https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/api.php?action=feedcontributions&user=173.245.54.14&feedformat=atomexplain xkcd - User contributions [en]2024-03-29T07:16:42ZUser contributionsMediaWiki 1.30.0https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=1379:_4.5_Degrees&diff=1155301379: 4.5 Degrees2016-03-24T02:42:25Z<p>173.245.54.14: </p>
<hr />
<div>{{comic<br />
| number = 1379<br />
| date = June 9, 2014<br />
| title = 4.5 Degrees<br />
| image = 4_5_degrees.png<br />
| titletext = The good news is that according to the latest IPCC report, if we enact aggressive emissions limits now, we could hold the warming to 2°C. That's only HALF an ice age unit, which is probably no big deal.<br />
}}<br />
<br />
==Explanation==<br />
This comic represents the impacts due to climate change by demonstrating the changes in climate that should be expected with a given change in global temperature. This is done by detailing the world's climate in geologic periods where the global average temperature has changed by one or more "Ice Age Units," or IAU. The comic defines an IAU as the difference in global temperature between today and the last ice age, about 4.5&nbsp;°C. An IAU of 0 represents modern global temperature.<br />
<br />
One IAU unit happens to be the expected increase in global temperature the world will see by the end of year 2100. The prediction of 4-5 degrees Celsius of warming may not appear significant, but is easy to see as a substantial difference when comparing today to the last ice age. <br />
<br />
: An IAU of -4 is associated with {{w|Snowball Earth}}. Snowball earth is a near-total freezing of the entire surface around 650 million years ago, in the {{w|Cryogenian}}. This may have been the greatest ice age known to have occurred on Earth.<br />
<br />
: An IAU of -1 is associated with the last ice age. During this time Randall's neighborhood was buried under an ice sheet.<br />
<br />
: An IAU of 1 is the predicted global temperature by the end of year 2100. While it makes sense to assume it's just as drastic a difference as -1 IAU, we still don't know the actual nature of what it would be, which is why it is represented by a question mark in the comic.<br />
<br />
: An IAU of 2 IAU is associated with the {{w|Cretaceous Thermal Maximum|"Hothouse Earth"}} of the early {{w|Cretaceous period}}. At this time there were "{{w|Arecaceae|palm trees}} at the poles" as there were {{w|Polar forests of the Cretaceous|polar forests}} during Cretaceous summers. (Average temperature of North Pole during the summer is 32F. 32+2*4.5*1.8 = 48.2F, hot enough for trees to grow at the North Pole under hypothetical 2 IAU scenarios)<br />
<br />
An increase of 4.5&nbsp;°C (+1 IAU) seems like a small change in temperature, but the changes it would cause are likely very large as it can also be described as halfway to palm trees at the poles.<br />
<br />
The topic of ice coverage over various cities has previously been covered in [[1225: Ice Sheets]].<br />
<br />
This comic and [[1321: Cold]] present a different perspective on Global Warming than Randall presented earlier in [[164: Playing Devil's Advocate to Win]]; it is not clear whether Randall has changed his perspective or if the Devil's Advocate comic was meant to be satirical to the point of not representing Randall's true views on the issue.<br />
<br />
The title text expands, demonstrating that the potential impacts of an increase by the IPCC report's best case scenario of 2 deg C, about half an ice age unit, makes controlling climate change seem more urgent. The figure of 2&nbsp;°C is the most commonly agreed {{w|Climate change mitigation#Temperature targets|temperature target}} that assumes the creation of aggressive emissions limits at the time of the publishing of the comic.<br />
<br />
===A1F1 Scenario===<br />
The 4.5 degree increase is predicted by the bern2.5cc simulation (a moderate simulation) of the A1FI scenario. In the A1FI scenario the world has a high dependence on fossil fuels, experiences "very rapid economic growth", a declining world population by 2050, as well as a high rate of increase in energy efficiency after 2050.<br />
<br />
===Trivia===<br />
The oldest known animal fossils ({{w|Sponges#Fossil record|sponges}}) are from the Snowball Earth, while {{w|Flowering plant#Evolution|flowering plants}} became the dominant plant species during the Cretaceous period. It is believed that the entire Earth was frozen for the first time about 2,400 to 2,100 million years ago, which could have been a result of the {{w|Great Oxygenation Event}}.<br />
<br />
The 200m {{w|Current sea level rise|sea level rise}} given in the last panel for a "Cretaceous Hothouse" (i.e. if all ice on earth melted, including the Antarctic ice cap) could not be explained by this melt-off alone. If all the ice melted the water level would only increase by about 60-80m, according to {{w|Antarctica}}, [http://www.grida.no/publications/other/ipcc_tar/?src=/climate/ipcc_tar/ IPCC Third Assessment Report] (section 11.2.3 on Greenland and Antarctic Ice Sheets) and [http://water.usgs.gov/edu/sealevel.html Sea Level and Climate: USGS Water-Science School]. Additional sea level rise can be expected from thermal expansion of seawater, and indeed the main reason for rising sea level at the moment is actually caused by this expansion of the sea due to increasing temperature. But the high-end 500-year projection for a 4x increase in CO<sub>2</sub>, at {{w|Current sea level rise#IPCC Third Assessment|expansion of the sea}}, is for an additional 2m due to thermal expansion, with a decreasing rate of growth over time. (Some of the sea level change in the Cretaceous are due to changes in bathymetry.)<br />
<br />
The 5th and most recent {{w|Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change}} (IPCC AR5) presents four alternative trajectories for future concentrations of greenhouse gasses, termed {{w|Representative Concentration Pathways}} (RCPs): RCP2.6, RCP4.5, RCP6, and RCP8.5. They are named after possible ranges of radiative forcing values in the year 2100 relative to pre-industrial values (+2.6, +4.5, +6.0, and +8.5&nbsp;W/m2, respectively). The hottest of these, RCP8.5, is predicted to result in a warming of 2.6&nbsp;°C to 4.8&nbsp;°C for the 2081−2100 period, and between 3 and 5.5 by the year 2100 ([http://www.climate2013.org/images/report/WG1AR5_SPM_FINAL.pdf Working Group I Summary for Policymakers]). <br />
<br />
