https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/api.php?action=feedcontributions&user=141.101.98.244&feedformat=atomexplain xkcd - User contributions [en]2024-03-29T13:26:56ZUser contributionsMediaWiki 1.30.0https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=2489:_Bad_Map_Projection:_The_Greenland_Special&diff=2151322489: Bad Map Projection: The Greenland Special2021-07-16T14:16:25Z<p>141.101.98.244: /* Transcript */ Now the link is in the main text, and (by eye, and ultimately going roughly by the listed latitude of Gibraltar) tried to make things a bit more definite.</p>
<hr />
<div>{{comic<br />
| number = 2489<br />
| date = July 14, 2021<br />
| title = Bad Map Projection: The Greenland Special<br />
| image = bad_map_projection_the_greenland_special.png<br />
| titletext = The projection for those who think the Mercator projection gives people a distorted idea of how big Greenland is, but a very accurate idea of how big it SHOULD be.<br />
}}<br />
<br />
==Explanation==<br />
{{incomplete|Created by a AFRICA SIZED NOT AFRICA SIZED ISLAND. Please mention here why this explanation isn't complete. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}<br />
<br />
This is one of a series on [[:Category:Bad Map Projections|Bad Map Projections]]. {{W|Map projection}}s are different methods of representing the curved surface of the Earth on a two-dimensional map. There's no perfect way to do so. Because the Earth is not flat, any 2D map projection of it will always distort in a way the spherical reality, and a map projection that is useful for one aspect (like navigation, geographical shapes and masses visualization, etc.) will not be so for all the others. Typically a projection can represent only distances, areas ''or'' angles correctly, or at best imperfectly compromise two of these. The map choice should reflect the purpose you need to put it to, as it will necessarily distort (perhaps by twisting, skewing and/or resizing) those aspects it was not designed to show intact. <br />
<br />
One such projection is the {{w|Mercator projection}}, which is designed so that all north-south lines of longitude are parallel to each other and all {{w|rhumb line}}s are consistent, which is most important in the time of map-based navigation. In reality, apart from the direct east-west directions, all the imaginary straight lines eventually meet at the poles which - even if they look parallel. The apparent distance between lines of latitude at the more extreme latitudes expands and the vicinity around each pole can never be drawn, as Mercator maps show geographic features plotted over ever larger map areas and distances than they should, for those nearer the poles, compared to those more equatorial. It is not possible to accurately compare the sizes of features across the globe using this projection, although the distortions can be effectively ignored for more local maps that do not plot a significant area of the globe (other than ''very'' close to the poles, historically not an issue) and along or between any given narrow strips of latitude away from the equator the comparison is between near equal scalings.<br />
<br />
Greenland is a large island in the Arctic ocean and one of the nearest pieces of land to the north pole. The Mercator projection shows it to be significantly larger than it really is, compared to equator-straddling features such as Africa. It is therefore one of the most obvious inaccuracies of Mercator's map, if used (e.g.) in the classroom to teach physical geography (which perhaps would best use a representation that was consistent to area) rather than navigation.<br />
<br />
The {{w|Equal-area_map|equal-area}} projections such as {{w|Mollweide_projection|Mollweide}} or {{w|Tobler_hyperelliptical_projection|Tobler Hyperelliptical}}, the latter of which seems to extremely closely match the majority of the features evident upon the hand-drawn map, ensure that shapes contain the same relative proportion of area as they would upon the original spherical (or {{w|Spheroid#Oblate_spheroids|slightly spheroidal}}) surface, across all latitudes, but only by bending the directions and rescaling the distances ever more drastically the closer to the map edge (the anti-meridian to that the map is centred upon) you go. Unlike the Mercator projection, you ''can'' show the poles (as the extreme upper and lower limits of the rim) from an equatorially-centred view, and every point of the Earth is given one definite position (or two, where they lie exactly upon the crossing point between the left/right extremes of the map).<br />
<br />
This comic's projection has retained this singular inaccuracy as a deliberate feature, though avoiding all other such inaccuracies of the Mercator projection by using a different projection elsewhere that is designed explicitly to avoid them. For example, a traditional Mercator map would show other polar areas such as Antarctica, southern South America, or even New Zealand as larger, but this map does not.<br />
<br />
Although it may not be obvious, due to no land-masses being normally shown at/close-enough to the North Pole, the Mercatorish Greenland actually extends beyond the Elliptic map's northern limits into positions that do not even ''exist'' in reality - it does not even 'wrap around and over' the pole (like a bad toupée) but passes through it and the arbitrary back-edge meridian line and into purely imaginary space that does not exist upon the surface of the Earthly sphere. (For a flipped comparison, the lower 'curve' of Antarctica is not its coast, but merely the map's 'wrap-around' edge where a further step would have you stepping back onto the continent at a second point of this nominal edge. The true coast of Antarctica is only the rough upper edge, passing between the two points which each represent the one arbitrary 'wrap-around' coordinate that is opposite-but-adjacent on the map's oval edging, i.e. at ±180°E/W, but which otherwise has no particularly special quality 'on the ground'.) <br />
<br />
The title text suggests that this map was created by people who believe Greenland should be larger. Whether these people believe it should be physically increased in size in some manner or should simply receive a greater share of the attention is unclear. One method for increasing its size would be to increase the coverage of its ice cap, which is currently decreasing in size due to increases in temperature. However, increasing Greenland's ice coverage to the size it appears on a Mercator map would involve covering the entire island and surrounding ocean with ice, which would be very problematic for Greenland's population.<br />
<br />
==Transcript==<br />
:Bad Map Projection #299:<br />
:<big>The Greenland Special</big><br />
:Equal-area map preserves size everywhere except Greenland, which uses the Mercator projection.<br />
:[A drawn world map, perhaps the Tobler hyperelliptical projection, except for Greenland which is of a typical Mercator appearance and sized at almost the size of Africa, to almost entirely fill the space between Canada and Iceland. It extends up well beyond the nominal location of the North Pole, while its southern tip has a latitude comparable to that of Spain or the vicinity of Virginia.]<br />
{{comic discussion}}<br />
[[Category:Bad Map Projections]]</div>141.101.98.244https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=2489:_Bad_Map_Projection:_The_Greenland_Special&diff=2150712489: Bad Map Projection: The Greenland Special2021-07-15T09:57:02Z<p>141.101.98.244: /* Transcript */ Darnit, I thought I'd removed this non-transcriptised formatting the first time round. Don't know how I missed it.</p>
<hr />
<div>{{comic<br />
| number = 2489<br />
| date = July 14, 2021<br />
| title = Bad Map Projection: The Greenland Special<br />
| image = bad_map_projection_the_greenland_special.png<br />
| titletext = The projection for those who think the Mercator projection gives people a distorted idea of how big Greenland is, but a very accurate idea of how big it SHOULD be.<br />
}}<br />
<br />
==Explanation==<br />
{{incomplete|Created by a AFRICA SIZED NOT AFRICA SIZED ISLAND. Please mention here why this explanation isn't complete. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}<br />
<br />
Map projections are different methods of representing the curved surface of the Earth on a two-dimensional map. Because the Earth is not flat,{{Citation needed}} any method of representing it will unavoidably contain some inaccuracies, but some projections are more noticeably inaccurate than others. Typically a projection can represent only distances, areas ''or'' angles correctly, or at best imperfectly compromise two of these. The map choice should reflect the purpose you need to put it to, as it will necessarily distort (perhaps by twisting, skewing and/or resizing) those aspects it was not designed to show intact. <br />
<br />
One such projection is the {{w|Mercator projection}}, which is designed so that all north-south lines of longitude are parallel to each other and all {{w|Rhumb line}}s are consistent, which is most important in the time of map-based navigation. In reality, these imaginary lines eventually meet at the poles and this also expands the apparent distance between lines of latitude at the more extreme latitudes. This means that Mercator maps will show geographic features with larger areas and distances than they should if they are near the poles, compared to those more equatorial. It is not possible to accurately compare the sizes of features across the globe using this projection, although the distortions do not significantly affect more local maps (other than ''very'' close to the poles, historically not an issue) or comparisons along or between similar latitudes away from the equator.<br />
<br />
Greenland is a large island in the Arctic ocean and one of the nearest pieces of land to the north pole. The Mercator projection shows it to be significantly larger than it really is, compared to equator-straddling features such as Africa. It is therefore one of the most obvious inaccuracies of Mercator's map, if used (e.g.) in the classroom to teach physical geography (which perhaps would best use a representation that was consistent to area) rather than navigation.<br />
<br />
This comic's projection has retained this singular inaccuracy as a deliberate feature, though avoiding all other such inaccuracies of the Mercator projection by using a different projection elsewhere that is designed explicitly to avoid them. For example, a traditional Mercator map would show other polar areas such as Antarctica, southern South America, or even New Zealand as larger, but this map does not.<br />
<br />
The title text suggests that this map was created by people who believe Greenland should be larger. Whether these people believe it should be physically increased in size in some manner or should simply receive a greater share of the attention is unclear. One method for increasing its size would be to increase the coverage of its ice cap, which is currently decreasing in size due to increases in temperature. However, increasing Greenland's ice coverage to the size it appears on a Mercator map would involve covering the entire island and surrounding ocean with ice, which would be very problematic for Greenland's population.<br />
<br />
==Transcript==<br />
:Bad Map Projection #299:<br />
:The Greenland Special<br />
:Equal-area map preserves size everywhere except Greenland, which uses the Mercator projection.<br />
:[A drawn world map, probably of the Tobler Hyperelliptical type, except for Greenland which is of a typical Mercator (non-)skew and sized at almost the size of Africa, to almost entirely fill the space between Canada and Iceland, extending up well beyond the nominal location of the North Pole and its southern tip comparable to that of Spain/the central states of the US.]<br />
{{comic discussion}}<br />
[[Category:Bad Map Projections]]</div>141.101.98.244https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=2489:_Bad_Map_Projection:_The_Greenland_Special&diff=2150702489: Bad Map Projection: The Greenland Special2021-07-15T09:55:21Z<p>141.101.98.244: /* Transcript */ ...like I said. (Also roughly the size of either North or South Americas, only significantly outmatched by Eurasia, or Asia alone, amongst all commonly understood continents.</p>
<hr />
<div>{{comic<br />
| number = 2489<br />
| date = July 14, 2021<br />
| title = Bad Map Projection: The Greenland Special<br />
| image = bad_map_projection_the_greenland_special.png<br />
| titletext = The projection for those who think the Mercator projection gives people a distorted idea of how big Greenland is, but a very accurate idea of how big it SHOULD be.<br />
}}<br />
<br />
==Explanation==<br />
{{incomplete|Created by a AFRICA SIZED NOT AFRICA SIZED ISLAND. Please mention here why this explanation isn't complete. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}<br />
<br />
Map projections are different methods of representing the curved surface of the Earth on a two-dimensional map. Because the Earth is not flat,{{Citation needed}} any method of representing it will unavoidably contain some inaccuracies, but some projections are more noticeably inaccurate than others. Typically a projection can represent only distances, areas ''or'' angles correctly, or at best imperfectly compromise two of these. The map choice should reflect the purpose you need to put it to, as it will necessarily distort (perhaps by twisting, skewing and/or resizing) those aspects it was not designed to show intact. <br />
<br />
One such projection is the {{w|Mercator projection}}, which is designed so that all north-south lines of longitude are parallel to each other and all {{w|Rhumb line}}s are consistent, which is most important in the time of map-based navigation. In reality, these imaginary lines eventually meet at the poles and this also expands the apparent distance between lines of latitude at the more extreme latitudes. This means that Mercator maps will show geographic features with larger areas and distances than they should if they are near the poles, compared to those more equatorial. It is not possible to accurately compare the sizes of features across the globe using this projection, although the distortions do not significantly affect more local maps (other than ''very'' close to the poles, historically not an issue) or comparisons along or between similar latitudes away from the equator.<br />
<br />
Greenland is a large island in the Arctic ocean and one of the nearest pieces of land to the north pole. The Mercator projection shows it to be significantly larger than it really is, compared to equator-straddling features such as Africa. It is therefore one of the most obvious inaccuracies of Mercator's map, if used (e.g.) in the classroom to teach physical geography (which perhaps would best use a representation that was consistent to area) rather than navigation.<br />
<br />
This comic's projection has retained this singular inaccuracy as a deliberate feature, though avoiding all other such inaccuracies of the Mercator projection by using a different projection elsewhere that is designed explicitly to avoid them. For example, a traditional Mercator map would show other polar areas such as Antarctica, southern South America, or even New Zealand as larger, but this map does not.<br />
<br />
The title text suggests that this map was created by people who believe Greenland should be larger. Whether these people believe it should be physically increased in size in some manner or should simply receive a greater share of the attention is unclear. One method for increasing its size would be to increase the coverage of its ice cap, which is currently decreasing in size due to increases in temperature. However, increasing Greenland's ice coverage to the size it appears on a Mercator map would involve covering the entire island and surrounding ocean with ice, which would be very problematic for Greenland's population.<br />
<br />
==Transcript==<br />
:Bad Map Projection #299:<br />
:<big>'''The Greenland Special'''</big><br />
:Equal-area map preserves size everywhere except Greenland, which uses the Mercator projection.<br />
:[A drawn world map, probably of the Tobler Hyperelliptical type, except for Greenland which is of a typical Mercator (non-)skew and sized at almost the size of Africa, to almost entirely fill the space between Canada and Iceland, extending up well beyond the nominal location of the North Pole and its southern tip comparable to that of Spain/the central states of the US.]<br />
{{comic discussion}}<br />
[[Category:Bad Map Projections]]</div>141.101.98.244https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=Talk:2487:_Danger_Mnemonic&diff=214876Talk:2487: Danger Mnemonic2021-07-10T08:55:59Z<p>141.101.98.244: ...and a punctuation/pre-post-re-wording failure to sort out. Sheesh.</p>
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<div><!--Please sign your posts with ~~~~ and don't delete this text. New comments should be added at the bottom.--><br />
<br />
1) Strangely, I find even the established motherWiki page for the Red Sky motto to be a little short of full explanation. It could do with a diagram to demonstrate how line-of-sight extends one's view beyond the horizon and above surface effects to reveal the nature of the oncoming atmosphere, either imminent (upwind) or historic (downwind, with the implication of an oscillation in the other direction). But, not only that, a sky clear enough to give a good direct red-sky in the Sun's rising/setting direction also will allow Earth-skimming sunlight to red-illuminate the presence of clouds in the opposite direction (with the greater guarantee of 'weather system opposites' east-to-west), enhancing the 'forecast' even further and before/after rising/setting of the Sun as well. Not something to add to the Explanation, but fun to realise. [[Special:Contributions/141.101.98.152|141.101.98.152]] 08:50, 10 July 2021 (UTC)<br />
<br />
2) Perhaps don't use a [https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Red_sky_at_morning web link] to wikipedia when you can use a much more elegant {{w|Red sky at morning|wikilink}}..? [[Special:Contributions/141.101.98.152|141.101.98.152]] 08:50, 10 July 2021 (UTC)<br />
<br />
3) The (''probably'' as apocryphal?) rhyme here is "Beer before wine and you'll feel fine; wine before beer and you'll feel queer", so I leave it up to you to work out what this means for how to ultimately mix your Chateau-Whatever and your no-'e' whisky. ;) [[Special:Contributions/141.101.98.152|141.101.98.152]] 08:50, 10 July 2021 (UTC)</div>141.101.98.244https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=Talk:2485:_Nightmare_Code&diff=214643Talk:2485: Nightmare Code2021-07-05T16:07:19Z<p>141.101.98.244: </p>
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<div><!--Please sign your posts with ~~~~ and don't delete this text. New comments should be added at the bottom.--><br />
<br />
<!-- I *WILL* EDIT THE BELOW OUT LATER --><br />
As I feared, I got into an Edit Conflict after doing (significantly more than I intended) editing of my own 'starter' explanation. I can't easily resolve exit conflicts, and I really want to review the new item at more leisure before I junk my input entirely, so I include my initial effort below, hidden in an HTML comment so as not to be too intrusive to the casual reader. I shall come back and edit it out ASAP (when I'll be on another device, without a simpler way to just carry across a portably-stored copy and keep you lot out of it!) or feel free to dip into this edit yourself if you want to look for any gems amongst the copious spoilheap tailings. Sorry about the awkward way I'm doing it. Didn't expect to have a new comic at this time of day, but got drawn in, and now I'm too short on time.<br />
<!-- The comic is depicting a lecture or other presentation in the (far) future, the fog of intervening history obscuring various facts reasonably well-known to ourselves to the point of triviality.<br />
<br />
Phenomena such as Hurricanes/Typhoons, Tropical Storms, Ice Storms and other large-scale weather-fronts of note have been increasingly identified by naming systems, typically personal names appropriate to the geographic area of the designated meteorological authority. These are prepared in advance may be arranged alphabetically so that the first event of the season is given a name starting with 'A', the second with 'B', and so on, to make it easier to understand that Hannah is a newer threat than Fiona or Kevin was identified before Michael.<br />
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Because weather can be unpredictable, in the medium term, this does not mean that a prepared name granted to a nascent weather system ''will'' affect an area, or even arrive before the next-discovered threat does, and events given Spanish names may travel far enough to interleve with those named with Irish ones, but it does tend to be a relatively organised system.<br />
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With current technology and analysis available, including remote satellite surveillance of storm-generating far oceanic areas, many more potentially nameable events are being identified, even before the question of whether climate change is also creating more of them due to the 'global weirding' of the weather. The naming lists tend to be for a given season (or calendar year), before starting back at 'A' in an alphabetic list prepared for the next period. When there are more than 26 nameable events, one of the fallbacks used is to use the Greek letters (Alpha, Beta, Gamma,...) to cover the shortfall, so as not to delve into the next timespan too early - or look like one has. And this is not as rare as it once was.<br />
<br />
The variations of Covid have recently been similarly assigned Greek letters in common parlance, in this case to replace the 'geographical origin' name given ("Kent variant", "India variant") which may both be misleading - given that this is only the place of first identification and may have actually been seeded there from elsewhere with less variation monitoring available - and prejudicial to the area concerned. (c.f. the "Spanish Flu" which did not actually originate in Spain, but was just deliberately underreported in most other places.) For more precise identification, there are identifiers that relate more closely to the exact viral mutations, but these are rarely known or readily understood by anyone not deeply invested in the field of study. For strains of influenza, the H''x''N''y'' format has the advantage of being (mostly) easy to recall and also describing two of the most important operational aspects of the strain (e.g. the infective 'coating'), but this is significantly different to the coronavirus situation.<br />
<br />
Between our present and the future setting, it also seems that disasters caused by runaway nanomechanical events have also become a recurring or multipally-arising threat and have required serial classification to make easy sense of.<br />
<br />
Culturally, the world of this future appears to retain a memory of weather, disease and technodisaster, but have lost or diminished its knowledge of the lettering system, whether through continually evolving communications or periods of apathy towards events on a long-lost homeworld, perhaps due to the sheer destructive power of a nanobot swarm having 'eaten' much of the reference material and the experts who would have attempted to keep such knowledge alive.<br />
<br />
As such, the words are now known only as the default labels to apply to various 'Nightmares' that can be experienced, and most people do not realise that they were once used as neutral element in the writing down of an ancient language, their use in algebra or any other non-Nightmare classification scenario. Our futuristic lecturer does know (some of) this, however, and is trying to inform his audience, but framed within his own still-limited knowledge of the subject.<br />
<br />
The title-text persists in treating the word "alpha" only as a known indicator of 'something bad', insisting that it is the badness of the word (and the source-word "beta", unless the awkwardness is against the wagering reference in the element of "bet") that discouraged the use of the 'scary' word "alphabet" and left everyone use a similar term based upon the phrase "character set". --><br />
<!-- I *WILL* EDIT THE ABOVE OUT LATER --></div>141.101.98.244https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=Talk:2480:_No,_The_Other_One&diff=214027Talk:2480: No, The Other One2021-06-23T21:26:49Z<p>141.101.98.244: </p>
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<div><!--Please sign your posts with ~~~~ and don't delete this text. New comments should be added at the bottom.--><br />
We might want a table for this comic, with three columns: one for the name of the town, one for which state the copycat is in, and one for the original. We could also add a column for "why the original is well known," but that might be a bit much. [[Special:Contributions/108.162.245.124|108.162.245.124]] 20:38, 23 June 2021 (UTC)<br />
: I agree, this feels like a very table-able comic. Especially to get all the cities and not make readers try to see "hey, did I miss one?" [[Special:Contributions/172.70.117.158|172.70.117.158]] 20:49, 23 June 2021 (UTC)<br />
:: I think the term copy-cat should not be used here, since Lincoln, IL, for instance is older and carries the name longer than Lincoln, NE.--[[Special:Contributions/162.158.88.74|162.158.88.74]] 21:05, 23 June 2021 (UTC)<br />
::: Although the people in Lincoln, UK (also Boston, Washington, Richmond, Plymouth, Newhaven...) might have prior claims - Richmond is an even more interesting case, in fact. And of course I also recognise Lisbon and others. [[Special:Contributions/141.101.98.244|141.101.98.244]] 21:26, 23 June 2021 (UTC)<br />
<br />
In the map there are (at least) three Lincoln, two Jamestown, five Houston... [[User:Vdm|Vdm]] ([[User talk:Vdm|talk]]) 20:52, 23 June 2021 (UTC)</div>141.101.98.244https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=2478:_Alien_Visitors_2&diff=2136732478: Alien Visitors 22021-06-18T15:17:36Z<p>141.101.98.244: /* added a link to the previous comic */</p>
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<div>{{comic<br />
| number = 2478<br />
| date = June 18, 2021<br />
| title = Alien Visitors 2<br />
| image = alien_visitors_2.png<br />
| titletext = "Although fresh juice DOES sound--" "NO! For humanity to survive we must learn from the mistakes of the past."<br />
}}<br />
<br />
==Explanation==<br />
{{incomplete|Created by a 1920s ELIXIR. Please mention here why this explanation isn't complete. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}<br />
