# 1920's Death Ray--(help a geek ) **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [September 7, 2003, 6:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/1920s-death-ray-help-a-geek/200134 "2003-09-07T18:12:42Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 11\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![chappachula](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/d2c977/32.png) [@chappachula](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chappachula)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2003, 6:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/1920s-death-ray-help-a-geek/200134/1 "2003-09-07T18:12:42Z")
So what’s with this 1920’s death ray? A death ray joke shows up in half the threads here, and I just don’t get it. Why is everybody else having a good laugh? I know I’m a geek, a dork, an engineer, etc. But come on, fellow Dopers, have pity on me! Will somebody let me in on the joke, too? ---
**Author:** ![Q.E.D](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/51bf81/32.png) [@Q.E.D](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Q.E.D)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2003, 6:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/1920s-death-ray-help-a-geek/200134/2 "2003-09-07T18:20:40Z")
It started in a GQ thread about scalar weapons. It is no longer even slightly funny, IMO, and in fact is bordering on downright annoying at this point. ---
**Author:** ![AncientHumanoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ancienthumanoid/32/278_2.png) [@AncientHumanoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AncientHumanoid)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2003, 6:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/1920s-death-ray-help-a-geek/200134/3 "2003-09-07T18:33:20Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Q.E.D. \* > \*\*It started in a GQ thread about scalar weapons. It is no longer even slightly funny, IMO, and in fact is bordering on downright annoying at this point. \*\* 😛 [waving my [1920s style death ray](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?s=&threadid=202225) aropund in a vaguely menacing and highly erotic manner] ---
**Author:** ![dinoboy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/65b543/32.png) [@dinoboy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dinoboy)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2003, 7:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/1920s-death-ray-help-a-geek/200134/4 "2003-09-07T19:13:35Z")
Aw, c’mon, it’s a little funny still 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![fizzygoodmakefeelnice](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/8491ac/32.png) [@fizzygoodmakefeelnice](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fizzygoodmakefeelnice)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2003, 7:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/1920s-death-ray-help-a-geek/200134/5 "2003-09-07T19:34:02Z")
The actual death ray thing is not as annoying as all the threads that keep popping saying ‘Explain this 1920’s Style “Death Ray” thing to me!’ What I think we need is a 1920s Style Sticky. Or a Death Sticky. Or a slightly sticky 1920s style “Death Ray”. ---
**Author:** ![DreadCthulhu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/db5fbb/32.png) [@DreadCthulhu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DreadCthulhu)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2003, 9:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/1920s-death-ray-help-a-geek/200134/6 "2003-09-07T21:01:38Z")
Ah, they’re 1920’s style “Death Rays”. ---
**Author:** ![handy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/b5a626/32.png) [@handy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/handy)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2003, 10:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/1920s-death-ray-help-a-geek/200134/7 "2003-09-07T22:06:30Z")
Zap all ray topics! ---
**Author:** ![Horseflesh](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/horseflesh/32/7502_2.png) [@Horseflesh](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Horseflesh)\ **Post date:** [September 8, 2003, 12:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/1920s-death-ray-help-a-geek/200134/8 "2003-09-08T00:38:19Z")
[Link](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?s=&threadid=202225) to the culprit. ON the first page \*_Dogface_ (I think) posts “Ah, they’re 1920s-style Death Rays”, which accidently _quadruple-posts_. When read in succession it sounds (to me) like a talking Mad Scientist doll with a pull string and a young child pulling for all he’s worth. “Ah, they’re 1920s-style Death Rays”…“Ah, they’re 1920s-style…” ad nauseum. And now I see that a poster has actually changed his/her moniker to that phrase. ---
**Author:** ![wolf\_meister](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wolf_meister/32/15202_2.png) [@wolf\_meister](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wolf_meister)\ **Post date:** [September 8, 2003, 3:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/1920s-death-ray-help-a-geek/200134/9 "2003-09-08T03:13:21Z")
“1920’s Style Death Rays” postings are not as annoying (to me) as threads with vague titles - even though such thread descriptions are frowned upon (as well they should be) some still manage to slip through. For example, don’t you hate thread titles such as: “Can somone help me with this?” “Does anyone know the answer?” “Weird thing happened yesterday” “Did this ever happen to anyone else?” At least when you see a thread with 1920’s Style Death Rays in its title, you know it is NOT going to be about 17th Century Indonesuan Topsoil Management. ---
**Author:** ![DreadCthulhu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/db5fbb/32.png) [@DreadCthulhu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DreadCthulhu)\ **Post date:** [September 8, 2003, 3:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/1920s-death-ray-help-a-geek/200134/10 "2003-09-08T03:29:39Z")
But 1620’s style “Death Rays” were a crucial develpment in loosening up soil in Indonesia. ---
**Author:** ![wolf\_meister](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wolf_meister/32/15202_2.png) [@wolf\_meister](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wolf_meister)\ **Post date:** [September 8, 2003, 5:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/1920s-death-ray-help-a-geek/200134/11 "2003-09-08T05:36:16Z")
**DreadCthulhu** Wow I did not know that. Incredible. You learn something new every day. Now I have another item to add to my “Death Ray” collection of facts.