Editing 1330: Kola Borehole
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==Explanation== | ==Explanation== | ||
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− | + | The {{w|Kola Superdeep Borehole}} is the result of a scientific drilling project by the Soviet Union in what is now north-western Russia that began in 1970 and continued through 1992. It was an attempt to drill as far into the Earth as possible. The deepest hole reached 12,262 metres (40,230 ft). | |
− | Megan | + | [[Megan]] mentions {{w|Well to Hell hoax|a hoax/rumour}} that the drilling hit a super-hot cavern from which screams emanated [http://www.snopes.com/religion/wellhell.asp]. Although super-hot temperature was the reason the project was abandoned, there is no evidence of any chamber or voices being discovered. As Megan notes, the hoax plays on the popular notion that {{w|Hell}} is literally a physical place below us (therefore by definition, towards the centre of the Earth), whereas Heaven is above us; often depicted in the clouds. |
− | + | Megan suggests that the miners therefore sealed the hole to “seal in” Hell; there is no mention in the Wikipedia article about the hole being sealed, and given potential future scientific data, the 22 years spent drilling and the cost of sealing the hole, it seems likely that when it was abandoned, the hole was left intact. | |
− | + | [[Black Hat]] suggests that if the Hoax were true and the miners did believe they’d drilled into Hell, a better alternative to sealing the hole would have been to dig a canal to the ocean, thereby allowing water to flow into the hole and into Hell. Given the common depiction of a subterranean hell is characterized by fire and brimstone and extreme heat, filling hell with water would both drastically alter the landscape, and presumably shortly thereafter, entirely flood Hell. | |
− | The title text parodies a | + | Megan never thought of that possibility and compliments Black Hat’s ingenuity by suggesting that if there were ever a real conflict with Hell, she would want to be “on his side”, given his clever suggestion on how to destroy Hell. He responds by suggesting that Megan is “nice” and therefore probably won’t be on his side. This suggests Black Hat considers himself evil and thinks he would be fighting <i>for</i> Hell (or maybe on behalf of those <!-- similarly evil people who are suffering from the heat--> consigned there), rather than against it. |
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+ | The title text parodies a non-descript news report of a person’s death. In this case it is about {{w|Lucifer}} being killed by Black Hat carrying out his plan to flood Hell. However, the report is written in a non-descript way that ignores the presumed sensationalism of the story (i.e., that Hell exists and has been flooded). It is notable that “Lucifer” is often used in modern times to refer to {{w|Satan}} and both are used to refer to the “leader” or “keeper” of Hell, although they are not biblically the same entity, and are not tied directly to hell. Much of the modern image of Hell is derived from Dante’s “{{w| Inferno (Dante) |Inferno}}” along with a variety of additional details which have been added and changed throughout the years. The reference to sharks is a reference to [[1326: Sharks]] that was released the previous week. | ||
==See also== | ==See also== | ||
− | + | [[1040: Lakes and Oceans]], [http://xkcd.com/1040/large/ 1040 large], on the right hand side. | |
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+ | [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Well_to_Hell_hoax Well to Hell hoax] | ||
==Transcript== | ==Transcript== | ||
:[Megan and Black Hat are sitting in front of their laptops.] | :[Megan and Black Hat are sitting in front of their laptops.] | ||
:Megan: Ever hear of the Kola Borehole? | :Megan: Ever hear of the Kola Borehole? | ||
− | :Black Hat: | + | :Black Hat: No -- what's that? |
:Megan: A Soviet project to drill deep into the Earth's crust. | :Megan: A Soviet project to drill deep into the Earth's crust. | ||
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:Megan: I guess some people think Hell is literally an underground place. | :Megan: I guess some people think Hell is literally an underground place. | ||
− | :Black Hat: No - I mean, why would the miners seal the opening? Why not just dig a canal connecting it to the ocean? Unless they '''''like''''' Hell. | + | :Black Hat: No -- I mean, why would the miners seal the opening? Why not just dig a canal connecting it to the ocean? Unless they '''''like''''' Hell. |
:Megan: ...If there's ever a war between Earth and Hell, I hope I'm on '''''your''''' side. | :Megan: ...If there's ever a war between Earth and Hell, I hope I'm on '''''your''''' side. | ||
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[[Category:Comics featuring Black Hat]] | [[Category:Comics featuring Black Hat]] | ||
[[Category:Religion]] | [[Category:Religion]] | ||
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