# Fox Trot 4/16: I don't get it. **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [April 16, 2002, 6:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fox-trot-4-16-i-dont-get-it/103903 "2002-04-16T06:04:44Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 16\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Rilchiam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/2bfe46/32.png) [@Rilchiam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rilchiam)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2002, 6:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fox-trot-4-16-i-dont-get-it/103903/1 "2002-04-16T06:04:44Z")
[Fox Trot 4/16](http://www.ucomics.com/foxtrot/viewft.cfm?uc_full_date=20020416&uc_comic=ft&uc_daction=X). ---
**Author:** ![Fern\_Forest](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/71c47a/32.png) [@Fern\_Forest](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fern_Forest)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2002, 6:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fox-trot-4-16-i-dont-get-it/103903/2 "2002-04-16T06:06:21Z")
That they run there computer chips too fast and burn them into crisps? ---
**Author:** ![abel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/2acd7d/32.png) [@abel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/abel)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2002, 7:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fox-trot-4-16-i-dont-get-it/103903/3 "2002-04-16T07:06:11Z")
In other words, they don’t have computer “chips”, but rather computer “crisps”. When you overclock a computer chip (CPU) and don’t have adequate cooling, you’re going to end up with a computer crisp. I agree with you Rilchiam, that comic is pretty obtuse. ---
**Author:** ![Weirddave](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/919ad9/32.png) [@Weirddave](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Weirddave)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2002, 7:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fox-trot-4-16-i-dont-get-it/103903/4 "2002-04-16T07:21:58Z")
“Obscure” might be a better word. ---
**Author:** ![abel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/2acd7d/32.png) [@abel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/abel)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2002, 7:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fox-trot-4-16-i-dont-get-it/103903/5 "2002-04-16T07:30:48Z")
Gah! I knew there was something wrong with that post! Why oh why do I attempt to sound intelligent at 3:00 in the morning? Maybe I’m just being obtuse? ---
**Author:** ![Rilchiam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/2bfe46/32.png) [@Rilchiam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rilchiam)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2002, 7:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fox-trot-4-16-i-dont-get-it/103903/6 "2002-04-16T07:38:25Z")
Thank you. I just didn’t know what “overclock” meant. ---
**Author:** ![RTFirefly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c77e96/32.png) [@RTFirefly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RTFirefly)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2002, 12:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fox-trot-4-16-i-dont-get-it/103903/7 "2002-04-16T12:37:38Z")
Made sense to me right away. I love _Foxtrot_. ---
**Author:** ![Abe\_Babe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/3ab097/32.png) [@Abe\_Babe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Abe_Babe)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2002, 1:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fox-trot-4-16-i-dont-get-it/103903/8 "2002-04-16T13:05:41Z")
I am a computer moron (among other types of moron). I thought it was pretty funny right away. I still have no idea what ‘overclocking’ is, but it wasn’t too hard to figure out that it meant some kind of strain on the computer chip. ---
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2002, 1:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fox-trot-4-16-i-dont-get-it/103903/9 "2002-04-16T13:54:45Z")
> [@](#): > > “Obscure” might be a better word. Obscurity is in the mind of the beholder. ---
**Author:** ![RTFirefly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c77e96/32.png) [@RTFirefly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RTFirefly)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2002, 1:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fox-trot-4-16-i-dont-get-it/103903/10 "2002-04-16T13:59:53Z")
**overclock** _v.t._ To induce a device to run faster than its specified maximum speed. (Usu. used w.r.t. computer processor chips.) Source: _RT’s Instant Dictionary_, 2002. ---
**Author:** ![Tranquilis](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tranquilis/32/3639_2.png) [@Tranquilis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tranquilis)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2002, 2:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fox-trot-4-16-i-dont-get-it/103903/11 "2002-04-16T14:19:35Z")
Hey, it made sense to me right away. Overclock a cpu too much, and you’ll get a ‘crisp’, allright! Example [here](http://totl.net/Eunuch/index.html). ---
**Author:** ![Mojo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/85f322/32.png) [@Mojo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mojo)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2002, 2:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fox-trot-4-16-i-dont-get-it/103903/12 "2002-04-16T14:34:26Z")
Change “Pentium” to “Cyrix” and its a lot funnier. ---
**Author:** ![HeyHomie](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/heyhomie/32/207_2.png) [@HeyHomie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HeyHomie)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2002, 4:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fox-trot-4-16-i-dont-get-it/103903/13 "2002-04-16T16:57:44Z")
Submit it to [Comics I Don’t Understand](http://www.bickelboys.com/cidu.html). ---
**Author:** ![NardoPolo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/ecae2f/32.png) [@NardoPolo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NardoPolo)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2002, 9:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fox-trot-4-16-i-dont-get-it/103903/14 "2002-04-16T21:48:31Z")
But what’s the reference to the World Alminac at the end? “I checked the World Alminac and it didn’t say.” ---
**Author:** ![MandaJo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ac91a4/32.png) [@MandaJo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MandaJo)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2002, 10:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fox-trot-4-16-i-dont-get-it/103903/15 "2002-04-16T22:04:42Z")
> [@](#): > > But what’s the reference to the World Alminac at the end? I think the idea is that to Marcus and Jason, whether or not the English overclock their computers seems like the sort of basic, everyday knowledge that should be in an almanac, next to populaiton and major imports/exports. ---
**Author:** ![Rilchiam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/2bfe46/32.png) [@Rilchiam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rilchiam)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2002, 11:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fox-trot-4-16-i-dont-get-it/103903/16 "2002-04-16T23:43:28Z")
Mr. Rilch just pointed out the “Pulp Fiction” aspect of the strip: a salt-and-pepper duo discussing cultural differences in junk food nomenclature. Pretty sharp!