https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/api.php?action=feedcontributions&user=Relic&feedformat=atomexplain xkcd - User contributions [en]2024-03-28T14:22:30ZUser contributionsMediaWiki 1.30.0https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=1667:_Algorithms&diff=1178011667: Algorithms2016-04-14T02:03:21Z<p>Relic: /* Explanation */</p>
<hr />
<div>{{comic<br />
| number = 1667<br />
| date = April 13, 2016<br />
| title = Algorithms<br />
| image = algorithms.png<br />
| titletext = There was a schism in 2007, when a sect advocating OpenOffice created a fork of Sunday.xlsx and maintained it independently for several months. The efforts to reconcile the conflicting schedules led to the reinvention, within the cells of the spreadsheet, of modern version control.<br />
}}<br />
<br />
==Explanation==<br />
{{incomplete|Still need an explanation of the title text, and perhaps some expanded definitions of the listed algorithms.}}<br />
An algorithm is a basic set of instructions for performing a task, usually on a computer. This comic lists some algorithms in increasing order of complexity, where complexity refers to {{w|computational complexity theory}}.<br />
<br />
At the simplest end is '''left-pad''', or adding filler characters on the left end of a string to make it a particular length. In many programming languages, this is one line of code. This is possibly an allusion to a [http://www.haneycodes.net/npm-left-pad-have-we-forgotten-how-to-program/ recent incident] when {{w|Npm (software)|NodeJS Package Manager}} [https://www.techdirt.com/articles/20160324/17160034007/namespaces-intellectual-property-dependencies-big-giant-mess.shtml angered a developer] in its handling of a trademark claim. The developer unpublished all of his modules from NPM, including a package implementing left-pad. A huge number of programs depended on this third-party library instead of programming it on their own, and they immediately ceased to function.<br />
<br />
'''{{w|Quicksort}}''' is an efficient and commonly used {{w|sorting algorithm}}.<br />
<br />
'''{{w|Git (software)|Git}}''' is a {{w|version control}} program, i.e., software that allows multiple people to work on the same files at the same time. When someone finalizes ("commits") their changes, the version control program needs to figure out how to join the new content with the existing content. This process is called '''{{w|Merge (version control)|merging}}''', and the algorithm for it is anything but simple.<br />
<br />
A '''{{w|self-driving car}}''' is what it says on the tin: an automobile with sensors and software built into it so that it can maneuver in traffic autonomously, i.e. without a human controller. Various companies have been working on such vehicles for many years now, and while they're further along now than would have been imaginable even a couple of years ago, we're still far away from the dream of hopping in a driver-less taxi and sitting back as the car itself navigates to where we want to be. Recently [[Randall]] has made several references to self-driving cars, for instance in [[1559: Driving]],[[1623: 2016 Conversation Guide]] and [[1625: Substitutions 2]].<br />
<br />
The '''{{w|Google Search}} backend''' is what enables you to type "what the heck is a leftpad algorithm" into your browser and have Google return a list of relevant results, including correcting "leftpad" to "left-pad", ignoring the "what the heck" part, and sometimes even summarizing the findings into a box at the top of the results. Behind all that magic is a way to remember what pages the internet contains, which is just a mind-bogglingly large quantity of data, and an even more mind-numbingly complex set of algorithms for processing that data.<br />
<br />
The last item is the punchline: a sprawling {{w|Microsoft Excel|Excel}} {{w|spreadsheet}} built up over 20 years by a church group in Nebraska to coordinate their scheduling. Spreadsheets are a general {{w|end-user development}} programming technique, and therefore people use Excel for all sorts of purposes that have nothing to do with accounting (its original purpose), including one guy who made a [http://arstechnica.com/gaming/2013/04/how-an-accountant-created-an-entire-rpg-inside-an-excel-spreadsheet/ role-playing game that runs in Excel]; but even that doesn't approach the complexity that develops when multiple people of varying levels of experience use a spreadsheet over many years for the purpose of coordinating the schedule of several coordinated groups. <br />
<br />
The scheduling of tasks over a group of resources (a.k.a. the ''{{w|nurse scheduling problem}}''), while respecting the constraints set by each person, is a {{w|NP-hardness|highly complex}} problem requiring stochastic or heuristic methods for its resolution. Here, the algorithm would be further complicated by being solved by inexpert users over a spreadsheet model without using engineering practices. The hyperbole here is in thinking that such combination of circumstances would produce complexity far over that required to drive a car or sort the public contents of the internet. Most churches meet on Sunday morning, so there's no actual complexity in organizing that service, however, with different members involved in a wide variety of activities within and without the church, and the classrooms available to the church on Sunday itself, (just scheduling the choir practice times to coordinate with everyone's work schedules is very possibly impossible, especially if two people share the same occupation, and one is the relief for the other,) can indeed be daunting. In addition, there would likely be assorted committee meetings during the week.<br />
<br />
In the title text, part of the spreadsheet's complexity is described as originating from different versions of the file for different programs. The words used like {{w|schism}} and {{w|sect}} are normally used in context of religions splitting into groups about differences in beliefs. In this case, the split seems to have been not over a {{w|theology|theological}} issue, but about the use of {{w|open-source software|open-source}} vs. {{w|proprietary software|proprietary}} software, disagreements about which are often compared to religious debates.<br />
<br />
==Transcript==<br />
'''Algorithms'''<br>By Complexity<br />
{|<br />
|colspan="6" style="text-align:left;border-bottom:1px solid;"|More complex &rarr;<br />
|- style="vertical-align:top;"<br />
|style="padding-right:2em;"|Leftpad<br />
|style="padding-right:2em;"|Quicksort<br />
|style="padding-right:2em;"|GIT<br>Merge<br />
|style="padding-right:2em;"|Self-<br>driving<br>car<br />
|style="padding-right:8em;"|Google<br>Search<br>backend<br />
|Sprawling Excel spreadsheet<br>built up over 20 years by a<br>church group in Nebraska to<br>coordinate their scheduling<br />
|}<br />
<br />
<br />
{{comic discussion}}<br />
<br />
<!-- Include any categories below this line. --><br />
[[Category:Charts]]<br />
[[Category:Google Search]]<br />
[[Category:Programming]]</div>Relichttps://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=1667:_Algorithms&diff=1178001667: Algorithms2016-04-14T01:48:48Z<p>Relic: </p>
<hr />
<div>{{comic<br />
| number = 1667<br />
| date = April 13, 2016<br />
| title = Algorithms<br />
| image = algorithms.png<br />
| titletext = There was a schism in 2007, when a sect advocating OpenOffice created a fork of Sunday.xlsx and maintained it independently for several months. The efforts to reconcile the conflicting schedules led to the reinvention, within the cells of the spreadsheet, of modern version control.<br />
}}<br />
<br />
==Explanation==<br />
{{incomplete|Still need an explanation of the title text, and perhaps some expanded definitions of the listed algorithms.}}<br />
An algorithm is a basic set of instructions for performing a task, usually on a computer. This comic lists some algorithms in increasing order of complexity, where complexity refers to {{w|computational complexity theory}}.<br />
<br />
At the simplest end is '''left-pad''', or adding filler characters on the left end of a string to make it a particular length. In many programming languages, this is one line of code. This is possibly an allusion to a [http://www.haneycodes.net/npm-left-pad-have-we-forgotten-how-to-program/ recent incident] when {{w|Npm (software)|NodeJS Package Manager}} [https://www.techdirt.com/articles/20160324/17160034007/namespaces-intellectual-property-dependencies-big-giant-mess.shtml angered a developer] in its handling of a trademark claim. The developer unpublished all of his modules from NPM, including a package implementing left-pad. A huge number of programs depended on this third-party library instead of programming it on their own, and they immediately ceased to function.<br />
<br />
Next is '''{{w|Quicksort}}''', an efficient way to sort a list of items.<br />
<br />
'''{{w|Git (software)|Git}}''' is a {{w|version control}} program, i.e., software that allows multiple people to work on the same files at the same time. When someone finalizes ("commits") their changes, the version control program needs to figure out how to join the new content with the existing content. This process is called '''{{w|Merge (version control)|merging}}''', and the algorithm for it is anything but simple.<br />
<br />
A '''{{w|self-driving car}}''' is what it says on the tin: an automobile with sensors and software built into it so that it can maneuver in traffic autonomously, i.e. without a human controller. Various companies have been working on such vehicles for many years now, and while they're further along now than would have been imaginable even a couple of years ago, we're still far away from the dream of hopping in a driver-less taxi and sitting back as the car itself navigates to where we want to be. Recently [[Randall]] has made several references to self-driving cars, for instance in [[1559: Driving]],[[1623: 2016 Conversation Guide]] and [[1625: Substitutions 2]].<br />
<br />
The '''{{w|Google Search}} backend''' is what enables you to type "what the heck is a leftpad algorithm" into your browser and have Google return a list of relevant results, including correcting "leftpad" to "left-pad", ignoring the "what the heck" part, and sometimes even summarizing the findings into a box at the top of the results. Behind all that magic is a way to remember what pages the internet contains, which is just a mind-bogglingly large quantity of data, and an even more mind-numbingly complex set of algorithms for processing that data.<br />
<br />
The last item is the punchline: a sprawling {{w|Microsoft Excel|Excel}} {{w|spreadsheet}} built up over 20 years by a church group in Nebraska to coordinate their scheduling. Spreadsheets are a general {{w|end-user development}} programming technique, and therefore people use Excel for all sorts of purposes that have nothing to do with accounting (its original purpose), including one guy who made a [http://arstechnica.com/gaming/2013/04/how-an-accountant-created-an-entire-rpg-inside-an-excel-spreadsheet/ role-playing game that runs in Excel]; but even that doesn't approach the complexity that develops when multiple people of varying levels of experience use a spreadsheet over many years for the purpose of coordinating the schedule of several coordinated groups. <br />
<br />
The scheduling of tasks over a group of resources (a.k.a. the ''{{w|nurse scheduling problem}}''), while respecting the constraints set by each person, is a {{w|NP-hardness|highly complex}} problem requiring stochastic or heuristic methods for its resolution. Here, the algorithm would be further complicated by being solved by inexpert users over a spreadsheet model without using engineering practices. The hyperbole here is in thinking that such combination of circumstances would produce complexity far over that required to drive a car or sort the public contents of the internet. Most churches meet on Sunday morning, so there's no actual complexity in organizing that service, however, with different members involved in a wide variety of activities within and without the church, and the classrooms available to the church on Sunday itself, (just scheduling the choir practice times to coordinate with everyone's work schedules is very possibly impossible, especially if two people share the same occupation, and one is the relief for the other,) can indeed be daunting. In addition, there would likely be assorted committee meetings during the week.<br />
<br />
In the title text, part of the spreadsheet's complexity is described as originating from different versions of the file for different programs. The words used like {{w|schism}} and {{w|sect}} are normally used in context of religions splitting into groups about differences in beliefs. In this case, the split seems to have been not over a {{w|theology|theological}} issue, but about the use of {{w|open-source software|open-source}} vs. {{w|proprietary software|proprietary}} software, disagreements about which are often compared to religious debates.<br />
<br />
==Transcript==<br />
'''Algorithms'''<br>By Complexity<br />
{|<br />
|colspan="6" style="text-align:left;border-bottom:1px solid;"|More complex &rarr;<br />
|- style="vertical-align:top;"<br />
|style="padding-right:2em;"|Leftpad<br />
|style="padding-right:2em;"|Quicksort<br />
|style="padding-right:2em;"|GIT<br>Merge<br />
|style="padding-right:2em;"|Self-<br>driving<br>car<br />
|style="padding-right:8em;"|Google<br>Search<br>backend<br />
|Sprawling Excel spreadsheet<br>built up over 20 years by a<br>church group in Nebraska to<br>coordinate their scheduling<br />
|}<br />
<br />
<br />
{{comic discussion}}<br />
<br />
<!-- Include any categories below this line. --><br />
[[Category:Charts]]<br />
[[Category:Google Search]]<br />
[[Category:Programming]]</div>Relichttps://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=1546:_Tamagotchi_Hive&diff=969301546: Tamagotchi Hive2015-07-03T20:36:55Z<p>Relic: /* Explanation */</p>
<hr />
<div>{{comic<br />
| number = 1546<br />
| date = July 3, 2015<br />
| title = Tamagotchi Hive<br />
| image = tamagotchi_hive.png<br />
| titletext = The Singularity happened, but not to us.<br />
}}<br />
<br />
==Explanation==<br />
{{incomplete|Explain the comic and the title text}}<br />
A {{w|Tamagotchi}} is a keychain-sized virtual pet simulation game for people of all ages from 1996. The characters are colorful and simplistically designed creatures based on animals, objects, or people. Beginning with the 2004 Tamagotchi Plus/Connection, a second wave of Tamagotchi toys emerged, featuring a different graphic design by JINCO and gameplay which elaborated upon the first generations. However, the story behind the games remained the same: Tamagotchis are a small alien species that deposited an egg on Earth to see what life was like, and it is up to the player to raise the egg into an adult creature. The creature goes through several stages of growth, and will develop differently depending on the care the player provides, with better care resulting in an adult creature that is smarter, happier, and requires less attention. Gameplay can vary widely between models, and some models, such as TamagoChu, require little to no care from the player. Tamagotchi has a large fan base.<br />
<br />
{{w|Distributed computing}} is a field of computer science that studies distributed systems. A distributed system is a software system in which components located on networked computers communicate and coordinate their actions by passing messages. The components interact with each other in order to achieve a common goal. Examples of distributed systems vary from SOA-based systems to massively multiplayer online games to peer-to-peer applications.<br />
<br />
The singularity in the title text refers to {{w|technological singularity}} which would result in an {{w|intelligence explosion}} where artificial intelligence would take over. The implication is that the AI takes care of a population of virtual creatures rather than the human population.<br />
<br />
==Transcript==<br />
:My Hobby<br />
:[A tree graph of Tamagotchis.]<br />
:Running a massive distributed computing project that simulates trillions and trillions of Tamagotchis and keeps them all constantly fed and happy<br />
<br />
[[Category:My_Hobby]]<br />
<br />
{{comic discussion}}</div>Relichttps://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=Talk:1521:_Sword_in_the_Stone&diff=92671Talk:1521: Sword in the Stone2015-05-06T21:25:11Z<p>Relic: that edit conflict</p>
<hr />
<div>In Arthurian legend, whoever can remove the Sword in the Stone is the lawful king of England. Arthur is an orphan being raised in secret; he notices the sword, removes it, and is proclaimed king. The sword is sometimes identified as Excalibur, although in other versions Excalibur was acquired by King Arthur from the Lady of the Lake. The most familiar version of this story is ''The Sword in the Stone'' by T. H. White which is based on ''Le Mort d'Arthur'' by Sir Thomas Malory. Having a woman remove the sword would introduce difficulties. [[User:The Dining Logician|The Dining Logician]] ([[User talk:The Dining Logician|talk]]) 06:12, 6 May 2015 (UTC)<br />
<br />
Seriously? Megan being transgender is preposterous. The comic mentions a throne, not a king. The proposition that the character needs to be a man is far fetched and a bit sexist. The legend usually mentions a ruler, not a kind per se. Even if it were a king, that is a baseless statement. Legends are up to interpretation. If a woman pulls out a sword it is possible that she be crowned Queen without having a king. Case in point, Queen Elizabeth, Queen Victoria -of England; they both have seen the glory days of Britain. [[Special:Contributions/108.162.221.152|108.162.221.152]] 07:27, 6 May 2015 (UTC)BK201<br />
<br />
: And there was {{w|Jadwiga of Poland}}, female who was crowned '''king'''. --[[User:JakubNarebski|JakubNarebski]] ([[User talk:JakubNarebski|talk]]) 07:33, 6 May 2015 (UTC)<br />
<br />
: It's clearly Megan. Perhaps Aurthur has returned in female form (definitely not transgender), but it's unmistakably Megan. [[User:Djbrasier|Djbrasier]] ([[User talk:Djbrasier|talk]]) 13:01, 6 May 2015 (UTC)<br />
::Agreed. Why should she even represent Arthur. Anyone who could take the sword out would get the throne. I think the explanation should say it is Megan and that she has taken the role Arthur had once. Also the idea that the new princess can get the throne even if she has younger brothers may be important here as written by another user below. --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 16:01, 6 May 2015 (UTC)<br />
<br />
In a visual novel, [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saber_(Fate/stay_night) King Arthur is a girl]. --[[Special:Contributions/108.162.222.169|108.162.222.169]] 08:06, 6 May 2015 (UTC)<br />
<br />
Should be lawful king of Britain. King Arthur was fighting against the English. --[[Special:Contributions/141.101.98.66|141.101.98.66]] 08:30, 6 May 2015 (UTC)<br />
<br />
If there were a real Arthur (dux bellorum or whatever) this is true, however in the legends things are much more complicated and inconsistent, so England is as good as anything else. -richardelguru<br />
<br />
Minor point, but Vallum Aelium was built to control the Picti, the Scots of the Dál Riata came much later and Scotland (Rìoghachd na h-Alba) is traditionally founded in the late C9CE. -richardelguru<br />
<br />
I doubt it's a coincidence that this comic was published the day before a UK general election that is widely predicted to be heading for the most complicated hung parliament in history. The monarch is a purely ceremonial head of state in practically all respects, but does (in theory) have the responsibility to "ask" someone to form a government (in practice, the person asked is determined by who holds the parliamentary majority, but there are huge arguments raging about who will "legitimately" hold such a majority, the leader of the party with most seats or the leader who can rustle up the biggest coalition). [[Special:Contributions/141.101.99.24|141.101.99.24]] 09:11, 6 May 2015 (UTC)<br />
<br />
: I agree that this is a much more likely explanation for the timing of the comic. Don't have time to change the text myself right now ... --[[User:RenniePet|RenniePet]] ([[User talk:RenniePet|talk]]) 10:51, 6 May 2015 (UTC)<br />
<br />
The punchline could also be about how it would be way too much hassle to try to lay claim to the throne in modern times, challenging the British royal family and all - Megan would probably be treated like a lunatic. [[Special:Contributions/141.101.88.223|141.101.88.223]] 11:19, 6 May 2015 (UTC)<br />
<br />
Arthur is a long haired boy [http://vignette4.wikia.nocookie.net/lemondededisney/images/4/47/Moustique.jpg/revision/latest?cb=20130715192648&path-prefix=fr], [http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51US9KARtXL._SY344_BO1,204,203,200_.jpg]. The comic shows a boy, not a woman. [[Special:Contributions/108.162.221.201|108.162.221.201]] 12:56, 6 May 2015 (UTC)<br />
: The original Arthur is certainly a boy, however this comic is in the xkcd universe and in modern times, so if it looks like Megan, it's Megan. There's nothing in the comic itself that hints at the gender of the character. [[User:N0lqu|-boB]] ([[User talk:N0lqu|talk]]) 14:43, 6 May 2015 (UTC)<br />
<br />
I just thought that the joke was how distracting Wikipedia can be and that Megan/Arthur here gets addicted to reading Wikipedia articles of even the most obvious things in the least appropriate moment. "Oh cool, the throne of England? Isn't that that European country. Let's see how big it is. Oh, wow, 120,000 square kilometers. What's that in miles? Hmm, alright. Huh, kilometres is spelled like this according to the international spelling? What is that?" etc etc, you get the idea :p [[User:Maplestrip|Maplestrip]] ([[User talk:Maplestrip|talk]]) 12:59, 6 May 2015 (UTC)<br />
<br />
