The Art of Humor

Written by: Andrew Shain

Now most people ask: How did Jeff get to be so funny? This Article is all about how not only Jeff, but humor in general works. It was a long and extensive research process but I think I finally have narrowed down the four components to being funny.  Of course this article is coming from the least funny person in the videos, but hey, we all can't be Bruce Willis! The components are...

1) Timing - First you don't ever want to have bad timing. It's the most important of them all, even more so than the joke itself. You do not want to tell a joke at a funeral for instance (trust me), they will call you stupid and kick you out. The appropriate timing is between 1-5 seconds after someone has set you up for the joke, any earlier and you will look like a chiming-in turd. And later and people will say you have bad timing.

2) Material - This is the actually Joke. This consists of the Set-Up and Punch-line. Set-ups can get a bit lengthy thats why you should always try and shorten the set-up as much as possible. The Punch-line should have a funniness factor of 4:1 minimum (see wikipedia's "Funny Factor, Section 5, Page E7)

3) Delivery - This correlates to your timing, this and how you express the joke. Laugh, or at least chuckle) when you say the funny part so they know when to laugh, however do not laugh hard enough that no one can hear you.

4) Audience - Don't tell Jew jokes to Holocaust survivors.

This all being said, you can just do what Jeff does and plagiarize all of your jokes from Family Guy, Futurama, or the Simpsons. This and stealing all of my ideas/jokes will get you far in life and you too can be just like Jeff and wind up somehow with your own successful website! (Please, invest in my upside-down hair! It's the only thing I still have to my name!)

-Andrew "Are you joking kidding me?!" Shain

upcoming to nintendoboy.com!

Written by: jinxsprinkles999

Hey guys jinx here!

Since there seems to be a little confusion abotu when out next video is and other random updates im here to clarify some coudy subjects. Jeff is disclosing the time when he makes the next video so we will jsut have to wait. I mean im like second in command and I don't know when this thing is going to made. In case the other admins were aondering i about myrank: I am only being sarcastic about how vague the date of makig this video really is im not actually second in command. Anyway the videoo date is disclosed due to unknown reasons 9_9 .

A new and excting feature that should actually be up within the month is an online comic of nintendo boy and his sidekick jinx. yes! an online comic! the bet part is that these are new adventures that you cannot see in theat... i mean videos!

Another subject that will be discussed at will is an ethics page only because Jeff and I have been arguing ovwr this for the past day. I will open a forum section over this question soon so that i can finally figure out who has the better argument. I don't know. could you please help me!?

otherwise enjoi the site!

Woes on Internet Explorer

Hello all! A quick, but rather important update, is the addition of the new 'About Us' page. This page, finally gives full credit to anyone who has helped been a part of this site. If you wanted to know about us, but found out that I was too lazy to make a page for it, I now have your remedy! This page continues to serve as the page where we can be contacted, with a live chat and a link to everyone's profiles. Soooo... check that out! :) I spent a while into making that page perfect to have all the random stuff you could want to know about us, on that page. GET IT? ABOUT US? Ha! So yeah... take a look at it, we are pretty interesting! So yes, a lot of time has gone into to that page (haha.. you're probably thinking by now "I GET IT"). Sadly, it has come to my attention that my work (at time of writing) is currently in vain... on Internet Explorer. UGH. Words can not express my deep, deep hatred for this browser, so I won't even try to tell you. Sure, we've all began with it, and used it, and blah blah, but... once I found out about Firefox... I could not believe what I was missing. That being said, Firefox is defiinitely my choice browser, and I happily build my site on it. And if it wasn't obvious, of course the site looks amazing in FF, as it was built for it. Internet Explorer = No. Just, no. Firefox = Yes. I'm also a big fan of Google's Chrome, which is incredibly fast (you... really have no idea how fast it actually is), and also Opera is good too, but I just leave that one to Wii-related browsing! :] Ok, so enough ranting...

