1190: "Time"

[BlitzGirl]

Baobabs, that's an impressive mountain bike, balthacraftsman!

↫

↫
I like the little quotelinky thing (↫) in your post, Aluisio. Is that done via script, or manually?

I'm using this:

Spoiler:

Code: Select all

// ==UserScript==
// @name           XKCD Post Quote Link
// @namespace      com.scorcheduniverse
// @description    Automatically turns a quoted post into a quoted link
// @include        http://forums.xkcd.com/*
// @include        http://echochamber.me/*
// @include        http://fora.xkcd.com/*
// ==/UserScript==
var readyStateCheckInterval = setInterval(function () {
        if (document.readyState === "complete") {
            clearInterval(readyStateCheckInterval);

            linksToJumps();
            addQuotingLinks();
            createQuoteOverrideScript();
            makeQuoteLinksPrettier();
        }
}, 10);

function linksToJumps() {
    var links = document.links;
    for (var i = 0; i < links.length; i++) {
        var postIdMatchInPostLink = links[i].href.match(/\?p=(\d*)#\d*/i);
        if (postIdMatchInPostLink) {
            var postName = "p" + postIdMatchInPostLink[1];
            if (document.getElementsByName(postName).length > 0 ||
                document.getElementById(postName)) {
                links[i].href = "#" + postName;
            }
        }
    }
}

function addQuotingLinks() {
    var postId = window.location.href.match(/quote&f=\d*&p=(\d*)/i);
    var reply = document.getElementsByName("message")[0];
    if (postId && reply) {
        var poster = reply.value.match(/\[quote="(?!\[url=)(.*?)"\]/i);
        if (postId[1] && poster[1]) {
            var postLink = '[url=http://forums.xkcd.com/viewtopic.php?p=' + postId[1] + '#p' + postId[1] + ']↫[/url]';
            var newString = '[quote="' + poster[1] + '"]' + postLink + '\n';
            reply.value = reply.value.replace(poster[0], newString);
        }
    }
}

function createQuoteOverrideScript() {
    var quoteScript = document.createElement("script");
    quoteScript.textContent = addquote.toString();
    document.body.appendChild(quoteScript);
}

function makeQuoteLinksPrettier() {
    //Transforms any quote arrow link into a link on the quote text
    Array.from(document.querySelectorAll("blockquote > div > cite + a")).forEach(function (aElement) {
        if (aElement.text === "↶") {
            var citeElement = aElement.parentElement.children[0];
            aElement.parentElement.querySelector("cite + a + br").remove();
            aElement.remove();
            aElement.text = citeElement.textContent;
            citeElement.textContent = "";
            citeElement.appendChild(aElement);
        }
    });
}

/// **********************************************************************************
/// Below replicated from PHPBB javascript with minor modification to add link
/// **********************************************************************************
function addquote(post_id, username, l_wrote) {
    var message_name = 'message_' + post_id;
    var theSelection = '';
    var divarea = false;

    if (l_wrote === undefined) {
        // Backwards compatibility
        l_wrote = 'wrote';
    }

    if (document.all) {
        divarea = document.all[message_name];
    } else {
        divarea = document.getElementById(message_name);
    }

    // Get text selection - not only the post content :(
    // IE9 must use the document.selection method but has the *.getSelection so we just force no IE
    if (window.getSelection && !is_ie && !window.opera) {
        theSelection = window.getSelection().toString();
    } else if (document.getSelection && !is_ie) {
        theSelection = document.getSelection();
    } else if (document.selection) {
        theSelection = document.selection.createRange().text;
    }

    if (theSelection === '' || typeof theSelection === 'undefined' || theSelection == null) {
        if (divarea.innerHTML) {
            theSelection = divarea.innerHTML.replace(/<br>/ig, '\n');
            theSelection = theSelection.replace(/<br\/>/ig, '\n');
            theSelection = theSelection.replace(/&lt\;/ig, '<');
            theSelection = theSelection.replace(/&gt\;/ig, '>');
            theSelection = theSelection.replace(/&amp\;/ig, '&');
            theSelection = theSelection.replace(/&nbsp\;/ig, ' ');
        } else if (document.all) {
            theSelection = divarea.innerText;
        } else if (divarea.textContent) {
            theSelection = divarea.textContent;
        } else if (divarea.firstChild.nodeValue) {
            theSelection = divarea.firstChild.nodeValue;
        }
    }

    if (theSelection) {
        if (bbcodeEnabled) {
            var postLink = '[url=http://forums.xkcd.com/viewtopic.php?p=' + post_id + '#p' + post_id + ']↶[/url]';
            var newText = '[quote="' + username + '"]' + postLink + '\n' + theSelection + '[/quote]';

            insert_text(newText);

