Month: January 2011
ipadio: A Reading Of A Homeopathic Medical Article
Listen to my latest phonecast OK, this phlog turned out to be a strange and overly long experiment! Having seen a particularly tantalizing tweet from @TredinnickMP talking about shamanistic homeopathy, I became dazzled by this article from the bad BHA, and for some reason I thought it would be a good exercise to read it … [Read more…]
My first ‘phlog’ via iPadio
I thought I’d try out iPadio, a free service available from ipadio.com which allows you to record your phone conversations and publish them as ‘phlogs’ on the iPadio website. You can also sync them up to social media such as Facebook and Twitter, or in my case my WordPress blog. My first foray is just … [Read more…]
Just two weeks to go till QED conference!
On February 5th and 6th the QED (Question Explore Discover) conference comes to the Piccadilly Hotel Manchester, and I for one cannot wait! A plethora of great speakers will be in attendance, as well of lots of exciting events including live podcast recordings and this year’s 10:23 event, campaigning against homeopathy. I’ll be there helping … [Read more…]
The most pathetic antivax photo ever?
As an admin of the Facebook group “Stand Against Vaccinations..Find Out the TRUTH” (a group which ran out of antivax admins and was taken over by a sane person) I’m privileged to the finest in antivax tripe. However, I’ve just seen something that really tips the scales. John Best, a man with presidential aspirations, has … [Read more…]
Daily Express Antivaccine Paranoia
Following the embarrassment of their coverage of the Andrew Wakefield saga, you would have thought that gutter tabloids like the Daily Express would have learned their lessons when it comes to the issue of vaccination. Sadly not, as their “health editor” Lucy Johnston has written an unscientific scaremongering article critical of the vaccine Pandemrix, one … [Read more…]
Power Balance bands: the “Dumbo’s Feather” of the 21st Century
One product has really got skeptics worked up recently: the Power Balance bracelet. In case you are not familiar with it, the Power Balance bracelet is merely a silicone bracelet with a hologram in it. The makers claim that the hologram “work’s with your body’s natural energy field” and is “designed to resonate with and … [Read more…]
Cotesia glomerata: an amazing example of what evolution is capable of
I’ve recently read Richard Dawkin’s The Greatest Show on Earth (the Evidence for Evolution) and it pointed me in the direction of the family Ichneumonidae, a family of parasitic wasps. Most reproduce by injecting their eggs into their hosts (usually caterpillars). An example is Cotesia glomerata, subject of the National Geographic program In the Womb: … [Read more…]
A New Website for Liverpool Cafe Scientifique
Public science is pretty strong in Liverpool, with regular talks from the Merseyside Skeptics Society, Scibar and Cafe Scientifique. Liverpool Cafe Scientifique have started their new year with a new website, which now includes a blog and videos relating to future meetings. Their next meeting will be on Tuesday January 11th, and the speaker will … [Read more…]