Blivet
Encyclopedia
A blivet, also known as a poiuyt, devil's fork or widget, is an undecipherable figure, an optical illusion
and an impossible object
. It appears to have three cylindrical prongs at one end which then mysteriously transform into two rectangular prongs at the other end.
magazine, where it was dubbed the "Three-Pronged Poiuyt" (the last six letters on the top row of many Latin-script typewriter
keyboards, right to left), and has appeared numerous times since then. An anonymously-contributed version described as a "hole location gauge" was printed in the June 1964 issue of Analog Science Fiction and Fact
, with the comment that "this outrageous piece of draftsmanship evidently escaped from the Finagle & Diddle Engineering Works" (although something else called a "hole location gauge" had already been patented in 1961 )
The graphic artist M. C. Escher
used these types of figures as the basis for impossible three-dimensional compositions in many of his woodcut prints.
In December 1968 American optical designer and artist Roger Hayward
wrote "Blivets: Research and Development" for The Worm Runner's Digest in which he presented interpretations of the blivet.
slang dating back to the Second World War
, a blivet was defined as "ten pounds of manure in a five pound bag" (a proverbial description of anything egregiously ugly or unmanageable); it was applied to an unmanageable situation, a crucial but substandard or damaged tool, or a self-important person. In Cormac McCarthy
's All the Pretty Horses, Rawlins defines a blivet as "10 pounds of shit in a 5 pound bag". During the Vietnam War
, a heavy rubber bladder in which aviation fuel
or POL (petroleum, oil, and lubricants) was transported was known as a blivet, as was anything which, once unpacked, could not be replaced in its container. The usage of blivet for a fuel container is still current.
In various United States Air Force
communities (e.g. Strategic Air Command
), blivet may have referred to what are euphemistically called "Special Weapons" whose presence are officially neither confirmed nor denied. Usage apparently derived from the original cavalry
definition.
In the United States Unmanned Aerial Systems community (specifically Shadow UAS) a blivet is a tool used to test the system's launcher to ensure proper functionality. The Shadow system's blivet weighs approximately 375 lbs - the same as a fully fueled Shadow 200 Tactical Unmanned Aerial Vehicle
(RQ-7B). It is a green hexagonally shaped piece of iron with four mounting points.
In Naval Aviation, a blivet is the common term for an external baggage container carried on a tactical jet.
, a blivet refers to any embarrassing glitch that pops up during a customer demonstration. Among computer security specialists, it can refer to a denial-of-service attack
performed by monopolizing limited resources that have no access controls (for example, shared spool
space on a multi-user system). There are other meanings in other technical cultures; among experimental physicists and hardware engineers it may designate any random object of unknown purpose (similar to hackers' use of frob).
Early versions of Adobe Photoshop
used a blivet on the plugin
icon
.
An early version of the Microsoft
logo
had the letter "o" formed with several horizontal lines and was internally known as the blibbet.
. In economics
, the term may be used (like "widget
") for some hypothetical product.
, not well documented.
Optical illusion
An optical illusion is characterized by visually perceived images that differ from objective reality. The information gathered by the eye is processed in the brain to give a perception that does not tally with a physical measurement of the stimulus source...
and an impossible object
Impossible object
An impossible object is a type of optical illusion consisting of a two-dimensional figure which is instantly and subconsciously interpreted by the visual system as representing a projection of a three-dimensional object although it is not actually possible for such an object to exist An impossible...
. It appears to have three cylindrical prongs at one end which then mysteriously transform into two rectangular prongs at the other end.
Paradoxical graphic figure
In its most common usage, the word "blivet" refers to an indecipherable figure, illustrated above. It appeared on the March 1965 cover of MadMad (magazine)
Mad is an American humor magazine founded by editor Harvey Kurtzman and publisher William Gaines in 1952. Launched as a comic book before it became a magazine, it was widely imitated and influential, impacting not only satirical media but the entire cultural landscape of the 20th century.The last...
magazine, where it was dubbed the "Three-Pronged Poiuyt" (the last six letters on the top row of many Latin-script typewriter
Typewriter
A typewriter is a mechanical or electromechanical device with keys that, when pressed, cause characters to be printed on a medium, usually paper. Typically one character is printed per keypress, and the machine prints the characters by making ink impressions of type elements similar to the pieces...
keyboards, right to left), and has appeared numerous times since then. An anonymously-contributed version described as a "hole location gauge" was printed in the June 1964 issue of Analog Science Fiction and Fact
Analog Science Fiction and Fact
Analog Science Fiction and Fact is an American science fiction magazine. As of 2011, it is the longest running continuously published magazine of that genre...
