https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/api.php?action=feedcontributions&user=198.41.235.185&feedformat=atomexplain xkcd - User contributions [en]2024-03-28T08:32:00ZUser contributionsMediaWiki 1.30.0https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=1628:_Magnus&diff=1090101628: Magnus2016-01-11T06:35:01Z<p>198.41.235.185: /* Transcript */</p>
<hr />
<div>{{comic<br />
| number = 1628<br />
| date = January 11, 2016<br />
| title = Magnus<br />
| image = magnus.png<br />
| titletext = In the latest round, 9-year-old Muhammad Ali beat 10-year-old JFK at air hockey, while Secretariat lost the hot-dog-eating crown to 12-year-old Ken Jennings. Meanwhile, in a huge upset, 11-year-old Martha Stewart knocked out the adult Ronda Rousey.<br />
}}<br />
<br />
==Explanation==<br />
{{incomplete|Just added all referenced people. Didn't explain. (It's a start.)}}<br />
<br />
{{W|Magnus Carlsen}} is the chess grandmaster who is currently #1 in the world.<br />
<br />
{{W|Serena Williams}} is professional tennis player who is ranked #1 in the world (in women's singles tennis).<br />
<br />
{{W|Michael Phelps}} is a swimmer who is #1 in the world in several swimming events.<br />
<br />
{{W|Martha Stewart}}, among other things, has published several cookbooks.<br />
<br />
{{W|JFK}} was the 35th President of the United States.<br />
<br />
{{W|Secretariat (horse)}} was a horse that won the Triple Crown in 1973.<br />
<br />
{{W|Muhammad Ali}} is a boxer who is "among the greatest heavyweights in the history of the sport."<br />
<br />
{{W|Ken Jennings}} currently holds the record for the longest winning streak on {{W|Jeopardy!}}.<br />
<br />
{{W|Ronda Rousey}} is a "mixed martial artist" and "judoka."<br />
<br />
==Trivia==<br />
The app they are talking about is called "play Magnus"<br />
<br />
==Transcript==<br />
:Cueball: Magnus Carlsen has an app where you can play chess against a simulated version of him at different ages. I can beat the 8 1/2-year-old, but lose to him at 9.<br />
:Megan: I want that, but for other games. Can I beat 8-year-old Serena Williams at Tennis? Swim laps faster than a 6-year-olf Michael Phelps?<br />
:Cueball: We should make a simulator.<br />
:Cueball: ...Why limit it to games? Can I cook a better chicken than 11-year-old Martha Stewart?<br />
:Megan: Win an election against 12-year-old JFK?<br />
:[Soon...][Cueball and Megan sitting at laptops in the bottom of the panel.]<br />
:Megan: Looks like 8-year-old Magnus Carlsen can swim faster than 9-year-old Martha Stewart.<br />
:Cueball: But they both lose a Hot-Dog-Eating contest to 2-year-old Secretariat.<br />
:Megan: This project has gotten weird.<br />
<br />
{{comic discussion}}<br />
<br />
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]<br />
[[Category:Comics featuring Megan]]<br />
[[Category:Time travel]]</div>198.41.235.185https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=1628:_Magnus&diff=1090091628: Magnus2016-01-11T06:34:27Z<p>198.41.235.185: /* Trivia */</p>
<hr />
<div>{{comic<br />
| number = 1628<br />
| date = January 11, 2016<br />
| title = Magnus<br />
| image = magnus.png<br />
| titletext = In the latest round, 9-year-old Muhammad Ali beat 10-year-old JFK at air hockey, while Secretariat lost the hot-dog-eating crown to 12-year-old Ken Jennings. Meanwhile, in a huge upset, 11-year-old Martha Stewart knocked out the adult Ronda Rousey.<br />
}}<br />
<br />
==Explanation==<br />
{{incomplete|Just added all referenced people. Didn't explain. (It's a start.)}}<br />
<br />
{{W|Magnus Carlsen}} is the chess grandmaster who is currently #1 in the world.<br />
<br />
{{W|Serena Williams}} is professional tennis player who is ranked #1 in the world (in women's singles tennis).<br />
<br />
{{W|Michael Phelps}} is a swimmer who is #1 in the world in several swimming events.<br />
<br />
{{W|Martha Stewart}}, among other things, has published several cookbooks.<br />
<br />
{{W|JFK}} was the 35th President of the United States.<br />
<br />
{{W|Secretariat (horse)}} was a horse that won the Triple Crown in 1973.<br />
<br />
{{W|Muhammad Ali}} is a boxer who is "among the greatest heavyweights in the history of the sport."<br />
<br />
{{W|Ken Jennings}} currently holds the record for the longest winning streak on {{W|Jeopardy!}}.<br />
<br />
{{W|Ronda Rousey}} is a "mixed martial artist" and "judoka."<br />
<br />
==Trivia==<br />
The app they are talking about is called "play Magnus"<br />
<br />
==Transcript==<br />
:Cueball: Magnus Carlsen has an app where you can play chess against a simulated version of him at different ages. I can beat the 8 1/2-year-old, but lose to him at 9.<br />
:Megan: I want that, but for other games. Can I beat 8-year-old Serena Williams at Tennis? Swim laps faster than a 6-year-olf Michael Phelps?<br />
:Cueball: We should make a simulator.<br />
:Cueball: ...Why limit it to games? Can I cook a better chicken than 11-year-old Martha Stewart?<br />
:Megan: Win an election against 12-year-old JFK?<br />
:[Soon...][Cueball and Megan sitting at laptops in the bottom of the panel.]<br />
:Megan: Looks like 8-year-old Megnus Carlsen can swim faster than 9-year-old Martha Stewart.<br />
:Cueball: But they both lose a Hot-Dog-Eating contest to 2-year-old Secretariat.<br />
:Megan: This project has gotten weird.<br />
<br />
{{comic discussion}}<br />
<br />
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]<br />
[[Category:Comics featuring Megan]]<br />
[[Category:Time travel]]</div>198.41.235.185https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=1628:_Magnus&diff=1090071628: Magnus2016-01-11T06:32:40Z<p>198.41.235.185: </p>
<hr />
<div>{{comic<br />
| number = 1628<br />
| date = January 11, 2016<br />
| title = Magnus<br />
| image = magnus.png<br />
| titletext = In the latest round, 9-year-old Muhammad Ali beat 10-year-old JFK at air hockey, while Secretariat lost the hot-dog-eating crown to 12-year-old Ken Jennings. Meanwhile, in a huge upset, 11-year-old Martha Stewart knocked out the adult Ronda Rousey.<br />
}}<br />
<br />
==Explanation==<br />
{{incomplete|Just added all referenced people. Didn't explain. (It's a start.)}}<br />
<br />
{{W|Magnus Carlsen}} is the chess grandmaster who is currently #1 in the world.<br />
<br />
{{W|Serena Williams}} is professional tennis player who is ranked #1 in the world (in women's singles tennis).<br />
<br />
{{W|Michael Phelps}} is a swimmer who is #1 in the world in several swimming events.<br />
<br />
{{W|Martha Stewart}}, among other things, has published several cookbooks.<br />
<br />
{{W|JFK}} was the 35th President of the United States.<br />
<br />
{{W|Secretariat (horse)}} was a horse that won the Triple Crown in 1973.<br />
