The Most Effective Homeopathy Podcast Ever

I had a very bad case of boredom, and this cured it right up. Clearly this is an example of like curing like, because Brian must have been pretty bored.

Homeopathy works!

Jeremy Lindgren (vita10gy), Eau Claire, WI
August 08, 2008 12:19pm

All I get is silence on that MP3, whatever I try. *SOBS*

Fergus Gallagher, Oxford, UK
August 08, 2008 12:56pm

It's a homeopathy podcast, the joke was that he recorded it very very quiet. Try turning everything up as loud as it goes.

Jeremy Lindgren (vita10gy), Eau Claire, WI
August 08, 2008 1:01pm

The podcast via Itunes has no sound. Can you re-issue, so that we may all hear it? I love your podcasts and always rush to listen to them.

Elaine Lahey, Sunnyvale
August 08, 2008 1:02pm

I must say... Bravo Brian.

Dillon D., Eagle, WI
August 08, 2008 1:05pm

Oh Brian, you card.

Neito, Boston, MA
August 08, 2008 1:12pm

Highly diluted sound. 30C perhaps? Even my hearing aids were of no help.(As if I could afford $9600.00 for hearing aids.)

And, now I have to go do some difficult arithmetic to submit my response.

bigjohn756, East Texas
August 08, 2008 1:27pm

Would you lose total respect for me if I admitted that in my haste to post my incredibly witty comments I've apparently gotten that arithmetic wrong? I think it's possible I've even done that twice.

I hope we can continue being BFF's bigjohn756. :)

Jeremy Lindgren (vita10gy), Eau Claire, WI
August 08, 2008 1:34pm

Very clever.

Jason Click, Huntsville, AL
August 08, 2008 1:38pm

I get it. Homeopathy contains nothing so the podcast contains nothing. You're a genius Brian!

Philip Norton, UK
August 08, 2008 1:47pm

Digital homeopathy?
http://www.thebritteam.com/synergy-digital_homeopathy.htm

I feel better already.

Max, Boston, MA
August 08, 2008 2:09pm

I rubbed some flax oil into my ears and that helped the process along. The whole experience was great for ridding my ear canals of dreaded toxins. Thank you Brian, you truly are a holistic master.

Edi, Adelaide, SA, Australia
August 08, 2008 3:48pm

I am disappointed. I was hoping for another great podcast and I got 10 minutes of silence. :(

Clever though.

Mudkipz, Greensboro, NC
August 08, 2008 3:58pm

Funny, actually not. Considering the iPhone truncates episode names, it might have been worthwhile including an introduction for the joke to, you know, be conveyed to some.

Dré, Adelaide, SA, Australia
August 08, 2008 4:47pm

HAHA well played god sir, a toast.

Juan R, Baltimore
August 08, 2008 4:47pm

I do not think this is on purpose. The mp3 file comes with a weird header, it's not even recognized as an MP3 here:

skeptoid-4113.mp3: Infocom game data (Z-machine 73, Release 13058 / Serial 008)

So I still hope for a regular episode where this blank one goes. I'll keep refreshing the page...

Patola, patola@patola.org
August 08, 2008 5:53pm

That was awesome.

Just plain awesome.

David Curren, North Brunswick, NJ
August 08, 2008 6:52pm

.

Marius vanderLubbe, Nullabour plain, Australia.
August 08, 2008 7:05pm

well, the idea was funny. Could have used an introduction or ending I guess. It was a bit annoying that I ran out of space on my ipod and had to remove Astronomy Cast from the auto-syncronized stuff, only to realize I just got 10 minutes of silence.

But yeah, this episode PROVES that homeopathy works, the destilled spirit force of Skeptoid and Brians voice still remained, and played through headphones it effectively treats any fictional disorder.

joel, stockholm, sweden
August 08, 2008 7:13pm

This is clearly more than just a joke. After listening to the therapy, not only did my iPod perform as well as when it was first purchased, but my headphones transmitted clearer sound, my inner-ear stuffiness due to congestion issues was resolved, and the mild acne problem on my cheeks has completely cleared up! Now, I mean to burn this onto a disc and use it to cure the hiss in my stereo speakers.

