_____ is funny

While not all humor is formulaic, some definitely is.

It begins with the original joke, lifted in its glory from somewhere on the outskirts of the intarwebs (sic).

"I think Halo is a pretty cool guy. eh shoots aleins and doesn't afraid of anything."

This statement occurs as a functionally valid deductive argument, occurring conclusion first, with a two premises following in the second statement. The extrapolation of usable parts is simple, and commences as follows:

Conclusion: I think Halo is a pretty cool guy

Subject: Halo (in this case, the misappropriated game title as the name of the protagonist, Master Chief)

Predicate clause: is a pretty cool guy.

Premise 1: eh shoots aleins

Premise 2: (eh) doesn't afraid of anything

so:
where X is "Halo"
y is "shoots aleins"
z is "afraid of anything"

X does y
X does not z

Therefore:
X is a pretty cool guy


Allow me to divulge the utility of the madlib formula:

I think __(subject)__ is a pretty cool guy/girl. s/eh __(action)____ and doesn't afraid of anything.

from whence it came

an identifiable and meaningful undercurrent intrinsic to the creation and maintenance of this collection of missives is that of a cogent philosophical and critical approach to a relatively new aesthetic: video games.



my experience and understanding of this field is easily traceable to one source, a novel by D.B. Weiss. Lucky Wander Boy is a foray into the world of protagonist Adam Pennyman, shaped as it is by what could be known as the golden age of video games, the classical period of coin slot arcade cabinets. Pennyman's life changes drastically as he attempts to create an "Encyclopedia of Obsolete Entertainments", in which he approaches several arcade classics from a critical stance, analyzing their technical specifics, but more importantly, delving into aspects normally reserved for more classical aesthetic judgments: motif, myth, symbolism, et al.

Weiss' detail in the parts of Lucky Wander Boy devoted to Pennyman's Encyclopedia struck a chord in my own understanding of video game content and culture, as well as their intersection with reality and other cultural media. What followed was my own meager advances into aesthetic and critical theories, beginning with the most meaningful and symbolically dense games in my repertoire.

by way of introduction

what follows occurs in the intersection of imaginary, virtual and real, if such distinctions can be meaningfully made. or perhaps the ensuing thoughts, concepts and conditions reside in a liminal space between these realms. at any rate, I want to explore and share a quest for understanding.

the fields in which this intellectual play is held are those of sound and symbol, and the tools and moves have largely not yet been defined. those that exist are to be reevaluated for their use and meaning, and taken into the greater movement.

formostly, the rule of law, absurd law, is forever in effect, and no person, place, thing, or concept is above it.