tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6714810984552499396.post8043776401408369722..comments2024-03-17T05:03:46.056-07:00Comments on xkcd sucks: Comic 683: Science: It's Boring, BitchesCarlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01074589998141327538noreply@blogger.comBlogger101125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6714810984552499396.post-3729411041350008782010-01-29T10:28:12.037-08:002010-01-29T10:28:12.037-08:00Rod Huggins and I are just friends.Rod Huggins and I are just friends.Carlhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01074589998141327538noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6714810984552499396.post-23134995775242166692010-01-28T22:28:10.787-08:002010-01-28T22:28:10.787-08:00Sorry, Carl. When I said "your blog", I ...Sorry, Carl. When I said "your blog", I actually meant Carl's and yours. I just figured you and Rod were together, you know... Won't happen again.Some random anonymous dudenoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6714810984552499396.post-39513885239347277682010-01-21T19:07:08.179-08:002010-01-21T19:07:08.179-08:00carl I engage the commenters for you since SOMEONE...carl I engage the commenters for you since SOMEONE is too busy being carl wheeler to do it himselfrshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15828938843801425383noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6714810984552499396.post-10458512482363427342010-01-21T19:05:15.104-08:002010-01-21T19:05:15.104-08:00rob you are firedrob you are firedCarlhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01074589998141327538noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6714810984552499396.post-26151592265912907442010-01-21T18:59:16.341-08:002010-01-21T18:59:16.341-08:00sorry carl. I try to notice when people think that...sorry carl. I try to notice when people think that I wrote the blog.rshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15828938843801425383noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6714810984552499396.post-25672959794026027332010-01-21T18:56:22.198-08:002010-01-21T18:56:22.198-08:00woah woah woah wait! "Your" blog? this i...woah woah woah wait! "Your" blog? this is MY blog! Rob has nothing to do with it! You can yell at me or you can yell at rob but don't go to him and give him credit for all this!Carlhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01074589998141327538noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6714810984552499396.post-85982101205799182732010-01-21T14:25:13.666-08:002010-01-21T14:25:13.666-08:00I'd link you to all of the times I've like...I'd link you to all of the times I've liked XKCD in recent days but they usually show up in comment threads, and you're not worth the effort.rshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15828938843801425383noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6714810984552499396.post-57741725597785891512010-01-20T16:57:57.470-08:002010-01-20T16:57:57.470-08:00Whatever you say, Rod. I realize now it's frea...Whatever you say, Rod. I realize now it's freaking pointless trying to show you any different point of view on any xkcd comic. Your blog is called "xkcd sucks", for crying it out loud! And that's what you frigging have in mind before reading any xkcd comic. Undoubtly you'll have to struggle a whole lot to find any amusement in xkcd -- except, of course, the "amusemet" of criticizing.Some random anonymous dudenoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6714810984552499396.post-48072719823603585802010-01-20T14:00:17.228-08:002010-01-20T14:00:17.228-08:00Except none of that appears in the comic at all. I...Except none of that appears in the comic at all. Indeed, you are describing an entirely different comic. It would be trivial to make a comic where you contrast 'exciting, flashy movie science' to a comic where a scientist discovers something fascinating--a moment of "Hmm, that's funny."<br /><br />But it's not. This is just straight-up boring. There is no discovery in this comic at all. "Two elements are probably not in this sample" is not a discovery. It's an absence of discovery. It is boring.<br /><br />Which is the point of the comic: movie science is flashy and dumb; real science is boring as fuck. You may disagree with the point, but that's all you're going to find in this comic. The point is that science is boring and movies which make it look like it is exciting and fun and has sparkly bits and extensive lab equipment are lying to you. It consists of standing around for hours waiting for an uninteresting result that isn't even conclusive.rshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15828938843801425383noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6714810984552499396.post-77784466909712128162010-01-20T09:41:39.710-08:002010-01-20T09:41:39.710-08:00If the scientists weren't depicted waiting for...If the scientists weren't depicted waiting for the experiment results, we would just assume they didn't have to wait at all. And you would be saying here the comic sucks because Randall would be implying that science in real-life is almost just like science in the movies, except that results in movies are farfetch'd.<br /><br />Yes, it IS exaggerated. But the message is "science is boring WHEN your notion of excitement has as baseline the movie-science-kind-excitement", not just "science is boring". When you understand that science takes more patience and persistence than dangerous experiments, then you can start seeking where passion lies in science.Some random anonymous dudenoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6714810984552499396.post-54273154192320280982010-01-19T15:07:28.586-08:002010-01-19T15:07:28.586-08:00also, what I said! this comic is making science lo...also, what I said! this comic is making science look boring. Exaggerated, yes, but that's the point he's making. Think about it: If it takes several hours to get results, why are the scientists just standing there the whole time? Why are they not working on something else, or eating delicious tacos, or having wild scientist sex? That is what would happen in real life. But that isn't as boring. The right side of this comic is trying to be as boring as possible. that's the <i>point</i>.Carlhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01074589998141327538noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6714810984552499396.post-7811625831076035742010-01-17T11:48:44.225-08:002010-01-17T11:48:44.225-08:00So it is a completely useless observation? "M...So it is a completely useless observation? "Movies: they are different from science!"<br /><br />NOBODY THOUGHT THEY WERE THE SAME. There is no insight here, in your interpretation of the comic. At all.rshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15828938843801425383noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6714810984552499396.post-20599338045746644172010-01-15T19:39:13.880-08:002010-01-15T19:39:13.880-08:00No, Rob, it's neither about science being bori...No, Rob, it's neither about science being boring nor about me being elitist. It's about how scientists and the audience have such different notions of "excitement".