I’ve been a big fan of the webcomic xkcd for the past year or so. It’s a really well done, three-times-a-week comic that deals with some real nerdy topics like science, programming, math and romance. xkcd is drawn by Randall Munroe, a programmer who used to work for NASA. I was very surprised to learn that Randall is only 23 years old. I assumed he was much older, based on his clever and insightful comics.
Every Monday, Wednesday and Friday a new comic is posted on xkcd. The drawings are usually simple, with stick figures and are almost always just black and white. There is always a witty punchline or comment in the alt-text of the image, which can be half the fun of Randall’s comics.
For some dumb reason, I always check the forums to see comments on the latest comic. It’s better than reading the comments on a Youtube video, but sometimes not by much. Half the comments look like they were written by well-educated 15 years olds and the rest are just people repeating what has already been said using different words. Many fans seem to think of Randall as some sort of god, claiming he can read their thoughts. They marvel at how timely and appropriate the current comic’s topic is to their own lives, as if the comic was written solely for them. You’ll often see several comments like this:
Oh god… this is amazing.
It’s so relevant to my life right now.
or
Good comic. More evidence that Randall has bugged my house though.
Anyway, it’s a great comic if you’re a bit on the nerdy side and want to read something that’s both witty and clever.