Does anyone have any suggestions for tomorrows Multimedia Friday? It can be reader request day or something like that ;)

And in thanks for your input I leave you with this completely unconfirmed set of results from a website reporting about a publication on nose picking:

* 8.7% claim that they have never picked their nose. (In other words, they are liars or they can't remember doing it as a kid.)
* 91% stated that they had picked their nose in the past and were still actively practicing this habit. Yet, only 49.2% of the respondents actually thought that nose-picking was common in adults.
* 9.2% rate their pickin' as "more than average."
* 25.6% actually pick their noses daily, 22.3% do it 2 to 5 times each day, and three people admitted to doing it at least hourly.
* 55.5% spent 1-5 minutes, 23.5% spent 5-15 minutes, and 0.8% (2 people) spent 15-30 minutes each day cleaning their nostrils. One lone soul claims to devote over 2 hours each day to this ritual (I'm not a doctor and I can tell you that this guy definitely has rhinotillexomania).
* 18% reported nosebleeds, while 0.8% claimed perforation of the nasal septum from their nose-picking.
* 82.8% had picked their noses to "unclog the nasal passages", 66.4% had done it to relieve discomfort or itchiness, 35.7% to avoid the unsightly appearance of a booger hanging from their nose, 34.0% for personal hygiene, and 17.2% picked out of habit. 2.1% (five people) claimed to pick solely for enjoyment. To no one's surprise, one perverted person picked his/her nose for "sexual stimulation."
* 65.1% use their index finger, 20.2% use their pinky, and 16.4% use their thumb (must have BIG nostrils to fit a thumb in) as their instrument of choice.
* Most people (90.3%) disposed of the goop in a tissue or a handkerchief, while 28.6% used the floor, and 7.6% stuck it to the furniture.
* 8% of the respondents actually ate the end product. In case you are thinking of trying this delicacy, the study claims that the pickings are quite tasty (salty).

Ok... not really but there is a great article in The Onion about some out of work scientists. Here's a snippet:

The team recently managed to secure a New Jersey state research subsidy of $2.55 by returning the empties.

McCarthy provided his Shar-Pei, Wrinkles, to serve as a control. Wrinkles was only given water to drink, though the team had to scrap one set of data due to confounding variables introduced when the control subject consumed 7.35 ounces of beer when the scientists' backs were turned.
...
Rogers and his team said they will continue their work in the burgeoning field of dog-beverage interaction.

"Our research raises tantalizing questions and opens the door to new areas of scientific inquiry," Rogers said. "Does Franklin like mixed drinks? Cordials, such as Kahlúa? It's all very, very exciting."

In addition to the ongoing study, Rogers said that the researchers have outlined a future experiment to study the effects of Cannabis sativa on Huang's cat, Schrödinger.

Usually we feature visual illusions since they seem to be the easiest to make and of course nearly a third to a half of our brain is dedicated to vision so we may just be more interested. In any case here are three auditory illusions from Mighty Optical Illusions.

Shepard's ascending tones (MP3) - This is a recording of Shepard's paradox synthesized by Jean-Claude Risset. Pairs of chords sound as if they are advancing up the scale, but in fact the starting pair of chords is the same as the finishing pair. If you loop this sample seamlessly then it should be impossible to tell where the sample begins and ends.

Falling bells (MP3) - This is a recording of a paradox where bells sound as if they are falling through space. As they fall their pitch seems to be getting lower, but in fact the pitch gets higher. If you loop this sample you will clearly see the pitch jump back down when the sample repeats. This reveals that the start pitch is obviously much lower than the finishing pitch.

Quickening Beat (MP3) - This recording is subtle. A drum beat sounds as if it is quickening in tempo, but the starting tempo is the same as this finishing tempo.

Enjoy!
(via boingboing)