the meaning of “fused the plug”











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Context:




"Why are we so worried about artificial intelligence? Surely humans are always able to pull the plug?"

People asked a computer, “Is there a God?” And the computer said, “There is now,” and fused the plug.




Is the meaning of "fused" is "joined" or "soldered" or "stop working"?










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  • 1




    Consider the definitions of fuse (v) at m-w.com. Transitive meanings 2 and 3 in particular refer to blending/combining/stitching. So the apparent meaning of "fusing the plug", especially in contrast to "pull the plug" just earlier, is "melted the plug in such a way that it is permanently joined to the socket and cannot be removed."
    – Hellion
    Dec 13 at 17:18






  • 1




    @Hellion: M-W unfortunately doesn't include a transitive British English sense, 2.1 here: en.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/fuse
    – Stuart F
    Dec 13 at 17:22












  • @StuartF Good point. As an Australian (i.e. somewhat BrE), I found the sentence confusing - does it mean the computer "blew the fuse" so it stopped working, or it fused the connection so power was permanently available? If the former, was this intentional suicide, megalomaniacal folly, or proof of divinity in no longer needing a power supply?
    – Chappo
    Dec 13 at 22:34










  • "Fused", given the context, is not being used in an particularly idiomatic sense for normal US or techie US English speakers. But it is a "legal" sense, just not consistent with the context.
    – Hot Licks
    Dec 14 at 2:28






  • 2




    Yes, fused as in welded, so that it can't be pulled.
    – Phil Sweet
    Dec 14 at 2:42















up vote
2
down vote

favorite












Context:




"Why are we so worried about artificial intelligence? Surely humans are always able to pull the plug?"

People asked a computer, “Is there a God?” And the computer said, “There is now,” and fused the plug.




Is the meaning of "fused" is "joined" or "soldered" or "stop working"?










share|improve this question









New contributor




Harry is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.
















  • 1




    Consider the definitions of fuse (v) at m-w.com. Transitive meanings 2 and 3 in particular refer to blending/combining/stitching. So the apparent meaning of "fusing the plug", especially in contrast to "pull the plug" just earlier, is "melted the plug in such a way that it is permanently joined to the socket and cannot be removed."
    – Hellion
    Dec 13 at 17:18






  • 1




    @Hellion: M-W unfortunately doesn't include a transitive British English sense, 2.1 here: en.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/fuse
    – Stuart F
    Dec 13 at 17:22












  • @StuartF Good point. As an Australian (i.e. somewhat BrE), I found the sentence confusing - does it mean the computer "blew the fuse" so it stopped working, or it fused the connection so power was permanently available? If the former, was this intentional suicide, megalomaniacal folly, or proof of divinity in no longer needing a power supply?
    – Chappo
    Dec 13 at 22:34










  • "Fused", given the context, is not being used in an particularly idiomatic sense for normal US or techie US English speakers. But it is a "legal" sense, just not consistent with the context.
    – Hot Licks
    Dec 14 at 2:28






  • 2




    Yes, fused as in welded, so that it can't be pulled.
    – Phil Sweet
    Dec 14 at 2:42













up vote
2
down vote

favorite









up vote
2
down vote

favorite











Context:




"Why are we so worried about artificial intelligence? Surely humans are always able to pull the plug?"

People asked a computer, “Is there a God?” And the computer said, “There is now,” and fused the plug.




Is the meaning of "fused" is "joined" or "soldered" or "stop working"?










share|improve this question









New contributor




Harry is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.











Context:




"Why are we so worried about artificial intelligence? Surely humans are always able to pull the plug?"

People asked a computer, “Is there a God?” And the computer said, “There is now,” and fused the plug.




Is the meaning of "fused" is "joined" or "soldered" or "stop working"?







american-english british-english






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edited Dec 13 at 17:20









Hellion

52.7k13108196




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asked Dec 13 at 16:57









Harry

205




205




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Check out our Code of Conduct.






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Check out our Code of Conduct.








