tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7844526396210378482.post5215603948024223596..comments2024-01-31T09:23:26.925+00:00Comments on Noel O'Blog: Conference etiquette - Don't mention the ----!Noel O'Boylehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03288289351940689018noreply@blogger.comBlogger4125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7844526396210378482.post-90007715723080635272013-10-07T15:23:34.567+01:002013-10-07T15:23:34.567+01:00I was very annoyed with that Sheffield conference ...I was very annoyed with that Sheffield conference speaker, and I complained to one of the organizers about it.<br /><br />Not only were the multiple pages of beauty pageant pictures inappropriate, and the images existence added nothing to the presentation, but as it turns out, beauty pageants do not combine multiple order rankings to establish a winner.<br /><br />Me being me, I researched the topic before sending my complaint.<br /><br />In Miss Universe, "each judge ranks each of the final three/five candidates, with the contestant posting the lowest cumulative score (thus often, but not necessarily always, the contestant with the most number one votes) becoming the winner." [Wikipedia:Miss_Universe].<br /><br />In Miss World, the criteria seems to change every year. [http://missosology.info/forum/viewtopic.php?f=4&t=144636] The Miss World Singapore criteria, at http://missworld.com.sg/the-competition/judging-criteria/ bares no resemblance to the speaker's example sub-rankings.<br /><br />I could not find judging information for the actual Miss International competition, but I could for Miss International US. It uses a weighting scheme of the different categories, http://www.missusinternational.com/rulesandregs.html and those categories are similar to Miss World Singapore.<br /><br />Since the speaker's example appears artificial, it's easy to conclude that the example was made primarily to include pictures of beauty pageant competitors, and not to improve scientific communication.<br /><br />However, my primary objection is that the choice of pictures and use of language were inappropriate, not that the implied real-world example wasn't valid. Had the speaker, for example, used a made-up scoring system for the decathlon, and asserted that the winner was based on a merger of rank orders rather than the point system it actually uses, then I would have been annoyed, and not 'very annoyed.'<br />Andrew Dalkehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17091314849699854287noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7844526396210378482.post-44861385528979909652013-09-06T06:18:18.983+01:002013-09-06T06:18:18.983+01:00what rule? ;)what rule? ;)Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10324108795238445454noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7844526396210378482.post-75699985235724218992013-08-24T23:04:59.223+01:002013-08-24T23:04:59.223+01:00I am aghast (sorry, couldn't resist!).I am aghast (sorry, couldn't resist!).Noel O'Boylehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03288289351940689018noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7844526396210378482.post-39763439171875573002013-08-23T09:11:21.283+01:002013-08-23T09:11:21.283+01:00Noel, your blog entry reminds me on my PhD time in...Noel, your blog entry reminds me on my PhD time in Erlangen :-)<br />It was the time when our supervisor (I will not name names) introduced the "Molecules are like Humans" presentation area. I have only found 2 presentation links (one actually from a Gordon conference) that have to be understand as diffused versions of the original one: <br />http://www2.chemie.uni-erlangen.de/presentations/mike_lynch2005_p1.pdf<br />http://www2.chemie.uni-erlangen.de/presentations/gordon_0801/index.html<br /><br />The original presentation did not show the muscle man as metaphor for 3D shape but a centerfold girl from a Penthouse magazine.<br><br />In Europe this presentation was well received by the audience, but unfortunately he also went to an ACS meeting...You might suggest the shocked faces of US people seeing a naked women in a presentation?<br />Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09641399806313997888noreply@blogger.com