, with the comment that "this outrageous piece of draftsmanship evidently escaped from the Finagle & Diddle Engineering Works" (although something else called a "hole location gauge" had already been patented in 1961 )
The graphic artist M. C. Escher
M. C. Escher
Maurits Cornelis Escher , usually referred to as M. C. Escher , was a Dutch graphic artist. He is known for his often mathematically inspired woodcuts, lithographs, and mezzotints...
used these types of figures as the basis for impossible three-dimensional compositions in many of his woodcut prints.
In December 1968 American optical designer and artist Roger Hayward
Roger Hayward
Roger Hayward was an American artist, architect, optical designer and astronomer. He is the inventor of an early Schmidt-Cassegrain camera that was patented in 1945. He was born on January 7, 1899 to mother, artist Ina Kittredge Hayward and local businessman and time piece hobbyist Robert Peter...
wrote "Blivets: Research and Development" for The Worm Runner's Digest in which he presented interpretations of the blivet.
Military usage
In traditional U.S. ArmyUnited States Army
The United States Army is the main branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for land-based military operations. It is the largest and oldest established branch of the U.S. military, and is one of seven U.S. uniformed services...
slang dating back to the Second World War
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, a blivet was defined as "ten pounds of manure in a five pound bag" (a proverbial description of anything egregiously ugly or unmanageable); it was applied to an unmanageable situation, a crucial but substandard or damaged tool, or a self-important person. In Cormac McCarthy
Cormac McCarthy
Cormac McCarthy is an American novelist and playwright. He has written ten novels, spanning the Southern Gothic, Western, and modernist genres. He received the Pulitzer Prize and the James Tait Black Memorial Prize for Fiction for The Road...
's All the Pretty Horses, Rawlins defines a blivet as "10 pounds of shit in a 5 pound bag". During the Vietnam War
Vietnam War
The Vietnam War was a Cold War-era military conflict that occurred in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. This war followed the First Indochina War and was fought between North Vietnam, supported by its communist allies, and the government of...
, a heavy rubber bladder in which aviation fuel
Aviation fuel
Aviation fuel is a specialized type of petroleum-based fuel used to power aircraft. It is generally of a higher quality than fuels used in less critical applications, such as heating or road transport, and often contains additives to reduce the risk of icing or explosion due to high temperatures,...
or POL (petroleum, oil, and lubricants) was transported was known as a blivet, as was anything which, once unpacked, could not be replaced in its container. The usage of blivet for a fuel container is still current.
In various United States Air Force
United States Air Force
The United States Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the American uniformed services. Initially part of the United States Army, the USAF was formed as a separate branch of the military on September 18, 1947 under the National Security Act of...
communities (e.g. Strategic Air Command
Strategic Air Command
The Strategic Air Command was both a Major Command of the United States Air Force and a "specified command" of the United States Department of Defense. SAC was the operational establishment in charge of America's land-based strategic bomber aircraft and land-based intercontinental ballistic...
), blivet may have referred to what are euphemistically called "Special Weapons" whose presence are officially neither confirmed nor denied. Usage apparently derived from the original cavalry
Cavalry
Cavalry or horsemen were soldiers or warriors who fought mounted on horseback. Cavalry were historically the third oldest and the most mobile of the combat arms...
definition.
In the United States Unmanned Aerial Systems community (specifically Shadow UAS) a blivet is a tool used to test the system's launcher to ensure proper functionality. The Shadow system's blivet weighs approximately 375 lbs - the same as a fully fueled Shadow 200 Tactical Unmanned Aerial Vehicle
Unmanned aerial vehicle
An unmanned aerial vehicle , also known as a unmanned aircraft system , remotely piloted aircraft or unmanned aircraft, is a machine which functions either by the remote control of a navigator or pilot or autonomously, that is, as a self-directing entity...
(RQ-7B). It is a green hexagonally shaped piece of iron with four mounting points.
