https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/api.php?action=feedcontributions&user=RouterIncident&feedformat=atomexplain xkcd - User contributions [en]2024-03-29T12:20:30ZUser contributionsMediaWiki 1.30.0https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=1242:_Scary_Names&diff=450011242: Scary Names2013-07-25T20:20:35Z<p>RouterIncident: Removing second link; we don't need to add every webpage that mentions the experiment</p>
<hr />
<div>{{comic<br />
| number = 1242<br />
| date = July 24, 2013<br />
| title = Scary Names<br />
| image = scary_names.png<br />
| titletext = Far off to the right of the chart is the Helvetica Scenario.<br />
}}<br />
<br />
==Explanation==<br />
The chart shows that things toward the right are scary, while things toward the top <em>sound</em> scary, without <em>necessarily</em> being scary. <br />
<br />
{| class="wikitable sortable"<br />
! scope="col" class="unsortable"| Name<br />
! scope="col" class="headerSortUp"| Apparent Scariness<sup id="ref_note-1">[[#cite_note-1|1]]</sup><br />
! scope="col"| True Scariness<sup>[[#cite_note-1|1]]</sup><br />
! scope="col" class="unsortable"|Description<br />
|-<br />
|{{Nowrap|[http://www.catb.org/~esr/jargon/html/C/Chernobyl-packet.html Chernobyl Packet]}}<br />
|{{Nowrap|{{Hs|k !}}95%}}<br />
|{{Nowrap|{{Hs|a !}}4%}}<br />
|A network packet that induces a broadcast storm or network meltdown.<br />
|-<br />
|{{Nowrap|{{w|Calorimeter#Bomb calorimeters|Bomb Calorimeters}}}}<br />
|{{Nowrap|{{Hs|h !}}67%}}<br />
|{{Nowrap|{{Hs|b !}}28%}}<br />
|A device for measuring heat of combustion of a reaction in a pressure vessel.<br />
|-<br />
|{{Nowrap|{{w|Sulfur mustard|Mustard Gas}}}}<br />
|{{Nowrap|{{Hs|f !}}47%}}<br />
|{{Nowrap|{{Hs|c !}}50%}}<br />
|A chemical warfare agent which causes blisters and severe irritation on skin and lung tissue.<br />
|-<br />
|{{Nowrap|{{w|Kessler syndrome|Kessler Syndrome}}}}<br />
|{{Nowrap|{{Hs|k !}}87%}}<br />
|{{Nowrap|{{Hs|d !}}53%}}<br />
|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.<br />
|-<br />
|{{Nowrap|{{w|Soil liquefaction|Soil Liquefaction}}}}<br />
|{{Nowrap|{{Hs|c !}}16%}}<br />
|{{Nowrap|{{Hs|e !}}54%}}<br />
|A phenomena where wet soil loses its strength, leading to potholes, road and terrain damage, and even building collapses, especially after earthquakes.<br />
|-<br />
|{{Nowrap|{{w|Grey goo|Grey Goo}}}}<br />
|{{Nowrap|{{Hs|b !}}5%}}<br />
|{{Nowrap|{{Hs|f !}}68%}}<br />
|A hypothetical end-of-world scenario where self-replicating nanobots consume all matter.<br />
|-<br />
|{{Nowrap|{{w|Avian influenza virus|Bird Flu}}}}<br />
|{{Nowrap|{{Hs|h !}}57%}}<br />
|{{Nowrap|{{Hs|g !}}72%}}<br />
|An illness caused by strains of influenza adapted for transfer between birds and humans.{{Verification needed}} Since birds can travel great distances quickly, this makes it difficult to contain.<br />
|-<br />
|{{Nowrap|{{w|Demon core|Demon Core}}}}<br />
|{{Nowrap|{{Hs|j !}}90%}}<br />
|{{Nowrap|{{Hs|h !}}73%}}<br />
|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 a beryllium neutron reflector apart with a flat head screwdriver which slipped, suddenly causing the contained plutonium core to become supercritical and delivering a fatal dose of radiation. In both instances the scientists performing the experiment died.<br />
|-<br />
|{{Nowrap|{{w|Criticality accident|Criticality Incident}}}}<br />
|{{Nowrap|{{Hs|d!}}22%}}<br />
|{{Nowrap|{{Hs|i !}}74%}}<br />
|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).<br />
|-<br />
|{{Nowrap|{{w|Antibiotic resistance|Superbug}}}}<br />
|{{Nowrap|{{Hs|e !}}39%}}<br />
|{{Nowrap|{{Hs|j !}}83%}}<br />
|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.{{Verification needed}}<br />
|-<br />
|{{Nowrap|{{w|Nuclear football|Nuclear Football}}}}<br />
|{{Nowrap|{{Hs|g !}}52%}}<br />
|{{Nowrap|{{Hs|k !}}94%}}<br />
|An aluminium Zero Halliburton briefcase which is used by the President of the United States to authorise nuclear attack. A military aide carrying the football is always near the president.<br />
|-<br />
|{{Nowrap|{{w|Necrotizing fasciitis|Flesh-eating bacteria}}}}<br />
|{{Nowrap|{{Hs|m !}}100%}}<br />
|{{Nowrap|{{Hs|l !}}100%}}<br />
|As the name suggests, bacteria that eats (or more accurately, releases toxins that destroy) your skin and muscle.<br />
|-class="sortbottom"<br />
|Helvetica Scenario<br>(Title Text)<br />
|{{Nowrap|{{Hs|z !}}N/A}}<br />
|{{Hs|m !}}Literally Off-The-Chart<br />
|This scenario is also in the title text of [[683: Science Montage]]: "...We have a Helvetica scenario!". The scenario is a fictional experiment, presented in Switzerland (Helvetica), assuming removing the nucleus (only the center of an atom) of a calcium molecule in skin, but still leaving the electron shell at its position, would cause a massive reaction on mutation.<sup id="ref_note-2">[[#cite_note-2|2]]</sup> The Helvetica scenario is also shown in the pilot episode at the BBC comedy show {{w|Look Around You}}, which can be seen [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OZPTM0PGQPE&feature=player_detailpage&t=389 here (at 6:29)].<br />
|}<br />
<br />
<div style="background-color: rgba(0,0,0,0.18);padding:10px 10px 10px 0;border-radius: 3px;margin-right:1em;margin-bottom:1em;"><br />
#<span style="padding: 3px 5px 0px 5px;background-color: rgba(0%,0%,0%,0.09);border-radius: 5px;" id="cite_note-1">[[#ref_note-1|^]]</span> Note: Values in the chart are given as a percentage of the values of "Flesh-eating bacteria", which is the upper-right-most entry in the chart.<br />
#<span style="padding: 3px 5px 0px 5px;background-color: rgba(0%,0%,0%,0.09);border-radius: 5px;" id="cite_note-2">[[#ref_note-2|^]]</span> [http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=The%20Helvetica%20Scenario Helvetica Scenario at Urban Dictionary].<br />
</div><br />
<br />
==Transcript==<br />
No official transcript.<br />
<br />
A scatter plot is drawn, x-axis "Scariness of thing name refers to", y-axis "Scariness of name". Items within the scatter plot are listed in the table above.<br />
<br />
{{comic discussion}}<br />
<br />
[[Category:Charts]]</div>RouterIncidenthttps://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=Talk:1242:_Scary_Names&diff=44991Talk:1242: Scary Names2013-07-25T18:07:49Z<p>RouterIncident: /* Arbitrary Scariness Formatting */</p>
<hr />
<div>==Zero Halliburton==<br />
What is "A Zero Halliburton briefcase"? [[Special:Contributions/212.232.24.57|212.232.24.57]] 13:24, 24 July 2013 (UTC)<br />
<br />
:Zero Halliburton is a luggage brand name, with a line of aluminum attache cases. Not connected to the big company Halliburton, associated with former US Vice President Cheney and the war in Iraq. [[User:Wrybred|Wrybred]] ([[User talk:Wrybred|talk]]) 13:57, 24 July 2013 (UTC)wrybred<br />
<br />
::The history of Zero Halliburton luggage does intersect with the founder of Halliburton Company, Erle P. Halliburton. He needed rugged cases, so he started a company to produce them. He sold it to Zero Corporation. [http://www.zerohalliburton.com/about-our-company.html]. ''&mdash; [[User:Tbc|tbc]] ([[User talk:Tbc|talk]]) 14:26, 24 July 2013 (UTC)''<br />
<br />
==Military Aide/Secret Service Agent==<br />
Isn't the nuclear football carried by a military aide, not a Secret Service agent? [[Special:Contributions/167.165.238.254|167.165.238.254]] 14:18, 24 July 2013 (UTC)<br />
<br />
:Probably. I don't really know what I'm talking about. If you think you can improve on what I wrote, go for it! [[User:RouterIncident|RouterIncident]] ([[User talk:RouterIncident|talk]]) 14:24, 24 July 2013 (UTC)<br />
<br />
::Yes. "Cheney noted that the president is accompanied at all times by a military aide carrying a 'football' that contains launch codes for nuclear weapons. [http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/12/21/AR2008122100869.html] ''&mdash; [[User:Tbc|tbc]] ([[User talk:Tbc|talk]]) 14:26, 24 July 2013 (UTC)''<br />
<br />
:::I assume it's called 'football' because in the USA footballs are usually carried by hand. --[[User:Chtz|Chtz]] ([[User talk:Chtz|talk]]) 15:16, 24 July 2013 (UTC)<br />
<br />
::::Early plans for nuclear war against the Soviets were codenamed "Dropkick". [[Special:Contributions/193.67.17.36|193.67.17.36]] 16:23, 24 July 2013 (UTC)<br />
<br />
==Helvetica Scenario==<br />
I think the "Helvetica Scenario" explanation is wrong, but I don't know enough about it to feel comfortable editing. Here's an article I found that makes more sense. http://enigmauniversity.wikia.com/wiki/Helvetica_Scenario (I didn't watch the Youtube clip since I'm at work, so maybe that's what the clip refers to. It should be explained in the article instead.) [[User:Trek7553|Trek7553]] ([[User talk:Trek7553|talk]]) 14:45, 24 July 2013 (UTC)<br />
<br />
:To the best of my knowledge, the page you linked to is a work of fiction on a role-playing wiki. The references to calcium imply that it is based off of the Look Around You segment, but with its own added elements for the sake of role-playing. [[User:RouterIncident|RouterIncident]] ([[User talk:RouterIncident|talk]]) 14:53, 24 July 2013 (UTC)<br />
<br />
::I changed this section. The video is correct, but the horror scene is just showing a possible result of the Helvetica experiment.--[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 16:19, 25 July 2013 (UTC)<br />
<br />
:::That sounds much better now. [[User:RouterIncident|RouterIncident]] ([[User talk:RouterIncident|talk]]) 18:06, 25 July 2013 (UTC)<br />
<br />
==Arbitrary Scariness Formatting==<br />
I have a slight issue with the artificial percentage scale given for entries in the chart. First of all it assumes a linear chart that is measured in percentages. Secondly, it assumes Flesh-eating Bacteria is 100% scariest thing and scariest-sounding thing existant. Just because it's the highest on the chart doesn't make it "100%" (again, percentage seems like an arbitrary scale to assign) [[User:TheHYPO|TheHYPO]] ([[User talk:TheHYPO|talk]]) 16:22, 24 July 2013 (UTC)<br />
<br />
:I disagree on your second point. The explanation expresses the scariness of something as a percentage of Flesh-eating Bacteria BECAUSE it is an arbitrary scale. It doesn't imply that the bacteria is the scariest possible thing. I think this is the best way; it's better than saying "Grey goo isn't as scary sounding, but is scarier than..." for all possible combinations of every item.<br>Also on your first point, it doesn't assume the chart is measured in percentages (although it does assume linearity). [[Special:Contributions/174.88.154.131|174.88.154.131]] 12:30, 25 July 2013 (UTC)<br />
<br />
::How about we just give the pixel coordinates and point out that the scale is arbitrary (or not defined by the comic). Percentage would suggest that the scale is in some way linear, which you actually cannot conclude from the graph. --[[User:Chtz|Chtz]] ([[User talk:Chtz|talk]]) 13:08, 25 July 2013 (UTC)<br />
<br />
::Initially I had written out "Not very scary", "Somewhat scary", "Fairly scary", etc. but it seemed simpler and much easier to read and sort to simply use arbitrary percentages. [[User:RouterIncident|RouterIncident]] ([[User talk:RouterIncident|talk]]) 14:55, 25 July 2013 (UTC)<br />
:As there are no values or units listed, Randall's dots are fairly arbitrary, probably plotted relative to each other and to a roughly-equal apparent-to-actual-scariness line. So isn't it a little silly to argue about the listing of an arbitrary scale for these arbitrary values? [[Special:Contributions/138.162.8.57|138.162.8.57]] 15:57, 25 July 2013 (UTC)<br />
<br />
::In my opinion the percentages are over interpreting the comic. But since it is here it should be explained as position on the graph relative to zero.--[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 16:19, 25 July 2013 (UTC)</div>RouterIncidenthttps://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=Talk:1242:_Scary_Names&diff=44990Talk:1242: Scary Names2013-07-25T18:06:41Z<p>RouterIncident: /* Helvetica Scenario */</p>
<hr />
<div>==Zero Halliburton==<br />
What is "A Zero Halliburton briefcase"? [[Special:Contributions/212.232.24.57|212.232.24.57]] 13:24, 24 July 2013 (UTC)<br />
<br />
:Zero Halliburton is a luggage brand name, with a line of aluminum attache cases. Not connected to the big company Halliburton, associated with former US Vice President Cheney and the war in Iraq. [[User:Wrybred|Wrybred]] ([[User talk:Wrybred|talk]]) 13:57, 24 July 2013 (UTC)wrybred<br />
<br />
::The history of Zero Halliburton luggage does intersect with the founder of Halliburton Company, Erle P. Halliburton. He needed rugged cases, so he started a company to produce them. He sold it to Zero Corporation. [http://www.zerohalliburton.com/about-our-company.html]. ''&mdash; [[User:Tbc|tbc]] ([[User talk:Tbc|talk]]) 14:26, 24 July 2013 (UTC)''<br />
<br />
==Military Aide/Secret Service Agent==<br />
Isn't the nuclear football carried by a military aide, not a Secret Service agent? [[Special:Contributions/167.165.238.254|167.165.238.254]] 14:18, 24 July 2013 (UTC)<br />
<br />
:Probably. I don't really know what I'm talking about. If you think you can improve on what I wrote, go for it! [[User:RouterIncident|RouterIncident]] ([[User talk:RouterIncident|talk]]) 14:24, 24 July 2013 (UTC)<br />
<br />
::Yes. "Cheney noted that the president is accompanied at all times by a military aide carrying a 'football' that contains launch codes for nuclear weapons. [http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/12/21/AR2008122100869.html] ''&mdash; [[User:Tbc|tbc]] ([[User talk:Tbc|talk]]) 14:26, 24 July 2013 (UTC)''<br />
<br />
:::I assume it's called 'football' because in the USA footballs are usually carried by hand. --[[User:Chtz|Chtz]] ([[User talk:Chtz|talk]]) 15:16, 24 July 2013 (UTC)<br />
<br />
::::Early plans for nuclear war against the Soviets were codenamed "Dropkick". [[Special:Contributions/193.67.17.36|193.67.17.36]] 16:23, 24 July 2013 (UTC)<br />
<br />
==Helvetica Scenario==<br />
I think the "Helvetica Scenario" explanation is wrong, but I don't know enough about it to feel comfortable editing. Here's an article I found that makes more sense. http://enigmauniversity.wikia.com/wiki/Helvetica_Scenario (I didn't watch the Youtube clip since I'm at work, so maybe that's what the clip refers to. It should be explained in the article instead.) [[User:Trek7553|Trek7553]] ([[User talk:Trek7553|talk]]) 14:45, 24 July 2013 (UTC)<br />
<br />
:To the best of my knowledge, the page you linked to is a work of fiction on a role-playing wiki. The references to calcium imply that it is based off of the Look Around You segment, but with its own added elements for the sake of role-playing. [[User:RouterIncident|RouterIncident]] ([[User talk:RouterIncident|talk]]) 14:53, 24 July 2013 (UTC)<br />
<br />
::I changed this section. The video is correct, but the horror scene is just showing a possible result of the Helvetica experiment.--[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 16:19, 25 July 2013 (UTC)<br />
<br />
:::That sounds much better now. [[User:RouterIncident|RouterIncident]] ([[User talk:RouterIncident|talk]]) 18:06, 25 July 2013 (UTC)<br />
<br />
==Arbitrary Scariness Formatting==<br />
I have a slight issue with the artificial percentage scale given for entries in the chart. First of all it assumes a linear chart that is measured in percentages. Secondly, it assumes Flesh-eating Bacteria is 100% scariest thing and scariest-sounding thing existant. Just because it's the highest on the chart doesn't make it "100%" (again, percentage seems like an arbitrary scale to assign) [[User:TheHYPO|TheHYPO]] ([[User talk:TheHYPO|talk]]) 16:22, 24 July 2013 (UTC)<br />
:I disagree on your second point. The explanation expresses the scariness of something as a percentage of Flesh-eating Bacteria BECAUSE it is an arbitrary scale. It doesn't imply that the bacteria is the scariest possible thing. I think this is the best way; it's better than saying "Grey goo isn't as scary sounding, but is scarier than..." for all possible combinations of every item.<br>Also on your first point, it doesn't assume the chart is measured in percentages (although it does assume linearity). [[Special:Contributions/174.88.154.131|174.88.154.131]] 12:30, 25 July 2013 (UTC)<br />
::How about we just give the pixel coordinates and point out that the scale is arbitrary (or not defined by the comic). Percentage would suggest that the scale is in some way linear, which you actually cannot conclude from the graph. --[[User:Chtz|Chtz]] ([[User talk:Chtz|talk]]) 13:08, 25 July 2013 (UTC)<br />
::Initially I had written out "Not very scary", "Somewhat scary", "Fairly scary", etc. but it seemed simpler and much easier to read and sort to simply use arbitrary percentages. [[User:RouterIncident|RouterIncident]] ([[User talk:RouterIncident|talk]]) 14:55, 25 July 2013 (UTC)<br />
:As there are no values or units listed, Randall's dots are fairly arbitrary, probably plotted relative to each other and to a roughly-equal apparent-to-actual-scariness line. So isn't it a little silly to argue about the listing of an arbitrary scale for these arbitrary values? [[Special:Contributions/138.162.8.57|138.162.8.57]] 15:57, 25 July 2013 (UTC)<br />
::In my opinion the percentages are over interpreting the comic. But since it is here it should be explained as position on the graph relative to zero.--[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 16:19, 25 July 2013 (UTC)</div>RouterIncidenthttps://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=1242:_Scary_Names&diff=449891242: Scary Names2013-07-25T18:05:34Z<p>RouterIncident: </p>
<hr />
<div>{{comic<br />
| number = 1242<br />
| date = July 24, 2013<br />
| title = Scary Names<br />
| image = scary_names.png<br />
| titletext = Far off to the right of the chart is the Helvetica Scenario.<br />
}}<br />
<br />
==Explanation==<br />
The chart shows that things toward the right are scary, while things toward the top <em>sound</em> scary, without <em>necessarily</em> being scary. <br />
<br />
{| class="wikitable sortable"<br />
! scope="col" class="unsortable"| Name<br />
! scope="col" class="headerSortUp"| Apparent Scariness<sup id="ref_note-1">[[#cite_note-1|1]]</sup><br />
! scope="col"| True Scariness<sup>[[#cite_note-1|1]]</sup><br />
! scope="col" class="unsortable"|Description<br />
|-<br />
|{{Nowrap|[http://www.catb.org/~esr/jargon/html/C/Chernobyl-packet.html Chernobyl Packet]}}<br />
|{{Nowrap|{{Hs|k !}}95%}}<br />
|{{Nowrap|{{Hs|a !}}4%}}<br />
|A network packet that induces a broadcast storm or network meltdown.<br />
|-<br />
|{{Nowrap|{{w|Calorimeter#Bomb calorimeters|Bomb Calorimeters}}}}<br />
|{{Nowrap|{{Hs|h !}}67%}}<br />
|{{Nowrap|{{Hs|b !}}28%}}<br />
|A device for measuring heat of combustion of a reaction in a pressure vessel.<br />
|-<br />
|{{Nowrap|{{w|Sulfur mustard|Mustard Gas}}}}<br />
|{{Nowrap|{{Hs|f !}}47%}}<br />
|{{Nowrap|{{Hs|c !}}50%}}<br />
|A chemical warfare agent which causes blisters and severe irritation on skin and lung tissue.<br />
|-<br />
|{{Nowrap|{{w|Kessler syndrome|Kessler Syndrome}}}}<br />
|{{Nowrap|{{Hs|k !}}87%}}<br />
|{{Nowrap|{{Hs|d !}}53%}}<br />
