Last Update: Friday, December 23, 2005. 12:00pm (AEDT)

Missing spoons stir scientists into action

Australian scientists have proved what is common knowledge to most
people - teaspoons appear to have minds of their own.

In a study at their own facility, a group of scientists from the
Macfarlane Burnet Institute for Medical Research and Public Health in
Melbourne secretly numbered 70 teaspoons.

They then tracked the movement of the spoons over five months.

Supporting their expectations, 80 per cent of the spoons vanished
during the period.

The spoons in private areas of the institute lasted nearly twice as
long as those in communal sections.

"At this rate, an estimated 250 teaspoons would need to be purchased
annually to maintain a workable population of 70 teaspoons," they
wrote in Friday's festive edition of the British Medical Journal.

They say their research proves that teaspoons are an essential part of
office life and the rapid rate of disappearance proves that this is
under relentless assault.

Regretting that scientific literature is "strangely bereft" of
teaspoon-related research, the scientists have offered a few theories
to explain the phenomenon.

Taking a tip from Douglas Adams' Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy
books, they suggest that the teaspoons are quietly migrating to a
planet uniquely populated by "spoonoid" life forms living in a
spoonish state of Nirvana.

They also offer the phenomenon of "resistentialism" in which inanimate
objects like teaspoons have a natural aversion to humans.

On the other hand, they suggested, people might simply be taking them.

- Reuters

http://www.abc.net.au/news/newsitems...2/s1537135.htm

__ IMHO, the research indicates that many people are thieves and will
steal anything that isn't red hot or nailed down. :-)


"Pax Americana is a philosophy. Hardly an empire.
Making sure other people play nice and dont kill each other (and us)
off in job lots is hardly empire building, particularly when you give
them self determination under "play nice" rules.

Think of it as having your older brother knock the **** out of you
for torturing the cat." Gunner

In a study at their own facility, a group of scientists from the
Macfarlane Burnet Institute for Medical Research and Public Health in
Melbourne secretly numbered 70 teaspoons.

They then tracked the movement of the spoons over five months.

Supporting their expectations, 80 per cent of the spoons vanished
during the period.

The spoons in private areas of the institute lasted nearly twice as
long as those in communal sections.

"At this rate, an estimated 250 teaspoons would need to be purchased
annually to maintain a workable population of 70 teaspoons," they
wrote in Friday's festive edition of the British Medical Journal.

They say their research proves that teaspoons are an essential part of
office life and the rapid rate of disappearance proves that this is
under relentless assault.


Where I work, we get stationary for free, but the mechanical pencils are
kept in a locked cabnet, and a half dozen are put out every month.

I loose mechanical pencils faster than once a month, and my losses do
not coincide with the monthly pencil dole day.

So my strategy has become:
1) When they put out 6 pencils, take 6 pencils and keep them in my desk.
2) Find out which secratary has the keys, and talk to her about my needs.
--
Accidental creation should not be taught as a fact.
Intelligent creation should not be banned from teachings as
unconstitutional.

Clark Magnuson wrote:

In a study at their own facility, a group of scientists from the
Macfarlane Burnet Institute for Medical Research and Public Health in
Melbourne secretly numbered 70 teaspoons.

They then tracked the movement of the spoons over five months.

Supporting their expectations, 80 per cent of the spoons vanished
during the period.

The spoons in private areas of the institute lasted nearly twice as
long as those in communal sections.

"At this rate, an estimated 250 teaspoons would need to be purchased
annually to maintain a workable population of 70 teaspoons," they
wrote in Friday's festive edition of the British Medical Journal.

They say their research proves that teaspoons are an essential part of
office life and the rapid rate of disappearance proves that this is
under relentless assault.



Where I work, we get stationary for free, but the mechanical pencils are
kept in a locked cabnet, and a half dozen are put out every month.

I loose mechanical pencils faster than once a month, and my losses do
not coincide with the monthly pencil dole day.

So my strategy has become:
1) When they put out 6 pencils, take 6 pencils and keep them in my desk.
2) Find out which secratary has the keys, and talk to her about my needs.

I don't know why Johnny steals pencils from school, I bring him home
plenty from work.

