My article examines uncertainties in covid-19 data, from infection to death rates. While some complain that pandemic predictions have been exaggerated for social or political gain, that's not necessarily true; journalism always exaggerates dangers, highlighting dire...
Media Appearances
Squaring the Strange #119: Poll Lotta B.S.!
The new episode of Squaring the Strange is now out! We chat about various Covid-related topics and then dive into a few examples of bad or misleading polls. First we go over a couple that don't really set off alarm bells, like whether beards are sexy or what...
Squaring the Strange #115: The Bermuda Triangle Mystery
For those who didn't see it: A recent episode of Squaring the Strange revisited a classic mystery: The Bermuda Triangle! The Bermuda Triangle is a perennial favorite for seekers of the strange; Ben still gets calls regularly from students eager to ask him...
‘Birds Of Prey’ Misogyny: When Clickbait Harms Women
In February a headline widely shared on social media decried poor reviews of the new film Birds of Prey and blamed it on male film critics hating the film for real or perceived feminist messages (and/or skewed expectations; it’s not clear). The article, by...
Sylvia Browne’s Bogus Coronavirus Prophecies
In recent weeks there’s been many rumors, myths, and misinformation about the current coronavirus pandemic, Covid-19. One of the most curious is the recent resurrection of a posthumous prediction by psychic Sylvia Browne. In her 2008 book End of Days,...
Squaring the Strange #117: Testing Psychic Detectives in Real Time (Part 2)
The new episode of Squaring the Strange is now out, for those who want a break from virus bad news. Celestia, Kenny Biddle, and I tracked psychic detectives's involvement in current cases. In this part 2 of the show, I talk about my examination of a 14-year-old Ohio...
Squaring the Strange # 116: Testing Psychic Detectives in Real Time (Part 1)
The new episode of Squaring the Strange is out! The first of a two-parter, in this episode Celestia and Kenny Biddle each examined recent (then-current) missing person cases and closely examined how psychic detectives "helped" (or interfered) with...
On Russian TV Talking Monsters! “Не факт! Фантастические твари.”
For my Russian-speaking friends, I present my appearance on a Russian television show talking about monster folklore. Though Moscow paid for it, I promise my part (around 19 minutes in) is not Putin's dezinformatsiya, and I got no Shill Rubles for it! You can see it...
Squaring the Strange #114: The Minnesota Iceman
The recent Squaring the Strange is even more awesome than most! We talk with expert Ron Pine about the Minnesota Iceman, a "sasquatchcicle" hoax of truly epic proportions. How did a sideshow gaffe fool two prominent cryptid researchers, and make it all the way to the...
Quoted on Bigfoot in ‘The Mountaineer’
So this is cool: I'm quoted in an article on Bigfoot in The Mountaineer: If you wear a size 14 shoe, chances are some of your high-school classmates called you “Bigfoot.” But that doesn’t mean you are an ape-like beast who may — or may not — just be a...