this post was submitted on 03 Jun 2026
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xkcd #3254: Detector

Title text:

No other experiment has a lower false negative rate.

Transcript:

Transcript will show once it’s been added to explainxkcd.com

Source: https://xkcd.com/3254/

explainxkcd for #3254

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[–] helpImTrappedOnline@lemmy.world 10 points 1 day ago (1 children)

If you can see the light has gone out, it just means the light bulb needs to be replaced.

So it's a "detector is working" detector

[–] Mika@piefed.ca 35 points 2 days ago

I'm working on analytics and monitors now, will save cause I'm sure I'll need this picture to prove a point

[–] JetpackJackson@feddit.org 10 points 2 days ago (1 children)

But can it detect detectors?

[–] homik@slrpnk.net 9 points 1 day ago (1 children)

A self-detecting sensor. Or an existence failure detector, if you use the inverting output.