(Part 2) Best humor essays according to redditors
We found 1,205 Reddit comments discussing the best humor essays. We ranked the 318 resulting products by number of redditors who mentioned them. Here are the products ranked 21-40. You can also go back to the previous section.
This was during the beginning of the American Revolution when both men were traveling through New Jersey enroute to negotiate with the British. Sharing beds was very common at the time, but its hilarious to imagine these two brilliant statesmen sharing a little bed together and arguing about the window like a married couple. I'm so happy Adams included this detail in his diary for posterity. It makes me think about how many other fascinating and funny little stories like this from history that we will never know about.
Edit: Since this is blowing up, I wanted to share my favorite Benjamin Franklin essay, which is actually one big fart joke. He was easily the funniest of the Founding Fathers and he loved a good dirty joke. In 1781, 5 years after sharing that tiny little bed with John Adams, Franklin was the United States Ambassador in France. 75 years old, he was huge celebrity in Paris where everyone knew of his scientific discoveries and his work in the American Revolution. He followed the scientific community of Europe, but he found it pretentious and unwilling to address practical questions that would improve society. His answer was to write a satirical research proposal calling for a way to alter the "odious" smell of farts and make them as "agreeable as perfumes." Here is his proposal. There's nothing quite like American history where you can get a hearty laugh from a 200-year-old fart joke written by one of the Founding Fathers.
(btw If anyone is interested in reading more hilarious essays showing Franklin's dirty but genius sense of humor, check out this book which compiles alot of his best ones.)
Edit 2: My title could be misleading if someone didn’t read the link. I should have said “disagreement” rather than of “argument” which makes it sound too combative and I should have written “before sleeping” rather than “instead of sleeping” which sounds like the disagreement lasted all night.
Read "A Walk in the Woods" - which was also made into a movie.
On the trail, you end up seeing the same people over and over again, and they give each other (or adopt) a "trail name".
http://www.amazon.com/Walk-Woods-Rediscovering-Appalachian-Official/dp/0767902521
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_Walk_in_the_Woods_%28film%29
Amazon link
It's the name of a book, so naturally it'd be a suggestion.
It's a real book written by the collegehumor staff: https://www.amazon.com/Faking-Better-Without-Actually-ImprovingYourself/dp/0451222520
This already exists: http://www.amazon.com/Letters-Nut-Ted-L-Nancy/dp/B000SR7RNS
Some people are saying fake, but it's worth noting that it was common for people to send absurd submissions to companies back then in hopes for a funny response. It was sort of trolling before Internet trolling.
Check out Letters from a Nut for a lot of examples if you ever find it at a library. Really funny collection of a comedian's letters and responses to different companies through the 90s. He would send a ridiculous letter and a lot would respond with letters like this one here.
Edit: This one could actually be a joke letter people copied and sent each other back then. Here's an old page with mostly the same text, but has a real name instead of the joke name.
The feminization of boys continues. Carolla was right: In Fifty Years We'll All Be Chicks. I LOVE When women tell men how to be men. Imagine the UPROAR if men told feminists how to be women in modern times. This is just the opposite. "They really buy into a culture that doesn't value WHAT WE FEMANIZED." She even admits it for god's sake.
If it is... there's some serious dedication to the joke...
Podcasts and writing. His book In Fifty Years We'll all Be Chicks is hysterical, and the chapter length/style makes it a perfect book for the shitter.
I'm reading Bad Feminist by Roxanne Gay. A collection of feminist essays, discussing everything from the idea of trigger warnings to body image issues to the Sweet Valley High series.... it's amazing, and I highly, highly recommend it. Very entertaining and profound.
What about you??
Reminds me of Demetri Martin's This is a Book.
I love Bill's writing, especially A Walk in the Woods, especially the chapter where he's talking about all the ways that he might die on the trail. That book got me into hiking.
And how amazing is it that Bryson was played by Robert Redford in the movie adaptation?! Sadly I heard it wasn't... well, wasn't all that good of a movie, but for anyone of Redford's generation, having him play you in anything is incredible. Cheers!
You should try A Walk in the Woods by Bill Bryson.
> How do you usually start conversations?
"Hello, how are you doing?" and then take it from there. They usually ask if I know them, or if they know me. "No, probably not. I'm just dialing phone numbers, looking for neat people to talk to. My name is {$self->real_name}."
>Who was the most interesting person you talked to, and what about?
Everyone is interesting! Joseph Mitchell, a journalist from Asheville, NC, worked for the New York Times in the early 1900s. He wrote a very good book called Up in the Old Hotel. He originally went to talk about the lives of ordinary New Yorkers, only to find everyone is quite extraordinary. I share his philosophy. Everyone has a story to tell, you only need to listen.
That being said, I once happened upon a professor of mathematics at some college. We talked about number theory, first order logic, etc. Wish I saved his number.
>Longest conversation?
Probably with this Portugese girl in New York. Not sure why it went on as long as it did (4 hours), but she seemed nice.
>Are you ever met with hostility?
Nah. Most people who aren't in a talkin' mood hang up. The rest get kind of snarky, but never mean.
It's a satirical work.
It's a crap design, I'll give you that, but all the words are in the right order: Link
Try Krakauer's other well known book Into Thin Air, and because there's some controversy regarding his version of events, also The Climb by Anatoli Boukreev who was a major player that day.
