Editing 1590: The Source
Warning: You are not logged in. Your IP address will be publicly visible if you make any edits. If you log in or create an account, your edits will be attributed to your username, along with other benefits.
The edit can be undone.
Please check the comparison below to verify that this is what you want to do, and then save the changes below to finish undoing the edit.
| Latest revision | Your text | ||
| Line 8: | Line 8: | ||
==Explanation== | ==Explanation== | ||
| − | This comic is about experiencing a high pitched hum in an empty room. An "empty-room hum" is a high pitched buzzing noise | + | This comic is about experiencing a high pitched hum in an empty room. It refers to the title text in comic [[597: Addiction]]. An "empty-room hum" is a high pitched buzzing noise, which [http://wiki.answers.com/Q/What_is_the_high_pitched_humming_sound_often_heard_in_an_otherwise_empty_and_silent_room it is suggested] results from the brain increasing its sensitivity to noises. |
Sometimes not everyone can hear "empty-room hum"; however, those who can hear it usually find it immensely annoying. If you do hear the noise, you would like to locate '''The Source''' – hence the title of the comic. Hopefully when you find the source, you can do something about it. Or if you don't find it, you can at least be at ease knowing that others experience the empty-room hum, it having been referenced in two xkcd comics now and [http://wiki.answers.com/Q/What_is_the_high_pitched_humming_sound_often_heard_in_an_otherwise_empty_and_silent_room elsewhere] on the internet. | Sometimes not everyone can hear "empty-room hum"; however, those who can hear it usually find it immensely annoying. If you do hear the noise, you would like to locate '''The Source''' – hence the title of the comic. Hopefully when you find the source, you can do something about it. Or if you don't find it, you can at least be at ease knowing that others experience the empty-room hum, it having been referenced in two xkcd comics now and [http://wiki.answers.com/Q/What_is_the_high_pitched_humming_sound_often_heard_in_an_otherwise_empty_and_silent_room elsewhere] on the internet. | ||
| Line 14: | Line 14: | ||
This comic alludes to the perspective of an outside observer who doesn't hear the hum but is watching someone who can hear it: because the sound isn't written out in text, the comic reader at first is confused by Cueball's inexplicable searching. | This comic alludes to the perspective of an outside observer who doesn't hear the hum but is watching someone who can hear it: because the sound isn't written out in text, the comic reader at first is confused by Cueball's inexplicable searching. | ||
| − | In the first two frames of the comic we see [[Cueball]] trying to locate the direction of the sound, by standing in the middle of the room, turning his head from one to the other side. Finally he walks down a flight of stairs (probably to the basement) and here he locates the source: A machine whose only function is to generate a high pitched hum. The title text asks why they had such a machine in the first place, which is somewhat difficult to explain and likely the crux of the title text's joke. | + | In the first two frames of the comic we see [[Cueball]] trying to locate the direction of the sound, by standing in the middle of the room, turning his head from one to the other side. Finally he walks down a flight of stairs (probably to the basement) and here he locates the source: A machine whose only function is to generate a high pitched hum. The title text asks why on Earth they had such a machine in the first place, which is somewhat difficult to explain and likely the crux of the title text's joke. |
Luckily it was thus easy for Cueball to get rid of this sound at the source. But in real life most electronics generate hums and cannot reasonably be turned off without losing functionality. For instance fluorescent lights, phone chargers and computer modems are common culprits, refrigerators and washing machines less commonly. It could also come from outside the house, in which case it will be much harder either to locate the source or to do anything about it. Power lines and transformers are common outside sources. | Luckily it was thus easy for Cueball to get rid of this sound at the source. But in real life most electronics generate hums and cannot reasonably be turned off without losing functionality. For instance fluorescent lights, phone chargers and computer modems are common culprits, refrigerators and washing machines less commonly. It could also come from outside the house, in which case it will be much harder either to locate the source or to do anything about it. Power lines and transformers are common outside sources. | ||
| Line 20: | Line 20: | ||
There do, however, exist devices that are meant to create a high pitched hum, that people might wish to install in their house. These will be humming in the {{w|ultrasound|ultrasonic}} regions, although cheap versions can often be heard by young people. They are typically used for {{w|Electronic_pest_control#Ultrasonic|electronic pest control}}, while slightly lower frequencies which can typically be heard only by young people are sometimes used to {{w|The Mosquito|repel children}}. It is possible that someone tried to get rid of Cueball. | There do, however, exist devices that are meant to create a high pitched hum, that people might wish to install in their house. These will be humming in the {{w|ultrasound|ultrasonic}} regions, although cheap versions can often be heard by young people. They are typically used for {{w|Electronic_pest_control#Ultrasonic|electronic pest control}}, while slightly lower frequencies which can typically be heard only by young people are sometimes used to {{w|The Mosquito|repel children}}. It is possible that someone tried to get rid of Cueball. | ||
| − | There do exist {{w|white noise}} generators (which make equal volume noise on every frequency) and {{w|pink noise}} generators (which make noise that | + | There do exist {{w|white noise}} generators (which make equal volume noise on every frequency) and {{w|pink noise}} generators (which make noise that sounds equally loud to the human ear at every frequency) which are used to test recording studios to see if they have good sound quality. It seems unlikely that the device is one of these, as it seems to be designed to generate a high-pitched hum: pink/white noises are categorically and perceptually different from a hum. |
| − | + | The empty white room is also likely a reference to a scene from [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Matrix The Matrix] in which Neo searches for "The Source," though this could just be a coincidence. | |
| − | |||
| − | The empty white room also | ||
| − | |||
| − | |||
| − | |||
| − | |||
==Transcript== | ==Transcript== | ||
| Line 49: | Line 43: | ||
:[Cueball walks away from the machine, the plug now lying on the floor between the wall and the machine.] | :[Cueball walks away from the machine, the plug now lying on the floor between the wall and the machine.] | ||
:High pitched hum generator | :High pitched hum generator | ||
| − | |||
| − | |||
| − | |||
| − | |||
{{comic discussion}} | {{comic discussion}} | ||
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]] | [[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]] | ||
