PLEASE FORWARD/POST AS APPROPRIATE ================================================================ The mini-Annals of Improbable Research ("mini-AIR") Issue number 2005-09 September 2005 ISSN 1076-500X Key words: improbable research, science humor, Ig Nobel, AIR, the ---------------------------------------------------------------- A free newsletter of tidbits too tiny to fit in the Annals of Improbable Research (AIR), the journal of inflated research and personalities ================================================================ ----------------------------- 2005-09-01 TABLE OF CONTENTS 2005-09-02 Imminent Events - Ig, Ig 2005-09-03 What's New in the Magazine 2005-09-04 Kims, Lees, and Chois, in Bunches 2005-09-05 The Next Ome 2005-09-06 Fledermausmensch Update 2005-09-07 Five-Patels Limerick Winner 2005-09-08 Ig Nobel Ceremony 2005-09-09 Ig Informal Lectures 2005-09-10 IgBook 2005-09-11 Enshrined Heads of Hair 2005-09-12 RESEARCH SPOTLIGHT: Shock in the Shower 2005-09-13 On Our Blog 2005-09-14 MAY WE RECOMMEND: Mattress Flipping, 3-Hour Vigilance 2005-09-15 Improbable Research Events 2005-09-16 How to Subscribe to AIR (*) 2005-09-17 Our Address (*) 2005-09-18 Please Forward/Post This Issue! (*) 2005-09-19 How to Receive mini-AIR, etc. (*) Items marked (*) are reprinted in every issue. mini-AIR is a free monthly *e-supplement* to AIR, the print magazine ---------------------------------------------------------- 2005-09-02 Imminent Events - Ig, Ig IG NOBEL CEREMONY, HARVARD UNIVERSITY OCT 6, 2005 IG INFORMAL LECTURES, MIT OCT 8, 2005 ---------------------------------------------------------- 2005-09-03 What's New in the Magazine The Sept/Oct issue (vol. 11, no. 5) of the Annals of Improbable Research is the special HARRY POTTER & THE EXPLODING FROGS issue. Non-snail/non-cookie highlights include: <> "Selected Works of Harry Potter," by Alice Shirrell Kaswell. A look at some of the research done by non-fictional Harry Potters. <> "Potter: Hairy," by Stephen Drew. A look at hair-related research by non-fictional people named Potter. <> "Exploding Toads: The Storied Remains." a "dream team" of improbable scientists -- Mark Benecke, C.W. Moeliker, Richard Wassersug -- digs into the much-celebrated exploding toads of Hamburg and much more... The entire table of contents -- and the particular articles mentioned above -- are online at ---------------------------------------------------------- 2005-09-04 Kims, Lees, and Chois, in Bunches Investigator Fred Gates found a multiple Kim-Lee_Choi research report for our Multiplicity of Monikers Project. It has: 15 Kims 11 Lees 8 Chois The citation is: "The KSTAR Project: An Advanced Steady State Superconducting Tokamak Experiment," G.S. Lee, J. Kim, S.M. Hwang, C.S. Chang, H.Y. Chang, M.H. Cho, B.H. Choi, K. Kim, K.W. Cho, S. Cho, K.K. Choh, C.H. Choi, J.H. Choi, J.W. Choi, I.S. Choi, C.J. Do, and many, many others, Nuclear Fusion, vol. 40, 2000, pp. 575-82. Savor it online at ---------------------------------------------------------- 2005-09-05 The Next Ome What is the future of omes? First came the genome -- the complete list of information contained in a critter's genes. Now comes the proteome, the complete list of information about all the proteins produced, directly or indirectly, by everything in the genome. Soon, we are told, comes the interactome -- the complete list of information about how everything in the genome and everything in the proteome and probably some other stuff interacts. Users of the metric system planned ahead, preparing names for big, new concepts (giga, tera, peta, etc.) slightly before those concepts came into everyday use. Promoters of the omeley complexibioinfomatical concepts might do well to compress all the future, bigger-and-more-encompassing omes into a single, all- purpose, all-everything ome. Call it the meta-ome, call it the omni-ome, or call by the name that seems to suit it best: the everything-ome. ---------------------------------------------------------- 2005-09-06 Fledermausmensch Update The Committee to Figure Out Who is Fledermausmensch (see last month's mini-AIR for something approaching an explanation) is