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2024-03-19T08:46:39Z
User contributions
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https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=Talk:2157:_Diploma_Legal_Notes&diff=174743
Talk:2157: Diploma Legal Notes
2019-05-31T13:12:14Z
<p>162.158.154.7: </p>
<hr />
<div><!--Please sign your posts with ~~~~ and don't delete this text. New comments should be added at the bottom.--><br />
Can I please live on this universe?<br />
*in<br />
<br />
Why would waiting 6-8 weeks help with challenging the British royal family for the throne? Surely that just gives them more time to prepare... [[User:Hawthorn|Hawthorn]] ([[User talk:Hawthorn|talk]]) 12:41, 31 May 2019 (UTC)<br />
:But it takes 6-8 weeks for you to recieve your lightsaber. --[[User:Lupo|Lupo]] ([[User talk:Lupo|talk]]) 12:51, 31 May 2019 (UTC)<br />
<br />
I'd rather they sent me my lightsab(re|er) in a powered-down state. Much less fuss, damage to postal sorting/conveying/containing equipment, injury to the various employees involved, etc. Probably also saves on postage costs for the package. (And, as just pointed out, we might just get by the sorting office spies from the palace if the packaging isn't humming and glowing.) [[Special:Contributions/162.158.154.7|162.158.154.7]] 12:45, 31 May 2019 (UTC)<br />
:Er, I think "working" means ready to use, not turned on! However, I think shipping regulations would require the unit to be shipped without the nuclear power pack installed, and the user would just need to insert the power unit in the handle before use. [[User:Ianrbibtitlht|Ianrbibtitlht]] ([[User talk:Ianrbibtitlht|talk]]) 13:01, 31 May 2019 (UTC)<br />
::You read it your way, I'll read it my way. ;) [[Special:Contributions/162.158.154.7|162.158.154.7]] 13:12, 31 May 2019 (UTC)</div>
162.158.154.7
https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=Talk:2157:_Diploma_Legal_Notes&diff=174738
Talk:2157: Diploma Legal Notes
2019-05-31T12:49:19Z
<p>162.158.154.7: Negative de-doubled.</p>
<hr />
<div><!--Please sign your posts with ~~~~ and don't delete this text. New comments should be added at the bottom.--><br />
Can I please live on this universe?<br />
*in<br />
<br />
Why would waiting 6-8 weeks help with challenging the British royal family for the throne? Surely that just gives them more time to prepare... [[User:Hawthorn|Hawthorn]] ([[User talk:Hawthorn|talk]]) 12:41, 31 May 2019 (UTC)<br />
<br />
I'd rather they sent me my lightsab(re|er) in a powered-down state. Much less fuss, damage to postal sorting/conveying/containing equipment, injury to the various employees involved, etc. Probably also saves on postage costs for the package. (And, as just pointed out, we might just get by the sorting office spies from the palace if the packaging isn't humming and glowing.) [[Special:Contributions/162.158.154.7|162.158.154.7]] 12:45, 31 May 2019 (UTC)</div>
162.158.154.7
https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=Talk:2157:_Diploma_Legal_Notes&diff=174737
Talk:2157: Diploma Legal Notes
2019-05-31T12:47:14Z
<p>162.158.154.7: </p>
<hr />
<div><!--Please sign your posts with ~~~~ and don't delete this text. New comments should be added at the bottom.--><br />
Can I please live on this universe?<br />
*in<br />
<br />
Why would waiting 6-8 weeks help with challenging the British royal family for the throne? Surely that just gives them more time to prepare... [[User:Hawthorn|Hawthorn]] ([[User talk:Hawthorn|talk]]) 12:41, 31 May 2019 (UTC)<br />
<br />
I'd rather they sent me my lightsab(re|er) in a powered-down state. Much less fuss, damage to postal sorting/conveying/containing equipment, injury to the various employees involved, etc. Probably also saves on postage costs for the package. (And, as just pointed out, we might just get by the sorting office spies from the palace if the packaging isn't not humming and glowing.) [[Special:Contributions/162.158.154.7|162.158.154.7]] 12:45, 31 May 2019 (UTC)</div>
162.158.154.7
https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=Talk:2157:_Diploma_Legal_Notes&diff=174736
Talk:2157: Diploma Legal Notes
2019-05-31T12:45:54Z
<p>162.158.154.7: </p>
<hr />
<div><!--Please sign your posts with ~~~~ and don't delete this text. New comments should be added at the bottom.--><br />
Can I please live on this universe?<br />
*in<br />
<br />
Why would waiting 6-8 weeks help with challenging the British royal family for the throne? Surely that just gives them more time to prepare... [[User:Hawthorn|Hawthorn]] ([[User talk:Hawthorn|talk]]) 12:41, 31 May 2019 (UTC)<br />
<br />
I'd rather they sent me my lightsabre in a powered down state. Much less fuss, damage to postal sorting/conveying/containing equipment, injury to the various employees involved, etc. Probably also saves on postage costs for the package. (And, as just pointed out, we might just get by the sorting office spies from the palace if the packaging isn't not humming and glowing.) [[Special:Contributions/162.158.154.7|162.158.154.7]] 12:45, 31 May 2019 (UTC)</div>
162.158.154.7
https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=2149:_Alternate_Histories&diff=174014
2149: Alternate Histories
