How to get from NY to France..according to Google

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1.  

   georgie ~ 19 months ago

   0 votes
   
   I just got to Paris from New York and boy are my arms tired! lol.
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2.  

   Dr. Fallon ~ 19 months ago

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   Two responses:
   1] That was about as useful as their directions normally are;
   2] I'm glad to see that SOMEONE at Google has a sense of humor.
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3.  

   japaneseboats ~ 19 months ago

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   Love it! Hooray for Google - apparently the sole repository of American humour! ( Sorry Georgie/Dr Fallon...)
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4.  

   georgie ~ 19 months ago

   1 vote
   
   japaneseboats, are you implying that Americans aren't humorous?
   
   I noticed something interesting when I moved to London, that being, the absence of laughter in British cinemas. Of course it really depends on the type of film and constitution of the audience. It must have been when I saw "The Producers" at a London cinema last summer that I first noticed this. I was loudly cackling at certain gags in that film, when suddenly, it came to my attention that the packed room was silent except for the sound of the actors speaking and my joyous laughter that rang out long after the English patrons had stopped a brief smile or chuckle. In America, loud open expression is normal, whereas in many social settings in England, it's more polite to be reserved.
   
   I have since tried to stifle my laughter in cinemas here, but it's difficult in some of the sillier American and British films that are released now. "Hot Fuzz" was an example of a British-produced silly flick that people should have been rolling in the aisles about, but didn't in order to preserve proper English cinema etiquette. I had the good fortune to be sitting in front of a group of gregarious New Zealanders at that showing, and for once it was okay again to laugh long and hard in appreciation of what seemed moments of side-splitting British-made humor.
   
   All things considered, I had to train myself to appreciate British humor when I arrived. Things like Monty Python, Black Adder, and the film "Withnail and I" just didn't make any sense, and their intelligent tongue in cheek style didn't fit with my definition of humor, largely influenced by the American tradition of dumb gags, sarcasm, and slapstick.
   
   I suppose we find things funny based on the way humor is socialized in our own culture. It takes time to understand and appreciate what might be funny to someone else, with a different comedy tradition. My guilty confession is that in some ways I'm actually starting to prefer British humor. Or should I say, humour :)
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5.  

   JV ~ 19 months ago

   0 votes
   
   Oh yes, Google does have a sense of humour. Check this out. It's Google maps. Moon.
   
   http://moon.google.com/
   
   When you get there, be sure to ZOOM IN all the way.
   
   Very funny :)
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6.  

   georgie ~ 19 months ago

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   Har har JV!
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7.  

   japaneseboats ~ 19 months ago

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   georgie - ( thanks for yr thoughtful comment) - I wld not imply that Americans aren't humorous (they make me laugh!) but that they often don't 'geddit' - that is, the ironic dry wit which is inherent in British humour. (Pace Frasier which was so brilliant) but confirmed by you in paragraph four of your comment. I agree with you that this sort of humour more often results in the wry smile rather than the loud guffaw! But your comments re the new "Producers" film (of the stage musical) was puzzling. I saw the stage musical in London approx 18 months ago and the audience was falling apart with laughter (I too was convulsed). I can't say that I have ever been aware of a British cinema/theatre etiquette of not laughing out loud. Of course in the main London cinemas and theatres the audiences are often predominantly tourists and so your experience may not be typical. Chaucer and Shakespeare were bawdy - though I can't personally verify whether their audiences laughed out loud! But more recently the Victorian/Edwardian music-hall tradition of raucous and often outrageous humour allowed we British to drop our usual reserve and laugh loudly and long in the safe knowledge that we were in respectable company and laughing at the antics of the 'lower classes' - and that in itself is another aspect of British humour. Generally though, I think that we British have not usually felt the need to laugh out loud at humour (being 'loud' in any aspect of our behaviour is frowned upon and I admit myself to finding it unsettling). We are more internalised and tend not to appreciate anyone doing anything 'loudly' - cue a thousand inappropriate jokes... I rest my case.
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8.  

   poptart007 ~ 18 months ago

   0 votes
   
   Very good - imagine the moon was made of cheese, a fine cheddar
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9.  

   AdGuy

   22 votes
   
   This is my two cents...
   
      
   Hey you know AdGuy always gets the last word! ;)