On the 'About Us' page, I have an area where I list who has done what for the project, complete with our good-looking photos, which actually link to the respective profile on the site! Now.. if you're on FF right now, you'll know that it looks pretty great and that you think I've done a great job. Thank you, reader! :D HOWEVER, on IE, which sadly is still the most-used browser ever, looks like complete crap. On IE, instead of showing the grid I created to organize the photos of us, it just organizes the photos horizontally, which goes behind the sidebar and way past the window screen of your computer and stretches the screen on the right; it's quite horrendous-looking, and you can't even click on the photos behind the sidebar. UGH. Just... so many problems. And I really have no idea how to fix this to where it is the way I want it to show... looks perfect in FF, but bleh on IE. :( [EDIT: FEBRUARY 27TH, 2009- Problem fixed! I just used a table. :/ Haha!] It's almost impossible to make your site compatible in every browser! :( Can't we all just get along and use one browser?!?!?!11ONE1!??!?!? :]

quickie!!

Written by: jinxsprinkles999

Quick and exciting update about some games and music i have recently seen and/or reviewed. For you RPG fans there are some amazing games out for grabs for DS. I'm all about handheld since thats al i can afford. I know we may abe a little old but if youare interested Pokemon Platinum is out and ready to be ordered. It should be intene with all new pokemon to collect legendaries to fin AND EVOLVE =). I know right and you that manaphy was hard enough to get. Anyway next on our newcomer list is for you Final Fantasy Crystal Cronicals: Ring of Fates, Final Fantasy IV, and FINAL FANTASY TACTICS A2! As a fan of tactics gaes like fire emblem and Advanced Wars I believe that FFTA2 will be amazing but all to their own. All of these games are expected to be amazing if you decide to invest some money into them.Finally is a Wii game tat I recently played and is a lit of un. If youare a little mischievious and greedy you can relate to our good evil twin of Mario: Wario. In WarioLand: Shake it! you shake only the controller vertically to control ario to new 2d and vibrantlevels and shake the controller for special extra moves, shake enemies like crazy, and other antics to get yourself as many coins as possible for greedy Warios or yourself(if that were possible. Finall is our music of odds and ends. I recently bought a CD for a unique group called Flight of the Concords(or FotC for now). FotC is a duo from New Zealand who sings comedic music but might be a little obscene if youare too young but stilll funny so don't let parents hear xD. I am not comerciallizing this site you can even hear thes guys for free on youtube or mooch off somebody for the games. I was jut overwhelemed with how behind i am in gaming because of school and all the other crap i have to deal with. if you wanna hear flight of the concerds here is an example song: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WGoi1MSGu64

Just copy paste on to your searchengine cause i suck at getting my computer to get this to work.  I dont mean to oveshadow Jeff's interview so make sure to check out that interview on Nathan's site. :)

Adam/Vega

I am pretty cool... well, not that cool. But apparently, cool enough to get the attention of one of our affiliates, Nathan Adam's Smile. Yeah, that's right, a blog post about affiliates! Haven't you seen that "new" update next to the affiliates link on the sidebar? (I've used "affiliate" 3 times now) ... make sure you check out that page, and even apply if that's your cup of tea! Anyway, Nathan has asked for a quick little interview about my take on the Nintendo world, hence the title... you do get it, right?! The title is a reference to a movie I have recently seen, which is now pretty much my favorite, Frost/Nixon! :]

That being said... it's an interview! Do you even know what my "favorites" are, as far as Nintendo goes? Yeah, I didn't think so. ;] Well, now you can find out! Nathan is a great pal of mine who lives in Australia (he is probably sleeping as I write this), and he loves the site, and even works with Laura for getting his own comic art. So, as a visitor, I ask you to support him (along with my other affiliates of course!!), and visit his site, now with this exclusive interview with me! :D I feel so special! Haha. Here's a quick snippet to get you excited!

"Uhh, well from #1.1-1.3, all the way to the latest video, Rock Band Documentary (at time of writing), I really don't write a script for it. I literally gather the group for a Saturday and just film... or at least for the projects I call "Improvisational Videos," which are basically just random videos with no structure. Haha, it doesn't sound as bad as it does, as of course I do have some idea I want to accomplish. Just recently I've been working on an actual script for a new series of videos, but that's a secret for now."

Click here to read the interview, exclusively at www.smileynathan.com!

Nintendo DSi and old school gaming

Written by: jinxsprinkles999

Josh here for a quick updaye on whats going on lately in the nintendo world! My research will not be as extensive as Nintednoboy''s but at least I won't take four months to update this site all the time >:(

Mine will also not be as fancy as Nintendoboy's because i do not have access to any pictures so you are jsut goign to have to bear with my computer illiteracy.

