https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/api.php?action=feedcontributions&user=141.101.76.226&feedformat=atomexplain xkcd - User contributions [en]2024-03-28T13:36:21ZUser contributionsMediaWiki 1.30.0https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=Talk:1919:_Interstellar_Asteroid&diff=148209Talk:1919: Interstellar Asteroid2017-11-22T12:46:40Z<p>141.101.76.226: </p>
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Let's see:<br />
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* Long and thin.<br />
* From another solar system.<br />
* Made mostly of metal.<br />
* Spinning to create artificial gravity.<br />
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...yeah - could be anything really! [[Special:Contributions/173.245.50.102|173.245.50.102]] 05:16, 22 November 2017 (UTC)<br />
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Has he ever referenced Weird al before? [[Special:Contributions/172.68.174.94|172.68.174.94]] 05:35, 22 November 2017 (UTC)<br />
:There's one potential reference in 488 and an example of something he talks about in 1576, but nothing directly. [[User:Fabian42|Fabian42]] ([[User talk:Fabian42|talk]]) 08:34, 22 November 2017 (UTC)<br />
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Obviously in the alt-text he is referencing Starship Troopers [http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0120201/] [[Special:Contributions/172.68.50.142|172.68.50.142]] 08:55, 22 November 2017 (UTC)<br />
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Why is Megan coming up with these ideas, instead of say Whitehat?<br />
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[[Special:Contributions/108.162.249.40|108.162.249.40]] 10:39, 22 November 2017 (UTC)<br />
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What if tracking the path of the object shows it has come directly from outside the solar system? What are the chances of that being pure chance rather than a swing and a miss? --[[User:AnnatarsGift|AnnatarsGift]] ([[User talk:AnnatarsGift|talk]]) 12:21, 22 November 2017 (UTC)<br />
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I believe we have decided the Eggplant emoji is an euphemism.</div>141.101.76.226https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=Talk:1918:_NEXUS&diff=148110Talk:1918: NEXUS2017-11-20T14:09:46Z<p>141.101.76.226: </p>
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My first idea -- this is so draft I'm not even going to submit it into the Explanation: Could Cueball be associating NEXUS with the FernGully villain Hexxus? And the Cisco company/brand of IT products with Commander/Captain Benjamin Sisko from ''ST:DS9'' and Crisco vegetable shortening? I don't have time to look into the other things referenced, and I don't immediately recognize them, but feel free to build on this if you want. Or don't; I don't have time to care right now. '''--BigMal''' // 13:00, 20 November 2017 (UTC)<br />
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But Sisko saved Deep Space Nine! [[Special:Contributions/141.101.105.18|141.101.105.18]] 13:02, 20 November 2017 (UTC)<br />
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Ciscoes are a whitefish in the Salmonid family --13:08, 20 November 2017 (UTC)<br />
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The "Thong Song" is sang by an artist named "Sisqo". And ''The Caballero's Way'' written by O.Henry features a character named "the Cisco Kid". [[Special:Contributions/162.158.150.82|162.158.150.82]] 13:14, 20 November 2017 (UTC)<br />
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Cisco Kid went on to feature in Comics, films and a Depp Purple Song.<br />
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== a few more ==<br />
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o henry:<br />
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Cisco_Kid<br />
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fish<br />
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cisco_(fish)<br />
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incan<br />
http://emperorsnew.wikia.com/wiki/Kuzco<br />
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brak<br />
http://brak.wikia.com/wiki/Sisto<br />
[[Special:Contributions/141.101.76.202|141.101.76.202]] 13:14, 20 November 2017 (UTC)</div>141.101.76.226https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=Talk:1880:_Eclipse_Review&diff=144658Talk:1880: Eclipse Review2017-08-28T08:43:58Z<p>141.101.76.226: Oh my god.</p>
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The air temperature drop is greater during a total eclipse than during a partial eclipse, while the other two don't affect the air temperature at all. --[[Special:Contributions/162.158.154.97|162.158.154.97]] 10:31, 23 August 2017 (UTC)<br />
