Improbable Research

A Wiltshire inventor has designed a novel way to cook an egg without using water.

Simon Rhymes, 23, from Chippenham, thought up the idea for the Bulbed Egg Maker (BEM) while studying project design at Bournemouth University.

After experimenting with more than 600 eggs, Mr Rhymes says he can now produce a “perfect” boiled egg in six minutes.

He has patented the BEM, which uses high-powered halogen bulbs to cook the egg before slicing the top off.

So says the BBC in an October 11, 2006 article.

Carol Waseleski published a new report! It’s entitled “Gender and the use of exclamation points in computer-mediated communication: An analysis of exclamations posted to two electronic discussion lists,” Carol Waseleski, Journal of Computer-Mediated Communication, vol. 11, no. 4, 2006, article 6. The author explains that:

“Past research has reported that females use exclamation points more frequently than do males. Such research often characterizes exclamation points as “markers of excitability,” a term that suggests instability and emotional randomness, yet it has not necessarily examined the contexts in which exclamation points appeared for evidence of “excitability.” The present study uses a 16-category coding frame in a content analysis of 200 exclamations posted to two electronic discussion groups serving the library and information science profession. The results indicate that exclamation points rarely function as markers of excitability in these professional forums, but may function as markers of friendly interaction.”

(Thanks to investigators Gillian Trimble and Philip Reilly for bringing this to our attention.)

As anticipated — much anticipated — the most famous dead sparrow in the history of cricket DID fly again ? for the first time since it was killed in a match at Lord?s Cricket Ground in 1936. The bird is now starring in “The Grand House Sparrow Exhibition” at the Natural History Museum of Rotterdam in the Netherlands.

Dave van der Wal of RTV Rijnmond accompanied Kees Moeliker as he traveled from the museum to London, reverently took custody of the bird from its keepers at Lord’s Cricket Ground, and returned in quiet triumph — on an airplane — to Rotterdam.

To see van der Wal’s video report, click on the image at right.

White mice will be used to test athletes’ food at the 2008 Beijing Olympics to make sure it is not poisoned.

The Xinhua news agency says milk, alcohol, salad, rice, oil, salt and seasonings will be tested by white mice, 24 hours before they are used in cooking or served to athletes. Beijing’s Municipal Health Inspection Bureau says the mice will develop adverse reactions to poisoning within 17 hours, much sooner than other testing methods. Other safeguards will also be used. All of the food arriving at Olympic restaurants will be monitored and recorded and food storage areas will be fitted with alarms and video cameras.

So says a November 17, 2006 report by the ABC.

(Thanks to investigator Richard Fitzpatrick for bringing this to our attention.)

A study called Artists’ Suicides as a Public Good explains how we benefit when a famous artist kills himself. As far as I know, this is the only academic report that credits Kurt Cobain as its major source of information….

So begins this week’s Improbable Research column in The Guardian.