When Contractions Don’t Work
Why do some contractions work and others don’t?
Scholarly Communications Meets your Christmas Cracker
It’s been “the year of generative AI”, so Charlie Rapple asked ChatGPT to write some cracker-standard Christmas jokes with a scholarly communications theme.
The 33rd First Annual IgNobel Prize Winners
It’s that time of year again when the big science prizes are awarded. No, not those prizes.
The Dangers of Automation: Keep Your Pokemon-playing Fish Away from Your Credit Cards
A YouTuber sets up a system where the swimming patterns of his fish let them “play” Pokemon online. What could possibly go wrong?
Editors can’t spot talent. I’ve heard this joke before. It isn’t funny
Editors at The BMJ are lousy at predicting the citation performance of research papers. Or are they?
The Smithsonian Barbie Letter and the Samizdat of Science Humor
An amusing, if apocryphal, response from the Smithsonian offers a glimpse at the sorts of pre-internet humor scientists would share through their networks.
Important Capybara Update
The latest developments in Capybara science.
A History of Encabulation — Advancements From the Turbo Encabulator and the Retro Encabulator Have Led to the Hyper Encabulator
Significant breakthroughs in jargon have enabled the development of the hyper encabulator, sure to serve all your encabulation needs.
Post-publication Peer Review via the Ig Nobel Prizes
It’s that time of year again, the 2022 Ig Nobel Prizes have been announced.
Friday Video: A Quiet Place II… Study
The BYU Library’s latest humorous promotional video is out, and (if we do say so ourselves) it’s an instant classic.
The 2016 Ig Nobel Prizes
It’s that time of year again. Every year Harvard University’s glorious Sanders Theatre plays host to the Ig Nobel Prize ceremony. I was there, along with my 13-year old son, armed with dozens of pieces of paper, for ready assembly into paper airplanes and ready to revel in a couple of hours of sublime silliness. Here is my report.
The IgNobel Prize Celebrates an Anniversary
The 25th Annual IgNobel Prize Ceremony captured on video.
April Fools' Day: Just Say No
John Oliver offers an important public service message about the horror that is April Fools’ Day.
The Expert
The intersection of vague business plans and practical implementation is often a frustrating process.