explain xkcd - User contributions [en]

1023: Late-Night PBS

2015-06-17T04:20:22Z

Jakee308: /* Explanation */

{{comic
| number = 1023
| date = February 29, 2012
| title = Late-Night PBS
| image = late night pbs.png
| titletext = Then it switched to these old black-and-white tapes of Bob Ross slumped against the wall of an empty room, painting the least happy trees you've ever seen. Either PBS needs to beef up studio security or I need to stop using Ambien to sleep.
}}

==Explanation==
{{w|PBS}} stands for Public Broadcasting Service and is an American TV broadcaster that is predominantly supported by the viewers themselves through pledge drives. It often runs (and sometimes co-produces) acclaimed British {{w|costume drama}}s, including the mentioned ''{{w|Downton Abbey}}''.

[[Megan]] falls asleep with the TV on after watching ''Downton Abbey''. When she wakes up, around 3 AM, "Where in the World Is Carmen Sandiego" is airing. Unlike typical late night TV, which is usually re-runs of previously recorded episodes, she claims that the episode she watched is set in the modern day (i.e. PBS had ordered new episodes of the show) and all of the people on the show have aged accordingly.

"{{w|Where in the World Is Carmen Sandiego}}" was a {{w|computer game}} series in the mid-80s. The series moved to a {{w|Where in the World Is Carmen Sandiego (game show)|game-show TV series}} in the early 1990s from 1991 to 1995. The point of the series was to learn about geography and the world while playing a game or watching a game show. {{w|Carmen Sandiego}} was a mysterious character that you tracked around the globe, attempting to find clues to find out where she was headed to next. The show was split into 3 rounds. In the first round, there were 3 sleuths. Each question they got right gave them additional points. The top 2 scoring sleuths moved onto the next round, where they had to play a game (like the game Memory) where they had to find the thief, warrant, and loot in the correct order. Whichever sleuth did so captured the thief, saved the loot, and moved onto the next round, where they had a chance to catch Carmen Sandiego herself. Success was not always guaranteed in this round, as contestants had to plant flags correct on 7 different countries in a continent within a very short time period. If the sleuth was successfully able to do this, they captured Carmen and won the grand prize (a trip to a place of their choosing in the continental US). If not, Carmen would escape and the sleuth would win a lesser prize (like a computer).

The role of The Chief was played by {{w|Lynne Thigpen}}, a role she played in all 3 computer games (Where in the USA, Where in the World, and Where in Time Is Carmen Sandiego) and both TV shows (Where in Time and Where in the World). She was responsible for telling the detectives (sleuths) what had been stolen, which of Carmen's thieves was suspected of stealing it, and some relevant information about their last whereabouts (effectively, telling the sleuths what their mission was). Whenever the detectives would catch a thief (or Carmen), she would appear and congratulate them or console them if Carmen got away (unlike what she does here).

The host of the TV show was {{w|Greg Lee (actor)|Greg Lee}}. When the show originally aired, Greg was in his late 20s/early 30s. His job was to ask the questions of the contestants and tell them which flags to plant on the map in the final round, as well as engage in silly situations with The Chief and Rockapella to keep the show moving and provide clues. If the show were still airing in 2012 he would be 50, hence the aging joke. This comic is not the first time a host of one of the Carmen Sandiego TV shows was mocked and shown as drinking on the job; Robot Chicken showed a similar scenario with the host of Where in Time Is Carmen Sandiego in 2010 ([http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6EIULR-zLEk link] — the voice of the host in the skit is the voice of the actual host from Where in Time is Carmen Sandiego).

