iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Marc Abrahams @marcabrahams.mstdn.science.ap.brid.gy · 06/10/2026

“Quantification of Scalp Hair — A Computer-Aided Methodology". Hair counters count hairs. Scalp-hair counters can and maybe should celebrate that this year, 2026, is the fortieth anniversary year of the publication of one of the most treasured studies of how to […] [Original post on mstdn.science]

The top of the first page of that study.

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Marc Abrahams @marcabrahams.mstdn.science.ap.brid.gy · 04/10/2026

Techniques of Successful Con Men: Realize that everyone can profit if you have a forgiving nature. A June 24, 2026 headline by CBS News says “A Trump-linked firm is lobbying for pardons. Its first client already paid $500,000” […] [Original post on mstdn.science]

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Marc Abrahams @marcabrahams.mstdn.science.ap.brid.gy · 02/10/2026

A New Appreciation of Bill Lipscomb, Chemist and Theatrical Performer improbable.com/2026/10/01/a-new-app…

Photo of Bill LIpscomb and a dancer performing the Interpretive Dance of the Electrons, at the 1994 Ig Nobel Prize ceremony at MIT.

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Marc Abrahams @marcabrahams.mstdn.science.ap.brid.gy · 29/09/2026

If you want to understand everything, you can begin or end [or begin *and* end] your journey here, in this study improbable.com/2026/09/29/everythin…

Q Methodology, Quantum Theory, and Psychology
Simon Watts, Ph.D.

University College Northampton

Paul Stenner, Ph.D.

University College London

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Marc Abrahams @marcabrahams.mstdn.science.ap.brid.gy · 27/09/2026

Techniques of Successful Con Men: Make sure that none of your activities will lead to legal problems. A headline from CNN, on July 13, 2026, says: “Rubio vows to ‘dismantle’ International Criminal Court — US Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Monday vowed to […] [Original post on mstdn.science]

Artist rendering of the original news item which has a photo of Rubio

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Marc Abrahams @marcabrahams.mstdn.science.ap.brid.gy · 24/09/2026

"Anthropometric Analysis of Linear Parameters of the Indian Nose: A Cross-Sectional Study and Comparison With Literature" is just one of the research studies featured in this month's issue of mini-AIR, the free wee, tiny batch of stuff too whatever to fit in […] [Original post on mstdn.science]

The top of the first page of that research study

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Marc Abrahams @marcabrahams.mstdn.science.ap.brid.gy · 20/09/2026

Techniques of Successful Con Men: Keep Money in the Hands of Someone You Trust, A headline in The New Republic (on July 27, 2026) says: “Trump Confirms He’s Hoarding Billions From Venezuelan Oil — President Trump is refusing to say what happened to the billions […] [Original post on mstdn.science]

Artist rendering of the original news article

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Marc Abrahams @marcabrahams.mstdn.science.ap.brid.gy · 19/09/2026

"Meta has limited the ability to comment." Gosh, gotta wonder why...

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Marc Abrahams @marcabrahams.mstdn.science.ap.brid.gy · 19/09/2026

Please join us for BOST-Ig, AN IG NOBEL CELEBRATION IN CAMBRIDGE, MASSACHUSETTS, USA, on Thursday, September 24. WHAT: A celebration of the new Ig Nobel Prize winners, who received their prizes on September 3 in Zurich, Switzerland at the 36th First Annual Ig […] [Original post on mstdn.science]

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Marc Abrahams @marcabrahams.mstdn.science.ap.brid.gy · 18/09/2026

Ig Nobel Face-to-Face event in TOKYO, Sunday, September 20. Ig Nobel Prize winners (and a Nobel laureate) ask each other about their work. And answer questions from the audience. And throw paper airplanes. www.miraikan.jst.go.jp/events/20260…

Photo of paper planes being thrown at last year's (2025) Tokyo Ig Nobel Face-to-Face event

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Marc Abrahams @marcabrahams.mstdn.science.ap.brid.gy · 14/09/2026

The special MIXTURES issue (vol. 32, no. 5) of the magazine Annals of Improbable Research is now available. And you can read some of it for free, online. payhip.com/b/dQWAz

The front cover of this issue of the magazine. It shows a bottle collection bin on a Paris street. A large mixture of empty bottles, left there by citizens of Paris, surrounds it on the sidewalk.

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Marc Abrahams @marcabrahams.mstdn.science.ap.brid.gy · 13/09/2026

Techniques of Successful Con Men: Make some wild, random demand — then if people pay any attention to you, demand more and more — A headline in the New York Times (on May 18, 2026) says: “In Closed-Door Talks, U.S. Demands a Major Role in Greenland — […] [Original post on mstdn.science]

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Marc Abrahams @marcabrahams.mstdn.science.ap.brid.gy · 11/09/2026

THIS is how to write a notice when you tell people about a software update: "We also added a convenient button to restore the default notification settings if you ever make so many changes that you don't even know how to get ahold of yourself anymore." Yay, #Signal !

What's New X
September 10, 2026 - 8.27.0
This update introduces more granular settings
to give you significantly more control over your
Signal notifications. Now you can choose what
appears on the app badge, adjust notification
preferences for muted threads, and more! We
also added a convenient button to restore the
default notification settings if you ever make so
many changes that you don't even know how to
get ahold of yourself anymore.