2019-05-13T20:13:59Z
<p>162.158.154.7: /* Explanation */</p>
<hr />
<div>{{comic<br />
| number = 2149<br />
| date = May 13, 2019<br />
| title = Alternate Histories<br />
| image = alternate_histories.png<br />
| titletext = "So their universe wouldn't have the iconic photo of a screaming Truman being hoisted aloft by the newspaper-printing machinery..."<br />
}}<br />
<br />
==Explanation==<br />
{{incomplete|Created by a CYBERNETIC HORSE-EMPEROR. Please mention here why this explanation isn't complete. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}<br />
Alternate histories are a common device in speculative fiction. One of the most common (even cliche) uses of alternate history is to posit a world in which the {{w|Hypothetical Axis victory in World War II|Axis Powers achieved victory in World War Two}}. This is presumably so compelling because it was a relatively recent event in which a series of relatively minor changes could have altered world history in major ways. One of the standard literary works along this line is Philip K. Dick's ''{{W|The Man in the High Castle}}'', where the world is split into spheres of influence controlled by the {{W|Empire of Japan}} and {{W|Nazi Germany}}. This novel has been developed into a {{w|The Man in the High Castle (TV series)|popular TV series}} of the same name on Amazon Prime.<br />
<br />
At one point, ''The Man in the High Castle'' discusses the fiction of their own world, which includes their own alternate histories in which the Allies had won the war instead. ''The Grasshopper Lies Heavy'' is one such novel. Because these stories are speculative, they don't entirely match the 'real' history of our world, differing in key ways. This results in an "alternate-alternate" history where the Allies won World War 2, but the details still differ rather significantly than the history of World War 2 in our reality -- most notably, ''The Grasshopper Lies Heavy'' depicts a post-World War 2 world defined by a {{w|Cold War}} between the United States and the British Empire, rather than one between the United States and Soviet Union. In one sense, this functions as a meta-critique of the very concept of alternate histories, highlighting the reality that we can never know the details of what would have happened if history had gone differently.<br />
<br />
In this comic, Megan and Cueball discuss this fictional device. Megan points out that, if characters in our stories have their own fiction, then the characters in their stories presumably have their own body of fiction, and so on. If each alternate history contains its own alternate history, presumably each iteration would deviate more and more from our own reality, because each would be speculation based on increasing layers of speculation. Eventually (by the 500th iteration) the history would differ so wildly from our own as to be completely absurd to us, with very few elements being even recognizable. <br />
<br />
The 500th iteration timeline apparently includes hovercraft, and cybernetic horses. {{w|Hovercraft}} are a real technology which does have military applications, but their use in actual warfare has been limited. Cybernetic horses do not exist in our timeline. In our timeline, Scotland is part of the United Kingdom, and would likely not develop military technology independently. New Jersey is a state in the United States and Madagascar was controlled by France during World War 2; neither of these would normally be able to pursue an independent foreign policy that would have allowed them to join alliances and fight wars unless their parent governments also did. Belgium was occupied by the Axis Powers early in the war. These three regions developing a alliance and fighting against Canada (which was also an Allied power) would require a highly unlikely combination of events. How this war would be affected by the lack of Scottish hovercraft is unclear. This scenario also apparently contains a theocracy of some variety in Missouri, which remarkably is vaguely plausible.<br />
<br />
Interestingly, even within the bounds of the exceedingly meta-fiction, it is bordering on impossible for the scenario to come into existence; the reason for this is that while the ending would become evermore bizarre, the actual events will only be able to vary so much, as they are based on predetermined scenarios that occur before the changes take place. Unless at least two wars are being modified, or the events are based on a later occurrence, (basically the two are discussing something different entirely, albeit still a historical scenario) the idea of so many implausible things occuring is unlikely no matter what the circumstances, unless they all happened over the course of the war.<br />
<br />
It's unlikely, but it's worth noting that "cybernetic horses" could be a reference to {{w|cyber forces}}, since in [[1418: Horse]] that substitution is suggested.<br />
<br />