<br /><br />I mean, you could have Carl Sagan talking with great excitement about sending the Vikings probes to Mars. But then it would take some months before it reached the planet... Doesn't sound like big screen materia. Also, I'm pretty sure most of the audience wouln't find the slingshot effect as amusing as a manned ship crashing into Phobos.<br /><br />Screenwriters are not stupid. They're just not interested in showing real science on the screen. That's not what people usually pay for when they go to the movies.<br /><br />As to the last panel, well, this is exactly what many people don't understand: science is not easy and it does not operate miracles. In real science you can't always get the results you would like to get or draw valid conclusions all the time. Scientists spend most of the time studying, waiting experiment results or writing papers. And oftentimes they just realized they have wasted a big deal of time and have to backtrack and try a different approach.<br /><br />This doesn't change the fact that discovering can be very exciting. For a passionate scientist of the real-world, knowing you have contributed to the human understanding of the nature can be extremely exciting. It's just not "Hollywood-fashion" excitement.Some random anonymous dudenoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6714810984552499396.post-24027092218389734092010-01-15T13:48:02.885-08:002010-01-15T13:48:02.885-08:00wait, if this comic is supposed to be "Scient...wait, if this comic is supposed to be "Scientists find[ing] excitement in discovery," why is the last panel supremely unexciting, and deliberately so?Carlhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01074589998141327538noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6714810984552499396.post-38293172460455846542010-01-15T09:46:55.402-08:002010-01-15T09:46:55.402-08:00If this comic is not about how science is not as e...If this comic is not about how science is not as exciting as it is in the movies (or, put another way, about how science is boring compared to movies), then it is even worse: it is a smug "screenwriters are too stupid to understand real science/the thrill of discovery/etc" comment. At least calling science boring is just inconsistent and unoriginal. Saying that screenwriters are fuck-off stupid is elitist and smug.rshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15828938843801425383noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6714810984552499396.post-72562156775896642132010-01-14T20:09:53.444-08:002010-01-14T20:09:53.444-08:00This comic does not imply science is boring. It...This comic does not imply science is boring. It's just not like the movies. Scientists find excitement in discovery. Movies find excitement in sparkles, beams, explosions and plot devices and noisy gadgets. =pSome random anonymous dudenoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6714810984552499396.post-40502156613625752372010-01-09T03:08:50.322-08:002010-01-09T03:08:50.322-08:00After looking at some of the examples mentioned by...After looking at some of the examples mentioned by Carl, I gathered that he didnt (dare I say it) 'get' the message from (at least some of) the examples of science in xkcd. To put it concisely, the whole 'joke' of his science-related comics (and his T-Shirts) is that science is boring and uneventful yet, to provide a humorous juxtaposition it is shown as sexy, dangerous and/or 'cool'. <br /><br />For example; <br />465- where the joke is that science is boring but the physicist is doing cool stuff. This is stated somewhat bluntly in the alt-text for goodness sake!<br />402- panels 1 to 3 lead up to the punchline that instead of an exciting and dangerous pursuit, it is in fact scientists studying a boring subject.<br /><br />If I had to critique this comic, I would state that is is dumbing down the joke from an early 2000s sit-com level of subtlety to an amateur stand up comedian's.Unknownhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15062925290428505975noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6714810984552499396.post-62230598926199725462010-01-05T16:35:55.728-08:002010-01-05T16:35:55.728-08:00@Landon, Ann -- Wow, yeah, my bad. I wasn't pa...@Landon, Ann -- Wow, yeah, my bad. I wasn't paying attention to the number, and thought you meant "The joke in [the latest comic] isn't that movies are unrealistic..." etc. Sorrrrrrryyyyyyyyyyyy.John Magnumhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04416392917805723793noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6714810984552499396.post-20430838094446816222010-01-05T15:49:23.153-08:002010-01-05T15:49:23.153-08:00Sure it looks boring but the purpose is to contras...Sure it looks boring but the purpose is to contrast it to popular portrayal not to those who say they are interested in science.Pete Gordonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14153437374929803489noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6714810984552499396.post-24729864744949883852010-01-05T15:48:45.530-08:002010-01-05T15:48:45.530-08:00Duh! So you don't think that looks boring at A...Duh! So you don't think that looks boring at ALL?!Some Idiotnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6714810984552499396.post-33153728412176192442010-01-05T15:47:18.534-08:002010-01-05T15:47:18.534-08:00I actually think the comic isn't trying to mak...I actually think the comic isn't trying to make science look boring. It's just saying it's not all action packed as it's portrayed. It doesn't feel to me like it's making fun of science, but the popular portrayal of science.Pete Gordonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14153437374929803489noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6714810984552499396.post-29828590905605179392010-01-05T15:39:49.493-08:002010-01-05T15:39:49.493-08:00Worse? Wow R, that's pretty low. I mean...damn...Worse? Wow R, that's pretty low. I mean...damn....Leohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03329289105336762128noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6714810984552499396.post-40607527122883762812010-01-05T15:21:47.879-08:002010-01-05T15:21:47.879-08:00you faggot if you think Carl's blog is so wron...you faggot if you think Carl's blog is so wrong than make your own blog.Matthewhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13209546842370573916noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6714810984552499396.post-89021686088648826392010-01-05T15:05:22.374-08:002010-01-05T15:05:22.374-08:00It's worse than the actual comic. Sorry.It's worse than the actual comic. Sorry.R.noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6714810984552499396.post-90822350071581809872010-01-05T14:13:27.847-08:002010-01-05T14:13:27.847-08:00Glad you liked it anon!Glad you liked it anon!Leohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03329289105336762128noreply@blogger.com