mastodon 4.6.8editor of Annals of Improbable Research, organizer of the Ig Nobel Prize ceremony. I write about research (and other stuff) that makes people LAUGH then THINK. https://improbable.com/whatis/about-marc-abrahams/
VOLUNTEER TO HELP AT THE IG NOBEL PRIZE CEREMONY: After 35 years in the USA, the ceremony is moving to Europe. Anyone who would like to volunteer to help at the 36th First Annual Ig Nobel Prize Ceremony (in Zurich in September) can meet with ceremony organizers Marc Abrahams and Mirko Bischofberger, to explore the possibilities. We'll meet up on Saturday, April 25, 2026, from 10:00 am – noon — at ORBIZ Josef, Josefstrasse 214a, 8005, Zürich, SWITZERLAND. https://improbable.com/2026/03/10/the-ig-nobel-prize-ceremony-is-moving-to-europe-after-35-years-in-the-usa/
The Ig Nobel Prize Ceremony Is Moving to Europe (after 35 years in the USA) https://improbable.com/2026/03/10/the-ig-nobel-prize-ceremony-is-moving-to-europe-after-35-years-in-the-usa/
If they ever build a Donald Trump Presidential Library this is where the bricks will come from.
5 DAYS until Ig Nobel Prize Ceremony TICKETS go on sale (12 May 2026). improbable.com/the-36th-first-annual-ig-nobel-prize-ceremony/
4 DAYS until Ig Nobel Prize Ceremony tickets go on sale (12 May 2026). Please spread the word! https://improbable.com/the-36th-first-annual-ig-nobel-prize-ceremony/
Ig Nobel Show at LUND UNIVERSITY, Sweden — TUESDAY, April 21, 2026, 3:30 pm (European Central Time). The tickets are all booked, but you can watch the live webcast https://www.lu.se/evenemang/ig-nobel-euro-tour-i-lund
RE: @drawnonglass@wandering.shop
Oh, yes, we will livestream the 36th First Annual Ig Nobel Prize ceremony, continuing the livestreaming tradition we began in 1995.
Techniques of Successful Con Men: Remember that it’s easier to extract money from an organization you control than from an organization controlled by other people.
A Washington Post headline, on Feb 19, 2026, says: “After leaving WHO, Trump officials propose more expensive replacement to duplicate it — HHS proposes spending $2 billion a year to re-create systems the U.S. accessed through the WHO at a fraction of the cost, according to officials briefed on the matter.” https://improbablestuff.substack.com/p/con-men-work-with-organizations-that
"Trump’s Justice Department Dropped 23,000 Criminal Investigations in Shift to Immigration' That's reason number 2 for doing it. Can you guess reason number 1? https://www.propublica.org/article/trump-doj-immigration-bondi-declinations-criminal-investigations
Major news orgs keep running big headlines that consist of "Trump Says ________", as if he is telling the truth. This is a man who has been celebrated for nearly 50 years for being an entertaining, buffoonish liar. #ConfuseThePublic
"The World’s Longest-Running Experiment Is Still Teaching Us Physics" https://www.zmescience.com/feature-post/resources/science-experiments/the-worlds-longest-running-experiment-is-still-teaching-us-physics/
"After 35 years, Ig Nobel ceremony to leave the U.S. — Finances and Trump policies underlaid the decision to move the satirical science event to Switzerland" [Science] https://www.science.org/content/article/after-35-years-ig-nobel-ceremony-leave-u-s
DOGE lives up to its billing: You’ve got to admit that that’s an *efficient* way to steal things.
Nature magazine interviewed Ig Nobel Prize winners about how winning the prize has affected them. https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-024-03756-w
Update on the USA’s Festival of Looting & Destruction https://heathercoxrichardson.substack.com/p/march-12-2026
Daily repetitive questions: (1) Where are the illegally withheld EPSTEIN FILES? (2) What country will Trump announce today that he will attack next?
A reminder that Upasana Sarraju’s new book called Unruly: The Ig Nobel Prizes and The Science That Refuses to Behave dives into, swims and surfs through a universe (our universe, in fact) full of unexpected science. [Yes, the book is a little bit about me, so I am highly biased. But Upasana has made something that's Upasanaistically grippingly thoughtful and thought-provoking (and also fun). ] https://www.penguin.co.in/book/unruly/
An #Apple #Mac #Tahoe OS problem I've had the past several weeks — and seen others mention in various discussion places: This error message occurs frequently: "out of application memory". Although the err message specifies whichever app is using the most memory at that moment, the prob occurs regardless of what apps are or are not in use. Any suggestions?
Techniques of Successful Con Men: Invite people to give you money.
A headline in Ars Technica, on January 12, 2026, says: “You can now reserve a hotel room on the Moon for $250,000” https://improbablestuff.substack.com/p/con-men-invite-people-to-give-you?utm_source=post-email-title&publication_id=1581193&post_id=185736534
"THE COURT: How did the screw up happen? Was it your office, the U.S. Attorneys Office, the FBI, or both? How did you execute a plea agreement without knowing all the evidence on the device only later to find out, Oh, my God. There's babies and prepubescent children and bestiality. It's so egregious, Judge, but we didn't address any of that. Who screwed it up? Your office, the FBI, or both?" https://talkingpointsmemo.com/morning-memo/judge-eviscerates-trump-doj-over-us-attorney-fiasco
Big stwong man and big stwong man’s liddle stwong man wanna pwoove they are weally, weally tough. https://heathercoxrichardson.substack.com/p/march-13-2026
And from the Swiss point of view: https://www.nzz.ch/panorama/wegen-trump-die-satirischen-ig-nobel-preise-werden-neu-in-zuerich-verliehen-ld.1928615
“Impersonating Predators and Prey to Study Trophic Interactions Through Real-Life Simulations" https://improbable.com/2026/03/31/impersonating-predators-and-prey/
"Undead Robotics: Dead Bodies, Living Machines", Ruibao [China] about the influence of Daniel J. Preston and colleagues and others https://ruibao.news/necrobotics-dead-matter-living-machines/
