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explain xkcd - User contributions [en]
2024-03-28T13:00:14Z
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https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=1948:_Campaign_Fundraising_Emails&diff=213201
1948: Campaign Fundraising Emails
2021-06-06T23:08:05Z
<p>108.162.221.20: </p>
<hr />
<div>{{comic<br />
| number = 1948<br />
| date = January 29, 2018<br />
| title = Campaign Fundraising Emails<br />
| image = campaign_fundraising_emails.png<br />
| titletext = The establishment doesn't take us seriously. You know who else they didn't take seriously? Hitler. I'll be like him, but a GOOD guy instead of…<br />
}}<br />
<br />
==Explanation==<br />
<br />
Many politicians and organizations in the United States have taken to using email to conduct aggressive fundraising drives seeking campaign contributions. Signing a petition or expressing interest in a cause can lead to being added to a myriad of mailing lists for similar groups, all looking for support. This comic shows a caricature of the kind of inbox that can result from this. The emails get more and more absurd as the list goes on. For example, the last one combines a request for campaign contributions with the infamous 'Nigerian prince' {{w|advance-fee scam}} phishing scheme.<br />
<br />
==The emails==<br />
<br />
{| border =1 width=100% cellpadding=5 class="wikitable"<br />
! E-mail Body !! Explanation<br />
|-<br />
|'''Donate now.''' It's crunch time, and we're low on cash. If you chip in just $5 by midnight, we…<br />
|This is the classic formula for campaign fundraising emails, and may be a real example. It is always "crunch time" during a campaign (at least between filing for candidacy and election day), and campaigns are always "low" on cash relative to the unlimited funding they would prefer. The ends of financial reporting periods, often at midnight, are conflated with "deadlines" of significant consequence. Further, the donation requested is less about the actual money - even if $5 each from several thousand voters can add up - but to get a donor to have their money placed on a candidate, making it more likely that donor will vote for the candidate (via encouraging {{w|Sunk cost#Loss_aversion_and_the_sunk_cost_fallacy|the "sunk cost" fallacy}}), or to allow the targeting of future messages based on how engaged the recipient is with the campaign.<br />
|-<br />
|'''Donate $35.57 now!''' Our data team has determined that we should ask you for $35.57 to optimize the…<br />
|A key factor in the success of a fundraising campaign is the amount of the donation that is asked for or suggested. Even if the donor is ultimately free to donate whatever amount they want, the initial 'ask' can have a significant effect on the amount donated, due to the psychological effect of {{w|anchoring}}. Increasing the suggested amount may increase the amount of the average donation, but it may also put some people off donating altogether. Finding the sweetspot allows the fundraiser to maximise the income generated.<br />
<br />
Most modern bulk mailing platforms allow users send different versions of their emails to recipients at random. Using analytics packages, they can then determine which version of their messages is most effective at eliciting the desired result (such as making a purchase, reading a story, etc.) from recipients, or even from particular segments, and to refine future emails accordingly. Use of these techniques has resulted in fundraisers moving away from traditional 'round' numbers ($10, $25, etc.) to ask for more unusual looking amounts which increase the average amount donated.<br />
<br />
However, it would be unusual to use quite such a precise amount, as it would tend to betray the fact that it has been calculated simply to manipulate the recipient, which may appear cynical and put many off donating altogether. The email then compounds this by stating outright that this is what they have done.<br />
|-<br />
|'''Help.''' Our campaign made some mistakes and we need a lot of money ASAP. Any kind, but cash is…<br />
|This email is honest about the campaign's incompetence, but is not likely to get much sympathy, except perhaps from those already very sympathetic to the candidate. Any campaign reduced to this level has probably already lost. The email appears to be suggesting that they would much prefer that donors send cash, presumably in the mail. This would raise several red flags: it might suggest that the campaign's finances are in such disarray that it cannot process checks, credit cards, etc. in a timely manner, or it might be that they want to keep donations off the books so that they can be diverted elsewhere, or to circumvent electoral spending restrictions. Even if no dishonesty is intended, it would increase the chances that cash could be stolen or otherwise misused more readily than other forms of payment.<br />
|-<br />
|'''Washington is broken.''' When I win, I'll look those other senators in the eye and tell them: "Jobs." Then I…<br />
|This email, apparently from a candidate for the US Senate, takes a common right-wing populist approach of repeating various {{w|Dog-whistle_politics|dog-whistle}} phrases to imply that they will stand up for the interests of the common people against a system that is rigged against them, without giving any meaningful indication of what they intend to achieve. Not only is the mere statement of "jobs", without any kind of explanation of what problems they believe there are, or what they suggest doing about it, entirely unhelpful, they also seem to suggest that, despite them being elected, it would be everybody else's responsibility to solve it.<br />
|-<br />
|'''Hopeless.''' It's bad. Really bad. If you don't chip in now, the darkness spreading across the land will…<br />
|This is a favorite of moral campaigns, on both sides of a debate. Grand statements about evil and corruption taking over the country if the campaign does not get enough support are common, but they are extremely biased and dramatic. The wording in this case is also somewhat archaic and melodramatic, making it sound like something from a fantasy novel.<br />
|-<br />
|As the first woman to fly a fighter jet through our state's formerly all-male university, I learned…<br />
|Candidates often like to portray themselves as trailblazers for a particular community, who have persevered and achieved despite the odds. Normally, one would make a virtue of being the first ''from'' a university to do something, rather than the first to achieve something involving the university itself. Flying a plane through a university is risky, at the very least, and depending on the definition of "through", could imply destruction of buildings or the plane itself, which might paint the candidate in an irresponsible light. The implication of "formerly all-male university" may be that the university was changed from being all-male in response to this candidate wrecking it with a fighter jet. This may also refer to the viral 2017 Congressional campaign ad of {{w|Amy McGrath}}, the first female Marine to fly an {{w|McDonnell Douglas F/A-18 Hornet|F-18}} in combat.<br />
|-<br />
|'''We're broke.''' No paid staff. No ads. And the cafe has told us to stop using their WiFi to send fundraising…<br />
| This campaign tactic attempts to appeal to the reader's sympathy by describing financial struggles and poverty, but these tactics may instead make the movement look pathetic and poorly-organized, especially because the group is apparently so poor, they can't afford premises of their own to run the campaign from, or an internet connection to continue sending emails to ask for funding.<br />
|-<br />
|When Amy decided to run for Congress, I was like "Huh?" but I checked Wikipedia, and apparently it's a branch of…<br />
|The first few words here might suggest the writer is about to explain how, having initially been sceptical, Amy's inspirational message and / or character has won them over to her campaign. This kind of message is used to make a candidate seem relatable and credible. In fact, though, they just didn't know what she was talking about, as they didn't know what Congress was. Since they clearly don't know much about the subject, this would fail to lend the weight it is aiming to.<br />
<br />
Furthermore, while a familiar tone could also be part of a communication strategy to make the message seem relatable, this takes it to an extreme that would probably come across as unprofessional and lacking in seriousness.<br />
|-<br />
|'''Are you familiar''' with the Dutch painter Hieronymous Bosch? His work illustrates my opponent's plan for…<br />
|The works of {{w|Hieronymus Bosch}} are famous for depictions of {{w|Hell}} and {{w|Limbo}} as brutal places of highly imaginative torments, which the sender implies would be similar to the country under their opponent's plan. This mocks the tendency of political campaigns to present an exaggerated view of how bad things would be if their political rivals were elected.<br />
|-<br />
|Being a single mom running a small business while going to law school while being deployed to Iraq taught me…<br />
|Each of these are typical credentials that a candidate might cite in order to imply that they are hardworking and committed. However, it is extremely unlikely that one person would take on all of these responsibilities at the same time, and attempting to do so might suggest that they lack focus and aren't really that committed to any one thing. Also, it would be very difficult for someone to do all of these things simultaneously (e.g. running a small business while deployed in Iraq), so the person might come across as lying in order to impress people.<br />
|-<br />
|'''I will lead the fight''' against the big banks, special interests, the Earth's climate, and our children. I…<br />
|This is another populist message listing off hot button topics. However, after starting out with some typical promises to fight fairly commonly despised things, it then becomes more controversial. It promises to fight the climate, with the peculiar implication that damaging the climate is the goal, and 'our children', which most voters would think would need protecting. This may be suggesting that politicians using these kind of messages are likely to be hiding bad intentions behind their attractive sounding slogans. The fight "against our children" may be a reference to a popular {{w|Bushism}}.<br />
|-<br />
|'''Wow.''' Have you seen this video of the squirrel obstacle course? Incredible! Anyway, I'm running because I…<br />
|A typical form of {{w|clickbait}}. (Don't read another table entry until you've followed that link! Reference #10 will shock you). It also may be referencing the Mark Rober squirrel obstacle course, which was a widespread video at the time of this publishing.<br />
|-<br />
|'''Outrageous.''' Granted, this was a few years ago, but did you hear what President Ford said about…<br />
|When a politician makes an offensive comment, it's common for the politician's opponents to send out fundraising emails pointing out the politician's offensiveness as a way of generating donations to the fight against them. Political strategists will often keep dossiers of such remarks to be used when needed in campaigning season. More recently, there has been a trend for trawling opponents' social media accounts for controversial comments they may have made several years previously, or even as a youth. Here, the sender's reaction and e-mail fundraising effort appears to be unusually delayed, as it refers to an alleged comment by {{w|Gerald Ford}}, whose term as President of the United States ended in 1977 and who died in 2006.<br />
