Happy birthday, Randi!

Phil Plait — Sun, 07 Aug 2011 13:00:58 +0000

Today is James Randi’s birthday, so happy birthday, O Amazing One!

It’s hard to believe that I’ve known that guy for over 8 years now. When I wrote my first book, my editor said we needed blurbs for the cover (the "This book cured my warts!" kind of thing), and we could use someone who was a big skeptic. Naturally I thought of Randi. I sent him a note, he agreed happily, and sent a great quote that immediately went on the back cover of the book. Shortly after that he invited me to talk at the very first Amaz!ng Meeting, and the rest is, as they say, history.

Randi is formidable, and as Carl Sagan said, "We may not always agree with Randi, but we ignore him at our peril." Sagan was a pretty smart guy.

Randi’s a pretty smart guy too, and does a lot of good for the world. Now, I’m not saying he’s 900 years old and wise, but the resemblance to Yoda can sometimes be uncanny…

Buonanotte, Italia

Phil Plait — Thu, 07 Jul 2011 17:21:50 +0000

I love pictures of Earth from space, but there’s something especially thrilling when it’s some place you can easily recognize instantly. Like, say, the boot heel of Italy at night:

Sigh. Così bella! [Click to empeninsulate.]

This picture was taken by an astronaut on board the International Space Station. There’s not a lot of science to be done necessarily with pictures like this, but sometimes it’s OK just to gawk at pretty pictures from space.

And come to think of it… not that I recognized it, but just to the left of the top of the heel is Bari, a town I spent a day in while cruising with the Center for Inquiry. CfI sponsors many cruises to help raise funds, so keep an ear open for them. The JREF does things like this sometimes, too.

Italy is lovely from the ground, but, like the rest of the planet, literally takes on a new dimension from space.

Image credit: NASA

Related posts:

- The storm below
- A puzzling planet picture from the ISS
- Followup: city lights from space
-

TAM 9 From Outer Space!

Phil Plait — Mon, 14 Mar 2011 18:00:55 +0000

The James Randi Educational Foundation (JREF) has just opened registration for its annual skeptical extravaganza, The Amaz!ng Meeting!

TAM is arguably the world’s premier critical thinking conference, and certainly one of the most fun. I’m always torn between listening to the speakers and gathering with the friends I’ve made over the years — and meeting new ones. It’s fair to say the audience is a major reason to attend TAM.

The theme this year is "TAM 9 from Outer Space", and it’s obvious why with speakers like Neil DeGrasse Tyson, Pamela Gay (one of my favorite people on this planet), Bill Nye (The Science Guy), and hey, me. And the list keeps going: Carol Tavris (who gave a very popular talk last year at TAM),

My Moon webcast is now online

Phil Plait — Sun, 13 Feb 2011 14:00:05 +0000

Last week, I did a live video chat/webcast with Andrew Shaner of the Lunar and Planetary Institute, where I took questions from a chat room and talked about topics ranging from the Moon Hoax to global warming to tides to other planets to science fiction to Dyson spheres. More stuff than that even. It was a lot of fun answering people’s questions off-the-cuff.

The entire webcast is now online for your viewing and listening pleasure. Andrew does lots of these webcasts and other outreach projects about the Moon, so take a look at what they’re doing at LPI!

Season of Reason 2010

Phil Plait — Fri, 10 Dec 2010 13:49:48 +0000

Although I’m no longer President of the James Randi Educational Foundation, I’m still a strong supporter! They are continuing the fight against unreason, and have been venturing quite strongly in the field of education, something I endorse whole-heartedly. So I’m very pleased to let y’all know about the 2010 Season of Reason donation drive. This annual drive means a lot to the JREF, which is a non-profit 501(c)(3) organization (tax-deductible, folks!).

Even better, an anonymous and very generous donor has offered to match all donations up to $100,000! So every buck you give does double duty.

And even better even better, when you donate $100 or more (or pledge to give an ongoing $25/month or more) you’ll get a cool tree ornament designed by Surly Amy — which is hanging from my tree in Chez BA in a place of honor:

[Yeah, I have Enterprise-D and Klingon Bird of Prey ornaments -- they light up, too, and it's perfectly OK for you to seethe in jealousy of my awesomeness.]

So if you’re looking for a year-end deduction, or just want to do a good deed, then please ...

