xkcd

by **Aeetlrcreejl** » Fri Jul 10, 2009 4:00 am UTC

Alt-text: 'This space intentionally left blank' is less immediately provocative but more Hofstadterially confusing.

This is the first time where I can say, "Randall, get out of my head".

by **rho421** » Fri Jul 10, 2009 4:02 am UTC

I'm going to need an alt-text explanation.

by **glasnt** » Fri Jul 10, 2009 4:02 am UTC

How can one be persecuted for writing in the 'Do not write in this space' space when there's already writing in the space?

by **suso** » Fri Jul 10, 2009 4:04 am UTC

This reminds me of signing the 10,000 pages for my mortgage (ugh!). At one point I joked that there would be a blank sheet of paper and they'd say "here, sign this blank sheet of paper. Sure enough, there was one. Not completely blank, but practically nothing on it, it was like a left over page from an extra space or something. :roll:

That was also the closing where the seller actually found out I was in IT and asked me a question about why his e-mail isn't working. That was annoying.

Website · by **Nasaniaru** » Fri Jul 10, 2009 4:04 am UTC

I'm afraid Randall is starting to run out of original material. He did a similar one involving number 3 pencils on scantron sheets, and this is not much different. For the first time Randall, not cool comic.

by **GodShapedBullet** » Fri Jul 10, 2009 4:07 am UTC

glasnt wrote:How can one be persecuted for writing in the 'Do not write in this space' space when there's already writing in the space?

That doesn't really make sense, glasnt.

It's not like if someone is lying on the road with a knife in their back you can't be persecuted for stabbing them.

by **poxic** » Fri Jul 10, 2009 4:07 am UTC

rho421 wrote:I'm going to need an alt-text explanation.

Douglas Hofstadter, I'm guessing. He wrote the books Godel, Escher, Bach and I Am a Strange Loop, among others. He likes recursion and paradox.

by **hthall** » Fri Jul 10, 2009 4:09 am UTC

rho421 wrote:I'm going to need an alt-text explanation.

[to repeat what the ninja just said . . .]

Douglas Hofstadter is the author of Gödel, Escher, Bach, a nerd cult classic that deals especially with the topic of self-reference. Hofstadter is brilliant, but he's also a little annoyingly aware of the fact, a circumstance under which it's hard not to self-refer.

He's light-years behind Wolfram in that regard, though. Hofstadter's book is actually readable.

by **Storm** » Fri Jul 10, 2009 4:09 am UTC

Kinda wants me to put...

Do not write posts after this one.*
*or else.

by **rho421** » Fri Jul 10, 2009 4:11 am UTC

Storm wrote:Kinda wants me to put...

Do not write posts after this one.

oops.

by **araveugnitsuga** » Fri Jul 10, 2009 4:12 am UTC

suso wrote:This reminds me of signing the 10,000 pages for my mortgage (ugh!). At one point I joked that there would be a blank sheet of paper and they'd say "here, sign this blank sheet of paper. Sure enough, there was one. Not completely blank, but practically nothing on it, it was like a left over page from an extra space or something.

That was also the closing where the seller actually found out I was in IT and asked me a question about why his e-mail isn't working. That was annoying.

You got lucky, the seller asked you for something very simple, I had to sign mine prescriptions for Malta Fever (I don't even know why he went to work), it was one of the wierdest moments of my life, and it happened thanks to my mom.

by **Linux0s** » Fri Jul 10, 2009 4:12 am UTC

Summer reruns: http://xkcd.com/499/

The reason for the do not mark areas is because some forms read both sides through the paper.

Don't make me rehash my scannable forms rant like I did for comic 499!

by **joee** » Fri Jul 10, 2009 4:13 am UTC

hi glasnt!

OP: fix the link pls

I always liked filling in circles on the extra lines on multiple choice exams (where you have an answer sheet)

by **samiam779** » Fri Jul 10, 2009 4:13 am UTC

He's probably referencing "Hofstadter's law" in particular, which was coined by Douglas Hofstadter:

"It always takes longer than you expect, even when you take into account Hofstadter's Law."

by **rocketman739** » Fri Jul 10, 2009 4:15 am UTC

I think I remember seeing what this is referring to. It's some sort of application form for being an artist or something--they want to know what your reaction is to such stimuli. This sound familiar to anyone?

by **nomulous** » Fri Jul 10, 2009 4:17 am UTC

samiam779 wrote:He's probably referencing "Hofstadter's law" in particular, which was coined by Douglas Hofstadter:

"It always takes longer than you expect, even when you take into account Hofstadter's Law."

Probably not, considering that particular quote of his isn't related in the least. Randall is just referencing Hofstadter in general, the paradoxical and the self-descriptive.

by **Zero51423** » Fri Jul 10, 2009 4:37 am UTC

Isn't anyone else even the least bit disturbed about the fact that there are cameras in that guy's house and a assault team ready to go should he write in the "do not write here" space.

Also, I'm wondering what happened to Hat Guy, we haven't seen him for awhile...

by **Random832** » Fri Jul 10, 2009 4:44 am UTC

rho421 wrote:
Storm wrote:Kinda wants me to put...

Do not write posts after this one.

oops.

