It’s only seeing my co-workers’ reactions to LOLcats that I — perhaps the biggest non-cat person on the planet — get what all the fuzz is about. I still don’t want the real deal in my house, but if these LOLcat books keep getting made, I’ll certainly read each and every page without viewing it as a job.
HOW TO TAKE OVER TEH WURLD: A LOLCAT GUIDE 2 WINNING is the second book to come out of the überpopular website icanhascheezburger.com, and once again, its authorship is credited to one Professor Happycat. (Hmmm, maybe it’s just me, but I smell a nom de plume …)
For, those unfamiliar with the Internet phenomenon, here’s a crash course: A LOLcat is a photo of a cat with a funny (at least in theory), lowercase phrase superimposed. That phrase purposely misuses verbs and misspells most words. The very things that make them what they are used to bug the hell out of the editor in me; now they just irk me a little. I’m not fully won over by their charms, but hey, I’ve made progress.
From the same web family comes GRAPH OUT LOUD, an extension of graphjam.com, which graphs phrases from popular songs and movies. ¿No comprende? Well, imagine if the times the words “yes,” “no,” “goodbye” and “hello” were uttered in The Beatles’ “Hello Goodbye” were charted in a handy bar graph.
Or, hell, don’t imagine at all; it’s right there on 40. Eight times out of 10, the results are rather clever. The other two times, either it’s a stretch or the concept goes over my head. (And for the last instance, there’s a handy index in the back that at least gives its origin.) One thing’s consistent: Ben Gibson’s designs for all are extremely awesome. —Rod Lott
OTHER BOOKGASM REVIEWS OF PROFESSOR HAPPYCAT:
• I CAN HAS CHEEZBURGER? A LOLCAT COLLECKSHUN by Professor Happycat
