About two years ago, around the start of the COVID pandemic, I was looking at a friend’s Facebook page answering her question about how best to protect herself. At the time, masking was just coming to the fore but social distancing was advised and hand sanitizers were...
Research
Squaring the Strange # 177 – Field Trip to Bagansland with Susan and Kenny!
Just in time for Halloween: A look back at a classic Squaring the Strange show! We begin with a look at the continuing danger of online rumors igniting mob violence and the Google engineer who is in the news for his belief that the AI in development there has...
Zoom Talk: ‘America the Fearful: Navigating the Media’s Phantom Fears
I recently gave a Zoom talk titled 'America the Fearful: Navigating the Media's Phantom Fears,' based on my new book: "News and social media provide a steady diet of things to fear: COVID. Vaccinations. Immigrants. Kidnapping rings. Satanists. QAnon. Mass shootings....
Squaring the Strange #173: Alien Implants!
For those who missed it, on the episode of Squaring the Strange we discuss implants--of the alien kind! Advanced tracking technology? Splinters? Or something more sinister? Check it out!
What’s ‘Problematic,’ When, and Why
In my previous blog I discussed the (real and performative) outrage over Will Smith attacking Chris Rock at the Oscars, and the curious lack of outrage over co-host Amy Schumer’s long history of (alleged) racism. From racist jokes to behavior,...
Investigating the ‘Stonehenge Surprise’ Crop Circle
The new issue of Skeptical Inquirer magazine features my investigation into the amazing crop circle that appeared near Stonehenge in 1996. It's unique in its complexity and that it's said to have been created in under an hour during daytime. I offer a different...
Chapter in New Book: ‘North American Monsters’
I'm delighted to have contributed a chapter in this new book on the folklore of monsters! I haven't read it yet but many of the other authors are brilliant friends and colleagues, and I'm looking forward to it. Mining a mountain of folklore publications, North...
Mystery of the Borderline Bar Silent Shooting
A few years ago I investigated and solved a mystery that stumped both conspiracy theorists (not hard to do) and a noted science educator (more difficult). Why did eyewitness video of a nightclub shooting contradict eyewitness accounts? On November 7, 2018, a...
Ben and Lake Monsters and… ‘Bob’s Burgers’?
I'm delighted to be mentioned in Russ Dobler's series "The Subtle Skepticism of ‘Bob’s Burgers’! Check out his article HERE!
Quoted in New Book: ‘Disenchantment, Re-Enchantment, and Folklore Genres’
Not the most compelling cover art, but I'm quoted in this new book from the Belgrade Institute for Literature and Arts. The subject, of all things, is my research into the Pokemon seizure panic of 1997. Check it out HERE!