On Sun, 15 Sep 2013 09:44:21 -0700,, Karl L Wuensch wrote:
So, what is the sound of one hand clapping?
http://en.rian.ru/strange/20110708/165091612.html
I do not think that this is the situation that Master Hakuin had in
mind when he developed the "one hand clapping" koan; for
more on Hakuin, the reason for the "one hand clapping" koan,
and related issues, see this Wikipedia entry:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hakuin_Ekaku
-Mike Palij
New York University
[email protected]
P.S. It should probably be pointed out how ironic Alfred Nobel's
prize is since the money for it comes from the fortune he made with
his creation and manufacturing of dynamite. Whether Nobel's intentions
were noble or ignoble are subject to debate because, as one story goes,
Nobel decided to create the prizes because of the obituary for
his brother which labeled him "The Merchant of Death" -- it is an
added irony because it was not his brother that was the merchant of
death but Alfred. Allegedly, after seeing how his brother was
remembered, he devised a plan that would in the future would provide
only positive associations with his name. For one view of this story
see:
http://alanniedermanmd.wordpress.com/2011/10/13/the-way-to-the-nobel-prize-for-medicine-part-i/
One unfortunate aspect of the "winning" the Nobel prize is that the
winner has to be alive at the time of ward. As the above article
points out, Rosaland Franklin's contribution to Crick and Watson's
discovery of the double helix structure was not acknowledged
because she died before the Crick and Watson were awarded
the prize (similarly, Amos Tversky's contribution to research on
heuristics and decision making went unacknowledged when Daniel
Kahneman got the Nobel prize in economics in 2002).
Then again, if the person hasn't been dead too long, the Nobel prize
committee might consider violating this rule; see:
http://alanniedermanmd.wordpress.com/2011/10/18/dynamite-money-a-not-so-funny-thing-happened-on-the-way-to-the-nobel-prize-for-medicine-part-ii/
But just to beat the dead horse of irony associated with the
Nobel/Ig Nobel/Ignoble Prize one last time, let us remember what
Kurt Vonnegut had to say about it; see:
http://stephenbarkley.com/2013/06/10/cats-cradle-kurt-vonnegut-jr/
His last line is, I think, important:
|If you take the time to think through the layers of sarcasm and
|irony, his works have serious depth.
Busy, busy, busy.
-------------- Original Message -----------------
Subject: [tips] The NEW PHONEBOOK IS HERE (2013 Version, #312)
Er, I mean the winners of the 2013 IgNoble prize have been announced!
Such an august event (or it a September event?) has been noted in the
popular media and here is one account:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-24061992
Funniest bits in the above article are on how drinking makes a person
perceive themselves as more attractive and on penile amputations and
ducks (you'll have to read the article).
For those who are original source purists, here is a link to the IgNobel
website where more information and video of the ceremony can be
obtained:
http://www.improbable.com/ig/2013/
NOTE: Look at the bottom of the page for info on the IgNoble
lectures to be presented at MIT this Saturday, Sept 14, 1pm.
By the way, I still think that the greatest scientific contribution that
has won an Ignoble prize is the garment that can be used as gas
mask. See the photo at the top of this page:
http://www.improbable.com/ig/winners/
And here (though you might want to be alone when you do):
http://ebbra.com/
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