Podcasts about James Randi Educational Foundation

0:00:00 Introduction Richard Saunders 00:03:58 New Moon Superstitions Lara Benham (and the Skeptic Zone cats) take a look at some of the myths and superstitions regarding the new moon. Included is a clip from our friend Kenny Biddle. 0:14:18 Flat Earthers fall flat in the Antarctic A report of a group of hopeful flat earthers and globe earthers who travel to the Antarctic to view the 24 hour sun...... or not! 24h Timelapse of Antactic Sun https://youtu.be/in0B1OQG3-M 0:24:58 Australian Skeptics Newsletter What skeptical news has caught the eye of Tim Mendham this week? Read by Adrienne Hill. http://www.skeptics.com.au 0:03:42 Richard Saunders' Skeptical Challenge Over the past 25 years, Saunders had the opportunity of being involved in numerous preliminary tests for the Australian Skeptics challenge, as well as the James Randi Educational Foundation's (JREF) US$1,000,000 prize in the 2010s, where he served on the committee that met annually in Las Vegas. A reading from The Skeptic, Vol. 44 No. 4 (2024) http://www.skeptics.com.au 0:43:36 The TROVE Archives A wander through the decades of digitised Australian newspapers on a search for references to New Moon Superstitions. 1892.03.12 - The Queenbean Age 1943.09.29 - The Inverel Times 1908.11.21 - The Pastral Times 1834.03.25 - The Sunday Mail 1924.06.14 - The Queenbean Figero http://www.trove.nla.gov.au Also Kenny Biddle with Kat McLeod and Lara Benham https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=ytPtiuunFdc

Jamy Ian Swiss is the author of five books and co-author of two other books and consultant or contributor to at least eight other books and magazines, frequent performer at the Magic Castle, co-producer of Monday Night Magic, historian, lecturer, teacher, consultant, Senior Fellow of the James Randi Educational Foundation, skeptic, and an expert on the intersection of science, magic, and skepticism. He has frequently appeared on television talk and news shows including all the networks with occasional appearances in movies and documentaries. View fullsize View fullsize View fullsize View fullsize View fullsize View fullsize View fullsize View fullsize View fullsize View fullsize This discussion was recorded in the Magic Castle when we worked together there in March 2023. In our conversation, Jamy covers the gamut of magic from those who have influenced his life to an esoteric discussion of equivoque and the power of magic has on our audience and a deep dive into a theoretical talk about magic. Nearly everyone who is anyone in magic had their name dropped in this week's chat by someone who intimately knew them all quite well. Jamy truly is the conjuror's conjuror. Download this podcast in an MP3 file by Clicking Here and then right click to save the file. You can also subscribe to the RSS feed by Clicking Here. You can download or listen to the podcast through Stitcher by Clicking Here or through FeedPress by Clicking Here or through Tunein.com by Clicking Here or through iHeart Radio by Clicking Here..If you have a Spotify account, then you can also hear us through that app, too. You can also listen through your Amazon Alexa and Google Home devices. Remember, you can download it through the iTunes store, too. See the preview page by Clicking Here

In this episode, Perry Carpenter sits down with renowned mentalist and skeptic, Banachek. Banachek (Steve Shaw) grew up with a fascination in magic and a frustration with psychic frauds. As a teenager, he contacted magician and skeptic, James “The Amazing” Randi and ended up working with Randi on a special initiative known as Project Alpha, which set out to expose a general lack of objectivity in parapsychology research. Banachek served as the director for the James Randi Educational Foundation's “One Million Dollar Paranormal Challenge” for 15 years and is now the President of the James Randi Educational Foundation.  Perry and Banachek discuss Project Alpha, the ways of fake psychics and fraudulent faith healers, and issues associated with confirmation bias and framing effects. They also discuss Banachek's new live mentalism show in Las Vegas, which incorporates theatrical mindreading and other mentalism effects along with a storyline that explores Banachek's life, antics, and passion for critical thinking. Guest: Banachek (Website) (twitter): Mentalist (Performing in Las Vegas add 'social' for 30% off tickets), Skeptic, President of the James Randi Educational Foundation This episode also featured a quick comment from: George Finney: (LinkedIn); Chief Security Officer at Southern Methodist University; Founder of Well Aware Security Books and References (Book links are 'Amazon Associate' links which help support the show): Brian Brushwood's podcast, World's Greatest Con Banachek Wikipedia entry Project Alpha Wikipedia entry James Randi Wikipedia entry Article about Houdini's efforts to debunk fake mediums The Discoverie of Witchcraft Wikipedia entry The Psychology of the Ouija Barnum Effect Wikipedia entry James Randi & Project Alpha Video Project Alpha lookback -- James Randi and Michael Edwards Psychological Subtleties vol 1, by Banachek Behind the Scenes with the Mediums, by David Abbott The Discoverie of Witchcraft Transformational Security Awareness: What Neuroscientists, Storytellers, and Marketers Can Teach Us About Driving Secure Behaviors by Perry Carpenter Music and Sound Effects by Blue Dot Sessions & Storyblocks. Artwork by Chris Machowski.

