On The Funway

A Subcontrabass Saxaphone Sunday

gfs@toad-hall.com — Sun, 14 Oct 2012 11:46:06 GMT

"...you’d need a trailer to transport it and the lungs of a horse to play it."

It's a pretty monster, even if at the lowest of its lows, it really just goes "blat."

And the winners are...

gfs@toad-hall.com — Fri, 21 Sep 2012 07:02:03 GMT

You can read about the 2012 Ig Nobel Prize winners in Spanish, Korean, Vietnamese, Chinese, French, Russian, Portuguese, or a rapidly-growing number of other languages, and...

...the complete list of the 2012 winners is also available in English.

Big fun at Sanders Theatre! At the after-party, I got up close and personal with one of the Keromin and one of the smaller Kokeromin as well. They may look like frogs, but they do a good cat imitation, too. Though in 8-year-old hands, they're prone to leaping at your face with froggish intensity when you scritch them behind the years. Trust me, I know these things.

If you're in the Boston area, come on over to MIT on Saturday afternoon for the Ig Informal Lectures. The Keromin will be there along with the new Ig Nobel Prize winners and selected past winners. too. It's free. Room 10-250 normally fills up; I recommend arriving comfortably before the 1pm start time.

The 22nd First Annual....

gfs@toad-hall.com — Thu, 20 Sep 2012 18:07:49 GMT

Ig Nobel Prize Ceremony! Tonight!

Ten brand-spanking new Ig Nobel Prizes as we recognize, honor, and celebrate research that makes people laugh and then think.

Last night's rehearsal was a hoot. Tonight's show promises to be even more so. If you're coming to Sanders Theatre, remember to bring paper for both deluges of paper airplanes, the first at the very start of the show. And if you're watching the broadcast live on the web, be sure to tune in promptly at 7:15 pm Eastern Time for the American debut of "Keromin," the Amazing Frogs, in a pre-ceremony mini-concert.

Print a few pages of the IgBILL and make your own genuine Ig paper airplanes to fly at the designated times. Or, if you like to burn through ink/toner and want to go giant-sized, there's always the 2012 Ig Nobel Prize Ceremony poster.

I'm in the back-up position on the slides this year. Improbable Research intern Lauren Maurer created the slides for this year's show and is running lead on their projection. Given the sheer pandemonium marking my year, this was a super-wise move on Chief Airhead Marc Abrahams' part, and one I'm extraordinarily grateful for. I'll be clicking forward along with Lauren, ready to switch to my computer at a moment's notice should that be needed and also on hand to help resolve any other real-time problems that might crop up. So it's not exactly stress-free, but it's mostly just plain fun. It's my 5th year running slides at the Igs. We're doing a lot of things differently this year. Most of the changes are making the slide jockey jobs easier as a side-effect of improving the show for everyone watching it. Win!

Tonight: Improbable Research Cambridge Science Festival Event

gfs@toad-hall.com — Thu, 26 Apr 2012 10:01:43 GMT

I plan to head over to Kendall Square in Cambridge (the one in Massachusetts) tonight in order to catch the lively cast reading Improbable Research Reports at Voltage Coffee & Art. It runs 6-8pm. I hope to see some likely suspects there.

Today: Ig Nobel broadcast on NPR's Science Friday

gfs@toad-hall.com — Fri, 25 Nov 2011 17:04:18 GMT

Chief AIRhead Marc Abrahams reminded me, and I'm reminding you:

Today is the annual day-after-Thanksgiving Ig Nobel broadcast on NPR's Science Friday.

They have edited this year's ceremony down to a radio hour. As always, it will be fun to see how they managed to do that.

Details.

In Boston, it will be on WBUR (90.9 FM) at 2:00 pm. It will also be live-streamed online by a number of stations.

