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Died in a Blogging Accident has lived up to its name and died... in a blogging accident. That is to say it has concluded. You can still re-live the magic by clicking here to start at chapter 1. For genuine criticism of XKCD, please click the top link to the right (XKCD Isn't Funny).

Saturday, September 10, 2011

xkcd Sucks Less, Week 4

Okay, so people are just going NUTS sending me strip improvements. SinbadEV has been consistent as always, with FOUR submissions, while two new people joined the "sucks less" bandwagon, offering three strips between the two of them. Some of you may be thinking, "Seven improvements for only three originals? Can they ALL be winners?"

Well, I think (for now) the answer is no. I'll publish the best one for each comic, with a possible honorable mention if another submission is notable enough. But, if you guys don't like that and want to see all of them, let me know in the comments! This is a democracy, and I'm open to suggestions.

Comic 947: Investing


Original:


Strictly speaking, this is accurate, but it's approached in such a stupid way that the punchline is just disappointing and wrong feeling.

"Sucks Less" Version:

Alt-Text: It is claimed that Einstein once said compound interest was "the most powerful force in the universe". Obviously he had never seen Star Wars.
by SinbadEV

I like this one because it attacks the "compound interest is magical" notion in a sensible way. Yes, in the right conditions, compounding interest can result in a lot of growth. An interest rate of 2% is not one of those conditions.

Comic 948: AI


Original:


Randall thinks, "Computers can drive cars but can't pass a Turing test. Maybe I can make this a joke about hippies!" He can't.

"Sucks Less" Version:

by Anonymous

This is just funny to me, and it reveals a major flaw in the original strip: the dialogue. Megan now responds the right way to Randall's overly descriptive and obvious commentary, and Randall gets some comeuppance. Huzzah.

Honorable Mention

by T-Jack

The caption says it all.

Comic 949: File Transfer


Original:


Randall, shut up already! Just make your point and move on!

"Sucks Less" Version:

Alt-Text: Every time you email a file to yourself so you can pull it up on your friend's laptop, Tim Berners-Lee sheds a single tear.
by SinbadEV

Short and sweet, has better punchline execution, and to top it all off, it LOOKS like a comic strip! If Randall had posted this version instead, I don't think I could've written a review that day.


Hey, a big thanks to everyone who participated this week. Randall gave us a lot of material to work with, and it seems like you three were up to the challenge. And don't forget, ANYONE can submit an "xkcd Sucks Less" strip! Just see the details at the top of the page.
Posted by Gamer_2k4 at 11:01 PM
Labels: ,

11 comments:

  1. Lucas aka SchnoukSeptember 11, 2011 at 2:24 AM

    If you want more independence from no-hyphen, you should provide a link to Humor Sans. Just sayin
    Also, the last one is pretty good except the punchline sounds a bit unnatural. The last panel should just be the guy standing at the door presenting a recognizable usb stick.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Acosta02September 11, 2011 at 10:58 AM

    Humor Sans is here:

    http://antiyawn.com/uploads/Humor-Sans.ttf

    For those not in the know, this is a font made to look like the text in xkcd! It's recommended that it be used at size 12 or 14, with a slight blur.

    ReplyDelete
  3. AnonymousSeptember 11, 2011 at 3:37 PM

    I'd like to see all of the ones submitted

    ReplyDelete
  4. UnknownSeptember 11, 2011 at 7:42 PM

    Perhaps the sucks not the least but still less then the original ones could be posted on Tuesday or Thursday so as not to detract from the best or the least sucky.

    Though, as a contributor myself this might just be vanity.

    ReplyDelete
  5. AnonymousSeptember 11, 2011 at 10:26 PM

    The 948 revision (not honorable mention) really made me lol. I wonder if that's what actually happens when Randall takes it upon himself to educate his peers by making sure they understand everything that a genius like himself does.

    (Let it be noted: I do not wish ill will towards Randall! I do however think someone should tell him to shut up once in a while)

    ReplyDelete
  6. AnonymousSeptember 11, 2011 at 10:30 PM

    11:26 here again. I also would like to see the non-winners for the week, perhaps in a separate page/link keeping in the spirit of SinbadEV's suggestion. Also you are vain Sinbad, but with your 'sucks less' strips as indicators, it is not entirely misplaced vanity?

    ReplyDelete
  7. AnonymousSeptember 12, 2011 at 8:34 AM

    I'd like to see the rest of the sucks less submissions as links.

    ReplyDelete
  8. AnonymousSeptember 12, 2011 at 11:39 AM

    947 is posted as 941. Have you just made the exact opposite mistake Randall did in the original strip by replacing a 7 with a 1? IS THIS THE SOUND OF HIPOCRISY?

    ReplyDelete
  9. Gamer_2k4September 12, 2011 at 12:02 PM

    Heh, nothing quite like that. I just copy the HTML code from previous editions of "xkcd Sucks Less," and I forgot to change that number. I'll get on it.

    Also, I'll post the non-winning submissions on Tuesdays from now on. That way, assuming Jon manages to get his bingo up on Saturdays, we'll only have one day a week (Thursdays) without an update.

    ReplyDelete
  10. AnonymousSeptember 12, 2011 at 12:25 PM

    Gamer I sincerely hope you shred 950 in a million pieces. It's the worse shit to ever come out of xkcd. It actually made me angry.

    ReplyDelete
  11. Jon LeviSeptember 13, 2011 at 4:42 AM

    I approve of the honorable mention for 948.

    ReplyDelete

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