A week and a half ago, I told you all about The Skeptic Exchange, the community-based skeptical Q&A site.  I’ve been trying to visit daily to keep up with the questions and answers, and I’ve learned a lot already.  I’ve also had the opportunity to share what I know with other skeptics.

In case you haven’t made it over there to see what you can learn, or how you can help, I thought I’d run down the questions that are on there so far (click on any of them to go straight to that question on The Skeptic Exchange):

1. Parents, do you uphold the santa myth?
2. Are daily multivitamins useful?
3. cycle helmets…
4. Arguing against personal anecdotes.
5. Is it reasonable to be both a skeptic and a theist?
6. Is it possible to overdose on Homeopathic medicines?
7. Is economical skepticism possible?
8. What is the Placebo Effect?
9. What skeptical and/or atheist TV is out there?
10. Can data show if H1N1 vaccine was truly effective?
11. Is organic produce safer?
12. What are the best sources (blogs?) for up to the moment atheist thought and news?
13. What is the best general skeptical blog?
14. “Masking” symptons in alternative medicine
15. What do you think is CHI ?
16. Taking ‘ad hominem’ too far…
17. Do the Holmes Family Have Psychic Abilities?
18. Hours of sleep a day ?
19. What exactly did the ‘Climate-gate’ e-mails contain?
20. Is man made global warming worthy of concern?
21. Does this logical fallacy have a name?
22. What are the best (worst) True Believer podcasts?
23. What are the best Skeptic podcasts?
24. Should you be scared or overjoyed by UK Nuclear power?
25. What Is Cold-Reading?
26. Mediums, Clairvoyants and Fortune Tellers
27. skepticism and cold calling
28. Is “Transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation” (TeNS) Effective?
29. What are the Moon Landing Hoax points and counterpoints?
30. What is the most eggregious snake-oil/medical scam?
31. Is there any evidence to support ancient astronaut theories?
32. Are vaccinations in line with evolutionary medicine?
33. Is “House of Numbers” an AIDS denialist film?
34. Quick answer to Creator question
35. Debunking the Michael Jackson Ghost Video
36. Why are there still theists?
37. Is Hallowe’en a satanic celebration?
38. Good arguments for Swine flu jab
39. Reflexology- is there ANY science involved at all?
40. British Anti-Vaccination Celebrities
41. UK Anti-Vaccination Body Count
42. Special pleading Logical Fallacy
43. Straw Man Logical Fallacy
44. Non-Sequitur Logical Fallacy
45. False Dichotomy Logical Fallacy
46. False Continuum Logical Fallacy
47. Argument from final Consequences Logical Fallacy
48. Argument from authority Logical Fallacy
49. Ad ignorantiam Logical Fallacy
50. Ad hominem Logical Fallacy

Do you have some knowledge about these questions that you could share with everyone else?  Then head on over!

Are you curious about the answers to some of these questions?  Then head on over!

Got a question you’ve been dying to ask someone that’s not on the list?  Then head on over!

The more people visit and use the site, the more useful and powerful it becomes.  Though, admittedly, no one has put down an estimate yet on when it might become self-aware…

..Rob T. does not promise that this is the last time he bugs you about The Skeptic Exchange.

At the most recent meeting of the Louisville Area Skeptics, Dr. David Porta discussed how his research involves using cadavers to study how the human body reacts to different kinds of trauma.  The focus of the discussion was mostly on human vs. automobile collisions, and he discussed many of the different tests he and his team has performed.  It was an informative and exciting presentation.

He ended with a question.  He showed us a picture of a 2009 Chevy Malibu, and a 1959 Chevy Bel Air:

2009 Chevy Malibu

1959 Chevrolet Bel Air

He asked us our opinion of which car would “win” in a collision.  Specifically, an offset collision (head-to-head, but not perfectly in line with one another) where each car is going 40 mph (65 kph).  So what’s your opinion?  Think about it for a second.  I’ll wait…Got a guess?

Well, after we had talked about it for a bit, and the crowd was not unanimous about it, Dr. Porta mentioned that the two cars have roughly the same mass, so let any thoughts of “giant hunk of heavy 1950’s steel” go out of your head.

