I've never read Dave Barry so I don't know. If you're seeing a similarity, though, that's enough of a recommendation to make me give Barry a look.
The magic of Mickens, for me, is his weaving in Comp-Sci (or Comp-Sci adjacent) elements in dense prose causally, punctuating it with absurdity, and then running with that absurdity. Knowing that he's bringing knowledge and experience I'll likely never achieve while making it look effortless makes me really respect his ability.
I was introduced to Dave Barry through his 'Year in Review' parody of the year's events (back when it came in print in the 'Tropic' magazine included in the Sunday Miami Herald.) I laughed and laughed, the way a Bill Bryson book might make you laugh.
He once borrowed the Oscar Meyer Weinermobile [1] to pick his son up from school.
And my wife is so used to my using one of his tropes, 'That would make a great name for a rock band', [2] that she has started predicting when I'm about to say it ('Feral chihuahuas' was the subject, but that's TMI.)
The magic of Mickens, for me, is his weaving in Comp-Sci (or Comp-Sci adjacent) elements in dense prose causally, punctuating it with absurdity, and then running with that absurdity. Knowing that he's bringing knowledge and experience I'll likely never achieve while making it look effortless makes me really respect his ability.