Some Announcements

Two things to announce. First, I've got a deal to write another book. But it's not another book about hoaxes, so it will be a bit of a new direction for me. It'll be a book about unusual scientific experiments. The kind of experiments that make people say, "Did they really do that?" Experiments such as Stanley Milgram's electric-shock experiments, Ewen Cameron's brainwashing experiments, Louis Jolyon West's "elephant on acid" experiment, as well as some more light-hearted ones.

I've known about the deal for a while, but I only received a final contract this week, so I didn't want to jinx it by publicly announcing it prematurely. However, because I'll need to focus on writing the book, I won't be able to blog as regularly. Which leads to the second announcement.

I've asked Flora, whom many of you know and love already as "Boo", to help me out and blog here with me, and thankfully she's said yes. So the blog should actually improve, instead of fading away, as I work on the book. And yeah, I'll probably still be posting every day, but I won't feel as guilty this way if I miss a day or two.

Because Flora already has such a huge presence on this site (as the organizer and host of the first ever Museum of Hoaxes international get-together back in May, as a tireless moderator keeping the comments free of spam, as one of the most active posters in the forum, and because she's a great writer and much funnier than I am, and a great artist as well) she seemed like the obvious person to ask. She should be able to start posting as soon as I'm able to teach her all the quirks of the blogging software.

Update: I forgot to add that Flora lives in Scotland, so you need to imagine everything she writes being said in a Scottish accent.

Miscellaneous

Posted on Fri Aug 04, 2006



Comments

Will compliments like that...I don't know how she could have refused!

Good luck with the book...I can't wait to see what Boo brings us while you're busy. ::crosses fingers:: Please not a dead pigeon...please not a dead pigeon....
Posted by Maegan  on  Fri Aug 04, 2006  at  05:50 PM
Absolutely the right person to pick.
Posted by LaMa  on  Fri Aug 04, 2006  at  05:56 PM
Wow, congratulations to both Alex and Boo!

Though Alex apparently needs to check his facts.Boo is only "one of the most active posters in the forum"? 😉
Posted by DarknessDragon  on  Fri Aug 04, 2006  at  06:06 PM
**strikes up the Official Forum Brass Band, out of tune or not**
Posted by mazinga  on  Fri Aug 04, 2006  at  06:17 PM
Is there really a book?

Is there really a Boo?

Was there really a convention?
Posted by wdl  on  Fri Aug 04, 2006  at  06:32 PM
From what you've told me about the book Alex, it's going to be great. You just need to fight that urge to procrastinate 😉

Boo, I know you've been stressing, you'll be fine love. Just don't start any fires, I don't think the extinguisher works in here...
Posted by Nettie  on  Fri Aug 04, 2006  at  07:02 PM
So happy for your book deal, Alex. And congrats to Boo, too. There, I said it. Looking forward to additional content, as always. You go, guys! uh...girl. I'm sure you'll let all of us know when those autographed advance copies are ready, won't you, Alex? Best wishes.
Posted by stork  on  Fri Aug 04, 2006  at  07:22 PM
Yay for Alex! Yay for Boo! Yay for all of us! Somehow everything is always fun in the wonderful world of MOH :lol: The book does sound very interesting Alex, I do hope you'll keep us posted on developments 😊
Posted by StarLizard  on  Fri Aug 04, 2006  at  08:03 PM
I also would like to say congratulations to Alex for his new book contract and to Boo for her appointment.

Alex's book topic will be a winner and I'm sure he's got lots of good material to entertain us with. Alex, when do you want me to upload the details of the mind-altering experiments used on Lifewave Energy Patch believers?
Posted by Captain Al  on  Fri Aug 04, 2006  at  09:17 PM
Yay! Congrats to both Alex and Boo. Can't wait to see the results, guys.
Posted by Smerk  on  Fri Aug 04, 2006  at  09:49 PM
I say good luck to you for the new book.

I will comment that many people think all basic science research is unneccessary so the book might only be a case of "Protocols Of The Elders Of Zion" for Luddites, nevertheless it will be interesting from a number of other viewpoints as was your earlier tome.

Milgram is a favourite of mine as an experimenter, because he challenged accepted understandings and theories of human behaviour; I hope you find space for the letter-drop experiment as well. And perhaps, in a psychology section the Ash Experiment could be included? A personal bugbear of mine, as it was used on me to try and stop me being the person I am.
Posted by DFStuckey  on  Fri Aug 04, 2006  at  09:53 PM
CONGRATS to you Alex !!
Posted by Emily  on  Sat Aug 05, 2006  at  08:41 AM
Yay Boo, she'll double the site's traffic. LOL
And Alex, try to limit the number of volumes. 😉 With all the mad scientists, the shipping costs can get high.
Posted by FrostBird  on  Sat Aug 05, 2006  at  08:57 AM
Oh that sounds like a great book! I'm a sucker for stuff like that.
Posted by Sakano  on  Sat Aug 05, 2006  at  09:05 AM
Congratulations! I have just got my hand on your Hippo eats dwarf last month. Really, the book deserves lots of love. Apart from the contents, your writing style is also entertaining and it does help me to improve my poor english. I am looking forward to your new book. Now it's time to start saving up OwO
Posted by Jellyfish Marine  on  Sat Aug 05, 2006  at  09:41 AM
Look for:

