THE FIRST SENSIBLE WORK FROM STRING THEORISTS:

String Theory: How a Broken-Shoelace Incident Led to a Search for Efficient Tying (AARON RUTKOFF, February 6, 2007, Wall Street Journal)

After analyzing his daily shoelace routine, prompted by a 1982 broken-lace incident, Mr. Fieggan uncovered what he believes is the fastest method for tying laces. "Ian's Shoelace Site" is the comprehensive online resource born out of that quarter-century-old epiphany.

Mr. Fieggen's site showcases a series of smooth digital demonstrations that teaches what he calls the "Ian Knot." It's not really a new knot, he admits, since the final result is identical to both the Standard Shoelace Knot and the Two Loop Knot. "You should really call it the 'Ian Method,' " the creator says. He claims credit for figuring out the technique entirely on his own.

While the endgame for people tying knots is usually the same, there are a lot of ways of getting there -- there are about 1.96 trillion ways to lace up shoes, according to Mr. Fieggen's calculations (check out his math here). By exploring these variations, Mr. Fieggen transformed his site into an encyclopedia. His step-by-step instructions cover 17 different shoe-tying methods and 47 approaches to lacing, and he analyzes every loop, twist and bow.

Which is why God gave us velcro.

Posted by Orrin Judd at February 6, 2007 9:17 AM