https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/api.php?action=feedcontributions&user=141.101.98.131&feedformat=atomexplain xkcd - User contributions [en]2024-03-29T13:58:55ZUser contributionsMediaWiki 1.30.0https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=1759:_British_Map&diff=1308451759: British Map2016-11-14T15:28:48Z<p>141.101.98.131: /* Explanation */</p>
<hr />
<div>{{comic<br />
| number = 1759<br />
| date = November 14, 2016<br />
| title = British Map<br />
| image = british_map.png<br />
| titletext = West Norsussex is east of East Norwessex, but they're both far north of Middlesex and West Norwex.<br />
}}<br />
<br />
==Explanation==<br />
{{incomplete|Started the table, editing it now.}}<br />
<br />
Many areas of the UK are most familiar to foreigners thanks to their depiction in various fantasy novels and TV series. This map labels some of these, as well as including many silly names that simply sound like real British towns to an American ear. A protractor is shown off the coast of the {{w|Mull of Kintyre}} in reference to the "{{w|Mull of Kintyre test}}" - the angle of the Mull defines the maximum allowed erectness for a man on British television.<br />
<br />
{| border =1 width=100% cellpadding=5 class="wikitable sortable"<br />
|'''Label on the map''' || '''Explanation''' || '''Actual location''' || '''Notes'''<br />
|-<br />
| Helcaraxë<br />
|| The "[http://lotr.wikia.com/wiki/Helcarax%C3%AB Grinding Ice]", an area of {{w|Middle-Earth}}. Like Helcaraxë, northern Scotland is cold, mountainous and in many areas inhospitable.<br />
|| The {{w|Grampian}} region<br />
|| <br />
|-<br />
| Blick<br />
|| ?<br />
|| ?<br />
|| <br />
|-<br />
| Dampshire<br />
|| A pun on the county of {{w|Hampshire}}. Generically a joking reference to any county, particularly of the {{w|West Country}}, to imply it is particularly prone to rain.<br />
|| Gloucestershire<br />
|| <br />
|-<br />
| Everdeen<br />
|| {{w|Katniss Everdeen}} is the heroine of ''{{w|The Hunger Games}}'' series of novels and films<br />
|| {{w|Aberdeen}}<br />
|| In colloquial Scots, its pronunciation is very similar to "Everdeen."<br />
|-<br />
| Highlands<br />
|| {{w|Scottish Highlands|No joke}}<br />
|| {{w|Scottish Lowlands}}<br />
|| Maybe deliberate trolling - Scots have strong feelings about where the Highland-Lowland border is<br />
|-<br />
| Norther Sea<br />
|| Pun on the {{w|North Sea}}<br />
|| {{w|Sea of the Hebrides}}<br />
|| <br />
|-<br />
| Nothingham<br />
|| Pun on {{w|Nottingham}}<br />
|| <br />
|| <br />
|-<br />
| Loch Lomond<br />
<br />
|| {{w|Loch Lomond|No joke}}<br />
<br />
|| Loch Lomond is the largest lake in the UK, and the subject of a well-known {{w|The_Bonnie_Banks_o%27_Loch_Lomond|traditional song}}.<br />
|-<br />
| Fjordham<br />
|| {{w|Fjords}} are glacial valleys. "-ham" is a common English placename suffix from Old English, related to the modern {{w|Hamlet (place)|hamlet}}. There are several villages in England named {{w|Fordham}}.<br />
|| Near {{w|Oban}} on the {{w|Firth of Lorn}}<br />
|| The Scottish word "Firth" is related to "Fjord", although Lorn is not a fjord in the strict scientific sense - it was formed along the {{w|Great Glen Fault}} by tectonics, rather than glaciers<br />
|-<br />
| Glassdoor<br />
|| {{w|Glassdoor}} is a website where employees can review their employers<br />
|| {{w|Stirling}}<br />
|| Although it's shown near Stirling, the reference seems to be to {{w|Glasgow}}<br />
|-<br />
| GMT<br />
|| A reference to {{w|Greenwich Mean Time}}. Shown on the map near the London district of Greenwich through which the GMT meridian passes.<br />
|| <br />
|| <br />
|-<br />
| Eavestrough<br />
|| A dialectal word for {{w|rain gutter}}<br />
|| {{w|Edinburgh}}<br />
|| <br />
|-<br />
| Seasedge<br />
|| Procan's realm in ''Dungeons & Dragons''<br />
|| Somewhere near the Scotland-England border<br />
|| <br />
|-<br />
| Chough<br />
|| A {{w|Chough|species of bird in the crow family}}<br />
|| The {{w|Scottish Borders}}<br />
|| <br />
|-<br />
| Meowth<br />
|| {{w|Meowth}} is a cat-like Pokémon<br />
|| {{w|Ayr}}<br />
|| <br />
|-<br />
| Glutenfree<br />
|| {{w|Gluten-free}} food lacks the protein {{w|gluten}}. This allows {{w|coeliac disease}} sufferers to enjoy it, but has also become a dietary fad in itself. <br />
|| {{w|Cairnryan}}, {{w|Dumfries and Galloway}}<br />
|| <br />
|-<br />
| Blighton<br />
|| A pun on {{w|Brighton}}<br />
|| The {{w|Scottish Borders}}<br />
|| The real Brighton is much further south, on the south coast.<br />
|-<br />
| Eyemouth<br />
|| {{w|Eyemouth|Not a joke}} <br />
