https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/api.php?action=feedcontributions&user=172.70.211.92&feedformat=atomexplain xkcd - User contributions [en]2024-03-19T13:44:06ZUser contributionsMediaWiki 1.30.0https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=1208:_Footnote_Labyrinths&diff=3065721208: Footnote Labyrinths2023-02-21T06:41:22Z<p>172.70.211.92: /*The last explanation implied going from the bottom up, which was confusing. I expanded the interpretation which verifies the "no solution" answer via supertask. I know it's long, but I can't shorten it. I hope it's an interesting contribution! Tysm!*/</p>
<hr />
<div>{{comic<br />
| number = 1208<br />
| date = May 6, 2013<br />
| title = Footnote Labyrinths<br />
| image = footnote_labyrinths.png<br />
| titletext = Every time you read this mouseover, toggle between interpreting nested footnotes as footnotes on footnotes and interpreting them as exponents (minus one, modulo 6, plus 1).<br />
}}<br />
<br />
==Explanation==<br />
This is a logic puzzle where the reader has to follow a confusing network of footnotes to determine whether the word "no" is to be ignored or not.<br />
<br />
In the following solutions, "right-associative" means that the footnotes are evaluated from right to left or top to bottom, and left-associative from left to right or bottom to top (e.g. (2<sup>6</sup>)<sup><sup>3</sup></sup> is left-associative, and 2<sup>(6<sup>3</sup>)</sup> is right-associative).<br />
<br />
The term "ibid." is short for "ibidem", or "at the same place", meaning the reference was noted on the same page just before.<br />
<br />
;Interpreting nested footnotes as footnotes on footnotes, left-associative<br />
:no<sup>1<sup>2</sup></sup> = (no<sup>1</sup>)<sup><sup>2</sup></sup> = "ignore this" (it is meaningless to increment a phrase by 2), so the correct statement is "we found evidence for it in our data".<br />
<br />
;Interpreting nested footnotes as footnotes on footnotes, right-associative<br />
:"no<sup>1<sup>2</sup></sup>" = "no<sup>1 + 2</sup>" = "no<sup>3</sup>". We turn to the definition of <sup>3</sup>, which is "not true<sup>3<sup>2</sup></sup>" = "not true<sup>3 + 2</sup>" = "not true<sup>5</sup>".<br />
:Now <sup>5</sup> is "true<sup>2<sup>6<sup>3</sup></sup></sup>". Going from top down accordingly, the 3 tells us that the 6 is "not true<sup>5</sup>", getting us into an infinite loop, and if we are restricted to only following the footnotes step-by-step, then we will never reach a solution.<br />
:Suppose we ignore infinity momentarily, we can say there must be only two possibilities (though we have to be wary of paradoxes) for the meaning of <sup>6<sup>3</sup></sup>: either <sup>6</sup> is true, and thus the 2 is actually a 1 (ibid.), or <sup>6</sup> is false or ignored, and thus the 2 remains a 2. In the latter case, the resolution we see is "true<sup>2<sup>6<sup>3</sup></sup></sup>" = "true<sup>2</sup>". It is meaningless to increment a phrase by 2, so if we also require actions to have meaning, then footnote 2 must change to a 1.<br />
:Consequently, 6 must be true. We can finally resolve <sup>5</sup> = "true<sup>2<sup>6<sup>3</sup></sup></sup>" = "true<sup>1</sup>" is ignored. Since we now know that footnote 5 is ignored, we then go back to the definition of <sup>3</sup>, which we found was "not true<sup>5</sup>" = "not true".<br />
:Before returning to "no<sup>3</sup>", we see that this conclusion contradicts our previous assumption that 6 is true. In the definition of <sup>5</sup>, we found that it is ignored since we imposed "true<sup>2<sup>6<sup>3</sup></sup></sup>" = "true<sup>1</sup>", but we also found that the definition of <sup>3</sup> is "not true"; therefore, <sup>5</sup> = "true<sup>2</sup>" since it is not true that 2 is actually 1. Now we have reached our contradiction. The upshot is there really is no solution if we restrict footnotes to have only one meaning/definition (in other words, a footnote cannot be both true and not true).<br />
<br />
<br />
The title text suggests interpreting footnotes as exponents (minus one, modulo 6, plus 1). Because applying the operations "minus one, modulo 6, plus 1" to an integer always results in an integer between one and six (inclusive), no sequence of integer exponents will ever end up referencing a footnote that does not exist. In mathematics, nested exponents are exclusively right-associative. "no<sup>1<sup>2</sup></sup>" = "no<sup>1</sup>", so we ignore the "no" and the correct statement is "we found evidence for the data." Meanwhile, <sup>3</sup> becomes "not true<sup>3</sup>", an {{w|infinite recursion}}, and since 2<sup>6<sup>3</sup></sup> mod 6 = 4, we just get "ibid" and the 5 refers back to the 3. Footnote 6 is equivalent to 1<sup>4</sup> = 1 = "ignore this".<br />
<br />
The comic [[1184: Circumference Formula]] is also playing on the typographical similarity between footnotes and exponents, as well as adding even more ridiculous rules.<br />
<br />
==Transcript==<br />
:[Excerpt from what appears to be an academic paper with footnotes.]<br />
:experiments to observe this and we found no<sup>1<sup>2</sup></sup> evidence for it in our data.<br />
<br />
:<sup>1</sup>Ignore this<br />
:<sup>2</sup>Increment by 2 before following<br />
:<sup>3</sup>Not true<sup>3<sup>2</sup></sup><br />
:<sup>4</sup>Ibid.<br />
:<sup>5</sup>True<sup>2<sup>6<sup>3</sup></sup></sup><br />
:<sup>6</sup>Actually a 1<sup>2<sup>2</sup></sup><br />
<br />
{{comic discussion}}<br />
[[Category:My Hobby]]<br />
[[Category:Footnotes]]</div>172.70.211.92https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=Talk:2736:_Only_Serifs&diff=306131Talk:2736: Only Serifs2023-02-11T18:17:57Z<p>172.70.211.92: </p>
<hr />
<div><!--Please sign your posts with ~~~~ and don't delete this text. New comments should be added at the bottom.--><br />
<br />
first two letters are "A" and "R" I think [[Special:Contributions/172.71.167.10|172.71.167.10]] 04:35, 11 February 2023 (UTC)Bumpf<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
It's AaBbCcDd. Most likely in Caslon, based on the uppercase A. [[Special:Contributions/172.68.174.149|172.68.174.149]] 04:54, 11 February 2023 (UTC)<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
So much for a hidden message. [[Special:Contributions/172.68.238.22|172.68.238.22]] 05:05, 11 February 2023 (UTC)<br />
<br />
<br />
If we've come to this page for an explanation, we probably don't know what a "solum-serif font" is. update the transcript with something more widely known? [[Special:Contributions/172.69.65.224|172.69.65.224]] 05:42, 11 February 2023 (UTC)<br />
:Agreed, enthusiastically! Someone trying to show off, Google doesn't even know what it means, it found ONE result, which is a font of curved corners someone made (when I put "solum-serif" in quotes, to not allow Google to just search one or the other). But while I was Googling someone fixed it before I could, LOL! Which is weird as it's past midnight here in the Eastern time zone. :) [[User:NiceGuy1|NiceGuy1]] ([[User talk:NiceGuy1|talk]]) 05:56, 11 February 2023 (UTC)<br />
:: Perhaps you haven't realised that nighttime for Americans is daytime for, um, somewhere around 80-90% of the world's population? [[User:Paddles|Paddles]] ([[User talk:Paddles|talk]]) 14:54, 11 February 2023 (UTC)<br />
<br />
::I think that's probably because it was a joke. In fact the ridiculous of the notion of a "solum-serif" font is more or less the entirety of the joke of this comic. You're right, in the future we should make sure that these descriptions are devoid of humor.[[Special:Contributions/172.70.211.92|172.70.211.92]] 18:17, 11 February 2023 (UTC)<br />
