https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/api.php?action=feedcontributions&user=173.245.56.149&feedformat=atomexplain xkcd - User contributions [en]2024-03-28T15:18:14ZUser contributionsMediaWiki 1.30.0https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=1417:_Seven&diff=753291417: Seven2014-09-05T20:56:27Z<p>173.245.56.149: /* Title text list */ Came up with plausible orderings that match the title text, added missing commas</p>
<hr />
<div>{{comic<br />
| number = 1417<br />
| date = September 5, 2014<br />
| title = Seven<br />
| image = seven.png<br />
| titletext = The days of the week are Monday, Arctic, Wellsley, Green, Electra, Synergize, and the Seventh Seal.<br />
}}<br />
<br />
==Explanation==<br />
In this comic, [[Cueball]] (or perhaps [[Randall]]) says he can't distinguish between sets that have exactly seven objects. This leads him to exchange the items in the sets without noticing, to the point where, when attempting to list a single set, each item mentioned actually belongs to a different set.<br />
<br />
This is shown in the comic when Cueball tries to enumerate the seven dwarfs from ''{{w|Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1937 film)|Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs}} (a task some people might find difficult, although they would not just chose words from other sets of seven to fill in the gaps...) <br />
<br />
The title text also makes it clear that even a simple set of seven items, like the days of the week, also goes completely wrong.<br />
<br />
The comic is a reference to the oldest {{w|Set-theoretic_definition_of_natural_numbers#Oldest_definition|set-theoretic definition of the natural numbers}} in which for each natural number, an equivalence class is defined over all sets which contain the same number of items. As Cueball is known for mathematical thinking he could be presumed to have taken the underlying equivalence relation to heart, and (over)applying it to real life, genuinely judges sets to be identical if they both contain N objects.<br />
<br />
The number seven being the number for when sets become indistinguishable is possibly a reference to {{w|The_Magical_Number_Seven,_Plus_or_Minus_Two|Miller's law}}; however, this refers to elements within the same set becoming indistinguishable, rather than indistinguishability of different sets of the same size, as the original tests involved either distinguishing between the items or repeating them back <em>in the correct order</em>.<br />
<br />
===Comic list===<br />
For each of the seven lists below, the relevant item's traditional position on its own list of seven is equal to its position on the list in the comic. So, since "phylum" is the second major taxonomic rank, "phylum" is the second item on the list in the comic.<br />
<br />
The seven "dwarfs" mentioned and their relevant sets of seven are (Items in the set are written in bold):<br />
{| class="wikitable"<br />
|<br />
! 1<br />
! 2<br />
! 3<br />
! 4<br />
! 5<br />
! 6<br />
! 7<br />
|-<br />
!Disney's Dwarfs from the movie ''{{w|Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1937 film)|Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs}}'')<br />
|'''Sneezy''' <br />
|Dopey<br />
|Bashful<br />
|Sleepy<br />
|Grumpy<br />
|Happy<br />
|Doc<br />
|-<br />
!Major {{w|taxonomic ranks}}<br />
|kingdom<br />
|'''phylum'''<br />
|class<br />
|order<br />
|family<br />
|genus<br />
|species<br />
|-<br />
!Continents<br />
|Asia<br />
|Africa<br />
|'''Europe'''<br />
|North America<br />
|South America<br />
|Australia<br />
|Antarctica<br />
|-<br />
!{{w|Seven deadly sins|Deadly sins}}<br />
|lust<br />
|gluttony<br />
|greed<br />
|'''sloth'''<br />
|wrath<br />
|envy<br />
|pride<br />
|-<br />
!{{w|Seven-layer dip|Seven Layer Dip (recipe)}}<br />
|refried beans<br />
|cheese<br />
|ground beef<br />
|sour cream<br />
|'''guacamole'''<br />
|salsa<br />
|chopped black olives/chopped tomatoes/chopped green onions<br />
|-<br />
!|Layers of the {{w|OSI model|Open System Interconnection (OSI) data transmission model}}<br />
|application<br />
|presentation<br />
|session<br />
|transport<br />
|network<br />
|'''data link'''<br />
|physical<br />
|-<br />
!|{{w|Wonders of the World|Wonders of the Ancient World}}<br />
|Great Pyramid of Giza<br />
|Hanging Gardens of Babylon<br />
|Statue of Zeus at Olympia<br />
|Temple of Artemis at Ephesus<br />
|Mausoleum at Halicarnassus<br />
|Lighthouse of Alexandria<br />
