tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23811642216388827842024-02-07T04:05:40.991-08:00Salt City SkepticsSalt City Skeptics is a social group for skeptics, rationalists and humanists in and around Salt Lake City, Utah.
In addition to this blog, check out our Facebook and Meetup groups (links on the sidebar) to be notified of upcoming events.Patrickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00816959400474038457noreply@blogger.comBlogger54125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2381164221638882784.post-54514821505732703482011-01-04T11:35:00.000-08:002011-01-04T11:35:18.393-08:00Drinking SkepticallyTuesday, January 11<br />
7 to 9PM<br />
Beerhive Pub<br />
128 South Main Street<br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; color: #333333; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 15px;">Come and join your fellow skeptics for an evening of thoughtful, lively conversation and refreshing beverages! We'll meet downstairs, so order your drinks, pay, and then head down to join the group.</span><br />
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<img class="mbm event_upload_image img" src="http://profile.ak.fbcdn.net/hprofile-ak-snc4/hs1344.snc4/161997_180508438631384_217716_n.jpg" /><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; color: #333333; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 15px;"><i>Drinking Skeptically is held on the second Tuesday of every month at the Beerhive Pub.</i></span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2381164221638882784.post-47235339368792185532010-10-21T08:46:00.000-07:002010-10-21T08:52:56.730-07:00Location Change for Dr. Rachael Dunlop talkJust a heads-up for anyone who gets their event info form here rather than the Facebook or Meetup pages, the location for this week's talk by Dr. Rachael Dunlop has changed due to a scheduling conflict at our previous location...<br /><br />The new details are...<br /><br />Saturday, October 23<br />5:00<br />Little America Hotel - Cheyenne Room<br />500 S. Main Street<br />Salt Lake City, UT<br /><br />There is plenty of parking under the hotel. As you get off the elevators, just turn to your right and you'll find the meeting rooms.<br /><br />See you there!Patrickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00816959400474038457noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2381164221638882784.post-33719909994884153772010-10-17T00:21:00.000-07:002010-10-21T08:46:14.033-07:00GUEST SPEAKER: Dr. Rachael Dunlop<span style="font-weight: bold;">Dr. Rachie Reports: The Adventures of a Scientist in an Alternative Medicine World</span><br /><blockquote>Saturday, October 23, 2010<br />5:00<br /><span style="visibility: visible;" id="search">Little America Hotel<br />Cheyenne Room<br />500 S. Main Street<br />Salt Lake City, UT</span></blockquote><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuuQyLuve5G14yZAKsAzmxc1YxD2xIQFtQYu0YOFGTnzFzJn9T7q-BoQME9GVMKrZokbZPVethhVhSuwZ3OANk1tiKGD0kBJo_Tu9goKog4SnkLDHNghZh_W3iCqS3ef-yBJxHiKHvOCh-/s1600/rach_01.jpg"><img style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 242px; height: 164px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuuQyLuve5G14yZAKsAzmxc1YxD2xIQFtQYu0YOFGTnzFzJn9T7q-BoQME9GVMKrZokbZPVethhVhSuwZ3OANk1tiKGD0kBJo_Tu9goKog4SnkLDHNghZh_W3iCqS3ef-yBJxHiKHvOCh-/s400/rach_01.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5528920556636498082" border="0" /></a>Dr. Rachael Dunlop is a cell biologist and science communicator from Sydney, Australia. She is a regular contributor to the <a href="http://www.skepticzone.tv/">Skeptic Zone podcast</a>, in which she presents the Dr. Rachie Reports segment, exploring the world of complimentary and alternative medicine from a science-based perspective. Dr. Rachie blogs at <a href="http://scepticsbook.com/">The Skeptics Book of Pooh Pooh</a> and along with Richard Saunders, regularly puts on the <a href="http://www.mysteryinvestigators.com/index.htm">Mystery Investigators</a>, a live show that aims to make critical thinking fun and accessible to kids.<br /><br />Please join Salt City Skeptics for an evening with Dr. Rachie and hear her tales from forefront of the clash between science and alt-med on Saturday, October 23 at the Columbus Library. Don't miss it!<br /><br />If you can, take a moment to RSVP for this event at either the <a href="http://www.meetup.com/saltcityskeptics/calendar/15134761/">Meetup</a> or <a href="http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=33084588942#%21/event.php?eid=158188534212296">Facebook</a> listing. See you there!Patrickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00816959400474038457noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2381164221638882784.post-49967590887009590722010-07-12T10:04:00.000-07:002010-07-12T12:39:46.582-07:00Announcing Salt Lake City SkeptiCamp 2010It's time for the first Salt Lake City SkeptiCamp!<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">What the hell is SkeptiCamp?</span><br />SkeptiCamp is an "unconference" based on the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Barcamp">BarCamp</a> model of user-generated conferences. That means everything at Salt Lake City Skepticamp will be provided by you, the attendees. That includes the talks and presentations, the venue, food and refreshments, and maybe extras like t-shirts or whatever else you can come up with.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Huh? You want me to what now?</span><br />It's not as scary as it sounds. Do you have expertise in a topic you want to talk about? Or, do you have an interest in something and want to challenge yourself with researching or investigating it? Well, now's your chance to do it and show what you've got in an informal event. There's no panel to "approve" your talk. Just go to the <a href="http://skepticamp.org/wiki/SkeptiCamp_Salt_Lake_City_2010">Salt Lake City SkeptiCamp 2010</a> wiki page and add your topic to the list (or email me and I'll add it for you, porlob {at} gmail).<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;"> What topics are available to present on?</span><br />Whatever you like. As long as it's vaguely related to skepticism or science, it's fair game. Topics with a local bent are particularly welcome, but not required.<br /><span style="font-weight: bold;"></span><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">What if I don't want to present?</span><br />That's perfectly fine. There are plenty of other ways you can help. The idea is to keep Skepticamp costs as close to $0 as possible, so you can help by arranging for a location (back room of a restaurant, conference room at a library, university classroom), lending a projector, providing simple refreshments, marketing the event, doing A/V stuff, making t-shirts, or finding "sponsors" wiling to provide some of those things.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Okay. I can do that. How much will it cost to attend?</span><br />$0. Help provide content or support as noted above if you can instead.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">When is it? And where?</span><br />Saturday, October 16 for now. Though that date is subject to revision based on participant input. Where? Don't know yet. That's up to you!<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Do I have to be an active member of Salt City Skeptics to participate?</span><br />Absolutely not! In fact, new people are encouraged to present.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">What now?</span><br />Head over to the <a href="http://skepticamp.org/wiki/SkeptiCamp_Salt_Lake_City_2010">SkeptiCamp SLC</a> wiki page, and join in the discussion at the Talk page or add your comments to this post. Check out the "<a href="http://skepticamp.org/wiki/Organizing_a_SkeptiCamp_Event#">Organizing a SkeptiCamp</a>" article at the SkeptiCamp wiki for ideas and thoughts.