https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/api.php?action=feedcontributions&user=162.158.255.152&feedformat=atomexplain xkcd - User contributions [en]2024-03-28T17:18:19ZUser contributionsMediaWiki 1.30.0https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=2429:_Exposure_Models&diff=2068602429: Exposure Models2021-02-27T00:04:55Z<p>162.158.255.152: Undo revision 206859 by 162.158.255.152 (talk)</p>
<hr />
<div>{{comic<br />
| number = 2429<br />
| date = February 24, 2021<br />
| title = Exposure Models<br />
| image = exposure_models.png<br />
| titletext = "Cumulative number of coronavirus spreadsheets created over time" is a spreadsheet I am coming dangerously close to creating.<br />
}}<br />
<br />
==Explanation==<br />
{{incomplete|Created by a CUMULATIVE NUMBER OF COVID SPREADSHEETS CREATED OVER TIME. Please mention here why this explanation isn't complete. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}<br />
This is another comic in a [[:Category:COVID-19|series]] related to the {{w|2019-20 coronavirus outbreak|2020 pandemic}} of the {{w|coronavirus}} {{w|SARS-CoV-2}}, which causes {{w|COVID-19}}.<br />
<br />
[[Cueball]] (or [[Randall]]) created another COVID exposure model to help lower his risk of catching COVID-19 in the pandemic. [[Megan]] inquires about the model's result, to which Cueball admits that he's been sitting at his computer continuously debugging models, and draws the conclusion that debugging COVID-19 models lessens close contact with other people. This is similar to the premise of [[1445: Efficiency]] and [[1708: Dehydration]], except with the situation reversed — where before, researching a situation made the situation worse, here Cueball's time "wasted" has actually benefited him.<br />
<br />
By "model," Randall likely means a manually crafted model, since he describes debugging it, but he may also mean the form of automatically generated software that is used in modern machine learning. <br />
<br />
Cueball is too busy making models to figure out how to actually lower his risk other than sitting around repeating the work of others and improving his model-building skill. He has also created a meta-model, reporting the number of models Cueball has to create to wait the pandemic out. A meta model is a model about models, like most meta things. Software engineers have a practices such as DRY (don't repeat yourself) and reusability, that can result in continued code generalization. <br />
<br />
In the title text Randall mentions that he is dangerously close to making a spreadsheet about how many spreadsheets about coronavirus he has made cumulative over time. This would be a recursive graph, a recurring theme on xkcd.<br />
<br />
==Transcript==<br />
:[Cueball is sitting in an office chair at a desk typing on his laptop as Megan walks in.] <br />
:Cueball: I built another COVID exposure model to help me limit my risk.<br />
<br />
:[Megan stands behind Cueball, who has turned in his chair to face her. He is leaning his arm on the back of the chair.]<br />
:Megan: Any new insights?<br />
:Cueball: Yeah: "If you spend all day debugging models, you don't have close contact with a lot of people."<br />
<br />
:[Cueball turns away from Megan to type on his laptop again. The back of his chair has disappeared.]<br />
:Megan: Well, I guess it worked.<br />
:Cueball: According to my meta-model, the end of the pandemic is only four more models away.<br />
:Megan: '''''So close!'''''<br />
<br />
==Trivia==<br />
*Cueball's chair is missing its back in the last panel. [[Randall]] just forgot to draw it.<br />
<br />
{{comic discussion}}<br />
<br />
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]<br />
[[Category:Comics featuring Megan]]<br />
[[Category:Recursion]]<br />
[[Category:COVID-19]]</div>162.158.255.152https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=2429:_Exposure_Models&diff=2068592429: Exposure Models2021-02-27T00:04:04Z<p>162.158.255.152: /* Trivia */ is this "recursion"? or just "meta"</p>
<hr />
<div>{{comic<br />
| number = 2429<br />
| date = February 24, 2021<br />
| title = Exposure Models<br />
| image = exposure_models.png<br />
| titletext = "Cumulative number of coronavirus spreadsheets created over time" is a spreadsheet I am coming dangerously close to creating.<br />
}}<br />
<br />
==Explanation==<br />
{{incomplete|Created by a CUMULATIVE NUMBER OF COVID SPREADSHEETS CREATED OVER TIME. Please mention here why this explanation isn't complete. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}<br />
This is another comic in a [[:Category:COVID-19|series]] related to the {{w|2019-20 coronavirus outbreak|2020 pandemic}} of the {{w|coronavirus}} {{w|SARS-CoV-2}}, which causes {{w|COVID-19}}.<br />
<br />
[[Cueball]] (or [[Randall]]) created another COVID exposure model to help lower his risk of catching COVID-19 in the pandemic. [[Megan]] inquires about the model's result, to which Cueball admits that he's been sitting at his computer continuously debugging models, and draws the conclusion that debugging COVID-19 models lessens close contact with other people. This is similar to the premise of [[1445: Efficiency]] and [[1708: Dehydration]], except with the situation reversed — where before, researching a situation made the situation worse, here Cueball's time "wasted" has actually benefited him.<br />
<br />
By "model," Randall likely means a manually crafted model, since he describes debugging it, but he may also mean the form of automatically generated software that is used in modern machine learning. <br />
<br />
Cueball is too busy making models to figure out how to actually lower his risk other than sitting around repeating the work of others and improving his model-building skill. He has also created a meta-model, reporting the number of models Cueball has to create to wait the pandemic out. A meta model is a model about models, like most meta things. Software engineers have a practices such as DRY (don't repeat yourself) and reusability, that can result in continued code generalization. <br />
<br />
In the title text Randall mentions that he is dangerously close to making a spreadsheet about how many spreadsheets about coronavirus he has made cumulative over time. This would be a recursive graph, a recurring theme on xkcd.<br />
<br />
==Transcript==<br />
:[Cueball is sitting in an office chair at a desk typing on his laptop as Megan walks in.] <br />
:Cueball: I built another COVID exposure model to help me limit my risk.<br />
<br />
:[Megan stands behind Cueball, who has turned in his chair to face her. He is leaning his arm on the back of the chair.]<br />
:Megan: Any new insights?<br />
:Cueball: Yeah: "If you spend all day debugging models, you don't have close contact with a lot of people."<br />
<br />
:[Cueball turns away from Megan to type on his laptop again. The back of his chair has disappeared.]<br />
:Megan: Well, I guess it worked.<br />
:Cueball: According to my meta-model, the end of the pandemic is only four more models away.<br />
:Megan: '''''So close!'''''<br />
<br />
==Trivia==<br />
*Cueball's chair is missing its back in the last panel. [[Randall]] just forgot to draw it.<br />
<br />
{{comic discussion}}<br />
<br />
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]<br />
[[Category:Comics featuring Megan]]<br />
[[Category:Meta]]<br />
[[Category:COVID-19]]</div>162.158.255.152https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=2430:_Post-Pandemic_Hat&diff=2068582430: Post-Pandemic Hat2021-02-27T00:03:16Z<p>162.158.255.152: /* Transcript */ categroeis; ce</p>
<hr />
<div>{{comic<br />
| number = 2430<br />
| date = February 26, 2021<br />
| title = Post-Pandemic Hat<br />
| image = post_pandemic_hat.png<br />
| titletext = Plus a shirt that says "it feels like you're making eye contact."<br />
}}<br />
<br />
==Explanation==<br />
{{incomplete|Created by a HAT MAKING EYE CONTACT. Please mention here why this explanation isn't complete. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}<br />
This is another comic in a [[:Category:COVID-19|series]] related to the {{w|2019-20 coronavirus outbreak|2020 pandemic}} of the {{w|coronavirus}} {{w|SARS-CoV-2}}, which causes {{w|COVID-19}}.<br />
During the COVID-19 pandemic, there was a significant shift from in-person to computer-mediated interactions for both recreational and professional activities. For many, the computer setup used for these interactions is a laptop with a webcam above the screen. As people have become accustomed to looking directly into the camera, i.e. above where the other people's faces are, to simulate eye contact for meetings, Randall implies that there will be issues returning to pre-COVID life. In response, he has designed a baseball cap with an image that resembles a laptop webcam that sits above the wearer's eyes and a message that humorously acknowledges that the reader is likely reverting to virtual meeting habits for in-person interactions and that reminds people that for in-person interactions, one must look the other person's face, not above it like there's a webcam there.<br />
<br />
The apparent tendency for the heterosexual male's gaze to gravitate down towards the covered breasts of women they may be talking to is famously lampshaded by ladies' T-shirts with writing such as "Hey! My eyes are up there!" and an arrow. Though its effect may be diluted by the {{w|Saccade|saccadic movements}} that also draw focus towards words that 'demand to be read' (it may even be the intent from at least some of those wearing these garments), which may also be an issue in the case of this hat. For added irony, one could perhaps fit an actual active camera module within the body of the hat seeing the world through a pinhole in the 'fake' camera image.<br />
<br />
Actual shirt-based text (as in the Title Text) would represent where a video-conferencer is ''not'' staring at the screen-top camera to 'fake' eye contact on the other screen(s) but truly aimed at the image of the eyes. The view of such an 'honest' stare could look like a 'chest gaze'.<br />
<br />
[[1889: xkcd Phone 6]] 'solved' all these problems by putting a camera in the middle of the screen.<br />
<br />
==Transcript==<br />
{{incomplete transcript|Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}<br />
:[A ballcap with an image of a webcam lens and a message reading "Excuse me, my eyes are actually down here" above a downward-facing arrow]<br />
:[Caption below the panel]: hat for post-pandemic socializing<br />
<br />
<br />
{{comic discussion}}<br />
[[Category:COVID-19]]<br />
[[Category:Social interactions]]</div>162.158.255.152https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=Category:Comics_featuring_Ron_Paul&diff=205892Category:Comics featuring Ron Paul2021-02-06T01:24:59Z<p>162.158.255.152: former member!</p>
<hr />
<div>[[File:Ronpaul1.jpg|thumb|150px|Ron Paul]]<br />
{{w|Ron Paul}} is a US politician who served as a member of the {{w|United States House of Representatives|House of Representatives}} for a Congressional district in Texas until 2013. While technically a member of the Republican Party, his politics are extremely {{w|libertarianism|libertarian}} and not accepted by mainstream Republicans. His philosophy of small government calls for the end of the wars on terror and drugs as being contrary to the proper role of the Federal government, as well as costly and ineffective. These policies have made him popular among independent-minded geeks. That philosophy also calls for the end of the war on poverty, elimination of Federal support for education, and elimination of Federal civil rights protections, also as being contrary to the proper role of the Federal government.<br />
<br />
{{navbox-characters}}<br />
[[Category:Comics featuring politicians|Ron Paul]]</div>162.158.255.152https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=1047:_Approximations&diff=2041301047: Approximations2021-01-06T18:21:14Z<p>162.158.255.152: 2020 population</p>
<hr />
<div>{{comic<br />
| number = 1047<br />
| date = April 25, 2012<br />
| title = Approximations<br />
| image = approximations.png<br />
| titletext = Two tips: 1) 8675309 is not just prime, it's a twin prime, and 2) if you ever find yourself raising log(anything)^e or taking the pi-th root of anything, set down the marker and back away from the whiteboard; something has gone horribly wrong.<br />
}}<br />
<br />
==Explanation==<br />
<br />
This comic lists some approximations for numbers, most of them mathematical and physical constants, but some of them jokes and cultural references.<br />
<br />
Approximations like these are sometimes used as {{w|mnemonic}}s by mathematicians and physicists, though most of Randall's approximations are too convoluted to be useful as mnemonics. Perhaps the best known mnemonic approximation (though not used here by Randall) is that "π is approximately equal to 22/7". Randall does mention (and mock) the common mnemonic among physicists that the {{w|fine structure constant}} is approximately 1/137. Although Randall gives approximations for the number of seconds in a year, he does not mention the common physicists' mnemonic that it is "π × 10<sup>7</sup>", though he later added a statement to the top of the comic page addressing this point. <br />
<br />
At the bottom of the comic are expressions involving {{w|transcendental numbers}} (namely π and e) that are tantalizingly close to being exactly true but are not (indeed, they cannot be, due to the nature of transcendental numbers). Such near-equations were previously discussed in [[217: e to the pi Minus pi]]. One of the entries, though, is a "red herring" that is exactly true. <br />
<br />
Randall says he compiled this table through "a mix of trial-and-error, ''{{w|Mathematica}}'', and Robert Munafo's [http://mrob.com/pub/ries/ Ries] tool." "Ries" is a "{{w|Closed-form expression#Conversion from numerical forms|reverse calculator}}" that forms equations matching a given number.<br />
<br />
The {{w|world population}} estimate for 2020 is still accurate. The estimate is 7.7 billion, and the population listed at the website census.gov is roughly the same. The current value can be found here: [https://www.census.gov/popclock/ United States Census Bureau - U.S. and World Population Clock]. Nevertheless there are other numbers listed by different sources.<br />
<br />
The first part of the title text notes that "Jenny's constant," which is actually a telephone number referenced in Tommy Tutone's 1982 song {{w|867-5309/Jenny}}, is not only prime but a {{w|twin prime}} because 8675311 is also a prime. Twin primes have always been a subject of interest, because they are comparatively rare, and because it is not yet known whether there are infinitely many of them. Twin primes were also referenced in [[1310: Goldbach Conjectures]]. <br />
<br />
The second part of the title text makes fun of the unusual mathematical operations contained in the comic. {{w|Pi|π}} is a useful number in many contexts, but it doesn't usually occur anywhere in an exponent. Even when it does, such as with complex numbers, taking the πth root is rarely helpful. Similarly, {{w|e (mathematical constant)|e}} typically appears in the basis of a power (forming the {{w|exponential function}}), not in the exponent. (This is later referenced in [http://what-if.xkcd.com/73/ Lethal Neutrinos]).<br />
<br />
{| class="wikitable"<br />
|-<br />
|align="center"|Thing to be approximated:<br />
|align="center"|Formula proposed<br />
|align="center"|Resulting approximate value<br />
|align="center"|Correct value<br />
|align="center"|Discussion<br />
|-<br />
|align="center"|One {{w|light year}} (meters)<br />
|align="center"|99<sup>8</sup><br />
|align="center"|9,227,446,944,279,201<br />
|align="center"|9,460,730,472,580,800 (exact)<br />
|align="left"|Based on 365.25 days per year (see below). 99<sup>8</sup> and 69<sup>8</sup> are [[487: Numerical Sex Positions|sexual references]]. <br />
|-<br />
|align="center"|Earth's surface (m<sup>2</sup>)<br />
|align="center"|69<sup>8</sup><br />
|align="center"|513,798,374,428,641<br />
|align="center"|5.10072 × 10<sup>14</sup><br />
|align="left"|99<sup>8</sup> and 69<sup>8</sup> are [[487: Numerical Sex Positions|sexual references]].<br />
|-<br />
|align="center"|Oceans' volume (m<sup>3</sup>)<br />
|align="center"|9<sup>19</sup><br />
|align="center"|1,350,851,717,672,992,089<br />
|align="center"|1.332 × 10<sup>18</sup><br />
|align="left"|<br />
|-<br />
|align="center"|Seconds in a year<br />
|align="center"|75<sup>4</sup><br />
|align="center"|31,640,625<br />
|align="center"|31,557,600 (Julian calendar), 31,556,952 (Gregorian calendar)<br />
|align="left"|After this comic was released [[Randall]] got many responses by viewers. So he did add this statement to the top of the comic page:<br />
"Lots of emails mention the physicist favorite, 1 year = pi × 10<sup>7</sup> seconds. 75<sup>4</sup> is a hair more accurate, but it's hard to top 3,141,592's elegance." π × 10<sup>7</sup> is nearly equal to 31,415,926.536, and 75<sup>4</sup> is exactly 31,640,625. Randall's elegance belongs to the number π, but it should be multiplied by the factor of ten.<br />
<br />
Using the traditional definitions that a second is 1/60 of a minute, a minute is 1/60 of an hour, and an hour is 1/24 of a day, a 365-day common year is exactly 31,536,000 seconds (the "''Rent'' method" approximation) and the 366-day leap year is 31,622,400 seconds. Until the calendar was reformed by Pope Gregory, there was one leap year in every four years, making the average year 365.25 days, or 31,557,600 seconds. On the current calendar system, there are only 97 leap years in every 400 years, making the average year 365.2425 days, or 31,556,952 seconds. In technical usage, a "second" is now defined based on physical constants, even though the length of a day varies inversely with the changing angular velocity of the earth. To keep the official time synchronized with the rotation of the earth, a "leap second" is occasionally added, resulting in a slightly longer year.<br />
|-<br />
|align="center"|Seconds in a year (''Rent'' method)<br />
|align="center"|525,600 × 60<br />
|align="center"|31,536,000<br />
|align="center"|31,557,600 (Julian calendar), 31,556,952 (Gregorian calendar)<br />
|align="left"|"''Rent'' Method" refers to the song "{{w|Seasons of Love}}" from the musical ''{{w|Rent (musical)|Rent}}''. The song asks, "How do you measure a year?" One line says "525,600 minutes" while most of the rest of the song suggests the best way to measure a year is moments shared with a loved one.<br />
|-<br />
|align="center"|Age of the universe (seconds)<br />
|align="center"|15<sup>15</sup><br />
|align="center"|437,893,890,380,859,375<br />
|align="center"|4.354 ± 0.012 × 10<sup>17</sup> (best estimate; exact value unknown)<br />
|align="left"|This one will slowly get more accurate as the universe ages.<br />
|-<br />
|align="center"|Planck's constant<br />
|align="center"|<math>\frac {1} {30^{\pi^e}}</math><br />
|align="center"|6.6849901410 × 10<sup>−34</sup><br />