Ben, Akron, OH
August 08, 2008 7:16pm

awesome, but weak. I was all syched about a new episode.

Makes a good point though

spencer, lowell, ma
August 08, 2008 7:22pm

I must admit this episode didn't cure my iPod though, it crashed on the first attempt to play the file (as it just about always does on the first attempt to play any file directly after synchronizing with the computer). I suppose it could be haunted, vaccinated or having it's neuron energies depolarized. Or possibly it was damaged by the men in black.

joel, stockholm, sweden
August 08, 2008 7:23pm

I'm sure you had a podcast in there somewhere...it was probably silenced by the big pharmaceutical companies.

Willie Warholm, Calgary, Alberta
August 08, 2008 7:38pm

John Cage will be filing a trademark and copyright violation lawsuit shortly :-)

Cue music: The Sound of Silence.

Richard Walker, San Francisco
August 08, 2008 7:59pm

I'm sure the introduction created considerable resonance of content which then rubbed off on the next ten minutes of silence making the silence think and act as though it were content.

I'm thinking of starting a homeopathic medicine company and calling it Placebodine. No one who buys homeopathic rememdies would even get it.

Paul, Osaka
August 08, 2008 8:06pm

I realized about 1 second in, and I'm still laughing.

Eric, Cary, NC
August 08, 2008 8:14pm

I have to admit I stared blankly at my computer screen for a minute wondering if something was wrong somewhere, then it dawned on me.

Thanks for keeping us on our toes

Paul, Osaka
August 08, 2008 8:21pm

Ha, great stuff. I was wondering why there was such a quick update? Keep up the good work.

Pete3, LA
August 08, 2008 8:32pm

The whole part where there was no transcript got me thinking... ha

Adam, CA
August 08, 2008 9:24pm

I listened to the whole thing, and realized that my fridge is kind of noisy.

Peter, Waterloo, Ontario, Canada
August 08, 2008 10:32pm

...


...it is so nice to know the podcast could be taken in a costly pill form.

Stephanie B, Ada, OH
August 08, 2008 11:11pm

The vibrational energy that has been digitized into this podcast really helped with my insomnia. Thank you, Skeptoid.

Marko, Nuremberg, Germany
August 08, 2008 11:35pm

Remarkably, about two minutes into the podcast, I could actually feel my sinuses clear up. By the fourth minute, it felt like I was bathed in a soft glow of light, and I could actually feel the arthritis that was supposed to infect my limbs in fifteen years seep out of my body and scamper away like a frightened furry animal.
By the end I could swear - *swear*, I tell you - that my teeth were whiter, my skin smoother, and my hair fuller than ever before.
Please, Skeptoid, please give us more of this amazing negative anti-vibrational homeopathy treatments! A ten-parter, perhaps?

P.S. It is truly amazing how so much useful informatio was packed into such a tiny mp3 file! Truly the work of greater minds.

Hannes, Johannesburg, South Africa
August 09, 2008 12:34am

You know, this isn't at all funny. It would have been, had this been April. (Read: I messed with iTunes for... nothing. Soothing nothing, though. Hey, maybe.. it IS useful!)

Tokorona Shinjitsu, Puyallup, WA
August 09, 2008 1:06am

i am haveing troble with the itunespodcast of this episod. it downlouds okay but when i play it all i get is silence

Celestial-salamander (i can sitll be credible), Australia
August 09, 2008 1:17am

Almost funny.

An actual episode would have better.

Jon, England
August 09, 2008 3:38am

Nice one.

Ben Warsop, UK
August 09, 2008 4:52am

I loved this episode. I have a bunch of friends that I would like to bring to one of your presentations. I've offered them a ride in my homeopathic Jaguar - the essence of which has been left in the parking space out front, when a Jag was parked there several months ago but since has been safely diluted by a number of GMCs, Toyotas and Fords that have parked there since. stevenmichaelharris.com

Steven Michael Harris, everywhere USA
August 09, 2008 5:08am

Oh Man!

