Just as beds are infested with dust mites, my July 19, 2005 column in The Guardian was infested with little errors. There were at least two: J.E.M.H. van Bronswijk, author of "A Bed Ecosystem," is a her, not a him. I apologize to Professor van Bronswijk. This was plainly, simply an error on my part. […]
Month: July 2005
Foul-mouthed birds of Britain
There be foul-mouthed birds in Britain. An article in the July 27, 2005 issue of The Times reports: Parrot placed in solitary for swearing at vicarBy Jenny Booth, Times Online A foul-mouthed parrot who stands on top of his cage shouting rude words at passers-by has been isolated after swearing at the mayoress, a lady […]
A hole full of surprises
Holes seem simple enough, until you examine them closely. Marco Bertamini and Camilla Croucher peered at one particular aspect. Their study, called The Shape of Holes, appeared in the journal Cognition. In it, they say: "We discuss the many interesting aspects of holes as a subject of study in different disciplines, and predict that much […]
“Whom do I have to…”
This note arrived today: Hi. I was wondering how I can get tickets to this year’s ceremony. I am currently a patent examiner at the US Patent and Trademark Office, and I am leaving to come to Boston to attend Harvard Law School. One of Harvard’s draws for me was that it’s the site of […]
July mini-AIR
The July issue of mini-AIR just went out. It settles (in a cursory way) the Stroop vs. Smoot debate, ponders pencils, and suggests a Koffka/Kafka komparison, among other things.
READING FOR PLEASURE: Semiosphere chemistry
This week’s selection in our READING FOR PLEASURE series is Kaie Kotov‘s "Semiosphere: A chemistry of being."
Better-Than-Zero Essay Competition
The Better-Than-Zero Essay Competition honors a thought expressed by Henry A. Obering, director of the United States Missile Defense Agency. This thought is reported in a July 21, 2005 Dow Jones news article (and also in a July 22 Washington Post article): Lt. Gen. Henry A. Obering III told reporters that he had confidence in […]
Pigeon-load almosts
Here are two of the runner-up entries to the Pigeon Load Limerick Contest. The contest, announced in the June issue of miniAIR, is to write a limerick that elucidates this research report: "Transmitter Loads Affect the Flight Speed and Metabolism of Homing Pigeons," J.A. Gessaman and K.A. Nagy, Condor, vol. 90, 1988, pp. 662?8. The […]
The kept foot — a medical writing triumph
Investigator Sally Shelton sent us a newspaper clipping, together with a prediction. She writes: "This is the 2005 winner for Best Opening Line in a Breaking News Story." The article appears in the July 26, 2005 issue of the Lawrence (Kansas) Journal-World. It begins: Amputee happy to be reunited with foot Police had seized limb […]
Poultry Internet mission
Here is the mission statement of The Poultry Internet: Poultry are one of the most badly treated animals in the modern world. It has been shown that they have high levels of both cognition and feelings and as a result there has been a recent trend of promoting poultry welfare. There is also a tradition […]