Slashdot Mirror

← Back to Stories (view on slashdot.org)

2010 Ig Nobel Winners Announced

Posted by kdawson on from the whale-snot dept.

Velcroman1 writes "Having trouble breathing? Try riding a roller-coaster. Really. A pair of Dutch researchers who discovered that the symptoms of asthma can be treated with a roller-coaster ride are among this year's winners of the Ig Nobel awards, the infamous annual tribute to scientific research that seems wacky — but also has real world applications. FoxNews.com has interviews with several award winners, who are all ecstatic to win, despite the fact that they're all gently being poked fun at."

6 of 111 comments (clear)

  1. Last prize really Ig Nobel? by line-bundle · · Score: 5, Insightful


    And finally, a project at the University of Catania in Italy was awarded the management prize for demonstrating mathematically that organizations can improve efficiency by promoting people randomly.

    This research deserves a far better prize than the Ig Nobel. Just look at the management in companies! An algorithm far worse than random is being used to select the worst of the worst to run companies.

    I believe most institutions run in spite of management.

    And don't mod this funny.

    1. Re:Last prize really Ig Nobel? by Ethanol-fueled · · Score: 5, Informative
      You quoted their website, which stated that their solutions are unusual and imaginative. The summary:

      Having trouble breathing? Try riding a roller-coaster. Really. A pair of Dutch researchers who discovered that the symptoms of asthma can be treated with a roller-coaster ride...

      Most asthmatics know that the emergency treatment for severe attacks is a shot of adrenaline. A ride on a rollercoaster is also kinda a shot of adrenaline. I suppose holding a loaded gun to one's head may also alleviate symptoms.

      Kinda like that Simpsons episode where Bart has all this stuff super-glued to his face, and Dr. Hibert breaks out a menacing-looking nailgun to remove them. Bart simply sweats them off as Dr. Hibert laughs. Bart asks why Dr. Hibert couldnt've just turned up the thermostat, and Dr. Hibert responds evilly,

      No, it had to be terror sweat!

  2. Re:Asthma is cured while you are on a roller coast by LostCluster · · Score: 5, Funny

    I can't wait to see this added to the Six Flags health plan.

  3. Another myth busted by oldhack · · Score: 5, Funny

    Plainly, women are no longer underrepresented in science and whatnot. Look up the winners' names.

    --
    Fuck systemd. Fuck Redhat. Fuck Soylent, too. Wait, scratch the last one.
  4. Re:Fox News! Burn it! Burn it with fire! by cavePrisoner · · Score: 5, Funny

    Since you mention it, they incorrectly state that the economics prize was awarded "for determining by experiment that microbes cling to bearded scientists." I guess it was a copy and paste error, since that is the same listing they have for the public health award directly above it. If you want to be paranoid (realistic?--I can't even tell anymore) about it, you could say the mistake was made intentionally to avoid publishing how the award poked fun at Wall Street's creative investment schemes.

  5. Re:Fox News! Burn it! Burn it with fire! by Ezel · · Score: 5, Informative

    Yes, there is an error in the Fox News article. Here is a quote from the official site instead:

    ECONOMICS PRIZE: The executives and directors of Goldman Sachs, AIG, Lehman Brothers, Bear Stearns, Merrill Lynch, and Magnetar for creating and promoting new ways to invest money -- ways that maximize financial gain and minimize financial risk for the world economy, or for a portion thereof.

    http://improbable.com/ig/winners/

    --
    Prosp long and liver.