|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.<br />
|-<br />
|{{Nowrap|{{w|Soil liquefaction|Soil Liquefaction}}}}<br />
|{{Nowrap|{{Hs|c !}}16%}}<br />
|{{Nowrap|{{Hs|e !}}54%}}<br />
|A phenomena where wet soil loses its strength, leading to potholes, road and terrain damage, and even building collapses, especially after earthquakes.<br />
|-<br />
|{{Nowrap|{{w|Grey goo|Grey Goo}}}}<br />
|{{Nowrap|{{Hs|b !}}5%}}<br />
|{{Nowrap|{{Hs|f !}}68%}}<br />
|A hypothetical end-of-world scenario where self-replicating nanobots consume all matter.<br />
|-<br />
|{{Nowrap|{{w|Avian influenza virus|Bird Flu}}}}<br />
|{{Nowrap|{{Hs|h !}}57%}}<br />
|{{Nowrap|{{Hs|g !}}72%}}<br />
|An illness caused by strains of influenza adapted for transfer between birds and humans.{{Verification needed}} Since birds can travel great distances quickly, this makes it difficult to contain.<br />
|-<br />
|{{Nowrap|{{w|Demon core|Demon Core}}}}<br />
|{{Nowrap|{{Hs|j !}}90%}}<br />
|{{Nowrap|{{Hs|h !}}73%}}<br />
|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 a beryllium neutron reflector apart with a flat head screwdriver which slipped, suddenly causing the contained plutonium core to become supercritical and delivering a fatal dose of radiation. In both instances the scientists performing the experiment died.<br />
|-<br />
|{{Nowrap|{{w|Criticality accident|Criticality Incident}}}}<br />
|{{Nowrap|{{Hs|d!}}22%}}<br />
|{{Nowrap|{{Hs|i !}}74%}}<br />
|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).<br />
|-<br />
|{{Nowrap|{{w|Antibiotic resistance|Superbug}}}}<br />
|{{Nowrap|{{Hs|e !}}39%}}<br />
|{{Nowrap|{{Hs|j !}}83%}}<br />
|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.{{Verification needed}}<br />
|-<br />
|{{Nowrap|{{w|Nuclear football|Nuclear Football}}}}<br />
|{{Nowrap|{{Hs|g !}}52%}}<br />
|{{Nowrap|{{Hs|k !}}94%}}<br />
|An aluminium Zero Halliburton briefcase which is used by the President of the United States to authorise nuclear attack. A military aide carrying the football is always near the president.<br />
|-<br />
|{{Nowrap|{{w|Necrotizing fasciitis|Flesh-eating bacteria}}}}<br />
|{{Nowrap|{{Hs|m !}}100%}}<br />
|{{Nowrap|{{Hs|l !}}100%}}<br />
|As the name suggests, bacteria that eats (or more accurately, releases toxins that destroy) your skin and muscle.<br />
|-class="sortbottom"<br />
|Helvetica Scenario<br>(Title Text)<br />
|{{Nowrap|{{Hs|z !}}N/A}}<br />
|{{Hs|m !}}Literally Off-The-Chart<br />
|This scenario is also in the title text of [[683: Science Montage]]: "...We have a Helvetica scenario!". The scenario is a fictional experiment from the BBC comedy show Look Around You, where it is claimed that removing the nucleus (only the center of an atom) of a calcium molecule in skin, but still leaving the electron shell at its position, would cause a massive reaction on mutation.<sup id="ref_note-2">[[#cite_note-2|2]]</sup> The Helvetica scenario is from the pilot episode, and can be see [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OZPTM0PGQPE&feature=player_detailpage&t=389 here (at 6:29)].<br />
|}<br />
<br />
<div style="background-color: rgba(0,0,0,0.18);padding:10px 10px 10px 0;border-radius: 3px;margin-right:1em;margin-bottom:1em;"><br />
#<span style="padding: 3px 5px 0px 5px;background-color: rgba(0%,0%,0%,0.09);border-radius: 5px;" id="cite_note-1">[[#ref_note-1|^]]</span> Note: Values in the chart are given as a percentage of the values of "Flesh-eating bacteria", which is the upper-right-most entry in the chart.<br />
#<span style="padding: 3px 5px 0px 5px;background-color: rgba(0%,0%,0%,0.09);border-radius: 5px;" id="cite_note-2">[[#ref_note-2|^]]</span> [http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=The%20Helvetica%20Scenario Helvetica Scenario at Urban Dictionary].<br />
</div><br />
<br />
==Transcript==<br />
No official transcript.<br />
<br />
A scatter plot is drawn, x-axis "Scariness of thing name refers to", y-axis "Scariness of name". Items within the scatter plot are listed in the table above.<br />
<br />
{{comic discussion}}<br />
<br />
[[Category:Charts]]</div>RouterIncidenthttps://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=1242:_Scary_Names&diff=449881242: Scary Names2013-07-25T18:05:04Z<p>RouterIncident: Combining Ref 1 and Ref 2 into one box.</p>
<hr />
<div>{{comic<br />
| number = 1242<br />
| date = July 24, 2013<br />
| title = Scary Names<br />
| image = scary_names.png<br />
| titletext = Far off to the right of the chart is the Helvetica Scenario.<br />
}}<br />
<br />
==Explanation==<br />
The chart shows that things toward the right are scary, while things toward the top <em>sound</em> scary, without <em>necessarily</em> being scary. <br />
<br />
{| class="wikitable sortable"<br />
! scope="col" class="unsortable"| Name<br />
! scope="col" class="headerSortUp"| Apparent Scariness<sup id="ref_note-1">[[#cite_note-1|1]]</sup><br />
! scope="col"| True Scariness<sup>[[#cite_note-1|1]]</sup><br />
! scope="col" class="unsortable"|Description<br />
|-<br />
|{{Nowrap|[http://www.catb.org/~esr/jargon/html/C/Chernobyl-packet.html Chernobyl Packet]}}<br />
|{{Nowrap|{{Hs|k !}}95%}}<br />
|{{Nowrap|{{Hs|a !}}4%}}<br />
|A network packet that induces a broadcast storm or network meltdown.<br />
|-<br />
|{{Nowrap|{{w|Calorimeter#Bomb calorimeters|Bomb Calorimeters}}}}<br />
|{{Nowrap|{{Hs|h !}}67%}}<br />
|{{Nowrap|{{Hs|b !}}28%}}<br />
|A device for measuring heat of combustion of a reaction in a pressure vessel.<br />
|-<br />
|{{Nowrap|{{w|Sulfur mustard|Mustard Gas}}}}<br />
|{{Nowrap|{{Hs|f !}}47%}}<br />
|{{Nowrap|{{Hs|c !}}50%}}<br />
|A chemical warfare agent which causes blisters and severe irritation on skin and lung tissue.<br />
|-<br />
|{{Nowrap|{{w|Kessler syndrome|Kessler Syndrome}}}}<br />
|{{Nowrap|{{Hs|k !}}87%}}<br />
|{{Nowrap|{{Hs|d !}}53%}}<br />
|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.<br />
|-<br />
|{{Nowrap|{{w|Soil liquefaction|Soil Liquefaction}}}}<br />
|{{Nowrap|{{Hs|c !}}16%}}<br />
|{{Nowrap|{{Hs|e !}}54%}}<br />
|A phenomena where wet soil loses its strength, leading to potholes, road and terrain damage, and even building collapses, especially after earthquakes.<br />
|-<br />
|{{Nowrap|{{w|Grey goo|Grey Goo}}}}<br />
|{{Nowrap|{{Hs|b !}}5%}}<br />
|{{Nowrap|{{Hs|f !}}68%}}<br />
|A hypothetical end-of-world scenario where self-replicating nanobots consume all matter.<br />
|-<br />
|{{Nowrap|{{w|Avian influenza virus|Bird Flu}}}}<br />
|{{Nowrap|{{Hs|h !}}57%}}<br />
|{{Nowrap|{{Hs|g !}}72%}}<br />
|An illness caused by strains of influenza adapted for transfer between birds and humans.{{Verification needed}} Since birds can travel great distances quickly, this makes it difficult to contain.<br />
|-<br />
|{{Nowrap|{{w|Demon core|Demon Core}}}}<br />
|{{Nowrap|{{Hs|j !}}90%}}<br />
|{{Nowrap|{{Hs|h !}}73%}}<br />
|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 a beryllium neutron reflector apart with a flat head screwdriver which slipped, suddenly causing the contained plutonium core to become supercritical and delivering a fatal dose of radiation. In both instances the scientists performing the experiment died.<br />
|-<br />
|{{Nowrap|{{w|Criticality accident|Criticality Incident}}}}<br />
|{{Nowrap|{{Hs|d!}}22%}}<br />
|{{Nowrap|{{Hs|i !}}74%}}<br />
|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).<br />
|-<br />
|{{Nowrap|{{w|Antibiotic resistance|Superbug}}}}<br />
|{{Nowrap|{{Hs|e !}}39%}}<br />
|{{Nowrap|{{Hs|j !}}83%}}<br />
|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.{{Verification needed}}<br />
|-<br />
|{{Nowrap|{{w|Nuclear football|Nuclear Football}}}}<br />
|{{Nowrap|{{Hs|g !}}52%}}<br />
|{{Nowrap|{{Hs|k !}}94%}}<br />
|An aluminium Zero Halliburton briefcase which is used by the President of the United States to authorise nuclear attack. A military aide carrying the football is always near the president.<br />
|-<br />
|{{Nowrap|{{w|Necrotizing fasciitis|Flesh-eating bacteria}}}}<br />
|{{Nowrap|{{Hs|m !}}100%}}<br />
|{{Nowrap|{{Hs|l !}}100%}}<br />
|As the name suggests, bacteria that eats (or more accurately, releases toxins that destroy) your skin and muscle.<br />
|-class="sortbottom"<br />
|Helvetica Scenario<br>(Title Text)<br />
|{{Nowrap|{{Hs|z !}}N/A}}<br />
|{{Hs|m !}}Literally Off-The-Chart<br />
|This scenario is also in the title text of [[683: Science Montage]]: "...We have a Helvetica scenario!". The scenario is a fictional experiment from the BBC comedy show Look Around You, where it is claimed that removing the nucleus (only the center of an atom) of a calcium molecule in skin, but still leaving the electron shell at its position, would cause a massive reaction on mutation.<sup id="ref_note-2">[[#cite_note-2|2]]</sup> The Helvetica scenario is from the pilot episode, and can be see [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OZPTM0PGQPE&feature=player_detailpage&t=389 here (at 6:29)].<br />
|}<br />
<br />
<div style="background-color: rgba(0,0,0,0.18);padding:10px 10px 10px 0;border-radius: 3px;margin-right:1em;margin-bottom:1em;"><br />
#<span style="padding: 3px 5px 0px 5px;background-color: rgba(0%,0%,0%,0.09);border-radius: 5px;" id="cite_note-1">[[#ref_note-1|^]]</span> Note: Values in the chart are given as a percentage of the values of "Flesh-eating bacteria", which is the upper-right-most entry in the chart.<br />
#<span style="padding: 3px 5px 0px 5px;background-color: rgba(0%,0%,0%,0.09);border-radius: 5px;" id="cite_note-2">[[#ref_note-2|^]]</span>[http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=The%20Helvetica%20Scenario Helvetica Scenario at Urban Dictionary].<br />
</div><br />
<br />
==Transcript==<br />
No official transcript.<br />
<br />
A scatter plot is drawn, x-axis "Scariness of thing name refers to", y-axis "Scariness of name". Items within the scatter plot are listed in the table above.<br />
<br />
{{comic discussion}}<br />
<br />
[[Category:Charts]]</div>RouterIncidenthttps://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=Template_talk:comic_discussion/assist&diff=44961Template talk:comic discussion/assist2013-07-25T15:31:19Z<p>RouterIncident: </p>
<hr />
<div>==Bug Fix==<br />
<br />
This template exists to fix a bug where headers will not render if they're the first thing on the discussion page.</div>RouterIncidenthttps://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=Template_talk:comic_discussion&diff=44960Template talk:comic discussion2013-07-25T15:28:48Z<p>RouterIncident: Bug fixed... or worked around, anyway.</p>
<hr />
<div>The template eats whitespace, compare [[Talk:1101: Sketchiness]] and [[1101: Sketchiness]]. --[[User:Kronf|Kronf]] ([[User talk:Kronf|talk]]) 20:58, 30 August 2012 (UTC)<br />
<br />
:Nope. In most cases it performs fine. Here's just a few examples:<br />
:*[[1094: Interview]] vs. [[Talk:1094: Interview]]<br />
:*[[1093: Forget]] vs. [[Talk:1093: Forget]]<br />
:*[[1092: Michael Phelps]] vs. [[Talk:1092: Michael Phelps]] (last 2 comments)<br />
:*[[1091: Curiosity]] vs. [[Talk:1091: Curiosity]] (at least the first 2 comments)<br />
:*[[1090: Formal Languages]] vs. [[Talk:1090: Formal Languages]]<br />
:*etc.<br />
:I don't know what is wrong with that talk page, but it appears to be happening only for that comic.<br />
<br />
:[[User:Lcarsos|lcarsos]] ([[User talk:Lcarsos|talk]]) 22:19, 30 August 2012 (UTC)<br />
<br />
== New topic for testing purposes ==<br />
<br />
Just testing what the TOC looks like... [[User:Markhurd|Mark Hurd]] ([[User talk:Markhurd|talk]]) 11:01, 14 April 2013 (UTC)<br />
<br />
FYI I've mentioned my change to "add a topic!" [[explain xkcd:Community portal/Technical#I.27ve removed .22add a comment.21.22 from Discussion heading|here]] for a wider audience. [[User:Markhurd|Mark Hurd]] ([[User talk:Markhurd|talk]]) 11:33, 14 April 2013 (UTC)<br />
<br />
== Switched to level-1 header ==<br />
<br />
I was just on [[1110]] and I noticed that all the talk page sections were showing up as the same level as content sections... leaving a "Discussion" section with nothing actually in it. While level-1 is normally reserved for article titles, it doesn't really bother people usually, and I think it's preferable to the alternative... it's also somewhat fitting, since we are transcluding another page after all. (Another option would be configuring the "new section" button to create a level-3 header on talk pages... if that's possible.) [[User:PinkAmpersand|PinkAmpersand]] ([[User talk:PinkAmpersand|talk]]) 14:33, 30 April 2013 (UTC)<br />
:Thanks. This actually had been done before. Please see [[explain xkcd:Community portal/Proposals#I've removed "add a comment!" from Discussion heading|this discussion]] and add your thoughts :) [[User:Waldir|Waldir]] ([[User talk:Waldir|talk]]) 16:48, 1 May 2013 (UTC)<br />
<br />
== "add a comment!" button ==<br />
<br />
I noticed that the link appended onto the "add a comment!" button is <nowiki>{{fullurl:{{TALKPAGENAME}}|action=edit}}</nowiki>. Wouldn't it make more sense to have it as <nowiki>{{fullurl:{{TALKPAGENAME}}|action=edit&section=new}}</nowiki>, as to create a new section by clicking that button? [[User:Schiffy|<font color="000999">Schiffy</font>]] ([[User_talk:Schiffy|<font color="FF6600">Speak to me</font>]]|[[Special:Contributions/Schiffy|<font color="FF0000">What I've done</font>]]) 15:48, 12 July 2013 (UTC)<br />
:If someone just wants to add a comment without making a new section, the current add a comment button serves them well. Plus, headers and transclusion do not mix well, and we tend to avoid them in discussion pages unless we're not transcluding; see [[Time]] and its respective talk page. '''[[User:Davidy22|<u>{{Color|#707|David}}<font color=#070 size=3>y</font></u><font color=#508 size=4>²²</font>]]'''[[User talk:Davidy22|<tt>[talk]</tt>]] 16:39, 12 July 2013 (UTC)<br />
::I agree with Davidy22. Most replies should not start a new section because users are just replying to an existing one. If some likes to open a new section it's still easy.--[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 17:26, 12 July 2013 (UTC)</div>RouterIncidenthttps://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=Talk:1242:_Scary_Names&diff=44959Talk:1242: Scary Names2013-07-25T15:26:31Z<p>RouterIncident: </p>
<hr />
<div>==Zero Halliburton==<br />
What is "A Zero Halliburton briefcase"? [[Special:Contributions/212.232.24.57|212.232.24.57]] 13:24, 24 July 2013 (UTC)<br />
<br />
:Zero Halliburton is a luggage brand name, with a line of aluminum attache cases. Not connected to the big company Halliburton, associated with former US Vice President Cheney and the war in Iraq. [[User:Wrybred|Wrybred]] ([[User talk:Wrybred|talk]]) 13:57, 24 July 2013 (UTC)wrybred<br />
<br />
::The history of Zero Halliburton luggage does intersect with the founder of Halliburton Company, Erle P. Halliburton. He needed rugged cases, so he started a company to produce them. He sold it to Zero Corporation. [http://www.zerohalliburton.com/about-our-company.html]. ''&mdash; [[User:Tbc|tbc]] ([[User talk:Tbc|talk]]) 14:26, 24 July 2013 (UTC)''<br />
<br />
==Military Aide/Secret Service Agent==<br />
Isn't the nuclear football carried by a military aide, not a Secret Service agent? [[Special:Contributions/167.165.238.254|167.165.238.254]] 14:18, 24 July 2013 (UTC)<br />
<br />
:Probably. I don't really know what I'm talking about. If you think you can improve on what I wrote, go for it! [[User:RouterIncident|RouterIncident]] ([[User talk:RouterIncident|talk]]) 14:24, 24 July 2013 (UTC)<br />
<br />
::Yes. "Cheney noted that the president is accompanied at all times by a military aide carrying a 'football' that contains launch codes for nuclear weapons. [http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/12/21/AR2008122100869.html] ''&mdash; [[User:Tbc|tbc]] ([[User talk:Tbc|talk]]) 14:26, 24 July 2013 (UTC)''<br />
<br />
:::I assume it's called 'football' because in the USA footballs are usually carried by hand. --[[User:Chtz|Chtz]] ([[User talk:Chtz|talk]]) 15:16, 24 July 2013 (UTC)<br />
<br />
::::Early plans for nuclear war against the Soviets were codenamed "Dropkick". [[Special:Contributions/193.67.17.36|193.67.17.36]] 16:23, 24 July 2013 (UTC)<br />
<br />
==Helvetica Scenario==<br />
I think the "Helvetica Scenario" explanation is wrong, but I don't know enough about it to feel comfortable editing. Here's an article I found that makes more sense. http://enigmauniversity.wikia.com/wiki/Helvetica_Scenario (I didn't watch the Youtube clip since I'm at work, so maybe that's what the clip refers to. It should be explained in the article instead.) [[User:Trek7553|Trek7553]] ([[User talk:Trek7553|talk]]) 14:45, 24 July 2013 (UTC)<br />
<br />
:To the best of my knowledge, the page you linked to is a work of fiction on a role-playing wiki. The references to calcium imply that it is based off of the Look Around You segment, but with its own added elements for the sake of role-playing. [[User:RouterIncident|RouterIncident]] ([[User talk:RouterIncident|talk]]) 14:53, 24 July 2013 (UTC)<br />
<br />
==Arbitrary Scariness Formatting==<br />
I have a slight issue with the artificial percentage scale given for entries in the chart. First of all it assumes a linear chart that is measured in percentages. Secondly, it assumes Flesh-eating Bacteria is 100% scariest thing and scariest-sounding thing existant. Just because it's the highest on the chart doesn't make it "100%" (again, percentage seems like an arbitrary scale to assign) [[User:TheHYPO|TheHYPO]] ([[User talk:TheHYPO|talk]]) 16:22, 24 July 2013 (UTC)<br />
:I disagree on your second point. The explanation expresses the scariness of something as a percentage of Flesh-eating Bacteria BECAUSE it is an arbitrary scale. It doesn't imply that the bacteria is the scariest possible thing. I think this is the best way; it's better than saying "Grey goo isn't as scary sounding, but is scarier than..." for all possible combinations of every item.<br>Also on your first point, it doesn't assume the chart is measured in percentages (although it does assume linearity). [[Special:Contributions/174.88.154.131|174.88.154.131]] 12:30, 25 July 2013 (UTC)<br />
::How about we just give the pixel coordinates and point out that the scale is arbitrary (or not defined by the comic). Percentage would suggest that the scale is in some way linear, which you actually cannot conclude from the graph. --[[User:Chtz|Chtz]] ([[User talk:Chtz|talk]]) 13:08, 25 July 2013 (UTC)<br />
::Initially I had written out "Not very scary", "Somewhat scary", "Fairly scary", etc. but it seemed simpler and much easier to read and sort to simply use arbitrary percentages. [[User:RouterIncident|RouterIncident]] ([[User talk:RouterIncident|talk]]) 14:55, 25 July 2013 (UTC)</div>RouterIncidenthttps://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=Template:comic_discussion&diff=44958Template:comic discussion2013-07-25T15:23:59Z<p>RouterIncident: Fix for a bug that prevents headers from rendering if they're the first thing on the talk page.</p>
<hr />
<div><noinclude><br />
__TOC__<br />
</noinclude>{{#ifeq:{{FULLPAGENAME}}|{{MediaWiki:mainpage}}|<!-- Don't display anything if this is the main page --><br />
