Investigator D. Edwards writes in reference to a citation we presented in mini-AIR 2004-07. The citation is: “http://wwwuser.gwdg.de/~fwelter/flyingsnails.htm”>Flying Snails — How Far Can Truncatellina (Pulmonata: Vertiginidae) Be Blown Over the Sea?” C. Kirchner, R. Kr?tzner and F.W. Welter-Schultes, Journal of Molluscan Studies, vol. 63, 1997, pp. 479-87. Investigator Edwards offers this: Here in bosky Penge […]
Month: October 2004
October mini-AIR
The October issue of mini-AIR just went out.
The Murphying of Sod’s Law
British Gas, in trying hard to honor Murphy’s Law, has run afoul of it. A basic law of nature, Murphy’s Law is known by various names. British Gas favors the possibly-ancient, and probably-honorable, and almost-certainly British “Sod’s Law.” The company issued a press release which begins: 7 October 2004 The formula that proves that ‘Sod’s […]
Friendly bacteria
A recent experiment in Germany shows that botox can make people’s armpits smell better. Botox – aka “botulinum toxin” – has had a curious reputation with the public. First it was feared: it can kill, after all. Then it was cheered: the fashionable were delighted to hear that something with a hint of danger could […]
The Persistence of Wallace
Ig Nobel Prize-winner Sanford Wallace is back in the news. In 1997, Wallace was awarded the Ig Nobel Prize in the field of Communications. The citation taciturnly identified Mr. Wallace and his early work: Sanford Wallace, president of Cyber Promotions of Philadelphia — neither rain nor sleet nor dark of night have stayed this self-appointed […]
Press Release: Caffeine Withdrawal is Real!
A press release issued by Johns Hopkins University on September 29, 2004, alerts the world that caffeine withdrawal is a genuine problem.
The Passing of Benveniste
Jacques Benveniste, the only person who was awarded two Ig Nobel Prizes, has died. Benveniste was awarded the 1991 Ig Nobel Chemistry Prize “for his persistent discovery that water, H2O, is an intelligent liquid, and for demonstrating to his satisfaction that water is able to remember events long after all trace of those events has […]
Understanding Economists
For a new, graphical approach to understanding the behavior of economists, try clicking on the button here. (Thanks to investigator Martin Meder for bringing this to our attention.)
Hopping Mad about Hula-Hooping
Dr —-[EDITOR’S NOTE: THE INVESTGATOR HAS ASKED US TO REMOVE HER NAME]—- sent us this note: Dear Sirs, I just have read about the latest Ignoble [sic] prize winners in physics and I read the original article of Ramesh Balasubramaniam and Michael Turvey, “Coordination Modes in the Multisegmental Dynamics of Hula Hooping,” Biological Cybernetics, vol. […]
Pek on “Serendipity”
We asked Pek Van Andel to review the world’s most provocative book about serendipity. Pek is an Ig Nobel Prize winner (for leading the team that took the first MRI images of a couple’s sexual organs while those organs were in use.) Here is his review. ————– Serendipity: the Prince?s Road This Begriffsgeschichte, this funny, […]