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Interviews: Ask SMBC's Creator Zach Weiner a Question

Posted by samzenpus on from the go-ahead-and-ask dept.

Zach Weiner is the author and illustrator of a number of webcomics, most notably Saturday Morning Breakfast Cereal (SMBC). He's been a guest contributor to xkcd and founded the sketch comedy group SMBC Theater. His project Augie and the Green Knight, was the most funded children's book on Kickstarter, and his newest project The Gentleman's Single-Use Monocle offers readers emergency reading protection with a bit of class. Zach has agreed to step away from the comics for a bit and answer any questions you might have. As usual, ask as many as you'd like, but please, one per post.

90 comments

  1. Sacred cows? by eldavojohn · · Score: 4, Interesting

    Have there been any times you feared you went too far with your humor? If not, when have you received the most mail asserting that you did?

    --
    My work here is dung.
    1. Re:Sacred cows? by sideslash · · Score: 1, Funny

      He is actually really careful about that. There are regular barbecues of sacred cows related to Judaism and Christianity, but never so much as a hint of poking fun at Islam or Mohammed.

    2. Re:Sacred cows? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      You prod harder on the ones who can take a joke and where you actually have to push the envelope to get a reaction. Poking Islam is like poking a killer bees nest with your penis.

      Of course, do it enough and the killer bees die off. But, that's a painful way for most people to go.

    3. Re:Sacred cows? by nitehawk214 · · Score: 1, Funny

      To bring it back on topic:

      You prod harder on the ones who can take a joke and where you actually have to push the envelope to get a reaction. Poking Islam is like poking a killer bees nest with your Weiner.

      Of course, do it enough and the killer bees die off. But, that's a painful way for most people to go.

      --
      I'm a good cook. I'm a fantastic eater. - Steven Brust
    4. Re:Sacred cows? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Considering that he lives in the United States, where the religious majority by far are Christians...

    5. Re:Sacred cows? by quantaman · · Score: 1

      He is actually really careful about that. There are regular barbecues of sacred cows related to Judaism and Christianity, but never so much as a hint of poking fun at Islam or Mohammed.

      It could be caution, but it could also be the fact that poking fun at empowered groups in your own culture carries a very different context than poking fun at foreign cultures (or disempowered groups in your own culture).

      --
      I stole this Sig
    6. Re:Sacred cows? by sideslash · · Score: 1

      It could be caution, but it could also be the fact that poking fun at empowered groups in your own culture carries a very different context than poking fun at foreign cultures (or disempowered groups in your own culture).

      So you're saying Islam is a "foreign culture" in the USA. How many Muslims do we have to have living here as citizens before it becomes one of the (many) American subcultures?

      Also, your use of the term "disempowered" is hilarious. Just because Islamists in the USA can't get away with chopping off people's heads here (like they do elsewhere in the world) doesn't make them "disempowered" relative to Christianity and Judaism. Always with Islam it's the (pardon the expression) camel's nose in the tent. Islamists have no sense of humor, no tolerance for criticism, and no qualms about taking their half from the middle and screwing atheists, homosexuals, apostates, and in general, persons of other religions (inculding variants of Islam slightly different from theirs).

    7. Re:Sacred cows? by quantaman · · Score: 1

      It could be caution, but it could also be the fact that poking fun at empowered groups in your own culture carries a very different context than poking fun at foreign cultures (or disempowered groups in your own culture).

      So you're saying Islam is a "foreign culture" in the USA. How many Muslims do we have to have living here as citizens before it becomes one of the (many) American subcultures?

      Also, your use of the term "disempowered" is hilarious. Just because Islamists in the USA can't get away with chopping off people's heads here (like they do elsewhere in the world) doesn't make them "disempowered" relative to Christianity and Judaism. Always with Islam it's the (pardon the expression) camel's nose in the tent. Islamists have no sense of humor, no tolerance for criticism, and no qualms about taking their half from the middle and screwing atheists, homosexuals, apostates, and in general, persons of other religions (inculding variants of Islam slightly different from theirs).

      As you pointed out the "disempowered" covers Muslims in the US. And my evidence for them being disempowered (marginalized would be a better term) is the ease with which people will hear Muslim and translate it to Islamist, and then they'll start sprouting off half a dozen negative stereotypes that would be verboten if applied to most other groups.

