Meet The Skeptics!

Its easy to forget that Skepticism is needed all around the world to some degree. While we may be battling the likes of John Edward and Alt Med pushers in the US, there are still witch hunts going on in some African nations. Check out my interview last year with Leo Igwe for more on that. At TAM 2014, I got to meet an individual who is instrumental in the very birth of the Skeptic movement in Russia; Kirill Alferov. Mark my words, when the Skeptics of Russia are a well known national movement 20 years from now, Kirill will be known and respected as one of the people who got the ball rolling. And if you understand Russian, check out their web page: http://www.skepticsociety.ru Enjoy!

Since I first started paying attention to the Skeptical movement, one of my favorite podcasts has been Rationally Speaking. While many of the available shows cover a wealth of scientific topics, few really delve into the Philosophical side of things. For someone like myself (who has pretty much zero training in Philosophy), this can be fascinating. I hope you agree. Before NECSS 2014, I knew I wanted to sit down and have a nice long talk with Massimo. Thankfully, he was up for it too. Enjoy! Definitely check out Massimo's Website: Scientia Salon Follow him on Twitter: @MPigliucci AND/OR buy one of his books here! Answers for Aristotle: How Science and Philosophy Can Lead Us to A More Meaningful Life Philosophy of Pseudoscience: Reconsidering the Demarcation Problem Nonsense on Stilts: How to Tell Science from Bunk

College Instructor by day, Quack Buster by night (and weekends), Bob Blaskiewicz has been on the front lines of the fight to expose the truth behind notorious "Doctor" Stanislaw Burzynski. To learn more about the controversy behind this clinic, check out the video at this link: USA TODAY VIDEOEnjoy the interview!

I was really excited to sit down with Dr. Offit at NECSS 2014. I've heard so much about him over the years and was glad to have a chance to meet the man in person and record our conversation. I hope you enjoy it too! Check out Dr. Offit's website at: www.Paul-Offit.com Follow him on Twitter: @DrPaulOffit And here's Dr. Offit on the Colbert Report. The Colbert ReportGet More: Daily Show Full Episodes,Indecision Political Humor,The Colbert Report on Facebook

Today's guest is Physicist, TV Host, Activist, Presenter and all around Inspiration, Dr. Deborah Berebichez.  Twitter: @Debbiebere YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/thesciencebabe/videos Below is a talk that Deborah gave at NECSS 2013. 

At NECSS 2014, I had the chance to sit down and talk with some amazing people, not the least of whom was Elise Andrew, creator of the "I Fucking Love Science" Facebook page and Website. Her page splashed onto the internet with an impact that nobody could have ever imagined. I was thrilled to sit down with Elise to learn the story behind all the excitement!

Also known as the Rocky Mountain Paranormal Research Society, Bryan Bonner and Matthew Baxter have broken the mold of what paranormal research is all about. From talking to kids at schools and libraries to finding more earthly explanations for strange phenomena, these two have been appying rationality to a normally irrational field for the past 15 years.  Leran more about Bryan and Baxter at their website: www.BryanandBaxter.com  

One of the things I love about conferences like TAM and NECSS is the sheer variety of fascinating people I have the opportunity to meet. At TAM 2013, an Australian friend came up to me to ask if I'd ever interviewed Leo Igwe. I had to confess that I wasn't familiar with who Leo was. After she explained, I knew I had to get him on my show. Leo is an incredibly personable, nice man. I enjoyed getting to know him and I'm sure you will too.  

Heather Henderson is the co-host of Ardent Atheist and Skeptically Yours podcasts. During TAM 2013 in Las Vegas, she took a few minutes to sit down with me and tell me her life story! This was special because she was literally on the move through the entire conference, taping episodes of her own shows, performing as a part of Penn Jillette's No God Band, and just mingling with us mortals. I was surprised that she stayed awake through the whole interview but I definitely enjoyed getting to know her better. I hope you do too. Follow Heather on Twitter: @HeatherHenderso OR Check her out in the video below!

Matt Donnelly co-hosts Penn's Sunday School, a weekly podcast along with Penn Jillette and Michael Goudeau. Matt and I got a chance to talk about his life, how he became a part of Penn's Sunday School and the mysterious line of text that was deleted from a life-changing email before it was sent... Follow Matt on Twitter: @SweetMattyD And check out this video of Matt joining with Penn and Goudeau back before he was an official member of the cast!

