Ig Noble prize winners

[Chuckanut]

The 2018 Ig Noble prize winners have been announced.

Here is the prize in medicine:

Marc Mitchell and David Wartinger, for using roller coaster rides to hasten the passage of kidney stones.

The rest are here:

http://youtu.be/GQqZVthHyuA

Or here:

https://arstechnica.com/science/2018...gh-then-think/

[Chuckanut]

A bit more background on the Ig Noble awards:

https://www.improbable.com/ig/

Quote:

Every September, in a gala ceremony in Harvard's Sanders Theatre, 1100 splendidly eccentric spectators watch the new winners step forward to accept their Prizes. These are physically handed out by genuinely bemused genuine Nobel Laureates. Thousands more, around the world, watch our live online broadcast.

One must read the Annals of Improbable Research to get a full understanding of what is going on. Laugh and then Think.

[Popeye]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Chuckanut The 2018 Ig Noble prize winners have been announced. Here is the prize in medicine: Marc Mitchell and David Wartinger, for using roller coaster rides to hasten the passage of kidney stones. The rest are here: http://youtu.be/GQqZVthHyuA Or here: https://arstechnica.com/science/2018...gh-then-think/

As a kidney stone victim, I am really interested in this one! I have heard many home remedies but never a roller coaster ride.

Wonder if you can get a prescription for Six Flags?

[Oz investor]

since i have an Abbott stent ( currently under close FDA monitoring ) i did have a twinge of irony here ( and not angina ) ... but it could have been worse .. at least the Abbott product does not have any electronic components .

[Chuckanut]

In case all the political, economic, social and technical news distracted you, the Big News is the awarding of the 2019 Ig Noble prizes.

https://arstechnica.com/science/2019...s-and-more/#p3

To wet your appetite I will mention the prize in Medicine was won by Silvano Gallus for collecting evidence that....

Quote:

pizza might protect against illness and death, if the pizza is made and eaten in Italy.

Excuse while I book a flight to my ancestor's home town of Umberto d'angola.

[Lewis Clark]

Quote:

pizza might protect against illness and death, if the pizza is made and eaten in Italy

No idea if this will work, but eager to be the volunteer to test the hypothesis.

[Koolau]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Lewis Clark No idea if this will work, but eager to be the volunteer to test the hypothesis.

I have eaten pizza in italy (only one place) and found it quite uninspiring. I describe it as a thick pitta (type) bread with tomato sauce (maybe paste) "painted" on and sprinkled with a dusting of fine cheese particles. I understand that we have "Americanized" most ethnic and other traditional dishes, but I really saw little if any resemblance of Italian pizza to American pizza. Very much a YMMV area here, I'm sure.

[audreyh1]

I remember our first pizza in Florence. It was outstanding! Super thin crust and the quarter each “quattro stagione” toppings of artichoke hearts, mushrooms, prosciutto and olives. We were impressed. We reproduced this at home often, almost as good.

[Bestwifeever]

Great article—smart people are also funny.

[Chuckanut]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Koolau I understand that we have "Americanized" most ethnic and other traditional dishes, but I really saw little if any resemblance of Italian pizza to American pizza. Very much a YMMV area here, I'm sure.

+1 the only significant resemblance is the word 'pizza' and the shape.

If you really want to see cultural difference while in Italy try to order olive oil for dipping your bread into. The olive oil bread dipping is very Italian-American. It's virtually unknown in Italy.

So, why do Italian American dip their bread into olive oil while native Italians do not? Sounds like there might be an Ig Noble prize in such a study.