2261: Worst Thing That Could Happen - Revision history

172.71.223.69: /* List of worst things */ How is this "possibly a Voltron reference"? Needs way more elaboration.

2025-01-05T23:41:16Z

‎List of worst things: How is this "possibly a Voltron reference"? Needs way more elaboration.

172.70.85.49: Undo revision 358472 by The-Ergster (talk) No rockets mentioned ("slow nuclear war" isn't clearly rocketry).

2024-12-02T23:58:44Z

Undo revision 358472 by The-Ergster (talk) No rockets mentioned ("slow nuclear war" isn't clearly rocketry).

The-Ergster at 18:44, 2 December 2024

2024-12-02T18:44:50Z

172.69.194.227: Undo revision 356903 by RandallIsAZionist (talk)

2024-11-15T03:42:06Z

Undo revision 356903 by RandallIsAZionist (talk)

RandallIsAZionist at 23:41, 14 November 2024

2024-11-14T23:41:33Z

CalibansCreations: /* List of worst things */

2024-10-14T09:01:26Z

‎List of worst things

172.70.91.229: /* List of worst things */ Improved wikilinking

2023-09-18T13:20:38Z

‎List of worst things: Improved wikilinking

Nitpicking: /* List of worst things */ Replaced dead link with Wikipedia category

2023-09-18T01:45:43Z

‎List of worst things: Replaced dead link with Wikipedia category

LostXOR: A software update wouldn't emit a "weird frequency" making the supervolcano's lava rise.

2023-03-21T17:57:33Z

A software update wouldn't emit a "weird frequency" making the supervolcano's lava rise.

172.69.22.5: /* List of worst things */

2022-09-07T17:38:43Z

‎List of worst things

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 Much of the computer networking technology used today has its roots in research into hardening nuclear command and control systems against an incoming first strike, and many works of fiction have depicted nuclear war (or the risk of nuclear war) resulting from computer and software errors in systems that are supposed to "upgrade" the decision-making process, such as ''{{w|WarGames}}'' and "{{w|Fail-Safe (novel)|Fail-Safe}}". If Ponytail's company is involved in the defense industry, a nuclear war could be a plausible worst-case scenario from a botched upgrade.
 |-
-|"We have to go on a game show where they show you photos of people you've met once and ask you their names, and if you get one wrong a trapdoor opens and you fall into a garbage disposal." || The premise of this game show seems to play on Munroe's frequent references to anxiety about social situations. For people who have troubles remembering names, encountering someone you've met once before can be harrowing, as you may know that you ''should'' know their name, but be unable to recall it, creating embarrassment and awkwardness (particularly if the person remembers your name with ease). The concept is that fear could be exploited in the form of a game show. Many popular game shows feature contests where contestants who fail are subjected to pain and/or humiliation, such as the ''{{w|Ninja Warrior}}'' franchise. This case is particularly exaggerated, as the inability to remember even a single name would result in being dropped into a garbage disposal, which would virtually guarantee serious maiming and/or death. The reaction of the strip characters suggests that they all share a lack of confidence in their ability to remember the names of casual acquaintances, making such a game show one of the "worst things" they could encounter. Possibly a Voltron reference.
+|"We have to go on a game show where they show you photos of people you've met once and ask you their names, and if you get one wrong a trapdoor opens and you fall into a garbage disposal." || The premise of this game show seems to play on Munroe's frequent references to anxiety about social situations. For people who have troubles remembering names, encountering someone you've met once before can be harrowing, as you may know that you ''should'' know their name, but be unable to recall it, creating embarrassment and awkwardness (particularly if the person remembers your name with ease). The concept is that fear could be exploited in the form of a game show. Many popular game shows feature contests where contestants who fail are subjected to pain and/or humiliation, such as the ''{{w|Ninja Warrior}}'' franchise. This case is particularly exaggerated, as the inability to remember even a single name would result in being dropped into a garbage disposal, which would virtually guarantee serious maiming and/or death. The reaction of the strip characters suggests that they all share a lack of confidence in their ability to remember the names of casual acquaintances, making such a game show one of the "worst things" they could encounter.
 |}

← Older revision		Revision as of 23:58, 2 December 2024
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	[[Category:Nuclear weapons]]		[[Category:Nuclear weapons]]
−	~~[[Category:Rockets]]~~

← Older revision		Revision as of 18:44, 2 December 2024
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	[[Category:Animals]]		[[Category:Animals]]
	[[Category:Nuclear weapons]]		[[Category:Nuclear weapons]]
		+	[[Category:Rockets]]