In the return of the aliens from the [https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php/2477:_Alien_Visitors previous comic], they show more redundant inventions.<br />
<br />
[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Biplane Biplanes] are planes with two sets of wings, which have more drag then a [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Monoplane monoplane.]<br />
<br />
A [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blimp blimp] is a lighter than air aircraft with no internal structure. The point raised about hydrogen would be because it is highly flammable and dangerous. <br />
<br />
[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tetraethyllead Tetraethyllead] was a chemical added to gasoline from the 1920's to the 1990's to prevent [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Engine_knocking Engine Knock], until it was revealed to have highly toxic effects.<br />
<br />
[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Juicero Juicero] is a juicer.<br />
<br />
After the latest showing of unimpressive "inventions", the humans start questioning how "advanced" the aliens really are, asking if they built the flying saucer themselves and suggesting that it might be wise to avoid standing directly beneath it in case it suddenly crashes to earth.<br />
<br />
==Transcript==<br />
{{incomplete transcript|Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}<br />
<br />
{{comic discussion}}</div>141.101.98.244https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=Talk:2477:_Alien_Visitors&diff=213539Talk:2477: Alien Visitors2021-06-17T07:04:24Z<p>141.101.98.244: </p>
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<div><!--Please sign your posts with ~~~~ and don't delete this text. New comments should be added at the bottom.--><br />
Good point, for those believing aliens help build the pyramids, if those aliens had already encountered say the MGM pyramid in Las Vegas, would they have helped people build a different kind of monument? Or it's stone pyramids regardless of the level of development? [[Special:Contributions/172.70.34.164|172.70.34.164]] 01:08, 17 June 2021 (UTC)<br />
: I'm surprised we don't have a [[:Category:Aliens]]. [[Special:Contributions/172.69.35.143|172.69.35.143]] 01:55, 17 June 2021 (UTC)<br />
But.. but.. everyone[citation required] knows that the pyramid shape is ideal for landing alien Mother Ships on top of!<br />
[[Special:Contributions/141.101.98.244|141.101.98.244]] 07:04, 17 June 2021 (UTC)</div>141.101.98.244https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=Talk:2475:_Health_Drink&diff=213507Talk:2475: Health Drink2021-06-16T15:56:44Z<p>141.101.98.244: </p>
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<div>Actually, there would be quite a lot of scientists, experts in their fields, which may have trouble using excel or think excel is good way to store data. However, White Hat likely isn't scientist, and "nanoenzymes" may actually be normal enzymes just with cooler name suggesting nanotechnology, because, well, they have the right size for that. -- [[User:Hkmaly|Hkmaly]] ([[User talk:Hkmaly|talk]]) 00:15, 16 June 2021 (UTC)<br />
:Nanoenzymes are inorganic nanoparticles (typically many thousands of Daltons) with artificial catalytic enzymes stuck on their surface. I don't think they're ever administered by ingestion. And as pertains to the comic, they are impossible to engineer without a solid working familiarity with experimental design. [[Special:Contributions/172.69.35.199|172.69.35.199]] 09:54, 16 June 2021 (UTC)<br />
I can think of a few famous medicines being promoted by government right now with insufficient testing data.[[User:Seebert|Seebert]] ([[User talk:Seebert|talk]]) 13:00, 16 June 2021 (UTC)<br />
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Probably not worth even a Trivia entry but, w.r.t Excel, my first thought about the Excel mention was this thing from last year: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-54423988 [[Special:Contributions/141.101.98.244|141.101.98.244]] 15:56, 16 June 2021 (UTC)</div>141.101.98.244https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=Talk:2476:_Base_Rate&diff=213439Talk:2476: Base Rate2021-06-15T19:19:15Z<p>141.101.98.244: </p>
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<div><!--Please sign your posts with ~~~~ and don't delete this text. New comments should be added at the bottom.--><br />
"''Aaaand we're back!''"<br>[[User:ProphetZarquon|ProphetZarquon]] ([[User talk:ProphetZarquon|talk]]) 17:01, 15 June 2021 (UTC)<br />
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I missed you! [[Special:Contributions/141.101.98.244|141.101.98.244]] 19:18, 15 June 2021 (UTC)</div>141.101.98.244https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=Talk:2476:_Base_Rate&diff=213438Talk:2476: Base Rate2021-06-15T19:18:40Z<p>141.101.98.244: </p>
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<div><!--Please sign your posts with ~~~~ and don't delete this text. New comments should be added at the bottom.--><br />
"''Aaaand we're back!''"<br>[[User:ProphetZarquon|ProphetZarquon]] ([[User talk:ProphetZarquon|talk]]) 17:01, 15 June 2021 (UTC)<br />
I misse you! [[Special:Contributions/141.101.98.244|141.101.98.244]] 19:18, 15 June 2021 (UTC)</div>141.101.98.244https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=1664:_Mycology&diff=2134371664: Mycology2021-06-15T19:14:50Z<p>141.101.98.244: /* Explanation */ Fixed grammar is->are</p>
<hr />
<div>{{comic<br />
| number = 1664<br />
| date = April 6, 2016<br />
| title = Mycology<br />
| image = mycology.png<br />
| titletext = Conspiracy theory: There's no such thing as corn. Those fields you see are just the stalks of a fungus that's controlling our brains to make us want to spread it.<br />
}}<br />
<br />
==Explanation==<br />
[[Cueball]] and [[Megan]] are studying a {{w|fungus}} that takes over the brains of mammals and makes them want to study the fungus. This is a reproductive tactic by the fungus, since the fungus makes the mammal whose brain it took over want to study the fungus, which means that mammal will need to produce more of the fungus to study it. Cueball and Megan are most likely themselves being controlled by the fungus, since they tell [[Ponytail]] that they want to cultivate the fungus as much as possible.<br />
<br />
The title of the comic refers to {{w|Mycology}}, the study of fungi.<br />
<br />
This is likely a reference to various parasitic species of ''{{w|Cordyceps}}'' fungi, which can infect the brains of insects causing behavior advantageous to the reproduction or spread of the fungus. This also may be an allusion to another fungus, ''{{w|Ophiocordyceps unilateralis}}'', which manipulates its hosts to aid its propagation.<br />
<br />
''{{w|Toxoplasma gondii}}'' is also known to alter the behavior of mammals, and some researchers have proposed that this parasite may be partly responsible for the "{{w|Cat lady}}" phenomenon, whereby humans are compelled to hoard cats. The comic and its subtitle may, in fact, be a subtle argument that human behavior, and the entire concept of free will, may need to be re-evaluated given the massive numbers of {{w|Human parasites}} known to exist.<br />
<br />
In {{w|evolutionary biology}}, the phenomenon of an organism influencing its environment, sometimes by modifying the behavior of other organisms, is known as “the extended phenotype”. {{w|Richard Dawkins}} wrote a {{w|the extended phenotype|book of that name}} (as a follow-up of “{{w|The Selfish Gene}}”) where he describes this mechanism as an extreme example of the so-called selfishness of genes.<br />
<br />
The title text parodies numerous {{w|Conspiracy_theory|conspiracy theories}}, by suggesting that {{w|corn}}, which has been propagated by humans throughout large parts of the world, is actually just a fungus that has used humans, and is not a grain at all. This type of theory is remarkably similar to the {{w|Brain in a Vat}} thought experiment, and to the {{w|Isaac Asimov}} short story {{w|Each an Explorer}}. In both cases something has affected the perception of the mind itself, making it impossible to discern the true reality of something.<br />
<br />
This is quite similar to an argument made in the book {{w|Sapiens:_A_Brief_History_of_Humankind|''Sapiens''}}. Author Yuval Noah Harari points out that domesticated crops are among the most successful life forms on the planet, in terms of propagation. These plants have influenced humans to do everything in our considerable power to spread their seeds, eliminate competing plants and animals, and even provide fertilizer and irrigation to help them grow and spread. From the perspective of the plants, they've domesticated us, rather than the other way around. This differs from Randall's conspiracy theory, in that domesticated plants provide us with food in exchange for propagation, making this more like {{w|symbiosis}} than {{w|parasitism}}.<br />
<br />
Conspiracy theories are a [[:Category:Conspiracy theory|recurring subject]] on xkcd.<br />
<br />
==Transcript==<br />
:[Megan and Cueball are talking to Ponytail.]<br />
:Megan: Our lab is studying a fungus that takes over mammal brains and makes them want to study fungi.<br />
:Cueball: It's very promising! We're opening a whole new wing of the lab just to cultivate it!<br />
<br />
{{comic discussion}}<br />
[[Category:Comics featuring Megan]]<br />
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]<br />
[[Category:Comics featuring Ponytail]]<br />
[[Category:Conspiracy theory]]<br />
[[Category:Science]]<br />
[[Category:Animals]] <!--Mammals--><br />
[[Category:Food]] <!--Title text--></div>141.101.98.244https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=2476:_Base_Rate&diff=2134322476: Base Rate2021-06-15T17:42:22Z<p>141.101.98.244: The explanation about what the joke is seems wrong to me.</p>
<hr />
<div>{{comic<br />
| number = 2476<br />
| date = June 14, 2021<br />
| title = Base Rate<br />
| image = base_rate.png<br />
| titletext = Sure, you can talk about per-capita adjustment, but if you want to solve the problem, it's obvious that this is the group you need to focus on.<br />
}}<br />
<br />
==Explanation==<br />
{{incomplete|Created by a LEFTY. Please mention here why this explanation isn't complete. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}<br />
The "base rate" is a type of base probability, for which an statistical probability can be based on. <br />
<br />
In this case, the joke is that 90% of people are right-handed, so left-handed Cueball's claim that right-handers commit 90% of base-rate errors is a base-rate error. <br />
<br />
Something similar occurs in [[1138: Heatmap]], where Cueball makes inferences simply based on a population map of the US, instead of statistical evidence.<br />
<br />
==Transcript==<br />
{{incomplete transcript|Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}<br />
:[Cueball standing in front of a screen, holding a pointer. The screen shows a bar graph with 2 bars, labeled "L" and "R". The "R" bar is significantly greater than "L".]<br />
:Cueball: Remember, right-handed people commit 90% of all base rate errors.<br />
<br />
{{comic discussion}}<br />
[[Category:Statistics]]<br />
[[Category:Bar charts]]<br />
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]</div>141.101.98.244https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=Talk:2474:_First_Time_Since_Early_2020&diff=213371Talk:2474: First Time Since Early 20202021-06-10T13:12:35Z<p>141.101.98.244: </p>
<hr />
<div><!--Please sign your posts with ~~~~ and don't delete this text. New comments should be added at the bottom.--><br />
<br />
It's kind of alarming to me that "Seen my family" is apparently more normal than "Gone to a movie". Really that whole section is out of order. From most normal to most alarming it should go "Gone to a movie", "Been on a plane", "Eaten at a restaurant", "Seen my family". [[Special:Contributions/172.69.34.58|172.69.34.58]] 02:50, 10 June 2021 (UTC)<br />
: Not to mention that "checked the news" is farther towards "alarming" than things like "sighted land", "washed my hands", and "opened the fridge", and is only higher than "checked on the customers in the escape room" and "contracted a novel bat virus". Some people just have too much to do, are able to get all the information critically important to their personal lives from people they communicate with personally, live off the grid, and/or are completely fed up with the rampant sensationalism and outrage culture in the media. [[Special:Contributions/172.68.37.32|172.68.37.32]] 03:32, 10 June 2021 (UTC)<br />
::Not to mention how alarming "contracted a novel bat virus" is. While contracting COVID-19 is bad, it's nowhere near as bad as, say, letting people starve in the escape room, subsisting off of MRE's ("ate a vegetable") and being stuck in the ocean ("sighted land")[[Special:Contributions/172.69.34.58|172.69.34.58]] 04:14, 10 June 2021 (UTC)<br />
:::I think the joke is that he's contracting a different virus, implying the possibility that he could be patient zero for two different pandemics. At this point, COVID-19 isn't novel anymore.[[Special:Contributions/172.69.71.60|172.69.71.60]] 06:26, 10 June 2021 (UTC)<br />
: So if you'd been locked up for a year, the first thing you'd do after being freed would be to go to a movie or take a plane, not to see your family? Sad![[Special:Contributions/162.158.90.4|162.158.90.4]] 12:31, 10 June 2021 (UTC)<br />
::Have *you* met my family?[[Special:Contributions/141.101.98.244|141.101.98.244]] 13:12, 10 June 2021 (UTC)</div>141.101.98.244https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=2445:_Checkbox&diff=2093272445: Checkbox2021-04-01T22:48:36Z<p>141.101.98.244: /* Explanation */</p>
<hr />
<div>{{comic<br />
| number = 2445<br />
| date = April 1, 2021<br />
| title = Checkbox<br />
| image = checkbox.gif<br />
| titletext = Check check check ... chhecck chhecck chhecck ... check check check<br />
}}<br />
<br />
==Explanation==<br />
{{incomplete|Created by a BOT. Please mention here why this explanation isn't complete. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}} <br />
This is an April Fools comic. <br />
<br />
The frame is replaced with an interactive panel. In the centre is a check box, which clears itself immediately when checked. In the bottom right is a mute button, which begins muted.<br />
<br />
Under the checkbox is a scrolling visual representation of the timing and duration of clicks in the check box, which also produce matching beeping sounds when unmuted.<br />
<br />
By varying between brief and long presses, and brief and long intervals between presses, it is possible to enter characters in Morse Code.<br />
<br />
The check box then begins operating by itself, producing sounds which can be decoded as Morse Code.<br />
<br />
==Transcript==<br />
{{incomplete transcript|Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}<br />
Loading...<br />
{{comic discussion}}</div>141.101.98.244https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=Talk:2433:_Mars_Rovers&diff=207247Talk:2433: Mars Rovers2021-03-08T08:36:24Z<p>141.101.98.244: /* Headline text */</p>
<hr />
<div><br />
== <br />
== Headline text ==<br />
==<br />
<!--Please sign your posts with ~~~~ and don't delete this text. New comments should be added at the bottom.--><br />
I just realised something: We should totally establish the terms "Mars rover" and "Mars hover" to distinguish these two categories of "stuff we put on Mars". [[User:Fabian42|Fabian42]] ([[User talk:Fabian42|talk]]) 10:58, 6 March 2021 (UTC)<br />
:But to rove is to wander/roam (aimlessly, or at least without much advanced certainty), and doesn't require wheeled movement - or even legged, which the existing rovers strictly aren't unless the wheels ''totally'' jam. To hove is to linger/wait and generally intend to stay put or halt ("Hove to, ye landlubbers! Arrrr!" - a 'suggestion' that might be made by a piratical "Sea Rover")... I think I'd rather Ingy be classed as a Rover than merely a Hover. :-p [[Special:Contributions/141.101.98.60|141.101.98.60]] 15:06, 6 March 2021 (UTC)<br />
<br />
This implies that Randall will be modifying his Roomba to look/act like Soujouner.<br />
On first reading, I thought maybe Randall figured that mentioning "roomba sojourner mod" in title text would make it so that the *next* time he searches for that phrase, he will no longer be sorely disappointed. [[Special:Contributions/108.162.216.60|108.162.216.60]] 17:44, 6 March 2021 (UTC)<br />
<br />
Which comic was it that Randall said he wanted a pet sojourner rover?<br />
[[Special:Contributions/141.101.98.244|141.101.98.244]] 21:21, 7 March 2021 (UTC)<br />
<br />
I find the Fuck Grapefruit reference true but irrelevant (Especially as the explanation of why these are related is long and basically goes "There are connected/similar... blah, blah... they are acually not _that_ similar..."). Should be Trivia at most or even completely deleted. [[User:Elektrizikekswerk|Elektrizikekswerk]] ([[User talk:Elektrizikekswerk|talk]]) 08:10, 8 March 2021 (UTC)<br />
<br />
Themain thing, which is not mentionned in the explanation, is that for Randall cute = small (eg rabbits) --[[Special:Contributions/141.101.98.244|141.101.98.244]] 08:36, 8 March 2021 (UTC)</div>141.101.98.244https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=2433:_Mars_Rovers&diff=2072422433: Mars Rovers2021-03-07T21:23:28Z<p>141.101.98.244: /* Explanation */</p>
<hr />
<div>{{comic<br />
| number = 2433<br />
| date = March 5, 2021<br />
| title = Mars Rovers<br />
| image = mars_rovers.png<br />
| titletext = I just Googled 'roomba sojourner mod' and was sorely disappointed. Be the change, I guess!<br />
}}<br />
<br />
==Explanation==<br />
<br />
In this comic, [[Randall]] has made a scatter plot displaying 6 different Mars rovers on a cuteness versus capabilities chart. Only three items are shown in the main plot, as two of the four rovers are near identical to other rovers sent to Mars. And the last rover is displayed off the cuteness chart.<br />
<br />
He finds the ''{{w|Curiosity (rover)|Curiosity}}'' and ''{{w|Perseverance (rover)|Perseverance}}'' rovers to be very capable / useful, but not very cute. ''{{w|Spirit (rover)|Spirit}}'' and ''{{w|Opportunity (rover)|Opportunity}}'' are cuter than the first two, but less capable. <br />
<br />
The recently launched ''Perseverance'' rover contains a drone helicopter, ''{{w|Ingenuity (helicopter)|Ingenuity}}'', which Randall finds very cute, but he is unsure how capable / useful it is. The way the error-range is indicated 'coincidentally' gives the Ingenuity image-plot a sense of movement in mid-air, especially the up and down motion which is the helicopter's (hopefully) most obvious dynamic once it is deployed and being tested. It could be discussed if a flying drone could be considered a Mars Rover, since a rover is usually something that drives over a surface.<br />
<br />
Finally, on the very right far off the cuteness chart, well outside the end of the X-axis, is the ''{{w|Sojourner (rover)|Sojourner}}'' rover, launched in 1997. He considers this rover extremely cute, but ultimately not that capable in terms of space exploration. To indicate the extreme cuteness of Sojourner, which has been mentioned before in [[1585: Similarities]] (to the extent that he wanted it as a pet!), he has drawn it far outside the axis of the plot to indicate it falls off the chart.<br />
<br />
This is similar to the mention of coconuts in the similar [[:Category:Scatter plots|scatter plot]] [[:Category:Rankings|ranking]] of fruit in [[388: Fuck Grapefruit]]. Here the tastiness of fruits is compared to the ease at which you can eat them, and Grapefruit is not tasty and hard to eat according to Randall hence the title. Coconuts are mentioned in the title text, where it is explained that fitting it in the plot would press all the other fruits together on the ease to eat axis, as coconuts are so extremely hard to open. So it is not exactly as in this comic, where the chart could have included Sojourner, but the same point is made, that this item is far off the chart.<br />
<br />
In the title text, Randall is disappointed that there aren't many people who have modified their {{w|Roomba}} vacuums to look like (or act like?) the ''Soujourner'' rover. Roombas are a [[:Category:Roomba|recuring theme]] on xkcd. Search results at the time of posting are mainly reports mentioning the {{w|iRobot}} company, since one of its founders worked on the Soujourner rover.<br />
<br />
The end of the title text, "be the change" is a truncated form of the expression "be the change you want to see in the world"; basically, if there's something you want to see happen, be the one who makes it happen. This implies that Randall will be modifying his Roomba to look/act like ''Soujouner''.<br />
<br />
==Transcript==<br />
:[A scatter plot is shown with two labeled axis, each with 5 ticks and ending in an arrow. Two types of Mars rovers are drawn in the top left part, at the top tick and the next highest tick. Each rover type has a label with two names. A third smaller drone is drawn in the lower right part close to the third tick on the Y-axis, with a single name label. It has two arrows pointing up and down to question marks, and two small lines of either side of the rotor blades, indicate movement. Far to the right, about twice the length of the drawn X-axis from the origo of the chart, and at the height of the lowest tick on the Y-axis, is a third type of rover, also with a single name label. The entire chart also has a label:]<br />
:Mars Rovers<br />
:Y-Axis: Capabilities <br />
:X-Axis: Cuteness <br />
:Curiosity & Perseverance<br />
:Spirit & Opportunity <br />
:Ingenuity<br />
:Sojourner<br />
<br />
{{comic discussion}}<br />
<br />
[[Category:Scatter plots]]<br />
[[Category:Rankings]]<br />
[[Category:Mars rovers]]<br />
[[Category:Roomba]]</div>141.101.98.244https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=Talk:2433:_Mars_Rovers&diff=207241Talk:2433: Mars Rovers2021-03-07T21:21:28Z<p>141.101.98.244: </p>
<hr />
<div><br />
== <br />
== Headline text ==<br />
==<br />
<!--Please sign your posts with ~~~~ and don't delete this text. New comments should be added at the bottom.--><br />
I just realised something: We should totally establish the terms "Mars rover" and "Mars hover" to distinguish these two categories of "stuff we put on Mars". [[User:Fabian42|Fabian42]] ([[User talk:Fabian42|talk]]) 10:58, 6 March 2021 (UTC)<br />
:But to rove is to wander/roam (aimlessly, or at least without much advanced certainty), and doesn't require wheeled movement - or even legged, which the existing rovers strictly aren't unless the wheels ''totally'' jam. To hove is to linger/wait and generally intend to stay put or halt ("Hove to, ye landlubbers! Arrrr!" - a 'suggestion' that might be made by a piratical "Sea Rover")... I think I'd rather Ingy be classed as a Rover than merely a Hover. :-p [[Special:Contributions/141.101.98.60|141.101.98.60]] 15:06, 6 March 2021 (UTC)<br />
<br />
This implies that Randall will be modifying his Roomba to look/act like Soujouner.<br />
On first reading, I thought maybe Randall figured that mentioning "roomba sojourner mod" in title text would make it so that the *next* time he searches for that phrase, he will no longer be sorely disappointed. [[Special:Contributions/108.162.216.60|108.162.216.60]] 17:44, 6 March 2021 (UTC)<br />
<br />
Which comic was it that Randall said he wanted a pet sojourner rover?<br />
[[Special:Contributions/141.101.98.244|141.101.98.244]] 21:21, 7 March 2021 (UTC)</div>141.101.98.244https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=Talk:2431:_Leap_Year_2021&diff=206949Talk:2431: Leap Year 20212021-03-02T03:02:06Z<p>141.101.98.244: </p>
<hr />
<div><!--Please sign your posts with ~~~~ and don't delete this text. New comments should be added at the bottom.--><br />
<br />
It's amazing how quickly some of us got to edit this. I hope I didn't cause too much edit-conflict confusion just by my changing the date value. Honestly just checked, before turning in, to find two (so far) other edits follow so quickly after... [[Special:Contributions/141.101.98.152|141.101.98.152]] 02:03, 2 March 2021 (UTC)<br />
<br />
Sorry,I did not see anything when I started<br />
:I wouldn't expect you to (the first Categories adder, yes?), until you perhaps tried to save. But that's what being shown edit-conflicts is important for. [[Special:Contributions/141.101.98.244|141.101.98.244]] 03:02, 2 March 2021 (UTC)<br />
<br />
If someone actually did this, how many years would it take for the calendar to line back up again where it started? 365? [[User:Captain Video|Captain Video]] ([[User talk:Captain Video|talk]]) 02:20, 2 March 2021 (UTC)<br />
: 365 years plus (around) 33% more because every fourth year (except every hundredth, except except every 400th) is already ''expected'' to have a 29th, so you'd not be able to shift the year that year and have to do those days after the first 365 mostly-shifted consecutive years - with the necessary overflow days ''still'' being only to be done for 3/4(ish) of the next 91ish years, leaving maybe 23 more years to be shifted. But 24 years would only allow 18 shifts, so 6 more years than that ''probably'' would use 5 years. And one year may be absorbed already, or left over. So 365+91+23+6. Ish. Because it'd depend exactly which year you start as to which non-expandable years occur within the strict (0.75)+(0.25*0.75)+(0.25*0.25*0.75)+... series. But that's the likely area of the answer, off the top of my head. Around 485 years, give or take. Unless I've made a big error! [[Special:Contributions/141.101.98.244|141.101.98.244]] 03:02, 2 March 2021 (UTC)<br />
<br />
Can someone make a [[:Category:Calendar]] that is a subcategory of [[:Category:Time]]? I feel like there are several comics that could fit, e.g. [[994: Advent Calendar]], [[1140: Calendar of Meaningful Dates]], [[1930: Calendar Facts]], [[1073: Weekend]], [[1061: EST]], etc. [[Special:Contributions/162.158.255.210|162.158.255.210]] 02:39, 2 March 2021 (UTC)</div>141.101.98.244https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=2429:_Exposure_Models&diff=2068142429: Exposure Models2021-02-26T13:49:45Z<p>141.101.98.244: /* Trivia */ Someone just removed it. I don't want to be involved in an edit-war, but I'm just (re)correcting its position anew - as I think I saw a prior editor do to the first appearance.</p>
<hr />
<div>{{comic<br />
| number = 2429<br />
| date = February 24, 2021<br />
| title = Exposure Models<br />
| image = exposure_models.png<br />
| titletext = "Cumulative number of coronavirus spreadsheets created over time" is a spreadsheet I am coming dangerously close to creating.<br />
