PLEASE FORWARD/POST AS APPROPRIATE
================================================================
The mini-Annals of Improbable Research ("mini-AIR")
Issue number 2006-08
August 2006
ISSN 1076-500X
Key words: improbable research, science humor, Ig Nobel, AIR, the
----------------------------------------------------------------
A free newsletter of tidbits too tiny to fit in
the bi-monthly paper magazine
Annals of Improbable Research (AIR)
================================================================
-----------------------------
2006-08-01 TABLE OF CONTENTS
2006-08-02 mini tech stuff
2006-08-03 What's New in the Magazine
2006-08-04 Song-Lodging Psychology Experiment
2006-08-05 Alpbach Corpse Correction
2006-08-06 Frank and the Tree
2006-08-07 Cannibalism Can Lead to Car Crashes
2006-08-08 Experts: Enron is the Best
2006-08-09 Ig Nobel, with Fractals
2006-08-10 Trekian Diatom Fizzle
2006-08-11 Lab Rat Terriers
2006-08-12 Beard Breather Advisory Limerick Competition
2006-08-13 Hair in New Abundance
2006-08-14 RESEARCH SPOTLIGHT: Men are Smarter Than Women
2006-08-15 BLOGLIGHTS: Plagiarism, rats, the
2006-08-16 MAY WE RECOMMEND: Rhino, Intelligence, Tic-Tac
2006-08-17 Improbable Research Events
2006-08-18 How to Subscribe to AIR (*)
2006-08-19 Our Address (*)
2006-08-20 Please Forward/Post This Issue! (*)
2006-08-21 How to Receive mini-AIR, etc. (*)
Items marked (*) are reprinted in every issue.
mini-AIR is
a free monthly *e-supplement* to the print magazine
Annals of Improbable Research
----------------------------------------------------------
2006-08-02 mini tech stuff
This August issue of mini-AIR came out late
because we've been switching to new list distribution
software. Good luck to us all. The new subscribe/unsubscribe
info is at the bottom of this issue.
Ps. We hope (but doubt) that you enjoyed the small,
unintended email that may have preceded this one.
Sorry about that.
----------------------------------------------------------
2006-08-03 What's New in the Magazine
The July/Aug issue (vol. 12, no. 4) of the Annals of Improbable
Research is the special THE issue.
The table of contents is online at:
<http://tinyurl.com/nafch>
Highlights include:
<> "Stock Market Behavior Predicted by Rat Neurons," Timothy
Marzullo, Edward Rantze and Gregory Gage.
<> "Kulicke, Kulicke, Kulicke, Kulicke...," by Nan Swift. Presents
evidence that Prof. Dr.-Ing. Werner-Michael Kulicke of the
Institut fŸr Technische und Makromolekulare Chemie at the
University of Hamburg, Germany, may be the king of citing oneself
in one's own academic publications.
<> "The The Research Review," compiled by Alice Shirrell Kaswell.
<> "An/The/An Index of Confusion," by Philip O'Leary.
<> "NA and Missing Library Books," by Joyce Flynn.
<> "Where The," by Marc Abrahams.
and much more. Most of the articles mentioned above are also
posted on our web site.
To subscribe (6 paper issues per year) go to
<http://improbable.com/subscribe/>
or see Section 2006-08-18, below.
*** Thanks to everyone who suggested we make it
easier to subscribe online.
Finally, we have: <http://improbable.com/subscribe/>
----------------------------------------------------------
2006-08-04 Song-Lodging Psychology Experiment
How long does it take to lodge a tune in one's mind? Please
participate in this small research project, which concerns that
very question.
TEST MATERIAL: The Appalachian State University song.
The song (with a related video accompaniment) is at:
<http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pVENWl8uBeg>
PROCEDURE: Listen to the song. Then see if you can sing the tune
from memory. If you cannot reliably repeat the tune, listen again.
Repeat this process as many times as necessary.
THE QUESTION: How many times did you have to listen to the song
before it lodged in your memory?
REPORT: Please send your data (keep non-numerical comments, if
any, to a minimum) to:
SONG-LODGING PSYCHOLOGY EXPERIMENT
c/o (marca AT chem2.harvard.edu>
----------------------------------------------------------
2006-08-05 Alpbach Corpse Correction
We committed a horrendous double-error in July's mini-AIR, which
said:
"ATOM & EVE," with FRANK and DIANE
A new version of the mini-opera "Atom & Eve" will be
the highlight of a webcast from Austria on Friday,
August 25. It's the featured Friday evening event at
the 2006 Alpbach Technology Forum, in the little
mountain town where Wehrner Heisenberg is buried.
As Investigator Karl Arlamovsky and others diplomatically reminded
us, Erwin Schroedinger -- but not Heisenberg -- is buried in
Alpbach. And for completeness: Heisenberg's first name is spelled
"Werner."
The Atom & Eve event did happen.
