Kids today

I just learned that the creator of xkcd, perhaps the most consistently funny web-based comic strip I read, is a full 10 years younger than me. Since the start of this decade I've met plenty of friends and colleagues who are several years my junior, but seeing someone whose work I admire finally break that double-digit barrier gives me pause.

Part of this is because he is doing exactly what I wanted to do when I was his age: supporting himself full-time with his cartoons. And how the world has changed between now and then! There were webcomics in 1997, but there was no common infrastructure to support them - you want an RSS feed? Buddy, basic XML hadn't even been released yet - and certainly no clear way to actually make money from them.

You know what I was dreaming of doing, that year? Building a portfolio to send to newspaper comics syndicates! Wow, does that ever seem archaic now.

Granted, I am supporting myself being a total slacker right now, and there's something to be said for that. But the thing I languidly do while slacking - grind code for companies who do things I don't really care about - is not what I love to do. Meanwhile, this kid's totally nailed the pay-for-doing-what-you-love thing, right out of college, and gets Internet Fame on top of. (And my utmost respect!)

I gotta get me summa that.

Tastes like pink Neccos.

Currently, the most obvious classicaljunkie-enabled change in my behavior is that I no longer have any inhibitions about chugging Pepto Bismol straight from the bottle.