For potential Nobel recipients, the first weeks of October are a difficult time. It’s not just the uncertainty of it: you must also stay up or be woken up from your sleep by the proverbial call from Sweden. Of course, this is only true if you live in the US. But the majority of Nobel winners live in the US: This year, as the economics prize closed the cycle, the count came to nine out of eleven.
Some of us common mortals also need to be up early, for example to field media inquiries and comment on the new prizes.
I have a simple proposal: Dear members of the Nobel prize committees, could you please make your announcements in the afternoon (European time), so that everything takes place during daylight hours, both in Europe and in the US? Thank you very much.
