Editing 1678: Recent Searches
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==Explanation== | ==Explanation== | ||
− | People often find answers to computer problems by searching on {{w|Google}}, which | + | People often find answers to computer problems by searching on {{w|Google}}, which shows you recent search terms in a drop-down box when you go to search it. Here we see a list of search queries, each of which suggests the author is perversely misusing or overextending some computer technology. The overall impression is of someone technically sophisticated enough to shoot themselves in the foot, and who does not learn any larger lessons despite doing so repeatedly. The title text is another possible entry in this list. |
− | + | The caption implies that from Randall's perspective, every computer he uses seems to be broken; he doesn't seem to realise this is because he's the one using them, not because the computers actually start off broken. (For similar themes see also these comics: [[349: Success]], [[1084: Server Problem]], [[1316: Inexplicable]] and [[1586: Keyboard Problems]]). | |
− | + | ([[979|Dear people from the future]], if Google directed you here because it is the most popular result for a problem you are experiencing, this is not the page you were looking for). | |
+ | |||
+ | ===Table of searches=== | ||
+ | {| class="wikitable" border="1" cellpadding="4" style="border-collapse: collapse;" | ||
+ | |- | ||
+ | ! width=20% | Search | ||
+ | ! Explanation | ||
+ | |- | ||
+ | | [https://www.google.com/search?q=Google+translate+syntax+highlighting Google translate syntax highlighting] | ||
+ | | {{w|Syntax highlighting}} can be used when editing {{w|source code}} to make the code more readable and easier to understand. It is not generally used for natural languages, but {{w|sentence diagram}}s of brief passages are used in language education. {{w|Google Translate}} is used to translate text from one {{w|natural language}} to another. It uses {{w|Javascript}} <tt>mouseover()</tt> to highlight words as an aid in matching phrases in the source with their translations, but does not apply different highlighting dependent on syntax. | ||
+ | |||
+ | Alternatively, this could imply that Randall is attempting to translate code from one programming language to another using Google Translate. Success would be unlikely, since the service is not intended for this, {{Citation needed}} and syntactically valid output might further break the computer executing it. | ||
+ | |- | ||
+ | | Autodetect mixed bash zsh | ||
+ | | {{w|bash}} and {{w|Z_shell|zsh}} are two {{w|Command-line_interface|command line interfaces}} for {{w|Unix-like}} OSes. The way to execute commands is almost identical, making detecting a script that contains a mixed syntax nearly impossible. | ||
+ | |- | ||
+ | | CPU temperature sensor limits | ||
+ | | The CPU's temperature sensors exist to tell you when your CPU is becoming dangerously overheated (normally because of a faulty fan or overclocking). Someone who searches for information about the limits of those sensors is presumably expecting to misuse their CPU. Probably also a reference to [[1172: Workflow]]. | ||
+ | |- | ||
+ | | GIF to XLS | ||
+ | | .GIF (Graphic Interchange Format) is a file extension used to store images and sequences of images to be displayed as an animation. .XLS is the file extension for Microsoft Excel spreadsheets. The joke is that the two file types are used for different purposes - it's quite normal for someone to want to convert between .GIF, .JPG, .PNG, .BMP files, as these are all image files. Or between .XLS, .CSV, and .ODS files, as these all record tabulated information. However, for some reason Randall wants to convert an image file to a spreadsheet. (This is actually possible, because a digital image is essentially an array of colour and brightness values; it just wouldn't be particularly useful for most people. [http://www.think-maths.co.uk/spreadsheet Here] is a webpage with an online converter.) | ||
+ | |||
+ | An alternate way to convert an image file, such as a .GIF file, into a text-based file like an .XLS file, is through {{w|Optical Character Recognition|OCR}}, or {{w|Optical Character Recognition}}. This is only effective if the image is a copy (i.e. a scan or reasonably clear photograph) of a document containing letters and words, and neither .GIF nor .XLS are file formats anyone would usually use in that case. | ||
+ | |||
+ | Matt Parker has done a [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UBX2QQHlQ_I stand up routine] about converting these two file types. | ||
+ | |- | ||
+ | | Clock speed jumper sample rate | ||