}}<br />
<br />
==Explanation==<br />
{{incomplete|Created by a CUMULATIVE NUMBER OF COVID SPREADSHEETS CREATED OVER TIME. Please mention here why this explanation isn't complete. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}<br />
This is another comic in a [[:Category:COVID-19|series]] related to the {{w|2019-20 coronavirus outbreak|2020 pandemic}} of the {{w|coronavirus}} {{w|SARS-CoV-2}}, which causes {{w|COVID-19}}.<br />
<br />
[[Cueball]] created another COVID exposure model to help lower his risk of catching COVID-19 in the pandemic. [[Megan]] inquires about the model's result, to which Cueball admits that he's been sitting at his computer continuously debugging models, and draws the conclusion that debugging COVID-19 models lessens close contact with other people. This is similar to the premise of [[1445: Efficiency]] and [[1708: Dehydration]], except with the situation reversed — where before, researching a situation made the situation worse, here Cueball's time "wasted" has actually benefited him.<br />
<br />
By "model," Randall likely means a manually crafted model, since he describes debugging it, but he may also mean the form of automatically generated software that is used in modern machine learning. This comic is the first in which Randall may be directly discussing this popular new form of technology. Machine learning has been in use among engineers for a number of years now, and is spreading more and more rapidly. There are nowadays toolkits and courses for almost anybody to make use of machine learning to accomplish their tasks, especially if they are willing to train their models remotely in a corporate datacenter.<br />
<br />
Cueball is too busy making models to figure out how to actually lower his risk other than sitting around repeating the work of others and improving his model-building skill. He has also created a meta-model, reporting the number of models Cueball has to create to wait the pandemic out. The title text further expands on recursive graphs by charting charts about COVID-19.<br />
<br />
A meta model is a model about models, like most meta things. Software engineers have a practices such as DRY (don't repeat yourself) and reusability, that can result in continued code generalisation. Often generalisation to the point of producing software that generalises its own behavior results in reduced return, but with advanced systems such as machine learning it could produce a very rapid, effective solution to a wide variety of problems. Hence, meta-models relate to the concern of making machines too smart without first addressing dangers of poor alignment. Alignment relates to designing systems that respect human values when allowed to run autonomously, and is an unsolved problem.<br />
<br />
==Transcript==<br />
:[Cueball is sitting at a desk with a laptop. Megan walks in.] <br />
:Cueball: I built another COVID exposure model to help me limit my risk.<br />
<br />
:[Megan is now standing behind Cueball, who has turned in his chair to face her.]<br />
:Megan: Any new insights?<br />
:Cueball: Yeah: "If you spend all day debugging models, you don't have close contact with a lot of people."<br />
<br />
:[Cueball turns back to his laptop. The back of his chair has disappeared.]<br />
:Megan: Well, I guess it worked.<br />
:Cueball: According to my meta-model, the end of the pandemic is only four more models away.<br />
:Megan: ''So close!''<br />
<br />
==Trivia==<br />
Cueball's chair is missing its back in the last panel. Given the fact that most chair backs do not disappear when someone stops leaning on them,{{Citation needed}} [[Randall]] probably just forgot to draw it.<br />
{{comic discussion}}<br />
<br />
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]<br />
[[Category:Comics featuring Megan]]<br />
[[Category:Recursion]]<br />
[[Category:COVID-19]]</div>141.101.98.244https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=2099:_Missal_of_Silos&diff=1682042099: Missal of Silos2019-01-16T17:44:20Z<p>141.101.98.244: /* Transcript */</p>
<hr />
<div>{{comic<br />
| number = 2099<br />
| date = January 16, 2019<br />
| title = Missal of Silos<br />
| image = missal_of_silos.png<br />
| titletext = Welcome to Wyoming, motto "We'd like to clarify that Cheyenne Mountain is in Colorado."<br />
}}<br />
<br />
==Explanation==<br />
{{incomplete|Created by a BOT. Please mention here why this explanation isn't complete. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}<br />
{{w|Approximate string matching|Fuzzy, or approximate, string matching}} is a technique used for searching strings (how a computer stores and manipulates writing) for specified values. Normal string matching would only find results that fit the search exactly. Fuzzy string matching instead finds results that are "close enough" by some metric. This is often used in search engines, as typos, misspellings, and inexact searches are commonplace.<br />
<br />
If a list of potential nuclear missile targets were stored, and a fuzzy search was looking for "missile silos", the {{w|Missal of Silos}} would most likely be returned as a result--and subsequently, targeted with a nuclear missile. Why an 11th century piece of writing was a potential target for a nuclear strike is unknown. Missile silos are often thought to be the first targeting priority in event of a nuclear strike, in hopes of preventing retaliation from the target.<br />
<br />
{{w|Cheyenne Mountain}} is a mountain in Colorado, which houses an underground compound (aptly named the {{w|Cheyenne Mountain Complex}}) designed to withstand a nuclear strike, armed with missiles of their own. {{w|Cheyenne, Wyoming}}, on the other hand, is the capital of Wyoming. The residents of Cheyenne, Wyoming would prefer their home isn't the target of a nuclear attack because of confusion with Cheyenne Mountain{{Citation needed}}.<br />
<br />
==Transcript==<br />
{{incomplete transcript|Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}<br />
MISSAL OF SILOS<br />
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia<br />
<br />
The Missal of Silos is the oldest known paper document created in the christian west; it is 11th century in date [1]<br />
The missal is held in the library of the monastery of Santo Domingo de Silos near Burgos, Spain. It is one of a number of liturgical manuscripts (...)<br />
<br />
Spain would like to remind everyone not to use fuzzy string matching in their nuclear strike target lists.<br />
<br />
{{comic discussion}}</div>141.101.98.244https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=2033:_Repair_or_Replace&diff=1614272033: Repair or Replace2018-08-17T20:58:11Z<p>141.101.98.244: /* Explanation */</p>
<hr />
<div>{{comic<br />
| number = 2033<br />
| date = August 15, 2018<br />
| title = Repair or Replace<br />
| image = repair_or_replace.png<br />
| titletext = Just make sure all your friends and family are out of the car, or that you've made backup friends and family at home.<br />
}}<br />
<br />
==Explanation==<br />
{{incomplete|Created by a REPA#IR^ED DEVICE - Please change this comment when editing this page. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}<br />
<br />
This comic compares the repair of cars with that of computers or other similar electronic devices, where the question ''Repair or Replace?'' much more often comes up than for cars, hence the title of the comic, and the humor derived.<br />
<br />
[[Cueball]] is in his car. He says that there is a weird sound and asks if the car mechanic [[Hairy]] will take a look. Hairy asks him to open the car's {{w|Hood (car)|hood}}, exposing the engine, to further identify the cause of the problem. Cueball then says that his hood latch, the lever used to open the hood, is also broken. The solution, according to Hairy, is then to "replace" the car and go and get a new car. <br />
<br />
In reality, fixing the catch on the hood is a simple task for a skilled mechanic and would not justify writing-off the car. When a car is malfunctioning, the usual response is to attempt to repair it. A car is designed so that many of the parts can be replaced or adjusted. However, right around the time of this comic, Subaru just instituted a recall of a few hundred vehicles that it says it will replace rather than attempting a fix.<ref>https://jalopnik.com/subaru-is-just-giving-recalled-2019-ascent-owners-brand-1828356237</ref><br />
<br />
By contrast, when a computer or electronic device is malfunctioning, it is often judged to be difficult to repair, and the usual action is to purchase a new device. It is generally possible to replace each part of a desktop or laptop computer, but harder to do so for more integrated devices such as tablets, and almost impossible to repair individual components with faulty or damaged integrated circuits.<br />
<br />
Even where replacing a component is relatively easy (needing little more than a set of screwdrivers), the cost of replacement parts can be a significant proportion of the cost of a completely new device, particularly where a user is not technically confident and pays a repair shop to fit new components. Also, the length of the technology "upgrade cycle" - typically around 3-5 years - is roughly the mean failure time of a device's components, users may already be considering a new purchase when their device starts to deteriorate.<br />
<br />
It would be extremely inefficient for a car dealership or mechanic to simply "replace" a car when there is a problem with it (although many insurers will provide a temporary replacement "courtesy car" while the car is being repaired). Likewise, Randall asserts that it is also inefficient for electronic devices to be thrown away at the first sign of a problem, and not repaired.<br />
<br />
The title text refers to data stored on a computer or electronic device. Before replacing the device, it is recommended to remove and/or {{w|backup}} all your personal files, so that you have future access to them. Randall likens this to having your friends and family exit the vehicle or making backup friends and family before the vehicle is thrown away. (Perhaps, it would be smart to have ones enemies in the car so that they are thrown away with it.)<br />
<br />
;The economics<br />
Cars are much more expensive than computers or other electronic devices, and become obsolete less quickly. The point at which it becomes cheaper to purchase a new computer or phone rather than repair an old one comes much more quickly.<br />
<br />
Also, although the comic implies that replaced electronics are destroyed (like a car pushed into a pit), sometimes they are sent off to be repaired or refurbished elsewhere. This provides a better experience for the customer (they get a working device right away instead of waiting for repair) and is more efficient for the company (a consolidated repair facility can have the experience and equipment to repair a device much more quickly than at a retail location). This assumes that the customer asked the manufacturer for a replacement, and did not throw it away themselves before purchasing a new one.<br />
<br />
==Transcript==<br />
:[Cueball is sitting in a car parked to the left of Hairy, who thus stands in front of it while pointing behind him towards a big black hole.]<br />
:Cueball: My engine's making a weird noise. Can you take a look?<br />
:Hairy: Sure, just pop the hood.<br />
:Cueball: Oh, the hood latch is also broken.<br />
:Hairy: OK, just pull up to that big pit and push the car in. We'll go get a new one.<br />
<br />
:[Caption below the frame:]<br />
:I'm sure the economics make sense, but it still freaks me out how quick companies are to replace computing devices instead of trying to fix them.<br />
<br />
{{comic discussion}}<br />
<br />
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]<br />
[[Category:Comics featuring Hairy]]<br />
[[Category:Computers]]</div>141.101.98.244https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=2034:_Equations&diff=1613002034: Equations2018-08-17T05:23:24Z<p>141.101.98.244: </p>
<hr />
<div>{{comic<br />
| number = 2034<br />
| date = August 17, 2018<br />
| title = Equations<br />
| image = equations.png<br />
| titletext = All electromagnetic equations: The same as all fluid dynamics equations, but with the 8 and 23 replaced with the permittivity and permeability of free space, respectively.<br />
}}<br />
<br />
==Explanation==<br />
{{incomplete|Created by a BOT - Please change this comment when editing this page. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}<br />
<br />
==Transcript==<br />
{{incomplete transcript|Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}<br />
[TODO: Avoid using math markup here because the images of these equations isn't helpful in a transcript. Sigh.]<br />
[Nine equations are listed and labeled as followed:]<br />
<br><br />
<math>E = K_0t + \frac{1}{2}pvt^2</math><br><br />
ALL KINEMATICS EQUATIONS<br><br />
<br><br />
<math>K_n = \sum_{i=0}^{\infty}\sum_{\pi=0}^{\infty}(n-\pi)(i-e^{\pi-\infty})</math><br><br />
ALL NUMBER THEORY EQUATIONS<br><br />
<br><br />
<math>\frac{\partial}{\partial t}\triangledown\cdot p = \frac{8}{23}<br />
\int\!\!\!\!\int\!\!\!\!\!\!\!\!\!\!\!\!\!\!\;\;\;\bigcirc\,\,<br />
\rho\,ds\,dt\cdot \rho\frac{\partial}{\partial\triangledown}<br />
</math><br><br />
ALL FLUID DYNAMIC EQUATIONS<br><br />
<br><br />
<math>?placeholder?</math><br><br />
ALL QUANTUM MECHANIC EQUATIONS<br><br />
<br><br />
<math>\mathrm{CH}_4 + \mathrm{OH} + \mathrm{HEAT} \rightarrow \mathrm{H}_2\mathrm{O} + \mathrm{CH}_2 + \mathrm{H}_2 \mathrm{EAT}</math><br><br />
ALL CHEMISTRY EQUATIONS<br><br />
<br><br />
<math>SU(2)U(1) \times SU\left(U(2)\right)</math><br><br />
ALL QUANTUM GRAVITY EQUATIONS<br><br />
<br><br />
<math>S_g = \frac{-1}{2\epsilon}i\eth \hat{\big(} \zeta_0 \dotplus p_\epsilon \rho_v^{abc}\cdot \eta_0 \hat{\big)} f_a^0 a\lambda(\zeta) \psi(0_a)</math><br><br />
ALL GAUGE THEORY EQUATIONS<br><br />
<br><br />
<math>H(t) + \Omega + G \cdot \land \, ... \begin{cases} ... > 0 & \text{(HUBBLE MODEL)} \\ ... = 0 & \text{(FLAT SPHERE MODEL)} \\ ... < 0 & \text{(BRIGHT DARK MATTER MODEL)} \end{cases}<br />
</math><br><br />
ALL COSMOLOGY EQUATIONS<br><br />
<br><br />
<math>\hat H - \mu_{0} = 0</math><br><br />
ALL TRULY DEEP PHYSICS EQUATIONS<br />
<br><br />
<br />
<br />
{{comic discussion}}<br />
[[Category:Math]]</div>141.101.98.244https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=Talk:2024:_Light_Hacks&diff=160527Talk:2024: Light Hacks2018-07-27T06:26:12Z<p>141.101.98.244: Wiki life hack!</p>
<hr />
<div>We all know what we thinking, right :) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ECLvFLkvY7Y<br />
<br />
Dyson spheres are the future but we’ll never see one in our lifetime, right? Maybe we can build small ones around candles and things as practice. Great art display for your local makerspace! [[Special:Contributions/162.158.63.100|162.158.63.100]] 11:03, 25 July 2018 (UTC)<br />
<br />
Here’s a real light hack: https://hackaday.com/2016/02/29/fake-window-brings-natural-light-into-basement/ [[Special:Contributions/162.158.62.183|162.158.62.183]] 15:21, 25 July 2018 (UTC)<br />
<br />
I used to think life hacks were cool. Then I read a few of them and realized they were just Hints from Heloise with a cooler, hipper name.[[Special:Contributions/172.68.59.30|172.68.59.30]] 16:17, 25 July 2018 (UTC)Pat<br />
<br />
:Pro-tip: Use these five simple tricks to turn any Life Hack into instant click-bait! <br />
:[[User:ProphetZarquon|ProphetZarquon]] ([[User talk:ProphetZarquon|talk]]) 17:57, 25 July 2018 (UTC)<br />
<br />
This Ikea lamp is more sci-fi: https://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/00311498/ [[User:CityZen|CityZen]] ([[User talk:CityZen|talk]]) 20:16, 25 July 2018 (UTC)<br />
:I'm proud to say I actually have that lamp in my bedroom [[User:Faultwire|I&#39;m me(citation needed)]] ([[User talk:Faultwire|talk]]) 23:33, 25 July 2018 (UTC)<br />
::The comic's text specifically mentions that alien "Dyson lampshades" redirect 100% of their energy. By having a shell with mirror coating inside that can be closed and thus indeed reflecting a significant part of the light, they are much closer to what probably was intended[[Special:Contributions/162.158.150.76|162.158.150.76]] 19:02, 26 July 2018 (UTC)<br />
<br />
What's the comment about infrared studies being '''inconclusive''' about? I was under the impression that infrared light was one of the big reasons we knew there weren't any Dyson Spheres nearby. Is the comic referring to a study or something I haven't heard of, or am I overthinking this? [[Special:Contributions/162.158.74.243|162.158.74.243]] 02:33, 26 July 2018 (UTC)<br />
<br />
:I think she just meant infrared studies to find out if they have them at IKEA. Referencing the fact that that's what you'd use to look for real Dyson spheres. [[User:DanielLC|DanielLC]] ([[User talk:DanielLC|talk]]) 09:23, 26 July 2018 (UTC)<br />
<br />
I figured out indirect (diffused) lighting in 1982, in McCutcheon Hall at Purdue University. The central hall had lots of light, but no observable, central light source. I discovered that the light came from hidden fluorescent tubes, diffused against a plastered ceiling. The light we saw, came from overhead, in every direction. The basic outcome is: the more quanta you have, the less precise your measurement can be. OTOH, fewer quanta cast a sharper shadow.<br />
<br />
The frosted bulb diffuses the shadows of the filament. The bulb's reflector can be an offset to the diffusion.<br />
<br />
Hey, did you know you can ''write comments'' down here?? Life hack! [[Special:Contributions/141.101.98.244|141.101.98.244]] 06:26, 27 July 2018 (UTC)</div>141.101.98.244https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=2022:_Sports_Champions&diff=1602822022: Sports Champions2018-07-20T06:24:56Z<p>141.101.98.244: /* Explanation */</p>
<hr />
<div>{{comic<br />
| number = 2022<br />
| date = July 20, 2018<br />
| title = Sports Champions<br />
| image = sports_champions.png<br />
| titletext = For a long time, people thought maybe Usain Bolt was the one for running, until the 2090s and the incredible dominance of Derek Legs.<br />
}}<br />
<br />
==Explanation==<br />
{{incomplete|Created by a CHAMPION - Please change this comment when editing this page. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}<br />
<br />
In an example of {{w|nominative determinism}}, the cartoon lists people whose surname relates to their participation in various sports. It is presented as though it was created in the far future, reflecting on sports players over the decades through to the 2080s. The first three are real sportspeople, the remainder are imaginary players of the future.<br />
<br />
The caricatures feature people participating in their sport, except for Jebediah who is standing at a {{w|podium}}.<br />
<br />
{| class="wikitable"<br />
!style="width:20%"|Name<br />
!style="width:10%"|Year<br />
!style="width:15%"|Sport<br />
!style="width:55%"|Explanation<br />
|-<br />
|Margaret Court<br />
|1960s<br />
|Tennis<br />
|{{w|Margaret Court}} is a retired Australian tennis player, former world number 1, who won many competitions in the 1960s and 70s. A {{w|tennis court}} is the playing arena used in that sport.<br />
|-<br />
|Gary Player<br />
|1970s<br />
|Golf<br />
|{{w|Gary Player}} is a South African golfer who won nine major championships in the 1960s and 70s. Game contestants are often known as "players".<br />
|-<br />
|Lonzo Ball<br />
|2020s<br />
|Basketball<br />
|{{w|Lonzo Ball}} is an American professional basketball player, currently with the Los Angeles Lakers. Of course, basketball is a {{w|ball game}}.<br />
|-<br />
|Jake Halfpipe<br />
|2030s<br />
|Skateboarding<br />
|A {{w|half-pipe}} is a structure used in gravity extreme sports such as snowboarding.<br />
|-<br />
|Sarah Goggles<br />
|2030s<br />
|Swimming<br />
|{{w|Goggles}} are protective eyewear used in many sports, such as swimming or skiing.<br />
|-<br />
|Kevin Slurve<br />
|2050s<br />
|Baseball<br />
|<br />
|-<br />
|Julia Chairlift<br />
|2050s<br />
|Skiing<br />
|A {{w|chairlift}} is an aerial machine often used to transport winter sportsmen and women up mountains.<br />
|-<br />
|Dwight Shuttlecock<br />
|2060s<br />
|Badminton<br />
|A {{w|shuttlecock}} is a projectile used in the sport of badminton.<br />
|-<br />
|Brandon Sponsorship<br />
|2060s<br />
|Unclear<br />
|Sporting professionals are often {{w|Sponsor (commercial)|sponsored}} by corporations. Brandon seems to be holding a branded sponsorship item, possibly a towel.<br />
|-<br />
|Kate Dopingscandal<br />
|2070s<br />
|Cycling<br />
|There have been many {{w|Doping in sport|doping}} scandals in the world of sport, notably cyclist {{w|Lance Armstrong}}, and {{w|Doping in Russia|many Russian competitors}} in the Olympics<br />
|-<br />
|Jebediah Disasterous Postgame PressConference<br />
|2080s<br />
|Unspecified<br />
|At the end of sporting events - ie post-game - there is often a {{w|News conference|press conference}} where the competitors discuss the result. Sometimes, these live interviews are a disaster. Randall has chosen to spell their name as "Disasterous", rather than the more conventional "Disastrous".<br />
|-<br />
|Usain Bolt and Derek Legs<br />
|2090s<br />
|Sprinting<br />
|From the title text, {{w|Usain Bolt}} is the (now retired) world record holder for the 100 meter dash and 4x100 meter relay events in {{w|Track & Field}}. Thus Randall considers him a solid contender for this list since he can ''bolt'' down the track. However the fictional Derek Legs ends up being an even faster sprinter and replaces Bolt on the list.<br />
|}<br />
<br />
==Transcript==<br />
{{incomplete transcript|Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}<br />
<br />
{{comic discussion}}</div>141.101.98.244https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=Talk:529:_Sledding_Discussion&diff=151792Talk:529: Sledding Discussion2018-02-01T15:59:04Z<p>141.101.98.244: </p>
<hr />
<div>I am convinced there is also a subtle reference to one of Calvin's gags, regarding a toboggan's "model year". I'm a little too lazy to delve back into an archives site and cite it though, so have fun looking for it! Anonymous 04:06, 4 December 2013 (UTC)<br />
<br />
I believe that the initial conversation of the loss of language opportunity refers to a theory in Language Acquisition called Critical Period Hypothesis[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Critical_period_hypothesis]. [[Special:Contributions/108.162.216.32|108.162.216.32]] 23:47, 6 September 2014 (UTC)<br />
<br />
If it wasn't for the titletext I would've thought Megan to be referring to the lost freedom of being a single. Only after that I understood the "failed metaphor" part. [[Special:Contributions/162.158.90.212|162.158.90.212]]<br />
<br />
Except it's not closed to you. Plenty of people learn languages later in life that they end up being completely fluent in. [[User:Benjaminikuta|Benjaminikuta]] ([[User talk:Benjaminikuta|talk]]) 03:50, 26 March 2016 (UTC)<br />
<br />
pancakes or waffles? - Tell me what you think. {{unsigned|Comment Police}}<br />
<br />
: I think a section heading is unnecessary. And comments should be signed. [[Special:Contributions/141.101.98.244|141.101.98.244]] 15:59, 1 February 2018 (UTC)</div>141.101.98.244https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=1247:_The_Mother_of_All_Suspicious_Files&diff=1517821247: The Mother of All Suspicious Files2018-02-01T10:11:03Z<p>141.101.98.244: /* Explanation */</p>
<hr />
<div>{{comic<br />
| number = 1247<br />
| date = August 5, 2013<br />
| title = The Mother of All Suspicious Files<br />
| image = the_mother_of_all_suspicious_files.png<br />
| titletext = Better change the URL to 'https' before downloading.<br />
}}<br />
<br />
==Explanation==<br />
The save dialogue shows a download from [http://en.utrace.de/?query=65.222.202.53 65.222.202.53], an IP address that hosted JavaScript malware during a recent attack on the Tor anonymity network, with a very long file title. Many of the extensions used inside there indicate executable code; multiple file extensions are sometimes used to disguise a trojan program as a document.<br />
<br />
You can also see common download syntax for a pirated movie, {{w|Hackers (film)|Hackers}}, likely included to appear malicious to anyone skimming but is actually a movie about hackers, making it a benign reference rather than malicious. It is described as "_BLURAY_CAM", which contradicts itself ("_BLURAY" would mean it was ripped from a copy on Blu-ray Disc, while "_CAM" would mean it was copied by pointing a camera at the screen in the cinema). "_BLURAY_CAM" would probably indicate a search-keyword-stuffed fake copy; fake pirated media often contain viruses (although this is more likely to be a problem with newer media, before the first real pirated copy appears).<br />
<br />
The {{w|URL}} contains the path "~tilde/pub/cia-bin/etc". The first part is a public folder of a user named tilde (which is also the name for the ~ symbol), "cgi-bin" is a common folder on a Web-Server for server side executables ([[Randall]] changes the name to [[CIA]]-bin), and "etc" is a standard folder for configuration files – normally never accessible through a webserver. The program "init.dll" isn't executable at all, it's a {{w|Windows Dynamic Link Library}} which can't be run standalone, and is rarely referenced in URLs (even though such syntax is still being employed, even on [https://www.google.com/search?q=site:edu+filetype:dll reputable websites (Google search)] or here at [https://signin.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll eBay], indicating the webserver is a Microsoft {{w|Active Server Pages|ASP}} server). The question mark indicates the start of a parameter list, and in this case we have only one named "FILE".<br />
<br />
The "Save" button is greyed out, suggesting that it is disabled; you can only click the "Cancel" button. This can be different when the server detects that you are using a secure (https) connection.<br />
<br />
The complete content sent to the server, starting with "/~TILDE..." and ending with "...OUT.EXE", is exactly 256 characters long. On {{w|HTML 3}} specifications you have a limitation of 1024 characters, whereas later HTML specifications don't have this limit; it just depends on the web server's capabilities. But posting parameters directly at the URL is still a worse choice.<br />
<br />
The content of the parameter is shown here:<br />
*__ (underscore underscore) — used in the C programming language to denote that a symbol is really not for public consumption.<br />
*{{w|AUTOEXEC.BAT}} — a file which is automatically run during startup on Windows/DOS operating systems, and was often modified by viruses, which added malicious code to be run on each boot.<br />