Steve, NJ
August 09, 2008 6:36am

it stopped that irritating voice in my head

Peter Bannon, Tybee Island, GA
August 09, 2008 6:42am

This seems as good a place as any to lament the fact that one of the suggested synonyms on the dictionary.com page for 'curmudgeonly' is 'skeptical.'

But now I don't need to! This podcast cured me of skepticism altogether. I am now rather affable.

Gwilym, Christchurch, New Zealand
August 09, 2008 7:48am

That segues well to the Nutopian National Anthem.

Kevin Hoover, Arcata, Calif.
August 09, 2008 9:36am

Awesome and, you're right, very effective. You must have diluted that to 30C :)

Ameel, Melbourne, Australia
August 09, 2008 10:58am

After the opening the show is silent. Is that what its suppose to be??

Michelle, NY
August 09, 2008 11:35am

Brian,

Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha!

As usual, well done sir, well done.

Mike Kasun, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
August 09, 2008 12:01pm

That was indeed the most effective homeopathic podcast I have ever listened to. All of my symptoms are GONE! If I hadn't already done so, I would recommend this podcast to all of my friends! Digitized homeopathy is the wave of the future!!!

Kevin Hicks, Columbus, GA
August 09, 2008 12:12pm

This is the kind of pompous, self-indulgent crap that self-consciously promoting "skeptics" seem to enjoy radiating even to people who otherwise agree with them 100%.

For reasons I've yet to successfully analyze, there's a subset of the skeptical population around the world which has decided that being a skeptic also has to coincide with being a douchebag.

On the other hand, I'm sure it was easier than actually recording a show.

Homeopathy is complete bunk & quackery, but that doesn't mean that nothing interesting can be said about the phenomenon or why it is that so many people want to believe that nonsense.

El Cid, Atlanta, GA
August 09, 2008 12:45pm

El Cid:

Really?

Really??!!

...

REALLY?!?!?!?!

Aleksei, Brooklyn
August 09, 2008 1:15pm

I feel better, thanks.

isbort, Hornbrook
August 09, 2008 2:23pm

To El Cid:

Try http://skeptoid.com/episodes/4034

Also, you may need to lighten up a bit. Try a vacation or something.

Bevans, St. Paul, MN
August 09, 2008 2:45pm

To all those that are upset, come on now this is a free, weekly podcast. It is posted every 7 days. It has been three days since the last full episode. Brian put this up mid-week and i am sure he will have a new FREE episode available on Wednesday.

Pete3, LA
August 09, 2008 3:17pm

Bully!
Clever, Brian.

Timm, Waipahu, Hawaii
August 09, 2008 5:21pm

Made me laugh.

Thanks.

Sir Francis, Sydney
August 09, 2008 5:37pm

I listened to it twice!

Jay, Portland, Oregon
August 09, 2008 5:52pm

Hilarious. I was almost expecting a whispered "homeopathy works" somewhere near the midpoint. The theory behind homeopathy is that like treats like, right? So a highly-distilled affirmation that it works should, in principle, cure people of belief in it.

John, Minneapolis, MN
August 09, 2008 5:59pm

Brilliant! I feel better already!

Al, Manchester, NH
August 09, 2008 6:29pm

Ugh. If this is going to be a real homeopathy podcast, does that mean that the next 40 episodes will be like this? After all, it needs to be diluted a bit...

Ryan Miller, East Iowa
August 09, 2008 8:30pm

You have to listen to it backwards.

Max, Boston, MA
August 09, 2008 10:02pm

Thank you Brian, finally, a thorough review of all the good, high quality, convincing evidence for Homeopathy.

Adam, Brighton, UK
August 10, 2008 1:07am

I like the part where you summed up all the good evidence for homeopathy, followed by an carefull explanation of why iridology is a great dignostic tool.

I also like the section where you explain the benefits of trapanation to cure our problems, and all the good arguments in favor of crystal healing.

And the conclusion of summing up all the evidence for a god was just stunning.

Thanks!

Marcel, Reykjavik, Iceland
August 10, 2008 3:56am

Most informative podcast I've ever heard. Keep up the good work, Brian!

