Friday, October 06, 2006

Goat Friday

Um ... Three Goats of the Apocalypse...?

o_O_o

GOATERY UPDATE

It's reported here that two CSIRO researchers have won an IgNobel Prize for their research on how many photos you need to take to ensure that nobody in a group-photo has their eyes closed.

Nic Svenson and Dr Piers Barnes have determined that for a group of under 20 persons, dividing the number of people by three gives the number of shots needed. As the size of the group increases, the number of shots required increases exponentially. At around 50 people, you can “kiss your hopes of an unspoilt photo goodbye.”

For other IgNobel winners, see the source story. But for rank goatery, it’s hard to go past this story:

Police say they were astounded at the actions of a man they say was trying to drive from Kalgoorlie, in south-eastern Western Australia, to Perth, in reverse. ...

Officers pulled him over and allege the 23-year-old Perth man told them his transmission had failed so he was driving the 500 kilometres in reverse.

It is alleged he told officers he had reached speeds of 80 kilometres an hour but had had to slow down to 65 kph because he was swerving too much.

He was charged with reckless driving and is due to appear in Coolgardie court on Monday.

o_O_o

Previous Goat Friday
Cute baby goats with fluffy bums

5 Comments:

Blogger Jacob A. Stam said...

"At around 50 people, you can kiss your hopes of an unspoilt photo goodbye."

I propose that this upper limit be defined as the 'kiss-off horizon'.

6/10/06 12:23 PM  
Blogger Caz said...

The pretty much applies if you're taking pics of anyone under the age of 50, or over the age of 51 as well, even if it's only one person in the frame. That's what I've found.

That's a might handsome and wise group of goats.

7/10/06 11:07 PM  
Blogger Jacob A. Stam said...

True enough, and I've found it holds true also that people under 20-years-old tend to blink less often. The Svenson-Barnes study could revolutionise group photography. A well-deserved IgNobel, in my opinion.

8/10/06 1:32 AM  
Blogger Caz said...

The hick-up cure was also a worhty winner Jacob.

And no, we shall never ever, ever, ask what made the doctor contemplate rectal massage as a cure.

Some things we don't need to know.

8/10/06 6:12 PM  
Blogger Jacob A. Stam said...

The electromechanical teenager repellent sounds interesting too, but there are of course other strategies. The train station at Dandenong, long the nexus of drug traders and youth gangs, has for about two years been playing baroque classical music over the PA, presumably to soothe the savage breasts. Wonder if it's working...?

My mother recently sent away for an ionic and ultrasonic pest repeller device. She ordered it about a month ago after she found evidence of another mouse in her kitchen.

While she was waiting, she got impatient and hit it with half a can of mortein behind the stove where it was lurking. No sign of it since, so now I fear she won't know whether the repeller device was worth the money. I think it's supposed to work on bugs too, so we'll see.

8/10/06 8:16 PM  

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