: The title text would seem to go against that explanation.[[Special:Contributions/141.101.99.24|141.101.99.24]] 13:21, 6 May 2015 (UTC)<br />
<br />
It's Megan. The new princess is the first woman who can inherent the throne without being leapfrogged by younger brothers. Before the Succession to the Crown Act (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Succession_to_the_Crown_Act_2013) if Megan had pulled the sword out one of her brothers would have gotten to be King. (signed by jan) {{unsigned ip|173.245.52.149}}<br />
<br />
: This and the election tomorrow seems like the main reason for this comic. Forget Arthur for anything else than explaining the idea with the sword.--[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 16:01, 6 May 2015 (UTC)<br />
<br />
<br />
She put it back because she discovered this country is a shithole. [[Special:Contributions/141.101.98.143|141.101.98.143]] 14:23, 6 May 2015 (UTC)<br />
<br />
I think it's Megan. - [[User:RecentlyChanged|RecentlyChanged]] ([[User talk:RecentlyChanged|talk]])<br />
<br />
I removed the reference to Megan becoming "heir to" the throne, as that implies she is next in line, rather than immediately ascending to the throne [[User:Miamiclay|Miamiclay]] ([[User talk:Miamiclay|talk]]) 16:40, 6 May 2015 (UTC)<br />
<br />
: Well, wait: if the character is "heir to" shouldn't we label / call him "Heiry"? {{unsigned ip|108.162.219.165}}<br />
<br />
My peronal take: Megan could technically abdicate the throne, letting it return to status quo or having the next-in-line take the turn. That way, Megan can keep {{w|Excalibur}} while not having to worry about ruling the country. --[[Special:Contributions/173.245.52.105|173.245.52.105]] 16:56, 6 May 2015 (UTC)<br />
<br />
I think using the term "yellow press" to refer to the news accounts of the birth of Princess Charlotte is uncalled for as this is a valid news event. Certainly there are some publications and media outlets that will take this completely over the top, but to lump reputable and long-honored papers such as the Times of London, the NY Times, the Washington Post, and many other publications in with the likes of the Daily Sun, the NY Daily Post, the National Enquirer, and Fox News just isn't right.[[Special:Contributions/173.245.54.216|173.245.54.216]] 17:31, 6 May 2015 (UTC)<br />
<br />
Is it possible that this comic also referred to the relatively low amount of power exerted by the British Royal Family now compared to long ago? --[[User:BowtieMaster|BowtieMaster]]<br />
:Sign it with four tildes, your signature broke the page before. [[Special:Contributions/108.162.237.124|108.162.237.124]] 21:24, 6 May 2015 (UTC)</div>Relichttps://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=Talk:1521:_Sword_in_the_Stone&diff=92669Talk:1521: Sword in the Stone2015-05-06T21:23:40Z<p>Relic: Undo revision 92667 by BowtieMaster (talk) turn off your cloudbutt silly</p>
<hr />
<div>In Arthurian legend, whoever can remove the Sword in the Stone is the lawful king of England. Arthur is an orphan being raised in secret; he notices the sword, removes it, and is proclaimed king. The sword is sometimes identified as Excalibur, although in other versions Excalibur was acquired by King Arthur from the Lady of the Lake. The most familiar version of this story is ''The Sword in the Stone'' by T. H. White which is based on ''Le Mort d'Arthur'' by Sir Thomas Malory. Having a woman remove the sword would introduce difficulties. [[User:The Dining Logician|The Dining Logician]] ([[User talk:The Dining Logician|talk]]) 06:12, 6 May 2015 (UTC)<br />
<br />
Seriously? Megan being transgender is preposterous. The comic mentions a throne, not a king. The proposition that the character needs to be a man is far fetched and a bit sexist. The legend usually mentions a ruler, not a kind per se. Even if it were a king, that is a baseless statement. Legends are up to interpretation. If a woman pulls out a sword it is possible that she be crowned Queen without having a king. Case in point, Queen Elizabeth, Queen Victoria -of England; they both have seen the glory days of Britain. [[Special:Contributions/108.162.221.152|108.162.221.152]] 07:27, 6 May 2015 (UTC)BK201<br />
<br />
: And there was {{w|Jadwiga of Poland}}, female who was crowned '''king'''. --[[User:JakubNarebski|JakubNarebski]] ([[User talk:JakubNarebski|talk]]) 07:33, 6 May 2015 (UTC)<br />
<br />
: It's clearly Megan. Perhaps Aurthur has returned in female form (definitely not transgender), but it's unmistakably Megan. [[User:Djbrasier|Djbrasier]] ([[User talk:Djbrasier|talk]]) 13:01, 6 May 2015 (UTC)<br />
::Agreed. Why should she even represent Arthur. Anyone who could take the sword out would get the throne. I think the explanation should say it is Megan and that she has taken the role Arthur had once. Also the idea that the new princess can get the throne even if she has younger brothers may be important here as written by another user below. --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 16:01, 6 May 2015 (UTC)<br />
<br />
In a visual novel, [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saber_(Fate/stay_night) King Arthur is a girl]. --[[Special:Contributions/108.162.222.169|108.162.222.169]] 08:06, 6 May 2015 (UTC)<br />
<br />
Should be lawful king of Britain. King Arthur was fighting against the English. --[[Special:Contributions/141.101.98.66|141.101.98.66]] 08:30, 6 May 2015 (UTC)<br />
<br />
If there were a real Arthur (dux bellorum or whatever) this is true, however in the legends things are much more complicated and inconsistent, so England is as good as anything else. -richardelguru<br />
<br />
Minor point, but Vallum Aelium was built to control the Picti, the Scots of the Dál Riata came much later and Scotland (Rìoghachd na h-Alba) is traditionally founded in the late C9CE. -richardelguru<br />
<br />
I doubt it's a coincidence that this comic was published the day before a UK general election that is widely predicted to be heading for the most complicated hung parliament in history. The monarch is a purely ceremonial head of state in practically all respects, but does (in theory) have the responsibility to "ask" someone to form a government (in practice, the person asked is determined by who holds the parliamentary majority, but there are huge arguments raging about who will "legitimately" hold such a majority, the leader of the party with most seats or the leader who can rustle up the biggest coalition). [[Special:Contributions/141.101.99.24|141.101.99.24]] 09:11, 6 May 2015 (UTC)<br />
<br />
: I agree that this is a much more likely explanation for the timing of the comic. Don't have time to change the text myself right now ... --[[User:RenniePet|RenniePet]] ([[User talk:RenniePet|talk]]) 10:51, 6 May 2015 (UTC)<br />
<br />
The punchline could also be about how it would be way too much hassle to try to lay claim to the throne in modern times, challenging the British royal family and all - Megan would probably be treated like a lunatic. [[Special:Contributions/141.101.88.223|141.101.88.223]] 11:19, 6 May 2015 (UTC)<br />
<br />
Arthur is a long haired boy [http://vignette4.wikia.nocookie.net/lemondededisney/images/4/47/Moustique.jpg/revision/latest?cb=20130715192648&path-prefix=fr], [http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51US9KARtXL._SY344_BO1,204,203,200_.jpg]. The comic shows a boy, not a woman. [[Special:Contributions/108.162.221.201|108.162.221.201]] 12:56, 6 May 2015 (UTC)<br />
: The original Arthur is certainly a boy, however this comic is in the xkcd universe and in modern times, so if it looks like Megan, it's Megan. There's nothing in the comic itself that hints at the gender of the character. [[User:N0lqu|-boB]] ([[User talk:N0lqu|talk]]) 14:43, 6 May 2015 (UTC)<br />
<br />
I just thought that the joke was how distracting Wikipedia can be and that Megan/Arthur here gets addicted to reading Wikipedia articles of even the most obvious things in the least appropriate moment. "Oh cool, the throne of England? Isn't that that European country. Let's see how big it is. Oh, wow, 120,000 square kilometers. What's that in miles? Hmm, alright. Huh, kilometres is spelled like this according to the international spelling? What is that?" etc etc, you get the idea :p [[User:Maplestrip|Maplestrip]] ([[User talk:Maplestrip|talk]]) 12:59, 6 May 2015 (UTC)<br />
<br />
: The title text would seem to go against that explanation.[[Special:Contributions/141.101.99.24|141.101.99.24]] 13:21, 6 May 2015 (UTC)<br />
<br />
It's Megan. The new princess is the first woman who can inherent the throne without being leapfrogged by younger brothers. Before the Succession to the Crown Act (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Succession_to_the_Crown_Act_2013) if Megan had pulled the sword out one of her brothers would have gotten to be King. (signed by jan) {{unsigned ip|173.245.52.149}}<br />
<br />
: This and the election tomorrow seems like the main reason for this comic. Forget Arthur for anything else than explaining the idea with the sword.--[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 16:01, 6 May 2015 (UTC)<br />
<br />
<br />
She put it back because she discovered this country is a shithole. [[Special:Contributions/141.101.98.143|141.101.98.143]] 14:23, 6 May 2015 (UTC)<br />
<br />
I think it's Megan. - [[User:RecentlyChanged|RecentlyChanged]] ([[User talk:RecentlyChanged|talk]])<br />
<br />
I removed the reference to Megan becoming "heir to" the throne, as that implies she is next in line, rather than immediately ascending to the throne [[User:Miamiclay|Miamiclay]] ([[User talk:Miamiclay|talk]]) 16:40, 6 May 2015 (UTC)<br />
<br />
: Well, wait: if the character is "heir to" shouldn't we label / call him "Heiry"? {{unsigned ip|108.162.219.165}}<br />
<br />
My peronal take: Megan could technically abdicate the throne, letting it return to status quo or having the next-in-line take the turn. That way, Megan can keep {{w|Excalibur}} while not having to worry about ruling the country. --[[Special:Contributions/173.245.52.105|173.245.52.105]] 16:56, 6 May 2015 (UTC)<br />
<br />
I think using the term "yellow press" to refer to the news accounts of the birth of Princess Charlotte is uncalled for as this is a valid news event. Certainly there are some publications and media outlets that will take this completely over the top, but to lump reputable and long-honored papers such as the Times of London, the NY Times, the Washington Post, and many other publications in with the likes of the Daily Sun, the NY Daily Post, the National Enquirer, and Fox News just isn't right.[[Special:Contributions/173.245.54.216|173.245.54.216]] 17:31, 6 May 2015 (UTC)<br />
<br />
Is it possible that this comic also referred to the relatively low amount of power exerted by the British Royal Family now compared to long ago? --[[User:BowtieMaster|BowtieMaster]]</div>Relichttps://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=Template:!&diff=92668Template:!2015-05-06T21:22:30Z<p>Relic: Undo revision 92666 by BowtieMaster (talk)</p>
<hr />
<div>|</div>Relichttps://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=1512:_Horoscopes&diff=897661512: Horoscopes2015-04-15T08:23:00Z<p>Relic: /* Explanation */ reversing flow of time makes much more sense lol</p>
<hr />
<div>{{comic<br />
| number = 1512<br />
| date = April 15, 2015<br />
| title = Horoscopes<br />
| image = horoscopes.png<br />
| titletext = If you live in the Northern hemisphere, anyway. In the southern hemisphere, due to the coriolis effect, babies are born nine months BEFORE they're conceived.<br />
}}<br />
<br />
==Explanation==<br />
{{incomplete|Page is a stub}}<br />
<br />
Horoscopes are supposed to predict someone personality, or future, depending on the position of planets and stars at the time of their birth and now. Today, horoscopes are admitted to be pseudoscience.<br />
<br />
However, because the 12 category (zodiac signs) in horoscopes are based on birthday dates, Randall can do some informed guess about the context of someone's conception (i.e., what was happening nine months before they were born), depending on the sign. For example, Virgos are born mostly in September, so they were conceived shortly after Christmas, leading to the guess "You may have been conceived while a Christmas song played". So Randall's "predictions" are possible, if not useful. Contrary to popular horoscope, there is an actual reason horoscope for Virgo is true only for Virgo and so on.<br />
<br />
The title text, the {{w|Coriolis effect}} refers to movement deflect to the right in the northern hemisphere and left in the southern hemisphere due to the rotation of the Earth. As the human body can't adjust for subtle changes, it often gives the illusion of motion and can cause motion sickness. The effect is often the premise for toilets rotating one direction in the northern hemisphere and the opposite in the southern hemisphere. In reality, the effect has nothing to do with the draining direction. A similar analogy involving reversing the flow of time, where babies being born nine months after in the northern hemisphere (clockwise) and babies being born nine months before in the southern hemisphere (counterclockwise) to humorous effect.<br />
<br />
==Transcript==<br />
:[Above the frame:]<br />
:'''Horoscopes'''<br />
:With an actual basis in fact<br />
:[A type of table with the name of each astrological sign written in light gray as are the bullet after the name. The text after the bullet is written in normal font and in two lines above and below the bullet.]<br />
:<font color="gray">Aries •</font> You may have been conceived after a 4th of July fireworks show<br />
:<font color="gray">Taurus •</font> You may have been conceived on a hot August day<br />
:<font color="gray">Gemini •</font> You may have been conceived as the leaves began to change<br />
:<font color="gray">Cancer •</font> You may have been conceived by people trying on constumes<br />
:<font color="gray">Leo •</font> You may have been conceived during thanksgiving<br />
:<font color="gray">Virgo •</font> You may have been conceived while a Christmas song played<br />
:<font color="gray">Libra •</font> You may have been conceived after a new year's eve party<br />
:<font color="gray">Scorpio •</font> You may have been conceived by people stuck inside after a long winter<br />
:<font color="gray">Sagittarius •</font> You may have been conceived during March maddness<br />
:<font color="gray">Capricorn •</font> You may have been conceived during a sexy Easter Egg hunt<br />
:<font color="gray">Aquarius •</font> You may have been conceived on Mother's day<br />
:<font color="gray">Pisces •</font> You may have been conceived at someone's wedding<br />
<br />
{{comic discussion}}<br />
<!-- Include any categories below this line. --></div>Relichttps://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=1512:_Horoscopes&diff=897651512: Horoscopes2015-04-15T08:21:44Z<p>Relic: /* Explanation */</p>
<hr />
<div>{{comic<br />
| number = 1512<br />
| date = April 15, 2015<br />
| title = Horoscopes<br />
| image = horoscopes.png<br />
| titletext = If you live in the Northern hemisphere, anyway. In the southern hemisphere, due to the coriolis effect, babies are born nine months BEFORE they're conceived.<br />
}}<br />
<br />
==Explanation==<br />
{{incomplete|Page is a stub}}<br />
<br />
Horoscopes are supposed to predict someone personality, or future, depending on the position of planets and stars at the time of their birth and now. Today, horoscopes are admitted to be pseudoscience.<br />
<br />
However, because the 12 category (zodiac signs) in horoscopes are based on birthday dates, Randall can do some informed guess about the context of someone's conception (i.e., what was happening nine months before they were born), depending on the sign. For example, Virgos are born mostly in September, so they were conceived shortly after Christmas, leading to the guess "You may have been conceived while a Christmas song played". So Randall's "predictions" are possible, if not useful. Contrary to popular horoscope, there is an actual reason horoscope for Virgo is true only for Virgo and so on.<br />
<br />
The title text, the {{w|Coriolis effect}} refers to movement deflect to the right in the northern hemisphere and left in the southern hemisphere due to the rotation of the Earth. As the human body can't adjust for subtle changes, it often gives the illusion of motion and can cause motion sickness. The effect is often the premise for toilets rotating one direction in the northern hemisphere and the opposite in the southern hemisphere. In reality, the effect has nothing to do with the draining direction. A similar analogy involving a false correlation is made for babies being born nine months after in the northern hemisphere (clockwise) and babies being born nine months before in the southern hemisphere (counterclockwise) to humorous effect.<br />
<br />
==Transcript==<br />
:[Above the frame:]<br />
:'''Horoscopes'''<br />
:With an actual basis in fact<br />
:[A type of table with the name of each astrological sign written in light gray as are the bullet after the name. The text after the bullet is written in normal font and in two lines above and below the bullet.]<br />
:<font color="gray">Aries •</font> You may have been conceived after a 4th of July fireworks show<br />
:<font color="gray">Taurus •</font> You may have been conceived on a hot August day<br />
:<font color="gray">Gemini •</font> You may have been conceived as the leaves began to change<br />
:<font color="gray">Cancer •</font> You may have been conceived by people trying on constumes<br />
:<font color="gray">Leo •</font> You may have been conceived during thanksgiving<br />
:<font color="gray">Virgo •</font> You may have been conceived while a Christmas song played<br />
:<font color="gray">Libra •</font> You may have been conceived after a new year's eve party<br />
:<font color="gray">Scorpio •</font> You may have been conceived by people stuck inside after a long winter<br />
:<font color="gray">Sagittarius •</font> You may have been conceived during March maddness<br />
:<font color="gray">Capricorn •</font> You may have been conceived during a sexy Easter Egg hunt<br />
:<font color="gray">Aquarius •</font> You may have been conceived on Mother's day<br />
:<font color="gray">Pisces •</font> You may have been conceived at someone's wedding<br />
<br />
{{comic discussion}}<br />
<!-- Include any categories below this line. --></div>Relichttps://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=1512:_Horoscopes&diff=897641512: Horoscopes2015-04-15T08:20:27Z<p>Relic: blah blah</p>
<hr />
<div>{{comic<br />
| number = 1512<br />
| date = April 15, 2015<br />
| title = Horoscopes<br />
| image = horoscopes.png<br />
| titletext = If you live in the Northern hemisphere, anyway. In the southern hemisphere, due to the coriolis effect, babies are born nine months BEFORE they're conceived.<br />
}}<br />
<br />
==Explanation==<br />
{{incomplete|Page is a stub}}<br />
<br />
Horoscopes are supposed to predict someone personality, or future, depending on the position of planets and stars at the time of their birth and now. Today, horoscopes are admitted to be pseudoscience.<br />
<br />
However, because the 12 category (zodiac signs) in horoscopes are based on birthday dates, Randall can do some informed guess about the context of someone's conception (i.e., what was happening nine months before they were born), depending on the sign. For example, Virgos are born mostly in September, so they were conceived shortly after Christmas, leading to the guess "You may have been conceived while a Christmas song played". So Randall's "predictions" are possible, if not useful. Contrary to popular horoscope, there is an actual reason horoscope for Virgo is true only for Virgo and so on.<br />
<br />
The title text, the {{w|Coriolis effect}} refers to movement deflect to the right in the northern hemisphere and left in the southern hemisphere due to the rotation of the Earth. As the human body can't adjust for subtle changes, it often gives the illusion of motion and can cause motion sickness. The effect is often the premise for toilets rotating one direction in the northern hemisphere and the opposite in the southern hemisphere. In reality, the effect has nothing to do with the draining direction. An analogy is made for babies being born nine months after in the northern hemisphere (clockwise) and babies being born nine months before in the southern hemisphere (counterclockwise).<br />
<br />
==Transcript==<br />
:[Above the frame:]<br />
:'''Horoscopes'''<br />
:With an actual basis in fact<br />
:[A type of table with the name of each astrological sign written in light gray as are the bullet after the name. The text after the bullet is written in normal font and in two lines above and below the bullet.]<br />
:<font color="gray">Aries •</font> You may have been conceived after a 4th of July fireworks show<br />
:<font color="gray">Taurus •</font> You may have been conceived on a hot August day<br />
:<font color="gray">Gemini •</font> You may have been conceived as the leaves began to change<br />
:<font color="gray">Cancer •</font> You may have been conceived by people trying on constumes<br />
:<font color="gray">Leo •</font> You may have been conceived during thanksgiving<br />
:<font color="gray">Virgo •</font> You may have been conceived while a Christmas song played<br />
:<font color="gray">Libra •</font> You may have been conceived after a new year's eve party<br />
:<font color="gray">Scorpio •</font> You may have been conceived by people stuck inside after a long winter<br />
:<font color="gray">Sagittarius •</font> You may have been conceived during March maddness<br />
:<font color="gray">Capricorn •</font> You may have been conceived during a sexy Easter Egg hunt<br />
:<font color="gray">Aquarius •</font> You may have been conceived on Mother's day<br />
:<font color="gray">Pisces •</font> You may have been conceived at someone's wedding<br />
