alphadogg notes that the 2009 Ig Nobel Prizes were awarded yesterday evening in Cambridge, MA. (You may find that site has been pre-Slashdotted; and improbable.com's video feeds of the ceremony don't work at the moment either.) News.com.au has coverage of the bra that converts quickly to two gas masks, a study of why pregnant women don't tip over, the award for literature, and other gems. "Ireland's police won the literature prize from writing more than 50 traffic tickets to a frequent visitor and speeder named Prawo Jazdy. In Polish, this means 'driver's license.' Pathologist Stephan Bolliger and colleagues at the University of Bern in Switzerland won for a study they did to determine whether an empty beer bottle does more or less damage to the human skull than a full one in a bar fight."
This may sound a bit funny invention, but in some places like Seoul where a gas attack can be feared at any moment (they have racks of gas mask for emergency use in every subway station for instance) it could be very useful for a part of the population to constantly carry a pair. We would consider more gently if it was a convertible scarf or gloves, or hat. The fact that it covers a boob is a funny fact that everyone will forget once the gas bomb explodes.
in some places like Seoul where a gas attack can be feared at any moment (they have racks of gas mask for emergency use in every subway station for instance)
in some places like Seoul where a gas attack can be feared at any moment (they have racks of gas mask for emergency use in every subway station for instance)
This is just another way of keeping the gas masks on the rack
(looks left and sees a woman with D-sized chest) (looks right and sees a woman with B-sized chest) (turn back to the left) - Pardon madam, may I borrow one of your cups as a mask. Thank you. Cup size matters.
(looks left and sees a woman with D-sized chest) (looks right and sees a woman with B-sized chest) (turn back to the left) - Pardon madam, may I borrow one of your cups as a mask. Thank you. Cup size matters.
(On the other hand...) yeah, sorry madam, I appreciate you trying to help, but I've got a C-cup face.
The mathematics prize was interesting: Mathematics: Gideon Gono, governor of Zimbabwe's Reserve Bank, for giving people a simple, everyday way to cope with a wide range of numbers by having his bank print notes with denominations ranging from one cent to one hundred trillion dollars.
Actually I think it's kinda sad, because my country is heading directly towards a Zimbabwe paradox. "I have a million dollars; I'm rich!" "You mean you *were* rich. Today a million dollars only buys a small car." "Oh."
Actually I think it's kinda sad, because my country is heading directly towards a Zimbabwe paradox. "I have a million dollars; I'm rich!" "You mean you *were* rich. Today a million dollars only buys a small car." "Oh."
Doesn't sound too bad to me. No matter what the inflation rate is, my school loan debt stays the same...
I would have to think through my minimal physics training that a full beer bottle would be more effective in a bar fight then an empty one. Assuming there is a cap on the bottle. If the cap is off, all bets are off.
A full beer bottle is prone to break at the neck due to the air bubble retracting into the cap area during swinging (assuming you are holding it by the neck, which you should if you have any sense at all). If it breaks at the neck when you hit, you end up with shards of glass on yourself rather than on your opponent.
I'm interested in why pregnant women don't tip over. I'm trying hard to avoid bringing bovines into the comparison.
A full beer bottle is prone to break at the neck due to the air bubble retracting into the cap area during swinging (assuming you are holding it by the neck, which you should if you have any sense at all). If it breaks at the neck when you hit, you end up with shards of glass on yourself rather than on your opponent.
I'm interested in why pregnant women don't tip over. I'm trying hard to avoid bringing bovines into the comparison.
I'd be interested in seeing the combined study, determining whether it is easier to knock over a pregnant woman with an empty or full beer bottle. (This may depend on whether it is the pregnant woman who did the emptying.)
>>>The lowly beer bottle [or wine bottle] has had a much greater impact on the world's institutions [...]
Fixed. In college alcohol helps people meet one another, which leads to procreation and children, who then grow-up to drink more alcohol. The great classics of literature were written while copious amounts of alcohol were consumed, and in ancient history society revolved around the great central beer halls. Even the gears of government are greased by alcohol as politicians discuss nuclear ar
MEDICINE PRIZE: Donald L. Unger, of Thousand Oaks, California, USA, for investigating a possible cause of arthritis of the fingers, by diligently cracking the knuckles of his left hand -- but never cracking the knuckles of his right hand -- every day for more than sixty (60) years.
Apart from *ouch*, this actually sets a great example - a simple yet elegant experiment that anyone (who happened to have a spare 60 years) could do, yet it still contributes something to science.
