https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/api.php?action=feedcontributions&user=MisterSpike&feedformat=atomexplain xkcd - User contributions [en]2024-03-28T12:55:46ZUser contributionsMediaWiki 1.30.0https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=Talk:571:_Can%27t_Sleep&diff=46936Talk:571: Can't Sleep2013-08-19T15:39:13Z<p>MisterSpike: changed "integral" to "integer"</p>
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<div>The odometer analogy needs more explanation because of the difference between signed vs. unsigned integers. This assumes the analogy should stay here. --[[User:Smartin|Smartin]] ([[User talk:Smartin|talk]]) 05:02, 4 January 2013 (UTC)<br />
<br />
I replaced the phrase "integral number" with "integer", because "integral" is an overloaded term in math, while "integer" always means a signed whole number, and is introduced in grade school arithmetic.<br />
--[[User:MisterSpike|MisterSpike]] ([[User talk:MisterSpike|talk]]) 15:39, 19 August 2013 (UTC)</div>MisterSpikehttps://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=571:_Can%27t_Sleep&diff=46933571: Can't Sleep2013-08-19T15:35:22Z<p>MisterSpike: /* Explanation */ Replaced "integral number" with "integer", because "intergral" is an overloaded term in math, while integer always means a signed whole number in grade school mathematics.|</p>
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<div>{{comic<br />
| number = 571<br />
| date = April 20, 2009<br />
| title = Can't Sleep<br />
| image = cant sleep.png<br />
| titletext = If androids someday DO dream of electric sheep, don't forget to declare sheepCount as a long int.<br />
}}<br />
<br />
== Explanation ==<br />
In this comic, [[Cueball]] is in bed and is having trouble sleeping. He tries the old standby of counting sheep as they jump over a fence, but upon reaching 32,767 sheep, the sheep all jump back over the fence and start counting up again from -32,768. This is because when a whole number or integer is represented in a digital form, such as on a computer, the number's range is limited by the amount of space used to store it. When the greatest possible number given the storage space is exceeded, an arithmetic overflow occurs, which results in starting over at the least possible number given the storage space. This is not at all unlike a car's odometer. Imagine an odometer with six digits reaching 999999 miles. Upon driving one more mile, the digits will roll back over to 000000.<br />
<br />
In this case, the least and greatest possible numbers are -32,768 and 32,767, which implies that the storage space used would be two bytes. In addition, it's clear that the number is designated as a signed number, meaning that it can be either positive or negative.<br />
<br />
The image text refers to the 1968 Philip K. Dick science fiction novel ''Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?'', which was adapted into the perhaps more widely known Ridley Scott directed 1982 film ''Blade Runner''. The implication is that if we ever do create androids that dream of electric sheep, we should make sure to give them sufficient storage space to store numbers large enough such that an arithmetic overflow will be far less likely to occur, even if they count for a long time. A "long int" consists of four bytes rather than two, so instead of being limited to a range from -32,768 to 32,767 the number will be capable of storing numbers from -2,147,483,648 to 2,147,483,647. "sheepCount" is a possible name for a variable to be used in a computer program. Declaring a variable tells the computer that it should allocate a portion of memory to be associated with the variable name given. For those who might be unfamiliar with common programming practices, "sheepCount" is named using what is commonly referred to as CamelCase, meaning that all words in the name ("sheep" and "count") are pushed together and the first letter of every word after the first is capitalized. This is one of several common approaches to naming variables in computer programming.<br />
<br />
==Transcript==<br />
:[Cueball is in bed, presumably trying to sleep. The top of each panel is a thought bubble showing sheep leaping over a fence.]<br />
:1 ... 2 ...<br />
:baaa<br />
:[Two sheep are jumping from left to right.]<br />
<br />
:... 1,306 ... 1,307 ...<br />
:baaa<br />
:[Two sheep are jumping from left to right. The would-be sleeper is holding his pillow.]<br />
<br />
:... 32,767 ... -32,768 ...<br />
:''baaa baaa baaa baaa baaa''<br />
:[A whole flock of sheep is jumping over the fence from right to left. The would-be sleeper is sitting up.]<br />
:Sleeper: ?<br />
<br />
:... -32,767 ... -32,766 ...<br />
:baaa<br />
:[Two sheep are jumping from left to right. The would-be sleeper is holding his pillow over his head.]<br />
<br />
{{Comic discussion}}<br />
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]</div>MisterSpikehttps://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=549:_Westley%27s_a_Dick&diff=46224549: Westley's a Dick2013-08-10T09:59:31Z<p>MisterSpike: /* Explanation */ It was a book LONG before it became a movie! It was even published in a 2-colour format, with all the "Morgenstern" text printed in red.</p>
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<div>{{comic<br />
| number =549<br />
| date =February 27, 2009<br />
| title =Westley's a Dick<br />
| image =westleys_a_dick.png<br />
| titletext =Inigo/Buttercup 4eva <3<br />
}}<br />
<br />
==Explanation==<br />
This is an alternate take on the 1973 fantasy romance novel written by William Goldman which became the 1987 film: ''{{w|The Princess Bride}}.'' The story takes place in the country of Florin. Buttercup (played by Robin Wright) was a farmer who took her greatest joy from bossing Westley (Cary Elwes) around like a servant. His only reply to her requests would be, "As you wish". As time passed, Buttercup realized that when Westley said "As you wish", what he really meant was "I love you". And one day she realized that she truly loved him back.<br />
<br />
However, having no money for marriage, Westley went away to seek his fortune across the sea. Buttercup soon received word that Westley had been murdered by the Dread Pirate Roberts, and for days she neither slept nor ate, falling into a deep despondency and swearing that she would never love again.<br />
<br />
Five years later, the aged King of Florin is near death, and the heir apparent, Prince Humperdinck, chooses Buttercup to be his bride, considering her to be the fairest maiden in the land. However, Buttercup doesn't love him. One day, while out riding, she is captured by three bandits — a Sicilian self-proclaimed genius named Vizzini, Spanish swordsman Inigo Montoya, and gentle giant Fezzik. (Vizzini is the only one of the trio who's genuinely malevolent, though.) The trio had been hired by Humperdinck to kill Buttercup and make it look like rival nation Guilder was responsible, giving Humperdinck the only excuse he needs to start a war between the two countries.<br />
<br />
What they didn't count on was that Westley, wearing the outfit of a "Man in Black" (all-black clothing, sword, and black mask) was following them to stop them. Catching up to the trio, Westley defeats Inigo in fencing, Fezzik in hand-to-hand combat (rendering the two of them unconscious), and then kills Vizzini in a battle of wits.<br />
<br />
Westley doesn't reveal his identity to Buttercup at first, but he gladly admits to being the Dread Pirate Roberts. Believing him to have been responsible for Westley's death, Buttercup gets into a vehement argument with him, culminating with her saying, "I ''died'' that day! And you can die too, for all I care!"<br />
<br />
She pushes him off a hill, with Westley replying "Aaaaaass... yoooooouuuu... wiiiiiish!" on the way down. Finally realizing who he is, she rolls down after him, and that's the point at which this comic picks up.<br />
<br />