|<span style="float:right; font-size:0.8rem;">[[File:Comment.png|link=]]&nbsp;[{{fullurl:{{TALKPAGENAME}}|action=edit}} '''add a comment!''']</span><h1>Discussion</h1><!--<br />
--><div style="border:1px solid grey; background:#eee; padding:1em;"><!--<br />
--><br />
{{comic_discussion/assist}}</div>__NOTOC__}}<br />
<br />
<noinclude><br />
[[Category:Templates]]<br />
</noinclude></div>RouterIncidenthttps://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=Template:comic_discussion/assist&diff=44957Template:comic discussion/assist2013-07-25T15:22:54Z<p>RouterIncident: </p>
<hr />
<div>{{#ifexist:{{TALKPAGENAME}}<br />
|{{:{{TALKPAGENAME}}}}<br />
|''No comments yet.''<!--<br />
-->}}</div>RouterIncidenthttps://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=Template:comic_discussion/assist&diff=44956Template:comic discussion/assist2013-07-25T15:18:42Z<p>RouterIncident: </p>
<hr />
<div>{{:{{TALKPAGENAME}}}}</div>RouterIncidenthttps://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=Template_talk:comic_discussion/assist&diff=44955Template talk:comic discussion/assist2013-07-25T15:18:05Z<p>RouterIncident: Created page with "==Test=="</p>
<hr />
<div>==Test==</div>RouterIncidenthttps://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=Template:comic_discussion/assist&diff=44954Template:comic discussion/assist2013-07-25T15:14:16Z<p>RouterIncident: Created page with "__NOTOC__{{{{{1|}}}}}"</p>
<hr />
<div>__NOTOC__{{{{{1|}}}}}</div>RouterIncidenthttps://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=Template_talk:comic_discussion&diff=44953Template talk:comic discussion2013-07-25T15:05:24Z<p>RouterIncident: Fixing a bug that prevents headers from appearing if they're the first thing on the talk page</p>
<hr />
<div>==Temporary Header For Testing==<br />
The template eats whitespace, compare [[Talk:1101: Sketchiness]] and [[1101: Sketchiness]]. --[[User:Kronf|Kronf]] ([[User talk:Kronf|talk]]) 20:58, 30 August 2012 (UTC)<br />
<br />
:Nope. In most cases it performs fine. Here's just a few examples:<br />
:*[[1094: Interview]] vs. [[Talk:1094: Interview]]<br />
:*[[1093: Forget]] vs. [[Talk:1093: Forget]]<br />
:*[[1092: Michael Phelps]] vs. [[Talk:1092: Michael Phelps]] (last 2 comments)<br />
:*[[1091: Curiosity]] vs. [[Talk:1091: Curiosity]] (at least the first 2 comments)<br />
:*[[1090: Formal Languages]] vs. [[Talk:1090: Formal Languages]]<br />
:*etc.<br />
:I don't know what is wrong with that talk page, but it appears to be happening only for that comic.<br />
<br />
:[[User:Lcarsos|lcarsos]] ([[User talk:Lcarsos|talk]]) 22:19, 30 August 2012 (UTC)<br />
<br />
== New topic for testing purposes ==<br />
<br />
Just testing what the TOC looks like... [[User:Markhurd|Mark Hurd]] ([[User talk:Markhurd|talk]]) 11:01, 14 April 2013 (UTC)<br />
<br />
FYI I've mentioned my change to "add a topic!" [[explain xkcd:Community portal/Technical#I.27ve removed .22add a comment.21.22 from Discussion heading|here]] for a wider audience. [[User:Markhurd|Mark Hurd]] ([[User talk:Markhurd|talk]]) 11:33, 14 April 2013 (UTC)<br />
<br />
== Switched to level-1 header ==<br />
<br />
I was just on [[1110]] and I noticed that all the talk page sections were showing up as the same level as content sections... leaving a "Discussion" section with nothing actually in it. While level-1 is normally reserved for article titles, it doesn't really bother people usually, and I think it's preferable to the alternative... it's also somewhat fitting, since we are transcluding another page after all. (Another option would be configuring the "new section" button to create a level-3 header on talk pages... if that's possible.) [[User:PinkAmpersand|PinkAmpersand]] ([[User talk:PinkAmpersand|talk]]) 14:33, 30 April 2013 (UTC)<br />
:Thanks. This actually had been done before. Please see [[explain xkcd:Community portal/Proposals#I've removed "add a comment!" from Discussion heading|this discussion]] and add your thoughts :) [[User:Waldir|Waldir]] ([[User talk:Waldir|talk]]) 16:48, 1 May 2013 (UTC)<br />
<br />
== "add a comment!" button ==<br />
<br />
I noticed that the link appended onto the "add a comment!" button is <nowiki>{{fullurl:{{TALKPAGENAME}}|action=edit}}</nowiki>. Wouldn't it make more sense to have it as <nowiki>{{fullurl:{{TALKPAGENAME}}|action=edit&section=new}}</nowiki>, as to create a new section by clicking that button? [[User:Schiffy|<font color="000999">Schiffy</font>]] ([[User_talk:Schiffy|<font color="FF6600">Speak to me</font>]]|[[Special:Contributions/Schiffy|<font color="FF0000">What I've done</font>]]) 15:48, 12 July 2013 (UTC)<br />
:If someone just wants to add a comment without making a new section, the current add a comment button serves them well. Plus, headers and transclusion do not mix well, and we tend to avoid them in discussion pages unless we're not transcluding; see [[Time]] and its respective talk page. '''[[User:Davidy22|<u>{{Color|#707|David}}<font color=#070 size=3>y</font></u><font color=#508 size=4>²²</font>]]'''[[User talk:Davidy22|<tt>[talk]</tt>]] 16:39, 12 July 2013 (UTC)<br />
::I agree with Davidy22. Most replies should not start a new section because users are just replying to an existing one. If some likes to open a new section it's still easy.--[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 17:26, 12 July 2013 (UTC)</div>RouterIncidenthttps://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=Talk:1242:_Scary_Names&diff=44951Talk:1242: Scary Names2013-07-25T15:02:28Z<p>RouterIncident: </p>
<hr />
<div>&nbsp;<br />
==Zero Halliburton==<br />
What is "A Zero Halliburton briefcase"? [[Special:Contributions/212.232.24.57|212.232.24.57]] 13:24, 24 July 2013 (UTC)<br />
<br />
:Zero Halliburton is a luggage brand name, with a line of aluminum attache cases. Not connected to the big company Halliburton, associated with former US Vice President Cheney and the war in Iraq. [[User:Wrybred|Wrybred]] ([[User talk:Wrybred|talk]]) 13:57, 24 July 2013 (UTC)wrybred<br />
<br />
::The history of Zero Halliburton luggage does intersect with the founder of Halliburton Company, Erle P. Halliburton. He needed rugged cases, so he started a company to produce them. He sold it to Zero Corporation. [http://www.zerohalliburton.com/about-our-company.html]. ''&mdash; [[User:Tbc|tbc]] ([[User talk:Tbc|talk]]) 14:26, 24 July 2013 (UTC)''<br />
<br />
==Military Aide/Secret Service Agent==<br />
Isn't the nuclear football carried by a military aide, not a Secret Service agent? [[Special:Contributions/167.165.238.254|167.165.238.254]] 14:18, 24 July 2013 (UTC)<br />
<br />
:Probably. I don't really know what I'm talking about. If you think you can improve on what I wrote, go for it! [[User:RouterIncident|RouterIncident]] ([[User talk:RouterIncident|talk]]) 14:24, 24 July 2013 (UTC)<br />
<br />
::Yes. "Cheney noted that the president is accompanied at all times by a military aide carrying a 'football' that contains launch codes for nuclear weapons. [http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/12/21/AR2008122100869.html] ''&mdash; [[User:Tbc|tbc]] ([[User talk:Tbc|talk]]) 14:26, 24 July 2013 (UTC)''<br />
<br />
:::I assume it's called 'football' because in the USA footballs are usually carried by hand. --[[User:Chtz|Chtz]] ([[User talk:Chtz|talk]]) 15:16, 24 July 2013 (UTC)<br />
<br />
::::Early plans for nuclear war against the Soviets were codenamed "Dropkick". [[Special:Contributions/193.67.17.36|193.67.17.36]] 16:23, 24 July 2013 (UTC)<br />
<br />
==Helvetica Scenario==<br />
I think the "Helvetica Scenario" explanation is wrong, but I don't know enough about it to feel comfortable editing. Here's an article I found that makes more sense. http://enigmauniversity.wikia.com/wiki/Helvetica_Scenario (I didn't watch the Youtube clip since I'm at work, so maybe that's what the clip refers to. It should be explained in the article instead.) [[User:Trek7553|Trek7553]] ([[User talk:Trek7553|talk]]) 14:45, 24 July 2013 (UTC)<br />
<br />
:To the best of my knowledge, the page you linked to is a work of fiction on a role-playing wiki. The references to calcium imply that it is based off of the Look Around You segment, but with its own added elements for the sake of role-playing. [[User:RouterIncident|RouterIncident]] ([[User talk:RouterIncident|talk]]) 14:53, 24 July 2013 (UTC)<br />
<br />
==Arbitrary Scariness Formatting==<br />
I have a slight issue with the artificial percentage scale given for entries in the chart. First of all it assumes a linear chart that is measured in percentages. Secondly, it assumes Flesh-eating Bacteria is 100% scariest thing and scariest-sounding thing existant. Just because it's the highest on the chart doesn't make it "100%" (again, percentage seems like an arbitrary scale to assign) [[User:TheHYPO|TheHYPO]] ([[User talk:TheHYPO|talk]]) 16:22, 24 July 2013 (UTC)<br />
:I disagree on your second point. The explanation expresses the scariness of something as a percentage of Flesh-eating Bacteria BECAUSE it is an arbitrary scale. It doesn't imply that the bacteria is the scariest possible thing. I think this is the best way; it's better than saying "Grey goo isn't as scary sounding, but is scarier than..." for all possible combinations of every item.<br>Also on your first point, it doesn't assume the chart is measured in percentages (although it does assume linearity). [[Special:Contributions/174.88.154.131|174.88.154.131]] 12:30, 25 July 2013 (UTC)<br />
::How about we just give the pixel coordinates and point out that the scale is arbitrary (or not defined by the comic). Percentage would suggest that the scale is in some way linear, which you actually cannot conclude from the graph. --[[User:Chtz|Chtz]] ([[User talk:Chtz|talk]]) 13:08, 25 July 2013 (UTC)<br />
::Initially I had written out "Not very scary", "Somewhat scary", "Fairly scary", etc. but it seemed simpler and much easier to read and sort to simply use arbitrary percentages. [[User:RouterIncident|RouterIncident]] ([[User talk:RouterIncident|talk]]) 14:55, 25 July 2013 (UTC)</div>RouterIncidenthttps://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=Talk:1242:_Scary_Names&diff=44950Talk:1242: Scary Names2013-07-25T15:01:51Z<p>RouterIncident: </p>
<hr />
<div><br />
==Zero Halliburton==<br />
What is "A Zero Halliburton briefcase"? [[Special:Contributions/212.232.24.57|212.232.24.57]] 13:24, 24 July 2013 (UTC)<br />
<br />
:Zero Halliburton is a luggage brand name, with a line of aluminum attache cases. Not connected to the big company Halliburton, associated with former US Vice President Cheney and the war in Iraq. [[User:Wrybred|Wrybred]] ([[User talk:Wrybred|talk]]) 13:57, 24 July 2013 (UTC)wrybred<br />
<br />
::The history of Zero Halliburton luggage does intersect with the founder of Halliburton Company, Erle P. Halliburton. He needed rugged cases, so he started a company to produce them. He sold it to Zero Corporation. [http://www.zerohalliburton.com/about-our-company.html]. ''&mdash; [[User:Tbc|tbc]] ([[User talk:Tbc|talk]]) 14:26, 24 July 2013 (UTC)''<br />
<br />
==Military Aide/Secret Service Agent==<br />
Isn't the nuclear football carried by a military aide, not a Secret Service agent? [[Special:Contributions/167.165.238.254|167.165.238.254]] 14:18, 24 July 2013 (UTC)<br />
<br />
:Probably. I don't really know what I'm talking about. If you think you can improve on what I wrote, go for it! [[User:RouterIncident|RouterIncident]] ([[User talk:RouterIncident|talk]]) 14:24, 24 July 2013 (UTC)<br />
<br />
::Yes. "Cheney noted that the president is accompanied at all times by a military aide carrying a 'football' that contains launch codes for nuclear weapons. [http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/12/21/AR2008122100869.html] ''&mdash; [[User:Tbc|tbc]] ([[User talk:Tbc|talk]]) 14:26, 24 July 2013 (UTC)''<br />
<br />
:::I assume it's called 'football' because in the USA footballs are usually carried by hand. --[[User:Chtz|Chtz]] ([[User talk:Chtz|talk]]) 15:16, 24 July 2013 (UTC)<br />
<br />
::::Early plans for nuclear war against the Soviets were codenamed "Dropkick". [[Special:Contributions/193.67.17.36|193.67.17.36]] 16:23, 24 July 2013 (UTC)<br />
<br />
==Helvetica Scenario==<br />
I think the "Helvetica Scenario" explanation is wrong, but I don't know enough about it to feel comfortable editing. Here's an article I found that makes more sense. http://enigmauniversity.wikia.com/wiki/Helvetica_Scenario (I didn't watch the Youtube clip since I'm at work, so maybe that's what the clip refers to. It should be explained in the article instead.) [[User:Trek7553|Trek7553]] ([[User talk:Trek7553|talk]]) 14:45, 24 July 2013 (UTC)<br />
<br />
:To the best of my knowledge, the page you linked to is a work of fiction on a role-playing wiki. The references to calcium imply that it is based off of the Look Around You segment, but with its own added elements for the sake of role-playing. [[User:RouterIncident|RouterIncident]] ([[User talk:RouterIncident|talk]]) 14:53, 24 July 2013 (UTC)<br />
<br />
==Arbitrary Scariness Formatting==<br />
I have a slight issue with the artificial percentage scale given for entries in the chart. First of all it assumes a linear chart that is measured in percentages. Secondly, it assumes Flesh-eating Bacteria is 100% scariest thing and scariest-sounding thing existant. Just because it's the highest on the chart doesn't make it "100%" (again, percentage seems like an arbitrary scale to assign) [[User:TheHYPO|TheHYPO]] ([[User talk:TheHYPO|talk]]) 16:22, 24 July 2013 (UTC)<br />
:I disagree on your second point. The explanation expresses the scariness of something as a percentage of Flesh-eating Bacteria BECAUSE it is an arbitrary scale. It doesn't imply that the bacteria is the scariest possible thing. I think this is the best way; it's better than saying "Grey goo isn't as scary sounding, but is scarier than..." for all possible combinations of every item.<br>Also on your first point, it doesn't assume the chart is measured in percentages (although it does assume linearity). [[Special:Contributions/174.88.154.131|174.88.154.131]] 12:30, 25 July 2013 (UTC)<br />
::How about we just give the pixel coordinates and point out that the scale is arbitrary (or not defined by the comic). Percentage would suggest that the scale is in some way linear, which you actually cannot conclude from the graph. --[[User:Chtz|Chtz]] ([[User talk:Chtz|talk]]) 13:08, 25 July 2013 (UTC)<br />
::Initially I had written out "Not very scary", "Somewhat scary", "Fairly scary", etc. but it seemed simpler and much easier to read and sort to simply use arbitrary percentages. [[User:RouterIncident|RouterIncident]] ([[User talk:RouterIncident|talk]]) 14:55, 25 July 2013 (UTC)</div>RouterIncidenthttps://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=Talk:1242:_Scary_Names&diff=44949Talk:1242: Scary Names2013-07-25T15:01:25Z<p>RouterIncident: Added headers</p>
<hr />
<div>==Zero Halliburton==<br />
What is "A Zero Halliburton briefcase"?[[Special:Contributions/212.232.24.57|212.232.24.57]] 13:24, 24 July 2013 (UTC)<br />
<br />
:Zero Halliburton is a luggage brand name, with a line of aluminum attache cases. Not connected to the big company Halliburton, associated with former US Vice President Cheney and the war in Iraq. [[User:Wrybred|Wrybred]] ([[User talk:Wrybred|talk]]) 13:57, 24 July 2013 (UTC)wrybred<br />
<br />
::The history of Zero Halliburton luggage does intersect with the founder of Halliburton Company, Erle P. Halliburton. He needed rugged cases, so he started a company to produce them. He sold it to Zero Corporation. [http://www.zerohalliburton.com/about-our-company.html]. ''&mdash; [[User:Tbc|tbc]] ([[User talk:Tbc|talk]]) 14:26, 24 July 2013 (UTC)''<br />
<br />
==Military Aide/Secret Service Agent==<br />
Isn't the nuclear football carried by a military aide, not a Secret Service agent? [[Special:Contributions/167.165.238.254|167.165.238.254]] 14:18, 24 July 2013 (UTC)<br />
<br />
:Probably. I don't really know what I'm talking about. If you think you can improve on what I wrote, go for it! [[User:RouterIncident|RouterIncident]] ([[User talk:RouterIncident|talk]]) 14:24, 24 July 2013 (UTC)<br />
<br />
::Yes. "Cheney noted that the president is accompanied at all times by a military aide carrying a 'football' that contains launch codes for nuclear weapons. [http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/12/21/AR2008122100869.html] ''&mdash; [[User:Tbc|tbc]] ([[User talk:Tbc|talk]]) 14:26, 24 July 2013 (UTC)''<br />
<br />
:::I assume it's called 'football' because in the USA footballs are usually carried by hand. --[[User:Chtz|Chtz]] ([[User talk:Chtz|talk]]) 15:16, 24 July 2013 (UTC)<br />
<br />
::::Early plans for nuclear war against the Soviets were codenamed "Dropkick". [[Special:Contributions/193.67.17.36|193.67.17.36]] 16:23, 24 July 2013 (UTC)<br />
<br />
==Helvetica Scenario==<br />
I think the "Helvetica Scenario" explanation is wrong, but I don't know enough about it to feel comfortable editing. Here's an article I found that makes more sense. http://enigmauniversity.wikia.com/wiki/Helvetica_Scenario (I didn't watch the Youtube clip since I'm at work, so maybe that's what the clip refers to. It should be explained in the article instead.) [[User:Trek7553|Trek7553]] ([[User talk:Trek7553|talk]]) 14:45, 24 July 2013 (UTC)<br />
<br />
:To the best of my knowledge, the page you linked to is a work of fiction on a role-playing wiki. The references to calcium imply that it is based off of the Look Around You segment, but with its own added elements for the sake of role-playing. [[User:RouterIncident|RouterIncident]] ([[User talk:RouterIncident|talk]]) 14:53, 24 July 2013 (UTC)<br />
<br />
==Arbitrary Scariness Formatting==<br />
I have a slight issue with the artificial percentage scale given for entries in the chart. First of all it assumes a linear chart that is measured in percentages. Secondly, it assumes Flesh-eating Bacteria is 100% scariest thing and scariest-sounding thing existant. Just because it's the highest on the chart doesn't make it "100%" (again, percentage seems like an arbitrary scale to assign) [[User:TheHYPO|TheHYPO]] ([[User talk:TheHYPO|talk]]) 16:22, 24 July 2013 (UTC)<br />
:I disagree on your second point. The explanation expresses the scariness of something as a percentage of Flesh-eating Bacteria BECAUSE it is an arbitrary scale. It doesn't imply that the bacteria is the scariest possible thing. I think this is the best way; it's better than saying "Grey goo isn't as scary sounding, but is scarier than..." for all possible combinations of every item.<br>Also on your first point, it doesn't assume the chart is measured in percentages (although it does assume linearity). [[Special:Contributions/174.88.154.131|174.88.154.131]] 12:30, 25 July 2013 (UTC)<br />
::How about we just give the pixel coordinates and point out that the scale is arbitrary (or not defined by the comic). Percentage would suggest that the scale is in some way linear, which you actually cannot conclude from the graph. --[[User:Chtz|Chtz]] ([[User talk:Chtz|talk]]) 13:08, 25 July 2013 (UTC)<br />