*MY%20OSX%20DOCUMENTS — referencing the {{w|OSX}} operating system ({{w|URL encoding#Character data|%20}} is a representation of a space in a URL, i.e. it reads as "MY OSX DOCUMENTS").<br />
*INSTALL.EXE — a typical {{w|Installer#Installer|installer}}.<br />
*{{w|RAR}} — a compressed archive file type.<br />
*{{w|INI file|INI}} — a configuration file type.<br />
*{{w|Tar (computing)|TAR}} — a file archive popular in UNIX and UNIX-like operating systems. TAR has been mentioned [[1168: tar|before]].<br />
*DOÇX — {{w|docx}} is an Office Open XML file, i.e. a word processing format used by Microsoft Word 2007 and above, but has no cedilla (¸). The addition of a cedilla may be a reference to exploits that rely on rare characters being mistaken for more common ones that look similar, such as the {{w|IDN homograph attack}}.<br />
*PHPHPHP — a play on {{w|PHP}} files, a kind of server-based web page file type. PHP originally stood for "Personal Home Page" but was later redefined as the recursive abbreviation "PHP: Hypertext Preprocessor".<br />
*{{w|XHTML}} — another web page file type.<br />
*{{w|TransducerML|TML}} — stands for Transducer Markup Language, an XML based markup language that specifies how to capture, time-tag and describe sensor data.<br />
*XTL — possibly a play on XHTML.<br />
*TXXT — a play on {{w|Text file|TXT}} file types.<br />
*0DAY.HACK — a reference to a {{w|zero-day exploit}}. (overlaps with the next entry)<br />
*HACK.ERS_(1995)_BLURAY_CAM-XVID — a reference to the 1995 {{W|Hackers (film)|''Hackers''}} movie, but pirated movies would either be a BlurayRIP/DVDRIP or CAM, but not both at the same time unless you used a camera to record the Blu-ray movie as it played.<br />
*{{w|EXE}} — an executable file type used by Microsoft Windows.<br />
*[SCR] — a tag used by movie pirates to denote a '{{w|Screener}}', the DVD copy of films given to critics prior to theater release. Usually the highest quality available at the time, rare, and thus good bait for a virus-laden download. "{{w|.scr}}" is also the extension for screensaver files, really just an exe file with a different extension and one of the classical ways to distribute infected files.<br />
*{{w|Lisp (programming language)|LISP}} — programming language.<br />
*{{w|Windows Installer|MSI}} — an installation file used by Microsoft Installer.<br />
*{{w|.lnk|LNK}} — an extension used by Microsoft Windows for shortcuts. The extension is normally hidden to the user.<br />
*LNK, ZDA, GNN — references to {{w|Link (The Legend of Zelda)|Link}}, {{w|Princess Zelda|Zelda}}, and {{w|Ganon}}, important characters from ''{{w|The Legend of Zelda}}'' video game franchise.<br />
*{{w|White Rabbit#Television and films|WRBT.OBJ}} — A reference to the line of code Dennis Nedry used in {{w|Jurassic Park (film)|Jurassic Park}} to shut down key systems.<br />
*{{w|Object file|O}} — The extension for a linker file, an intermediary created when compiling C code.<br />
*{{w|Header file|H}} — The file extension of a header file in C code.<br />
*{{w|SWF}} — Shockwave Flash file type.<br />
*{{w|Dpkg|DPKG}} — The Debian package management, although the package files use the file suffix ''.deb''.<br />
*APP — an application on Mac OS X operating system.<br />
*{{w|ZIP (file format)|ZIP}} — compressed archive file type.<br />
*CO — the {{w|List of Internet top-level domains|top-level domain (TLD)}} for Colombia, but marketed as a global domain. Some countries use .co.''TLD'' for general use, e.g. ''.co.uk'' in the United Kingdom. But the TLD ''.gz'' does not exist and thus ''.co.gz'' is invalid.<br />
*{{w|Gzip|GZ}} — a compressed file using GNU zip.<br />
*{{w|A.out|A.OUT}} — Default filename when creating an executable on Linux or other UNIX-like operating systems if none was specified for the compiler.<br />
<br />
The title text suggests changing from ''http'' to ''https'', as if encrypting a suspicious file before downloading it is somehow better than downloading it unencrypted. http (Hyper Text Transfer Protocol) and https (Hyper Text Transfer Protocol - Secure) are the two common protocols for getting web pages and web downloads. http is the simple download, whereas https adds an SSL encryption layer so the item being downloaded cannot be viewed unencrypted by anyone except the end recipient. Changing ''http'' to ''https'' is a common suggestion to improve security when browsing the web from an insecure network (such as a public WiFi hotspot) to avoid surveillance or hijacking to a malicious website; Google automatically switches to https for all mail accounts and is starting to do so with searches. The end recipient will still get whatever nasties were in the original, however — encrypting it doesn't change the content at all.<br />
<br />
The IP address referenced in the comic, 65.222.202.53, is currently being used by the shellcode of a JavaScript 0-day exploit for the Tor Browser Bundle being run by the FBI to phone home over the clearnet [http://thehackernews.com/2013/08/Firefox-Exploit-Tor-Network-child-pornography-Freedom-Hosting.html] and de-anonymize visitors to websites on Freedom Hosting that are serving child pornography. [http://www.reddit.com/r/onions/comments/1jmrta/founder_of_the_freedom_hosting_arrested_held/]<br />
<br />
==Transcript==<br />
:[Browser download warning box containing the following text.]<br />
:WARNING!<br />
:This type of file can harm your computer! Are you sure you want to download:<br />
:<small><nowiki>http://65.222.202.53/~TILDE/PUB/CIA-BIN/ETC/INIT.DLL?FILE=__AUTOEXEC.BAT.MY%20OSX%20DOCUMENTS-INSTALL.EXE.RAR.INI.TAR.DOÇX.PHPHPHP.XHTML.TML.XTL.TXXT.0DAY.HACK.ERS_(1995)_BLURAY_CAM-XVID.EXE.TAR.[SCR].LISP.MSI.LNK.ZDA.GNN.WRBT.OBJ.O.H.SWF.DPKG.APP.ZIP.TAR.TAR.CO.GZ.A.OUT.EXE</nowiki></small><br />
:[Cancel and Save buttons (Save button disabled)]<br />
<br />
{{comic discussion}}<br />
[[Category:Comics with color]]<br />
[[Category:Computers]]<br />
[[Category:Video games]]</div>141.101.98.244https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=Talk:1948:_Campaign_Fundraising_Emails&diff=151751Talk:1948: Campaign Fundraising Emails2018-01-31T17:13:57Z<p>141.101.98.244: </p>
<hr />
<div><!--Please sign your posts with ~~~~ and don't delete this text. New comments should be added at the bottom.--><br />
can someone make a table with all the emails and an explanation column? I'm shit at formatting. [[User:DPS2004|DPS2004&#39;); DROP TABLE users;--]] ([[User talk:DPS2004|talk]]) 16:38, 29 January 2018 (UTC)<br />
: Relevant username? [[Special:Contributions/172.68.58.83|172.68.58.83]] 17:42, 29 January 2018 (UTC)<br />
:: Actually more based on Exploits of a mom [[User:DPS2004|DPS2004&#39;); DROP TABLE users;--]] ([[User talk:DPS2004|talk]]) 15:05, 30 January 2018 (UTC)<br />
ActBlue is a political action committee aimed at helping people on the internet raise money for the Democratic party - there is no Jennifer ActBlue Heir to the ActBlue fortune. [[Special:Contributions/172.68.174.40|172.68.174.40]] 17:14, 29 January 2018 (UTC)Daniel Macintyre<br />
:That's what Jennifer wants you to think.[[Special:Contributions/162.158.122.12|162.158.122.12]] 17:23, 29 January 2018 (UTC)<br />
<br />
It's interesting to note that for three of the emails, the subject isn't bolded, indicating that those emails were read. All three refer to female candidates [[User:JamesCurran|JamesCurran]] ([[User talk:JamesCurran|talk]]) 17:20, 29 January 2018 (UTC)<br />
: Are we sure those are subject lines? I don't usually write or get emails where the subject line flows seamlessly into the contents like this. (Not sure what else they could be, of course.) Also, the lack of bold text could indicate an email without a subject line. [[Special:Contributions/162.158.78.220|162.158.78.220]] 18:54, 29 January 2018 (UTC)<br />
:: I had actually initially taken the bold text as having being tweaked to emphasize those words, or that they were bold in the email, and that the emails which didn't were actual interesting and legitimate messages. :) Of course that would leave these emails without subjects, so the bold text being subjects makes more sense, and the lack of bold is just without a subject. As for part of the email starting after the subject, I think I've seen that. I know different email providers and programs show things differently. I have my email setup to only show subjects when I'm in my Inbox like this, but I've also seen ones where there's a couple of lines of preview. Perhaps Randall just has his to show only 1 line of subject and preview. If I cared about having a preview in my Inbox I'd set it that way, to save space. [[User:NiceGuy1|NiceGuy1]] ([[User talk:NiceGuy1|talk]]) 05:20, 30 January 2018 (UTC)<br />
::: The default Gmail inbox view looks more or less like this - albeit there's a dash separating subject and body, and if there's no subject it displays "(no subject)". [[Special:Contributions/141.101.98.244|141.101.98.244]] 17:08, 31 January 2018 (UTC)<br />
<br />
I'm guessing the $35.57 may have been related to a recent Jimquisition episode focusing on this ad: https://youtu.be/Tu3rwf27VRE [[User:Odysseus654|Odysseus654]] ([[User talk:Odysseus654|talk]]) 21:13, 29 January 2018 (UTC)<br />
<br />
Some of these scenarios are especially hilarious to me!<br />
:1) When Amy decided to run for Congress, I was like "Huh?" but I checked Wikipedia, and apparently it's a branch of...<br />
:Who needs to know anything when we have Wikipedia?<br />
:2) I will lead the fight against the big banks, special interests, the Earth's climate, and our children. I...<br />
:Won't someone please think of the children? (Those little !#$!%#^$^s!) [Edited slightly, because they are really horrid when they have at-signs in their expletives.]<br />
:3) Whoops. Due to a typo, we spent months running attack ads against Tom Hanks. Now, we need to make up for...<br />
:Yay, automation!<br />
:4) Our campaign's only chance is to seduce Jennifer Actblue, heir to the Actblue fortune. For that, we need a fancy...<br />
:That is just what we need: a candidate with a fresh approach. Will he get slapped?<br />
[[Special:Contributions/108.162.216.154|108.162.216.154]] 21:30, 29 January 2018 (UTC) Gene Wirchenko genew@telus.net<br />
: The wiki screwed up your nice legible formatting, LOL! Looks great in the edit box, a little confusing once submitted (I've noticed the wiki ignores a single New Line, unless followed by a colon) [[User:NiceGuy1|NiceGuy1]] ([[User talk:NiceGuy1|talk]]) 05:20, 30 January 2018 (UTC)<br />
:: I have just repaired the formatting. The wiki had also interpreted my faux expletive as an E-mail address (and protected it). Mr. Munroe needs to do a strip on how computers "help" us like this. [[Special:Contributions/108.162.216.154|108.162.216.154]] 06:23, 30 January 2018 (UTC) Gene Wirchenko genew@telus.net<br />
<br />
Is it just me, or does anyone else think that the wording of the message starting "Hopeless" is deliberately written in the style of Donald Trump's tweets? [[Special:Contributions/108.162.250.41|108.162.250.41]] 02:01, 30 January 2018 (UTC)<br />
<br />
Right now there's a double Incomplete message, with one asking for contact information in case someone wants to actually donate to one of these campaigns... Is it just me, or does this in fact NOT IDENTIFY ANYBODY? As in, there's nobody to donate TO! [[User:NiceGuy1|NiceGuy1]] ([[User talk:NiceGuy1|talk]]) 05:20, 30 January 2018 (UTC)<br />
<br />
Note that the "Doom" email says "Where is the horse and the rider" not "Where now the horse and the rider," and also skips several lines in the middle of the poem. It's quoting the Peter Jackson movie, not the book. [[Special:Contributions/172.69.70.185|172.69.70.185]] 05:43, 30 January 2018 (UTC)<br />
: It looks like you're correct (as indicated on the linked TolkienGateway page). I do wonder what the sender's address was supposed to be, though. Perhaps [mailto:theoden@royalhouse.rh theoden@royalhouse.rh]? ;-) --[[User:IByte|IByte]] ([[User talk:IByte|talk]]) 10:30, 31 January 2018 (UTC)<br />
: And the beginning of Tolkien's <i>ubi sunt</i>, and the first question of Doom are both translations of the Wanderer 'Hwær cwom mearg? Hwær cwom mago?' --[[User:Richardelguru]]<br />
<br />
I know what Ford's controversial comment was: it was characterised by The New York Times as "FORD TO CITY: DROP DEAD". [[Special:Contributions/162.158.165.190|162.158.165.190]] 07:09, 30 January 2018 (UTC)<br />
<br />
The comment about the establishment not taking Hitler seriously might be referring to that "the powers that be" in pre-Nazi Germany thought they could control Hitler and use his popularity to their advantage. We all know how this plan worked out. --[[User:LordHorst|LordHorst]] ([[User talk:LordHorst|talk]]) 10:16, 30 January 2018 (UTC)<br />
<br />
Having read it before, I still laughed more at the linked "Bushism" Wikipedia page than at today's comic. [[Special:Contributions/172.68.25.208|172.68.25.208]] 12:29, 30 January 2018 (UTC)<br />
<br />
Having that my college does some fund-raising events, I have seen some of the mails like this being displayed on my lecturer's laptop, so I find it relatable.Boeing-787lover 13:24, 30 January 2018 (UTC)<br />
<br />
I'm trying to figure out what the typo was in the Tom Hanks attack ads. Perhaps they attacked Big Hanks instead of Big Banks? -- [[Special:Contributions/172.68.34.46|172.68.34.46]] 17:50, 30 January 2018 (UTC)<br />
<br />
: Or perhaps the opponent's real name was Tim Hanks, or Tom Henks, or something else similar? -- [[Special:Contributions/108.162.215.148|108.162.215.148]] 22:10, 30 January 2018 (UTC)</div>141.101.98.244https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=Talk:1948:_Campaign_Fundraising_Emails&diff=151750Talk:1948: Campaign Fundraising Emails2018-01-31T17:10:16Z<p>141.101.98.244: </p>
<hr />
<div><!--Please sign your posts with ~~~~ and don't delete this text. New comments should be added at the bottom.--><br />
can someone make a table with all the emails and an explanation column? I'm shit at formatting. [[User:DPS2004|DPS2004&#39;); DROP TABLE users;--]] ([[User talk:DPS2004|talk]]) 16:38, 29 January 2018 (UTC)<br />
: Relevant username? [[Special:Contributions/172.68.58.83|172.68.58.83]] 17:42, 29 January 2018 (UTC)<br />
:: Actually more based on Exploits of a mom [[User:DPS2004|DPS2004&#39;); DROP TABLE users;--]] ([[User talk:DPS2004|talk]]) 15:05, 30 January 2018 (UTC)<br />
ActBlue is a political action committee aimed at helping people on the internet raise money for the Democratic party - there is no Jennifer ActBlue Heir to the ActBlue fortune. [[Special:Contributions/172.68.174.40|172.68.174.40]] 17:14, 29 January 2018 (UTC)Daniel Macintyre<br />
:That's what Jennifer wants you to think.[[Special:Contributions/162.158.122.12|162.158.122.12]] 17:23, 29 January 2018 (UTC)<br />
<br />
It's interesting to note that for three of the emails, the subject isn't bolded, indicating that those emails were read. All three refer to female candidates [[User:JamesCurran|JamesCurran]] ([[User talk:JamesCurran|talk]]) 17:20, 29 January 2018 (UTC)<br />
: Are we sure those are subject lines? I don't usually write or get emails where the subject line flows seamlessly into the contents like this. (Not sure what else they could be, of course.) Also, the lack of bold text could indicate an email without a subject line. [[Special:Contributions/162.158.78.220|162.158.78.220]] 18:54, 29 January 2018 (UTC)<br />
:: I had actually initially taken the bold text as having being tweaked to emphasize those words, or that they were bold in the email, and that the emails which didn't were actual interesting and legitimate messages. :) Of course that would leave these emails without subjects, so the bold text being subjects makes more sense, and the lack of bold is just without a subject. As for part of the email starting after the subject, I think I've seen that. I know different email providers and programs show things differently. I have my email setup to only show subjects when I'm in my Inbox like this, but I've also seen ones where there's a couple of lines of preview. Perhaps Randall just has his to show only 1 line of subject and preview. If I cared about having a preview in my Inbox I'd set it that way, to save space. [[User:NiceGuy1|NiceGuy1]] ([[User talk:NiceGuy1|talk]]) 05:20, 30 January 2018 (UTC)<br />
::: The default Gmail inbox view looks more or less like this - albeit there's a dash separating subject and body, and if there's no subject it displays "(no subject)". [[Special:Contributions/141.101.98.244|141.101.98.244]] 17:08, 31 January 2018 (UTC)<br />
<br />
I'm guessing the $35.57 may have been related to a recent Jimquisition episode focusing on this ad: https://youtu.be/Tu3rwf27VRE [[User:Odysseus654|Odysseus654]] ([[User talk:Odysseus654|talk]]) 21:13, 29 January 2018 (UTC)<br />
<br />
Some of these scenarios are especially hilarious to me!<br />
:1) When Amy decided to run for Congress, I was like "Huh?" but I checked Wikipedia, and apparently it's a branch of...<br />
:Who needs to know anything when we have Wikipedia?<br />
:2) I will lead the fight against the big banks, special interests, the Earth's climate, and our children. I...<br />
:Won't someone please think of the children? (Those little !#$!%#^$^s!) [Edited slightly, because they are really horrid when they have at-signs in their expletives.]<br />
:3) Whoops. Due to a typo, we spent months running attack ads against Tom Hanks. Now, we need to make up for...<br />
:Yay, automation!<br />
:4) Our campaign's only chance is to seduce Jennifer Actblue, heir to the Actblue fortune. For that, we need a fancy...<br />
:That is just what we need: a candidate with a fresh approach. Will he get slapped?<br />
[[Special:Contributions/108.162.216.154|108.162.216.154]] 21:30, 29 January 2018 (UTC) Gene Wirchenko genew@telus.net<br />
: The wiki screwed up your nice legible formatting, LOL! Looks great in the edit box, a little confusing once submitted (I've noticed the wiki ignores a single New Line, unless followed by a colon) [[User:NiceGuy1|NiceGuy1]] ([[User talk:NiceGuy1|talk]]) 05:20, 30 January 2018 (UTC)<br />
:: I have just repaired the formatting. The wiki had also interpreted my faux expletive as an E-mail address (and protected it). Mr. Munroe needs to do a strip on how computers "help" us like this. [[Special:Contributions/108.162.216.154|108.162.216.154]] 06:23, 30 January 2018 (UTC) Gene Wirchenko genew@telus.net<br />
<br />
Is it just me, or does anyone else think that the wording of the message starting "Hopeless" is deliberately written in the style of Donald Trump's tweets? [[Special:Contributions/108.162.250.41|108.162.250.41]] 02:01, 30 January 2018 (UTC)<br />
<br />
Right now there's a double Incomplete message, with one asking for contact information in case someone wants to actually donate to one of these campaigns... Is it just me, or does this in fact NOT IDENTIFY ANYBODY? As in, there's nobody to donate TO! [[User:NiceGuy1|NiceGuy1]] ([[User talk:NiceGuy1|talk]]) 05:20, 30 January 2018 (UTC)<br />
<br />
Note that the "Doom" email says "Where is the horse and the rider" not "Where now the horse and the rider," and also skips several lines in the middle of the poem. It's quoting the Peter Jackson movie, not the book. [[Special:Contributions/172.69.70.185|172.69.70.185]] 05:43, 30 January 2018 (UTC)<br />
: It looks like you're correct (as indicated on the linked TolkienGateway page). I do wonder what the sender's address was supposed to be, though. Perhaps [mailto:theoden@royalhouse.rh theoden@royalhouse.rh]? ;-) --[[User:IByte|IByte]] ([[User talk:IByte|talk]]) 10:30, 31 January 2018 (UTC)<br />
And the beginning of Tolkien's <i>ubi sunt</i>, and the first question of Doom are both translations of the Wanderer 'Hwær cwom mearg? Hwær cwom mago?' --[[User:Richardelguru]]<br />
<br />
I know what Ford's controversial comment was: it was characterised by The New York Times as "FORD TO CITY: DROP DEAD". [[Special:Contributions/162.158.165.190|162.158.165.190]] 07:09, 30 January 2018 (UTC)<br />
<br />
The comment about the establishment not taking Hitler seriously might be referring to that "the powers that be" in pre-Nazi Germany thought they could control Hitler and use his popularity to their advantage. We all know how this plan worked out. --[[User:LordHorst|LordHorst]] ([[User talk:LordHorst|talk]]) 10:16, 30 January 2018 (UTC)<br />
<br />
Having read it before, I still laughed more at the linked "Bushism" Wikipedia page than at today's comic. [[Special:Contributions/172.68.25.208|172.68.25.208]] 12:29, 30 January 2018 (UTC)<br />
<br />
Having that my college does some fund-raising events, I have seen some of the mails like this being displayed on my lecturer's laptop, so I find it relatable.Boeing-787lover 13:24, 30 January 2018 (UTC)<br />
<br />
I'm trying to figure out what the typo was in the Tom Hanks attack ads. Perhaps they attacked Big Hanks instead of Big Banks? -- [[Special:Contributions/172.68.34.46|172.68.34.46]] 17:50, 30 January 2018 (UTC)<br />
<br />
Or perhaps the opponent's real name was Tim Hanks, or Tom Henks, or something else similar? -- [[Special:Contributions/108.162.215.148|108.162.215.148]] 22:10, 30 January 2018 (UTC)</div>141.101.98.244https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=Talk:1948:_Campaign_Fundraising_Emails&diff=151748Talk:1948: Campaign Fundraising Emails2018-01-31T17:08:57Z<p>141.101.98.244: </p>
<hr />
<div><!--Please sign your posts with ~~~~ and don't delete this text. New comments should be added at the bottom.--><br />
can someone make a table with all the emails and an explanation column? I'm shit at formatting. [[User:DPS2004|DPS2004&#39;); DROP TABLE users;--]] ([[User talk:DPS2004|talk]]) 16:38, 29 January 2018 (UTC)<br />
: Relevant username? [[Special:Contributions/172.68.58.83|172.68.58.83]] 17:42, 29 January 2018 (UTC)<br />
:: Actually more based on Exploits of a mom [[User:DPS2004|DPS2004&#39;); DROP TABLE users;--]] ([[User talk:DPS2004|talk]]) 15:05, 30 January 2018 (UTC)<br />
ActBlue is a political action committee aimed at helping people on the internet raise money for the Democratic party - there is no Jennifer ActBlue Heir to the ActBlue fortune. [[Special:Contributions/172.68.174.40|172.68.174.40]] 17:14, 29 January 2018 (UTC)Daniel Macintyre<br />
:That's what Jennifer wants you to think.[[Special:Contributions/162.158.122.12|162.158.122.12]] 17:23, 29 January 2018 (UTC)<br />
<br />
It's interesting to note that for three of the emails, the subject isn't bolded, indicating that those emails were read. All three refer to female candidates [[User:JamesCurran|JamesCurran]] ([[User talk:JamesCurran|talk]]) 17:20, 29 January 2018 (UTC)<br />
: Are we sure those are subject lines? I don't usually write or get emails where the subject line flows seamlessly into the contents like this. (Not sure what else they could be, of course.) Also, the lack of bold text could indicate an email without a subject line. [[Special:Contributions/162.158.78.220|162.158.78.220]] 18:54, 29 January 2018 (UTC)<br />
:: I had actually initially taken the bold text as having being tweaked to emphasize those words, or that they were bold in the email, and that the emails which didn't were actual interesting and legitimate messages. :) Of course that would leave these emails without subjects, so the bold text being subjects makes more sense, and the lack of bold is just without a subject. As for part of the email starting after the subject, I think I've seen that. I know different email providers and programs show things differently. I have my email setup to only show subjects when I'm in my Inbox like this, but I've also seen ones where there's a couple of lines of preview. Perhaps Randall just has his to show only 1 line of subject and preview. If I cared about having a preview in my Inbox I'd set it that way, to save space. [[User:NiceGuy1|NiceGuy1]] ([[User talk:NiceGuy1|talk]]) 05:20, 30 January 2018 (UTC)<br />
::: The default Gmail inbox view looks more or less like this - albeit there's a dash separating subject and body, and if there's no subject it displays "(no subject)". [[Special:Contributions/141.101.98.244|141.101.98.244]] 17:08, 31 January 2018 (UTC)<br />
<br />
I'm guessing the $35.57 may have been related to a recent Jimquisition episode focusing on this ad: https://youtu.be/Tu3rwf27VRE [[User:Odysseus654|Odysseus654]] ([[User talk:Odysseus654|talk]]) 21:13, 29 January 2018 (UTC)<br />
<br />
Some of these scenarios are especially hilarious to me!<br />
:1) When Amy decided to run for Congress, I was like "Huh?" but I checked Wikipedia, and apparently it's a branch of...<br />
:Who needs to know anything when we have Wikipedia?<br />
:2) I will lead the fight against the big banks, special interests, the Earth's climate, and our children. I...<br />
:Won't someone please think of the children? (Those little !#$!%#^$^s!) [Edited slightly, because they are really horrid when they have at-signs in their expletives.]<br />
:3) Whoops. Due to a typo, we spent months running attack ads against Tom Hanks. Now, we need to make up for...<br />
:Yay, automation!<br />
:4) Our campaign's only chance is to seduce Jennifer Actblue, heir to the Actblue fortune. For that, we need a fancy...<br />
:That is just what we need: a candidate with a fresh approach. Will he get slapped?<br />
[[Special:Contributions/108.162.216.154|108.162.216.154]] 21:30, 29 January 2018 (UTC) Gene Wirchenko genew@telus.net<br />
: The wiki screwed up your nice legible formatting, LOL! Looks great in the edit box, a little confusing once submitted (I've noticed the wiki ignores a single New Line, unless followed by a colon) [[User:NiceGuy1|NiceGuy1]] ([[User talk:NiceGuy1|talk]]) 05:20, 30 January 2018 (UTC)<br />
:: I have just repaired the formatting. The wiki had also interpreted my faux expletive as an E-mail address (and protected it). Mr. Munroe needs to do a strip on how computers "help" us like this.<br />
:: [[Special:Contributions/108.162.216.154|108.162.216.154]] 06:23, 30 January 2018 (UTC) Gene Wirchenko genew@telus.net<br />
Is it just me, or does anyone else think that the wording of the message starting "Hopeless" is deliberately written in the style of Donald Trump's tweets? [[Special:Contributions/108.162.250.41|108.162.250.41]] 02:01, 30 January 2018 (UTC)<br />
<br />
Right now there's a double Incomplete message, with one asking for contact information in case someone wants to actually donate to one of these campaigns... Is it just me, or does this in fact NOT IDENTIFY ANYBODY? As in, there's nobody to donate TO! [[User:NiceGuy1|NiceGuy1]] ([[User talk:NiceGuy1|talk]]) 05:20, 30 January 2018 (UTC)<br />
<br />