  • 1




    Consider the definitions of fuse (v) at m-w.com. Transitive meanings 2 and 3 in particular refer to blending/combining/stitching. So the apparent meaning of "fusing the plug", especially in contrast to "pull the plug" just earlier, is "melted the plug in such a way that it is permanently joined to the socket and cannot be removed."
    – Hellion
    Dec 13 at 17:18






  • 1




    @Hellion: M-W unfortunately doesn't include a transitive British English sense, 2.1 here: en.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/fuse
    – Stuart F
    Dec 13 at 17:22












  • @StuartF Good point. As an Australian (i.e. somewhat BrE), I found the sentence confusing - does it mean the computer "blew the fuse" so it stopped working, or it fused the connection so power was permanently available? If the former, was this intentional suicide, megalomaniacal folly, or proof of divinity in no longer needing a power supply?
    – Chappo
    Dec 13 at 22:34










  • "Fused", given the context, is not being used in an particularly idiomatic sense for normal US or techie US English speakers. But it is a "legal" sense, just not consistent with the context.
    – Hot Licks
    Dec 14 at 2:28






  • 2




    Yes, fused as in welded, so that it can't be pulled.
    – Phil Sweet
    Dec 14 at 2:42














  • 1




    Consider the definitions of fuse (v) at m-w.com. Transitive meanings 2 and 3 in particular refer to blending/combining/stitching. So the apparent meaning of "fusing the plug", especially in contrast to "pull the plug" just earlier, is "melted the plug in such a way that it is permanently joined to the socket and cannot be removed."
    – Hellion
    Dec 13 at 17:18






  • 1




    @Hellion: M-W unfortunately doesn't include a transitive British English sense, 2.1 here: en.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/fuse
    – Stuart F
    Dec 13 at 17:22












  • @StuartF Good point. As an Australian (i.e. somewhat BrE), I found the sentence confusing - does it mean the computer "blew the fuse" so it stopped working, or it fused the connection so power was permanently available? If the former, was this intentional suicide, megalomaniacal folly, or proof of divinity in no longer needing a power supply?
    – Chappo
    Dec 13 at 22:34










  • "Fused", given the context, is not being used in an particularly idiomatic sense for normal US or techie US English speakers. But it is a "legal" sense, just not consistent with the context.
    – Hot Licks
    Dec 14 at 2:28






  • 2




    Yes, fused as in welded, so that it can't be pulled.
    – Phil Sweet
    Dec 14 at 2:42








1




1




Consider the definitions of fuse (v) at m-w.com. Transitive meanings 2 and 3 in particular refer to blending/combining/stitching. So the apparent meaning of "fusing the plug", especially in contrast to "pull the plug" just earlier, is "melted the plug in such a way that it is permanently joined to the socket and cannot be removed."
– Hellion
Dec 13 at 17:18




Consider the definitions of fuse (v) at m-w.com. Transitive meanings 2 and 3 in particular refer to blending/combining/stitching. So the apparent meaning of "fusing the plug", especially in contrast to "pull the plug" just earlier, is "melted the plug in such a way that it is permanently joined to the socket and cannot be removed."
– Hellion
Dec 13 at 17:18




1




1




@Hellion: M-W unfortunately doesn't include a transitive British English sense, 2.1 here: en.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/fuse
– Stuart F
Dec 13 at 17:22






@Hellion: M-W unfortunately doesn't include a transitive British English sense, 2.1 here: en.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/fuse
– Stuart F
Dec 13 at 17:22














@StuartF Good point. As an Australian (i.e. somewhat BrE), I found the sentence confusing - does it mean the computer "blew the fuse" so it stopped working, or it fused the connection so power was permanently available? If the former, was this intentional suicide, megalomaniacal folly, or proof of divinity in no longer needing a power supply?
– Chappo
Dec 13 at 22:34




@StuartF Good point. As an Australian (i.e. somewhat BrE), I found the sentence confusing - does it mean the computer "blew the fuse" so it stopped working, or it fused the connection so power was permanently available? If the former, was this intentional suicide, megalomaniacal folly, or proof of divinity in no longer needing a power supply?
– Chappo
Dec 13 at 22:34












"Fused", given the context, is not being used in an particularly idiomatic sense for normal US or techie US English speakers. But it is a "legal" sense, just not consistent with the context.
– Hot Licks
Dec 14 at 2:28




"Fused", given the context, is not being used in an particularly idiomatic sense for normal US or techie US English speakers. But it is a "legal" sense, just not consistent with the context.
– Hot Licks
Dec 14 at 2:28




2




2




Yes, fused as in welded, so that it can't be pulled.
– Phil Sweet
Dec 14 at 2:42




Yes, fused as in welded, so that it can't be pulled.
– Phil Sweet
Dec 14 at 2:42










3 Answers
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1
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accepted










I suspect that "fuse" is being used incorrectly.



