https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/api.php?action=feedcontributions&user=162.158.155.26&feedformat=atomexplain xkcd - User contributions [en]2024-03-29T10:53:21ZUser contributionsMediaWiki 1.30.0https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=User_talk:162.158.155.26&diff=154191User talk:162.158.155.262018-03-12T09:23:16Z<p>162.158.155.26: </p>
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<div>Just one thing. Can you please stop putting the trivia thing on explanations just because a comic references one other comic? If it's a recurring theme, then fine, but for ONE COMIC? Just write it at the bottom of each explanation, no need to use trivia. Thanks! [[User:Herobrine|Herobrine]] ([[User talk:Herobrine|talk]]) 04:09, 3 March 2018 (UTC)<br />
: The explanation should be explanatory. Where there's a direct callback to another comic (such as with the bun detector) a reference to that comic might be explanatory, but for the most part they're not.[[Special:Contributions/162.158.155.26|162.158.155.26]] 09:34, 5 March 2018 (UTC)<br />
:: Yeah, but for one comic? Seriously?!?!? Referencing other comics happens all the time. We have the categories because THE SAME TOPICS WILL APPEAR MANY TIMES IN THIS WEBCOMIC. THERE IS REALLY NO NEED FOR THE TRIVIA SECTION. Type "Trivia" and press search. Check the first ten results. HOW MANY TRIVIA SECTIONS ARE THERE BECAUSE IT REFERENCES JUST ONE OTHER COMIC?!?!? HUH?!?!?!? ANSWER ME!!!!!!! You are [[1731: Wrong]]. You are not [[White Hat]]. Just stop. [[User:Herobrine|Herobrine]] ([[User talk:Herobrine|talk]]) 12:36, 8 March 2018 (UTC)<br />
::: Firstly, please lay off all capitals and exclamation / question marks. It doesn't make your point any stronger; it just makes you seem rather aggressive and / or a little deranged.<br />
::: Secondly, I don't appreciate the hectoring and lecturing tone. If you want to have a reasonable discussion I'm happy to do so, but simply telling people what to do is not acceptable. It's entirely against the spirit of a wiki.<br />
::: Thirdly, I am not 'wrong', since there is no 'wrong' and 'right' here - it's a matter of opinion. I just happen to have a different opinion to you.<br />
::: Lastly, in my opinion, if the comic shares a category with another comic, there's no need to reference it directly at all, since it can be found through the category. If there is no shared category, and you just want to note a one-off thematic similarity with another comic, that is clearly trivia, and not part of the explanation, and should go in a 'Trivia' section. I really don't see what the problem is with having a 'Trivia' section with one item in it if there is only one item of trivia to note. It certainly seems better than cluttering up the explanation with trivia, and being inconsistent in where the trivia is found. [[Special:Contributions/162.158.155.26|162.158.155.26]] 09:23, 12 March 2018 (UTC)</div>162.158.155.26https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=1016:_Valentine_Dilemma&diff=1537161016: Valentine Dilemma2018-03-05T09:35:39Z<p>162.158.155.26: Reference to another comic is trivia</p>
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<div>{{comic<br />
| number = 1016<br />
| date = February 13, 2012<br />
| title = Valentine Dilemma<br />
| image = valentine_dilemma.png<br />
| titletext = The worst resolution to the Valentine Prisoner's Dilemma when YOU decide not to give your partner a present but your PARTNER decides to testify against you in the armed robbery case.<br />
}}<br />
<br />
==Explanation==<br />
Both [[Megan]] and [[Cueball]] are agonizing over what to get each other for Valentine's Day. Both of them seem to consider the holiday unnecessary and artificial, but worry that failure to celebrate it might upset their romantic partner. Because they're considering this separately, neither seems to realize that the other has a similar response. This results in both panicking and doing weird things.<br />
<br />
At the heart of the way they are acting is the {{w|prisoner's dilemma}}. This is a canonical example of a game analyzed in {{w|game theory}}, which shows why two individuals might not cooperate, even if it appears that it is in their best interest to do so. Wikipedia has a great example of prisoner's dilemma, which illustrates it very well:<br />
<br />
:Two men are arrested, but the police do not possess enough information for a conviction. Following the separation of the two men, the police offer both a similar deal—if one testifies against his partner (defects/betrays), and the other remains silent (cooperates/assists), the betrayer goes free and the cooperator receives the full one-year sentence. If both remain silent, both are sentenced to only one month in jail for a minor charge. If each 'rats out' the other, each receives a three-month sentence. Each prisoner must choose either to betray or remain silent; the decision of each is kept quiet. What should they do?<br />
<br />
In this way, both Cueball and Megan are kept separate, each not knowing what the other is going to do for Valentine's Day, in what the comic title terms the Valentine Dilemma. Both do weird things for Valentine's Day, which ends up being the perfect result to the Valentine Dilemma, as both end up with the same level of weirdness and don't go for the grand gesture.<br />
<br />
The title text combines the two dilemma scenarios in an absurd juxtaposition, with the reader ("you") choosing from the Valentine's Day gift-no gift dilemma and the other person choosing to betray the reader in an armed-robbery case.<br />
<br />
==Transcript==<br />
:[Cueball standing with hand on chin.]<br />
:Cueball: Flowers seem so... trite. Something homemade? Easy to look halfhearted.<br />
<br />
:[Megan sitting at a computer, also with hand on chin.]<br />
:Megan: Valentine's day is a corporate construct.<br />
:Megan: But hard to opt out of.<br />
:Megan: I don't want to be a corporate tool ''or'' an inconsiderate jerk.<br />
<br />
:[Cueball pacing.]<br />
:Cueball: How do I fight cliché? I could get her a gift on a ''different'' day.<br />
:Cueball: But what am I proving?<br />
<br />
:[Megan leaning back with stapler in hand.]<br />
:Megan: It's such a contrived ritual. But maybe rituals are necessary social glue.<br />
<br />
:[Cueball panicking.]<br />
:Cueball: Forty presents. No, ''none!'' No, give her five items and then steal two from her.<br />
:Cueball: OK, breathe, keep it together.<br />
<br />
:[Megan sweating, still holding the stapler.]<br />
:Megan: And what if he gets me something and I don't reciprocate?<br />
:Megan: Prisoners dilemma!<br />
:Megan: AAAAAAAAAA!!<br />
<br />
:[Cueball and Megan talking. Cueball is holding a basket and a jar of hammers. Megan's hand is stapled to her face.]<br />
:Cueball: I got you Easter candy and a jar of hammers.<br />
:Megan: I panicked and stapled my hand to my face.<br />
:Cueball: We overthought this.<br />
:Megan: Yes.<br />
<br />
==Trivia==<br />
<br />
The Prisoner's Dilemma has been referenced before, in [[696: Strip Games]].<br />
<br />
{{comic discussion}}<br />
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]<br />
[[Category:Comics featuring Megan]]<br />
[[Category:Psychology]]<br />
[[Category:Romance]]<br />
[[Category:Valentines]]</div>162.158.155.26https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=User_talk:162.158.155.26&diff=153715User talk:162.158.155.262018-03-05T09:34:23Z<p>162.158.155.26: </p>
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<div>Just one thing. Can you please stop putting the trivia thing on explanations just because a comic references one other comic? If it's a recurring theme, then fine, but for ONE COMIC? Just write it at the bottom of each explanation, no need to use trivia. Thanks! [[User:Herobrine|Herobrine]] ([[User talk:Herobrine|talk]]) 04:09, 3 March 2018 (UTC)<br />
: The explanation should be explanatory. Where there's a direct callback to another comic (such as with the bun detector) a reference to that comic might be explanatory, but for the most part they're not.[[Special:Contributions/162.158.155.26|162.158.155.26]] 09:34, 5 March 2018 (UTC)</div>162.158.155.26https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=262:_IN_UR_REALITY&diff=153714262: IN UR REALITY2018-03-05T09:31:58Z<p>162.158.155.26: Reference to another comic is trivia</p>
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<div>{{comic<br />
| number = 262<br />
| date = May 16, 2007<br />
| title = IN UR REALITY<br />
| image = in_ur_reality.png<br />
| titletext = Hey, at least I ran out of staples.<br />
}}<br />
<br />
==Explanation==<br />
The {{w|LOLcat}} meme genre involves pictures of cats in various poses and facial contortions accompanied by deliberately misspelled captions. Black Hat claims to be from the Internet and is thus creating LOLcat memes by literally gluing captions to Cueball's cats.<br />
<br />
The title text suggests that Black Hat is using glue only because he ran out of staples; fortunately for the cats in the picture, glue is much less painful than a staple. The title is also a reference to the "I'm in ur base killing ur d00dz" [http://knowyourmeme.com/memes/in-ur-base catchphrase] from real-time-strategy games.<br />
<br />
==Transcript==<br />
:[Black Hat is holding a cat and a piece of paper. Cueball has raised his arms. There are three cats with captions stuck to them.]<br />
:Black Hat: Oh hi; I'm here from the Internet.<br />
:Cueball: What are you doing!?<br />
:Black Hat: Gluing captions to your cats.<br />
:Cat: ''rrrr''<br />
<br />
==Trivia==<br />
<br />
Stapling things to other things has also been referenced in [[478: The Staple Madness]].<br />
<br />
{{comic discussion}}<br />
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]<br />
[[Category:Comics featuring Black Hat]]<br />
[[Category:Internet]]</div>162.158.155.26https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=1929:_Argument_Timing&diff=1537131929: Argument Timing2018-03-05T09:31:04Z<p>162.158.155.26: Reference to another comic is trivia</p>
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<div>{{comic<br />
| number = 1929<br />
| date = December 15, 2017<br />
| title = Argument Timing<br />
| image = argument_timing.png<br />
| titletext = Of course, everyone has their own profile. There are morning arguers, hangry arguers, meal-time arguers, late-night arguers, and people who get in a meta-argument over what their argument timing is, dredge up examples of past arguments, and end up fighting over THOSE again as well.<br />
}}<br />
<br />
==Explanation==<br />
<br />
This comic comments on how (a) the prevalence of using mobile devices in bed, combined with (b) burgeoning use of social media, especially {{w|Facebook}}, has increased the potential for conflict by encouraging early morning and late night communications, when those involved may not be at their most clear-headed.<br />
<br />
Before mobile devices were common, the ability to argue on-line usually ended when a person left their computer to go to bed. Before social media was common, arguments with friends would mostly occur in person or during a phone call. The 'old-fashioned' cycle for arguing suggests that the odds start at near zero, because most people didn't interact with others immediately after waking up unless they lived together, and even then were unlikely to get in arguments first thing in the morning. The frequency increased as the day went on, with peaks at breakfast, lunch and dinner, and a final peak in the evening. This likely indicates that people would frequently share meals with friends and loved ones, then spend time together in the evenings, meaning those times had the most potential for conflict. As the evening ended, the odds fell away dramatically, becoming very low by bedtime, and effectively zero immediately afterward.<br />
<br />
The red line, indicating argument frequency with mobile devices and social media, has a similar trend, but is distorted by massive peaks between waking up and getting out of bed, and then between going to bed and going to sleep. This suggests that, in Munroe's experience, most relationship-ending arguments in modern times happen over social media and electronic communication, while still in bed. It's not clear whether this indicates people primarily using their devices in bed, or just that people tend to get into arguments more while posting in bed (possibly making less inhibited and diplomatic comments due to fatigue). It could also be that people objecting to their partners using social media in bed is also contributing to the number of arguments. Interestingly, this line indicates the chances of conflict in the mobile/Facebook era remains above zero for a short time after one goes to sleep. This may suggest that Randall sometimes falls asleep while writing a social media post but finishes it while sleep-typing, or it may be that he is prone to sending out ill-considered messages just before going to sleep, which are only later picked up, unwelcomed, by the recipient.<br />
<br />
The title text talks about different types of arguers, saying that some people argue more at certain times, or in certain states. "Hangry" is a portmanteau of "hungry" and "angry", meaning bad-tempered or irritable as a result of hunger.<br />
<br />
==Transcript==<br />
:[Shown is a curved time plot. There is a black line, marked "Before Smartphones and Facebook" and a red line marked "After." On the y-axis the label reads "Odds of getting in a friendship-ending argument." while there is no scale shown. On the x-axis, at uneven intervals some times of the day are marked as "Wake up", "Get out of bed", "Breakfast", "Lunch", "Dinner", "Go to bed", and "Fall asleep."]<br />
<br />
:[With the exception of "Waking up" and "Falling asleep", the red line is slightly lower than the black line. Directly after "Waking up" and during the interval between "Going to bed" and "Falling asleep", the black line is near zero while the red line peaks.]<br />
<br />
==Trivia==<br />
<br />
[[490: Morning Routine]] covers similar ground to this comic.<br />
<br />
{{comic discussion}}<br />
<br />
[[Category:Charts]]<br />
[[Category:Comics with color]]<br />
[[Category:Social networking]]</div>162.158.155.26https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=Talk:1958:_Self-Driving_Issues&diff=153712Talk:1958: Self-Driving Issues2018-03-05T09:28:14Z<p>162.158.155.26: </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 assume the ''off-panel speaker'' is [[Megan]], based on their positioning, but not sure what the ruling on the ambiguity is. [[User:PvOberstein|PvOberstein]] ([[User talk:PvOberstein|talk]]) 05:47, 21 February 2018 (UTC)<br />
<br />
I made a note about the typo in the title text. Also, weird question, does the "created by a BOT" tag mean that the explanation was written by an AI? Or is it a joke I'm missing for some reason? Sorry, kind of a dumb question I guess. 09:04, 21 February 2018 (UTC)<br />
: Afaik the "created by a BOT" part is the default text when the bot which is crawling xkcd for a new comic inserts the comic here (and an empty explanation). In the past that part was often deleted when the first real edit was made. Some comics ago a habit evolved to actually change that line in relation to the comic at hand (e.g. "created by a SELF-DRIVING CAR" would be fitting here). [[User:Elektrizikekswerk|Elektrizikekswerk]] ([[User talk:Elektrizikekswerk|talk]]) 11:23, 21 February 2018 (UTC) <br />
::Oh, okay...19:06, 21 February 2018 (UTC)<br />
::: It refers to the incomplete tag. The incomplete tag is created by a bot and just shows that there needs to be an explaination. [[User:Lupo|Lupo]] ([[User talk:Lupo|talk]]) 19:09, 25 February 2018 (UTC)<br />
<br />
Could the firmware update be for the humans, because they are obviously malfunctioning in the scenario? Sebastian --[[Special:Contributions/162.158.90.30|162.158.90.30]] 09:46, 21 February 2018 (UTC)<br />
:Of course, that's the joke. It would be really impractical to install such a firmware update, there are about 7.5 billion people on earth - many of which we don't even have access to. I'd also suspect that most people would fight back if you tried shoving a USB flash drive into them. [[Special:Contributions/162.158.93.9|162.158.93.9]] 11:24, 21 February 2018 (UTC)<br />
::Yeah, but how many of those 7.5 billion people are a safety risk for self-driving cars, though? [[User:LordHorst|LordHorst]] ([[User talk:LordHorst|talk]]) 12:59, 21 February 2018 (UTC)<br />
:::My best guess is 12. [[Special:Contributions/162.158.93.9|162.158.93.9]] 14:50, 21 February 2018 (UTC)<br />
::::Huh, I never even realized this interpretation. :) [[User:Hawthorn|Hawthorn]] ([[User talk:Hawthorn|talk]]) 15:09, 21 February 2018 (UTC)<br />
::But you wouldn't use a flash drvie - it would be an OTA update.[[Special:Contributions/162.158.155.26|162.158.155.26]] 11:53, 22 February 2018 (UTC)<br />
:Funny, but now, as the explanation now states it is the cars that need to be updated to take this new behavior in to context. It is unclear if the cars should behave like humans, as Cueball mentions they already do, and if so should try to use the knowledge of human behavior to save life, or if they should behave like humans and try to take lives! :-D --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 13:14, 21 February 2018 (UTC)<br />
:: While this version occurred to me, I feel confident that the INTENDED meaning is to go within the context of this comic, that is, that the murderers are the non-drivers Cueball is afraid of, and both human and AI drivers alike still would prefer not to crash (especially seeing as the most available murder victims would be the people in the car, both passengers and possible driver). Still, the car-owners-want-to-kill version is amusing. LOL! [[User:NiceGuy1|NiceGuy1]] ([[User talk:NiceGuy1|talk]]) 05:33, 23 February 2018 (UTC)<br />
:To me it's obvious, and the explanation overthinks it. The natural "voice" of the comic here is Cueball. He surmises that if people generally become murderers, they would need a firmware update "or something". Obviously he is taking "people" to be some sort of product, and the update to be the manufacturer's obligation. There is obvious religious precedent for this, whether the "firmware update" involves unleashing floods, burning cities with fire, sending messaiahs or revealing truths to prophets... and that is (imho) the joke: Cueball thinks an update is needed, then he generalises that to "or something" as he starts to realise (or as the reader starts to realise, despite Cueball's obliviousness) the enormity of the consequences of such a possible update. [[Special:Contributions/108.162.229.166|108.162.229.166]] 03:42, 3 March 2018 (UTC) <br />
:: Agree with the interpretation, but I think floods, fire, etc. would be more 'retiring hardware' than a 'firmware update' [[Special:Contributions/162.158.155.26|162.158.155.26]] 09:28, 5 March 2018 (UTC)<br />
<br />
I would say that it's easier to fool current AI than human ... except in "quick reaction needed" scenario. If you throw cardboard cutout of a pedestrian on road, AI will be fooled because it's not able to recognize it's not human and crash. Human will crash as well, because while he will eventually realize it's cutout, it would be too late. -- [[User:Hkmaly|Hkmaly]] ([[User talk:Hkmaly|talk]]) 23:35, 21 February 2018 (UTC)<br />
<br />
A creative attacker could put up a sign with CAPTCHA-like text that would be readable by humans but not by an AI.<br />
<br />
Except that both humans and AIs would disregard it as not being a real sign. In fact, this would be more likely to be successful as an attack against humans, who might at least be distracted by going "what's that?", and end up crashing as a result. The AI would just completely ignore it.[[Special:Contributions/162.158.155.26|162.158.155.26]] 11:56, 22 February 2018 (UTC)<br />
<br />
One of the most ingrained features in humans is to always drive on the correct side of the road<br />
<br />
Seems like rather a big claim there... [[Special:Contributions/162.158.155.26|162.158.155.26]] 15:03, 22 February 2018 (UTC)</div>162.158.155.26https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=471:_Aversion_Fads&diff=153711471: Aversion Fads2018-03-05T09:25:59Z<p>162.158.155.26: </p>
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<div>{{comic<br />
| number = 471<br />
| date = September 3, 2008<br />
| title = Aversion Fads<br />
| image = aversion_fads.png<br />
| titletext = Hey, are you friends with any hamsters? This kite needs a passenger.<br />
}}<br />
<br />
==Explanation==<br />
<br />
Here, we see [[Cueball]] and his Cueball-like friend, who are grossed out that there is a {{w|furry}} (noted by the kid's fox ears and tail) near them. These people have most likely bought into the stereotype of furries, and as such, are showing their disgust towards what they perceive the fandom to be. [[Megan]] then calls for the furry to help her with her kite. It turns out that she also thinks that furries are “weird as hell”, but she is irritated by the fact that a lot of people on the Internet are involved with a lot of weird things that may gross out or otherwise offend the general population, yet the Internet in general frequently mocks furries for engaging in essentially the same things. This hypocrisy bothers her, so she takes whatever opportunity she has to defend furries, who are, after all, people of the Internet.<br />
<br />
Hearing this, the furry brings up {{w|Aesop|Aesop's}} {{w|The Lion and the Mouse|fable of the lion and the mouse}}. This fable talks about a lion who spares a mouse from being eaten, since the mouse's promise that he would repay the lion gave the lion a good laugh. In the story, the lion later gets caught in a trap and the mouse chews through the cords, freeing the lion. The furry now has a debt to repay Megan, but before we can get to that Megan curtails the simile. She assumes that the furry will perceive the story to be about animal bondage relationships, and be aroused by this. Given the knowledge of this wiki's editors about furries, however, it should be noted that this will very likely ''not'' arouse the furry. <br />
<br />
In the title text, Megan realizes that her kite needs a passenger, so she asks the furry if he has any hamster friends. This probably refers to real hamsters, which could be tied to the kite. However, this being a furry, it could also refer to people who have hamster “fursonas” — the type of animal that a furry pretends to be. Such a person would still have the weight of a regular person, and therefore be unsuitable for being flown on the kite (given the kite's size as depicted and assumptions about usual kite materials). <br />
<br />
==Transcript==<br />
:[Two Cueball-like guys stand together as a young guy dressed up with small ears and a tail approaches.]<br />
:Cueball: Oh God, a furry. Don't let it touch you.<br />
<br />
:[The furry hears someone call out to him.]<br />
:Off-screen: Hey, kid.<br />
<br />
:[Megan is seen preparing a kite to be flown.]<br />
:Megan: Forget those assholes. Come help me.<br />
<br />
:[The furry begins to help Megan set up the kite.]<br />
:Furry: Thanks. So you're cool with furries?<br />
<br />
:[The two are now standing far appart the furry with the kite and the line going over to Megan.]<br />
:Megan: Well, I think your fetish is weird as hell. It just bothers me how you're this designated Internet punching bag among people who are otherwise down with weird fetishes. So I stick up for you when I can.<br />
<br />
:[The kite now successfully up in the air and Megan pulls the line with both hands moving backwards.]<br />
:Furry: Well, thanks. I owe you one.<br />
:Megan: It's no big deal.<br />
<br />
:[Megan stops some distance from the fury holding the line with one hhand. The fury lift one hand up apologising.]<br />
:Furry: No, this is like the lion and the mouse.<br />
:Megan: ...Listen, can we pick a comparison less likely to turn you on?<br />
:Furry: Sorry.<br />
<br />
==Trivia==<br />
<br />
The idea of flying animals on a kite may be a reference to [[20: Ferret]].<br />
<br />
{{comic discussion}}<br />
<br />
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]<br />
[[Category:Comics featuring Megan]]<br />
[[Category:Multiple Cueballs]]<br />
[[Category:Furries]]<br />
[[Category:Comics with color]]</div>162.158.155.26https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=333:_Getting_Out_of_Hand&diff=153710333: Getting Out of Hand2018-03-05T09:25:07Z<p>162.158.155.26: /* Explanation */</p>
<hr />
<div>{{comic<br />
| number = 333<br />
| date = October 24, 2007<br />
| title = Getting Out of Hand<br />
| image = getting out of hand.png<br />
| titletext = Wikipedia's role as brain-extension, while a little troubling, is also really cool.<br />
}}<br />
<br />
==Explanation==<br />
Given how {{w|Wikipedia}} has an ever-expanding variety of topics, the grand majority of them in great detail, there is a possibility (even a temptation) of relying on Wikipedia to learn from every topic that leaves you confused... even {{w|foreplay}}. ('Bedtime' and 'us time' is not necessarily 'computer time'.)<br />
<br />
This comic may also be a reference to how people can get addicted to reading Wikipedia pages, because there are many interesting links on each page that people haven't read yet, and there are links on that page that they click on, etc. This may be the reason that Cueball is reading Wikipedia instead of sleeping with [[Megan]], because he got stuck in the link loop.<br />
<br />
The title text refers to the fact that many rely on Wikipedia instead of remembering/learning stuff.<br />
<br />
==Transcript==<br />
:[A couple is in bed in the dark, and Cueball reaches out from under the covers to do a Wikipedia search about Foreplay.]<br />
<br />
==Trivia==<br />
<br />
Reliance on Wikipedia was later directly addressed as the subject of [[903: Extended Mind]].<br />
<br />
{{comic discussion}}<br />
[[Category:Romance]]<br />
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]<br />
[[Category:Comics featuring Megan]]<br />
[[Category:Sex]]<br />
[[Category:Wikipedia]]</div>162.158.155.26https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=333:_Getting_Out_of_Hand&diff=153709333: Getting Out of Hand2018-03-05T09:24:49Z<p>162.158.155.26: Undo revision 153471 by Herobrine (talk) Reference to another comic is trivia</p>
<hr />
<div>{{comic<br />
| number = 333<br />
| date = October 24, 2007<br />
| title = Getting Out of Hand<br />
| image = getting out of hand.png<br />
| titletext = Wikipedia's role as brain-extension, while a little troubling, is also really cool.<br />
}}<br />
<br />
==Explanation==<br />
Given how {{w|Wikipedia}} has an ever-expanding variety of topics, the grand majority of them in great detail, there is a possibility (even a temptation) of relying on Wikipedia to learn from every topic that leaves you confused... even {{w|foreplay}}. ('Bedtime' and 'us time' is not necessarily 'computer time'.)<br />
<br />
This comic may also be a reference to how people can get addicted to reading Wikipedia pages, because there are many interesting links on each page that people haven't read yet, and there are links on that page that they click on, etc. This may be the reason that Cueball is reading Wikipedia instead of sleeping with [[Megan]], because he got stuck in the link loop.<br />
<br />
The title text refers to the fact that many rely on Wikipedia instead of remembering/learning stuff. Reliance on Wikipedia was later directly addressed as the subject of [[903: Extended Mind]].<br />
<br />
==Transcript==<br />
:[A couple is in bed in the dark, and Cueball reaches out from under the covers to do a Wikipedia search about Foreplay.]<br />
<br />
==Trivia==<br />
<br />
Reliance on Wikipedia was later directly addressed as the subject of [[903: Extended Mind]].<br />
<br />
{{comic discussion}}<br />
[[Category:Romance]]<br />
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]<br />
[[Category:Comics featuring Megan]]<br />
[[Category:Sex]]<br />
[[Category:Wikipedia]]</div>162.158.155.26https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=950:_Mystery_Solved&diff=153708950: Mystery Solved2018-03-05T09:23:31Z<p>162.158.155.26: /* Explanation */</p>
<hr />
<div>{{comic<br />
| number = 950<br />
| date = September 12, 2011<br />
| title = Mystery Solved<br />
| image = mystery_solved.png<br />
| titletext = The Roanoke Lost Colonists founded Roanoke, the Franklin Expedition reached the Pacific in 2009 when the Northwest Passage opened, and Jimmy Hoffa currently heads the Teamsters Union--he just started going by 'James'.<br />
}}<br />
<br />
==Explanation==<br />
In this comic, aviation pioneer {{w|Amelia Earhart|Amelia Earhart's}} plane comes back to land after it went missing in 1937. It was presumed that Earhart was dead and that her plane went down into the ocean at some point during her journey, although various alternate theories have arisen since then. However, this comic proposes a much simpler explanation: there was no disappearance, it just took her 74 years to fly around the Earth. This explanation is simple, but impossible.<br />
<br />
Earhart seems to think Cueball is stupid for not comprehending such a simple answer, but in fact her explanation raises a multitude of other questions. Among them:<br />
* How did it take so long for her to land? (She answers that the world is big, but it isn't so big that it takes 74 years to fly around it, even with 1937 technology.)<br />
* How did she survive that long, apparently without aging?<br />
* Why didn't anyone else see her on her journey?<br />
* Why doesn't she know that a flight shouldn't take 74 years? <br />
<br />
Another possibility is that she did not just fly around the earth, but flew very fast (near {{w|light speed}}) for 74 years to return {{w|Twin paradox|without having aged much}}. However, this would not explain why she thinks it is a long trip around the earth, or how she would accomplish this feat in a {{w|Lockheed Model 10 Electra|twin-engine monoplane}}.<br />
<br />
Earhart's disappearence gave birth to many conspiracy theories. One of these, which was explored in the TV series [http://memory-alpha.wikia.com/wiki/Star_Trek:_Voyager Star Trek: Voyager], involves [http://memory-alpha.wikia.com/wiki/The_37%27s_(episode) her being abducted] to another [http://memory-alpha.wikia.com/wiki/Delta_Quadrant part of the galaxy], where she was left in cryogenic stasis until found by the Voyager crew. Something similar could be the case here, having Earhart frozen by aliens until 2011.<br />
<br />
The title text lists a few more deceptively mundane answers to long-unsolved mysteries that at first seem to dispel the questions with boring logic, but in fact raise more questions than they answer. The first is the lost colonists of {{w|Roanoke Colony|Roanoke}}, who were one of the first groups to come to North America, but then suddenly disappeared, leaving their colony untouched. The comic suggests that they simply left to found {{w|Roanoke, Virginia}}. Like all the other explanations in this comic, this doesn't explain how this simple solution became lost to public knowledge. It also doesn't explain why they abandoned their original colony, or how they made it to Roanoke, Virginia, which is more than 300 miles away. <br />
<br />
The second mystery in the title text, the {{w|Franklin's lost expedition|Franklin Expedition}}, was a British voyage in 1845 to study the {{w|Northwest Passage}} that also disappeared, somewhere in northern Canada. The text suggests that the expedition wasn't lost; it was still exploring and eventually found its way to the Pacific Ocean in 2009. This is impossible, because the men on the expedition would be long dead.<br />
<br />
The final mystery is {{w|Jimmy Hoffa}}, the famous {{w|International Brotherhood of Teamsters|Teamsters Union}} leader who went missing in 1975 and declared dead in 1982 (possibly murdered). The comic says Jimmy simply opted to switch to the more formal version of his name; again, this raises the question of how such a thing would be possible without anyone noticing. The current head of the Teamsters is in fact named {{w|James P. Hoffa|James Hoffa}} (he is Jimmy Hoffa's son and goes by "James P. Hoffa" professionally); the comic could be implying that the senior Hoffa is not only alive but actually impersonating his own son.<br />
<br />
==Transcript==<br />
:[A twin prop airplane flies high overhead.]<br />
:Off-screen person: What's that airplane?<br />
<br />
:[The plane has landed, and the pilot is walking towards the crowd waving.]<br />
:Off-screen person: Holy crap— Is that Amelia Earhart?<br />
<br />
:[A close up of Amelia Earhart waving.]<br />
:Amelia: Hey everyone! My flight was a success!<br />
:Off-screen person: But... Where were you!?<br />
<br />
:[A wide view of Amelia, she stops waving.]<br />
:Amelia: I flew around the world!<br />
:Off-screen person: But you disappeared in 1937!<br />
<br />
:[A close up of Amelia Earhart.]<br />
:Amelia: Right, to fly around the world.<br />
:Off-screen person: It's 2011!<br />
:Amelia: The world is big. It's a long flight.<br />
<br />
:[A wide view of Amelia]<br />
:Off-screen person: <br />
::But you... <br />
::It's not... <br />
::I -<br />
:Amelia: Can I talk to someone smarter?<br />
<br />
==Trivia==<br />
<br />
Amelia Earhart, the Roanoke colony and Jimmy Hoffa are all referenced in [[1501: Mysteries]].<br />
<br />
{{comic discussion}}<br />
[[Category:Comics featuring real people]]</div>162.158.155.26https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=950:_Mystery_Solved&diff=153707950: Mystery Solved2018-03-05T09:22:54Z<p>162.158.155.26: Undo revision 153468 by Herobrine (talk) Restore trivia removed for no apparent reason</p>
<hr />
<div>{{comic<br />
| number = 950<br />
| date = September 12, 2011<br />
| title = Mystery Solved<br />
| image = mystery_solved.png<br />
| titletext = The Roanoke Lost Colonists founded Roanoke, the Franklin Expedition reached the Pacific in 2009 when the Northwest Passage opened, and Jimmy Hoffa currently heads the Teamsters Union--he just started going by 'James'.<br />
}}<br />
<br />
==Explanation==<br />
In this comic, aviation pioneer {{w|Amelia Earhart|Amelia Earhart's}} plane comes back to land after it went missing in 1937. It was presumed that Earhart was dead and that her plane went down into the ocean at some point during her journey, although various alternate theories have arisen since then. However, this comic proposes a much simpler explanation: there was no disappearance, it just took her 74 years to fly around the Earth. This explanation is simple, but impossible.<br />
<br />
Earhart seems to think Cueball is stupid for not comprehending such a simple answer, but in fact her explanation raises a multitude of other questions. Among them:<br />
* How did it take so long for her to land? (She answers that the world is big, but it isn't so big that it takes 74 years to fly around it, even with 1937 technology.)<br />
* How did she survive that long, apparently without aging?<br />
* Why didn't anyone else see her on her journey?<br />
* Why doesn't she know that a flight shouldn't take 74 years? <br />
<br />
Another possibility is that she did not just fly around the earth, but flew very fast (near {{w|light speed}}) for 74 years to return {{w|Twin paradox|without having aged much}}. However, this would not explain why she thinks it is a long trip around the earth, or how she would accomplish this feat in a {{w|Lockheed Model 10 Electra|twin-engine monoplane}}.<br />
<br />
Earhart's disappearence gave birth to many conspiracy theories. One of these, which was explored in the TV series [http://memory-alpha.wikia.com/wiki/Star_Trek:_Voyager Star Trek: Voyager], involves [http://memory-alpha.wikia.com/wiki/The_37%27s_(episode) her being abducted] to another [http://memory-alpha.wikia.com/wiki/Delta_Quadrant part of the galaxy], where she was left in cryogenic stasis until found by the Voyager crew. Something similar could be the case here, having Earhart frozen by aliens until 2011.<br />
<br />
The title text lists a few more deceptively mundane answers to long-unsolved mysteries that at first seem to dispel the questions with boring logic, but in fact raise more questions than they answer. The first is the lost colonists of {{w|Roanoke Colony|Roanoke}}, who were one of the first groups to come to North America, but then suddenly disappeared, leaving their colony untouched. The comic suggests that they simply left to found {{w|Roanoke, Virginia}}. Like all the other explanations in this comic, this doesn't explain how this simple solution became lost to public knowledge. It also doesn't explain why they abandoned their original colony, or how they made it to Roanoke, Virginia, which is more than 300 miles away. <br />
<br />
The second mystery in the title text, the {{w|Franklin's lost expedition|Franklin Expedition}}, was a British voyage in 1845 to study the {{w|Northwest Passage}} that also disappeared, somewhere in northern Canada. The text suggests that the expedition wasn't lost; it was still exploring and eventually found its way to the Pacific Ocean in 2009. This is impossible, because the men on the expedition would be long dead.<br />
<br />
The final mystery is {{w|Jimmy Hoffa}}, the famous {{w|International Brotherhood of Teamsters|Teamsters Union}} leader who went missing in 1975 and declared dead in 1982 (possibly murdered). The comic says Jimmy simply opted to switch to the more formal version of his name; again, this raises the question of how such a thing would be possible without anyone noticing. The current head of the Teamsters is in fact named {{w|James P. Hoffa|James Hoffa}} (he is Jimmy Hoffa's son and goes by "James P. Hoffa" professionally); the comic could be implying that the senior Hoffa is not only alive but actually impersonating his own son.<br />
<br />
Amelia Earhart, the Roanoke colony and Jimmy Hoffa are all referenced in [[1501: Mysteries]].<br />
<br />
==Transcript==<br />
:[A twin prop airplane flies high overhead.]<br />
:Off-screen person: What's that airplane?<br />
<br />
:[The plane has landed, and the pilot is walking towards the crowd waving.]<br />
:Off-screen person: Holy crap— Is that Amelia Earhart?<br />
<br />
:[A close up of Amelia Earhart waving.]<br />
:Amelia: Hey everyone! My flight was a success!<br />
:Off-screen person: But... Where were you!?<br />
<br />
:[A wide view of Amelia, she stops waving.]<br />
:Amelia: I flew around the world!<br />
:Off-screen person: But you disappeared in 1937!<br />
<br />
:[A close up of Amelia Earhart.]<br />
:Amelia: Right, to fly around the world.<br />
:Off-screen person: It's 2011!<br />
:Amelia: The world is big. It's a long flight.<br />
<br />
:[A wide view of Amelia]<br />
:Off-screen person: <br />
::But you... <br />
::It's not... <br />
::I -<br />
:Amelia: Can I talk to someone smarter?<br />
<br />
==Trivia==<br />
<br />
Amelia Earhart, the Roanoke colony and Jimmy Hoffa are all referenced in [[1501: Mysteries]].<br />
<br />
{{comic discussion}}<br />
[[Category:Comics featuring real people]]</div>162.158.155.26https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=1681:_Laser_Products&diff=1537061681: Laser Products2018-03-05T09:18:59Z<p>162.158.155.26: Undo revision 153467 by Herobrine (talk) Ref to another comic is trivia</p>
<hr />
<div>{{comic<br />
| number = 1681<br />
| date = May 16, 2016<br />
| title = Laser Products<br />
| image = laser_products.png<br />
| titletext = ERRORS: HAIR JAM. COLOR-SAFE CONDITIONER CARTRIDGE RUNNING LOW. LEGAL-SIZE HAIR TRAY EMPTY, USING LETTER-SIZE HAIR ONLY.<br />
}}<br />
<br />
==Explanation==<br />
This comic takes three laser-based technologies - laser eye surgery, laserjet printers, and laser hair removal - and conflates them, with humorous results. These are illustrated through reviews by users of the resulting combinations. For the original combinations, the reviews are highly positive. For the new combinations, most are negative, because most of these new "technologies" are ill-conceived and possibly harmful.<br />
<br />
'''Laser eye surgery''' gets a positive review, since it has successfully corrected the reviewer's vision, so that they no longer require glasses. There are a range of laser eye surgeries to correct near- and far-sightedness, as well as various other conditions. {{w|LASIK}}, one of the more common laser eye surgeries, works by using lasers to cut open the cornea and ablate a small amount of the lens.<br />
<br />