<br />Other resources:<br /><ul><li><a href="http://media.libsyn.com/media/skepticality/097_skepticality.mp3">Episode #97 of Skepticality, reviewing Atlanta's first SkeptiCamp</a></li><li><a href="http://skepticamp.org/wiki/Articles,_Essays_%26_Reviews">Articles, Essays and Reviews of other SkeptiCamp events</a></li></ul>Remember: this isn't just an event that you're attending, it's <span style="font-style: italic;">your</span> event. Help make it what you want it to be!Patrickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00816959400474038457noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2381164221638882784.post-4946750571821899652010-07-12T09:52:00.001-07:002010-07-12T10:04:02.994-07:00New events!Hey all. It's been quiet around here lately. But we're gearing up to get some new events going.<br /><br />Joining me on the Salt City Skeptics organizing team are now Rachel and Amanda. If you haven't yet met either of them, introduce yourself at an upcoming event.<br /><br />Speaking of upcoming events, we're restarting consistent monthly Drinking Skeptically events, new night and location, the 2nd Tuesday of every month at the Beerhive (128 South Main Street), 7:00. The next DS will be August 10. See you there!<br /><br />Which brings me to Skepticamp. But Skepticamp deserves it's own post, so with no further ado...Patrickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00816959400474038457noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2381164221638882784.post-57324078402134791432010-04-12T07:41:00.000-07:002010-04-12T07:44:06.078-07:00Salt City Skeptics is now on TwitterFor those of you on Twitter, now you can follow <a href="http://twitter.com/SLCSkeptics">@SLCSkeptics</a> to stay up-to-date on all the latest events and various goings-on.<br /><br />I look forward to seeing all of you tomorrow (Tuesday, April 13) at 7:00 for Drinking Skeptically at the Bayou!Patrickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00816959400474038457noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2381164221638882784.post-17487438664646026952010-04-07T12:12:00.000-07:002010-04-12T07:52:43.499-07:00Drinking Skeptically: New night, new venue!Yay! It's a new Drinking Skeptically for Salt City Skeptics!<br /><br />We're mixing things up a bit this time, with a new night and a new location. Come clear your head with like-minded skeptics and rationalists, this coming Tuesday at The Bayou!<br /><br />When: Tuesday, April 13, 2010 7:00 PM<br /><br />Where:<br />The Bayou<br />645 S State St<br />Salt Lake City, UT 84111<br />801-961-8400<br /><br />My apologies for the lack of activities lately. I've been out of town a lot with IRL stuff. If anyone is interested in being an assistant organizer to help keep events in the pipeline, let me know! :)<br /><br />If you're planning on coming, please take a moment to RSVP at the <a href="http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=111844652176241">event's Facebook page</a>. See you there!Patrickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00816959400474038457noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2381164221638882784.post-585469347894532032010-02-21T17:43:00.000-08:002010-02-21T17:45:43.134-08:00Austin Dacey Lecture & Debate Saturday, February 27SHIFT: Secular Humanism, Inquiry and Freethought, the University of Utah secular student alliance, has an exciting event coming up this coming Saturday. I'll be there! Hope you can make it too!<br /><br />(<a href="http://shiftuofu.blogspot.com/2010/02/austin-dacey-lecture-debate-saturday.html">via SHIFT's blog</a>)<br /><a href="http://austindacey.com/">Austin Dacey</a>, author of <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Secular-Conscience-Belief-Belongs-Public/dp/1591026040">The Secular Conscience: Why Belief Belongs in Public Life</a>, and former Center for Inquiry representative to the United Nations, is coming this Saturday!<br /><br />His lecture, called "Blasphemy: Hate Speech or Human Right? Inside the struggle for freedom of expression at the United Nations" will be held in the University of Utah Fine Arts Auditorium (375 South 1530 East) on Saturday, February 27, beginning at 4:00pm ~ the doors will open at 3:00, and seating is first-come-first-served, so come early to grab your good seats!<br /><br />Following Dr. Dacey's lecture, he will be joined by local Salt Lake Community College Professor of Philosophy, Dr. Mark Hausam, for a debate entitled, "Is Morality Possible Without God?"<br /><br />Don't miss this amazing opportunity! This lecture is being hosted by SHIFT ~ Secular Humanism, Inquiry and Freethought. It has been generously made possible by the exhaustive efforts of Co-Founder Jason Cooperrider, The Secular Student Alliance (one of our national affiliates), and The Humanists of Utah, as well of course by our participants Dr.s Austin Dacey (and Angie McQuaig) and Mark Hausam.<br /><br />Donations are gratefully being accepted via cash or checks madPatrickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00816959400474038457noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2381164221638882784.post-24253886771022148972010-01-05T18:35:00.000-08:002010-01-05T18:36:38.277-08:00Drinking Skeptically in 2010!Drinking Skeptically is back!<br /><br />Now that the holidays are over and we're all back to our "normal" lives, it's time for another DS! We've got a lot of new members since our last event a few months back, so I'm especially calling new members to join us on the 13th at Piper Down.<br /><br />I'm also looking for some people to help me out with organizing events and finding guest speakers, so bring your ideas on Wednesday.<br /><br />See you then!<br />-Patrick<br /><br />If you want to RSVP, see the Facebook event page:<br /><br />http://www.facebook.com/event.php?invites&eid=240326266948Patrickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00816959400474038457noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2381164221638882784.post-55516463791917439792009-10-10T09:11:00.000-07:002009-10-10T11:04:06.831-07:00Guest Speaker: Steve Cuno, "Rebranding Skepticism at the Grassroots Level"<p>Join Salt City Skeptics for a special guest speaker event with Steve Cuno, two-time speaker at The Amazing Meeting, presenting "Rebranding Skepticism at the Grassroots Level" (based on his talk from this year's TAM) on October 27th at 7:00. </p> <p>Steve Cuno is chairman and founder of the RESPONSE Agency, a direct response advertising firm in Salt Lake City. His articles have been published internationally, and he is the author of the book Prove It Before You Promote It: How to Take the Guesswork Out of Marketing. In his spare time, Steve enjoys reading, writing, cycling, forcing people to look at photos of his grandson, and spending quality time with his grand piano.</p> <p>We'll be at <a href="http://mestizocoffeehouse.com/">Mestizo Coffeehouse</a> at 631 W. North Temple (if you've not been there, it's a GREAT venue, though a little difficult to find at first).</p> <p>I'm looking forward to seeing everyone there!</p>Patrickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00816959400474038457noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2381164221638882784.post-51156837167901156272009-09-24T14:57:00.001-07:002009-09-24T15:28:01.086-07:00City Weekly alien abduction story<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiSE8wbu-QVK6FXJqcLIkSI5XkyY8PWHtyi2YUFUEGU2L9GOJJgfd6KtjGbygr2Sgqk-qKcOFRYfh2Vx-lJMGbHgqkSwKNMRL7OizfY-IoTuJBBv4_KpMaNOtQvpPrSon2Vwoui-u_p4o/s1600-h/art9203widea.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 266px; height: 266px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiSE8wbu-QVK6FXJqcLIkSI5XkyY8PWHtyi2YUFUEGU2L9GOJJgfd6KtjGbygr2Sgqk-qKcOFRYfh2Vx-lJMGbHgqkSwKNMRL7OizfY-IoTuJBBv4_KpMaNOtQvpPrSon2Vwoui-u_p4o/s320/art9203widea.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5385082619882269266" border="0" /></a>A month or so back, I was interviewed by Salt Lake City Weekly, the local alternative weekly. I was asked help provide a skeptical perspective on alien abduction.