That’s probably not the funniest joke in the world, it’s just one I came across when I was doing a little more research on Dr. Richard Wiseman and his quest to find the world’s funniest joke (scientifically speaking).

The New Yorker article explores the possibility that there is more science to comedy than people acknowledge; that much of humor, and especially what makes people laugh, can be analyzed, dissected, and explained in a scientific manner, much like what we’ve been discussing in CTPR 499- the notion that we can analyze and break down the elements of comedy to not only understand what makes something funny, but also use these principles to create new comedy.

I personally believe that these principles can be enormously helpful to aspiring comics & writers, though I don’t know if I can fully embrace the idea of comedy as a mathematical, empirically explicable science just yet… what do you think?

Mondays are not the most exciting day at the local mall. As a matter of fact, it may be one of the slower, if not the most dull day of the week for both patrons and employees. That’s why we chose to stage a miniature ‘marathon’ within the mall this past monday. In the parking lot outside the mall, our group of about 25 people had our first, and, most dramatic run-in with security.

The security guard was worried because he had seen a camera, in addition to several (presumably new) electronics boxes. He asked us if were trying to sell the camera. I asked him if he wanted to buy it. He told me we weren’t allowed to sell cameras in the parking lot, but said he wouldn’t call the police this time. He was a pretty nice guy, and after he left, we never saw another security guard.

Our runners traversed a difficult course, from Sports Authority, through the halls, around (and through) the food court- ending at the Finishline store.

Described as a “variable-speed” marathon, the runners had 3 different speeds- first, simple jogging. Then, nearing the end of the course, dramatic slow motion running. It was at this point that our group began attracting significant attention. The final variation was when the group stopped moving and froze in place, directly in front of the Finishline store, for about 2.5 minutes. People immediately took notice.

As people stopped to take photos, more people noticed what was going on. A woman at an ice cream stand stopped work to stare at the group.

The dedication of our “runners” was astounding. Runner #151 (Agent Steppenwolf) maintained this pose without flinching for the duration of the freeze.

The crowd continued to grow. Some people would stare from a distance, then come closer. One woman walked by without noticing. Most people smiled or laughed, or at least gave us skeptical looks. (This photo should have been deinterlaced)

At the end of the freeze, the agents briefly celebrated reaching the Finishline. People continued to stare.

In one of the more touching display of the night, a young girl mimicked the actions of the group she’d just seen, trying out two different freeze positions.

On the way out, an employee asked what had just happened. Agent Gaulier explained the situation as Urban Training. The woman smiled, clapping her hands twice. She then suspiciously eyed our (camera) boxes.

It didn’t matter, we were already gone.

Mission accomplished.

A long time ago, in a city far, far away, Zach Borromeo started a facebook group called ImprovEverywhere Michigan division. The group quickly grew as more people discovered the brilliance of I.E. New York and desired to take part in their own scenes.
After several months in waiting, the group executed it’s first successful mission this past monday. Surprisingly, the powerful inaugural address delivered on Monday drew little noticeable reaction from the agents. Regardless, they were all excited on the inside, and each agent was probably too busy thinking about how much fun they’d later have recruiting new people to act really excited after the speech.