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May 13, 2008: 100 Episodes!

Skeptoid is a weekly podcast dedicated to furthering knowledge by blasting away the widespread pseudosciences that infect popular culture.

Each weekly episode focuses on a single phenomenon — paranormal, spiritual, alternative, or just plain stupid — that you've heard of, and that you probably believe in. Skeptoid attempts to expose the folly of belief in such phenomena, and more importantly, explains the factual scientific reality.

From the sublime to the startling, no topic is sacred, politically incorrect though that may be. 51,500 weekly downloads.

Latest Skeptoid News...

5/13/2008 - Wow, 100 Skeptoid episodes. What a ride! When I first started this I figured I'd do 5 or 6 episodes and get it out of my system. Later I figured 100 was a good round number to call it "a body of work" and move on. But there's no sign of that happening - Skeptoid has spawned one book, and about to spawn a second; a television pilot; and a free 45 minute educational video that will be available shortly.

5/13/2008 - Doomsayers claim that peak oil production will mean a worldwide panic and catastrophe of epic proportions. This is a frightening prospect, but it completely ignores the fundamentals of economics. The nature of markets is to react and adapt. They always have, they always do, and there's no reason to think that that's suddenly going to stop.

5/6/2008 - The National Transportation and Safety isn't always able to find the definitive cause of an aviation accident, as unfortunate as that is. TWA Flight 800 is one such case. For conspiracy theorists, an inconclusive finding like this is a red flag to the bull. They start with the default assumption that the aircraft was shot down by the US government, despite a total lack of any evidence of that, and clear evidence that no such thing happened.

4/29/2008 - Now that Indiana Jones has done his part to promote the myths about crystal skulls, let's take a look at the facts. Legend says the crystal skull was found in a ruined Mayan temple; documents tell a different story. Mythology says that the skulls have mystical properties. Unless someone ever agrees to have this tested, such claims will remain mythology.

4/22/2008 - Conspiracy theorist Richard Hoagland believes that the Cydonia Face on Mars is proof of a Martian civilization that built great cities and pyramids and this giant carved stone face. Modern photographs, the perceptual phenomenon we call pareidolia, and the Law of Large Numbers, however, combine to tell us that it's simply a natural hill that (at a useful resolution) doesn't even look very much like a face after all.

4/15/2008 - Rhonda Byrnes's book and movie The Secret, thanks to Oprah Winfrey, has convinced millions of Americans that medical care, personal motivation, and hard work can all be replaced by simple wishing. And also, that if you get raped, killed, or suffer an illness, it's your own fault. You bastard!

4/8/2008 - Home based businesses (or almost any "business opportunity" that you have to pay for) are almost always ripoffs. Find out how unscrupulous companies first figured out how to invert a conventional sales rep agreement.

4/1/2008 - Travis Walton's story told in Fire in the Sky claims to be the most compelling UFO abduction incident, because of the large number of eyewitnesses (his personal buddies) and thorough documentation (of suppressed failed polygraphs and sensationalized inconclusive polygraphs).

3/25/2008 - Is the world coming to an end in 2012? Some people think so — modern interpreters of Sumerian carvings, enthusiasts in Mayan calendars, people who did a little too much LSD listening to The Age of Aquarius in the 60's, and a few folks who are disappointed that Planet X seemed to miss us in 2003 and are hoping it will come around for another shot.

3/18/2008 - Is the terror of nuclear power really all that it's made out to be? We would need a Chernobyl-size disaster every 3 weeks just to match the US death toll caused by pollution from coal and oil fired power plants.

3/11/2008 - We have some more outrageous listener feedback. This time people had some "interesting" commentary on the episodes about ghost hunting, Mormon history, Mona Vie, and global consciousness.

3/4/2008 - The Hum is an audible rumble that torments certain people in certain places all around the world. The Taos Hum, the Bristol Hum, the Auckland Hum, and the Kokomo Hum are just a few of the best known Hums. Is this really a single measurable phenomenon, or is it just a perceived collection of unrelated incidents, like the Bermuda Triangle?

2/26/2008 - Today I am more than a little pissed off at some despicable vulture scumbags who prey on the terminally ill. The wet cell battery, a useless piece of pseudoscience that has no conceivable application to the treatment of disease, and invented by the late celebrity psychic Edgar Cayce, is sold to those who have terminal and debilitating illnesses.

2/19/2008 - Are you a victim of Super Sized Fast Food Phobia? Listen to the nonsense coming out of Hollywood, and you probably think that fast food is dangerously unhealthy. In fact it's no worse than any other hamburger, which isn't all that bad to begin with.

2/18/2008 - I'm now listed on the Secular Student Alliance's speakers bureau. Interested in having me come and speak at your group? I'd love to! Contact them if you're affiliated with the Secular Student Alliance, or contact me if you're not.

2/16/2008 - I've added a chart of the different types of creationists to the transcript page for that episode, and also this stylish picture of the Kansas Creation Museum's vision of how people used to get around in Jesus' time.

2/12/2008 - Hear anything about the miraculous use of water as a fuel to solve the world's energy crisis? The TV news likes to report a sensational headline like this every few weeks, and they either don't care or are genuinely scientifically illiterate enough to realize that these claims are pure nonsense.

2/5/2008 - Let's look at MonaVie and other "superfruit" juices. They claim to be the best source of antioxidants. Sadly for them, their claims were tested. A $7 glass of superfruit juice contains, at best, about a third of the antioxidants you get from a regular apple; and far less than that of some other common fruits. These superfruit juices are multilevel marketing schemes first; salable products second; and useful health products a distant third.

1/29/2008 - Conspiracy theorists are still talking about World Trade Center Building 7, the building that burned for seven hours after the collapse of the twin towers on September 11 before falling itself. But their theory is not only unsupported by evidence, it's totally inconsistent with everything that happened during those seven hours.

1/22/2008 - Ever see someone wearing a Q-Ray bracelet, or other magic jewelry? It's said to have all sorts of beneficial health effects of a type not understood by western science. But one thing is well understood: the courts, the FTC, and the Mayo Clinic aren't buying a word of it.

1/19/2008 - I was interviewed on The Skeptics Guide to the Universe about the Skeptoid podcast, the Skeptoid book, The Amaz!ng Meeting 5.5, and the upcoming TV show The Skeptologists. Their best episode ever, don't miss it!

1/18/2008 - There is a very nice review of Skeptoid by Ian Brill on The Sound of Young America. He wishes it was longer — tell my corporate paymasters to step up, and it will be!

1/15/2008 - Everyone wants to sell you something. This time, it's detoxification. Never mind that they don't bother to say what these "toxins" might be; every alternative practitioner wants to sell you some klunky hardware or unapproved drug to do the same job that your liver already does for free and naturally.

1/12/2008 - My new book, Skeptoid: Critical Analysis of Pop Phenomena is now available on Amazon.com. This is an adaptation of the first 50 podcast episodes. The foreword is by skeptical guru James Randi!

1/8/2008 - A big bump for Skeptoid traffic! After a long and bloody battle, Skeptoid is at last firmly entrenched on the front page of iTunes' Science Podcasts section. My best estimate is that this has provided a 20-30% bump in new weekly subscribers. Thank you iTunes!