杏吧原创

Feedback is our weekly column of bizarre stories, implausible advertising claims, confusing instructions and more

Who could like weird science?

WHAT products, Feedback asked, 鈥渕ight contain, and proudly proclaim, 鈥榳eird science鈥�?鈥� Opening a message from Brian Burbage, we realised we鈥檇 rather set ourselves a trap. The term 鈥渨eird science鈥�, he writes, 鈥渃ould be used to describe a promotional campaign utilised by a new weekly publication that I remember from my youth鈥�. The weird science in question was demonstrated by 鈥淪illy Putty鈥�. This wonder of materials science 鈥� specifically that of silicone polymers 鈥� bounces when dropped but shatters when hit with a hammer. Left alone long enough, it forms a puddle.

Brian recalls said publication enclosing a piece of said Silly Putty with an early issue 鈥渢o show just how weird science could be鈥�. We weren鈥檛 sure. New 杏吧原创 was launched in 1956. Surely such 鈥渃over mounts鈥� were an innovation of the comic books of the 1970s, following the invention of a machine that meant they no longer had to be attached by hand, at significant cost?

We asked Richard Fifield, who was an editor here from early days. He can recall no such cover-based giveaway, but says that in the early days, Digby Shuttleworth, our wonderfully named ad chief at the time, used to give the strange stuff to potential advertisers as a promotional gimmick 鈥� 鈥渨hich Digby said worked very well鈥�.

Robert Wright鈥檚 supermarket had sold out of the cake he sought: 鈥淧lease call back earlier鈥�, a sign suggested. He would now like to call back in a year when an independent bakery stood there

Metric or imperial elephants?

FEEDBACK warmly welcomes Dreadnoughtus schrani to the great family of Stupendosaurs (13 September, p 17). Reader Stephen Symons alerted us to the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation the beast as weighing 鈥渁s much as a herd of elephants鈥�. So did The Times newspaper and quoting a Reuters story.

Would that be a metric herd, we wondered? No. The from Drexel University in Philadelphia quoted their Kenneth Lacovara describing Dreadnoughtus as weighing 鈥渁s much as a dozen African elephants鈥�. Were it fully grown, however, the specimen could probably easily have outweighed a hexadecimal herd.

Nomennomenclature on the map

DISAPPOINTMENT is the emotion expressed by Roderick Ramage at Feedback鈥檚 鈥淒an Brown-like failure鈥� to mention the book The Meaning of in our note about the activity of 鈥渘aming concepts, situations or phenomena that currently do not have a concise handle鈥�. We decided to call the product of this activity nomennomenclature (26 July).

The aforementioned book by John Lloyd and the late Douglas Adams indeed produces much of this, with the twist that all the names are place-names. But as far as we recall, it does not name its own activity.

We cannot, however, be sure, because we have a severe case of . We define that as the condition of watching visitors surveying our bookshelves 鈥� presumably to get the measure of us 鈥� and having to explain that previous so-called friends have filched all the better and more definitive books over the years.

Standing up for science

AMONG the responses to our article on the future of the nation state (6 September, p 30) was one from Brian Horton. He proposes that people鈥檚 multiplicity of identities can be democratically recognised by each of us having three votes: representation by place, by occupation and by other interests. 鈥淢aybe,鈥� he suggests, 鈥渨e could have a member [of parliament] to represent New 杏吧原创 谤别补诲别谤蝉.鈥�

Funny you should mention that, Brian. Feedback recently mentioned the astrologophile member of the UK parliament David Tredinnick (30 August).

At the time we had quite forgotten that at the UK general election on 6 May 2010, science writer Michael Brooks, of this manor, stood as a Science Party candidate in Tredinnick鈥檚 Bosworth constituency (24 April 2010, p 22). We don鈥檛 feel too bad, relatively speaking: just 197 voters remembered on the day. Now we鈥檙e wondering what to do for next year鈥檚 general election鈥�

Solar cell hard sell

THINKING for some reason of snake oil, Feedback is reminded of Nick McNamara鈥檚 report that a sales-creature for a company selling solar panels told him on the telephone that their panels were 鈥渦p to 80 per cent efficient鈥�. It is precisely because we are sure that solar energy has an important contribution to make to the mix of future energy sources that we are irritated by such thermodynamic illiteracy tarnishing its reputation.

We suspect that the structure of the market interventions designed to encourage new solar installations, while abjuring overt state direction, have something to do with the influx of high-pressure sales. What is to be done? How would the Science Party tackle this?

Who was an imaginary friend?

FINALLY, over a colleague鈥檚 shoulder we glimpse a mention of children鈥檚 imaginary friends (see 鈥�Daydream believers: Is imagination our greatest skill?鈥�). We recall that someone quite prominent once made the declaration 鈥� provocative to theorists of knowledge and of consciousness 鈥� that 鈥淚 was an imaginary friend鈥�. Was it the late, ? The internet knoweth it not, but hath discussion of .

Does any reader still have the relevant book, or vinyl record?