"Fuse the plug" means literally to blow a fuse in a plug and hence render a device inoperable. Many plugs (certainly traditionally in the UK) have a fuse which blows and breaks the circuit, rendering the device inoperable. This gives rise to sense 2 of the verb in Oxford Dictionaries: "(of an electrical appliance) stop working when a fuse melts" - it is tagged as a "British" usage. (This is separate to the first, more common sense of the word fuse: "Join or blend to form a single entity.")



However, it clearly needs a bit more unpicking here. A thread on SciFi Stack Exchange mentions a story (quoted by Stephen Hawking) where "There's a story that scientists built an intelligent computer. The first question they asked it was: 'Is there a God?' The computer replies: 'There is now.' And a bolt of lightning struck the plug so it couldn't be turned off."



I think in the phrase under discussion the intended meaning is similar to that in the story just mentioned, and "fused" is being used under the incorrect apprehension that it means something like "fix in an unalterable state".



An alternative, more speculative, explanation might be that it fuses the plug and cuts off electricity but keeps going because it doesn't need electricity any more (equivalent to "pulling the plug"). But that doesn't match the other version of the story, and it seems odd for the author to expect people to work out that meaning, especially as "fuse" in that sense seems to be specific to the UK, and it's equally likely that people would infer that the computer had deactivated itself, negating the point of the story.






share|improve this answer





















  • British (and Irish and "Hong Kong standard") plugs are definitely unusual in being fused, hence the particular local sense of the verb fuse. Not sure how you can say it's being used incorrectly, though... just differently (perhaps) to how it normally is in the UK. ...? Perhaps I've misunderstood.
    – tmgr
    Dec 13 at 17:32












  • My first thought was the same ("fuse" is being used incorrectly), because I took it for granted the new "AI-powered God" would immediately want to prevent humans from pulling out the power supply plug. But on reflection I realise it's just proving that it can still operate without an external power supply (having blown the fuse in the plug it was originally dependent on).
    – FumbleFingers
    Dec 13 at 18:09












  • Why is the 'apprehension that it means something like "fix in an unalterable state"' incorrect, given that @Hellion has offered a reasonable explanation of how, consistently with dictionary entries, it can mean something like that? If one fuses, in the sense of blending, two wires, e.g. by soldering, they are joined together in a relatively unalterable way.
    – jsw29
    Dec 13 at 18:51










  • It would be legit to say "a power surge fused the switch", meaning the contacts melted together such that the switch is permanently "on". In an appropriate context saying that the plug was "fused" to the socket might carry the same meaning. But this sense of the word requires context to be divined.
    – Hot Licks
    Dec 14 at 2:31










  • To fuse is to weld without a filler material. Presumably, the AI didn't have any rod handy, or hands.
    – Phil Sweet
    Dec 14 at 2:48


















up vote
2
down vote













Consider the definitions of fuse (v) at Merriam-Webster.com:




Transitive verb

1 : to reduce to a liquid or plastic state by heat • the thunderstorm had fused the electric mains — C. K. Finlay

2 : to blend thoroughly by or as if by melting together : COMBINE • Particles are fused to form a new compound.

3 : to stitch by applying heat and pressure with or without the use of an adhesive




Transitive meanings 2 and 3 in particular refer to blending/combining/stitching. So the apparent meaning of "fusing the plug", especially in contrast to "pull the plug" just earlier, is "melted the plug in such a way that it is permanently joined to the socket and cannot be removed."



Given this juxtaposition, I think the obvious intention of the sentence is that the computer took positive action to prevent humans from being able to cut its power, as part of the act of declaring itself to be divine.






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  • 1




    This is clearly the ironic intent, after the previous line said "Surely humans are always able to pull the plug?" The computer "fused" the plug into the socket so it could not be "pulled".
    – Hot Licks
    Dec 14 at 2:39


















up vote
0
down vote













There are two separate origins of fuse with some semantic overlap (as both can involve the sudden effect of heat on a solid. Here we are concerned with the second given in the link. The original meaning is "melt" but that gives rise to two separate uses.



It can be used to make something, by using a thermoplastic glue such as solder. It can also be used to destroy something by melting as in an electrical fuse. This is, in my experience, the only common usage in non-technical writing. Add to that the fact that electrical fuses are often found in electrical plugs and they often blow (or fuse) it seems most likely that this is a reference to the fuse in the plug blowing as a result of using excess power as a result of the calculation being too difficult or the equipment refusing to do the calculation, possibly as a result of God's intervention. The exact interpretation is up to the reader.






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    3 Answers
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    I suspect that "fuse" is being used incorrectly.