|| near {{w|Newcastle-upon-Tyne}}<br />
|| The real Eyemouth is further north, where "Seasedge" is marked on the map.<br />
|-<br />
| Earhand<br />
|| A pun on Eyemouth<br />
|| {{w|Carlisle}}<br />
|| <br />
|-<br />
| Hairskull<br />
|| A pun on Eyemouth<br />
|| {{w|Teesside}}<br />
|| <br />
|-<br />
| Belfast DeVoe<br />
|| {{w|Belfast}}, capital of Northern Ireland, mashed up with the rock band {{w|Bell Biv DeVoe}}<br />
|| {{w|Belfast}}<br />
|| <br />
|-<br />
| Lakebottom<br />
|| The {{w|Lake District}}. "-bottom" is a common placename across Northern England, and refers to a town in a valley.<br />
|| {{w|Lake District}}<br />
|| Below Lakebottom is a sketch of lake with yachts on it. This is {{w|Windermere}}, the largest lake in England, where many boating speed records were set.<br />
|-<br />
| Braintree<br />
|| {{w|Braintree, Essex|Not a joke}}<br />
|| {{w|North Yorkshire}}<br />
|| The real Braintree is much further south, near where "Paulblart" is on the map.<br />
|-<br />
| Skinflower<br />
|| A pun on Braintree<br />
|| {{w|Yorkshire Dales}}<br />
|| <br />
|-<br />
| Bjork<br />
|| {{w|Björk}} is an Icelandic singer<br />
|| {{w|East Riding of Yorkshire}}<br />
|| The reference is presumably to York, although it's a bit too far east.<br />
|-<br />
| Weedle<br />
|| {{w|Weedle}} is a Pokémon, and also a word meaning "to obtain by trickery or persuasion"<br />
|| {{w|Forest of Bowland}}<br />
|| <br />
|-<br />
| Eeugh<br />
|| An expression of disgust<br />
|| {{w|Kingston-upon-Hull}} (generally just "Hull")<br />
||<br />
|-<br />
| Crewneck<br />
|| A shirt with a {{w|Crewneck|simple round collar}}.<br />
|| {{w|Blackpool}}<br />
|| <br />
|-<br />
| Paisley<br />
|| {{w|Paisley, Renfrewshire|No joke}}. It sounds funny to Americans because it's associated with {{w|Paisley (design)|paisley}} fabric, a Persian-style print invented in the town<br />
|| {{w|Burnley}}<br />
|| The real Paisley is in Scotland, near Glasgow.<br />
|-<br />
| Basil<br />
|| {{w|Basil|A herb}}, and {{w|Basil Fawlty|one of the most famous British TV characters}}.<br />
|| {{w|Scunthorpe}}<br />
|| <br />
|-<br />
| Aidenn<br />
|| An apparent pun on the {{w|Scouse}} accent: {{w|h-dropping}} and {{w|th-fronting}} mean the common "hey, then" would be pronounced "ai denn".<br />
|| {{w|Merseyside}}<br />
|| <br />
|-<br />
| Hillfolk<br />
|| {{w|Hillfolk}} is an RPG game. "-hill" (referring to, well, a hill) and "-folk" (referring to a tribe or culture) are common in British placenames <br />
|| {{w|Manchester}}<br />
|| Manchester's name does in fact reference hills: it means "castle on the {{w|breast-shaped hill}}"<br />
|-<br />
| Waterdown<br />
|| To "water something down" is to weaken in. "-down" is common in British placenames and refers to {{w|Downland|chalk hills}}.<br />
|| Near {{w|Grimsby}}<br />
|| <br />
|-<br />
| Dubstep<br />
|| {{w|Dubstep}} is a genre of electronic music with a heavy bass line.<br />
|| {{w|Dublin}}<br />
|| Dublin is the only non-UK settlement in the map, and one of two on the island of Ireland.<br />
|-<br />
| Fhqwhgads<br />
|| "[http://www.hrwiki.org/wiki/Fhqwhgads Fhqwhgads]" is a joke from the Homestar Runner internet cartoon.<br />
|| {{w|Crewe}}<br />
|| This is near to the Welsh border; Welsh names often look like a mish-mash of consonants to English speakers.<br />
|-<br />
| Efrafa<br />
|| Efrafa is a rabbit warren in the story {{w|Watership Down}}.<br />
|| {{w|Chidden}}<br />
||<br />
|}<br />
<br />
{| border =1 width=100% cellpadding=5 class="wikitable sortable"<br />
|-<br />
! X !! Y !! Label<br />
|-<br />
| 258 || 32 || Helcaraxë<br />
|-<br />
| 244 || 55 || Blick<br />
|-<br />
| 294 || 80 || Everdeen<br />
|-<br />
| 34 || 89 || Norther Sea<br />
|-<br />
| 238 || 119 || Highlands<br />
|-<br />
| 144 || 151 || Lock Lomond<br />
|-<br />
| 83 || 172 || Fjordham<br />
|-<br />
| 440 || 184 || A British Map Labeled by an American<br />
|-<br />
| 164 || 192 || Glassdoor<br />
|-<br />
| 250 || 219 || Eavestroughs<br />
|-<br />
| 312 || 237 || Seasedge<br />
|-<br />
| 260 || 262 || Chough<br />
|-<br />
| 148 || 267 || Meowth<br />
|-<br />
| 76 || 298 || (A picture of an upsidedown protractor)<br />
|-<br />
| 256 || 303 || Blighton<br />
|-<br />
| 344 || 309 || Eyemouth<br />
|-<br />
| 124 || 320 || Glutenfree<br />
|-<br />
| 486 || 320 || North Sea<br />
|-<br />
| 254 || 329 || Earhand<br />
|-<br />
| 353 || 347 || Hairskull<br />
|-<br />
| 38 || 362 || Belfast DeVoe<br />
|-<br />
| 224 || 365 || Lakebottom<br />
|-<br />
| 411 || 389 || Braintree<br />
|-<br />
