# ­xkcd thread **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Tags:** comic-strips\ **Created:** [May 28, 2020, 12:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/xkcd-thread/854574 "2020-05-28T00:57:03Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 125
**Author:** ![TroutMan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/troutman/32/6721_2.png) [@TroutMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TroutMan)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2023, 5:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/xkcd-thread/854574/2483 "2023-10-19T17:02:20Z")
Hippopotamus Oath: First, CHOMP CHOMP CHOMP! ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2023, 10:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/xkcd-thread/854574/2484 "2023-10-19T22:32:59Z")
The roundabout is a lot less disastrous (though wastes a lot of space) if you assume that, like most roundabouts, it’s British. ---
**Author:** ![dtilque](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/d6d6ee/32.png) [@dtilque](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dtilque)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2023, 11:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/xkcd-thread/854574/2485 "2023-10-19T23:08:27Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > you assume that, like most roundabouts, it’s British. It’s going around the wrong way for Britain. Furthermore, there’s no one country that has most of the roundabouts. The country with the most is France with the UK number two and Spain number three. However, If you go by per capita, the order is France, Spain, UK. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2023, 11:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/xkcd-thread/854574/2486 "2023-10-19T23:30:16Z")
It’s definitely going around the wrong way for the US, because if you’re driving on the right, you end up crashing into the middle. But if you’re driving on the left, you avoid that fate. It does still have oddities like a single entrance lane and two exit lanes, but those are minor matters compared with the inspiral. ---
**Author:** ![74westy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/74westy/32/3950_2.png) [@74westy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/74westy)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2023, 11:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/xkcd-thread/854574/2487 "2023-10-19T23:32:46Z")
Not that I should be justifying a design that was made as a joke but, you know it’s possible to change lanes, right? ---
**Author:** ![Toxgoddess](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/f08c70/32.png) [@Toxgoddess](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Toxgoddess)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2023, 11:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/xkcd-thread/854574/2488 "2023-10-19T23:33:29Z")
Hypothermic Oath: First, go put on a sweater. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2023, 12:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/xkcd-thread/854574/2489 "2023-10-20T00:06:20Z")
> [@74westy](#): > > Not that I should be justifying a design that was made as a joke but, you know it’s possible to change lanes, right? [But of course](https://xkcd.com/2728/). ---
**Author:** ![gnoitall](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/bb73d2/32.png) [@gnoitall](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gnoitall)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2023, 12:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/xkcd-thread/854574/2490 "2023-10-20T00:08:11Z")
Hypodermic Oath: First, GET YOUR DAMN COVID SHOT. ---
**Author:** ![dtilque](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/d6d6ee/32.png) [@dtilque](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dtilque)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2023, 1:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/xkcd-thread/854574/2491 "2023-10-20T01:00:38Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > It’s definitely going around the wrong way for the US, because if you’re driving on the right, you end up crashing into the middle. The Yield signs are on the two-lane entrances. You can tell because of the row of triangles on those lanes. And crashing in the middle is a feature for this roundabout. ---
**Author:** ![Northern\_Piper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/northern_piper/32/5304_2.png) [@Northern\_Piper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Northern_Piper)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2023, 1:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/xkcd-thread/854574/2492 "2023-10-20T01:25:02Z")
Aside: I was driving in Scotland and made a bad mistake on a big roundabout; cut off another vehicle, followed by a squeal of tires. Pulled into a car park to try to figure out where I needed to go. Realised that the car I cut off had followed me in, and two angry young Scotsmen were running over to have it out with me. Rolled down my window when they got to me and said, “I’m really sorry for that, guys.” They looked at each other, one said, “Bloody Yanks!” and they stormed off. I didn’t correct them as to nationality. Quite content to leave the episode dumped on the pile of “Bloody Yankee tourists.” ---
**Author:** ![abcdefghij](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/43a26b/32.png) [@abcdefghij](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/abcdefghij)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2023, 8:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/xkcd-thread/854574/2493 "2023-10-20T08:30:57Z")
> [@Northern\_Piper](#): > > I didn’t correct them as to nationality. Quite content to leave the episode dumped on the pile of “Bloody Yankee tourists.” And here we see that America’s entire reputation abroad is due to duplicitous Canadians. ---
**Author:** ![Northern\_Piper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/northern_piper/32/5304_2.png) [@Northern\_Piper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Northern_Piper)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2023, 12:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/xkcd-thread/854574/2494 "2023-10-21T00:30:56Z")
I was prepared to take that hit. ---
**Author:** ![dtilque](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/d6d6ee/32.png) [@dtilque](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dtilque)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2023, 2:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/xkcd-thread/854574/2495 "2023-10-21T02:23:34Z")
> **[Black Holes vs Regular Holes](https://xkcd.com/2844/)** > > Created by the collapse of: \[massive stars\] \[Florida limestone bedrock\] ---
**Author:** ![Teuton](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/teuton/32/3864_2.png) [@Teuton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Teuton)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2023, 6:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/xkcd-thread/854574/2496 "2023-10-21T06:04:50Z")
Does the LHC create regular holes? ---
**Author:** ![TroutMan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/troutman/32/6721_2.png) [@TroutMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TroutMan)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2023, 9:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/xkcd-thread/854574/2497 "2023-10-21T09:19:17Z")
It’s built in an underground tunnel. ---
**Author:** ![Teuton](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/teuton/32/3864_2.png) [@Teuton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Teuton)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2023, 9:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/xkcd-thread/854574/2498 "2023-10-21T09:20:49Z")
Well, yes, but the LHC itself didn’t make that. It’s pedantic, I grant you, but this is XKCD ---
**Author:** ![Peter\_Morris](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/peter_morris/32/359_2.png) [@Peter\_Morris](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peter_Morris)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2023, 11:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/xkcd-thread/854574/2499 "2023-10-21T11:39:42Z")
[Protecting the LHC from itself](https://www.symmetrymagazine.org/article/december-2007/protecting-lhc-itself?language_content_entity=und) > [@](#): > > Each hair-thin beam of protons that races around the Large Hadron Collider contains as much energy as a locomotive going 200 kilometers per hour. When it’s time to shut the machine down, that energy—so concentrated that it could drill a hole in any material—must be safely absorbed. > … > But first the beam has to be diffused, because in its compressed form it would drill a hole tens of meters long in any material. > … > In 2003, two-thirds of the superconducting magnets in the Tevatron’s six-kilometer ring quenched at the same time. The beam drilled a hole in one collimator and created a 30-centimeter groove in another. ---
**Author:** ![DesertDog](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/desertdog/32/11503_2.png) [@DesertDog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DesertDog)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2023, 8:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/xkcd-thread/854574/2500 "2023-10-22T08:18:39Z")
> [@Northern\_Piper](#): > > I was prepared to take that hit. But not from a couple Scotsmen, I see. ---
**Author:** ![Northern\_Piper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/northern_piper/32/5304_2.png) [@Northern\_Piper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Northern_Piper)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2023, 9:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/xkcd-thread/854574/2501 "2023-10-22T09:41:24Z")
Quite. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2023, 4:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/xkcd-thread/854574/2502 "2023-10-22T16:08:46Z")
Are we sure? He never specified how they eat their porridge. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/xkcd-thread/854574.md?page=124) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/xkcd-thread/854574.md?page=126)