Note that the "Doom" email says "Where is the horse and the rider" not "Where now the horse and the rider," and also skips several lines in the middle of the poem. It's quoting the Peter Jackson movie, not the book. [[Special:Contributions/172.69.70.185|172.69.70.185]] 05:43, 30 January 2018 (UTC)<br />
: It looks like you're correct (as indicated on the linked TolkienGateway page). I do wonder what the sender's address was supposed to be, though. Perhaps [mailto:theoden@royalhouse.rh theoden@royalhouse.rh]? ;-) --[[User:IByte|IByte]] ([[User talk:IByte|talk]]) 10:30, 31 January 2018 (UTC)<br />
And the beginning of Tolkien's <i>ubi sunt</i>, and the first question of Doom are both translations of the Wanderer 'Hwær cwom mearg? Hwær cwom mago?' --[[User:Richardelguru]]<br />
<br />
I know what Ford's controversial comment was: it was characterised by The New York Times as "FORD TO CITY: DROP DEAD". [[Special:Contributions/162.158.165.190|162.158.165.190]] 07:09, 30 January 2018 (UTC)<br />
<br />
The comment about the establishment not taking Hitler seriously might be referring to that "the powers that be" in pre-Nazi Germany thought they could control Hitler and use his popularity to their advantage. We all know how this plan worked out. --[[User:LordHorst|LordHorst]] ([[User talk:LordHorst|talk]]) 10:16, 30 January 2018 (UTC)<br />
<br />
Having read it before, I still laughed more at the linked "Bushism" Wikipedia page than at today's comic. [[Special:Contributions/172.68.25.208|172.68.25.208]] 12:29, 30 January 2018 (UTC)<br />
<br />
Having that my college does some fund-raising events, I have seen some of the mails like this being displayed on my lecturer's laptop, so I find it relatable.Boeing-787lover 13:24, 30 January 2018 (UTC)<br />
<br />
I'm trying to figure out what the typo was in the Tom Hanks attack ads. Perhaps they attacked Big Hanks instead of Big Banks? -- [[Special:Contributions/172.68.34.46|172.68.34.46]] 17:50, 30 January 2018 (UTC)<br />
<br />
Or perhaps the opponent's real name was Tim Hanks, or Tom Henks, or something else similar? -- [[Special:Contributions/108.162.215.148|108.162.215.148]] 22:10, 30 January 2018 (UTC)</div>141.101.98.244https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=Talk:1948:_Campaign_Fundraising_Emails&diff=151747Talk:1948: Campaign Fundraising Emails2018-01-31T17:03:59Z<p>141.101.98.244: </p>
<hr />
<div><!--Please sign your posts with ~~~~ and don't delete this text. New comments should be added at the bottom.--><br />
can someone make a table with all the emails and an explanation column? I'm shit at formatting. [[User:DPS2004|DPS2004&#39;); DROP TABLE users;--]] ([[User talk:DPS2004|talk]]) 16:38, 29 January 2018 (UTC)<br />
: Relevant username? [[Special:Contributions/172.68.58.83|172.68.58.83]] 17:42, 29 January 2018 (UTC)<br />
:: Actually more based on Exploits of a mom [[User:DPS2004|DPS2004&#39;); DROP TABLE users;--]] ([[User talk:DPS2004|talk]]) 15:05, 30 January 2018 (UTC)<br />
ActBlue is a political action committee aimed at helping people on the internet raise money for the Democratic party - there is no Jennifer ActBlue Heir to the ActBlue fortune. [[Special:Contributions/172.68.174.40|172.68.174.40]] 17:14, 29 January 2018 (UTC)Daniel Macintyre<br />
:That's what Jennifer wants you to think.[[Special:Contributions/162.158.122.12|162.158.122.12]] 17:23, 29 January 2018 (UTC)<br />
<br />
It's interesting to note that for three of the emails, the subject isn't bolded, indicating that those emails were read. All three refer to female candidates [[User:JamesCurran|JamesCurran]] ([[User talk:JamesCurran|talk]]) 17:20, 29 January 2018 (UTC)<br />
: Are we sure those are subject lines? I don't usually write or get emails where the subject line flows seamlessly into the contents like this. (Not sure what else they could be, of course.) Also, the lack of bold text could indicate an email without a subject line. [[Special:Contributions/162.158.78.220|162.158.78.220]] 18:54, 29 January 2018 (UTC)<br />
:: I had actually initially taken the bold text as having being tweaked to emphasize those words, or that they were bold in the email, and that the emails which didn't were actual interesting and legitimate messages. :) Of course that would leave these emails without subjects, so the bold text being subjects makes more sense, and the lack of bold is just without a subject. As for part of the email starting after the subject, I think I've seen that. I know different email providers and programs show things differently. I have my email setup to only show subjects when I'm in my Inbox like this, but I've also seen ones where there's a couple of lines of preview. Perhaps Randall just has his to show only 1 line of subject and preview. If I cared about having a preview in my Inbox I'd set it that way, to save space. [[User:NiceGuy1|NiceGuy1]] ([[User talk:NiceGuy1|talk]]) 05:20, 30 January 2018 (UTC)<br />
<br />
I'm guessing the $35.57 may have been related to a recent Jimquisition episode focusing on this ad: https://youtu.be/Tu3rwf27VRE [[User:Odysseus654|Odysseus654]] ([[User talk:Odysseus654|talk]]) 21:13, 29 January 2018 (UTC)<br />
<br />
Some of these scenarios are especially hilarious to me!<br />
:1) When Amy decided to run for Congress, I was like "Huh?" but I checked Wikipedia, and apparently it's a branch of...<br />
:Who needs to know anything when we have Wikipedia?<br />
:2) I will lead the fight against the big banks, special interests, the Earth's climate, and our children. I...<br />
:Won't someone please think of the children? (Those little !#$!%#^$^s!) [Edited slightly, because they are really horrid when they have at-signs in their expletives.]<br />
:3) Whoops. Due to a typo, we spent months running attack ads against Tom Hanks. Now, we need to make up for...<br />
:Yay, automation!<br />
:4) Our campaign's only chance is to seduce Jennifer Actblue, heir to the Actblue fortune. For that, we need a fancy...<br />
:That is just what we need: a candidate with a fresh approach. Will he get slapped?<br />
[[Special:Contributions/108.162.216.154|108.162.216.154]] 21:30, 29 January 2018 (UTC) Gene Wirchenko genew@telus.net<br />
: The wiki screwed up your nice legible formatting, LOL! Looks great in the edit box, a little confusing once submitted (I've noticed the wiki ignores a single New Line, unless followed by a colon) [[User:NiceGuy1|NiceGuy1]] ([[User talk:NiceGuy1|talk]]) 05:20, 30 January 2018 (UTC)<br />
:: I have just repaired the formatting. The wiki had also interpreted my faux expletive as an E-mail address (and protected it). Mr. Munroe needs to do a strip on how computers "help" us like this.<br />
:: [[Special:Contributions/108.162.216.154|108.162.216.154]] 06:23, 30 January 2018 (UTC) Gene Wirchenko genew@telus.net<br />
Is it just me, or does anyone else think that the wording of the message starting "Hopeless" is deliberately written in the style of Donald Trump's tweets? [[Special:Contributions/108.162.250.41|108.162.250.41]] 02:01, 30 January 2018 (UTC)<br />
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Right now there's a double Incomplete message, with one asking for contact information in case someone wants to actually donate to one of these campaigns... Is it just me, or does this in fact NOT IDENTIFY ANYBODY? As in, there's nobody to donate TO! [[User:NiceGuy1|NiceGuy1]] ([[User talk:NiceGuy1|talk]]) 05:20, 30 January 2018 (UTC)<br />
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Note that the "Doom" email says "Where is the horse and the rider" not "Where now the horse and the rider," and also skips several lines in the middle of the poem. It's quoting the Peter Jackson movie, not the book. [[Special:Contributions/172.69.70.185|172.69.70.185]] 05:43, 30 January 2018 (UTC)<br />
: It looks like you're correct (as indicated on the linked TolkienGateway page). I do wonder what the sender's address was supposed to be, though. Perhaps [mailto:theoden@royalhouse.rh theoden@royalhouse.rh]? ;-) --[[User:IByte|IByte]] ([[User talk:IByte|talk]]) 10:30, 31 January 2018 (UTC)<br />
And the beginning of Tolkien's <i>ubi sunt</i>, and the first question of Doom are both translations of the Wanderer 'Hwær cwom mearg? Hwær cwom mago?' --[[User:Richardelguru]]<br />
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I know what Ford's controversial comment was: it was characterised by The New York Times as "FORD TO CITY: DROP DEAD". [[Special:Contributions/162.158.165.190|162.158.165.190]] 07:09, 30 January 2018 (UTC)<br />
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The comment about the establishment not taking Hitler seriously might be referring to that "the powers that be" in pre-Nazi Germany thought they could control Hitler and use his popularity to their advantage. We all know how this plan worked out. --[[User:LordHorst|LordHorst]] ([[User talk:LordHorst|talk]]) 10:16, 30 January 2018 (UTC)<br />
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Having read it before, I still laughed more at the linked "Bushism" Wikipedia page than at today's comic. [[Special:Contributions/172.68.25.208|172.68.25.208]] 12:29, 30 January 2018 (UTC)<br />
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Having that my college does some fund-raising events, I have seen some of the mails like this being displayed on my lecturer's laptop, so I find it relatable.Boeing-787lover 13:24, 30 January 2018 (UTC)<br />
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I'm trying to figure out what the typo was in the Tom Hanks attack ads. Perhaps they attacked Big Hanks instead of Big Banks? -- [[Special:Contributions/172.68.34.46|172.68.34.46]] 17:50, 30 January 2018 (UTC)<br />
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Or perhaps the opponent's real name was Tim Hanks, or Tom Henks, or something else similar? -- [[Special:Contributions/108.162.215.148|108.162.215.148]] 22:10, 30 January 2018 (UTC)</div>141.101.98.244https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=1948:_Campaign_Fundraising_Emails&diff=1517461948: Campaign Fundraising Emails2018-01-31T17:02:09Z<p>141.101.98.244: /* Explanation */ The original contact need not necessarily have been a questionable campaign</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 aggressive fundraising campaigns by email to seek 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 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, 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}}).<br />
|-<br />
|'''Donate $35.57 now!''' Our data team has determined that we should ask you for $35.57 to optimize the...<br />
|While fundraisers will try and work out how to gain as much money as possible, they would never explain this to their supporters. Such a precise amount would come about as a result of running the numbers through a computer simulation, and the obvious lack of humanity behind the calculated dollar amount would probably be offputting to a lot of would-be supporters. This may also be an exaggeration of Senator Sanders' presidential campaign, which sent e-mails asking for $27 because it was the average amount of their contributions up to that point.<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 from those already sympathetic to the candidate. Any campaign reduced to this level has probably already lost, though. The reference to "cash" lacks sufficient context to be clear; if the full message requests that recipients send cash that would raise several red flags (suggesting that the campaign's finances are in such disarray that it cannot process checks, credit cards, etc in a timely manner, and raising concerns that cash could be stolen or otherwise diverted 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 may be another real example. This appeal to emotion promises specific action that is unlikely to accomplish much, and is probably unlikely to happen even if the candidate wins, while suggesting the candidate vaguely cares about issues of importance to most voters, as measured by the polls, but may not be genuine or fulfilled. The mere statement of "jobs" as a meaningful political point is patently ridiculous, especially since no context or intent is provided with 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.<br />
|-<br />
|As the first woman to fly a fighter jet through our state's formerly all-male university, I learned...<br />
|Normally one would be the first ''from'' a university to do something, not 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" here, could imply destruction of buildings or the plane itself, which might paint the candidate in an irresponsible light. May also refer to the [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amy_McGrath 2017 viral Congressional campaign ad] of Amy McGrath, the first female marine to fly F-18's 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 said tactics may instead make the movement look pathetic and poorly-organized, especially because the group is apparently so poor, they can't 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 reader would expect that the writer expressed surprise because they weren't expecting Amy to run for Congress, but the actual reason is because they didn't know what Congress was. If the aim is indeed fundraising, as the comic's title would imply, this message is very likely to give very poor results. While the familiar tone could be a communication strategy (although you might want to look serious and professional when asking for money), the author openly states not knowing what the campaign was about until recently, which would make potential donors doubt that their money would be put to good use.<br />
|-<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}}, which 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 the opponent's plan.<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 "inspiring" stories for someone to bring up once they reach success, to show how they have persevered and come out on top, but it is extremely unlikely that all of these responsibilities and hardships would be burdening one person at the same time, and said person surviving all of these is even less likely. <br />
|-<br />
|-<br />
|'''I will lead the fight''' against the big banks, special interests, the Earth's climate, and our children. I...<br />
|A promise that starts with more normal and relatable issues, but then moves to the controversial topic of climate change (with the implication that damaging the climate is the goal), and the universally ridiculous idea that children are an issue that needs to be contained. 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.)<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 reason to give money to an opponent. 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{{Citation needed}}, 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 />
|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 seat}}, 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 collects donations online for Democratic candidates. In reality, there is no ActBlue family nor any "Jennifer ActBlue" who is the heir to its fortune; the name ActBlue comes from the words "act" and "blue", referring to the {{w|Red states and blue states|color currently associated with the Democratic Party}}. <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 electronically. 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 />
{{incomplete transcript|Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}<br />
<br />
[An e-mail inbox window is displayed. On each line appears an illegible e-mail address and a checkbox.]<br />
<br />
'''Donate now.''' It's crunch time, and we're low on cash. If you chip in just $5 by midnight, we...<br/><br />
'''Donate $35.57 now!''' Our data team has determined that we should ask you for $35.57 to optimize the...<br/><br />
'''Help.''' Our campaign made some mistakes and we need a lot of money ASAP. Any kind, but cash is...<br/><br />
'''Washington is broken.''' When I win, I'll look those other senators in the eye and tell them: "Jobs." Then I...<br/><br />
'''Hopeless.''' It's bad. Really bad. If you don't chip in now, the darkness spreading across the land will...<br/><br />
As the first woman to fly a fighter jet through our state's formerly all-male university, I learned...<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/><br />
When Amy decided to run for Congress, I was like "Huh?" but I checked Wikipedia, and apparently it's a branch of...<br/><br />
'''Are you familiar''' with the dutch painter Hieronymous Bosch? His work illustrates my opponent's plan for...<br/><br />
Being a single mom running a small business while going to law school while being deployed to Iraq taught me...<br/><br />
'''I will lead the fight''' against the big banks, special interests, the Earth's climate, and our children. I...<br/><br />
'''Wow.''' Have you seen this video of the squirrel obstacle course? Incredible! Anyway, I'm running because I...<br/><br />
'''Outrageous.''' Granted, this was a few years ago, but did you hear what President Ford said about...<br/><br />
'''Whoops.''' Due to a typo, we spent months running attack ads against Tom Hanks. Now, we need to make up for...<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/><br />
'''Our campaign's only chance''' is to seduce Jennifer ActBlue, heir to the ActBlue fortune. For that, we need a fancy...<br/><br />
'''Doom.''' Where is the horse and the rider? Where is the horn that was blowing? They have passed, like rain on...<br/><br />
'''Warmest greetings.''' I am the crown prince of Nigeria. I am running for Congress because I believe that...<br />
<br />
{{comic discussion}}</div>141.101.98.244https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=1947:_Night_Sky&diff=1517441947: Night Sky2018-01-31T16:56:13Z<p>141.101.98.244: /* Explanation */</p>
<hr />
<div>{{comic<br />
| number = 1947<br />
| date = January 26, 2018<br />
| title = Night Sky<br />
| image = night_sky.png<br />
| titletext = There's a mountain lion nearby, but it didn't notice you because it's reading Facebook.<br />
}}<br />
<br />
==Explanation==<br />
{{incomplete|Created by an OVERACTIVE IMAGINATION - Please change this comment when editing this page. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}<br />
<br />
With the increasing ubiquity of connected devices in people's lives have come concerns about the social and mental effects this is having. A common trend in lifestyle advice is the idea of "{{w|Digital detox|unplugging}}" and getting away from technology, with the idea that this can improve one's sense of wellbeing, and allow a focus on the important things in life, such as asking the "big" existential questions.<br />
<br />
[[Cueball]] and [[Megan]] are taking one such activity: a nighttime walk without their phones. However, rather than being grandiose, the questions they ask are increasingly immediate to their current situation. Far from finding the experience liberating, they find it first frustrating, as they no longer have access to useful features of their phones, such as mapping with GPS, which would help them find their way, and a flashlight, which would let them see where they were going, and then unsettling, as without their devices to distract them they begin to imagine dangers, such as {{w|cougar|mountain lions}}, lurking in the darkness.<br />
<br />
The reference to mountain lions might be related to the declaration that eastern cougars were [http://www.courier-tribune.com/news/20180126/once-common-in-nc-eastern-cougar-declared-extinct-last-sighting-80-years-ago officially declared extinct] the day before this comic was published.<br />
<br />
The title text claims that technology is so omnipresent that even the threatening mountain lion has a Facebook account and ready internet access. Alternatively either Cueball or Megan might be teasing the other.<br />
<br />
==Transcript==<br />
:[Cueball and Megan are walking under the night sky.]<br />
:Megan: The internet is so overwhelming for me these days. It feels like everyone I know is yelling all the time.<br />
<br />
:[Frame is zoomed out. Stars are visible in the sky.]<br />
:Megan: That's why it's so nice to unplug. Leave the phones at home, go for a walk, and look up at the stars.<br />
:Megan: It helps you focus on what really matters.<br />
<br />
:[Frame is zoomed in again.]<br />
:Cueball: Like "Where the hell are we?"<br />
:Megan: And "Why did I leave my phone at home? It has my map and flashlight."<br />
:Cueball: "Are there mountain lions around here? Did you hear a twig break?"<br />
:Megan: Yeah, the big questions!<br />
<br />
{{comic discussion}}<br />
<br />
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]<br />
[[Category:Comics featuring Megan]]<br />
[[Category:Comics with inverted brightness]]</div>141.101.98.244https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=Talk:1940:_The_Food_Size_Cycle&diff=151743Talk:1940: The Food Size Cycle2018-01-31T16:38:45Z<p>141.101.98.244: </p>
<hr />
<div><!--Please sign your posts with ~~~~ and don't delete this text. New comments should be added at the bottom.--><br />
<br />
Does panini have a different meaning in the USA? In the UK, it basically means a sandwich made in a flattish rectangular roll, usually toasted (sometimes also the roll itself). They can be quite large; not necessarily smaller than sandwiches in general.[[Special:Contributions/141.101.76.16|141.101.76.16]] 16:44, 10 January 2018 (UTC)<br />
:From my experience its the flatishness off panini that make them more comfortable to eat, but who knows maybe we're on the end of the panini cycle. [[Special:Contributions/162.158.74.9|162.158.74.9]] 23:43, 10 January 2018 (UTC)<br />
:I think you're inadverently proving Randall's point. :) First I ever heard of paninis must have been something like 15 years ago, and the buns were slightly longer than my (admittedly large) hand, putting their length about the same as standard sandwich bread, but a smaller width making them smaller than a sandwich. I do note that if I see panini rolls in the grocery store, they're still that small size. Sounds to me like this size arms race is well underway for paninis where you live (I like never order them, but I suspect here too). [[User:NiceGuy1|NiceGuy1]] ([[User talk:NiceGuy1|talk]]) 04:15, 12 January 2018 (UTC)<br />
:: I'm pretty sure that when they first appeared widely over here they were already substantially larger than that. Perhaps we just imported already outsized ones from the US? Also, at that point, sandwiches generally hadn't undergone much inflation over here, so panini(s) and sandwiches have probably gone through a parallel expansion. The grocery stores here do also sell hand-sized panini rolls, but those are a relatively recent introduction, and they just match the general size of the rest of their roll selection.[[Special:Contributions/141.101.76.16|141.101.76.16]] 10:10, 12 January 2018 (UTC)<br />
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Is it generally known that "panini" is the plural form of the Italian word "panino"? We don't say "burritos" or "taquitos" for one example, so why "panini"? [[User:Gearoid|Gearóid]] ([[User talk:Gearoid|talk]]) 07:46, 11 January 2018 (UTC)<br />
: But we do say 'a biscotti'. Probably because when selling them you would advertise in the plural, and those not familiar with Italian linguistics would not know how to construct a singular from it, and so would simply use the word as it stands. As a result, of course, panini and biscotti are, through use, now correct ''english'' singulars.[[Special:Contributions/141.101.76.16|141.101.76.16]] 09:34, 11 January 2018 (UTC)<br />
: perhaps because of its unfortunate similarity to other English words, and the fortunate immaturity of the human race.[[Special:Contributions/162.158.74.9|162.158.74.9]] 00:37, 12 January 2018 (UTC)<br />
:As a non-Italian speaker, I can say I was unaware "panini" was a plural word (though I feel vaguely familiar with the concept that Italian pluralizes words with an i like that). That'll be why, of course, most people are likewise unaware, and it has caught on. Especially considering that we'll often see "panini" itself pluralized, as "paninis". Reminds me of when I see things like "NASA Association", the final A of the acronym already means Association. "Scuba Apparatus", the A already stands for Apparatus. Etc. [[User:NiceGuy1|NiceGuy1]] ([[User talk:NiceGuy1|talk]]) 04:38, 12 January 2018 (UTC)<br />
: Expanding on the theme, there are rivers in the U.K. routinely referred to as the "River Avon", ignoring the fact that "Avon" already means "River"... [[User:Gearoid|Gearóid]] ([[User talk:Gearoid|talk]]) 07:29, 12 January 2018 (UTC)<br />
: We may not say "a burritos" or "a taquitos", but we do say "a tamale" and there is no such word in Spanish. The singular in Spanish is "tamal"; "tamale" is a backformation from the Spanish plural "tamales". [[Special:Contributions/172.68.34.106|172.68.34.106]] 02:06, 13 January 2018 (UTC)<br />
:In English, words ending in "i" often lack an explicit plural form, since many words which end in a "s" or "sh" sound use an "i" ending when pluralized. Illiteracy has lessened this somewhat in recent decades: The correct plural for octopus is octopi & the correct plural for virus is virii. Saying "octopuses" & "viruses" are modernisms which have become so prevalent that they are now widely accepted, but grammatically they are incorrect.[[User:ProphetZarquon|ProphetZarquon]] ([[User talk:ProphetZarquon|talk]]) 19:51, 24 January 2018 (UTC)<br />
::The correct plural for ''octopus'' is not ''octopi'', because ''octopus'' is not a Latin word, it is a Greek one. [[Special:Contributions/162.158.154.163|162.158.154.163]] 15:21, 31 January 2018 (UTC)Jack Rudd<br />
:::''Octopuses'' (the most commonly used), ''octopi'' (a misguided Latinisation), and ''octopodes'' (a Greekification) are all acceptable English plurals for ''octopus''. You can't really apply rules to determine whether things are "correct" in language; the only meaningful way in which something can be said to be "correct" is through common usage / understanding. If enough of us decided the plural of ''octopus'' was ''octoplops'', then that would be correct.[[Special:Contributions/141.101.98.244|141.101.98.244]] 16:36, 31 January 2018 (UTC)<br />
<br />
Ah, but what about the slider effect? Mini versions of (in this case burgers) to be served in a collective? --[[User:Thomcat|Thomcat]] ([[User talk:Thomcat|talk]]) 17:01, 10 January 2018 (UTC)<br />
<br />
Related, perhaps, is the sizing issue. Some places sell medium, large, and extra large drinks. Note no small.<br />
[[Special:Contributions/108.162.216.154|108.162.216.154]] 20:29, 10 January 2018 (UTC) Gene Wirchenko <genew@telus.net><br />
