1029: "Drawing Stars"

[weckar2]

I think this is a math joke more than anything else. The last line drawn is parallel to the first, so if he wouldn't abort he'd have to draw the line forever (two parallel lines never intersect). Euclidean space ftw.

[jetsam]

Use a turtle.

[thesingingaccountant]

Friday, on xkcd: How to Draw Stick Figures, and How Hard It Is to Connect Heads to Necks.

So.

It has come to this.

[alexriehl]

It might help people make their stars/pentagrams look a little better to know that for a 5-pointed star, the arc-length between the points is 72 degrees.

Also, an inverted symbol, whether cross or pentagram, traditionally symbolizes a higher level of holiness. Most of those metal bands have no idea what they're doing.

[tesseraktik]

Friday, on xkcd: How to Draw Stick Figures, and How Hard It Is to Connect Heads to Necks.

There are times when I consider drawing a short line segment that connects the head to the torso; as though there were an elongation of the spine which reached above the shoulders.

However, I quickly dismiss such flights of fancy, and recapitulate* from all artistic pursuits.

*I am assuming that this word means "to surrender for the nth time; n>1".

[javahead]

I've been invoking Earth every time I draw a star and had no idea. Good for Earth, I guess.

As a lefty, I have apparently been banishing it. Balance restored. oh wait

I've been invoking Earth every time I draw a star and had no idea. Good for Earth, I guess.

That's OK, I've been banishing Earth. And thus is the balance of the universe maintained.

Crap!

[SerMufasa]

I too Earth-banish. This could explain the lack of Xorns in my life.

[Gedankenwelt]

I think a (theoretically) exact method to draw a pentagram would be like following:

1. Draw a horizontal line with length l1, and end points A, B
2. Calculate l2 = l1/phi, where phi is the golden ratio (sqrt(5) + 1)/2
3. Use a compass to find the point E' below the line AB with a distance of l2 from A and B
4. Draw lines AC, BD with length l1 that pass through E'
5. Use a compass to find the point E above the line AB with a distance of l1 from C and D
6. Draw the lines CE, DE

I ... don't get the comic.

At first I thought he was accidently drawing a star of David, and that is why the commentator wanted to abort (because of associations with nazism). But it's not a star of David, nor could it become one. Then I thought maybe it's a pentagram the commentator is worried aboug, for its association with Satanism. But it's not a pentagram either.

So what symbol is the drawer accidently drawing that has the commentator so worried? I do not get it.

Perhaps the commentator is worried that the drawer is drawing it wrong. But that's not a joke. Besides he isn't. He's only drawing it wrong if he wanted a pentagram. But in that case he's already wrong at the 3rd stroke, when the commentator still says 'steady as she goes'.

So I'm just totally confused at this comic.

If I'm not wrong, there's just one person who wants to show how to draw pentagrams (hence 36°), but who doesn't realize that already the third line is wrong (it should be horizontal).

P.S.: Seems I'm in the invoke Air / banish earth group

[Sabreblade]

I'm a lefty and have apparently been a fire banisher all my life.
It's weird, I (like many others, apparently) just assumed that was the "standard" way to draw them - never thought of doing it another way...

[ut_icedragon]

Friday, on xkcd: How to Draw Stick Figures, and How Hard It Is to Connect Heads to Necks.

So.

It has come to this.

Double WIN!

Thanks for making me fall out of my chair laughing at BOTH posts.

Cheers

[ut_icedragon]

Another Earth banister here apparently.

Thanks a lot WolfieMario, now I'm going to end up being even more conscious about yet another mundane task in my life.

[B Z]

36-degree angles? Shouldn't that be 72-degree, or am I missing something?

[cellocgw]

I swear I had a math teacher in fourth grade who made an assignment of "who can draw the most stars in 2 minutes". Because who gives a crap about times tables when you don't know how to make your notes pretty?

So of course you, as a future astrophysicist, handed in a black sheet of paper, and said, "I just drew 10^(googol) stars, but they're so far away you can't see them."

[rileyrulesu]

That's stupid, Randall.

Anyone who draws stars in a different order from how I do it is stupid.

star.gif

Fool! You do not understand the importance of the direction in which you draw your pentagrams!


As the above diagram shows, in this comic Randall had attempted to invoke spiritual energy. The point of the comic was that the drawing of a pentagram should not be taken lightly: as he was drawing the pentagram for invoking a spirit, he realized that the approaching spirit was malevolent, and immediately aborted the invocation.

