Networking didn’t figure prominently in this year’s not entirely tongue in cheek Ig Nobel Prizes for but woodpeckers, dung beetles and spaghetti did. The Annals of Improbable Research handed out its annual awards this week and winners addressed their fans today. The one sort of network-oriented bit of winning research involved creation of an electromechanical device that makes a noise designed to repel teenagerst but that doesn’t bother adults. The same technology is said to be useful for creating ringtones that teens can hear, but not their teachers. Other winning research included:
* Explaining why woodpeckers don’t get headaches;
* Showing that dung beetles are finicky eaters;
* Explaining why spaghetti often breaks in more than 2 pieces;
* Getting to the bottom of why finger-scraping on chalkboards annoys people.