|-<br />
|'''Whoops.''' Due to a typo, we spent months running attack ads against Tom Hanks. Now, we need to make up for…<br />
|The email apologises for running months of attack ads against American actor {{w|Tom Hanks}}. Hanks is generally a popular and uncontroversial figure with [http://archive.boston.com/ae/celebrity/articles/2008/01/06/nice_guy_tom_hanks/ a reputation] for being [https://www.ranker.com/list/tom-hanks-was-the-best/lisa-waugh nice and likable in person], making him an unusual target for attack ads. This implies that the sender does not even know who their opponent is, and has mistakenly targeted the wrong person, demonstrating some significant ignorance and incompetence.<br />
|-<br />
|'''They say we can't win—'''that we're "underdogs" with "no money" who "lost the election last week." But they don't…<br />
|In multi-candidacy electoral races, campaigns will often suggest that a rival 'can't win here', sometimes prefaced with an appeal to authority, such as 'Polls show...'. The hope is that some supporters of the candidate being attacked may be persuaded to switch their vote to the candidate whose campaign it is, in an effort to prevent a third, more disliked, candidate from being elected. Here, the approach seems to be a campaign mocking the opposition's statements about themselves, defiantly exhibiting the negative feedback against them before leading into some point to prove the arguments wrong. However, the complaints being mocked seem like serious flaws in the campaign, and indeed, it seems to confess that they ''already lost'', and thus have no purpose for a campaign anymore. Any campaign continuing to email supporters after losing is clearly in deep denial, especially if it thinks the negative press about it is unjustified. <br />
<br />
This may refer to {{w|Roy Moore#U.S. Senate special election campaign|Roy Moore's attempts}} to overturn his loss in the December 2017 election for one of Alabama's US Senate seats, which came about a month before this comic and made national headlines. After the initial election count had him losing, he demanded a recount. That initial count said he had lost by a large enough margin that Alabama law required him to pay up front for a recount, and his campaign did not have enough funds available.<br />
|-<br />
|'''Our campaign's only chance''' is to seduce Jennifer ActBlue, heir to the ActBlue fortune. For that, we need a fancy…<br />
|This e-mail alludes to [https://secure.actblue.com/ ActBlue], a political action committee that provides technology to help Democrat and progressive organizations to campaign and collect donations online. In reality, there is no ActBlue family, nor any "Jennifer ActBlue" who is the heir to its fortune; the name ActBlue is a portmanteau from the words "action", in a political sense, and the color "blue", which is {{w|Red states and blue states|closely associated}} with the Democratic Party in the USA. <br />
|-<br />
|'''Doom.''' Where is the horse and the rider? Where is the horn that was blowing? They have passed, like rain on…<br />
|This is an excerpt from {{w|J. R. R. Tolkien|Tolkien's}} poem ''[http://tolkiengateway.net/wiki/Lament_for_the_Rohirrim Lament of the Rohirrim,]'' appearing in ''{{w|The Two Towers}}'':<br /><br />
Where now the horse and the rider? Where is the horn that was blowing? <br /><br />
Where is the helm and the hauberk, and the bright hair flowing? <br /><br />
Where is the hand on the harpstring, and the red fire glowing? <br /><br />
Where is the spring and the harvest and the tall corn growing? <br /><br />
They have passed like rain on the mountain, like a wind in the meadow; <br /><br />
The days have gone down in the West behind the hills into shadow. <br /><br />
Who shall gather the smoke of the dead wood burning, <br /><br />
Or behold the flowing years from the Sea returning?<br />
|-<br />
|'''Warmest greetings.''' I am the crown prince of Nigeria. I am running for Congress because I believe that…<br />
|The opening line is designed to sound like spam for an {{W | Advance-fee scam}}. These scams typically involve impersonating someone rich, often a Nigerian prince, who claims to be in trouble and promises to share a large sum of money if the victim helps him by sending a small fee in advance. However, the second sentence of this email switches to sounding like a political fundraising email instead of an outright scam. This is either to establish a degrading comparison between flagrant scams and fundraising emails, or just to create a bait-and-switch joke.<br />
|-<br />
|The establishment doesn't take us seriously. You know who else they didn't take seriously? Hitler. I'll be like him, but a GOOD guy instead of… (title text)<br />
|A candidate who compares himself to {{w|Hitler}}, even when promising to be GOOD instead, will probably not get many votes. The title text does however conform to {{w|Godwin's law}}.<br />
|}<br />
<br />
==Transcript==<br />
:[An e-mail inbox window is displayed. On each line appears an illegible e-mail address and a checkbox.]<br />
:'''Donate now.''' <span style=color:#5c5c5c>It's crunch time, and we're low on cash. If you chip in just $5 by midnight, we…</span><br />
:'''Donate $35.57 now!''' <span style=color:#5c5c5c>Our data team has determined that we should ask you for $35.57 to optimize the…</span><br />
:'''Help.''' <span style=color:#5c5c5c>Our campaign made some mistakes and we need a '''lot''' of money ASAP. Any kind, but cash is…</span><br />
:'''Washington is broken.''' <span style=color:#5c5c5c>When I win, I'll look those other senators in the eye and tell them: "Jobs." Then I…</span><br />
:'''Hopeless.''' <span style=color:#5c5c5c>It's bad. Really bad. If you don't chip in now, the darkness spreading across the land will…</span><br />
:<span style=color:#5c5c5c>As the first woman to fly a fighter jet through our state's formerly all-male university, I learned…<br/><br />
:'''We're broke.''' <span style=color:#5c5c5c>No paid staff. No ads. And the cafe has told us to stop using their wifi to send fundraising…</span><br />
:<span style=color:#5c5c5c>When Amy decided to run for Congress, I was like "Huh?" but I checked Wikipedia, and apparently it's a branch of…</span><br />
:'''Are you familiar''' <span style=color:#5c5c5c>with the Dutch painter Hieronymous Bosch? His work illustrates my opponent's plan for…</span><br />
:<span style=color:#5c5c5c>Being a single mom running a small business while going to law school while being deployed to Iraq taught me…</span><br />
:'''I will lead the fight''' <span style=color:#5c5c5c>against the big banks, special interests, the Earth's climate, and our children. I…</span><br />
:'''Wow.''' <span style=color:#5c5c5c>Have you seen this video of the squirrel obstacle course? Incredible! Anyway, I'm running because I…</span><br />
:'''Outrageous.''' <span style=color:#5c5c5c>Granted, this was a few years ago, but did you hear what President Ford said about…</span><br />
:'''Whoops.''' <span style=color:#5c5c5c>Due to a typo, we spent months running attack ads against Tom Hanks. Now, we need to make up for…</span><br />
:'''They say we can't win—'''<span style=color:#5c5c5c>that we're "underdogs" with "no money" who "lost the election last week." But they don't…</span><br />
:'''Our campaign's only chance''' <span style=color:#5c5c5c>is to seduce Jennifer ActBlue, heir to the ActBlue fortune. For that, we need a fancy…</span><br />
:'''Doom.''' <span style=color:#5c5c5c>Where is the horse and the rider? Where is the horn that was blowing? They have passed, like rain on…</span><br />
:'''Warmest greetings.''' <span style=color:#5c5c5c>I am the crown prince of Nigeria. I am running for Congress because I believe that…</span><br />
<br />
{{comic discussion}}<br />
[[Category:Politics]]<br />
[[Category:Comics featuring Hitler]]</div>
108.162.221.20
https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=2472:_Fuzzy_Blob&diff=213140
2472: Fuzzy Blob
2021-06-05T04:28:20Z
<p>108.162.221.20: /* Explanation */ Discussed Randall's message and made other changes</p>
<hr />
<div>{{comic<br />
| number = 2472<br />
| date = June 4, 2021<br />
| title = Fuzzy Blob<br />
| image = fuzzy_blob.png<br />
| titletext = If there's no dome, how do you explain the irregularities the board discovered in the zoning permits issued in that area!?<br />
}}<br />
<br />
==Explanation==<br />
{{incomplete|Created by a UNIDENTIFIED FUZZY OBJECT. Please mention here why this explanation isn't complete. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}<br />
<br />
Cueball is taking a picture of his house, but sees a large fuzzy blob on the side of the picture. This blob likely comes from Cueball accidentally putting one of his fingers partially in front of the lens, especially because the first panel shows that there is not a giant object next to the house in real life. This is a common enough occurrence with smartphones that an ordinary user should immediately be able to identify the problem; however, the comic derives humor from having neither Cueball nor anyone else come to this conclusion.<br />
<br />
Likely, this comic stems from the resurgent talk of {{w|unidentified flying object|unidentified flying objects}} (UFOs), which the military calls “unidentified aerial phenomena” (UAPs), likely to clarify that they are probably not of alien origin. The topic regained popularity after the {{w|United States Department of Defense}} (DoD) recently [https://www.cnn.com/2021/05/04/politics/pentagon-ufo-enquiry/index.html confirmed the authenticity of 3 videos] taken by US Naval personnel. Randall appears to be suggesting that there is a simple and obvious explanation for the objects, such as birds or dirt on the navy's camera lenses, that most people in the general public are missing and that [[2359: Evidence of Alien Life|any definitive conclusion of aliens is overhyped]].<br />
<br />
==Transcript==<br />
{{incomplete transcript|Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}<br />
<br />
Cueball takes picture: CLICK<br />
<br />
Caption: What the...<br />
<br />
White Hat: What's that fuzzy blob next to your house? It's huge!<br />
<br />
Cueball: I don't know! I looked up and it was gone!<br />
<br />
White Hat: How can a giant structure vanish?<br />
<br />
White Hat: ...Cloaking device?!!<br />
<br />
Reporter: The fuzzy blob, dubbed "flob" by internet sleuths, has city planners stumped.<br />
<br />
City Planner 1: No, that's not any type of building I'm familiar with.<br />
<br />
City Planner 2: Could be an experimental military dome.<br />
<br />
Zoning Board Representative: The zoning board investigation has found no evidence of a cloaked dome structure. The historical commission will be joining the research into these domes and other unusual buildings, such as the historic 4th ave church...<br />
<br />
Reporter: This only raises more questions.<br />
{{comic discussion}}</div>
108.162.221.20
https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=Talk:2471:_Hippo_Attacks&diff=213046
Talk:2471: Hippo Attacks
2021-06-03T11:59:57Z
<p>108.162.221.20: </p>
<hr />
<div><!--Please sign your posts with ~~~~ and don't delete this text. New comments should be added at the bottom.--><br />
'Hippo violation' refers to Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA or the Kennedy–Kassebaum Act) - probably ;) [[Special:Contributions/172.69.35.95|172.69.35.95]] 22:08, 2 June 2021 (UTC)<br />
