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See the original image at flickr.com —

Ironic to say the least... [pic]

flickr.com — Well, our new office burned down yesterday. This book was found sitting on top of the rubble. It doesn't get more ironic than this.

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  • monkyboyrr, on 09/21/2008, -0/+290they were smart enough to publish the book with a fireproof cover!
    • ConanMayerFan, on 09/22/2008, -3/+3just the cover tho...
    • tkotam, on 09/22/2008, -13/+1Batonrye, dude.. Who do you work for? Al Qaeda? :-) Wait.. That would be explosion. Never mind...
  • BigManOnCampus, on 09/22/2008, -0/+166I'd say the engineering was a success.
    • Spuy767, on 09/22/2008, -1/+25I own this book.
      • paulvq, on 09/22/2008, -16/+3In Soviet Russia, book owns YOU!
      • Spuy767, on 09/22/2008, -7/+5In soviet russia memes fail at you?
      • Spuy767, on 09/22/2008, -1/+6In light of this new evidence, I should likely keep it away from combustibles.
    • ZeeZee2k, on 09/22/2008, -0/+20 Chapter 1 - Combustion happens spontaneously.
    • cawfee, on 09/22/2008, -2/+10*huge success
    • ConanMayerFan, on 09/22/2008, -4/+2but cake is a lie
    • Elliottx, on 09/22/2008, -10/+5So apparently whenever we use the word "success" "triumph" or "portal" it will automatically be followed by a Portal quote.

      You've become too predictable Internet. I think we have to break up. It's not you it's me. I get bored very quickly and you just aren't amusing me like you used to. Remember the dancing baby? That was funny, I was laughing for almost 15 minutes when you showed me that, and the smile on your face was just priceless too.

      I'm sorry, you'll find someone better than me. Goodbye.
      • skyroket, on 09/22/2008, -0/+1It's hard to overstate my satisfaction.
  • juneof44, on 09/22/2008, -20/+223Irony would be a fire extinguisher causing a fire. This is just a book about combustion mixed in with a bunch of other books after a fire.
    • nellyspageli, on 09/22/2008, -6/+133it's not even irony, it's a coincidence.
      • MrJohnSmith, on 09/22/2008, -8/+3Is it irony, as in the proper sense of the word? No. Do we understand what he is trying to say? Yes.
      • cheetoz64, on 09/22/2008, -0/+1irony is simply the opposite of wrinkly.
    • Brassbud, on 09/22/2008, -16/+3Its slightly ironic. It would be better if the book was just called "Cumbustion", though.
      • jawagas, on 09/22/2008, -3/+1That would be ironic humor, as often visually displayed by Cartoons.
      • tidu, on 09/22/2008, -3/+8No, it'd be ironic if a spell checker program was named Spel Checker
      • Brododium, on 09/22/2008, -3/+3It'd be damn funny if a book was called 'Cumbustion'.
    • hpfreak26, on 09/22/2008, -18/+46Irony - contrast between expectation and reality.

      You wouldn't expect a book on combustion engineering to be one of few books unburned, would you?
      • sexybobo, on 09/22/2008, -6/+46For all we know all the books were on combustion engineering. If that was the case then yes i would expect one a book on combustion engineering to be one of few books unburned.
        This is a coincidence not irony.
      • OneLess, on 09/22/2008, -0/+13I wouldn't expect a book on clam farming to be unburned either.
      • Elliottx, on 09/22/2008, -3/+6Seeing a book on combustion engineering spontaneously combust...NOW THAT'S IRONY!
      • scttyb121, on 09/22/2008, -2/+5Actually no, that still isn't irony.
      • Nboy514, on 09/22/2008, -0/+7I never knew such a simple concept would be so confusing to so many
      • Navicerts, on 09/22/2008, -0/+8Thats the subtle difference though, where the mistake tends to be made (not that it really matters).

        I would not expect a flaming Oreo cookie to fall from the sky into the mouth of a hungry beaver. That however does not make it ironic.