I had a great time chatting with Jim Underdown at TAM 2013 in Las Vegas last summer. WOW! Talk about someone with a colerful past... At one point, we talked about Jim's experiences wrestling a live bear. Seriously. While I unfortunately could not find video of that event, I did find video of an equally frustrating match as seen below. You can find Jim at the IIG West Website: http://www.iigwest.com/ or the CFI West Website: http://www.cfiwest.org/

I had the pleasure of meeting and spending some time with Todd Robbins at TAM 2013. I had first seen him when he performed the Emcee duties at NECSS 2011 and again at a Monday Night Magic show in New York city in 2013, but we hadn't yet met in person. I was very pleased that he was more than happy to sit down and chat for almost an hour as I let my recorder run! You can learn much more about Todd by watching his movie American Carny, or just by checking out his website at www.ToddRobbins.com. Make sure to follow him on Twitter too! @ToddRobbins Later in the conference, I got to see Todd perform a portion of his live show as the headliner during the "Magic, Mayhem and Mentalism" Show. My 12 year old son spent most of the show with his eyes squeezed shut and his face buried in his hands. Just watch the short video clip below to understand why.

Mathematics is often referred to as the Queen of Sciences, and for good reason. There is very little room for debate within Mathematics community as to whether or not a specific answer is correct or not. If the mathematics are sound, the answer will be correct. It's a refuge that most of us only wish was available in other aspects of our lives. Even so, the answers that Mathematics provides are very often extremely counterintuitive, which give this specific discipline the wonderful characteristic of being able to change minds far more often than other areas of science. John Allen Paulos has spent a portion of his career pointing out how a better understanding of Mathematics can change the way we think for the better. Find Books by John Allen Paulos Follow John on Twitter - @JohnAllenPaulos

Karen Strachan is the director of The Center for Inquiry's Camp Inquiry, a weeklong, overnight summer camp for young Skeptics ages 8 - 16. She comes to the position after a decade of leadership experience in education, science, and art. Karen and I chatted about Camp Inquiry, critical thinking skills in general, and her thoughts and experience with teaching how to raise critical thinking kids. Learn more about Camp Inquiry at their website: www.campinquiry.org Also check out CFI: www.CenterforInquiry.net or follow them on Twitter: @Center4Inquiry

Simon Singh is a rockstar. It's pretty much that simple. Never afraid to point out that the emperor has no clothes, he has rattled quite a few cages over the years. The truth is quite simple though. He is a lover of Science and isn't afraid to follow the evidence where it logically leads. Simon is the author of several books, including: Fermat's Enigma: The Epic Quest to Solve the World's Greatest Mathematical Problem Trick or Treatment: The Undeniable Facts about Alternative Medicine The Simpsons and Their Mathematical Secrets You can follow Simon on Twitter: @SLSingh Check out his website here: www.SimonSingh.net

Steve Shives is a YouTuber extraordanaire. While his videos are certainly not exlusively Skeptic related, they certainly touch on a wide variety of Skeptic topics, especially with his "Five Stupid Things" series. Just beware, if you start watching, plan to be there for a while. He has a LOT of fun stuff. In addition to his YouTube channel, you can check out his writing at www.SteveLikesToCurse.com. Check out the trailer to his channel below!

Julia Galef has been on my "Must Interview" list for a while now. Not only is she the co-host of the Rationally Speaking podcast and a writer on Measure of Doubt Blog, but she is also the President and Co-founder of CFAR, the Center For Applied Rationality. Luckily, we had the chance to chat in front of a recording device at NECSS 2013. Enjoy! Follow Julia on Twitter: @JuliaGalef or check out her YouTube Channel: Measure of Doubt

I met Brian in 2012 at NECSS in New York City. He had co-hosted a special "Story Collider" event that ran in conjunction with the NECSS conference. I have been an ardent fan of Story Collider ever since. When I heard that Brian was also participating in NECSS 2013, I knew I wanted to sit down and interview him.  Not only is Brian Wecht a particle physicist and co-host of Story Collider, but he also has an extensive background in music and comedy. You can find him (covered in a Ninja mask) at YouTube as 1/2 of the Ninja Sex Party. With a little trepidation, I have posted one of the videos below. Definitely NSFW! You've been warned. You can also follow Brian on Twitter at: @bwecht

I have always been a numbers guy and I have always enjoyed learning about how seemingly impossible coincidences probably happen all the time, often never being noticed. Jarrett Lennon Kaufman and Wendy Hughes have picked up on this aspect of critical thinking by producing a "podlet" section of the Skepticality Podcast as well as their own website, "The Odds Must Be Crazy." Wendy and Jarrett are also very active with Independent Investigations Group, and we talked about some fascinating investigations they have helped out with. Make sure to check out their website, www.TheOddsMustBeCrazy.com and follow both of them on twitter!Jarrett: @TurboFool Wendy: @Wendy91602  Check out Jarrett as "Timmy" on the Mr. Deity episode below!

Trent Brusky is a young man who recently reached out to me with an offer to help out with music on my show. I was intrigued that he was doing exactly what I have tried to recommend for years. He is putting his talents to use to help with critical thinking and Skepticism. You can check out Trent's website at http://www.dropfoxsound.org/. I wanted to get him on the show in hopes of inspiring others to do the same. Enjoy!