SGU Episode 220

This episode is in the middle of being transcribed by Mikki Lima-Jack (talk) as of {{{date}}}. To help avoid duplication, please do not transcribe this episode while this message is displayed.

SGU Episode 220
7th Oct 2009
(brief caption for the episode icon)
SGU 1                      SGU 300
Skeptical Rogues
S: Steven Novella
B: Bob Novella
R: Rebecca Watson
J: Jay Novella
E: Evan Bernstein
Guests
Daniel Hooper
Brian Cox
Quote of the Week
"When men are most sure and arrogant they are commonly most mistaken, giving views to passion without that proper deliberation which alone can secure them from the grossest absurdities."
David Hume
Links
Download Podcast
SGU Podcast archive
Forum Discussion

Introduction

You're listening to the Skeptics' Guide to the Universe, your escape to reality.

S: Hello and welcome to the Skeptics' Guide to the Universe. Today is Wednesday October 7th 2009 and this is your host Steven Novella. Joining me this week are Bob Novella

B: Hey everybody.

S: Rebecca Watson

R: Hello everyone.

S: Jay Novella

J: Hey guys.

S: And Evan Berstein

This Day in Skepticism (0:29)

E: October 7 1952 - the first patent for the barcode was issued to inventors Joseph Woodland and Bernard Silver

J: Ah. That explains Google.

B: That's why Google had the barcode.

E: Thank you, yes. Everyone listening to the show, I'm sure, used Google at some point today and saw the barcode. I went a step further and figured out, why the barcode.

R: By clicking on the logo. Good job.

E: Here's what a podcast would sound like if it were a barcode: big line, little line, little line, little line, big line, little line, little line, big line, big line, little line.

S: Podcast in binary.

J: Are we going to talk about this because I know a shit load of stuff about barcodes.

S: Anything interesting?

(laughing)

R: Not a single thing.

B: Yeah, make it compelling Jay.

J: Uh...

E: How about this? The first barcode was not in straight lines. What were the shapes of the quote-unquote "bars"?

S: Um... wavy lines?

E: Circles!

S: Really? Circles?

E: A series of concentric circles.

S: I can tell you that um-

B: Ah, yes.

E: Made like a bullseye... sort of symbol.

B: Excellent, yeah yeah yeah. I remember that.

S: The number 666 does not appear before every barcode, that's just the bracketing code, it's not the number 666 actually.

E: Just special ones...

R: But don't be fooled, barcodes are still instrumental in Armageddon.

S: Oh yeah, still the mark of the beast, absolutely.

E: No doubt.

B: You know if I was gonna get a tattoo, I always say I would get a tattoo of a barcode on the bottom of my foot.

S: Mmm-hm.

E: Uh-huh...

J: (sarcastically) That's crazy...

B: Yeah, I'm just sayin'.

J: That's kinda silly because the barcode would be perfectly meaningless, it wouldn't be like you actually have your barcode.

B: I would do it just for the humor Jay.

J: OK.

S: Just for the coroner who does your autopsy? Just so he gets a big laugh?

B: Yep. That's it.

News Items

Premanand in Memoriam (2:13)

S: One quick and sad update from last week - we talked about Premenand, the Indian James Randi and how he was sick with cancer and on his deathbed put out a proclamation saying "No deathbed conversions for me" basically, "I remained dedicated to rationalism to the end", and we did hear the news that he did pass away since the last episode, which is very unfortunate, but-

E: October 4th, yeah.

S: He lived a full and fulfilling life by all accounts, so, good for him.

R: I have another update from the last show actually.

S: OK.

R: I'm on this show now.

S: Yes.

R: And it's 2 in the morning.

S: That's right.

E: That's right.

S: Rebecca is in London-

R: Just like to point that out.

S: It's 2 in the morning there. And uh-

R: In case listeners were wondering why I'm whispering.

S: And why she sounds half comatose, right.

R: It's not just because I have a sore throat from TAM London, which I do, but also because yeah, it's 2 in the morning.

J: But Rebecca, can't you just go in the other room?

R: There is no other room.

E: A one room flat!

S: But how was TAM London?

R: TAM London was remarkable, or amazing, if you will. It was a huge success, the speakers were fantastic, and everything went off without a hitch. I managed to record a number of interviews with different speakers and even guests at TAM London, and we'll have some audio of those on the show, both on this episode and more coming up later. But it was a lot of fun - two thumbs up!

S: Excellent, awesome. Sounds like they're gonna be doing this again in the future right, this is not gonna be an isolated event?

R: They pretty much have to at this point, I think, because it was, this TAM London sold out in something like 15 minutes.

S: Yeah.

E: Yeah. It was fast.

R: I think that a response like that demands a TAM London part two.

E: Even bigger and better hopefully.

R: Hopefully, yeah.

S: A bigger venue.

R: Yeah definitely.

S: Well, if enough of our UK listeners wanna bring us out there, maybe the SGU will show up next year.

R: Yeah.

E: Maybe.

B: That would be awesome.

S: You never know.

Announcements ()

S: The Skeptics' Guide to the Universe is produced by the New England Skeptical Society in association with the James Randi Educational Foundation and skepchick.org. For more information on this and other episodes, please visit our website at www.theskepticsguide.org. For questions, suggestions, and other feedback, please use the "Contact Us" form on the website, or send an email to info@theskepticsguide.org. If you enjoyed this episode, then please help us spread the word by voting for us on Digg, or leaving us a review on iTunes. You can find links to these sites and others through our homepage. 'Theorem' is produced by Kineto, and is used with permission.

References