Because there are several fundamentally questionable decisions Westley ''had'' to have made in order for the film's narrative to make any sense whatsoever. He took over as the Dread Pirate Roberts from the man previously known as Roberts — who ''also'' isn't the original DPR. Westley became, at minimum, the ''fourth'' man known as the Dread Pirate Roberts — it's a legacy name designed to evoke fear into the populace. (As he said, ''no one'' would surrender to the Dread Pirate Westley.)<br />
<br />
But over the last five years, while earning the previous Roberts' respect, taking over for him and then making his fortune, Westley has allowed Buttercup to believe that he'd been murdered, preventing her from getting on with the rest of her life. And now he kills people, sacks ports and loots ships for a living.<br />
<br />
"Screw this", the comic's Buttercup says. "I'm gonna go see if [Inigo] is single." Of course, Inigo's had to be a bad guy for awhile now himself, but he admitted even to Westley that he was just doing it to pay the bills.<br />
<br />
==Transcript==<br />
:Buttercup: Oh, my sweet Westley!<br />
:Buttercup: Why did you let me think you were dead?<br />
:Westley: You shacked up with the prince!<br />
:Buttercup: After years of mourning! The worst pain of my life!<br />
:Buttercup: And now you ... kill people?<br />
:Westley: I'd hardly be a dread pirate if I didn't.<br />
:Buttercup: How lovable.<br />
:Westley: It was for the sake of the narrative!<br />
:Buttercup: Fuck the narrative. I'm going to go see if that Spaniard's single.<br />
:Westley: ...As you wish.<br />
<br />
{{comic discussion}}<br />
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]</div>MisterSpikehttps://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=521:_2008_Christmas_Special&diff=43672521: 2008 Christmas Special2013-07-13T18:33:55Z<p>MisterSpike: /* Explanation */ Panel 7: Randall is a fan of Python, and frequently exaggerates its power to almost supernatural levels. He's doing this again, here, not finding faults.</p>
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<div>{{comic<br />
| number = 521<br />
| date = December 24, 2008<br />
| title = 2008 Christmas Special<br />
| image = 2008_christmas_special.png<br />
| titletext = 'How could you possibly think typing 'import skynet' was a good idea?'<br />
}}<br />
<br />
==Explanation==<br />
This comic is the xkcd Christmas Special from the year 2008. The prologue states that due to the {{w|2008 financial crisis}}, only very few images of the strip could be produced. It is therefore left to the reader to reconstruct the whole story based on the given images. While it is claimed that the reconstruction should be rather easy, the complicated and abstruse plot-line makes it nearly impossible to fill the gaps. Any attempt at inferring the missing images would therefore be largely guesswork. The comic features the well-known xkcd characters getting involved in a strange fight with cyborgs and raptors on Christmas eve.<br />
<br />
The line "We apologize for the inconvenience." is possibly a reference to the famous book series {{w|The Hitchhikers Guide To The Galaxy}} by {{w|Douglas Adams}}. It appears there as God's Final Message to His Creation, written in letters of fire on the side of the Quentulus Quazgar Mountains.<br />
<br />
'''Panel 2:''' [[Megan]] strives to outdo some christmas lights she has seen on YouTube.<br />
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'''Panel 3:''' Dissatisfied with her work, Megan is thinking about alternative ways improve her light arrangement. The idea of firing {{w|Sodium}} pellets into snow is probably a bad one, as Sodium reacts exothermically with water and may, in large amounts, induce explosions.<br />
<br />
'''Panel 5:''' Probably still obsessed with the idea of creating a large and impressive light display, Megan has constructed an electronic device with an {{w|Arduino}} processor, perhaps to make the light chain show patterns. However, the amount of energy she used was apparently too high, causing one of the control boards to vaporise.<br />
<br />
'''Panel 7:''' Megan's device has developed {{w|artificial intelligence}}, allowing it to feel. This common trope in science-fiction works usually leads to the system's attempting to eradicate its creator. [[Cueball]] attributes the emergence of a personality to awesome ease and power of programming in {{w|Python (programming language|Python}}.<br />
<br />
'''Panel 11:''' Out of context, this panel introduces the idea of {{w|Santa Claus}} being a {{w|muslim}}. This is a reference to the persistent Internet rumors that Barack Obama is a Muslim, though he declares himself to be a Christian. However, the theory probably relates to the fact the Santa Claus is usually displayed with a large beard, which is sometimes also sported by conservative Muslims.<br />
<br />
'''Panel 13:''' At this point the self-conscious Christmas light control systems has apparently released {{w|cyborgs}} that tried to kill Megan and Cueball. In order to repel the cyborgs, they have cloned {{w|Velociraptors}}. Cueball expresses doubt whether that was really a good idea. Velociraptors appear frequently in xkcd, cf. comics [[87]], [[135]] and [[292]].<br />
<br />
'''Panel 17:''' As predicted, the raptors have gone wild, but Megan, Cueball and the two smaller characters (perhaps their children) managed to cage the dinosaurs. They believe themselves safe unless the raptors learn how to build {{w|lightsabers}}.<br />
<br />
'''Panel 19:''' The raptors have indeed succeeded with constructing lightsabers and must now be fought. The "Clever girl" is a reference to a line from Jurassic Park where the raptors outflank (and kill) one of the human characters.<br />
<br />
'''Panel 23:''' IT billionaire {{w|Bill Gates}} has mistakenly killed Santa Claus, possibly in a sword fight. He claims to have taken him for {{w|Richard Stallman}}, a prominent {{w|free software}} activist. (Gates strongly opposes the idea of free software and is therefore considered a antagonist by many of its supporters.) The most striking resemblance between Stallman and Santa Claus is probably the long and untamed beard. Comic [[225]] is one of the most famous xkcd comics and features Stallman involved in a sword fight.<br />
<br />
'''Panel 29:''' Megan asks [[Black Hat]] where he obtained the enormously large {{w|christmas tree}} that can be seen on the right side of the picture. It is implied that he logged {{w|Yggdrasil}}, a giant ash tree in Norse mythology. According to tradition, Yggdrasil is the world tree representing the whole creation and holding together the cosmological structure.<br />
<br />
'''Panel 31:''' [[Randall]] wishes Merry Christmas to all xkcd readers.<br />
<br />
The title text refers to panel 7. In Python, modules are imported using the "import ''module''" syntax. {{w|Skynet (Terminator)|Skynet}} is a self-conscious artificial intelligence system featured in the {{w|Terminator}} film series as the main antagonist. Importing the skynet module might therefore account for Megan's system's developing an evil personality.<br />
<br />
Note that this comic was first published in another version that had panel 29 as panel 27 and the "Merry Christmas from xkcd" message at the bottom. As 27 is not a {{w|prime number}}, the current version was published in lieu of the erroneous one. The original version can be found [[:File:2008_christmas_special_original.png|here]] for the sake of completeness.<br />
<br />
It has been observed that the top left nine panels form a {{w|Glider (Conway's Life)|Glider}} in {{w|Conway's Game of Life}}. The glider is sometimes used as an emblem representing {{w|hacker subculture}}, although rotated by 90 degrees. It remains however unclear wether the occurrence in the comic is intentional or owed to the prime number pattern.<br />
<br />
==Transcript==<br />
:The 2008 XKCD Christmas Special<br />
:Due to the slowing economy, we could only afford to produce the prime-numbered panels.<br />
:You should be able to infer the missing parts of the story easily enough.<br />
:We apologize for the inconvenience.<br />
:[The first panel is blank.]<br />
:[Megan carrying Christmas lights and Cueball watching.]<br />
