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| | + | {{incomplete|no explanation of unusual dialog in the last panel}} |
| | ==Explanation== | | ==Explanation== |
| − | This comic is a reference to all of the companies that rolled out {{w|Cloud computing|"cloud"}} services like {{w|Google}}'s and {{w|Amazon}}'s music service and {{w|Apple}}'s aptly named {{w|iCloud}} online backup service around the time that the comic was released. Despite the mental image people using cloud services have of their data being placed literally in the sky, the reality is that all the data in the cloud has to be stored ''somewhere'', sometimes being merely a server. Black Hat claims that the various cloud services are all ultimately provided by his server. | + | This comic is a reference to all of the companies that rolled out "cloud" services like {{w|Google}}'s and {{w|Amazon}}'s music service and {{w|Apple}}'s aptly named {{w|iCloud}} online backup service around the time that the comic was released. |
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| − | When Cueball expresses skepticism that Black Hat has enough bandwidth to make that possible, he explains that it's done by {{w|Cache (computing)|caching}}. Caching is an arrangement whereby some data is stored locally in order to reduce the need to retrieve it from more distant storage. However, it would require an unrealistically efficient level of caching to reduce the overhead requirements of the world's cloud storage networks to a level that could be accommodated by Black Hat's non-Enterprise class cable modem -- and if it ''could'' be done, it would simply transfer the load to other servers (i.e. Cueball's description of "the cloud" as it exists in the real world). However, it does make a bottleneck at Black Hat's server.
| + | Also, in this comic is a reference to {{w|caching}} and the {{w|Roomba}}. Caching is the way that remote sites would locally store data from the "The Cloud" to prevent from putting too much pressure on Black Hat's non-Enterprise class cable modem. The Roomba is a round vacuum that runs automatically around the house. The Roomba begins to learn the dimensions of rooms, however, apparently it has never learned not to run over the cord. |
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| − | The last two panels showcase both Black Hat's stereotypical sadism and callousness. When Cueball asks about the hazard (namely, tripping) implicit in a cord stretching across a room, Black Hat responds by implying no one would want to do that, because it's unpleasant. Cueball responds with the fact that some people do things by accident, to which Black Hat says he doesn't know anyone like that. The only way Cueball can disprove this (at least quickly) is by admitting he's one of those people, opening him up to Black Hat's ridicule. Alternatively, this could be a hint towards how Black Hat, being the sadist he is, would "accidentally trip over" the cord, purposefully causing downtime and subsequent unpleasantness to those who rely on the cloud, a proposition supported by the title text. | + | The regular nightly downtime is a reference to an [http://www.snopes.com/horrors/freakish/cleaner.asp urban legend] in which some critical piece of equipment (often a server) is unplugged regularly so that a vacuum cleaner or similar janitorial tool can be temporarily plugged in. Although the Roomba vacuum does not require this computer's outlet, "running over the cord" apparently causes similar interruption in service. |
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| − | The title text refers to the {{w|Roomba}}, which is a small round battery-powered vacuum cleaner that runs automatically around the house. The Roomba begins to learn the dimensions of rooms, however, apparently it has never learned to avoid running over the cord, pulling it free of the socket and cutting power to the server.
| + | This comic is reminiscent of the British sitcom "The IT Crowd" in which they showcase a box that they make the rest of their non-Tech coworkers believe is "The Internet". |
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| − | The regular nightly downtime is a reference to an [http://www.snopes.com/horrors/freakish/cleaner.asp urban legend] in which some critical piece of equipment (often a server) is unplugged regularly so that a vacuum cleaner or similar janitorial tool can be temporarily plugged in. Although the Roomba vacuum does not require this computer's outlet, "running over the cord" apparently causes similar interruption in service, probably unplugging the cord, requiring it to be plugged in again.
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| − | This comic is reminiscent of a scene in the British sitcom ''{{w|The IT Crowd}}'' in which the IT department pranks their non-tech-savvy manager by presenting a single small box and claiming that it contains the entire Internet. | |
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| − | There are some connections with both [[1117: My Sky]] and the title text of [[1444: Cloud]] and especially the April Fools' Day comic [[1506: xkcloud]].
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| | ==Transcript== | | ==Transcript== |
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| | :[A close-up of Black Hat.] | | :[A close-up of Black Hat.] |
| − | :Cueball: How? You're on a cable modem. | + | :Cueball: How? You're on a ''cable'' modem. |
| | :Black Hat: There's a lot of caching. | | :Black Hat: There's a lot of caching. |
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| | [[Category:Comics featuring Black Hat]] | | [[Category:Comics featuring Black Hat]] |
| | [[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]] | | [[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]] |
| − | [[Category:Roomba]]
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| − | [[Category:Internet]]
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