# ­xkcd thread **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Tags:** comic-strips\ **Created:** [May 28, 2020, 12:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/xkcd-thread/854574 "2020-05-28T00:57:03Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 191
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [December 22, 2024, 9:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/xkcd-thread/854574/3803 "2024-12-22T21:21:42Z")
It’s more an ontological question. There can be Pauli exclusion forces, but it’s not a kind of force. Compare to, for instance, centripetal force: A centripetal force is any force that causes an object to move in a circular path. What kind of force is it? It could be almost anything: Tension force from a string, normal force from a curved track, gravity, an electromagnetic force, etc. Similarly, almost any sort of force could act as a Pauli exclusion force, in any given situation. ---
**Author:** ![dtilque](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/d6d6ee/32.png) [@dtilque](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dtilque)\ **Post date:** [December 24, 2024, 7:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/xkcd-thread/854574/3804 "2024-12-24T07:09:14Z")
> **[D&D Roll](https://xkcd.com/3028/)** ---
**Author:** ![Lumpy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lumpy/32/446_2.png) [@Lumpy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lumpy)\ **Post date:** [December 24, 2024, 5:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/xkcd-thread/854574/3805 "2024-12-24T17:38:40Z")
That’s just plain silly; unless characters in D&D actually roll dice in-game? P.S. I suppose a suitable set of d4 could work as caltrops. ---
**Author:** ![Alessan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alessan/32/465_2.png) [@Alessan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alessan)\ **Post date:** [December 24, 2024, 10:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/xkcd-thread/854574/3806 "2024-12-24T22:55:56Z")
I bought [these dice](https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0CJRNTDH6/ref=sspa_dk_hqp_detail_aax_0?sp_csd=d2lkZ2V0TmFtZT1zcF9ocXBfc2hhcmVk&th=1) not long ago, and believe me, they could do serious damage if shot from a slingshot, or just thrown hard enough. ---
**Author:** ![puzzlegal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puzzlegal/32/3827_2.png) [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)\ **Post date:** [December 24, 2024, 11:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/xkcd-thread/854574/3807 "2024-12-24T23:12:13Z")
Ooh, pretty. ---
**Author:** ![Alessan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alessan/32/465_2.png) [@Alessan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alessan)\ **Post date:** [December 24, 2024, 11:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/xkcd-thread/854574/3808 "2024-12-24T23:13:26Z")
And very satisfying to roll. Just not directly on a wooden table, because they _will_ scratch it. ---
**Author:** ![TroutMan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/troutman/32/6721_2.png) [@TroutMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TroutMan)\ **Post date:** [December 25, 2024, 12:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/xkcd-thread/854574/3809 "2024-12-25T00:09:41Z")
Since the alt-text isn’t coming through on the preview, here it is: > Under some circumstances, if you throw a D8 and then a D12 at an enemy, thanks to the D8’s greater pointiness you actually have to roll a D12 and D8 respectively to determine damage. ---
**Author:** ![dtilque](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/d6d6ee/32.png) [@dtilque](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dtilque)\ **Post date:** [December 25, 2024, 12:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/xkcd-thread/854574/3810 "2024-12-25T00:19:51Z")
> [@TroutMan](#): > > Since the alt-text isn’t coming through on the preview I don’t know what happened there. I got some error message that I didn’t totally understand, but then it displayed as a OneBox (I think) rather than just a plain url. ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [December 25, 2024, 2:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/xkcd-thread/854574/3811 "2024-12-25T02:01:17Z")
It’s nothing you did. XKCD’s page has that one comic goofed up compared to their norm. We won’t know whether that was a one-time goof or their new ongoing policy until next time. ---
**Author:** ![EllisDee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ellisdee/32/4531_2.png) [@EllisDee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EllisDee)\ **Post date:** [December 25, 2024, 5:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/xkcd-thread/854574/3812 "2024-12-25T05:16:32Z")
Oof. I can understand why they might make such a change, but I selfishly hope they didn’t. ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [December 25, 2024, 1:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/xkcd-thread/854574/3813 "2024-12-25T13:34:15Z")
