Zach Weinersmith
@zachweinersmith.bsky.social
Author of Bea Wolf, A City on Mars, and the comic SMBC
Website: www.smbc-comics.com
Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/ZachWeinersmith?ty=h
New book: http://www.acityonmars.com/
Website: www.smbc-comics.com
Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/ZachWeinersmith?ty=h
New book: http://www.acityonmars.com/
Pinned
New Book Day! Please tell the world. Read a comic about it here: www.smbc-comics.com/comic/sawyer...
Or if you just want to buy it: us.macmillan.com/books/978037...
Thanks everyone! It took me over a year to write, but I think you and/or your kid(s) will have many laughs together.
Or if you just want to buy it: us.macmillan.com/books/978037...
Thanks everyone! It took me over a year to write, but I think you and/or your kid(s) will have many laughs together.
I feel strongly that the use of "!" specifically and entirely to suggest "don't worry it's not too serious" should be called the Millennial Exclamation Mark. I always worry that when I wrote to anyone born before about 1975 that they think we're just constantly shouting.
December 26, 2025 at 5:57 PM
I feel strongly that the use of "!" specifically and entirely to suggest "don't worry it's not too serious" should be called the Millennial Exclamation Mark. I always worry that when I wrote to anyone born before about 1975 that they think we're just constantly shouting.
As you understood it as a kid, was cooties something you got from:
1) anyone from another gender
2) anyone you LIKED
3) girls in particular
4) boys in particular
5) some other source
1) anyone from another gender
2) anyone you LIKED
3) girls in particular
4) boys in particular
5) some other source
December 26, 2025 at 5:55 PM
As you understood it as a kid, was cooties something you got from:
1) anyone from another gender
2) anyone you LIKED
3) girls in particular
4) boys in particular
5) some other source
1) anyone from another gender
2) anyone you LIKED
3) girls in particular
4) boys in particular
5) some other source
This sort of stuff always surprises me but probably shoudn't.
Weirdest to me (feel free to disagree if you do) is non-religious substance dualists. The most rational ones in my experience rely on a logical proof that contains the idea of qualia, from which it follows that there's non-physical STUFF
Weirdest to me (feel free to disagree if you do) is non-religious substance dualists. The most rational ones in my experience rely on a logical proof that contains the idea of qualia, from which it follows that there's non-physical STUFF
Nice to see this. Just learned yesterday that a friend of half my life believes in astrology. It's extra irritating, b/c he is an avowed atheist and never tires of advocating rationality and ridiculing people who profess religious beliefs.
May send this, but I'm also thinking, maybe don't engage.
May send this, but I'm also thinking, maybe don't engage.
December 26, 2025 at 5:34 PM
This sort of stuff always surprises me but probably shoudn't.
Weirdest to me (feel free to disagree if you do) is non-religious substance dualists. The most rational ones in my experience rely on a logical proof that contains the idea of qualia, from which it follows that there's non-physical STUFF
Weirdest to me (feel free to disagree if you do) is non-religious substance dualists. The most rational ones in my experience rely on a logical proof that contains the idea of qualia, from which it follows that there's non-physical STUFF
From a medieval Old English text, remarkable common sense about Zodiac style prediction systems.
December 26, 2025 at 1:58 PM
From a medieval Old English text, remarkable common sense about Zodiac style prediction systems.
Reposted by Zach Weinersmith
It may not be the explanation, but it is an explanation.
COMIC ◆ www.smbc-comics.com/comic/butter...
PATREON ◆ www.patreon.com/ZachWeinersm...
STORE ◆ smbc-store.myshopify.com
COMIC ◆ www.smbc-comics.com/comic/butter...
PATREON ◆ www.patreon.com/ZachWeinersm...
STORE ◆ smbc-store.myshopify.com
December 25, 2025 at 11:30 PM
It may not be the explanation, but it is an explanation.
COMIC ◆ www.smbc-comics.com/comic/butter...
PATREON ◆ www.patreon.com/ZachWeinersm...
STORE ◆ smbc-store.myshopify.com
COMIC ◆ www.smbc-comics.com/comic/butter...
PATREON ◆ www.patreon.com/ZachWeinersm...