      --
      I stole this Sig
    8. Re:Sacred cows? by sideslash · · Score: 1

      As you pointed out the "disempowered" covers Muslims in the US. And my evidence for them being disempowered (marginalized would be a better term) is the ease with which people will hear Muslim and translate it to Islamist, and then they'll start sprouting off half a dozen negative stereotypes that would be verboten if applied to most other groups.

      You're really going off on a tangent here. Getting back on subject, perhaps we can agree that the most likely reason for SMBC's curious silence toward Islam is not because Zach can't find anything silly in their beliefs, but rather because conservative Muslims around the world, aka Islamists of different degrees, are likely to commit acts of violence in response to their religion being made fun of.

      Also, just for the record, equating "Muslim" and "Islamist" is often a reasonably accurate approximation, particularly outside the USA but frequently here as well. There are useful litmus tests to identify an Islamist, such as: "Should it be illegal to burn a Koran?" "Should people be allowed to apostatize from Islam?" and so forth. If you only ask about affinity for Osama bin Laden you will definitely miss a lot of the scary religious nuts. Their ultimate goal is not peaceful coexistence in a pluralistic society, but rather enforcement of norms of sharia law and subjugation of non-Islamic people. Whether they are likely to be successful in their goal is irrelevant as to their classification as Islamists in that respect.

    9. Re:Sacred cows? by Lehk228 · · Score: 1

      found the SJW

      --
      Snowden and Manning are heroes.
    10. Re:Sacred cows? by Cafe+Alpha · · Score: 1

      That sort of thinking is very European - it shouldn't bother an American like Weiner, I hope.

      That's why England is.. the truth is I don't even want to describe it. Not only do Americans not know the train wreak that is England, we're much happier for not knowing.

    11. Re:Sacred cows? by quantaman · · Score: 2

      As you pointed out the "disempowered" covers Muslims in the US. And my evidence for them being disempowered (marginalized would be a better term) is the ease with which people will hear Muslim and translate it to Islamist, and then they'll start sprouting off half a dozen negative stereotypes that would be verboten if applied to most other groups.

      You're really going off on a tangent here. Getting back on subject, perhaps we can agree that the most likely reason for SMBC's curious silence toward Islam is not because Zach can't find anything silly in their beliefs, but rather because conservative Muslims around the world, aka Islamists of different degrees, are likely to commit acts of violence in response to their religion being made fun of.

      Possibly, but I don't recall him making fun of Hindu's, African Tribal religions, or Chinese culture either. He might be silent out of caution, or he might be ignoring them for the same reasons he ignores those other groups.

      Also, just for the record, equating "Muslim" and "Islamist" is often a reasonably accurate approximation, particularly outside the USA but frequently here as well. There are useful litmus tests to identify an Islamist, such as: "Should it be illegal to burn a Koran?" "Should people be allowed to apostatize from Islam?" and so forth. If you only ask about affinity for Osama bin Laden you will definitely miss a lot of the scary religious nuts. Their ultimate goal is not peaceful coexistence in a pluralistic society, but rather enforcement of norms of sharia law and subjugation of non-Islamic people. Whether they are likely to be successful in their goal is irrelevant as to their classification as Islamists in that respect.

      Since around 50% of Americans support a flag burning amendment does that make them all scary nationalist nuts? There's not even a god who's supposed to care about that one. As for Muslims some of what you're picking up on is just cultural differences, a Christian who talks about killing apostles is a pretty legitimate risk to go out and hurt someone because that kind of talk isn't part of modern Christianity. A Muslim who does so is mostly just aping cultural expectations, they're very unlikely to do anything about it, particularly in the west (though there are enough extremists that apostles still have legitimate cause for concern).

      --
      I stole this Sig
    12. Re:Sacred cows? by quantaman · · Score: 1

      found the SJW

      I wasn't trying to take a side but I was pointing out that there are reasons he might not be criticizing Muslims besides fear.

      If you don't think that the power and social standing of groups doesn't matter in humour then take the jokes a black comedian tells about blacks or a Jewish comedian about Jews and try telling them as a white non-Jew. It's not translatable because the context is completely different.

      --
      I stole this Sig
    13. Re:Sacred cows? by sideslash · · Score: 1

      If I encounter any apostles, I'll be sure to warn them.

    14. Re:Sacred cows? by davester666 · · Score: 1

      Now you're talking about what Anthony Weiner does.