{{W|Laura Ingalls Wilder}} was an American author, best known for her ''{{W|Little House on the Prairie}}'' series. In the 500th iteration timeline, she apparently became "God-Emperor of Missouri", despite not being known as a political figure in our timeline. {{W|Harry S Truman}}, in our timeline, became 33rd President of the United States, following the death of Franklin Delano Roosevelt. In the 500th iteration timeline, Truman apparently died in an accident involving pajamas and a printing press while still a senator (presumably a U.S. senator, since in our reality he was serving in the United States Senate prior to being nominated as Roosevelt's vice president in 1944). He apparently remained a significant enough figure for 500th-iteration Megan to speculate that he would have become God-Emperor of Missouri if he'd survived.<br />
<br />
The title text continues the discussion about Truman, mentioning a photograph of Truman screaming in horror as he is hoisted by newspaper-printing machinery. This plays off of {{w|Dewey Defeats Truman|a famous photograph from our world}} where Truman is the one hoisting up a copy of the ''Chicago Tribune'' in triumph, as said newspaper erroneously claimed he was defeated in the {{w|1948 United States presidential election}} by {{w|Thomas Dewey}}.<br />
<br />
==Transcript==<br />
{{incomplete transcript|Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}<br />
:[Megan and Cueball are walking together]<br />
:Megan: In alternate history stories where the allies lost WWII, sometimes they have their own fiction with the premise "what if the allies had ''won''?" which differs from our world since they'd be speculating and wouldn't predict everything.<br />
:Cueball: Yeah, I think they do that in ''Man in the High Castle''.<br />
<br />
:[Megan and Cueball continue walking together]<br />
:Megan: But within ''those'' stories, they should have "what if the allies had ''lost''?" fiction which is even ''more'' removed from our world.<br />
:Cueball: Uh oh.<br />
:Megan: So how deep does it go?<br />
<br />
:[Cueball and Megan, wearing tall black ball-topped hats and large bracelets and presumably from some alternate history, are walking together. There is a caption in a frame over the top of the panel:]<br />
:500 levels in:<br />
<br />
:Megan: In my alternate history, Scotland never develops hovercraft, so Canada's cybernetic horses ''defeat'' the Belgium-Madagascar-New Jersey alliance.<br />
:Cueball: Wow!<br />
<br />
:[Alternate history Cueball and Megan continue walking together]<br />
:Cueball: Then who becomes God-Emperor of Missouri, if not Laura Ingalls Wilder?<br />
:Megan: Senator Truman!<br />
:Cueball: He survives the accident?!<br />
:Megan: Yeah, the pajama craze never catches on, so he's wearing normal clothes when he walks by the printing press...<br />
<br />
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]<br />
[[Category:Comics featuring Megan]]<br />
[[Category:Characters with Hats]]<br />
<br />
{{comic discussion}}</div>
162.158.154.7
https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=2000:_xkcd_Phone_2000&diff=158191
2000: xkcd Phone 2000
2018-06-03T23:13:08Z
<p>162.158.154.7: /* Explanation */</p>
<hr />
<div>{{comic<br />
| number = 2000<br />
| date = May 30, 2018<br />
| title = xkcd Phone 2000<br />
| image = xkcd_phone_2000.png<br />
| titletext = Our retina display features hundreds of pixels per inch in the central fovea region.<br />
}}<br />
<br />
==Explanation==<br />
This is the seventh entry in the ongoing [[:Category:xkcd Phones|xkcd Phone series]] after [[1889: xkcd Phone 6]]. This time a nonconsecutive version number is used to match the milestone comic number.<br />
<br />
List of features (clockwise from top-center):<br />
<br />
*'''Dockless:''' It was common practice for older standard cellphones (i.e. non-smartphones) to use a docking station for charging. "Dockless" could be a catchy marketing term for wireless charging, or it could simply mean wired charging without a dock.<br />
*'''Silent:''' Most mobile phones have a "Silent" mode in which all ringing and vibration is muted, so the user can receive messages and missed-call notifications in a place that requires silence. This xkcd Phone feature may be a "Silent" mode button, but perhaps the phone is silent all the time and unable to produce sound at all. While most people use these days use their smartphones for functions that do not require sound, a completely silent phone would not fit the traditional definition of a "phone". This feature is labelled at the location where a headphone socket would traditionally be, although some recent phones have discarded the traditional headphone jack in place of wireless headphones.<br />
*'''Quad camera takes four copies of every picture:''' Recent phones have added up to three rear-facing cameras, offering different fields of view, monochrome cameras for low light, and a wider base for emulating depth of field effects. At the time of writing no phone on the market has four rear-facing cameras. However, YouTube personality nigahiga created a parody of the iPhone (iFhone 8) that has four cameras structured similarly, e.g. taking a picture of a letter K gives 4K. An alternative interpretation is that the cameras take four ''identical'' pictures simultaneously, which would use up storage space at 4 times the rate of a standard camera while providing no advantage.<br />