:Megan: I'm going to one-up those Christmas light displays on YouTube.<br />
:[Megan thinking]<br />
:Megan: Hmm. Needs more flair. Do you know what happens when you fire sodium pellets into a snowbank?<br />
:Cueball: No.<br />
:Megan: Me neither.<br />
:[The next panel is blank.]<br />
:[Megan sitting in front of a console.]<br />
:Megan: Whoops, one of the Arduino control boards sublimated.<br />
:Megan: If only I could make it self-repairing...<br />
:[The next panel is blank.]<br />
:Megan: Shit. The system has become sentient.<br />
:Cueball: Friggin' Python.<br />
:System: GRAAARR!<br />
:[The next three panels are blank.]<br />
:[Megan showing laptop to Cueball.]<br />
:Megan: But according to this email forward, Santa is secretly a Muslim!<br />
:Cueball: It explains everything!<br />
:[The next panel is blank.]<br />
:Megan: Okay, the cloned raptors are hunting the last of the cyborgs. We're safe.<br />
:Cueball: Are you sure you thought this through?<br />
:[The next three panels are blank.]<br />
:[Two couples appear in this next panel.]<br />
:Cueball: Are the raptors contained?<br />
:Girl: Sure. Unless they figure out how to build lightsabers.<br />
:[The next panel is blank.]<br />
:[Guy with hat fighting with a raptor using lightsabers.]<br />
:Cueball: It's all right. I've got her.<br />
:[Lightsaber appears from behind.]<br />
:Snap-hiss!<br />
:Cueball: ...Clever girl.<br />
:[The next three panels are blank.]<br />
:[Bill Gates is holding a weapon over Santa's body. The two girls are watching.]<br />
:Megan: Great. Bill Gates kills Santa.<br />
:Bill Gates: I thought it was Stallman with a dyed beard.<br />
:[The next five panels are blank.]<br />
:[Megan and Black Hat are looking at a tree.]<br />
:Megan: Where did you get this Christmas tree?<br />
:Black Hat: Nowhere.<br />
:Megan: Did you cut down the Yggdrasil?<br />
:Black Hat: ...Maybe.<br />
:[The next panel is blank.]<br />
:[Megan and Cueball holding hands and looking at reader.]<br />
:Merry Christmas from XKCD <3<br />
:[The last panel is blank.]<br />
<br />
{{comic discussion}}<br />
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]<br />
[[Category:Comics featuring Megan]]<br />
[[Category:Comics featuring Black Hat]]<br />
[[Category:Comics featuring real people]]<br />
[[Category:Christmas]]<br />
[[Category:Programming]]<br />
[[Category:Star Wars]]<br />
[[Category:Velociraptors]]</div>MisterSpikehttps://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=485:_Depth&diff=42775485: Depth2013-07-03T05:04:06Z<p>MisterSpike: /* Explanation */ "incongruities"</p>
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<div>{{comic<br />
| number = 485<br />
| date = October 6, 2008<br />
| title = Depth<br />
| image = depth.png<br />
| titletext = The Planck length is another thousand or two pixels below the comic.<br />
}}<br />
<br />
==Explanation==<br />
The comic is a companion piece to [[482: Height]], which explored a {{w|logarithmic scale}} from the edge of the observable universe down to the Earth's surface. ''Depth'' continues the process, viewing logarithmically smaller scales from Earth's atmosphere down to the interior of a single {{w|proton}}. This combination is reminiscent of Charles and Ray Eames' 1977 short film [http://youtu.be/0fKBhvDjuy0 Powers of Ten].<br />
<br />
Starting from the Earth's surface, the view descends into a house, a tower PC, its CPU, and eventually a proton inside a silicon atom, with various humorous <br />
incongruities.<br />
<br />
What should be a computer mouse is an actual rodent, yet still somehow plugged into the PS/2 (6-pin mini-DIN) connector that is clearly labelled.<br />
<br />
From a possibly punning connection between a chip's connector pin to the pin of "how many angels can dance on the head of..?" fame, we are given a joke based upon a 2's-complement overflow/rollover condition, changing from maxint (greatest positive) to minint (greatest negative). A negative angel might well be a demon.<br />
<br />
A blood-sucking insect appears to be 'leeching' a torrent.<br />
<br />
<!-- Someone must understand the 'rice' thing, or have something interesting to say about the "Upcoming Segfault" bit, but not me. --><br />
<br />
There is a suggestion that the computer concerned is being Rick-rolled, seeing that it contains the observation (at probably the scale of memory address storing circuitry in the CPU's cache) that there is at least one pixel's-worth of Rick Astley's image being stored at the moment but, one imagines, probably enough for the current video frame.<br />
<br />
A "fork();" command points at one of several unlabeled spermatazoa. Both the 'fork' function (mostly in various C-family programming languages) and the spermatazoon (after joining with an ovum, one of which ''is'' labelled slightly higher up in a position appropriate to its corresponding size) are capable of spawning 'child processes'.<br />
<br />
Peter Norton is famous for being the person behind Norton Antivirus <!-- Note, I expected this to be a reference to The Fantastic Voyage, at first... -->, who is therefore appropriately attacking a virus. Though in this case a bacteriophage, rather than informatic malware.<br />
<br />
Showing the relative scale of carbon nanotubes, the suggestion is that these then lead on to a more megastructural Space Elevator, for which carbon nanontubes are often cited as a suitably strong component needed for the cable.<br />
<br />
In the {{w|electron cloud}}, the squiggles made out of arrows are {{w|Feynman diagram}}s.<br />
<br />
Such a diagram, in the shape of a stick figure, is saying "Sup?", which may reference both the "Wassuuup..!" meme and the "Sup" particle (supersymmetric partner 'squark' to the Up quark).<br />
<br />
An 'iPod Femto' is shown (presumably at the femtometre level of scale), as a pun on the 'iPod Nano' (which, despite its name, is ''not'' mere nanometres in size).<br />
<br />
Brian Greene is a theoretical physicist and {{w|Popular science|pop scientist}} who discusses the nature of the universe. The picture of him knitting is a pun on his book and PBS miniseries, {{w|The Fabric of the Cosmos}}.<br />
<br />
The {{w|Planck length}} is the smallest theoretically measurable distance, due to the {{w|Uncertainty principle}} of quantum mechanics. Planck length is vastly smaller than any known particle, and modern physics is a long way from being able investigate such a scale. <br />
<br />
[[1162: Log Scale]] is another comic about the use of log scales.<br />
<br />
==Transcript==<br />
:Sizes Accurate on a vertical log scale<br />
:[Series of images of characters doing various things. The things they are doing are listed in left to right order]<br />
:Man and woman playing in a ball pen <br />
: Woman using witchcraft to ban vista "Out, Vista!"<br />
:Two girls play Rock Band <br />
: Man and woman are having &quot;fun&quot; on a shaking bed.<br />
:[Below this series of images, an image of a man on the computer]:<br />
:Man is on computer and the image expands as it goes down. Here are the labels from left to right, up to down:<br />
:CD <br />
:DVD<br />
:Case<br />
:North Bridge<br />
:PS/2<br />
:Mouse (a physical mouse)<br />
:RAM<br />
:CPU Socket Pin<br />
:32,767 Angels Dancing (one more and they'd roll over and become 32,768 Devils), Rice, Torrent (a bug), CPU, upcoming segfault<br />
:dust mite<br />
:hair<br />
:OVUM<br />
:Data (a pixel on Rick Astley's shoulder), rust mite, fork();<br />
:Peter Norton fighting a baxteriophage<br />
:memory<br />
:carbon nanotubes<br />
:space elevator<br />
:a line of silicon (Si), Electron Cloud, a man made out of arrows saying "sup?"<br />
:silicon nucleus<br />
:IPod femto<br />
:Brian Greene knitting furiously ''clank, clunk''<br />
<br />
{{comic discussion}}<br />
[[Category:Charts]]<br />
[[Category:Physics]]<br />
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]<br />
[[Category:Comics featuring Megan]]<br />
[[Category:Comics featuring Ponytail]]<br />
