1105: License Plate - Revision history

Wilh3lm: Replaced Reddit link with non-tracking version

2025-07-08T14:12:50Z

Replaced Reddit link with non-tracking version

172.68.35.121: grammar mistake

2025-04-12T14:56:27Z

grammar mistake

172.70.42.202: /* Explanation */ secured link

2025-03-23T17:36:00Z

‎Explanation: secured link

162.158.10.189: Added a recent post from /r/xkcd of a Kansas person registering the 1I1-III1 plate.@aleksandrusanov

2024-04-02T17:51:20Z

Added a recent post from /r/xkcd of a Kansas person registering the 1I1-III1 plate.@aleksandrusanov

Jacky720: rv

2022-05-04T20:57:12Z

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Ex Kay Cee Dee at 20:43, 4 May 2022

2022-05-04T20:43:22Z

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Davidy22: Reverted edits by X. K. C. D. (talk) to last revision by 162.158.146.63

2022-05-04T02:00:52Z

Reverted edits by X. K. C. D. (talk) to last revision by 162.158.146.63

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X. K. C. D. at 00:32, 4 May 2022

2022-05-04T00:32:43Z

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162.158.146.63: Undo revision 235395 by X. K. C. D. (talk)

2022-05-04T00:09:49Z

Undo revision 235395 by X. K. C. D. (talk)

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X. K. C. D. at 00:09, 4 May 2022

2022-05-04T00:09:30Z

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@@ Line 16: / Line 16: @@
 Given the fact that the police still haven't caught him even though they have his address written on a {{w|Post-it note}} in their car, it seems like they had already thought of the same idea, and when Cueball registered such a license plate they put up the address in the police cars, as they expected him to begin committing crimes. He may already have committed more than one, but they would soon stop him before it turned into a crime spree.  (An alternative interpretation is that his crime spree has so far consisted of minor offenses, so they haven't arrested him, just issued him warnings or citations -- although one would expect him to stop once it became obvious they were onto him.)
-Some individuals in [https://imgur.com/jaiblHk New Hampshire] and [https://www.reddit.com/r/xkcd/s/7MGmlV9cDg Kansas] have obtained this license plate.
+Some individuals in [https://imgur.com/jaiblHk New Hampshire] and [https://redd.it/1btqmy1 Kansas] have obtained this license plate.
 The title text appears to be a conversation between Cueball and the police the next day when they show up at his address. It turns out that the police suspect Cueball of six bank robberies. Cueball responds that "all" he did was vandalize the library. But the police disregard this as a ''nice try'' to avoid being arrested because witnesses saw a license plate with all 1's and I's was used.  Cueball does not understand this because he was with his car the entire time since he got the license plate. And just as he says this, he has an epiphany and states ''wait. OK, wow that was clever of her''. It is thus clear that he suspects that [[Megan]] of having made a false license plate also with only a combination of I's and 1's. And then she has robbed six banks knowing that the police would be sure to suspect Cueball, who was so foolish to show his criminal intent by registering such a plate in the first place.

@@ Line 10: / Line 10: @@
 [[Cueball]] has obtained a new {{w|Vehicle registration plate|license plate}}. The license plate number one receives is often the next in sequence, available at the time and place of registration. However, in many localities, for an additional fee one can select their own "personalized" license plate number (called a {{w|vanity plate}}), subject to certain criteria, and availability.
-In this comic, Cueball has elected to purchase the personalized license plate number "1I1-III1" or "one, letter I, one, dash, letter I, letter I, letter I and one". He believes the ambiguity between the letter I and the digit 1 on the plate will make it very difficult for anyone to correctly identify his vehicle if he commits a crime. Some localities have more distinct "1" and "I" characters in their license plate font than others, but often when a crime is committed witnesses only has a short time to look at the plate, and will then be confused.
+In this comic, Cueball has elected to purchase the personalized license plate number "1I1-III1" or "one, letter I, one, dash, letter I, letter I, letter I and one". He believes the ambiguity between the letter I and the digit 1 on the plate will make it very difficult for anyone to correctly identify his vehicle if he commits a crime. Some localities have more distinct "1" and "I" characters in their license plate font than others, but often when a crime is committed witnesses only have a short time to look at the plate, and will then be confused.
 In principle his idea did work, because when the police end up interviewing a witness of a crime scene in the end of the comic, he can only say that "The thief's license plate was all "1"s or something". What Cueball does not count on is that there are no other license plates made up entirely of the letter I and the digit 1. Thus, when witnesses report a vehicle with a license plate of either/or I's and 1's, the police know exactly who the perpetrator is.

@@ Line 16: / Line 16: @@
 Given the fact that the police still haven't caught him even though they have his address written on a {{w|Post-it note}} in their car, it seems like they had already thought of the same idea, and when Cueball registered such a license plate they put up the address in the police cars, as they expected him to begin committing crimes. He may already have committed more than one, but they would soon stop him before it turned into a crime spree.  (An alternative interpretation is that his crime spree has so far consisted of minor offenses, so they haven't arrested him, just issued him warnings or citations -- although one would expect him to stop once it became obvious they were onto him.)
-Some individuals in [http://imgur.com/jaiblHk New Hampshire] and [https://www.reddit.com/r/xkcd/s/7MGmlV9cDg Kansas] have obtained this license plate.
+Some individuals in [https://imgur.com/jaiblHk New Hampshire] and [https://www.reddit.com/r/xkcd/s/7MGmlV9cDg Kansas] have obtained this license plate.
 The title text appears to be a conversation between Cueball and the police the next day when they show up at his address. It turns out that the police suspect Cueball of six bank robberies. Cueball responds that "all" he did was vandalize the library. But the police disregard this as a ''nice try'' to avoid being arrested because witnesses saw a license plate with all 1's and I's was used.  Cueball does not understand this because he was with his car the entire time since he got the license plate. And just as he says this, he has an epiphany and states ''wait. OK, wow that was clever of her''. It is thus clear that he suspects that [[Megan]] of having made a false license plate also with only a combination of I's and 1's. And then she has robbed six banks knowing that the police would be sure to suspect Cueball, who was so foolish to show his criminal intent by registering such a plate in the first place.

@@ Line 16: / Line 16: @@
 Given the fact that the police still haven't caught him even though they have his address written on a {{w|Post-it note}} in their car, it seems like they had already thought of the same idea, and when Cueball registered such a license plate they put up the address in the police cars, as they expected him to begin committing crimes. He may already have committed more than one, but they would soon stop him before it turned into a crime spree.  (An alternative interpretation is that his crime spree has so far consisted of minor offenses, so they haven't arrested him, just issued him warnings or citations -- although one would expect him to stop once it became obvious they were onto him.)
-[http://imgur.com/jaiblHk Someone in New Hampshire appears to have done this in real life.]
+Some individuals in [http://imgur.com/jaiblHk New Hampshire] and [https://www.reddit.com/r/xkcd/s/7MGmlV9cDg Kansas] have obtained this license plate.
 The title text appears to be a conversation between Cueball and the police the next day when they show up at his address. It turns out that the police suspect Cueball of six bank robberies. Cueball responds that "all" he did was vandalize the library. But the police disregard this as a ''nice try'' to avoid being arrested because witnesses saw a license plate with all 1's and I's was used.  Cueball does not understand this because he was with his car the entire time since he got the license plate. And just as he says this, he has an epiphany and states ''wait. OK, wow that was clever of her''. It is thus clear that he suspects that [[Megan]] of having made a false license plate also with only a combination of I's and 1's. And then she has robbed six banks knowing that the police would be sure to suspect Cueball, who was so foolish to show his criminal intent by registering such a plate in the first place.