*'''Front-facing camera obscura:''' A {{w|camera obscura}} is a dark room or box with a small hole allowing light to enter. The size of the hole causes light travelling in straight lines to project a dim inverted image on the back of the room or box; the concept is the predecessor to a modern camera, which uses a lens to allow more light to enter. A camera obscura is not strictly speaking a camera as in an image capture device (although there are pin-hole cameras which use the same mechanism). Actual phones have front-facing conventional cameras, allowing selfies, video calling, etc.<br />
*'''3D facial contour analysis shows you a realistic preview of your death mask:''' Recent computational photography effects implemented on mobile phones support facial analysis, allowing for artificial relighting or the creation of avatars. However, since a {{w|death mask}} is created to look just like the deceased's face, all cameras provide this "feature" automatically.<br />
*'''Sponsored pixels:''' Presumably this means that parts of the screen (pixels) can be bought in a sponsoring deal. If enough pixels are sold, your screen would be rendered unusable. It is common for advertisers to buy part of the screen real-estate on a service web site (in fact, {{w|The Million Dollar Homepage}} hosted nothing but a 1000x1000 pixel grid of advertisements), and "images" the size of individual pixels can be used to track site access without being intrusive to the user. For the xkcd Phone 2000, it appears that advertisers have access to part of the screen (worryingly, right in the middle). Slightly less intrusive approaches have been used in bookstores selling customised versions of the Kindle, for example, and it is common for cell phone networks to insist on network-specific software to be installed on a phone. <br />
*'''Front and rear pop-out grips:''' There are accessories that stick to the rear of a phone and can be "popped out", offering a grip, a stand, or somewhere to store headphone cables. Integrating such a feature into the phone design is novel, although some phones have incorporated kick stands. Pop-out grips are normally placed on the back of the phone to make it easier to hold with one hand. Having a second grip to the front of the phone does nothing except block part of the screen. There could be a small screen on the top of the grip since the grip is shown to contain "Sponsored Pixels".<br />
*'''Humidity-controlled crisper:''' A crisper is a drawer in a refrigerator meant to control the humidity to keep vegetables from drying out and getting limp. Obviously, a smartphone would have no need for a crisper.<br />
*'''Antikythera mechanism:''' The {{w|antikythera mechanism}} is an ancient Greek clockwork device for predicting astronomical positions. It is one of the earliest known analogue computers.<br />
*'''New York Times partnership: all photos taken with camera app are captioned in real time by reporter Maggie Haberman:''' Modern phones can use machine learning techniques (usually in the cloud) to identify and tag camera content - this makes it possible to search, for example, for photos containing a particular person or subject without requiring user input. Cellphone photos are often used in contributions to social media with some form of user-provided caption. This phone appears to combine the two, using {{w|Maggie Haberman}} to provide automatic captions for photos taken by the phone's owner (although whether this is explicitly for social media use or internal to the phone is unclear).<br />
*'''Spit valve:''' A water key, or "spit valve," is a feature on most brass and some wind instruments used to empty the instrument of condensation caused by the musician's breath (and not, as is commonly thought, saliva). Of course, one wouldn't think condensation would form on the inside of a smartphone.<br />
*'''Standard USB connector:''' a USB A port is displayed. Unfortunately, a "standard" USB connector, according to the USB standard, would be a USB B port as a phone typically acts as the "slave" device, rather than the "host" as a USB A port would imply. However, in recent updates to the USB standard, bi-communication between 2 A ports is supported<br />
*'''Coin purse-style squeeze access:''' presumably, the casing is flexible in this region, and when squeezed at the sides (a bad idea, considering the next design item) reveals the USB A port and spit valve.<br />
*'''Hollow-ground:''' a {{w|Grind#Typical_grinds|hollow grind}} is a type of knife (or similar sharp tool) edge noted for sharpness and general fragility, often seen in razors. This seems to imply that the phone is exceedingly smooth, which would make it difficult to hold{{Citation needed}}.<br />
*'''Absorbent:''' Many modern phones are designed to be waterproof, to avoid accidents and allow use in the rain. It's also common to have some form of oleophobic coating on the screen to reduce smearing as fingers are used on the touchscreen. This phone seems to have the reverse feature, and be explicitly designed to absorb things (presumably liquids--perhaps that's why it needs a spit valve).<br />
*'''Keyboard supports dynamic typing:''' {{w|Type_system#Dynamic_type_checking_and_runtime_type_information|Dynamic typing}} is a computer programming concept, and has nothing to do with typing on a keyboard.<br />