Ig Nobel Prize Ceremony: TONIGHT!

gfs@toad-hall.com — Thu, 29 Sep 2011 12:18:28 GMT

The 21st First Annual Ig Nobel Prize Ceremony is TONIGHT! If you're not going to be at Sanders Theatre with me and 1200 of my closest, most intimate friends (most of whom I naturally haven't met yet), you can watch it live on the web. Showtime: 7:30 pm EDT. Who will be honored for achievements that first make people laugh, and then make them think? All will be revealed amidst revelry, opera, and amusements.

The IgBILL pdf is already online. Your very own electronic program!

Ig Nobel group reading of "The Tay Bridge Disaster"

gfs@toad-hall.com — Wed, 23 Mar 2011 03:54:58 GMT

This past Sunday, AIRheads marked the end of the 2011 Ig Nobel Tour of the UK with this historic group reading of William Topaz McGonagall’s most famous bad poem, "The Tay Bridge Disaster." As you'll see in the video, they're obvious on a train. And yes, the train they're on is of course crossing the (rebuilt) Tay Bridge:

Two other McGonagall poems that had not been read in public in over 100 years (if ever) were read at the Ig Nobel UK Tour show in Dundee on Saturday night: Sterling Castle and Hawthornden.

There's more information about the lost poems in The Scotsman and Marc Abraham's column written for The Guardian. As the end of Marc's column explains, "Yes, this is the McGonagall whose name J.K. Rowling beststowed upon a curious character in the Harry Potter novels, and who inspired Terry Pratchett to create the Nac Mac Feegles, and provoked wonder in many other people and places."

Film at 11: House still standing plus an abundance of other good news

gfs@toad-hall.com — Mon, 06 Dec 2010 06:03:45 GMT

Nineteen days. 2,573.8 miles. Priceless good times and at least one unanticipated adventure that turned out delightfully well. Yay, life!

Day 1 Picked up fringefaan at BOS. Dinner and much amusement with debgeisler and benveniste at Sunset Grill & Tap. This is the only time I'll be indecisive about bheer for the entire trip. I blame sleep deprivation, which is just another way of saying I'm the only one to blame.

Deb & Mike made two amazing contributions to the All Worldcons, All the Time Bheer Tasting at SFContario, one physically large, the other physically small. Much to my surprise, the 10'x10' Lens Family rug from Noreascon 4 fit in my car along with all the bheer, party decorations, fanzines, knitting, kipple, and luggage. Much to my delight, their 1987 Thomas Hardy's Ale was fabulous.

A quick stop at the NESFA Clubhouse meant cogitationitis could load us up with other Noreascon kipple and decor, then it was on to Toad Woods with for a shared bottle of scrumptious Smuttynose Pumpkin Ale under Renovation's Laser Star Projector.

Day 2 Road Trip! Road Trip! Great visit with Ron Drummond in Troy! fringefaan reacquainted himself with American roads by doing most of the driving, displaying a healthy sense of self-preservation considering the toasty shape I was in. So many hours of conversation passed that we barely had time to listen to all of Eric Idle's The Quite Remarkable Adventures of the Owl and the Pussycat before pulling into the SFContario Ramada in Toronto. (Thanks, fredcritter. I still love, love, love the CD all these years later.)

Days 3-5 SFContario: Wow! A fan can't go wrong when Dave Langford writes her bio for the program book. SFContario Chair avt_tor, his wife mvt, and SFContario Vice-chair marahsk welcomed us in the lobby when we arrived, all the more notable considering it was after midnight the night before the convention began. It was great finally meeting Merle after reading about her on Alex's LJ for some years.

The entire weekend was filled with an abundance of fun; silliness; fannish gossip; good and interesting times with friends old and new; bheer, bheer, bheer, and more bheer at the All Worldcons, All the Time Bheer Tasting; Peeps in the microwave (inscribed with a Sharpie but not on sticks); music; and more. So much more. fringefaan and Pat Virzi are the bestest roommates and party co-hosts ever. pnh was a huge help and excellent company unloading the car (remember that rug, the bheer, and everything else?) and also on the party shopping run all over Toronto. kip_w, malibrarian, and their daughter Sarah were great help and excellent company during party set-up, dinner, and more. tnh was suitably gobsmacked to see her MagiCon Fan Lounge Izzard in a position of honor for the party. TNH, PNH, and papersky created the Fannish Fortune Cookies Party Game; the complete, original set of fortunes fill two flip-chart pages and are in my car for transcribing RSN. More Film at 11, I hope and intend.