<br />
{{comic discussion}}<br />
<!-- Include any categories below this line. --></div>Relichttps://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=1495:_Hard_Reboot&diff=857361495: Hard Reboot2015-03-06T08:54:59Z<p>Relic: </p>
<hr />
<div>{{comic<br />
| number = 1495<br />
| date = March 6, 2015<br />
| title = Hard Reboot<br />
| image = hard_reboot.png<br />
| titletext = Googling inevitably reveals that my problem is caused by a known bug triggered by doing [the exact combination of things I want to do]. I can fix it, or wait a few years until I don't want that combination of things anymore, using the kitchen timer until then.<br />
}}<br />
<br />
==Explanation==<br />
This comic is about using a simple and unrelated trick to fix a problem.<br />
<br />
{{w|Paging|Swap space}} is a reserved area of a computer's hard drive reserved for use when the computer runs out of RAM. Ideally, RAM + SWAP <= MAX, where MAX is the amount of memory the computer will ever try to use at the same time. However, some [broken] programs may keep requesting memory from the system until computer runs out of resources. Alternatively, system may be misconfigured to run more and more programs simultaneously. Rebooting the computer will empty the RAM and swap space so resources can be reallocated, but this only temporarily alleviates the underlying issue. Determining the root cause of the problem is often nontrivial.<br />
<br />
It would take up to 10 hours to figure out why the server is running out of swap space and fix the problem. Alternatively, Randall could just take 5 minutes and plug the server into a light timer.<br />
<br />
Timers [http://www.diytrade.com/china/pd/10081499/Analog_Electric_Light_on_off_Timer_Dual_Outlet_Switch.html like the one in the comic] typically have four switches or notches per hour, so using the timer would replace an unpredictable and indefinite loss of service with a regular 15 minute downtime event once a day. Also, it can be scheduled during, say, the middle of the night when most users are sleeping to minimize disruption.<br />
<br />
The correct method of scheduling a regular reboot would be using a ''cron'' task, but perhaps the server is "crashing" in such a dramatic manner that ''cron,'' or ''shutdown,'' or ''init'' stops working. The comic title alludes to this, in that a "hard" reboot scheduled with an analog timer is more guaranteed to work than a "soft" one scheduled with ''cron.''<br />
<br />
The title text's first sentence refers to situations where the given solution to a problem is just the original problem rephrased to sound like a solution. It may also refer to bug trackers, where someone found out and posted what causes the issue, but the bug is marked as "Unresolved," "Waiting," or "Will not fix."<br />
<br />
The title text's second sentence is about the human tendency to wait on someone else to fix a problem rather than doing it yourself. Since everyone is waiting on someone else to do it, such problems tend to never be fixed, hence the solution of "wait[ing] a few years until I don't want that combination of things anymore."<br />
<br />
==Transcript==<br />
''A section of a screen with a white-on-black color scheme is shown. The screen is covered in lines of illegible text.''<br />
<br />
Figuring out why my home server keeps running out of swap space and crashing: 1-10 hours<br />
<br />
''Next to the section of the screen is a timer plugged into a power port with cable running off to the side.''<br />
<br />
Plugging it into a light timer so it reboots every 24 hours: 5 minutes<br />
<br />
'''Why everything I have is broken'''<br />
<br />
{{comic discussion}}</div>Relichttps://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=1328:_Update&diff=598081328: Update2014-02-12T07:07:39Z<p>Relic: /* Explanation */</p>
<hr />
<div>{{comic<br />
| number = 1328<br />
| date = February 10, 2014<br />
| title = Update<br />
| image = update.png<br />
| titletext = I have a bunch of things open right now.<br />
}}<br />
<br />
==Explanation==<br />
{{incomplete|This tag was removed too fast. This comic still needs some reviews.}}<br />
<br />
When {{w|Operating System|operating systems}} requires updates, the operating system will ask the user to reboot the computer to install the update. This is done in a popup window where the user can choose to restart immediately or choose to be reminded later. The popup window will describe the update as important or critical and the reboot must be done immediately, such as an issue with random laptop fires. In reality, these issues tend to be trivial and affect a relatively small minority of computers using the operating system, unless it's a security-related issue. In this comic, the update would be trivial if they were using a PC instead of a laptop. An update asking for a reboot can also happen with other programs, such as Java requiring a critical update because of a security breach. Users may either choose to be reminded later or ignore the prompt completely.<br />
<br />
The user can choose to be reminded later multiple times. Because {{w|Reboot (computing)|rebooting}} a computer takes a significant amount of time and closes any programs running, a user may delay the update repeatedly to avoid interrupting what they were doing at the time. The comic proposes a scenario where the update is critical and of immediate importance, but the user wants to avoid the interruption or does not believe ''his'' laptop will catch on fire. The joke goes further because software typically doesn't affect hardware issues like burning {{w|Lithium-ion battery#Safety|laptop batteries}}. An alternative scenario would be a [http://gadgets.ndtv.com/mobiles/news/galaxy-s4-burns-out-samsung-says-it-will-replace-unit-after-user-pulls-video-report-456867 phone battery exploding], which may be an issue between the hardware and the operating system of the phone.<br />
<br />
The title text reflects the fact that the average user will have multiple applications open and a reboot would require closing them. They would then have to open all their applications again after the computer has restarted. This can also refer to a browser application having multiple tabs open. This isn't an issue because browsers have an option to restart the last session again after being closed, as would happen with a reboot. However, most users aren't aware browser have the capability to restore their session.<br />
<br />
==Transcript==<br />
:[Cueball sitting at a laptop, and there is a information message coming from the laptop.]<br />
:Warning: '''Urgent:''' Critical update available!<br />
<br />
:'''Details:''' Fixes an issue that was causing random laptop electrical fires.<br />
<br />
:(This update will require restarting your computer.)<br />
:Cueball: ''Remind me later''<br />
:''click''<br />
<br />
{{comic discussion}}<br />
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]<br />
[[Category:Computers]]</div>Relichttps://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=1328:_Update&diff=598071328: Update2014-02-12T07:04:03Z<p>Relic: /* Explanation */ writing a little more and organizing to try and get everything</p>
<hr />
<div>{{comic<br />
| number = 1328<br />
| date = February 10, 2014<br />
| title = Update<br />
| image = update.png<br />
| titletext = I have a bunch of things open right now.<br />
}}<br />
<br />
==Explanation==<br />
{{incomplete|This tag was removed too fast. This comic still needs some reviews.}}<br />
<br />
When {{w|Operating System|operating systems}} requires updates, the operating system will ask the user to reboot the computer to install the update. This is done in a popup window where the user can choose to restart immediately or choose to be reminded later. The popup window will describe the update as important or critical and the reboot must be done immediately, such as an issue with random laptop fires. In reality, these issues tend to be trivial and affect a relatively small minority of computers using the operating system, unless it's a security-related issue. In this comic, the update would be trivial if they were using a PC instead of a laptop. An update asking for a reboot can also happen with other programs, such as Java requiring a critical update because of a security breach. Users may either choose to be reminded later or ignore the prompt completely.<br />
<br />
The user can choose to be reminded later multiple times. Because {{w|Reboot (computing)|rebooting}} a computer takes a significant amount of time and closes any programs running, a user may delay the update repeatedly to avoid interrupting what they were doing at the time. The comic proposes a scenario where the update is critical and of immediate importance, but the user wants to avoid the interruption or does not believe ''his'' laptop will catch on fire. The joke goes further because a software update mostly can't prevent any hardware failures like burning {{w|Lithium-ion battery#Safety|laptop batteries}}. This specific update is just nonsense.<br />
<br />
The title text reflects the fact that the average user will have multiple applications open and a reboot would require closing them. They would then have to open all their applications again after the computer has restarted. This can also refer to a browser application having multiple tabs open. This isn't an issue because browsers have an option to restart the last session again after being closed, as would happen with a reboot. However, most users aren't aware browser have the capability to restore their session.<br />
<br />
==Transcript==<br />
:[Cueball sitting at a laptop, and there is a information message coming from the laptop.]<br />
:Warning: '''Urgent:''' Critical update available!<br />
<br />
:'''Details:''' Fixes an issue that was causing random laptop electrical fires.<br />
<br />
:(This update will require restarting your computer.)<br />
:Cueball: ''Remind me later''<br />
:''click''<br />
<br />
{{comic discussion}}<br />
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]<br />
[[Category:Computers]]</div>Relichttps://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=1297:_Oort_Cloud&diff=539971297: Oort Cloud2013-11-30T21:17:41Z<p>Relic: </p>
<hr />
<div>{{comic<br />
| number = 1297<br />
| date = November 29, 2013<br />
| title = Oort Cloud<br />
| image = oort_cloud.png<br />
| titletext = ... I wanna try. Hang on, be right back.<br />
}}<br />
<br />
==Explanation==<br />
The {{w|Oort cloud}} is a hypothesized spherical collection of material far outside of our solar system. It's believed that many asteroids exist at that distance reaching out to roughly 50,000 {{w|Astronomical unit|AU (astronomical units)}} or nearly one {{w|Light-year|light-year}} from the sun. Gravitational forces from passing stars or collisions with other objects sometimes perturb an object enough to let them fall it into the inner solar system. When this object gets closer to the Sun (which is just a bright dot at that far distance) it warms up and some of its body is lost as gas and dust, visible as a comet and showing a tail some million kilometers long. A new {{w|comet}} is born, and if it gets close enough to the sun it may break up entirely.<br />
<br />
The comet pictured here upon its return maybe resembles the unusual asteroid {{w|P/2013 P5}} which sported six comet-like tails, which wasn't a comet at all. In that case the six comet-like tails were suspected to be caused by rapid spinning of that object.<br />
<br />
{{w|C/2012 S1|Comet ISON}} came from the Oort cloud and reached its closest approach to the sun ({{w|Apsis|perihelion}}) on the day before this comic was published. The comet passed very close to the sun, at a distance of 1,860,000 kilometers or 1,150,000 miles. It was thus within one sun-diameter of the surface of the sun itself (diameter of sun = 1,391,000 km). At that distance the temperature at approx. 2,700 degrees Celsius does melt much more than only ice. That horror is just shown in last frame; even when it's not realistic that ISON still would have a tail at that far distance.<br />
<br />
After this encounter the tail has changed its shape because the comet was partly broken up around the sun. The closest approach to Earth will be on December 27, 2013 but it's not clear if the comet will be visible by the naked eye.<br />
<br />
This video shows an animation of the encounter at the sun: [http://stereo-ssc.nascom.nasa.gov/browse/2013/11/28/ahead_20131128_cor2_rdiff_512.mpg ISON 28.11.2013].<br />
<br />
==Transcript==<br />
:[Three asteroids float in space.]<br />
:ISON: Have you noticed that bright dot in the distance?<br />
:Asteroid: Yeah. What's the deal with it?<br />
<br />
:ISON: Dunno. I'm gonna go check it out.<br />
<br />
:[Pause while ISON checks it out off screen.]<br />
<br />
:[Several million years later.]<br />
:ISON (appears burnt): Wow. Do NOT go over there.<br />
{{comic discussion}}<br />
[[Category:Astronomy]]</div>Relichttps://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=1217:_Cells&diff=386551217: Cells2013-05-27T22:16:44Z<p>Relic: /* Explanation */</p>
<hr />
<div>{{comic<br />
| number = 1217<br />
| date = May 27, 2013<br />
| title = Cells<br />
| image = cells.png<br />
| titletext = Now, if it selectively kills cancer cells in a petri dish, you can be sure it's at least a great breakthrough for everyone suffering from petri dish cancer.<br />
}}<br />
<br />
==Explanation==<br />
{{incomplete}}<br />
<br />
{{w|Cancer}} is one of the most feared sicknesses due to high mortality and a topic visited by Randall in [[:Category:Cancer|past comics]]. Whenever study finds a hint for cure, this is hyped in media as major breakthrough. However, on a laboratory scale, research is done using cultivated cancer cell assays in petri dishes or well plates. Because the cells are isolated, it will not take into consideration of interactions with other parts of a whole body. Current anti-cancer drugs affect all cells, thereby causing severe side effects. The same applies to new drugs developed as well; if they affect cancer cells they may also affect healthy cells and the side effects may prove to be too severe for the drug to be used as a viable treatment method. Randall compares this to a handgun, which can destroy cancer cells with the side effect of destroying tissue and body fluids in the proximity of the cells.<br />
<br />
As title text suggests, that is not the only problem a new drug can have. For example, it may not be able to get to those cancer cells. It is a long way from the laboratory to the pharmacy.<br />
<br />
==Transcript==<br />
When you see a claim that a common drug or vitamin "kills cancer cells in a petri dish",<br />
<br />
keep in mind:<br />
<br />
[A scientist stands on a chair next to a desk, pointing a gun at a petri dish. There is a microscope on the desk.]<br />
<br />
So does a handgun.<br />
<br />
{{comic discussion}}<br />
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]<br />
[[Category:Biology]]<br />
[[Category:Cancer]]</div>Relichttps://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=1187:_Aspect_Ratio&diff=305401187: Aspect Ratio2013-03-18T06:33:52Z<p>Relic: /* Explanation */</p>
<hr />
<div>{{comic<br />
| number = 1187<br />
| date = March 18, 2013<br />
| title = Aspect Ratio<br />
| image = aspect ratio.png<br />
| titletext = I'm always disappointed when 'Anamorphic Widescreen' doesn't refer to a widescreen Animorphs movie.<br />
}}<br />
<br />
==Explanation==<br />
Aspect ratio is the relationship between the width and height of the image. Images with a widescreen aspect ratio have a longer width compared to height. The aspect ratio is notated as <width>:<height>. The 4:3 aspect ratio, known as fullscreen, is a common aspect ratio used in much of the film industry and computer monitors. Letterboxing refers to transferring a widescreen image to a fullscreen image (4:3) while maintaining the ratio. Black bars called mattes are left at the bottom and top to fill in the space left due to the image being wider than it is high. Rescaling a video forces the image into the 4:3 aspect ratio, causing the image to be horizontally squeezed and including the matte bars. People will be under the impression the video is in widescreen even after it has been rescaled.<br />
<br />
{{w|Anamorphic widescreen}} is a video process where the widescreen aspect ratio is compressed to a 4:3 aspect ratio so it can be stored in the standard format. Playback equipment can then decompress the image to its original widescreen aspect ratio. In this case, someone may rescale a video to 4:3 without compression, then distort the image more by trying to translate it back to widescreen.<br />
<br />
==Transcript==<br />
:[A car is crushed in a large black clamp.]<br />
:Whenever someone uploads a letterboxed 16:9 video rescaled to 4:3, I do this to their car.<br />
<br />
{{comic discussion}}</div>Relichttps://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=1187:_Aspect_Ratio&diff=305391187: Aspect Ratio2013-03-18T06:33:40Z<p>Relic: /* Explanation */</p>
<hr />
<div>{{comic<br />
| number = 1187<br />
| date = March 18, 2013<br />
| title = Aspect Ratio<br />
| image = aspect ratio.png<br />
| titletext = I'm always disappointed when 'Anamorphic Widescreen' doesn't refer to a widescreen Animorphs movie.<br />
}}<br />
<br />
==Explanation==<br />
Aspect ratio is the relationship between the width and height of the image. Images with a widescreen aspect ratio have a longer width compared to height. The aspect ratio is notated as <width>:<height>. The 4:3 aspect ratio, known as fullscreen, is a common aspect ratio used in much of the film industry and computer monitors. Letterboxing refers to transferring a widescreen image to a fullscreen image (4:3) while maintaining the ratio. Black bars called mattes are left at the bottom and top to fill in the space left due to the image being wider than it is high. Rescaling a video forces the image into the 4:3 aspect ratio, causing the image to be horizontally squeezed and including the matte bars. People will be under the impression the video is in widescreen even after it has been rescaled.<br />
<br />
{{w|Anamorphic widescreen}} is a video process where the widescreen aspect ratio is compressed to a 4:3 aspect ratio so it can be stored in the standard format. Playback equipment can then decompress the image to its original widescreen aspect ratio. In this case, someone may rescale a video to 4:3 without compression, then distort the image more by trying to translate it back to widescreen.<br />
<br />
==Transcript==<br />
:[A car is crushed in a large black clamp.]<br />
:Whenever someone uploads a letterboxed 16:9 video rescaled to 4:3, I do this to their car.<br />
<br />
{{comic discussion}}</div>Relichttps://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=1172:_Workflow&diff=276471172: Workflow2013-02-11T11:25:47Z<p>Relic: </p>
<hr />
<div>{{comic<br />
| number = 1172<br />
| date = February 11, 2013<br />
| title = Workflow<br />
| image = workflow.png<br />
| titletext = There are probably children out there holding down spacebar to stay warm in the winter! YOUR UPDATE MURDERS CHILDREN<br />
}}<br />
<br />
==Explanation==<br />
Users will often try to work around bugs in their software, and are sometimes able to get used to having the bugs around. Some bugs are even interpreted as features and users complain when the software authors fixed them.<br />
<br />
The comics show somehow extreme example. Some software had a bug causing CPU to overheat when you hold spacebar. In version 10.17, the bug was fixed. Soon, longtimeuser4 complained that he liked the "feature" of CPU overheating on holding spacebar, presents the workflow how he uses it (which is, again, more weird that usual) and wants an option to re-enable it.<br />
<br />
The title text makes a hyperbole to humorous effect, children will freeze to death during the winter because they won't be warmed by a rather unconventional heater.<br />
<br />
==Transcript==<br />
Latest: 10.17&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;[Update]<br />
----<br />
:'''Changes in version 10.17:'''<br />
:The CPU no longer overheats<br />
:when you hold down spacebar.<br />
----<br />
:<div style="margin-left: 5em;">Comments:</div><br />
:'''LongtimeUser4''' writes:<br />
<br />
:This update broke my workflow!<br />
:my control key is hard to reach,<br />
:so I hold spacebar instead, and I<br />
:configured Emacs to intepret a<br />
:rapid temperature rise as "control".<br />
<br />
:'''Admin''' writes:<br />
<br />
:That's horrifying.<br />
<br />
:'''LongtimeUser4''' writes:<br />
<br />
:Look, my setup works for me.<br />
:Just add an option to reenable<br />
:spacebar heating.<br />
<br />
:Every change breaks someone's workflow.<br />
<br />
{{comic discussion}}<br />
[[Category:Computers]]</div>Relichttps://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=1172:_Workflow&diff=276461172: Workflow2013-02-11T11:23:35Z<p>Relic: </p>
<hr />
<div>{{comic<br />
| number = 1172<br />
| date = February 11, 2013<br />
| title = Workflow<br />
| image = workflow.png<br />
| titletext = There are probably children out there holding down spacebar to stay warm in the winter! YOUR UPDATE MURDERS CHILDREN<br />
}}<br />
<br />
==Explanation==<br />
Users will often try to work around bugs in their software, and are sometimes able to get used to having the bugs around. Some bugs are even interpreted as features and users complain when the software authors fixed them.<br />
<br />
The comics show somehow extreme example. Some software had a bug causing CPU to overheat when you hold spacebar. In version 10.17, the bug was fixed. Soon, longtimeuser4 complained that he liked the "feature" of CPU overheating on holding spacebar, presents the workflow how he uses it (which is, again, more weird that usual) and wants an option to re-enable it.<br />
<br />
The title text extrapolates this argument to a hyperbole to humorous effect, children will freeze to death during the winter because they won't be warmed by a rather unconventional heater.<br />
