Cutting remarks: The power of few words

This year’s 24/7 Lecturers are hard at work preparing their lectures for the 33rd First Annual Ig Nobel Prize ceremony. These lectures — a complete technical description of a subject in 24 seconds, followed by a clear summary in seven words — demand more skill and thought than the audience may realize. Here is a conversation between me and one of this year’s 24/7 lecturers:

Me: “How is the draft of your 24/7 lecture coming along?”

24/7 Lecturer: “It’s harder than it looks. Getting there. Cutting. Ruthlessly.”

Me: “Stiletto, battle axe, chainsaw…”