::Initially I had written out "Not very scary", "Somewhat scary", "Fairly scary", etc. but it seemed simpler and much easier to read and sort to simply use arbitrary percentages. [[User:RouterIncident|RouterIncident]] ([[User talk:RouterIncident|talk]]) 14:55, 25 July 2013 (UTC)</div>RouterIncidenthttps://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=Talk:1242:_Scary_Names&diff=44948Talk:1242: Scary Names2013-07-25T14:55:22Z<p>RouterIncident: </p>
<hr />
<div>What is "A Zero Halliburton briefcase"?[[Special:Contributions/212.232.24.57|212.232.24.57]] 13:24, 24 July 2013 (UTC)<br />
<br />
:Zero Halliburton is a luggage brand name, with a line of aluminum attache cases. Not connected to the big company Halliburton, associated with former US Vice President Cheney and the war in Iraq. [[User:Wrybred|Wrybred]] ([[User talk:Wrybred|talk]]) 13:57, 24 July 2013 (UTC)wrybred<br />
<br />
::The history of Zero Halliburton luggage does intersect with the founder of Halliburton Company, Erle P. Halliburton. He needed rugged cases, so he started a company to produce them. He sold it to Zero Corporation. [http://www.zerohalliburton.com/about-our-company.html]. ''&mdash; [[User:Tbc|tbc]] ([[User talk:Tbc|talk]]) 14:26, 24 July 2013 (UTC)''<br />
<br />
Isn't the nuclear football carried by a military aide, not a Secret Service agent? [[Special:Contributions/167.165.238.254|167.165.238.254]] 14:18, 24 July 2013 (UTC)<br />
<br />
:Probably. I don't really know what I'm talking about. If you think you can improve on what I wrote, go for it! [[User:RouterIncident|RouterIncident]] ([[User talk:RouterIncident|talk]]) 14:24, 24 July 2013 (UTC)<br />
<br />
::Yes. "Cheney noted that the president is accompanied at all times by a military aide carrying a 'football' that contains launch codes for nuclear weapons. [http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/12/21/AR2008122100869.html] ''&mdash; [[User:Tbc|tbc]] ([[User talk:Tbc|talk]]) 14:26, 24 July 2013 (UTC)''<br />
<br />
:::I assume it's called 'football' because in the USA footballs are usually carried by hand. --[[User:Chtz|Chtz]] ([[User talk:Chtz|talk]]) 15:16, 24 July 2013 (UTC)<br />
<br />
::::Early plans for nuclear war against the Soviets were codenamed "Dropkick". [[Special:Contributions/193.67.17.36|193.67.17.36]] 16:23, 24 July 2013 (UTC)<br />
<br />
I think the "Helvetica Scenario" explanation is wrong, but I don't know enough about it to feel comfortable editing. Here's an article I found that makes more sense. http://enigmauniversity.wikia.com/wiki/Helvetica_Scenario (I didn't watch the Youtube clip since I'm at work, so maybe that's what the clip refers to. It should be explained in the article instead.) [[User:Trek7553|Trek7553]] ([[User talk:Trek7553|talk]]) 14:45, 24 July 2013 (UTC)<br />
<br />
:To the best of my knowledge, the page you linked to is a work of fiction on a role-playing wiki. The references to calcium imply that it is based off of the Look Around You segment, but with its own added elements for the sake of role-playing. [[User:RouterIncident|RouterIncident]] ([[User talk:RouterIncident|talk]]) 14:53, 24 July 2013 (UTC)<br />
<br />
I have a slight issue with the artificial percentage scale given for entries in the chart. First of all it assumes a linear chart that is measured in percentages. Secondly, it assumes Flesh-eating Bacteria is 100% scariest thing and scariest-sounding thing existant. Just because it's the highest on the chart doesn't make it "100%" (again, percentage seems like an arbitrary scale to assign) [[User:TheHYPO|TheHYPO]] ([[User talk:TheHYPO|talk]]) 16:22, 24 July 2013 (UTC)<br />
:I disagree on your second point. The explanation expresses the scariness of something as a percentage of Flesh-eating Bacteria BECAUSE it is an arbitrary scale. It doesn't imply that the bacteria is the scariest possible thing. I think this is the best way; it's better than saying "Grey goo isn't as scary sounding, but is scarier than..." for all possible combinations of every item.<br />
::Initially I had written out "Not very scary", "Somewhat scary", "Fairly scary", etc. but it seemed simpler and much easier to read and sort to simply use arbitrary percentages. [[User:RouterIncident|RouterIncident]] ([[User talk:RouterIncident|talk]]) 14:55, 25 July 2013 (UTC)<br />
:Also on your first point, it doesn't assume the chart is measured in percentages (although it does assume linearity). [[Special:Contributions/174.88.154.131|174.88.154.131]] 12:30, 25 July 2013 (UTC)<br />
::How about we just give the pixel coordinates and point out that the scale is arbitrary (or not defined by the comic). Percentage would suggest that the scale is in some way linear, which you actually cannot conclude from the graph. --[[User:Chtz|Chtz]] ([[User talk:Chtz|talk]]) 13:08, 25 July 2013 (UTC)</div>RouterIncidenthttps://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=1242:_Scary_Names&diff=449471242: Scary Names2013-07-25T14:51:13Z<p>RouterIncident: </p>
<hr />
<div>{{comic<br />
| number = 1242<br />
| date = July 24, 2013<br />
| title = Scary Names<br />
| image = scary_names.png<br />
| titletext = Far off to the right of the chart is the Helvetica Scenario.<br />
}}<br />
<br />
==Explanation==<br />
The chart shows that things toward the right are scary, while things toward the top <em>sound</em> scary, without <em>necessarily</em> being scary. <br />
<br />
{| class="wikitable sortable"<br />
! scope="col" class="unsortable"| Name<br />
! scope="col" class="headerSortUp"| Apparent Scariness<sup id="ref_note-1">[[#cite_note-1|1]]</sup><br />
! scope="col"| True Scariness<sup>[[#cite_note-1|1]]</sup><br />
! scope="col" class="unsortable"|Description<br />
|-<br />
|{{Nowrap|[http://www.catb.org/~esr/jargon/html/C/Chernobyl-packet.html Chernobyl Packet]}}<br />
|{{Nowrap|{{Hs|k !}}95%}}<br />
|{{Nowrap|{{Hs|a !}}4%}}<br />
|A network packet that induces a broadcast storm or network meltdown.<br />
|-<br />
|{{Nowrap|[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bomb_calorimeter#Bomb_calorimeters Bomb Calorimeter]}}<br />
|{{Nowrap|{{Hs|h !}}67%}}<br />
|{{Nowrap|{{Hs|b !}}28%}}<br />
|A device for measuring heat of combustion of a reaction in a pressure vessel.<br />
|-<br />
|{{Nowrap|[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mustard_Gas Mustard Gas]}}<br />
|{{Nowrap|{{Hs|f !}}47%}}<br />
|{{Nowrap|{{Hs|c !}}50%}}<br />
|A chemical warfare agent which causes blisters and severe irritation on skin and lung tissue.<br />
|-<br />
|{{Nowrap|[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kessler_Syndrome Kessler Syndrome]}}<br />
|{{Nowrap|{{Hs|k !}}87%}}<br />
|{{Nowrap|{{Hs|d !}}53%}}<br />
|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.<br />
|-<br />
|{{Nowrap|[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Soil_Liquefaction Soil Liquefaction]}}<br />
|{{Nowrap|{{Hs|c !}}16%}}<br />
|{{Nowrap|{{Hs|e !}}54%}}<br />
|A phenomena where wet soil loses its strength, leading to potholes, road and terrain damage, and even building collapses, especially after earthquakes.<br />
|-<br />
|{{Nowrap|[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grey_Goo Grey Goo]}}<br />
|{{Nowrap|{{Hs|b !}}5%}}<br />
|{{Nowrap|{{Hs|f !}}68%}}<br />
|A hypothetical end-of-world scenario where self-replicating nanobots consume all matter.<br />
|-<br />
|{{Nowrap|[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Avian_influenza_virus Bird Flu]}}<br />
|{{Nowrap|{{Hs|h !}}57%}}<br />
|{{Nowrap|{{Hs|g !}}72%}}<br />
|An illness caused by strains of influenza adapted for transfer between birds and humans.{{Verification needed}} Since birds can travel great distances quickly, this makes it difficult to contain.<br />
|-<br />
|{{Nowrap|[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Demon_core Demon Core]}}<br />
|{{Nowrap|{{Hs|j !}}90%}}<br />
|{{Nowrap|{{Hs|h !}}73%}}<br />
|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 a beryllium neutron reflector apart with a flat head screwdriver which slipped, suddenly causing the contained plutonium core to become supercritical and delivering a fatal dose of radiation. In both instances the scientists performing the experiment died.<br />
|-<br />
|{{Nowrap|[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Criticality_incident Criticality Incident]}}<br />
|{{Nowrap|{{Hs|d!}}22%}}<br />
|{{Nowrap|{{Hs|i !}}74%}}<br />
|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).<br />
|-<br />
|{{Nowrap|[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Super_bug_(bacteria) Superbug]}}<br />
|{{Nowrap|{{Hs|e !}}39%}}<br />
|{{Nowrap|{{Hs|j !}}83%}}<br />
|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.{{Verification needed}}<br />
|-<br />
|{{Nowrap|[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nuclear_Football Nuclear Football]}}<br />
|{{Nowrap|{{Hs|g !}}52%}}<br />
|{{Nowrap|{{Hs|k !}}94%}}<br />
|An aluminium Zero Halliburton briefcase which is used by the President of the United States to authorise nuclear attack. A military aide carrying the football is always near the president.<br />
|-<br />
|{{Nowrap|[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flesh-eating_bacteria Flesh-Eating Bacteria]}}<br />
|{{Nowrap|{{Hs|m !}}100%}}<br />
|{{Nowrap|{{Hs|l !}}100%}}<br />
|As the name suggests, bacteria that eats (or more accurately, releases toxins that destroy) your skin and muscle.<br />
|-class="sortbottom"<br />
|Helvetica Scenario<br>(Title Text)<br />
|{{Nowrap|{{Hs|z !}}N/A}}<br />
|{{Hs|m !}}Literally Off-The-Chart<br />
|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=OZPTM0PGQPE&feature=player_detailpage&t=389 YouTube Link (at 6:29)] Some may find this segment disturbing.<br />
|}<br />
<br />
<div style="background-color: rgba(0,0,0,0.18);padding:10px 10px 10px 0;border-radius: 3px;margin-right:1em;margin-bottom:1em;"><br />
#<span style="padding: 3px 5px 0px 5px;background-color: rgba(0%,0%,0%,0.09);border-radius: 5px;" id="cite_note-1">[[#ref_note-1|^]]</span> Note: Values in the chart are given as a percentage of the values of "Flesh-eating bacteria", which is the upper-right-most entry in the chart.<br />
</div><br />
<br />
==Transcript==<br />
No official transcript.<br />
<br />
A scatter plot is drawn, x-axis "Scariness of thing name refers to", y-axis "Scariness of name". Items within the scatter plot are listed in the table above.<br />
<br />
{{comic discussion}}</div>RouterIncidenthttps://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=1242:_Scary_Names&diff=449461242: Scary Names2013-07-25T14:44:41Z<p>RouterIncident: Added unofficial transcript for possible accessibility reasons.</p>
<hr />
<div>{{comic<br />
| number = 1242<br />
| date = July 24, 2013<br />
| title = Scary Names<br />
| image = scary_names.png<br />
| titletext = Far off to the right of the chart is the Helvetica Scenario.<br />
}}<br />
<br />
==Explanation==<br />
The chart shows that things toward the right are scary, while things toward the top <em>sound</em> scary, without <em>necessarily</em> being scary. <br />
<br />
{| class="wikitable sortable"<br />
! scope="col" class="unsortable"| Name<br />
! scope="col" class="headerSortUp"| Apparent Scariness<sup id="ref_note-1">[[#cite_note-1|1]]</sup><br />
! scope="col"| True Scariness<sup>[[#cite_note-1|1]]</sup><br />
! scope="col" class="unsortable"|Description<br />
|-<br />
|{{Nowrap|[http://www.catb.org/~esr/jargon/html/C/Chernobyl-packet.html Chernobyl Packet]}}<br />
|{{Nowrap|{{Hs|k !}}95%}}<br />
|{{Nowrap|{{Hs|a !}}4%}}<br />
|A network packet that induces a broadcast storm or network meltdown.<br />
|-<br />
|{{Nowrap|[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bomb_calorimeter#Bomb_calorimeters Bomb Calorimeter]}}<br />
|{{Nowrap|{{Hs|h !}}67%}}<br />
|{{Nowrap|{{Hs|b !}}28%}}<br />
|A device for measuring heat of combustion of a reaction in a pressure vessel.<br />
|-<br />
|{{Nowrap|[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mustard_Gas Mustard Gas]}}<br />
|{{Nowrap|{{Hs|f !}}47%}}<br />
|{{Nowrap|{{Hs|c !}}50%}}<br />
|A chemical warfare agent which causes blisters and severe irritation on skin and lung tissue.<br />
|-<br />
|{{Nowrap|[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kessler_Syndrome Kessler Syndrome]}}<br />
|{{Nowrap|{{Hs|k !}}87%}}<br />
|{{Nowrap|{{Hs|d !}}53%}}<br />
|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.<br />
|-<br />
|{{Nowrap|[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Soil_Liquefaction Soil Liquefaction]}}<br />
|{{Nowrap|{{Hs|c !}}16%}}<br />
|{{Nowrap|{{Hs|e !}}54%}}<br />
|A phenomena where wet soil loses its strength, leading to potholes, road and terrain damage, and even building collapses, especially after earthquakes.<br />
|-<br />
|{{Nowrap|[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grey_Goo Grey Goo]}}<br />
|{{Nowrap|{{Hs|b !}}5%}}<br />
|{{Nowrap|{{Hs|f !}}68%}}<br />
|A hypothetical end-of-world scenario where self-replicating nanobots consume all matter.<br />
|-<br />
|{{Nowrap|[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Avian_influenza_virus Bird Flu]}}<br />
|{{Nowrap|{{Hs|h !}}57%}}<br />
|{{Nowrap|{{Hs|g !}}72%}}<br />
|An illness caused by strains of influenza adapted for transfer between birds and humans.{{Verification needed}} Since birds can travel great distances quickly, this makes it difficult to contain.<br />
|-<br />
|{{Nowrap|[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Demon_core Demon Core]}}<br />
|{{Nowrap|{{Hs|j !}}90%}}<br />
|{{Nowrap|{{Hs|h !}}73%}}<br />
|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 a beryllium neutron reflector apart with a flat head screwdriver which slipped, suddenly causing the contained plutonium core to become supercritical and delivering a fatal dose of radiation. In both instances the scientists performing the experiment died.<br />
|-<br />
|{{Nowrap|[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Criticality_incident Criticality Incident]}}<br />
|{{Nowrap|{{Hs|d!}}22%}}<br />
|{{Nowrap|{{Hs|i !}}74%}}<br />
|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).<br />
|-<br />
|{{Nowrap|[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Super_bug_(bacteria) Superbug]}}<br />
|{{Nowrap|{{Hs|e !}}39%}}<br />
|{{Nowrap|{{Hs|j !}}83%}}<br />
|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.{{Verification needed}}<br />
|-<br />
|{{Nowrap|[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nuclear_Football Nuclear Football]}}<br />
|{{Nowrap|{{Hs|g !}}52%}}<br />
|{{Nowrap|{{Hs|k !}}94%}}<br />
|An aluminium Zero Halliburton briefcase which is used by the President of the United States to authorise nuclear attack. A military aide carrying the football is always near the president.<br />
|-<br />
|{{Nowrap|[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flesh-eating_bacteria Flesh-Eating Bacteria]}}<br />
|{{Nowrap|{{Hs|m !}}100%}}<br />
|{{Nowrap|{{Hs|l !}}100%}}<br />
|As the name suggests, bacteria that eats (or more accurately, releases toxins that destroy) your skin and muscle.<br />
|-class="sortbottom"<br />
|Helvetica Scenario<br>(Title Text)<br />
|{{Nowrap|{{Hs|z !}}N/A}}<br />
|{{Hs|m !}}Literally Off-The-Chart<br />
|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.<br />
|}<br />
<br />
<div style="background-color: rgba(0,0,0,0.18);padding:10px 10px 10px 0;border-radius: 3px;margin-right:1em;margin-bottom:1em;"><br />
#<span style="padding: 3px 5px 0px 5px;background-color: rgba(0%,0%,0%,0.09);border-radius: 5px;" id="cite_note-1">[[#ref_note-1|^]]</span> Note: Values in the chart are given as a percentage of the values of "Flesh-eating bacteria", which is the upper-right-most entry in the chart.<br />
</div><br />
<br />
==Transcript==<br />
No official transcript.<br />
<br />
A scatter plot is drawn, x-axis "Scariness of thing name refers to", y-axis "Scariness of name". Items within the scatter plot are listed in the table above.<br />
<br />
{{comic discussion}}</div>RouterIncidenthttps://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=1242:_Scary_Names&diff=449451242: Scary Names2013-07-25T14:37:56Z<p>RouterIncident: Changed ref list to an ordered list so if it has to break into 2 lines of text, the second line won't be underneath the "1".</p>
<hr />
<div>{{comic<br />
| number = 1242<br />
| date = July 24, 2013<br />
| title = Scary Names<br />
| image = scary_names.png<br />
| titletext = Far off to the right of the chart is the Helvetica Scenario.<br />
}}<br />
<br />
==Explanation==<br />
The chart shows that things toward the right are scary, while things toward the top <em>sound</em> scary, without <em>necessarily</em> being scary. <br />
<br />
{| class="wikitable sortable"<br />
! scope="col" class="unsortable"| Name<br />
! scope="col" class="headerSortUp"| Apparent Scariness<sup id="ref_note-1">[[#cite_note-1|1]]</sup><br />
! scope="col"| True Scariness<sup>[[#cite_note-1|1]]</sup><br />
! scope="col" class="unsortable"|Description<br />
|-<br />
|{{Nowrap|[http://www.catb.org/~esr/jargon/html/C/Chernobyl-packet.html Chernobyl Packet]}}<br />
|{{Nowrap|{{Hs|k !}}95%}}<br />
|{{Nowrap|{{Hs|a !}}4%}}<br />
|A network packet that induces a broadcast storm or network meltdown.<br />
|-<br />
|{{Nowrap|[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bomb_calorimeter#Bomb_calorimeters Bomb Calorimeter]}}<br />
|{{Nowrap|{{Hs|h !}}67%}}<br />
|{{Nowrap|{{Hs|b !}}28%}}<br />
|A device for measuring heat of combustion of a reaction in a pressure vessel.<br />
|-<br />
|{{Nowrap|[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mustard_Gas Mustard Gas]}}<br />
|{{Nowrap|{{Hs|f !}}47%}}<br />
|{{Nowrap|{{Hs|c !}}50%}}<br />
|A chemical warfare agent which causes blisters and severe irritation on skin and lung tissue.<br />
|-<br />
|{{Nowrap|[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kessler_Syndrome Kessler Syndrome]}}<br />
|{{Nowrap|{{Hs|k !}}87%}}<br />
|{{Nowrap|{{Hs|d !}}53%}}<br />
|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.<br />
|-<br />
|{{Nowrap|[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Soil_Liquefaction Soil Liquefaction]}}<br />
|{{Nowrap|{{Hs|c !}}16%}}<br />
|{{Nowrap|{{Hs|e !}}54%}}<br />
|A phenomena where wet soil loses its strength, leading to potholes, road and terrain damage, and even building collapses, especially after earthquakes.<br />
|-<br />
|{{Nowrap|[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grey_Goo Grey Goo]}}<br />
|{{Nowrap|{{Hs|b !}}5%}}<br />
|{{Nowrap|{{Hs|f !}}68%}}<br />
|A hypothetical end-of-world scenario where self-replicating nanobots consume all matter.<br />
|-<br />
|{{Nowrap|[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Avian_influenza_virus Bird Flu]}}<br />
|{{Nowrap|{{Hs|h !}}57%}}<br />
|{{Nowrap|{{Hs|g !}}72%}}<br />
|An illness caused by strains of influenza adapted for transfer between birds and humans.{{Verification needed}} Since birds can travel great distances quickly, this makes it difficult to contain.<br />
|-<br />
|{{Nowrap|[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Demon_core Demon Core]}}<br />
|{{Nowrap|{{Hs|j !}}90%}}<br />
|{{Nowrap|{{Hs|h !}}73%}}<br />
|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 a beryllium neutron reflector apart with a flat head screwdriver which slipped, suddenly causing the contained plutonium core to become supercritical and delivering a fatal dose of radiation. In both instances the scientists performing the experiment died.<br />
