You may remember Simon Singh from such classics as The Code Book and Fermat’s Enigma (Both of which – absolutely riveting. Thought I’d posted reviews of at least “The Code Book”, but couldn’t find them. Wish I understood half of either of the books…). Anyway, he’s back hucking a new book on the Big Bang (Must make Douglas Adams’ joke about the end of the universe being dissapointing, kind of a “Gnab gib”).

The reason that I mention this is that Powells has an interview with him posted, in which he offhands:

I am taking a break from writing and working on a show called Theatre of Science. The idea is to present science in an engaging, exciting, and thought-provoking manner. … Now we are trying to increase the level of spectacle and theatricality by introducing more scientific demonstrations. For example, our finale involves firing a pair of million volt tesla coils. …(L)ater in the year we hope to bring Theatre of Science to New York.

To which I say “Where, Dear God please, where, can I put down a deposit for tickets?”

Ok, I haven’t really received permission to tell this story so I’ll have to keep it vague, but I thought it was important to get it out there before the internet urban legend machine kicked in. A friend of mine in the medical field (who some of you will recognize from the story, others will know but don’t know the story is about him, and the rest of you will think of as “this guy who my dentist’s sister dated in college” or some such) recently had a lovely baby and in the mdst of post delivery delerium asked his brother to pick pictures of the newborn for emailing to friends. Let me extrapolate: in his delerium he asked the same brother who has achieved minor internet fame a couple times — once on eBay selling parts of his upcoming nuptials — to select pictures that were taken by an unamed third party before, during and after the delivery. Mere minutes after the pictures went out, another email followed by said friend apologizing profusely to the non-medical field personage who received it and a request to delete the pictures immediately. The next set of pictures were a perfect example of motherly and fatherly post-partum bliss holding a beautiful newborn child. Nothing off-putting in the second set of pictures at all.

That’s all I have to say. Now, I won’t burst at the seams trying to hold this story in.