2016-06-24

XKCD Isn't Funny - #1691 - Optiminization


I'm a little bit leery about giving props to Randy for this one. I feel like there's been a recent upswing in the number of XKCDs that are presented semi-sarcastically. I think Randy has to have realized that he reuses jokes a lot, so he's started adding a sense of ironic detachment. And that's fine and all, until that becomes the new standard and it just becomes irritating self-awareness.

That said, this particular subversion of the norm starts and ends with the comic in question - no "Wow, I do this a lot" to be found here!

I do think that this comic suffers from what TVTropes calls "Spoiled by the Format". Even if your brain doesn't absorb the whole content of the comic at once, you'll see that the flowchart is a linear line instead of a series of branching choices. I understand that this is a hard thing to avoid, but XKCD plays with the format all the time. Would it have been hard for Randy to make this into a thing where you input your answer to the question and then the punchline pops out? I don't actually know, programming is a mystery to me, let me know if I'm being unreasonable.


In other news, my friend Lachlan, who you may remember from his guest review, started his very own blog! It can be found at myinternetramblingsareunbelievablyselfindulgent.wordpress.com, and if that URL seems like your cup of tea you should go drink it!

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