: And the 'regular' is what used to be the 'large'; the 'small', if it exists, is what used to be the 'regular' - to try to make you feel like you're short-changing yourself if you buy a normal sized one.[[Special:Contributions/141.101.76.16|141.101.76.16]] 09:27, 11 January 2018 (UTC)<br />
<br />
The alt-text seems backwards: The way Randall's presented it, it looks like he's asserting that thick crusts get thinner, then the cycle repeats. This matches anecdotal evidence based upon the style favored by my local pizza shops over the years, but more research is needed. Thin crusts also tend to be cheaper to make, so... [[User:ProphetZarquon|ProphetZarquon]] ([[User talk:ProphetZarquon|talk]]) 21:08, 10 January 2018 (UTC)<br />
: I don't think so - 'deep-dish' is listed first, as the one on the original track; 'thin crust' is then the one on the replacement track. The original pizzas, as imported from Italy, would have been thin crust. These then got thicker until they begat deep dish, and, indeed, beyond, with the ridiculous proliferation of stuffed and sandwich crusts. Then, as some people lost patience with this, there was a trend to re-introduce the thin crust (the replacement track).[[Special:Contributions/141.101.76.16|141.101.76.16]] 09:25, 11 January 2018 (UTC)<br />
: Some original pizza from Italy had thick crust. My uncle, an immigrant to the US from Bari, Italy, made extremely thick crust pizza at his restaurant in the 1960s, almost a pizza bread. Pizza Hut initially advertised their 'deep dish' as 'Sicilian Pan Pizza'. [[Special:Contributions/162.158.75.166|162.158.75.166]] 21:54, 11 January 2018 (UTC)<br />
:Thick crust is listed first, giving it precedence. To get thinner or thicker would be a logical progression which can loop back without significant alteration, whereas a replacement track would imply calzones, or taco-pizza, or some other such alternative to traditional pizza. By the simple fact that he listed thick crust first, reading it in English implies a progression from thick to thin. Also, see 75.166's reference to Sicilian pizza: I'm pretty sure thin crust is a modernism; Pizza crust is not unleavened, it is meant to rise. [[User:ProphetZarquon|ProphetZarquon]] ([[User talk:ProphetZarquon|talk]]) 19:38, 24 January 2018 (UTC)<br />
<br />
Portion inflation makes dietary information misleading. One would be hard pressed to find a muffin of the size used in nutrition information guides. <br />
Recipe books show similar inflation, recipes as printed make larger amounts of food, but they are listed as feeding fewer people than they used to. [https://www.webmd.com/diet/features/7-expert-tricks-calorie-portion-control]<br />
Analagous inflation can also be seen in clothes sizes. What used to be a size 8 is now labeled a size 4. Regular becomes "slim cut." [[Special:Contributions/172.68.189.127|172.68.189.127]] 00:01, 11 January 2018 (UTC)<br />
<br />
Is the ratio between subsequent food size bifurcations consistent with the first Feigenbaum constant? [https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Feigenbaum_constants] [[User:Docstout|Docstout]] ([[User talk:Docstout|talk]]) 01:15, 11 January 2018 (UTC)<br />
<br />
Does this remind anyone of a Hertzsprung–Russell diagram? [[User:Capncanuck|Capncanuck]] ([[User talk:Capncanuck|talk]]) 02:51, 11 January 2018 (UTC)<br />
:Yes. It reminds me of a Hertzsprung-Russell diagram, but being inversed. [[Special:Contributions/162.158.88.188|162.158.88.188]] 13:42, 26 January 2018 (UTC)<br />
<br />
BTW, I find it amusing that this comic came out the next day after a report on [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shrinkflation shrinkflation] of Mondelez chocolates in Europe hit the news here ... --kavol, [[Special:Contributions/141.101.96.197|141.101.96.197]] 07:57, 11 January 2018 (UTC)<br />
<br />
Is this phenomenon specific to the US? I don't really recognize it here in the Netherlands, but the US has a reputation of having giant versions of everything: food, cars, people (width mostly) & so on. Maybe specific to a "big is beautiful" cultural attitude? [[Special:Contributions/162.158.111.187|162.158.111.187]] 15:22, 11 January 2018 (UTC)<br />
:This happens, albeit to a considerably lesser extend, in the UK. Here, the phenomenon is restricted primarily to American fast food restaurants. I've eaten in America and was able to get 6 meals from the left-over food from a single-portion meal at Pinky's Pupu Bar & Grill in Kailua, Hawai`i. [[Special:Contributions/141.101.105.96|141.101.105.96]] 21:31, 11 January 2018 (UTC)<br />
: Living in Canada, I find it amusing to note that my Netherlands-born-and-raised mother often complains about large portion sizes, about how anything she might order is way more food than she can eat (and in fact has this weird effect on her that a large amount of food makes the food unappetizing to her). As far as I know, this is a North American phenomenon, but moreso in the States. For example, if I go to McDonald's and order a trio, and tell them to Supersize it, that means change the Regular drink and Regular fries to Larges. In the States, apparently "Supersize" is its own size, this changes them to a size above Large that doesn't even exist here. [[User:NiceGuy1|NiceGuy1]] ([[User talk:NiceGuy1|talk]]) 04:38, 12 January 2018 (UTC)<br />
: Common in the Netherlands also: https://huisvlijt.com/2016/11/krimpflatie-minder-product-zelfde-prijs.html, https://forum.fok.nl/topic/2255412. Though some of the examples seem to be normal inflation combined with downsizing. --[[Special:Contributions/162.158.222.4|162.158.222.4]] 09:29, 12 January 2018 (UTC)<br />
<br />
Is it just me, or did this look like a reference to BitCoin to you when you first read it. Big block size, forks, the creation of new coins... I think Randall was really just making fun of BitCoin, because it seems like an otherwise boring topic --vikarjramun<br />
: I think it might just be you. :) I suspect it's that you've read and heard more about BitCoin than I have. All I know about BitCoin is that it's an online-only virtual currency almost exclusively used for criminal activity (ransoms for ransomware, selling off stolen pictures hacked from celebrities, etc), and that their price has gotten ridiculous (like a ransomware I heard about asking only 3 BitCoins, amounted to about $2,000 at the time. Idiots outpriced themselves, the only people who'd pay that are companies big enough to have backup solutions which make it unnecessary). I don't know any of these phrases in relation to BitCoin, and out of context here they have no logical connection (except creating being self-explanatory), they clearly require the context. :) [[User:NiceGuy1|NiceGuy1]] ([[User talk:NiceGuy1|talk]]) 05:29, 16 January 2018 (UTC)</div>141.101.98.244https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=Talk:1940:_The_Food_Size_Cycle&diff=151742Talk:1940: The Food Size Cycle2018-01-31T16:36:52Z<p>141.101.98.244: </p>
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<div><!--Please sign your posts with ~~~~ and don't delete this text. New comments should be added at the bottom.--><br />
<br />
Does panini have a different meaning in the USA? In the UK, it basically means a sandwich made in a flattish rectangular roll, usually toasted (sometimes also the roll itself). They can be quite large; not necessarily smaller than sandwiches in general.[[Special:Contributions/141.101.76.16|141.101.76.16]] 16:44, 10 January 2018 (UTC)<br />
:From my experience its the flatishness off panini that make them more comfortable to eat, but who knows maybe we're on the end of the panini cycle. [[Special:Contributions/162.158.74.9|162.158.74.9]] 23:43, 10 January 2018 (UTC)<br />
:I think you're inadverently proving Randall's point. :) First I ever heard of paninis must have been something like 15 years ago, and the buns were slightly longer than my (admittedly large) hand, putting their length about the same as standard sandwich bread, but a smaller width making them smaller than a sandwich. I do note that if I see panini rolls in the grocery store, they're still that small size. Sounds to me like this size arms race is well underway for paninis where you live (I like never order them, but I suspect here too). [[User:NiceGuy1|NiceGuy1]] ([[User talk:NiceGuy1|talk]]) 04:15, 12 January 2018 (UTC)<br />
:: I'm pretty sure that when they first appeared widely over here they were already substantially larger than that. Perhaps we just imported already outsized ones from the US? Also, at that point, sandwiches generally hadn't undergone much inflation over here, so panini(s) and sandwiches have probably gone through a parallel expansion. The grocery stores here do also sell hand-sized panini rolls, but those are a relatively recent introduction, and they just match the general size of the rest of their roll selection.[[Special:Contributions/141.101.76.16|141.101.76.16]] 10:10, 12 January 2018 (UTC)<br />
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Is it generally known that "panini" is the plural form of the Italian word "panino"? We don't say "burritos" or "taquitos" for one example, so why "panini"? [[User:Gearoid|Gearóid]] ([[User talk:Gearoid|talk]]) 07:46, 11 January 2018 (UTC)<br />
: But we do say 'a biscotti'. Probably because when selling them you would advertise in the plural, and those not familiar with Italian linguistics would not know how to construct a singular from it, and so would simply use the word as it stands. As a result, of course, panini and biscotti are, through use, now correct ''english'' singulars.[[Special:Contributions/141.101.76.16|141.101.76.16]] 09:34, 11 January 2018 (UTC)<br />
: perhaps because of its unfortunate similarity to other English words, and the fortunate immaturity of the human race.[[Special:Contributions/162.158.74.9|162.158.74.9]] 00:37, 12 January 2018 (UTC)<br />
:As a non-Italian speaker, I can say I was unaware "panini" was a plural word (though I feel vaguely familiar with the concept that Italian pluralizes words with an i like that). That'll be why, of course, most people are likewise unaware, and it has caught on. Especially considering that we'll often see "panini" itself pluralized, as "paninis". Reminds me of when I see things like "NASA Association", the final A of the acronym already means Association. "Scuba Apparatus", the A already stands for Apparatus. Etc. [[User:NiceGuy1|NiceGuy1]] ([[User talk:NiceGuy1|talk]]) 04:38, 12 January 2018 (UTC)<br />
: Expanding on the theme, there are rivers in the U.K. routinely referred to as the "River Avon", ignoring the fact that "Avon" already means "River"... [[User:Gearoid|Gearóid]] ([[User talk:Gearoid|talk]]) 07:29, 12 January 2018 (UTC)<br />
: We may not say "a burritos" or "a taquitos", but we do say "a tamale" and there is no such word in Spanish. The singular in Spanish is "tamal"; "tamale" is a backformation from the Spanish plural "tamales". [[Special:Contributions/172.68.34.106|172.68.34.106]] 02:06, 13 January 2018 (UTC)<br />
:In English, words ending in "i" often lack an explicit plural form, since many words which end in a "s" or "sh" sound use an "i" ending when pluralized. Illiteracy has lessened this somewhat in recent decades: The correct plural for octopus is octopi & the correct plural for virus is virii. Saying "octopuses" & "viruses" are modernisms which have become so prevalent that they are now widely accepted, but grammatically they are incorrect.[[User:ProphetZarquon|ProphetZarquon]] ([[User talk:ProphetZarquon|talk]]) 19:51, 24 January 2018 (UTC)<br />
::The correct plural for ''octopus'' is not ''octopi'', because ''octopus'' is not a Latin word, it is a Greek one. [[Special:Contributions/162.158.154.163|162.158.154.163]] 15:21, 31 January 2018 (UTC)Jack Rudd<br />
:::''Octopuses'' (the most commonly used), ''octopi'' (a misguided Latinisation), and ''octopodes'' (a Greekification) are all acceptable English plurals for ''octopus''. You can't really apply rules to determine whether things are "correct" in language; the only meaningful way in which something can be said to be "correct" is through common usage. If enough of us decided the plural of ''octopus'' was ''octoplops'', then that would be correct.[[Special:Contributions/141.101.98.244|141.101.98.244]] 16:36, 31 January 2018 (UTC)<br />
<br />
Ah, but what about the slider effect? Mini versions of (in this case burgers) to be served in a collective? --[[User:Thomcat|Thomcat]] ([[User talk:Thomcat|talk]]) 17:01, 10 January 2018 (UTC)<br />
<br />
Related, perhaps, is the sizing issue. Some places sell medium, large, and extra large drinks. Note no small.<br />
[[Special:Contributions/108.162.216.154|108.162.216.154]] 20:29, 10 January 2018 (UTC) Gene Wirchenko <genew@telus.net><br />
: And the 'regular' is what used to be the 'large'; the 'small', if it exists, is what used to be the 'regular' - to try to make you feel like you're short-changing yourself if you buy a normal sized one.[[Special:Contributions/141.101.76.16|141.101.76.16]] 09:27, 11 January 2018 (UTC)<br />
<br />
The alt-text seems backwards: The way Randall's presented it, it looks like he's asserting that thick crusts get thinner, then the cycle repeats. This matches anecdotal evidence based upon the style favored by my local pizza shops over the years, but more research is needed. Thin crusts also tend to be cheaper to make, so... [[User:ProphetZarquon|ProphetZarquon]] ([[User talk:ProphetZarquon|talk]]) 21:08, 10 January 2018 (UTC)<br />
: I don't think so - 'deep-dish' is listed first, as the one on the original track; 'thin crust' is then the one on the replacement track. The original pizzas, as imported from Italy, would have been thin crust. These then got thicker until they begat deep dish, and, indeed, beyond, with the ridiculous proliferation of stuffed and sandwich crusts. Then, as some people lost patience with this, there was a trend to re-introduce the thin crust (the replacement track).[[Special:Contributions/141.101.76.16|141.101.76.16]] 09:25, 11 January 2018 (UTC)<br />
: Some original pizza from Italy had thick crust. My uncle, an immigrant to the US from Bari, Italy, made extremely thick crust pizza at his restaurant in the 1960s, almost a pizza bread. Pizza Hut initially advertised their 'deep dish' as 'Sicilian Pan Pizza'. [[Special:Contributions/162.158.75.166|162.158.75.166]] 21:54, 11 January 2018 (UTC)<br />
:Thick crust is listed first, giving it precedence. To get thinner or thicker would be a logical progression which can loop back without significant alteration, whereas a replacement track would imply calzones, or taco-pizza, or some other such alternative to traditional pizza. By the simple fact that he listed thick crust first, reading it in English implies a progression from thick to thin. Also, see 75.166's reference to Sicilian pizza: I'm pretty sure thin crust is a modernism; Pizza crust is not unleavened, it is meant to rise. [[User:ProphetZarquon|ProphetZarquon]] ([[User talk:ProphetZarquon|talk]]) 19:38, 24 January 2018 (UTC)<br />
<br />
Portion inflation makes dietary information misleading. One would be hard pressed to find a muffin of the size used in nutrition information guides. <br />
Recipe books show similar inflation, recipes as printed make larger amounts of food, but they are listed as feeding fewer people than they used to. [https://www.webmd.com/diet/features/7-expert-tricks-calorie-portion-control]<br />
Analagous inflation can also be seen in clothes sizes. What used to be a size 8 is now labeled a size 4. Regular becomes "slim cut." [[Special:Contributions/172.68.189.127|172.68.189.127]] 00:01, 11 January 2018 (UTC)<br />
<br />
Is the ratio between subsequent food size bifurcations consistent with the first Feigenbaum constant? [https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Feigenbaum_constants] [[User:Docstout|Docstout]] ([[User talk:Docstout|talk]]) 01:15, 11 January 2018 (UTC)<br />
<br />
Does this remind anyone of a Hertzsprung–Russell diagram? [[User:Capncanuck|Capncanuck]] ([[User talk:Capncanuck|talk]]) 02:51, 11 January 2018 (UTC)<br />
:Yes. It reminds me of a Hertzsprung-Russell diagram, but being inversed. [[Special:Contributions/162.158.88.188|162.158.88.188]] 13:42, 26 January 2018 (UTC)<br />
<br />
BTW, I find it amusing that this comic came out the next day after a report on [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shrinkflation shrinkflation] of Mondelez chocolates in Europe hit the news here ... --kavol, [[Special:Contributions/141.101.96.197|141.101.96.197]] 07:57, 11 January 2018 (UTC)<br />
<br />
Is this phenomenon specific to the US? I don't really recognize it here in the Netherlands, but the US has a reputation of having giant versions of everything: food, cars, people (width mostly) & so on. Maybe specific to a "big is beautiful" cultural attitude? [[Special:Contributions/162.158.111.187|162.158.111.187]] 15:22, 11 January 2018 (UTC)<br />
:This happens, albeit to a considerably lesser extend, in the UK. Here, the phenomenon is restricted primarily to American fast food restaurants. I've eaten in America and was able to get 6 meals from the left-over food from a single-portion meal at Pinky's Pupu Bar & Grill in Kailua, Hawai`i. [[Special:Contributions/141.101.105.96|141.101.105.96]] 21:31, 11 January 2018 (UTC)<br />
: Living in Canada, I find it amusing to note that my Netherlands-born-and-raised mother often complains about large portion sizes, about how anything she might order is way more food than she can eat (and in fact has this weird effect on her that a large amount of food makes the food unappetizing to her). As far as I know, this is a North American phenomenon, but moreso in the States. For example, if I go to McDonald's and order a trio, and tell them to Supersize it, that means change the Regular drink and Regular fries to Larges. In the States, apparently "Supersize" is its own size, this changes them to a size above Large that doesn't even exist here. [[User:NiceGuy1|NiceGuy1]] ([[User talk:NiceGuy1|talk]]) 04:38, 12 January 2018 (UTC)<br />
: Common in the Netherlands also: https://huisvlijt.com/2016/11/krimpflatie-minder-product-zelfde-prijs.html, https://forum.fok.nl/topic/2255412. Though some of the examples seem to be normal inflation combined with downsizing. --[[Special:Contributions/162.158.222.4|162.158.222.4]] 09:29, 12 January 2018 (UTC)<br />
<br />
Is it just me, or did this look like a reference to BitCoin to you when you first read it. Big block size, forks, the creation of new coins... I think Randall was really just making fun of BitCoin, because it seems like an otherwise boring topic --vikarjramun<br />
: I think it might just be you. :) I suspect it's that you've read and heard more about BitCoin than I have. All I know about BitCoin is that it's an online-only virtual currency almost exclusively used for criminal activity (ransoms for ransomware, selling off stolen pictures hacked from celebrities, etc), and that their price has gotten ridiculous (like a ransomware I heard about asking only 3 BitCoins, amounted to about $2,000 at the time. Idiots outpriced themselves, the only people who'd pay that are companies big enough to have backup solutions which make it unnecessary). I don't know any of these phrases in relation to BitCoin, and out of context here they have no logical connection (except creating being self-explanatory), they clearly require the context. :) [[User:NiceGuy1|NiceGuy1]] ([[User talk:NiceGuy1|talk]]) 05:29, 16 January 2018 (UTC)</div>141.101.98.244https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=Talk:1946:_Hawaii&diff=151637Talk:1946: Hawaii2018-01-29T15:11:42Z<p>141.101.98.244: </p>
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<div><!--Please sign your posts with ~~~~ and don't delete this text. New comments should be added at the bottom.--><br />
OMG - so funny, so timely, so close to home. One of our modern fears, in a crisis what would happen if I forgot the password! [[User:Rtanenbaum|Rtanenbaum]] ([[User talk:Rtanenbaum|talk]]) 14:02, 24 January 2018 (UTC)<br />
<br />
"Created by a TWITTER" [[User:Halo422|Halo422]] ([[User talk:Halo422|talk]]) 14:28, 24 January 2018 (UTC)<br />
<br />
Based on the situation that xkcd is offering, it makes me look like I can't be any governor or an official, since I tend to forget my password very easily, especially my social media ones. RIP me.15:02, 24 January 2018 (UTC)<br />
<br />
Most implausible explanation I've ever heard. Why not use something other than a Twitter account to notify people, apparently there's an entire system set up for delivering messages to people's phones, I'm not sure a tweet should be part of the official rollback process. {{unsigned|Comment Police}}<br />
:Implausible, yet true. It was all over the news. Twitter is currently perceived as an appropriate way to communicate with constituents by many elected officials. I agree that a reverse-911 probably would have been far more effective, but the news would give more coverage to what's on Twitter, regardless (reaches more people, if less directly or immediately, than reverse-911). [[User:ProphetZarquon|ProphetZarquon]] ([[User talk:ProphetZarquon|talk]]) 18:09, 24 January 2018 (UTC)<br />
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::The issue (as I understand it) was that the send-everyone-a-text-message system was only programmed with a specific set of messages, and "oops, that was an error, ignore that" wasn't one of them. Most of those 38 minutes were spent adding that new message to the system. ''In the meantime'', people in authority who knew there had been a mistake would have been trying to use any means they could of getting this fact out to the public, such as the governor using his official Twitter account. -- [[User:Peregrine|Peregrine]] ([[User talk:Peregrine|talk]]) 03:32, 25 January 2018 (UTC)<br />
<br />
: I'm someone who openly and proudly does not watch or listen to the news (my reasoning is that my knowing all the details of this fire or that hostage situation won't stop it or help it, it'll just add more negative to my life. I get headlines through ads on TV and radio, I feel that's enough for the "history repeating itself" angle), and even I caught this headline. Yeah, an incident was really made worse by a guy unable to access his Twitter. :) [[User:NiceGuy1|NiceGuy1]] ([[User talk:NiceGuy1|talk]]) 06:12, 26 January 2018 (UTC)<br />
<br />
As I am not a native Hawaiian or american, could somebody explain the nature of this warning system please? Does it work with a speaker / sirene system (as is common in Europe) or with text / CB messages? Why was it installed, what is the name of this system etc.<br />
That information might give the uninitiated some background information needed to fully understand this comic. [[Special:Contributions/141.101.105.30|141.101.105.30]] 22:00, 24 January 2018 (UTC)<br />
<br />
:The Hawaii state Emergency Alert system is multilayered. This event started with a text message, sent (in error) to phones. The text message was picked up by broadcast media (radio, television). There is also a siren system, reportedly a separate authorization is required to activate it. In some places, Honolulu especially, the sirens were sounded, apparently without the appropriate authorization. In others, such as Hawaii Island where I live, the sirens did not go off. Official channels did not retract the error until 38 minutes after the initial text. Though Governor Ige did not get his tweet sent, other officials, such as US Rep Tulsi Gabbard, did do so, to little effect. It's therefore an open question whether Ige's message would have made much of a difference.--[[Special:Contributions/162.158.255.238|162.158.255.238]] 22:48, 24 January 2018 (UTC) <br />
<br />
::Thank you for the explanation. This, and reading a couple of news articles about it made me got a much clearer picture. It also really drives home how important the work of an UI designer is. [[Special:Contributions/162.158.111.187|162.158.111.187]] 08:50, 28 January 2018 (UTC)<br />
:::(same user, but apparently a different IP)<br />
<br />
USB plugs are 4 dimensional... see https://www.smbc-comics.com/?id=2388. ——<br />
<br />
i use android, and am thus irrelevant. but, the twitter app does not seem, uniquely, to allow the caching of passwords and thus requires you to log in every time. assuming i'm not mistaken in this, does the iOS equivalent also require this? --[[Special:Contributions/141.101.99.29|141.101.99.29]] 13:09, 26 January 2018 (UTC)<br />
<br />
I slept through that whole mess because the siren didn't sound where I live. Thankfully, I woke up in a universe where Trump was too busy golfing to start WWIII by mistake. --[[Special:Contributions/172.69.33.167|172.69.33.167]] 00:16, 27 January 2018 (UTC)</div>141.101.98.244https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=243:_Appropriate_Term&diff=151636243: Appropriate Term2018-01-29T15:08:07Z<p>141.101.98.244: /* Explanation */</p>
<hr />
<div>{{comic<br />
| number = 243<br />
| date = April 2, 2007<br />
| title = Appropriate Term<br />
| image = appropriate term.png<br />
| titletext = I know a lot of people hate these, but I prefer them to touchpads.<br />
}}<br />
<br />
==Explanation==<br />
This is a simple comic offering increasingly {{w|NSFW|not-safe-for-work}} names for the laptop's {{w|pointing device}}. {{w|Pointing stick|This stick}} was an alternative to a mouse, and has largely been supplanted by the touchpad.<br />
<br />
"TrackPoint" is the trademarked term used by IBM (and later Lenovo) for the pointing stick implemented on ThinkPad laptops. They are usually colored red, as in the illustration. Other manufacturers have alternative names for their implementations, and typically use diferent colors.<br />
<br />
The title text merely notes that [[Randall]] prefers pointing sticks to touchpads.<br />
<br />
==Transcript==<br />
:[A diagram of a TrackPoint pointer on a keyboard, under which is a continuity line labeled "Tone of Conversation-Formal to Informal." There are four boxes under this line.]<br />
:How to refer to the pointer thing on laptop keyboards<br />
:Very formal: TrackPoint(tm)-style pointer<br />
:Formal: Nub<br />
:Informal: Nipple mouse<br />
:Very informal: Clit mouse<br />
<br />
{{comic discussion}}<br />
[[Category:Charts]]<br />
[[Category:Comics with color]]<br />
[[Category:Computers]]</div>141.101.98.244https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=570:_New_Car&diff=151581570: New Car2018-01-26T10:10:13Z<p>141.101.98.244: /* Explanation */</p>
<hr />
<div>{{comic<br />
| number = 570<br />
| date = April 17, 2009<br />
| title = New Car<br />
| image = new_car.png<br />
| titletext = Somewhere out there is a company that has actually figured out how to enlarge penises, and it's helpless to reach potential customers.<br />
}}<br />
<br />
==Explanation==<br />
