There may not have been any science going on at Splendour in the form of drug testing, but triple j’s Dr. Karl was there to wander the campsites and pester some unsuspecting punters with an assortment of thrilling scientific tidbits.
The good doctor gently approached festival-goers in various states of consciousness, hitting them with some situationally-relevant science facts. Topics included the reflective properties of glitter, the connection between smoking and impotence, and even the invention of “the patented, plasticised cardboard urinary deflector” – also known as the “she wee”.
A particularly enlightening moment came when a shirtless camper took the opportunity to excitedly enquire as to “why farts smell worse in the shower?” Apparently he’d put in “tonnes of practice at home, ay!” researching the topic, but hadn’t yet come to a satisfactory conclusion.
Thankfully, Dr. Karl was there to help the aspiring scientist out with an explanation, before reassuring the bare-chested man that he wouldn’t be susceptible to skin cancer due to being a virgin with a pure heart – possibly some dubious logic there.
A bold assertion came when Dr. Karl claimed a portion of the credit for inventing the selfie.
“A certain Nathan Hope posted a photo, and that was the first time ever, in the history of the human race, according to the Oxford English Dictionary, that the word ‘selfie’ had been written down. Whose home page do you think it appeared on? Mine!”
Dr. Karl’s patented combination of unbridled enthusiasm and light science was clearly all a bit too much to process for some.
