 <a href="http://www.disinfo.com/catalog/itemdetail.php?id=271" target="_blank" title="farout.jpg"><img src="http://strangeattractor.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2007/11/farout.jpg" title="farout.jpg" alt="farout.jpg" align="top" border="0" height="367" vspace="8" width="367" /></a>

A nice piece in <a href="http://news.independent.co.uk/sci_tech/article3113407.ece" target="_blank">The Independent</a> by comic Rob Newman about a variant of the singularity that he's termed Technology Collapse:

'500 years from now, Galileo and Kepler study antique technology – SatNav, electrocardiograms, hair tongs – trying to deduce what each was used for. They often have no clue, although Galileo is much praised for his paper On Suggested Applications of the Lean, Mean, Fat-Reducing Grilling Machine.'

Meanwhile, over at <a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/science/2007/nov/01/research" target="_blank">The Guardian,</a> Ian Sample reports on New Scientist's list of science's strangest experiments - including Tusko, the tripping elephant and Vladimir Demikhov: "In 1954 he unveiled a two-headed dog, created in the lab by grafting the head, shoulders and front legs of a puppy on to the neck of a German shepherd dog."

And this seems like a fine time to mention that <a href="http://www.disinfo.com/catalog/itemdetail.php?id=271" target="_blank"><strong><em>Far Out: 101 Strange Tales from Science's Outer Edge</em></strong></a>, a collection of my weird science columns from the <em>Guardian</em>, published by Disinformation press, has shown up and is looking mighty fine. It's in a handy, CD-sized format, and will look great next to the time machine or DNA accelerator – or by the toilet if you don't happen to have any mad scientist gear lying around.

The book is unleashed next week and we'll be previewing a few entries here soon. In the meantime you can make advance orders via <a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/Far-Out-Weird-Facts-Science/dp/1932857877/ref=sr_1_1/202-8936751-5706231?ie=UTF8&amp;s=books&amp;qid=1193912155&amp;sr=8-1" target="_blank">Amazon</a>.

<em>(If you'd like a review copy, drop me a line and I'll try to sort one out...)
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