deliberating. Results are expected at some point. ---------------------------------------------------------- 2005-09-07 Five-Patels Limerick Winner There is a winner in the Five-Patels Limerick Competition. The event provoked an outpouring of limericks that elucidate this study: "Physico-Chemical Characteristics and Fatty Acid Composition of Milk Fat of Krankrej Cows, II. Effect of Dietary Conditions," G.K. Patel, M.J. Patel, R.M. Patel, K.C. Patel and R.D. Patel, Fat Science Technology, vol. 91, no. 4, 1989, pp. 164-7. The winner, who will receive a free issue of the Annals of Improbable Research, is: INVESTIGATOR JEFF NEWMAN : The physical work was Patel's. The chemical part was Patel's. Patel handled milk fat, So cowfood was plopped at The feet of two other Patels. Several runner-up entries are listed in the blog, at And here is the approach taken by IMPROBABLE LIMERICK LAUREATE MARTIN EIGER: G.K. wondered, "What's that in fat?" M.J. said, "Milk fat's where it's at." R.M. queried, "How?" K.C. said, "A cow!" R.D. said, "A phat idea, that." ---------------------------------------------------------- 2005-09-08 Ig Nobel Ceremony The new winners will be journeying, from slightly more than four continents, to attend the Ig Nobel Prize Ceremony on Thursday night, October 6, at Harvard University. This year's theme is INFINITY. The ceremony will include three Infinite Lectures, as well as the premiere of the mini-opera "The Count of Infinity," and the Win-a-Date-with-a-Nobel-Laureate Contest. TICKETS: Tickets for the ceremony are on sale from the Harvard Box office: Telephone: (+1) 617-496-2222. WEBCAST: The live webcast is at . TIME: The webcast will begin at 7:15 pm. with a special pre- concert ("Infinite Chopsticks") by pianist Nicholas Carstoiu. The ceremony proper begins at 7:30 pm. AUDIENCE DELEGATIONS: If you have five or more tickets and wish to register as an audience delegation, please do. The registration deadline is FRIDAY, SEPT. 30. DETAILS: are at < http://www.improbable.com/ig/2005/2005-details.html> ---------------------------------------------------------- 2005-09-09 Ig Informal Lectures The new winners will explain themselves to some degree, and answer questions, at the Ig Informal Lectures, on Saturday, October 8, at 1:00 pm, at MIT, building 10 room 250. The Lectures are free, but the number of seats is strictly limited. ---------------------------------------------------------- 2005-09-10 IgBook The new book "The Ig Nobel Prizes 2: An All-New Collection of the World's Unlikeliest Research" (ISBN 0525949127) is now in bookstores of most types, including this one: ---------------------------------------------------------- 2005-09-11 Enshrined Heads of Hair The Luxuriant Flowing Hair Club for Scientists (LFHCfS) has still more new, very hairy-headed members. Peruse them at ---------------------------------------------------------- 2005-09-12 RESEARCH SPOTLIGHT: Shock in the Shower Each month we select for your special attention a research report that seems especially worth a close read. This month's pick: "Shock in the Shower," Dave Swenson, EOS/ESD Symposium 1997 Proceedings. The author explains that: A shampoo product delivered a massive static shock, typically when the bottle was opened by a wet person in the shower. An investigation discovered that the filled shampoo bottle was behaving like a self-powered "Leyden Jar." This article describes the physics and solutions to a severe consumer relations problem. ... It should be noted that the product is still sold today, but in a bottle that does not give you a "Shock in the Shower." Savor it online, with music, at ---------------------------------------------------------- 2005-09-13 On Our Blog Here are some recent topics (a new one appears every weekday) in our blog: <> Hurricanes and pressured cookery <> Ig Nobel and Hurricane Katrina <> Ig Class of 2002 further adventures <> Thumbtacks and Cheerios <> Bottled lust in Western Australia <> What is a brain based business? ... and many others Read the blog via ----------------------------------------------------------- 2005-09-14 MAY WE RECOMMEND: Mattress Flipping, 3-Hour Vigilance