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  1. - Top - End - #1
    Pixie in the Playground
     
    GnomeWizardGuy

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    Default xkcd 1 (As Far As I Can Tell): Wow, That's a Really Cool Baby!

    This thread is for discussing the webcomic xkcd by Randall Munroe, the self-described "webcomic of romance, sarcasm, math, and language." Also for discussing the related series "what if?", giving "serious scientific answers to absurd hypothetical questions", also by Randall Munroe. I'm surprised there isn't a thread for this already. If there's some rule against it, or if there's already a thread for it I somehow missed, please tell me.

    The current comic as of this writing is xkcd 1651: Robotic Garage. Ah ha ha, classic Black Hat.

    The previous webcomic is xkcd 1650: Baby. I need to say "Wow, that's a really cool baby!" in real life now.

    Important links to be added later, my post count is too low to post links right now.

  2. - Top - End - #2
    Bugbear in the Playground
     
    John Campbell's Avatar

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    Default Re: xkcd 1 (As Far As I Can Tell): Wow, That's a Really Cool Baby!

    This isn't the first xkcd thread. Every so often, Munroe posts something that sparks a bunch of discussion (Hoverboard, Time, Click and Drag), and a thread starts up, and then after a while the discussion dies down and the thread falls off the front page never to be seen again.
    Play your character, not your alignment.

  3. - Top - End - #3
    Halfling in the Playground
     
    Bobblit's Avatar

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    Default Re: xkcd 1 (As Far As I Can Tell): Wow, That's a Really Cool Baby!

    Huh, I wonder why xkcd doesn't manage to have a permanent thread here. I guess it's because it has its own forums?

    Check out my comic!
    (Disclaimer: comic may or may not contain fortune-tellers in any way.)

  4. - Top - End - #4
    Bugbear in the Playground
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    Default Re: xkcd 1 (As Far As I Can Tell): Wow, That's a Really Cool Baby!

    Quote Originally Posted by Bobblit View Post
    Huh, I wonder why xkcd doesn't manage to have a permanent thread here. I guess it's because it has its own forums?
    People here like to spend a lot of time discussing plot. There's usually not a lot of plot or ambiguity to discuss with xkcd.
    I'm a Prestige Class! Thanks Zaydos!

  5. - Top - End - #5
    Dragon in the Playground Moderator
     
    Peelee's Avatar

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    Default Re: xkcd 1 (As Far As I Can Tell): Wow, That's a Really Cool Baby!

    It's not serial. Same reason I figure SMBC has no thread.
    Cuthalion's art is the prettiest art of all the art. Like my avatar.

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  6. - Top - End - #6
    Halfling in the Playground
     
    Bobblit's Avatar

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    Default Re: xkcd 1 (As Far As I Can Tell): Wow, That's a Really Cool Baby!

    Quote Originally Posted by ImperatorV View Post
    People here like to spend a lot of time discussing plot. There's usually not a lot of plot or ambiguity to discuss with xkcd.
    But they'd have 10x more opportunities to discuss the Celsius vs. Farenheit issue!

    Quote Originally Posted by Peelee View Post
    It's not serial. Same reason I figure SMBC has no thread.
    Or Dinosaur Comics, I think.
    Last edited by Bobblit; 2016-03-05 at 08:44 AM.

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  7. - Top - End - #7
    Colossus in the Playground
     
    Eldan's Avatar

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    Default Re: xkcd 1 (As Far As I Can Tell): Wow, That's a Really Cool Baby!

    Yeah. There's really not that much to say about most XKCD. I can only type "Hah, that's funny" or "I don't get this programming joke" so often.
    Resident Vancian Apologist

  8. - Top - End - #8
    Firbolg in the Playground
     
    Rockphed's Avatar

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    Default Re: xkcd 1 (As Far As I Can Tell): Wow, That's a Really Cool Baby!

    In general a comic that falls below a certain critical mass of update speed, ambiguity, and plot movement tends not to be able to power a discussion. I think the cutoff point is about twenty panels a week times about two weeks til certainty divided by six weeks per plot scene.

    The other obstacle is when the comic treads on forum-inappropriate material. Considering how often xkcd goes political, it shouldn't be surprising that it's thread dies frequently.
    Quote Originally Posted by Wardog View Post
    Rockphed said it well.
    Quote Originally Posted by Sam Starfall
    When your pants are full of crickets, you don't need mnemonics.
    Dragontar by Serpentine.

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  9. - Top - End - #9
    Colossus in the Playground
     
    BlackDragon

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    Default Re: xkcd 1 (As Far As I Can Tell): Wow, That's a Really Cool Baby!

    Quote Originally Posted by Rockphed View Post
    I think the cutoff point is about twenty panels a week times about two weeks til certainty divided by six weeks per plot scene.
    XKCD has no plot, so how does that factor in to your equation?

