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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