https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/api.php?action=feedcontributions&user=141.101.98.170&feedformat=atomexplain xkcd - User contributions [en]2024-03-29T06:23:05ZUser contributionsMediaWiki 1.30.0https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=662:_iPhone_or_Droid&diff=323883662: iPhone or Droid2023-09-16T20:25:56Z<p>141.101.98.170: /* Explanation */ link</p>
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<div>{{comic<br />
| number = 662<br />
| date = November 13, 2009<br />
| title = iPhone or Droid<br />
| image = iphone_or_droid.png<br />
| titletext = It may be a fundamentally empty experience, but holy crap the Droid's 265 ppi screen is amazing.<br />
}}<br />
<br />
==Explanation==<br />
The comic starts to set up a joke about the "phone wars" between the {{w|iPhone}} and phones that run the {{w|Android (operating system)|Android}} system (in this case the {{w|Motorola Droid}}), but instead just brings up a serious point criticizing the {{w|consumerism}} this "war" stems from. In the last line of panel 2, [[Cueball]] refers to the slogan "There's an app for that" from Apple's iPhone marketing.<br />
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Then the third panel makes a joke anyway, at Apple's expense: apparently, this "enlightenment app" was rejected from Apple's app store, which is the only supported way to put third-party software on an iPhone. Apple has become infamous for rejecting apps from their app store without adequately explaining why. (Users of iPhones can sideload third party software using {{w|iOS jailbreaking|jailbreaking}} or {{w|iOS SDK|developer tools}}, but both are quite complicated.)<br />
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In the title text Cueball succumbs to the consumerism and marvels at the Motorola Droid's high (at the time) {{w|Pixel density|pixel density}}. Apple responded 9 months later by releasing the {{w|iPhone 4}} with a 326 ppi {{w|Retina Display}}. (Higher pixel densities are now standard for smartphones.)<br />
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This comic was written at the start of the modern smartphone era, when first the iPhone and then Google's Android platform had popularized user-installable third-party apps for smartphones. Previously third-party smartphone apps had been much rarer as they were hard to [https://www.theregister.com/2010/10/22/nokia_explains_symbian_strategy_we_translate/ develop] and [https://www.theregister.com/2009/05/28/ovi_review/ install], and smartphones themselves had been considered quite hard to use. iOS and Android, running on touchscreen smartphones with considerably more hardware resources than earlier smartphones, had [https://arstechnica.com/staff/2008/03/cant-help-falling-in-love/ encouraged] the development of third-party apps and their sale on app stores, with Apple advertising [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=szrsfeyLzyg "there's an app for that"] to showcase the range of apps available for its phones.<br />
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Although the concept of an app that delivers "something more than the pale facsimile of fulfillment brought by a parade of ever-fancier toys" sounds ridiculous, [https://www.nytimes.com/wirecutter/reviews/best-meditation-apps/ mindfulness apps] have since become reasonably popular.<br />
<br />
==Transcript==<br />
:[Megan sitting at her computer is talking to Cueball standing behind her.]<br />
:Megan: Well, it depends what you want. The iPhone wins on speed and polish, but the Droid has that gorgeous screen and physical keyboard.<br />
<br />
:Cueball: What if I want something more than the pale facsimile of fulfillment brought by a parade of ever-fancier toys? To spend my life restlessly producing instead of sedately consuming?<br />
:Cueball: Is there an app for ''that''?<br />
<br />
:Megan: Yeah, on both.<br />
:Megan: Wait, no, looks like it was rejected from the iPhone store.<br />
:Cueball: Droid it is, then.<br />
<br />
{{comic discussion}}<br />
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]<br />
[[Category:Comics featuring Megan]]<br />
