Well it's two weeks later and we are back at the awkwardly named "The Uncomfortable Truths Well." It's interesting that this was the idea Randy decided to go back to - I guess he thought of some more ironic truths and a better joke, and figured he should just go back.
It's certainly an example of a recurring theme which I have recently demanded, so I certainly should praise that. I could see this being a fairly good running joke - provided he thinks of some funnier uncomfortable truths than "you'll never find a programming language that lets you express yourself right." And today's comic is better than the first one - this has an ok joke, where the last one was just trying to make you feel sad. Honestly what this feels most like is an edited version of the last Well comic.
(And as long as I'm linking to the new xkcd: could be better! message board, let me encourage you to head on over there and see how things are going. It's the continuation of the xkcd: could be better! blog, because a message board is a smarter way to organize that sort of thing. it's fun, people!)
Lastly, Randy, you have got to change it to the "Well of Uncomfortable Truths". It just sounds so much more natural, plus you can avoid all the ugliness of the design you currently have on the sign, as pointed out by commentor the_cuddlefish on the last post (go to the comments and search for "seattle").
It's certainly an example of a recurring theme which I have recently demanded, so I certainly should praise that. I could see this being a fairly good running joke - provided he thinks of some funnier uncomfortable truths than "you'll never find a programming language that lets you express yourself right." And today's comic is better than the first one - this has an ok joke, where the last one was just trying to make you feel sad. Honestly what this feels most like is an edited version of the last Well comic.
(And as long as I'm linking to the new xkcd: could be better! message board, let me encourage you to head on over there and see how things are going. It's the continuation of the xkcd: could be better! blog, because a message board is a smarter way to organize that sort of thing. it's fun, people!)
Lastly, Randy, you have got to change it to the "Well of Uncomfortable Truths". It just sounds so much more natural, plus you can avoid all the ugliness of the design you currently have on the sign, as pointed out by commentor the_cuddlefish on the last post (go to the comments and search for "seattle").
Perhaps Randall just reads this blog and realized what absolute shit that the first one was and is just trying again.
ReplyDeleteIf the second panel had been better this would have made me so happy.
ReplyDeleteSometimes I like to imagine that Randy has decided to make it his goal to try to put xkcdsucks out of business, so he is just playing games with us.
ReplyDeleteRob how arrogant are you to think Randy even spares one second of his life-filled day to read this blog
ReplyDelete"Pomposity is when you always think you're right, arrogant is when you know." I AM VERY ARROGANT THANK YOU
ReplyDeleteIf I, as the programmer in the room, claim that the second panel is fairly spot-on, will this elevate the comic to the realm of the acceptably good?
ReplyDeleteUnfortunately nooo, because I am also a programmer, or at least someone who has programmed in the past for money. I think we just disagree. :(
ReplyDeleteI thankfully do not have that problem, because I am so badass the computer BENDS ITSELF TO MY WILL.
Understandably this would change your perspective. Carry on then, Mr. Knuth.
ReplyDeleteLOL, WACKY MATH NERDS AND THEIR SARCASM ABOUT ROMANTIC ANTICS
ReplyDeletePat-
ReplyDeleteThat's a problem people have without being programmers. I think it could have been more generalized.
That said, it would have been funnier without the extremely Randall-esque "But *I* know what I mean!" It reminds me of "Hey! No statistical voyeurism!" I will henceforth refer to this as Randall-speak.
I liked this one, and I'm glad to see Carl didn't tear into it; it's important that we acknowledge when Randall doesn't suck.
ReplyDeleteI do agree that the second panel consists of irritating stock xkcd "humor," but I can look past it.
I disliked the second panel, because it makes very little sense to me, despite being a programmer - unless he's talking about commenting and documentation, I don't see how 'clarifying' one's ideas is part of the code, unless it's a magic language you explain an algorithm to and get a working program out of.
ReplyDeleteThat said, I thought the "but *I* know what I mean!" was good because it sounds very much like the response a lot of people make when called out on bad communication. If the word 'programming' had been removed from the panel, the joke wouldn't have been bad and the protest could have been entertaining, as much as vague observational humor can.
The second panel would have been much better if it was something like "You will never find a language" instead of programming language. Then it would be a comment on the limited nature of language. Maybe not an insightful comment, but a comment nevertheless. It would also take away the unnecessary nerdy reference and let the joke focus on its point, which is really the last two panels.
ReplyDeleteCue Cuddlefish telling me I just don't "get" how XKCD is a "niche" comic...
I did not enjoy this comic. I did not enjoy the second panel for the reasons already mentioned, but the last two panels were worse: classic Munroe creepster romance. If there were no other problems with the comic as a whole, this would be enough.
