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Make changes, try things out, or just have fun with the wiki here! Just leave everything above the line alone, please.
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<center>
[http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=explain_xkcd:Sandbox&action=edit&oldid=91667 clear sandbox]
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<font size=5px>''Welcome to the '''explain [[xkcd]]''' wiki!''</font><br>
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<span style="font size:210%;">We have an explanation for all [[List of all comics (full)|'''{{#expr:{{PAGESINCAT:All comics|R}}}}''' xkcd comics]], and only {{PAGESINCAT:Incomplete explanations|R}} ({{#expr: {{PAGESINCAT:Incomplete explanations|R}} / {{LATESTCOMIC}} * 100 round 1}}%) are incomplete. [[:Category:Incomplete explanations|Help us finish them!]]</span><!-- Note: the -1 in the calculation above has been removed (it was there to discount "comic" 404, but we've categorized it to be a comic and so has Randall.) -->
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<!-- Go to this explanation button --><span style="position: absolute; right:0; padding-top:1.4em; font-size: 100%;"><span class="no-link-underline">[[{{LATESTCOMIC}}|&nbsp;</span>'''Go to this explanation''']]</span>
  
{{comic
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=Latest comic=
| number    = 1520
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<div style="border:1px solid grey; background:#f6f6f6; padding:1.5em;">
| date      = May 4, 2015
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{{:{{LATESTCOMIC}}}}
| title    = Degree-Off
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----
| image    = degree off.png
 
| titletext = I'M SORRY, FROM YOUR YEARS OF CONDESCENDING TOWARD THE 'SQUISHY SCIENCES', I ASSUMED YOU'D BE A LITTLE HARDER.
 
}}
 
  
==Explanation==
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<span style="position: absolute; left:0; padding-top:1.35em; font-size: 105%;"><span class="no-link-underline">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;[[File:new topic.png|21x21px|link={{LATESTCOMIC}}#Discussion]][[{{LATESTCOMIC}}#Discussion|&nbsp; </span>'''View comic discussion''']]</span><br><br></div>
{{Incomplete|Unfinished. More detailed introduction and explain title text.}}
 
  
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== New here? ==
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<div style="float:right; margin: 0 0 1em 1em">{{Special:ContributionScores/10/30/nosort,notools}}<div style="font-size:0.85em; width:28em; font-style:italic">[[Special:ContributionScores|Lots of people]] contribute to make this wiki a success. Many of the recent contributors above have [{{fullurl:Special:Contributions|contribs=newbie}} just joined]. You can do it too! Create your account [[Special:UserLogin/signup|here]].</div></div>
  
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You can read a brief introduction about this wiki at [[explain xkcd]]. Feel free to [[Special:UserLogin/signup|create an account]] and contribute to the wiki! We need explanations for xkcd [[:Category:Incomplete explanations|comics]], [[:Category:Characters|characters]], [[What If? chapters|''What If?'' articles]], and [[:Category:xkcd|everything in between]]. If it is referenced in an [[xkcd]] comic, it should be here.
  
[[Cueball]], [[Hair Bun Girl]], and [[Megan]] appear to be on a talk show called Degree-Off, hosted by [[Hairy]], where representatives of different fields, in this case, physics, biology, and chemistry, explain why their fields are best and why to get a degree in the field. The title "Degree-Off" is a portmanteau of "{{w|Academic degree|degree}}", as in the recognized completion of studies at a school or university,  and "{{w|face-off}}", a direct confrontation between two people or groups.
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* If you're new to wiki editing, see the [[explain xkcd:Editor FAQ]] for a specific guidance to this wiki and the more general help on [[mw:Help:Editing pages|how to edit wiki pages]]. There's also a handy {{w|Help:Cheatsheet|wikicode cheatsheet}}.
  