Days 6-9 My plans to visit more with Mike Glicksohn and to stick around for the Dead, Dessicated Dinosaur party and an overnight at c_crockett and asfi's were immediately abandoned upon receiving an unexpected call from my father and hearing Daddy say he was headed to the hospital. Overnight observation followed by EKG alarm strips that still cause medical professionals to catch their breaths and go "Wow" followed by a speedy trip to the Cath Lab followed by a temporary pacemaker followed by a permanent pacemaker followed by a bit more unwelcome excitement that turned out to be only an anomaly followed by a quiet night followed by Daddy's home sweet home and a Thanksgiving overflowing with a great big brand new thing to be thankful for.

Days 10-13 Broke my usual pattern of arriving early and staying late at carnyjack's, pulling in the day after Thanksgiving rather than the day before. Good and quiet times with him; ever so welcome hugs and catching up with kaffyr and dr_whuh; and productive, easy-going meetings with Chicon 7 Chair Dave McCarty and Publications Division Head Bill Roper. Have I mentioned that I'm Chicon 7's Artistic Director? More Film at 11 on that, too. In my Copious Free Time, naturally.

Days 14-15 Back to Daddy's to see that all's still well with him. Then to A-squared for an overnight stay with netmouse, flinx and their delightful, relaxed, and inquisitive daughter Rosie.

Days 16-18 Drive, drive, drive, drive, drive, and drive 651 miles across MI, OH, PA, and NJ to NY and Edie's Thursday night knitting group. Something of a necessary Zombie Day Friday followed by excellent food and company for dinner at Mima Vinoteca in Irvington, NY, and the Judy Collins concert at the Irvington Town Hall Theater. Such a fine evening was only made better by staying at Fanhihall and hanging out with Edie for the rest of the weekend. Saturday included an outing to an open house at Faraway Farm where we saw many beautiful, calm alpacas and many temptations in the Farm Store, too. We visited with Edie's father for the rest of the day as I worked on magazine layout and Edie finished knitting a baby sweater. Good phone conversations with Daddy and Gavi helped keep me connected to other places I'd also be if only I could clone myself. Life remains good even without cloning.

Day 19 Waking up to shower and pack for the last time on this trip...running helpful errands and such before hitting the road...

I didn't set the needle at 120, despite my fondness for The Billys' Wichita. Instead I ran one last errand in Yorktown Heights then stopped by Turco's for groceries to help take the edge off the empty fridge at home. Finally on the highway, I immediately scheduled another stop by calling elaine_brennan and letting her know I wasn't far from Naugatuck, CT. Why, yes, the town is best known for the immense herds of legendary Naugas that once populated the area. While I normally favor source material over Wikipedia, when it comes to Naugas, Wikipedia is well worth reading, too.

Elaine, her mother, and I didn't speak of Naugas, but rather of ancestors as they very kindly listened and shared my laughter over various Gobsmacked by Genealogy Squier family stories. A choice of tea and cocoa enjoyed to the laughter of friends. It's been that kind of trip, again and again. Finestkind, and All That Jazz...

The Zeppelin Hangar was still standing when I finally pulled in the driveway Sunday evening. A heavy box was propped by the door. Inside the box, I found the beautimous, 608-page Acutonics book From Galaxies to Cells: Planetary Science, Harmony and Medicine. Noted typographer and book designer John D. Berry brought me to implement his design and do the layout on the project for Ellen Franklin. While most readers of this journal know John through his beautiful design work on fanzines and as a long-time science fiction fan, he's also the current president of Association Typographique Internationale, a past director of the Type Directors Club, and also former editor and publisher of Upper & lower case magazine (U&lc) and of U&lc Online. Heady company, indeed. I loved the opportunity to work with John, and would gladly do so again anytime, anywhere.