Yes, because more people can copy him and up the sample size. If enough people do this ( also switching hands, say cracking their right hand and not their left, and also noting left or right handedness ) then you know the results are valid barring any association between liklihood of doing this and assymetric arthritis. Possibly there is a gene that causes both OCD and arthritis.
They neglected to mention the more impressive part: they did a live demonstration for six people, all using bras she was wearing, and she removed them without taking off any other clothing.
She was also decently endowed, and I'm not referring to the size of her...grants.
I had not heard about the Zimbabwean Dollar before. The Wikipedia article [wikipedia.org] has a great picture of the $100 billion note and the three eggs it bought when it was released. Their financial software can't even handle the $trillion numbers involved in people's bank accounts. The countries money supply was 900 quadrillion dollars in 2008! Words can't even express how insane this is.
Pales utterly in comparison to the hyperinflation that was caused by Mugabe's policies. If they hadn't redenominated the Zimbabwean dollar, the last printing of money would have had twenty-five more zeroes on it.
Then again confiscating personal property and businesses for redistribution by the state is almost NEVER a good idea.
...when I had the opportunity to travel back in time. I gleefully grabbed the once in a lifetime chance and travelled back to 1970. Once in 1970 I participated in a question and answer session with the great minds of the time.
"Have you abolished war?", "Have you cured cancer?", "Do you have flying cars?", I was asked.
"No, no and no.", I replied, "but we have pigs that glow under UV light, remote-control cyborg African beetles, bras that double as gas masks and iPhones. Oh, and we know why pregnant women don't fall over!"
I thought they took the news rather well. Considering.
Read the reply... I love it when serious people let loose!
Does knuckle cracking lead to arthritis of the fingers?
To the Editor: During the author's childhood, various renowned authorities (his mother, several aunts, and, later, his mother-in law [personal communication]) informed him that cracking his knuckles would lead to arthritis of the fingers. To test the accuracy of this hypothesis, the following study was undertaken. For 50 years, the author cracked the knuckles of his left hand at least twice a day, leaving those on the right as a control. Thus, the knuckles on the left were cracked at least 36,500 times, while those on the right cracked rarely and spontaneously. At the end of the 50 years, the hands were compared for the presence of arthritis. There was no arthritis in either hand, and no apparent differences between the two hands. Knuckle cracking did not lead to arthritis after a 50-year controlled study by the one participant. While a larger group would be necessary to confirm this result, this preliminary investigation suggests a lack of correlation between knuckle cracking and the development of arthritis of the fingers. A search of the literature revealed only one previous paper on this subject, and the authors came to the same conclusion (Swezey RL. Swezey SE. The consequences of habitual knuckle cracking. West J Med 1973;122:377-9.).
This result calls into question whether other parental beliefs, e.g., the importance of eating spinach, are also flawed. Further investigation is likely warranted. In conclusion, there is no apparent relationship between knuckle cracking and the subsequent development of arthritis of the fingers. This study was done entirely at the author's expense, with no grants from any governmental or pharmaceutical source.
Donald L. Unger, MD Thousand Oaks, CA
Reply
To the Editor:
I appreciate the opportunity to review Dr. Unger's report. His "self-controlled" study adds considerable credence to our 1973 study findings. Dr. Unger exercised amazing self control by performing 50 years of knuckle cracking (KC) on his left hand at least twice daily, "while those on the right cracked only rarely and spontaneously.'' No evidence of arthritis in either hand was found at the end of 50 years. I have taken the liberty of consulting Dr. John Adams, PhD, at the Rand Corporation. who has generously provided me with the following statistical analysis.
The basic study designed by Dr. Unger is a two-arm trial without randomization. Although it is not clear, it appears that the study was not blinded. Blinding would only be possible if the investigator didn't know left from right. This is not likely since studies indicate that only 31% of primary care physicians don't know left from right. (The figure is reportedly somcwhat higher for most specialists.) The lack of randomization suggests the need for a multivariate analysis to reduce bias. Controlling for knuckle-to-knuckle variation in race, sex, socioeconomic status, initial severity, comorbidities, and Ecuadorian barometric pressure at the time of measurement would be advisable. The sample size appears too small to support accurate inference. Typically, sample sizes of roughly twice the available research budget are required for valid inference. Restrictive eligibility criteria and convenience sampling limit generalization of the results to knuckle-cracking physicians with a lot of time on their hands.
I should note that SES, the co-author of our 1973 investigation, was 12 years old at the time of the study and that the study was stimulated because of his grandmother's co
Blinding would only be possible if the investigator didn't know left from right. This is not likely since studies indicate that only 31% of primary care physicians don't know left from right. (The figure is reportedly somewhat higher for most specialists.)
