This blog centers mostly around understanding and maintaining the emotional balance that allows us to stop reacting to problems and instead to get on with solving them in time effective ways. We solve our problems through the way that we think and that all flows out of what questions we ask about our problems. It might seem that developing a sense of humor plays no part in this but it’s a great way to look at things in alternative ways to come up with different possibilities and that is one of the key factors involved in creative problem solving. Not only that, it’s fun!

Continuing on from part 1, here are more demonstrations of the questioning and thinking required to generate misleading and humorous captions:

The perfect evening: booze, gambling and gummi bears

This pretty dull shot of the coffee table on which we played our games doesn’t lend itself much to anything humorous as it is, so I employed a technique called ‘The Comedy Threes.’ Many jokes and humorous refrains have lists of three. It’s just the right number to start leading someone up the wrong path of logic before abruptly changing it, which leads to the surprise. It works best to make an opposite change at the last and if you can work in one or two of the components that enhance humor (cute, bizarre, clever, mean, naughty, recognizable) then you get extra impact.

Here I lead the reader up the wrong path by starting a list with booze, gambling and what should really be another vice, instead I turn it around with a cute opposite - kiddies sweets.

Question: How I can I make a dull picture otherwise interesting?

Answer: Spot the connected items and give a surprise ending by employing the comedy threes

Shaun demonstrates the latest advances in camouflaged jackets

This one made me giggle. The questions behind it are: How can I take this totally bizarre thing and give it a serious explanation? What could it possibly mean?
Answer: He’s almost not there, almost merged into the projected background. He’s camouflaged in a bizarre way.

By treating this as a totally serious demonstration of something that it is not, the humor is generated.

Many playing card designers earn a second income designing shirts for jockeys

Question: What about this picture is remarkably odd?

Answer: The loud and bizarre get up that the jockey wears

Question: Just what kind of person would design such a shirt?

Answer: Someone who also deals in the design of diamond patterns, such as playing card designer (this profession probably doesn’t even exist, which adds to the bizarreness)

Question: Why would they have two jobs?

Answer: To desperately pick up some extra income

“Haven’t you forgotten something, mate?”
“Wha…..? Oh Yeah….. D’ope!”

Again, a seemingly innocuous photo. First question: What stands out in this photo?

Answer: The lone horse with people surrounding it

Question: What could have happened to make to make it the last one to the gate?

Answer: Maybe they forgot something

Question: What funny, i.e, cute, bizarre, mean, naughty, recognizable, clever, thing might they have forgotten? What stereotypes surround horse racing and jockeys?

Answer: Dope

When I came up with that answer it also lead to me thinking of Homer Simpson’s catchphrase “D’oh!” In this case I could hide the real answer within another expression that something dumb had occurred (forgetting something). A little bit of clever wordplay.

As well as learning the finer points of gambling, on games night you can even learn to reed and right

Another photo that doesn’t immediately lend itself to humor. I looked for a possible point of interest that could signify something else and hit upon me in the corner seeming to concentrate hard on writing.

Question: Why would I concentrate hard on my writing?

Answer: Maybe I can’t read and write very well (that’s a nice mean answer)

I then came up with a caption that attempted to promote other possible benefits of gambling (generally considered an unworthy past-time) to put it in a good light. I failed at the last by clearly demonstrating that I’m bullshitting by spelling the crucial final words incorrectly and thus totally undermining the first idea.