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A booklet I got on the eclipse said this: "If natural wonders were on a scale of 1 to 10, a partial solar eclipse might be a '''7''', but a total solar eclipse would be a '''1,000,000!!!'''" They were right. I was there. [[User:Jacky720|That's right, Jacky720 just signed this]] ([[User talk:Jacky720|talk]] | [[Special:Contributions/Jacky720|contribs]]) 10:50, 23 August 2017 (UTC)<br />
:Yeah... That's quite a lot :) http://www.wolframalpha.com/input/?i=((1000000!)!)! (There should be 1 more "1" in the link, but it didn't catch it)[[User:Kshksh|kshksh]] ([[User talk:Kshksh|talk]]) 08:23, 24 August 2017 (UTC)<br />
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This is fun. [[Special:Contributions/162.158.134.160|162.158.134.160]] 11:17, 23 August 2017 (UTC)<br />
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Is it worth having an "2017 Total Eclipse" tag for the 5 comics? [[Special:Contributions/108.162.212.227|108.162.212.227]] 11:30, 23 August 2017 (UTC)<br />
:Yes. Be sure it includes the other comics that mentioned the eclipse, like [[1868: Eclipse Flights]]. [[User:Dretler|Dretler]] ([[User talk:Dretler|talk]]) 12:37, 23 August 2017 (UTC)<br />
::And it should also be "2017 Total [[Solar]] Eclipse". {{unsigned|Dretler}}<br />
:::Here we go: [[:Category:Total Solar Eclipse 2017]]. Any comic missing? --[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 14:41, 23 August 2017 (UTC)<br />
::::Should probably get rid of Main page, which just shows the most recent comic, and add [[1779: 2017]], which mentions it directly, and [[1302: Year in Review]], which mentions the eclipse in the title text. I think that's it. [[User:Dretler|Dretler]] ([[User talk:Dretler|talk]]) 01:11, 24 August 2017 (UTC)<br />
:::::Both comics are updated by some IPs. The Main Page is only listed because of an embedded eclipse comic there, when the next is published and doesn't belong to this category it will be vanished. --[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 15:40, 24 August 2017 (UTC)<br />
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Here's a Whatif topic: What if the earth's orbit around the sun and the moon's orbit around the earth were in the same plane so that a solar eclipse happened every month. How would that affect tides, global temperature, animal behavior, etc? Would the orbits be stable or would the gravitational tugs destabilize the orbits? [[User:Rtanenbaum|Rtanenbaum]] ([[User talk:Rtanenbaum|talk]]) 13:27, 23 August 2017 (UTC)<br />
:Solar eclipse does not affect tides significantly more than the regular movement of the Moon and the Sun, those non-eclipse events where the Moon passes almost in front of the Sun actually make tides somewhat higher on that day, because forces sum up, but a fraction of angular degree misalignment which cases a "miss" does not make much difference for the tides. The effect of blocking the Sun's radiation during eclipse happens over a very small area and for a short time therefore it is too minuscule to affect temperature on Earth, normal Sun activity cycle creates a ''lot'' larger differences in the amount of energy reaching Earth. Animal behavior during eclipse might be a little different if it was a more frequent event, animals (including two-legged naked apes) would just get used to it. -- [[Special:Contributions/162.158.202.10|162.158.202.10]] 14:25, 23 August 2017 (UTC)<br />
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SO. TRUE. (I saw it in Salem) [[User:SilverMagpie|SilverMagpie]] ([[User talk:SilverMagpie|talk]]) 13:54, 23 August 2017 (UTC)<br />
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;Personal impressions on the 2017 eclipse or before<br />
Maybe we can share some personal impressions from this eclipse or similar events. I personally was in the totality zone of the {{w|Solar eclipse of August 11, 1999|1999 solar eclipse}} in Germany. Weather was bad, dark clouds obscured the sun, and I almost could see nothing of the Sun at all. I was so happy living in that zone and then this. That was really annoying. It got darker, but not that much as expected because of the scattered light from the damn clouds at the horizon. The nature went quiet and automatic lights switched on, but that was it. Nothing cool at all. A much better experience I had recently in {{w|Solar eclipse of March 20, 2015|2015}}, a total eclipse at the Faroe Islands but still 80% at my location. Most of the Sun was blocked, it was getting darker, nature became silent, the temperature decreased and me and all my colleagues were impressed. But of course that also wasn't that cool like a total eclipse can be. So, after a missed total eclipse at home I still have to travel to get the real cool experience.--[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 15:17, 23 August 2017 (UTC)<br />
