https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/api.php?action=feedcontributions&user=172.70.130.225&feedformat=atomexplain xkcd - User contributions [en]2024-03-29T06:39:42ZUser contributionsMediaWiki 1.30.0https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=1512:_Horoscopes&diff=2935751512: Horoscopes2022-08-27T18:25:56Z<p>172.70.130.225: Fixed minor typo</p>
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<div>{{comic<br />
| number = 1512<br />
| date = April 15, 2015<br />
| title = Horoscopes<br />
| image = horoscopes.png<br />
| titletext = If you live in the Northern hemisphere. In the southern hemisphere, due to the coriolis effect, babies are born nine months BEFORE they're conceived.<br />
}}<br />
==Explanation==<br />
{{w|Horoscopes}} purport to predict someone's personality or future, based on the position of planets and stars at the time of their birth and at present. Horoscopes commonly group people into twelve groups based on {{w|zodiac signs}}. The names of the horoscope Zodiac signs are based on the names of twelve constellations that were the backdrop for the path of the sun in the ancient times when the rules of settings horoscopes were originally developed. Today, due to precession of the Earth's axis of rotation (and to a lesser degree due to the modern formal definitions of constellations), the Zodiac signs do not correspond fully to the names of actual constellations in the path of the Sun. One's zodiac sign is determined by the position of the sun on their birthday, with each sign representing a specific 30.4 day period (1/12th of a year), starting from the {{w|equinox|First point of Aries}}.<br />
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Modern science has found {{w|Astrology and science|no basis for horoscopes}}, which is why the comic jokes about the fact that its horoscopes at least ''may'' be true. Actual horoscopes are typically so vague that they could be true for almost anyone regardless of their sign. Note that this horoscope mainly makes sense for people living in the {{w|northern hemisphere}} (as mentioned in the title text) and it is especially tailored for an audience in the {{w|United States}}, as most cultural references are centered on "Western" or even specific "American" culture, several won't even work in Europe, for example. However, with the principle understood, it is easy to apply local traditions for more accuracy in non-Western cultures.<br />
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The 12 category zodiac signs in horoscopes are based on birth dates. The average length of pregnancy, culturally considered to be nine months, is actually given as the 40 weeks (9.2 months) after the last menstrual period. However, what is relevant here is that it is only '''38 weeks after {{w|Fertilisation|conception}}''' (8.75 months). The first two weeks of the 40 week period is before {{w|Ovulation#Ovulation_in_humans|Ovulation}}, and the conception cannot occur before that.<br />
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Based on this knowledge [[Randall]] can do some informed guessing about the context of someone's conception (apart from the {{w|Sexual intercourse|obvious}}), depending on the sign. For example, people of the sign {{w|Virgo (astrology)|Virgo}} have been born between August 23 and September 22. This makes it most likely that they are conceived during December the year before. Given contemporary holiday music preferences, Christmas songs were likely to be playing the day they were conceived. This leads to the guess "You may have been conceived while a Christmas song played". See detailed description of all the signs and explanation of the horoscopes in the [[#Table of Astrological signs|table]] below.<br />
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Randall phrases his "predictions" as possibilities ("you may have") rather than declarations, acknowledging that it is a guess, and that it, unlike actual horoscopes, doesn't necessarily apply to everyone.<br />
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The title text refers to the {{w|Coriolis effect}} which applies to a body that is moving relative to an object that is spinning. Since the Earth is rotating, a force (the Coriolis force) causes moving objects to be deflected to the right in the northern hemisphere and to the left in the {{w|southern hemisphere}}. This effect is the reason that {{w|Coriolis_effect#Meteorology|weather systems}} (most clearly seen for {{w|hurricanes}}) spiral in one direction in the northern hemisphere and in the opposite direction in the southern hemisphere.<br />
