PLEASE FORWARD/POST TO OTHER AIRHEADS ================================================================ The mini-Annals of Improbable Research ("mini-AIR") Issue Number 1995-10 October, 1995 ISSN 1076-500X Key words: improbable research, science humor, Ig Nobel, AIR, the ---------------------------------------------------------------- A free newsletter of tidbits too tiny to fit in The Annals of Improbable Research (AIR), the journal of inflated research and personalities ================================================================ ----------------------------- 1995-10-01 TABLE OF CONTENTS 1995-10-01 Table of Contents 1995-10-02 Micro-mini Housekeeping Notes 1995-10-03 Alluring Abstracts from AIR 1:6 1995-10-04 The 1995 Ig Nobel Prizewinners 1995-10-05 Other Ig Nobelliana 1995-10-06 Teachers' Guide 1995-10-07 AIRhead Science Limericks 1995-10-08 AIRhead Project 2000 1995-10-09 May We Recommend... 1995-10-10 AIRhead Events 1995-10-11 What is AIR? (*) 1995-10-12 How to Subscribe to AIR(*) 1995-10-13 How to Receive mini-AIR, etc.(*) 1995-10-14 Our Address (*) 1995-10-15 Please Forward/Post This Issue! (*) Items marked (*) are reprinted in every issue. ------------------------------------------------------------ 1995-10-02 Micro-mini Housekeeping Notes 1. Yes, we do plan to have a video of this year's Ig Nobel Prize Cereomny. Details will be announced in the next issue of mini- AIR. 2. Beginning with this issue, the mini-AIR distribution load will be handled using a new mailer program on a new computer system. Fellow AIRheads, let us pray. ------------------------------------------------------------ 1995-10-03 AIR 1:5 -- Special Animal Behavior Issue AIR is a subversively educational print journal. The articles in AIR are longer, more visual, and more xeroxible than the tiny tidbits we publish in mini-AIR. AIR vol. 1, no. 6, the November/December 1995 issue, is a special issue devoted partially to research on animal behavior. Two of the most prominent articles are: A] A report from Swiss researchers (Inaudil, de Lega, Di Tullo, Forno, Jacquet, Lehmann, Monti and Vurpillot) who have identified and captured the butterfly whose wingflapping causes rainfalls in Paris. B] A report from researchers at the University of Waterloo (Carron, Brawley and Widmeyer) concerning a program of independence training for lemmings. AIR includes these full articles and much more -- including several pages (with copious quotes!) of items that merit a trip to the library. We invite you to subscribe and become an official AIRhead. ------------------------------------------------------- 1995-10-04 The 1995 Ig Nobel Prizewinners The Fifth First Annual Ig Nobel Prize Ceremony was held at Harvard University on the evening of Friday, Oct. 6, 1995. Ten prizes were awarded to individuals whose achievements "cannot or should not be reproduced." Two of the winners (nutrition and chemistry) were present, and received their Prizes from (genuine) Nobel Laureates Sheldon Glashow (Physics '79), Dudley Herschbach (Chemistry '86), William Lipscomb (Chemistry '76), Joseph Murray (Physiology or Medicine '90) and Richard Roberts (Physiology or Medicine '93). Three other winners (physics, literature and dentistry) graciously sent taped acceptance speeches. The Ceremony was mounted by The Annals of Improbable Research and co-sponsored by the Harvard Computer Society and by Tangents (the Harvard-Radcliffe mathematical bulletin). Here is a complete list of the 1995 Ig Nobel Prizewinners. NUTRITION John Martinez of J. Martinez & Company in Atlanta, for Luak Coffee, the world's most expensive coffee, which is made from coffee beans ingested and excreted by the luak (aka, the palm civet), a bobcat-like animal native to Indonesia. PHYSICS D.M.R. Georget, R. Parker, and A.C. Smith, of the Institute of Food Research, Norwich, England, for their rigorous analysis of soggy breakfast cereal, published in the report entitled 'A Study of the Effects of Water Content on the Compaction Behaviour of Breakfast Cereal Flakes." [Published in the research journal "Powder Technology," November, 1994, vol. 81, no. 2, pp. 189-96.] ECONOMICS Awarded jointly to Nick Leeson and his superiors at Barings Bank and to Robert Citron of Orange County, California, for using