sarcasm

9 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...

Goya Gets In a Dig at AOC
Goya Gets In a Dig at AOC
Dec 8, 2020 12:40 PM CST

Goya Gets In a Dig at AOC

Company names her employee of the month after her public criticism

(Newser) - Goya Foods, which bills itself as the biggest Hispanic-owned company in the US, has given one of the nation's most prominent Hispanic figures an honorary nod of sorts. But it's not one that Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez will want. Goya CEO Robert Unanue said Monday that the company sarcastically...

Dad's Cheeky Absence Note Takes on Standardized Testing

Chicago's Jeff Jenkins said his daughter couldn't wait to get back to exams

(Newser) - A Chicago girl was sick from school on Wednesday, so her dad had to pen a note to explain her absence. And Jeff Jenkins didn't hold back in describing both why she missed class and how he feels about standardized testing, CBS Chicago reports. After noting his child had...

Study Shows Sarcasm Can Actually Be Good for You
Sarcasm Makes You
More Creative
new study
Nov 21, 2015 1:40 PM CST

Sarcasm Makes You More Creative

No matter whether you are the deliverer or the recipient, study says

(Newser) - A study has found that sarcasm—which has gotten a bad rap—can actually boost creativity and cognitive functioning in both the user and receiver, Scientific American reports. Researchers assigned volunteers to take part in simulated dialogues that were either sarcastic, sincere, or neutral, then gave them tasks to test...

It's Time to Revive Sarcasm
 It's Time to Revive Sarcasm 
OPINION
Sep 5, 2012 12:11 PM CDT

It's Time to Revive Sarcasm

All this sincerity is ruining the next generation: Simon Doonan

(Newser) - Simon Doonan had a childhood rife with delightful moments of sarcasm. A teacher once told him, after a particularly bad reading of a page from Ulysses, that Doonan's "sensitive" delivery had left him overwhelmed with emotion (and in need of a cigarette). His parents, when Doonan started dressing...

Cops React to Anonymous Hack With Quirky Video

Hackers replaced police website with KRS-One song

(Newser) - Hacked by Anonymous a week ago, Boston police fought back ... with a little dry humor, Naked Security reports. Anonymous broke into BPDNews.com on Feb. 3 and substituted its usual police and crime news with a video of rapper KRS-One performing his song, "Sound of Da Police." So...

To Get Workers Working, Try Sarcasm

 To Get Workers 
 Working, Try 
 Sarcasm 
study says
Jun 5, 2011 10:56 AM CDT

To Get Workers Working, Try Sarcasm

It helps them solve creative problems, study suggests

(Newser) - Hiring a new manager? Give Jerry Seinfeld a call. Sarcasm prompts employees to speed through tasks that require creative problem-solving, Israeli research suggests. Simple fury at your staff can also get them working quickly, but it’s only effective for more straightforward tasks. “The incongruent information inherent in sarcasm...

Inability to Detect Sarcasm May Be Early Dementia Sign

People who can't pick up on lies, tone could be at risk

(Newser) - It might be a low-tech way to diagnose the early stages of certain types of dementia: Look for people no longer able to detect sarcasm or lies. University of California researchers found that people with frontotemporal dementia fared poorly in tests measuring gullability, reports UCSF . Anecdotal evidence of seniors getting...

Finally! A Sarcasm-Specific Punctuation Mark

Experts not sure you need to pay $1.99 to get it across

(Newser) - Sarcastic people around the world, rejoice—a father-son team has finally developed a punctuation mark purpose-built to make sarcasm clear in written and electronic communication. “Questions have the question mark, exclamations have the exclamation point,” reasons the elder creator. The SarcMark is “the 21st century’s punctuation....

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