<br />
There was a whole thing on Wikipedia about formatting the f symbol for an arbitrary function. One camp held that f is just f, it always is and always was and if you italicize f in a san-serif font, you get an oblique ''f'' but if you italicize f in a serif font, you get a proper italic version, which I'm not sure how to display here. The italic f resembles ƒ, a character called the "hooked f," which is technically an oblique f with a descender ("hook"). That symbol has been used for florins, but sometimes it is also used to imitate the italic f to represent functions, because it has the descender in all environments. But Wikipedia uses a san-serif script, while most mathematical literature uses a serif script. However, it renders expressions in LaTeX with serif fonts and therefore these equations get an f with a descender. So some people were arguing that given this environment, the ƒ character was practically superior, even if it was conceptually wrong, because it most closely resembled the formatted LaTeX expressions. And on and on with the back and forth. I'm glad they eventually settled on just using f for f, like they use g for g and h for h, but still, it was amusingly nitpicky. [[Special:Contributions/172.70.100.50|172.70.100.50]] 07:58, 11 February 2023 (UTC)<br />
:What you listed as resembling italic f looks on my system like ⨍. There are lots of fun variations (some unrelated, just similar looking): ∫⨎ʄ∮∬∰⨏ƒʆᶘᔑ [[User:Fabian42|Fabian42]] ([[User talk:Fabian42|talk]]) 08:48, 11 February 2023 (UTC)<br />
<br />
The title text teases the idea of a font made by adding the Times New Roman serifs to Comic Sans, and now I actually want to see such a cursed font. [[Special:Contributions/108.162.241.237|108.162.241.237]] 11:03, 11 February 2023 (UTC)<br />
<br />
<br />
I think Caslon is correct:<br />
[https://ibb.co/J2WhP1g Caslon] [https://ibb.co/MG77JMX Overlay] [https://ibb.co/3yQtqbN Low Opacity Overlay]<br />
via [http://www.identifont.com/identify?58+.+5J+1JU+3YB+3RZ+35YX+94+JIA+58C+97+22X+8R8+1JY+2Z3A+6ZR+3Q+5BU+9J+1L0+76P+8Z+1QN+7UF+DG+5QE+J+JPK+8C+99+PAE+2AA6+2ZI+8X+8W+8J+1KS+JI6+2Z36+79+8E+53K+2E+1KI+8N+7VS+7S+2C6+1U6+8A+8R0+8F+3WO+2ZGL+1LA+7G+1QY+8B+A0 questions] in Identifont. If someone can add these to the wiki, please do. [[User:DragonDave|DragonDave]] ([[User talk:DragonDave|talk]]) 12:55 11 February 2023 (UTC)<br />
<br />
I wonder if this is related to the US State Department dropping Times Roman in favor of Calibri, under the argument that the latter is easier to read. --[[Special:Contributions/172.70.114.198|172.70.114.198]] 13:47, 11 February 2023 (UTC)<br />
<br />
I call these fonts seul serif, keeping with the theme of using French terminology. [[Special:Contributions/172.71.147.59|172.71.147.59]] 16:30, 11 February 2023 (UTC)<br />
<br />
A free, existing example of [http://www.fontgrill.com/fonts/free/comic-serif/comic-serif.php Comic Serif].<br />
[[Special:Contributions/172.70.214.242|172.70.214.242]] 16:43, 11 February 2023 (UTC)<br />
<br />
^ TBH Comic Serif doesn't look half bad, if only it had a consistent baseline [[Special:Contributions/198.41.231.179|198.41.231.179]] 17:01, 11 February 2023 (UTC)</div>172.70.211.92https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=2732:_Bursa_of_Fabricius&diff=3056352732: Bursa of Fabricius2023-02-01T20:21:47Z<p>172.70.211.92: /* Explanation */ more</p>
<hr />
<div>{{comic<br />
| number = 2732<br />
| date = February 1, 2023<br />
| title = Bursa of Fabricius<br />
| image = bursa_of_fabricius_2x.png<br />
| imagesize = 298x399px<br />
| noexpand = true<br />
| titletext = If an anatomical structure is named for a person, it means they were the only person to have it. Pierre Paul Broca had a special area of his brain that created powerful magnetic fields, enabling him to do 19th century fMRI research.<br />
}}<br />
<br />
==Explanation==<br />
{{incomplete|Created by FLYING SCIENTISTS WITH SUPERPOWERS - Please change this comment when editing this page. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}<br />
<br />
The {{w|Bursa of Fabricius}} is an organ found in birds that is necessary for the development of the immune system. In addition, the comic also claims that 16th century anatomist {{w|Hieronymus Fabricius}} (whom the organ was named for) was able to fly because he also had that organ.<br />
<br />
Many scientific and mathematical discoveries, including anatomical structures, are named after the people who discovered them. The title text claims that in the case of anatomical structures, the anatomical structure is named after the only person to have it in their body. This would seem to be highly unlikely given the limits of biology.{{citation needed}} {{w|Pierre Paul Broca}} was a French physician, anatomist and anthropologist, known for his research on {{w|Broca's area}}, a region of the brain named after him that is used for speech and language processing. Broca did not do fMRI research, as it was not invented in his lifetime, but was able to study brains of speech-impaired patients of his who had died.<br />
<br />
==Transcript==<br />
{{incomplete transcript|Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}<br />
:[A Cueball-like man wearing a hat, and a Megan-like woman wearing a wig look up at a man with bald-patches flying in the air]<br />
:[Header on top of the image]:<br />
:The ''bursa of Fabricius'' is a lymphoid organ found only in birds and in 16th century anatomist Hieronymus Fabricius, to whom it conferred the power of flight.<br />
:Hieronymus Fabricius: Wheee<br />
<br />
{{comic discussion}}<br />
[[Category:Biology]]<br />
[[Category:Animals]]<br />
[[Category:Comics featuring real people]]<br />
[[Category:Characters with hats]]</div>172.70.211.92https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=2732:_Bursa_of_Fabricius&diff=3056342732: Bursa of Fabricius2023-02-01T20:20:54Z<p>172.70.211.92: /* Transcript */ fix</p>
<hr />
<div>{{comic<br />
| number = 2732<br />
| date = February 1, 2023<br />
| title = Bursa of Fabricius<br />
| image = bursa_of_fabricius_2x.png<br />
| imagesize = 298x399px<br />
| noexpand = true<br />
| titletext = If an anatomical structure is named for a person, it means they were the only person to have it. Pierre Paul Broca had a special area of his brain that created powerful magnetic fields, enabling him to do 19th century fMRI research.<br />
}}<br />
<br />
==Explanation==<br />
{{incomplete|Created by FLYING SCIENTISTS WITH SUPERPOWERS - Please change this comment when editing this page. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}<br />
<br />
The {{w|Bursa of Fabricius}} is an organ found in birds that is necessary for the development of the immune system. In addition, the comic also claims that 16th century anatomist {{w|Hieronymus Fabricius}} (whom the organ was named for) was able to fly because he also had that organ.<br />
<br />
Many scientific and mathematical discoveries, including anatomical structures, are named after the people who discovered them. The title text claims that in the case of anatomical structures, the anatomical structure is named after the only person to have it in their body. This would seem to be highly unlikely given the limits of biology.{{citation needed}} {{w|Pierre Paul Broca}} was a French physician, known for his research on {{w|Broca's area}}, a region of the brain named after him that is used for speech and language processing. Broca did not do fMRI research, as it was not invented in his lifetime, but was able to study brains of speech-impaired patients of his who had died.<br />