the calculus of derivatives to demonstrate that every financial institution has its limits. MEDICINE Marcia E. Buebel, David S. Shannahoff-Khalsa, and Michael R. Boyle, for their invigorating study entitled "The Effects of Unilateral Forced Nostril Breathing on Cognition." [Published in "International Journal of Neuroscience," vol. 57, 1991, pp. 239-249.] LITERATURE David B. Busch and James R. Starling, of Madison Wisconsin, for their deeply penetrating research report, "Rectal foreign bodies: Case Reports and a Comprehensive Review of the World's Literature." The citations include reports of, among other items: seven light bulbs; a knife sharpener; two flashlights; a wire spring; a snuff box; an oil can with potato stopper; eleven different forms of fruits, vegetables and other foodstuffs; a jeweler's saw; a frozen pig's tail; a tin cup; a beer glass; and one patient's remarkable ensemble collection consisting of spectacles, a suitcase key, a tobacco pouch and a magazine. [Published in the medical journal "Surgery," September 1986, pp. 512-519.] PEACE The Taiwan National Parliament, for demonstrating that politicians gain more by punching, kicking and gouging each other than by waging war against other nations. PSYCHOLOGY Shigeru Watanabe, Junko Sakamoto, and Masumi Wakita, of Keio University, for their success in training pigeons to discriminate between the paintings of Picasso and those of Monet. [Their report, entitled "Pigeons' Discrimination of Paintings by Monet and Picasso," was published in "Journal of the Experimental Analysis of Behavior," vol. 63, 1995, pp. 165-174.] PUBLIC HEALTH Martha Kold Bakkevig of Sintef Unimed in Trondheim, Norway, and Ruth Nielson of the Technical University of Denmark, for their exhaustive study, "Impact of Wet Underwear on Thermoregulatory Responses and Thermal Comfort in the Cold." [Published in "Ergonomics," vol 37, no. 8, Aug. 1994 , pp. 1375- 89.] DENTISTRY Robert H. Beaumont, of Shore View, Minnesota, for his incisive study "Patient Preference for Waxed or Unwaxed Dental Floss." [Published in the research journal "Journal of Periodontology," vol. 61, no. 2, Feb. 1990, pp. 123-5. CHEMISTRY Bijan Pakzad of Beverly Hills, for creating DNA Cologne and DNA Perfume, neither of which contain deoxyribonucleic acid, and both of which come in a triple helix bottle. A very skimpy, yet somewhat coherent, description of the Cereomny can be obtained by sending email to INFO@IMPROB.COM A full account, with photographs, will appear n the Jan/Feb issue of AIR. ------------------------------------------------- 1995-10-05 Other Ig Nobelliana 1. This year's Ig Nobel Prize Ceremony was, as we had hoped, televised live the Internet MBONE facility. We were pleased to hear from people in a number of countries who witnessed the events as they folded and unfolded. The unfortunate part was that the ethernet cable into the hall was installed only two days before the ceremony, too late fo rus to get out a special issue of mini- AIR in time to notify most of you. Next year, all the technical aspects should be in place in plenty of time. 2. The theme of this year's ceremony was "DNA, the stuff of life and legend." DNA was celebrated throughout the evening in a variety of ways by everyone from 12-year old Kate Eppers to DNA pioneer James Watson to Sally Yeh, president of Bijan Fragrances, the creators of DNA Fragrances for Men and Women. 3. If you were at the ceremony, or if you saw it over the Internet, you witnessed the work of an extraordinary group of people, many from Harvard and MIT, many from elsewhere, who labored mightily and mighty lovingly to make this ceremony happen. Extremely special thanks to producer igstaordinaire Sip Siperstein, literary mathematician Stanley Eigen, stage manager Roger Kautz, organigzer igstraordinaire Christopher Thorpe and the Harvard Computer Society, Christopher Pimlott and Tangents, choreigrapher Nicola Hawkins (and the Nicola Hawkins Dance Company), lichtmeister and propologist Eric Workman, scientist/supermodel Symmetra (Deb Kreuze), jazz harpist and stage presence Deborah Henson-Conant, videontologist Steph Gainer, audiogrammatographers Dave Goodman and Jeff Bryant, Joe Wrinn and the Harvard News Office staff, Brian Yankee and the Sanders