|align="center"|6.62606957 × 10<sup>−34</sup><br />
|align="left"|Informally, the {{w|Planck constant}} is the smallest action possible in quantum mechanics.<br />
|-<br />
|align="center"|Fine structure constant<br />
|align="center"|<math>\frac{1}{140}</math><br />
|align="center"|0.00<span style="text-decoration: overline;">714285</span><br />
|align="center"|0.0072973525664 (accepted value as of 2014), close to 1/137<br />
|align="left"|The {{w|fine structure constant}} indicates the strength of electromagnetism. It is unitless and around 0.007297, close to 1/137. The joke here is that Randall chose to write 140 as the denominator, when 137 is much closer to reality and just as many digits (although 137 is a less "round" number than 140, and Randall writes in the table that he's "had enough" of it). At one point the fine structure constant was believed to be exactly the reciprocal of 137, and many people have tried to find a simple formula explaining this (with a pinch of {{w|numerology}} thrown in at times), including the infamous {{w|Arthur Eddington|Sir Arthur "Adding-One" Eddington}} who argued very strenuously that the fine structure constant "should" be 1/136 when that was what the best measurements suggested, and then argued just as strenuously for 1/137 a few years later as measurements improved.<br />
|-<br />
|align="center"|Fundamental charge<br />
|align="center"|<math>\frac {3} {14 \pi^{\pi^\pi}}</math><br />
|align="center"|1.59895121062716 × 10<sup>−19</sup><br />
|align="center"|1.602176565 × 10<sup>−19</sup><br />
|align="left"|This is the charge of the proton, symbolized ''e'' for electron (whose charge is actually −''e''. You can blame Benjamin Franklin [[567|for that]].)<br />
|-<br />
|align="center"|Telephone number for the {{w|White House}} switchboard<br />
|align="center"|<math>\frac {1} {e^ {\sqrt[\pi] {1 + \sqrt[e-1] 8}} }</math><br />
|align="center"|0.2024561414<br />
|align="center"|202-456-1414<br />
|align="left"|<br />
|-<br />
|align="center"|Jenny's constant<br />
|align="center"|<math>\left( 7^ {\frac{e}{1} - \frac{1}{e}} - 9 \right) \pi^2</math><br />
|align="center"|867.5309019<br />
|align="center"|867-5309<br />
|align="left"|A telephone number referenced in {{w|Tommy Tutone}}'s 1982 song {{w|867-5309/Jenny}}. As mentioned in the title text, the number not only prime but a {{w|twin prime}} because 8675311 is also a prime. <br />
|-<br />
|align="center"|World population estimate (billions)<br />
|align="center"|Equivalent to <math>6 + \frac {\frac34 y + \frac14 (y \operatorname{mod} 4) - 1499} {10}</math><br />
|align="center"|2005 — 6.5<br><br />
2006 — 6.6<br><br />
2007 — 6.7<br><br />
2008 — 6.7<br><br />
2009 — 6.8<br><br />
2010 — 6.9<br><br />
2011 — 7.0<br><br />
2012 — 7.0<br><br />
2013 — 7.1<br><br />
2014 — 7.2<br><br />
2015 — 7.3<br><br />
2016 — 7.3<br><br />
2017 — 7.4<br><br />
2018 — 7.5<br><br />
2019 — 7.6<br><br />
2020 — 7.6<br><br />
2021 — 7.7<br><br />
2022 — 7.8<br><br />
2023 — 7.9<br><br />
2024 — 7.9<br><br />
2025 — 8.0<br><br />
2026 — 8.1<br><br />
2027 — 8.2<br><br />
2028 — 8.2<br><br />
2029 — 8.3<br><br />
2030 — 8.4<br><br />
2031 — 8.5<br><br />
|align="center"|<br />
|align="left"|Grows by 75 million every year on average. As of 2020, roughly correct.<br />
|-<br />
|align="center"|U.S. population estimate (millions)<br />
|align="center"|Equivalent to <math>310 + 3(y - 2010)</math><br />
|align="center"|2000 — 280<br><br />
2001 — 283<br><br />
2002 — 286<br><br />
2003 — 289<br><br />
2004 — 292<br><br />
2005 — 295<br><br />
2006 — 298<br><br />
2007 — 301<br><br />
2008 — 304<br><br />
2009 — 307<br><br />
2010 — 310<br><br />
2011 — 313<br><br />
2012 — 316<br><br />
2013 — 319<br><br />
2014 — 322<br><br />
2015 — 325<br><br />
2016 — 328<br><br />
2017 — 331<br><br />
2018 — 334<br><br />
2019 — 337<br><br />
2020 — 340<br><br />
2021 — 343<br><br />
2022 — 346<br><br />
2023 — 349<br><br />
2024 — 352<br><br />
2025 — 355<br><br />
2026 — 358<br><br />
2027 — 361<br><br />
2028 — 364<br><br />
2029 — 367<br><br />
2030 — 370<br><br />
2031 — 373<br><br />
2032 — 376<br />
|align="center"|<br />
|align="left"|Grows by 3 million each year. As of 2019 the actual number is ~10 million smaller.<br />
|-<br />
|align="center"|Electron rest energy (joules)<br />
|align="center"|<math>\frac {e} {7^{16}}</math><br />
|align="center"|8.17948276564429 × 10<sup>−14</sup><br />
|align="center"|8.18710438 × 10<sup>−14</sup><br />
|align="left"|<br />
|-<br />
|align="center"|Light year (miles)<br />
|align="center"|2<sup>42.42</sup><br />
|align="center"|5,884,267,614,436.97<br />
|align="center"|5,878,625,373,183.61 = 9,460,730,472,580,800 (meters in a light-year, by definition) / 1609.344 (meters in a mile)<br />
|align="left"|{{w|42 (number)|42}} is, according to {{w|Douglas Adams}}' ''{{w|The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy}}'', the answer to the Ultimate Question of Life, the Universe, and Everything.<br />
|-<br />
|align="center"|<math>\sin\left(60^\circ\right) = \frac {\sqrt 3} {2}</math><br />
|align="center"|<math>\frac{e}{\pi}</math><br />
|align="center"|0.8652559794<br />
|align="center"|0.8660254038<br />
|align="left"|<br />
|-<br />
|align="center"|<math>\sqrt 3</math><br />
|align="center"|<math>\frac{2e}{\pi}</math><br />
|align="center"|1.7305119589<br />
|align="center"|1.7320508076<br />
|align="left"|Same as the above<br />
|-<br />
|align="center"|γ (Euler's gamma constant)<br />
|align="center"|<math>\frac {1} {\sqrt 3}</math><br />
|align="center"|0.5773502692<br />
|align="center"|0.5772156649<br />
|align="left"|The {{w|Euler–Mascheroni constant}} (denoted γ) is a mysterious number describing the relationship between the {{w|Harmonic series (mathematics)|harmonic series}} and the {{w|natural logarithm}}.<br />
|-<br />
|align="center"|Feet in a meter<br />
|align="center"|<math>\frac {5} {\sqrt[e]\pi}</math><br />
|align="center"|3.2815481951<br />
|align="center"|3.280839895<br />
|align="left"|Exactly 1/0.3048, as the {{w|international foot}} is defined as 0.3048 meters.<br />
|-<br />
|align="center"|<math>\sqrt 5</math><br />
|align="center"|<math>\frac{2}{e} + \frac32</math><br />
|align="center"|2.2357588823<br />
|align="center"|2.2360679775<br />
|align="left"|<br />
|-<br />
|align="center"|Avogadro's number<br />
|align="center"|<math>69^{\pi^\sqrt{5}}</math><br />
|align="center"|6.02191201246329 × 10<sup>23</sup><br />
|align="center"|6.02214129 × 10<sup>23</sup><br />
|align="left"|Also called a mole for shorthand, {{w|Avogadro's number}} is (roughly) the number of individual atoms in 12 grams of pure carbon. Used in basically every application of chemistry. In 2019 the constant was redefined to 6.02214076 × 10<sup>23</sup>, making the Approximation slightly more correct.<br />
|-<br />
|align="center"|Gravitational constant ''G''<br />
|align="center"|<math>\frac {1} {e ^ {(\pi-1)^{(\pi+1)}}}</math><br />
|align="center"|6.6736110685 × 10<sup>−11</sup><br />
|align="center"|6.67385 × 10<sup>−11</sup><br />
|align="left"|The universal {{w|gravitational constant}} G is equal to ''Fr''<sup>2</sup>/''Mm'', where ''F'' is the gravitational force between two objects, ''r'' is the distance between them, and ''M'' and ''m'' are their masses.<br />
|-<br />
|align="center"|''R'' (gas constant)<br />
|align="center"|<math>(e + 1) \sqrt 5</math><br />
|align="center"|8.3143309279<br />
|align="center"|8.3144622<br />
|align="left"|The {{w|gas constant}} relates energy to temperature in physics, as well as a gas's volume, pressure, temperature and {{w|mole (unit)|molar amount}} (hence the name).<br />
|-<br />
|align="center"|Proton–electron mass ratio<br />
|align="center"|<math>6 \pi^5</math><br />
|align="center"|1836.1181087117<br />
|align="center"|1836.15267246<br />
|align="left"| The {{w|proton-to-electron mass ratio}} is the ratio between the rest mass of the proton divided by the rest mass of the electron.<br />
|-<br />
|align="center"|Liters in a {{w|gallon}}<br />
|align="center"|<math>3 + \frac{\pi}{4}</math><br />
|align="center"|3.7853981634<br />
|align="center"|3.785411784 (exact)<br />
|align="left"|A U.S. liquid gallon is defined by law as 231 cubic inches<br />
|-<br />
|align="center"|''g''<sub>0</sub> or ''g''<sub>n</sub><br />
|align="center"|6 + ln(45)<br />
|align="center"|9.8066624898<br />
|align="center"|9.80665<br />
|align="left"|Standard gravity, or standard acceleration due to free fall is the nominal gravitational acceleration of an object in a vacuum near the surface of the Earth. It is defined by standard as 9.80665&nbsp;m/s<sup>2</sup>, which is exactly 35.30394&nbsp;km/h/s (about 32.174&nbsp;ft/s<sup>2</sup>, or 21.937&nbsp;mph/s). This value was established by the 3rd CGPM (1901, CR 70) and used to define the standard weight of an object as the product of its mass and this nominal acceleration. The acceleration of a body near the surface of the Earth is due to the combined effects of gravity and centrifugal acceleration from rotation of the Earth (but which is small enough to be neglected for most purposes); the total (the apparent gravity) is about 0.5 percent greater at the poles than at the equator.<br />
<br />
Randall used a letter ''g'' without a suffix, which can also mean the local acceleration due to local gravity and centrifugal acceleration, which varies depending on one's position on Earth.<br />
|-<br />
|align="center"|Proton–electron mass ratio<br />
|align="center"|<math>\frac {e^8 - 10} {\phi}</math><br />
|align="center"|1836.1530151398<br />
|align="center"|1836.15267246<br />
|align="left"|φ is the {{w|golden ratio}}, or <math>\textstyle{ \frac{1+\sqrt 5}{2} }</math>. It has many interesting geometrical properties.<br />
|-<br />
|align="center"|Ruby laser wavelength (meters)<br />
|align="center"|<math>\frac{1}{1200^2}</math><br />
|align="center"|6.9<span style="text-decoration: overline;">444</span> × 10<sup>−7</sup><br />
|align="center"|~6.943 × 10<sup>−7</sup><br />
|align="left"|The {{w|ruby laser}} wavelength varies because "ruby" is not clearly defined.<br />
|-<br />
|align="center"|Mean Earth radius (meters)<br />
|align="center"|<math>5^8 6e</math><br />
|align="center"|6,370,973.035<br />
|align="center"|6,371,008.7 (IUGG definition)<br />
|align="left"|The {{w|Earth radius#mean radii|mean earth radius}} varies because there is not one single way to make a sphere out of the earth. Randall's value lies within the actual variation of Earth's radius. The International Union of Geodesy and Geophysics (IUGG) defines the mean radius as 2/3 of the equatorial radius (6,378,137.0&nbsp;m) plus 1/3 of the polar radius (6,356,752.3&nbsp;m).<br />
|-<br />
|align="center"|<math>\sqrt 2</math><br />
|align="center"|<math>\frac35 + \frac{\pi}{7-\pi}</math><br />
|align="center"|1.4142200581<br />
|align="center"|1.4142135624<br />
|align="left"|There are recurring math jokes along the lines of, "<math>\textstyle{ \frac35 + \frac{\pi}{7-\pi} - \sqrt{2} = 0}</math>, but your calculator is probably not good enough to compute this correctly". See also [[217: e to the pi Minus pi]].<br />
|-<br />
|align="center"|<math>\cos \frac{\pi}{7} + \cos \frac{3\pi}{7} + \cos \frac{5\pi}{7}</math><br />
|align="center"|<math>\frac12</math><br />
|align="center"|0.5<br />
|align="center"|0.5 (exact)<br />
|align="left"|This is the exactly correct equation referred to in the note, "Pro tip – Not all of these are wrong", as shown below and also [http://math.stackexchange.com/questions/140388/how-can-one-prove-cos-pi-7-cos3-pi-7-cos5-pi-7-1-2 here]. If you're still confused, the functions use {{w|radians}}, not {{w|degrees (angle)|degrees}}.<br />
|-<br />
|align="center"|γ (Euler's gamma constant)<br />
|align="center"|<math>\frac{e}{3^4} + \frac{e}{5}</math><br />
|align="center"|0.5772154006<br />
|align="center"|0.5772156649<br />
|align="left"|The {{w|Euler–Mascheroni constant}} (denoted γ) is a mysterious number describing the relationship between the {{w|Harmonic series (mathematics)|harmonic series}} and the {{w|natural logarithm}}.<br />
|-<br />
|align="center"|<math>\sqrt 5</math><br />
|align="center"|<math>\frac {13+4\pi} {24-4\pi}</math><br />
|align="center"|2.2360678094<br />
|align="center"|2.2360679775<br />
|align="left"|<br />
|-<br />
|align="center"|<math>\sum_{n=1}^{\infty} \frac{1}{n^n}</math><br />
|align="center"|<math>\ln(3)^e</math><br />
|align="center"|1.2912987577<br />
|align="center"|1.2912859971<br />
|align="left"|<br />
|}<br />
<br />
===Proof===<br />
<br />
One of the "approximations" actually is precisely correct: <math>\textstyle{ \cos \frac{\pi}{7} + \cos \frac{3\pi}{7} + \cos \frac{5\pi}{7} = \frac12 }</math>. Here is a proof:<br />
<br />
:<math>\cos \frac{\pi}{7} + \cos \frac{3\pi}{7} + \cos \frac{5\pi}{7}</math><br />
<br />
Multiplying by 1 (or by a number divided by itself) leaves the equation unchanged: <br />
<br />
:<math>= \left( \cos \frac{\pi}{7} + \cos \frac{3\pi}{7} + \cos \frac{5\pi}{7} \right) \frac{2 \sin\frac{\pi}{7}}{2 \sin\frac{\pi}{7}}</math><br />
<br />
The <math>\textstyle{ 2 \sin\frac{\pi}{7} }</math> on the top of the fraction is multiplied through the original equation:<br />
<br />
:<math>= \frac {2 \cos \frac{\pi}{7} \sin\frac{\pi}{7} + 2 \cos \frac{3\pi}{7} \sin\frac{\pi}{7} + 2 \cos \frac{5\pi}{7} \sin\frac{\pi}{7}} {2 \sin\frac{\pi}{7}}</math><br />
<br />
Use the trigonometric identity <math>\textstyle{ 2 \cos A \sin B = \sin (A+B) - \sin(A-B)}</math> on the second and third terms in the numerator:<br />
<br />
:<math>\begin{align}<br />
&= \frac {2 \cos \frac{\pi}{7} \sin \frac{\pi}{7} + \left[\sin \left(\frac{3\pi}{7} + \frac{\pi}{7}\right) - \sin \left(\frac{3\pi}{7} - \frac{\pi}{7}\right) \right] + \left[\sin \left(\frac{5\pi}{7} + \frac{\pi}{7}\right) - \sin \left(\frac{5\pi}{7} - \frac{\pi}{7}\right) \right]} {2 \sin\frac{\pi}{7}} \\<br />
&= \frac {2 \cos \frac{\pi}{7} \sin \frac{\pi}{7} + \left[\sin \frac{4\pi}{7} - \sin \frac{2\pi}{7} \right] + \left[\sin \frac{6\pi}{7} - \sin \frac{4\pi}{7} \right]} {2 \sin\frac{\pi}{7}}<br />
\end{align}</math><br />
<br />
Use the trigonometric identity <math>\textstyle{ 2 \cos A \sin A = \sin 2A }</math> on the first term in the numerator:<br />
<br />
:<math>\begin{align}<br />
&= \frac {\sin \frac{2\pi}{7} + \left[\sin \frac{4\pi}{7} - \sin \frac{2\pi}{7} \right] + \left[\sin \frac{6\pi}{7} - \sin \frac{4\pi}{7} \right]} {2 \sin\frac{\pi}{7}} \\<br />
&= \frac {\sin \frac{6\pi}{7} + \left[\sin \frac{4\pi}{7} - \sin \frac{4\pi}{7} \right] + \left[\sin \frac{2\pi}{7} - \sin \frac{2\pi}{7} \right]} {2 \sin\frac{\pi}{7}} \\<br />
&= \frac {\sin \frac{6\pi}{7} } {2 \sin\frac{\pi}{7}}<br />
\end{align}</math><br />
<br />
Noting that <math>\textstyle{\frac{6\pi}{7} + \frac{\pi}{7} = \pi}</math> and that the sines of supplementary angles (angles that sum to π) are equal:<br />
<br />
:<math>\begin{align}<br />
&= \frac {\sin \frac{\pi}{7} } {2 \sin\frac{\pi}{7}} \\<br />
&= \frac12 \quad \quad \quad \text{Q.E.D.}<br />
\end{align}</math><br />
<br />
==Transcript==<br />
:'''A table of slightly wrong equations and identities useful for approximations and/or trolling teachers.'''<br />
:(Found using a mix of trial-and-error, ''Mathematica'', and Robert Munafo's ''Ries'' tool.)<br />
: All units are SI MKS unless otherwise noted.<br />
<br />
:{| class="wikitable"<br />
|-<br />
|colspan="2" align="center" | Relation:<br />
|align="center" | Accurate to within:<br />
|-<br />
|align="center" | One light-year(m)<br />
|align="center" | 99<sup>8</sup><br />
|align="center" | one part in 40<br />
|-<br />
|align="center" | Earth Surface(m<sup>2</sup>)<br />
|align="center" | 69<sup>8</sup><br />
|align="center" | one part in 130<br />
|-<br />
|align="center" | Oceans' volume(m<sup>3</sup>)<br />
|align="center" | 9<sup>19</sup><br />
|align="center" | one part in 70<br />
|-<br />
|align="center" | Seconds in a year<br />
|align="center" | 75<sup>4</sup><br />
|align="center" | one part in 400<br />
|-<br />
|align="center" | Seconds in a year (''Rent'' method)<br />
|align="center" | 525,600 x 60<br />
|align="center" | one part in 1400<br />
|-<br />
|align="center" | Age of the universe (seconds)<br />
|align="center" | 15<sup>15</sup><br />
|align="center" | one part in 70<br />
|-<br />
|align="center" | Planck's constant<br />
|align="center" | 1/(30<sup>π<sup>e</sup></sup>)<br />
|align="center" | one part in 110<br />
|-<br />
|align="center" | Fine structure constant<br />
|align="center" | 1/140<br />
|align="center" | [I've had enough of this 137 crap]<br />
|-<br />
|align="center" | Fundamental charge<br />
|align="center" | 3/(14 * π<sup>π<sup>π</sup></sup>)<br />
|align="center" | one part in 500<br />
|-<br />
|align="center"|White House Switchboard<br />
|colspan="2" align="center"|1 / (e<sup><sup>π</sup>√(1 + <sup>(e-1)</sup>√8)</sup>)<br />
|-<br />
|align="center"|Jenny's Constant<br />
|colspan="2" align="center"|(7<sup>(e/1 - 1/e)</sup> - 9) * π<sup>2</sup><br />
|-<br />
|colspan="3" align="center"|Intermission:<br /> World Population Estimate<br /> which should stay current<br /> for a decade or two:<br /><br />
Take the last two digits of the current year<br />
<br />
Example: 20[14] <br />
<br />
Subtract the number of leap years since hurricane Katrina<br />
<br />
Example: 14 (minus 2008 and 2012) is 12<br />
<br />
Add a decimal point<br />
<br />
Example: 1.2<br />
<br />
Add 6<br />
<br />
Example: 6 + 1.2<br />
<br />
7.2 = World population in billions.<br />
<br />
<br />
Version for US population:<br />
<br />
Example: 20[14]<br />
<br />
Subtract 10<br />
<br />
Example: 4<br />
<br />
Multiply by 3<br />
<br />
Example: 12<br />
<br />
Add 10<br />
<br />
Example: 3[22] million<br />
|-<br />
|align="center"|Electron rest energy<br />
|align="center"|e/7<sup>16</sup> J<br />
|align="center"|one part in 1000<br />
|-<br />
|align="center"|Light-year(miles)<br />
|align="center"|2<sup>(42.42)</sup><br />
|align="center"|one part in 1000<br />
|-<br />
|colspan="2" align="center"|sin(60°) = √3/2 = e/π<br />
|align="center"|one part in 1000<br />
|-<br />
|colspan="2" align="center"|√3 = 2e/π<br />
|align="center"|one part in 1000<br />
|-<br />
|align="center"|γ(Euler's gamma constant)<br />
|align="center"|1/√3<br />
|align="center"|one part in 4000<br />
|-<br />
|align="center"|Feet in a meter<br />
|align="center"|5/(<sup>e</sup>√π)<br />
|align="center"|one part in 4000<br />
|-<br />
|colspan="2" align="center"|√5 = 2/e + 3/2<br />
|align="center"|one part in 7000<br />
|-<br />
|align="center"|Avogadro's number<br />
|align="center"|69<sup>π<sup>√5</sup></sup><br />
|align="center"|one part in 25,000<br />
|-<br />
|align="center"|Gravitational constant G<br />
|align="center"|1 / e<sup>(π - 1)<sup>(π + 1)</sup></sup><br />
|align="center"|one part in 25,000<br />
|-<br />
|align="center"|R (gas constant)<br />
|align="center"|(e+1) √5<br />
|align="center"|one part in 50,000<br />
|-<br />
|align="center"|Proton-electron mass ratio<br />
|align="center"|6*π<sup>5</sup><br />
|align="center"|one part in 50,000<br />
|-<br />