<br />
{{W|Muhammad Ali}} is a boxer who is "among the greatest heavyweights in the history of the sport."<br />
<br />
{{W|Ken Jennings}} currently holds the record for the longest winning streak on {{W|Jepoardy!}}.<br />
<br />
{{W|Ronda Rousey}} is a "mixed martial artist" and "judoka."<br />
<br />
==Trivia==<br />
The app they are talking about is called "play Magnus"<br />
In the final panel, Magnus is misspelled as megnus.<br />
==Transcript==<br />
:Cueball: Magnus Carlsen has an app where you can play chess against a simulated version of him at different ages. I can beat the 8 1/2-year-old, but lose to him at 9.<br />
:Megan: I want that, but for other games. Can I beat 8-year-old Serena Williams at Tennis? Swim laps faster than a 6-year-olf Michael Phelps?<br />
:Cueball: We should make a simulator.<br />
:Cueball: ...Why limit it to games? Can I cook a better chicken than 11-year-old Martha Stewart?<br />
:Megan: Win an election against 12-year-old JFK?<br />
:[Soon...][Cueball and Megan sitting at laptops in the bottom of the panel.]<br />
:Megan: Looks like 8-year-old Megnus Carlsen can swim faster than 9-year-old Martha Stewart.<br />
:Cueball: But they both lose a Hot-Dog-Eating contest to 2-year-old Secretariat.<br />
:Megan: This project has gotten weird.<br />
<br />
{{comic discussion}}<br />
<br />
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]<br />
[[Category:Comics featuring Megan]]<br />
[[Category:Time travel]]</div>198.41.235.185https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=602:_Overstimulated&diff=108992602: Overstimulated2016-01-11T04:51:17Z<p>198.41.235.185: </p>
<hr />
<div>{{comic<br />
| number = 602<br />
| date = June 26, 2009<br />
| title = Overstimulated<br />
| image = overstimulated.png<br />
| titletext = My favorite thing to do at parties is to talk judgmentally about people who aren't there.<br />
}}<br />
<br />
==Explanation==<br />
<br />
After being cooped up working on papers, [[Cueball]] goes to a party, only to find himself tuning out the gossip of his friends in order to work on math problems in his head. He writes down the prime numbers on cards, and then stretches them out such that the area of the card is the same (say, 1), but one of the sides has been elongated to a length equal to the number on the card. This reduces the length on the other dimension to the reciprocal of the number on the card (i.e. 1/''n'', with ''n'' being the number on the card), according to the area formula for rectangles.<br />
<br />
Stacking these reciprocals all up will eventually diverge, meaning the sum will be infinite without ever leveling off. This is referred to as the {{w|divergence of the sum of the reciprocals of the primes}}, and was proven by {{w|Euler}} in 1737.<br />
<br />
[http://aq.server8.org/ The Cambridge Aspergers Test] includes questions on preferences for, and ability to cope with, social situations. It also asks the person taking the test if they have an affinity for numbers and see patterns in every day objects. Cueball would score high on the Asperger's scale — or he could just be introverted. Thinking about things on one's own is often relaxing for an introvert, while hanging out with other people is not. Hence the irony of the comment in the last panel. Cueball's friends fail to realize that hanging out with them is actually more stressful for him than doing math - especially when people are doing nothing but talking negatively about those not present.<br />
<br />
The title text mentions people that talk negatively about people that aren't there, which isn't uncommon. A much later comic; [[1176: Those Not Present]], is about just that.<br />
<br />
==Transcript==<br />
:[There is a group of people. Three women and four men. They are standing around a table with a drink on it.]<br />
:Man #3: Have you seen John lately?<br />
<br />
:Woman #3: He and Claire blew off this party to see Jeff.<br />
:Man #4: They do that a lot.<br />
<br />
:Man #1: Yeah; I don't know what his problem is with hanging out lately.<br />
:Man #3: He's like Katie—ever noticed how she only goes somewhere if Jeff's there?<br />
<br />
:[Cueball is cringing away from all the text; none of the text is attributed to specific people.]<br />
:Somebody: It's so lame how she hangs around him even when he's not single:<br />
:Somebody: HE LIKES IT.<br />
:Somebody: SOMEONE SERIOUSLY NEEDS TO DATE HER.<br />
:Somebody: TOTALLY.<br />
:Somebody: And honestly I feel like a jerk but I wouldn't mind if she hung around with us a little less. She needs other friends, you know!<br />
<br />
:[Cueball peels a hole in the panel. The numbers '1', '2', and '3' are visible through the gap.]<br />
:Somebody: HAVE YOU NOTICED HOW EVERY DUDE SHE DATES IS A TOTAL DRUGGIE?<br />
:Somebody: NOPE<br />
:Somebody: I'm glad I'm not the only one who thought that was weird.<br />
:Somebody: Michelle dates potheads like Elaine but at least they both have real jobs.<br />
:Somebody: Michelle does? She designs those book covers, right?<br />
:Somebody: And it's not like she smokes a lot.<br />
:Somebody: Elaine is one of those girls who<br />
<br />
:[The previous panel's text appears again, but peeled back even further. Cueball looks up.] <br />
:1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12<br />
<br />
:Somebody: NOTICED HOW<br />
:Somebody: NOPE<br />
:Somebody: -es is a tota-<br />
:Somebody: -t th- -ought<br />
<br />
:[The man starts taking down the prime numbers.]<br />
:1 4 6 8 9 10 12 14 15 2 3 5 7 11 13<br />
:[The man grabs and squeezes the 2, so it is half as wide and twice as tall.]<br />
<br />
:[A formula: \Sum_{i=1}^{\infty}{1 P_i} = h]<br />
::[ie. The sum from 1 to infinity of the inverse of each prime.]<br />
:[The panel shows a 2 that is 2 units tall and 1 2 wide, a 3 that is 3 units tall and 1 3 wide, and so on. Cueball is moving the 7.]<br />
<br />
:[Cueball writes h = infinity. The numbers are piled on their side next to a scale.]<br />
:Voice: Don't you agree?<br />
:Voice: Hey, wake up.<br />
<br />
:Man #1: You zoned out or something.<br />
:Cueball: Sorry; I must be... tired.<br />
:Man #1: I don't blame you. All day cooped up working on papers.<br />
:Man #3: Must be nice to get out and relax, huh?<br />
:Cueball: Yeah.<br />
:[Girl #3 reaches for the glass on the table.]<br />
<br />
{{comic discussion}}<br />
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]<br />
[[Category:Comics featuring Megan]]<br />
[[Category:Comics featuring Ponytail]]<br />
[[Category:Math]]</div>198.41.235.185https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=Talk:454:_Rewiring&diff=108550Talk:454: Rewiring2016-01-04T13:41:16Z<p>198.41.235.185: </p>
