05 January 2012 by John Underhay
The Mayans have been in the news a lot over the past couple of years, particularly due to their (supposed) prediction that the world will end in December of this year. This has been so thoroughly debunked that I hardly need mention it here. Reminiscent of the response to Harold Camping, there are those who [...]
Posted in Featured, History, Social Sciences5 Comments
14 November 2011 by Steve Thoms
So, a little over a year ago, I wrote a piece about one particular anti-WiFi activist named Rodney Palmer. It was a bit of a snarky post, written with the piss-and-vinegar that comes from a long, aggravating day at work. The post caught the attention of Mr. Palmer, who promptly threatened to sue me over [...]
Posted in Conspiracy Theories, Featured, Pseudoscience55 Comments
30 September 2011 by Mitchell Gerskup
Last April, in the lead-up to the federal election, I posted visual representations of all of the platforms the major political parties of Canada. I thought of it as a quick and fun way to visualize some of the major themes that can be found in the platforms, as well as a way to give [...]
Posted in Ontario, Social Sciences3 Comments
10 September 2011 by Michael MacKay
Today’s book review is a guest post from Mike MacKay. Mike is a long-time skeptic who, when he’s not practicing law or chauffeuring his children, reads and writes voraciously on skeptical topics. He can be contacted or followed via twitter @Michael5MacKay Interesting in contributing your own book review? If it’s related to scientific skepticism, we’re [...]
Posted in Conspiracy Theories, Guest Post, Reviews, Skepticism0 Comments
23 July 2011 by Steve Thoms
Neil Degrasse Tyson once remarked that “If you are scientifically literate, the world looks very different to you.” I would modify this and say that if you’re musically literate, the world sounds very different to you. A recent tweet by Skeptoid’s Brian Dunning raised some questions about an elusive aspect of music: Perfect Pitch. When [...]
Posted in Science, Social Sciences5 Comments
05 July 2011 by Ethan Clow
Despite the onset of summer and the melting ice in and around Hudson’s Bay, Henry Hudson must have felt particularly cold that day of June, 1611. Along with his son Jon, and six other crewmen, Hudson was bound by his former crew and left in a small shallop and set adrift in the bay that [...]
Posted in Canada, Environment, History, Science, Social Sciences, Territories1 Comment
27 June 2011 by Erik Davis
There’s a viral video doing the rounds — an edit, set to music, of footage from a documentary about a stone-age tribe in Papua New Guinea making contact with modern humans for the first time. It’s an astounding thing to watch. The Toulambis, as they are known, trepidatiously approach the modern man on the [...]
Posted in Cognition, Critical Thinking, Culture, Environment, History, Skepticism, Social Sciences13 Comments
16 June 2011 by Erik Davis
It must be true. A little bird told me. That little bird of course was Cosmo the Amazon Parrot of the Vancouver Aquarium, who went on CBC and Global a few weeks back to predict a quick win by Vancouver. Watch: A Strong Track Record? At the time, it seemed reasonable to trust Cosmo – [...]
Posted in Canada, Cognition, Critical Thinking, Culture, Logic and Fallacies, Media, Probability and Statistics, Skepticism1 Comment
09 June 2011 by Michael Kruse
Peter Popoff, the American evangelical preacher, is one of the classic unsinkable rubber ducks of woo. The skeptical icon James “The Amazing” Randi exposed Popoff in 1987 on the Johnny Carson show by sneaking in a radio receiver and recording equipment and recording the sometimes foul and revealing conversation beween Popoff’s wife Elizabeth and Popoff [...]
Posted in Culture, Media, Skepticism1 Comment
04 June 2011 by Jeff Orchard
I just attended a debate between Christopher Hitchens and Prof. Barry Brummett at the university of Waterloo. The topic, “Religion has been a positive force in culture.” It was moderated by Jian Ghomeshi. So, why am I calling it the “un-debate”? One of my hobbies is to listen to debates between religious folks and science [...]
Posted in Culture, Reviews, Skepticism26 Comments
Can Coconut Oil Reverse Alzheimer’s Disease?
Toronto Aetherius Society: His Master’s Voice, stuff that goes boom, and a lack of proof (Part 2)
Toronto Aetherius Society: Jesus, Venusians, and some bad astronomy (Part 1)
Skeptical Fails and Wins This Week
Acupuncturist claims cervical cancer is for prostitutes