<br />
==Transcript==<br />
{{incomplete transcript|Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}<br />
:[A Cueball-like man wearing a hat, and a Megan-like woman wearing a wig look up at a man with bald-patches flying in the air]<br />
:[Header on top of the image]:<br />
:The ''bursa of Fabricius'' is a lymphoid organ found only in birds and in 16th century anatomist Hieronymus Fabricius, to whom it conferred the power of flight.<br />
:Hieronymus Fabricius: Wheee<br />
<br />
{{comic discussion}}<br />
[[Category:Biology]]<br />
[[Category:Animals]]<br />
[[Category:Comics featuring real people]]<br />
[[Category:Characters with hats]]</div>172.70.211.92https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=2731:_K-Means_Clustering&diff=3056332731: K-Means Clustering2023-02-01T20:18:22Z<p>172.70.211.92: /* Transcript */ use correct cat</p>
<hr />
<div>{{comic<br />
| number = 2731<br />
| date = January 30, 2023<br />
| title = K-Means Clustering<br />
| image = k_means_clustering_2x.png<br />
| imagesize = 320x385px<br />
| noexpand = true<br />
| titletext = According to my especially unsupervised K-means clustering algorithm, there are currently about 8 billion types of people in the world.<br />
}}<br />
<br />
==Explanation==<br />
{{incomplete|Created by 3 TYPES OF EDITORS - Please change this comment when editing this page. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}<br />
[[Ponytail]] is giving a talk about her research groups analysis of which different types of people there are in the world.<br />
<br />
A popular class of wry observations use the {{wiktionary|snowclone}} "There are two types of people in the world... those that do A, and those that do B". Here B will usually, though not always, be some antithesis of A. The most self-referent version is the joke "There are two types of people in the world - those that divide people into two types, and those that don't". Other well known versions include: "There are three types of people in the world - those who can count, and those who can't" and "There are two types of people in the world - those that can extrapolate... "<br />
<br />
Ponytail uses {{w|K-means_clustering|''k''-means clustering}} with k=3. This is a method of categorizing data. To explain how it works, imagine a set of people of various heights and weights, that should be split into 3 groups (which gives k the value 3). One way to do this would be to plot the data onto a scatter chart; then pick three points at random for reference; then sort the people according to which point they are closest to, forming 3 initial groups. After forming 3 groups, the average of the data point of every item in each group is found; these average data points are used as new reference points to once again categorize all the data into 3 new groups. This process is repeated until the data converges; that is, the data points no longer change groups even after new reference points are picked.<br />
<br />
The ''k''-means algorithm is quite simple, which lends to its popularity, but it has a major drawback: the analyst has to determine how many groups (or clusters) to split the data into (that is, what to set k equal to). A value of k that doesn't match the underlying structure of data can yield a partitioning that's hard to explain in terms of properties that distinguish each cluster (in other words, their qualitative interpretation is unclear).<br />
<br />
Ponytail's determination that there are three clusters is unsurprising if she herself falls into the category of those who use k=3 as a fixed value, which will inevitably result in three data clusters. However, the joke is that while one group's trait is "uses K=3", this logically means all the data that isn't in the group does not use k=3... except that with two other groups, then that description applies to both, meaning what distinguishes the other two groups from each other is unclear.<br />
<br />
This could though easily have been fixed by saying those who use k-means clustering with k=3, those that use k<3 and those who use k>3. So splitting the rest up in just two groups would seem to be no problem... ''except'' for accounting for those who do not have a preconceived value of k at all! (Ideally, one perhaps finds the lowest practical k having the least amount of total scatter away from any cluster's focus, for which there are various competing solutions according to the details of the analysis.)<br />
<br />
In the title text Ponytail, or maybe it is [[Randall]], claims that: "According to my especially unsupervised K-means clustering algorithm, there are currently about 8 billion types of people in the world."<br />
<br />
This seems to be Randall saying that every human is unique and cannot be meaningfully clustered together in groups. The {{w|Day of Eight Billion|human population passed 8 billion on 2022-11-15}} two and a half months before this comic came out.<br />
<br />
The title text uses the K-means algorithm with an absurdly exaggerated variant of this problem. If the number of clusters is equal to the number of data points, each point will be assigned to a separate cluster for which there is an exact match; in other words, each member is the sole member of its own group. With such parameters, it makes it impossible to meaningfully comment on similarities between any two members. This is humorous because it would make the result useless for the purposes for which clustering algorithms are typically used, such as making insurance risk pools or targets of advertisement campaigns. In assessing whether ''k'' or ''k±1'' clusters are a more useful to describe data, a weighting related to the number of clusters, or the numbers of points per cluster, might encourage identical clusters (for exactly coincident member points) to be merged, as it should for near-identical source data such that it sufficiently embraces clustering - yet Randall's unconstrained algorithm seems to have no such metric and stops at the 'perfect' initial assumption where ''k≡n''.<br />
<br />
Interestingly, by including the entire human population, the algorithm should be immune to bias in creating its input data. However, if every human is unique as Randall's algorithm claims, the only way to have the clusters converge is to "throw out" some traits of humans as unimportant. This may be objectionable to humans who disagree with that assessment. In contrast, in a supervised algorithm, the training data is tagged with traits that the trainers seek. These traits could be applied in a manner that is socially unacceptable, and lead to AI behavior that reflects the biases of the trainers.<br />
<br />
==Transcript==<br />
:[Ponytail is standing on a podium pointing a stick towards a poster hanging behind her. The writings and figures on the poster are illegible. But there seems to be a large scatter plot at the top with a heading above it. Also a couple of tables beneath this. She addresses an unseen audience in front of the podium.]<br />
:Ponytail: Our analysis shows that there are three kinds of people in the world: <br />
:Ponytail: Those who use '''''k'''''-means clustering with k=3, and two other types whose qualitative interpretation is unclear.<br />
<br />
{{comic discussion}}<br />
<br />
[[Category:Comics featuring Ponytail]]<br />
