It Runs on Nonsensoleum: Difference between revisions

* ''[[Discworld]]'' dabbles in this from time to time. For example, in ''[[Discworld/The Truth|The Truth]]'', it's explained that the dried frog pills the Bursar takes to keep him apparently sane are actually hallucinogens, the idea being that a proper dose will cause him to hallucinate that he's sane (just like everyone else does).

** In ''[[Discworld/Hogfather|Hogfather]]'', when Hex (a non-electronic computer composed primarily of ants marching through glass tubes) becomes unstable, its rationality is restored by by ''typing the words'' "dried frog pills" into it. (This may have been inspired by the [http://www.multicians.org/cookie.html Cookie Monster virus], one of the first computer viruses.)

** Then there's the time in ''[[Discworld/Sourcery|Sourcery]]'' the characters travel across the sea in a magic lantern. This works because one of them is holding the lantern, and they're all inside the lantern. The trick is to complete the journey before the universe catches on... oops, too late.

** In a footnote in ''[[Discworld/Mort|Mort]]'', there's a passage regarding the philosopher Ly Tin Weedle's theory of kingons (or queons), the elemental particle of monarchy, that he believed traveled faster than light; there could only be one king at a time and there couldn't be a gap between kings, so monarchy must travel faster than anything else in the universe. His plans to use this discovery to send messages by carefully torturing a small king to modulate the signal never came to fruition because at that moment the bar closed.

* One part of ''[[The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy (radio series)|The Hitchhikers Guide to The Galaxy]]'' radio series that was never adapted in other versions has a fifteen mile high statue of Arthur Dent Throwing the Nutrimatic Cup. The mile-long marble cup floats in mid-air "because it's artistically right."

== Tabletop Games ==

** This is used to hilarious effect when a group of Imperial engineers try to determine what it is that makes Orky weaponry so deadly. They dismantle it, put it back together, try everything they can to even get the gun to fire but nothing. The gun is actually missing several vital components, but when they put it in the hands of an ork, it fires with deadly power.

* One of the main problems with the mad science of ''[[Genius: The Transgression]]''—it runs entirely on the inventor's madness (sorry, Inspiration). Any attempt to pin down the underlying scientific principles involved (''especially'' by a mundane observer) will fail, and any attempt by a mundane observer to closely examine or tinker usually results in the thing [[Made of Explodium|blowing up]]... [[Gone Horribly Wrong|or worse]].

** In the Jean-Luc Goddard film 'Alphaville,' which is definitely not comedy, the protagonist travels to a distant planet by driving a sedan on the freeways of Paris.

* ''[[Metal Gear Solid]] 3'', during an incredibly meta <s>codec</s> radio conversation between Sigint and Snake discussing the Patriot gun:

'''Sigint''': Ah, I get it. Yep, that'll give you unlimited ammo. }}

** ''[[Metal Gear Solid]] 2'' did something similar towards the end, when Raiden asks Snake if he has enough ammo to lend him, and Snake replies, "Infinite ammo." while pointing to his bandana (a [[Continuity Nod|reference]] to the bandana from ''[[Metal Gear Solid]]'', which did indeed give Snake infinite ammo for the weapon he was holding).

[[Category:Applied Phlebotinum]]

[[Category:Rule of Funny]]