This reminds me of E. B. White's quote:<p>"Humor can be dissected, as a frog can, but the thing dies in the process and the innards are discouraging to any but the pure scientific mind."<p><a href="http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/E._B._White" rel="nofollow">http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/E._B._White</a><p>It's also reminiscent of Louis Armstrong's<p>"Man, if you gotta ask you'll never know"<p><a href="http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Louis_Armstrong" rel="nofollow">http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Louis_Armstrong</a><p>Is it really possible to develop a sense of humour by reading a list of bullet points, action plans and self-help advice? I'm not really convinced that this isn't a really brilliant, very subtle joke on a completely higher level.<p>I can't decide whether this is funnier if posted by someone in earnest, or if posted in total seriousness. I think that's the joke.
Level 5: Super Expert<p>Can recognize the humor in Microsoft publishing strict guidelines documenting requirements for various "proficiency" levels in humor. Microsoft spent money doing this. Money that came ultimately from Windows license revenue. Can barely hold back tears at the thought of this.
<i>Learning From Bad Situations<p>All of us will find ourselves in bad situations from time to time. Good intentions gone bad. Impossible tasks and goals. Hopeless projects. Even though you probably can’t perform well, the key is to at least take away some lessons and insights. Was there anything ironic, odd, or downright funny in all of this?</i><p>Trapped on the thirty-second floor of Microsoft Documentation Complex 27B/6, Will Burnham shuddered, silently, and wept.
> Can see humor in almost everything<p>I must be an expert because this page is hilarious.<p>Particularly the fact that they suggest learning to shoot skeet.
All I can think of right now is the Chinese room thought problem for artificial intelligence.<p>Even if you make people laugh following these guidelines to the letter, would you have a sense of humor?
From the article:
"Learning From Bad Things That Happen<p>Bad things happen to everyone, sometimes because of what we do and sometimes with help from us. We all have bad bosses, bad staffs, impossible and hopeless situations, impossible tasks, and unintended consequences. Aside from the trouble these bad things cause for you, the key is how can you learn from each of them.<p>Learning From Bad Situations<p>All of us will find ourselves in bad situations from time to time. Good intentions gone bad. Impossible tasks and goals. Hopeless projects. Even though you probably can’t perform well, the key is to at least take away some lessons and insights. Was there anything ironic, odd, or downright funny in all of this?"<p>Hmm, the Internet Explorer team wrote this? At least they've proven their "Level 1: Basic" proficiency by being able to laugh at themselves and their hopeless predicament.
Level one, 'Basic,' includes: "Tries to diffuse tense situations with appropriate humor."<p>In a different row, level two, 'Intermediate,' includes: "Uses humor to boost morale or decrease tension."<p>Similarly, level one includes "Is conscientious about timing and setting for humor," and level three, 'Advanced,' includes "Realizes when and where humor will backfire, and withholds."<p>If this were a real skill being assessed, that kind of redundancy would be a problem. In fact, it probably wouldn't be there at all, because the person writing it would sense that something was a level-one trait or a level-three trait. But when you start down the path of bullshit like this, you find yourself in the land of arbitrariness, and pretty soon you're just desperate for some more words to fill up the boxes.<p>And it is, indeed, bullshit. A good sense of humor is important in the workplace, as it is everywhere, but it's not something that can be assessed in some abstract way like this, separate from the person's other qualities.
This is depressing. How can you work for Microsoft, see that, and not be depressed? Whatever you think of the company's technology over the years, you have to wonder how old timers feel about starting a career at a software company and ending it at a company that exists solely as charity for office workers.
> Do I ever encourage a near party atmosphere because of my comfort with using humor?<p>How many points do I get for encouraging near party atmospheres because of my comfort with using alcohol?