Two of the most mathematically-adept Ig Prize winners — Ken Lay and Jeffrey Skilling — go on trial today in Houston, Texas. A CBS News report today says: Lay and Skilling, almost literally, are the last men standing; the last Enron executives at the center of the scandal who have not pleaded guilty, had their […]
Photos from last year’s UK tour
We have just posted some photos from last year (2005)’s Ig Nobel Tour of the UK. The schedule for this year’s tour — which will happen in March, for National Science Week — is taking shape, with shows in Oxford, St. Andrews, Warrington and London, and more to be announced. (If your institution would like […]
Good copy: plagiarism
There is now a scholarly journal devoted to plagiarism, or at least to the study of plagiarism. Called Plagiary, it boasts an academically lurid tagline: "Cross-disciplinary studies in plagiarism, fabrication, and falsification." One way or another, it makes for good copy. Scott McLemee’s fairly juicy Inside Higher Ed essay published January 25, 2006, mulls the […]
Inverse toilet paper, sort of
ABC News reports that: Roo poo used to make paperAnna SallehABC Science Online Friday, 18 February 2005Paper made from kangaroo and wallaby dung has shot an Australian paper company into the global spotlight. Joanna Gair, manager of handmade paper company Creative Paper Tasmania, says production of ‘roo poo paper’ only started in the past two […]