| 335 || 408 || Skinflower<br />
|-<br />
| 430 || 431 || Bjork<br />
|-<br />
| 279 || 432 || Weedle<br />
|-<br />
| 440 || 451 || Eeugh<br />
|-<br />
| 258 || 453 || Crewneck<br />
|-<br />
| 310 || 454 || Paisley<br />
|-<br />
| 414 || 473 || Basil<br />
|-<br />
| 259 || 479 || Aidenn<br />
|-<br />
| 461 || 496 || Waterdown<br />
|-<br />
| 288 || 499 || Hillfolk<br />
|-<br />
| 31 || 509 || Dubstep<br />
|-<br />
| 464 || 517 || Borough-Upon-Mappe<br />
|-<br />
| 269 || 535 || Fhqwhgads<br />
|-<br />
| 490 || 537 || Landmouth<br />
|-<br />
| 461 || 539 || Cadbury<br />
|-<br />
| 237 || 554 || Cabinetry<br />
|-<br />
| 360 || 355 || The Shire<br />
|-<br />
| 464 || 562 || Brandon<br />
|-<br />
| 567 || 567 || Hamwich<br />
|-<br />
| 356 || 577 || West Norsussex<br />
|-<br />
| 420 || 578 || Redsox<br />
|-<br />
| 502 || 590 || Keebler<br />
|-<br />
| 372 || 597 || Lionsgate<br />
|-<br />
| 229 || 597 || Bloughshire<br />
|-<br />
| 573 || 609 || Kingsbottom<br />
|-<br />
| 182 || 613 || Aberforth<br />
|-<br />
| 328 || 615 || South Norwessex<br />
|-<br />
| 244 || 617 || Dryford<br />
|-<br />
| 495 || 630 || Frampton<br />
|-<br />
| 477 || 634 || Cambridge<br />
|-<br />
| 251 || 635 || Kingsfriend<br />
|-<br />
| 539 || 652 || Cair Paravel<br />
|-<br />
| 235 || 655 || Camelot<br />
|-<br />
| 408 || 655 || Nothingham<br />
|-<br />
| 429 || 673 || Cumberbatch<br />
|-<br />
| 121 || 673 || The CW<br />
|-<br />
| 303 || 674 || Dampshire<br />
|-<br />
| 210 || 676 || Whaling<br />
|-<br />
| 511 || 690 || Paulblart<br />
|-<br />
| 397 || 693 || Oxford<br />
|-<br />
| 169 || 695 || Moohren<br />
|-<br />
| 255 || 706 || Cardigan<br />
|-<br />
| 462 || 710 || GMT<br />
|-<br />
| 445 || 711 || London<br />
|-<br />
| 308 || 716 || Corbyn<br />
|-<br />
| 507 || 729 || Tems-Upon-Thames<br />
|-<br />
| 161 || 737 || BBC Channel 4<br />
|-<br />
| 267 || 737 || Minas Tirith<br />
|-<br />
| 560 || 746 || Hogsmeade<br />
|-<br />
| 454 || 748 || Tubemap<br />
|-<br />
| 296 || 756 || Cambnewton<br />
|-<br />
| 398 || 765 || Efrafa<br />
|-<br />
| 186 || 767 || Oughghough<br />
|-<br />
| 536 || 767 || Chansey<br />
|-<br />
| 351 || 777 || Sundial<br />
|-<br />
| 370 || 782 || Dobby<br />
|-<br />
| 162 || 784 || Lower Bottom<br />
|-<br />
| 496 || 784 || Menthol<br />
|-<br />
| 362 || 796 || Southframpton<br />
|-<br />
| 56 || 800 || West Sea<br />
|-<br />
| 154 || 804 || Blandford<br />
|-<br />
| 216 || 824 || Tarp<br />
|-<br />
| 123 || 846 || Longbit<br />
|}<br />
<br />
==Transcript==<br />
Helcaraxë, Blick, Everdeen, Norther Sea, Highlands, Lock Lomond, Fjordham, A British Map Labeled by an American, Glassdoor, Eavestroughs, Seasedge, Chough, Meowth, (A picture of an upsidedown protractor), Blighton, Eyemouth, Glutenfree, North Sea, Earhand, Hairskull, Belfast DeVoe, Lakebottom, Braintree, Skinflower, Bjork, Weedle, Eeugh, Crewneck, Paisley, Basil, Aidenn, Waterdown, Hillfolk, Dubstep, Borough-Upon-Mappe, Fhqwhgads, Landmouth, Cadbury, Cabinetry, The Shire, Brandon, Hamwich, West Norsussex, Redsox, Keebler, Lionsgate, Bloughshire, Kingsbottom, Aberforth, South Norwessex, Dryford, Frampton, Cambridge, Kingsfriend, Cair Paravel, Camelot, Nothingham, Cumberbatch, The CW, Dampshire, Whaling, Paulblart, Oxford, Moohren, Cardigan, GMT, London, Corbyn, Tems-Upon-Thames, BBC Channel 4, Minas Tirith, Hogsmeade, Tubemap, Cambnewton, Efrafa, Oughghough, Chansey, Sundial, Dobby, Lower Bottom, Menthol, Southframpton, West Sea, Blandford, Tarp, Longbit<br />
<br />
{{comic discussion}}</div>141.101.98.131https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=Talk:1700:_New_Bug&diff=122539Talk:1700: New Bug2016-06-29T10:11:39Z<p>141.101.98.131: </p>
<hr />
<div><!--Please sign your posts with ~~~~--><br />
I'm new. For the explanation: A bug, as in a computer (programming) bug, can be reported and tracked, and many systems allow collaboration on the reporting and tracking of problems, or bugs, in code, and their solutions. Cueball reported a problem (bug) he found in the code, which presumably caused the server (program)&mdash;which he wrote as part of his project&mdash;to try to read the passwords as URLs before storing them. This exposes serious cross-site scripting attacks and other serious security vulnerabilities, and since handling password and user account information usually requires a lot of programming, this would be difficult to fix, which is why the character off-panel suggests burning the project down, as that would be much easier, and would solve any security problems, much more quickly than fixing the bug would. The