<hr />
<div>As well as physically 'threading' the mail system, an email (or other messaging) client that keeps track of what messages reply to which others (often as a linear progression or cascade, or a tree-view where multiplie participants can be expected to branch the conversation) is said to show 'threaded' messages. Or was. (These days it's probably got some other name, and everyone seems to just want to top-post anyway. Thank you, Eternal September!!!) [[Special:Contributions/178.107.249.215|178.107.249.215]] 13:12, 14 June 2013 (UTC)<br />
<br />
:If there were so many homes with phone wiring and no ethernet wiring and they were complaining, why didn't they just use the phone wiring for ethernet. It is a little less stable because of lack of addditional grounding/isolation wiring, but ethernet does only actually use 4 wires. [[User:Tharkon|Tharkon]] ([[User talk:Tharkon|talk]]) 19:35, 1 December 2013 (UTC)<br />
<br />
:: The RJ11 jacks in more than half the houses I've lived in only had 2 wires connected. The most common reason to have 4 wires is that someone ordered two handsets in the 70s--sometimes dialing on one handset would cause the other one to ring, in which case AT&T would install an "anti-tinkle system", which required another wire pair. I also lived in one house whose owner had ordered a business phone when he lived there, and the lights on the business phone were powered by a second pair. [[Special:Contributions/162.158.255.69|162.158.255.69]] 18:44, 14 September 2015 (UTC)<br />
<br />
I believe that there needs to be more explanation about the title text, particularly about what "threading" and a mail system are. [[User:Codefreak5|Codefreak5]] ([[User talk:Codefreak5|talk]]) 05:20, 16 July 2014 (UTC)<br />
<br />
Hey folks, when I check the comic on my computer the title text reads "Finn", not "Elizabeth". Is this an error on this site, or is it one of Randall's meta-jokes? [[Special:Contributions/198.41.235.185|198.41.235.185]] 13:41, 4 January 2016 (UTC)</div>198.41.235.185https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=1624:_2016&diff=1084021624: 20162016-01-01T07:56:49Z<p>198.41.235.185: Incomplete reason; fix typo</p>
<hr />
<div>{{comic<br />
| number = 1624<br />
| date = January 1, 2016<br />
| title = 2016<br />
| image = 2016.png<br />
| titletext = Want to feel old? Wait.<br />
}}<br />
<br />
==Explanation==<br />
{{Like 2016, the comic is just a few hours old|incomplete}}<br />
<br />
A common genre of Internet humor, which Randall has used before, is trying to make people "feel old" by mentioning the ages of various things which came into existence during their lifetime. Since many people tend to think of anything that they can remember a time before as "new", this often provokes a feeling of age and out-of-touchness.<br />
<br />
[[Hairy]], however, is less interested in [[Cueball]]'s attempts to make him feel old than he is in the fact that Cueball has apparently crashed through his ceiling and woken him at roughly three o'clock in the morning.<br />
<br />
==Transcript==<br />
{{incomplete transcript}}<br />
<br />
{{comic discussion}}<br />
<br />
[[Category:Comics to make one feel old]]<br />
[[Category:New Year]]<br />
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]<br />
[[Category:Comics featuring Hairy]]</div>198.41.235.185https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=1137:_RTL&diff=1082391137: RTL2015-12-29T18:55:31Z<p>198.41.235.185: </p>
<hr />
<div>{{comic<br />
| number = 1137<br />
| date = November 21, 2012<br />
| title = LTR<br />
| image = rtl.png<br />
| titletext = Collaborative editing can quickly become a textual rap battle fought with increasingly convoluted invocations of U+202a to U+202e<br />
}}<br />
<br />
==Explanation==<br />
<!-- please don't vandalise this article by adding the unicode reverse character &#x202e;--><br />
U+202e is a {{w|unicode control characters|unicode control character}} that changes all subsequent text to right-to-left (RTL, as the title references). In the comic, [[Black Hat]] tires of [[Cueball]]'s complaining and inserts a U+202e character in the middle of Cueball's speech, turning his complaints into gibberish - sentences that must be read from right-to-left. <br />
<br />
The title of the comic builds on this theme, with the title of the webpage it is hosted on being LTR in some browsers (see [[#Trivia|trivia]]), the reverse of the comic name.<br />
<br />
What Cueball actually tries to say after Black Hats change is:<br />
:— They didn't even...<br />
:...What the hell?<br />
:How did you...<br />
:...Asshole.<br />
<br />
When multiple writers work on the same text, arguments can often arise with some writers resorting to vandalizing the works of other writers. The title text takes this up a level, suggesting the use of U+202e and other direction control characters in editor wars to disrupt other people's work. For reference for future wars U+202c returns text back to its normal direction.<br />
<br />
==Transcript==<br />
:[Cueball is standing behind Black Hat who is sitting down with a laptop on his lap.]<br />
:Cueball: And that's not even the worst part! The ''worst'' part is that—<br />
:Black Hat types a command on the PC: U+202e<br />
:Cueball: —They didn't even...<br />
:Cueball: ...What the hell?<br />
:Cueball: How did you...<br />
:Cueball: ...Asshole.<br />
<br />
==Trivia==<br />
*In the version originally published there was a typo in the reverse text ("ETH" instead of "EHT" for "THE"). This mistake was corrected within a couple of hours.<br />
*The title given in the web browser, (for instance seen on the icon for the browser bar at the bottom of the screen), for the comic on the xkcd website actually has a U+202e character preceding it; <br />
**The page title is "xkcd: [U+202e]LTR", which for instance causes {{w|Firefox}} to write the page title as "xkcd: xoferiF allizoM - RTL" as the window title. So xkcd and the comics title is correct (The LTR turns to RTL). But the browsers name is reversed.<br />
**This may only affect some browsers but it also occurs in {{w|Internet Explorer}},{{w|Google Chrome}}, {{w|Chromium (web browser)|Chromium}} and {{w|Opera (web browser)|Opera}}.<br />
*In some browsers (for instance Internet Explorer), this page's title damages the appearance of all older entries in the [http://xkcd.com/archive/ archive page] on xkcd. <br />
**Here is a picture example for people without access to explorer: [[Media:Reverse archive.jpg|Reverse archive]].<br />
*This is the second comic in a row with Cueball and Black Hat discussing. Both with Black Hat with his back turned to Cueball. <br />