:I've worked with demographic data and experienced the removal of datapoints with only a couple people in them, because the statistics would reveal the details of the people. [[Special:Contributions/172.70.114.48|172.70.114.48]] 22:26, 2 June 2021 (UTC)<br />
:Strictly speaking, wouldn't this be a HIPOO violation? [[Special:Contributions/172.68.142.171|172.68.142.171]] 22:47, 2 June 2021 (UTC)<br />
:Alternatively, it may refer to violation of [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hippocratic_Oath Hippocratic Oath] which include provision to respect patients' privacy [[User:Aufa|Aufa]] ([[User talk:Aufa|talk]])<br />
"But, counting every body of water on the planet, this works out as around 400 (unique) waves per square meter" - Can we get a source for this information? [[Special:Contributions/108.162.221.20|108.162.221.20]] 11:59, 3 June 2021 (UTC)</div>
108.162.221.20
https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=2466:_In_Your_Classroom&diff=212406
2466: In Your Classroom
2021-05-24T13:59:37Z
<p>108.162.221.20: /* Table of subjects */</p>
<hr />
<div>{{comic<br />
| number = 2466<br />
| date = May 21, 2021<br />
| title = In Your Classroom<br />
| image = in_your_classroom.png<br />
| titletext = Ontology is way off to the left and geography is way off to the right.<br />
}}<br />
<br />
==Explanation==<br />
{{incomplete|Created by a QUASAR IN YOUR CLASSROOM. The table is still a work in progress. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}<br />
[[Randall]] has created a thought experiment and corresponding chart about school courses. The idea is, "the subject of the class appears in the classroom" and the chart compares how dangerous and how unusual that would be. <br />
<br />
In the title text two points that are off the chart to the left and right are also mentioned. See details about all the subjects in the [[#Table of subjects|table]] below.<br />
<br />
Note that Randall uses similar diagrams in each of [[388: Fuck Grapefruit]], [[1242: Scary Names]] and [[1501: Mysteries]], which also contain different items. They also have extra points mentioned in the title text. In the first two comics the points are also off the chart, whereas for the last the description of the point is too long to fit on the chart. Extra info outside the chart is also used in the title text of [[1785: Wifi]], but this is a line graph.<br />
<br />
==Table of subjects==<br />
{| class="wikitable"<br />
|+Breakdown of Subjects<br />
|-<br />
!Course Topic<br />
!Weirdness<br />
!Badness<br />
!Explanation<br />
|-<br />
<br />
!scope=row|Atmospheric Physics<br />
|0%<br />
|0%<br />
|The presence of atmosphere in the classroom is quite common, as humans require the presence of an atmosphere to remain alive, and humans cannot learn while dead.{{Citation needed}}<br />
|-<br />
<br />
!scope=row|Ethics<br />
|25%<br />
|0%<br />
|Ethical thinking and behavior are widely considered good and should normally be present in education, but are sadly not universal.<br />
|-<br />
<br />
!scope=row|Education<br />
|0%<br />
|10%<br />
|Learning usually goes on in classrooms, so education as a concept is both being learned about and present in the form of learning itself.<br />
|-<br />
<br />
!scope=row|Bibliography<br />
|25%<br />
|7%<br />
|Bibliography is the study of books, and books are normally present in classrooms, particularly bibliography classrooms.<br />
|-<br />
<br />
!scope=row|Human Physiology<br />
|0%<br />
|20%<br />
|This comic assumes that there are humans learning in the classroom, which was true at the time this comic was published, although in many places at the time the comic was published, many classrooms were closed due to COVID-19 restrictions.<br />
|-<br />
<br />
!scope=row|Public Speaking<br />
|25%<br />
|15%<br />
|Some classes require students to present things in front of the class, which is likely a requirement in a public speaking class. Thus, public speaking itself would be present in the class.<br />
Some classes also have a teacher talking or presenting to the students from the front of the class, another form of public speaking.<br />
|-<br />
<br />
!scope=row|Architecture<br />
|0%<br />
|30%<br />
|All buildings can be considered architecture, and most classes take place in buildings. This comic also refers to a class''room'', which is a room, and therefore considered architecture.<br />
|-<br />
<br />
!scope=row|Library Science<br />
|25%<br />
|25%<br />
|Library science is concerned with the organization of knowledge, and is useful for finding information. Many classes require research papers that require the use of books and other sources of information to complete them. This would be even more appropriate for a class actually taught in the school library.<br />
|-<br />
<br />
!scope=row|Furniture Design<br />
|0%<br />
|40%<br />
|Most rooms have furniture,{{Citation needed}} so this would probably be present in a classroom<br />
|-<br />
<br />
!scope=row|Culinary Arts<br />
|40%<br />
|30%<br />
|Most studies of culinary arts include the teacher and/or students preparing food using the tools and/or techniques that have been taught, so it would be fairly normal for food to be a result of classroom activities. How ''good'' it is, however, can be a mixed bag, especially for student cooking attempts.<br />
|-<br />
<br />
!scope=row|Ergonomics<br />
|5%<br />
|45%<br />
|Ergonomic equipment and workspaces promote comfort and efficiency, while non-ergonomic ones may be unpleasant, unhealthy, or even immediately dangerous.<br />
|-<br />
<br />
!scope=row|Botany<br />
|40%<br />
|40%<br />
|The near-neutral position of Botany (aka Plant Biology) obscures a wide range of possible outcomes, from the banal to the malignant. A teacher might have brought in a potted plant for decoration or show-n-tell, which would have zero weirdness and (if a non-allergenic species) zero danger. Or, a tree might have fallen through the roof, highly dangerous and weird, especially if it occurred during calm weather (weather likely to result in trees falling would probably have closed the school prior to treefall). This assumes that the event involves a vegetable and not an element of consumerism or purchasing.<br />
|-<br />
<br />
!scope=row|20th Century Authors<br />
|65%<br />
|10%<br />
|Literature classes would benefit greatly from an open discussion or interview with the author himself. Sadly such things are rare, but not unheard of, putting it slightly on the "weird" side of the spectrum. Well-known authors of the 20th century have an increased likelihood of being retired or dead by 2021, but there are more authors of the 20th century who are well-established enough to be studied.<br />
|-<br />
<br />
!scope=row|Exobiology<br />
|100%<br />
|0%<br />
|Exobiology is the study of extraterrestrial life. This would mean that an alien life-form was in the classroom.<br />
|-<br />
<br />
!scope=row|21st Century Authors<br />
|60%<br />
|20%<br />
|21st century authors have the advantage (over 19th and 20th century authors) of typically being alive and active at the time this comic was published. However, most authors who were primarily active in the 21st century are still developing their body of work, and/or still awaiting the judgment of history. The better availability of such authors, as compared to 20th century author probably explains the slightly lower "weirdness" score, while the limited body of truly prominent authors probably explains the lower "goodness" score. <br />
|-<br />
<br />
!scope=row|19th Century Authors<br />
|100%<br />
|15%<br />
|No author who was active in the 19th century was alive at the writing of this comic{{Citation needed}}, hence, having one of them show up in class would be extremely weird. The opportunity to interact with such a person would be utterly unique, meaning that it scores pretty high on the "goodness" metric, though interestingly not as high as a 20th century author. Possibly, the potential 'badness' of having a zombie or other reanimated being show up in your class is weighed against the advantage of having a historical figure there in person. <br />
|-<br />
<br />
!scope=row|Paleontology<br />
|100%<br />
|25%<br />
|Paleontology is the study of the history of life on Earth as based on fossils. In geology classes, it would be normal to have some fossils in the classroom. However, fossils are not usually found in other classrooms, and especially below the college level. Randall is also probably implying the weirdness of finding a live ''Jurassic Park''-style dinosaur. <br />
|-<br />
<br />
!scope=row|Robotics<br />
|55%<br />
|30%<br />
|A course on robotics would often be expected to have some form of working models of the robots being discussed.<br />
|-<br />
<br />
!scope=row|Martian Soil Chemistry<br />
|100%<br />
|35%<br />
|Martian soil only reaches Earth in small amounts, so it would be unusual to find a meaningful amount anywhere, except Mars.<br />
|-<br />
<br />
!scope=row|Tourism<br />
|75%<br />
|40%<br />
|Tourists coming into an active classroom would be quite unusual. It could refer to the students leaving to become tourists in another location.<br />
|-<br />
<br />
!scope=row|Child Psychology<br />
|60%<br />
|45%<br />
|Child study is the study of the psychological processes of children and how they differ from those of adults. It could mean one group of children in the class analyzing the behaviour of the other group and vice versa, which could mean each student has their own interpretation of the other group's behaviour, or it could mean that the teacher analyses the behaviour of the children and explaining it, which could mean a psychologist has to be involved.<br />
|-<br />
<br />
!scope=row|Entomology<br />
|15%<br />
|55%<br />
|Insects in the classroom. Some introductions, such as monarch butterfly caterpillars, are deliberate (to teach metamorphosis), and so normal and good. Ants commonly enter classrooms. An infestation of pharaoh ants is commonplace and relatively benign; of fire ants, commonplace in some places but concerning; of army ants, weird in most places and dangerous. See also Pest Control.<br />
|-<br />
<br />
!scope=row|Occupational Therapy<br />
|10%<br />
|62%<br />
|Injury, illness or mental health problem that hinder your participation in life/school. Many students who have significant physical injuries and conditions that require occupational therapy would generally not engage in those activities during a class, although volunteers may be brought in as a demonstration of a particular health problem or method of treatment.<br />
|-<br />
<br />
!scope=row|Hydraulic Engineering<br />
|40%<br />
|62%<br />
|Likely in the form of flooding or plumbing problems.<br />
|-<br />
<br />
!scope=row|Pest Control<br />
|25%<br />
|70%<br />
|Pests may be naturally present in the building, depending on age and level of maintenance done, so students may get the opportunity to partake in some informal pest-control methods during class (such as killing via blunt-force impact). Professional pest control, however, usually involves using harmful chemicals as a method of mass extermination, limiting the ability of students to observe the process, besides causing unhealthy exposure to large amounts of pesticides. (Although, watching a professional pest controller at work would be an immense boon to students studying the topic). <br />
|-<br />
<br />