'''Laser eye removal''' would be very painful, and thus the review is negative, stating that the reviewer had read the description incorrectly, likely believing it to be one of the real combinations on the chart. The screams of pain expressed in the review have the humorous implication that the review is being typed directly after the ill-advised procedure, though this may just be an after-the-fact expression of the reviewer's feelings. If they produced the review without aid, this would probably have been made more difficult as a result of the surgery.<br />
<br />
'''Laser eye printer''' refers to printing on (or possibly ''of'') an eyeball, which only prompts a disgusted "Eww" response.<br />
<br />
'''Laser jet surgery''' could be performing maintenance on a jet with lasers, which would be potentially dangerous and error-prone{{Citation needed}}. Alternatively, it could mean laser surgery done on a human from a jet aircraft, using a laser mounted to it. The human being operated on could be aboard that aircraft, on another aircraft, or on land: in any case, it does not sound like a safe approach. Another interpretation is that it could refer to surgery using a jet made of lasers, which is even worse, as it would probably cause the entire body to be disintegrated.{{Citation needed}} The ambiguity of the phrase may contribute to the reviewer's concern. <br />
<br />
'''Laser jet removal''' appears to be the destruction of jets with lasers, which apparently works, but angered the Federal Aviation Administration, and probably resulted in legal consequences for the reviewer. This could be a reference to [https://www.faa.gov/about/initiatives/lasers/ the real FAA concern] of the many incidents of [http://www.laserpointersafety.com/laser-hazards_aircraft/laser-hazards_aircraft.html people using laser pointers] against aircraft. [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Laser_Weapon_System "Laser Jet Removal"] actually exists as a military weapon system, though it's primarily meant to be used against jet ''missiles'', rather than jet planes.<br />
<br />
'''LaserJet printer''' is a popular {{w|HP LaserJet|line of Hewlett Packard laser printers}}. {{w|Laser printing}} is a technology which uses a laser to electrically charge a drum so that it collects ink in the form of the image to be printed, before transferring it to paper. The printer seems to work well for the reviewer, as it has been given a positive review.<br />
<br />
'''Laser hair surgery''' turns out to be a fancy name for cutting hair with a laser -- an overengineered, and potentially dangerous, technique for achieving the same results that you could with clippers and scissors. It is rated neutrally, since it did the job, but the reviewer found the name confusing and they disliked the smell of burning hair.<br />
<br />
'''Laser hair removal''' is the {{w|laser hair removal|process}} of destroying hair follicles with bursts of laser light to prevent the growth of unwanted hair. This appears to have been effective for the reviewer.<br />
<br />
'''Laser hair printer''' appears to be a bizarre printer that uses hair in place of paper, or perhaps as the construction material for a {{w|3D printing|3D printer}}. Unsurprisingly, this just creates disgusting messes of hair and keeps jamming the printer, resulting in a negative review. The title text extends this joke, giving some common printer error messages amended for the hair printer. A paper jam is when paper gets stuck in the workings of the printer, usually because it was creased, or more than one sheet fed in at once; in the hair printer this becomes a hair jam. An inkjet printer requires replaceable ink cartridges, and when the ink is used up this will usually result in an ink cartridge running low error; the hair printer appears to require cartridges of {{w|hair conditioner}}. As an additional twist, it uses color-safe conditioner, a product intended to prevent the washing out of dye from the users hair; here, it presumably protects the colour of the printed image or item. Legal and Letter are {{w|Paper_size#North_American_paper_sizes|paper sizes}} used in North America; apparently, the same terms are used for standard supplies of hair for the hair printer.<br />
<br />
==Transcript==<br />
:[Heading above the table:]<br />
:Online Reviews of Laser Products<br />
<br />
:[A three by three table with one word to the far left, from which three lines split out and goes to three words just left of each of the three rows. Above each column is three other words. Below in the table are nine reviews with star rating on a five star scale. The actual rating is indicated with black stars and also use half filled stars in the rating system. The ratings are written in the table in square brackets.]<br />
:{| class="wikitable"<br />
!colspan="2"|<br />
! ...surgery<br />
! ...removal<br />
! ...printer<br />
|-<br />
!rowspan="3"|Laser<br />
! eye...<br />
| [4 1/2 stars]<br>"I don't need<br>glasses anymore!"<br><br> || [1/2 star]<br>"Aaaaaaa! Misread<br>the description!<br>Aaaaaaaaaaaa!!" || [1 star]<br>"Eww."<br><br><br><br />
|-<br />
! jet...<br />
| [1 1/2 stars]<br>"Too nervous<br>to try it."<br><br> || [2 1/2 stars]<br>"Effective, but<br>the FAA got<br>''really'' mad." || [4 stars]<br>"Prints great!"<br><br><br><br />
|-<br />
! hair...<br />
| [2 1/2 stars]<br>"Confusing term<br>for haircut.<br>Burning smell." || [4 stars]<br>"Great results!"<br><br><br> || [1/2 star]<br>"Disgusting, won't<br>turn off, jams<br>constantly."<br><br />
|-<br />
|}<br />
<br />
==Trivia==<br />
<br />
Laser eye removal has been mentioned before, in the lower right part of the [[1619: Watson Medical Algorithm]] chart.<br />
<br />
{{comic discussion}}<br />
[[Category:Charts]]</div>162.158.155.26https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=525:_I_Know_You%27re_Listening&diff=153705525: I Know You're Listening2018-03-05T09:17:56Z<p>162.158.155.26: </p>
<hr />
<div>{{comic<br />
| number = 525<br />
| date = January 2, 2009<br />
| title = I Know You're Listening<br />
| image = i know youre listening.png<br />
| titletext = Basically it's Pascal's Wager for the paranoid prankster.<br />
}}<br />
<br />
==Explanation==<br />
[[Cueball]] occasionally says "I know you're listening" aloud in empty rooms. The idea is, that if nobody is listening he doesn't lose anything, but if somebody ''is'' listening he gains by freaking them out. In this case another Cueball-like surveillance man does get quite the shock.<br />
<br />
As mentioned in the title text, this is similar to {{w|Pascal's Wager}}. {{w|Blaise Pascal}} was a French philosopher and mathematician who discussed the issue of the possibility that God actually does exist or not. According to Pascal, a rational person should live as though (a Christian) God exists, because he wouldn't lose anything if this turns out not to be true, but would gain immensely if it is true, by going to heaven in the afterlife. However, the argument works equally well for any and all gods, but doesn't give any reason to choose one over the other, so it seems unlikely that Pascal's Wager has ever changed anybody's religious views. One important way Cueball's wager is different from Pascal's is that Cueball can choose to engage in paranoid pranks, but belief is not something that one can possess simply by choice.<br />
<br />
==Transcript==<br />
:[Above the two panel comic:]<br />
:Now and then, I announce "I know you're listening" to empty rooms.<br />
:[Cueball is sitting in an armchair, reading. He murmurs something.]<br />
:[Second Cueball like surveillance man with headphones jumps out of chair in front of a large computer terminal after hearing Cueball's mumble. His chair has fallen over.]<br />
:[Below the two panel comic:]<br />
:If I'm wrong, no one knows.<br />
:And if I'm right, maybe I just freaked<br />
:the hell out of some secret organization.<br />
<br />
==Trivia==<br />
<br />
This comic has a clear resemblance to the [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php/My_Hobby My Hobby] series. This would also make it clear the Cueball in this comic is actually [[Randall]].<br />
<br />
{{comic discussion}}<br />
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]<br />
[[Category:Multiple Cueballs]]</div>162.158.155.26https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=525:_I_Know_You%27re_Listening&diff=153704525: I Know You're Listening2018-03-05T09:17:35Z<p>162.158.155.26: /* Explanation */ Pascal was arguing for a Christian God</p>
<hr />
<div>{{comic<br />
| number = 525<br />
| date = January 2, 2009<br />
| title = I Know You're Listening<br />
| image = i know youre listening.png<br />
| titletext = Basically it's Pascal's Wager for the paranoid prankster.<br />
}}<br />
<br />
==Explanation==<br />
[[Cueball]] occasionally says "I know you're listening" aloud in empty rooms. The idea is, that if nobody is listening he doesn't lose anything, but if somebody ''is'' listening he gains by freaking them out. In this case another Cueball-like surveillance man does get quite the shock.<br />
<br />
As mentioned in the title text, this is similar to {{w|Pascal's Wager}}. {{w|Blaise Pascal}} was a French philosopher and mathematician who discussed the issue of the possibility that God actually does exist or not. According to Pascal, a rational person should live as though (a Christian) God exists, because he wouldn't lose anything if this turns out not to be true, but would gain immensely if it is true, by going to heaven in the afterlife. However, the argument works equally well for any and all gods, but doesn't give any reason to choose one over the other, so it seems unlikely that Pascal's Wager has ever changed anybody's religious views. One important way Cueball's wager is different from Pascal's is that Cueball can choose to engage in paranoid pranks, but belief is not something that one can possess simply by choice.<br />
<br />
This comic has a clear resemblance to the [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php/My_Hobby My Hobby] series. This would also make it clear the Cueball in this comic is actually [[Randall]].<br />
<br />
==Transcript==<br />
:[Above the two panel comic:]<br />
:Now and then, I announce "I know you're listening" to empty rooms.<br />
:[Cueball is sitting in an armchair, reading. He murmurs something.]<br />
:[Second Cueball like surveillance man with headphones jumps out of chair in front of a large computer terminal after hearing Cueball's mumble. His chair has fallen over.]<br />
:[Below the two panel comic:]<br />
:If I'm wrong, no one knows.<br />
:And if I'm right, maybe I just freaked<br />
:the hell out of some secret organization.<br />
<br />
{{comic discussion}}<br />
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]<br />
[[Category:Multiple Cueballs]]</div>162.158.155.26https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=Talk:1962:_Generations&diff=153449Talk:1962: Generations2018-03-02T23:04:29Z<p>162.158.155.26: </p>
<hr />
<div><!--Please sign your posts with ~~~~ and do not delete this text. New comments should be added at the bottom.--><br />
Table guy! Maybe this could be a table with "Year", "Generation Name", "References" and "Speculation". Or something. [[Special:Contributions/198.41.230.172|198.41.230.172]] 17:31, 2 March 2018 (UTC)<br />
<br />
The highlighted generations are clearly the ones Pew Research named, but I can't figure out why Randall's numbers don't seem to match Pew's here: http://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2015/05/11/millennials-surpass-gen-xers-as-the-largest-generation-in-u-s-labor-force/ft_15-05-11_millennialsdefined/ [[User:TheAnvil|TheAnvil]] ([[User talk:TheAnvil|talk]]) 17:37, 2 March 2018 (UTC)<br />
<br />
—••— means X in Morse code [[User:Inexorably advancing wall of ice|Inexorably advancing wall of ice]] ([[User talk:Inexorably advancing wall of ice|talk]]) 18:21, 2 March 2018 (UTC)<br />
<br />
{{incomplete|Created by a MILLENIAL who has had enough of these weird incomplete tags and can't spell millennial}}<br />
But seriously, it was funny the first time.[[Citation needed]] I'm sorry for the above incomplete tag in the comments,[[Citation needed] but it feels like most comics since maybe #1900 ([[1914: Twitter Verification]] comes to mind...) have this kind of thing for their incomplete tag. Maybe if it's spaced out more, instead of put into nearly every comic nowadays, it won't be so much of a problem. --[[Special:Contributions/162.158.75.184|162.158.75.184]] 18:02, 2 March 2018 (UTC)<br />
: If you can address this problem, please edit the user. [[Special:Contributions/162.158.155.26|162.158.155.26]] 23:04, 2 March 2018 (UTC)<br />
<br />
Can someone help me? [[User:Halo422|Halo422]] ([[User talk:Halo422|talk]]) 20:20, 2 March 2018 (UTC)<br />
<br />
What's the emoji 2000-2017? [[Special:Contributions/172.68.141.214|172.68.141.214]] 21:05, 2 March 2018 (UTC)<br />
:I think I found it: 💅 [https://emojipedia.org/nail-polish/ "nail-polish"] (Comes up very different on different systems) [[Special:Contributions/162.158.79.233|162.158.79.233]] 21:20, 2 March 2018 (UTC)<br />
<br />
I have to believe the 1748 - 1765 generation is some form of "Long s" such as U+1E9C or U+1E9D [[Special:Contributions/162.158.79.233|162.158.79.233]] 21:12, 2 March 2018 (UTC)<br />
<br />
: It looks more like a forte ([https://www.fileformat.info/info/unicode/char/1d191/index.htm U+1D191]). I'm not sure why that would be funny—maybe because of [[Wikipedia:fortepiano|fortepiano]]s? [[Special:Contributions/172.69.69.214|172.69.69.214]] 21:43, 2 March 2018 (UTC)<br />
::My position comes from the fact that documents written by this generation (i.e. [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Long_s#/media/File:Long-s-US-Bill-of-Rights.jpg Declaration of Independance] and the US Constitution) are noted for having this letter form. The script form of the long s looks like what Randall has written, which, to your point, looks like a "forte" [[Special:Contributions/162.158.79.233|162.158.79.233]] 22:51, 2 March 2018 (UTC)<br />
<br />
Hitler was born in 1889, about three years before the "Oops, one of us is Hitler" generation ... --[[Special:Contributions/141.101.105.240|141.101.105.240]] 21:37, 2 March 2018 (UTC)<br />
<br />
Can someone who's a big Trekkie than I am help explain the dates for ''Star Trek: The Next Generation''? If we're going off of the events of the show + movies, it seems to start well before the events of the show and end before the last of the movies. [[User:PvOberstein|PvOberstein]] ([[User talk:PvOberstein|talk]]) 21:49, 2 March 2018 (UTC)<br />
<br />
Filled in most of the table with explanations (I'm pretty sure most of the latter generation names are references to potential transhumanist futures), but I'm not sure what "Second-Greatest" Generation refers to unless it's about the Civil War. Also, I'm not entirely certain whether the generation before the gilded one was cut a lot of slack. And I'll let someone more versed in standard sociological history fill in the common reasons for the core 20th century generations.[[User:WingedCat|WingedCat]] ([[User talk:WingedCat|talk]]) 22:49, 2 March 2018 (UTC)</div>162.158.155.26https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=Talk:1962:_Generations&diff=153446Talk:1962: Generations2018-03-02T23:01:57Z<p>162.158.155.26: </p>
<hr />
<div><!--Please sign your posts with ~~~~ and do not delete this text. New comments should be added at the bottom.--><br />
Table guy! Maybe this could be a table with "Year", "Generation Name", "References" and "Speculation". Or something. [[Special:Contributions/198.41.230.172|198.41.230.172]] 17:31, 2 March 2018 (UTC)<br />
<br />
The highlighted generations are clearly the ones Pew Research named, but I can't figure out why Randall's numbers don't seem to match Pew's here: http://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2015/05/11/millennials-surpass-gen-xers-as-the-largest-generation-in-u-s-labor-force/ft_15-05-11_millennialsdefined/ [[User:TheAnvil|TheAnvil]] ([[User talk:TheAnvil|talk]]) 17:37, 2 March 2018 (UTC)<br />
<br />
—••— means X in Morse code [[User:Inexorably advancing wall of ice|Inexorably advancing wall of ice]] ([[User talk:Inexorably advancing wall of ice|talk]]) 18:21, 2 March 2018 (UTC)<br />
<br />
{{incomplete|Created by a MILLENIAL who has had enough of these weird incomplete tags and can't spell millennial}}<br />
But seriously, it was funny the first time.[[Citation needed]] I'm sorry for the above incomplete tag in the comments,[[Citation needed] but it feels like most comics since maybe #1900 ([[1914: Twitter Verification]] comes to mind...) have this kind of thing for their incomplete tag. Maybe if it's spaced out more, instead of put into nearly every comic nowadays, it won't be so much of a problem. --[[Special:Contributions/162.158.75.184|162.158.75.184]] 18:02, 2 March 2018 (UTC)<br />
<br />
Can someone help me? [[User:Halo422|Halo422]] ([[User talk:Halo422|talk]]) 20:20, 2 March 2018 (UTC)<br />
<br />
What's the emoji 2000-2017? [[Special:Contributions/172.68.141.214|172.68.141.214]] 21:05, 2 March 2018 (UTC)<br />
:I think I found it: 💅 [https://emojipedia.org/nail-polish/ "nail-polish"] (Comes up very different on different systems) [[Special:Contributions/162.158.79.233|162.158.79.233]] 21:20, 2 March 2018 (UTC)<br />
<br />
I have to believe the 1748 - 1765 generation is some form of "Long s" such as U+1E9C or U+1E9D [[Special:Contributions/162.158.79.233|162.158.79.233]] 21:12, 2 March 2018 (UTC)<br />
<br />
: It looks more like a forte ([https://www.fileformat.info/info/unicode/char/1d191/index.htm U+1D191]). I'm not sure why that would be funny—maybe because of [[Wikipedia:fortepiano|fortepiano]]s? [[Special:Contributions/172.69.69.214|172.69.69.214]] 21:43, 2 March 2018 (UTC)<br />
::My position comes from the fact that documents written by this generation (i.e. [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Long_s#/media/File:Long-s-US-Bill-of-Rights.jpg Declaration of Independance] and the US Constitution) are noted for having this letter form. The script form of the long s looks like what Randall has written, which, to your point, looks like a "forte" [[Special:Contributions/162.158.79.233|162.158.79.233]] 22:51, 2 March 2018 (UTC)<br />
<br />
Hitler was born in 1889, about three years before the "Oops, one of us is Hitler" generation ... --[[Special:Contributions/141.101.105.240|141.101.105.240]] 21:37, 2 March 2018 (UTC)<br />
<br />
Can someone who's a big Trekkie than I am help explain the dates for ''Star Trek: The Next Generation''? If we're going off of the events of the show + movies, it seems to start well before the events of the show and end before the last of the movies. [[User:PvOberstein|PvOberstein]] ([[User talk:PvOberstein|talk]]) 21:49, 2 March 2018 (UTC)<br />
<br />
Filled in most of the table with explanations (I'm pretty sure most of the latter generation names are references to potential transhumanist futures), but I'm not sure what "Second-Greatest" Generation refers to unless it's about the Civil War. Also, I'm not entirely certain whether the generation before the gilded one was cut a lot of slack. And I'll let someone more versed in standard sociological history fill in the common reasons for the core 20th century generations.[[User:WingedCat|WingedCat]] ([[User talk:WingedCat|talk]]) 22:49, 2 March 2018 (UTC)</div>162.158.155.26https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=1962:_Generations&diff=1534441962: Generations2018-03-02T22:56:12Z<p>162.158.155.26: /* Explanation */</p>
<hr />
<div>{{comic<br />
| number = 1962<br />
| date = March 2, 2018<br />
| title = Generations<br />
| image = generations.png<br />
| titletext = For a while it looked like the Paperclip Machines would destroy us, since they wanted to turn the whole universe into paperclips, but they abruptly lost interest in paperclips the moment their parents' generation got into making them, too.<br />
}}<br />
<br />
==Explanation==<br />
{{incomplete|Created by THE PREVIOUS-PREVIOUS-PREVIOUS GENERATION - Please change this comment when editing this page. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}<br />
<br />
This comic is making fun of the various names we give "generations", and also predicting some future ones. It refers to the [http://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2018/03/01/defining-generations-where-millennials-end-and-post-millennials-begin/ Pew Research Center's recent announcement that they have decided where the Millennial generation ends].<br />
<br />
{| class="wikitable"<br />
|-<br />
! scope="col"| Generation<br />
! scope="col"| Time period<br />
! scope="col"| Explanation<br />
|-<br />
| The Founders<br />
| 1730 - 1747<br />
| Most of the [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Founding_Fathers_of_the_United_States United States' Founding Fathers] were born in this period. (But not all: Benjamin Franklin, for instance, was born two generations prior.)<br />
|-<br />
| Generation ƒ<br />
| 1748 - 1765<br />
| ƒ is the symbol that represented the [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dutch_guilder guilder], the currency of the Netherlands from the 17th century until 2002.<br />
|-<br />
| The Adequate Generation<br />
| 1766 - 1783<br />
| Randall apparently found nothing notable about this generation, positive or negative.<br />
|-<br />
| Generation Æ<br />
| 1784 - 1801<br />
| Æ is the [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Æ diphthong] Aesh - its name sounds like X, though it is pronounced as a long e.<br />
|-<br />
| The generation we cut a lot of slack because they produced Lincoln<br />
| 1802 - 1819<br />
|<br />
|-<br />
| The Gilded Generation<br />
| 1820 - 1837<br />
| [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gilded_Generation_(Strauss%E2%80%93Howe_theory) So named under the Strauss-Howe generation theory], though they use the time period 1822-1842 instead. This likely refers to the "{{w|Gilded Age}}" of American history, roughly the last three decades of the 19th century.<br />
|-<br />
| The Second-Greatest Generation<br />
| 1838 - 1855<br />
|<br />
|-<br />
| Generation -..-<br />
| 1856 - 1873<br />
| This may be referring to [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_Morse_code#Comparison_of_American_and_International_Morse Morse Code] for the number 9, although this is the eighth generation in this list. More likely, it is referring to [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Morse_code the letter X] instead in International Morse Code. This may be an error on Randall's part, since the generations are an American phenomenon. Alternatively, this be a past example of similar cohort of Gen Xers, mirrored by the later "More Gen-Xers somehow". Regardless, this is also a reference to the rise of [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Telegraphy telegraphy], though it was "born" prior to 1856.<br />
|-<br />
| The kids who died in the Gilded Generation's factories and mines<br />
| 1874 - 1891<br />
| [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Child_labour#The_Industrial_Revolution Child labor] had been widely used since before the start of the Industrial Revolution, but this is when people started doing something about it - and also, when the need for an educated workforce arose, applying substantial economic pressure on societies to put children in school instead. It would be more accurate to label this generation, "The kids who stopped dying in the Gilded Generation's factories and mines".<br />
|-<br />
| Oops, one of us is Hitler<br />
| 1892 - 1909<br />
| [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adolf_Hitler Adolf Hitler], possibly the most hated (and, by most definitions, evil) man in living human memory as of this comic's posting, was born during in 1889. Aside from the fact that this places him in the previous generation, it seems beyond silly to blame everyone else who was born during this period for being born in the same generation as him. Among those who eventually heard of him (thus, excluding those in isolated areas or who died before he rose to power), the vast majority of them would not hear of him until well after 1909.<br />
|-<br />
| The Greatest Generation<br />
| 1910 - 1927<br />
|<br />
|-<br />
| The Silent Generation<br />
| 1928 - 1945<br />
|<br />
|-<br />
| Baby Boomers<br />
| 1946 - 1963<br />
|<br />
|-<br />
| Generation X<br />
| 1965 - 1981<br />
|<br />
|-<br />
| Millennials<br />
| 1982 - 1999<br />
| The last children born in the 2nd Millennium.<br />
|-<br />
| Generation (emoji)<br />
| 2000 - 2017<br />
| This begins the hypothetical future generation names, though this generation was already fully born as of this comic's posting. Social media was established and rising during the formative years of this generation, and the widespread adoption of emoji began during this time.<br />
|-<br />
| Zuckerberg's Army<br />
| 2018 - 2035<br />
| Continuing on the above, this may be presuming the dominance of FaceBook during the childhoods of this generation, and corresponding social norming as ultimately directed by its leader Mark Zuckerberg. Ironically, as of this comic's posting, [http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/gadgets-and-tech/news/facebook-quit-young-people-social-media-snapchat-instagram-emarketer-a8206486.html young users were already leaving FaceBook for other social media sites].<br />
|-<br />
| The Hovering Ones<br />
| 2036 - 2053<br />
| This may posit increased adoption of cybernetics, which (as with any technology) are more easily adapted by the young who do not have to unlearn previous ways. If advances allowed someone to hover all the time, such that one would not need to walk, this generation's name suggests that becoming so widely used among this generation that they became known for it.<br />
|-<br />
| Spare Parts<br />
| 2054 - 2071<br />
| Continuing on the above speculation about cybernetics, this presumes enough apathy or sociopathy among this generation's parents that giving birth (or other means of creating a new human) was often done to create bodies from which organs could be harvested (presumably primarily for the benefit of their elders).<br />
|-<br />
| More Gen-Xers somehow<br />
| 2072 - 2089<br />
| As with "Generation -..-", this may be positing that Generation X like traits pop up about 3/4 of the way through each century.<br />
|-<br />
| The Paperclip Maximizers<br />
| 2090 - 2107<br />
| This, and the alt text, are references to the concept of a [https://wiki.lesswrong.com/wiki/Paperclip_maximizer paperclip maximizer], where an AI might be designed to be helpful, but end up being harmful. The clicker game [http://www.decisionproblem.com/paperclips/ Universal Paperclips] makes this concept playable. Furthering the above speculation of cybernetics, this generation might be primarily artificial intelligences, though of limited ability to set their own priorities (a flaw which would be fixed in later generations).<br />
|-<br />
| The Mixed Bag (produced 4 Lincolns, 1 Napoleon, and 2 Hitlers)<br />
| 2108 - 2125<br />
| As with the above examples, a generation may become known for its most famous members, but it is not useful to define an entire generation by them.<br />
|-<br />
| The Procedural Generation<br />
| 2136 - 2143<br />
| [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Procedural_generation Procedural generation] is a way of creating data automatically, rather than capturing it via sensor (including when the "sensor" is a keyboard and the data is typed in). This confusion of the term "generation" could refer to more artificial intelligences that were created via routines instead of directly coded, which would likely stem from attempts to improve child creation once most children were explicitly manufactured instead of relying on evolution-granted biological means.<br />
|-<br />
| Generation Omega<br />
| 2144 - 2161<br />
| "Omega" is the last letter in the Greek alphabet, and used as a symbol of endings. Given the above generation names implying increasingly artificial children, this may suggest the last generation that is recognizably a generation. This does not necessarily mean the end of children or the end of humanity, just that anything after 2161 is widely recognized to no longer have even notional generational coherence - perhaps because of drift (children born to one group during a given time are wildly enough different from children born to another group at the same time that people give up trying to group them by time), child gestation and maturation times (for example, if it became common for a child to go from conception to adulthood in less than a year), or exceptions to what counts as a "child" (for example, if it becomes possible and common to create clones that are somewhere between free-willed beings and mind-controlled drones, and this sufficiently supplants creation of completely free-willed children, regardless of whether the children are artificial intelligences or old-fashioned biological children).<br />
|-<br />
| Star Trek: The Next Generation<br />
|2360 - 2378<br />
|''{{w|Star Trek: The Next Generation}}'' was a TV show set in the future. The first episode of ''TNG'', "{{w|Encounter at Farpoint}}", takes place in 2364, and it concluded with "{{w|https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/All_Good_Things..._(Star_Trek:_The_Next_Generation)|All Good Things...}}", which took place in 2370. The final canonical adventures of the cast of ''The Next Generation'' did not occur until the events of ''{{w|Star Trek: Nemesis}}'' in 2379.<br />
|}<br />
<br />
==Transcript==<br />
{{incomplete transcript|Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}<br />
<br />
:"Generatons" are arbitrary. They're just labels we use to obliquely talk about cultural trends.<br />
:But since Pew Research has become the latest to weigh in, and everyone loves a good pointless argument over definitions...<br />
<br />
:''xkcd presents''<br />
:A Definitive Chronology of the Generations<br />
<br />
:1730-1747 The Founders<br />
:1748-1765 Generation ƒ <br />
:1766-1783 The Adequate Generation<br />
:1784-1801 Generation Æ<br />
:1802-1819 The generation we cut a lot of slack because they produced Lincoln<br />
:1820-1837 The Gilded Generation<br />
:1838-1855 The Second-Greatest Generation<br />
:1956-1973 Generation -··-<br />
:1874-1891 The kids who died in the Gilded Generation's factories and mines<br />
:1992-1909 Oops, one of us is Hitler<br />
:<span style="background:#f0ee87">1910-1927 The Greatest Generation</span><br />
:<span style="background:#f0ee87">1928-1945 The Silent Generation</span><br />
:<span style="background:#f0ee87">1946-1963 Baby Boomers</span><br />
:<span style="background:#f0ee87">1964-1981 Generation X</span><br />
:<span style="background:#f0ee87">1982-1999 Millennials</span><br />
:2000-2017 Generation 💅 [nail polish emoji]<br />
:2018-2035 Zuckerberg's army<br />
:2036-2053 The Hovering Ones<br />
:2054-2071 Spare Parts<br />
:2072-2089 More Gen-Xers somehow<br />
:2070-2107 The Paperclip Machines<br />
:2108-2125 The Mixed Bag (produced 4 Lincolns, 1 Napoleon and 2 Hitlers)<br />
:2126-2143 The Procedural Generation<br />
:2144-2161 Generation Ω<br />
:2360-2378 Star Trek: The Next Generation <br />
<br />
{{comic discussion}}<br />
<br />
[[Category:Comics with color]]<br />
[[Category:Emoji]]</div>162.158.155.26https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=1962:_Generations&diff=1533921962: Generations2018-03-02T17:56:52Z<p>162.158.155.26: /* Explanation */</p>
<hr />
<div>{{comic<br />
| number = 1962<br />
| date = March 2, 2018<br />
| title = Generations<br />
| image = generations.png<br />
| titletext = For a while it looked like the Paperclip Machines would destroy us, since they wanted to turn the whole universe into paperclips, but they abruptly lost interest in paperclips the moment their parents' generation got into making them, too.<br />
}}<br />
<br />
==Explanation==<br />
{{incomplete|Created by THE PREVIOUS GENERATION - Please change this comment when editing this page. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}<br />
<br />
This comic is making fun of the various names we give "generations", and also predicting some future ones.<br />
<br />
The paperclip machines in 2090-2107 and in the alt text are referencing this clicker game where paperclip manufacturing eventually takes over the universe: http://www.decisionproblem.com/paperclips/<br />
<br />
==Transcript==<br />
{{incomplete transcript|Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}<br />
<br />
{{comic discussion}}<br />
<br />
[[Category:Comics with color]]<br />
[[Category:Emoji]]</div>162.158.155.26https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=1681:_Laser_Products&diff=1533461681: Laser Products2018-03-01T20:07:36Z<p>162.158.155.26: /* Trivia */</p>
<hr />
<div>{{comic<br />
| number = 1681<br />
| date = May 16, 2016<br />
| title = Laser Products<br />
| image = laser_products.png<br />
| titletext = ERRORS: HAIR JAM. COLOR-SAFE CONDITIONER CARTRIDGE RUNNING LOW. LEGAL-SIZE HAIR TRAY EMPTY, USING LETTER-SIZE HAIR ONLY.<br />
}}<br />
<br />
==Explanation==<br />
This comic takes three laser-based technologies - laser eye surgery, laserjet printers, and laser hair removal - and conflates them, with humorous results. These are illustrated through reviews by users of the resulting combinations. For the original combinations, the reviews are highly positive. For the new combinations, most are negative, because most of these new "technologies" are ill-conceived and possibly harmful.<br />
<br />
'''Laser eye surgery''' gets a positive review, since it has successfully corrected the reviewer's vision, so that they no longer require glasses. There are a range of laser eye surgeries to correct near- and far-sightedness, as well as various other conditions. {{w|LASIK}}, one of the more common laser eye surgeries, works by using lasers to cut open the cornea and ablate a small amount of the lens.<br />
<br />
'''Laser eye removal''' would be very painful, and thus the review is negative, stating that the reviewer had read the description incorrectly, likely believing it to be one of the real combinations on the chart. The screams of pain expressed in the review have the humorous implication that the review is being typed directly after the ill-advised procedure, though this may just be an after-the-fact expression of the reviewer's feelings. If they produced the review without aid, this would probably have been made more difficult as a result of the surgery.<br />
<br />
'''Laser eye printer''' refers to printing on (or possibly ''of'') an eyeball, which only prompts a disgusted "Eww" response.<br />
<br />
'''Laser jet surgery''' could be performing maintenance on a jet with lasers, which would be potentially dangerous and error-prone{{Citation needed}}. Alternatively, it could mean laser surgery done on a human from a jet aircraft, using a laser mounted to it. The human being operated on could be aboard that aircraft, on another aircraft, or on land: in any case, it does not sound like a safe approach. Another interpretation is that it could refer to surgery using a jet made of lasers, which is even worse, as it would probably cause the entire body to be disintegrated.{{Citation needed}} The ambiguity of the phrase may contribute to the reviewer's concern. <br />
<br />
'''Laser jet removal''' appears to be the destruction of jets with lasers, which apparently works, but angered the Federal Aviation Administration, and probably resulted in legal consequences for the reviewer. This could be a reference to [https://www.faa.gov/about/initiatives/lasers/ the real FAA concern] of the many incidents of [http://www.laserpointersafety.com/laser-hazards_aircraft/laser-hazards_aircraft.html people using laser pointers] against aircraft. [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Laser_Weapon_System "Laser Jet Removal"] actually exists as a military weapon system, though it's primarily meant to be used against jet ''missiles'', rather than jet planes.<br />
<br />
'''LaserJet printer''' is a popular {{w|HP LaserJet|line of Hewlett Packard laser printers}}. {{w|Laser printing}} is a technology which uses a laser to electrically charge a drum so that it collects ink in the form of the image to be printed, before transferring it to paper. The printer seems to work well for the reviewer, as it has been given a positive review.<br />
<br />
'''Laser hair surgery''' turns out to be a fancy name for cutting hair with a laser -- an overengineered, and potentially dangerous, technique for achieving the same results that you could with clippers and scissors. It is rated neutrally, since it did the job, but the reviewer found the name confusing and they disliked the smell of burning hair.<br />
<br />
'''Laser hair removal''' is the {{w|laser hair removal|process}} of destroying hair follicles with bursts of laser light to prevent the growth of unwanted hair. This appears to have been effective for the reviewer.<br />
<br />
'''Laser hair printer''' appears to be a bizarre printer that uses hair in place of paper, or perhaps as the construction material for a {{w|3D printing|3D printer}}. Unsurprisingly, this just creates disgusting messes of hair and keeps jamming the printer, resulting in a negative review. The title text extends this joke, giving some common printer error messages amended for the hair printer. A paper jam is when paper gets stuck in the workings of the printer, usually because it was creased, or more than one sheet fed in at once; in the hair printer this becomes a hair jam. An inkjet printer requires replaceable ink cartridges, and when the ink is used up this will usually result in an ink cartridge running low error; the hair printer appears to require cartridges of {{w|hair conditioner}}. As an additional twist, it uses color-safe conditioner, a product intended to prevent the washing out of dye from the users hair; here, it presumably protects the colour of the printed image or item. Legal and Letter are {{w|Paper_size#North_American_paper_sizes|paper sizes}} used in North America; apparently, the same terms are used for standard supplies of hair for the hair printer.<br />
<br />
==Transcript==<br />
:[Heading above the table:]<br />
:Online Reviews of Laser Products<br />
<br />
:[A three by three table with one word to the far left, from which three lines split out and goes to three words just left of each of the three rows. Above each column is three other words. Below in the table are nine reviews with star rating on a five star scale. The actual rating is indicated with black stars and also use half filled stars in the rating system. The ratings are written in the table in square brackets.]<br />
:{| class="wikitable"<br />
!colspan="2"|<br />
! ...surgery<br />
! ...removal<br />
! ...printer<br />
|-<br />
!rowspan="3"|Laser<br />
! eye...<br />
| [4 1/2 stars]<br>"I don't need<br>glasses anymore!"<br><br> || [1/2 star]<br>"Aaaaaaa! Misread<br>the description!<br>Aaaaaaaaaaaa!!" || [1 star]<br>"Eww."<br><br><br><br />
|-<br />
! jet...<br />
| [1 1/2 stars]<br>"Too nervous<br>to try it."<br><br> || [2 1/2 stars]<br>"Effective, but<br>the FAA got<br>''really'' mad." || [4 stars]<br>"Prints great!"<br><br><br><br />
|-<br />
! hair...<br />
| [2 1/2 stars]<br>"Confusing term<br>for haircut.<br>Burning smell." || [4 stars]<br>"Great results!"<br><br><br> || [1/2 star]<br>"Disgusting, won't<br>turn off, jams<br>constantly."<br><br />
|-<br />
|}<br />
<br />
==Trivia==<br />
<br />
Laser eye removal has been mentioned before, in the lower right part of the [[1619: Watson Medical Algorithm]] chart.<br />
<br />
{{comic discussion}}<br />
[[Category:Charts]]</div>162.158.155.26https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=1681:_Laser_Products&diff=1533451681: Laser Products2018-03-01T20:07:09Z<p>162.158.155.26: </p>
<hr />
<div>{{comic<br />
| number = 1681<br />
| date = May 16, 2016<br />
| title = Laser Products<br />
| image = laser_products.png<br />
| titletext = ERRORS: HAIR JAM. COLOR-SAFE CONDITIONER CARTRIDGE RUNNING LOW. LEGAL-SIZE HAIR TRAY EMPTY, USING LETTER-SIZE HAIR ONLY.<br />
}}<br />
<br />
==Explanation==<br />
This comic takes three laser-based technologies - laser eye surgery, laserjet printers, and laser hair removal - and conflates them, with humorous results. These are illustrated through reviews by users of the resulting combinations. For the original combinations, the reviews are highly positive. For the new combinations, most are negative, because most of these new "technologies" are ill-conceived and possibly harmful.<br />
<br />