This is just a preview of our exclusive Patreon bonus episode. You can hear the full episode by becoming a supporter at: www.patreon.com/indoctrination In this first episode of our new Patreon exclusive tribute series, we are covering the highly knowledgeable, and often hilarious James Randi. James Randi was a Canadian-American stage magician, author, and scientific skeptic who extensively challenged paranormal and pseudoscientific claims. He was the co-founder of the Committee for Skeptical Inquiry and founder of the James Randi Educational Foundation. Randi began his career as a magician under the stage name The Amazing Randi and later chose to devote most of his time to investigating paranormal, occult, and supernatural claims, which he collectively called "woo-woo" He wrote about paranormal phenomena, skepticism, and the history of magic. He was a frequent guest on The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson, famously exposing fraudulent faith healer Peter Popoff. Before Randi's retirement, his foundation sponsored the One Million Dollar Paranormal Challenge, which offered a prize of one million US dollars to eligible applicants who could demonstrate evidence of any paranormal, supernatural, or occult power or event under test conditions agreed to by both parties. James was a kind and brilliant man, who sadly passed away in 2020 but his impact still looms large and we are excited to share some of our thoughts on him as well as some of his ideas in his own words in this episode. Find more info on Randi and his foundation at: https://web.randi.org/

DJ Grothe is the former host of the podcasts Point of Inquiry and For Good Reason and the past president of the James Randi Educational Foundation.  While he has interviewed hundreds of skeptic and scientific leaders, he rarely tells his own story of how he attended a little Bible college in the piney woods of East Texas, called Ambassador University.  In this episode, I sit down to ask DJ why he joined the homophobic Worldwide Church of God when he was 14 years old - the same year that he came out as gay and the same year he started getting into magic. We also talk about how his background in magic and a magazine housed in Ambassador University's library helped to lead him out of the doomsday apocalyptic cult he had once joined, and why today, he says he's grateful for the entire experience.

In this episode, Perry Carpenter sits down with renowned mentalist and skeptic, Banachek. Banachek (Steve Shaw) grew up with a fascination in magic and a frustration with psychic frauds. As a teenager, he contacted magician and skeptic, James “The Amazing” Randi and ended up working with Randi on a special initiative known as Project Alpha, which set out to expose a general lack of objectivity in parapsychology research. Banachek served as the director for the James Randi Educational Foundation's “One Million Dollar Paranormal Challenge” for 15 years and is now the President of the James Randi Educational Foundation.  Perry and Banachek discuss Project Alpha, the ways of fake psychics and fraudulent faith healers, and issues associated with confirmation bias and framing effects. They also discuss Banachek's new live mentalism show in Las Vegas, which incorporates theatrical mindreading and other mentalism effects along with a storyline that explores Banachek's life, antics, and passion for critical thinking. Guest: Banachek (Website) (twitter): Mentalist (Performing in Las Vegas add 'social' for 30% off tickets), Skeptic, President of the James Randi Educational Foundation This episode also featured a quick comment from: George Finney: (LinkedIn); Chief Security Officer at Southern Methodist University; Founder of Well Aware Security Books and References: Banachek Wikipedia entry Project Alpha Wikipedia entry James Randi Wikipedia entry Article about Houdini's efforts to debunk fake mediums The Discoverie of Witchcraft Wikipedia entry The Psychology of the Ouija Barnum Effect Wikipedia entry James Randi & Project Alpha Video Project Alpha lookback -- James Randi and Michael Edwards Psychological Subtleties vol 1, by Banachek Behind the Scenes with the Mediums, by David Abbott The Discoverie of Witchcraft Transformational Security Awareness: What Neuroscientists, Storytellers, and Marketers Can Teach Us About Driving Secure Behaviors by Perry Carpenter Music and Sound Effects by Blue Dot Sessions & Storyblocks. Artwork by Chris Machowski.

Today we talk about prosperity gospel preacher AA Allen and his take no shit attitude and how he translated that into... building a commune?https://ifyoucatchmygrift.com/Twitter: @catchmygriftpod@catchdalton@austinagogoInstagram: @catchmygriftpodhttps://www.facebook.com/IfYouCatchMyGrift/Footnotes:http://voiceofhealing.info/04_other%20ministries/allen.htmlhttps://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1970/06/14/issue.htmlHarrell, David Edwin. All things are possible: The Healing and Charismatic Revivals in Modern America. Indiana University Press. 1978.Randi, James. The Faith Healers. James Randi Educational Foundation. Kindle Edition. Intro: Bad Bite by '68Outro: Faith by George Micheal

President - James Randi Educational Foundation : D.J. Grothe is President of the James Randi Educational Foundation. He has lectured widely on topics at the intersection of education, science and belief at universities such as Stanford, Harvard, Yale, UCLA, UC Berkeley, and dozens of others. Formerly a professional magician, he has special interests in the psychology of belief and processes of deception and self-deception. He hosts the radio show and podcast For Good Reason , prior to which he hosted over 200 episodes of the popular interview program Point of Inquiry, which he and his partner Thomas Donnelly created in 2005. - www.randi.orgFor Your Listening Pleasure for these Lockdown / Stay-At-Home COVID and Variants Times - For all the radio shows available on The 'X' Zone Broadcast Network visit - https://www.spreaker.com/user/xzoneradiotv.Our radio shows archives and programming include: A Different Perspective with Kevin Randle; Alien Cosmic Expo Lecture Series; Alien Worlds Radio Show; America's Soul Doctor with Ken Unger; Back in Control Radio Show with Dr. David Hanscom, MD; Connecting with Coincidence with Dr. Bernard Beitman, MD; Dick Tracy; Dimension X; Exploring Tomorrow Radio Show; Flash Gordon; Imagine More Success Radio Show with Syndee Hendricks and Thomas Hydes; Jet Jungle Radio Show; Journey Into Space; Know the Name with Sharon Lynn Wyeth; Lux Radio Theatre - Classic Old Time Radio; Mission Evolution with Gwilda Wiyaka; Paranormal StakeOut with Larry Lawson; Ray Bradbury - Tales Of The Bizarre; Sci Fi Radio Show; Seek Reality with Roberta Grimes; Space Patrol; Stairway to Heaven with Gwilda Wiyaka; The 'X' Zone Radio Show with Rob McConnell; Two Good To Be True with Justina Marsh and Peter Marsh; and many other!That's The ‘X' Zone Broadcast Network Shows and Archives - https://www.spreaker.com/user/xzoneradiotv

