Humor
The Onion - Internal link: http://www.theonion.com/content/index
- main page at http://www.theonion.com/..
As I recall from a year or so ago (ie from about 2000), new issues go
up on Tuesdays.
Parental Note: this site is often R-rated.
Another good satirical site: "Something Awful": http://www.somethingawful.com
(Oct 16, 2005) Parental
Advisory warning (as usual) -Use their search feature to search on
Geocities, find their Geocities review pages and look at other awful
Geocities sites like mine...
Here's the obligatory Dilbert:
http://www.unitedmedia.com/comics/dilbert/archive/
Electrical Engineering humor -- because you can't spell "Geek"
without EE!: http://www.repairfaq.org/ELE/F_Humor.html
The Grad Student Emotion Checklist:
http://philip.greenspun.com/humor/graduate-student-emotion-check-list
(July 12, 2005)
The Geek Code: http://www.geekcode.com
(July 12, 2005)
Other comics
Peanuts http://www.unitedmedia.com/comics/peanuts/archive/
For Better or for Worse http://www.fborfw.com/strip_fix/archives_calendar.php
(Oct 2, 2005 just after I found out
about its new location!)
Spider-Man http://www.kingfeatures.com/features/comics/spidermn/about.htm
(went pay as of July 25, 2005)
Brenda Starr http://www.comicspage.com/brendastarr/brendastarr.html
(link moved to this as of June 13 2004 - still free!)
See
also cartoons from off of my fridge and scanned in
Gags
and laughs (Apr 9, 2006) See also: email forwards, Filk Songs (link added July 12,
2005, and
updated).
Here's an innovative on-line comic which spoofs cyberspace and
on-screen science fiction: "Argon Zark": http://www.zark.com/ -- "Y2K" edition
available also! This was possibly the first online webcomic! (It began
back in 1995!) Nothing much for parents to be worried about here, so
this comic gets a G rating or maybe a very mild PG rating; however, it
will take at least older kids to appreciate this, due to the "Sci-Fi",
computer, and societal references. Better starting page: "The Hub": http://www.zark.com/front/hub.html. (updated Jan 28, 2006)
Here's a graphic artist and storyteller who deserves to have more
money: Phil Foglio: http://www.studiofoglio.com.
Here's his current project, "Girl
Genius" online: http://www.girlgeniusonline.com
(updated three times a week). (June 27, 2005)
For the easily amused: The Canada
Dance Page: http://www.homestead.com/100percentcanadian_eh/Canuck.html
(set your PC's midi volume to half while beginning to play this).
PhD Comics -- life as a grad
student! "Piled Higher and Deeper". Archives ("List
all comics"): http://www.phdcomics.com/comics/archive_list.php.
Home: http://www.phdcomics.com.
Latest comic (the
user interface for this site is good, but not great): http://www.phdcomics.com/comics/comics.php
(As of Jan 2006 updates are not showing up on the archive pages, so
check this (foregoing) link first);
Here's an introductory selection: http://www.phdcomics.com/comics/aboutcomics.html
-- notable and funny are the "Grad Studeent Documentary" and "Newton's
Three Laws of Graduation" (both are sequences, so click "Next" and
read!). (Aug 30, 2005)
March 7, 2004 More weird comics,
updated a lot more often than "Argon Zark": http://www.keenspot.com/; found at
this site are some of the following:
- College Roomies From Hell
http://www.crfh.net/
(semi-SF or Fantasy;
somewhere between PG-14 and R-rated) -- I've read through this series
as of Aug 2004; there are a lot of strips by now. The story grows on
you. These two were cute: http://www.crfh.net/d/20000919.html,
http://www.crfh.net/d/20000921.html.
Guide for new readers: http://www.crfh.net/new.htm;
Storyline index and description on same page (Spoilers!): http://www.crfh.net/new.htm#storyline_guide.
- Schlock Mercenary http://www.schlockmercenary.com/
(SF military humor; appears to be PG-rated). First cartoon in series at
http://www.schlockmercenary.com/d/20000612.html
- Sluggy Freelance http://www.sluggy.com/ (appears so far to be
SF; seems to be PG-rated)
- User Friendly http://www.userfriendly.org/
(Geeky
computer humor - pretty much G-rated. I think it's in some
newspapers). I've read the whole series as of Aug 20, 2005, and I can
generally recommend it to tech/business readers. It's really cute --
(especially the little "Dust Puppy" guy who was born from dust inside
the servers) and not as bitter as "Dilbert". The author is Canadian, so
there's some (very infrequent) Canadian content. He does some pretty
good rewording of old pop songs on Sundays and an archive of links to
those is specially available on the site. Here's a sample of a strip:
"One Night in Our NOC": http://ars.userfriendly.org/cartoons/?id=20031019&mode=classic.
However, there is a strong left-wing (anti-property-rights) viewpoint.
The RIAA and those who want to protect their content are not totally in
the wrong, and a lot of this heavy file-sharing is morally
questionable. Even the aboriginal North Americans ("Amerinds", to
advocate a term) had intellectual property rights to their
entertainment content (stories and songs). Not all tech types are
left-wingers; in fact, the libertarian viewpoint is heavily
represented. This is a demographic which the author of this strip
should not ignore. (updated
Jan 28,
2006).