Turns out we don’t have to guess.  For their 50th anniversary, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) performed this test, to show how far we’ve come.

Here’s the thing – we have that vision in our heads that the older cars were somehow safer because they were heavier, or they were more steel, or whatever…  But when you collide them…  What’s that?  You want to see video???  Well, OK…  If you insist…

What you’re seeing in there is the result of 50 years of advancement in car building technology.

Based on the data recorded by the dummies, the driver of the Bel Air was dead on impact.

Bel Air Post-Crash

“This car had no seat belts or air bags. Dummy movement wasn’t well controlled, and there was far too much upward and rearward movement of the steering wheel. The dummy’s head struck the steering wheel rim and hub and then the roof and unpadded metal instrument panel to the left of the steering wheel.

“During rebound, the dummy’s head remained in contact with the roof and slid rearward and somewhat inward. The windshield was completely dislodged from the car and the driver door opened during the crash, both presenting a risk of ejection. In addition, the front bench seat was torn away from the floor on the driver side.”

Meanwhile, the total of potential injuries to the Malibu driver were fully described in one sentence:

Malibu Post-Crash

“A high acceleration was recorded on the left foot, indicating that foot injuries would be possible.”

The driver in the Malibu looks like he’s waiting for the light to change.  Sure, the front of the car has seen better days, but where the people are?  It didn’t collapse at all.

What makes the Malibu survive this crash so much better than the Bel Air?  Science and engineering.  And really smart and creative people making our lives better.  Imagine this — 50 years from now, will the 2059 Chevy Oxnard* be this superior to the Malibu?  Will the Malibu be the one that we’re looking at with mouth agape, thinking how horrible the crash was for that vehicle?  I think it’s possble.  (The Oxnard also better be a flying car – we’ve been waiting long enough!!!  But that’s a story for another day…)

As long as there are cars, there will be accidents**, so we need to go find a scientist, an engineer, someone like that, and say “Thanks.  You make our world a better place.”

..Rob T. hopes he fares better than the Bel Air at age 50.

* – “Oxnard” only because if you start at Bel Air, CA, drive to Malibu, then keep going that same distance again (turning a little bit north so as not to drive into the Pacific), you wind up in Oxnard.  Chevy seems to like the California city theme, and I thought the Oxnard would be better than the “Chevy Thousand Oaks”.

** – Even once we have cars that drive themselves — and cars that fly themselves — someone’s gonna flip that puppy into manual at the wrong moment, or the computer will go a little berzerk, or something, and there’ll still be crashes.  Wasn’t that Newton’s Fourth Law of Motion – “Bodies in motion tend to collide at the most inopportune moments”???

References:

• http://www.iihs.org/50th/default.html
• http://wheels.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/09/17/a-2009-chevy-malibu-destroys-a-1959-bel-air-literally/
• http://www.carthrottle.com/video-malibu-vs-bel-air-crash-test/

I’ve been reading “Raising Freethinkers” by Dale McGowan (and others), and it’s inspired me to approach the holidays from a secular perspective. It’s so easy to fall into the familiar Christian traditions that are so pervasive this time of year. Sometimes I have to catch myself and think about what message I want my kids to receive, and whether I want to reinforce the myths of the virgin birth.

I’ve decided to be honest with Sasha (in the spirit of freethought) about all the reasons people celebrate during the holiday season. I’ve been sharing with Sasha that “some people celebrate the birthday of a baby named Jesus, who (they think) has special powers”. I also read to her the story of Christ’s birth, as told in the illustrated new testament given to her by a close friend.

There’s really no reason to hide the nativity scene from Sasha – she’s bound to hear about it eventually. I actually think that the story of the virgin birth is an interesting myth, worth retelling, if for only the reason that it’s so ingrained in our culture anyway. Of course, as an atheist, I don’t feel compelled to hammer the message of the immaculate conception into her little mind. A simple explanation of Christ will suffice, and then an explanation of what our family believes… that this time of year is a time for family and for giving to others. We’re also going to celebrate the Winter Solstice, the shortest day of the year, to which the Christian founders borrowed in the name of Christmas.