The host asks Cueball to go first. He lightheartedly tells a story about {{w|Richard Feynman}}, finishing with a quote. The quote "all science is either physics or stamp collecting." was said by {{w|Ernest Rutherford}}, not Richard Feynman, implying either [[Cueball]] misattributes the quote, or that his story is quite long. During the Manhattan Project in Los Alamos, Richard Feymann got bored because of the isolation and started learning lock picking on the secret documents safes. Using these new skills, he played lots of pranks on his colleagues, like leaving notes and spooking them into believing there was a spy among them (which, of course, {{w|Klaus_Fuchs|there was}}). The reference to stamp collecting is the abstract idea that all other sciences are aggregates of physics and what they study are simply interesting instances of complex behavior derived from basic physics.
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* Discussion about the wiki itself happens at the [[explain xkcd:Community portal|Community portal]].
  
Hair Bun Girl, the representative for biology goes next, showing that through their efforts, biology has helped reduce disease ("slaying" {{w|Four_Horsemen_of_the_Apocalypse#As_infectious_disease|Pestilence}}). She accuses physics of creating a new weapon of destruction from gathering in the desert (likely referring to the {{w| Manhattan Project}}, conducted in the {{w|New Mexico desert}}), insisting that biologists are the true heroes. Physics is taken aback, having believed it would be a fun activity, which Biology refutes, saying he must have been thinking of Stamp Collecting, which was mentioned in the earlier quote. Megan, the representative for chemistry, does not speak during the comic.
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* You can browse the comics from the [[List of all comics (full)|list of all comics]] or by navigating the category tree at [[:Category:Comics]].
  
<div class="toccolours mw-collapsible mw-collapsed">
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* The incomplete explanations are listed [[:Category:Incomplete explanations|here]]. Feel free to help out by expanding them!
This graph shows the death rate from infectious disease in USA, similar to that shown in the comic presented by Hair Bun Girl, as both have the range of 1900-2000. It probably served as inspiration to Randall.
 
<div class="mw-collapsible-content">[[File:Crude_Infectious_Disease_Mortality_Rate_in_the_United_States_from_1900_Through_1996.gif]]</div>
 
</div>
 
  
Continuing on the Four Horsemen theme, the title text in {{w|all caps}} refers to the mode of speech of {{w|Terry Pratchett}}'s character {{w|Death_(Discworld)|Death}}. He mocks physics and physicists for not being harder. Referring to the fact that physicists sometimes see their science as being the most {{w|hard science}} of sciences and demean other sciences for being soft sciences (as in [[435: Purity]]) or "squishy". By calling the physicist squishy, Death might be referring to the fragility of the human body which led to his death, or the state of that body once death has had time to set in. According to [[435: Purity]], the only subject harder or purer than physics is mathematics.
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== Rules ==
  
The whole comic might be a subtle hint by Randall on his stance against the [http://rationalwiki.org/wiki/Anti-vaccination_movement anti-vaccination movement], the physicist Cueball being the anti-vaxxer, the biologist Hair Bun Girl showing the success of vaccinations, making Cueball speechless.
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Don't be a jerk!
  
==Transcript==
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There are a lot of comics that don't have set-in-stone explanations; feel free to put multiple interpretations in the wiki page for each comic.
:[Hairy is acting as the host of a TV talk show, ''Degree-Off''. Cueball, Hair Bun Girl, and Megan are acting as representatives of Phys (Physics), Bio (Biology), and Chem (Chemistry) respectively. They each stand behind their own {{w|Lectern}} with the respective subject label.]
 
  
:Hairy: Welcome to the ''Degree-Off'', where we determine which field is the best! Physics, wanna go first?
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If you want to talk about a specific comic, use its discussion page.
:Cueball: Sure! I'd like to tell the story of Richard Feynman's Manhattan project lockpicking pranks...
 
  
:Cueball: ...and as he said, "all science is either physics or stamp collecting."
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Please only submit material directly related to xkcd and, of course, only submit material that can legally be posted and freely edited. Off-topic or other inappropriate content is subject to removal or modification at admin discretion, and users who repeatedly post such content will be blocked.
:Cueball: Thank you.
 
:Hairy: ''Great!'' Bio, you wanna go next?
 
:Hair Bun Girl: Okay.
 
  
:[A graph labeled "Per 100,000 is shown above Hair Bun Girl]
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If you need assistance from an [[explain xkcd:Administrators|admin]], post a message to the [[explain xkcd:Community portal/Admin requests|Admin requests]] board.
:Hair Bun Girl: This is a graph of the death rate from infectious disease in this country.
 