ReplyDelete"I don't see how 'clarifying' one's ideas is part of the code, unless it's a magic language you explain an algorithm to and get a working program out of."Have you ever seen code written by somebody who knows the language but has done so little planning that it if you spoke the word "modularization" near it, the very disk upon which the code sits would liquefy? I grant that Randall's choice of words is rather awkward, possibly even ambiguous enough to be flame bait. But, it's true that what you are doing when you are coding the instructions that comprise algorithm is usually to describe the algorithm in such a way that the machine can follow and execute it. So if we take by "clarifying your ideas" to mean to articulate a structure of actions for which the machine to take, especially a structure that has been designed in advance instead of a slip-shod monolith of five-page subroutines with all the bad practices that come with it, then he's not saying anything stupid here. He's simply saying it in a very stupid way.
Cue Cuddlefish telling me I just don't "get" how XKCD is a "niche" comic...Does Randall really fall back on that? (I don't follow his forum. Does he reply on the forum?) Because his wording always gives me the impression that, after the "get out of my head" types, his main audience is lay would-be-nerds who just don't know yet how awesome it is to be someone like himself. Which is to say, he's not trying to fill a niche as much as trying to appeal as universally quirky, which comes off as creepy because it requires the skill of "the parking lot is full" to pull off despair properly. In fact, at times these comics remind me of self-styled math prodigies' poetry attempts, in the way they aren't fully aware of both sides of a conversation and it all feels one-dimensional; Randall is five to ten years behind them on that, so I guess that fits.
On a vaguely related note: can we please stop with the "I'm an X, and I can declare, speaking as the mouthpiece for all X's, that every X in the world will find this joke/panel/comic funny, and you simply didn't get it because you are not an X" lines? I mean, for every "I'm an X and found it funny" there are like three "I'm an X and I didn't" on here.
ReplyDeleteTry, instead, "I thought panel 2 was funny because I am often frustrated with inarticulate programming languages" or whatever. That is making a personal statement that might also apply to some other programmers, without making a universal "ALL PROGRAMMERS THINK THIS IS AWESOME."
Seriously.
Cuddlefish: On here especially, the anonymous posters tend to cry "it's a niche comic, that is why you don't think it's funny" any time you make a comment which is vaguely critical or negative of a joke which is sort of programming-related.
ReplyDeleteIn my case they'd assume that the comic was never intended for me because I dislike nerd jokes! When really I DO like nerd jokes, but I don't like it when they feel tacked on. A joke ought to be the focus of the joke. Randy will too often throw out nerd references as a casual aside, throwing chum in the water rather than giving them the thought, attention, and wit it deserves.
XKCD is best liked by people who like XKCD.
ReplyDeleteThat may well top Fisher Price at uncyclopedia.
ReplyDeleteThis is easily the most vitriolic and scathing review of xkcd I've seen...
ReplyDelete(Bugger - I'm late.)
ReplyDeleteRob, you just don't "get" how XKCD is a "niche" comic.
(I got mentioned! In the same breath as Seattle!)
Rob: "On a vaguely related note: can we please stop with the "I'm an X, and I can declare, speaking as the mouthpiece for all X's, that every X in the world will find this joke/panel/comic funny, and you simply didn't get it because you are not an X" lines? I mean, for every "I'm an X and found it funny" there are like three "I'm an X and I didn't" on here."
ReplyDeleteI wouldn't mind the other side doing the same, but you neglected to mention that. Must be your bias.
@ Rob: you're right, this does apply to human communication. Which explains why programmers wouldn't get it. *rimshot*
ReplyDeleteAnyway, I assumed this was more general to programmers, but I was apparently mistaken. To my thinking, it applies especially to programming as a very rigid, very clear presentation of an idea. Computers don't do nuance, and they don't do intuition -- unless you manage to program intuition and nuance in specific terms first. Humans can be mislead by flashy presentation.
And I presumed "but I know what I mean!" was the refrain of everybody who ever had to solve a pointer-arithmetic bug.
I liked this one, but the immortality thing is not really uncomfortable. Neither is that programming thing (which is really kinda lame). It's more like "truths that make you sad well". I guess he ran out of uncomfortable truths
ReplyDeletePanel 2 is a classic example of "get out of my head randall". He's not saying anything notable, let alone funny. It's just another "omg me too" moment for programmers.
ReplyDeleteI anticipate future "What's the deal with Java? You can't drink it." type jokes.
Actually, the "other side" doesn't assume that because they are a programmer and don't like it that all programmers will dislike it--they mention their credentials primarily to disprove the theory that it is something only programmers get.