Typically, sample sizes of roughly twice the available research budget are required for valid inference.
Restrictive eligibility criteria and convenience sampling limit generalization of the results to knuckle-cracking physicians with a lot of time on their hands.
A clear distinction between hand wringing related to managed care procedures and therapeutic Knuckle Cracking will have to be made.
Pathologist Stephan Bolliger and colleagues at the University of Bern in Switzerland won for a study they did to determine whether an empty beer bottle does more or less damage to the human skull than a full one in a bar fight
Hey now, this one is actually useful information! You now know which bottle to pick, based on how much (or little) damage you actually want to do.
Admittedly, I don't think I'd willingly go out drinking with Dr. Bolliger...
bra that converts gas masks could be useful (Score:5, Funny)
Re:bra that converts gas masks could be useful (Score:5, Insightful)
Parent
Re:bra that converts gas masks could be useful (Score:5, Funny)
in some places like Seoul where a gas attack can be feared at any moment (they have racks of gas mask for emergency use in every subway station for instance)
Why don't they just stop making kimchee?
kekekekeke
Parent
Re:bra that converts gas masks could be useful (Score:5, Funny)
in some places like Seoul where a gas attack can be feared at any moment (they have racks of gas mask for emergency use in every subway station for instance)
This is just another way of keeping the gas masks on the rack
Parent
Re: (Score:2)
Anyway, at least it's not a cup...
I mean one that's placed lower.
I think I'd rather suffer the gas.
Re: (Score:2, Insightful)
Bras don't have the greatest odor either. All day's worth of sweat - ick.
Re:bra that converts gas masks could be useful (Score:5, Insightful)
Parent
Re:bra that converts gas masks could be useful (Score:5, Funny)
"Bras don't have the greatest odor either. All day's worth of sweat - ick."
Score:1, Flamebait
"Yeah, but it's booby sweat!"
Score:3, Insightful
Only on Slashdot...
Parent
Re: (Score:3, Funny)
Yeah, but it's booby sweat!
How is that different from mooby sweat?
Either is better than crotchy sweat.
"What to talk socks?" - Garibaldi.
"We're not having this discussion." - Sinclair
Re: (Score:2)
>>>at least it's not a cup...
(looks left and sees a woman with D-sized chest) (looks right and sees a woman with B-sized chest) (turn back to the left) - Pardon madam, may I borrow one of your cups as a mask. Thank you. Cup size matters.
Re: (Score:3, Funny)
(looks left and sees a woman with D-sized chest) (looks right and sees a woman with B-sized chest) (turn back to the left) - Pardon madam, may I borrow one of your cups as a mask. Thank you. Cup size matters.
(On the other hand...) yeah, sorry madam, I appreciate you trying to help, but I've got a C-cup face.
Re:bra that converts gas masks could be useful (Score:4, Funny)
Parent
Re:bra that converts gas masks could be useful (Score:5, Funny)
The best part about the gas mask bra is, after the masks are dawned, you now have access to two thermometers, allowing you to know if its cold or not.
Parent
Re:bra that converts gas masks could be useful (Score:4, Informative)
Actually BBC News has the most in depth coverage: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/8285380.stm [bbc.co.uk]
The mathematics prize was interesting:
Mathematics: Gideon Gono, governor of Zimbabwe's Reserve Bank, for giving people a simple, everyday way to cope with a wide range of numbers by having his bank print notes with denominations ranging from one cent to one hundred trillion dollars.
Parent
Re: (Score:2)
Re: (Score:2)
Actually I think it's kinda sad, because my country is heading directly towards a Zimbabwe paradox. "I have a million dollars; I'm rich!" "You mean you *were* rich. Today a million dollars only buys a small car." "Oh."
Re:bra that converts gas masks could be useful (Score:5, Funny)
Doesn't sound too bad to me. No matter what the inflation rate is, my school loan debt stays the same...
Parent
Re: (Score:3, Funny)
"I'm sorry miss, I thought the phone was an alarm warning of a gas attack. Let me help you get back in again".
Quick! Take off your bra! Our lives could depend on it!
I hope the bra catches on! (Score:4, Funny)
imagine the hero status of the guy who throws a smoke bomb into the Hooters restaurant.
rip, rip, rip, ahhhhhh!!!!!!!!!
Parent
Ouch (Score:2)
I would have to think through my minimal physics training that a full beer bottle would be more effective in a bar fight then an empty one. Assuming there is a cap on the bottle. If the cap is off, all bets are off.