[[Cueball]] is sitting in a nice sports car, and his (Cueball-like) friend asks when he got it. It turns out it was bought as a prize supposed to be delivered to the 100,000,000th visitor to his company's website. But the user did not react to the notice on the page about the prize, '''even though it was flashing'''.<br />
<br />
A well-known type of Internet scam tries to trick the reader into thinking that they've won a prize, often in the form of an annoying flashy ad banner (e.g. "'''You're our <span style="color: green;">100,000,000th</span> visitor!!! Click [[Special:Random|here]] to claim a <span style="color: red;">FREE</span> Ferrari!'''"). A typical {{w|clickbait}}.<br />
<br />
Cueball actually really did have a fancy car to give out, but the winner didn't claim it, believing it to be a scam. It is a bit like {{w|The Boy Who Cried Wolf|the boy who cried wolf}} — given enough lies, the truth will eventually look like a lie.<br />
<br />
The title text refers to another type of scam: advertising fake "{{w|Penis enlargement|male enhancement}}" drugs. [[Randall]] suggests that if such a drug really did exist, it would be very difficult to advertise effectively, since most people would assume it was a scam. Additionally there may be a relation implied (intersection) between people having sports cars and people needing penis enlargements: big cars to compensate feelings of inferiority{{Citation needed}}.<br />
<br />
==Transcript==<br />
:[A Cueball-like guy is standing behind, a sports car where Cueball sits turned toward him.]<br />
:Friend: When'd you get the car?<br />
<br />
:[Zoom-in on Cueball in the car.]<br />
:Cueball: It's the darndest thing. We bought it as a prize for the 100,000,000<sup>th</sup> visitor to our website.<br />
<br />
:[Zoom-in on the friend.]<br />
:Friend: And they didn't want it?<br />
:Cueball (off-screen): Apparently.<br />
<br />
:[Pan to where both the friend and Cueball in the car can be seen, but not the front of the car.]<br />
:Friend: Maybe they didn't see the notice.<br />
:Cueball: It was flashing and everything!<br />
:Friend: How bizarre.<br />
<br />
{{comic discussion}}<br />
<br />
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]<br />
[[Category:Multiple Cueballs]]</div>141.101.98.244https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=1946:_Hawaii&diff=1515651946: Hawaii2018-01-25T17:24:40Z<p>141.101.98.244: /* Explanation */</p>
<hr />
<div>{{comic<br />
| number = 1946<br />
| date = January 24, 2018<br />
| title = Hawaii<br />
| image = hawaii.png<br />
| titletext = Ok, I've got it, just need to plug in my security key. Hmm, which way does the USB go? Nope, not that way. I'll just flip it and- OH JEEZ IT FELL INTO THE VENT.<br />
}}<br />
<br />
==Explanation==<br />
{{incomplete|Created by a SYSTEM TEST. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}<br />
<br />
On January 13, 2018 an emergency alert for the state of Hawaii sent out a warning of an incoming ballistic missile attack. The message was specifically noted to NOT be a drill. This caused widespread panic and fear amongst the island residents, and there were follow-up confirmations from local entities who thought the original warning was real. It was eventually determined that the alert was sent in error -- the explanation being that a technician accidentally sent out the "real" version when they were supposed to be testing the system during an end-of-shift changeover -- but the fact that it took half an hour for the correction to be sent drew widespread criticism. On January 23, [http://www.cnn.com/2018/01/23/us/hawaii-governor-password-trnd/index.html it was revealed] that the governor of Hawaii knew the alert was a false alarm only two minutes after it was sent, but couldn't notify the public because he had forgotten the login information for his Twitter account.<br />
<br />
The proliferation of online services requiring authentication, together with variations in security requirements, various flavours of {{w|Multi-factor_authentication}}, a variety of password retrieval methods, and security advice not to re-use passwords across services, has resulted in the management and memorisation of passwords becoming a major headache for many people. This comic shows Cueball, representing the governor, frantically trying to retrieve his log in to Twitter and encountering a number of common frustrations:<br />
* He has a number of passwords that he uses, likely for multiple services, but none of them seem to be working. Often people will use subtly different variations of one or more password(s) for different logins, in an attempt to keep them all unique. In a situation where they've forgotten the relevant password, this can lead to them cycling through all the possible variations, and struggling to keep track of which they have and haven't tried.<br />
* He's requested a password reset, but doesn't know where to go to activate it. Many services allow users to reset a password using a link or information sent to them in an email. However, as many people have multiple email accounts, this can be unhelpful and frustrating if it simply indicates that 'you have been sent an email'.<br />
* He expects the password to have been saved somewhere, but can't work out where. Many devices and browsers now have the facility to save and/or sync passwords entered through them, in an attempt to simplify their management by providing centralised storage. However, the very number of these available leads to a re-fragmentation.<br />
Off-panel, another person is adding to the stress of his situation by screaming at him that people are beginning to panic and warning sirens are going off, underscoring the need to get the correction out as fast as possible. As the caption under the comic indicates, Randall has had a nightmare along these (very specific) lines, and is amused to find someone experiencing that nightmare in the real world.<br />
<br />
The alt-text refers to USB security keys, physical USB devices that act as tangible 'passwords' for various accounts or devices. (A traditional key of shaped metal is literally a tangible password, with each digit of the password releasing one tumbler of a physical lock; Electronic keys replace the key-and-tumbler password system with a digital password signal.) In the context of this comic, the governor attempts to sign into his Twitter account using one such key, but can't insert it into his computer correctly (as USB devices are infamous for needing to be inserted in a particular orientation despite having a symmetrical outer appearance; also known as [https://www.google.com/search?q=usb+superposition USB superposition].) Trying to flip the key around, Cueball drops it into a vent - similar to what happens in [[1518: Typical Morning Routine]].<br />
<br />
==Transcript==<br />
<br />
:[Cueball is at a desk with one hand on a laptop and the other holding his phone.]<br />
:Off-screen voice: '''''Hurry!'''''<br />
:Cueball: It keeps saying "Wrong Password!" I've tried everything it might be!<br />
:Off-screen voice: '''''The clock is ticking!'''''<br />
:Cueball: I requested a reset but haven't gotten it! Which email did I use?!<br />
:Off-screen voice: '''''Sirens are going off!!'''''<br />
:Cueball: It's not in my password manager! Is it in a browser? Which browser? Is Autofill synced to my phone??<br />
:Off-screen voice: '''''OH MY GOD THE SCREAMING!!'''''<br />
<br />
:[Caption below the panel:]<br />
:I feel bad for everyone in Hawaii, but when the governor couldn't get into his Twitter account, he lived out one of my very specific nightmares in real life.<br />
<br />
{{comic discussion}}<br />
<br />
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]</div>141.101.98.244https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=1946:_Hawaii&diff=1515631946: Hawaii2018-01-25T17:08:46Z<p>141.101.98.244: /* Explanation */</p>
<hr />
<div>{{comic<br />
| number = 1946<br />
| date = January 24, 2018<br />
| title = Hawaii<br />
| image = hawaii.png<br />
| titletext = Ok, I've got it, just need to plug in my security key. Hmm, which way does the USB go? Nope, not that way. I'll just flip it and- OH JEEZ IT FELL INTO THE VENT.<br />
}}<br />
<br />
==Explanation==<br />
{{incomplete|Created by a SYSTEM TEST. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}<br />
<br />
On January 13, 2018 an emergency alert for the state of Hawaii sent out a warning of an incoming ballistic missile attack. The message was specifically noted to NOT be a drill. This caused widespread panic and fear amongst the island residents, and there were follow-up confirmations from local entities who thought the original warning was real. It was eventually determined that the alert was sent in error -- the explanation being that a technician accidentally sent out the "real" version when they were supposed to be testing the system during an end-of-shift changeover -- but the fact that it took half an hour for the correction to be sent drew widespread criticism. On January 23, [http://www.cnn.com/2018/01/23/us/hawaii-governor-password-trnd/index.html it was revealed] that the governor of Hawaii knew the alert was a false alarm only two minutes after it was sent, but couldn't notify the public because he had forgotten the login information for his Twitter account.<br />
<br />
The proliferation of online services requiring authentication, together with variations in security requirements, various flavours of {{w|Multi-factor_authentication}}, a variety of password retrieval methods, and security advice not to re-use passwords across services, has resulted in the management and memorisation of passwords becoming a major headache for many people. This comic shows Cueball, representing the governor, frantically trying to retrieve his log in to Twitter and being stymied by the security features. Off-panel, another person is screaming at him that people are beginning to panic and warning sirens are going off, underscoring the need to get the correction out as fast as possible. As the caption under the comic indicates, Randall has had a nightmare along these (very specific) lines, and is amused to find someone experiencing that nightmare in the real world.<br />
<br />
The alt-text refers to USB security keys, physical USB devices that act as tangible 'passwords' for various accounts or devices. (A traditional key of shaped metal is literally a tangible password, with each digit of the password releasing one tumbler of a physical lock; Electronic keys replace the key-and-tumbler password system with a digital password signal.) In the context of this comic, the governor attempts to sign into his Twitter account using one such key, but can't insert it into his computer correctly (as USB devices are infamous for needing to be inserted in a particular orientation despite having a symmetrical outer appearance; also known as [https://www.google.com/search?q=usb+superposition USB superposition].) Trying to flip the key around, Cueball drops it into a vent - similar to what happens in [[1518: Typical Morning Routine]].<br />
<br />
==Transcript==<br />
<br />
:[Cueball is at a desk with one hand on a laptop and the other holding his phone.]<br />
:Off-screen voice: '''''Hurry!'''''<br />
:Cueball: It keeps saying "Wrong Password!" I've tried everything it might be!<br />
:Off-screen voice: '''''The clock is ticking!'''''<br />
:Cueball: I requested a reset but haven't gotten it! Which email did I use?!<br />
:Off-screen voice: '''''Sirens are going off!!'''''<br />
:Cueball: It's not in my password manager! Is it in a browser? Which browser? Is Autofill synced to my phone??<br />
:Off-screen voice: '''''OH MY GOD THE SCREAMING!!'''''<br />
<br />
:[Caption below the panel:]<br />
:I feel bad for everyone in Hawaii, but when the governor couldn't get into his Twitter account, he lived out one of my very specific nightmares in real life.<br />
<br />
{{comic discussion}}<br />
<br />
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]</div>141.101.98.244https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=315:_Braille&diff=151562315: Braille2018-01-25T16:57:24Z<p>141.101.98.244: /* Explanation */</p>
<hr />
<div>{{comic<br />
| number = 315<br />
| date = September 12, 2007<br />
| title = Braille<br />
| image = braille.png<br />
| titletext = The only big difference I've seen is in colors. Where the regular text reads 'press red button', the braille reads 'press two-inch button'.<br />
}}<br />
<br />
==Explanation==<br />
{{w|Braille}} is a writing system for the blind and {{w|Visual impairment|visually impaired}} using bumps on a paper, slate, etc. However, since most sighted people have no need for braille and because braille messages may need to convey purely-visual information to blind people, the braille message may be adjusted from the original message. In this case, however, it acts as a jab toward people who are not blind, saying that "sighted people suck", which is obviously not something you would typically see (no pun intended) on informational signs<sup><nowiki>[</nowiki>[[285|Sightedness needed]]<nowiki>]</nowiki></sup>.<br />
<br />
The title text shows a practical (and more realistic) example of where regular text and braille text may differ. As the visually impaired cannot see color, the label would need to identify some other defining feature of the button in question, such as the given measurement.<br />
<br />
==Transcript==<br />
:I learned to read braille a while back, and I've noticed that the messages on signs don't always match the regular text.<br />
:[A sign reads "Third Floor Office" with braille print underneath. Cueball is reading the braille.]<br />
:Cueball (thinking): s-i-g-h-t-e-d-p-e-o-p-l-e-s-u-c-k ... Hey!<br />
<br />
{{comic discussion}}<br />
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]<br />
[[Category:Language]]</div>141.101.98.244https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=315:_Braille&diff=151561315: Braille2018-01-25T16:51:05Z<p>141.101.98.244: /* Explanation */</p>
<hr />
<div>{{comic<br />
| number = 315<br />
| date = September 12, 2007<br />
| title = Braille<br />
| image = braille.png<br />
| titletext = The only big difference I've seen is in colors. Where the regular text reads 'press red button', the braille reads 'press two-inch button'.<br />
}}<br />
<br />
==Explanation==<br />
{{w|Braille}} is a writing system for the blind and {{w|Visual impairment|visually impaired}} using bumps on a paper, slate, etc. However, since most sighted people have no need for braille and because braille messages may need to convey purely-visual information to blind people, the braille message may be adjusted from the original message. In this case, however, it acts as a jab toward people who are not blind, saying that "sighted people suck", which is obviously not something you would typically see (no pun intended) on informational signs<sup>[[285|Sightedness needed]]</sup>.<br />
<br />
The title text shows a practical (and more realistic) example of where regular text and braille text may differ. As the visually impaired cannot see color, the label would need to identify some other defining feature of the button in question, such as the given measurement.<br />
<br />
==Transcript==<br />
:I learned to read braille a while back, and I've noticed that the messages on signs don't always match the regular text.<br />
:[A sign reads "Third Floor Office" with braille print underneath. Cueball is reading the braille.]<br />
:Cueball (thinking): s-i-g-h-t-e-d-p-e-o-p-l-e-s-u-c-k ... Hey!<br />
<br />
{{comic discussion}}<br />
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]<br />
[[Category:Language]]</div>141.101.98.244https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=315:_Braille&diff=151560315: Braille2018-01-25T16:43:24Z<p>141.101.98.244: /* Explanation */</p>
<hr />
<div>{{comic<br />
| number = 315<br />
| date = September 12, 2007<br />
| title = Braille<br />
| image = braille.png<br />
| titletext = The only big difference I've seen is in colors. Where the regular text reads 'press red button', the braille reads 'press two-inch button'.<br />
}}<br />
<br />
==Explanation==<br />
{{w|Braille}} is a writing system for the blind and {{w|Visual impairment|visually impaired}} using bumps on a paper, slate, etc. However, since most sighted people have no need for braille and because braille messages may need to convey purely-visual information to blind people, the braille message may be adjusted from the original message. In this case, however, it acts as a jab toward people who are not blind, saying that "sighted people suck", which is obviously not something you would typically see (no pun intended) on informational signs{{Sightedness needed}}.<br />
<br />
The title text shows a practical (and more realistic) example of where regular text and braille text may differ. As the visually impaired cannot see color, the label would need to identify some other defining feature of the button in question, such as the given measurement.<br />
<br />
==Transcript==<br />
:I learned to read braille a while back, and I've noticed that the messages on signs don't always match the regular text.<br />
:[A sign reads "Third Floor Office" with braille print underneath. Cueball is reading the braille.]<br />
:Cueball (thinking): s-i-g-h-t-e-d-p-e-o-p-l-e-s-u-c-k ... Hey!<br />
<br />
{{comic discussion}}<br />
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]<br />
[[Category:Language]]</div>141.101.98.244https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=Talk:1946:_Hawaii&diff=151555Talk:1946: Hawaii2018-01-25T12:16:19Z<p>141.101.98.244: </p>
<hr />
<div><!--Please sign your posts with ~~~~ and don't delete this text. New comments should be added at the bottom.--><br />
OMG - so funny, so timely, so close to home. One of our modern fears, in a crisis what would happen if I forgot the password! [[User:Rtanenbaum|Rtanenbaum]] ([[User talk:Rtanenbaum|talk]]) 14:02, 24 January 2018 (UTC)<br />
<br />
"Created by a TWITTER" [[User:Halo422|Halo422]] ([[User talk:Halo422|talk]]) 14:28, 24 January 2018 (UTC)<br />
<br />
Based on the situation that xkcd is offering, it makes me look like I can't be any governor or an official, since I tend to forget my password very easily, especially my social media ones. RIP me.15:02, 24 January 2018 (UTC)<br />
<br />
Most implausible explanation I've ever heard. Why not use something other than a Twitter account to notify people, apparently there's an entire system set up for delivering messages to people's phones, I'm not sure a tweet should be part of the official rollback process. {{unsigned|Comment Police}}<br />
:Implausible, yet true. It was all over the news. Twitter is currently perceived as an appropriate way to communicate with constituents by many elected officials. I agree that a reverse-911 probably would have been far more effective, but the news would give more coverage to what's on Twitter, regardless (reaches more people, if less directly or immediately, than reverse-911). [[User:ProphetZarquon|ProphetZarquon]] ([[User talk:ProphetZarquon|talk]]) 18:09, 24 January 2018 (UTC)<br />
<br />
::The issue (as I understand it) was that the send-everyone-a-text-message system was only programmed with a specific set of messages, and "oops, that was an error, ignore that" wasn't one of them. Most of those 38 minutes were spent adding that new message to the system. ''In the meantime'', people in authority who knew there had been a mistake would have been trying to use any means they could of getting this fact out to the public, such as the governor using his official Twitter account. -- [[User:Peregrine|Peregrine]] ([[User talk:Peregrine|talk]]) 03:32, 25 January 2018 (UTC)<br />
<br />
As I am not a native Hawaiian or american, could somebody explain the nature of this warning system please? Does it work with a speaker / sirene system (as is common in Europe) or with text / CB messages? Why was it installed, what is the name of this system etc.<br />
That information might give the uninitiated some background information needed to fully understand this comic. [[Special:Contributions/141.101.105.30|141.101.105.30]] 22:00, 24 January 2018 (UTC)<br />
<br />
:The Hawaii state Emergency Alert system is multilayered. This event started with a text message, sent (in error) to phones. The text message was picked up by broadcast media (radio, television). There is also a siren system, reportedly a separate authorization is required to activate it. In some places, Honolulu especially, the sirens were sounded, apparently without the appropriate authorization. In others, such as Hawaii Island where I live, the sirens did not go off. Official channels did not retract the error until 38 minutes after the initial text. Though Governor Ige did not get his tweet sent, other officials, such as US Rep Tulsi Gabbard, did do so, to little effect. It's therefore an open question whether Ige's message would have made much of a difference.--[[Special:Contributions/162.158.255.238|162.158.255.238]] 22:48, 24 January 2018 (UTC)</div>141.101.98.244https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=1946:_Hawaii&diff=1515541946: Hawaii2018-01-25T12:12:33Z<p>141.101.98.244: /* Explanation */</p>
<hr />
<div>{{comic<br />
| number = 1946<br />
| date = January 24, 2018<br />
| title = Hawaii<br />
| image = hawaii.png<br />
| titletext = Ok, I've got it, just need to plug in my security key. Hmm, which way does the USB go? Nope, not that way. I'll just flip it and- OH JEEZ IT FELL INTO THE VENT.<br />
}}<br />
<br />
==Explanation==<br />
{{incomplete|Created by a SYSTEM TEST. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}<br />
<br />
On January 13, 2018 an emergency alert for the state of Hawaii sent out a warning of an incoming ballistic missile attack. The message was specifically noted to NOT be a drill. This caused widespread panic and fear amongst the island residents, and there were follow-up confirmations from local entities who thought the original warning was real. It was eventually determined that the alert was sent in error -- the explanation being that a technician accidentally sent out the "real" version when they were supposed to be testing the system during an end-of-shift changeover -- but the fact that it took half an hour for the correction to be sent drew widespread criticism.<br />
<br />
On January 23, [http://www.cnn.com/2018/01/23/us/hawaii-governor-password-trnd/index.html it was revealed] that the governor of Hawaii knew the alert was a false alarm only two minutes after it was sent, but couldn't notify the public because he had forgotten the login information for his Twitter account.<br />
<br />
This comic shows Cueball, representing the governor, frantically trying to log in to Twitter and being stymied by the security features. Off-panel, another person is screaming at him that people are beginning to panic and warning sirens are going off, underscoring the need to get the correction out as fast as possible. As the caption under the comic indicates, Randall has had a nightmare along these (very specific) lines, and is amused to find someone experiencing that nightmare in the real world.<br />
<br />
The alt-text refers to USB security keys, physical USB devices that act as tangible 'passwords' for various accounts or devices. (A traditional key of shaped metal is literally a tangible password, with each digit of the password releasing one tumbler of a physical lock; Electronic keys replace the key-and-tumbler password system with a digital password signal.) In the context of this comic, the governor attempts to sign into his Twitter account using one such key, but can't insert it into his computer correctly (as USB devices are infamous for needing to be inserted in a particular orientation despite having a symmetrical outer appearance; also known as [https://www.google.com/search?q=usb+superposition USB superposition].) Trying to flip the key around, Cueball drops it into a vent - similar to what happens in [[1518: Typical Morning Routine]].<br />
<br />
==Transcript==<br />
<br />
:[Cueball is at a desk with one hand on a laptop and the other holding his phone.]<br />
:Off-screen voice: '''''Hurry!'''''<br />
:Cueball: It keeps saying "Wrong Password!" I've tried everything it might be!<br />
:Off-screen voice: '''''The clock is ticking!'''''<br />
:Cueball: I requested a reset but haven't gotten it! Which email did I use?!<br />
:Off-screen voice: '''''Sirens are going off!!'''''<br />
:Cueball: It's not in my password manager! Is it in a browser? Which browser? Is Autofill synced to my phone??<br />
:Off-screen voice: '''''OH MY GOD THE SCREAMING!!'''''<br />
<br />
:[Caption below the panel:]<br />
:I feel bad for everyone in Hawaii, but when the governor couldn't get into his Twitter account, he lived out one of my very specific nightmares in real life.<br />
<br />
{{comic discussion}}<br />
<br />
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]</div>141.101.98.244https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=Talk:1067:_Pressures&diff=151553Talk:1067: Pressures2018-01-25T12:10:55Z<p>141.101.98.244: </p>
<hr />
<div>I think the alt-text is a play on words, where you have someone wearing "patent" shoes working on the movie "clerks II". So "patent" "clerk" if you will. Which is why everyone is surprised because they were looking for "patent clerks" with brilliant ideas, not someone wearing "patent" shoes working on a movie called "clerks..." It also seems to be sort of a jab at the absurdity of assuming there is something special about a "patent clerk". Like is it the job that is important? Just the name? [[Special:Contributions/128.95.214.3|128.95.214.3]] 23:51, 20 September 2012 (UTC)Someone who should be working. (TJ)<br />
<br />
"Much of" Einstein's patent work revolved around those arcane topics? Sounds like revisionist bullsh*t to me. [[Special:Contributions/108.162.219.223|108.162.219.223]]<br />
<br />
I had just started work on the idea that small adjacent (geographically and chronologically) earthquakes not only signal the demise of tropical storms (as I had posited a long time ago) but that (as more recently noted) medium sized earthquakes signal their advent when I was attracted to the ancient ideas leading to the discovery of steel which was concurrent to my watching videos on Thorium Reactors which indirectly led me to the idea that fusion can take place (I had assumed fusion most unlikely) only under the auspices of the three phases in a Deep Hot Biosphere (only of course there is no need for the bio) when I was diverted by the idea of reworking The Tempest. Maybe I should get a job? [[User:Weatherlawyer| I used Google News BEFORE it was clickbait]] ([[User talk:Weatherlawyer|talk]]) 19:48, 21 January 2015 (UTC)<br />
<br />
