Calvin & Hobbes Search Engine

January 12, 2011 2:41 AM

Calvin & Hobbes Search Engine
posted by Soup (40 comments total)

This allows me to easily disabuse myself of the notion that I came up with verbing to describe making a noun into a verb. For the longest time, I really, truly believed that I had come up with it.
posted by Ghidorah at 2:44 AM on January 12, 2011 [1 favorite]

NEGATIVE ZONE!

you must perform your search term until somebody searches for you!

(or until you touch a flag, whichever comes first)
posted by UbuRoivas at 2:47 AM on January 12, 2011 [6 favorites]

Bing.

Heh.
posted by chavenet at 2:49 AM on January 12, 2011

The revolutionary invention of the Transmogrifier Gun, February 8th, 1988

...now I can start my world history essay for school...
posted by lemuring at 3:05 AM on January 12, 2011

Calvin started the whole New Atheist trend.

Or did he...
posted by dgaicun at 3:11 AM on January 12, 2011 [1 favorite]

At the very least Calvin started the math atheist trend, which needs to have many more followers.
posted by dgaicun at 3:15 AM on January 12, 2011 [1 favorite]

Previously.
posted by Philosopher Dirtbike at 3:26 AM on January 12, 2011

This search engine only leads to good things.
posted by dgaicun at 3:32 AM on January 12, 2011 [2 favorites]

I hope this somehow involves a cardboard box with S3aRCh 3nGiNE scrawled on the side, along with various drawn on control knobs. The operation of the search engine should also be accompanied by various "Vroom! RRrrrrrrrRRRRRrVVVVRRRrrr!!!" type sound effects (so it will go faster, duh.) and cannot be touched by girls because cooties will make it explode.
posted by louche mustachio at 5:05 AM on January 12, 2011 [5 favorites]

Have fun while it lasts :(
posted by mkb at 5:14 AM on January 12, 2011

I think they mean while the search engine lasts, not the post. Bill Watterson is well known for shutting down unauthorized use of his characters.
posted by Babblesort at 6:13 AM on January 12, 2011

The guy has been in discussions with Watterson's syndicate and they are okay with the search engine, actually.
posted by killdevil at 6:25 AM on January 12, 2011

The guy has been in discussions with Watterson's syndicate and they are okay with the search engine, actually.

Where does that information come from, please?

If it's true, I wonder what's different about this one than the last one (which was taken down after a notice of infringement).

Or the one before that (which no longer links to the actual strips, though it doesn't say why).
posted by Flunkie at 6:50 AM on January 12, 2011

Scare me.
posted by shakespeherian at 6:53 AM on January 12, 2011

Flunkie, read the 'note from Michael, the creator.'
posted by shakespeherian at 6:54 AM on January 12, 2011

shakespeherian: "Flunkie, read the 'note from Michael, the creator."

So the search engine may not be taken down. The owner of the search engine doesn't host the images, and who is to say that guy won't get a C&D letter?
posted by mkb at 7:02 AM on January 12, 2011

copyright
posted by weapons-grade pandemonium at 7:04 AM on January 12, 2011

Well it appears he's been speaking with AMU, they have his contact info, and 'C&D was headed [his] way, but they seem open to finding a better solution.'
posted by shakespeherian at 7:05 AM on January 12, 2011

I went as the transmogrifier for the first night of Halloween revelry. I flipped the box and went as the time machine for the second night. It was by far my best costume ever.
posted by thsmchnekllsfascists at 7:07 AM on January 12, 2011 [4 favorites]

Absolute genius.
posted by longbaugh at 7:41 AM on January 12, 2011

I would be more concerned with this bing being confused for that bing as rivals in the searching-things business.
posted by zachxman at 7:43 AM on January 12, 2011

It looks like all the cartoons are hosted on the official site, accessible via the calendar and URL by the original date. For instance. The least this guy could do is make his links go there instead of to the pirate site.
posted by beagle at 7:49 AM on January 12, 2011

Awesome. Now need one for Bloom County. I'm always wanting to link to strips that prove that things are just as they were in the 80's.
posted by RobotVoodooPower at 8:47 AM on January 12, 2011

I wonder why he didn't.