I'm both proud of and thrilled with the appearance of the finished book. I heartily recommend Asia Pacific Offset for printing enormous, 4-color books. Many thanks to John for bringing me in on the project and handing me the best, most complete design template I've ever had the pleasure of working with, and also to Ellen for her outstanding organizational skills, attention to detail, and patience as we brought the magnum opus to fruition.

So, yes, a great trip, and a great welcome home. Now it's back to the rest of that magazine layout and other work, work, work!

Another Improbable Day

gfs@toad-hall.com — Tue, 05 Oct 2010 22:53:06 GMT

Ten years ago, Andre Geim and his fellow researcher Sir Michael Berry won an Ig Nobel Prize in Physics for using magnets to levitate a frog.

Today, Andre Geim became the first individual to win both an Ig Nobel Prize and a Nobel Prize when he and his fellow researcher Konstantin Novoselov were awarded the Nobel Prize in Physics "for groundbreaking experiments regarding the two-dimensional material graphene."

As if that weren't enough improbable delight for a day, the Nobel Foundation website has a tradition of doing short telephone interviews with new Nobel Laureates. Nobelprize.org Editor-in-Chief Adam Smith finished his interview with Andre Geim by talking about his unique Ig Nobel/Nobel status and asking if he plans to display the two prizes together in his office.

And so the interview ended with the new Nobel Laureate talk about his pride in having won the Ig Nobel Prize, and the head of the Nobel Prize website following that by saying, "It certainly doesn’t seem to have done you any harm. On the contrary, I suspect."

Ah, yes. Not only do I love living in the future, I love living in such an improbable world.

Improbably Surreal

gfs@toad-hall.com — Fri, 24 Sep 2010 08:13:19 GMT

I've designed and even printed a fair number of name badges over the years. Well over 20 of them, since I remember when David Cargo drove me out to Eden Prairie on March 12, 1989 so we could merge the names using the type-sizing program he'd written and print the Minicon 24 badges and the job of creating name badges wasn't new even then.

But tonight? Tonight I printed a sheet of name badges I'd designed, then slipped the sheet into its own envelope for easy sorting next week. And on the outside of the envelope I wrote "Nobel Laureates."

Just call me Sensawonda Woman.

Stalking the Knitted Gangrene

gfs@toad-hall.com — Thu, 23 Sep 2010 07:41:30 GMT

Step 1: Go to bmj.com

If you see knitted gangrene, read accompanying copy. Then read Note 1 below.

If you don't see knitted gangrene (perhaps because it is no longer 23 September), please proceed to the next step.

Step 2: Go to the BMJ News tab

Repeat "If...." instructions above.

Step 3: Go to this Improbable Research blog post

You should see knitted gangrene there. Read accompanying copy.

Note 1: Once you see knitted gangrene and read the accompanying copy, you don't need to complete any of the latter steps. All links lead to the same information, more or less.

Note 2: For those wary of unknown websites, yes, that's the British Medical Journal BMJ. Really.

Note 3: The picture and article will also be in the print edition of this week's BMJ.

Note 4: Even in today's competitive college application market, I bet not many admission's officers see citations like this from American high school seniors.

Note 5: No, really, I had no idea. I mean, we knew the picture was going to accompany a short article in advance of next Thursday's Ig Nobel Prize Ceremony. We were darned excited about that. I had no idea that the article was going to be about the knitted gangrene and the young woman who designed and created it, or that it was going to make the main page of the BMJ website. Yowser.

Note 6: Screen shot behind the cut tag; click on that image for a sampling of other screen shots and article citation info. It's all hanging out in the gallery of Bacteria for the 20th First Annual Ig Nobel Prize Ceremony.

Note 73: The ceremony has been sold out for weeks, but everyone's welcome at the LIVE WEBCAST on YouTube. Thursday, September 30th schedule:
Test pattern: 7:05 pm (Boston time)
Webcast begins: 7:15 pm
Ceremony begins: 7:30 pm

Here's where to watch the webcast.