|-<br />
|{{Nowrap|[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Criticality_incident Criticality Incident]}}<br />
|{{Nowrap|{{Hs|d!}}22%}}<br />
|{{Nowrap|{{Hs|i !}}74%}}<br />
|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).<br />
|-<br />
|{{Nowrap|[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Super_bug_(bacteria) Superbug]}}<br />
|{{Nowrap|{{Hs|e !}}39%}}<br />
|{{Nowrap|{{Hs|j !}}83%}}<br />
|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.{{Verification needed}}<br />
|-<br />
|{{Nowrap|[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nuclear_Football Nuclear Football]}}<br />
|{{Nowrap|{{Hs|g !}}52%}}<br />
|{{Nowrap|{{Hs|k !}}94%}}<br />
|An aluminium Zero Halliburton briefcase which is used by the President of the United States to authorise nuclear attack. A military aide carrying the football is always near the president.<br />
|-<br />
|{{Nowrap|[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flesh-eating_bacteria Flesh-Eating Bacteria]}}<br />
|{{Nowrap|{{Hs|m !}}100%}}<br />
|{{Nowrap|{{Hs|l !}}100%}}<br />
|As the name suggests, bacteria that eats (or more accurately, releases toxins that destroy) your skin and muscle.<br />
|-class="sortbottom"<br />
|Helvetica Scenario<br>(Title Text)<br />
|{{Nowrap|{{Hs|z !}}N/A}}<br />
|{{Hs|m !}}Literally Off-The-Chart<br />
|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.<br />
|}<br />
<br />
<div style="background-color: rgba(0,0,0,0.18);padding:10px 10px 10px 0;border-radius: 3px;margin-right:1em;margin-bottom:1em;"><br />
#<span style="padding: 3px 5px 0px 5px;background-color: rgba(0%,0%,0%,0.09);border-radius: 5px;" id="cite_note-1">[[#ref_note-1|^]]</span> Note: Values in the chart are given as a percentage of the values of "Flesh-eating bacteria", which is the upper-right-most entry in the chart.<br />
</div><br />
<br />
==Transcript==<br />
(no transcript)<br />
<br />
{{comic discussion}}</div>RouterIncidenthttps://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=1242:_Scary_Names&diff=449441242: Scary Names2013-07-25T14:33:09Z<p>RouterIncident: Added a footnote to explain the units.</p>
<hr />
<div>{{comic<br />
| number = 1242<br />
| date = July 24, 2013<br />
| title = Scary Names<br />
| image = scary_names.png<br />
| titletext = Far off to the right of the chart is the Helvetica Scenario.<br />
}}<br />
<br />
==Explanation==<br />
The chart shows that things toward the right are scary, while things toward the top <em>sound</em> scary, without <em>necessarily</em> being scary. <br />
<br />
{| class="wikitable sortable"<br />
! scope="col" class="unsortable"| Name<br />
! scope="col" class="headerSortUp"| Apparent Scariness<sup id="ref_note-1">[[#cite_note-1|1]]</sup><br />
! scope="col"| True Scariness<sup>[[#cite_note-1|1]]</sup><br />
! scope="col" class="unsortable"|Description<br />
|-<br />
|{{Nowrap|[http://www.catb.org/~esr/jargon/html/C/Chernobyl-packet.html Chernobyl Packet]}}<br />
|{{Nowrap|{{Hs|k !}}95%}}<br />
|{{Nowrap|{{Hs|a !}}4%}}<br />
|A network packet that induces a broadcast storm or network meltdown.<br />
|-<br />
|{{Nowrap|[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bomb_calorimeter#Bomb_calorimeters Bomb Calorimeter]}}<br />
|{{Nowrap|{{Hs|h !}}67%}}<br />
|{{Nowrap|{{Hs|b !}}28%}}<br />
|A device for measuring heat of combustion of a reaction in a pressure vessel.<br />
|-<br />
|{{Nowrap|[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mustard_Gas Mustard Gas]}}<br />
|{{Nowrap|{{Hs|f !}}47%}}<br />
|{{Nowrap|{{Hs|c !}}50%}}<br />
|A chemical warfare agent which causes blisters and severe irritation on skin and lung tissue.<br />
|-<br />
|{{Nowrap|[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kessler_Syndrome Kessler Syndrome]}}<br />
|{{Nowrap|{{Hs|k !}}87%}}<br />
|{{Nowrap|{{Hs|d !}}53%}}<br />
|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.<br />
|-<br />
|{{Nowrap|[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Soil_Liquefaction Soil Liquefaction]}}<br />
|{{Nowrap|{{Hs|c !}}16%}}<br />
|{{Nowrap|{{Hs|e !}}54%}}<br />
|A phenomena where wet soil loses its strength, leading to potholes, road and terrain damage, and even building collapses, especially after earthquakes.<br />
|-<br />
|{{Nowrap|[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grey_Goo Grey Goo]}}<br />
|{{Nowrap|{{Hs|b !}}5%}}<br />
|{{Nowrap|{{Hs|f !}}68%}}<br />
|A hypothetical end-of-world scenario where self-replicating nanobots consume all matter.<br />
|-<br />
|{{Nowrap|[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Avian_influenza_virus Bird Flu]}}<br />
|{{Nowrap|{{Hs|h !}}57%}}<br />
|{{Nowrap|{{Hs|g !}}72%}}<br />
|An illness caused by strains of influenza adapted for transfer between birds and humans.{{Verification needed}} Since birds can travel great distances quickly, this makes it difficult to contain.<br />
|-<br />
|{{Nowrap|[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Demon_core Demon Core]}}<br />
|{{Nowrap|{{Hs|j !}}90%}}<br />
|{{Nowrap|{{Hs|h !}}73%}}<br />
|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 a beryllium neutron reflector apart with a flat head screwdriver which slipped, suddenly causing the contained plutonium core to become supercritical and delivering a fatal dose of radiation. In both instances the scientists performing the experiment died.<br />
|-<br />
|{{Nowrap|[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Criticality_incident Criticality Incident]}}<br />
|{{Nowrap|{{Hs|d!}}22%}}<br />
|{{Nowrap|{{Hs|i !}}74%}}<br />
|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).<br />
|-<br />
|{{Nowrap|[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Super_bug_(bacteria) Superbug]}}<br />
|{{Nowrap|{{Hs|e !}}39%}}<br />
|{{Nowrap|{{Hs|j !}}83%}}<br />
|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.{{Verification needed}}<br />
|-<br />
|{{Nowrap|[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nuclear_Football Nuclear Football]}}<br />
|{{Nowrap|{{Hs|g !}}52%}}<br />
|{{Nowrap|{{Hs|k !}}94%}}<br />
|An aluminium Zero Halliburton briefcase which is used by the President of the United States to authorise nuclear attack. A military aide carrying the football is always near the president.<br />
|-<br />
|{{Nowrap|[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flesh-eating_bacteria Flesh-Eating Bacteria]}}<br />
|{{Nowrap|{{Hs|m !}}100%}}<br />
|{{Nowrap|{{Hs|l !}}100%}}<br />
|As the name suggests, bacteria that eats (or more accurately, releases toxins that destroy) your skin and muscle.<br />
|-class="sortbottom"<br />
|Helvetica Scenario<br>(Title Text)<br />
|{{Nowrap|{{Hs|z !}}N/A}}<br />
|{{Hs|m !}}Literally Off-The-Chart<br />
|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.<br />
|}<br />
<br />
<div style="background-color: rgba(0,0,0,0.18);padding:10px;border-radius: 3px;margin-right:1em;margin-bottom:1em;">1. <span style="padding: 3px 5px 0px 5px;background-color: rgba(0%,0%,0%,0.09);border-radius: 5px;" id="cite_note-1">[[#ref_note-1|^]]</span> Note: Values in the chart are given as a percentage of the values of "Flesh-eating bacteria", which is the upper-right-most entry in the chart.</div><br />
<br />
==Transcript==<br />
(no transcript)<br />
<br />
{{comic discussion}}</div>RouterIncidenthttps://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=1242:_Scary_Names&diff=449431242: Scary Names2013-07-25T14:11:22Z<p>RouterIncident: Set default sort; stuck Helvetica to the bottom; disabled sorting by name.</p>
<hr />
<div>{{comic<br />
| number = 1242<br />
| date = July 24, 2013<br />
| title = Scary Names<br />
| image = scary_names.png<br />
| titletext = Far off to the right of the chart is the Helvetica Scenario.<br />
}}<br />
<br />
==Explanation==<br />
The chart shows that things toward the right are scary, while things toward the top <em>sound</em> scary, without <em>necessarily</em> being scary. Values in the chart are given as a percentage of " the values of "Flesh-eating bacteria", which is the upper-right-most entry in the Chart.<br />
<br />
{| class="wikitable sortable"<br />
! scope="col" class="unsortable"| Name<br />
! scope="col" class="headerSortUp"| Apparent Scariness<br />
! scope="col"| True Scariness<br />
! scope="col" class="unsortable"|Description<br />
|-<br />
|{{Nowrap|[http://www.catb.org/~esr/jargon/html/C/Chernobyl-packet.html Chernobyl Packet]}}<br />
|{{Nowrap|{{Hs|k !}}95%}}<br />
|{{Nowrap|{{Hs|a !}}4%}}<br />
|A network packet that induces a broadcast storm or network meltdown.<br />
|-<br />
|{{Nowrap|[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bomb_calorimeter#Bomb_calorimeters Bomb Calorimeter]}}<br />
|{{Nowrap|{{Hs|h !}}67%}}<br />
|{{Nowrap|{{Hs|b !}}28%}}<br />
|A device for measuring heat of combustion of a reaction in a pressure vessel.<br />
|-<br />
|{{Nowrap|[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mustard_Gas Mustard Gas]}}<br />
|{{Nowrap|{{Hs|f !}}47%}}<br />
|{{Nowrap|{{Hs|c !}}50%}}<br />
|A chemical warfare agent which causes blisters and severe irritation on skin and lung tissue.<br />
|-<br />
|{{Nowrap|[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kessler_Syndrome Kessler Syndrome]}}<br />
|{{Nowrap|{{Hs|k !}}87%}}<br />
|{{Nowrap|{{Hs|d !}}53%}}<br />
|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.<br />
|-<br />
|{{Nowrap|[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Soil_Liquefaction Soil Liquefaction]}}<br />
|{{Nowrap|{{Hs|c !}}16%}}<br />
|{{Nowrap|{{Hs|e !}}54%}}<br />
|A phenomena where wet soil loses its strength, leading to potholes, road and terrain damage, and even building collapses, especially after earthquakes.<br />
|-<br />
|{{Nowrap|[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grey_Goo Grey Goo]}}<br />
|{{Nowrap|{{Hs|b !}}5%}}<br />
|{{Nowrap|{{Hs|f !}}68%}}<br />
|A hypothetical end-of-world scenario where self-replicating nanobots consume all matter.<br />
|-<br />
|{{Nowrap|[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Avian_influenza_virus Bird Flu]}}<br />
|{{Nowrap|{{Hs|h !}}57%}}<br />
|{{Nowrap|{{Hs|g !}}72%}}<br />
|An illness caused by strains of influenza adapted for transfer between birds and humans.{{Verification needed}} Since birds can travel great distances quickly, this makes it difficult to contain.<br />
|-<br />
|{{Nowrap|[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Demon_core Demon Core]}}<br />
|{{Nowrap|{{Hs|j !}}90%}}<br />
|{{Nowrap|{{Hs|h !}}73%}}<br />
|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 a beryllium neutron reflector apart with a flat head screwdriver which slipped, suddenly causing the contained plutonium core to become supercritical and delivering a fatal dose of radiation. In both instances the scientists performing the experiment died.<br />
|-<br />
|{{Nowrap|[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Criticality_incident Criticality Incident]}}<br />
|{{Nowrap|{{Hs|d!}}22%}}<br />
|{{Nowrap|{{Hs|i !}}74%}}<br />
|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).<br />
|-<br />
|{{Nowrap|[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Super_bug_(bacteria) Superbug]}}<br />
|{{Nowrap|{{Hs|e !}}39%}}<br />
|{{Nowrap|{{Hs|j !}}83%}}<br />
|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.{{Verification needed}}<br />
|-<br />
|{{Nowrap|[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nuclear_Football Nuclear Football]}}<br />
|{{Nowrap|{{Hs|g !}}52%}}<br />
|{{Nowrap|{{Hs|k !}}94%}}<br />
|An aluminium Zero Halliburton briefcase which is used by the President of the United States to authorise nuclear attack. A military aide carrying the football is always near the president.<br />
|-<br />
|{{Nowrap|[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flesh-eating_bacteria Flesh-Eating Bacteria]}}<br />
|{{Nowrap|{{Hs|m !}}100%}}<br />
|{{Nowrap|{{Hs|l !}}100%}}<br />
|As the name suggests, bacteria that eats (or more accurately, releases toxins that destroy) your skin and muscle.<br />
|-class="sortbottom"<br />
|Helvetica Scenario<br>(Title Text)<br />
|{{Nowrap|{{Hs|z !}}N/A}}<br />
|{{Hs|m !}}Literally Off-The-Chart<br />
|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.<br />
|}<br />
<br />
==Transcript==<br />
(no transcript)<br />
<br />
{{comic discussion}}</div>RouterIncidenthttps://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=1242:_Scary_Names&diff=449421242: Scary Names2013-07-25T14:04:13Z<p>RouterIncident: Disabled sorting on "Description" column.</p>
<hr />
<div>{{comic<br />
| number = 1242<br />
| date = July 24, 2013<br />
| title = Scary Names<br />
| image = scary_names.png<br />
| titletext = Far off to the right of the chart is the Helvetica Scenario.<br />
}}<br />
<br />
==Explanation==<br />
The chart shows that things toward the right are scary, while things toward the top <em>sound</em> scary, without <em>necessarily</em> being scary. Values in the chart are given as a percentage of " the values of "Flesh-eating bacteria", which is the upper-right-most entry in the Chart.<br />
<br />
{| class="wikitable sortable"<br />
! scope="col"| Name<br />
! scope="col"| Apparent Scariness<br />
! scope="col"| True Scariness<br />
! scope="col" class="unsortable"|Description<br />
|-<br />
|{{Nowrap|[http://www.catb.org/~esr/jargon/html/C/Chernobyl-packet.html Chernobyl Packet]}}<br />
|{{Nowrap|{{Hs|k !}}95%}}<br />
|{{Nowrap|{{Hs|a !}}4%}}<br />
|A network packet that induces a broadcast storm or network meltdown.<br />
|-<br />
|{{Nowrap|[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bomb_calorimeter#Bomb_calorimeters Bomb Calorimeter]}}<br />
|{{Nowrap|{{Hs|h !}}67%}}<br />
|{{Nowrap|{{Hs|b !}}28%}}<br />
|A device for measuring heat of combustion of a reaction in a pressure vessel.<br />
|-<br />
|{{Nowrap|[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mustard_Gas Mustard Gas]}}<br />
|{{Nowrap|{{Hs|f !}}47%}}<br />
|{{Nowrap|{{Hs|c !}}50%}}<br />
|A chemical warfare agent which causes blisters and severe irritation on skin and lung tissue.<br />
|-<br />
|{{Nowrap|[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kessler_Syndrome Kessler Syndrome]}}<br />
|{{Nowrap|{{Hs|k !}}87%}}<br />
|{{Nowrap|{{Hs|d !}}53%}}<br />
|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.<br />
|-<br />
|{{Nowrap|[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Soil_Liquefaction Soil Liquefaction]}}<br />
|{{Nowrap|{{Hs|c !}}16%}}<br />
|{{Nowrap|{{Hs|e !}}54%}}<br />
|A phenomena where wet soil loses its strength, leading to potholes, road and terrain damage, and even building collapses, especially after earthquakes.<br />
|-<br />
|{{Nowrap|[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grey_Goo Grey Goo]}}<br />
|{{Nowrap|{{Hs|b !}}5%}}<br />
|{{Nowrap|{{Hs|f !}}68%}}<br />
|A hypothetical end-of-world scenario where self-replicating nanobots consume all matter.<br />
|-<br />
|{{Nowrap|[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Avian_influenza_virus Bird Flu]}}<br />
|{{Nowrap|{{Hs|h !}}57%}}<br />
|{{Nowrap|{{Hs|g !}}72%}}<br />
|An illness caused by strains of influenza adapted for transfer between birds and humans.{{Verification needed}} Since birds can travel great distances quickly, this makes it difficult to contain.<br />
|-<br />
|{{Nowrap|[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Demon_core Demon Core]}}<br />
|{{Nowrap|{{Hs|j !}}90%}}<br />
|{{Nowrap|{{Hs|h !}}73%}}<br />
|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 a beryllium neutron reflector apart with a flat head screwdriver which slipped, suddenly causing the contained plutonium core to become supercritical and delivering a fatal dose of radiation. In both instances the scientists performing the experiment died.<br />
|-<br />
|{{Nowrap|[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Criticality_incident Criticality Incident]}}<br />
|{{Nowrap|{{Hs|d!}}22%}}<br />
|{{Nowrap|{{Hs|i !}}74%}}<br />
|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).<br />
|-<br />
|{{Nowrap|[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Super_bug_(bacteria) Superbug]}}<br />
|{{Nowrap|{{Hs|e !}}39%}}<br />
|{{Nowrap|{{Hs|j !}}83%}}<br />
|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.{{Verification needed}}<br />
|-<br />
|{{Nowrap|[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nuclear_Football Nuclear Football]}}<br />
|{{Nowrap|{{Hs|g !}}52%}}<br />
|{{Nowrap|{{Hs|k !}}94%}}<br />
|An aluminium Zero Halliburton briefcase which is used by the President of the United States to authorise nuclear attack. A military aide carrying the football is always near the president.<br />
|-<br />
|{{Nowrap|[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flesh-eating_bacteria Flesh-Eating Bacteria]}}<br />
|{{Nowrap|{{Hs|m !}}100%}}<br />
|{{Nowrap|{{Hs|l !}}100%}}<br />
|As the name suggests, bacteria that eats (or more accurately, releases toxins that destroy) your skin and muscle.<br />
|-<br />
|Helvetica Scenario<br>(Title Text)<br />
|{{Nowrap|{{Hs|a !}}N/A}}<br />
|{{Hs|m !}}Literally Off-The-Chart<br />
|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.<br />
|}<br />
<br />
==Transcript==<br />
(no transcript)<br />
<br />
{{comic discussion}}</div>RouterIncidenthttps://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=1242:_Scary_Names&diff=449401242: Scary Names2013-07-25T14:00:30Z<p>RouterIncident: Fixed hidden sort keys</p>
<hr />
<div>{{comic<br />
| number = 1242<br />
| date = July 24, 2013<br />
| title = Scary Names<br />
| image = scary_names.png<br />
| titletext = Far off to the right of the chart is the Helvetica Scenario.<br />
}}<br />
<br />
==Explanation==<br />
The chart shows that things toward the right are scary, while things toward the top <em>sound</em> scary, without <em>necessarily</em> being scary. Values in the chart are given as a percentage of " the values of "Flesh-eating bacteria", which is the upper-right-most entry in the Chart.<br />
<br />
{| class="wikitable sortable"<br />
! scope="col"| Name<br />
! scope="col"| Apparent Scariness<br />
! scope="col"| True Scariness<br />
! scope="col"| Description<br />
|-<br />
|{{Nowrap|[http://www.catb.org/~esr/jargon/html/C/Chernobyl-packet.html Chernobyl Packet]}}<br />
|{{Nowrap|{{Hs|k !}}95%}}<br />
|{{Nowrap|{{Hs|a !}}4%}}<br />
|A network packet that induces a broadcast storm or network meltdown.<br />
|-<br />
|{{Nowrap|[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bomb_calorimeter#Bomb_calorimeters Bomb Calorimeter]}}<br />
|{{Nowrap|{{Hs|h !}}67%}}<br />
|{{Nowrap|{{Hs|b !}}28%}}<br />
|A device for measuring heat of combustion of a reaction in a pressure vessel.<br />
|-<br />
|{{Nowrap|[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mustard_Gas Mustard Gas]}}<br />
|{{Nowrap|{{Hs|f !}}47%}}<br />
|{{Nowrap|{{Hs|c !}}50%}}<br />
|A chemical warfare agent which causes blisters and severe irritation on skin and lung tissue.<br />
|-<br />
|{{Nowrap|[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kessler_Syndrome Kessler Syndrome]}}<br />
|{{Nowrap|{{Hs|k !}}87%}}<br />
|{{Nowrap|{{Hs|d !}}53%}}<br />
|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.<br />
|-<br />