In Naval Aviation, a blivet is the common term for an external baggage container carried on a tactical jet.
Technological usage
Among computer programmersProgrammer
A programmer, computer programmer or coder is someone who writes computer software. The term computer programmer can refer to a specialist in one area of computer programming or to a generalist who writes code for many kinds of software. One who practices or professes a formal approach to...
, a blivet refers to any embarrassing glitch that pops up during a customer demonstration. Among computer security specialists, it can refer to a denial-of-service attack
Denial-of-service attack
A denial-of-service attack or distributed denial-of-service attack is an attempt to make a computer resource unavailable to its intended users...
performed by monopolizing limited resources that have no access controls (for example, shared spool
Spooling
In computer science, spool refers to the process of placing data in a temporary working area for another program to process. The most common use is in writing files on a magnetic tape or disk and entering them in the work queue for another process. Spooling is useful because devices access data at...
space on a multi-user system). There are other meanings in other technical cultures; among experimental physicists and hardware engineers it may designate any random object of unknown purpose (similar to hackers' use of frob).
Early versions of Adobe Photoshop
Adobe Photoshop
Adobe Photoshop is a graphics editing program developed and published by Adobe Systems Incorporated.Adobe's 2003 "Creative Suite" rebranding led to Adobe Photoshop 8's renaming to Adobe Photoshop CS. Thus, Adobe Photoshop CS5 is the 12th major release of Adobe Photoshop...
used a blivet on the plugin
Photoshop plugin
Photoshop plugins are add-on programs aimed at providing additional image effects or performing tasks that are impossible or hard to fulfill using Adobe Photoshop alone...
icon
Icon (computing)
A computer icon is a pictogram displayed on a computer screen and used to navigate a computer system or mobile device. The icon itself is a small picture or symbol serving as a quick, intuitive representation of a software tool, function or a data file accessible on the system. It functions as an...
.
An early version of the Microsoft
Microsoft
Microsoft Corporation is an American public multinational corporation headquartered in Redmond, Washington, USA that develops, manufactures, licenses, and supports a wide range of products and services predominantly related to computing through its various product divisions...
logo
Logo
A logo is a graphic mark or emblem commonly used by commercial enterprises, organizations and even individuals to aid and promote instant public recognition...
had the letter "o" formed with several horizontal lines and was internally known as the blibbet.
"Placeholder" usage
The word blivet is sometimes used as a cadiganPlaceholder name
Placeholder names are words that can refer to objects or people whose names are either temporarily forgotten, irrelevant, or unknown in the context in which they are being discussed...
. In economics
Economics
Economics is the social science that analyzes the production, distribution, and consumption of goods and services. The term economics comes from the Ancient Greek from + , hence "rules of the house"...
, the term may be used (like "widget
Widget (economics)
The word widget is a placeholder name for an object or, more specifically, a mechanical or other manufactured device. It is an abstract unit of production. The Oxford English Dictionary defines it as "An indefinite name for a gadget or mechanical contrivance, esp. a small manufactured item" and...
") for some hypothetical product.
Other
In some areas of the U.S., it refers to a juvenile prank, clearly connected with the original military usage: a sack full of excrement is ignited on the victim's porch, while the pranksters ring the doorbell and run. The victim attempts to put the flames out by stamping on the bag. This may also be related to the term's claimed use as military slang for a land mineLand mine
A land mine is usually a weight-triggered explosive device which is intended to damage a target—either human or inanimate—by means of a blast and/or fragment impact....
, not well documented.
Alternative names
- Ambiguous Trident
- Devil's Pitchfork
- Devil's Tuning Fork
- Mark III Blivet
- Three-Legged Blivet
- Three-Pronged Poiuyt
- Trichotometric Indicator Support
- Three-Forked, One Slot widgetWidget (economics)The word widget is a placeholder name for an object or, more specifically, a mechanical or other manufactured device. It is an abstract unit of production. The Oxford English Dictionary defines it as "An indefinite name for a gadget or mechanical contrivance, esp. a small manufactured item" and...
(Games magazine) - VeeblefetzerVeeblefetzerVeeblefetzer is a word usually used facetiously as a placeholder name for any obscure or complicated object or mechanism, such as automobile parts, computer code and model railroad equipment....
External links
- Article "Impossible Fork" at MathWorld