In this episode, the Crew goes behind the scenes with bestselling author Andrew Mayne to discuss his latest thriller BLACK CORAL. To say Andrew is an interesting person would be an understatement. He has been nominated for the Edgar Award for his book Black Fall and the Thriller Award for Name of the Devil and The Naturalist – an Amazon Charts best-seller that spent six weeks at the number one spot for all books on Amazon. Prior to his first publishing deal, Andrew was listed by Amazon as one of the top-ten best selling indie authors of the year. Andrew starred in the Discovery Channel Shark Week special Andrew Mayne: Ghost Diver where he swam alongside great white sharks using an underwater stealth suit he designed. Andrew also starred in the A&E magic television series Don't Trust Andrew Mayne. With the support from the Johnny Carson foundation and the James Randi Educational Foundation, Andrew created a program to use magic to teach critical thinking skills in public schools. His Wizard School segments, teaching magic and science to children, aired nationwide on Public Television. As a creative consultant he's worked behind the scenes for David Copperfield, Penn & Teller and David Blaine. He's developed innovative magic effects that are performed around the world and even helped develop an experiment that was conducted onboard the International Space Station. His underwater stealth suit featured in the Shark Week special Andrew Mayne: Ghost Diver was the result of his interest in perception and engineering. While researching great white sharks and their behavior he developed artificial intelligence models based on sharks and used them to create a VR training simulator for shark interaction. Andrew's current project is AI Channels, an artificial intelligence platform built in collaboration with OpenAI for interacting with virtual characters that can be used for education and storytelling. Don't forget to subscribe to our channel and leave a comment. And if you want to learn more about the guys from The Crew or see additional author interviews, visit us at http://www.thecrewreviews.com Follow us on social media: Twitter| https://twitter.com/CREWbookreviews Instagram| https://www.instagram.com/thecrewreviews/ Facebook| https://www.facebook.com/thecrewreviews/

Philip Plait, also known as The Bad Astronomer, is an American astronomer, skeptic, writer and popular science blogger. Plait has worked as part of the Hubble Space Telescope team, images and spectra of astronomical objects, as well as engaging in public outreach advocacy for NASA missions. He has written two books, Bad Astronomy and Death from the Skies. He has also appeared in several science documentaries, including How the Universe Works on the Discovery Channel. From August 2008 through 2009, he served as president of the James Randi Educational Foundation.[2][3] Additionally, he wrote and hosted episodes of Crash Course Astronomy which aired its last episode in 2016. Support the podcast: https://www.patreon.com/drbriankeating Thanks to today’s sponsor, LinkedIn Jobs! Visit linkedin.com/impossible to post your job ad for FREE!

James Randi was a Canadian-American stage magician and scientific skeptic who extensively challenged paranormal and pseudoscientific claims. He was the co-founder of the Committee for Skeptical Inquiry and founder of the James Randi Educational Foundation. #JamesRandi #psychic #radiowasteland

President - James Randi Educational Foundation : D.J. Grothe is President of the James Randi Educational Foundation. He has lectured widely on topics at the intersection of education, science and belief at universities such as Stanford, Harvard, Yale, UCLA, UC Berkeley, and dozens of others. Formerly a professional magician, he has special interests in the psychology of belief and processes of deception and self-deception. He hosts the radio show and podcast For Good Reason , prior to which he hosted over 200 episodes of the popular interview program Point of Inquiry, which he and his partner Thomas Donnelly created in 2005. - www.randi.org

This week's episode is positively massive. Erik Tait sits down with one of the greatest mind readers to ever grace the stage, Banachek. They talk about the James Randi Educational Foundation, behind the scenes of Criss Angel Mindfreak, and a bit about The Alpha Project. Nick Locapo stops by the show to talk about The Pinky Thing. Before all that, the show kicks off with Paul Draper on The Top Five Under Five.

