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Ig Nobels Awarded
prostoalex writes "The definitive study on bellybutton lint, a dog-to-person translation device and an inquiry into what arouses ostriches were recognized at 2002 Ig Nobel awards. The telecast of the event in RealMedia format is available from Harvard University server, there's also an Associated Press story. Ig Nobel awards typically recognize the most dubious contributions to the world of science and research."
Hang on, this could be quite handy.
For
a: breeding ostriches
and
b: Don't wear pink in a field full of ostriches, it makes then horny!
thank God the internet isn't a human right.
If you read the article, the question is, do ostriches find overweight, middle-aged men with belly-button lint hair sexy?
"We're sorry, but the website you're trying to reach has been disconnected."
Ironic that awards for technologies with dubious benefits are being streamed in RealVideo...
----- Documentation is worth it just to be able to answer all your mail with 'RTFM' - Alan Cox.
___ I don't respond to Anonymous Cowards, and I Never Mod them UP.
" A potentially more practical achievement is a Japanese device that measures the tone of a dog's bark and relays his mood. The device is on the market in Japan, and an English version, called Bow-Lingual, should be ready in about a year. "
Imagine a Beo-WOOF! cluster of these.
Slightly disreputable, albeit gregarious
Don't be fooled into thinking that what appears to be intelligent behaviour is actually something very basic (although the same could be said of course for all levels of intelligence).
:)
Many years ago here in the UK, and light hearted popular culture TV magazine "That's Life" had a feature about gifted pets.
This one time, they went to visit a dog that could do maths. His owner would hold up two cards with numbers on them, the dog would add them up, and woof out the answer (3 = 3 woofs etc.) The bloke would then shout out "Well Done!" and the whole nation was amazed.
The presenter appeared to be completely taken in by it, especially after the dog had done 4 sums correctly on the trot.
The bloke had basically trained his dog to woof until he said "Well Done!"
http://www.improb.com/ig/2002/ig-winners-2002.html
The list of winners is available in this New Scientist article.
The winners - from the source - are here. I notice one old favorite on there - the periodic table table, which I linked to from my chemistry web site myself. Ahh, literalism ...
Funnier, though, is the pet washing machine. Unfortunately, I can't read the language, but they do have photos ... :)
-- Rick
Contrast this to truly dubious science, like that practiced by that Schon guy at Bell Labs who said he could make any material a superconductor, and fudged all his data to prove it. Now that was dubious science.
Where's the dude that invented napkins on a roll?
"Do what I do, get them good and drunk"
Trying is the first step towards failure.
Yeah, the funny part is that they are doing these cute little projects, most likely, with taxpayer money. Your money, my money, funny money, huh.
(Whatever)
In general, women have pubic hair that looks like an inverted pyramid, or a map of Tasmania, with a sharp cut-off at the top.
Thats information you need to get through life.
A link to goatse would be finally on-topic!
----
Testicular asymmetry in human sculptures. "To test Winckelmann's claim, I observed the scrotal symmetry of 107 sculptures, either of antique origin or Renaissance copies, in a number of Italian museums and galleries. Although the ancient artists were correct in tending to place the right testicle higher, they were wrong in so far as they also tended to make the lower testicle the larger: we may postulate that they were also using the common-sense view that the heavier ought to be the lower." (McManus, I. C. 1976. Scrotal asymmetry in man and in ancient sculpture. Nature 259: 426)
I've had enough abrasive sigs. Kittens are cute and fuzzy.
You know, I used to have a problem taking exams until I realized it was because I was using a black magic marker.
try { do() || do_not(); } catch (JediException err) { yoda(err); }
I have never been able to tolerate the self-important, judgemental nature of these awards. Who are they to determine what is and is not of merit ? Basic science, especially, is FULL of research which seems largely irrelevant to many and is easy to ridicule when described out of context.
The annals of basic science are full of findings that seemed irrelevant at one point, only until they were interpreted later from another framework or in light of other findings.
Basic science is all about asking questions for the sake of asking questions, because it would be arrogant for ANYONE to presuppose they know what is and is not going to be 'of scientific merit'. The people who run these awards, and the ones who snicker at the recipients, are arrogant in the extreme.
PHYSICS
Arnd Leike of the University of Munich, for demonstrating that beer froth obeys the mathematical Law of Exponential Decay. [REFERENCE: "Demonstration of the Exponential Decay Law Using Beer Froth," Arnd Leike, European Journal of Physics, vol. 23, January 2002, pp. 21-26.]
What do they mean "cannot not or should not be reproduced"?!!!!!! I'll run this experiment every chance I (URP!) get...
Soko
"Depression is merely anger without enthusiasm." - Anonymous
NPR's All Things Considered did a story about this. Except, they did the story on Thursday, April 1, 1999.
