The Ig Nobels Are Tonight

← Back to Stories (view on slashdot.org)

Posted by timothy on Thursday September 12, 2013 @10:21AM from the much-much-thicker-in-the-middle dept.

alphadogg writes "Harvard University's August Sanders Theater will play host tonight to a glittering collection of scientific luminaries, in a ceremony dedicated to recognizing some of the most important research of the year. And it will probably involve stuff like green hair, dead salmon brains, and monkey butts. Yes, it's time again for the annual Ig Nobel Prize ceremony, where the weirdest and least useful scientific discoveries of the year are paraded before the public in a festival of bizarre nerd pageantry." Slashdot programmer David Hand will be in the crowd, too, triggering a flood of justified envy. Update: 09/13 14:23 GMT by S : Here are the winners.

33 of 41 comments (clear)

Min score:

Reason:

Sort:

Science vs. Economics by Anonymous Coward · 2013-09-12 10:32 · Score: 1

Science is very similar to evolution, not every effort will produce 'substantial output'.
But if noone ever tried crazy things we would not sit here reading and typing on our semi-magical devices.
I have great respect for every scientist who encreases our knowledge - and be it just for the lulz!
my favorite winner: 2008 Economics by Anonymous Coward · 2013-09-12 10:36 · Score: 5, Interesting

ECONOMICS PRIZE. Geoffrey Miller, Joshua Tybur and Brent Jordan of the University of New Mexico, USA, for discovering that professional lap dancers earn higher tips when they are ovulating.
http://www.improbable.com/ig/winners/
1. Re:my favorite winner: 2008 Economics by FishOuttaWater · 2013-09-12 11:06 · Score: 1
  
  That is something special, yes.
There is an Ig Nobel Peace prize? by gmuslera · 2013-09-12 10:40 · Score: 2, Interesting

Obama should get that one too.
1. Re:There is an Ig Nobel Peace prize? by JSG · 2013-09-12 12:53 · Score: 1
  
  Why?
2. Re:There is an Ig Nobel Peace prize? by quenda · 2013-09-12 13:59 · Score: 2
  
  The ignoble Peace prize is to be abandoned.
  They realised it was impossible to be any more bizarre or improbable than the real Nobel Peace Prize.
  How can you top the 1973 award to Kissinger and Le Duc Tho to end the Vietnam war?
  Or legendary snake-oil promoter Linus Pauling,
  convicted terrorists including Yasir Arafat and Nelson Mandela (OK, maybe) ,
  an AIDS conspiracy theorist, and various war criminals.
  Obama really won the inaugural "not being GW Bush prize", but that turned out to have been a little premature.
3. Re:There is an Ig Nobel Peace prize? by sFurbo · 2013-09-12 20:53 · Score: 2
  
  Obama really won the inaugural "not being GW Bush prize", but that turned out to have been a little premature.
  To be fair, he did turn out not to be GW Bush. Whether he was a step forward is another story.
4. Re:There is an Ig Nobel Peace prize? by Anonymous Coward · 2013-09-12 21:31 · Score: 1
  
  I dunno, have we ever seen Obama and Bush in the same room together?
5. Re: There is an Ig Nobel Peace prize? by Convector · 2013-09-13 00:26 · Score: 1
  
  Yes. At the inauguration for one. Unless you're suggesting that one of them was a replicant...
6. Re: There is an Ig Nobel Peace prize? by allaunjsilverfox2 · 2013-09-13 01:55 · Score: 1
  
  Yes. At the inauguration for one. Unless you're suggesting that one of them was a replicant...
  No, the meeting was to engage the body swapping equipment. I mean, When was the last time you heard G.W. Bush SAY anything.
  
  --
  Restore the madness of youth's lechery
7. Re: There is an Ig Nobel Peace prize? by khelms · 2013-09-13 08:00 · Score: 1
  
  Please stop, I'm bored!
August Sanders Theater by trb · 2013-09-12 10:49 · Score: 4, Informative

It may be Harvard University's august Sanders Theater. It is not Harvard University's August Sanders Theater. It was not named for a person called August Sanders.
1. Re:August Sanders Theater by Anonymous Coward · 2013-09-12 11:05 · Score: 3, Funny
  
  It was not named for a person called August Sanders.
  Plus its almost halfway into September now! Sheesh.
2. Re:August Sanders Theater by Quasimodem · 2013-09-12 12:13 · Score: 4, Funny
  
  August is Col. Harland Sanders brother, and the inventor of the bucket. Without August's pioneering efforts in chicken containers, you'd bring home Col. Sanders' Kentucky Fried Chicken by the poke.
3. Re:August Sanders Theater by M.+Baranczak · 2013-09-12 14:13 · Score: 1
  
  Slashdot is usually late posting these stories. It's to be expected.
4. Re:August Sanders Theater by sjames · 2013-09-12 19:58 · Score: 1
  
  And a good thing too! Poking chickens is illegal in several states.
Ugh! by FishOuttaWater · 2013-09-12 11:05 · Score: 1

You could have posted this *before* the live video started...
Would love to hear crickets chirping there by WillAffleckUW · 2013-09-12 11:34 · Score: 1

Using their little mechanical gear limbs to rub their legs against their wings.