Krakauer's other book Under the Banner of Heaven is a good "true crime" style story about some Morman murders, but may not be enough like Into the Wild to appeal to you.
Over the Edge of the World is more of a history, covering Magellan's circumnavigation of the earth. It was facinating and definately had intrigue, machinations, and survival elements.
Another book on exploration and survival, Endurance: Shakleton's Incredible Voyage
And another one, Fatal Journey: The Final Expedition of Henry Hudson. I think this is the one I read, but I can't be certain. It doesn't seem to be as well regarded, but i thought it was still interesting.
A book on diving and survival: The Last Dive, Chowdhury
The Hot Zone could be thought of as science survival. Anyway, you'll probably love the opening bits in Africa, although it does slow way down after that.
Far away from survival, but still about travel are the wonderful Bill Bryson's travelogues. Witty and informative. In a Sunburned Country and A Walk in the Woods are particularly recommended.
If you are interested in this sort of thing, I recommend going to your local ibrary and finding The Mother Tongue: English and How It Got That Way by Bill Bryson. He's funny and has an engaging style (plus it isn't very long). He's one of my favorite nonfiction authors.
Bryson also wrote a companion book called Made in America: An Informal History of the English Language in the United States. I haven't read that one yet, but just based on the author, it's probably something worth checking out.
I once got to spend an entire day with Phil Plait at a science conference and talk about stuff like this. He's pretty interesting to talk to. You should look up his book Death from the Skies. https://www.amazon.com/Death-Skies-Science-Behind-World/dp/0143116045
Reminds me of this book: https://www.amazon.com/Faking-Better-Without-Actually-ImprovingYourself/dp/0451222520/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1473437357&sr=8-1&keywords=faking+it+how+to+seem+like+a+better+person+without+actually+improving+yourself
The last page shits on you for having read that far and concludes that you've learned nothing.
Its gonna be a doozy Jerry
But you can buy it here https://www.amazon.co.uk/Faking-Without-Actually-Improving-Yourself/dp/0451222520
Bad Feminist is a really good book
Its all in here [(http://www.amazon.com/How-Sharpen-Pencils-Theoretical-Contractors/dp/1612190405/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1332711778&sr=1-1)]
For me, feminism is just about ensuring that women (ALL women - including women of color, trans women, LGBT etc.) have the opportunity to exist in a world where they're considered equal and are free to make the best choices for themselves.
This is a decent article on third wave feminism and I highly recommend reading Bad Feminist by Roxane Gay as well (my husband bought it for me before I'd ever even heard of it - how awesome is he??).
I think that's the entire premise of part of Let's Explore Diabetes With Owls actually.
Tough to decide between the two, but it's the same author and they're tied together so I'll just go with it: Made in America: An Informal History of the English Language in the United States and The Mother Tongue - English And How It Got That Way by Bill Bryson. As a lover of language and its history, it's really interesting to see the links between usage in Britain and America.
I didn't know of Bryson before randomly buying these (damn, do I love book stores) and plan on buying more of his in the future when my reading list has been pared down a bit. (I've since learned he's very well-known and my outdoors-loving, recovering alcoholic dad read a Bryson book about getting sober and hiking the Appalachians a few years back.) His writing is very engaging and incredibly funny. I've read a lot of other linguistic books that weren't nearly as "fun" to read as these. Highly recommended.
I didn't even know he published a book! I think I'm going to have to amazon prime that tomorrow. After all, I have been using his image for quite a while now.
Thanks! Though, now I get the joy of pacing anxiously till Wednesday...
[](/c08 "Too much excitement!")
You have to read A Walk In The Woods before you go hiking. Otherwise, you'll never be able to properly hate it by the end of the trail, and you won't be a real thru hiker. Thems the rulez.
Phil Plait. This is the book, and it is great.
I just finished reading Bad Feminist. It's one of the first books I've read on feminism and found myself relating to a lot of what Gay had to say.
Some people are really incapable of accepting the contradictions inherent within their own thought. These are just simple matters of fact you have to become comfortable with. From Roxanne Gay's introduction to Bad Feminist:
>I embrace the label of bad feminist because I am human. I am messy. I’m not trying to be an example. I am not trying to be perfect. I am not trying to say I have all the answers. I am not trying to say I’m right. I am just trying—trying to support what I believe in, trying to do some good in this world, trying to make some noise with my writing while also being myself.
She further goes on to state:
>I believe feminism is grounded in supporting the choices of women even if we wouldn't make certain choices for ourselves.
While all of the above focuses on the distinction between feminism [what Gay says she subscribes to] and Feminism [as "one true feminism to dominate all of womankind"], it's the same concept really - allowing contradictions in your thoughts and actions and understanding that it's okay to do so. No one is perfect. But, as you point out, in denying PoC to differ from them in opinion [or to look down upon them for doing so], illustrates an unwillingness to allow for those contradictions and to believe there is only one, correct way of operating. They've built their whole identities around these beliefs and they've put them out in to the public record quite openly. For them to acknowledge the contradictions, the holes, they would not only have to admit to themselves that they may have been wrong, but to admit to an audience as well. In the face of public ridicule, it's easier to just double down and deny such contradictions exist.
http://www.amazon.com/Fifty-Years-Well-All-Chicks/dp/0307717380
He's written 7 books and was a New York Times best seller in 2012
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Penn_Jillette
https://www.amazon.com/God-No-Already-Atheist-Magical/dp/1451610378
It's a book...
http://www.amazon.com/Raise-Your-Eating-Gifted-Children/dp/0595002366
/u/_jeth needs this book so she can have it signed by David Sedaris when she sees him speak next week. I've heard that when he signs things he writes hilarious inscriptions. It would be a shame if she missed out on that amazing opportunity.
