E-Ha Ha

What’s the difference between men and women? Men wake up as good-looking as they went to bed. Women somehow deteriorate during the night.

Ah, yes: very funny. And what do we all do now when we find something amusing? Chances are we e-mail or text someone. Quite simply, it’s become the 2010 way of showing that we care. Cyberspace has not only made a huge portion of our daily lives instantaneous, it’s also made it infinitely more entertaining. The Comedy Club is no longer only in your neighbourhood; it’s at your wi-fi fingertips every minute of the day.

Blog busters

The first of the internet comics were bloggers who introduced stream-of-consciousness diaries for the online amusement of many. Nowadays, there are blogs to tickle all kinds of funny bones. Bookmark dooce.com and follow the daily adventures of ex-Mormon Heather Armstrong, whose cyberspace wit has paid off in spades: her blog secured her two book deals and a “most influential women in media” accolade, courtesy of Forbes magazine.

Meanwhile, average white guy Christian Lander started his site stuffwhitepeoplelike.com as a joke and ranted about everything from Vespa scooters to hummus and black music that black people don’t listen to anymore. Bingo! He too secured a book deal and saw his debut tome skyrocket to the top of the bestseller lists. Similarly, New Yorker Julie Powell shot to fame with her immensely readable on-line diary about cooking, which was subsequently turned into the blockbuster movie Julie & Julia.

In cyberspace, remember, a laugh can catch fire quicker than lighter fluid. If you’ve got something to say, and boast a witty turn of phrase, build yourself a blog!

YouTube effect

Perhaps a video of your gurgling toddler is all you want to share? Simply upload your bub’s antics to YouTube (youtube.com) and wait for everyone to crack up. And if someone falls over in dramatic style, that’s joker’s gold, as a recent YouTube hit showing one man’s slips and slides on an icy Dublin path clearly demonstrates. “I saw this at my friend’s house – we put it on slow motion in an endless loop.”

Here, to tickle your funny bone, are other YouTube picks guaranteed to spread the E-Ha Ha virus.

Dazed after a dental trip

Visit YouTube and enter “David After Dentist”

One of the most-watched videos in YouTube history shows that a trip to the dentist for oral surgery doesn’t have to end painfully – you can leave the chair feeling high as a kite! Go to YouTube and watch the little guy under the influence. Hilarious!

Adorable baby making faces

On YouTube, search for “Serious Baby”

Sometimes the evil eye can be intimidating, but this kid makes it look like the cutest thing in the world. You’ll probably think the baby is so funny, you’ll find yourself imitating his expressions. Now, that’s funny, too!

Shake your booty

Search for “Evolution of Dance” on YouTube

Whether it’s the frug, the twist or Michael Jackson’s moonwalk, this six-minute demonstration of how dance has evolved is a visual treat that has entertained millions of online visitors. Enjoy!

Addicted to cuteness

What is it about toddlers with roly-poly thighs, kittens playing knitting and puppies loping about on giant paws that turn grown-ups into mush? And how about babies on rollerskates? Now there’s a catchy idea for a commercial. It generated 17 million hits on YouTube for French mineral water company Evian, as well as a Gold Award for Visual Effects at the London International Awards 2009.

Go to YouTube and enter “Evian Babies” to have a chuckle. And for more of the same (we’re not kidding), there are entire websites dedicated to cute moggies or adorable pooches, while others are dedicated simply to cute things in general.

If you can’t figure out why these websites are so popular, visit them yourself and see if you can resist an “Aaaaaawww”. Quite simply, the fascination with babies, kittens and puppies is in our genes. When creatures have round faces, large eyes and heads bigger than their bodies, we’re wired to go goo-goo. Don’t believe me? Visit YouTube and enter “science of cute”!

World wide whinge

A sense of humour can go a long way, as one irate Virgin Airline passenger discovered. After a disastrous flight from Mumbai to London, Oliver Beale wrote a letter to Virgin management so amusing that CEO Richard Branson himself picked up the phone to chat with the fed-up customer. Beale’s letter subsequently went viral.

Here’s how Beale described an awful plane meal: “Imagine being a 12-year-old boy, Richard. Now imagine it’s Christmas morning and you’re sitting there with your final present left to open. It’s a big one, and you know what it is. It’s that stereo you picked out of the catalogue; the one you wrote to Santa about. Only you open the present and IT’S NOT THERE. Instead it’s your hamster in the box, and it’s not breathing.”