The NB project team is currently discussing their next NB video so keep an eye out for that for it wll go over the latest in Nintendoboy commentary and antics. Although, since the last documentary was a failure we will NOT do a documentery...hopefully. On the bright side Nintendo should have new merchandise comign ot thsi year! The Nintendo DSi is expected to release sometime this year with a camera built in and wifi and upgradable software. Unfortunately I ahve heard rumors of brand new game cartridges so you might have to keep taht old DS of yours to play your favorite DS games. Agai this is from school so to find this out yourself jsut go to the forums discuss with people who mgiht actually know what they are talking about o_o.

Aside from the modern games and consels and fancy handheld devices I have found myself reminiscing to old school gaming from NIntendo. Heldheld games like Zelda: The Four Swords,  andPokemon Red and Blue  versions. Another instant classic is Megaman and Metroid. The Final making the favorites and classics list is Super Mario 64 and Mario Kart 64. Hope you enjoyed this breif update from jinx. Over and out!

nRant: RB1 > RB2, right?! WRONG.

I thought about writing something about Rock Band, and it seemed fitting with our latest video, the Rock Band Documentary. You... have seen that, correct?!  Anyway, Rock Band! How many of you actually own this rather expensive game? Of course I do, and if you have keen eyes when watching our Rock Band video, you'll see that I have the original Rock Band 1 (RB1) Special Edition version, rather than the much more superior Rock Band 2 (RB2) set... although, I do have the RB2 disc-only game! Now, I've had a reason for this odd purchase, and when I stumbled upon a recent article about RB1 & RB2 for Wii, I felt I had to come out with my thoughts. 

The article at GoNintendo titled "Consumer buy Rock Band [1] for Wii, love less features," is of course a sarcastic statement, but according to statisitcs... it's true! O_O Now, if you are someone who keeps up with game information, the following rant about Rock Band for Wii will not be news to you. Basically, when Rock Band 1 first came out in 2007, it came out for Xbox 360, PS2, and PS3. Way to leave Nintendo in the dark, huh? Well finally in June 2008, Harmonix (the game company for RB), finally gave Wii owners the chance to rock out and release RB1 for Wii (almost half a year later). You think, finally you can be cool and pretend to play in a band!

FYI, RB2 beats RB1 in EVERY WAY, as RB2 Wii had all the features that RB1 were missing... so I guess in a way, Harmonix apologized and FINALLY delivered RB2 with all the bells and whistles, something we deserve! And having both games from experience, every Wii owner needs to pick up RB2... a fantastic game!

Here was my plan. I knew indirectly that I would pretty much be supporting Harmonix of buying crappy games (RB1), as evidenced by the article mentioned earlier. I did this, not because I love less features (that is so stupid), but because I am a SMART shopper! Let's take a look:

Option A) RB1 Full Bundle + RB2 Disc = $100 + $50 = $150

Option B) RB2 Full Bundle + RB1 Disc = $190 + $50 = $240

As you can see, I went with Option A for the price tag. $150 is LOWER than the entire RB2 bundle by itself, yet I am getting 2 games for STILL, less than RB2. Now, you can't tell me that isn't smart shopping. Of course, there is the downside of supporting Harmonix's crappy version of RB1 version, which prompted the above linked article, and also pretty much getting the old set of instruments. With RB2, the instruments are new and improved, most notably the drums having a gel center on the pads to quiet the noise a little bit more. Soo I'm pretty much getting the "ugh" bundle of RB, but I save almost $100 by doing it this way. However, there was one really neat benefit that I tell myself for getting the RB1 bundle, and that was because the drums are white, to match the Wii! Now, that's kinda cool, I will admit, considering the other platforms are just the boring gray/black color, including the RB2 Wii version. So maybe Harmonix gave us a special white-colored drum set as an incentive for buying a lacking RB1? Who knows. That's what I tell myself. Even though I sadly gave my money toward the shoddy product that is RB1, I still got both RB1 & RB2 for less than RB2 by itself. Soooo, that's my reason why I bought the RB1 bundle. But trust me, if money wasn't an issue, I wouldn't of touched RB1 with a 39-and-a-half-foot pole. :)

So, that's my rant on Rock Band. Again, if you haven't read the article I linked above, please take a look at it, it isn't that long, and it's pretty much what prompted me to type out this rather long nRant. But thanks for reading, as I see you've made it to the end! :D Also.. you may be thinking, what about Guitar Hero: World Tour? Well, again, from watching the Rock Band video... I'm just a Rock Band kinda guy. ;) (and a smart shopper!)

