Berry Go Round #6

Berry Go Round is a, well, plant blog carnival... and it's being hosted right now at Seeds Aside. My contribution to this edition is "Plants, it turns out, are not nearly as boring as we thought". Recommended: Blog Around the Clock takes on the classic papers challenge and writes about the development of chronobiology.

Encephalon #48

Encephalon #48 is out at Neuroanthropology. Recommended submissions: John Hawks Anthropology Blog on the universal intuition of a logarithmic number line; Neurotic Physiology on out of body experiences; Greg Laden's Blog on the discovery that glial cells are functional; Pure Pedantry on symbolic thinking in capuchin monkeys; and Neurophilosophy on planning for the future in non-human apes.

That's a lot, I know... but Encephalon just seems to get better and better. This really was a great edition.

Three Encephalons...

I really have been a bad boy about keeping up with carnivals (just like with the Skeptics Circle), I've missed three editions of Encephalon. Well, later is always better than never, so here we go...

The 45th instalment of the carnival was ably hosted by PodBlack Cat. Recommended pieces: Mind Hacks on trends in neuroscience research and Giovanna Di Sauro on an exceptionally cool study about gender (not sex) determination in fruit flies that is controlled by something of a 'master-switch'.

The 46th Encephalon was hosted by The Neurocritic and is possibly the best edition yet. Posts to check out: Neuroscientifically Challenged on the neuroscience of distributive justice and vaccines for drug addiction; Mind Hacks on supernumerary phantom limbs and Developing Intelligence on a study that seems to show hyperbolic discounting is the result of nonlinear time-perception, not a lack of self-control.

Chanel N hosted Encephalon #47. Recommended entries: Podblack Cat on a classic science paper about belief in fortune tellers and Mind Hacks on placebos for children.

The 89th Skeptics Circle: The I'd Rather be in Vegas Edition

Welcome to the 89th edition of the esteemed Skeptics' Circle! This is, I believe, the very first time the Circle has been hosted from Africa (I had to fend off psychic lions to get this edition up. Srsly) so hooray for that. This will also, however, be the bitterest Circle yet because, as much as I love you guys, frankly, I'd rather be in Vegas... Some of us, you see, live far, far away and are terribly poor so we can't afford to attend Randi's Amaz!ng Meeting 6 that's starting today. (I didn't know about the scholarship until just now. Dammit.) So, yeah, I suppose we can get started. Sigh...

First off is the inimitable Greta Christina who takes on the vexed question of how to think about progressive religious claims that are neither contradicted nor supported by science. (Plus: Russell's teapot in the context of his original article!)

The keynote speaker at TAM, you know, is Neil deGrasse Tyson. Neil deGrasse Tyson!!! Mr. Science Preacher himself! And I'm missing (1) his talk and (2) the opportunity to meet him. Great...

Redonkulous Redundancy is a new blogger and first-time Circle participant (be nice!) who aptly skewers CAM advocates for their bait-and-switch tactics: yes mainstream medicine has (serious) problems, no, CAM is not the answer.

Have you seen the TAM line-up?? It's so damn awesome I want to scream for missing it... Steven Novella - Dr. Omniscient I-have-a-full-time-job-and-a-family-and-two-podcasts-
and-three-blogs - is speaking. And the whole SGU crew is there! They're recording a show! Holding parties! And here I am fighting lions in Africa.

Oh, and hosting a Skeptics' Circle. Right... Hyphoid Logic ("Mentations of a Mad Mycologist") submitted not one but two posts on crazy creationist nonsense: the first deals with the silliness emanating from Don McElroy (Chair of the Texas state board of education), the second with a looney lawyer who thinks he knows something about Darwinism.

Okay, so I'm trying to hold back the bitterness but c'mon! Greydon Square! Skeptical hip hop!! Hip hop!!

The Bad Idea Blog is next in line with a post on the dark chasm of woo that is The Secret, specifically, with a motivational speaker in Hawaii who promotes that bollocks. Yes, the cover is cool-looking, but that doesn't mean The Secret has any merit.

Mythbusters. Without doubt the best (non-fiction) show on television. And who co-hosts the show? One Adam Savage. And where is Adam? In Vegas. And what is he doing in Vegas, pray tell? He's at TAM. Where am I? Thousands of kilometers away.

Denialism Blog (over at them fancy Science Blogs) submitted a post that deals with how "naturopathic doctors" are legislating legitimacy for themselves. (Sorry about the alliteration... Hyphoid Logic started me off and now I can't stop).

I have two letters for you: PZ. Yes, the author of the most widely-read science blog in the world is at TAM. And I'm not.

Don't hold the fact that Podblack Cat is Australian against her - neither g'day, mate nor Shane Warne is her fault (as far as I know...). Anyway, the skeptical Cat asks a vital question: how best do we teach skepticism to the young?

Dr. Michael Shermer... urbane, smart, knowledgeable, funny... and he's giving a talk that I'm not going to see... Maybe if I use the 'law of attraction'. Hmmmm...