!scope=row|Foodborne Illness<br />
|15%<br />
|80%<br />
|Sometimes students in a culinary arts class do not properly observe hygiene standards and the food they present would lead to illness in those that consume the food. Thankfully, this is rare if the teacher is paying enough attention to proceedings. Students could also be ill from food eaten outside of class.<br />
|-<br />
<br />
!scope=row|Criminal Law<br />
|45%<br />
|85%<br />
|This might happen if a crime occurs in the class.<br />
|-<br />
<br />
!scope=row|Physiology of Stress<br />
|0%<br />
|90%<br />
|This would be a sign of stress severe enough to affect bodily functions, likely to an unhealthy extent.<br />
|-<br />
<br />
!scope=row|Oncology<br />
|25%<br />
|100%<br />
|Someone in the room likely has cancer.<br />
|-<br />
<br />
!scope=row|Ornithology<br />
|60%<br />
|55%<br />
|[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Birds_(film) Birds] in the classroom?<br />
|-<br />
<br />
!scope=row|Animation<br />
|100%<br />
|56%<br />
|Examples of animated works might be displayed to the students in an animation class. It would be weird for animated characters to appear physically in the classroom instead of being projected on screens. Possibly a reference to the game Bendy and the Ink Machine, which, if it appeared in the classroom, would be very weird and very bad.<br />
|-<br />
<br />
!scope=row|Petroleum Geology<br />
|65%<br />
|60%<br />
|Crude oil coming up through the floor of the classroom would be ''very'' weird.<br />
|-<br />
<br />
!scope=row|Highway Engineering<br />
|75%<br />
|65%<br />
|A highway being built through an active classroom would be very unusual and not that safe.<br />
|-<br />
<br />
!scope=row|Toxicology<br />
|55%<br />
|75%<br />
|Most likely, a toxic substance is present in the room. This is not very weird if the room is in a building that has asbestos-containing insulation (typically associated with buildings constructed before the 1990s, although it has not been specifically outlawed) or lead paint (which was fully outlawed in 1978, so any paint must have been applied prior to that date). However, toxic substances are, by definition, unsafe for humans (even students).<br />
|-<br />
<br />
!scope=row|Hematology<br />
|75%<br />
|70%<br />
|Hematology is the study of blood. Given that there should be blood in each of the students present{{Citation needed}}, we should probably assume Randall means "large quantities of blood outside of one's body", which would indeed be both bad and weird.<br />
|-<br />
<br />
!scope=row|Hostage Negotiation<br />
|70%<br />
|85%<br />
|Reasons as to why there would be hostage negotiations taking place at a school have horrifying implications for the students and teacher.<br />
|-<br />
<br />
!scope=row|History of Siege Warfare<br />
|100%<br />
|80%<br />
|This would mean that the students would be trapped in the building until they ran out of resources, possibly dying of thirst and starvation (depending on whether or not the opposing army destroyed the school's water lines). As an alternative, the classroom could be hit by a boulder hurled from a trebuchet, which would be weird and bad in an entirely different way.<br />
|-<br />
<br />
!scope=row|Trauma Surgery<br />
|55%<br />
|95%<br />
|Trauma surgery is an incredibly painful procedure, and difficult to look at for many. It would undoubtedly be disturbing to the class, especially if the patient was one of them.<br />
|-<br />
<br />
!scope=row|Volcanology<br />
|75%<br />
|95%<br />
|Having a live volcano in one's classroom is both very dangerous and very weird {{Citation needed}}. Volcanoes mature over very long time frames, but even the earliest stages are highly disruptive and potentially deadly, as seen in the [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Par%C3%ADcutin#Formation 1943 eruption of Paricutín] and the [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2018_lower_Puna_eruption#Eruption 2018 flank eruption of Kilauea]. Note this also applies to [[1611: Baking Soda and Vinegar | baking soda and vinegar volcanoes that are offshoots of much larger vinegar hotspots]].<br />
|-<br />
<br />
!scope=row|Quasar Astronomy<br />
|75%<br />
|100%<br />
|Quasars are distant astronomical objects that release large amounts of energy. Not only would the power of a quasar destroy the classroom (as well as the rest of Earth,) quasars are too large to fit inside any known classroom. For example, [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ULAS_J1342%2B0928 ULAS J1342+0928] has a mass of 8*10^8 solar masses. This means the event horizon of the black hole is almost 16 AU in radius, and this size does not include the accretion disk. <br />
|-<br />
<br />
!scope=row|Ontology (Title Text)<br />
|<0%<br />
|?<br />
|Ontology is the philosophical study of existence and being. Since there must be ''something'' learning in the classroom, it is unsurprising that ontology is a normal subject to appear in the classroom.<br />
|-<br />
<br />
!scope=row|Geography (Title Text)<br />
|>100%<br />
|?<br />
|Logistics aside, having a planet's terrain newly appear in one's classroom would almost certainly be a distraction to the learning environment.<br />
<br />
|}<br />
<br />
==Transcript==<br />
{{incomplete transcript|Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}<br />
<br />
:[Caption above scatter plot with labeled axes]<br />
:Caption: The thing you study just showed up in your classroom! That's...<br />
:Upper y-axis label: Good<br />
:Lower y-axis label: Bad<br />
:Upper x-axis label: Normal<br />
:Lower x-axis label: Weird<br />
<br />
:[First quadrant (left to right, top to bottom):]<br />
:20th century authors<br />
:Exobiology<br />
:21st century authors<br />
:19th century authors<br />
:Robotics<br />
:Paleontology<br />
:Martian soil chemistry<br />
:Child psychology<br />
:Tourism<br />
:[Second quadrant]<br />
:Atmospheric physics<br />
:Ethics<br />
:Education<br />
:Bibliography<br />
:Human physiology<br />
:Public speaking<br />
:Architecture<br />
:Library science<br />
:Furniture design<br />
:Culinary arts<br />
:Ergonomics<br />
:Botany<br />
:[Third quadrant]<br />
:Entomology<br />
:Occupational therapy<br />
:Hydraulic engineering<br />
:Pest control<br />
:Foodborne illness<br />
:Criminal law<br />
:Physiology of stress<br />
:Oncology<br />
:[Fourth quadrant]<br />
:Ornithology<br />
:Animation<br />
:Petroleum geology<br />
:Highway engineering<br />
:Toxicology<br />
:Hematology<br />
:Hostage negotiation<br />
:History of siege warfare<br />
:Trauma surgery<br />
:Volcanology<br />
:Quasar astronomy<br />
<br />
{{comic discussion}}<br />
<br />
[[Category:Charts]]<br />
[[Category:Rankings]]<br />
[[Category:Food]]<br />
[[Category:Cancer]]<br />
[[Category:Animals]]<br />
[[Category:Geology]]<br />
[[Category:Astronomy]]<br />
[[Category:Volcanoes]]</div>
108.162.221.20
https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=Talk:2465:_Dimensional_Chess&diff=212184
Talk:2465: Dimensional Chess
2021-05-19T21:35:02Z
<p>108.162.221.20: added a comment that this game could be a real game</p>
<hr />
<div><!--Please sign your posts with ~~~~ and don't delete this text. New comments should be added at the bottom.--><br />
How best to describe the addition of dimensions? The admirable first author goes as far as the second row, but there appear to be more... ahem... 'depths'. The first is 'sideways', though from this non-playing angle it's depthways; the second adds verticality; the third initially looks to be '4d represented in 3d' perspective (now further represented in 2d, by perspective method), but the sole cube atop confuses me; the fourth is... busy... and seems to go with a hyper(hyper)cubic continuation. [[Special:Contributions/141.101.99.161|141.101.99.161]] 18:05, 19 May 2021 (UTC)<br />
<br />
not quite what is demonstrated in the comic but there is a game called 5 dimensional chess with multiverse time travel --[[Special:Contributions/172.68.57.189|172.68.57.189]] 19:00, 19 May 2021 (UTC)<br />
<br />
I think this would require 5 dimensions rather than 4 as the middle rows are 4d slices of a 5d space just as the second row is a 2d slice of a 3d space<br />
[[Special:Contributions/172.69.35.193|172.69.35.193]] 20:23, 19 May 2021 (UTC)<br />
<br />
Is there an error on the top board of this image? If I look at the sequence of squares on the vertical, they alternate black/white except for the top board. Even if I were missing some aspect of the logic, I feel like there should be some symmetry between top and bottom. [[Special:Contributions/108.162.221.70|108.162.221.70]] 20:52, 19 May 2021 (UTC)<br />
<br />
Note that white made a horse move on the left side of the board, forward one and up two [[Special:Contributions/172.68.57.189|172.68.57.189]] 21:11, 19 May 2021 (UTC)<br />
<br />
I interpreted the comic as the first row is normal chess- 2 dimensional. The second row starts the boards above and below- 3d. The third row would be 4d, and the 4th row would be 5d. ----<br />
<br />
Pretty sure this is just funny commentary on people making more and more complex variations of chess, Quantum Chess, 4D Chess, 5D chess with time travel etc... but part of me looks at this and goes "that could be a real game... that could actually be a good game." just me? [[Special:Contributions/108.162.221.20|108.162.221.20]] 21:35, 19 May 2021 (UTC) Sam</div>
108.162.221.20
https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=841:_Audiophiles&diff=124479
841: Audiophiles
2016-07-31T01:49:09Z
<p>108.162.221.20: typo</p>
<hr />
<div>{{comic<br />
| number = 841<br />
| date = December 31, 2010<br />
| title = Audiophiles<br />
| image = audiophiles.png<br />
| titletext = For years, I took the wrong lesson from that Monster Cable experiment and only listened to my music through alligator-clipped coat hangers.<br />
}}<br />
<br />
==Explanation==<br />
[[Cueball]] is buying some new speakers for his television, and asks [[Megan]] if they have the right cord to hook them up. Megan begins chiding him for using "crappy little laptop speakers", i.e. low-powered, low-quality speakers that don't faithfully reproduce the sound. <br />
<br />
Cueball and Megan reproduce the two extremes of the Audiophile arguments: Cueball simply wants something that works, regardless of the quality, whereas Megan wants to use speakers and sound to create beauty. Cueball seems to think that's unnecessary, and Megan snipes back that he's never heard beauty, so he wouldn't know; after all, he thinks low-bit-rate re-encodings from YouTube (at the time, notorious for dodgy sound quality) are perfectly fine music. Cueball, frustrated with Megan's perfectionism, states that he's just going to buy cheap, 5-watt speakers. While 5 watts may be a lot if you're, say, trying to fill the immediate area with sound from your MP3 player, it'd sound tinny and hollow, lacking any ommph, coming out of a television across the room. <br />
<br />
Cueball, annoyed, tells a {{w|snowclone}} joke, the content of which implies that the content doesn't matter to her, only the quality in which it's delivered to her ear. <br />
<br />
The title text is referring to a [http://forums.audioholics.com/forums/threads/speakers-when-is-good-enough-enough.2512/page-2 forum post from audioholics.com,] where a user did a blind audio test using monster cable and coat hangers with soldered on alligator clips, and the audiophiles were unable to discern any difference. Randall, getting the wrong idea from it, instead just uses coat-hangers to connect his speakers, not getting that that wasn't the point.<br />
