(Image: Paul McDevitt)
Feedback is our weekly column of bizarre stories, implausible advertising claims, confusing instructions and more
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Brushing up on science
THE new president of the British Science Association, Athene Donald, has spoken out ahead of her inauguration to condemn early influences that drive women away from careers in science, technology, engineering and maths (STEM). In particular she highlighted girls鈥� toys that foster passive play, .
Gallantly riding to the rescue is the California-based MGA Entertainment, clutching the reels of their new TV series Project Mc2, which features a gang of scientifically adept girl sleuths. In an excruciating buzzword pile-up, the press release trumpets: 鈥淕irl Power for the YouTube Generation: Project Mc2 Brings STEM to Life For Tweens鈥�.
Heedless of our agony, it gallops on: 鈥淔eaturing the tagline 鈥楽mart is the New Cool鈥�, Project Mc2 focuses on four young girls who are all smart, sassy and very stylish 鈥� a far cry from the traditional 鈥榞eek鈥� image associated with STEM subjects.鈥�
At this point the ghost of the European Commission鈥檚 spectacularly awful Science: It鈥檚 a Girl Thing! video looms large ().
But are dolls really to blame for driving girls away from STEM careers? If anyone knows, it鈥檚 MGA Entertainment, as the firm happens to own the phenomenally successful Bratz brand, a collection of sassy, stylish dolls described by a company spokesperson as having core values of 鈥渇riendship, hair play and a 鈥榩assion for fashion鈥�.鈥� Naturally, Project Mc2 comes with its own range of dolls with flowing tresses. Fancy that.
A low bar is set for Tesco鈥檚 premium range tomatoes, which Christian Smith is told are: 鈥淚ntensely sweet and juicy, with a beautiful old-fashioned tomato aroma鈥�.
Scientist strikes a sour note
IF TOO much hair play is bad, airplay may be even worse 鈥� at least, if you鈥檙e a Canadian government scientist. Tony Turner at Environment Canada was given compulsory leave after taking aim at Prime Minister Stephen Harper .
A long-time folk singer, Turner鈥檚 catchy ditty went viral after a performance of the song was uploaded to YouTube. The video contains lines such as 鈥淲ho won鈥檛 buy into climate change until it鈥檚 sold on the stock exchange? Harperman!鈥�, and the chorus 鈥淗arperman, it鈥檚 time for you to go鈥�.
In response to the lab-coated Woody Guthrie鈥檚 question 鈥淲ho stifles all dissent鈥� Who muzzles the scientist?鈥�, the authorities have sent Turner home pending an investigation into his conduct, during which he is not answering any media requests.
Written in stone
CANADIAN authorities have prior form for overzealously policing researchers (12 April 2014, p 26). A colleague reports that picking the brains of a geologist there required submitting his questions in advance to a press officer, then waiting several days for permission to conduct the interview.
鈥淚 suppose if you鈥檙e going to delve into politically charged topics such as river systems that existed around a billion years ago, you鈥檝e got to expect the authorities on your back,鈥� he sighs.
Sworn stupidity
RESPONDING to our search for a retort to unimaginably stupid statements (8 August), Andy Johnson-Laird writes: 鈥淔or many years the military acronym fubar has 鈥�.
Feedback thinks that this term more adequately describes things that have gone very wrong, rather than things that simply are very wrong. But Andy helpfully continues: 鈥淎round our office we use PFS [plain flipping stupid?] to describe logic that is beyond redemption and unworthy of a response.鈥�
A buck short
ECONOMICS is often lambasted as the dismal science, so it shouldn鈥檛 surprise us that one of its practitioners has come up with a retort that fits our requirements. Gavin Maclean informs us of economist Robert Wade鈥檚 response to the premise that markets are imperfect, but governments are even more imperfect: 鈥淭his argument has some way to go before it can even be called simplistic.鈥�
Righting a wrong
AS WE explore the depths of wrongness, Muphry鈥檚 Law gives hot pursuit. 鈥淵ou attribute the expression 鈥榖eyond wrong鈥� to Michael Shermer鈥�, writes John, who thinks Shermer was merely echoing the Swiss theoretical physicist Wolfgang Pauli.
Pauli did not suffer fools gladly, John informs us, 鈥渁nd is famously reported to have said: 鈥楾his isn鈥檛 right. This isn鈥檛 even wrong.'鈥�
Useless unit
FINALLY, Phillip Sheeran-Purcell sends evidence of what he calls 鈥渁 new class of object鈥� 鈥� a spoon from his trendy local coffee shop, pressed from a thin wood veneer. 鈥淎s soon as it comes in contact with soup, it loses its shape and becomes a stick, and the soup falls off,鈥� laments a hungry Phillip.
He suggests this may be a mysteriously forgotten Heisenberg idea, namely 鈥渢he unfunctionality principle鈥�, whereby a functional item loses that function the instant you try to employ it.
How to describe such items? 鈥淎s to be defunct implies having been useful at some stage, I suggest 鈥榓funct鈥�,鈥� writes Phillip, 鈥渁nd I welcome news of other discoveries of things that are afuncts.鈥� Feedback does too, and is certain readers will be stirred into action.