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mini-Annals of Improbable Research ("mini-AIR")
Issue Number 2000-10
October, 2000
ISSN 1076-500X
Key words: improbable research, science humor, Ig Nobel, AIR, the
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A free newsletter of tidbits too tiny to fit in the
Annals of Improbable Research (AIR),
the journal of inflated research and personalities
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2000-10-01 TABLE OF CONTENTS
2000-10-01 Table of Contents
2000-10-02 mini Housekeeping: California AIR
2000-10-03 What's New in the Magazine
2000-10-04 The 2000 Ig Nobel Prize Winners
2000-10-05 Dutch Ig Questions
2000-10-06 AIRhead Halloween Research Review
2000-10-07 Kafkaesque Nightmare Survey
2000-10-08 Election Winner, at Last
2000-10-09 Katti Comments
2000-10-10 Catty Katti Comments
2000-10-11 In Re Dr. Joel Kaplan
2000-10-12 Cavalcade of HotAIR: Mucus, Pigeons, Dorf, etc.
2000-10-13 AIR VENTS: Liver Devotee
2000-10-14 The Michigan Conundrum
2000-10-15 Project AIRhead 2000: Toast, Chastity, and Hair
2000-10-16 MAY WE RECOMMEND: Flip Chip, Cold, Koala
2000-10-17 AIRhead Events
2000-10-18 How to Subscribe to AIR (*)
2000-10-19 Our Address (*)
2000-10-20 Please Forward/Post This Issue! (*)
2000-10-21 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
----------------------------------------------------------
2000-10-02 mini Housekeeping: California AIR
AIR in California:
In February 2001, there will be AIR shows in California.
Currently two are scheduled, on Feb 14 at Stanford and Feb 16 in
San Francisco at the AAAS Annual Meeting. See section 2000-10-17
(below) for details.
If you would like to host an AIR show at your university, lab,
company, stadium, or federal corrections institute, please email
<[EMAIL PROTECTED]> ASAP.
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2000-10-03 What's New in the Magazine
AIR 6:5 (Sept/Oct 2000) is the special BOMBY THE BOMBARDIER BEETLE
issue. The issue includes, among other things:
<> "Cogno-Intellectualism, Rhetorical Logic, and the
Craske-Trump Theorem," by Michael H.F. Wilkinson. The
author augments the Trump-Craske Conjecture (which was
introduced some months ago in mini-AIR!) so that everyone
can now use the technique of "Proof by Intimidation."
<> "Scientists Now Know...," compiled by Ada Tussock.
A compendium of recent startling discoveries by social
scientists, as announced by them and their proud institutions.
<> "The Human Element in Mathematics," by Stephen Leacock.
A classic essay on the nature, personalities, propensities,
and activities of A, of B, and most touchingly, of C.
<> Seven articles about Bomby -- four of which we have also
posted on the AIR web site.
<> ...and much, much more.
See the cover and full table of contents, and several of the
articles posted at
<http://www.improbable.com/airchives/paperair/volume6/v6i5/v6i5-
toc.html>
(What you are reading at this moment is mini-AIR,
a monthly e-mail small supplement to the print magazine.)
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2000-10-04 The 2000 Ig Nobel Prize Winners
The 2000 Ig Nobel Prizes were awarded in a gala ceremony at
Harvard University on Thursday, October 5. You can see video of
the ceremony by going to the AIR web site
<http://www.improbable.com/>
Here are the winners:
PSYCHOLOGY. David Dunning of Cornell University and Justin Kreuger
of the University of Illinois, for their modest report, "Unskilled
and Unaware of It: How Difficulties in Recognizing One's Own
Incompetence Lead to Inflated Self-Assessments."
[Published in the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology,
vol. 77, no. 6, December 1999, pp. 1121-34.]
LITERATURE. Jasmuheen (formerly known as Ellen Greve) of
Australia, first lady of Breatharianism, for her book "Living on
Light," which explains that although some people do eat food, they
don't ever really need to.
BIOLOGY. Richard Wassersug of Dalhousie University, for his first-
hand report, "On the Comparative Palatability of Some Dry-Season
Tadpoles from Costa Rica."
[Published in The American Midland Naturalist, vol. 86, no. 1,
July 1971, pp. 101-9.]
