Prepare for the next recession while you can

Governments should start normalising monetary policy and cutting public debt before the next economic downturn hits them. Economic forecasts for 2017 project continued frailty in the global economy, and subpar growth for most countries and regions. Obvious economic problems include Europes weak banks, Chinas distorted property market, political uncertainty in the west, historically high private […]

The Dylan situation: imagining the ‘secret minutes’ of a Nobel committee meeting

(CNN)Minutes from the Royal Swedish Academy Meeting, Stockholm, Sweden Date: October 18, 2016 Subject: Bob Dylan Elsa calls the 10 a.m. meeting of the Royal Swedish Academy to order. “What’s the status of the ‘Dylan situation’?” “Not good, Elsa,” Viktor responds. “How many times have we called him in Malibu?” “Too many to count,” Ludvig […]

Nonsense paper written by iOS autocomplete accepted for conference

New Zealand professor asked to present his work at US event on nuclear physics despite it containing gibberish all through the copy. A nonsensical academic paper on nuclear physics written only by iOS autocomplete has been accepted for a scientific conference. Christoph Bartneck, an associate professor at the Human Interface Technology laboratory at the University […]

A possible ninth planet may be the reason for a tilt in our solar system

“A hypothetical giant world beyond Neptune, which could be located in the next few years, orbits at a 30-degree angle to other planets,” astronomers said. Astronomers presented new research on the possibility of a gigantic, unseen planet beyond Neptune on Wednesday, saying the hypothetical world may have set the solar system at a tilt. Researchers […]