MATTRESS FLIPPING "Group Theory in the Bedroom: An Insomniac's Guide to the Curious Mathematics of Mattress Flipping," Brian Hayes, American Scientist, vol. 93, no. 5, September-October 2005, pp. 395-9. (Thanks to David Fanning for bringing this to our attention.) OBJECTIVE WANTS "What Do Objects Want?" Chris Gosden, Journal of Archaeological Method and Theory, vol. 12, no. 3, September 2005, pp. 193-211. (Thanks to Tom Gill for bringing this to our attention.) SNIFF OR SHAKE, REPEATEDLY "Effects of the Periodic Administration of Odor or Vibration on a 3-Hour Vigilance Task," S.A. McBride, et al., Perceptual and Motor Skills, vol. 98, no. 1, February 2004, pp. 307-18. ------------------------------------------------------------ 2005-09-15 Improbable Research Events ==> For details and updates see ==> ==> Want to host an event? See: ==> FIFTEENTH 1ST ANNUAL IG NOBEL PRIZE CEREMONY -- OCT 6, 2005 Sanders Theatre, Harvard University, 7:30 PM Tickets are on sale from the Harvard Box Office: IG INFORMAL LECTURES -- OCT 8, 2005 MIT, room 10-250. 1:30 PM. ADARQUE, QUEBEC CITY, QUEBEC -- NOV 18, 2005 Banquet et conference humoristique Ig Nobel Hotel Chateau Laurier http://www.adaruq.org/programme2005.htm INFO: Patricia Fournier, (819) 821-8000 ext. 1274 Patricia.Fournier@USherbrooke.ca AAAS ANNUAL MEETING, ST. LOUIS -- FEB, 2006 IMPROBABLE RESEARCH TOUR OF THE UK -- MAR, 2006 PINC CONFERENCE, THE NETHERLANDS -- MAY 16, 2006 -------------------------------------------------------------- -------------------------------------------------------------- -------------------------------------------------------------- 2005-09-16 How to Subscribe to AIR (*) Here's how to subscribe to the magnificent bi-monthly print journal The Annals of Improbable Research (the real thing, not just the little bits of overflow material you've been reading in this newsletter). ................................................................ Name: Address: Address: City and State: Zip or postal code: Country Phone: FAX: E-mail: ......................................................... SUBSCRIPTIONS (6 issues per year): USA 1 yr/$29 2 yrs/$53 Canada/Mexico 1 yr/$33 US 2 yrs/$57 US Overseas 1 yr/$45 US 2 yrs/$82 US ......................................................... BACK ISSUES are available, too: First issue: $8 USA, $11 Canada/Mex, $16 overseas Add'l issues purchased at same time: $6 each ......................................................... Send payment (US bank check, or international money order, or Visa, Mastercard or Discover info) to: Annals of Improbable Research (AIR) PO Box 380853, Cambridge, MA 02238 USA 617-491-4437 FAX:617-661-0927 ----------------------------------------------------- 2005-09-17 Our Address (*) Annals of Improbable Research (AIR) PO Box 380853, Cambridge, MA 02238 USA 617-491-4437 FAX:617-661-0927 EDITORIAL: marca@chem2.harvard.edu SUBSCRIPTIONS: air@improbable.com WEB SITE: ----------------------------------------------------- 2005-09-18 Please Forward/Post This Issue! (*) Please distribute copies of mini-AIR (or excerpts!) wherever appropriate. The only limitations are: A) Please indicate that the material comes from mini-AIR. B) You may NOT distribute mini-AIR for commercial purposes. ------------- mini-AIRheads ------------- EDITOR: Marc Abrahams (marca@chem2.harvard.edu) MINI-PROOFREADER AND PICKER OF NITS (before we introduce the last few at the last moment): Wendy Mattson WWW EDITOR/GLOBAL VILLAGE IDIOT: Amy Gorin (airmaster@improbable.com) COMMUTATIVE EDITOR: Stanley Eigen (eigen@neu.edu) ASSOCIATIVE EDITOR: Mark Dionne PSYCHOLOGY EDITOR: Robin Abrahams CO-CONSPIRATORS: Alice Shirrell Kaswell, Gary Dryfoos, Ernest Ersatz, S. Drew MAITRE DE COMPUTATION: Jerry Lotto AUTHORITY FIGURES: Nobel Laureates Dudley Herschbach, Sheldon Glashow, William Lipscomb, Richard Roberts (c) copyright 2005, Annals of Improbable Research ----------------------------------------------------- 2005-09-19 How to Receive mini-AIR, etc. (*) What you are reading right now is mini-AIR. Mini-AIR is a (free!) tiny monthly *supplement* to the bi-monthly print magazine. 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