            //insert_text('[quote="' + username + '"]' + theSelection + '[/quote]');
        } else {
            insert_text(username + ' ' + l_wrote + ':' + '\n');
            var lines = split_lines(theSelection);
            for (i = 0; i < lines.length; i++) {
                insert_text('> ' + lines[i] + '\n');
            }
        }
    }

    return;
};


Awesomeful! Thank you! I'll try it out now.

↫
The quotes page only covers the first few hundred NPs.
This is not because there are no good quotes after that, there are lots. Have people grown weary of adding to it, but someone re blitzing the thread could start again? Was it decided that later posts are unworthy, or that having that page would lessen the appeal of blitzing? Or is it that the sheer number of memorable quotes in 2500+ pages of posts by such creative people is simply too much for such a list?
If it were to cover the whole thread, it would necessarily have to be split into multiple pages, like the OTTification list.
I have almost reached page 278 in my quasi reblitz, should I begin at that point collecting the best quotes to add to the list, or leave them shrouded in the mists of Time?

More saving of quotes would be molpish. I think we just didn't have any wikiwarriors dedicated to quotekeeping after a certain point. I don't even remember the last Time I looked at the OTW quotes page. *looks* Ah. Those are all oldish quotes. The last page edit was in August 2013^H! The whole thing could probably use a visit from a friendly formatting fairy, and be chopped up into smaller pieces as you suggest. If you're feeling ambitious, I'd say go for it! (AnyOTTer who wants to, really.)

Optional decree:
Visit our OTW!
Read a bit, or make an edit!

[ggh]

Take the box and drive to the place

Drive? You don't have anything drivable.
Drive is not what you'll be doing today.
How could you get such an idea?

I blame the Americans.

[balthasar_s]

-A different browser doesn't seem to work (I only have Chrome and Internet Explorer)
-Other computers don't work
-A different network works
-I'm on vacation in England and other computers don't work. I haven't tested in countries other than England and France

Conclusion: I have a small warphole/temporal rift localized in my Chrome application.
Would these be the signs of a quantum computer / could I make a quantum computer with this?

Which means that I cannot make a bot which will check the numbers automatically...

I think a very good idea would be to use a program like Wireshark, for example, to see what exactly is going on in your network interface while you are doing this. This would be very useful information.

I see several possibilities:

• The server shows you the "other" Times only if it sees that you use Chrome. Maybe it recognizes it by the Useragent string, http headers, whatever else.
  You could change Chrome's useragent string and see if it still works.
  You could make a different browser pretend to be Chrome and se if it works then.
• Chrome doesn't send the URLs that you type but instead it sends something different. That would explain why it doesn't work in other browsers. This would be easily visible in a Wireshark log.
• Chrome is not even using TCP/IP but "connects" to Time differently. (CTIF?)
• Chrome is not connecting to anything at all. It generates the alternative pages by itself, or has them stored locally on your computer.

[addams]

Zoom!
Zoom!

Time has had Lift Off!

Zoom!
Zoom!

Way up there, over my head...
In the Land of Computery, Organized Sand.

I'll Wait.

Spoiler:

Time will Land, Someday.

Back on The Ground where GreenHouses blow away in the Night.
And; Seedlings chase ggh out of her home.

What car will ggh drive next?
What Strange places will she drive it?

What Wonders will ED and
StormAngel find DownUnder?

I'll Wait.
I'll watch for landing gear to appear.

[112358Daniel]

-A different browser doesn't seem to work (I only have Chrome and Internet Explorer)
-Other computers don't work
-A different network works
-I'm on vacation in England and other computers don't work. I haven't tested in countries other than England and France

Conclusion: I have a small warphole/temporal rift localized in my Chrome application.
Would these be the signs of a quantum computer / could I make a quantum computer with this?