<br /><br />Looks like <a href="http://www.cityweekly.net/utah/article-9203-utahns-abducted-by-aliens.html?current_page=1">the story was just published</a> online (my quotes are all on page 2), and the dead tree version comes out next week.<br /><br />This is my first experience at being a Token Skeptic, but hopefully not my last (token skepticism is at least better than NO skepticism, right?), so I thought I'd share my thoughts.<br /><br />When interviewed I didn't have any information on the specific cases being discussed, so I tried to speak in generalities. I will say that I appreciate the author including every main point I tried to make, and including a second skeptical voice as well (Joel Layton, who made some similar points).<br /><br />Is the story written from a rather credulous perspective, taking the statements of "abductees" at face value? Yeah, but I'm having trouble faulting the author for that. That's just kind of how stories like this go. I think I did a decent job of giving a reasonable counter-balance, though it would have been nice to tailor my thoughts more to the specifics of the stories mentioned.<br /><br />And so... that's what I'll do here! I'll try not to recap the stories themselves too much here, so <a href="http://www.cityweekly.net/utah/article-9203-utahns-abducted-by-aliens.html?current_page=1">keep the article handy</a> if you want to follow along. In each case, I'm more or less assuming that the people interviewed are being honest about their memories, and not deliberately lying (there's no reason to think they <span style="font-style: italic;">were</span> lying).<br /><br />The article starts with a few "abduction" accounts. First up is Don Anderson's story, where aliens come to take for his four-year-old son and he convinces them to bring him along.<br /><br />To me, Anderson's story reads just like the recounting of a dream: many things happen that aren't particularly causally linked to each other, lots of odd details that stick out with unusual focus in the story, the "tall blond woman" who seems strangely familiar (I know when *I* dream, people I know are often composited into other people who I don't <span style="font-style: italic;">quite </span>know... alternative explanation: it was <a href="http://triciahelfer.com/new/wp-content/uploads/2007/04/six-2-small.jpg">Six</a>). It even ends with him springing out of bed.<br /><br />I once dreamed that I was eaten whole by a fifty-foot tall genie on a Godzilla-like rampage through downtown Salt Lake City, only to discover that it was a robot on the inside. I challenged the robot's controller to a game of Uno and, upon winning, defeated him with a withering one-liner.<br /><br />No one would report such a dream as an actual experience, yet if they dreamed the same experiences as Anderson, I could easily see them interpreting it as an actual experience, as our society is primed to accept stories of alien abduction more readily than those of giant robot genies.<br /><br />There is <span style="font-style: italic;">nothing </span>in this story to make me think it was anything other than a vivid dream.<br /><br />Ron Johnson's story (not to be confused with <a href="http://saltcityskeptics.blogspot.com/2009/08/them-book-brunch-w-jon-ronson.html">Jon Ronson</a>) is the same. It sounds like it was a nightmare, period. He had a nightmare about a scary-looking creature staring at him when he was fourteen. Two hundred years ago, he'd have dreamed it was a demon or a succubus; but in our culture, aliens are a more plausible beastie, so he he dreamed about an alien. Moving on...<br /><br />Glenys Moore also recounts a story that sounds much more plausible as a dream. I hate to sound like a broken record here, but to me, these all just sound like dreams. Moore's may have been a sleep paralysis dream. As I mention in the article, sleep paralysis is a well-understood neurological phenomenon that, when coupled with a nightmare, can lead to some horrific experiences of captivity at the hands of whatever is in the nightmare, be it an alien, a succubus, or Freddy Krueger. Terrifying, but still just a dream.<br /><br />None of these people are crazy nutjobs, but neither are the stories compelling... But wait, there's more!<br /><br />Enter, <span style="font-weight: bold;">Marlee Spendlove</span>. Spendlove is a hypnotherapist and (though the article fails to mention this fact) Assistant Director of the Mutual UFO Network (MUFON) of Utah.<br /><br />Now, if those two details together don't raise your skeptical alarm bells, perhaps you should have them readjusted.<br /><br />According to Spendlove, aliens futz about with the memories of abductees to erase or mask what really happened. And Spendlove uses hypnotherapy to help her patients, including Anderson and Johnson, recover their memories of alien abduction.<br /><br />Uh oh...<br /><br />In the 1980s, there was a nationwide pandemic of people who, as adults, used hypnotherapy to "recover" "memories" of their parents sexually abusing them children in Satanic rituals. The only issue? It didn't happen. There was no such pandemic of Satanic abuse, and the recovered memories were actually false memories created by the therapist and the patient, sometime cause huge amounts of personal trauma, family estrangement, and prosecution over events that never took place. Furthermore, it minimized or distorted the trauma of people who really <span style="font-style: italic;">have </span>been sexually abused by their relatives.<br /><br />I should mention that I don't think such false memories are <span style="font-style: italic;">deliberately</span> put in place through such therapy. I've no doubt that these therapists, including Spendlove, are providing these "therapies" honestly. It's just that they don't provide reliable memories, particularly when the therapist is predisposed to lead their patients to a particular conclusion, like Satanic sexual abuse or alien abduction.<br /><br />Indeed, Spendlove is approaching her therapy with the assumption that her subjects have had an abduction experience, and from how I read it, helps direct her therapy to make her subjects come to that conclusion:<br /><blockquote>Spendlove says that extraterrestrials are able to block portions of memories, so that the human who interacts with them carries screened memories where the actual alien encounter is replaced with elements that are more typical of everyday human life. After his initial experience, Anderson says that memories of other experiences made more sense to him. “When I was a kid, the 9-foot man in the back yard was one of those beings coming to get me. On other times, they would send these little 3-foot black troll-looking guys to get me, and I called them my gorillas. Thinking back, it made sense, because I had a little black stuffed animal that was a gorilla.”<br /></blockquote>Umm... Or you, in a suggestible state, constructed a memory wherein two unrelated memories you already had (a scary nightmare and the gorilla stuffed animal) were combined into a narrative story that's much more interesting. Continuing...<br /><blockquote>Anderson hoped his young son would corroborate it. “I thought, ‘My son has got to prove to me that this really happened.’” When he arrived home from work the day after his first alien encounter, he met his son, who told Anderson he’d had a dream about being attacked by wild bears that were in the house. Anderson had recently read that “in screened memories, aliens mask themselves as animals, because people are comfortable with that.”</blockquote>Really? A dream about bears = "I was abducted by aliens!" What would the interpretation have been if his son had dreamed of a trip to Willy Wonka's factory, or of a slimy reptilian monster under the bed, or us a giant robot genie, or if he could remember no dreams atr all? I'd bet money that any of these would be interpreted as evidence that the abduction story were true.