'SBEMAIL!' is better than a goat!!
Personally I don't think the physics winner (Demonstration of the Exponential Decay Law Using Beer Froth) satisfies the awards criteria for achievements that "cannot or should not be reproduced." I know once I finish work to today I plan to try to reproduce it!
. . . to get some ideas for research grant proposals.
The dog-to-human translator is taken. Maybe I'll go for tomacco.
-Peter
From the Associated Press article:
In economics, the executives and auditors at Enron, WorldCom, Arthur Andersen and a host of other companies were commended by the Ig Nobel committee "for adapting the mathematical concept of imaginary numbers for use in the business world."
That's the funniest thing I've read in a while. (I guess I don't get out much.)
If the desired output is a linear graph, it is only necessary to obtain two empirical data points. If you only have the opportunity to get one data point (or you are lazy), just adjust the desired slope accordingly.....
"Other important things to research should include
1) Where do lost biro's go to"
That's easy - they go towards coloring your belly-button fluff blue. And the plastic breaks into really small pieces that end up on the floor, and in your shoes, so you know you're standing on something painful, but can't find it.
"2) Why trouser turn-ups attract so much fluff (perhaps it's related to belly buttons?)"
More that it can't escape when the trousers are washed.
"3) If you tie 4 cats together and drop them will they all land on their feet?"
Depends how you tie them. Side to side, there's a good chance. Backs together, either one or two will. Feet together, kitty go splat.
Maran
Ig Nobel awards typically recognize the most dubious contributions to the world of science and research.
Does this mean that Amazon's revolutionary "One Click" system will be honored?
If you watch or read the awards, or the associated publications, you'll note that the people running and participating in the awards are themselves science-types with senses of humor. They're laughing at scientific research in general, and in a good-natured manner, and not just sneering at a few scientists with unusual specialties...
The awards actually seem to go to a few different types of endeavors:
From my perspective, ALL of the awards seem to have gone to endeavors that are fitting subjects for humor, and I see no claims of valid scientific reasoning being INVALID or 'stupid', merely strange or funny. Further, as far as I can see, NONE of the RECIPIENTS are being 'snickered at' at all, only the "research", activity, or claims that earn the award. That is, it's not the PEOPLE being made fun of (ad hominem attacks are not good science), it is what they are doing or claiming.
In short, in my personal opinion, the only people who really have any reason to actually be offended are excessively thin-skinned scientists (e.g. the late Carl Sagan, who feared that the awards would make people "laugh at scientists") and crackpots, who kind of NEED to be made fun of so that they can claim that their Revolutionary Secrets That Shake the Very Foundations of Scientific Knowledge(tm) are being unfairly repressed by The Establishment...
Hacker Public Radio is our Friend
Actually, Clever Hans, the alleged "counting horse," picked up on his trainer's body language to know when to stop tapping his hoof. A lot of people who don't know much about animals don't realize that animals are very good at reading/communicating body and gestural language, which is probably where the confusion comes in.
/. effect in that it causes something to come to a halt, grinding or not... ;)
The TV example from the parent post is yet another example of the "Clever Hans Effect," similar to the
Feel better knowing that after 10 years?
I'm not a geek, I'm just a clever script.
It took me forever to find this comic online, Dog decoder (see the one to the right).
Naturally, there is also the more subtle guide to interpreting the mood of an Irish Setter.
-Kraft
Live and let live
"Clever Hans" (the horse in question) is a classic case...
The trainer really THOUGHT his horse could do mathematics. It took some study to determine what was really going on. What was happening is that after presenting the question, the trainer would unconsciously lean forward in expectation, and as Hans reached the correct number of hoof-taps, would relax slightly. It turned out that Hans was cueing off of the slight changes in posture for when to start and stop tapping. They discovered that Hans couldn't get the correct number if he couldn't see the trainer, and that they could get him to tap out any number they wanted (regardless of the math problem presented) by these slight changes of posture done intentionally.
Other animals (that is, animals other than human beings) may not be as good as we are at abstraction, but they can be pretty darn perceptive...
Hacker Public Radio is our Friend
I think I saw prior art on the dog/cat washing machine in Puerto Rico. I was in traffic caused by a carnival and saw a ride through donkey wash car wash style.
As for this invention I'm sorry but no pet of mine will ever be placed in a device that looks that much like an industrial microwave.
Work for Change & GET PAID!
Yes ... Slashdot is directly responsible for us receiving this award. Theo's site (periodictabletable.com) has been updated with some items from the award ceremony, along with a few videos of our scientific experiments with 3 pounds of sodium and a kiddie pool.