    "Fuse the plug" means literally to blow a fuse in a plug and hence render a device inoperable. Many plugs (certainly traditionally in the UK) have a fuse which blows and breaks the circuit, rendering the device inoperable. This gives rise to sense 2 of the verb in Oxford Dictionaries: "(of an electrical appliance) stop working when a fuse melts" - it is tagged as a "British" usage. (This is separate to the first, more common sense of the word fuse: "Join or blend to form a single entity.")



    However, it clearly needs a bit more unpicking here. A thread on SciFi Stack Exchange mentions a story (quoted by Stephen Hawking) where "There's a story that scientists built an intelligent computer. The first question they asked it was: 'Is there a God?' The computer replies: 'There is now.' And a bolt of lightning struck the plug so it couldn't be turned off."



    I think in the phrase under discussion the intended meaning is similar to that in the story just mentioned, and "fused" is being used under the incorrect apprehension that it means something like "fix in an unalterable state".



    An alternative, more speculative, explanation might be that it fuses the plug and cuts off electricity but keeps going because it doesn't need electricity any more (equivalent to "pulling the plug"). But that doesn't match the other version of the story, and it seems odd for the author to expect people to work out that meaning, especially as "fuse" in that sense seems to be specific to the UK, and it's equally likely that people would infer that the computer had deactivated itself, negating the point of the story.






    share|improve this answer





















    • British (and Irish and "Hong Kong standard") plugs are definitely unusual in being fused, hence the particular local sense of the verb fuse. Not sure how you can say it's being used incorrectly, though... just differently (perhaps) to how it normally is in the UK. ...? Perhaps I've misunderstood.
      – tmgr
      Dec 13 at 17:32












    • My first thought was the same ("fuse" is being used incorrectly), because I took it for granted the new "AI-powered God" would immediately want to prevent humans from pulling out the power supply plug. But on reflection I realise it's just proving that it can still operate without an external power supply (having blown the fuse in the plug it was originally dependent on).
      – FumbleFingers
      Dec 13 at 18:09












    • Why is the 'apprehension that it means something like "fix in an unalterable state"' incorrect, given that @Hellion has offered a reasonable explanation of how, consistently with dictionary entries, it can mean something like that? If one fuses, in the sense of blending, two wires, e.g. by soldering, they are joined together in a relatively unalterable way.
      – jsw29
      Dec 13 at 18:51










    • It would be legit to say "a power surge fused the switch", meaning the contacts melted together such that the switch is permanently "on". In an appropriate context saying that the plug was "fused" to the socket might carry the same meaning. But this sense of the word requires context to be divined.
      – Hot Licks
      Dec 14 at 2:31










    • To fuse is to weld without a filler material. Presumably, the AI didn't have any rod handy, or hands.
      – Phil Sweet
      Dec 14 at 2:48















    up vote
    1
    down vote



    accepted










    I suspect that "fuse" is being used incorrectly.



    "Fuse the plug" means literally to blow a fuse in a plug and hence render a device inoperable. Many plugs (certainly traditionally in the UK) have a fuse which blows and breaks the circuit, rendering the device inoperable. This gives rise to sense 2 of the verb in Oxford Dictionaries: "(of an electrical appliance) stop working when a fuse melts" - it is tagged as a "British" usage. (This is separate to the first, more common sense of the word fuse: "Join or blend to form a single entity.")



    However, it clearly needs a bit more unpicking here. A thread on SciFi Stack Exchange mentions a story (quoted by Stephen Hawking) where "There's a story that scientists built an intelligent computer. The first question they asked it was: 'Is there a God?' The computer replies: 'There is now.' And a bolt of lightning struck the plug so it couldn't be turned off."



    I think in the phrase under discussion the intended meaning is similar to that in the story just mentioned, and "fused" is being used under the incorrect apprehension that it means something like "fix in an unalterable state".



    An alternative, more speculative, explanation might be that it fuses the plug and cuts off electricity but keeps going because it doesn't need electricity any more (equivalent to "pulling the plug"). But that doesn't match the other version of the story, and it seems odd for the author to expect people to work out that meaning, especially as "fuse" in that sense seems to be specific to the UK, and it's equally likely that people would infer that the computer had deactivated itself, negating the point of the story.






    share|improve this answer





















    • British (and Irish and "Hong Kong standard") plugs are definitely unusual in being fused, hence the particular local sense of the verb fuse. Not sure how you can say it's being used incorrectly, though... just differently (perhaps) to how it normally is in the UK. ...? Perhaps I've misunderstood.
      – tmgr
      Dec 13 at 17:32