PHYSICS. Andre Geim of the University of Nijmegen (the
Netherlands) and Sir Michael Berry of Bristol University (UK), for
using magnets to levitate a frog and a sumo wrestler. [REFERENCE:
"Of Flying Frogs and Levitrons" by M.V. Berry and A.K. Geim,
European Journal of Physics, v. 18, 1997, p. 307-13.]
CHEMISTRY. Donatella Marazziti, Alessandra Rossi, and Giovanni B.
Cassano of the University of Pisa, and Hagop S. Akiskal of the
University of California (San Diego), for their discovery that,
biochemically, romantic love may be indistinguishable from having
severe obsessive-compulsive disorder.
[REFERENCE: "Alteration of the platelet serotonin transporter in
romantic love," Marazziti D, Akiskal HS, Rossi A, Cassano GB,
Psychological Medicine, 1999 May;29(3):741-5.]
ECONOMICS. The Reverend Sun Myung Moon, for bringing efficiency
and steady growth to the mass-marriage industry, with, according
to his reports, a 36-couple wedding in 1960, a 430-couple wedding
in 1968, an 1800-couple wedding in 1975, a 6000-couple wedding in
1982, a 30,000-couple wedding in 1992, a 360,000-couple wedding in
1995, and a 36,000,000-couple wedding in 1997.
MEDICINE. Willibrord Weijmar Schultz, Pek van Andel, and Eduard
Mooyaart of Groningen, The Netherlands, and Ida Sabelis of
Amsterdam, for their illuminating report, "Magnetic Resonance
Imaging of Male and Female Genitals During Coitus and Female
Sexual Arousal."
[Published in British Medical Journal, vol. 319, 1999, pp 1596-
1600.]
COMPUTER SCIENCE. Chris Niswander of Tucson, Arizona, for
inventing PawSense, software that detects when a cat is walking
across your computer keyboard.
PEACE. The British Royal Navy, for ordering its sailors to stop
using live cannon shells, and to instead just shout "Bang!"
PUBLIC HEALTH. Jonathan Wyatt, Gordon McNaughton, and William
Tullet of Glasgow, for their alarming report, "The Collapse of
Toilets in Glasgow." [Published in the Scottish Medical Journal,
vol. 38, 1993, p. 185.]
For further details (with lotsa links) see
<http://www.improbable.com/ig/ig-pastwinners.html>
Complete details, complete with photos, will be published in the
Jan/Feb 2001 issue of the Annals of Improbable Research.
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2000-10-05 Dutch Ig Questions
Investigator Hans Klamer writes (from The Netherlands):
Browsing through the list of Ig Nobel 2000 award winners, I
noticed that the relatively small Dutch scientific community
makes a valuable contribution to Improbable Research. Of the
10 fields of science, Dutch researchers claim Physics and
Medicine, with three Dutch universities contributing
(Groningen, Nijmegen and Amsterdam).
Some questions: how come? and: does it mean anything?
If you, dear reader, have a convincing answer to these questions,
please send it to <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
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2000-10-06 AIRhead Halloween Research Review
Here is a cursory, cursed review of scientific research that
pertains to the Halloween season.
WEREWOLVES BY THE PAIR
"Lycanthropy in Depression: Two Case Reports,"
K. Rao, B.N. Gangadhar, and N. Janakiramiah, Psychopathology, vol.
32, no. 4, July/August 1999, pp. 169-72. (Thanks to Jody Tannen
for bringing this to our attention.) The authors are at the
National Institute of Mental Health and Neurosciences Bangalore,
India.
GARLIC, LEECHES AND DRACULA
"Does garlic protect against vampires?," H. Sandvik and A.
Baerheim, Tidsskr Nor Loegeforen, vol. 114, 1994, pp. 3585-6.
(Thanks to Alex Hillar and others from bringing this to our
attention.] The authors report:
Garlic has been regarded as an effective prophylactic
against vampires. We wanted to explore this alleged
effect experimentally. Owing to the lack of vampires,
we used leeches instead....
[Note: the authors won a 1996 Ig Nobel Prize for their classic
report, "Effect of Ale, Garlic, and Soured Cream on the Appetite
of Leeches."]
On October 27, and on October 30, we will post more extensive
lists. Get thee those days to the AIR web site
<http://www.improbable.com/>.
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2000-10-07 Kafkaesque Nightmare Survey
In press accounts, nightmares are generally described as being
Kafkaesque. Please help us put this on a scientific basis. Take
part in the Kafkaesque Nightmare Survey.