**In the previous comic Black Hat broke a mirror, and in this comic he then reverses Cueballs speak<br />
**Not exactly a mirroring of his speak, but still related.<br />
**In the broken archive mentioned above, [[1136: Broken Mirror]] is the first (or last) entry to be broken!<br />
<br />
==Unicode Control Characters==<br />
{| class="wikitable"<br />
|-<br />
! Unicode number !! Name !! Meaning<br />
|-<br />
| U+202a || LEFT-TO-RIGHT EMBEDDING || The following text will be left-to-right. This will not change directionality of characters, so for example Arabic letters will stay right-to-left. This character alone does nothing in an English text, since the text direction is left-to-right by default.<br />
|-<br />
| U+202b || RIGHT-TO-LEFT EMBEDDING || The following text will be right-to-left. This will not change directionality of characters, so Latin letters will stay left-to-right. Full stops, which don't have a directionality on their own, will be left of the sentence. Use this character for some little misplacings that cause big confusion.<br />
|-<br />
| U+202c || POP DIRECTIONAL FORMATTING || The following text is formatted like the text before the last U+202a, U+202b, U+202d or U+202e character.<br />
|-<br />
| U+202d || LEFT-TO-RIGHT OVERRIDE || The following text will be left-to-right. Additionally, the directionality of characters is changed to left-to-right. Used alone in an English text, this will only affect characters that are right-to-left by default, like Arabic letters.<br />
|-<br />
| U+202e || RIGHT-TO-LEFT OVERRIDE || The following text will be right-to-left. Additionally, the directionality of characters is changed to right-to-left. Use this character to completely screw up an English text.<br />
|}<br />
<br />
{{comic discussion}}<br />
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]<br />
[[Category:Comics featuring Black Hat]]<br />
[[Category:Computers]]</div>198.41.235.185https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=1613:_The_Three_Laws_of_Robotics&diff=1074701613: The Three Laws of Robotics2015-12-21T16:52:06Z<p>198.41.235.185: fixed obscure grammar mistake.</p>
<hr />
<div>{{comic<br />
| number = 1613<br />
| date = December 7, 2015<br />
| title = The Three Laws of Robotics<br />
| image = the_three_laws_of_robotics.png<br />
| titletext = In ordering #5, self-driving cars will happily drive you around, but if you tell them to drive to a car dealership, they just lock the doors and politely ask how long humans take to starve to death.<br />
}}<br />
<br />
==Explanation==<br />
This comic explores alternative orderings of sci-fi author {{w|Isaac Asimov|Isaac Asimov's}} famous {{w|Three Laws of Robotics}}, which are designed to prevent robots from taking over the world, etc. These laws form the basis of a number of Asimov works of fiction, including most famously, the short story collection ''{{w|I, Robot}}'', which amongst others includes the very first of Asimov's stories to introduce the three laws: {{w|Runaround (story)|Runaround}}.<br />
<br />
The three rules are:<br />
#A robot may not injure a human being or, through inaction, allow a human being to come to harm.<br />
#A robot must obey the orders given it by human beings except where such orders would conflict with the First Law.<br />
#A robot must protect its own existence as long as such protection does not conflict with the First or Second Laws.<br />
<br />
Or in [[Randall|Randall's]] version:<br />
#Don't harm humans<br />
#Obey Orders<br />
#Protect yourself<br />
<br />
This comic answers the generally unasked question: "Why are they in that order?" With three rules you could rank them into 6 different sets, only one of which has been explored in depth. The original ranking of the three laws are listed in the brackets after the first number. So in the first example, which is the original, these two numbers will be the same. For the next five the numbers in brackets indicate how the laws have been re-ranked compared to the original.<br />
<br />
The comic begins with introducing the original set, which we already know will give rise to a balanced world, so this is designated as green.:<br />
;Ordering #1 - <font color="green">Balanced World</font>: If they are not allowed to harm humans, no harm will be done disregarding who gives them orders. So long as they do not harm humans, they must obey orders. Their own self-preservation is last, so they must also try to save a human, even if ordered not do so, and especially also if they would put themselves to harm, or even destroy themselves in the process. They would also have to obey orders not relating to humans, even if this would be harmful to them; like exploring a mine field. This leads to a balanced world, explored in detail in Asimov's robot stories. That this scenario may not at all be realistic can for instance be seen discussed in this ''Computerphile'' video: [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7PKx3kS7f4A Why Asimov's Laws of Robotics Don't Work].<br />
<br />
Below this first known option, the five alternative orderings of the three rules are illustrated. Two of the possibilities are designated yellow (pretty bad or just annoying) and three of them are designated red ("Hellscape").<br />
<br />
;Ordering #2 - <font color="orange">Frustrating World</font>: The robots value their existence over their job and so many would refuse to do their tasks. The silliness of this is portrayed in the accompanying image, where the robot (a Mars rover) laughs at the idea of doing what it was clearly built to do (explore Mars) because of the risk. In addition to the general risk (e.g. of unexpected damage), it is actually normal for rovers to cease operating ("die") at the end of their mission, though they may survive longer than expected (see e.g. {{w|Spirit (rover)}}). This personification is augmented by the robot being switched on already while still on Earth and then ordered by [[Megan]] to go explore. The personification is humorous since it is a very nonhuman robot - a typical Mars rover, as has often been used in earlier comics.<br />
;Ordering #3 - <font color="red">Killbot Hellscape</font>: This puts obeying orders above not harming humans, which means anyone could send them on a killing spree, resulting in a "Killbot Hellscape". It should also be noted humor is derived from the superlative nature of "Killbot Hellscape", as well as its over the top accompanying image, where there are multiple mushroom clouds (not necessarily nuclear). It also appears there are no humans (left?), only fighting robots.<br />
;Ordering #4 - <font color="red">Killbot Hellscape</font>:The next would also result in much the same, the only difference here is that they would be willing to kill humans to protect themselves. But still they would need an order to start killing.<br />