*'''Backflow preventer:''' A {{w|backflow prevention device}} is a mechanism that avoids the possibility of liquid (usually water) travelling in the opposite direction from the normal intent if the expected pressure is inverted. Since there is not normally any liquid flowing through a phone (unless in this case relating to the spit valve), this would not normally be a useful feature. However, some smart phones do contain pressure measuring devices such as barometers (which can also be used in some cases to detect the phone being squeezed), so maybe this phone is intended to be resilient to such conditions.<br />
*'''Swiss Army partnership: folding knife (unlocks only if Switzerland is invaded):''' A {{w|Swiss Army knife}} is a folding knife, traditionally with many secondary "blades" for multiple uses such as can openers and files. {{w|Switzerland}} is known for remaining neutral (and not being invaded) in both of the World Wars of the 20th century despite war raging across surrounding countries, suggesting that it is unlikely that the knife would ever been unlocked. While such a feature on a phone (or phone case) may be useful, it is likely to be a safety concern, and a threat to convenience when security checkpoints such as airports start confiscating the phone when they notice it conceals a knife blade. What's more, a phone does not provide the ideal grip for a knife blade - especially if force is to be applied to it. This may also reference the Swiss military practice of soldiers keeping military rifles in their private homes but only being given ammunition in the event the army is mobilized.<br />
*'''100% BPA-free PCB construction:''' {{w|Bisphenol A}} (BPA) is a chemical used in plastics such as waterbottles. Recent studies show that BPA can leach estrogen-like compounds into liquids, so BPA-free water bottles have become popular. PCB probably refers to a {{w|printed circuit board}}, which is made of resin-bonded fiberglass, not plastic, and which contains the electrical components that control most modern electronic devices such as phones. It may also refer to {{w|Polychlorinated biphenyl}} (PCBs), a category of persistent organic pollutants which are not used very much any more; it would be far worse than BPA for anyone concerned with the issue.<br />
*'''AMOLCD display (7-segment):''' {{w|AMOLED}} is a display technology often used in cell phones, providing thin and emissive displays. {{w|Liquid-crystal_display|LCD}} is another display technology used in phones, and works by blocking light from a separate backlight. A {{w|Seven-segment_display|7-segment display}} is a device made of seven independently-controlled segments (usually either LCD or LED) which can be used to display a single digit; as such the technology is common in traditional digital watches. In contrast most phone displays are made of a uniform high-resolution pixel grid that allows arbitrary content to be displayed, although some very old (pre-smart) cellphones and land lines did use this technology in displaying a phone number. The technology cannot represent the entire alphabet without modification, so it is inappropriate for text messages, let alone graphics.<br />
*'''Runs on battery for the first 6 hours, then uses gasoline:''' A nod to the increased popularity of gas-electric hybrid vehicles. This would be a fantastic breakthrough for fuel cells. There have been many attempts to create a highly portable fuel cell that can be used to power phones. Although having to use gasoline instead of a USB cord would likely cause more problems for the average consumer a fuel cell does have some notable advantages over a standard lithium-ion battery. When comparing a fuel cell to a battery of equal size the fuel cell will be capable of powering an object for far longer than the battery. This includes lithium-ion batteries which are commonly used for powering phones and are typically the majority of its mass. This would mean one could shrink the size of the battery substantially yet still be able to provide the same amount of power. The smaller battery can be kept as is in order to reduce the weight of the phone or can free up space for more features to be installed into the phone. This might simply be the first xkcd phone that mentions that it does this. Provides a possible explanation to how the manufacturer of the phone is capable of fitting so many unusual features into the phone to begin with. Another advantage of a fuel cell powered phone is that it is independent from a working power grid (useful for disaster situations where thousands of people would no longer be capable of staying in contact with others or people who are stranded and alone) and there is no need for a bulky generator to convert the gasoline into electricity first. This is not the first time Randall has talked about this before, with much of the information here coming from what-if #128: {{what if|128|Zippo Phone}}.<br />