'''Laser eye surgery''' gets a positive review, since it has successfully corrected the reviewer's vision, so that they no longer require glasses. There are a range of laser eye surgeries to correct near- and far-sightedness, as well as various other conditions. {{w|LASIK}}, one of the more common laser eye surgeries, works by using lasers to cut open the cornea and ablate a small amount of the lens.<br />
<br />
'''Laser eye removal''' would be very painful, and thus the review is negative, stating that the reviewer had read the description incorrectly, likely believing it to be one of the real combinations on the chart. The screams of pain expressed in the review have the humorous implication that the review is being typed directly after the ill-advised procedure, though this may just be an after-the-fact expression of the reviewer's feelings. If they produced the review without aid, this would probably have been made more difficult as a result of the surgery.<br />
<br />
'''Laser eye printer''' refers to printing on (or possibly ''of'') an eyeball, which only prompts a disgusted "Eww" response.<br />
<br />
'''Laser jet surgery''' could be performing maintenance on a jet with lasers, which would be potentially dangerous and error-prone{{Citation needed}}. Alternatively, it could mean laser surgery done on a human from a jet aircraft, using a laser mounted to it. The human being operated on could be aboard that aircraft, on another aircraft, or on land: in any case, it does not sound like a safe approach. Another interpretation is that it could refer to surgery using a jet made of lasers, which is even worse, as it would probably cause the entire body to be disintegrated.{{Citation needed}} The ambiguity of the phrase may contribute to the reviewer's concern. <br />
<br />
'''Laser jet removal''' appears to be the destruction of jets with lasers, which apparently works, but angered the Federal Aviation Administration, and probably resulted in legal consequences for the reviewer. This could be a reference to [https://www.faa.gov/about/initiatives/lasers/ the real FAA concern] of the many incidents of [http://www.laserpointersafety.com/laser-hazards_aircraft/laser-hazards_aircraft.html people using laser pointers] against aircraft. [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Laser_Weapon_System "Laser Jet Removal"] actually exists as a military weapon system, though it's primarily meant to be used against jet ''missiles'', rather than jet planes.<br />
<br />
'''LaserJet printer''' is a popular {{w|HP LaserJet|line of Hewlett Packard laser printers}}. {{w|Laser printing}} is a technology which uses a laser to electrically charge a drum so that it collects ink in the form of the image to be printed, before transferring it to paper. The printer seems to work well for the reviewer, as it has been given a positive review.<br />
<br />
'''Laser hair surgery''' turns out to be a fancy name for cutting hair with a laser -- an overengineered, and potentially dangerous, technique for achieving the same results that you could with clippers and scissors. It is rated neutrally, since it did the job, but the reviewer found the name confusing and they disliked the smell of burning hair.<br />
<br />
'''Laser hair removal''' is the {{w|laser hair removal|process}} of destroying hair follicles with bursts of laser light to prevent the growth of unwanted hair. This appears to have been effective for the reviewer.<br />
<br />
'''Laser hair printer''' appears to be a bizarre printer that uses hair in place of paper, or perhaps as the construction material for a {{w|3D printing|3D printer}}. Unsurprisingly, this just creates disgusting messes of hair and keeps jamming the printer, resulting in a negative review. The title text extends this joke, giving some common printer error messages amended for the hair printer. A paper jam is when paper gets stuck in the workings of the printer, usually because it was creased, or more than one sheet fed in at once; in the hair printer this becomes a hair jam. An inkjet printer requires replaceable ink cartridges, and when the ink is used up this will usually result in an ink cartridge running low error; the hair printer appears to require cartridges of {{w|hair conditioner}}. As an additional twist, it uses color-safe conditioner, a product intended to prevent the washing out of dye from the users hair; here, it presumably protects the colour of the printed image or item. Legal and Letter are {{w|Paper_size#North_American_paper_sizes|paper sizes}} used in North America; apparently, the same terms are used for standard supplies of hair for the hair printer.<br />
<br />
==Transcript==<br />
:[Heading above the table:]<br />
:Online Reviews of Laser Products<br />
<br />
:[A three by three table with one word to the far left, from which three lines split out and goes to three words just left of each of the three rows. Above each column is three other words. Below in the table are nine reviews with star rating on a five star scale. The actual rating is indicated with black stars and also use half filled stars in the rating system. The ratings are written in the table in square brackets.]<br />
:{| class="wikitable"<br />
!colspan="2"|<br />
! ...surgery<br />
! ...removal<br />
! ...printer<br />
|-<br />
!rowspan="3"|Laser<br />
! eye...<br />
| [4 1/2 stars]<br>"I don't need<br>glasses anymore!"<br><br> || [1/2 star]<br>"Aaaaaaa! Misread<br>the description!<br>Aaaaaaaaaaaa!!" || [1 star]<br>"Eww."<br><br><br><br />
|-<br />
! jet...<br />
| [1 1/2 stars]<br>"Too nervous<br>to try it."<br><br> || [2 1/2 stars]<br>"Effective, but<br>the FAA got<br>''really'' mad." || [4 stars]<br>"Prints great!"<br><br><br><br />
|-<br />
! hair...<br />
| [2 1/2 stars]<br>"Confusing term<br>for haircut.<br>Burning smell." || [4 stars]<br>"Great results!"<br><br><br> || [1/2 star]<br>"Disgusting, won't<br>turn off, jams<br>constantly."<br><br />
|-<br />
|}<br />
<br />
==Trivia==<br />
<br />
Laser eye removal has been mentioned before, in the lower right part of the [[1619: Watson Medical Algorithm]] chart.)<br />
<br />
{{comic discussion}}<br />
[[Category:Charts]]</div>162.158.155.26https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=Talk:1681:_Laser_Products&diff=153344Talk:1681: Laser Products2018-03-01T19:58:26Z<p>162.158.155.26: </p>
<hr />
<div><!--Please sign your posts with ~~~~--><br />
Laser jet surgery might be a reference to [http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/ThisAintRocketSurgery rocket surgery]? {{unsigned ip|141.101.80.25}}<br />
<br />
What is a laser eye printer and why is it eww ? {{unsigned ip|173.245.54.29}}<br />
<br />
:It prints eyes... that should be self explanatory.{{unsigned ip|141.101.98.42}}<br />
<br />
:Could also mean printing on the eye with a laser. Sounds possible but odd. {{unsigned ip|173.245.54.28}}<br />
::People buy colored and patterned contact lenses today, I think a laser eye printer would be used to print those patterns directly onto the eyeball. [[User:N0lqu|-boB]] ([[User talk:N0lqu|talk]]) 15:53, 16 May 2016 (UTC)<br />
<br />
:Laser eye printer sounds like the type of thing edgy people want. Imagine printing a pentagram on your pupil or sclera {{unsigned ip|162.158.26.140}}<br />
<br />
:: Some people have their {{w|Scleral tattooing|sclera}} or ''{{w|Corneal tattooing|cornea}}'' tattooed. The right kind of laser could burn an attractive pattern onto the surface less invasively. Wrong kinds of lasers will perform retinal tattooing. [[User:.42|.42]] ([[User talk:.42|talk]]) 07:07, 19 May 2016 (UTC)<br />
<br />
The first laser was fired 56 years ago, on 16 May 1960 by [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Theodore_Harold_Maiman Theodore Harold Maiman]. Maybe this comic is a reference? [[Special:Contributions/188.114.109.103|188.114.109.103]] 15:45, 16 May 2016 (UTC)<br />
<br />
You don't need to describe how any of these work in detail, just provide a quick description and link them to wikipedia. [[User:Lackadaisical|Lackadaisical]] ([[User talk:Lackadaisical|talk]]) 16:50, 16 May 2016 (UTC)<br />
<br />
Laserjet is a trademarked brand of printers from HP. Does it have any meaning beyond the trademark. I know "Inkjet" is a type of printer that sprays a jet of ink onto the paper, but normally one would just say "laser printer" if one isn't referring to an Epson model [[User:Zeimusu|Zeimusu]] ([[User talk:Zeimusu|talk]]) 19:15, 16 May 2016 (UTC)<br />
<br />
"Laser-mounted jet aircraft"... surely you meant jet aircraft-mounted laser? I'll leave this how it is for a day or two in case I'm missing something. [[User:Xseo|Xseo]] ([[User talk:Xseo|talk]]) 19:58, 16 May 2016 (UTC)<br />
<br />
I found this comic to be funnier than it was intended to be, especially "laser jet removal" because I'm an astronomy nerd and we (at least everyone I've stargazed with) always talk about how we shouldn't point the laser pointers at the bright, moving, blinking stars because that would be very bad and turn it into a shooting star. <br />
<br />
On a side note, I wonder if Arctic Blues are powerful enough to be spotted by people on the ISS, and theoretically how much power and how focused a laser would have to be to blind someone in the cupola. Also how powerful it would need to be to burn a hole through its outside, assuming you had an ultra stable tracking mount. I need to know by Tuesday.<br />
<br />
(Hi NSA, I know I'm on your watchlists for being the atheistic daughter of "Hassan" Muslim immigrants, a communist, and a tinkerer of really dangerous science, but this is xkcd and I am sure this is the least sketchy "what if" that has ever been asked on this site.) <br />
[[User:International Space Station|International Space Station]] ([[User talk:International Space Station|talk]]) 10:30, 18 May 2016 (UTC)<br />
<br />
:The first part of that question was tested in 2012. http://www.universetoday.com/93987/amateur-astronomers-flash-the-space-station/. The article mentions that the 800 million lumen (dubious) searchlights came in brighter than magnitude 0 but the 1 MW blue laser was "also visible". From the picture it looks to be about magnitude 2 or 3. To match the sun's brightness (for blinding purposes) you'd need to get that up to about -26.5. Making up a 29 magnitude difference means you'd need to make your laser about 400 billion times brighter, or about 400 petawatts. You can probably bring that power draw down significantly by focusing the beam more, but since the Earth's power consumption is only about 2.5 petawatts (per Randall), you're already pretty far outside the realm of possibility. [[Special:Contributions/108.162.237.220|108.162.237.220]] 13:41, 18 May 2016 (UTC)<br />
::When I say blind, I mean "blind" in the same sense of "I accidentally flashed my green laser pointer in my eye via my mirror." So that would be just 35mW at 20ft. Couldn't you develop an ultra-focused laser (atmospheric distortion aside) that was able to focus all that energy onto an astronaut's eye from the ground? [[User:International Space Station|International Space Station]] ([[User talk:International Space Station|talk]]) 05:53, 19 May 2016 (UTC) <br />
<br />
::: {{w|Laser guide star}}s are impressively bright at a quarter of the distance to your orbit. 5 kW {{w|laser broom}}s have been proposed for laser satellite removal. The main problem with laser astronaut surgery is probably your huge relative velocity; they won't be visible through your windows long enough to be targeted. You might be more successful powering a {{w|space weapon|laser cannon}} from your solar array and trying to strike Baikonur. [[User:.42|.42]] ([[User talk:.42|talk]]) 06:43, 19 May 2016 (UTC)<br />
<br />
An inkjet printer is very definitely ''not'' xerographic printing, which refers to a dry printing process. A better term would be "raster" rather than "xerographic" although the former still does not imply converting the image to pixels, which appears to be the point the sentence is trying to make. At least "raster" means the image is converted to scan lines...[[Special:Contributions/108.162.241.123|108.162.241.123]] 02:31, 19 May 2016 (UTC)<br />
<br />
I think that it means that you are strapping jets oflasers to your eyeballs and using them to peform surgery.[[Special:Contributions/108.162.221.97|108.162.221.97]] 21:22, 24 May 2016 (UTC)<br />
<br />
"PC LOAD HAIR"? What the fuck does ''that'' mean? [[User:Jevicci|Jevicci]] ([[User talk:Jevicci|talk]]) 22:20, 25 May 2016 (UTC)<br />
<br />
: Based on {{w|PC LOAD LETTER}}, an error message in some old printers. [[Special:Contributions/162.158.92.58|162.158.92.58]] 15:09, 29 March 2017 (UTC)<br />
<br />
I think Laser Eyes Printer could refer to current technology of 3D printing, which is processes used to create a three-dimensional object in which material is joined or solidified under computer control to create an object, with material being added together (such as liquid molecules or powder grains being fused together). Albeit that it uses laser to print out the 3D representation of the eyes.Boeing-787lover 07:03, 9 December 2017 (UTC)</div>162.158.155.26https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=1681:_Laser_Products&diff=1533431681: Laser Products2018-03-01T19:54:32Z<p>162.158.155.26: /* Explanation */</p>
<hr />
<div>{{comic<br />
| number = 1681<br />
| date = May 16, 2016<br />
| title = Laser Products<br />
| image = laser_products.png<br />
| titletext = ERRORS: HAIR JAM. COLOR-SAFE CONDITIONER CARTRIDGE RUNNING LOW. LEGAL-SIZE HAIR TRAY EMPTY, USING LETTER-SIZE HAIR ONLY.<br />
}}<br />
<br />
==Explanation==<br />
This comic takes three laser-based technologies - laser eye surgery, laserjet printers, and laser hair removal - and conflates them, with humorous results. These are illustrated through reviews by users of the resulting combinations. For the original combinations, the reviews are highly positive. For the new combinations, most are negative, because most of these new "technologies" are ill-conceived and possibly harmful.<br />
<br />
'''Laser eye surgery''' gets a positive review, since it has successfully corrected the reviewer's vision, so that they no longer require glasses. There are a range of laser eye surgeries to correct near- and far-sightedness, as well as various other conditions. {{w|LASIK}}, one of the more common laser eye surgeries, works by using lasers to cut open the cornea and ablate a small amount of the lens.<br />
<br />
'''Laser eye removal''' would be very painful, and thus the review is negative, stating that the reviewer had read the description incorrectly, likely believing it to be one of the real combinations on the chart. The screams of pain expressed in the review have the humorous implication that the review is being typed directly after the ill-advised procedure, though this may just be an after-the-fact expression of the reviewer's feelings. If they produced the review without aid, this would probably have been made more difficult as a result of the surgery. (This is not the first time laser eye removal has been mentioned, see the lower right part in the [[1619: Watson Medical Algorithm]] chart.)<br />
<br />
'''Laser eye printer''' refers to printing on (or possibly ''of'') an eyeball, which only prompts a disgusted "Eww" response.<br />
<br />
'''Laser jet surgery''' could be performing maintenance on a jet with lasers, which would be potentially dangerous and error-prone{{Citation needed}}. Alternatively, it could mean laser surgery done on a human from a jet aircraft, using a laser mounted to it. The human being operated on could be aboard that aircraft, on another aircraft, or on land: in any case, it does not sound like a safe approach. Another interpretation is that it could refer to surgery using a jet made of lasers, which is even worse, as it would probably cause the entire body to be disintegrated.{{Citation needed}} The ambiguity of the phrase may contribute to the reviewer's concern. <br />
<br />
'''Laser jet removal''' appears to be the destruction of jets with lasers, which apparently works, but angered the Federal Aviation Administration, and probably resulted in legal consequences for the reviewer. This could be a reference to [https://www.faa.gov/about/initiatives/lasers/ the real FAA concern] of the many incidents of [http://www.laserpointersafety.com/laser-hazards_aircraft/laser-hazards_aircraft.html people using laser pointers] against aircraft. [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Laser_Weapon_System "Laser Jet Removal"] actually exists as a military weapon system, though it's primarily meant to be used against jet ''missiles'', rather than jet planes.<br />
<br />
'''LaserJet printer''' is a popular {{w|HP LaserJet|line of Hewlett Packard laser printers}}. {{w|Laser printing}} is a technology which uses a laser to electrically charge a drum so that it collects ink in the form of the image to be printed, before transferring it to paper. The printer seems to work well for the reviewer, as it has been given a positive review.<br />
<br />
'''Laser hair surgery''' turns out to be a fancy name for cutting hair with a laser -- an overengineered, and potentially dangerous, technique for achieving the same results that you could with clippers and scissors. It is rated neutrally, since it did the job, but the reviewer found the name confusing and they disliked the smell of burning hair.<br />
<br />
'''Laser hair removal''' is the {{w|laser hair removal|process}} of destroying hair follicles with bursts of laser light to prevent the growth of unwanted hair. This appears to have been effective for the reviewer.<br />
<br />
'''Laser hair printer''' appears to be a bizarre printer that uses hair in place of paper, or perhaps as the construction material for a {{w|3D printing|3D printer}}. Unsurprisingly, this just creates disgusting messes of hair and keeps jamming the printer, resulting in a negative review. The title text extends this joke, giving some common printer error messages amended for the hair printer. A paper jam is when paper gets stuck in the workings of the printer, usually because it was creased, or more than one sheet fed in at once; in the hair printer this becomes a hair jam. An inkjet printer requires replaceable ink cartridges, and when the ink is used up this will usually result in an ink cartridge running low error; the hair printer appears to require cartridges of {{w|hair conditioner}}. As an additional twist, it uses color-safe conditioner, a product intended to prevent the washing out of dye from the users hair; here, it presumably protects the colour of the printed image or item. Legal and Letter are {{w|Paper_size#North_American_paper_sizes|paper sizes}} used in North America; apparently, the same terms are used for standard supplies of hair for the hair printer.<br />
<br />
==Transcript==<br />
:[Heading above the table:]<br />
:Online Reviews of Laser Products<br />
<br />
:[A three by three table with one word to the far left, from which three lines split out and goes to three words just left of each of the three rows. Above each column is three other words. Below in the table are nine reviews with star rating on a five star scale. The actual rating is indicated with black stars and also use half filled stars in the rating system. The ratings are written in the table in square brackets.]<br />
:{| class="wikitable"<br />
!colspan="2"|<br />
! ...surgery<br />
! ...removal<br />
! ...printer<br />
|-<br />
!rowspan="3"|Laser<br />
! eye...<br />
| [4 1/2 stars]<br>"I don't need<br>glasses anymore!"<br><br> || [1/2 star]<br>"Aaaaaaa! Misread<br>the description!<br>Aaaaaaaaaaaa!!" || [1 star]<br>"Eww."<br><br><br><br />
|-<br />
! jet...<br />
| [1 1/2 stars]<br>"Too nervous<br>to try it."<br><br> || [2 1/2 stars]<br>"Effective, but<br>the FAA got<br>''really'' mad." || [4 stars]<br>"Prints great!"<br><br><br><br />
|-<br />
! hair...<br />
| [2 1/2 stars]<br>"Confusing term<br>for haircut.<br>Burning smell." || [4 stars]<br>"Great results!"<br><br><br> || [1/2 star]<br>"Disgusting, won't<br>turn off, jams<br>constantly."<br><br />
|-<br />
|}<br />
<br />
{{comic discussion}}<br />
[[Category:Charts]]</div>162.158.155.26https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=1681:_Laser_Products&diff=1533421681: Laser Products2018-03-01T19:34:27Z<p>162.158.155.26: /* Explanation */</p>
<hr />
<div>{{comic<br />
| number = 1681<br />
| date = May 16, 2016<br />
| title = Laser Products<br />
| image = laser_products.png<br />
| titletext = ERRORS: HAIR JAM. COLOR-SAFE CONDITIONER CARTRIDGE RUNNING LOW. LEGAL-SIZE HAIR TRAY EMPTY, USING LETTER-SIZE HAIR ONLY.<br />
}}<br />
<br />
==Explanation==<br />
This comic takes three laser-based technologies - laser eye surgery, laserjet printers, and laser hair removal - and conflates them, with humorous results. These are illustrated through reviews by users of the resulting combinations. For the original combinations, the reviews are highly positive. For the new combinations, most are negative, because most of these new "technologies" are ill-conceived and possibly harmful.<br />
<br />
'''Laser eye surgery''' gets a positive review, since it has successfully corrected the reviewer's vision, no longer requiring them to use glasses.<br />
<br />
'''Laser eye removal''' would be very painful, and thus the review is negative, stating that the reviewer had read the description incorrectly, likely believing it to be one of the real combinations on the chart. The screams of pain expressed in the review have the humorous implication that the review is being typed directly after the ill-advised procedure, though this may just be an after-the-fact expression of the reviewer's feelings. If they produced the review without aid, this would probably have been made more difficult as a result of the surgery. (This is not the first time laser eye removal has been mentioned, see the lower right part in the [[1619: Watson Medical Algorithm]] chart.)<br />
<br />
'''Laser eye printer''' refers to printing on (or possibly ''of'') an eyeball, which only prompts a disgusted "Eww" response.<br />
<br />
'''Laser jet surgery''' could be performing maintenance on a jet with lasers, which would be potentially dangerous and error-prone{{Citation needed}}. Alternatively, it could mean laser surgery done on a human from a jet aircraft, using a laser mounted to it. The human being operated on could be aboard that aircraft, on another aircraft, or on land: in any case, it does not sound like a safe approach. Another interpretation is that it could refer to surgery using a jet made of lasers, which is even worse, as it would probably cause the entire body to be disintegrated.{{Citation needed}} The ambiguity of the phrase may contribute to the reviewer's concern. <br />
<br />
'''Laser jet removal''' appears to be the destruction of jets with lasers, which apparently works, but angered the Federal Aviation Administration, and probably resulted in legal consequences for the reviewer. This could be a reference to [https://www.faa.gov/about/initiatives/lasers/ the real FAA concern] of the many incidents of [http://www.laserpointersafety.com/laser-hazards_aircraft/laser-hazards_aircraft.html people using laser pointers] against aircraft.<br />
<br />
'''LaserJet printer''' gets a positive review, as it is a {{w|HP LaserJet|popular line of printers}} that works well for the reviewer.<br />
<br />
'''Laser hair surgery''' turns out to be a fancy name for cutting hair with a laser -- an overengineered, and potentially dangerous, technique for achieving the same results that you could with clippers and scissors. It is rated neutrally, since it did the job, but the reviewer found the name confusing and they disliked the smell of burning hair.<br />
<br />
'''Laser hair removal''' is the {{w|laser hair removal|process}} of destroying hair follicles with bursts of laser light to prevent the growth of unwanted hair. This appears to have been effective for the reviewer.<br />
<br />
'''Laser hair printer''' appears to be a bizarre printer that uses hair in place of paper, or perhaps as the construction material for a {{w|3D printing|3D printer}}. Unsurprisingly, this just creates disgusting messes of hair and keeps jamming the printer, resulting in a negative review. The title text extends this joke, giving some common printer error messages amended for the hair printer. A paper jam is when paper gets stuck in the workings of the printer, usually because it was creased, or more than one sheet fed in at once; in the hair printer this becomes a hair jam. An inkjet printer requires replaceable ink cartridges, and when the ink is used up this will usually result in an ink cartridge running low error; the hair printer appears to require cartridges of {{w|hair conditioner}}. As an additional twist, it uses color-safe conditioner, a product intended to prevent the washing out of dye from the users hair; here, it presumably protects the colour of the printed image or item. Legal and Letter are {{w|Paper_size#North_American_paper_sizes|paper sizes}} used in North America; apparently, the same terms are used for standard supplies of hair for the hair printer.<br />
<br />
===Laser eye surgery===<br />
LASIK, one of the more common laser eye surgeries, works by cutting open the cornea and ablating a small amount of the lens. Lasers are used for both steps. This, or equivalent, is the referenced surgery. There are other laser eye surgeries for various other conditions besides near- and far-sightedness.<br />
<br />
===Laserjet printing===<br />
LaserJet is a brand name used by Hewlett Packard (HP) for its line of laser printers.<br />
<br />
Laser printing is an electrostatic digital printing process. It produces high-quality text and graphics (and moderate-quality photographs) by repeatedly passing a laser beam back and forth over a negatively charged cylinder called a "drum" to define a differentially-charged image. The drum then selectively collects electrically charged powdered ink (toner), and transfers the image to paper, which is then heated in order to permanently fuse the text and/or imagery. As with digital photocopiers and multifunction/all-in-one inkjet printers, laser printers employ a xerographic printing process. However, laser printing differs from analog photocopiers in that the image is produced by the direct scanning of the medium across the printer's photoreceptor. This enables laser printing to copy images more quickly than most photocopiers.<br />
<br />
===Laser hair removal===<br />
Laser hair removal is the process of removing unwanted hair by means of exposure to pulses of laser light that destroy the hair follicle. It had been performed experimentally for about twenty years before becoming commercially available in the mid-1990s. One of the first published articles describing laser hair removal was authored by the group at Massachusetts General Hospital in 1998.The efficacy of laser hair removal is now generally accepted in the dermatology community,[citation needed] and laser hair removal is widely practiced in clinics, and even in homes using devices designed and priced for consumer self-treatment. Many reviews of laser hair removal methods, safety, and efficacy have been published in the dermatology literature.<br />
<br />
Lastly, as an aside, [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Laser_Weapon_System "Laser Jet Removal"] actually exists as a military weapon system. Although it's primarily meant to be used against jet ''missiles'' not jet planes (as the FAA quip suggests).<br />
<br />
==Transcript==<br />
:[Heading above the table:]<br />
:Online Reviews of Laser Products<br />
<br />
:[A three by three table with one word to the far left, from which three lines split out and goes to three words just left of each of the three rows. Above each column is three other words. Below in the table are nine reviews with star rating on a five star scale. The actual rating is indicated with black stars and also use half filled stars in the rating system. The ratings are written in the table in square brackets.]<br />
:{| class="wikitable"<br />
!colspan="2"|<br />
! ...surgery<br />
! ...removal<br />
! ...printer<br />
|-<br />
!rowspan="3"|Laser<br />
! eye...<br />
| [4 1/2 stars]<br>"I don't need<br>glasses anymore!"<br><br> || [1/2 star]<br>"Aaaaaaa! Misread<br>the description!<br>Aaaaaaaaaaaa!!" || [1 star]<br>"Eww."<br><br><br><br />
|-<br />
! jet...<br />
| [1 1/2 stars]<br>"Too nervous<br>to try it."<br><br> || [2 1/2 stars]<br>"Effective, but<br>the FAA got<br>''really'' mad." || [4 stars]<br>"Prints great!"<br><br><br><br />
|-<br />
! hair...<br />
| [2 1/2 stars]<br>"Confusing term<br>for haircut.<br>Burning smell." || [4 stars]<br>"Great results!"<br><br><br> || [1/2 star]<br>"Disgusting, won't<br>turn off, jams<br>constantly."<br><br />
|-<br />
|}<br />
<br />
{{comic discussion}}<br />
[[Category:Charts]]</div>162.158.155.26https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=1681:_Laser_Products&diff=1533411681: Laser Products2018-03-01T19:31:45Z<p>162.158.155.26: /* Explanation */</p>
<hr />
<div>{{comic<br />
| number = 1681<br />
| date = May 16, 2016<br />
| title = Laser Products<br />
| image = laser_products.png<br />
| titletext = ERRORS: HAIR JAM. COLOR-SAFE CONDITIONER CARTRIDGE RUNNING LOW. LEGAL-SIZE HAIR TRAY EMPTY, USING LETTER-SIZE HAIR ONLY.<br />
}}<br />
<br />
==Explanation==<br />
This comic takes three laser-based technologies - laser eye surgery, laserjet printers, and laser hair removal - and conflates them, with humorous results. These are illustrated through reviews by users of the resulting combinations. For the original combinations, the reviews are highly positive. For the new combinations, most are negative, because most of these new "technologies" are ill-conceived and possibly harmful.<br />
<br />
'''Laser eye surgery''' gets a positive review, since it has successfully corrected the reviewer's vision, no longer requiring them to use glasses.<br />
<br />
'''Laser eye removal''' would be very painful, and thus the review is negative, stating that the reviewer had read the description incorrectly, likely believing it to be one of the real combinations on the chart. The screams of pain expressed in the review have the humorous implication that the review is being typed directly after the ill-advised procedure, though this may just be an after-the-fact expression of the reviewer's feelings. If they produced the review without aid, this would probably have been made more difficult as a result of the surgery. (This is not the first time laser eye removal has been mentioned, see the lower right part in the [[1619: Watson Medical Algorithm]] chart.)<br />
<br />
'''Laser eye printer''' refers to printing on (or possibly ''of'') an eyeball, which only prompts a disgusted "Eww" response.<br />
<br />
'''Laser jet surgery''' could be performing maintenance on a jet with lasers, which would be potentially dangerous and error-prone{{Citation needed}}. Alternatively, it could mean laser surgery done on a human from a jet aircraft, using a laser mounted to it. The human being operated on could be aboard that aircraft, on another aircraft, or on land: in any case, it does not sound like a safe approach. Another interpretation is that it could refer to surgery using a jet made of lasers, which is even worse, as it would probably cause the entire body to be disintegrated.{{Citation needed}} The ambiguity of the phrase may contribute to the reviewer's concern. <br />
<br />
'''Laser jet removal''' appears to be the destruction of jets with lasers, which apparently works, but angered the Federal Aviation Administration, and probably resulted in legal consequences for the reviewer. This could be a reference to [https://www.faa.gov/about/initiatives/lasers/ the real FAA concern] of the many incidents of [http://www.laserpointersafety.com/laser-hazards_aircraft/laser-hazards_aircraft.html people using laser pointers] against aircraft.<br />
<br />
'''LaserJet printer''' gets a positive review, as it is a {{w|HP LaserJet|popular line of printers}} that works well for the reviewer.<br />
<br />
'''Laser hair surgery''' turns out to be a fancy name for cutting hair with a laser -- an overengineered, and potentially dangerous, technique for achieving the same results that you could with clippers and scissors. It is rated neutrally, since it did the job, but the reviewer found the name confusing and they disliked the smell of burning hair.<br />
<br />
'''Laser hair removal''' is the {{w|laser hair removal|process}} of destroying hair follicles with bursts of laser light to prevent the growth of unwanted hair. This appears to have been effective for the reviewer.<br />
<br />
'''Laser hair printer''' appears to be a bizarre printer that uses hair in place of paper, or perhaps as the construction material for a {{w|3D printing|3D printer}}. Unsurprisingly, this just creates disgusting messes of hair and keeps jamming the printer, resulting in a negative review. The title text extends this joke, giving some common printer error messages amended for the hair printer. A paper jam is when paper gets stuck in the workings of the printer, usually because it was creased, or more than one sheet fed in at once; in the hair printer this becomes a hair jam. An inkjet printer requires replaceable ink cartridges, and when the ink is used up this will usually result in an ink cartridge running low error; the hair printer appears to require cartridges of {{w|hair conditioner}}. As an additional twist, it uses color-safe conditioner, a product intended to prevent the washing out of dye from the users hair; here, it presumably protects the colour of the printed image or item. Legal and Letter are {{w|Paper_size#North_American_paper_sizes|paper sizes}} used in North America.<br />
<br />
===Laser eye surgery===<br />
LASIK, one of the more common laser eye surgeries, works by cutting open the cornea and ablating a small amount of the lens. Lasers are used for both steps. This, or equivalent, is the referenced surgery. There are other laser eye surgeries for various other conditions besides near- and far-sightedness.<br />
<br />
===Laserjet printing===<br />
LaserJet is a brand name used by Hewlett Packard (HP) for its line of laser printers.<br />
<br />
Laser printing is an electrostatic digital printing process. It produces high-quality text and graphics (and moderate-quality photographs) by repeatedly passing a laser beam back and forth over a negatively charged cylinder called a "drum" to define a differentially-charged image. The drum then selectively collects electrically charged powdered ink (toner), and transfers the image to paper, which is then heated in order to permanently fuse the text and/or imagery. As with digital photocopiers and multifunction/all-in-one inkjet printers, laser printers employ a xerographic printing process. However, laser printing differs from analog photocopiers in that the image is produced by the direct scanning of the medium across the printer's photoreceptor. This enables laser printing to copy images more quickly than most photocopiers.<br />
<br />
===Laser hair removal===<br />
Laser hair removal is the process of removing unwanted hair by means of exposure to pulses of laser light that destroy the hair follicle. It had been performed experimentally for about twenty years before becoming commercially available in the mid-1990s. One of the first published articles describing laser hair removal was authored by the group at Massachusetts General Hospital in 1998.The efficacy of laser hair removal is now generally accepted in the dermatology community,[citation needed] and laser hair removal is widely practiced in clinics, and even in homes using devices designed and priced for consumer self-treatment. Many reviews of laser hair removal methods, safety, and efficacy have been published in the dermatology literature.<br />
<br />
Lastly, as an aside, [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Laser_Weapon_System "Laser Jet Removal"] actually exists as a military weapon system. Although it's primarily meant to be used against jet ''missiles'' not jet planes (as the FAA quip suggests).<br />
<br />
==Transcript==<br />
:[Heading above the table:]<br />
:Online Reviews of Laser Products<br />
<br />
:[A three by three table with one word to the far left, from which three lines split out and goes to three words just left of each of the three rows. Above each column is three other words. Below in the table are nine reviews with star rating on a five star scale. The actual rating is indicated with black stars and also use half filled stars in the rating system. The ratings are written in the table in square brackets.]<br />
:{| class="wikitable"<br />
!colspan="2"|<br />
! ...surgery<br />
! ...removal<br />
! ...printer<br />
|-<br />
!rowspan="3"|Laser<br />
! eye...<br />
| [4 1/2 stars]<br>"I don't need<br>glasses anymore!"<br><br> || [1/2 star]<br>"Aaaaaaa! Misread<br>the description!<br>Aaaaaaaaaaaa!!" || [1 star]<br>"Eww."<br><br><br><br />
|-<br />
! jet...<br />
| [1 1/2 stars]<br>"Too nervous<br>to try it."<br><br> || [2 1/2 stars]<br>"Effective, but<br>the FAA got<br>''really'' mad." || [4 stars]<br>"Prints great!"<br><br><br><br />
|-<br />
! hair...<br />
| [2 1/2 stars]<br>"Confusing term<br>for haircut.<br>Burning smell." || [4 stars]<br>"Great results!"<br><br><br> || [1/2 star]<br>"Disgusting, won't<br>turn off, jams<br>constantly."<br><br />
|-<br />
|}<br />
<br />
{{comic discussion}}<br />
[[Category:Charts]]</div>162.158.155.26https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=1681:_Laser_Products&diff=1533401681: Laser Products2018-03-01T19:28:27Z<p>162.158.155.26: /* Explanation */</p>
<hr />
<div>{{comic<br />
| number = 1681<br />
| date = May 16, 2016<br />
| title = Laser Products<br />
| image = laser_products.png<br />
| titletext = ERRORS: HAIR JAM. COLOR-SAFE CONDITIONER CARTRIDGE RUNNING LOW. LEGAL-SIZE HAIR TRAY EMPTY, USING LETTER-SIZE HAIR ONLY.<br />
}}<br />
<br />
==Explanation==<br />
This comic takes three laser-based technologies - laser eye surgery, laserjet printers, and laser hair removal - and conflates them, with humorous results. These are illustrated through reviews by users of the resulting combinations. For the original combinations, the reviews are highly positive. For the new combinations, most are negative, because most of these new "technologies" are ill-conceived and possibly harmful.<br />
<br />
'''Laser eye surgery''' gets a positive review, since it has successfully corrected the reviewer's vision, no longer requiring them to use glasses.<br />
<br />
'''Laser eye removal''' would be very painful, and thus the review is negative, stating that the reviewer had read the description incorrectly, likely believing it to be one of the real combinations on the chart. The screams of pain expressed in the review have the humorous implication that the review is being typed directly after the ill-advised procedure, though this may just be an after-the-fact expression of the reviewer's feelings. If they produced the review without aid, this would probably have been made more difficult as a result of the surgery. (This is not the first time laser eye removal has been mentioned, see the lower right part in the [[1619: Watson Medical Algorithm]] chart.)<br />
<br />
'''Laser eye printer''' refers to printing on (or possibly ''of'') an eyeball, which only prompts a disgusted "Eww" response.<br />
<br />
'''Laser jet surgery''' could be performing maintenance on a jet with lasers, which would be potentially dangerous and error-prone{{Citation needed}}. Alternatively, it could mean laser surgery done on a human from a jet aircraft, using a laser mounted to it. The human being operated on could be aboard that aircraft, on another aircraft, or on land: in any case, it does not sound like a safe approach. Another interpretation is that it could refer to surgery using a jet made of lasers, which is even worse, as it would probably cause the entire body to be disintegrated.{{Citation needed}} The ambiguity of the phrase may contribute to the reviewer's concern. <br />
<br />
'''Laser jet removal''' appears to be the destruction of jets with lasers, which apparently works, but angered the Federal Aviation Administration, and probably resulted in legal consequences for the reviewer. This could be a reference to [https://www.faa.gov/about/initiatives/lasers/ the real FAA concern] of the many incidents of [http://www.laserpointersafety.com/laser-hazards_aircraft/laser-hazards_aircraft.html people using laser pointers] against aircraft.<br />
<br />
'''LaserJet printer''' gets a positive review, as it is a {{w|HP LaserJet|popular line of printers}} that works well for the reviewer.<br />
<br />