comment text refers to Cueball's horrid solution to a horrid problem: Instead of solving the problem that is causing the server to read passwords as URLs, he can instead leverage a known problem in the programme which reads URLs which prevents it from reading a particular way of representing text in binary form, by adding a few characters to the user's password that the URL-reading program can't read. This would also "salt" the user's password, which is a security technique that makes passwords harder to figure out when they are stored properly. Cueball thinks this would solve the original problem, and two other problems at the same time, the second problem being the fact that user's passwords aren't salted (a security problem). The third solved problem is difficult to deduce. &emsp;[[User:Zyzygy|Zyzygy]] 05:40, 29 June 2016 (UTC)<br />
-----> The third bug is the unicode handling, which would need to be solved in order to salt passwords with emoji since these are unicode only character. Although I'm not sure if salting with emoji really increases security since as a rule i'd say nobody uses emoji in their passwords. [[Special:Contributions/162.158.85.123|162.158.85.123]] 06:34, 29 June 2016 (UTC)<br />
::Password: 👍🐎🔋Π [[Special:Contributions/141.101.98.131|141.101.98.131]] 10:11, 29 June 2016 (UTC)<br />
:Actually, nobody using emoji in their password would be reason salting with emoji is MORE effective. Salting doesn't really increase security of single password, but it does increase security of whole password database, because you can hash some string - like, [http://www.telegraph.co.uk/technology/2016/01/26/most-common-passwords-revealed---and-theyre-ridiculously-easy-to/ 123456] and check whole database for users having that as password. If every password is salted with different emoji, this strategy will not work, because while you KNOW which emoji is used - the salt is stored unhashed with the password hash - it's always different so you need to compute new hash for every line in password database. Hashing takes MUCH more time than just comparing strings. And how it's even more effective? Because someone might actually get multiple databases and search for entries with same salt, hoping there will be enough of them to be worth it. And salt with emoji likely wouldn't be so common ... -- [[User:Hkmaly|Hkmaly]] ([[User talk:Hkmaly|talk]]) 09:54, 29 June 2016 (UTC)</div>141.101.98.131https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=Talk:1698:_Theft_Quadrants&diff=122374Talk:1698: Theft Quadrants2016-06-25T16:46:25Z<p>141.101.98.131: </p>
<hr />
<div><!It is also hard to steal the {{w|Crown Jewels of the United Kingdom|Crown Jewels}}, since they are protected by a [http://yeomenoftheguard.com/Windsor%20Castle.jpg complex security system]. Is Randall even referring to a real problem? Anyone remember whitehouse dot com? And for the record, kids, [http://purl.net/net/tbc/writing/xxx.htm don't do porn]. ''&mdash; [[User:Tbc|tbc]] ([[User talk:Tbc|talk]]) 12:27, 24 June 2016 (UTC)''<br />
<br />
I think the sentences "It is hard to steal nuclear launch codes. And a good thing too since they could be used to start a nuclear war." are weird... to me on the first read it sounded like it is a good thing to steal them... [[Special:Contributions/162.158.85.63|162.158.85.63]]<br />
<br />
What is it with Randall and stealing wienermobiles? [http://www.xkcd.com/935/ xkcd 935] [[Special:Contributions/173.245.52.62|173.245.52.62]] 15:12, 24 June 2016 (UTC)<br />
:I added it to the explanation, thanks! [[User:Elipongo|Elipongo]] ([[User talk:Elipongo|talk]]) 16:16, 24 June 2016 (UTC)<br />
<br />
A somewhat similar thing really happened in one of the URL shortening services in Taiwan. This case is not that the domain is stolen; the problem is that its database storing shortened URL mappings, because of some mis-operation in converting database data, is rolled back and some shortened URLs are "double-booked." According to the announcement of the service, this affects over 234 thousand entries in the database. This leads to PTT, the largest terminal-based bulletin board system in Taiwan, bans shortened URLs from this service. --[[Special:Contributions/108.162.222.40|108.162.222.40]] 20:21, 24 June 2016 (UTC)<br />
<br />
''sites can be particularly vulnerable if they do not maintain their web site'' - what? You can have domain name without ANY web site at all. "lapse" likely refers to owners stopping paying. -- [[User:Hkmaly|Hkmaly]] ([[User talk:Hkmaly|talk]]) 11:09, 25 June 2016 (UTC)<br />
<br />
