Meet The Skeptics!

Milton Mermikides started his life with a love for science as only a young child, being distinctly lucky to be born to a Particle Physicist father. While he was keenly interested in science himself, he was gradually diverted by his love for music which he embraced fully. He even composed the intro music for this podcast. A few years back Milton came down with Leukemia and wrote about his ordeal. The essay won him a scholarship to TAM London and put him on the map within Skeptical circles. That essay can be found at the link below. A Life Examined Visit Milton online at www.MiltonMermikides.com

Penn & Teller describe Jamy Ian Swiss as James Bond with a deck of cards for a gun. If you ever have the chance to see Jamy perform card magic, you'll be hard pressed to disagree. Not limited to simply cards though, Jamy Ian Swiss performs just about every type of magic there is, with the exception of kids birthday parties. Jamy has been on the forefront of the Skeptics movement for many years, even holding the distinct honor of being the very first person to speak on stage at the very first TAM. He has appeared on The Late, Late Show with Craig Ferguson, The Today Show, and several television specials. Jamy has worked as a consultant for Penn & Teller and for the recent book Sleights of Mind. He also proudly bears the moniker "The Honest Liar." During our interview we talked about magic, con games, active skepticism and traditional Italian cooking. www.JamyIanSwiss.com Shattering Illusions: Essays on the Ethics, History, and Presentation of Magic

Jim "Dr. Dim" Fitzsimons is the host of Dimland Radio, a show on the internet radio station Z-Talk Radio. Z-Talk Radio is a bit unique as the programming is largely paranormal. Jim is sort of their token Skeptic, which means that his show is often the sole voice of reason. Unlike many of us, Jim is regularly surrounded by those who believe in the paranormal, so he has gotten used to hearing their claims and challenging without offending (usually). He is also an artist and a father, both of which we had a chance to talk about. You can check out his show and his work at: The Dimland Blog Z Talk Radio Download episodes of Dimland Radio here at the Dimland Show Archives

I’ve always taken a bit of pride in my Canadian roots having been born in the same city as James Randi himself (Toronto). Of course, I have actually lived in the USA for almost my entire life and I am thoroughly Americanized, but I shall always have a special fondness for the Great White North. Needless to say, I was incredibly excited when I stumbled across the SkepticNorth website and saw that there seems to be a growing movement toward Science and Skepticism in the land of my birth. Some further reading brought me to a few columns by Steve Thoms, which further brought me to his personal website “Some Canadian Skeptic.” Steve’s writing is to the point, well thought out, and definitely thought provoking. I knew I had to get him on here, so I touched base and luckily landed the interview. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did! Follow Steve on Twitter at @SomeCndnSkeptic or follow me at @MeetTheSkeptics

You can ask 100 self identified Skeptics what motivates them and you'll likely get 100 different answers. Some people are looking to stop con artists. Some just love science. Some people are fascinated with psychology while others just want to make the world a more rational place. If you grew up watching Scooby Doo like I did, you'll probably be incredibly jealous of Ben Radford. Except for the talking Great Dane, Ben essentially tracks down ghosts & goblins for a living. Not surprisingly, it usually turns out to be the guy who runs the roller coaster at the amusement park, or something along those lines. Ben works with the Center For Inquiry (Formerly PSICOP) and is the Managing Editor of Skeptical Inquirer Magazine. He has also written several books, most recently "Tracking The Chupacabra." Some Books by Ben Radford: Tracking the Chupacabra: The Vampire Beast in Fact, Fiction, and Folklore Scientific Paranormal Investigation: How to Solve Unexplained Mysteries Media Mythmakers Lake Monster Mysteries: In

Michael Blanford has spent the last 15 years promoting science literacy, science appreciation, and critical thinking. Michael has developed science curricula, programs, and informal content for a number of institutions, including schools, community centers, museums, and Camps. Before coming to the JREF, he was coordinator for the Saint Louis Science Center’s Life Science Lab. Michael is also founder and president of the Skeptical Society of Saint Louis. In our conversation we talked about Michael's goals for the JREF's Educational wing and methods that we can all use for spreading critical thinking skills and scientific literacy. www.Randi.org Twitter: @MichaelBlanford Follow Me: @MeetTheSkeptics

Brian Brushwood is a Magician, sort of. He breathes fire, pounds freakishly long nails into his nose and teaches people how to scam free drinks at the bar from soon-to-be-ex friends.  His Internet show Scam School is watched over a million times a month. He headlines college campuses with his show "Bizarre Magic." His radio show "NSFW" is a huge hit and an incredibly popular podcast, and to top it all off, he co-hosts the "Weird Things" podcast which he describes as his favorite project. He has been called "Brilliantly Original" by Penn & Teller and "Amazing" by Jay Leno. We talked about the development of his act, walking the line between entertainment and dishonesty, and the biggest problem with eating glass light bulbs. Scam School: http://revision3.com/scamschool Bizarre Magic: http://shwood.squarespace.com/live-shows/ Weird Things Podcast: http://weirdthings.com/ Brian on Twitter: http://twitter.com/#!/shwood ME on Twitter: http://twitter.com/#!/MeetTheSkeptics