Which means that I cannot make a bot which will check the numbers automatically...

I think a very good idea would be to use a program like Wireshark, for example, to see what exactly is going on in your network interface while you are doing this. This would be very useful information.

I see several possibilities:

• The server shows you the "other" Times only if it sees that you use Chrome. Maybe it recognizes it by the Useragent string, http headers, whatever else.
  You could change Chrome's useragent string and see if it still works.
  You could make a different browser pretend to be Chrome and se if it works then.
• Chrome doesn't send the URLs that you type but instead it sends something different. That would explain why it doesn't work in other browsers. This would be easily visible in a Wireshark log.
• Chrome is not even using TCP/IP but "connects" to Time differently. (CTIF?)
• Chrome is not connecting to anything at all. It generates the alternative pages by itself, or has them stored locally on your computer.

I'm not very skilled in this kind of thing,

Spoiler:

don't judge me *blush*

Could you explain how I could verify these possibilities? Also, I don't have administrator privileges on this account on my computer (I'm a minor) and I don't think my parents would accept my explanation. Are there any possibilities that don't need that?

[mrob27]

I happened across an app backup file on my old phone called "xkcd Time Live Wallpaper_1.11.apk". Does anyone still need it?

Wildhound posted a link to it here [which links to this ]

It would be nice if someone more Androidically-enabled than I could take this and somehow modify it to display whatever frame is on my live replay site. It seems to just pull an image URL out of http://xkcd.mscha.org/time_latest.csv, which of course shows an epilogue frame. But maybe if there were a live-updated file located at, say … http://www.mrob.com/time/replay/f.csv … ?
　 (Hints: the APK file is neither compressed nor encrypted, the mscha URL appears as a string inside it, and my URL is magically the same length! But the modified APK file might fail a consistency test (checksum to detect errors) unless something else is done to it.)

[BlitzGirl]

Rosetta-in-a-castle decides the place could use some greenery:

[macraw83]

I happened across an app backup file on my old phone called "xkcd Time Live Wallpaper_1.11.apk". Does anyone still need it?

Wildhound posted a link to it here [which links to this ]

It would be nice if someone more Androidically-enabled than I could take this and somehow modify it to display whatever frame is on my live replay site. It seems to just pull an image URL out of http://xkcd.mscha.org/time_latest.csv, which of course shows an epilogue frame. But maybe if there were a live-updated file located at, say … http://www.mrob.com/time/replay/f.csv … ?
　 (Hints: the APK file is neither compressed nor encrypted, the mscha URL appears as a string inside it, and my URL is magically the same length! But the modified APK file might fail a consistency test (checksum to detect errors) unless something else is done to it.)

Considering that the developer of said app was still active in the OTT as of a wip or so ago, might just require a quick summon (and if this doesn't work maybe a PM will do):

OTC live wallpaper update:
(snip)
Update is pushed and should be available in an hour or so.[/spoiler]

The OTC live wallpaper has been on my phone since you announced it here. However, I installed LineageOS and was too naive to think I'd just reinstall it from the store... It seems the live wallpaper has been pulled from the Google Play Store. I cound't find it on F-Droid either. It is still available on several APK sites, but I obviously trust the OTT much more than I do e.g. downloadatoz.com. So please, please Wildhound could you please put a copy of the latest version somewhere (on the Wiki, perhaps?) or at least publish a hash of the original apk? The one I got from a random site has this MD5 hash:

Code: Select all

536d3e40705bdd4f8c8359bd49bef09d  com.changeofplangames.xkcd.time.apk

Cheers!
Flado

Hi there, I've uploaded it here for you, but feel free to host it elsewhere if you please.

[mrob27]

Yep. I didn't want to impose upon @Wildhound, inasmuch as xe might be too busy to dig up the Android Studio project and get it to compile/build again. But yes, that would be best

[ggh]

Bonsai baobab? Treeish!

I'll Wait.

Spoiler:

Time will Land, Someday.

Back on The Ground where GreenHouses blow away in the Night.
And; Seedlings chase ggh out of her home.

What car will ggh drive next?
What Strange places will she drive it?

What Wonders will ED and
StormAngel find DownUnder?

I'll Wait.
I'll watch for landing gear to appear.