Torstein, Tromsø, Norway
August 10, 2008 6:24am

This was the bet podcast ever. I feel so much better now that I have listened to it. I expect some people will say there was nothing to it but I know better now that I am a true believer.

Jamie Young, London
August 10, 2008 8:32am

Call me crazy, but after the introduction it just went silent.

Mark, Toronto
August 10, 2008 9:04am

Mark. Yes, you are crazy ;)
There was an outro around 9:56 :)

Krzysztof, Norfolk
August 10, 2008 9:40am

That wasn't silence, you fools! Did you not hear the femto-second burst of white noise near the beginning, after the introduction? Since homeopathy involves using opposites, the essence of that white noise contained all the information you'll ever need to know, and by extension, grants the silence that information as well.

/Heh

Shnakepup, Euless, TX, U.S.A.
August 10, 2008 10:07am

haha

I was wondering when the weekly format was going to catch up with you. :)

Hey, China isn't alone in kooky, outdated medicine. Why not do some podcasts on that? People ask me all the time whether I believe in Chinese medicine or "west" medicine.

Peter, Beijing
August 10, 2008 11:59am

Very funny, Brian! (Once I figured out what you were up to!)

Kat, Bellingham, WA
August 10, 2008 12:53pm

Oh man, this podcast is AWESOME! I played it all the way through once, and now everything I play on my mp3 players sounds amazing. The difference is not subtle - you don't have to be an audiophile to hear it. There is greater clarity in the mid-range and a smoother and airier top. It makes mp3s sound like you're in the studio with the musicians. Brain, if I were you, I'd remove this podcast and start selling it! Best tweak I've ever used on my mp3 player!

J. D. Mack, Silver Spring
August 10, 2008 2:50pm

That was not silence.

It was the sound of a million dollars you could have being flushed down the toilet had you labeled a bottle of water "Skeptoid".

Evil Eye, Mount Dora, FL
August 10, 2008 3:33pm

Not bad. Got a little repetitive in the middle, redeemed itself in the end, but what really did it for me dramatically was setting the score to John Cage's "4'33." Stroke of genius, that.

Lee Gruenfeld, Palm Springs, CA
August 10, 2008 3:53pm

This was the best podcast ever. You must have erased an old comedy show and reloaded the Homeopathy treated version here. I laughed and laughed for a while. Most Effective Homeopathy I've ever experienced.

Skip H, Portland OR.
August 10, 2008 4:34pm

The way this episode vibrated the water molecules I was drinking while listening to this certainly cured my fibromyalgia!

Zach, San Francisco
August 10, 2008 4:59pm

As I said before,...

Marius vanderlubbe, Nullabour plain, Australia.
August 10, 2008 5:38pm

I thought my Ipod was broken because it usually only plays through one head phone and when i heard nothing but silence i thought it had finally given up, although I do now have a head ache, damned homeopathy

gregg carson, carrickfergus
August 10, 2008 6:42pm

Is this at all related to the latest episode of SGU 5x5?
#31 for readers from the future.

Alexander Brown, Paradise Valley, AZ
August 10, 2008 8:47pm

Brilliant!

Once I realized the file was fine, and my iPod was fine, you're razor sharp perspective, and wit struck me as the podcast ended. If I'm slow for not getting this right off the top, then so be it. It was still great,

Thanks very much

Vince

Vince Montgomery, Coquitlam British Columbia
August 10, 2008 11:14pm

Brilliant !
Nice one Brian.
:-)

Dave The Drummer, Basingstoke, UK
August 11, 2008 2:09am

Lame. What a huge waste of bandwidth. You should delete the podcast or replace it with a 24 kbps version and cut it down to 1 minute. I've listened to nearly every episode, but think you may have run out of ideas.

Dave, Des Moines
August 11, 2008 6:25am

Nice idea,but badly executed.
What a shame !

daddy, uk
August 11, 2008 8:22am

Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetuer adipiscing elit. Nullam semper dignissim nibh. Class aptent taciti sociosqu ad litora torquent per conubia nostra, per inceptos himenaeos. Donec tristique varius nisi. Vivamus ut nibh. Fusce vestibulum purus ac mi. Proin scelerisque molestie sem. Aenean at libero dapibus libero tristique blandit. Morbi posuere porta purus. Aliquam sed urna eget erat dictum hendrerit. Donec in odio at dui adipiscing feugiat.

