Defining the funny

The Other Network (http://othernetwork.com) is a fun site I just discovered. It deals with the ins and outs of comedy writing.

You can even learn how to structure a rant. And here I thought rants just spewed forth like demented lava.

If you ever wanted to be a member of a comedy writing team (and I have, maybe next lifetime), you need to know some of the language.

BEAT THE JOKE. Make it funnier.

BLOW. Joke that ends a scene.

HANG A LANTERN ON IT. Do something to make the joke or information stand out more.

NAKAMURA. A running joke that isn't getting laughs. Supposedly CHEERS had a gag about a character named Nakamura--that didn't work in the table read or before an audience, but was not taken out.

STALL. Place where plot isn't moving.

TWO-PERCENTER. A joke only 2% of the audience will get.

WACKY STACK. Too many jokes on top of each other.

Let's face it, a Glossary is not funny. Sorry. What do you want for free?

It's a gift to be simple

According to the Wall Street Journal's Holly Finn, the best new thing under the sun is a coffee lid with two holes--one to drink from and the other to let out aroma, cool the brew a bit, prevent dribbling, and make a latte taste better.

Genius!

It's called the FoamAroma lid (http://foamaroma.com) was invented by Craig Bailey, who found himself unemployed and decided to develop this little brainstorm.

He fooled around with it in his kitchen, tesitng liquid movement in the cup (it slants to prevent the "geyser effect"). He even used a different material, so the lids can be reused.

Now he holds the patent. Four million sold last year at one-cent each. He makes them in America-- Florida, to be exact.

Interesting side note: Craig Bailey noticed that baristas and coffee shop owners drank from ceramic cups--they didn't even know that lids varied and could dribble and annoy. They never used them!

Art can be an inch away

Magazine editor and art lover Nancy McKeithen has started a high-end digital magazine on the art and artists of West Virginia--yes, West Virginia, otherwise known for a rustic backwoodsiness.

It's called FLUENT and it's beautiful, like the woods and mountains that nurture the creative impulse and shelter and inspire the artists of the state. For a peek, go to http://fluent-magazine.com.

The paintings, sculpture, photography, music, and even chocolatiering that go on in the State of West Virginia remind us that creativity is everywhere, persistently nudging out of the human spirit.

I had a boyfriend from North Carolina, Jerry Newton--back in the "hollers," as he liked to put it. He is a fabulous artist, if that doesn't sound patronizing...art cmes from the heart, not from a stereotype of the surroundings.

Also--how brave and bold is it to start a gorgeous magazine?

Yay, Nancy!

Why not turn the wall into a white board?

Sure, you can get "blackboard" paint at the hardware, but some smart student entrepreneurs experimented endlessly and found a concoction that erases like a dream. It's called Idea Paint.

CNBC profiled it on their "How I Made My Million" series. See this at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QqU_cChhAaY.

This stuff is now available in 15 countries.

The young smarties even heard of a school system that was taking down the blackboards and buying white boards--they said, basically, wait, do you have walls in those classrooms? The rest is history.

Yes, almost everything has been done--but this does not mean creativity cannot improve on almost everything. A lot is in the marketing. Go to http://ideapaint.com. Notice they sell markers, scrubbers--that's where the millions come in--always thinking.

You can, I guess--but should you?

Meet the nanocopter. This palmsized device, from Looxcie (Look See?), attaches to your ear and buzzes around you constantly recording your life from every angle. The MeCam.

You do not use a remote control--this "thing" responds to voice commands. You can tell it "up," "down," or "follow me."

A filter strips out the buzing motor noise. Then you download this deathless record to your phone--or certain phones.

Yes, it's creative--but I am not sure it passes the "should you" test.

What if everyone had these buzzing around their heads? What if they crashed into each other. A fireball? Nah, probably not.

"Look, the Grand Canyon--and here is the back of my head as I look into it."

For more info, go to http://www.alwaysinnovating.com. If you dare.

Coming everywhere--infographics

Let's be kind and not say that with the slow demise of cursive handwriting and multisyllabic prose, we are becoming post-literate. However, I am approached almost daily with offers of infographics--information jammed into a snappy chart instead of a paragraph. Creative? Sure. But can't we still have some words? The above is from http://www.herzan.com/resources/articles/hearing-loss-and-musicians.html. It has to do with not sitting too close to the speakers if you plan on hearing the rest of your life.

The quick--and the retweeted

When the lights went out during the Third Quarter of the Superbowl, many people got flustered--but many other PR and ad people got busy.

Instead of wringing hands over the fate of their spendy ads, they spat out some tweets that caught attention almost immediately.

"Power out?" Oreo tweeted. "No problem. You can still dunk in the dark."

They were prepared--all the personnel were in a war room and could hop on this in a hot one.

Tide and VW also posted funny messages.

I liked Tide's: "We can't get your blackout--but we can get your stains out."

VW doubled down on its current theme: "Low power during big game...Don't worry. Be happy."

They knew how the game was played, with or without lights.