I’ve never celebrated Winter Solstice before. The idea has previously seemed kind of goofy, like a pagan ritual that some bearded hermit would do with his three wiccan wives. But, once I get passed that unpleasant image, it doesn’t seem any less silly than celebrating the birth of a god in which I don’t believe. The challenge is celebrating the Winter Solstice without steering my family into a bunch of oddball rituals.

If Winter Solstice still involved druid cloaks and Gregorian chants than I would seriously reconsider my involvement in it’s celebration.

The interesting thing is that the traditional Winter Solstice celebrations, such as Saturnalia and Yule, involved decorating the house with evergreens and pretty lights, giving gifts to the children, and having feasts with the family (and with servants). Yeah, OK, that sounds like all the harmless traditions of Christmas, without the trappings of faith.

So, for the first time, my family and I have decided to also celebrate Winter Solstice. I’ve decorated my house in blue lights, which I’m officially declaring as the secular hue of choice (who knew, right?). I’ve also decided that on the 21st of December I will have a fondue feast and invite my friend and his daughter, who are also secular humanists. The reason I chose meat fondue is because it’s a holiday tradition from my own childhood. Why not map an old tradition that my parents gave me onto new ones for my own family?

Being that this is my first attempt at celebrating Winter Solstice, I’d be more than happy to have some recommendations for rituals that other people do at this time. Anybody else out there celebrate the shortest day of the year? Holler back and let me know.

I just returned home from the Second City 50th anniversary event in Chicago.  I wish I could say that I am one of the many esteemed alumni celebrities, such as Jim Belushi, Fred Willard, and Stephen Colbert, but alas, I am merely a drama teacher who has been inspired by their legacy.

Chicago skeptics – be sure to check out the Second City e.t.c. show “Studs Terkel’s Not Working” because there’s a fantastic Minchin-style skeptic-friendly song performed by Tom Flanigan, in which he rants about meeting a sexy girl at the bar who is obsessed with astrology. Well done!

Another skeptical surprise came at the Neo-Futurist’s best-of-the-year performance. If you’re ever visiting Chicago, do yourself a favor and see the ongoing Neo-Futurist review “Too Much Light Makes the Baby Go Blind”. It’s a unique form of personal storytelling, where 6-10 actors perform an ever-evolving list of 30 original “plays” in 60 minutes. It’s too hard to explain succinctly, but I’m always emotionally touched many of their plays.

One scene in particular that impressed me was by Phil Ridarelli. He was on stage flying a kite, held aloft by an actor in the aisle. Next to him was another actor, portraying his son, also flying a kite. The scene was a dialogue between them about death, but the twist was that, as an atheist, he didn’t have an easy answer for his son. I had a chance to speak to Phil after the show, and he admitted that he was also anxious about dealing with the Santa question. Which reminded me…

Sasha recently asked me whether reindeer could fly. The first time she asked me, I was taken off guard and said, “Well, some people believe that Santa’s reindeer can fly.”  I wasn’t really happy with that answer and hoped she would ask again. The next time she asked, I was prepared and quickly shot back with, “Of course not! Reindeer are (large) mammals. Do you also think that there are really small fairy girls that can fly around on tiny wings?!”

Lacking the courage to completely demolish Santa and fairies in one swoop, I continued, “Clearly Santa’s reindeer use some kind of magic pixie dust to fly. Right?” She smiled and walked away happy.

Yikes. Skeptic Fail! But you know what, I don’t even care. My daughter is asking the right questions, and I’m being evasive about the answers to keep the fires of her imagination stoked. She’s clever enough to see through my well-intentioned deception, and she’s also creative enough to play along anyway. Because the Santa myth is no different than a play about a man who comes down our non-existent chimney to deliver presents, and the actors in this play are me and the girls. In my opinion, that play is no longer fun when one of the actors rips off his costume and storms off-stage before the final curtain closes.

It’s a difficult challenge for skeptics. Any of you struggling with your own child’s reindeer questions? I’d love to hear how you’re dealing with it.

Do you have a question that requires a science-based viewpoint?  Or are you knowledgeable about certain areas of interest to skeptics, and you’re looking for a place to dispense your wisdom?

