Brainscan boffins build blunder-warning hat

Brain brainboxes in America and the Netherlands have come up with two significant pieces of research this week. Doubt is cast on any hopes for an early recovery from the present global economic crisis: but then a ray of light appears from another direction. Magnetoencephalogram (MEG) scanner in action A clue as to why the …

[Secretgeek]

Re: The guy in the giant white Mekon hat pic.

What's more surprising was that he found himself with a nice bouiffant hair-do after the experiment.

[Estariel]

Too good to resist....

So the guy who runs the Dutch brainbox outfit would be the Donders Head?

[TeeCee]

No shit, Sherlock!

"......the brain reliquishes (sic) responsibility while being advised by experts"

The big consultancies have known this for years. They all know that nothing in the pitch really matters, 'cos all the mug punter^H^H^H^H^H^H^H^H^H^Hminister / CEO actually hears is: "Blah, blah, database, blah, service bus, blah blah, customer focus, blah, free lunch, blah, blah, biometrics, blah, blah, sign here."

[Anonymous Coward]

what a lovely hat!

but it doesn't match my handbag. Is it available in mauve?

[Anonymous Coward]

Why bother with miniaturisation?

I quite like the idea of making the venally corrupt bastards who've gotten us into all this shit sit around with a tonne of metal on their heads.

Also, "audible warning" -> "massive electric shock". That'll larn 'em!

[Mark]

...What?

We now have proof that when people take the advice of experts they trust, they aren't making the decision themselves?

And if the expert turns out to be incompetent, the advice might be bad?

[Anonymous Coward]

Or

You could just get a cheapo whistle and blow it whenever the talking heads come on the television.

[Michael H.F. Wilkinson]

Surely the machine goes "Ping!"

Ig Nobel candidates, the first lot, certainly (combined medicine/economics)

[Mike]

That's one -

bad-ass hat, or maybe just ass-hat.

[Anonymous Coward]

@Mark

I think the point is that they don't even -try to evaluate- the advice - and that it's not a conscious, "I trust this guy, I think he knows what he's doing", but an unconscious reaction to their being an expert. In other words, that even a non-trusted expert could have the same effect if the listener thinks they're an expert anyway.

[Matt Bradley]

Prince Phillip

Expect to see Prince Phillip wearing a portable MEG at all future engagements from 2011 onwards.

[Anonymous Coward]

Can it be true?

I had no idea it was the first of April already. Surely the term neuroeconomics is a dead giveaway.

[Chris Fleming]

You fell sleepy, very sleepy...

Isn't an exspurt just a drip under pressure?

Mines the one with the Inet online MBA in the pocket.