ha ha only serious
:ha ha only serious: [from SF fandom, orig. as mutation of HHOK, `Ha Ha
Only Kidding'] A phrase (often seen abbreviated as HHOS) that aptly
captures the flavor of much hacker discourse. Applied especially to
parodies, absurdities, and ironic jokes that are both intended and
perceived to contain a possibly disquieting amount of truth, or truths
that are constructed on in-joke and self-parody. This lexicon contains
many examples of ha-ha-only-serious in both form and content. Indeed,
the entirety of hacker culture is often perceived as ha-ha-only-serious
by hackers themselves; to take it either too lightly or too seriously
marks a person as an outsider, a wannabee
, or in larval stage
For
further enlightenment on this subject, consult any Zen master. See also
hacker humor
}, and AI koans
Jargon File Version 4.3.1, 29 JUN 2001 =
Skip to a random entry
Back to Liz's page