You, on the other hand, are drawing Earth-banishing pentagrams. It is no wonder that the state of our planet is in environmental decline, thanks to heathens such as yourself...

Source: http://www.shadowsofoz.net/basics/pentagram.html

Spoiler:

Disclaimer: I have no clue what I'm talking about; I just remembered seeing that page once and couldn't help but post this. And I also usually end up drawing my pentagrams the same way you do, xkcdfan .

So, what you're saying, is Satan is actually captain planet?

[Weeks]

I ... don't get the comic.

At first I thought he was accidently drawing a star of David, and that is why the commentator wanted to abort (because of associations with nazism). But it's not a star of David, nor could it become one. Then I thought maybe it's a pentagram the commentator is worried aboug, for its association with Satanism. But it's not a pentagram either.

So what symbol is the drawer accidently drawing that has the commentator so worried? I do not get it.

Perhaps the commentator is worried that the drawer is drawing it wrong. But that's not a joke. Besides he isn't. He's only drawing it wrong if he wanted a pentagram. But in that case he's already wrong at the 3rd stroke, when the commentator still says 'steady as she goes'.

So I'm just totally confused at this comic.

It's just about having trouble drawing a star.

[cct]

I draw pentagrams in a non-Eulerian style (that is, I lift the pencil between strokes, and don't start the next stroke from the end of the previous one). What is the effect of that?

In practice, there are 3840 ways to draw a pentagram drawing each of the five sides with a single stroke. The illustration rileyrulesu provided gives effects for 10 of the 3840. What do the other 3830 do?

[the_bandersnatch]

At first I thought he was accidently drawing a star of David, and that is why the commentator wanted to abort (because of associations with nazism).

a star of David

associations with nazism

Wat.

[EmuSam]

How to draw a star:

Lines = n, n>1
intersections = x, x>n
Declare a 2D representation of a burning 3D sphere as seen through an atmosphere.

[Snark]

I, sadly, am among the ranks of the earth banishing fools. No wonder that the ozone layer's gone to hell.

I'm off to repent and then practice my earth-invoking stars. God knows how many I'll have to draw before balance is restored.

I learn so many things from xkcd.

[Diadem]

At first I thought he was accidently drawing a star of David, and that is why the commentator wanted to abort (because of associations with nazism).

a star of David

associations with nazism

Wat.

Yes, really
Of course it's a Jewish religious symbol. And it's fine for Jews to use it. But it's one of those symbols that you really can't use as a non-Jew without very unfortunate implications.

[SerMufasa]

Of course it's a Jewish religious symbol. And it's fine for Jews to use it. But it's one of those symbols that you really can't use as a non-Jew without very unfortunate implications.

Can't speak for the European perspective, but from an American perspective there's nothing negative associated with the Star of David.

Well, I mean, unless you hate Jews.

[AvatarIII]

At first I thought he was accidently drawing a star of David, and that is why the commentator wanted to abort (because of associations with nazism).

a star of David

associations with nazism

Wat.

Yes, really
Of course it's a Jewish religious symbol. And it's fine for Jews to use it. But it's one of those symbols that you really can't use as a non-Jew without very unfortunate implications.

I never thought that the star of David was like the Jewish equivalent of the word Nerfherder

[Judah]

Of course it's a Jewish religious symbol. And it's fine for Jews to use it. But it's one of those symbols that you really can't use as a non-Jew without very unfortunate implications.

Can't speak for the European perspective, but from an American perspective there's nothing negative associated with the Star of David.

Well, I mean, unless you hate Jews.

I agree with this. Just because the Nazis used a Jewish symbol (not a religious symbol, incidentally) to designate Jews doesn't turn it into a Nazi symbol or imply that a non-Jew who uses it is a Nazi sympathizer. Obviously, if he's chalking it on doors or something, that's a bit different, but the same would apply to the word "Jew" (or any other ethnicity, for that matter). Symbols stand for what they stand for; it's context that gives them implications beyond that.

[Sprocket]

[Diadem]

At first I thought he was accidently drawing a star of David, and that is why the commentator wanted to abort (because of associations with nazism).

a star of David

associations with nazism

Wat.