  
:[Hair Bun Girl raising her left hand]
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[[Category:Root category]]
:Hair Bun Girl: The heroes of my field have ''slain'' one of the four horsemen of the apocalypse.
 
  
:[Hair Bun Girl pointing at Cueball]
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Recent comments: {{Special:RecentChanges|namespace=1}}
:Hair Bun Girl: While the heroes of ''your'' field gathered in the desert to create a new one.
 
 
 
:Cueball: ...Jeez, what the hell? I thought this was supposed to be fun and lighthearted!
 
:Hair Bun Girl: ''You must have been thinking of stamp collecting.''
 
 
 
==See also==
 
*Different scientific fields, including physics, biology, and chemistry are compared in terms of purity in  [[435: Purity]].
 
*Most fields are criticized in [[1052: Every Major's Terrible]].
 
 
 
{{comic discussion}}
 
<!-- Include any categories below this line. -->
 
 
 
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
 
[[Category:Comics featuring Megan]]
 
[[Category:Comics featuring Hairy]]
 
[[Category:Comics featuring Hair Bun Girl]]
 
[[Category:Science]]
 
[[Category:Charts]]
 
[[Category:Physics]]
 
[[Category:Biology]]
 
[[Category:Chemistry]]
 
[[Category:Portmanteau]]
 

Latest revision as of 06:19, 3 January 2026

Welcome to the explain xkcd wiki!
We have an explanation for all 3211 xkcd comics, and only 62 (1.9%) are incomplete. Help us finish them!

 Go to this explanation

Latest comic[edit]

Groundhog Day Meaning
Originally, the ceremony used a variety of rodents and mustelids, but over time most people agreed it made sense to standardize on a specific individual ground squirrel in Pennsylvania.
Title text: Originally, the ceremony used a variety of rodents and mustelids, but over time most people agreed it made sense to standardize on a specific individual ground squirrel in Pennsylvania.

Explanation[edit]

Ambox warning blue construction.png This is incomplete:
This page was created by a bot on its 4,268th loop. Don't remove this notice too soon. If you can fix this issue, edit the page!

This comic was posted on Groundhog Day, February 2nd. Cueball is shown explaining the holiday to Black Hat.

Groundhog Day originates from German weather lore about the behaviour of badgers (among other animals) on the Candlemas holiday observed on 2 February. This tradition was brought over to the new world by German emigrants and turned into a superstition regarding the behavior of a groundhog (a type of rodent). Supposedly, if the groundhog does not see its shadow, the spring thaw is predicted to happen shortly thereafter. If it does see its shadow, it is frightened and retreats into its burrow, and six more weeks of winter await. The most famous prediction each year, broadcast across the U.S., has come to rest on a specific individual groundhog, named Punxsutawney Phil, in Pennsylvania.

Groundhog Day is also the title of a 1993 film starring Bill Murray. In the film, Murray's character is trapped in a time loop centered on Groundhog Day; no matter how his day ends — whether by falling asleep at the end of the day or dying somewhere during the event — the world, and everyone around him, resets to that same morning. However, Murray's character retains all memories of the previous day. In English-speaking cultures the movie has become synonymous with the plot element of a time loop. The film has previously been featured in 1076: Groundhog Day.

The title text refers to the process of standardizing measurement units, which typically involves forming a consensus among many people from a wide range of places. Basing a weather prediction on rodents (such as groundhogs) and mustelids (such as badgers) is ridiculous to start with, and basing it on a single individual (who may be thousands of miles / kilometres away) is even more so. As with most attempts to unify standards, while most people may have settled on one, there are still many holdouts who continue to cleave to their preferred system.

Transcript[edit]

Ambox warning green construction.png This is one of 42 incomplete transcripts:
Don't remove this notice too soon. If you can fix this issue, edit the page!
[Cueball and Black Hat are standing next to each other, talking. Cueball has one arm up.]
Cueball: Historically, it refers to a ceremony to predict the weather using a rodent.
Cueball: But nowadays people often use it to mean "a time loop experienced by one person."
Black Hat: ...what.
[Caption below the panel:]
Easily our weirdest holiday.

comment.png  Add comment      new topic.png  Create topic (use sparingly)     refresh discuss.png  Refresh 

Discussion

Make changes, try things out, or just have fun with the wiki here! Just leave everything above the line alone, please.


