“It’s like the weirdest f-ing thing that you’ll ever go to… it’s a collection of, like, actual Nobel Prize winners giving away prizes to real scientists for doing f’d-up things… it’s awesome.”— Amanda Palmer
Reader Diane G. informs me that the annual IgNobel Prizes will be awarded at Harvard this evening, with the awards handed out by Genuine Nobel Laureates. The ceremony is always a hoot, and this year’s gala is described here. The ceremonies begin at 6 p.m. Eastern US time, and you can see them livestreamed at this site.
Ugh — another one I’ll likely have to wait for the download.
“Real time” is loosing its meaning….
b&
Hope it will be available soon. NPRs Science Friday usually broadcasts audio of the ceremony sometime in November, but that is a long way off.
One of the best award ceremonies ever. They really know how to keep the speeches short–a technique that other award shows should copy.
sub
Having had two colonoscopies, I am grateful for the 2012
MEDICINE PRIZE: Emmanuel Ben-Soussan and Michel Antonietti [FRANCE] for advising doctors who perform colonoscopies how to minimize the chance that their patients will explode.
One of the lectures in “Internet Cat videos”
I had 2 colonoscopy this year, and 4 endocopies in the last 18 months or so. My gastrointestinal track is well explored (including the camera capsule ingestion).
This was a reply to JonLynnHarvey.
Oh, camera capsule really sounds like the way to go!
No pun intended…
BTW–you poor thing!
That is the only way they can inspect the meters of small intestine without surgery, but it does not give a good view of the upper tract or colon.
Interesting, thanks!
And I hope at least one of those procedures turned out to be helpful.
There was of course that Republican rep from Idaho who suggested that pregnancy tests could be done by swallowing a one of those camera devices, and had to receive a patient, tactfully worded lesson on female anatomy…
Idaho and Republican – not surprising.
The explanation should have been carried out in sign language.
How did I miss this post first time around? Busy.
Well, just for you, here’s Rachel Maddow talking about it, with the actual recording of the dialog.
The best bit is where he says “Fascinating!” amidst general laughter.
I think I’ll skip. I’m trying to get something off U-tube at the moment, and it’s got another 2 and a half hours to go to finish downloading.
Wise decision! It’s about 10 seconds of audio in a 20 minute video clip!
Not so sure about the wise – there’s still an hour to go on the download.
That is a hilarious topic! All the more so for knowing just what they’re talking about…
I’m bored!
Ya see, right there, that’s the problem. I showed my wife that once, and now, whenever I start talking about my atheism, “I’m bored, please stop; I’m bored, please stop”.
It works.
Here is a real life IgNobel Prize, a Texas boy who got arrested – for building a clock!
You guessed it, the electronic clock looked ‘bomb-ish’. Result: a shamed teacher, a boy who switches schools and gets invited to the White House. http://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-34284250
Police Chief Larry Boyd is my choice for the IgNobel Peace Prize for his contributions to eradicating terrorism.
There is a funny picture circulating on the Tweeter (which I cannot figure out to post here) which says: ‘I hope Ahmad walks back into that school like…’
You can find it.
Many delightful moments.
I liked the 7-word talk: “Grumpy cat can actually make us happy.”
May wonder about benefits of intense kissing the next time that happens to me.
The plungers on the chicken butts was cool.
Well, the prizes are now up.
That last biology one…dude!!! That’s above and beyond the call. I doubt its irreproducible so much as “nobody is going to reproduce that.”
It hurts to read it!
2015 winners:
http://www.improbable.com/ig/winners/
I can totally identify with the Medicine prize, having taken an interminable ambulance ride with a burst appendix last year.
I wasn’t thinking of the nostril sting when I wrote my post, but yeah, that had to really hurt too.
For some reason they didn’t go into detail on the part you were thinking of…
😀