Difference between revisions of "Talk:1586: Keyboard Problems"

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The first sentence in the explaination currently: ''This comic is about how computer problems appear with no obvious cause. Even technically skilled people often find themselves powerless to diagnose the problem, and resort to tricks and quirks to solve or circumvent the problem without really understanding how or why the trick should work.'' refers to [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php/1479:_Troubleshooting 1479:Troubleshooting] not really this comic. I would consider striking. The comic is not about skilled people finding quirks to make things work; it is about those few 2.5%ers on the bell shaped curve who seem to always have the worst luck without any reprieve. This is also a plot point in the movie [https://www.amazon.com/gp/video/detail/B00KHL1VM8?ie=UTF8&keywords=frequencies&qid=1444059427&ref_=sr_1_1&sr=8-1 Frequencies]. Good movie - check it out! --[[User:R0hrshach|R0hrshach]] ([[User talk:R0hrshach|talk]]) 15:43, 5 October 2015 (UTC)
 
The first sentence in the explaination currently: ''This comic is about how computer problems appear with no obvious cause. Even technically skilled people often find themselves powerless to diagnose the problem, and resort to tricks and quirks to solve or circumvent the problem without really understanding how or why the trick should work.'' refers to [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php/1479:_Troubleshooting 1479:Troubleshooting] not really this comic. I would consider striking. The comic is not about skilled people finding quirks to make things work; it is about those few 2.5%ers on the bell shaped curve who seem to always have the worst luck without any reprieve. This is also a plot point in the movie [https://www.amazon.com/gp/video/detail/B00KHL1VM8?ie=UTF8&keywords=frequencies&qid=1444059427&ref_=sr_1_1&sr=8-1 Frequencies]. Good movie - check it out! --[[User:R0hrshach|R0hrshach]] ([[User talk:R0hrshach|talk]]) 15:43, 5 October 2015 (UTC)
  
I had a problem like this. It was a keyboard that would randomly input the string "welcome datacomp". I would end up with it in my documents. Here is a link to a usenet post about [that very problem](https://groups.google.com/forum/#!topic/alt.comp.virus/Ju2qiWBcdnk). I spent a lot of time trying to track down the "virus" until it followed me to another Mac at which time I figured out it was the keyboard.
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I had a problem like this. It was a keyboard that would randomly input the string "welcome datacomp". I would end up with it in my documents. Here is a link to a usenet post about [that very problem](https://groups.google.com/forum/#!topic/alt.comp.virus/Ju2qiWBcdnk). I spent a lot of time trying to track down the "virus" until it followed me to another Mac at which time I figured out it was the keyboard. {{unsigned ip|108.162.221.147}}

Revision as of 05:22, 6 October 2015

Possible reference to server problems comic? (1084) 162.158.90.210 (talk) (please sign your comments with ~~~~)

For a risk of sounding mundane, similar symptoms can occur with keyboard breadcrumb syndrome, when someone eats too much bread at the computer, and their keyboard keeps getting hit with crumbs. As said someone is unlikely to change their habits unless they're made aware of the true reason for their problem, it would indeed follow them from computer to computer (because they keep getting crumbs on keyboards), as well as on the same keyboard (because it's getting full of crumbs).
(Did I just make up the name "keyboard breadcrumb syndrome"? The syndrome itself must be common, but I couldn't think of any other name for it. Also, OTT purists will now probably come and start berating me for not using the word "leopard".) 141.101.80.59 09:38, 5 October 2015 (UTC)

Not just bread though, could be other foods. Like Doritos! XY007 (talk) 09:39, 5 October 2015 (UTC)
You do not want to see this keyboard I'm typing on (there's a lot of my hair in the gaps), that I've used so long that not only have some of the commoner keyfaces worn off, but the plastic has worn through to the voids beneath two of them ('S' and the down-cursor). But it works, and only I will ever use it.
OTOH, I've had to clean far newer desktop keyboards in the past that one could hear an 'avalanche' inside if you lifted it up and tilted it back and forth. Upon opening up the casing, this was proven to be small clear-white crystals, hypothesised as either refined sugar (e.g. from countless donuts, eaten at the keyboard, or perhaps sugar spilt on the way to a coffee cup) or salt (either food-grade salt, or accumulating from 'sweaty fingers'). No, no-one tried tasting it to determine which. If either! 141.101.98.159 22:20, 5 October 2015 (UTC)

Certainly a case of Pauli effect. 162.158.90.210 (talk) (please sign your comments with ~~~~)

This is also partly a reference older comics where Cueball faces wierd technical issues like in 1084:Server problem and 1316:Inexplicable

I do believe Randall draw it with Cueball's mysterious ability to break computers, but it seems something like badUSB exploit IMHO. While it's extremely difficult to perform, it attacks on firmware part of USB and it is possible to spread via USB *ports* and *devices* 162.158.6.169 13:39, 5 October 2015 (UTC)

"followed Cueball since his last computer" I don't think Cueball changed the keyboard. --199.27.133.160 15:31, 5 October 2015 (UTC)

This was my interpretation, actually. I thought the joke was that Cueball changed the computer expecting it to be a software issue when the problem was with the keyboard hardware itself. But then the last panel doesn't make as much sense. Enchantedsleeper (talk) 23:43, 5 October 2015 (UTC)

The first sentence in the explaination currently: This comic is about how computer problems appear with no obvious cause. Even technically skilled people often find themselves powerless to diagnose the problem, and resort to tricks and quirks to solve or circumvent the problem without really understanding how or why the trick should work. refers to 1479:Troubleshooting not really this comic. I would consider striking. The comic is not about skilled people finding quirks to make things work; it is about those few 2.5%ers on the bell shaped curve who seem to always have the worst luck without any reprieve. This is also a plot point in the movie Frequencies. Good movie - check it out! --R0hrshach (talk) 15:43, 5 October 2015 (UTC)

I had a problem like this. It was a keyboard that would randomly input the string "welcome datacomp". I would end up with it in my documents. Here is a link to a usenet post about [that very problem](https://groups.google.com/forum/#!topic/alt.comp.virus/Ju2qiWBcdnk). I spent a lot of time trying to track down the "virus" until it followed me to another Mac at which time I figured out it was the keyboard. 108.162.221.147 (talk) (please sign your comments with ~~~~)