Also, the Ig Informal Lectures at MIT on Saturday, October 2nd, are great fun. Free admission -- but seating is limited. More info awaits those who scroll down the Ig page.

Close-up of BMJ Homepage, 22September2010

Signed: Aunt, Unca, Mother, Friend

(Ref: Robert Lichtman’s Trap Door #13.)

No microscope needed

gfs@toad-hall.com — Wed, 04 Aug 2010 04:03:04 GMT


Knitted bacteria for the 2010 Ig Nobel Prize Ceremony	Gangrene by Gavi

Bacillus with bacteriophage by Susan & Gavi

Bacteria knit by Gavi Levy Haskell, Susan Levy Haskell, and Geri Sullivan in honor of the 20th First Annual Ig Nobel Prize Ceremony theme: Bacteria. Photos by Gavi Levy Haskell.

Click on any of the above for larger images or to see the rest of the individual shots. Knitting bacteria is a lot more fun than being infected by them!

The 20th First Annual Ig Nobel Prize Ceremony

gfs@toad-hall.com — Sun, 01 Aug 2010 06:18:10 GMT

Streptobacilli. E. coli X 3. Black death (well, purple death in this case). Salmonella. Bacillis. Corynebacteriaceae. Susan, Gavi, and I are busy knitting bacteria for use in the 20th First Annual Ig® Nobel Prize Ceremony. Why bacteria? In honor of this year's theme, which is (wait for it)...Bacteria.

Tickets for the September 30th ceremony go on sale at noon Sunday at the Harvard Ticket Office. Info and links at the Improbable Ig page linked above. That's Sunday as in today, August 1st. This will be my third Ig ceremony. It turns out that Ig fun is clearly cumulative. It may even be exponential; that's certainly been my experience since I signed on with Improbable Research a couple of weeks after the 2007 Ig Nobel prizes were awarded.

"I'm really excited about starting in on gangrene." -- Gavi Levy Haskell, 31July2010

Photos to follow, here and/or on the Improbable Research blog.

So, buy your tickets a come to Harvard University's gorgeous Sanders Theatre, host a viewing party for the webcast wherever you'll be come the day, and/or knit up some bacteria for this year's crop of Ig Nobel prize winners, Nobel Laureates, Ignitaries, and other Improbable suspects. If you send them to me, I'll add them to the petri dish that is my dining table and make sure they get to the ceremony.

It's Official

gfs@toad-hall.com — Mon, 12 Jul 2010 13:32:20 GMT

I just had Big Fun designing the cover of AIR 16-4.

Up until AIR 16-3, I pretty much always did the cover first. I think I'm going to switch permanently to doing it last. Immersing myself in the interior layout helps spark creativity, and the rush that comes with the covers I'm especially happy with makes for a great ending to the initial layout process.

Yes, the insides are done, too. I'm one of those designers who can't help but read the text as I work on page layout, so I've had lots of giggles and OMG moments as I've added layout polish this weekend. Those giggles and OMGs are among the many reasons I remain utterly delighted to work with Improbable Research. The material is always crack-me-up funny and informative. My fellow AIRheads totally rock, too.

Thanks, elaine_brennan and rosefox! It's going on three years since an intriguing LiveJournal post and timely replies provided the connections that continue to bring so much fun my way.

Igs on Jeopardy!

gfs@toad-hall.com — Tue, 27 Apr 2010 15:00:37 GMT

Yesterday, the 19th First Annual Ig Nobel Prizes were a category on Jeopardy!.

Attention: UK Fen'n'Folks!

gfs@toad-hall.com — Wed, 10 Mar 2010 00:45:49 GMT

The Improbably Research 2010 UK Tour starts Wednesday evening with an informal tweetup in London (7:30 pm Royal Festival Hall bar in Southbank Centre. #IGUKTOUR).

The tour then continues with shows in Oxford, Dundee, Portsmouth, London, and Bristol. Most shows are free, but you need admission tickets. Ticket details at the link above.