|align="center"|Liters in a gallon<br />
|align="center"|3 + π/4<br />
|align="center"|one part in 500,000<br />
|-<br />
|align="center"|g<br />
|align="center"|6 + ln(45)<br />
|align="center"|one part in 750,000<br />
|-<br />
|align="center"|Proton-electron mass ratio<br />
|align="center"|(e<sup>8</sup> - 10) / ϕ<br />
|align="center"|one part in 5,000,000<br />
|-<br />
|align="center"|Ruby laser wavelength<br />
|align="center"|1 / (1200<sup>2</sup>)<br />
|align="center"|[within actual variation]<br />
|-<br />
|align="center"|Mean Earth Radius<br />
|align="center"|(5<sup>8</sup>)*6e<br />
|align="center"|[within actual variation]<br />
|-<br />
|colspan="3" align="center"|Protip - not all of these are wrong:<br />
|-<br />
|colspan="2" align="center"|√2 = 3/5 + π/(7-π)<br />
|align="center"|cos(π/7) + cos(3π/7) + cos(5π/7) = 1/2<br />
|-<br />
|align="center"|γ(Euler's gamma constant) = e/3<sup>4</sup> + e/5<br />
|align="center"|√5 = (13 + 4π) / (24 - 4π)<br />
|align="center"|Σ 1/n<sup>n</sup> = ln(3)<sup>e</sup><br />
|}<br />
<br />
{{comic discussion}}<br />
[[Category:Charts]]<br />
[[Category:Math]]<br />
[[Category:Physics]]<br />
[[Category:Protip]]</div>162.158.255.152https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=Talk:2395:_Covid_Precaution_Level&diff=202832Talk:2395: Covid Precaution Level2020-12-08T05:01:58Z<p>162.158.255.152: </p>
<hr />
<div><!--Please sign your posts with ~~~~ and don't delete this text. New comments should be added at the bottom.--><br />
The problem is precautions that ARE insufficient feel excessive to many people and precautions that are excessive FEEL insufficient to many others - and science seems to be unable to provide definitive answers to replace "feelings" with logic [[Special:Contributions/162.158.126.104|162.158.126.104]] 23:59, 7 December 2020 (UTC)<br />
<br />
To save the person(s) effort who will ultimately write this into the explanation/transcript in a legible manner: There are 13 subdivisions in Insufficient, 14 subdivisions in Excessive, roughly (close enough to look deliberate, but sloppily so) 6 divisions shared, across a scale of 21 effective divisions. Enjoy! [[Special:Contributions/162.158.158.155|162.158.158.155]] 00:08, 8 December 2020 (UTC)<br />
<br />
<br />
I wonder what is meant by the title text exactly, is the one kind of feedback you can get getting the disease? The way it is phrases it feels like "dying from covid" is the final feedback (you can only get it once and then it's too late). But just getting infected is already some feedback isn't it? <br />
<br />
[[User:Flekkie|Flekkie]] ([[User talk:Flekkie|talk]]) 03:51, 8 December 2020 (UTC)<br />
<br />
:The title text says ''definitive'' feedback, which I took to mean deaths. Numbers of those infected isn't inherently definitive as the precautions might affect how or if they recover. --[[Special:Contributions/162.158.255.152|162.158.255.152]] 05:01, 8 December 2020 (UTC)</div>162.158.255.152https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=2390:_Linguists&diff=2027862390: Linguists2020-12-07T05:51:23Z<p>162.158.255.152: Removed spam listing</p>
<hr />
<div>{{comic<br />
| number = 2390<br />
| date = November 25, 2020<br />
| title = Linguists<br />
| image = linguists.png<br />
| titletext = "Do you feel like the answer depends on whether you're currently in the hole, versus when you refer to the events later after you get out? Assuming you get out."<br />
}}<br />
== ==<br />
<br />
==Explanation==<br />
{{incomplete|Created by A LINGUIST IN A HOLE (OR IS IT A PIT?). As a non native English speaker, I do not at all understand the differences between what Ponytail perceives and what should have actually been said. And I did not get any the more wiser from the current explanation. What is it that Ponytail thinks is being said, and what should have been said to avoid misunderstanding? Please mention here why this explanation isn't complete. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}<br />
<br />
Ponytail hears the cries of an unidentified person who has become trapped in a hole. She rushes over, but rather than helping the person out, she instead asks whether the trapped person's chosen phrasing for their predicament – "fell down a hole" – is equivalent to "fell in a hole."<br />
<br />
To most people, the phrases "fell down a hole" and "fell in a hole" are synonymous. To other people however, the two sentences have a subtle difference that implies slightly different things; for example, whether one has fully or only partially fell down the hole, how big the hole is, or {{w|Perfective aspect|whether the person is still in the hole at the time of speaking}}. Ponytail is thus asking whether the person chose to use 'down' over 'in' for those reasons. In either case, the joke here is that this is probably not the best time for Ponytail to ask.<br />
<br />
In the caption, Randall comments on the stereotype that linguists are obnoxious elitists who only love telling people how wrong they are ("{{w|Linguistic prescription|Grammar Nazi}}s"). He claims the truth is much worse, that linguists' desire to extract exact meaning from phrases is done with the best of intentions. He also claims that this is worse than if they were pedants browbeating their audience, possibly because a pedant could prioritize the elements of a situation better than Ponytail is doing here.<br />
<br />
This is similar to the viewpoint dedicated to scientists in comic [[877: Beauty]], as in studying that field seems to be a cold and sad way to analyze the thing, but instead is an extreme form of child-like awe and inspiration.<br />
<br />
The title text goes further on this quest of understanding by trying to see whether the different usages are tied to the current situation or not. Perhaps "I fell down a hole" means "I ''just'' fell down a hole" (one has currently fallen down this hole, explaining the situation as seen) or else "I ''once'' fell down a hole" (one had previously fallen down a(nother?) hole, retelling of a prior unseen occurrence). It may even be an explanation: Having discovered the joys of being down a hole, after a prior inadvertent fall, this is why the voice has (re)descended into this hole despite having had temporarily gotten out of that original depression.<br />
<br />
The title text’s last sentence “assuming you get out” drives home the point that Ponytail is concerning herself with linguistic matters over practical ones. Ponytail’s use of “assuming” rather than “when” suggests that Ponytail doesn’t have a plan to get the person out, or that she has a plan but isn’t confident in its success. The former interpretation, that Ponytail is thinking of the person getting out as abstract and unconnected with her, is funnier and more consistent with Ponytail’s actions so far.<br />
<br />
==Transcript==<br />
<br />
:[Ponytail is walking to the left. A voice calls out from behind her (at the right of the panel):]<br />
:Off-panel voice: Help!<br />
:Off-panel voice: I fell down a hole!<br />
<br />
:[Ponytail runs to the right, toward the hole.]<br />
<br />
:[Ponytail, kneeling down next to the hole, calls out:]<br />
:Ponytail: Hey!<br />
:Ponytail: Is "fell down a hole" exactly equivalent to "fell in a hole," in your usage? Or do they have slightly different implications?<br />
<br />
:[Caption below the panel]<br />
:There's a myth that linguists are pedants who love correcting people, but they're actually just enthusiastic about understanding language in all its infinite varieties, which is much worse.<br />
<br />
{{comic discussion}}<br />
<br />
[[Category:Comics featuring Ponytail]]<br />
[[Category:Language]]</div>162.158.255.152https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=1920:_Emoji_Sports&diff=2027791920: Emoji Sports2020-12-07T03:19:40Z<p>162.158.255.152: /* Explained various list elements */</p>
<hr />
<div>{{comic<br />
| number = 1920<br />
| date = November 24, 2017<br />
| title = Emoji Sports<br />
| image = emoji_sports.png<br />
| titletext = No horse has yet managed the elusive Quadruple Crown—winning the Kentucky Derby, the Preakness, the Belmont Stakes, and the Missouri Horse Hole.<br />
}}<br />
<br />
==Explanation==<br />
<br />
<br />
This comic, as the heading indicates, arbitrarily selects emoji and uses them to make up very bizarre sports. Although some of these might be completely normal, most of them take things to a completely absurd level.<br />
<br />
The title text is a reference to the {{w|Triple Crown of Thoroughbred Racing (United States)|Triple Crown}}, which is an highly prestigious award given to a three-year-old thoroughbred horse who wins the {{w|Kentucky Derby}}, the {{w|Preakness Stakes}}, and the {{w|Belmont Stakes}}, the first three of the four listed events. The joke is that if Horse Hole was a real sport, then one who won a major competition for it, the Missouri Horse Hole, in addition to the three main horse racing events, would win a "Quadruple Crown".<br />
<br />
''Please note that some emoji may not be supported by your browser, in which the emoji will appear as a black rectangle, and if there is a male/female version of the emoji, a male/female sign will appear next to the rectangle.''<br />
<br />
{| class="wikitable"<br />
!scope="col" style="width: 100px;" |Emoji<br />
!scope="col" style="width: 150px;" |Sport<br />
!scope="col" |Description<br />
|-<br />
|🤽♂️🌋<br />
|Lavaball<br />
|Sets the sport of water polo around or inside an active volcano. If the water is simply replaced with lava, the players would asphyxiate from the toxic fumes long before they burned to death in the molten rock. If a typical pool of water is involved, the introduction of lava would cause rapid evaporation and the release of {{w|Chlorine#Use_as_a_weapon|chlorine gas}}, which is destructive to living tissue. In any case, this game is not a good idea.{{Citation needed}}<br />
|-ly o<br />
|🤾♀️🤺<br />
|Bladeball<br />
|Using a fencing foil to hit a ball would not only be inefficient, but would easily lead to the destruction of the ball instead. There is however an actual sport combining ball sport and fencing called {{w|Jugger}}.<br />
|-<br />
|💃💃⚽<br />
|Fancyball<br />
|Soccer played in high heels and dresses would be a problem for both kicking and running, with the grassy terrain exacerbating these issues, and these would lead to frequent injury.{{Citation needed}}<br />
|-<br />
|🕳️🏇🏇🏇<br />
|Horse hole<br />
| Jockeys ride their horses into a large pit. Needless to say, such a sport would constitute blatant animal abuse; the ensuing fall would seriously injure competing equines (as well as their jockeys if they don't bail out beforehand). If the horse's self-preservation instinct kicks in before reaching the edge, the jockey will likely be severely injured in the process, an outcome which would likely garner a lot less pity.<br/> Both this segment and the title text may relate to Episode 354 of ''{{w|My Brother My Brother And Me}}'', "Beanfreak", where a potential punishment for losing horses in a race is described as a trapdoor leading to a "pony pile" beneath the track. (Many of the podcast's episodes deal with horse racing and horse behavior, including some impassioned conversations on the performance of specific horses and the unregulated nature of the widely recognized Triple Crown achievement.)<br />
|-<br />
|🔪🏀⛏️<br />
|Basketball shredding<br />
|The apparent point of this sport is to compete to destroy basketballs as quickly and/or as thoroughly as possible. There is some transgressive appeal in mistreating sports equipment, but hardly enough to keep a captive audience.<br />
|-<br />
|🥚🔭🕵️♀️<br />
|Eggspotting<br />
|This could be a combination of {{w|Egg_hunt|egg hunting}} and {{w|birdwatching}}. The emojis may imply that said eggs would have to be found alone in nature, as if they were wild animals, though it might be spotting of eggs of the wild animals in their nests. If the latter is true, the humor arises from the situation being like a form of pre-emptive birdwatching, as the eggs will eventually hatch into birds, and such an activity might be considered easier, or "beginner-level", birdwatching, due to the eggs remaining in one place.<br />
|-<br />
|⛷️🐊<br />
|Alligator jumping<br />
|An unusual combination of attributes, and to get the alligators to adapt to a cold environment might be a challenge. The emoji is actually a crocodile.<br />
|-<br />
|👩🎣🧜♂️<br />
|Merfishing<br />
|Unless humans volunteer to get in costume, this sport is unlikely to have any successes, due to the nonexistence of {{w|Mermaid|mermaids}}.{{Citation needed}}<br />
|-<br />
|👨🏸🧚🏸👩<br />
|Tinkerball<br />
|Playing badminton with a fairy, named after {{w|Tinker Bell}} as a pun. Likely to injure the fairy, and such an activity runs the risk of the fairy flying away to escape the abuse. Fairies are not known to exist in the real world.{{Citation needed}}<br />
|-<br />
|🥌🦔🥌<br />
|Hedgehog curling<br />
|Hedgehogs are not ideal projectiles for sports, as {{w|Alice's Adventures in Wonderland}} has already demonstrated, and such an idea would be considered animal abuse on top of the impracticality. Nonetheless, hedgehogs are technically skilled at curling...their bodies.<br />
|-<br />
|🗜️🍔<br />
|Burger clamping<br />
|Perhaps a challenge to fit a tall burger into a bite-sized height, though said clamp would probably be more likely to pierce the burger than to flatten it.<br />
|-<br />
|👩🚀🏹🛰️<br />
|Consequence archery<br />
|Archery on a space station could cause damage to its structure leading to the potentially explosive decompression of the space station, and necessitate the evacuation of the astronauts aboard. If played outside, stray arrows could still cause a disaster by setting space debris into motion or by hitting space vessels or equipment. Another dangerous consequence of shooting an arrow while floating in space without a jetpack would be that the shot propels the astronaut in the opposite direction of the arrow, setting them off to drift away helplessly into space. Alternatively, the goal may be to hit satellites which would imply the consequence part being the resulting legal action accompanying a high score unless you wait for them to deorbit naturally in which case the consequence part would be everything associated with being near large chunks of metal at terminal velocity. Another possible hazard would come if the sport involves trying to hit an orbiting object from the ground in which case building let alone trying to wield a bow capable of launching an arrow out of the atmosphere would be dangerous{{Citation needed}}, illegal{{Citation needed}} and difficult. More casual versions could arise from playing on celestial bodies with less gravity and atmosphere but that would defeat the whole point.<br />
<br />
Shooting an arrow aboard the ISS was considered in the ''what if?'' book.<br />
|-<br />
|🦉➡️📬<br />
|Owlstuffing<br />
|This appears to consist of attempting to stuff owls into mailboxes, which would be doubly illegal, because it would be cruel to the owls and interfere with the delivery of the mail. The mailbox is shown with the flag up, likely meaning that the point is to use these owls to attack mailmen, or that the point is to retrieve the owls from one mailbox and place them in another. Possibly a reference to owls carrying mail in the Harry Potter series.<br />
|-<br />
|🍴🕯️🍴<br />
|Candle eating<br />
|An even more unhealthy form of {{w|competitive eating}}. Eating large amounts of candle wax can cause {{w|Bowel_obstruction|intestinal obstruction}}.<br />
|-<br />
|⛳💣🏌️♀️<br />
|Consequence golf<br />
|The "consequence" of this game is simple: the bomb's eventual explosion necessitates efficient playing. Golfing with a bomb would likely significantly reduce the par on each hole, depending on the length of the fuse, and due to the threat of explosion, it would probably not be possible to exceed par unless the golfer is also very fast. There would certainly be damage to the course and golfers unless the holes extinguished the bombs of golfers who succeeded in time. The balance and rolling of the bomb balls would also be impeded by the fuses and caps. The bombs would also need to be very small to be used with standard golf clubs.<br />
|-<br />
|👉🐍👈<br />
|Snake shaming<br />
|Goal appears to be to humiliate a snake, although this may be impossible for most snakes due to their inability to understand humans.{{Citation needed}} Probably a play on snake charming. Also a possible reference to the biblical story where the snake is shamed for deceiving mankind by being doomed to crawl on its belly.<br />
|-<br />
|🔥🧗♀️🔥<br />
|Hell escape<br />
|Trying to escape the {{w|lake of fire}} is the pastime of damned souls, but perhaps living people are instead sent there and have to return home.<br />
|-<br />
|🎮🥑🎮<br />
|Multiplayer avocado<br />
|Unless a game based on avocados is the subject, there is, to say the least, a hardware compatibility issue here. Very different from the adult version, multiplayer eggplant (🎮🍆🎮; see [[1870: Emoji Movie Reviews]]).<br />
|}<br />
<br />
==Transcript==<br />
<br />
:<big>New sports</big><br />
:created from random emoji<br />
<br />
:[Man Playing Water Polo + Volcano]<br />
:🤽♂️🌋 Lavaball<br />
<br />
:[Woman Playing Handball + Person Fencing]<br />
:🤾♀️🤺 Bladeball<br />
<br />
:[Woman Dancing (2 emojis) + Soccer Ball]<br />
:💃💃⚽ Fancyball<br />
<br />
:[Hole + Horse Racing (3 emojis)]<br />
:🕳️🏇🏇🏇 Horse hole<br />
<br />
:[Kitchen Knife + Basketball + Pick]<br />
:🔪🏀⛏️ Basketball shredding<br />
<br />
:[Egg + Telescope + Woman Detective]<br />
:🥚🔭🕵️♀️ Eggspotting<br />
<br />
:[Skier + Crocodile]<br />
:⛷️🐊 Alligator jumping<br />
<br />
:[Woman + Fishing Pole + Merman]<br />
:👩🎣🧜♂️ Merfishing<br />
<br />
:[Man + Badminton + Fairy + Badminton + Woman]<br />
:👨🏸🧚🏸👩 Tinkerball<br />
<br />
:[Curling Stone + Hedgehog + Curling Stone]<br />
:🥌🦔🥌 Hedgehog curling<br />
<br />
:[Clamp + Hamburger]<br />
:🗜️🍔 Burger clamping<br />
<br />
:[Woman Astronaut + Bow and Arrow + Satellite]<br />
:👩🚀🏹🛰️ Consequence archery<br />
<br />
:[Owl + Right Arrow + Open Mailbox]<br />
:🦉➡️📬 Owlstuffing<br />
<br />
:[Fork and Knife + Candle + Fork and Knife]<br />
:🍴🕯️🍴 Candle eating<br />
<br />
:[Flag in Hole + Bomb + Woman Golfing]<br />
:⛳💣🏌️♀️ Consequence golf <br />
<br />
:[Pointing Right + Snake + Pointing Left]<br />
:👉🐍👈 Snake shaming<br />
<br />
:[Fire + Woman Climbing + Fire]<br />
:🔥🧗♀️🔥 Hell escape<br />
<br />
:[Video Game + Avocado + Video Game]<br />
:🎮🥑🎮 Multiplayer avocado<br />
<br />
{{comic discussion}}<br />
<br />
[[Category:Comics with color]]<br />
[[Category:Emoji]]<br />
[[Category:Volcanoes]]<br />
[[Category:Sport]]<br />
[[Category:Soccer]]<br />
[[Category:Animals]]<br />
[[Category:Food]]<br />
[[Category:Basketball]]</div>162.158.255.152https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=2394:_Contiguous_41_States&diff=2027272394: Contiguous 41 States2020-12-05T02:01:18Z<p>162.158.255.152: </p>
<hr />
<div>{{comic<br />
| number = 2394<br />
| date = December 4, 2020<br />