[[Category:Comics featuring real people]]</div>MisterSpikehttps://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=Talk:476:_One-Sided&diff=42342Talk:476: One-Sided2013-06-28T09:04:58Z<p>MisterSpike: Speculating on "Bernanke" and crossbows</p>
<hr />
<div>Could the Bernanke in question be {{w|Ben Bernanke}}, American economist and currently chairman of the {{w|Federal Reserve}} (i.e. "The Fed")? I assume the crossbows are a reference to something topical, but have no idea what. Might it be a video game of some kind? --''[[User:MisterSpike|MisterSpike]] ([[User talk:MisterSpike|talk]]) 09:04, 28 June 2013 (UTC)''</div>MisterSpikehttps://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=Talk:461:_Google_Maps&diff=42139Talk:461: Google Maps2013-06-26T18:58:59Z<p>MisterSpike: </p>
<hr />
<div>By the end, it's really starting to sound like a text-based fantasy adventure game, or possibly a game of D&D. This adds an additional level of humour: using Google Maps to navigate around virtual worlds.<br />
<br />
I particularly liked the "Go pi miles", and the "Careful" instructions in the Google Maps "Action" column on the right. ''--[[User:MisterSpike|MisterSpike]] ([[User talk:MisterSpike|talk]]) 18:58, 26 June 2013 (UTC)''</div>MisterSpikehttps://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=Talk:461:_Google_Maps&diff=42138Talk:461: Google Maps2013-06-26T18:58:02Z<p>MisterSpike: Another layer of humour?</p>
<hr />
<div>By the end, it's really starting to sound like a text-based fantasy adventure game, or possibly a game of D&D. This adds an additional level of humour: using Google Maps to navigate around virtual worlds.<br />
<br />
I particularly liked the "Go pi miles", and the "Careful" instructions in the Google Maps "Action" column on the right. --[[User:MisterSpike|MisterSpike]] ([[User talk:MisterSpike|talk]]) 18:58, 26 June 2013 (UTC)</div>MisterSpikehttps://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=User:MisterSpike&diff=42137User:MisterSpike2013-06-26T18:45:51Z<p>MisterSpike: This is a stub. MisterSpike, however, is not.</p>
<hr />
<div>MisterSpike lives in Toronto, and is slowly working his way through the entire catalogue of xkcd comics. Lately, for some reason, he seems to have become addicted to correcting some of the misapprehensions he sees herein. He apparently has a tendency to use highfalutin phrases in order to make his comments appear more erudite.</div>MisterSpikehttps://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=Talk:457:_Frustration&diff=42136Talk:457: Frustration2013-06-26T18:39:38Z<p>MisterSpike: Explanation for why I</p>
<hr />
<div>...or "I can do '''it''' in under a minute" is taken as a euphamism for speedy performance ''after'' the bra puzzle is solved (or ignored). Which doesn't always impress a partner. I've heard. --[[Special:Contributions/178.107.249.215|178.107.249.215]] 22:20, 13 June 2013 (UTC)<br />
<br />
The previous description ended with:<br />
<br />
:The second person replies that they've noticed, perhaps sarcastically suggesting that the first person is far more interested in solving a Rubik's cube than actually removing the bra and... everything that follows.<br />
<br />
While a subtle perspective, it glosses over the obvious joke about the Rubik's solver's speedy performance in the sack. --[[User:MisterSpike|MisterSpike]] ([[User talk:MisterSpike|talk]]) 18:39, 26 June 2013 (UTC)</div>MisterSpikehttps://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=457:_Frustration&diff=42135457: Frustration2013-06-26T18:36:36Z<p>MisterSpike: Updated the description to include the obvious joke about her partner's speedy performance in the sack, a common complaint young men face.</p>
<hr />
<div>{{comic<br />
| number = 457<br />
| date = August 1, 2008<br />
| title = Frustration<br />
| image = frustration.png<br />
| titletext = 'Don't worry, I can do it in under a minute.' 'Yes, I've noticed.'<br />
}}<br />
<br />
==Explanation==<br />
A bra is pictured here, but instead of a traditional clasp, a {{w|Rubik's cube}} is used instead. This would lead to the frustration mentioned in the comic's title, as someone wishing to remove the bra would have to solve the Rubik's cube every time in order to remove it, and scramble it in order to fasten the bra again. This would doubtless provide frustration in particular to partners who want to remove clothing as quickly as possible but are impeded by the Rubik's cube bra. On another level, the bra might also cause frustration simply because of the pressure of a weighty plastic cube digging into your back all day, and probably pulling the bra tighter by weighing it down.<br />
<br />
The title text is an imagined conversation between someone trying to undo this bra and someone who is likely wearing the bra. The first person explains that s/he can "do it" (i.e. undo the bra) in under a minute, which is a reasonably impressive skill to have if you are not a professional {{w|speedcuber}}. The second person replies that they've noticed, a sarcastic pun hinging on the meaning of "do it", and a complaint about the first person's speedy performance in bed.<br />
<br />
==Transcript==<br />
:[Bra with Rubik's cube closure.]<br />
<br />
{{comic discussion}}<br />
[[Category:Comics with color]]</div>MisterSpikehttps://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=Talk:455:_Hats&diff=42134Talk:455: Hats2013-06-26T18:25:21Z<p>MisterSpike: Added my two cents, which in Canada is now rounded down to zero cents. :-/</p>
<hr />
<div>I have a dissenting opinion, I think it's an electrostatics joke, with black hat (who is negative), meets a person of the same charge and more mass, so he is repelled by an electromagnetic field (likes repel)<br />
--[[Special:Contributions/198.228.200.168|198.228.200.168]] 15:57, 9 May 2013 (UTC)<br />
<br />
:I am sure this is a mystic power pushing Black Hat back at the last frame. There must be a film or video game with a powerful man wearing two hats or something similar. I have no idea. --[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 19:40, 9 May 2013 (UTC)<br />
<br />
I believe it is significant that the black hat has its own black hat. Nobody mentioned this. It's not merely that the gentleman is wearing two hats. This effectively squares the humor level.<br />
--[[Special:Contributions/71.22.93.130|71.22.93.130 dobennett]] 23:37, 17 May 2013 (UTC)<br />
<br />
:I disagree with the above discussion: I believe the wavy lines shown in the final frame are simply to indicate that Black Hat is slowly backing away. If any mystical or eletrostatic forces were involved, the long delay in the 3rd and 4th frames, during which Black Hat is sizing up Black Hat 2, would NOT be appropriate. --[[User:MisterSpike|MisterSpike]] ([[User talk:MisterSpike|talk]]) 18:25, 26 June 2013 (UTC)</div>MisterSpikehttps://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=454:_Rewiring&diff=42133454: Rewiring2013-06-26T18:07:53Z<p>MisterSpike: /* Explanation */ Added a new interpretation, but included much of the previous description, while tying it into the time the comic was written.</p>
<hr />
<div>{{comic<br />
| number = 454<br />
| date = July 25, 2008<br />
| title = Rewiring<br />
| image = rewiring.png<br />
| titletext = My friend Elizabeth tried to mail one end of the cable to me and thread the mail system.<br />
}}<br />
<br />
==Explanation==<br />
<br />
At the time this comic was written, most residential buildings in North America were wired for {{w|analog}} {{w|plain old telephone service|landline telephone service}}, although thanks to the growth of {{w|internet telephone}} and wireless telephone technologies, including {{w|cordless telephone|cordless}} and {{w|mobile phone|mobile}} phones, this in-house wiring was increasingly redundant.[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wireless_telephone#Use_of_mobile_phones]<br />
<br />
At the time, people who took their internet access seriously would have preferred that at least some of the phone wiring and phone jacks in their residences were {{w|Ethernet}} ({{w|Cat-5}} or {{w|Cat-6}}) wiring and ({{w|Modular_connector#8P8C|RJ45}}) jacks for providing wired internet access throughout their home, or in this case, to their neighbour's home, so that they wouldn't have to resort to {{w|wifi}}, which<br />