|{{Nowrap|[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Soil_Liquefaction Soil Liquefaction]}}<br />
|{{Nowrap|{{Hs|c !}}16%}}<br />
|{{Nowrap|{{Hs|e !}}54%}}<br />
|A phenomena where wet soil loses its strength, leading to potholes, road and terrain damage, and even building collapses, especially after earthquakes.<br />
|-<br />
|{{Nowrap|[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grey_Goo Grey Goo]}}<br />
|{{Nowrap|{{Hs|b !}}5%}}<br />
|{{Nowrap|{{Hs|f !}}68%}}<br />
|A hypothetical end-of-world scenario where self-replicating nanobots consume all matter.<br />
|-<br />
|{{Nowrap|[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Avian_influenza_virus Bird Flu]}}<br />
|{{Nowrap|{{Hs|h !}}57%}}<br />
|{{Nowrap|{{Hs|g !}}72%}}<br />
|An illness caused by strains of influenza adapted for transfer between birds and humans.{{Verification needed}} Since birds can travel great distances quickly, this makes it difficult to contain.<br />
|-<br />
|{{Nowrap|[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Demon_core Demon Core]}}<br />
|{{Nowrap|{{Hs|j !}}90%}}<br />
|{{Nowrap|{{Hs|h !}}73%}}<br />
|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 a beryllium neutron reflector apart with a flat head screwdriver which slipped, suddenly causing the contained plutonium core to become supercritical and delivering a fatal dose of radiation. In both instances the scientists performing the experiment died.<br />
|-<br />
|{{Nowrap|[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Criticality_incident Criticality Incident]}}<br />
|{{Nowrap|{{Hs|d!}}22%}}<br />
|{{Nowrap|{{Hs|i !}}74%}}<br />
|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).<br />
|-<br />
|{{Nowrap|[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Super_bug_(bacteria) Superbug]}}<br />
|{{Nowrap|{{Hs|e !}}39%}}<br />
|{{Nowrap|{{Hs|j !}}83%}}<br />
|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.{{Verification needed}}<br />
|-<br />
|{{Nowrap|[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nuclear_Football Nuclear Football]}}<br />
|{{Nowrap|{{Hs|g !}}52%}}<br />
|{{Nowrap|{{Hs|k !}}94%}}<br />
|An aluminium Zero Halliburton briefcase which is used by the President of the United States to authorise nuclear attack. A military aide carrying the football is always near the president.<br />
|-<br />
|{{Nowrap|[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flesh-eating_bacteria Flesh-Eating Bacteria]}}<br />
|{{Nowrap|{{Hs|m !}}100%}}<br />
|{{Nowrap|{{Hs|l !}}100%}}<br />
|As the name suggests, bacteria that eats (or more accurately, releases toxins that destroy) your skin and muscle.<br />
|-<br />
|Helvetica Scenario<br>(Title Text)<br />
|{{Nowrap|{{Hs|a !}}N/A}}<br />
|{{Hs|m !}}Literally Off-The-Chart<br />
|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.<br />
|}<br />
<br />
==Transcript==<br />
(no transcript)<br />
<br />
{{comic discussion}}</div>RouterIncidenthttps://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=Talk:1242:_Scary_Names&diff=44867Talk:1242: Scary Names2013-07-24T14:53:31Z<p>RouterIncident: </p>
<hr />
<div>What is "A Zero Halliburton briefcase"?[[Special:Contributions/212.232.24.57|212.232.24.57]] 13:24, 24 July 2013 (UTC)<br />
<br />
:Zero Halliburton is a luggage brand name, with a line of aluminum attache cases. Not connected to the big company Halliburton, associated with former US Vice President Cheney and the war in Iraq. [[User:Wrybred|Wrybred]] ([[User talk:Wrybred|talk]]) 13:57, 24 July 2013 (UTC)wrybred<br />
<br />
::The history of Zero Halliburton luggage does intersect with the founder of Halliburton Company, Erle P. Halliburton. He needed rugged cases, so he started a company to produce them. He sold it to Zero Corporation. [http://www.zerohalliburton.com/about-our-company.html]. ''&mdash; [[User:Tbc|tbc]] ([[User talk:Tbc|talk]]) 14:26, 24 July 2013 (UTC)''<br />
<br />
Isn't the nuclear football carried by a military aide, not a Secret Service agent? [[Special:Contributions/167.165.238.254|167.165.238.254]] 14:18, 24 July 2013 (UTC)<br />
<br />
:Probably. I don't really know what I'm talking about. If you think you can improve on what I wrote, go for it! [[User:RouterIncident|RouterIncident]] ([[User talk:RouterIncident|talk]]) 14:24, 24 July 2013 (UTC)<br />
<br />
::Yes. "Cheney noted that the president is accompanied at all times by a military aide carrying a 'football' that contains launch codes for nuclear weapons. [http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/12/21/AR2008122100869.html] ''&mdash; [[User:Tbc|tbc]] ([[User talk:Tbc|talk]]) 14:26, 24 July 2013 (UTC)''<br />
<br />
I think the "Helvetica Scenario" explanation is wrong, but I don't know enough about it to feel comfortable editing. Here's an article I found that makes more sense. http://enigmauniversity.wikia.com/wiki/Helvetica_Scenario (I didn't watch the Youtube clip since I'm at work, so maybe that's what the clip refers to. It should be explained in the article instead.) [[User:Trek7553|Trek7553]] ([[User talk:Trek7553|talk]]) 14:45, 24 July 2013 (UTC)<br />
<br />
:To the best of my knowledge, the page you linked to is a work of fiction on a role-playing wiki. The references to calcium imply that it is based off of the Look Around You segment, but with its own added elements for the sake of role-playing. [[User:RouterIncident|RouterIncident]] ([[User talk:RouterIncident|talk]]) 14:53, 24 July 2013 (UTC)</div>RouterIncidenthttps://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=1242:_Scary_Names&diff=448631242: Scary Names2013-07-24T14:40:57Z<p>RouterIncident: Added the word "aluminium" to hopefully alleviate some confusion.</p>
<hr />
<div>{{comic<br />
| number = 1242<br />
| date = July 24, 2013<br />
| title = Scary Names<br />
| image = scary_names.png<br />
| titletext = Far off to the right of the chart is the Helvetica Scenario.<br />
}}<br />
<br />
==Explanation==<br />
The chart shows that things toward the right are scary, while things toward the top simply <em>sound</em> scary, without <em>necessarily</em> being scary.<br />
<br />
{| class="wikitable sortable"<br />
! scope="col"| Name<br />
! scope="col"| Apparent Scariness<br />
! scope="col"| True Scariness<br />
! scope="col"| Description<br />
|-<br />
|{{Nowrap|[http://www.catb.org/~esr/jargon/html/C/Chernobyl-packet.html Chernobyl Packet]}}<br />
|{{Nowrap|{{Hs|95 !}}95%}}<br />
|{{Nowrap|{{Hs|4 !}}4%}}<br />
|A network packet that induces a broadcast storm or network meltdown.<br />
|-<br />
|{{Nowrap|[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bomb_calorimeter#Bomb_calorimeters Bomb Calorimeter]}}<br />
|{{Nowrap|{{Hs|67 !}}67%}}<br />
|{{Nowrap|{{Hs|28 !}}28%}}<br />
|A device for measuring heat of combustion of a reaction in a pressure vessel.<br />
|-<br />
|{{Nowrap|[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mustard_Gas Mustard Gas]}}<br />
|{{Nowrap|{{Hs|47 !}}47%}}<br />
|{{Nowrap|{{Hs|50 !}}50%}}<br />
|A chemical warfare agent which causes blisters and severe irritation on skin and lung tissue.<br />
|-<br />
|{{Nowrap|[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kessler_Syndrome Kessler Syndrome]}}<br />
|{{Nowrap|{{Hs|87 !}}87%}}<br />
|{{Nowrap|{{Hs|53 !}}53%}}<br />
|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.<br />
|-<br />
|{{Nowrap|[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Soil_Liquefaction Soil Liquefaction]}}<br />
|{{Nowrap|{{Hs|16 !}}16%}}<br />
|{{Nowrap|{{Hs|54 !}}54%}}<br />
|A phenomena where wet soil loses its strength, leading to potholes, road and terrain damage, and even building collapses, especially after earthquakes.<br />
|-<br />
|{{Nowrap|[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grey_Goo Grey Goo]}}<br />
|{{Nowrap|{{Hs|5 !}}5%}}<br />
|{{Nowrap|{{Hs|68 !}}68%}}<br />
|A hypothetical end-of-world scenario where self-replicating nanobots consume all matter.<br />
|-<br />
|{{Nowrap|[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Avian_influenza_virus Bird Flu]}}<br />
|{{Nowrap|{{Hs|57 !}}57%}}<br />
|{{Nowrap|{{Hs|72 !}}72%}}<br />
|An illness caused by strains of influenza adapted for transfer between birds and humans.{{Verification needed}} Since birds can travel great distances quickly, this makes it difficult to contain.<br />
|-<br />
|{{Nowrap|[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Demon_core Demon Core]}}<br />
|{{Nowrap|{{Hs|90 !}}90%}}<br />
|{{Nowrap|{{Hs|73 !}}73%}}<br />
|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 a beryllium neutron reflector apart with a flat head screwdriver which slipped, suddenly causing the contained plutonium core to become supercritical and delivering a fatal dose of radiation. In both instances the scientists performing the experiment died.<br />
|-<br />
|{{Nowrap|[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Criticality_incident Criticality Incident]}}<br />
|{{Nowrap|{{Hs|22 !}}22%}}<br />
|{{Nowrap|{{Hs|74 !}}74%}}<br />
|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).<br />
|-<br />
|{{Nowrap|[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Super_bug_(bacteria) Superbug]}}<br />
|{{Nowrap|{{Hs|39 !}}39%}}<br />
|{{Nowrap|{{Hs|83 !}}83%}}<br />
|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.{{Verification needed}}<br />
|-<br />
|{{Nowrap|[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nuclear_Football Nuclear Football]}}<br />
|{{Nowrap|{{Hs|52 !}}52%}}<br />
|{{Nowrap|{{Hs|94 !}}94%}}<br />
|An aluminium Zero Halliburton briefcase which is used by the President of the United States to authorise nuclear attack. A military aide carrying the football is always near the president.<br />
|-<br />
|{{Nowrap|[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flesh-eating_bacteria Flesh-Eating Bacteria]}}<br />
|{{Nowrap|{{Hs|100 !}}100%}}<br />
|{{Nowrap|{{Hs|100 !}}100%}}<br />
|As the name suggests, bacteria that eats your skin.<br />
|-<br />
|Helvetica Scenario<br>(Title Text)<br />
|{{Nowrap|{{Hs|0 !}}N/A}}<br />
|{{Hs|101 !}}Literally Off-The-Chart<br />
|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.<br />
|}<br />
<br />
==Transcript==<br />
(no transcript)<br />
<br />
{{comic discussion}}</div>RouterIncidenthttps://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=Talk:1242:_Scary_Names&diff=44862Talk:1242: Scary Names2013-07-24T14:39:02Z<p>RouterIncident: Very well; I'm not familiar with talk page protocols over here.</p>
<hr />
<div>What is "A Zero Halliburton briefcase"?[[Special:Contributions/212.232.24.57|212.232.24.57]] 13:24, 24 July 2013 (UTC)<br />
<br />
:Zero Halliburton is a luggage brand name, with a line of aluminum attache cases. Not connected to the big company Halliburton, associated with former US Vice President Cheney and the war in Iraq. [[User:Wrybred|Wrybred]] ([[User talk:Wrybred|talk]]) 13:57, 24 July 2013 (UTC)wrybred<br />
<br />
::The history of Zero Halliburton luggage does intersect with the founder of Halliburton Company, Erle P. Halliburton. He needed rugged cases, so he started a company to produce them. He sold it to Zero Corporation. [http://www.zerohalliburton.com/about-our-company.html]. ''&mdash; [[User:Tbc|tbc]] ([[User talk:Tbc|talk]]) 14:26, 24 July 2013 (UTC)''<br />
<br />
Isn't the nuclear football carried by a military aide, not a Secret Service agent? [[Special:Contributions/167.165.238.254|167.165.238.254]] 14:18, 24 July 2013 (UTC)<br />
<br />
:Probably. I don't really know what I'm talking about. If you think you can improve on what I wrote, go for it! [[User:RouterIncident|RouterIncident]] ([[User talk:RouterIncident|talk]]) 14:24, 24 July 2013 (UTC)<br />
<br />
::Yes. "Cheney noted that the president is accompanied at all times by a military aide carrying a 'football' that contains launch codes for nuclear weapons. [http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/12/21/AR2008122100869.html] ''&mdash; [[User:Tbc|tbc]] ([[User talk:Tbc|talk]]) 14:26, 24 July 2013 (UTC)''</div>RouterIncidenthttps://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=1242:_Scary_Names&diff=448591242: Scary Names2013-07-24T14:38:02Z<p>RouterIncident: Added some hidden sort keys to make sorting actually work.</p>
<hr />
<div>{{comic<br />
| number = 1242<br />
| date = July 24, 2013<br />
| title = Scary Names<br />
| image = scary_names.png<br />
| titletext = Far off to the right of the chart is the Helvetica Scenario.<br />
}}<br />
<br />
==Explanation==<br />
The chart shows that things toward the right are scary, while things toward the top simply <em>sound</em> scary, without <em>necessarily</em> being scary.<br />
<br />
{| class="wikitable sortable"<br />
! scope="col"| Name<br />
! scope="col"| Apparent Scariness<br />
! scope="col"| True Scariness<br />
! scope="col"| Description<br />
|-<br />
|{{Nowrap|[http://www.catb.org/~esr/jargon/html/C/Chernobyl-packet.html Chernobyl Packet]}}<br />
|{{Nowrap|{{Hs|95 !}}95%}}<br />
|{{Nowrap|{{Hs|4 !}}4%}}<br />
|A network packet that induces a broadcast storm or network meltdown.<br />
|-<br />
|{{Nowrap|[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bomb_calorimeter#Bomb_calorimeters Bomb Calorimeter]}}<br />
|{{Nowrap|{{Hs|67 !}}67%}}<br />
|{{Nowrap|{{Hs|28 !}}28%}}<br />
|A device for measuring heat of combustion of a reaction in a pressure vessel.<br />
|-<br />
|{{Nowrap|[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mustard_Gas Mustard Gas]}}<br />
|{{Nowrap|{{Hs|47 !}}47%}}<br />
|{{Nowrap|{{Hs|50 !}}50%}}<br />
|A chemical warfare agent which causes blisters and severe irritation on skin and lung tissue.<br />
|-<br />
|{{Nowrap|[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kessler_Syndrome Kessler Syndrome]}}<br />
|{{Nowrap|{{Hs|87 !}}87%}}<br />
|{{Nowrap|{{Hs|53 !}}53%}}<br />
|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.<br />
|-<br />
|{{Nowrap|[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Soil_Liquefaction Soil Liquefaction]}}<br />
|{{Nowrap|{{Hs|16 !}}16%}}<br />
|{{Nowrap|{{Hs|54 !}}54%}}<br />
|A phenomena where wet soil loses its strength, leading to potholes, road and terrain damage, and even building collapses, especially after earthquakes.<br />
|-<br />
|{{Nowrap|[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grey_Goo Grey Goo]}}<br />
|{{Nowrap|{{Hs|5 !}}5%}}<br />
|{{Nowrap|{{Hs|68 !}}68%}}<br />
|A hypothetical end-of-world scenario where self-replicating nanobots consume all matter.<br />
|-<br />
|{{Nowrap|[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Avian_influenza_virus Bird Flu]}}<br />
|{{Nowrap|{{Hs|57 !}}57%}}<br />
|{{Nowrap|{{Hs|72 !}}72%}}<br />
|An illness caused by strains of influenza adapted for transfer between birds and humans.{{Verification needed}} Since birds can travel great distances quickly, this makes it difficult to contain.<br />
|-<br />
|{{Nowrap|[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Demon_core Demon Core]}}<br />
|{{Nowrap|{{Hs|90 !}}90%}}<br />
|{{Nowrap|{{Hs|73 !}}73%}}<br />
|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 a beryllium neutron reflector apart with a flat head screwdriver which slipped, suddenly causing the contained plutonium core to become supercritical and delivering a fatal dose of radiation. In both instances the scientists performing the experiment died.<br />
|-<br />
|{{Nowrap|[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Criticality_incident Criticality Incident]}}<br />
|{{Nowrap|{{Hs|22 !}}22%}}<br />
|{{Nowrap|{{Hs|74 !}}74%}}<br />
|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).<br />
|-<br />
|{{Nowrap|[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Super_bug_(bacteria) Superbug]}}<br />
|{{Nowrap|{{Hs|39 !}}39%}}<br />
|{{Nowrap|{{Hs|83 !}}83%}}<br />
|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.{{Verification needed}}<br />
|-<br />
|{{Nowrap|[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nuclear_Football Nuclear Football]}}<br />
|{{Nowrap|{{Hs|52 !}}52%}}<br />
|{{Nowrap|{{Hs|94 !}}94%}}<br />
|A Zero Halliburton briefcase which is used by the President of the United States to authorise nuclear attack. A military aide carrying the football is always near the president.<br />
|-<br />
|{{Nowrap|[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flesh-eating_bacteria Flesh-Eating Bacteria]}}<br />
|{{Nowrap|{{Hs|100 !}}100%}}<br />
|{{Nowrap|{{Hs|100 !}}100%}}<br />
|As the name suggests, bacteria that eats your skin.<br />
|-<br />
|Helvetica Scenario<br>(Title Text)<br />
|{{Nowrap|{{Hs|0 !}}N/A}}<br />
|{{Hs|101 !}}Literally Off-The-Chart<br />
|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.<br />
|}<br />
<br />
==Transcript==<br />
(no transcript)<br />
<br />
{{comic discussion}}</div>RouterIncidenthttps://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=Template:Hidden_sort_key&diff=44857Template:Hidden sort key2013-07-24T14:34:42Z<p>RouterIncident: Created page with "<span style="display:none" class="sortkey">{{{1}}}</span>"</p>
<hr />
<div><span style="display:none" class="sortkey">{{{1}}}</span></div>RouterIncidenthttps://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=Template:Hs&diff=44856Template:Hs2013-07-24T14:34:13Z<p>RouterIncident: Redirected page to Template:Hidden sort key</p>
<hr />
<div>#REDIRECT [[Template:Hidden sort key]]</div>RouterIncidenthttps://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=1242:_Scary_Names&diff=448541242: Scary Names2013-07-24T14:29:20Z<p>RouterIncident: </p>
<hr />
<div>{{comic<br />
| number = 1242<br />
| date = July 24, 2013<br />
| title = Scary Names<br />
| image = scary_names.png<br />
| titletext = Far off to the right of the chart is the Helvetica Scenario.<br />
}}<br />
<br />
==Explanation==<br />
The chart shows that things toward the right are scary, while things toward the top simply <em>sound</em> scary, without <em>necessarily</em> being scary.<br />
<br />
{| class="wikitable sortable"<br />
! scope="col"| Name<br />
! scope="col"| Apparent Scariness<br />
! scope="col"| True Scariness<br />
! scope="col"| Description<br />
|-<br />
|{{Nowrap|[http://www.catb.org/~esr/jargon/html/C/Chernobyl-packet.html Chernobyl Packet]}}<br />
|{{Nowrap|95%}}<br />
|{{Nowrap|4%}}<br />
|A network packet that induces a broadcast storm or network meltdown.<br />
|-<br />
|{{Nowrap|[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bomb_calorimeter#Bomb_calorimeters Bomb Calorimeter]}}<br />
|{{Nowrap|67%}}<br />
|{{Nowrap|28%}}<br />
|A device for measuring heat of combustion of a reaction in a pressure vessel.<br />
|-<br />
|{{Nowrap|[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mustard_Gas Mustard Gas]}}<br />
|{{Nowrap|47%}}<br />
|{{Nowrap|50%}}<br />
|A chemical warfare agent which causes blisters and severe irritation on skin and lung tissue.<br />
|-<br />
|{{Nowrap|[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kessler_Syndrome Kessler Syndrome]}}<br />
|{{Nowrap|87%}}<br />
|{{Nowrap|53%}}<br />
|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.<br />
|-<br />
|{{Nowrap|[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Soil_Liquefaction Soil Liquefaction]}}<br />
|{{Nowrap|16%}}<br />
|{{Nowrap|54%}}<br />
|A phenomena where wet soil loses its strength, leading to potholes, road and terrain damage, and even building collapses, especially after earthquakes.<br />