Then there's Reality Dysfunction (featuring an awesome header) with a post that takes on the mercury militia and their spokespeople (spot the PC!) among celebrities. Perhaps unsurprisingly, the conclusion is not that comedians and former Playmates are among the intellectual elite who's opinions we should take seriously...

Dr. Art Benjamin's show "Mathamagic" is just stupendous, utterly unbelievable. Have you seen this guy's TEDTalk? He does math in his head a calculator would have trouble with. Oh, to see him live...

Humbug! Online discusses two issues that arose out of Richard Dawkins' excellent documentary series, The Enemies of Reason. The first post concerns the special pleading practised by dowsers (among many others) and the second how astrology may be as offensive as racism and other forms of prejudice.

When it comes to combining skepticism, rabid libertarianism, gratuitous nudity and magic... no one can possibly beat Penn & Teller. These guys actually live in Vegas. Frankly, I think it's utter bullshit that I'm not there.

No edition of the Skeptics' Circle could possibly be complete without an entry from Orac, the Respectful[ly] Insolen[t]. Orac reviews a recent rigorous trial (conducted by, would you believe, naturopaths) that found, to no skeptic's real surprise, that St. John's Wort is ineffective as a treatment of ADHD in children. Hooray for evidence.

Talking about magicians... James Randi's protoge Banachek - the master mentalist - is at TAM 6 too. Imagine the anecdotes about Project Alpha I'm missing out on...

The excellent Holford Watch skewers Dr. John Briffa for becoming, well, Holfordesque. On a bit of a tangent: I saw today at the airport that Holford's Optimal Nutrition Made Easy (or something) is the third best-selling book in South Africa's largest book store. Sigh.

Who do you call when someone sprouts nonsense about astronomy? Well, Phil Plait, "The Bad Astronomer," of course. And guess where Phil is at the moment? Yeah, that's right... where I'm not.

'Heathen Mike' of Mike's Weekly Skeptical Rant, well, rants about a new television show featuring 'psychic children'. Apparently one of the hosts is 'just as accurate as John Edward'. Wait. That might actually be true...

Even the only holder of a professorship in the public understanding of psychology is going to be at TAM. I'm talking, of course, about Richard Wiseman, the Quirkologist... Apparently, he has an amazing, closely guarded presentation prepared. Dammit.

The Lay Scientist takes on a topic new to me: the pseudoscience (and conspiracy theories) of oil. Is there no field exempt from fuzzy thinking and woo?!

TAM, of course, means "The Amazing Meeting"... named after The Amazing James Randi... And Randi (along with Carl Sagan, Paul Kurtz and so on) is the granddaddy of the skeptical movement. So, Randi, the legend, is in Vegas too... Man, I'm bitter.

Finally... Archaeoporn continues his series on 'Impossible Knowledge'. Part II focuses on ever popular pseudoegyptology.

That's it... The next edition of the Skeptics' Circle - the 90th! - is going to be hosted by The Millenium Project on July 3rd. Check out the guidelines for the Circle and get your posts ready...

Oh, and damn those lucky bastards in Vegas.

Late Skeptics Circle

Plane crash = cancelled flight = screwed up schedule = limited internet access = late Circle... Sorry. Barring further unavoidable hitches, it'll go up no later than 5pm GMT and hopefully much sooner.

Submissions for the upcoming Skeptics' Circle

I'm hosting the 89th edition of the Skeptics' Circle on June 19th. If you'd like to participate (and why wouldn't you?), write something about pseudoscience / scientific skepticism and email it to me (ionian.enchantment@gmail.com) before 20:00 GMT on June 18th. Check out the guidelines; that link also contains a list of appropriate topics.

Skeptics' Circle times three

I've been a bad boy and not keeping up to date with the usual blog carnivals... A full three Skeptics Circles have passed since my last linkage, and next time round I'm the host! (If you would like to contribute, check out the guidelines and email me at ionian.enchantment@gmail.com). Anyway, here are the three missing Circles and my favorites:

The 86th edition of the Skeptics Circle was hosted at The Skepbitch. Pieces to check out: Denialism Blog on the silly notion that GM causes a non-existent disease, Respectful Insolence on penis enlargement woo, Skelliot’s Weblog on skeptical podcasts, and The Skeptical Alchemist on that Cochrane Collaboration meta-study that linked vitamin supplements to higher mortality.

The 87th Skeptics Circle was over at Action Skeptics. Check out: Whiskey Before Breakfast on the harm of woo, Polite Company on investment scams, and Greta Christina's Blog on nature vs. nurture in the gay community.

And, finally, the 88th Circle was at Jyunri Kankei. Recommended entries: Archaeoporn on Afrocentrism, the wonderful Podblack Cat on scientific education research, and Happy Jihad's House of Pancakes on the stupidity that is Ray Comfort.

Encephalon #44

The 44th edition of Encephalon is up at Cognitive Daily. Recommended pieces: PodBlack Cat's review of Bonk; The Mouse Trap on belief in God as a type I error; Neuroscientifically Challenged on depression and serotonin; Not Exactly Rocket Science on cognitive enhancers; and Neuroanthropology on neuroscience and free will.