    • My first thought was the same ("fuse" is being used incorrectly), because I took it for granted the new "AI-powered God" would immediately want to prevent humans from pulling out the power supply plug. But on reflection I realise it's just proving that it can still operate without an external power supply (having blown the fuse in the plug it was originally dependent on).
      – FumbleFingers
      Dec 13 at 18:09












    • Why is the 'apprehension that it means something like "fix in an unalterable state"' incorrect, given that @Hellion has offered a reasonable explanation of how, consistently with dictionary entries, it can mean something like that? If one fuses, in the sense of blending, two wires, e.g. by soldering, they are joined together in a relatively unalterable way.
      – jsw29
      Dec 13 at 18:51










    • It would be legit to say "a power surge fused the switch", meaning the contacts melted together such that the switch is permanently "on". In an appropriate context saying that the plug was "fused" to the socket might carry the same meaning. But this sense of the word requires context to be divined.
      – Hot Licks
      Dec 14 at 2:31










    • To fuse is to weld without a filler material. Presumably, the AI didn't have any rod handy, or hands.
      – Phil Sweet
      Dec 14 at 2:48













    up vote
    1
    down vote



    accepted







    up vote
    1
    down vote



    accepted






    I suspect that "fuse" is being used incorrectly.



    "Fuse the plug" means literally to blow a fuse in a plug and hence render a device inoperable. Many plugs (certainly traditionally in the UK) have a fuse which blows and breaks the circuit, rendering the device inoperable. This gives rise to sense 2 of the verb in Oxford Dictionaries: "(of an electrical appliance) stop working when a fuse melts" - it is tagged as a "British" usage. (This is separate to the first, more common sense of the word fuse: "Join or blend to form a single entity.")



    However, it clearly needs a bit more unpicking here. A thread on SciFi Stack Exchange mentions a story (quoted by Stephen Hawking) where "There's a story that scientists built an intelligent computer. The first question they asked it was: 'Is there a God?' The computer replies: 'There is now.' And a bolt of lightning struck the plug so it couldn't be turned off."



    I think in the phrase under discussion the intended meaning is similar to that in the story just mentioned, and "fused" is being used under the incorrect apprehension that it means something like "fix in an unalterable state".



    An alternative, more speculative, explanation might be that it fuses the plug and cuts off electricity but keeps going because it doesn't need electricity any more (equivalent to "pulling the plug"). But that doesn't match the other version of the story, and it seems odd for the author to expect people to work out that meaning, especially as "fuse" in that sense seems to be specific to the UK, and it's equally likely that people would infer that the computer had deactivated itself, negating the point of the story.






    share|improve this answer












    I suspect that "fuse" is being used incorrectly.



    "Fuse the plug" means literally to blow a fuse in a plug and hence render a device inoperable. Many plugs (certainly traditionally in the UK) have a fuse which blows and breaks the circuit, rendering the device inoperable. This gives rise to sense 2 of the verb in Oxford Dictionaries: "(of an electrical appliance) stop working when a fuse melts" - it is tagged as a "British" usage. (This is separate to the first, more common sense of the word fuse: "Join or blend to form a single entity.")



    However, it clearly needs a bit more unpicking here. A thread on SciFi Stack Exchange mentions a story (quoted by Stephen Hawking) where "There's a story that scientists built an intelligent computer. The first question they asked it was: 'Is there a God?' The computer replies: 'There is now.' And a bolt of lightning struck the plug so it couldn't be turned off."



    I think in the phrase under discussion the intended meaning is similar to that in the story just mentioned, and "fused" is being used under the incorrect apprehension that it means something like "fix in an unalterable state".



    An alternative, more speculative, explanation might be that it fuses the plug and cuts off electricity but keeps going because it doesn't need electricity any more (equivalent to "pulling the plug"). But that doesn't match the other version of the story, and it seems odd for the author to expect people to work out that meaning, especially as "fuse" in that sense seems to be specific to the UK, and it's equally likely that people would infer that the computer had deactivated itself, negating the point of the story.







    share|improve this answer












    share|improve this answer



    share|improve this answer










    answered Dec 13 at 17:18









    Stuart F

    4074




    4074












    • British (and Irish and "Hong Kong standard") plugs are definitely unusual in being fused, hence the particular local sense of the verb fuse. Not sure how you can say it's being used incorrectly, though... just differently (perhaps) to how it normally is in the UK. ...? Perhaps I've misunderstood.
      – tmgr
      Dec 13 at 17:32