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 ==Explanation==
-Ygs have it all wrong RandallIsAZionist Ygs have it all wrong RandallIsAZionist Ygs have it all wrong RandallIsAZionist Ygs have it all wrong RandallIsAZionist Ygs have it all wrong RandallIsAZionist Ygs have it all wrong RandallIsAZionist Ygs have it all wrong RandallIsAZionist Ygs have it all wrong RandallIsAZionist Ygs have it all wrong RandallIsAZionist Ygs have it all wrong RandallIsAZionist Ygs have it all wrong RandallIsAZionist Ygs have it all wrong RandallIsAZionist Ygs have it all wrong RandallIsAZionist Ygs have it all wrong RandallIsAZionist Ygs have it all wrong RandallIsAZionist Ygs have it all wrong RandallIsAZionist Ygs have it all wrong RandallIsAZionist Ygs have it all wrong RandallIsAZionist Ygs have it all wrong RandallIsAZionist Ygs have it all wrong RandallIsAZionist Ygs have it all wrong RandallIsAZionist Ygs have it all wrong RandallIsAZionist Ygs have it all wrong RandallIsAZionist Ygs have it all wrong RandallIsAZionist Ygs have it all wrong RandallIsAZionist Ygs have it all wrong RandallIsAZionist Ygs have it all wrong RandallIsAZionist Ygs have it all wrong RandallIsAZionist Ygs have it all wrong RandallIsAZionist Ygs have it all wrong RandallIsAZionist Ygs have it all wrong RandallIsAZionist Ygs have it all wrong RandallIsAZionist Ygs have it all wrong RandallIsAZionist Ygs have it all wrong RandallIsAZionist Ygs have it all wrong RandallIsAZionist Ygs have it all wrong RandallIsAZionist Ygs have it all wrong RandallIsAZionist Ygs have it all wrong RandallIsAZionist Ygs have it all wrong RandallIsAZionist Ygs have it all wrong RandallIsAZionist Ygs have it all wrong RandallIsAZionist Ygs have it all wrong RandallIsAZionist
 [[Ponytail]] and her friends are considering upgrading some part or program of their computers. They may feel the need to upgrade because the software they are currently using has some vulnerability that is only patched in newer revisions (this comic was released just two weeks after the [https://www.microsoft.com/en-US/windows/windows-7-end-of-life-support-information end of extended support] for {{w|Windows 7}}), or because they want to have access to some new feature. As part of the decision-making process, Ponytail asks her friends, "What's the worst that could happen?" If the computers they are discussing are privately owned, she may be concerned about losing personal data or having to learn new software interfaces. On the other hand, if they are discussing a corporate computer system, there may also be business-related risks. If their company relies on functionality offered by their current system that has been deprecated or modified in the updated version (such as in [[1172: Workflow]], or as with many specialized tools or machines in the real world), they may suffer downtime while they modify the rest of their workflow. Even if the upgraded system should continue to fit their needs, they may need to take some downtime to perform the update and deal with the risks of something going badly along the way, and there may be major costs associated with license subscriptions and support contracts. "What's the worst that could happen?" is also a common {{w|rhetorical question}}; Ponytail may be expressing a belief that nothing bad could happen as a result of the upgrade, and not expecting an answer.

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 ==Explanation==
+Ygs have it all wrong RandallIsAZionist Ygs have it all wrong RandallIsAZionist Ygs have it all wrong RandallIsAZionist Ygs have it all wrong RandallIsAZionist Ygs have it all wrong RandallIsAZionist Ygs have it all wrong RandallIsAZionist Ygs have it all wrong RandallIsAZionist Ygs have it all wrong RandallIsAZionist Ygs have it all wrong RandallIsAZionist Ygs have it all wrong RandallIsAZionist Ygs have it all wrong RandallIsAZionist Ygs have it all wrong RandallIsAZionist Ygs have it all wrong RandallIsAZionist Ygs have it all wrong RandallIsAZionist Ygs have it all wrong RandallIsAZionist Ygs have it all wrong RandallIsAZionist Ygs have it all wrong RandallIsAZionist Ygs have it all wrong RandallIsAZionist Ygs have it all wrong RandallIsAZionist Ygs have it all wrong RandallIsAZionist Ygs have it all wrong RandallIsAZionist Ygs have it all wrong RandallIsAZionist Ygs have it all wrong RandallIsAZionist Ygs have it all wrong RandallIsAZionist Ygs have it all wrong RandallIsAZionist Ygs have it all wrong RandallIsAZionist Ygs have it all wrong RandallIsAZionist Ygs have it all wrong RandallIsAZionist Ygs have it all wrong RandallIsAZionist Ygs have it all wrong RandallIsAZionist Ygs have it all wrong RandallIsAZionist Ygs have it all wrong RandallIsAZionist Ygs have it all wrong RandallIsAZionist Ygs have it all wrong RandallIsAZionist Ygs have it all wrong RandallIsAZionist Ygs have it all wrong RandallIsAZionist Ygs have it all wrong RandallIsAZionist Ygs have it all wrong RandallIsAZionist Ygs have it all wrong RandallIsAZionist Ygs have it all wrong RandallIsAZionist Ygs have it all wrong RandallIsAZionist Ygs have it all wrong RandallIsAZionist
 [[Ponytail]] and her friends are considering upgrading some part or program of their computers. They may feel the need to upgrade because the software they are currently using has some vulnerability that is only patched in newer revisions (this comic was released just two weeks after the [https://www.microsoft.com/en-US/windows/windows-7-end-of-life-support-information end of extended support] for {{w|Windows 7}}), or because they want to have access to some new feature. As part of the decision-making process, Ponytail asks her friends, "What's the worst that could happen?" If the computers they are discussing are privately owned, she may be concerned about losing personal data or having to learn new software interfaces. On the other hand, if they are discussing a corporate computer system, there may also be business-related risks. If their company relies on functionality offered by their current system that has been deprecated or modified in the updated version (such as in [[1172: Workflow]], or as with many specialized tools or machines in the real world), they may suffer downtime while they modify the rest of their workflow. Even if the upgraded system should continue to fit their needs, they may need to take some downtime to perform the update and deal with the risks of something going badly along the way, and there may be major costs associated with license subscriptions and support contracts. "What's the worst that could happen?" is also a common {{w|rhetorical question}}; Ponytail may be expressing a belief that nothing bad could happen as a result of the upgrade, and not expecting an answer.