STORE ◆ smbc-store.myshopify.com
Kinda interesting: so I have talked to several kids under 12 from different parts of the US, and none of them were familiar with Pig-Latin. Which is a bit of a bummer since there's evidence it goes back to the 16th century or earlier. In general, there's almost no "kid-cant" familiarity.
December 26, 2025 at 12:10 PM
Kinda interesting: so I have talked to several kids under 12 from different parts of the US, and none of them were familiar with Pig-Latin. Which is a bit of a bummer since there's evidence it goes back to the 16th century or earlier. In general, there's almost no "kid-cant" familiarity.
Was talking to a kid and she’d never heard of cooties. What a lucky generation. All those cooties shots worked.
December 26, 2025 at 11:59 AM
Was talking to a kid and she’d never heard of cooties. What a lucky generation. All those cooties shots worked.
Reposted by Zach Weinersmith
Daniel and Kelly dive into the hearts of blue giants, massive planets, and neutron stars to reveal a surprising limit on cosmic density.
www.iheart.com/podcast/105-...
www.iheart.com/podcast/105-...
December 25, 2025 at 1:26 PM
Daniel and Kelly dive into the hearts of blue giants, massive planets, and neutron stars to reveal a surprising limit on cosmic density.
www.iheart.com/podcast/105-...
www.iheart.com/podcast/105-...
Reposted by Zach Weinersmith
I push this joke out into the Internet knowing full well that SOMEONE has surely beat me to it.
COMIC ◆ www.smbc-comics.com/comic/mad-2
PATREON ◆ www.patreon.com/ZachWeinersm...
STORE ◆ smbc-store.myshopify.com
COMIC ◆ www.smbc-comics.com/comic/mad-2
PATREON ◆ www.patreon.com/ZachWeinersm...
STORE ◆ smbc-store.myshopify.com
December 21, 2025 at 11:30 PM
I push this joke out into the Internet knowing full well that SOMEONE has surely beat me to it.
COMIC ◆ www.smbc-comics.com/comic/mad-2
PATREON ◆ www.patreon.com/ZachWeinersm...
STORE ◆ smbc-store.myshopify.com
COMIC ◆ www.smbc-comics.com/comic/mad-2
PATREON ◆ www.patreon.com/ZachWeinersm...
STORE ◆ smbc-store.myshopify.com
Quality footnote
December 25, 2025 at 5:35 PM
Quality footnote
Hey econs, question:
Maybe it's just the books I read, but... why is it that even non-American authors focus a lot on American economic data? Like it's totally normal for a UK-based economist to get in depth about labor in Detroit. Is there just more data available on the US?
Maybe it's just the books I read, but... why is it that even non-American authors focus a lot on American economic data? Like it's totally normal for a UK-based economist to get in depth about labor in Detroit. Is there just more data available on the US?
December 25, 2025 at 2:00 PM
Hey econs, question:
Maybe it's just the books I read, but... why is it that even non-American authors focus a lot on American economic data? Like it's totally normal for a UK-based economist to get in depth about labor in Detroit. Is there just more data available on the US?
Maybe it's just the books I read, but... why is it that even non-American authors focus a lot on American economic data? Like it's totally normal for a UK-based economist to get in depth about labor in Detroit. Is there just more data available on the US?
Reposted by Zach Weinersmith
Lo, Hrodulf the red-nosed reindeer –
That beast didn’t have unshiny nostrils!
Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer in Anglo Saxon meter:
allthingslinguistic.com/post/1359368...
That beast didn’t have unshiny nostrils!
Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer in Anglo Saxon meter:
allthingslinguistic.com/post/1359368...
December 24, 2025 at 11:24 PM
Lo, Hrodulf the red-nosed reindeer –
That beast didn’t have unshiny nostrils!
Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer in Anglo Saxon meter:
allthingslinguistic.com/post/1359368...
That beast didn’t have unshiny nostrils!
Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer in Anglo Saxon meter:
allthingslinguistic.com/post/1359368...
Reposted by Zach Weinersmith
Back of the envelope estimate suggests Jericho has 700 spirits-not-at-rest per square meter.
COMIC ◆ www.smbc-comics.com/comic/spirit-4
PATREON ◆ www.patreon.com/ZachWeinersm...
