Boring machines [podcast 71]

Boring machines, boring machines, boring machines, and more boring machines enliven this week’s Improbable Research podcast. SUBSCRIBE on Play.it, iTunes, or Spotify to get a new episode every week, free. This week, Marc Abrahams  — with dramatic readings by Chris Cotsapas — tells about: Boring Machines—  Most, maybe all, of the boring machines featured in this week’s thrilling podcast are profiled, or at least […]

Magazine: the special Boring Machines issue

The special Boring Machines issue (vol. 19, no. 3) of the magazine (the Annals of Improbable Research) is now out! Articles include “Boring Machines“, “A Simple and Convenient Synthesis of Pseudoephedrine From N-Methylamphetamine“, and more, more, more, including new helpings of “Improbable Research Review”, “Boys Will Be Boys”, “Soft Is Hard”, and other outstandingly improbable research snippets from […]

Machines vs. Professionals: Recognizing Suicide Notes

Even machines are better than mental health professionals at spotting fake suicide notes, is one possible interpretation of a study by researchers at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center, and Windsor, Canada. Other interpretations are possible, too. The study is: “Suicide Note Classification Using Natural Language Processing: A Content Analysis,” John Pestian [pictured here], Henry Nasrallah, […]