  10. - Top - End - #10
    Firbolg in the Playground
     
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    Default Re: xkcd 1 (As Far As I Can Tell): Wow, That's a Really Cool Baby!

    Quote Originally Posted by factotum View Post
    XKCD has no plot, so how does that factor in to your equation?
    I was literally just throwing numbers and units at the wall and seeing what sticks.

    Alternatively, XKCD typically has a strip length of 4 panels. One strip comes out 3 times a week. Plots are normally one strip long (with a couple exceptions). Thus XKCD has 12 panels per week and a plot length of 1/3 weeks. So it has a value of 36A, where A is the ambiguity or "huh, how did that work" factor. I haven't measured A for anything yet.

    Either the plot length should be in the numerator or we have a system where only a certain range of values works.
    Quote Originally Posted by Wardog View Post
    Rockphed said it well.
    Quote Originally Posted by Sam Starfall
    When your pants are full of crickets, you don't need mnemonics.
    Dragontar by Serpentine.

    Now offering unsolicited advice.

  11. - Top - End - #11
    Firbolg in the Playground
     
    137beth's Avatar

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    Default Re: xkcd 1 (As Far As I Can Tell): Wow, That's a Really Cool Baby!

    How do you factor in strips like the XKCD 2008 Christmas Special?
    It has 32 panels, but only 11 of them were "produced" due to budget shortages

  12. - Top - End - #12
    Ogre in the Playground
     
    DruidGuy

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    Default Re: xkcd 1 (As Far As I Can Tell): Wow, That's a Really Cool Baby!

    I don't know how many kilograms Rockphed threw at the wall, but he might be too busy spackling it to worry about factoring anything now.

    Spoiler: Should I worry about this happening to me?
    Show

  13. - Top - End - #13
    Titan in the Playground
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    Default Re: xkcd 1 (As Far As I Can Tell): Wow, That's a Really Cool Baby!

    Quote Originally Posted by Rockphed View Post
    In general a comic that falls below a certain critical mass of update speed, ambiguity, and plot movement tends not to be able to power a discussion.
    Yep, Gunnerkrigg Court updates three times a week (with six or eight panels per page), has a continuity, and Mr. Siddell loves to drop plotpoints and then ignore them until way later (or at least after spending a few pages on a funny conversation), so it'd pretty much the prime example of something that generates a lot of discussion.
    Last edited by Hiro Protagonest; 2016-03-06 at 07:58 PM.
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  14. - Top - End - #14
    Bugbear in the Playground
     
    hajo's Avatar

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    Default Re: xkcd 1 (As Far As I Can Tell): Wow, That's a Really Cool Baby!

    Quote Originally Posted by ImperatorV View Post
    There's usually not a lot of plot or ambiguity to discuss with xkcd.
    xkcd has a forum, and a wiki.
    BTW, the thread about time (2013-03-25) is still running (2444+ pages)

    Also, what-if. That alone makes xkcd quite unusual among webcomics.
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  15. - Top - End - #15
    Bugbear in the Playground
     
    BlackDragon

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    Default Re: xkcd 1 (As Far As I Can Tell): Wow, That's a Really Cool Baby!

    Quote Originally Posted by Peelee View Post
    It's not serial. Same reason I figure SMBC has no thread.
    I'm sorry, the comic even says cerial in the name. How can it not be sereal?

    And, is it a surprise that in a topic about XKCD, we have gone meta- and are now discussing properties of comics?

  16. - Top - End - #16
    Bugbear in the Playground
     
    John Campbell's Avatar

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    Default Re: xkcd 1 (As Far As I Can Tell): Wow, That's a Really Cool Baby!

    If anyone wants to try themselves on today's hovertext challenge...

    Spoiler
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    (Personally, my state outline identification skills are better than his state outline drawing skills.)
    Play your character, not your alignment.

  17. - Top - End - #17
    Colossus in the Playground
     
    Eldan's Avatar

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    Default Re: xkcd 1 (As Far As I Can Tell): Wow, That's a Really Cool Baby!

    I recognize Texas, Florida and what I'm pretty sure is California. Then I'm done. That said, I still beat 90% of you at Swiss Canton outlines, so there's that.
    Resident Vancian Apologist

  18. - Top - End - #18
    Ogre in the Playground
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    Default Re: xkcd 1 (As Far As I Can Tell): Wow, That's a Really Cool Baby!

    Quote Originally Posted by Eldan View Post
    I recognize Texas, Florida and what I'm pretty sure is California. Then I'm done. That said, I still beat 90% of you at Swiss Canton outlines, so there's that.
    I assume you can identify at least one, which means surely you are selling yourself low on that number.