|'''Colossus of Rhodes'''<br />
|}<br />
<br />
===Title text list===<br />
The title text extends this saying he also does the same with the set of the seven days of the week. <br />
<br />
The sets Cueball's "days of the week" come from are (the relevant items number in the set is written in brackets before the item):<br />
# {{w|Days of the week}}: (1) '''Monday''', Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday, and Sunday<br />
# {{w|Seven_Seas#Modern|The Seven Seas (modern version)}} - there are many possible lists of 7 named bodies of water, but one possibility where &ldquo;Arctic&rdquo; comes second in alphabetic order is: Antarctic, (2) '''Arctic''', Atlantic, Caribbean, Indian, Mediterranean, and Pacific.<br />
## This could also be a reference to {{w|Climate zones}}. See [[#Trivia|Trivia]].<br />
## This could also be a reference to {{w|Continents}}. See [[#Trivia|Trivia]].<br />
# {{w|Seven Sisters (colleges)|Seven Sisters}}, historically women's colleges in U.S.: Mount Holyoke, Vassar, (3) '''Wellesley''', Smith, Radcliffe, Bryn Mawr, and Barnard<br />
# Traditional {{w|spectral color}}s: red, orange, yellow, (4) '''green''', blue, indigo[[#Trivia|*]], and violet.<br />
# {{w|Pleiades (Greek mythology)|Pleiades}}, Seven Sisters, nymphs and daughters of Atlas and Pleone in Greek mythology (in reverse alphabetical order): Taygete, Sterope, Merope, Maia, (5) '''Electra''', Celaeno, and Alcyone.<br />
# ''{{w|The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People}}'' by Dr. Stephen R. Covey: Be proactive, Begin with the end in mind, Put first things first, Think win-win, Seek first to understand and then to be understood, (6) '''Synergize''', and Sharpen the saw<br />
# {{w|Seven_Seals|Seals}} in the Book of Revelation in the New Testament: First seal, Second seal, Third seal, Fourth seal, Fifth seal, Sixth seal, and (7) '''Seventh seal'''[[#Trivia|**]].<br />
<br />
==Transcript==<br />
: [Megan and Cueball are talking]<br />
: Megan: Can you name all the dwarves from Snow White?<br />
: Cueball: Sure, there's, um...<br />
: Cueball's thoughts: Sneezy, phylum, Europe, sloth, guacamole, data link, Colossus of Rhodes<br />
: Caption: I have this problem where all sets of seven things are indistinguishable to me.<br />
<br />
==Trivia==<br />
*Arctic (no. 2 on the title text list) could also be a reference to {{w|Climate zones|climate zones}}: '''Arctic''', North Temperate, Northern Subtropical, Tropical, Southern Subtropical, South Temperate and Antarctic. <br />
** There are however usually only five mentioned according to the {{w|Köppen climate classification}}. They are: Tropical, Dry, Temperate, Continental and Polar climate.<br />
** There are seven continents of the world. Africa, Antarctica (2), Asia, Australia, Europe, North America, South America. Since the picture of the 2nd dwarf is not a dwarf, but resembles another cartoon character "Fievel", the second item in the hover list "Arctic" was a purposeful mistake as well.<br />
*Concerning the seven colour of the spectrum (no. 4 on the title text list) {{w|Indigo#Classification_as_a_spectral_color|indigo is stuck in}} by {{w|Isaac Newton}} to add up to the seven notes in the {{w|Scale_(music)#Western_music|Western musical scale}} <br />
** It should be noted that {{w|Indigo#Classification as a spectral color|Newton probably meant}} the colours {{w|cyan}} and {{w|blue}} as we think of it today, rather than blue and {{w|indigo}}. <br />
** Also note that in a {{w|rainbow}} you usually {{w|Rainbow#Number_of_colours_in_spectrum_or_rainbow|cannot distinguish more than six colours}} with cyan melting in with green and blue and the same for indigo with blue and violet.<br />
*** {{w|Color term#Basic color terms|This is highly dependent on the language you speak.}} Russian, for example, has both sinij and goluboj to describe different blues that in English are both blue. Japanese, as another example, has blue and green together (kinda) in 青.<br />
** These are also the traditional seven artists' pigments, {{w|Roy_G._Biv|with the accompanying mnemonic "Roy G. Biv"}}. Indigo dye is a widely known and readily available colouring agent. The ongoing ubiquity of the ''pigment'' (think denim) gives it a unique prominence in spite of its uncertain status as a spectral colour. <br />
*Although '''very''' unlikely, ''The Seventh Seal'' (no. 7 on the title text list) could also refer to the 1957 film by Ingmar Bergman. <br />