{{w|Rockapella}} was the '{{w|A cappella}}' group (keeping up the tradition of punny names for a cappella groups) which sang the theme song to "Where in The World Is Carmen Sandiego." 'A cappella' is a loan word from Italian meaning "''in the manner of the Church''" hearkening back to {{w|Gregorian chant}}; in the 19th century the term evolved to mean any vocalization without accompaniment. In the TV version of Where in the World is Carmen Sandiego, Rockapella also acted as a "house band" of sorts, singing songs while the contestants transitioned between events, providing clues, playing pranks on Greg Lee, etc. At the end of each show, Greg Lee and the episode's winning contestant would shout "Do it, Rockapella!" at which point the band would sing the shows theme song. Thus, it is unsurprising that they would be on the set when the contestants captured Carmen Sandiego. The humorous part is that, instead of singing, like everyone else in this comic, they make the contestants feel uncomfortable by glaring at them (something they would never do).

In the Where in the World Is Carmen Sandiego TV show, the places the contestants went were always portrayed as fun and happy, unlike the places that they have to visit in this comic. Situations like those mentioned in this comic were never really discussed.

{{w|Mogadishu}} is a battle-torn city in {{w|Somalia}}, where there was the aptly named "{{w|Battle of Mogadishu (1993)|Battle of Mogadishu}}" in 1993, which would coincide with the air dates of "Where in the World Is Carmen Sandiego" game show.

{{w|The Killing Fields}} are a number of sites in {{w|Cambodia}} where large numbers of people were killed and buried by the {{w|Khmer Rouge}} regime, during its rule of the country from 1975 to 1979, immediately after the end of the {{w|Cambodian Civil War}} (1970-1975).

The reference to "A Bookshelf in a Dutch Apartment" is a reference to {{w|Anne Frank}}, who was a Jewish girl who hid from the {{w|Nazi}}s in a Secret Annex hidden behind a bookshelf in an apartment in {{w|Amsterdam, Netherlands}}. She wrote the famous diary, {{w|Diary of Anne Frank}}.

One continuity issue in this comic is that the places they have to visit in this episode seem to require traveling to different periods in time (1993, 1975-1979, 1940s, respectively). Episodes of Where in the World Is Carmen Sandiego usually did not deal with this — this is what the TV show Where in Time Is Carmen Sandiego (the successor to Where in the World is Carmen Sandiego, albeit with a different house band and a different host) did.

The last frame also makes mention of how some programs intended for children often have subtle themes for adults who may be watching the show with their children. {{w|SpongeBob SquarePants#Reception|SpongeBob SquarePants}} and The Fairly OddParents are other examples of shows that have hidden meanings in things for the adults watching the show with their children. The joke in the panel is that these sorts of underlying themes were always present in the show, but the young/less mature viewers weren't able to pick up on them. When [[Cueball]] expresses his doubt that the show was this dark when he watched it (presumably as a kid in the early 1990s), Megan tells him exactly this, that maybe these scenarios were always there but they were too young to understand them.

In the title text there is a reference to {{w|Bob Ross}}, a famous painter with a painting show on PBS called "{{w|The Joy of Painting}}" that ran for 12 years. Bob Ross was known for using "happy little _____" to describe components of his paintings. For example while painting trees he would encourage viewers to add "happy little trees" to their paintings.

{{w|Ambien}}, also known as Zoldipem, is a prescription medication used for the treatment of insomnia, as well as some brain disorders. Known side effects are vivid dreams and hallucinations if you wake up (or haven't yet fallen asleep) while it is still active.

Thus, the joke in the title text is that Randall/Megan isn't sure if this is hallucinating from taking Ambien, or if something horrible has happened because PBS's security staff isn't large enough. The entire comic, in general, revolves around this notion.

==Transcript==
:[Megan is rubbing sleep out of her eyes and talking to Cueball.]
:Megan: Have you ever watched PBS late at night?
:Megan: I fell asleep after Downton and woke up at like 3 AM.

:[The upper portion of the panel continues dialogue, while the lower shows a drunk gameshow host and several contestants. The monitor shows a field of crosses, presumably graves.]
:Megan: Where in the World is Carmen Sandiego was back on, except the host hadn't aged well and he'd clearly been drinking.
:Megan: Every question took them to some horrible place like Mogadishu or the Cambodian killing fields.

:[Now it shows a bookshelf revealing a hidden room.]
:Megan: The kids were freaked out, but they kept playing. Eventually they were told they'd found Carmen Sandiego hiding behind a bookshelf in a Dutch apartment.

:Megan: The Chief appeared and asked "Are you proud of what you've become?"
:Megan: Then Rockapella walked out and just glared at the kids until they started crying.
:Cueball: I, uh, don't remember the old show being that dark.
:Megan: Maybe we were too young to pick up on it.

{{comic discussion}}
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Megan]]

Talk:985: Percentage Points

2015-06-16T11:21:39Z

Jakee308:

Our study shows that only 5% of people know the difference between percentages and percentage points. This is 50% lower than in 2009. --[[User:DiEvAl|DiEvAl]] ([[User talk:DiEvAl|talk]]) 06:30, 16 August 2013 (UTC)

Actually, penis size based tax is a brilliant idea. You only have to tax proportional to size, and, now comes the utterly clever part, let the male citizen self-declare his penis size. Voila, tax flow will always be higher than planned. [[Special:Contributions/108.162.230.89|108.162.230.89]] 17:58, 10 September 2014 (UTC)
:I am glad that under this system my tax burden would be unashamedly miniscule! Which is probably something no one wanted to know! -Pennpenn [[Special:Contributions/162.158.2.221|162.158.2.221]] 06:15, 15 June 2015 (UTC)

You've overlooked the fact that there is no reference to whether the measurement would be plus or minus and where the measurement would be taken. The tax could be on those with small (or no) penises. And to do it that way would make sure the tax included both those with and those without a penis.
Perhaps age could be a factor and of course shrinkage must be taken into consideration. [[User:Jakee308|Jakee308]] ([[User talk:Jakee308|talk]]) 11:21, 16 June 2015 (UTC)

Talk:981: Porn Folder

2015-06-16T10:59:12Z

Jakee308:

Its not difficult to do that. {{unsigned ip|200.196.51.166}}

What?
Apply subjective motivations to subjects?

It may easy but you would soon learn not to.[[User:Weatherlawyer| I used Google News BEFORE it was clickbait]] ([[User talk:Weatherlawyer|talk]]) 12:19, 22 January 2015 (UTC)

Xcopy would be a killer. [[User:Jakee308|Jakee308]] ([[User talk:Jakee308|talk]]) 10:59, 16 June 2015 (UTC)

Talk:910: Permanence

2015-06-15T03:21:24Z

Jakee308:

I would marry a girl called epidural. '''[[User:Davidy22|{{Color|#707|David}}y²²]]'''[[User talk:Davidy22|<tt>[talk]</tt>]] 01:40, 17 April 2013 (UTC)

Server or not, I know myself the feeling of wanting a super-duper high-school-level name. At least I have a system of naming my computers, gaming devices, and (future?) servers.[[User:Greyson|Greyson]] ([[User talk:Greyson|talk]]) 17:49, 13 February 2014 (UTC)

I usually use some kind of encoded date (related to when the computer was acquired or setup) in the name, probably prefixed by something signify the model or vendor of the computer. Permanency of relevance is guaranteed and it is easier than try to think what the name will means years from now. [[User:Arifsaha|Arifsaha]] ([[User talk:Arifsaha|talk]]) 20:13, 30 October 2014 (UTC)

This appears to be the Debian installer. It's also missing the "<Continue>" button.[[Special:Contributions/108.162.216.119|108.162.216.119]] 02:38, 1 March 2015 (UTC)

Use a name that reminds you which computer it is. In a network this can be very important. It should be descriptive but not silly or generic. Trust me on this. [[User:Jakee308|Jakee308]] ([[User talk:Jakee308|talk]]) 03:21, 15 June 2015 (UTC)

Talk:753: Southern Half

2015-06-10T02:50:55Z

Jakee308:

OF COURSE! A Penis-Shaped Obelisk on Mars! And it's got to be big enough to been seen with an ordinary backyard telescope.--[[Special:Contributions/138.163.128.41|138.163.128.41]] 00:31, 20 March 2013 (UTC)
: And, yes, I imagine it ''would'' be hard. [[Special:Contributions/178.98.192.132|178.98.192.132]] 23:17, 4 May 2013 (UTC)
::"Hard" .... *facepalm*. [[Special:Contributions/173.245.54.168|173.245.54.168]] 14:37, 9 October 2014 (UTC)
Woah, woah, no cloned velociraptors in spaaace. Not on my watch. [[User:BruceJohnJennerLawso|BruceJohnJennerLawso]] ([[User talk:BruceJohnJennerLawso|talk]]) 05:25, 13 November 2013 (UTC)
:However, leave off Latin America and the rest seem to be pretty much in the hemisphere centered at the Persian Ocean.--[[Special:Contributions/108.162.215.9|108.162.215.9]] 07:14, 27 May 2014 (UTC)
I was under the impression that latin America did not include south America, just the part of north America south of the USA. [[Special:Contributions/108.162.219.7|108.162.219.7]] 02:20, 19 June 2014 (UTC)

Randall lacks to take in account the USA-centric view of the USA. If you define "south" as "more south than the USA", the speech sounds legit (especially if you subtract the Soviet Union from Asia - surely the enemy but not the "battlefield" Kennedy talked about). [[Special:Contributions/108.162.230.89|108.162.230.89]] 12:12, 20 October 2014 (UTC)
:Ah I see, so the USA-centric view puts the equator as the southern border of USA to Mexico... So pretty much everything is the southern Hemisphere then! Makes sense! Lol. [[Special:Contributions/108.162.221.224|108.162.221.224]] 00:46, 13 December 2014 (UTC)

The title text in the first illustration for http://what-if.xkcd.com/124/ also references the Kennedy Rice speech. [[Special:Contributions/173.245.52.177|173.245.52.177]] 10:34, 6 February 2015 (UTC)

Look. Kennedy was zoned out on painkillers most of the time. He didn't know what he was saying and probably didn't care. The praise lavished on his Presidency is mostly hype. [[User:Jakee308|Jakee308]] ([[User talk:Jakee308|talk]]) 02:50, 10 June 2015 (UTC)

Talk:729: Laser Pointer

2015-06-09T17:51:39Z

Jakee308:

My cat still chases this hopeless dream. Sucker. '''[[User:Davidy22|Davidy22]]'''[[User talk:Davidy22|<tt>[talk]</tt>]] 13:29, 18 February 2013 (UTC)

The laser cavity link in the explanation now redirects to {{w|optical cavity}}. [[Special:Contributions/108.162.238.220|108.162.238.220]] 22:50, 28 January 2014 (UTC)

Cats with frickin' laser beams. *finger to lip* [[User:Jakee308|Jakee308]] ([[User talk:Jakee308|talk]]) 17:51, 9 June 2015 (UTC)

712: Single Ladies

2015-06-09T00:59:15Z

Jakee308: /* Explanation */

{{comic
| number = 712
| date = March 10, 2010
| title = Single Ladies
| image = single_ladies.png
| titletext = Using a ring to bind someone you covet into your dark and twisted world? Wow, just got the subtext there. Also, the apparently eager Beyoncé would've made one badass Nazgûl.
}}

==Explanation==
The character in armor is {{w|Sauron}}, the main villain in ''{{w|The Lord of the Rings}}'' trilogy. In the backstory, he takes control of Middle-earth by giving several {{w|Rings of Power}} as "gifts" to the great kings of men after learning the craft from dwarves and elves. However, he also forged a master ring, the {{w|One Ring}}, to control the {{w|Rings of Power}} and ultimately rule over the kings. However, the elves were not deceived by his plan and Sauron is eventually defeated by {{w|Isildur}} who cuts off his ring finger. The books tell the story of a small group of adventurers who rediscover the lost Ring and attempt to destroy it, as Sauron's army gathers its forces to attempt to reclaim the Ring for their master.

{{w|Gil-galad}} is a high Elven-king, and {{w|Galadriel}} is an Elf of royal blood who serves as a matriarch of sorts to the remnants of the Elven race. {{w|Lindon}} is a location on the westernmost side of the continent, serving as the final transition point for Elves passing on to the Undying lands. Sauron refers to an actual event in the first panel, when he tried to gain control of Lindon through deceit; Galadriel and Gil-galad saw through his disguise and cast him out.

In the second panel Sauron is talking about {{w|Eru Ilúvatar}} the creator in Tolkien's Middle-earth legendarium. While Eru created elves and men it was {{w|Aulë}} who created Dwarves, Eru gave them life. Orcs were Elves twisted by {{w|Morgoth}} so Sauron, being his principal lieutenant, would be a natural leader to orcs by the time created the One Ring.

The song playing in the background is "All the Single Ladies" by Beyoncé, which includes the line "If you liked it then you should have put a ring on it," referring to ''{{w|wedding rings}}''. This is shown as being what inspired Sauron to devise his plan to control others through the gift of rings.

The title text refers to an often-suggested fan theory that the One Ring ''is'' actually meant to be symbolic of marriage. The {{w|Nazgûl}}, also known as ringwraiths, are the former nine human kings who were bound by the rings, now a band of nine servants to Sauron who constantly seek out the Ring for him.

==Transcript==
:[Beret Guy is talking to Sauron; Sauron is wearing his trademark helmet, but his head is downcast. Music plays in the background.]
:''Music: All the single ladies, All the single ladies''
:Beret Guy: Hey Sauron, why so glum?
:Sauron: Gil-galad saw through me and threw me out of Lindon. Galadriel as well. I'll never rule ''anyone'' at this rate.

:''Music: All the single ladies, All the single ladies''
:Sauron: Eru created such beautiful creatures - Elves and men and dwarves - and all I've got are these stupid orcs.

:''Music: 'Cause if you liked it then you should have put a ring on it''
:Sauron: I mean, I-

:[Sauron is suddenly quiet.]
:''Music: If you liked it then you should have put a ring on it''

==Trivia==
* Randall used the wrong "û" character when editing the title text; the character he used was U+0217 LATIN SMALL LETTER U WITH INVERTED BREVE, but the correct character is U+00FB LATIN SMALL LETTER U WITH CIRCUMFLEX. They look very similar at standard font sizes, but the inverted breve is curved, while the circumflex is pointed.

{{comic discussion}}
[[Category:Romance]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Beret Guy]]
[[Category:LOTR]]
[[Category:Song]]

Talk:709: I Am

2015-06-08T19:47:23Z

Jakee308:

The explanation leaps to the C3P0 explanation without even ''mentioning'' Ewoks. It might not make sense without mentioning Ewoks. And that's not a sentence I ever expected to ever type. [[Special:Contributions/31.111.50.225|31.111.50.225]] 21:43, 7 May 2013 (UTC)

I thought Lars wanted to play bocce with c3po. This changes the whole series for me; the prequels are a parody. {{unsigned ip|173.245.56.191}}

The prequels were Lucas trolling Star Wars' fan base. It just kept getting worse and worse.
[[User:Jakee308|Jakee308]] ([[User talk:Jakee308|talk]]) 19:47, 8 June 2015 (UTC)

Talk:706: Freedom

2015-06-08T19:40:47Z

Jakee308:

The last sentence "But you couldn't", is probably also a reference to the fact that even though we and other people have many possibilities, we never expect anyone to actually use them. {{unsigned ip|173.245.49.128}}

More like we didn't expect other people to utilize the possibilities that they did. Or Didn't. [[User:Jakee308|Jakee308]] ([[User talk:Jakee308|talk]]) 19:40, 8 June 2015 (UTC)

Talk:694: Retro Virus

2015-06-08T19:08:58Z

Jakee308:

Edited to reflect that at the time referenced in the comic (2003), Windows XP machines were not necessarily "more susceptible" to viruses, but rather due to their ubiquity (especially at large corporations or other organizations) were more likely to be targeted by viruses. I'm certainly not an expert, so please if anyone has a better understanding, update or revert the explanation, as appropriate. [[User:Orazor|Orazor]] ([[User talk:Orazor|talk]]) 08:52, 11 June 2014 (UTC)

"Cleaning viruses in the Win32 API" is such a stupid statement... Gonna edit it later. [[Special:Contributions/141.101.89.217|141.101.89.217]] 13:28, 9 October 2014 (UTC)
: When, exactly, is "later"?[[User:Elektrizikekswerk|Elektrizikekswerk]] ([[User talk:Elektrizikekswerk|talk]]) 10:47, 11 December 2014 (UTC)
::When the prophets realise there is more to keeping Windows afloat than a cartel making hardware. Or do you imagine that moving to Adobe is a brilliant move on the part of US Intelligence.

::Ah... Let me rephrase that...
::There is no way on god's earth that Microsoft could have survived Vista without a lot of very well placed software makers shitting semicolons. Imagine the wave of panic that must have darkened the doorstep of every computer seller and manufacturer of Windows games and other software when it occurred to them it was Vista or Linux.

::If going back to school would have sucked for Windows users, think how the schools were reacting to the news.

[[User:Weatherlawyer| I used Google News BEFORE it was clickbait]] ([[User talk:Weatherlawyer|talk]])

I predict the Linux Event date to be sometime in 2016. That's because I, a confirmed disbeliever in the usability of Linux (due to many attempts and no successes), have decided that the Linux community has matured enough and grown large enough to have created a distro that I can get working. I will be attempting this major breakthrough in the next 6 months or so. Please stand by. [[User:Jakee308|Jakee308]] ([[User talk:Jakee308|talk]]) 19:08, 8 June 2015 (UTC)

Talk:693: Children's Fantasy

2015-06-08T19:01:20Z

Jakee308:

The title text continues the thought by pointing out the impossibility of contributing anything to the scientific world after visiting a magical world, as the child would know many scientific baselines, and, indeed, most regularly practiced scientific theory to be false, but would be unable to say anything or convince anyone of what they knew.

That explains it.
Damn!

[[User:Weatherlawyer| I used Google News BEFORE it was clickbait]] ([[User talk:Weatherlawyer|talk]]) 12:19, 27 January 2015 (UTC)

What if this applies to the TimeCube guy? --[[User:Pudder|Pudder]] ([[User talk:Pudder|talk]]) 15:50, 27 January 2015 (UTC)

Actually you won't relate the story to anyone for very long due to the skepticism and out right disbelief you wind up facing. Eventually you never repeat what happened to anyone anymore but YOU know it did. You wind up living a nomadic life due to the need to try to find somewhere or someone that will believe you but that doesn't ever happen.

And it does affect how you live the rest of your life because; how do you top that adventure in a world that doesn't believe in magic or people with special powers?

As you grow older you become bored and begin to wish it was all over with so you wouldn't be so depressed about the loss of that world. Eventually you'll get your wish but it makes life seem like an eternity. Until it's not. Trust me on this. [[User:Jakee308|Jakee308]] ([[User talk:Jakee308|talk]]) 19:01, 8 June 2015 (UTC)

Talk:682: Force

2015-06-08T18:32:08Z

Jakee308: Created page with ""I find your lack of length disturbing"~~~~"

"I find your lack of length disturbing"[[User:Jakee308|Jakee308]] ([[User talk:Jakee308|talk]]) 18:32, 8 June 2015 (UTC)

Talk:680: December 25th

2015-06-08T18:27:24Z

Jakee308: Created page with "Trust me. Even being within 30 days of Christmas affects ones birthday. You get fewer presents they're usually not very spectacular (those are reserved for the 25th) and parti..."