It was Slashdot, though, that led the Ignoble committee to my site (mathpuzzle.com), which was hosting the table pictures initially. I thank the Slashdot community for promoting our programming group's conference table.
--Ed Pegg Jr
Meanwhile the cat says:
"Fuck off, it's MY couch!"
Ahh - My eye!
The doctor said I'm not supposed to get Slashdot in it!
"...Waste Management, WorldCom, Xerox, and Arthur Andersen, for adapting the mathematical concept of imaginary numbers for use in the business world. [NOTE: all companies are US-based unless otherwise noted"
Hmmm.... I wondering why my last phone bill was $36.45 + $7i dollars.
A lot of irony has already been pointed out, but perhaps the MOST ironic is the slashdot page about it that I'm seeing right now:
check out my screenshot:
Slashdot Screenshot
So much irony on so many levels...
. Does improper high-lighting affect reading comprehension? Never thought of that...
Well, why not see for yourself.
My first impression was that they didn't have the listing of awards on the site, which was disappointing. I tried a google search and was able to find a page with the list, actually links to the current and previous lists.
No one seems to have posted an actual list of winners yet, so here you go.
BIOLOGY
"Courtship Behaviour of Ostriches (Struthio camelus) Towards Humans Under Farming Conditions in Britain," Norma E. Bubier, Charles G.M. Paxton, P. Bowers, D.C. Deeming, British Poultry Science, vol. 39, no. 4, September 1998, pp. 477-481.
PHYSICS
"Demonstration of the Exponential Decay Law Using Beer Froth," Arnd Leike, European Journal of Physics, vol. 23, January 2002, pp. 21-26.
INTERDISCIPLINARY RESEARCH
Karl Kruszelnicki of The University of Sydney, for performing a comprehensive survey of human belly button lint -- who gets it, when, what color, and how much.
CHEMISTRY
Theo Gray of Wolfram Research, in Champaign, Illinois, for gathering many elements of the periodic table, and assembling them into the form of a four-legged periodic table table.
MATHEMATICS
"Estimation of the Total Surface Area in Indian Elephants (Elephas maximus indicus)," K.P. Sreekumar and G. Nirmalan, Veterinary Research Communications, vol. 14, no. 1, 1990, pp. 5-17.
LITERATURE
"The Effects of Pre-Existing Inappropriate Highlighting on Reading Comprehension." Vicki L. Silvers and David S. Kreiner, Reading Research and Instruction, vol. 36, no. 3, 1997, pp. 217-23.
PEACE
Keita Sato, President of Takara Co., Dr. Matsumi Suzuki, President of Japan Acoustic Lab, and Dr. Norio Kogure, Executive Director, Kogure Veterinary Hospital, for promoting peace and harmony between the species by inventing Bow-Lingual, a computer-based automatic dog-to-human language translation device.
HYGEINE
Eduardo Segura, of Lavakan de Aste, in Tarragona, Spain, for inventing a washing machine for cats and dogs.
ECONOMICS
The executives, corporate directors, and auditors of Enron, Lernaut & Hausbie [Belgium], Adelphia, Bank of Commerce and Credit International [Pakistan], Cendant, CMS Energy, Duke Energy, Dynegy, Gazprom [Russia], Global Crossing, HIH Insurance [Australia], Informix, Kmart, Maxwell Communications [UK], McKessonHBOC, Merrill Lynch, Merck, Peregrine Systems, Qwest Communications, Reliant Resources, Rent-Way, Rite Aid, Sunbeam, Tyco, Waste Management, WorldCom, Xerox, and Arthur Andersen, for adapting the mathematical concept of imaginary numbers for use in the business world. [NOTE: all companies are US-based unless otherwise noted.]
MEDICINE
"Scrotal Asymmetry in Man and in Ancient Sculpture." Chris McManus, Nature, vol. 259, February 5, 1976, p. 426.
I choose to remain celibate, like my father and his father before him.
The guy (Theodore Gray, I have one of his Mathematica textbooks, I think) who made the wooden periodic table table is hilarious, and also has a page nicely documenting what happens when you drop sodium into water, which includes a nice quicktime video of a drop of sodium into a lake.
It's psychosomatic. You need a lobotomy. I'll get a saw.
The point of the ignoble awards is to be FUN!
A mixture of laughing at the genuine hoaxes as well as marvelling at the crazy scientific experiments people manage to get funding for is going to be a much better laugh than what you are proposing.
Personally I like the award for making frogs levitate, dunking chocolate biscuits and for the use of imaginary numbers in accountancy by Enron ;-)
-WolfWithoutAClause
"Gravity is only a theory, not a fact!"Well, at least that's what they say they were doing down at the pub during working hours! Why didn't I think of this one!
"Freedom means freedom for everybody" -- Dick Cheney