*'''Sharpie® dual stylus (dry-erase + permanent)''' Sharpie® is a brand most associated with a line of markers. While a stylus is generally a pen-like object that doesn't create markings, but instead allows finer input on a touch screen, "Dry-Erase + Permanent" implies that these are in fact markers. These would allow the user to write on the screen, but as this wouldn't allow any form on input to the phone, it would only serve as a very expensive pseudo-whiteboard. Even if they were actually styluses, having two would be of little use. Note that permanent was previously spelled "permenant", incorrectly. This was later corrected; See [[#Trivia]]<br />
*'''Mouse cursor:''' A feature of BlackBerry smartphones which has gone out of favor due to the popularity of touch screens. However, Android devices, at least, still support Bluetooth HID access, and on some devices it is possible to pair the device with a mouse (and keyboard) and access the screen through a mouse pointer. These peripherals may also be attached with {{w|USB On-The-Go}}. This can be particularly useful if the device is exporting its display to a large external screen - and {{w|Samsung_DeX|some manufacturers}} have provided tethering systems based around pairing a phone with a mouse. <!-- A mouse pointer is relatively useless when a touch screen is in use, since the user's finger usually covers the pointer. ---- Ed note: I've personally used an Android tablet with a USB mouse, and it was not useless at all; about the only thing that can't really be done with a mouse would be several gestures, such as pinch zoom --><br />
<br />
The tagline for the phone says that the marketing team hopes that 2000 still sounds like a futuristic number. It was common for a time to have futuristic science-fiction take place on or around the year 2000 (e.g. 2001: A Space Odyssey, Knight Rider 2000, Death Race 2000, Space: 1999), and many devices marketed in the late 20th century had a "2000" as part of their product name in order to sound futuristic. However, since the year 2000 was 18 years ago at the time of this comic's publication, this is no longer the case. The number 2000 also represents the fact that this is the 2000th xkcd comic.<br />
<br />
The title text refers to {{w|Retina Display}}, a term used to describe Apple products with higher pixel densities. The xkcd Phone marketing team would be unable to use the term due to Apple's having registered it as a trademark. Additionally, the {{w|Fovea centralis|central fovea region}} is a portion of your eye's retina containing the most densely packed photosensitive neurons (confusing the biological retina with the electronics display of the same name). {{w|Foveated rendering}} is a genuine computer graphics technique intended to increase performance by rendering with higher quality to the regions of the display where the user is looking, and lower quality at the edges of vision; it is expected to be useful for virtual reality (one of the uses for cell phones) as a way to deal with the required high pixel densities while managing power consumption. There are displays with variable density, in specialist uses, but such a feature is not practical in a phone because the whole area of the display is typically useful and needs to provide high resolution (as the user's eye moves across it).<br />
<br />
==Transcript==<br />
:[The comic depicts a smartphone showing many uncommon features. The front view shows a mouse cursor and a circle in the middle. The side view reveals the circle as something like an old photo lens from 1900 extending far above the surface and four large buttons (camera lenses) at the rear. The third view is from the top and just mentions a "hollow ground." The bottom view looks like as it was opened by a can opener and shows a big USB connector and on the right a small black connection.]<br />
:Dockless<br />
:Silent<br />
:Quad camera takes four copies of every picture<br />
:Front-facing camera obscura<br />
:3D facial contour analysis shows you a realistic preview of your death mask<br />
:Sponsored pixels<br />
:Front and rear pop-out grips<br />
:Humidity-controlled crisper<br />
:Antikythera mechanism<br />
:New York Times partnership: all photos taken with camera app are captioned in real time by reporter Maggie Haberman<br />
:Spit valve<br />
:Standard USB connector<br />
:Coin purse-style squeeze access<br />
:Hollow-ground<br />
:Absorbent<br />
:Keyboard supports dynamic typing<br />
:Backflow preventer<br />
:Swiss Army partnership: folding knife (unlocks only if Switzerland is invaded)<br />
:100% BPA-free PCB construction<br />
:AMOLCD display (7-segment)<br />
:Runs on battery for the first 6 hours, then uses gasoline<br />
:Sharpie® dual stylus (dry-erase + permanent)<br />
:Mouse cursor<br />
<br />
:Introducing<br />
:'''<big>The xkcd Phone 2000</big>'''<br />
:We're still hoping this sounds like a futuristic number®®™®©™<sup>®</sup><br />
<br />
==Trivia==<br />
The stylus was previously called 'permenant'. This was later corrected, to permanent. You can still see the original image [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/archive/b/b4/20180531174214%21xkcd_phone_2000.png here]<br />
<br />
{{comic discussion}}<br />
<br />
[[Category:xkcd Phones]]<br />
[[Category:Comics sharing name|xkcd Phones]]</div>
162.158.154.7
https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=Talk:1849:_Decades&diff=145672
Talk:1849: Decades
2017-09-19T10:20:22Z