Ready to discuss this nRant? Join in on the thread here: http://www.nintendoboy.com/apps/forums/topics/show/250328-nrant-discussion-rb1-rb2-right-wrong-

$4 Mashed Potatoes

Well? How much DO you pay for your mashed potatoes? Do you buy them when they are already mashed? Why would you do that? Well, read my story below... 

"Jeff buys an Ice Cream cone with some explosives and then goes to gamestop and buys a ps3 only to realize that an orangutan farted on his wallet full of nintendo wii games. Even though he spent about four dollars on the new mashed potatoes, he laughs at someone who is telling a story about the dsi. Afterwards, he falls and breaks his knee trying to grab a chicken finger dipped with mandarin sauce and some egg nog. Not having enough money to buy himself a puppy, he decides to buy a gift for his teacher. So he buys his teacher a basket full of huge mice with pink bandanas thatglow in the dim light of the Kokiri Forest. Jeff's friend Josh was kissing a gorilla's back side, when Jeff came into the room and was shocked!" [ linkage ]

... yeah, awkward, huh? This is my script for a new Nintendo Boy video. Hahaha. That would be intersting though, huh? If I took this "3 Word Adventure" forum game and turned it into a video. Speaking of forums, I guess by now you've figured out that I'm trying to plug the forums right now. I literally have 118 members on my site as I type this, with 65 of them actaully having active profiles. Why do you guys hate me?! Haha. Just kidding. But really! You should stop by the forums! They were quite bustling, and now they are dead. So... c'mon, join in on the fourms.. I frequent there, so I will see you lurking as well! 

Is Christmas Gone Already?

What an interesting thing, time. It seems just a few days ago, I had finally got out of school for the winter break, the stress of finals and all simply disappeared. The next day, a Saturday, the NB4 get together at Andrew's house to film what turned out to be an 8-minute video. Yeah, I didn't mean it for it to turn out THAT long, but ehh, what can ya do? Out of those 8 long minutes, is violently pelting a Rock Band box at moi. :) The next video, I promise, will not be that long. So a few days pass as I continue to watch the blooper reel over and over, and wouldn't ya know it? Christmas has come and gone. Seriously... it just stopped by for a quick chat... and bam, it left until 2009. What was that about...? This may of been the weirdest Christmas for me yet... while I love the holidays and had a great one, to say the least, it flew by. I remember always being so excited... not being able to sleep.. spending hours in front of the TV watching Frosty the Snowman, or Grandma getting run over by a reindeer... and the lights... and drinking hot chocolate... loving to listen to Christmas music on the radio... and all that artificial stuff just seemed to have just flown by. Literally. I can't believe it's already past. That being said, I hope you guys had a wonderful Christmas, and/or whatever else holiday(s) you may celebrate. I look forward to a great year next year, and while it will be one of my most busiest years ever (I graduate high school in '09), I hope to continue to keep the site up...! Man.. this year... it's gone. 2008 went by fast. Only a few days until the new year...

Celebrate in the new Video Theater!

Sooooo... guess what? We have a new video out today! Woooo hooo! Yep, our brand new film we promised by the end of 2008, is Rock Band Documentary. In the video, we tried to make a band because we became bored of random comedies that are really not that funny at all... haha. But, as we make the band... well, I won't spoil it, so GO SEE the documentary!

With the release of this new movie, I decided to make things a little extra special, as this is the first video to be viewed in the brand new Video Theater!

I am very excited to release this, basically, a video application, and that you can now view the videos literally on the site... and you can also comment with your profiles! It's so cool, and be sure to check it out! You can get to the Theater throught the Project page, or anytime you see a video icon... also, with this new app, members will soon be able to post their own videos, making it a true theater experience (it would be lame if a movie theater just had the same movies, huh?)! :)

And so that's that in a nutshell. You can now see the new video also on the home page, complete with a brand new site tagline, thanks to Mr. Andrew Shain. And.. if you were wondering bloopers... YES, they are coming TODAY! The link (at the time of writing) is currently dead as the bloopers are not done yet, but keep your eyes peeled on the home page when you see the link turn green indicating it is now clickable, and be prepared to laugh hard... very, very hard. [:

(edit: 9:50 PM EST -  the bloopers are now online!)