        I would not expect the #1 cause of death for beavers to be tress falling on them (thought they would have figured that out by now seeing as how they are the "lumberjacks of nature"?!), yet it is. That is irony.
      • TorontoJays, on 09/22/2008, -3/+2I think it would be ironic if we were all made of iron
      • wolfing, on 09/22/2008, -0/+1No man, irony implies opposed concepts, contrast. Like someone dying of heat stroke in Alaska, or Bill Gates using an Apple computer in his house, or a vegetarian butcher kind of thing.
        In the case of the picture, the book is about combustion and the house burned, that is a coincidence. Irony would be if the book was about fire prevention.
    • HiKevinRose, on 09/22/2008, -19/+3A testament to your ignorance. Irony is simply an unexpected turn of events, anything unexpected is ironic. It is technically ironic for anything to survive a fire, let alone a book about fire. Get over yourself, troll.

      "A. . . perception of inconsistency, [usually but not always humorous], in which an apparently straightforward statement or event is undermined by its context so as to give it a very different significance"
      writing2.richmond.edu/jessid/eng216/216terms.html
      • sexybobo, on 09/22/2008, -1/+6It might be unexpected that something could survive a fire but that is not what they are calling ironic.
        They are saying a book about fire surviving a fire is ironic. Which it isn't it is a coincidence.
      • bagboyrebel, on 09/22/2008, -1/+4Even the definition you quoted contradicts what you said. "undermined by its context". It's all about context.
    • DoctorFaust, on 09/22/2008, -1/+28"The use of words expressing something other than their literal intention."

      Now that... is... irony.
    • getrdone656, on 09/22/2008, -5/+8Well I think that since the book is about combustion and its the only one that didn't catch fire is ironic
      Or at least I think that's what the author meant
      • sexybobo, on 09/22/2008, -2/+2The problem is that by definition that is not what irony is.
        The fact that the book is about combustion and its the only one that didn't catch fire is a coincident not irony since the book is not doing anything unexpected or nothing unexpected happened to the book.
    • Vich, on 09/22/2008, -3/+23It's the closest thing I've seen to correctly labelled irony on Digg.
    • cyrix, on 09/22/2008, -2/+25After being on digg for so long and after encountering the word irony used and subsequently "corrected" by other people....I"m not even sure what the hell would constitute irony anymore...
    • defectDS, on 09/22/2008, -6/+6IT. IS. BOTH.
    • Llanowar, on 09/22/2008, -2/+7I think it's impossible for Digg to fully agree on something being ironic or not.
      There will always be a group saying it is and a group saying it isn't.
      It's almost as meaningless as the science/religion discussion.
    • Demus, on 09/22/2008, -3/+3Ah, poor Yanks and their (on the whole) inability to understand irony. It is ironic. (and it is a coincidence)
      • Kajarago, on 09/22/2008, -0/+1Poor limey bastards and their inability to keep their teeth straight. Now THAT's...still not irony.
      • clunis, on 09/22/2008, -0/+0Ironically, Alanis Morissette, the most famous example of someone who doesn't understand irony, is Canadian.
    • BoonTobias, on 09/22/2008, -1/+2exactly, it's just a coincidence morans!
    • skyroket, on 09/22/2008, -0/+1Is it coincidence or irony, then, that the display panel that alerts you as to which area of the ethanol plant is on fire, caught on fire? This happened in a recent lightning strike near our ethanol plant. That panel was the only thing that surged and caught afire.
    • Psamtik, on 09/22/2008, -0/+2I think the ironic part is that the book which didn't fall victim to combustion says "combustion" on it.
  • FizzanoMatrix, on 09/22/2008, -9/+3I like the way the light plays off the gic.
  • batonrye, on 09/22/2008, -3/+45Haha... just got the conclusion on the fire investigation - they deemed "spontaneous combustion" as the culprit.
    • Yookji, on 09/22/2008, -1/+12All right people, you just need to stop holding in those farts.
    • Namco, on 09/22/2008, -3/+1No *****, there it is right there on top of the pile!

      Just kiddin, but I thought spontaneous combustion was a myth having to do with people bursting into flames. Every fire has to have a heat source of some kind. Highly doubtful that it would actually be on a fire report.