<p>162.158.154.7: </p>
<hr />
<div><!--Please sign your posts with ~~~~--><br />
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There seems to be a slightly tongue-in-cheek move to call the 2000's "the noughties" with the obvious implication of 'naughty'. Personally though I'm still waiting for everyone to stop saying "2000 and something, it very annoying! [[User:RoyT|RoyT]] ([[User talk:RoyT|talk]]) 14:38, 12 June 2017 (UTC)<br />
:Some people I know use the term "double-o's" for the period 2001-2009. Perhaps inspired by 007. <sub>--[[User:Nialpxe|<span style="color: #000; text-decoration: none;">Nialpxe</span>]], 2017. [[User_talk:Nialpxe|<span style="color: #000; text-decoration: none;">(Arguments welcome)</span>]]</sub> 02:30, 13 June 2017 (UTC)<br />
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Where would the descriptor "millennial" (adj) fit on this? I suggest that 00's fads be designated "millennial" and 10's fads be... forgotten.<br />
[[Special:Contributions/173.245.48.171|173.245.48.171]] 14:57, 12 June 2017 (UTC)<br />
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Just a quick note to highlight the double "and" in the text: "(...) is ambiguous and and "aughts" (...)"<br />
[[Special:Contributions/162.158.6.52|162.158.6.52]] 14:43, 12 June 2017 (UTC)<br />
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Good eyes on the double 'and'. Perhaps the explanation needs a sections about other terms not mentioned here "teensies" "noughties" "tenies" etc. (and perhaps the Aughts aren't used due to cultural differences between Brits and Americans, the former more likely to call them the "Noughts"). Also I assume the title text refers to Randal's local variety radio. [[User:WamSam|WamSam]] ([[User talk:WamSam|talk]]) 15:07, 12 June 2017 (UTC)<br />
: It's no phenomenom of English language. In Germany "80er, 90er und heute" is used quite frequently by several radio stations. [[User:Elektrizikekswerk|Elektrizikekswerk]] ([[User talk:Elektrizikekswerk|talk]]) 06:48, 13 June 2017 (UTC) <br />
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: Around here (UK) I'm used to hearing "80s, 90s, and now". Seems a bit weird on a 'classic' radio station who didn't play music from the current decade until the 2k rebranding. - [[Special:Contributions/162.158.154.109|162.158.154.109]] 08:37, 13 June 2017 (UTC)<br />
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I listen to a radio station that says "90s, 2K, and today." It's not the only time I've seen "2K" used for the first decade of the 2000s {{unsigned ip|162.158.62.75}}<br />
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2K might end up being the accepted form. It might morph into "the 2-10s," "the 2-20s," "the 2-30s," and so on. It differentiates the seperate centuries and is short enough to survive the endless grinding of popular culture. [[Special:Contributions/108.162.216.40|108.162.216.40]] 23:49, 12 June 2017 (UTC)<br />
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I propose the Decade of Good Vision (2020s) [[Special:Contributions/108.162.216.190|108.162.216.190]] 13:17, 16 June 2017 (UTC))<br />
:I see what you did there. [[User:These Are Not The Comments You Are Looking For|These Are Not The Comments You Are Looking For]] ([[User talk:These Are Not The Comments You Are Looking For|talk]]) 01:34, 18 June 2017 (UTC)<br />
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My local variety station has been says "80s, 90s and today" since the mid-90s, which was really odd for the 5 years or so that it was redundant. {{unsigned ip|172.68.78.28}}<br />
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Around here "the zeroes" is commonly used. {{unsigned ip|141.101.76.46}}<br />
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;Next Comic<br />
<pre><br />
COST-BENEFIT ANALYSIS:<br />
|< <PREV RANDOM NEXT> >|<br />
|---------------------------| |----------------------------| |----------------------------| |----------------------------|<br />
| Normal Company | | Stingy Company | | Bored Economist | | *crash* |<br />
| | | | | | | |<br />
| Is it worth it Let's | | Is cost- Let's do | | I built a Did you | | |<br />
| to spend that do cost- | | Benefit Cost-Benefit | | machine to do do cost- | | No, why? YOU FOOL! |<br />
| much on benefit | | analysis analysis to | | cost-benefit benefit | | YOU'VE |<br />
| development? analysis | | worth it? see | | analysis analysis? | | DOOMED US ALL!!|<br />
| / / | | / / | | / / | | / / |<br />
| O 0 | | O 0 | | O 0 | | O 0 |<br />
| /|\ /|\ | | /|\ /|\ | | /|\ /|\ | | /|\ /|\ |<br />
| / \ / \ | | / \ / \ | | / \ / \ | | / \ / \ |<br />
| | | | | | | *rumble* |<br />
|---------------------------| |----------------------------| |----------------------------| |----------------------------|<br />
</pre><br />
