Funny Images
from the Internet
Colin Fahey
1. Introduction
In 2005 November, I collected funny images that I encountered while browsing Internet sites.
There are various themes, memes, recurring characters, and ongoing jokes, evolving on various Internet forums.
The images appearing here are among my favorites.
If you have created an image that appears here and want attribution, please tell me.
2. Images
2.1 Dangerous toys for children
This section contains images of dangerous toys for children.
2.2 Cute kittens
Software for the personal computer (PC) to disable the keyboard if a cat seems to be walking on the keyboard. This is real!
2.3 Street signs
This section contains miscellaneous funny street sign ideas.
2.4 Thanksgiving
2.5 Unnecessary warning labels
http://fark.com had a "Photoshop contest" to create warning labels that are ordinarily not necessary.
2.6 "What if video games were real?"
http://B3ta.com had a "Photoshop contest" to show what the world would be like if "video games were real".
The following are some of the funniest and most creative submissions.
"Missile Command"
"Mine Sweeper", for real!
"Pac Man" on trial! LOL!! :-)
"Grand Theft Auto III"
"Mario" of the "Mario Brothers"
"The Excorcist" (film) and "Pong?!"
2005.07.22: London police, on alert after recent bomb blasts in London, killed an innocent man in a subway station ("tube").
"G-Man" from "Half-Life"
Trooper from "Half-Life 2"
News regarding "Black Mesa" of "Half-Life"
"Headcrab" from "Half-Life", and a human host
"Gordan Freeman" of "Half-Life"
2.7 Religion
Funny images with religious themes.
2.8 Political
John Ashcroft, 79th Attorney General of the United States (2001-2005), opposed pornography. Here his image is manifested entirely from 31 * 33 = 1023 pornographic images
Richard Cheney, Vice President of the United States (2001-2008), and former CEO of Halliburton, presumably wants to take over the world.
Richard Cheney, Vice President of the United States (2001-2008), and former CEO of Halliburton, is... Darth Vader!
George W. Bush, President of the United States (2001-2008), confronts Usama bin Laden directly!
George W. Bush, President of the United States (2001-2008), confronts Usama bin Laden ...and Bert of "Sesame Street"!
This was the actual cover of the "Daily Mirror" after the 2004 USA presidential election. The election results were depressing, but this cover made me laugh. I wish Europeans could choose our presidents for us, because we fail at it!
This is an actual government poster! Some innocent people will feel oppressed or fearful. Therefore, this campaign is ironic.
2.9 "Get Your War On!" (by David Rees)
"Get Your War On!", by David Rees, is a series of comic strips that began less than a month after the terrorist attacks of 2001.9.11, and has tracked the many reactions (and inactions) of the U.S. government throughout the "War on Terrorism".
Over the years, through late 2005, the comic has expanded in scope to include all major actions of the U.S. government, such that "Get Your War On!" is in the same realm of "This Modern World" (by Tom Tomorrow) and "Troubletown" (by Lloyd Dangle).
Although the subject of the "Get Your War On!" series is very serious, I think the series is hilarious, imaginative, and even surreal.
I love the zaniness of the characters and the dialogue in this comic.
Many of the GYWO comic strips can be seen at the following Internet site:
Several comic strips appear here.
I hope that you will visit the "Get Your War On!" Internet site.
I purchased a printed book of "Get Your War On!" comic strips from 2001.10.9 through 2002.8.18 ( Soft Skull Press; 2002; $11 USD; ISBN 1-887128-76-X ).
2.10 "This Modern World" (by Tom Tomorrow)
"This Modern World", a political comic strip by Tom Tomorrow, is an intense pleasure to read and admire.
Tom Tomorrow has a great blog at the following Internet site:
Two examples of the "This Modern World" comic strip:
2.11 Ric Romero, television reporter
Ric Romero does television reporting for KABC 7 (a Los Angeles, California affiliate of the ABC television network).
Ric Romero sometimes reports on relatively new trends in society, or relatively recent advances in technology, to a broad viewing audience.
A visitor to the Internet forum
http://fark.com had the opinion that Ric Romero often reports events and social phenomena that have already become common knowledge.
The Fark visitor was inspired to use the image of Ric Romero to represent the idea of reporting on any widely-known subject as if the subject were a new, fresh, startling development.
On Fark, the Ric Romero likeness says something obvious, followed by an invitation to learn more during an upcoming news broadcast, saying something like "News at 11", "Story at 11", "Details at 11", or "Film at 11".
Humorous statements attributed to the Fark mockery of Ric Romero:
"Fark is a website that is updated over time. this is also known as a blog."
"This just in: The sky is blue!"