What percentage of nightmares are Kafkaesque?
a) Less than 1%
b) 1% to 95%
c) 95% or more
Please send your completed survey form to:
Kafkaesque Nightmare Survey
c/o <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
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2000-10-08 Election Winner, at Last
There is a winner -- finally -- of the "Favorite Katti" election.
The election will NOT be re-run again.
As explained in excruciating detail in recent mini-AIRs, we
originally asked, "Which is YOUR favorite Katti?"
(1) R.K. Katti
(2) R.K. Katti
(3) D.R. Katti
These Katties, we explained, were co-authors of the book:
"Influence of Gravity On Granular Soil Mechanics",
R.K. Katti, R.K. Katti, and D.R. Katti, Balkema
(Publishers), Rotterdam, 2000.
However (and characteristically), we mangled a Katti. Also, we
received a plaintive note from the possibly famous M. Katti of
Arizona State University's Center for Environmental Studies. M.
Katti asked that we add his favorite Katti -- himself -- to the
ballot. We took his hint. Thus, the final ballot offered a choice
of:
(a) A.R. Katti;
(b) D.R. Katti;
(c) R.K. Katti; or
(d) M. Katti
The results are now in, the ballots have been examined
spectroscopically, and the winner has been certified. The vote
broke down as follows:
(a) A.R. Katti -- 10%
(b) D.R. Katti -- 12%
(c) R.K. Katti -- 05%
(d) M. Katti -- 73%
The winner is M. Katti. Congratulations to him.
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2000-10-09 Katti Comments
Many voters also sent comments. Here are a very few of them:
My vote is for R. K. Katti. If this Katti was good enough to be
mentioned twice the first time, he or she must be the best Katti
available.
--Kate Wightman
I'm sorry but I can't vote: you should better add to the list the
name of "Michele Catti", professor at the University of
Milano-Bicocca, Italy; if you can't add it to the list, perhaps I
may vote the (d) solution, as I think that "Catti" in Italian is
pronounced as "Katti", and the name initial is the same.
--Francesca (one of Michele Catti's students!)
I vote for the Estonian statistician Katti who is at
<http://stat.vil.ee/katti.htm>
--Tim Poston
I submit that we do not have a complete list of Kattis (Kattae?) from
which to select our favorite. Therefore, I'll mark my ballot "none of
the above."
--Debbie Decker
----------------------------------------------------------
2000-10-10 Catty Katti Comments
A further selection:
I vote for M. Katti, who clearly understands that the alternative to
"Publish or Perish" is "Publicize or Perish."
--Nik Hughes
Although my initial inclination was to vote for M. Katti, because of the
good-natured manner in which he pointed out the omission of his name
from the list, in the end I was more impressed by the stoic way in which
A.R. Katti bore this same indignity. Nobody loves a whiner.
--Peter van der Linden
I vote for Dr. Katti -- not D.R. Katti, but of course Dr. M. Katti.
--John R. Hutchinson
M. Katti, by raising such a stink about not being mentioned, must be
some kind of egomaniac, playing the victim. Note the "look at me"
tradition-breaking single initial -- a pathetic cry for attention. To
nominate oneself is the height of arrogance. Hence M. Katti is
disqualified. D.R. Katti, must be my favorite.
JoAnne Schmitz
----------------------------------------------------------
2000-10-11 In Re Dr. Joel Kaplan
Investigator Bob Seegmiller has made a daring personal
investigation into the whereabouts of the mysteriously self-
endowed Dr. Joel Kaplan, PhD, Inc. [See the previous two issues of
mini-AIR for the fascinatingly confused background on this.]
Seegmiller reports:
His place of business/residence is not far from where I live
I dropped by after work to take a look. The businesses along
that section of University Ave. (which, despite its name,
goes neither to, from, nor by a university, though it
passes within SCUD distance of San Diego State University
[or CSU San Diego]) are: a bicycle shop, a blueprint place,
a handicapped access advocate place, a gay Ace hardware
and furniture shop, a few gay bookstores, quite a few
restaurants, a Condoms Plus store and a bathhouse next
to it, a 7-11, a Radio Shack, a Wherehouse records/video
store. 1286 University #221 is a mail box at a Postal Annex
in a mini-mall next to a pizza place (local, not a chain)
and a cell phone accessory store. He (Joel) still has a box
there -- I asked. I suppose the next step would be to leave
a message and contact him, but this has been enough
excitement for me for a season.
