Improbable Research

Dr. Eilert Sundt Secretary General, Norwegian Cartozoologic Society, writes [AIR 16:2]:

“The Mercantile Mongrel Dog prowls the heart of the City of London. Given the sheer variety and denseness of detail that is characteristic of London, this con-tour is best explored in the company of friends.”

BONUS: Download a high-res copy of the full article “Cartozoology”.

Dr. Eilert Sundt Secretary General, Norwegian Cartozoologic Society, writes [AIR 16:2]:

cartozoology n. The science or practice of discovering and studying animals outlined paradigmatically by street layouts as they appear in maps, especially with reference to physical evidence of the animals’ presence in the corresponding terrain. cartozoologist n. [From French carte ‘map, card’ + modern Latin zoologia (as ZOO-, -LOGY)]

BONUS: Download a high-res copy of the full article “Cartozoology”.

Mathematical theory describing the problem of four-legged wobbly tables stretches back at least as far as 2005, when a paper on the subject of  “The Intuitive Table ‘Theorem’ “, was published in the journal Viniculum. [subscribers only]
The theorem ran thus: “By rotating a square table over uneven ground, you can ensure that all four legs touch the ground”. Suggesting that, theoretically at least, any wobbling can be eliminated by studious rotation. A few months later, the same authors, Burkard Polster, Marty Ross and QED (the cat) published an update, which is available online, see  Turning the tables: feasting from a mathsnack.(Viniculum, Volume 42, number 4. Nov. 2005).

The phrase “camel toe” has at least two common meanings. One pertains to camel anatomy, as mentioned in this recent study:

“China’s Dongbei Cuisine,” Jacqueline M. Newman, Gastronomica, Spring 2009, vol. 9, no. 2, pp. 82–6. Newman reports: “Though the consumption of endangered species is generally frowned upon, Dongbei inhabitants still enjoy bear paw, camel toe, and various tiger parts.”

The newer meaning pertains to human anatomy. Kathleen Fasanella explains, in her study “Anatomy of a Camel Toe“. Fasanella explains [using the photo reproduced here] that camel toe is “a popular culture description of the crotch of a woman’s pants that was inordinately defined due to wearing pants that were too small.” Fasanella corrects what she sees as a popular misconception:

the fitting problem known as camel toe is not caused by women wearing their pants too tight. No, no. Most of the time, camel toe is rarely the extreme you see on certain websites; it’s more subtle than that. Most of the time, camel toe is caused by wearing pants that are too big — in one specific area — making a reciprocal area too small. It’s an engineering problem.

(Thanks to investigator G. Jules for bringing this to our attention. Jules also points to a less scholarly description of the phenomenon, a Consumerist essay called “Smooth Down Your Lady Parts With Camelflage Or Camel Ammo“.)

Though some people mistakenly think tallow is just for making candles and soap, some savvy tallow-makers make edible tallow. In 1982, J.C. Marlow of the Australian firm Advanced Meat Industry Technology Pty., Ltd. wrote a monograph called “Edible Rendering” that contains a section on “Production of Edible Tallow.” The discussion is a bit different from the edible rendering offerings here in the past few days. This image from the report give you a bit of the flavor:

Behold this four-minute compilation of Ray Harryhausen’s lovingly created movie monsters, adding magnificent monster music by Tito Puente. (Thanks to investigator Sally Shelton for bringing it to our attention.)

Read about Harryhausen and his work in Roy P. Webber’s book The Dinosaur Films of Ray Harryhausen, much of which is online.