I don't need double talk, I need this hot water bottle to soothe all my aches and pains.
It's available on Amazon !
If you're not looking to spend money, though, you can infiltrate the demon world and steal it (I suppose)
http://www.amazon.com/Walk-Woods-Rediscovering-Appalachian-Official/dp/0767902521
Are you America?
Yeah, definitely.
...now I'm reminded of Zeus Grants Stupid Wishes, which is a book of classic world mythology stories like "Hephaestus Gets Dicked Around a Lot" and "Tanukis Have Big Balls" and "This is What Tom Cruise Believes In".
if you want an awesome, interesting audiobook to listen to, listen to Penn's book "God, no!" he reads it, and it is pretty hilarious. one of the most memorable audiobooks i have heard!
I highly recommend God, No! by Penn Gillette. It is a quick and easy read, but it was the final piece of the puzzle for me. It made me be okay with being atheist and that I could be happy without religion. Losing religious belief opens you up to a world of infinite possibilities, it is scary because it is unknown. You get to choose your own destiny now, but you can and will find happiness in your own unique way.
Nope. Have you read his book, This is a Book? If you can't tell by the title, it's brilliant.
I would suggest The Andromeda Strain (by the same guy who wrote Jurassic Park, Michael Crichton). It's a Sci-fi book written in 1969 about a crashed satellite which kills everyone near the town it lands in and the story about the containment of it. Incredibly great book in my opinion.
My favorite book would have to be This is a Book (by Demetri Martin) but I'm not sure it would work well for your purposes. I would still highly recommend it though. It's a collection of comedic essays, short stories, ideas, drawings, and a bunch of other hilarious things.
Speaking of fake letters and Seinfeld... https://www.amazon.com/Letters-Nut-Ted-L-Nancy/dp/B000SR7RNS
https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/0451222520/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_WdNvCb8KMMG7J
Benjamin franklin was too busy fucking prostitutes and dissecting cadavers. He would never...nevermind.
Franklin would totally do this.
You should read more Australian books instead - here's a cracking good un
Updated edition on Amazon.
Let's Explore Diabetes with Owls by David Sedaris includes a few shorts specifically written for this type of debate challenge. Those are all in first person and at least one of them is from a female POV. The one I'm specifically thinking of is a bitchy rich woman complaining about how her sister doesn't appreciate her Christmas present... Turns out she paralyzed her sister in a drunk driving accident, then stole her husband and the insurance money.
The short stories in Stacey Richter's My Date with Satan could probably be orated pretty easily. The majority are in first person from a female POV. There's an art student planning to become a cat lady as performance art, a private high school student with her face sliced open, someone who kidnaps their date's autistic sister to keep as a pet...
This is from "This is a Book" by Demetri Martin for anyone interested.
Yes, but from collegehumor writers
https://www.amazon.com/Faking-Better-Without-Actually-ImprovingYourself/dp/0451222520
You answered your own question "do atheists not believe in ANY type of divine intervention?" "atheists don't believe in any type of God."
You wrote: Stephen Hawking died on Pi day, which is also the birthday of Albert Einstein, and he was also born on the 300th anniversary of Galileo's birth.
This is a classic example of sample bias. You've picked two physicists and a renaissance polymath. What is the connection of the three you selected other than shared birthdates/death dates and interests? What about Richard Feynman, Paul A.M. Dirac and Isaac Newton? When you look at all the physicists and renaissance figures your "too much to be a coincidence" appears to less so.
What is the perfect distance from the sun? For whom is it perfect. As evidenced by multiple meteor impacts (65 million years ago) we are certainly not "completely unharmed." An entire book about this was written titled "Death from the Skies" https://www.amazon.com/Death-Skies-Science-Behind-World/dp/0143116045 I point out this to demonstrate how many different ways the earth is in potential trouble and not in a special protected place.
"I saw a video that explains..." What is the link?
Meu tipo de livro!
E para quem gostou deste recomendo também este:
https://www.amazon.com/Faking-Better-Without-Actually-ImprovingYourself/dp/0451222520/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1520877577&sr=8-1&keywords=faking+it+how+to+seem+like+a+better+person
either very dedicated troll or not trolling
>Also, 5 days with 40 pounds?
Sounds about right to me. I spent some time on the Appalachian Trail and was carrying over 60lbs when starting out...I chose poorly. There's a few great moments inBill Bryson's A Walk in the Woods that illustrate how not to pack.
Edit: typo
Oh sure, go for it...There is a book written by a man who hiked part of it.