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There is also a common {{w|Coriolis_effect#Draining_in_bathtubs_and_toilets|misconception}} that the Coriolis force in respect of the Earth affects objects on a much smaller scale, such as the direction water will spiral down a drain in the two hemispheres (see also [[843: Misconceptions]]). In reality, the relative rotational speed of the Earth (one rotation per day) is insufficient to affect anything but large-scale, relatively slow movement, such as {{w|prevailing winds}} and {{w|Ocean current|ocean currents}}. <br />
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Randall plays on this type of misconception to make a joke involving reversing the flow of time. So whereas babies are born nine months '''after''' conception in the northern hemisphere (clockwise) the Coriolis effect is the reason why babies are being born nine months '''before''' in the southern hemisphere (counterclockwise). Note that unlike these horoscopes, which are declared to have an "actual basis in fact", it makes no sense for the conception of a baby to happen after its birth{{Citation needed}}.<br />
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==Table of Astrological signs==<br />
Here below is a table with data and explanation of the individual horoscopes:<br />
{| class="wikitable"<br />
!{{w|Astrological sign|Astrological sign}} <br/> (English name)<br />
!{{w|Birthday}} <br/> range<br />
!Expected <br/> {{w|Fertilisation|conception}}<br />
!Horoscope prediction<br />
!Explanation<br />
|-<br />
|♈ {{w|Aries (astrology)|Aries}} <br/>(The Ram)<br />
|March 21 – April 21<br />
|June 28 – July 28<br />
|You may have been conceived after a 4th of July fireworks show<br />
|In the US the {{w|Independence Day (United States)|Independence Day}} is celebrated on the 4th of July, and this is customarily celebrated with huge fireworks. Fireworks are a common metaphor for the culmination of sex (i.e. the orgasm), and offer a convenient opportunity for social gatherings that might lead to conception.<br />
|-<br />
|♉ {{w|Taurus (astrology)|Taurus}} <br/>(The Bull)<br />
|April 20 – May 20 <br />
|July 27 – August 27<br />
|You may have been conceived on a hot August day<br />
|In most of the northern hemisphere there are many hot days in {{w|August}}. Hot days can lead to less clothing and more lust.<br />
|-<br />
|♊ {{w|Gemini (astrology)|Gemini}} <br/>(The Twins)<br />
|May 21 – June 21<br />
|August 28 – September 28<br />
|You may have been conceived as the leaves began to change<br />
|In the northern part of the northern hemisphere the {{w|autumn}} starts at the end of this time period, so the leaves will begin to change color.<br />
|-<br />
|♋ {{w|Cancer (astrology)|Cancer}} <br/>(The Crab)<br />
|June 21 – July 21<br />
|September 28 – October 28<br />
|You may have been conceived by people trying on costumes<br />
|This period ends a few days before {{w|Halloween}}, so it is not unlikely that the people who conceived you (mom and dad) tried on their new costumes when they made you. Roleplay, enhanced with costumes, can be a way to spice up a relationship and can lead to sex and procreation.<br />
|-<br />
|♌ {{w|Leo (astrology)|Leo}} <br/>(The Lion)<br />
|July 22 – August 23<br />
|October 29 – November 30<br />
|You may have been conceived during Thanksgiving<br />
|{{w|Thanksgiving}} is celebrated in the US on the fourth Thursday of November.<br />
|-<br />
|♍ {{w|Virgo (astrology)|Virgo}} <br/>(The Maiden)<br />
|August 23 – September 22<br />
|November 30 – December 29<br />
|You may have been conceived while a Christmas song played<br />
|It is very common for {{w|Christmas}} songs to be played in the month of December.<br />
|-<br />
|♎ {{w|Libra (astrology)|Libra}} <br/>(The Scales)<br />
|September 22 – October 23<br />
|December 29 – January 30<br />
|You may have been conceived after a New Year's Eve party<br />
