Odd O'blography

Quantum Comedy

This entry was inspired by a newsfeed post from Adherennium Plotting something


Basic Theory

All written material begins in a ground state defined by comic scientists as 'not-funny'. A spark of creativity may add enough comic energy to elevate material to an initial quantum level of 'funny'. This process is not guaranteed, however, and insufficient creativity will cause the material to spontaneously fall back to the not-funny state. A further infusion of comic energy, known as 'delivery', is required to elevate material from the funny state to the higher quantum comedy states of 'joke', 'mirth' or 'hilarity'. The removal of comic energy is achieved by a process called 'poor delivery'. Poor delivery can cause material to fall back all the way from hilarity to not-funny.

Superposition

A more advanced concept concerns the duality of the unexamined joke. Comedy particles known as bits exist in an undetermined superposition of funny/not-funny until analyzed by an objecting audience. The act of measurement, however, drains the comic energy and collapses the joke to its original not-funny state. This is known as the principle of explanation.

Quantum Tunneling

Tunneling is perhaps the strangest concept of quantum comedy. An effect known as the 'non sequitur' can warp the laugh-time continuum and transport comedy bits directly to a state of hilarity along a vector known as the 'punch line'. No one really understands the mechanism of the non sequitur, and its end point seems to be wholly random. The path of a non sequitur is difficult to predict and often loops back to the not-funny state.

Dark Matter

And, of course, no discussion of quantum comedy would be complete without the dark material known as the 'pun'. Comic scientists estimate that as much as 90% of the comedy universe is made up of this dark material. Real comedy does not recognize or interact with the pun in any way. However, the influence of the pun on normal life can be inferred through the groan effect.



from wackypedia . . .