Editing 2724: Washing Machine Settings
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==Explanation== | ==Explanation== | ||
+ | {{incomplete|Created by a GUY ON QUORA TYPING RTF(WM)M - Please change this comment when editing this page. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}} | ||
− | The comic strip depicts Cueball (possibly [[Randall]]) standing in front of a washing machine, wondering which settings to use for his particular wash | + | The comic strip depicts Cueball (possibly [[Randall]]) standing in front of a washing machine, wondering which settings starts to use for his particular wash. He starts guessing which settings would do what from the perspective of an engineer, planning to look up detailed information on what the settings do and when to use them. However, he doesn't realize that all the information he is looking for should be found by looking at his product manual. Most of the time, people don't spend time on viewing product manuals and instead just use whatever settings seem best to them, obviously not going into the depth of thought Cueball has fallen into. |
− | + | This comic may allude to the fact that product manuals are easy to lose, at which point the person having questions about the product is obliged to find other ways to find out how to use the product. | |
− | The title text proposes deliberately ignoring the manual for a dishwasher and continuing to use the internet and other people for information on household devices | + | Settings on appliances with dials or radio-button selectors are often contradictory and arbitrary. In this case Cueball likely is trying to wash something that is both "delicate" and has "colors", but is forced to choose between them, even though there would ideally be a washer setting that includes both. Due to the vagaries of the terminology employed by the interface design team, the "(Light)" ''may'' indicate that the treatment is actually gentle, for this colors-specific setting; but it might just as easily be specifying suitability for either brighter ''or'' more pastel hues, in some manner, or even be there to take over the function of the "half load" control for the quicker and less resource-intensive cycle. |
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+ | The title text proposes deliberately ignoring the manual for a dishwasher and continuing to use the internet and other people for information on household devices, as with in the comic itself. It references [http://quora.com Quora], a website which allows users to publicly ask questions and answer the questions of others. This website is not typically known for its debates, although the situation in this comic could probably lead to one - when someone who doesn't really understand the subject provides an answer, it could lead to a lengthy and unnecessary argument as multiple parties, at least one of them being incorrect, continue to stand their ground rather than be persuaded. Although Quora moderation is notably inconsistent, being inflammatory (as people tend to be in debates that progress too long) could lead to one's account being reported and banned, like on a typical social network or forum. | ||
The same concept is present in [https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php/2834:_Book_Podcasts 2834: Book Podcasts]. | The same concept is present in [https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php/2834:_Book_Podcasts 2834: Book Podcasts]. | ||
==Transcript== | ==Transcript== | ||
+ | {{incomplete transcript|Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}} | ||
:[Cueball is standing in front of a large combination washing machine/dryer, holding a coat, wondering.] | :[Cueball is standing in front of a large combination washing machine/dryer, holding a coat, wondering.] |