|Since {{w|New Year's Eve}} always falls on December 31, and since the party goes on into the new year this fits with Libra. As it is very likely that people are together in a way that may lead to conception at this type of parties, there may even be rather more than a 30th part of the people that are Libra that are conceived at such a party.<br />
|-<br />
|♏ {{w|Scorpio (astrology)|Scorpio}} <br/>(The Scorpion)<br />
|October 23 – November 22<br />
|January 30 – February&nbsp;29<br />
|You may have been conceived by people stuck inside after a long winter<br />
|This period is during the coolest part and towards the end of the {{w|winter}} in the northern hemisphere. People may even be forced to stay at home due to snow. When people have nothing else to do [https://www.google.dk/search?q=babies+9+month+after+snowstorm&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8&gws_rd=cr&ei=qzkuVcjAE4qsswGevoC4CQ many babies are born 9 months later].<br />
|-<br />
|♐ {{w|Sagittarius (astrology)|Sagittarius}} <br/>(The Archer)<br />
|November 22 – December 21<br />
|February 29 – March 28<br />
|You may have been conceived during March Madness<br />
|Originally {{w|European_hare#Mating_and_reproduction|March madness}} referred to the early part of the mating season for the {{w|European Hare}}, in which females fight off male suitors. Today, in a US context, this is an {{w|NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Championship|American college Basketball tournament}} that started in 1939 and is mainly held in March. It is even covered on TV under the name {{w|NCAA March Madness (CBS/Turner)|NCAA March Madness}}.<br />
|-<br />
|♑ {{w|Capricorn (astrology)|Capricorn}} <br/>(The Goat)<br />
|December 22 – January 19<br />
|March 29 – April 28<br />
|You may have been conceived during a sexy Easter Egg hunt<br />
|{{w|Easter}} falls between {{w|List of dates for Easter#Earliest Easter|March 22}} and {{w|List of dates for Easter#Latest Easter|April 25}} so most {{w|Egg hunt|Easter Egg hunts}}, sexy or not, will fall in the most likely period to conceive Capricorn children. The goal of an Easter egg hunt can be to find as many eggs in a given time, or find a sequence of eggs, each containing a clue to the next. It is not difficult to think of adult variations on these themes. Most Egg hunts do not involve people who should make them sexy! On the other hand, the egg itself, as an Easter symbol, is a symbol of fertility and after the little ones have gone to bed the adults may want to produce more little ones.<br />
|-<br />
|♒ {{w|Aquarius (astrology)|Aquarius}} <br/>(The&nbsp;Water&nbsp;Carrier)<br />
|January&nbsp;20 – February&nbsp;18<br />
|April 27 – May 25<br />
|You may have been conceived on Mother's Day<br />
|{{w|Mother's Day}} in the USA,and some other countries, is on the second Sunday in May, between 8 and 14 May. The husband of a Mother being celebrated may wish to show his appreciation for her by paying her special private attention, potentially leading to sex and conception.<br />
|-<br />
|♓ {{w|Pisces (astrology)|Pisces}} <br/>(The Fish)<br />
|February&nbsp;19 – March&nbsp;20<br />
|May 25 – June 27<br />
|You may have been conceived at someone's wedding<br />
|It may have been your own parent's wedding, as the traditional wedding honeymoon typically includes sex (potentially lots of it). However, it is also not uncommon that people meet at weddings, and may even go so far as to risk conceiving a child at someone's {{w|wedding}}. June is widely reported as the [http://www.statista.com/statistics/241231/percentage-of-us-weddings-by-month/ most popular month for weddings in the United States]. The tradition of a June Bride (late spring and beginning of summer in the northern hemisphere) may be an old one and hence explains the reference for Pisces which lies mainly in June. [https://open.abc.net.au/explore/22074 ABC claim] that in the 15th and 16th century, May would have been the month for an "annual bath", and moreover {{w|June}} is named for {{w|Juno (mythology)|Juno}}, goddess of marriage and childbirth.<br />
|}<br />
<br />
==Transcript==<br />
:[Above the frame:]<br />
:'''Horoscopes'''<br />
:With an actual basis in fact<br />
:[A list with the name of each astrological sign in the first column (in gray) and a horoscope for each sign in the second column. Here given in table form]<br />
:{| class="wikitable"<br />
! Aries •<br />