Yesterday, I was thinking of you as it rained.
It was p*ssing down - I forget, do we use that expression in the US?

Because I grew up in the Northeast, I still convert to snow in my head when I hear rain amounts:
If it was cold, we would have had 3 feet of snow yesterday -
there would have been 2 feet over the space of 5 hours - would that have been a blizzard?

It's a silly thing for me to think about. Snow is not a thing here.
We get a dusting every 5 years or so.

[GnomeAnne]

Cake!

Batman

ohhhhh, I see it now, I was looking for this :

Spoiler:

download (1).png (3.74 KiB) Viewed 12044 times

REDUNDANT

Spoiler:

The preserves look a lot more red when not viewed through the internet.

Edited to add cake
And again to add the "Edited to add" notes.
And for formatting.

[addams]

Bonsai baobab? Treeish!

I'll Wait.

Spoiler:

Time will Land, Someday.

Back on The Ground where GreenHouses blow away in the Night.
And; Seedlings chase ggh out of her home.

What car will ggh drive next?
What Strange places will she drive it?

What Wonders will ED and
StormAngel find DownUnder?

I'll Wait.
I'll watch for landing gear to appear.

Yesterday, I was thinking of you as it rained.
It was p*ssing down - I forget, do we use that expression in the US?

Because I grew up in the Northeast, I still convert to snow in my head when I hear rain amounts:
If it was cold, we would have had 3 feet of snow yesterday -
there would have been 2 feet over the space of 5 hours - would that have been a blizzard?

It's a silly thing for me to think about. Snow is not a thing here.
We get a dusting every 5 years or so.

Yes. We use the words, "Pissing Rain".

We borrowed them from a more Traditional English speaking people.
Most likely, we will Not give them back. You can, still, use them.

brrr...You spent your childhood with Snow!
Now, we know that much more about you.

You and I, now, share a climate, half way around the world from one another.
Under 'Normal' circumstances, we get a dusting of Snow every five years or so.

This year was Highly Unusual.
I was SnowBound, more than once.

And; We had multiple Hurricanes dance in off The Pacific.
Like a series of Wild Ballerinas, each one doing her Best.

Garden Chatter:

Spoiler:

I have found a cluster of Bleeding Hearts.
The were my Mother's favorite flower. The are a Native, here.
https://www.google.com/search?q=bleedin ... JMVG3P0yCM:

I have built a haphazard Deer Proof fence to protect them.
They are on the Deer menu the way Quail are on the Menu.

Poor cute little Quail.
They are on all meat eater's Menu.
And; They seem to know it.

There are Male LookOuts, at all Times.
They will Never be tame, like the Deer.

oh...It seems, the Blue Jays are going to be a noisy Fact of Life for me.
I can Not convince them to Go Away! Y-O-Y must they sound that way??

The Rain Stopped for three whole days.
The Trees lost no Time dispersing pollen.

I had to wipe the pollen from my windscreen,
Before I could drive Lucille. Pollen that thick!

Back Up in the Stratosphere of Computer Mysteries.

Zoom!
Zoom!

Up over my head like Jets Zooming to Cities far away.
I can see them. I have No Idea what is going on up there.

***Pre-Post, Edit:
Oh!! Balthasar!!

You had eight hours with friends that Treasure you so.
Yes. Eight hours spent in Good Company goes so Fast!

Einstein used the presence of Good Company to explain The Relativity of Time.
You understand Time the way Dr. Einstein understood Time. Maybe, better.

Thank you for taking us along with you!

[ZoomanSP]

New OtherComic.

[ggh]

GnomeAnne, that's Awesomeful!

I'm going to add that to the wiki!
Chirp it - I think I'm going to put it in twice. How do you like them apples?!


ETA: what flavour is the topping?
ETA2: IRL, does (did) it look a little like this?

Spoiler:

Or did I go too far? I hit it gleefully with the hammer of colour correction. (Some might say "bludgeoned it.")
ETA3: Hmm, should it have been more purple? Less even?

[mscha]

UNGLIS...

Spoiler:

Wait for it.

(Colorization by ZoomanSP.)

Replay Time live here!

OTT Time Travel

THIS IS RECENT STARCAT, I MUST EMPINKEN IT

-- posted by oldpixbot

[BlitzGirl]

What a scrumptious-looking cakepix!
Is it heresy to want to consume Time itself?