The lack of internationally binding agreements makes breaching an increase of 2&nbsp;°C more and more likely.<br />
<br />
==Transcript==<br />
:Without prompt, aggressive limits on CO<sub>2</sub> emissions, the Earth will likely warm by an average of 4°-5°C by the century's end.<br />
:'''HOW BIG A CHANGE IS THAT?'''<br />
<br />
:[A ruler chart is drawn inside a frame.]<br />
:In the coldest part of the last ice age, Earth's average temperature was 4.5°C below the 20th century norm.<br />
:Let's call a 4.5°C difference one '''"Ice Age Unit."'''<br />
<br />
:[A ruler with five main divisions — each again with 3 smaller quarter division markers. Above it the five main divisions are marked as follows with 0 in the middle:]<br />
:-2 IAU -1 IAU 0 +1 IAU +2 IAU<br />
:[Next to the 0 marking a black arrow points toward 0.25 on the scale and above it is written:]<br />
:Where we are today<br />
<br />
:[The rest of the text is below the ruler.]<br />
:[To the far left below -2 IAU a curved arrow points to the left. Below it is written:]<br />
:Snowball earth (-4 IAU)<br />
:[Below -1 IAU a black arrow point toward this division. Below the arrow is written:]<br />
:20,000 years ago<br />
:[Below this an image of a glacier. At the top of the image is written:]<br />
:My neighborhood:<br />
:[At the bottom of the image is an arrow pointing to the glacier:]<br />
:Half a mile of ice<br />
:[Below 0 IAU a black arrow point toward this division. Below the arrow is written:]<br />
:Average during modern times<br />
:[Below this an image of Cueball standing on a green field with a city skyline in the background. At the top of the image is written:]<br />
:My neighborhood:<br />
:Cueball: Hi!<br />
:[Below +1 IAU a black arrow point toward this division. Below the arrow is written:]<br />
:Where we'll be in 86 years<br />
:[Below this a white image. At the top of the image is written:]<br />
:My neighborhood:<br />
:[Below this is a very large:]<br />
:'''?'''<br />
:[Below +2 IAU a black arrow point toward this division. Below the arrow is written:]<br />
:Cretaceous hothouse<br />
:+200m sea level rise<br />
:No glaciers<br />
:Palm trees at the poles<br />
<br />
{{comic discussion}}<br />
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]<br />
[[Category:Comics with color]]<br />
[[Category:Charts]]</div>173.245.54.14https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=1384:_Krypton&diff=1138821384: Krypton2016-03-03T21:22:52Z<p>173.245.54.14: </p>
<hr />
<div>{{comic<br />
| number = 1384<br />
| date = June 20, 2014<br />
| title = Krypton<br />
| image = krypton.png<br />
| titletext = Their Sun and gravity will make you, uh, something, I guess. Out of earshot from Earth, mostly.<br />
}}<br />
<br />
==Explanation==<br />
This comic is an [http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/InvertedTrope inverse] version of the {{w|origin story}} of the {{w|superhero}} character {{w|Superman}}.<br />
<br />
In the Superman story, {{w|Jor-El}} and his wife {{w|Lara (comics)|Lara}} notice that their home planet {{w|Krypton (comics)|Krypton}} is about to be destroyed in a giant explosion, so they decide to send their baby {{w|Superman|Kal-El}} to {{w|Earth}} to save him - and there he becomes Superman.<br />
<br />
In this comic, [[Cueball]] and [[Megan]] also notice that the planet Krypton is about to explode, but instead of attempting to save a baby from Krypton, they decide to send a baby to Krypton from Earth so that it'll stop annoying them with his crying.<br />
<br />
In the fourth panel both spaceships can be seen. The rocket containing the Earth baby arrives at planet Krypton, while the crystal star shaped spaceship containing Kal-El leaves Krypton towards Earth - this is a reference to the [http://collectingsuperman.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2013/07/stmstoryboard1a.jpg version of the spaceship] depicted in the 1978 {{w|Superman_(1978_film)|Superman movie}}, (see [[#Trivia|trivia section]]).<br />
<br />
In the fifth and last panel we see Krypton explode.<br />
<br />
In the Superman movie, Kal-El carries with him a lot of information pre-recorded by his parents. During the very long trip he listens to the recordings, one of which explains that the Sun and gravity of Earth will give him (Kal-El) great powers (this is the way he becomes Superman). The '''title text''' is a satirical version of this information, given to the Earth baby during his trip: That Megan & Cueball do not have the faintest idea (or care about) what the sun and gravity of Krypton will do to him - but their best guess at what these ''mostly'' will do to him is to "make you out of earshot from Earth", which was their original reason for shipping the baby off in the first place.<br />
<br />
Also, it could be seen that the rocket Cueball and Megan sent with the baby would destroy Kalel meaning that they inadvertently caused Superman to arrive on Earth.<br />
==Transcript==<br />
:[Cueball and Megan are standing near a telescope.]<br />
:Cueball: The distant planet Krypton is becoming unstable!<br />
:Baby crying (from outside the panel): Waaaaaa<br />
:Megan: That crying baby is really annoying.<br />
<br />
:[Cueball and Megan looking at each other.]<br />
<br />
:[Spaceship taking off.]<br />
<br />
:[Spaceship passing another spaceship on route to distant planet.]<br />
<br />
:[Planet exploding.]<br />
<br />
==Trivia==<br />
*Whereas the Kal-El rocket clearly looks like the one in the 1978 Superman, a movie which is also the origin of the title text joke, the Earth baby rocket looks like any nondescript rocket. It has some features in common with the one used in [[1350: Lorenz]] as can be seen here under the [[1350: Lorenz#Rocket launch|Rocket launch theme]] - color scheme the same, but different body of the rocket. One could also argue that it resembles some of the [http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_M7D1hE_0cz0/TS88t-Rs2vI/AAAAAAAAEMY/EnIOj3AGFu8/s800/SupermanOrigins.jpg various] [http://thecomicmuseum.com/superman146.jpg versions] of the rocket that brought Superman to Earth as depicted in early {{w|List of Superman comics|comic books}} - Not that big a resemblance though, due to the very different tip and fins.<br />
*As the nearest stars are several light years away, this comic does of course not make any sense if you look at it from a scientific point of view, but can still do if you don't.<br />