In feugiat tellus a neque. Vivamus rutrum nunc vel justo. Nulla est risus, tristique vitae, cursus nec, rhoncus non, purus. In hac habitasse platea dictumst. Praesent hendrerit arcu sed lorem. Ut porttitor mattis magna. Pellentesque habitant morbi tristique senectus et netus et malesuada fames ac turpis egestas. Praesent tincidunt, eros ac interdum ornare, pede felis congue tortor, sit amet lobortis nunc pede vitae ligula. In nec nulla eu orci ultrices cursus. Nulla dictum gravida enim. Proin augue.

Viva Homeopathy, Rebuttal, CA
August 11, 2008 8:48am

I was a little surprised to see a Skeptoid episode sitting in my iTunes on Monday morning. I immediately got the joke, ha ha hilarious...and true. Homeopathy is a whole lot of nothing! Very funny Brian! I hope there is another regular episode tomorrow though...

Randy M, San Leandro, CA
August 11, 2008 9:05am

Heh heh. Cool.

Chris, San Antonio, TX
August 11, 2008 9:06am

I got the joke and agree with the sentiment but miss my weekly fix of a full fledged skeptoid episode.

Art, Glendale, CA
August 11, 2008 9:28am

I agree with the sentiment, both regarding Homeopathy, and the first poster regarding the execution of this joke. 10 minutes of any single humorous thread is a bit much. Maybe we were supposed to listen to this backward for the secret meaning?

Dean, San Diego, CA
August 11, 2008 11:03am

First I thought
Oh no, my iPod didn't update, now I have nothing to listen to.
Then I said to myself, no he didn't and then I said to myself that M!@%#F96er is pulling a joke!
Then I finally realized, I still have nothing to listen to. Music plays: Abba

OuryLN, Paradise, Hawaii
August 11, 2008 11:53am

Thanks
I made sure to shake my IPod to maximise the vibrational energy of the podcast.

Chip, Denver CO
August 11, 2008 12:09pm

The most silent episode of all was the one with the most comments. I think this indeed proves homeopathy (at least eletronically).

Patola, Campinas - SP - Brazil
August 11, 2008 1:23pm

Viva Homeopathy, Rebuttal, CA. Lets see what a Latin translator does to your essay.
"Lorem itself pain he is amet consectetuer to come up to elit. Nullam always dignissim nibh. A fleet of a hundred ships aptent silently sociosqu to to propitiate to turn very conubia our , very beginner himenaeos. Up to the time when to make sad various if not. Vivamus when nibh. Fusce vestibulum spotless and mi. Consequently crime annoyance prefix meaning half-. Eneus but to set free seneschal to set free to make sad blandishments. Sickness to lay carry spotless. Some but urna eget was word hendrerit. Up to the time when upon to hate but dui to come up to feugiat. Upon feugiat region a worthless. Vivamus rutrum now or equity. Nulla is laughter , to make sad life , a race and not rhoncus not , spotless. Upon this side habitasse street word. With a ready hendrerit bow but lorem. When porttitor mattis magna. Pellentesque to have frequently sickness to make sad old age and netus and malesuada famine and unseemly to extreme poverty. With a ready tincidunt eros and sometimes ornare pede lucky to congeal tortor , he is amet lobortis now pede life ligula. Upon and not nulla good orci avenging a race. Nulla word pregnant in fact. Consequently augue."
Yup, that makes sense.

Marius vanderLubbe, Nullabour Plain, Australia.
August 11, 2008 8:18pm

That was great, Brian. It's always nice to show people that being a skeptic doesn't mean one can't have a sense of humor.

Matt, Eugene, OR
August 11, 2008 8:30pm

Cunning, very cunning Mr. Dunning.