A recorded version of the webcast is online:
<http://tinyurl.com/r4mou>
The performers:
Atom: Nobel laureate Frank Wilczek
Eve: Professor/soprano Diane Shooman
Pianist: Paul Lugger
----------------------------------------------------------
2006-08-06 Frank and the Tree
Opera singer / physicist Frank Wilczek (see previous item) lost
his car to the interaction of a tree with a freak sudden
weatherburst. A photo taken shortly thereafter tells the tale:
<http://tinyurl.com/qz4pq>
----------------------------------------------------------
2006-08-07 Cannibalism Can Lead to Car Crashes
Investigator Sharon A McKinley spotted a notable passage in a
study mentioned in mini-AIR 2006-6 and 2006-07:
"Cannibalism has previously been described in
this species, as in other omnivores, and can lead to
dangerously slick driving conditions for automobiles
as Mormon crickets stop to eat crushed conspecifics on
roadways and get run over themselves."
The study itself is still online at
<http://tinyurl.com/gwmng>
----------------------------------------------------------
2006-08-08 Experts: Enron is the Best
Investigator Daniel Lichtblau spotted a notable item in a study
mentioned in mini-AIR 2006-07. He writes:
"Gotta love an article that cites Enron for best practice."
The study's title features the phrase "A Whole New Way to Think
About Business." The authors, Eric Bonabeau and Christopher Meyer,
were at the time (2001) affiliated with Cap Gemini, the esteemed
consulting firm. The study is still online at
<http://tinyurl.com/kwydw>.
Investigator Bonabeau is now Chief Executive Officer and Chief
Scientific Officer of a company called Icosystem. Read about him
at <http://tinyurl.com/rhmkd>.
Christopher Meyer is Chief Executive of a company called Monitor
Networks. read about him at <http://tinyurl.com/ot4wa>.
----------------------------------------------------------
2006-08-09 Ig Nobel, with Fractals
Benoit Mandelbrot, the father of fractals, will deliver one of the
24/7 Lectures at this year's Ig Nobel Prize Ceremony on Thursday
night, October 5, at Harvard's Sanders Theatre. The other 24/7
Lecturers will be announced in September.
This year's new Ig Nobel Prize winners will, of course, be
revealed at the ceremony. And much else will transpire.
IG GENERAL INFO: <http://improbable.com/ig/>
TICKETS:
Harvard Box Office ONLINE: <http://tinyurl.com/jem2k>
TELEPHONE: (+1) 617-496-2222
DELEGATIONS:
If you are coming with a group of five or more people, you can
register as an official audience delegation. FIRST get your
tickets from the Harvard box office, and THEN register your
delegation with Louise Sacco, the Grand Panjandrum of the
Delegations, at 781-444-6757, <lsacco AT rcn.com>.
----------------------------------------------------------
2006-08-10 Trekian Diatom Fizzle
The combination of Star Trek and nanotechnology may be too potent for
poets to handle.
The judges have declared that there is no winner for last month's
limerick competition, which asked for a limerick to honor the
following study:
"Star Trek Replicators and Diatom Nanotechnology,"
R.W. Drum and R. Gordon, Trends in Biotechnology,
vol. 21, no. 8, August 2003, pp. 325-8.
[The entire report is at <http://tinyurl.com/pestd>]
Limerick Laureate Martin Eiger formulated his view of the study:
Breeding algae delivers a perk
For construction and other such work.
And who knows ... who can tell ...
Replication as well?
Someone ought to go tell Captain Kirk!
----------------------------------------------------------
2006-08-11 Lab Rat Terriers
What breed of dog is most popular with scientists? The answer
should be: Lab Rat Terriers. A lab rat terrier is the result of
mating (a) a labrador retriever with (b) a rat terrier.
If you own a lab rat terrier, we invite you to join the
Association of Lab Rat Terrier Fanciers (ALRTF).
For info, see
<http://improbable.com/2006/08/13/lab-rat-terriers/>
----------------------------------------------------------
2006-08-12 Beard Breather Advisory Limerick Competition
Diatoms are/is the subject of this month's limerick competition.
To enter, compose an original limerick that illuminates the nature
of this report:
"Respirator Evaluation for Carbon Setters with Beards,"
G.S. Fergin, American Industrial Hygiene Association
Journal, vol. 45, no. 8, August 1984, pp. 533-7.
The author reports that:
"Studies of several types of disposable respirators
were carried out.... There was no significant difference
in respirator performance for employees
with or without beards."
RULES: Please make sure your rhymes actually do, and that your
poem adheres to classic limerick form.
PRIZE: The winning poet will receive a (if we manage to send it to
the correct address) a free, and possibly carbon-containing, issue
of the Annals of Improbable Research. Send entries (one entry per
entrant) to:
BEARD BREATHER LIMERICK COMPETITION
c/o <marca AT chem2.harvard.edu>
----------------------------------------------------------
2006-08-13 Hair in New Abundance
There are new members in the Luxuriant Flowing Hair Club for
Scientists (LFHCfS). Admire them at
<http://improbable.com/category/lfhcfs-hair-club>
----------------------------------------------------------
2006-08-14 RESEARCH SPOTLIGHT: Men are Smarter Than Women
Each month we select for your special attention a research report
that seems particularly worth a close read. This month's pick:
"Sex Differences in Means and Variability on the
Progressive Matrices in University Students:
A Meta-Analysis", Paul Irwing and Richard Lynn,
British Journal of Psychology, vol. 96, no. 4,
November 2005, pp. 505-24. The authors write that:
"A meta-analysis is presented of 22 studies of sex
differences in university students... The results
disconfirm the frequent assertion that there is no sex
difference in the mean but that males have greater
variability. To the contrary, the results showed that
males obtained a higher mean than females by ...
the equivalent of 3.3 [to] 5.0 IQ conventional points."