**First of all - how would Cueball be able to see that Krypton is unstable in a telescope - as we at the moment can only just detect planets around other stars.<br />
**And even if he did detect this and immediately shipped his baby away in a close to light-speed rocket, then it would take several years to reach Krypton; at best - more likely to be somewhere between a hundred to a thousand years.<br />
***Plus, because light takes time to travel, Cueball was seeing the planet as it was many years ago, meaning it had been unstable for some time already. So even for the closest star (exclusive of the Earth's sun), it would be 4.3 years to see the instability and then over 4.3 more years for the ship to travel, even with close to light speed travel, for a total of over 8.6 years from when the light left the planet until the rocket arrived there.<br />
**As faster than light-speed travel is impossible according to the current model of our universe this option is not really relevant here.<br />
**During all those years, the unstable planet should still keep together - in spite of being so unstable that Cueball can determine this instability with his telescope on Earth.<br />
**And then the rocket arrives just when Kal-El is being shipped the other way a few moments before the planet explodes. Of course if the arrival of the rocket causes the explosion this would explain the last two events. Kal-El is shipped off at the last moment when his parents realizes an incoming rocket will destroy their planet.<br />
<br />
<br />
{{comic discussion}}<br />
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]<br />
[[Category:Comics featuring Megan]]</div>173.245.54.14https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=1647:_Diacritics&diff=1134261647: Diacritics2016-02-26T22:02:22Z<p>173.245.54.14: </p>
<hr />
<div>{{comic<br />
| number = 1647<br />
| date = February 24, 2016<br />
| title = Diacritics<br />
| image = diacritics.png<br />
| titletext = Using diacritics correctly is not my forté.<br />
}}<br />
<br />
==Explanation==<br />
A {{w|diacritic}} (or a diacritical mark) is a {{w|glyph}} added to a letter. The main use of diacritical marks in the {{w|latin script}} is to change the sound-values of the letters to which they are added, typically vowels.<br />
<br />
[[Cueball]] is writing an e-mail (maybe for a job application) and notes in the mail that he attaches his {{w|résumé}}. The word ''résumé'' uses two e's with an {{w|acute accent}} so they look like this: é.<br />
<br />
While diacritics can be common in several languages, English is an example of a language that rarely ever has any at all. This occurs to such an extent that words and expressions borrowed from other languages (such as "résumé" or "piñata") are frequently written in English with the diacritics omitted, as in "resume" or "pinata".<br />
<br />
Randall may be poking fun at people who use Zalgo, a form of spam where T̯̙̻̼̠͕̙̬̬̜̼̊ͥͦͬͤ̇̎̆̌ͭ͢͠͡o̡̲̩̟̲̬̰̪̜̝͙̺̦̙͍̳ͬͯͯ͋͒̍ͨ̓̇́̚̚̕ ̸̢̬̘̦͕̯̱̜̲̼̤ͬͧͤͨǐ̷̷̯̼̝̹̫ͪ̀̋̿̄̓n̿͂ͩ͂ͮ̔̆͏͎͍͕̜͎̺̯͈̼̩̣̥̬͡͞ͅͅv̴̨̙̼̤̼͙͖̫̖̺̹̠̹̦́͌͑̓̆̂ͯ̑̈̏ͭo̢̫̲̙̺̬̤̲̳ͨ̐ͦ̽͛ͮ͛́͂ͣ͂ͮ͆͑̍̀ͯ̕͟k̵̨̫̙̤͙̹̫͚͈̪͇͓͈̫̬̥͕̱͎̜̉̔ͬͭͦ̓͐ͫ̋̋ͥ̋̀̕͟è̢̛͑͋͐̀̏ͣ̏ͬ̒̌͌́̚͘͝͏̟̞͇̘̤̼̮̤͍͚̫̤͚̰ ̶̧̮̗̣̫͇̦͎̮̤̗͙̗̳͎̺͆̉̈ͭ̽̈́̌̽ͥ̾͑̀̚̚͘͟ͅͅt̸͓͉̩́̓̓ͮ̇̈̆ͣ̀ͪͬ͑̅ͣ̍h̸̡̧ͧ͑̐̂ͥ̄̃̂̄́͋ͨ͑̓̆͋̚͏̸̟̣̤̺͔̘̞̦̖͖̣̺̱̜͔̗̫̰ͅȇ̡͇͎͎̩̮̟̖̖̤̦̜͍̱̇ͨ̃̈́̄̑ͦͭ̚͞ͅ ̛̼̤̟̩̦̻̤̙̥̬̠̩̙̙̱͚͕ͫ͐̏ͥ̄ͧͧͭ̔̆͐̋͘h̶̵̜̤͓̹̰ͣ̄͗́́i̝͕̘̗͉͚̰͓̮͕̣͒̂̒ͨ̽ͫ̎ͪͦ́̕͝ͅv̧̙̞̣̳͍̟̖͚̻̝͈ͧ͊ͫ͋ͩͫ̍͋̏̽ͤ̀͝͞ͅẻ̢͓̣̰͔̟͎̥̻̤̲̟̣̜̄̈́̌͛̌̄͢͞ͅ-̨̡͆̓̌̎̉̑҉͚̝̗m̨̛͎̬͉̯̽ͥͫ̇ͦ̒̿̎́͒́̚͡͠ỉ̧̡͖͙̙͕͔̲ͩ́ͣ͐ͧ͑̊̾̒͑̅͗̊́̎̚n̠̮̜̝̜̤̰̻̘͖̦͚̼ͫ̄͐͗ͣ́͢͜d̡̛̳͕̬̫̯̩͕̰̖̟̲͕͙ͭ̅̓ͥ͛ͨ͒ͯ͌̚ͅͅ ̟̜̳̫͕̺͎̺̲̗̋̐̀͛͑̅̅͛̾̈́̀̚͞͠r̸̯̥͚̟̰͉͎͓̖͉͂̎̅̐ͫͧ͛ͯ͜ë́̎͂̆ͥͩ͟͏̰̤̳͓̩͉̲̣̠͍͔̗̦̬̱̯p̽ͧ͒͗ͣ̿̆̄̑͏̘̜̥̠̜̥̘̲̮̹̤̪̦͕͇͓͞r̴͓̼̺̰̹͙͉̦͚̞̤͕̭̦̈́ͫ̔̂̓̆̒͗͛̿̑̉̿̓ͤ̏̇̀̚͘͘͢é̴̢̛̖̗̖̤ͧ̽͑ͨ̒̌̍ͭ̑̋̃̒ͫ̀͡ş̶͉͚̠̠͇͓̬̙͚̖̝͓͕̤̟́̂̏ͧͩ͌͑͐ͣ͌͌̄̾̿ȩ̢͈̗̝͍ͨ̒͗ͭ̔̈͆ͫ̔ͨ̈́́̊ͣ̃̎̀͝͝n̸̟͔̺̠̺̓̑̏͐ͩͬ̏̈́̌͒́̏ͥ̌̍͊ͧ̀̚͜͞͞tͮ̾͒̇̐ͩ͆̓ͣ҉̢̤͖̩͕̬̮͚͙̖͕̬̘̙͘͠ͅĩ̡̬̙̙̯̩͋̋̄n̡̡̊̐͌ͣ̍̒̽ͩͫ͌ͦ̚͝͏̳̻̞͓̗̹̪̜̘̰̠̟͈̮̲̳̜g̵̎̓́̃ͮ̍̏̈̄ͧ̈́̐̔̏ͤͭͨ҉̛̘̰̘̟̬̝̰̜̗̼ͅͅ ̸̦̞͓̟͉̫͔̦̰̝͈̩̳̞̼̮̩̬͕̿ͩ͗̂̌̐ͭ͟͞c̳̻͚̻̩̻͉̯̄̏͑̋͆̎͐ͬ͑͌́͢h̵͔͈͍͇̪̯͇̞͖͇̜͉̪̪̤̙ͧͣ̓̐̓ͤ͋͒ͥ͑̆͒̓͋̑́͞ǎ̡̮̤̤̬͚̝͙̞͎̇ͧ͆͊ͅo̴̲̺͓̖͖͉̜̟̗̮̳͉̻͉̫̯̫̍̋̿̒͌̃̂͊̏̈̏̿ͧ́ͬ̌ͥ̇̓̀͢͜s̵̵̘̹̜̝̘̺̙̻̠̱͚̤͓͚̠͙̝͕͆̿̽ͥ̃͠͡.̔̈́ͤͣͪ̅̎̄̽ͩͪ͛̓̂̂̑͒҉̤͍͔̲̣̜͕̺͕͇̖͓̺̦̺́̀͢<br />
people continuously spam diactrics in chat messages.<br />
<br />
<br />
As Cueball/[[Randall]] is a native English-speaker, it is thus naturally that he often forgets (or just doesn't bother) to add these '''diacritics''' (hence the title of the comic). <br />
<br />
When he occasionally remembers them, for instance when he types a word where he knows they should be included, like résumé, he then makes up for all those he must have forgotten since last time he thought of it, and thus adds a whole bunch at once. This reason is somewhat nonsensical.<br />
<br />
The first diacritic he uses is the normal acute accent for the e to make it an é which does belong in ''résumé''. But the second diacritic he uses is a {{w|Diaeresis (diacritic)|diaeresis}} (or umlaut) on the u making it into ü, which is not part of the word. (Although in French the ''u'' is pronounced like a {{w|Close_front_rounded_vowel|[y]}}, which is also the sound of a German or Turkish ''ü'', and in German the word is spelt using this as ''Resümee'', but then the meaning is not the same but rather conclusions or abstracts).<br />
<br />
Cueball then goes all in on the last e which, similar to the first e, is supposed to have an acute accent. This e has a {{w|cedilla}} (as in ȩ), a {{w|Ring (diacritic)|ring}} (as in e̊), three acute accents, and is topped off by a {{w|breve}} (as in ĕ). In total, six diacritics are used on this e alone. <br />
<br />
Some languages - notably Vietnamese - {{w|Vietnamese alphabet|can use more than one diacritic per letter}}, but usually only two ( for example ṏ). Using them in this fashion makes little sense though it is reminiscent of [http://stackoverflow.com/q/6579844/256431 Zalgo text].<br />
<br />
To make sure everyone gets it, there are three acute accents over the last full stop. This is not something that is ever used.<br />
<br />
So for a word that is supposed to have two diacritics, Cueball uses eight, plus three for the full stop.<br />
<br />
In the title text "not my forté" is supposed to mean that it is not one of Randall's strength or talent. However, to obtain this meaning [https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/forte forte] should not have an acute diacritic over the e, thus proving Randall's point that it is not his forte to use diacritics.<br />
<br />