|-<br />
|{{Nowrap|[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grey_Goo Grey Goo]}}<br />
|{{Nowrap|5%}}<br />
|{{Nowrap|68%}}<br />
|A hypothetical end-of-world scenario where self-replicating nanobots consume all matter.<br />
|-<br />
|{{Nowrap|[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Avian_influenza_virus Bird Flu]}}<br />
|{{Nowrap|57%}}<br />
|{{Nowrap|72%}}<br />
|An illness caused by strains of influenza adapted for transfer between birds and humans.{{Verification needed}} Since birds can travel great distances quickly, this makes it difficult to contain.<br />
|-<br />
|{{Nowrap|[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Demon_core Demon Core]}}<br />
|{{Nowrap|90%}}<br />
|{{Nowrap|73%}}<br />
|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 a beryllium neutron reflector apart with a flat head screwdriver which slipped, suddenly causing the contained plutonium core to become supercritical and delivering a fatal dose of radiation. In both instances the scientists performing the experiment died.<br />
|-<br />
|{{Nowrap|[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Criticality_incident Criticality Incident]}}<br />
|{{Nowrap|22%}}<br />
|{{Nowrap|74%}}<br />
|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).<br />
|-<br />
|{{Nowrap|[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Super_bug_(bacteria) Superbug]}}<br />
|{{Nowrap|39%}}<br />
|{{Nowrap|83%}}<br />
|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.{{Verification needed}}<br />
|-<br />
|{{Nowrap|[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nuclear_Football Nuclear Football]}}<br />
|{{Nowrap|52%}}<br />
|{{Nowrap|94%}}<br />
|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 is travelling.<br />
|-<br />
|{{Nowrap|[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flesh-eating_bacteria Flesh-Eating Bacteria]}}<br />
|{{Nowrap|100%}}<br />
|{{Nowrap|100%}}<br />
|As the name suggests, bacteria that eats your skin.<br />
|-<br />
|Helvetica Scenario<br>(Title Text)<br />
|{{Nowrap|N/A}}<br />
|Literally Off-The-Chart<br />
|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.<br />
|}<br />
<br />
==Transcript==<br />
(no transcript)<br />
<br />
{{comic discussion}}</div>RouterIncidenthttps://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=Talk:1242:_Scary_Names&diff=44853Talk:1242: Scary Names2013-07-24T14:28:12Z<p>RouterIncident: Adding back a bit that was apparently removed; fixing indentation</p>
<hr />
<div>What is "A Zero Halliburton briefcase"?[[Special:Contributions/212.232.24.57|212.232.24.57]] 13:24, 24 July 2013 (UTC)<br />
<br />
:Zero Halliburton is a luggage brand name, with a line of aluminum attache cases. Not connected to the big company Halliburton, associated with former US Vice President Cheney and the war in Iraq. [[User:Wrybred|Wrybred]] ([[User talk:Wrybred|talk]]) 13:57, 24 July 2013 (UTC)wrybred<br />
<br />
::The history of Zero Halliburton luggage does intersect with the founder of Halliburton Company, Erle P. Halliburton. He needed rugged cases, so he started a company to produce them. He sold it to Zero Corporation. [http://www.zerohalliburton.com/about-our-company.html]. ''&mdash; [[User:Tbc|tbc]] ([[User talk:Tbc|talk]]) 14:26, 24 July 2013 (UTC)''<br />
<br />
Isn't the nuclear football carried by a military aide, not a Secret Service agent? [[Special:Contributions/167.165.238.254|167.165.238.254]] 14:18, 24 July 2013 (UTC)<br />
<br />
:Probably. I don't really know what I'm talking about. If you think you can improve on what I wrote, go for it! [[User:RouterIncident|RouterIncident]] ([[User talk:RouterIncident|talk]]) 14:24, 24 July 2013 (UTC)<br />
<br />
::Yes. "Cheney noted that the president is accompanied at all times by a military aide carrying a 'football' that contains launch codes for nuclear weapons. [http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/12/21/AR2008122100869.html] ''&mdash; [[User:Tbc|tbc]] ([[User talk:Tbc|talk]]) 14:26, 24 July 2013 (UTC)''<br />
<br />
Sorry, I did not realize that would overwrite the previous comment but I do not know how to restore it. [[Special:Contributions/74.125.183.194|74.125.183.194]] 14:23, 24 July 2013 (UTC)<br />
<br />
:No worries, mate. I got this. [[User:RouterIncident|RouterIncident]] ([[User talk:RouterIncident|talk]]) 14:24, 24 July 2013 (UTC)</div>RouterIncidenthttps://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=User_talk:RouterIncident&diff=44851User talk:RouterIncident2013-07-24T14:25:49Z<p>RouterIncident: Created page with "{{Verification needed}}"</p>
<hr />
<div>{{Verification needed}}</div>RouterIncidenthttps://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=User:RouterIncident&diff=44850User:RouterIncident2013-07-24T14:25:33Z<p>RouterIncident: Created page with "{{Citation needed}}"</p>
<hr />
<div>{{Citation needed}}</div>RouterIncidenthttps://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=Talk:1242:_Scary_Names&diff=44849Talk:1242: Scary Names2013-07-24T14:24:53Z<p>RouterIncident: </p>
<hr />
<div>What is "A Zero Halliburton briefcase"?[[Special:Contributions/212.232.24.57|212.232.24.57]] 13:24, 24 July 2013 (UTC)<br />
<br />
:Zero Halliburton is a luggage brand name, with a line of aluminum attache cases. Not connected to the big company Halliburton, associated with former US Vice President Cheney and the war in Iraq. [[User:Wrybred|Wrybred]] ([[User talk:Wrybred|talk]]) 13:57, 24 July 2013 (UTC)wrybred<br />
<br />
Isn't the nuclear football carried by a military aide, not a Secret Service agent? [[Special:Contributions/167.165.238.254|167.165.238.254]] 14:18, 24 July 2013 (UTC)<br />
<br />
:Probably. I don't really know what I'm talking about. If you think you can improve on what I wrote, go for it! [[User:RouterIncident|RouterIncident]] ([[User talk:RouterIncident|talk]]) 14:24, 24 July 2013 (UTC)<br />
<br />
Sorry, I did not realize that would overwrite the previous comment but I do not know how to restore it. [[Special:Contributions/74.125.183.194|74.125.183.194]] 14:23, 24 July 2013 (UTC)<br />
<br />
:No worries, mate. I got this.[[User:RouterIncident|RouterIncident]] ([[User talk:RouterIncident|talk]]) 14:24, 24 July 2013 (UTC)</div>RouterIncidenthttps://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=1242:_Scary_Names&diff=448471242: Scary Names2013-07-24T14:20:53Z<p>RouterIncident: Changed "Citation needed" to "Verification Needed"</p>
<hr />
<div>{{comic<br />
| number = 1242<br />
| date = July 24, 2013<br />
| title = Scary Names<br />
| image = scary_names.png<br />
| titletext = Far off to the right of the chart is the Helvetica Scenario.<br />
}}<br />
<br />
==Explanation==<br />
The chart shows that things toward the right are scary, while things toward the top simply <em>sound</em> scary, without <em>necessarily</em> being scary.<br />
<br />
{| class="wikitable sortable"<br />
! scope="col"| Name<br />
! scope="col"| Apparent Scariness<br />
! scope="col"| True Scariness<br />
! scope="col"| Description<br />
|-<br />
|{{Nowrap|[http://www.catb.org/~esr/jargon/html/C/Chernobyl-packet.html Chernobyl Packet]}}<br />
|{{Nowrap|95%}}<br />
|{{Nowrap|4%}}<br />
|A network packet that induces a broadcast storm or network meltdown.<br />
|-<br />
|{{Nowrap|[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bomb_calorimeter#Bomb_calorimeters Bomb Calorimeter]}}<br />
|{{Nowrap|67%}}<br />
|{{Nowrap|28%}}<br />
|A device for measuring heat of combustion of a reaction in a pressure vessel.<br />
|-<br />
|{{Nowrap|[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mustard_Gas Mustard Gas]}}<br />
|{{Nowrap|47%}}<br />
|{{Nowrap|50%}}<br />
|A chemical warfare agent which causes blisters and severe irritation on skin and lung tissue.<br />
|-<br />
|{{Nowrap|[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kessler_Syndrome Kessler Syndrome]}}<br />
|{{Nowrap|87%}}<br />
|{{Nowrap|53%}}<br />
|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.<br />
|-<br />
|{{Nowrap|[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Soil_Liquefaction Soil Liquefaction]}}<br />
|{{Nowrap|16%}}<br />
|{{Nowrap|54%}}<br />
|A phenomena where wet soil loses its strength, leading to potholes, road and terrain damage, and even building collapses, especially after earthquakes.<br />
|-<br />
|{{Nowrap|[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grey_Goo Grey Goo]}}<br />
|{{Nowrap|5%}}<br />
|{{Nowrap|68%}}<br />
|A hypothetical end-of-world scenario where self-replicating nanobots consume all matter.<br />
|-<br />
|{{Nowrap|[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Avian_influenza_virus Bird Flu]}}<br />
|{{Nowrap|57%}}<br />
|{{Nowrap|72%}}<br />
|An illness caused by strains of influenza adapted for transfer between birds and humans.{{Verification needed}} Since birds can travel great distances quickly, this makes it difficult to contain.<br />
|-<br />
|{{Nowrap|[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Demon_core Demon Core]}}<br />
|{{Nowrap|90%}}<br />
|{{Nowrap|73%}}<br />
|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 a beryllium neutron reflector apart with a flat head screwdriver which slipped, suddenly causing the contained plutonium core to become supercritical and delivering a fatal dose of radiation. In both instances the scientists performing the experiment died.<br />
|-<br />
|{{Nowrap|[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Criticality_incident Criticality Incident]}}<br />
|{{Nowrap|22%}}<br />
|{{Nowrap|74%}}<br />
|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).<br />
|-<br />
|{{Nowrap|[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Super_bug_(bacteria) Superbug]}}<br />
|{{Nowrap|39%}}<br />
|{{Nowrap|83%}}<br />
|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.{{Verification needed}}<br />
|-<br />
|{{Nowrap|[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nuclear_Football Nuclear Football]}}<br />
|{{Nowrap|52%}}<br />
|{{Nowrap|94%}}<br />
|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 is travelling.<br />
|-<br />
|{{Nowrap|[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flesh-eating_bacteria Flesh-Eating Bacteria]}}<br />
|{{Nowrap|100%}}<br />
|{{Nowrap|100%}}<br />
|As the name suggests, bacteria that eats your skin.<br />
|-<br />
|Helvetica Scenario<br>(Title Text)<br />
|{{Nowrap|N/A}}<br />
|Literally Off-The-Chart<br />
|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.<br />
|}<br />
<br />
==Transcript==<br />
(no transcript as of 2013-24-07T11:02Z)<br />
<br />
{{comic discussion}}</div>RouterIncidenthttps://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=1242:_Scary_Names&diff=448431242: Scary Names2013-07-24T14:16:55Z<p>RouterIncident: I wrote this, but this needs to be verified by someone who actually knows what they're talking about.</p>
<hr />
<div>{{comic<br />
| number = 1242<br />
| date = July 24, 2013<br />
| title = Scary Names<br />
| image = scary_names.png<br />
| titletext = Far off to the right of the chart is the Helvetica Scenario.<br />
}}<br />
<br />
==Explanation==<br />
The chart shows that things toward the right are scary, while things toward the top simply <em>sound</em> scary, without <em>necessarily</em> being scary.<br />
<br />
{| class="wikitable sortable"<br />
! scope="col"| Name<br />
! scope="col"| Apparent Scariness<br />
! scope="col"| True Scariness<br />
! scope="col"| Description<br />
|-<br />
|{{Nowrap|[http://www.catb.org/~esr/jargon/html/C/Chernobyl-packet.html Chernobyl Packet]}}<br />
|{{Nowrap|95%}}<br />
|{{Nowrap|4%}}<br />
|A network packet that induces a broadcast storm or network meltdown.<br />
|-<br />
|{{Nowrap|[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bomb_calorimeter#Bomb_calorimeters Bomb Calorimeter]}}<br />
|{{Nowrap|67%}}<br />
|{{Nowrap|28%}}<br />
|A device for measuring heat of combustion of a reaction in a pressure vessel.<br />
|-<br />
|{{Nowrap|[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mustard_Gas Mustard Gas]}}<br />
|{{Nowrap|47%}}<br />
|{{Nowrap|50%}}<br />
|A chemical warfare agent which causes blisters and severe irritation on skin and lung tissue.<br />
|-<br />
|{{Nowrap|[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kessler_Syndrome Kessler Syndrome]}}<br />
|{{Nowrap|87%}}<br />
|{{Nowrap|53%}}<br />
|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.<br />
|-<br />
|{{Nowrap|[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Soil_Liquefaction Soil Liquefaction]}}<br />
|{{Nowrap|16%}}<br />
|{{Nowrap|54%}}<br />
|A phenomena where wet soil loses its strength, leading to potholes, road and terrain damage, and even building collapses, especially after earthquakes.<br />
|-<br />
|{{Nowrap|[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grey_Goo Grey Goo]}}<br />
|{{Nowrap|5%}}<br />
|{{Nowrap|68%}}<br />
|A hypothetical end-of-world scenario where self-replicating nanobots consume all matter.<br />
|-<br />
|{{Nowrap|[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Avian_influenza_virus Bird Flu]}}<br />
|{{Nowrap|57%}}<br />
|{{Nowrap|72%}}<br />
|An illness caused by strains of influenza adapted for transfer between birds and humans.{{Citation needed}} Since birds can travel great distances quickly, this makes it difficult to contain.<br />
|-<br />
|{{Nowrap|[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Demon_core Demon Core]}}<br />
|{{Nowrap|90%}}<br />
|{{Nowrap|73%}}<br />
|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 a beryllium neutron reflector apart with a flat head screwdriver which slipped, suddenly causing the contained plutonium core to become supercritical and delivering a fatal dose of radiation. In both instances the scientists performing the experiment died.<br />
|-<br />
|{{Nowrap|[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Criticality_incident Criticality Incident]}}<br />
|{{Nowrap|22%}}<br />
|{{Nowrap|74%}}<br />
|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).<br />
|-<br />
|{{Nowrap|[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Super_bug_(bacteria) Superbug]}}<br />
|{{Nowrap|39%}}<br />
|{{Nowrap|83%}}<br />
|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}}<br />
|-<br />
|{{Nowrap|[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nuclear_Football Nuclear Football]}}<br />
|{{Nowrap|52%}}<br />
|{{Nowrap|94%}}<br />
|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 is travelling.<br />
|-<br />
|{{Nowrap|[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flesh-eating_bacteria Flesh-Eating Bacteria]}}<br />
|{{Nowrap|100%}}<br />
|{{Nowrap|100%}}<br />
|As the name suggests, bacteria that eats your skin.<br />
|-<br />
|Helvetica Scenario<br>(Title Text)<br />
|{{Nowrap|N/A}}<br />
|Literally Off-The-Chart<br />
|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.<br />
|}<br />
<br />
==Transcript==<br />
(no transcript as of 2013-24-07T11:02Z)<br />
<br />
{{comic discussion}}</div>RouterIncidenthttps://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=1242:_Scary_Names&diff=448331242: Scary Names2013-07-24T12:44:46Z<p>RouterIncident: </p>
<hr />
<div>{{comic<br />
| number = 1242<br />
| date = July 24, 2013<br />
| title = Scary Names<br />
| image = scary_names.png<br />
| titletext = Far off to the right of the chart is the Helvetica Scenario.<br />
}}<br />
<br />
==Explanation==<br />
The chart shows that things toward the right are scary, while things toward the top simply <em>sound</em> scary, without <em>necessarily</em> being scary.<br />
<br />
{| class="wikitable"<br />
! scope="col"| Name<br />
! scope="col"| Apparent Scariness<br />
! scope="col"| True Scariness<br />
! scope="col"| Description<br />
|-<br />
|{{Nowrap|Chernobyl Packet}}<br />
|{{Nowrap|95%}}<br />
|{{Nowrap|4%}}<br />
|A network packet that induces a broadcast storm or network meltdown.<br />
|-<br />
|{{Nowrap|Bomb Calorimeter}}<br />
|{{Nowrap|67%}}<br />
|{{Nowrap|28%}}<br />
|A device for measuring heat of combustion of a reaction in a pressure vessel.<br />
|-<br />
|{{Nowrap|Mustard Gas}}<br />
|{{Nowrap|47%}}<br />
|{{Nowrap|50%}}<br />
|A chemical warfare agent which causes blisters and severe irritation on skin and lung tissue.<br />
|-<br />
|{{Nowrap|Kessler Syndrome}}<br />
|{{Nowrap|87%}}<br />
|{{Nowrap|53%}}<br />
|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.<br />
|-<br />
|{{Nowrap|Soil Liquefaction}}<br />
|{{Nowrap|16%}}<br />
|{{Nowrap|54%}}<br />
|A phenomena where wet soil looses its strength, leading to potholes, road and terrain damage, and even building collapses, especially after earthquakes.<br />
|-<br />
|{{Nowrap|Grey Goo}}<br />
|{{Nowrap|5%}}<br />
|{{Nowrap|68%}}<br />
|A hypothetical end-of-world scenario where self-replicating nanobots consume all matter.<br />
|-<br />
|{{Nowrap|Bird Flu}}<br />
|{{Nowrap|57%}}<br />
|{{Nowrap|72%}}<br />
|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.<br />
|-<br />
|{{Nowrap|Demon Core}}<br />
|{{Nowrap|90%}}<br />
|{{Nowrap|73%}}<br />
|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.<br />
|-<br />
|{{Nowrap|Criticality Incident}}<br />
|{{Nowrap|22%}}<br />
|{{Nowrap|74%}}<br />
|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).<br />
|-<br />
|{{Nowrap|Superbug}}<br />
|{{Nowrap|39%}}<br />
|{{Nowrap|83%}}<br />
|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}}<br />
|-<br />
|{{Nowrap|Nuclear Football}}<br />
|{{Nowrap|52%}}<br />
|{{Nowrap|94%}}<br />
|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.<br />
|-<br />
|{{Nowrap|Flesh-Eating Bacteria}}<br />
|{{Nowrap|100%}}<br />
|{{Nowrap|100%}}<br />
|As the name suggests, bacteria that eats your skin.<br />
|-<br />
|Helvetica Scenario<br>(Title Text)<br />
|{{Nowrap|N/A}}<br />
|Literally Off-The-Chart<br />
|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.<br />
|}<br />
<br />
==Transcript==<br />
(no transcript as of 2013-24-07T11:02Z)<br />
<br />
{{comic discussion}}</div>RouterIncidenthttps://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=1242:_Scary_Names&diff=448301242: Scary Names2013-07-24T12:18:22Z<p>RouterIncident: See xkcd 1179</p>
<hr />
<div>{{comic<br />
| number = 1242<br />
| date = 2013-07-24<br />
| title = Scary Names<br />
| image = scary_names.png<br />
| titletext = Far off to the right of the chart is the Helvetica Scenario.<br />
}}<br />
<br />
==Explanation==<br />
The chart shows that things toward the right are scary, while things toward the top simply <em>sound</em> scary, without <em>necessarily</em> being scary.<br />
<br />
{| class="wikitable"<br />
! scope="col"| Name<br />
! scope="col"| Scariness of Name<br />
! scope="col"| Scariness of Thing Name Refers to<br />
! scope="col"| Description<br />
|-<br />
|{{Nowrap|Chernobyl Packet}}<br />
|{{Nowrap|Sounds Very Scary}}<br />
|{{Nowrap|Isn't Scary}}<br />
|A network packet that induces a broadcast storm or network meltdown.<br />
|-<br />
|{{Nowrap|Bomb Calorimeter}}<br />
|{{Nowrap|Sounds Fairly Scary}}<br />
|{{Nowrap|Isn't Very Scary}}<br />
|A device for measuring heat of combustion of a reaction in a pressure vessel.<br />
|-<br />
|{{Nowrap|Kessler Syndrome}}<br />
|{{Nowrap|Sounds Scary}}<br />
|{{Nowrap|Is Somewhat Scary}}<br />