      --
      Sleep your way to a whiter smile...date a dentist!
    15. Re:Sacred cows? by serviscope_minor · · Score: 2

      I think there are also other explanations.

      I grew up in a vaguely Christian society, or at least one with a rich Christian history. I went to a church school up until secondary school because it was close. It's England, and C of E schools are quite common and, frankly, not nearly what you'd expect religious schools to be like. This is all an artefact of history which is why there's this mild pervasiveness of the C of E even if society as a whole is not religious. Anyway, needless to say, Christianity and various reasonings associated with it are not foreign to me.

      I also have a bunch of Jewish family, so (including of course the shared religious texts) things from that culture are familiar to me.

      As a result, I get jokes poking fun at Jewish and Christian sacred cows (only to be eaten *after* dairy in the former case) because the background, history, reasoning and culture is familiar to me.

      I doubt I'd find jokes about Islam, Hinduism, and a whole bunch others funny simply because I don't have the context which makes it funny.

      By way of example: I've sat through interminable pasach dinners with all the funny little rituals associated with them and the inevitable family interactions that go on as a result. Easy to poke fun at. I expect Ramadan is similar, but I wouldn't get the jokes because I have never experienced one.

      In the same way, I can laugh at jokes poking fun at British and American cultures because I understand them well enough. If you made a similar joke about Japanese culture it would fall flat, because I just don't have the context which makes it funny.

      IOW, I think people are seeing conspiracies where none exist.

      --
      SJW n. One who posts facts.
    16. Re:Sacred cows? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      You don't want to know the difference between wreak and wreck either, or so it appears.

    17. Re:Sacred cows? by sideslash · · Score: 1

      Since around 50% of Americans support a flag burning amendment does that make them all scary nationalist nuts? There's not even a god who's supposed to care about that one.

      This may come as a shock to you, but this is the USA, and patriotism is OK here. If some people get a little carried away, that's not as big a deal as people who want to subject non-Muslims to sharia law. If you really don't see the difference between the two, then it appears that you will never be in danger of someone demanding you relinquish your hippie credentials.

      (Side note: I agree with the SCOTUS that flag burning and other forms of expression that don't actually cause harm to others should remain legal.)

    18. Re:Sacred cows? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      This may come as a shock to you, but this is the USA, and patriotism is OK here.

      What part of not burning the flag is patriotism? No, what you speak of is jingoism. I love my country so much that I stand by the freedom to burn flags. That you agree with SCOTUS is great but the fact that 50% want to override SCOTUS is the fundamental problem. The point is the irony of it. Just like how some (50%?) religious nuts who seek to kill or threaten those who do not follow or leave their faith. It's an aggressive fear. It's pathetic, and it's a widespread issue on all sorts of issues.

    19. Re:Sacred cows? by sideslash · · Score: 1

      Look, if I burn a flag, I am likely to get an evil eye from a bunch of people, and possibly be punched in the nose by a veteran. All things considered I don't regard that as a huge threat, and I admit a certain fondness for these misguided patriots, even as they're punching me in the nose.

      If I burn a Koran, I may be murdered by those who want to split the USA into favored adherents of Islam versus subjugated slaves of Islam (dhimmis). I am... uh... really not OK with that, and I despise and want to publicly shame people who promote that agenda. Do you see the difference now, hippie? :)

    20. Re:Sacred cows? by quantaman · · Score: 1

      Look, if I burn a flag, I am likely to get an evil eye from a bunch of people, and possibly be punched in the nose by a veteran. All things considered I don't regard that as a huge threat, and I admit a certain fondness for these misguided patriots, even as they're punching me in the nose.

      If I burn a Koran, I may be murdered by those who want to split the USA into favored adherents of Islam versus subjugated slaves of Islam (dhimmis). I am... uh... really not OK with that, and I despise and want to publicly shame people who promote that agenda. Do you see the difference now, hippie? :)

      Your original argument was that the mere desire to ban Koran burning made them Islamists, now you've switched to talking about the Muslims who want to kill you for it. That is another conversation.

      And as you admit you're sympathetic to the people who want to ban flag burning (or at least threaten burners with violence) so you're apparently ok with people who want to ban burning of your special symbol, but when it comes to people who want to ban burning of their special symbol you label them Islamists and readily conflate them with people who will kill for the same reason. How would you feel about a Muslim who gave someone a black eye for burning a Koran?