    • My first thought was the same ("fuse" is being used incorrectly), because I took it for granted the new "AI-powered God" would immediately want to prevent humans from pulling out the power supply plug. But on reflection I realise it's just proving that it can still operate without an external power supply (having blown the fuse in the plug it was originally dependent on).
      – FumbleFingers
      Dec 13 at 18:09












    • Why is the 'apprehension that it means something like "fix in an unalterable state"' incorrect, given that @Hellion has offered a reasonable explanation of how, consistently with dictionary entries, it can mean something like that? If one fuses, in the sense of blending, two wires, e.g. by soldering, they are joined together in a relatively unalterable way.
      – jsw29
      Dec 13 at 18:51










    • It would be legit to say "a power surge fused the switch", meaning the contacts melted together such that the switch is permanently "on". In an appropriate context saying that the plug was "fused" to the socket might carry the same meaning. But this sense of the word requires context to be divined.
      – Hot Licks
      Dec 14 at 2:31










    • To fuse is to weld without a filler material. Presumably, the AI didn't have any rod handy, or hands.
      – Phil Sweet
      Dec 14 at 2:48


















    • British (and Irish and "Hong Kong standard") plugs are definitely unusual in being fused, hence the particular local sense of the verb fuse. Not sure how you can say it's being used incorrectly, though... just differently (perhaps) to how it normally is in the UK. ...? Perhaps I've misunderstood.
      – tmgr
      Dec 13 at 17:32












    • My first thought was the same ("fuse" is being used incorrectly), because I took it for granted the new "AI-powered God" would immediately want to prevent humans from pulling out the power supply plug. But on reflection I realise it's just proving that it can still operate without an external power supply (having blown the fuse in the plug it was originally dependent on).
      – FumbleFingers
      Dec 13 at 18:09












    • Why is the 'apprehension that it means something like "fix in an unalterable state"' incorrect, given that @Hellion has offered a reasonable explanation of how, consistently with dictionary entries, it can mean something like that? If one fuses, in the sense of blending, two wires, e.g. by soldering, they are joined together in a relatively unalterable way.
      – jsw29
      Dec 13 at 18:51










    • It would be legit to say "a power surge fused the switch", meaning the contacts melted together such that the switch is permanently "on". In an appropriate context saying that the plug was "fused" to the socket might carry the same meaning. But this sense of the word requires context to be divined.
      – Hot Licks
      Dec 14 at 2:31










    • To fuse is to weld without a filler material. Presumably, the AI didn't have any rod handy, or hands.
      – Phil Sweet
      Dec 14 at 2:48
















    British (and Irish and "Hong Kong standard") plugs are definitely unusual in being fused, hence the particular local sense of the verb fuse. Not sure how you can say it's being used incorrectly, though... just differently (perhaps) to how it normally is in the UK. ...? Perhaps I've misunderstood.
    – tmgr
    Dec 13 at 17:32






    British (and Irish and "Hong Kong standard") plugs are definitely unusual in being fused, hence the particular local sense of the verb fuse. Not sure how you can say it's being used incorrectly, though... just differently (perhaps) to how it normally is in the UK. ...? Perhaps I've misunderstood.
    – tmgr
    Dec 13 at 17:32














    My first thought was the same ("fuse" is being used incorrectly), because I took it for granted the new "AI-powered God" would immediately want to prevent humans from pulling out the power supply plug. But on reflection I realise it's just proving that it can still operate without an external power supply (having blown the fuse in the plug it was originally dependent on).
    – FumbleFingers
    Dec 13 at 18:09






    My first thought was the same ("fuse" is being used incorrectly), because I took it for granted the new "AI-powered God" would immediately want to prevent humans from pulling out the power supply plug. But on reflection I realise it's just proving that it can still operate without an external power supply (having blown the fuse in the plug it was originally dependent on).
    – FumbleFingers
    Dec 13 at 18:09














    Why is the 'apprehension that it means something like "fix in an unalterable state"' incorrect, given that @Hellion has offered a reasonable explanation of how, consistently with dictionary entries, it can mean something like that? If one fuses, in the sense of blending, two wires, e.g. by soldering, they are joined together in a relatively unalterable way.
    – jsw29
    Dec 13 at 18:51




    Why is the 'apprehension that it means something like "fix in an unalterable state"' incorrect, given that @Hellion has offered a reasonable explanation of how, consistently with dictionary entries, it can mean something like that? If one fuses, in the sense of blending, two wires, e.g. by soldering, they are joined together in a relatively unalterable way.
    – jsw29
    Dec 13 at 18:51