| You may have been conceived after a 4th of July fireworks show<br />
|-<br />
! Taurus •<br />
| You may have been conceived on a hot August day<br />
|-<br />
! Gemini •<br />
| You may have been conceived as the leaves began to change<br />
|-<br />
! Cancer •<br />
| You may have been conceived by people trying on costumes<br />
|-<br />
! Leo •<br />
| You may have been conceived during Thanksgiving<br />
|-<br />
! Virgo •<br />
| You may have been conceived while a Christmas song played<br />
|-<br />
! Libra •<br />
| You may have been conceived after a New Year's Eve party<br />
|-<br />
! Scorpio •<br />
| You may have been conceived by people stuck inside after a long winter<br />
|-<br />
! Sagittarius •<br />
| You may have been conceived during March Madness<br />
|-<br />
! Capricorn •<br />
| You may have been conceived during a sexy Easter egg hunt<br />
|-<br />
! Aquarius •<br />
| You may have been conceived on Mother's day<br />
|-<br />
! Pisces •<br />
| You may have been conceived at someone's wedding<br />
|}<br />
<br />
{{comic discussion}}<br />
[[Category:Charts]]<br />
[[Category:Sex]]<br />
[[Category:Christmas]]</div>172.70.130.225https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=Talk:2503:_Memo_Spike_Connector&diff=216746Talk:2503: Memo Spike Connector2021-08-17T19:16:05Z<p>172.70.130.225: </p>
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<div><!--Please sign your posts with ~~~~ and don't delete this text. New comments should be added at the bottom.--><br />
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Just made my first ever wiki edit! There was no text yet so I filled in some basic info. I guarantee what I wrote will be removed though :( . Oh well, I tried! [[User:Zman350x|Zman350x]] ([[User talk:Zman350x|talk]]) 15:20, 16 August 2021 (UTC)<br />
:Your first edit inspired me to my own first edit. Maybe at the end there will be a good article made entirely by noobs. :) [[Special:Contributions/172.68.110.115|172.68.110.115]] 16:33, 16 August 2021 (UTC)<br />
::Seems like some parts of your edits have survived, to what seems close to a final version now. Any start on an explanation is difficult so cool that you are now on the editing team ;-) I make a lot of edits, but is not typically the one that makes the actual explanation, more keeping the format and making small improvements --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 07:20, 17 August 2021 (UTC)<br />
:: :o --[[Special:Contributions/172.69.22.229|172.69.22.229]] 10:55, 17 August 2021 (UTC)<br />
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In restaurants these are not used for orders for the kitchen. Those are usually put on an order wheel or ticket holder, which have clips that the order can easily pulled out of. The spike is at the checkout counter, and it's used after the bill is paid. [[User:Barmar|Barmar]] ([[User talk:Barmar|talk]]) 19:57, 16 August 2021 (UTC)<br />
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Do we want to mention the vampire taps in both the article and trivia? Cause that's how it currently is. [[User:Zman350x|Zman350x]] ([[User talk:Zman350x|talk]]) 21:27, 16 August 2021 (UTC)<br />
:No. Have removed trivia. --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 07:20, 17 August 2021 (UTC)<br />
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My first comment too! Where it says... "The implication is that any cable can be connected to any other cable as a form of universal adapter/splitter/combiner"... That's not the title text joke. It's that a device like an iPad could also be impaled on the spike, making electrical connection to its innards. It says nothing about cable to cable connections. [[Special:Contributions/108.162.246.18|108.162.246.18]] 21:47, 16 August 2021 (UTC)<br />
:Didn't see this comment until I intervened, under the same impression, but I totally agree. Looked like an orphan comment intended for the pre-titletext 'explanation'. Still valid, and rather than move it I expanded it to fit better where it is. Doubt it'll be the 'final' version, though. (Anecdotal explanation of my thinking: If I put my tablet down on my opened laptop, it'll sometimes 'agitate' the laptop trackpad. Technically I could probably get the tablet to control this inbuilt mouse deliberately through whatever ¿field-effect? is interacting with the ¿capacitative? finger-sensor. I am imagining something like this (only more puncturing!) is what is 'promised' if I impale two otherwise incompatible devices on the same spike. But also lets one connect otherwise incompatible cables to further cables/devices. Like I don't have an ethernet dongle that works with the tablet, but spike them both and I'd be laughing.... Right?) [[Special:Contributions/172.69.54.202|172.69.54.202]] 03:14, 17 August 2021 (UTC)<br />