| title = Contiguous 41 States<br />
| image = contiguous_41_states.png<br />
| titletext = Linguists, settling some inscrutable grudge, have been steadily sneaking more backdated synonyms for 'sharing borders' into the dictionary. They've added 'contiguous,' 'coterminous,' 'conterminous,' and next year they're adding 'conterguous.'<br />
}}<br />
<br />
==Explanation==<br />
{{incomplete|Created by a MISSING STATE. Please mention here why this explanation isn't complete. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}<br />
The United States of America is composed of 50 states, {{w|Contiguous United States|48 of which are contiguous}} - meaning sharing a common border. Two states are separated from the other 48 states, {{w|Alaska}} and {{w|Hawaii}}. Alaska, purchased from Russia in 1867, is separated from the rest of the United States by the country of Canada. Hawaii, annexed in 1898, is a group of islands in the Pacific Ocean. As these states are not ''contiguous'' to the rest of the 48 states, they may not be included in maps of the United States. Typically, these 2 states are included in inset maps, separate sections at the bottom of the map.<br />
<br />
The map in this comic is "Alaska and Hawaii's revenge", with seven additional states removed: North Dakota, South Dakota, Nebraska, Kansas, New Mexico, Pennsylvania, and Delaware. Most of these are accomplished by eliminating a column of states &mdash; North Dakota, South Dakota, Nebraska, and Kansas; Oklahoma and Texas, which are directly south of these, are slid over to the west into the space freed up by deleting New Mexico. The other two deleted states are Pennsylvania and Delaware, with the states to their south and north slid/extended to fill the gap.<br />
<br />
In the title text, Randall picks on linguists, who use the similar words ''contiguous'', ''coterminus'', and ''conterminous'' which have the similar meaning of "sharing a common border". He coins a new word "conterguous".<br />
<br />
The title text riffs on synonyms for "shared borders", which, according to Randall, linguists are deliberately resurrecting from the history of language to make life more complicated for modern English users, for obscure reasons (perhaps they blame ignorant responses to COVID-19 for loss of livelihood, as US universities cut Linguistics departments and professorships in a desperate effort to stay solvent). <br />
<br />
In fact, 'contiguous', 'coterminous', and 'conterminous' all date from early modern English, early-to-mid 17th century (just after the time of Shakespeare). 'Coterminous' and 'conterminous' are alternate spellings from the same Latin root ('com' + 'terminus'), whereas 'contiguous' is from a different root (Latin 'contiguus'). <br />
<br />
'Conterguous' is a neologism by Randall, though he blames it on linguists. It is a portmanteau of 'CONTERminous' and 'contiGUOUS'. It is etymologically absurd (the prefix 'conter-' is meaningless). Its prescriptivist ('top-down') introduction into the language would simply be for the purpose of messing with people's minds, as Randall suggests. However, should the word catch on with English speakers, perhaps precisely because it is a joke, its descriptivist ('bottom up') entry into the language is certainly possible. One could then argue just how much Randall would have to answer for.<br />
<br />
==Transcript==<br />
{{incomplete transcript|Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}<br />
<br />
:The Contiguous 41 States<br />
<br />
:[A map of the United States, missing Delaware, Kansas, New Mexico, Nebraska, North Dakota, Pennsylvania, and South Dakota, along with Alaska and Hawaii]<br />
<br />
:[Caption below the panel:]<br />
:Tired of being left off maps of the US, Alaska and Hawaii begin producing maps with ''other'' states missing, too.<br />
<br />
{{comic discussion}}<br />
[[Category:Maps]]<br />
[[Category:Language]]</div>162.158.255.152https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=Talk:2393:_Presidential_Middle_Names&diff=202667Talk:2393: Presidential Middle Names2020-12-03T20:01:06Z<p>162.158.255.152: </p>
<hr />
<div><!--Please sign your posts with ~~~~ and don't delete this text. New comments should be added at the bottom.--><br />
I wonder where Hussein comes in in the official rankings. [[User:Orion205|Orion205]] ([[User talk:Orion205|talk]]) 04:16, 3 December 2020 (UTC) <br />
<br />
Gamaliel sounds like an Elvish name...[[Special:Contributions/108.162.216.128|108.162.216.128]] 05:03, 3 December 2020 (UTC)<br />
: No, it's a {{w|Gamaliel_Ratsey|highwayman}}. [[Special:Contributions/162.158.155.24|162.158.155.24]] 10:54, 3 December 2020 (UTC)<br />
<br />
: I would assume his parents were thinking about someone a bit nicer. Perhaps {{w|Gamaliel|Raban Gamaliel}}, a famous Jewish sage, major contributor to the Talmud and Christian saint (in some churches). [[User:Shamino|Shamino]] ([[User talk:Shamino|talk]]) 13:57, 3 December 2020 (UTC)<br />
<br />
For the record, this was his paternal grandmother's maiden name. [[User:RAGBRAIvet|RAGBRAIvet]] ([[User talk:RAGBRAIvet|talk]]) 09:18, 3 December 2020 (UTC)<br />
<br />
My understanding of the title text is that Hayes was previously in 3rd position, but has been demoted to 4th and no longer appears in the top 3, not that he is at the bottom of the list.[[Special:Contributions/141.101.99.243|141.101.99.243]] 09:39, 3 December 2020 (UTC)<br />
:The title text literally says "The bottom of the list". How can you read that as not meaning "the bottom of the list"??? [[Special:Contributions/141.101.69.153|141.101.69.153]] 10:44, 3 December 2020 (UTC)<br />
::Though I don't read it as this, you ''could'' take it as two separate statements:<br />
::"The bottom of the list remains unchanged." <- there has been no shuffling at the 'worst' end.<br />
::"Poor Rutherford Birchard Hayes." <- alas! For he has been shuffled out of the top three!<br />
::Looking at the entire list of middle names with an arbitrary eye for 'Prettiness', I would definitely put "Birchard" in the bottom half, probably bottom handful, possibly indeed the bottom slot. But then I'd do much the same for "Fitzgerald" too. (That's on a 'prettiest' scale that is pleasant/ugly, not a decorative/plain axis, just so you know. And does contain subjectivities like Werty22's interpretation of "Delano".) [[Special:Contributions/162.158.158.155|162.158.158.155]] 14:27, 3 December 2020 (UTC)<br />
:::The list also literally only includes the top three, so my initial interpretation of the title text was that Hayes was previously in the 2nd position but is now off the list... perhaps due to a re-evaluation of the 'prettiness' of "Birchard". This would leave the bottom of the list (i.e. No. 3) unchanged.<br />
<br />
I think someone needs to do a survey; maybe run a bracket or something, to see if public opinion matches Randall's list. [[User:Angel|Angel]] ([[User talk:Angel|talk]]) 11:33, 3 December 2020 (UTC)<br />
:This is a great idea.<br />
<br />
Anyone anything meaningful to add? I think we can remove the incomplete-tag, no? [[User:Elektrizikekswerk|Elektrizikekswerk]] ([[User talk:Elektrizikekswerk|talk]]) 12:21, 3 December 2020 (UTC)<br />
<br />
I just wanted to say that Delano in Spanish sounds like "del ano" which means "from the anus". Not sure that was intended, but it's pretty funny. [[User:Werty22|Werty22]] ([[User talk:Werty22|talk]]) 13:00, 3 December 2020 (UTC)<br />
<br />
Does anyone else think Randall's jumping the gun a bit? I mean, I acknowledge that President-Elect Biden becoming President next month is by far more likely than any other scenario, but it still feels wrong to assume it's going to happen. (Also, I believe "Quincy", "Ulysses", and "Baines" should round out the current top five.) [[User:Mathmannix|Mathmannix]] ([[User talk:Mathmannix|talk]]) 13:55, 3 December 2020 (UTC)<br />
:lol [[Special:Contributions/162.158.255.152|162.158.255.152]] 20:00, 3 December 2020 (UTC)<br />
<br />
I figured it was important to add Harry Truman, since he does in fact have a middle name, even though it is only one letter long. [[User:Easwaran|Easwaran]] ([[User talk:Easwaran|talk]]) 18:23, 3 December 2020 (UTC)<br />
: That probably makes his the coolest, even if it's not the prettiest. [[User:Shamino|Shamino]] ([[User talk:Shamino|talk]]) 18:30, 3 December 2020 (UTC)</div>162.158.255.152https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=Talk:2393:_Presidential_Middle_Names&diff=202666Talk:2393: Presidential Middle Names2020-12-03T20:00:18Z<p>162.158.255.152: </p>
<hr />
<div><!--Please sign your posts with ~~~~ and don't delete this text. New comments should be added at the bottom.--><br />
I wonder where Hussein comes in in the official rankings. [[User:Orion205|Orion205]] ([[User talk:Orion205|talk]]) 04:16, 3 December 2020 (UTC) <br />
<br />
Gamaliel sounds like an Elvish name...[[Special:Contributions/108.162.216.128|108.162.216.128]] 05:03, 3 December 2020 (UTC)<br />
: No, it's a {{w|Gamaliel_Ratsey|highwayman}}. [[Special:Contributions/162.158.155.24|162.158.155.24]] 10:54, 3 December 2020 (UTC)<br />
<br />
: I would assume his parents were thinking about someone a bit nicer. Perhaps {{w|Gamaliel|Raban Gamaliel}}, a famous Jewish sage, major contributor to the Talmud and Christian saint (in some churches). [[User:Shamino|Shamino]] ([[User talk:Shamino|talk]]) 13:57, 3 December 2020 (UTC)<br />
<br />
For the record, this was his paternal grandmother's maiden name. [[User:RAGBRAIvet|RAGBRAIvet]] ([[User talk:RAGBRAIvet|talk]]) 09:18, 3 December 2020 (UTC)<br />
<br />
My understanding of the title text is that Hayes was previously in 3rd position, but has been demoted to 4th and no longer appears in the top 3, not that he is at the bottom of the list.[[Special:Contributions/141.101.99.243|141.101.99.243]] 09:39, 3 December 2020 (UTC)<br />
:The title text literally says "The bottom of the list". How can you read that as not meaning "the bottom of the list"??? [[Special:Contributions/141.101.69.153|141.101.69.153]] 10:44, 3 December 2020 (UTC)<br />
::Though I don't read it as this, you ''could'' take it as two separate statements:<br />
::"The bottom of the list remains unchanged." <- there has been no shuffling at the 'worst' end.<br />
::"Poor Rutherford Birchard Hayes." <- alas! For he has been shuffled out of the top three!<br />
::Looking at the entire list of middle names with an arbitrary eye for 'Prettiness', I would definitely put "Birchard" in the bottom half, probably bottom handful, possibly indeed the bottom slot. But then I'd do much the same for "Fitzgerald" too. (That's on a 'prettiest' scale that is pleasant/ugly, not a decorative/plain axis, just so you know. And does contain subjectivities like Werty22's interpretation of "Delano".) [[Special:Contributions/162.158.158.155|162.158.158.155]] 14:27, 3 December 2020 (UTC)<br />
:::The list also literally only includes the top three, so my initial interpretation of the title text was that Hayes was previously in the 2nd position but is now off the list... perhaps due to a re-evaluation of the 'prettiness' of "Birchard". This would leave the bottom of the list (i.e. No. 3) unchanged.<br />
<br />
I think someone needs to do a survey; maybe run a bracket or something, to see if public opinion matches Randall's list. [[User:Angel|Angel]] ([[User talk:Angel|talk]]) 11:33, 3 December 2020 (UTC)<br />
<br />
Anyone anything meaningful to add? I think we can remove the incomplete-tag, no? [[User:Elektrizikekswerk|Elektrizikekswerk]] ([[User talk:Elektrizikekswerk|talk]]) 12:21, 3 December 2020 (UTC)<br />
<br />
I just wanted to say that Delano in Spanish sounds like "del ano" which means "from the anus". Not sure that was intended, but it's pretty funny. [[User:Werty22|Werty22]] ([[User talk:Werty22|talk]]) 13:00, 3 December 2020 (UTC)<br />
<br />
Does anyone else think Randall's jumping the gun a bit? I mean, I acknowledge that President-Elect Biden becoming President next month is by far more likely than any other scenario, but it still feels wrong to assume it's going to happen. (Also, I believe "Quincy", "Ulysses", and "Baines" should round out the current top five.) [[User:Mathmannix|Mathmannix]] ([[User talk:Mathmannix|talk]]) 13:55, 3 December 2020 (UTC)<br />
:lol [[Special:Contributions/162.158.255.152|162.158.255.152]] 20:00, 3 December 2020 (UTC)<br />
<br />
I figured it was important to add Harry Truman, since he does in fact have a middle name, even though it is only one letter long. [[User:Easwaran|Easwaran]] ([[User talk:Easwaran|talk]]) 18:23, 3 December 2020 (UTC)<br />
: That probably makes his the coolest, even if it's not the prettiest. [[User:Shamino|Shamino]] ([[User talk:Shamino|talk]]) 18:30, 3 December 2020 (UTC)</div>162.158.255.152https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=2393:_Presidential_Middle_Names&diff=2026652393: Presidential Middle Names2020-12-03T19:58:41Z<p>162.158.255.152: </p>
<hr />
<div>{{comic<br />
| number = 2393<br />
| date = December 2, 2020<br />
| title = Presidential Middle Names<br />
| image = presidential_middle_names.png<br />
| titletext = The bottom of the list remains unchanged. Poor Rutherford Birchard Hayes.<br />
}}<br />
<br />
==Explanation==<br />
{{incomplete|Created by RICHARD MILHOUS NIXON, WITHOUT THE E. Please mention here why this explanation isn't complete. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}<br />
A list of what Randall perceives will be the prettiest presidential middle names after the inauguration on January 20, 2021. {{w|Joe Biden|Joe Robinette Biden}} (46th president-elect) will take the second slot bumping previous second-place holder {{w|Franklin D. Roosevelt|Franklin Delano Roosevelt}}, the 32nd president, back to third. {{w|Warren G. Harding|Warren Gamaliel Harding}}, the 29th president, remains in first. Robinette is Biden's [https://nymag.com/intelligencer/2008/08/joe_bidens_middle_name_is_robi.html grandmother's maiden name].<br />
<br />
The title text announces that {{w|Rutherford B. Hayes|Rutherford Birchard Hayes}}, the 19th president, remains at or near the bottom. <br />
<br />
Overall, the ranking would not include every president, as many early presidents, such as {{w|George Washington}} and {{w|John Adams}}, lacked middle names. Some presidents were also more commonly known by their middle names as opposed to their first names; examples include Hiram {{w|Ulysses Grant}}, Stephen {{w|Grover Cleveland}}, and Thomas {{w|Woodrow Wilson}}. It is unclear how Randall’s list would deal with these cases.<br />
<br />
The humour is based around the misuse of an abstract descriptive subjective variable (prettiness) as an ordinal discrete variable scale.<br />
<br />
==List of Presidents with middle names==<br />
{| class="wikitable"<br />
|+ (Ordered by middle name)<br />
| Chester ALAN Arthur<br />
|-<br />
|Lyndon BAINES Johnson<br />
|-<br />
|Rutherford BIRCHARD Hayes<br />
|-<br />
|John CALVIN Coolidge<br />
|-<br />
|Herbert CLARK Hoover<br />
|-<br />
|Dwight DAVID Eisenhower<br />
|-<br />
|Franklin DELANO Roosevelt<br />
|-<br />
|James EARL Carter<br />
|-<br />
|John FITZGERALD Kennedy<br />
|-<br />
|Warren GAMALIEL Harding<br />
|-<br />
|Stephen GROVER Cleveland<br />
|-<br />
|William HENRY Harrison<br />
|-<br />
|George HERBERT WALKER Bush<br />
|-<br />
|William HOWARD Taft<br />
|-<br />
|Barack HUSSEIN Obama<br />
|-<br />
|William JEFFERSON Clinton<br />
|-<br />
|Donald JOHN Trump<br />
|-<br />
|James KNOX Polk<br />
|-<br />
|Richard MILHOUS Nixon<br />
|-<br />
|John QUINCY Adams<br />
|-<br />
|Gerald RUDOLPH Ford<br />
|-<br />
|Harrison S Truman<br />
|-<br />
|Hiram ULYSSES Grant<br />
|-<br />
|George WALKER Bush<br />
|-<br />
|Ronald WILSON Reagan<br />
|-<br />
|Thomas WOODROW Wilson<br />
|}<br />
<br />
==Transcript==<br />
:<big>Prettiest</big><br />
:Presidential Middle Names Official Rankings<br />
:(Updated for 2021)<br />
<br />
# Gamaliel (Warren Harding)<br />
#<span style="color:red">Robinette (Joe Biden) '''(NEW!)'''</span><br />
#Delano (Franklin Roosevelt)<br><br />
<br />
{{comic discussion}}<br />
<br />
[[Category:Comics with color]]<br />
[[Category:Comics featuring politicians]]</div>162.158.255.152https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=2393:_Presidential_Middle_Names&diff=2026642393: Presidential Middle Names2020-12-03T19:54:29Z<p>162.158.255.152: comma</p>
<hr />
<div>{{comic<br />
| number = 2393<br />
| date = December 2, 2020<br />
| title = Presidential Middle Names<br />
| image = presidential_middle_names.png<br />
| titletext = The bottom of the list remains unchanged. Poor Rutherford Birchard Hayes.<br />
}}<br />
<br />
==Explanation==<br />
{{incomplete|Created by RICHARD MILHOUS NIXON, WITHOUT THE E. Please mention here why this explanation isn't complete. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}<br />
A list of what Randall perceives will be the prettiest presidential middle names after the inauguration on January 20, 2021. {{w|Joe Biden|Joe Robinette Biden}} (46th president-elect) will take the second slot bumping previous second-place holder {{w|Franklin D. Roosevelt|Franklin Delano Roosevelt}}, the 32nd president, back to third. {{w|Warren G. Harding|Warren Gamaliel Harding}}, the 29th president, remains in first. Robinette is Biden's [https://nymag.com/intelligencer/2008/08/joe_bidens_middle_name_is_robi.html grandmother's maiden name].<br />
<br />
The title text announces that {{w|Rutherford B. Hayes|Rutherford Birchard Hayes}}, the 19th president, remains at or near the bottom. Overall, the ranking would not include every president, as many early presidents, such as {{w|George Washington}} and {{w|John Adams}}, lacked middle names. Some presidents were also more commonly known by their middle names as opposed to their first names; examples include Hiram {{w|Ulysses Grant}}, Stephen {{w|Grover Cleveland}}, and Thomas {{w|Woodrow Wilson}}. It is unclear how Randall’s list would deal with these cases.<br />
<br />
The humour is based around the misuse of an abstract descriptive subjective variable (prettiness) as an ordinal discrete variable scale.<br />
<br />
==List of Presidents with middle names==<br />
{| class="wikitable"<br />
|+ (Ordered by middle name)<br />
| Chester ALAN Arthur<br />
|-<br />
|Lyndon BAINES Johnson<br />
|-<br />
|Rutherford BIRCHARD Hayes<br />
|-<br />
|John CALVIN Coolidge<br />
|-<br />
|Herbert CLARK Hoover<br />
|-<br />
|Dwight DAVID Eisenhower<br />
|-<br />
|Franklin DELANO Roosevelt<br />
|-<br />
|James EARL Carter<br />
|-<br />
|John FITZGERALD Kennedy<br />
|-<br />
|Warren GAMALIEL Harding<br />
|-<br />
|Stephen GROVER Cleveland<br />
|-<br />
|William HENRY Harrison<br />
|-<br />
|George HERBERT WALKER Bush<br />
|-<br />
|William HOWARD Taft<br />
|-<br />
|Barack HUSSEIN Obama<br />
|-<br />
|William JEFFERSON Clinton<br />
|-<br />
|Donald JOHN Trump<br />
|-<br />
|James KNOX Polk<br />
|-<br />
|Richard MILHOUS Nixon<br />
|-<br />
|John QUINCY Adams<br />
|-<br />
|Gerald RUDOLPH Ford<br />
|-<br />
|Harrison S Truman<br />
|-<br />