Derek Belanger, Uxbridge, Ma
August 11, 2008 9:36pm

This therapy is dumb! I took off my headphones and held them to my aching knees, and it took 30 minutes of this for the pain to be relieved! I had to restart the podcast over and over again, and I think that might have minimized the chi energy I received through the headphones. I had previously taken three tylenol. When the thirty minutes had elapsed, I finally felt a little bit better. Brian Dunning, you are a sham! This can't be the most effective podcast ever if it only works 1/3 of the time!

Dagfari, Ottawa
August 11, 2008 10:44pm

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lorem_ipsum

Just for the record.

Harrison, Portland, OR
August 12, 2008 12:21am

I think Brian has lost the plot! and maybe a dedicated listener. Don't get me wrong I have a sense of humour but 30 seconds to a minute of silence would have driven the point home, but 10 minutes and 7MB later, the joke was a bit of a waste of time and disk space.

This on top of the recent 'impartial' podcast regarding Tibet has prompted me to look elsewhere for my fix.

Such a shame.

Simon, Manchester, UK
August 12, 2008 1:32am

Wow! This podcast really balanced my humors and boosted my immune system.

Hume's Razor, Trondheim
August 12, 2008 3:51am

I thought I was having problems with my iPod, I never did get to any content.

Dwayne Jones, Marietta, GA
August 12, 2008 4:53am

Brian, thanks for the humor. I thought my battery had died and then I remembered the title.

Mike, Littleton
August 12, 2008 6:04am

Loved it, your still going to do an episode this week right?

Jaymes Robinson, Seattle, Wa
August 12, 2008 7:26am

Brian, this was brilliant. It took two attempts to listen to get it but I loved it. I have refered to it specfically in my blog in the following manner: "This week's Skeptoid Podcast "The Most Effective Homeopathy Podcast Ever" is a classic. Listen to the entire thing right through to the end. What this podcast says is spot on - every single comment describes the real value of Homeopathy and treats this subject with the respect it deserves."

Kudos as well on the Tibet thing from a couple of weeks ago. It is far to easy to buy the politically correct line on such matters - looking at these sort of things through the proper historical lens always allows us to seem them better.

Keep up the great work.

Paul

Paul J. Mackin, Aurora, Ontario, Canada
August 12, 2008 8:59am

I agree with most of this week's podcast. At first, I wished you had gone into a touch more detail, however, I realized that you did cover most of the key points in your first homeopathy podcast. No sense repeating yourself to much.

Thanks for keeping us updated about new developments.

- Susan

Susan, New York, NY
August 12, 2008 9:27am

I heard on the SGU 5x5 podcast that some company was planning to upload
"vibrations" to audio files and have people download homeopathic cures over the internet. I wonder what this podcast just cured me of...

Jason, Norfolk, Va
August 12, 2008 9:34am

Is it just me, or is there a problem with this podcast? I've tried downloading it 3 times on 2 different machines, and none work. I've listened to another podcast from this site today without any problem. Did you do something different on this one, Brian?

I *really* want to listen to this one, too!

Alphaman, Madison, AL
August 12, 2008 9:56am

nice.

CarrieP, Michigan
August 12, 2008 11:29am

I guess Madison didn't get the joke.

Eliot Silbar, Jacksonville
August 12, 2008 12:12pm

Well, THIS Madison finally got it. After a few tries...

oldmoo, Madison, WI
August 12, 2008 12:17pm

Very good. Great practical joke. Took some guts, because a lot of people won't understand or appreciate.

Steve Hall, Highland, IL USA
August 12, 2008 6:16pm

I had the same problem with the audio.

Sam, Snohomish, WA
August 12, 2008 11:27pm

very nice :)

Justin, Whittier
August 13, 2008 1:06am

I did like your point about lesbian Nazi commandoes but you've got to get over this Anita Bryant fixation.

Jerad, York
August 13, 2008 4:13am

Ahahahah...ha.....ha. :)

Kate, Fairfax, VA
August 13, 2008 9:07am

Could have been improved if you would have just shaken out some of those introduction words.

Scott, Seoul Korea
August 13, 2008 9:14am

Amusing...the first few seconds. Then when I realized that there weren't going to be any audio at all, I felt a bit dismayed.