A Walk In The Woods: Bill Bryson.
http://www.amazon.com/Walk-Woods-Rediscovering-Appalachian-Official/dp/0767902521
Well, I know what somebody should get you for Xmas
Just in case Penn doesn't reply, He talks aboutthis anecdote here. and the book is called God, No!: Signs You May Already Be an Atheist and Other Magical Tales
True
oooh my goodness, read Made in America by Bill Bryson. Handles this exact question, and in the voice of Bill Bryson: funny, interesting, witty.
No Worries! and for anyone interested, this is from his book "This is a book, by Demetri Martin" And it is HILARIOUS.
http://www.amazon.com/This-Is-Book-Demetri-Martin/dp/0446539694
Here is another awesome mythology book. Very light-hearted take on the various mythologies, but good nonetheless. The Norse section was probably my favorite actually. Very quick read as well.
Edit: Name of the book is Zeus Grants Stupid Wishes: A No-Bullshit Guide to World Mythology
You are thinking of a Gamma Ray Burst which we will never see coming and which will kill us all immediately.
Great book if you're interested.
Wheel of Time series (first book is The Eye of the World).
Fantastic fantasy series.
I also noticed you had a few books about the Appalachian Trail - I would recommend A Walk in the Woods by Bill Bryson.
What makes me feel better
Defintely cuddling with my boyfriend and watching cheesy Korean dramas. Sadly that is exactly what gets me stressed because we're just lazy for ages and I ignore uni work I need to do.
I hope you feel better soon!
This book would also make me feel better, it looks really fun!
This Is a Book
I don't read many of them.
this is a graph, one of many from demetri martins "this is a book" http://www.amazon.com/This-Book-Demetri-Martin/dp/0446539708
I'm currently reading Up In The Old Hotel, by Joseph Mitchell, who used to write for the New Yorker. It's a collection of largely non-fiction stories, most of which concern eccentrics living in New York City around the time of the FDR presidency and a little after. It's a great read, though for some reason I had to accustom myself to it. I'm now enjoying it more than when I started it.
I'm also reading a collection of short stories by Jhumpa Lahiri, Interpreter of Maladies, for which she won the 2000 Pulitzer Prize. I've only read the first two, but they are terrific. I'm treating the book as if it were a fine box of chocolate truffles. The stories seem too fine to be gorging oneself on them.
For foreign readers, I strongly suggest I Am America (And So Can You!). This is probably the most fair and balanced text you'll find on American history and culture.
It's from this book, which is full of awesome manly life hacks. My mum got it for me for my birthday years ago. Which is cool, I guess...
Actually it is. If you know long enough ahead of time, the minute gravitational tugs from just having a spacecraft ride along next to it will alter the course sufficiently.
There's a whole chapter on this in Death from the Skies by Phil Plait.
I loved this book!
"If you don't know anything about the piece in question, simply state: It was hit or miss."
Genius. Reminded me of the book "Letters From A Nut" (https://www.amazon.com/Letters-Nut-Ted-L-Nancy/dp/B000SR7RNS) -- absolutely hilarious!
This is a tricky task. Many movies don't even bother to try and sound authentic, other than to remove references to words that obviously didn't exist back then. Even then, they're far from perfect in removing modern words. I can't tell you the number of times I've heard the word "scrounge" (which came out of WWI) in movies set long before WW1. Most people won't notice those little linguistic mistakes and won't really matter.
We don't have sound recordings for most of recorded history. The International Phonetic Alphabet didn't get started in the late nineteenth century, and wasn't very widely used at first, so even books that discuss pronunciation usually did it by reference to other common words - some of which are pronounced differently now. What we do know of historical language comes mostly from documents, and at many points in history, written and spoken language were different. For example, in the US in the eighteenth century, the conventions for written language were very formal and involved the use of a lot of flowery language and formal expressions (e.g. "I am your most humble and obedient servant" as a valediction). Oral communication in daily use was generally less formal and flowery than written language, though in certain situations (e.g. lawyers speaking in court), the spoken language would be closer to written documents. Written records also tend to show us how the wealthy and educated used language, which isn't always indicative of how everyday people spoke as they went about their lives.
Hell, even once we started having audio recordings, those recordings didn't always reflect the way people actually spoke. For example, nobody really spoke the way people spoke on early radio and television. See https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mid-Atlantic_accent
The reality is that nobody knows for sure how people spoke prior to the twentieth century, and certainly you can't rely on your average movie-goer knowing how people spoke back then.
We have a better idea about how words were used and have changed meaning over the years but, again, most viewers won't know that the meaning has changed and you run the risk of confusing people if you're too authentic. It's not like you can have margin notes in a movie. :)
There are a few resources around the web that can help you get a feel for the language changes, like:
https://andromeda.rutgers.edu/~jlynch/C18Guide.pdf
http://mentalfloss.com/article/29761/when-did-americans-lose-their-british-accents
https://www.theclassroom.com/how-to-speak-18th-century-english-12083381.html
One common mistake made is to make nineteenth century Americans sound British. According to second link above, the reality is that the British people used to sound more like Americans, not the other way around. At least one person has argued that the best example we have of what eighteenth century rural Americans sounded like is Yosemite Sam, believe it or not. I don't remember for sure where I read that, but I think it may have been Bill Bryson in https://www.amazon.com/Made-America-Informal-History-Language/dp/0380713810/ref=sr_1_4 . NB: I am not a linguist, and am only passing on stuff I've seen or read... and my memory is far from perfect. :)
Assuming you don't have access to a linguistic historian, your best bet is probably to find some other movies or shows from the time period your screenplay is set in, and look at how they wrote dialogue. Some possible suggestions: Deadwood, True Grit (Coen Bros version), Gangs of New York, etc. Note, none of these are historically accurate. The swearing in Deadwood is very accurate, and True Grit used a convention of minimizing contractions, even though contractions were widely used then in spoken language.