<br /><br />Anderson's original story was that they brought him along to make his son feel less afraid. Why was that necessary if they seem to have such mind-control powers? And why, then, did the aliens choose to disguise themselves as BLOODTHIRSTY FREAKING BEARS<span class="Unicode">‽</span><span class="Unicode">‽</span><span class="Unicode">‽</span><blockquote>Anderson’s son said, “It was really, really weird because it felt so real. And I reached down to scratch my leg, and it’s all bloody.” Anderson says he wiped some of his son’s blood away and “there was a little crescent mark on his leg, which is what extraterrestrials do to take DNA samples.”<br /></blockquote>So, let me get this straight: An alien species that has evolved to be so human-like in appearance and physiology that we can have sex with them (more on that later) develops faster-than-light space travel and journeys to our planet, but they don't know how to take a DNA sample without leaving a gaping, bloody gash on a young boy's leg? And this is supposed to be a plausible explanation? Ever heard of a cotton swab on the inner cheek? Or a syringe?<br /><br />None of the stories recounted have any kind of physical evidence to support them. It's all based on people recounting their experiences years or decades after they actually happened. Ron Johnson claims to have actually obtained physical evidence at one point, though of course, it was never retained for analysis. Back to Ron Johnson...<br /><blockquote>In 2008, for the first time, Johnson was willing to discuss finding tangible physical evidence of alien encounters following several instances of sexual relations with extraterrestrials that occurred over many years. He describes lying on a table having intimate encounters with scrawny-looking, near-anorexic aliens with large eyes. For him, it felt like having sex with a mannequin. “They had no life to them.”<br /><br />He says he always awoke with a green residue—the color of lime sherbet and texture of Karo syrup—in his underwear. He says he encountered a young man from England at a UFO conference in Laughlin, Nev., who had similar experiences. Recalling his many encounters, Johnson wishes that “whatever the aliens want to do with me, I wish they would let me know what it is.” </blockquote>Great! So, he always awoke with a mysterious green substance in his underwear, and even found others that had the same experience! We should have some of this mysterious green goop, right?<br /><br />No? We are supposed to accept that these who independently evolved to be almost human traveled across space to have sex with humans, and even left behind some sort of intergalactic lube for us to study, but the people they left it with threw it all away so we don't actually have any physical evidence?<br /><br />Again, what is more plausible?Patrickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00816959400474038457noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2381164221638882784.post-27653548325266452982009-08-28T14:45:00.001-07:002009-08-28T16:24:14.165-07:00Salt City Skeptics on IrreligiosophySo, I am on the <a href="http://www.irreligiosophy.com/?p=818">latest episode of the Irreligiosophy podcast</a> along with another Salt City Skeptics member to discuss the group, my religious background, and what it's like living here in Salt Lake City...<br /><br />Additionally, it was finally determined which of the two hosts, Leighton or Charley, is the most grating -- and why. (This all goes back to my <a href="http://liberteegalitetrivialite.blogspot.com/2009/08/living-in-utah.html">blog post</a> mentioning that, although I liked the show, I could find the hosts grating).<br /><br />I gotta say, it wasn't nearly as weird hearing my voice on this show as I had anticipated. :)Patrickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00816959400474038457noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2381164221638882784.post-33771864272348481082009-08-21T13:36:00.001-07:002009-08-26T21:52:16.840-07:00'Them' Book Brunch w/ Jon Ronson<span style="font-style: italic;">(That's three events posted in less than 24 hours! if you're reading this before September 17th, be sure to check out <a href="http://saltcityskeptics.blogspot.com/2009/08/eugenie-scott-lecture-drinking.html">this post with details on other events</a>)<br /></span><br />The disembodied voice of Jon Ronson will be joining us by Skype (for real this time!) for our book discussion of <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Them-Adventures-Extremists-Jon-Ronson/dp/0743233212/ref=sr_1_7?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1250885954&sr=8-7"><span style="font-style: italic;">Them: Adventures with Extremists</span></a>. If you haven't read it yet, go pick it up now. For more details, see my <a href="http://saltcityskeptics.blogspot.com/2009/06/book-brunch-with-jon-ronson-and-them.html">previous post about Jon Ronson</a>.<br /><br />If you've finished and liked <span style="font-style: italic;">Them</span>, you should read Ronson's <a href="http://www.powells.com/biblio/17-9780743241922-1"><span style="font-style: italic;">The Men Who Stare at Goats</span></a>, which will be released as a film starring George Clooney and Ewan McGreggor later this year. In fact, here's Clooney now, showing that this movie will do what it says on the tin:<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiib1ut4WXTSpDaokHPzQf4R0YFT4C-F3zFrLR6QcFNnRRN0Xm2OJKHwDYRO_KJIVVtRoLkACgSDlaYz6qOqYqM-R7RnwSoeKom4aXKTIOPbG7lEtS9rnhN4dKZOf1mcuiNhTSkqFurLVT4/s1600-h/0821lynn.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 267px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiib1ut4WXTSpDaokHPzQf4R0YFT4C-F3zFrLR6QcFNnRRN0Xm2OJKHwDYRO_KJIVVtRoLkACgSDlaYz6qOqYqM-R7RnwSoeKom4aXKTIOPbG7lEtS9rnhN4dKZOf1mcuiNhTSkqFurLVT4/s400/0821lynn.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5372518808991828674" border="0" /></a><br />Okay, details. We're having this thing mid-day, as Jon lives in the UK, and I don't think he'd be to keen to speak to us in the middle of the night. And we'll be having a potluck brunch at my house. Come on over at 11:00 to chat and eat, and we'll have Jon on at noon.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Date: </span>Sunday, September 27<br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Time: </span>11:00 <span style="font-weight: bold;">AM</span><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Location: </span>My house (email me at saltcityskeptics@gmail.com for the address, or just RSVP on the Facebook or Meetup events once they're created.)<span style="font-weight: bold;"><br />What to bring:</span> Yourself, a copy of Them if you have it, and something brunchy to nom.Patrickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00816959400474038457noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2381164221638882784.post-20378598480745271892009-08-20T17:20:00.000-07:002009-08-20T17:25:29.716-07:00Eugenie Scott Lecture + Drinking SkepticallyTwo new events to announce... First the easy one:<br /><br />Drinking Skeptically, August 9. Same bat-time (7:00). Same bat-channel (<a href="http://piperdownpub.com">Piper Down</a>, in the back).<br /><br />Come have a drink or two with other skeptics, rationalists and freethinkers.<br /><br />-----------------------------------<br />Now for the more exciting one:<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Eugenie Scott Lecture: What Will the Creationists Do Next?</span><br />Thursday, September 17, 2009<br />12:00pm <br />Utah Valley University Library Auditorium<br />800 West University Parkway, Orem<br /><br />Join Salt City Skeptics to see Eugenie Scott's lecture "What Will the Creationists Do Next?"<br /><br />If you don't know who Eugenie Scott is, you should. Scott is the executive director of the National Center for Science Education, an awesome group helping to keep science in -- and dogma out of -- the classroom. During the Dover trial, Scott helped lead the charge in successfully keeping Intelligent Design Creationsim out of public schools. Scott's numerous media appearances have included PBS' Nova and Evolution series and Penn & Teller's Bullshit!. Additionally, Scott and was one of several evolution proponents featured in the pro-Intelligent Design film Expelled.