Don’t Be a Dick, Part 3: the aftermath

Phil Plait — Thu, 19 Aug 2010 17:19:35 +0000

[Note: This is the third of three posts on my "Don't Be a Dick" speech. Please first watch the video of my TAM 8 talk, and you can also read Part 2 which has links to others' thoughts on this topic.]

Before I gave my TAM 8 talk — now known as the "Don’t Be a Dick" speech — I was more nervous than I had been before a public speaking engagement since high school. Watching the video, I’m surprised that I appeared so composed. I was sweating bullets up there, and had an emotional catch in my throat several times that wasn’t so obvious in the video.

After the video, my friend Pamela Gay was waiting off stage for me. She had given an impassioned talk about "science evangelism" literally minutes before I took the stage, and I could tell she was warmly received. I’m not speaking out of school when I say she was more than a little concerned talking at a skeptic conference; as an active Christian she knew she’d receive the slings and arrows of outrageous criticism… and she did, during ...

Don’t Be a Dick, Part 1: the video

Phil Plait — Tue, 17 Aug 2010 17:42:22 +0000

[Note: As is obvious by the title, the article below contains mildly NSFW language.]

In July, I spoke at The Amaz!ng Meeting 8 in Las Vegas. Sponsored by the James Randi Educational Foundation, it’s the largest meeting of critical thinkers and skeptics in the world. Unlike my usual talks about the abuse of science that I had given at previous TAMs, this time I wanted to tackle a much thornier issue: how we skeptics argue with believers of various stripes.

My first point was that we must keep in mind our goal. If it’s to change the hearts and minds of people across the world, then at least as important as what we say is how we say it. And my second point was pretty simple… but you’ll get to it around 24 minutes in. It’s obvious enough.

Here’s the video. The whole thing is about a half hour long.

Phil Plait – Don’t Be A Dick from the James Randi Educational Foundation.

I’ll admit I was pretty nervous about this talk, as I was basically telling people to be nicer. It’s hard for some people to hear a message like that, and I knew there would ...

TAM 8 interview: best way the world will end?

Phil Plait — Sat, 17 Jul 2010 13:40:16 +0000

While I was at The Amaz!ng Meeting 8, attendee Scott Carnegie (from the Winnipeg Skeptics) grabbed a moment with me to ask me which of the ways the world might end would look coolest from the ground. Here’s what I said:

I sometimes wonder what it would be like to be able to actually see a comet in the sky, and know that in some amount of time, months say, it will 100% for sure and for real hit the Earth. What would happen? Riots? Panic? Or acceptance? Probably disbelief until the last minute, and then panic.

Yikes. Good thing there’s nothing out there so far that can hit us. But that day may yet come… and I hope by then we have a space program in place that can take care of it.

Captain Disillusion… in 3D

Phil Plait — Wed, 07 Jul 2010 20:05:05 +0000

I love me some of the Captain! Captain Disillusion, that is. He’s just created a new skeptical video, this time in 3D!

YouTube doesn’t allow 3D videos to be embedded yet, but here’s the link to it, and you can watch the 2D version below.

I hear that Captain Disillusion will be at TAM 8, but he may be disguised as a mere mortal. I will never give away his secret identity — we superheroes stick together — but if you go, maybe you’ll run into him. He’ll be the one with length, depth, and width.

TAM Australia site online!

Phil Plait — Thu, 17 Jun 2010 19:40:58 +0000

On November 26-28, 2010, the very first official TAM Australia will be held in Sydney! The Aussie skeptics have put together that website to give you all the info you need on the meeting, including the current guest list and all that.

Registration starts on June 20 for members of the JREF and the Australian Skeptics, and then open to the public two weeks later.

I was in Australia for the national skeptics conference in 2004, and had just about the best time of my life. If you’ve never been, now’s your chance to kill two birds with one stone. And you can bring me back Minties.

Two skeptics meetings in Europe this fall (and one in the US)

Phil Plait — Thu, 27 May 2010 16:39:39 +0000

If you happen to find yourself in The Old World this autumn, then you may want to attend one or both of these conferences…

1) TAM London 2010 will be October 16 – 17 in (duh) London. The speakers list is every bit as impressive as last year’s! The highlight, no doubt, will be the premier of Tim Minchin’s animated short film "Storm", which is destined to become a skeptical classic — watch the trailer here.

