Author Archives: Administrator

Nine Lessons and Carols for Godless People

1. Nine Lessons and Carols for Godless People
2. Chiropractors and libel case
3. Odd Christmas Presents
4. Trick or Treatment? in Sweden & Italy
5. Competition Winner
6. Puzzle Competition

1. Nine Lessons and Carols for Godless People

The main reason for this newsletter is to let you know about an extraordinary show being organised by Robin Ince in London. Even if you can’t make it to the show, you might be interested to hear that it brings together comedians, musicians and scientists (including me) to celebrate the life, the universe and everything The first two shows sold out at the Bloomsbury Theatre even before tickets were advertised, so an extra show has been added at the Apollo Hammersmith, which holds 3,500 people. The show is on December 21 and you can find out more at http://skeptic.org.uk/news/tag/godless and you can book tickets via http://www.londononline.co.uk/events/1470/

As you will see on the website, the show will include Richard Dawkins and Ben Goldacre, and the secret extra special guests will include Tim Minchin, Ricky Gervais and Dara O’Briain. There will be an advert in Saturday’s Guardian so I would recommend getting in quick if you want to come along.

2. Chiropractors and libel case

Unfortunately I am still not in a position to talk about the libel case, but there has been a fair amount of blogging on the subject so you can get up to speed by googling various words such as Simon Singh chiropractors libel sued etc.

3. Odd Christmas Presents

If you are already thinking about Christmas presents then how about naming a symmetrical mathematical object after a loved one. The very clever and kind-hearted mathematician, writer and broadcaster Marcus Du Sautoy has offered to find an appropriate object in return for a minimum donation of $10. You can find out more at http://www.firstgiving.com/findingmoonshine

4. Trick or Treatment? in Sweden & Italy

After publication in Britain and America, Trick or Treatment? has just been translated and published in Sweden and Italy. I spent a couple of days in Stockholm with my co-author Edzard Ernst – we lectured to doctors and skeptics and conducted half a dozen major interviews, which led to the book being catapulted into the bestsellers list. To celebrate the launch in Italy, I am giving away ten Italian editions of Fermat’s Last Theorem and The Code Book. If you would like a copy then please email me at simoncontact@hotmail.com – put “Codici & Segreti” or “L’ultimo Teorema di Fermat” in the subject header along with your address in the body of the email. I expect a flurry of interest for the ten books available, so please do not bother emailing after midday on Friday as they will go very quickly.

5. Competition Winner

In the last newsletter, I asked: “What was the first in-flight movie?” Jack Flynn from California wins a copy of “Hot Topic – how to tackle global warming and still keep the lights on” signed by the authors Gabrielle Walker and Sir David King. Jack – perhaps you could lend your copy to Sarah Palin once you have finished reading it.

Jack agreed with me that the answer to the competition was “Inherit the Wind”, a brilliant film based on the 1925 Scopes Monkey Trial and starring Spencer Tracy. It is now available on DVD and worth watching as a reminder of how we have moved backwards in terms of creationist thinking in high places. It is certainly something that Sarah Palin ought to watch after she has read “Hot Topic”. However, I received lots of other suggestions for the first in-flight movie and I suspect that they are also correct depending on how the terms of the question are defined. Hence, I am also sending a copy of Fermat’s Last Theorem to Anna Johnston in London who (like many others) suggested “The Lost World” as an answer.

6. Puzzle Competition

I am hoping that this competition has only one answer, but I am happy to be corrected. Which American entertainer with a mathematical and scientific slant to much of his work (and whose surname contains twice as many letters as his first name) was supposedly introduced to the UK thanks to the patronage of Princess Margaret?

Send your answer to competition@simonsingh.net – put your answer in the subject header and your address in the body of the email. The closing date for entries is October 26. One of the correct entries will win a copy of On Space and Time edited by Shahn Majid and with chapters by Roger Penrose, John Polkingforne and others speculating on the nature of the universe.

And, finally… thanks for all the emails of support regarding the chiropractic libel case. I am sorry if I have not had time to reply, but the emails are all much appreciated.

Cheerio,

Simon.

Ps. If you need to email me, then please do not reply to this address, as your email will not reach me. Please go via the website https://simonsingh.net and click the contact button. It takes me ages to answer emails, as I am struggling to keep up with my correspondence, so please be patient.

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Unhappy Chiropractors, Tim Minchin & Trick or Treatment in America

1. Unhappy Chiropractors
2. Tim Minchin in Edinburgh
3. Trick or Treatment in America
4. The Computer with a Poker Face
5. Five Particles
6. Competition Winner
7. Puzzle Competition

1. Unhappy Chiropractors

As some of you may have heard, I am being sued for libel by the British Chiropractic Association. I cannot say much at the moment, but I will return to the subject in due course. In the meantime, thanks for the emails of support and the various blogs backing my position. I have not had time to reply – as you can imagine, I am fairly busy at the moment – but the support is much appreciated.

