Scientific researchers have come up with a failsafe way to get you up in the morning, even if you're deaf.
The Ig Nobel Prize for Chemistry was awarded yesterday to a Japanese team at Shiga University of Medical Science, for their patented invention of an alarm that wakes people up by releasing a pungent wasabi spray.
Ig Nobel honours are given to science that "first makes people laugh then makes them think," and the awards were given out at
Delegate numbers for EPCA 2011 in
The official number, which the Blog has taken from EPCA today, has exceeded last year's total of nearly 2,000.
The conference takes place on 1-5 October 2011, and uppermost in delegates' minds at this late stage will be how to avoid accepting any more last minute meetings, and remembering to pack business cards, mints and most importantly the one essential item that they forgot last time.
As the north European winter closes in, some of us at ICIS and elsewhere are wondering if we will ever get back to Monte Carlo ...
Rexam's annual report has excited some interest in the office today, with the discovery deep in the report of innovative packaging solutions for the world's first foam liqueur, and even better: "a delicious dog treat beverage."
First for the foam liqueur, advertised for cocktails as well as after dinner moments. The Rexam report (p48) showcases "The world's first foam liqueur -launched by Bols - powered by Rexam dispensing technology.
The Rexam pump creates two litres of foaming liqueur from a single 200ml bottle of Bols Foam."
And for doggy fans, Rexam is packaging "Petrol for Dogs" in a can. "This savoury vet-formulated drink is not only refreshing and nutritious - dogs prefer it 4-to-1 over water. So give your best pal Petrol - and pour out the love."
A plastic bottle filled with water can become a source of lighting for slum homes in the
Recycling empty polyethylene terephthalate (PET) bottles by filling them with water and a drop of bleach, to prevent algae, creating a metal collar and inserting them in the roof can provide as much daytime light as a 60 watt bulb. The water-filled bottle refracts the sunlight into the windowless shacks, at a cost of about one US dollar each.
The
Over 1 million tonnes/year of absorbent hygiene products are generated in the
Diagram: Knowaste
The next European Petrochemical Luncheon (EPL) will take place at The Hotel, formerly the Hilton, in
The popular Christmas dinner will not be at the Conrad as the organisers had previously announced, the Blog notes with some disappointment.
Browsing through some rather mixed reviews of the rebranded The Hotel, the eye is drawn to one review entitled "Not a patch on the old Hilton," which is clearly bonkers since it couldn't possibly be any worse.
The EPL's guest after-dinner speaker will be a Mr Lior Suchard: "Supernatural entertainer and mentalist with extraordinary talent for mind reading, thought influencing and telekinesis."
Delegates with guilty consciences, or trading plans they wish to keep secret, are advised to go for the tables at the back. As the mentalist says on his website: "Always think positive thoughts ... You never know who can read them."
Philip Cho has joined Astra Oil Trading (AOT) to trade aromatics in
Cho, formerly business manager Asia styrene monomer at Total Petrochemicals Hong Kong, started with AOT on 19 September 2011.
He joins Martin Riepl and Clay Walker, both ex-Summit, in AOT's chemicals trading team.
Online dating with New Scientist Connect - "find chemistry with other singles here" - has just been launched to bring like-minded people together, according to today's New Scientist newsletter.
"Whether you're looking for love, or just to meet someone on the same wavelength, no matter where you are in the world," the message continues, with a link to "let your love life lift off," with a free one month subscription.
New Scientist is part of RBI, parent company of ICIS.
photo: New Scientist
Those of us with a passing interest in hydrocarbons might be interested in this little animation on the New Scientist website: "The sound of hydrogen."
It is one of a series of one-minute animated films explaining basic scientific concepts, which I was lured into this morning by the tempting title "One-Minute Physics - How do we know our world is 3-D?"
(PS If the unavailable message is showing, see the video via this link to New Scientist TV.)
New Scientist is part of RBI, parent company of ICIS.
EPCA 2011 looks set to have a strong attendance, with 2,286 already registered on 5 September.
The conference on 2-4 October in Berlin is now well ahead on numbers from the 2010 meeting in Budapest, which had nearly 2,000.
On a trip to see the ICIS Houston office last week, three of the London ICIS Heren team were invited to a special 'Salute our Shuttle' evening at the Johnson Space Center just south of Houston.
Just for workers and their friends and families, it was a tribute to the end of the space shuttle mission. Ian, a former NASA-employee who now works as a subeditor in the Houston office, lined up the visitors with some tickets through a friend who works at the center.
A fly-past and some live music rounded the night off as astronauts signed autographs, and the Heren guys came back with a special pin to commemorate the event - only available to those who were there on that night.
Photo: Ed Cox in space suit at NASA
