Well, we've copyrighted the phrase "Ig Nobel," so we're not changing it now, after 16 years of ceremonies.
It's a pun on the Nobel prizes (which is why we give them out at the same time of year), and if anything's "ignoble," it's the prize itself, not the achievements that win it. Winners pay their own expenses to attend the ceremony, don't get to hang out with royalty (though they do get to hang with Nobel laureates, usually wearing funny hats), stay with friends of ours who volunteer spare bedrooms and couches, and the fanciest thing we treat the winners to is an afterparty at a friend's condo. (Though, to be fair, our friend is a caterer and the food is *awesome*.) It's deliberately low-budget and great fun for everyone. The media seems to be getting the point of the prizes pretty well--check out our most recent batch of press clippings, here: http://improbable.com/airchives/press/press-top.html Also, we'll be the final segment on the CBS Evening News tonight! Check us out, everyone! Robin --- Jim Dougan <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > Wow - I guess I have never looked at these awards > closely enough. I had > always put them in the same category as Proxmire's > old "Golden Fleece" awards. > > Although I enjoy the wordplay, I wonder if the title > "Ig Noble" is a bad > choice of titles. After all, the word "ignoble" > means "of low grade or > quality; inferior" (Dictionary.com). My apparently > erroneous understanding > of these awards came from my correct understanding > of the word "ignoble." > > -- Jim > > > > > At 10:03 AM 10/13/2006, you wrote: > >It's not at all deserving of ridicule. The Igs are > >awarded to achievements that first make people > laugh, > >and then make them think. Whether the > >research/invention/accomplishment is "good" or > "bad" > >doesn't enter into the equation. > > > >Personally, I think the Silvers & Kriener piece is > a > >fun study, and particularly interesting when it's > >shown that inappropriate highlighting affects > >comprehension even when the readers are informed > that > >the highlighting is random, and they should ignore > it. > > > > > >The Oppenheimer study (this year's winner) is more > >complex, and simply brilliant. Check it out if you > >can. > > > >--- Jim Dougan <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > > > > > > > > At 09:33 AM 10/13/2006, you wrote: > > > >What seems to be even more surprising to me is > that > > > the prizes for > > > >literature are going to psychologists! > > > > > > > >Annette > > > > > > > > > Wow - I guess I just don't get why this is > deserving > > > of ridicule (even if > > > it is friendly ridicule). > > > > > > All of us have probably had the experience of > > > reading a used book someone > > > else has underlined. Sometimes that earlier > reader > > > has underlined strange > > > things that don't seem relevant. I don't know > about > > > the rest of you, but I > > > find that pretty distracting. > > > > > > Just how distracting is it? I don't know - but > it > > > certainly seems worthy > > > of study. > > > > > > -- Jim > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > >Quoting Robin Abrahams <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>: > > > > > > > >>As a former winner himself, David is not > exactly > > > >>unbiased! > > > >> > > > >>He and his student Vicki Silvers Geir won the > > > >>literature prize in 2002: > > > >> > > > >>Vicki Silvers Gier and David S. Kreiner of > Central > > > >>Missouri State University, for their colorful > > > report > > > >>"The Effects of Pre-Existing Inappropriate > > > >>Highlighting on Reading Comprehension." [ > > > PUBLISHED > > > >>IN: Reading Research and Instruction, vol. 36, > no. > > > 3, > > > >>1997, pp. 217-23.] > > > >> > > > >>I've always had a soft spot for the literature > > > prizes, > > > >>and this year's was an excellent one: > > > >> > > > >>LITERATURE: Daniel Oppenheimer of Princeton > > > University > > > >>for his report "Consequences of Erudite > Vernacular > > > >>Utilized Irrespective of Necessity: Problems > with > > > >>Using Long Words Needlessly." > > > >>REFERENCE: "Consequences of Erudite Vernacular > > > >>Utilized Irrespective of Necessity: Problems > with > > > >>Using Long Words Needlessly," Daniel M. > > > Oppenheimer, > > > >>Applied Cognitive Psychology, vol. 20, no. 2, > > > March > > > >>2006, pp. 139-56. > > > >> > > > >>--- David Kreiner <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > wrote: > > > >> > > > >>>And the inventor won the prestigious Ig Nobel > > > Peace > > > >>>Prize. From > > > >>>www.improbable.com : > > > >>> > > > >>>PEACE: Howard Stapleton of Merthyr Tydfil, > Wales, > > > >>>for inventing an > > > >>>electromechanical teenager repellant -- a > device > > > >>>that makes annoying > > > >>>noise designed to be audible to teenagers but > not > > > to > > > >>>adults; and for > > > >>>later using that same technology to make > > > telephone > > > >>>ringtones that are > > > >>>audible to teenagers but not to their > teachers. > > > >>>REFERENCE: http://www.compoundsecurity.co.uk > > > >>> > > > >>> > > > >>> > > > >>> > > > >>>David Kreiner > > > >>>Professor of Psychology and > > > >>>Associate Dean of The Graduate School > > > >>>University of Central Missouri > > > >>>[EMAIL PROTECTED] > > > >>> > > > >>> >>> "FRANTZ, SUE" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > > > 10/12/2006 > > > >>>10:02 PM >>> > > > >>> > > > >>>I'm sure some of you have already heard of > this, > > > but > > > >>>it was news to > > > >>>me. > > > >>> > > > >>>Today in class I was talking about hearing > and > > > >>>hearing loss in the > > > >>>upper > > > >>>frequencies. And a couple of my students > said, > > > "Oh, > > > >>>like the mosquito > > > >>>ringtone." They were passing comments, and I > > > didn't > > > >>>want to get into > > > >>>it, so I left it until I got back to my > office to > > > >>>investigate. > > > >>> > > > >>>In short, a theater in England was having > > > problems > > > >>>with the large > > > >>>number > > > >>>of youth gathering in their square. Compound > > > >>>Security > > > >>>(http://www.compoundsecurity.co.uk/) supplied > > > them > > > >>>with a high-pitched > > > >>>tone (18-20 kHz) to pipe into the square. It > > > >>>worked. The kids > > > >>>dispersed. And since it was too high for > most > > > >>>adults to hear, it > > > >>>didn't > > > >>>bother their patrons. > > > >>> > > > >>>For the BBC radio program that discusses it, > go > > > >>>here: > > > > > > >>http://www.bbc.co.uk/wiltshire/content/articles/2006/04/04/mosquito_soun > > > >>> > > > >>>d_wave_feature.shtml > > > >>> > > > >>>In the radio program, they have a recording > from > > > the > > > >>>square playing in > > > >>>the background, but according to my evening > > > >>>students, you can't hear > > > >>>the > > > >>>high-pitched tone. Apparently that MP3 cut > off > > > the > > > >>>higher > > > >>>frequencies. > > > >>>But at the bottom of the page, there's an MP3 > of > > > >>>just the recording > > > >>>from > > > >>>the square where it can be heard -- if you're > > > young > > > >>>enough. I'm not. > > > >>>All I hear is the hum of traffic and people > in > > > the > > > >>>background. But my > > > >>>younger evening students were plugging their > > > ears, > > > >>>and my older > > > >>>students > > > >>>were left looking at each other. (I think > this > > > MP3 > > > >>>peaks at about 17 > > > >>>kHz > > > >>>if I was reading the classroom's audio > software > > > >>>correctly.) The > > > >>>descriptions students gave were interesting > -- > > > like > > > >>>a cricket, like > > > >>>dying birds. In the news program they say > that > > > >>>people over 25 can't > > > >>>hear > > > >>>it, but of course there's much variability. > One > > > of > > > >>>my nearly-30 > > > >>>students said he could hear it. > > > >>> > > > >>>And now the kicker. > > > >>> > > > >>>It's available as a ringtone (in the US: > > > >>>http://www.fork.com/, in the > > > >>>UK: http://www.mozzyworld.com/). Reportedly, > > > >>>students are now using it > > > >>>to hear the arrival of text messages in class > > > >>>because their older > > > >>>teachers can't hear it. > > > >>> > > > >>> > > > >>>-- > > > >>>Sue Frantz Highline > Community > > > >>>College > > > >>>Psychology Des Moines, WA > > > >>>206.878.3710 x3404 [EMAIL PROTECTED] > > > >>>http://flightline.highline.edu/sfrantz/ > > > >>>-- > > > >>>Office of Teaching Resources in Psychology > > > >>>Assistant Director, Project Syllabus > > > > >>>http://www.lemoyne.edu/OTRP/projectsyllabus.html > > > >>> > > > >>> > > > >>>--- > > > >>>To make changes to your subscription go to: > > > > > > >>http://acsun.frostburg.edu/cgi-bin/lyris.pl?enter=tips&text_mode=0&lang= > > > english > > > >>> > > > >>> > > > >>> > > > >>>!DSPAM:1452,452f01ff88571227018335! > > > >>> > > > >>> > > > >>> > > > >>> > > > >>>--- > > > >>>To make changes to your subscription go to: > > > > > > >>http://acsun.frostburg.edu/cgi-bin/lyris.pl?enter=tips&text_mode=0&lang= > > > english > > > >>> > > > >> > > > >> > > > >>Notices at the bottom of this e-mail do not > > > reflect the opinions of > > > >>the sender. I do not "yahoo" that I am aware > of. > > > >> > > > >>--- > > > >>To make changes to your subscription go to: > > > > > > >>http://acsun.frostburg.edu/cgi-bin/lyris.pl?enter=tips&text_mode=0&lang= > > > english > > > >> > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > >Annette Kujawski Taylor, Ph. D. > > > >Professor of Psychology > > > >University of San Diego > > > >5998 Alcala Park > > > >San Diego, CA 92110 > > > >619-260-4006 > > > >[EMAIL PROTECTED] > > > > > > > > > > >---------------------------------------------------------------- > > > >This message was sent using IMP, the Internet > > > Messaging Program. > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > >--- > > > >To make changes to your subscription go to: > > > > > > >http://acsun.frostburg.edu/cgi-bin/lyris.pl?enter=tips&text_mode=0&lang=e > > > nglish > > > > > > > > > > > > > --- > > > To make changes to your subscription go to: > > > > >http://acsun.frostburg.edu/cgi-bin/lyris.pl?enter=tips&text_mode=0&lang=english > > > > > > > > > > > >Notices at the bottom of this e-mail do not reflect > the opinions of the > >sender. I do not "yahoo" that I am aware of. > > > >--- > >To make changes to your subscription go to: > >http://acsun.frostburg.edu/cgi-bin/lyris.pl?enter=tips&text_mode=0&lang=english > > > --- > To make changes to your subscription go to: > http://acsun.frostburg.edu/cgi-bin/lyris.pl?enter=tips&text_mode=0&lang=english > > Notices at the bottom of this e-mail do not reflect the opinions of the sender. I do not "yahoo" that I am aware of. --- To make changes to your subscription go to: http://acsun.frostburg.edu/cgi-bin/lyris.pl?enter=tips&text_mode=0&lang=english
