[SKRIVA] The IgNobel Awards

From: Ahrvid Engholm <ahrvid@xxxxxxxxxxx>
To: <fictionmags@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>, "skriva@xxxxxxxxxxxxx" <skriva@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Date: Fri, 21 Sep 2012 04:21:34 +0200

I just saw the webcast of this year's IgNobel Award ceremonies. These awards
are handed out for "improbable" research, things that make you laugh - and
later maybe think. (One of the co-sponsors of the IgNobels is the Harvard
Radcliffe Science Fiction Association, BTW)
It was darn fun to watch! A video of it will shortly be available on their
archive page:

http://www.improbable.com/ig/archive.html

It isn't there at the time of writing, but it will turn up. Worth seeing!
A list of this year's IgNobel winners is here:

http://www.foxnews.com/science/2012/09/20/report-about-reports-about-reports-yep-at-this-years-ig-nobel-awards/

It's too long to go through, but Sweden got an award this year, to Johan
Pettersson in chemistry for finding out why "in certain houses in the town of
Anderslöv, Sweden, people's hair turned green." A prize in literature was
awarded to U.S. Government General Accountability Office, for issuing "a
report about a report about reports that recommends the preparation of a report
about the report about reports about reports". And two doctors from France were
awarded in medicine "for advising doctors who perform colonoscopies how to
minimize the chance that the that their patients will explode." The
Netherlands and Peru shared a prize for "their study Leaning to the Left Makes
the Eiffel Tower Seem Smaller."
The ceremonies also included throwing paper airplanes, a mini opera, the 24/7
lectures (explain in technical details a science concept in 24 seconds, and
then in 7 ordinary words that anyone can understand) and a demonstration of a
Ukrainian invention of a brassiere than can be split into two breathing filters
in case of emergency.
All very funny!
One thing, though. I wonder how many of Hugo Gernsback's crackpot inventions
would have been eligible?

--Ahrvid

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[SKRIVA] The IgNobel Awards

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