<br />
==Transcript==<br />
:[Cueball and Megan are talking over the telephone. The first two panels are split diagonally. Cueball is at a store, holding a box, and Megan is consulting with him.]<br />
:Cueball: Do we have an RCA-to-3.5mm female-female plug? I'm getting some speakers for the new Xbox, since the monitor doesn't have any.<br />
:Megan: Are they crappy laptop speakers? ''Ugh.''<br />
<br />
:[Cueball is standing next to a sale rack.]<br />
:Cueball: Does it matter? I just want to hear if I'm getting shot at, not savor every detail of a beautiful musical soundscape.<br />
:Megan: You've never ''heard'' a beautiful musical soundscape. You listen to 96kbps flv rips from YouTube.<br />
<br />
:[Megan is walking.]<br />
:Cueball: Whatever. I'm just going to get these $20 speakers. Five watts will be plenty.<br />
:Megan: Five watts for a living room sound system? Is that a joke?<br />
<br />
:Cueball: No, this is a joke: How many audiophiles does it take to change a lightbulb?<br />
:Megan: How many?<br />
:Cueball: I'll tell you later—you wouldn't appreciate the punchline over this 12kbps cell phone codec.<br />
:''click''<br />
<br />
{{comic discussion}}<br />
[[Category:Comics featuring Megan]]<br />
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]<br />
[[Category:Video games]]</div>
108.162.221.20
https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=1707:_xkcd_Phone_4&diff=124478
1707: xkcd Phone 4
2016-07-31T01:39:12Z
<p>108.162.221.20: clarafication</p>
<hr />
<div>{{comic<br />
| number = 1707<br />
| date = July 15, 2016<br />
| title = xkcd Phone 4<br />
| image = xkcd_phone_4.png<br />
| titletext = The SpaceX system carefully guides falling phones down to the surface, a process which the phones increasingly often survive without exploding.<br />
}}<br />
<br />
==Explanation==<br />
<br />
This is the fourth entry in the ongoing [[:Category:xkcd Phones|xkcd Phone series]], and once again, the comic plays with many standard tech buzzwords to create a phone that sounds impressive but would actually be very impractical.<br />
<br />
From the top-left, going clockwise:<br />
* '''18,000 μAh (micro-Ampere hours) nickel-lithium-iron battery (non-rechargeable)''' Phone battery capacity is measured in {{w|ampere-hour}}s (which thanks to the magic of {{w|dimensional analysis}}, is just an unusual way of denoting electric charge, which equals 3600 Coulombs). Usually, the capacity is quoted in milliampere-hours (one-thousandth, or 10<sup>-3</sup>, of an ampere hour); however, this one is quoted in ''micro''ampere-hours (one-millionth, or 10<sup>-6</sup>, of an ampere-hour), presumably as a marketing ploy to give a more impressive-looking number. Quoted in more standard terms, this phone's battery capacity is 18 mAh. In comparison, an iPhone 6+ has a battery capacity of 2,750 mAh. This phone's battery is dreadful (under a typical current draw of 0.1A, it would power the phone for about 11 minutes). There is nothing normally called a "nickel-lithium-iron battery" - rather, this seems to be a [[739|malamanteau]] of the experimental {{w|nickel–lithium battery}} and the common {{w|lithium ion battery}} (which does not contain any iron) or the lithium-iron-phosphate battery, often called lithium-iron, but more often called the LiFePO battery. The {{w|nickel–iron battery}} may contain {{w|lithium hydroxide}}, but it's ''terrible'' for most applications. Worse, this battery is non-rechargeable, meaning that it would have to be replaced to use the phone again after it is exhausted (every 11 minutes, at that!).<br />
** [[XKCD Phone 3]] was powered by two {{w|AA battery|AA batteries}} (not included), which have an energy capacity roughly 100 times larger.<br />
** Many devices have a small second battery which is only used for keeping the clock time. This could be such a battery.<br />
* '''Subwoofer''' - A {{w|subwoofer}} is a large bass speaker, which this is not. Some phones do have high-quality speakers for playing music, but these are not placed right next to the earpiece - this would be a surefire way to deafen your users. When put next to Dog Whistle, this is probably a pun, since both relate to dogs; the sound a dog makes, at least in English, is "Woof".<br />
* '''"Dog whistle"''' - A {{w|dog whistle}} is a high-pitched whistle that humans cannot hear, but dogs can. In speaker terminology, a bass speaker is called a {{w|woofer}} because it could reproduce the low pitch of a dog bark. A treble speaker is a {{w|tweeter}}; if this "whistle" is actually a speaker, it might be termed a ''supertweeter''. The scare quotes may be a reference to "dog-whistle politics", in which certain phrases have a particular meaning to a segment of the audience that passes unnoticed by the rest. This allows a candidate to surreptitiously signal agreement with that group, without alienating the rest of the audience, among whom the ideas might be unpopular if plainly stated.<br />
** [[xkcd Phone 2]] contained a "dog noticer".<br />
* '''Non-porous, washable''' - On the one hand, it's rare for a phone to be made of porous materials. On the other, there are legitimately waterproof phones that seal the speakers and ports with rubber.<br />
** [[xkcd Phone 2]] was also washable (though only once).<br />
* '''''WebMD'' partnership: cough-activated feature reads aloud a random diagnosis for "coughing"''' - {{w|WebMD}} is a website to help people diagnose themselves. For the vast majority of people, a cough just means an irritated throat or maybe a cold, but selecting randomly from all WebMD diagnoses gives some much more ominous - if very unlikely - ones, including {{w|ricin}} poisoning, {{w|plague}}, {{w|lung cancer}} and {{w|radiation poisoning}}.<br />
* '''Wings''' - These {{w|wings}} resemble the ones found on {{w|sanitary towel}}s (sometimes called "pads", making this a possible iPad pun) which attach the pad to the {{w|gusset}} and keep it in place between the woman's legs during her period ({{w|Menstruation}} cycle). If actually functional as {{w|aerodynamic}} wings, they would likely come into play when the "SpaceX" impact protection feature becomes engaged, and would likely make holding the phone awkward if rigid.<br />
** [[XKCD Phone 3]] had a similarly positioned wristband.<br />
* '''Beveled bezel''' - The ''bezel'' is the ring around the edge of watches and screens. This one's {{w|bevel}}ed, which means it's cut at an angle.<br />
* '''Bezeled bevel''' - Punning on the above. Doesn't make much sense, but could mean that it features a beveled edge which is surrounded by a bezel.<br />
* '''Seedless''' - Fruit such as grapes can be "seedless", which means that they're grown from a special {{w|cultivar}} that doesn't grow seeds in the normal way. Making a phone seedless probably won't do anything, but {{w|Random seed|it might hurt}} its {{w|random number generator}}.<br />
** [[XKCD Phone 3]] was boneless.<br />
* '''Water resistant down to 30 meters and below 50''' - {{w|Water resistance}} is often measured in terms of how deep an object can be submerged, since pressure increases with depth. In this case, the phone can be submerged to almost any depth, but there's an odd lacuna between 30 meters and 50 meters. It also plays with the confusion in describing depths greater than 50m as "below 50". Alternatively, this might indicate the phone must remain dry above 50 meters altitude.<br />
** [[xkcd Phone]] and [[XKCD Phone 3]] could drown. The latter was otherwise waterproof. [[xkcd Phone 2]] was only waterproof internally.<br />
** In a previous comic, [[870: Advertising]], a similarly absurd range was used: "Up to 15% or more!"<br />
** This could be mocking the "donut hole" in American Medicare drugs insurance, where people are insured up to a certain amount, then not insured, then insured again. This doesn't appear to make sense to anyone.<br />
* '''Turing-complete''' - A computer is {{w|Turing completeness|Turing complete}} if it can perform all the operations needed to simulate a {{w|Turing machine}}. All modern computers are usually described as Turing complete, which would make this not very impressive, but no computer can ever be Turing complete in the truest sense (since they can only ever have a finite amount of memory) - if the xkcd Phone 4 is truly a universal computer, it's ''very'' impressive indeed.<br />
* '''Gregorian/Julian calendar date switch''' - The {{w|Julian calendar}} is the predecessor to the modern {{w|Gregorian calendar}} - the difference is that the two calendars calculate leap years differently. The current difference between the calenders is 13 days, which will remain unchanged until February 2100. The Julian calendar is still used occasionally--mainly by Eastern Orthodox Christians--but it's not something so vital that it needs a hardwired switch on the front of the phone.<br />
* '''''SpaceX'' impact protection: when dropped, phone lands on barge''' - The rocket company {{w|SpaceX}} recently trialed a {{w|SpaceX reusable launch system development program|reusable rocket stage}} which after separating from the launch vehicle, lands on a {{w|Autonomous spaceport drone ship|drone barge}} to be reused.<br />
* '''The title text''' pokes fun at the number of SpaceX rockets that [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V3wZRdg-Tmo crashed and exploded] before they got the landing gear right.<br />
* '''Parallel port''' - A {{w|parallel port}} is a type of interface which transfers high-volume simultaneous data. It was often used to connect printers and other devices to computers, but was generally considered obsolete by the time smartphones began to appear on the market, and would be very bulky and slow compared to the USB ports generally used in phones. It was commonly found together with {{w|serial port}}s, which are used for low-volume sequential data such as [[485: Depth|mouse]] [[1110: Click and Drag|movements]]. Here it is paired with a serial interface for analog data with parallel outputs for several people.<br />
* '''12 headphone jacks''' - Phones often include a single headphone jack to allow the user to privately listen to a call, play music, etc. Twelve of them would be pointless overkill, especially given the difficulty of getting twelve people close enough to all use their headphones. Presumably joking about the [http://www.businessinsider.com.au/apple-headphone-jack-iphone-side-effects-2016-7#/#smaller-headphone-makers-would-be-at-a-disadvantage-4 constant rumours] that Apple's next iPhone will not have any headphone jacks, and the weird vents on the bottom of the phone. It could also be a reference to one of the more [http://www.overclock3d.net/news/audio/sennheiser_shows_audio_module_concepts_for_project_ara/1 talked-about modules] for the upcoming [https://atap.google.com/ara/ Project Ara] phone from [http://www.google.com google] which gives 4 headphone jacks - not only allowing sharing between four people, but more usefully, would allow full surround-sound recording/playback at any location (something often limited to recording studios).<br />
* '''Onboard cloud''' - The "cloud" is a catch-all term for the use of remote computers to store data, providing a backup if all local copies are lost and allowing the data to be accessed from a broad network. An "onboard cloud" would thus be a contradiction in terms, and appears to be a marketing ploy to use the "cloud" buzzword to describe the device's onboard storage capacity.<br />