Welp, it’s semi-official. The entire history of xkcd no longer properly builds Discourse oneboxes with the hover-over text like they used to. Now whether that’s deliberate or a bug, and if a bug whether there’s any way to report it or it’ll ever be fixed remains to be seen. But going forward whoever posts a reference here will need to manually include the hover-over text. Darn. ---
**Author:** ![dtilque](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/d6d6ee/32.png) [@dtilque](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dtilque)\ **Post date:** [December 25, 2024, 8:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/xkcd-thread/854574/3814 "2024-12-25T20:20:38Z")
> [@LSLGuy](#): > > But going forward whoever posts a reference here will need to manually include the hover-over text. Darn. Is there a way to copy-paste that text? ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [December 25, 2024, 8:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/xkcd-thread/854574/3815 "2024-12-25T20:55:42Z")
> [@Lumpy](#): > > That’s just plain silly; unless characters in D&D actually roll dice in-game? Well of course they don’t; that wouldn’t do anything to a kobold. ---
**Author:** ![Lumpy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lumpy/32/446_2.png) [@Lumpy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lumpy)\ **Post date:** [December 25, 2024, 9:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/xkcd-thread/854574/3816 "2024-12-25T21:50:30Z")
I was able to open my web page editor and find it under “title”. Some stuff to clean up in the element string but better than typing it out longhand. ---
**Author:** ![EllisDee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ellisdee/32/4531_2.png) [@EllisDee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EllisDee)\ **Post date:** [December 25, 2024, 10:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/xkcd-thread/854574/3817 "2024-12-25T22:51:09Z")
Could dictate it on a phone. ---
**Author:** ![TroutMan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/troutman/32/6721_2.png) [@TroutMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TroutMan)\ **Post date:** [December 26, 2024, 12:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/xkcd-thread/854574/3818 "2024-12-26T00:07:36Z")
> [@dtilque](#): > > Is there a way to copy-paste that text? Not that I know of on mobile. On a desktop, you can view source and copy from there. I went to [explainxkcd.com](http://explainxkcd.com) where they have it in easily copyable format. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [December 26, 2024, 2:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/xkcd-thread/854574/3819 "2024-12-26T14:47:44Z")
Well let’s see: > **[Sun Avoidance](https://xkcd.com/3029/)** The popup text is > [@](#): > > C'mon, ESA Solar Orbiter team, just give the Parker probe a LITTLE nudge at aphelion. Crash it into the sun. Fulfill the dream of Icarus. It is your destiny. ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [December 26, 2024, 4:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/xkcd-thread/854574/3820 "2024-12-26T16:52:19Z")
> [@Lumpy](#): > > I was able to open my web page editor and find it under “title”. Some stuff to clean up in the element string but better than typing it out longhand. In a bit more detail for the less technical … On desktop Edge (and presumably Chrome, etc.) it’s trivial to capture the hover-over text. Right-click the picture and choose “Inspect” from the pop-up menu. That brings up the developer window with that element selected / highlighted. Press Ctrl-C, then paste into your post here. Then clean it up. You don’t even need to know anything about web page development or html; just delete everything that isn’t the part you want. The Ctrl-C of that element for this episode is > \“Sun Even a techno-peasant (as one of our Dopers charmingly calls himself) could successfully pick the wheat from the chaff in that little sample. ---
**Author:** ![dtilque](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/d6d6ee/32.png) [@dtilque](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dtilque)\ **Post date:** [December 28, 2024, 6:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/xkcd-thread/854574/3821 "2024-12-28T06:06:57Z")
> **[Lasering Incidents](https://xkcd.com/3030/)** I’m including the hotlink so people don’t have to go to the xkcd site to read the comic. [![](https://imgs.xkcd.com/comics/lasering_incidents.png) ](https://imgs.xkcd.com/comics/lasering_incidents.png) “I still don’t know how the police found my compound where I ran an illegal searchlight depot/covert blimp airfield/fireworks testing range.” ---
**Author:** ![dtilque](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/d6d6ee/32.png) [@dtilque](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dtilque)\ **Post date:** [December 31, 2024, 12:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/xkcd-thread/854574/3822 "2024-12-31T12:45:35Z")
> **[Time Capsule Instructions](https://xkcd.com/3031/)** [![](https://imgs.xkcd.com/comics/time_capsule_instructions.png) ](https://imgs.xkcd.com/comics/time_capsule_instructions.png) “Inside is a third box, labeled DO NOT OPEN UNLESS YOU ARE IN THE TIME ZONE WHERE YOU OPENED BOTH PREVIOUS BOXES.” [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/xkcd-thread/854574.md?page=190) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/xkcd-thread/854574.md?page=192)