Investigator Nik Hughes may have solved the puzzle of Dr. Kaplan's
honorific, "Inc." Hughes writes:
"Inc." is frequently used as the abbreviation for
"Incomplete." "PhD Inc." is probably just an alternate to
"ABD" (All But Dissertation).
----------------------------------------------------------
2000-10-12 Cavalcade of HotAIR: Mucus, Pigeons, Dorf, etc.
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>
MAY WE RECOMMEND -- Several of the citations that first appeared
in the "AIRhead Research Review" and "AIRhead Medical Review"
columns of AIR, such as:
<> "Observations on Mucus Aggregates Along Sicilian Coasts
During 1991-1992"
<> "Jumping from the Westgate Bridge, Melbourne"
<> "Clinical Dilemmas Posed by Patients with
Psychosomatic Halitosis"
<> "Effects of Ethanol on Working Memory and Attention
in Pigeons"
<> etc.
WHAT, WHERE, WHEN, WHY, WHY, WHY? -- an essay about the pros and
cons, meaning and meaninglessness of winning an Ig Nobel Prize
FOREIGN CORRESPONDENCE: "THE DORF DOCUMENTS" -- Letters from a
mysterious AIR subscriber who may or may not be imprisoned on the
island of Cypress in the company of at least five "charming ladies
in black."
SCIENTIFIC DINING: "GENERAL MOTORS RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT CENTER
CAFETERIA" -- A review of the facility that feeds and spiritually
nourishes the General Motors research and development staff.
THESE, AND MORE, ARE ON HOTAIR AT
<http://www.improbable.com/navstrip/whatsnew.html>
----------------------------------------------------------
2000-10-13 AIR VENTS: Liver Devotee
LIVER AMBIGUITY
You declared in the mini-AIR under number 2000-09-13 that you wish
to compile a complete list of all liver specialists named William
(Billy) Rubin. Please make your declaration more precise. Do you
mean medical liver specialists or gastronomical ones or both?
-- Gyorgy Valas
-----------------------------------------------------------
2000-10-14 The Michigan Conundrum
Investigator Donald Weinshank raises a question about an
intriguing project that is underway in Michigan. Weinshank
writes:
I saw a local sign that says:
I lost 50 pounds in 30 days.
Call 1-800-555-1234 for free sample.
A free sample of what? The fat??
-----------------------------------------------------------
2000-10-15 Project AIRhead 2000: Toast, Chastity, and Hair
Here are further selections from our vast collection of items that
inexplicably have 2000 as part of their name.
ITEM 8147 (submitted by investigator Christian Sinn)
LASER 2000 GmbH, a company that distributes whatnots to the
photonics industry. (http://www.laser2000.de)
ITEM 8686 (submitted by investigator John Jamison)
CB-2000, a male chastity belt kit consisting of a durable padlock
with 2 keys and 5 plastic locks. Details are at <http://www.cb-
2000.com/main/home.html>.
ITEM 64649 (submitted by investigator Paul Galanti)
MALIBU 2000, a shampoo, celebrated on the web at
http://www.malibu2000.com/
-----------------------------------------------------------
2000-10-16 MAY WE RECOMMEND: Flip Chip, Cold, Koala
HIP CHIP
"Intermittent Electroless Nickel Deposition in a Fine Trench Flip
Chip Bump Pad," K.L. Lin, C.L. Chen, Journal of the
Electrochemical Society, vol.147, no.7, July 2000, pp.2604-06.
(Thanks to Nicolette Bowen for bringing this to our attention.)
SELF-ESTEEMED, COLD SPECULATION
"The Common Cold: The Effects of Perception on Perceived and
Actual Performance," Mark A. Wetherell, Abstracts -- PsyPAG Annual
Conference, July 2000, University of Glasgow. (Thanks to Dorothy
L. Marsh for bringing this to our attention.) The author, who is
at the University of Plymouth, reports that:
[I]t is speculated that whilst a cold virus affects specific
parts of the body, it could also affect specific areas of
the brain and manifest through reductions in self-esteem
resulting in declines in perceived performance.
KOALAL TIME & SPACE
"The Spatial and Temporal Distribution of Koala Faecal Pellets,"
W.A.H. Ellis, B.J. Sullivan, A.T. Lisle, and F.N. Carrick,
Wildlife Research, vol. 25, no. 6, 1998, pp. 663-8. (Thanks to
1998 Ig Nobel Medicine Prize co-winner David R. Kelly for bringing
this to our attention.) The authors are at the University of
Queensland, Australia.
