1750: Life Goals - Revision history

FaviFake: removed Category:FernGully using HotCat

2025-05-18T09:19:44Z

removed Category:FernGully using HotCat

172.69.214.220 at 18:52, 10 March 2025

2025-03-10T18:52:56Z

FaviFake at 16:43, 2 March 2025

2025-03-02T16:43:52Z

CalibansCreations: /* Table of life goals */

2025-01-28T09:20:38Z

‎Table of life goals

FaviFake: Fixed broken link (was a redirect)

2023-05-22T08:09:12Z

Fixed broken link (was a redirect)

SilverTheTerribleMathematician: /* Explanation */

2022-12-21T06:47:36Z

‎Explanation

Natg19: /* Transcript */ xkcd

2022-08-09T02:09:27Z

‎Transcript: xkcd

172.68.18.191: /* Table of life goals */

2022-07-07T14:06:55Z

‎Table of life goals

Vandalbane: Undo revision 284988 by Davidsoy22 (talk)

2022-06-01T16:56:08Z

Undo revision 284988 by Davidsoy22 (talk)

Davidsoy22 at 16:50, 1 June 2022

2022-06-01T16:50:52Z

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 {{comic discussion}}
-[[Category:FernGully]] <!--hexxus-->
+<!--hexxus-->
 [[Category:Charts]]
 [[Category:Comics featuring real people]] <!--Skrillex-->

@@ Line 37: / Line 37: @@
 | Observe a syzygy from Zzyzx, California  || Randall's goal is to observe an astronomical event in which three celestial bodies form a straight line (known as a {{w|Syzygy (astronomy)|syzygy}}), from the Californian city of {{w|Zzyzx, California|Zzyzx}}. That city had recently been mentioned in the last ''[[what if? (blog)|what if?]]'' article: ''{{what if|152|Flood Death Valley}}'', released less than a week before this comic. || 1|| 4|| 4|| 9
 |-
-| Port the games Zzyzzyxx and Xexyz to Xbox  || Randall's goal is to {{w|porting|port}} (i.e. adapting software from one platform so it can be used on another platform) two old video games so they can be used on the modern video game platform {{w|Xbox}}. The first game is {{w|Zzyzzyxx}}, a 1982 {{w|arcade video game}} about navigating a labyrinth, and the second is {{w|Xexyz}}, a 1988 game for the {{w|Nintendo Entertainment System}} with platform and shoot-em-up game-play. [http://xbmcxbox.blogspot.com/2013/03/complete-list-of-emulators-for-original.html Multiple emulators already exist] that can run both of these titles, although an actual native port would be a lot more difficult. || 5|| 3|| 5|| 13
+| Port the games Zzyzzyxx and Xexyz to Xbox  || Randall's goal is to {{w|porting|port}} (i.e. adapting software from one platform so it can be used on another platform) two old video games so they can be used on the modern video game platform {{w|Xbox}}. The first game is {{w|Zzyzzyxx}}, a 1982 {{w|arcade video game}} about navigating a labyrinth, and the second is {{w|Xexyz}}, a 1988 game for the {{w|Nintendo Entertainment System}} with platform and shoot-em-up game-play. [http://xbmcxbox.blogspot.com/2013/03/complete-list-of-emulators-for-original.html Multiple emulators already exist] that can run both of these titles, although an actual native port would be a lot more difficult. || 6|| 3|| 5|| 14
 |-
 | Publish a Zzzax/Mister Mxyzptlk crossover  || A {{w|Crossover (fiction)|crossover}} means that two different stories (often comics) are mixed together, mixing either characters from the two, or the world of one and the characters of another story. In this case Randall's goal is to make a cross over of {{w|Zzzax}}, a {{w|Marvel comic}} book villain, with that of {{w|Mister Mxyzptlk}}, a {{w|DC Comics}} villain. Since Zzzax and Mxyzptlk come from different companies, a crossover story involving them both might run into license problems if published commercially, though the two companies have come together on {{w|Intercompany crossovers in comics|several occasions}} for similar projects. Alternatively, Randall could choose to do a crossover with {{w|Zsasz}} instead, both being DC villains would make it easier to make and publish.  || 2|| 1|| 4|| 7

