3198: Double-Pronged Extension Cord - Revision history

Amateurautist at 18:54, 26 February 2026

2026-02-26T18:54:38Z

81.179.199.253: Undo revision 404675 by Elizium23 (talk) Entirely consistent to be there as Trivia (after the Transcript). See explain xkcd:Editor FAQ#What belongs to the trivia section?.

2026-01-31T21:00:28Z

Undo revision 404675 by Elizium23 (talk) Entirely consistent to be there as Trivia (after the Transcript). See explain xkcd:Editor FAQ#What belongs to the trivia section?.

Elizium23: "Trivia" should not be a top-level heading. Renaming, and moving this under "Explanation" where it belongs.

2026-01-31T20:46:59Z

"Trivia" should not be a top-level heading. Renaming, and moving this under "Explanation" where it belongs.

MikeTheNewGuy: Restored trivia, added text to clarify that it might be relevant.

2026-01-31T16:40:26Z

Restored trivia, added text to clarify that it might be relevant.

82.132.237.149: /* Explanation */

2026-01-27T17:08:12Z

‎Explanation

82.13.184.33: /* Explanation */

2026-01-27T09:39:17Z

‎Explanation

2A02:C7C:6D8A:6800:56B:9C73:CADD:DAC7: The title text never specified there were 50 lithium batteries.

2026-01-26T13:09:31Z

The title text never specified there were 50 lithium batteries.

82.13.184.33: /* Explanation */

2026-01-26T09:33:45Z

‎Explanation

82.13.184.33: /* Explanation */

2026-01-26T09:32:40Z

‎Explanation

82.13.184.33: /* Explanation */

2026-01-26T09:30:51Z

‎Explanation

@@ Line 29: / Line 29: @@
 :[Cueball is approaching Ponytail, who is sitting at a desk with a laptop, from off-screen.]
 :Cueball: Do you have an extension cord with prongs at both ends? Can I borrow it?
-:Ponytail: '''''No'''''!!!
+:Ponytail: '''''No!!!'''''
 :[Close up of Ponytail raising her arms in an exasperated fashion]

@@ Line 24: / Line 24: @@
 ''Any'' acid will tend to liberate chlorine from bleach, though vinegar is a relatively dilute solution of a weak acid (acetic acid). Other acidic household cleaning products, such as drain cleaners, would be much more dangerous to combine with bleach, but generally come with explicit warnings about avoiding this. In contrast, a bucket of vinegar (while an unusual request, in this particular case) could present the same kind of threat, albeit at a lower level, without being commonly associated with that danger. As such, the theme of the title text appears to be "innocuous-appearing supplies which are actually quite hazardous". Ponytail, being both a more knowledgeable person ''and'' intimately familiar with [[:Category:Cueball's computer problems|Cueball's error prone nature]], easily imagines enough of the various unfortunate circumstances that could arise, possibly [[2950: Situation|in combination]].
 ==Transcript==
@@ Line 48: / Line 45: @@
 :Cueball: I need it to help hold up the top half of the reflector for this plutonium core that I'm-
 :Ponytail: '''''AAAAAAAA!!!!'''''
 {{comic discussion}}<noinclude>

@@ Line 24: / Line 24: @@
 ''Any'' acid will tend to liberate chlorine from bleach, though vinegar is a relatively dilute solution of a weak acid (acetic acid). Other acidic household cleaning products, such as drain cleaners, would be much more dangerous to combine with bleach, but generally come with explicit warnings about avoiding this. In contrast, a bucket of vinegar (while an unusual request, in this particular case) could present the same kind of threat, albeit at a lower level, without being commonly associated with that danger. As such, the theme of the title text appears to be "innocuous-appearing supplies which are actually quite hazardous". Ponytail, being both a more knowledgeable person ''and'' intimately familiar with [[:Category:Cueball's computer problems|Cueball's error prone nature]], easily imagines enough of the various unfortunate circumstances that could arise, possibly [[2950: Situation|in combination]].
 ==Transcript==
@@ Line 45: / Line 48: @@
 :Cueball: I need it to help hold up the top half of the reflector for this plutonium core that I'm-
 :Ponytail: '''''AAAAAAAA!!!!'''''
 {{comic discussion}}<noinclude>

@@ Line 45: / Line 45: @@
 :Cueball: I need it to help hold up the top half of the reflector for this plutonium core that I'm-
 :Ponytail: '''''AAAAAAAA!!!!'''''
 {{comic discussion}}<noinclude>