was[http://www.google.ca/trends/explore?q=wireless+g%2C+wireless+n#q=wireless%20g%2C%20wireless%20n&cmpt=q]<br />
slower and less reliable than a wired connection.<br />
<br />
The comic's title suggests it shows a fanciful way of converting {{w|analog}} phone lines to {{w|digital}} ethernet lines by simply faxing an ethernet cable, since a fax machine is a tool for {{w|digitizing|converting}} something {{w|analog}} into something {{w|digital}}.<br />
<br />
Since the faxing of the ethernet cable is apparently successful, the comic is not really about the conversion, but is instead a subtle {{w|computer network}} joke about {{w|Tunneling protocol|tunnelling}}, whereby you can embed one kind of network access protocol within a very different protocol. Herein lies the humour: [[Cueball]] and [[Megan]] are apparently under the impression that they can achieve a faster connection by tunneling a high-speed protocol (ethernet) through a slower ({{w|plain old telephone service}}) one. Generally speaking, this is not true. The only exception is when embedding a compressed data stream within a non-compressed standard. The performance boosts, however, are typically modest for {{w|lossless compression}}, and not the orders of magnitude difference our novices apparently hope for.<br />
<br />
==Transcript==<br />
:[Cueball is feeding cable into a device on a desk labeled "fax".]<br />
:Fax: ''zzz zzz''<br />
:[Outdoors, showing a plant and a lamp (indicates panels 1 and 3 are separate locations).]<br />
:[Megan, laptop behind her, is pulling a cable out of a fax machine.]<br />
:Fax: ''zzzzz''<br />
<br />
{{comic discussion}}<br />
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]<br />
[[Category:Comics featuring Megan]]</div>MisterSpikehttps://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=451:_Impostor&diff=42115451: Impostor2013-06-26T11:11:28Z<p>MisterSpike: /* Explanation */ Major rewrite, correcting some errors of the previous version.</p>
<hr />
<div>{{comic<br />
| number = 451<br />
| date = July 18, 2008<br />
| title = Impostor<br />
| image = impostor.png <br />
| titletext = If you think this is too hard on literary criticism, read the Wikipedia article on deconstruction.<br />
}}<br />
<br />
==Explanation==<br />
While the comic is ostensibly about grad students, it is really [[Randall]]'s way of poking fun at different fields. Given that engineers can detect his {{w|bullshit|BS}} quickly suggests he regards engineering with some respect. In other words, he thinks engineering has a low {{w|Bollocks#.22Talking_bollocks.22_and_.22Bollockspeak.22|BS quotient}}. Similarly with linguists. He clearly things less of sociology, since his BS can go undetected for considerably longer. And the field of "Literary Criticism" is something he consider mostly, or entirely, BS, since he claims his BS has repeatedly been published.<br />
<br />
The first panel shows [[Cueball]] discussing an engineering problem with [[Ponytail]]. {{w|logarithm|Logarithms}} are a mathematical tool used for expressing an exponential relationship as a linear one. While this has many uses in a variety of fields, it is not a suitable tool for dissipating excess heat. (It might have value in plotting temperature change over time, or temperature over distance, however.)<br />
<br />
Since {{w|Klingon language|Klingon}} is a constructed language designed to sound "alien" and which explicitly avoids sounding like any human language, it cannot be part of any real-world linguistic family. Any linguist who knows what a Klingon is would instantly recognize his statement as a joke, so the detection time should be only a few seconds. His assertion that his BS went undetected for over a minute suggests he does not expect linguists to be familiar with Star Trek.<br />
<br />
The third panel is a bit more subtle. While {{w|sociology}} can certain use ranking as an analytical tool, the trouble lies in the complete lack of meaning in the tags "best" and "worst". Detecting this as BS requires a bit more effort on the part of the sociology grad students.<br />
<br />
Literary criticism, on the other hand, is almost completely written in {{w|buzzword|buzz words}} and {{w|jargon}}, and is thus difficult for anyone, including those versed in the field, to understand. His assertion that he published 8 papers and 2 books could also be his way of saying that he doesn't believe anyone actually reads any of the stuff published in the field.<br />
<br />
==Transcript==<br />
:My Hobby: Sitting down with grad students and timing how long it takes them to figure out that I&#39;m not actually an expert in their field.<br />
<br />
<br />
:Engineering:<br />
:Students: Our big problem is heat dissipation<br />
:Cueball: Have you tried logarithms?<br />
:48 seconds<br />
<br />
:Linguistics:<br />
:Cueball: Ah, so does this Finno-ugric family include, say, Klingon?<br />
:63 Seconds<br />
<br />
:Sociology:<br />
:Cueball: Yeah, my latest work is on ranking people from best to worst.<br />
:4 Minutes<br />
<br />
:Literary Criticism:<br />
:Cueball: You see, the deconstruction is inextricable from not only the text, but also the self.<br />
:Eight papers and two books and they haven&#39;t caught on.<br />
<br />
<br />
{{comic discussion}}<br />
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]<br />
[[Category:Comics featuring Megan]]<br />
[[Category:Comics featuring Ponytail]]<br />
[[Category:My Hobby]]</div>MisterSpikehttps://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=Talk:450:_The_Sea&diff=42113Talk:450: The Sea2013-06-26T10:16:38Z<p>MisterSpike: /* Totally agree with "male enhancement" explanation */</p>
<hr />
<div>Umm...before changing the page shouldn't there be some discussion here? There was a bunch of other stuff that got deleted. [[Special:Contributions/69.122.106.29|69.122.106.29]] 03:22, 31 May 2013 (UTC)<br />
<br />
== Justification of "male enhancement" theory ==<br />
<br />
DGBert wrote that there's no justification for the idea of the first pump being a penis-enlarging pump. What other theory do you have about (a) a pump, that (b) makes someone larger and (c) improves their self-image?<br />
:If you have any hints not only coming from your own brain you are welcome. This wiki is "Explain" and not "Speculate". --[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 17:59, 31 May 2013 (UTC)<br />
<br />
(Do we have Word Of God about this or many other 'Explanations'? An awful lot of this Wiki is speculation, without it.) Personally, while the first pump could be either kind of pump, the title text asking for ''another'' in order to drain the sea means that the first (regardless of which way one's mind snaps, on reading) was not intended to be a sea-draining pump. Randall also often does something akin to "one-lead-element Markov Chaining", and "how small I am" leading to a penis pump fits his sense of absurdist humour. Even if it isn't initially that, it's still akin to being a {{w|Garden path sentence}} (only more of a disfluent paragraph version) when parsing. All IMO. YMMV. HTH. HAND. <br />
''[[Special:Contributions/178.107.249.215|178.107.249.215]] 13:40, 14 June 2013 (UTC)''<br />
<br />
== Totally agree with "male enhancement" explanation ==<br />
<br />
The previous explanation (last edited by [[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]]) was:<br />
<br />
<blockquote><br />
In this comic, Cueball compares himself to a very large sea and realizes how small he is. The initial implication is that this causes him to be humble and realize his small place on the planet -- a common sentiment expressed in poetry and blogs.<br />
</blockquote><br />
<blockquote><br />
The punchline "I should get one of those pumps" induces humor by reversing the expectation: as he thinks about how small he is compared to the sea, he starts wanting to buy a pump, presumably take out the sea water so the sea could be smaller and not so much a threat to his self-image anymore. It shows that he really hasn't learned anything and is still egotistical.<br />