'''Laser hair surgery''' turns out to be a fancy name for cutting hair with a laser -- an overengineered, and potentially dangerous, technique for achieving the same results that you could with clippers and scissors. It is rated neutrally, since it did the job, but the reviewer found the name confusing and they disliked the smell of burning hair.<br />
<br />
'''Laser hair removal''' is the {{w|laser hair removal|process}} of destroying hair follicles with bursts of laser light to prevent the growth of unwanted hair. This appears to have been effective for the reviewer.<br />
<br />
'''Laser hair printer''' appears to be a bizarre printer that uses hair in place of paper, or perhaps as the construction material for a {{w|3D printing|3D printer}}. Unsurprisingly, this just creates disgusting messes of hair and keeps jamming the printer, resulting in a negative review. The title text extends this joke, giving some common printer error messages amended for the hair printer. A paper jam is when paper gets stuck in the workings of the printer, usually because it was creased, or more than one sheet fed in at once; in the hair printer this becomes a hair jam. An inkjet printer requires replaceable ink cartridges, and when the ink is used up this will usually result in an ink cartridge low error; the hair printer appears to require cartridges of {{w|hair conditioner}}. As an additional twist, it uses color-safe conditioner. Legal and Letter are {{w|Paper_size#North_American_paper_sizes|paper sizes}} used in North America.<br />
<br />
===Laser eye surgery===<br />
LASIK, one of the more common laser eye surgeries, works by cutting open the cornea and ablating a small amount of the lens. Lasers are used for both steps. This, or equivalent, is the referenced surgery. There are other laser eye surgeries for various other conditions besides near- and far-sightedness.<br />
<br />
===Laserjet printing===<br />
LaserJet is a brand name used by Hewlett Packard (HP) for its line of laser printers.<br />
<br />
Laser printing is an electrostatic digital printing process. It produces high-quality text and graphics (and moderate-quality photographs) by repeatedly passing a laser beam back and forth over a negatively charged cylinder called a "drum" to define a differentially-charged image. The drum then selectively collects electrically charged powdered ink (toner), and transfers the image to paper, which is then heated in order to permanently fuse the text and/or imagery. As with digital photocopiers and multifunction/all-in-one inkjet printers, laser printers employ a xerographic printing process. However, laser printing differs from analog photocopiers in that the image is produced by the direct scanning of the medium across the printer's photoreceptor. This enables laser printing to copy images more quickly than most photocopiers.<br />
<br />
===Laser hair removal===<br />
Laser hair removal is the process of removing unwanted hair by means of exposure to pulses of laser light that destroy the hair follicle. It had been performed experimentally for about twenty years before becoming commercially available in the mid-1990s. One of the first published articles describing laser hair removal was authored by the group at Massachusetts General Hospital in 1998.The efficacy of laser hair removal is now generally accepted in the dermatology community,[citation needed] and laser hair removal is widely practiced in clinics, and even in homes using devices designed and priced for consumer self-treatment. Many reviews of laser hair removal methods, safety, and efficacy have been published in the dermatology literature.<br />
<br />
Lastly, as an aside, [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Laser_Weapon_System "Laser Jet Removal"] actually exists as a military weapon system. Although it's primarily meant to be used against jet ''missiles'' not jet planes (as the FAA quip suggests).<br />
<br />
==Transcript==<br />
:[Heading above the table:]<br />
:Online Reviews of Laser Products<br />
<br />
:[A three by three table with one word to the far left, from which three lines split out and goes to three words just left of each of the three rows. Above each column is three other words. Below in the table are nine reviews with star rating on a five star scale. The actual rating is indicated with black stars and also use half filled stars in the rating system. The ratings are written in the table in square brackets.]<br />
:{| class="wikitable"<br />
!colspan="2"|<br />
! ...surgery<br />
! ...removal<br />
! ...printer<br />
|-<br />
!rowspan="3"|Laser<br />
! eye...<br />
| [4 1/2 stars]<br>"I don't need<br>glasses anymore!"<br><br> || [1/2 star]<br>"Aaaaaaa! Misread<br>the description!<br>Aaaaaaaaaaaa!!" || [1 star]<br>"Eww."<br><br><br><br />
|-<br />
! jet...<br />
| [1 1/2 stars]<br>"Too nervous<br>to try it."<br><br> || [2 1/2 stars]<br>"Effective, but<br>the FAA got<br>''really'' mad." || [4 stars]<br>"Prints great!"<br><br><br><br />
|-<br />
! hair...<br />
| [2 1/2 stars]<br>"Confusing term<br>for haircut.<br>Burning smell." || [4 stars]<br>"Great results!"<br><br><br> || [1/2 star]<br>"Disgusting, won't<br>turn off, jams<br>constantly."<br><br />
|-<br />
|}<br />
<br />
{{comic discussion}}<br />
[[Category:Charts]]</div>162.158.155.26https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=1681:_Laser_Products&diff=1533391681: Laser Products2018-03-01T19:14:22Z<p>162.158.155.26: /* Explanation */</p>
<hr />
<div>{{comic<br />
| number = 1681<br />
| date = May 16, 2016<br />
| title = Laser Products<br />
| image = laser_products.png<br />
| titletext = ERRORS: HAIR JAM. COLOR-SAFE CONDITIONER CARTRIDGE RUNNING LOW. LEGAL-SIZE HAIR TRAY EMPTY, USING LETTER-SIZE HAIR ONLY.<br />
}}<br />
<br />
==Explanation==<br />
This comic takes three laser-based technologies - laser eye surgery, laserjet printers, and laser hair removal - and conflates them, with humorous results. These are illustrated through reviews by users of the resulting combinations. For the original combinations, the reviews are highly positive. For the new combinations, most are negative, because most of these new "technologies" are ill-conceived and possibly harmful.<br />
<br />
'''Laser eye surgery''' gets a positive review, since it has successfully corrected the reviewer's vision, no longer requiring them to use glasses.<br />
<br />
'''Laser eye removal''' would be very painful, and thus the review is negative, stating that the reviewer had read the description incorrectly, likely believing it to be one of the real combinations on the chart. The screams of pain expressed in the review have the humorous implication that the review is being typed directly after the ill-advised procedure, though this may just be an after-the-fact expression of the reviewer's feelings. If they produced the review without aid, this would probably have been made more difficult as a result of the surgery. (This is not the first time laser eye removal has been mentioned, see the lower right part in the [[1619: Watson Medical Algorithm]] chart.)<br />
<br />
'''Laser eye printer''' refers to printing on (or possibly ''of'') an eyeball, which only prompts a disgusted "Eww" response.<br />
<br />
'''Laser jet surgery''' could be performing maintenance on a jet with lasers, which would be potentially dangerous and error-prone{{Citation needed}}. Alternatively, it could mean laser surgery done on a human from a jet aircraft, using a laser mounted to it. The human being operated on could be aboard that aircraft, on another aircraft, or on land: in any case, it does not sound like a safe approach. Another interpretation is that it could refer to surgery using a jet made of lasers, which is even worse, as it would probably cause the entire body to be disintegrated.{{Citation needed}} The ambiguity of the phrase may contribute to the reviewer's concern. <br />
<br />
'''Laser jet removal''' appears to be the destruction of jets with lasers, which apparently works, but angered the Federal Aviation Administration, and probably resulted in legal consequences for the reviewer. This could be a reference to [https://www.faa.gov/about/initiatives/lasers/ the real FAA concern] of the many incidents of [http://www.laserpointersafety.com/laser-hazards_aircraft/laser-hazards_aircraft.html people using laser pointers] against aircraft.<br />
<br />
'''LaserJet printer''' gets a positive review, as it is a {{w|HP LaserJet|popular line of printers}} that works well for the reviewer.<br />
<br />
'''Laser hair surgery''' turns out to be a fancy name for cutting hair with a laser -- an overengineered, and potentially dangerous, technique for achieving the same results that you could with clippers and scissors. It is rated neutrally, since it did the job, but the reviewer found the name confusing and they disliked the smell of burning hair.<br />
<br />
'''Laser hair removal''' is the {{w|laser hair removal|process}} of destroying hair follicles with bursts of laser light to prevent the growth of unwanted hair. This appears to have been effective for the reviewer.<br />
<br />
'''Laser hair printer''' appears to be a bizarre printer that uses hair in place of paper. Unsurprisingly, this just creates disgusting messes of hair and keeps jamming the printer, resulting in a negative review. The title text extends this joke, giving some common printer error messages amended for the hair printer. A paper jam is when paper gets stuck in the workings of the printer, usually because it was creased, or more than one sheet fed in at once; in the hair printer this becomes a hair jam. It also replaces "ink" with "color-safe conditioner". Legal and Letter are {{w|Paper_size#North_American_paper_sizes|paper sizes}} used in North America.<br />
<br />
===Laser eye surgery===<br />
LASIK, one of the more common laser eye surgeries, works by cutting open the cornea and ablating a small amount of the lens. Lasers are used for both steps. This, or equivalent, is the referenced surgery. There are other laser eye surgeries for various other conditions besides near- and far-sightedness.<br />
<br />
===Laserjet printing===<br />
LaserJet is a brand name used by Hewlett Packard (HP) for its line of laser printers.<br />
<br />
Laser printing is an electrostatic digital printing process. It produces high-quality text and graphics (and moderate-quality photographs) by repeatedly passing a laser beam back and forth over a negatively charged cylinder called a "drum" to define a differentially-charged image. The drum then selectively collects electrically charged powdered ink (toner), and transfers the image to paper, which is then heated in order to permanently fuse the text and/or imagery. As with digital photocopiers and multifunction/all-in-one inkjet printers, laser printers employ a xerographic printing process. However, laser printing differs from analog photocopiers in that the image is produced by the direct scanning of the medium across the printer's photoreceptor. This enables laser printing to copy images more quickly than most photocopiers.<br />
<br />
===Laser hair removal===<br />
Laser hair removal is the process of removing unwanted hair by means of exposure to pulses of laser light that destroy the hair follicle. It had been performed experimentally for about twenty years before becoming commercially available in the mid-1990s. One of the first published articles describing laser hair removal was authored by the group at Massachusetts General Hospital in 1998.The efficacy of laser hair removal is now generally accepted in the dermatology community,[citation needed] and laser hair removal is widely practiced in clinics, and even in homes using devices designed and priced for consumer self-treatment. Many reviews of laser hair removal methods, safety, and efficacy have been published in the dermatology literature.<br />
<br />
Lastly, as an aside, [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Laser_Weapon_System "Laser Jet Removal"] actually exists as a military weapon system. Although it's primarily meant to be used against jet ''missiles'' not jet planes (as the FAA quip suggests).<br />
<br />
==Transcript==<br />
:[Heading above the table:]<br />
:Online Reviews of Laser Products<br />
<br />
:[A three by three table with one word to the far left, from which three lines split out and goes to three words just left of each of the three rows. Above each column is three other words. Below in the table are nine reviews with star rating on a five star scale. The actual rating is indicated with black stars and also use half filled stars in the rating system. The ratings are written in the table in square brackets.]<br />
:{| class="wikitable"<br />
!colspan="2"|<br />
! ...surgery<br />
! ...removal<br />
! ...printer<br />
|-<br />
!rowspan="3"|Laser<br />
! eye...<br />
| [4 1/2 stars]<br>"I don't need<br>glasses anymore!"<br><br> || [1/2 star]<br>"Aaaaaaa! Misread<br>the description!<br>Aaaaaaaaaaaa!!" || [1 star]<br>"Eww."<br><br><br><br />
|-<br />
! jet...<br />
| [1 1/2 stars]<br>"Too nervous<br>to try it."<br><br> || [2 1/2 stars]<br>"Effective, but<br>the FAA got<br>''really'' mad." || [4 stars]<br>"Prints great!"<br><br><br><br />
|-<br />
! hair...<br />
| [2 1/2 stars]<br>"Confusing term<br>for haircut.<br>Burning smell." || [4 stars]<br>"Great results!"<br><br><br> || [1/2 star]<br>"Disgusting, won't<br>turn off, jams<br>constantly."<br><br />
|-<br />
|}<br />
<br />
{{comic discussion}}<br />
[[Category:Charts]]</div>162.158.155.26https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=1681:_Laser_Products&diff=1533381681: Laser Products2018-03-01T19:05:12Z<p>162.158.155.26: /* Explanation */</p>
<hr />
<div>{{comic<br />
| number = 1681<br />
| date = May 16, 2016<br />
| title = Laser Products<br />
| image = laser_products.png<br />
| titletext = ERRORS: HAIR JAM. COLOR-SAFE CONDITIONER CARTRIDGE RUNNING LOW. LEGAL-SIZE HAIR TRAY EMPTY, USING LETTER-SIZE HAIR ONLY.<br />
}}<br />
<br />
==Explanation==<br />
This comic takes three laser-based technologies - laser eye surgery, laserjet printers, and laser hair removal - and conflates them, with humorous results. These are illustrated through reviews by users of the resulting combinations. For the original combinations, the reviews are highly positive. For the new combinations, most are negative, because most of these new "technologies" are ill-conceived and possibly harmful.<br />
<br />
'''Laser eye surgery''' gets a positive review, since it has successfully corrected the reviewer's vision, no longer requiring them to use glasses.<br />
<br />
'''Laser eye removal''' would be very painful, and thus the review is negative, stating that the reviewer had read the description incorrectly, likely believing it to be one of the real combinations on the chart. The screams of pain expressed in the review have the humorous implication that the review is being typed directly after the ill-advised procedure, though this may just be an after-the-fact expression of the reviewer's feelings. If they produced the review without aid, this would probably have been made more difficult as a result of the surgery. (This is not the first time laser eye removal has been mentioned, see the lower right part in the [[1619: Watson Medical Algorithm]] chart.)<br />
<br />
'''Laser eye printer''' refers to printing on (or possibly ''of'') an eyeball, which only prompts a disgusted "Eww" response.<br />
<br />
'''Laser jet surgery''' could be performing maintenance on a jet with lasers, which would be potentially dangerous and error-prone{{Citation needed}}. Alternatively, it could mean laser surgery done on a human from a jet aircraft, using a laser mounted to it. The human being operated on could be aboard that aircraft, on another aircraft, or on land: in any case, it does not sound like a safe approach. Another interpretation is that it could refer to surgery using a jet made of lasers, which is even worse, as it would probably cause the entire body to be disintegrated.{{Citation needed}} The ambiguity of the phrase may contribute to the reviewer's concern. <br />
<br />
'''Laser jet removal''' appears to be the destruction of jets with lasers, which apparently works, but angered the Federal Aviation Administration, and probably resulted in legal consequences for the reviewer. This could be a reference to [https://www.faa.gov/about/initiatives/lasers/ the real FAA concern] of the many incidents of [http://www.laserpointersafety.com/laser-hazards_aircraft/laser-hazards_aircraft.html people using laser pointers] against aircraft.<br />
<br />
'''LaserJet printer''' gets a positive review, as it is a {{w|HP LaserJet|popular line of printers}} that works well for the reviewer.<br />
<br />
'''Laser hair surgery''' turns out to be a fancy name for cutting hair with a laser -- an overengineered, and potentially dangerous, technique for achieving the same results that you could with clippers and scissors. It is rated neutrally, since it did the job, but the reviewer found the name confusing and they disliked the smell of burning hair.<br />
<br />
'''Laser hair removal''' is the {{w|laser hair removal|process}} of destroying hair follicles with bursts of laser light to prevent the growth of unwanted hair. This appears to have been effective for the reviewer.<br />
<br />
'''Laser hair printer''' appears to be a bizarre printer that uses hair in place of ink. Unsurprisingly, this just creates disgusting messes of hair and keeps jamming the printer, resulting in a negative review.<br />
<br />
The title text expands on the laser hair printer from the last entry, displaying standard printer error messages, replacing "paper" with "hair". It also replaces "ink" with "color-safe conditioner". Legal and Letter are {{w|Paper_size#North_American_paper_sizes|paper sizes}} used in North America.<br />
<br />
===Laser eye surgery===<br />
LASIK, one of the more common laser eye surgeries, works by cutting open the cornea and ablating a small amount of the lens. Lasers are used for both steps. This, or equivalent, is the referenced surgery. There are other laser eye surgeries for various other conditions besides near- and far-sightedness.<br />
<br />
===Laserjet printing===<br />
LaserJet is a brand name used by Hewlett Packard (HP) for its line of laser printers.<br />
<br />
Laser printing is an electrostatic digital printing process. It produces high-quality text and graphics (and moderate-quality photographs) by repeatedly passing a laser beam back and forth over a negatively charged cylinder called a "drum" to define a differentially-charged image. The drum then selectively collects electrically charged powdered ink (toner), and transfers the image to paper, which is then heated in order to permanently fuse the text and/or imagery. As with digital photocopiers and multifunction/all-in-one inkjet printers, laser printers employ a xerographic printing process. However, laser printing differs from analog photocopiers in that the image is produced by the direct scanning of the medium across the printer's photoreceptor. This enables laser printing to copy images more quickly than most photocopiers.<br />
<br />
===Laser hair removal===<br />
Laser hair removal is the process of removing unwanted hair by means of exposure to pulses of laser light that destroy the hair follicle. It had been performed experimentally for about twenty years before becoming commercially available in the mid-1990s. One of the first published articles describing laser hair removal was authored by the group at Massachusetts General Hospital in 1998.The efficacy of laser hair removal is now generally accepted in the dermatology community,[citation needed] and laser hair removal is widely practiced in clinics, and even in homes using devices designed and priced for consumer self-treatment. Many reviews of laser hair removal methods, safety, and efficacy have been published in the dermatology literature.<br />
<br />
Lastly, as an aside, [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Laser_Weapon_System "Laser Jet Removal"] actually exists as a military weapon system. Although it's primarily meant to be used against jet ''missiles'' not jet planes (as the FAA quip suggests).<br />
<br />
==Transcript==<br />
:[Heading above the table:]<br />
:Online Reviews of Laser Products<br />
<br />
:[A three by three table with one word to the far left, from which three lines split out and goes to three words just left of each of the three rows. Above each column is three other words. Below in the table are nine reviews with star rating on a five star scale. The actual rating is indicated with black stars and also use half filled stars in the rating system. The ratings are written in the table in square brackets.]<br />
:{| class="wikitable"<br />
!colspan="2"|<br />
! ...surgery<br />
! ...removal<br />
! ...printer<br />
|-<br />
!rowspan="3"|Laser<br />
! eye...<br />
| [4 1/2 stars]<br>"I don't need<br>glasses anymore!"<br><br> || [1/2 star]<br>"Aaaaaaa! Misread<br>the description!<br>Aaaaaaaaaaaa!!" || [1 star]<br>"Eww."<br><br><br><br />
|-<br />
! jet...<br />
| [1 1/2 stars]<br>"Too nervous<br>to try it."<br><br> || [2 1/2 stars]<br>"Effective, but<br>the FAA got<br>''really'' mad." || [4 stars]<br>"Prints great!"<br><br><br><br />
|-<br />
! hair...<br />
| [2 1/2 stars]<br>"Confusing term<br>for haircut.<br>Burning smell." || [4 stars]<br>"Great results!"<br><br><br> || [1/2 star]<br>"Disgusting, won't<br>turn off, jams<br>constantly."<br><br />
|-<br />
|}<br />
<br />
{{comic discussion}}<br />
[[Category:Charts]]</div>162.158.155.26https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=1681:_Laser_Products&diff=1533371681: Laser Products2018-03-01T18:58:56Z<p>162.158.155.26: /* Explanation */</p>
<hr />
<div>{{comic<br />
| number = 1681<br />
| date = May 16, 2016<br />
| title = Laser Products<br />
| image = laser_products.png<br />
| titletext = ERRORS: HAIR JAM. COLOR-SAFE CONDITIONER CARTRIDGE RUNNING LOW. LEGAL-SIZE HAIR TRAY EMPTY, USING LETTER-SIZE HAIR ONLY.<br />
}}<br />
<br />
==Explanation==<br />
This comic takes three laser-based technologies - laser eye surgery, laserjet printers, and laser hair removal - and conflates them, with humorous results. These are illustrated through reviews by users of the resulting combinations. For the original combinations, the reviews are highly positive. For the new combinations, most are negative, because most of these new "technologies" are ill-conceived and possibly harmful.<br />
<br />
'''Laser eye surgery''' gets a positive review, since it has successfully corrected the reviewer's vision, no longer requiring them to use glasses.<br />
<br />
'''Laser eye removal''' would be very painful, and thus the review is negative, stating that the reviewer had read the description incorrectly, likely believing it to be one of the real combinations on the chart. The screams of pain expressed in the review have the humorous implication that the review is being typed directly after the ill-advised procedure, though this may just be an after-the-fact expression of the reviewer's feelings. If they produced the review without aid, this would probably have been made more difficult as a result of the surgery. (This is not the first time laser eye removal has been mentioned, see the lower right part in the [[1619: Watson Medical Algorithm]] chart.)<br />
<br />
'''Laser eye printer''' refers to printing on (or possibly ''of'') an eyeball, which only prompts a disgusted "Eww" response.<br />
<br />
'''Laser jet surgery''' could be performing maintenance on a jet with lasers, which would be potentially dangerous and error-prone{{Citation needed}}. Alternatively, it could mean laser surgery done on a human from a jet aircraft, using a laser mounted to it. The human being operated on could be aboard that aircraft, on another aircraft, or on land: in any case, it does not sound like a safe approach. Another interpretation is that it could refer to surgery using a jet made of lasers, which is even worse, as it would probably cause the entire body to be disintegrated.{{Citation needed}} The ambiguity of the phrase may contribute to the reviewer's concern. <br />
<br />
'''Laser jet removal''' appears to be the destruction of jets with lasers, which apparently works, but angered the Federal Aviation Administration, and probably resulted in legal consequences for the reviewer. This could be a reference to [https://www.faa.gov/about/initiatives/lasers/ the real FAA concern] of the many incidents of [http://www.laserpointersafety.com/laser-hazards_aircraft/laser-hazards_aircraft.html people using laser pointers] against aircraft.<br />
<br />
'''LaserJet printing''' gets a positive review, as it is a {{w|HP LaserJet|popular line of printers}} that works well for the reviewer.<br />
<br />
'''Laser hair surgery''' turns out to be a fancy name for cutting hair with a laser -- an overengineered, and potentially dangerous, technique for achieving the same results that you could with clippers and scissors. It is rated neutrally, since it did the job, but the reviewer found the name confusing and they disliked the smell of burning hair.<br />
<br />
'''Laser hair removal''' is the {{w|laser hair removal|process}} of destroying hair follicles with bursts of laser light to prevent the growth of unwanted hair. This appears to have been effective for the reviewer.<br />
<br />
'''Laser hair printer''' is implied to be a bizarre scenario involving hair being printed on with an office laserjet printer. This is negatively reviewed for being disgusting, the printer jamming, and the machine being unable to stop printing the hair.<br />
<br />
The title text expands on the laser hair printer from the last entry, displaying standard printer error messages, replacing "paper" with "hair". It also replaces "ink" with "color-safe conditioner". Legal and Letter are {{w|Paper_size#North_American_paper_sizes|paper sizes}} used in North America.<br />
<br />
===Laser eye surgery===<br />
LASIK, one of the more common laser eye surgeries, works by cutting open the cornea and ablating a small amount of the lens. Lasers are used for both steps. This, or equivalent, is the referenced surgery. There are other laser eye surgeries for various other conditions besides near- and far-sightedness.<br />
<br />
===Laserjet printing===<br />
LaserJet is a brand name used by Hewlett Packard (HP) for its line of laser printers.<br />
<br />
Laser printing is an electrostatic digital printing process. It produces high-quality text and graphics (and moderate-quality photographs) by repeatedly passing a laser beam back and forth over a negatively charged cylinder called a "drum" to define a differentially-charged image. The drum then selectively collects electrically charged powdered ink (toner), and transfers the image to paper, which is then heated in order to permanently fuse the text and/or imagery. As with digital photocopiers and multifunction/all-in-one inkjet printers, laser printers employ a xerographic printing process. However, laser printing differs from analog photocopiers in that the image is produced by the direct scanning of the medium across the printer's photoreceptor. This enables laser printing to copy images more quickly than most photocopiers.<br />
<br />
===Laser hair removal===<br />
Laser hair removal is the process of removing unwanted hair by means of exposure to pulses of laser light that destroy the hair follicle. It had been performed experimentally for about twenty years before becoming commercially available in the mid-1990s. One of the first published articles describing laser hair removal was authored by the group at Massachusetts General Hospital in 1998.The efficacy of laser hair removal is now generally accepted in the dermatology community,[citation needed] and laser hair removal is widely practiced in clinics, and even in homes using devices designed and priced for consumer self-treatment. Many reviews of laser hair removal methods, safety, and efficacy have been published in the dermatology literature.<br />
<br />
Lastly, as an aside, [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Laser_Weapon_System "Laser Jet Removal"] actually exists as a military weapon system. Although it's primarily meant to be used against jet ''missiles'' not jet planes (as the FAA quip suggests).<br />
<br />
==Transcript==<br />
:[Heading above the table:]<br />
:Online Reviews of Laser Products<br />
<br />
:[A three by three table with one word to the far left, from which three lines split out and goes to three words just left of each of the three rows. Above each column is three other words. Below in the table are nine reviews with star rating on a five star scale. The actual rating is indicated with black stars and also use half filled stars in the rating system. The ratings are written in the table in square brackets.]<br />
:{| class="wikitable"<br />
!colspan="2"|<br />
! ...surgery<br />
! ...removal<br />
! ...printer<br />
|-<br />
!rowspan="3"|Laser<br />
! eye...<br />
| [4 1/2 stars]<br>"I don't need<br>glasses anymore!"<br><br> || [1/2 star]<br>"Aaaaaaa! Misread<br>the description!<br>Aaaaaaaaaaaa!!" || [1 star]<br>"Eww."<br><br><br><br />
|-<br />
! jet...<br />
| [1 1/2 stars]<br>"Too nervous<br>to try it."<br><br> || [2 1/2 stars]<br>"Effective, but<br>the FAA got<br>''really'' mad." || [4 stars]<br>"Prints great!"<br><br><br><br />
|-<br />
! hair...<br />
| [2 1/2 stars]<br>"Confusing term<br>for haircut.<br>Burning smell." || [4 stars]<br>"Great results!"<br><br><br> || [1/2 star]<br>"Disgusting, won't<br>turn off, jams<br>constantly."<br><br />
|-<br />
|}<br />
<br />
{{comic discussion}}<br />
[[Category:Charts]]</div>162.158.155.26https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=1681:_Laser_Products&diff=1533361681: Laser Products2018-03-01T18:54:29Z<p>162.158.155.26: /* Explanation */</p>
<hr />
<div>{{comic<br />
| number = 1681<br />
| date = May 16, 2016<br />
| title = Laser Products<br />
| image = laser_products.png<br />
| titletext = ERRORS: HAIR JAM. COLOR-SAFE CONDITIONER CARTRIDGE RUNNING LOW. LEGAL-SIZE HAIR TRAY EMPTY, USING LETTER-SIZE HAIR ONLY.<br />
}}<br />
<br />
==Explanation==<br />
This comic takes three laser-based technologies - laser eye surgery, laserjet printers, and laser hair removal - and conflates them, with humorous results. These are illustrated through reviews by users of the resulting combinations. For the original combinations, the reviews are highly positive. For the new combinations, most are negative, because most of these new "technologies" are ill-conceived and possibly harmful.<br />
<br />
'''Laser eye surgery''' gets a positive review, since it has successfully corrected the reviewer's vision, no longer requiring them to use glasses.<br />
<br />
'''Laser eye removal''' would be very painful, and thus the review is negative, stating that the reviewer had read the description incorrectly, likely believing it to be one of the real combinations on the chart. The screams of pain expressed in the review have the humorous implication that the review is being typed directly after the ill-advised procedure, though this may just be an after-the-fact expression of the reviewer's feelings. If they produced the review without aid, this would probably have been made more difficult as a result of the surgery. (This is not the first time laser eye removal has been mentioned, see the lower right part in the [[1619: Watson Medical Algorithm]] chart.)<br />
<br />
'''Laser eye printer''' refers to printing on (or possibly ''of'') an eyeball, which only prompts a disgusted "Eww" response.<br />
<br />
'''Laser jet surgery''' could be performing maintenance on a jet with lasers, which would be potentially dangerous and error-prone{{Citation needed}}. Alternatively, it could mean laser surgery done on a human from a jet aircraft, using a laser mounted to it. The human being operated on could be aboard that aircraft, on another aircraft, or on land: in any case, it does not sound like a safe approach. Another interpretation is that it could refer to surgery using a jet made of lasers, which is even worse, as it would probably cause the entire body to be disintegrated.{{Citation needed}} The ambiguity of the phrase may contribute to the reviewer's concern. <br />
<br />
'''Laser jet removal''' appears to be the destruction of jets with lasers, which apparently works, but angered the Federal Aviation Administration, and probably resulted in legal consequences for the reviewer. This could be a reference to [https://www.faa.gov/about/initiatives/lasers/ the real FAA concern] of the many incidents of [http://www.laserpointersafety.com/laser-hazards_aircraft/laser-hazards_aircraft.html people using laser pointers] against aircraft.<br />
<br />
'''LaserJet printing''' gets a positive review, as it is a {{w|HP LaserJet|popular line of printers}} that works well for the reviewer.<br />
<br />
'''Laser hair surgery''' turns out to be a fancy name for cutting hair with a laser -- an overengineered, and potentially dangerous, technique for achieving the same results that you could with clippers and scissors. It is rated neutrally, since it did the job, but the reviewer found the name confusing and they disliked the smell of burning hair.<br />
<br />
'''Laser hair removal''' is reviewed well, as it is a real process that effectively removes unwanted hair.<br />
<br />
'''Laser hair printer''' is implied to be a bizarre scenario involving hair being printed on with an office laserjet printer. This is negatively reviewed for being disgusting, the printer jamming, and the machine being unable to stop printing the hair.<br />
<br />
The title text expands on the laser hair printer from the last entry, displaying standard printer error messages, replacing "paper" with "hair". It also replaces "ink" with "color-safe conditioner". Legal and Letter are {{w|Paper_size#North_American_paper_sizes|paper sizes}} used in North America.<br />
<br />
===Laser eye surgery===<br />
LASIK, one of the more common laser eye surgeries, works by cutting open the cornea and ablating a small amount of the lens. Lasers are used for both steps. This, or equivalent, is the referenced surgery. There are other laser eye surgeries for various other conditions besides near- and far-sightedness.<br />
<br />
===Laserjet printing===<br />
LaserJet is a brand name used by Hewlett Packard (HP) for its line of laser printers.<br />
<br />
Laser printing is an electrostatic digital printing process. It produces high-quality text and graphics (and moderate-quality photographs) by repeatedly passing a laser beam back and forth over a negatively charged cylinder called a "drum" to define a differentially-charged image. The drum then selectively collects electrically charged powdered ink (toner), and transfers the image to paper, which is then heated in order to permanently fuse the text and/or imagery. As with digital photocopiers and multifunction/all-in-one inkjet printers, laser printers employ a xerographic printing process. However, laser printing differs from analog photocopiers in that the image is produced by the direct scanning of the medium across the printer's photoreceptor. This enables laser printing to copy images more quickly than most photocopiers.<br />
<br />
===Laser hair removal===<br />
Laser hair removal is the process of removing unwanted hair by means of exposure to pulses of laser light that destroy the hair follicle. It had been performed experimentally for about twenty years before becoming commercially available in the mid-1990s. One of the first published articles describing laser hair removal was authored by the group at Massachusetts General Hospital in 1998.The efficacy of laser hair removal is now generally accepted in the dermatology community,[citation needed] and laser hair removal is widely practiced in clinics, and even in homes using devices designed and priced for consumer self-treatment. Many reviews of laser hair removal methods, safety, and efficacy have been published in the dermatology literature.<br />
<br />
Lastly, as an aside, [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Laser_Weapon_System "Laser Jet Removal"] actually exists as a military weapon system. Although it's primarily meant to be used against jet ''missiles'' not jet planes (as the FAA quip suggests).<br />
<br />
==Transcript==<br />
:[Heading above the table:]<br />
:Online Reviews of Laser Products<br />
<br />
:[A three by three table with one word to the far left, from which three lines split out and goes to three words just left of each of the three rows. Above each column is three other words. Below in the table are nine reviews with star rating on a five star scale. The actual rating is indicated with black stars and also use half filled stars in the rating system. The ratings are written in the table in square brackets.]<br />
:{| class="wikitable"<br />
!colspan="2"|<br />
! ...surgery<br />
! ...removal<br />
! ...printer<br />
|-<br />
!rowspan="3"|Laser<br />
! eye...<br />
| [4 1/2 stars]<br>"I don't need<br>glasses anymore!"<br><br> || [1/2 star]<br>"Aaaaaaa! Misread<br>the description!<br>Aaaaaaaaaaaa!!" || [1 star]<br>"Eww."<br><br><br><br />
|-<br />
! jet...<br />
| [1 1/2 stars]<br>"Too nervous<br>to try it."<br><br> || [2 1/2 stars]<br>"Effective, but<br>the FAA got<br>''really'' mad." || [4 stars]<br>"Prints great!"<br><br><br><br />
|-<br />
! hair...<br />
| [2 1/2 stars]<br>"Confusing term<br>for haircut.<br>Burning smell." || [4 stars]<br>"Great results!"<br><br><br> || [1/2 star]<br>"Disgusting, won't<br>turn off, jams<br>constantly."<br><br />
|-<br />
|}<br />
<br />
{{comic discussion}}<br />
[[Category:Charts]]</div>162.158.155.26https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=1681:_Laser_Products&diff=1533351681: Laser Products2018-03-01T18:45:45Z<p>162.158.155.26: /* Explanation */</p>
<hr />
<div>{{comic<br />
| number = 1681<br />
| date = May 16, 2016<br />
| title = Laser Products<br />
| image = laser_products.png<br />
| titletext = ERRORS: HAIR JAM. COLOR-SAFE CONDITIONER CARTRIDGE RUNNING LOW. LEGAL-SIZE HAIR TRAY EMPTY, USING LETTER-SIZE HAIR ONLY.<br />
}}<br />
<br />
==Explanation==<br />
This comic takes three laser-based technologies - laser eye surgery, laserjet printers, and laser hair removal - and conflates them, with humorous results. These are illustrated through reviews by users of the resulting combinations. For the original combinations, the reviews are highly positive. For the new combinations, most are negative, because most of these new "technologies" are ill-conceived and possibly harmful.<br />
<br />
'''Laser eye surgery''' gets a positive review, since it has successfully corrected the reviewer's vision, no longer requiring them to use glasses.<br />
<br />
'''Laser eye removal''' would be very painful, and thus the review is negative, stating that the reviewer had read the description incorrectly, likely believing it to be one of the real combinations on the chart. The screams of pain expressed in the review have the humorous implication that the review is being typed directly after the ill-advised procedure, though this may just be an after-the-fact expression of the reviewer's feelings. If they produced the review without aid, this would probably have been made more difficult as a result of the surgery. (This is not the first time laser eye removal has been mentioned, see the lower right part in the [[1619: Watson Medical Algorithm]] chart.)<br />
<br />
'''Laser eye printer''' refers to printing on (or possibly ''of'') an eyeball, which only prompts a disgusted "Eww" response.<br />
<br />
'''Laser jet surgery''' could be performing maintenance on a jet with lasers, which would be potentially dangerous and error-prone{{Citation needed}}. Alternatively, it could mean laser surgery done on a human from a jet aircraft, using a laser mounted to it. The human being operated on could be aboard that aircraft, on another aircraft, or on land: in any case, it does not sound like a safe approach. Another interpretation is that it could refer to surgery using a jet made of lasers, which is even worse, as it would probably cause the entire body to be disintegrated.{{Citation needed}} The ambiguity of the phrase may contribute to the reviewer's concern. <br />
<br />
'''Laser jet removal''' appears to be the destruction of jets with lasers, which apparently works, but angered the Federal Aviation Administration, and probably resulted in legal consequences for the reviewer. This could be a reference to [https://www.faa.gov/about/initiatives/lasers/ the real FAA concern] of the many incidents of [http://www.laserpointersafety.com/laser-hazards_aircraft/laser-hazards_aircraft.html people using laser pointers] against aircraft.<br />
<br />
'''LaserJet printing''' gets a positive review, as it is a {{w|HP LaserJet|popular line of printers}} that works well for the reviewer.<br />