Never heard of George Hrab? Oh, you have! My bad. I’ve been a big fan of the Geologic Podcast ever since I realized that the title referred to the “Logic of Geo” as opposed to rocks. Nothing against Geologists, but it’s more fun to hear Geo’s mom reading Jay-Z lyrics than it is to hear about erosion of sandstone. I had the chance to stop off at the Geologic Headquarters during a recent trip to Pennsylvania. It was definitely worth the detour. Well, to be fair, it was a very minor detour but HAD it been a longer trip out of the way it still would have been worth it. I think 43 or 44 minutes further would have pressed the issue a bit but anything less than an additional 40 minutes was definitely worth the sidetrack. Well, then again Ms. Information gave me an apple for the road, so that perhaps was worth the extra 5 minutes so maybe 45 minutes would have been a sufficiently appropriate venture time to obtain the audio, digital bits contained herein. Now that I think of it, I woul

Mike Meraz could well be described as the Dale Carnegie of the Skeptical world. A few years back, he recognized that while critical thinking skills and Skepticism are essential tools for navigating society effectively, very few of us are putting forth an effort to effectively and attractively communicate those skills. Mike created a podcast, "Actually Speaking" to deal with this exact topic. Each episode is concise and full of real world examples and well balanced advice for topics such as "The Human Nature of Prejudice," "Managing and Aggressive Tone," and "The Art of Listening." If this weren't enough, Mike also works on a podcast with his young son Aaron, who actually hosts the show! If you have kids into science and especially dinosaurs, you HAVE to let them have a listen. www.ActuallySpeaking.com Aaron's World You can also follow Mike on Twitter at @factually, and don't forget to follow me too at @MeetTheSkeptics!

Sid Rodrigues is best known as the organizer for the London Skeptics in the Pub group. The Skeptics in London have consistently proven to be some of the most active and effective groups in the world. 200 - 400 people regularly show up to skeptics meetings where they get to hear great presentations from Scientists, Activists, and even in one instance, a Creationist. Sid and I talk about how to organize your own group, how he deals with such large groups, his background as an escape artist, his involvement with the Little Atoms podcast, and much more. Follow Sid on Twitter at @sidrodrigues and don't forget to follow me too at @MeetTheSkeptics. http://www.sidrodrigues.com/

It was a sincere honor to speak with and interview Eugenie Scott recently. Not only is she one of the brightest people I’ve had the opportunity to chat with, she’s at the forefront of the Creationism/Evolution debate across the United States as the Executive Director of the National Center for Science Education. Anybody who values science education in the United States owes a sincere debt of gratitude to Dr. Scott.   Eugenie somehow manages to maintain a great sense of humor in the midst of some very stressful and potentially discouraging circumstances. If you ever have the chance to see her speak. I cannot recommend more strongly that you take the time to do so. If you are unable to see her live, make sure to check out some of her presentations on the NCSE YouTube Channel.   If you live in an area where the teaching of Evolution is under attack in the local schools, do not hesitate to contact the NCSE.   NCSE Website  

Robynn McCarthy is better known as the "Swoopy" half of Derek and Swoopy of the Skepticality podcast. Skepticality is one of the Official Podcasts of Skeptic Magazine. Since podcasting first came on the scene, Derek and Swoopy were there with regular thought provoking shows, serious insights, and goofy banter.  Since 1996 Swoopy has been largely in charge of the entire planning and production of the podcast. I warn you, if you listen to just about any Skepticality episode you WILL end up putting one more book on your "to read" list. Go ahead, I dare you to listen and not run out to buy the book of the author she was interviewing that day. Robynn and I talked about how they got Skepticality started, her involvement with DragonCon, the process of creating each Skepticality episode, how she became a Skeptic, and so much more. You can follow Robynn on Twitter: @Swoopy. Don't forget to follow me too at @MeetTheSkeptics.   Skepticality Podcast SKEPTIC Magazine

Brian Dunning is one of the names you’ll come across in the Skeptical world quite often. He hosts Skeptoid, a weekly 10 - 15 minute podcast taking on some of the sacred cows of pop culture as well as having several other ventures of a similar nature. Brian thoroughly researches each and every topic before building a solid and seemingly unassailable case for logic and reality. Unlike free flowing interview shows, Skeptoid is brutally efficient and to the point. If you have a 15 minute commute to work each day, you could do far worse than to spend it listening to Skeptoid once or twice a week. Here Be Dragons: The Movie InFact Skeptoid: Critical Analysis Of Pop Phenomena  Skeptoid 2: More Critical Analysis Of Pop Phenomena Pirates, Pyramids, and Papyrus (Skeptoid)   Don't forget to follow me on Twitter: @MeetTheSKeptics