Skeptics' Circle #85

The 85th edition of the Skeptics Circle is out at Andrea's Buzzing About. Entries to check out: Science After Sunclipse on how teaching evolution can get you, erm, expelled; Cotch.net on Ken Ham's silliness; Greta Christina on science education; and WriterDD from Skepchick on sexuality and Christianity (particularly recommended).

Encephalon #42 & 43

I'm a bit behind with my blog carnivals, here are the two most recent editions of Encephalon...

Encephalon #42 was hosted at Of Two Minds 'by', of all people, Paris Hilton. Pieces to check out: GNIF Brain Blogger on spanking children; Neuroscientifically Challenged on the evolution of our sweet teeth; and Advances in the History of Psychology on common errors in psychology textbooks.

Encephalon #43 was hosted an GNIF Brain Blogger. Recommended entries: Neuroanthropology on bad brain studies (and bad evolutionary psychology / evolutionary economics); PsyBlog on the psychology of money; and Pure Pedantry on caveats to interpreting the "ruthlessness gene" study.

Skeptics' Circle #84

The 84th edition of the Skeptics Circle is up at Archaeoporn. Pieces to check out: American Chronicle on homeschooling; Evolving Thoughts on the different epistemologies of science and religion; and Ecstathy on the benefits of woo (because of the placebo effect). Good stuff, check it out!

Skeptics' Circle #83

The 83rd edition of the Skeptics' Circle is out at Mike's Weekly Skeptic Rant. He does a very good job, so check it out. My contribution to this edition is "Five Oft Repeated Medical Myths". Other entries to check out: Aardvarchaeology on a case of sibling incest in Germany; Skeptico explaining (AGAIN) that Darwinism is not responsible for Nazism; and Bug Girl's Blog on a (possibly real) pubic lice fad (no, really).

Encephalon 41

Encephalon #41 is out at Pure Pedantry. Entries to check out: The Phineas Gage Fan Club on domain-specificity in the visual system; Advances in the History of Psychology on how the term 'industrial psychology' may have been the result of a typo; and Neuroanthropology on dissociation strategies for peak performance.

Skeptics' Circle #82

The 82nd edition of the Skeptics' circle is being very ably hosted by Happy Jihad's House of Pancakes. My contribution to the circle is my review of Francis Wheen's How Mumbo Jumbo Conquered the World. Other posts to check out: PodBlack Cat's fantastic entry on superstition, Greta Christina's thoughtful entry on theism and morality, The Bad Idea Blog's piece on the revival of exorcism in Europe, and Archaeoporn's critical analysis of the claim that Moses was on drugs.

Encephalon #40

The 40th edition of Encephalon, the psychology and neuroscience blog carnival, is out at Mind Hacks. My contribution to this edition: "Shermer on the evolutionary psychology of corporate behavior". Other entries to check out: The Neurocritic on the abuse of cognitive neuroscience by marketing types; Sharp Brains on (the basics of) brain plasticity; and Not Exactly Rocket Science on an analogue of Broca's area in chimps.

Skeptics' Circle #81, the leap day edition

Random fact: on my calculation (which could very well be wrong), the next time leap day will fall on a Friday is 2036. Some way off...

Anyway, the 81st edition of the Skeptics' Circle is out at Conspiracy Factory. Contributions to check out: Rebecca at Skepchick making fun of Oprah; Archaeoporn reflecting on the moral dilemmas of ethnomedicine (which has some bearing on traditional medicine in South Africa); Podblack Cat's terrific, challenging, thoughtful post on strategies for skepticism; and 3QuarksDaily's guest piece by John Allen Paulo.

Update: part 2 and part 3 of Podblack Cat's "Strategies for Skepticism".

The Return of Encephalon

After a brief hiatus, the neuroscience/psychology blog carnival Encephalon has returned (under new management). Check out: The Phineas Gage Fan Club on face recognition, Sharp Brains on depression research and Advances in the History of Psychology on psychology and the CIA.

Skeptics' circle #80

The 80th edition of the Skeptics circle - the Valentines edition - is out at Bug Girl's blog. Posts from the circle to check out: Gateway Skepticism examines the evidence for the claims behind the new 'scientific dating service', ScientificMatch.com (which I blogged about before); Skeptico asks "What's the harm?" (in quackery and pseudoscience) and Skepchick's writerdd explains how she lost her faith.

Skeptics circle #79

The 79th edition of the skeptics circle is out at Podback Blog - and its theme is, of all things, LOLcats. I think we best not even ask... My favorite entries: Greta Christina asks "What's the harm in a little woo?", Polite Company playfully suggests you date a nerd and Skeptico explains why extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence.

Skeptics Circle #78

Sorry I'm late on this... The 78th edition of the Skeptics Circle is out at The Skeptical Surfer. There are a bunch of great articles but my favorites are: Greta Christina's post on how alternative medicine is untested by definition, Knudsen's News' great satirical piece and The 327th Male's thoughtful "How to be a nice skeptic" (also see the follow-up).