6 ms·

The story of Stronzo Bestiale and other scientific jokes

38 points by jseip 12y ago

dang 12y ago
Url changed from http://io9.com/this-widely-cited-physicist-is-a-total-asshole-he-also-1645289295/+kellyconaboy http://io9.com/this-widely-cited-physicist-is-a-total-asshol..., which points to this.
judk 12y ago
See also Zeilberger's "Shalosh B Echad", and whatizname the CMU "professor"
lumberjack 12y ago
I think the proper translation would be "inhuman asshole" as "bestiale" means "beastly", an insult alluding to the inhuman nature of insultee.
- Ecio78 12y ago
  Yes and no. "Bestiale" means literally "beastly" as you said but it is often used in Italian to describe something really big (huge etc..), like "ho un sonno bestiale" (I am incredibily asleep) o "ho una fame bestiale" (I am very very hungry - ok in this case "beastly" could make sense as well :)) So I suppose in English you would use Total (or "such as" or anything else?)
  - tjradcliffe 12y ago
    "Beastly" is used as an amplifier in English as well (English English, not American English). "I'm beastly tired" and the like is something I've heard from plenty of English and some Scots.
    - Ecio78 12y ago
      Thanks for the info, it's always nice to improve my English knowledge! :)
tunnuz 12y ago
"Yet, in 1987, professor Bestiale, supposedly a physicist in Palermo, Sicily, authored major ... ". Just to clarify, there is no country called Sicily, and there hasn't been one for a while. The correct country here is Italy.
- taejo 12y ago
  I don't think that phrasing has any implication that Sicily is a country: "New York, New York" is a place but New York is not a country.
maho 12y ago
This reminds of the "proton enhanced nuclear induction spectroscopy" [1], which is notable because its acronym almost spells out the name of one of its inventors (Alexander Pines). [1] http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Proton-enhanced_nuclear_induction_spectroscopy http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Proton-enhanced_nuclear_induc...
ot 12y ago
Also worth of note: the Cox-Zucker machine http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cox–Zucker_machine http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cox–Zucker_machine
byerley 12y ago
"If you are able to insert in a publication the name of a nonexistent author in a publication, who will guarantee that even the scientific contents have been examined with care?" Reviewers are typically asked to disregard the authors of a submission, "Your review should be directed at the paper, not the author" - Jay Smith, "The Task of the Referee", 1990 Scientists can get away with not considering the authors precisely because they base their evaluation on careful examination of the contents. This is a better example of selective attention than it is of lapses in scientific review.

38 points by jseip 12y ago

dang 12y ago

Url changed from http://io9.com/this-widely-cited-physicist-is-a-total-asshole-he-also-1645289295/+kellyconaboy http://io9.com/this-widely-cited-physicist-is-a-total-asshol..., which points to this.

judk 12y ago

See also Zeilberger's "Shalosh B Echad", and whatizname the CMU "professor"

lumberjack 12y ago

I think the proper translation would be "inhuman asshole" as "bestiale" means "beastly", an insult alluding to the inhuman nature of insultee.

Ecio78 12y ago
Yes and no. "Bestiale" means literally "beastly" as you said but it is often used in Italian to describe something really big (huge etc..), like "ho un sonno bestiale" (I am incredibily asleep) o "ho una fame bestiale" (I am very very hungry - ok in this case "beastly" could make sense as well :)) So I suppose in English you would use Total (or "such as" or anything else?)
- tjradcliffe 12y ago
  "Beastly" is used as an amplifier in English as well (English English, not American English). "I'm beastly tired" and the like is something I've heard from plenty of English and some Scots.
  - Ecio78 12y ago
    Thanks for the info, it's always nice to improve my English knowledge! :)

tunnuz 12y ago

"Yet, in 1987, professor Bestiale, supposedly a physicist in Palermo, Sicily, authored major ... ". Just to clarify, there is no country called Sicily, and there hasn't been one for a while. The correct country here is Italy.

taejo 12y ago
I don't think that phrasing has any implication that Sicily is a country: "New York, New York" is a place but New York is not a country.

maho 12y ago

This reminds of the "proton enhanced nuclear induction spectroscopy" [1], which is notable because its acronym almost spells out the name of one of its inventors (Alexander Pines). [1] http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Proton-enhanced_nuclear_induction_spectroscopy http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Proton-enhanced_nuclear_induc...

ot 12y ago

Also worth of note: the Cox-Zucker machine http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cox–Zucker_machine http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cox–Zucker_machine

byerley 12y ago

"If you are able to insert in a publication the name of a nonexistent author in a publication, who will guarantee that even the scientific contents have been examined with care?" Reviewers are typically asked to disregard the authors of a submission, "Your review should be directed at the paper, not the author" - Jay Smith, "The Task of the Referee", 1990 Scientists can get away with not considering the authors precisely because they base their evaluation on careful examination of the contents. This is a better example of selective attention than it is of lapses in scientific review.