<br />
==Transcript==<br />
Latest: 10.17&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;[Update]<br />
----<br />
:'''Changes in version 10.17:'''<br />
:The CPU no longer overheats<br />
:when you hold down spacebar.<br />
----<br />
:<div style="margin-left: 5em;">Comments:</div><br />
:'''LongtimeUser4''' writes:<br />
<br />
:This update broke my workflow!<br />
:my control key is hard to reach,<br />
:so I hold spacebar instead, and I<br />
:configured Emacs to intepret a<br />
:rapid temperature rise as "control".<br />
<br />
:'''Admin''' writes:<br />
<br />
:That's horrifying.<br />
<br />
:'''LongtimeUser4''' writes:<br />
<br />
:Look, my setup works for me.<br />
:Just add an option to reenable<br />
:spacebar heating.<br />
<br />
:Every change breaks someone's workflow.<br />
<br />
{{comic discussion}}<br />
[[Category:Computers]]</div>Relichttps://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=1172:_Workflow&diff=276451172: Workflow2013-02-11T11:19:58Z<p>Relic: </p>
<hr />
<div>{{comic<br />
| number = 1172<br />
| date = February 11, 2013<br />
| title = Workflow<br />
| image = workflow.png<br />
| titletext = There are probably children out there holding down spacebar to stay warm in the winter! YOUR UPDATE MURDERS CHILDREN<br />
}}<br />
<br />
==Explanation==<br />
Users will often try to work around bugs in their software, and are sometimes able to get used to having the bugs around. Some bugs are even interpreted as features and users complain when the software authors fixed them.<br />
<br />
The comics show somehow extreme example. Some software had a bug causing CPU to overheat when you hold spacebar. In version 10.17, the bug was fixed. Soon, longtimeuser4 complained that he liked the "feature" of CPU overheating on holding spacebar, presents the workflow how he uses it (which is, again, more weird that usual) and wants an option to re-enable it.<br />
<br />
The title text extrapolates this argument to a hyperbole to humorous effect, children will freeze to death during the winter because they won't be warmed by a rather unconventional heater.<br />
<br />
==Transcript==<br />
Latest: 10.17&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;[Update]<br />
----<br />
:'''Change sin version 10.17:'''<br />
:The CPU no longer overheats<br />
:when you hold down spacebar.<br />
----<br />
:<div style="margin-left: 5em;">Comments:</div><br />
:'''LongtimeUser4''' writes:<br />
<br />
:This update broke my workflow!<br />
:my control key is hard to reach,<br />
:so I hold spacebar instead, and I<br />
:configured Emacs to intepret a<br />
:rapid temperature rise as "control".<br />
<br />
:'''Admin''' writes:<br />
<br />
:That's horrifying.<br />
<br />
:'''LongtimeUser4''' writes:<br />
<br />
:Look, my setup works for me.<br />
:Just add an option to reenable<br />
:spacebar heating.<br />
<br />
:Every change breaks someone's workflow.<br />
<br />
{{comic discussion}}<br />
[[Category:Computers]]</div>Relichttps://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=1172:_Workflow&diff=276441172: Workflow2013-02-11T11:09:32Z<p>Relic: </p>
<hr />
<div>{{comic<br />
| number = 1172<br />
| date = February 11, 2013<br />
| title = Workflow<br />
| image = workflow.png<br />
| titletext = There are probably children out there holding down spacebar to stay warm in the winter! YOUR UPDATE MURDERS CHILDREN<br />
}}<br />
<br />
==Explanation==<br />
Users will often try to work around bugs in their software, and are sometimes able to get used to having the bugs around. Some bugs are even interpreted as features and users complain when the software authors fixed them.<br />
<br />
The comics show somehow extreme example. Some software had a bug causing CPU to overheat when you hold spacebar. In version 10.17, the bug was fixed. Soon, longtimeuser4 complained that he liked the "feature" of CPU overheating on holding spacebar, presents the workflow how he uses it (which is, again, more weird that usual) and wants an option to re-enable it.<br />
<br />
The title text extrapolates this argument to a hyperbole to humorous effect, children will freeze to death during the winter because they won't be warmed by a rather unconventional heater.<br />
<br />
==Transcript==<br />
<br />
<br />
{{comic discussion}}<br />
[[Category:Computers]]</div>Relichttps://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=1168:_tar&diff=268601168: tar2013-02-01T21:46:00Z<p>Relic: </p>
<hr />
<div>{{comic<br />
| number = 1168<br />
| date = January 31, 2013<br />
| title = tar<br />
| image = tar.png<br />
| titletext = I don't know what's worse--the fact that after 15 years of using tar I still can't keep the flags straight, or that after 15 years of technological advancement I'm still mucking with tar flags that were 15 years old when I started.<br />
}}<br />
<br />
==Explanation==<br />
{{w|Tar (computing)|tar}} (“tape archive”) is a {{w|Unix|Unix}} application that creates (and extracts) archives in the “.tar” format. It can be used only through the text-based terminal, using cryptic single-letter arguments such as “<code>tar cvf archive.tar *</code>”. The comic alludes to the fact that despite years of use of the command, it's still hard to remember the arguments without searching for them, such as with Google.<br />
<br />
The title text points out that while much of computing changes very quickly, the tar program, which is very old (originating ca. 1975), is still around and heavily used. And yet, [[Randall]] complains he still cannot type out a line of tar command with correct flags (without googling probably).<br />
<br />
The fact that [[Megan]] and [[White Hat]] assume that [[Rob]] can disarm the nuclear bomb because he uses Unix can be referring to a overgeneralization fallacy that a partaker in a practice is an expert of a practice. Not all people who use Unix necessarily know how to use tar commands.<br />
<br />
==Transcript==<br />
:Megan: Rob! You use Unix!<br />
:White Hat: Come quick!<br />
<br />
:[Bomb]: To disarm the bomb, simply enter a valid ''tar'' command on your first try. No googling. You have '''ten''' seconds.<br />
: ~#<br />
:[Beat panel]<br />
<br />
:White Hat: Rob?<br />
:Rob: I'm so sorry.<br />
<br />
{{comic discussion}}<br />
[[Category:Computers]]<br />
[[Category:Comics featuring White Hat]]<br />
[[Category:Comics featuring Megan]]<br />
[[Category:Comics featuring Rob]]</div>Relichttps://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=Talk:1157:_Sick_Day&diff=25063Talk:1157: Sick Day2013-01-09T03:40:05Z<p>Relic: </p>
<hr />
<div>I expected the title-text's "Wikipedia path" to end with "Philosophy". [[Special:Contributions/173.8.183.86|173.8.183.86]] 07:19, 7 January 2013 (UTC)<br />
:My thoughts exactly! ([http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=903 Extended Mind]--see title text.) [[User:Zelmo|Zelmo]] ([[User talk:Zelmo|talk]]) 15:45, 7 January 2013 (UTC)<br />
<br />
Is "Wikipeida" a deliberate typo? Does it mean something different than "Wikipedia", or does<br />
it just indicate that Randall is too sick to spell "Wikipedia" properly? [[Special:Contributions/194.106.220.85|194.106.220.85]] 09:07, 7 January 2013 (UTC)<br />
:I don't think it was, since it has been corrected. However, the picture in here has not updated... [[Special:Contributions/95.209.104.190|95.209.104.190]] 16:32, 7 January 2013 (UTC)<br />
<br />
I expected the FIRST comment will resolve the wikipedia entries ... well ok: [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Virus Virus] -> [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Immune_system Immune system] -> [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Innate_immune_system Innate immune system] -> [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Parasites Parasites] (actually redirect) -> [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_parasites_of_humans List of parasites of humans] -> [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Naegleria_fowleri Naegleria fowleri] -> [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Primary_amoebic_meningoencephalitis Primary amoebic meningoencephalitis] -> Deciding I DEFINITELY shouldn't connect an aquarium pump to my sinuses -- [[User:Hkmaly|Hkmaly]] ([[User talk:Hkmaly|talk]]) 09:30, 7 January 2013 (UTC)<br />
:This comic likely refers to the recent bout of flu making its way through most of the US, was on the news a couple days ago.--[[User:Relic|Relic]] ([[User talk:Relic|talk]]) 03:40, 9 January 2013 (UTC)</div>Relichttps://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=1151:_Tests&diff=235961151: Tests2012-12-25T17:55:44Z<p>Relic: /* Explanation */</p>
<hr />
<div>{{comic<br />
| number = 1151<br />
| date = December 24, 2012<br />
| title = Tests<br />
| image = tests.png<br />
| titletext = In fact, one of the boxes is full of Staphylococcus. The wrapping paper is coated in E. coli, though, so it's an understandable mistake. You know, we should really stop accepting gifts from that guy.<br />
}}<br />
<br />
==Explanation==<br />
The first present [[Megan]] opened contained a home biology lab kit, including the equipment needed to perform a Gram stain. {{w|Gram staining}} is a technique used in microbiology to separate bacteria into two broad categories based on the structure of their cell walls. The sample is treated with two different dyes: first a purple dye, then secondly a pink one. When subsequently examined under a microscope, "Gram-positive" bacteria retain the purple color of the first dye, whereas "Gram-negative" bacteria do not, allowing the second, pink, stain to show. All Megan's presents have been stained pink, and are presumably therefore Gram-negative.<br />
<br />
In the process, she has made something of a mess of the floor, hence Cueball's wish that she had opened another present first.<br />
<br />
The title text refers to two bacteria commonly used as controls to confirm that the (slightly tricky) technique has been correctly performed: {{w|Staphylococcus aureus}} (Gram-positive) and {{w|Escherichia coli}} (Gram-negative). Neither are bacteria you want to be coming into contact with in any substantial quantities, hence the need to stop accepting presents from "[[Black Hat|That Guy]]".<br />
<br />
==Transcript==<br />
:[Megan pouring a bucket of purple liquid on the presents at the base of a Christmas tree.]<br />
<br />
:[Megan pouring a bucket of pink liquid on the presents at the base of a Christmas tree.]<br />
<br />
:[Megan looking at the soaked presents.]<br />
<br />
:Megan: All my presents appear to be Gram-negative.<br />
:Cueball: I wish you hadn't opened the home bio lab kit first.<br />
{{comic discussion}}<br />
[[Category:Comics featuring Megan]]<br />
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]<br />
[[Category:Biology]]</div>Relichttps://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=1150:_Instagram&diff=234391150: Instagram2012-12-22T20:35:12Z<p>Relic: </p>
<hr />
<div>{{comic<br />
| number = 1150<br />
| date = December 21, 2012<br />
| title = Instagram<br />
| image = instagram.png<br />
| titletext = I'm gonna call the cops and get Chad arrested for theft, then move all my stuff to the house across the street. Hopefully the owners there are more responsible.<br />
}}<br />
<br />
==Explanation==<br />
The comic makes sense by itself, but the comic title indicates that it's an allegory for a recent controversy over {{w|Instagram}}, a photo-sharing social network now owned by {{w|Facebook}}. In December 2012, Instagram changed their [http://instagram.com/about/legal/terms/ terms of use], allowing the network to sell user-uploaded images, without profit to the content generators. This infuriated many users, who closed their accounts or stopped uploading images.<br />
<br />
{{w|Craigslist}} is a website for the US and Canada where individuals can contact others interested in buying or selling goods. <br />
<br />
The title text notes two flaws in the logic of disgruntled Instagram users. You cannot accuse Instagram of stealing because it was you who gave them the images in the first place. And it is irresponsible to assume that this will not happen if you give your photos to another social networking company.<br />
<br />
==Transcript==<br />
:[Cueball and a friend. Friend is at a computer.]<br />
:Cueball: I've been putting all my stuff in Chad's garage.<br />
:Cueball: He has nice shelves.<br />
:Cueball: And he lets me in to see it whenever I want.<br />
<br />
:But I got this note from him:<br />
:Note: Dude<br />
:Note: In like a month im gonna Craigslist all that shit you left in my garage<br />
:Note: Just FYI<br />
:Note: -Chad<br />
<br />
:Cueball: It's an ''outrage''! This is no way to run a storage business!<br />
:Friend: Are you paying him to look after your stuff?<br />
<br />
:Cueball: No.<br />
:Friend: Then what he runs isn't a storage business.<br />
:Cueball: Well, I'm ''this'' close to not giving him any more stuff<br />
:Friend: That'll teach him.<br />
<br />
{{comic discussion}}<br />
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]</div>Relichttps://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=1148:_Nothing_to_Offer&diff=230291148: Nothing to Offer2012-12-17T05:45:11Z<p>Relic: </p>
<hr />
<div>{{comic<br />
| number = 1148<br />
| date = December 17, 2012<br />
| title = Nothing to Offer<br />
| image = nothing to offer.png<br />
| titletext = cerebrospinal fluid, pericardial fluid, sputum, aqueous humor, perilymph, chyme, hydatid fluid, interstitial fluid, rheum, and gin.<br />
}}<br />
<br />
==Explanation==<br />
{{w|Blood, toil, tears, and sweat}} is a famous phrase in a speech given by {{w|Winston Churchill}}, which would be heard on the radio in the 1940s. The comic then goes on to list many other bodily fluids produced in the human body, with the exception being gin. To list in order: {{w|spit}}, {{w|bile}}, {{w|vomit}}, {{w|urine}}, {{w|mucus}}, {{w|semen}}, {{w|earwax}}, {{w|lymph}}, {{w|gastric acid}}, {{w|sebum}}, {{w|pus}}, {{w|endolymph}}, {{w|intracellular fluid}}, {{w|blood plasma}}, {{w|vitreous humor}}, {{w|feces}}, {{w|pleural cavity fluid}}, ?, {{w|peritoneal fluid}}, {{w|cerebrospinal fluid}}, {{w|pericardial fluid}}, {{w|sputum}}, {{w|aqueous humor}}, {{w|perilymph}}, {{w|chyme}}, {{w|hydatid fluid}}, {{w|interstitial fluid}}, {{w|rheum}}, and {{w|gin}}.<br />
<br />
==Transcript==<br />
:[Radio on a dresser.]<br />
:Radio: I have nothing to offer<br />
:Radio: But<br />
<br />
:Radio: Blood, toil, tears, sweat,<br />
<br />
:Radio: spit, bile, vomit, urine,<br />
<br />
:[Text is now bleeding through the background.]<br />
:Radio: mucus, semen, earwax, lymph, gastric acid, sebum, pus, endolymph, intracellular fluid, blood plasma, vitreous humor, feces, pleural cavity fluid, <br />
:[Cut off by radio.]<br />
{{comic discussion}}</div>Relichttps://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=1148:_Nothing_to_Offer&diff=230281148: Nothing to Offer2012-12-17T05:44:32Z<p>Relic: </p>
<hr />
<div>{{comic<br />
| number = 1148<br />
| date = December 17, 2012<br />
| title = Nothing to Offer<br />
| image = nothing to offer.png<br />
| titletext = cerebrospinal fluid, pericardial fluid, sputum, aqueous humor, perilymph, chyme, hydatid fluid, interstitial fluid, rheum, and gin.<br />
}}<br />
<br />
==Explanation==<br />
{{w|Blood, toil, tears, and sweat}} is a famous phrase in a speech given by {{w|Winston Churchill}}, which would be heard on the radio in the 1940s. The comic then goes on to list many other bodily fluids produced in the human body, with the exception being gin. To list in order: {{w|spit}}, {{w|bile}}, {{w|vomit}}, {{w|urine}}, {{w|mucus}}, {{w|semen}}, {{w|earwax}}, {{w|lymph}}, {{w|gastric acid}}, {{w|sebum}}, {{w|pus}}, {{w|endolymph}}, {{w|intracellular fluid}}, {{w|blood plasma}}, {{w|vitreous humor}}, {{w|feces}}, {{w|pleural cavity fluid}}, ?, {{w|peritonal fluid}}, {{w|cerebrospinal fluid}}, {{w|pericardial fluid}}, {{w|sputum}}, {{w|aqueous humor}}, {{w|perilymph}}, {{w|chyme}}, {{w|hydatid fluid}}, {{w|interstitial fluid}}, {{w|rheum}}, and {{w|gin}}.<br />
<br />
==Transcript==<br />
:[Radio on a dresser.]<br />
:Radio: I have nothing to offer<br />
:Radio: But<br />
<br />
:Radio: Blood, toil, tears, sweat,<br />
<br />
:Radio: spit, bile, vomit, urine,<br />
<br />
:[Text is now bleeding through the background.]<br />
:Radio: mucus, semen, earwax, lymph, gastric acid, sebum, pus, endolymph, intracellular fluid, blood plasma, vitreous humor, feces, pleural cavity fluid, <br />
:[Cut off by radio.]<br />
{{comic discussion}}</div>Relichttps://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=1148:_Nothing_to_Offer&diff=230271148: Nothing to Offer2012-12-17T05:39:07Z<p>Relic: </p>
<hr />
<div>{{comic<br />
| number = 1148<br />
| date = December 17, 2012<br />
| title = Nothing to Offer<br />
| image = nothing to offer.png<br />
| titletext = cerebrospinal fluid, pericardial fluid, sputum, aqueous humor, perilymph, chyme, hydatid fluid, interstitial fluid, rheum, and gin.<br />
}}<br />
<br />
==Explanation==<br />
{{w|Blood, toil, tears, and sweat}} is a famous phrase in a speech given by {{w|Winston Churchill}}, which would be heard on the radio in the 1940s. The comic then goes on to list many other bodily fluids produced in the human body, with the exception being gin. To list in order: {{w|spit}}, {{w|bile}}, {{w|vomit}}, {{w|urine}}, {{w|mucus}}, {{w|semen}}, {{w|earwax}}, {{w|lymph}}, {{w|gastric acid}}, {{w|sebum}}, {{w|pus}}, {{w|endolymph}}, {{w|intracellular fluid}}, {{w|blood plasma}}, {{w|vitreous humor}}, {{w|feces}}, {{w|pleural cavity fluid}}, {{w|cerebrospinal fluid}}, {{w|pericardial fluid}}, {{w|sputum}}, {{w|aqueous humor}}, {{w|perilymph}}, {{w|chyme}}, {{w|hydatid fluid}}, {{w|interstitial fluid}}, {{w|rheum}}, and {{w|gin}}.<br />
<br />
==Transcript==<br />
:[Radio on a dresser.]<br />
:Radio: I have nothing to offer<br />
:Radio: But<br />
<br />
:Radio: Blood, toil, tears, sweat,<br />
<br />
:Radio: spit, bile, vomit, urine,<br />
<br />
:[Text is now bleeding through the background.]<br />
:Radio: mucus, semen, earwax, lymph, gastric acid, sebum, pus, endolymph, intracellular fluid, blood plasma, vitreous humor, feces, pleural cavity fluid, <br />
:[Cut off by radio.]<br />
{{comic discussion}}</div>Relichttps://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=1145:_Sky_Color&diff=223721145: Sky Color2012-12-10T07:26:27Z<p>Relic: /* Explanation */</p>
<hr />
<div>{{comic<br />
| number = 1145<br />
| date = December 10, 2012<br />
| title = Sky Color<br />
| image = sky color.png<br />
| titletext = Feynman recounted another good one upperclassmen would use on freshmen physics students: When you look at words in a mirror, how come they're reversed left to right but not top to bottom? What's special about the horizontal axis?<br />
}}<br />
<br />
==Explanation==<br />
{{W|Rayleigh scattering}} is the phenomenon that explains the color of the sky, where light of shorter wavelengths gets scattered by the air by the inverse of the fourth power of the wavelength as given in the comic. In the {{w|visibile spectrum}}, blue light has a wavelength of 450–495 nm while violet has a shorter wavelength of 380–450 nm. Violet light does indeed get scattered more than blue light, however the lower portion of the spectrum for sunlight consists of blue light and eyes are much more sensitive to blue light than violet light. This leaves the impression of a blue sky.<br />
<br />
The title text refer to a {{w|mirror image}}. A mirror image is a virtual image produced by the reflection of light on a mirror. For the light to be reversed in the vertical direction (e.g. inverted), the mirror would have to be a {{w|curved mirror}} with the person standing at centre of curvature.<br />
<br />
==Transcript==<br />
:[Girl and her mother, Megan. Megan is at a desk and facing the girl.]<br />
:Girl: Mommy, why is the sky blue?<br />
:Megan: Rayleigh scattering! Short wavelengths get scattered ''way'' more (proportional to 1/''λ''<sup>4</sup>). Blue light dominates because it's so short.<br />
:Girl: Oh.<br />
:Girl: So why ''isn't'' the sky violet?<br />
:Megan: Well, because, uh... ...hmm.<br />
<br />
{{comic discussion}}<br />
[[Category:Comics featuring Megan]]<br />
[[Category:Physics]]<br />
[[Category:My Hobby]]</div>Relichttps://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=1145:_Sky_Color&diff=223711145: Sky Color2012-12-10T07:25:44Z<p>Relic: /* Explanation */</p>
<hr />
<div>{{comic<br />
| number = 1145<br />
| date = December 10, 2012<br />
| title = Sky Color<br />
| image = sky color.png<br />
| titletext = Feynman recounted another good one upperclassmen would use on freshmen physics students: When you look at words in a mirror, how come they're reversed left to right but not top to bottom? What's special about the horizontal axis?<br />
}}<br />
<br />
==Explanation==<br />
{{W|Rayleigh scattering}} is the phenomenon that explains the color of the sky, where light of shorter wavelengths gets scattered by the air by the inverse of the fourth power of the wavelength as given in the comic. In the {{w|visibile spectrum}}, blue light has a wavelength of 450–495 nm while violet has a shorter wavelength of 380–450 nm. Violet light does indeed get scattered more than blue light, however the lower portion of the spectrum for sunlight consists of blue light and eyes are much more sensitive to blue light than violet light. This leaves the impression of a blue sky.<br />
<br />
The title text refer to a {{w|mirror image}}. A mirror image is a virtual image produced by the reflection of light on a mirror. For the light to be reversed in the vertical direction, the mirror would have to be a {{w|curved mirror}} with the person standing at centre of curvature.<br />
<br />
==Transcript==<br />
:[Girl and her mother, Megan. Megan is at a desk and facing the girl.]<br />
:Girl: Mommy, why is the sky blue?<br />