      BTW, sorry to hear man. Hope your office gets back up and running soon.
      • MtheoryX, on 09/22/2008, -0/+5That would be "spontaneous human combustion."
      • Namco, on 09/22/2008, -0/+1Please explain how spontaneous combustion is possible then.
    • charters14, on 09/22/2008, -4/+2God is good at starting fires, he doesn't need a manual like we do
  • Ramenhood, on 09/22/2008, -2/+220I believe you have my stapler..
  • vulpescry, on 09/22/2008, -0/+6This book was built for this sort of thing. That's true engineering right there.
  • drilloffs, on 09/22/2008, -12/+4Excuse me, I believe you have my stapler...
  • Yookji, on 09/22/2008, -7/+1The likely culprit:
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WrCWLpRc1yM
  • InfernoX, on 09/22/2008, -0/+17The only logical explanation is that whoever started the fire left their book behind as they left xD
  • VenomMan, on 09/22/2008, -7/+0they planned on this sort of thing happen
  • tombomb, on 09/22/2008, -1/+232Sadly,The other book in there, How To Stop Combustion Engineering, was lost in the fire.
  • andywebb95, on 09/22/2008, -7/+2The book did it :)
    • BobZombie00, on 09/22/2008, -0/+1nice job copying from the flickr comments.
      • eyefork2, on 09/22/2008, -1/+1The book did it :)
      • andywebb95, on 09/22/2008, -1/+1I copied.... damn. Guess I should read the comments from the other site 1st.
  • DJBONEZ, on 09/22/2008, -9/+3Note to self: If looking to burn down building use "Combustion Engineering." Hey it worked for him!
  • curiousg1414, on 09/22/2008, -9/+2I thought the title referred to Iron Man
  • DmitriyG91, on 09/22/2008, -9/+1Well, it did not.
  • douglasr007, on 09/22/2008, -9/+1first person to call fake....just because
    and stab the first comment on the flickr page
  • charters14, on 09/22/2008, -1/+9Damage assessment: Minimal. the books survived the fire.
  • Prototek, on 09/22/2008, -1/+17The book was ingeniously printed on asbestos paper.
  • fant0m, on 09/22/2008, -15/+4Digg needs a picture section
    • AnAfricanOnline, on 09/22/2008, -2/+2ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha
      I'm laughing at you being buried for that!!
      i know i will as well !!
  • compgeek, on 09/22/2008, -6/+2I lol'd
  • Azuvic, on 09/22/2008, -7/+2The picture would make a good "Ironic" motivation poster
  • rpi22, on 09/22/2008, -5/+31It is ironic, but not in the way that you intended... its only ironic because you used the word ironic wrong.

    The picture is not ironic, its just an unfortunate coincidence.
    • lofi4life, on 09/22/2008, -1/+13So its ironic in an Alanis Morissette kind of way.
    • sgtbutterscotch, on 09/22/2008, -2/+3How is it ironic that he used the word ironic wrong? If anything, this should be expected to happen occasionally. Anyway, it is a little ironic in that if the company had been familiar with the book, there would not have been a fire... but that's kind of weak.
    • bdfariello, on 09/22/2008, -1/+5It's ironic that he misused the word irony because we were expecting something actually ironic and instead got something that was a mere coincidence.
    • WaveyRavey, on 09/22/2008, -3/+11Ironic

      1. containing or exemplifying irony: an ironic novel; an ironic remark.
      2. ironical.
      3. coincidental; unexpected: It was ironic that I was seated next to my ex-husband at the dinner.

      It was ironic.
      • sferland, on 09/22/2008, -1/+5It was only a coincidence actually. Irony would be if the book were a book on the prevention of fires, and somehow the book was the cause of the initial fire. THAT would be ironic.
      • skyroket, on 09/22/2008, -2/+3I wish you would link your sources. It's ironic that the English slang has gone down a path where the word 'ironic' and 'coincidental' have the same meaning.
      • apoc68, on 09/22/2008, -1/+1Where do we draw the line about what is and isn't irony? To paraphrase cracked.com, at some point we can just say "Hey I pooped in your fish tank, isn't that ironic?"

        Lets draw the line early. Your definition is wrong and, sir, I hate you.
      • WaveyRavey, on 09/23/2008, -0/+1My source was dictionary.com

        All the other dictionarys i checked say something like, "contains irony". Great ***** dictionary they are...

        Although since we are debating this subject, it is obvious it is a grey area, and a poorly defined word. And as such, i think its very anal too call someone up about how they use the word.
    • kickass911, on 09/22/2008, -3/+2HAIL Grammar Nazi
  • SierraAlpha, on 09/22/2008, -10/+2Front page of Digg. :)
  • Aridane, on 09/22/2008, -1/+3Milton J. Waddams is being held for questioning.
  • Varanos, on 09/22/2008, -8/+15The book.