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;saw Totality from nashville<br />
No question there's a huge different betwen partial and total. Totality is awesome, I recommend anyone to chase one if you can. After the 2 minutes I wished I could rewind it. No video comes close to the IRL experience. {{unsigned ip|162.158.75.202}}<br />
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;Also saw Totality from nashville<br />
I have to echo the sentiment above. I've wanted to see a total eclipse ever since I was a small child and learned what they were, and the experience, however brief, DEFINITELY lived up to the years and years of anticipation. {{unsigned ip|162.158.79.29}}<br />
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;Now that's interesting. I remember an eclipse from my childhood. I won't tell you what I didn't give about it (hint: it was flying) but much more interesting: It must have been around 1970+- but I don't find an eclipse in Germany. The only sensible explanation: My memory has been fabricated. [[Special:Contributions/141.101.76.226|141.101.76.226]] 08:43, 28 August 2017 (UTC)</div>141.101.76.226https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=Talk:1872:_Backup_Batteries&diff=143693Talk:1872: Backup Batteries2017-08-06T05:03:54Z<p>141.101.76.226: </p>
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This actually sounds like the classic provisioning situation. How many spares do you require, and when do you require additional spares. One of the things that he doesn't mention is whether he carries a USB cord for his phone and USB power supplies for auto and wall outlet use. ( For iPhones, you need one cord for charging the phone and a different cord for charging the power pack.) I have three power packs in my bag normally. When one of the power packs is low on power, I plug it into an electrical outlet while using the phone. I also plug the phone into an electrical outlet when available to prevent the battery from running down. If at home or a hotel room, I can also have one or two power packs charging while I travel with the phone and the third power pack. I also charge the phone overnight. Having multiple power packs doesn't do any good without a means of maintaining them in a charged state. I typically start the day carrying a charged phone and three charged power packs, which is enough to let me use the phone all day. At night, I plug all of the devices into electric power. If I really wanted 24 hour usage or a lot of gaming (games use up the batter faster), I could use six power packs but only carry three with me at a time. The other three would be charging at a base location.<br />
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Having too many redundant backup devices can actually reduce the up time of the system. This was seen at the Superbowl in New Orleans. http://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/9082144/relay-device-malfunction-caused-super-bowl-xlvii-power-outage-according-expert It is also very dangerous to assume that your backups are adequate and that you don't have to watch the log files. If somebody had been reading the logs, they would have seen the message that essentially said: "I have reported two power surges and you haven't told me what to do. Although these are not individually dangerous, one more power surge before somebody talks to me and I shut down the entire stadium."<br />
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What if the backup batteries are actual removable batteries? [[Special:Contributions/141.101.76.226|141.101.76.226]] 05:03, 6 August 2017 (UTC)<br />
An optimist states that the water glass is half full, while a pessimist states that the water glass is half empty. What an engineer really does is find out where the water faucet is so that he can refill the glass as needed. (The original joke says that the engineer states that the glass is twice as large as needed. This is ridiculous unless he knows how much water is needed and how much is available at the faucet. The size of this glass is irrelevant unless it is too large to be handled easily or too small to transport water at the required rate.)<br />
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[[User:BradleyRoss|BradleyRoss]] ([[User talk:BradleyRoss|talk]]) 17:21, 4 August 2017 (UTC)<br />
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Assuming he charges the batteries in series (i.e. the second backup charges the first backup which charges the phone, etc.) I wonder how many batteries he'd be able to go through, before the charging/discharging inefficiency (heat generation etc.) meant none of the original power would get to the phone?<br />
