My Geek Credentials

 

I was perusing, and enjoying, The Week In Pictures at Power Line when I encountered the image below.  It produced the only audible chuckle of the entire post. I’m a geek. Case closed.

If you don’t understand the humor, you’re normal.  Lucky you.

Published in Humor
This post was promoted to the Main Feed by a Ricochet Editor at the recommendation of Ricochet members. Like this post? Want to comment? Join Ricochet’s community of conservatives and be part of the conversation. Join Ricochet for Free.

There are 71 comments.

Become a member to join the conversation. Or sign in if you're already a member.
  1. The Reticulator Member
    The Reticulator
    @TheReticulator

    Very good. Even the nose grows, but the cartoonist missed the opportunity to produce a W.C. Fields nose to match the car color.  Maybe in a larger format.  

    • #1
  2. Gary Robbins Member
    Gary Robbins
    @GaryRobbins

    I don’t get it.  Sorry.

    • #2
  3. The Reticulator Member
    The Reticulator
    @TheReticulator

    Gary Robbins (View Comment):

    I don’t get it. Sorry.

    Clue: It’s the same car in both panels.

    • #3
  4. Mrs. Ink Inactive
    Mrs. Ink
    @MrsInk

    Gary Robbins (View Comment):

    I don’t get it. Sorry.

    Google “Doppler”

    • #4
  5. Gary Robbins Member
    Gary Robbins
    @GaryRobbins

    The Reticulator (View Comment):

    Gary Robbins (View Comment):

    I don’t get it. Sorry.

    Clue: It’s the same car in both panels.

    Relativity?

    • #5
  6. Arahant Member
    Arahant
    @Arahant

    Doppler shift, Gary.

    And, yes, I find it funny, too.

    • #6
  7. Gary McVey Contributor
    Gary McVey
    @GaryMcVey

    Gary Robbins (View Comment):

    The Reticulator (View Comment):

    Gary Robbins (View Comment):

    I don’t get it. Sorry.

    Clue: It’s the same car in both panels.

    Relativity?

    Red shift is (like I would know) the same principle as the way a fast moving train’s horn or bell appears to shift tone as it approaches and then leaves where you’re standing. “dingdingDingDINGDINGDingdongdongdong…”

    • #7
  8. Randy Webster Inactive
    Randy Webster
    @RandyWebster

    If it were going fast enough for the doppler shift to matter, the onlooker wouldn’t even see it.

    • #8
  9. JoelB Member
    JoelB
    @JoelB

    Yeah, I got it, but more like the groan of a bad pun than an audible chuckle.

    • #9
  10. Gary Robbins Member
    Gary Robbins
    @GaryRobbins

    Oh.

    • #10
  11. She Member
    She
    @She

    Arahant (View Comment):

    Doppler shift, Gary.

    And, yes, I find it funny, too.

    Arahant (View Comment):

    Doppler shift, Gary.

    And, yes, I find it funny, too.

    Nice to see you.  Happy and Blessed Easter.  And yes, Doppler.  Although I had to think for a minute.

    Have to confess that my first reaction was, “Oh, no.  Not another of those “What color is this [fill in the blank]” Internet things.

    • #11
  12. Seawriter Contributor
    Seawriter
    @Seawriter

    The color is not the only clue. The length of the car is also.

    • #12
  13. Steve C. Member
    Steve C.
    @user_531302

    Gary Robbins (View Comment):

    Oh.

    Don’t beat yourself up, Gary. It took me five minutes to get it.

    Hmmmm…what?

    Science joke? Maybe? Yeah.

    But why?

    Oh, color change! (I missed the elongated nose)

    Something change?

    Something shift?

    Doppler!

    Groan.

    • #13
  14. Gary Robbins Member
    Gary Robbins
    @GaryRobbins

    What does this have to do with Trump?

    .

    .

    .

    .

    .

    (Just kidding.  Thank you for the break from Trump, Mueller and all of the rest of that stuff.)

    (Actually, could we be going through the Doppler Effect with Trump, etc.  That the sound of a siren and sight of an ambulance shift as they go beyond the observer?  That our perception shifts?  And that neither observer is per se, wrong?  Humm.  Deep thoughts on an early Easter morning.)

    • #14
  15. Stad Coolidge
    Stad
    @Stad

    The physics of light – red shift and blue shift.

    • #15
  16. danok1 Member
    danok1
    @danok1

    Stad (View Comment):

    The physics of light – red shift and blue shift.

    I think those of us with a more technical education (my undergrad degree is from Stevens Tech) got it immediately.

    • #16
  17. TGR9898 Inactive
    TGR9898
    @TedRudolph

    Gary McVey (View Comment):

    Gary Robbins (View Comment):

    The Reticulator (View Comment):

    Gary Robbins (View Comment):

    I don’t get it. Sorry.