<br /><br />Scott is one of the staunchest defenders of quality science education today. It's a rare chance to get to see her speak and meet her. Don't miss it!<br /><br />The event is mid-day on a weekday, so I understand that not everyone can attend. If you're interested in carpooling (as Scott will be speaking at Utah Valley University in Orem), write me or post in the comments for this event.<br /><br />Afterwards, we'll meetup for an early dinner and drinks.. Anyone know of a good spot in Utah County?Patrickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00816959400474038457noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2381164221638882784.post-21574095971140463752009-08-14T08:59:00.000-07:002009-08-18T11:01:27.145-07:00What groups like Humanists of Utah can do to thriveNote, though I'm talking about a particular group here, my thoughts apply to any similar organization...<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihHSivRdcr6Q2M3CGiWuoRmRAsjJoboiZvbHxydzFTBT3en6tgxBxR3r9mTygHiGCcx5u6CiLE8EMS43bCr5rx_nPYE0iu0Rm0cQtr5CXEbIe3WD9yUGO3_iMGtwPfwoCuJV47OaILUpmT/s1600-h/hou.png"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 132px; height: 201px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihHSivRdcr6Q2M3CGiWuoRmRAsjJoboiZvbHxydzFTBT3en6tgxBxR3r9mTygHiGCcx5u6CiLE8EMS43bCr5rx_nPYE0iu0Rm0cQtr5CXEbIe3WD9yUGO3_iMGtwPfwoCuJV47OaILUpmT/s400/hou.png" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5371345033254973058" border="0" /></a>Last week, I attended a picnic for the <a href="http://www.humanistsofutah.org/">Humanists of Utah</a>. HoU is a great organization. Their events and guest speakers are always insightful, and the people are warm, welcoming, positive and just generally awesome.<br /><br />I've been to two or three HoU events over the years. Each time, one issue has been very apparent. And it's an issue they readily admit: they're aging out. Other than myself, a few members of <a href="http://shiftuofu.blogspot.com/">SHIFT</a> (which was invited to attend), and a few children of long-time members, I don't believe there was anyone under fifty in attendance. And most were older than that. Nearly everyone I spoke with was ecstatic that there were just a few younger people there.<br /><br />I had a discussion with one member of the HoU who wondered why humanism didn't appeal to younger people, whether it even applied to our lives at all.<br /><br />My answer: an unequivocal yes. The ideals of humanism are very much the ideals of vast, <span style="font-style: italic;">vast</span> numbers of younger people openly embrace.<br /><br />So, what's going on then? Why are there so few 20- and 30-somethings attending HoU events?<br /><br />One piece of the puzzle is shifting labels. The ideals of humanism and the ideals of organized skepticism are very similar and entirely compatible. Yet organized skepticism has grown tremendously over the past few years. Events like The Amaz!ng Meeting have grown from a sort of boutique conference for a few people to become huge social events for skeptics of all stripes. And in the case of TAM, it's been getting younger and more diverse every year.<br /><br />The "New Atheist" phenomenon has also had a huge impact in the last few years, <span style="font-style: italic;">particularly</span> on younger people. Whether they consider themselves atheists or not, the nonreligious have been emboldened to more readily -- and proudly -- embrace their identity openly.<br /><br />Not ervey last person who labels themselves a skeptic or an atheist is going to have ideals that line up perfectly with humanism, but for the vast majority of them (including myself), it's the Enlightenment ideals that these labels stand for that are important, not the labels themselves.<br /><br />But what has <span style="font-style: italic;">changed</span> to make it seem like groups like Humanists of Utah are no longer applicable?<br /><br />Quite simply, the internet.<br /><br />The internet has enabled people to form communities with like-minded individuals in ways that weren't possible twenty years ago, or even ten.<br /><br />Each week, I download vast amount of content to my iPod. Podcasts like <a href="http://www.littleatoms.com/">Little Atoms</a> (<span style="font-weight: bold;"><3</span>), <a href="http://www.pointofinquiry.org/">Point of Inquiry</a>, <a href="http://www.theskepticsguide.org/">SGU</a>, <a href="http://www.irreligiosophy.com/">Irreligiosophy</a> (on which I will be a guest on an upcoming episode!), and <a href="http://skepticallyspeaking.com/">Skeptically Speaking</a> keep thoughtful insight into secularism, rationalism, non-theism and other Enlightenment ideals in my ears all week long.<br /><br />I subscribe to countless blogs in my RSS reader. I've become friends -- both online and IRL -- with some of those bloggers, I keep up with people both locally and far-flung through social media. The people on these blogs and podcasts are real people, and I can get to know them, in some small way, through Twitter or Facebook. I mean, I know more about <a href="http://twitter.com/squatchypants">Rebecca Watson's stuffed animals</a> than I do my neighbors two houses down. Never has it been easier to find a group of like-minded people, regardless of the topic.<br /><br />This is awesome. I get to be a part of a community of like-minded people all around the world. Whether you love drinking beet root juice or want to find others who love to go bowling in full animal costumes, chances are there's a Facebook or Meetup group for you.<br /><br />Does it come at a cost? Maybe. The fact is that I <span style="font-style: italic;">don't</span> know much about my neighbor two houses down. My "neighborhood" is definitely more the place I live than a community of which I'm a part. But the internet allows me to find community locally as well. It's precisely <span style="font-style: italic;">because</span> of the internet that I was able to form Salt City Skeptics, and indeed is how I know of Humanists of Utah.<br /><br />But HoU has yet to jump in to these newer internet media. I've no idea whether this is by choice or just because it hasn't yet been done, but the fact of the matter is that younger people today just do not respond as readily to a static website or monthly physical newsletters. Don't get me wrong: I'm not saying there is anything wrong with these things or that they should go away. Maintaining a blog or podcast takes a lot a time and effort. And to some people, a printed newsletter may be totally indispensable. But the fact of the matter is that most people under 35 and a huge number of those over are likely to use (and I hate this term, but it here goes...) Web 2.0 media like blogs, podcasts and social networking sites.<br /><br />Let's look at this group, Salt City Skeptics. I started the group a little under a year ago, more or less on a whim, and between the presences on Facebook, Meetup and subscribers to the SCS blog, we have nearly 250 unique "members."<br /><br />Now, very few of those members are as devoted to the group as members of HoU are to theirs.<br />SCS has a rotating group of ten to twenty people who actively attend our events, plus occasionally more people at special events. For most, Salt City Skeptics "membership" mostly consists of adding it to one's Facebook profile in a list right next to "Fans of Lady GaGa" and "People who don't enjoy being on fire." Most "members" have never come to an event.<br /><br />HoU members, conversely, have thirty or forty devoted members who come to every event (and probably countless more who don't) and are likely <span style="font-style: italic;">much</span> more invested in the group, viewing it more as a unique community.