Zack Weinersmith of SMBC fame has suggested an interesting artificial intelligence project: generate jokes by observing utility as a function of rate of change in initial understanding over time.

(source)

From the article:

For someone who isn’t a fan of teen idol Justin Bieber, being forced to listen to one of his songs over and over again could be considered cruel and unusual punishment.

At Evanston Township High School this week, they called it a fund-raiser.

To motivate their fellow students to donate money for a struggling cafe/arts center popular with ETHS kids, seniors Charlotte Runzel and Jesse Chatz persuaded administrators to let them blast Bieber’s hit “Baby” over the school’s loudspeaker system at the end of each class period — and not stop playing the song until Runzel and Chatz had met their goal.

...

Perhaps not surprisingly, Runzel and Chatz, who were given one week to meet their goal of $1,000 for Boocoo cafe on Church Street, were able to raise the money in just three days.

“It made me smile to look at what we can do and look at the money we are raising,” said Chatz.

 

Link. (Chicago Sun-Times)

I wonder if this atrocity is going to go unpunished?