Friday, August 22, 2008

Regex skirt review

I got my xkcd regex skirt as a birthday present (funny what subtle hints like "this is exactly what I want for my birthday please please please" will do), so I thought I'd give a review. An hReview-microformatted review, of course.

gloriously geeky, if flawed

Aug 22, 2008 by
Catherine Devlin
()
photo of 'XKCD Regex Cheat Skirt'

Rating: 4 of 5

We've all got a drawer full of geeky T-shirts. But what about a geeky skirt? Thanks to XKCD, it finally exists!

The text is regular expressions syntax reminders, oriented upside down so you can read it while you sit. Simple stuff, like:


Must escape: \|()[{^$*+?
^ start of string
$ end of string
[^abc] ^ means not
\n Newline
{N,M} N to M

The font is large, comfortable to read while sitting. I wish the lines weren't double-spaced - I think 1.5 spacing would make the text look more like a trendy decorative hem accent.

The sizes run big. I wear 10's or 12's, ordered the medium, and it is more than big enough, even without the stretchiness. It's a soft, stretchy fabric, stretchy enough to do Rockettes high-kicks if that's what you do (but programming pays better).

The hem falls a bit above the knee, but not at all "you are not leaving the house like that young lady" high.

I'm a little disappointed in the craftsmanship, to tell the truth, for the $35. It kind of looks like a skirt made by T-shirt makers - it's two simple trapezoidal panels sewn together. The text leaves a fairly broad gap at each edge of the panels, making it really obvious where the side seams are. (I guess that could be considered a fashion choice, but I prefer hiding the seams.) The print is that slightly raised plasticky print, and I have zero confidence in its longevity. I will obviously not only have to launder it gently as advised, but also refrain from wearing it every single day. Save it for geeky occasions where it will be properly appreciated.

Nonetheless, it is far and away my favorite skirt, because it is far and away the winner of the "geekiest skirt ever" contest, and that trumps everything in my book.

This hReview brought to you by the hReview Creator.

5 comments:

Unknown said...

Thanks for this one, I was just contemplating whether I should buy the skirt and your review was helpful.

Unknown said...

Hi!

I'm just crazy about this and I absolutly think that my newly geek girlfriend would lill for it! Do you know where to buy the skirt? I can't see it on the XKCD store page... Do you heard about any reprint?

BoolS

Unknown said...

Oh, no! You're right - it seems to be gone from the store. Actually, many of the items I remember from last time are no longer in the xkcd store - I guess they only have a limited lifespan.

Best I can think of is to email orders@xkcd.com with your plea.

KniselyKnows said...

Too funny... a friend of mine and I saw you in the skirt at the Ohio LinuxFest and thought it might be a little creepy to ask you what your skirt said... Now we need to wonder no more!

Great talk at OLF and thanks for the gift idea for my wife... hope Nicolas has luck finding another reseller!

KniselyKnows said...

This is too funny...

A friend of mine and I noticed this at Ohio LinuxFest but thought it might be a little creepy to ask you what you skirt said.

Fast forward to day, I googled you to find your blog follow-up to your great talk on Sikuli and what do I find? You're skirt review.

Now I know what I want to get my wife for Christmas... Hope Nicholas found another reseller!

Thanks for the laugh!