:Megan: Rayleigh scattering! Short wavelengths get scattered ''way'' more (proportional to 1/''λ''<sup>4</sup>). Blue light dominates because it's so short.<br />
:Girl: Oh.<br />
:Girl: So why ''isn't'' the sky violet?<br />
:Megan: Well, because, uh... ...hmm.<br />
<br />
{{comic discussion}}<br />
[[Category:Comics featuring Megan]]<br />
[[Category:Physics]]<br />
[[Category:My Hobby]]</div>Relichttps://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=1145:_Sky_Color&diff=223701145: Sky Color2012-12-10T07:21:33Z<p>Relic: /* Explanation */ I'm guessing</p>
<hr />
<div>{{comic<br />
| number = 1145<br />
| date = December 10, 2012<br />
| title = Sky Color<br />
| image = sky color.png<br />
| titletext = Feynman recounted another good one upperclassmen would use on freshmen physics students: When you look at words in a mirror, how come they're reversed left to right but not top to bottom? What's special about the horizontal axis?<br />
}}<br />
<br />
==Explanation==<br />
{{W|Rayleigh scattering}} is the phenomenon that explains the color of the sky, where light of shorter wavelengths gets scattered by the air by the inverse of the fourth power of the wavelength as given in the comic. In the {{w|visibile spectrum}}, blue light has a wavelength of 450–495 nm while violet has a shorter wavelength of 380–450 nm. Violet light does indeed get scattered more than blue light, however the lower portion of the spectrum for sunlight consists of blue light and eyes are much more sensitive to blue light than violet light. This leaves the impression of a blue sky.<br />
<br />
The title text refer to a {{w|mirror image}}. A mirror image is a virtual image produced by the reflection of light on a mirror. For the light to be reversed in the vertical direction, the mirror would have to be concave.<br />
<br />
==Transcript==<br />
:[Girl and her mother, Megan. Megan is at a desk and facing the girl.]<br />
:Girl: Mommy, why is the sky blue?<br />
:Megan: Rayleigh scattering! Short wavelengths get scattered ''way'' more (proportional to 1/''λ''<sup>4</sup>). Blue light dominates because it's so short.<br />
:Girl: Oh.<br />
:Girl: So why ''isn't'' the sky violet?<br />
:Megan: Well, because, uh... ...hmm.<br />
<br />
{{comic discussion}}<br />
[[Category:Comics featuring Megan]]<br />
[[Category:Physics]]<br />
[[Category:My Hobby]]</div>Relichttps://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=1142:_Coverage&diff=219481142: Coverage2012-12-04T15:16:25Z<p>Relic: little clarifying. the bad scifi movie kind of stretches it</p>
<hr />
<div>{{comic<br />
| number = 1142<br />
| date = December 3, 2012<br />
| title = Coverage<br />
| image = coverage.png<br />
| imagesize = <br />
| titletext = My resonant tunneling diode phone has limited range but a short enough wavelength to penetrate even the densest cages. This gives me a major combat advantage, hopefully.<br />
}}<br />
<br />
==Explanation==<br />
A {{w|Faraday cage}} is a cage of conducting material that interferes and blocks out {{w|electromagnetic radiation}} like cell phone signals, provided the material is of the appropriate thickness and the gaps between the "bars" are significantly smaller than the wavelength of the radiation. A {{w|cage match}} is a type of wrestling match in which the participants fight in a ring enclosed by a metal cage. The comic caption is a play on the two terms, putting [[Cueball]] into a cage match in the faraday cage that is blocking his reception.<br />
<br />
The title text is a play on a rule in cage matches that states that a participant wins if they are first to escape the cage. {{w|Tunneling_diode|Tunneling diodes}} are capable of fast operation, allowing a device to generate high frequency signals, which are more capable of penetrating the mesh openings in a Faraday cage.<br />
<br />
==Transcript==<br />
:[Cueball looking at a phone in his hands]<br />
:Cueball: Man, the coverage here is ''Awfu-''<br />
<br />
:[Man punches Cueball]<br />
<br />
:Faraday cagematch<br />
{{comic discussion}} <br />
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]<br />
[[Category:Physics]]</div>Relichttps://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=1141:_Two_Years&diff=204211141: Two Years2012-11-30T07:40:42Z<p>Relic: /* Explanation */</p>
<hr />
<div>{{comic<br />
| number = 1141<br />
| date = November 30, 2012<br />
| title = Two Years<br />
| image = two years.png<br />
| imagesize = <br />
| titletext = She won the first half of all our chemo Scrabble games, but then her IV drugs started kicking in and I *dominated*.<br />
}}<br />
<br />
==Explanation==<br />
This comic marks the second year of [[Randall Munroe]]'s wife's long [[Emotion|battle with cancer]]. The third to final frame is paraphrasing the verse ''"I'm doing Science and I'm still alive"'' from the song {{w|Still Alive}} for the video game ''{{w|Portal}}''.<br />
<br />
==Transcript==<br />
:[Randall and his wife sitting on a bed and on the phone with a nurse.]<br />
:Randall's wife: oh god<br />
<br />
:[Randall and his wife sitting at their laptops. Randall's wife is hooked up to a dialysis machine and her hair is shaved.]<br />
:Machine: ...BEEEP...BEEEP...BEEEP...<br />
<br />
:[Randall and his wife rowing. His wife is wearing a beanie.]<br />
<br />
:[Randall and his wife sitting at a table. A clock is mounted behind them.]<br />
:Randall's wife: How long can it take to read a scan!?<br />
<br />
:[Randall and his wife playing scrabble.]<br />
:Randall: "Zarg" isn't a word.<br />
:Randall's wife: But ''Caaancer''.<br />
:Randall: ...Ok, fine.<br />
<br />
:[Randall and his wife talking to a friend. A large thought bubble is above their heads.]<br />
:Friend: So next year you should come visit us up in the mountain - [cut off by thought bubble]<br />
:Randall and wife: "Next year"<br />
<br />
:[Randall and his wife getting married. A heart is above their heads. His wife's hair is growing back.]<br />
<br />
:[Randall and his wife watching a whale jump out of the water.]<br />
<br />
:[Randall watching his wife use a laptop.]<br />
:Randall: Hey-<br />
:Randall: You're doing science,<br />
:Randall: And you're still alive.<br />
:Randall's wife: Yeah!<br />
<br />
:[Randall and his wife under a tree.]<br />
:Randall: It's only been two years?<br />
:Randall's wife: They were big years.<br />
<br />
:[Randall and his wife at a fancy restaurant being served.]<br />
:Waiter: Happy... Anniversary?<br />
:Randall's wife: Biopsy-versary!<br />
:Waiter: ...eww.<br />
<br />
{{comic discussion}}<br />
[[Category:Comics featuring Randall Munroe]]<br />
[[Category:Cancer]]</div>Relichttps://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=1139:_Rubber_and_Glue&diff=203301139: Rubber and Glue2012-11-29T01:03:46Z<p>Relic: /* Explanation */</p>
<hr />
<div>{{comic<br />
| number = 1139<br />
| date = November 26, 2012<br />
| title = Rubber and Glue<br />
| image = rubber and glue.png<br />
| imagesize = <br />
| titletext = I'm rubber. You're rubber. We contemplate the reality of our existence in mute, vulcanized horror.<br />
}}<br />
<br />
==Explanation==<br />
"I'm rubber, you're glue, your words bounce off me and stick to you" is a schoolground retort used by children to suggest that one's insults are being ignored by the intended recipient of the insult and counter that the insult rather refers to the insulter. On a deeper level, it may imply that a person insulting others is an indication of their own insecurity and weakness.<br />
<br />
In this comic, a young [[Black Hat]] is reading a chemistry and physics handbook, which leads to a literal and graphic visualization of the phrase. He uses the retort to frighten the children bullying him, including [[Cueball]], into calling for their mothers. Meanwhile, a young [[Megan]] is walking on across the top of the swing set.<br />
<br />
The book Black Hat is reading is the {{w|CRC Handbook of Chemistry and Physics}}. It is also nicknamed the 'Rubber Bible' or the 'Rubber Book', as CRC originally stood for "Chemical Rubber Company".<br />
<br />
==Transcript==<br />
:[Playground. Young Megan is balancing on a swing, two kids are swinging and two more kids, Cueball and a boy, are approaching a reading Black Hat.]<br />
:Boy: Whatchya reading, hatboy?<br />
:Black Hat: The CRC handbook of chemistry and physics.<br />
:Cueball: You are such a loser, it's ''painful''.<br />
:Black Hat: I'm rubber, you're glue.<br />
<br />
:Boy: Yeah, well-<br />
:Black Hat: ''Glue can't speak.''<br />
:Black Hat: You try to scream, but your mouth fills with glue.<br />
:Black Hat: Your face is glue. Your body is glue.<br />
<br />
:Black Hat: I wrap my rubber arms around your sticky bulk.<br />
:Black Hat: Your neoprene base bonds instantly with my surface.<br />
:Black Hat: Never to let go.<br />
<br />
:Black Hat: You are glue. I am rubber.<br />
:Black Hat: Staring at you with my dead, rubber eyes-<br />
:Black Hat: ''Forever.''<br />
:[Off-screen]: ''MOOOOM!''<br />
{{comic discussion}} <br />
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]<br />
[[Category:Comics featuring Black Hat]]<br />
[[Category:Comics featuring Megan]]<br />
[[Category:Language]]<br />
[[Category:Physics]]</div>Relichttps://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=1139:_Rubber_and_Glue&diff=203291139: Rubber and Glue2012-11-29T01:01:02Z<p>Relic: /* Explanation */</p>
<hr />
<div>{{comic<br />
| number = 1139<br />
| date = November 26, 2012<br />
| title = Rubber and Glue<br />
| image = rubber and glue.png<br />
| imagesize = <br />
| titletext = I'm rubber. You're rubber. We contemplate the reality of our existence in mute, vulcanized horror.<br />
}}<br />
<br />
==Explanation==<br />
"I'm rubber, you're glue, your words bounce off me and stick to you" is a schoolground retort used by children to suggest that another's insults are being ignored by the intended recipient of the insult and counter that the insult, in fact, applies to the insulter themself. On a deeper level, it may imply that the insults of another person are an indication of their own insecurity and weakness.<br />
<br />
In this comic, a young [[Black Hat]] is reading a chemistry and physics handbook, which leads to a literal and graphic visualization of the phrase. He uses the retort to frighten the children bullying him, including [[Cueball]], into calling for their mothers. Meanwhile, a young [[Megan]] is walking on across the top of the swing set.<br />
<br />
The book Black Hat is reading is the {{w|CRC Handbook of Chemistry and Physics}}. It is also nicknamed the 'Rubber Bible' or the 'Rubber Book', as CRC originally stood for "Chemical Rubber Company".<br />
<br />
==Transcript==<br />
:[Playground. Young Megan is balancing on a swing, two kids are swinging and two more kids, Cueball and a boy, are approaching a reading Black Hat.]<br />
:Boy: Whatchya reading, hatboy?<br />
:Black Hat: The CRC handbook of chemistry and physics.<br />
:Cueball: You are such a loser, it's ''painful''.<br />
:Black Hat: I'm rubber, you're glue.<br />
<br />
:Boy: Yeah, well-<br />
:Black Hat: ''Glue can't speak.''<br />
:Black Hat: You try to scream, but your mouth fills with glue.<br />
:Black Hat: Your face is glue. Your body is glue.<br />
<br />
:Black Hat: I wrap my rubber arms around your sticky bulk.<br />
:Black Hat: Your neoprene base bonds instantly with my surface.<br />
:Black Hat: Never to let go.<br />
<br />
:Black Hat: You are glue. I am rubber.<br />
:Black Hat: Staring at you with my dead, rubber eyes-<br />
:Black Hat: ''Forever.''<br />
:[Off-screen]: ''MOOOOM!''<br />
{{comic discussion}} <br />
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]<br />
[[Category:Comics featuring Black Hat]]<br />
[[Category:Comics featuring Megan]]<br />
[[Category:Language]]<br />
[[Category:Physics]]</div>Relichttps://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=1119:_Undoing&diff=144811119: Undoing2012-10-11T00:39:44Z<p>Relic: /* Explanation */</p>
<hr />
<div>{{comic<br />
| number = 1119<br />
| date = October 10, 2012<br />
| title = Undoing<br />
| image = undoing.png<br />
| imagesize = <br />
| titletext = I've been sneaking out at night and installing lamps on the underside of every photovoltaic panel I can find. Sure, there are upwards of 80% losses, but I prefer to think of them as nearly 20% gains.<br />
}}<br />
<br />
==Explanation==<br />
The comic is a play on how energy from natural resources (wind, sun, water) are turned into electricity. {{w|Wind turbine|Wind tubines}} convert the windpower into rotational energy, which can then be used to produce electricity. The one seen in the image is the most commonly known wind turbine, which sees use on wind farms. Wind turbines provide a renewable resource for homes and cities and a common method for sustainable energy.<br />
<br />
In this comic, Cueball has rigged it so that the wind turbine powers a fan. He cut the power cable attaching the turbine to the generator and spliced it with the power cord of a giant fan. The electricity generated from the windpower is then used to power then fan, which in turn produces wind. The undoing part refers how Cueball is using this fan to restore the wind that was used to turn the wind turbine back to the original wind flow. Wind turbines have a {{w|Wind turbine#Theoretical power captured by a wind turbine|theoretical limit of 59%}} of the portion of wind captured. You can see the wind not captured detailed in the image as dotted, turbulent curly lines; turbulent flow. Cueball has placed the giant fan in the direction of the wind so that the wind it produced combines with the windpower not captured by the wind turbine. This is indicated by the lines smoothing, like they were at the start.<br />
<br />
Unfortunately, as the alternative text points out, the wind will be moving at a much slower velocity than at the start as energy was lost in converting windpower to rotation energy, then to electricity, then back to rotational energy, then back to windpower. The same undoing process can be done with solar cells, where light energy is converting into electricity using photovoltaic cells, which is then used to power lightbulbs for producing light in the area the sunlight would normally illuminate. Solar panels only convert 20-25% of the energy captured from the sun into electricity. Light bulbs only convert 20-30% of the electricity provided into light, the rest is lost as heat energy. Only ~5% of the energy absorbed from the light. Cueball's hobby is literally to waste time and energy.<br />
<br />
The comic may also be a continuation of Randall's mistrust of modern electric windmills (see [[556: Alternative Energy Revolution]]).<br />
<br />
==Transcript==<br />
:My Hobby:<br />
:[A large wind turbine is spinning but the electric cord has been severed and rewired to a large fan]<br />
:Undoing<br />
<br />
{{comic discussion}} <br />
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]<br />
[[Category:My Hobby]]</div>Relichttps://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=1118:_Microsoft&diff=142171118: Microsoft2012-10-08T23:22:14Z<p>Relic: the explanation sounds really really pissed off</p>
<hr />
<div>{{comic<br />
| number = 1118<br />
| date = October 8, 2012<br />
| title = Microsoft<br />
| image = microsoft.png<br />
| imagesize = <br />
| titletext = Facebook, Apple, and Google all got away with their monopolist power grabs because they don't have any 'S's in their names for critics to snarkily replace with '$'s.<br />
}}<br />
<br />
==Explanation==<br />
In the late 1990s {{w|Microsoft}} started bundling its web browser, {{w|Internet Explorer}}, with its {{w|Windows}} operating system. This effectively destroyed the {{w|Netscape}} company, who up until then had the most market share with its browser, {{w|Netscape Navigator}}. Microsoft was involved in {{w|United States v. Microsoft|a legal case}} against the U.S. government, which required Microsoft to allow IE to be uninstalled among other remedies. {{w|Removal of Internet Explorer|Removal of Internet Explorer}} has no clear solution as libraries and utilities associated with Internet Explorer are used across other Windows applications.<br />
<br />
The comic sarcastically states that this stopped companies from creating a monopoly on software practices. This doesn't appear true as technology companies such as Google and Facebook have influence in the media and software used by consumers. The comic also mocks the triviality of {{w|Browser wars|browser debates}} compared to current antitrust cases concerning [http://bits.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/01/12/googles-new-search-results-raise-privacy-and-antitrust-concerns/ privacy] and [http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2012-04-11/u-s-files-antitrust-lawsuit-against-apple-hachette.html price fixing].<br />
<br />
{{w|Apple}} bundled a browser in on both its desktop and mobile platforms. On its mobile platform, {{w|iOS}} users are not allowed to change the default browser. {{w|Google}} bundles its {{w|Chrome OS|operating system}} with the {{w|Google Chrome|Chrome web browser}}. The company has a majority market share in web search engines, being the most popular search engine available. On {{w|Android}}, Google bundles in a mobile version of Chrome (s of version 4.0 ''Ice Cream Sandwich''), but you are allowed to change the default browser. On {{w|Facebook}}, users face difficulties in accessing or removing their profiles and personal information, among {{w|Criticism of Facebook|other issues}}. Recently, this has been mitigated by the ability to [http://techcrunch.com/2010/10/06/facebook-now-allows-you-to-download-your-information/ download a zip file] of all content ever posted to Facebook, but it [http://www.zdnet.com/blog/london/facebook-still-doesnt-delete-your-photos-three-years-later/2936 still remains difficult] to delete data from Facebook.<br />
<br />
The title text refers to mocking Microsoft as Micro$oft or M$.<br />
<br />
==Transcript==<br />
:Megan: Remember when we prosecuted Microsoft for bundling a browser with an OS? Imagine the future we'd live in if we'd been willing to let one tech company amass that much power.<br />
:Ponytail: Thank God we nipped ''that'' in the bud.<br />
<br />
{{comic discussion}}<br />
[[Category:Comics featuring Megan]]<br />
[[Category:Comics featuring Ponytail]]</div>Relichttps://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=Template:Clear&diff=13270Template:Clear2012-09-24T00:26:14Z<p>Relic: case sensitive</p>
<hr />
<div>#REDIRECT [[Template:clear]]</div>Relichttps://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=Template:clear&diff=13269Template:clear2012-09-24T00:25:54Z<p>Relic: Created page with "<div style="clear:{{{1|both}}};"></div><noinclude> See {{w|Template:Clear}} for documentation Category:Templates </noinclude>"</p>
<hr />
<div><div style="clear:{{{1|both}}};"></div><noinclude><br />
See {{w|Template:Clear}} for documentation<br />
<br />
[[Category:Templates]]<br />
</noinclude></div>Relichttps://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=Template:w&diff=13266Template:w2012-09-24T00:18:21Z<p>Relic: </p>
<hr />
<div><includeonly>[[Wikipedia:{{#if:{{{1|}}}|{{{1}}}{{!}}{{{2|{{{1|}}}}}}]]|{{PAGENAME}}{{!}}{{PAGENAME}}]] at [[Wikipedia:|Wikipedia]]}}</includeonly><noinclude><br />
A template to make a link to wikipedia.<!-- For a tag to have "at [[Wikipedia:|Wikipedia]]" without being a link to the page name, use {{Tl|wat}} - this is useful for see-also lists.--><br />
<br />
==Usage==<br />
*<nowiki>{{w}}</nowiki> by itself links to the wikipedia page for the page you use the template on<br />
**{{w}}<br />
*<nowiki>{{w|Page}}</nowiki> links to the wikipedia article on "Page"<br />
**{{w|Page}}<br />
*<nowiki>{{w|Page|Display}}</nowiki> prints "Display" which links to the wikipedia article on "Page"<br />
**{{w|Page|Display}}<br />
<br />
[[Category:Templates]]<br />
</noinclude></div>Relichttps://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=Template:Tl&diff=13265Template:Tl2012-09-24T00:17:23Z<p>Relic: zzzz</p>
<hr />
<div>#REDIRECT [[Template:tl]]</div>Relichttps://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=Template:create&diff=13264Template:create2012-09-24T00:14:47Z<p>Relic: </p>
<hr />
<div><includeonly>{{comic<br />
| number = <br />
| date = <br />
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| image = <br />
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}}<br />
<br />
==Explanation==<br />
<!-- Replace this line with the explanation! --><br />
<br />
==Transcript==<br />
<!-- The transcript can be found in a hidden <div> element on the xkcd comic's html source, with id "transcript".<br />
-- Tip: Use colons (:) in the beginning of lines to preserve the original line breaks. <br />
-- Any actions or descriptive lines in [[double brackets]] should be reduced to [single brackets] to avoid wikilinking<br />
-- Do not include the title text again here --><br />
<br />
{{comic discussion}} <br />
<!-- Include any categories below this line--></includeonly><noinclude><br />
<br />
See [[mw:Manual:Creating pages with preloaded text]] and [[mw:Manual:Parameters to index.php#Options affecting the edit form]]. The following is the text preloaded by this template:<br />
<br />
<pre><br />
{{comic<br />
| number = <br />
| date = <br />
| title = <br />
| image = <br />
| imagesize = <br />
| titletext = <br />
}}<br />
<br />
==Explanation==<br />
<!-- Replace this line with the explanation! --><br />
<br />
==Transcript==<br />
<!-- The transcript can be found in a hidden <div> element on the xkcd comic's html source, with id "transcript".<br />
-- Tip: Use colons (:) in the beginning of lines to preserve the original line breaks. <br />
-- Any actions or descriptive lines in [[double brackets]] should be reduced to [single brackets] to avoid wikilinking<br />
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<br />
{{comic discussion}} <br />
<!-- Include any categories below this line--><br />
</pre><br />
<br />
[[Category:Templates]]<br />