<br />
'''Laser hair surgery''' is rated neutrally, with the reviewer pointing out that they consider the phrase to be bizarre and obfuscating -- for the user, it amounted to little more than a normal haircut -- and they note that the using a laser to cut hair results in a smell of burning hair.<br />
<br />
'''Laser hair removal''' is reviewed well, as it is a real process that effectively removes unwanted hair.<br />
<br />
'''Laser hair printer''' is implied to be a bizarre scenario involving hair being printed on with an office laserjet printer. This is negatively reviewed for being disgusting, the printer jamming, and the machine being unable to stop printing the hair.<br />
<br />
The title text expands on the laser hair printer from the last entry, displaying standard printer error messages, replacing "paper" with "hair". It also replaces "ink" with "color-safe conditioner". Legal and Letter are {{w|Paper_size#North_American_paper_sizes|paper sizes}} used in North America.<br />
<br />
===Laser eye surgery===<br />
LASIK, one of the more common laser eye surgeries, works by cutting open the cornea and ablating a small amount of the lens. Lasers are used for both steps. This, or equivalent, is the referenced surgery. There are other laser eye surgeries for various other conditions besides near- and far-sightedness.<br />
<br />
===Laserjet printing===<br />
LaserJet is a brand name used by Hewlett Packard (HP) for its line of laser printers.<br />
<br />
Laser printing is an electrostatic digital printing process. It produces high-quality text and graphics (and moderate-quality photographs) by repeatedly passing a laser beam back and forth over a negatively charged cylinder called a "drum" to define a differentially-charged image. The drum then selectively collects electrically charged powdered ink (toner), and transfers the image to paper, which is then heated in order to permanently fuse the text and/or imagery. As with digital photocopiers and multifunction/all-in-one inkjet printers, laser printers employ a xerographic printing process. However, laser printing differs from analog photocopiers in that the image is produced by the direct scanning of the medium across the printer's photoreceptor. This enables laser printing to copy images more quickly than most photocopiers.<br />
<br />
===Laser hair removal===<br />
Laser hair removal is the process of removing unwanted hair by means of exposure to pulses of laser light that destroy the hair follicle. It had been performed experimentally for about twenty years before becoming commercially available in the mid-1990s. One of the first published articles describing laser hair removal was authored by the group at Massachusetts General Hospital in 1998.The efficacy of laser hair removal is now generally accepted in the dermatology community,[citation needed] and laser hair removal is widely practiced in clinics, and even in homes using devices designed and priced for consumer self-treatment. Many reviews of laser hair removal methods, safety, and efficacy have been published in the dermatology literature.<br />
<br />
Lastly, as an aside, [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Laser_Weapon_System "Laser Jet Removal"] actually exists as a military weapon system. Although it's primarily meant to be used against jet ''missiles'' not jet planes (as the FAA quip suggests).<br />
<br />
==Transcript==<br />
:[Heading above the table:]<br />
:Online Reviews of Laser Products<br />
<br />
:[A three by three table with one word to the far left, from which three lines split out and goes to three words just left of each of the three rows. Above each column is three other words. Below in the table are nine reviews with star rating on a five star scale. The actual rating is indicated with black stars and also use half filled stars in the rating system. The ratings are written in the table in square brackets.]<br />
:{| class="wikitable"<br />
!colspan="2"|<br />
! ...surgery<br />
! ...removal<br />
! ...printer<br />
|-<br />
!rowspan="3"|Laser<br />
! eye...<br />
| [4 1/2 stars]<br>"I don't need<br>glasses anymore!"<br><br> || [1/2 star]<br>"Aaaaaaa! Misread<br>the description!<br>Aaaaaaaaaaaa!!" || [1 star]<br>"Eww."<br><br><br><br />
|-<br />
! jet...<br />
| [1 1/2 stars]<br>"Too nervous<br>to try it."<br><br> || [2 1/2 stars]<br>"Effective, but<br>the FAA got<br>''really'' mad." || [4 stars]<br>"Prints great!"<br><br><br><br />
|-<br />
! hair...<br />
| [2 1/2 stars]<br>"Confusing term<br>for haircut.<br>Burning smell." || [4 stars]<br>"Great results!"<br><br><br> || [1/2 star]<br>"Disgusting, won't<br>turn off, jams<br>constantly."<br><br />
|-<br />
|}<br />
<br />
{{comic discussion}}<br />
[[Category:Charts]]</div>162.158.155.26https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=1960:_Code_Golf&diff=1533131960: Code Golf2018-03-01T14:38:59Z<p>162.158.155.26: /* Explanation */</p>
<hr />
<div>{{comic<br />
| number = 1960<br />
| date = February 26, 2018<br />
| title = Code Golf<br />
| image = code_golf.png<br />
| titletext = I also enjoy Reverse Regular Golf. I've been playing for years all across the country and I'm still on the first hole.<br />
}}<br />
<br />
==Explanation==<br />
{{w|Code golf}} is the attempt to use as few characters as possible to write a computer program with a certain function, analogously to {{w|golf|regular golf's}} goal of getting the ball into the hole with as few strokes as possible. Reverse code golf would be to write a given program, probably to achieve a trivial outcome, using as many characters as possible. Randall's approach to this in the code example shown in the comic is to create overly long function names, using [https://en.wikisource.org/wiki/Moby-Dick/Chapter_1 the beginning lines] of {{w|Herman Melville}}'s notoriously long-winded whaling novel ''{{w|Moby-Dick}}''. Regular code golf also results in names of functions and variables that have nothing to do with their purpose in the program, but would minimise their length.<br />
<br />
Using "as many characters as possible" to produce code is actually an impossible goal. It would be a trivial task to make any given program longer by inserting useless code or comments. Furthermore, some programming languages place no limit on function names, so these could simply be made longer. Even if the language Randall is using does limit function name length, he has not maximised the ones he has used, since the first two are 50 characters long, and the last much shorter. The code is written in a programming language that looks similar to {{w|Python (programming language)|Python}}, but with the keyword “define” instead of “def” to define functions. Python has no limit for function name length.<br />
<br />
The first two functions defined implement “zero” and “successor”, the two basic operations of {{w|Peano axioms|Peano arithmetic}}. Presumably, the programmer will next implement natural number addition, then integers, then whichever branches of mathematics the original problem needs, all from scratch. Generally, you would use built-in functions to perform mathematical operations, so it is redundant to implement them yourself from scratch.<br />
<br />
The title text suggests that Randall has also invented a reverse version of regular golf, where the aim is to take as many strokes as possible to get the ball in the hole. Similarly to ''Reverse Code Golf'', the only challenge here would be the player's own boredom threshold, since they could always add more strokes by tapping the ball in a direction other than that of the hole.<br />
<br />
The title text states that he has been playing for years, across the country, this implies that the distance traveled with the ball would have been quite large. This implies a rather incomplete understanding of the rules of golf as this suggests the ball is being played out of bounds. <br />
<br />
In golf, "[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Out_of_bounds#Golf Out of Bounds]" is defined as being beyond the boundaries of the golf course or any part of the course so marked by the committee in charge of the golf course. If a ball is out of bounds, the player must play a ball, under penalty of one stroke, as nearly as possible at the spot from which the original ball was last played. If the player does not play the penalty shot from the original spot the ball was played this can lead to even more stroke penalties or a disqualification from the match.<br />
<br />
So the reverse round of golf that is being played will have accumulated a large number of penalty strokes or the round was long since been ruled as a DQ within the rules provided by the USGA.<br />
<br />
Interestingly, the comic ends with an unmatched left parenthesis, (something which might be intended to [[859|create unresolved tension]]<!-- ) -->.<br />
<br />
==Transcript==<br />
:[There is code written as colored text in a black box (all black text here below is white in the comic):]<br />
:<font color="blue">define</font> <font color="DarkOliveGreen">callMeIshmaelSomeYearsAgoNeverMindHowLongPrecisely</font>():<br />
::<font color="purple">return</font> <font color="DarkOliveGreen">0</font><br />
:<font color="blue">define</font> <font color="DarkOliveGreen">havingLittleOrNoMoneyInMyPurseAndNothingParticular</font>(<font color="blue">toInterestMeOnShoreIThoughtIWouldSail</font>):<br />
::<font color="purple">return</font> 1+toInterestMeOnShoreIThoughtIWouldSail<br />
:<font color="blue">define</font> <font color="DarkOliveGreen">aLittleAndSeeTheWateryPartOfTheWorld</font>(<br />
<br />
:[Caption under the black box:]<br />
:My hobby: Reverse Code Golf<br />
<br />
<br />
==Trivia==<br />
===Revitalizing old themes===<br />
*Is Randall revitalizing old themes?<br />
**This was the first comic in the [[:Category:My Hobby|My Hobby]] series for over a year. <br />
***The previous one, [[1795: All You Can Eat]], was released early in February 2017, and this one at the end of February 2018. <br />
***This is by far the longest span between My Hobby comics, since the first, [[37: Hyphen]], came out in comic 37 back in 2005.<br />
**It also followed directly after the second [[:Category:Fun fact|Fun fact]] comic in the same month ,[[1959: The Simpsons]], after more than two years break from that series.<br />
***That Fun Fact comic was also in the [[:Category:Comics to make one feel old|Comics to make one feel old]] category, a subject he had not returned to since October last year (so not that long, but still a return to a well known theme).<br />
***The first of the two Fun Fact comics was [[1950: Chicken Pox and Name Statistics]].<br />
**Finally in the very next comic he returned to his problems with [[Small Talk]] and social interactions in general in [[1961: Interaction]], something he last dealt with in three comics released for about two years ago, the last being [[1650: Baby]].<br />
**This comic also refers to another recurring theme [[:Category:Programming|Programming]], but there has been no break from this as this was the third of those already in 2018.<br />
<br />
This was the first comic in the ''[[:Category:My Hobby|My Hobby]]'' series for over a year. It followed directly after the second ''[[:Category:Fun fact|Fun fact]]'' comic in the same month, [[1959: The Simpsons]], after more than two years break from that series. It seems that [[Randall]] returned to his [[#Revitalizing_old_themes|old themes]] this month.<br />
<br />
Python was previously featured in comic [[353: Python]].<br />
<br />
{{comic discussion}}<br />
<br />
<br />
[[Category:Comics with color]]<br />
[[Category:My Hobby]]<br />
[[Category:Programming]]</div>162.158.155.26https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=1960:_Code_Golf&diff=1533101960: Code Golf2018-03-01T14:20:18Z<p>162.158.155.26: /* Explanation */</p>
<hr />
<div>{{comic<br />
| number = 1960<br />
| date = February 26, 2018<br />
| title = Code Golf<br />
| image = code_golf.png<br />
| titletext = I also enjoy Reverse Regular Golf. I've been playing for years all across the country and I'm still on the first hole.<br />
}}<br />
<br />
==Explanation==<br />
{{w|Code golf}} is the attempt to use as few characters as possible to write a computer program with a certain function, analogously to {{w|golf|regular golf's}} goal of getting the ball into the hole with as few strokes as possible. Reverse code golf would be to write a given program, probably to achieve a trivial outcome, using as many characters as possible. Randall's approach to this in the code example shown in the comic is to create overly long function names, using [https://en.wikisource.org/wiki/Moby-Dick/Chapter_1 the beginning lines] of {{w|Herman Melville}}'s notoriously long-winded whaling novel ''{{w|Moby-Dick}}''. Regular code golf also results in names of functions and variables that have nothing to do with their purpose in the program, but would minimise their length.<br />
<br />
Using "as many characters as possible" to produce code is actually an impossible goal. It would be a trivial task to make any given program longer by inserting useless code or comments. Furthermore, some programming languages place no limit on function names, so these could simply be made longer. Even if the language Randall is using does limit function name length, he has not maximised the ones he has used, since the first two are 50 characters long, and the last much shorter. The code is written in a programming language that looks similar to {{w|Python (programming language)|Python}}, but with the keyword “define” instead of “def” to define functions. Python has no limit for function name length.<br />
<br />
The first two functions defined implement “zero” and “successor”, the two basic operations of {{w|Peano axioms|Peano arithmetic}}. Presumably, the programmer will next implement natural number addition, then integers, then whichever branches of mathematics the original problem needs, all from scratch. Generally, you would use built-in functions to perform mathematical operations, so it is redundant to implement them yourself from scratch.<br />
<br />
The title text refers to the concept of "Reverse Golf", a variation on golf where the aim is to take as many strokes as possible to get the ball in the hole. The title text states that he has been playing for years, across the country, this implies that the distance traveled with the ball would have been quite large. This implies a rather incomplete understanding of the rules of golf as this suggests the ball is being played out of bounds. <br />
<br />
In golf, "[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Out_of_bounds#Golf Out of Bounds]" is defined as being beyond the boundaries of the golf course or any part of the course so marked by the committee in charge of the golf course. If a ball is out of bounds, the player must play a ball, under penalty of one stroke, as nearly as possible at the spot from which the original ball was last played. If the player does not play the penalty shot from the original spot the ball was played this can lead to even more stroke penalties or a disqualification from the match.<br />
<br />
So the reverse round of golf that is being played will have accumulated a large number of penalty strokes or the round was long since been ruled as a DQ within the rules provided by the USGA.<br />
<br />
Interestingly, the comic ends with an unmatched left parenthesis, (something which might be intended to [[859|create unresolved tension]]<!-- ) -->.<br />
<br />
==Transcript==<br />
:[There is code written as colored text in a black box (all black text here below is white in the comic):]<br />
:<font color="blue">define</font> <font color="DarkOliveGreen">callMeIshmaelSomeYearsAgoNeverMindHowLongPrecisely</font>():<br />
::<font color="purple">return</font> <font color="DarkOliveGreen">0</font><br />
:<font color="blue">define</font> <font color="DarkOliveGreen">havingLittleOrNoMoneyInMyPurseAndNothingParticular</font>(<font color="blue">toInterestMeOnShoreIThoughtIWouldSail</font>):<br />
::<font color="purple">return</font> 1+toInterestMeOnShoreIThoughtIWouldSail<br />
:<font color="blue">define</font> <font color="DarkOliveGreen">aLittleAndSeeTheWateryPartOfTheWorld</font>(<br />
<br />
:[Caption under the black box:]<br />
:My hobby: Reverse Code Golf<br />
<br />
<br />
==Trivia==<br />
===Revitalizing old themes===<br />
*Is Randall revitalizing old themes?<br />
**This was the first comic in the [[:Category:My Hobby|My Hobby]] series for over a year. <br />
***The previous one, [[1795: All You Can Eat]], was released early in February 2017, and this one at the end of February 2018. <br />
***This is by far the longest span between My Hobby comics, since the first, [[37: Hyphen]], came out in comic 37 back in 2005.<br />
**It also followed directly after the second [[:Category:Fun fact|Fun fact]] comic in the same month ,[[1959: The Simpsons]], after more than two years break from that series.<br />
***That Fun Fact comic was also in the [[:Category:Comics to make one feel old|Comics to make one feel old]] category, a subject he had not returned to since October last year (so not that long, but still a return to a well known theme).<br />
***The first of the two Fun Fact comics was [[1950: Chicken Pox and Name Statistics]].<br />
**Finally in the very next comic he returned to his problems with [[Small Talk]] and social interactions in general in [[1961: Interaction]], something he last dealt with in three comics released for about two years ago, the last being [[1650: Baby]].<br />
**This comic also refers to another recurring theme [[:Category:Programming|Programming]], but there has been no break from this as this was the third of those already in 2018.<br />
<br />
This was the first comic in the ''[[:Category:My Hobby|My Hobby]]'' series for over a year. It followed directly after the second ''[[:Category:Fun fact|Fun fact]]'' comic in the same month, [[1959: The Simpsons]], after more than two years break from that series. It seems that [[Randall]] returned to his [[#Revitalizing_old_themes|old themes]] this month.<br />
<br />
Python was previously featured in comic [[353: Python]].<br />
<br />
{{comic discussion}}<br />
<br />
<br />
[[Category:Comics with color]]<br />
[[Category:My Hobby]]<br />
[[Category:Programming]]</div>162.158.155.26https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=1960:_Code_Golf&diff=1533091960: Code Golf2018-03-01T14:08:17Z<p>162.158.155.26: </p>
<hr />
<div>{{comic<br />
| number = 1960<br />
| date = February 26, 2018<br />
| title = Code Golf<br />
| image = code_golf.png<br />
| titletext = I also enjoy Reverse Regular Golf. I've been playing for years all across the country and I'm still on the first hole.<br />
}}<br />
<br />
==Explanation==<br />
{{w|Code golf}} is the attempt to use as few characters as possible to write a computer program with a certain function, analogously to {{w|golf|regular golf's}} goal of getting the ball into the hole with as few strokes as possible. Reverse code golf would be to write a given program, probably to achieve a trivial outcome, using as many characters as possible. Randall's approach to this in the code example shown in the comic is to create overly long function names, using [https://en.wikisource.org/wiki/Moby-Dick/Chapter_1 the beginning lines] of {{w|Herman Melville}}'s notoriously long-winded whaling novel ''{{w|Moby-Dick}}''. Regular code golf also results in names of functions and variables that have nothing to do with their purpose in the program, but would minimise their length.<br />
<br />
Note that it's not actually possible to produce code using "as many characters as possible". It would be a trivial task to make the given program longer, e.g. by using longer names, or by inserting useless code or simply comments.<br />
<br />
The code example is written in a programming language that looks similar to {{w|Python (programming language)|Python}}, but with the keyword “define” instead of “def” to define functions.<br />
<br />
Additionally, the first two functions defined implement “zero” and “successor”, the two basic operations of {{w|Peano axioms|Peano arithmetic}}. Presumably, the programmer will next implement natural number addition, then integers, then whichever branches of mathematics the original problem needs, all from scratch.<br />
<br />
The title text refers to the concept of "Reverse Golf", a variation on golf where the aim is to take as many strokes as possible to get the ball in the hole. The title text states that he has been playing for years, across the country, this implies that the distance traveled with the ball would have been quite large. This implies a rather incomplete understanding of the rules of golf as this suggests the ball is being played out of bounds. <br />
<br />
In golf, "[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Out_of_bounds#Golf Out of Bounds]" is defined as being beyond the boundaries of the golf course or any part of the course so marked by the committee in charge of the golf course.<br />
<br />
If a ball is out of bounds, the player must play a ball, under penalty of one stroke, as nearly as possible at the spot from which the original ball was last played. If the player does not play the penalty shot from the original spot the ball was played this can lead to even more stroke penalties or a disqualification from the match.<br />
<br />
So the reverse round of golf that is being played will have accumulated a large number of penalty strokes or the round was long since been ruled as a DQ within the rules provided by the USGA.<br />
<br />
Interestingly, the comic ends with an unmatched left parenthesis, (something which might be intended to [[859|create unresolved tension]]<!-- ) -->.<br />
<br />
==Transcript==<br />
:[There is code written as colored text in a black box (all black text here below is white in the comic):]<br />
:<font color="blue">define</font> <font color="DarkOliveGreen">callMeIshmaelSomeYearsAgoNeverMindHowLongPrecisely</font>():<br />
::<font color="purple">return</font> <font color="DarkOliveGreen">0</font><br />
:<font color="blue">define</font> <font color="DarkOliveGreen">havingLittleOrNoMoneyInMyPurseAndNothingParticular</font>(<font color="blue">toInterestMeOnShoreIThoughtIWouldSail</font>):<br />
::<font color="purple">return</font> 1+toInterestMeOnShoreIThoughtIWouldSail<br />
:<font color="blue">define</font> <font color="DarkOliveGreen">aLittleAndSeeTheWateryPartOfTheWorld</font>(<br />
<br />
:[Caption under the black box:]<br />
:My hobby: Reverse Code Golf<br />
<br />
<br />
==Trivia==<br />
===Revitalizing old themes===<br />
*Is Randall revitalizing old themes?<br />
**This was the first comic in the [[:Category:My Hobby|My Hobby]] series for over a year. <br />
***The previous one, [[1795: All You Can Eat]], was released early in February 2017, and this one at the end of February 2018. <br />
***This is by far the longest span between My Hobby comics, since the first, [[37: Hyphen]], came out in comic 37 back in 2005.<br />
**It also followed directly after the second [[:Category:Fun fact|Fun fact]] comic in the same month ,[[1959: The Simpsons]], after more than two years break from that series.<br />
***That Fun Fact comic was also in the [[:Category:Comics to make one feel old|Comics to make one feel old]] category, a subject he had not returned to since October last year (so not that long, but still a return to a well known theme).<br />
***The first of the two Fun Fact comics was [[1950: Chicken Pox and Name Statistics]].<br />
**Finally in the very next comic he returned to his problems with [[Small Talk]] and social interactions in general in [[1961: Interaction]], something he last dealt with in three comics released for about two years ago, the last being [[1650: Baby]].<br />
**This comic also refers to another recurring theme [[:Category:Programming|Programming]], but there has been no break from this as this was the third of those already in 2018.<br />
<br />
This was the first comic in the ''[[:Category:My Hobby|My Hobby]]'' series for over a year. It followed directly after the second ''[[:Category:Fun fact|Fun fact]]'' comic in the same month, [[1959: The Simpsons]], after more than two years break from that series. It seems that [[Randall]] returned to his [[#Revitalizing_old_themes|old themes]] this month.<br />
<br />
Python was previously featured in comic [[353: Python]].<br />
<br />
{{comic discussion}}<br />
<br />
<br />
[[Category:Comics with color]]<br />
[[Category:My Hobby]]<br />
[[Category:Programming]]</div>162.158.155.26https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=1960:_Code_Golf&diff=1533081960: Code Golf2018-03-01T13:37:08Z<p>162.158.155.26: /* Explanation */</p>
<hr />
<div>{{comic<br />
| number = 1960<br />
| date = February 26, 2018<br />
| title = Code Golf<br />
| image = code_golf.png<br />
| titletext = I also enjoy Reverse Regular Golf. I've been playing for years all across the country and I'm still on the first hole.<br />
}}<br />
<br />
==Explanation==<br />
{{w|Code golf}} is the attempt to use as few characters as possible to write a computer program with a certain function, analogously to {{w|golf|regular golf's}} goal of getting the ball into the hole with as few strokes as possible. Reverse code golf would be to write a given program, probably to achieve a trivial outcome, using as many characters as possible. Randall's approach to this in the code example shown in the comic is to create overly long function names, using [https://en.wikisource.org/wiki/Moby-Dick/Chapter_1 the beginning lines] of {{w|Herman Melville}}'s notoriously long-winded whaling novel ''{{w|Moby-Dick}}''. Regular code golf also results in names of functions and variables that have nothing to do with their purpose in the program, but would minimise their length.<br />
<br />
Note that it's not actually possible to produce code using "as many characters as possible". It would be a trivial task to make the given program longer, e.g. by using longer names, or by inserting useless code or simply comments.<br />
<br />
The code example is written in a programming language that looks similar to {{w|Python (programming language)|Python}}, but with the keyword “define” instead of “def” to define functions. Python was previously featured in comic [[353: Python]].<br />
<br />
Additionally, the first two functions defined implement “zero” and “successor”, the two basic operations of {{w|Peano axioms|Peano arithmetic}}. Presumably, the programmer will next implement natural number addition, then integers, then whichever branches of mathematics the original problem needs, all from scratch.<br />
<br />
The title text refers to the concept of "Reverse Golf", a variation on golf where the aim is to take as many strokes as possible to get the ball in the hole. The title text states that he has been playing for years, across the country, this implies that the distance traveled with the ball would have been quite large. This implies a rather incomplete understanding of the rules of golf as this suggests the ball is being played out of bounds. <br />
<br />
In golf, "[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Out_of_bounds#Golf Out of Bounds]" is defined as being beyond the boundaries of the golf course or any part of the course so marked by the committee in charge of the golf course.<br />
<br />
If a ball is out of bounds, the player must play a ball, under penalty of one stroke, as nearly as possible at the spot from which the original ball was last played. If the player does not play the penalty shot from the original spot the ball was played this can lead to even more stroke penalties or a disqualification from the match.<br />
<br />
So the reverse round of golf that is being played will have accumulated a large number of penalty strokes or the round was long since been ruled as a DQ within the rules provided by the USGA.<br />
<br />
Interestingly, the comic ends with an unmatched left parenthesis, (something which might be intended to [[859|create unresolved tension]]<!-- ) -->.<br />
<br />
==Transcript==<br />
:[There is code written as colored text in a black box (all black text here below is white in the comic):]<br />
:<font color="blue">define</font> <font color="DarkOliveGreen">callMeIshmaelSomeYearsAgoNeverMindHowLongPrecisely</font>():<br />
::<font color="purple">return</font> <font color="DarkOliveGreen">0</font><br />
:<font color="blue">define</font> <font color="DarkOliveGreen">havingLittleOrNoMoneyInMyPurseAndNothingParticular</font>(<font color="blue">toInterestMeOnShoreIThoughtIWouldSail</font>):<br />
::<font color="purple">return</font> 1+toInterestMeOnShoreIThoughtIWouldSail<br />
:<font color="blue">define</font> <font color="DarkOliveGreen">aLittleAndSeeTheWateryPartOfTheWorld</font>(<br />
<br />
:[Caption under the black box:]<br />
:My hobby: Reverse Code Golf<br />
<br />
<br />
==Trivia==<br />
===Revitalizing old themes===<br />
*Is Randall revitalizing old themes?<br />
**This was the first comic in the [[:Category:My Hobby|My Hobby]] series for over a year. <br />
***The previous one, [[1795: All You Can Eat]], was released early in February 2017, and this one at the end of February 2018. <br />
***This is by far the longest span between My Hobby comics, since the first, [[37: Hyphen]], came out in comic 37 back in 2005.<br />
**It also followed directly after the second [[:Category:Fun fact|Fun fact]] comic in the same month ,[[1959: The Simpsons]], after more than two years break from that series.<br />
***That Fun Fact comic was also in the [[:Category:Comics to make one feel old|Comics to make one feel old]] category, a subject he had not returned to since October last year (so not that long, but still a return to a well known theme).<br />
***The first of the two Fun Fact comics was [[1950: Chicken Pox and Name Statistics]].<br />
**Finally in the very next comic he returned to his problems with [[Small Talk]] and social interactions in general in [[1961: Interaction]], something he last dealt with in three comics released for about two years ago, the last being [[1650: Baby]].<br />
**This comic also refers to another recurring theme [[:Category:Programming|Programming]], but there has been no break from this as this was the third of those already in 2018.<br />
<br />
This was the first comic in the ''[[:Category:My Hobby|My Hobby]]'' series for over a year. It followed directly after the second ''[[:Category:Fun fact|Fun fact]]'' comic in the same month, [[1959: The Simpsons]], after more than two years break from that series. It seems that [[Randall]] returned to his [[#Revitalizing_old_themes|old themes]] this month.<br />
<br />
{{comic discussion}}<br />
<br />
<br />
[[Category:Comics with color]]<br />
[[Category:My Hobby]]<br />
[[Category:Programming]]</div>162.158.155.26https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=1960:_Code_Golf&diff=1533071960: Code Golf2018-03-01T13:31:26Z<p>162.158.155.26: /* Explanation */</p>
<hr />
<div>{{comic<br />
| number = 1960<br />
| date = February 26, 2018<br />
| title = Code Golf<br />
| image = code_golf.png<br />
| titletext = I also enjoy Reverse Regular Golf. I've been playing for years all across the country and I'm still on the first hole.<br />
}}<br />
<br />
==Explanation==<br />
{{w|Code golf}} is the attempt to use as few characters as possible to write a computer program with a certain function, analogously to {{w|golf|regular golf's}} goal of getting the ball into the hole with as few strokes as possible. Reverse code golf would be to write a given program, probably to achieve a trivial outcome, using as many characters as possible. Randall does this in the code example using overly long function names that are [https://en.wikisource.org/wiki/Moby-Dick/Chapter_1 the beginning lines] of {{w|Herman Melville}}'s notoriously long-winded whaling novel ''{{w|Moby-Dick}}''. Regular code golf also results in names of functions and variables that have nothing to do with their purpose in the program, which is also true of the names used here.<br />
<br />
Note that it's not actually possible to produce code using "as many characters as possible". It would be a trivial task to make the given program longer, e.g. by using longer names, or by inserting useless code or simply comments.<br />
<br />
The code example is written in a programming language that looks similar to {{w|Python (programming language)|Python}}, but with the keyword “define” instead of “def” to define functions. Python was previously featured in comic [[353: Python]].<br />
<br />
Additionally, the first two functions defined implement “zero” and “successor”, the two basic operations of {{w|Peano axioms|Peano arithmetic}}. Presumably, the programmer will next implement natural number addition, then integers, then whichever branches of mathematics the original problem needs, all from scratch.<br />
<br />
The title text refers to the concept of "Reverse Golf", a variation on golf where the aim is to take as many strokes as possible to get the ball in the hole. The title text states that he has been playing for years, across the country, this implies that the distance traveled with the ball would have been quite large. This implies a rather incomplete understanding of the rules of golf as this suggests the ball is being played out of bounds. <br />
<br />
In golf, "[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Out_of_bounds#Golf Out of Bounds]" is defined as being beyond the boundaries of the golf course or any part of the course so marked by the committee in charge of the golf course.<br />
<br />
If a ball is out of bounds, the player must play a ball, under penalty of one stroke, as nearly as possible at the spot from which the original ball was last played. If the player does not play the penalty shot from the original spot the ball was played this can lead to even more stroke penalties or a disqualification from the match.<br />
<br />
So the reverse round of golf that is being played will have accumulated a large number of penalty strokes or the round was long since been ruled as a DQ within the rules provided by the USGA.<br />
<br />
Interestingly, the comic ends with an unmatched left parenthesis, (something which might be intended to [[859|create unresolved tension]]<!-- ) -->.<br />
<br />
==Transcript==<br />
:[There is code written as colored text in a black box (all black text here below is white in the comic):]<br />
:<font color="blue">define</font> <font color="DarkOliveGreen">callMeIshmaelSomeYearsAgoNeverMindHowLongPrecisely</font>():<br />
::<font color="purple">return</font> <font color="DarkOliveGreen">0</font><br />
:<font color="blue">define</font> <font color="DarkOliveGreen">havingLittleOrNoMoneyInMyPurseAndNothingParticular</font>(<font color="blue">toInterestMeOnShoreIThoughtIWouldSail</font>):<br />
::<font color="purple">return</font> 1+toInterestMeOnShoreIThoughtIWouldSail<br />
:<font color="blue">define</font> <font color="DarkOliveGreen">aLittleAndSeeTheWateryPartOfTheWorld</font>(<br />
<br />
:[Caption under the black box:]<br />
:My hobby: Reverse Code Golf<br />
<br />
<br />
==Trivia==<br />
===Revitalizing old themes===<br />
*Is Randall revitalizing old themes?<br />
**This was the first comic in the [[:Category:My Hobby|My Hobby]] series for over a year. <br />
***The previous one, [[1795: All You Can Eat]], was released early in February 2017, and this one at the end of February 2018. <br />
***This is by far the longest span between My Hobby comics, since the first, [[37: Hyphen]], came out in comic 37 back in 2005.<br />
**It also followed directly after the second [[:Category:Fun fact|Fun fact]] comic in the same month ,[[1959: The Simpsons]], after more than two years break from that series.<br />
***That Fun Fact comic was also in the [[:Category:Comics to make one feel old|Comics to make one feel old]] category, a subject he had not returned to since October last year (so not that long, but still a return to a well known theme).<br />
***The first of the two Fun Fact comics was [[1950: Chicken Pox and Name Statistics]].<br />
**Finally in the very next comic he returned to his problems with [[Small Talk]] and social interactions in general in [[1961: Interaction]], something he last dealt with in three comics released for about two years ago, the last being [[1650: Baby]].<br />
**This comic also refers to another recurring theme [[:Category:Programming|Programming]], but there has been no break from this as this was the third of those already in 2018.<br />
<br />
This was the first comic in the ''[[:Category:My Hobby|My Hobby]]'' series for over a year. It followed directly after the second ''[[:Category:Fun fact|Fun fact]]'' comic in the same month, [[1959: The Simpsons]], after more than two years break from that series. It seems that [[Randall]] returned to his [[#Revitalizing_old_themes|old themes]] this month.<br />
<br />
{{comic discussion}}<br />
<br />
<br />
[[Category:Comics with color]]<br />
[[Category:My Hobby]]<br />
[[Category:Programming]]</div>162.158.155.26https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=1960:_Code_Golf&diff=1533061960: Code Golf2018-03-01T13:29:56Z<p>162.158.155.26: /* Explanation */</p>
<hr />
<div>{{comic<br />
| number = 1960<br />
| date = February 26, 2018<br />
| title = Code Golf<br />
| image = code_golf.png<br />
| titletext = I also enjoy Reverse Regular Golf. I've been playing for years all across the country and I'm still on the first hole.<br />
}}<br />
<br />
==Explanation==<br />
{{w|Code golf}} is the attempt to use as few characters as possible to write a computer program with a certain function, analogously to {{w|golf|regular golf's}} goal of getting the ball into the hole with as few strokes as possible. Reverse code golf would be to write a given program using as many characters as possible. Randall does this in the code example using overly long function names that are [https://en.wikisource.org/wiki/Moby-Dick/Chapter_1 the beginning lines] of {{w|Herman Melville}}'s notoriously long-winded whaling novel ''{{w|Moby-Dick}}''. Regular code golf also results in names of functions and variables that have nothing to do with their purpose in the program, which is also true of the names used here.<br />
<br />
Note that it's not actually possible to produce code using "as many characters as possible". It would be a trivial task to make the given program longer, e.g. by using longer names, or by inserting useless code or simply comments.<br />
<br />
The code example is written in a programming language that looks similar to {{w|Python (programming language)|Python}}, but with the keyword “define” instead of “def” to define functions. Python was previously featured in comic [[353: Python]].<br />
<br />
Additionally, the first two functions defined implement “zero” and “successor”, the two basic operations of {{w|Peano axioms|Peano arithmetic}}. Presumably, the programmer will next implement natural number addition, then integers, then whichever branches of mathematics the original problem needs, all from scratch.<br />
<br />
The title text refers to the concept of "Reverse Golf", a variation on golf where the aim is to take as many strokes as possible to get the ball in the hole. The title text states that he has been playing for years, across the country, this implies that the distance traveled with the ball would have been quite large. This implies a rather incomplete understanding of the rules of golf as this suggests the ball is being played out of bounds. <br />
<br />
In golf, "[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Out_of_bounds#Golf Out of Bounds]" is defined as being beyond the boundaries of the golf course or any part of the course so marked by the committee in charge of the golf course.<br />
<br />
If a ball is out of bounds, the player must play a ball, under penalty of one stroke, as nearly as possible at the spot from which the original ball was last played. If the player does not play the penalty shot from the original spot the ball was played this can lead to even more stroke penalties or a disqualification from the match.<br />
<br />
So the reverse round of golf that is being played will have accumulated a large number of penalty strokes or the round was long since been ruled as a DQ within the rules provided by the USGA.<br />
<br />
Interestingly, the comic ends with an unmatched left parenthesis, (something which might be intended to [[859|create unresolved tension]]<!-- ) -->.<br />
<br />
==Transcript==<br />
:[There is code written as colored text in a black box (all black text here below is white in the comic):]<br />
:<font color="blue">define</font> <font color="DarkOliveGreen">callMeIshmaelSomeYearsAgoNeverMindHowLongPrecisely</font>():<br />