STORE ◆ smbc-store.myshopify.com
COMIC ◆ www.smbc-comics.com/comic/spirit-4
PATREON ◆ www.patreon.com/ZachWeinersm...
STORE ◆ smbc-store.myshopify.com
December 24, 2025 at 11:30 PM
Back of the envelope estimate suggests Jericho has 700 spirits-not-at-rest per square meter.
COMIC ◆ www.smbc-comics.com/comic/spirit-4
PATREON ◆ www.patreon.com/ZachWeinersm...
STORE ◆ smbc-store.myshopify.com
COMIC ◆ www.smbc-comics.com/comic/spirit-4
PATREON ◆ www.patreon.com/ZachWeinersm...
STORE ◆ smbc-store.myshopify.com
Reposted by Zach Weinersmith
Just checked the Greek and the collocation plēssō 'strike' + mēros 'thigh' occurs four times in the Iliad and once in the Odyssey:
Il. 12.162: The Trojan Asius is angry because his attack against the Greek wall is repulsed.
Il. 15.113: Ares, saddened by and preparing to avenge the death of his son
Il. 12.162: The Trojan Asius is angry because his attack against the Greek wall is repulsed.
Il. 15.113: Ares, saddened by and preparing to avenge the death of his son
December 24, 2025 at 7:54 PM
Just checked the Greek and the collocation plēssō 'strike' + mēros 'thigh' occurs four times in the Iliad and once in the Odyssey:
Il. 12.162: The Trojan Asius is angry because his attack against the Greek wall is repulsed.
Il. 15.113: Ares, saddened by and preparing to avenge the death of his son
Il. 12.162: The Trojan Asius is angry because his attack against the Greek wall is repulsed.
Il. 15.113: Ares, saddened by and preparing to avenge the death of his son
Reading the Homeric Hymns and there's a passage where a woman is surprised, and the line (in translation of course) is: "she shrieked and clapped her two thighs in alarm"
It's not in a sexual context. I guess it's just a description of that thing where when you're frightened you sort of bunch up.
It's not in a sexual context. I guess it's just a description of that thing where when you're frightened you sort of bunch up.
December 24, 2025 at 7:21 PM
Reading the Homeric Hymns and there's a passage where a woman is surprised, and the line (in translation of course) is: "she shrieked and clapped her two thighs in alarm"
It's not in a sexual context. I guess it's just a description of that thing where when you're frightened you sort of bunch up.
It's not in a sexual context. I guess it's just a description of that thing where when you're frightened you sort of bunch up.
Wait. We’re going to have a pointless battleship boondoggle and it won’t be one of these? en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Project...
Project Habakkuk - Wikipedia
en.wikipedia.org
December 24, 2025 at 6:50 PM
Wait. We’re going to have a pointless battleship boondoggle and it won’t be one of these? en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Project...
Reposted by Zach Weinersmith
Accidentally drew Ricardo like an aging Superman. Will substantiate with backstory later.
COMIC ◆ www.smbc-comics.com/comic/compar...
PATREON ◆ www.patreon.com/ZachWeinersm...
STORE ◆ smbc-store.myshopify.com
COMIC ◆ www.smbc-comics.com/comic/compar...
PATREON ◆ www.patreon.com/ZachWeinersm...
STORE ◆ smbc-store.myshopify.com
December 22, 2025 at 11:30 PM
Accidentally drew Ricardo like an aging Superman. Will substantiate with backstory later.
COMIC ◆ www.smbc-comics.com/comic/compar...
PATREON ◆ www.patreon.com/ZachWeinersm...
STORE ◆ smbc-store.myshopify.com
COMIC ◆ www.smbc-comics.com/comic/compar...
PATREON ◆ www.patreon.com/ZachWeinersm...
STORE ◆ smbc-store.myshopify.com
Reposted by Zach Weinersmith
Daniel and Kelly answer questions about kissing bugs, magnetic fields in the Sun, and microbiomes in space.
www.iheart.com/podcast/105-...
www.iheart.com/podcast/105-...
December 23, 2025 at 2:30 PM
Daniel and Kelly answer questions about kissing bugs, magnetic fields in the Sun, and microbiomes in space.
www.iheart.com/podcast/105-...
www.iheart.com/podcast/105-...
Reposted by Zach Weinersmith
Comics like these are the real reason my kids aren't old enough to read SMBC yet.
