The 2021 -2024 and Continuing Joke Threads

[SailRN]

Technical Terms in Plain English

1. A NUMBER OF DIFFERENT APPROACHES ARE BEING TRIED
We are still clueless.


2. EXTENSIVE REPORT IS BEING PREPARED ON A FRESH APPROACH TO THE PROBLEM
We just hired three kids fresh out of college.


3. CLOSE PROJECT COORDINATION
We know who to blame.


4. MAJOR TECHNOLOGICAL BREAKTHROUGH
It works only so so, but looks very hi-tech.


5. CUSTOMER SATISFACTION IS DELIVERED ASSURED
We are so far behind schedule the customer is happy just to get it delivered.


6. PRELIMINARY OPERATIONAL TESTS WERE INCONCLUSIVE
The darn thing blew up when we threw the switch.


7. TEST RESULTS WERE EXTREMELY GRATIFYING
We are so surprised that the stupid thing works.


8. THE ENTIRE CONCEPT WILL HAVE TO BE ABANDONED
The only person who understood the thing quit.


9. IT IS IN THE PROCESS
It is so wrapped up in red tape that the situation is about hopeless.


10. WE WILL LOOK INTO IT
Forget it! We have enough problems for now.

11. PLEASE NOTE AND INITIAL
Let’s spread the responsibility for the mistake.

12. GIVE US THE BENEFIT OF YOUR THINKING
We’ll listen to what you have to say as long as it doesn’t interfere with what we’ve already done.


13. GIVE US YOUR INTERPRETATION
I can’t wait to hear this nonsense!


14. SEE ME OR LET’S DISCUSS
Come into my office, I’m lonely.


15. ALL NEW
Parts not interchangeable with the previous design.


16. RUGGED
Too darn heavy to lift!


17. LIGHTWEIGHT
Lighter than RUGGED.


18. YEARS OF DEVELOPMENT
One finally worked.


19. ENERGY SAVING
Achieved when the power switch is off.


20. LOW MAINTENANCE
Impossible to fix if broken.

[SailRN]

High Tech Humor

The remarkable growth of the information technology industry has created a tremendous opportunity for people with skill putting words on paper. Technical writers, once a rare and highly skilled position, are now as common as fruit flies—though they take up a lot more space. Yet the pay is pretty good considering how little work they actually do, so young English-major weenies desperate for employment continue to swarm around IT companies, hoping for a bit of rotting fru—er, looking for a plum position.
But it’s not quite as easy as pulling up a keyboard and translating an engineer’s notes into common English. Because, you see, technical documents aren’t written for people who use common English (no matter who the end user may be). No, they’re written for your boss, who invariably is an engineer. And engineers like their documents to sound intelligent, and their idea of intelligent is to use big words.
You’re guaranteed success in the field if you can make running Scandisk sound like you’ve built a new supercomputer from Home Depot supplies. But not everyone is lucky enough to have that kind of talent, so use the following pointers to at least get you by and keep those fat paychecks coming.
Lesson One: Style

Acronyms

All abbreviations are called acronyms. Don’t let anyone tell you differently. Anyone who tries to argue this point is just being pedantic. Blow them off. Any term with at least two words must be assigned an acronym, and it must be defined in parenthesis, even if you’ll never use the term again. Don’t worry if you’ve already used an acronym for something else—the readers will know what you mean. Remind your readers what an acronym stands for at random intervals. If you’re not sure how often you should insert these reminders, just define the acronym every time you use it. Here is the correct way to take advantage of acronyms:

It is in the best interests of the United States (U.S.) of America (USA) to develop a Tax Plan (TP) that punishes neither America’s Disadvantaged Working Class (ADWC) nor the Independently Wealthy (IW). It should come as no surprise that both the ADWC and IW would like to see a Tax Plan (TP) that includes Lower Tax Rates (LTR), but the demand for LTR must be balanced against the needs of the Taxpaying Public (TP). As a result, the current TP should be eliminated.