In 1499, Johannes Söffler predicted that a great flood would nearly wipe out Earth's population. Given that we live in a very crowded 2019, you can probably guess how that worked out. But Söffler's doomsday prediction did come true for at least one unlucky individual.  Sources: Söffler, Johannes. Wikipedia. Last accessed on November 11, 2019. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Johannes_St%C3%B6ffler Strauss, Mark. Ten Notable Apocalypses That (Obviously) Didn't Happen. Smithsonian. November 12, 2009. https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/ten-notable-apocalypses-that-obviously-didnt-happen-9126331/ Dr. Vitelli, Romeo. Storming the Ark. The James Randi Educational Foundation. January 25, 2011. http://archive.randi.org/site/index.php/swift-blog/1198-storming-the-ark.html

In this episode Cat interviews Rebecca, The Skeptic. Rebecca explains what being a skeptic means to her and why she is passionate about spreading ‘the good news' of reason and compassion. Cat digs into Rebecca's past and they talk about her previous life as a Wiccan and what made her change course from a spiritual to a scientific worldview. Exploring esoteric, paranormal and spiritual topics from two completely different perspectives it's The Seeker and The Skeptic.   Skeptical Books The Demon Haunted World: Science as a Candle in the Dark Astrophysicist and science communicator Carl Sagan's 1995 book intended to explain the scientific method to lay-people. Considered a key text by many skeptics. Mistakes Were Made (But Not by Me): Why we Justify Foolish Beliefs, Bad Decisions, and Hurtful Acts Social psychologists Carol Tavris and Elliot Aronson's 2007 book explores numerous cognitive biases and their impact in our political and personal lives. Why People Believe Weird Things: Pseudoscience Superstition and Other Confusions of Our Time Renowned skeptic and editor of skeptic magazine Michael Shermer's 1997 book reflects on the psychology behind belief in the incredible.   Skeptical Websites What's the Harm? A website which documents the stories of people who have been harmed by lapses in critical thinking leading to financial loss, physical injury or death.   Skeptical Podcasts Skeptics with a K British fortnightly podcast. Each episode the irreverent hosts chat about current affairs and topics of perennial interest to skeptics. Skeptics' Guide to the Universe American weekly podcast. Each episode the hosts skeptically examine several issues and present a game that allows listeners to hone their own critical thinking skills. The Reality Check Canadian weekly podcast. The hosts discuss topical ‘controversies and curiosities' using critical thinking skills and wit to separate science-fact from science-fiction.   Sceptical Education Your Deceptive Mind: A Scientific Guide to Critical Thinking Skills 24 lecture course presented by professor Steven Novella, M.D. empowers students with knowledge and techniques which will improve their critical thinking skills. Available directly from The Great Courses or on Audible.com.   Skeptics on YouTube Rethinking Doubt: The Values and Achievements of Skepticism An impassioned TedX talk from prominent skeptic George Hrab which introduces the audience to skepticism and explains its critical importance. Captain Disillusion A YouTube channel produced by independent filmmaker Alan Melikdjanian. In monthly installments The Captain humorously debunks viral videos. James Randi Educational Foundation A YouTube channel curated by the James Randi Educational Foundation featuring lectures from prominent skeptics on many topics.   Skeptic Socialising Skeptics in the Pub Informal meetups held all over the world predominantly in the U.K. and U.S. events usually feature a talk, a Q&A session and a chance to socialise with fellow skeptics. Your Local Skeptic Society Try Googling your location and the word skeptic, most countries have at least one skeptical organisation that hosts social and educational events. You could also try looking for skeptically themed events on meetup.com.

Encore release October 13, 2018. Encore release July 6, 2017. We interview linguist Karen Stollznow, author of God Bless America: Strange and Unusual Religious Beliefs and Practices in the United States (available in paperback and for Kindle). Also check out her ebook Haunting America. Karen has spent two decades writing about a diverse array of topics, including language, culture, religion, science, pseudoscience, and the paranormal. She pens the “Bad Language” column for Skeptic magazine and is a Research Fellow of the James Randi Educational Foundation. For more about Karen and her work, visit KarenStollznow.com.

Ralph Lewis, MD, is a psychiatrist at Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre in Toronto, Canada; an assistant professor in the Department of Psychiatry at the University of Toronto; and a psycho-oncology consultant at the Odette Cancer Centre in Toronto. Dr. Lewis writes a popular blog series, Finding Purpose, hosted and promoted by his hospital. As of June 2018 he has also been blogging for Psychology Today. He has published articles on a psychiatric understanding of belief and purpose in Skeptic magazine and The Human Prospect, and delivered presentations on these topics at the James Randi Educational Foundation's TAM conference, Institute for Science and Human Values, and Canadian Association for Spiritual Care. Dr. Lewis helps people seeking meaning in the face of severe and tragic adversity, in addition to extensive experience with complex and subtle psychiatric and psychological conditions. He is interested in the unreliability of intuition and subjective perception in shaping our explanations and beliefs, and the neural basis of motivation and purposiveness. Dr. Lewis obtained his MD (MBBCh) in 1990 at the University of the Witwatersrand, South Africa, where he grew up. He completed residency training in Psychiatry at the University of Toronto in 1996 and went on to do a two year clinical research fellowship jointly at Sunnybrook and the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (previously the Clarke Institute of Psychiatry), with a concurrent Master of Science in Neuroscience at the University of Toronto. He has held his present staff physician appointment at Sunnybrook and his faculty appointment at the University of Toronto since 1998. Ralph, his wife Karin and their three children try to live purposeful, inspired lives in a godless world—appreciating the random, precarious, and precious nature of life and knowing that while the universe doesn't care, people can and do care.

