It may not be the elusive Unified Field Theory, but a universal theory of humor comes in a close second, at least in terms of perceived impossibility. In a report titled The Pattern Recognition Theory of Humor, Alastair Clarke has documented how and why humans find situations humorous, as well as explaining why humor is common in all societies.
“For some time now it’s been assumed that a global theory of humour is impossible. This theory changes thousands of years of incorrect analyses and mini-theories that have applied to only a small proportion of instances of humour. It offers a vital answer as to why humour exists in every human society.”
Humour is not about comedy it is about a fundamental cognitive function. Clarke explains: “An ability to recognize patterns instantly and unconsciously has proved a fundamental weapon in the cognitive arsenal of human beings.” Recognising patterns enables us to quickly understand our environment and function effectively within it: language, which is unique to humans, is based on patterns.
Clarke’s theory has wider implications: “It sheds light on infantile cognitive development, will lead to a revision of tests on ‘humour’ to diagnose psychological or neurological conditions and will have implications regarding the development of language. It will lead to a clarification of whether other animals have a sense of humour, and has an important role to play in the production of artificial intelligence being that will feel a bit less robotic thanks to its sense of humour.”
This research may explain why Mike Meyer's next movie, The Love Guru, appears totally void of humor: we've seen all of the jokes before when it was wrapped in an Austin Powers package.
After a huge game last night in game 3 of the NBA Finals, a buddy pointed me to some video blogs "created by" Sasha Vujacic. Nicknamed 'The Machine', Vujacic scored 20 points on 7-of-10 shooting to help lead the Lakers to victory over the Boston Celtics. So far there are three entries in the Sasha Vujacic video blog saga, and I can't wait for an entry talking about last night's performance.
Sasha Vujacic Video Blog 1
You'll find the rest of the videos after the jump.
I don't know who made this, as the site of origination is in Spanish. Nor do I know what its intent is, so if anyone has further information, I'd love to know. Lack of information aside, the photo stands on its own.
The endlessly talented artist collective at Worth100 has once again unleashed their considerable skills, this time creating a thread of pictures that depict cartoon characters in real life, an example which you can see above. There are tons of photos on display, representing a great way to waste your time while you should be working.
Here's your priceless cat video for the day. Situation: two kittens experiment with the concept of combat while a third, obviously a pacifist, protests cat-on-cat violence in an amusing manner. Result? The protest works. Peace on earth soon follows.
Stephen Colbert didn't waste any time mocking Bill O'Reilly's recently unearthed Inside Edition freak-out. If you missed the original clip, you can see it here.
Inside the NBA is one of my favorite programs, and I love when the NBA playoffs roll around and we get more Chuck, Ernie, and Kenny than we can handle. Most of the time, Inside the NBA is actually more entertaining than the games they're covering, so I end up watching even on nights when my teams aren't playing. This week, Ernie played a great prank on poor Charles Barkley that had me nearly dying of laughter.
Poor Chuck. I hope these guys are around covering the NBA for many more years. Hit the jump for more of my favorite Inside the NBA moments.
Speaking of commercial parodies, here's one that just appeared on YouTube that skewers the never-ending flood of energy drinks that hit the market on a daily basis. Brawndo!
Nerve has posted their compilation of the top 50 commercial parodies of all time, complete with videos, and I think it's a pretty good list. It's dominated by Saturday Night Live, but that's only natural, as SNL has been doing parodies for decades.
#1 is, rightfully, the Bass-o-Matic, starring Dan Aykroyd, a skit that probably couldn't be done today without incurring the wrath of PETA.
If nothing else, Grand Theft Auto IV is a great media gateway for organizations to get free television time to spout their respective outrage towards the contents of the game. We've already had Mothers Against Drunk Driving issue a statement and some immigrant organization is bent out of shape, but I've come up with a list of 10 groups that have been suspiciously silent.
1. DMV
The Department of Motor Vehicles should condemn GTA IV for its horrible portrayal of licensed drivers. Apparently, the Liberty City branch of the DMV will give a license to anyone, evidenced by the total lack of Student Driver vehicles on city streets. In Liberty City, if you can afford the fee, you get a license. Simple as that.
Apparently, Top 10 Lists have not lost the ability to generate readership in the future, as evidenced by my recent time-hopping adventures that found me securing a few lists from popular publications.
Top 10 Unintentional Consequences of Being Immortal
1. No one can figure out when Social Security begins.
2. Recent Gamma-Ray Burst has charred Earth, making life here unappealing.
3. “Till death do us part” needs some re-wording.
4. Ancient videogames that allowed your character to die are seeing a massive wave of nostalgia.
5. You've surfed every page on Universe-Net.
6. No easy answer for the question, “What's the worst that could happen?”
7. You're bored.
8. The word “procrastination” has lost all meaning.
9. Everything that annoys you will annoy you forever.
10. What hell is going to happen when the Universe collapses?