Bulleted Lists

There is simply no way to include too many bulleted lists. Bulleted lists make everything clear, because it takes a complicated sentence with too many commas and turns it into a simple and precise enumeration of critical points. Use as many bulleted lists as possible, because the more often you use them, the more clear your document becomes.
Example:

• My dear Elizabeth,
• The weather is beautiful; and,
• I wish you were here.
• Love always,
• Angus

Colloquialisms

Avoid using common phrases in technical documents. They will confuse the reader. If using a colloquialism is absolutely unavoidable, set it out in quote marks, then define it for good measure. That way you can be sure your readers understand what you’re trying to say. Here is an example of how to use a colloquialism:

It was raining “cats and dogs” (i.e., it was raining so hard that it seemed almost as if domesticated animals (e.g., cats and dogs) were falling from the sky rather than raindrops).

Numbers

Be all-inclusive. Write out all numbers, then follow with numerals in parenthesis. You do not want to exclude anyone who understands one notation but not the other. Example:

I own fourteen (14) cats.

Lesson Two: Grammar

Commas

Commas are a sign of weakness. Good sentences are clear without the use of commas. Bad sentences use commas as a crutch to help readers limp along. Rewrite any sentence that requires the use of a comma. If all else fails just take the commas out of the sentence without changing anything else. Occasionally sprinkle a few commas into the document at random just to keep the English-major weenies happy.
Hyphens

There are three different types, but only an English-major weenie can tell them apart. The only one you need to know about is the simple - . In a pinch, you can use two of them run together, like this:--. Sometimes compound nouns need to be hyphenated and sometimes they don’t, but nobody else knows when to do it either so just do it at random.
Passive Voice

You’re better off with passive voice. Active voice annoyingly insists on placing attribution to actions, and we all know that sooner or later somebody’s going to get fired for being attributed to something. English-major weenies insist that passive voice is bad, but that’s because they have no real authority and therefore are in no great danger of getting fired for anything. Put them in management and see how quickly they adopt passive voice.
Semicolons

This is the Mystery Punctuation. No one can use this properly, not even the English-major weenies. But semicolons make a sentence look impressive, so use one in place of a comma every now and then (that is, if you still use commas; see “commas”).
Lesson Three: Technical Terms

Functionality

There are two ways to use this versatile word. The first is to use it in place of a word like “function” or “feature”. Those words are overused, so functionality will make your document seem fresh by comparison:

Do you have the power windows functionality on your car?

The second way is to use it as an indicator of general operation. For example, instead of writing:

The intern broke the copier.

Try writing:
The functionality of the copy machine has been compromised by our Associate Coffee/Errand Assistant I.
Impact

This is a wonderful word. Use it as much as possible! Any time you have an opportunity to explain that an action causes something to happen, be sure that it was an impact (you can use it as a verb, too, by explaining how an action impacted something). Never write:

Turn the computer on.

When you could write:

Utilize the power on/off interface, located on the forward-face of the Advanced Digital Data Storage System (ADDSS) when installed in the standard configuration (see Appendix A), to impact the operational status of the ADDSS System.

Summary

Now that you’ve had the opportunity to digest some pointers, it’s time to give technical writing a try. The easiest way to start is to take a piece of text and rewrite it in proper technical writing format. Use this rewrite of Little Red Riding Hood as a guide.
Little Red Riding Hood

At a previous but undetermined timeframe, a single-family domestic domicile was inhabited by a young girl, known as Little Red Riding Hood (LRRH), and her Maternal Parent (MP). The Maternal Parent (MP) had once provided for the fabrication of an article of clothing, a cloak in nature (including a “hood” or protective covering for the head of the wearer), that was RGB code [255,0,0] in hue (aka, “red”). As a result of this action, and the resultant repeated usage of the “hood”, the young girl was always known as LRRH in substitution for the name identified on her birth certificate and other identifying documentation.
During one 24-hour interval, a request was issued by the MP for LRRH to deliver a package to the MP’s Maternal Parent (MPMP) (genealogically identified as the Grandmaternal Unit (GU) with respects to LRRH). This package was to include:

• cheesecakes
• fresh butter
• one dozen (12) strawberries

Little Red Riding Hood (LRRH) optioned to accept the Task Order (TO). LRRH further sourced a package delivery vehicle with the proper functionality for the Task Order, selecting a wicker basket. After a thorough and complete market survey, leveraging LRRH’s experience with similar Task Orders in the past, cheesecake and fresh butter were acquired from the kitchen, whereas strawberries were acquired from the garden. While the latter item was not, strictly speaking, within the bounds of the Task Order, the marginal cost savings as compared to waiting for strawberries to grow in the kitchen appeared to be of great benefit to the MP in the completion of the Task.
With initial outsourcing complete, the journey was commenced by LRRH (see Appendix A: Proposed Map of Route Between the Domiciles of MP and GU). During a brief eleventh-hour meeting, MP issued a contract rider requiring the complete confidentiality of all personnel working the Task Order. LRRH assured MP that there would be no violation of this rider.
In the course of executing the Task Order, LRRH was approached by market competitor Old Grey Wolf (OGW). There were inquiries from OGW to LRRH regarding the nature of the Task Order, and in violation of the contract rider, LRRH disclosed sensitive and mission-critical data relating to the Task. Table 1-1 illustrates the nature of the information believed to have been compromised:
Table 1-1: Information Compromised by LRRH During Interactions With GW
Nature of Data Disclosed To Severity of Disclosure Contents of Basket Old Grey Wolf Medium Nature of Task Old Grey Wolf High Destination of Journey Old Grey Wolf High The identity of LRRH had been predetermined by OGW using standard practices of observation; therefore, that information was not compromised by the actions of LRRH.
It was the intent of OGW to compromise the functionality of LRRH, but the potential negative impact on its operations by the nearby presence of an organized unit of fully-functional Wood Cutters (WC) provided for the redirection of its action item to the domicile of GU.
Though LRRH had blatantly violated the terms of the contract rider, this violation went unreported to supervisory entities (i.e., MP) by the violator. LRRH continued to action the Task Order despite clear and compelling evidence that the integrity of the process had been disenfranchised by the OGW.
While LRRH continued to analyze its processes through the implementation of the Task Order, OGW leveraged its greater cumulative experience and used Best Practices to arrive at the GU client site in a more efficient and expedient manner than LRRH. Therein, the functionality of GU was impacted by the biorhythmic needs of OGW in a negative manner.
Upon the dissemination of information related to the pending closure of the Task Order assigned to LRRH, OGW engaged in an enterprise-wide analysis of situational readiness. Determining that there were vulnerabilities in OGW’s methodology, OGW elected to redesign the external identifiers of OGW to better emulate those of GU, by means of garbing the nightgown generally associated with GU and altering the vocal patterns of OGW to align with precedents set by GU.
After completing the Task Order by delivering the deliverables:

• cheesecakes;
• fresh butter; and
• one dozen (12) strawberries

LRRH recorded observations of the host system. These observations included, but were not limited to:

• My what big ears you have!
• My what big eyes you have!
• My what a big nose you have!
• My what big teeth you have!

Upon receipt of the host system status analysis, OGW prepared and delivered a response regarding the functionality of the concerned functionalities, to include:

• This functionality leverages the soundwaves generated from other sources, such as LRRH, to amplify the positive audio signal from such sources for the end user.
• This functionality absorbs underutilized light emissions and their reflection from objects thereon, such as LRRH, to better provide for the identification of nearby entities by the end user.
• This functionality analyzes the available transient atmospheric particles against a matrix of known particle cultures, such as LRRH, to provide near-instantaneous and transparent supplemental feedback to the end user.
• This functionality greatly impacts the capacity of the OGW to reprocess physical assets related to LRRH in such a manner as to benefit the continued functional life-cycle of the OGW operations!!

