Talk:1637: Salt Mine

Explain xkcd: It's 'cause you're dumb.
Revision as of 16:42, 1 February 2016 by 162.158.152.89 (talk)
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I don't think that the exotic restaurants relate, here. As well, I think that Ponytail says "Yes, that is definitely why" because she is saying "Yes, we definitely built the detector here to block out cosmic rays, and definitely *not* to eat the delicious salt." You know what I mean? Thoughts? 173.245.54.21 06:46, 1 February 2016 (UTC)

I agree. The comment about restaurants only adds to the potential confusion around the comic. 108.162.216.59 08:05, 1 February 2016 (UTC)BK201

The science facility in a salt mine made me think of Portal 2. Now i'm wondering if the IMB served as an inspiration for Portal 2. 141.101.104.25 08:36, 1 February 2016 (UTC)

"The title text is intended to be absurd, and thus humorous." GLaDOS, is that you? (I can't help. As I read this sentence I imagined it spoken by GLaDOS...) Elektrizikekswerk (talk) 08:49, 1 February 2016 (UTC)

Could the salt eating be a reference to TOS: The Man Trap? 162.158.90.159 (talk) (please sign your comments with ~~~~)

Maybe "salt" should taste somewhat appropriate about flavor of subatomic particles and randomness (cryptography) too. Rotten Brain 162.158.150.221 14:35, 1 February 2016 (UTC)

Even assuming that's 'low grade' rock-salt, mostly inert rock, the intake would probably exceed the regulatory advice (6g/day over here, I think, but I'd have to look it up to be sure - and that's mostly used up/exceeded with the hidden salt in prepared meals!). I think that's because of the danger of the sodium excess (hence sodium-free salts, sometimes called "salt-free salt" as it has a different formula to NaCl, sold as being a healthier option). But raw salt ingestion like this would (assuming it doesn't already overload the tastebuds, perhaps because of an extremely over-riding craving?) likely also create problems of extreme and active dehydration... i.e. like being mummified from the inside-out.

I do know that there are cravings for minerals (coal, clays, chalk, etc), which can be life-long habits without too many apparent ill effects (perhaps tooth-wearing, primarily) - if not just a strange reaction to pregnancy. If anyone knows of a similarly extreme salt-craving, though, it would probably be worth linking it in so I'm not left thinking that it's a typical "taken to extremes" XKCD comic. 162.158.152.89 16:42, 1 February 2016 (UTC)