2. Tim Minchin in Edinburgh

I gave a couple of talks at the Edinburgh Book Festival last week, and then spent a day enjoying the Fringe Festival. If you are going to the Festival this week, then do catch “Behind the Mirror” at the Pleasance or Damian Callinan at the Gilded Balloon in a show entitled “Mmmm… they’re small”. And, if you can get tickets, then I would certainly recommend the brilliant Tim Minchin. If you are not in Edinburgh, then you can see Tim in action at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RFO6ZhUW38w&feature=related

3. Trick or Treatment in America

The book that I co-wrote with Professor Edzard Ernst on the subject of alternative medicine has just been published in America. We will be involved in various interviews over the next couple of weeks, so you might hear us discussing the book if you are based in the US. The first American review of Trick or Treatment appeared in today’s Wall Street Journal: http://online.wsj.com/article/SB121910370844351409.html

4. The Computer with a Poker Face

If you get this email in time, then I have a radio programme being broadcast this morning on the subject of the first world class poker match between humans and a computer. It is on BBC Radio 4 at 11am (Tuesday), but if you miss it then you can listen again via the BBC’s iPlayer: http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/

5. Five Particles

And to tie in with the start of LHC at CERN (the big new experiment in particle physics), I have a series on BBC Radio 4 entitled “Five Particles” It runs each afternoon at 3.45pm from Monday to Friday starting on September 8th. In fact, it is part of a season of programmes about particle physics on Radio 4, all under the heading of Big Bang.

6. Competition Winner

In the last newsletter, I asked: “Which famous medical TV series had an episode call “Trick or Treatment”?”. The answer was M*A*S*H, and the winner was Melanie Miller from Kentucky, who receives a copy of Marcus Chown’s new children’s book, Felicity Frobisher and the Three-Headed Aldebaran Dust Devil.

7. Puzzle Competition

What was the first in-flight movie?
Clue – it tells one of the great science stories of the twentieth century.

Send your answer to competition@simonsingh.net – put your answer in the subject header and your address in the body of the email. The closing date for entries is August 22. One of the correct entries will win a signed copy of The Hot Topic by Gabrielle Walker and Sir David King, which has the subtitle “How to tackle global warming and still keep the lights on.”

And, finally… my wife just pointed out this charming bit of Olympic footage. A BBC journalist gets confused with Michael Phelps and is mobbed by adoring fans: http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/olympics/7569430.stm

Cheerio,

Simon.

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Trick or Treatment? Alternative Medicine on Trial

1. Trick or Treatment?
2. Woodstock for Skeptics
3. Science Museum Signing & Lectures
4. Free Polish editions of Big Bang
5. Competition Winner
6. Puzzle Competition

1. Trick or Treatment

After two years of work, “Treatment or Treatment?” was published this week and already it has caused a bit of fuss. You may have noticed that my co-author and I wrote a letter to The Times newspaper criticising Prince Charles for publishing a misleadingly rose-tinted pamphlet on alternative medicine. This sparked a rather heated response from homeopaths and other alternative therapists. Here are links to our original letter and the accompanying news article:
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/comment/letters/article3760311.ece
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/life_and_style/health/alternative_medicine/article3760857.ece

In fact, we actually dedicated the book to Prince Charles, because he is the world’s most outspoken advocate of alternative medicine and he has previously asked for the evidence relating to these therapies. My co-author and I have been through the evidence, just as His Royal Highness requested, but unfortunately the results are not very flattering for practitioners of alternative medicine.

Before I get another batch of angry emails from alternative therapists, I should point out two things. First, my co-author, Edzard Ernst, is the world’s first professor of alternative medicine, so we really have taken a proper look at all the available scientific evidence. There have been literally thousands of scientific investigations into alternative medicine and our conclusions are based on the results from these studies. Second, we are not entirely negative about alternative medicine. When we encountered a therapy that has something to offer patients then said this clearly in the book, but unfortunately such therapies were in the minority.

Edzard and I have simply tried to help the public navigate the world of alternative medicine by explaining which therapies work, which ones do not, and which ones are downright dangerous. I will discuss some of the evidence regarding alternative medicine in a future newsletter, but for the time being you might like to read something that I wrote for the Guardian newspaper to tie in with Chiropractic Awareness Week: http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2008/apr/19/health

2. Woodstock for Skeptics

Last week, the world’s most famous skeptic, James Randi, visited London. I was delighted to be invited to speak as part of a series of lectures in his honour. There is a charming account of the evening at: http://skepchick.org/blog/?p=1326

I recorded my own favourite recollection of the evening in a column for The Times newspaper. “On Saturday night, perhaps for the first time in history, there was a round of applause at the announcement of a hospital closure. I was speaking at a seminar organised by Skeptics in the Pub, and I had just explained that the Tunbridge Wells Homoeopathic Hospital is due to close next year because of a huge drop in the number of referrals. Nobody in the audience was belittling the suffering of those patients who would be deprived of homoeopathic treatment, but instead they were endorsing the fact that the money saved would be spent on more effective treatments.”