<br /><br />The Humanists of Utah certainly have more to offer in terms of content than SCS. I'm just one person and have to balance my time with the group with all the other stuff that comes up in life. HoU is, you know, and actual incorporated nonprofit group with clout and a board and a chair and a budget in excess of $70 a year. The programing schedule put together by HoU is impressive and insightful. SCS mostly gets together to share a few drinks and gripe about pseudoscience and the excesses of religion. I always promise to have more guest speakers, etc., but it takes work getting the ball rolling on these things.<br /><br />So, what's my point here.<br /><br />I, for one, want to see HoU continue. But that means they need to invest now in social media and a next-gen web presence. I'd like to help the group survive. I'm going to start posting HoU events here, and I'm going to make my best effort to attend them. I'd hope that HoU can start getting a presence on these newer platforms. A Twitter feed or Facebook group takes just a few minutes to set up, and it instantly allows people to discover these groups and their events. Let's all help this phenomenal group with 20 years of history survive.Patrickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00816959400474038457noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2381164221638882784.post-56821152622545714782009-08-04T20:58:00.000-07:002009-08-04T21:05:30.512-07:00Drinking Skeptically, August 12<div class="D_boxsection"> <div class="description"> <p>Join Salt City Skeptics at Piper Down for a drink or two over stimulating conversation. If you haven't been to a DS event since the renovation at Piper was completed, come along this time! The new space in the back is much more chatting-friendly.</p><p>Piper Down (1492 S. State Street), August 12, 7:00<br /></p> <p>------------------</p><p>We're still rescheduling the book talk with Jon Ronson, so if you haven't read <span style="font-style: italic;">Them</span>, you still have time!<br /></p><p>Also, I want to start mixing up the Drinking Skeptically events, with some of them at a cafe. Anyone know of a good place to host such an event?</p><p>I'm also working on a few other events that I think you'll like, so stay tuned! As always, keep any new ideas coming down the pike. In the meantime, see you at Piper!</p><p></p></div> </div>Patrickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00816959400474038457noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2381164221638882784.post-11558203728259224442009-07-13T12:06:00.001-07:002009-07-13T13:06:41.937-07:00Oh, right: Drinking Skeptically... Also: I need your inputIt's another Drinking Skeptically event at Piper Down! This Wednesday, the 15th at 7:00!<br /><br /><br /><br />Also:<br />I need some ideas from you guys on what we can do to make these events more... eventful. I love chilling out around the table and having a beer with you all, but what would YOU like to see happen? Discussion points? Games?<br /><br />I've asked this question once before, but the thread was <a href="http://saltcityskeptics.blogspot.com/2008/12/what-do-you-want.html">quickly derailed by a troll</a>, so I'll ask it again:<br /><br />What do you want out of this group?<br /><br />And more than that, what can you do to contribute to the group?<br /><br />I don't necessarily mean money (though there are expenses I have to cover to keep the group going from time to time). Are you a natural organizer? Do you have contacts that would make great guest speakers?<br /><br />Let's take this discussion to the comments section, and I'll also bring it up at this week's Drinking Skeptically.<br /><br />Just to get things started, here's some ideas on goals we might want to take on over the course fo the next year. Please give me your thoughts on these, or add your own ideas, in the comments below:<br /><ul><li>Build alliances and contacts with other rationalist/secular groups in the area, such as the <a href="http://humanistsofutah.org/">Humanists of Utah</a> and <a href="http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=62898580089">SHIFT</a> (the U of U Secular Student Alliance)</li><li>Increase the number of guest speakers and special events (such as the author talks with Mary Roach and Jon Ronson)</li><li>Organize a trip to next year's Amazing Meeting (I know some of you went this year, and I'm jealous!)</li><li>Become more involved in actively confronting anti-rationality and pseudoscience in Utah</li><li>Affiliate with national organizatoins, such as the <a href="http://www.centerforinquiry.net/">Center for Inquiry</a>.</li></ul>Now it's your turn. Hit the comments section and keep the discussion going!Patrickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00816959400474038457noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2381164221638882784.post-46337417096391772902009-07-10T13:51:00.001-07:002009-07-10T13:57:03.110-07:00Update on Jon Ronson book brunchHi everyone! If you were planning on attending the <a href="http://saltcityskeptics.blogspot.com/2009/06/book-brunch-with-jon-ronson-and-them.html">Jon Ronson book chat</a> this Sunday, I'm afraid you'll have to wait a little longer. I've had to reschedule it. I'm currently working with Jon on determining a new date, which will likely be in August some time. My apologies.<br /><br />This gives you a chance to pick up and read <a style="font-style: italic;" href="http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0743233212">Them</a> if you've not yet done so!<br /><br />More details to follow...Patrickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00816959400474038457noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2381164221638882784.post-47416167606734751932009-06-13T08:14:00.000-07:002009-07-10T13:39:34.254-07:00Book Brunch with Jon Ronson and "Them"<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPgy-_6R4gQw4MS5YZ0qAiv2pNR1qHKr5lV8Gxm3N6wt7d3Ur3DbDNFWh8wE8uSg0E8n97RXZVo7DOSfbNieEIDXub3HZ_YtSGgBT6fx-HDwJdtkNu7tIrfW25Xq_on-n_FYPasp6EImeV/s1600-h/highres_7725289.jpeg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 158px; height: 246px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPgy-_6R4gQw4MS5YZ0qAiv2pNR1qHKr5lV8Gxm3N6wt7d3Ur3DbDNFWh8wE8uSg0E8n97RXZVo7DOSfbNieEIDXub3HZ_YtSGgBT6fx-HDwJdtkNu7tIrfW25Xq_on-n_FYPasp6EImeV/s400/highres_7725289.jpeg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5346833703565276114" border="0" /></a><span style="font-weight: bold;">PLEASE NOTE: This event is being rescheduled. A new date will be announced shortly!</span><br /><br />The next Salt City Skeptics Book Club selection is Jon Ronson's <a href="http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0743233212"><span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic;">Them: Adventures with Extremists</span></a> and we again have the opportunity of having the author participate in the book discussion (by phone)!<br /><br />This is your chance to speak directly to <a href="http://www.jonronson.com/">Jon Ronson</a>, an imminently insightful and entertaining writer and journalist.<br /><br />Jon Ronson is a journalist and author whose books incluce <span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic;">Them</span> and <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Men-Who-Stare-Goats/dp/0743270606/"><span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic;">The Men Who Stare at Goats</span></a> (currently being made into a film with Ewan McGregor starring as Ronson). He's also a regular contributor to <a href="http://thislife.org/"><span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic;">This American Life</span></a><span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic;"> </span>and a documentary filmmaker.<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Them</span> is a thought-provoking, occasionally scary and often hilarious look at the world of conspiracy theorists and extremists. Jon Ronson repeatedly plunges himself neck-deep in the upside-down world of these extremists. It's a quick, engaging and VERY entertaining read, so go pick it up <span style="font-weight: bold;">now</span>!