Awhile ago some of us shared some podcasts and radio shows that we thought you might enjoy. I have come across a few more that I want to share as well.
- Curiosity Aroused: Investigation, Exploration and the pursuit of truth. This show is built upon the idea that it’s fun to seek out the answers to life’s questions. This is a Skepchick/Rebecca Watson podcast. This is quite new, so there are only 3 episodes, but it’s interesting and well done.
- Skeptics With A K: The podcast by the Merseyside Skeptics Society in the UK. This is entertaining, fun and informative. These guys are like SGU in the UK. They are the ones that did the Homeopathy 1023 “overdose” event. It was brilliant.
- The Skeptics Testament: this is a fairly new podcast (since January of this year). I just found it and am not sure what to make of it, but I wanted to share it with you. It’s a skeptical, critical look at the bible. But I can’t figure out if they are atheists or christians. (Edit: I think they said they are atheists in the 4th episode, or thereabouts). But they seem to know their stuff from what I can tell from the first 2 episodes, and it’s informative.
- EDIT: I forgot about The Token Skeptic: a weekly look at superstition, paranormal belief and the science behind it all. The podcast covers a range of ideas and issues, stemming from psychology, philosophy and ethics, science, critical thinking, literacy and education.
Edit: Gerald recommended a bunch of podcasts:
- MonsterTalk: presented by Skeptic Magazine. Critically examines the science behind cryptozoological creatures.
- Skepticality with Derek and Swoopy. The official podcast of Skeptic Magazine. With interviews and information on science and skepticism.
- Skeptoid with Brian Dunning: A primer on a single pseudo-scientific or paranormal topic.
- The Amazing Show with James Randi: a fireside chat.
- The Skeptic Zone: Australian podcast for Science and Reason. Varied and light-hearted.
- Skeptically Speaking: Canadian interview-format live radio call-in talk show with host Desiree Schell.
- The Reality Check: The Ottawa Skeptics talk show podcast.
- The Pseudo Scientists: the Young Australian Skeptics talk show podcast.
- Geologic Podcast: A skeptical comedy rant show from rock musician George Hrab. For a mature audience.
- Audiomartini: A radio program relating to the paranormal from a skeptic’s point of view
- Afternoon Tea with Richard Wiseman: An interview show hosted by psychologist Richard Wiseman.
- Are We Alone? SETI’s science and skepticism podcast, with host Seth Shostack. (subscribe through iTunes)
- Brain Science Podcast: weekly neuroscience show, hosted by physician Ginger Campbell.
If you try these out, let us know what you think! 
Gerald found this interesting chart chock full of information. Of course, remember correlation does not necessitate causation, but it is striking how the numbers fall.
Links on the full page >> Read the rest of this entry »
Brent sent me a list of his favorite internet radio stations and podcasts to share with you. I listen to several as well so I will add them below:
~Edit: I’ve added descriptions for you!
Brent’s Favs:
- The Center for Inquiry’s Point of Inquiry: Point of Inquiry explores CFI’s three research areas:
- Pseudoscience and the paranormal (Bigfoot, UFOs, psychics, communication with the dead, cryptozoology, etc.)
- Alternative medicine (faith healing, homeopathy, “healing touch,” the efficacy of prayer, etc.)
- Religion, humanism, and secularism (church-state separation, the effects and proper role of religion in society, the future of secularism and nonbelief, etc.)
Rotating hosts Chris Mooney, Karen Stollznow, and Robert Price bring engaging and thought-provoking interviews and commentary on a broad range of topics to each episode of Point of Inquiry.
- NPR’s Science Friday: A weekly radio talk show on NPR from 2-4pm on Fridays. Each week, they focus on science topics that are in the news and try to bring an educated, balanced discussion to bear on the scientific issues at hand. Panels of expert guests join Science Friday’s host, Ira Flatow, a veteran science journalist, to discuss science – and to take questions from listeners during the call-in portion of the program.
- Groks Science Radio Show and Podcast: a weekly science radio program and podcast produced in Chicago, USA and Tokyo, Japan. The show broadcasts on radio stations across the country and can also be heard as a podcast. Each week, the hosts, Dr. Charles Lee and Dr. Frank Ling, take an in-depth look at recent events in the world of science and technology, and examine the effects of recent discoveries on our daily lives.
Each episode features an interview with a leading scientist, researcher, or industrialist discussing stimulating work in their field. The show often includes a humorous and entertaining segment; plus the world famous question of the week!
- IEET: Changesurfer Radio: a weekly, syndicated public affairs radio show transmitting a sexy, high-tech vision of a radically democratic future
- Fast Forward Radio: A convergence of emerging technologies and emerging possibilities is at the heart of this, the greatest period of transformation in human history. Our world is changing in ways that are hard to predict…sometimes even hard to imagine. FastForward Radio is your guide to an astounding future that lies ahead — and that will be here sooner than you think!
Neece’s Favs:
- SGU: The Skeptic’s Guide to the Universe and a 5 minute weekly podcast at the same place; SGU 5×5: a weekly Science podcast produced by the New England Skeptical Society (NESS) in association with the James Randi Educational Foundation (JREF) : discussing the latest news and topics from the world of the paranormal, fringe science, and controversial claims from a scientific point of view.