    It accidentally the whole office.
    • LeftOffTheArk, on 09/22/2008, -3/+4Seriously, as if Digg comments hadn't gotten juvenile enough by themselves. I'm getting sick of every topic being laced with crappy jokes and chan rip-offs. It's never even good rip-offs, just more 4chan bull. Why can't people be original, and if they have nothing interesting to say let someone else have the second/third/fourth/so on comment?
    • elitegrunt, on 09/22/2008, -0/+4it did WHAT to the office?!?!?!
    • skyroket, on 09/22/2008, -0/+4I think you're missing a verb, buddy.
  • HHP2K, on 09/22/2008, -2/+71Once again, the minute the word "Irony" is mentioned improperly on Digg, a ***** ensues.
  • imacumpewter, on 09/22/2008, -3/+12i'm drunk and this still wasn't funny
  • hungryduck, on 09/22/2008, -2/+1Book Easter egg?
  • ConanMayerFan, on 09/22/2008, -3/+5Is this shirt too iron-y?
  • dhughes, on 09/22/2008, -0/+12 If you lighten the image a bit and zoom in you'll see the book underneath is called "How to start a fire with books".
  • snassiri, on 09/22/2008, -6/+4That's not really irony. Chalk it up to coincidence. An interesting coincidence perhaps.
    • Jashobeam5, on 09/23/2008, -0/+1No, coincidence would have been if the photographer was also the author of the book not burned. That is coincidence. This photo is irony.
  • defectDS, on 09/22/2008, -0/+8I hate all of you.
  • enantiodromia, on 09/22/2008, -8/+8THATS NOT IRONY, ITS MERELY COINCIDENTAL
    • readacook, on 09/22/2008, -0/+1Dugg for Bender quote, buried for all caps.
      • enantiodromia, on 09/22/2008, -0/+1i figured if Bender were commenting, he WOULD use all caps.
  • Mouserue, on 09/22/2008, -7/+2Not ironic, jackass.
  • kiantech, on 09/22/2008, -0/+5during that recent california 5.4 earthquake only one book on my bookshelf tipped, it was a book on designing building to be earthquake ready haha.
  • Berkana, on 09/22/2008, -5/+1No, what would be ironic is if the book were Fahrenheit 451˚.
    • opiniastrous, on 09/22/2008, -2/+2That would be less ironic than it is now, and it's not ironic as it is.
    • repmekevets, on 09/22/2008, -0/+4i admire your enthusiasm, but the degree symbol is not part of the title.
  • Totz83, on 09/22/2008, -0/+4Only you can prevent forest fires.
  • Gaalsien, on 09/22/2008, -5/+3It's fitting - the opposite of ironic.
  • AnAfricanOnline, on 09/22/2008, -1/+1And who does he really think is going to believe that here on digg!!
  • bustamove259, on 09/22/2008, -5/+3And to think that Palin wanted to ban this book too.
  • ChileanGoD, on 09/22/2008, -1/+1That picture would be complete with some sort of epic glorious biblical choir signing as the book is discovered.
  • Lynxplus, on 09/22/2008, -0/+2I was expecting to see Faranheit 451! As far as I can tell the book in the picture is the one responsible for the fire.
  • Zaggynl, on 09/22/2008, -4/+4For those who don't like to strain their necks: http://img146.imageshack.us/my.php?image=282833259 ...
  • Zippo, on 09/22/2008, -0/+3Cue Alanis Morissette.
  • spanglegluppet, on 09/22/2008, -5/+8To anyone arguing about the definition of 'irony': Shut up.
  • codyjohnle, on 09/22/2008, -1/+1cue smackey the frog.
  • AmateurX, on 09/22/2008, -3/+2The number 5 definition on Dictionary.com: "an outcome of events contrary to what was, or might have been, expected."

    I believe this falls underneath that category. Irony FTW!
    • sferland, on 09/22/2008, -1/+3No, seriously, you're wrong. This is coincidence. Something unexpected would be a fire extinguisher CAUSING a fire. Something the opposite doing something no one expects. This book had nothing to do with the actual fire. It was just there. Therefore it is a mere coincidence.

      Coincidence FTW!
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