(Trying again... the CAPTCHA is glitching out on me.) "It is also hard to steal the {{w|Crown Jewels of the United Kingdom|Crown Jewels}}, since they are protected by a [http://yeomenoftheguard.com/Windsor%20Castle.jpg complex security system]." - The items that are the first linked items are not at the location the second link points to... [[Special:Contributions/141.101.98.131|141.101.98.131]] 16:20, 25 June 2016 (UTC)</div>141.101.98.131https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=Talk:1698:_Theft_Quadrants&diff=122373Talk:1698: Theft Quadrants2016-06-25T16:20:15Z<p>141.101.98.131: </p>
<hr />
<div><!It is also hard to steal the {{w|Crown Jewels of the United Kingdom|Crown Jewels}}, since they are protected by a [http://yeomenoftheguard.com/Windsor%20Castle.jpg complex security system]. Is Randall even referring to a real problem? Anyone remember whitehouse dot com? And for the record, kids, [http://purl.net/net/tbc/writing/xxx.htm don't do porn]. ''&mdash; [[User:Tbc|tbc]] ([[User talk:Tbc|talk]]) 12:27, 24 June 2016 (UTC)''<br />
<br />
I think the sentences "It is hard to steal nuclear launch codes. And a good thing too since they could be used to start a nuclear war." are weird... to me on the first read it sounded like it is a good thing to steal them... [[Special:Contributions/162.158.85.63|162.158.85.63]]<br />
<br />
What is it with Randall and stealing wienermobiles? [http://www.xkcd.com/935/ xkcd 935] [[Special:Contributions/173.245.52.62|173.245.52.62]] 15:12, 24 June 2016 (UTC)<br />
:I added it to the explanation, thanks! [[User:Elipongo|Elipongo]] ([[User talk:Elipongo|talk]]) 16:16, 24 June 2016 (UTC)<br />
<br />
A somewhat similar thing really happened in one of the URL shortening services in Taiwan. This case is not that the domain is stolen; the problem is that its database storing shortened URL mappings, because of some mis-operation in converting database data, is rolled back and some shortened URLs are "double-booked." According to the announcement of the service, this affects over 234 thousand entries in the database. This leads to PTT, the largest terminal-based bulletin board system in Taiwan, bans shortened URLs from this service. --[[Special:Contributions/108.162.222.40|108.162.222.40]] 20:21, 24 June 2016 (UTC)<br />
<br />
''sites can be particularly vulnerable if they do not maintain their web site'' - what? You can have domain name without ANY web site at all. "lapse" likely refers to owners stopping paying. -- [[User:Hkmaly|Hkmaly]] ([[User talk:Hkmaly|talk]]) 11:09, 25 June 2016 (UTC)<br />
<br />
"It is also hard to steal the '''Crown Jewels''', since they are protected by a '''complex security system'''." - The items that are the first linked items are not at the location the second link points to... [[Special:Contributions/141.101.98.131|141.101.98.131]] 16:20, 25 June 2016 (UTC)</div>141.101.98.131https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=Talk:1503:_Squirrel_Plan&diff=87452Talk:1503: Squirrel Plan2015-03-30T18:52:45Z<p>141.101.98.131: </p>
<hr />
<div>Reminds me of the Ice Age squirrel [[User:Mikemk|Mikemk]] ([[User talk:Mikemk|talk]]) 06:02, 25 March 2015 (UTC)<br />
:Also reminiscent of the star wars scene in Kingmen [[Special:Contributions/108.162.249.162|108.162.249.162]] 06:16, 25 March 2015 (UTC)<br />
::Um ya, like why didn't those balloons have a pressure release valve instead of blowing up? A relatively cheap device could have aided that character immensely.[[User:Jarod997|Jarod997]] ([[User talk:Jarod997|talk]]) 12:47, 25 March 2015 (UTC)<br />
:::Clunky prototype? (And/or they want the maximum amount of elevation. Any presseure release valve would give a safe(r) ceiling of operation lower than the "just before the pop" one they theoretically have, as is. It's still a design-flaw, though, if there's no effective warning of balloon failure, and you're now left swinging on the other, on-the-edge-of-failing, one. And now with only half the lift. Yeah, clunky. Yeah, I've thought about this a little, already.) [[Special:Contributions/141.101.98.192|141.101.98.192]] 13:06, 25 March 2015 (UTC)<br />
::::Though as soon as the first balloon popped you'd start loosing altitude - due to half of your lift disappearing. So the question comes up - '''how did the second balloon pop'''? ;) And as a side note - if you catch the pan around the control room right after our hero dispatches the nerd villain, you'll see a corpse with a head. [[User:Jarod997|Jarod997]] ([[User talk:Jarod997|talk]]) 13:27, 25 March 2015 (UTC)<br />
:::::'''Obviously there was a squirrel...''' ;) [[Special:Contributions/141.101.98.192|141.101.98.192]] 21:40, 25 March 2015 (UTC)<br />