      Do you think it would be fair for me if in a discussion of anti-abortion protesters I kept on conflating them with the people who shot abortion doctors and blew up clinics? Why do you do the same to Muslims?

      --
      I stole this Sig
    21. Re:Sacred cows? by sideslash · · Score: 1

      Your original argument was that the mere desire to ban Koran burning made them Islamists, now you've switched to talking about the Muslims who want to kill you for it. That is another conversation.

      No, they're still different despite your efforts to paint them the same. The ban on Koran burning will almost never exist in isolation, but rather as part of a continual progression toward Islamic domination of the society. It's part of a larger package we really don't want, which is called "sharia". Well, at least _I_ really don't want it, don't know about you.

      Are you unaware that sharia principles are not isolated, one-off notions taken by individuals, but rather are actually written down and codified in Islamic primary religious documents? Do you know what it's like to live in an Islamic country and face a modern Inquisition for being a free thinker?

      Don't be so naive about Islam. I agree that there are some practitioners of a sort of modern "hippie Islam" who are cool with coexisting and diversity of thought, but I think they're in the minority. The aim of Islam in general is to take over, run things, and enforce sharia law in some form; and you're naive if you don't recognize that.

    22. Re:Sacred cows? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Look, if I burn a flag, I am likely to get an evil eye from a bunch of people, and possibly be punched in the nose by a veteran. All things considered I don't regard that as a huge threat, and I admit a certain fondness for these misguided patriots, even as they're punching me in the nose.

      Why do you have a fondness for supposed freedom fighters who assault people? More generally, how is it that you're happening upon veterans during your flag burning that you should even fear a punch in the nose?

      If I burn a Koran, I may be murdered by those who want to split the USA into favored adherents of Islam versus subjugated slaves of Islam (dhimmis). I am... uh... really not OK with that, and I despise and want to publicly shame people who promote that agenda.

      But you'd be okay with a punch in the nose? Meanwhile, you say you "may" be murdered. Well, fuck, I "may" be murdered for burning the US flag is I seek out those most likely to be inflamed and irrational and then desecrate their holy symbol. Same thing with burning a Bible. The real issue is that the sort of dangerous people I speak of exist and are free in the US until they commit a crime. I despise those people and would love to see them publicly shamed, no matter how much of a "veteran" they are of anything.

      Do you see the difference now, hippie? :)

      So, was that an attempt at an ad hominem? Because I'm no hippie. I do believe in the rule of law and the notion that the foundation of a free society is not in an adherence to a flag or a name or a Constitution per se but to the foundations of liberty that would form a flag or a country's name or a legal document that recognizes the rights of the people to act and to adequately punish those, be they assaults of flag burners or Koran burners, who would attempt to deprive others of those liberties.

      But, yea, point out the assholes who are extreme and should be punished and conflate it to a whole group. I mean, isn't that the basis for the repudiation of Southerns as being stupid, racist rednecks who would hang anyone who'd burn the flag (or the Confederate flag) or the Bible? Do we paint that as an active schism designed by the South to destroy the country? Or do we actively shame *ACTS* of unjustice against others and point out that we despise the STUPIDITY and the RACISM and the JINGOISM and the EXTREME RELIGIOUS FERVOR that so often is use to justify deplorable acts?

      Nah, let's just go straight to name calling. I'm sure that'll magically solve everything. If we can just paint it as us vs them, well, we can win the war. It'd be stupid to, you know, take the obviously liberal Muslims (you know, if they weren't, they'd have long ago been arrested for assault for being offended by the various anti-Islamic rants as a jury would gladly throw the key away on an even amazingly light brown skinned Muslim much quicker than a "veteran") that live in the US and recognize their place in US society as yet another citizen. Nah, we've got to lump them in with the most extreme assholes who dare call themselves Muslim.

      So, what vile thing should we call you and conflate you with?

    23. Re:Sacred cows? by sideslash · · Score: 1

      Meanwhile, you say you "may" be murdered. Well, fuck, I "may" be murdered for burning the US flag is I seek out those most likely to be inflamed and irrational and then desecrate their holy symbol.