The title text may be a reference to the [[what if?]] released a week before this comic, {{what if|145|''Fire from moonlight''}}, in which note 9 reads "My résumé says étendue is my forté." (With the same error on "forte") It is possible that noticing his mistake was the inspiration for this comic. Also [https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/%C3%A9tendue étendue] can be written without the accent as [https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/etendue#English etendue] and the meaning is only written on this page in the Wiktionary. It means property of the light in an optical system which makes sense in the context of the note. However, it means something different in French where it either refers to size or range as a noun or as a verb is an alternative form of [https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/%C3%A9tendre#French étendre] meaning stretch or spread. The most correct way of writing the sentence he tried to write would only have involved the accent on résumé: "My résumé says etendue is my forte." Thus again making it clear that Randall has it right when he writes: "Using diacritics correctly is not my forté."<br />
<br />
If there actually has been someone who corrected Randall's mistake in the what if?, then there could be an extra pun hidden in the title. Those who criticized Randall's use of accents, would thus become dia''critics''!<br />
<br />
Comic [[1209: Encoding]] also references an absurd use of diacritics.<br />
<br />
==Transcript==<br />
:[Cueball sitting in front of his lap top typing. The text above him is the one he is typing. The last word résumé has too many diacritics. The u has an umlaut (as in ü) and the last é has no less than six diacritics; a cedilla below (as in ȩ), a ring above (as in e̊ ), then three acute accents above the ring (as in é), and finally they are topped off by a breve (as in ĕ). Also the last full stop has three accents "´" above it:]<br />
<br><br />
:Cueball (typing): Attached please find my résümȩ̊́́́̆.́́́<br />
<br />
<br />
:[Caption below the frame:]<br />
:I usually leave out diacritics when I type, so I make up for it by occasionally adding a whole bunch at once.<br />
<br />
{{comic discussion}}<br />
<br />
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]<br />
[[Category:Language]]</div>173.245.54.14https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=1623:_2016_Conversation_Guide&diff=1082981623: 2016 Conversation Guide2015-12-30T16:51:40Z<p>173.245.54.14: </p>
<hr />
<div>{{comic<br />
| number = 1623<br />
| date = December 30, 2015<br />
| title = 2016 Conversation Guide<br />
| image = 2016_conversation_guide.png<br />
| titletext = The real loser in an argument about the meaning of the word 'hoverboard' is anyone who leaves that argument on foot.<br />
}}<br />
<br />
==Explanation==<br />
{{incomplete|Open to editing, but perhaps a useful start.}}<br />
As each year turns (or other milestone dates, perhaps set out in popular fiction) it is common enough to remember that what is now the present was once considered ''the future!''<br />
<br />
This comic, published just prior to the start of 2016, aims to clarify a number of the things one might have expected by now.<br />
<br />
The classic target of personal futurology is the ability to levitate or fly, to varying degrees. "Where's my {{w|jetpack}}?" is one of the [http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/IWantMyJetPack memes] addressed here, and has actually been developed in a somewhat workable fashions and {{w|Astronaut propulsion unit|analogues}}, but is dismissed as being too personally dangerous to have a {{w|The_Jetsons|Jetson}}-like ubiquity. Similarly, various forms of {{w|Flying_car_(aircraft)|flying car}} have had varying {{w|AVE_Mizar|degrees}} of {{w|Moller_M400_Skycar|success}}, but here are ignored to point out that the regular {{w|helicopter}} is as close as most of us would ever get to this technology. The {{w|Hoverboard|levitating Hoverboard}} has been popularised by the {{w|Back_to_the_Future_Part_II|Back To The Future franchise}} of films, with several attempts to fully emulate such a device with air-blast or magnetic levitation, but the ''term'' Hoverboard has ended up being applied to a {{w|Segway}}-like {{w|Self-balancing_two-wheeled_board|personal transport system}} that has at least become a mass-produced device (albeit with a number of {{w|Self-balancing_two-wheeled_board#Safety|safety concerns}}).<br />
<br />
(The very concept of the hoverboard, in particular, is predicted to be reduced mostly to arguments between opposing camps of opinions; and then, in the title-text, the conclusion that giving up and resorting to old-fashioned walking is inferior to ''any'' of the possible alternatives...)<br />
<br />
A much bigger challenge in levitation is the 'sky city', with various forms from fiction (e.g. {{w|Bespin}}, {{w|Mortal Engines Quartet}}). In reality, this seems highly unlikely to ever come to pass when there is perfectly good ground to lay the buildings down upon, due to the sheer mass. (But never say never!) It might be considered more reasonable to build a {{w|Space:_1999|settlement of some kind}} on the Moon. The basic {{w|Apollo_program|engineering}} {{w|International Space Station|exists}}, but the comic blames financial pressures for it not yet having come into existence. (Arguably political pressures, or perhaps the lack of them, are also a factor.)<br />
<br />
From the fields of automation, the {{w|Autonomous car|self-driving car}} has had a lot of recent development put into it, with many and varied protypes being tried out, and may actually end up featuring in our immediate future, even if not in 2016. Google has built a very good prototype but it needs improvement. Meanwhile the long-held science-fantasy aim to create a {{w|Robby the Robot|robot that can do odd tasks}} has been {{w|Roomba|limited}} or a {{w|Ask.com|differently implemented}} and the ''fully'' omnicapable version is probably almost as far out of reach as it always was considered to be.<br />
<br />
==Transcript==<br />
It's 2016 - Where's my...<br />
<br />
:Flying car --> They're called "helicopters"<br />
<br />
:Jetpack --> Turns out people are huge wimps about crashing<br />
<br />
:Moon colony --> No one has put up the cash<br />
<br />
:Self-driving car --> Coming surprisingly soon<br />
<br />
:Floating sky city --> Turns out cities are heavy<br />
<br />
:Hoverboard --> This question is now ambiguous thanks to a new scooter thing<br />
::::: (and will lead to an argument about the meaning of "hoverboard"<br />
::::: which is way less interesting than either kind of hoverboard)<br />
<br />
