So - are computers funny?

May 4, 2009 · Posted in Computers and Humour, Microholics - The Book

Is that funny-peculiar, or funny-ha-ha, I hear you ask. Well, both really. Although, we’re here to talk about the “ha-ha” side of things. And you’re saying, No Way! How can an inanimate lump of metal and plastic contain humour? It’s as ridiculous as claiming that a rubber doorstop has the magnetic presence and charisma of Barack Obama.

Wrong! And I’ll prove it to you if you stick with me.

Let’s go back a quarter of a century. It’s 1984, and I’ve just finished a collection of cartoons, drawings and comments about home-computing. I put a bit of structure around it and tout it around a few publishers. To my amazement, and in no time at all, it’s taken up by George Allen & Unwin. (Just for the record, they published J.R.R. Tolkein’s works).

Now, here’s the point. Microholics was not a vanity publication. A respected publisher had taken the decision to invest a considerable amount of money in its production and distribution. When I first met my publishing manager I asked him why he had decided to release the book. His answer was simple and to the point. “Because…. it made me laugh!”. (That, by the way, is the ultimate compliment you can pay a cartoonist).

Well I guess that’s proved my case. Computers can be funny! QED.

OK, here’s the plan. I’m going to feed you a page of Microholics (and a bit of up-to-date commentary) on each blog I publish. This is the first issue, so all you’re getting is the front cover.

And what do I hope to achieve from blogging this?

Well, amongst other things, I want to:

Get your reactions;
Give younger readers the opportunity to marvel at the raw technology of primitive personal computers;
Give my more mature readers the chance to wallow in a nostalgic trip down memory (no pun intended) lane;
Raise the awareness of the rate of change that’s occurring in computer technology;
Indulge in the occasional rant, (in my role of a “grumpy old man”). And last, but not least;
Give an insight into the warped mind of a cartoonist!

As I said, that’s the plan. But who knows where this will lead?!

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