1242: Scary Names

2013-07-24T12:49:20Z

RobInNYC: /* Explanation */ correct misspelling

{{comic
| number = 1242
| date = July 24, 2013
| title = Scary Names
| image = scary_names.png
| titletext = Far off to the right of the chart is the Helvetica Scenario.
}}

==Explanation==
The chart shows that things toward the right are scary, while things toward the top simply sound scary, without necessarily being scary.

{| class="wikitable"
! scope="col"| Name
! scope="col"| Apparent Scariness
! scope="col"| True Scariness
! scope="col"| Description
|-
|{{Nowrap|Chernobyl Packet}}
|{{Nowrap|95%}}
|{{Nowrap|4%}}
|A network packet that induces a broadcast storm or network meltdown.
|-
|{{Nowrap|Bomb Calorimeter}}
|{{Nowrap|67%}}
|{{Nowrap|28%}}
|A device for measuring heat of combustion of a reaction in a pressure vessel.
|-
|{{Nowrap|Mustard Gas}}
|{{Nowrap|47%}}
|{{Nowrap|50%}}
|A chemical warfare agent which causes blisters and severe irritation on skin and lung tissue.
|-
|{{Nowrap|Kessler Syndrome}}
|{{Nowrap|87%}}
|{{Nowrap|53%}}
|A hypothetical scenario where low Earth orbit objects collide creating space debris which thereby increasing risk of collisions, leading to a cascade effect which could severely hinder space exploration and satellite technologies for many years.
|-
|{{Nowrap|Soil Liquefaction}}
|{{Nowrap|16%}}
|{{Nowrap|54%}}
|A phenomena where wet soil loses its strength, leading to potholes, road and terrain damage, and even building collapses, especially after earthquakes.
|-
|{{Nowrap|Grey Goo}}
|{{Nowrap|5%}}
|{{Nowrap|68%}}
|A hypothetical end-of-world scenario where self-replicating nanobots consume all matter.
|-
|{{Nowrap|Bird Flu}}
|{{Nowrap|57%}}
|{{Nowrap|72%}}
|An illness caused by strains of influenza adapted for transfer between birds and humans. Since birds can travel great distances quickly, this makes it difficult to contain.
|-
|{{Nowrap|Demon Core}}
|{{Nowrap|90%}}
|{{Nowrap|73%}}
|An incident where a subcritical mass of plutonium briefly went critical on two separate occasions at Los Alamos laboratory in 1945 and 1946. The second is more notable, where Louis Slotin held two halves of the plutonium pit apart with a flat head screwdriver which slipped, suddenly making the plutonium reach critical mass and causing it to become supercritical and delivering a fatal dose of radiation. In both instances the scientists performing the experiment died.
|-
|{{Nowrap|Criticality Incident}}
|{{Nowrap|22%}}
|{{Nowrap|74%}}
|An uncontrolled nuclear reaction. This occurs when a system running at exact criticality experiences an increase of one dollar of criticality (a term devised by Louis Slotin, as seen above).
|-
|{{Nowrap|Superbug}}
|{{Nowrap|39%}}
|{{Nowrap|83%}}
|Antibiotic resistant bacteria. The growing use of antibiotics has caused some bacteria to evolve to become resistant to the antibiotics. A superbug perhaps refers to a scenario where a bacteria evolves rapidly to become resistant to all antibiotics and perhaps leads to an end of human life scenario.{{Citation needed}}
|-
|{{Nowrap|Nuclear Football}}
|{{Nowrap|52%}}
|{{Nowrap|94%}}
|A Zero Halliburton briefcase which is used by the President of the United States to authorise nuclear attack. This device can frequently be seen being carried by Secret Service personnel while he/she is travelling.
|-
|{{Nowrap|Flesh-Eating Bacteria}}
|{{Nowrap|100%}}
|{{Nowrap|100%}}
|As the name suggests, bacteria that eats your skin.
|-
|Helvetica Scenario (Title Text)
|{{Nowrap|N/A}}
|Literally Off-The-Chart
|Likely a reference to a segment on the pilot of 2002 BBC show Look Around You in which viewers are educated about the fictional "Helvetica Scenario" including a clip from a black and white German horror film of a scientist observing a man with no face trapped behind a window. [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rqfSqUuo7Ms YouTube Link] Some may find this video disturbing.
|}

==Transcript==
(no transcript as of 2013-24-07T11:02Z)

{{comic discussion}}

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1242: Scary Names