So.. we do all know that USB ports tend to have a default orientation, right? Like we're all aware that plugging in a USB cable correctly is aided by the fact that electronics companies generally use the same orientation on most orientable devices and the whole "USB rotation disorientation" bit is just a big inside joke, correct? Are there actually people out there not paying attention to the orientation of their cables before they plug them in so it's just an eternal try and error for them? Maybe other countries have different standards or something because this age old bit is not making sense to me.
this post was submitted on 02 Jul 2025
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Are there actually people out there not paying attention
Have you ever been to a Costco?
People probably do this instinctively not even realizing this is how to determine which way is the correct way:
https://devblogs.microsoft.com/oldnewthing/20201006-00/?p=104336
ok, but this does not help when the connector is vertical, like on the back of a PC, and often the front too. which side is "up", left or right? on this particular product, of course.
and then comes when you cant see the connector while trying to plug it in.
Thanks to USB C it's always the right orientation. But good fucking luck getting it in without looking or scratching the shit out of your device.
The one thing I liked better about Lightning over USB C was the rounded corner which makes it easier to slide the plug in without doing damage to the device.
I always just look at the cable/device and the port to see which half of the connector is empty and which has that plastic bit
Actually paying attention to what you're doing and where you're sticking things is too hard for some people.
USB A plugs exists in a superposition until a) you try to plug it in 3 times with alternating orientations, or b) you observe the orientation.
I always get it right the first time because I know the orientation of the ports in my PC so I can just look at the end of the cable and orient the connector properly the first time.
The USB-A connector has spin ½.
You have to rotate it 360⁰ before it'll fit (and 360⁰ more to get it back to the original orientation).
I like to think of it this way. Plugging in a USB-A connector is like observing a qubit in superposition—once you attempt it, the superposition collapses, and you instantly know if you were in the right orientation or if you need to flip to the opposite one!
And just like conditional probabilities in quantum mechanics, the first try has a 30% chance of being right and a 70% chance of being wrong. But here's the kicker: when the connector isn't touching the port, it resets to a superposition, and the probabilities shift to 60% right and 30% wrong. That's why even the third try isn't guaranteed to be correct. As the number of attempts increases, the cumulative probability of eventually getting it right approaches 100%
I mark all my USBs with a dot of tippex / whiteout or a tiny sticker on the top side, so my success percentage is fantastic