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: society
‘Optimally Vague’ contracts and their benefits to society
Imagine that you’re just about to sign an important contract – would you prefer it to have been precisely drafted, or would you be happy for it to be “optimally vague” ? Authors Nicola Gennaioli (Bocconi University and IGIER) and Giacomo A. M. Ponzetto (CREI, Pompeu Fabra University, IPEG and Barcelona GSE) suggest not only […]
Static electricity – we’re still (somewhat) in the dark
You might think that 2.6 millennia* of scientific study would be enough to form a thorough and complete understanding of a phenomenon as ubiquitous as ‘static electricity’. Not so, says a foremost authority on the subject, the Electrostatics Society of America. “Electrostatics is an exciting area of science, as its most basic scientific questions remain […]
Ingestive society
Intrigued by ingestion? Savoring society? If you say “Yes!” to both, then you probably owe it to yourself to read up on The Society for the Study of Ingestive Behavior. The society says of itself: The Society for the Study of Ingestive Behavior (SSIB) is an organization committed to advancing scientific research on food and […]
Word of the day ‘Re-McDonaldization’
Preamble : An Improbable attempt at an etymological background: • McDonaldization : (noun) The process by which a society (or part thereof) takes on some of the characteristics of a fast-food restaurant. • De-McDonaldization : (noun) The process by which a society (or part thereof) reverts back from displaying some of the characteristics of a […]