------------------------------------------------------------
2000-10-17 AIRhead Events
==> For details and updates see <http://www.improbable.com>
==> Want to host an event? <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> 617-491-4437.
A&E (ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT) CHANNEL MISC DATES/TIMES
Program on the topic of "Genius" features a discussion by AIR
editor MARC ABRAHAMS about various Ig Nobel Prize winners.
BOSTON MENSA FRI OCT 27
7:00 pm. The Woman's Club Workshop
72 Columbus St., Newton Highlands, MA
AIR editor MARC ABRAHAMS will speak on a variety of baffling
topics.
INFO: Tom Birchmire <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> or John Kane
<[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
AGASSIZ THEATER, HARVARD UNIVERSITY SAT, OCT 28
AIR editor MARC ABRAHAMS will be part of a panel discussion about
science and drama in Tom Stoppard's play "Arcadia." The discussion
follows the 1:00 p.m. matinee performance of the play.
CANADIAN UNDERGRAD PHYSICS CONFERENCE, QUEBEC CITY SAT, NOV 11
The conference is held at Laval University. AIR editor MARC
ABRAHAMS will be the banquet speaker at this year's annual
conference.
INFO: Patrick Grenier <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
http://www.cupc2000.fly.to/
MCGILL UNIV., MONTREAL TBA
Date, time, etc. TBA
ALBERT EINSTEIN PLANETARIUM, WASHINGTON, D.C. SAT, NOV 25
National Air and Space Museum, 6-8 pm.
AIR editorial board member DR. ERIC SCHULMAN will take you on an
educational and humorous tour of the history of the Universe,
followed by a free-ranging discussion of anything and everything
and a brief look around the night skies of December.
INFO: <http://www.nasm.edu/nasm/planetarium/Einstein.html>
INTERNATIONAL ELECTRON DEVICES MEETING, SAN FRANCISCO TUES, DEC 12
AIR editor MARC ABRAHAMS will ruin lunch by discussing the Ig
Nobel Prizes and the current state of improbable research. Details
TBA.
INFO: Mark Law <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> (352) 392-6459
ROCHESTER (NY) MUSEUM & SCIENCE CENTER WED, JAN 24, 2001
7:30 pm. AIR Editor MARC ABRAHAMS will present the latest on
"Improbable
Research, the Ig Nobel Prizes, and Aha!-Ha-Ha Moments in Science."
INFO: Paul Porell <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> 716-271-4552 x 363
STANFORD UNIVERSITY WED, FEB 14, 2001
Valentine's Day improbable research gala with:
<> AIR editor MARC ABRAHAMS
<> "How to Quantity Failure" author MARTIN J. MURPHY
<> "UFOs & Internal Combustion Engines" author SCOTT SANDFORD
<> "Postal Experiments" author JEFF VAN BUEREN
<> "Structured Procrastination" author JOHN PERRY
<> and other surpris(ing) personages
Further details TBA.
INFO: Michele Armstrong <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
AAAS ANNUAL MEETING, SAN FRANCISCO FRI, FEB 16, 2001
Details TBA. AIR's annual session as part of the annual meeting of
the American Association for the Advancement of Science.
Participants will include:
<> AIR editor MARC ABRAHAMS
<> "How to Quantity Failure" author MARTIN J. MURPHY
<> "UFOs & Internal Combustion Engines" author SCOTT SANDFORD
<> "Postal Experiments" author JEFF VAN BUEREN
<> "Structured Procrastination" author JOHN PERRY
<> and other surpris(ing) personages
Further details TBA.
SAS/ACS SPECIAL JOINT MEETING, PRINCETON, NJ MAY 17, 2001
AIR Editor MARC ABRAHAMS will describe the latest findings in
improbable research. Sponsored by the Society of Applied
Spectroscopy (New York Section) and by the American Chemical
Society
INFO: Gary Richie (914)-709-2634
--------------------------------------------------------------
2000-10-18 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/$23 2 yrs/$39
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Overseas 1 yr/$40 US 2 yrs/$70 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]>
-----------------------------------------------------
2000-10-19 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>
---------------------------
2000-10-20 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
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 2000, Annals of Improbable Research
-----------------------------------------------------
2000-10-21 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.
To subscribe, send a brief E-mail message to:
[EMAIL PROTECTED]
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