PLEASE FORWARD/POST AS APPROPRIATE
=========================================================
The mini-Annals of Improbable Research
("mini-AIR")
Issue number 2007-05
May 2007
ISSN 1076-500X
Key words: improbable research, science humor, Ig Nobel,
AIR, the
----------------------------------------------------------
A free newsletter of tidbits too tiny to fit in
Annals of Improbable Research (AIR)
=========================================================
-----------------------------
2007-05-01 TABLE OF CONTENTS
2007-05-02 Imminent (and non) Events
2007-05-03 What's New in the Magazine
2007-05-04 Fish is Foul?
2007-05-05 Nix on the Double-Dons
2007-05-06 The Triumphant Return of Theoharis Theoharis
2007-05-07 The Non-Returnable James James
2007-05-08 Pasta Prep Standard
2007-05-09 Russian Ig Book
2007-05-10 Orienteer-Trampling Poets
2007-05-11 Rhomboid Intramembrane Protease Competition
2007-05-12 New Hair Club Member Profusion
2007-05-13 RESEARCH SPOTLIGHT: Opera: Encore from the Stomach
2007-05-14 BLOGLIGHTS: Boring, Chicken, Girth, Death
2007-05-15 MAY WE RECOMMEND: Where/How Toad Egg
2007-05-16 Improbable Research Events
2007-05-17 How to Subscribe to AIR (*)
2007-05-18 Our Address (*)
2007-05-19 Please Forward/Post This Issue! (*)
2007-05-20 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
----------------------------------------------------------
2007-05-02 Imminent (and non) Events
NETHERLANDS: The 2007 Netherlands Tour was postponed, for
arcane
reasons. It has been re-scheduled for May 2008.
AUSTRALIA: The 2007 Australia Tour, which was not
scheduled to
occur, will occur. There will be events in Tasmania and
also
possible in other portions of Australia, all in late
August,
2007. Details soon.
----------------------------------------------------------
2007-05-03 What's New in the Magazine
The May/June issue (vol. 13, no. 3) of the Annals of
Improbable
Research is the special Rivalry issue. Highlights
include:
<> "A Rivalry is Joined: Lester vs.
Voracek" by Alice Shirell Kaswell.
ABSTRACT: Professor David Lester (of The Richard Stockton
College of
New Jersey), who has published almost 2000 scholarly
reports, many of
them about suicide and most of them brief, now has a
young rival. He is
Martin Voracek of the University of Vienna.
<> "Lester's Latest, 2005 & 2006," by
Alice Shirell Kaswell.
ABSTRACT: Professor David Lester (of The Richard Stockton
College of
New Jersey) is one of the world's most productive
scholars, if
productivity is measured in the number of academic papers
published. In
early 2004, we glanced at his approximately 1500
published studies (see
"Way to Go, David Lester," AIR 10:2). Here we
take a look at some of
his several hundred subsequent works.
"Boys Will Be Boys" compiled by Katherine Lee.
ABSTRACT: Research by and for adolescent males of all
ages and sexes.
TOPICS INCLUDE: homeland security reaches the anus; many
means of
obtaining malodors; the economics of strategic virginity
loss; flaccus-
bull; underwear-inside views; defecation and tight
clothes; mammoth,
sloth dung; swimsuit, sweater and a math test
The table of contents is at
<http://tinyurl.com/2nkbrf>
To subscribe (6 paper issues per year) go to
<http://improbable.com/subscribe/>
or see info at bottom of this newsletter.
----------------------------------------------------------
2007-05-04 Fish is Foul?
Is fish foul? Is the question fair? Researchers seldom
approach
these questions directly. Investigator Dan Heck alerts us
to one
report that claims to:
"Are Fish Organs Really Bad-Tasting?" [article
in Japanese], Xing
An Song, Takashi Hirata and Morihiko Sakaguchi, Suisan
Shigen no
Senshinteki Yuko Riyoho, 2005, pp. 234-43. The authors,
at
Kanmonkai Co., Ltd., Japan, report:
"The compounds, umami components, flavors, taste,
texture, and
volatile components in organs including ovaries,
intestines, and
livers of Seriola quinqueradiata, Paralichthys olivaceus,
Scomberomorus niphonius, and Cyprinus carpio were
studied/reviewed, and compared with that of fish meat in
this
article. Some organs, e.g. ovaries and livers in certain
fish
showed flavor/taste as good as the fish meat."
----------------------------------------------------------
2007-05-05 Nix on the Double-Dons
Numerous (specifically: two) investigators have written
to
explain that enough is enough, no one wants to read about
professor-professors, please desist, stop, stop, stop.
However,
there is news on the professor-professor front, as the
next two
sections explain.