I think the squirrels are just a vehicle for the joke, which is poking fun at "obvious" conclusions based on personal beliefs. [[Special:Contributions/108.162.249.162|108.162.249.162]] 06:48, 25 March 2015 (UTC)<br />
:Absolutely - the current first line of explanation fails, as squirrels being stupid is not a joke. [[Special:Contributions/141.101.99.49|141.101.99.49]] 07:18, 25 March 2015 (UTC)<br />
"...due to the expansion of the acorns inside." I love you guys. [[Special:Contributions/141.101.104.89|141.101.104.89]] 07:57, 25 March 2015 (UTC)<br />
: We know [[Special:Contributions/108.162.216.39|108.162.216.39]] 08:54, 25 March 2015 (UTC)BK201<br />
<br />
This comic puts me in mind of the simplistic plot points and devices of a lot of modern scifi movies ... poking fun at them the same way as "Scorcher" from Tropic Thunder does ...--[[Special:Contributions/198.41.239.38|198.41.239.38]] 09:30, 25 March 2015 (UTC)<br />
<br />
I'd say the squirrels are a stand-in for ancient humans. Their understanding of the world and what is obvious reflects their pre-scientific state of knowledge. Their interests as squirrels have affected their conclusions, just as humans have projected their interests on what they interpret the sun to be (source of acorns instead of a sun god). I'm pretty sure the "halfway to the sun" part refers to a point where they think they're halfway but probably aren't even close to leaving the atmosphere, drawing parallels again to ancient human assumptions (the sun and moon are small orbs that are just high in the sky). {{unsigned ip|108.162.225.80}}<br />
: Alternatively, it might be referring to people assuming the sun is golden in some literal fashion. What else could the sun be made of, if it's so gloriously radiant and stuff? [[Special:Contributions/108.162.216.109|108.162.216.109]] 13:02, 25 March 2015 (UTC)<br />
<br />
Agreed. Or possibly replace "ancient" with "superstitious" - or even nothing at all for that matter to apply to humans in general - and I'll agree with you even more. [[Special:Contributions/141.101.80.70|141.101.80.70]] 09:47, 25 March 2015 (UTC)<br />
<br />
I think it's also worth mentioning that the real sun is "full of" hydrogen and helium. The same is true for real squirrel lifting balloons.{{unsigned ip|108.162.230.161}}<br />
<br />
It's possible that the comic is a commentary on the human condition, constantly reaching out for some grand goal, that is both unreachable, and even if reached is shown to be far less grand then previously thought. [[Special:Contributions/108.162.210.237|108.162.210.237]] 15:26, 25 March 2015 (UTC)<br />
<br />
I don't think the squirrel in the picture is actually halfway to the sun. I think the title text is a hypothetical future event, and that the description is overthinking things. [[Special:Contributions/108.162.216.106|108.162.216.106]] 16:50, 25 March 2015 (UTC)<br />
<br />
Is it a possibility that the squirrels represent the government or similar entity? {{unsigned|Mikemk}}<br />
<br />
Not quite sure i like the explanation about acorns obviously not being able to contribute to flying. Not because i think they can, but because the exact same argument could be used for a jet engine on a plane as those are also heavy. {{unsigned ip|141.101.75.53}}<br />
: maybe the acorns are pushing on the quantum vacuum virtual plasma? [[Special:Contributions/108.162.241.18|108.162.241.18]] 23:34, 25 March 2015 (UTC)<br />
<br />
I seriously suspect this has something to do with [[1356: Orbital Mechanics]] [[Special:Contributions/173.245.56.185|173.245.56.185]] 10:06, 26 March 2015 (UTC)<br />
<br />
I think that the balloon of the title text is a reference to earth herself : the analogy must be natural to a squirrel believing the sun is an accorn field... {{unsigned ip|108.162.229.250}}<br />
<br />
I am fairly sure this comic is to mock humanity's tendency to assume what they first think of to be fact. This could also be about religion but I probably shouldn't mention that. Too many fights. [[User:YourLifeisaLie|The Goyim speaks]] ([[User talk:YourLifeisaLie|talk]]) 14:18, 26 March 2015 (UTC)<br />
<br />
I think Randall's squirrels are cute. A Montrealer [[Special:Contributions/173.245.52.191|173.245.52.191]] 00:35, 27 March 2015 (UTC)<br />
<br />
Dropping squirrel research I haven't found. Dropping cats I found here: http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=RtWbpyjJqrU And freefalling astronauts, too! http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=VJcno_XL4RU [[User:NoniMausa|NoniMausa]] ([[User talk:NoniMausa|talk]]) 12:12, 28 March 2015 (UTC)<br />
