There are a lot of funny people on the boards. What do you know about human nature, language, timing or other concepts that make for hilarity?
By way of example:
Certain numbers are funnier than others. Prime numbers are generally funny, while multiples of 10 generally aren’t.
Laugh tracks force laughs for “jokes” that aren’t funny. If you can find clips of sitcoms with the laugh track turned off, the pauses and stilted conversations just seem awkward.
Some animals are intrinsically funny. Weasels, penguins, and chickens are funny, Wolves, horses, and antelopes are only rarely funny, and then only in specific context.
Pulling in a reference to something non-funny that happened or was said in a conversation hours, days, or even weeks ago when making a joke is awesome, provided the person on the receiving end is smart enough to pick up on it.
All timing is not the same; it’s specific to a situation.
A loud fart after a long period of awkward silence = funny
A witty retort after a long period of awkward silence = lame (ironically, unless the retort isn’t really that witty, at which point the circle is completed and it’s so sad it’s funny)
From Wikipedia: “Although 57 is not prime, it is jokingly [emphasis mine] known as the “Grothendieck prime” after a story in which Grothendieck supposedly gave it as an example of a particular prime number.”