Before you ask, I won’t be at TAM London this year; the point is to make it Eurocentric, so American speakers are kept to a minimum. But of course, TAM 8 will be in Las Vegas this year from July 8 – 11. I’ll very much be there!

2) The 14th annual European Skeptics Conference will be from September 17 – 19 in Budapest, Hungary. That’s run by the European Council of Skeptical Organisations. I’ve heard Budapest is lovely, and someday I hope to get there.

If you’ve never been to a critical thinking conference, then you really should attend. And if you want to go ...

James Randi comes out of the closet

Phil Plait — Mon, 22 Mar 2010 17:00:11 +0000

James Randi — one of the founders of the modern skeptical movement, a leading rationalist, thinker, and fighter of antiscience — has made a big announcement: he’s gay.

A lot of us already knew this, although I don’t know how widespread the knowledge is. I imagine this will surprise some folks, but not others. Some may wonder why he waited this long… but he makes it clear why in both his announcement on Swift as well as in his interview with JREF President (and openly gay man) D.J. Grothe on his podcast For Good Reason. D.J.’s interview with Randi is excellent; they discuss how this molded Randi’s life, his thoughts on gay marriage, his frequent mentioning of Sophia Loren (which made me smile), and how this affects (or more accurately, does not affect) the JREF’s mission.

I found out about the announcement right before a friend came to pick me up, and I told him about it. We chatted about it for a moment, and then he asked me, "What difference will this make?"

That’s a darn good question. For me it makes no difference, and wouldn’t had I known or not before the announcement. ...

TAM 8 registration is now open!

Phil Plait — Tue, 02 Mar 2010 17:14:46 +0000

Registration for The Amaz!ng Meeting 8 is now open!

Wow, what a lineup. Richard Dawkins, folks, as well as a whole passel of skeptical stars. I couldn’t help but notice I’m on that list as well. I’d better come up with a talk.

But I have a little while; TAM 8 is July 8 – 11. Maybe by then I’ll be able to open up on My Sooper Sekrit Project™. And show my tattoo!

So go and sign up. TAM 8 is the Woodstock of skepticism, and has earned that moniker. Man, it’s 5 months away and I already can’t wait!

Iraq still embracing the magic

Phil Plait — Wed, 24 Feb 2010 01:02:34 +0000

Oh, FFSMS. After countless tests showing them useless, articles about them being useless, challenges from Randi and others to prove they are not useless, and the company head arrested for suspicion of fraud because they’re useless, Iraqi Prime Minister al-Maliki has ordered that the (useless) magic wand dowsing rod bomb-sniffers should still be utilized.

FFSMS.

At least al-Maliki wanted them tested. Still. This angers me:

The survey, ordered by Nouri al-Maliki, the prime minister, found the British device, known as ADE651, generally worked. However some of the gadgets, found to be ineffective, would be replaced.

A government spokesman later said only 50% of the devices worked.

"Replaced?" With what, fairy dust? Unicorn horns? And I’d love to know how those tests were done. I bet it would’ve been cheaper to send a dozen of the wands to Randi and let him take a look. And if they did work, not only would Iraq get the wands back, but Randi would include a check for a million bucks which they could use to buy more of the kits.

I have to say, it’s been a good year for skeptics, but we clearly have a long way to go. Thailand and Iraq ...

Help UK libel reform

Phil Plait — Tue, 23 Feb 2010 04:10:47 +0000

I’ve written about the horrible state of libel laws in the UK before, but there are a couple of new developments:

1) Simon Singh wrote about the issue for the JREF’s Swift blog. He asks people to sign the online petition for reform, and it helps even if you’re not a UK citizen. In general I don’t support online petitions, but in this case it will have a real and important impact; they can present it personally to people who make the laws and show them this is an important issue. I signed. You should too.

2) Simon’s libel case goes before the Court of Appeal in London on Tuesday, February 23 (today for most folks reading this). No doubt the major media will be covering it, as it’s a big story. I’ll try to post something here if and when I hear anything.

You can find out more at the Libel Reform website, including how (if you’re local) you can go downtown to show support for Simon on Tuesday morning at 09:45 (here’s the location).