"next article: 'Sliced bread - no longer a pipedream!'"
"The world is round. Oh yes it is."
"And in other news, the Nina, Pinta and Santa Maria have arrived safely."
Mocking Ric Romero for reporting on subjects that might not be familiar to the general population is obviously unreasonable.
Nevertheless, the image of Ric Romero has been used on Fark to represent the idea of a reporter who reports on old topics as if those topics were quite new.
A reporter who reports old news is a far funnier spokesperson for the obvious than the classical "Captain Obvious" character.
"Captain Obvious"
Here are a few phrases I've seen regarding the Fark mockery of Ric Romero:
"Rick Romero raises eyebrow, opens notebook."
"Ric Romero on the scene"
"Scooped by Ric Romero" (Ouch!)
"[...] Ric Romero. He was the one who broke the story on the new internet phenomenon of 'blogging.'"
A Fark mock comment, delivered by an image of John Madden (American football commentator) about Ric Romero's reporting:
"Uh, you know Ric Romero is my favorite reporter because he tells it like it is. It works like this, see. His boss tells him there's a story and that he needs to go report on it. So he goes there and he finds out what happens and BOOM tells it to the audience sitting it home."
2.12 Internet page banners
This section contains images of Internet page banners (for advertisements).
2.13 Internet forum images
This section contains funny images used for generic situations in Internet forums.
2.14 "Jeopardy!" game show answer grid
In 2005.11, Fark had a "Photoshop contest" to create the a"Jeopardy!" game show answer grid suitable for one's personal random knowledge and experience!
Meatwad of "Aqua Teen Hunger Force" (ATHF) "Dammit, he needs his brain!" -- Frylock ("Balloonenstein", Season 1, Episode 5)
If that is your idea of a "lucky break" or an "ideal answer", then you are a nerd! :-)
2.15 Creepy "Burger King" guy
2.16 The "HA! HA! Quaker"
Wikipedia explains the "HA! HA! Quaker" phenomenon at the following link:
A genius on the Internet found an advertisement from the late 1800 featuring a laughing Quaker, and he or she changed the caption to "HA! HA! I'm using the Internet!!!1".
( The "1" represents wild enthusiasm that presumably caused the author to fail to hold down the Shift key long enough to finish typing the exclamation marks using a keyboard.
) This first example was enough to inspire many people to try their skill at inventing clever captions for the image.
The following Internet site has a PHP script (which can be downloaded or used through the Internet site) that allows a visitor to instantly add a new caption to the original image:
Among the thousands of captions I have seen on Internet sites, the captions appearing below, were, by far, the most hilarious and ingenious.
The original image from the late 1800.
2.17 Concave monitor
In 2005, Fark challenged visitors to alter the image of a high-tech, bowl shaped video monitor with its user.
The original image.
2.18 New animals
2.19 Guy in a field
Fark had a "Photoshop contest" to modify the image of a guy digging a hole in a field.
2.20 Scene from "Titus" film (1999)
Fark had a "Photoshop contest" to modify an image of one of the scenes from the film "Titus" (1999) by the director Julie Taymor.
2.21 Bill Gates
In late 2005, William Henry Gates III, co-founder, chairman, and chief software architect of Microsoft Corporation (the largest software company in the world), with a personal net worth (in 2005) of approximately 46.5 billion USA dollars, was a guest lecturer at a University of Wisconsin-Madison undergraduate class in computer science.
Bill Gates has a surreal amount of wealth and power, and it would seem impossible for him to establish any sort of normal contact with most people on the planet.
Being in the presence of someone with god-like influence on humanity must be a very strange experience.
When Bill Gates visits impoverished countries on altruistic missions, the contrast between his wealth and the surrounding poverty must be incomprehensible.
However, maybe Bill Gates has a friendly personality that reminds other people that he is a human being.
The following images provoke thoughts about the gap between powerful people and ordinary people.
"When UW-Madison graduate student Aneesh Karve opened the classroom door and welcomed a "guest lecturer" into Computer Science 302, Introduction to Programming, the undergraduates got a thrill of a lifetime. In walked Bill Gates, Microsoft chairman and chief software architect and tech-industry avatar."[*]
2.22 Microsoft lecture
Fark had a "Photoshop contest" to modify an image of a Microsoft lecture.
2.23 Miscellaneous
This section contains miscellaneous funny images.
Rock concert given by main cast of Star Wars
The complete "Empire Strikes Back" story! In 120 seconds! Animated GIF!
(1) Admiral Ackbar cliche quote: "It's a trap!"
(2) Software jargon meaning of "trap" : trigger a software exception similar to a software interrupt.
(1) + (2) = Admirably punny!