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Marc Abrahams @marcabrahams.mstdn.science.ap.brid.gy · 09/09/2026

Slime Molds and a double Prize winner and a big, great science adventure improbable.com/2026/09/09/slime-mol…

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Marc Abrahams @marcabrahams.mstdn.science.ap.brid.gy · 07/09/2026

It's wonderful to be a famous author, let me tell you. You receive mash notes from authors who are much more famous than you are. This one arrived today (see the attached image of it). It's about the sixth note just like it, with nearly identical wording, I've […] [Original post on mstdn.science]

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Marc Abrahams @marcabrahams.mstdn.science.ap.brid.gy · 07/09/2026

Techniques of Successful Con Men: Make at least enough money to satisfy your basic needs. A headline in The Independent, on July 4, 2026, says: “Trump cashed in with 327 stock purchases just before he sent the market soaring by pausing tariffs: disclosure — The […] [Original post on mstdn.science]

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Marc Abrahams @marcabrahams.mstdn.science.ap.brid.gy · 04/09/2026

IG NOBEL FACE-to-FACE in ZURICH — TODAY, Friday, September 4, 2026, 2:00 pm, Hörsaal Universität Zürich. The new Ig Nobel Prize winners will ask each other questions about their work. The Face-to-Face event is free. The room is known as "the Gummy Bear Room" […] [Original post on mstdn.science]

A teaser drawing, by artist Becky Moon, for the Face-to-Face event. It shows a favorite Ig Nobel Prize from many years ago. (The prize has a different design every year.)

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Marc Abrahams @marcabrahams.mstdn.science.ap.brid.gy · 04/09/2026

The 2026 Ig Nobel Prize winners were introduced at the 36th First Annual Ig Nobel Prize ceremony, in Zurich, Switzerland, on September 3, 2026. Each winner has done something that makes people LAUGH, then THINK. #IgNobel […] [Original post on mstdn.science]

Photo of some of the Ig Nobel Prize winners, Nobel laureates, bananas, and others gathered on stage in the concluding moments of the ceremony

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Marc Abrahams @marcabrahams.mstdn.science.ap.brid.gy · 03/09/2026

TODAY! The 2026 Ig Nobel Prizes will be awarded at the 36th First Annual Ig Nobel Prize ceremony, on Thursday evening, September 3, 2026. The ceremony itself begins at 7:00 pm (Central European time). The pre-show dance performance begins at 6:45 pm. The […] [Original post on mstdn.science]

Drawing, by artist Becky Moon, of a person who is the happy target of 1500 happy people throwing paper airplanes at him.

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Marc Abrahams @marcabrahams.mstdn.science.ap.brid.gy · 02/09/2026

TOMORROW — the 36th First Annual Ig Nobel Prize Ceremony (and webcast, and watch parties). Spread the word! improbable.com/the-36th-first-annua…

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Marc Abrahams @marcabrahams.mstdn.science.ap.brid.gy · 31/08/2026

THREE DAYS until the Ig Nobel Prize Ceremony (and webcast, and watch parties)! improbable.com/the-36th-first-annua…

Drawing, by artist Becky Moon, of one of the Ig Nobel ceremony organizers

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Marc Abrahams @marcabrahams.mstdn.science.ap.brid.gy · 30/08/2026

Techniques of Successful Con Men: Inspire People to Make Lucky Guesses. A news headline by Reuters, on March 24, 2026, says: “Traders bet $500 million on oil price just before Trump’s post on delay to Iran attack — Traders bet heavily on crude 15 minutes before […] [Original post on mstdn.science]

An artist rendering of the original news report.

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Marc Abrahams @marcabrahams.mstdn.science.ap.brid.gy · 27/08/2026

The 36th First Annual Ig Nobel Prize ceremony will happen a week from today in Zurich, Switzerland - on Thursday, 3 September, 2026, starting at 19:00 (Central European time). If you don't have a ticket to be there in person, watch the free webcast. Maybe go to […] [Original post on mstdn.science]

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Marc Abrahams @marcabrahams.mstdn.science.ap.brid.gy · 25/08/2026

Sometimes a citation can sound like a metaphor: "The Blowhard Problem" improbable.com/2026/08/25/the-blowh…

ASYMPTOTIC STUDY OF THE BLOWHARD PROBLEM FOR THE SUPERSONIC
FLOW OF A GAS PAST SHARP SLENDER BODIES*
A.M. ANTONOV and Yu. A. BELOV
(Received 20 November 1974; revised 24 January 1975)
A NON-LINEAR boundary value problem describing the flow past sharp slender bodies from an
intensive blast is discussed. The asymptotic behaviour of the solution at large distances from the
nose is discussed.

