If one wanted to think, say, or do precisely the worst thing, how would he or she go about doing so? This paper looks into that question: “How to Think, Say, or Do Precisely the Worst Thing for Any Occasion,” Daniel M. Wegner [pictured here], Science, vol. 325, July 3, 2009, pp. 48-50. The author, […]
Tag: error
Hand Sanitizers, Breathalyzers, and Indications of Intoxication
Clean hands, skulduggery and/or incompetence can, if combined, lead to a muddle about drunkenness, suggests this study: “Common Hand Sanitizer May Distort Readings of Breathalyzer Tests in the Absence of Acute Intoxication,” Syed S. Ali, Michael P. Wilson, Edward M. Castillo, Peter Witucki, Todd T. Simmons, Gary M. Vilke [pictured here], Academic Emergency Medicine, vol. 20, […]
This Grand Canyon, and That One, and Those Others…
Earle Spamer of the American Philosophical Society has, over the years, written a series of Improbable Research reports about the Grand Canyon (beginning with his explanation of how to preserve the Grand Canyon from disappearing due to erosion — his solution: fill the canyon, at least temporarily, with plastic packing “peanuts“). In “Is the Grand Canyon […]
A calculating look at the end of the world
Some persons predict that the world will end on December 21, 2012. Perhaps they are correct. For mathematical context, take a look back (perhaps the last look back any of us will have a chance to make!) at the 2011 Ig Nobel Prize winners in the field of mathematics: MATHEMATICS PRIZE: Dorothy Martin of the USA (who […]