----------------------------------------------------------
2007-05-06 The Triumphant Return of Theoharis Theoharis
Unexpectedly, the saga of Theoharis Theoharis continues.
Investigator Cassie Conley writes:
"But
there IS a Professor Professor Theoharis Theoharis,
as
found in Athens (where else?):
<http://graphics.di.uoa.gr/people/cv_theoharis.html>"
The saga, when last we left it (in mini-AIR 2007-04), was
apparently at an end. But now, thanks to Investigator
Conley,
Professor-Professor Theoharis Theoharis takes his
rightful place
in the ranks of the professor-professors:
Theoharis Theoharis
Associate Professor
Department of Informatics
University of Athens
Greece
----------------------------------------------------------
2007-05-07 The Non-Returnable James James
Investigator Lloyd Wood writes:
*
* *
Your professor-professor list is missing Doctor Doctor
Professor
Professor
James James, an emeritus professor at the Royal
Military College of Science, Cranfield University, and a
consultant engineer.
I imagine he's pretty much retired now, so you won't find
a
personal web page - but there are papers from the early
70s in
the IEE kicking around the web, along with a textbook or
two he
coauthored. (One is: J.R. James, A.J. Race and L.A.
Scott,
'Electromagnetic Shielding Degradation Effects in
Composite
Material Enclosures', Electronics Letters, Vol 35, No.3
pp. 209-
211, February 1999.)
He'd answer the phone just saying "James".
*
* *
Alas, Professor-Professor James James died in July 2006.
An
appreciation is online at
<http://www.iee.org/oncomms/pn/rf/InMemoriam_JRJ.doc>
The professor-professors can be admired-admired ensemble
at
<http://www.improbable.com/2006/02/09/prof-profs/>
----------------------------------------------------------
2007-05-08 Pasta Prep Standard
PROJECT OPTIMAL PASTA is on hold, thanks to a warning
sent by
investigator Umberto Salla, who writes:
*
* *
"You must postpone your project to identify the
optimal way to
make pasta. [The project, announced in mini-AIR 2007-01,
invited
knowledgeable persons to help us solve the question.] The
International Standards Organization has not yet finished
developing its standard. And until that standard is
available, no
judgment about pasta preparation can itself be judged to
be
valid. The standard, now under development by the ISO's
Technical
Committee TC 34/SC 4, is:
ISO/DIS
7304-2
Durum
wheat semolinas and alimentary pasta -- Estimation of
cooking
quality of spaghetti by sensory analysis
--
Part 2: Practical method
The preliminary documents can be purchased from the ISO's
web
site, at <http://tinyurl.com/36tp3w>.
Those who wish to contact the committee and tell it to
hurry up
can find info at <http://tinyurl.com/2fuax9>.
----------------------------------------------------------
2007-05-09 Russian Ig Book
The Russian edition of the first Ig Nobel Prizes book has
just
been published. Its ISBN is 5-17-030356-4. The publisher
is AST.
See a picture of it (if that will give you a thrill) at
<http://tinyurl.com/2kfos9>.
----------------------------------------------------------
2007-05-10 Orienteer-Trampling Poets
The judges have chosen co-winners for last month's
Orienteer-
Trampling Limerick Competition, which asked for a
limerick to
honor the following study:
"Trampling
by Orienteers on Downed Spruce Logs
in
a Woodland Key Habitat in Northern Sweden,"
P.
Bader, C. Fries, and B.-G. Jonsson,
Scientific
Journal of Orienteering,
vol.
14, 1998, pp. 4-12.
Co-winner LEILA HADJ-CHIKH writes:
A Swede in the spruce slowly slogs,
A compass directing his clogs.
When
finding his way,
The
scientists pray,
He's minding to step over logs.
Co-winner RON FOSTER writes:
Wild creatures will live in and breed in
The spruce logs in far northern Sweden.
But
after some beers,
The
orienteers
Will have those logs trampled and peed in.
And here is the latest from Limerick Laureate MARTIN
EIGER:
The evidence given is ample.
A single statistical sample
Alleviates fears
That
orienteers
Cause damage to logs when they trample.
----------------------------------------------------------
2007-05-11 Rhomboid Intramembrane Protease Competition
Rhomboid intramembrane protease implication is the
subject of
this month's limerick competition. To enter, compose an
original
limerick that illuminates the nature of this report. It
was
brought to our attention by Investigator Scott Langill:
"Enzymatic
Analysis of a Rhomboid Intramembrane Protease
Implicates
Transmembrane Helix 5 as the Lateral Substrate
Gate,"
Rosanna P. Baker, Keith Young, Liang Feng,
Yigong
Shi and Sinisa Urban, Proceedings of the National
Academy
of Sciences, vol. 104, no. 20, May 15, 2007,
pp.