<br />
What scene in Kingsman: TSS is this similar to? I've seen the movie but durned if I can recall anything remotely like this comic happening in it. [[Special:Contributions/108.162.216.192|108.162.216.192]]<br />
:Read the very first cascade of comments at the top of this page to jog your memory, perhaps? It may have been a technical sideline to the main action, at that point, but it wasn't Blink And You'd Miss It, either.... (For the record, I don't think it's an intended reference. Because all the meme really shares is the balloon bit. But I won't say it definitely isn't, either.) [[Special:Contributions/141.101.98.131|141.101.98.131]] 18:52, 30 March 2015 (UTC)</div>141.101.98.131https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=Talk:1331:_Frequency&diff=60200Talk:1331: Frequency2014-02-17T11:28:14Z<p>141.101.98.131: </p>
<hr />
<div>I have began the transcript. Should a table be embedded with all the statements?[[Special:Contributions/108.162.250.11|108.162.250.11]] 07:33, 17 February 2014 (UTC)<br />
:That would be apt. Dammit Randall, why couldn't you have made the comic one image so it'd be easy to put up here? '''[[User:Davidy22|<u>{{Color|#707|David}}<font color=#070 size=3>y</font></u><font color=#508 size=4>²²</font>]]'''[[User talk:Davidy22|<tt>[talk]</tt>]] 07:36, 17 February 2014 (UTC)<br />
::I have created a table but someone else has already updated the transcript in a different style; here is my attempt<br />
<pre><table><br />
<tr><br />
<th>Heartbeat</th><br />
<th>One Birth</th><br />
<th>One Death</th><br />
<th>Someone Edits Wikipedia</th><br />
<th>Someone Buys a Vibrator</th><br />
</tr><br />
<tr><br />
<td>China Builds a Car</td><br />
<td>Japan Builds a Car</td><br />
<td>Germany Builds a Car</td><br />
<td>The US Builds a Car</td><br />
<td>Someone Else Builds a Car</td><br />
</tr><br />
<tr><br />
<td>A European Union President Has Their First Kiss</td><br />
<td>A US Fire Department Puts Out a Fire</td><br />
<td>Someone Hits a Hole-In-One</td><br />
<td>My Turn Signal Blinks</td><br />
<td>The Turn Signal of the Car in Front of Me Blinks</td><br />
</tr><br />
<tr><br />
<td>Earthquake (Magnitude 1)</td><br />
<td>Earthquake (Magnitude 2)</td><br />
<td>Earthquake (Magnitude 3)</td><br />
<td>Earthquake (Magnitude 4)</td><br />
<td>Member of the UK Parliament Flushes a Toilet</td><br />
</tr><br />
<tr><br />
<td>An Airline Flight Takes Off</td><br />
<td>Someone Buys <em>To Kill A Mockingbird</em></td><br />
<td>Someone's Pet Cat Kills a Mockingbird</td><br />
<td>Someone in Pheonix Buys New Shoes</td><br />
<td>Someone in Pheonix Puts on a Condom</td><br />
</tr><br />
<tr><br />
<td>Someone Locks Their Keys in Their Car</td><br />
<td>A Sagittarius Named Amelia Drinks a Soda</td><br />
<td>A Dog Bites Someone in the US</td><br />
<td>Someone Steals a Bicycle</td><br />
<td>A Bald Eagle Catches a Fish</td><br />
</tr><br />
<tr><br />
<td>50,000 Plastic Bottles are Produced</td><br />
<td>50,000 Plastic Bottles are Recycled</td><br />
<td>A Bright Meteor is Visible Somewhere</td><br />
<td>Old Faithful Erupts</td><br />
<td>A fishing Boat Catches a Shark</td><br />
</tr><br />
<tr><br />
<td>Someone in the US is Diagnosed With Cancer</td><br />
<td>Someone in the US Dies from Cancer</td><br />
<td>Someone Adopts a Dog from a Shelter</td><br />
<td>Someone Adopts a Cat from a Shelter</td><br />
<td>Someone gets Married</td><br />
</tr><br />
<tr><br />
<td>Someone Registers a Domain</td><br />
<td>Someone in the US Buys a House</td><br />
<td>Someone in the US gets a Tattoo</td><br />
<td>The Star <em>PSR J1748-2446AD Rotates 1,000 Times</em></td><br />
<td>Someone Lies About their Age to Sign up for Facebook</td><br />
</tr><br />
<tr><br />
<td>Someone Breaks an iPhone Screen</td><br />
<td>A Little League Player Strikes Out</td><br />
<td>Someone has Sex in North Dakota</td><br />
<td>Justin Bieber Gains a Follower on Twitter</td><br />
<td>Someone in Denver Orders a Pizza</td><br />
</tr><br />
</table><br />
</pre> [[Special:Contributions/108.162.250.11|108.162.250.11]] 10:06, 17 February 2014 (UTC)<br />
<br />
:::Thanks, I have replaced the transcript with this one as it is closer to the actual comic format. --[[Special:Contributions/173.245.53.152|173.245.53.152]] 10:24, 17 February 2014 (UTC)<br />
<br />
I would like to point out a few things: the title text refers to an experiment that shows a piece of tar, if I remember correctly, which looks like a solid material, dripping very very slowly. It takes a year or more for a drop to fall, and there should be a live stream of it somewhere, I think.<br />