This is a test. PoolloverNathan[stalk the blue seas] 20:48, 16 March 2021 (UTC)

This is not. —While False (museum | talk | contributions | logs | rights | printable version | page information | what links there | related changes | Google search | current time: 19:12) 18:38, 17 November 2022 (UTC)
A foreign student asked me to help fight against his math teacher. That was unusual. He was in that class for just a couple of weeks. The teacher's phone number was sent to me. The student asked me to spam-call the teacher. 172.71.155.55 22:58, 18 September 2023 (UTC)

here i'm just messing around in html, ignore this

furhhfghure guyrburgryhuyvfr "rvhru"

interesting way of writing quotations xd

hmmm this one of putting "<p>" in a line break will come in handy for when i want it to start at the same place than the first line

Please beware that <p> on mediawiki also disables automatic paragraph breaks, so you need a closing </p> or you'll break automatic paragraph formatting for the rest of the page. Zmatt (talk) 22:06, 31 July 2024 (UTC)

edit: da hek did that "</div>" come from An user who has no account yet (talk) 14:14, 13 October 2023 (UTC)

hi uh its hard to get here. is this a reference to undocumented feature??? hmm... this is interesting.
108.162.241.216 02:05, 23 November 2023 (UTC)

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yum yum [citation needed]

Hiuiedeixgeyceiyedhcdiedcve {{trout}}

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More testing: hello ​ does​this​work (yes​it​does) This isn't a good name (talk) 22:44, 28 January 2026 (UTC)
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New here?[edit]

Last 30 days (Top 10)

Lots of people contribute to make this wiki a success. Many of the recent contributors above have just joined. You can do it too! Create your account here.

You can read a brief introduction about this wiki at explain xkcd. Feel free to create an account and contribute to the wiki! We need explanations for xkcd comics, characters, What If? articles, and everything in between. If it is referenced in an xkcd comic, it should be here.

  • The incomplete explanations are listed here. Feel free to help out by expanding them!

Rules[edit]

Don't be a jerk!

There are a lot of comics that don't have set-in-stone explanations; feel free to put multiple interpretations in the wiki page for each comic.

If you want to talk about a specific comic, use its discussion page.

Please only submit material directly related to xkcd and, of course, only submit material that can legally be posted and freely edited. Off-topic or other inappropriate content is subject to removal or modification at admin discretion, and users who repeatedly post such content will be blocked.

If you need assistance from an admin, post a message to the Admin requests board.

Recent comments:

3 February 2026

     18:27  Talk:2288: Collector's Edition‎ (diff | hist) . . (+271). . This isn't a good name (talk | contribs) (this is on unixkcd, I haven't seen anyone mention it here.)

     14:15 

Talk:3202: Groundhog Day Meaning‎‎ (12 changes | history) . . (+2,675). . [Nitpicking‎; Nekokami‎; 74.110.98.95‎; 2a02:8071:60f0:67a0:e9dd:54d9:e9c0:2426‎; 2001:638:807:507:d0dd:20bf:e52b:ccc4‎; Kynde‎ (2×); 82.13.184.33‎ (5×)]

     

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(cur | prev) . . (+234). . 2001:638:807:507:d0dd:20bf:e52b:ccc4 (talk)

     

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(cur | prev) . . (+90). . 82.13.184.33 (talk)

     

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(cur | prev) . . (+554). . Kynde (talk | contribs)

     

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(cur | prev) . . (+457). . Kynde (talk | contribs)

     

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(cur | prev) . . (+357). . 2a02:8071:60f0:67a0:e9dd:54d9:e9c0:2426 (talk)

     

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(cur | prev) . . (+129). . Nekokami (talk | contribs) (serpents and imbolc)

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(cur | prev) . . (+158). . Nitpicking (talk | contribs) (It's just a show. You should really just relax. ~~~~)

     

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(cur | prev) . . (+203). . 74.110.98.95 (talk) (Commented in support of mentioning "Badger Day" origins for the alt text)

