The 50 Funniest ‘Humble Brags’ on Twitter

Posted: 10 May 2011 06:05 AM PDT

Did you pick up on that? It was subtle but it was there. Poor Jason’s email got hacked, and as a consequence, he probably sent an email to celebrity hottie Olivia Munn by accident, the horror! This is what comedian and writer for Parks and Recreation, Harris Wittels calls, ‘false humility’. It allows the offender to boast his/her ‘achievements’ without any sense of shame or guilt.

From the, “It’s not a brag, I’m just complaining” humble brag to the, “this isn’t a brag I’m just being self-deprecating” humble brag, the universe is vast and the number of offenders, seemingly limitless. These offences are all brilliantly captured on one cheeky Twitter handle, @humblebrag, an account that has quickly amassed a following of nearly 60,000 people.

Full credit to my friend @TwitchieRich for turning me on to this. Last night the Sifter went through the @humblebrag feed and pulled together 50 of the funnier humble brags that met the criteria above. Be sure to follow @humblebrag for continued hilarity!

THE HUMBLE BRAG

What made you start it?

It was originally something I would just silently stew over. Then it became something I would joke around about. Then I was like, OK I’m just gonna do it. I was really worried about people getting mad about it, and I almost shut down the account on the first night. But, people have been really good sports about it, at least to my face. There’s also a chance I am widely hated.

What is particularly annoying about a humble brag?

I think bragging sucks, don’t get me wrong, but I get it. What I hate about a humble brag is that people try to come off like they aren’t bragging. It’s people not being honest about their intention. Just tell us you are at an exclusive party. Don’t hide it behind a complaint about your dress not fitting.

Why do you think so many people humbly brag?

That is a question I constantly ask myself after reading a really good humble brag. It’s people wanting other people to envy them. I have realized that people do most things so they can tell other people about it. It’s all validation.

What has been your favorite humble brag?

Actor LeVar Burton had my all time favorite. The tweet was “It’s a good night for natural light in LA” and then he posted a picture of his fireplace, but on the mantle above it were like 20 Emmy awards. A masterpiece! He did a follow-up one three days after Christmas where he tweeted “Stockings still hung…” and attached a picture of his family’s stockings all hung on his Emmys. That guy really seems to want us to know he won a bunch of Emmys for “Reading Rainbow.”

SOURCE: WALL STREET JOURNAL INTERVIEW WITH HARRIS WITTELS

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Picture of the Day: Pigeon Point Lighthouse, California

Posted: 09 May 2011 02:00 PM PDT

picture-of-the-day

PIGEON POINT LIGHTHOUSE, CALIFORNIA

Photograph by TYLER WESTCOTT

Photographer’s Description: Once per year, on the anniversary of the Pigeon Point Lighthouse, the original fresnel lens (which has since been replaced with an unimpressive aerobeacon) is illuminated with a 1 kilowatt light and its impressive original appearance is restored. This was taken in 2007, on the 135th anniversary of the lighthouse, which was such an overwhelmingly foggy evening I nearly turned back to return home to San Francisco, as even the drive there felt unsafe. But once I settled into a place to capture the lighting, I found the heavy fog only helped to emphasize the character of the original fresnel lens.

The lighting draws a large crowd every year, with literally hundreds of photographers and onlookers spread across the area – anywhere with a view. I was simply fortunate to stumble into a spot that was unobstructed by any buildings, trees, or other photographers. Although it does not show here, I was standing shoulder-to-shoulder (or tripod to tripod) with other photographers as well.

When the lighthouse is illuminated, the lens normally rotates slowly (about once per minute by my estimate), and exposures of more than about 10 seconds lose all definition of the individual beams of light cast in every direction. In order to allow the many photographers to have a chance to photograph the lighthouse as above, the lens is not rotated for the first 5 minutes.

I really only had one shot at this photograph. When this display began, my preceding test shot still had about 1 minute of noise-reduction remaining, which I waited for to ensure my exposure time was correct. After that I took this photo, which was approximately a 2 minute exposure. That followed with another 2 minutes of noise reduction and before that was complete, the lens began to move and the opportunity was over. I was very grateful to have captured the one image I did.

For the record, there’s nothing photoshopped, it’s not “HDR”, or otherwise manipulated (many have asked though). It’s really a magnificent scene, which is why I (and so many others) braved the foggy coastal highway to see it that night. Unfortunately, the Pigeon Point Lighthouse is in rough physical shape, and as is the case with everything these days, the funds are not available to give it the care it needs. After this was taken in 2007, it was lit again in 2008, but not in 2009 – the funds to host the event are just not available. For more information about the lighthouse, visit the California State Historic Park website. For more information about the photo, the event, or general discussion, visit the original flickr post.

Shot with: Nikon D40 | Sigma 10-20@10mm | f/7.1 | 114s | ISO200 | Tripod

via TylerWestcott.com