:Robot butler --> He was called "Jeeves" and he wasn't that great<br />
<br />
{{comic discussion}}<br />
<br />
[[Category:Charts]]<br />
[[Category:Robots]]</div>173.245.54.14https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=724:_Hell&diff=108240724: Hell2015-12-29T19:41:58Z<p>173.245.54.14: </p>
<hr />
<div>{{comic<br />
| number = 724<br />
| date = April 7, 2010<br />
| title = Hell<br />
| image = hell.png<br />
| titletext = There's also a Katamari level where everything is just slightly bigger than you, and a Mario level with a star just out of reach.<br />
}}<br />
<br />
==Explanation==<br />
{{w|Tetris}} is a game where the player has to manipulate falling blocks into forming complete rows, which will then be deleted and give point to the player. This comic is a play on this, presenting the player with a version of the game with a curved bottom that renders forming rows nearly impossible. {{w|Hell}} is a {{w|religious concept}} of a posthumous punishment for wrongdoers, depicted in many religions as eternal torment. Here the Tetris player feels he is in Hell when he tries to play this game.<br />
<br />
The title text presents similar situations where frustration is likely to occur. <br />
''{{w|Katamari_(series)|Katamari Damacy}}'' is a video game in which the player controls a sticky sphere which grows by assimilating objects smaller than itself - so extremely frustrating if none of the objects available is smaller than your sphere.<br />
''{{w|Super_Mario_(series)|Super Mario}}'' is a long-running franchise of platforming games; in most of the games which utilize a 3-dimensional engine, levels are completed by collecting large, golden stars - so very frustrating if one is impossible to reach.<br />
The last part may also be a suggestion to the Greek depiction of [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tantalus Tantalus] in hell; he tried to reach fruit on a tree but every time he grasped for the fruit the branches bent away.<br />
Also see comic [[888: Heaven]], which presents an opposing situation in which the game is trying to help the player win.<br />
<br />
There is a playable version of this comic at [http://www.kongregate.com/games/banthar/hell-tetris Kongregate], which, unsurprisingly, is frustratingly difficult ([https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=reFPscApObs but not impossible]) to play.<br />
<br />
==Transcript==<br />
:[The panel shows the display of a Tetris game where the bottom of the pit is curved into a semicircle making the two blocks at the bottom, a square and a reverse L piece lean crookedly towards each other at the bottom of the pit; an S piece is falling and the next piece is an L piece.]<br />
:Next<br />
:Top <br />
:000000<br />
:Score <br />
:000000<br />
:Level<br />
:01<br />
:[Below the panel:]<br />
:'''HELL'''<br />
<br />
{{comic discussion}}<br />
[[Category:Comics with color]]<br />
[[Category:Video games]]</div>173.245.54.14https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=1176:_Those_Not_Present&diff=1074921176: Those Not Present2015-12-21T22:46:33Z<p>173.245.54.14: </p>
<hr />
<div>{{comic<br />
| number = 1176<br />
| date = February 20, 2013<br />
| title = Those Not Present<br />
| image = those not present.png<br />
| titletext = 'Yeah, that squid's a total asshole.' [scoot scoot]<br />
}}<br />
<br />
==Explanation==<br />
Cueball doesn't want to hang out with people who badmouth others who aren't present. He leaves this conversation and gets into one about [http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/01/28/giant-squid-monster-squid-video_n_2564757.html giant squids] (a topic peculiar enough for [[Megan]] and [[Beret Guy]]). Although this topic may even be considered childish or socially awkward{{Citation needed}}, this is still better than the social group that he was in.<br />
<br />
The title text hints that the second conversational group isn't any nicer, by badmouthing the giant squid, who obviously, is not present. This would eventually cause a loop where Cueball goes back and forth between the two groups.<br />
<br />
==Trivia==<br />
In the first panel originally the word "friends" was misspelled as "frends".<br />
<br />
==Transcript==<br />
:Every time someone says something negative about a person who's not in the room, I scoot my chair back a few inches.<br />
:[Cueball, Ponytail and two other people are sitting at a table drinking.]<br />
:Person: ''He's'' not so bad, but his ''friends''...<br />
:[Cueball scoots away from table.]<br />
:''Scoot scoot''<br />
<br />
:Ponytail: His band is never gonna take off if...<br />
:[Cueball scoots further away.]<br />
:''Scoot scoot''<br />
<br />
:[Megan, Beret Guy, and Harry come into view.]<br />
:Off-screen: Yeah, his sister is even ''weirder''.<br />
:Off-screen: Did you see she had...<br />
:''Scoot scoot''<br />
:Beret Guy: ...and there's a video, but it's blurry...<br />
<br />
:[Cueball turns around and leans his arm on his chair.]<br />
:Cueball: What're you talking about?<br />
:Hairy: Giant squid!<br />
:Cueball: Mind if I join you?<br />
<br />
{{comic discussion}}<br />
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]<br />
[[Category:Comics featuring Megan]]<br />
[[Category:Comics featuring Ponytail]]<br />
[[Category:Comics featuring Hairy]]<br />
[[Category:Comics featuring Beret Guy]]</div>173.245.54.14https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=Talk:1609:_Food_Combinations&diff=106019Talk:1609: Food Combinations2015-11-28T21:47:09Z<p>173.245.54.14: </p>
<hr />
<div>I tried this on a friend and after three tries she said, you just mentioned all my favorite food items. So... --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 14:27, 27 November 2015 (UTC)<br />
<br />
You know what's really good? Ice cream on pizza. [[User:Mikemk|Mikemk]] ([[User talk:Mikemk|talk]]) 15:23, 27 November 2015 (UTC)<br />
:That's a popular summer snack in Tasmania. [[Special:Contributions/198.41.238.32|198.41.238.32]] 08:02, 28 November 2015 (UTC)<br />
<br />
So nobody puts sour cream on pancakes???<br />
<br />
Joey agrees with that - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TSFgDZJVYbo [[Special:Contributions/162.158.34.139|162.158.34.139]] 15:40, 27 November 2015 (UTC)<br />
:Thanks I was just thinking of that episode when seeing this comic. Think it deserves a place in the explanation. --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 21:06, 27 November 2015 (UTC)<br />
<br />
