xkcd

disguy_ovahea , in xkcd #2945: Broken Model
Assman , in xkcd #2929: Good and Bad Ideas
@Assman@sh.itjust.works avatar

What is this transition lense slander

Evotech ,

I know right, I recently replaced my glasses with transition lenses and it's pretty nice.

Who doesn't want automated sunglasses? Not seeing any downsides yet. Only thing I know they don't work in cars, but I don't generally drive so it's ok

The technology has come a long way since the 90s

SidewaysHighways ,

They have different varieties, some do work in the car

Evotech ,

But then they would probably work in a well lit office too.

aBundleOfFerrets ,

The human brain is very good at smoothing over brightness differences, even an oppressively well lit office is still typically an order of magnitude dimmer than the sun.

BearOfaTime ,

No, they don't change inside (I've had them). They do have a slight tint all the time though, which isn't a big deal.

Evotech ,

Was it long ago? Mine have no tint

surewhynotlem ,

In the cold they take too long to transition to clear. So you end up taking them off for a few seconds when you go inside. It's only minorly annoying.

rockerface ,
@rockerface@lemm.ee avatar

To be fair, regular glasses mist up anyway when going inside from the cold, so you take them off anyway

Evotech ,

Didn't really notice much in the winter here

Grandwolf319 ,

Can confirm, it’s all positives with the only downside being that it costs a little more.

twice_twotimes ,

One problem my mom did not anticipate was that she would be stuck effectively wearing sunglasses for my brother’s outdoor wedding, where was sitting up with the bride and groom for the whole thing (Indian wedding). She just looked like an asshole, and continues to look like an asshole in the just about every photo of the ceremony. Oops.

Evotech ,

Haha. Good point. You pretty much always have sunglasses on outside like it or not. Even when its shady

WalrusDragonOnABike ,

Why would wearing sunglasses outdoors make someone look like an asshole?

wizardbeard ,

I find that they don't "un-tint" when going inside fast enough for my liking, personally.

Creates kind of the opposite effect of going from a dim room into a bright space. Instead of evrything seeming extra bright, it just dimmed everything and made it more difficult to see.

rsuri , in xkcd #2922: Pub Trivia

4 is a trick question. Both had zero shark attacks, the so-called "shark" in Jaws was in fact a symbol of predatory capitalism and its amoral violence against the proletariat

lowleveldata , in xkcd #217: e to the pi Minus pi (31 Jan 2007)

There's no way that I'd believe e^π^−π to be an integer without seeing a proof

blargerer ,

e^iπ tricks you into thinking e is magic.

piecat ,

It.... Kinda is?

marcos ,

Nature has quite a special place for the basis of the natural logarithm.

SchmidtGenetics , in xkcd #2915: Eclipse Clouds

Something that can happen any day vs a potentially once in a lifetime experience…. Yeah I can totally see why someone would be equally excited about those.

scarilog ,

Tis a joke my good sir

SchmidtGenetics ,

And some people truly don’t see the difference.

mononomi , in xkcd #2914: Eclipse Coolnesss

Now I looked up the next total eclipse in europe. Spain 12 August 2026 here I come!

Btw, is a total eclipse that different from an annular eclipse? Anybody got tips on what to do?

invisiblegorilla ,

I think the problem with this one was how close it was to to sunset.

Global Event: Total Solar Eclipse, in Spain

Start of Partial: Wed, 12 Aug 2026, 19:30 CEST

Start of Totality: Wed, 12 Aug 2026, 20:26 CEST

End of Totality: Wed, 12 Aug 2026, 20:33 CEST

End of Partial: Wed, 12 Aug 2026, 20:46 WEST

Sunset:

  • 20:49 - Wednesday, August 12, 2026 (GMT+2)
NeatNit ,

in an annular eclipse you don't get the "someone broke the sky" thing. It basically means there's always bits of the sun sticking out from around the moon.

Edit: so bascially the whole spike in the middle of the graph is gone

bdonvr ,

An annular eclipse happens when the moon is farther out, making it appear smaller than the sun. So when it covers it, you still see a ring of sun. Cool, but not spectacular. You need special glasses for sun viewing the entire time. It looks like so:

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/e7/2023_Annual_Eclipse.jpg

A total solar eclipse is when the moon is closer and appears as large or larger than the sun, completely blocking it. This creates a temporary night-like environment for a small section of the earth. It also makes it so that you can view the sun's outer atmosphere, which extends away from the sun in ghostly white outcroppings. This is always there, but the sun's surface is so bright it usually drowns it out. It appears about as bright as a full moon, viewable with the naked eye. The moon itself becomes absolutely, mesmerizingly black. Even very-science minded persons have described it as a religious experience

https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/SNoNFdiH2LP2FSyYTfr5SP-320-80.jpg

CherenkovBlue ,
@CherenkovBlue@iusearchlinux.fyi avatar

If you are in the path of totality, go find a spot early on and just kind of hang out - bring snacks and water and a book. If you aren't familiar with the area, download a map on your phone because the cell network might be slammed with people. Don't look at the sun without solar glasses until totality. The moon takes a while to move in front of the sun and the light level gradually drops, but you won't notice it until probably 90% of the sun is covered. Once totality occurs, you can look at the eclipse with the naked eye.

It is beautiful and indescribable and I was profoundly moved when I watched the 2017 eclipse. I will watch the upcoming one, provided the clouds don't cover it.