@@ Line 41: / Line 41: @@
 | Publish a Zzzax/Mister Mxyzptlk crossover  || A {{w|Crossover (fiction)|crossover}} means that two different stories (often comics) are mixed together, mixing either characters from the two, or the world of one and the characters of another story. In this case Randall's goal is to make a cross over of {{w|Zzzax}}, a {{w|Marvel comic}} book villain, with that of {{w|Mister Mxyzptlk}}, a {{w|DC Comics}} villain. Since Zzzax and Mxyzptlk come from different companies, a crossover story involving them both might run into license problems if published commercially, though the two companies have come together on {{w|Intercompany crossovers in comics|several occasions}} for similar projects. Alternatively, Randall could choose to do a crossover with {{w|Zsasz}} instead, both being DC villains would make it easier to make and publish.  || 2|| 1|| 4|| 7
 |-
-| Bike from Xhafzotaj, Albania to Qazaxbəyli, Azerbaijan  || Randall's goal is to bike from {{w|Xhafzotaj}}, a village in {{w|Albania}} in eastern {{w|Europe}}, to {{w|Qazaxbəyli}}, a village in {{w|Azerbaijan}} in the {{w|Caucasus}}. The distance between [https://www.google.com/maps/place/Xhafzotaj,+Albanien/@41.3420999,19.538176,15z/data=!3m1!4b1!4m5!3m4!1s0x134fd7eb6257dec7:0xc0c17ea9f1d4ef05!8m2!3d41.3442157!4d19.547883 Xhafzotaj] and [https://www.google.com/maps/place/Gazakhbayly,+Aserbaidschan/@41.1604329,45.3040337,15z/data=!3m1!4b1!4m5!3m4!1s0x4041307bb83f5793:0x30f6c3728844806e!8m2!3d41.1606486!4d45.3147936 Qazaxbəyli] is about 2800 km (1700 miles). Doing this trip by bike would be challenging, but possible.
+| Bike from Xhafzotaj, Albania to Qazaxbəyli, Azerbaijan  || Randall's goal is to bike from {{w|Xhafzotaj}}, a village in {{w|Albania}} in eastern {{w|Europe}}, to {{w|Qazaxbəyli}}, a village in {{w|Azerbaijan}} in the {{w|Caucasus}}. The distance between [https://www.google.com/maps/place/Xhafzotaj,+Albanien/@41.3420999,19.538176,15z/data=!3m1!4b1!4m5!3m4!1s0x134fd7eb6257dec7:0xc0c17ea9f1d4ef05!8m2!3d41.3442157!4d19.547883 Xhafzotaj] and [https://www.google.com/maps/place/Gazakhbayly,+Aserbaidschan/@41.1604329,45.3040337,15z/data=!3m1!4b1!4m5!3m4!1s0x4041307bb83f5793:0x30f6c3728844806e!8m2!3d41.1606486!4d45.3147936 Qazaxbəyli] is about 2800 km (1700 miles). Doing this trip by bike would be challenging, but possible. || 2|| 1|| 3|| 7
 |-
 | Paint an Archaeopteryx fighting a Muzquizopteryx  || Randall's goal is to make a painting of two flying {{w|Ornithodiran}}s fighting. Unfortunately, {{w|Archaeopteryx}}, a famous small feathered dinosaur, and {{w|Muzquizopteryx}}, a {{w|pterosaur}} (the famous flying "dinosaurs"), lived in different time periods, so such a fight (most likely) could not have ever taken place; therefore, a painted picture of it would require a fair amount of {{w|artistic license}}. The feathered dinosaur was only about half a meter long, but with clear feathers. It is a clear candidate for a {{w|transitional fossil}} between non-avian dinosaurs and birds. It lived in the {{w|late Jurassic}} epoch around 150 million years ago. The pterosaur had a wingspan of about 2 m, was one of the first (and smallest) of this type of pterosaur, and lived in the {{w|Coniacian}} age about 86-90 million years ago. This means the two ornithodirans live as far apart in time as we live apart from the last of the dinosaurs. Since Muzquizopteryx was larger, it seems likely that it would have won such a fight. Randall has previously made several comments on the feathers of dinosaurs, as recently as the comic released a week before this one [[1747: Spider Paleontology]]; see more there. (This scene [https://www.deviantart.com/seleuf/art/Archaeopteryx-VS-Muzquizopteryx-659380937 has been drawn] after the comic was published.) || 2|| 2|| 2|| 6
@@ Line 118: / Line 115: @@
 :☐ Paint an archaeopteryx fighting a muzquizopteryx
 :☐ Finish a game of Scrabble without getting punched
 {{comic discussion}}

