2005 IgNobel Prize Awards

karvind writes "This week Nobel prizes in Chemistry, Physics and Medicine were announced. Keeping up with the tradition, the 15th Annual Ig Nobel Prize Ceremony was held at Sander's Theater at Harvard University. Winners include: Will Humans Swim Faster or Slower in Syrup? (Chemistry), Electrically monitoring the activity of a brain cell in a locust while that locust was watching selected highlights from the movie "Star Wars" (Peace), The Significance of Mr. Richard Buckley's Exploding Trousers (Agricultural History) and many more. Interestingly Roy Glauber, who for ten years has humbly swept paper airplanes on the stage at the Ig Nobel Prize Ceremony, won the 2005 Nobel Prize in Physics. Archived video of the live webcast is also available for those who couldn't attend the ceremony."

Comments

Don't Forget Literature!

[gbulmash]

My favorite is that the Nigerian Scammers won for Literature...

"...for creating and then using e-mail to distribute a bold series of short stories, thus introducing millions of readers to a cast of rich characters -- General Sani Abacha, Mrs. Mariam Sanni Abacha, Barrister Jon A Mbeki Esq., and others -- each of whom requires just a small amount of expense money so as to obtain access to the great wealth to which they are entitled and which they would like to share with the kind person who assists them."

LOVE IT!

- Greg

Re:Don't Forget Literature!

[Anonymous Coward]

His employment at the time was a personal finance consultant - hard to believe but true.

No, that's quite easy to believe. I switched on the telly the other day to see a reality programme about somebody who had previously been on Big Brother (UK) called Jade, talking about setting up some business or other. Bear in mind that she is famous for being stupid. Thinking that Saddam Hussein was a boxer, Sherlock Holmes was famous for inventing the toilet and similar stuff. She makes Jessica Simpson look like a quantum physicist.

Anyway, she was sat down talking to a financial consultant. They had already agreed that she had a budget of £30,000. She said that she was spending £12,000 on rent and legal fees. The consultant then proceeded to ask her three times if £12,000 was going to be enough to pay for all the rest of the things she needed. She explained three times that it was £18,000 left over from the £30,000, and even after that, I'm still not sure he got it.

After seeing that little encounter with a supposedly reputable financial consultant, nothing you can say would surprise me. After all, if Jade from Big Brother is correcting you on what you are supposed to do for a living and basic mathematics, you really should just off yourself immediately.

Re:Don't Forget Literature!

[Hurricane78]

Ever seen this? *g*

http://www.419eater.com/

Neuteriety or Notoriety?

[fragmentate]

"Neuticles -- artificial replacement testicles for dogs, which are available in three sizes, and three degrees of firmness."

Okay, the size thing I can understand... It's the degrees of firmness I'm having trouble with.


"for electrically monitoring the activity of a brain cell in a locust while that locust was watching selected highlights from the movie 'Star Wars.'"

If it was Episode I - III, that poor locust didn't have much left after this experiment.

Re:Neuteriety or Notoriety?

[jfengel]

Do they hate them more than having to feel a dog's testicles for a living?

Re:Neuteriety or Notoriety?

[jd_esguerra]

Do they hate them more than having to feel a dog's testicles for a living?

Yeah, their job is nuts.

Re:Neuteriety or Notoriety?

[WetSpot]

------>Well, I don't know about you...But, nothing will ruin my day quicker than an artificial nut that is just way too hard!

Re:Neuteriety or Notoriety?

[Mation]

Best in show? I can name all the nuts...

Re:Neuteriety or Notoriety?

[NanoGator]

"Yeah, their job is nuts."

My grumpy roommate had one of those jobs. He always came home all teste.

Re:Neuteriety or Notoriety?

[ameline]

My dog has neuticles, and while he thinks they feel the same, he doesn't think they taste the same as the real thing. :-)

I'm shocked

[Frac]

Steve Ballmer didn't get the Physics Prize for his paper on "Measuring Projectile Trajectory of Flying Chairs towards Resigning Employees"?

Tux: The Third Option

[Tackhead]

> FLUID DYNAMICS: Victor Benno Meyer-Rochow of International University Bremen, Germany and the University of Oulu , Finland; and Jozsef Gal of Loránd Eötvös University, Hungary, for using basic principles of physics to calculate the pressure that builds up inside a penguin, as detailed in their report "Pressures Produced When Penguins Pooh -- Calculations on Avian Defaecation."

Now, with penguins, (cuddly such), "contented" means it has either just gotten laid, or it's stuffed on herring. Take it from me, I'm an expert on penguins, those are really the only two options.

- Linus Torvalds on the design of Tux

No, Linus, apparently there was a third option.

And now I'll never say "Ooh, what a cuddly penguin, I bet he is just stuffed with herring" the same way again.

Re:BFirs7

[SharpFang]

You guys are likely to get IgNobel in Anatomy next year.

Re:Confirmation?

[The Meeper]

He won a NOBEL prize. He literally swept the IgNobels, though.