</blockquote><br />
<blockquote><br />
The title text creates additional humor by reversing the expectation yet again, by saying that he wanted another pump to drain the sea, meaning that the purpose of the first pump was not to drain the sea. This leads the reader to ponder what possible use the first pump was to have, and how it was going to make him bigger. <br />
</blockquote><br />
<br />
This, to me, felt weak, was overly complex, and ignored what seems a painfully obvious point. The number of "male enhancement" products being marketed by junk-mail at the time was a frequent source of humour, and something that anyone with an e-mail account (and a poor junk-mail filter) dealt with on a frequent basis. Ref: [http://www.google.ca/trends/explore?q=penis%20pump#q=penis%20pump%2Cmale%20enhancement&cmpt=q|Google Trends on Male Enhancement]<br />
<br />
Note, the line is: "... one of '''those''' pumps." This wording indicates that Randall is referring to something that he expects the reader to realize is topical. If he meant a generic pump, he would NOT have used the keyword "those". People ignorant of the junk mail of the day, and the function of penis pumps, would understandably not get the joke.<br />
''[[User:MisterSpike|MisterSpike]] ([[User talk:MisterSpike|talk]]) 10:16, 26 June 2013 (UTC)''</div>MisterSpikehttps://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=450:_The_Sea&diff=42111450: The Sea2013-06-26T09:46:34Z<p>MisterSpike: /* Explanation */ Rewrote explanation, using "THOSE pumps" as a topical indicator for the male enhancement pump explanation.</p>
<hr />
<div>{{comic<br />
| number = 450<br />
| date = July 16, 2008<br />
| title = The Sea<br />
| image = the_sea.png<br />
| titletext = And then a second one, to drain the sea.<br />
}}<br />
<br />
==Explanation==<br />
In this comic, [[Cueball]] becomes introspective when looking upon the sea. The initial implication is that he feels humble and recognizes his insignificance on the planet -- a common sentiment expressed in poetry and blogs.<br />
<br />
The punchline ''"I should get one of those pumps"'' means that instead of considering his insignificance, he is instead thinking about the size of his penis. Note that the line is ''"one of '''those''' pumps."'' This indicates the writer is referring to something he considers ''topical'' at the time, which for those with an e-mail account at the time included the surprising number of junk mail messages offering "male enhancement products", particularly {{w|Penis_pump#Penis_pump|penis pumps}}. This was a frequent source of humour in a variety of media at the time, given how novel it was for these things to be discussed openly.<br />
<br />
The title text suggests that Cueball, having found a potential solution for the immediate problem, is turning his attention to the much broader one of putting the sea in its place.<br />
<br />
==Transcript==<br />
:[Cueball stands on a beach at night, staring out across the moonlit ocean]<br />
:Cueball: THE SEA ALWAYS MAKES ME REALIZE<br />
:Cueball: HOW SMALL I REALLY AM.<br />
:Cueball: I SHOULD GET ONE OF THOSE PUMPS.<br />
<br />
{{comic discussion}}<br />
<!-- Include any categories below this line. --><br />
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]</div>MisterSpikehttps://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=Talk:450:_The_Sea&diff=42107Talk:450: The Sea2013-06-26T09:05:13Z<p>MisterSpike: /* Justification of "male enhancement" theory */ Added more evidence</p>
<hr />
<div>Umm...before changing the page shouldn't there be some discussion here? There was a bunch of other stuff that got deleted. [[Special:Contributions/69.122.106.29|69.122.106.29]] 03:22, 31 May 2013 (UTC)<br />
<br />
== Justification of "male enhancement" theory ==<br />
<br />
DGBert wrote that there's no justification for the idea of the first pump being a penis-enlarging pump. What other theory do you have about (a) a pump, that (b) makes someone larger and (c) improves their self-image?<br />
:If you have any hints not only coming from your own brain you are welcome. This wiki is "Explain" and not "Speculate". --[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 17:59, 31 May 2013 (UTC)<br />
<br />
(Do we have Word Of God about this or many other 'Explanations'? An awful lot of this Wiki is speculation, without it.) Personally, while the first pump could be either kind of pump, the title text asking for ''another'' in order to drain the sea means that the first (regardless of which way one's mind snaps, on reading) was not intended to be a sea-draining pump. Randall also often does something akin to "one-lead-element Markov Chaining", and "how small I am" leading to a penis pump fits his sense of absurdist humour. Even if it isn't initially that, it's still akin to being a {{w|Garden path sentence}} (only more of a disfluent paragraph version) when parsing. All IMO. YMMV. HTH. HAND. <br />
''[[Special:Contributions/178.107.249.215|178.107.249.215]] 13:40, 14 June 2013 (UTC)''<br />
<br />
== Totally agree with "male enhancement" explanation ==<br />
<br />
The existing explanation feels painfully weak, does not describe a funny comic, and ignores what to me seems a painfully obvious point. The number of "male enhancement" products being marketed by junk-mail at the time was a frequent source of humour, and something that anyone with an e-mail account (and a poor junk-mail filter) dealt with on a frequent basis.<br />
<br />
Note, the line is: "... one of '''those''' pumps." This wording indicates that Randall is referring to something that he expects the reader to realize is topical. If he meant a generic pump, he wouldn't have used the keyword "those". Those ignorant of the junk mail of the day, and the function of penis pumps, would understandably not get the joke.<br />
''[[User:MisterSpike|MisterSpike]] ([[User talk:MisterSpike|talk]]) 09:05, 26 June 2013 (UTC)''</div>MisterSpikehttps://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=Talk:450:_The_Sea&diff=42102Talk:450: The Sea2013-06-26T08:52:51Z<p>MisterSpike: /* Totally agree with "male enhancement" explanation */</p>
<hr />
<div>Umm...before changing the page shouldn't there be some discussion here? There was a bunch of other stuff that got deleted. [[Special:Contributions/69.122.106.29|69.122.106.29]] 03:22, 31 May 2013 (UTC)<br />
<br />
== Justification of "male enhancement" theory ==<br />
<br />
DGBert wrote that there's no justification for the idea of the first pump being a penis-enlarging pump. What other theory do you have about (a) a pump, that (b) makes someone larger and (c) improves their self-image?<br />
:If you have any hints not only coming from your own brain you are welcome. This wiki is "Explain" and not "Speculate". --[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 17:59, 31 May 2013 (UTC)<br />
<br />
(Do we have Word Of God about this or many other 'Explanations'? An awful lot of this Wiki is speculation, without it.) Personally, while the first pump could be either kind of pump, the title text asking for ''another'' in order to drain the sea means that the first (regardless of which way one's mind snaps, on reading) was not intended to be a sea-drainng pump. Randall also often does something akin to "one-lead-element Markov Chanining", and "how small I am" leading to a penis pump fits his sense of absurdist humour. Even if it isn't initially that, it's still akin to being a {{w|Garden path sentence}} (only more of a disfluent paragraph version) when parsing. All IMO. YMMV. HTH. HAND. [[Special:Contributions/178.107.249.215|178.107.249.215]] 13:40, 14 June 2013 (UTC)</div>MisterSpikehttps://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=Talk:450:_The_Sea&diff=42101Talk:450: The Sea2013-06-26T08:51:15Z<p>MisterSpike: Added to the discussion.</p>
<hr />
<div>Umm...before changing the page shouldn't there be some discussion here? There was a bunch of other stuff that got deleted. [[Special:Contributions/69.122.106.29|69.122.106.29]] 03:22, 31 May 2013 (UTC)<br />