You can read the whole article at: http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/comment/columnists/guest_contributors/article3798760.ece

3. Science Museum Signing & Lectures

It is very short notice, but if you are in London today then I will be signing books at Waterstones bookshop at the Science Museum (020-7942 4481, London SW7) from 3.30pm until 4pm. Please come along and say hello if you are in the neighbourhood. And, of course, the museum has free admission, so you can check out the Making of the Modern World gallery or explore the revamped Launch Pad, which is full of interactive exhibits.

In particular, if you are an alternative therapist who has been annoyed by Trick or Treatment or any of my recent articles, then please come along for a chat and we can talk about the evidence for and against alternative medicine.

I will provide more information soon, but I will be speaking at the Hay Book Festival on May 24, the Bristol Festival of Ideas on May 21 and at the Edinburgh Book Festival on August 10. In the first two lectures, I will be speaking with my co-author Professor Ernst.

4. Free Polish editions of Big Bang

Big Bang, my history of cosmology, is being translated into various languages and I have just received the Polish editions. If you live in the UK and if you read Polish or know someone who reads Polish, then just send an email to simoncontact@hotmail.com and tell me your address. I will despatch copies to the first six emails that I receive, so if you don’t receive a copy of Wielki Wybuch then it means that you were not quite quick enough. (Unfortunately I cannot extend this offer outside the UK because of the high cost of postage.)

5. Competition Winner

In the last newsletter, I asked: “Which children’s book touches on mathematics and has Milo as its central character?” I thought that the only answer was The Phantom Toll Booth, but it turns out that there is another book that fits the bill, namely The Mathematical Parrot. Hence, there are two winners. Nik Whitehead in Iceland wins a copy of The Great Escape by Natalie Haynes and Anna Johnston in Devon wins a copy of Marcus Chown’s new children’s book, Felicity Frobisher and the Three-Headed Aldebaran Dust Devil.

6. Puzzle Competition

Which famous medical TV series had an episode call “Trick or Treatment”?

Send your answer to competition@simonsingh.net – put your answer in the subject header and your address in the body of the email. The closing date for entries is April 30. One of the correct entries will win a copy of the new children’s book Felicity Frobisher and the Three-Headed Aldebaran Dust Devil by the renowned science writer Marcus Chown.

I would like to finish with a big thank you to everyone who emailed me after my last newsletter and welcomed me back from my long silence. I am sorry that I am unable to answer all your emails, but they are much appreciated. Many, many thanks.

Cheerio,

Simon.

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Eighteen Months of Silence

1. Eighteen Months of Silence
2. Trick or Treatment?
3. Quirkology
4. James Randi in London
5. Free Finnish Big Bangs
6. Competition Winner
7. Puzzle Competition

1. Eighteen Months of Silence

It has been eighteen months since my last newsletter, and my only excuse is that I have been busy writing a new book – more about that in a moment.

Last year I also managed to get into a spat about the terrible Channel Four documentary entitled “The Great Global Warming Swindle” – this has now been broadcast around the world and is still very influential. If you want to know the real truth about this documentary, then I would strongly recommend visiting: http://www.climateofdenial.net/?q=node/3

And if you want to get up to speed on the issue of global warming, then I would suggest reading “Hot Topic” by David King and Gabrielle Walker, which I reviewed for the Sunday Telegraph: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/arts/main.jhtml?xml=/arts/2008/02/02/bokin102.xml

A recent project has been a programme for BBC Radio 4 entitled “The Computer with a Poker Face”, about the first serious poker match between a computer and humans. Unfortunately the programme has already been broadcast and is no longer available online, but you can read about the match at: http://www.nytimes.com/2007/07/26/business/26poker.html?n=Top/Reference/Times%20Topics/People/M/Markoff,%20John

2. Trick or Treatment?

It was a long time ago, but my last newsletter explained that I had been involved in investigating homeopathy. This sparked a curiosity in me about the claims of other alternative medicine, which has now turned into a book called “Trick or Treament? Alternative Medicine on Trial”. This will be published on April 21 in the UK and in August in America, with other translations to follow soon after.

There will be more about the book in my next newsletter, but (in brief) I have co-authored the book with Professor Edzard Ernst, the world’s first professor of complementary medicine. Our goal has been to examine the scientific evidence surrounding each form of alternative medicine in order to find out what works and what does not, as well as what is safe and what is dangerous.

As many people have already pointed out, I wrote at the end of the Big Bang that it would be my last book, but I became so obsessed with alternative medicine that I could not resist putting pen to paper again. Having written about mathematics, cryptography and cosmology in the past, it is a major change in direction to write about alternative medicine, but the issues it raises are so important that I could not refuse the challenge.