[[Category:Smartphones]]</div>141.101.98.170https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=1762:_Moving_Boxes&diff=1312911762: Moving Boxes2016-11-21T14:57:46Z<p>141.101.98.170: /* List of boxes */ Edited to match comic formatting.</p>
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<div>{{comic<br />
| number = 1762<br />
| date = November 21, 2016<br />
| title = Moving Boxes<br />
| image = moving_boxes.png<br />
| titletext = Later, when I remember that I'm calling movers, I frantically scribble over the labels and write 'NORMAL HOUSE STUFF' on all of them, which actually makes things worse.<br />
}}<br />
<br />
==Explanation==<br />
{{incomplete|Stub}}<br />
[[Randall]] talks about moving boxes and not labeling them until he forgets what's in them. The boxes in the comic are labelled with some weird things for a house.<br />
<br />
== List of boxes ==<br />
<br />
{| class="wikitable"<br />
| style="visibility:hidden" |<br />
| colspan="2" |<br />
Grids<br><br />
Bison<br><br />
Checkerboards<br><br />
Fog<br />
| colspan="2" |<br />
Beacons<br><br />
Elves<br><br />
Sand<br />
| colspan="2" |<br />
Hemoglobin<br />
| colspan="2" |<br />
Water<br><br />
Hooves<br />
| style="visibility:hidden" |<br />
|-|<br />
| style="visibility:hidden" |<br />
| colspan="2" |<br />
Shorebirds<br />
| colspan="2" |<br />
Oil<br><br />
Vectors<br><br />
Silt <br />
| colspan="2" |<br />
Membranes<br><br />
Shards<br />
| colspan="2" |<br />
Shawls<br><br />
Glucose<br><br />
Kits<br />
| style="visibility:hidden" |<br />
|-|<br />
| style="visibility:hidden" |<br />
| colspan="2" |<br />
Hydrants<br><br />
Particles<br><br />
Knots<br />
| colspan="2" |<br />
Graphite<br><br />
Taupe<br />
| colspan="2" |<br />
Field Lines<br />
| colspan="2" |<br />
Traps<br />
| style="visibility:hidden" |<br />
|-|<br />
| colspan="2" |<br />
Edges<br><br />
Tribes<br><br />
Dough<br />
| colspan="2" |<br />
Dark Matter<br />
| colspan="2" |<br />
Manifolds<br />
| colspan="2" |<br />
Triangles<br><br />
Peat<br><br />
Crowns<br />
| colspan="2" |<br />
Scrolls<br />
|}<br />
<br />
According to the title text, when Randall remembers that he is calling movers, he frantically scribbles "Normal House Stuff" on all the boxes. He says this makes the situation worse because the movers see the scribble and become suspicious.<br />
<br />
==Transcript==<br />
{{incomplete transcript}}<br />
<br />
{{comic discussion}}</div>141.101.98.170https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=Talk:993:_Brand_Identity&diff=92044Talk:993: Brand Identity2015-05-01T16:00:53Z<p>141.101.98.170: </p>
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<div>Notice that the sugar is inverted? Weird.<br />
--Classhole 23:22, 24 January 2013 (UTC)<br />
:Weird, the hot sauce is also inverted [[User:BlueRoll18|BlueRoll18]] ([[User talk:BlueRoll18|talk]]) 02:38, 7 February 2013 (UTC)<br />
:::While the sugar and hot sauce are unusual in that you can easily read the packaging, I don't think they are supposed to be in the same product range. --[[User:Pudder|Pudder]] ([[User talk:Pudder|talk]]) 16:25, 8 December 2014 (UTC)<br />
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NONAME in Canada uses yellow boxes with black text but basically the same idea.<br />
--Pundawg 18:56, 19 February 2013 (UTC)<br />
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I didn't get this joke because I grew up eating "Slim Price" food branded exactly this way. -lolo {{unsigned ip|99.120.200.86}}<br />
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There's a brand called "Ja!" from the Rewe group in Germany that uses this exact concept somewhat, but nowadays, the packages contain pictures and illustrations of all kinds, and aren't as white, simple and plain as they used to be in the past. See: http://www.rewe.de/besser-einkaufen/ja/produkte-und-infos.html<br />
--Rolfhub 23:25, 14 September 2013<br />
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:Here is some old image of the designs: [https://web.archive.org/web/20040503194438im_/http://www.rewe-ja.de/nxMODULES/nxCONTENTER/content/1_425Bild1.jpg]. It's not as simple as in the comic, but it's certainly the same idea. -- [[Special:Contributions/108.162.219.39|108.162.219.39]] 20:25, 24 April 2014 (UTC)<br />