  19. - Top - End - #19
    Colossus in the Playground
     
    BlackDragon

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    Default Re: xkcd 1 (As Far As I Can Tell): Wow, That's a Really Cool Baby!

    Quote Originally Posted by John Campbell View Post
    (Personally, my state outline identification skills are better than his state outline drawing skills.)
    He probably had to cheat a bit when drawing them in order to make it all come out as roughly the right shape.

  20. - Top - End - #20
    Colossus in the Playground
     
    Eldan's Avatar

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    Default Re: xkcd 1 (As Far As I Can Tell): Wow, That's a Really Cool Baby!

    Quote Originally Posted by Kornaki View Post
    I assume you can identify at least one, which means surely you are selling yourself low on that number.
    Well, the Germans on the forum might get a few, just by naming Swiss cities. (Pro tip: a lot of Cantons share a name with their largest city, since they were basically city states for the longest time.)
    Last edited by Eldan; 2016-03-09 at 11:03 AM.
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  21. - Top - End - #21
    Colossus in the Playground
     
    Flickerdart's Avatar

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    Default Re: xkcd 1 (As Far As I Can Tell): Wow, That's a Really Cool Baby!

    Quote Originally Posted by Eldan View Post
    That said, I still beat 90% of you at Swiss Canton outlines, so there's that.
    Cheese, Chocolate, Lucerne, and Gold?
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  22. - Top - End - #22
    Ettin in the Playground
     
    Griffon

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    Default Re: xkcd 1 (As Far As I Can Tell): Wow, That's a Really Cool Baby!

    Quote Originally Posted by Eldan View Post
    I recognize Texas, Florida and what I'm pretty sure is California. Then I'm done. That said, I still beat 90% of you at Swiss Canton outlines, so there's that.
    I saw the comic before seeing the hovertext. How can anyone not do that?
    The end of what Son? The story? There is no end. There's just the point where the storytellers stop talking.

  23. - Top - End - #23
    Bugbear in the Playground
     
    BlackDragon

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    Default Re: xkcd 1 (As Far As I Can Tell): Wow, That's a Really Cool Baby!

    Ok, how do you convert radians into celsius?

  24. - Top - End - #24
    Ettin in the Playground
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    Default Re: xkcd 1 (As Far As I Can Tell): Wow, That's a Really Cool Baby!

    Quote Originally Posted by keybounce View Post
    Ok, how do you convert radians into celsius?
    Circular thermometer.

  25. - Top - End - #25
    Firbolg in the Playground
     
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    Default Re: xkcd 1 (As Far As I Can Tell): Wow, That's a Really Cool Baby!

    Quote Originally Posted by Lethologica View Post
    Circular thermometer.
    Divide by 5, multiply by 9, and add 32.
    Quote Originally Posted by Wardog View Post
    Rockphed said it well.
    Quote Originally Posted by Sam Starfall
    When your pants are full of crickets, you don't need mnemonics.
    Dragontar by Serpentine.

    Now offering unsolicited advice.

  26. - Top - End - #26
    Ettin in the Playground
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    Default Re: xkcd 1 (As Far As I Can Tell): Wow, That's a Really Cool Baby!

    Quote Originally Posted by Rockphed View Post
    Divide by 5, multiply by 9, and add 32.


    It's not a proper unit conversion if it doesn't get into the complex plane.

  27. - Top - End - #27
    Colossus in the Playground
     
    Eldan's Avatar

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    Default Re: xkcd 1 (As Far As I Can Tell): Wow, That's a Really Cool Baby!

    Well, what does an imaginary degree look lilke?
    Resident Vancian Apologist

  28. - Top - End - #28
    Troll in the Playground
     
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    Default Re: xkcd 1 (As Far As I Can Tell): Wow, That's a Really Cool Baby!

    Quote Originally Posted by Eldan View Post
    Well, what does an imaginary degree look lilke?
    Liberal arts?
    Man this thing was full of outdated stuff.
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  29. - Top - End - #29
    Bugbear in the Playground
     
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    Default Re: xkcd 1 (As Far As I Can Tell): Wow, That's a Really Cool Baby!

    Quote Originally Posted by keybounce View Post
    Ok, how do you convert radians into celsius?
    Radians Celsius or radians Fahrenheit?

    radC/2π*360 == °C

    ((radF/2π*360)-32)/1.8 == °C
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  30. - Top - End - #30
    Barbarian in the Playground
     
    OldWizardGuy

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    Default Re: xkcd 1 (As Far As I Can Tell): Wow, That's a Really Cool Baby!

    So, as a group of GitP forumites, are there are questions we should submit to What If? Are there any blazing, unanswered questions in OOTS that could be answered by physics?

    Like, could the Mechane stay up even with a magical source of power for her lifting fans?

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