I finally found some use for the OS X Dashboard. Its web clip functionality makes it very easy to collect the webcomics I follow in one space. However it does not do my favorite webcomic xkcd justice.
In a web clip of xkcd, it doesn't seem possible to view the all-important alt-text, and clicking any of the buttons jump to an external browser. So to suit my needs I have built a special purpose dashboard widget.
Get the widget
Install by downloading xkcd.wdgt.zip, uncompress it, right-click the xkcd.wdgt folder, and click Open.
Walkthrough
The front of the widget shows a comic with its blurred alt-text above it. To unblur the alt-text, mouse-over it or press the arrow-down key. Jump to a comics homepage on xkcd.com by clicking the title.
The little info (i) button in the top right corner reveals the back of the widget.
The back of the widget shows a list of the supported keyboard shortcuts.
Postscript
This little project was sparked by a post by one of my friends; Never miss another xkcd. Especially if you have Mathematica installed you should go and have a look.