Young boys who are allowed to dress up as female characters could become better readers, it has been claimed. The assertion is made in “Boys and Reading,” a report published by the Centre for Language in Primary Education. The report’s joint author, Sue Pidgeon, suggests that boys are poorer readers than girls because their experiences […]
Month: December 2006
Teen hormones in action
‘Teen Facts – Hormones’ Animated educative film showing a scientific experiment. For three minutes two kids are exposed to ten years of puberty. Made for NEMO Science center ‘TeenFacts’ exhibition, running for the next five years. Original version: Dutch – Shown here is the English translation So says FonzTeeVee. (Thanks to investigator Octavian Bruce for […]
Bright on, and conceivably in, the head
A patented process takes ordinary hair color and makes it extraordinary, by adding self-illuminating glow! Voltage does not rely on UV, neon or black lights to create glow. So say the purveyors of Voltage Self-Illuminating Hair Gel. (Thanks to investigator Betsy Devine for bringing this to our attention.)
Abstinence best sellers
What are abstinence best sellers? Here is the definition according to the purveyor: Our exclusive copyrighted products to promote sexual abstinence. Examples of abstinence best-sellers are: ABSTINENCE ROSE PIN; ABSTINENCE DOG TAG; VD MOOD PENCILS; and STD CRAB.
How to intimidate cockroaches
Investigator Noor Mohammad Cheema writes: I hate cockroaches and rats. After many experiments to get rid of them, I found several techniques . These techniques are to create fear in them — after you apply one of these techniques, the rats have no way except to leave that place immediately. One technique is very funny. […]
Leeson bounds to success
As an unsupervised young chief trader in Singapore in 1995, Nicholas W. Leeson lost $1.3 billion in frenzied trades in Japanese stock futures and bonds, destroying his employer, the 233-year-old Barings Bank, which had Queen Elizabeth as a customer.Now, Mr. Leeson, having served four years in prison and survived a bout with colon cancer, has […]
The Emergence of Clocky
Gauri Nanda — winner of a 2005 Ig Nobel Prize for inventively solving her chronic oversleeping problem — has made good on her promise to help other oversleepers rise and run. Clocky is the now-famous alarm clock that runs away and hides, repeatedly. The Boston Globe reports, on December 26, 2006, that: Clocky’s inventor, Gauri […]
Alas, Ryff
Perhaps, just maybe, there are people who are not excited about Ryff‘s Six-Factor Model of Well-Being. But for everyone who is excited, there’s news, albeit bad news. Kristen W. Springer, Robert M. Hauser, and Jeremy Freese are publishing a report called “Bad News Indeed for Ryff’s Six-Factor Model of Well-Being.” It’s in the journal Social […]
Good training for observers
For many scientists, observation is the key skill. An organization called Diaper Free Baby now offers information and training for anyone who wants to develop good observational skills. They say: Observation is the first step in EC. While observing, there are a few things to look for. One is timing patterns and rhythms. Many babies […]
The stalls: Who counts?
Investigator Hugh Price writes: Myriad questions present themselves about the two toilet stall studies. The most obvious: was it a men’s or a women’s lavatory? One would expect that the bathroom behavior of men and women is quite different. Second, neither of the environments selected is at all typical. While an antarctic outhouse might not […]