<br /><br />Our discussion will be a Sunday Brunch event on <span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(255, 0, 0);"><s>Sunday, July 12 at 11:00 AM</s></span> <span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic; color: rgb(204, 51, 204);">[NOTE: this event has been put on hold, a rescheduled date will be announced shortly]</span> (Ronson lives in the UK, so it'll be mid-evening for him). Location TBD. Anyone know of a decent breakfast place where we can have a private discussion area (or have a house with a good 'net connection you'd like to offer)? If you plan on attending, please RSVP at either the Meetup or Facebook page (links at top right).<br /><br />Go pick up <a style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic;" href="http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0743233212/">Them</a> today!<br /><br />If you want a taste of more Jon Ronson, you can hear stories by and interviews with him below:<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic;">This American Life</span> episodes featuring Ronson:<br /><ul><li> 201: "<a href="http://thislife.org/Radio_Episode.aspx?sched=1135">Them</a>"</li><li> 211: "<a href="http://thislife.org/Radio_Episode.aspx?sched=922">Naming Names</a>"</li><li> 214: "<a href="http://thislife.org/Radio_Episode.aspx?sched=1065">Family Physics</a>"</li><li> 314: "<a href="http://thislife.org/Radio_Episode.aspx?sched=1208">It's Never Over</a>"</li><li> 331: "<a href="http://thislife.org/Radio_Episode.aspx?sched=1185">Habeas Schmabeas</a>"</li><li> 338: "<a href="http://thislife.org/Radio_Episode.aspx?sched=1254">The Spokesman</a>"</li></ul><a href="http://www.littleatoms.com/"><span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic;">Little Atoms</span></a> episodes featuring Jon Ronson (EXCELLENT interviews):<br /><ul><li> 1st interview (<a href="http://www.littleatoms.com/sounds/jonronson.mp3">download MP3</a>)</li><li> 2nd interview (<a href="http://www.littleatoms.com/sounds/jonronson2.mp3">download MP3</a>)</li></ul><a style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic;" href="http://www.theskepticsguide.org/">The Skeptics' Guide to the Universe</a> podcast:<br /><ul><li> 186: <a href="http://www.theskepticsguide.org/archive/podcastinfo.aspx?mid=1&pid=186">Interview with Jon Ronson</a></li></ul>Patrickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00816959400474038457noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2381164221638882784.post-75552660733218854612009-06-03T08:33:00.000-07:002009-06-03T08:38:16.452-07:00Drinking Skeptically + Mary Roach recapI've spoken before on the <a href="http://saltcityskeptics.blogspot.com/2009/04/fact-mary-roach-is-awesome.html">awesomeness of Mary Roach</a>. Last week, she spent an hour on the phone with Salt City Skeptics.<br /><br />We had fewer people than expected, but those who showed had a great treat. Mary (I figure once you've talked to someone about their views on religion, death orgasms, and how any of those three interact, you've earned first-name-basis status) was hilarious, insightful and very engaging. Though we were ostensibly there to talk about Spook, she fielded questions relating to all of her books, to her approach to writing and research, and all kinds of other topics. I wish I'd had the foresight to record it, because anyone who didn't attend seriously missed out.<br /><br />(If I can set up similar Q&A sessions in the future, maybe I'll look at recording it for your podcasting pleasure.)<br /><br />Thanks, Mary, for a great evening!<br /><br />----------------------<br /><br />Next Wednesday, June 10, we're having another Drinking Skeptically night at Piper Down (1492 S. State St). I'll be there at 7:00, so I look forward to seeing you there!Patrickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00816959400474038457noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2381164221638882784.post-22941694160767896722009-05-22T09:08:00.001-07:002009-05-22T09:09:51.527-07:00Spook book discussion: location updateJust a heads-up that we now have a confirmed location for the Spook book discussion on Wednesday the 27th at 7:00 PM:<br /><br />A Salt City Skeptics member has graciously arranged for us to use room 5100 at the University of Utah Health Science Education Building (HSEB), located at the U of U medical complex. Parking is free after 6 just to the south of the building, or it's a short walk east from the Medical Center Trax stop.<br /><br /><iframe width="425" height="350" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" src="http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&source=s_q&hl=en&geocode=&q=26+South+2000+East&sll=40.76978,-111.833519&sspn=0.001869,0.004093&ie=UTF8&t=h&ll=40.777487,-111.829491&spn=0.00338,0.018904&z=14&iwloc=A&output=embed"></iframe><br /><small><a href="http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&source=embed&hl=en&geocode=&q=26+South+2000+East&sll=40.76978,-111.833519&sspn=0.001869,0.004093&ie=UTF8&t=h&ll=40.777487,-111.829491&spn=0.00338,0.018904&z=14&iwloc=A" style="color:#0000FF;text-align:left">View Larger Map</a></small>Patrickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00816959400474038457noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2381164221638882784.post-60556300970260929042009-05-02T09:31:00.000-07:002009-05-02T09:33:39.139-07:00somegreybloke tackles the Global Swine Flu Pandemic!!!!!I love somegreybloke:<br /><br /><object width="560" height="340"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/ZO-R3hg9rnY&hl=en&fs=1&color1=0x402061&color2=0x9461ca"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/ZO-R3hg9rnY&hl=en&fs=1&color1=0x402061&color2=0x9461ca" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="560" height="340"></embed></object>Patrickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00816959400474038457noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2381164221638882784.post-82713700458873297422009-04-28T20:36:00.000-07:002009-05-27T11:23:02.633-07:00Yep. It's a Swine Flu PostSo, we may have the big global pandemic we've been warned about on our hands here. It's too early to tell for sure, but it's certainly not a good situation.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh67PSqsh8hJ_NyEUwuUSmsJDTJelRuPIvSoGxI8QmeZWB9wiOPcU-2gPJBbz7A76Uo7t83_ANM9WMqdWkTLpJbF0yBQpynm-vy-ZgmugEU3TVdBg0hl_0q7pbdx-yjsF3eS4oQQ2XfX6L8/s1600-h/HT002852.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 252px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh67PSqsh8hJ_NyEUwuUSmsJDTJelRuPIvSoGxI8QmeZWB9wiOPcU-2gPJBbz7A76Uo7t83_ANM9WMqdWkTLpJbF0yBQpynm-vy-ZgmugEU3TVdBg0hl_0q7pbdx-yjsF3eS4oQQ2XfX6L8/s400/HT002852.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5340570896517614482" border="0" /></a>Unfortunately, these kinds of situations are a good example of a time to put on your skeptic hat (pictured at left).<br /><br />In my estimation, there are two main things that have come into play that are deserving of skeptical scrutiny, though I suppose the second really is a consequence of the first...<br /><br />...Which is <span style="font-weight: bold;">panic</span>.<br /><br />I first heard about the swine flu outbreak from Twitter of all places. First a single humorous mention, then an all-out storm of both derision and panic, both founded and unfounded. Now, I love me some Twitter (<a href="http://twitter.com/PatrickOrlob">you can follow me!</a>), but witnessing how tweeps reacted to Swine Flu made me realize that by its very nature as an outlet for short, stream-of-thought messages about for whatever is on one's mind leads not only to posts like "headed to the bathroom," but also to outbursts of raw panic that one might not be as inclined to do in a more paced, carefully-worded forum, such as Facebook status updates.