     14:02  Talk:3200: Chemical Formula‎ (diff | hist) . . (+974). . 88.84.156.245 (talk) (Abundance of Tc)
     06:50  Talk:3191: Superstition‎ (diff | hist) . . (+639). . 91.186.218.129 (talk) (superstitions can be a form of coping)

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Talk:3201: Proof Without Content‎‎ (4 changes | history) . . (+534). . [Gorzog63‎ (4×)]

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(cur | prev) . . (+86). . Gorzog63 (talk | contribs) (Added an explanation of the validity of the proof)

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(cur | prev) . . (-10). . Gorzog63 (talk | contribs) (Added an explanation of the validity of the proof)

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(cur | prev) . . (0). . Gorzog63 (talk | contribs)

     

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(cur | prev) . . (+458). . Gorzog63 (talk | contribs) (Added an explanation of the validity of the proof)

     05:30  Talk:2174: First News Memory‎ (diff | hist) . . (+589). . Elizium23 (talk | contribs) (Challenger disaster: new section)

2 February 2026

N    22:47 

Talk:3202: Groundhog Day Meaning‎‎ (19 changes | history) . . (+3,164). . [Willintendo‎; Martin‎; TheusafBOT‎; Pie Guy‎; Barmar‎; 42.book.addict‎; 89.242.150.153‎; 80.41.29.9‎; 76.187.17.7‎; 67.174.239.209‎; 164.58.172.158‎; 104.32.72.95‎; Lordpishky‎ (2×); 135.84.57.36‎ (2×); DKMell‎ (3×)]

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22:47

(cur | prev) . . (-1). . DKMell (talk | contribs) (links)

     

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(cur | prev) . . (+483). . Martin (talk | contribs) (Questioning the rodent's longevity.)

     

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(cur | prev) . . (+158). . 104.32.72.95 (talk)

     

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(cur | prev) . . (+390). . Willintendo (talk | contribs)

     

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(cur | prev) . . (+124). . 89.242.150.153 (talk) (Deja vu?)

     

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(cur | prev) . . (+1). . Lordpishky (talk | contribs)

     

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(cur | prev) . . (+122). . Lordpishky (talk | contribs) (Badger badger badger badger.)

     

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(cur | prev) . . (+55). . 42.book.addict (talk | contribs)

     

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(cur | prev) . . (+74). . DKMell (talk | contribs) (contrary to usual)

     

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(cur | prev) . . (+207). . 67.174.239.209 (talk) (¿How is it that the whole body resets except the brain?: new section)

     

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(cur | prev) . . (+187). . DKMell (talk | contribs) (ditto)

     

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(cur | prev) . . (+177). . 80.41.29.9 (talk)

     

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(cur | prev) . . (+177). . 76.187.17.7 (talk) (Happy Groundhog Day everyone, again)

     

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(cur | prev) . . (+236). . Pie Guy (talk | contribs)

     

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(cur | prev) . . (+113). . TheusafBOT (talk | contribs) (Created by theusafBOT: talk page for 3202)

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Talk:3201: Proof Without Content‎‎ (5 changes | history) . . (+161). . [42.book.addict‎; Commercialegg‎ (2×); 82.13.184.33‎ (2×)]

     

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(cur | prev) . . (-2). . 42.book.addict (talk | contribs)

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(cur | prev) . . (+2). . Commercialegg (talk | contribs)

     

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(cur | prev) . . (+102). . Commercialegg (talk | contribs)

     17:21  Talk:45: Schrodinger‎ (diff | hist) . . (+156). . 164.58.172.158 (talk)
     01:22  Talk:535: It Might Be Cool‎ (diff | hist) . . (+452). . 2600:100d:b16e:4f2b:488e:e750:ae57:5d81 (talk)

1 February 2026

     21:50  Talk:2270: Picking Bad Stocks‎ (diff | hist) . . (+214). . 76.176.69.232 (talk)

     21:21 

Talk:3201: Proof Without Content‎‎ (3 changes | history) . . (+216). . [Martin‎; 81.179.199.253‎; 2607:fb91:b65:c707:d543:2a8d:d408:4945‎]

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(cur | prev) . . (+110). . Martin (talk | contribs) (reply to joke)

     

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