    It would be legit to say "a power surge fused the switch", meaning the contacts melted together such that the switch is permanently "on". In an appropriate context saying that the plug was "fused" to the socket might carry the same meaning. But this sense of the word requires context to be divined.
    – Hot Licks
    Dec 14 at 2:31




    It would be legit to say "a power surge fused the switch", meaning the contacts melted together such that the switch is permanently "on". In an appropriate context saying that the plug was "fused" to the socket might carry the same meaning. But this sense of the word requires context to be divined.
    – Hot Licks
    Dec 14 at 2:31












    To fuse is to weld without a filler material. Presumably, the AI didn't have any rod handy, or hands.
    – Phil Sweet
    Dec 14 at 2:48




    To fuse is to weld without a filler material. Presumably, the AI didn't have any rod handy, or hands.
    – Phil Sweet
    Dec 14 at 2:48












    up vote
    2
    down vote













    Consider the definitions of fuse (v) at Merriam-Webster.com:




    Transitive verb

    1 : to reduce to a liquid or plastic state by heat • the thunderstorm had fused the electric mains — C. K. Finlay

    2 : to blend thoroughly by or as if by melting together : COMBINE • Particles are fused to form a new compound.

    3 : to stitch by applying heat and pressure with or without the use of an adhesive




    Transitive meanings 2 and 3 in particular refer to blending/combining/stitching. So the apparent meaning of "fusing the plug", especially in contrast to "pull the plug" just earlier, is "melted the plug in such a way that it is permanently joined to the socket and cannot be removed."



    Given this juxtaposition, I think the obvious intention of the sentence is that the computer took positive action to prevent humans from being able to cut its power, as part of the act of declaring itself to be divine.






    share|improve this answer

















    • 1




      This is clearly the ironic intent, after the previous line said "Surely humans are always able to pull the plug?" The computer "fused" the plug into the socket so it could not be "pulled".
      – Hot Licks
      Dec 14 at 2:39















    up vote
    2
    down vote













    Consider the definitions of fuse (v) at Merriam-Webster.com:




    Transitive verb

    1 : to reduce to a liquid or plastic state by heat • the thunderstorm had fused the electric mains — C. K. Finlay

    2 : to blend thoroughly by or as if by melting together : COMBINE • Particles are fused to form a new compound.

    3 : to stitch by applying heat and pressure with or without the use of an adhesive




    Transitive meanings 2 and 3 in particular refer to blending/combining/stitching. So the apparent meaning of "fusing the plug", especially in contrast to "pull the plug" just earlier, is "melted the plug in such a way that it is permanently joined to the socket and cannot be removed."



    Given this juxtaposition, I think the obvious intention of the sentence is that the computer took positive action to prevent humans from being able to cut its power, as part of the act of declaring itself to be divine.






    share|improve this answer

















    • 1




      This is clearly the ironic intent, after the previous line said "Surely humans are always able to pull the plug?" The computer "fused" the plug into the socket so it could not be "pulled".
      – Hot Licks
      Dec 14 at 2:39













    up vote
    2
    down vote










    up vote
    2
    down vote









    Consider the definitions of fuse (v) at Merriam-Webster.com:




    Transitive verb

    1 : to reduce to a liquid or plastic state by heat • the thunderstorm had fused the electric mains — C. K. Finlay

    2 : to blend thoroughly by or as if by melting together : COMBINE • Particles are fused to form a new compound.

    3 : to stitch by applying heat and pressure with or without the use of an adhesive




    Transitive meanings 2 and 3 in particular refer to blending/combining/stitching. So the apparent meaning of "fusing the plug", especially in contrast to "pull the plug" just earlier, is "melted the plug in such a way that it is permanently joined to the socket and cannot be removed."



    Given this juxtaposition, I think the obvious intention of the sentence is that the computer took positive action to prevent humans from being able to cut its power, as part of the act of declaring itself to be divine.






    share|improve this answer












    Consider the definitions of fuse (v) at Merriam-Webster.com:




    Transitive verb

    1 : to reduce to a liquid or plastic state by heat • the thunderstorm had fused the electric mains — C. K. Finlay

    2 : to blend thoroughly by or as if by melting together : COMBINE • Particles are fused to form a new compound.