**This was Bergman's seventh film with an English title beginning with the letter ‘S’ (ignoring articles). ''A Ship Bound for India'', ''Summer Interlude'', ''Secrets of Women'', ''Summer with Monika'', ''Sawdust and Tinsel'', ''Smiles of a Summer Night'', '''''The Seventh Seal'''''. <br />
**Similary ''The Seventh Seal'' is also the seventh Bergman film whose Swedish title starts with ‘S’, although the list has some different members. ''Skepp till Indialand'', ''Sånt händer inte här'', ''Sommarlek'', ''Sommaren med Monika'', ''Sommarnattens leende'', ''Sista paret ut'', '''''Det sjunde inseglet'''''. <br />
**''The Seventh Seal'' was also one of seven Bergman films submitted by Sweden for the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film during the 1950s and 1960s. '''The Seventh Seal''', ''The Magician'', ''The Virgin Spring'', ''Through a Glass Darkly'', ''The Silence'', ''Persona'', ''Shame''.<br />
<br />
{{comic discussion}}</div>173.245.56.149https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=1417:_Seven&diff=753231417: Seven2014-09-05T20:10:08Z<p>173.245.56.149: /* Comic list */ The seven-layer-dip recipe was a textbook demonstration of why you should never leave out the last comma of a list</p>
<hr />
<div>{{comic<br />
| number = 1417<br />
| date = September 5, 2014<br />
| title = Seven<br />
| image = seven.png<br />
| titletext = The days of the week are Monday, Arctic, Wellsley, Green, Electra, Synergize, and the Seventh Seal.<br />
}}<br />
<br />
==Explanation==<br />
In this comic, [[Cueball]] (or perhaps [[Randall]]) says he can't distinguish between sets that have exactly seven objects. This leads him to exchange the items in the sets without noticing, to the point where, when attempting to list a single set, each item mentioned actually belongs to a different set.<br />
<br />
This is shown in the comic when Cueball tries to enumerate the seven dwarfs from ''{{w|Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1937 film)|Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs}} (a task some people might find difficult, although they would not just chose words from other sets of seven to fill in the gaps...) <br />
<br />
The title text also makes it clear that even a simple set of seven items, like the days of the week, also goes completely wrong.<br />
<br />
The comic is a reference to the oldest {{w|Set-theoretic_definition_of_natural_numbers#Oldest_definition|set-theoretic definition of the natural numbers}} in which for each natural number, an equivalence class is defined over all sets which contain the same number of items. As Cueball is known for mathematical thinking he could be presumed to have taken the underlying equivalence relation to heart, and (over)applying it to real life, genuinely judges sets to be identical if they both contain N objects.<br />
<br />
The number seven being the number for when sets become indistinguishable is possibly a reference to {{w|The_Magical_Number_Seven,_Plus_or_Minus_Two|Miller's law}}; however, this refers to elements within the same set becoming indistinguishable, rather than indistinguishability of different sets of the same size, as the original tests involved either distinguishing between the items or repeating them back <em>in the correct order</em>.<br />
<br />
===Comic list===<br />
For each of the seven lists below, the relevant item's traditional position on its own list of seven is equal to its position on the list in the comic. So, since "phylum" is the second major taxonomic rank, "phylum" is the second item on the list in the comic.<br />
<br />
The seven "dwarfs" mentioned and their relevant sets of seven are (each item's position in its set is written in brackets before the item):<br />
# Disney's Dwarfs from the movie ''{{w|Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1937 film)|Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs}}''): (1) '''Sneezy''', Dopey, Bashful, Sleepy, Grumpy, Happy, and Doc<br />
# Major {{w|taxonomic ranks}}: kingdom, (2) '''phylum''', class, order, family, genus, and species<br />
# Continents: Asia, Africa, (3) '''Europe''', North America, South America, Australia, and Antarctica<br />
# {{w|Seven deadly sins|Deadly sins}}: lust, gluttony, greed, (4) '''sloth''', wrath, envy, and pride<br />
# {{w|Seven-layer dip|Seven Layer Dip (recipe)}}: refried beans, cheese, ground beef, sour cream, (5) '''guacamole''', salsa, and chopped black olives/chopped tomatoes/chopped green onions<br />
# Layers of the {{w|OSI model|Open System Interconnection (OSI) data transmission model}}: application, presentation, session, transport, network, (6) '''data link''', and physical<br />
# {{w|Wonders of the World|Wonders of the Ancient World}}: Great Pyramid of Giza, Hanging Gardens of Babylon, Statue of Zeus at Olympia, Temple of Artemis at Ephesus, Mausoleum at Halicarnassus, Lighthouse of Alexandria, and (7) '''Colossus of Rhodes'''<br />
<br />