Jeff

--
Jeffry Wisnia

(W1BSV + Brass Rat '57 EE)

"Truth exists; only falsehood has to be invented."

I went through 12 years of school using those US Government black ballpoint
pens.
Karl
'
"Jeff Wisnia" wrote in message
. ..
Clark Magnuson wrote:

In a study at their own facility, a group of scientists from the
Macfarlane Burnet Institute for Medical Research and Public Health in
Melbourne secretly numbered 70 teaspoons.

They then tracked the movement of the spoons over five months.

Supporting their expectations, 80 per cent of the spoons vanished
during the period.

The spoons in private areas of the institute lasted nearly twice as
long as those in communal sections.

"At this rate, an estimated 250 teaspoons would need to be purchased
annually to maintain a workable population of 70 teaspoons," they
wrote in Friday's festive edition of the British Medical Journal.

They say their research proves that teaspoons are an essential part of
office life and the rapid rate of disappearance proves that this is
under relentless assault.



Where I work, we get stationary for free, but the mechanical pencils are
kept in a locked cabnet, and a half dozen are put out every month.

I loose mechanical pencils faster than once a month, and my losses do
not coincide with the monthly pencil dole day.

So my strategy has become:
1) When they put out 6 pencils, take 6 pencils and keep them in my desk.
2) Find out which secratary has the keys, and talk to her about my
needs.

I don't know why Johnny steals pencils from school, I bring him home
plenty from work.

Jeff

--
Jeffry Wisnia

(W1BSV + Brass Rat '57 EE)

"Truth exists; only falsehood has to be invented."

Keywords:
In article , "everyman" wrote:
I went through 12 years of school using those US Government black ballpoint
pens.

I grew up in Los Alamos, New Mexico, and the Lab's surplus yard would
occasionally have pens & mechanical pencils buried in the bottom of a
box. I just gave my step-daughter a mechanical pencil marked "Property
of AEC" that I bought in the mid-60's. I don't know why, but I don't
tend to lose pens & pencils the way soem folks do. They go astray
occasionally, but they always seme to surface again sooner or later.

Doug White

On Mon, 26 Dec 2005 00:51:41 GMT, (Doug White)
wrote:

Keywords:
In article , "everyman" wrote:
I went through 12 years of school using those US Government black ballpoint
pens.

I grew up in Los Alamos, New Mexico, and the Lab's surplus yard would
occasionally have pens & mechanical pencils buried in the bottom of a
box. I just gave my step-daughter a mechanical pencil marked "Property
of AEC" that I bought in the mid-60's. I don't know why, but I don't
tend to lose pens & pencils the way soem folks do. They go astray
occasionally, but they always seme to surface again sooner or later.

Uh, because th' stuff from Los Alamos glows in th' dark making it much
easier to find?

I lived there for a few months and worked at th' golf course. Strange
town! I'm pretty sure that place was where th' acronym DINK's came
from... much later after *the* bomb(s), that is. First house I'd ever
lived with radiant in floor heat too.

Snarl

Gunner Asch wrote:


Last Update: Friday, December 23, 2005. 12:00pm (AEDT)

Missing spoons stir scientists into action

Australian scientists have proved what is common knowledge to most
people - teaspoons appear to have minds of their own.

In a study at their own facility, a group of scientists from the
Macfarlane Burnet Institute for Medical Research and Public Health in
Melbourne secretly numbered 70 teaspoons.

They then tracked the movement of the spoons over five months.

Supporting their expectations, 80 per cent of the spoons vanished
during the period.

The spoons in private areas of the institute lasted nearly twice as
long as those in communal sections.

"At this rate, an estimated 250 teaspoons would need to be purchased
annually to maintain a workable population of 70 teaspoons," they
wrote in Friday's festive edition of the British Medical Journal.

They say their research proves that teaspoons are an essential part of
office life and the rapid rate of disappearance proves that this is
under relentless assault.

Regretting that scientific literature is "strangely bereft" of
teaspoon-related research, the scientists have offered a few theories
to explain the phenomenon.