    3 : to stitch by applying heat and pressure with or without the use of an adhesive




    Transitive meanings 2 and 3 in particular refer to blending/combining/stitching. So the apparent meaning of "fusing the plug", especially in contrast to "pull the plug" just earlier, is "melted the plug in such a way that it is permanently joined to the socket and cannot be removed."



    Given this juxtaposition, I think the obvious intention of the sentence is that the computer took positive action to prevent humans from being able to cut its power, as part of the act of declaring itself to be divine.







    share|improve this answer












    share|improve this answer



    share|improve this answer










    answered Dec 14 at 2:19









    Hellion

    52.7k13108196




    52.7k13108196








    • 1




      This is clearly the ironic intent, after the previous line said "Surely humans are always able to pull the plug?" The computer "fused" the plug into the socket so it could not be "pulled".
      – Hot Licks
      Dec 14 at 2:39














    • 1




      This is clearly the ironic intent, after the previous line said "Surely humans are always able to pull the plug?" The computer "fused" the plug into the socket so it could not be "pulled".
      – Hot Licks
      Dec 14 at 2:39








    1




    1




    This is clearly the ironic intent, after the previous line said "Surely humans are always able to pull the plug?" The computer "fused" the plug into the socket so it could not be "pulled".
    – Hot Licks
    Dec 14 at 2:39




    This is clearly the ironic intent, after the previous line said "Surely humans are always able to pull the plug?" The computer "fused" the plug into the socket so it could not be "pulled".
    – Hot Licks
    Dec 14 at 2:39










    up vote
    0
    down vote













    There are two separate origins of fuse with some semantic overlap (as both can involve the sudden effect of heat on a solid. Here we are concerned with the second given in the link. The original meaning is "melt" but that gives rise to two separate uses.



    It can be used to make something, by using a thermoplastic glue such as solder. It can also be used to destroy something by melting as in an electrical fuse. This is, in my experience, the only common usage in non-technical writing. Add to that the fact that electrical fuses are often found in electrical plugs and they often blow (or fuse) it seems most likely that this is a reference to the fuse in the plug blowing as a result of using excess power as a result of the calculation being too difficult or the equipment refusing to do the calculation, possibly as a result of God's intervention. The exact interpretation is up to the reader.






    share|improve this answer

























      up vote
      0
      down vote













      There are two separate origins of fuse with some semantic overlap (as both can involve the sudden effect of heat on a solid. Here we are concerned with the second given in the link. The original meaning is "melt" but that gives rise to two separate uses.



      It can be used to make something, by using a thermoplastic glue such as solder. It can also be used to destroy something by melting as in an electrical fuse. This is, in my experience, the only common usage in non-technical writing. Add to that the fact that electrical fuses are often found in electrical plugs and they often blow (or fuse) it seems most likely that this is a reference to the fuse in the plug blowing as a result of using excess power as a result of the calculation being too difficult or the equipment refusing to do the calculation, possibly as a result of God's intervention. The exact interpretation is up to the reader.






      share|improve this answer























        up vote
        0
        down vote










        up vote
        0
        down vote









        There are two separate origins of fuse with some semantic overlap (as both can involve the sudden effect of heat on a solid. Here we are concerned with the second given in the link. The original meaning is "melt" but that gives rise to two separate uses.



        It can be used to make something, by using a thermoplastic glue such as solder. It can also be used to destroy something by melting as in an electrical fuse. This is, in my experience, the only common usage in non-technical writing. Add to that the fact that electrical fuses are often found in electrical plugs and they often blow (or fuse) it seems most likely that this is a reference to the fuse in the plug blowing as a result of using excess power as a result of the calculation being too difficult or the equipment refusing to do the calculation, possibly as a result of God's intervention. The exact interpretation is up to the reader.






        share|improve this answer












        There are two separate origins of fuse with some semantic overlap (as both can involve the sudden effect of heat on a solid. Here we are concerned with the second given in the link. The original meaning is "melt" but that gives rise to two separate uses.



        It can be used to make something, by using a thermoplastic glue such as solder. It can also be used to destroy something by melting as in an electrical fuse. This is, in my experience, the only common usage in non-technical writing. Add to that the fact that electrical fuses are often found in electrical plugs and they often blow (or fuse) it seems most likely that this is a reference to the fuse in the plug blowing as a result of using excess power as a result of the calculation being too difficult or the equipment refusing to do the calculation, possibly as a result of God's intervention. The exact interpretation is up to the reader.







        share|improve this answer












        share|improve this answer



        share|improve this answer










        answered Dec 13 at 17:25









        David Robinson

        1,874214




        1,874214






















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