The German version of my science on the Simpsons book is now available:

Schule ist was fuer Versager

The Simpsons Deconstruct Deconstructionism

The most recent episode of the Simpsons (as shown in the US), "That 90s Show," offered a marvellous parody of deconstructionism and other aspects of literary theory from the 90s. Marge falls in love with a rather pompous professor who woos her with his gift for words and self-righteous mocking of the establishment and all social conventions, forcing Homer to rebel by founding the grunge movement. It's truly a hilarious look at those times.

Simpsons auf Deutsch (German translation of my book)

I have just received unofficial word that the German translation of "What's Science Ever Done for Us?" will be in the creative hands of Berlin writer Falko Hennig. Hennig conducts a weekly stage for literary readings and seems to be an innovative figure on the Berlin cultural scene. I don't know what the German title will be yet, but expect it to be published by Rowohlt Verlag sometime in 2008.

In the photo below, Hennig is the one on the right (without the glasses):

Science in The Simpsons Movie

The Simpsons Movie will be coming out soon on DVD. Like the series it features wonderful references to science, including genetic mutations (a multi-eyed squirrel!), environmental catastrophe, a rock and a hard place, strange inventions, cycling around the inside of a dome without falling off and so forth. Although my book What's Science Ever Done for Us? was written before the movie was first released, it includes a "handy science checklist" for what to look for when watching it.

A Surprising Trove of Scientific Knowledge

According to a recent review of my book, What's Science Ever Done for Us?:

"The Simpsons, the longest-running animated television series, is a surprising trove of scientific knowledge. In a guide that should appeal to science buffs and Simpsons fanatics alike, Halpern takes a tongue-in-cheek look at some of the hidden scientific lessons in the series."

Read the full review in:

Science News Online

The Simpsons Scale the Universe

A number of years ago The Simpsons produced a funny parody of the classic look at size and scale in the universe, Powers of Ten.

Here's the original scientific video:

Powers of Ten: A Film Dealing with the Relative Size of Things in the Universe

Now here's the parody (click on link):

The Simpsons Powers of Ten


For more about science on the Simpsons you may be interested in my book:

What's Science Ever Done For Us: What the Simpsons Can Teach Us About Physics, Robots, Life, and the Universe

Roboexotica

Vienna is a beautiful city, once the seat of the Austrian-Hungarian Empire and home of the Habsburgs. Its coffee houses are legendary, and its pastries sublime. Yet increasingly it's becoming famous for a new tradition--the annual gathering of bartending robots--Roboexotica. (For those of you who have read my Simpsons book, I mention it on p. 97.) As its website describes:

"It is the first and, inevitably, the leading festival concerned with cocktail robotics world-wide. A micro mechanical change of paradigm in the age of borderless capital. Alan Turing would doubtless test this out."

The 2007 festival is taking place this weekend. It's co-sponsored by Shifz, makers of the Mind-O-Matic Brainwashing Machine, who advertise that "a daily brainwashing is more important that brushing your teeth."

Vienna is also home of the band Falco. One of their songs "Ganz Wien" begins with the lines:

"Er geht auf der Straß'n
Sagt nicht wohin,
Das Hirn voll 'heavy Metal,'
Und seine Leber ist hin"

loosely translated as: "He's going up the street, not saying where. His brain is full of heavy metal but his liver's not there."

Perhaps the song is describing one of the cocktail-mixing robots heading to Roboexotica..