A man & his wife are flying in a 4-engine jumbo jet to vacation in the Bahamas. Soon after they depart the captain comes on the intercom and says "Good day ladies & gentlemen, we have a great flight for you today. We should be arriving to our destination in about 2 hours". The man & wife settle comfortably into their seat.
About 30 minutes later, there's a loud "KURCHUNK" and the plane starts to shake a little. The captain comes on the intercom and says "Nothing to worry about folks, we just lost one of our engines, but it's okay. We have 3 more. We should now be arriving to our destination in about 3 hours." The wife looks around nervously and her husband appears angry saying "oh, great…"
About 30 minutes later, there's another loud "KURCHUNK" and the plane start shaking a bit more. The captain comes on the intercom and says "Nothing to worry about folks, we just lost another of our engines, but it's okay. We should now be arriving to our destination in about 4 hours." The wife grips her husband's hand tightly even more nervous while her husband gets even more agitated saying "Are you kidding me?!"
About 30 minutes later, there's another loud "KURCHUNK" and the plane shakes around more violently. The captain comes on the intercom considerably more nervous this time and says "Uh, nothing to worry about folks, we just lost our 3rd engine, but uh it's okay. We should be uh arriving to our destination in about um 5 hours." The wife is frantic and starts crying. Her husband jumps out of his seat and yells out "OH, COME ON!"
The wife looks sharply at her husband and asks, "What's wrong with you?! Why are you so angry?". He looks at her and says "I want to get to my vacation. If we lose that last engine, we're going to be up here all day!"
Joke Poo: The Software Update
A programmer and his boss are overseeing a critical server update. The system is built on a highly redundant architecture. Soon after the update begins, the lead engineer announces over the intercom, “Good news, everyone! The update is progressing smoothly, and we anticipate full functionality in approximately two hours.” The programmer and his boss nod confidently.
Thirty minutes later, a loud “BEEP-BOOP” emanates from the server room, followed by a system alert. The lead engineer announces, “Minor setback, folks! One of our backup servers experienced an unexpected error. However, we have three more layers of redundancy. We now expect full functionality in about three hours.” The boss sighs, and the programmer mutters, “Great…”
Thirty minutes later, another “BEEP-BOOP” and a more urgent alert blare through the office. The lead engineer sounds increasingly stressed, “We’ve encountered another issue. One of our redundant systems failed during the recovery process. We still have two backups in place. Full functionality is now estimated at four hours.” The boss starts pacing nervously, and the programmer slams his fist on the desk. “Are you kidding me?!”
Thirty minutes later, the entire building shakes with a cacophony of beeps, alarms, and klaxons. The lead engineer is now practically screaming into the intercom, “We’ve lost our third backup! But, uh, don’t worry! We have one last layer of redundancy… uh… ETA is now… five hours. Maybe.” The boss is sweating profusely. The programmer throws his keyboard across the room. “OH, COME ON!”
The boss turns to the programmer, eyes wide with panic. “What’s wrong with you?! Why are you so angry?!” The programmer glares back and yells, “I want to get this update done! If we lose that last backup, we’re going to be stuck in meetings all day!“
Okay, here’s a breakdown of the joke and then a humorous twist based on it:
Joke Analysis:
- Core Concept: The humor comes from a misinterpretation of priorities in a crisis. The husband is so focused on the inconvenience of a delayed vacation that he fails to grasp the danger of losing engine after engine on a plane.
- Setup: The setup establishes a scenario of increasing engine failures and flight delay announcements, building tension.
- Punchline: The punchline is the husband’s absurd complaint about being “up here all day” if they lose the final engine, highlighting his selfish obliviousness to the impending doom.
- Key Elements:
- Airplane Travel: The setting of an airplane is crucial for creating the sense of danger and potential catastrophe.
- Engine Failure: This is the escalating source of conflict and impending disaster.
- Delayed Vacation: This represents the husband’s trivial priority, contrasting sharply with the seriousness of the situation.
- Misplaced Priorities: This is the core comedic element; the incongruity between the husband’s concern and the actual risk.
Humorous Enrichment & Extension:
Interesting Fact: Did you know that commercial airplanes can actually fly (and even land) with only one engine? Modern jetliners are designed with enough power and control systems to maintain altitude and maneuverability even with multiple engine failures. Although, the pilot will definitely not be taking any “scenic routes”.
New joke based on the theme:
A man is on a transatlantic flight when the pilot announces, “We’ve lost an engine, folks. We’ll be two hours late.” A few minutes later, another announcement: “Another engine’s gone. We’ll be four hours late.” The man sighs and says to his wife, “At this rate, we better hope we lose the last two engines. Maybe then we’ll get a free hotel for the night!”