irony

16 Stories

This 'Sarcasm Detector' Trained on Friends, Big Bang Theory

'Multimodal algorithm' out of University of Groningen is quite accurate at identifying the snark

(Newser) - Is someone speaking earnestly to you, or are they overflowing with snark? Researchers out of the Netherlands decided they wanted to build a device that could offer some insight, resulting in an artificial intelligence-driven "sarcasm detector" that did quite well in sussing out what speech was sincere and what...

Rhino Turns Tables on Would-Be Poacher

Suspect arrested after leg injury in Namibia

(Newser) - A rhino turned the tables on a suspected poacher in Namibia, reports the AP , charging and injuring the man while he was allegedly tracking it. The incident happened in Etosha National Park after suspect Luteni Muharukua and other alleged poachers illegally entered the wildlife area in hopes of killing rhinos...

Coal Museum Goes Solar to Save on Energy Costs

Kentucky facility raises eyebrows with decision

(Newser) - Don't look to the Kentucky Coal Mining Museum to bring coal back. The museum is installing solar panels on its roof, part of a project aimed at lowering the energy costs of one of the city's largest electric customers, the AP reports. It's also a symbol of...

Drug Task Force Agent Arrested in $2M Drug Bust

He was on vacation at the time

(Newser) - A drug task force agent from California was arrested Dec. 29 in Pennsylvania while allegedly transporting nearly 250 pounds of marijuana, ABC 27 reports. According to the Patriot-News , authorities say a traffic stop in York County turned up $2 million worth of pot, $11,000 in cash, and sheriff's...

LinkedIn OKs Settlement Over Nuisance Email; Notifies Its Users Via ...

Why yes, more email

(Newser) - If you were the subject of a class-action lawsuit over your habit of cluttering your users' inboxes with nuisance emails, well, perhaps you might find another mode of communication to notify them that they might be eligible for a payout in aforementioned lawsuit. Not so LinkedIn, which sent out just...

5 at Fed Watchdog Busted in School Lunch Scam

Literally and allegedly stealing lunch money from less-fortunate students

(Newser) - Five employees of a government agency designed to sniff out fraud and abuse in federal programs were charged yesterday with defrauding and abusing the federal reduced-price school meal program, quite literally stealing lunch money from less-fortunate kids, NBC 4 reports. As the Washington Post reports, the five Government Accountability Office...

Sisters Make Alanis Song Actually Ironic

Eliza and Rachael Hurwitz present 'It's Finally Ironic'

(Newser) - It's old news that Alanis Morissette’s 1990s classic, "Ironic," isn't actually ironic. But now sisters Eliza and Rachael Hurwitz have finally fixed the song, Salon reports. Sample lyrics from their amusing cover, "It's Finally Ironic":
  • "An old man turned 98, he won
...

Man Suing for Ageism Says His Judge Is Too Old

Angry violinist wants new judge for age discrimination suit

(Newser) - How’s this for irony: A 60-year-old violinist, who is suing a music competition for age discrimination, says the 88-year-old judge presiding over his case is too old and should be given the boot. Martin Stoner was rejected from the Young Concert Artists competition, which is meant for musicians one-third...

Westboro Announces Steve Jobs Protest— Via iPhone

Official says Steve Jobs targeted because he 'taught sin'

(Newser) - Westboro Baptist Church says it will picket Steve Jobs' funeral, but apparently God also hates irony: Leader Margie Phelps announced the protest via a Twitter announcement made on an iPhone. "The irony here is almost unbelievable," notes Josh Wolford on Web Pro News . Jobs' sin? Phelps tweeted...

Ex-MADD Honcho Arrested for Drunk Driving
Ex-MADD Honcho Arrested for Drunk Driving
Irony alert
Feb 25, 2011 8:31 AM CST

Ex-MADD Honcho Arrested for Drunk Driving

Debra Oberlin, head of Gainesville chapter in the '90s, blew .239

(Newser) - Pro tip: If you’re going to crusade against drunk driving, you should probably avoid doing it yourself. Actually, you should probably avoid doing it regardless. But these lessons were lost on Debra Oberlin, the former head of the Gainesville, Fla., chapter of Mothers Against Drunk Driving. The 48-year-old was...

Irony: Even 4-Year-Olds Get It
 Irony: Even 4-Year-Olds Get It 
Sep 16, 2010 9:04 AM CDT

Irony: Even 4-Year-Olds Get It

And they can even use it themselves

(Newser) - You might have a hard time defining "irony," but children as young as four get it. Researchers for a new study observed the homes of 39 two-child families and found that all but one of the children understood at least one ironic comment their parents made, and some...

The Square: Harshly Funny Film Noir

Middle-aged man meets femme fatale, disaster ensues

(Newser) - In this Aussie noir thriller, a married middle-aged man (David Roberts) and his younger lover (Claire van der Boom) seize the chance to escape with a bundle of cash. The finely wrought fallout involves an arsonist, a shark attack, and depravity and greed to spare. Most critics agree: it's sinfully...

New Critique of Snark Misses the Point
New Critique
of Snark Misses the Point
Book Review
Dec 31, 2008 8:03 PM CST

New Critique of Snark Misses the Point

Denby blames the hecklers, fails to see what they're heckling

(Newser) - Give David Denby credit for bravery: He's 65 and the movie critic at the New Yorker, so he “could have written the most concise, insightful, and expertly argued book about snark and still come off like an Internet-age Andy Rooney,” writes Adam Sternbergh of New York Magazine. His...

Irony Is Dead Again? Gee Thanks, Obama

Joan Didion disses hopeful trend, but ironists keep the flame

(Newser) - Barack Obama’s America is an “irony-free zone” where “naïveté translated into ‘hope,’” writer Joan Didion groused after the election. But not all ironists agree: P.J. O’Rourke, for one, wrote that he hopes it's not too early to talk about Obama's "...

Tehran's Top Cop Nabbed in Brothel
Tehran's Top Cop Nabbed
in Brothel
Mar 12, 2008 4:17 PM CDT

Tehran's Top Cop Nabbed in Brothel

Man charged with 'moralizing' Iran capital caught with prostitutes

(Newser) - The man in charge of "moralizing" Iran's capital city is out of a job after being arrested during a raid on a Tehran brothel, Ynetnews reports. Police chief Reza Zarei, who had led crackdowns on women who disobeyed strict Islamic dress codes, was caught naked with six prostitutes in...

Surrealist Simic Named Poet Laureate

15th national bard known for his dark humor and irony

(Newser) - Charles Simic, a surrealist poet whose style gleams with dark imagery and ironic humor, will be named the United States' 15th poet laureate today. The 69-year-old, who replaces fellow New Hampshirite Donald Hall, has published more than 20 volumes of poetry as well as essay collections, translations and a memoir.

16 Stories