I just found out that our TV show pilot, Skeptologists, has a Facebook page! You can become a fan of the show, and look at photos taken on set too. I have a ton of pictures I’ll upload as soon as I can find my &^#$#$$() camera recharger.
In this shot from the Facebook page, you can see the whole cast as we stood looking at the 100 inch telescope at Mt. Wilson. From left to right it’s Mark Edward, me, Brian Dunning, Yau-Man Chu, Kirsten Sanford, Steve Novella, and Michael Shermer.
If you went to BadAstronomy.com and found yourself here, never fear: the BA Blog has moved to its new home at Discover Blogs. The original BA site (with the Moon Hoax debunking and all that) is still online, too.
Phil Plait, the creator of Bad Astronomy, is an astronomer, lecturer, and author. After ten years working on Hubble Space Telescope and six more working on astronomy education, he struck out on his own as a writer. He has written two books, dozens of magazine articles, and 12 bazillion blog articles. He is a skeptic, and fights misuses of science as well as praising the wonder of real science.
Contact me: The Bad Astronomer "at" gmail "dot" com
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"Reading this book is like getting punched in the face by Carl Sagan. Frightening, but oddly exhilarating."
-- Daniel H. Wilson, author of How to Survive a Robot Uprising
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April 7th, 2008 at 1:09 pm
Shouldn’t that be Kirsten SanFORD?
April 7th, 2008 at 1:11 pm
I am very exited about the show. Hopefully we’ll get an epic trailer soon. I’m thinking Indian Jones but with astronomy!
April 7th, 2008 at 1:20 pm
Hey, did you score any good recipes from Kiki. You failed to mention her in your original post, or I would have shown a greater interest. MMMMM Kiki, she makes ice cream with liquid nitrogen, that’s hot!
April 7th, 2008 at 1:26 pm
Hope you guys get picked up by a good network, Phil. And if you do, convince them to come by Philly and debunk Eastern State Penitentiary.
I’ll even buy you all a round of drinks if you do.
April 7th, 2008 at 1:35 pm
D’oh! When I met her on the first day, I accidentally called her Kiki Saunders, because I had just been talking with someone about my friend the skeptic Richard Saunders. So when I wrote this entry I wrote her name wrong as a joke to myself, and then didn’t fix it. Serves me right. It’s fixed now. She’s gonna kill me.
April 7th, 2008 at 1:57 pm
If she doesn’t, the GRBs probably will, right?
I’m pumped about the show. Here’s hoping it gets picked up quick!
April 7th, 2008 at 2:00 pm
Since Phil stands out so much in the shot, I think each member should have a specifically colored shirt to wear, like the Power Rangers. There are enough people for the full ROYGBIV spectrum!
April 7th, 2008 at 2:02 pm
This is being developed independently? What production company? What network(s) is it being pitched too?
April 7th, 2008 at 2:23 pm
Male skeptics are soo dorky, myself included.
Female skeptics are soo hot.
I can’t seem to figure out why this is so.
April 7th, 2008 at 2:37 pm
You mean your camera doesn’t have a memory card you can just pop into your computer?
April 7th, 2008 at 2:42 pm
You’ll never get taken seriously with Leslie Nielsen on your team, second from the right.
April 7th, 2008 at 2:42 pm
Brian- well, it might have something to do with your Superman pose…
April 7th, 2008 at 2:49 pm
A – wrong Brian.
April 7th, 2008 at 2:54 pm
Hey, Steve, I thought it was Leslie Nielsen too.
April 7th, 2008 at 3:01 pm
Hmmm, misspelled Yau-Man’s name too. I’m having a rotten typo day.
April 7th, 2008 at 3:17 pm
Brian Dunning: that’s crazy- it sound so much like you! Didn’t you, Phil and I have this conversation several times this week?
(Oh, well, perhaps you didn’t exactly call yourself dorky, I admit.)
And you do look like Superman in that photo. Pretty blue eyes and everything!
April 7th, 2008 at 3:21 pm
I see others have pointed out already the uncanny likeness of Steve Novella in that picture to Leslie Nielsen. Spitting image!
April 7th, 2008 at 3:37 pm
“Each week, we’ll take on a handful of wild claims — from the Bermuda Triangle to Bigfoot sightings to haunted houses — and apply accepted scientific practices and experiments to see if these theories hold up.”
So the Bermuda Triangle, Bigfoot, haunted houses now have the same scientific status as evolution – i.e., they are theories? Seems I’ve had my head handed to me more than one time on this blog for being sloppy in my terminology – calling something a theory when I meant hypothesis and vice versa. C’mon dudes and dudesses (skeptologists and skeptologesses), a little more precision in your language would be appreciated.
April 7th, 2008 at 3:57 pm
if you were at Mt Wilson you were right above my house
April 7th, 2008 at 4:12 pm
Tom, you could call them “crackpot assumptions” but that would be a bit harsh beforehand don’t you think?
April 7th, 2008 at 4:14 pm
This is pretty male-heavy. Need some skepchick recruiting!
April 7th, 2008 at 4:59 pm
I hope all of you were able to do some observing in the 100″ scope. It’s a once in a lifetime opportunity.
