September 21, 2012

"Leaning to the Left Makes the Eiffel Tower Seem Smaller."

The name of a study that won the Ig Nobel prize for psychology.

The literature prize went to the US Government General Accountability Office for "a report about reports about reports that recommends the preparation of a report about the report about reports about reports."

There are 8 more Ig Nobel prizes, so click the link.

23 comments:

Shouting Thomas said...

Anatomy Prize: Frans de Waal (Netherlands/US) and Jennifer Pokorny (US) for discovering that chimpanzees can identify other chimpanzees individually from seeing photographs of their rear ends.

Natch! We men can do with with women, too.

When you gonna cut the crap and start talking about your vagina, Althouse?

It is, after all, central to everything!

madAsHell said...

Medicine Prize: Emmanuel Ben-Soussan and Michel Antonietti (France) for advising doctors who perform colonoscopies how to minimise the chance that their patients will explode.

Hold my beer, and watch me light a fart!

wef said...

The discovery that chimpanzees can identify other chimpanzees individually from seeing photographs of their rear ends would appear to open up untold scientific vistas.

I'll start writing my grant proposal today. This is one reason I am so grateful for government funding.

Ira said...

The literature prize went to the US Government General Accountability Office for "a report about reports about reports that recommends the preparation of a report about the report about reports about reports."

Sounds like Sir Humphrey in "Yes MInister"

Shouting Thomas said...

The seriousness quotient of the blog has taken a hit in the past couple of days.

I'm not complaining.

john said...

I note that the device that won the acoustics prize has already been incorporated into my cell phone.

john said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Jaske said...

Awesome double post john!

john said...

Blame Blogger.

john said...

Blame Blogger.

Bob Ellison said...

Thank you for linking to that!

Video of the 2012 Ig Nobel ceremony is here.

Skip ahead to the music at 30:00, or farther to the ceremony itself at about 53:00.

Carnifex said...

Is there a study on the pathological liar Zero? In his first ever tough interview, on Univision no less, the reporter asked Zero about firing Eric "My people" Holder, over the "Fast and Furious" fiasco. Zeros scripted, and totally ficticious answer was that FF was started under the Bush administration, and holder had no idea about, and ceased it when he did learn about. This is a provable lie in all three parts.

1) The Bush administration had an operation called Wide Receiver, in which guns with tracking devices, were sold to drug dealers. The Mexican government was a partner in Wide Receiver. After a dozen or so guns were sold it was discovered that the tracking devices failed, so the operation was stopped.

2) Holder gave a speech in Cuernavaca, Mexico, boasting about "Operation Gun Runner" in 2009. Kinda hard to reconcile that date with the Zero statements about Holder having no idea until after Brian Terry's death...well after.

3) Since it is provable that Holder knew before Terry's death, then it follows that Holder stopped FF before Terry's death. At least that is what we take from Zero's assertion that Holder stopped it as soon as he learned of it. But since he didn't, QED, a lie.

What was that old saw about every word out of someones mouth being a lie, including "the"?

And how sad of our media that the only ones to even press Zero on this is Univision. I guess Zero will only appear on Telemundo from now. Univision anchors never felt the tingle.

wyo sis said...

That acoustic repeat is a real That acoustic repeat problem. It's applications is a real prroblem. it's applications are awesome to awesome to contemplate. contemplate.

Known Unknown said...

I thought there would be more "leaning left" jokes.

It makes government appear larger!

It makes responsibility appear smaller!

It makes you a respondent in Marquette Law Poll!



Rusty said...

Leaning to the left makes everthing seem smaller.
leaning right returns one to the correct perspective.

Caedmon said...
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Caedmon said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Caedmon said...

That's nothing Leaning to the Left makes the Bill of Rights invisible.

William said...

I think any research done to minimize the chance of having a patient explode during a colonoscopy is all to the good. And not just for the patient. Many of those unlucky enough to be present during a colon explosion suffer from PTSD and have trouble reintegrating into the community.

Known Unknown said...

Chemistry Prize: Johan Pettersson (Sweden/Rwanada) for solving the puzzle of why, in certain houses in the town of Anderslöv, Sweden, people's hair turned green.

I cannot deny the value of this.

edutcher said...

What Ira said.

Your tax dollars at work.

Petunia said...

One year some academics from Dunedin, NZ, which has the steepest street in the world, won for their study showing that wearing your socks on the outside of your shoes makes the shoes' soles less slippery.

Whoda thunk it?

Ignorance is Bliss said...

Leaning to the Left Makes the First Amendment Seem Smaller.