----------------------------------------------------------
2006-08-15 BLOGLIGHTS: Plagiarism, rats, the
Here are some recent topics in our blog:
<> Mechanically engineered plagiarism
<> Negotiating, with rats
<> The story of the Doctorate Rabbit
<> A practical use for sudoku
<> Preferred arrangement (secretary)
<> Possible Ig winner nabbed in Nigeria
and some from the newspaper column in The Guardian:
<> Rear admirable
<> The
... and many others
Read the blog (and the columns) at <http://www.improbable.com>
-----------------------------------------------------------
2006-08-16 MAY WE RECOMMEND: Rhino, Intelligence, Tic-Tac
SEEDS OF A COLLECTION: ONE-HORNED RHINOCEROS
"Methods of Semen Collection in an Ambulatory Greater One-Horned
Rhinoceros (Rhinoceros unicornis)," N.E. Schaffer, B. Beehler,
R.S. Jeyendran, and B. Balke, Zoo Biology, vol. 9, no. 3, 1990,
pp. 211-21.
FINANCIAL INTELLIGENCE: ZERO
"The Predictive Power of Zero Intelligence in Financial Markets,"
J. Doyne Farmer, Paolo Patelli, and Ilija I. Zovko, Proceedings of
the National Academy of Sciences, vol. 102, 2005, pp. 2254-9.
(Thanks to Kristine Danowski for bringing this to our attention.)
LE TIC-TAC DU SABLIER
"Le Tic-Tac du Sablier," D. Bideau, A. Madani and A. Hansen,
Recherche, vol. 261, January 1994, pp. 92-3.
------------------------------------------------------------
2006-08-17 Improbable Research Events
For details and updates see
<http://improbable.com/improbable-research-shows/complete-schedule>
ALPBACH TECH FORUM, ALPBACH, AUSTRIA -- AUG 25, 2006
Performance of the mini-Opera "Atom & Eve," webcast live.
MASSACHUSETTS MEDICAL SOC (BERKSHIRES) -- TUE, SEP 17, 2006
EMBEDDED SYSTEMS CONF., BOSTON, MA -- TUE, SEP 26, 2006
2006 IG NOBEL PRIZE CEREMONY -- THU, OCT 5, 2006
Sanders Theatre, Harvard University
IG INFORMAL LECTURES -- SAT, OCT 7, 2006
MIT, in the afternoon
UNIV. OF ILLINOIS, BECKMAN INSTITUTE -- WED, OCT. 25
ASSOC OF COLLEGE AND UNIVERSITY BIOLOGICAL EDUCATORS (ACUBE),
MILLIKIN UNIVERSITY, DECATUR, ILLINOIS -- THU, OCT 26, 2006
BIOCAP CANADA CONFERENCE, OTTAWA -- TUE, OCT 31, 2006
AAAS ANNUAL MEETING, SAN FRANCISCO -- FEB, 2007
SIEMENS "GET INSIDE" EVENT, LONDON -- FRI, MAR 2, 2007
2007 IG NOBEL TOUR OF THE UK -- MAR, 2007
2007 IMPROBABLE RESEARCH EUROPEAN TOUR -- MAY/JUNE 2007
--------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------------------------------
2006-08-18 How to Subscribe to AIR (*)
The Annals of Improbable Research is a paper magazine. (It's not
just the little bits of overflow material you've been reading in
this newsletter). Subscribe at <http://improbable.com/subscribe/>
or send in this form:
................................................................
Name:
Address:
Address:
City and State:
Zip or postal code:
Country
Phone: FAX: E-mail:
.........................................................
SUBSCRIPTIONS (6 issues per year):
USA 1 yr/$33 2 yrs/$60
Canada/Mexico 1 yr/$39 US 2 yrs/$65 US
Overseas 1 yr/$49 US 2 yrs/$90 US
.........................................................
BACK ISSUES are available, too:
First issue: $9 USA, $11 Canada/Mex, $17 overseas Add'l issues
purchased at same time: $7 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 <air AT improbable.com>
-----------------------------------------------------
2006-08-19 Our Address (*)
Annals of Improbable Research (AIR)
PO Box 380853, Cambridge, MA 02238 USA
617-491-4437 FAX:617-661-0927
EDITORIAL: marca AT chem2.harvard.edu
SUBSCRIPTIONS: air AT improbable.com
WEB SITE: <http://www.improbable.com>
-----------------------------------------------------
2006-08-21 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
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
COMMUTATIVE EDITOR: Stanley Eigen
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 2006, Annals of Improbable Research
-----------------------------------------------------
2006-08-21 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.
----------------------------
To subscribe or unsubscribe, please visit
<http://chem.harvard.edu/mailman/listinfo/mini-air>
============================================================