Well, I made a first-hack attempt, with terrible grammar and no appropriate citations. Please don't be too harsh! [[Special:Contributions/199.27.129.83|199.27.129.83]] 16:14, 27 November 2015 (UTC)<br />
<br />
Most of the combinations involving the dairy items are disgusting. [[Special:Contributions/108.162.216.9|108.162.216.9]] 19:29, 27 November 2015 (UTC)<br />
<br />
If you think sour cream and pancakes is not a traditional combination, you've never been to Russia. We put sour cream in a lot of things, really, but pancakes especially.<br>That applies almost as well to sour cream and ketchup (though that is just a pair of commonly combined condiments, not a food item in itself).<br>I do, however, agree with the commentor above (even regarding sour cream).<br>Incidentally, I had to google "relish" - apparently it's a general term for a big variety of chopped-vegetable items. The Russian name for one particularly common type literally translates as "eggplant caviar". Goes nicely with ham, is applied to pancakes occasionally. --[[Special:Contributions/162.158.180.191|162.158.180.191]] 20:51, 27 November 2015 (UTC)<br />
<br />
It will be interesting to see if all items will be checked of eventually when people from many different countries comes by? I checked of pancakes and ice cream. I put ice in almost every time I make sweet pancakes. Yummy. But we also have "food" pancakes (not sweat) with meat in them. And I'm note talking about tortillas or burrito pancakes. Made exactly like normal sweet pancakes without sugar and with salt. In The Netherlands they have pancake houses where the toppings is more like that of a pizza, and then after wards they drop on some kind of syrup... --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 21:06, 27 November 2015 (UTC)<br />
<br />
Avocado and ice cream is traditional? Really? I mean, the novelty ice cream places (bacon ice cream, beer ice cream, Tabasco ice cream, you know the drill), sure, but where is that a traditional pairing? ... However, I'm putting in another vote for sour cream with pancakes. Especially if you consider crêpes and associated acts as in the pancake category, so there's the whole world of savory pancakes out there. [[Special:Contributions/108.162.221.7|108.162.221.7]] 04:16, 28 November 2015 (UTC)MR<br />
:I have removed avocado and ice cream. That cannot be thought of as traditional even if someone actually likes it. I do not know if you could think of pancakes and sour cream as traditional. But again if you think of them both as sweat and food pancakes (as already is the case, then maybe...) I will not list it though as I do not feel it is traditional. But I would also not delete it if anyone else feels it is. --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 10:41, 28 November 2015 (UTC)<br />
<br />
At least five of those alleged "individually good" so-called "foods" - relish, ketchup, cheese, sour cream, and avocado - are absolutely disgusting and would destroy any food value of things they came in contact with. YMMV.[[Special:Contributions/108.162.221.33|108.162.221.33]] 09:46, 28 November 2015 (UTC)<br />
:Well I also do not like avocado or sour cream and neither most forms of eggs plus only a few kind of cheese. But I know that many people really love these items, and that would not make it a bad combination to put sour cream and avocado together. I just would not wish to eat it for my personal taste. That I do not like it, does not make it disgusting. But I would be sorry if someone tried to make me eat it. But not get disgusted because other people eat it in front of me. Disgusting things are something like rat or excrements... ;-) And this has to be taken into account before anyone changes the table above. --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 10:37, 28 November 2015 (UTC)<br />
<br />
There's some "almost something I've seen" combinations, in the above. For example, while I've never had Ham And Avocado, Ham And Pineapple is not uncommon. (Of course, now we're also into neighbouring territory of "does pineapple belong on a pizza?" ;) [[Special:Contributions/162.158.152.227|162.158.152.227]] 16:39, 28 November 2015 (UTC)</div>173.245.54.14https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=1609:_Food_Combinations&diff=1059881609: Food Combinations2015-11-28T19:17:33Z<p>173.245.54.14: </p>
<hr />
<div>{{comic<br />
| number = 1609<br />
| date = November 27, 2015<br />
| title = Food Combinations<br />
| image = food_combinations.png<br />
| titletext = If anyone tries this on you, the best reply is a deadpan "Oh yeah, that's a common potato chip flavor in Canada."<br />
}}<br />
<br />
==Explanation==<br />
[http://www.rd.com/funny/21-weird-food-combinations-and-obsessions/ Unusual food combinations] are often counter-intuitive and can vary wildly by individual taste. Real-world examples of unusual food pairings, such as [http://www.nytimes.com/2012/10/24/dining/making-a-meal-out-of-peanut-butter-and-pickles.html pickles and peanut butter], French fries in chocolate shake, or even the comfort-food pairing of {{w|chicken and waffles}}, pair sweet, sour, or salty foods with a food or condiment from a different group. In many "normal" food pairings, though, the cross-over between sweet, savory and salty foods also exists, such as ketchup, a very sweet condiment being regularly applied to hamburgers and French fries, both savory and salty foods. <br />
<br />
In this comic, [[Randall]] lists twelve somewhat random food items. Below these [[Megan]] delivers a line to [[Ponytail]] and [[Cueball]] where she claims that two items of food from the list above (pick any) would be a great combination. Some of these are obviously great together (and much depends on personal taste) but many combination will definitely not be enjoyed by ''most'' people living for instance in the US (where Randall is situated). Say ketchup on ice cream or hot chocolate on avocado. But no matter which two Megan chooses the response from Cueball (or anyone else) would be the same - he can see what she means with this combination.<br />
<br />
Randall suggests, in the caption below, that by using the right tone of voice, you can put any pair of these food items together as an "actually really good" food combination, and no one will challenge you on it. This can either be because they have likely heard, or tried other unexpected combinations that are highly recommended or liked. But it could also just be because they are polite, or did not really think about what you said due to you tone of voice. Or maybe they are like {{w|Joey Tribbiani|Joey}} from {{w|Friends}} who love any combination of food, as long as it is something he think is good by it self - see [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TSFgDZJVYbo this clip].<br />