|Hiram ULYSSES Grant<br />
|-<br />
|George WALKER Bush<br />
|-<br />
|Ronald WILSON Reagan<br />
|-<br />
|Thomas WOODROW Wilson<br />
|}<br />
<br />
==Transcript==<br />
:<big>Prettiest</big><br />
:Presidential Middle Names Official Rankings<br />
:(Updated for 2021)<br />
<br />
# Gamaliel (Warren Harding)<br />
#<span style="color:red">Robinette (Joe Biden) '''(NEW!)'''</span><br />
#Delano (Franklin Roosevelt)<br><br />
<br />
{{comic discussion}}<br />
<br />
[[Category:Comics with color]]<br />
[[Category:Comics featuring politicians]]</div>162.158.255.152https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=1538:_Lyrics&diff=1147731538: Lyrics2016-03-12T22:30:05Z<p>162.158.255.152: /* Possible lyrics and songs */</p>
<hr />
<div>{{comic<br />
| number = 1538<br />
| date = June 15, 2015<br />
| title = Lyrics<br />
| image = lyrics.png<br />
| titletext = To me, trying to understand song lyrics feels like when I see text in a dream but it𝔰 hอᵣd t₀ ᵣeₐd aกd 𝒾 canٖt fཱྀcu༧༦࿐༄<br />
}}<br />
<br />
==Explanation==<br />
For some modern songs, the vocalist chooses to perform the track in a way that emphasizes emotion, accent or style over clear pronunciation of the lyrics. Some forms of music, for example the Jazz style Scat, use purely nonsensical lyrics while some styles of dance music use a single line of lyrics repeated throughout the track.<br />
<br />
There are also certain types of people that may describe themselves as "lyric deaf", which is sort of the lyrical equivalent to being {{w|Tone deafness|tone deaf}}, although it doesn't have an underlying medical understanding. Some people that describe themselves as tone deaf are even quite musically capable.<br />
<br />
The comic is illustrating (in text form) how listening to such a song feels before you have learned what the actual lyrics are. The lyrics are represented in an indecipherable way, with a few mildly recognizable words. This represents the auditory experience of being able to hear and understand some words (perhaps incorrectly), but not all of them.<br />
<br />
Another example of this experience can be seen in [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mxELSzay2lc this British TV commercial] from the 1980s, showing someone who has misheard {{w|Desmond Dekker}} song {{w|Israelites (song) |Israelites}} so for instance the line ''Poor me Israelites'' becomes ''Oh-oh my ears are alight''. See more details in the [[#Trivia|trivia]] section.<br />
<br />
This experience is similar to that shown by the character {{w|Havelock Vetinari}} the Patrician of {{w|Ankh-Morpork}}, in {{w|Terry Pratchett}}'s {{w|Discworld}} book {{w|Soul Music (novel)|Soul Music}} (see [http://www.ealasaid.com/fan/vetinari/vl-soulmusic.html part of book here]). Rather than listening to music, he preferred to read the printed sheet music:<br />
:''In fact the kind of music he really liked was the kind that never got played. It ruined music, in his opinion, to torment it by involving it on dried skins, bits of dead cat and lumps of metal hammered into wires and tubes. It ought to stay written down, on the page, in rows of little dots and crotchets, all neatly caught between lines. Only there was it pure. It was when people started doing things with it that the rot set in. Much better to sit quietly in a room and read the sheets, with nothing between yourself and the mind of the composer but a scribble of ink. Having it played by sweaty fat men and people with hair in their ears and spit dribbling out of the end of their oboe... well, the idea made him shudder.''<br />
<br />
For a related experience see {{w|Mondegreen}}.<br />
<br />
The title text elaborates on the fact that [[Randall]] has the same experience when trying to understand song lyrics as when he sees text in his dreams. The last part of the title text is written in strange scripts to illustrate how he feels when seeing text in his dreams. Translated it says: ''it's hard to read and I can't focus.''<br />
<br />
Note that it looks like the song lyrics were written by drawing in a tool, like MS Paint, and then cutting out pieces and shifting them slightly.<br />
<br />
==Possible lyrics and songs==<br />
The closest guess on the lyrics is this:<br />
:''I can't even tell her''<br />
:''Anything she wanna''<br />
:''Had outstanding skill''<br />
::''Beautiful''<br />
:''Forgetting love.''<br />
(Note that the first line also might be ''I can't even '''help''' her''.)<br />
<br />
It is very likely that [[Randall]] completely made up these lyrics himself and if any song coincidentally share some part of them it only happens because Randall has chosen some very cliché lyrics, that would thus be likely to occur in some pop songs.<br />
<br />
Nevertheless, here below are some possible song references, in which the exact line from above occurs:<br />
*If the first line is ''I can't even '''tell''' her'', it could come from<br />
:{{w|Joe Budden}}'s song ''[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UJPZtoH_wok More of Me]''<br />
:From the [http://genius.com/Joe-budden-more-of-me-lyrics lyrics]:<br />
:''World keeps spinning, learned sinners keep sinning''<br />
:''And '''I can't even tell her''' some fights ain't fight worthy''<br />
:''Cause my pops got 20 years clean, but her pops got 20 years dirty''<br />
*If the first line is ''I can't even '''help''' her'', it could come from:<br />
:{{w|Bill Anderson (singer)|Bill Anderson's}} song ''[https://myspace.com/whisperinbill/music/song/baby-s-blue-again-104023287-116024575 Baby's Blue Again]''<br />
:From the [http://www.metrolyrics.com/babys-blue-again-lyrics-bill-anderson.html lyrics]:<br />
:''Oh Lord, and '''I can't even help her'''''<br />
:''All I can do is just wait''<br />
:''Until the clouds are all blown away''<br />
*The second line ''Anything she wanna'' could be from:<br />
:[https://twitter.com/1johnnycinco Johnny Cinco's] song ''[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ri4LjCESbOA She Wanna]''<br />
:From the [http://www.lyricfever.com/lyrics/1069636/Johnny-Cinco/She-Wanna lyrics]:<br />
:''Buy here '''anything she wanna'''''<br />
:''Fly in '''anything she wanna'''''<br />
:''Try on '''anything she wanna'''''<br />
*The third line ''Had to be outstanding or kill'' (which is basically just a simple guess at what could be said in the line) does not make much sense and there are no songs that include such a line.<br />
*The fourth line ''Forgetting love'' could come from:<br />
:[https://www.facebook.com/chino.brown.7 Chino Brown's] song ''[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1SOW2o-g8yg Love Again]''<br />
:From the [http://genius.com/Chino-brown-love-again-lyrics lyrics]:<br />
:''I was at a point in my life''<br />
:''Of just '''forgetting love'''''<br />
:''Until the day you touched me''<br />
<br />
==Transcript==<br />
:[Cueball sits in a chair holding something. A speaker on a counter behind him is transmitting music. Four lines of wavy undecipherable lyrics emanate from the speaker. The lyrics are surrounded by musical notes. Below is the best attempt to write this down in text, also using capitals when they are clearly there in the comic.]<br />
:I CANT₣∇EN +ELҼ ⊤HER<br />
:A|N⊃Г⊕N6 ƒHE W(AN NAp.<br />
:HADβE Aūτ|ƒA!NNNG∩fҠILL...<br />
:FOR&#9825;ITiNn⊣GLOOOO!VEEE ?.-<br />
<br />
:[Caption below the frame:]<br />
:Sometimes I wonder what it would be like to be able to understand song lyrics without looking them up.<br />
<br />
==Trivia==<br />
*The [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mxELSzay2lc commercial] mentioned in the explanation above spoofs Desmond Decker's song ''Israelites''.<br />
*The two verses used in the commercial are the 2nd and 3rd of the song as can be seen in the [http://www.metrolyrics.com/israelites-lyrics-desmond-dekker.html lyrics].<br />
*Below can be read the two verses, with the first line (and then every second line) being what is sung (from the lyrics) and the following lines what the guy in the street shows on his cards (as he heard it):<br />
*Verse 2:<br />
:*Get up in the morning<br />
::Get up in the morning <br />
:*slaving for bread, sir<br />
::sleeping for for bread, sir<br />
:*So that every mouth <br />
::Sold out to every monk<br />
:*can be fed<br />
::and beef-head<br />
:*Poor <br />
::oh-oh<br />
:*me Israelites<br />
::me ears are alight<br />
*Verse 3:<br />
:*My wife an' my kids <br />
::Why find my kids?<br />
:*them a pack up an' a leave me<br />
::They buck up and a-leave me<br />
:*Darlin' she said, <br />
::Darling Cheese head<br />
:*I was yours to be seen<br />
::I was yards to greasy<br />
:*Poor <br />
::oh-oh<br />
:*me Israelites<br />
::me ears are alight<br />
*After these two verses, there are more text from the guy while no new lines are sung:<br />
::I think that's what he says<br />
::But I need to hear it on a {{w|Hitachi Maxell|Maxell}}<br />
::(There is a picture of a {{w|Compact Cassette|cassette tape}} below that last line of text.)<br />
<br />
===Non-ASCII characters===<br />
{| class="wikitable"<br />
|-<br />
! Matching text<br />
! Character<br />
! Description<br />
! Preview<br />
|-<br />
| THAI CHARACTER O ANG<br />
| U+0E2D<br />
| THAI CHARACTER O ANG<br />
| อ<br />
|-<br />
| ARABIC SUBSCRIPT ALEF<br />
| U+0656<br />
| ARABIC SUBSCRIPT ALEF<br />
| ٖ<br />
|-<br />
| TIBETAN VOWEL SIGN AA<br />
| U+0F71<br />
| TIBETAN VOWEL SIGN AA<br />
| ཱ<br />
|-<br />
| TIBETAN VOWEL SIGN REVERSED II<br />
| U+0F81<br />
| TIBETAN VOWEL SIGN REVERSED II<br />
| ཱྀ<br />
|-<br />
| TIBETAN MARK BSKA- SHOG GI MGO RGYAN<br />
| U+0FD0<br />
| TIBETAN MARK BSKA- SHOG GI MGO RGYAN<br />
| ࿐<br />
|-<br />
| TIBETAN MARK INITIAL YIG MGO MDUN MA<br />
| U+0F04<br />
| TIBETAN MARK INITIAL YIG MGO MDUN MA<br />
| ༄<br />
|}<br />
{{comic discussion}}<br />
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]<br />
[[Category:Songs]]<br />
[[Category:Dreams]]</div>162.158.255.152https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=1538:_Lyrics&diff=1147711538: Lyrics2016-03-12T22:28:52Z<p>162.158.255.152: /* Trivia */</p>
<hr />
<div>{{comic<br />
| number = 1538<br />
| date = June 15, 2015<br />
| title = Lyrics<br />
| image = lyrics.png<br />
| titletext = To me, trying to understand song lyrics feels like when I see text in a dream but it𝔰 hอᵣd t₀ ᵣeₐd aกd 𝒾 canٖt fཱྀcu༧༦࿐༄<br />
}}<br />
<br />
==Explanation==<br />
For some modern songs, the vocalist chooses to perform the track in a way that emphasizes emotion, accent or style over clear pronunciation of the lyrics. Some forms of music, for example the Jazz style Scat, use purely nonsensical lyrics while some styles of dance music use a single line of lyrics repeated throughout the track.<br />
<br />
There are also certain types of people that may describe themselves as "lyric deaf", which is sort of the lyrical equivalent to being {{w|Tone deafness|tone deaf}}, although it doesn't have an underlying medical understanding. Some people that describe themselves as tone deaf are even quite musically capable.<br />
<br />
The comic is illustrating (in text form) how listening to such a song feels before you have learned what the actual lyrics are. The lyrics are represented in an indecipherable way, with a few mildly recognizable words. This represents the auditory experience of being able to hear and understand some words (perhaps incorrectly), but not all of them.<br />
<br />
Another example of this experience can be seen in [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mxELSzay2lc this British TV commercial] from the 1980s, showing someone who has misheard {{w|Desmond Dekker}} song {{w|Israelites (song) |Israelites}} so for instance the line ''Poor me Israelites'' becomes ''Oh-oh my ears are alight''. See more details in the [[#Trivia|trivia]] section.<br />
<br />
This experience is similar to that shown by the character {{w|Havelock Vetinari}} the Patrician of {{w|Ankh-Morpork}}, in {{w|Terry Pratchett}}'s {{w|Discworld}} book {{w|Soul Music (novel)|Soul Music}} (see [http://www.ealasaid.com/fan/vetinari/vl-soulmusic.html part of book here]). Rather than listening to music, he preferred to read the printed sheet music:<br />
:''In fact the kind of music he really liked was the kind that never got played. It ruined music, in his opinion, to torment it by involving it on dried skins, bits of dead cat and lumps of metal hammered into wires and tubes. It ought to stay written down, on the page, in rows of little dots and crotchets, all neatly caught between lines. Only there was it pure. It was when people started doing things with it that the rot set in. Much better to sit quietly in a room and read the sheets, with nothing between yourself and the mind of the composer but a scribble of ink. Having it played by sweaty fat men and people with hair in their ears and spit dribbling out of the end of their oboe... well, the idea made him shudder.''<br />
<br />
For a related experience see {{w|Mondegreen}}.<br />
<br />
The title text elaborates on the fact that [[Randall]] has the same experience when trying to understand song lyrics as when he sees text in his dreams. The last part of the title text is written in strange scripts to illustrate how he feels when seeing text in his dreams. Translated it says: ''it's hard to read and I can't focus.''<br />
<br />
Note that it looks like the song lyrics were written by drawing in a tool, like MS Paint, and then cutting out pieces and shifting them slightly.<br />
<br />
==Possible lyrics and songs==<br />
The closest guess on the lyrics is this:<br />
:''I can't even tell her''<br />
:''Anything she wanna''<br />
:''Had outstanding skill''<br />
::''Beautiful''<br />
:''Forgetting love.''<br />
(Note that the first line also might be ''I can't even '''help''' her''.)<br />
<br />
It is very likely that [[Randall]] completely made up these lyrics himself and if any song coincidentally share some part of them it only happens because Randall has chosen some very cliché lyrics, that would thus be likely to occur in some pop songs.<br />
<br />
Nevertheless, here below are some possible song references, in which the exact line from above occurs:<br />
*If the first line is ''I can't even '''tell''' her'', it could come from<br />
:{{w|Joe Budden}}'s song ''[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UJPZtoH_wok More of Me]''<br />
:From the [http://genius.com/Joe-budden-more-of-me-lyrics lyrics]:<br />
:''World keeps spinning, learned sinners keep sinning''<br />
:''And '''I can't even tell her''' some fights ain't fight worthy''<br />
:''Cause my pops got 20 years clean, but her pops got 20 years dirty''<br />
*If the first line is ''I can't even '''help''' her'', it could come from:<br />
:{{w|Bill Anderson (singer)|Bill Anderson's}} song ''[https://myspace.com/whisperinbill/music/song/baby-s-blue-again-104023287-116024575 Baby's Blue Again]''<br />
:From the [http://www.metrolyrics.com/babys-blue-again-lyrics-bill-anderson.html lyrics]:<br />
:''Oh Lord, and '''I can't even help her'''''<br />
:''All I can do is just wait''<br />
:''Until the clouds are all blown away''<br />
*The second line ''Anything she wanna'' could be from:<br />
:[https://twitter.com/1johnnycinco Johnny Cinco's] song ''[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ri4LjCESbOA She Wanna]''<br />
:From the [http://www.lyricfever.com/lyrics/1069636/Johnny-Cinco/She-Wanna lyrics]:<br />
:''Buy here '''anything she wanna'''''<br />
:''Fly in '''anything she wanna'''''<br />
:''Try on '''anything she wanna'''''<br />
*The third line ''Had to be outstanding or kill'' (which is basically just a simple guess at what could be said in the line) does not make much sense and there is no songs that include such a line.<br />
*The fourth line ''Forgetting love'' could come from:<br />
:[https://www.facebook.com/chino.brown.7 Chino Brown's] song ''[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1SOW2o-g8yg Love Again]''<br />
:From the [http://genius.com/Chino-brown-love-again-lyrics lyrics]:<br />
:''I was at a point in my life''<br />
:''Of just '''forgetting love'''''<br />
:''Until the day you touched me''<br />
<br />
==Transcript==<br />
:[Cueball sits in a chair holding something. A speaker on a counter behind him is transmitting music. Four lines of wavy undecipherable lyrics emanate from the speaker. The lyrics are surrounded by musical notes. Below is the best attempt to write this down in text, also using capitals when they are clearly there in the comic.]<br />
:I CANT₣∇EN +ELҼ ⊤HER<br />
:A|N⊃Г⊕N6 ƒHE W(AN NAp.<br />
:HADβE Aūτ|ƒA!NNNG∩fҠILL...<br />
:FOR&#9825;ITiNn⊣GLOOOO!VEEE ?.-<br />
<br />
:[Caption below the frame:]<br />
:Sometimes I wonder what it would be like to be able to understand song lyrics without looking them up.<br />
<br />
==Trivia==<br />
*The [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mxELSzay2lc commercial] mentioned in the explanation above spoofs Desmond Decker's song ''Israelites''.<br />
*The two verses used in the commercial are the 2nd and 3rd of the song as can be seen in the [http://www.metrolyrics.com/israelites-lyrics-desmond-dekker.html lyrics].<br />
*Below can be read the two verses, with the first line (and then every second line) being what is sung (from the lyrics) and the following lines what the guy in the street shows on his cards (as he heard it):<br />
*Verse 2:<br />
:*Get up in the morning<br />
::Get up in the morning <br />
:*slaving for bread, sir<br />
::sleeping for for bread, sir<br />
:*So that every mouth <br />
::Sold out to every monk<br />
:*can be fed<br />
::and beef-head<br />
:*Poor <br />
::oh-oh<br />
:*me Israelites<br />
::me ears are alight<br />
*Verse 3:<br />
:*My wife an' my kids <br />
::Why find my kids?<br />
:*them a pack up an' a leave me<br />
::They buck up and a-leave me<br />
:*Darlin' she said, <br />
::Darling Cheese head<br />
:*I was yours to be seen<br />
::I was yards to greasy<br />
:*Poor <br />
::oh-oh<br />
:*me Israelites<br />
::me ears are alight<br />
*After these two verses, there are more text from the guy while no new lines are sung:<br />
::I think that's what he says<br />
::But I need to hear it on a {{w|Hitachi Maxell|Maxell}}<br />
::(There is a picture of a {{w|Compact Cassette|cassette tape}} below that last line of text.)<br />
<br />
===Non-ASCII characters===<br />
{| class="wikitable"<br />
|-<br />
! Matching text<br />
! Character<br />
! Description<br />
! Preview<br />
|-<br />
| THAI CHARACTER O ANG<br />
| U+0E2D<br />
| THAI CHARACTER O ANG<br />
| อ<br />
|-<br />
| ARABIC SUBSCRIPT ALEF<br />
| U+0656<br />
| ARABIC SUBSCRIPT ALEF<br />
| ٖ<br />
|-<br />
| TIBETAN VOWEL SIGN AA<br />
| U+0F71<br />
| TIBETAN VOWEL SIGN AA<br />
| ཱ<br />
|-<br />
| TIBETAN VOWEL SIGN REVERSED II<br />
| U+0F81<br />
| TIBETAN VOWEL SIGN REVERSED II<br />
| ཱྀ<br />
|-<br />
| TIBETAN MARK BSKA- SHOG GI MGO RGYAN<br />
| U+0FD0<br />
| TIBETAN MARK BSKA- SHOG GI MGO RGYAN<br />
| ࿐<br />
|-<br />
| TIBETAN MARK INITIAL YIG MGO MDUN MA<br />
| U+0F04<br />
| TIBETAN MARK INITIAL YIG MGO MDUN MA<br />
| ༄<br />
|}<br />