::<font color="purple">return</font> <font color="DarkOliveGreen">0</font><br />
:<font color="blue">define</font> <font color="DarkOliveGreen">havingLittleOrNoMoneyInMyPurseAndNothingParticular</font>(<font color="blue">toInterestMeOnShoreIThoughtIWouldSail</font>):<br />
::<font color="purple">return</font> 1+toInterestMeOnShoreIThoughtIWouldSail<br />
:<font color="blue">define</font> <font color="DarkOliveGreen">aLittleAndSeeTheWateryPartOfTheWorld</font>(<br />
<br />
:[Caption under the black box:]<br />
:My hobby: Reverse Code Golf<br />
<br />
<br />
==Trivia==<br />
===Revitalizing old themes===<br />
*Is Randall revitalizing old themes?<br />
**This was the first comic in the [[:Category:My Hobby|My Hobby]] series for over a year. <br />
***The previous one, [[1795: All You Can Eat]], was released early in February 2017, and this one at the end of February 2018. <br />
***This is by far the longest span between My Hobby comics, since the first, [[37: Hyphen]], came out in comic 37 back in 2005.<br />
**It also followed directly after the second [[:Category:Fun fact|Fun fact]] comic in the same month ,[[1959: The Simpsons]], after more than two years break from that series.<br />
***That Fun Fact comic was also in the [[:Category:Comics to make one feel old|Comics to make one feel old]] category, a subject he had not returned to since October last year (so not that long, but still a return to a well known theme).<br />
***The first of the two Fun Fact comics was [[1950: Chicken Pox and Name Statistics]].<br />
**Finally in the very next comic he returned to his problems with [[Small Talk]] and social interactions in general in [[1961: Interaction]], something he last dealt with in three comics released for about two years ago, the last being [[1650: Baby]].<br />
**This comic also refers to another recurring theme [[:Category:Programming|Programming]], but there has been no break from this as this was the third of those already in 2018.<br />
<br />
This was the first comic in the ''[[:Category:My Hobby|My Hobby]]'' series for over a year. It followed directly after the second ''[[:Category:Fun fact|Fun fact]]'' comic in the same month, [[1959: The Simpsons]], after more than two years break from that series. It seems that [[Randall]] returned to his [[#Revitalizing_old_themes|old themes]] this month.<br />
<br />
{{comic discussion}}<br />
<br />
<br />
[[Category:Comics with color]]<br />
[[Category:My Hobby]]<br />
[[Category:Programming]]</div>162.158.155.26https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=User_talk:QATEKLYXM&diff=153238User talk:QATEKLYXM2018-02-28T17:28:46Z<p>162.158.155.26: </p>
<hr />
<div>Hi. This is my talk page! Please ask me anything related to xkcd, and I will do my best to answer it!</div>162.158.155.26https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=User:QATEKLYXM&diff=153237User:QATEKLYXM2018-02-28T17:28:22Z<p>162.158.155.26: </p>
<hr />
<div>Hi. So, my author bio: I spend time on xkcd reading, commenting and editing. I just use the random page generator to move around and edit pages. I have a comment alias, Klyxm, the shortened form of my username, QATEKLYXM (pronounced cataclysm) which makes it easier for others to spell. <br />
<br />
I also own a copy of Randall Munroe's "What If", as well as "Thing Explainer". Been reading since 460. I first found this site at around 1800, and started editing at 1850. My talk page is for if you would like to ask me questions, and I will accept suggestions to change my userpage. Right now I need to make summary edits a habit (I keep forgetting).</div>162.158.155.26https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=959:_Caroling&diff=153236959: Caroling2018-02-28T17:25:14Z<p>162.158.155.26: /* Explanation */</p>
<hr />
<div>{{comic<br />
| number = 959<br />
| date = October 3, 2011<br />
| title = Caroling<br />
| image = caroling.png<br />
| titletext = For a thousand generations we vowed never to forget how his soldiers feasted on our brother Stephen.<br />
}}<br />
<br />
==Explanation==<br />
Here are the lyrics for the first verse of the Christmas Carol, "{{w|Good King Wenceslas}}"<br />
<br />
:''Good King Wenceslas looked out, on the Feast of Stephen,''<br />
:''When the snow lay round about, deep and crisp and even;''<br />
:''Brightly shone the moon that night, tho' the frost was cruel,''<br />
:''When a poor man came in sight, gath'ring winter fuel.''<br />
<br />
While not a king, {{w|Wenceslaus I, Duke of Bohemia}} is considered a martyr and a saint. Far from being responsible for any massacre, he protected his subjects from external dominance, and is still a national hero to the Czech people. [[Black Hat]] is supplying {{w|disinformation}} to unsuspecting carolers, either to shut them up, by making them falsely think that they are associating themselves with a morally reprehensible man, or just because he's a [[classhole]] like that.<br />
<br />
The title text references "the {{w|St. Stephen's Day|Feast of Stephen}}" which is also known as the "Feast of St. Stephen" or "St. Stephen's Day", which is a holiday celebrated on 26 or 27 December, depending on the Western or Eastern church respectively. It is not actually a feast that involved eating a person named Stephen, instead a celebration of the Saint named Stephen.<br />
<br />
If you look closely, you can see that the carolers may be a family. The man and woman are confused by what Black Hat has said, and the girl is looking to the adults, perhaps gauging their facial reactions, or just waiting for their reply.<br />
<br />
==Transcript==<br />
:[Three people, two the same size, one smaller stand together singing Christmas carols.]<br />
:Carolers (in unison): Good king Wenceslas looked out on the— <br />
<br />
:[Black Hat leans out of an above ground window.]<br />
:Black Hat: King Wenceslas massacred my people.<br />
<br />
:[The carolers stand in silence, the smaller one looks at the others.]<br />
<br />
{{comic discussion}}<br />
[[Category:Comics featuring Black Hat]]<br />
[[Category:Music]]</div>162.158.155.26https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=1565:_Back_Seat&diff=1532341565: Back Seat2018-02-28T17:21:34Z<p>162.158.155.26: /* Explanation */</p>
<hr />
<div>{{comic<br />
| number = 1565<br />
| date = August 17, 2015<br />
| title = Back Seat<br />
| image = back_seat.png<br />
| titletext = Hang on, let me scare the live raccoon over to the same side as the dead one.<br />
}}<br />
<br />
==Explanation==<br />
This comic makes fun of the common situation of a messy car, using a hyperbolic scenario of that car containing decaying animals, in this case a {{w|raccoon}}. The joke being that such a car is so disgusting that a dead raccoon is not the worst thing that one might encounter. The humor comes from the car owner seeming to be used to a dead raccoon and the implications of what might be worse than a dead raccoon.<br />
<br />
This is the polar opposite of [[1267: Mess]], where the person apologizes for a nearly non-existent mess. Here, the person minimizes a completely atrocious mess into a quick fix situation. The form of the comic is that of a pro-tip, which tells the reader what the phrase "I just have to clear a few things out of the back" really means.<br />
<br />
'{{w|Protip}}s' are used to give snarky, obvious or inadequate advice, in order to either humor a well-learnt audience or to prank a naïve audience. This phenomenon originated in a gaming magazine column offering advice on ''Doom'': "To defeat the Cyberdemon, shoot at it until it dies." [[Randall]] has given us several [[:Category:Protip|Protips]] in the past as well.<br />
<br />
The title text further exposes the reality of the person's knowledge of how bad the situation really is when he acknowledges the existence of the dead raccoon while trying to usher the live one to the same side. Protip: Sitting next to a dead ''and'' a live raccoon is not an improved scenario, as the dead raccoon would probably be decaying, leaking bodily fluids into the back seat, staining the seat and making it wet, while the live raccoon may be aggravated, and possibly attacking the occupants of the vehicle.<br />
<br />
==Transcript==<br />
:[Caption above the panel.]<br />
:Protip:<br />
<br />
:[Cueball is holding the back door of his car open. Wiggly lines emanate from the back seat area. Megan and another Cueball-like guy are stand next to the car, looking at each other.]<br />
:Cueball: Hang on, I just have to clear a few things out of the back.:<br />
<br />
:[Caption below the panel.]<br />
:When you hear "I just have to clear a few things out of the back," you are about to see, at minimum, a decaying raccoon.<br />
<br />
==Trivia==<br />
*The title text originally contained a grammatical error, "same side of the dead one", which was later corrected by Randall.<br />
*Raccoons also feature in a disgusting situation in [[1025: Tumblr]].<br />
<br />
{{comic discussion}}<br />
[[Category:Protip]]<br />
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]<br />
[[Category:Comics featuring Megan]]<br />
[[Category:Multiple Cueballs]]<br />
[[Category:Animals]]</div>162.158.155.26https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=958:_Hotels&diff=153233958: Hotels2018-02-28T17:20:19Z<p>162.158.155.26: /* Explanation */</p>
<hr />
<div>{{comic<br />
| number = 958<br />
| date = September 30, 2011<br />
| title = Hotels<br />
| image = hotels.png<br />
| titletext = 'Rating: 1/5. Room filled to brim with semen, and when front desk clerk opened mouth to talk, bedbugs poured out.'<br />
}}<br />
<br />
==Explanation==<br />
<br />
In this comic, [[Black Hat]] is putting bad reviews on all the hotels he has stayed at and likes and wants to stay in again, in order to lower demand for said hotel. He is simultaneously putting good reviews on bad hotels to steer other people there so there are more vacancies at good hotels. He claims he is not enough influence to put the good hotels out of business.<br />
<br />
The {{w|Tragedy of the commons|tragedy of the commons}} "is a dilemma arising from the situation in which multiple individuals, acting independently and rationally consulting their own self-interest, will ultimately deplete a shared limited resource, even when it is clear that it is not in anyone's long-term interest for this to happen." This situation is not a complete example of this concept as Black Hat is the only one doing it. He understands, however, that if others do it, it would apply. (Another example is what would happen using a certain strategy in the game [[Oregon|Oregon Trail]])<br />
<br />
In the last frame, Black Hat references the {{w|invisible hand}} which is the term coined by {{w|Adam Smith}} and used by economists use to describe the self-regulating nature of the marketplace. Black Hat appears to be taking advantage of this invisible hand by cutting it with a knife and eating it.<br />
<br />
The title text is an example of Black Hat's negative reviews, which in itself is a surrealist joke about the hotel. A somewhat believable (if exaggerated) set of complaints about an awful hotel is that the "Room filled to brim with bedbugs, and when front desk clerk opened mouth to talk, semen poured out". However instead, the objects of focus are reversed, creating a ridiculous scenario for the reader to enjoy, if they are not too disgusted by the imagery of the text.<br />
<br />
==Transcript==<br />
:[Cueball is sitting at a desk with a laptop, looking at a review website]<br />
:Cueball: What's with this negative review? You ''liked'' that hotel.<br />
:Black Hat: I have a script that posts a bad review for every hotel I stay at. It reduces demand, which means more vacancies and lower prices next time.<br />
<br />
:Cueball: What if the place sucks?<br />
:Black Hat: I change the review to positive to steer other people over there.<br />
<br />
:Cueball: You punish companies you like!<br />
:Black Hat: The odds of ''my'' review putting a hotel out of business are negligible.<br />
:Cueball: If we all did that the system would collapse!<br />
:Black Hat: Doesn't affect my logic. Tragedy of the commons.<br />
<br />
:Cueball: That's not even the tragedy of the commons anymore. That's the tragedy of you're a dick.<br />
:Black Hat: If you're quick with a knife, you'll find that the invisible hand is made of delicious invisible meat.<br />
<br />
{{comic discussion}}<br />
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]<br />
[[Category:Comics featuring Black Hat]]<br />
[[Category:Psychology]]<br />
[[Category:Computers]]<br />
[[Category:Sarcasm]]<br />
[[Category:Online reviews]]</div>162.158.155.26https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=1919:_Interstellar_Asteroid&diff=1532321919: Interstellar Asteroid2018-02-28T17:19:07Z<p>162.158.155.26: /* Explanation */</p>
<hr />
<div>{{comic<br />
| number = 1919<br />
| date = November 22, 2017<br />
| title = Interstellar Asteroid<br />
| image = interstellar_asteroid.png<br />
| titletext = Every time we detect an asteroid from outside the Solar System, we should immediately launch a mission to fling one of our asteroids back in the direction it came from.<br />
}}<br />
<br />
==Explanation==<br />
{{incomplete|Explain the last panel. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}<br />
<br />
{{w|ʻOumuamua}} is the first detection of an [https://www.nasa.gov/planetarydefense/faq/interstellar interstellar asteroid] passing through the Solar System originating from another solar system.<br />
<br />
[[Megan]]'s list of objects with a similar shape ratio:<br />
* The 1:4:9 {{w|Monolith (Space Odyssey)|monolith}} from the sci-fi movie ''{{w|2001:_A_Space_Odyssey_(film)|2001: A Space Odyssey}}''<br />
* A {{w|Star Destroyer}}, a spaceship in the ''{{w|Star Wars}}'' universe. This one seems particularly unlikely, as the Star Wars mythos is set a long time ago in a galaxy far, far away, and rarely (if ever, depending on the continuity) strays outside of said galaxy.<br />
* Huge eggplant emoji (🍆, U+1F346 Aubergine, commonly used to represent a penis).<br />
* Statue of {{w|"Weird Al" Yankovic}}, an American singer and parodist<br />
* iPhone XXXXX, likely making fun of Apple's {{w|iPhone X}} and larger in size<br />
* [http://voltron.wikia.com/wiki/Voltron_(Voltron_Force) Voltron], a giant robot from the animated series ''{{w|Voltron|Voltron: Defender of the Universe}}''<br />
* A giant {{tvtropes|BurialInSpace|space coffin}} with someone inside.<br />
<br />
As soon as Megan lists off the last item, she is about to start speculating within her own speculative scenario about who or what might be in the coffin, before being interrupted by Cueball. Cueball attempts to bring Megan back down to earth by reminding her that she has too little data to work with (one data point), but Megan is far too excitable to listen to reason. The dangers of speculating irresponsibly, it would seem.<br />
<br />
It could also be argued that Megan with this makes fun of many news outlets whose first reaction to a new space body often seems to be to search for something to compare its shape to, such as with the [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/67P/Churyumov–Gerasimenko#Shape 'rubber duck' comet]. Making fun of media covering science news is a recurring theme on xkcd.<br />
<br />
The title text suggests taking reciprocal action by sending asteroids away when the solar system receives them. This would, of course, be difficult, given the amount of energy needed to shift asteroids outside of the Sun's gravity hold. On top of that, it appears to imply that some non-human entity is sending these rocks, which is an inane idea. This could be a reference to the movie {{w|Starship Troopers (film)|Starship Troopers}}, where a race of aliens mankind is at war with supposedly hit Earth with asteroids. Given that a typical interstellar traveler -- like the one spotted now in real life -- spends millions of years getting from one star system to another, the movie's idea is plain stupid; in fact, the movie gives no proof the aliens were actually responsible, leading to a common fan theory that the asteroid was indeed random space junk and the aliens are being framed by the human government as pretense for war.<br />
<br />
==Transcript==<br />
:[Megan walks towards Cueball while looking at her phone. Cueball sits in front of his laptop.]<br />
:Megan: Hey, you know that asteroid that tumbled past from another star system? It's apparently really long and skinny. <br />
:Megan: Like a ratio of 6:1 or 10:1.<br />
:Cueball: Weird. Wonder what it's shaped like.<br />
<br />
:[Megan lowers her phone and looks up. Cueball looks backward.]<br />
:Megan: Without more data, it would be irresponsible to speculate further.<br />
:Cueball: So...you're going to?<br />
:Megan: ''Absolutely.''<br />
<br />
:[Frameless panel focusing on Megan.]<br />
:Megan: Here are some objects with a similar shape ratio:<br />
:Megan: The 1:4:9 monolith from ''2001: A Space Odyssey''.<br />
:Megan: A star destroyer.<br />
:Megan: A huge eggplant emoji.<br />
<br />
:[Same setting with Megan and Cueball.]<br />
:Megan: A statue of Weird Al. An iPhone XXXXX. Voltron.<br />
:Megan: A giant space coffin. But who could be inside? We can only guess. I'll start:<br />
:Cueball: This is all based on ''how'' many data points, again?<br />
:Megan: One. But it's a ''perfect'' fit!<br />
<br />
{{comic discussion}}<br />
<br />
[[Category: Comics featuring Megan]]<br />
[[Category: Comics featuring Cueball]]<br />
[[Category:Star Wars]]<br />
[[Category:Astronomy]]</div>162.158.155.26https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=1688:_Map_Age_Guide&diff=1532311688: Map Age Guide2018-02-28T17:18:12Z<p>162.158.155.26: /* Table */</p>
<hr />
<div>{{comic<br />
| number = 1688<br />
| date = June 1, 2016<br />
| title = Map Age Guide<br />
| image = map_age_guide.png<br />
| titletext = Does the screeching chill your blood and herald death? If yes, banshee. If no, seagull.<br />
}}<br />
<br />
* A [http://xkcd.com/1688/large/ larger version] of this image can be found by clicking the image at xkcd.com - the comic's page can also be accessed by clicking on the comic number above.<br />
<br />
==Explanation==<br />
{{incomplete|Errors in the year etc. should be collected in the [[#Trivia|trivia section]]. Another table with the possible year ranges and the length of their interval would be interesting. (Only for the political maps) What are the longest ranges after 1805 and how finely dissected are the maps closer to today?}}<br />
The comic consists of a flowchart depicting various ways to tell what era a map is from based on present country borders and land forms. (Except in the Not a Political Map Branch (from "Can you see the familiar continents?" downwards), the comic applies to a political map.) While many of the options are very serious, a few bizarre options reference fictional maps ({{w|Discworld}}, {{w|Narnia}}, and Tolkien's {{w|Middle-earth}}), or consider that seagulls, staplers, tubas, or breadboxes could be mistaken for a map. Randall also mentions US President {{w|Jimmy Carter}} being attacked by a giant swimming rabbit, an event previously referenced as one we must never forget in [[204: America]].<br />
<br />
The flowchart, although probably effective in eventually identifying the production year of certain maps, is designed in a rather inefficient way, as some early distinctions are already on a very detailed level before some really important distinctions (fictional or non-political map) are made. This, of course, adds to the humorous tone of the comic. It is also hampered by several smaller or larger error (see [[#Trivia|trivia]]), the biggest being a whole section on I-25 that gives years in the range 1948–1952, before I-25 was built, and coming from a question that fixed the year range to 1960–1961.<br />
<br />
Additionally, (possible) future maps including a "Radioactive Exclusion Zone" in the place of Colorado are mentioned. It predicts that some kind of nuclear incident will occur in Colorado (possibly at Rulison or Rio Blanco nuclear testing sites) in 2022. It also predicts that the area will be infested by radioactive spiders one year later.<br />
<br />
The title text continues the path where the user has confused a seagull for a map by inquiring if the (presumed) seagull might be a banshee based on the effect of its screams.<br />
<br />
===Table===<br />
*Going through the flowchart, taking the leftmost path first, recursively. (Note there is no recursive loop). See also {{w|Depth-first search}}.<br />
**"Prior Date Range" is the range determined immediately before the question, carried over from the previous question.<br />
**"Question Date Range" is the range each answer choice implies.<br />
**"New Date Range" is the intersection of the Prior Date Range and the Question Date Range for each choice, and is the range determined by all questions hitherto answered.<br />
<br />
{| border =1 width=100% cellpadding=5 class="wikitable"<br />
! # !! Question !! Explanation !! Prior Date Range !! Question Date Range !! New Date Range<br />
|-<br />
! 1<br />
| '''Istanbul or Constantinople'''<br />
| The largest city in {{w|Turkey}} is famous for having different names at different times or to different people. Variations on both names go back at least 1,000 years. Other names have also been used at various points. {{w|Istanbul}} has been the official name in Western languages since the 1920s (although it's been the native name since 1453), although Western maps often referred to it as Constantinople as late as the 1960s; on the flowchart, the choice of name appears to go with the 1920s date. The name changes are the subject of a [http://mentalfloss.com/article/60314/original-istanbul-not-constantinople song], originally by the Four Lads, but now mainly known for the They Might Be Giants recording.<br />
| '''Start here'''<br />
|<br />
* Constantinople: 330 – 1928 <br />
* Neither: inconclusive<br />
* Istanbul: 1928+<br />
|<br />
* Constantinople: 330 – 1928 (Go to 2)<br />
* Neither: inconclusive (Go to 19)<br />
* Istanbul: 1928+ (Go to 51)<br />
|-<br />
| colspan="6" | '''Note:''' the chart splits here into three divisions, each from a choice in question 1. The Neither Division will attempt to use other indicators to sort maps into one of the other two divisions or branches thereof, or, after 5 failures to find a country, conclude that the "map" in question is not a political map and proceed to find out what it is (the Not a Political Map Branch). The Constantinople and Istanbul Divisions are linear except where the Neither Division joins them as stated above.<br />
|-<br />
! colspan="6" | Constantinople Division<br />
|-<br />
! 2<br />
| '''Do any of these exist?'''<br />
* '''Independent Canada'''<br />
* '''US Territory of Alaska'''<br />
* '''Tokyo'''<br />
| All these seem to specify a date cut-off of 1867/8, but there are caveats attached to each:<br />
* {{w|Canada}} gained its independence gradually, but it would appear as its own country (the Dominion of Canada) on maps sometime between the {{w|Constitution Act, 1867}} (which created Canada as a British dominion) and the {{w|Statute of Westminster 1931}} (which made Canada largely self-governing).<br />
* The {{w|Territory of Alaska}} existed between 1912 (previously, it was a US district) and 1959 (when it became a state). The US has owned Alaska since the 1867 {{w|Alaska Purchase}}, but it was not a territory then.<br />
* {{w|Tokyo}} was once called Edo. It was renamed Tokyo (which means "Eastern Capital") when it became the capital in 1868. [https://books.google.com/ngrams/graph?content=Tokyo%2CTokei&year_start=1870&year_end=1880&corpus=15&smoothing=3&share=&direct_url=t1%3B%2CTokyo%3B%2Cc0%3B.t1%3B%2CTokei%3B%2Cc0 Most English books around then] would actually have called it "Tokei," the Chinese reading. The name Tokyo didn't take off until {{w|Hepburn romanization}} was popularized in the 1880s.<br />
| 330–1928 (from 1)<br />
1299–1922 (from 19 in the Neither Division)<br />
(from 24 in the Neither Division)<br />
|<br />
* No: 1867-<br />
* Yes: 1868+<br />
|<br />
* No: 330–1867 (Go to 3)<br />
* Yes: 1868–1928 (Go to 11)<br />
|-<br />
! colspan="6" | Holy Roman Empire Branch<br />
|-<br />
! 3<br />
| '''The Holy Roman Empire?'''<br />
| The predecessor to modern Germany, the {{w|Holy Roman Empire}} was a union of hundreds of small states in Central Europe. Nationalism and the concept of the {{w|nation state}} hadn't taken off yet, so countries as we know them didn't really exist. There were just small lands, often with keenly contested borders, owned by minor aristocracy who pledged allegiance to one of the big powers. The HRE was {{w|Dissolution of the Holy Roman Empire|dissolved}} in 1806 after it was invaded by Napoleon, arguably the first leader to realise the potential of making a nation salute a flag.<br />
| 330–1867<br />
|<br />
* Yes: 899–1806<br />
* No: 899- or 1806+<br />
|<br />
* Yes: 899–1806 (Stated in comic as "1805 or earlier," since modern map-making was fuzzy as a concept prior) ('''Stop''')<br />
* No: 330–899 or 1806–67 (Go to 4)<br />
|-<br />
! 4<br />
| '''The United States?'''<br />
| The original {{w|Thirteen Colonies|13 colonies}} declared independence in 1776. A map that does not include ''either'' the HRE ''or'' the USA must be older than the HRE, which would put the map sometime prior to 1000 AD, when there really were no countries, and English wasn't used yet, hence Randall's comment.<br />
| 330–899 or 1806–67<br />
|<br />
* No: 1776-<br />
* Yes: 1776+<br />
|<br />
* No: 330–899 (Not stated in comic, since a map in this period is probably not in English, which violates a proviso of the comic) ('''Stop''')<br />
* Yes: 1806–67 (Go to 5)<br />
|-<br />
! 5<br />
| '''Texas is...<br/>Part of Mexico?<br/>Independent?<br/>Part of the US?'''<br />
| {{w|Mexico}} (and before its independence, {{w|New Spain}}) occupied the area modern-day Texas from around 1718 ({{w|Spanish Texas|when the first permanent Spanish settlements were founded}}) to the {{w|Texas Declaration of Independence}} in 1836 (the comic apparently cited 1834 as the date) – the land called "Texas" was only a small part of the modern-day state. The {{w|Republic of Texas}} only lasted a decade and joined the US in 1846.<br />
| 1806–67<br />
|<br />
* Part of Mexico: 1718–1836<br />
* Independent: 1836–46<br />
* Part of the US: 1846+<br />
|<br />
* Part of Mexico: 1806–36 (Go to 6)<br />
* Independent: 1836–46 (stated in comic as 1834–45 – a discrepancy) ('''Stop''')<br />
* Part of the US: 1846–67 (Go to 9)<br />
|-<br />
! 6<br />
| '''Florida is part of...<br/>Spain?<br/>The US?'''<br />
| Spain occupied {{w|Florida}} (as {{w|East Florida}} and {{w|West Florida}}) but frankly they didn't actually want it – it was expensive to send people to settle it, and there wasn't much economic value in it. So they gave it to the US for free in the 1819 {{w|Adams–Onís Treaty}} (which took effect in 1821) in exchange for the US giving up parts of Mexico and paying off angry Spanish settlers. (For some reason, the comic treats Florida as part of the US in 1818; see questions 7 and 8.)<br />
| 1806–36<br />
|<br />
* Spain: 1565–1763 or 1783–1821<br />
* The US: 1821+<br />
|<br />
* Spain: 1806–21 (Go to 7)<br />
* The US: 1821–36 (Go to 8)<br />
|-<br />
! 7<br />
| '''{{w|Paraguay}}?'''<br />
| Declared independence from Spain in 1811 (although it might appear on older maps as the Spanish Province of Paraguay).<br />
| 1806–21<br />
|<br />
* No: 1811-<br />
* Yes: 1811+<br />
|<br />
* No: 1806–11 (stated in comic as 1806–10) ('''Stop''')<br />
* Yes: 1811–21 (stated in comic as 1811–17 – a discrepancy (see question 6)) ('''Stop''')<br />
|-<br />
! 8<br />
| '''{{w|Venezuela}} and/or {{w|Ecuador?}}'''<br />
| Both declared independence from {{w|Gran Colombia}} (Greater Colombia) in 1830.<br />
| 1821–36<br />
|<br />
* No: 1830-<br />
* Yes: 1830+<br />
|<br />
* No: 1821–30 (stated in comic as 1818–29 – a discrepancy (see question 6)) ('''Stop''')<br />
* Yes: 1830–36 (stated in comic as 1830–33 – a discrepancy (see question 5)) ('''Stop''')<br />
|-<br />
! 9<br />
| '''Does Russia border the Sea of Japan?'''<br />
| The 1858 {{w|Treaty of Aigun}} brought the {{w|Russian Empire}}'s border to the {{w|Sea of Japan}}.<br />
| 1846–67<br />
|<br />
* No: 1858-<br />
* Yes: 1858+<br />
|<br />
* No: 1846–58 (Go to 10)<br />
* Yes: 1858–67 ('''Stop''')<br />
|-<br />
! 10<br />
| '''The US's southern border looks...'''<br />
| The last southward expansion of the US is the 1854 {{w|Gadsden Purchase}}, where the US bought a chunk of what is now {{w|Arizona}} and {{w|New Mexico}} so they could build a railway that avoided unfavourable terrain. The southern border looks "weird" before that because we are accustomed to the current border shape.<br />
| 1846–58<br />
|<br />
* Weird: 1854-<br />
* Normal: 1854+<br />
|<br />
* Weird: 1846–54 (stated in comic as 1846–53) ('''Stop''')<br />
* Normal: 1854–58 (stated in comic as 1854–56 – a discrepancy (where is 1857?)) ('''Stop''')<br />
|-<br />
! colspan="6" | South Africa Branch<br />
|-<br />
! 11<br />
| '''{{w|South Africa}}?'''<br />
| The {{w|Union of South Africa}} was created in 1910 out of the four British colonies ({{w|Cape Colony}}, {{w|Colony of Natal|Natal}}, {{w|Transvall Colony|Transvaal}}, and {{w|Orange River Colony|Orange River}}), although South Africa was then not yet fully independent from the United Kingdom (which would not happen until 1931).<br />
| 1868–1928<br />
|<br />
* No: 1910-<br />
* Yes: 1910+<br />
|<br />
* No: 1868–1910 (Go to 12)<br />
* Yes: 1910–28 (Go to 16)<br />
|-<br />
! 12<br />
| '''Rhodesia?'''<br />
| The region that now makes up {{w|Zambia}} and {{w|Zimbabwe}} was named {{w|Rhodesia (region)|"Rhodesia"}} by the {{w|British South Africa Company}} in 1895. An {{w|Rhodesia|unrecognised state}} (1965–79) and a {{w|Southern Rhodesia|colony}} (1923–80 on-and-off) also bore this name, but they are both outside the Prior Date Range.<br />
| 1868–1910<br />
|<br />
* No: 1895-<br />
* Yes: 1895+<br />
|<br />
* No: 1868–95 (Go to 13)<br />
* Yes: 1895–1910 (Go to 15)<br />
|-<br />
! 13<br />
| '''Is Bolivia landlocked?'''<br />
| {{w|Bolivia}} lost its coastal territory to {{w|Chile}} in the {{w|War of the Pacific}}, ceding {{w|Antofagasta}} in the {{w|Treaty of Valparaiso}} in 1884.<br />
| 1868–95<br />
|<br />
* No: 1825–84<br />
* Yes: 1884+<br />
|<br />
* No: 1868–84 (Go to 14)<br />
* Yes: 1884–95 ('''Stop''')<br />
|-<br />
! 14<br />
| '''"Buda" and "Pest" or "Budapest"?'''<br />
| In 1873, the cities of {{w|Buda}} and {{w|Pest, Hungary|Pest}} joined together to form the city of {{w|Budapest}}.<br />
| 1868–84<br />
|<br />
* Buda and Pest: 1247–1873<br />
* Budapest: 1873+<br />
|<br />
* Buda and Pest: 1868–73 (stated in comic as 1868–72) ('''Stop''')<br />
* Budapest: 1873–84 (stated in comic as 1873–83) ('''Stop''')<br />
|-<br />
! 15<br />
| '''Is Norway part of Sweden?'''<br />
| {{w|Norway}} was ceded to {{w|Sweden}} in 1814, from which it separated in 1905.<br />
| 1895–1910<br />
|<br />
* Yes: 1814–1905<br />
* No: 1814- or 1905+<br />
|<br />
* Yes: 1895–1905 (Stated in comic as 1896–1905) ('''Stop''')<br />
* No: 1905–10 (Stated in comic as 1906–09) ('''Stop''')<br />
|-<br />
! 16<br />
| '''Austria-Hungary?'''<br />
| {{w|Austria-Hungary}} formed in 1867 and dissolved in 1918. (However, during that time period, it was frequently called simply "Austria"; it is more consistently called "Austria-Hungary" in historical maps created later, for example, in history textbooks illustrating the alliances of {{w|World War I}}.)<br />
| 1910–28<br />
|<br />
* Yes: 1867–1918<br />
* No: 1918+<br />
|<br />
* Yes: 1910–18 (Go to 17)<br />
* No: 1918–28 (Go to 18)<br />
|-<br />
! 17<br />
| '''Albania?'''<br />
| {{w|Albania}} declared independence from the {{w|Ottoman Empire}} in 1912.<br />
| 1910–18 <br />
|<br />
* No: 1912-<br />
* Yes: 1912+<br />
|<br />
* No: 1910–12 ('''Stop''')<br />
* Yes: 1912–18 (stated in comic as 1913–18) ('''Stop''')<br />
|-<br />
! 18<br />
| '''Leningrad?'''<br />
| {{w|Saint Petersburg}} was known as Leningrad between 1924 and 1991. The city was founded in 1703 as Saint Petersburg (specific spellings vary); in August 1914, due to major anti-German sentiment related to WWI, it was renamed Petrograd (essentially the Russian translation of Petersburg). On January 26, 1924, five days after the death of {{w|Vladimir Lenin}} (the main revolutionary leader), the new Communist government (hostile to both the the Orthodox {{w|Saint Peter}} the city was named after and the Czar {{w|Peter the Great}} who named it) renamed the city Leningrad in his honor. After the decline of the Soviet government in 1991, the name became unpopular, and a referendum in June 1991 (concurrently with the first Russian presidential election) restored the name Saint Petersburg for the city (officially in September 1991), which it holds to this day.<br />
| 1918–28<br />
|<br />
* No: 1924- or 1991+<br />
* Yes: 1924–91<br />
|<br />
* No: 1918–24 (stated in comic as 1919–23) ('''Stop''')<br />
* Yes: 1924–28 (stated in comic as 1924–29) ('''Stop''')<br />
|-<br />
! colspan="6" | Neither Division<br />
|-<br />
! 19<br />
| '''Does the Ottoman Empire exist?'''<br />
| The {{w|Ottoman Empire}} was founded in 1299, and defeated and dissolved on November 1, 1922 when the sultanate was abolished.<br />
| Inconclusive<br />
| <br />
* Yes: 1299–1922<br />
* No: 1299- or 1922+<br />
|<br />
* Yes: 1299–1922 (Go to 2 in the Constantinople Division)<br />
* No: 1299- or 1922+ (Go to 20)<br />
|-<br />
! 20<br />
| '''The Soviet Union?'''<br />
| The {{w|Soviet Union}} is one of the largest countries ever to exist consisting of Russia and large portions of eastern Europe and central Asia. It was a major political force from December 28, 1922, when several allied Soviet republics united, to 1991, when it broke up.<br />
''Note:'' This question is the same as question 51 in the Istanbul Division, but because there a Prior Date Range of 1928+ has already been established by the presence of Istanbul, we need one more question to determine whether we are within the range of 1928+.<br />
| 1299- or 1922+<br />
|<br />
* Yes: 1922–91<br />
* No: 1922- or 1991+<br />
|<br />
* Yes: 1922–91 (Go to 21)<br />
* No: 1299- or 1922 (November 1–December 28) or 1991+ (Go to 22)<br />
|-<br />
! 21<br />
| '''Saudi Arabia?'''<br />
| The Kingdom of {{w|Saudi Arabia}} was founded in 1932. It is the first modern state to exert control over the area it claims, which previously were controlled by various tribal leaders. Most maps before 1932 will not mark the area as belonging to a nation at all, will attempt to mark the various shifting chieftains, or will attribute the land to the {{w|Ottoman Empire}}, which claimed the land but did not effectively control it.<br />
| 1922–91<br />
|<br />
* Yes: 1932+<br />
* No: 1932-<br />
|<br />
* Yes: 1932–91 (Go to 52 in the Istanbul Division)<br />
* No: 1922–32 ('''Stop''')<br />
|-<br />
! 22<br />
| '''North Korea?'''<br />
| The {{w|Korean Peninsula}} was divided into two regions, the north of which would be known as {{w|North Korea}}, at the end of {{w|World War II}} in 1945. This resulted in the inconclusive {{w|Korean War}}.<br />
| 1299- or 1922 (November 1–December 28) or 1991+<br />
|<br />
* Yes: 1945+<br />
* No: 1945-<br />
|<br />
* Yes: 1991+ (Go to 69 in the Istanbul Division)<br />
* No: 1299- or 1922 (November 1–December 28) (Go to 23)<br />
|-<br />
! 23<br />
| '''Saint Trimble's Island'''<br />
| Since [[Randall]] just made up this place, it is impossible that a map would include it, probably as a {{w|trap street|cartographer's fingerprint}} indicating plagiarism?<br />
| 1299- or 1922 (November 1–December 28)<br />
|<br />
* No: inconclusive<br />
* Yes: impossible<br />
|<br />
* No: 1299- or 1922 (November 1–December 28) (Go to 24)<br />
* Yes: impossible ('''Stop''')<br />
|-<br />
! 24<br />
| '''Is Jan Mayen part of the kingdom of Norway?'''<br />
| Jurisdiction over the island of {{w|Jan Mayen}} was given to {{w|Norway}} around 1920, and it officially joined in 1930.<br/><br/>'''Note:''' Strictly speaking, it should be almost impossible to answer "Yes" to this question – the Ottoman Empire existed until 1922, the Soviet Union existed from 1922 to 1991, and North Korea from 1945 onwards, so by answering "No" to the previous three questions, the user has ruled out the entire period during which Norway has officially owned Jan Mayen, and almost the entire period it controlled it barring an extremely slim sliver of time between November 1, 1922 to December 28, 1922. The following questions ignore the previous ones (East Germany only existed at the same time as the USSR, and Pakistan was founded later than North Korea, so both should have already been excluded) – essentially, the Jan Mayen question reboots the test.<br />
| 1299- or 1922 (November 1–December 28)<br />
|<br />
* Not yet: prior to 1930<br />
* What?: Not a political map<br />
* Yes: 1930+<br />
|<br />
* Not yet: (Go to 2 in the Constantinople Division)<br />
* What?: (Go to 25)<br />
* Yes: (Go to 53 in the Istanbul Division)<br />
|-<br />
! colspan="6" | Not a Political Map Branch<br />
|-<br />
! 25<br />
| '''Can you see the familiar continents?'''<br />
| At this point, it is clear that the map in question is not a political map from any time. Therefore, the comic tries to determine whether it is a map of the Earth at all by asking if the continents are there.<br />
|<br />
|<br />
* Yes: map of the Earth<br />
* No: not a map of the Earth<br />
|<br />
* Yes: map of the Earth (Go to 26)<br />
* No: not a map of the Earth (Go to 32)<br />
|-<br />
! colspan="6" | Topographical Map / Satellite Image Subbranch<br />
|-<br />
! 26<br />
| '''This sounds like a physical map or satellite photo.'''<br />
| A map of the Earth that does not label political regions must be a topological map; or, it can be a satellite image of the Earth.<br />
| Map of the Earth<br />
|<br />
* Yes, that's it: topographical map or satellite image of the Earth<br />
|<br />
* Yes, that's it: topographical map or satellite image of the Earth (Go to 27)<br />
|-<br />
! 27<br />
| '''Is Lake Chad missing?'''<br />
| {{w|Lake Chad}} lost 75% of its area in the 1970s, becoming too small to be included in a map or picture of the Earth.<br />
| Topographical map or satellite image of the Earth<br />
|<br />
* No: 1970s-<br />
* Yes: 1970s+<br />
|<br />
* No: 1970s- (Go to 28)<br />
* Yes: 1970s+ (Go to 31)<br />
|-<br />
! 28<br />
| '''How far east do the American prairies reach?'''<br />
| As settlers made their way west, the prairie land in the {{w|Great Plains}} region was steadily replaced by farmland and ranches. By the 1920s, most of the land had been converted to agricultural use, and the last of the prairie was largely obliterated by the {{w|Dust Bowl}}s in the 1930s. The dividing lines correspond roughly to the three types of prairie: {{w|tallgrass prairie}} grew between the Mississippi and Indiana, {{w|mixed grass prairie}} covered Nebraska and other states on the {{w|100th meridian west}}, and {{w|shortgrass prairie}} covered the remaining area east of the Rocky Mountains. There's some overlap in the dates, since it's fairly arbitrary at what you point you say the prairies stopped existing. There are still patches of prairie (covering about 1% of their former reach), but these are probably not visible in a satellite image.<br />
<br />
| 1970s-<br />
|<br />
* Indiana: Before 1830<br />
* The Mississippi: 1830–1880s<br />
* Nebraska: 1860s–1910s<br />
* What prairies?: 1920s+<br />
|<br />
* Indiana: Before 1830 ('''Stop''')<br />
* The Mississippi: 1830–80s ('''Stop''')<br />
* Nebraska: 1860s–1910s (Go to 29)<br />
* What prairies?: 1920s–1970s (Go to 30)<br />
|-<br />
! 29<br />
| '''Is there a big lake in the middle of Southern California? (created by mistake)'''<br />
| This is {{w|Salton Sea}}, a previously dry lake bed accidentally flooded in 1905 while attempting to increase irrigation to the area from the Colorado River<br />
| 1860s–1910s<br />
|<br />
* No: before 1905<br />
* Yes: 1905+<br />
|<br />
* No: 1860s–1900s ('''Stop''')<br />
* Yes: 1910s ('''Stop''')<br />
|-<br />
! 30<br />
| '''Is there a big lake in the middle of Ghana? (created on purpose)'''<br />
| {{w|Lake Volta}}, formed by the {{w|Akosombo Dam}} which was built in the 1960s<br />
| 1920s–1970s<br />
|<br />
* No: before 1960s<br />
* Yes: 1960s+<br />
|<br />
* No: 1920s–50s ('''Stop''')<br />
* Yes: 1960s–70s ('''Stop''')<br />
|-<br />
! 31<br />
| '''Is the Aral Sea missing?'''<br />
| Shrinking since the 1930s, the {{w|Aral Sea}} would be too small to be on maps or images of the Earth by the 2000s.<br />