</noinclude></div>Relichttps://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=Template:Infobox/row&diff=13259Template:Infobox/row2012-09-24T00:10:48Z<p>Relic: </p>
<hr />
<div>{{#if:{{{header|}}}<br />
|<tr><th colspan="2" class="{{{class|}}}" style="text-align:center; {{{headerstyle|}}}">{{{header}}}</th></tr><br />
|{{#if:{{{data|}}}<br />
|<tr class="{{{rowclass|}}}">{{#if:{{{label|}}}<br />
|<th scope="row" style="text-align:left; {{{labelstyle|}}}">{{{label}}}</th><br />
<td class="{{{class|}}}" style="{{{datastyle|}}}"><br />
|<td colspan="2" class="{{{class|}}}" style="text-align:center; {{{datastyle|}}}"><br />
}}<br />
{{{data}}}</td></tr><br />
}}<br />
}}<br />
<noinclude><br />
This page is copied from Wikipedia's [http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Template:Infobox/row Template:Infobox/row].<br />
<br />
[[Category:Templates]]<br />
</noinclude></div>Relichttps://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=Template:notice&diff=13258Template:notice2012-09-24T00:10:27Z<p>Relic: </p>
<hr />
<div>{| style="border:1px solid #aaa; border-left: 10px solid #1E90FF; margin:0 auto;"<br />
| [[File:{{{image|Ambox notice.png}}}|link=|40x40px]]<br />
|style="padding:0 1em"| {{{1|This is a notification template. To use it in any page, place <code><nowiki>{{notice|Text of the notice}}</nowiki></code> in the page.<br>It is possible to customize the icon image, like so: <code><nowiki>{{notice|Text of the notice|image=Another_icon.png}}</nowiki></code>.}}}<br />
|}<br />
<br />
<noinclude><br />
[[Category:Templates]]<br />
</noinclude></div>Relichttps://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=Template:infobox&diff=13257Template:infobox2012-09-24T00:10:04Z<p>Relic: </p>
<hr />
<div>{{#ifeq:{{{child|}}}|yes||<table class="infobox {{{bodyclass|}}}" cellspacing="5" style="width:22em; {{#if:{{{float|}}}|float: {{{float}}}; clear: {{#ifeq:{{{float|}}}|none|both|{{{float}}}}}; margin: 0 0 1em 1em;}} {{{bodystyle|}}}"><!--<br />
Caption<br />
-->{{#if:{{{title|}}}|<caption class="{{{titleclass|}}}" style="{{{titlestyle|}}}">{{{title}}}</caption>}}<!--<br />
Header<br />
-->{{#if:{{{above|}}}|<tr><th colspan=2 class="{{{aboveclass|}}}" style="text-align:center; font-size:125%; font-weight:bold; {{{abovestyle|}}}">{{{above}}}</th></tr>}}<br />
}}{{#ifeq:{{{child|}}}|yes|{{#if:{{{title|}}}|'''{{{title}}}'''}}}}<!--<br />
Subheader1<br />
-->{{#if:{{{subheader|{{{subheader1|}}}}}}|{{Infobox/row<br />
|data={{{subheader|{{{subheader1|}}}}}}<br />
|datastyle={{{subheaderstyle|{{{subheaderstyle1|}}}}}}<br />
|class={{{subheaderclass|}}}<br />
|rowclass={{{subheaderrowclass|{{{subheaderrowclass1|}}}}}}<br />
}} }}<!--<br />
Subheader2<br />
-->{{#if:{{{subheader2|}}}|{{Infobox/row<br />
|data={{{subheader2}}}<br />
|datastyle={{{subheaderstyle|{{{subheaderstyle2|}}}}}}<br />
|class={{{subheaderclass|}}}<br />
|rowclass={{{subheaderrowclass2|}}}<br />
}} }}<!--<br />
Image1<br />
-->{{#if:{{{image|{{{image1|}}}}}}|{{Infobox/row<br />
|data={{{image|{{{image1}}} }}}{{#if:{{{caption|{{{caption1|}}}}}}|<br /><span style="{{{captionstyle|}}}">{{{caption|{{{caption1}}}}}}</span>}}<br />
|datastyle={{{imagestyle|}}}<br />
|class={{{imageclass|}}}<br />
|rowclass={{{imagerowclass1|}}}<br />
}} }}<!--<br />
Image2<br />
-->{{#if:{{{image2|}}}|{{Infobox/row<br />
|data={{{image2}}}{{#if:{{{caption2|}}}|<br /><span style="{{{captionstyle|}}}">{{{caption2}}}</span>}}<br />
|datastyle={{{imagestyle|}}}<br />
|class={{{imageclass|}}}<br />
|rowclass={{{imagerowclass2|}}}<br />
}} }}<!--<br />
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|data={{{data60|}}} |datastyle={{{datastyle|}}}<br />
|class={{{class60|}}} |rowclass={{{rowclass60|}}}<br />
}}{{Infobox/row<br />
|header={{{header61|}}} |headerstyle={{{headerstyle|}}}<br />
|label={{{label61|}}} |labelstyle={{{labelstyle|}}}<br />
|data={{{data61|}}} |datastyle={{{datastyle|}}}<br />
|class={{{class61|}}} |rowclass={{{rowclass61|}}}<br />
}}{{Infobox/row<br />
|header={{{header62|}}} |headerstyle={{{headerstyle|}}}<br />
|label={{{label62|}}} |labelstyle={{{labelstyle|}}}<br />
|data={{{data62|}}} |datastyle={{{datastyle|}}}<br />
|class={{{class62|}}} |rowclass={{{rowclass62|}}}<br />
}}{{Infobox/row<br />
|header={{{header63|}}} |headerstyle={{{headerstyle|}}}<br />
|label={{{label63|}}} |labelstyle={{{labelstyle|}}}<br />
|data={{{data63|}}} |datastyle={{{datastyle|}}}<br />
|class={{{class63|}}} |rowclass={{{rowclass63|}}}<br />
}}{{Infobox/row<br />
|header={{{header64|}}} |headerstyle={{{headerstyle|}}}<br />
|label={{{label64|}}} |labelstyle={{{labelstyle|}}}<br />
|data={{{data64|}}} |datastyle={{{datastyle|}}}<br />
|class={{{class64|}}} |rowclass={{{rowclass64|}}}<br />
}}{{Infobox/row<br />
|header={{{header65|}}} |headerstyle={{{headerstyle|}}}<br />
|label={{{label65|}}} |labelstyle={{{labelstyle|}}}<br />
|data={{{data65|}}} |datastyle={{{datastyle|}}}<br />
|class={{{class65|}}} |rowclass={{{rowclass65|}}}<br />
}}{{Infobox/row<br />
|header={{{header66|}}} |headerstyle={{{headerstyle|}}}<br />
|label={{{label66|}}} |labelstyle={{{labelstyle|}}}<br />
|data={{{data66|}}} |datastyle={{{datastyle|}}}<br />
|class={{{class66|}}} |rowclass={{{rowclass66|}}}<br />
}}{{Infobox/row<br />
|header={{{header67|}}} |headerstyle={{{headerstyle|}}}<br />
|label={{{label67|}}} |labelstyle={{{labelstyle|}}}<br />
|data={{{data67|}}} |datastyle={{{datastyle|}}}<br />
|class={{{class67|}}} |rowclass={{{rowclass67|}}}<br />
}}{{Infobox/row<br />
|header={{{header68|}}} |headerstyle={{{headerstyle|}}}<br />
|label={{{label68|}}} |labelstyle={{{labelstyle|}}}<br />
|data={{{data68|}}} |datastyle={{{datastyle|}}}<br />
|class={{{class68|}}} |rowclass={{{rowclass68|}}}<br />
}}{{Infobox/row<br />
|header={{{header69|}}} |headerstyle={{{headerstyle|}}}<br />
|label={{{label69|}}} |labelstyle={{{labelstyle|}}}<br />
|data={{{data69|}}} |datastyle={{{datastyle|}}}<br />
|class={{{class69|}}} |rowclass={{{rowclass69|}}}<br />
}}{{Infobox/row<br />
|header={{{header70|}}} |headerstyle={{{headerstyle|}}}<br />
|label={{{label70|}}} |labelstyle={{{labelstyle|}}}<br />
|data={{{data70|}}} |datastyle={{{datastyle|}}}<br />
|class={{{class70|}}} |rowclass={{{rowclass70|}}}<br />
}}{{Infobox/row<br />
|header={{{header71|}}} |headerstyle={{{headerstyle|}}}<br />
|label={{{label71|}}} |labelstyle={{{labelstyle|}}}<br />
|data={{{data71|}}} |datastyle={{{datastyle|}}}<br />
|class={{{class71|}}} |rowclass={{{rowclass71|}}}<br />
}}{{Infobox/row<br />
|header={{{header72|}}} |headerstyle={{{headerstyle|}}}<br />
|label={{{label72|}}} |labelstyle={{{labelstyle|}}}<br />
|data={{{data72|}}} |datastyle={{{datastyle|}}}<br />
|class={{{class72|}}} |rowclass={{{rowclass72|}}}<br />
}}{{Infobox/row<br />
|header={{{header73|}}} |headerstyle={{{headerstyle|}}}<br />
|label={{{label73|}}} |labelstyle={{{labelstyle|}}}<br />
|data={{{data73|}}} |datastyle={{{datastyle|}}}<br />
|class={{{class73|}}} |rowclass={{{rowclass73|}}}<br />
}}{{Infobox/row<br />
|header={{{header74|}}} |headerstyle={{{headerstyle|}}}<br />
|label={{{label74|}}} |labelstyle={{{labelstyle|}}}<br />
|data={{{data74|}}} |datastyle={{{datastyle|}}}<br />
|class={{{class74|}}} |rowclass={{{rowclass74|}}}<br />
}}{{Infobox/row<br />
|header={{{header75|}}} |headerstyle={{{headerstyle|}}}<br />
|label={{{label75|}}} |labelstyle={{{labelstyle|}}}<br />
|data={{{data75|}}} |datastyle={{{datastyle|}}}<br />
|class={{{class75|}}} |rowclass={{{rowclass75|}}}<br />
}}{{Infobox/row<br />
|header={{{header76|}}} |headerstyle={{{headerstyle|}}}<br />
|label={{{label76|}}} |labelstyle={{{labelstyle|}}}<br />
|data={{{data76|}}} |datastyle={{{datastyle|}}}<br />
|class={{{class76|}}} |rowclass={{{rowclass76|}}}<br />
}}{{Infobox/row<br />
|header={{{header77|}}} |headerstyle={{{headerstyle|}}}<br />
|label={{{label77|}}} |labelstyle={{{labelstyle|}}}<br />
|data={{{data77|}}} |datastyle={{{datastyle|}}}<br />
|class={{{class77|}}} |rowclass={{{rowclass77|}}}<br />
}}{{Infobox/row<br />
|header={{{header78|}}} |headerstyle={{{headerstyle|}}}<br />
|label={{{label78|}}} |labelstyle={{{labelstyle|}}}<br />
|data={{{data78|}}} |datastyle={{{datastyle|}}}<br />
|class={{{class78|}}} |rowclass={{{rowclass78|}}}<br />
}}{{Infobox/row<br />
|header={{{header79|}}} |headerstyle={{{headerstyle|}}}<br />
|label={{{label79|}}} |labelstyle={{{labelstyle|}}}<br />
|data={{{data79|}}} |datastyle={{{datastyle|}}}<br />
|class={{{class79|}}} |rowclass={{{rowclass79|}}}<br />
}}{{Infobox/row<br />
|header={{{header80|}}} |headerstyle={{{headerstyle|}}}<br />
|label={{{label80|}}} |labelstyle={{{labelstyle|}}}<br />
|data={{{data80|}}} |datastyle={{{datastyle|}}}<br />
|class={{{class80|}}} |rowclass={{{rowclass80|}}}<br />
}}<!-- Below<br />
-->{{#if:{{{below|}}}|<tr><td colspan=2 class="{{{belowclass|}}}" style="text-align:center; {{{belowstyle|}}}">{{{below}}}</td></tr>}}<!--<br />
Navbar<br />
-->{{#if:{{{name|}}}|<tr><td colspan=2 style="text-align:right">{{navbar|{{{name}}}|mini=1}}</td></tr>}}<br />
{{#ifeq:{{{child|}}}|yes||</table>}}{{#switch:{{lc:{{{italic title|¬}}}}}<br />
|¬|no = <!-- no italic title --><br />
||force|yes = {{italic title|force={{#ifeq:{{lc:{{{italic title|}}}}}|force|true}}}}<br />
}}<includeonly>{{#ifeq:{{{decat|}}}|yes||{{#if:{{{data1|}}}{{{data2|}}}{{{data3|}}}{{{data4|}}}{{{data5|}}}{{{data6|}}}{{{data7|}}}{{{data8|}}}{{{data9|}}}{{{data10|}}}{{{data11|}}}{{{data12|}}}{{{data13|}}}{{{data14|}}}{{{data15|}}}{{{data16|}}}{{{data17|}}}{{{data18|}}}{{{data19|}}}{{{data20|}}}{{{data21|}}}{{{data22|}}}{{{data23|}}}{{{data24|}}}{{{data25|}}}{{{data26|}}}{{{data27|}}}{{{data28|}}}{{{data29|}}}{{{data30|}}}{{{data31|}}}{{{data32|}}}{{{data33|}}}{{{data34|}}}{{{data35|}}}{{{data36|}}}{{{data37|}}}{{{data38|}}}{{{data39|}}}{{{data40|}}}{{{data41|}}}{{{data42|}}}{{{data43|}}}{{{data44|}}}{{{data45|}}}{{{data46|}}}{{{data47|}}}{{{data48|}}}{{{data49|}}}{{{data50|}}}{{{data51|}}}{{{data52|}}}{{{data53|}}}{{{data54|}}}{{{data55|}}}{{{data56|}}}{{{data57|}}}{{{data58|}}}{{{data59|}}}{{{data60|}}}{{{data61|}}}{{{data62|}}}{{{data63|}}}{{{data64|}}}{{{data65|}}}{{{data66|}}}{{{data67|}}}{{{data68|}}}{{{data69|}}}{{{data70|}}}{{{data71|}}}{{{data72|}}}{{{data73|}}}{{{data74|}}}{{{data75|}}}{{{data76|}}}{{{data77|}}}{{{data78|}}}{{{data79|}}}{{{data80|}}}||}}}}</includeonly><noinclude>This page is copied from Wikipedia's [http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Template:Infobox Template:Infobox].<br />
<br />
[[Category:Templates]]<br />
</noinclude></div>Relichttps://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=Template:Tl&diff=13256Template:Tl2012-09-24T00:09:22Z<p>Relic: Redirected page to Template:ti</p>
<hr />
<div>#REDIRECT [[Template:ti]]</div>Relichttps://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=Template:tl&diff=13253Template:tl2012-09-24T00:07:58Z<p>Relic: </p>
<hr />
<div><includeonly>{{[[Template:{{{1}}}|{{{1}}}]]}}</includeonly><noinclude><br />
<br />
Creates links to templates that look like what you type to use a template. For example, <nowiki>{{tl|xkcd}}</nowiki> creates {{tl|xkcd}}.<br />
<br />
Equivalent to {{template|template}}.<br />
<br />
[[Category:Templates]]<br />
</noinclude></div>Relichttps://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=Template:comic_discussion&diff=13251Template:comic discussion2012-09-24T00:05:19Z<p>Relic: </p>
<hr />
<div>{{#ifeq:{{lc:{{PAGENAME}}}}|{{lc:{{int:mainpage}}}}|<!-- Don't display anything if this is the main page --><br />
|<h2><span style="float:right; font-size:0.8rem;">[[File:Comment.png|link=]]&nbsp;[{{fullurl:{{TALKPAGENAME}}|action=edit}} '''add a comment!''']</span>Discussion</h2><!--<br />
--><div style="border:1px solid grey; background:#eee; padding:1em;"><!--<br />
-->{{#ifexist:{{TALKPAGENAME}}<br />
|{{:{{TALKPAGENAME}}}}<br />
|''No comments yet.''<!--<br />
-->}}</div>__NOTOC__}}<br />
<br />
<noinclude><br />
[[Category:Templates]]<br />
</noinclude></div>Relichttps://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=Template:comic&diff=13249Template:comic2012-09-24T00:04:58Z<p>Relic: </p>
<hr />
<div><includeonly><!--<br />
--><table class="{{{bodyclass|}}}" cellspacing="5"<br />
style="background-color: #FFFFFF; border: 1px solid #AAAAAA; color: black; font-size: 88%; line-height: 1.5em;<br />
margin: 0.5em 0 0.5em 1em; padding: 0.2em; text-align: center; width:98%; {{{bodystyle|}}}"><!--<br />
<br />
### Navigation bar (previous, next...) ###<br />
<br />
--><tr><td><!--<br />
--><ul style="text-align: center; margin-bottom: 10px;" class="no-link-underline"><!--<br />
<br />
### If there is an article for the comic prior to this one, create a "prev" ###<br />
<br />
-->{{#ifexist:{{#expr:{{{number}}} - 1}}<!--<br />
-->|<li style="background-color: #6E7B91;<br />
border: 1.5px solid #333333; border-radius: 3px 3px 3px 3px; box-shadow: 0 0 5px 0 gray;<br />
display: inline; font-size: 16px; font-variant: small-caps; font-weight: 600;<br />
margin: 0 4px; padding: 1.5px 12px;"><!--<br />
-->[[{{#expr:{{{number}}} - 1}}|<span style="color: #FFFFFF;">&lt; Prev</span>]]<!--<br />
--></li><!--<br />
-->|<li style="display: inline; font-size: 16px; margin: 0 4px; padding: 1.5px 12px;"><!--<br />
-->&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;<!--<br />
--></li><!--<br />
-->}}<!--<br />
<br />
### Create a centre button with comic number, date (if exists) and link ###<br />
<br />
--><li style="background-color: #6E7B91;<br />
border: 1.5px solid #333333; border-radius: 3px 3px 3px 3px; box-shadow: 0 0 5px 0 gray;<br />
display: inline; font-size: 16px; font-variant: small-caps; font-weight: 600;<br />
margin: 0 4px; padding: 1.5px 12px;"<br />
class="no-xkcd-favicon"><!--<br />
-->[http://www.xkcd.com/{{{number}}}/ <!--<br />
--><span style="color: #FFFFFF;">Comic &#35;{{{number}}} {{#if:{{{date|}}}|({{{date}}})}}</span>]<!--<br />
--></li><!--<br />
<br />
### If there is an article for the comic following this one, create a "next" ###<br />
<br />
-->{{#ifexist:{{#expr:{{{number}}} + 1}}<!--<br />
-->|<li style="background-color: #6E7B91;<br />
border: 1.5px solid #333333; border-radius: 3px 3px 3px 3px; box-shadow: 0 0 5px 0 gray;<br />
display: inline; font-size: 16px; font-variant: small-caps; font-weight: 600;<br />
margin: 0 4px; padding: 1.5px 12px;"><!--<br />
-->[[{{#expr:{{{number}}} + 1}}|<span style="color: #FFFFFF;">Next &gt;</span>]]<!--<br />
--></li><!--<br />
-->|<li style="display: inline; font-size: 16px; margin: 0 4px; padding: 1.5px 12px;"><!--<br />
-->&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;<!--<br />
--></li><!--<br />
-->}}<!--<br />
--></ul><!--<br />
--></td></tr><!--<br />
<br />
### Comic title ###<br />
<br />
-->{{#if:{{{title|}}}|<tr><td style="font-size: 20px; padding-bottom:10px"><!--<br />
-->'''{{{title}}}'''<!--<br />
--></td></tr>}}<!--<br />
<br />
### Comic image and title text ###<br />
<br />
--><tr><td><!--<br />
-->{{#if:{{{image|}}}|[[File:{{{image|}}}|{{{imagesize|}}}|{{{titletext|}}}]]}}<!--<br />
-->{{#if:{{{imagesize|}}}|<br />[Click comic to enlarge]}}<!--<br />
-->{{#if:{{{titletext|}}}|<br /><span style="{{{captionstyle|}}}"><span style="color:grey">Title text:</span> {{{titletext}}}</span>}}<!--<br />
--></td></tr><!--<br />
--></table><!--<br />
<br />
### Add categories to comic based on date field ###<br />
<br />
-->{{#ifeq:{{NAMESPACE}}|{{ns:10}}||<!-- (no categorization on the Template namespace)<br />
-->{{#ifeq:{{FULLPAGENAME}}|{{int:mainpage}}||<!-- (no categorization when transcluded into the main page)<br />
-->[[Category:Comics|{{Num4|{{{number}}}}}]]<!--<br />
-->{{#if:{{{date|}}}|<!--<br />
-->[[Category:Comics from {{#time:Y|{{{date}}}}}]]<!--<br />
-->[[Category:Comics from {{#time:F|{{{date}}}}}]]<!--<br />
-->[[Category:{{#time:l|{{{date}}}}} Comics]]<!--<br />
-->}}<!--<br />
-->}}<!--<br />
-->}}<!--<br />
<br />
### DOCUMENTATION ###<br />
<br />
--></includeonly><noinclude><br />
This is the basic infobox-style header template used to display [[xkcd]] comics on their own pages, including the comic number (with external link to xkcd), publication date, title, comic image, and title text.<br />
<br />
== Sample ==<br />
<br />
The following is a sample usage of this template:<br />
{{comic<br />
| number = 16<br />
| date = January 1, 2006<br />
| title = Monty Python -- Enough<br />
| image = monty_python.jpg<br />
| imagesize = 350px<br />
| titletext = I went to a dinner where there was a full 10 minutes of Holy Grail quotes exchanged, with no context, in lieu of conversation. It depressed me badly.<br />
}}<br />
<br />
== Usage ==<br />
<br />
<pre>{{comic<br />
| number = <br />
| date = <br />
| title = <br />
| image = <br />
| imagesize = <br />
| titletext = <br />
}}</pre><br />
<br />
=== Notes ===<br />
<br />
* At least the number, title and image are required.<br />
* The date should be written in the form: January 1, 2006<br />
* The imagesize field is optional for larger comics. <br />
** The comic's '''width''' will be limited to the set size. Format must be in pixels (eg: "350px")<br />
** The comic's '''height''' may be set by adding an 'x' to the start (eg: "x350px")<br />
** Warning: If the size is larger than the image, the image will be stretched. <br />
<br />
The above sample is produced by the following code:<br />
<br />
<pre>{{comic<br />
| number = 16<br />
| date = January 1, 2006<br />
| title = Monty Python -- Enough<br />
| image = monty_python.jpg<br />
| imagesize = 350px<br />
| titletext = I went to a dinner where there was a full 10 minutes of Holy Grail quotes exchanged, with no context, in lieu of conversation. It depressed me badly.<br />
}}</pre><br />
<br />
[[Category:Templates]]<br />
</noinclude></div>Relichttps://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=Category:Templates&diff=13247Category:Templates2012-09-24T00:04:05Z<p>Relic: Created page with "Category:Root category"</p>
<hr />
<div>[[Category:Root category]]</div>Relichttps://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=explain_xkcd:Community_portal/Coordination&diff=13246explain xkcd:Community portal/Coordination2012-09-24T00:02:00Z<p>Relic: /* Can we turn off page creation for non-logged in users */</p>
<hr />
<div><noinclude>{{Community portal}}</noinclude><br />
<br />
== Issue dates ==<br />
<br />
Hi Jeff,<br />
<br />
As i'm creating pages I struggle with the issue dates of comics. I've added a comment to all pages that contain the (unknown/incorrect) dates. Is there a way to research those dates? --[[User:Rikthoff|Rikthoff]] ([[User talk:Rikthoff|talk]])<br />
: [http://xkcd.com/archive/] if you mouse over the comic name, it will have the date. --[[User:Jeff|Jeff]] ([[User talk:Jeff|talk]]) 18:26, 3 August 2012 (EDT)<br />
<br />
- if you mouse over comic name in "Archive" section of xkcd.com. Older comics(1-44 or so) might be found in [http://liveweb.archive.org/http://xkcd-drawings.livejournal.com/?skip=40 livejournal archive][[User:Bpothier|B. P.]] ([[User talk:Bpothier|talk]]) 18:35, 3 August 2012 (EDT)<br />
<br />
Should we consider using "2012-08-03" style dates and letting localization "do the right thing"? Most pages so far use "August 3, 2012" style dates, with a few incorrectly doing "August 3rd, 2012"... Presumably the template could do the localizing/localising...--[[User:Bpothier|B. P.]] ([[User talk:Bpothier|talk]]) 18:39, 3 August 2012 (EDT)<br />
<br />
: The date is also available with the [http://xkcd.com/json.html JSON API], which I'm going to use for the [[User_talk:Jeff#Automatic_Import|import]]. I use <nowiki>{{#dateformat: year-month-day}}</nowiki>, MediaWiki should figure out the correct way to display it based on your preferences. --[[User:SlashMe|SlashMe]] ([[User talk:SlashMe|talk]]) 18:47, 3 August 2012 (EDT)<br />
<small>Moved from [[User talk:Jeff]]. --''[[User:Philosopher|Philosopher]]''&nbsp;<sup>[[User talk:Philosopher|Let us reason together.]]</sup> 00:15, 4 August 2012 (EDT)</small><br />
<br />
== Date? ==<br />
<br />
How do I find the date a comic was first posted (to put in the comic header here?) [[User:TheHYPO|TheHYPO]] ([[User talk:TheHYPO|talk]]) 12:26, 3 August 2012 (EDT)<br />
<br />
<small>Moved from [[Talk:Main Page]]. --''[[User:Philosopher|Philosopher]]''&nbsp;<sup>[[User talk:Philosopher|Let us reason together.]]</sup> 00:43, 4 August 2012 (EDT)</small><br />
<br />
Original posting date is listed on xkcd's [[http://xkcd.com/archive/ archive page]] as hover-text for each post. The first 44 comics are all listed as 2006-01-01. Many of these were previously posted on the [[http://liveweb.archive.org/http://xkcd-drawings.livejournal.com/?skip=40 livejournal site]], and some dates can be found/inferred by checking there.--[[User:Bpothier|B. P.]] ([[User talk:Bpothier|talk]]) 17:49, 7 August 2012 (UTC)<br />
<br />
== To do list ==<br />
<br />
I suggest a todo list to be added here so newcomers will have an idea of concrete things they can do to help. I'll start by moving some items I've been collecting on my user page. Feel free to add more :)<br />
<br />
'''Things to do'''<br />
* Complete all entries from the [[List of all comics]]<br />
* [[Special:WantedPages]] lists pages that have links to them but haven't been created yet.<br />
* More topics that could be covered here besides the comics themselves:<br />
** our [https://twitter.com/explainxkcd twitter account]<br />
** the xkcd irc channel (and [http://wiki.xkcd.com its wiki])<br />
** the xkcd blag<br />
** the xkcd forum<br />
** other sites explaining xkcd ([http://xkcdexplained.com/], [http://xkcd.wikia.com], [http://xkcdexplained.wikia.com], [http://xkcdexplainedexplained.tumblr.com/archive], maybe invite members+content of the other wikis in once we're established?)<br />
<br />
'''Maintenance'''<br />
* Redirects should be created from the "File:number.png" format to the "File:title.png" format.<br />
* categorization (make sure these lists are empty):<br />
** [[Special:UncategorizedCategories]]<br />
** [[Special:UncategorizedFiles]]<br />
** [[Special:UncategorizedPages]]<br />
** [[Special:WantedCategories]]<br />
* building the web of links:<br />