<br />
== Justification of "male enhancement" theory ==<br />
<br />
DGBert wrote that there's no justification for the idea of the first pump being a penis-enlarging pump. What other theory do you have about (a) a pump, that (b) makes someone larger and (c) improves their self-image?<br />
:If you have any hints not only coming from your own brain you are welcome. This wiki is "Explain" and not "Speculate". --[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 17:59, 31 May 2013 (UTC)<br />
<br />
(Do we have Word Of God about this or many other 'Explanations'? An awful lot of this Wiki is speculation, without it.) Personally, while the first pump could be either kind of pump, the title text asking for ''another'' in order to drain the sea means that the first (regardless of which way one's mind snaps, on reading) was not intended to be a sea-drainng pump. Randall also often does something akin to "one-lead-element Markov Chanining", and "how small I am" leading to a penis pump fits his sense of absurdist humour. Even if it isn't initially that, it's still akin to being a {{w|Garden path sentence}} (only more of a disfluent paragraph version) when parsing. All IMO. YMMV. HTH. HAND. [[Special:Contributions/178.107.249.215|178.107.249.215]] 13:40, 14 June 2013 (UTC)<br />
<br />
== Totally agree with "male enhancement" explanation ==<br />
<br />
The description given above feels painfully weak, does not describe a funny comic, and ignores a painfully obvious point. The number of "male enhancement" products being marketed by junk-mail at the time was a frequent source of humour. That is the obvious explanation.<br />
[[User:MisterSpike|MisterSpike]] ([[User talk:MisterSpike|talk]]) 08:51, 26 June 2013 (UTC)</div>MisterSpikehttps://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=Talk:378:_Real_Programmers&diff=40945Talk:378: Real Programmers2013-06-17T07:12:24Z<p>MisterSpike: Long-winded blurb about my perception of the whole "Real Programmers use ___" history, and a complaint about "vim" vs "vi"</p>
<hr />
<div>--[[User:MisterSpike|MisterSpike]] ([[User talk:MisterSpike|talk]]) 07:12, 17 June 2013 (UTC)<br />
I was going to edit the above description, but it was taking too much time to edit it into a suitable format, so here's the long version.<br />
<br />
In the beginning was UNIX. And it was good. And it was written by some very clever people.<br />
<br />
One of the first very useful tools they wrote was '''{{w|ed (text editor)|ed}}''', a "line-editor" (i.e. it works one line at a time). It uses some simple commands, and was created to work on very-old-school teletype machines, where you type a command, and '''ed''' types a response back.<br />
<br />
It was a lovely bit of code. Using very little the way of resources, it allowed you to create a text document of any length, including source code in whatever language you wanted to program in.<br />
<br />
Eventually, a more sophisticated version called '''{{w|ex (text editor)|ex}}''' (short for EXtended) was written by a clever man named Bill Joy. While it has some great improvements over ed, it was still a line-editor.<br />
<br />
The trouble was, using a line-editor like '''ed''' or '''ex''' requires you to have a very good {{w|mental model}} of the document you are creating. Unfortunately, humans aren't very good at this, so they constantly need to refresh their mental model by printing out big chunks of the document (or program) they are working on. This took a LOT of paper using teletypes.<br />
<br />
Eventually, teletypes were replaced with {{w|Computer_terminal#Dumb_terminal|terminals}}. This saved a lot of paper. But the people who created the terminals began making them smarter than teletypes, so that magic character sequences could be used to move the cursor around, rather that simply going character-by-character across the line, then scrolling down to the next line, and so on. This opened up a whole new world.<br />
<br />
The very clever Bill Joy took advantage of these magic character sequences to create his wonderful "full-screen" text editor '''{{w|vi}}'''. '''vi''' was the "VIsual mode" of '''ex'''. With '''vi''', the user could see a screen-full of text at once. Entire forests were saved.<br />
<br />
'''Emacs''' was developed at the same time as '''vi''', using the same magic characters, and was also a full-screen text editor. I've never used it, so I can't speak to its merits, but there are many people who still find it more useful than any GUI they've tried.<br />
<br />
On the one hand, '''vi''' and '''emacs''' are more sophisticated tools, and thus take longer to learn to use than '''ed'''. However, once you learn to use them, they make writing code EASIER, and they are therefore considered a less praise-worthy way of writing code by those concerned with defining what a "Real Programmer" is. (In other words, those programmers suffering from {{w|testosterone poisoning}}.)<br />
<br />
Using '''cat''' to write a program looks like this: (Note that the $ is the prompt provided by the computer. The rest is typed by the user. And the ^D means the user held down the control key while typing the letter "d".)<br />
<br />
<blockquote><br />
'''$''' cat | cc<br />
</blockquote><br />
<blockquote><br />
''The user types C code here, and ends with ^D. Assuming all goes well, the compiler silently finishes after creating the executable program '''a.out''' in the user's current working directory.''<br />
</blockquote><br />
<br />
The reason this is considered a more praise-worthy way of coding is that, in those early days, doing this meant that your code was lost the instant you typed it. If you made a mistake, you would have to type the whole thing again. So doing this for code of any sophistication was considered an act of courage, confidence, and conviction. (I myself did it several times, for the fun of it, when no-one was watching, though never for a program that took more than about 30 lines of code. I was delighted that it worked all 3 times, but since I love to write re-usable code, this wasn't really something I wanted to keep doing.)<br />
<br />
NOW PAY ATTENTION. '''VI IS NOT VIM!''' '''{{w|Vim (text editor)|Vim}}''' was written in 1991, long after more sophisticated {{w|Shell (computing)|shells}} were created that made it possible to copy and paste text from one part of the screen to another. This ability greatly reduced the risks of using '''cat''' to pass your source code directly to the compiler, so it was no longer a praise-worthy stunt. Thus the line "Real programmers use vim" was NEVER considered true by any UNIX programmer.<br />
<br />
Whether this was a mistake of the author, or the character (possibly Megan?) is unclear. It seems possible that it was a simple typo, but since I've never seen one in the strip before, I'm somewhat skeptical.</div>MisterSpikehttps://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=372:_To_Be_Wanted&diff=40921372: To Be Wanted2013-06-17T05:19:23Z<p>MisterSpike: Complete rewrite. Moved previous explanation down to Discussion section.</p>
<hr />
<div>{{comic<br />
| number = 372<br />
| date = June 25, 2008<br />
| title = To Be Wanted<br />
| image = to_be_wanted.png<br />
| titletext = Or so I hope?<br />
}}<br />
<br />
==Explanation==<br />
{{incomplete}}<br />
The comic begins with a grainy, pencil-drawing of [[Megan]] on a ship. This is a clue that things are not as they appear.<br />
<br />
As the point-of-view pulls back in each successive frame, we see that "Megan on a ship" is really a {{w| Thought_bubble#Thought_bubbles|thought-bubble}} belonging to [[Cueball]], who is sitting at his desk. He apparently is day-dreaming instead of working. Note that this is presented in the standard, crisp format, as if drawn on a computer. This suggests it shows us our "normal" view. (Well, as normal as things get with xkcd.)<br />
<br />
However, as the perspective continues to pull back, we see that "Cueball thinking of Megan" is actually a thought-bubble belonging to Megan. In the final frames, the ship sales out of frame. However, since the final frames are in the same grainy pencil-drawing format, it suggests that this is STILL Cueball's thoughts, rather than an actual image of Megan.<br />