Two skeptical podcasts, both new and kinda new

Phil Plait — Mon, 15 Feb 2010 20:39:27 +0000

With my friend D.J. Grothe taking the helm of the JREF, the question came up with what would happen with his old podcast, Point of Inquiry, that he did for the Center for Inquiry. The solution is interesting, and doubles your skeptical outlets: D. J. is doing a new podcast for the JREF, and PoI has been handed over to some new folks… with familiar names.

First, D. J. is now podcasting for the JREF on For Good Reason, an appropriately-named ‘cast where he interviews, as usual, leading lights in critical thinking. The premier episode was with Randi hisself, the second with Daniel Loxton (who wrote a kid’s book on evolution I really liked), and the latest is a talk with Richard Dawkins. It’s a good podcast, which is no surprise! You can subscribe to it via iTunes too.

Point of Inquiry is continuing on as well, with new hosts Robert Price and my friends Karen Stollznow and Chris Mooney (who blogs here at the Hive Overmind at The Intersection). The first installment is Chris interviewing Paul Offit on the evils of the antivax ...

Swooping in on NASA

Phil Plait — Fri, 12 Feb 2010 20:30:25 +0000

Swoopy from Skepticality interviewed me about NASA, and the whole shebang is now live (you can also just grab the MP3).

I talked about Obama’s plan for NASA, the JREF, Pluto, Mars, my tattoo (sorry, folks, no news there), and doted on Swoopy maybe just a little because she is made of awesome and win and unicorns. She and co-host Derek run the Skeptic and Podcasting tracks at Dragon*Con, because that’s just how cool they are.

Skepticality is the original skeptical podcast, and still one of the best. You really should subscribe to it if you don’t already. And if you do, you are already smart and good-looking and likely to be President one day.

Captain disses illusion

Phil Plait — Fri, 05 Feb 2010 19:19:11 +0000

Captain Disillusion is the reigning superhero of skepticism, and his video exploits are legendary.

Of course, he’s also a filthy liar, saying I don’t like cats:

[Shh! I have to say I like cats, because if I don't then my cat will steal my breath in the middle of the night and kill me.]

Click through to see the rest. He’s funny. And Bolingbrook Babbler somehow caught wind of this as well, to my chagrin. Of course, it’s one of the few MSM outlets that gets quotes from me right…

NECSS registration open

Phil Plait — Thu, 04 Feb 2010 19:15:11 +0000

Just so’s you know, the NYC Skeptics and NESS are throwing a big skeptic meeting in New Yawk called the Northeast Conference on Science & Skepticism, and registration just opened. This will be a really fun event with lots of cool people like George Hrab, Jamy Ian Swiss, the Skeptic’s Guide to the Universe wackos, and apparently someone named D.J. Grothe who is also apparently the President of JREF.

Oh yeah: Randi will be there too! You can see the entire speaker list here.

I really really want to go to NECSS, but I don’t know if my schedule will allow it. Be assured that if I can, I’ll let y’all know here. And if so, see you there!

TAM London DVDs available for pre-order!

Phil Plait — Wed, 03 Feb 2010 16:30:38 +0000

I’m very pleased to hear that TAM London DVDs are now available for pre-order!

W00t!

They have 12 hours of skeptical and scientific wonderfulness on them, including performances by James Randi, Richard Wiseman, Brian Cox, Ariane Sherine, Simon Singh, Jon Ronson (who wrote Men Who Stare At Goats), as well as exclusive interviews, backstage footage, and lots more.

To give you an idea of what it’s all about, event organizer Tracy King (whom I thank very much for putting this together) has posted a preview on YouTube:

Yeah, you want this. And proceeds go to the JREF, so it’s a good cause, too! So go! Get yer DVD!

CBS news does good on the Iraqi magic wands

Phil Plait — Tue, 26 Jan 2010 03:21:05 +0000

On Monday night, CBS Evening News covered the arrest of the snake-oil salesman who was selling what he claimed are bomb-sniffing dowsing rods, but are in reality (gasp!) totally useless:

Lt. Col. Hal Bidlack (retired), interviewed in the show, is an old friend and friend of the JREF; if you’ve attended a TAM then you’ve seen him MC the event. He got in a couple of excellent sound bites!

And I guess I should be fair. The magic wands aren’t totally useless. They’re perfect for getting people blown up and killed. I’m sure the terrorists love them.

Related posts :
A double military victory!
When antiscience kills: dowsing edition
Hal Bidlack: Colorado’s next Congressman (and yeah, that didn’t work out as well as planned, but it’s worth reading for things Hal has said and done.)