April 7th, 2008 at 5:07 pm
I was thinking the same thing bjswift. Need more skepchicks!
April 7th, 2008 at 5:59 pm
Or the Wiggles.
April 7th, 2008 at 6:00 pm
Is Novella wearing a fake beard???
April 7th, 2008 at 6:22 pm
Judging from that slope you’re standing on, Mt. Wilson is pretty steep.
April 7th, 2008 at 7:39 pm
Is it just me, or does Phil look more comfortable than the others? I really hope someone picks up the show, because it sounds really interesting. I just can’t imagine why they don’t have Phil’s arch nemesis on it, though. The squid armies will hear about this!
April 7th, 2008 at 8:21 pm
I am looking forward to seeing this take off. I am a high school (mostly freshman) science teacher. I try really hard to begin training my students to not believe every thing they hear/see. Skepticism is such a vital part of scientific study.
FYI- Phil, I missed you (and Sarah) at the CSTA Long Beah Conference this year.
April 7th, 2008 at 8:54 pm
Best shot in the facebook album: Phil’s face, watching his colleagues grinding up wheatgrass. Now THAT’S skeptical!
April 7th, 2008 at 10:02 pm
You want a skeptical look? Check out the Skeptologists teaser video, and watch my face at the end. Ignore the misspelling; it’s been noted.
April 7th, 2008 at 10:07 pm
As far as comfort goes, don’t read too much into a still photo. But we were in my territory.
April 8th, 2008 at 1:29 am
“Each week, we’ll take on a handful of wild claims — from the Bermuda Triangle to Bigfoot sightings to haunted houses — and apply accepted scientific practices and experiments to see if these theories hold up.”
I hope at some point you plan on taking on more serious issues. There’s a whole segment of channels on DirecTV where I can tune in at random and probably see something about Bigfoot or the Triangle. Not trying to harsh the buzz, but there’s been more than enough debunking of stuff like spoon bending.
How about demystifying modern nuclear power for the average person? Or some of the more harmful urban myths that adversely affect how people conduct their lives? There’s a whole culture of fear out there caused by a lazy media parroting whatever “scientific” press release is emailed out by dubious institutes and foundations, and there’s pretty much NOTHING being done to oppose it.
An example from the 1980’s was one put out by a homeless advocate claiming some X number of homeless Vietnam veterans. It was a depressingly long time before anyone in the media outlets realized that X was greater than the total number of troops the US *ever* sent to Vietnam.
I just can’t get enthused about another Bermuda Triangle debunking. yeah, I’m a big fat party pooper and meanie, but someone has to hold the skeptical line. I watch the watchers.
April 8th, 2008 at 2:57 am
Quiet Desperation, I fully agree. There are lots of popular misconceptions that could be debunked (nuclear power was a perfect example) that avoid both silly territory (Bigfoot) and political hot-button topics (global warming/creationism/etc).
Which isn’t to say I wouldn’t still watch it if you stuck to Bigfoot
April 8th, 2008 at 4:32 am
It’d really be nice if TLC or Discovery channel dropped one of thier UFO files/ghost hunter/pet psychic shows and returned to reason and logic.
Eagerly anticipating the show.
April 8th, 2008 at 7:21 am
BA, we need to work on your look a bit. Leather overcoat, sunglasses, and try to look as shifty as possible. Just make sure you don’t look like that nutbag from the history channel UFO show. Ballcap, sunglasses, collar turned up… too much effort into looking the part of the conspirator.
April 8th, 2008 at 9:40 am
Quiet Desperation, I fully agree. There are lots of popular misconceptions that could be debunked (nuclear power was a perfect example) that avoid both silly territory (Bigfoot) and political hot-button topics (global warming/creationism/etc).
I have another concern. I have had too many occasions when I mention I’m a skeptic, people say something like “Oh, you debunk ghosts and UFOs and other silly stuff.”
That’s the image that gets promulgated when, say, James Randi goes to give a talk somewhere, and he talks about frakking spoon bending. Gawds, Randi, the 1970s called and wants their issue back.
Which isn’t to say I wouldn’t still watch it if you stuck to Bigfoot
Well, I didn’t say I wasn’t going to watch it.
All I said was I *hope* they go after bigger ticket items- a Sylvia Browne episode would be killer.
April 8th, 2008 at 4:42 pm
Am I the only one who thinks that picture makes it look like you guys are on the Titanic?
April 8th, 2008 at 6:03 pm
I was thinking more ‘The Love Boat’ , for some reason I have no idea why …..
April 8th, 2008 at 7:41 pm
@ KaiYves: That would explain why Phil looks so proud of himself. He just finished rearranging the deck chairs.
April 9th, 2008 at 4:36 am
[obscure pulp reference]
Listed from Left to Right:
Monk, Johnny, Renny, Ham, Pat, Long Tom. (unknown)
J/P=?
April 10th, 2008 at 10:48 am
Is that the same Yau-Man from Survivor? Didn’t know you knew him. I guess they said he was a rocket scientist so I guess it makes sense.