If you end up seeing Marc Abrahams, Elena Bodnar (of bra-mask fame), Dan Meyer (of sword-swallowing infamy), or Maria Ferrante (singer extraordinaire), please pass along my greetings and keen regards.

Big Bank Mini-Opera, complete with subtitles

gfs@toad-hall.com — Sun, 10 Jan 2010 00:30:17 GMT

Every year, Chief AIRhead Marc Abrahams writes an entertaining mini-opera that premieres at the Ig Nobel Prize Ceremony. The 2009 mini-opera, The Big Bank Opera is now online. I heartily recommend it for its timeliness and sheer amusement value as well as the talented performers, Maria Ferrante, Ben Sears, and pianist Branden Grimmett all under the direction of David Stockton. (We multi-task. David is also the bartender.)

I had the fun of helping with the props and SMOTHRA fans will enjoy spotting various Geri touches throughout the four acts. The diapered pig wasn't mine, but the bar signs, Treasury check, bar stools, rubber ducky, playing cards, and several other on-stage touches came directly from PROmote Communications and Toad Woods. I especially like seeing Maria's blue velvet hat in the videos and photos from the Igs -- it originally belonged to carnyjack's mother. It looked so good on Maria that I gave it to her. I still have Angie Targonski's hatbox and several other hats of hers; I'm glad the blue one found a good home as well as a bit of Ig fame.

Reminder: the entire 19th First Annual Ig Nobel Prize Ceremony (including the Big Bank Opera) is also available for your viewing pleasure.

The 20th First Annual Ig Nobel Prize Ceremony will take place at Harvard's Sanders Theatre on Thursday, September 30, 2010. Mark your calendar and do consider getting tickets when they go on sale in August. It's a hoot, and a great time to come to Boston, too.

Knowledge is Power, all right

gfs@toad-hall.com — Wed, 23 Dec 2009 08:16:36 GMT

Several of my friends have a special talent for exposing dodgy publishing outfits and related scams. It looks like Improbable Research has turned up another one, in the form of Strange academic journals, and quite possibly conferences, too.

Can anyone figure out what's going on at Scientific Research Publishing?

They say "Submitted papers should not have been previously published nor be currently under consideration for publication elsewhere." But that doesn't appear to be what they publish....

The 19th First Annual Ig Nobel Prize Ceremony....

gfs@toad-hall.com — Sat, 05 Dec 2009 02:08:29 GMT

...is now online!

I've just enjoyed all four segments on the Improbable Research Vimeo page. I do recommend watching them in order, much as I won't promise they make any more sense that way. Even if you were in Sanders Theatre the night of the show and saw the whole thing live, the videos are a hoot. The cameras picked up lots of on-stage action that I was too busy running the slides (and too far from the stage) to notice during the show.

Please also take a look at the newly-opened Improbable Research and Ig Nobel Store where you can get your own "Please stop. I'm bored" coffee mug and many other Improbable items, too.

Favorite Ig Links Du Jour

gfs@toad-hall.com — Sat, 03 Oct 2009 03:43:14 GMT

National Geographic

New Scientist

Elena Bodnar pulled in lots of leads for her Ig Nobel Prize for Public Health. I just discovered one in the National Review.

She even made the fashion news thanks to The StyleList.

In addition to the Canadian Discovery Channel segment, Elena spent Friday talking with reporters in China, Columbia, and other countries that don't start with the letter "C". I'm looking forward to the presentations from Elena and all of this year's winners who will be at Saturday's Informal Lectures.

Ig Nobel Digression: Four Bar Stools

gfs@toad-hall.com — Sat, 03 Oct 2009 03:07:32 GMT

At the Igs this year, the wooden bar stool I sat on while running the slides is the same bar stool Bob Weir sat on for three hours. Alas, not at the same time as I did.

My two wooden bar stools -- the ones with the black and white striped tops with carrots painted in the center of one and tomatoes painted in the same place on the other -- were on stage along with the comfy "saddle seat" bar stool the Reno in 2011 bid picked up on clearance just a week before the bid became Renovation.

