============================================================

mini-Annals of Improbable Research ("mini-AIR")

June 2013, issue number 2013-06. ISSN 1076-500X.

----------------------------------------------------------

Monthly mini update/alert from the Annals of Improbable Research

Archive at <http://improbable.com/airchives/miniair/>

=========================================================

2013-06-01 TABLE OF CONTENTS

2013-06-02 Imminent Events

2013-06-03 In the Magazine: Boring Machines

2013-06-04 RESEARCH SPOTLIGHT: Self-Propelled Unsteady Squirmer

2013-06-05 Ig Nobel TICKETS Go On Sale July 16

2013-06-06 Self-Propelled Steady Squirmer Limerick Competition

2013-06-07 Potto's Niche Poet

2013-06-08 MORE IMPROBABLE: Batman Theme by Bats

2013-06-09 MAY WE RECOMMEND: Spherical Squirming Swimmer

2013-06-10 Improbable Research Events

2013-06-11 -- How to Get the Magazine (*)

2013-06-12 -- Our Address (*)

2013-06-13 -- Please Forward/Post This Issue! (*)

2013-06-14 -- How to start or stop receiving this newsletter (*)

Items marked (*) are reprinted in every issue.

----------------------------------------------------------

2013-06-02 Imminent Events

Hakodate, Japan — July 1

Ig Nobel Ceremony Tickets will go on sale — July 16

Full schedule at <http://goo.gl/tzwJt>

----------------------------------------------------------

2013-06-03 In the Magazine: Boring Machines

The special Boring Machines issue of the Annals of Improbable Research is out and about. Three of its most salient articles, "Boring Machines", "A Simple and Convenient Synthesis of Pseudoephedrine From N-Methylamphetamine", and "Improbable Research Review", are online. The e-book version is up on Barnes&Noble, Amazon, iTunes, and Kobo: <http://goo.gl/vuyy2>

Download a FREE E-BOOK ISSUE <http://goo.gl/BMzMw>

All issues of the magazine <http://www.improbable.com/magazine>

----------------------------------------------------------

2013-06-04 RESEARCH SPOTLIGHT: Self-Propelled Unsteady Squirmer

This month's research spotlights a particular characteristic of self-propelled unsteady squirmers:

"Average Nutrient Uptake by a Self-Propelled Unsteady Squirmer," Vanesa Magar and T.J. Pedley, Journal of Fluid Mechanics, vol. 539, no. 1, 2005, pp. 93-112. <http://goo.gl/F24JZ> The authors explain:

"We present results for the average mass transfer to a spherical squirmer, a model micro-organism whose surface oscillates tangentially to itself.... However, other factors have still to be taken into account, and the model realism improved, if we want to make predictions for real aquatic micro-organisms."

----------------------------------------------------------

2013-06-05 Ig Nobel TICKETS Go On Sale July 16

Tickets for the 2013 Ig Nobel Prize Ceremony will almost certainly go on sale TUESDAY, JULY 16, at NOON.

TICKETS: Tickets will be available exclusively from the Harvard Box Office (via the web, by telephone, or in person). Tickets always go quickly, so we urge you to get them while you can.

(The "almost" part of certainly is because we have not completely finalized that date with the ticket office. But it almost certainly will be that date.)

If you would like us to email you a reminder just before tickets go on sale, sign up to the Ig Nobel events reminder list: <http://five.pairlist.net/mailman/listinfo/ig-nobel-events>

DELEGATIONS: If you are coming in a group of five or more persons, and wish to be recognized as an Official Delegation, please first obtain your tickets, then register with Louise Sacco, official overseer of the delegations. (Details about delegations will be posted soon on the ceremony web page.)

HARVARD BOX OFFICE: <http://ofa.fas.harvard.edu/boxoffice/>

CEREMONY DETAILS: <http://www.improbable.com/ig/2013/>

----------------------------------------------------------

2013-06-06 Self-Propelled Steady Squirmer Limerick Competition

Self-Propelled Steady Squirmers inspires this month's limerick competition. To enter, compose an original limerick that illuminates the nature of this study:

"Nutrient Uptake by a Self-Propelled Steady Squirmer," Vanesa Magar, Tomonobu Goto and T.J. Pedley, Quarterly Journal of Mechanics and Applied Mathematics, vol. 56, no. 1, 2003, pp. 65–91. <http://goo.gl/Oi3HG> The authors, at the University of Cambridge,, UK and Tottori University, Japan, report:

"In this paper we study nutrient uptake by a very simple model of a swimming microorganism, a sphere moving its surface tangentially to itself with constant concentration on the surface.... Then we compare the results with those for a rigid sphere moving at the same speed under the action of an external force."

PRIZE: The winning poet will receive (if we manage to send it to the correct address) a free (and conceivably squirming), e-book issue of the Annals of Improbable Research. Send your limerick to:

STEADY SQUIRMER LIMERICK COMPETITION

c/o <marca@improbable.com>

----------------------------------------------------------

2013-06-07 Potto's Niche Poet

The judges have declared that there is no winner for last month's Potto's Niche Limerick Competition, which asked for a limerick to honor the study:

"The Niche of the Potto, Perodicticus potto," John F. Oates, International Journal of Primatology, vol. 5, no. 1, February, 1984, pp. 51-61. <http://goo.gl/F0oH0>

The judges, cranky for reasons unstated, were unable to agree amongst themselves, or amongst other company. So this month, the final word on pottos goes to...

From LIMERICK LAUREATE MARTIN EIGER:

The government's tapping your phone.