[[Category:Public speaking]]<br />
[[Category:Statistics]]<br />
[[Category:Scientific research]]</div>172.70.211.92https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=2732:_Bursa_of_Fabricius&diff=3056322732: Bursa of Fabricius2023-02-01T20:16:18Z<p>172.70.211.92: /* Transcript */ fix</p>
<hr />
<div>{{comic<br />
| number = 2732<br />
| date = February 1, 2023<br />
| title = Bursa of Fabricius<br />
| image = bursa_of_fabricius_2x.png<br />
| imagesize = 298x399px<br />
| noexpand = true<br />
| titletext = If an anatomical structure is named for a person, it means they were the only person to have it. Pierre Paul Broca had a special area of his brain that created powerful magnetic fields, enabling him to do 19th century fMRI research.<br />
}}<br />
<br />
==Explanation==<br />
{{incomplete|Created by FLYING SCIENTISTS WITH SUPERPOWERS - Please change this comment when editing this page. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}<br />
<br />
The {{w|Bursa of Fabricius}} is an organ found in birds that is necessary for the development of the immune system. In addition, the comic also claims that 16th century anatomist {{w|Hieronymus Fabricius}} (whom the organ was named for) was able to fly because he also had that organ.<br />
<br />
Many scientific and mathematical discoveries, including anatomical structures, are named after the people who discovered them. The title text claims that in the case of anatomical structures, the anatomical structure is named after the only person to have it in their body. This would seem to be highly unlikely given the limits of biology.{{citation needed}} {{w|Pierre Paul Broca}} was a French physician, known for his research on {{w|Broca's area}}, a region of the brain named after him that is used for speech and language processing. Broca did not do fMRI research, as it was not invented in his lifetime, but was able to study brains of speech-impaired patients of his who had died.<br />
<br />
==Transcript==<br />
{{incomplete transcript|Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}<br />
:[A Cueball-like man wearing a hat, and a Megan-like woman wearing a wig look up at a man with bald-patches flying in the air]<br />
:[Header on top of the image]:<br />
:The ''bursa of Fabricius'' is a lymphoid organ found only in birds and in 16th century anatomist Hieronymus Fabricius, to whom it conferred the power of flight.<br />
:Flying man: Wheeee<br />
<br />
{{comic discussion}}<br />
[[Category:Biology]]<br />
[[Category:Animals]]<br />
[[Category:Comics featuring real people]]<br />
[[Category:Characters with hats]]</div>172.70.211.92https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=2732:_Bursa_of_Fabricius&diff=3056312732: Bursa of Fabricius2023-02-01T20:14:24Z<p>172.70.211.92: /* Explanation */ more</p>
<hr />
<div>{{comic<br />
| number = 2732<br />
| date = February 1, 2023<br />
| title = Bursa of Fabricius<br />
| image = bursa_of_fabricius_2x.png<br />
| imagesize = 298x399px<br />
| noexpand = true<br />
| titletext = If an anatomical structure is named for a person, it means they were the only person to have it. Pierre Paul Broca had a special area of his brain that created powerful magnetic fields, enabling him to do 19th century fMRI research.<br />
}}<br />
<br />
==Explanation==<br />
{{incomplete|Created by FLYING SCIENTISTS WITH SUPERPOWERS - Please change this comment when editing this page. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}<br />
<br />
The {{w|Bursa of Fabricius}} is an organ found in birds that is necessary for the development of the immune system. In addition, the comic also claims that 16th century anatomist {{w|Hieronymus Fabricius}} (whom the organ was named for) was able to fly because he also had that organ.<br />
<br />
Many scientific and mathematical discoveries, including anatomical structures, are named after the people who discovered them. The title text claims that in the case of anatomical structures, the anatomical structure is named after the only person to have it in their body. This would seem to be highly unlikely given the limits of biology.{{citation needed}} {{w|Pierre Paul Broca}} was a French physician, known for his research on {{w|Broca's area}}, a region of the brain named after him that is used for speech and language processing. Broca did not do fMRI research, as it was not invented in his lifetime, but was able to study brains of speech-impaired patients of his who had died.<br />
<br />
==Transcript==<br />
{{incomplete transcript|Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}<br />
:[A Cueball-like man wearing a hat, and a Megan-like woman wearing a wig look up at a man with bald-patches flying in the air]<br />
:[Header on top of the image]:<br />
:The ''bursa of Fabricius'' is a lymphoid organ found only in birds and in 16th century anatomist Hieronymus Fabricius, to whom it conferred the power of flight.<br />
:Flying man: Wheeee<br />
<br />
{{comic discussion}}<br />
[[Category:Biology]]<br />
[[Category:Comics featuring real people]]<br />
[[Category:Animals]]<br />
[[Category:Hats]]</div>172.70.211.92https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=2732:_Bursa_of_Fabricius&diff=3056292732: Bursa of Fabricius2023-02-01T20:09:02Z<p>172.70.211.92: /* Explanation */ not saying anything about birds flying</p>
<hr />
<div>{{comic<br />
| number = 2732<br />
| date = February 1, 2023<br />
| title = Bursa of Fabricius<br />
| image = bursa_of_fabricius_2x.png<br />
| imagesize = 298x399px<br />
| noexpand = true<br />
| titletext = If an anatomical structure is named for a person, it means they were the only person to have it. Pierre Paul Broca had a special area of his brain that created powerful magnetic fields, enabling him to do 19th century fMRI research.<br />
}}<br />
<br />
==Explanation==<br />
{{incomplete|Created by FLYING SCIENTISTS WITH SUPERPOWERS - Please change this comment when editing this page. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}<br />
<br />
The {{w|Bursa of Fabricius}} is an organ found in birds that is necessary for the development of the immune system. In addition, the comic also claims that 16th century anatomist {{w|Hieronymus Fabricius}} was able to fly because he also had that organ.<br />
<br />
Many scientific and mathematical discoveries, including anatomical structures, are named after the people who discovered them. The title text claims that in the case of anatomical structures, the anatomical structure is named after the only person to have it in their body. This would seem to be highly unlikely given the limits of biology.{{citation needed}} {{w|Pierre Paul Broca}} was a French physician, known for his research on {{w|Broca's area}}, a region of the brain that is named after him.<br />
<br />
==Transcript==<br />
{{incomplete transcript|Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}<br />
:[A Cueball-like man wearing a hat, and a Megan-like woman wearing a wig look up at a man with bald-patches flying in the air]<br />
:[Header on top of the image]:<br />
:The ''bursa of Fabricius'' is a lymphoid organ found only in birds and in 16th century anatomist Hieronymus Fabricius, to whom it conferred the power of flight.<br />
:Flying man: Wheeee<br />
<br />
{{comic discussion}}<br />
[[Category:Biology]]<br />
[[Category:Comics featuring real people]]<br />
[[Category:Animals]]<br />
[[Category:Hats]]</div>172.70.211.92https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=2732:_Bursa_of_Fabricius&diff=3056282732: Bursa of Fabricius2023-02-01T20:07:18Z<p>172.70.211.92: /* Transcript */ ce</p>