Immediately thereafter, Old Grey Wolf (OGW) executed its asset plan action item and severely compromised the functionality of Little Red Riding Hood (LRRH).

[SailRN]

Funny Headlines

• Iraqi Head Seeks Arms
• Something Went Wrong in Jet Crash, Expert Says
• Police Begin Campaign to Run Down Jaywalkers
• Enraged Cow Injures Farmer with Ax
• Farmer Bill Dies in House
• British Left Waffles on Falkland Islands
• Teacher Strikes Idle Kids
• Miners Refuse to Work after Death
• Juvenile Court to Try Shooting Defendant
• War Dims Hope for Peace
• If Strike Isn’t Settled Quickly, It May Last Awhile
• Cold Wave Linked to Temperatures
• Enfield (London) Couple Slain; Police Suspect Homicide
• Red Tape Holds Up New Bridges
• Man Struck By Lightning Faces Battery Charge
• New Study of Obesity Looks for Larger Test Group
• Astronaut Takes Blame for Gas in Spacecraft
• Kids Make Nutritious Snacks
• Chef Throws His Heart into Helping Feed Needy
• Local High School Dropouts Cut in Half
• Hospitals are Sued by 7 Foot Doctors
• Typhoon Rips Through Cemetery; Hundreds Dead

[SailRN]

Nine Easy Steps to Longer Sentences

Are you tired of short, direct, and simple sentences that seem to take forever to fill up a page? Are you paid by the word? In either case you can benefit by increasing the number of words in your sentences and the bulk of your writing. And it’s easy if you just follow nine simple steps, many of which you may already know and practice.
To show how easily you can apply these steps, I’ll start with the following ludicrously short and simple sentence and increase its verbiage step by step.


More night jobs would keep youths off the streets.


Step 1:
Begin to lengthen your statement by referring to studies, even if you’re not aware of any studies. After all, who really cares? And if anyone challenges you, you can protect yourself by weaseling (see Step 5).

Studies have found that more night jobs would keep youths off the streets.

Step 2:
Replace simple words like more, jobs, night, youths, and streets with multiple syllable words of
Latin or Greek origin.

Studies have found that additional nocturnal employment would keep adolescents off thoroughfares.

Step 3:
Use sophisticated verbs, the vaguer the better. The verb found is much too clear and simple, whereas indicate, develop, and identify are excellent multi-purpose verbs with so many meanings that you can use them in almost any context to mean almost anything. What precisely does indicate mean, anyway? If you use identify or indicate, you can further lengthen your sentence by attaching the fact that to it.

Studies have identified the fact that additional nocturnal employment would keep adolescents off thoroughfares.

Step 4:
Rely on such adjectives as available, applicable, and appropriate to lengthen sentences without changing or adding any meaning. If possible, use various, one of the most meaningless of all the meaningless modifiers.

Various available applicable studies have identified the fact that additional appropriate nocturnal employment would keep adolescents off thoroughfares.

Step 5:
Use weasel words as often as possible. A number of is particularly useful because it can refer to any number at all: -9, 4.78, 0, 5 billion, you name it. (For more effective weaseling, replace wills and woulds with cans and coulds.)

A number of various available applicable studies have generally identified the fact that additional appropriate nocturnal employment could usually keep adolescents off thoroughfares.

Step 6:

Sprinkle your sentences with classic redundancies.

A number of various available applicable studies have generally identified the fact that additional appropriate nocturnal employment could usually keep juvenile adolescents off thoroughfares.

Step 7:
Add meaningless “it is” and “there is/are” expressions, not only to lengthen your sentences but also to give them a scholarly ring.

There is no escaping the fact that it is considered very important to note that a number of various available applicable studies have generally identified the fact that additional appropriate nocturnal employment could usually keep juvenile adolescents off thoroughfares.

Step 8:
For the precision that all good writing deserves, use legalisms, the more redundant the better.

There is no escaping the fact that it is considered very important to note that a number of various available applicable studies have generally identified the fact that additional appropriate nocturnal employment could usually keep juvenile adolescents off thoroughfares, including but not limited to the time prior to midnight on weeknights and/or 2 a.m. on weekends.