      Perhaps you're unaware that death is specified in Muslim holy texts as the correct response to desecration of the Koran, blasphemy of Mohammed or Allah, attempted apostasy or turning away from the Muslim faith, along with a laundry list of other sins. This is actual law in many places around the world, and it's amazing to see liberal non-Muslims "see no evil, hear no evil" etc. when they fail to admit sharia is creeping onto their own turf.

      Nobody will kill you for burning an American flag. Maximum forcefulness of response, like on the order of a punch in the nose, I guarantee it. ;)

      So, what vile thing should we call you and conflate you with?

      I'm going to leave that up to you -- be creative, see what you can come up with.

    24. Re:Sacred cows? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Perhaps you're unaware that death is specified in Muslim holy texts as the correct response to desecration of the Koran, blasphemy of Mohammed or Allah, attempted apostasy or turning away from the Muslim faith, along with a laundry list of other sins.

      And...?

      This is actual law in many places around the world,

      Which sucks, but is entirely irrelevant in the US.

      and it's amazing to see liberal non-Muslims "see no evil, hear no evil" etc. when they fail to admit sharia is creeping onto their own turf.

      Or it could be that "creeping onto their own turf" is utter bullshit fear mongering. Yep, that's it. No amount of calling it "sharia [law]" makes murder any less murder in the US. So, there you go.

      Nobody will kill you for burning an American flag. Maximum forcefulness of response, like on the order of a punch in the nose, I guarantee it. ;)

      Honestly, I wouldn't take your guarantee for anything. There's plenty of parts in the US where I'm rather certain that burning the American flag could well result in being beaten up with a serious risk of death. But, yea, let's just presuming its merely "on the order of a punch in the nose". Well, that's illegal too. And we should see that punished as well.

      I'm going to leave that up to you -- be creative, see what you can come up with.

      I vote for sideslash, then. Clearly your name is pejorative enough.

    25. Re:Sacred cows? by sideslash · · Score: 1

      This is actual law in many places around the world,

      Which sucks, but is entirely irrelevant in the US.

      OK, fair enough to some extent, I agree that people clamoring for sharia law and/or jihad isn't a real threat as long as individuals never act on their barbarous ideology (unfortunately many individuals do), and as long as Muslims don't become the majority locally, regionally, or nationally (they have in some areas here, and regionally/nationally elsewhere in the world). A pretty good litmus test for how the progression to sharia is going would be to walk through a neighborhood wearing a yarmulke and see how you are treated. That's not safe in some neighborhoods of Paris these days, although I have a vague understanding that it's politically incorrect for me to point that out. It's weird how Jew-hatred goes in and out of vogue among the self-designated intelligentsia of Western culture; currently it's "in".

      and it's amazing to see liberal non-Muslims "see no evil, hear no evil" etc. when they fail to admit sharia is creeping onto their own turf.

      Or it could be that "creeping onto their own turf" is utter bullshit fear mongering.

      One of us is in denial about the obvious, that's for sure.

      I vote for sideslash, then. Clearly your name is pejorative enough.

      Aha, that is creative. I hadn't thought of it that way.

    26. Re:Sacred cows? by Pseudonym · · Score: 1

      Also, your use of the term "disempowered" is hilarious. Just because Islamists in the USA can't get away with chopping off people's heads here (like they do elsewhere in the world) doesn't make them "disempowered" relative to Christianity and Judaism.

      Yes, it does.

      There just aren't that many Islamists with violent intent in the USA. There are so few, in fact, that the FBI has to groom them so they have enough. In fact, there were more Jewish terrorist attacks in the US than Muslim ones between 1980 and 2005. And, of course, Americans who claim to be Christians get away with more actual deaths in the USA and elsewhere (through the pretence of the military, the criminal justice system, etc) than Islamists ever could.

      Zach Weiner, to his credit, knows the first rule of edgy comedy: never punch down.

      --
      sub f{($f)=@_;print"$f(q{$f});";}f(q{sub f{($f)=@_;print"$f(q{$f});";}f});
  2. Hipster crap. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    What is this hipster nonsense?

    1. Re: Hipster crap. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      The parent is the best question so far.

      Why are hipsters obsessed with monocles, handlebar mustaches, ninjas, and zombies?

    2. Re: Hipster crap. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      SMBC is mostly about graph jokes and dick jokes. Those hipster topics are less common. Most are more like 16 year old computer nerd jokes.