|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.<br />
|-<br />
|{{Nowrap|Mustard Gas}}<br />
|{{Nowrap|Sounds Fairly Scary}}<br />
|{{Nowrap|Is Fairly Scary}}<br />
|A chemical warfare agent which causes blisters and severe irritation on skin and lung tissue.<br />
|-<br />
|{{Nowrap|Soil Liquefaction}}<br />
|{{Nowrap|Doesn't Sound Scary}}<br />
|{{Nowrap|Is Fairly Scary}}<br />
|A phenomena where wet soil looses its strength, leading to potholes, road and terrain damage, and even building collapses.<br />
|-<br />
|{{Nowrap|Grey Goo}}<br />
|{{Nowrap|Doesn't Sound Scary}}<br />
|{{Nowrap|Is Fairly Scary}}<br />
|A hypothetical end-of-world scenario where self-replicating nanobots consume all matter.<br />
|-<br />
|{{Nowrap|Bird Flu}}<br />
|{{Nowrap|Sounds Fairly Scary}}<br />
|{{Nowrap|Is Fairly Scary}}<br />
|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.<br />
|-<br />
|{{Nowrap|Demon Core}}<br />
|{{Nowrap|Sounds Very Scary}}<br />
|{{Nowrap|Is Fairly Scary}}<br />
|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.<br />
|-<br />
|{{Nowrap|Criticality Incident}}<br />
|{{Nowrap|Doesn't Sound Very Scary}}<br />
|{{Nowrap|Is Fairly Scary}}<br />
|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).<br />
|-<br />
|{{Nowrap|Superbug}}<br />
|{{Nowrap|Sounds Fairly Scary}}<br />
|{{Nowrap|Is Scary}}<br />
|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}}<br />
|-<br />
|{{Nowrap|Nuclear Football}}<br />
|{{Nowrap|Sounds Fairly Scary}}<br />
|{{Nowrap|Is Very Scary}}<br />
|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.<br />
|-<br />
|{{Nowrap|Flesh-Eating Bacteria}}<br />
|{{Nowrap|Sounds Very Scary}}<br />
|{{Nowrap|Is Very Scary}}<br />
|As the name suggests, bacteria that eats your skin.<br />
|-<br />
|{{Nowrap|Helvetica Scenario (Title Text)}}<br />
|{{Nowrap|(Not Implied)}}<br />
|{{Nowrap|Literally Off-The-Chart Scary}}<br />
|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.<br />
|}<br />
<br />
==Transcript==<br />
(no transcript as of 2013-24-07T11:02Z)<br />
<br />
{{comic discussion}}</div>RouterIncidenthttps://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=1242:_Scary_Names&diff=448281242: Scary Names2013-07-24T12:01:15Z<p>RouterIncident: </p>
<hr />
<div>{{comic<br />
| number = 1242<br />
| date = July 24, 2013<br />
| title = Scary Names<br />
| image = scary_names.png<br />
| titletext = Far off to the right of the chart is the Helvetica Scenario.<br />
}}<br />
<br />
==Explanation==<br />
The chart shows that things toward the right are scary, while things toward the top simply <em>sound</em> scary, without <em>necessarily</em> being scary.<br />
<br />
{| class="wikitable"<br />
! scope="col"| Name<br />
! scope="col"| Scariness of Name<br />
! scope="col"| Scariness of Thing Name Refers to<br />
! scope="col"| Description<br />
|-<br />
|{{Nowrap|Chernobyl Packet}}<br />
|{{Nowrap|Sounds Very Scary}}<br />
|{{Nowrap|Isn't Scary}}<br />
|A network packet that induces a broadcast storm or network meltdown.<br />
|-<br />
|{{Nowrap|Bomb Calorimeter}}<br />
|{{Nowrap|Sounds Fairly Scary}}<br />
|{{Nowrap|Isn't Very Scary}}<br />
|A device for measuring heat of combustion of a reaction in a pressure vessel.<br />
|-<br />
|{{Nowrap|Kessler Syndrome}}<br />
|{{Nowrap|Sounds Scary}}<br />
|{{Nowrap|Is Somewhat Scary}}<br />
|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.<br />
|-<br />
|{{Nowrap|Mustard Gas}}<br />
|{{Nowrap|Sounds Fairly Scary}}<br />
|{{Nowrap|Is Fairly Scary}}<br />
|A chemical warfare agent which causes blisters and severe irritation on skin and lung tissue.<br />
|-<br />
|{{Nowrap|Soil Liquefaction}}<br />
|{{Nowrap|Doesn't Sound Scary}}<br />
|{{Nowrap|Is Fairly Scary}}<br />
|A phenomena where wet soil looses its strength, leading to potholes, road and terrain damage, and even building collapses.<br />
|-<br />
|{{Nowrap|Grey Goo}}<br />
|{{Nowrap|Doesn't Sound Scary}}<br />
|{{Nowrap|Is Fairly Scary}}<br />
|A hypothetical end-of-world scenario where self-replicating nanobots consume all matter.<br />
|-<br />
|{{Nowrap|Bird Flu}}<br />
|{{Nowrap|Sounds Fairly Scary}}<br />
|{{Nowrap|Is Fairly Scary}}<br />
|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.<br />
|-<br />
|{{Nowrap|Demon Core}}<br />
|{{Nowrap|Sounds Very Scary}}<br />
|{{Nowrap|Is Fairly Scary}}<br />
|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.<br />
|-<br />
|{{Nowrap|Criticality Incident}}<br />
|{{Nowrap|Doesn't Sound Very Scary}}<br />
|{{Nowrap|Is Fairly Scary}}<br />
|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).<br />
|-<br />
|{{Nowrap|Superbug}}<br />
|{{Nowrap|Sounds Fairly Scary}}<br />
|{{Nowrap|Is Scary}}<br />
|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}}<br />
|-<br />
|{{Nowrap|Nuclear Football}}<br />
|{{Nowrap|Sounds Fairly Scary}}<br />
|{{Nowrap|Is Very Scary}}<br />
|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.<br />
|-<br />
|{{Nowrap|Flesh-Eating Bacteria}}<br />
|{{Nowrap|Sounds Very Scary}}<br />
|{{Nowrap|Is Very Scary}}<br />
|As the name suggests, bacteria that eats your skin.<br />
|-<br />
|{{Nowrap|Helvetica Scenario (Title Text)}}<br />
|{{Nowrap|(Not Implied)}}<br />
|{{Nowrap|Literally Off-The-Chart Scary}}<br />
|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.<br />
|}<br />
<br />
==Transcript==<br />
(no transcript as of 2013-24-07T11:02Z)<br />
<br />
{{comic discussion}}</div>RouterIncidenthttps://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=Template:nowrap&diff=44827Template:nowrap2013-07-24T11:58:33Z<p>RouterIncident: </p>
<hr />
<div><span style="white-space:nowrap;">{{{1}}}</span></div>RouterIncidenthttps://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=Template:nowrap&diff=44826Template:nowrap2013-07-24T11:57:41Z<p>RouterIncident: Created page with "<span class="nowrap">{{{1}}}</span>"</p>
<hr />
<div><span class="nowrap">{{{1}}}</span></div>RouterIncidenthttps://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=1242:_Scary_Names&diff=448251242: Scary Names2013-07-24T11:54:20Z<p>RouterIncident: </p>
<hr />
<div>{{comic<br />
| number = 1242<br />
| date = July 24, 2013<br />
| title = Scary Names<br />
| image = scary_names.png<br />
| titletext = Far off to the right of the chart is the Helvetica Scenario.<br />
}}<br />
<br />
==Explanation==<br />
The chart shows that things toward the right are scary, while things toward the top simply <em>sound</em> scary, without <em>necessarily</em> being scary.<br />
<br />
{| class="wikitable"<br />
! scope="col"| Name<br />
! scope="col"| Scariness of Name<br />
! scope="col"| Scariness of Thing Name Refers to<br />
! scope="col"| Description<br />
|-<br />
|Chernobyl Packet<br />
|Sounds Very Scary<br />
|Isn't Scary<br />
|A network packet that induces a broadcast storm or network meltdown.<br />
|-<br />
|Bomb Calorimeter<br />
|Sounds Fairly Scary<br />
|Isn't Very Scary<br />
|A device for measuring heat of combustion of a reaction in a pressure vessel.<br />
|-<br />
|Kessler Syndrome<br />
|Sounds Scary<br />
|Is Somewhat Scary<br />
|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.<br />
|-<br />
|Mustard Gas<br />
|Sounds Fairly Scary<br />
|Is Fairly Scary<br />
|A chemical warfare agent which causes blisters and severe irritation on skin and lung tissue.<br />
|-<br />
|Soil Liquefaction<br />
|Doesn't Sound Scary<br />
|Is Fairly Scary<br />
|A phenomena where wet soil looses its strength, leading to potholes, road and terrain damage, and even building collapses.<br />
|-<br />
|Grey Goo<br />
|Doesn't Sound Scary<br />
|Is Fairly Scary<br />
|A hypothetical end-of-world scenario where self-replicating nanobots consume all matter.<br />
|-<br />
|Bird Flu<br />
|Sounds Fairly Scary<br />
|Is Fairly Scary<br />
|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.<br />
|-<br />
|Demon Core<br />
|Sounds Very Scary<br />
|Is Fairly Scary<br />
|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.<br />
|-<br />
|Criticality Incident<br />
|Doesn't Sound Very Scary<br />
|Is Fairly Scary<br />
|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).<br />
|-<br />
|Superbug<br />
|Sounds Fairly Scary<br />
|Is Scary<br />
|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}}<br />
|-<br />
|Nuclear Football<br />
|Sounds Fairly Scary<br />
|Is Very Scary<br />
|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.<br />
|-<br />
|Flesh-Eating Bacteria<br />
|Sounds Very Scary<br />
|Is Very Scary<br />
|As the name suggests, bacteria that eats your skin.<br />
|-<br />
|Helvetica Scenario (Title Text)<br />
|(Not Implied)<br />
|Literally Off-The-Chart Scary<br />
|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.<br />
|}<br />
<br />
==Transcript==<br />
(no transcript as of 2013-24-07T11:02Z)<br />
<br />
{{comic discussion}}</div>RouterIncidenthttps://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=1242:_Scary_Names&diff=448241242: Scary Names2013-07-24T11:53:44Z<p>RouterIncident: </p>
<hr />
<div>{{comic<br />
| number = 1242<br />
| date = July 24, 2013<br />
| title = Scary Names<br />
| image = scary_names.png<br />
| titletext = Far off to the right of the chart is the Helvetica Scenario.<br />
}}<br />
<br />
==Explanation==<br />
The chart shows that things toward the right are scary, while things toward the top simply <em>sound</em> scary, without <em>necessarily</em> being scary.<br />
<br />
{| class="wikitable"<br />
! scope="col"| Name<br />
! scope="col"| Scariness of Name<br />
! scope="col"| Scariness of Thing Name Refers to<br />
! scope="col"| Description<br />
|-<br />
|Chernobyl Packet<br />
|Sounds Very Scary<br />
|Isn't Scary<br />
|A network packet that induces a broadcast storm or network meltdown.<br />
|-<br />
|Bomb Calorimeter<br />
|Sounds Fairly Scary<br />
|Isn't Very Scary<br />
|A device for measuring heat of combustion of a reaction in a pressure vessel.<br />
|-<br />
|Kessler Syndrome<br />
|Sounds Scary<br />
|Is Somewhat Scary<br />
|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.<br />
|-<br />
|Mustard Gas<br />
|Sounds Fairly Scary<br />
|Is Fairly Scary<br />
|A chemical warfare agent which causes blisters and severe irritation on skin and lung tissue.<br />
|-<br />
|Soil Liquefaction<br />
|Doesn't Sound Scary<br />
|Is Fairly Scary<br />
|A phenomena where wet soil looses its strength, leading to potholes, road and terrain damage, and even building collapses.<br />
|-<br />
|Grey Goo<br />
|Doesn't Sound Scary<br />
|Is Fairly Scary<br />
|A hypothetical end-of-world scenario where self-replicating nanobots consume all matter.<br />
|-<br />
|Bird Flu<br />
|Sounds Fairly Scary<br />
|Is Fairly Scary<br />
|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.<br />
|-<br />
|Demon Core<br />
|Sounds Very Scary<br />
|Is Fairly Scary<br />
|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.<br />
|-<br />
|Criticality Incident<br />
|Doesn't Sound Very Scary<br />
|Is Fairly Scary<br />
|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).<br />
|-<br />
|Superbug<br />
|Sounds Fairly Scary<br />
|Is Scary<br />
|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}}<br />
|-<br />
|Nuclear Football<br />
|Sounds Fairly Scary<br />
|Is Very Scary<br />
|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.<br />
|-<br />
|Flesh-Eating Bacteria<br />
|Sounds Very Scary<br />
|Is Very Scary<br />
|As the name suggests, bacteria that eats your skin.<br />
|-<br />
|Helvetica Scenario (Title Text)<br />
|(Not Implied)<br />
|Literally Off-The-Charts Scary<br />
|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.<br />
|}<br />
<br />
==Transcript==<br />
(no transcript as of 2013-24-07T11:02Z)<br />
<br />
{{comic discussion}}</div>RouterIncidenthttps://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=1242:_Scary_Names&diff=448231242: Scary Names2013-07-24T11:48:14Z<p>RouterIncident: </p>
<hr />
<div>{{comic<br />
| number = 1242<br />
| date = July 24, 2013<br />
| title = Scary Names<br />
| image = scary_names.png<br />
| titletext = Far off to the right of the chart is the Helvetica Scenario.<br />
}}<br />
<br />
==Explanation==<br />
The chart shows that things toward the right are scary, while things toward the top simply <em>sound</em> scary, without <em>necessarily</em> being scary.<br />
<br />
{| class="wikitable"<br />
! scope="col"| Name<br />
! scope="col"| Scariness of Name<br />
! scope="col"| Scariness of Thing Name Refers to<br />
! scope="col"| Description<br />
|-<br />
|Chernobyl Packet<br />
|Sounds Very Scary<br />
|Isn't Scary<br />
|A network packet that induces a broadcast storm or network meltdown.<br />
|-<br />
|Bomb Calorimeter<br />
|Sounds Fairly Scary<br />
|Isn't Very Scary<br />
|A device for measuring heat of combustion of a reaction in a pressure vessel.<br />
|-<br />
|Kessler Syndrome<br />
|Sounds Scary<br />
|Is Somewhat Scary<br />
|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.<br />
|-<br />
|Mustard Gas<br />
|Sounds Fairly Scary<br />
|Is Fairly Scary<br />
|A chemical warfare agent which causes blisters and severe irritation on skin and lung tissue.<br />
|-<br />
|Soil Liquefaction<br />
|Doesn't Sound Scary<br />
|Is Fairly Scary<br />
|A phenomena where wet soil looses its strength, leading to potholes, road and terrain damage, and even building collapses.<br />
|-<br />
|Grey Goo<br />
|Doesn't Sound Scary<br />
|Is Fairly Scary<br />
|A hypothetical end-of-world scenario where self-replicating nanobots consume all matter.<br />
|-<br />
|Bird Flu<br />
|Sounds Fairly Scary<br />
|Is Fairly Scary<br />
|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.<br />
|-<br />
|Demon Core<br />
|Sounds Very Scary<br />
|Is Fairly Scary<br />
|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.<br />
|-<br />
|Criticality Incident<br />
|Doesn't Sound Very Scary<br />
|Is Fairly Scary<br />
|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).<br />
|-<br />
|Superbug<br />
|Sounds Fairly Scary<br />
|Is Scary<br />
|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}}<br />
|}<br />
<br />
<br />
"Helvetica Scenario" in the title text is 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.<br />
<br />
==Transcript==<br />
(no transcript as of 2013-24-07T11:02Z)<br />
<br />
{{comic discussion}}</div>RouterIncidenthttps://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=Template:if_pagename&diff=44822Template:if pagename2013-07-24T11:47:47Z<p>RouterIncident: Created page with "{{#if:x <!--Remove surrounding whitespace--> | <!--Check for match with full pagename--> {{{ {{#if:{{{page|}}}| {{{page|}}} | {{FULLPAGENAME}} }} <!--Has data, or is emp..."</p>
<hr />
<div>{{#if:x <!--Remove surrounding whitespace--><br />
| <!--Check for match with full pagename--><br />
{{{ {{#if:{{{page|}}}| {{{page|}}} | {{FULLPAGENAME}} }} <!--Has data, or is empty but defined--><br />
| <!--Check for match with "User:Somepage/+"--><br />
{{{ {{#titleparts:{{#if:{{{page|}}}| {{{page|}}} | {{FULLPAGENAME}} }}|1|1}}/+<br />
| <!--Else, are we on a subpage or a basepage?--><br />
{{#if:{{#titleparts:{{#if:{{{page|}}}| {{{page|}}} | {{FULLPAGENAME}} }}|0|2}}<br />
| <!--We are on a subpage, check for match with "User:Somepage/*"--><br />
{{{ {{#titleparts:{{#if:{{{page|}}}| {{{page|}}} | {{FULLPAGENAME}} }}|1|1}}/*<br />
| <!--Check for match with "Somepage/*"--><br />
{{{ {{#titleparts:{{#if:{{{page|}}}| {{PAGENAME:{{{page|}}}}} | {{PAGENAME}} }}|1|1}}/*<br />
| <!--Check for match with "/something"--><br />
{{{ /{{#titleparts:{{#if:{{{page|}}}| {{{page|}}} | {{FULLPAGENAME}} }}|0|-1}}<br />
| <!--Check for match with "/somethin*"--><br />
{{{ /{{lc: {{padleft:|8| {{#titleparts:{{#if:{{{page|}}}| {{{page|}}} | {{FULLPAGENAME}} }}|0|-1}}# }} }}*<br />
| <!--Check for match with "/someth*"--><br />
{{{ /{{lc: {{padleft:|6| {{#titleparts:{{#if:{{{page|}}}| {{{page|}}} | {{FULLPAGENAME}} }}|0|-1}}# }} }}*<br />
| <!--Check for match with "/some*"--><br />
{{{ /{{lc: {{padleft:|4| {{#titleparts:{{#if:{{{page|}}}| {{{page|}}} | {{FULLPAGENAME}} }}|0|-1}}# }} }}* <!--Pad with # so "/a" doesn't match "/aaaa*"--><br />
| {{{subpage| {{{other|}}} }}} <!--Respecting empty parameter on purpose--><br />
}}}<br />
}}}<br />
}}}<br />
}}}<br />
}}}<br />
}}}<br />
| <!--We are on a basepage, check for match with "Somepage"--><br />
{{{ {{#if:{{{page|}}}| {{PAGENAME:{{{page|}}}}} | {{PAGENAME}} }}<br />
| {{{basepage| {{{other|}}} }}} <!--Respecting empty parameter on purpose--><br />
}}}<br />
}} <!--End if, are we on a subpage or a basepage?--><br />
}}}<br />
}}}<br />
}}</div>RouterIncidenthttps://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=Template:category_handler/blacklist&diff=44821Template:category handler/blacklist2013-07-24T11:47:10Z<p>RouterIncident: Created page with "<noinclude>'''Actual code of this blacklist:'''<pre></noinclude>{{if pagename <!-- Start of blacklist --> | Main Page = hide <!-- Don't categorise the main page --> <!-- D..."</p>
<hr />
<div><noinclude>'''Actual code of this blacklist:'''<pre></noinclude>{{if pagename<br />
<!-- Start of blacklist --><br />
<br />
| Main Page = hide <!-- Don't categorise the main page --><br />
<br />
<!-- Don't categorise on centralised cascade page or its subpages --><br />
| Wikipedia:Cascade-protected items/+ = hide<br />
<br />
<!-- Don't categorise userboxes in their own "template space" --><br />
| User:UBX/+ = hide <br />
| User talk:UBX/+ = hide <br />
<br />
| Wikipedia:Template messages/* = hide <!-- Don't categorise on its subpages --><br />
<br />
| /archiv* = hide <!-- Don't categorise on /archive pages --><br />
<br />
<!-- End of blacklist --><br />
| page = {{{page|}}} <!-- Never change this one, see the doc --><br />
}}</pre></div>RouterIncidenthttps://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=Template:basepage_subpage&diff=44815Template:basepage subpage2013-07-24T11:43:29Z<p>RouterIncident: Created page with "{{#switch: <!--If no or empty "page" parameter then detect basepage/subpage/subsubpage--> {{#if:{{{page|}}} | {{#if:{{#titleparts:{{{page}}}|0|3}} | subsubpage..."</p>
<hr />
<div>{{#switch:<br />
<!--If no or empty "page" parameter then detect<br />
basepage/subpage/subsubpage--><br />
{{#if:{{{page|}}}<br />
| {{#if:{{#titleparts:{{{page}}}|0|3}}<br />
| subsubpage <!--Subsubpage or lower--><br />
| {{#if:{{#titleparts:{{{page}}}|0|2}}<br />
| subpage<br />
| basepage<br />
}}<br />
}}<br />
| {{#if:{{#titleparts:{{FULLPAGENAME}}|0|3}}<br />
| subsubpage <!--Subsubpage or lower--><br />
| {{#if:{{#titleparts:{{FULLPAGENAME}}|0|2}}<br />
| subpage<br />
| basepage<br />
}}<br />
}}<br />
}}<br />
<br />
| basepage = {{{1|}}}<br />
| subpage = {{{2|}}}<br />
| subsubpage = {{{3| {{{2|}}} }}} <!--Respecting empty parameter on purpose--><br />
}}</div>RouterIncidenthttps://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=Template:ifsubst&diff=44813Template:ifsubst2013-07-24T11:42:25Z<p>RouterIncident: Created page with "{{ {{{|safesubst:}}}#ifeq:{{ {{{|safesubst:}}}NAMESPACE}}|{{NAMESPACE}} |{{{no|{{{2|}}}}}} |{{{yes|{{{1|}}}}}} }}"</p>
<hr />
<div>{{ {{{|safesubst:}}}#ifeq:{{ {{{|safesubst:}}}NAMESPACE}}|{{NAMESPACE}}<br />
|{{{no|{{{2|}}}}}}<br />
|{{{yes|{{{1|}}}}}}<br />
}}</div>RouterIncident