<br />
The Title Text, "Or so I hope", shows us what this {{w|recursion}} really means: Cueball hopes that Megan realizes that he misses her, but suggests he's not entirely certain she does.<br />
<br />
<br />
==Transcript==<br />
:[Megan stands looking out on the bow of a ship.]<br />
:[Scene backs up. More of the boat is shown.]<br />
:[Scene backs up. The boat with Megan is within a thought bubble.]<br />
:[Scene backs up. The thought bubble comes from Cueball sitting at a computer in an office.]<br />
:[Scene repeated for the next frame.]<br />
:[Scene backs up. Cueball is within yet another thought bubble.]<br />
:[Scene backs up. The thought bubble with Cueball in it belongs to the Megan at the bow of the ship.]<br />
:[The thought bubble disappears, showing only Megan in the boat.]<br />
:[The boat sails out of view.]<br />
<br />
{{comic discussion}}<br />
<br />
--[[User:MisterSpike|MisterSpike]] ([[User talk:MisterSpike|talk]]) 05:19, 17 June 2013 (UTC)<br />
The previous explanation was:<br />
<br />
<blockquote><br />
The comic is about perspective. The person on the ship dreams of working in an office while the person in the office is dreaming of being on a ship.<br />
</blockquote><br />
<br />
<blockquote><br />
The ship and office are perhaps metaphors for freedom and structure. The comic may be trying to convey that those people who have a highly structured life desire more freedom while those with too much freedom desire structure.<br />
</blockquote><br />
<br />
While interesting, I felt it missed the boat.<br />
[[Category:Comics featuring Megan]]<br />
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]</div>MisterSpikehttps://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=341:_1337:_Part_1&diff=40635341: 1337: Part 12013-06-14T00:43:38Z<p>MisterSpike: /* Explanation */ Rephrased the intro to 1337-speak a bit.</p>
<hr />
<div>{{comic<br />
| number = 341<br />
| date = November 12, 2007<br />
| title = 1337: Part 1<br />
| image = 1337 part 1.png<br />
| titletext = If you're not cool enough to do it manually, you can look up tools like Upside-Down-Ternet for playing games with people on your wifi.<br />
}}<br />
<br />
==Explanation==<br />
This is the first part of five in the "[[:Category:1337|1337]]" series. The title 1337 is "L-eet", or "elite", using the {{w|Leet}} alphabet, a coding system used primarily on the internet (and on early text messaging system), meant to provide a bit of {{w|obfuscation}} to plain text both to make it harder to read, and to show off in a creative way using in-group jargon. This comic series is aimed at elite hackers and programmers.<br />
<br />
If a {{w|wireless network}} is unsecured it is usually a sign that the owner of the access point is not technically skilled enough to go into the admin panel and enable encryption. Obviously, someone in the area who wants to get on the net, but doesn't have a mobile data connection, will simply use this open access point. However, it is also common practice to leave open an access point to be able to claim that infringement of copyright may not have been the homeowner, but that anybody could have connected to the access point and started downloading files.<br />
<br />
Another fun trick, for administrators of open APs, is to [http://www.ex-parrot.com/~pete/upside-down-ternet.html intercept pages and edit their contents]. The only way to stop this is to create a secure connection, or tunnel, to a server to stop the admin from playing {{w|Man-in-the-middle attack|man-in-the-middle}}. Of course, as the title text says, Mrs. Roberts is so cool, she can edit the tcp stream live, without the help of programs.<br />
<br />
Not only is Mrs. Roberts awesome enough to manually edit the live tcp stream, she's also manually ending individual {{w|VPN}} and {{w|Secure Shell|SSH}} connections as Cueball's friend makes them - while baking cookies at the same time.<br />
<br />
All comics in "[[:Category:1337|1337]]" series:<br />
* [[341: 1337: Part 1]]<br />
* [[342: 1337: Part 2]]<br />
* [[343: 1337: Part 3]]<br />
* [[344: 1337: Part 4]]<br />
* [[345: 1337: Part 5]]<br />
<br />
This series was released on 5 consecutive days (Monday-Friday) and not over the usual Monday/Wednesday/Friday schedule.<br />
<br />
==Transcript==<br />
:[Cueball talks to a friend who is lying down on the floor, using his laptop.]<br />
:Cueball: You're not on the neighbour's WiFi, are you?<br />
:Friend: Yeah, why?<br />
:Cueball: The admin... plays games.<br />
:Friend: No problem. I'll just hop on a secure VPN.<br />
<br />
:Friend: Whoa, my connections are dying as soon as I start to tunnel anything!<br />
:Message on laptop: A VPN? How cute! And stop trying to SSH.<br />
:Friend: Holy shit! Someone's inserting notes into the pages I request! Editing the TCP stream live!<br />
:Friend: Nobody's that fast. Who is this admin?<br />
<br />
:[Neighbour (Mrs. Roberts) with bun tray in one hand, with oven mitts on both hands typing on a desktop computer.]<br />
:Mrs. Roberts: My goodness. Neighbourhood scamps on the wireless.<br />
:<<taptaptaptap>><br />
<br />
:Cueball: I should have warned you about Mrs. Roberts.<br />
:Friend: How does she type with oven mitts!?<br />
:Cueball: You've been pwned pretty hard, man. You might want to sit down.<br />
<br />
{{comic discussion}}<br />
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]<br />
[[Category:Comics featuring Mrs. Roberts]]<br />
[[Category:1337|01]]</div>MisterSpikehttps://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=289:_Alone&diff=39838289: Alone2013-06-07T18:06:09Z<p>MisterSpike: /* Explanation */ Rewrote explanation, mentioned but did not explain the intuitive mind set.</p>
<hr />
<div>{{comic<br />
| number = 289<br />
| date = July 13, 2007<br />
| title = Alone<br />
| image = alone.png<br />
| titletext = Worries assuaged, the numbers become less important than your touches.<br />
}}<br />
<br />
==Explanation==<br />
[[Cueball]] is making love with [[Megan]] but, like many highly intuitive people, his attention is split between his inner and outer worlds. Part of his mind is counting her touches, and another part is wondering why his brain does these things, automatically and without his wanting it to. This worries him, and makes him feel guilty because he isn't giving her his undivided attention, which he believes she deserves. (As he ages, this split attention will become the root of erectile dysfunction. Just saying...)<br />
<br />
As he unwillingly counts her touches, he recognized the {{w|Fibonacci sequence}}. This recognition shocks him: it's like she knows what is going on in his head, and secretly sent him this signal to tell him that it's okay, she understands. Awestruck, he is reassured, and glories in her love. The title text makes this clear: he is able to stop worrying about the counting, is able to let it continue in the background. It doesn't stop, but it isn't nearly as important or salient as the touching.<br />
<br />
==Transcript==<br />
:[Megan crawling on bed toward Cueball.]<br />
:Cueball: It's not something you can turn off.<br />
:[Cueball pulling Megan, bedspread, and pillow off of bed onto floor.]<br />
:Cueball: A part of me is always detached. Abstracting, looking at numbers and patterns.<br />
:[Megan on top of Cueball, both under bedspread, on floor. Megan looks to be 'touching' Cueball.]<br />
:Cueball: When we should be closest, part of me is still alone. Counting the touches of her fingertips. Touch. Touch. Touch touch. Touch touch touch. Touch touch touch touch touch.<br />
:[Same scene as third panel.]<br />
:Cueball: Wait. Is that... That's the Fibonacci Sequence! Whatever I did to deserve you, it couldn't have been enough.<br />
<br />
{{comic discussion}}<br />
[[Category:Comics featuring Megan]]<br />
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]<br />
[[Category:Math]]<br />
[[Category:Romance]]</div>MisterSpike