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2006 Ig Nobel Prizes Awarded
davidwr writes "The Ig-Nobel Peace Prize went to Howard Stapleton for his groundbreaking research in teenager-repellent technology. D. Lynn Halpern won an award for research into why fingernails on a chalkboard are almost as annoying as teenagers. Ivan Schwab garnered his award for research into avian headacheology. Two french researchers cooked up a medal for spaghetti research. Read more about these and other prizes here and at the Improbable Research official web site. To those Slashdotters who were expecting an award, better luck next year."
Unfair mod. Should be +5 fucking brilliant.
Now, if we can just herf all those thumpmobiles
What changed under Obama? Nothing Good
why dry spaghetti breaks into more than one piece when it is bent: -1, Lame
Apparently someone doesn't know how interesting this problem is. Feynman spent a lot of time on it. It's much, much harder than, say, showing that a tall, skinny brick structure will break 1/3 of the way up from the ground if it's slowly tipped to one side (or if a demolition charge makes it crumble). Though that research certainly isn't Nobel-winning stuff, it's a remarkably difficult problem with a lot of applications (including, methinks, applications to space-station engineering and probably nanostructures).
At Bathurst subway/streetcar/bus station in Toronto, they play classical (well, baroque actually) music on the PA to keep teenagers away. It seems to work quite well, actually. It's only at that station, and since classical music is only annoying to teens (at least to the point of forcing them from the building) it doesn't trouble other patrons. One caveat: if you (like me) are one of those Classical Punks- who follow their own rules, and wear all the lead-based makeup and penny loafers they want- it doesn't work.
Why is it something that could be offensive (like sex and violence in movies) is generally regarded as bad, whereas something designed solely to be offensive (The Mosquito) is regarded as a good thing?
Mr Stapleton deserves the Ig Nobel.
"Live as if you'll die tomorrow." Ridiculous. You could die later today.
Okay - I'm 30 with averagehearing for my age, so it isn't going to affect me. But it still seems a little unfair to ignore noise poluution if it only affects teenagers - most of whom are not doing any harm, and just want to hang around with mates. Do noise pollution laws only apply if they affect adults?
So how do we solve it? Nobody is going to listen to a bunch of kids. Could simply disable it. Nobody would know. Any other ways to deal with it?
you realize he won an ig-nobel prize. It's the booby prize of science.
What changed under Obama? Nothing Good
Since when are Peace Prizes given out to people who invent phyological/sonic/whateveryouwanttocallit weapons??
If I were awarded a Nobel Peace Prize I would consider it a public embaressment. Have you checked out a list of the winners?
On the other hand, the igNobel Peace Prize is supposed to be a public embaressment.
KFG
I often find a good way to find out the truth about something is to put a statement online in public which is which is definitely wrong, then wait for somebody to correct you :)
qntm.org
You, and your friends, are exactly the sort of hooligans that inspire the invention of devices like these.
Mea navis aericumbens anguillis abundat
Ok, but in manufacturing the components this sort of thing could become useful knowledge. The snapping of pieces could (in some process) be an efficient way to get to pieces of a certain length etc.