Theater staff, the Holyoke Center ticket office, the Harvard Parking Office, John Mather and the Harvard Science Center magicians, Alan Symonds, Tatiana Divens, Brett Neubig, Frank Wu, Focus Magazine, the incomparable and elusive R.T. Morris, Chris Small, Jerry Lotto, Trevor Blackwell and Prof. Margo Selzer & company, our friend Tom, our radio friends Thomas and Raymond, the Nobel and Ig Nobel Laureates and their families, and many other people whom -- most unfortunately! -- we do not have room to list here. And let us not forget Lucky the flying dog. ------------------------------------------------ 1995-10-06 Teachers' Guide [By popular request, here (again) is the teachers' guide that we publish in every issue of AIR. Please pass it on to any teacher friend who would find it useful.] Three out of five teachers agree: curiosity is a dangerous thing, especially in students. If you are one of the other two teachers, AIR and mini-AIR can be powerful tools. Choose your favorite hAIR-raising article and give copies to your students. The approach is simple. The scientist thinks that he (or she, or whatever), of all people, has discovered something about how the universe behaves. So: * Is this scientist right -- and what does "right" mean, anyway? * Can you think of even one different explanation that works as well or better? * Did the test really, really, truly, unquestionably, completely test what the author thought he was testing? * Is the scientist ruthlessly honest with himself about how well his idea explains everything, or could he be suffering from wishful thinking? Kids are naturally good scientists. Help them stay that way. ----------------------------------------------------------- 1995-10-07 AIRhead Science Limericks Our compendium of new (at least we hope that they are new) science limericks continues to grow, swell and change color. We urge you to keep your submissions on-color, not off-. The limericks and commentaries (especially those of J. Pasachoff) that we published in prior months have spurred an intense and facinatingly inconsequential debate on the proper rules of syntax, rhyme and content for Limericks. This set of commentaries, which one participant called "a Jesuitically Talmudic triumph of hyperbole and split hairs," will perhaps one day become part of our home page. For this month, despite the kind offer of one reader from Singapore who offered to "brain" us if we published any more limericks, we confine our published offerings to the following. -------------- [Written in haste, in immediate reaction to unjustified criticism.] There is always some guy with a rule Who will claim that another's a fool When his lim'rick won't scan To a prearranged plan, But forbear, it may _still_ be a jewel. --David Hormuth [But with that in mind, I hereby submit another, based on a TRUE event that occurred in 1965, when I was a lab assistant at North Dakota State University:] The zoology coed did squirm At the lab quiz that ended the term. When asked "What are tadpoles?", (In the specimen bowls), She wrote down "They are elephant sperm." --David Hormuth A research professor (Renee), Cloned people from ape DNA. The project went well, Anyone can tell, 'Cause they're members of congress today. --Frank Weisel Montgomery County Public Schools Rockville, MD In Boulder, where often it snows, NIST/JILA staff got high from lows. A great celebration: at last! condensation according to Einstein and Bose! --Walter Leight ------------------------------------------------------------- 1995-10-08 AIRhead Project 2000 As announced in mini-AIR 1994-02-03 (June, 1994), we are compiling a list of studies, projects, and products that involve the number two thousand. The following items were randomly selected: ITEM #3074 (submitted by investigator Geir Overskeid) "T 2000," a new type of subway train in Oslo, Norway. ITEM #3099E (submitted by investigator Calton Bolick) "WHEELS 2000," a used car business in Concord, CA that advertises itself as ("specializing in one-owner cars!"). ITEM #4110 (submittd by investigator A. Singh) "AD 2000," an automobile rustproofing product by Esso. ITEM #8888K-09 (submitted by investigator Dustin Laurence) "Midway 2000" a scenario for the wargame Harpoon: Captain's Edition by Larry Bond