761: DFS

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DFS

Title text: A breadth-first search makes a lot of sense for dating in general, actually; it suggests dating a bunch of people casually before getting serious, rather than having a series of five-year relationships one after the other.

Explanation

When doing a blind search in computing, there are two main tactics - depth-first search, and breadth-first search. Depth-first search, as indicated in the comic, means going as far as you possibly can before looking at other possibilities. This turns out to be a bad idea, as it ends with the man having spent all morning doing research of snake venom, to the exclusion of even getting dressed. By contrast, a breadth-first search will look only minimally into a topic before moving on to another; any new depth exposed by this minimal check will be added to a list of stuff to do later. This would have allowed the man to look as far as possible into all of the things he wanted to check within the time allotted, and probably still been able to get dressed.

LD₅₀, or median lethal dose, is the dose of a toxin required to kill 50% of the population studied, usually expressed in milligrams of toxin per kilogram of body mass. The inland taipan's venom does, indeed, have highest median lethal dose among snake venoms. (Fortunately, it is extremely shy in temperament, and will always escape danger rather than bite if it can, which is why it isn't considered to be a particularly dangerous snake.)

Incidentally, corn snakes and garter snakes are not even remotely dangerous to humans (in fact they're the most popular pet snakes), and of the four different species commonly known as "copperheads," the only dangerously venomous one is the Deinagkistrodon or sharp-nosed viper.

The relationship advice given in the title-text should probably not be taken seriously.

Transcript

Preparing for a date:

[A man with wet hair and a towel around his waist thinks with his hand to his chin.]

Man: (What situations might I prepare for? 1) medical emergency, 2) dancing, 3) food too expensive...)

[Close-up on man's face.]

Man: (Okay, what kind of emergencies can happen? 1)A) snakebite, B) lightning strike, C) fall from chair...)

[Still thinking...]

Man: (Hmm. Which snakes are dangerous? Let's see... 1)A)a) Corn Snake? b) Garter Snake? c) Copperhead?)

[Sits down in a chair with a laptop, still wearing towel.]

Man: (The research comparing snake venoms is scattered and inconsistent. I'll make a spreadsheet to organize it.)

(Bottom panel is larger than top four, and aligned to right.)

[A woman meets the man on his front stoop. She is carrying a purse, and looks down at his towel. The man holds his arms in the air triumphantly.]

Woman: I'm here to pick you up. You're not dressed?

Man: By LD₅₀, the Inland Taipan has the deadliest venom of ANY snake!

Caption: I really need to stop using depth-first searches.

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Discussion

I'm curious about the half-cut-off options in each panel. The first looks like '[something] eating contest,' the second looks like 'tracheal [something],' and the third looks like 'coral snake.' Alanbbent (talk) 23:49, 22 November 2013 (UTC)

I think you may be right about the snake, but the others I am not so sure. However, I can't help out with better suggestions... 108.162.219.58 23:53, 23 January 2014 (UTC)

I think the eating contest one says "bee eating contest".141.101.98.185 07:43, 17 November 2014 (UTC)

For what it's worth, I was reading "bee dating contest". 141.101.103.210 21:19, 10 September 2015 (UTC)

I saw "bee dating context" 173.245.54.20 02:23, 7 November 2015 (UTC)

Inland Taipan, also known as the Fierce Snake. Dude, wikipedia might tell you this one is shy, but its still a taipan - don't be going and getting relaxed around taipans. If its in Australia and its a snake, its a fair bet you don't want touch it. Plm-qaz snr (talk) 12:43, 13 August 2014 (UTC) [Australia]

Ironically, I've never seen any xkcd character quite as dressed as Hairy in this strip... Mumiemonstret (talk) 14:09, 3 November 2014 (UTC)

Megan isn't "wearing nothing at all"! She is wearing a purse, which in fashion is also accessory. And that is practical for a date. 162.158.91.219 (talk) (please sign your comments with ~~~~)

Simple addition: first frame says 'BFF dating control'? 172.68.34.22 (talk) (please sign your comments with ~~~~)

I don't think so.--Dgbrt (talk) 16:16, 16 June 2017 (UTC)

Several suggestions for the last entry visible:

• BFF Rating Contest
• Off Dating Content
• Off Dating Context

Chemikerhero --198.41.242.11 18:30, 30 August 2017 (UTC)

To me it said "BFF Dating Contest". It kind of sounds like it makes sense - a contest each person dates the BFF(s) of the other person? Lol. Numbermaniac (talk) 04:16, 15 January 2020 (UTC)

I wonder if the 'lightning strike' possibility was meant as a reference to a couple who made the news a few years ago when they survived a lightning strike by holding hands... 172.69.34.148 20:58, 5 January 2021 (UTC)

For those with a mind to this problem of dating, the dating strategy advised by (some?) mathematicians is to no-strings date 37% (or 1/e^th) of your theoretical total possible partners and then to commit immediately to the next new date who is 'better' than any of these that you already passed over. How you implement this in practice is not defined exactly. ;) 162.158.159.85 21:07, 25 January 2022 (UTC)