Feedback is our weekly column of bizarre stories, implausible advertising claims, confusing instructions and more
The science of not knowing
FEEDBACK is always pleased to extend, enlarge and engorge our vocabulary so we are particularly pleased to discover a paper by Rasmus Benestad and colleagues in Earth Systems Dynamics entitled 鈥淎gnotology: learning from mistakes鈥� ().
We see this as a sort of anti-review article. Whereas a review article tries to draw together the state of knowledge, this focuses on ignorance, examining the errors in 17 papers that question climate change, and looking for patterns.
Advertisement
A subsequent blog posting at defines 鈥渁gnotology鈥� as 鈥渢he study of how and why we do not know things鈥� (). It, too, goes on to discuss climate change denial in this light.
The coiner of the word turns out to be Robert N. Proctor, at Stanford University in California, who edited after hosting a on 鈥渢he social construction of ignorance鈥�.
And now we look, we discover that agnotology has been mentioned in 快猫短视频, in a one-sentence item in the now-defunct column 鈥淰iewfinder鈥�. This defines it as 鈥渢he study of deliberately created ignorance 鈥� such as the falsehoods about evolution that are spread by creationists鈥� (18 April 2009, p 23).
A large banner promoting an alternative health practice in Wokingham, UK, exhorts: 鈥淭reat fertility with acupuncture鈥�. Martin Kipps asks: 鈥淲ill this replace the pill?鈥�
The stars and climate change
ANOTHER nice lexicon enlargement reaches us in the above-mentioned : 鈥渃limastrology鈥�. This is the practice of trying to fit terrestrial climate changes to the motions of heavenly bodies, without mentioning mechanisms by which the one may affect the other.
Aspirin and something
WHEN Andrew Young was scanning two packs of aspirin at a self-service till in his local supermarket, the software very responsibly asked him to get this purchase approved by a member of staff.
He was, however, puzzled that the machine had not requested similar approval for the two packs of ibuprofen he had also purchased, so he asked the young man who came over to explain the difference.
鈥淎h!鈥� said the young man triumphantly: 鈥淭he aspirin has got penicillin in it.鈥�
He delivered this opinion so emphatically that Andrew almost believed him 鈥� until he ruined the effect by adding, 鈥溾�� or something.鈥�
Fortunately, this somewhat shaky grasp of pharmaceuticals did not prevent him from approving Andrew鈥檚 purchases.
Air that is mainly water
THE 鈥淪olar Window Thermometer鈥� offered by 鈥淭he Gizoo team鈥� in an email to Richard Steane doesn鈥檛 only tell you the temperature in Celsius or Fahrenheit. 鈥淵ou鈥檒l also see the humidity (that鈥檚 the bit the hygrometer measures). It鈥檚 expressed as a percentage, like 68 per cent. That means 68 per cent of the air is actually water vapour.鈥�
Richard is 鈥減articularly interested鈥� in this suggestion. 鈥淲hat happens if it goes as high as 100 per cent?鈥� he asks. 鈥淲ill there be no air left to breathe?鈥�
Film in four dimensions
SINGAPORE-based reader Jonathan Matthews says he can鈥檛 wait to visit neighbouring Malaysia, where Legoland is showing 鈥淟egends of Chima 鈥� this year鈥檚 most exciting 4D movie鈥� (). Feedback hadn鈥檛 been keeping up with the terminology emanating from film company marketing departments and hadn鈥檛 come across this kind of movie before, so we sympathise with Jonathan, who says he is especially looking forward to seeing what happens when he puts on the glasses at the film theatre. 鈥淲ill I be able to see through time?鈥� he wonders.
Long-term arrangement
READER James Parsons鈥檚 email from 鈥渢hose nice people at npower鈥� told him: 鈥淲e鈥檙e really sorry that you鈥檙e leaving us. We鈥檝e now confirmed that your gas will transfer to your new supplier on 1st January 10000 so we鈥檒l carry on supplying you until then.鈥�
鈥淵ou can鈥檛 accuse them of not giving me plenty of notice,鈥� James comments.
That noble rat
BEING 鈥渟omewhat deaf鈥�, Ted Webber had the subtitles on for the televised keynote speech at a meeting of the National Press Club of Australia. During her discourse, Suzanne Cory, president of the Australian Academy of Science, referred to Professor Brian Smith as an 鈥淎ustralian Nobel laureate鈥�. The subtitles rendered this as 鈥渘oble lawyer rat鈥�.
Correcting our mistakes
FINALLY, noting our statement on 13 July that we 鈥渁lways strive to correct our mistakes when alerted to them鈥�, several readers pointed out a mistake in the previous item on that page, which called the last book of the Bible Revelations instead of Revelation.
Readers may like to know that errors in Feedback, or elsewhere in 快猫短视频, are acknowledged and corrected in the 鈥淔or the record鈥� section of the Letters pages and the Revelation mistake was noted there on 27 July.
Other reader鈥檚 comments on Feedback stories are sometimes published in 快猫短视频 as letters. See, for example, Barry Manor鈥檚 letter on heat pump efficiency in last week鈥檚 issue (10 August).