  3. Any Public Response to the Common Criticism? by eldavojohn · · Score: 4, Funny

    How do you respond to the criticism that by widely distributing your single use monocles to teenagers and adults, you'll be making highbrow socializing safer and therefore increase it to immoral levels?

    --
    My work here is dung.
  4. lol Weinersmith by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Funny

    Weiner

    1. Re:lol Weinersmith by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Nice! A serious question though:

      Are your creative projects mostly a labour of love, or are you able to make a living or at least supplement your day job?

    2. Re:lol Weinersmith by Garridan · · Score: 2

      Seriously, though. Weinersmith! How did it come to pass that yourwife opt to took this incredibly amazing name, mid-academic-career, and you didn't with your awesome career that could only benefit from having the name Weinersmith?

    3. Re:lol Weinersmith by Pseudonym · · Score: 1

      Where does one apprentice to become a master Weinersmith?

      --
      sub f{($f)=@_;print"$f(q{$f});";}f(q{sub f{($f)=@_;print"$f(q{$f});";}f});
  5. How do you come up with so many ideas DAILY? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 3, Interesting

    Huge fan of SMBC. I don't know how you come up with so many unique, thought-provoking ideas. Most comics that do that are on a 2-3 per week schedule.

    I backed your monocle; while I do love the hilarity of a monocle in a condom-wrapper, I just want to help you prove your wife wrong.

    1. Re: How do you come up with so many ideas DAILY? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      How do you find humor in these comics? How do you consider them insightful?

      They just seem to make references to long-established nerd or hipster cultural themes. There's not really any commentary or twist or anything.

      This monocle thing is a good example. How is a monocle funny? How is a monocle in a condom wrapper funny? It's mildly absurd, at best. It's not funny, and surely not insightful.

      These web comics all pale in comparison to quality comics, like Calvin and Hobbes.

    2. Re: How do you come up with so many ideas DAILY? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      And how dare anyone enjoy something I do not enjoy!

    3. Re: How do you come up with so many ideas DAILY? by SpectreBlofeld · · Score: 1

      Sorry you don't have a sense of humor.

    4. Re: How do you come up with so many ideas DAILY? by jorgevillalobos · · Score: 2

      It's a reference to this old comic of his. Hint: click on the red button.

    5. Re: How do you come up with so many ideas DAILY? by damnbunni · · Score: 1

      Calvin and Hobbes has got to be the most overrated comic strip ever.

      I don't mean I think it was bad; I don't. But it's not the be-all, end-all, god-tier, totally-original, nothing-else-compares, no-one-did-that-before that people make it out to be.

    6. Re: How do you come up with so many ideas DAILY? by Cafe+Alpha · · Score: 1

      That's hardly fair. It's a bit like saying that the Dead Kennedies pail in comparison with Mozart.

    7. Re: How do you come up with so many ideas DAILY? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Why do you think Calvin and Hobbes is funny? It's like Garfield without Jon.

      And nothing's funnier than early circumcision anyway.

    8. Re: How do you come up with so many ideas DAILY? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Calvin&Hobbes. Heh!

  6. Ren & Stimpy by SupahVee · · Score: 5, Interesting

    I see a fair bit of other influences in your comics, with Ren & Stimpy references seeming to show up here and there. What other comic have played a role in your work, and is there some bad experience in early childhood that clearly left you so scarred from Ren & Stimpy?

    --
    "See, we plan ahead! That way, we never have to do anything now."
  7. Are you in favor of implantable microchips? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    for humans?

    1. Re:Are you in favor of implantable microchips? by Cafe+Alpha · · Score: 1

      I'll answer for him because, who is going to stop me? I'm only in favor of implantable microchips in cute and lovable humans. If that human would be as missed as a puppy if it wandered across the street and got lost, then sure.

  8. Re:Would you by Barny · · Score: 1

    Son, with a monocle at the ready, I would do damn near anything with it.

    --
    ...
    /me sighs
  9. Well if it isn't Mr "I only need one panel" by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

    How many panels are you averaging now? Is there a graph over time?

  10. Motivation by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

    Has your motivation changed since you started SMBC?

  11. Intellectual Sources by Gestahl · · Score: 3, Interesting

    With respect to your "philosophical thought experiment" comics, how many of your comics are based in topics/ideas you learned before the end of your formal education, how many are based on things you have encountered in your "continuing education" (whether based on life experience, or just what you are currently reading about), and how many are "novel" intuition pumps?