Tom Croucher is the 4th Australian I've interviewed for this podcast! Somehow, I highly doubt he'll be the last. Tom and his brother Nick are more commonly known as the Skeptic Bros. They co-write a blog affectionately titled "The Zombie Apocalypse Survival Guide." More recently though, they have made a pretty big splash in the Skeptical world by manufacturing and selling "Placebo Bands." These are a perfect knockoff of the more widely known Power Balance bracelets. The key differences are a) the Placebo Bands are appropriately named and b) The Placebo Bands cost about 5% of what the Power Balance bands cost for an essentially identical product. Check out Placebo Bands featured on Scam School with Brian Brushwood! Check out Tom at any of the following:  www.SkepticBros.com Twitter: @tomfoolery_101 Follow me on Twitter too!: @MeetTheSkeptics

While I’ve gotten a unique kick out of each interview so far, this one was particularly interesting in that it was done as we walked through a Haunted Corn Maze owned by Bob Novella, Jay’s older brother and one of the co-hosts of Skeptics Guide to the Universe. Jay adds a wry sense of humor and a lighthearted comedic touch to the SGU podcast and he was as fun in person as he seems on the show.   During the interview, we talked about additional projects that Jay and the SGU crew were getting involved in. One past project was a comedic video series that Jay produced himself. While it didn’t go very far, I really enjoyed it. Here’s Part 1 of the first Episode.   Enjoy the interview and follow me on Twitter: @MeetTheSkeptics.  

Jason Brown is a Skeptical activist in Sydney Australia. Primarily, he organizes Sydney's Drinking Skeptically group. He's also a bit of a podcaster himself, plays Bass Guitar on Youtube, and is a wine aficionado with a Wine Podcast that is under construction at the time of this episode. In Vino Veritas Podcast More prominently, Jason runs the website www.Skepticator.com. This is an inceredibly helpful site that aggregate feeds from Skeptical sources all over the world. In essence, if you're looking for good stuff to read and think about, Skepticator's the place to find it. In our interview, we spoke about TAM Oz, local organization, homeopathy, and the Anti-Anti-Vaccine movement known as "Stop the AVN."    Follow me on Twitter @MeetTheSkeptics and follow Jason @DrunkenMadman.

As both an entertainer and an educator, Art Benjamin has inspired and excited people about math for several decades. He is a Professor of Mathematics at Harvey Mudd College and has produced several courses for The Great Courses, including The Joy of Mathematics and Discrete Mathematics in addition to writing the book “The Secrets of Mental Math.”   Secrets of Mental Math: The Mathemagician's Guide to Lightning Calculation and Amazing Math Tricks I’ve been a fan of Dr. Benjamin’s since I was sipping coffee on a Sunday morning almost a year ago and scrolling through the great videos on TED. His presentation was labelled “Jawdropping” by the other viewers so I decided to check it out. By combining rapid mental calculations and magic, he has created a unique show that defies belief. Are you skeptical? Check it out right here.

Daniel Loxton is an artist, writer, editor, and former shepherd. He grew up on the idyllic Vancouver Island and was once a strong believer in many Pseudo scientific things such as cryptozoology. Today, he puts his considerable talents to use as an artist and editor for Junior Skeptic magazine and as an author of the children's book: Evolution: How We and All Living Things Came to Be Daniel and I talked about his past, current projects, and the various things he has planned for the future. Especially keep an eye out for his series of children's books! In particular, a book on Dinosaurs will be released on September 1, 2011. Skeptic Magazine Follow Daniel on Twitter at @Daniel_Loxton and/or follow me at @MeetTheSkeptics

Jennifer Michael Hecht was a bit of a welcome diversion from my normal guest. We Skeptics are often accused (sometimes rightfully so) of being overly literal and scientific. Jennifer Michael Hecht draws on history and poetry to discuss and present ideas about ethics, culture, and morality. Some of her books include: Doubt: A History: The Great Doubters and Their Legacy of Innovation from Socrates and Jesus to Thomas Jefferson and Emily Dickinson Funny (Felix Pollak Prize in Poetry) The Next Ancient World The Happiness Myth: The Historical Antidote to What Isn't Working Today From her website: "Jennifer Michael Hecht is the author of three history books and two volumes of poetry and she is currently serving as one of the five judges for the Nonfiction category of the 2010 National Book Award.  Her bestseller Doubt: A History demonstrates a long, strong history of religious doubt.  Hecht’s The End of the Soul: Scientific Modernity, Atheism, and Anthropology won

Kylie Sturgess came to my attention a while back as one of the many Australian skeptical activists who is out there beating the drum of rational thinking about as consistently as anybody. Kylie runs her own website, podcast, and blog all while somehow finding time to actually live her life. She is an active skeptic and holds qualifications in Philosophy, Education and the measurement of paranormal belief. A teacher with over ten years experience in the field, Kylie has lectured on teaching critical thinking, feminism, new media and anomalistic beliefs worldwide. If you are at any Skeptical conferences anywhere in the world, there's a good chance Kylie's there too. Make sure to say hello! www.Podblack.com http://tokenskeptic.org/ @podblack on Twitter.