Re:Ouch (Score:5, Interesting)
A full beer bottle is prone to break at the neck due to the air bubble retracting into the cap area during swinging (assuming you are holding it by the neck, which you should if you have any sense at all). If it breaks at the neck when you hit, you end up with shards of glass on yourself rather than on your opponent.
I'm interested in why pregnant women don't tip over. I'm trying hard to avoid bringing bovines into the comparison.
Parent
Re: (Score:3, Funny)
Come to think of it, I've usually finished a few bottles by that time.
Re: (Score:2)
In the immortal words of Bas Rutten, BANG BANG BANG!
Uhhh, I mean... "Create distance, and grab a chair!" [youtube.com]
Re:Ouch (Score:5, Funny)
Parent
Re: (Score:3, Insightful)
For the same reason why my 8th grade social studies teacher didn't tip-over, even though he had a beer belly the size of a Michelin Radial X.
Re: (Score:2, Informative)
Re:Ouch (Score:5, Funny)
A full beer bottle is prone to break at the neck due to the air bubble retracting into the cap area during swinging (assuming you are holding it by the neck, which you should if you have any sense at all). If it breaks at the neck when you hit, you end up with shards of glass on yourself rather than on your opponent.
I'm interested in why pregnant women don't tip over. I'm trying hard to avoid bringing bovines into the comparison.
I'd be interested in seeing the combined study, determining whether it is easier to knock over a pregnant woman with an empty or full beer bottle. (This may depend on whether it is the pregnant woman who did the emptying.)
Parent
Hey, not fair! (Score:3, Insightful)
Re: (Score:3, Interesting)
>>>The lowly beer bottle [or wine bottle] has had a much greater impact on the world's institutions [...]
Fixed. In college alcohol helps people meet one another, which leads to procreation and children, who then grow-up to drink more alcohol. The great classics of literature were written while copious amounts of alcohol were consumed, and in ancient history society revolved around the great central beer halls. Even the gears of government are greased by alcohol as politicians discuss nuclear ar
Re:Hey, not fair! (Score:5, Insightful)
Parent
Re: (Score:3, Funny)
The lowly beer bottle has had a much greater impact on the world's institutions of higher learning than all other academic topics combined.
That's only because you can't hurl "academic topics" through the Dean's office window...
breathing (Score:3, Funny)
Prize for Medicine (Score:5, Informative)
Apart from *ouch*, this actually sets a great example - a simple yet elegant experiment that anyone (who happened to have a spare 60 years) could do, yet it still contributes something to science.
Re:Prize for Medicine (Score:5, Funny)
Parent
Re:Prize for Medicine (Score:4, Funny)
Parent
Re:Prize for Medicine (Score:4, Funny)
It's true. I have one potential cause of unilateral arthritis open in the next tab.
Parent
Just in case it's slashdotted (Score:2)
http://improbable.com.nyud.net/ig/winners/#ig2009 [nyud.net]
I was there (Score:5, Informative)
bra that converts quickly to two gas masks,
They neglected to mention the more impressive part: they did a live demonstration for six people, all using bras she was wearing, and she removed them without taking off any other clothing.
She was also decently endowed, and I'm not referring to the size of her...grants.
Re: (Score:2)
With 3 bras on, all with significant amounts of gas-blocking filter material? I'd look "endowed" too.
But did anyone else watching the sword swallower shout out to their computer display "Don't hiccup!"?
obligatory (Score:3, Funny)
"She's beautiful, she's rich, she's got huge... tracts of land."
Allo Allo (Score:5, Funny)
Mathematics Prize for Gideon Gono (Score:2, Interesting)
I had not heard about the Zimbabwean Dollar before. The Wikipedia article [wikipedia.org] has a great picture of the $100 billion note and the three eggs it bought when it was released. Their financial software can't even handle the $trillion numbers involved in people's bank accounts. The countries money supply was 900 quadrillion dollars in 2008! Words can't even express how insane this is.
Re: (Score:3, Interesting)
Pales utterly in comparison to the hyperinflation that was caused by Mugabe's policies. If they hadn't redenominated the Zimbabwean dollar, the last printing of money would have had twenty-five more zeroes on it.
Then again confiscating personal property and businesses for redistribution by the state is almost NEVER a good idea.
Public Service Announcment (Score:4, Informative)
TFA has no pictures. You can all go home now.
Gas masks? (Score:4, Funny)
And Then Came The Day ... (Score:3, Funny)
"Have you abolished war?", "Have you cured cancer?", "Do you have flying cars?", I was asked.