{{comic discussion}}<br />
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]<br />
[[Category:Songs]]<br />
[[Category:Dreams]]</div>162.158.255.152https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=1648:_Famous_Duos&diff=1135311648: Famous Duos2016-02-28T23:38:57Z<p>162.158.255.152: /* List of real duos */ Clarify the two pairings that aren't duos.</p>
<hr />
<div>{{comic<br />
| number = 1648<br />
| date = February 26, 2016<br />
| title = Famous Duos<br />
| image = famous_duos.png<br />
| titletext = The Romeo and Butt-Head film actually got two thumbs up from Siskel and Oates.<br />
}}<br />
<br />
==Explanation==<br />
{{incomplete|More on the reasons for why different alternative parings are made and what would the combos mean to people compared to the originals? Use the explanation column in the [[#List of alternative duos|list of alternative duos table]] for these updates.}}<br />
<br />
In popular culture (the term is loosely used in this case) there are many '''famous duos''', such as {{w|Calvin & Hobbes}} (six-year-old boy and his toy tiger, from the cartoon strip with the same name) or {{w|David & Goliath}} (famous past King of Israel and giant, {{w|Biblical}} characters from the {{w|Book of Samuel}} in the {{w|Old Testament}}). (See the [[#Trivia|trivia section]] regarding an on-line list of duos).<br />
<br />
In this table, [[Randall]] describes a fictional {{w|Many-worlds interpretation|parallel universe}} where the same names are used in different combinations -- instead of Calvin, it is now Thelma (from the movie ''{{w|Thelma & Louise}}'') who is paired up with Hobbes, and Calvin is instead paired of with the King, from ''{{w|Anna and the King}}''. In all cases the one mentioned first on the list is also mentioned first in our universe, so it is always of the form Calvin and the King, never Calvin and Anna. There are 24 duos, and all 48 partners are mentioned (they go through four [[#Cycles|cycles]]). (In the title text of [[1644: Stargazing]] from the week before this comic, there is an indirect reference to parallel universes/{{w|multiverse}}).<br />
<br />
The humor of this comic comes from the ridiculousness of the pairings, and the reader's imagination of the stories that are created with the pairs. See the whole [[#List of real duos|list of real duos]] as well as the [[#List of alternative duos|list of alternative duos]] below, with more detailed explanations. <br />
<br />
In the title text, alternative movie ''Romeo and Butt-Head'' is mentioned, the fifth entry on the list. This is a combination of the famous {{w|Shakespeare}} play "{{w|Romeo and Juliet}}", which has been filmed many times; most recently in ''{{w|Romeo + Juliet}}'' from 1996 with {{w|Leonardo DiCaprio}} and {{w|Claire Danes}} in the leading roles. {{w|Butt-Head}} is the less stupid one (of the very stupid duo) from the animated TV series ''{{w|Beavis and Butt-Head}}'' (and a {{w|Beavis and Butt-Head Do America|film}}). As Romeo and Juliet is one of the best known love stories and Butt-Head is one of the most disgusting teens ever depicted on the big screen (only overtaken by {{w|Beavis}}), the combination could create disturbing pictures in people's heads (especially in the heads of anyone who may identify themselves with Juliet). <br />
<br />
In the alternative universe, when this movie was released, it got the best possible review of two thumbs up from the critics ''Siskel and Oates''. {{w|Gene Siskel}} was paired with {{w|Roger Ebert}}, when they reviewed movies as the famous duo {{w|Siskel and Ebert}}. They were widely known for the "thumbs up/thumbs down" review summaries, with their best combined review being ''Two Thumbs Up'', one from each of them. <br />
<br />
In the alternative universe Siskel and his partner gives the film a (surprising) two thumbs up, but Ebert has been replaced with Oates. This is a reference to John Oates of {{w|Hall & Oates}}, a famous American musical duo from Philadelphia. <br />
<br />
There also exists a comedy duo named {{w|Garfunkel and Oates}}, formed by Riki Lindhome and Kate Micucci, who chose the "Garfunkel and Oates" name by combining the second names from both ''Hall & Oates'' and ''{{w|Simon and Garfunkel}}'' (the latter duo is mentioned in the main comic). Although this exact combo would not be possible in the xkcd version, as the "real universe" combo takes the second names from two duos rather than the first name from one and the second name from another (as in this comic), there may definitely be a deliberate reference to this group as well which has taken the parallel universe idea into our universe.<br />
<br />
===List of real duos===<br />
*See the list of [[#List of alternative duos|alternative duos]] below.<br />
*In this list the ''partner index'' indicates whom the second from the duo is linked with in the comic<br />
**So in the case with Thelma (index 1) and Louise (partner index 3), this means that Louise is paired up with Batman (index 3).<br />
**Thelma is paired up with the Hobbes who has partner index 1.<br />
{| class="wikitable sortable"<br />
|-<br />
|+ Famous duos in this universe<br />
|-<br />
! scope="col" | Name<br />
! scope="col" class="unsortable" | pairing<br />
! scope="col" | Partner<br />
! scope="col" class="unsortable" | Explanation<br />
! scope="col" | Name index<br />
! scope="col" | Partner index<br />
|-<br />
| Thelma<br />
| and<br />
| Louise <br />
| {{w|Thelma & Louise}} is a famous road trip film from 1991.<br />
| 1<br />
| 3<br />
|-<br />
| When Harry<br />
| Met <br />
| Sally <br />
| {{w|When Harry Met Sally...}} is a romantic comedy film from 1989.<br />
| 2<br />
| 16<br />
|-<br />
| Batman <br />
| and <br />
| Robin<br />
| {{w|Batman}} and {{w|Robin (comic)|Robin}} are comic book characters (first appearance for Batman was in 1939 Robin the year after). There have been several {{w|Batman_in_film#Films|films}} including one called {{w|Batman & Robin (film)|Batman & Robin}} from 1997. A new Batman film {{w|Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice}} has its release date three weeks after the release of this comic (2016-02-26).<br />
| 3<br />
| 4<br />
|-<br />
| {{w|Mark Antony|Antony}}<br />
| and<br />
| {{w|Cleopatra}}<br />
| {{w|Mark_Antony#Antony_and_Cleopatra|Antony and Cleopatra}} are historical figures who had an affair and three children together after the death of {{w|Julius Caesar}} up to Anthony's death 30 BC. Their combined names are best known from the play {{w|Antony and Cleopatra}} by {{w|Shakespeare}}.<br />
| 4<br />
| 12<br />
|-<br />
| Romeo <br />
| and <br />
| Juliet<br />
| {{w|Romeo and Juliet}} are characters from Shakespeare's famous romantic tragedy, from 1597, made into several {{w|Romeo_and_Juliet_on_screen#Significant_feature_releases|major films}}.<br />
| 5<br />
| 24<br />
|-<br />
| {{w|Bonnie_and_Clyde#Bonnie_Parker|Bonnie}}<br />
| and <br />
| {{w|Bonnie_and_Clyde#Clyde_Barrow|Clyde}}<br />
| {{w|Bonnie and Clyde}} were American criminals who traveled the central United States with their gang during the Great Depression until their death on May 23rd 1934. They are well known from the film {{w|Bonnie and Clyde (film)|Bonnie and Clyde}}.<br />
| 6<br />
| 7<br />
|-<br />
| {{w|Pinky_and_the_Brain#Pinky|Pinky}}<br />
| and<br />
| {{w|Pinky_and_the_Brain#Characters|the Brain}}<br />
| Two mice from {{w|Pinky and the Brain}}, an American animated TV series from the nineties.<br />
| 7<br />
| 20<br />
|-<br />
| {{w|Paul Simon|Simon}}<br />
| and<br />
| {{w|Art Garfunkel|Garfunkel}}<br />
| {{w|Simon & Garfunkel}} is a very famous musical duo from the sixties. (See also explanation for the title text).<br />
| 8<br />
| 22<br />
|-<br />
| Beauty <br />
| and<br />
| the Beast <br />
| {{w|Beauty and the Beast}} are fairy tale characters from a French book from 1740, today best known from the {{w|Beauty and the Beast (1991 film)|Disney film}} from 1991.<br />
| 9<br />
| 10<br />
|-<br />
| {{w|Beavis}}<br />
| and<br />
| {{w|Butt-head}}<br />
| {{w|Beavis and Butt-Head}} is an animated TV series from the nineties shown on {{w|MTV}}.<br />
| 10<br />
| 5<br />
|-<br />
| {{w|Rocky the Flying Squirrel|Rocky}}<br />
| and<br />
| {{w|Bullwinkle J. Moose|Bullwinkle}}<br />
| A flying squirrel and a moose known from the {{w|The Rocky and Bullwinkle Show}}, an American animated TV series from the sixties.<br />
| 11<br />
| 2<br />
|-<br />
| {{w|Bud Abbott|Abbott}}<br />
| and<br />
| {{w|Lou Costello|Costello}}<br />
| {{w|Abbott and Costello}} is a famous American comedy duo whose work in vaudeville and on stage, radio, film and television made them the most popular comedy team during the forties. <br />
| 12<br />
| 17<br />
|-<br />
| Dr. Jekyll <br />
| and <br />
| Mr. Hyde<br />
| Not really a duo, {{w|Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (character)|Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde}} are the two sides of a well known character from the book {{w|Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde}} written by the Scottish author {{w|Robert Louis Stevenson}} in 1886. It has been adapted into several {{w|Adaptations_of_Strange_Case_of_Dr._Jekyll_and_Mr._Hyde#Film|films}}.<br />
| 13<br />
| 15<br />
|-<br />
| {{w|Samson}}<br />
| and<br />
| {{w|Delilah}}<br />
| Samson and Delilah are Biblical characters from the {{w|Book of Judges}} (chapters 13-16). Samson was given supernatural strength by God in order to combat his enemies Samson had two vulnerabilities, however: his attraction to untrustworthy women and his hair, without which he was powerless. These vulnerabilities ultimately proved fatal for him when Delilah had him reveal the secret of his hair, which she subsequently cut of and handed him over to to be captured by the Philistines who gouges out his eyes and brought him to imprisonment in Gaza. He died when he got his hair back, Delilah had not explained why he was no longer strong so it had been allowed to grow out again, and then he used his power to tear down a temple he was led into, taking many enemies standing on the roof with him in death.<br />
| 14<br />
| 11<br />
|-<br />
| {{w|Butch Cassidy}}<br />
| and<br />
| the {{w|Sundance Kid}}<br />
| They are historical criminals who died in 1908. They were notorious American train and bank robbers with the {{w|Butch Cassidy's Wild Bunch}} gang in 1899-1901. They were made famous by the film {{w|Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid}} from 1969.<br />
| 15<br />
| 23<br />
|-<br />
| Bill<br />
| and<br />
| Ted’s Excellent Adventure<br>and Bogus Journey<br />
| {{w|Bill & Ted (franchise)|Bill & Ted}} are characters from the two films {{w|Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure}} (1989) and {{w|Bill & Ted's Bogus Journey}} (1991). The two titles are spread out on the two new pairings for Bill and Ted, in recognition that this duo is mainly known for these two films, although there also is a {{w|Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventures (1990 TV series)|spin-off animated series}} from 1990-1991.<br />
| 16<br />
| 6<br />
|-<br />
| {{w|David}}<br />
| and<br />
| {{w|Goliath}}<br />
| Not really a duo, David and Goliath where biblical adversaries best known from small David's defeat of giant Goliath in the story {{w|David#David_and_Goliath|David and Goliath}}. David later became the second king of Israel (according to the {{w|Books of Samuel}}, and according to the {{w|New Testament}}, an ancestor of {{w|Jesus}}.<br />
| 17<br />
| 8<br />
|-<br />
| {{w|Sherlock Holmes}}<br />
| and<br />
| {{w|Dr. Watson}}<br />
| Characters from {{w|Arthur Conan Doyle}} famous books (from 1887-1927) which have been made into numerous {{w|Adaptations_of_Sherlock_Holmes#Film|films}}, recently (2009 and 2011) a new {{w|Sherlock Holmes (2009 film)|series of movies}} has been released with {{w|Robert Downey Jr.}} and {{w|Jude Law}} as the two characters, and there have also been several TV series, most famously the {{w|Sherlock Holmes (1984 TV series)|1984 TV series}}.<br />
| 18<br />
| 19<br />
|-<br />
| Jay <br />
| and<br />
| Silent Bob<br />
| {{w|Jay and Silent Bob}} is a strange duo from {{w|View Askew Productions|View Askew's}} film universe first seen in the film {{w|Clerks}} from 1994 but they now even have a film names after the duo with {{w|Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back}} from 2001. The director of these movies, {{w|Kevin Smith}} plays Silent Bob, who of course rarely speaks, but when he finally does it often becomes a long defining monologue. Jay (played by {{w|Jason Mewes}}) talks all the time!<br />
| 19<br />
| 18<br />
|-<br />
| {{w|Anna Leonowens|Anna}}<br />
| and<br />
| the {{w|Mongkut|King}}<br />
| Recently made famous by the film {{w|Anna and the King}} from 1999, based on the book {{w|Anna and the King of Siam (novel)|Anna and the King of Siam}} from 1944 by {{w|Margaret Landon}} who again is based on two memoirs written by Anna Leonowens in 1870 and 1872 based on her experience as Royal governess for King Mongkut's children and also as language secretary for the king from 1862-1867.<br />
| 20<br />
| 21<br />
|-<br />
| {{w|Calvin (Calvin and Hobbes)|Calvin}}<br />
| and<br />
| {{w|Hobbes (Calvin and Hobbes)|Hobbes}}<br />
| {{w|Calvin and Hobbes}} is a famous comic series by {{w|Bill Watterson}} that ran from 1985-1995. Calvin being a six year old boy and Hobbes is Calvin's stuffed tiger and best friend, who becomes animated in his private fantasy world. They have been [[:Category:Calvin_and_Hobbes|featured regularly]] in xkcd most prominently in the "duo" comic: [[409: Electric Skateboard (Double Comic)]].<br />
| 21<br />
| 1<br />
|-<br />
| Timon <br />
| and<br />
| Pumbaa<br />
| {{w|Timon and Pumbaa}} are characters from {{w|The Lion King}} film (1994) and they now also have their own {{w|The Lion King 1½|film from 2004}} and a {{w|Timon & Pumbaa (TV series)|TV series}} that ran from 1995-1999. There have been [[:Category:The Lion King|many references]] to ''The Lion King'' in xkcd, for instance the comment in the final panel of [[1504: Opportunity]], is from the original movie.<br />
| 22<br />
| 14<br />
|-<br />
| {{w|Mary Kate Olsen|Mary Kate}}<br />
| and<br />
| {{w|Ashley Olsen}}<br />
| Known as the {{w|Mary-Kate_and_Ashley_Olsen|Olsen twins}} these {{w|Twin#Dizygotic_.28fraternal.29_twins|fraternal twin}} actresses from 1986 has been on TV since they were infants (on {{w|Full House}} from 1987) and began starring together in TV, film, and video projects, which enabled them to join the ranks of the wealthiest women in the entertainment industry at a young age. They have previously been the pun of the joke in [[362: Blade Runner]].<br />
| 23<br />
| 13<br />
|-<br />
| {{w|Mario}}<br />
| and<br />
| {{w|Luigi}}<br />
| {{w|Mario Bros.}} is a very famous video game from 1983 where Mario and his brother Luigi are the main characters. They have been referenced in several xkcd comics for instance [[151: Mario]] or the entire [[:Category:Mario Kart|category that references]] the {{w|Mario Kart}} video game series.<br />
| 24<br />
| 9<br />
|}<br />
<br />
===List of alternative duos===<br />
*See the list of [[#List of real duos|real duos]] above.<br />
{| class="wikitable"<br />
|-<br />
|+ Famous Duos in a nearby parallel universe<br />
|-<br />
! scope="col" | Duo name<br />
! scope="col" | Explanation<br />
|-<br />
| Thelma and Hobbes<br />
| In this essay [http://www.exampleessays.com/viewpaper/207623.html Political Philosophies in Thelma and Louise] the sentence ''Thelma and Hobbes's Total Sovereign Authority'' can be found. In this case it is a reference to {{w|Thomas Hobbes}} as the essay is an analysis of Thelma and Louise's actions and the decision they make in comparison to the political philosophies of Thomas Hobbes and {{w|Jean Jacques Rousseau}}. Hobbes was an English philosopher, best known today for his work on political philosophy. He also developed some of the fundamentals of European liberal thought, which could be said to be relevant for the movie.<br />
|-<br />
| When Harry met Bullwinkle<br />
| {{w|Billy Crystal}} who play Harry in When Harry Met Sally... also has an uncredited cameo part as a mattress salesman in the movie {{w|The Adventures of Rocky and Bullwinkle}} (see the list of uncredited actors on [http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0131704/combined IMDb]). In this real action movie, Rocky and Bullwinkle ends up in the real world, where it thus becomes likely that Billy who played Harry ends up meeting Bullwinkle "in real life".<br />
|-<br />
| Batman and Louise<br />
| This duos name comes rather close to the real duo {{w|Clark Kent}} and {{w|Lois Lane}} especially since the film {{w|Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice}} was set for release three weeks after the release of this comic in February 2016.<br />
|-<br />
| Antony and Robin<br />
| There is a book called ''[http://www.amazon.com/Shakespeares-Antony-Cleopatra-English-Literature/dp/0713155884 Shakespeare's "Antony and Cleopatra"] written by a Robin Lee.<br />
|-<br />
| Romeo and Butthead<br />
| It would be quite a different story if either Butt-head should replace Juliet or if Romeo should replace Beavis... (Note Butt-Head is spelled with a hyphen, but has been misspelled in the comic.)<br />
|-<br />
| Bonnie and Ted's excellent adventure<br />
| There was not much excellent about the adventure for Bonnie as {{w|Ted Hinton}} was a Dallas County, Texas, deputy sheriff, the youngest of the posse that ambushed and killed Bonnie and Clyde in 1934. That they could have had an excellent adventure in an alternative universe becomes clear from this segment from his history on Wikipedia: "Ted Hinton was also once acquainted with young Bonnie Parker while she was working in Marco's Cafe in Dallas. Because of her good looks, many of the male customers would flirt with her. Hinton was always gentlemanly and treated Bonnie with respect. Hinton admitted in a later biography that he had a crush on Bonnie, which made it difficult for him as one of the men on the team sent to kill her and her lover, Clyde."<br />
|-<br />
| Pinky and Clyde<br />
| As can be seen in the table above this refers to Pinky the mouse from PÆinky and the Brain and Clyde from Bonnie and Clyde. But {{w|Ghosts_(Pac-Man)#Pinky|Pinky}} and {{w|Ghosts_(Pac-Man)#Clyde|Clyde}} are also the names of the pink and orange {{w|Pacman}} ghosts in this universe. They are, however, not a duo as there are {{w|Ghosts (Pac-Man)|four ghosts}} ({{w|Ghosts_(Pac-Man)#Blinky|Blinky}} and {{w|Ghosts_(Pac-Man)#Inky|Inky}} being the two others). <br />
|-<br />
| Simon and Goliath<br />
| Goliath begins with G as Garfunkel. Simon was the shorter of the duo thus fitting as David vs. Goliath.<br />
|-<br />
| Beauty and Luigi<br />
| No direct relation to either Mario or the Beast. But Luigi and Maria has to defeat creatures in the sewers of New York in the original game. So they are beast hunters not beasts.<br />
|-<br />
| Beavis and the Beast<br />
| Beavis starts with the same three letters as Beauty, just like Beast does.<br />