Or both???

Well, The Skeptic Exchange might be just the place you’ve been looking for.

I first heard about it on Skeptically Speaking, the Canadian radio show hosted by Desiree Schell.  At the beginning of Episode 36 (which was, by the way, an excellent episode with Martin Bridgstock and Kylie Sturgess), Richard Stelling was on the Speaking Up segment to promote The Skeptic Exchange.

Richard and the Bristol Skeptics have created The Skeptic Exchange to be a place where anyone can ask questions, anyone can answer questions, and those who post the best answers get voted up by the community and subsequently earn a reputation on the site.  According to their FAQ, a user’s reputation is

a (very) rough measurement of how much the Skeptic Exchange community trusts you. Reputation is never given, it is earned by convincing other users that you know what you’re talking about.

In other words, it’s a self-correcting community: those who are knowledgeable and competent are displayed as such on the site; those who spout drivel are also displayed as such.  The users then know who to trust and who to ignore.

More from their FAQ on what they’ll cover:

The Skeptic Exchange is designed to help answer question on a wide range of topics, including but not limited to:

• pseudoscience
• the supernatural
• faith healing
• ghosts and orbs
• alternative medicine
• urban legends
• critical thinking

No question is too trivial or too “newbie”.

The Exchange launched less than two months ago, so it’s still growing, but I recommend that anyone with questions and/or answers head over there and become a part of this growing community.

Even better, if you get in now, from now until Christmas, Skeptic Exchange will be giving away FREE copies of The Atheist’s Guide to Christmas (compiled by Ariane Sherine) to the first 5 users over 1000 reputation.  Even Richard himself only has a reputation of 119 as of this writing, so there’s still time to get in, make a difference, and see if you can score a free book!

To me, this seems like the perfect way to get the free-flowing ideas of a forum, with the reputation system to promote the best contributors, all in a skeptical, science-based series of topics.  I encourage you to go check it out.  I’m going to go answer a question or two right now!

For more information, read Bristol Skeptics’ writeup of their Skeptic Exchange at their blog, or just head straight to the site itself: http://exchange.bristolskeptics.co.uk/

..Rob T. has a reputation that precedes him — unfortunately!

My kids finally received their first H1N1 vaccine.

I went to flu.gov, which linked me to Ohio’s preregistration form. A few weeks later, the Ohio Department of Health’s Immunization Program referred me to a nearby clinic offering the vaccine. We were turned away last time because I procrastinated. The second time we received a notification, I rushed to the phone and immediately registered the kids.

In our county, the vaccine is free. I just completed some basic info on the forms, brought my daughters to the front, exposed their thighs, and the nurse jabbed them. Neither of them cried, and there have yet to be any complications like sudden onset of autism… not that I expected it.

Have any of you had your kids vaccinated for H1N1? Anyone refusing the vaccine? If so, please explain your justification.

(Note: This is all 10-year-old news, but it’s new to me, and I think it’s hilarious.)

If you keep your eyes open, pseudoscience can crop up in the strangest places…

So, I’m reading a Pokémon book to the Little Skeptic Boy, age 6.

Pokémon - Night in the Haunted Tower

Aside: Hey! Don’t judge me! We’ve actually been reading The Hobbit together, but Friday he came home from kindergarten with this Pokémon book.  We’ve now finished this book, so tomorrow night it’s back to Middle Earth for the Battle of Five Armies…

Anyhow, the hero, Ash, and his lovable little electric Pokémon, Pikachu, are trying to defeat Sabrina and her evolved psychic Pokémon called Kadabra (evolved from Abra – get it?  Abra…  Kadabra… after that comes Alkazam…  They are clever down there at Nintendo).  Ash needs the victory to earn his Marsh Badge. Once he has all of his badges (as you all know), he becomes eligible to enter the Pokémon League Tournament, where he could become a new champion Pokémon trainer! So clearly this is important stuff, and I won’t spoil the ending for you.

As I’m reading this, I’m getting a good look at some drawings of this psychic Pokémon…

Kadabra, I choose you!