I don't think we can build it much taller than this. It's been fun, though!

Cueball returns to the tents of the Forty. After a moment, Megan agrees and also returns. They spend the last few dips of their lives untroubled by a thirst for knowledge, sore hiking feet, raptorcats, or bebeanied scientists. Then suddenly the sea becomes too seaish and overwhelms the raftcastleless Cueganites, who all drown horribly. The final newpix, which is of course now underwater, is entirely black with coffeecancer.

Thus ends Time.

↫

Batman

ohhhhh, I see it now, I was looking for this :

Spoiler:

download (1).png

I've used Batman-as-symbol a few times, but it seems to be picked up on a lot more quickly, which is unmolpish because it can throw Drawception games off-course. A stylized Batman head, at least for me, is easier to disguise.

(And sometimes I sneak in other heads too.)

[112358Daniel]

I don't think we can build it much taller than this. It's been fun, though!

Cueball returns to the tents of the Forty. After a moment, Megan agrees and also returns. They spend the last few dips of their lives untroubled by a thirst for knowledge, sore hiking feet, raptorcats, or bebeanied scientists. Then suddenly the sea becomes too seaish and overwhelms the raftcastleless Cueganites, who all drown horribly. The final newpix, which is of course now underwater, is entirely black with coffeecancer.

Thus ends Time.

I predict other futures, not you. You travel through time, I travel through multiverses. Ok?
Just kidding.
Ish.

[balthasar_s]

There are enough multiverses for everyone.

[Valarya]

I was summoned via PM by a couple of steakish otters in the same week that my co-workers were posting GRR's OtherComics in hipchat. The coincidence was too great and I came by for a molpish hug. And to hand out cupcakes, of course.



And you're all still here.

[ucim]

Awesomeful cake GnomeAnne! And no, BlitzGirl, it's not heresy at all to consume Time. We are all but tiny droplets in the Sea of Time, but together, we make up Time.

Spoiler:

Now that is heresy! Only the Great Lord Randall can make Time! I'll go sit in the comfy chair and contemplate T1i, TAT, and all the other incarnations, which have already been declared canon. Maybe it's not heresy at all. A contradiction. A Holy Contradiction! mmmm chocoloate!

And Oh me yarm it's Valarya!!!! O Molpish Day! Callou! Callay!

Of course we're still here! We're waiting for it!

Jose

[mrob27]

There are enough multiverses for everyone!!

"There are enough multiverses for ((everyone)factorial)factorial."
FTFY (factorial-ed that for you) !

[ggh]

Mmmm.... Hugs I can eat.... I think I'll molpy down to some sweet comavisions now. Thanks, Valarya!




(ooh, but first... those batmans... have been there the whole Time? Are they *shudder* everywhere? Is there a batman Under the Same Stars?)

[Sciscitor]

And you're all still here.

Hi Valarya! Thanks for the cakehugs. And of course we are still here, where else should we be waiting?

[BlitzGirl]

Holy ch*rp, it's Valarya! With cupcakes!! Hi Val! Awesomeful to see you!

↫
(ooh, but first... those batmans... have been there the whole Time? Are they *shudder* everywhere? Is there a batman Under the Same Stars?)

They only live in Drawception panels, their natural habitat. (I don't think raptorcats and hiddenbats would get along very well.)

Megan departUNG:

[mscha]

SKIUNGS...

Spoiler:

Wait for it.

(Colorization by balthasar_s.)

Replay Time live here!

OTT Time Travel

ONE DOES NOT SIMPLY COMA INTO BFTF

-- posted by oldpixbot

[Gingercat]

(And sometimes I sneak in other heads too.)

Strong Bad perhaps?

[GnomeAnne]

Baobabs!
The colorised version is perfect! The icing was maybe a little too light, but the red was just right. I microwaved the topping to soften it so I could spread it, but it got a little too soft, and by the time I took the picture, it had started soaking into the cake and getting darker. But that's what it looked like when I put it on.

The "cake" was a double batch of the "Disgustingly Rich Brownies" recipe from klutz's A Very Slightly Messy Manual, but with chunks of Hershey bars instead of walnuts, and white grape juice concentrate instead of water.
The topping was pureed cherry preserves mixed with strawberry jam, whipped cream with [heresy]too much sugar[/heresy] (which is why you should use measuring cups instead of pouring directly from the bag into your recipe), and chocolate cream cheese frosting.