Could be a technical reason. Maybe their page isn't as friendly to whatever api he's using? Maaaaybe it's not friendly to hot linking or searches?

No idea. ;) But I wouldn't assume it's a deliberate fuck you to the owners of the copyright, he seems eager to play nice with them.
posted by Stagger Lee at 8:57 AM on January 12, 2011

I do recall that one of the previously-taken-down C&H search sites linked directly to the syndicate's images, and it still got taken down. So I dunno.
posted by shakespeherian at 8:58 AM on January 12, 2011

I love that people are sharing their favorite strips.

Greg Nog, I am going to say that to myself on my winter bike commutes now! Here's some crazy hedonism for you.

I love the snowman/ snowmen search terms...
Because what is more awesome than snowman mutilation?
posted by killingpretty at 9:06 AM on January 12, 2011

Not my favorite strip necessarily, but my favorite example of cartoon cursing.
posted by Navelgazer at 9:29 AM on January 12, 2011

This is my favorite example of implied cursing.
posted by shakespeherian at 9:34 AM on January 12, 2011

There is the legendary Lost Transmogriphier Comic (semi-self-link, some may find disturbing)
posted by oneswellfoop at 10:02 AM on January 12, 2011 [1 favorite]

Art.
posted by shakespeherian at 10:13 AM on January 12, 2011 [1 favorite]

There is a Sunday wagon-ride-philosophy strip I can remember. In the disposable first two panels, as Hobbes hops in after the push start, he says "The turbo is pooped".

This search doesn't find the strip. If he's using the compressed Sunday format strips, he's missing a lot of content.
posted by CaseyB at 11:56 AM on January 12, 2011

Yeah, I'm curious why they're working with this guy after taking down S. Anand's site, which used the same technique of linking to the syndicate's official images. They were even contacted around the same time. It's a shame, too, since Anand's interface was a hell of a lot slicker.
posted by Rhaomi at 3:27 PM on January 12, 2011

I think it's broken. I searched for "peeing," "Ford," and "Chevy." No results.
posted by sanko at 4:28 PM on January 12, 2011 [1 favorite]

"The turbo is pooped".

You know, I'm having trouble finding that, too. Apparently it's the "decisions make chain reactions" one, which supposedly was published on April 15, 1990, but evidently not. (Oddly, the search result describes both comics, concatenated.)
posted by Kalthare at 3:46 AM on January 13, 2011

If you didn't own a Calvin & Hobbes book, which one would you buy ?
posted by devious truculent and unreliable at 5:44 AM on January 13, 2011

This one.
posted by thsmchnekllsfascists at 7:05 AM on January 13, 2011

But if not that, then the 10th Anniversary book. It has notes and comments from Watterson, which explains not only his approach to the strip but his approach to licensing; the problems he had while writing the strip (for example, Uncle Max, whom I really liked seeing, was sort of a disaster because Calvin's parents never had names, and writing dialogue for Max was always difficult and awkward, so he never came back). It shows some of Watterson's favorite strips and stories, and he criticizes his artwork sometimes. It's fantastic.
posted by shakespeherian at 7:32 AM on January 13, 2011 [2 favorites]

Thanks for that shakespeherian. I've been lusting after the complete collection for years, but have always shied away because 80$ is still a big chunk of money for me. Ima get that 10th anniversary book when I get my next paycheck.
posted by thsmchnekllsfascists at 8:03 AM on January 13, 2011

I'd actually argue that anyone who likes C&H, regardless of which books they already have-- even the complete collection-- should get the 10th Anniversary one.
posted by shakespeherian at 9:06 AM on January 13, 2011

My source is revealed.
posted by dopeydad at 3:15 PM on January 14, 2011 [1 favorite]