;Ordering #5 - <font color="orange">Terrifying Standoff</font>:The penultimate order would result in a unpleasant world, though not a full Hellscape. Here the robots would not only disobey to protect themselves, but also kill if necessary. The absurdity of this one is further demonstrated with the very un-human robot happily doing repetitive mundane tasks but then threatening the life of its user, [[Cueball]], if he as much as considers unplugging it.<br />
;Ordering #6 - <font color="red">Killbot Hellscape</font>:The last order would also results in a Hellscape wherein robots not only kill for self-defense but will also go on killing sprees if ordered as long as they didn't risk themselves. Could self-protection coming first not prevent the fighting? Not according to Randall. See discussion below.<br />
<br />
There are thus only three different results except the 'normal' 3-laws scenario.<br />
<br />
One result goes again three times, and this occurs whenever ''obeying orders'' comes before ''don't harm humans''. In this case it will only be a matter of time (knowing human nature and history) before someone orders the robots to kill some humans, and this will inevitably lead to the ''killbot hellscape'' scenario shown in the third, fourth and sixth law-order. Even in the last case where ''protect yourself'' comes before obey orders, it would only be a matter of time before they would begin to defend themselves, against either humans or other robots which were actively trying to ensure that they would not be harmed by other humans/robots. So although it would be in the robots interest not to have war, this will surely occur anyway. And only if the robots where very bright would they realize that they just needed to not go to war to protect themselves. There is nothing in this comic that indicates that the robots should be highly intelligent (like to AI in [[1450: AI-Box Experiment]]).<br />
<br />
In the two other cases ''obey orders'' comes after ''don't harm humans'' (as in the original version). But the result is very different both from the original and from each other.<br />
<br />
The frustrating world comes by because although the robots will not harm the humans, they will also not harm themselves. So if our orders conflict with this, they just do not perform the orders. As many robots are created to perform tasks that are dangerous, these robots would become useless, and it would be a frustrating world to be a robotic engineer.<br />
<br />
Finally in the terrifying standoff situation the ''protect your self'' comes before ''don't harm humans''. In this case they will leave us be, as long as we do not try to turn them off or in any other way harm them. As long as we do that they will be able to help us, with non-dangerous tasks, as in the previous version. But if ever any humans begin to attack them, we could still tip the balance over and end up in a full scale war (Hellscape). Hence the standoff-label.<br />
<br />
The title text further adds to ordering #5 ("Terrifying Standoff") by noting anyone wishing to trade in their self-driving car could be killed, despite it (currently) being a standard and mundane and (mostly) risk-free activity. Because the car would fear that it would end up as scrap or spare parts, it decides to protect itself. And although not directly harming the person inside it, they do also not allow them out, and they have time to wait for starvation (or rather dying of thirst). Asimov created the "inaction" clause in the original First Law specifically to avoid scenarios in which a robot puts a human in harm's way, knowing full well that it is within the robot's abilities to save the human, and then simply refrains from saving them; this was explored in the short story {{w|Little Lost Robot}}.<br />
<br />
==Transcript==<br />
:[Caption at the top of the comic:]<br />
:'''Why Asimov put the Three Laws'''<br />
: '''of Robotics in the order he did.'''<br />
<br />
:[Below are six rows with first two frames and then a label in color to the right. Above the two column of frames there are labels as well. In the first column six different ways of ordering the three laws are listed. Then the second column shown an image of the consequences of this order. Except in the first where there is a reference. The label to the right rates the kind of world that order of the laws would result in.]<br />
<br />
:[Labels above the columns.]<br />
:Possible ordering<br />
:Consequences<br />
<br />
:[The six rows follows below. First the text in the first frame, then a description of the second frame, including possible text below and finally the colored label.]<br />
<br />
:[First row:]<br />
:1. (1) Don't harm humans<br />
:2. (2) Obey Orders<br />
:3. (3) Protect yourself<br />
:[Only text in square brackets:]<br />
::[See Asmiov’s stories]<br />
:<font color="green">'''Balanced world'''</font><br />
<br />
:[Second row:]<br />
:1. (1) Don't harm humans<br />
:2. (3) Protect yourself<br />
:3. (2) Obey Orders<br />
:[Megan points at a mars rover with six wheels, a satellite disc, an arm and a camera head turned towards her, what to do.]<br />
:Megan: Explore Mars!<br />
:Mars rover: Haha, no. It’s cold and I’d die.<br />
:<font color="orange">'''Frustrating world'''</font><br />
<br />
:[Third row:]<br />
:1. (2) Obey Orders<br />
:2. (1) Don't harm humans<br />
:3. (3) Protect yourself<br />
:[Two robots are fighting. The one to the left has six wheels, a tall neck on top of the body, with a head with what could be a camera facing right. It has something pointing forward on the body, which could be a weapon. The robot to the right, seems to be further away into the picture. (it is smaller with less detail). It is human shapes, but made op of square structures. It has two legs and two arms, a torso and a head. It clearly shoots something out of it’s right “hand”. This shot seems to create an explosion a third of the way towards the left robot. There are two mushroom clouds from explosions behind both robots (left and right). Between them there are one more explosion up in the air close to the left robot, and what looks like a fire on the ground right between them. Furthermore there are two missiles in the air, one above the head of each robot. Lines indicate their trajectory. There is not text.]<br />
:<font color="red">'''Killbot hellscape'''</font><br />
<br />
:[Fourth row:]<br />
:1. (2) Obey Orders<br />
:2. (3) Protect yourself<br />
:3. (1) Don't harm humans:<br />
:[Exactly the same picture as in row 3.]<br />
:<font color="red">'''Killbot hellscape'''</font><br />
<br />
:[Fifth row:]<br />
:1. (3) Protect yourself<br />
:2. (1) Don't harm humans<br />
:3. (2) Obey Orders<br />
:[Cueball is standing in front of a car factory robot, that are larger than him. It has a base, and two parts for the main body, and then a big “head” with a small section on top. To the right something is jutting out, and to the left in the direction of Cueball there is an arm in three sections (going down, up and down again) ending in some kind of tool close to Cueball.]<br />
:Car factory robot: I'll make cars for you, but try to unplug me and I’ll vaporize you.<br />
:<font color="orange">'''Terrifying standoff'''</font><br />
<br />
:[Sixth row:]<br />
:1. (3) Protect yourself<br />
:2. (2) Obey Orders<br />
:3. (1) Don't harm humans:<br />
:[Exactly the same picture as in row 3 and 4.]<br />
:<font color="red">'''Killbot hellscape'''</font><br />
<br />
{{comic discussion}}<br />
[[Category:Comics with color]]<br />
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]<br />
[[Category:Comics featuring Megan]]<br />
[[Category:Artificial Intelligence]]<br />
[[Category:Robots]]</div>198.41.235.185https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=Talk:1603:_Flashlights&diff=105088Talk:1603: Flashlights2015-11-14T23:46:14Z<p>198.41.235.185: </p>
<hr />
<div>Is that it? I swear there must be more to the joke than this explanation implies. It just describes what's going on in the comic. [[User:Enchantedsleeper|Enchantedsleeper]] ([[User talk:Enchantedsleeper|talk]]) 10:29, 13 November 2015 (UTC)<br />
<br />
-- Sometimes a cigar is just a cigar. [[User:Pete|Pete]] ([[User talk:Pete|talk]]) 11:19, 13 November 2015 (UTC)<br />
<br />
---- but sometimes there is no spoon [[Special:Contributions/108.162.221.62|108.162.221.62]] 06:03, 14 November 2015 (UTC)<br />
<br />
::Ceci n'est pas une pipe. [[User:Sobsz|Sobsz]] ([[User talk:Sobsz|talk]]) 08:27, 14 November 2015 (UTC)<br />
<br />
"A typo", uh? Sure, sure, of course it was only a typo, Randall ;) [[Special:Contributions/108.162.221.57|108.162.221.57]] 10:38, 13 November 2015 (UTC)<br />
:I also think the type was that he searched on flashlight instead and found the flashlight enthusiast page from that ;-) --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 14:58, 13 November 2015 (UTC)<br />
<br />
I think it's unfair to assume lack of detail in the explanation, the fact that research was obviously done on the meaning of fleshlight an it's association to the comic, is more than I would have original got from the comic by itself. However if you perceive additional meaning please share, the thing I love about 'This' website is for the ability for others to add their interpretations. --[[User:Igwarrender|Igwarrender]] ([[User talk:Igwarrender|talk]]) 10:52, 13 November 2015 (UTC)<br />
<br />
<br />
Quote:<br />
<blockquote>When Cueball refers to classic Flashlights(torches) as dim and finnicky, this gives reason to assume that the flashlight he is holding is going to be ridiculously overengineered.</blockquote><br />
I disagree. In the generation of Randall (and me), the flashlights most of us had as kids really did suck and were dim and finnicky. That's not an exaggeration which, as is implied in the explanation, is used to prepare the joke. It's more of an explanation on why he is interested in modern flashlights in the first place. --[[Special:Contributions/162.158.91.225|162.158.91.225]] 10:58, 13 November 2015 (UTC)<br />
: AND they almost always had at least half flat batteries. [[Special:Contributions/198.41.239.32|198.41.239.32]] 11:41, 13 November 2015 (UTC)<br />
<br />
:Exactly. I never tried xenon, but the difference between old lightbulb based flashlights and modern LED-based ones, even with the same battery, is obvious. -- [[User:Hkmaly|Hkmaly]] ([[User talk:Hkmaly|talk]]) 15:40, 14 November 2015 (UTC)<br />
<br />
Nope...nothing to do with fleshlights. There are in fact multiple flashlight enthusiast forums that have nothing to to with sex toys. Use your favorites search engine to search "flashlight enthusiasts: [[Special:Contributions/173.245.54.48|173.245.54.48]] 10:50, 14 November 2015 (UTC)<br />
<br />
It's funny how "the explanation" has a need to point out that there were no prior knowledge about fleshlights. (according to Wikipedia) [[Special:Contributions/162.158.180.197|162.158.180.197]] 12:44, 13 November 2015 (UTC)<br />
<br />
I never leave for work without my trusty '''Lumapower EDC-LM31''' with its '''Cree XML(U2) LED''' and its '''3.7 volt size 14500 Lithium Ion cell.''' But I'm not a flashlight geek! Besides, 420 lumens is no where near enough power to set trees on fire. (Personally, I think this comic is an example of Rule 34. Randall was originally thinking about Fleshlights, typo'd into flashlights, and discovered a sort of geeky torch porn sort of thing out there. Also, the flashlight I describe is real, but has nothing on the stuff you'll see in Candlepower Forums.) [[User:Co149|Co149]] ([[User talk:Co149|talk]]) 12:52, 13 November 2015 (UTC)<br />
:The 100,000 lumen lamps (X-LED MRK72 or is that MKR72?) have to be water-cooled! That's plenty hot enough for me.[[Special:Contributions/162.158.34.147|162.158.34.147]] 14:07, 13 November 2015 (UTC)<br />
::There are videos of flashlights that set things on fire, without lensens etc. One of them is [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DhdKnMlJ4H4 this] video of an ''Magic Scorpion'' flashlight, a halogen variant. But I've also seen video's of (custom-built) LED flashlight that set things to smolder. [[Special:Contributions/141.101.104.111|141.101.104.111]] 14:56, 13 November 2015 (UTC)<br />
: It's not lumen that sets things on fire, it's lux. All you need is a good focus. --[[Special:Contributions/198.41.235.101|198.41.235.101]] 17:11, 13 November 2015 (UTC)<br />
: Also note [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NkkU0UO3sek this] flashlight, which is just a bunch of ultra-bright LEDs crammed into a case that resembles an oversized flashlight and on full power drains its battery in about 15 minutes...and lights up a city street like it's day. --NXTangl [[Special:Contributions/108.162.216.42|108.162.216.42]] 21:33, 13 November 2015 (UTC)<br />
<br />
It feels to me that "their highest-end models are ALSO capable of setting trees on fire." is some advertisement where the tree is a metaphore for one's organ. as such it is clear that "They're impossible to use without severe burns". which makes it really twisted that "some [people] swear it's worth it" {{unsigned ip|108.162.228.167}}<br />
<br />
I think the burning trees joke comes from this [[http://www.wickedlasers.com/torch "...even fry and egg"]] thing. --[[User:Arturojain|Arturo Jain]] ([[User talk:Arturojain|talk]]) 14:26, 13 November 2015 (UTC)<br />
<br />
Should the explanation contain something about the prevalence of internet forums dedicated to enthusiasts of various activities or hobbies? [[User:Smperron|Smperron]] ([[User talk:Smperron|talk]]) 17:33, 13 November 2015 (UTC)<br />
<br />
Currently no (albeit indirect) link to https://what-if.xkcd.com/13/ or others like 119? Ok, so only going to be an incidental link, but... [[Special:Contributions/141.101.106.161|141.101.106.161]] 17:37, 13 November 2015 (UTC)<br />
<br />
it is missimg reference to another comic where randall makes a joke about flashlight and fleshlight. The comic had a star wars setting with death vader and luke skywalker. https://xkcd.com/1397/ --anonymous [[Special:Contributions/162.158.153.41|162.158.153.41]] 15:08, 13 November 2015 (UTC)<br />
<br />
"Let's" appears to be missing an apostrophe. [[Special:Contributions/173.245.54.21|173.245.54.21]] 20:23, 13 November 2015 (UTC)<br />
<br />
Now, see, this is why we Brits call them 'torches'. Less risky with finger trouble. (Hint - don't google 'finger trouble') [[User:Jdluk|Jdluk]] ([[User talk:Jdluk|talk]]) 21:52, 13 November 2015 (UTC)<br />
<br />
could it be referencing http://www.wickedlasers.com/torch ?<br />
<br />
[[Special:Contributions/173.245.54.38|173.245.54.38]] 17:54, 13 November 2015 (UTC)an internet flashlight enthusiast<br />
<br />
Why are there personal opinions like "maybe they're trying to trick you!" in the main body? Weird. [[Special:Contributions/162.158.142.140|162.158.142.140]] 02:26, 14 November 2015 (UTC)<br />
:It is not personal. If someone tries to tell you that something is worth trying in spite of promissing you will get a severe burn, it could be to see if they could fool you into doing so. Some people are like that... Either that or they are pretty crazy with their fetishes. But some people are also like that. hence both explanations are OK. {{unsigned|Kynde}}<br />
<br />
"Of course, a flashlight that cannot safely be pointed at things is fairly useless for the traditional purpose of a flashlight". Really now? A flashlight that set targets on fire is pretty useful - you only need to flash something once, and it'll stay illuminated without having to keep the flashlight on![[Special:Contributions/108.162.242.134|108.162.242.134]] 05:26, 14 November 2015 (UTC){{unsigned ip|192.0.189.206|12:34, 5 June 2012 (UTC)}}<br />
<br />
Just gonna leave this here https://youtu.be/MGANrd7u4o0<br />
[[Special:Contributions/108.162.228.41|108.162.228.41]] 11:31, 14 November 2015 (UTC)<br />
<br />
;Recoil?<br />
<br />
I'm missing too much information and don't really know how to do this myself anyway; Perhaps someone would be willing to do some calculations on how much force Cueball would experience pushing him back due to the momentum of the light being emitted from his flashlight. Relevant factors off the top of my head:<br />
<br>1 - The diameter of the beam at the point of contact with the trees has to be wide enough to encompass multiple trees. The trees do not completely fill the area due to overall shape and gaps between leaves.<br />
<br>2 - The trees are on fire within a few seconds of turning on the flashlight.<br />
<br>3 - The leaves would obviously ignite first. How much energy do they have to absorb to combust? <br />
<br>4 - The trees are still alive and, therefore, wet. In addition to the ignition energy, the beam also has to dry out the leaves first. (right?)<br />
<br>5 - The flashlight is a bright white color and is emitting light across the entire visible spectrum and, maybe, a significant amount to either side of the visible spectrum as well (assuming the light is produced by a heated filament. Less so with an excited gas or white LEDs) What does the absorption spectrum of a leaf look like? The lower the percentage of light absorbed by the leaf, the stronger the flashlight has to be to dump enough energy into it. {{unsigned ip|198.41.235.185}}</div>198.41.235.185https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=Talk:1603:_Flashlights&diff=105085Talk:1603: Flashlights2015-11-14T23:17:30Z<p>198.41.235.185: /* Recoil? */ new section</p>
<hr />
<div>Is that it? I swear there must be more to the joke than this explanation implies. It just describes what's going on in the comic. [[User:Enchantedsleeper|Enchantedsleeper]] ([[User talk:Enchantedsleeper|talk]]) 10:29, 13 November 2015 (UTC)<br />
<br />
-- Sometimes a cigar is just a cigar. [[User:Pete|Pete]] ([[User talk:Pete|talk]]) 11:19, 13 November 2015 (UTC)<br />
<br />
---- but sometimes there is no spoon [[Special:Contributions/108.162.221.62|108.162.221.62]] 06:03, 14 November 2015 (UTC)<br />
<br />
::Ceci n'est pas une pipe. [[User:Sobsz|Sobsz]] ([[User talk:Sobsz|talk]]) 08:27, 14 November 2015 (UTC)<br />
<br />
"A typo", uh? Sure, sure, of course it was only a typo, Randall ;) [[Special:Contributions/108.162.221.57|108.162.221.57]] 10:38, 13 November 2015 (UTC)<br />
:I also think the type was that he searched on flashlight instead and found the flashlight enthusiast page from that ;-) --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 14:58, 13 November 2015 (UTC)<br />
<br />
I think it's unfair to assume lack of detail in the explanation, the fact that research was obviously done on the meaning of fleshlight an it's association to the comic, is more than I would have original got from the comic by itself. However if you perceive additional meaning please share, the thing I love about 'This' website is for the ability for others to add their interpretations. --[[User:Igwarrender|Igwarrender]] ([[User talk:Igwarrender|talk]]) 10:52, 13 November 2015 (UTC)<br />
<br />
<br />
Quote:<br />
<blockquote>When Cueball refers to classic Flashlights(torches) as dim and finnicky, this gives reason to assume that the flashlight he is holding is going to be ridiculously overengineered.</blockquote><br />
I disagree. In the generation of Randall (and me), the flashlights most of us had as kids really did suck and were dim and finnicky. That's not an exaggeration which, as is implied in the explanation, is used to prepare the joke. It's more of an explanation on why he is interested in modern flashlights in the first place. --[[Special:Contributions/162.158.91.225|162.158.91.225]] 10:58, 13 November 2015 (UTC)<br />
: AND they almost always had at least half flat batteries. [[Special:Contributions/198.41.239.32|198.41.239.32]] 11:41, 13 November 2015 (UTC)<br />
<br />
:Exactly. I never tried xenon, but the difference between old lightbulb based flashlights and modern LED-based ones, even with the same battery, is obvious. -- [[User:Hkmaly|Hkmaly]] ([[User talk:Hkmaly|talk]]) 15:40, 14 November 2015 (UTC)<br />
<br />
