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We have an explanation for all 5 xkcd comics, and only 0 (0%) are incomplete. Help us finish them!
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| Toasting Marshmallows |
 Title text: We have two 'in case of fire, break glass' boxes, which you pick between based on how big of a problem the fire is. One has an extinguisher, and one has sticks, marshmallows, graham crackers, and chocolate. |
Explanation
Intensive, or even unintentional, testing of hardware can occasionally result in overloading components, sometimes leading to heat damage or even a resulting fire.
Engineers are, in this comic, being persuaded to fake any such errors in judgement out by pretending that any resulting fire is the deliberate aim, as in treating the burning equipment as a camp fire that they can roast marshmallows on sticks over.
Cueball and Megan's conversation indicates that this is what happened here. It also (rightly) raises the concern that burning PCBs, and likely other plastics, might not produce the healthiest types of smoke within which to hold foodstuffs intended for consumption.
The title text deals with equipment intended to be used in the case of a fire. One option is a fire extinguisher, the other is the aforementioned marshmallows, sticks and other traditional campfire foods as a 'fire exploiter'.
Toasting marshmallows in a lab environment has been previously referenced in XKCD 2514.
Transcript
- [A single panel showing Cueball and Megan sitting on the ground. Between them is a small fire built of what appears to be a burning circuit board. Both are holding long sticks with marshmallows on the end, roasting them over the flames.]
- Cueball: At least we finally determined the board's actual thermal limit.
- Ponytail: Yeah. You know, we probably shouldn't eat these.
- [Caption below the comic:]
- Engineering tip: Keep sticks and marshmallows around to make failures look intentional.
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