The people you hang with are known.

But pottos, beware.

Though the feds might not care,

Researchers track when you're alone.

----------------------------------------------------------

2013-06-08 MORE IMPROBABLE: Batman Theme by Bats

Recent improbable bits you maybe missed:

IMPROBABLE BLOG:

<> The Batman theme, produced from sounds made by bats

<http://goo.gl/MOxl6>

<> A mighty editorial board, 20,000 strong

<http://goo.gl/6om6p>

<> Official word: The body of Christ is not and cannot be gluten-free

<http://goo.gl/KrWjs>

... and more at <http://improbable.com>

THE NEWSPAPER COLUMN:

<> Flashy ways to fight off paparazzi, spies… and anyone else

<http://goo.gl/imnni>

NEW LUXURIANT HAIR CLUB FOR SCIENTISTS (LFHCFS) MEMBER:

<> Cherrie Thompson <http://goo.gl/Z2vbk>

<> Jessica Halpin: <http://goo.gl/4kUdF>

<> Ashwin Mudigonda: <http://goo.gl/dBlXL>

twitter: @ImprobResearch, @MarcAbrahams, #IgNobel

facebook: <http://www.facebook.com/improbableresearch>

NEW BOOK, "This Is Improbable": <http://goo.gl/brcd8>

-----------------------------------------------------------

2013-06-09 MAY WE RECOMMEND: Spherical Squirming Swimmer

"A Spherical Squirming Swimmer in Unsteady Stokes Flow," Kenta Ishimoto, Journal of Fluid Mechanics, vol. 723 , May 2013, pp 163-189. (Thanks to investigator Tom Gill for bringing this to our attention.) <http://goo.gl/F2bSe>

------------------------------------------------------------

2013-06-10 Improbable Research Events

For details and additional events, see

<http://improbable.com/improbable-research-shows/complete-schedule>

Hakodate, Japan — Jul 1, 2013

*** Ig Nobel Ceremony Tickets will go on sale in mid-JULY ***

2013 Ig Nobel Prize Ceremony, Harvard — Sep 12, 2013

Ig Informal Lectures, MIT — Sep 14, 2013

AAAS Annual Meeting, Chicago, USA — Feb, 2014

Ig Nobel Tour of Scandinavia — Mar, 2014

Ig Nobel Tour of the UK, USA — Mar, 2014

USA Sci & Eng Fest, Washington, DC — Apr, 2014

Imperial College London Festival, UK — May, 2014

ESOF, Copenhagen, Denmark — Jun, 2014

Science Friday (NPR) — almost every month

--------------------------------------------------------------

2013-06-11 -- How to Get the Magazine (*)

The Annals of Improbable Research is a 6-issues-per-year magazine. (It's much bigger and better than the little bits in this newsletter.)

We produce each issue as an e-book, as well as on traditional paper.

E-BOOKS:

<http://www.improbable.com/magazine/>

DOWNLOAD A FREE E-BOOK ISSUE: <http://goo.gl/BMzMw>

PAPER EDITION:

To subscribe, go to <http://improbable.com/subscribe/>

or send in this form:

.....................................................

Name:

Address:

City and State:

Zip or postal code:

Country:

Phone: E-mail:

....................................................

PAPER SUBSCRIPTIONS (6 issues per year):

USA 1 yr/$39 2 yrs/$74

Canada/Mexico 1 yr/$49 US 2 yrs/$94 US

Overseas 1 yr/$64 US 2 yrs/$119 US

....................................................

Send payment (US bank check, or international money order,

or Visa, Mastercard or Discover info) to:

Annals of Improbable Research (AIR)

PO Box 380853, Cambridge, MA 02238 USA

617-491-4437 FAX:617-661-0927 <subscriptions@improbable.com>

....................................................

-----------------------------------------------------

2013-06-12 -- Our Address (*)

Annals of Improbable Research (AIR)

PO Box 380853, Cambridge, MA 02238 USA

(+1) 617-491-4437, FAX: (+1) 617-661-0927

EDITORIAL: <marca@improbable.com>

PRINT SUBSCRIPTIONS: <subscriptions@improbable.com>

Web Site and blog: <http://www.improbable.com>

Twitter: @ImprobResearch

-----------------------------------------------------

2013-06-13 -- Please Forward/Post This Issue! (*)

Please distribute copies of mini-AIR (or excerpts!) wherever appropriate. The only limitations are: A) Please indicate that the material comes from mini-AIR. B) You may NOT distribute mini-AIR for commercial purposes.

------------- mini-AIRheads -------------

EDITOR: Marc Abrahams

MINI-PROOFREADER AND PICKER OF NITS (before we introduce the last

few at the last moment): Wendy Mattson

CO-CONSPIRATORS: Kees Moeliker, Alice Shirrell Kaswell, Gary Dryfoos, Ernest Ersatz, Stephen Drew

MAITRE DE COMPUTATION: Jerry Lotto

AUTHORITY FIGURES: Nobel Laureates Dudley Herschbach, Sheldon Glashow, Richard Roberts

Key words: improbable research, science humor, Ig Nobel, AIR, the

-----------------------------------------------------

2013-06-14 -- How to start or stop receiving this newsletter (*)

Mini-AIR is a (free!) teeny-tiny monthly *supplement* to the actual six-times-a-year magazine AIR.

...................................................

To subscribe or unsubscribe, please visit

<http://chem.harvard.edu/mailman/listinfo/mini-air>

...................................................

======================================================