0:00:00 Introduction Richard Saunders 0:04:35 Vale – Barry Williams It is with great sadness that we report the news of the passing of Barry Williams, who died on January 20, 2018, at the age of 79, following a series of heart operations. Includes Barry on the TODAY TV show in 1986, Newspaper story from 1994 and an interview with Maynard in 2015. https://www.skeptics.com.au/2018/01/21/vale-barry-williams 0:30:16 Susan Gerbic with news from Guerrilla Skepticism on Wikipedia We chat to Susan who tells of us of the recent grant to Guerrilla Skepticism on Wikipedia by the James Randi Educational Foundation. Also news of some psychic stings now in operation. https://www.facebook.com/GSoWproject Also... Australian Skeptics on the radio https://www.talkinglifestyle.com.au/?s=Skeptics Fundraising campaign for Britt Hermes https://www.skeptics.com.au/2018/01/13/fundraising-campaign-for-britt-hermes/

I made my wife a cup of coffee this morning, and an image of totem poles came to mind. You’re due an explanation. About ten years ago, James “The Amazing” Randi and I were in the small kitchen at the former James Randi Educational Foundation headquarters in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. Most mornings, this rooms was […]

Dr. Karen Stollznow is a linguist with a background in history and anthropology. She is also the author of God Bless America, Haunting America, and her newest books Language Myths, Mysteries and Magic and Not What The Dr. Ordered. She has contributed to several publications including Psychology Today and Skeptic, and she is a research fellow of the James Randi Educational Foundation. We spoke with Karen about "foreign accent syndrome," speaking in tongues, and her exploration of different kinds of believers (from Quakers to Satanists).

James Randi is the legendary investigator of paranormal and pseudoscientific claims and the namesake of the James Randi Educational Foundation. Banachek is the mentalist who created the "bullet catch" trick made famous by Penn & Teller and the director of JREF's One Million Dollar Paranormal Challenge. Jessica spoke with them about the difficulties of testing so-called supernatural powers, performing mentalism and fooling people, and what they still love about watching magic shows.

In this episode I talk to mind reader Jonny Zavant about his performing career and what it takes to make it in the college arena. He also talks about how he experienced every performer's worst nightmare: getting boo'd off stage by 2,000 people, and what he took away from that experience.  Jonny Zavant is a Comedy Mentalist Extraordinaire hailing from Chicago, IL. He acquired much of his talent from working with James “the Amazing” Randi at the James Randi Educational Foundation where he developed scientific studies to test the paranormal claims of and investigate applicants for the One Million Dollar Paranormal Challenge. He toured with magician and internet celebrity Brian Brushwood where he learned the ropes of a traveling act. Since then, he’s struck out on his own performing at trade shows, corporate events, and touring colleges and universities around the US, earning acclaim and accolades along the way. Among these, he’s been nominated two years running as fastest rising star, best novelty performer, and best comedy entertainer by Campus Activities magazine. He’s also put together some fun, light, “Two Minute Tours” videos highlighting some of the places he’s encountered in his travels. It’s definitely worth a look if you’re in the mood for a quirky look at some well-known as well as some hidden gems around the country.

This week, Point of Inquiry is excited to welcome “The Amazing” James Randi: famed magician a godfather (as it were) of the modern reason movement, and founder of the James Randi Educational Foundation. Randi is the subject of a new documentary film, An Honest Liar, which brings to life Randi's intricate investigations that publicly exposed psychics, parapsychologists, fait- healers, and con artists.  Randi and host Josh Zepps diagnose the state of American credulity, and discuss why human beings continue to believe unreasonable things that simply “sound nice.” They reminisce about some of Randi's greatest hits with Johnny Carson and Oprah Winfrey, and consider the impact of the religious right in America, of the Internet and social media on skepticism, and much more.  It’s a funny and insightful trek through the last few decades of skepticism from the mind of a great man who helped make it all happen.

0:00:00Message from Travis Roy and friends0:00:36IntroductionRichard Saunders0:04:55Maynard's Spooky Action.. at TAM 2012An interview with Carrie Poppy from The James Randi Educational FoundationCarrie Poppy is the Communications Director for the The James Randi Educational Foundation and half of the "Oh No! Ross and Carrie" Podcast.0:22:15Maynard's Spooky Action.. at TAM 2012An interview with Brian Hart from The Independent Investigations Group (IIG) a volunteer-based organization founded by James Underdown in January 2000 at the Center for Inquiry-West (now Center for Inquiry-Los Angeles) in Hollywood, California.0:33:20The Mystery Investigators at the Powerhouse MusemRichard Saunders and Dr. Rachie at Sydney's Powerhouse Museum chatting about the Mystery Investigators show and a clip from one of the performances.

0:00:00IntroductionRichard Saunders0:03:40Maynard's Spooky Action.. at TAM 2012An interview with Bruce M. Hood.Bruce M. Hood is currently the Director of the Bristol Cognitive Development Centre in the Experimental Psychology Department at the University of Bristol. 0:16:05Maynard's Spooky Action.. at TAM 2012A chat with Jim UnderdownJames Underdown has been the executive director of The Center for Inquiry (CFI) Los Angeles since 1999. 0:23:30Richard Saunders chats to UFO expoert Robert SheafferRobert Sheaffer is a freelance writer and a prominent investigator of unidentified flying objects, Christianity, academic feminism, and many other subjects. 036:00Dr Rachie Reports... with Dr Rachael DunlopThis week Dr Rachie chats to Tim FarleyTim Farley is a computer software engineer, writer and instructor who lives in Atlanta, Georgia. He is an expert in computer security and reverse engineering as well as a skeptic. He is a Research Fellow of the James Randi Educational Foundation.

