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[personal profile] jack
Doh! I should have said "...and a blind mathematician..." here, and then I could have had a subpunchline multiple humour redundancy[1] referencing the three-wise-blind-men and the elephant fable.

Here's another E-E-M joke:
A maddened student finally breaking under the strain corners an engineering professor, an elephant professor and a mathematician professor on the roof on the university tower with a rifle.

"Agh," he cries, "I can't take it any more! Build this! Differentiate that! Chew those fragrant fronds and squirt dust over yourself! I was going to jump, but I've changed my mind. YOU'RE going to jump, just to show them."

"Um," said the mathematician.

"Er," said the engineer. "Also, *chew* pop."

"Quod erat demonstrandum?"[ω] said the elephant.

"Right, line up by the edge, then."

"Who first?" asked the engineer, through her gum

"Alphabetically."

"After you," said the Loxodont.

"After you," said the Structural Engineer.

"After you," said the ω-professor[ω+2].

"Numbers come first," said the ω-repudiator.

"It's not a number," said the ω-z-putter-before.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAGH" said the student. "This is why I hate you. You:" he pointed to the engineer, "then the big guy:" he pointed to the elephant, and finally," he grinned, "Prof. Clever Dick."

Herded by the rifle, the engineer was prodded to the edge of the drop. But before she went off, she fasioned a parachute from two drinking straws, her chewing gum, and a small pocket handkerchief.

"Doh!" cried the student. "Never mind. You next."

And he crowded the elephant to the edge. The elephant tried to fight back, but tripped over its trunk and fell. Splat. Splat.

"So much for those two," said the student. "Now you."

The mathematician looked dubiously over the edge. "Do I have to?"

"Yes. If there's nothing else...?"

"Wait! I like bridges, and all equations can be simplified to their first oder terms," cried the mathematician, reducing it to a previously solved problem.
[1] See eg, partiallyclips.com
[2] Watch this joke for another example
[3] Yes, that was antecedantless[4]; I didn't want to point it up *before* the joke, and couldn't before you read [1]
[n] Yes, so was that :p [n+1] (Also see [ω+1])
[ω] "To show them what?"
[ω+1] Pay attention to the way ω comes after 3,4,5...; this is important later.
[ω+2] See?

Date: 2006-02-21 01:29 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] sunflowerinrain.livejournal.com
Cool. A Shaggy Elephant joke :)

and for more on mathmos' and enginos' views of the world - http://acarol.woz.org/

Date: 2006-02-21 06:08 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] atreic.livejournal.com
I don't get it. :-(

Date: 2006-02-21 06:10 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] cartesiandaemon.livejournal.com
All of it, or just the last line?

The intent there, is the mathematician says something typically engineery, implying he is the engineer, and thus the student doesn't have to kill him because he's already killed the engineer -- like the innumerable "set it on fire, thus reducing to a previously solved problem"

I did try to write it to order, which never produces amazing jokes :(

Date: 2006-02-21 06:21 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] atreic.livejournal.com
Well, I am a little more enlightened having followed the link to the previous joke, but then I didn't get that one either, until I read your explanatoin to Catriona.

What is it with the elephants, Jack?

Date: 2006-02-21 06:34 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] cartesiandaemon.livejournal.com
What is it with the elephants, Jack?

I don't know. Do you want to see my elephant impression... no. Anyway, it's something I've often wondered, but they are inherently funny imho, though I'm not sure quite why, and thus should be in many jokes.

If no-one gets them, maybe they're just not jokes. But they made *me* laugh! :)

What about the whole bit in the middle with the elephant professor? Was that interesting?

Date: 2006-02-21 08:01 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] sunflowerinrain.livejournal.com
Maybe it's just certain types of people that get elephant jokes?

They made me laugh too.

Date: 2006-02-21 08:04 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] sunflowerinrain.livejournal.com
I've been trying to define/explain "elephant jokes" (which don't necessarily have elephants in them). What they seem to have in common is a mental skip to the side, a logical disjunct, which is even funnier in the more formal setting.

Date: 2006-02-23 11:37 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] sunflowerinrain.livejournal.com
Not all, but certainly elephant jokes; and usually existentialist jokes too.

Date: 2006-02-21 08:02 pm (UTC)
ext_44920: (Default)
From: [identity profile] tig-b.livejournal.com
the jokes are great

and the answer to:
What is it with the elephants, Jack?

is:
it had to be elephants, I'd eaten all the custard

Date: 2006-02-22 06:02 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] cartesiandaemon.livejournal.com
it had to be elephants, I'd eaten all the custard

*snork*

Though, the way this conversation is going, I wish it'd been the asprin :)

Date: 2006-02-23 12:12 am (UTC)
ext_57795: (Default)
From: [identity profile] hmmm-tea.livejournal.com
the mathematician says something typically engineery

What? "I like bridges"?

Of course that's what all engineers always say, why didn't I see that before?!?! :-P

Date: 2006-02-24 07:11 am (UTC)
ext_57795: (Default)
From: [identity profile] hmmm-tea.livejournal.com
What's this? The more refined engineers taste?

"Bridges are so cliche...
Give me an aquaduct any day!"

Date: 2006-02-25 08:56 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] sunflowerinrain.livejournal.com
Aqueducts are bridges plus canal-type things... *happy sigh*

Tower Bridge, though... well, I have a tendency to find myself on the wrong side of the Thames... several times in one trip.

Date: 2006-02-24 05:13 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] cartesiandaemon.livejournal.com
Well, I couldn't think of anything really good. Maybe *that* *was* a point of misunderstanding.

But I thought most of my audience will be mathmos so should understand what the stereotype I'm driving at.

What should I have said?

Date: 2006-08-30 08:46 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] cartesiandaemon.livejournal.com
Ironically, I just reread it and I didn't get it either. That is, I had to think about it, then I got it. And it was funny to me, but I always think things I write are, however dire :)

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