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Marc Abrahams @marcabrahams.mstdn.science.ap.brid.gy · 24/08/2026

The Official Ig Nobel Card Game Is Born! Yes, there are card games that make people LAUGH, and yes, there are card games that make people THINK. Now, new to the world, there is an official card game based on the Ig Nobel Prizes, which are all about research […] [Original post on mstdn.science]

Photos of the front and back of the box the game comes in

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Marc Abrahams @marcabrahams.mstdn.science.ap.brid.gy · 23/08/2026

Techniques of Successful Con Men: To impress people who are impressed by big numbers, invent big quotas that are the sole things your helpers must achieve. A headline in The Independent, on March 20, 2026, says: “Judges have issued over 7,000 rulings in recent […] [Original post on mstdn.science]

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Marc Abrahams @marcabrahams.mstdn.science.ap.brid.gy · 23/08/2026

A very few more tickets became available for the 26th First Annual Ig Nobel Prize ceremony (which will happen on Thursday, September 3, in #Zurich, Switzerland). Grab ‘em while you can. #IgNobel […] [Original post on mstdn.science]

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Marc Abrahams @marcabrahams.mstdn.science.ap.brid.gy · 16/08/2026

Techniques of Successful Con Men: Encourage your friends to make deals. — A headline in the Wall Street Journal, on March 13, 2026, says: “Trump Administration Set to Receive $10 Billion Fee for Brokering TikTok Deal — Investors in social-media platform’s U.S […] [Original post on mstdn.science]

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Marc Abrahams @marcabrahams.mstdn.science.ap.brid.gy · 09/08/2026

Techniques of Successful Con Men: Vow to spend a little bit of money to mitigate expensive problems caused by things on which you spend and make a lot of money. A news headline in Engadget, on March 5, 2025, says: “Google pledges roughly three hours of its […] [Original post on mstdn.science]

A sign that identifies for visitors that a Google building is a building that houses Google stuff.

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Marc Abrahams @marcabrahams.mstdn.science.ap.brid.gy · 04/08/2026

The Future-Seeing Wisdom of Venture Capitalists Using Other People’s Money improbable.com/2026/08/04/the-futur…

The top of the first page of the research study titled “Do Venture Capitalists Beat Random Allocation?”

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Marc Abrahams @marcabrahams.mstdn.science.ap.brid.gy · 02/08/2026

Techniques of Successful Con Men: Whenever you do something intensely foolish and then see it fail, (1) explain that it was done by someone you dislike, and (2) vow to punish that person. improbablestuff.substack.com/p/con-…

Artist’s rendition of the original news report

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Marc Abrahams @marcabrahams.mstdn.science.ap.brid.gy · 26/07/2026

Techniques of Successful Con Men: When you make travel plans, don’t skimp on your well-being. A headline in Axios, February 28, 2026: “Noem burning deportation cash on luxury jets — Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem’s plan to use border funds for an […] [Original post on mstdn.science]

Artist rendition of the original news item

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Marc Abrahams @marcabrahams.mstdn.science.ap.brid.gy · 26/07/2026

From Your Brain, Please, Not Your Bot —— If you want to submit an article for possible publication in the magazine, write it using only the brain inside your head. Please do NOT send us anything ‘written’ with or by an AI program. [NOTE: We first published this […] [Original post on mstdn.science]

Photo of an old advertising message stenciled on a railroad overpass in Cardiff. The message says “it’s Brains you want!”

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Marc Abrahams @marcabrahams.mstdn.science.ap.brid.gy · 25/07/2026

July issue of the newsletter (mini-AIR), with Head Carrying Capacity Stuff improbable.com/2026/07/25/july-issu…

Screen grab of the headline from the research study "WHY DO INDONESIAN AMBROSIA BEETLES CARRY EGGS ON THEIR HEADS?"

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Marc Abrahams @marcabrahams.mstdn.science.ap.brid.gy · 19/07/2026

Techniques of Successful Con Men: When people are dismayed and worried, cheer them by telling romance fantasy stories. A headline from the BBC, on June 10, 2026, says: “Trump: ‘I love the inflation’ During an Oval Office signing event on 10 June, President […] [Original post on mstdn.science]

Artist’s rendering of the original news headline

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Marc Abrahams @marcabrahams.mstdn.science.ap.brid.gy · 17/07/2026

Little people. Big people. Other people... The special PEOPLE issue (volume 32, number 4, July/August 2026) of the magazine Annals of Improbable Research. payhip.com/b/nhOlm

The front cover of the magazine, featuring a photo in a medical museum in London of a statue of a person in front of walls that display paintings of other persons.

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Marc Abrahams @marcabrahams.mstdn.science.ap.brid.gy · 16/07/2026

Herman Chernoff, who invented Chernoff Faces, has died. Chernoff faces are an unusually human way of representing statistical data. #Statistics improbable.com/2026/07/15/herman-ch…

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Marc Abrahams @marcabrahams.mstdn.science.ap.brid.gy · 15/07/2026

Intravenous jellybean — an unusual kind of eye candy for doctors improbable.com/2026/07/14/intraveno…

A photo of an example of this medical phenomenon

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Marc Abrahams @marcabrahams.mstdn.science.ap.brid.gy · 12/07/2026

Techniques of Successful Con Men: Find ways to get other people to pay for advertising your products. A news headline by the Associated Press, on February 17, 2026, says: "Trump family business files for trademark rights on any airports using the president’s […] [Original post on mstdn.science]

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