The Laugh Lab

[Xantar]

Yes, that's right. Scientists are now conducting the largest empirical study of humor the world has ever seen. If you visit here, you can submit a joke, rate a joke submitted by someone else and find out what the highest rated jokes in the world are.

Some of them aren't bad. One that I rated was:

When NASA sent astronauts into space, they found that ballpoint pens wouldn't work. Scientists spent decades and $1.2 billion in research developing pens that would write in space, upside down, underwater, on glass etc.

The Russians used pencils.

There are also some real stinkers. Here's another one I was forced to rate:

Why did the chicken cross the raod? To prove to the possum it could be done!

According to the website, this the world's funniest joke:

Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson are going camping. They pitch their tent under the stars and go to sleep. Sometime in the middle of the night Holmes wakes Watson up. `Watson, look up at the stars, and tell me what you deduce.' Watson says, 'I see millions of stars and even if a few of those have planets, it's quite likely there are some planets like Earth, and if there are a few planets like Earth out there, there might also be life.' Holmes replied: 'Watson, you idiot, somebody stole our tent!'

And this is the joke rated highest by Canadians (who must have serious humor deficiencies, might I add, if this is at all representative):

What do you call a woman who can balance four pints of beer on her head? Beatrix.

Finally, here's a joke that's supposedly funny in England. I don't understand it myself, so if an English person could explain it to me, I'd greatly appreciate it.

Why do elephants have big ears? Noddy wouldn't pay the ransom.

Go rate some jokes and tell me what you think.