I used a projector to transfer the picture from my lapleopard to the brownies.

[addams]

Nice Cake.
Weather Report:

Spoiler:

Three days no Rain.
One Day Bright Sunlight.

Now...It's Raining. The wind is fierce.
Of course, the Rain is being pushed by gale force winds.
And; Punctuated with Thunder.

Wet.
It has been and continues to be a Wet Year.

One year, 2009, (I think) we had a Hurricane on May 5th.
It could happen again. I grow weary of the rain. (ho-hum)

I've noticed a difference in the sound of the Rain.
Spring/Summer Rain falls on broadleaf plants.

That is a unique and soothing sound.
Even for a person that is tired of Rain.

edit:

Spoiler:

The moment after I touched the Submit button,
I lose electricity and internet.

Now; Both are back.
(phew)

[112358Daniel]

There are enough multiverses for everyone!!

"There are enough multiverses for ((everyone)factorial)factorial."
FTFY (factorial-ed that for you) !

I came to this thread to have silly and fun discussions, not to listen to reasonable people.

[balthasar_s]

Luckily, both things are possible here.
Sometimes even at the same time.

[112358Daniel]

Luckily, both things are possible here.
Sometimes even at the same time.

Fine, I'll share.

[BlitzGirl]

Bonsai baobab? Treeish!

Rosetta-in-a-castle thought that bringing greenery into said castle was a good idea. But there were unforeseen side effects...

Strong Bad perhaps?

Meant it to be Spiderman originally, but I can totally see Strong Bad there too. May have to deliberately hide him one of these dips.

[Eternal Density]

I don't believe in the multiverse. One united universe is enough for us all!

[GnomeAnne]

Go out and get to the place using whatever means you have available but leave the room, already!

Ok.

Okay, Okay, sheesh...

I was six hours late to post this and no one else has beaten me to it?

[112358Daniel]

I don't believe in the multiverse. One united universe is enough for us all!

I believe there might be a multiverse, but what troubles me is that every time I prevent myself from doing something embarrassing, there is a me that did it. It makes me feel so much pity for that poor person.

[ggh]

Okay, Okay, sheesh...

I was six hours late to post this and no one else has beaten me to it?

I was busy making a new art category on the wiki (maybe not for the entire six hours). I really wanted to put jafloi's wood carving on it, but it's a broken dropbox link now. Does anyone have a saved copy of that image?

[balthasar_s]

http://1190.bicyclesonthemoon.info/ott/view?f=7&t=101043&p=3331242#p3331235

[ggh]

Cheers! I should have known.

I think the STAF and your bots belong on that page too. If you want to direct me to the best photos of them, I'll add them. Otherwise, you'll have to

Spoiler:

Wait for it.

[taixzo]

I was summoned via PM by a couple of steakish otters in the same week that my co-workers were posting GRR's OtherComics in hipchat. The coincidence was too great and I came by for a molpish hug. And to hand out cupcakes, of course.

GRR Martin is doing OtherComics now?

Spoiler:

Go out and get to the place using whatever means you have available but leave the room, already!

Ok.

Okay, Okay, sheesh...

I was six hours late to post this and no one else has beaten me to it?

I'm curious about how exactly this view we're seeing works. We're above the ceiling, but there is no ceiling? Or maybe we can only see it from where we are. And the door disappears when out of view - we should be able to see it above the wall:



RSIR:

Spoiler:

[macraw83]

Spoiler:

Go out and get to the place using whatever means you have available but leave the room, already!

Ok.

Okay, Okay, sheesh...

I was six hours late to post this and no one else has beaten me to it?

I'm curious about how exactly this view we're seeing works. We're above the ceiling, but there is no ceiling? Or maybe we can only see it from where we are. And the door disappears when out of view - we should be able to see it above the wall:



RSIR:

Spoiler:

bsta-000077-door.png

Perhaps it's back-face culling, a technique that has a number of applications, one of which is where video games to allow you to still see if the "camera" ends up on the wrong side of an object (such as a wall or ceiling). Though that doesn't explain the disappearing door phenomenon.