:A year? It took 12 years for the last drop to fall...<br />
The second is the turning signal being out of sync with the other car. Randall made a comic about that one already. It's a recurring thing.[[User:Dulcis|Dulcis]] ([[User talk:Dulcis|talk]]) 07:57, 17 February 2014 (UTC)<br />
: About turning signals, see [[165|XKCD #165]]--[[User:Koundelitchnico|KoundelitchNico]] ([[User talk:Koundelitchnico|talk]]) 09:32, 17 February 2014 (UTC)<br />
<br />
:: Thanks, I thought of that one too. I have added this in the explanations column of the table I created, feel free to add more / edit if you feel the need to do so. --[[Special:Contributions/173.245.53.152|173.245.53.152]] 10:24, 17 February 2014 (UTC)<br />
<br />
I found a simple tool that calculates the duration of GIF files on github: https://raw.github.com/alimony/gifduration/master/gifduration.py<br />
Slightly edited, this is the output: <br />
<pre><br />
amelia.gif: 7790 ms (7.79 seconds)<br />
bieber.gif: 4730 ms (4.73 seconds)<br />
bike.gif: 24930 ms (24.93 seconds)<br />
birth.gif: 240 ms (0.24 seconds)<br />
book_mockingbird.gif: 42050 ms (42.05 seconds)<br />
bottles.gif: 1270 ms (1.27 seconds)<br />
car_china.gif: 1890 ms (1.89 seconds)<br />
car_elsewhere.gif: 1030 ms (1.03 seconds)<br />
car_germany.gif: 5800 ms (5.80 seconds)<br />
car_japan.gif: 4010 ms (4.01 seconds)<br />
car_us.gif: 6950 ms (6.95 seconds)<br />
cat.gif: 21300 ms (21.30 seconds)<br />
cat_mockingbird.gif: 1820 ms (1.82 seconds)<br />
death.gif: 560 ms (0.56 seconds)<br />
denverpizza.gif: 1270 ms (1.27 seconds)<br />
dogbite.gif: 7010 ms (7.01 seconds)<br />
dog.gif: 15600 ms (15.60 seconds)<br />
domain.gif: 640 ms (0.64 seconds)<br />
eagle.gif: 2690 ms (2.69 seconds)<br />
earthquake1.gif: 2430 ms (2.43 seconds)<br />
earthquake2.gif: 24260 ms (24.26 seconds)<br />
earthquake3.gif: 242600 ms (242.60 seconds)<br />
earthquake4.gif: 2426000 ms (2426.00 seconds)<br />
facebook.gif: 4320 ms (4.32 seconds)<br />
fire_dept.gif: 23000 ms (23.00 seconds)<br />
flight.gif: 930 ms (0.93 seconds)<br />
heartbeat.gif: 860 ms (0.86 seconds)<br />
holeinone.gif: 180000 ms (180.00 seconds)<br />
house.gif: 6220 ms (6.22 seconds)<br />
iphone.gif: 930 ms (0.93 seconds)<br />
keys.gif: 2430 ms (2.43 seconds)<br />
kiss.gif: 5530 ms (5.53 seconds)<br />
littleleague.gif: 1230 ms (1.23 seconds)<br />
meteor.gif: 1150 ms (1.15 seconds)<br />
ndsex.gif: 1380 ms (1.38 seconds)<br />
oldfaithful.gif: 5640000 ms (5640.00 seconds)<br />
parliament_toilet.gif: 10060 ms (10.06 seconds)<br />
phoenix.gif: 2050 ms (2.05 seconds)<br />
phoenixshoes.gif: 1080 ms (1.08 seconds)<br />
pulsar.gif: 1400 ms (1.40 seconds)<br />
recycled.gif: 4640 ms (4.64 seconds)<br />
shark.gif: 830 ms (0.83 seconds)<br />
tattoo.gif: 2060 ms (2.06 seconds)<br />
turnsignal1.gif: 940 ms (0.94 seconds)<br />
turnsignal2.gif: 900 ms (0.90 seconds)<br />
us_cancer_death.gif: 54340 ms (54.34 seconds)<br />
us_cancer.gif: 18990 ms (18.99 seconds)<br />
vibrator.gif: 2990 ms (2.99 seconds)<br />
wedding.gif: 750 ms (0.75 seconds)<br />
wikipedia.gif: 670 ms (0.67 seconds)<br />
</pre><br />
This could be useful in creating some kind of table in the Explanation.<br />
[[Special:Contributions/108.162.231.109|108.162.231.109]] 09:25, 17 February 2014 (UTC)<br />
<br />
:Thanks, I'm working on an explanation right now. --[[Special:Contributions/173.245.53.152|173.245.53.152]] 09:57, 17 February 2014 (UTC)<br />
::OK, I'll leave it at this - the conversions to events per minute don't make sense for all of the tiles and some of them can use more explanation but I'll leave that for someone else to pick up - need to go back to work :-) --[[Special:Contributions/173.245.53.152|173.245.53.152]] 10:12, 17 February 2014 (UTC)<br />
<br />
:::The edits on Wikipedia doesn't seem very accurate: 0.67s are 3.9M edits per month, while [http://stats.wikimedia.org/EN/TablesDatabaseEdits.htm] has only edit counts around 3M for the last available months for English Wikipedia. --[[Special:Contributions/108.162.254.160|108.162.254.160]] 11:17, 17 February 2014 (UTC)<br />
<br />
<br />
Suggestion: grid like coordinates to refer to other flashing text? (think E4, B6, D5, ...) sirKitKat [[Special:Contributions/173.245.53.173|173.245.53.173]] 11:19, 17 February 2014 (UTC)<br />
<br />
Someone from the UK parliment flushed the toilet while someone in Phoenix used a condom, while a bald eagle caught a fish... (I know, it's just the frequency, not the exact time it is shown to occur) [[Special:Contributions/141.101.98.131|141.101.98.131]] 11:28, 17 February 2014 (UTC)</div>141.101.98.131