Comments on: Model Sheet: How to Waste Time On Timewasting Activities

By: Professor_Briar2

Professor_Briar2 — Thu, 15 Apr 2010 22:11:01 +0000

Thank you for the link to the story about Brunel. If you read further, the British Association and Newcastle is also an interesting story since it revolves around powerful and opinionated men who engage in civil discussion despite their disagreements.

By: Stephen Wells

Stephen Wells — Thu, 25 Mar 2010 14:19:29 +0000

Hang on; Babbage invented a skeleton key AND an unpickable lock? Did he also invent a machine so complicated that even he couldn’t understand what it… could… do… oh, damn.

By: derek

derek — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 20:32:53 +0000

If Babbage is played by Brian Cox, does he give Brunel an adamantium skeleton?

(explaining the joke: Cox played Col. Stryker in the X-Men movies)

By: faywray

faywray — Mon, 24 Aug 2009 10:13:03 +0000

I'd have to go for Ian Holm here.

By: Ray Girvan

Ray Girvan — Sat, 18 Jul 2009 12:59:40 +0000

"wow, Babbage looks just like Bill Murray" Although Brian Cox wouldn't be bad casting either.

By: driving lessons bristol

driving lessons bristol — Fri, 19 Jun 2009 07:39:52 +0000

There is no way you can waste time over comedy. Since Charles Babbage was famous for leaving things half-done, I wonder that he completed his driving course in his driving school. He could have left his car in the middle of the road if something innovative occurred to him.

By: ubiquitouspitt

ubiquitouspitt — Wed, 03 Jun 2009 12:48:14 +0000

I… must know more about this man…

By: Richard

Richard — Fri, 29 May 2009 15:34:37 +0000

from the shadow of a back ally this creepy, reedy voice comes… “That’s the way to do it!”
cf. The Anubis Gates, by Tim Powers, in which there’s a cameo from Byron-as-Frankensteinian monster.

By: Smallpotato

Smallpotato — Sat, 16 May 2009 07:07:21 +0000

Nonono… Charles Babbage is not a villain! He’s merely.. misunderstood.

Besides, Lovelace and Babbage need a nemesis. Holmes and Watson had their Professor Moriarty, the spider in the web of 1880′s organised crime, so why not give Lovelace and Babbage The Organist (“Organist crime! Get it?! Get it?! *nudge* *nudge*) or maybe The Professor the Punch and Judy man.
Punch and Judy men were traditionally called ‘Professor’, and ‘judy’ is slang for ‘prostitute’, so ‘punch and judy’ could be an allusion to the *real* kind of business The Professor is handling…

Sorry, I’m rambling, but your comic is so brilliant and so.. fertile in its possibilities…

Lovelace and Babbage need a nemesis. Somebody who gets the better of them because he knows their kryptonite. Doesn’t really matter who or what he is, as long as he’s there, in the background, threatheningly looming.

It’s just that I have this weird sequence in my head where a poor hapless citizin is being bashed up (‘punched’) by the villains henchmen/minions (or maybe he’s being harassed to breakingpoint by streetmusicians. “No! No! Not the… ACCORDION!!!” *whimper*) and from the shadow of a back ally this creepy, reedy voice comes… “That’s the way to do it!”

*doom* *doom* *doom* *DAHHH*

By: sydney

sydney — Fri, 15 May 2009 09:15:00 +0000

Ceridwen: yes, that was my EXACT THOUGHT. OMG what a crazy story that was, we could have lost both Brunel and Babbage in one cataclysm of machismo.

Kim, Elzevier: OMG THE PRESSURE!! *breaks into nervous sweat*

Smallpotato: Hahaha, I love the monkey idea. I think this would be a case of supervillain vs supervillain, because Babbage totally started the war with the street musicians. Leave the musicians alone, they’ll leave you alone Babbage!

David: He was sure distracted by shiny objects. I think though that Babbage’s main mistake was to try to make, in the first half of the 19th century, a machine with 20,000 moving parts.

GlenStef: Sure, just be sure you put it back. Kidding– do mean for your own use? Go ahead, just don’t print it on a tshirt because that’s way harder than I thought it would be.