We’ve all seen it on social media, especially Facebook. Some friend, or “friend,” or friend of a “friend,” posts a news story. Because it’s social media, the story is often selected (by human nature and algorithms) for its outrage factor. Amid the kitten videos and...
Research
Where Racism, Anti-Vaccination, And COVID-19 Conspiracy Meet
The twin plagues of COVID-19 and racism have come to the fore globally over the past few months, and as with any such afflictions there’s a social desire to scapegoat, finding someone (or some group) to blame. Parallels between the pandemic and racism are not hard to...
The Skeptic Zone Podcast #604!
I'm a guest on The Skeptic Zone podcast #604. This week we hear from me, Mandy-Lee Noble with a Pete Evans update, Michelle Bijkersma with logical fallacies, and News from Australian Skeptics; check it out here: www.skepticzone.tv
‘If You Disagree with Me, Are You Stupid or Dishonest?’
With all the recent news, here's a timely passage from a recent article I wrote: "One element of conspiracy thinking is that those who disagree are either stupid (gullible 'sheeple' who believe and parrot everything they see in the 'mainstream media') or simply lying...
Are People Really Having ‘Coronavirus Parties’?
So this is cool... I'm quoted in a recent article in Rolling Stone about rumors of "coronavirus parties." ...
Squaring the Strange #117: Testing Psychic Detectives Part 2
This installment finishes our discussion on three missing persons cases that Ben, Celestia, and Kenny followed in real time and tracked with psychic detective predictions on how the cases would play out. Part 2 features Ben's examination of the Harley Dilly case, a...
Reopening the Chase Vault Mystery
The current issue of Skeptical Inquirer magazine features an investigation I did into a famous mystery, the Chase Vault in Barbados. Coffins were said to have mysteriously moved while sealed in the vault, attributed to curses, ghosts, flooding, and more. ...
Data Divisions: Projections, Uncertainty, And Unknowns, Part 2
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...
Data Divisions: Projections, Uncertainty, And Unknowns, Part 1
My new 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...
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...