<hr />
<div>{{comic<br />
| number = 2732<br />
| date = February 1, 2023<br />
| title = Bursa of Fabricius<br />
| image = bursa_of_fabricius_2x.png<br />
| imagesize = 298x399px<br />
| noexpand = true<br />
| titletext = If an anatomical structure is named for a person, it means they were the only person to have it. Pierre Paul Broca had a special area of his brain that created powerful magnetic fields, enabling him to do 19th century fMRI research.<br />
}}<br />
<br />
==Explanation==<br />
{{incomplete|Created by FLYING SCIENTISTS WITH SUPERPOWERS - Please change this comment when editing this page. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}<br />
<br />
The {{w|Bursa of Fabricius}} is an organ found in birds that, contrary to the comic, is necessary for the development of the immune system. The comic suggests that this organ is responsible for the ability of birds to fly.<br />
<br />
In addition, the comic also claims that 16th century anatomist {{w|Hieronymus Fabricius}} was able to fly because he also had that organ.<br />
<br />
Many scientific and mathematical discoveries, including anatomical structures, are named after the people who discovered them. The title text claims that in the case of anatomical structures, the anatomical structure is named after the only person to have it in their body. This would seem to be highly unlikely given the limits of biology.{{citation needed}} {{w|Pierre Paul Broca}} was a French physician, known for his research on {{w|Broca's area}}, a region of the brain that is named after him.<br />
<br />
==Transcript==<br />
{{incomplete transcript|Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}<br />
:[A Cueball-like man wearing a hat, and a Megan-like woman wearing a wig look up at a man with bald-patches flying in the air]<br />
:[Header on top of the image]:<br />
:The ''bursa of Fabricius'' is a lymphoid organ found only in birds and in 16th century anatomist Hieronymus Fabricius, to whom it conferred the power of flight.<br />
:Flying man: Wheeee<br />
<br />
{{comic discussion}}<br />
[[Category:Biology]]<br />
[[Category:Comics featuring real people]]<br />
[[Category:Animals]]<br />
[[Category:Hats]]</div>172.70.211.92https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=2732:_Bursa_of_Fabricius&diff=3056262732: Bursa of Fabricius2023-02-01T20:06:39Z<p>172.70.211.92: /* Transcript */ start</p>
<hr />
<div>{{comic<br />
| number = 2732<br />
| date = February 1, 2023<br />
| title = Bursa of Fabricius<br />
| image = bursa_of_fabricius_2x.png<br />
| imagesize = 298x399px<br />
| noexpand = true<br />
| titletext = If an anatomical structure is named for a person, it means they were the only person to have it. Pierre Paul Broca had a special area of his brain that created powerful magnetic fields, enabling him to do 19th century fMRI research.<br />
}}<br />
<br />
==Explanation==<br />
{{incomplete|Created by FLYING SCIENTISTS WITH SUPERPOWERS - Please change this comment when editing this page. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}<br />
<br />
The {{w|Bursa of Fabricius}} is an organ found in birds that, contrary to the comic, is necessary for the development of the immune system. The comic suggests that this organ is responsible for the ability of birds to fly.<br />
<br />
In addition, the comic also claims that 16th century anatomist {{w|Hieronymus Fabricius}} was able to fly because he also had that organ.<br />
<br />
Many scientific and mathematical discoveries, including anatomical structures, are named after the people who discovered them. The title text claims that in the case of anatomical structures, the anatomical structure is named after the only person to have it in their body. This would seem to be highly unlikely given the limits of biology.{{citation needed}} {{w|Pierre Paul Broca}} was a French physician, known for his research on {{w|Broca's area}}, a region of the brain that is named after him.<br />
<br />
==Transcript==<br />
{{incomplete transcript|Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}<br />
:[A Cueball-like man wearing a hat, and a Megan-like woman wearing a wig look up at a man with bald-patches flying in the air]<br />
:[Header on top of the image]:<br />
:The '''''bursa of Fabricius''''' is a lymphoid organ found only in birds and in 16th century anatomist Hieronymus Fabricius, to whom it conferred the power of flight.<br />
:Flying man: Wheeee<br />
<br />
{{comic discussion}}<br />
[[Category:Biology]]<br />
[[Category:Comics featuring real people]]<br />
[[Category:Animals]]<br />
[[Category:Hats]]</div>172.70.211.92https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=2732:_Bursa_of_Fabricius&diff=3056252732: Bursa of Fabricius2023-02-01T20:03:29Z<p>172.70.211.92: /* Transcript */ birds</p>
<hr />
<div>{{comic<br />
| number = 2732<br />
| date = February 1, 2023<br />
| title = Bursa of Fabricius<br />
| image = bursa_of_fabricius_2x.png<br />
| imagesize = 298x399px<br />
| noexpand = true<br />
| titletext = If an anatomical structure is named for a person, it means they were the only person to have it. Pierre Paul Broca had a special area of his brain that created powerful magnetic fields, enabling him to do 19th century fMRI research.<br />
}}<br />
<br />
==Explanation==<br />
{{incomplete|Created by FLYING SCIENTISTS WITH SUPERPOWERS - Please change this comment when editing this page. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}<br />
<br />
The {{w|Bursa of Fabricius}} is an organ found in birds that, contrary to the comic, is necessary for the development of the immune system. The comic suggests that this organ is responsible for the ability of birds to fly.<br />
<br />
In addition, the comic also claims that 16th century anatomist {{w|Hieronymus Fabricius}} was able to fly because he also had that organ.<br />
<br />
Many scientific and mathematical discoveries, including anatomical structures, are named after the people who discovered them. The title text claims that in the case of anatomical structures, the anatomical structure is named after the only person to have it in their body. This would seem to be highly unlikely given the limits of biology.{{citation needed}} {{w|Pierre Paul Broca}} was a French physician, known for his research on {{w|Broca's area}}, a region of the brain that is named after him.<br />
<br />
==Transcript==<br />
{{incomplete transcript|Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}<br />
<br />
{{comic discussion}}<br />
[[Category:Biology]]<br />
[[Category:Comics featuring real people]]<br />
[[Category:Animals]]</div>172.70.211.92https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=2732:_Bursa_of_Fabricius&diff=3056242732: Bursa of Fabricius2023-02-01T20:02:13Z<p>172.70.211.92: /* Explanation */ more</p>
<hr />
<div>{{comic<br />
| number = 2732<br />
| date = February 1, 2023<br />
| title = Bursa of Fabricius<br />
| image = bursa_of_fabricius_2x.png<br />
| imagesize = 298x399px<br />
| noexpand = true<br />
| titletext = If an anatomical structure is named for a person, it means they were the only person to have it. Pierre Paul Broca had a special area of his brain that created powerful magnetic fields, enabling him to do 19th century fMRI research.<br />
}}<br />
<br />
==Explanation==<br />
{{incomplete|Created by FLYING SCIENTISTS WITH SUPERPOWERS - Please change this comment when editing this page. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}<br />