And I notice that ol’ Kadabra’s got a spoon in his hand.  Did he forget to do the dishes after eating his pudding cup?  Just a big fan of The Tick?  Proud to be a friend of Meryl Dorey?  And then it dawns on me…

Psychic Pokémon…  Spoon…  O-M-G…  It’s a Uri Geller Pokémon!

So after reading the story, I go looking for more information on it.  And it turns out that it’s not just a spoon, but it’s actually a bent spoon!!! Apparently Kadabra’s attacks are doubled when he holds the bent spoon, and are even more powerful when he closes his eyes! Can this get any better?

If you close your eyes, you're even more powerful...

The Japanese name for the Pokémon is Un-Geller (in some references, Yungerer).  Back in 1998, Geller sued Nintendo for about US$100,000,000 over the character, but the suit was thrown out of court.  In addition to the bent spoon, Geller claimed that Un-Geller’s forehead star and lightning bolt stomach lines were intended to allude to the Nazi Waffen SS from WWII.  Even the character’s name in Japanese katakana is very similar to Geller’s:  ユンゲラー vs. ユリゲラー.  Only the second character is changed.  Clearly this is either a parody of Geller or an homage to him (or perhaps both — apparently you can get “good” and “evil” versions of Kadabra/Un-Geller).

Kadabra Card

Geller even had the following quote:

Nintendo turned me into an evil, occult Pokémon character.

…which I suppose is at least partially right.

Is he trying to bend the card?

So the question then becomes, as a skeptical parent, how can I leverage this?  Can I use this moment to help Little Skeptic Boy understand that things like bending spoons are parlor tricks, not psychic abilities?  As we finish this book off, will rationality defeat pseudoscience?  Will Ash and Pikachu be immune to the psychic attacks because they’ve got a shield of scientific studies showing no proof for psychic abilities?  Or will a ghost Pokémon come in, lick the face of Kadabra’s trainer, and cause her (and Kadabra) to break down into a giggle fit, ending the battle?

I promised I wouldn’t spoil the ending for you, but let’s just say that if you were looking for rationality in a book based on a trading card game about pocket monsters with supernatural abilities that are captured inside little balls and called forth to do their trainer’s bidding in battles against other monsters, well, maybe you’re expecting too much out of the book.

This much I know.  If I’m ever playing the trading card game, and my opponent chooses Kadabra, I’ve got to lay down this card:

The Amazing Randi, I choose you!

You’ll never lose when Randi’s in your deck.

..Rob T. wants a bent spork

Check out Michael Specter on the Daily Show discussing his new book, Denialism. He brings up the crusade against vaccines, and offers some counter-argument to the Jenny McCarthy crowd. I would embed the video, but wordpress is five years behind the times.

I haven’t read Denialism, but it’s on my Christmas wish list. Are you listening, Mom?

Note – if you haven’t read Ticktock’s Part 1 to this, head on over there and read it now.

Beyond KidZone on this day, the rest of the first floor was occupied by a traveling exhibit about the Titanic called Titanic: The Artifact Exhibition.  We declined to go in, though, since we felt the little’uns wouldn’t have gotten much out of it, though the 8-year-old Little Skeptic Girl seemed a little disappointed.

But there was so much more to do…  That first floor is just the tip of the iceberg!

See what I did there?  Titanic…?  Iceberg…??  *sigh*  It was funnier in my head.  Where was I? Let’s see…

Louisville divides its museum into three sections, The World Within Us (our bodies), The World Around Us (nature), and The World We Create (technology).

The World Within Us includes exhibits all about the human body.  Probably the most amazing and eerie display is a collection of eight embryos at various stages of development.  They even warn parents that it might be creepy (my word, not theirs) for kids.  Our kids loved it, though.  It’s amazing to think that we all started out as a seemingly random jumble of matter.  Just outside of that display, they continue the story with newborns, and a display where they have simulated how babies see in the first several months of life.  For the first few months, we’re all just strange blurs with different voices speaking gibberish.

One interactive game allowed everyone to try their hand at driving drunk.  We weren’t all that good driving the simulator while sober, so when they started moving objects around and making the steering wheel less responsive, we didn’t have any hope!