::The title text is also about old types of cables and not just smartphones and tablet. --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 07:20, 17 August 2021 (UTC)<br />
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This explanation does not answer the one question I came here to find the answer to, namely why it is named “memo spike.” [[Special:Contributions/108.162.219.79|108.162.219.79]] 03:19, 17 August 2021 (UTC)<br />
:Some (not me, but that's because I've never used one in anger, maybe) seem to call the non-connector thing that the connector is based around a "memo spike". Apparently one can impale successive memos (in a memo-heavy administration job?) upon the spike and then later thread a chord (or treasury tag?) through the holes to perpetuate their 'spiked collection' status. It's possible there are other names (like: thumb-tack <=> drawing pin), but this is how Randall identifies it. Better than "that thing you spike paper onto - but now with ''power!!!111oneoneone''", etc... 'Though YMMV. [[Special:Contributions/141.101.76.253|141.101.76.253]] 03:56, 17 August 2021 (UTC)<br />
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The detail on the free cable end is more clearly visible in the [https://imgs.xkcd.com/comics/memo_spike_connector_2x.png double-sized image version], suggesting that it isn't just a coax. [[User:BunsenH|BunsenH]] ([[User talk:BunsenH|talk]]) 04:28, 17 August 2021 (UTC)<br />
:It is actually the x2 version that is now showed per default on the xkcd page, and thus it is that one that should be used here on xkcd.. ie. the one you are presented with on xkcd. Have uploaded that version to explain now. --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 07:20, 17 August 2021 (UTC)<br />
::"It is actually the x2 version that is now showed per default on the xkcd page" - you're wrong about that. The x2 is an optional image if the markup-linked code decides it wants to make it the embedded image. Maybe that becomes default in your case, but don't assume it's true for everyone, all the time. (You can break the explainxkcd page rendering for people, like me, if you force a typical x2 image into here, even when xkcs original is sane ''and'' allows deliberate zooming.)<br />
::My suggestion in this case/similar is to clip the detail from the x2 to highlight the feature and embed this exact bit in the explanation, if you want to make sure everyone sees the high-res version of that bit in particular. [[Special:Contributions/141.101.105.137|141.101.105.137]] 13:41, 17 August 2021 (UTC)<br />
::I have added an imagesize parameter, so it renders with the 'standard' size while keeping the detail from the 2x version when viewing the file's page. [[User:Theusaf|theusaf]] ([[User talk:Theusaf|talk]]) 16:32, 17 August 2021 (UTC)<br />
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Possibly a reference to the 1987 movie RoboCop; the titular character had a similar looking data spike used to interface with OCP computers. [[Special:Contributions/172.70.130.225|172.70.130.225]] 19:16, 17 August 2021 (UTC)</div>172.70.130.225https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=2502:_Every_Data_Table&diff=2165252502: Every Data Table2021-08-14T01:24:59Z<p>172.70.130.225: /* Explanation */</p>
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<div>{{comic<br />
| number = 2502<br />
| date = August 13, 2021<br />
| title = Every Data Table<br />
| image = every data table.png<br />
| titletext = "I'm hoping 2022 is relatively normal because I don't know what symbol comes after the asterisk and the dagger."<br />
| imagesize =<br />
}}<br />
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==Explanation==<br />
{{incomplete|Created by ASTERIX and OBELIX. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}<br />
This comic is part of a series of comics about the COVID pandemic<br />