- Strip of Nov 19, 2000: Certificate of emigration from the US to
Canada due to the 2000 election: http://ars.userfriendly.org/cartoons/?id=20001119. (updated Jan 29,
2006)
Sinfest http://www.sinfest.net/ (Stronger
than PG, approaching an R-rating for outrageous subject matter and
language)
Goats http://www.goats.com/ (I'm not familiar
enough with this to be able to rate it)
Sexy Losers http://sexylosers.com/
(Pornographic,
X-rated and as outrageous as the author can possibly make it)
Mega Tokyo http://www.megatokyo.com/
("Anime" (formerly
known as "Japanamation"); appears to have little to no nudity and to be
a soap-opera/relationship strip, R-rated for swearing and sexual talk -
I don't read much of it).
- Queen of Wands
http://www.queenofwands.net/
- a soap-opera/relationship strip. R-ratted for swearing and sexual
talk;
little to no nudity. Some exaggerated off-panel cartoon violence. I've
read
through the entire series as of Aug 1, 2005. First comic http://www.queenofwands.net/d/20020722.html;
last comic http://www.queenofwands.net/d/20050223.html.
Since then it has been in reruns, with commentary added. Here's a
side-strip which works off frustration due to a common pet peeve often
felt by those who can spell: http://www.queenofwands.net/d/20031003.html.
- Something
Positive - http://www.somethingpositive.net/
- another soap-opera/relationship strip (I'm into these). I was hooked
into reading this due to a crossover from "Queen of
Wands" (which began at (rerun strip): http://www.queenofwands.net/d/20051124.html,
or http://www.somethingpositive.net/sp05112004.shtml).
Sun Dec 18, 2005.
This strip features (sometimes) a rather surreal pink cat that can take
any shape (some, rather, most, of the shapes it takes look like they
can cause nightmares). It's also rated R for language, sex and
violence. There is also truly mature content. The main character from "Queen
of Wands", Kestrel, has been adopted by this strip. I
liked the art more at the beginning of the strip, which is not normal,
since webcomic graphic artists usually improve drastically due to the
practice. Reading about supportive friends and family is always balm
for my soul, even though these characters act quite "whacked" much of
the time.
- Here are some sample strips that I enjoyed (or were noteable): (updated Jan 28, 2006)
- A very satisfying part (warning: off-colour): http://www.somethingpositive.net/sp12312005.shtml
- Choo-Choo Bear woken by his cell phone: http://www.somethingpositive.net/sp12302005.shtml
- Kestrel gets hit by a car - http://www.somethingpositive.net/sp02242005.shtml
(fortunately she turns out OK)
- Really cute picture of the cat ("Choo-Choo Bear") -- looking more
catlike and less surreal - http://www.somethingpositive.net/sp12212004.shtml
(I refer mainly to the second picture -- this is also some
foreshadowing about the person trying to pet the cat)
- Gay Marriage in Canada - http://www.somethingpositive.net/sp05162004.shtml
- End of the QoW cross-over: - http://www.somethingpositive.net/sp05142004.shtml
- Spay Your Catgirl - http://www.somethingpositive.net/sp01192004.shtml
- STICK!
STICK! STICK! STICK! - http://www.somethingpositive.net/sp01072002.shtml
- this one made me laugh until it hurt. Pain can do that.
- SuperMegaTopia http://www.supermegatopia.com/
(Disney-style-"Funny animal" superhero/SF; so far appears to be
PG-rated, for bulging bosoms)
Since these are only on the www, they all probably have very relaxed
restrictions on "mature" content.
Columnists
Dave Barry http://www.miami.com/mld/miamiherald/living/columnists/dave_barry/
Family humor; new columns are posted on Sundays. Unfortunately, as of
2005, he is quitting the humor column biz. His last column (http://www.miami.com/mld/miamiherald/living/columnists/dave_barry/10546245.htm?1c)
was posted Sunday January 2, 2005.
Here's his 2004 tax-time column: http://www.miami.com/mld/miamiherald/living/columnists/dave_barry/8234212.htm.
See also http://www.davebarry.com.
Josh Freed, the Dave Barry of Montreal
Family humor; recent columns are posted on Saturdays.
Recent columns http://www.canada.com/montreal/montrealgazette/columnists/josh_freed.html
(no longer posted as of April 2004 due to copyright reasons)
Archive of some previous work http://www.oocities.org/davidnicholson_99/Josh_Freed/JFreed-Menu.htm
home
Last updated Apr 9, Mar 12, Jan 29, 28, 2006; Dec 18,
Oct 16,
Oct 2,
Aug
30, 28, 21, 2,
1, July
25, 12,
11, 10,
1,
June
27,
26, Jan 3 2005; Aug 22, 17, 12, 10, July 22, 7, June 13, April 25,
March 21, 16,
7, Feb 22, 14, 1, Jan 31 2004; April 7, March
29, 2003