SGU Episode 354
Podcast 354 - April 28, 2012 - Live from NECSS 2012 with special guest James Randi
Links
Skeptical Rogues
- S: Steven Novella
- B: Bob Novella
- R: Rebecca Watson
- J: Jay Novella
- E: Evan Bernstein
Guests
- JR: James Randi
Introduction
?: And now, we are ready for a live broadcast of the Skeptics' Guide to the Universe. Now, I'm sure most of you are OK. Who are listeners to the Skeptics' Guide to the Universe?
(cheers)
?: Exactly, exactly. It's obvious. They claim now approximately 120,000 listeners per week. It is the number one skeptic podcast on iTunes, among the top five science podcasts. With 24 million downloads in the seven years since 2005 when they began. Skeptics' Guide to the Universe. You know it, you love it. Um, right now I'm going to introduce the host and producer of the SGU, and he has a couple of other credits for us to make. (laughs) But I'm sure that he'd be happy to retire on that one. He is an academic clinical neurologist at Yale University. He started the neurologica blog which covers news and issues in neuroscience, but also general science, scientific skepticism, philosophy of science, critical thinking, and the intersection of science with the media and society. He contributes every Monday to Skeptic Blog, every Wednesday to Science Based Medicine, a blog dedicated to issues of science and medicine and I don't know when the hell he finds the time to sleep. (laughter) Please welcome to the stage, my friend and colleague Dr. Steve Novella.
(applause) (cheers)
S: Hello and welcome to the Skeptics' Guide to the Universe. This is your host Steven Novella and this week I am joined by Bob Novella, Rebecca Watson, Jay Novella, Evan Bernstein. So we are live from NECSS 2012 and for our show this year we have a special guest, The Amazing James Randi.
(cheers, applause)
This Day in Skepticism (2:22)
April 28, 1953 A U.S. patent was issued for an overcoat for two people (or Siamese Twins) to Howard C. Rossin (No. 2,636,176).
S: So Rebecca, April 28th, 1953.
R: It's a very important day in Skeptic history, in science history. Of course, for our live audience, this show's going out next week, so that's why we're choosing April 28th. And let me just set the scene for you. The year is 1953. The Korean war is ending, and of course, the most important topic on Americans' minds is what conjoined twins should wear when it gets chilly.
(laughter)
R: Howard C Boss was just the entrepreneur to come to the rescue, on April 27th, 1953, he received a patent for the double overcoat. Now, at the time, single overcoats did exist, however at that point no one had ever taken two single overcoats and sewn them together.
(laughter)
R: And of course, this isn't limited to conjoined twins, it's also perfect for...
S: Because that market's not big enough for him?
R: Well, you know.
S: I mean, did he submit this patent, it's like all right I'm going to say three, four of these things, easy.
(laughter)
R: Exactly. But there's room for growth, there's conjoined twins, there's very obnoxious couples.
(laughter)
R: There's Zaphod Beeblebrox cos-players. And of course, three-legged race participants. This day in science history.
S: Or Monty Python skits maybe.
R: It's true, that's another good one.
S: OK, that was the best you could come up with, by the way for...
(laughter)
R: It's been a busy weekend, Steve.
News Items
Pedantic Words (4:01)
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-17762034
S: All right guys, what do these words have in common? I'll read them. Hopefully, presently, decimate, anxious, disinterested and nauseous.
R: I know exactly what these words have in common. These are words that I like to call pedant catchers.
S: Pedant bait.
B: Ah yes.
R: If you believe that you are speaking with an English language pedant, you should say something like, man my football team really got decimated on the field. And then they will immediately say, huh excuse me, was one out of the ten of the team murdered?
(laughter)
S: Right.
J: Rebecca, what do you mean one out of ten?
R: Well, the original meaning of the word decimate as you can probably guess from the Latin root is "one out of ten".
J: So if you said the city was decimated, you're saying that one tenth of the city was destroyed.
JR: Yeah.
S: Right, whereas now we mean it to mean most of the city, yeah.
J: But why so specific, who cares?
S: Exactly.
(laughter)
JR: Exactly the point.
R: Yeah.
(laughter)
B: What's the deal with nausea though because I admit I've called that on people cos my understanding was that if you say I'm nauseous it means not that you feel like throwing up, but looking at you makes other people want to puke.
R: Yes.
(laughter)
B: I always people it should be nauseated.
S: That's because you're a pedant.
B: Well OK.
(laughter)
S: You just passed the test.
B: All right, fine. But.
S: You're technically correct, nauseous means you induce nausea in others, believe me, my patients tell me that all the time.
R: And you agree.
S: I was nauseous.
B: Yes, yes you are.
J: But Steve, you can't say hopefully, like hopefully they'll find the missing kid?
JR: Well, hopefully you can, but...