3. Quirkology

Richard Wiseman, my Theatre of Science partner, published Quirkology last year. To tie in with the book, he created a series of fascinating YouTube clips, including this one: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=voAntzB7EwE

4. James Randi in London

April 19 sees an “An Evening with James Randi and Friends” in London. There will be series of short talks, including one from me, followed by a rare chance to see the Amazing Randi lecturing in the UK. Tickets will disappear soon – to find out more, please visit: http://skeptic.org.uk/randi/

5. Free Finnish Big Bangs

Big Bang is being translated into various languages and I have just received the Finnish editions. If you live in the UK and if you read Finnish or know someone who reads Finnish, then just send an email to fbigbang@simonsingh.net and tell me your address. I will despatch copies to the first six emails that I receive – if you do not receive a copy, then please assume that you were sadly not one of the first six. (Unfortunately I cannot extend this offer outside the UK because of the high cost of postage.)

6. Competition Winner

In the last newsletter, I asked: “What is the longest word that you can make from the letters that appear in the top row of a typewriter keyboard?” I thought that the answer was, appropriately, TYPEWRITER, but some of you knew better. It seems that TEETERTOTTER (a seesaw) is the true champion word, and Ashok Argent-Katwala was one of several people who pointed this out. He wins a copy of Pretty Girl in Crimson Rose (8) by Sandy Balfour

7. Puzzle Competition

Which children’s book touches on mathematics and has Milo as its central character?

Send your answer to competition@simonsingh.net – put your answer in the subject header and your address in the body of the email. The closing date for entries is April 21. One of the correct entries will win a signed copy of The Great Escape by Natalie Haynes, which Julie Burchill called: “Funny, fresh and feline – this is a strange, sinister, shimmering story which will appeal to cats of all ages.”

I will write again soon with more information about “Trick or Treatment? Alternative Medicine on Trial”.

Cheerio,

Simon.

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Dodgy Homeopaths Uncovered

1. Dodgy Homeopaths Uncovered
2. Theatre of Science in New York
3. Mentos Videos
4. Flying Spaghetti Monster
5. Free Japanese Big Bangs
6. Competition Winner
7. Puzzle Competition

1. Dodgy Homeopaths Uncovered

It has been several months since my last newsletter, but I have been busy tracking down dodgy homeopaths. Working with the organisation Sense About Science, I contacted ten homeopaths and every single one of them was willing to offer homeopathic protection against malaria instead of conventional medicines. Scientific evidence suggests that homeopathic remedies do not work (except at a placebo level), and here is clear evidence that homeopathy is dangerous as well as being useless. You can find more details of what happened here: http://www.timesonline.co.uk/newspaper/0,,174-2269389,00.html

And BBC Newsnight did some great undercover filming and you can see their report and an interview with me and a homeopath representative at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s1UJ_qGZ24k

2. Theatre of Science in New York

Theatre of Science is about to cross the Atlantic and will be appearing in an off-Broadway theatre in November. Richard Wiseman and I will be demonstrating some of the more bizarre aspects of science, which will include zapping each other with one million volts. Also, we will be joined by the wonderful contortionist Delia. There will only be five performances and the tickets have just gone on sale. More information at https://simonsingh.net/Theatre_of_Science.html

I am only giving a few talks in the UK (Reading and Oxford), and you can find details at the usual location: https://simonsingh.net/Simon_Lectures.php

3. Mentos Videos

The Mentos/Coke experiment has now become a global phenomenon. Even if you have seen it already, here are a couple of video clips that are worth watching:
http://www.eepybird.com/dcm1.html (slightly amazing)
http://www.davideodesign.co.uk/pepsigirl.htm (slightly shocking)
4. Flying Spaghetti Monster

The junk science that is known as Intelligent Design has best been parodied by Bobby Henderson, who wrote to the Kansas Board of Education. If the board encouraged the teaching of Intelligent Design on the grounds that all possible theories ought to be allowed into the classroom, then Henderson requested that Kansas schools should also teach that life was created by the Flying Spaghetti Monster. I have just reviewed the Gospel of the Flying Spaghetti Monster, and I would highly recommend it. In addition to discussing the creation of life, Henderson points out that the increase in global temperature correlates with a reduction in the number of pirates over the last three centuries. Therefore he suggests the reintroduction of pirates in order to combat global warming.

5. Free Japanese Big Bang

Big Bang, my history of cosmology, is being translated into various languages and I have just received the Japanese editions. If you live in the UK and if you read Japanese or are learning Japanese, then just send an email to jbigbang@simonsingh.net with your address and I will put a free book in the post. (Unfortunately I cannot extend this offer outside the UK because of the high cost of postage.)

6 Competition Winner

In the last newsletter, I asked: What is 1.79 x 10^12 furlongs per fortnight? The answer is the speed of light. Phua Kok Hee from Singapore wins a copy of ‘Dr.Riemann’s Zeros’ by Karl Sabbagh

7. Puzzle Competition

What is the longest word that you can make from the letters that appear in the top row of a typewriter keyboard?