@@ Line 39: / Line 39: @@
 | Port the games Zzyzzyxx and Xexyz to Xbox  || Randall's goal is to {{w|porting|port}} (i.e. adapting software from one platform so it can be used on another platform) two old video games so they can be used on the modern video game platform {{w|Xbox}}. The first game is {{w|Zzyzzyxx}}, a 1982 {{w|arcade video game}} about navigating a labyrinth, and the second is {{w|Xexyz}}, a 1988 game for the {{w|Nintendo Entertainment System}} with platform and shoot-em-up game-play. [http://xbmcxbox.blogspot.com/2013/03/complete-list-of-emulators-for-original.html Multiple emulators already exist] that can run both of these titles, although an actual native port would be a lot more difficult. || 5|| 3|| 5|| 13
 |-
-| Publish a Zzzax/Mister Mxyzptlk crossover  || A {{w|Crossover (fiction)|crossover}} means that two different stories (often comics) are mixed together, mixing either characters from the two, or the world of one and the characters of another story. In this case Randall's goal is to make a cross over of {{w|Zzzax}}, a {{w|Marvel comic}} book villain, with that of {{w|Mister Mxyzptlk}}, a {{w|DC Comics}} villain. Since Zzzax and Mxyzptlk come from different companies, a crossover story involving them both might run into license problems if published commercially, though the two companies have come together on {{w|Intercompany crossover|several occasions}} for similar projects. Alternatively, Randall could choose to do a crossover with {{w|Zsasz}} instead, both being DC villains would make it easier to make and publish.  || 2|| 1|| 4|| 7
+| Publish a Zzzax/Mister Mxyzptlk crossover  || A {{w|Crossover (fiction)|crossover}} means that two different stories (often comics) are mixed together, mixing either characters from the two, or the world of one and the characters of another story. In this case Randall's goal is to make a cross over of {{w|Zzzax}}, a {{w|Marvel comic}} book villain, with that of {{w|Mister Mxyzptlk}}, a {{w|DC Comics}} villain. Since Zzzax and Mxyzptlk come from different companies, a crossover story involving them both might run into license problems if published commercially, though the two companies have come together on {{w|Intercompany crossovers in comics|several occasions}} for similar projects. Alternatively, Randall could choose to do a crossover with {{w|Zsasz}} instead, both being DC villains would make it easier to make and publish.  || 2|| 1|| 4|| 7
 |-
 | Bike from Xhafzotaj, Albania to Qazaxbəyli, Azerbaijan  || Randall's goal is to bike from {{w|Xhafzotaj}}, a village in {{w|Albania}} in eastern {{w|Europe}}, to {{w|Qazaxbəyli}}, a village in {{w|Azerbaijan}} in the {{w|Caucasus}}. The distance between [https://www.google.com/maps/place/Xhafzotaj,+Albanien/@41.3420999,19.538176,15z/data=!3m1!4b1!4m5!3m4!1s0x134fd7eb6257dec7:0xc0c17ea9f1d4ef05!8m2!3d41.3442157!4d19.547883 Xhafzotaj] and [https://www.google.com/maps/place/Gazakhbayly,+Aserbaidschan/@41.1604329,45.3040337,15z/data=!3m1!4b1!4m5!3m4!1s0x4041307bb83f5793:0x30f6c3728844806e!8m2!3d41.1606486!4d45.3147936 Qazaxbəyli] is about 2800 km (1700 miles). Doing this trip by bike would be challenging, but possible.

