I just arrived in Australia. After 20+ hours of travel and a seventeen-hour time difference, I have been thinking about the importance of sleep. Bad news: People likely sleep less now than ever before. Good news: The overall quality of people’s sleep is likely better (e.g., air conditioning, more privacy). Sleep is beneficial. And the […]
Month: March 2013
Two ways to interpret a laugh
Laughter serves a signaling function. I suggest that it signals one of two kinds of situations: A situation that appears wrong is actually okay: -You see someone fall down.You are concerned until you hear the person laugh. -You tell an off color joke on a date. You worry they you may have offended your date […]
Who is the NBA’s funniest player?
As part of our Humor Code project, Joel Warner and I asked a couple of NBA knowledgeable comedians the question: The answers were provided by Neal Brennan, the co-creator of Chapelle’s Show, and Alonzo Bodden, winner of Last Comic Standing. See the exchange in this Grantland column. A glimpse at the exchange: Joel Warner: First […]
SXSW: Comedy Tech – How Funny Shapes our Future
The Humor Code is headed to SXSW. Come to our panel, “Comedy Tech: How Funny Shapes our Future,” on Saturday 3/9 at 3:30 PM. SXSW info. Facebook invite. Panelists: Alf Lamont, Joel Warner, Heather Knight and me. -We know that comedy and the Internet go hand in hand but is there more to this marriage […]