===Title text list===<br />
The title text extends this saying he also does the same with the set of the seven days of the week. However, the lists found so far (here below) does not follow the same pattern as the dwarfs. The item number does not fit with that of our lists. So where no. 4 spectral colour has Green as no. 4 in the list, this is not the case with no. 5 on the list the Pleiades - here Electra is mentioned as no. 2 in {{W|Pleiades_(Greek_mythology)#The_Seven_Sisters|the wikipedia list}}. (However, this could maybe be discussed?) There is, however, reason to belive we do not yet have the complete understanding of the comic.<br />
<br />
The sets Cueball's "days of the week" come from are (the relevant items number in the set is written in brackets before the item):<br />
# {{w|Days of the week}}: (1) '''Monday''', Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday<br />
# {{w|Seven_Seas#Modern|The Seven Seas (modern version)}}: Pacific, Atlantic, Indian, (4?) '''Arctic''', Mediterranean, Caribbean, and the Gulf of Mexico.<br />
## This could also be a reference to {{w|Climate zones}}. See [[#Trivia|Trivia]].<br />
## This could also be a reference to {{w|Continents}}. See [[#Trivia|Trivia]].<br />
# {{w|Seven Sisters (colleges)|Seven Sisters}}, historically women's colleges in U.S.: Mount Holyoke, Vassar, (3) '''Wellesley''', Smith, Radcliffe, Bryn Mawr and Barnard<br />
# Traditional {{w|spectral color}}s: red, orange, yellow, (4) '''green''', blue, indigo and violet <br />
## However {{w|Indigo#Classification_as_a_spectral_color|indigo is stuck in}} by {{w|Isaac Newton}}. See [[#Trivia|Trivia]].<br />
# {{w|Pleiades (mythology)|Pleiades}}, Seven Sisters, nymphs and daughters of Atlas and Pleone in Greek mythology: Maia, (2?) '''Electra''', Taygete, Alcyone, Celaeno, Sterope and Merope<br />
# ''{{w|The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People}}'' by Dr. Stephen R. Covey: Be proactive, Begin with the end in mind, Put first things first, Think win-win, Seek first to understand and then to be understood, (6) '''Synergize''' and Sharpen the saw<br />
# {{w|Seven_Seals|Seals}} in the Book of Revelation in the New Testament: First seal, Second seal, Third seal, Fourth seal, Fifth seal, Sixth seal and (7) '''Seventh seal'''<br />
## Although '''very''' unlikely, ''The Seventh Seal'' could also refer to the 1957 film by {{w|Ingmar Bergman}}. See [[#Trivia|Trivia]].<br />
<br />
==Transcript==<br />
: [Megan and Cueball are talking]<br />
: Megan: Can you name all the dwarves from Snow White?<br />
: Cueball: Sure, there's, um...<br />
: Cueball's thoughts: Sneezy, phylum, Europe, sloth, guacamole, data link, Colossus of Rhodes<br />
: Caption: I have this problem where all sets of seven things are indistinguishable to me.<br />
<br />
==Trivia==<br />
*Arctic (no. 2 on the title text list) could also be a reference to {{w|Climate zones|climate zones}}: '''Arctic''', North Temperate, Northern Subtropical, Tropical, Southern Subtropical, South Temperate and Antarctic. <br />
** There are however usually only five mentioned according to the {{w|Köppen climate classification}}. They are: Tropical, Dry, Temperate, Continental and Polar climate.<br />
** There are seven continents of the world. Africa, Antarctica (2), Asia, Australia, Europe, North America, South America. Since the picture of the 2nd dwarf is not a dwarf, but resembles another cartoon character "Fievel", the second item in the hover list "Arctic" was a purposeful mistake as well.<br />
*Concerning the seven colour of the spectrum (no. 4 on the title text list) {{w|Indigo#Classification_as_a_spectral_color|indigo is stuck in}} by {{w|Isaac Newton}} to add up to the seven notes in the {{w|Scale_(music)#Western_music|Western musical scale}} <br />