<br />
The COVID pandemic has had a large impact on the entire world and one way this can be seen is through strange stats resulting from the effects of the pandemic. Various statistics such as employment statistics, spending power, holiday miles, pet ownerships, births (or at least conceptions) and &mdash; naturally &mdash; deaths may have been either grossly suppressed/increased for the majority of 2020, and for 2021 may have hardly recovered, partially recovered, renormalised, bounced back with a vengeance or be over-compensated for in the effort to catch up.<br />
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It is hard to know what 2022 might be like. Nothing (at the time of this comic being published) is exactly back to normal and proper recovery or the resulting compensatory readjustment may not have concluded in time for 2022 to reflect the trends expected based upon pre-2020 figures, and the additional further years that future statistics will record.<br />
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As an example, the four-year rolling average of total number of Olympic Games per year (normally a steady 0.25, 0.5, 0.75 or 1, depending upon whether the Winter Olympics and/or (Winter) Paralympics are included) will actually show a discrepancy for the next few years of a type not seen since the 1990s (when the all the Winter games were shifted away from the Summer games' years), the 1960s (the start of the Summer Paralympics) or the 1940s (the last major interuption in the main Summer Olympic cycle).<br />
<br />
Sometimes punctuation such as an asterisk (*) or a dagger (†, also called an obelisk) is used to denote an unusual entry in a table to be explained in a footnote with a matching symbol. Common symbols that are used if the first two are taken include multiple asterisks (such as ** or ***), or a series of further symbols such as a double dagger (‡), the section symbol/silcrow (§), the parallel/double-pipe (‖) and the paragraph symbol/pilcrow (¶)and numbers(123).<br />
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The author, however, seems to have forgotten the potential monkey's paw nature of his wish. Relative is a relative term. It could well be that the whole pandemic thing becomes the new normal, thus removing the necessity of using symbols to delineate such years.<br />
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== Transcript ==<br />
<br />
:2017....... (scribble)<br />
:2018....... (scribble)<br />
:2019....... (scribble)<br />
:2020*...... (scribble)<br />
:2021†...... (scribble)<br />
:2022....... (scribble)<br />
:2023....... (scribble)<br />
:2024....... (scribble)<br />
<br />
Every data table from now on<br />
<br />
{{comic discussion}}<br />
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[[Category:COVID-19]]</div>172.70.130.225https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=Talk:2500:_Global_Temperature_Over_My_Lifetime&diff=216287Talk:2500: Global Temperature Over My Lifetime2021-08-09T18:16:30Z<p>172.70.130.225: </p>
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<div>The DgbrtBOT seems to be broken again. I created the page for this comic, and the previous comic explanation was also created manually. [[User:Natg19|Natg19]] ([[User talk:Natg19|talk]]) 18:00, 9 August 2021 (UTC)<br />
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Retired old guy here, I'm puzzled by the usage in the title text, "Then I realized, oh, right, of course." Is this meant to imply that Exxon controlled the use of petroleum over this time period, instead of just predicting the usage? [[Special:Contributions/172.70.130.225|172.70.130.225]] 18:16, 9 August 2021 (UTC)</div>172.70.130.225https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=Talk:2496:_Mine_Captcha&diff=215787Talk:2496: Mine Captcha2021-07-30T14:48:08Z<p>172.70.130.225: </p>
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<div><!--Please sign your posts with ~~~~ and don't delete this text. New comments should be added at the bottom.--><br />
Mines at:<br />
<br />
+----+<br />
| |<br />
|** |<br />
| * *|<br />
| |<br />
+----+<br />
<br />
[[User:Ezist|Ezist]] ([[User talk:Ezist|talk]]) 14:42, 30 July 2021 (UTC)<br />
<br />
:+1234<br />
:A2 1 <br />
:B??3 <br />
:C3? ?<br />
:D 1 1<br />
:concur.</div>172.70.130.225