Once the eclipse is over, prepare to wait for traffic. It might be a while to get out because so many people go to such a small area.

CherenkovBlue ,
@CherenkovBlue@iusearchlinux.fyi avatar

If you go north/west, the eclipse will take place a bit higher over the horizon. If you go to the eastern part/coast of Spain, it will be very low to the horizon, which would maybe suck inland but might be cool over the ocean.

leaky_shower_thought , in xkcd #2913: Periodic Table Regions

"super fancy protons" is special in its own

but boron is specialer.

dependencyinjection ,

Can you explain for an idiot.

JoeBigelow ,
@JoeBigelow@lemmy.ca avatar

A hydrogen ion doesn't necessarily have a neutron, making it sort of a fancy proton, with a little friend somewhere around.

kofe ,

But why is boron specialer

orphiebaby , (edited )

"Boron" rhymes with "moron", but we can't say that anymore because it's politically-incorrect, so we say "special". /jk

Donkter ,

Like a... Boron?

De_Narm , in xkcd #156: Commented

The joke is fine, but most of all it makes me appreciate how far xkcd has come since then. It's been awesome for so long, sometimes you forget he ever was a beginner.

odium , in xkcd #2947: Pascal's Wager Triangle

Hinduism with 330 million gods somewhere deep down that tree.

lars ,

Since I read that number for the first time last month, I’ve been wondering which seems wilder to a Hindu: monotheists or atheists?

Everythingispenguins ,

Monotheists 100%

lars ,

I want to believe this, so—unlike monotheists in such a situation—I am suspicious of the answer

MBM ,

I think some Hindus would say they're monotheists because all gods are just different aspects of Brahman. Don't quote me on this though.

randomaccount43543 OP , in xkcd #2913: Periodic Table Regions
captainjaneway , in xkcd #2891: Log Cabin
@captainjaneway@lemmy.world avatar

Base case when the smallest piece of wood can no longer be distinguished as a piece of furniture

lung ,
@lung@lemmy.world avatar

Big oof

robolemmy ,
@robolemmy@lemmy.world avatar

So the quantized plank length?

NoRodent ,
@NoRodent@lemmy.world avatar

The "No nesting" rule should apparently apply not only to model rail but also to log cabins.

Nomecks ,

Mandelbrot furniture set

samus12345 , in xkcd #2944: Magnet Fishing
@samus12345@lemmy.world avatar

Very Far Side.

FiniteBanjo , in xkcd #2940: Modes of Transportation

Technicalities:

Planes are safer per mile but not per trip. One could argue that if people spent the same amount of time in both then it would be far more fatalities on aircrafts.

Cars are technically the major source of danger for bikes and scooters.

sus ,

also a fun fact, while commercial aviation is very safe, private planes are much more dangerous, being almost as dangerous per mile as a regular car (and you get a lot more miles per hour of travel)

14th_cylon ,

private planes are much more dangerous, being almost as dangerous per mile as a regular car

that is because they are operated by semi-competent people who often have less practice then they have in car.

imagine how competent driver you are when you have your fresh license. it is the same with piloting license. and now imagine you are a hobby pilot and can afford to spend in the cockpit 3 hours per month. your skill is not really going to get significantly better. you are probably flying airplane that is at the end of its life, because that is only one you can afford, and there may be no one keeping an eye on you telling you "this is not how we do it, it is risky, dangerous, and you will get someone killed".

AeonFelis ,

That already fits with the chart - "commercial aviation" is "airlines" and "private planes" are "light aircraft".

sus ,

how did I miss that..

hsdkfr734r , in xkcd #2922: Pub Trivia

5: originally? None. They say there were no stars or planets. Also time and space came to be afterwards.

Edit: I just read the explainxkcd, I get it now. :)

FiniteBanjo , (edited )
  1. Don Majkowski threw a game winning touchdown pass to Sterling Sharpe in 1989 but the points were taken away as an illegal forward pass penalty, until later they saw the replay footage and awarded the points post game.
kometes ,
@kometes@lemmy.world avatar

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Instant_Replay_Game There were 37 seconds left when it was overturned--not post game.

FiniteBanjo ,

32 seconds, actually. They must have paused the game timer during the four minute deliberation, drat! If we could find a single example of results being overturned outside of a game then that would satisfy the question.

prunerye , in xkcd #2914: Eclipse Coolnesss

Having seen a total eclipse before, I know solar eclipses are in danger of being overhyped. IMO, they probably aren't worth driving across the country. But if all you need is a 3 to 5 hour drive to get to the path of totality, I think you should absolutely do it. They're legit. Not, like, life changing, but legit. Find a place with a few trees so you can watch the crescent shadows and maybe hear some wildlife freak out.

ZMoney ,

Unless it's cloudy

root_beer ,

I’m in the path of totality but I fully expect it to be overcast here. Because of course it would be.

Malfeasant ,

As someone who drove across country for the last eclipse - Phoenix to bfe Oregon - it's worth doing once in your life. Even in the middle of nowhere, there were enough people around that when the moment of totality came, there was a very audible collective gasp, it was pretty awesome.

  • All
  • Subscribed
  • Moderated
  • Favorites
  • random
  • xkcd@lemmy.world
  • test
  • worldmews
  • mews
  • All magazines