1. Application to Appeal

2. Heading Down Under

3. “Dissing science is like…”

4. Old Competition Winner

5. New Competition Puzzle

1. Application to Appeal
Unlike recent newsletters, I will try to avoid filling this one with lots of tedious legal details. However, I will mention that the Application to Appeal has been lodged and I am now waiting for the result. For more news and information about my libel case, you can visit the Sense About Science website or follow any of the insightful and entertaining bloggers who are covering the subject. The most recent media coverage was in the Daily Mail and there is also an interview I gave to the Nature podcast.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/science/2009/jun/19/chiropractic-bca-mca-singh

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/debate/article-1196696/Back-cures-brave-scientist-epic-court-battle-How-Britains-libel-laws-threatening-free-speech.html

http://nature.edgeboss.net/download/nature/nature/podcast/extras/singh-2009-06-29.mp3?ewk13=1

Most important of all (if you have not done it already), please sign and support the libel reform campaign and encourage others to join the list of 15,000 names.

http://www.senseaboutscience.org.uk/index.php/site/project/333/

2. Heading Down Under
I am currently in Adelaide, where I am taking part in the Festival of Ideas. I have already spoken at a couple of events, and have two more to come on Sunday. You can find out more details at the festival website or my website. I am also giving a talk on Tuesday in Adelaide about risk and probability, which is an event sponsored by the Royal Institution of Australia. I will also be speaking in Sydney on July 15.

http://www.simonsingh.com/Simon_Lectures.php

Home

http://riskprobabilityandgambling.eventbrite.com/

http://skeptics.meetup.com/163/calendar/10746110/

3. “Dissing science is like…”
This is slightly out of date, but I wanted to mention a couple of online video projects that caught me eye. The first is Alom Shaha’s online film which asks ‘Why is Science Important?’. My favourite contribution is from Mark Miodownik:

http://whyscience.co.uk/contributors/mark-miodownik/mark-miodownik-science-is-your-mum.html
And then there is the Periodic Table of Videos, starring the magnificent Professor Poliakoff.

http://www.periodicvideos.com/

4. Old Competition Winner
In the last newsletter, I asked: “On average, which planet is closest to Pluto?” The winner was Tanja Cilia from Malta, who correctly identified the answer as Mercury. The vast majority of answers were outer planets, so have a think about why the innermost planet is the correct answer. Tanja will receive a copy of “Quirkology” by Richard Wiseman as soon as I return to the UK. (By the way, Richard’s new book (“59 Seconds”) is published this month.)

5. New Puzzle Competition
Today I was interviewed by Luke Stegemann of the Adelaide Review. He has been experimenting with numbers and discovered solutions to the equation:

A^(B+C)=BCA

For example, 5^(1+2)=125. Can you find another solution?

Please 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 July 14. The winner will receive a copy of “Why Does E=mc^2?: (and Why Should We Care?)” by Brian Cox and Jeff Forshaw.
Cheerio,
Simon.