You want to sound authentic, not be authentic. :)
You need this book
You're welcome!! Actually since you seem pretty curious and that video lands you in the deep end for understanding only one specific culture (of males--who mostly hate themselves), I'd actually recommend Bad Feminist by Roxane Gay. It's a fun read, I think.
Is he teaching from a Phil Plait textbook?
Here are some books I think might give you a taste of what kinds of sexist stuff women have to put up with regularly:
https://www.amazon.com/Sex-Object-Memoir-Jessica-Valenti/dp/0062435094
https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/0143129201/
https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/0316348406/
https://www.amazon.com/What-Girls-Made-Elana-Arnold/dp/1512410241
https://www.amazon.com/Bad-Feminist-Essays-Roxane-Gay/dp/0062282719
https://www.amazon.com/Gone-Girl-Gillian-Flynn/dp/0307588378
The last one is perhaps the farthest stretch, but I do think it's a lot about how women are made to comform to roles, as well as all the little ways men might dominate women, and plays with the usual perceptions of that. Maybe read it after you've read a lot of the other works so you're more familiar with the everyday struggles of women, otherwise it might not be as poignant to read as a guy.
Anyways, I'm glad that there are guys like you out there who are more open to learning about this stuff.
I loved All The Single Ladies by Rebecca Traister, Bad Feminist by Roxane Gray and Men Explain Things To Me by Rebecca Solnit.
I just purchased Feminist Fight Club by Jessica Bennett but haven't had the chance to read it yet.
I just made it but the book is a real book.
Have you read Bill Bryson's "A Walk in the Woods"? http://www.amazon.com/Walk-Woods-Rediscovering-Appalachian-Official/dp/0767902521
Of course I'm biased because this is what I love to do for a living (teach about language), but I also find myself learning about language in my free time.
Here are my "Greatest Hits" of language people, programs, blogs, and readings, in no particular order (despite the fact that I've numbered them):
And I subscribe to /r/logophilia, which often has many amusing words, like pulchritudinous, an ugly word that means something beautiful.
EDIT: And it's great to get a book on usage. I like Garner's Modern American Usage, but here's a list from Diana Hacker at Bedford of other good usage guides
Boy, are you going to like this.
You can still buy it, with a new more tasteful cover!
Paul Rosa's "Idiot Letters" was along the same lines, if you want similar suggestions.
https://www.amazon.com/Idiot-Letters-Paul-Rosa/dp/038547508X
Actually I wouldn't be surprised if the replies are dudes either. Just because it's really easy to armchair quarterback someone else's problems, particularly when they're heavy on feelings.
Telling someone "just get over it and quit being so sensitive" is super fucking easy when it's not your own life, you know?
Also, you'd probably laugh a lot with this book (similarly themed to our discussion). It slayed me: http://www.amazon.com/Fifty-Years-Well-All-Chicks/dp/0307717380/
"The Hegemony Consul sat on the balcony of his ebony spaceship and played Rachmaninoff's Prelude in C-sharp Minor on an ancient but well-maintained Steinway while great, green, saurian things surged and bellowed in the swamps below." - Hyperion, Dan Simmons
"Joe Gould is a blithe and emaciated little man who has been a notable in the cafeterias, diners, barrooms, and dumps of Greenwhich Village for a quarter of a century" - Up In The Old Hotel - Joseph Mitchell
"He told them he loved them" - Columbine - Dave Cullen
"Kazbek Misikov stared at the bomb hanging above his family. It was a simple device, a plastic bucket packed with explosive paste, nails, and small metal balls. It weighed perhaps eight pounds. The existence of this bomb had become a central focus of his life." - The School - C.J. Chivers
"It was summer; it was winter." The Long Fall of One-Eleven Heavy - MICHAEL PATERNITI
"The human head is of the same approximate size and weight as a roaster chicken. I have never before had occasion to make the comparison, for never before today have I seen a head in a roasting pan" Stiff: The Curious Lives of Cadavers - Mary Roach
I was hoping somebody might mention this. I bought it a few years ago, along with a copy of this: http://www.amazon.com/Letters-Nut-Ted-L-Nancy/dp/B000SR7RNS which is also a great read.
Zues Grants Stupid Wishes
Hell’s Super
I have that book. It's a very entertaining read.
http://www.amazon.com/Fart-Proudly-Writings-Benjamin-Franklin/dp/1583940790/
I've owned 3 copies. Loaned each out, never to return.
http://www.amazon.com/Fart-Proudly-Writings-Benjamin-Franklin/dp/1583940790/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1368639135&sr=8-1&keywords=fart+proudly
I'm so sorry for your loss- I'll make sure to give my 8 year old "puppy" (who is awkwardly staring at me as I type this) an extra long hug tonight in honor of your dog.