Also I can relate to this comic, when traveling I may bring 2-3 batteries, even though in practice I rarely need more than one ππ. 18:58, 4 August 2017 (UTC) {{unsigned ip|108.162.246.11}}<br />
:EDIT: Replying to below comments, I have a power bank that allows simultaneous discharging and charging. Also I really meant to say it as them being charged/drained in sequence, rather than all simultaneously. {{unsigned ip|108.162.221.244}}<br />
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Maybe the bag turns red when it falls below 20% batteries...[[User:Jamgard|Jamgard]] ([[User talk:Jamgard|talk]]) 19:20, 4 August 2017 (UTC)<br />
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Judging by https://www.amazon.com/What-charge-discharge-Astro-time/forum/FxE1RP8KJUY0ED/TxVACXPN7AJZ1D/1?_encoding=UTF8&asin=B00M3073L4 and a number of similar entries, charging and discharging a metal hydride battery at the same time seems to be highly undesirable. Remember that these batteries have a bad habit of exploding if the charging and discharging rates aren't correct. If there were two batteries in series as you discuss, I believe that my best approach would be to be in another building and have the fire department on speed dial. [[User:BradleyRoss|BradleyRoss]] ([[User talk:BradleyRoss|talk]]) 22:00, 4 August 2017 (UTC)<br />
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:The phone itself is constructed in way which allow it to run while being charged - likely by operating directly from external power instead of from battery. It would be theoretically possible for the backup batteries to be constructed the same way - although unlikely, as it's not something people would normally do. Also note that those backup batteries might be really just backup batteries (to be switched with device battery), not power banks (capable of charging the device). -- [[User:Hkmaly|Hkmaly]] ([[User talk:Hkmaly|talk]]) 03:14, 5 August 2017 (UTC)<br />
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I bet Cueball carries recursive battery backpacks as well, as well as recursive battery backpack backpacks, and recursive battery backpack backpack backpacks, and recursive battery backpack backpack backpack backpacks, and recursive battery backpack backpack backpack backpack backpacks, and recursive battery backpack backpack backpack backpack backpack backpacks, and... [[User:OriginalName|OriginalName]] ([[User talk:OriginalName|talk]]) 18:17, 5 August 2017 (UTC)</div>141.101.76.226https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=1872:_Backup_Batteries&diff=1436921872: Backup Batteries2017-08-06T05:01:36Z<p>141.101.76.226: </p>
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<div>{{comic<br />
| number = 1872<br />
| date = August 4, 2017<br />
| title = Backup Batteries<br />
| image = backup_batteries.png<br />
| titletext = If it falls below 20% full, my bag turns red and I start to panic.<br />
}}<br />
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==Explanation==<br />
{{incomplete|Language is bad, a backup could also be a replacement, internal and maybe external links missing. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}<br />
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A backup battery is a source of energy that may be used to recharge an electronic device. Backup batteries for phones are typically similar in size, shape and energy capacity to a smartphone. Cueball gets stressed when at low battery because a low battery may run out at any moment, interrupting activities being done with the phone.<br />
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In an effort to prevent stress, Cueball decides to carry a backup battery. This way he can recharge his phone should its battery run low. Cueball realises that the backup battery is itself prone to depletion, and so carries a second. He then comes to the same realisation for the second backup battery, and indeed every subsequent battery he can carry. This leads to an unending series of backup batteries, hence his speech is cut off, becoming unending as well.<br />
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What Cueball never grasps is that his irrational need to hoard a supply of batteries tending to the infinite is the real cause of his stress. In reality, he only needs to consider the maximum amount of time that he spends between recharging his phone, and divide that by the average lifespan of a phone battery, and round up that figure to get the minimum number of batteries required to avoid a power outage (multiplied by 1.5 if the mere state of running low causes stress). If he charges up his phone and backup batteries every night, he would only need 2 to 3 backup batteries, tops.<br />