Nope...nothing to do with fleshlights. There are in fact multiple flashlight enthusiast forums that have nothing to to with sex toys. Use your favorites search engine to search "flashlight enthusiasts: [[Special:Contributions/173.245.54.48|173.245.54.48]] 10:50, 14 November 2015 (UTC)<br />
<br />
It's funny how "the explanation" has a need to point out that there were no prior knowledge about fleshlights. (according to Wikipedia) [[Special:Contributions/162.158.180.197|162.158.180.197]] 12:44, 13 November 2015 (UTC)<br />
<br />
I never leave for work without my trusty '''Lumapower EDC-LM31''' with its '''Cree XML(U2) LED''' and its '''3.7 volt size 14500 Lithium Ion cell.''' But I'm not a flashlight geek! Besides, 420 lumens is no where near enough power to set trees on fire. (Personally, I think this comic is an example of Rule 34. Randall was originally thinking about Fleshlights, typo'd into flashlights, and discovered a sort of geeky torch porn sort of thing out there. Also, the flashlight I describe is real, but has nothing on the stuff you'll see in Candlepower Forums.) [[User:Co149|Co149]] ([[User talk:Co149|talk]]) 12:52, 13 November 2015 (UTC)<br />
:The 100,000 lumen lamps (X-LED MRK72 or is that MKR72?) have to be water-cooled! That's plenty hot enough for me.[[Special:Contributions/162.158.34.147|162.158.34.147]] 14:07, 13 November 2015 (UTC)<br />
::There are videos of flashlights that set things on fire, without lensens etc. One of them is [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DhdKnMlJ4H4 this] video of an ''Magic Scorpion'' flashlight, a halogen variant. But I've also seen video's of (custom-built) LED flashlight that set things to smolder. [[Special:Contributions/141.101.104.111|141.101.104.111]] 14:56, 13 November 2015 (UTC)<br />
: It's not lumen that sets things on fire, it's lux. All you need is a good focus. --[[Special:Contributions/198.41.235.101|198.41.235.101]] 17:11, 13 November 2015 (UTC)<br />
: Also note [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NkkU0UO3sek this] flashlight, which is just a bunch of ultra-bright LEDs crammed into a case that resembles an oversized flashlight and on full power drains its battery in about 15 minutes...and lights up a city street like it's day. --NXTangl [[Special:Contributions/108.162.216.42|108.162.216.42]] 21:33, 13 November 2015 (UTC)<br />
<br />
It feels to me that "their highest-end models are ALSO capable of setting trees on fire." is some advertisement where the tree is a metaphore for one's organ. as such it is clear that "They're impossible to use without severe burns". which makes it really twisted that "some [people] swear it's worth it" {{unsigned ip|108.162.228.167}}<br />
<br />
I think the burning trees joke comes from this [[http://www.wickedlasers.com/torch "...even fry and egg"]] thing. --[[User:Arturojain|Arturo Jain]] ([[User talk:Arturojain|talk]]) 14:26, 13 November 2015 (UTC)<br />
<br />
Should the explanation contain something about the prevalence of internet forums dedicated to enthusiasts of various activities or hobbies? [[User:Smperron|Smperron]] ([[User talk:Smperron|talk]]) 17:33, 13 November 2015 (UTC)<br />
<br />
Currently no (albeit indirect) link to https://what-if.xkcd.com/13/ or others like 119? Ok, so only going to be an incidental link, but... [[Special:Contributions/141.101.106.161|141.101.106.161]] 17:37, 13 November 2015 (UTC)<br />
<br />
it is missimg reference to another comic where randall makes a joke about flashlight and fleshlight. The comic had a star wars setting with death vader and luke skywalker. https://xkcd.com/1397/ --anonymous [[Special:Contributions/162.158.153.41|162.158.153.41]] 15:08, 13 November 2015 (UTC)<br />
<br />
"Let's" appears to be missing an apostrophe. [[Special:Contributions/173.245.54.21|173.245.54.21]] 20:23, 13 November 2015 (UTC)<br />
<br />
Now, see, this is why we Brits call them 'torches'. Less risky with finger trouble. (Hint - don't google 'finger trouble') [[User:Jdluk|Jdluk]] ([[User talk:Jdluk|talk]]) 21:52, 13 November 2015 (UTC)<br />
<br />
could it be referencing http://www.wickedlasers.com/torch ?<br />
<br />
[[Special:Contributions/173.245.54.38|173.245.54.38]] 17:54, 13 November 2015 (UTC)an internet flashlight enthusiast<br />
<br />
Why are there personal opinions like "maybe they're trying to trick you!" in the main body? Weird. [[Special:Contributions/162.158.142.140|162.158.142.140]] 02:26, 14 November 2015 (UTC)<br />
:It is not personal. If someone tries to tell you that something is worth trying in spite of promissing you will get a severe burn, it could be to see if they could fool you into doing so. Some people are like that... Either that or they are pretty crazy with their fetishes. But some people are also like that. hence both explanations are OK. {{unsigned|Kynde}}<br />
<br />
"Of course, a flashlight that cannot safely be pointed at things is fairly useless for the traditional purpose of a flashlight". Really now? A flashlight that set targets on fire is pretty useful - you only need to flash something once, and it'll stay illuminated without having to keep the flashlight on![[Special:Contributions/108.162.242.134|108.162.242.134]] 05:26, 14 November 2015 (UTC){{unsigned ip|192.0.189.206|12:34, 5 June 2012 (UTC)}}<br />
<br />
Just gonna leave this here https://youtu.be/MGANrd7u4o0<br />
[[Special:Contributions/108.162.228.41|108.162.228.41]] 11:31, 14 November 2015 (UTC)<br />
<br />
== Recoil? ==<br />
<br />
I'm missing too much information and don't really know how to do this myself anyway; Perhaps someone would be willing to do some calculations on how much force Cueball would experience pushing him back due to the momentum of the light being emitted from his flashlight. Relevant factors off the top of my head:<br />
<br>1 - The diameter of the beam at the point of contact with the trees has to be wide enough to encompass multiple trees. The trees do not completely fill the area due to overall shape and gaps between leaves.<br />
<br>2 - The trees are on fire within a few seconds of turning on the flashlight.<br />
<br>3 - The leaves would obviously ignite first. How much energy do they have to absorb to combust? <br />
<br>4 - The trees are still alive and, therefore, wet. In addition to the ignition energy, the beam also has to dry out the leaves first. (right?)<br />
<br>5 - The flashlight is a bright white color and is emitting light across the entire visible spectrum and, maybe, a significant amount to either side of the visible spectrum as well (assuming the light is produced by a heated filament. Less so with an excited gas or white LEDs) What does the absorbtion spectrum of a leaf look like?</div>198.41.235.185