------ Forwarded Message From: Marc Abrahams <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Reply-To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Date: Wed, 26 Sep 2001 03:01:31 -0400 (EDT) To: Multiple recipients of list MINI-AIR <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Subject: mini-AIR Sept 2001 - Math Value / Half-Clever Rise-Fall
PLEASE FORWARD/POST AS APPROPRIATE ================================================================ mini-Annals of Improbable Research ("mini-AIR") Issue Number 2001-09 September, 2001 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 ================================================================ ----------------------------- 2001-09-01 TABLE OF CONTENTS 2001-09-01 Table of Contents 2001-09-02 mini-Housekeeping 2001-09-03 What's New in the Magazine 2001-09-04 The New, True Value of Math 2001-09-05 The Rise and/or Fall of Math Scores 2001-09-06 Year of the Palindrome 2001-09-07 Reverie on Revilo 2001-09-08 Ig Nobel News Nuggets 2001-09-09 LIBRARIAN'S CHALLENGE: Redundant Authors 2001-09-10 What Whether Results 2001-09-11 Last Call for Bridesmaid's Dresses 2001-09-12 An Ig Winner in Your home? 2001-09-13 CAVALCADE OF HotAIR: Sounds, Doubt, Eat, Nano-Porn 2001-09-14 RESEARCH SPOTLIGHT: The Art of Personality 2001-09-15 MAY WE RECOMMEND: Math, Halitosis, and Patience 2001-09-16 AIRhead Events 2001-09-17 How to Subscribe to AIR (*) 2001-09-18 Our Address (*) 2001-09-19 Please Forward/Post This Issue! (*) 2001-09-20 How to Receive mini-AIR, etc. (*) Items marked (*) are reprinted in every issue. mini-AIR is a free monthly *e-supplement* to AIR, the print magazine ---------------------------------------------------------- 2001-09-02 mini-Housekeeping Ig Nobel tickets are going fast. To get some, call the Harvard Box Office (telephone: 617-496-2222). Details are at <http://www.improbable.com/ig/2001/2001-attend.html> and sections 2001-09-08, 2001-09-11, 2001-09-12, and 2001-09-16 below. ---------------------------------------------------------- 2001-09-03 What's New in the Magazine AIR 7:5 (Sept/Oct 2001) is a special ANIMAL & VEGETABLE ISSUE. Here are some highlights: <> "Cloning of the Zucchini Opiate Receptor," by Lloyd Fricker. <> "Happyface Spiders," by Mark Benecke. <> "The Pliocene Pussy Cat Theory," by Lorenzo Love. <> "Inducing Religion in Sea Monkeys," by Ian Thomas. ...and much, much more. The full table of contents is at <http://www.improbable.com/airchives/paperair/volume7/v7i5/v7i5-toc.html> (What you are reading at this moment is mini-AIR, a small, monthly e-mail supplement to the print magazine.) ---------------------------------------------------------- 2001-09-04 The New, True Value of Math A prominent math professor of our acquaintance writes: I suppose by now you have heard how the novelist Fay Weldon picked up extra cash by promising to mention a certain jewelry store in her new book. (I won't mention the store since I have not been paid to do so). Well, I want to formally let all potential advertisers know that I am willing to place their products in my future algebra and calculus exams. Furthermore, for the proper inducement I can guarantee a positive association by placing their products in a series of easy questions. (Also, I can associate their primary competitors' names with extremely difficult and tricky questions). We have agreed to funnel all pertinent correspondence to this professor. ---------------------------------------------------------- 2001-09-05 The Rise and/or Fall of Math Scores Florida State University has devised a fascinating math challenge for the general public. They sent us a press release with the following headline: FSU Pilot Project Cuts Low Algebra Grades in Half The press release goes on to explain that: [A] two-year pilot program at Florida State University has changed the way students learn and prepare for tests, and has improved test scores in the process. <http://www.newswise.com/articles/2001/9/CAI.FSU.html?sc=wire> This appears to be a tremendous breakthrough of some sort, perhaps in math education, perhaps not. ---------------------------------------------------------- 2001-09-06 Year of the Palindrome Not many readers are fascinated by our slightly burgeoning collection of scientists whose names are palindromes. However, one reader found it inspiring. Investigator Patrick Lenon writes: As long as you're on this palindrome thing (digging up the scientists named "Revilo P. Oliver," "Mark Kram," and whoever else you come up with), may I be bold enough to be the first to suggest the painfully obvious nomination of