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The title text talks says that Cueball's backpack will turn red if it is below 20% of its energy capacity, which the same thing happens to the battery indicator on an iPhon<br />
e/most Android phones when at low battery to warn the user. Cueball gets similarly stressed when that happens, perhaps requiring a backup backup-battery backpack.<br />
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==Transcript==<br />
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:[Cueball is talking to White Hat. He is wearing a large backpack and holding a phone battery.]<br />
:Cueball: I get stressed out when my phone battery is low, so I carry this backup battery.<br />
:Cueball: But then I worry about the backup running low, so I carry this second backup.<br />
:Cueball: Then I worryβ<br />
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:[Caption below the frame:]<br />
:My bag is 90% backup batteries.<br />
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[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]<br />
[[Category:Comics featuring White Hat]]<br />
[[Category:Smartphones]]<br />
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{{comic discussion}}</div>141.101.76.226https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=Talk:1855:_Telephoto&diff=142045Talk:1855: Telephoto2017-06-26T20:11:10Z<p>141.101.76.226: </p>
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Notice the "webcam" placed on the front element, and the cable running through the extenders and converters back to the camera body? The extenders and converters are only being used for mechanical support, to place the webcam near the bird, and not optically. [[Special:Contributions/162.158.79.125|162.158.79.125]] 15:16, 26 June 2017 (UTC)<br />
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I understood it to be that the webcam was mounted on the side of the extender, allowing for a live stream in addition to the up close picture being taken. [[User:Rajakiit|Raj-a-Kiit]] ([[User talk:Rajakiit|talk]]) 16:25, 26 June 2017 (UTC)<br />
:That's how I took it, but the webcam and wires are drawn in a lighter line, possibly insinuating that the webcam and wires are inside the extenders and converters. [[User:OldCorps|OldCorps]] ([[User talk:OldCorps|talk]]) 16:53, 26 June 2017 (UTC)<br />
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It depends on how tall Randall actually is, but using an average of 1.7 m for humans, that camera is about 32 feet, 4 inches long (it's about 5.8 times the length of Cueball). [[User:OldCorps|OldCorps]] ([[User talk:OldCorps|talk]]) 17:04, 26 June 2017 (UTC)<br />
:Your comment makes me cringe. Apparently you measure people in metric but camera lengths (not focal length!) in imperial. So here you have it: 9,85m camera length! [[Special:Contributions/141.101.76.226|141.101.76.226]] 20:11, 26 June 2017 (UTC)<br />
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;Incorrect definition of telephoto<br />
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A telephoto lens is actually a lens of which the physical length is shorter than the nominal focal length. For instance, I have a 90mm Leica lens that is about 67mm long; this is accomplished through the optical design. A ''long-focus'' or '' long '' lens is a lens with a comparatively long focal length: on 35mm cameras, this is generally any lens 85mm and up. They are sometimes called portrait lenses. A ''zoom'' lens is one with a variable focal length, e.g., 70mm β 140mm. It is not necessarily a long lens.<br />
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The distinction is especially important to large format photographers, and the conflation of the terms is common among lay speakers.<br />
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Randall has conflated a telephoto lens with a long lens, as does the current explanation.<br />
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See http://camera-wiki.org/wiki/Telephoto#Long-focus_.28Telephoto.29 for on the topic.<br />
[[User:Seezee|Seezee]] ([[User talk:Seezee|talk]]) 18:21, 26 June 2017 (UTC)<br />
:It would be nice if you could enhance the explanation by this matter. I'm not an expert on photography but I believe Randall is just talking about a ''telephoto'' which is often also called ''telephoto lens''. And his ''telephoto'' even doesn't need a single lens. Randall hasn't conflated anything, it's the explanation. I.e. instead of "100 foot lens" it should be "100 foot telephoto without lenses", and similar to other sentences.--[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 19:01, 26 June 2017 (UTC)</div>141.101.76.226