** [[Special:DeadendPages]] (pages with no links to other pages)<br />
** [[Special:LonelyPages]] (pages that aren't linked to by any others)<br />
* other<br />
** [[Special:DoubleRedirects]]<br />
**: (Took a chunk out of these the good ol' fashioned way, but there's got to be a wiff of Perl or Python to automate this... ? -- [[User:IronyChef|IronyChef]] ([[User talk:IronyChef|talk]]) 14:44, 9 August 2012 (UTC))<br />
**:: Well, there's [https://sourceforge.net/apps/mediawiki/mwclient/ mwclient], a Python interface to the mediawiki API which I've used to move the comics to the new names. We could certainly create scripts to perform maintenance tasks and share the snippets here on the wiki. Automated tools will be useful while we establish standards early on. If you'd like help getting started, let me know. --[[User:Waldir|Waldir]] ([[User talk:Waldir|talk]]) 19:40, 9 August 2012 (UTC)<br />
** convert [[Special:LinkSearch/en.wikipedia.org|wikipedia links]] to the <nowiki>{{w|Lorem ipsum}}</nowiki> format<br />
** use lowercase xkcd everywhere on the wiki (see [http://xkcd.com/about/ How do I write "xkcd"?])<br />
<br />
There are more maintenance reports at [[Special:SpecialPages]], for inspiration :) --[[User:Waldir|Waldir]] ([[User talk:Waldir|talk]]) 06:45, 6 August 2012 (EDT)<br />
<br />
:: I'd love one of these "To Do" lists for admins as well! :) I'm always forgetting what I need to do! --[[User:Jeff|Jeff]] ([[User talk:Jeff|talk]]) 02:35, 12 August 2012 (UTC)<br />
::: There actually isn't much to do that needs admin permissions around here. Right I can think of only a handful of admin-specific tasks:<br />
:::* Keeping an eye on [[explain xkcd:Community portal/Admin requests]] for stuff other editors might need<br />
:::* Keeping an eye on [[:Category:Pages to delete]] (currently populated by {{tl|spam}}), delete the pages, block the spammers<br />
:::* Updating the main page and watching <br />
:::* Implementing any changes, agreed by the community, that require editing Mediawiki pages<br />
:::Maybe others will have other items to add to the list, but for the most part, the things that need to be done are available to all editors: adding the missing comic explanations, describing characters, categorizing, etc. --[[User:Waldir|Waldir]] ([[User talk:Waldir|talk]]) 19:13, 12 August 2012 (UTC)<br />
<br />
== Date categories ==<br />
I'm not sure the "[[:Category:Comics by month|Comics by month]]", by weekday, etc. Will be much useful, unless for those interested in running some stats. It might be more interesting to have specific months, such as [[:Category:Comics from May 2011]] and so on. What do you think? --[[User:Waldir|Waldir]] ([[User talk:Waldir|talk]]) 06:45, 6 August 2012 (EDT)<br />
: That was actually next for me: #time:year-month, but I wanted to study the globalization implications. I prefer over-categorizing rather than under-categorizing, since it's comparatively cheap. The assumption is that categories are the same as tags on the old site, and that mediawiki affords us some extra ways to automatically categorize pages in addition to the manual forms starting to emerge (by character, by subject, etc.) To paraphrase an old prof: you can't study what you don't measure; I've been wanting to see if, for example, Monday comics deal certain subjects, while Friday comics deal with another, etc. Not everybody's cup of tea, but of value perhaps to some, and insanely cheap to support both mentally and for the software. -- [[User:IronyChef|IronyChef]] ([[User talk:IronyChef|talk]]) 13:51, 7 August 2012 (UTC)<br />
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I also used it to find some date typos for Saturday/Sunday/Tuesday/Thursday comics, which should usually be empty - except for some early entries from livejournal... --[[User:Bpothier|B. P.]] ([[User talk:Bpothier|talk]]) 21:50, 17 August 2012 (UTC)<br />
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== Page names ==<br />
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I think we should use the comic number '''and''' the title as the page name. Like so: "112: Baring My Heart". This would allow comics to be sorted by order in categories, but the pages would still have human-readable names for those of us who don't memorize all xkcd comic numbers ;) Thoughts? --[[User:Waldir|Waldir]] ([[User talk:Waldir|talk]]) 07:23, 6 August 2012 (EDT)<br />
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:I agree, for another reason: for instance [[YouTube]] could be either the title of a page explaining how YouTube is referenced in xkcd, or the title of the explanation for comic #202 (titled "YouTube"). I don't know if I'm being clear here, but as we do not control the titles of the comics, that could create confusion with other pages. So using something like [[202: YouTube]] would ensure disambiguation without being really complicated or awkward... And actually prefixing the comic title with its number seems quite relevant to me.<br />
:<small>Additionally, that would solve potential problems such as [[Exoplanets]]: comic [[786]] or [[1071]]?</small><br />
:[[User:Cos|Cos]] ([[User talk:Cos|talk]]) 14:33, 6 August 2012 (UTC)<br />
::Beat me to the punch; agreed. Numbers are unique and sequential, but not altogether that meaningful. Names are meaningful but (as we've seen) not unique. Some combination of both would be called for. We'd need to have the plain numbers redirect to the new topic (some double-redirects would need to be fixed up?) and the names would too (with at least one disambiguation page for now, and who knows: maybe more to come?) -- [[User:IronyChef|IronyChef]] ([[User talk:IronyChef|talk]]) 13:55, 7 August 2012 (UTC)<br />
::Following up on the YouTube discussion above, I'm wondering if we should leverage namespaces more: main:topic is implicitly ''xkcd:topic'' (ie ''main:YouTube'' discusses the xkcd comic, while ''ref:YouTube'' is the place where the pop-culture reference of YouTube is discussed.) Either that, or some other name decoration, such as ''YouTube Explained'', or ... -- [[User:IronyChef|IronyChef]] ([[User talk:IronyChef|talk]]) 13:59, 7 August 2012 (UTC)<br />
::: Agreed. Number and the name together. --[[User:Jeff|Jeff]] ([[User talk:Jeff|talk]]) 16:08, 7 August 2012 (UTC)<br />
:::: Looks like we have consensus. I'll move the pages (I've been meaning to learn how to use [https://sourceforge.net/projects/mwclient mwclient] anyway :D) --[[User:Waldir|Waldir]] ([[User talk:Waldir|talk]]) 18:01, 7 August 2012 (UTC)<br />
:::: {{done}}, all current pages have been moved. However, I am not sure whether we should keep a space after the colon. What do you guys think? Should it be "112: Baring My Heart" or "112:Baring My Heart"? --[[User:Waldir|Waldir]] ([[User talk:Waldir|talk]]) 18:20, 7 August 2012 (UTC)<br />
::::: Also, I just realized MediaWiki doesn't allow colons in image Filenames. One solution could be using something like [[:File:786. Exoplanets.png]] or [[:File:786-Exoplanets.png]], but then perhaps we'd have to change the pages name too, for consistency? I'll try to investigate what is the reasoning behind this restriction. --[[User:Waldir|Waldir]] ([[User talk:Waldir|talk]]) 18:50, 7 August 2012 (UTC)<br />
:::::: Ok, it seems like it's a matter of setting <code><nowiki>$wgIllegalFileChars = '';</nowiki></code> in LocalSettings.php (because it is set as <code>$wgIllegalFileChars = ':';</code> in DefaultSettings.php). <s>Jeff, could you do that please?</s> --[[User:Waldir|Waldir]] ([[User talk:Waldir|talk]]) 19:13, 7 August 2012 (UTC)<br />
:::::::: Nevermind, we will probably use a different naming pattern instead. --[[User:Waldir|Waldir]] ([[User talk:Waldir|talk]]) 20:05, 9 August 2012 (UTC)<br />
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::::::: I guess this is my bad for not ciming in on this discussion earlier, but I frankly think that the #: Name is a worse way of doing it just for the reasons of system resources. #:Name is fine from a user standpoint with the '''caveat''' that # and Name both redirect to #:Name. The problem is that this requires 2 redirects minimum for every comic, and the redirect itself takes a bit more time for each article to load, and (as I understand from wikipedia and its dislike of double redirects), every redirect adds to the system load. So if every article lookup by users (who will undoubtedly type either the number or the name, but rarely both) is a redirect, the system load is going to go up.<br />
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::::::: As an aside, assuming Jeff is able to install the Cite Extension to add citation referencing (and even if he doesn't), I was expecting to try to create some sort of template in the concept of {{tl|cite comic}} where you could basically pass a single variable (e.g. the comic number) and it would create a proper citation for that comic. Similarly, this naming format will perhaps require a template something like {{tl|comicno}} with a comic number field just to create a quick link that is visibly appealing and links properly to the comic with that number. (ie: {comicno|18} would produce a link like "[[18: Snapple|Snapple]]" or something). I'm wondering though if anyone has any coding ideas for how we might accomplish this other than the hardcode all the titles into a template. [[User:TheHYPO|TheHYPO]] ([[User talk:TheHYPO|talk]]) 19:26, 7 August 2012 (UTC)<br />
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::::::: PS: I did some mild digging on another wiki, ''Star Trek'''s Memory Alpha wiki, and although all of its episode articles are now titled "episode title (episode)" to avoid disambiguation, which allows you to an episode template by calling the title (which template appends "(episode)" to every entry), they DO have a title-display template: [http://en.memory-alpha.org/wiki/Template:Titles Template:Titles] - with a template subpage for every single episode setting out how the mouseover text should be displayed. It would be possible to do such a template for xkcd just so that comic numbers can be crossreferenced to titles... [[User:TheHYPO|TheHYPO]] ([[User talk:TheHYPO|talk]]) 20:30, 7 August 2012 (UTC)<br />
:::::::: (Hoping this is the right number of colons for proper indentation... ;-) Redirects are one thing, and while probably resulting in possibly two page serves (isn't it really just two hits to the db?) they're natively supported by mediawiki. Even so, if performance is proven to be a real (not just conjectured) problem, can we do something clever, perhaps, with transclusion? Either the number transcludes the title, or vice versa? Might be a case of pre-optimization, though; in the back of my mind, it seems that the rendering engine puts as much effort into transcluding to expand templates as it would to expand a redirect in situ: either case is just a query to the DB to expand the contents of said item. (Enough rambling; anybody have any concrete metrics on this?) -- [[User:IronyChef|IronyChef]] ([[User talk:IronyChef|talk]]) 06:23, 9 August 2012 (UTC)<br />
:::::::::Hi folks. Just thought I'd state that redirects are completely safe. They don't add any noticeable loading time for the users and the extra resources used by the server are so minor that it's akin to the resources used to type a character in notepad. Pages are also aggressively cached (by default, anyway). If you're interested, the way redirects work in Mediawiki isn't like most other sites handle redirects. It's not loading a page that makes you load another page. Rather, all content is stored in an SQL database. The content is stored under a certain name (eg, "#: Hello World!"). A redirect simply tells Mediawiki to look for the content under a different name. Slightly more work for the server (don't worry, they can handle it), but the page is delivered to the user in roughly the same period of time (if we want to be technical, the page will be slightly larger, due to the "Redirected from whatever" line added to the page (which is mostly there for the purpose of making it easier to fix incorrect redirects). I don't have metrics, but can assure you that it's almost no difference in the end result. {{User:Omega/sig}} 09:11, 9 August 2012 (UTC)<br />
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I've been thinking about this some more, and I believe we should choose a different pattern for the page names.<br />
* First, use another separator between comic number and name, since colon is forbidden in files. A simple alternative would be "Comic title (number)", as in [[Michael Phelps (1092)]]. This would additionally allow us to use the {{w|Help:Pipe trick|pipe trick}} when linking to a comic, since content in parenthesis is automatically stripped out: <nowiki>[[Michael Phelps (1092)|]]</nowiki> results in [[Michael Phelps (1092)|Michael Phelps]]. Another effect of this is that by dropping the colon naming scheme we would remove ambiguity with the namespace system, which also uses colons to separate namespaces from pagenames.<br />
* Second, we should probably follow IronyChef's suggestion above and move them to a specific namespace, such as [[Comic:Michael Phelps (1092)]]. Other namespaces could be added for more topics, such as [[Character:Cueball]], [[xkcd:Randall]] (or [[Meta:Randall]]), [[Topic:Velociraptors]], etc. Not only we would be able to generate lists of pages without resorting to categories (which have to be added manually), but we would get lot's of "Random X" for free (random comic, random character, random topic, etc.)<br />
What do you guys think? --[[User:Waldir|Waldir]] ([[User talk:Waldir|talk]]) 14:29, 9 August 2012 (UTC)<br />
:P.s. - Proper category sorting of the comics would be dealt with by the {{tl|comic}} template, which would also pad the numbers with zeroes to ensure 100 comes after 2, etc.<br />
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::+1 on the parens... (but does that mean my recent double-redirect-fixups have been for naught? {{xkcd|541|(grin)}}) ... I couldn't put my finger on it and didn't articulate it earlier, but the fact that colon needed special attention by the software left me a bit uneasy (there must be a reason for them doing that, like namespaces perhaps) so using parentheses-es-es (as {{xkcd|297|long}} as we {{xkcd|859|close}} them {{explain|312|properly}}) seems more the mediawiki way. -- [[User:IronyChef|IronyChef]] ([[User talk:IronyChef|talk]]) 15:03, 9 August 2012 (UTC) (I know you folks don't like my propensity to (over?)categorize, but <nowiki>[[Category:Parentheses]]</nowiki> is just too irresistible... ;-)<br />
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:I think, that all of this seem unnecessary complication to me. I don't see any problem with the current system. I think something like [[1092: Michael Phelps]] flows well, is quite readable and easy to insert "as is" in the text (see the links to other comics in [[1048: Emotion]] for instance). As I understand, we would want the image files to be titled exactly the same way as their corresponding article; why, where is the need for that? (to me the simplest way, and most relevant maybe, would be to name them exactly as they are on xkcd.com; maybe with a prefix, like "xkcd - ", so that it cannot mess with other existing images such as from Commons).<br />
:I don't see the point of creating namespaces such as "Character", "Topic", etc.; what is the problem with [[Beret Guy]], [[Randall Munroe]], [[Velociraptors]], and such? with namespaces one will have to put each topic in one box (and one only), where will you put things like [[Stick figure]] or [[My Hobby]] or any other thing that will pop up without clearly belonging to one of these boxes? ''[[1077: Home Organization|just give up]]!'' :-)<br />
:About the "Random X", I like the idea that on xkcd.com, you can get a random ''comic'' (because that's all what is there), but in here you can get a random whatever: you may get a comic explanation, a character, a topic or anything, because in here there is all that.<br />
:I don't think the colon in the comic page names will pose any problem, it cannot mess with anything as long as it is preceded by a number only.<br />
:''In the end,'' I think that adding the number in the comic page names was a good choice, because there would have been real issues otherwise, but for now I would say : "don't fix what is not broken", KISS, and "just give up". :-)<br />
:[[User:Cos|Cos]] ([[User talk:Cos|talk]]) 16:14, 9 August 2012 (UTC)<br />
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:: I have to agree with this. The existing page names are fine in my book, and I don't see any benefits of renaming them all (again). Concerning the random, though, I mentioned an extension in proposals that would allow us to choose a "random page in a category". I don't really care one way or another about character topics. Seem like a lot of maintenance when we don't even have a quarter of the comics explained yet, but whatever. Concerning the image names, I think that simply using the same name as it appears on xkcd is fine. Images are a bit of a "backend", that people don't usually search for (rather, they'd search for the comic and find the image on that page). As well, since all images are hosted on xkcd, they won't be any file name conflicts amongst the comics. {{User:Omega/sig}} 18:04, 9 August 2012 (UTC)<br />
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::: Good points (and puns!), all of you. I'd like to address a few specific points (I'll highlight the key takeaways for your convenience):<br />
:::* '''I still prefer parenthesis''' for the simple reason that colons mess with the concept of namespaces (not that it has any effect on the software, which can cope quite well; I'm speaking from a user point of view). Besides, one of the reasons I proposed for having the number first was automatic category sorting, but that backfired (cf. #2 vs. #100).<br />
:::* Re rationale for having image files titled like the comics is that it would allow automatic image inclusion via the {{tl|comic}} template. However, having the prefix is not crucial for that (hadn't thought of this before), so I'll go ahead and remove my suggestion above to allow colons in filenames.<br />
:::* Note that there's no problem with "conflicts" with Commons images: an image uploaded here simply takes precedence regarding an image uploaded to commons under the same name (e.g. [[:File:Irony.jpg]] vs. [[commons:File:Irony.jpg]]). That said, while external conflicts aren't a problem, internal ones are (e.g. [[Exoplanets]]). That, coupled with the "it's just a backend" point made by Omega, is a good argument to '''use the original filenames''' (also, less overhead when uploading a new comic)<br />
:::* I understand the argument against a single primary way to classify a page using namespaces. The category system is more flexible as it allows many-to-many relationships. However, I must point out that the examples you give are no problem at all: [[Meta:Stick figure]] and [[Topic:My Hobby]] ;) So '''I'm still not convinced that using custom namespaces is a bad idea''' or a lost cause or that it won't scale up well. Besides, it makes it very clear what a reader will find on that page (explainxkcd.com/wiki/Topic:Velociraptors is a pretty self-explanatory url). And again, it allows us to use the random feature that is natively implemented on mediawiki, rather than an extension. And "random whatever" is still available, of course :)<br />
:::* IronyChef, by all means, please create [[:Category:Parentheses]] :D<br />
::: --[[User:Waldir|Waldir]] ([[User talk:Waldir|talk]]) 20:05, 9 August 2012 (UTC)<br />
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:::If we're going to use the numbers in the titles, it seems logical to have the number come first so that comics are essentially sortable by number rather than alphabetically by title; although this probably can be taken care of by changing the sort title, thoug this could be tedious.<br />
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:::I don't support new namespaces for comics and characters and whatnot. I don't see what it adds to the wiki, and it just makes the links to each comic page ''even longer'' (no one will EVER correctly search for '''Comic:Snapple (18)''' on their first attempt).<br />
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:::I am not claiming to be an expert on redirects. My comment was based on wikipedia pages like {{w|Wikipedia:Double redirects}} where it clearly suggests in the lead that double redirects "waste server resources". I assume this applies (at to a lesser degree) to single redirects. They may not be needless waste like double redirects, but they they do use resources. Granted wikipedia has far larger servers and much more traffic, so it may be more relevant to them than here, but it still would appear to be a resource issue; Database queries are still resource hogs, even if they are simple ones. Not suggesting they aren't safe, but if every comic load is basically a redirect, that is still two queries every time instead of just the occasional one. I'm fine with it; I'm just pointing out the issue. [[User:TheHYPO|TheHYPO]] ([[User talk:TheHYPO|talk]]) 16:20, 10 August 2012 (UTC)<br />
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::::The reason that double redirects are bad is that linking a redirect to another redirect (a double redirect) causes the first redirect to simply display the content of the second redirect (rather than actually redirecting the page). This appears as simply an arrow and a link (a soft redirect). It uses more system resources because an actual page has to be loaded and displayed, forcing the user to manually click the link and display the proper page (whereas a single redirect would load the correct page and display it). So in other words, a double redirect forces two pages to be loaded, while a single redirect only loads one page, more or less the same as if you went to the actual page title. {{User:Omega/sig}} 21:35, 10 August 2012 (UTC)<br />