Send your answer to competition@simonsingh.net – put your answer in the subject header and your address in the body of the email. The closing date for entries is September 15. One of the correct entries will win a copy of ‘Pretty Girl in Crimson Rose(8)’ by Sandy Balfour, sub-titled a memoir of love, exile and crosswords

Cheerio,

Simon.

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Theatre of Science – World Tour

1. Alternative Medicine
2. Spring Lectures
3. A Couple of Great Websites
4. Nice New Quote
5. Winnie Trivia
6. Competition Winner
7. Puzzle Competition

1. Alternative Medicine

Much of February has been taken up with writing about the BBC TV series “Alternative Medicine”. I wrote an article for the Daily Telegraph criticising its approach, which I felt was subtly anti-science and below the standards I would expect from the BBC. The series is likely to be transmitted overseas, so keep a sceptical eye out for it. You can read my article at: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/connected/main.jhtml?xml=/connected/2006/02/14/ecnaccupunct.xml

I don’t have time to answer any queries about this article at the moment, but I am working on a follow-up piece that expands on my concerns. More details in the next newsletter. In the meantime, Professor David Colquhoun’s webpage carries more information about the series (and alternative medicine in general), and Ben Goldacre’s excellent Bad Science column is always worth reading to find out more about the often exaggerated claims of alternative medicine. http://www.ucl.ac.uk/Pharmacology/dc-bits/quack.html
http://www.guardian.co.uk/life/badscience/

2. Spring Lectures

I am giving a few talks in the UK this spring, particularly as part of Science Week. I will be in Glasgow, St Andrews, Dundee, Cambridge, London and Milton Keynes, and Theatre of Science will be performing in Newcastle this Sunday and Monday. More information at: https://simonsingh.net/Simon_Lectures.html

3. A Couple of Great Websites

One site is a simulation of an electron microscope, http://micro.magnet.fsu.edu/primer/java/electronmicroscopy/magnify1/index.html

… and the other is a strange musical website. Just type in your own lyrics or message, hit play and listen to the results. http://www.sr.se/P1/src/sing/index.htm

4. Nice New Quote

We cannot pretend to offer proofs. Proof is an idol before whom the pure mathematician tortures himself. In physics we are generally content to sacrifice before the lesser shrine of Plausibility. Sir Arthur Eddington

5. Winnie Trivia

This is a surprising story that I recently came across: “As a child, actress Danica McKellar played Winnie on the TV show The Wonder Years. Later, she made many appearances on The West Wing. But she’s also a mathematician.” http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=5201825

There is an interesting mathematics section on her website: http://www.danicamckellar.com/

6 Competition Winner

In the last newsletter, I asked for a highly appropriate anagram for “APPLE MACINTOSH”. In fact, there were many, such as ‘Ah, not a simple PC’ or ‘A PC in posh metal’, so a runners-up prize (a set of non-transitive dice) goes to Sebina Mariadhas in Illinois. There is more information about these dice at: https://simonsingh.net/Rock_Paper_Scissors.html

In fact, the answer I was looking for was ‘Laptop machines’. Sean Peters from Kent wins a copy of ‘Miss Leavitt’s Stars’, an excellent biography of the astronomer Henrietta Leavitt by George Johnson.

7. Puzzle Competition

What is 1.79 x 10^12 furlongs per fortnight?

Send your answer to competition@simonsingh.net – put your answer in the subject header and your address in the body of the email. The closing date for entries is March 10. One of the correct entries will win a copy of ‘Dr.Riemann’s Zeros’ by Karl Sabbagh, a popular description of the Riemann Hypothesis.

Finally, thanks to everyone who emailed me about last week’s Enigma cipher story. Here it is in case you missed it. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/technology/4763854.stm

Cheerio,

Simon.

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Theatre of Science – World Tour

1. Theatre of Science – World Tour
2. Farewell Einstein Year
3. Einstein’s voice
4. Online shop – closed
5. Holiday advice
6. Competition Winner
7. Puzzle Competition

1. Theatre of Science – World Tour

After our successful run in London, Richard Wiseman and I are taking Theatre of Science on a mini world tour. Next week we will appear in Dublin and then we head to Newcastle in April. We also plan to appear in New York later in the year, but there are no firm dates yet Details of the Dublin and Newcastle shows (and my other lectures) can be found at:

https://simonsingh.net/Simon_Lectures.html

2. Farewell Einstein Year

Einstein Year (celebrating the centenary of Einstein’s miracle year) is now over. Perhaps the greatest tribute to Einstein was a cartoon by the brilliant American cartoonist Herblock. You can see the cartoon at the link below, and the other link takes you to a rather bitter (but honest) article I wrote last month about the state of British physics.