and published by Game Designer's Workshop. ITEM #9991-FTF (submitted by investigator Wolf Roder) "Africa 2000, a conference held at Hofstra University in October 1995, conference at Hofstra Univ. 12-14 October 1995 ITEM #4909 (submitted by investigator Madeleine Page) "Organization 2000: A Psychoanalytic Perspective," a conference organized by The International Society for the Psychoanalytic Study of Organizations. ITEM #120391 (submitted by investigator Pete Kaiser) "Elastic 2000," a bungee-jumping facility open evenings in "Antibes Land", near the city of Antibes on the Cote d'Azur in France. ----------------------------------------------------------- 1995-10-09 May We Recommend... Research reports that merit a trip to the library. (These items are additional to the many which appear in AIR itself.) "Psychological Evaluation of Non-Linear Distortion," by H. Yahiro, et al, presented at 37th Audio Engineering Society Convention, 1980, preprint #665. (Thanks to investigator Greg Kinney for bringing this to our attention.) "A study of the influence of ageing on the mechanical properties of Cheddar cheese," by M. N. Charalambides, J. G. Williams, and S. Chakrabarti, "Journal of Materials Science," vol. 30, 1995, pp. 3959-3967. (Thanks to investigator Tom Jervis for bringing this to our attention. This research appears to have been conducted completely independently from that of Banjamin Waggoner, whose study, "Evolutionary Relationships Among Cheeses," was published in "The Annals of Improbable Research," vol. 1, no. 3, May/Jun 1995. Readers are hereby alerted to the fact that we might publish an analysis of the Charalambides, Williams, Chakrabarti research in a future issue of AIR.) "Manhole Covers," by Mimi Melnick with photographs by Robert A Melnick, MIT Press, 1994. (Thanks to investigator Steve Anderson, and to a prior investigator whose name has washed away, for bringing this to our attention.) ------------------------------------------------------------ 1995-10-10 AIRhead Events [The most current version of this list can always be obtained by sending e-mail to INFO@IMPROB.COM] "THE ACID TEST" program, BBC Radio 5, UK Sun, Oct 15, 7:35 pm Report on the 1995 Ig Nobel Prize Ceremony CARNEGIE MELLON UNIVERSITY, Pittsburgh Tues, Oct 17 7:00 Doherty Hall 2315. Seminar/slide show on "Advances in Improbable Research." Info: Catherine_Copetas@GANDALF.CS.CMU.EDU FROSTBURG STATE (Maryland) Thurs,October 19 3:30 in Tawes Hall, room 232. Seminar on improbable science writing. 7:30 in Lane Center multi-use room. Seminar/slide show on "Advances in Improbable Research." Info: George Plitnik, 301-687- 4298 GLOBOSAT NEWS TELEVISION, Brazil Sat, Oct 21, 7 pm Special report on the 1995 Ig Nobel Prize Ceremony. FOLIO CONFERENCE, Hilton Hotel, New York City Thurs, Oct 26 2:00 AIRhead lecture/slide show for magazine editors and publishers on the topic "Camshafts, Beer, and Cindy Crawford: How to Make a Dull Topic Irresistable." Info: John Nelson, American Society of Business Press Editors, 708-889-4141 IG NOBEL ON SCIENCE FRIDAY Thurs afternoon, Nov 24 National Public Radio's "Talk of the Nation / Science Friday" program will broadcast a recording of the 1995 Ig Nobel Prize Ceremony. Consult your local NPR station for exact time. MIT ALUMNI CLUB, Albany New York Thurs evening, Dec 14 INFO: Wendy Gilman: 518-443-5168 or 518-270-1882 GILMANW@CA.SUNYCENTRAL.EDU AAAS ANNUAL MEETING, Baltimore Sun, Feb 11, 1996 Several of AIR's most distinguished authors will present their research on "The Taxonomy of Barney," "Analysis of DNA Cologne," "Risk Assessment of Abduction by Aliens," "Studmuffins of Science," and other topics at a special evening session. FOLIO CONFERENCE, Los Angeles April 23-6, 1996 Presentation of research findings built upon those described in the October Folio conference presentation. [Anyone if the LA area who would like to sponsor other AIRhead events durin the same week are requested to email marca@wilson.harvard.edu.] If you would like to host an improbable research seminar / slide show please get in touch with us. From time to time AIRhead news reports and commentary appear on ABC Television's "World News Now" and International Public Radio's "LIVING ON EARTH." --------------------------------------------------------------- 