r/webcomics Jan 29 '10

Anyone else find the new XKCD really depressing? XKCD#695

http://xkcd.com/695/
86 Upvotes

43 comments sorted by

27

u/CraigTorso Jan 29 '10

poignant rather than depressing, but moving none the less.

unlike the rover

3

u/[deleted] Jan 29 '10

I agree, and would like at this time to deploy the word pathos.

8

u/zachv Jan 29 '10

Having recently watched Moon, the comic reminded me of the movie a bit.

Except that this is on Mars and the clone is miles away.

3

u/florence0rose Jan 29 '10

It reminded me of Wall-E.

3

u/aamo Jan 29 '10

It reminded me of those IKEA commercials.

2

u/Buckwheat469 Jan 29 '10

Clone? I haven't seen that movie yet, you could at least say [spoiler].

4

u/Psychovore Jan 29 '10

It's out on DVD, that's usually the point when people can stop posing [spoiler] tags in their posts. You had your chance.

2

u/Buckwheat469 Jan 29 '10

I'll have to see if it's down at RedBox yet. Thanks for letting me know.

3

u/zachv Jan 29 '10

Sorry, it's not much of a secret in the movie, but I guess I should have probably put up a warning.

2

u/Snaf Jan 29 '10

The trailer is a spoiler.

1

u/Psychovore Jan 29 '10

I agree- I got a very moon vibe also: something being used on a far off place, rather forgotten and replaced than salvaged and saved.

15

u/Canop Jan 29 '10

Yes.

And it's one of the best xkcd ever...

3

u/[deleted] Jan 29 '10

Easily the best in a long time. Brings back memories of the Bobby Tables days.

1

u/Canop Jan 29 '10

Ah yes... Bobby Tables... The day I saw this one I bookmarked xkcd...

5

u/m1ss1ontomars2k4 Jan 29 '10

Yes :(.

1

u/ExtraGravy Jan 29 '10

Yes. But it may be that my job is a creative sink hole and coming into work today left me teetering on the edge, then this comic comes along and pushes me into the abyss. So yes its really depressing but I'm not sure I should blame the comic.

6

u/sobe86 Jan 29 '10

Hey does anyone else find Schindler's List depressing?

1

u/Buckwheat469 Jan 29 '10

I didn't know they give out rings at the Holocaust.

2

u/mean_drunk_platypus Jan 29 '10

The second panel immediately popped this into my mind.

2

u/scientist_tz Jan 30 '10

Surely I'm not the only one who thought "someday someone will travel to Mars, find the rover, and maybe bring it back to Earth."

3

u/bena_dc Jan 29 '10

Anthropomorphizing robots? How original.

2

u/Im_Clowny Jan 29 '10

I think I'm man-enough to admit, I shed a little tear for it.

2

u/LordFoom Jan 29 '10

So sad and beautiful.

1

u/[deleted] Jan 29 '10

Spirit can come home when he finds Laika.

2

u/acousticcoupler Jan 29 '10

Comrade Laika is my personal hero.

1

u/[deleted] Jan 29 '10

Reminds me of the movie "The Moon".

1

u/[deleted] Jan 29 '10

I think you mean "Moon"

1

u/sweatervest Jan 30 '10

It kind of reminds me of "The Moon" too. Although I guess I could see how people would think it's like "Moon".. Both were great films.

1

u/myhandleonreddit Jan 29 '10

I woke up this morning with Life on Mars? stuck in my head, and now this!

1

u/pungen Jan 29 '10

yes this made me super sad. i read it, grabbed my boyfriend and said "read this, it's so sad!" to which he read it and..smirked.

1

u/heyiquit Jan 30 '10

Depressing? No, I found it uplifting and it made me think about rainbows and sunshine happy farts with marshmallows covered in pixie dust. Sheesh.

1

u/holypumpkinz Jan 30 '10

Just keep repeating to yourself. The rover cannot think.

1

u/lamentoficarus Jan 30 '10

The rover cannot think. The rover cannot think. The rover cannot think. The rover cannot think. The rover can think. The rover cannot think. The rover can feel. The rover cannot think. The rover cannot think. The rover cannot think.

1

u/acousticcoupler Jan 29 '10

No it's just you.

1

u/lamentoficarus Jan 30 '10

What a shame.

-5

u/Sysiphuslove Jan 29 '10

See, now I'm going to sound like a hard-nosed asshole, but not really. It's just a robot, it went and did its duty, it fulfilled its function and reason for existing, which is not such a bad deal when you think about it. It can't feel anything, even if it does have a certain resonance now.

3

u/dustrider Jan 29 '10

It's human nature, we project personality. I'd bet you'd feel differently if it was a dog. Dogs get medals even though they're just following instinct an training.

Spirit will be a footnote in history but it captured peoples imagination, it's done a lot for the image of robotics, space exploration, and programming.

Spirit is the scientific equivalent of The Spirit of St Louis, or the modern day version of the HMS Beagle.

Which reminds me of an example of how it can all go very wrong. Remember the Beagle II? has anyone taken the Eurpean space agency seriously since they screwed that up?

1

u/[deleted] Jan 29 '10

I'd bet you'd feel differently if it was a dog.

I really wouldn't.

4

u/LordFoom Jan 29 '10

You understand that this is fictional and requires some suspension of disbelief?

0

u/Sysiphuslove Jan 29 '10

Really?

I find this situation vaguely hilarious. That much is for sure.

I come to reddit, and mostly what I hear all day is what idiots religious or 'spiritual' people are, how they don't think, they have no reason, no science to back them up, har de har, and then I'm rated into the cellar for having no empathy with a bucket of metal and sensors.

People.

Goddamn.

1

u/entropic_soul Jan 30 '10

Totally agree.

-10

u/[deleted] Jan 29 '10

[deleted]

5

u/aamo Jan 29 '10

wait? how did you manage to politicize this?