|-<br />
| Rocky and Delilah<br />
| There is a book called ''[http://www.bensonink.com/delilahsdaughters.html Delilah's Daughters]'', by Angela Benson, where Delilah Monroe's (note the closeness to Munroe) late husband is called Rocky. (See also [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XsIvBLuiiRs Rocky and Delilah] on YouTube...)<br />
|-<br />
| Abbot and Cleopatra<br />
| Abbot starts with an A as does Anthony. Cleopatra starts with a C as does Costello.<br />
|-<br />
| Dr. Jekyll and Ashley Olsen<br />
| Dr. Jekyll is the same as Mr. Hyde just like twins are (almost) the same persons (Although the Olsen twins are not {{w|Twin#IdenticalTwins|identical twins}}!) There are only three switches in this cycle. Butch Cassidy takes Mr. Hyde and the other Olson twin takes The Sundance Kid. This means that both twins are paired with a man instead of as in real life with a woman.<br />
|-<br />
| Samson and Pumbaa<br />
| Samson has several letters in common with Timon but Samson is a huge man where Timon is a very small animal compared to the other main characters in The Lion King film.<br />
|-<br />
| Butch Cassidy and Mr. Hyde<br />
| See above explanation for Dr. Jekyll and Ashley Olsen.<br />
|-<br />
| Bill and Sally's Bogus Journey<br />
| In this [http://www.rogerwhitney.com/casestudy/ case study] regarding retirement we ''meet Bill and Sally'' (as Sally met Harry). It could be said to be a ''bogus journey'' as it is just a case study .<br />
|-<br />
| David and Costello<br />
| As Costello was the smaller of Abbot and Costello this does not match up with David vs. a Goliath as it did with Goliath vs small Simon.<br />
|-<br />
| Sherlock Holmes and Silent Bob<br />
| This is the only case of a direct switch between two duos. Dr. Watson usually listen to the musings of Sherlock Holmes and Silent Bob is, as his name indicates, mainly silent. Jay talks all the time<br />
|-<br />
| Jay and Dr. Watson<br />
| See explanation above for their respective real universe partners (the only case of a direct switch between two duos).<br />
|-<br />
| Anna and the Brain<br />
| The Brain desires to take over the world; the King is ruler of his domain.<br />
|-<br />
| Calvin and the King<br />
| Although it is Calvin's fantasy that decides what happens, it is Hobbes that behaves like the King in their relationship at least when it comes to displaying physical strength to determine who decides.<br />
|-<br />
| Timon and Garfunkel<br />
| Timon is put together with Garfunkel, which makes it a close match to Simon and Garfunkel.<br />
|-<br />
| Mary-Kate and the Sundance Kid<br />
| See above explanation for Dr. Jekyll and Ashley Olsen.<br />
|-<br />
| Mario and Juliet <br />
| Mario would have no issue with balconies. His name has some similarities with Romeo.<br />
|}<br />
<br />
===Cycles===<br />
*There are four cycles. <br />
*The cycles listed below are sorted like explained this example from the longest cycle:<br />
**It starts with "Thelma" (from Thelma and Louse), who is paired with "Hobbes". Hobbes is then shown diagonally down in the next entry below, Calvin and Hobbes, thus leading from "Hobbes" to "Calvin", who is similarly paired with "the King" leading to Anna and so on, until "Batman" is paired with "Louise", completing the cycle.<br />
* First cycle: length 15<br />
Thelma & Louise<br />
Calvin & Hobbes<br />
Anna & the King<br />
Pinky & the Brain<br />
Bonnie & Clyde<br />
Bill & Ted<br />
Harry & Sally<br />
Rocky & Bullwinkle<br />
Samson & Delilah<br />
Timon & Pumbaa<br />
Simon & Garfunkel<br />
David & Goliath<br />
Abbot & Costello<br />
Antony & Cleopatra<br />
Batman & Robin<br />
<br />
* Second cycle: length 4<br />
Romeo & Juliet<br />
Beavis & Butthead<br />
Beauty & the Beast<br />
Mario & Luigi<br />
<br />
* Third cycle: length 3<br />
Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Hyde<br />
Mary-Kate & Ashley Olsen<br />
Butch Cassidy & the Sundance Kid<br />
<br />
* Fourth cycle: length 2<br />
Sherlock Holmes & Dr. Watson<br />
Jay & Silent Bob<br />
<br />
* Assigning an index starting with 1 (= Thelma & Louise) to 24 (= Mario & Luigi), they can be written as:<br />
<br />
(1, 21, 20, 7, 6, 16, 2, 11, 14, 22, 8, 17, 12, 4, 3)<br />
(5, 10, 9, 24)<br />
(13, 23, 15) <br />
(18, 19)<br />
<br />
==Transcript==<br />
:[Caption above the panel:]<br />
:Famous Duos in a nearby parallel universe<br />
<br />
:[A list with 24 duos with a gray “and" between the two names (in one case it is a “met") and three times there is a gray word before (once) or after (twice) the names. The list is centered with the “and" in the middle disregarding the length of the names on each side:]<br />
:{|<br />
|-<br />
| style="text-align:right;" | Thelma <br />
| <font color="gray">and</font><br />
| Hobbes<br />
|-<br />
| style="text-align:right;" | <font color="gray">When</font> Harry<br />
| <font color="gray">met</font><br />
| Bullwinkle<br />
|-<br />
| style="text-align:right;" | Batman <br />
| <font color="gray">and</font><br />
| Louise<br />
|-<br />
| style="text-align:right;" | Antony <br />
| <font color="gray">and</font><br />
| Robin<br />
|-<br />
| style="text-align:right;" | Romeo <br />
| <font color="gray">and</font><br />
| Butthead<br />
|-<br />
| style="text-align:right;" | Bonnie <br />
| <font color="gray">and</font><br />
| Ted<font color="gray">'s excellent adventure</font><br />
|-<br />
| style="text-align:right;" | Pinky <br />
| <font color="gray">and</font><br />
| Clyde<br />
|-<br />
| style="text-align:right;" | Simon <br />
| <font color="gray">and</font><br />
| Goliath<br />
|-<br />
| style="text-align:right;" | Beauty <br />
| <font color="gray">and</font><br />
| Luigi<br />
|-<br />
| style="text-align:right;" | Beavis <br />
| <font color="gray">and</font><br />
| the Beast<br />
|-<br />
| style="text-align:right;" | Rocky <br />
| <font color="gray">and</font><br />
| Delilah<br />
|-<br />
| style="text-align:right;" | Abbot <br />
| <font color="gray">and</font><br />
| Cleopatra<br />
|-<br />
| style="text-align:right;" | Dr. Jekyll <br />
| <font color="gray">and</font><br />
| Ashley Olsen<br />
|-<br />
| style="text-align:right;" | Samson <br />
| <font color="gray">and</font><br />
| Pumbaa<br />
|-<br />
| style="text-align:right;" | Butch Cassidy <br />
| <font color="gray">and</font><br />
| Mr. Hyde<br />
|-<br />
| style="text-align:right;" | Bill <br />
| <font color="gray">and</font><br />
| Sally<font color="gray">'s Bogus Journey</font><br />
|-<br />
| style="text-align:right;" | David <br />
| <font color="gray">and</font><br />
| Costello<br />
|-<br />
| style="text-align:right;" | Sherlock Holmes <br />
| <font color="gray">and</font><br />
| Silent Bob<br />
|-<br />
| style="text-align:right;" | Jay <br />
| <font color="gray">and</font><br />
| Dr. Watson<br />
|-<br />
| style="text-align:right;" | Anna <br />
| <font color="gray">and</font><br />
| the Brain<br />
|-<br />
| style="text-align:right;" | Calvin <br />
| <font color="gray">and</font><br />
| the King<br />
|-<br />
| style="text-align:right;" | Timon <br />
| <font color="gray">and</font><br />
| Garfunkel<br />
|-<br />
| style="text-align:right;" | Mary-Kate <br />
| <font color="gray">and</font><br />
| the Sundance Kid<br />
|-<br />
| style="text-align:right;" | Mario <br />
| <font color="gray">and</font><br />
| Juliet<br />
|}<br />
<br />
==Trivia==<br />
*Here is a ranked list with [http://www.ranker.com/list/best-duos-of-all-time/ariel-kana The Best Duos of All Time].<br />
**When this comic came out there was still less than 300 duos on the list. <br />
**16 of the 24 in the comic, and one of the two mentioned in the title text was on this list.<br />
**Below the ranking refers to where they were on the list Sunday after the release of the comic (on Friday). <br />
**The index refers to the index from the table above with the [[#List of real duos|list of real duos]].<br />
:{| class="wikitable sortable"<br />
|- <br />
|+ Ranking (on 2016-02-28) of famous Duos <br />
|- <br />
! scope="col" | Rank <br />
! scope="col" | Duo <br />
! scope="col" | Index <br />
|-<br />
| 2 || Batman and Robin|| 3 <br />
|-<br />
| 8 || Holmes and Watson|| 18 <br />
|-<br />
| 11 || Simon and Garfunkel|| 8 <br />
|-<br />
| 22 || Thelma and Louise|| 1 <br />
|-<br />
| 23 || Pinky and The Brain|| 7 <br />
|-<br />
| 24 || Hall and Oates|| 26 Title text<br />
|-<br />
| 31 || Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid|| 15 <br />
|-<br />
| 35 || Calvin and Hobbes|| 21 <br />
|-<br />
| 41 || Jay and Silent Bob|| 19 <br />
|-<br />
| 46 || Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde|| 13 <br />
|-<br />
| 71 || Abbott and Costello|| 12 <br />
|-<br />
| 79 || Beauty and the Beast || 9 <br />
|-<br />
| 85 || Antony and Cleopatra|| 4 <br />
|-<br />
| 99 || Beavis and Butt-head|| 10 <br />
|-<br />
| 106 || Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen|| 23 <br />
|-<br />
| 110 || Romeo and Juliet|| 5 <br />
|-<br />
| 206 || Rocky and Bullwinkle|| 11 <br />
|-<br />
| N/A || When Harry Met Sally...|| 2 <br />
|-<br />
| N/A || Samson and Delilah || 14 <br />
|-<br />
| N/A || Bill & Ted|| 16 <br />
|-<br />
| N/A || David and Goliath || 17 <br />
|-<br />
| N/A || Anna and the King || 20 <br />
|-<br />
| N/A || Timon and Pumbaa || 22 <br />
|-<br />
| N/A || Mario and Luigi || 24 <br />
|-<br />
| N/A || Siskel and Ebert || 25 Title text<br />
|}<br />
<br />
{{comic discussion}}<br />
<br />
[[Category:Charts]]<br />
[[Category:Video games]]<br />
[[Category:Calvin and Hobbes]]<br />
[[Category:The Lion King]]</div>162.158.255.152https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=1648:_Famous_Duos&diff=1135301648: Famous Duos2016-02-28T23:29:09Z<p>162.158.255.152: /* List of real duos */ David, not Davis.</p>
<hr />
<div>{{comic<br />
| number = 1648<br />
| date = February 26, 2016<br />
| title = Famous Duos<br />
| image = famous_duos.png<br />
| titletext = The Romeo and Butt-Head film actually got two thumbs up from Siskel and Oates.<br />
}}<br />
<br />
==Explanation==<br />
{{incomplete|More on the reasons for why different alternative parings are made and what would the combos mean to people compared to the originals? Use the explanation column in the [[#List of alternative duos|list of alternative duos table]] for these updates.}}<br />
<br />
In popular culture (the term is loosely used in this case) there are many '''famous duos''', such as {{w|Calvin & Hobbes}} (six-year-old boy and his toy tiger, from the cartoon strip with the same name) or {{w|David & Goliath}} (famous past King of Israel and giant, {{w|Biblical}} characters from the {{w|Book of Samuel}} in the {{w|Old Testament}}). (See the [[#Trivia|trivia section]] regarding an on-line list of duos).<br />
<br />
In this table, [[Randall]] describes a fictional {{w|Many-worlds interpretation|parallel universe}} where the same names are used in different combinations -- instead of Calvin, it is now Thelma (from the movie ''{{w|Thelma & Louise}}'') who is paired up with Hobbes, and Calvin is instead paired of with the King, from ''{{w|Anna and the King}}''. In all cases the one mentioned first on the list is also mentioned first in our universe, so it is always of the form Calvin and the King, never Calvin and Anna. There are 24 duos, and all 48 partners are mentioned (they go through four [[#Cycles|cycles]]). (In the title text of [[1644: Stargazing]] from the week before this comic, there is an indirect reference to parallel universes/{{w|multiverse}}).<br />
<br />
The humor of this comic comes from the ridiculousness of the pairings, and the reader's imagination of the stories that are created with the pairs. See the whole [[#List of real duos|list of real duos]] as well as the [[#List of alternative duos|list of alternative duos]] below, with more detailed explanations. <br />
<br />
In the title text, alternative movie ''Romeo and Butt-Head'' is mentioned, the fifth entry on the list. This is a combination of the famous {{w|Shakespeare}} play "{{w|Romeo and Juliet}}", which has been filmed many times; most recently in ''{{w|Romeo + Juliet}}'' from 1996 with {{w|Leonardo DiCaprio}} and {{w|Claire Danes}} in the leading roles. {{w|Butt-Head}} is the less stupid one (of the very stupid duo) from the animated TV series ''{{w|Beavis and Butt-Head}}'' (and a {{w|Beavis and Butt-Head Do America|film}}). As Romeo and Juliet is one of the best known love stories and Butt-Head is one of the most disgusting teens ever depicted on the big screen (only overtaken by {{w|Beavis}}), the combination could create disturbing pictures in people's heads (especially in the heads of anyone who may identify themselves with Juliet). <br />
<br />
In the alternative universe, when this movie was released, it got the best possible review of two thumbs up from the critics ''Siskel and Oates''. {{w|Gene Siskel}} was paired with {{w|Roger Ebert}}, when they reviewed movies as the famous duo {{w|Siskel and Ebert}}. They were widely known for the "thumbs up/thumbs down" review summaries, with their best combined review being ''Two Thumbs Up'', one from each of them. <br />
<br />
In the alternative universe Siskel and his partner gives the film a (surprising) two thumbs up, but Ebert has been replaced with Oates. This is a reference to John Oates of {{w|Hall & Oates}}, a famous American musical duo from Philadelphia. <br />
<br />
There also exists a comedy duo named {{w|Garfunkel and Oates}}, formed by Riki Lindhome and Kate Micucci, who chose the "Garfunkel and Oates" name by combining the second names from both ''Hall & Oates'' and ''{{w|Simon and Garfunkel}}'' (the latter duo is mentioned in the main comic). Although this exact combo would not be possible in the xkcd version, as the "real universe" combo takes the second names from two duos rather than the first name from one and the second name from another (as in this comic), there may definitely be a deliberate reference to this group as well which has taken the parallel universe idea into our universe.<br />
<br />
===List of real duos===<br />
*See the list of [[#List of alternative duos|alternative duos]] below.<br />
*In this list the ''partner index'' indicates whom the second from the duo is linked with in the comic<br />
**So in the case with Thelma (index 1) and Louise (partner index 3), this means that Louise is paired up with Batman (index 3).<br />
**Thelma is paired up with the Hobbes who has partner index 1.<br />
{| class="wikitable sortable"<br />
|-<br />
|+ Famous duos in this universe<br />
|-<br />
! scope="col" | Name<br />
! scope="col" class="unsortable" | pairing<br />
! scope="col" | Partner<br />
! scope="col" class="unsortable" | Explanation<br />
! scope="col" | Name index<br />
! scope="col" | Partner index<br />
|-<br />
| Thelma<br />
| and<br />
| Louise <br />
| {{w|Thelma & Louise}} is a famous road trip film from 1991.<br />
| 1<br />
| 3<br />
|-<br />
| When Harry<br />
| Met <br />
| Sally <br />
| {{w|When Harry Met Sally...}} is a romantic comedy film from 1989.<br />
| 2<br />
| 16<br />
|-<br />
| Batman <br />
| and <br />
| Robin<br />
| {{w|Batman}} and {{w|Robin (comic)|Robin}} are comic book characters (first appearance for Batman was in 1939 Robin the year after). There have been several {{w|Batman_in_film#Films|films}} including one called {{w|Batman & Robin (film)|Batman & Robin}} from 1997. A new Batman film {{w|Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice}} has its release date three weeks after the release of this comic (2016-02-26).<br />
| 3<br />
| 4<br />
|-<br />
| {{w|Mark Antony|Antony}}<br />
| and<br />
| {{w|Cleopatra}}<br />
| {{w|Mark_Antony#Antony_and_Cleopatra|Antony and Cleopatra}} are historical figures who had an affair and three children together after the death of {{w|Julius Caesar}} up to Anthony's death 30 BC. Their combined names are best known from the play {{w|Antony and Cleopatra}} by {{w|Shakespeare}}.<br />
| 4<br />
| 12<br />
|-<br />
| Romeo <br />
| and <br />
| Juliet<br />
| {{w|Romeo and Juliet}} are characters from Shakespeare's famous romantic tragedy, from 1597, made into several {{w|Romeo_and_Juliet_on_screen#Significant_feature_releases|major films}}.<br />
| 5<br />
| 24<br />
|-<br />
| {{w|Bonnie_and_Clyde#Bonnie_Parker|Bonnie}}<br />
| and <br />
| {{w|Bonnie_and_Clyde#Clyde_Barrow|Clyde}}<br />
| {{w|Bonnie and Clyde}} were American criminals who traveled the central United States with their gang during the Great Depression until their death on May 23rd 1934. They are well known from the film {{w|Bonnie and Clyde (film)|Bonnie and Clyde}}.<br />
| 6<br />
| 7<br />
|-<br />
| {{w|Pinky_and_the_Brain#Pinky|Pinky}}<br />
| and<br />
| {{w|Pinky_and_the_Brain#Characters|the Brain}}<br />
| Two mice from {{w|Pinky and the Brain}}, an American animated TV series from the nineties.<br />
| 7<br />
| 20<br />
|-<br />
| {{w|Paul Simon|Simon}}<br />
| and<br />
| {{w|Art Garfunkel|Garfunkel}}<br />
| {{w|Simon & Garfunkel}} is a very famous musical duo from the sixties. (See also explanation for the title text).<br />
| 8<br />
| 22<br />
|-<br />
| Beauty <br />
| and<br />
| the Beast <br />
| {{w|Beauty and the Beast}} are fairy tale characters from a French book from 1740, today best known from the {{w|Beauty and the Beast (1991 film)|Disney film}} from 1991.<br />
| 9<br />
| 10<br />
|-<br />
| {{w|Beavis}}<br />
| and<br />
| {{w|Butt-head}}<br />
| {{w|Beavis and Butt-Head}} is an animated TV series from the nineties shown on {{w|MTV}}.<br />
| 10<br />
| 5<br />
|-<br />
| {{w|Rocky the Flying Squirrel|Rocky}}<br />
| and<br />
| {{w|Bullwinkle J. Moose|Bullwinkle}}<br />
| A flying squirrel and a moose known from the {{w|The Rocky and Bullwinkle Show}}, an American animated TV series from the sixties.<br />
| 11<br />
| 2<br />
|-<br />
| {{w|Bud Abbott|Abbott}}<br />
| and<br />
| {{w|Lou Costello|Costello}}<br />
| {{w|Abbott and Costello}} is a famous American comedy duo whose work in vaudeville and on stage, radio, film and television made them the most popular comedy team during the forties. <br />
| 12<br />
| 17<br />
|-<br />
| Dr. Jekyll <br />
| and <br />
| Mr. Hyde<br />
| {{w|Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (character)|Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde}} are well known characters from the book {{w|Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde}} written by the Scottish author {{w|Robert Louis Stevenson}} in 1886. It has been adapted into several {{w|Adaptations_of_Strange_Case_of_Dr._Jekyll_and_Mr._Hyde#Film|films}}.<br />
| 13<br />
| 15<br />
|-<br />
| {{w|Samson}}<br />
| and<br />
| {{w|Delilah}}<br />