http://www.loc.gov/rr/print/swann/herblock/images/s03494u.jpg

http://www.guardian.co.uk/science/story/0,3605,1647948,00.html

3. Einstein’s voice

… and one more bit about Einstein … you can actually hear the great man himself talk about energy and mass equivalence in a one minute clip available at:

http://www.aip.org/history/einstein/voice1.htm

4. Online shop – closed

My online shop has now closed down. Of course, my four books are all still widely available at other online stores or in brick bookstores. My book titles are:

Big Bang
The Code Book
The Cracking Code Book (junior version of The Code Book)
Fermat’s Last Theorem (or Fermat’s Enigma in the USA)

Details of translations and overseas stockists are available at:
https://simonsingh.net/Overseas_Editions.html

And the interactive CD-ROM version of The Code Book is available either as a free download or via Virtual Image Limited at:
https://simonsingh.net/Code_Book_Download.html
http://www.virtualimage.co.uk/html/thecodebook.htm

5. Holiday advice

I am going to be heading off to see the total solar eclipse on March 29. If you want a memorable holiday, then consider organising your travel plans around the eclipse. The link below shows the path of the eclipse, which is followed by a link that discusses the best viewing locations (e.g., Ghana, Libya, Turkey):

http://www.eclipse.org.uk/eclipse/0212006/
http://travel.independent.co.uk/news_and_advice/article333568.ece

6 Competition Winner

In the last newsletter, I set you a Nubble puzzle – use the basic operations of addition, subtraction, multiplication and division to construct the answer 24 by using all the numbers 1, 3, 4 and 6. The problem was so tricky that several people resorted to turning the 6 upside down so that it was a 9, using exponents, modulo arithmetic and different bases, but in fact the answer was quite straightforward.

24 = 6 / (1 – 3/4)

The name drawn out of my inbox was Rohit Jnagal from India, who won a copy of “E=mc2” by David Bodanis.

7. Puzzle Competition

This month, the competition involves an anagram. There is a highly appropriate anagram for “APPLE MACINTOSH”. Send your answer to anagram@simonsingh.net – put your anagram in the subject header and your address in the body of the email. The closing date for entries is January 10. One of the correct entries will win a copy of ‘Miss Leavitt’s Stars’, an excellent biography of the astronomer Henrietta Leavitt by George Johnson.

And that’s it for this newsletter. Except, I mentioned an excellent optical illusion in my last newsletter, but the site hosting the illusion crashed due to the sudden increase in the number of visitors. If you missed the illusion then it is available again at the site below. If you encounter any problems, then just wait 24 hours – your patience will be rewarded.

http://www.ianrowland.com/MiscPages/Mrangryandmrscalm.html

Best wishes for 2006,
Cheerio,
Simon.

Ps. If you need to email me, then please do not reply to this address, as
your email will not reach me. Please go via the website
https://simonsingh.net and click the contact button. It takes me ages to
answer emails, as I am struggling to keep up with my correspondence, so
please be patient.

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Katie Melua and cosmology

1. Katie Melua and cosmology
2. Codes in London, Big Bang in the US & India
3. A Further Five Numbers
4. Kung Fu Science
5. Fantastic Illusion
6. Competition Winner
7. Puzzle Competition

1. Katie Melua and cosmology

I have now embarked on a new career as a lyricist, but not with any success. I won’t go into the details – it is a very long story – but it started with me writing an article for the Guardian newspaper criticising Katie Melua’s reference to the age of the universe in her song ‘Nine Million Bicycles’, and ended with Katie re-recording her record using my lyrics, which was then broadcast on Radio 4. The original article is contained on the website below and the broadcast can be heard at the second link.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/g2/story/0,,1581445,00.html

http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio4/today/listenagain/ram/today1_melua_20051015.ram

2. Codes in London, Big Bang in the US & India

My only lecture on cryptography this year will be on October 28 at the Royal Institution in London. It is one of their Friday Evening Discourses. My understanding is that this is such a formal occasion that (many years ago) one lecturer took fright and ran away just before the lecture was due to start. To avoid a similar disappearance, lecturers are now escorted to and locked into an ante-room fifteen minutes beforehand. The Royal Institution always has a wide range of interesting and entertaining lectures, but it is just about close down for renovation throughout 2006, so the next few weeks will be your last chance for a while to pay a visit.

Last month Big Bang was published in Swedish, which is why I have just returned from Gothenburg. This month it will be published in German, which is why I will be lecturing in Switzerland next week. I will also be lecturing in Canada & America in November, and in India in December. These lecture tours are to mark the paperback publication of Big Bang.