The World Around Us teaches us about nature, and our ecosystem.  Lots of different local animals and bugs are on display, some in display cases, others in simulated habitats.  Some are even “underground” in a little cave that kids (or adults!) crawl through to find them.

In the Cave

An interactive demonstration of the water cycle uses small blue balls to represent water, which “rains” down from above the display, either flowing directly to a river, or flowing underground where the kids can pump it out and into the river.  Then, as water flows downstream, kids can control a dam and a floodwall to protect (or annihilate) the downriver city.  After passing the city, the water is conveyed back up overhead to start the cycle again.

Save the City? Or Flood It?

This section also includes an Egyptian mummy, who sadly has seen better days – in the Ohio River flood of 1937, she wound up floating down Main Street!

The World We Create is a celebration of the technology we employ to improve our world. Buildings, bridges, and other structures are exhibited. Kids can even build their own structures out of foam blocks, and then turn on an earthquake motion (or three) to see what types of buildings can withstand what types of earthquake motions.

The science museum stand-by, the catenary arch, is there in soft blocks for families to build together.  I never get tired of building that arch.  It’s just a great example of physics, that these pieces are held together by nothing more than friction and gravity, and completely support themselves.

Building the Catenary Arch

Kids can also use their own strength to power two pistons of an engine, and see if they can make their engine go faster than their opponent.  A Chemistry Kitchen (only certain times) demonstration allows kids to see some more cool science in action.  There’s even a Gemini trainer here for kids to hop into and pretend to be an astronaut.

Little Skeptic Girl in the Gemini Trainer

Like any good science museum, they’ve got an IMAX theater with shows for all different kinds of visitors.

But sometimes, though, with all the cool hands-on or high-tech exhibits, the most fun is finding yourself inside a bubble.

Little Skeptic Boy in a Bubble

There’s a lot more to see and do at the Louisville Science Center; I feel like I’ve just scratched the surface, but you should go check it out if you’re ever in the area! Any Louisville area folks who would like to join the Science Center with a membership should consider doing a dual membership with the Louisville Zoo.

..Rob T.

—

Louiville Science Center photo from merfam on Flickr, http://www.flickr.com/photos/merfam/174214284/

Cave, Flood, and Catenary Arch pictures are from http://www.hellolouisville.com/Articles/Attraction/100/Louisville_Science_Center_stop_by_for_some_serious_fun.Cfm

Have you ever had your taste buds hijacked by a nasty persistent bitterness? Well, you may be the latest victim of flavor crimes perpetrated by pine nuts!

Pesto fans everywhere, since 2001, have been reporting disruptions in their sensation of taste that may last up to two weeks in duration. Everything from a glass of merlot to a kiwi fruit ends up tasting nasty, either bitter or metallic. The offending pine nuts, based on anecdotes, seem to originate from China.

There are two mysteries here. First, what is causing the symptoms of “pine mouth” ? Nobody knows, but there are hypotheses that the symptoms may be due to the nuts either being oxidized or rancid. It’s odd because only some pine nuts have been problematic, and the problematic pine nuts are only affecting certain people. There have been a few tests for contaminants or toxins, but they’ve yet to detect anything abnormal, which will lead to all kinds of speculation and conspiracy theories, if it hasn’t already.

The second mystery is why the symptoms only affect certain people and not others. One person might be effected for two weeks, while everyone else will be just fine. The temptation is to say that this is psychological delusion, similar to the phenomenon of morgellons. However, my friend reported to me that he was experiencing these symptoms, and did not connect them to pine nuts until he googled “bitter taste” and finally made the connection after the fact. While it’s tempting to be skeptical, I must admit that anecdotes of consequence, in their totality, do make a compelling case, especially when there is a lack of research on the subject. I do think that this is a real phenomenon worthy of further study.

I love a good mystery. What the heck is happening to the taste buds when certain pine nuts do their damage?

If you want to mess around with some crazy taste sensations this holiday season, why not skip the pine nuts and try Miracle Fruit pills. They rearrange your taste buds so that sour things taste sweet, wine tastes like chocolate, and snozzberries taste like… well, they still taste like snozzberries. It’s like an acid trip for your tongue, only it’s completely legal.