<br />
The {{w|Bursa of Fabricius}} is an organ found in birds that, contrary to the comic, is necessary for the development of the immune system. The comic suggests that this organ is responsible for the ability of birds to fly.<br />
<br />
In addition, the comic also claims that 16th century anatomist {{w|Hieronymus Fabricius}} was able to fly because he also had that organ.<br />
<br />
Many scientific and mathematical discoveries, including anatomical structures, are named after the people who discovered them. The title text claims that in the case of anatomical structures, the anatomical structure is named after the only person to have it in their body. This would seem to be highly unlikely given the limits of biology.{{citation needed}} {{w|Pierre Paul Broca}} was a French physician, known for his research on {{w|Broca's area}}, a region of the brain that is named after him.<br />
<br />
==Transcript==<br />
{{incomplete transcript|Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}<br />
<br />
{{comic discussion}}<br />
[[Category:Biology]]<br />
[[Category:Comics featuring real people]]</div>172.70.211.92https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=2659:_Unreliable_Connection&diff=3053242659: Unreliable Connection2023-01-27T04:40:07Z<p>172.70.211.92: </p>
<hr />
<div>Are you tired of struggling to get your website to rank on the first page of Google? Do you want to increase your online visibility and drive more traffic to your site?<br />
<br />
Introducing https://www.xoxourl.com/backlinkmaker , the ultimate backlink building software that can help you achieve just that. Our software is designed to help you build high-quality backlinks from reputable sources, which is one of the most important factors that Google and other search engines consider when ranking websites.<br />
<br />
With https://www.xoxourl.com/backlinkmaker , you can:<br />
<br />
Easily find and connect with relevant websites to build backlinks<br />
Monitor your backlink progress and track your competitors<br />
Boost your search engine rankings and drive more traffic to your site<br />
Don't miss out on this opportunity to take your website to the next level. Try BacklinkMaker today and see the difference it can make for yourself.<br />
<br />
Best regards</div>172.70.211.92https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=1177:_Time_Robot&diff=3052171177: Time Robot2023-01-24T18:33:30Z<p>172.70.211.92: /* Explanation */</p>
<hr />
<div>{{comic<br />
| number = 1177<br />
| date = February 22, 2013<br />
| title = Time Robot<br />
| image = time robot.png<br />
| titletext = NO FATE BUT THE NARRATIVES WE IMPOSE ON LIFE'S RANDOM CHAOS TO DISTRACT OURSELVES FROM OUR EXISTENTIAL PLIGHT<br />
}}<br />
<br />
==Explanation==<br />
The comic starts with a scene similar to one in the 1984 science fiction action film ''{{w|The Terminator}}''. In the movie a killing robot (played by {{w|Arnold Schwarzenegger}}) is sent back in time to kill Sarah Connor, the main female protagonist of the movie. A human, Kyle Reese, also travels back in time to protect her (and he acquires a {{w|sawed-off shotgun}} which Cueball holds in the strip).<br />
<br />
However, in the following panels, Cueball explains that, even if he succeeds protecting Megan from the killing robot, we all are hunted by an unstoppable enemy trying to kill us – time. He goes on to point to the similarities between the time and a Terminator. The clock visible in the third panel features a red light in the place of a 3-hour marker, which is a reference to {{w|Terminator (character concept)#Physical characteristics|glowing red eyes}} of a Terminator.<br />
<br />
In the final panel, "come with me if you want to live" is a [[wikia:w:c:terminator:Come with me if you want to live|famous phrase from the movie]], but in this case, amended with the facts about the inevitability of eventual death.<br />
<br />
Also, the title text is a play on a quote from ''The Terminator'', where Sarah Connor starts to believe that "[[wikia:w:c:terminator:There's no fate but what we make for ourselves|There's no fate but what we make for ourselves.]]". It is also a reference to the character "{{w|Death (Discworld)|Death}}" in {{w|Terry Pratchett}}'s ''{{w|Discworld}}'' novels. In the Discworld novels, Death's voice is always depicted in <span style="font-variant:small-caps">small caps</span>.<br />
<br />
[[652: More Accurate]] is also riffing on Kyle Reese's introductory "Come with me if you want to live" line to Sarah Connor. The theme of the inevitability of the ravages of time is underlying [[926: Time Vulture]].<br />
<br />
==Transcript==<br />
:[Cueball runs towards Megan with a shotgun in hand.]<br />
:Cueball: I'm from the future!<br />
:Cueball: You're being stalked by an unstoppable robotic assassin!<br />
<br />
:[Close up of Cueball's head.]<br />
:Cueball: Of course, in a sense, we're ''all'' being stalked by an unstoppable robot.<br />
:Cueball: A robot called ''time''.<br />
<br />
:[Cueball looking at a clock.]<br />
:Cueball: I see it in the mirror. I see wrinkles, grey hairs.<br />
:Cueball: I hear its metallic footsteps in the relentless rhythm of the ticking clock.<br />
<br />
:[Cueball reaches out to Megan.]<br />
:Cueball: Anyway, uhh - come with me if you want to live for a while.<br />
:Cueball: You'll still die eventually.<br />
:Cueball: We all will.<br />
<br />
{{comic discussion}}<br />
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]<br />
[[Category:Comics featuring Megan]]<br />
[[Category:Comics with color]]<br />
[[Category:Robots]]<br />
[[Category:Time travel]]<br />
[[Category:Philosophy]]<br />
[[Category:Terminator]]</div>172.70.211.92https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=Talk:2716:_Game_Night_Ordering&diff=303495Talk:2716: Game Night Ordering2022-12-27T05:42:38Z<p>172.70.211.92: Duh</p>
<hr />
<div><!--Please sign your posts with ~~~~ and don't delete this text. New comments should be added at the bottom.--><br />
Should we create a category for comics about game night? It can contain at least this and https://xkcd.com/2486/. [[User:Barmar|Barmar]] ([[User talk:Barmar|talk]]) 22:32, 26 December 2022 (UTC)<br />
:I'm not going to oppose it, but keep in mind that it would overlap with [[:Category:Board games]]. --[[Special:Contributions/172.70.178.48|172.70.178.48]] 22:50, 26 December 2022 (UTC)<br />
::We absolutely need a general [[:Category:Games]] because we have e.g. roleplaying games under Board games. Does anyone know how to edit in a superclass category? The last time I ever did anything sophisticated with Mediawiki categories was like 2008. [[Special:Contributions/172.71.154.38|172.71.154.38]] 23:39, 26 December 2022 (UTC)<br />
<br />