+ | | Jumper wire is a short circuit used for switching a certain function on an electronic circuit. On a motherboard, jumpers can be used to alter the clock speeds of various motherboard functions (such as the CPU or the front side bus). These jumpers should be modified when the computer is off. However, this search is asking how often the motherboard checks the status of the clock speed jumpers, implying that they intend to change these jumpers while the computer is powered on. | ||
+ | |- | ||
+ | | [https://www.google.com/search?q=clean+reinstall+keybinding Clean reinstall keybinding] | ||
+ | | This refers to keybinding, the practice of mapping a certain key to a certain function (e.g., pressing PRTSC will take a screenshot). Keybindings are the reason the "A" key on your keyboard prints out the letter "A". A "clean reinstall" of keybindings is something that would almost never be necessary - it means Randall has modified his default keybindings to such an extent that his [[1031|leopard]] has become unusable (similar to [[1284: Improved Keyboard]]), necessitating a "clean reinstall" of the bindings. | ||
+ | |- | ||
+ | | Cron job to update crontab | ||
+ | | {{w|Cron}} is a utility that allows you to schedule commands or scripts to be run periodically. These scheduled jobs are read from a ''crontab'' file. A job that updates the crontab (therefore creating new jobs, removing old ones or editing existing ones) is paramount to a {{w|Job scheduler}}, and trying to use cron for such functionality could result in highly unstable functionality (although a crontab could be sensibly regenerated periodically by a set of machines from a master crontab file annotated with per-host directives). | ||
+ | |- | ||
+ | | [https://www.google.com/search?q=fsck+chrome+extension fsck Chrome extension] | ||
+ | | | ||
+ | This is a search for an interface to the Unix '''f'''ile'''s'''ystem che'''ck'''er {{w|fsck}} via third-party software added to Chrome. fsck is a program for checking your filesystem for corruption. Repairing a filesystem this way would be inadvisable. {{Citation needed}} This might indicate confusion about the meaning of the term "online filesystem repair", in which "online" means "while the filesystem is in use" rather than "over the internet". Alternatively, Randall might want to repair an installation of the operating system Chromium, in a manner less drastic than the {{w|factory reset}} preferred by Google. | ||
+ | |- | ||
+ | | Recursive font | ||
+ | | An idiosyncratic mix of {{w|Recursion}} and the font style ''{{w|cursive}}'', referring especially to text handwritten in a flowing manner. {{w|PostScript}} (the language {{w|PostScript fonts|some fonts}} are written in) is capable of recursion and PostScript Type 3 fonts are able to use the full language. This could create effects like fonts with complicated fractal borders and fill patterns - but the increase in processing time would contribute to seeming brokenness of the computer (or printer) rendering the font. | ||
+ | |||
+ | A true recursive font would be a form of {{w|Fractals}}. | ||
+ | |- | ||
+ | | Regex matching valid EBNF | ||
+ | | EBNF refers to {{w|Extended Backus–Naur Form}}, which is used to define {{w|Formal Language|formal languages}}. EBNF specifies recursive patterns that are impossible for a {{w|Regular_Expression|regular expression}} to determine whether it is valid or not. There is some irony in using regex to test the validity of something which ''defines'' the validity of things like regex. | ||
+ | |- | ||
+ | | [https://www.google.com/search?q=Hardlinks+Turing+complete Hardlinks Turing complete] | ||
+ | | In some filesystems, for example {{w|ext4}} and {{w|NTFS}}, a single file may be referenced by different names anywhere in the filesystem. These filenames are termed "hard links" to the file because they are automatically resolved by the operating system to the file metadata. "Soft" or "symbolic" links are resolved indirectly via a filename, which may reside anywhere. A file is deleted when the last hard link to it is unlinked; a soft link exists independently of its target. | ||
− | ([ | + | {{w|Turing completeness}} is the {{w|computational complexity}} required to simulate any {{w|computable function}} (given an infinite amount of memory). Recently there have been cases where [http://beza1e1.tuxen.de/articles/accidentally_turing_complete.html unexpected mechanisms] from card games to text parsers were proved to be Turing complete. Hardlinks being Turing complete would imply that creating and deleting hardlinks alone is enough to satisfy the requirements of Turing completeness. |
+ | |- | ||
+ | | Opposite of safe mode | ||
+ | | {{w|Safe mode}} is a diagnostic mode of an operating system or application which allows the user to troubleshoot problems by disabling unnecessary functionality. The "opposite of safe mode" implies a "dangerous" mode where the purpose is to allow uselessly dangerous action, like {{w|sudo}}. | ||
+ | |||