| 1970s+<br />
|<br />
* No: 1990s-<br />
* Yes: 2000s+<br />
|<br />
* No: 1970s-90s ('''Stop''')<br />
* Yes: 2000s+ ('''Stop''')<br />
|-<br />
! colspan="6" | ''Topograpical Map / Satellite Image Subbranch ends''<br />
|-<br />
! colspan="6" | Fictional Map / Non-Map Subbranch<br />
|-<br />
! 32<br />
| '''Rivers "Sirion" or "Anduin"?'''<br />
| The rivers {{w|List of Middle-earth rivers#Sirion|Sirion}} and {{w|Anduin}} are part of {{w|Middle-earth|Middle-earth}}, the fictional setting of J.R.R. Tolkien's ''{{w|The Lord of the Rings}}'' books.<br />
| Not a map of the Earth<br />
|<br />
* Yes: map of Middle-earth<br />
* No: inconclusive<br />
|<br />
* Yes: map of Middle-earth (Go to 33)<br />
* No: not a map of the Earth (Go to 37)<br />
|-<br />
! colspan="6" | Middle-earth Subbranch<br />
|-<br />
! 33<br />
| '''Mordor?'''<br />
| {{w|Mordor}} is the base of operations of {{w|Sauron}}, who settled there c. 1000 in the {{w|Second Age}} (which lasted for 3,441 years).<br />
| Map of Middle-earth<br />
|<br />
* No: S.A. c. 1000-<br />
* Yes: S.A. c. 1000+<br />
|<br />
* No: S.A. c. 1000- (Go to 34)<br />
* Yes: S.A. c. 1000+ (Go to 35)<br />
|-<br />
! 34<br />
| '''Beleriand?'''<br />
| {{w|Beleriand}} was broken in the {{w|War of Wrath}} in the year 583 in the {{w|Years of the Sun}} in the {{w|First Age}} The First Age itself ran for 450 Valian Years and 590 Years of the Sun, adding up to between 5,023 and 65,390 Years of the Sun, depending on the conversion factor used ({{w|J. R. R. Tolkien}} has given several during the years). Note that Randall has apparently ignored the time before the First Age (4,550 Valian Years).<br />
| S.A. c. 1000-<br />
|<br />
* Yes: Y.S. 583 First Age-<br />
* No: Y.S. 583 First Age+<br />
|<br />
* Yes: Y.S. 583 First Age- (stated in comic as First Age) ('''Stop''')<br />
* No: Y.S. 583 First Age–S.A. c. 1000 (stated in comic as early Second Age) ('''Stop''')<br />
|-<br />
! 35<br />
| '''Númenor?'''<br />
| The island of {{w|Númenor}} was raised from the sea at the start of the Second Age. It sank back into the sea in 3319 in the Second Age, as the formerly flat Earth was made into a globe.<br />
| S.A. c. 1000+<br />
|<br />
* Yes: S.A. 1–3319<br />
* No: First Age- or S.A. 3319+<br />
|<br />
* Yes: S.A. c. 1000–3319 (stated in comic as late Second Age) ('''Stop''')<br />
* No: S.A. 3319+ (Go to 36)<br />
|-<br />
! 36<br />
| '''The forest east of the Misty Mountains is...'''<br />
| The forest {{w|Mirkwood}} was called Greenwood the Great from its discovery by the Elves c. V.Y. 4620 in the First Age to 1050 in the {{w|Third Age}} when the shadow of Sauron fell upon it and it was renamed. It was cleansed on 'March' 28, 3019 in the Third Age (which ran for 3,021 years), after which it is called the Wood of Greenleaves. Note that Randall ignores the Fifth Age and onwards; although Tolkien said that the present day is about the end of the Sixth Age or the beginning of the Seventh, nothing is written about these later Ages.<br />
| S.A. 3319+<br />
|<br />
* Greenwood the Great: c. V.Y. 4620–T.A. 1050<br />
* Mirkwood: T.A. 1050–3019–03–28<br />
* The Wood of Greenleaves: T.A. 3019–03–28+<br />
|<br />
* Greenwood the Great: S.A. 3319–T.A. 1050 (stated in comic as early Third Age) ('''Stop''')<br />
* Mirkwood: T.A. 1050–3019–03–28 (stated in comic as Late Third Age) ('''Stop''')<br />
* The Wood of Greenleaves: T.A. 3019–03–28+ (stated in comic as Fourth Age) ('''Stop''')<br />
|-<br />
! colspan="6" | ''Middle-earth Subbranch ends''<br />
|-<br />
! 37<br />
| '''Cair Paravel?'''<br />
| {{w|Cair Paravel}} is the fictional castle where the Kings and Queens of Narnia rule in ''{{w|The Chronicles of Narnia}}''.<br />
| Not a map of the Earth<br />
|<br />
* Yes: map of Narnia<br />
* No: inconclusive<br />
|<br />
* Yes: map of Narnia (Go to 38)<br />
* No: not a map of the Earth (Go to 42)<br />
|-<br />
! colspan="6" | Narnia Subbranch<br />
|-<br />
| colspan="6" | '''Note:''' This series contains seven books, whose original publication order does not match their chronological order. Specifically, ''The Magician's Nephew'' is earlier than ''The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe'', and ''The Horse and His Boy'' is between ''The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe'' and ''Prince Caspian''. Questions in this subbranch concern whether the place referenced can be found in the map contained in each book, not in which books' time the place exists. Therefore, places that exist in a book published later but is chronologically earlier than another book will not appear in the latter book, even if canonically they still exist in its time. Here are the seven books in their original publication order, which they will be referred to as.<br />
<br />
# ''{{w|The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe}}''<br />
# ''{{w|Prince Caspian}}''<br />
# ''{{w|The Voyage of the Dawn Treader}}''<br />
# ''{{w|The Silver Chair}}''<br />
# ''{{w|The Horse and His Boy}}''<br />
# ''{{w|The Magician's Nephew}}''<br />
# ''{{w|The Last Battle}}''<br />
|-<br />
! 38<br />
| '''Calormen?'''<br />
| {{w|Calormen}} is a foreign empire in ''The Chronicles of Narnia''. While it was indirectly referenced in the first three books, it was not included in maps until the later books in the series.<br />
| Map of Narnia<br />
|<br />
* No: 3-<br />
* Yes: 4+<br />
|<br />
* No: 3- (Go to 39)<br />
* Yes: 4+ (Go to 41)<br />
|-<br />
! 39<br />
| '''Lotta islands?'''<br />
| Refers to [http://www.charliewstarr.com/_Media/mapdawntreader.gif this map] from ''The Voyage of the Dawn Treader'', which focused on a ship voyage from Cair Paravel to the eastern edge of the world and back.<br />
| 3-<br />
|<br />
* No: not 3<br />
* Yes: 3<br />
|<br />
* No: 2- (Go to 40)<br />
* Yes: 3 ('''Stop''')<br />
|-<br />
! 40<br />
| '''Beruna'''<br />
| Refers to [http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-54_2TDRUbHY/TpJHzFBzmiI/AAAAAAAALOA/q3RnPSvfdJ0/s1600/IMG.jpg the map] of Narnia originally published in Prince Caspian. During the time of ''The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe'', the people of Beruna crossed the Great River via a ford, but it had been replaced by a bridge at the beginning of ''Prince Caspian''.<br />
| 2-<br />
|<br />
* Ford: 1<br />
* Bridge: 2<br />
|<br />
* Ford: 1 ('''Stop''')<br />
* Bridge: 2 ('''Stop''')<br />
|-<br />
! 41<br />
| '''Weird recursive heaven?'''<br />
| Refers to ''The Last Battle'', where the protagonists find themselves in {{w|Aslan's Country}}, a glorious afterlife of which Narnia (along with Earth and presumably every other world) is only a shadowy reflection.<br />
| 4+<br />
|<br />
* No: 6-<br />
* Yes: 7<br />
|<br />
* No: 4–6 (stated in comic as one of the random later books) ('''Stop''')<br />
* Yes: 7 ('''Stop''')<br />
|-<br />
! colspan="6" | ''Narnia Subbranch ends''<br />
|-<br />
! 42<br />
| '''Mossflower?'''<br />
| A forest from the ''{{w|Redwall}}'' book series. See also the comic [[370: Redwall]] and [[1722: Debugging]] that references the books.<br />
| Not a map of the Earth<br />
|<br />
* Yes: ''Redwall''<br />
* No: inconclusive<br />
|<br />
* Yes: ''Redwall'' ('''Stop''')<br />
* No: not a map of the Earth (Go to 43)<br />
|-<br />
! 43<br />
| '''Is the world on the back of a turtle?'''<br />
| The comic fantasy book series ''{{w|Discworld}}'' is set on the fictional Discworld, a flat disc balanced on the backs of four elephants which in turn stand on the back of a giant turtle.<br />
| Not a map of the Earth<br />
|<br />
* Yes: ''Discworld''<br />
* No: inconclusive<br />
|<br />
* Yes: ''Discworld'' ('''Stop''')<br />
* No: not a map of the Earth (Go to 44)<br />
|-<br />
! 44<br />
| '''Are you ''sure'' this is a map?'''<br />
| After incorrectly guessing several popular fictional world, it is fair to doubt whether the subject being identified here is a map at all.<br />
| Not a map of the Earth<br />
|<br />
* Yes: a map ''for sure'', just not of the Earth<br />
* No: not a map<br />
|<br />
* Yes: a map ''for sure'', just not of the Earth (Go to 45)<br />
* No: not a map (Go to 47)<br />
|-<br />
! 45<br />
| '''Did you make it yourself?'''<br />
| At this point, the map can only be a homemade map of some other fictional world. (Although it might be a published map of another world, such as Pern, Oz or Mars but there isn't enough room for these options.)<br />
| A map ''for sure'', just not of the Earth<br />
|<br />
* Yes: a homemade map<br />
|<br />
* Yes: a homemade map (Go to 46)<br />
|-<br />
! 46<br />
| '''It's very nice.'''<br />
| A stock response to "[It's] Very nice" is "Thanks, I made it myself". Since we have already done the "made it myself" part, we need to do the other parts too, albeit out of sequence.<br />
| A homemade map<br />
|<br />
* Thank you!: something "very nice"<br />
|<br />
* Thank you!: a "very nice" homemade map ('''Stop''')<br />
|-<br />
! colspan="6" | Not a Map Subbranch<br />
|-<br />
! 47<br />
| '''Is it trying to bite you?'''<br />
| Now we are trying to guess something that is not a map. Makes sense to ask if it's something that bites, right? Right?<br />
| Not a map<br />
|<br />
* No: doesn't bite<br />
* Yes: bites<br />
|<br />
* No: doesn't bite and not a map (Go to 48)<br />
* Yes: bites (Go to 49)<br />
|-<br />
! 48<br />
| '''Is it larger than a breadbox?'''<br />
| A typical, generic question asked Steve Allen on ''{{w|What's My Line?}}'', and is often used when playing {{w|Twenty Questions}}. However, instead of asking further questions to narrow down the choices, the comic just gives a guess for each response. The comic guesses a breadbox itself as something about the same size as a breadbox. <br />
| Doesn't bite and not a map<br />
|<br />
* Yes: larger than a breadbox<br />
* No: smaller than a breadbox<br />
* About the same: about the same size as a breadbox<br />
|<br />
* Yes: larger than a breadbox, doesn't bite, and not a map (comic guesses a {{w|tuba}}) ('''Stop''')<br />
* No: smaller than a breadbox, doesn't bite, and not a map (comic guesses a {{w|stapler}}) ('''Stop''')<br />
* About the same: about the same size as a breadbox, doesn't bite, and not a map (comic guesses a {{w|breadbox}}) ('''Stop''')<br />
|-<br />
! 49<br />
| '''If you let it go, what does it do?'''<br />
|This assumes that you are holding the biting object. While holding it, the object may have already bitten you, and the consequences of this would most likely be painful. <br />
| Bites<br />
|<br />
* Hisses and runs away: hisses and runs away if let go<br />
* Screeches and flaps around the room breaking things: screeches and flaps around the room breaking things if let go<br />
|<br />
* Hisses and runs away: bites, and hisses and runs away if let go (comic guesses a {{w|cat}}) ('''Stop''')<br />
* Screeches and flaps around the room breaking things: bites, and screeches and flaps around the room breaking things if let go (comic guesses a {{w|seagull}}) ('''Stop''' (however, see 50))<br />
|-<br />
! 50<br />
| '''Does the screeching chill your blood and herald death?'''<br />
| ''Note: Title text question.''<br />
| Bites, and screeches and flaps around the room breaking things if let go<br />
|<br />
* Yes: Screeching chills your blood and heralds death<br />
* No: Screeching does not chill your blood and herald death; or does not screech<br />
|<br />
* Yes: bites; screeches and flaps around the room breaking things if let go; screeching chills your blood and heralds death (title text guesses a {{w|banshee}}) ('''Stop''')<br />
* No: bites; screeches and flaps around the room breaking things if let go; screeching does not chill your blood and herald death (title text guesses a seagull) ('''Stop''')<br />
|-<br />
! colspan="6" | Istanbul Division<br />
|-<br />
! 51<br />
| '''Does the Soviet Union exist?'''<br />
| The {{w|Soviet Union}}, officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics, existed from 1922 to 1991. After 1991, the Soviet Union split up into Russia and 15 other post-Soviet states.<br />
|1928+<br />
|<br />
* Yes: 1928–1991 <br />
* No: 1991+<br />
|<br />
* Yes: 1928–1991 (Go to 52)<br />
* No: 1991+ (Go to 69)<br />
|-<br />
! colspan="6" | West Africa branch<br />
|-<br />
! 52<br />
| '''Is most of West Africa a giant French blob?'''<br />
| Before 1960, most of West Africa consisted of a number of French colonies united under {{w|French West Africa}}.<br />
|1928–1991<br />
|<br />
* Yes: 1928–1960 <br />
* No: 1960–1991<br />
|<br />
* Yes: 1928–1960 (Go to 53)<br />
* No: 1960–1991 (Go to 60)<br />
|-<br />
! 53<br />
| '''Pakistan?'''<br />
| {{w|Pakistan}} was officially recognized as its own country in 1947, when {{w|British India}} was granted independence and {{w|Partition of India|partitioned into two nations}}. Pakistan was created at the request of Muslims who wished for a Muslim majority state.<br />
|1928–1960<br />
|<br />
* No: 1928–1947<br />
* Yes: 1947–1960 <br />
|<br />
* No: 1928–1947 (Go to 54)<br />
* Yes: 1948–1960 (Go to 56)<br />
|-<br />
! 54<br />
| '''How many Germanys are there?'''<br />
| During WWII, the {{w|Nazi Party}} invaded a large swath of Europe, which would make {{w|Nazi Germany}} huge on the map during that period. After the war, it split up into two countries — {{w|West Germany}} which was part of {{w|NATO}}, and {{w|East Germany}} which was part of the {{w|Warsaw Pact}}. Note that by modern standards, pre-WWII Germany was also quite huge, since at that point Germany included {{w|Prussia}} which contained much of modern Poland as well as Russian {{w|Kaliningrad}}, and in 1938 Germany took control of Austria in the {{w|Anschluss}} and the {{w|Sudetenland}} in {{w|Czechoslovakia}} following the {{w|Munich Agreement}}. Not all maps produced during WWII used the Nazi borders, since the Allies refused to recognize German occupation and supported the {{w|government-in-exile|governments-in-exile}}.<br />
|1928–1947 <br />
|<br />
* One: 1928–1940 <br />
* One, but it's ''huge'': 1941–1945<br />
* Two: 1946–1947<br />
|<br />
* One: 1928–1940 (Go to 55) <br />
* One, but it's ''huge'': 1941–1945 ('''Stop''')<br />
* Two: 1946–1947 ('''Stop''')<br />
|-<br />
! 55<br />
| '''Persia or Iran?'''<br />
| In 1935 the {{w|Iran|Iranian}} Government requested that westerners call it by the name its own people had used for hundreds of years, rather than after a tribe within it that gained prominence 2500 years earlier. The interval from 1928 to 1930 is dropped from this branch, but it would fall under {{w|Persia}}.<br />
|1928–1940 <br />
|<br />
* Persia: 1930–1934<br />
* Iran: 1935–1940<br />
|<br />
* Persia: 1930–1934 ('''Stop''')<br />
* Iran: 1935–1940 ('''Stop''')<br />
|-<br />
! 56<br />
| '''Cambodia?'''<br />
| {{w|Cambodia}} (or Kampuchea) declared independence from France in 1953.<br />
|1948–1960 <br />
|<br />
* No: 1948–1953<br />
* Yes: 1953–1960<br />
|<br />
* No: 1948–1953 (Go to 57)<br />
* Yes: 1953–1960 (Go to 59)<br />
|-<br />
! 57<br />
| '''Eritrea is a part of...'''<br />
| {{w|Eritrea}} declared independence from Italy in 1952, joining {{w|Ethiopia}} to create the {{w|Federation of Ethiopia and Eritrea}}.<br />
|1947–1953<br />
|<br />
* Italy: 1948–1952<br />
* Ethiopia: 1952–1953<br />
|<br />
* Italy: 1948–1952 (Go to 58)<br />
* Ethiopia: 1952–1953 ('''Stop''')<br />
|-<br />
! 58<br />
| '''Canada is...'''<br />
| In 1949, the {{w|Dominion of Newfoundland}} became a part of {{w|Canada}}. Before that, it was marked as its own country on the map, so maps from 1948 and before would have Canada "missing a piece" on its east coast as compared to how it looks today.<br />
|1947–1952 <br />
|<br />
* Missing a piece: 1948<br />
* Fine: 1949–1952<br />
|<br />
* Missing a piece: 1948 ('''Stop''')<br />
* Fine: 1949–1952 ('''Stop''')<br />
|-<br />
! 59<br />
| '''The United Arab Republic?'''<br />
| The {{w|The United Arab Republic}} was a short-lived political union between {{w|Egypt}} and {{w|Syria}}. The union began in 1958 and existed until 1961 (although Egypt continued to call itself the United Arab Republic for several years after Syria left the union).<br />
|1953–1960<br />
|<br />
* No: 1953–1958<br />
* Yes: 1958–1960<br />
|<br />
* No: 1953–58 (stated in comic as 1954–57 – a discrepancy) ('''Stop''')<br />
* Yes: 1958–60 ('''Stop''')<br />
|-<br />
! 60<br />
| '''How many Vietnams are there?'''<br />
| On April 30, 1975, forces from {{w|North Vietnam}} captured {{w|Saigon}} (now known as {{w|Ho Chi Minh City}}), and reunified the country, in an event known as {{w|Reunification Day}}, which marked the end of the {{w|Vietnam War}}. Maps before this date would have "North Vietnam" and "{{w|South Vietnam}}" on them rather than a single "{{w|Vietnam}}".<br />
|1960–1991<br />
|<br />
* Two: 1960–1975<br />
* One: 1975–1991<br />
|<br />
* Two: 1960–1975 (Go to 61)<br />
* One: 1975–1991 (Go to 64)<br />
|-<br />
! 61<br />
| '''Bangladesh?'''<br />
| {{w|Bangladesh}} (formerly {{w|East Pakistan}}) declared independence from {{w|Pakistan}} in 1972, as they had different languages, cultures, and the Bengalis felt their country was being run from West Pakistan without their input. The {{w|Bangladesh Liberation War|resulting war}} lasted just over 8 months and ended in Indian intervention. <br />
|1960–1975<br />
|<br />
* No: 1960–1972<br />
* Yes: 1972–1975<br />
|<br />
* No: 1960–1972 (Go to 62)<br />
* Yes: 1972–1975 ('''Stop''')<br />
|-<br />
! 62<br />
| '''Is the area south of Lake Victoria...'''<br />
| The area south of {{w|Lake Victoria}} was called {{w|Tanganyika}}, and it declared independence from the United Kingdom to form its own country in 1961, and unified with {{w|Zanzibar}} to create {{w|Tanzania}} in 1964.<br />
|1960–1972 <br />
|<br />
* British: 1960–1961<br />
* Tanganyika: 1961–1964<br />
* Tanzania: 1965–1971<br />
|<br />
* British: 1960–1961 (Go to 63)<br />
* Tanganyika: 1961–1964 ('''Stop''')<br />
* Tanzania: 1965–1972 (stated in comic as 1964–1971 – a discrepancy) ('''Stop''')<br />
|-<br />
! 63<br />
| '''The town on I-25 between Albuquerque and El Paso is... '''<br />
| {{w|Interstate 25 in New Mexico|I-25}} didn't exist for any of the years listed for this item, since the Interstate Highway System wasn't launched until 1956. The highway designation on maps printed during the years listed was {{w|U.S. Route 85#New Mexico|US-85}}, and it was first replaced by I-25 in 1970–1990. The town changed its name from Hot Springs to "{{w|Truth or Consequences, New Mexico|Truth or Consequences}}" in 1950, although locals say that it provides more of the latter than of the former. Still the question would have made sense (although it should have been US-85) had it not been for the fact that the whole question is for the wrong time period, as the search tree leading to a British Tanganyika is only the period 1960–1961. Actually this item seems like it should actually follow from the "Fine" option of "Canada is.." from 1949 to 1952 as it is in the same time period.<br />
|1960–1961<br />
|<br />
* Hot Springs: 1916–49<br />
* Truth or Consequences: 1950+<br />
|<br />
* Hot Springs: 1948–49 ('''Stop''') (a discrepancy as this is for the period 1960–61)<br />
* Truth or Consequences: 1950–52 ('''Stop''') (a discrepancy as this is for the period 1960–61)<br />
|-<br />
! 64<br />
| '''Jimmy Carter is...'''<br />
| On April 20, 1979, {{w|Jimmy Carter}} was "{{w|Jimmy Carter rabbit incident|attacked}}" by a swamp rabbit, a fact referenced in [[204|204: America]]. This fact would not normally be referenced on a map, however, and is simply a joke entry that leads to the next question.<br />
|1975–1991<br />
|<br />
* Being attacked by a giant swimming rabbit: April 20, 1979<br />
* Fine: 1975–1991<br />
|<br />
* Being attacked by a giant swimming rabbit: April 20, 1979 ('''Stop''')<br />
* Fine: 1975–1991 (Go to 65)<br />
|-<br />
! 65<br />
| '''The Sinai is part of what country?'''<br />
| In 1979, {{w|Israel}} signed a peace treaty in which it would gradually retreat from the entire {{w|Sinai Peninsula}}, handing that area to {{w|Egypt}}. This happened over a period of three years, completing in 1982.<br />
|1975–1991<br />
|<br />
* Israel: 1976–1979<br />
* Mostly Israel: 1980<br />
* Mostly Egypt: 1981<br />
* Egypt: 1982–1991<br />
|<br />
* Israel: 1976–1979 (missing 1975?) ('''Stop''')<br />
* Mostly Israel: 1980 ('''Stop''')<br />
* Mostly Egypt: 1981 ('''Stop''')<br />
* Egypt: 1982–1991 (Go to 66)<br />
|-<br />
! 66<br />
| '''What's the capital of Micronesia?'''<br />
| The {{w|Federated States of Micronesia}} are a group of small islands in the Pacific Ocean. Their capital was {{w|Kolonia}} until 1989, when it changed to {{w|Palikir}}, on the same island.<br />
|1982–1991<br />
|<br />
* Kolonia: 1982–1988<br />
* Palikir: 1989–1991<br />
|<br />
* Kolonia: 1982–1988 (Go to 67)<br />
* Palikir: 1989–1991 (Go to 68)<br />
|-<br />
! 67<br />
| '''Republic of the Upper Volta or Burkina Faso?'''<br />
| {{w|Burkina Faso}} was named the {{w|Republic of the Upper Volta}} until 1984, when the president Thomas Sankara decided to rename it to promote a sense of unity in the nation and in an anti-colonial statement.<br />
|1982–1988<br />
|<br />
* Upper Volta: 1982–1984<br />
* Burkina Faso: 1985–1988<br />
|<br />
* Upper Volta: 1982–1984 ('''Stop''')<br />
* Burkina Faso: 1985–1988 ('''Stop''')<br />
|-<br />
! 68<br />
| '''(Number of Yemens) + (Number of Germanys) = ?'''<br />
| In 1990, two unification events took place: {{w|Yemeni unification}} on May 22, and {{w|German reunification}} on October 3. Before these events, in early 1990, there would have been four Yemens and Germanys total. In mid-1990, when only the Yemeni unification had taken place, there would be one Yemen and two Germanys, for a total of three. and in late 1990, after both events took place, there would be one of each for a total of two.<br />
|1989–1991<br />
|<br />
* Four: 1989–early 1990<br />
* Three: mid-1990<br />
* Two: late 1990–1991<br />
|<br />
* Four: 1989–early 1990 ('''Stop''')<br />
* Three: mid-1990 ('''Stop''')<br />
* Two: late 1990–1991 ('''Stop''')<br />
|-<br />
! colspan="6" | Post-Soviet branch<br />
|-<br />
! 69<br />
| '''Zaire? or: "Hong Kong (UK)"'''<br />
| Zaire was one of a series of names for what is today called the {{w|Democratic Republic of the Congo}}. In 1996 a (successful) revolt began to oust the reigning government from power. As part of this revolution, the country was renamed. The original name change away from 'Congo' was part of an 'Africanisation' naming campaign, although 'Congo' is in origin an authentic African name for the river that set the boundaries of the nation.<br />
<br />
{{w|Hong Kong}} was taken by the British in 1843 at the end of the {{w|First Opium War}}, and an additional area (the {{w|New Territories}}) were leased from China in 1898 on a 99-year lease. When the lease expired in 1997, {{w|Transfer of sovereignty over Hong Kong|the whole of Hong Kong was returned to China}}.<br />
|1991+<br />
|<br />
* Yes: 1992–1996<br />
* No: 1996+<br />
|<br />
* Yes: 1992–1996 ('''Stop''')<br />
* No: 1996+ (Go to 70)<br />
|-<br />
! 70<br />
| '''Serbia and Montenegro are...'''<br />
| The Union of {{w|Serbia and Montenegro}} was a remnant of {{w|Yugoslavia}}. {{w|Montenegro}} voted to become its own country in 2006.<br/><br/>'''Note:''' For much of the prior date range, "Serbia and Montenegro" did not appear on maps–the states still went by the name Yugoslavia. {{w|Serbia and Montenegro#State union|Serbia and Montenegro only came into existence in 2003}}.<br />
|1996+<br />
|<br />
* One country: 1996–2006<br />
* Two countries: 2007+<br />
|<br />
* One country: 1996–2006 (Go to 71)<br />
* Two countries: 2007+ (Go to 72)<br />
|-<br />
! 71<br />
| '''East Timor?'''<br />
| {{w|East Timor}} (also known as Timor-Leste) is a nation north of Australia and south east of {{w|Indonesia}}. During the Dutch colonization of Indonesia, East Timor remained in Portuguese hands. While {{w|Indonesian occupation of East Timor|occupied and annexed by Indonesia}} in 1976, East Timor retained its own culture and voted for independence, then had a nasty militia action that required UN peacekeeping action, and finally become independent in 2002.<br />
|1996–2006<br />
|<br />
* No: 1997–2001<br />
* Yes: 2002–2006<br />
|<br />
* No: 1997–2001 ('''Stop''')<br />
* Yes: 2002–2006 ('''Stop''')<br />
|-<br />
! 72<br />
| '''How many Sudans are there?'''<br />
| In 2011, after a long history of violence between the two portions of the country (which can be characterized as Islam vs. Christianity and traditional religions), {{w|South Sudan}} became independent from {{w|Sudan}}.<br />
|2006+<br />
|<br />
* One: 2007–2011<br />
* Two: 2011+<br />
|<br />
* One: 2007–2011 ('''Stop''')<br />
* Two: 2011+ (Go to 73)<br />
|-<br />
! 73<br />
| '''Is Crimea disputed?'''<br />
| In 2014, a {{w|Euromaidan|revolution}} ousted the current Ukrainian president. {{w|Crimea}} had its own civil unrest, and Russian troops exploited the unrest to launch {{w|Annexation of Crimea by the Russian Federation|an invasion}}. A referendum, where many nations, including all member states of the EU, the USA, and Canada, disputed the democratic legitimacy of the referendum, was held during this and ostensibly decided in favor of Russian annexation. Depending on where you get your maps, Crimea might not be marked as disputed–[http://www.npr.org/sections/thetwo-way/2014/04/12/302337754/google-maps-displays-crimean-border-differently-in-russia-u-s Google Maps Ukraine shows it as solely Ukrainian while Google Maps Russia shows it as Russian].<br />
|2011+<br />
|<br />
* Yes: 2014+<br />
* No: 2012–2013<br />
|<br />
* Yes: 2014+ (Go to 74)<br />
* No: 2012–2013 ('''Stop''')<br />
|-<br />
! 74<br />
| '''"Colorado" or "Danger—Radioactive Exclusion Zone—Avoid"?'''<br />
| This entry and the one below it are now referring to hypothetical future events: specifically, a huge radioactivity event in {{w|Colorado}} that takes place some time in 2022. Colorado has a previous history of radioactive contamination–it was home to uranium mines, nuclear tests (including {{w|Project Rulison}}, an attempt to use nuclear bombs to drill for natural gas that ended up making the gas radioactive) and the controversial {{w|Rocky Flats Plant}}, a nuclear weapons manufacturing facility that suffered {{w|Radioactive contamination from the Rocky Flats Plant|several fires and leaks}} and was ultimately raided and shut down by the FBI. None of these has yet caused spiders to mutate.{{Citation needed}}<br />
|2014+<br />
|<br />
* Colorado: 2014–2021<br />
* Danger: 2022+<br />
|<br />
* Colorado: 2014–2021 ('''Stop''')<br />
* Danger: 2022+ (Go to 75)<br />
|-<br />
! 75<br />
| '''Does the warning mention the spiders?'''<br />
| Presumably some time in 2023, the radioactive exclusion zone also becomes infested with mutant spiders.<br />
|2022+<br />
|<br />
* No: 2022<br />
* Yes: 2023 or later<br />
|<br />
* No: 2022 ('''Stop''')<br />
* Yes: 2023 or later ('''Stop''')<br />
|}<br />
<br />
==Transcript==<br />
:[A very complicated flow chart, which can only be read in detail using the larger image now shown at the top of this page. This transcript uses the large version, where there is no problem reading all entries.]<br />
<br />
:[At the top of the chart there is a large caption, with a smaller caption below:]<br />
:<big>Guide to figuring out the age of an undated world map</big><br />
:<small>(Assuming it's complete, labeled in English, and detailed enough)</small><br />
<br />
:[Below the starting bracket in the small caption is a start box. It has rounded corners and it is gray with white text. From this box there is a gray line to a box consisting of a black frame with rounded corners. In these kind of boxes there are questions regarding the map in black text. Below this box there are three gray boxes like the start box, superimposed over the bottom frame. In these boxes are the possible answers to the question in the frame above. From each of these options there is a gray line going to similar black framed boxes with other questions either below, or to either side. There can either be two, three or four gray boxes, two the most common. Only at the very bottom of the central branch where it turns out it was a home made map, are there two frames with only one gray question box each. This trend continues over this entire large image. When reaching the end of a branch in the flow chart, there is no line away from one, more or all of the gray boxes for a black frame. When this happens a year range or a guess at what the map shows, or what it is (if it turns out to not be a map) is written below the gray box in gray text. Of the text in the gray boxes are Yes/No, but not always. There are 74 boxes with black frames with 158 gray boxes and 78 endpoints with text below the gray box and one end point without text below (the one with the home made map).]<br />
<br />
:Start<br />
::Istanbul or Constantinople?<br />
:::Constantinople<br />
::::<span id="canada-alaska-tokyo"><u>Do any of these exist</u>? </span><br />
::::*Independent Canada<br />
::::*US Territory of Alaska<br />
::::*Tokyo<br />
:::::No<br />
::::::The Holy Roman Empire?<br />
:::::::Yes<br />
::::::::1805 or earlier (before this point, the modern idea of a complete political map of the world gets hard to apply.)<br />
:::::::No<br />
::::::::The United States?<br />
:::::::::No<br />
::::::::::How sure are you that this map is in english?<br />
:::::::::Yes<br />
::::::::::Texas is...<br />
:::::::::::Part of Mexico<br />
::::::::::::Florida is part of...<br />
:::::::::::::Spain<br />
::::::::::::::Paraguay?<br />
:::::::::::::::No <span style="color:gray">1806–10</span><br />
:::::::::::::::Yes <span style="color:gray">1811–17</span><br />
:::::::::::::The US<br />
::::::::::::::Venezuela and/or ecuador?<br />
:::::::::::::::No <span style="color:gray">1818–29</span><br />
:::::::::::::::Yes <span style="color:gray">1830–33</span><br />
:::::::::::Independent <span style="color:gray">1834–45</span><br />
:::::::::::Part of the US<br />
::::::::::::Does Russia border the Sea of Japan?<br />
:::::::::::::No<br />
::::::::::::::The US's southern border looks...<br />
:::::::::::::::Weird <span style="color:gray">1846–53</span><br />
:::::::::::::::Normal <span style="color:gray">1854–56</span><br />
:::::::::::::Yes <span style="color:gray">1858–67</span><br />
:::::Yes<br />
::::::South Africa?<br />
:::::::No<br />
::::::::Rhodesia?<br />
:::::::::No<br />
::::::::::Is Bolivia landlocked?<br />
:::::::::::No<br />
::::::::::::"Buda" and "Pest" or "Budapest"?<br />
:::::::::::::Buda and Pest <span style="color:gray">1868–72</span><br />
:::::::::::::Budapest <span style="color:gray">1873–83</span><br />
:::::::::::Yes <span style="color:gray">1884–95</span><br />
:::::::::Yes<br />
::::::::::Is Norway part of Sweden?<br />
:::::::::::Yes <span style="color:gray">1896–1905</span><br />
:::::::::::No <span style="color:gray">1906–09</span><br />
:::::::Yes<br />
::::::::Austria-Hungary?<br />
:::::::::Yes<br />
::::::::::Albania?<br />
:::::::::::No <span style="color:gray">1910–12</span><br />
:::::::::::Yes <span style="color:gray">1913–18</span><br />
:::::::::No<br />
::::::::::Leningrad?<br />
:::::::::::No <span style="color:gray">1919–23</span><br />
:::::::::::Yes <span style="color:gray">1924–29</span><br />
:::Neither<br />
::::Does the Ottoman Empire exist?<br />
:::::Yes <span style="color:gray">[[#canada-alaska-tokyo]]</span><br />
:::::No<br />
::::::The Soviet Union?<br />
:::::::Yes<br />
::::::::Saudi Arabia?<br />
:::::::::Yes<br />
::::::::::<span id="west-africa-french-blob">Is most of West Africa a giant french blob?</span><br />
:::::::::::Yes<br />
::::::::::::<span id="bangladesh">Bangladesh?</span><br />
:::::::::::::No<br />
::::::::::::::Is the area south of Lake Victoria...<br />
:::::::::::::::British<br />
::::::::::::::::The town on I-25 between Albuquerque and El Paso is...<br />
:::::::::::::::::Hot Springs <span style="color:gray">1948–49</span><br />
:::::::::::::::::Truth or Consequences <span style="color:gray">1950–52</span><br />
:::::::::::::::Tanganyika <span style="color:gray">1961–64</span><br />
:::::::::::::::Tanzania <span style="color:gray">1965–71</span><br />
:::::::::::::Yes <span style="color:gray">1972–75</span><br />
:::::::::::No<br />
::::::::::::How many Vietnams are there?<br />
:::::::::::::Two<br />
::::::::::::::[[#bangladesh]]<br />
:::::::::::::One<br />
::::::::::::::Jimmy Carter is...<br />
:::::::::::::::Being attacked by a giant swimming rabbit <span style="color:gray">April 20, 1979</span><br />
:::::::::::::::Fine<br />
::::::::::::::::The Sinai is part of what country?<br />
:::::::::::::::::Israel <span style="color:gray">1976–79</span><br />
:::::::::::::::::Mostly Israel <span style="color:gray">1980</span><br />
:::::::::::::::::Mostly Egypt <span style="color:gray">1981</span><br />
:::::::::::::::::Egypt<br />
::::::::::::::::::What's the capital of Micronesia?<br />
:::::::::::::::::::Kolonia<br />
::::::::::::::::::::Republic of the Upper Volta or Burkina Faso?<br />
:::::::::::::::::::::Upper Volta <span style="color:gray">1982–84</span><br />
:::::::::::::::::::::Burkina Faso <span style="color:gray">1985–88</span><br />
:::::::::::::::::::Palikir<br />
::::::::::::::::::::(number of Yemens) + (number of Germanys) = ?<br />
:::::::::::::::::::::Four <span style="color:gray">1989-early 1990</span><br />
:::::::::::::::::::::Three <span style="color:gray">mid-1990</span><br />
:::::::::::::::::::::Two <span style="color:gray">late 1990–1991</span><br />
:::::::::No <span style="color:gray">1922–1932</span><br />
:::::::No<br />
::::::::North Korea?<br />
:::::::::Yes<br />
::::::::::<span id="zaire">Zaire? or: "Hong Kong (UK)"</span><br />
:::::::::::Yes <span style="color:gray">1992–96</span><br />
:::::::::::No<br />
::::::::::::Serbia/Montenegro are...<br />
:::::::::::::One country<br />
::::::::::::::East Timor?<br />
:::::::::::::::No <span style="color:gray">1997–2001</span><br />
:::::::::::::::Yes <span style="color:gray">2002–06</span><br />
:::::::::::::Two countries<br />
::::::::::::::How many Sudans are there?<br />
:::::::::::::::One <span style="color:gray">2007–11</span><br />
:::::::::::::::Two<br />
::::::::::::::::Is Crimea disputed?<br />
:::::::::::::::::Yes<br />
::::::::::::::::::"Colorado" or "Danger—Radioactive Exclusion Zone—Avoid"?<br />
:::::::::::::::::::Colorado <span style="color:gray">2014–21</span><br />
:::::::::::::::::::Danger<br />
::::::::::::::::::::Does the warning mention the spiders?<br />
:::::::::::::::::::::No <span style="color:gray">2022</span><br />
:::::::::::::::::::::Yes <span style="color:gray">2023 or later</span><br />
:::::::::::::::::No <span style="color:gray">2012–13</span><br />
:::::::::No<br />
::::::::::Saint Trimble's Island<br />
:::::::::::No<br />
::::::::::::Is Jan Mayen part of the Kingdom of Norway?<br />
:::::::::::::Not yet<br />
::::::::::::::[[#canada-alaska-tokyo]]<br />
:::::::::::::What?<br />
::::::::::::::Can you see the familiar continents?<br />
:::::::::::::::Yes<br />
::::::::::::::::This sounds like a physical map or satellite photo.<br />
:::::::::::::::::Yes, that's it<br />
::::::::::::::::::Is Lake Chad missing?<br />
:::::::::::::::::::No<br />
::::::::::::::::::::How far east do the American Prairies reach?<br />
:::::::::::::::::::::Indiana <span style="color:gray">before 1830</span><br />
:::::::::::::::::::::The Mississippi <span style="color:gray">1830s-80s</span><br />
:::::::::::::::::::::Nebraska<br />
::::::::::::::::::::::Is there a big lake in the middle of Southern California? (created by mistake)<br />
:::::::::::::::::::::::No <span style="color:gray">1860s-1900s</span><br />
:::::::::::::::::::::::Yes <span style="color:gray">1910s</span><br />
:::::::::::::::::::::What prairies?<br />
::::::::::::::::::::::Is there a big lake in the middle of Ghana? (created on purpose)<br />
:::::::::::::::::::::::No <span style="color:gray">1920s-50s</span><br />
:::::::::::::::::::::::Yes <span style="color:gray">1960s-70s</span><br />
:::::::::::::::::::Yes<br />
::::::::::::::::::::Is the Aral Sea missing?<br />
:::::::::::::::::::::No <span style="color:gray">1970s-90s</span><br />
:::::::::::::::::::::Yes <span style="color:gray">2000s+</span><br />
:::::::::::::::No<br />
::::::::::::::::Rivers "Sirion" or "Anduin"?<br />
:::::::::::::::::Yes<br />
::::::::::::::::::Mordor?<br />
:::::::::::::::::::No<br />
::::::::::::::::::::Beleriand?<br />
:::::::::::::::::::::Yes <span style="color:gray">First Age</span><br />
:::::::::::::::::::::No <span style="color:gray">Early Second Age</span><br />
:::::::::::::::::::Yes<br />
::::::::::::::::::::Númenor?<br />
:::::::::::::::::::::Yes <span style="color:gray">Late Second Age</span><br />
:::::::::::::::::::::No<br />
::::::::::::::::::::::The forest east of the Misty Mountains is...<br />
:::::::::::::::::::::::Greenwood <span style="color:gray">Early Third Age</span><br />
:::::::::::::::::::::::Mirkwood <span style="color:gray">Late Third Age</span><br />
:::::::::::::::::::::::The Wood of Greenleaves <span style="color:gray">Fourth Age</span><br />
:::::::::::::::::No<br />
::::::::::::::::::Cair Paravel?<br />
:::::::::::::::::::Yes<br />
::::::::::::::::::::Calormen?<br />
:::::::::::::::::::::No<br />
::::::::::::::::::::::Lotta Islands?<br />
:::::::::::::::::::::::No<br />
::::::::::::::::::::::::Beruna<br />
:::::::::::::::::::::::::Ford <span style="color:gray">The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe</span><br />
:::::::::::::::::::::::::Bridge <span style="color:gray">Prince Caspian</span><br />
:::::::::::::::::::::::Yes <span style="color:gray">Dawn Treader</span><br />
:::::::::::::::::::::Yes<br />
::::::::::::::::::::::Weird recursive heaven?<br />
:::::::::::::::::::::::No <span style="color:gray">One of the random later books</span><br />
:::::::::::::::::::::::Yes <span style="color:gray">The Last Battle</span><br />
:::::::::::::::::::No<br />
::::::::::::::::::::Mossflower?<br />
:::::::::::::::::::::Yes<br />
::::::::::::::::::::::Redwall<br />
:::::::::::::::::::::No<br />
::::::::::::::::::::::Is the world on the back of a turtle?<br />
:::::::::::::::::::::::Yes <span style="color:gray">Discworld</span><br />
:::::::::::::::::::::::No<br />
::::::::::::::::::::::::Are you ''sure'' this is a map?<br />
:::::::::::::::::::::::::Yes<br />
::::::::::::::::::::::::::Did you make it yourself?<br />
:::::::::::::::::::::::::::Yes<br />
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::It's very nice.<br />
:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::Thank you!<br />
:::::::::::::::::::::::::No<br />
::::::::::::::::::::::::::Is it trying to bite you?<br />
:::::::::::::::::::::::::::No<br />
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::Is it larger than a breadbox?<br />
:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::Yes <span style="color:gray">tuba</span><br />
:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::No <span style="color:gray">stapler</span><br />
:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::About the same <span style="color:gray">breadbox</span><br />
:::::::::::::::::::::::::::Yes<br />
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::If you let it go, what does it do?<br />
:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::Hisses and runs away <span style="color:gray">cat</span><br />
:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::Screeches and flaps around the room breaking things <span style="color:gray">seagull</span><br />
:::::::::::::Yes<br />
::::::::::::::Pakistan?<br />
:::::::::::::::No<br />
::::::::::::::::How many Germanys are there?<br />
:::::::::::::::::One<br />
::::::::::::::::::Persia or Iran?<br />
:::::::::::::::::::Persia <span style="color:gray">1930–34</span><br />
:::::::::::::::::::Iran <span style="color:gray">1935–40</span><br />
:::::::::::::::::One, but it's ''huge'' <span style="color:gray">1941–45</span><br />
:::::::::::::::::Two <span style="color:gray">1946–47</span><br />
:::::::::::::::Yes<br />
::::::::::::::::Cambodia?<br />
:::::::::::::::::No<br />
::::::::::::::::::Eritrea is part of...<br />
:::::::::::::::::::Italy<br />
::::::::::::::::::::Canada is...<br />
:::::::::::::::::::::Missing a piece <span style="color:gray">1948</span><br />
:::::::::::::::::::::Fine <span style="color:gray">1949–52</span><br />
:::::::::::::::::::Ethiopia <span style="color:gray">1952–53</span><br />
:::::::::::::::::Yes<br />
::::::::::::::::::The United Arab Republic?<br />
:::::::::::::::::::No <span style="color:gray">1954–57</span><br />
:::::::::::::::::::Yes <span style="color:gray">1958–60</span><br />