The rules would seem to be similar to the card game Cheat (or, at least, the version we used to play). Using an ordinary wholly-dealt pack of cards (for any number of players), it was a "blind bid and discard" game whereby each player has to state "<one to four> <card value>s" (or more than four, with merged packs, each of which might be whole or partial) was going on the discard pile, such that the card value was within one (-1, =, +1, with standard wrapping ...>10>J>Q>K>A>2>...) of the prior stated discard. And ''something'' had to be discarded, whether or not the player could technically do so. The forfeit for not continuing play ''or'' challenging, within a generally acceptable thinking time, was the same for either being successfully challenged (you stated you put down two threes, but on checking the dump pile you discarded two sevens) or for the person who wrongly challenged... to pick up the discard pile and be so much further from the ultimate goal of ending up with zero cards (the first the winner, optionally the second, third, etc to do so to earn further ranks just for the sake of continuing/last-ranking the one who ended up as the only one still with cards). - I presume this game just applies the same penalty (buying the food) to anyone who dithers over whether to challenge anything or 'play their own hand'. There doesn't need to be anything more complicated to it. Unless there's also an 'empty hand' winning state, that I can't discern from the brief discourse given in the comic. But it seems more geared to finding the eventual 'loser' (the one who pays up) than any single beneficiary. [[Special:Contributions/162.158.34.230|162.158.34.230]] 23:17, 26 December 2022 (UTC)<br />
:If there is a link for Cheat you should add it. [[Special:Contributions/172.70.206.150|172.70.206.150]] 23:20, 26 December 2022 (UTC)<br />
::Well, I think there's far too many variations... Though, surprisingly, it does look like {{w|Cheat (game)}} actually describes ''my'' learnt version quite well. But I don't think I see any 'time out' penalties mentioned there, and that was the key part of the "play or challenge, don't dither, or you lose" bit to my (sorry, rather long) description above... [[Special:Contributions/162.158.34.230|162.158.34.230]] 23:27, 26 December 2022 (UTC)<br />
::: Never apologize for verbosity on talk; devote that energy to brevity on main. [[Special:Contributions/172.71.154.156|172.71.154.156]] 23:41, 26 December 2022 (UTC)<br />
::::We need a quotes page. [[Special:Contributions/172.70.206.150|172.70.206.150]] 02:13, 27 December 2022 (UTC)<br />
::(Plus there's the inverted "loser finder" rather than "winner finder" primary nature of the gameplay. It makes the methodology of play a bit too different.) [[Special:Contributions/162.158.34.231|162.158.34.231]] 23:30, 26 December 2022 (UTC)<br />
<br />
We should make a payment service for providing crowdfunded rewards to the best contributors to explanations. [[Special:Contributions/172.69.134.16|172.69.134.16]] 01:16, 27 December 2022 (UTC)<br />
:I love this idea but it would conflict with the ethos of completely anonymized contributions here. Unless someone can propose how it might not? I mean, if there was some way to include an SHA-256 identity-confirming hash in edit summaries? Would keeping track of them in terms of surviving text after, say, a month be a decent leaderboard scoring? [[Special:Contributions/172.69.33.84|172.69.33.84]] 01:42, 27 December 2022 (UTC)<br />
::My meager anonymous IP contributions to explanations have been completely dwarfed by my attempts to revert vandalism on the official main page leaderboard, but is that a good or a bad thing? The idea needs to be carefully considered. I would absolutely kick in $25 to support other explainers, but I would need some assurance that the system couldn't be gamed by, e.g. paraphrasers, which I'm not sure is even possible. [[User:Liv2splain|Liv2splain]] ([[User talk:Liv2splain|talk]]) 01:54, 27 December 2022 (UTC)<br />
::: It's easy to hijack someone else's contributions with paraphrasing and refactoring. It's a dead end. [[Special:Contributions/162.158.166.230|162.158.166.230]] 02:05, 27 December 2022 (UTC)<br />
:::: True, but is there a way to avoid the cheating? [[Special:Contributions/172.70.214.253|172.70.214.253]] 02:28, 27 December 2022 (UTC)<br />
::: I would probably also kick in $25 if the system was well-designed, even if it was vulnerable to paraphrasing or refactoring, as long as someone could call out such flaws as they happened. Never let the perfect be the enemy of the good. [[Special:Contributions/162.158.166.173|162.158.166.173]] 02:39, 27 December 2022 (UTC)<br />
:::: The operationalism issue is how to set up actual payment flows while still allowing criticisms of them. The cost to reverse a payment is too high compared to the relative number of payments you might want to reverse. [[Special:Contributions/172.71.158.90|172.71.158.90]] 05:33, 27 December 2022 (UTC)<br />
<br />
Is this about cryptocurrency scams? [[Special:Contributions/172.70.211.135|172.70.211.135]] 02:50, 27 December 2022 (UTC)<br />
:I want to [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wlMwc1c0HRQ&ab_channel=NickKing subscribe to your newsletter.] [[Special:Contributions/172.70.206.92|172.70.206.92]] 05:20, 27 December 2022 (UTC)<br />
<br />
Am I an idiot because I didn't know Amazon did food delivery before clicking on that first link? [[Special:Contributions/172.70.211.92|172.70.211.92]] 05:42, 27 December 2022 (UTC)</div>172.70.211.92https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=2716:_Game_Night_Ordering&diff=3034552716: Game Night Ordering2022-12-26T23:25:14Z<p>172.70.211.92: /* Explanation */ Cheat from talk</p>
<hr />
<div>{{comic<br />
| number = 2716<br />
| date = December 26, 2022<br />
| title = Game Night Ordering<br />
| image = game_night_ordering_2x.png<br />
| imagesize = 293x471px<br />
| noexpand = true<br />
| titletext = One good trick, if you get called on a fake service, is to build a working version of it and mention it again the next week.<br />
}}<br />
<br />
==Explanation==<br />
{{incomplete|Created by a BORED FOOD.NET DRIVER BETWEEN DELIVERIES. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}<br />
<br />
This comic is poking fun at the proliferation of apps and internet services such as for [https://builtin.com/consumer-tech/food-delivery-companies food delivery] and [https://www.nerdwallet.com/article/banking/best-ways-to-send-money money transfer]. The characters are discussing which to use during an evening of tabletop gaming. The group has a running competition to see who can mention the most fake apps and services without being called out.<br />
<br />
[[Cueball]] mentions three food delivery services, {{w|Grubhub}}, {{w|DoorDash}}, and Food.net, and [[Ponytail]] asks him to reimburse her using {{w|Venmo}}, {{w|PayPal}}, or Yahoo Cash. Cueball expresses skepticism about Yahoo Cash, after which Ponytail admits it's a fake service and is thus obligated to pay for Cueball's meal. Food.net, which Cueball mentioned, is not a real service; https://food.net exists but is "not available for use," and is not related to food. Thus he was able to get a fake service past the other players. <br />
<br />
Based on Ponytail's offer, if someone is correctly called out then they apparently must pay for the player who caught them, but what happens when a player isn't caught (e.g. when Cueball mentioned Food.net) remains unknown. The rules seem similar to a variant of the card game {{w|Cheat (game)|Cheat}}, an {{w|oral tradition}} game known by several other names internationally.<br />
<br />
The title text offers a tip for winning the competition after being called out for mentioning a fake service: building a working version of it and then mentioning it again the next week.<br />
<br />
==Transcript==<br />
{{incomplete transcript|Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}<br />
<br />
:[Cueball, Megan, and Ponytail are sitting at a table to order food. Cueball is on his phone, and Ponytail, sitting opposite, on her laptop.]<br />
:Cueball: What should we use to order? Grubhub? DoorDash? Food.net?<br />
:Ponytail: I'll do Grubhub; you can send me money. Do you do Venmo? Paypal? Yahoo Cash?<br />
