I’ll admit it, I’m a sucker for humor. I can’t make it through the second Lord of the Rings film, but I could probably watch an entire season of Saturday Night Live in one sitting. If it makes me giggle, it’s good. If I cackle, it’s cool. I’ll save you further alliteration, because I’m sure you get the picture: I love to laugh. As a result, I’m the resident expert on Internet funnies. Here are a few websites that I find to be especially hilarious, arranged for your convenience by level of geekdom.
For The General Public, No Geekdom required.
Every uber-geek needs a thinking free laugh now and then.
Cyanide and Happiness at www.explosm.net. This comic can be found by clicking the "Cyanide and Happiness" link at the side of the explosm homepage. This is a more traditional multi-panel comic strip. If you think penises, puns, and people hurting themselves are funny (which I certainly do), you’ll enjoy this strip. Give it a chance. Wordplay can make you laugh when you least expect it. Target Audience: Anyone who likes a good pun.
This kid. I know it’s technically just one picture, but it makes me laugh until I almost puke. Target Audience: EVERYONE.
Some Geekdom Required
www.11points.com This is a blog by a guy named Sam Greenspan made up entirely of "Top 11" lists. All of the ones I’ve ever read are hilarious, due to the author’s dry sense of humor and the ridiculousness of the general populace. (Example- "11 Stupid Questions from Yahoo Answers That Have Changed My Life") I guarantee you’ll be hooked within a blog or two. Target Audience: The jaded and sarcastic.
www.cracked.com This is a much larger website than any of the others in this list and contains videos, images, forums, and articles. My favorite thing about this website is that you can learn something while being entertained. For example, "5 Biggest Dick Moves in the History of Science" does actually contain scientific material, as well as being quite funny. There’s just enough learning and vocabulary involved to make this a "nerd" site, but there is something for everyone here.
Slightly Heightened Level Of Geekdom
www.marriedtothesea.com Described by the author as "The Champagne of Comics," MTTS is a daily webcomic that consists of an image (in this case, not illustrated by the author) and a caption. This website is especially entertaining for those who like a little bit of intelligence to their humor, as the captions are often political or historical. Definitely a geek comic, MTTS is a must-see for me on a daily basis. (They have shirts too!) Target Audience: The politically aware who still love a good dose of nonsensical randomness.
toothpastefordinner.com I would be remiss if I did not mention Toothpaste For Dinner, another daily webcomic by Drew, author of Married To The Sea. This comic is hand-drawn and in very much the same vein of humor as MTTS, though I tend to sense a little more of a "poop" theme. This comic contains social commentary disguised as something very, very funny. Target Audience: The intelligent, yet still entertained by the word "butt" crowd.
Epic Geekdom Necessary
xkcd.com "A Webcomic of Romance, Sarcasm, Math, and Language." Well, those happen to be my four favorite things, so I naturally check this out from time to time. I don’t personally find it as laugh-out-loud funny as, say, MTTS, but it does have its moments. Maybe you just have to be a little smarter than me to get it. Therefore, the target audience: Super Geek. (Which is not necessarily a bad thing)
There you have it! Laugh it up, fellow geeks.