Four simple bar stools, each with a history and the stories that come from that. Stories that are rarely known or told.

A quick Google search suggests that Bob's three hours on the stool took place on April 16, 2000. Coincidentally enough, that also happened to be my sister's 50th birthday.

Improbable Research Cabaret Tomorrow

gfs@toad-hall.com — Fri, 01 May 2009 20:28:23 GMT

Saturday afternoon, Gavi and I will be at the Central Square Theatre for the Improbable Research Cabaret. The show is part of the Cambridge Science Festival and is also a fundraiser for the theatre.

There's a special $5 discount for tickets purchased online use the code "IMPROBABLE" to get the discount.

Here's a quick overview:

May 2, 2009 - 3pm

Join Ig Nobel Prize Winners

Presented cabaret style as part of the Cambridge Science Festival

Answering Questions like:
-- Is Coca-Cola an effective spermicide? - demonstration included!
--How do sheets wrinkle?
-- Why do people dislike the sound of fingernails on a blackboard?

Don't miss songs from the Ig Nobel Operas, the Performing Scientists from Harvard and MIT, and more!

Tickets (before $5 discount)
Adults - $35
Students (with valid ID) - $20

All proceeds to benefit Central Square Theater. Tickets include post-performance reception with Cabaret scientists.

I'm looking forward to it! If you come, please be sure to say hi (and meet Gavi, if you've only seen me write about her).

This Thursday...

gfs@toad-hall.com — Tue, 21 Apr 2009 13:06:35 GMT

On Thursday, Robin Abrahams -- Boston's very own Miss Conduct and VP, Human Resources at Improbable Research -- is going to be on the Today show!

She'll be talking about layoff etiquette, but I hope she also has the opportunity to plug Miss Conduct's Mind over Manners. It's her first book and it's being released at the end of May. I always enjoy (and learn from) her blog and am eagerly awaiting the book's release.

Robin's scheduled appearance on the Today show is the reason I'm unexpectedly spending the last half of April without a dog. The Ig Nobel Tour of Denmark starts tomorrow and Milo the Moon Dog was originally scheduled to come and stay at Toad Woods while both Marc and Robin were in Denmark. But time didn't do it's job. Time is supposed to keep everything from happening all at once, but on Thursday, the Today show will broadcasting from New York, not from Denmark. So Robin stayed on this side of the Pond, and Milo is staying with her, where he belongs. I look forward to his next visit, whenever that turns out to be.

I have the inklings of a theory. Perhaps time's been laid off. That would explain a lot.

This Thursday...I expect to be watching NBC between 10 and 11 am. On a real TV, if possible, but online at Todayshow.com if need be.

I love living in the future. (Much though the fact that the future is now may well be additional evidence supporting my theory-laden inklings. Hmm....have theory; must investigate. In my Copious Free Time, obviously.)

This Week: 2009 Ig Nobel Tour of the UK

gfs@toad-hall.com — Mon, 09 Mar 2009 09:32:43 GMT

It's National Science and Engineering Week in the UK and Improbable Research is back for the fun of it all.

Marc Abrahams will review the past year's improbable research and Ig Nobel Prize winners. Several Ig winners and colleagues will try to explain what they did and why they did it. And, yes, there's swordswallowing, too.

The first show was on Saturday in Oxford. (Sorry I didn't give the heads-up sooner.) There are 4 more shows on the 2009 Ig Nobel Tour:

Monday: Newcastle
Tuesday: Portsmouth
Wednesday: Bristol
Thursday: London

All of the shows are free and reservations are recommended (required in Bristol). Details available at the Ig Nobel Tour link above. Thursday's show at Imperial College in London is fully booked; it's possible that a very few tickets for that will become available on the day of the show.

Tonight's show in Newcastle also features the Newcastle University Gilbert & Sullivan Society in a special performance of the mini-opera Atom & Eve. I wish I were going to be there!