Taking a tip from Douglas Adams' Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy
books, they suggest that the teaspoons are quietly migrating to a
planet uniquely populated by "spoonoid" life forms living in a
spoonish state of Nirvana.

snip
Gunner

In a related story: SOCKS!

_-_-bear

On Mon, 26 Dec 2005 15:57:27 -0500, BEAR wrote:

Gunner Asch wrote:


Last Update: Friday, December 23, 2005. 12:00pm (AEDT)

Missing spoons stir scientists into action

Australian scientists have proved what is common knowledge to most
people - teaspoons appear to have minds of their own.

In a study at their own facility, a group of scientists from the
Macfarlane Burnet Institute for Medical Research and Public Health in
Melbourne secretly numbered 70 teaspoons.

They then tracked the movement of the spoons over five months.

Supporting their expectations, 80 per cent of the spoons vanished
during the period.

The spoons in private areas of the institute lasted nearly twice as
long as those in communal sections.

"At this rate, an estimated 250 teaspoons would need to be purchased
annually to maintain a workable population of 70 teaspoons," they
wrote in Friday's festive edition of the British Medical Journal.

They say their research proves that teaspoons are an essential part of
office life and the rapid rate of disappearance proves that this is
under relentless assault.

Regretting that scientific literature is "strangely bereft" of
teaspoon-related research, the scientists have offered a few theories
to explain the phenomenon.

Taking a tip from Douglas Adams' Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy
books, they suggest that the teaspoons are quietly migrating to a
planet uniquely populated by "spoonoid" life forms living in a
spoonish state of Nirvana.

snip
Gunner

In a related story: SOCKS!

_-_-bear

"As physicists now know, there is some nonzero probability that any
object will, through quantum effects, tunnel from the workbench in
your shop to Floyds Knobs, Indiana (unless your shop is already in
Indiana, in which case the object will tunnel to Trotters, North
Dakota). The smaller mass of the object, the higher the probability.
Therefore, disassembled parts, particularly small ones,
of machines disappear much faster than assembled machines."
Greg Dermer: rec.crafts.metalworking
"Pax Americana is a philosophy. Hardly an empire.
Making sure other people play nice and dont kill each other (and us)
off in job lots is hardly empire building, particularly when you give
them self determination under "play nice" rules.

Think of it as having your older brother knock the **** out of you
for torturing the cat." Gunner

Gunner Asch wrote:


snip

Gunner

In a related story: SOCKS!

_-_-bear


"As physicists now know, there is some nonzero probability that any
object will, through quantum effects, tunnel from the workbench in
your shop to Floyds Knobs, Indiana (unless your shop is already in
Indiana, in which case the object will tunnel to Trotters, North
Dakota). The smaller mass of the object, the higher the probability.
Therefore, disassembled parts, particularly small ones,
of machines disappear much faster than assembled machines."
Greg Dermer: rec.crafts.metalworking
Gunner

Ummm, I don't think so.

As far as I can tell objects of various shapes, sizes and mass merely
"flick" between interdimensional states - in effect "going on vacations"
from time to time.

The size of the object bears little relation to the presence of the
phenomenon. Rather it seems to be related to the *number* of objects
within a given volumetric space in *proportion* to the number of
*similarly sized* objects within that space, wherein the number of total
objects within said volumentric confine is above a specific precentage
of available space. That number, or figure of merit, is commonly known
by those practiced in this field as the "Limit Of Spatial Tension".

Once an object or objects exceed the Limit Of Spatial Tension figure
(LOST), they can and will dissapear from view *within* this dimensional
plane, sometimes for a limited period of time and often for extended
periods of time.

Physicists (when they can) explain it this way: think of it as a small
spec floating on the surface of water, held there by surface tension. On
occasion the surface tension breaks and the object drops. But if it can
float, it may rise back to the surface and re-emerge. Since we live on
the plane that is the surface tension layer of water, it looks like the
object has dissapeared, but it has merely changed planes. :- )

Thus one can place an object down on a seemingly solid surface, say a
milling machine table or workbench, and come back to the same spot and
not find the object, yet it will reappear in the same place days or even
weeks later without any explanation.

Hope this helps everyone understand this phenomenon.

_-_-bear