<br /><br />Whether or not it's a plague, swine flu has definitley become a twitterdemic (a word that someone else has probably already invented, though I haven't seen it elsewhere, so I'm taking credit). I loved this <a href="http://www.xkcd.com/574/">excellent XKCD comic</a> about just the effect I described above. But I don't mean to harp on Twitter. I mean, have you <span style="font-style: italic;">seen</span> the news? News organizations exist to <s>inform the public</s> make money, so it's no surprise that they're focusing as much time as possible to every tiny development. And all of this in and of itself is okay. I mean, I'm writing a blog post of about swine flu as we speak.<br /><br />But all of this feeds into a general public sense of helplesness and panic.<br /><br />Here's the deal: swine flu is dangerous. If you are immunosuppressed, elderly, or an infant, it's even more dangerous. If you're none of the above and you have access to modern healthcare, you're most likely going to be fine. We're not on the edge of <span style="font-style: italic;">28 Days Later</span> here. Everyone should take reasonable precautions against infection: wash your hands, skip that trip to Cabo, don't make out with people suffering from swine flu unless you <span style="font-style: italic;">really</span> have to. When a vaccine becomes available, get vaccinated (seriously: get vaccinated).<br /><br />None of this is to say that swine flu is not a huge world health concern. It is. In Mexico, it's believed to have claimed hundreds of lives already, and it's just getting geared up for its world tour. I'd be surprised (though, of course, pleased) if it were not responsible be thousands of deaths by the time it's run its course.<br /><br />Which makes the second skeptic-hat-worthy item all the more egregious. That item, of course, is...<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">the exploitation of panic</span>.<br /><br />Panic and public concern over a medical crisis is excellent fodder for those who would take advantage of it to make a buck or further an agenda by distorting or making up "facts."<br /><br />Homeopaths, for instance, were swift on the uptake on the whole "let's dupe sick people into giving us money" bandwagon. <a href="http://skepchick.org/blog/?p=7074">Rebecca at Skepchick exposes</a> some ridiculous and awe-inducing (for their brazen disregard towards fellow humans) statements at a UK website selling homeopathic cures for swine flu. Check it out.<br /><br />Remember, homeopathy isn't just <span style="font-style: italic;">any</span> alternative treatment that hasn't established any efficacy. It's water. <a href="http://skepchick.org/blog/?p=101">Just water</a>. Period.<br /><br />It irks me to no end to see this kind of nonsense being pushed in a time of true crisis. Someone taking an alternative "treatment" such as these homeopathic "remedies" is less likely to go see a real doctor if they become very ill, and this puts them at risk for death.<br /><br />And now I'm struggling to stay awake. This post is probably filled with typos and sentence fragments, but I can't proofread now. I can barely keep typing. Time for sleep. Good night all!Patrickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00816959400474038457noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2381164221638882784.post-71481243368277112792009-04-24T10:02:00.000-07:002009-05-22T09:08:02.538-07:00'Spook' book discussion, with special guest Mary RoachAs mentioned before, our next Salt City Skeptics book club book is <span style="font-style: italic;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">Spook</span></span> by Mary Roach.<br /><br />If you haven't yet picked it up, get thee to a bookstore and grab it now, because we have an awesome opportunity: The author will be joining us (by phone) for our book discussion on May 27th at 7:00.<br /><br />Mary Roach is the author of three fantastic, entertaining and offbeat books about scientific inquiry into some unexpected topics: <a style="font-style: italic; font-weight: bold;" href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0393324826?ie=UTF8&tag=patrickorlobss0b&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=0393324826">Stiff: The Curious Lives of Human Cadavers</a>, about... well, about human cadavers (it's far more entertaining that you'd think!); <a style="font-style: italic; font-weight: bold;" href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0393329127?ie=UTF8&tag=patrickorlobss0b&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=0393329127">Spook: Science Tackles the Afterlife</a>, which addresses the scientific evidence of an afterlife (or lack thereof) and supposed supernatural phenomena; and her most recent book <a style="font-style: italic; font-weight: bold;" href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0393334791?ie=UTF8&tag=patrickorlobss0b&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=0393334791">Bonk: The Curious Coupling of Science and Sex</a>, in which Roach explores the world of sex research and researchers.<br /><br />All of Roach's books are a quick and entertaining read, so if you finish with <span style="font-style: italic;">Spook</span>, check out one of her others before the 27th. Though our focus will be on Spook, this is a rare chance to ask the author questions on any of her books.<br /><br />====UPDATE!====<br />We now have a location. A Salt City Skeptics member has graciously arranged for us to use room 5100 at the University of Utah Health Science Education Building (HSEB), located at the U of U medical complex. Parking is free after 6 just to the south of the building, or it's a short walk east from the Medical Center Trax stop.<br /><br /><iframe width="425" height="350" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" src="http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&source=s_q&hl=en&geocode=&q=26+South+2000+East&sll=40.76978,-111.833519&sspn=0.001869,0.004093&ie=UTF8&t=h&ll=40.777487,-111.829491&spn=0.00338,0.018904&z=14&iwloc=A&output=embed"></iframe><br /><small><a href="http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&source=embed&hl=en&geocode=&q=26+South+2000+East&sll=40.76978,-111.833519&sspn=0.001869,0.004093&ie=UTF8&t=h&ll=40.777487,-111.829491&spn=0.00338,0.018904&z=14&iwloc=A" style="color:#0000FF;text-align:left">View Larger Map</a></small>Patrickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00816959400474038457noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2381164221638882784.post-62773428266641079492009-04-16T22:17:00.000-07:002009-04-16T22:45:52.694-07:00FACT: Mary Roach is awesomeYes, I do realize this is the 3rd post in a row about Mary Roach, but after seeing her tonight, I HAVE to mention it.<br />----------------------------------------<br /><br />Mary Roach spoke today at the Salt lake City Library, filling the main auditorium near to capacity. I'm currently tearing through <span style="font-style: italic;">Spook</span> (okay, I'm listening to it on audiobook), and after tonight, Mary Roach is rising quickly on my list of favorite people.<br /><br />Roach spoke for an hour and a half, but it seemed like twenty minutes. I could have heard her go on all night, and I think the entire auditorium felt likewise.<br /><br />I wish we had more science writers like her. I honestly feel that she is one of the greatest science communicators we have today. She makes science interesting to people who might not otherwise be interested, and shows how hugely varied scientific inquiry can be, tackling everything from rotting corpses to G-spot stimulation. Also, those two topics should NEVER EVER be mentioned in the same sentence again. (She mentioned her next book would have something to do with space exploration and astronauts. Can't wait!) And on top of all of that, Roach is hilarious. I mean RIDICULOUSLY hilarious.<br /><br />Whether or not you are planning on reading <span style="font-style: italic;">Spook</span> for the next SCS book club or not, I can't recommend Roach's books any more strongly.Patrickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00816959400474038457noreply@blogger.com3