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Does this mean that there are supposed to be comments on the "next comic". One of the problems with the discussion is that there can be predictive cost/benefits analysis (done before the project is carried out) and retrospective cost/benefits analysis (done sometime after the project is complete). Retrospective cost/benefits analysis can be used to review the accuracy of predictive cost/benefits analysis. If the accuracy is not verified, the value of the analysis is indeterminate. Are the costs all costs or simply costs that are assigned to the evaluating organization? What is the organization for which benefits are to be calculated? Have the effects of Campbell's Law https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Campbell%27s_law and Goodhart's Law https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Goodhart%27s_law been taken into account? [[User:BradleyRoss|BradleyRoss]] ([[User talk:BradleyRoss|talk]]) 16:17, 13 June 2017 (UTC)<br />
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:@173.245.50.102 Wait, what? [[Special:Contributions/162.158.154.163|162.158.154.163]] 06:23, 13 June 2017 (UTC)<br />
:Aaaaaand evidently not. :) Perhaps being revealed here made him change it? LOL! [[User:NiceGuy1|NiceGuy1]] ([[User talk:NiceGuy1|talk]]) 03:16, 16 June 2017 (UTC)<br />
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What does Randall usually do when there is typo/grammatical error in a comic? Will he correct it and re-upload it, or just leave it?<br />
[[Special:Contributions/172.68.58.149|172.68.58.149]] 23:02, 12 June 2017 (UTC)<br />
:He'll often notice errors and upload corrected versions, though as of this comment he hasn't yet (nearly 3AM Eastern). Then that fact ends up as trivia here. For example, a few comics ago, the map of America with a word in each state, a paragraph saying how you can make maps like this show whatever you want, he had missed the line separating New Hampshire and Maine, and later the line was there. Same with text errors, a month or two ago was a comic saying "defeatest", then later "defeatist". [[User:NiceGuy1|NiceGuy1]] ([[User talk:NiceGuy1|talk]]) 06:52, 13 June 2017 (UTC)<br />
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Wouldn't we run into the same issue in 2020? Since contemporary radio stations are always naming the previous two decades (this formula seems to apply worldwide, it at least does in germany) we wouldn't be able to name them in 2020. "The best hits of the last two decades!"? "You're tuning in to DCKX 102.5! Where we play music - sometimes, duh!"? [[Special:Contributions/162.158.92.118|162.158.92.118]] 07:28, 13 June 2017 (UTC)<br />
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my daughter (2009) gleefully uses the term "noughties" since that makes her homophonously "naughty". she's not so keen on her siblings (2011) being "teens" although that may change when she actually becomes one herself. as with so many things, it's not ultimately up to the old to decide these things. --[[Special:Contributions/141.101.107.18|141.101.107.18]] 11:48, 13 June 2017 (UTC)<br />
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Seems like radio stations all around the world used the exact same slogan of "the best of the 80's, 90's and the best from today". I know one radio station that changed it to "80's, 90's, 2000's and the best from today" some time after 2010. But I'm not really that keen to listen to radio long enough to find out if they changed it again. :( [[Special:Contributions/162.158.202.220|162.158.202.220]] 16:39, 13 June 2017 (UTC)<br />
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"the best music from the 80's to the 20's"? [[Special:Contributions/141.101.76.202|141.101.76.202]] 07:10, 15 June 2017 (UTC)<br />
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What I'm wondering: What'll they do after 2030? The term "The 20s" already means something, the 1920s. 20s dance, music and fashion are already quite iconic, and still referenced (right now immediately comes to mind is an episode of Making History from maybe 2 months ago, where they went back to that time). Will a radio station's "20's Hour" mean the 1920s or 2020s? LOL! (Imagine it being both) (Hey, where'd my signature and timestamp go? Guess it's a new timestamp now) :( [[User:NiceGuy1|NiceGuy1]] ([[User talk:NiceGuy1|talk]]) 04:14, 27 June 2017 (UTC)<br />
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What we'll do is hope the context will make it clear. The 1880s brought a number of historical and literary developments that made me worry (back in the 70s) how we would deal with the ambiguity. The answer was simply notational overloading. More general remark: I think the 1980s never stopped. 1990s culture has nothing to set it apart, and things have not gotten any better.[[Special:Contributions/162.158.154.7|162.158.154.7]] 10:20, 19 September 2017 (UTC)<br />
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Some of my friends and I started calling this decade the "tenties" not too long ago, mostly because of how stupid it sounds. "Teens" sounds much better. [[User:LuigiBrick|LuigiBrick]] ([[User talk:LuigiBrick|talk]]) 11:14, 24 June 2017 (UTC)<br />
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I was amused to note today, in Grand Theft Auto V they have radio stations, and the one I always listen to advertises that it plays music "from the 80s, 90s and Naughties". :) [[User:NiceGuy1|NiceGuy1]] ([[User talk:NiceGuy1|talk]]) 04:02, 30 June 2017 (UTC)</div>
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