Humor

Paparazzi Zapper For Celebrities (patented)

“Photography has been around for many years. A problem associated with photography is oftentimes many people do not want to have their picture taken. For example, many celebrities do not want their picture taken or pictures of their companion’s [sic?] or ...

Article - Martin Gardiner - Feb 3 2014 - 10:09am

Prayers- What Are They Worth (in US Dollars)?

• Some people might feel happier if they get their hands on some more money. • Some people might feel happier if they use their hands to pray. Leading some to the question: is it feasible to equate the two? In other words, is it possible to put a price on ...

Article - Martin Gardiner - Feb 11 2014 - 2:31pm

Bruce Willis Deflects An Asteroid- Really?

Bruce Willis   heroically managed to save the world in the film 1998  Armageddon. He was able to deflect a huge Earth-bound asteroid with the expedient use of a well placed thermonuclear explosion. But some have questioned whether Willis’s feat would actu ...

Article - Martin Gardiner - Feb 18 2014 - 10:10am

Remote Controlled Cows- And Flerds

If it's a “postmodern” 21 st Century version of range sciences you're after, you can do no better than check out the website of the Jornada Experimental Range, Las Cruces, New Mexico,US. ...

Article - Martin Gardiner - Feb 24 2014 - 11:52am

Lipstick Names- An Academic Viewpoint

When it comes to the names of lipsticks, anyone who has attempted to combine the ‘Presentation of Self’ theories of Erving Goffman and the semiotic modelling methods of Roland Gérard Barthes could well consult the work of professor Debra Merskin (of the S ...

Article - Martin Gardiner - Feb 27 2014 - 4:19pm

Humor- Failed Or Not

To begin, an example of failed humor.  Two friends in their 20s (called ‘ L ’ who is female, and ‘ R ’ who is male) are conversing: L: “What did the big cup say to the little cup?” R: (sarcastically) “I’m bigger than you?” L: “No, Nothing. Cups can’t talk ...

Article - Martin Gardiner - Mar 5 2014 - 12:14pm

The Automatic 'Country Music' Generator

Amazing as it may seem, algorithmic methods for generating music go back at least as far as 1757 (see: Musikalisches Würfelspiel). But algorithmic methods for generating US ‘ Country Music ’ are far more recent. Indeed, Jim Suruda and professor Norman Car ...

Article - Martin Gardiner - May 24 2019 - 1:09pm

'Groucho Running' The Science

Please observe the following unusual locomotive behavior which begins at around 55 seconds into this video – when Groucho Marx starts to run. Groucho is displaying a behaviour which scientists now call ‘ Groucho Running’ *see note. ...

Article - Martin Gardiner - Mar 19 2014 - 10:16am

Head Bobbing In Birds- The Science

The question: ‘Why do some * (see note below) birds bob their heads when walking?’ has perplexed scientists for many years. Some researchers suggest that head-bobbing may be correlated with the morphology of the retina, but others propose that it’s mechan ...

Article - Martin Gardiner - Mar 27 2014 - 1:18pm

"Graunching" A Review Of The Literature

One of the first technical papers to reference ‘Graunching’ was ‘Railway Noise: Curve Squeal, Roughness Growth, Friction and Wear’ (Report: RRUK/ A, 2003, D.J. Thompson, A.D. Monk-Steel, C.J.C. Jones. P.D Allen, S.S. Hsu, and S.D. Iwnicki) “Other related f ...

Article - Martin Gardiner - Mar 31 2014 - 9:22am