    Clue: It’s the same car in both panels.

    Relativity?

    Red shift is (like I would know) the same principle as the way a fast moving train’s horn or bell appears to shift tone as it approaches and then leaves where you’re standing. “dingdingDingDINGDINGDingdongdongdong…”

    As I looked at the picture, in my head I automatically overlayed the Doppler shifting sound of the engine.

    • #17
  18. Henry Racette Member
    Henry Racette
    @HenryRacette

    I liked it, though thought it weirdly out of place in the photo stream. (I look forward to Hayward’s weekly cartoon collection.) Has relativity been in the news lately, and I missed it? Maybe because of the recent black hole pictures?

    Whatever: it’s a safe bet that the driver is exceeding the speed limit — at least for what appears to be a residential neighborhood.

    • #18
  19. Steve C. Member
    Steve C.
    @user_531302

    TGR9898 (View Comment):

    Gary McVey (View Comment):

    Gary Robbins (View Comment):

    The Reticulator (View Comment):

    Gary Robbins (View Comment):

    I don’t get it. Sorry.

    Clue: It’s the same car in both panels.

    Relativity?

    Red shift is (like I would know) the same principle as the way a fast moving train’s horn or bell appears to shift tone as it approaches and then leaves where you’re standing. “dingdingDingDINGDINGDingdongdongdong…”

    As I looked at the picture, in my head I automatically overlayed the Doppler shifting sound of the engine.

    Stirring from some far disused corner of my memory, I could hear and see my astronomy prof explaining how one could tell how stars were moving relative to an observer. 

    • #19
  20. Qoumidan Coolidge
    Qoumidan
    @Qoumidan

    It took me several minutes but I did get it without looking it up.  I’m proud of myself:)

    • #20
  21. Steve C. Member
    Steve C.
    @user_531302

    Qoumidan (View Comment):

    It took me several minutes but I did get it without looking it up. I’m proud of myself:)

    I too was proud I puzzled it out. Now if I can just find my wallet.

    • #21
  22. Saxonburg Member
    Saxonburg
    @Saxonburg

    Saw that yesterday.    Originally thought it was some kind of red pill/blue pill reference, but that didn’t make sense.  I didn’t get it until I read “I’m a geek” in Terry’s post.  Oh…red shift.

    Hayward often has some good subtle sciency cartoons in TWIP.   Overall, I thought yesterday’s compendium was relatively weak compared to his usual great job, but I still appreciated it.  Especially Diana Rigg.

    • #22
  23. Steve C. Member
    Steve C.
    @user_531302

    Saxonburg (View Comment):
    Especially Diana Rigg

    Oh, Mrs. Peel.

    Memories!

    • #23
  24. DonG Coolidge
    DonG
    @DonG

    Not funny, because the panels don’t demonstrate that it is the same car.  A license plate would help.   It is a cartoon, so it is not intuitive to assume anything from elongation of the wheels.  Maybe on the opening slide of an astrophysics presentation, there would be some context. 

    • #24
  25. The Reticulator Member
    The Reticulator
    @TheReticulator

    DonG (View Comment):

    Not funny, because the panels don’t demonstrate that it is the same car. A license plate would help. It is a cartoon, so it is not intuitive to assume anything from elongation of the wheels. Maybe on the opening slide of an astrophysics presentation, there would be some context.

    It took me a minute to figure out the gag, most of that minute being spent in determining that it was the same car in both panels.

    • #25
  26. Phil Turmel Inactive
    Phil Turmel
    @PhilTurmel

    It got a chuckle out of me,too.  And my wife pops up with”what’s so funny?”

    I got one word out before she realized the deep breath ahead of it was trouble.  End of explanation.

    • #26
  27. Petty Boozswha Inactive
    Petty Boozswha
    @PettyBoozswha

    Gary Robbins (View Comment):

    Oh.

    I needed help too, even though I knew it was  the same car.

    • #27
  28. Terry Mott Member
    Terry Mott
    @TerryMott

    Seawriter (View Comment):

    The color is not the only clue. The length of the car is also.

    I think that’s why it got a chuckle out of me, that it included both red/blue shift and foreshortening/elongation.

    • #28
  29. OmegaPaladin Moderator
    OmegaPaladin
    @OmegaPaladin

    My first thought was “that is one hell of a speeding ticket”

    • #29
  30. Fritz Coolidge
    Fritz
    @Fritz

    First I had to overcome a brief flashback to Mr. Natural (sorry, I am of the Woodstock and R Crumb comix  generation) but then I got it. Yeah, it took a few extra seconds, but then, I was a Eng Lit major.

    Cheers!

    • #30
Become a member to join the conversation. Or sign in if you're already a member.