1995-10-11 WHAT IS AIR? (*) The Annals of Improbable Research (AIR) is a splendidly subversive science humor magazine produced by the founders and entire former editorial staff (1955-1994) of "The Journal of Irreproducible Results" and by other research scientists and other AIRheads from around the world. AIR's co-founders are Marc Abrahams, who edited the Journal from 1990-1994, and Alexander Kohn, who co-founded the Journal in 1955 and was its editor until 1989. The editorial board consists of more than 40 distinguished scientists from around the world, including eight Nobel Laureates and a convicted felon. Each October, AIR produces the Ig Nobel Prize Ceremony, honoring people whose achievements "cannot or should not be reproduced." [IMPORTANT -- AIR is IN NO WAY associated with the name "The Journal of Irreproducible Results" or with the entity which now owns that name.] -------------------------------------- 1995-10-12 How to Subscribe to AIR(*) Amaze your colleagues. Delight your friends. Impress yourself. Subscribe to The Annals of Improbable Research (AIR)! Put more AIR in the lab, the classroom, the office, the waiting room, the library, the living room, the restroom, ...the detention center. And it makes a lovely gift of the most unexpected kind. 6 issues per year. Highly enriched, yet contains no cholesterol. ============================================== Rates (in US dollars) USA 1 year - $19.95 2 years - $34.95 Canada/Mexico 1 year - $27 2 years - $45 Overseas 1 year - $40 2 years - $70 Send payment (US bank check, or international money order, or Visa, Mastercard or Discover cards) to: The Annals of Improbable Research (AIR) PO Box 380853, Cambridge, MA 02238 USA 617-491-4437 FAX: 617-661-0927 air@improb.com --------------------------- 1995-10-13 How to Receive mini-AIR, etc.(*) mini-AIR is an monthly electronic newsletter of overflow tidbits from The Annals of Improbable Research (AIR). It is available over the Internet, free of charge. To subscribe, send a brief E- mail message to: LISTPROC@AIR.HARVARD.EDU The body of your message should contain ONLY the words SUBSCRIBE MINI-AIR MARIE CURIE (You may substitute your own name for that of Madame Curie.) --------------------------------------- To stop subscribing, send the following message: SIGNOFF MINI-AIR To obtain a list of back issues, send this message: INDEX MINI-AIR To retrieve a particular back issue, send a message specifying which issue you want. For example, to retrieve the issue dated 950706, send this message: GET MINI-AIR MINI-AIR.950706 ::::: AIR extracts on USENET The USENET newsgroup clari.feature.imprb_research presents a syndicated weekly column of reports extracted from The Annals of Improbable Research. [NOTE: This is available only if your Internet site subscribes to the Clarinet newsgroups.] --------------------------- 1995-10-14 Our Address The Annals of Improbable Research (AIR) PO Box 380853 Cambridge, MA 02238 USA 617-491-4437 FAX:617-661-0927 EDITORIAL: marca@wilson.harvard.edu GENERAL INFO (supplied automatically): info@improb.com SUBSCRIPTIONS: air@improb.com URL: http://www.improb.com/ We read everything we receive, but are unable to answer all of it. IF you need a reply, please include your Internet address and/or a SASE in all printed correspondence. --------------------------- 1995-10-15 Please Forward/Post This Issue! (*) Please distribute copies of mini-AIR (or excerpts) wherever appropriate. The only limitations are: A) Please indicate that the material comes from mini-AIR. B) You may NOT distribute mini-AIR for commercial purposes. ------------------------------------------------------------ (c) copyright 1995, The Annals of Improbable Research ------------------------------------------------------------ ------------- mini-AIRheads ------------- EDITOR: Marc Abrahams (marca@wilson.harvard.edu) WWW EDITOR/GLOBAL VILLAGE IDIOT: Amy Gorin (ringo@mit.edu) COMMUTATIVE EDITOR: Stanley Eigen (eigen@neu.edu) ASSOCIATIVE EDITORS: Mark Dionne, Jane Patrick CO-CONSPIRATORS: Nicki Sorel, Gary Dryfoos MAITRE DE COMPUTATION: Jerry Lotto AUTHORITY FIGURES: Nobel Laureates Dudley Herschbach, Sheldon Glashow & William Lipscomb ============================================================