Some 30 years ago, beachgoers in three countries found that strangers were coming up to them, asking strange questions. The strangers turned out to be fairly harmless. They were academics, driven by a fierce desire to understand how much space people appropriate for themselves when they plop down on a beach…. So begins this week’s […]
Month: February 2005
Poly comparisons
Investigator Machiel Stolk writes: You probably have heard about the following article "The Polymeal: a more natural, safer, and probably tastier (than the Polypill) strategy to reduce cardiovascular disease by more than 75%" by Oscar H Franco, Luc Bonneux, Chris de Laet, Anna Peeters, Ewout W Steyerberg, and Johan P Mackenbach, BMJ, 2004; 329: 1447-1450. […]
The caring plant
Investigator P.J. Wichsand alerts us to another deadpan techno-satire from the good folks at Accenture Technology Lab. This one is called "The Caring Plant." The official Accenture Labs description says: The plant can even look after itself with requests around its own needs??More water please? or ?I need sun!? Through the use of artificial intelligence, […]
Old British toilet paper complaint
Historical research sometimes brings up that which was once cast down a dark hole, such as the British civil service’s 1963 inquiry into toilet paper quality, and the complaint that triggered the investigation. A report in the January 4, 2005 issue of The Daily Telegraph seems to have unfurled this once tightly-wrapped secret. The report […]
Accenture techno-intelligence satire
Accenture Technology Labs has produced a wonderful satire that every experienced computer programmer can savor. The satire is about how simple it will be for the company to combine lots of advanced technology into a device that makes intuitive, everyday kinds of decisions. The satire is in two parts, written and video. The text begins: […]
Unidentified high-flying lab
A report in the February 13, 2005 issue of India Daily brings startling news: Invisible tiny UFO caught on chemical-imaging camera Staff ReporterFeb. 13, 2005 In India?s one of the premiere research and development laboratories… According to sources, while analyzing data the scientists came across something very strange and bizarre. A set of photos showed […]
Beaver snails
Beaver snails can be delightful.
William Cane, kissing expert
Today, Valentine’s Day, is as good a time as any to consider the merits of William Cane, the self-confessed kissing expert, and his multimedia presentation on ocsculation.
Understanding America
Here is another student essay suggestion from our Improbable Social Science Project. The short film "Queen of the House" encapsulates, one way and another, everything a student needs to begin understanding the world’s most proudly peculiar country, the United States of America. A teacher would do well to ask students virtually any question about how […]
Trash that smarts
A report in the February 11, 2005 issue of The Guardian tells of the agonizing delemma of smart trash: Residents of Croydon, south London, have been told that the microchips being inserted into their new wheely bins may well be adapted so that the council can judge whether they are producing too much rubbish. If […]