* '''New BrightGlo<sup>TM</sup> display incorporates genetically spliced jellyfish protein (should have used the glowing genes, not the stinging ones)''' - {{w|Aequorea victoria}} jellyfish contain a protein called {{w|green fluorescent protein}}, the gene for which has been isolated and can be used in many ways. Unfortunately, the developers of this phone took the wrong gene, and ended up getting [http://bmcgenomics.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12864-015-1568-3 one of the hundreds of proteins from jellyfish venom], which will presumably mean that touching the screen becomes a painful experience.<br />
* '''✓ Certified''' - Twitter certifies accounts related to music producers, government, journalism, business, sports, and other more "official" types of accounts with a blue checkmark besides the twitter handle (besides the @whomever). It's of course nonsense for a phone to be twitter verified. Alternatively, it might be a reference to [[1096: Clinically Studied Ingredient]], in which buzzwords such as "tested" and "certified" are intended to make a given product sound more legitimate.<br />
* '''Software-defined''' - {{w|Software-defined radio}}s are quite popular in some areas, meaning the radio hardware is quite universal and can be adapted to different radio protocols just by changing software. SDR would actually be quite a nice feature for a cellphone. Of course it doesn't specify if it's the radio that is software defined.<br />
* '''Exposed ductwork''' - A phone shouldn't even have ductwork, unless it has a very sophisticated cooling system, but this could supply air to the dog whistle. Exposed ductwork is a trademark of {{w|Bowellism|Bowellist}} architecture such as the {{w|Lloyd's Building}} in London and the {{w|Pompidou Centre}} in Paris. Exposed ductwork is also considered a crucial flaw in a death star. May also refer to a transparent window in the side of the phone allowing the user to see the circuitry inside, similar to computer cases with transparent side panels popular among DIY computing enthusiasts.<br />
* '''Voice interaction: {{w|Siri (software)|Siri}}, {{w|Cortana (software)|Cortana}}, {{w|Google Now}} and {{w|Amazon Echo|Alexa}} respond simultaneously''' - These are all {{w|intelligent personal assistant software}} (from Apple, Microsoft, Google and Amazon respectively) and all do the same thing: control your phone and answer questions using speech recognition. Having all four talk at once would mean you'd have a total cacophony while gaining nothing.<br />
** [[XKCD Phone 3]] might have included Siri.<br />
<br />
* '''Did you know "4" is "IV" in Roman numerals?<sup>®©™</sup>''' - the tenth version of Apple's {{w|operating system}} for its {{w|Macintosh computer}} was labeled {{w|OS X}}, which was intended to be read as "oh ess ten". {{w|Steve Jobs}} was irritated that everyone else preferred "oh ess ecks". This phrase is labeled with trademark and copyright symbols, as if someone desires it to be the product's {{w|tagline}} but has poor understanding of relevant laws. In particular, "<big>{{w|™}}</big>" is a symbol for {{w|unregistered trademark}}s while "<big>{{w|®}}</big>" is a symbol for {{w|registered trademark}}s. If the phrase were an unregistered trademark, the owner would be prohibited from using "<big>{{w|®}}</big>".<br />
<br />
==Transcript==<br />
:[An image of a smartphone featuring wings is shown. Clockwise from the top left the labels read:]<br />
<br />
:18,000 μAh nickel-lithium-iron battery (non-rechargeable)<br />
<br />
:Subwoofer<br />
<br />
:"Dog whistle"<br />
<br />
:Non-porous, washable<br />
<br />
:WebMD partnership: Cough-activated feature reads aloud a random diagnosis for "coughing"<br />
<br />
:Wings<br />
<br />
:Beveled bezel<br />
<br />
:Bezeled bevel<br />
<br />
:Seedless<br />
<br />
:Water resistant down to 30 meters and below 50<br />
<br />
:Turing-complete<br />
<br />
:Gregorian/Julian calendar switch<br />
<br />
:SpaceX impact protection: When dropped, phone lands on barge<br />
<br />
:Parallel port<br />
<br />
:12 headphone jacks<br />
<br />
:Onboard cloud<br />
<br />
:New BrightGlo<sup>TM</sup> display incorporates genetically spliced jellyfish protein (should have used the glowing genes, not the stinging ones)<br />
<br />
:✓ Certified<br />
<br />
:Software-defined<br />
<br />
:Exposed ductwork<br />
<br />
:Voice interaction: Siri, Cortana, Google Now and Alexa respond simultaneously<br />
<br />
:[Below the phone:]<br />
:Introducing<br />
:<big><big>The XKCD Phone 4</big></big><br />
:Did you know "4" is "IV" in Roman numerals?<sup>®©</sup>™<br />
<br />
{{comic discussion}}<br />
<br />
[[Category:xkcd Phones]]<br />
[[Category:Animals]] <!-- Dogs, Jellyfish --></div>
108.162.221.20
https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=1105:_License_Plate&diff=123502
1105: License Plate
2016-07-17T02:43:26Z
<p>108.162.221.20: missing period</p>
<hr />
<div>{{comic<br />
| number = 1105<br />
| date = September 7, 2012<br />
| title = License Plate<br />
| image = license_plate.png<br />
| titletext = The next day: 'What? Six bank robberies!? But I just vandalized the library!' 'Nice try. They saw your plate with all the 1's and I's.' 'That's impossible! I've been with my car the whole ti-- ... wait. Ok, wow, that was clever of her.'<br />
}}<br />
<br />
==Explanation==<br />
[[Cueball]] has obtained a new {{w|Vehicle registration plate|license plate}}. The license plate number one receives is often the next in sequence, available at the time and place of registration. However, in many localities, for an additional fee one can select his or her own "personalized" license plate number (called a {{w|vanity plate}}), subject to certain criteria, and availability.<br />
<br />
In this comic, Cueball has elected to purchase the personalized license plate number "1I1-III1". He believes the ambiguity between the letter I and digit 1 on the plate will make it very difficult for anyone to correctly identify his vehicle if he commits a crime. Some localities have more distinct "1" and "I" characters in their license plate font than others.<br />
<br />
What Cueball does not count on is that there are few, if any, other people who have chosen license numbers made up entirely of the letter I and digit 1. Thus, when witnesses report a vehicle with a license plate of I's and 1's, the police know exactly who the perpetrator is. Given either Cueball's apparent crime sprees or their realizing immediately upon the license plate's registration what Cueball's intent was, the police have written the address on a {{w|Post-it note}} (self-sticking adhesive notes commonly used for quick handy notetaking) in their car.<br />
<br />
The title text appears to be a conversation between Cueball and the police as follows: That the police suspect Cueball of six bank robberies because a car with a license plate of all I's and 1's was used. Cueball responds that all he did was vandalize the library. Cueball does not understand because he was with his car the entire time of the robberies. As he says this, he has an epiphany that "that was clever of her". Although somewhat ambiguous, this appears to suggest that [[Megan]], who Cueball told his plan to in the second panel, may have registered a different personalized license plate with a different combination of I's and 1's and has robbed six banks in an attempt to {{w|frameup|frame}} Cueball, knowing that the police will assume the car is his.<br />
<br />
[http://imgur.com/jaiblHk Someone in New Hampshire appears to have done this in real life.]<br />
<br />
==Transcript==<br />
:[Cueball is holding a license plate up for an out-of-frame Megan to see.]<br />
:Cueball: Check out my personalized license plate!<br />
:Out-of-frame Megan: "1I1-III1"?<br />
:Cueball: It's perfect!<br />
<br />
:[Megan is sitting in a chair holding the plate.]<br />
:Cueball: No one will be able to correctly record my plate number!<br />
:I can commit any crime I want!<br />
:Megan: Sounds foolproof.<br />
<br />
:[Scene is two police officers (non-descript Cueball-type character holding a notepad, and Ponytail) interviewing a witness wearing glasses. There is a line of yellow police tape behind them.]<br />
:Soon:<br />
:Witness: The thief's license plate was all "1"s or something.<br />
:Cop 1: Oh. ''That'' guy.<br />
:Ponytail cop: His address is on a Post-it in the squad car.<br />
<br />
{{comic discussion}}<br />
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]<br />
[[Category:Comics featuring Megan]]<br />
[[Category:Comics featuring Ponytail]]<br />
[[Category:Comics with color]]</div>
108.162.221.20
https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=845:_Modern_History&diff=122841
845: Modern History
2016-07-04T17:01:17Z
<p>108.162.221.20: deleted broken picture</p>
<hr />
<div>{{comic<br />
| number = 845<br />
| date = January 10, 2011<br />
| title = Modern History<br />
| image = modern history.png<br />
| titletext = During the week, I research my character by living in his house and raising his children.<br />
}}<br />
<br />
==Explanation==<br />
War reenactment is a hobby in which people act out a battle from some previous time period. Theoretical "real-time" war reenactment takes this one step further by having someone act out a war that is actually happening at the time.<br />
<br />
The title text refers to how someone would research the character that someone would play in a normal war reenactment in order for a more enjoyable reenactment. Once again, the title text makes a real-time version of this, having someone actually live the life of the real-time fighter.<br />
<br />
==Transcript==<br />
:[Warzone. Cueball is dressed as and following a soldier.] <br />
:Soldier: Will you ''please'' stop imitating everything I do?<br />
:Cueball: Will you ''please'' stop...<br />
:My Hobby: real time war reenactment.<br />
<br />
{{comic discussion}}<br />
[[Category:My Hobby]]<br />
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]</div>
108.162.221.20
https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=1702:_Home_Itch_Remedies&diff=122837
1702: Home Itch Remedies
2016-07-04T15:52:18Z
<p>108.162.221.20: capitalization</p>
<hr />
<div>{{comic<br />
| number = 1702<br />
| date = July 4, 2016<br />
| title = Home Itch Remedies<br />
| image = home_itch_remedies.png<br />
| titletext = In my experience, mosquitos and poison ivy are bad, but the very worst itch comes from bites from chiggers (Trombicula alfreddugesi). They're found across the American south and great plains, so the best home remedy is to move to Iceland.<br />
}}<br />
<br />
==Explanation==<br />
{{incomplete|Basic transcript. Please improve on it.}}<br />
<br />
Bug bites, such as mosquito bites, are itchy. Home remedies such as {{w|Alternative medicine}} or {{w|Homeopathy}} are often ineffective, and in some cases very complicated -- think of the number of suggestions you have got on how to cure hiccups. In this case Cueball's suggesting turns out to be insanely complicated, involving finding rare French orchids. In this case Megan is not actually interested in trying out a complex home remedy, but really just wants sympathy.<br />
<br />
Megan's answer is a {{w|sarcastic}} comment stating that her own family home remedy is to keep scratching until the skin falls off -- which is a natural tendency to do, although not until the skin literally falls off, and hence it is not a home remedy but a natural reaction.<br />
<br />
