Suddenly there was a beeping sound. The young woman pressed her forearm and the beep stopped. The others looked at her questioningly. ‘That was my pager,’ she said. ‘I have a microchip under the skin of my arm.’
A few minutes later, a phone rang. The second young woman lifted her palm to her ear. When she finished, she explained, ‘That was my mobile phone. I have a microchip in my hand.’
The older woman felt very low-tech. Not to be outdone, she decided she had to do something just as impressive. She stepped out of the sauna and went to the bathroom.
She returned with a piece of toilet paper hanging from her rear end. The others raised their eyebrows and stared at her. The older woman finally said… ‘Well, will you look at that…
I’m getting a fax!!!’
Joke Poo: The Space Plumbers
Three intergalactic plumbers, two rookies and a grizzled veteran named Zorgon, were troubleshooting a malfunctioning zero-gravity toilet on a luxury space station. They were all suited up in their plumber exosuits.
Suddenly, a chime sounded. The rookie plumber tapped a panel on his exosuit’s wrist. “That was a priority work order,” he announced. “Integrated comm system. My suit tells me where the next clog is on this station.”
A few minutes later, a holographic projector flickered above the second rookie’s suit. “Incoming schematic,” she said, tracing the diagram with a gloved finger. “The station’s central waste recycling unit is overheating. My suit is downloading the schematics right to my visor.”
Zorgon, feeling utterly analog, grunted. He detached the large, flexible pipe running from his exosuit’s back, a massive, industrial-strength plunger designed for the most stubborn cosmic waste. He spent a few minutes manuevering it in, out, and around.
Finally, he reattached the pipe to his suit. The rookies stared, expectantly.
Zorgon sighed and looked down at a small, brown asteroid clinging to the end of his pipe. He raised his hands. “Well, I’ll be…
…I just got a chocolate meteorite!”
Alright, let’s break down this joke and then see if we can fax something fun out of it.
Joke Dissection:
- Setup: Three women in a sauna, differing generations represented. This immediately sets up a potential for generational humor and technological disparity.
- Technological Escalation: The younger women showcase impressive (and slightly futuristic) embedded technology: a forearm pager and a palm-based mobile phone. This establishes a sense of competitiveness.
- Contrast and Subversion: The older woman, feeling outmatched, leaves and returns with a ridiculously analog solution – toilet paper and the implication of a bowel movement used as a “fax.” This is where the humor lies – in the absurd contrast between high-tech and low-tech, and in the deliberate misinterpretation of “receiving a fax.”
- Punchline: “I’m getting a fax!!!” The abrupt, unexpected punchline solidifies the joke’s impact. It’s funny because it’s so utterly not a fax.
- Key Elements: Generational gap, technology, competition, misinterpretation, body humor.
Comedic Enrichment:
Let’s focus on the fax machine aspect and create something new.
Option 1: A “Did You Know?” (with a twist)
Original Joke Element: Fax Machine/outdated technology
“Did You Know?” Joke:
Did you know that the first commercially successful fax machine was invented in 1843 by Alexander Bain? It transmitted images using telegraph wires. Ironically, early fax machines, like the old lady in the sauna, were often… backed up. Though unlike her, they were usually due to paper jams, not… ahem… other things . You know, maybe that lady was actually ahead of her time. A wireless signal is wireless, right?
Why this works: It uses the initial element (fax machine) to deliver factual, interesting and unexpected information that is then brought back around to the joke. The humor is derived from the connection to the original joke.
Option 2: A Witty Observation
Original Joke Element: Generational differences, the ‘new’ versus the ‘old’.
Witty Observation:
“It’s funny how technology makes us feel inadequate. We all want to be ‘on the cutting edge,’ but the truth is, sometimes a roll of toilet paper is all you need to make a point. Or at least, get a message across… a very specific kind of message.”
Why this works: It expands on the underlying theme of technological inadequacy and finds a layer of truth about human nature in it.
Option 3: A New Mini-Joke
Original Joke Element: “I’m getting a fax!”
New Joke:
Why did the tech support guy break up with the fax machine?
Because he said, “I’m tired of receiving your unsolicited attachments!”
Why this works: This is a classic pun, playing on the double meaning of “attachment” in both the technological sense and the… well, the sauna lady sense.