--
-- Tigger warning: This post may contain tiggers! --
Link to video by DogDude · 2013-09-12 11:42 · Score: 3, Informative

The link to the video of the awards is less than obvious on their web page...

2012 Ignoble Awards

--
I don't respond to AC's.
Where are the nerds by JSG · 2013-09-12 11:47 · Score: 3, Funny

This is real news for nerds.
I note that the story above about the NSA inventing a new magnifying glass and can now read text down to 2 point or something has shit loads of comments but this one has very few.
Come on you buggers, comment here where it really counts.
Oh - you can't hear me no matter how hard I tap the keys ...... bugger
Cheers
Jon
1. Re:Where are the nerds by JSG · 2013-09-12 11:48 · Score: 1
  
  ... and me with Mod points 'n' all
  Kids today.
2. Re:Where are the nerds by Anonymous Coward · 2013-09-12 13:06 · Score: 1
  
  Well at least Slashdot programmer David Hand was able to take a break from working on implementing unicode support and attend on our behalf.
3. Re:Where are the nerds by daniel23 · 2013-09-12 13:50 · Score: 2
  
  I hate to bring the news but the unicode task has been completed ("not worth the effort for the foreigners") while he team is busy now with ssl ("not worth the effort since the nsa ...") and IPv6 ("not worth the effort, hex between colons hurts the eyes")
  
  --
  605413? Yes, it's a prime.
4. Re:Where are the nerds by DogDude · 2013-09-12 16:27 · Score: 1
  
  If it isn't about a screen, people don't really care these days.
  
  --
  I don't respond to AC's.
Re:You never know by JSG · 2013-09-12 12:02 · Score: 1

Do you actually remember what search engines looked like before Google came on the scene?
They were awful and ad ridden (cf the modern Google - it's rather subtle) and shallow. I moved my home page away from Altavista pretty smartish when I heard of them.
Fault them all you like but G's founders filled a niche nicely with good (enough) maths/algorithms and a canny eye for user requirements and as it turns out by results: good business sense.
They do evil by default nowadays but they are still pretty good at the basic premise - search.
AC - I see you as a kid until you uncloak - twat.
Cheers
Jon
Will there be an "ig-Nobel Peace" prize ? by Taco+Cowboy · 2013-09-12 13:17 · Score: 5, Funny

I hope they will spring a surprise for us and add an "ig-Nobel Peacec" prize, and award it to Obama.

--
Muchas Gracias, Señor Edward Snowden !
1. Re:Will there be an "ig-Nobel Peace" prize ? by RaceProUK · 2013-09-13 01:27 · Score: 1
  
  There is a Peace Prize, but not for Obama:
  
  PEACE PRIZE: Alexander Lukashenko, president of Belarus, for making it illegal to applaud in public, AND to the Belarus State Police, for arresting a one-armed man for applauding. - See more at: http://www.improbable.com/ig/winners/#sthash.YXMyvdvW.dpuf
  
  --
  No colour or religion ever stopped the bullet from a gun
Here's my photo stream by Anonymous Coward · 2013-09-12 15:01 · Score: 1

2013 Ig Nobel Prize Ceremony Photos from the peanut gallery.
1. Re:Here's my photo stream by basecastula+ · 2013-09-13 06:16 · Score: 1
  
  Cool pix. Looks like a fun event. Why is that tall women in silver standing next to the podium?
Genuinely jealous by kruach+aum · 2013-09-12 18:50 · Score: 2

that I couldn't attend. I got lost on the way, there was so much light pollution I couldn't see the milky way.
Timely! by GrumpySteen · 2013-09-13 04:17 · Score: 1

I like how this post went nearly an hour after the webcast started.
Re:You never know by basecastula+ · 2013-09-13 06:05 · Score: 1

Sounds like you live here.
Fun research by basecastula+ · 2013-09-13 06:11 · Score: 1

Does this sound like fun research to you? If so, pass that enthusiasm along to the next generation. Come on, send a mass text or email. Tell somebody about it. Showing people that science can be a fun thing is what we need right now. Of course, most slashdotters already know this, but maybe Dice will take note.