the year 2002 as the YEAR OF THE PALINDROME? We endorse Investigator Lenon's suggestion, and urge you to write and telephone your local and national politicians, urging them to put this into effect before New Year's Day. ---------------------------------------------------------- 2001-09-07 Reverie on Revilo Mention of the late, albeit still palindromic Revilo P. Oliver has spurred the imagination of Investigator Derek Roff. Roff writes: "Revilo" is a clearly recognizable word in Esperanto, with the clearly non-specific meaning of "tool for (day)dreaming." This would generally point to some sort of hallucinogenic drug (at least until electrical technology of direct brain stimulation improves). Scanning Dr. Oliver's articles suggests the aptness of this interpretation. ---------------------------------------------------------- 2001-09-08 Ig Nobel News Nuggets Here is a quick list of Ig-related news. * WHO: Seven of the 10 new winners are coming to the ceremony on Thursday night, October 4. There five Nobel Laureates will hand them their Prizes. It will all be televised live at <http://www.improbable.com> * WEDDING: The 60-second marriage ceremony of Lisa Danielson and Will Stefanov will be, so far as we've been able to determine, the first wedding ever held in Harvard's majestic Sanders Theatre. It will be preceded by the premiere of a new mini-opera, "The Wedding Complex." The opera libretto will be posted on our web site prior to the ceremony. * SATURDAY LECTURES: The Ig Informal Lectures will be at MIT, in room 26-100, starting at 1:00 pm on Saturday, October 6. It's free. David Jones (author of the "Daedalus" column in Nature and several of this year's winners will perform. * POSTERS: (1) If you are in the Boston area and would like to post Ig Nobel posters in your institution, please get in touch with <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>. (2) A downloadable reverse-image poster is at <http://www.improbable.com/ig/2001/ig-2001-poster.pdf> For details see <http://www.improbable.com/ig/2001/2001-details.html> ---------------------------------------------------------- 2001-09-09 LIBRARIAN'S CHALLENGE: Redundant Authors We are proud to begin a new quasi-regular feature in mini-AIR: "LIBRARIAN'S CHALLENGE." In this inaugural episode, we challenge librarians everywhere to help us find the World's Most Prolifically Redundant Author. This project was inspired by the recently published paper: "Redundant Surgical Publications: Tip of the Iceberg?" M. Schein and R. Paladugu, Surgery, vol. 129, no. 6, June 2001, pp. 655-61. Please send your nominee for World's Most Prolifically Redundant Author, along with a brief explanation to support your nomination, to: LIBRARIAN'S CHALLENGE (Project Redundant Authors Project) c/o <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> You are permitted to make one and only one nomination. Excess nominations will be deleted (as will be some of the others by accident, in all likelihood). ---------------------------------------------------------- 2001-09-10 What Whether Results Last month's Whether Percentage Survey, which dealt with the much- misunderstood habits of TV weather reporters in the U.S. and other countries, drew a large volume of responses, which can be categorized as follows: 08% Clarity 27% Fog 12% Wind 31% Flak 22% Other Precipitation (various) Many respondents exceeded the 40-word maximum length. A surprising number of them did so to a degree that would be described (were we describing it) as "Deluge." Here are some comments that lingered after the whether survey finally calmed: INVESTIGATOR ALAN D. GALUMBECK: In the introduction to your Weather Survey you refer to "chance of precipitation." The actual phrase used in the weather industry is "probability of precipitation" or POP for short. You might be interested to know that all the major meteorological organizations, both public and private, that produce weather forecasts also rigorously verify all the elements of their forecasts. [PS: In 1996 I retired after fifteen years service at The Weather Channel where I was Senior Vice President of New Technologies.] INVESTIGATOR DOUG HARVEY Your survey says that "the '20 percent chance of rain' kind of forecast is confusing to some people." It shouldn't be, if they think clearly about it. It simply means there is a 20% chance that rain will fall where you are during the 24 hours in question (provided that you stay within the area where that forecast applies). INVESTIGATOR AMOS SHAPIR: I'm a qualified meteorologist, so excuse me for being a bit serious for a moment. Such "precise" forecasts are not very useful precisely for this reason -- it's just like the statistician who drowned in a pool whose average depth is 30 cm. For some unknown reason, weathermen in the U.S. love such meaningless numbers; I've heard proclamations like "today it was 5 degrees below freezing, tomorrow is going to be twice as cold at 10 below" or "it's going to be 2 degrees centigrade more, which means it will be 35.6 degrees hotter!" (Note the use of the decimal point!) But this may be the subject of yet another research... INVESTIGATOR NEIL WHITE: I can't resist telling you about an encounter I had with a weatherman some years ago. I asked whether the chance of rain forecast meant the probability that at least some rain would occur during the day at a given point within the region. The meteorologist, who was at least mathematically literate enough to understand the question, said that it did not mean that, nor the percentage of the region on which rain would fall at a given time, or any other precise mathematical meaning. Instead, he said, a "40% chance of rain" means only that they think it's more likely to rain than if they had said a "30% chance of rain." ---------------------------------------------------------- 2001-09-11 Last Call for Bridesmaid's Dresses PLEASE PASS THIS ITEM ON TO ANYONE WHO MIGHT WANT TO KNOW ABOUT IT If you know someone who wants to get rid of a used bridesmaid's dress, please suggest that she donate it to this year's Ig Nobel Prize Ceremony. For info, see <http://www.improbable.com/ig/2001/wedding-top.html#dresses> ---------------------------------------------------------- 2001-09-12 An Ig Winner in Your home? With so many of the new Ig Nobel Prize winners journeying to Cambridge for the ceremony, we are still in need of one or two more people to host them. If you live near Harvard Square and would love to host a most delightful and accomplished guest (or two) for a few days, please get in touch with us ASAP at <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> ---------------------------------------------------------- 2001-09-13 CAVALCADE OF HotAIR: Sounds, Doubt, Eat, Nano-Porn Here are concise, incomplete, flighty mentions of some of the features we've posted on HotAIR since last month's mini-AIR came out. You can get to all of them by clicking on "WHAT'S NEW" at the web site, or by going to: <http://www.improbable.com/navstrip/whatsnew.html> ==> Disturbing Sounds <http://www.improbable.com/news/2001/sep/disturbing.html> ==> Matters of Taste and Smell <http://www.improbable.com/news/2001/sep/taste-smell.html> ==> Particles of Doubt <http://www.improbable.com/news/2001/sep/particles.html> ==> Watch What You Eat <http://www.improbable.com/news/2001/sep/watch-eat.html> ==> Nano-Porn[tm]-- Pendulous Arabadopsis <http://www.improbable.com/airchives/paperair/volume7/v7i3/nanoporn-7-3.html > ==> Certain Vibrations <http://www.improbable.com/news/2001/sep/vibrations.html> ==> News About Medical Students <http://www.improbable.com/news/2001/sep/students.html> THESE, AND MORE, ARE ON HOTAIR AT <http://www.improbable.com/navstrip/whatsnew.html> ----------------------------------------------------------- 2001-09-14 RESEARCH SPOTLIGHT: The Art of Personality Each month we select for your special attention a research report that seems especially worth a close read. This month's selection: PICK OF THE MONTH: "Personality and Judgements of Abstract, Pop Art, and Representational Paintings," Adrian Furnham and John Walker, European Journal of Personality, vol. 15, no. 1, 2001, pp. 57-72. The authors, who are at University College London, U.K., report: One hundred and twenty-one participants rated 24 slides of abstract, pop art, and representational paintings.... Disinhibition was associated with positive ratings of abstract art and pop art. Neuroticism was positively correlated with positive ratings of abstract and pop art, while conscientiousness was linked to liking of representational art.... It was also found that art education and frequency of visits to art galleries were linked to positive ratings of abstract paintings. ----------------------------------------------------------- 2001-09-15 MAY WE RECOMMEND: Math, Halitosis, and Patience Here is a further selection of items that merit a trip to the library. BEAUTY TABLED "Beautiful Numbers: The Rise and Decline of the British Association Mathematical Tables Committee, 1871-1965," Mary Croarken and Martin Campbell-Kelly, IEEE Annals of the History of Computing, vol. 22, no. 4, October-December 2000. (Thanks to Patsie Dunn for bringing this to