Dilbert cartoon first published on Tuesday 4th September 2012

Dilbert//8543, first published fourteen years ago on Tuesday 4th September 2012

Tags

computer software managers & supervisors budget work monitoring software calendar year 2040 square boxes business

Official transcript

Boss: I don't have a budget for the network monitoring software you need, so you'll have to write it yourself. Dilbert: Good plan. I'll check back with you when I'm done doing that. What's your calendar look like in the year 2040? Boss: Sort of a grid with square boxes.

originally published on dilbert.com

Open source transcript

I DON'T HAVE A BUDGET FOR THE NETWORK MONITORING SOFTWARE YOU NEED, SO YOULL HAVE TO WRITE IT YOURSELF.

GOOD PLAN. I'LL CHECK BACK WITH YOU WHEN I'M DONE DOING THAT.

WHAT'S YOUR CALENDAR LOOK LIKE IN THE YEAR 2040?

SORT OF A GRID WITH SQUARE BOXES.

collated from github.com/jvarn/dilbert-archive

AI Analysis

The comic strip features Dilbert, a bespectacled man with a bald head, sitting at his desk in an office.

Scene 1: Dilbert's Budget Request

• Dilbert asks his boss for a budget for network monitoring software.
• He explains that he needs it to write himself.
• The boss responds, "I don't have a budget for the network monitoring software you need, so you'll have to write it yourself."

Scene 2: Dilbert's Plan

• Dilbert says, "Good plan. I'll check back with you when I'm done doing that."
• He then asks, "What's your calendar look like in the year 2040?"

Scene 3: Dilbert's Calendar

• Dilbert holds up a calendar and says, "Sort of a grid with square boxes."

Humor and Significance

The humor in this comic strip lies in Dilbert's creative solution to the problem of not having a budget for network monitoring software. By asking his boss about the calendar in the year 2040, Dilbert implies that he will not be working on the project anytime soon. The punchline about the calendar being a grid with square boxes adds to the comedic effect, as it is a clever and unexpected response to the question. Overall, the comic strip pokes fun at the challenges of working in a bureaucratic office environment.

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