Trust me. Even being within 30 days of Christmas affects ones birthday. You get fewer presents they're usually not very spectacular (those are reserved for the 25th) and parties are sparse or non existent. (Due to weather concerns and people are doing their Christmas shopping and can't be bothered.)

My advice to parents is don't "do it" in March. Okay?[[User:Jakee308|Jakee308]] ([[User talk:Jakee308|talk]]) 18:27, 8 June 2015 (UTC)

Talk:255: Subjectivity

2015-04-24T20:15:30Z

Jakee308: Created page with "I did the same thing once when the park was still in existence. The slide was only 12-15' high. That was huge though compared to the "kiddy" slide which was only 6' or so. St..."

I did the same thing once when the park was still in existence. The slide was only 12-15' high. That was huge though compared to the "kiddy" slide which was only 6' or so.

Still it was a disappointment. I always remember that thing as being as tall as the trees nearby.

These days you can't even find a slide let alone a tall one. We've lost our adventurous spirit and it starts with the children. [[User:Jakee308|Jakee308]] ([[User talk:Jakee308|talk]]) 20:15, 24 April 2015 (UTC)

Talk:247: Factoring the Time

2015-04-24T20:00:53Z

Jakee308:

I used to find the prime factors of the remaining distance until the next turn. It starts off difficult (for me) at 99 miles, etc. When it gets down to 30 miles, it gets easier. Then, at 9.9 miles, I have a tenth the time to factor 99 again, and it gets easier as the numbers get smaller. This is actually a pretty good way to pass the time while driving. {{unsigned ip|108.162.219.202}}

Paying attention to your driving might be a benefit. To yourself and others. Just sayin'.[[User:Jakee308|Jakee308]] ([[User talk:Jakee308|talk]]) 20:00, 24 April 2015 (UTC)

Talk:242: The Difference

2015-04-24T19:52:11Z

Jakee308:

After reading this, I was just waiting for Hatguy to lure various animals over to the lever in order to test it without being harmed in the process... [[Special:Contributions/115.70.105.180|115.70.105.180]] 11:06, 2 July 2013 (UTC)

;Causality?
"Cueball pulls a lever. The lever causes a bolt of lightning to come down and strike him." I doubt that. "Cueball pulls a lever. A bolt of lightning comes down and strikes him." is correct. It may be coincidence, we cannot know that without testing. [[User:Undee|Undee]] ([[User talk:Undee|talk]]) 10:32, 18 October 2013 (UTC)
: Agreed. And fixed. -- [[Special:Contributions/173.245.51.210|173.245.51.210]] 07:59, 8 November 2013 (UTC)

This makes me think that scientists are, in essence... insane... because isn't that the definition of insanity... pulling the lever again... and expecting different results? [[Special:Contributions/108.162.249.210|108.162.249.210]] 02:46, 11 June 2014 (UTC)

What makes you think the result is expected to change? The scientist path isn't pulling the lever again because he's expecting a different result. He's pulling it again to see what happens. Learning more about lightning machines is worth the pain. {{unsigned ip|108.162.216.47}}

Timothy Wilson, UVa, tested if people (or rather college sophmores, i imagine) perfer sitting queitly or getting shocked. For males, it played out as shown. {{unsigned ip|173.245.54.167}}

I once (purely as a scientific endeavor and not as a dare) touched an electrified wire (the ones for cattle). I actually HEARD the electricity hit. I have never done that again, and will never ever do that again, no not never in a million years. ONCE. IS. ENOUGH.[[User:Jakee308|Jakee308]] ([[User talk:Jakee308|talk]]) 19:52, 24 April 2015 (UTC)