Most times the simplest solution is the best, and since Iceland had been isolated until the Vikings, there are no spiders or snakes other than those that have been brought with the migration to Iceland -- the title text makes fun of this, suggesting that the simplest cure for spider bites is to move to Iceland.<br />
<br />
==Transcript==<br />
{{incomplete transcript}}<br />
:[Megan and Cueball stand as Megan scratches her itches.] <br />
:Megan: Argh, bug bites are the ''worst''. I shouldn't scratch but... so itchy. <br />
:Cueball: Oh, you know what's great for that? <br />
<br />
:[Zoom-in to Megan's head and upper torso. Cueball is off-panel.] <br />
:Megan: No, Don't tell me. Everyone always has weird home remedies that never work. I just want sympathy. <br />
:Cueball: No, this one isn't weird, I promise. It really helps! <br />
<br />
:[Zoom-out to Megan and Cueball. Megan is still scratching.] <br />
:Cueball: First, take a hot shower. Then dip some ice cubes in vinegar and use them to crush one baby aspirin. Then make some tea, and... <br />
<br />
:[Panel expands to show that Megan is walking away while Cueball watches.] <br />
:Cueball: ...Then, you need a rare French orchid- <br />
:Megan (cutting Cueball off): I'm going to try a different home remedy where I complain a lot and scratch until my skin comes off. <br />
:Cueball: Sounds effective. <br />
:Megan: It's an old family trick. <br />
<br />
{{comic discussion}}</div>
108.162.221.20
https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=1694:_Phishing_License&diff=122046
1694: Phishing License
2016-06-16T17:09:20Z
<p>108.162.221.20: Clarity</p>
<hr />
<div>{{comic<br />
| number = 1694<br />
| date = June 15, 2016<br />
| title = Phishing License<br />
| image = phishing_license.png<br />
| titletext = Later, walking out of jail after posting $10,000 bail: "Wait, this isn't the street the county jail is on."<br />
}}<br />
<br />
==Explanation==<br />
<br />
{{w|Phishing}} is a scam where a criminal sends emails or other messages (often large numbers of them) pretending to be from a trusted institution in order to obtain passwords, credit card numbers, or other personal details of victims. The term is a neologism, playing on the term "fishing", because the process is likened to dangling bait and waiting for someone to bite. Phishing is illegal under both traditional fraud laws and modern {{w|cybercrime}} laws.<br />
<br />
A {{w|fishing license}} is a government-issued permit allowing the catching of fish in controlled waters.<br />
<br />
[[Cueball]] saw the sign offering phishing licenses, and was immediately arrested by the receptionist [[Ponytail]] upon applying for one. Clearly, there is no reason why a license would be available for a clear crime like fraud, hence why Cueball should have been more suspicious of the offer. The joke is that the process of offering "phishing licenses" is analogous to the process of phishing itself: they pretend to be a legitimate business and display a sign with a false offer, hoping someone will be fooled into interacting with them. While the ideal phishing attempt is indistinguishable from the real thing, that's generally impossible to attain and there are always some ways to identify it as a scam. But still some people fall into the trap, partly because they don't know what to be on the alert for, and partly because the attempt is often directed at so many people at once that statistically there will be some that will fall for it. Still as Cueball himself states, he should have known it was a scam.<br />
<br />
The title text reveals that Cueball's arrest was itself a scam, so they where "phishing" for potential phishers. He has been put in jail, but is allowed to walk out after paying a {{w|bail}} of $10,000, only to find that when he gets back out on the street, it is not the street on which the county jail has its address. So Ponytail is actually not trying to capture people who would be interested in scamming people, she is trying to scam those people instead; although this is illegal, it may be rather clever as such people might not be likely to go to the police. Another joke in the title text is that a way to recognize phishing attempts is to look at the address of the website (or in his false prison sentence, the street address instead of the web address).<br />
<br />
==Transcript==<br />
:[A sign has an arrow below the text that points toward a sales window in a wall (with glass in front and small semicircular opening at the bottom for transferring money and goods). On each side of the window there are two pieces of paper with illegible text, and there is also one below the window that seems to have some kind of stamp or seal, still illegible). In front of the window [[Cueball]] is addressing [[Ponytail]] who sits behind the window.]<br />
:Sign: <big>Phishing license</big> apply here<br />
:Cueball: Hi, I’d like to apply for a—<br />
:Ponytail: You’re under arrest.<br />
:Cueball: …OK, I should’ve seen that coming.<br />
<br />
{{comic discussion}}<br />
<br />
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]<br />
[[Category:Comics featuring Ponytail]]</div>
108.162.221.20
https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=463:_Voting_Machines&diff=120845
463: Voting Machines
2016-05-25T21:36:08Z
<p>108.162.221.20: /* Explanation */</p>
<hr />
<div>{{comic<br />
| number = 463<br />
| date = August 15, 2008<br />
| title = Voting Machines<br />
| image = voting_machines.png<br />
| titletext = And that's *another* crypto conference I've been kicked out of. C'mon, it's a great analogy!<br />
}}<br />
<br />
==Explanation==<br />
In the 2008 Ohio primary elections, there were numerous problems with electronic voting machines, which eventually required many districts to revert to pen and paper. Premier Election Solutions, the company that handled the machines, [http://voices.washingtonpost.com/44/2008/08/ohio-voting-machines-contained.html blamed these problems] on {{w|McAfee}} anti-virus software.<br />
<br />
It is not uncommon to see computer software contract stipulating that the vendor will warrant that software and systems delivered will not contain any viruses or malicious code — a knee-jerk reaction to this is for novice management to include virus-scanning software for systems which otherwise are closed. From a computer programming standpoint, having anti-virus software on an electronic voting machine doesn't make sense because the machine shouldn't be accessing the Internet in a way that would leave it open to virus attacks. While there are a lot of ways that viruses can propagate, ultimately the computer still has to download an executable file and run it, which is something that ''no election machine should do'' in normal operation. Hence the question is whether the voting machine manufacturer has taken the proper precaution preventing any external access. <br />
<br />
Ideally, voting machines (as well as ATMs and other single-purpose appliances) should be {{w|embedded system}}s, incapable of doing the things that might necessitate anti-virus software. However, in practice such devices are more commonly built as application programs running on ordinary Windows PCs (inside of custom-shaped cases), and they download software updates over the internet.<br />
<br />
The comic makes an analogy to a teacher who reassures you that he always wears a condom when teaching. While a condom could be considered "protection", and therefore a good thing, common sense dictates that teachers should never end up in a situation where wearing a condom in school would be useful; this parallels the idea that while security in the form of anti-virus software on voting machines could also be considered protection and a good thing, it should never be required. The comment is more likely to make people worried about why the condom is there and what purpose it's serving. Similarly, informed people might worry why a voting machine is connecting to the internet.<br />
<br />
In panel one, both the {{w|facepalm}} and [http://knowyourmeme.com/memes/youre-doing-it-wrong "You're doing it wrong"] are {{w|Internet meme}}s, used to mock someone who made a foolish mistake.<br />
<br />
The title text refers to [[153: Cryptography]].<br />
<br />
==Transcript==<br />
:Premier Election Solutions (formerly Diebold) has blamed Ohio voting machine errors on problems with the machines' McAfee antivirus software.<br />
<br />
:[Cueball is sitting at a computer, facepalming.]<br />
:Cueball: Wait. "Antivirus software"? On voting machines? ''You're doing it wrong.''<br />
<br />
:[Cueball's friend enters the frame and speaks to Cueball.]<br />
:Friend: Why? Security is good, right?<br />
:Cueball: Of course. But, well—<br />
<br />
:Cueball: Imagine you're at a parent-teacher conference, and the teacher reassures you that he always wears a condom while teaching.<br />
<br />
:Friend: Ah. Strictly speaking, it's better than the alternative—<br />
:Cueball: —Yet someone is clearly doing their job horribly wrong.<br />
<br />
{{comic discussion}}<br />
[[Category:Computers]]<br />
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]<br />
[[Category:Banned from conferences]]<br />
[[Category:Cryptography]]<br />
[[Category:Computers]]</div>
108.162.221.20
https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=674:_Natural_Parenting&diff=120844
674: Natural Parenting
2016-05-25T21:32:19Z
<p>108.162.221.20: /* Explanation */</p>
<hr />
<div>{{comic<br />
| number = 674<br />
| date = December 11, 2009<br />
| title = Natural Parenting<br />
| image = natural_parenting.png<br />
| titletext = On one hand, every single one of my ancestors going back billions of years has managed to figure it out. On the other hand, that's the mother of all sampling biases.<br />
}}<br />
<br />
==Explanation==<br />
This comic relates to the anxiety of having a first child, particularly an unplanned child, and is a play on the double meaning of the expression "do what comes naturally". <br />
<br />
Doing what comes naturally is a euphemism for couples pairing off and forming intimate relationships, including sex. It is also advice given to new parents, advising them not to second guess themselves so much, to alleviate the stress that comes with parenting.<br />
<br />
The couple [[Cueball]] and [[Megan]] find themselves as unexpected parents. Both parents experience anxiety over how to manage their life with the child. The new father defuses the situation and states that parenting can not be that hard and they should just do what comes naturally. Naturally the couple find themselves with a second child. This adds insult to injury as now they have two children and still no idea about how to parent. As the first child was an "accident" the birth of the child was because of instinctual urges. Therefore, assuming nothing has changed in their relationship it would be natural if they produced another child. <br />
<br />
The title text claims that parenting can't be too hard because, up to the present, all of your ancestors have produced an unbroken line of children who figured out how to raise at least one child that is able to continue this unbroken chain. [[Randall]] jokes that this is the "mother" of all {{w|sampling bias}}es: Had anyone of ones ancestors completely failed at being parents, that person would never exist. Therefore, this sampling is heavily skewed by sampling only those that were all successful in at least one instance. It does not take into account the number of people in the past who do not have any lineage today to speak of, or the number times our ancestors failed at being parents to children we are not directly descended from.<br />
