Comments on: Night of Nerddom http://feliciaday.com/blog/night-of-nerddom Wed, 08 Feb 2012 09:42:13 +0000 hourly 1 By: Boris http://feliciaday.com/blog/night-of-nerddom#comment-1734 Boris Tue, 02 Oct 2007 11:36:48 +0000 http://feliciaday.net/blog/2007/09/25/night-of-nerddom/#comment-1734 "Chuck" sux balones. The same with "Heroes" - last night during the biology class scene when the teacher said something like citing by memmory "Get rid of the junk DNA and useless body parts such as the appendix" - i came to the conclusion that the people who make this show are utterly clueless when it comes to biology material. Felicia for your own sake, please, do not watch these shows or you will eventually get a permanent "Resurection sickness". “Chuck” sux balones. The same with “Heroes” – last night during the biology class scene when the teacher said something like citing by memmory “Get rid of the junk DNA and useless body parts such as the appendix” – i came to the conclusion that the people who make this show are utterly clueless when it comes to biology material. Felicia for your own sake, please, do not watch these shows or you will eventually get a permanent “Resurection sickness”.

]]> By: Carl http://feliciaday.com/blog/night-of-nerddom#comment-1648 Carl Thu, 27 Sep 2007 00:57:19 +0000 http://feliciaday.net/blog/2007/09/25/night-of-nerddom/#comment-1648 Good point, Sandy. It fits in with the LCD principle that underlies a lot of American TV. Network executives have low expectations wrt audience intelligence and sophistication. So, they spoon feed the audience and even put in overt cues when to laugh, with a 'laugh track'. I know there have been times when I've turned off a show that might have been good, but it was ruined by the presence of a laugh track. The network wasn't sure if I would have "gotten it", without their help. Good point, Sandy.

It fits in with the LCD principle that underlies a lot of American TV. Network executives have low expectations wrt audience intelligence and sophistication. So, they spoon feed the audience and even put in overt cues when to laugh, with a ‘laugh track’.

I know there have been times when I’ve turned off a show that might have been good, but it was ruined by the presence of a laugh track. The network wasn’t sure if I would have “gotten it”, without their help.

]]> By: Sandy http://feliciaday.com/blog/night-of-nerddom#comment-1643 Sandy Thu, 27 Sep 2007 00:15:03 +0000 http://feliciaday.net/blog/2007/09/25/night-of-nerddom/#comment-1643 Personally I find that American humor, more often than not, is too much 'in your face' for my liking. Almost like they don't want you to miss that carefully crafted punchline. It all feels rather spastic to me. Then again, British humor can end up being just plain odd, but maybe I like that better. *shrug* Personally I find that American humor, more often than not, is too much ‘in your face’ for my liking. Almost like they don’t want you to miss that carefully crafted punchline. It all feels rather spastic to me. Then again, British humor can end up being just plain odd, but maybe I like that better. *shrug*

]]> By: Carl http://feliciaday.com/blog/night-of-nerddom#comment-1642 Carl Wed, 26 Sep 2007 23:25:48 +0000 http://feliciaday.net/blog/2007/09/25/night-of-nerddom/#comment-1642 The Goddess has spoken to ME!! :) LOL! Hi Felicia, Thank you for replying. I included URLs for the imdb entries of the shows I mentioned, that might have triggered your SPAM filter. Up until now, I've never even considered the issue of British humor "superiority". There is some very fine humor coming out of the US (TDS has gone global, with good reason)...but too often, it's a lukewarm remix of a successful British show. Gotta warn you: I'm an electrical engineer and a frustrated information scientist (still working on my infosci PhD)....some pedantic analysis is up ahead. Proceed with caution. ;) There are probably two principles in operation here. #1: I believe that humor is fundamentally a protective/defensive response to emotional pain. Have you ever noticed that the breathing pattern for laughter is very similar to that for sobbing? Now that I think about it, that's probably why I'm not a fan of The Office. It's TOO believable and too relatable for me. I found myself cringing more often than laughing. You could make a case that the British people have suffered more pain than the American people: The Blitz and the Battle of Britian during WWII, followed by the dissolution of their Empire. If that wasn't enough, while all this was going on, the USD supplanted the GBP as the defacto reserve currency for global commerce. Ouch! That one's gotta leave a mark. #2 Then, there is the divergence between the production models. The BBC has a tremendous amount of influence over British TV. To a limited extent, the Beeb doesn't suffer from the commercial constraints that shape American TV. So, British comedy from the Beeb is more likely to take chances, because it has a larger safety net. That's going to have a knock on effect and push the comedy coming from the more commercial TV outlets, like TV4. Thanks for asking provocative questions....I've been intellectually moribund for the last few years as my PhD has morphed into a brain sucking vampire. Brain Sucking Vampire?! Vi! You gotta help me! Bring the Slayers over, quick! BTW: I'm an American xpat who moved to New Zealand in 1997. /I saw all this crap coming from a long way off/ The Goddess has spoken to ME!!

:) LOL!

Hi Felicia,

Thank you for replying. I included URLs for the imdb entries of the shows I mentioned, that might have triggered your SPAM filter.

Up until now, I’ve never even considered the issue of British humor “superiority”. There is some very fine humor coming out of the US (TDS has gone global, with good reason)…but too often, it’s a lukewarm remix of a successful British show.

Gotta warn you: I’m an electrical engineer and a frustrated information scientist (still working on my infosci PhD)….some pedantic analysis is up ahead. Proceed with caution. ;)

There are probably two principles in operation here.

#1: I believe that humor is fundamentally a protective/defensive response to emotional pain. Have you ever noticed that the breathing pattern for laughter is very similar to that for sobbing?

Now that I think about it, that’s probably why I’m not a fan of The Office. It’s TOO believable and too relatable for me. I found myself cringing more often than laughing.

You could make a case that the British people have suffered more pain than the American people: The Blitz and the Battle of Britian during WWII, followed by the dissolution of their Empire. If that wasn’t enough, while all this was going on, the USD supplanted the GBP as the defacto reserve currency for global commerce.

Ouch! That one’s gotta leave a mark.

#2 Then, there is the divergence between the production models. The BBC has a tremendous amount of influence over British TV. To a limited extent, the Beeb doesn’t suffer from the commercial constraints that shape American TV. So, British comedy from the Beeb is more likely to take chances, because it has a larger safety net. That’s going to have a knock on effect and push the comedy coming from the more commercial TV outlets, like TV4.

Thanks for asking provocative questions….I’ve been intellectually moribund for the last few years as my PhD has morphed into a brain sucking vampire.

Brain Sucking Vampire?! Vi! You gotta help me! Bring the Slayers over, quick!

BTW: I’m an American xpat who moved to New Zealand in 1997. /I saw all this crap coming from a long way off/

]]> By: Felicia http://feliciaday.com/blog/night-of-nerddom#comment-1641 Felicia Wed, 26 Sep 2007 22:01:37 +0000 http://feliciaday.net/blog/2007/09/25/night-of-nerddom/#comment-1641 Carl, I didn't censor any posts, must have gotten caught in the spam filter maybe. Why is British comedy so much more funny that American comedy? I have a few theories. I think there's a self-deprecation that is in British stuff that is missing from our stuff. Also I think they cast people who are more believable and relatable. That's why the American Office works, the casting. Carl, I didn’t censor any posts, must have gotten caught in the spam filter maybe.
Why is British comedy so much more funny that American comedy? I have a few theories. I think there’s a self-deprecation that is in British stuff that is missing from our stuff. Also I think they cast people who are more believable and relatable. That’s why the American Office works, the casting.

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