:::::::::::Yes <span style="color:gray">No, I made that one up.</span><br />
:::Istanbul<br />
::::Does the Soviet Union exist?<br />
:::::Yes<br />
::::::[[#west-africa-french-blob]]<br />
:::::No<br />
::::::[[#zaire]]<br />
<br />
==Trivia==<br />
*There are some errors and several discrepancies in the comic regarding how year ranges are given.<br />
**The largest error seems to be a real mistake, rather than just not being precise.<br />
***It regards the entry ''The town on I-25 between Albuquerque and El Paso is...'' that gives a year range of 1948–1952, but to get to this entry, the previous answer ''British'' fixes the time to 1960–1961. Also, I-25 was built in 1970–1990 through New Mexico; see the [[#Table|table]] above for more info.<br />
<br />
*A map of any fictional realm aside from Middle Earth, Narnia, Redwall, or Discworld will be misidentified as a stapler. This may impede the chart's use when identifying maps found in many fantasy novels.{{Citation needed}}<br />
<br />
{{comic discussion}}<br />
[[Category:Large drawings]]<br />
[[Category:Flowcharts]]<br />
[[Category:Maps]]<br />
[[Category:Time]]<br />
[[Category:Geography]]<br />
[[Category:Comics featuring politicians]]<br />
[[Category:Animals]]<br />
[[Category:LOTR]]<br />
[[Category:Fiction]]<br />
[[Category:Spiders]]</div>162.158.155.26https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=1234:_Douglas_Engelbart_(1925-2013)&diff=1532291234: Douglas Engelbart (1925-2013)2018-02-28T17:15:16Z<p>162.158.155.26: /* Explanation */</p>
<hr />
<div>{{comic<br />
| number = 1234<br />
| date = July 5, 2013<br />
| title = Douglas Engelbart (1925-2013)<br />
| image = douglas engelbart 1925 2013.png<br />
| titletext = Actual quote from The Demo: '... an advantage of being online is that it keeps track of who you are and what you're doing all the time...'<br />
}}<br />
<br />
==Explanation==<br />
The comic describes and references ''{{w|The Mother of All Demos}}'' in honor of {{w|Douglas Engelbart}}, who died on July 2, 2013.<br />
<br />
The demo is renowned for the numerous technologies Douglas' team introduced, which the comic references before sliding into apocryphal claims. In the first panel he presents various inventions, including the {{w|Computer Mouse}}. The second panel contains the opening lyrics of Leonard Cohen's song {{w|Hallelujah (Leonard Cohen song)|Hallelujah}}. The "Secret Chord" is a reference to the "Chord Key Set" that he presented at this demo. This relatively obscure device, essentially a piano with five keys, was meant as an alternative to the well-known keyboard. The way he introduces the song is also a reference to musical [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Demo_(music) demo tapes], in which an artist presents a new piece of original music, tying it back to the ''Mother of All Demos'' title. The third is a reference to contemporary internet memes, specifically [http://knowyourmeme.com/memes/subcultures/cats cat pictures] and [http://knowyourmeme.com/memes/yolo YOLO].<br />
<br />
The title text is a reference to recent revelations about spying by the United States {{w|National Security Agency}}, which was making headlines when this comic was published. While it might have seemed like an advantage at the time, in a modern context this aspect of the internet appears disturbing.<br />
<br />
===The inventions in detail===<br />
Several of the inventions presented by Douglas in 1968 were years ahead of their time, and many would prove to be very influential in the development of personal computing. Some of the technologies demonstrated found success in the following decades, while others did not.<br />
<br />
'''Cathode ray tube'''<br />
:The German physicist {{w|Ferdinand Braun}} invented the {{w|Cathode ray tube}}, or CRT, in 1897. The Russian scientist {{w|Boris Rosing}} was the first to use the CRT to receive a video signal. CRT was the most common technology used for television screens and computer monitors in the last century, but has since been succeeded by modern devices such as {{w|OLED}}, {{w|plasma display}}, or the ubiquitous {{w|LCD}}. In the demo, Douglas used CRT monitors to demonstrate video conferencing, as well as collaborative real-time editing.<br />
'''Computer mouse'''<br />
:Douglas did refer to this device as a "mouse", but officially it was named the "X-Y Position Indicator for a Display System". He filed a [http://www.google.com/patents/US3541541?printsec=drawing#v=onepage&q&f=false patent] for this device on June 21, 1967 and received the patent on November 17, 1970. Douglas stated: "I don't know why we call it a mouse. It started that way and we never changed it."<br />
'''Text movement/cloning'''<br />
:This is well known today as "cut, copy and paste". On some early text-based systems, the user moved the cursor to the beginning of the text to be copied, typed <CTRL>+K+B , and then moved the cursor to the end of the copied text and typed <CTRL>+K+E. At the demo, Douglas demonstrated that the same task could be accomplished with the mouse. Today, many people do not use keyboard commands for cut, copy and paste, and instead use the mouse exclusively.<br />
'''Joint file editing'''<br />
:Text editors were in the nascent stage of their development in 1968. Douglas demonstrated the first text editor capable of "joint file editing". The first successful system to implement joint file editing came 15 years later, when {{w|Concurrent Versions System|CVS}} was made available in the middle of the 1980's.<br />
'''E-mail'''<br />
:Although not referred to as e-mail, Douglas demonstrated the exchange of "direct messages", which fulfills a similar role to modern e-mail.<br />
'''File sharing'''<br />
:The demo also demonstrated the exchange of files between users, paving the way for modern file sharing, and the associated legal and ethical debate.<br />
'''Audio codec'''<br />
:Douglas demonstrated a "masking codec" capable of coding and decoding an audio stream. This would eventually lead to the development of the wide variety of modern audio codecs, including the MP3 codec, which was produced by the {{w|Fraunhofer Society}}.<br />
<br />
===Concepts that Douglas did not invent===<br />
The third panel exaggerates Douglas's claims to a hilarious and ridiculous level.<br />
<br />
'''"Hallelujah"'''<br />
:This song was first released by {{w|Leonard Cohen}} in 1984, sixteen years after Douglas's demo.<br />
'''{{w|Image macro}}s'''<br />
:A form of image with large text, typically in the font "Impact", superimposed over a photograph, typically for humorous effect.<br />
'''{{w|LOLcats}}'''<br />
:The most famous of the image macros, featuring cats.<br />
'''YOLO'''<br />
:As the fictional Douglas states, this is an acronym for "you only live once". It has been around for at least a century, but in 2011 it saw a huge boost in popularity in both youth culture and internet memes mocking youth culture.<br />
<br />
==Transcript==<br />
:San Francisco, December 9th, 1968:<br />
:[We see a figure talking into a headset. It's a fair assumption that it's Douglas Engelbart.]<br />
:Douglas: ...We generated video signals with a cathode ray tube... We have a pointing device we call a "mouse"... I can "copy" text... ... and we have powerful join file editing... underneath the file here we can exchange "direct messages"...<br />
:[Douglas continues to narrate. Some music is playing.]<br />
:Douglas: ...Users can share files... ... files which can encode audio samples, using our "masking codecs"... The file you're hearing now is one of my own compositions...<br />
:Music: I heard there was a secret chord<br />
:[Douglas continues to narrate.]<br />
:Douglas: ...And you can superimpose text on the picture of the cat, like so... This cat is saying "YOLO", which stands for "You Only Live Once"... ...Just a little acronym we thought up...<br />
<br />
==Trivia==<br />
*The full original video of the demo from December 9, 1968 is available at the [http://sloan.stanford.edu/MouseSite/1968Demo.html Stanford] website. The "Chord Key Set" can be found at Clip 13.<br />
<br />
{{comic discussion}}<br />
[[Category:Comics featuring real people]]<br />
[[Category:Internet]]<br />
[[Category:Tribute]]</div>162.158.155.26https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=471:_Aversion_Fads&diff=153228471: Aversion Fads2018-02-28T17:11:05Z<p>162.158.155.26: </p>
<hr />
<div>{{comic<br />
| number = 471<br />
| date = September 3, 2008<br />
| title = Aversion Fads<br />
| image = aversion_fads.png<br />
| titletext = Hey, are you friends with any hamsters? This kite needs a passenger.<br />
}}<br />
<br />
==Explanation==<br />
<br />
Here, we see [[Cueball]] and his Cueball-like friend, who are grossed out that there is a {{w|furry}} (noted by the kid's fox ears and tail) near them. These people have most likely bought into the stereotype of furries, and as such, are showing their disgust towards what they perceive the fandom to be. [[Megan]] then calls for the furry to help her with her kite. It turns out that she also thinks that furries are “weird as hell”, but she is irritated by the fact that a lot of people on the Internet are involved with a lot of weird things that may gross out or otherwise offend the general population, yet the Internet in general frequently mocks furries for engaging in essentially the same things. This hypocrisy bothers her, so she takes whatever opportunity she has to defend furries, who are, after all, people of the Internet.<br />
<br />
Hearing this, the furry brings up {{w|Aesop|Aesop's}} {{w|The Lion and the Mouse|fable of the lion and the mouse}}. This fable talks about a lion who spares a mouse from being eaten, since the mouse's promise that he would repay the lion gave the lion a good laugh. In the story, the lion later gets caught in a trap and the mouse chews through the cords, freeing the lion. The furry now has a debt to repay Megan, but before we can get to that Megan curtails the simile. She assumes that the furry will perceive the story to be about animal bondage relationships, and be aroused by this. Given the knowledge of this wiki's editors about furries, however, it should be noted that this will very likely ''not'' arouse the furry. <br />
<br />
In the title text, Megan realizes that her kite needs a passenger, so she asks the furry if he has any hamster friends. This probably refers to real hamsters, which could be tied to the kite. However, this being a furry, it could also refer to people who have hamster “fursonas” — the type of animal that a furry pretends to be. Such a person would still have the weight of a regular person, and therefore be unsuitable for being flown on the kite (given the kite's size as depicted and assumptions about usual kite materials).<br />
<br />
==Transcript==<br />
:[Two Cueball-like guys stand together as a young guy dressed up with small ears and a tail approaches.]<br />
:Cueball: Oh God, a furry. Don't let it touch you.<br />
<br />
:[The furry hears someone call out to him.]<br />
:Off-screen: Hey, kid.<br />
<br />
:[Megan is seen preparing a kite to be flown.]<br />
:Megan: Forget those assholes. Come help me.<br />
<br />
:[The furry begins to help Megan set up the kite.]<br />
:Furry: Thanks. So you're cool with furries?<br />
<br />
:[The two are now standing far appart the furry with the kite and the line going over to Megan.]<br />
:Megan: Well, I think your fetish is weird as hell. It just bothers me how you're this designated Internet punching bag among people who are otherwise down with weird fetishes. So I stick up for you when I can.<br />
<br />
:[The kite now successfully up in the air and Megan pulls the line with both hands moving backwards.]<br />
:Furry: Well, thanks. I owe you one.<br />
:Megan: It's no big deal.<br />
<br />
:[Megan stops some distance from the fury holding the line with one hhand. The fury lift one hand up apologising.]<br />
:Furry: No, this is like the lion and the mouse.<br />
:Megan: ...Listen, can we pick a comparison less likely to turn you on?<br />
:Furry: Sorry.<br />
<br />
==Trivia==<br />
<br />
The idea of flying animals on a kite may be a reference to [[20: Ferret]].<br />
<br />
{{comic discussion}}<br />
<br />
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]<br />
[[Category:Comics featuring Megan]]<br />
[[Category:Multiple Cueballs]]<br />
[[Category:Furries]]<br />
[[Category:Comics with color]]</div>162.158.155.26https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=471:_Aversion_Fads&diff=153227471: Aversion Fads2018-02-28T17:10:21Z<p>162.158.155.26: /* Explanation */</p>
<hr />
<div>{{comic<br />
| number = 471<br />
| date = September 3, 2008<br />
| title = Aversion Fads<br />
| image = aversion_fads.png<br />
| titletext = Hey, are you friends with any hamsters? This kite needs a passenger.<br />
}}<br />
<br />
==Explanation==<br />
<br />
Here, we see [[Cueball]] and his Cueball-like friend, who are grossed out that there is a {{w|furry}} (noted by the kid's fox ears and tail) near them. These people have most likely bought into the stereotype of furries, and as such, are showing their disgust towards what they perceive the fandom to be. [[Megan]] then calls for the furry to help her with her kite. It turns out that she also thinks that furries are “weird as hell”, but she is irritated by the fact that a lot of people on the Internet are involved with a lot of weird things that may gross out or otherwise offend the general population, yet the Internet in general frequently mocks furries for engaging in essentially the same things. This hypocrisy bothers her, so she takes whatever opportunity she has to defend furries, who are, after all, people of the Internet.<br />
<br />
Hearing this, the furry brings up {{w|Aesop|Aesop's}} {{w|The Lion and the Mouse|fable of the lion and the mouse}}. This fable talks about a lion who spares a mouse from being eaten, since the mouse's promise that he would repay the lion gave the lion a good laugh. In the story, the lion later gets caught in a trap and the mouse chews through the cords, freeing the lion. The furry now has a debt to repay Megan, but before we can get to that Megan curtails the simile. She assumes that the furry will perceive the story to be about animal bondage relationships, and be aroused by this. Given the knowledge of this wiki's editors about furries, however, it should be noted that this will very likely ''not'' arouse the furry. <br />
<br />
In the title text, Megan realizes that her kite needs a passenger, so she asks the furry if he has any hamster friends. This probably refers to real hamsters, which could be tied to the kite. However, this being a furry, it could also refer to people who have hamster “fursonas” — the type of animal that a furry pretends to be. Such a person would still have the weight of a regular person, and therefore be unsuitable for being flown on the kite (given the kite's size as depicted and assumptions about usual kite materials). This may be a reference to [[20: Ferret]].<br />
<br />
==Transcript==<br />
:[Two Cueball-like guys stand together as a young guy dressed up with small ears and a tail approaches.]<br />
:Cueball: Oh God, a furry. Don't let it touch you.<br />
<br />
:[The furry hears someone call out to him.]<br />
:Off-screen: Hey, kid.<br />
<br />
:[Megan is seen preparing a kite to be flown.]<br />
:Megan: Forget those assholes. Come help me.<br />
<br />
:[The furry begins to help Megan set up the kite.]<br />
:Furry: Thanks. So you're cool with furries?<br />
<br />
:[The two are now standing far appart the furry with the kite and the line going over to Megan.]<br />
:Megan: Well, I think your fetish is weird as hell. It just bothers me how you're this designated Internet punching bag among people who are otherwise down with weird fetishes. So I stick up for you when I can.<br />
<br />
:[The kite now successfully up in the air and Megan pulls the line with both hands moving backwards.]<br />
:Furry: Well, thanks. I owe you one.<br />
:Megan: It's no big deal.<br />
<br />
:[Megan stops some distance from the fury holding the line with one hhand. The fury lift one hand up apologising.]<br />
:Furry: No, this is like the lion and the mouse.<br />
:Megan: ...Listen, can we pick a comparison less likely to turn you on?<br />
:Furry: Sorry.<br />
<br />
{{comic discussion}}<br />
<br />
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]<br />
[[Category:Comics featuring Megan]]<br />
[[Category:Multiple Cueballs]]<br />
[[Category:Furries]]<br />
[[Category:Comics with color]]</div>162.158.155.26https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=232:_Chess_Enlightenment&diff=153226232: Chess Enlightenment2018-02-28T17:03:28Z<p>162.158.155.26: /* Explanation */</p>
<hr />
<div>{{comic<br />
| number = 232<br />
| date = March 7, 2007<br />
| title = Chess Enlightenment<br />
| image = chess enlightenment.png<br />
| titletext = You know that 'sweep the pieces off the board and see it in your mind' thing? Doesn't work.<br />
}}<br />
<br />
==Explanation==<br />
In this comic, [[Cueball]] finds his game of chess against [[Megan]] to be too difficult, and he attempts to tap his subconscious to find his next move. The rules of chess are not ingrained into his subconscious, however, and so his subconscious ends up feeding him invalid moves and beginner questions concerning movement rules.<br />
<br />
{{w|Chess}} is a board game in which two players take turns to move a variety of different pieces representing units on a battlefield to try to capture the other player's king. Chess has a lively tournament scene and takes much practice to attain a competent level of skill in the game. Different units can move and capture in different ways; pawns can only move forward by one square unless it's their first move, in which case they can move up two squares, but they can only capture by moving diagonally unless they perform an ''{{w|En passant|en passant}}'', in which they move around an opposing pawn that had moved forward two squares on the previous turn. Other pieces have different rules. <br />
<br />
{{w|Obi-Wan Kenobi}} is a character from the movie series ''{{w|Star Wars}}'' who played the mentor figure to the protagonist, {{w|Luke Skywalker}}. One of his pieces of advice to his mentee was to relax and listen to his subconscious in strenuous times. However, Obi-Wan gave this advice because Luke was connected to The Force, a mystical energy in the ''Star Wars'' universe that connects to the entire universe; not being a part of the ''Star Wars'' universe, Cueball is unable to tap into it. The Force does have similarities to real-life concepts used in various Eastern philosophies, but they are not typically used to play chess{{Citation needed}}, whose strategy is more based in logic and planning than instincts.<br />
<br />
The title text refers to a scene in the chess movie ''{{w|Searching for Bobby Fischer}}'', in which Sir Ben Kingsley's character dramatically sweeps the pieces off the board and instructs his student to see the pieces in his mind, which the child proceeds to do. Randall considers this impractical, presumably for similar reasons as the Obi-Wan example above.<br />
<br />
==Transcript==<br />
:[Cueball and Megan are playing chess; Cueball is leaning forward over the chessboard.]<br />
:Cueball (thinking): Why is chess so hard? Maybe the answers lie within me. Maybe I just need to let go, relax, and let my instincts and subconscious speak.<br />
<br />
:[Cueball leans back and places his hands to his head.]<br />
:''MeDiTaTe''<br />
<br />
:Cueball's subconscious: Knight to G-4<br />
<br />
:[Beat panel.]<br />
<br />
:Cueball: That's not even a legal move.<br />
:Cueball's subconscious: Okay, hold on. How do the pawns capture, again?<br />
:Cueball: Man, Obi-Wan was full of crap.<br />
<br />
{{comic discussion}}<br />
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]<br />
[[Category:Comics featuring Megan]]<br />
[[Category:Chess]]<br />
[[Category:Star Wars]]</div>162.158.155.26https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=Talk:1416:_Pixels&diff=153123Talk:1416: Pixels2018-02-26T16:00:53Z<p>162.158.155.26: </p>
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<div>Firefox users with HTTPS Everywhere may have trouble seeing the comic, and Chrome users may experience lag (for lack of a better word) when zooming in. [[Special:Contributions/141.101.99.168|141.101.99.168]] 06:11, 3 September 2014 (UTC)<br />
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The combination of "turtle" and "pixel" reminded me of how to code graphics in the older days with for instance turbo pascal (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Turtle_graphics) - Stian<br />
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Would it be possible to have a "gallery" of all the zoom-in images? [[Special:Contributions/199.27.128.209|199.27.128.209]] 06:29, 3 September 2014 (UTC)<br />
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Since the Zoom-in images have at lest one story line in them (I read one about a book launch, the book was launched to space in a rocket), I think a gallery or some such is needed for them. [[Special:Contributions/108.162.250.218|108.162.250.218]] 06:50, 3 September 2014 (UTC)<br />
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I got to a white panel and there was nothing. Everything was white and zooming in or out didn't change it. Not sure if it was a bug or intended. -- [[User:Irino|Irino]] ([[User talk:Irino|talk]]) 07:15, 3 September 2014 (UTC)<br />
: That happens to me when I click on the image in Chrome. Not sure why. [[User:Castriff|Jimmy C]] ([[User talk:Castriff|talk]]) 21:35, 3 September 2014 (UTC)<br />
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Yet another comic that doesn't work well on mobile. I'll probably compile a list of comics that are broken in some way for mobile... Er. Soon-ish. -RTR [[Special:Contributions/108.162.246.232|108.162.246.232]] 07:45, 3 September 2014 (UTC)<br />
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I have acquired a list of images with what they zoom into, and am working on turning that into something presentable. There's a lot of images though, so it may take a day. As for the white panel, yes, there does seem to be one broken link (out of nearly 500). I'm not sure how I would go about reporting it to get it fixed. [[User:Tahg|Tahg]] ([[User talk:Tahg|talk]]) 07:57, 3 September 2014 (UTC)<br />
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There are 79 different images. I have them isolated and am uploading them now. [[User:Omixorp|Omixorp]] ([[User talk:Omixorp|talk]]) 08:16, 3 September 2014 (UTC)<br />
:Cool - the images are here - if you click on the broken links they can be seen. But why are they not visible? They take up a lot of space, so I have moved them to a separate gallery page as has been done with [[1350: Lorenz]]. [[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 11:44, 3 September 2014 (UTC)<br />
::I think there's a problem with all thumbnails across this site - even old thumbnails don't seem to be working right now. [[User:Omixorp|Omixorp]] ([[User talk:Omixorp|talk]]) 10:31, 3 September 2014 (UTC)<br />
:::They work on Lorenz that I have linked to in my comment above. [[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 11:44, 3 September 2014 (UTC)<br />
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Doesn't work at all (blank) on my Firefox and IE11. I just installed Opera and it works but it's VERY laggy. Also, I have to scroll UP to zoom in, not down. --[[Special:Contributions/141.101.97.206|141.101.97.206]] 08:25, 3 September 2014 (UTC)<br />
:Neither on Firefox 31.0. Zooming until the first level of pictures, I see them appearing. But when they are larger than ~20 pixels they start to disappear. They only reappear intermittently when I pan or zoom. When I zoom in further, only images on the left side appear intermittently. This shows the grid is built from left to right, then top to bottom, and it just stops randomly. --[[User:Zom-B|Zom-B]] ([[User talk:Zom-B|talk]]) 20:32, 3 September 2014 (UTC)<br />
:I'm having different problems with both Firefox 31.0 and 32.0 on Windows. When zooming in, all pixels (including white parts of the image) resolve to images with black background, so I never see the "white" ones (except for the initial "turtles" one). Anyone having the same problem? IE11 works for me. [[Special:Contributions/141.101.99.186|141.101.99.186]] 21:52, 3 September 2014 (UTC)<br />
::I also have this issue, using Firefox 31.0 on Windows 7. It's also very slow/laggy doing the fade transitions between pixels and the images. {{unsigned ip|141.101.98.191}}<br />
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This date of this comic (Sept 3rd 2014) coincided with the date of Randall's book, What-If. This book is shown or referenced in a number of the frames.--[[User:Pudder|Pudder]] ([[User talk:Pudder|talk]]) 09:57, 3 September 2014 (UTC)<br />
:But the site says the book was out September 2nd... [[Special:Contributions/108.162.237.161|108.162.237.161]] 11:21, 3 September 2014 (UTC)<br />
::You're right, 108.162.237.161. I changed it and provided proof. As far as I could find, though, it's only launched in the US as of today. [[User:NealCruco|NealCruco]] ([[User talk:NealCruco|talk]]) 19:21, 3 September 2014 (UTC)<br />
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Also just isolated the images. I described the procedure on my blog: http://azttm.wordpress.com/2014/09/03/xkcd-com-1416-pixels/ [[User:Azt|Azt]] ([[User talk:Azt|Azt]]) 09:58, 3 September 2014 (UTC)<br />
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I zoom in when I scroll up. I also like turtles. [[Special:Contributions/103.22.201.120|103.22.201.120]] 09:15, 3 September 2014 (UTC)<br />
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I think this comic might be a reference to D. Hofstadter's celebrated book ''Gödel, Escher, Bach'', what with the 'holism', 'reductionism' and 'Mu' coming out at some point (there is the very same construction in one of the dialogs from that book). Plus, generally speaking, ''GEB'' is all about "strange loops" and infinite recursions. --[[Special:Contributions/108.162.254.30|108.162.254.30]] 09:50, 3 September 2014 (UTC)<br />
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I have uploaded a graph showing the layout of the entire storyline, with thumbnails of the individual images, at [[Media:1416_Pixels_layout.png]]. --[[User:Mnw21cam|Mnw21cam]] ([[User talk:Mnw21cam|talk]]) 12:20, 3 September 2014 (UTC)<br />
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Has any attempt been made to find "extra" panels that may occur as a part of a logical series? For example, there is "chess-b" and "chess-w", are there "chess-a", "chess-c", "chess-d", etc? [[User:Jarod997|Jarod997]] ([[User talk:Jarod997|talk]]) 13:56, 3 September 2014 (UTC)<br />
:It never occurred to you that those letters stand for Black/White? --[[User:Zom-B|Zom-B]] ([[User talk:Zom-B|talk]]) 20:25, 3 September 2014 (UTC)<br />
::Huh, wha? No, that's got to be way too simple. There MUST be more images! :P Actually I was hoping/wondering if there was a sequence of 20-ish chess panels which depicted a game, with a Randall type ending to it. *sigh* Way to burst my bubble. lol [[User:Jarod997|Jarod997]] ([[User talk:Jarod997|talk]]) 12:37, 4 September 2014 (UTC)<br />
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Any Kerbal Space Program players on here who can shed any light on the origins of 'Need Moar Struts'? Is it a well known meme amongst the player base as I have guessed?--[[User:Pudder|Pudder]] ([[User talk:Pudder|talk]]) 14:27, 3 September 2014 (UTC)<br />
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In an infinite series of turtles, at least 4 of them have to be youthful, genetically modified, and skilled in martial arts. Has anyone found them? [[User:DivePeak|DivePeak]] ([[User talk:DivePeak|talk]]) 21:30, 3 September 2014 (UTC)<br />
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I am on Chrome, and I cannot see any of the images in the Explain XKCD gallery even though the actual strip works fine. Anyone know what's wrong? [[User:Castriff|Jimmy C]] ([[User talk:Castriff|talk]]) 21:35, 3 September 2014 (UTC)<br />
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I don't know why the article says that the comic doesn't work in Safari on Mac OS X. It's working just fine here on Safari 7.0.6. I think if someone is going to make such claims, they should be careful to note which version of the software they're working with so others can compare appropriately. [[User:Yaztromo|Yaztromo]] ([[User talk:Yaztromo|talk]]) 23:33, 3 September 2014 (UTC)<br />
:Works for me on Safari 8.0 on my Mac--[[Special:Contributions/108.162.216.192|108.162.216.192]] 19:35, 4 September 2014 (UTC)<br />
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How do you get all these 'interesting' panels? No matter how much I scroll and pan I only get the space objects (including the Earth with 'BOOK LAUNCH' inscription), atoms and the MU panel (but never got either HOLISM or REDUCTIONISM). Firefox 26. [[Special:Contributions/108.162.254.29|108.162.254.29]] 07:43, 5 September 2014 (UTC)<br />
:That's the same bug as I described above (141.101.99.186). I couldn't get the comic to work properly with Firefox, so you'll probably have to try another browser... hope Randall will get these bugs fixed. [[Special:Contributions/141.101.99.239|141.101.99.239]] 17:55, 12 September 2014 (UTC)<br />
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;Adjacency list for the graph<br />
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I've created a quick hack to show what each image can contain [http://uber5001.github.io/turtles/ here]. Might be helpful in finishing off this page. [[User:Uber5001|Uber5001]] ([[User talk:Uber5001|talk]]) 22:48, 3 September 2014 (UTC)<br />
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;Mandelbrot?<br />
Is the way the images are repeated being based on some math pattern, like the Mandelbrot set? [[User:Osias|Osias]] ([[User talk:Osias|talk]]) 02:38, 4 September 2014 (UTC)<br />
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; Quarks and strings?<br />
Once when zooming I have found something that looked roughly like quark model of nucleon (below MU), then a loop - perhaps a string from the string theory --[[User:JakubNarebski|JakubNarebski]] ([[User talk:JakubNarebski|talk]]) 10:53, 4 September 2014 (UTC)<br />
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: The image certainly looks like a loop or a string but Randall has a very low opinion of string theory. <br />
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;Interactive graph<br />
Hello, I've uploaded an interactive version of the graph [http://velt.info/xkcdpixels here] [[User:Raphv|Raphv]] ([[User talk:Raphv|talk]]) 15:16, 4 September 2014 (UTC)<br />
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Hey has anyone seen the panel with black hat? He's standing next to a fire fighter and a burning vehicle saying, "to be fair, what else do you expect to come out of a "fire hydrant"?" I found it in one if the bird panels, next to a turtle panel. {{unsigned ip|103.22.201.207}}<br />
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;"scroll to zoom" is wrong and misleading <br />
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This may be nitpicking, but Randall's words "scroll to zoom" are misleading. <br />
* When I visited http://xkcd.com/1416/ first on my smartphone, I scrolled the page and nothing zoomed.<br />
* Next, when I visited http://xkcd.com/1416/ on my PC, I scrolled the page and nothing zoomed.<br />
* Only when on the PC I use the mouse wheel, nothing scrolled but the image zoomed.<br />
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The text should really be "Use mouse wheel to zoom".<br />
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[http://xkcd.com/1373/ When someone posts a comic, I can't pay attention to the content if the words are misleading].<br />
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What do you think ? --[[User:MGitsfullofsheep|MGitsfullofsheep]] ([[User talk:MGitsfullofsheep|talk]]) 11:08, 6 September 2014 (UTC)<br />
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;Has not worked since day 2<br />
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Whichever browser I try, the lower levels do not load and the first image just fades to white. They did load on launch day, but not anymore.[[Special:Contributions/141.101.98.240|141.101.98.240]] 14:47, 16 September 2014 (UTC)<br />
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Is the Mario scene referring to the Carl Sagan line about how "a still more glorious dawn awaits," as well as Super Mario Galaxy? - [[Special:Contributions/173.245.54.186|173.245.54.186]] 21:37, 18 January 2015 (UTC)<br />
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Mikemk added "The plate on the turtle is Greek mythology, far before the 18th century". I can't actually find anything about a World Turtle from Greek mythology ({{w|Chelone (Greek mythology)|Chelone}} was just an ordinary-sized turtle who did not support the world), but I've added a mention of other ancient myths. I propose to remove Mikemk's addition to the "Incomplete" tag in a few days, if nobody objects. [[User:Cosmogoblin|Cosmogoblin]] ([[User talk:Cosmogoblin|talk]]) 12:31, 9 July 2015 (UTC)<br />
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In my ongoing war against the "Incomplete" tag, I've added a great deal of detailed explanation to various panels. '''I''' think it's fine now, but it could really do with a review by somebody else! In particular, it would be great if somebody more familiar than myself with the terms could check through what I've written for Mu, Holism and Reductionism. [[User:Cosmogoblin|Cosmogoblin]] ([[User talk:Cosmogoblin|talk]]) 18:28, 14 July 2015 (UTC)<br />
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Isn't the last panel of the "Needs More Struts" series showing the Earth and Moon, not the Earth and the rocket? {{unsigned|Comment Police}}<br />
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I've got a book called "Turtles All The Way Down". -Klyxm {{unsigned|Comment Police}}</div>162.158.155.26https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=Talk:1960:_Code_Golf&diff=153121Talk:1960: Code Golf2018-02-26T15:54:30Z<p>162.158.155.26: </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 />
What's the programming language? It seems to me like a special reverse golf variant of Python, where <code>def</code> is replaced by <code>define</code>, just to make it longer. Or is there a real language with that syntax? --[[Special:Contributions/172.68.110.106|172.68.110.106]] 08:40, 26 February 2018 (UTC)<br />
: Lisp/some derivatives (I'm most familiar with scheme) use <code>define<define></code> as does Slate, however both have a different syntax. Most likely, this is just pseudo-code. [[User:Baldrickk|Baldrickk]] ([[User talk:Baldrickk|talk]]) 09:59, 26 February 2018 (UTC)<br />
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Definitely going to have to include a link to the actual longest language: Unary, which is literally just a certain length of 1s. No one actually writes in it: you write in another language and then it gets converted. [[User:Trlkly|Trlkly]] ([[User talk:Trlkly|talk]]) 10:48, 26 February 2018 (UTC)<br />
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This might be directed at a code golfing challenge currently taking place: https://codegolf.stackexchange.com/questions/152856/write-moby-dick-approximately. The goal is to write a program that outputs a text, that is as closly as possible to moby dick, while no containing it, and of course beeing as small as possible.[[Special:Contributions/141.101.105.150|141.101.105.150]] 13:04, 26 February 2018 (UTC)<br />
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Not sure why JSFuck is included in the explanation. Not sure how it really has any relevance here as it is not mentioned in the text and is not the programming language being used by Randall in the comic. [[Special:Contributions/108.162.216.94|108.162.216.94]] 13:18, 26 February 2018 (UTC)<br />
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: agreed, JSFuck is not relevant in the explanation. moved it to the discussion (see below) [[User:Thawn|Thawn]] ([[User talk:Thawn|talk]]) 13:56, 26 February 2018 (UTC)<br />
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:: Instead of {{w|Python (programming language)|Python}}, one could use {{w|JSFuck}} though, which is valid {{w|JavaScript}} code - but written with only six different characters. Even mundane variable names like `LowestDenominator` will take up hundreds, if not thousands, of bytes in JSFuck. {{unsigned|Comment Police}}<br />
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Off Topic: I just realized that statistical thermodynamics is nothing else than reverse molecule golf: The entropy of a given system is equal to the maximum score you can achieve in reverse molecule golf. [[User:Thawn|Thawn]] ([[User talk:Thawn|talk]]) 13:56, 26 February 2018 (UTC)<br />
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Someone made everyone's comments monospaced. Please fix this. [[Special:Contributions/198.41.230.100|198.41.230.100]] 14:24, 26 February 2018 (UTC)<br />
:Fixed [[Special:Contributions/162.158.155.26|162.158.155.26]] 15:52, 26 February 2018 (UTC)</div>162.158.155.26https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=Talk:1960:_Code_Golf&diff=153120Talk:1960: Code Golf2018-02-26T15:52:04Z<p>162.158.155.26: </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 />
What's the programming language? It seems to me like a special reverse golf variant of Python, where <code>def</code> is replaced by <code>define</code>, just to make it longer. Or is there a real language with that syntax? --[[Special:Contributions/172.68.110.106|172.68.110.106]] 08:40, 26 February 2018 (UTC)<br />
: Lisp/some derivatives (I'm most familiar with scheme) use <code>define<define></code> as does Slate, however both have a different syntax. Most likely, this is just pseudo-code. [[User:Baldrickk|Baldrickk]] ([[User talk:Baldrickk|talk]]) 09:59, 26 February 2018 (UTC)<br />
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Definitely going to have to include a link to the actual longest language: Unary, which is literally just a certain length of 1s. No one actually writes in it: you write in another language and then it gets converted. [[User:Trlkly|Trlkly]] ([[User talk:Trlkly|talk]]) 10:48, 26 February 2018 (UTC)<br />
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This might be directed at a code golfing challenge currently taking place: https://codegolf.stackexchange.com/questions/152856/write-moby-dick-approximately. The goal is to write a program that outputs a text, that is as closly as possible to moby dick, while no containing it, and of course beeing as small as possible.[[Special:Contributions/141.101.105.150|141.101.105.150]] 13:04, 26 February 2018 (UTC)<br />
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Not sure why JSFuck is included in the explanation. Not sure how it really has any relevance here as it is not mentioned in the text and is not the programming language being used by Randall in the comic. [[Special:Contributions/108.162.216.94|108.162.216.94]] 13:18, 26 February 2018 (UTC)<br />
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: agreed, JSFuck is not relevant in the explanation. moved it to the discussion (see below) [[User:Thawn|Thawn]] ([[User talk:Thawn|talk]]) 13:56, 26 February 2018 (UTC)<br />
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:: Instead of {{w|Python (programming language)|Python}}, one could use {{w|JSFuck}} though, which is valid {{w|JavaScript}} code - but written with only six different characters. Even mundane variable names like `LowestDenominator` will take up hundreds, if not thousands, of bytes in JSFuck.<br />
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Off Topic: I just realized that statistical thermodynamics is nothing else than reverse molecule golf: The entropy of a given system is equal to the maximum score you can achieve in reverse molecule golf. [[User:Thawn|Thawn]] ([[User talk:Thawn|talk]]) 13:56, 26 February 2018 (UTC)<br />
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Someone made everyone's comments monospaced. Please fix this. [[Special:Contributions/198.41.230.100|198.41.230.100]] 14:24, 26 February 2018 (UTC)<br />
:Fixed [[Special:Contributions/162.158.155.26|162.158.155.26]] 15:52, 26 February 2018 (UTC)</div>162.158.155.26