The baby says, "Baby!", either copying Cueball, or saying its name, Pokémon-style. This is also the topic of [[441: Babies]] and [[1384: Krypton]].<br />
<br />
===Attachment Parenting===<br />
Natural parenting may be an allusion to {{w|attachment parenting}}. This strategy for child-rearing normally entails extended nursing and encourages positive reinforcement. Sometimes modern medicine and processed foods are restricted as well. Natural parenting approaches can vary greatly from parent to parent. Because of the awkwardness and stigma of breastfeeding, as well as its traditionalism, attachment parenting can elicit powerful opinions from both its opponents and proponents. Various media and politicians have seized on this hot topic, as well as motherhood in general. Extreme natural parenting methods became the notorious cover story of TIME Magazine in May 2012.<br />
<br />
==Transcript==<br />
:[Cueball and Megan are standing with a baby in between them.]<br />
:Cueball: Oh man, we made a baby.<br />
:Megan: ''Don't panic. Don't panic.''<br />
:Baby: Baby!<br />
<br />
:Cueball: Parenting can't be that hard. Let's just do what comes naturally.<br />
<br />
:[Beat frame.]<br />
<br />
:Soon:<br />
:[There are now two babies in between them.]<br />
:Megan: Aw, crap.<br />
<br />
{{comic discussion}}<br />
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]<br />
[[Category:Comics featuring Megan]]<br />
[[Category:Romance]]</div>
108.162.221.20
https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=Talk:609:_Tab_Explosion&diff=110000
Talk:609: Tab Explosion
2016-01-26T02:16:38Z
<p>108.162.221.20: </p>
<hr />
<div>It also has a link, not only to the comic, but also to the ''explained'' comic here! Talk about a loop. Anonymous07:20, 4 December 2013 (UTC)<br />
<br />
you can't access title-text on mobile devices [[Special:Contributions/173.245.62.75|173.245.62.75]] 14:29, 16 April 2014 (UTC)<br />
<br />
could someone please poste a link to the cracked.com column that pay tribute to this comic? {{unsigned ip|141.101.81.222}}<br />
<br />
This could be the one that makes some reference: http://www.cracked.com/blog/clippy-finally-messes-with-the-wrong-word-doc/ (the text appears inside) {{unsigned ip|Mercastan}}<br />
<br />
To access the title text on mobile devices, hold down the thing you need to see the title text of. Nate</div>
108.162.221.20
https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=1618:_Cold_Medicine&diff=107364
1618: Cold Medicine
2015-12-20T21:06:01Z
<p>108.162.221.20: Fixed a one letter typo that was bothering me</p>
<hr />
<div>{{comic<br />
| number = 1618<br />
| date = December 18, 2015<br />
| title = Cold Medicine<br />
| image = cold_medicine.png<br />
| titletext = Seriously considering buying some illegal drugs to try to turn them back into cold medicine.<br />
}}<br />
<br />
==Explanation==<br />
[[Cueball]] is, in this comic, probably representing [[Randall]], who as anyone else is very likely to have a {{w|Common cold|cold}} at this time of year (released in December). The way the title text is phrased makes this even more likely, see below. Also it is only two weeks ago Randall posted another comic about a cold works: [[1612: Colds]]. It thus seems that he is suffering from a long lasting cold, that he just can't get rid off.<br />
<br />
Cueball is evidently suffering from a cold and he is searching the shelves labeled cold and {{w|Influenza|Flu}} at a {{w|pharmacy}} for any kind of '''cold medicine''' (hence the title), to alleviate his symptoms. Note that this all he can hope for, as there are still {{w|Common_cold#Management|no cure}} that really helps getting rid of the cold faster. All medication can do is help relieving the symptoms until the body's own {{w|immune system}} takes care of the relatively harmless cold virus.<br />
<br />
After looking at several different options Cueball is clearly unsatisfied with what he finds. Either he doesn't feel that any of the unmonitored drugs available on the serve-yourself-shelf is useful, or he is actually too sick to properly ascertain which medicine he needs. In the end he approaches the counter and asks the {{w|pharmacist}} ([[Ponytail]]) to give him one of every kind of cold medicine which requires an ID to purchase. ('''Warning''': Taking lots of different medicines together could harm, or even kill you, because certain combinations of medications interact in ways that make them dangerous or even lethal). But that is not the message that Ponytail tries to give him, instead she tries to warn him that he would end up on some watchlist, presumably one of the government agencies ({{w|FBI}}, {{w|CIA}} etc.) But she never get to finish her sentence because Cueball is beyond caring and tells her this.<br />
<br />
In the USA, cold medicines containing {{w|pseudoephedrine}} are kept behind the counter and IDs purchasing them are monitored, because pseudoephedrine can be used to make the illegal drug {{w|methamphetamine}} or meth (a more potent version of {{w|amphetamine}}). However, it is also an extremely effective {{w|decongestant}} (a pharmaceutical drug that is used to relieve {{w|nasal congestion}}/plugged nose), much more so than the common substitutes {{w|phenylephrine}} and {{w|oxymetazoline}}. This could be one reason why Cueball just requests all kinds of cold medicines of amongst other this type; he does not appear to care what exactly he is purchasing, believing that his one criterion will provide him medicine powerful enough for his illness. It may also be that he is just too sick to care or realize that this will arouse suspicion of him being a drug dealer, or to recognize the need to select only one medication of these type, to avoid a potentially deadly overdose. <br />
<br />
This could be a reference to the medicine with the brand name {{w|Sudafed}}, sold as an over the counter decongestants with pseudoephedrine as the active ingredient. Now they also sell a different type of medicine for decongestants with the same brand name but without pseudoephedrine, but with for instance phenylephrine, which has recently been deemed only as effective as {{w|placebo}}... If you can buy this from the shelf (because it does not contain the drug precursor) then you could easily get home with the once effective Sudafed, only to realize later that, since you bought it on the shelf it does not help you at all. This could offer another explanation for Cueball's request and outburst in the final panel.<br />
<br />
The title text seems to be Randall's own comment on how badly he is affected by his cold. He thus, humorously, suggest that he is now ready to purchase illegal drugs (this would then be ''meth'') in order to turn it back into a cold medicine (i.e. pseudoephedrine). This would not be feasible or safe to do, but may may be a reference to this spoof paper: ''[http://heterodoxy.cc/meowdocs/pseudo/pseudosynth.pdf A Simple and Convenient Synthesis of Pseudoephedrine From N-Methylamphetamine''], a take on the long-going joke on the recent difficulty in obtaining pseudoephedrine, i.e. it is now easier to get your hands on the illegal drug made from it... It is a humorous exaggeration of how far Randall is willing to go to get the best cold medicine, and the potency of the drugs needed to treat his apparently debilitating illness. There are many illegal drugs that when first synthesized were planned to use as a medical drug, but then later abused by drug addicts, but given the subject of the comic, the title text obviously refers to meth.<br />
<br />
==Transcript==<br />
<br />
:[Cueball is standing in a drug store, with a drug in his hand he has taken from the shelf he is standing next to. The shelf is labeled.]<br />
:Cueball: *Sniffle*<br />
:Label: Cold &Flu<br />
<br />
:[Cueball is standing alone, examining some medicine he is holding up, while having some other medicine in the other hand.]<br />
:Cueball: *Cough* <br />
:Cueball: *Sniff*<br />
<br />
:[Cueball continues examining more medicine. Looking down on one in his hand, having another in the other hand and there are also three packages at his feet.]<br />
:Cueball: Ughhh...<br />
<br />
:[Cueball is at the labeled counter in the drug store with computer etc. Ponytail is behind the counter.]<br />
:Counter label: Sale<br />
:Cueball: Just gimme one of every kind of cold medicine you need ID to buy.<br />
:Ponytail: You'll go on the watchlist for—<br />
:Cueball: Don't care.<br />
<br />
{{comic discussion}}<br />
<br />
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]<br />
[[Category:Comics featuring Ponytail]]</div>
108.162.221.20
https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=1608:_Hoverboard&diff=105598
1608: Hoverboard
2015-11-24T22:35:34Z
<p>108.162.221.20: /* Explanation */</p>
<hr />
<div>{{comic<br />
| number = 1608<br />
| date = November 24, 2015<br />
| title = Hoverboard<br />
| image = hoverboard.png<br />
| titletext = <br />
}}<br />
<br />
==Explanation==<br />
{{incomplete|Just created so people can start/comment}}<br />
The comic features a game which Randall appears to have made to celebrate the release of his new book on the 24th of November 2015. The game features [[Cueball]] on a hover board which looks a lot like a skateboard.<br />
At first glance, it appears the aim of the game is to see how fast you can collect coins, but due to a (purposeful) bug in the game, the player can "jump" (hover higher) multiple times without needing to land. This allows the character to go out of bounds of the "Play Area" prompting multiple warnings insisting the player returns to said "Play Area". Exiting this area reveals a world similar to [[1110: Click and Drag]], which can be explored via the arrow keys.<br />
<br />
There are 17 coins in the "Play Area" and a lot more in the out of bounds region.<br />
<br />
This is achieved by going to the far-right side of the 'game' and escaping from the hole near the top. The player then continues right to a large wall, which is traversable by continually jumping. The player can then explore. The game is markedly similar to https://xkcd.com/1110/ "Click and Drag", and the bounds are currently unknown.<br />
<br />
Notable features include a number of large ships in the sky, with various interiors enterable from several points. To find them, follow the strings which several characters are holding near the first ground area. <br />
<br />
===Controls===<br />
The controls are as follows: Left, a or h to go left; up, w, or k to jump (or hover higher); and right, d or l to go right.<br />
<br />
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.<br />
<br />
==Transcript==<br />
{{incomplete|Something similar to 1110: [[Click and Drag]]}}<br />
The game features Cueball on a skateboard in a simple map. On the map are coins which Cueball has to collect.<br />
It appears Cueball can jump multiple times without needing to land, this means that Cueball is able to escape the designated "Play Area".<br />
This prompts a warning which soon disappears allowing Cueball to discover the world.<br />
<br />
[THIS ONLY COVERS THE PERMANENT TEXT, NOT THE DIFFERENT WIN STATES]<br /> <br />
MY NEW BOOK<br /> <br />
''THE THINGS EXPLAINER'',<br /> <br />
COMES OUT TODAY!<br /> <br />
<br />
TO CELEBRATE, HERE'S<br /> <br />
A SMALL GAME.<br /> <br />
<br />
[TO THE SIDE, BELOW AN ARROW]<br /> <br />
DEPOSIT COINS HERE<br /> <br />
{{comic discussion}}</div>
108.162.221.20