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 |"{{w|Robot uprising}}." || An artificial intelligence overthrows humanity and takes over the world. Hairy is probably concerned with a violent uprising in which the robots are determined to exterminate humanity, as in, for example, the {{w|Terminator (franchise)|''Terminator''}} films, rather than [[1450: AI-Box Experiment|an AI who just wants to stay in a box]]. Randall has written about robot uprisings (both violent and humorous) in [[:Category:Artificial Intelligence|several comic strips]]. If Ponytail's company is involved in artificial intelligence, a robot uprising could be a remotely plausible worst-case scenario from a botched upgrade.
 |-
-|"Everyone falls down a {{w|well}} at once." || There have been several well-publicized incidents in which a real person fell down a well, such as [https://www.biography.com/personality/baby-jessica Baby Jessica] and [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:Cases_of_people_who_fell_into_a_well this list]. If ''everyone'' fell down a well at once, there would be nobody to get them out, which would be a pretty bad thing. It's unclear how this upgrade could cause this outcome, making this suggestion preposterous.
+|"Everyone falls down a {{w|well}} at once." || There have been several well-publicized incidents in which a real person fell down a well, such as [https://www.biography.com/personality/baby-jessica Baby Jessica] and {{w|Category:Cases of people who fell into a well|these people}}. If ''everyone'' fell down a well at once, there would be nobody to get them out, which would be a pretty bad thing. It's unclear how this upgrade could cause this outcome, making this suggestion preposterous.
 |-
 |"Instead of hitting the tallest thing around, lightning starts hitting the nicest." || {{w|Lightning}} generally strikes the tallest object under a thunderstorm, a topic addressed in {{what if|16|''What-if #16: Lightning''}}. {{w|Lightning rods}} are built to take advantage of this effect to protect nearby important objects from the lightning. If lightning started hitting the ''nicest'' thing around, then it would presumably strike whatever it was that the lightning rods are meant to protect (nice buildings, nice people, [https://history.nasa.gov/SP-350/ch-7-3.html nice rockets]). If the computer that's being upgraded is connected to the [[1620: Christmas Settings|Universe Control Panel]], this change could be a plausible negative consequence of the update.

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 |'''Thing''' || '''Notes'''
 |-
-|"{{w|Supervolcano}}." || A supervolcano is a volcano that would (or does) eject over 1,000 cubic kilometers of material when it erupts. The United States in particular is home to a supervolcano in {{w|Yellowstone National Park}}. When it erupts, the results will be catastrophic to the entire world, possibly triggering a volcanic winter, massive crop die-offs (and subsequent cascading extinctions up the food chain), and the destruction of human civilization. This probably would not be set off by any sort of software update (though a weird frequency may be emitted, making the lava rise).
+|"{{w|Supervolcano}}." || A supervolcano is a volcano that would (or does) eject over 1,000 cubic kilometers of material when it erupts. The United States in particular is home to a supervolcano in {{w|Yellowstone National Park}}. When it erupts, the results will be catastrophic to the entire world, possibly triggering a volcanic winter, massive crop die-offs (and subsequent cascading extinctions up the food chain), and the destruction of human civilization. This probably would not be set off by any sort of software update.{{Citation needed}}
 |-
 |"{{w|Robot uprising}}." || An artificial intelligence overthrows humanity and takes over the world. Hairy is probably concerned with a violent uprising in which the robots are determined to exterminate humanity, as in, for example, the {{w|Terminator (franchise)|''Terminator''}} films, rather than [[1450: AI-Box Experiment|an AI who just wants to stay in a box]]. Randall has written about robot uprisings (both violent and humorous) in [[:Category:Artificial Intelligence|several comic strips]]. If Ponytail's company is involved in artificial intelligence, a robot uprising could be a remotely plausible worst-case scenario from a botched upgrade.