Sad news from Boston, England: John Richards, Ig Nobel Prize-winning founder of the Apostrophe Protection Society, has died. He taught the world that proofreading is a form of moral philosophy. David Seymour reports, in the Boston Standard: Tribute paid to Boston man and founder of internationally famous Apostrophe Protection Society following his death, aged 97 […]
Tag: protection
An end at the Apostrophe
The founder of the Apostrophe Protection Society, who in 2001 was awarded an Ig Nobel Prize for that achievement, has announced that the Apostrophe Protection Society will come to an end. He made the announcement with a tinge of happy bitterness. A December 1, 2019 news report in the Evening Standard says: A society dedicated […]
Introducing the “Visual Muzzle” (new patent)
A new patent from inventor Yee Chong Leung of Shatin, Hong Kong provides a warm cap for a pet (say, for example a dog) – but its key feature is that it also operates as an electronic ‘Visual Muzzle’. Wearing the cap, the pet is obliged to look though goggles made of smart glass or […]
Building protective high, high walls along Tornado Alley
A bold physicist is about to present his plan — a bold plan — to build gigantic walls to protect people and property against tornadoes. The physicist is none other than Rongjia Tao, chair of the physics department at Temple University. Here’s notice about his planned announcement: Session Q30: The Physics of Climate 2:30 PM–5:06 PM, Wednesday, March 5, […]
A Swiss sock boosted (and over-booted?) by Kiwi research
A product called The Swiss Protection Sock appears to extend the principle that was honored by the 2010 Ig Nobel Prize in public health. That prize was awarded to Lianne Parkin, Sheila Williams, and Patricia Priest of the University of Otago, New Zealand, for demonstrating that, on icy footpaths in wintertime, people slip and fall less often if […]
Earthquake-activated house-levitating pneumatic system
The Air Danshin Systems company of Japan says it offers pneumatic technology to protect buildings in the event of an earthquake. The shaking triggers a stream of air that levitates the house. The diagram below, from the company, shows to some extent how the system works, with blue representing the stream of air. (The Spoon & Tamago blog […]
Apostrophe Protection Ig Nobellian Admonishes Bookseller
Ig Nobel Prize winner John Richards swung into action against a bookstore chain this week. (Mr. Richards, founder of The Apostrophe Protection Society, was awarded the 2001 Ig Nobel Prize in literature for his efforts to protect, promote, and defend the differences between plural and possessive.) Harry Wallop reports in The Daily Telegraph: Waterstones drops its apostrophe Waterstones, the […]
Invention of the day: Collision-protection for motorcyclists
This Vietnamese news report shows a new invention: a system of armor intended to protect a motorcycle rider in the event of a collision. The video appears to demonstrate that the invention works well for collision speeds of less than one mile-per-hour.