(laughter)
S: You can, technically you'll be wrong except, the reason why this is an actual news item is because the AP style book which is the official book of words and the proper way to use words for journalists, or one of several. They have to update their proper ways to use words and they just updated hopefully to the way that everybody actually uses it, which is as you just did, like you know, hopefully we'll have a good show, as opposed to saying we'll have a good show, Steve said hopefully. Which is the proper way to use the word.
J: So I'm a trend setter.
S: You could look at it that way.
R: Yeah, it's pretty much because of you.
(laughter)
S: Right. Presently, I've always thought that was a British thing, but apparently that's also a time thing.
J: Like what do you mean, give us an example, Steve.
S: I'll give you an example, so you might say I'll be there presently.
J: No, no no no. Give us a real example, let me hear the accent, let's do it.
S: Oh you mean a British...
J: Yeah.
S: I'll be there presently...
(laughter)
S: Meaning I'll be there soon. Or you know, shortly. But people now mean immediately, right now, at this moment. So the meaning has just shifted over time. Some word scholars call these words skunked because you just can't use them any more in a way that, the way in which most people use them is improper and may in fact be misleading so it's hard to use the word properly. If you use it properly, nobody knows what you mean.
B: Yeah.
S: So disinterested is a good one, I think that's the most skunked word on the list there. Disinterested means objective. It means you are detached, you know, it doesn't mean uninterested, but people use it mean uninterested which is a problem because uninterested means uninterested...
(laughter)
S: ...and there's no other word that really means exactly what disinterested means.
J: Does it mean that you're like spaced out?
S: No, it means that you don't have an interest in it.
B: You're unbiased.
S: Yeah, you're unbiased in that you have no (inaudible)
J: So you're agnostic to it,
R: Apathetic.
S: Apathetic, but more than apathetic, you have no interest in it, you have nothing invested in the outcome.
JR: That's like being disuninterested. The same thing.
(laughter)
R: Somebody call AP style book, we have to get this in.
J: Randi, don't you ever decimate me on stage again.
JR: No, I'll try not to.
J: Hopefully, you won't make me nauseous by sitting next to me.
(laughter)
S: Now I'm sure you're all anxious for the next news item.
B: Nauseated.
Sports Pseudoscience (8:23)
special report
Nuking Asteroids
Splotch Ness Monster
http://www.randi.org/site/index.php/swift-blog/1681-a-study-showed.html
Space Shuttle Enterprise
Quickie with Bob
SGU Video
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i7iJ-pu5T4I
Who's That Noisy? ( )
Science or Fiction ( )
Segment: Science or Fiction [ Click Here to Show the Answers ] Item #1 A hen in Sri Lanka has given birth to a live chick, fully formed and healthy. http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2134242/Chick-born-egg-Sri-Lanka-So-chicken-came--NOT-egg.html Item #2 Scientists report successfully treating neuronal hearing loss in a trial using stem-cell therapy. http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/04/120421203911.htm Item #3 The most accurate study so far of the motion of stars near our sun find no evidence of dark matter in our vicinity, contradicting current models. http://saoastronews.wordpress.com/2012/04/20/no-dm-in-solarneighbourhood/
Remembering Perry
Remembering Perry A Tribute to the Venerable Perry DeAngelis I am a sceptic. I am a free thinker. I discard drivel and exonerate exactitude. I thank Perry DeAngelis. I'm a relatively new listener to the Sceptics' Guide, only tuning in to the weekly podcast since November 2011. In a desperate attempt to fill my week-long sceptical void (i.e. the 6 days between new podcast releases) I've been listening to the archive – starting from episode 1! I have just endured the most difficult episode to date, namely, the Perry DeAngelis tribute episode. Since those tentative first few episodes, when I asked myself - Who is this DeAngelis character, and why isn't he podcasting anymore? I researched his ultimate fate, and knew this day was inevitable. It has been particularly painful this last week listening to the episodes where Perry would phone in his sceptical quote from his hospital bed, knowing what was in store. It saddens me deeply that I never knew him while he was alive, but I'm grateful to have become acquainted with him over the past 6 months. He, and the other members of the SGU, have been the best company on my daily walks to-and-from college. The sceptical community has lost a courageous icon. I think it truly stands testament to him and his character when 5 years on, he still deeply touches people and continues to inspire a movement though this podcast. Being a poor student, I'll forgo eating this week to make a donation to the Perry DeAngelis Memorial Fund! (Just kidding, noodles all the way! ) I pay homage to the exceptional life this man has led, delivering to the masses a copious dollop of intellect and laughter every week! I will forever hold him in the highest esteem. Best wishes, A Devoted DeAngelis Disciple Kevin O'Connell Cork, Ireland
Skeptical Quote of the Week ( )
Segment: Skeptical Quote of the Week Skeptical Quote of the Week "The power of accurate observation is commonly called cynisism by those who have not got it" - George Bernard Shaw