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:Ah, dear old "Ja!"... it saved my life back when I was a broke student. Anyway, also the M-Budget line from Swiss Migros recently started adding pictures to its product, but before that it was all green packaging with black writing. Wonerful --[[Special:Contributions/108.162.229.31|108.162.229.31]] 13:36, 26 May 2014 (UTC)<br />
::"Ja!" is a very successful brand sold in Germany (and more countries) offered by {{w|REWE}}. The products are presented in a white cover, just showing the word "Ja!" ("Yes!" in English) and much smaller the content of the product. Maybe this could also be mentioned at the trivia section. --[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 21:55, 26 May 2014 (UTC)<br />
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I think the lack of URL is just to troll the consumers. [[Special:Contributions/173.245.63.180|173.245.63.180]] 00:33, 13 November 2013 (UTC)<br />
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Actually several brands in the Netherlands did this before the comic was posted. They switched to a red/white two-colour scheme with the product in large letters in English. The problem was, that multiple brands did this, which made them look very similar. [[Special:Contributions/141.101.75.95|141.101.75.95]] 16:09, 8 December 2014 (UTC)<br />
Hey, something seems wrong with the IP logging. The logged IP is not mine. -- [[Special:Contributions/141.101.75.95|141.101.75.95]] 16:11, 8 December 2014 (UTC)<br />
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For a couple of decades this exact thing existed: http://www.google.com/search?q=black+on+white+generic+brand+products In fact I'm certain that that is the joke.[[Special:Contributions/108.162.215.156|108.162.215.156]] 07:38, 11 March 2015 (UTC)<br />
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I believe this may be a reference to the film Repo Man.</div>141.101.98.170https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=Talk:1086:_Eyelash_Wish_Log&diff=71126Talk:1086: Eyelash Wish Log2014-07-07T19:24:16Z<p>141.101.98.170: </p>
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<div>* This is one of my favorite xkcd comics ever. I can't stop laughing. #TEBOWTIME 17:14, 17 August 2012 (UTC)<br />
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i know right?? feb. 27th is by far the best...<br />
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[[User:Douglasadams472|Douglasadams472]] ([[User talk:Douglasadams472|talk]]) 03:12, 16 December 2012 (UTC)<br />
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It seems to me that February 6th's wish implies that, as a result of the previous day's wish, he now has an absurdly large number of eyelashes. Opinions? [[User:Bobidou23|Bobidou23]] ([[User talk:Bobidou23|talk]]) 02:58, 26 May 2013 (UTC)<br />
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I feel that each wish should be thoroughly explained, or at least briefly mentioned. {{unsigned ip|108.162.238.193}}<br />
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March 15 may reference a painting of M.C. Escher so named "House of Stairs" [[Special:Contributions/199.27.128.79|199.27.128.79]] 08:19, 8 March 2014 (UTC)<br />
<br />
What did "zero wishes" mean? [[Special:Contributions/173.245.48.86|173.245.48.86]] 18:16, 2 April 2014 (UTC) <br />
* Often when configuring software (especially regarding limits) 0 is taken to mean infinite, for example in a mail server's config file there may be an entry that looks like "Max number of connections: (enter 0 for unlimited)" [[Special:Contributions/141.101.98.170|141.101.98.170]] 19:24, 7 July 2014 (UTC)</div>141.101.98.170https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=1380:_Manual_for_Civilization&diff=695911380: Manual for Civilization2014-06-15T14:20:57Z<p>141.101.98.170: /* Explanation */ this is a stretch. There's nothing to suggest a connection to the article aside from slight thematic similarities.</p>
<hr />
<div>{{comic<br />
| number = 1380<br />
| date = June 11, 2014<br />
| title = Manual for Civilization<br />
| image = manual_for_civilization.png<br />
| titletext = We will have an entire wing of the library devoted to copies of book #26, because ohmygod it's the one where Jake and Cassie finally KISS!!!<br />