Step 9:
Use foreign words and phrases to lengthen and enliven your sentences. Especially apt are Latinisms and other obscurities whose meanings have long been forgotten if they were ever known.

There is no escaping the fact that it is considered very important to note that a number of various available applicable studies ipso facto have generally identified the fact that additional appropriate nocturnal employment could usually keep juvenile adolescents off thoroughfares during the night hours, including but not limited to the time prior to midnight on weeknights and/or 2 a.m. on weekends.

So there you have it. Following these nine steps, I’ve managed in no time to increase the number of words in my sentence nearly seven fold, well above the level of incomprehensibility. And best of all, I’ve accomplished this feat with little or no change in meaning.

[SailRN]

Reasons Why the English Language is Hard to Learn

1. The bandage was wound around the wound.
2. The farm was used to produce produce.
3. The dump was so full that it had to refuse more refuse.
4. We must polish the Polish furniture.
5. He could lead if he would get the lead out.
6. The soldier decided to desert his dessert in the desert.
7. Since there is no time like the present, he thought it was time to present the present.
8. A bass was painted on the head of the bass drum.
9. When shot at, the dove dove into the bushes.
10. I did not object to the object.
11. The insurance was invalid for the invalid.
12. There was a row among the oarsmen about how to row.
13. They were too close to the door to close it.
14. The buck does funny things when the does are present.
15. A seamstress and a sewer fell down into a sewer line.
16. To help with planting, the farmer taught his sow to sow.
17. The wind was too strong to wind the sail.
18. After a number of injections my jaw got number.
19. Upon seeing the tear in the painting I shed a tear.
20. I had to subject the subject to a series of tests.
21. How can I intimate this to my most intimate friend?

[Eigenvector]

wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww

[Eigenvector]

Some will get this.............

[Joh.Ghurt]

Originally Posted by Eigenvector

Some will get this.............

I think we called these things elephant-condoms. A really good thing to have in any extended 1st-aid kit.

[chrisr]

Originally Posted by Joh.Ghurt

... A really good thing to have in any extended 1st-aid kit.

REALLY !! OMG, just what are you planning for in your first aid kit !!

cheers,

[Joh.Ghurt]

Originally Posted by chrisr

REALLY !! OMG, just what are you planning for in your first aid kit !!

It's a very easy solution if you need to keep the arm (or a lower leg) of a patient dry on a boat. Did you think it would help to check for intestinal problems?

[rotrax]

How many times in English can the word 'and' be used consecutivley and still make sense?


Answer :- Five - example below.
































A publican was discussing with the signwriter his new pub sign. " You have not left enough space between the Pig and and and and and Whistle "

[chrisr]

Originally Posted by Joh.Ghurt

It's a very easy solution if you need to keep the arm (or a lower leg) of a patient dry on a boat. Did you think it would help to check for intestinal problems?

haha...being the joke thread i didn't know quite what to expect

but as you say, would be useful for keeping a limb dry. we've used a garbage bag + insulating tape, but the elephant condom would certainly work better

cheers,

[Jamme]

Originally Posted by rotrax

You have not left enough space between the Pig and and and and and Whistle "

Must be that I’m tired, but would that make three “and” words? “Pig” and “and” and “whistle”

[JoeRobertJr]

Originally Posted by Jamme

Must be that I’m tired, but would that make three “and” words? “Pig” and “and” and “whistle”

Wouldn't the sentence 'I want to put two hyphens between the words Pig and And, and And and Whistle in my Pig-And-Whistle sign' have been clearer if quotation marks had been placed before "Pig", and between "Pig" and "and", and "and" and "And", and "And" and "and", and "and" and "And", and "And" and "and", and "and" and "Whistle", and after "Whistle"?

That's seven ands in a row.

Credit: https://www.writingforums.org/thread...in-a-row.3120/

[Buzzman]

Exit, Stage Left, a pig, whistling.....