Secular help for Haiti

Phil Plait — Mon, 18 Jan 2010 16:23:45 +0000

The James Randi Educational Foundation has teamed up with the Richard Dawkins Foundation for Reason and Science and a dozen other secular groups to set up a way to donate money to help out the people of Haiti after the huge earthquake last week.

As Randi says,

We at the JREF are very proud to be part of the concerted effort to aid Haiti to recover from this catastrophic event. To my mind, there is nothing more disturbing than hearing the distressed cries of children who are subjected to grief and/or injury, and my personal contribution has already been added to the encouraging total that mounts hour by hour. Please be generous and help us to reach out to Haitians of all ages, of any and all philosophical orientations.

Richard Dawkins will cover $10,000 of PayPal fees, so if you use that method 100% of your donation will go to help.

You can donate here. Please help.

Who’s that CSI fellow?

Phil Plait — Wed, 13 Jan 2010 21:00:19 +0000

I am very pleased to announce that I have become a Fellow of the Committee for Skeptical Inquiry, commonly known as CSI (and formerly known as CSICOP). CSI is one of the foremost skeptical organizations in the country and the world, and it is both humbling and an honor to be a part of it.

I was chosen along with other 15 other people, many of whom will be familiar to regular readers, including Skeptic Dictionary creator Bob Carroll, Steve Novella, Harriett Hall, Massimo Pigliucci, UK Skeptic’s Christopher French, Seth Shostak, and my fellow astronomer Jay Pasachoff. You can get the full list at the CSI announcement.

I’m also very happy to note that another of the new Fellows is one James Randi! Randi helped create CSICOP, but left years ago due to personal reasons when Uri Geller (boo!) sued both him and CSICOP. Randi has maintained a cordial relationship with the group over the years, and I know he’s personally very happy to be a part of CSI once again.

I’ve received a few emails from folks asking if my leaving the JREF ...

Interview with new JREF President D.J. Grothe

Phil Plait — Sun, 10 Jan 2010 15:00:48 +0000

D. J. Grothe, the new President of the James Randi Educational Foundation, was interviewed by the folks at Pod Delusion. I’ve embedded the interview below (D. J.’s part starts around the 10:40 mark).

D. J. is a good guy, and I think the JREF is in excellent hands.

Tip o’ the electron to Jon Treadway, and James O’Malley for the embed.

Another circuit around the Sun begins

Phil Plait — Fri, 01 Jan 2010 07:01:41 +0000

I know it’s traditional to take this time to look back, and to look ahead. And while I’m not a traditional sort of fellow, I do want to take just a moment here and indulge myself. New Year’s is rather arbitrary for a number of reasons, but there is one substantive change that happens today.

As of right now, I am no longer President of the James Randi Educational Foundation. That job now falls on the able shoulders of my friend D. J. Grothe, who takes that position as of today, January 1, 2010. D. J. is, quite simply, a tremendous guy, and if this is the time for looking ahead, then I see great things happening with him at the helm. He brings loads of experience to the job as well as a fresh perspective. I won’t wish him luck — I don’t put much stock in either that verb or that noun, but I hardly need to. D. J. has earned my trust, and I know he’ll be great.

Like everyone else, I don’t know what 2010 will bring. I’m working on my sooper sekrit TV project, and I’ll have news for that in the coming months, no doubt. ...

Bad Astronomy » JREF

Happy birthday, Randi!

Buonanotte, Italia

TAM 9 From Outer Space!

My Moon webcast is now online

Season of Reason 2010

Don’t Be a Dick, Part 3: the aftermath

Don’t Be a Dick, Part 1: the video

TAM 8 interview: best way the world will end?

Captain Disillusion… in 3D

TAM Australia site online!

Two skeptics meetings in Europe this fall (and one in the US)

James Randi comes out of the closet

TAM 8 registration is now open!

Iraq still embracing the magic

Help UK libel reform

Two skeptical podcasts, both new and kinda new

Swooping in on NASA

Captain disses illusion

NECSS registration open

TAM London DVDs available for pre-order!

CBS news does good on the Iraqi magic wands

Secular help for Haiti

Who’s that CSI fellow?

Interview with new JREF President D.J. Grothe

Another circuit around the Sun begins