Ig Nobel Awards The 2003 Ig Nobel awards have just been announced. The highlights:

Engineering - Stapp, Murphy and Nichols for creating Murphy's Law, which states, "If there are two or more ways to do something, and one of those ways can result in a catastrophe, someone will do it."

Physics - some Australians for the report, "An Analysis of the Forces Required to Drag Sheep over Various Surfaces."

Psychology - researchers from the University of Rome and Stanford University for their report "Politicians' Uniquely Simple Personalities."

Chemistry - Hirose for his investigation of a bronze statue that fails to attract pigeons.

Interdisciplinary Research - researchers from Stockholm for the report, "Chickens Prefer Beautiful Humans."

Peace - to Lal Bihari or India, who made three accomplishments. 1) for leading an active life after being declared dead; 2) for waging a campaign against bureaucratic inertia and greedy relatives; and, 3) for creating the Association of Dead People.