:Cueball: Yahoo Cash HAS to be fake.<br />
:Ponytail: Yes. Dang. I'll get your share.<br />
:[Caption below the panel:]<br />
:Our game night has an ongoing competition to see who can mention the most fake apps and services without getting called on it. <br />
<br />
{{comic discussion}}</div>172.70.211.92https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=2714:_Cold_Complaints&diff=3020922714: Cold Complaints2022-12-21T23:47:33Z<p>172.70.211.92: /* Transcript */ fix wrding</p>
<hr />
<div>{{comic<br />
| number = 2714<br />
| date = December 21, 2022<br />
| title = Cold Complaints<br />
| image = cold_complaints_2x.png<br />
| imagesize = 740x254px<br />
| noexpand = true<br />
| titletext = Our investigation into whining-based remedies became the first study to be halted by the IRB on the grounds that the treatment group was 'too annoying.'<br />
}}<br />
<br />
==Explanation==<br />
{{incomplete|Created by a GIGANTIC WHINING BABY - Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}<br />
<br />
When people are ill, they will often complain about the symptoms that they're suffering from. A common sterotype is that men will revert to infantile behavior when miserably sick. This can be annoying to the people around them, but they typically tolerate such behavior out of compassion. The joke in this comic is that [[Hairy]] spoke to a medical professional via {{w|telemedicine}}, when he was explicitly advised to act like this, since his condition has no effective medical treatment. He takes the advice to, "act like you're the first person ever to have a cold," literally, stating it specifically when his companion asks about it.<br />
<br />
This comic was published during a "tripledemic" in the U.S., involving {{w|COVID-19}}, {{w|influenza}}, and {{w|respiratory syncytial virus}} (RSV) infections, the latter of which have no cure other than to wait them out with plenty of rest and fluids. It expounds on the finding that, "talking about troublesome events, including events with which one is dissatisfied, may ... result in improved physiological health." (Kowalski, R.M. (2002) [http://people.uncw.edu/hakanr/documents/whining.pdf "Whining, griping, and complaining: positivity in the negativity."] ''Journal of clinical psychology,'' '''58'''(9):1023-35.) <br />
<br />
The title text mentions a study like that, but in this case the {{w|institutional review board}} (IRB) halted the study because the participants were too annoying. This is ironic since they'd be expected to whine annoyingly. IRBs are expected to review the ethics of a research project. Whining is not usually considered dangerous,{{citation needed}} but in this case it was presumably so intolerable that they had to put a stop to it.<br />
<br />
==Transcript==<br />
{{incomplete transcript|Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}<br />
<br />
:[Hairy sitting on a chair in front of a computer screen. There is an image of Ponytail on the screen speaking.]<br />
:Ponytail: Well, it's not COVID or flu. Probably one of the other viruses.<br />
:Hairy: Ughh<br />
<br />
:[A zoomed out version of the image, Ponytail cannot be seen]<br />
:Ponytail: There's not much you can do to speed up recovery other than rest, hydrate, and whine and complain and be a gigantic baby about it. <br />
<br />
:[Same as previous panel]<br />
:Hairy: Whine and complain?<br />
:Ponytail: Yeah. You need to act like you're the first person ever to have a cold.<br />
<br />
:[Hairy lying on a couch wrapped in a blanket, with a lot of paper tissues around]<br />
:Off-screen voice: Are you '''''sure''''' that's what she said?<br />
:Hairy: Unbelievable. Here I am, the only person ever to feel bad, and you're '''''doubting''''' me? <br />
<br />
{{comic discussion}}<br />
[[Category:Comics featuring Hairy]]<br />
[[Category:Doctor Ponytail]]<br />
[[Category:Medicine]]<br />
[[Category:COVID-19]]</div>172.70.211.92https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=2714:_Cold_Complaints&diff=3020912714: Cold Complaints2022-12-21T23:45:52Z<p>172.70.211.92: /* Transcript */</p>
<hr />
<div>{{comic<br />
| number = 2714<br />
| date = December 21, 2022<br />
| title = Cold Complaints<br />
| image = cold_complaints_2x.png<br />
| imagesize = 740x254px<br />
| noexpand = true<br />
| titletext = Our investigation into whining-based remedies became the first study to be halted by the IRB on the grounds that the treatment group was 'too annoying.'<br />
}}<br />
<br />
==Explanation==<br />
{{incomplete|Created by a GIGANTIC WHINING BABY - Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}<br />
<br />
When people are ill, they will often complain about the symptoms that they're suffering from. A common sterotype is that men will revert to infantile behavior when miserably sick. This can be annoying to the people around them, but they typically tolerate such behavior out of compassion. The joke in this comic is that [[Hairy]] spoke to a medical professional via {{w|telemedicine}}, when he was explicitly advised to act like this, since his condition has no effective medical treatment. He takes the advice to, "act like you're the first person ever to have a cold," literally, stating it specifically when his companion asks about it.<br />
<br />
This comic was published during a "tripledemic" in the U.S., involving {{w|COVID-19}}, {{w|influenza}}, and {{w|respiratory syncytial virus}} (RSV) infections, the latter of which have no cure other than to wait them out with plenty of rest and fluids. It expounds on the finding that, "talking about troublesome events, including events with which one is dissatisfied, may ... result in improved physiological health." (Kowalski, R.M. (2002) [http://people.uncw.edu/hakanr/documents/whining.pdf "Whining, griping, and complaining: positivity in the negativity."] ''Journal of clinical psychology,'' '''58'''(9):1023-35.) <br />
<br />
The title text mentions a study like that, but in this case the {{w|institutional review board}} (IRB) halted the study because the participants were too annoying. This is ironic since they'd be expected to whine annoyingly. IRBs are expected to review the ethics of a research project. Whining is not usually considered dangerous,{{citation needed}} but in this case it was presumably so intolerable that they had to put a stop to it.<br />
<br />
==Transcript==<br />
{{incomplete transcript|Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}<br />
<br />
:[Hairy sitting on a chair in front of a computer screen. There is an image of Ponytail on the screen speaking.]<br />
:Ponytail: Well, it's not COVID or flu. Probably one of the other viruses.<br />
:Hairy: Ughh<br />
<br />
:[A zoomed out version of the image, Ponytail cannot be seen]<br />
:Ponytail: There's not much you can do to speed up recovery other than rest, hydrate, and whine and complain and be a gigantic baby about it. <br />
:Hairy: Whine and complain?<br />
:Ponytail: Yes. You have to behave like you're the first person ever to have a cold.<br />
<br />
:[Hairy lying on a couch wrapped in a blanket, with a lot of paper tissues around]<br />
:Off-screen voice: Are you '''''sure''''' that's what she said?<br />
:Hairy: Unbelievable. Here I am, the first person to ever feel bad, and you're '''''doubting''''' me? <br />
<br />
<br />
{{comic discussion}}<br />
[[Category:Comics featuring Hairy]]<br />
[[Category:Doctor Ponytail]]<br />
[[Category:Medicine]]<br />
[[Category:COVID-19]]</div>172.70.211.92