Doc Brown was a patent clerk in Back To The Future: The Game (Telltale Games) when he was young. Not sure though. -Cye from #team cyeborg on yt {{unsigned|Comment Police}}</div>141.101.98.244https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=Talk:1067:_Pressures&diff=151552Talk:1067: Pressures2018-01-25T12:09:57Z<p>141.101.98.244: </p>
<hr />
<div>I think the alt-text is a play on words, where you have someone wearing "patent" shoes working on the movie "clerks II". So "patent" "clerk" if you will. Which is why everyone is surprised because they were looking for "patent clerks" with brilliant ideas, not someone wearing "patent" shoes working on a movie called "clerks..." It also seems to be sort of a jab at the absurdity of assuming there is something special about a "patent clerk". Like is it the job that is important? Just the name? <br />
<br />
[[Special:Contributions/128.95.214.3|128.95.214.3]] 23:51, 20 September 2012 (UTC)Someone who should be working. (TJ)<br />
<br />
"Much of" Einstein's patent work revolved around those arcane topics? Sounds like revisionist bullsh*t to me. [[Special:Contributions/108.162.219.223|108.162.219.223]]<br />
<br />
I had just started work on the idea that small adjacent (geographically and chronologically) earthquakes not only signal the demise of tropical storms (as I had posited a long time ago) but that (as more recently noted) medium sized earthquakes signal their advent when I was attracted to the ancient ideas leading to the discovery of steel which was concurrent to my watching videos on Thorium Reactors which indirectly led me to the idea that fusion can take place (I had assumed fusion most unlikely) only under the auspices of the three phases in a Deep Hot Biosphere (only of course there is no need for the bio) when I was diverted by the idea of reworking The Tempest. Maybe I should get a job? [[User:Weatherlawyer| I used Google News BEFORE it was clickbait]] ([[User talk:Weatherlawyer|talk]]) 19:48, 21 January 2015 (UTC)<br />
<br />
Doc Brown was a patent clerk in Back To The Future: The Game (Telltale Games) when he was young. Not sure though. -Cye from #team cyeborg on yt {{unsigned|Comment Police}}</div>141.101.98.244https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=1501:_Mysteries&diff=1515511501: Mysteries2018-01-25T12:03:08Z<p>141.101.98.244: Undo revision 151547 by 162.158.93.165 (talk) No explanation required</p>
<hr />
<div>{{comic<br />
| number = 1501<br />
| date = March 20, 2015<br />
| title = Mysteries<br />
| image = mysteries.png<br />
| titletext = At the bottom left: The mystery of why, when I know I needed to be asleep an hour ago, I decide it's a good time to read through every Wikipedia article in the categories 'Out-of-place artifacts', 'Earth mysteries', 'Anomalous weather', and 'List of people who disappeared mysteriously'.<br />
}}<br />
<br />
==Explanation==<br />
This comic shows a graph in which several "mysteries" are mentioned and placed on the graph according to how weird they are on the x-axis and the y-axis indicates whether [[Randall]] has an explanation or not for the mystery. Each item is listed in the [[#Table|table below]].<br />
<br />
Items near the top-right corner (such as the {{w|Malaysia Airlines Flight 370|MH 370}} disappearance) are both mysterious and strange. Items near the bottom-left corner (such as Randall's absent-mindedness regarding ice cream) have a clear explanation and are not really strange either. Items near the top-left corner (such as the meaning of ''{{w|You're So Vain}}'') are mysterious but not really strange. Items near the bottom-right corner (such as the {{w|Dyatlov Pass incident}}) have a clear explanation but are quite strange. <br />
<br />
The title text refers to the mystery of Randall staying up late to read Wikipedia articles, when he was already supposed to be asleep an hour ago. This is apparently not very unusual for him (see for instance [[214: The Problem with Wikipedia]]). And this mystery actually has an obvious explanation: Following up on an idea that eventually led to today's cartoon.<br />
<br />
Some of these mysteries have already been explored in xkcd. See [[950: Mystery Solved]] where Randall "solves" Amelia Earhart, Lost Roanoke Colony, Jimmy Hoffa; [[593: Voynich Manuscript]]; and [[1400: D.B. Cooper]].<br />
<br />
Note that [[Randall]] uses similar diagrams in both [[388: Fuck Grapefruit]] and [[1242: Scary Names]] which also contain different items. Both of these also have an extra point mentioned in the title text, but these points are in the title text because they are far off the chart, whereas in this comic it's the description of the point that 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==<br />
*The X axis in the graph indicates weirdness.<br />
**The table assumes that the item to the far left is 0% (not that weird) and the item to the far right is 100% (weird as hell).<br />
*The Y axis indicates if Randall has an explanation.<br />
**The table assumes that the item at the bottom is 100% (Randall has a clear explanation) and the item at the top is 0% (Randall has no explanation).<br />
<br />
{| class="wikitable sortable"<br />
!Entry<br />
!Weirdness<br />
!Explainability<br />
!Further details<br />
|-<br />
|MH370<br />
|100%<br />
|0% <!-- explainable minus weirdness = -100% --><br />
|On 8 March 2014, {{w|Malaysia Airlines Flight 370}} cut off radio contact and diverted from its flight path with 227 passengers aboard, eventually heading over open ocean, eventually crashing in a remote part of the Indian Ocean. The disappearance remains without explanation, although parts were found on Reunion Island in July 2015.<br />
|-<br />
|Lead masks case<br />
|99%<br />
|12% <!-- explainable minus weirdness = -87% --><br />
|In 1966 two Brazilian electronic technicians were found dead on a hill top. No injuries. {{w|Lead Masks Case|Both were wearing lead masks}}. Circumstantial evidence suggests that the men may have died of drug overdoses, believing that they were able to communicate with aliens.<br />
|-<br />
|Salish Sea feet<br />
|96%<br />
|31% <!-- explainable minus weirdness = -65% --><br />
|Over a dozen dismembered human feet {{w|Salish Sea human foot discoveries|were found}} between 2007 and 2016 on the coasts of the Salish Sea in British Columbia (Canada) and Washington (United States).<br />
|-<br />
|DB Cooper<br />
|76%<br />
|20% <!-- explainable minus weirdness = -56% --><br />
|{{w|D. B. Cooper}} was an airplane hijacker who jumped from a plane after successfully extorting a large ransom in 1971. The man's whereabouts remain unknown to this day, though [http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2401312/Parachute-used-hijacker-DB-Cooper-escape-stealing-200-000-goes-display.html some of the ransom money has been recovered]. Previously referenced in [[1400: D.B. Cooper]] which compares Cooper to film director {{w|Tommy Wiseau}}. Note that this "Mysteries" comic was published shortly after [http://www.reddit.com/r/IAmA/comments/2zdzik/tommy_wiseau_creator_of_the_room_and_the_new_tv/ Tommy Wiseau did a Reddit AMA.]<br />
|-<br />
|The WOW signal<br />
|55%<br />
|20% <!-- explainable minus weirdness = -35% --><br />
|The {{w|Wow! signal}} was a strong and clean radio transmission near 1420&nbsp;MHz received by the Big Ear Radio Observatory at Ohio State University in 1977 that [http://www.universetoday.com/93754/35-years-later-the-wow-signal-still-tantalizes/ appears to have originated from interstellar space.] This is the strongest evidence to date of radio signals transmitted by extraterrestrial intelligent beings.<br />
|-<br />
|Mary Celeste<br />
|70%<br />
|43% <!-- explainable minus weirdness = -27% --><br />
|The ''{{w|Mary Celeste}}'' was a sailing ship found adrift off the {{w|Azores Islands}}, mysteriously abandoned yet otherwise undisturbed, in 1872. Most likely the crew abandoned ship, wrongly believing it was in danger. Its name has become a watchword for mysteriously abandoned ships.<br />
|-<br />
|UVB-76<br />
|40%<br />
|23% <!-- explainable minus weirdness = -17% --><br />
|{{w|UVB-76}} is a mysterious shortwave radio station, Possibly serving as a {{w|numbers station}}, apparently originating from Russia, that has broadcast a monotonous buzz tone since 1982 with occasional other content.<br />
|-<br />
|Who Carly Simon is singing about in ''You're So Vain''<br />
|9%<br />
|4% <!-- explainable minus weirdness = -05% --><br />
|The ironically self-referential lyrics of the 1972 song include "You're so vain, you probably think this song is about you." There has been {{w|You%27re_So_Vain#Subject_of_the_song|much speculation}} regarding the person or persons to whom Simon was referring.<br />
|-<br />
|Zodiac letters<br />
|62%<br />
|62% <!-- explainable minus weirdness = +00% --><br />
|A set of letters were written by the so-called {{w|Zodiac Killer}}, a serial killer who was active in California in the 1960s and 1970s. The letters are [http://en.wikisource.org/wiki/Zodiac_Killer_letters available at Wikisource.] Some of the letters are encoded, only some of which have been deciphered. The killings remain unsolved.<br />
|-<br />
|Dyatlov Pass incident<br />
|93%<br />
|96% <!-- explainable minus weirdness = +03% --><br />
|On 2 February 1959, nine skiers in the northern Ural Mountains apparently {{w|Dyatlov Pass Incident|fled their tents naked}}. They were found dead, some with physical injuries. Considering his skepticism towards paranormal, conspiracies, or UFO-related phenomena, it is likely that Randall subscribes to the theory that the unusual physical injuries are the natural result of decomposition, and that the nudity of the hikers was due to 'paradoxical undressing' - which occurs in some cases with hypothermia.<br />
|-<br />
|Kentucky meat shower<br />
|85%<br />
|93% <!-- explainable minus weirdness = +08% --><br />
|In 1876, a number of chunks of meat {{w|Kentucky meat shower|fell from the sky}} in Kentucky; this was possibly [http://blogs.scientificamerican.com/running-ponies/2014/12/01/the-great-kentucky-meat-shower-mystery-unwound-by-projectile-vulture-vomit/ projectile vomit from vultures.]<br />
|-<br />
|Lindbergh baby<br />
|17%<br />
|25% <!-- explainable minus weirdness = +08% --><br />
|The {{w|Lindbergh kidnapping}} was the kidnapping and murder of 20-month old Charles Lindbergh Jr. in 1932. Various {{w|Lindbergh kidnapping#Controversy|conspiracy theories}} surround the event.<br />
|-<br />
|Lost colony<br />
|74%<br />
|83% <!-- explainable minus weirdness = +09% --><br />
|The {{w|Roanoke Colony}} was the first English attempt to establish a permanent settlement in the New World. The colony of over a hundred settlers disappeared some time in the late 1580s, with no signs of violence and no definitive evidence as to what happened. However, given the hardships faced by the colonists when they were left and that the buildings in the colony were dismantled, indicating departure was not hurried, it is likely they moved and/or integrated with the local tribes. Which probably accounts for Randall's high "explainable" rating. (See title text of [[950: Mystery Solved]])<br />
|-<br />
|Toynbee tiles<br />
|25%<br />
|34% <!-- explainable minus weirdness = +09% --><br />
|{{w|Toynbee tiles}} are colorful tiles with cryptic messages that have been found embedded in asphalt in the streets of various midwestern-to-eastern cities in the United States and four South American cities. Analysis has shown that they are linoleum and tarpaper, laid on hot days and pressed into the soft road surface by passing cars.<br />
|-<br />
|Amelia Earhart<br />
|56%<br />
|74% <!-- explainable minus weirdness = +18% --><br />
|{{w|Amelia Earhart}} and her navigator tried to circumnavigate the earth along the equator in a small airplane in 1937, but {{w|Amelia Earhart#Speculation on disappearance|disappeared}} over the Pacific Ocean without any trace. See also [[950: Mystery Solved]].<br />
|-<br />
|Jimmy Hoffa<br />
|10%<br />
|42% <!-- explainable minus weirdness = +32% --><br />
|{{w|Jimmy Hoffa}} was an American labor union leader who disappeared in 1975. He is widely believed to have been murdered. (See title text of [[950: Mystery Solved]]). Randall marks this as very much not weird, because Hoffa was heavily involved in organized crime - however he was killed, the motive seems clear.<br />
|-<br />
|Voynich manuscript<br />
|35%<br />
|68% <!-- explainable minus weirdness = +33% --><br />
|The {{w|Voynich manuscript}} is an illustrated codex hand-written in an unknown writing system. It came to public attention in the early 20th century and probably was written in Italy in the early 15th century. See also [[593: Voynich Manuscript]].<br />
|-<br />
|Loch Ness monster<br />
|64%<br />
|100% <!-- explainable minus weirdness = +36% --><br />
|The {{w|Loch Ness Monster}} is a supposed animal that reputedly inhabits Loch Ness, a lake in Scotland. Multiple complete scans of the lake using sonar show no evidence of the monster, and the lake ecosystem is far too small to support even a single creature as large as the monster is alleged to be.<br />
|-<br />
|Bigfoot<br />
|60%<br />
|98% <!-- explainable minus weirdness = +38% --><br />
|{{w|Bigfoot}} is a supposed animal or hominid that reputedly inhabits the Pacific Northwest region of North America. The best piece of evidence for Bigfoot, the {{w|Patterson–Gimlin film}}, retains some mystery - scientists are divided as to whether it's possible for a person in a suit to mimic the walk of the creature in the film - but contains so many features not seen on any real ape (for instance, dark palms and hairy breasts) that few scientists take it seriously. More generally, no corpses or skeletons have ever been found, despite the presence of logging crews in many places where Bigfoots have been seen, and fur and droppings always turns out to be human or from another animal.<br />
|-<br />
|JFK<br />
|38%<br />
|86% <!-- explainable minus weirdness = +48% --><br />
|The 1963 {{w|Assassination of John F. Kennedy|assassination of President John F. Kennedy}} has inspired many conspiracy theories, beginning almost immediately after the event. The subsequent murder of assassin Lee Harvey Oswald added fuel to the fire by encouraging speculation that he was silenced to cover up the true story. Many of the details that were initially considered weird - for instance, {{w|Single-bullet theory|the path of the bullet}}, which early analysis showed had flown in a strange curve, audio recordings off multiple shots, and discrepancies in Lee Harvey Oswald's life story - have been found to be erroneous. In particular, careful analysis of the positions of Kennedy and Governor John Connally, who was riding in the car with Kennedy and was also struck by the bullet, show that a single bullet could have caused all the wounds suffered by the two men. <br />
|-<br />
|Oak Island money pit<br />
|32%<br />
|98% <!-- explainable minus weirdness = +66% --><br />
|An indentation in the ground on {{w|Oak Island}} (off the east coast of Nova Scotia, Canada), led to over 200 years of treasure hunting, with the excavations repeatedly hampered by flooding pit collapses. A few flagstones, and periodic layers of logs are all that have been found. Rumours abound as to what it conceals: Marie Antoinnette's jewels, pirate treasure and Shakespeare's manuscripts have all been suggested. It is called The Money Pit, because of all the money that has been wasted in trying to solve the mystery.<br />
|-<br />
|Why I keep putting ice cream back in the fridge instead of the freezer<br />
|0%<br />
|96% <!-- explainable minus weirdness = +96% --><br />
|Apparently, Randall absent-mindedly puts his ice cream container into the refrigerator rather than into the freezer.<br />
|}<br />
<br />
==Transcript==<br />
:[In a frame at the top left of the panel:]<br />
:'''Mysteries'''<br />
<br />
:[A chart with two crossing lines with double arrows. Each arrow is labeled:]<br />
:X-axis left: Not that weird<br />
:X-axis right: Weird as Hell<br />
:Y-axis top: I have no explanation<br />
:Y-axis bottom: Explanation seems pretty clear<br />
<br />
:[In the chart there are 22 bullets. Each bullet is labeled. Below the labels are given from top to bottom in each of the four quadrants of the chart:]<br />
<br />
:[Top left quadrant:]<br />
:Who Carly Simon is singing about in You're So Vain<br />
:UVB-76<br />
:Lindbergh baby<br />
:Toynbee tiles<br />
:Jimmy Hoffa<br />
<br />
:[Top right quadrant:]<br />
:MH370<br />
:Lead Masks Case<br />
:DB Cooper<br />
:The Wow signal<br />
:Salish Sea feet<br />
:Mary Celeste<br />
<br />
:[Bottom left quadrant:]<br />
:Voynich manuscript<br />
:JFK<br />
:Why I keep putting ice cream back in the fridge instead of the freezer<br />
:Oak Island Money Pit<br />
<br />
:[Bottom right quadrant:]<br />
:Zodiac letters<br />
:Amelia Earhart<br />
:Lost Colony<br />
:Kentucky meat shower<br />
:Bigfoot<br />
:Loch Ness Monster<br />
:Dyatlov Pass incident<br />
<br />
{{comic discussion}}<br />
<br />
[[Category:Scatter plots]]<br />
[[Category:Rankings]]<br />
[[Category:Wikipedia]]</div>141.101.98.244https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=Talk:102:_Back_to_the_Future&diff=151550Talk:102: Back to the Future2018-01-25T11:59:28Z<p>141.101.98.244: </p>
<hr />
<div>I noticed the character on the right has hair in the first two frames, but is bald in the last frame... Two persons? [[User:Rikthoff|Rikthoff]] ([[User talk:Rikthoff|talk]]) <br />
<br />
:I agree with Rikthoff, I don't think this is Cueball. Being bald is one of his main features and this guy definately has hair.--[[User:Popuppete|Popuppete]] ([[User talk:Popuppete|talk]]) 13:42, 12 September 2012 (UTC)<br />
<br />
The issue date might be off. All files since #101 have been created on April 11th, 2006. Anyone with an actual issue date? [[User:Rikthoff|Rikthoff]] ([[User talk:Rikthoff|talk]]) <br />
<br />
Could it be possible that Megan's dad died because of something the other character (let's not call him Cueball until we know for sure) did in the future to "make sure his parents got together and helped his dad to be less of a loser"? [[User:tesshavon|tesshavon]] <br />
<br />
:It's more likely to have been the result of a airliner full of jet fuel crashing into the tower, causing it to burn and collapse. Megan is probably thinking that Cueball (I'm still going to call him Cueball, sorry) could maybe have alerted somebody that this was going to happen. In the past. Him having access to a time machine and all. [[Special:Contributions/108.162.219.58|108.162.219.58]] 20:31, 24 January 2014 (UTC)<br />
<br />
Why do we take for granted alt text refers to the Cueball/Hairy and not the father? [[Special:Contributions/141.101.89.210|141.101.89.210]] 21:55, 29 March 2014 (UTC)<br />
<br />
What if the alt text refers to Marty McFly and not Cueball/Hairy? You don't have to think about the comic very hard to know C/H was an asshole, but I think the implication is that Marty could have taken the DeLorean and done less petty, personal things with it. --[[Special:Contributions/173.245.54.47|173.245.54.47]] 21:51, 12 May 2014 (UTC)<br />
<br />
:If it did refer to MM, Randall's interpretation of the movie is skewed. MM only did what he needed to do to repair the damage he unintentionally did. There was no personal benefit intended other than saving his own life, and that of his siblings. Randall has taken some creative license with the way C/H explains the plot.[[Special:Contributions/172.69.70.251|172.69.70.251]] 07:52, 25 January 2018 (UTC)<br />
<br />
Have people forgotten? The DeLorean time machine was destroyed at the end of the third film - it spent less than a day in total in 1985 (first used 1.20 am, destroyed by a train c. midafternoon). Cueball even references this in the comic. {{unsigned ip|108.162.250.223}}<br />
<br />
:Megan can still contact the friend and get her own time machine... maybe. [[User:Greyson|Greyson]] ([[User talk:Greyson|talk]]) 05:11, 22 October 2015 (UTC)<br />
<br />
:The DeLorean that Marty used to travel from 1885 to 1985 was, indeed, destroyed (somewhat ironically by a fast-moving, modern train). But what of the DeLorean Doc stashed in the cave in 1885? That's what he used to create the flying train. [[User:PoconoChuck|PoconoChuck]] ([[User talk:PoconoChuck|talk]]) 20:19, 9 May 2016 (UTC)<br />
<br />
::Actually, that cave DeLorean had to stay there after Doc buried it in 1885, or else 1955 Doc and Marty couldn't dig it out to go back to 1885 to get Doc. It is surmised that parts from the hoverboard (that remained in 1885 with Doc and Clara) were used in the making of the Time Train. [[Special:Contributions/172.69.70.251|172.69.70.251]] 07:52, 25 January 2018 (UTC)</div>141.101.98.244https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=Talk:1945:_Scientific_Paper_Graph_Quality&diff=151546Talk:1945: Scientific Paper Graph Quality2018-01-25T09:50:22Z<p>141.101.98.244: </p>
<hr />
<div><!--Please sign your posts with ~~~~ and don't delete this text. New comments should be added at the bottom.--><br />
What happened circa 2015 that marks the *end* of the PowerPoint/MSPaint era? [[Special:Contributions/108.162.238.59|108.162.238.59]] 16:22, 22 January 2018 (UTC)<br />
<br />
: More and more journals explicitly forbade the use of powerpoint. Also, more scientists are familiar with software better suited for creating scientific graphs. [[User:Thawn|Thawn]] ([[User talk:Thawn|talk]]) 16:34, 22 January 2018 (UTC)<br />
<br />
:: The problem was never that it was impossible to good quality graphs with those tools. The problem was that people ''didn't actually'' do so, in part because the tools made it really easy to produce something superficially good but actually so information-free as to be utterly bad, as well as making it rather more difficult than one would hope for to make camera-ready graphs (journals having higher-resolution print reproduction than most computer screens of the time). But before anyone gets fancy about this, you could commit very similar sins with other tools; merely using a specialist plotting program doesn't automatically make the output truly comprehensible (or relevant). [[Special:Contributions/141.101.104.107|141.101.104.107]] 22:30, 22 January 2018 (UTC)<br />
<br />
:::If, however, creating graph is harder, you are likely to focus on what to put into them and make them only if it makes sense. One reason for decreased quality of graph might be that there was more of them for same amount of data. -- [[User:Hkmaly|Hkmaly]] ([[User talk:Hkmaly|talk]]) 01:29, 23 January 2018 (UTC)<br />
<br />
::: With enough effort, it is possible to make a good graph with any tool. However, the point is that with Powerpoint it is much easier to make a superficial graph than a good graph. With other tools such as R, Matlab, Origin etc. it is equally easy to make a good or a bad graph. Therefore, the average quality of graphs created with Powerpoint is much lower than with other tools. [[User:Thawn|Thawn]] ([[User talk:Thawn|talk]]) 09:36, 23 January 2018 (UTC)<br />
<br />
An interesting thing to note is that you can see from this chart that even slightly before the paint/powerpoint era the quality started going down. But it could be because this graph is meant to be just like the point it is making and therefore is not 100% accurate. [[Special:Contributions/108.162.219.76|108.162.219.76]] 17:47, 22 January 2018 (UTC)<br />
<br />
:I came down here to make exactly this point - Randall appears to be deliberately trying to misleadingly imply a conclusion that isn't actually supported by the data. ;o) [[Special:Contributions/141.101.76.16|141.101.76.16]] 09:34, 23 January 2018 (UTC)<br />
<br />
: actually, the peak of the graph is somewhere around 1990 which is 5 years after the release of paint and close to the release of powerpoint. Assuming that the tools gradually went into widespread use, this is perfectly consistent. [[User:Thawn|Thawn]] ([[User talk:Thawn|talk]]) 09:36, 23 January 2018 (UTC)<br />
<br />
:: Well either they quickly came into common use, in which case the labelling of the 'era' is wrong, or they didn't, in which case it doesn't explain why the decline started so early.[[Special:Contributions/141.101.76.16|141.101.76.16]] 09:43, 23 January 2018 (UTC)<br />
<br />
::: That's a false dichotomy. An era is defined by prominence not existence. There are still gas-lamps, but we are not in the gas-light era<br />
<br />
:::: But if there's no prominence, there should be little effect. That was kind of the point. Unless the very existence of the tools was impacting even graphs that weren't created with them. [[Special:Contributions/141.101.98.244|141.101.98.244]] 09:50, 25 January 2018 (UTC)<br />
<br />
Does anyone have good examples of papers showing this? It would really help the explanation...[[Special:Contributions/172.68.211.166|172.68.211.166]]<br />
:You might find http://www.norvig.com/Gettysburg/ amusing. It is the Gettysburg Address done as a PowerPoint presentation. [[Special:Contributions/108.162.216.154|108.162.216.154]] 18:55, 22 January 2018 (UTC) Gene Wirchenko genew@telus.net<br />
::An xkcd PowerPoint presentation by Randall Munroe would be so fantastic! Just... don't let him near Excel: "Why does this field reference a password-protected remote SQL DB entry labeled 'Midnight Protocol' or 'else' show the time of day as a sixteen-bit floating-point decimal value from zero to one?" 'Sorry, can't hear you, headphones; I'm working on the soundtrack for the new collaborative infinitely recursive xkcd AR exhibit at Meow Wolf Ollantaytambo.'<br />
::[[User:ProphetZarquon|ProphetZarquon]] ([[User talk:ProphetZarquon|talk]]) 21:56, 23 January 2018 (UTC)<br />
:::You monster! I can not delete your horrible suggestion without 1) running afoul of what a wiki stands for or 2) losing the educational value of a warning of what not to do. And then, there is 3) the perverse attraction of seeing a train wreck.<br />
:::[[Special:Contributions/108.162.216.154|108.162.216.154]] 05:09, 24 January 2018 (UTC) Gene Wirchenko genew@telus.net<br />
::::I'm just disappointed that nobody noted the 0-to-1 reference. I like trains, & I like views of stuff cutaway or disassembled, therefore a really wicked train wreck is the best of both worlds! ("Some men just want to watch the world burn. I want a soundtrack to go with it." - Me)<br />
::::[[User:ProphetZarquon|ProphetZarquon]] ([[User talk:ProphetZarquon|talk]]) 18:53, 24 January 2018 (UTC)<br />
<br />
Also amusing is how low quality the image of this comic is. It is only 360*240 pixels, which is fitting for a graph describing low quality graphs.[[Special:Contributions/172.68.34.28|172.68.34.28]] 02:21, 23 January 2018 (UTC)<br />
<br />
Something of which I find at least somewhat noteworthy: early xkcd was notorius for these vague, informationless graphs. [[Special:Contributions/172.68.47.6|172.68.47.6]] 09:36, 23 January 2018 (UTC)</div>141.101.98.244