The details of all my lectures are, as usual, at: https://simonsingh.net/Simon_Lectures.html

3. A Further Five Numbers

My latest radio series, A Further Five Numbers, has now been broadcast on BBC Radio 4, but you can still hear it online. My favourite episodes were 6 & 1729. The most recent series and the previous series are available at: http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio4/science/further5.shtml (2005) http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio4/science/another5.shtml (2003) http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio4/science/5numbers.shtml (2001)

4. Kung Fu Science

This is a terrific website that shows the physics behind martial arts. It has been developed by the Institute of Physics as part of Einstein Year, and it is a brilliant example of popularising science . as opposed to their Einstein ballet! http://www.kungfuscience.org

5. Fantastic Illusion

This is one of the most amazing illusions that I have seen this year, and it appears on Ian Rowland’s website. Prepare to have your mind boggled. http://www.ianrowland.com/MiscPages/Mrangryandmrscalm.html

. and I think that there was a temporary problem with the website for the optical illusion in my previous newsletter, so here are the links again just in case you missed Julian Beever’s anamorphic pavement. http://users.skynet.be/J.Beever/swim.htm http://users.skynet.be/J.Beever/wrongview.htm

6 Competition Winner

In the last newsletter, I set you a Nubble puzzle – using the basic operations of addition, subtraction, multiplication and division, construct the answer 1 by using all the numbers 1, 1, 1 and 5. There are various solutions, such as 5x(1-1)+1=1.

I received hundreds of correct answers , and the winner was Stephen Krauklis from New South Wales, Australia, who has won a copy of “Backroom Boys” by Francis Spufford.

7 Puzzle Competition

Michael Belfrage and Steve Mulligan complained that the last Nubble puzzle was too easy, so they proposed a tougher one. This time .. again using the basic operations of addition, subtraction, multiplication and division, construct the answer 24 by using all the numbers 1, 3, 4 and 6.

Send your answer to nubblepuzzle@simonsingh.net – put your formula in the subject header and your address in the body of the email. The closing date for entries is November 1. As it is Einstein Year, one of the correct entries will win a copy of the excellent “E=mc2” by David Bodanis.

And you can find out more about Nubble! at these sites: http://www.virtualimage.co.uk/html/nubble.htm http://www.virtualimage.co.uk/html/download.html (free demo)

Cheerio,

Simon.

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A Further Five Numbers

1. A Further Five Numbers
2. Big Bang in Paperback
3. Theatre of Science
4. Free Books…
5. The plural of anecdote…
6. Puzzle Competition
7. Competition Winner
8. Incredible Scottish Illusion

1. A Further Five Numbers

I am disappearing to the Edinburgh Festival for much of August, so here is some advance notice about my new radio series, “A Further Five Numbers”. I will be taking a look at numbers such as 6 (as in six degrees of separation) and 1729 (Ramanujan’s taxicab number). The series starts on BBC Radio 4 on Tuesday 23 August at 9.30am, and you can listen online at: http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio4/

Radio 4 is the world’s greatest radio station, so if you live outside the UK then I would encourage you to visit the website and listen to some of the archived programmes. The comedy and science sections are great, and in the A-Z section you can access my previous series, namely “Five Numbers”, “Another Five Numbers” and “The Serendipity of Science”.

2. Big Bang in Paperback

“Big Bang” is out now in paperback in the UK, Australia and New Zealand. I am cutting down on my lecturing, but I will be talking about the Big Bang in Edinburgh and Dublin, and you can find more details at: https://simonsingh.net/Simon_Lectures.html

3. Theatre of Science

I have just finished a sell-out run of Theatre of Science with Richard Wiseman at the Soho Theatre. We extended the run, sold out, extended the run, and sold out again. Thanks to everyone who came along and helped make the show a success. Richard and I are working out how to take the show outside London and I will let you know our future plans via the newsletter. In the meantime, you can see me getting zapped by a million volts and find out more about the most recent show on the pages below:
https://simonsingh.net/ToS_Simon_Zapped.html https://simonsingh.net/2005_Show.html

4. Free Books …

… as long as you can read Serbian. I have six editions of “Fermaova Poslednja Teorema” by Sajmon Sing to send to the first six people who email me at freebooks@simonsingh.net with subject “Serbian Fermat” and giving me your address in the body of the email. If you do not receive a book within the next 14 days then you were unfortunately not one of the names out of the hat.

5. The plural of anecdote …
… is not data.
(Roger Brinner, economist)

6. Puzzle Competition

This puzzle is based on the new maths game Nubble! The game gives you 4 numbers and you have to derive a target number using the basic operations ofaddition, subtraction, multiplication and division. For example, how do you make the number 40 from 1, 3, 4 and 6?

The answer is (6 + 4) x (3 + 1) = 40.

Your challenge is to make the number 1 from the numbers 1, 1, 1 and 5, and you MUST use all four numbers.

Send your answer to nubblepuzzle@simonsingh.net – put your formula in the subject header and your address in the body of the email. The closing date for entries is 8 August. One of the correct entries will win a copy of the excellent “Backroom Boys – the Secret Return of the British Boffin” by Francis Spufford.