I hope this cheers you up a bit. The amazon selling price is a little over $10, but the title still makes me laugh. Yes, i have the sense of humor of a 15 year old boy at my core.
You'd think someone would actually review the actions and literature of a movement before attempting to speak authoritatively on it.
You'd think so, but this is the internet... so you'd be wrong.
---------------------
I'd dare you to read Bad Feminist and Women & Power but it's been my experience that people avoid information that makes them uncomfortable so I already know you won't bother.
Zeus Grants Stupid Wishes is a hilarious but accurate description of mythology around the world. Yes that sounds contradictory but it's supposed to be amaaaaaazing!
Hope you're having a great day, Grey's Assistant! I've got three book recommendations!
The First is A Walk in the Woods, or any Bill Bryson Book (At Home and One Summer are great as well). Bill Bryson hikes the Appalachian Trail, discussing in humorous detail the process as well as delving into history on America's parks and trails.
https://www.amazon.com/Walk-Woods-Rediscovering-Appalachian-Official-ebook/dp/B000S1LSAM
Next is "The Grasshopper Trap" by Patrick McManus. Another columnist, this time appearing in a lot of fishing and game magazines. I doubt Grey has read these. They're fairly short stories and light reading. McManus tells (or invents) stories from his childhood living in a rural setting, and has a lot of funny stories from hunting and fishing trips from his adulthood. It's a little "blue collar comedy tour", and a little "guy humor" but pretty wholesome and really entertaining. I seriously doubt Grey would have read these, which is why I am suggesting it in the first place.
https://www.amazon.com/Grasshopper-Trap-Patrick-F-McManus-ebook/dp/B00723IO7Y/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=the+grasshopper+trap&qid=1565735667&s=digital-text&sr=1-1
Finally, and this one is the most niche of all, is Nature's Flyers: Birds Insects, and the Biomechanics of Flight by David E. Alexander. This book straddles the line between a textbook and non-fiction informative reading. It goes into different types of flight, the physics of natural flight, which animals do what kinds, why their bodies allow them to fly the ways they do, migration, how animals may have evolved flight, the impacts on the world... it's just a fascinating book, but it can require focus to read. This appeals to me since I studied Mechanical Engineering and love birds, but there's a chance it may tickle Grey's fancy as well. If he's looking something to test his enhanced focus after Project Cyclops, this is a good one.
Unfortunately this book is not on kindle. Used versions can be acquired from Amazon for around 20 dollars.
https://www.amazon.com/Natures-Flyers-Biomechanics-Alexander-2002-01-31/dp/B01FGNI53E/ref=sr_1_fkmr0_1?keywords=nature%27s+flyers%3A+birds+insects+and+the+biomechanics+of+flight&qid=1565735964&s=digital-text&sr=8-1-fkmr0
No wonder why he's gone silent. I was always hoping it was a version of this : http://www.amazon.com/Idiot-Letters-Paul-Rosa/dp/038547508X/ref=pd_sim_sbs_b_1?ie=UTF8&refRID=0VA91TT8G2SD3AAWHGAZ but alas, it wouldn't surprise me if it was all fake.
If this is a joke, it's very elaborate. Not only did he acquire some rare and expensive pencil sharpeners, he actually wrote a book about it. I thought he was joking about the book, but as you can see it is legit.
I know it's not as long, but didn't Demetri Martin write a 500 word palindrome? I think it's in his book.
How about this?
Happy Belated Birthday to you!!! Mine was on Saturday!
My name is Katie, I don't have a Kindle, I don't have an iPad, I mostly just function with my smart(ish) phone. I do still read paper books (gasp! I know. Lol), but I'd like to have the option to read in bed, late at night when I cant sleep, but my SO is passed out.
And if I had a Kindle it would definitely need David Sedaris -Let's Explore Diabetes with Owls on it.
Awesome Contest!!!!
This book by Bill Bryson goes over a lot of Colonial American language, much of it informal sayings that have evolved over time. I read it a long time ago, but I remember being interesting. I would look to get it from a library because I don't think it's exactly what you're looking for, but it may provide you with some of what you are looking for.
I own this book.
It's fairly accurate and really funny. Though I don't know if that's what you're going for. It's a great place for a "brief overview" thing that is funny. It's written in a sort of stream of consciousness way, which I like, but I know others don't.
Resubmitting because the automod didn't like me skipping the question mark since the title ends with an exclamation point.
What do you think of Phil Plait and his book Death From The Skies! ?
Phil Plait: http://www.slate.com/blogs/bad_astronomy.html
Death From The Skies: http://www.amazon.com/Death-Skies-Science-Behind-World/dp/0143116045
In Fifty Years We'll All Be Chicks
Benjamin is a fine author
The man is a genius.
i just listened to (http://www.amazon.com/This-Book-Demetri-Martin/dp/0446539708) book on tape with comedy chapter about his father being raised by wolves.
There's a similar book called "Idiot Letters".
http://www.amazon.com/Idiot-Letters-Paul-Rosa/dp/038547508X
I think it would be great - check out How to be a Man
well, I am America! (And So Can YOU!)
