It was back in 1994 that Dr William Peterman (then at the University of Illinois at Chicago) mooted the idea of ‘Quantum Geography’ (QG) with an article for the journal The Professional Geographer, Volume 46, 1994 – Issue 1, entitled : ‘Quantum Theory and Geography: What Can Dr. Bertlmann Teach Us’. Dr. Peterman examined the possibilities […]
Tag: socks
Shopping – more like gathering than hunting? (study)
If you’re the type who enjoys (or otherwise takes advantage of) the January sales, you might be interested in taking a look at the work of professor Daniel J. Kruger of University of Michigan [pictured]. A news release from the university (2009) related Dr. Kruger’s take on the subject of shopping, saying : “- it’s […]
Inventions to Match Up Matching Socks
The problem of mismatched and missing socks has spurred inventors to invent a better way to keep matching socks matched together. The article “Inventions to Match Up Matching Socks” gives a history of some of the most spectacular efforts — as revealed in patents and scientific studies. The article is one of the highlights of the special […]
Future Sock
“Why do people need to keep on buying so many socks? Given the technological capabilities available, the creation of socks that do not wear out would not seem to be beyond our collective productive capacities. Indeed, […] they already exist, but the space to make this choice has not been opened up. They are not […]
Stray sock manipulation (with robots)
The ubiquitous ‘Stray Sock Syndrome’ can be a considerable headache for human sock-owners and sock-sorters. But help is afoot courtesy of the Computer Science Division at the University of California at Berkeley, US, and the Max Planck Institut Informatik, Germany. Where a team of computer scientists and robotics experts have “…considered the problem of equipping […]
Physics: Of snow and socks in the Balkans
Investigator Lira Nikolovska writes: “I noticed last year’s Ig Nobel physics prize winner:” PHYSICS PRIZE: 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 they wear socks on the outside of their shoes. REFERENCE: “Preventing […]
Electricity and the colour of socks
What is the relationship between the colour of socks and their ability to generate static electricity? Those interested will find no better place to start their enquiries than the article: New Experiments and Obſervations Concerning Electricity, written by Robert Symmer, Eſq; F.R.S., back in 1759. Symmer was an independent amateur Scottish investigator – or what […]
Study: Smelly socks for malaria control
Cesar Sanchez of the TwistedBacteria blog alerts us to this new study, which was derived from the Ig Nobel Prize-winning work of Bart Knols and Ruurd de Jong (who showed that many malaria mosquitoes are attracted equally to the smell of human feet and the smell of limburger cheese): “Sugar-fermenting yeast as an organic source […]
Study: socks over shoes prevent falls
Socks over shoes surpass shoes over socks for strolling on slippery city slopes, says a study done in New Zealand. In other words – in the words of the study itself – “wearing socks over shoes appears to be an effective and inexpensive method to reduce the likelihood of slipping on icy footpaths”. Lianne Parkin, […]