
[[Category:Astronomy]]

1253: Exoplanet Names

2013-08-19T19:45:40Z

Vyzen: /* Explanation */

{{comic
| number = 1253
| date = August 19, 2013
| title = Exoplanet Names
| image = exoplanet names.png
| titletext = If you have any ideas, I hear you can send them to <nowiki>iaupublic@iap.fr</nowiki>.
}}
==Explanation==
{{incomplete|1253: Exoplanet Names}}

On the 14th of August, the {{w|International Astronomical Union}} [http://www.iau.org/science/news/179/ issued a document] about public naming of astronomical objects. It stated, "IAU fully supports the involvement of the general public, whether directly or through an independent organised vote, in the naming of planetary satellites, newly discovered planets, and their host stars.". It also contained, amongst other things, guidelines that suggested names should meet. These include stipulations such as "16 characters or less", "preferably one word", "not too similar to an existing name of an astronomical object" and "be respectful of intellectual property". If we go down the list, we can see that many of Randall's suggestions do indeed violate the guidelines. Which is probably part of the joke.

And yes, the document also states that suggestions may be sent to the email mentioned in the title text.

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Star !! Planet !! Suggested Name !! Explanation
|-
| rowspan=7 | {{w|Gliese 667 C}} || {{w|Gliese 667 Cb|b}} || Space Planet || A very unoriginal name: Every planet is in space.
|-
| {{w|Gliese 667 Cc|c}} || PILF || Pun of {{w|MILF}}, i.e. ''Planet I'd Like to Fuck''. Planet c is a relatively hot planet, within the habitable zone.
|-
| {{w|Gliese 667 Cd|d}} || A Star || "A Star" is obviously a bad name for a planet; "A Star" is also the name of a [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A*_search_algorithm path-finding algorithm].
|-
| {{w|Gliese 667 Ce|e}} || e'); DROP TABLE PLANETS;-- || A reference to {{w|SQL injection}}, riffing off of [[327|comic 327]], which featured a boy named <code>[[Robert'); DROP TABLE students;--]]</code>. The idea here is that the IAU would enter the name into their system and promptly lose all of their data pertaining to planets. Note that Planet e is located in the habitable zone of the star system.
|-
| {{w|Gliese 667 Cf|f}} || Blogosphere || rowspan = 2 | Weird ''{{w|blog}}''-related terms are a recurring theme in xkcd. See, for instance, [[181|comic 181]].
|-
| {{w|Gliese 667 Cg|g}} || Blogodrome
|-
| [http://exoplanet.eu/catalog/gj_667c_h/ h] || Earth ||
|-
| rowspan=5 | {{w|Tau Ceti}} || [http://exoplanet.eu/catalog/tau_cet_b/ b] || Sid Meier's Tau Ceti B || This refers to the game {{w|Sid Meier's Alpha Centauri}}.
|-
| [http://exoplanet.eu/catalog/tau_cet_c/ c] || Giant Dog Planet ||
|-
| [http://exoplanet.eu/catalog/tau_cet_d/ d] || Tiny Dog Planet ||
|-
| {{w|Tau Ceti e|e}} || Phil Plainet || {{w|Phil Plait}}.
|-
| {{w|Tau Ceti f|f}} || Unicode Snowman || The Unicode character [http://www.fileformat.info/info/unicode/char/2603/index.htm ☃] is a reference to the planet's estimated surface temperature of -40°C.
|-
| {{w|Gliese 832}} || {{w|Gliese 832 b|b}} || Asshole Jupiter
|-
| rowspan=6 | {{w|Gliese 581}} || {{w|Gliese 581 b|b}} || Waist-deep Cats ||
|-
| {{w|Gliese 581 c|c}} || Planet #14 ||
|-
| {{w|Gliese 581 d|d}} || Ballderaan || A {{w|wikt:balls|crude pun}} on the planet {{w|Alderaan}} from the ''{{w|Star Wars}}'' universe.
|-
| {{w|Gliese 581 e|e}} || {{w|Eternia}} Prime || A reference to the main planet of ''{{w|Masters of the Universe}}''.
|-
| {{w|Gliese 581 f|f}} || Taupe Mars || A reference to Kim Stanley Robinson's Mars trilogy (Red Mars, Green Mars, Blue Mars).
|-
