April 19th, 2010 / 6:45 pm
Random

On semiotics

The best way to describe a cat is to use the letters c, a, and t. Every word contains a world, and some wonder why we still write. Two arms and a head is shorthand for “man drowning”; lol is an acronym for “laugh out loud,” usually used glibly as hyperbole. When semiotics meets semantics, there is a surreal incident of uncanny humor — an illustration with its own inverse reaction embodied in it. Insert a hyphen in 911 and you have 9-11, the latter date on which the former number was no doubt dialed. As we move along, as the mutt of history and words grows up, let us know when to laugh, when to laugh out loud, and when to remain silent.

[image via fail blog]

36 Comments

  1. anon

      ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
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      ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~lol~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
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  2. anon

      ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
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      ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~lol~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
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  3. Jimmy Chen

      exactly

  4. Jimmy Chen

      exactly

  5. anon

      It’s a lol drowning in a sea of tildes.

  6. anon

      It’s a lol drowning in a sea of tildes.

  7. Jimmy Chen

      tides/tildes, this can go on forever

  8. Jimmy Chen

      tides/tildes, this can go on forever

  9. tao

      lol…

  10. tao

      lol…

  11. anon

      im laughing at this load…

  12. anon

      im laughing at this load…

  13. anon

      If I make a good comment, every anon benefits.

  14. anon

      If I make a good comment, every anon benefits.

  15. Donald

      I find this post pleasant

  16. Donald

      I find this post pleasant

  17. alan

      The question is, as Stevie Smith might have put it today, how many of us are not lol-ing but drowning?

  18. alan

      The question is, as Stevie Smith might have put it today, how many of us are not lol-ing but drowning?

  19. Matt Cozart

      at least he’s in calm waters

  20. Matt Cozart

      at least he’s in calm waters

  21. zusya

      ;)
      oo
      x
      Y

  22. zusya

      one more:

      hey \o\

      ho /o/

      hey \o\

      ho /o/

  23. zusya

      not with that tone, anon2…

      show your work! re: benefits

  24. Jhon Baker

      this is a great post. Love the inserted though at the end.

  25. Jhon Baker

      this is a great post. Love the inserted though at the end.

  26. Merzmensch

      LOL = laugh out loud = .-.. — .-..
      SOS = save our souls = … — …

  27. Merzmensch

      LOL = laugh out loud = .-.. — .-..
      SOS = save our souls = … — …

  28. stephen

      what do you call a guy with no arms and no legs in the middle of the ocean?
      bob.

      what do you call a baby with no arms and no legs in the middle of the ocean?
      fucked.

      what do you call a guy with no arms and no legs on a wall?
      art.

  29. stephen

      also, hehe :) nice jimmy

  30. stephen

      what do you call a guy with no arms and no legs in the middle of the ocean?
      bob.

      what do you call a baby with no arms and no legs in the middle of the ocean?
      fucked.

      what do you call a guy with no arms and no legs on a wall?
      art.

  31. stephen

      also, hehe :) nice jimmy

  32. ce.

      HTMLG needs a “Like” button so I can like a post without expending the finger strength of typing a comment. Can you get on that Gene?

  33. ce.

      HTMLG needs a “Like” button so I can like a post without expending the finger strength of typing a comment. Can you get on that Gene?

  34. zusya

      lol < Help! I'm drowning!

      sos < Help! My arms have been turned into jello!

      zoz < Help! I can't stop walking like an Egyptian!

  35. beardo

      <<<<<<<<<<<<<< likes

  36. beardo

      <<<<<<<<<<<<<< likes