- Scientific American’s Science Talk (they have other podcasts here): Join host Steve Mirsky each week as he explores the latest developments in science & technology through interviews.
- Reasonable Doubts (Your Skeptical Guide to Religion): A special focus on counter-apologetics. They provide detailed counter-points to the fallacious logic and blatant misinformation used by religious apologists when attempting to discredit skepticism and provide rational arguments for their dogmas. They also defend the sufficiency of reason, science and naturalistic philosophies to provide a satisfactory and morally compelling understanding of the cosmos, human nature, art and culture. They try to do this all with fair-mindedness and humor. Winner of the Peoples Choice Podcast Award for best religious/inspirational podcast of 2009
- The Naked Scientists and another podcast, Ask the Naked Scientists: The Naked Scientists are a group of physicians and researchers from Cambridge University who use radio, live lectures, and the Internet to strip science down to its bare essentials, and promote it to the general public. Each week, listeners of all ages and backgrounds tune in on a Sunday evening to hear creator Dr. Chris Smith, together with his entertaining scientist sidekicks, interview renowned scientists and researchers from all over the world and take science questions on any subject live from the listening public.
- StarTalk with Neil DeGrasse Tyson: a radio show devoted to all things space and is hosted by renowned astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson.
- Mr. Deity (video, not podcast, but you can subscribe through iTunes): a webshow that looks at the every-day life of the creator and everything he must endure as he attempts to manage his creation.
~Edit:
Tim’s Fav:
Here’s one from Gerald:
- MonsterTalk. It is all about cryptozoology: bigfoot, Loch Ness monster, etc. It takes a skeptical look at these things and is sponsored by Skeptic Magazine.
Feel free to contribute your favorites!
Happy Darwin Day everyone! Today is Darwin’s birthday and in honor of him, I thought I’d post this article about Liquid Glass, which could possibly be the coolest nanotech material I’ve seen in some time. I think it’s so cool mainly because of its versatility and the fact that it’s already in use in Germany, the UK and Turkey.
Why am I talking about nanotech on Darwin’s birthday? If you think about it, without evolution, we wouldn’t be able to manipulate our world so deftly and with such finesse. About 195,000 years ago homo sapiens first appeared in the fossil record. We started leaving Africa about 70,000 years ago, and migrated as far as the Americas 14,500 years ago.
A mere 10,000 years ago, we were mostly hunter-gatherers in nomadic groups. The first proto-states were developed only 6,000 years ago. Think of that! Look how far we’ve come in such a short time!
Think of how we lived just 100 years ago in 1910.
- By 1910 many suburban homes were wired up with power and new electronic gadgets.
- Vacuum cleaners and washing machines had just become commercially available, though still expensive for middle class folks
- The telephone was new, and millions of American homes were connected by manual switchboard
- People relied on the paper for their news, but radio technology was in its infancy
- The age of the airship was in full swing. Only 7 years previously, the Wright brothers had flown at Kitty Hawk
- Henry Ford introduced the Model T 2 years before and sold about 10,000 of them this year
- Advances in the use of gases meant the first electric refrigerators and air conditioning units.
- Neon lighting was debuted in Paris
- Inventions included: escalators, teabags, cellophane, instant coffee and disposable razor blades
- Women still had another 3 years of corsets
Things they didn’t have in 1910: Read the rest of this entry »
The Beatles wanted take us on a magical mystery tour. On Feb. 8 the WVU Department of Mathematics would like the public to join in a musical mystery tour of its own.
The opening chord to “A Hard Day’s Night” is famous because, for 40 years, no one knew exactly what chord George Harrison was playing. It took mathematician Jason Brown, professor in the Department of Mathematics and Statistics at Dalhousie University, to figure out the exact notes and instrumentation using a formula called Fourier transform.
Brown is currently using math to determine which Beatle really wrote “In My Life.” Both Paul McCartney and John Lennon claimed authorship, and Brown aims to use mathematics to prove which musician actually composed the song.
Brown will take a break from this research to present “The Mathematics behind the Music” on Monday, Feb. 8 in Ming Hsieh Hall, room G21.
“Brown’s work really shows that mathematics and music are truly universal languages,” said Eddie Fuller, chair of the WVU mathematics department.
“He makes math accessible and fun for people of all ages and walks of life,” Fuller added. Read the rest of this entry »
I can’t remember who twittered this yesterday, but I noticed this site: The Center for Atheist Research.
Want to help researchers learn about atheists, brights and humanists and how we think? I took the atheist survey yesterday and it was quite thorough. It took about 25 minutes at the most, and I felt like I was being counted, so to speak. As a housewife activist atheist, I really don’t fit what people think “nones” are, so it’s nice to share my worldview with people interested in looking at such things.
Oh, it’s completely confidential. They don’t take any personal information so if you’re in the closet don’t worry, you’re secret is safe with them.
Here’s what they say on their home page:
Atheists and other secularists who have a naturalistic worldview (a philosophy of life that does not involve a belief in God, higher powers, or anything supernatural) have been understudied by the social sciences.
The Center for Atheist Research was founded to address this omission, and seeks to give individuals across the religious/spiritual/secular spectrum the chance to contribute their perspective on topics within the psychology and sociology of atheism and secularity by participating in Internet-accessible academic research.
You can choose from the following current research studies:
Cross-posted from Heaving Dead Cats