Yes, really
Of course it's a Jewish religious symbol. And it's fine for Jews to use it. But it's one of those symbols that you really can't use as a non-Jew without very unfortunate implications.

I never thought that the star of David was like the Jewish equivalent of the word Nerfherder

I don't know what that means.

But there are plenty of words that can only be used by members of the group it applies to, at least without unfortunate implications. But no doubt cultural associations are different in the USA, so it could be a European (or maybe even just some parts of Europe) thing.

[Invertin]

I'm european and I have never heard of this star of david = nazi thing before ever.

Of course I'm English so that's not quite the same as the rest of europe culturally due to our constant americanisms but whatever.

[Vael]

I'm european and I have never heard of this star of david = nazi thing before ever.

Of course I'm English so that's not quite the same as the rest of europe culturally due to our constant americanisms but whatever.

Watch the last episode of Downton Abbey, Season 1, and then read about World War II and Hitler.

*Stares into the distance*

[Orlando]

How to draw a star:

Lines = n, n>1
intersections = x, x>n
Declare a 2D representation of a burning 3D sphere as seen through an atmosphere.

^ seconded.

As for pentagrams, I am apparently also amongst the ranks of the thrice-damned Earth-banishers. I... I just want humanity to spread out amongst the stars so much.

[Zylon]

I think this is a math joke more than anything else.

You're wrong. It's a joke about trying to draw a star and failing.

[Red Hal]

Zylon, hush you! There is no place here for rationality! What we need is wild speculation and anarchic misrepresentation! Saying this is *just* a comic about having difficulty drawing a star is like saying that http://www.xkcd.com/887/ is just a representation of searches in google about various future points in time. It's so much more than that! It is a prophecy! So, please, let's have a little less common sense and a little more fanciful bullshit. We'll need all we can get if we're going to catch up with the PUA thread.

[lesmith11]

a) It's about not being able to draw a 5-pointed star perfectly. Not even the "bench and triangle" method works because the points are all different sizes
b) If you're European and/or English and don't know the link between the star of david and nazism then...Gee Willikers...nm

[Vael]

I draw star-banishing stars. But you've probably never seen them.

[Copper Bezel]

No, seriously, in the US, the Star of David is simply associated with Judaism. There's no popular conception of it as the mark the Nazi regime made of it. It's as common as the cross or the star and crescent, and it's neutral enough for bumper stickers.

I've been banishing Earth, too, but I'm terrible at it. (This was very GOOMHR for me - I've done this countless times.)

[AvatarIII]

b) If you're European and/or English and don't know the link between the star of david and nazism then...Gee Willikers...nm

it's not not knowing that Nazis used the of a star of David, it's not thinking that use of the Star of David brings to mind Nazis.

[SerMufasa]

b) If you're European and/or English and don't know the link between the star of david and nazism then...Gee Willikers...nm

But just because there's a link doesn't necessarily mean there's a connotation. Again, it may be US vs Europe, but I've never heard anything about the Star of David being off-limits like the Swastika is.

[Red Hal]

b) If you're European and/or English and don't know the link between the star of david and nazism then...Gee Willikers...nm

it's not not knowing that Nazis used the of a star of David, it's not thinking that use of the Star of David brings to mind Nazis.

Yep. I'm going to have to agree. I think you'd be hard pushed to find someone above primary school age anywhere in Europe or America who doesn't have at least a passing familiarity with the existence of the Holocaust, but it would be a misguided person indeed who assumed that the Star of David in any way symbolised naziism.

[lesmith11]

Agreed. I don't think that there is any connotation. However this ...

I'm european and I have never heard of this star of david = nazi thing before ever.

...really does sound like they have no knowledge whatsoever of any link between the two.

[Red Hal]

I suppose it does. Perhaps Invertin could clarify for us? Invertin?

[PebblesRox]

When I was little, my cousin taught me a simpler way of drawing five-pointed stars. You draw a capital A but extend the horizontal stroke out to the sides. Then you just draw the last two lines by connecting the arms to the feet. It's not as fast but it's easier to get it to point in the direction you want and make it symmetrical.

[ekolis]

Or, if you'd rather not be Jewish, and would prefer the Hylian religion...



Side note: Anyone else remember the Nintendo DS RTS/RPG hybrid "Lost Magic"? Whoever can't draw a star is not going to do very well at that game... the third level light spell is a star! (And the first level light spell is the sign of the cross...)

edit: fixed img tag