Path: utzoo!attcan!uunet!ncrlnk!ncrcce!anderson
From: anderson@ncrcce.StPaul.NCR.COM (Joel Peter Anderson)
Newsgroups: comp.ai
Subject: Re: Understanding Jokes
Summary: Asimov Story (I forget the name)
Keywords: Humour,Humor,Sci-Fi
Message-ID: <846@ncrcce.StPaul.NCR.COM>
Date: 2 Nov 88 14:29:25 GMT
References: <3244@sdsu.UUCP> <2070022@otter.hple.hp.com>
Reply-To: anderson@ncrcce.StPaul.NCR.COM (Joel Peter Anderson)
Organization: NCR Comten, Inc.
Lines: 24

This discussion brings to mind a story by Isaac Asimov (I forgot the name,
remember) in which his mythical world computer "Multivac" is put to the
task of determining from where jokes come.  The scientist doing the study
is an expert joke-teller, but recognizes that except for minor variations
there is no such thing as a 'new' joke.
 (HIT 'N' TO SKIP CONCLUSION)

 The computer comes to the conclusion
that 'jokes' are an artificial construct - like a maze is to a lab rat -
only designed to test something in humans.  

AND ONCE THEY REALIZE THAT, ALL OF A SUDDEN JOKES DON'T SEEM FUNNY
TO ANYONE IN THE WHOLE WORLD - AND EVERYONE WONDERS - WHAT IS THE
NEXT TEST - AND WHO IS TESTING US?

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  anderson@c10sd3.StPaul.NCR.COM |UUCP: {rosevax, crash}!orbit!pnet51!jpa
     Joel Peter Anderson         |ARPA: crash!orbit!pnet51!jpa@nosc.mil
  NCR Comten / Software engineer |INET: jpa@pnet51.cts.com
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