The hosts of MonsterTalk interview Sharon Hill, creator of the website Doubtful News. The discussion includes updates on the latest in monster news trends, as well as information about The Amaz!ng Meeting—the James Randi Educational Foundation’s annual meeting of skeptical scientists, researchers, artists, performers, teachers and other rational-minded folk in Las Vegas, Nevada. Also in this episode, Brian Thompson of the JREF stops by to discuss TAM 2012. READ episode notes

It's safe to say that a generation of science enthusiasts were inspired and educated about the wonders of life on earth and beyond by the man best as Bill Nye "the Science Guy".  In recent years, William Nye's concern about our changing planet has garnered him new monikers, like Bill Nye "the climate guy", and as Executive Director of The Plantary Society, Bill Nye "the planetary guy". This week on Skepticality, Derek and Swoopy talk with "that guy", William Nye (who recently was a featured Guest at The James Randi Educational Foundation's 2011 Amazing Meeting), about the challenges facing a new generation of science educators on television and in the classroom, and his new project to promote algebra literacy entitled "Solving for X".

This week, members of the skeptical community gathered en masse in Las Vegas, Nevada to participate in the James Randi Educational Foundation's 9th annual Amazing Meeting.Just off the plane from the conference, team Skepticality share their interview with TAM 9 keynote speaker - author and astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson.

Host: Karen Stollznow Reed Esau is a skeptical activist and one of the founders of SkeptiCamp. Also known as Open Events, these are informal, community-organized conference where speakers tackle issues regarding science and skepticism. SkeptiCamp encourages participation as well as observation. A software architect by trade, Reed is author of the blog "An Illustrative Account", and he writes for the James Randi Educational Foundation's blog Swift. Reed is also a contributor to Skeptical Inquirer magazine for which he wrote the article "Reinventing the Skeptical Conference". In this interview with Karen Stollznow, Reed discusses the unique model of SkeptiCamp, which he calls an "unconference". He explains how these differ to traditional conferences that feature "celebrity skeptics" over local and regional speakers. He speaks about how these Open Events aim to distribute knowledge within the community, and reach people beyond the community. Must every skeptic contribute to skepticism? Does calling oneself a "skeptic" imply that one is active? Reed addresses these questions, and talks about what he calls the "Long Tail" of skepticism, and how skeptics can move from a more passive role in the movement to become participants. A self-confessed "Armchair Skeptic" for twenty years, Reed speaks about how he got out of the armchair to become involved in the community.

Most skeptics are familiar with the James Randi Educational Foundation - a not-for-profit organization founded in 1996 that offers a $1,000,000 prize for testable proof of paranormal ability. This world-renowned skeptical organization promotes critical thinking by reaching out to the public and media with reliable information about paranormal and supernatural claims. But besides the Foundation's famous founder and the Million Dollar Challenge, the JREF is notable for its commitment to education. This week on Skepticality, science educator and grassroots skeptical organizer Michael Blanford discusses his role as Director of Educational Programs for the JREF. Michael describes ongoing and upcoming educational programs — and how skeptics can help.

Bart Farkas is the development officer for the James Randi Educational Foundation. He is also an author and is currently working (in conjunction with James Randi) on a book that deals with the 40 year history of the Million Dollar Challenge. Bart used to be a Registered Nurse and therefore has a strong interest in alternative medicine and medical quackery in general. Bart's talk discusses the 40-year history of the Million Dollar Challenge and then focuses on the challenges the JREF faces in administering the Million Dollar Challenge and shows some examples of some of the more bizarre applications. [ Editors Note: This is an audio-only podcast. A video version, including the presentation is available at http://podcasts.abruptmedia.com/AtlantaSkeptics/asitp-0014.m4v A PDF file of Mr. Farkas' slides is available at http://podcasts.abruptmedia.com/AtlantaSkeptics/asitp-0014.pdf Some of the slides Mr. Farkas used during his presentation were not available for the podcast production and therefore they are not included in the accompanying PDF, nor in the video version of this podcast. ]

Bart Farkas is the development officer for the James Randi Educational Foundation. He is also an author and is currently working (in conjunction with James Randi) on a book that deals with the 40 year history of the Million Dollar Challenge. Bart used to be a Registered Nurse and therefore has a strong interest in alternative medicine and medical quackery in general. Bart's talk discusses the 40-year history of the Million Dollar Challenge and then focuses on the challenges the JREF faces in administering the Million Dollar Challenge and shows some examples of some of the more bizarre applications. [ Editors Note: This is an audio-only podcast. A video version, including the presentation is available at http://podcasts.abruptmedia.com/AtlantaSkeptics/asitp-0014.m4v A PDF file of Mr. Farkas' slides is available at http://podcasts.abruptmedia.com/AtlantaSkeptics/asitp-0014.pdf Some of the slides Mr. Farkas used during his presentation were not available for the podcast production and therefore they are not included in the accompanying PDF, nor in the video version of this podcast. ]

Bart Farkas is the development officer for the James Randi Educational Foundation. He is also an author and is currently working (in conjunction with James Randi) on a book that deals with the 40 year history of the Million Dollar Challenge. Bart used to be a Registered Nurse and therefore has a strong interest in alternative medicine and medical quackery in general. Bart's talk discusses the 40-year history of the Million Dollar Challenge and then focuses on the challenges the JREF faces in administering the Million Dollar Challenge and shows some examples of some of the more bizarre applications. [ Editors Note: This is a video version of this podcast. An audio-only version is available at http://podcasts.abruptmedia.com/AtlantaSkeptics/asitp-0014.1.m4a A PDF file of Mr. Farkas' slides is available at http://podcasts.abruptmedia.com/AtlantaSkeptics/asitp-0014.pdf Some of the slides Mr. Farkas used during his presentation were not available for the podcast production and therefore they are not included in the accompanying PDF, nor in this podcast. ]

