Difference between revisions of "530: I'm An Idiot"

Explain xkcd: It's 'cause you're dumb.
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(Explanation: Incomplete: does not explain IRC, SSH, "say", or any solutions to setting volume via command line.)
(Further explanation)
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{{incomplete|1253: Exoplanet Names}}
  
[[Cueball]], locked out of his dorm/apartment, is trying to get his roommate's attention. Being the typical xkcd computer geek, he tries various ways of reaching her, by calling her cell phone, {{w|IRC}}, the window, and SSH'ing into a Mac computer to make it shout at her. [[Ponytail]] informs him of the most obvious solution — the doorbell.
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[[Cueball]], locked out of his dorm/apartment, is trying to get his roommate's attention so that she'll unlock the door. He tries various ways of contacting her: calling her cell phone, {{w|IRC}}, the window, and SSH'ing into their downstairs Mac computer to make it shout at her. [[Ponytail]] informs him of the most obvious solution — the doorbell, which prompts a moment of realization.  The content of this realization–"I'm An Idiot"–is stated in the title of the comic.  The humor of the comic derives from the rhythm of the panels [a long buildup followed by a short quip, then a pause for the implied moment of realization].
  
This is a general geek issue, exercising one's technical skills to the maximum while overlooking the simplest way.
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The humor of this comic also derives from the reader's familiarity with the behavior shown in the comic, since most every person who likes solving problems has experienced a moment of realization similar to Cueball's at one point or another.  They, like Cueball, get distracted by solving an interesting problem [[356: Nerd Sniping |''because solving problems are fun'']], and fail to notice that the problem has an easier solution that they haven't noticed.  This same issue of getting lost in a sub-problem [in this case, the-sub problem of how to remotely control text-to-speech in OS X] at the expense of overall problem-solving ability is further covered in [[761: DFS]].
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The alt-text of the comic mentions that, although missing an obvious solution can be humiliating, one often learns a lot from trying new solutions, which would explain why the behavior persists.
  
 
==Transcript==
 
==Transcript==

Revision as of 17:05, 20 November 2013

I'm an Idiot
Sadly, this is a true story. At least I learned about the OS X 'say' command.
Title text: Sadly, this is a true story. At least I learned about the OS X 'say' command.

Explanation

Ambox notice.png This explanation may be incomplete or incorrect: 1253: Exoplanet Names
If you can address this issue, please edit the page! Thanks.
Cueball, locked out of his dorm/apartment, is trying to get his roommate's attention so that she'll unlock the door. He tries various ways of contacting her: calling her cell phone, IRC, the window, and SSH'ing into their downstairs Mac computer to make it shout at her. Ponytail informs him of the most obvious solution — the doorbell, which prompts a moment of realization. The content of this realization–"I'm An Idiot"–is stated in the title of the comic. The humor of the comic derives from the rhythm of the panels [a long buildup followed by a short quip, then a pause for the implied moment of realization].

The humor of this comic also derives from the reader's familiarity with the behavior shown in the comic, since most every person who likes solving problems has experienced a moment of realization similar to Cueball's at one point or another. They, like Cueball, get distracted by solving an interesting problem because solving problems are fun, and fail to notice that the problem has an easier solution that they haven't noticed. This same issue of getting lost in a sub-problem [in this case, the-sub problem of how to remotely control text-to-speech in OS X] at the expense of overall problem-solving ability is further covered in 761: DFS.

The alt-text of the comic mentions that, although missing an obvious solution can be humiliating, one often learns a lot from trying new solutions, which would explain why the behavior persists.

Transcript

[Ponytail approaches Cueball, who is sitting on porch steps, laptop in lap and backpack open.]
Ponytail: Should I ask?
Cueball: I'm locked out, and I'm trying to get my roommate to let me in.
[Unplugged cell phone on table.]
Cueball: First I tried her cell phone, but it's off.
[Cueball sitting on steps, laptop in lap and gesturing.]
Cueball: Then I tried IRC, but she's not online.
[Cueball standing in front of house and looking up at window.]
Cueball: I couldn't find anything to throw at her window,
[Living room with couch easy chair and computer set up.]
Cueball: So I SSH'd into the Mac Mini in the living room and got the speech synth to yell at her for me.
Computer: Hey I'm locked out downstairs
[Megan sitting at table with laptop open.]
Cueball: But I think I left the volume way down, so I'm reading the OS X docs to learn to set the volume via command line.
[Ponytail facing Cueball, who is still sitting on the porch with his laptop.]
Ponytail: Ah.
Ponytail: I take it the doorbell doesn't work?
[Ponytail remains in place, Cueball tilts head back slightly, as if staring in realization.]


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Discussion

Does this count as a self-nerd-snipe? 108.162.218.101 02:44, 9 February 2014 (UTC)

Anyone have an idea how he made his Mac Mini speak? 199.27.133.129 19:46, 24 September 2014 (UTC)

Yes. Read the title text. 108.162.216.83 03:36, 29 January 2015 (UTC)

osascript -e "set volume 7", if anybody is curious --Okofish (talk) 17:34, 1 May 2015 (UTC)

I like how the doorbell pops out real obviously in the last panel. like 0_0... 173.245.54.24

Explanation seems a bit complicated for such a simple joke. Even the description of a beat panel seems convoluted. flewk (talk) 02:44, 4 January 2016 (UTC)

Why is this comic confused with Five Thirty? Halo422 (talk) 05:16, 18 December 2017 (UTC)

Because it's comic five hundred thirty or "five thirty". 162.158.150.82 20:50, 9 March 2019 (UTC)

I could be wrong, but to connect to something via SSH, it needs a static ip, right? Why would their laptop have a static ip? 23:10, 5 August, 2020 EST

No static IP necessary. A name will work just fine. However, if the device is on a LAN that is hidden behind a router, finding it could be hard.
Continuing my string of really late comments: Luckily it is not a laptop. As mentioned above, it's a Mac Mini. Nitpicking (talk) 17:32, 29 August 2021 (UTC)