This is a Book by Demetri Martin
Here's a book I read as a kid, kinda the same premise except it's back when letters were more common.
http://www.amazon.com/Idiot-Letters-Paul-Rosa/dp/038547508X
If you're interested in this sort of thing, I recommend 'Death From The Skies' by Phil Plait. It discusses the many different ways the universe can wipe out all life on Earth and includes a chapter on coronal mass ejection. Each chapter starts off with a short story on how each catastrophe would play out, and then discusses the science behind it and the likelyhood of the event happening for real.
Its a thoroughly interesting read and I recommend it a lot. The chapter that describes the process of a star going supernova is especially interesting. You can read at least the first part of it here on Amazon to get a flavour of what you can expect. http://www.amazon.co.uk/Death-Skies-Science-Behind-World/dp/0143116045
Also, I just want to add- its not depressing or all doom and gloom, its actually really reassuring and a positive read.
"How to be a man" - John Birmingham and Dirk Flinthart
I got it at 13 and to this day it has had by far the biggest impact on my life. Including a B Com worth of textbooks...
It's sort of a joke but the delivery is completely straight. Written by the guy who also did Get Your War On. http://www.amazon.co.uk/How-Sharpen-Pencils-Theoretical-Contractors/dp/1612190405
Letters from a Nut just got itself a free update, methinks...
A Walk in the Woods: Rediscovering America on the Appalachian Trail by Bill Bryson
In a Sunburned Country by Bill Bryson
Zeus Grants Stupid Wishes is one i suggest (while trying to get myself). It is a humorous look at world mythology.
Demetri Martin has a book called "This Is a Book" http://www.amazon.com/This-Is-Book-Demetri-Martin/dp/0446539694
its pretty cool, it has like a 300 line palindrome about a stripper. All around one of the most creative books I've read.
This is a book by Demetri Martin called "This is A Book"
http://www.amazon.com/This-Is-Book-Demetri-Martin/dp/0446539694
Well since you are already a Penn Jillette fan have you read his latest book?
http://www.amazon.com/How-Be-Man-John-Birmingham/dp/1875989285
Buy it, read it, follow it. It's kind of a laugh to read, but it's full of actually useful information.
Pay close attention to the sections on sex and looking/feeling good even when you don't have a reason to.
How to Raise Your I.Q. by Eating Gifted Children
Took me a while to find it, but its actually this, http://www.amazon.com/Idiot-Letters-Paul-Rosa/dp/038547508X/ref=pd_sim_b_13 (I suck at links)
Wow, and TIL you can skim books on Amazon. (Never used Amazon for anything)
Almost a week later, I've turned up to tell you to check out this book: Fart Proudly. A collection of random writings, bawdy and less bawdy, by Ben Franklin. My dad gave me my copy and it's great. "Advice to a Friend..." is included.
It's a humor (obviously). Amazon.
>Just think how silly it would be to make a similar christian desktop background featuring Jesus, Moses, St. Paul, Augustine, Francis of Assisi... with vocal christian celebrities Mel Gibson and the Jonas Brothers among them.
In European Christian art, it is actually quite a common thing for the patrons of a church or artist to be included in pictures, alongside biblical or (then) historical characters. Usually they will be in the crowd, worshiping Jesus or Mary, or some similar role.
Penn Jillette has written at least one book about atheism, and has spoken about it often and in detail, both in interviews and in his TV Bullshit!.
I don't think Hawkins has ever said specifically that he is an atheist, though he has said that it is not necessary to invoke a God to explain creation.
You didn't mention John Cleese, at the back-left, co-writer of The Life of Brian.
As this seems likely just to be a personal favorites list, rather than a systematic attempt to compile a list of important atheists, it seems fine to me, though Adam Savage seems a bit out of place in that company.
I don't think it is...
http://www.amazon.com/How-Sharpen-Pencils-Theoretical-Contractors/dp/1612190405/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1332711778&sr=1-1
ok, not Australian BUT fucking hilarious:
Cory O'Brien's Zeus grants stupid wishes.
Alternately: History Lessons by Dana Lindaman and Kyle Ward. Basically it shows how textbooks around the world portray US history. You ever wanted to see how Best Korea and soviet russia taught about the Korean war?
This made me realize that this other book I've had since I was younger was probably my first introduction to trolling.
If you want more laughs along this vein you should check out Idiot Letters by Paul Rosa. It's hilarious.
"Up in the Old Hotel" by Joseph Mitchell (who wrote for "The New Yorker" magazine in the 1940s and 50s). Beautifully written profiles of obscure but fascinating people, places, saloons, neighborhoods, etc. in old NYC, many no longer around. Informative, wistful, sublime, and transporting. http://www.amazon.com/Up-Old-Hotel-Joseph-Mitchell/dp/0679746315/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1449304735&sr=8-1&keywords=up+in+the+old+hotel
yes
This is kind of like the Zeus Grants Stupid Wishes version of Job except ZGSW likes to scream more. I crawled through the thread hoping someone else would recognize the resemblance, but it seems not. Anyways, I love it, thank you very much.
link for the lazy
This sounds like something straight out of those Letters from a Nut books.
Oh man, I have to get back to reading Made in America. A great book for anyone interested in etymology!
AW, Happy Birthday! Don't worry, no one IRL wished me a Happy Birthday or gave me a card or anything. You're not alone. :D But we always have the love of RAoA!
I totally don't need this book certainly love it!
Again, Happy Birthday to you!