Andrew Mayne is a magician, paranormal illusionist, inventor, TV producer and skeptic. One of the most creative and innovative minds in magic, Andrew has written and produced over 40 books and DVDs. Both creator and consultant, he has worked with a number of artists including David Blaine, and Penn & Teller. Andrew’s performance material ranges from close-up and stage, to mentalism and illusion, and he is infamous for his brand of tricks, effects and stunts known as "shock magic". Far from pulling a rabbit out of a hat, Andrew’s shock magic is described as "disturbing", "evil", "frightening" and "deadly". In this conversation with Karen Stollznow, Andrew speaks about being a Magician’s Magician, making multimedia magic, and not only inventing illusions but reinventing classic illusions. He explains the link between magic and skepticism, and how magic offers practical insight to protect us from charlatans, con-artists, and ourselves. Andrew shares stories of his paranormal investigations for the Weird Things TV show and podcast, and his experiences as lead investigator for the James Randi Educational Foundation’s Million Dollar Challenge. The author of the article Think Skeptically, Act Locally: 50 Things You Can Do To Encourage Critical Thinking, Andrew is one of the original activists in the skepticism movement. He talks about teaching science education and critical thinking, and presents his “elevator pitch” for becoming a skeptical activist.

This week after returning from The Amazing Meeting 8 - a conference celebrating skepticism and critical thinking sponsored by the James Randi Educational Foundation, Skepticality is pleased to host a round table discussion with a distinguished group they have dubbed "Team Skeptic". Daniel Loxton (editor of Junior Skeptic and author of Evolution: How We and All Living Things Came to Be), Blake Smith (paranormal investigator and creator of the Skeptic podcast Monster Talk) and Tim Farley (creator of WhatsTheHarm.net and the Skepticality contributor of This Week in Skeptic History) discuss their impressions of this year's Amazing Meeting Las Vegas with hosts Derek and Swoopy.

Our guest this week needs no introduction for those in the skeptical and secular world. After all, he has a frakkin' asteroid named after him. He’s Phil Plait—science blogger extraordinaire for Discover Blogs, where he authors “Bad Astronomy.” Recently, Plait joined Point of Inquiry for a wide ranging conversation about standing eggs on end, Apollo moon landing deniers, wacky yet endearing Hollywood bad science, something called “spaghettification”….and the end of the world. Phil Plait is a skeptic and an astronomer, and former president of the James Randi Educational Foundation. He lectures widely across the country and is the author of two books, most recently Death from the Skies: These Are the Ways the World Will End.

Adam Savage is an artist, actor, educator, special effects designer and co-host of the Discovery Channel's TV show Mythbusters.   Adam has a diverse background in animation and design, and for almost two decades he has concentrated on the special effects industry for film, theater and television.    A prominent skeptic and atheist, Adam lectures in science education and is a strong promoter of critical thinking.   Karen Stollznow spoke with Adam in Las Vegas at The Amaz!ng Meeting, the annual conference of the James Randi Educational Foundation.   In this conversation, Adam spoke about his identification as a skeptic and atheist, and his work to promote science and skepticism to the public. He talked about his experiences on Mythbusters; why the show appeals to skeptics, and how he applies skepticism to his experiments.    Adam talks about testing pseudoscience and the paranormal, how myths and legends develop, and how the public reacts when their cherished myths are busted. 

In our 32nd podcast, with Nick fully recovered from last week's cold, we don't discuss EEEEEEEERRRRRRRGGGGGGGGGGNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNN. We cover all bases when discussing football, ponder Trident, and wonder if cream teas work abroad. Then via coming out stories we discuss the James Randi Educational Foundation million dollar prize, dowsing, and how cold reading works. Then there's memories of some of the funniest moments of Magician Uri Geller looking like a fraud and a fool. Unfortunately the programme On Holiday With The Gellers is not on 4oD. Sadly we cannot link to the clip from Leverage, due to the pathetic stupidity of TNT demanding that the free promotion of the programme be removed from YouTube. But we do discuss a number of television programmes that have professed to demonstrate paranormal powers, and some that have set out to do the opposite. We consider the complexity of stochasticity, the uncomfortable nature of pranks, and we wonder at the wisdom of the NHS's "Wake Up To Rape" campaign. Meet John's sock puppet boss. And then there's a few words on the budget. Which you'll not be surprised to learn end up being more about the Matrix and how we annoy our friends.