And you can find out more about Nubble! or download a free demo version on these webpages:
http://www.virtualimage.co.uk/html/nubble.htm
http://www.virtualimage.co.uk/html/download.html

7. Competition Winner

In the last newsletter, I asked you to tell me how many strokes of the razor I made when shaving that morning. The answer was 150 strokes, but I accepted any answer between 100 and 200 strokes.

Apologies to those who were unable to enter due to lack of facial hair or an abundance of it. Some people were concerned that it was a pointless and impossible question, but I wanted to show that our intuition and memory can mislead us. Most people initially guessed that the answer was about 25 strokes, but 24 hours later I received lots of correct entries, because people had conducted an experiment. I suppose I was trying to show the power of experiment over guesswork, memory and intuition.

The winners, who will receive copies of my books, are Jimmy Sprague in Washington, Cristian Stefan from Romania, Peter Selmeczy from Hampshire, Fraser Crosbie from Reading, Eric Nelson-Melby from Arizona and Jany Sabins from New Jersey.

8. Incredible Scottish Illusion

As I am going to be spending most of my summer holidays in Scotland, I thought I would leave you with an incredible optical illusion created in Glasgow by the artist Julian Beever. It is an example of anamorphic pavement art and you need to view it from two sides, so you will need to visit both of the pages below. http://users.skynet.be/J.Beever/swim.htm http://users.skynet.be/J.Beever/wrongview.htm

Have a great summer,

Simon.

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High Voltage Theatre of Science

1. High Voltage Theatre of Science
2. Big Bang World Tour & Fame Lab
3. Flatland
4. Darwin Dub Reggae
5. Puzzle Competition
6. Competition Winner

1. High Voltage Theatre of Science

It’s been three years since Richard Wiseman and I performed our show ‘Theatre of Science’, but now we are back with a new show, bigger and better than ever before. In an effort to push the boundaries of what can be done in a theatre, we will be submitting ourselves to million volt sparks. Also, we will be joined on stage by one of the world’s most talented theremin players and an incredibly bendy contortionist. The show will be at the Soho Theatre in London from July 4 onwards. There are details of the new and old Theatre of Science at the sites below:

http://www.sohotheatre.com/comedy/
https://simonsingh.net/Theatre_of_Science.html

2. Big Bang World Tour & FameLab

I have just returned from three weeks in New Zealand and Australia, where ‘Big Bang’ has just been published in paperback. I had a great time, and now I am back in the UK for the release of the British paperback. I will be giving various talks, including this Saturday morning at the brilliant Cheltenham Science Festival. I will also be a judge for the final of ‘Fame Lab’, which is ‘Pop Idol’ for boffins. Details of this and other events at the sites below:

http://www.cheltenhamfestivals.co.uk/frame_festindex.cfm?FEST=SCIENCE
http://www.famelab.org/
https://simonsingh.net/Simon_Lectures.html

‘Big Bang’ is already available in Italian, and later this year I will be visiting Germany and Sweden for the release of these translations. I also have plans to give lectures in Ireland, America, Canada and India before the end of the year. More details in future newsletters.

3. Flatland

When asked about string theory and higher dimensions, I often refer people to a wonderful novella entitled ‘Flatland’, written over a century ago by Edwin A. Abbott. Subtitled ‘A Romance of Many Dimensions’, it tells the story of a community of people who live in two dimensions and who are, therefore, unable to conceive of a third dimension. The entire text is now available online, and it is certainly worth a read if you are curious about the possibility of eleven or more dimensions.

http://nedwww.ipac.caltech.edu/level5/Abbott/Abbott_contents.html

4. Darwin Dub Reggae

The Genomic Dub Collective website below is my favourite piece of quirky art-science. It contains dub reggae songs about Charles Darwin and the theory of evolution. The songs are absolutely wonderful, and they written and performed by Professor Mark Pallen and his PhD student Dom White.

www.infection.bham.ac.uk/BPAG/Dub/origin.html

5. Puzzle Competition

How many shaving strokes did I make this morning? I will accept an answer that is accurate to within 30 per cent. As far as I know, I am a fairly typical shaver.

The best way to get the answer to my question is to count the number of strokes you make yourself, or ask a brother or father or son if you are too young or too female to shave. I am defining a stroke as a single downward or a single upward motion of the blade such that the blade does not leave the skin.

There will be 5 winners, who can receive a copy of ‘Fermat’s Last Theorem’ in English, Serbian, German or Italian.

Email your answer to puzzle@simonsingh.net – the email should be empty, but your subject line should contain your estimate, the book you want and the language.

6. Competition Winner

In the last newsletter, I asked you to come up with a name for the first planet ever to be observed orbiting another star. It is currently known as 2M1207b, but I preferred Paul Lyden’s suggestion: ‘The name has to be “Snow White”. It was found near a brown dwarf!’ He will receive a copy of “The Genius of Science: A Portrait Gallery of 20th Century Physicists” by Abraham Pais.

Happy Shaving,

Simon.

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