2011-10-04
Explanation
This comic presents a formal logical proof that USB cables exist in four-dimensional space, based on the universally relatable frustration of trying to plug in a USB cable. The comic shows a sequence: you try to insert a cable into a slot and it does not fit. You rotate it 180 degrees. It still does not fit. You rotate it 180 degrees again -- which should return it to its original orientation -- and now it enters the slot. The conclusion: "PROVED: Cables exist in 4-dimensional space."
The joke captures the uncanny experience that virtually everyone has had with USB Type-A connectors, which are not rotationally symmetric (they only fit one way) but are shaped in a way that makes it nearly impossible to tell which way is correct by feel. The comic presents this as a genuine logical paradox: if you try orientation A and it fails, then try orientation B (rotated 180 degrees) and it fails, and then try orientation A again and it succeeds, the cable must have been rotating through a fourth spatial dimension that we cannot perceive. It is a humorous application of mathematical reasoning to everyday frustration.
The votey panel extends the joke by showing a coordinate system with the standard x, y, and z axes plus additional arrows, one of which is labeled "fits in the goddamn slot" -- suggesting this is the mysterious fourth dimension that USB cables secretly inhabit.