@@ Line 12: / Line 12: @@
 {{incomplete|This page was created by THE EXTENSION CORD FROM COMIC #[[509]]. Don't remove this notice too soon.}}
-This comic begins with [[Cueball]] approaching [[Ponytail]] at her desk, asking to borrow an {{w|extension cord}} with prongs at both ends. Ponytail is horrified by the idea because this design of extension cord, often nicknamed as a {{wiktionary|suicide cable}} is [https://www.consumerreports.org/home-garden/generators/why-suicide-extension-cords-are-so-dangerous-a1189731437/ lethally dangerous] (though it does have some occasional practical uses). It is, at the very least, likely to cause a short circuit and quite possibly a fire when misused, if not pose a more direct electrocution threat to people.
+This comic begins with [[Cueball]] approaching [[Ponytail]] at her desk, asking to borrow an {{w|extension cord}} with prongs at both ends. Ponytail is horrified by the idea because this design of extension cord, often nicknamed as a {{wiktionary|suicide cable}}, is [https://www.consumerreports.org/home-garden/generators/why-suicide-extension-cords-are-so-dangerous-a1189731437/ lethally dangerous] (though it does have some occasional practical uses). It is, at the very least, likely to cause a short circuit and quite possibly a fire when misused, if not pose a more direct electrocution threat to people.
 Ponytail seems to relax when she persuades Cueball to use a regular extension cord instead, but he then elaborates that, rather than wanting the cord to carry electricity, he actually intends to use it as some kind of support prop. He thinks the plug prongs at each end are suitable for fixing the cable between two nearby wall-sockets, anchoring the cable as a makeshift tether to support something even more dangerous: a neutron reflector above a {{w|plutonium}} core. Based on his description, his setup appears to be a recreation of Louis Slotin's infamous "{{w|demon core}}" or "tickling the dragon's tail" experiment, with the extension cord replacing Slotin's flat-head screwdriver, an experiment {{w|Slotin#Criticality accident|that proved fatal for Slotin}}. Understandably, this horrifies Ponytail even more.

@@ Line 12: / Line 12: @@
 {{incomplete|This page was created by THE EXTENSION CORD FROM COMIC #[[509]]. Don't remove this notice too soon.}}
-This comic begins with [[Cueball]] approaching [[Ponytail]] at her desk, asking to borrow an {{w|extension cord}} with prongs at both ends. Ponytail immediately replies with a horrified "NO!!!" This design of extension cord, often nicknamed as a {{wiktionary|suicide cable}}, has some occasional practical uses but is also [https://www.consumerreports.org/home-garden/generators/why-suicide-extension-cords-are-so-dangerous-a1189731437/ lethally dangerous], as Ponytail rightly points out. It is, at the very least, likely to cause a short circuit and quite possibly a fire when misused, if not pose a more direct electrocution threat to people.
+This comic begins with [[Cueball]] approaching [[Ponytail]] at her desk, asking to borrow an {{w|extension cord}} with prongs at both ends. Ponytail is horrified by the idea because this design of extension cord, often nicknamed as a {{wiktionary|suicide cable}} is [https://www.consumerreports.org/home-garden/generators/why-suicide-extension-cords-are-so-dangerous-a1189731437/ lethally dangerous] (though it does have some occasional practical uses). It is, at the very least, likely to cause a short circuit and quite possibly a fire when misused, if not pose a more direct electrocution threat to people.
 Ponytail seems to relax when she persuades Cueball to use a regular extension cord instead, but he then elaborates that, rather than wanting the cord to carry electricity, he actually intends to use it as some kind of support prop. He thinks the plug prongs at each end are suitable for fixing the cable between two nearby wall-sockets, anchoring the cable as a makeshift tether to support something even more dangerous: a neutron reflector above a {{w|plutonium}} core. Based on his description, his setup appears to be a recreation of Louis Slotin's infamous "{{w|demon core}}" or "tickling the dragon's tail" experiment, with the extension cord replacing Slotin's flat-head screwdriver, an experiment {{w|Slotin#Criticality accident|that proved fatal for Slotin}}. Understandably, this horrifies Ponytail even more.
@@ Line 18: / Line 18: @@
 This is the third comic to reference the "demon core" experiment, after [[1242: Scary Names]] and [[2593: Deviled Eggs]].
-The title text innocently mentions other severe hazards… though arguably none as serious as the radiation hazard.
+The title text innocently mentions other severe hazards (though arguably none as serious as the radiation hazard).
-* Loose flour is a well known fire hazard and the key to a {{w|Dust explosion|flour-air explosion}}; 50 bags of it plus some way to get it into the air could blow up a sizable building.
+* Loose flour is a well known fire hazard and the key to a {{w|Dust explosion|flour-air explosion}}; 50 bags of it, plus some way to get it into the air, could blow up a sizable building.
-* Lithium batteries are well known fire hazards when overcharged, which is why airport security restricts them from checked luggage. There have been numerous fires caused by the lithium batteries in "hoverboards", leading to them often being banned in cities and airports, and by retailers who might otherwise sell them. A pile of them might be overkill, but if charged in parallel (series probably wouldn't work as well), could cause a noticeable explosion or fire once one of them hit its limit.
+* Lithium batteries are well-known fire hazards when overcharged, which is why airport security restricts them from checked luggage. There have been numerous fires caused by the lithium batteries in "hoverboards", leading to them often being banned in cities and airports, and by retailers who might otherwise sell them. A pile of them might be overkill, but if charged in parallel (series probably wouldn't work as well), could cause a noticeable explosion or fire once one of them hit its limit.
 * While vinegar and bleach aren't a particular fire hazard by themselves, when combined they do release chlorine gas, which is lethal.