Editing 1631: Longer Than Usual

{{comic
| number    = 1631
| date      = January 18, 2016
| title     = Longer Than Usual
| image     = longer_than_usual.png
| titletext = '--> [ Well, this is embarrassing. ] <--'
}}

==Explanation==
The comic starts a small flow chart with "This seems to be taking longer than usual".
It then presents two alternative continuations of the sentence, which radically alter the interpretation of the starting sentence, resulting in humor.

"This seems to be taking longer than usual" is an error message displayed by Gmail and some other software (for example [https://disqus.com/ disqus]). We realize the allusion to Gmail by the first continuation, "Try reloading Gmail if the problem persists".

In the second continuation, "Maybe we should just go to bed", the opening instead refers to a person suffering from sexual performance anxiety, taking "longer than usual" to achieve orgasm, probably despite considerable efforts of their partner. Often such frustration then becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy that renders orgasm virtually impossible by ruining the mood.
In such situations it is likely that one or the other partner becomes frustrated and gives up, suggesting "lets go to bed" instead of 'pointlessly' continuing the sexual activity.

The title text ties both interpretations together by referencing an infamous [http://www.howtogeek.com/135351/how-to-troubleshoot-mozilla-firefox-crashes/ error message] given by the [https://getfirefox.com Firefox internet browser]. As an error message, it fits nicely with the gmail interpretation of the comic, though it is equally likely to be used as an apology or frustrated slight in the sexual interpretation, much like "this is taking longer than usual" itself.  Alternatively, it would be embarassing to get the two responses confused, thus necessitating a flowchart as a guide.

It could also simply be a jab to people who stay online late even when doing nothing, as when a lag occurs, and finally realising it might be better to switch off the computer and go to bed; or people who stay up late obsessed that "[[386|Someone is wrong on the internet]]".

This is not the first time Randall juxtaposes sex and more abstract topics, such as sex and math in [[487: Numerical Sex Positions]] or sex and engineering in [[592: Drama]]

This comic could also be a reference to the 2016 MIT Mystery Hunt[http://www.mit.edu/~puzzle/currhunt.html], which Randall Munroe took part in which ended up lasting for a few hours longer than the expected 6pm Sunday deadline due to no team finding the coveted final coin until about 8-9 pm. 

==Transcript==
"This seems to be taking longer than usual-"

"-Try reloading Gmail if the problem persists."

"-Maybe we should just go to bed."

{{comic discussion}}
[[Category:Flowcharts]]
[[Category:Sex]]