The joke went to far as to not being funny anymore.

Mattias, Stockholm
August 13, 2008 12:48pm

.



.

Alcari, the Netherlands
August 13, 2008 2:59pm

I honestly enjoyed listening to the whole thing!!

Joe, Mississauga, On
August 13, 2008 5:59pm

Hey.. there was nothing in that podcast! Oh, I get it. Never mind...BTW what was the dilution?

BP Murphy, Colorado Springs, CO
August 13, 2008 8:14pm

I think that was 3x the usual podcast. Here I thought I got a bonus podcast for my ride in. I need to keep a more skeptical eye on things that appear to be too good to be true.

Aaron, Illinios
August 13, 2008 8:53pm

Some of do have download limits!

OK I take the point but it could have been shorter!

Dave, Derby UK
August 14, 2008 1:20am

I agree with Dave.

Patrick, Melbourne
August 14, 2008 2:46am

I'm sure that Ed Mitchell feels better already, It seems such a pity that bigfoot didn't hear it.

Nick, Sydney
August 14, 2008 5:56am

I wonder how many actuations my iPod can handle before this podcast will work... :)

Mike, Baltimore, USA
August 14, 2008 7:43am

I love listening to this podcast, especially at work with my headphones (we are allowed to do that sort of thing) I have tried listening to this episode at work and at home and it just says "You are listening to skeptiod, I am Brian Dunning for skeptiod.com. The Most Effective Homeopathy Podcast Ever..." and nothing after. Is this broken, or just a cleaver stating that there is no effective homeopathic anything. I will check back and see if this link works in a few days. Thank you!

Katie, Lewisville, NC
August 14, 2008 6:22pm

Hardy-har-har!!!

Gosh, what a RIOT!!!

I was doing a double- as well as a triple-take.

Now, the voice in my head is trying to fill in the vast, vapid void that is the homeopathic podcast.

As for the vast, vapid void in my head - well, it's occupied by She-sus telling me stuff that's rather unsettling.

Got anything for that?

Anyway, thanks for "nothing", Dunning!

R.

Rudy Toledo, San Diego, CA
August 14, 2008 9:42pm

I heard about this podcast on Skepticality and thought I would download an episode. I had to choose this one, did't I! Anyhow, I got the joke immediately and tonight I've downloaded a few more.

Jack, Adelaide Australia
August 15, 2008 2:49am

Ha Ha

So funny I forgot to laugh.

Carey Bluemke, Brooklyn, NY
August 16, 2008 8:04am

What I want to know is: did you record a real podcast, then reduce the volume by a factor of 2 to the 16th power? At that point, all of the information in the original recording would be lost, just as all of the molecules in the original preparation are lost in homeopathic delusions. Er, I mean "dilutions."

Evan Harper, London, Ontario, Canada
August 16, 2008 4:17pm

It's just silence. Well, it's silence charged with the positive energy that heals all your illnesses. The energy of awesomeness.

But, you know, maybe the laughs are diluted as well.

Aleksi Tervo, Kajaani, Finland
August 17, 2008 5:37am

Man, I was slow to get this one.

Tony, Falbrook, CA
August 18, 2008 11:05am

Thankyou Brain! After listening to this podcast my brain tumour (which i got from my ipod) is now gone!

Jon, Canberra
August 20, 2008 1:25am

Brilliant!

Mark hewlett, Taunton UK
August 21, 2008 11:44am

Well, I had a homeopathic diluted laugh.
The comments really made up for that though!

Rogier 'Konradius' van Vugt, Oss, Netherlands
August 22, 2008 6:50am

I've taken to eating skittles whenever I get a tumour and and it seems to help, so thanks

Phil Johnson, London
August 22, 2008 7:27am

To funny Im still rolling. You have out done yourself. It is a simple true argument, with out the room for argument. just self impose your own arguments.. Laugh one more great podcast keep them coming..