Tim Farley is a computer software engineer, skeptic, and creator of the popular website What’s the Harm? His site answers this salient question with over 670,000 stories of people who have indeed been harmed, damaged, injured, or even killed by pseudoscience and the paranormal What’s the Harm’s catchphrase is: “368,379 people killed, 306,096 injured and over $2,815,931,000 in economic damages.” However, these statistics are calculated from randomly-caught, modern cases documented in English-speaking countries. Many stories are left untold. How much bigger could the problem be? In this interview with Karen Stollznow, Tim reveals the real-life dangers, and the hidden dangers, of these beliefs and practices. He treats the lack of regulatory bodies for these industries, and what recourse can be taken when harm is done. Tim talks about the question “What’s the Harm?” as used in defense of pseudoscience and the paranormal, and why this is wielded as a “checkmate” argument. He discusses the power of anecdotal evidence, and whether people are influenced by cautionary tales, or more persuaded by their own personal experiences. Tim is a prominent activist and a frequent speaker at events including Skeptics in the Pub, Skepticamp, and the James Randi Educational Foundation’s Amazing Meetings. An expert in computer security and reverse engineering, he is at the forefront of the Skepticism 2.0 movement. He talks about finding your own “niche” as an online activist, how you don’t need to be a magician or have a PhD to be a skeptic, and how we all have our own expertise to bring to the skeptical movement.

For a myriad of reasons, NASA is in the news this week. For an update on everything astronomical Skepticality is proud to welcome back The Bad Astronomer himself, Dr. Phil Plait (author of the popular books Bad Astronomy, Death from the Skies and his award-winning blog at Discovermagazine.com). Swoopy chats with Phil about this week's planned launch of the space shuttle Endeavour (one of five final missions marking the retirement of the shuttle fleet by the close of 2010); the surprising recent announcement of President Obama's plans to increase NASA's funding but cancel the Constellation program already five years underway; and, Phil's own tough decision to step down as president of the James Randi Educational Foundation in order to extend his skeptical outreach to a global audience through television.

The Show Notes What do you say after thank you? Show intro Congrats to D.J. Grothe Death figures and safety Religious Morons of the Week - Estelle Walker; Andy Schlafly; Cardinal Javier Barragan; Peter O'Callaghan; Blinded shrine visitors; Australian scientologists;Sharon Cook and Beth Boisvert; Jack Sebade; The Catholic Archdiocese of Washington; Ugandan Government Shopping cart embarrassment balance Ask George - Out atheism?  from Brad - Spam?  from Roger Knapman - Electronic vs. acoustic drums?  from Matt Page - Lady Gaga?  from Rick T - Monty Python?  from Alec Zirke - Atheist club?  from Stephen Pagan Congrats to Phil Death from the Skies Show Close ........................ Mentioned in the show: James Randi Educational Foundation press release Dr. Phil Plait's post about the changing of the guard D.J. Grothe and the Point of Inquiry podcast Constitutional Peasant sketch with subtitles Death from the Skies in hardcover .................................... Sign up for the mailing list: Write to Geo! Score more data from the Geologic Universe! Get George's music at CD Baby and iTunes, and Non-Coloring Book at Lulu, both as download and print editions. Have a comment on the show, a Religious Moron tip, or a question for Ask George? Drop George a line and write to Geo's Mom, too! Ms. Information says, "It's my pleasure. You are most welcome."

The Bad Astronomer himself, Dr. Phil Plait and Skepchick A Kovacs sat down with us at Balticon 43 to discuss science, skepticism, NASA, and social media. Dr. Plait is the president of the James Randi Educational Foundation a.k.a. The JREF. … Continued

The increasing popularity of blogs, social networking sites, and twitter has created many new and interactive forums for people to communicate about science. The National Academies recently invited Phil Plait, author of the blog BAD ASTRONOMY and president of the James Randi Educational Foundation to speak to us about these technologies and how they are being used by the science community. This weeks podcast provides some highlights from his presentation.

The Show Notes missed ya' Intro 100th birthday party - Great Grand Uncle? - cool photo montage Savannah - driving topography - Steve - Steve's students - Dave - Colleen They Are Something Texas - Scott & Susan - Texas is all about Texas - Scott's Media Room - Two shows - Cameron - more… Thanksgiving - Mom's Pies - Galapagos Pics - Giada De Laurentiis Boston IYA Opening Ceremonies in January NAMM show JREF article? show close ..................................... Mentioned in the show: NAMM 2009 in Anaheim; International Year of Astronomy 2009; James Randi Educational Foundation;  JREF Swift blog; Geo and the Hursts; Geo in Austin and Geo at UTA, all photos courtesy of Scott Hurst; The Compleat Galapagos Collection; Don't mess with Texas. Sign up for the mailing list: Write to Geo! Score more data from the Geologic Universe! Get George's music at CD Baby and iTunes, and Non-Coloring Book at Lulu, both as download and print editions. Have a comment on the show, a Religious Moron tip, or a question for Ask George? Drop George a line and write to Geo's Mom, too! Ms. Information says: Huge thanks to Scott and Susan!

This week on Skepticality, Derek and Swoopy return from the desert with highlights from "The Amazing Meeting 6" conference in Las Vegas (hosted by the James Randi Educational Foundation). Joining them are two skeptics who are changing the face of popular science: astrophysicist Dr. Neil deGrasse Tyson, and MythBuster Adam Savage.   The incomparable Neil deGrasse Tyson (Director of the Hayden Planetarium at the American Museum of Natural History, current host of Nova Science Now, and the only astrophysicist to be named one of People magazine's "Sexiest Men Alive") talks with Swoopy about getting the United States back on track as science innovators. (He also sets the record straight about Pluto.) and in his third appearance on Skepticality, Adam discusses his evolution from artist and model maker to skeptic and television scientist—as well as thoughts about his life after MythBusters. 

Merry Christmas? Can Skeptics actually say that with a straight face? We ask James Randi, of the James Randi Educational Foundation about his thoughts on the holiday season.