8257-62.
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, possibly rhomboid issue
of the
Annals of Improbable Research. Send entries (one entry
per
entrant) to:
RHOMBOID
INTRAMEMBRANE PROTEASE COMPETITION
c/o
<marca AT chem2.harvard.edu>
----------------------------------------------------------
2007-05-12 New Hair Club Member Profusion
The Luxuriant Flowing Hair Club for Scientists (LFHCfS)
has a
bumper crop of new members. View them and their hair at
<http://improbable.com/category/lfhcfs-hair-club/>
----------------------------------------------------------
2007-05-13 RESEARCH SPOTLIGHT: Opera: Encore from the
Stomach
Each month we select for your special attention a
research report
that seems particularly worth a close read. This month's
pick:
"Reflux Symptoms in Professional Opera
Choristers," G. Cammarota,
G. Masala, R. Cianci, D. Palli, P. Capaccio, A.
Schindler, L.
Cuoco, J. Galli, E. Ierardi, O. Cannizzaro, M. Caselli,
M. P.
Dore, B. Bendinelli, and G. Gasbarrini, Gastroenterology,
vol.
132, no. 3, March 2007, pp. 890-8. The authors report:
"We investigated the prevalence of gastroesophageal
reflux
symptoms in a series of professional opera choristers in
comparison with a general population sample....
Results: Opera choristers reported a statistically
significant
higher prevalence of heartburn, regurgitation, cough, and
hoarse
voice than the population sample... Regurgitation
appeared to be
associated consistently with the cumulative lifetime
duration of
singing activity and with the weekly duration of singing
activity."
----------------------------------------------------------
2007-05-14 BLOGLIGHTS: Boring, Chicken, Girth, Death
Here are some recent topics in our blog:
<> "How to Write Consistently Boring
Scientific Literature"
<> Chicken chicken, continued
<> Five-second, with and without background
<> Bart Knols - Ig winner garners further honor
<> Girth not so large as rumored
<> Death of a birdman
and some from the newspaper column in The Guardian:
<> Copy Wrongs
<> Gravely Mistaken
<> The Best Way to Waste Time
<> Model behaviour
...
and others
Read
the blog
every
day at <http://www.improbable.com>
-----------------------------------------------------------
2007-05-15 MAY WE RECOMMEND: Where/How Toad Egg
WHERE AND HOW, WITHOUT THE WHY
"On the Pursuit and Misuse of Useless
Information," Anthony
Bastardi and Eldar Shafir, Journal of Personality and
Social
Psychology, vol. 75, no. 1, July 1998, pp. 19-32. (Thanks
to
Martin Gardiner for bringing this to our attention.)
WHEN TOAD-EGG INGESTION GOES BAD
"Life-Threatening Episode After Ingestion of Toad
Eggs: A Case
Report With Literature Review," Kuo H.Y., Hsu C.W.,
Chen J.H., Wu
Y.L., Shen Y.S., Emergency Medicine Journal, vol. 24, no.
3,
March 2007, pp. 215-6.
HEART-FELT TALE OF THE MOON
"The Effect of the Gravitation of the Moon on Acute
Myocardial
Infarction," Ryotaro Wake, Daiju Fukuda, Minoru
Yoshiyama, Kenei
Shimada, and Junichi Yoshikawa, American Journal of
Emergency
Medicine, vol. 25, no. 2, February 2007, pp. 256-8.
------------------------------------------------------------
2007-05-16 Improbable Research Events
For details and additional events, see
<http://improbable.com/improbable-research-shows/complete-schedule>
ARES SYSTEMS USER GROUP, BOSTON -- JUN 28,
2007
IMPROBABLE AUSTRALIA TOUR --
AUG 2007
IG NOBEL PRIZE CEREMONY --
OCT 4, 2007
IG INFORMAL LECTURES --
OCT 6, 2007
FESTIVAL DELLA SCIENZA, GENOA, ITALY -- OCT 2007
NOKIA SIEMENS NETWORKS - GET INSIDE EVENT
LONDON,
UK --
NOV 23, 2007
DFG ANNUAL ASSEMBLY, BERLIN, GERMANY -- JUL 1, 2008
--------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------------------------------
2007-05-17 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/$35 2
yrs/$63
Canada/Mexico 1
yr/$42 US 2 yrs/$72 US
Overseas 1
yr/$53 US 2 yrs/$97 US
.........................................................
BACK ISSUES are available, too:
<http://www.improbable.com/airchives/paperair/stale.htm>
.........................................................
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>
-----------------------------------------------------
2007-05-18 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>
-----------------------------------------------------
2007-05-19 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
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 2007, Annals of Improbable Research
-----------------------------------------------------
2007-05-20 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>
======================================================