COMIC ◆ www.smbc-comics.com/comic/anythi...
PATREON ◆ www.patreon.com/ZachWeinersm...
STORE ◆ smbc-store.myshopify.com
COMIC ◆ www.smbc-comics.com/comic/anythi...
PATREON ◆ www.patreon.com/ZachWeinersm...
STORE ◆ smbc-store.myshopify.com
December 23, 2025 at 11:30 PM
Comics like these are the real reason my kids aren't old enough to read SMBC yet.
COMIC ◆ www.smbc-comics.com/comic/anythi...
PATREON ◆ www.patreon.com/ZachWeinersm...
STORE ◆ smbc-store.myshopify.com
COMIC ◆ www.smbc-comics.com/comic/anythi...
PATREON ◆ www.patreon.com/ZachWeinersm...
STORE ◆ smbc-store.myshopify.com
This is pretty amazing: www.youtube.com/watch?v=-L8O...
If/when we finally get something like domestic robots, I wonder if companies like Disney will have an outsize role in figuring out how to make their appearance acceptable (something the various humanoid robot companies seem mediocre at)
If/when we finally get something like domestic robots, I wonder if companies like Disney will have an outsize role in figuring out how to make their appearance acceptable (something the various humanoid robot companies seem mediocre at)
Olaf: Bringing an Animated Character to Life in the Physical World
YouTube video by DisneyResearchHub
www.youtube.com
December 23, 2025 at 10:02 PM
This is pretty amazing: www.youtube.com/watch?v=-L8O...
If/when we finally get something like domestic robots, I wonder if companies like Disney will have an outsize role in figuring out how to make their appearance acceptable (something the various humanoid robot companies seem mediocre at)
If/when we finally get something like domestic robots, I wonder if companies like Disney will have an outsize role in figuring out how to make their appearance acceptable (something the various humanoid robot companies seem mediocre at)
Icymi
There is a galley giveaway of SAWYER LEE AND THE QUEST TO JUST STAY HOME going on right now! bit.ly/3KnbspK
December 23, 2025 at 8:32 PM
Icymi
Speaking of weirdness of AI in the arts, one thing I noticed with these new chart-topping AI artists is that if you look at their back-catalog they release something like 6+ albums a year, much of which is only slight variations?
December 22, 2025 at 12:00 AM
Speaking of weirdness of AI in the arts, one thing I noticed with these new chart-topping AI artists is that if you look at their back-catalog they release something like 6+ albums a year, much of which is only slight variations?
OK, nevermind, commenters convinced me that this likely is AI. The way the hand is holding the cap is weird, plus the red sleeve doesn't make sense!
This is the kind of thing I think of as being underappreciated in the arts: nevermind the next Shakespeare, consider the entire arts gig economy!
This is the kind of thing I think of as being underappreciated in the arts: nevermind the next Shakespeare, consider the entire arts gig economy!
This ad is almost certainly human-made, but I've noticed lately that any time I see a generic style I just assume AI was involved?
December 21, 2025 at 11:53 PM
OK, nevermind, commenters convinced me that this likely is AI. The way the hand is holding the cap is weird, plus the red sleeve doesn't make sense!
This is the kind of thing I think of as being underappreciated in the arts: nevermind the next Shakespeare, consider the entire arts gig economy!
This is the kind of thing I think of as being underappreciated in the arts: nevermind the next Shakespeare, consider the entire arts gig economy!
This ad is almost certainly human-made, but I've noticed lately that any time I see a generic style I just assume AI was involved?
December 21, 2025 at 11:44 PM
This ad is almost certainly human-made, but I've noticed lately that any time I see a generic style I just assume AI was involved?
So, I was reading EB White's collected letters and as a young man in 1922 he mentions the then-recent essay collection "Of All Things!" by Robert Benchley as being hilarious. It... isn't. Mostly forgettable, but there is a very funny passage where he mocks the tone of 18th century epistolary novels:
December 21, 2025 at 10:43 PM
So, I was reading EB White's collected letters and as a young man in 1922 he mentions the then-recent essay collection "Of All Things!" by Robert Benchley as being hilarious. It... isn't. Mostly forgettable, but there is a very funny passage where he mocks the tone of 18th century epistolary novels: