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Hardware Post #3391, on Jul 8, 2021 in TG

Power Strip Ethics Review

Why is this Hardware meme funny?

Level 1: The Extension Cord Loophole

This is like saying only a key and a lock belong together, but then someone shows a keychain that holds many locks and has a key attached. The simple rule suddenly gets confusing. The funny part is that the meme treats power plugs like they need a moral approval stamp.

Level 2: Plugs Need Matches

In hardware, connectors are designed to fit specific matching parts. A plug usually has metal pins. A socket or receptacle usually has holes or contacts that receive those pins. When they match correctly, electricity can flow through a safe path.

The image uses three cases:

Plug into socket: works as expected.
Plug into plug: does not normally make a safe or useful connection.
Socket into socket: also does not normally connect anything useful.

The power strip complicates the joke because it contains several sockets but also has a plug attached. That means it is an adapter-like device: it takes one wall connection and exposes several places to plug in devices.

For a newer developer, this is a physical version of interface compatibility. In software, a function expects arguments of certain shapes. In hardware, a connector expects a matching connector with the right shape and electrical properties. If the interfaces do not match, the system either fails to connect or becomes unsafe.

Level 3: Connector Morality Matrix

The image turns ordinary electrical compatibility into a mock rule system. On the left, a plug going into a wall socket is labeled:

Halal

while plug-to-plug and socket-to-socket pairings are labeled:

Haram

On the right, someone posts a power strip and asks:

Halal ?

The technical joke is that electrical connectors already have a strict compatibility model. A plug with protruding pins is designed to fit a receptacle with matching openings. That pairing is not about morality; it is about geometry, voltage, grounding, current rating, and safety. The meme borrows moral labels and applies them to connector "gender" in the most literal, overengineered way possible.

The power strip reply is what makes it work as hardware humor. A power strip has one male plug that connects to the wall and multiple female sockets that accept other plugs. It is both a consumer of power and a distributor of power, so it does not fit the cartoon's simple binary chart. The chart wants a clean rule: plug plus socket good, same plus same bad. The power strip says, "Nice taxonomy. Here is the real world."

There is also a real engineering edge under the absurdity. Plug-to-plug arrangements can be dangerous if they create exposed live pins. Socket-to-socket arrangements usually do not form a useful connection unless some other unsafe adapter is involved. Hardware standards exist because physical interfaces are contracts: shape, orientation, insulation, grounding, and rating all matter. The meme just pretends those contracts are being reviewed by a tiny ethics committee with a red switch.

Description

The image is a screenshot of social media posts about electrical plugs and outlets. On the left, a French tweet says "Pour remettre les choses dans l'ordre #LGBTQValentinesDay" above a chart labeling one plug-and-socket pairing "Halal" with a green check mark, then plug-to-plug and socket-to-socket pairings "Haram" with red X marks. On the right, another post by "CH @CH_Laval" asks "Halal ?" above a photo of a white power strip with three sockets, a red switch, and a plug. The technical joke is a visual pun on connector gender and compatibility, turning mundane electrical hardware into an over-literal rules engine.

Common Tags

Hardware ConsumerElectronics HardwareEngineering VisualPuns WordplayPuns LiteralInterpretation EngineeringHumor TechnicalAbsurdity InternetCulture MemeCulture

Comments

Anonymous ★ Top Pick IEC standards somehow survived decades without needing a moral compatibility matrix for extension cords.

Anonymous ★ Top Pick

IEC standards somehow survived decades without needing a moral compatibility matrix for extension cords.
@Dobreposhka 5y

yes
@boingo00 5y

Good
@kyrylo22 5y

Nope
Deleted Account 5y

I don't get what people try to say by those religious posts. It's kinda like somebody posts "Harry Potter (or other fantasy character) says LGBT rights"
1. @boymoderologist 5y
  
  alright, then, but why you are cock
  
  Deleted Account 5y
  
  Because you are a cunt
2. @RiedleroD 5y
  
  because there are people that will do anything to spread their message
  
  @pavloalpha 5y
  
  Hey pls I really hate sreggin could u spread my message
3. @Magilarp 5y
  
  TLDR it's just the author expressing their support for LGBT ppl through a fictional character. Or in JK rowling's case, their vitriol for trans people They ain't comparable. In the case of LGBT rights support from fantasy book characters, there's a real person (namely, the author of the book) expressing their support for LGBT rights through the character(s). It does not mean that LGBT people should NOT be a second class of citizens BECAUSE some book author said they support them. Then you have people who use religious texts as a reason for why LGBT people should not be given (the same) rights as non-LGBT people, which really is just a bullshit justification for such undemocratic actions. But in my opinion, despite that similarity, they are not equal in terms of harm, as not giving LGBT people the same rights as non LGBT people does far more harm than "granting" them because of authors expressing their support
  
  @mmddvg 5y
  
  it is more like author is supporting jerking off rather than LGBT
Deleted Account 5y

bruh
@darlan256 5y

why not, but I don't get it
@boymoderologist 5y

btw は actually writes as ha instead of wa
1. Deleted Account 5y
  
  Oh it's just a local meme
2. @kitbot256 5y
  
  just write it as は lol It is pronounced wa, and while technically you can write it in romaji as HA it is way more common to see "watashi wa" than "watashi ha" UPD: got confused. Thanks to @yuki0iq. Fixed.
  
  @sylfn 5y
  
  hatashi is incorrect, because 私＝わたし＝watashi
  
  @kitbot256 5y
  
  you are right
@eyyadman 5y

its halal lol, we are allowed up to four wives
1. Deleted Account 5y
  
  Lmao at first look i've misread it as "up to four waves"
2. @ZgGPuo8dZef58K6hxxGVj3Z2 5y
  
  Looool really?
  
  @eyyadman 5y
  
  yep 😂
  
  @ZgGPuo8dZef58K6hxxGVj3Z2 5y
  
  Well the definition of halal is pretty strange then (in my opinion)
  
  @eyyadman 5y
  
  ik but it is a bit more complicated than that, it is basically the only halal thing that is complicated like this
  
  @ZgGPuo8dZef58K6hxxGVj3Z2 5y
  
  Feel free to explain if you want. I am curious
  
  @eyyadman 5y
  
  well, in our religion, prophet Mohamed S.A.W said it is ok because it increases the amount of muslims, sooo yeah
  
  @RiedleroD 5y
  
  sometimes I wonder why every muslim is called mohammed, and then I remember that pretty much every western name is taken from our religious work as well…
  
  @eyyadman 5y
  
  yeah that is true
  
  @Dobreposhka 5y
  
  mayB in ur western yes, but if you see person in Russia with Bible's name it'll be very strange, except some exceptions
  
  @RiedleroD 5y
  
  russia isn't a western country
  
  @Dobreposhka 5y
  
  well, Christian
  
  @Zhenyokmsk 5y
  
  well biblical Russian names mostly fell out of fashion in recent decades, but they do exist and some of them are still popular. even more so, the names of Greek, Roman, and Slavic saints
  
  🌯 🇺🇦 5y
  
  Yeah sure, like Давид, Иван, Матвей, Даниил, Илья, never heard those right?
  
  @Assarbad 5y
  
  don't have Cyrillic keyboard now (and my Russian is rusty anyway), but Yosif, Maria, Katarina also belong into this group and to the best of my knowledge are or were in use in Russian at some point, right?
  
  🌯 🇺🇦 5y
  
  Absolutely
  
  @arpanetus 5y
  
  no, ivan is also biblical name derived from johann
  
  @arpanetus 5y
  
  as well as cyrill, andrey, yakov, etc
  
  @RiedleroD 5y
  
  what does S.A.W mean?
  
  @ProAbdulrahman 5y
  
  It's Arabic phrase “Sala Allah halih wasalm”
  
  @RiedleroD 5y
  
  I see, thanks
  
  @ZgGPuo8dZef58K6hxxGVj3Z2 5y
  
  Oh okay thats a good-ish reason
@nuntikov 5y

no
@GLXBX 5y

Pls, no
@youmil 5y

yes
@illia_sahaidak 5y

Well yes, but actually no
@ProAbdulrahman 5y

You’re welcome
@mmddvg 5y

don't jerk off
@RoadManiacBaba 5y

Nope
@dancemetalhead 5y

Nice
@Assarbad 5y

Well Ekatarina then 😁 ... but not sure it's biblical or some saint. Anna (form of Hannah) is biblical, though.
1. @RiedleroD 5y
  
  I think there are several saints called katharina (in the german bible), although I'd have to google that & I'm too lazy rn
  
  @ZgGPuo8dZef58K6hxxGVj3Z2 5y
  
  "German bible" == "Mein Kampf"
  
  @RiedleroD 5y
  
  >:)
@sylfn 5y

Please, refrain from usage of any language except English during chatting there!
@plusdanshi69 5y

My bad. Did everyone see that "Onizuka" nicknamed guy?
@Dobreposhka 5y

no, i didn't find any teacher
1. @plusdanshi69 5y
  
  not even great one?
  
  @Dobreposhka 5y
  
  it's an anime from 1687, how could i watch it?
  
  @ZgGPuo8dZef58K6hxxGVj3Z2 5y
  
  Lol
  
  @Dobreposhka 5y
  
  True же
  
  @Dobreposhka 5y
  
  sory, untranslatable

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Power Strip Ethics Review

Why is this Hardware meme funny?

Level 1: The Extension Cord Loophole

Level 2: Plugs Need Matches

Level 3: Connector Morality Matrix

Description

Categories

Common Tags

Comments

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