Lots of posts aboyut haggis.
Kilts!
Posted by FlintJ  on  Sat Aug 05, 2006  at  10:13 AM
Congrats to both of you! The new book sounds like it's going to be fantastic!
Posted by Razela  on  Sat Aug 05, 2006  at  11:05 AM
>>And perhaps, in a psychology section the Ash Experiment could be included?<<

Yeah, the Asch experiments definitely deserve a place, and I'm planning on having an entire chapter devoted to odd social psychology experiments.
Posted by The Curator  in  San Diego  on  Sat Aug 05, 2006  at  11:27 AM
How "scientific" do the experiments need to be for your book, Alex? Do amateur ones count, or do they have to be laboratory-based with documented results?

My partner's children tell how their mother implanted a fake memory in their minds by talking to them about the "toot sweets" (confectionery shaped like trains) they had eaten once, until they could remember what they looked like, tasted like, etc; though there were never any such sweets. They're in their late teens now, and think it's quite amusing that she tricked them that way.

But what they don't know, and my partner does, is that their mother never actually went through the process of implanting the fake memory; she just told them that she had. That is, their memory of having a fake memory implanted is itself a fake memory.

Weird.
Posted by Wendy  on  Sat Aug 05, 2006  at  05:07 PM
I assume you'll have a whole chapter on Francis Galton? Don't be too harsh with him, he did a lot of incredibly important stuff along with his weirdness.
Posted by Carl Fink  on  Sat Aug 05, 2006  at  06:21 PM
Thanks for the congratulations, guys. I only hope that I can keep up the level of quality that Alex has managed for so long...
Posted by Boo  on  Sat Aug 05, 2006  at  06:40 PM
Damn you, Alex! I'm jealous of you for getting yet ANOTHER book deal. Grrrrr.

In all seriousness, congratulations. Nice going. I'm really looking forward to this book; stuff like the subject matter is very interesting to me. I like to cite the Milgram experiment when I'm talking to friends about human behavior. I assume you're going to include Zimbardo's Prison Experiment too, right? That's really one for the ages!
Posted by Cranky Media Guy  on  Sun Aug 06, 2006  at  03:03 AM
Congrats and best wishes on the book deal Alex... I am sure you will do a fantastic job on it and I can't wait to read it 😊

Boo is an awesome choice for your backup and I am sure things will go well for both of you while you are writing. No worries Boo... you are more than capable of handling the task *hugs*

This website is one of the most interesting I have ever visited on my journeys through the world wide (weird) web and quite frankly I am grateful for the competent support and interesting content brought by the people who are involved with the function of this site (I.E. admins/mods/) as well as the frequent "regulars" who add insightful (or just drop dead funny) comments about those subject.
Posted by oppiejoe  on  Sun Aug 06, 2006  at  07:13 AM
Wendy, that story is a riot! LOL

And what happened to those kids when they actually DID bring out those hard tube candies that worked like whistles? Bet that really did their heads in . . .

PS NIce to see another Kiwi in here too 😊
Posted by DFStuckey  on  Sun Aug 06, 2006  at  12:49 PM
:) Congrats Boo. You'll be fine *hugs*

Congrats on the book offer, Alex. I'm looking forawrd to it.
Posted by gabuhaha  on  Mon Aug 07, 2006  at  06:24 AM
I'm sure you already plan on it, but an account of MK ULTRA on the U.S. side, and similar Soviet mind-control experiments is always a fun read.
Posted by SicTim  on  Mon Aug 07, 2006  at  02:29 PM
"... Flora lives in Scotland, so you need to imagine everything she writes being said in a Scottish accent."

Eh, will there be English subtitles?
Posted by Big Gary  on  Mon Aug 07, 2006  at  02:31 PM
http://www.hfml.sci.kun.nl/froglev.html <-- fav
Posted by Splarka  on  Tue Aug 08, 2006  at  01:01 AM
An experiment to look for: putting electrodes on lobsters to find out which method of cooking them causes them the least pain.
Posted by cvirtue  on  Tue Aug 08, 2006  at  07:35 AM
Alex, Congratulations on the new book deal, Harry
is looking forward to reading it. Sylvia
Posted by Sylvia Borgerson  on  Fri Aug 18, 2006  at  07:43 AM
Congrats Alex! Keep up the good work.

And even though I'm not registered with the forum (which I really should since I've been reading it for years), I've read enough to know that Boo will do a good job keeping up the site, so congratulations on that Boo.
Posted by Archibold  on  Wed Aug 23, 2006  at  02:10 PM
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