Just an excuse to write ‘Horologically’
Apparently there was a research lab at the University of Hertfordhire that was appropriately named the “LaughLab”. Yes, LaughLab. Sounds like a lab run by clowns….which happens more commonly in science labs than one would come to expect, but I digress…
LaughLab’s research interest had to do with what made a joke funny and especially what made a joke universally funny. To figure this out, the lab made a website in which people could submit jokes and rate other people’s jokes. The researchers then figured out which jokes were rated the funniest and why. Like, for instance, some jokes were funnier to men, some funnier to women, and some jokes’ punch lines were not understandable to other cultures. The two funniest jokes got the prizes of World’s Funniest Joke and the World’s Second Funniest Joke.
What’s great about all this is that the World’s SECOND Funniest Joke was astronomy-related. And, get this, not just astronomy-related but also Sherlock Holmes and Watson related….
The joke is actually pretty funny, though I am not sure it really qualifies for second funniest joke in the world. Ah, well, you be the judge.
See: www.wikipedia.org/wiki/World’s_funniest_joke
It goes like this:
Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson go on a camping trip. After a good dinner and a bottle of wine, they retire for the night, and go to sleep. Some hours later, Holmes wakes up and nudges his faithful friend.
“Watson, look up at the sky and tell me what you see.”
“I see millions and millions of stars, Holmes,” replies Watson.
“And what do you deduce from that?”
Watson ponders for a minute.
“Well, astronomically, it tells me that there are millions of galaxies and potentially billions of planets. Astrologically, I observe that Saturn is in Leo. Horologically, I deduce that the time is approximately a quarter past three. Meteorologically, I suspect that we will have a beautiful day tomorrow. Theologically, I can see that God is all powerful, and that we are a small and insignificant part of the universe.
What does it tell you, Holmes?”
Holmes is silent for a moment. “Watson, you idiot!” he says. “Someone has stolen our tent!”
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POSTED IN: general astronomy
1 opinion for Just an excuse to write ‘Horologically’
Jayson Buckley
Mar 19, 2008 at 1:22 am
2nd funniest joke in the world? Ya right…I have a joke about a guy that walks into a gay bar that you will laugh about all day!…
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