** It should be noted that {{w|Indigo#Classification as a spectral color|Newton probably meant}} the colours {{w|cyan}} and {{w|blue}} as we think of it today, rather than blue and {{w|indigo}}. <br />
** Also note that in a {{w|rainbow}} you usually {{w|Rainbow#Number_of_colours_in_spectrum_or_rainbow|cannot distinguish more than six colours}} with cyan melting in with green and blue and the same for indigo with blue and violet.<br />
*** {{w|Color term#Basic color terms|This is highly dependent on the language you speak.}} Russian, for example, has both sinij and goluboj to describe different blues that in English are both blue. Japanese, as another example, has blue and green together (kinda) in 青.<br />
** These are also the traditional seven artists' pigments, {{w|Roy_G._Biv|with the accompanying mnemonic "Roy G. Biv"}}. Indigo dye is a widely known and readily available colouring agent. The ongoing ubiquity of the ''pigment'' (think denim) gives it a unique prominence in spite of its uncertain status as a spectral colour. <br />
*Although '''very''' unlikely, ''The Seventh Seal'' (no. 7 on the title text list) could also refer to the 1957 film by Ingmar Bergman. <br />
**This was Bergman's seventh film with an English title beginning with the letter ‘S’ (ignoring articles). ''A Ship Bound for India'', ''Summer Interlude'', ''Secrets of Women'', ''Summer with Monika'', ''Sawdust and Tinsel'', ''Smiles of a Summer Night'', '''''The Seventh Seal'''''. <br />
**Similary ''The Seventh Seal'' is also the seventh Bergman film whose Swedish title starts with ‘S’, although the list has some different members. ''Skepp till Indialand'', ''Sånt händer inte här'', ''Sommarlek'', ''Sommaren med Monika'', ''Sommarnattens leende'', ''Sista paret ut'', '''''Det sjunde inseglet'''''. <br />
**''The Seventh Seal'' was also one of seven Bergman films submitted by Sweden for the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film during the 1950s and 1960s. '''The Seventh Seal''', ''The Magician'', ''The Virgin Spring'', ''Through a Glass Darkly'', ''The Silence'', ''Persona'', ''Shame''.<br />
<br />
{{comic discussion}}</div>173.245.56.149https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=Talk:1401:_New&diff=72569Talk:1401: New2014-07-30T18:16:31Z<p>173.245.56.149: objection to title text explanation</p>
<hr />
<div>Why are there three ''n'''s in ''headcannnon'' in the title text?<br />
[[User:Keavon|Keavon]] ([[User talk:Keavon|talk]])<br />
<br />
:I think it's as simple as 1 n in canon (what the pun is based on), 2 n's in cannon (in the comic), and just to keep the pattern going, 3 n's in cannnon (in the title text).--[[Special:Contributions/173.245.54.175|173.245.54.175]] 05:35, 30 July 2014 (UTC)<br />
<br />
That reminds me on Neil Stephensons - The Diamond Age: or A Young Lady's Illustrated Primer... Very nerdy! {{unsigned ip|108.162.254.21}}<br />
<br />
Another very common usage of headcanon is when you REMOVE something from your headcanon - that is, pretend that it never happened, despite it being canon. Often it's case of not-really-good sequels. Or later edits: see {{w|Han shot first}}. -- [[User:Hkmaly|Hkmaly]] ([[User talk:Hkmaly|talk]]) 10:35, 30 July 2014 (UTC)<br />
:I thought that headcanon was everything fans imagined, not just what contradicts canon. --[[Special:Contributions/141.101.105.204|141.101.105.204]] 16:32, 30 July 2014 (UTC)<br />
<br />
Anyone note that the computer is completely undamaged (from the cannonfire at least, no telling about when it strikes the floor), despite the desk being demolished? [[User:Zowayix|Zowayix]] ([[User talk:Zowayix|talk]]) 13:14, 30 July 2014 (UTC)<br />
<br />
Worth mentioning the alternate term "fanon", at all? (Currently third but unlinking item {{w|Fanon|Wikipedia link}}, or the more dangerous (in the [[214|Comic 214]] sense) [http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/Fanon TVTropes link]... <!-- And remind me again why there are so many different wiki formats for embedding different forms of link?!? -->) [[Special:Contributions/141.101.99.7|141.101.99.7]] 13:22, 30 July 2014 (UTC)<br />
:I'd say no, fanon is headcanon that is accepted in huge parts of the fandom. --[[Special:Contributions/141.101.105.204|141.101.105.204]] 16:32, 30 July 2014 (UTC)<br />
<br />
New headcanon: Black Hat Guy always has a headcannon under his hat, and in this comic he is simply showing Cueball that he got a new one. [[Special:Contributions/108.162.216.73|108.162.216.73]] 14:12, 30 July 2014 (UTC)Matthew<br />
:Not true. In other comics where he hasn't had his hat, he did not have a cannon on his head. [[Special:Contributions/108.162.237.161|108.162.237.161]] 15:40, 30 July 2014 (UTC)<br />
<br />
Canon (in Greek: Kanon, Arabic: Qanon, Hebrew: Kaneh) means reed, or straight. Thus trustworthy. [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Canon_law#Etymology] [[User:Seebert|Seebert]] ([[User talk:Seebert|talk]]) 14:38, 30 July 2014 (UTC)<br />
<br />
Black Hat is shown to have short dark hair. That's new xkcd canon. As far as I know, he'd always been shown wearing a hat completely covering his hair until now. --[[User:Dangerkeith3000|Dangerkeith3000]] ([[User talk:Dangerkeith3000|talk]]) 15:33, 30 July 2014 (UTC)<br />
: Not new. http://xkcd.com/377/ [[Special:Contributions/108.162.237.161|108.162.237.161]] 15:40, 30 July 2014 (UTC)<br />
<br />
"The title text is a pun on the homophones *canon* and *cannon*" ... uh, the whole entire COMIC is a pun on the homophones *canon* and *cannon*. [[Special:Contributions/173.245.56.149|173.245.56.149]] 18:16, 30 July 2014 (UTC)</div>173.245.56.149https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=1396:_Actors&diff=719311396: Actors2014-07-18T15:47:02Z<p>173.245.56.149: /* Transcript */ We don't actually see what Megan is aiming at</p>
<hr />
<div>{{comic<br />
| number = 1396<br />
| date = July 18, 2014<br />
| title = Actors<br />
| image = actors.png<br />
| titletext = Once again topping the list of tonight's hottest rising stars in Hollywood is ξ Persei!<br />
}}<br />
<br />
==Explanation==<br />
The comic uses two different meanings of the word ''hottest''. In the opening question, "Who are today's 10 hottest actors?" the word ''hottest'' could refer to an actor's popularity, success, demand or attractiveness. Cueball and Megan think the word ''hottest'' is asking them to the list the 10 actors who have the highest surface temperature, and we see them measuring "Justin's" (possibly referring to {{w|Justin Long|Long}}, {{w|Justin Theroux|Theroux}}, or {{w|Justin Timberlake|Timberlake}} or any of the several other ''Justin''s in show business[http://www.imdb.com/search/name?count=100&gender=male&name=justin&sort=starmeter,asc]) surface temperature using an {{w|infrared thermometer}} (the beam is typically a laser pointer to know the location where the radiometric temperature comes from). The measured temperature of 81.5 is given (this being the USA) in degrees {{w|Fahrenheit}} and corresponds to 27.5&nbsp;{{w|°C}}, this temperature is below the average human temperature of 36&nbsp;{{w|°C}} probably due to some colder object (the shirt in this case) within the infrared thermometer field of view. Besides, deriving surface temperature from bright (radiance) temperature requires knowing the emissivity of the object. Since not all objects radiate with the same efficiency, two objects with the same surface temperature will emit different thermal radiance, but if emissivity is not taken into account they will report different surface temperatures. <br />
<br />
With such a measurement of ''hotness'', the hottest actor on any given day would probably be whoever is having a fever. Or, an animal actor, of a species with a higher body temperature than humans. ({{w|Category:Films about birds}})<br />
<br />
The title-text references the temperatures of Hollywood's rising stars, this time misunderstanding ''stars'' as actual stars, not famous people. In this case, the star {{w|Xi Persei|ξ Persei}} in the Perseus constellation (which is located in, and responsible for the fluorescence of, an object called the {{w|California Nebula}}, a possible joke on the location of Hollywood), one of the hottest stars (35,000 {{w|kelvin}}s, {{w|Sun}}: 5,800&nbsp;K) visible to the naked eye. The star also has similar declination (+35° 47′) as the latitude of Hollywood (34° N) so it is literally rising there every night.<br />
<br />
==Transcript==<br />
Opening Question: Who are today's 10 hottest actors?<br />
<br />
[Cueball is holding a clipboard, taking notes, while Megan aims an infrared thermometer off screen.]<br />
<br />
Megan: 81.5, but I think it got part of his shirt. [Megan yells] Hey Justin &mdash; Hold still!<br />
<br />
Closing: We grab an infrared thermometer and find out!<br />
<br />
{{comic discussion}}</div>173.245.56.149https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=1389:_Surface_Area&diff=706941389: Surface Area2014-07-02T05:16:02Z<p>173.245.56.149: Link fix from previous edit</p>
<hr />
<div>{{comic<br />
| number = 1389<br />
| date = July 2, 2014<br />
| title = Surface Area<br />
| image = surface_area.png<br />
| titletext = This isn't an informational illustration; this is a thing I think we should do. First, we'll need a gigantic spool of thread. Next, we'll need some kind of ... hmm, time to head to Seattle.<br />
}}<br />
<br />
A larger version of this image can be found [http://xkcd.com/1389/large/ here].<br />
<br />
==Explanation==<br />
{{incomplete|Very early draft.}}<br />
This image shows the total surface areas of all terrestrial planets, moons, asteroids etc. in the solar system, represented as regions of a single massive landmass (in a similar style to the various [[256: Online Communities|maps]] of the [[802: Online Communities 2|internet]] Randall has created in the past), with Earth in the center for scale. Relatively small objects like asteroids, comets and so on are grouped into two regions at the northeast and southwest corners, while tiny objects like space dust are excluded altogether (probably because their total surface area is impossible to accurately estimate, and also because any estimate would likely be too large to easily fit into the map).<br />
<br />
The title text implies that Randall actually wants to take all of the matter in the Solar system and stitch it together, by means of a gigantic spool of thread and a [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Space_Needle very large needle].<br />
<br />
==Transcript==<br />
{{incomplete transcript}}<br />
<br />
{{comic discussion}}</div>173.245.56.149https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=1389:_Surface_Area&diff=706931389: Surface Area2014-07-02T05:15:27Z<p>173.245.56.149: Added title text explanation.</p>
<hr />
<div>{{comic<br />
| number = 1389<br />
| date = July 2, 2014<br />
| title = Surface Area<br />
| image = surface_area.png<br />
| titletext = This isn't an informational illustration; this is a thing I think we should do. First, we'll need a gigantic spool of thread. Next, we'll need some kind of ... hmm, time to head to Seattle.<br />
}}<br />
<br />
A larger version of this image can be found [http://xkcd.com/1389/large/ here].<br />
<br />
==Explanation==<br />
{{incomplete|Very early draft.}}<br />
This image shows the total surface areas of all terrestrial planets, moons, asteroids etc. in the solar system, represented as regions of a single massive landmass (in a similar style to the various [[256: Online Communities|maps]] of the [[802: Online Communities 2|internet]] Randall has created in the past), with Earth in the center for scale. Relatively small objects like asteroids, comets and so on are grouped into two regions at the northeast and southwest corners, while tiny objects like space dust are excluded altogether (probably because their total surface area is impossible to accurately estimate, and also because any estimate would likely be too large to easily fit into the map).<br />
<br />
The title text implies that Randall actually wants to take all of the matter in the Solar system and stitch it together, by means of a gigantic spool of thread and a [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Space_Needle/ very large needle].<br />
<br />
==Transcript==<br />
{{incomplete transcript}}<br />
<br />
{{comic discussion}}</div>173.245.56.149https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=1387:_Clumsy_Foreshadowing&diff=705291387: Clumsy Foreshadowing2014-06-29T02:08:45Z<p>173.245.56.149: Changed "Allthetropes" links to "TVtropes" links for consistency</p>
<hr />
<div>{{comic<br />
| number = 1387<br />
| date = June 27, 2014<br />
| title = Clumsy Foreshadowing<br />
| image = clumsy_foreshadowing.png<br />
| titletext = '... hosts were unexpectedly fired from ABC's 'The View' today. ABC will likely announce new ...'<br />
}}<br />
<br />
==Explanation==<br />
Many action/thriller movies, during the first few minutes, have a background [http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/ChekhovsNews news] [http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/CoincidentalBroadcast report] that foreshadows the onset of some kind of danger, such as shark attacks, nuclear warfare etc.<br />
<br />
[[Randall]] suggests taking the same approach to random news articles from real life, in order to make them more ominous.<br />
<br />
In this case we see three random headings from news stories. Which could all be made even more interesting if the setting is correct. The middle one is about ''[http://dailydigestnews.com/2014/06/north-atlantic-ocean-great-white-shark-population-booms/ Shark populations booming off east coast]''. The news in the link is from a week before this comic was released, and is about the preservation of the {{w|Great white shark|Great white sharks}}. Not that terrifying, especially since sharks are way less dangerous than people tend to fear, in part due to movies like {{w|Jaws (film)|Jaws}}.<br />
<br />
However, if you put this headline into a news report running in the background, as when [[Cueball]] leaves the house with a bathing towel in the main frame of the comic, then it suddenly become a very ominous story, that will not bode well for Cueball and his friends...<br />
<br />
The first of the three stories mentioned above the frame ''[http://www.northkoreannews.net/index.php/sid/223255811/scat/08aysdf7tga9s7f7/ht/Angry-North-Korea-threatens-war-if-US-shows-film-mocking-its-leader North Korea threatens U.S. over upcoming movie]'' comes from {{w|North Korea|North Korea's}} official {{w|Korean Central News Agency}} who a few days before this comic was released threatened the US with war over the {{w|Seth Rogen}} movie {{w|The Interview (2014 film)|The Interview}}, promising "stern" and "merciless" retaliation if the film is released. The threat has generated some hype for the yet unreleased movie. No one, however, really takes North Korea's threat seriously... But if you put this into such a news report a the beginning of a film, this could be a film - about a film leading to a new war with North Korea. <br />
<br />
The last of the three stories is about ''[http://www.orbcomm.com/networks/og2-launch SpaceX to attempt new rocket launch today]''. {{w|SpaceX}} is a space transport services company and on March 13 2014 they reported a launch date for their first {{w|Orbcomm_satellites#Orbcomm-OG2|OG2}} mission containing 6 satellites on a dedicated {{w|Falcon 9}} rocket. This date was April 30, 2014 as can be read at the bottom of the news link, which is the news list for this OG2 mission. The launch continued to be postponed several times, and the last date given before this comic was released was June the 24th, three days before this comic was released. This launch was canceled on the 23rd and the day before this comic was released it was yet again postponed, this time until July the 14th (almost three weeks, after the previous four proposed launch dates had been the 20th, 21st, 22nd and 24th of June). So at this point in time, any news regarding SpaceX attempting to launch a rocket, will not generate much fuss, as they are most likely postponing again... But if you put the news bite into the start of a movie, then the launch would probably stay on schedule - but would then go horribly wrong, setting the action packed story in progress.<br />
<br />
The title text news ''[http://nypost.com/2014/06/26/sherri-shepherd-jenny-mccarthy-leave-the-view/ hosts were unexpectedly fired from ABC's 'The View' today]'' references {{w|American Broadcasting Company|ABC's}} ''{{w|The View (U.S. TV series)|The View}}'' where two of the co-hosts, {{w|Sherri Shepherd}} and {{w|Jenny McCarthy}}, were simultaneously reporting leaving the program (fired or resigned? -- sources vary), the day before this cartoon appeared. Sherri after seven year, Jenny after less than one year as co-host. According to the news link above there were "no word on who will be replacing the hosts, but the network says they will have a team together when the show launches its new season this fall." Again a not very interesting news story. The title text though continues the news by saying: ''ABC will likely announce new ...'' The humorous suggestion is that the movie, you could imagine here, will go on to feature the protagonist starring on The View, a comical premise for an action/thriller movie.<br />
<br />
==Transcript==<br />
:[Heading and text above the comics only panel:]<br />
:'''Today's News'''<br />
:North Korea threatens U.S. over upcoming movie<br />
:Shark populations booming off east coast<br />
:SpaceX to attempt new rocket launch today<br />
:[Arrow pointing down towards the comics only panel]<br />
<br />
:[Cueball, holding a towel, walks past a TV with a news report shown on-screen.]<br />
:Cueball: Bye! See you tonight!<br />
:Offscreen person: Have a good day!<br />
:TV: ''Researchers are reporting record numbers of sharks...''<br />
<br />
:[Text below the panel:]<br />
:To make news stories seem way more ominous, imagine you're hearing them from a background TV in a movie as the main character leaves.<br />
<br />
{{comic discussion}}<br />
<br />
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]<br />
[[Category:Sharks]]</div>173.245.56.149