– Date – November 13, 2012
– Send your cool ‘SCIENCE!’ shout-outs to
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– Theme song by Steve Seamans of the Daisy Dillman Band. Get the song HERE.
– Thank you to everyone who has been purchasing books, Skepticality stuff, or using our Amazon link to help us!
Skpepticism Past and Future
– Scientology continues to melt down, as former Village Voice editor Tony Ortega documents on his blog.
– A recent Telegraph story indicates UFO enthusiasts seem to be coming around to the idea that there really are no aliens visiting.
– An updated version of Fishbarrel is now available in the Chrome store. Learn about how to use it at Tim's blog.
– Pundit Tracker is running a challenge in which you can win Amazon gift cards or even a virtual pundit post simply by voting on their site.
– Truth Market has named Chris Mooney to its Board of Advisors and is running an Affinity Program from now to the end of the year to encourage participation.
– Skeptic History facts are posted daily on social media find out where on this page at Tim's blog.
Unnatural Virtue
– Michael Shermer described his hallucination of being abducted by aliens in a Scientific American article.
– Some skeptics think those who believe they really were abducted by aliens share a personality type called the fantasy prone personality.
– Sheryl Wilson and Theodore Barber introduced the idea of the fantasy prone personality in a 1983 paper.
– In Imagery, Current Theory, Research and Application, ed. by Anees A. Sheikh, (New York: Wiley, pp. 340-390.)
– There has been very little research that has attempted to replicate or validate Wilson and Barber's work.
– One study of 62 subjects concluded: "Low fantasy-prone subjects were no less creative or less responsive to hypnosis than their medium fantasy-prone counterparts."
– Another study concluded: "Fantasy proneness and absorption [‘openness to absorbing and self-altering experiences’] were not found to be truly discriminable constructs."
– One study found an association between fantasy proneness and vulnerability to schizophrenia.
– Another study found no correlation between fantasy-proneness and alien abduction experiences, contradicting Robert Baker and Joe Nickell.
– Until further research supports the notion of the personality type, we should be skeptical of a label that has been applied to such disparate characters as Sylvia Browne and Emily Brontë, the one a gregarious, interminable babbler and the other a creative loner.
– Joe Nickell used the fantasy prone personality to demonstrate that Pearl Curran did not channel the spirit of Patience Worth.
– Did she really believe spirits dictate books through Ouija boards and automatic writing? Labeling her a fantasy prone personality doesn't help us answer that question.
– The Skeptics Dictionary and Skeptic's Dictionary for Kids.
– A paperback edition of Unnatural Acts: Critical Thinking, Skepticism, and Science Exposed! is now available from Lulu.com. For more info, click here. The eBook is still available.
The Odds Must Be Crazy
– The Odds Must Be Crazy.
– This week's featured story is, "The Lost Ring".
– Story was submitted by reader Shane Dopson.
– Please visit the story link for a more detailed analysis and to add your comments.
– Additional thoughts and considerations provided by Barbara Drescher.
– Our stand-in producer and audio engineer is Emery Emery.
– Our theme music comes to us courtesy of Brian Keith Dalton, AKA Mr. Deity.
– Please visit The Independent Investigations Group Los Angeles.
– The Odds Must Be Crazy can be found on Twitter, Facebook, and Google+.
– Wendy Hughes is on Twitter.
– Jarrett Kaufman is on Twitter.
– Barbara Drescher is on Twitter.
– Brian Hart is on Twitter.
– Brian Keith Dalton is on Twitter.
Fake Science 101 – Interview – Phil Edwards
– Interview Guest This Episode: Phil Edwards.
– Former Wal-Mart Employee.
– Author of the Jake Russo murder mystery books.
– Creator of the Dumb Employed website and book.
– His latest book is Fake Science 101: A Less-Than-Factual Guide to Our Amazing World.
– This book is much like 'America (The Book): A Citizen's Guide to Democracy Inaction' by John Stewart.