"No, no and no.", I replied, "but we have pigs that glow under UV light, remote-control cyborg African beetles, bras that double as gas masks and iPhones. Oh, and we know why pregnant women don't fall over!"
I thought they took the news rather well. Considering.
BobB (Score:3, Informative)
Found something too funny! (Score:5, Funny)
From the actual issue of Arthritis and Ruhmitism where Ig Nobel Prise winner Dr. Donald L. Unger, published the results of his investigation into a possible cause of arthritis of the fingers. - http://www3.interscience.wiley.com/cgi-bin/fulltext/86510619/PDFSTART [wiley.com]
Read the reply... I love it when serious people let loose!
Does knuckle cracking lead to arthritis of the fingers?
To the Editor:
During the author's childhood, various renowned authorities (his mother, several aunts, and, later, his mother-in law [personal communication]) informed him that cracking his knuckles would lead to arthritis of the fingers. To test the accuracy of this hypothesis, the following study was undertaken. For 50 years, the author cracked the knuckles of his left hand at least twice a day, leaving those on the right as a control. Thus, the knuckles on the left were cracked at least 36,500 times, while those on the right cracked rarely and spontaneously. At the end of the 50 years, the hands were compared for the presence of arthritis. There was no arthritis in either hand, and no apparent differences between the two hands. Knuckle cracking did not lead to arthritis after a 50-year controlled study by the one participant. While a larger group would be necessary to confirm this result, this preliminary investigation suggests a lack of correlation between knuckle cracking and the development of arthritis of the fingers. A search of the literature revealed only one previous paper on this subject, and the authors came to the same conclusion (Swezey RL. Swezey SE. The consequences of habitual knuckle cracking. West J Med 1973;122:377-9.).
This result calls into question whether other parental beliefs, e.g., the importance of eating spinach, are also flawed. Further investigation is likely warranted. In conclusion, there is no apparent relationship between knuckle cracking and the subsequent development of arthritis of the fingers. This study was done entirely at the author's expense, with no grants from any governmental or pharmaceutical source.
Donald L. Unger, MD
Thousand Oaks, CA
Reply
To the Editor:
I appreciate the opportunity to review Dr. Unger's report. His "self-controlled" study adds considerable credence
to our 1973 study findings. Dr. Unger exercised amazing self control by performing 50 years of knuckle cracking (KC) on his left hand at least twice daily, "while those on the right cracked only rarely and spontaneously.'' No evidence of arthritis in either hand was found at the end of 50 years. I have taken the liberty of consulting Dr. John Adams, PhD, at the Rand Corporation. who has generously provided me with the following statistical analysis.
The basic study designed by Dr. Unger is a two-arm trial without randomization. Although it is not clear, it appears
that the study was not blinded. Blinding would only be possible if the investigator didn't know left from right. This is not likely since studies indicate that only 31% of primary care physicians don't know left from right. (The figure is reportedly somcwhat higher for most specialists.) The lack of randomization suggests the need for a multivariate analysis to reduce bias. Controlling for knuckle-to-knuckle variation in race, sex, socioeconomic status, initial severity, comorbidities, and Ecuadorian
barometric pressure at the time of measurement would be advisable. The sample size appears too small to support accurate inference. Typically, sample sizes of roughly twice the available research budget are required for valid inference. Restrictive
eligibility criteria and convenience sampling limit generalization of the results to knuckle-cracking physicians
with a lot of time on their hands.
I should note that SES, the co-author of our 1973 investigation, was 12 years old at the time of the study and that
the study was stimulated because of his grandmother's co
Re:Found something too funny! (Score:4, Funny)
Best lines:
Blinding would only be possible if the investigator didn't know left from right. This is not likely since studies indicate that only 31% of primary care physicians don't know left from right. (The figure is reportedly somewhat higher for most specialists.)
Typically, sample sizes of roughly twice the available research budget are required for valid inference.
Restrictive eligibility criteria and convenience sampling limit generalization of the results to knuckle-cracking physicians with a lot of time on their hands.
A clear distinction between hand wringing related to managed care procedures and therapeutic Knuckle Cracking will have to be made.
Parent
Nobel Ignoble (Score:4, Funny)
Pathologist Stephan Bolliger and colleagues at the University of Bern in Switzerland won for a study they did to determine whether an empty beer bottle does more or less damage to the human skull than a full one in a bar fight
Hey now, this one is actually useful information! You now know which bottle to pick, based on how much (or little) damage you actually want to do.
Admittedly, I don't think I'd willingly go out drinking with Dr. Bolliger...