Comic 1023 - Late-Night PBS

Whether medium, skinny or flabby,
Don't doze off during Downton Abbey.
Late-night PBS
Causes nothing but stress
And you'll wake well-informed, scared and crabby.

Original comic here.

Comic 966 - Jet Fuel

There once was a man from Dun Laoghaire
Whose paranoid friends made him weary
So he took their daft plots
And tied them in knots
To make one vast conspiracy theory.

Original comic here.

Steve Jobs

I missed the point by some way when the "eternal flame" comic came out, but I now realise that it was quite a touching tribute to the late Steve Jobs. So for what it's worth, here is my own Steve Jobs tribute to go with it.


Computers that work without knobs
Sound systems that look like key fobs
And phones that can find you
The pub just behind you—
We'll keep you in mind, Mr Jobs.


Is a limerick a suitable form for a tribute like this? You may well ask, as I just have; but I like to think the limerick is more versatile than some give it credit for.

You might even say that a limerick has certain things in common with Apple's best products. It's small and self-contained; it looks simple but requires careful attention to form if it is to work properly; but it's still fun. A Macbook is a nice little limerick of a computer, compared to the rambling prose of a desktop PC. Or so I would like to think.

Comic 955 - Neutrinos

Light barrier broken? Aw, shucks!
But trying to urge caution sucks.
Instead, look for dudes
In excitable moods
And rinse them for two hundred bucks.

Original comic here.

Comic 932 - CIA

There once was a hacker from Towcester
Who futzed with the CIA's howcester.
It might spook the herd
But you'll know, if a nerd,
That he really just pulled down a powcester.

Original comic here.

I've been meaning to use the trusty funny-placename-spelling trick for a while. Towcester, if you're puzzled, is pronounced "Toaster". It's near where they have the British Grand Prix.

Comic 834 - Wikileaks

There once was a group called Anonymous
Whose strength came from being pseudonymous
Till the man they defended
Leaked more than intended
And made them with failure synonymous.

Original comic here.