Congratulations are due to Jerry Crook. New Scientist magazine’s "Feedback" column, in the December 4, 2004 issue, presents this item: EARLIER this year, we noted the headline "Crook named CEO" of the year and wondered "So what’s new?" (20 March, 2004). Now we find that the person the headline referred to, Jerry Crook, is in […]
Karaoke and the Ig
Investigators Bob Frenay and Hanya Brayman, who traveled 250 miles to attend the recent Ig Nobel Prize Ceremony, write: On the way out of Cambridge, Hanya and I stopped for breakfast at a place on Massachusetts Ave. at State St. called ?Miracle of Science Bar + Grill.? A friendly, somewhat funky little place with a […]
Censored Science Fair
Investigator Steve Auerweck, who is a science-fair enthusiast, writes: I’m reading a novel by T.C. Boyle based on the Kinsey sex research project, and googled a few terms, leading to this page: http://www.all-science-fair-projects.com/science_fair_projects_encyclopedia/Bartholin’s_gland It doesn’t exactly lead to all the info we’d need for our science fair projects. Too bad. We could probably really impress […]
Hair Club Scientists of Year Chosen
Congratulations to the newly chosen Luxuriant Flowing Hair Club for Scientists (LFHCfS) Men and Women of the Year! They and their hair have been immortalized in downloadable posters.
Hello Dolly (Yo, Marlene)
"The study of Marlene Dietrich‘s relationship with her dolls has taken me into some new research territory." With these words Judith Mayne, the distinguished professor of French studies and Italian studies and women’s studies at Ohio State University, takes all of us into new territory…. So begins this week’s Improbable Research column in The Guardian.
Cruise Invitation for Hairy Scientists
There’s exciting news for the members of the Luxuriant Flowing Hair Club for Scientists (LFHCfS). Carnival Cruise Lines seems to be inviting the members and their hair to embark on a group cruise. Here is the invitation: Hi, I want to introduce myself, I am Todd Satterlee, Business Development Manager for Carnival Cruise Lines. I […]
What’s In a Name?
We receive many unusual press releases. Here is one that came in recently: PRESS RELEASE Date: October 22, 2004 The Wade Research Foundation (W.R.F.), a non-profit corporation headquartered in Somerset, New Jersey, USA, has just released a report about the successful testing of new concept whereby a person’s name (or other word that can be […]
December mini-AIR
The December issue of mini-AIR just went out.
The Owney of Slough
In re our report on Owney, the Postal dog, investigator Chris Leadbeater writes: Here’s a British equivalent for Owney, not quite but this dog used to hang around the station, took trips on trains and collected money for charity." The British dog-in-a-box, in the fabled-yet-actual town of Slough, is called Station Jim. To some observers, […]
Clear-and-Pithy (Snyder)
Here are the winners, and some runners-up, in the Clear-and-Pithy contest that was announced in mini-AIR 2004-11. The contest was to translate this scholarly thought into a clear, accurate SEVEN-WORD summary that ANYONE can understand: "Specifically, I have been concerned with the processes by which individuals construct and enact motivational ‘agendas for action’ that draw […]