What happens when scientists dabble in visual journalism
Ever heard of the Max Planck Society? It’s only the world leader in technological and scientific research, having won 17 Nobel Prizes since it was formed in 1948. Funded by the German government, the society runs a number of institutes in Germany and across Europe that sponsor work in various scientific disciplines.
Bottom line: They’re real famous. And they’re real smart.
But not smart enough, apparently.
This is the cover of the latest issue of the Max Planck Forschung, the society’s journal:
Max Planck Forschung magazine
—
The lead story is about China. In order to commemorate their topic, the folks at Max Planck decided to find a Chinese poem that would provide suitable zen for their cover.
As they say: Epic fail.
This is not a poem. It appears to be an advertisement for… well, basically, for a hot dance show.
A closer look at the text:
Closeup of Chinese characters
—
Roughly translated, this says:
We have spared no expense to hire, for an extended run in our matinĂ©e, Jiamei. She’ll personally lead young northern girls, pretty as jade, who will appear in all their glory. Young housewives with hot bodies who will stir your fire, they are sexy and enchanting. Look for their performance onstage in a few days.
Either a) Someone screwed up bad, or b) European scientists have a lot of time on their hands now that the new Large Hadron Collider particle accelerator is down for a few months.
Read a lot more about it — including the Planck Society’s lame attempt at an apology — in the Language Log blog.
Look into going to school at a Planck Institute here.