Also Idiot Letters http://www.amazon.com/Idiot-Letters-Paul-Rosa/dp/038547508X/
http://www.amazon.com/How-Be-Man-John-Birmingham/dp/1875989285
I read this book on the topic in my early 20s, and it was the best info I ever got. Highly recommend it to all.
Read or listen to Bill Bryson's A Walk in the Woods before you go. It'll help you figure out what not to take, and may help with the hashing things out bit. If you crossed John Cleese, Dave Barry, George Carlin, and Bob Newhart you'd end up with Bill (throw in a little Garrison Keillor for good measure).
Also bring Walden.
Yep its real
This book seems to explain it pretty well.
I was totally just thinking about Demetri! 1:39 in that video tho. He must have copied that from some INTP website because it fits all too well. Have any of you read his latest book? A friend got it for me for my bday and it's pretty great.
This Is A Book By Demitri Martin. The guy's got a lot of good ideas and the book has a bunch of different styles.
http://www.amazon.com/This-Is-Book-Demetri-Martin/dp/0446539694
This can be found in Joseph Mitchell's book "Up in the Old Hotel"
I strongly recommend reading Made in America by Bill Bryson. In theory it is about the history of American English but in practise it is also American history and as with all Bill Bryson books is very funny in addition to being informative. It covers this whole naming situation, including amusing efforts at regulating spelling. The post office did (eventually!) manage to enforce that there couldn't be duplicate names within a state.
A short history of nearly everything is also a rollicking good read.
You need to read something: http://www.amazon.com/How-Sharpen-Pencils-Theoretical-Contractors/dp/1612190405
I know it's not exactly the time period you specified, but gold is to be found in Up in the old hotel. It's a collection of stories, (or rather encounters) that writer Joseph Mitchell made in his career as a writer for the New Yorker. Truly great writing and some great stories!
You might enjoy this book, [Idiot Letters] (http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/038547508X?pc_redir=1411019386&robot_redir=1), from a comedian who spent years writing idiotic letters to companies and compiling responses.
Nice read and beautiful pics. I'd love to do this some day. There's just something about nature that enriches the soul. And then there's bears. Bears scare the shit out of me.
If anyone is interested, this book on a trek through the Appalachian Trail is hilarious and informative. First thing that came to my mind while reading this article.
A Walk in the Woods: Rediscovering America on the Appalachian Trail
As someone who has read both your books Bad Astronomy and Death from the Skies, I first wanted to thank you for writing a book and maintaining a blog that opened my mind to science and skepticism. I highly recommend the former book as a classic in teaching scientific method mixed with awesome humor.
And now for the question, can you tell me what is your prediction for the status of skepticism in the future? Do you think there ever will be a world where at least most are skeptics and don't readily believe in superstition?
I haven't sat down with a book in a while.. but I've got an old favorite on the way. The last book I sat down and read was Penn Jillette's God No!. I really enjoyed the little stories.. but I'm already a big fan of Penn and his brand of humor.
I just made it within the hour - reading this book by David Sedaris might cheer you up!
Here are some links for the product in the above comment for different countries:
Link text: A Walk In The Woods
This bot is currently in testing so let me know what you think by voting (or commenting).
In case people didn't know, Adam Corolla is pretty based. https://www.amazon.com/Fifty-Years-Well-All-Chicks/dp/0307717380
Our old man Ben Franklin would be proud.
That was rude! you downvoted me. Now I have to make all your 2s turn into zeros.
> What makes you think there aren't as many Arab people ready to defend their states as there are religiously instigated mercenaries hired to invade them? It doesn't take a terrorist to oppose American imperialism. Also, it's not that these soldiers enlisting out of religious military families believe it is the right thing to do as that would require some sort of justification, and simple authoritarianism is not nearly enough to stand on.
Awesome! I was being Socratic (making a bad point to make you make my real point)!
> You clearly have too naive a view of religion and too cynical a view of science.
"I know you are, but what am I?"
> No, my notion of [the world]
the word modernincludes concepts like, I don't know, antibiotics, and computing, and a whole ton of other really important thingsthatthese ancient god-fearing people could not even conceive.^ bigotry
> I wonder what religious fundamentalism would have held them back from discovering much sooner than we did.
^ that's just ignorant. Maybe it was the industrial revolution beginning in European island states due to the geography and geological distribution of coal, which prompted the turn of the tide away from islam spreading west into Christianity and not the other way around.
> No thanks.
Read this and leave.
Relevant book: http://www.amazon.com/Fifty-Years-Well-All-Chicks/dp/0307717380
Mind your Ps and Qs originates from British pub slang. "Mind your pints and quarts" was the bartender's way of telling patrons to mind their own business and behave. Over the years, it shortened to "mind your Ps and Qs." Came over to America with the colonists.
Source ( http://www.amazon.com/Made-America-Informal-History-Language/dp/0380713810)
Outside the increasing numbers of people using the blogsphere as an information source, these two books apply best.
I Am America (And So Can You!)
America (The Book): A Citizen's Guide to Democracy Inaction
I just finished his latest book of essays, Let's Explore Diabetes with Owls and it was awesome! Both hilarious and moving. One essay in particular called "A guy walks into a bar car" had me in tears.
Are you married to your mom? Geez. Now that you have made it through your interviews read a book.