I wrote this post before that one. I only posted it after it.

by **abyss666** » Fri Jul 10, 2009 4:47 am UTC

How much you want to bet that the guys with guns are the same ones that enforce the mattress tag warning labels. Just remember that there are always multiple cameras pointed at your bed whenever you sleep.

by **Minuet** » Fri Jul 10, 2009 4:49 am UTC

This is what a blank tab looks like on my browser.

How odd.

(Alt-text related.)

by **Eternal Density** » Fri Jul 10, 2009 4:54 am UTC

He must have written 'in this space' in the space, and they're the Pun Police.

by **aeris92** » Fri Jul 10, 2009 4:56 am UTC

hofstadwhat? stop making up words Randall.

by **glasnt** » Fri Jul 10, 2009 4:57 am UTC

GodShapedBullet wrote:
glasnt wrote:How can one be persecuted for writing in the 'Do not write in this space' space when there's already writing in the space?

That doesn't really make sense, glasnt.

It's not like if someone is lying on the road with a knife in their back you can't be persecuted for stabbing them.

Yeah, you don't make sense.

I'm saying that there's already writing/text in the space, so it's not like there not already stuff in there. Its like you see people jumping off a bridge but there's a 'no jumping' sign...

Hi joee

by **TheSkyMovesSideways** » Fri Jul 10, 2009 5:08 am UTC

Hehehe, he referenced The Hof.

by **RaginCrock** » Fri Jul 10, 2009 5:19 am UTC

Absolutely hilarious. Good job once again Randall.

by **Bobsama** » Fri Jul 10, 2009 5:20 am UTC

So wait I wasn't supposed to trick the scantron into thinking my test was the answer key? :shock:

by **Sir-Taco** » Fri Jul 10, 2009 5:22 am UTC

Seemed like a rerun to me, maybe a story from this? But eh, it is summer.

by **Norse** » Fri Jul 10, 2009 5:29 am UTC

This comic was supposed to be about Chrome OS.

Let me down Randal

by **DSDM** » Fri Jul 10, 2009 5:44 am UTC

abyss666 wrote:How much you want to bet that the guys with guns are the same ones that enforce the mattress tag warning labels. Just remember that there are always multiple cameras pointed at your bed whenever you sleep.

How did you know about my camer-- uh, ahem. Actually, the mattress labels are handled by a different agency. Tearing one of those suckers off will get you extraordinarily rendered. Don't bother listening for the black government helicopters, they'll be on whisper mode.

by **omgembee** » Fri Jul 10, 2009 5:50 am UTC

I could never resist the urge to draw a single, miniscule smiley face in those blank areas.

: )

by **TunezNZ** » Fri Jul 10, 2009 5:56 am UTC

In ncea the marker has to make note of any work you put down including on the intentionally blank pages

by **Random832** » Fri Jul 10, 2009 5:56 am UTC

Minuet wrote:This is what a blank tab looks like on my browser.

How odd.

What browser (it's definitely NOT firefox as-released) and what OS (looks like windows, if so what shell customizations) are that?

Also, damn you, i lost

(Alt-text related.)

What alt text? You linked to a jpeg directly.

by **Psycho Goose** » Fri Jul 10, 2009 5:58 am UTC

It has been a while since the cheese has literally burnt me, but it worked here.

Kinda hurts, actually, but yay -- cheeeese.

by **hotaru** » Fri Jul 10, 2009 6:01 am UTC

𝚃𝚑𝚒𝚜 𝚙𝚘𝚜𝚝 𝚒𝚗𝚝𝚎𝚗𝚝𝚒𝚘𝚗𝚊𝚕𝚕𝚢 𝚕𝚎𝚏𝚝 𝚋𝚕𝚊𝚗𝚔.

by **Benson** » Fri Jul 10, 2009 6:35 am UTC

Random832 wrote:
Minuet wrote:This is what a blank tab looks like on my browser.

How odd.

What browser (it's definitely NOT firefox as-released) and what OS (looks like windows, if so what shell customizations) are that?

I'd hazard a guess that this is responsible for the text: http://userstyles.org/styles/1441
The sleekness of the rest looks nice, though; I second the demand for info.

by **TheSkyMovesSideways** » Fri Jul 10, 2009 6:36 am UTC

abyss666 wrote:How much you want to bet that the guys with guns are the same ones that enforce the mattress tag warning labels. Just remember that there are always multiple cameras pointed at your bed whenever you sleep.

I remember being so confused, at about 8 years of age, watching Pee-wee's Big Adventure and seeing a character who had broken out of jail, explaining that he was locked up for cutting a do-not-remove label off a mattress. (My thoughts at the time: "You can go to jail in America for cutting off a mattress label? What the hell is wrong with that country??" :shock:

)

Wow, Pee-Wee Herman was arrested for publicly masturbating? I did not know that. Thanks Wikipedia!

by **dindon** » Fri Jul 10, 2009 6:42 am UTC

The alt-text reminded me of what's written on the extra sheets of compsci exams at our school: "This space intentionally left (mostly) blank". It always makes me smile.

by **cephalopod9** » Fri Jul 10, 2009 6:55 am UTC

Maybe he lucks out and only draws some pictures.

by **314159** » Fri Jul 10, 2009 6:57 am UTC

One of the reasons I love my current job is that I once got a form with a page saying "This page intentionally left blank. Apart from this writing."

by **Dew_N_O** » Fri Jul 10, 2009 7:02 am UTC

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cz2tOfbexpc

When did you learn you were a bad person. I did about an hour ago when I made this.

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