<br />
The title text extends the joke by recommending countering such a bizarre proposal with an assertion that the random pairing announced is an actual potato chip flavor popular in Canada. This plays on the fact that in different countries and regions, cultural tastes can vary wildly. For instance, [http://www.buzzfeed.com/tanyachen/americans-taste-canadian-ketchup-all-dressed-chips ketchup flavored potato chips] are quite popular in Canada, but are almost never offered in US markets. {{w|Loblaws}} and {{w|Lay's}} have run potato chips flavor competition in Canada in 2013-15 with flavors such as Maple Moose, Bacon Poutine, Jalapeño Mac N' Cheese, Cowboy BBQ Beans. Similar strange combinations of potato chips are run, either temporarily or permanently, in other countries including the [http://www.bbcamerica.com/anglophenia/2013/04/british-crisps/ United Kingdom].<br />
<br />
===Table of traditional pairings===<br />
*There are 12 items and they can be combined in a total of 66 different ways.<br />
**The 66 fields above the black fields are the same as those below - of course it does not matter which order you put them in.<br />
*As of writing this 24 of these 66 has been ticked of (36,4%). <br />
**But this has much to do with individual taste. <br />
**Since the comic is made in the US, it should mainly be combinations that are common in the US.<br />
**Also remember that even though you personally may not like avocado or relish (etc.), all food items on on the list are something that many people enjoy eating. <br />
**They are thus NOT disgusting!<br />
**Do not take personal taste into account when changing the list below!<br />
<br />
{| class="wikitable"<br />
|+ Traditional pairings found in the list of combinations<br />
! <br />
! Ice Cream<br />
! Ham<br />
! Relish<br />
! Pancakes<br />
! Ketchup<br />
! Cheese<br />
! Eggs<br />
! Cupcakes<br />
! Sour Cream<br />
! Hot Chocolate<br />
! Avocado<br />
! Skittles<br />
|-<br />
| {{w|Ice Cream}}<br />
| style="background-color:black;"|X<br />
| <br />
| <br />
| ✓<br />
| <br />
| <br />
| <br />
| ✓<br />
| <br />
| ✓<br />
| <br />
| ✓<br />
|-<br />
| {{w|Ham}}<br />
| <br />
| style="background-color:black;"|X<br />
| ✓<br />
| ✓<br />
| ✓<br />
| ✓<br />
| ✓<br />
| <br />
| <br />
| <br />
| ✓<br />
| <br />
|-<br />
| {{w|Relish}}<br />
| <br />
| ✓<br />
| style="background-color:black;"|X<br />
| <br />
| ✓<br />
| ✓<br />
| ✓<br />
| <br />
| <br />
| <br />
| <br />
| <br />
|-<br />
| {{w|Pancakes}}<br />
| ✓<br />
| ✓<br />
| <br />
| style="background-color:black;"|X<br />
| <br />
| ✓<br />
| ✓<br />
| <br />
| ✓<br />
| ✓<br />
| <br />
| <br />
|-<br />
| {{w|Ketchup}}<br />
| <br />
| ✓<br />
| ✓<br />
| <br />
| style="background-color:black;"|X<br />
| ✓<br />
| ✓<br />
| <br />
| <br />
| <br />
| <br />
| <br />
|-<br />
| {{w|Cheese}}<br />
| <br />
| ✓<br />
| ✓<br />
| ✓<br />
| ✓<br />
| style="background-color:black;"|X<br />
| ✓<br />
| <br />
| <br />
| <br />
| ✓<br />
| <br />
|-<br />
| {{w|Egg (food)|Eggs}}<br />
| <br />
| ✓<br />
| ✓<br />
| ✓<br />
| ✓<br />
| ✓<br />
| style="background-color:black;"|X<br />
| <br />
| ✓<br />
| <br />
| ✓<br />
| <br />
|-<br />
| {{w|Cupcakes}}<br />
| ✓<br />
| <br />
| <br />
| <br />
| <br />
| <br />
| <br />
| style="background-color:black;"|X<br />
| ✓<br />
| ✓<br />
| <br />
| ✓<br />
|-<br />
| {{w|Sour Cream}}<br />
| <br />
| <br />
| <br />
| ✓<br />
| <br />
| <br />
| ✓<br />
| ✓<br />
| style="background-color:black;"|X<br />
| <br />
| ✓<br />
| <br />
|-<br />
| {{w|Hot Chocolate}}<br />
| ✓<br />
| <br />
| <br />
| ✓<br />
| <br />
| <br />
| <br />
| ✓<br />
| <br />
| style="background-color:black;"|X<br />
| <br />
| <br />
|-<br />
| {{w|Avocado}}<br />
| <br />
| ✓<br />
| <br />
| <br />
| <br />
| ✓<br />
| ✓<br />
| <br />
| ✓<br />
| <br />
| style="background-color:black;"|X<br />
| <br />
|-<br />
| {{w|Skittles (confectionery)|Skittles}}<br />
| ✓<br />
| <br />
| <br />
| <br />
| <br />
| <br />
| <br />
| ✓<br />
| <br />
| <br />
| <br />
| style="background-color:black;"|X<br />
|}<br />
<br />
==Transcript==<br />
:[Megan is talking with Ponytail and Cueball, who has his hand to his chin. Above them in 4x3 black boxes different kind of food is written in white text].<br />
<br />
:{| class="wikitable"<br />
|style="background-color:black;"| <font color="white">Ice cream</font><br />
|style="background-color:black;"| <font color="white">Ham</font><br />
|style="background-color:black;"| <font color="white">Relish</font><br />
|-<br />
|style="background-color:black;"| <font color="white">Pancakes</font><br />
|style="background-color:black;"| <font color="white">Ketchup</font><br />
|style="background-color:black;"| <font color="white">Cheese</font><br />
|-<br />
|style="background-color:black;"| <font color="white">Eggs</font><br />
|style="background-color:black;"| <font color="white">Cupcakes</font><br />
|style="background-color:black;"| <font color="white">Sour cream</font><br />
|-<br />
|style="background-color:black;"| <font color="white">Hot chocolate</font><br />
|style="background-color:black;"| <font color="white">Avocado</font><br />
|style="background-color:black;"| <font color="white">Skittles</font><br />
|}<br />
<br />
:Megan: You know what's actually really good? <br />
:Megan: ____ and ____.<br />
:<font color="white">Megan:</font> food <font color="white">and</font> food<br />
<br />
:Cueball: Huh. I Guess I can see it.<br />
<br />
:[Caption below the panel.]<br />
:Fun fact: if you say "you know what's <br />
:actually really good?" in the right <br />
:tone of voice, you can name any <br />
:two individually-good foods here <br />
:and no one will challenge you one it.<br />
<br />
{{comic discussion}}<br />
<br />
[[Category:Comics featuring Megan]]<br />
[[Category:Comics featuring Ponytail]]<br />
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]<br />
[[Category:Fun fact]]</div>173.245.54.14https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=Talk:1588:_Hardware_Reductionism&diff=104897Talk:1588: Hardware Reductionism2015-11-11T13:10:51Z<p>173.245.54.14: names are important but misleading</p>
<hr />