  12. The Rise of Joke Theft on the Internet by eldavojohn · · Score: 2

    I'm not talking about your humorous Sarah Silverman satire video but the actual people who misappropriate a joke for their own. I've seen it on Facebook where someone reads a joke on Reddit or XKCD or SMBC and just rehashes it as their own idea in a post knowing that no one else out there could possibly be wasting their time on something like SMBC. Do you see this as frequently as I do? In all honesty does this bother you or merely flatter you? Is it just a natural unavoidable quality of memes or do you think it's more sinister?

    --
    My work here is dung.
  13. Daniel Dennett by Gestahl · · Score: 1

    As a person who enjoys a little philosophy (and can manage to pull out the humorous side of it), what do you think of Daniel Dennett?

  14. Japanese Bank by gurps_npc · · Score: 1
    What possessed a Japanese Bank to write web comic?

    Also, what webcomic would you like to guest write?

    --
    excitingthingstodo.blogspot.com
    1. Re:Japanese Bank by nitehawk214 · · Score: 1

      Why would a Japanese bank be named Wiener?

      Oh.

      --
      I'm a good cook. I'm a fantastic eater. - Steven Brust
    2. Re:Japanese Bank by nitehawk214 · · Score: 1

      Now, a Chinese comapny, that makes perfect sense.

      --
      I'm a good cook. I'm a fantastic eater. - Steven Brust
  15. The Mrs. and the extended comic by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 4, Interesting

    How does your wife feel being portrayed in the comic?

  16. Zach Weiner is awesome by Jax+Omen · · Score: 2

    I love Zach, met him at a comic-con in Seattle a couple years ago, he signed his SMBC-Theater DVD for us and posed for "photo bomb" pictures. Awesome dude. My question for Zach is, have you ever considered/pondered/done any longer-form comics, with a cohesive narrative? You have tons of goofy ideas, some quite entertaining, I'd love to see what you could do with a story-driven comic powered by your goofy ideas. Also: your wife is wrong, single-use monocles are an awesome idea, even if just for gag-gift purposes :P

  17. Um, aren't you forgetting something? by sh00z · · Score: 1

    Like prescription options for the monocle? If this is just clear glass, it's useless. If it's just a magnifying glass, I'll head to the dollar store.

    1. Re:Um, aren't you forgetting something? by thedonger · · Score: 1

      Like prescription options for the monocle? If this is just clear glass, it's useless. If it's just a magnifying glass, I'll head to the dollar store.

      Novelty items -- like the well-worn glasses/nose/mustache -- generally don't offer an option that includes a prescription or other medically relevant requirements.

      Or, if you prefer: Whoosh. [that was the sound of the joke going over your head]

      --
      Help fight poverty: Punch a poor person.
    2. Re: Um, aren't you forgetting something? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

      The single use unlubricated monocle is for the express purpose of class enhancement. A prescription lens would not be viable for the disposable price point.

    3. Re:Um, aren't you forgetting something? by sh00z · · Score: 1

      I beg to differ. The whoosh was it going under my feet. To be a joke a joke, it's only funny if it actually works. Otherwise, it's just lemmings volunteering to get pranked on Kickatarter.

  18. How did it start? by Flavianoep · · Score: 2

    Expanding my question, what did inspired you to write your webcomic?

    --
    Linux is for people who don't mind RTFM.
  19. Influence by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Do you ever feel that you can influence the world with your comics?

    For example, Tesla is trying to install fast charging stations for longer trips / road trips, but they are going about it all wrong. They are trying to install them at Gas Stations when they should be trying to get them installed at say, McDonalds (Families on road trips have to stop to eat, it's a place where kids can run around and you're going to be there for a while). McDonalds has locations all around the country and putting in an EV charging station would only bring more customers to the restaurant. Do you feel a comic portraying this could actually influence Elon Musk into following this strategy?

    Also, on 2 unrelated notes, I think you can draw horses very well and we need more Batman-themed comics (Superman / Aquaman are also acceptable).

  20. Do you have... by serviscope_minor · · Score: 2

    Do you have any extra wisdom to share with us that's you know, like... woah?

    (For those less familiar with SMBC, this is one of my all time favourites http://www.smbc-comics.com/?id...)