our attention.) EFFUSIVE RESEARCH "Gas Chromatography Double Focusing Sector-Field ICP-MS as an Innovative Tool for Bad Breath Research," Julio Rodríguez- Fernández, María Montes-Bayón, Rosario Pereiro, and Alfredo Sanz- Medel, Journal of Analytical Atomic Spectrometry, vol. 16, no. 9, 2001, pp. 1051-6. (Thanks to L. Paul Bedard for bringing this to our attention.) THE PATIENCE OF PATIENTS "Memorable Patients: Those Who Sit and Wait," David Jeffrey, British Medical Journal, vol. 323, August 18, 2001, p. 362. For additional, more extensive lists of citations, subscribe to (or borrow any issue of) the magazine. ------------------------------------------------------------ 2001-09-16 AIRhead Events ==> For details and updates see <http://www.improbable.com> ==> Want to host an event? <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> 617-491-4437. 11th FIRST ANNUAL IG NOBEL PRIZE CEREMONY THURS, OCT 4, 2001 7:30 pm., Sanders Theatre, Harvard University With live Internet telecast. INFO: <http://www.improbable.com/ig/ig-top.html> TICKETS: Harvard Box Office (617) 496-2222 noon to 6 pm <http://www.fas.harvard.edu/%7Ememhall/boxofc.html> IG INFORMAL LECTURES SAT, OCT 6, 2001 MIT, room 26-100. 1 pm. Free. David Jones (Nature magazine's "Daedalus") and several of the new Ig Nobel Prize winners explain the universe, to the best of their ability. MARIST COLLEGE, POUGHKEEPSIE, NY TUES, DEC 4, 2001 AIR editor MARC ABRAHAMS will present a public talk about the Ig Nobel Prizes and recent advances and retreats in improbable research. Details TBA. MARIST COLLEGE, POUGHKEEPSIE, NY WED, DEC 5, 2001 Psychology Undergraduate Research Conference (PURC). AIR editor MARC ABRAHAMS will present a special talk about psychology and other improbable research. INFO: Sherry Dingman <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> 845-677-5084 x 2955 AAAS ANNUAL MEETING, BOSTON FRI, FEB 15, 2002 Evening. Exact time and location TBA. AIR's annual special session at the annual meeting of the American Association for the Advancement of Science. Details TBA. -------------------------------------------------------------- 2001-09-17 How to Subscribe to AIR (*) Here's how to subscribe to the magnificent bi-monthly print journal The Annals of Improbable Research (the real thing, not just the little bits of overflow material you have been reading here in mini-AIR). ............................................................... Name: Address: Address: City and State: Zip or postal code: Country Phone: FAX: E-mail: ............................................................... SUBSCRIPTIONS (6 issues per year): USA 1 yr/$24.95 2 yrs/$44.95 Canada/Mexico 1 yr/$28.95 US 2 yrs/$49.95 US Overseas 1 yr/$41.95 US 2 yrs/$71.95 US ............................................................... BACK ISSUES are available, too: First issue: $8 USA, $11 Canada/Mex, $16 overseas Add'l issues purchased at same time: $6 each ............................................................... Send payment (US bank check, or international money order, or Visa, Mastercard or Discover info) to: Annals of Improbable Research (AIR) PO Box 380853, Cambridge, MA 02238 USA 617-491-4437 FAX:617-661-0927 <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> ----------------------------------------------------- 2001-09-18 Our Address (*) Annals of Improbable Research (AIR) PO Box 380853, Cambridge, MA 02238 USA 617-491-4437 FAX:617-661-0927 EDITORIAL: [EMAIL PROTECTED] SUBSCRIPTIONS: [EMAIL PROTECTED] WEB SITE: <http://www.improbable.com> --------------------------- 2001-09-19 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. ------------- mini-AIRheads ------------- EDITOR: Marc Abrahams ([EMAIL PROTECTED]) MINI-PROOFREADER AND PICKER OF NITS (before we introduce the last few at the last moment): Wendy Mattson <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> WWW EDITOR/GLOBAL VILLAGE IDIOT: Amy Gorin ([EMAIL PROTECTED]) COMMUTATIVE EDITOR: Stanley Eigen ([EMAIL PROTECTED]) ASSOCIATIVE EDITOR: Mark Dionne DISTRIBUTIVE EDITOR: Robin Pearce CO-CONSPIRATORS: Gary Dryfoos, Ernest Ersatz, Craig Haggart, Nicki Rohloff MAITRE DE COMPUTATION: Jerry Lotto AUTHORITY FIGURES: Nobel Laureates Dudley Herschbach, Sheldon Glashow, William Lipscomb, Richard Roberts (c) copyright 2001, Annals of Improbable Research ----------------------------------------------------- 2001-09-20 How to Receive mini-AIR, etc. (*) What you are reading right now is mini-AIR. Mini-AIR is a (free!) tiny monthly *supplement* to the bi-monthly print magazine. 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