@@ Line 10: / Line 10: @@
 All visible goals except the last one on this to-do list feature one or more strange words containing an excess of the last three letters of the alphabet (X, Y and Z), often using several of them in the same words, even several of the same rare letter in a row. (See [[#Table of life goals|Table of life goals]] below).
-All of these words can be looked up in the English version of Wikipedia, but only a few are {{w|common noun}}s, three of them weird animal names, the rest being {{w|proper nouns}}, i.e. persons names (fictional or artist) or obscure names for places or video games. The first goal is the one with fewest of these letters, only using two x's, and only the first word is strange, {{w|Skrillex}} being the artist name of a musician. All later entries have at least three of these letters, which are most often used in very strange, often difficult-to-pronounce, words.
+All of these words can be looked up in the English version of Wikipedia, but only a few are {{w|common noun}}s, three of them weird animal names, the rest being {{w|proper nouns}}, i.e. persons names (fictional or artist) or obscure names for places or video games. The first goal is the one with fewest of these letters, only using two x's, and only the first word is strange, {{w|Skrillex}} being the artist's name of a musician. All later entries have at least three of these letters, which are most often used in very strange, often difficult-to-pronounce, words.
 The punchline, in the final and ninth goal, expresses that the writer of this list often uses these unexpected and bizarre words in {{w|Scrabble}} games, which exasperates his opponents to such a great extent that he has yet to finish a game without getting punched. All of these words would theoretically earn a player many points in Scrabble, but outside of casual play it is not allowed to use proper nouns (see [[#Scrabble points|Scrabble points]] below).
@@ Line 16: / Line 16: @@
 In the title text, a reference is made to the fact that none of these goals have been checked off yet. It also turns out that it is indeed [[Randall|Randall's]] list, since the writer of the list did (at least) manage to check off the goal ''Make something called xkcd'' early. Sadly there are neither y's nor z's nor even more than one x in that four letter combo.
-This comic was published the week after the [[what if?]] ''{{what if|152|Flood Death Valley}}'', which referred directly to the city {{w|Zzyzx}} in one of the pictures. It's the second comic in that week after the what if? post that references it more or less directly, the previous one being [[1748: Future Archaeology]]. It seems likely that Randall created this comic after doing research for this what if? post, and came across the city Zzyzx as the shortest way to dig a channel to flood Death Valley.
+This comic was published the week after the ''[[what if? (blog)|what if?]]'' article ''{{what if|152|Flood Death Valley}}'', which referred directly to the city {{w|Zzyzx}} in one of the pictures. It's the second comic in that week after the what if? post that references it more or less directly, the previous one being [[1748: Future Archaeology]]. It seems likely that Randall created this comic after doing research for this what if? post, and came across the city Zzyzx as the shortest way to dig a channel to flood Death Valley.
 ===Table of life goals===
@@ Line 35: / Line 35: @@
 | Get a pet axolotl named Hexxus  || Randall's goal is to obtain a type of pet Mexican neotenic salamander (an {{w|axolotl}}) and name it after the malevolent Hexxus from the animated film {{w|FernGully: The Last Rainforest}}. (Hexxus has been mentioned on xkcd after this, namely on [[1767: US State Names]] and [[1918: NEXUS]].) The axolotl is a critically endangered species in nature, but they are relatively popular in captivity, with well established captive breeding populations. || 3|| 0|| 0|| 3
 |-
-| Observe a syzygy from Zzyzx, California  || Randall's goal is to observe an astronomical event in which three celestial bodies form a straight line (known as a {{w|Syzygy (astronomy)|syzygy}}), from the Californian city of {{w|Zzyzx, California|Zzyzx}}. That city had recently been mentioned in the last [[what if?]]: ''{{what if|152|Flood Death Valley}}'', released less than a week before this comic. || 1|| 4|| 4|| 9
+| Observe a syzygy from Zzyzx, California  || Randall's goal is to observe an astronomical event in which three celestial bodies form a straight line (known as a {{w|Syzygy (astronomy)|syzygy}}), from the Californian city of {{w|Zzyzx, California|Zzyzx}}. That city had recently been mentioned in the last ''[[what if? (blog)|what if?]]'' article: ''{{what if|152|Flood Death Valley}}'', released less than a week before this comic. || 1|| 4|| 4|| 9
 |-
 | Port the games Zzyzzyxx and Xexyz to Xbox  || Randall's goal is to {{w|porting|port}} (i.e. adapting software from one platform so it can be used on another platform) two old video games so they can be used on the modern video game platform {{w|Xbox}}. The first game is {{w|Zzyzzyxx}}, a 1982 {{w|arcade video game}} about navigating a labyrinth, and the second is {{w|Xexyz}}, a 1988 game for the {{w|Nintendo Entertainment System}} with platform and shoot-em-up game-play. [http://xbmcxbox.blogspot.com/2013/03/complete-list-of-emulators-for-original.html Multiple emulators already exist] that can run both of these titles, although an actual native port would be a lot more difficult. || 5|| 3|| 5|| 13

@@ Line 29: / Line 29: @@
 ! Total
 |-
-| Meet Skrillex in Phoenix || Randall's goal is to meet the musician using the artist name {{w|Skrillex}} in the city of {{w|Phoenix, Arizona|Phoenix}}. Not that Skrillex has any specific connection to that city. || 2|| 0|| 0|| 2
+| Meet Skrillex in Phoenix || Randall's goal is to meet the musician using the artist name {{w|Skrillex}} in the city of {{w|Phoenix, Arizona|Phoenix}}. Not that Skrillex has any specific connection to that city.{{Citation needed}} || 2|| 0|| 0|| 2
 |-
 | Study zymurgy  || {{w|Zymurgy}} (or zymology) is an applied science which studies the biochemical process of {{w|fermentation}}.|| 0|| 3|| 1|| 4

← Older revision		Revision as of 02:09, 9 August 2022
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	[[Category:Fiction]]		[[Category:Fiction]]
		+	[[Category:Comics featuring Randall Munroe]]

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+{{comic
 | number    = 1750
 | date      = October 24, 2016