| {{w|Gliese 581 g|g}} || Jelly Filled Planet || Possibly a reference to the conjecture that this tidally locked planet has an isolated habitable zone under the substellar point, akin to the pocket of jelly in a jelly doughnut.
|-
| rowspan=2 | {{w|Epsilon Eridani}} || {{w|Epsilon Eridani b|b}} || Skydot ||
|-
| {{w|Epsilon Eridani c#Planet_c|c}} || Laser Noises ||
|-
| rowspan=2 | {{w|Gliese 176}} || {{w|Gliese 176 b|b}} || {{w|Fictional universe of Avatar|Pandora}} || The fictional planet in James Cameron's ''{{w|Avatar (film)|Avatar}}''. Also the Planet used in {{w|Borderlands (video game)| Borderlands Games}}.
|-
| [http://exoplanet.eu/catalog/gj_176_c/ c] || Pantera ||
|-
| Kepler-61 || {{w|Kepler-61b|b}} || Goldenpalace.com || A Gambling Site.
|-
! colspan=4 | ...
|-
| style="white-space:nowrap;" rowspan=3 | {{w|Upsilon Andromedae}} || {{w|Upsilon Andromedae c|c}} || Stampy || The name of the elephant from the {{w|Simpsons}} episode, "Bart Gets an Elephant".
|-
| {{w|Upsilon Andromedae d|d}} || Moonchild ||
|-
| {{w|Upsilon Andromedae e|e}} || Ham Sphere ||
|-
| rowspan=3 | {{w|82 G. Eridani|HD 20794}} || [http://exoplanet.eu/catalog/hd_20794_b/ b] || Cosmic Sands || style="font-family:'Comic Sans MS', 'Comic Sans';" | A {{w|pun}} on the name of the font {{w|Comic Sans}}. (See also: [[590|590: Papyrus]].)
|-
| [http://exoplanet.eu/catalog/hd_20794_c/ c] || {{w|Legoland}} || {{w|Legoland}} is a chain of {{w|Theme_park|Theme Parks}} owned by the {{w|Lego Group}} and run by British company {{w|Merlin Entertainments}}.
|-
| [http://exoplanet.eu/catalog/hd_20794_d/ d] || Planet with Arms ||
|-
| {{w|HD 85512}} || {{w|HD 85512 b|b}} || Lax Morality ||
|-
| rowspan=6 | {{w|HD 40307}} || {{w|HD 40307 b|b}} || Good Planet ||
|-
| {{w|HD 40307 c|c}} || ProblemLand ||
|-
| {{w|HD 40307 d|d}} || Slickle ||
|-
| {{w|HD 40307 e|e}} || Spare Parts ||
|-
| {{w|HD 40307 f|f}} || New Jersey VI ||
|-
| {{w|HD 40307 g|g}} || How Do I Join the IAU || This implies that the user "got lost" on the IAU website and thought that the "planet name suggestion" input was for general queries.
|-
| rowspan=3 | {{w|Gliese 163}} || [http://exoplanet.eu/catalog/gj_163_b/ b] || Neil Tyson's Mustache ||
|-
| {{w|Gliese 163 c|c}} || help@gmail.com ||
|-
| [http://exoplanet.eu/catalog/gj_163_d/ d] || Hair-Covered Planet || [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hairy_ball_theorem A reference to a well-known theorem of topology.]
|-
| {{w|Pi Mensae}} || {{w|Pi Mensae b|b}} || Moon Holder ||
|-
| {{w|HD 189733}} || {{w|HD 189733 b|b}} || Permadeath ||
|-
| {{w|Kepler-22}} || {{w|Kepler-22 b|b}} || Blue Ivy || Blue Ivy Carter, daughter of musicians {{w|Beyoncé}} and {{w|Jay-Z}}.
|-
| Kepler-3284 || b || Blainsley ||
|-
| Kepler-3255 || b || Unicorn Thresher ||
|-
| Kepler-2418 || b || Spherical {{w|Discworld}} || A creation of British author {{w|Terry Pratchett|Sir Terry Pratchett}}, {{w|The Discworld}} is the fictional setting for his {{w|Discworld}} series of books and comprises of a large disc supported by four elephants themselves standing on top of a turtle flying through space.
|-
| Kepler-1686 || b || style="white-space:nowrap;" | Emergency Backup Earth ||
|-
| Kepler-3010 || b || Feeeoooooooop ||
|-
| Kepler-4742 || b || Liz ||
|}

==Transcript==
:August 2013:
:The International Astronomical Union decides to start naming exoplanets, and—for the first time ever—asks for suggestions from the general public.
:They immediately regret this decision.
:Cueball‏‎: Can't you filter out the worst ones?
:''The rightmost person'': This is '''''after''''' the filter!

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball‏‎]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Megan]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Ponytail]]
[[Category:Astronomy]]