}}<br />
<br />
==Explanation==<br />
{{w|Brian Eno}} is a musician and a co-founder of the {{w|Long Now Foundation}}. He is explaining to an audience that one of the missions of the Long Now is a [http://blog.longnow.org/02010/04/06/manual-for-civilization/ Manual for Civilization] - a collection of reference materials that can help rebuild society in case it collapses. But in Randall's version, the experts have made a list composed of many books from the {{w|Animorphs}} series. <br />
<br />
Animorphs is a series of books written by {{w|K.A. Applegate}}. It follows a group of five children (later, an alien joins as the sixth member), that try to stop the parasitic aliens, the Yeerks, by transforming into animals. A Yeerk that enters a human has complete control over their host, and can read their memories. Because the Yeerks can imitate their host almost perfectly, humanity is slowly being taken over without knowing it, and for this reason the children cannot contact the authorities and are on their own in the battle against the Yeerks. <br />
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When asked if all the books on the experts list are from the Animorph series, Eno misses the point of the question by saying ''No!'', only to mention the {{W|List_of_Animorphs_books#Companion_books|Megamorphs}} books and {{W|The Andalite Chronicles}}, both of which are side stories to the Animorph universe. <br />
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There are other books like these which aren't mentioned here — but it is clear from the last two panels that it is a quite long list — and it seems to be written in two columns, so maybe all {{w|List_of_Animorphs_books#Animorphs_main_series|54 Animorphs books}} and all {{W|List_of_Animorphs_books#Companion_books|ten side stories}} could be included on the list.<br />
<br />
In suggesting that a series of children's novels make up the blueprint for rebuilding civilization, [[Randall]] is spoofing the idea of such libraries (since such books would be largely useless in terms of providing the detailed instructions that would be necessary).<br />
<br />
The title text makes it completely ludicrous by saying an entire wing of the library will be devoted to the {{w|The Attack (Animorphs)|book (#26)}} where {{w|Animorphs#Animorphs|two main characters who have been attracted to each other since the beginning of the series}} finally kiss. While this is a momentous event for fans of the book series, the information is of no consequence for the rebuilding of civilization.<br />
<br />
This comic may also be inspired by {{w|Isaac Asimov}}'s {{w|The_Foundation_Series|Foundation series}}, where Hari Seldon claimed that the Galactic Empire is going to collapse in three hundred years, there is no way to stop it but his group of scientists are writing Encyclopedia Galactica to help people rebuild civilization.<br />
<br />
*The Long Now Foundation was mentioned recently in [[1340: Unique Date]].<br />
*Animorphs was referenced before in the title text of [[1187: Aspect Ratio]] and [[1360: Old Files]].<br />
<br />
==Transcript==<br />
:[Brian Eno is talking to an unseen audience.]<br />
:Brian Eno: Hi. I'm music's Brian Eno, co-founder of the Long Now Foundation. <br />
<br />
:[Panel 2 shows he is standing on a stage.]<br />
:Brian Eno: As part of our mission to promote long-term thinking, we've asked experts to help us assemble a collection of books from which civilization can be rebuilt if it ever collapses.<br />
<br />
:[Panel 3 shows he is holding a manuscript with a long list of book titles.]<br />
:Brian Eno: Today we're sharing the results — the first ever ''Manual for Civilization''.<br />
<br />
:[Panel 4 shows him reading from the manuscript.]<br />
:Brian Eno: *Ahem* <br />
::''Animorphs #1: The Invasion''<br />
::''Animorphs #2: The Visitor''<br />
::''Animorphs #3: The Encounter''<br />
:Unseen Audience member: ...are they ''all'' Animorphs Books?<br />
:Brian Eno: No! There's also ''Megamorphs'' and ''The Andalite Chronicles''.<br />
<br />
{{comic discussion}}<br />
<br />
[[Category:Comics featuring real people]]<br />
[[Category:Animorphs]]</div>141.101.98.170