Hairy Ball Theorem Updated
The Hairy Ball Theorem (HBT) was first postulated (and then proved) by Luitzen Egbertus Jan Brouwer in 1912. An informal statement of the theorem is that : “One cannot comb the hair on a coconut”.
Humming (everything You Ever Wanted To Know About It)
Here is a (partial) overview of (some of) the recent academic literature on the subject of 'Humming'Security
Humming-based human verification and identification
“The experimental results show that linear prediction cepstral
coefficients and perceptually linear prediction coefficients are
conducive to verification and identification, respectively.”
Medicine
Facial Expressions During Lovemaking (a Study)
“… everyday, spontaneous sexual behavior is a quintessentially private activity not open to public scrutiny.“ But not always. As evidenced by the work of an investigatory team from the Facultad de Psicología, Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, Spain, where Jose-Miguel Fernández-Dols, Pilar Carrera and Carlos Crivelli “… analyzed the facial behavior of 100 volunteers who video-recorded their own expressions while experiencing an episode of sexual excitement that concluded in an orgasm, and then posted their video clip on an Internet site.”
Thing(ness) And Silence Studies
What do a coffee machine, a mosquito, a fridge, gastric ‘flu and silence have in common?One answer is sounds. Or lack thereof. And all have been researched by Dr. Salomé Voegelin, who is Sound Arts Course Leader, and member of CRiSAP (Creative Research into Sound Arts Practice) at the London College of Communication, University of the Arts, London.
Klingon Translation Studies
“taH pagh taHbe’. DaH mu’tlheghvam vIqeInIS.” – the translation of which, as speakers of Klingon will know, is “To be or not to be; that is the question.” The Klingon Shakespeare Restoration Project has received considerable attention from academia – see for example: ‘Adapting Shakespeare for Star Trek and Star Trek for Shakespeare: The Klingon Hamlet and The Spaces of Translation‘ (Studies in Popular Culture, vol 32, no. 2, pp. 35-55.)
Truffle Hunting
A longstanding puzzle has been solved. How do northern flying squirrels (Glaucomys sabrinus) locate truffles (Gautieria monticola) – bearing in mind that the truffles are a subterranean and ephemeral but primary food source? Sanjay Pyare (Assistant Professor of GIS and Landscape Ecology, at the University of Alaska Southeast, ) and colleague William S Longland (at the Agricultural Research Service, Reno, NV) investigated this question back in 2001, and published the results of their observations in the Canadian Journal of Zoology, 2001, 79:1007-1015.
Personal Grooming - Should We Bother?
“Every day workers take time to shower, style their hair, select clothes and get dressed. Others spend additional time to shave, trim nails, apply makeup, polish shoes and iron clothes.” Should they bother? For, until recently, it was “…unclear whether such time-consuming activities are valuable in the labor market.” – explains Steve DeLoach, PhD., professor of economics at the The Love School of Business, Elon University, who has investigated the subject, and has published a paper entitled : ‘Mirror, mirror on the wall: The effect of time spent grooming on earnings’ (in the Journal of Socio-Economics, Volume 40, Issue 1, February 2011, Pages 26-34.)
The Importance Of Finger Lengths (for Sumo Wrestlers)
A new paper has been published regarding the significance of 2D:4D (the length ratios of the 2nd (index finger) and 4th (ring finger).A joint research team from the Kochi Branch of NHK (Japan Broadcasting Corporation), the Osaka School of International Public Policy, Osaka University and the Institute of Social and Economic Research, Japan, measured the finger lengths of 142 Japanese professional sumo wrestlers :
Jellyfish-induced Lesions In Brazil
“The heart is a muscular organ that pumps the blood and makes it circulates in the body. Figuratively it refers to sensibility, affection and love.”- explain Maria do Carmo Araujo Palmeira Queiroz and Juliana Nascimento de Andrade Rabelo Caldas, the Brazilian authors of a recent paper in the journal Anais Brasileiros de Dermatologia.
Barbie® Studies
Academics have been examining Barbie® for more than a decade now.One of the first to do so was senior professor Albert Magro of Fairmont State University, who, in 1997 presented his paper ‘Why Barbie is perceived as beautiful.’ (Perceptual and Motor Skills, 85, 363-374) His experimental examination of evaluations involving 495 individuals came to the conclusion that Barbie® had the following attributes -
The Urinal Problem - Minimized
“A man walks into a men’s room…” No, it’s not the beginning of a joke, it’s the beginning of a scholarly paper presented in Lecture Notes in Computer Science, 2010, Volume 6099/2010, pp. 284-295.To continue : “A man walks into a men’s room and observes n empty urinals. Which urinal should he pick so as to maximize his chances of maintaining privacy, i.e., minimize the chance that someone will occupy a urinal beside him?”
Artistotle’s Hunch About Pebbles — Upheld
It was no less than Aristotle himself who wondered “Why are the stones on the seashore which are called pebbles round, when they are originally made from long stones and shells?” In typical Aristotlean fashion, he not only asked the question, but went on to provide a very plausible explanation (see appendix below) – one which lay untested for more than 2000 years. It now been verified in practice by professor Douglas Durian and his Durian Research Group at the University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, US.
Carbon Monoxide (may Be) Good For You (in Small Doses) (some Say)
Carbon Monoxide – dubbed “The Silent Killer” is a colourless and odourless gas – highly toxic to human beings. It’s a common pollutant in city air, coming mainly from vehicle exhaust emissions.But what if “CO, in small doses, is a boon to the well-being of urbanites, better equipping them to deal with environmental stress”?
