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[2012-Jul-21] Give or take a thousand.

Posted: Sun Jul 22, 2012 1:29 am
by ChaoticBrain
http://www.smbc-comics.com/index.php?db ... 2679#comic

So, is the joke here supposed to be that physics professors are morons? Because I'm pretty sure that to get a degree in that field you have to be not that.

Re: [2012-July-21] Give or take a thousand.

Posted: Sun Jul 22, 2012 1:50 am
by Salacious Schoolmate
The joke is that they round numbers a lot.

I don't know, it's pretty good.

Re: [2012-July-21] Give or take a thousand.

Posted: Sun Jul 22, 2012 4:53 am
by ChaoticBrain
Salacious Schoolmate wrote:The joke is that they round numbers a lot.

I don't know, it's pretty good.
There's a difference between rounding numbers and not even getting them right to within one significant digit.

But hey, maybe I'm just being pedantic.

Re: [2012-July-21] Give or take a thousand.

Posted: Sun Jul 22, 2012 5:24 am
by Gila Monster
It's almost as if he was exaggerating a stereotype for additional humorous effect.

Re: [2012-July-21] Give or take a thousand.

Posted: Sun Jul 22, 2012 7:09 am
by jesuschristyoucanttakeajoke
This is like countless other jokes about physicists.

Other common punchlines involve approximating obviously nonspherical things as spheres, and getting things right to "within a few orders of magnitude." This is based off of - you guessed it - physicists approximating a bunch of stuff as spheres to make it simple, and either rounding numbers heavily or just not giving shits about entire orders of magnitude in equations and such. Note that this doesn't happen in articles and legitimate research, only in instruction or fast-paced calculations (as in briefly checking your answer to make sure its right, or at least within reason of being right).

Anyways, it was entertaining. Also, hyperbole, it exists.

Re: [2012-July-21] Give or take a thousand.

Posted: Wed Jul 25, 2012 4:43 pm
by Jesus Christ
I can so take a joke.

Re: [2012-July-21] Give or take a thousand.

Posted: Wed Jul 25, 2012 6:02 pm
by Guest1
If you don't understand the joke, it's not funny.
If someone explains the joke, it's not funny.
It's why I prefer poop humor.

Re: [2012-July-21] Give or take a thousand.

Posted: Wed Jul 25, 2012 6:31 pm
by Sentient AI
Why did Tigger look in the toilet?
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He was looking for Pooooh.

Get it? Get it? Because Pooh is an homophone with Poo! As in feces! And feces is funny!
Therefore Pooh is funny! I just have to explain this to you just in case. Hehe.

Re: [2012-July-21] Give or take a thousand.

Posted: Wed Jul 25, 2012 7:05 pm
by Guest1
Fuck you. -- Too tired to think of a proper response.

Re: [2012-July-21] Give or take a thousand.

Posted: Wed Jul 25, 2012 7:46 pm
by Lethal Interjection
Sentient AI wrote:Why did Tigger look in the toilet?
.
..
...
....
.....
......
He was looking for Pooooh.

Get it? Get it? Because Pooh is an homophone with Poo! As in feces! And feces is funny!
Therefore Pooh is funny! I just have to explain this to you just in case. Hehe.

Are you sure that is why it is funny? I personally laughed at the dementia Tigger is clearly presenting in the joke. Impaired mental faculties are hilarious.

Re: [2012-July-21] Give or take a thousand.

Posted: Thu Jul 26, 2012 6:41 am
by Gila Monster
I don't quite follow. Assuming "toilet" is referring to a bathroom, how is Tigger displaying any signs of dementia or similar mental illnesses by checking to see if perhaps his friend is located in that particular room?

Re: [2012-July-21] Give or take a thousand.

Posted: Thu Jul 26, 2012 10:21 am
by Salacious Schoolmate
Also people can fall into the toilet, when they are small like a toy bear.

Re: [2012-July-21] Give or take a thousand.

Posted: Thu Jul 26, 2012 12:49 pm
by Lethal Interjection
Gila Monster wrote:I don't quite follow. Assuming "toilet" is referring to a bathroom, how is Tigger displaying any signs of dementia or similar mental illnesses by checking to see if perhaps his friend is located in that particular room?
I don't understand why that would be a proper assumption.

Re: [2012-July-21] Give or take a thousand.

Posted: Thu Jul 26, 2012 2:35 pm
by Enlong
What, does Pooh never have to use the bathroom? He eats (oh boy does he EVER eat), so, logically...

Also: http://www.smbc-comics.com/index.php?db ... 2529#comic

Re: [2012-July-21] Give or take a thousand.

Posted: Thu Jul 26, 2012 11:21 pm
by Apocalyptus
Lethal Interjection wrote:
Gila Monster wrote:I don't quite follow. Assuming "toilet" is referring to a bathroom, how is Tigger displaying any signs of dementia or similar mental illnesses by checking to see if perhaps his friend is located in that particular room?
I don't understand why that would be a proper assumption.
Yes, one would imagine that the proper assumption would be that 'toilet' refers to an actual toilet.