ReplyDeleteAlso, accusing me of bias isn't insulting, because I think you suck and should die in a fire anyway.
the_cuddlefish: Are you a Seattleite??
Rob: I am, but then you're an East Coaster, aren't you?
ReplyDeleteI guess he ran out of uncomfortable truthsThe ones in the earlier comic weren't uncomfortable, either.
Yes but I am from Seattle originally. It is the finest of cities.
ReplyDeleteI've been to Seattle, and it's nice. Crappy weather when I was there (surprise?).
ReplyDeleteBut I'll take Pittsburgh any day.
@Rob: technically, a programmer not liking the joke doesn't disprove that theory. It could still be a joke that only programmers will get. It just means that not all programmers like it.
ReplyDeleteAnother thought on "programming language" vs. "language" in panel two: people don't generally learn a variety of natural languages in an attempt to find the one that best suits them. I don't learn Eskimo in order to tell jokes about snow, for example. Most programmers, on the other hand, know several languages for different purposes and usually have one favorite. Thinking that there is a "perfect" programming language is naive but understandable. After all, one of my professors claimed "SML should be an extension of your mind."
Of course, he had designed the language, so it's hard to say it wasn't, for him.
Reading this blog just made that comic so much better. The well sucked the first time, and it sucked now. Why? Some loser (not Randall this time. :P) was in the well the whole time, making the "uncomfortable" truths.
ReplyDeleteMaybe you should have skipped this one, which actually has a joke, and gone directly to Borders, which has zero redeeming quality.
ReplyDeleteNo way! I laughed out loud at Borders, something I've not done in a long time.
ReplyDeletePat: I was more talking about the "every programmer will like this" school of super-intelligence, but fair enough.
ReplyDeleteA lot of language students think they are studying a language which is more precise/better for expressing things clearly than English, though. Or a lot of the ones I've known.
Rob: They probably just don't know how to use English.
ReplyDelete(Disclaimer: I only speak three natural languages)
Ya know... shoot me :P
ReplyDeleteI read xkcd on M-W-F when it's updated, and then I check this blog.
Your reviews are as interesting, and sometimes more so, than the comics themselves.
That said, I love xkcd. I'm reading through the archives.
Sure, some comics only extract a wry grin or a second glance, but what the hell?
Woe is me, my friends! I gnash my teeth and rend my garments asunder, as I find myself in the most horrific of situations -
ReplyDeleteI liked the most recent comic!
Randall used failed expectations to create a humorous scenario with a concise and appropriate punchline. He provided detailed and rich art, along with a loquacious style, to contrast the terse, sparse final panel which provides the comedic release. It caused me to chuckle and express grudging approval.
IT IS A PRETTY GOOD COMIC.
Truly a sad day indeed.
(Note: This is sarcastic, I'm actually okay with liking the comic when I think it's good. Also, gin is a pretty cool guy when he hangs out with his friend tonic water :D)
What? I hated the new comic. I am so freaked out by poore being nice.
ReplyDeleteI like Borders, since their old CDs are usually less expensive than the old CDs at HMV and... oh.
ReplyDeleteMeh. I didn't get it 'cos I don't play online games; I think I get why I'm supposed to get it, but I don't, so feh.
@Rob: No, I'm British. It's just that I've never been mentioned in the same breath as any big city before, and Seattle's a start. (Next stop: Swansea!)
I found panel 2 rather funny because I've known programmers who have problems "clarifying their ideas." They think they know what they want to accomplish and wonder why, no matter how they try to code it, it doesn't work. And then they ask me for help, describe what they're trying to do, and their idea is so ambiguous or even self-contradictory there's NO WAY you'd ever be able to code it. And then when I point this out, they respond with exactly panel 2's line, "But I know what I mean!"
ReplyDeleteNOOOOOOOOO, Anonymous
ReplyDeletepoore when you are nice to other people it makes me feel less special STOP IT NOW
ReplyDeletejust kidding! I do agree about the art in the latest one. Yay Randall, is that why all your other ones have been sucking, cuz you have been focusing on making at least one good one?
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ReplyDeleteI'm sorry, guys, but I find Friday's comic to be fucking fantastic. I feel like it's a return to the glory days of xkcd. I can't find fault in it.
ReplyDeleteThis may just be because I'm drunk, so we'll see tomorrow. But, given that Wednesday's comic was also praised here, I wonder if Randall has come across something of his old talent.
It's simple and it works. I can't really fault this one. I HAVE FAILED YOUSSSSS
ReplyDeleteI was talking about Friday's, even if the formula isn't terribly original.
ReplyDelete