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::::: Also, regarding the sorting argument for using numbers first: I was the one who originally proposed that, but I overlooked the fact that sorting won't work unless we use padding (e.g. "0001: Comic title"), which is kind of a hack. MediaWiki supports category sort keys natively, so we should be taking advantage of them rather than relying on a specific page title format to achieve the same effect.<br />
::::: As for the namespaces, I think I've presented my arguments for that above; let me know if any of them are unclear. I accept that one may disagree with them, but not that there ''aren't'' any benefits. Note that '''nobody''' will correctly seach for whatever page title we use, unless we use only the numbers as the final title, which I think we all agree is not desirable. --[[User:Waldir|Waldir]] ([[User talk:Waldir|talk]]) 11:25, 11 August 2012 (UTC)<br />
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::::::Thanks for the double-redirect explanation, Omega. To Waldir; I think people would also correctly search for Comic Titles, at times. Some more than others, for sure. But if you are on XKCD reading a comic that has a title printed, and you want to come here and read the explanation, You would most likely search for either the number or the title that is displayed at xkcd.com. That said, if it's not a resource hog, and we can find a GOOD way to create links to comics easily (ie: I can type in {explain|123} and actually get a proper looking link to that comic's page, I'm cool with that. I really think it will add a lot of time to the edit process to have to manually type in 123: Title for every link to another comic. [[User:TheHYPO|TheHYPO]] ([[User talk:TheHYPO|talk]]) 14:32, 13 August 2012 (UTC)<br />
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== Comic Display - another new template ==<br />
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I see that the latest comics have changed over to {{tl|comicbox}} from {{tl|comic}}. This might be in response to today's tall narrow comic. I don't see any recent discussions about the {{tl|comicbox}} template. We really need to come to some form of consensus on the comic display issue. I am really not a fan of the {{tl|comicbox}} template, as I arrive at the homepage today and I don't understand what I'm seeing. There is no indication that the text on the right is the Explanation. I wasn't sure if part of it was title text or not. I figured it out, but it's not the easiest thing to see. I also don't think the navbuttons jutting right up against the top of the comic display box looks good.<br />
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Eithe way, where I'm going with this is that I think we need to come to a consensus on the form and template used for comic pages. If we choose comicbox, or comic or some other template, it's all good; but we should be editing ONE template to get it working and looking the way we want; rather than bouncing between many templates and creating new ones. [[User:TheHYPO|TheHYPO]] ([[User talk:TheHYPO|talk]]) 16:26, 10 August 2012 (UTC)<br />
:Yeah, I was really confused at first, and scrambled through the discussions trying to find what happened. To be honest, I'm more of a fan of the {{tl|comic}} template, with the explanation under a header explaining so. Not to mention with {{tl|comicbox}}, I'm suddenly unsure of what to do with the transcripts. For comparison, [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=1093:_Forget&oldid=6199 here] is the {{tl|comic}} template, while [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=1093:_Forget&oldid=6209 here] is the {{tl|comicbox}} template. At any rate, no matter what template we're using (I personally prefer {{tl|comic}}, but don't really care that much provided all comics use the same template), I agree that we need some kind of consensus to determine how we're formatting the page. {{User:Omega/sig}} 21:31, 10 August 2012 (UTC)<br />
::Ditto on the confusion (augmented by the confusion of finding where the pertinent discussion has gotten off to; they seem to slip from page to page between visits... ) Anyway, I'm guessing this is a ''de-gustibus'' matter, but regardless of the respective virtues of either template, to my eye the template today's comic was changed to has {{explain|1070|a couple}} cosmetic shortcomings: <br />
::* The typeface is larger than normal. Just a personal preference, but it should be scaled 100% vs adjacent normal wiki text; readers can change the level of zoom if that's too small. Also, <br />
::* the image is vertically centered, so in the case of a disproportionately long explanation (like today's) it appears too far down the page; it really needs to be top-aligned, with the title text close underneath it. Further, <br />
::* for this vertical layout, there's a lot of wasted vertical space when the explanation is so much longer than the image. Rather than having two rigid columns, have we considered '''float:left''' or '''float:right''' style attributes on the image, so that whatever text is left flows to fill the entire space below the image?<br />
:: Finally, to tie this all up with a bow, (and perhaps raising an issue that may have been raised before; I don't recall, because of the shifting locations of discussions hereabouts) ... Is there a need for images to always be shown at 100% size, especially for the more extremely sized ones? Seems to me that the images here really only need to fulfill a refresher role, and clicks through the image should take the reader to the full-sized image on xkcd.com. Legally, I know we have the right to host the images here. But morally, it seems like we shouldn't be taking too much traffic away from xkcd.com as it is RM's bread and butter. Our value-add is the in the form of explanations: long as we can visually tie these explanations with the comic (by having something bigger than a thumbnail, but somewhat smaller than full size, especially for odd-shaped ones) I think we're on the positive side. Thotz? -- [[User:IronyChef|IronyChef]] ([[User talk:IronyChef|talk]]) 05:23, 11 August 2012 (UTC)<br />
:::I agree with you on all points, although I'm really not a fan of having the text either beside or under the comic. I'd rather it be the same in all cases. In which case, having the text beside the comic won't do, as wide comics wouldn't be very supportive of that. Also, if the explanation is considerably longer than the comic, it just looks a bit strange to me. Float left/right would fix that, but would be a bit harder to implement with the title text (eg, if the title text and image are inside a float left div, does that div have a fixed width or does a long title text push it over?). All in all, I'd rather the text always be below the comic. It's consistent and less problematic. Regarding the size of comics, I'd rather we use the full size in all cases except the "large" comics (defined as the comics that are shown at a reduced size on xkcd itself, such as [[1079: United Shapes]]). Why? Because when I'm reading an explanation to a comic I don't understand, I'm constantly referencing the explanation with the comic itself. Having to open a new tab each time would make that a bit less convenient. {{User:Omega/sig}} 06:38, 11 August 2012 (UTC)<br />
::::For visual experimentation, I've made the theoretically uncontroversial changes of text size (it's now expressed as relative percentage rather than absolute px) and I made the image top-aligned, so comics like {{explain|1093}} show the image near the top of the explanation, despite the explanation being many multiples of that image's height; we can change that back if we don't like them. There are other changes I'd like to make (see above) but I'll wait for general agreement on that (not to mention which template to use.) -- [[User:IronyChef|IronyChef]] ([[User talk:IronyChef|talk]]) 15:39, 12 August 2012 (UTC)<br />
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:::::To respond to all of the previous comments; I echo IronyChef's thought - I built into {{tl|comic}} an imagesize attribute because I believe that the comic should be a managable size on this site; generally not more than say 400px; this creates a "click to enlarge" link which takes the user to the imgae's page. Although I previously thought that a balance needs to be kept because people may start coming to the wiki to read xkcd in the first instance instead of xkcd.com, I also agree with Omega's point that it's potentially unfair to Randall to entice traffic away from xkcd.com. This strengthens my belief that larger comics should be kept to a reasonable size.<br />
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:::::Not sure if I said it in this thread, I think we have to look at the purpose of the box itself. In my eyes, the box is designed (like an infobox) to basically show the user the basic facts. Not user-added material or encyclopedia text. The box, in my view, is there to present all of the info about the comic that actually comes from xkcd. The image, the alt text, the title, date and number. Adding the explanation in the box basically makes the explanation look official as part of the comic. The primary content of this site is the explanations. If anything should go under proper wiki-format headers, it's that (in my opinion). The transcript is technically official content, but as I've said elsewhere, in my view, the transcript is secondary info that the comic already contains; it doesn't need to be in the infobox. IronyChef has indentified and fixed a lot of my minor cosmetic issues with the comicbox template, and there are others I don't like either (the title font is a little too weak and the top of the box is touching the bottom of the nav buttons. Don't like those, but again, easily fixable).<br />
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::::: I also think while there may be instances like the "Forget" comic which is a list-form comic where having a long vertical list explanation works, a long vertical list is often harder to read and follow than a full-page-width explanation. (even "Forget" has each line of explanation end up being several lines long in {{tl|comicbox}} format.) Worse, the potential to want to fit in the box may limit users from adding to explanations which we shouldn't encourage. If the explanation is twice as long as the comic, there's nothing wrong with that, and it shouldn't look bad by going inside the template. I appreciate the attempt that the verticle comicbox makes to not waste space (using the two-column method) but I don't think this is the way to do it. I think shrinking the comic (and accepting that there will be space on either side) is the best way. As I say, 375px or 400px seem like logical limiters for most comics. This is explainxkcd, so you shouldn't have to scroll way down to get to the explanation. I too sometimes like to view the comic and explain at the same time to check notes as Omega suggests, but I can do that by control+click or shift+clicking the image to enlarge, and comparing in separate windows by tiling them or just switching back and forth - with a larger comic, you'd have to scroll up and down to read both the comic and the explanation anyway. I find I lose my place in the text when I do that. alt+Tabbing for me generally is easier to keep my place in both windows.<br />
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:::::The one thing from {{tl|comicbox}} that I do like is that the box is shaded slightly bluegray. I like the separation that creates; on the other hand, xkcd.com has comics posted on white; does it hurt the integrity of any comics to have them posted on blue-grey instead of white? I'd consider changing the background of {{tl|comic}} to a blue-gray (though perhaps lighter than the one on comicbox) if people like that. That's my thoughts[[User:TheHYPO|TheHYPO]] ([[User talk:TheHYPO|talk]]) 15:10, 13 August 2012 (UTC)<br />
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{{outdent|:::::}}<br />
{{tl|ComicBox}} just got a major redesign. It looks more like {{tl|comic}}, but with the addition of a vertical comic mode. Also, bear in mind that {{tl|comic}} doesn't use white for the background. For comics like "Forget", take a look at [[Forget comicbox]]. Looks ok? --[[User:Grep|Grep]] ([[User talk:Grep|talk]]) 15:27, 20 August 2012 (UTC)<br />
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:As noted on [[explain xkcd:Community portal/Proposals#Comic Templates]], there is no need to start a new thread there there there is already a thread on the topic here (which you've posted to). Also, if your post was "which template should we use when?" it's not really a "proposal" for the proposals page, and better fits here under coordination.<br />
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:That said, I thought this topic was fairly well resolved. Jeff endorsed {{tl|Comic}} in the [[#Header_template]] discussion on this page, and this subsequent discussion seemed to resolve as well with no real consensus that a change from {{tl|comic}} was necessary or beneficial. I don't see the benefit of continuing to build new templates that basially duplicate existing templates with one extra function (vertical mode). That could have been built into the existing template, if it were deemed necessary.<br />
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:I personally think there are still pluses and minuses to doing things vertically; It looks a little cluttered to have the comic up on one size and the explanation on the other. If you don't have a high-resolution desktop or you want a non-maximized window, there may not be much space for the explanation which may end up with two or three words per line and be hard to read and annoying. "Forget" was a comic featuring a long list; this made for a very long listed explanation. Most long comics will not have explanations longer than the comic, and we'll have a lot of whitespace to the right of the comic. It just looks cluttered to me. I like having the navbar centered above the comic, not the page (and also in the enclosed comic box). That's personal preference though. I think the better design for vertical comics (is just to reduce their size and put them in the standard box. They otherwise take up too much space. [[User:TheHYPO|TheHYPO]] ([[User talk:TheHYPO|talk]]) 16:48, 20 August 2012 (UTC)<br />
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*I am not a fan of the discontinuity that comicbox creates as the explanation runs longer than the image. I also feel that we should focus on improving the existing {{tl|comic}} instead of further developing new templates. - [[User:Shine|Shine]] ([[User talk:Shine|talk]]) 21:38, 20 August 2012 (UTC)<br />
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== Template for New Comics ==<br />
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To clarify, I'm not talking about a template like {{tl|comic}} or {{tl|comicbox}}, but rather a form to cut/paste for new comics. I'm rather new to large editing of MediaWiki pages, so I'm interested in learning of better ways of doing things.<br />
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Recently, I've been copy/pasting [[User:Blaisepascal/newcomictemplate]] to set up the basic form of the page, then editing the various sections. This ensures I get the major bits. I still have to copy/paste the transcript from xkcd.com, fill in the {{tl|comic}} template, and make the number and title redirects by hand.<br />
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Is there a better way? Is there anything my template is missing? [[User:Blaisepascal|Blaisepascal]] ([[User talk:Blaisepascal|talk]]) 14:06, 21 August 2012 (UTC)<br />
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:I've created a ruby script that can be given a comic number and it will spit out a text file with the comic template filled out, the transcript, and the comic discussion template. I've finally gotten it to the point that it is usable, so that's why I'm talking about it. It still doesn't pull explanations from the blog, but that's a whole ball of wax in and of itself. I'm on Linux so it's easy to run it and have it spit out files, I assume on Windows if you have ruby installed there is a way to run ruby scripts from the command prompt. Can't tell you where things will pop out, probably in the directory you run it in, but I haven't tested it on Windows yet. I'm also continuing to work on it, so don't assume that any version you download is the final product. Oh, it also spits out the redirect line you put in the number and title pages so you can just copy/paste that.<br />
:I made it because I was going to drive myself insane making hundreds of pages without some kind of automation. [[User:Lcarsos|lcarsos]] ([[User talk:Lcarsos|talk]]) 07:24, 25 August 2012 (UTC)<br />
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::{{tl|create}} was created as a template for the comic list so that it could be autoloaded into comics by linking from [[List of all comics]]. That functionality doesn't seem to be working, unfortunately. For that reason, I added a "transcript" of the create text as documentation on that template. If you goto {{tl|create}}, you will find a template for new comic creation. [[User:TheHYPO|TheHYPO]] ([[User talk:TheHYPO|talk]]) 20:20, 27 August 2012 (UTC)<br />
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== The name of the ponytail character ==<br />
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I remember the community having a name for the female ponytail character (I don't recall if there is a male ponytail character, but in the interest of being complete). Was it simply Ponytail?<br />
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In any case, she seems to recur enough to deserve her own Category:Comics featuring ... page. But I don't want to go create it without knowing what we can agree on is her name. So, pony (wow, didn't intend that pun) up your 2 cents. [[User:Lcarsos|lcarsos]] ([[User talk:Lcarsos|talk]]) 17:28, 20 August 2012 (UTC)<br />
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:This comic http://xkcd.com/322/ calls a ponytail'ed female Joanna. Is this the same character as ponytail? She might be different. Community input please. [[User:Lcarsos|lcarsos]] ([[User talk:Lcarsos|talk]]) 01:26, 23 August 2012 (UTC)<br />
::It sounds plausible. Few of the characters are named, and it looks like Ponytail (compare, for example, Elaine Roberts as an adult, who has light hair, but doesn't wear it in a ponytail). The one concern is that in 322, she is clearly acquainted with Black Hat, and in 405 she appears to be friends with Danish, yet Black Hat and Danish don't know each other -- unless he tracked her down via Joanna... [[User:Blaisepascal|Blaisepascal]] ([[User talk:Blaisepascal|talk]]) 04:41, 23 August 2012 (UTC)<br />
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== The name of Black Hat's girlfriend ==<br />
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[[Black Hat]] has a girlfriend, introduced in [[377: Journal 2]]. She has thicker hair than Megan, and is seen (in [[405: Journal 3]] to be friends with [[Ponytail]]. Is there community-accepted name for her?<br />
:: No, not yet. She seems to have a personality similar to [[Black Hat]] himself --[[User:Jeff|Jeff]] ([[User talk:Jeff|talk]]) 15:48, 22 August 2012 (UTC)<br />
:::I don't really want to create a "Category:Comics featuring Black Hat's girlfriend" if there is a better solution, that's all. [[User:Blaisepascal|Blaisepascal]] ([[User talk:Blaisepascal|talk]]) 15:57, 22 August 2012 (UTC)<br />
::::In my own head I've been calling her Summer because she looks like how Randall draws Summer Glau (not a good argument, granted), and in some of the comics she shows up she reminds me of Summer's characters. [[User:Lcarsos|lcarsos]] ([[User talk:Lcarsos|talk]]) 17:41, 22 August 2012 (UTC)<br />
:::::Or we could call her Dearest or Darling or Danish http://xkcd.com/515/ [[User:Lcarsos|lcarsos]] ([[User talk:Lcarsos|talk]]) 20:32, 22 August 2012 (UTC)<br />
::::::OK, I've gone with [[Danish]]. [[User:Blaisepascal|Blaisepascal]] ([[User talk:Blaisepascal|talk]]) 22:18, 22 August 2012 (UTC)<br />
:::::::P.S. I love you for that. You have my eternal respect. [[User:Lcarsos|lcarsos]] ([[User talk:Lcarsos|talk]]) 22:35, 22 August 2012 (UTC)<br />
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Also, now someone needs to update the Characters nav box to include Danish. [[User:Lcarsos|lcarsos]] ([[User talk:Lcarsos|talk]]) 22:51, 22 August 2012 (UTC)<br />
:I found the template on my own (aren't I a [[1032|grown up professional]]?) and updated it. [[User:Lcarsos|lcarsos]] ([[User talk:Lcarsos|talk]]) 22:53, 22 August 2012 (UTC)<br />
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== Can we turn off page creation for non-logged in users ==<br />
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I'm not very familiar with mediawiki, so I don't know if this would be hard or not. But, it would stop the drive-by spam attacks (the ones that don't create accounts anyway, such nice bots).<br />
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My secondary goal in doing this would be to get [[Special:Contributions/72.252.145.183|72.252.145.183]] and [[Special:Contributions/207.204.86.3|207.204.86.3]] to make accounts so that there is a way to get a hold of them, give them some feedback, and have them stop adding/spamming spurious categories. Both of them are creating pages with poor/non-existent explanations, sections for the transcript but missing the transcript, haphazardly adding pre-existing categories and adding tons of one-off categories which do nothing to enhance explain xkcd.<br />
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[[User:Lcarsos|lcarsos]] ([[User talk:Lcarsos|talk]]) 19:02, 13 September 2012 (UTC)<br />
:Tag any such comics with {{[[Template:Comic-stub|Comic-stub]]}} and you or someone else can fix it ^^--[[User:Relic|Relic]] ([[User talk:Relic|talk]]) 00:01, 24 September 2012 (UTC)</div>Relic