    --
    SJW n. One who posts facts.
  21. Hilarity level in comics by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Why aren't your comics not funny anymore again? Please give your answer in the form of a graph or a long-form comic with at least 19 panels.

  22. My questions: by soccerisgod · · Score: 2

    Are you completely nuts? How and why did it happen? Also, do you like squirrels?

    --
    If a train station is a place where a train stops, what's a workstation?
  23. Has An Interview Ever Gotten Your Name Wrong? by Sir+Realist · · Score: 2

    Boy, that'd be embarassing...

  24. Give a talk at my university? by Theovon · · Score: 1

    I'm a professor at a university in upstate New York. Would you be interested in giving a talk here? How could I arrange that? What kinds of talks do you have that would be of interest to engineering students and faculty? (Or would Kelly's work be more interesting to such an audience?)

  25. What's the dumbest thing you've ever dumbed? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    .... dummy?

    JK. Alluding to the oft-overlooked red mash-button, which often contains wifely criticism. Is this a fake caricature of your wife? I picture two possibilities, either she doesn't know about the red button, (doesn't care) or is truly light-hearted about it.

  26. BAHFest and creationists by TMB · · Score: 1

    Are you worried that creationists will try to subvert BAHFest by pointing to it as "Look, even the evolutionists think it's a joke that they can use to explain anything they want"?

  27. Reddit by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    What did you think of /r/badphilosophy?

  28. Pandering / Focus Shift by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    I've been following SMBC since the very early days of abstract humor / superhero jokes and I've noticed a strong lean toward social commentary / "makes you think" brand of humor over the last few years. Now, this isn't my cup of tea exactly so I stopped reading regularly but was this shift something that evolved or was it something you had always planned on doing from the start?

    Speaking of super powers, making a comic every day AND doing all those other side projects, you are a super human

  29. Transporter Machine by siphonophore · · Score: 3, Interesting

    Would you use a transporter machine as is currently understood to be possible, i.e. destructive scanning of source and remote reconstitution from local matter?

    --
    Dance like you're hurt, Love like you need money, and work when somebody's watching.
    -Scott Adams
  30. Gloating by captnjohnny1618 · · Score: 1

    How do you intend to celebrate (*ahem* gloat to your wife about) the funding of the Gentleman's (or ladies') single-use monocle since it is very nearly funded on the first day?

    It is clear from its near immediate success that you have identified a large gap in the market that desperately needed filling. :-)

  31. What is . . . .? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    What is Anthony Weiner doing these days?

  32. Why Here? by seepho · · Score: 1

    Why would you do an AMA on slashdot? Unless you have a strong opinion on bitcoin or want to talk about something controversial Linus said 8 years ago, this doesn't seem like the place to hold things kind of thing.

    1. Re: Why Here? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Don't forget whining about beta!

  33. Source material by mr.mctibbs · · Score: 1

    You comics draw on material, ideas, and controversies from a wide array of disciplines; how do you get exposed to all of these ideas? Obsessive wikipedia-reading? Social circle?

  34. Gender and skin color by gsliepen · · Score: 5, Interesting

    Dear Zach,

    I noticed that your comics feature a remarkable balance in gender and skin color of the people you draw. There are also many same-gender couples. How do you do this? Do you decide yourself for each comic, or do you roll some dice? Do you randomize other things this way as well, like glasses and clothes?

    By the way, I noticed that you maintain a list of things you cannot draw. But don't worry, you're way better than that Randall guy who can only draw black&white stick figures.

  35. Jokes you didn't tell by gman003 · · Score: 4, Interesting

    You often tell jokes that rely on fairly advanced math, science or economics. Have there been any jokes you scrapped because you thought they were *too* advanced for your audience?

    1. Re:Jokes you didn't tell by Cafe+Alpha · · Score: 1

      well, Randal Monroe beat him to the "fuck computational linguistics" punchline.

  36. Re:Have you ever by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    This is more of a question for your wife and her research. It looks like she gets paid to go fishing on a regular basis (Or at least go out, catch fish, study them and follow up with a release). My question is: Is that the most awesome job you can get? Seriously, I work in an office, I would love to fish for a job.

    Keep up the good work on SMBC.

  37. The First Human by maxcelcat · · Score: 1

    I bought the poster of your The First Human strip, and stuck it on the door of my kid's room. Just thought you'd like to know.