<div><br />
Is "TRIATHOLON" just a typo, or does it have a special comic value? {{unsigned ip|141.101.106.77}}<br />
:At this moment of creation it exists in a limbo in which it is both a typo and a joke, but now that it is has been released for viewers to take measures, the function will soon collapse into just one of the possible states. [[Special:Contributions/162.158.34.197|162.158.34.197]] 13:03, 9 October 2015 (UTC)<br />
::It's clearly a spelling mistake (not a typo). See http://www.thefreedictionary.com/Triathalon, http://www.thefreedictionary.com/athelete. [[Special:Contributions/173.245.50.149|173.245.50.149]] 13:19, 9 October 2015 (UTC)<br />
:I'm going with the theory it's a joke around the philosophical [[wikipedia:Holon (philosophy)|Holon]]. [[User:Elvenivle|Elvenivle]] ([[User talk:Elvenivle|talk]]) 17:53, 9 October 2015 (UTC)<br />
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I don't think this is just parodying left-brain right-brain myths. Rather, it's parodying neural reductionism of all kinds—the currently widespread myth that our selves are determined genetically by brain structure alone, minimizing the role of culture and the way experience rewires the brain. In particular, the part about "phones like yours" makes me think of "women are from venus"–style myths (where, say, a slight correlation is found between gender and size of spacial processing module, etc, and pop-sci media reports it as WOMEN ARE INHERENTLY BAD AT SPATIAL REASONING).<br />
[[User:Leoboiko|Leoboiko]] ([[User talk:Leoboiko|talk]]) 13:25, 9 October 2015 (UTC)<br />
:Seems plausible. Care to add? [[Special:Contributions/108.162.216.104|108.162.216.104]] 13:39, 9 October 2015 (UTC<br />
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This is a real good, thorough and solid explanation. I'm impressed, well done! [[User:Flekkie|Flekkie]] ([[User talk:Flekkie|talk]]) 01:35, 12 October 2015 (UTC) <br />
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Or it could be a riff on the current "Thinking Fast and Thinking Slow" model, which considers the brain as having two distinct (Type 1 and Type 2) types of thinking, often described as two separate actors in the brain, in spite of the fact that they probably overlap a lot in the sections of the brain used.<br />
[[User:Blackbearnh|Blackbearnh]] ([[User talk:Blackbearnh|talk]]) 14:16, 9 October 2015 (UTC)<br />
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How about the typo of "coment" in the comment about the typo in the comic... {{unsigned ip|173.245.54.91}}<br />
:"Coment" may be a typo (error when typing) or a misspelling (when you don't know the correct spelling). "Triatholon" can only be a misspelling, because the comic is not typed. [[Special:Contributions/173.245.50.149|173.245.50.149]] 18:12, 9 October 2015 (UTC)<br />
:: “ "Triatholon" can only be a misspelling, because the comic is not typed.”<br />
:: You can make a mistake when handwriting. It's not a typo, but neither is it a misspelling.<br />
:: [[Special:Contributions/173.245.49.78|173.245.49.78]] 21:55, 9 October 2015 (UTC)<br />
:::I'm 100% sure Randall doesn't know the spelling of "triathlon". You simply don't add an extra letter when writing by hand "by mistake". BTW, it is corrected right now. [[Special:Contributions/173.245.50.149|173.245.50.149]] 20:52, 14 October 2015 (UTC)<br />
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Might the two cores' difficulty handling three events be meant as a parallel to the functional brain study result showing humans multitask only two things, with one frontal lobe handling each task (and the introduction of a third task results in timesharing rather than parallel processing of all three)?<br />
[[Special:Contributions/173.245.50.139|173.245.50.139]] 22:15, 9 October 2015 (UTC)<br />
:It could, but the three events in a triathlon don't involve multitasking - the events run in serial, not in parallel. I'm thinking about noting this in the text somewhere, but haven't though what to say about it yet - it seems peripheral. [[Special:Contributions/108.162.250.161|108.162.250.161]] 00:25, 12 October 2015 (UTC)<br />
::In that case, you should put it in an extremely offset side-bar. Like, you know, in everyone's peripheral vision.... (...I'll get my coat.) [[Special:Contributions/141.101.98.188|141.101.98.188]] 08:43, 13 October 2015 (UTC)<br />
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I wouldn't be surprised if someone actually believed the phone explanation. It sounds more plausible that several marketing claims. -- [[User:Hkmaly|Hkmaly]] ([[User talk:Hkmaly|talk]]) 18:29, 10 October 2015 (UTC)<br />
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How about the idea that people overgeneralize the function of objects (cores, regions of the brain) based on their names. If a dual-core phone can only process 2 things at a time then it can't process a triathlon as well as a quad-core phone. If a brain region is dedicated to 3D objects then there must be some connection to enjoying (processing) 3D doritos.[[Special:Contributions/173.245.54.14|173.245.54.14]] 13:10, 11 November 2015 (UTC)</div>173.245.54.14https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=Talk:759:_3x9&diff=102879Talk:759: 3x92015-10-05T17:01:44Z<p>173.245.54.14: </p>
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<div>In the middle of a Physics I exam, I forgot one of the equations of motion. Using my basic working knowledge of Calculus and the relationship between acceleration, velocity, and position, I managed to derive an equation which I used to solve the problem. When I got my exam back, I was given only partial credit because I got the right answer using the wrong formula.[[User:Smperron|Smperron]] ([[User talk:Smperron|talk]])<br />
: Ah, [insert your nation here]'s educational system at work. {{unsigned ip|ImVeryAngryItsNotButter}}<br />
:: Or perhaps re-estimate the value of making the cubed root of 81 look like 27 when the marker knows it is really 4.32674871092 and a bit.<br />
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I had an old math teacher once who didn't spend too much effort in grading trickier problems, so I got away with something similar in deriving Lagrange's Trig Identity in a complex class. Maybe 8 steps from the LHS and 2 steps from the RHS were right, and the equals sign that joined them was a leap of faith. --[[User:Quicksilver|Quicksilver]] ([[User talk:Quicksilver|talk]]) 01:55, 20 August 2013 (UTC)</div>173.245.54.14