My Spanish-language article on water dowsing is now out for 'Pensar' magazine, thanks to Alejandro Borgo for the translation! Los tiempos de estrés social, dificultades e incertidumbre estimulan el interés en todo tipo de adivinación y profecía. El público va a...
Psychology
Quoted in a Global News Canada article on Sasquatch
I'm quoted in a Global News Canada article on the search for Sasquatch, talking about why the evidence for Bigfoot keeps falling short. Check it out HERE! Also, please subscribe to my podcast!
Desperation and Drought Draw Dubious Dowsers
Times of social stress, hardship, and uncertainty spur interest in all kinds of divination and prophecy. The public goes to see psychics and fortunetellers more often in times of economic depression than prosperity, times of loss rather than love. It’s human nature,...
Karmas and Dogmas
A few years back I wrote a short piece on karma for the late, great, independent weekly The Alibi. There is a dark, cruel aspect to it: Everything bad that happens to you is your own fault... If you're beaten, robbed, raped, get hit by a bus or get cancer it's because...
Squaring the Strange # 148 – Steak-Umms and the 2001 Monkey Man Panic!
For this episode we are joined by a surprise guest, the critical thinker behind the Steak-Umms popular brand voice (aka Nathan Allebach), who talks to us about targeting misinformation as a PR strategy, managing viral posts, and the brand's recent dustup with Neil...
The Monkey Man Panic: 20 Years Later
Twenty years ago last month the capital of India was gripped in a panic. Early reports claimed that some mysterious monkey-like creature attacked many residents in New Delhi, leaving fear, scars, and ultimately even dead bodies in its wake. The Monkey Man, as it came...
Interview in ‘Superstitious Times’
I'm interviewed in a 'Superstitious Times' piece on the inability (or unwillingness) of investigators to call out fraud and hoaxing in their own fields: "What’s happened, Radford added, was the democratization of paranormal investigators, in particular those who...
Roots Of—And Responses To—COVID-19 Vaccination Hesitancy
My new blog examines some myths about, and ways to address, covid vaccine hesitancy. From concerns about efficacy to the "Dirty Dozen" social media anti-vaxxers, the first step is understanding the problem; the second step is knowing your audience. As the...
Audio Pareidolia And The Chauvin Trial
During the recent trial of former police officer Derek Chauvin in the death of George Floyd, an interesting—and easily overlooked—aspect related to psychology and critical thinking arose. As MSN reported, “Derek Chauvin defense attorney Eric Nelson on...
Monster Freed After Lawyer Offers Ridiculous Defense!’: Post Hoc Fallacies In Legal Outcomes
With the recent trials of Derek Chauvin and others, I'm seeing a common fallacy: Seemingly outrageous legal defenses are held up as evidence of how horrible American social values are. But the outrage is evidence of nothing more than a misunderstanding of the justice...