| Samson and Delilah are Biblical characters from the {{w|Book of Judges}} (chapters 13-16). Samson was given supernatural strength by God in order to combat his enemies Samson had two vulnerabilities, however: his attraction to untrustworthy women and his hair, without which he was powerless. These vulnerabilities ultimately proved fatal for him when Delilah had him reveal the secret of his hair, which she subsequently cut of and handed him over to to be captured by the Philistines who gouges out his eyes and brought him to imprisonment in Gaza. He died when he got his hair back, Delilah had not explained why he was no longer strong so it had been allowed to grow out again, and then he used his power to tear down a temple he was led into, taking many enemies standing on the roof with him in death.<br />
| 14<br />
| 11<br />
|-<br />
| {{w|Butch Cassidy}}<br />
| and<br />
| the {{w|Sundance Kid}}<br />
| They are historical criminals who died in 1908. They were notorious American train and bank robbers with the {{w|Butch Cassidy's Wild Bunch}} gang in 1899-1901. They were made famous by the film {{w|Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid}} from 1969.<br />
| 15<br />
| 23<br />
|-<br />
| Bill<br />
| and<br />
| Ted’s Excellent Adventure<br>and Bogus Journey<br />
| {{w|Bill & Ted (franchise)|Bill & Ted}} are characters from the two films {{w|Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure}} (1989) and {{w|Bill & Ted's Bogus Journey}} (1991). The two titles are spread out on the two new pairings for Bill and Ted, in recognition that this duo is mainly known for these two films, although there also is a {{w|Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventures (1990 TV series)|spin-off animated series}} from 1990-1991.<br />
| 16<br />
| 6<br />
|-<br />
| {{w|David}}<br />
| and<br />
| {{w|Goliath}}<br />
| Biblical characters best known from small David's defeat of giant Goliath in the story {{w|David#David_and_Goliath|David and Goliath}}. David later became the second king of Israel (according to the {{w|Books of Samuel}}, and according to the {{w|New Testament}}, an ancestor of {{w|Jesus}}.<br />
| 17<br />
| 8<br />
|-<br />
| {{w|Sherlock Holmes}}<br />
| and<br />
| {{w|Dr. Watson}}<br />
| Characters from {{w|Arthur Conan Doyle}} famous books (from 1887-1927) which have been made into numerous {{w|Adaptations_of_Sherlock_Holmes#Film|films}}, recently (2009 and 2011) a new {{w|Sherlock Holmes (2009 film)|series of movies}} has been released with {{w|Robert Downey Jr.}} and {{w|Jude Law}} as the two characters, and there have also been several TV series, most famously the {{w|Sherlock Holmes (1984 TV series)|1984 TV series}}.<br />
| 18<br />
| 19<br />
|-<br />
| Jay <br />
| and<br />
| Silent Bob<br />
| {{w|Jay and Silent Bob}} is a strange duo from {{w|View Askew Productions|View Askew's}} film universe first seen in the film {{w|Clerks}} from 1994 but they now even have a film names after the duo with {{w|Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back}} from 2001. The director of these movies, {{w|Kevin Smith}} plays Silent Bob, who of course rarely speaks, but when he finally does it often becomes a long defining monologue. Jay (played by {{w|Jason Mewes}}) talks all the time!<br />
| 19<br />
| 18<br />
|-<br />
| {{w|Anna Leonowens|Anna}}<br />
| and<br />
| the {{w|Mongkut|King}}<br />
| Recently made famous by the film {{w|Anna and the King}} from 1999, based on the book {{w|Anna and the King of Siam (novel)|Anna and the King of Siam}} from 1944 by {{w|Margaret Landon}} who again is based on two memoirs written by Anna Leonowens in 1870 and 1872 based on her experience as Royal governess for King Mongkut's children and also as language secretary for the king from 1862-1867.<br />
| 20<br />
| 21<br />
|-<br />
| {{w|Calvin (Calvin and Hobbes)|Calvin}}<br />
| and<br />
| {{w|Hobbes (Calvin and Hobbes)|Hobbes}}<br />
| {{w|Calvin and Hobbes}} is a famous comic series by {{w|Bill Watterson}} that ran from 1985-1995. Calvin being a six year old boy and Hobbes is Calvin's stuffed tiger and best friend, who becomes animated in his private fantasy world. They have been [[:Category:Calvin_and_Hobbes|featured regularly]] in xkcd most prominently in the "duo" comic: [[409: Electric Skateboard (Double Comic)]].<br />
| 21<br />
| 1<br />
|-<br />
| Timon <br />
| and<br />
| Pumbaa<br />
| {{w|Timon and Pumbaa}} are characters from {{w|The Lion King}} film (1994) and they now also have their own {{w|The Lion King 1½|film from 2004}} and a {{w|Timon & Pumbaa (TV series)|TV series}} that ran from 1995-1999. There have been [[:Category:The Lion King|many references]] to ''The Lion King'' in xkcd, for instance the comment in the final panel of [[1504: Opportunity]], is from the original movie.<br />
| 22<br />
| 14<br />
|-<br />
| {{w|Mary Kate Olsen|Mary Kate}}<br />
| and<br />
| {{w|Ashley Olsen}}<br />
| Known as the {{w|Mary-Kate_and_Ashley_Olsen|Olsen twins}} these {{w|Twin#Dizygotic_.28fraternal.29_twins|fraternal twin}} actresses from 1986 has been on TV since they were infants (on {{w|Full House}} from 1987) and began starring together in TV, film, and video projects, which enabled them to join the ranks of the wealthiest women in the entertainment industry at a young age. They have previously been the pun of the joke in [[362: Blade Runner]].<br />
| 23<br />
| 13<br />
|-<br />
| {{w|Mario}}<br />
| and<br />
| {{w|Luigi}}<br />
| {{w|Mario Bros.}} is a very famous video game from 1983 where Mario and his brother Luigi are the main characters. They have been referenced in several xkcd comics for instance [[151: Mario]] or the entire [[:Category:Mario Kart|category that references]] the {{w|Mario Kart}} video game series.<br />
| 24<br />
| 9<br />
|}<br />
<br />
===List of alternative duos===<br />
*See the list of [[#List of real duos|real duos]] above.<br />
{| class="wikitable"<br />
|-<br />
|+ Famous Duos in a nearby parallel universe<br />
|-<br />
! scope="col" | Duo name<br />
! scope="col" | Explanation<br />
|-<br />
| Thelma and Hobbes<br />
| In this essay [http://www.exampleessays.com/viewpaper/207623.html Political Philosophies in Thelma and Louise] the sentence ''Thelma and Hobbes's Total Sovereign Authority'' can be found. In this case it is a reference to {{w|Thomas Hobbes}} as the essay is an analysis of Thelma and Louise's actions and the decision they make in comparison to the political philosophies of Thomas Hobbes and {{w|Jean Jacques Rousseau}}. Hobbes was an English philosopher, best known today for his work on political philosophy. He also developed some of the fundamentals of European liberal thought, which could be said to be relevant for the movie.<br />
|-<br />
| When Harry met Bullwinkle<br />
| {{w|Billy Crystal}} who play Harry in When Harry Met Sally... also has an uncredited cameo part as a mattress salesman in the movie {{w|The Adventures of Rocky and Bullwinkle}} (see the list of uncredited actors on [http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0131704/combined IMDb]). In this real action movie, Rocky and Bullwinkle ends up in the real world, where it thus becomes likely that Billy who played Harry ends up meeting Bullwinkle "in real life".<br />
|-<br />
| Batman and Louise<br />
| This duos name comes rather close to the real duo {{w|Clark Kent}} and {{w|Lois Lane}} especially since the film {{w|Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice}} was set for release three weeks after the release of this comic in February 2016.<br />
|-<br />
| Antony and Robin<br />
| There is a book called ''[http://www.amazon.com/Shakespeares-Antony-Cleopatra-English-Literature/dp/0713155884 Shakespeare's "Antony and Cleopatra"] written by a Robin Lee.<br />
|-<br />
| Romeo and Butthead<br />
| It would be quite a different story if either Butt-head should replace Juliet or if Romeo should replace Beavis... (Note Butt-Head is spelled with a hyphen, but has been misspelled in the comic.)<br />
|-<br />
| Bonnie and Ted's excellent adventure<br />
| There was not much excellent about the adventure for Bonnie as {{w|Ted Hinton}} was a Dallas County, Texas, deputy sheriff, the youngest of the posse that ambushed and killed Bonnie and Clyde in 1934. That they could have had an excellent adventure in an alternative universe becomes clear from this segment from his history on Wikipedia: "Ted Hinton was also once acquainted with young Bonnie Parker while she was working in Marco's Cafe in Dallas. Because of her good looks, many of the male customers would flirt with her. Hinton was always gentlemanly and treated Bonnie with respect. Hinton admitted in a later biography that he had a crush on Bonnie, which made it difficult for him as one of the men on the team sent to kill her and her lover, Clyde."<br />
|-<br />
| Pinky and Clyde<br />
| As can be seen in the table above this refers to Pinky the mouse from PÆinky and the Brain and Clyde from Bonnie and Clyde. But {{w|Ghosts_(Pac-Man)#Pinky|Pinky}} and {{w|Ghosts_(Pac-Man)#Clyde|Clyde}} are also the names of the pink and orange {{w|Pacman}} ghosts in this universe. They are, however, not a duo as there are {{w|Ghosts (Pac-Man)|four ghosts}} ({{w|Ghosts_(Pac-Man)#Blinky|Blinky}} and {{w|Ghosts_(Pac-Man)#Inky|Inky}} being the two others). <br />
|-<br />
| Simon and Goliath<br />
| Goliath begins with G as Garfunkel. Simon was the shorter of the duo thus fitting as David vs. Goliath.<br />
|-<br />
| Beauty and Luigi<br />
| No direct relation to either Mario or the Beast. But Luigi and Maria has to defeat creatures in the sewers of New York in the original game. So they are beast hunters not beasts.<br />
|-<br />
| Beavis and the Beast<br />
| Beavis starts with the same three letters as Beauty, just like Beast does.<br />
|-<br />
| Rocky and Delilah<br />
| There is a book called ''[http://www.bensonink.com/delilahsdaughters.html Delilah's Daughters]'', by Angela Benson, where Delilah Monroe's (note the closeness to Munroe) late husband is called Rocky. (See also [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XsIvBLuiiRs Rocky and Delilah] on YouTube...)<br />
|-<br />
| Abbot and Cleopatra<br />
| Abbot starts with an A as does Anthony. Cleopatra starts with a C as does Costello.<br />
|-<br />
| Dr. Jekyll and Ashley Olsen<br />
| Dr. Jekyll is the same as Mr. Hyde just like twins are (almost) the same persons (Although the Olsen twins are not {{w|Twin#IdenticalTwins|identical twins}}!) There are only three switches in this cycle. Butch Cassidy takes Mr. Hyde and the other Olson twin takes The Sundance Kid. This means that both twins are paired with a man instead of as in real life with a woman.<br />
|-<br />
| Samson and Pumbaa<br />
| Samson has several letters in common with Timon but Samson is a huge man where Timon is a very small animal compared to the other main characters in The Lion King film.<br />
|-<br />
| Butch Cassidy and Mr. Hyde<br />
| See above explanation for Dr. Jekyll and Ashley Olsen.<br />
|-<br />
| Bill and Sally's Bogus Journey<br />
| In this [http://www.rogerwhitney.com/casestudy/ case study] regarding retirement we ''meet Bill and Sally'' (as Sally met Harry). It could be said to be a ''bogus journey'' as it is just a case study .<br />
|-<br />
| David and Costello<br />
| As Costello was the smaller of Abbot and Costello this does not match up with David vs. a Goliath as it did with Goliath vs small Simon.<br />
|-<br />
| Sherlock Holmes and Silent Bob<br />
| This is the only case of a direct switch between two duos. Dr. Watson usually listen to the musings of Sherlock Holmes and Silent Bob is, as his name indicates, mainly silent. Jay talks all the time<br />
|-<br />
| Jay and Dr. Watson<br />
| See explanation above for their respective real universe partners (the only case of a direct switch between two duos).<br />
|-<br />
| Anna and the Brain<br />
| The Brain desires to take over the world; the King is ruler of his domain.<br />
|-<br />
| Calvin and the King<br />
| Although it is Calvin's fantasy that decides what happens, it is Hobbes that behaves like the King in their relationship at least when it comes to displaying physical strength to determine who decides.<br />
|-<br />
| Timon and Garfunkel<br />
| Timon is put together with Garfunkel, which makes it a close match to Simon and Garfunkel.<br />
|-<br />
| Mary-Kate and the Sundance Kid<br />
| See above explanation for Dr. Jekyll and Ashley Olsen.<br />
|-<br />
| Mario and Juliet <br />
| Mario would have no issue with balconies. His name has some similarities with Romeo.<br />
|}<br />
<br />
===Cycles===<br />
*There are four cycles. <br />
*The cycles listed below are sorted like explained this example from the longest cycle:<br />
**It starts with "Thelma" (from Thelma and Louse), who is paired with "Hobbes". Hobbes is then shown diagonally down in the next entry below, Calvin and Hobbes, thus leading from "Hobbes" to "Calvin", who is similarly paired with "the King" leading to Anna and so on, until "Batman" is paired with "Louise", completing the cycle.<br />
* First cycle: length 15<br />
Thelma & Louise<br />
Calvin & Hobbes<br />
Anna & the King<br />
Pinky & the Brain<br />
Bonnie & Clyde<br />
Bill & Ted<br />
Harry & Sally<br />
Rocky & Bullwinkle<br />
Samson & Delilah<br />
Timon & Pumbaa<br />
Simon & Garfunkel<br />
David & Goliath<br />
Abbot & Costello<br />
Antony & Cleopatra<br />
Batman & Robin<br />
<br />
* Second cycle: length 4<br />
Romeo & Juliet<br />
Beavis & Butthead<br />
Beauty & the Beast<br />
Mario & Luigi<br />
<br />
* Third cycle: length 3<br />
Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Hyde<br />
Mary-Kate & Ashley Olsen<br />
Butch Cassidy & the Sundance Kid<br />
<br />
* Fourth cycle: length 2<br />
Sherlock Holmes & Dr. Watson<br />
Jay & Silent Bob<br />
<br />
* Assigning an index starting with 1 (= Thelma & Louise) to 24 (= Mario & Luigi), they can be written as:<br />
<br />
(1, 21, 20, 7, 6, 16, 2, 11, 14, 22, 8, 17, 12, 4, 3)<br />
(5, 10, 9, 24)<br />
(13, 23, 15) <br />
(18, 19)<br />
<br />
==Transcript==<br />
:[Caption above the panel:]<br />
:Famous Duos in a nearby parallel universe<br />
<br />
:[A list with 24 duos with a gray “and" between the two names (in one case it is a “met") and three times there is a gray word before (once) or after (twice) the names. The list is centered with the “and" in the middle disregarding the length of the names on each side:]<br />
:{|<br />
|-<br />
| style="text-align:right;" | Thelma <br />
| <font color="gray">and</font><br />
| Hobbes<br />
|-<br />
| style="text-align:right;" | <font color="gray">When</font> Harry<br />
| <font color="gray">met</font><br />
| Bullwinkle<br />
|-<br />
| style="text-align:right;" | Batman <br />
| <font color="gray">and</font><br />
| Louise<br />
|-<br />
| style="text-align:right;" | Antony <br />
| <font color="gray">and</font><br />
| Robin<br />
|-<br />
| style="text-align:right;" | Romeo <br />
| <font color="gray">and</font><br />
| Butthead<br />
|-<br />
| style="text-align:right;" | Bonnie <br />
| <font color="gray">and</font><br />
| Ted<font color="gray">'s excellent adventure</font><br />
|-<br />
| style="text-align:right;" | Pinky <br />
| <font color="gray">and</font><br />
| Clyde<br />
|-<br />
| style="text-align:right;" | Simon <br />
| <font color="gray">and</font><br />
| Goliath<br />
|-<br />
| style="text-align:right;" | Beauty <br />
| <font color="gray">and</font><br />
| Luigi<br />
|-<br />
| style="text-align:right;" | Beavis <br />
| <font color="gray">and</font><br />
| the Beast<br />
|-<br />
| style="text-align:right;" | Rocky <br />
| <font color="gray">and</font><br />
| Delilah<br />
|-<br />
| style="text-align:right;" | Abbot <br />
| <font color="gray">and</font><br />
| Cleopatra<br />
|-<br />
| style="text-align:right;" | Dr. Jekyll <br />
| <font color="gray">and</font><br />
| Ashley Olsen<br />
|-<br />
| style="text-align:right;" | Samson <br />
| <font color="gray">and</font><br />
| Pumbaa<br />
|-<br />
| style="text-align:right;" | Butch Cassidy <br />
| <font color="gray">and</font><br />
| Mr. Hyde<br />
|-<br />
| style="text-align:right;" | Bill <br />
| <font color="gray">and</font><br />
| Sally<font color="gray">'s Bogus Journey</font><br />
|-<br />
| style="text-align:right;" | David <br />
| <font color="gray">and</font><br />
| Costello<br />
|-<br />
| style="text-align:right;" | Sherlock Holmes <br />
| <font color="gray">and</font><br />
| Silent Bob<br />
|-<br />
| style="text-align:right;" | Jay <br />
| <font color="gray">and</font><br />
| Dr. Watson<br />
|-<br />
| style="text-align:right;" | Anna <br />
| <font color="gray">and</font><br />
| the Brain<br />
|-<br />
| style="text-align:right;" | Calvin <br />
| <font color="gray">and</font><br />
| the King<br />
|-<br />
| style="text-align:right;" | Timon <br />
| <font color="gray">and</font><br />
| Garfunkel<br />
|-<br />
| style="text-align:right;" | Mary-Kate <br />
| <font color="gray">and</font><br />
| the Sundance Kid<br />
|-<br />
| style="text-align:right;" | Mario <br />
| <font color="gray">and</font><br />
| Juliet<br />
|}<br />
<br />
==Trivia==<br />
*Here is a ranked list with [http://www.ranker.com/list/best-duos-of-all-time/ariel-kana The Best Duos of All Time].<br />
**When this comic came out there was still less than 300 duos on the list. <br />
**16 of the 24 in the comic, and one of the two mentioned in the title text was on this list.<br />
**Below the ranking refers to where they were on the list Sunday after the release of the comic (on Friday). <br />
**The index refers to the index from the table above with the [[#List of real duos|list of real duos]].<br />
:{| class="wikitable sortable"<br />
|- <br />
|+ Ranking (on 2016-02-28) of famous Duos <br />
|- <br />
! scope="col" | Rank <br />
! scope="col" | Duo <br />
! scope="col" | Index <br />
|-<br />
| 2 || Batman and Robin|| 3 <br />
|-<br />
| 8 || Holmes and Watson|| 18 <br />
|-<br />
| 11 || Simon and Garfunkel|| 8 <br />
|-<br />
| 22 || Thelma and Louise|| 1 <br />
|-<br />
| 23 || Pinky and The Brain|| 7 <br />
|-<br />
| 24 || Hall and Oates|| 26 Title text<br />
|-<br />
| 31 || Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid|| 15 <br />
|-<br />
| 35 || Calvin and Hobbes|| 21 <br />
|-<br />
| 41 || Jay and Silent Bob|| 19 <br />
|-<br />
| 46 || Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde|| 13 <br />
|-<br />
| 71 || Abbott and Costello|| 12 <br />
|-<br />
| 79 || Beauty and the Beast || 9 <br />
|-<br />
| 85 || Antony and Cleopatra|| 4 <br />
|-<br />
| 99 || Beavis and Butt-head|| 10 <br />
|-<br />
| 106 || Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen|| 23 <br />
|-<br />
| 110 || Romeo and Juliet|| 5 <br />
|-<br />
| 206 || Rocky and Bullwinkle|| 11 <br />
|-<br />
| N/A || When Harry Met Sally...|| 2 <br />
|-<br />
| N/A || Samson and Delilah || 14 <br />
|-<br />
| N/A || Bill & Ted|| 16 <br />
|-<br />
| N/A || David and Goliath || 17 <br />
|-<br />
| N/A || Anna and the King || 20 <br />
|-<br />
| N/A || Timon and Pumbaa || 22 <br />
|-<br />
| N/A || Mario and Luigi || 24 <br />
|-<br />
| N/A || Siskel and Ebert || 25 Title text<br />
|}<br />
<br />
{{comic discussion}}<br />
<br />
[[Category:Charts]]<br />
[[Category:Video games]]<br />
[[Category:Calvin and Hobbes]]<br />
[[Category:The Lion King]]</div>162.158.255.152