+ | It's also possible that Randall sees safe mode so often that he sees regular mode as an unusual and unique state and needs help navigating back to it. | ||
+ | |- | ||
+ | | Predictive touchpad | ||
+ | | {{w|Predictive text}} is a feature of many smartphone keyboards that predicts the most likely word the user wishes to type, and then gives the user the option to place the word in the sentence without typing the whole word. A {{w|touchpad}} is a computer pointing device, similar to a {{w|computer mouse}}. The idea of a "predictive touchpad" seems absurd because, as opposed to typed words, there are not a limited number of swipe combinations that are possible on a touchpad. A "predictive touchpad" implies that a computer could predict where the user was going to move the mouse or click, which in this case would seem to defeat the purpose of a user input device. {{Citation needed}}. | ||
+ | |||
+ | Interestingly, a version of Linux {{Citation needed}} had a predictive cursor option, where the cursor jumped to the nearest button (like window close) when it moved near to but didn't quite reach that button. | ||
+ | |- | ||
+ | | Google docs from bootloader | ||
+ | | Google docs relies on programs and libraries much more complex than a {{w|bootloader}} (a very small program running immediately after boot, mainly for loading the OS) could run. | ||
+ | |- | ||
+ | | Hardware acceleration red channel only | ||
+ | | {{w|Hardware acceleration}} means that certain calculations are not performed by the computer's {{w|CPU}} but by a "specialized" processor, e.g. a {{w|GPU}} which is part of the graphics adapter. This speeds up output, especially if complex 3D calculations are required and reduces CPU load. To use this function only on a single color channel seems pretty useless, but one may want to troubleshoot a program that displays only red when hardware acceleration is enabled. | ||
− | + | While graphics cards are most commonly used with three or four channels (red, green, blue, and sometimes alpha), they do support two-channel or single-channel images. An 8-bit single-channel image would use the format '[https://www.opengl.org/wiki/Image_Load_Store#Format_qualifiers R8]', which is indeed 'red channel only'. This type of image could be used to store monochrome images or non-image data. | |
− | + | |- | |
− | + | | autoexec code posted by verified twitter users. ('''Title text''') | |
− | + | | Automatically executing code from the internet is generally a terrible idea, because it could be written by someone with malicious intent and harm your computer. The joke here is that the code would only be executed if written by someone who has been "verified" on Twitter. Twitter's verification service only serves to show that a user is who they claim to be, not whether or not their code can be trusted, so this would provide little protection. Usually, twitter verification is used by celebrities so they can be distinguished from people claiming to be them. The line implies that Randall is only interested in running code posted by celebrities. | |
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− | + | Most code downloaded from authentic sources, such as Windows and Linux, is verified by a cryptographic signature -- such packages signed by a true trusted source authenticating the origin of the software, and the are frequently executed on your computer automatically and it forms the basis for auto-updates of for example your Chrome browser, any automatically updated linux package, and everything automatically updated by Windows 10. The joke here is that "verified" have different meaning for twitter and cryptography. | |
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− | + | |} | |
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==Transcript== | ==Transcript== | ||
− | :[ | + | :[Coloured and styled as the real logo:] |
− | : | + | :<big><font color="blue">G</font color><font color="red">o</font color><font color="orange">o</font color><font color="blue">g</font color><font color="green">l</font color><font color="red">e</font color></big> |
− | :[Google Search bar, with a drop down box with faded text, implying recent searches | + | :[Google Search bar, with a drop down box with faded text, implying recent searches] |
:Google translate syntax highlighting | :Google translate syntax highlighting | ||
:Autodetect mixed bash zsh | :Autodetect mixed bash zsh | ||
Line 85: | Line 110: | ||
:Hardware acceleration red channel only | :Hardware acceleration red channel only | ||
− | :[Caption below the | + | :[Caption below the panel:] |
:'''I have no idea why my computers are always broken.''' | :'''I have no idea why my computers are always broken.''' | ||
{{comic discussion}} | {{comic discussion}} | ||
+ | |||
[[Category:Comics with color]] | [[Category:Comics with color]] | ||
[[Category:Google Search]] | [[Category:Google Search]] |