Peace
B

B. Brant, KS
August 22, 2008 8:01am

it freezes after 0:00:12 i can't get it to continues. I've download it many times

Jerome Clemente, Manila, Philippines
August 22, 2008 7:05pm

With all due respect, Jerome, I think you're missing the point here... ;)

Let's just say this podcast is as effective as homeopathy itself!

I must admit that I too thought for a second that something was wrong with the podcast, then it hit me!

Brilliant indeed.

Congratulations, Mr. Dunning!

Roberto Garcia, Vallarta, Mexico
August 23, 2008 9:56am

yeah I got it.

Did I look Stupid when i Asked That? im blushing because of that.

but yeah it got me and i thought i've missed the download

You've got me there Brian.

Jerome Clemente, Manila, Philippines
August 24, 2008 6:42am

Thought the title was a little over the top. My mistake. Perfect!

Jim Grosfield, Seaside, OR
August 24, 2008 10:37am

I think I heard the byte of sound in the middle... but whether or not I did, it still helped my headache.

ep thorn, washington, dc
August 26, 2008 11:05am

I just found this podcast today and this was my first download because it looked interesting. Not a very good experience for a first time listener. Would of been better if you had at least 10-20 seconds at the end saying something about the joke so we did not think something was defective.

Richard, Utah
September 01, 2008 5:48pm

Dear Richard

We are very sorry to hear you are having an issue with one of our products.

We at Happy Homopath™ would love to guarantee that every customer departs with their money happily.

However store policy is that Happy Homopath™ does not do refunds.

Jon

From: custemorsupport@happyhomopath.com
--Thankyou for shopping at Happy Homopath™! Where Sustainable Homopathic Happiness is Guaranteed to the Nth Power!™ *

Jon, Canberra
September 02, 2008 9:55pm

Homopath = Disease of the Same? The same disease?

Good luck with your business, Jon.

Marius vanderLubbe, Nullabour Plain, Australia.
September 08, 2008 5:13pm

This podcast is twisting my brain. If it convinces people, this fact proves that you can have a beneficial effect without actually having any substance....

Rob Hooft, The Netherlands
September 08, 2008 10:28pm

no, i was trying to avoid homeopathy all my life.

w, q
September 13, 2008 2:25pm

An excellent podcast. Very much to the point.

But I must say that you played John Cage's "4'33" a bit slowly.

Miel Bronneberg, The Netherlands
September 16, 2008 12:53pm

Thanks Marius

good to see an Aussie on here ;)

Regarding our products; yes they are disease-free, in fact they are free of pretty much everything!*

Jon Fordyce, Canberra
September 16, 2008 7:11pm

i actually think homeopathy is amazing. i have used it all my life.

riochard, j
October 10, 2008 4:44am

Everybody refers to 4.33 by Cage but i think it sounds more like "Silent Music" by Ramond Scott

Roel Scheijde, The Netherlands
November 05, 2008 5:10am

wow, that worked. Homoeopathy must be full of win.

very good idea Brian. :)

Will B, England
November 17, 2008 2:23pm

Best homepathic cure for work boredom!

Justin D, Boise ID
December 28, 2008 10:08pm

Had me laughing out loud for a good 5 minutes!

(sorry ... had to fast forward so i could hear the next podcast :P)

Matthew, Santa Rosa, CA
December 29, 2008 7:01am

Being new to computers I had to read others comments to know my machine wasn't broken

Samuel, Hawaii
March 04, 2009 12:20am

Clever.

Alex, Iowa City
March 08, 2009 12:53am

Seems we skeptics still know bugger all about homeopathy.
There was a detectable amount of information at the start of the file...or was that a memory effect?

Before i get all entangled may i point out that the C30 figure bandied around the room is just too many universes for all our collective reviewers thoughts.. or particles.. to be diluted in.

No wonder i trust quantum naturopaths.. they really know what they are doing!

could we set a date where we all sit around the computers and share a nice cup of Qi?

Henk van der Gaast, Sydney, Ausralia
March 16, 2009 8:10pm

I giggled like a schoolgirl on meth.

Patrik Karlsson, Uppsal, Sweden
April 10, 2009 6:13pm

I downloaded twice before I figured it out. LOL you got me...

Kevin Pesenecker, Crestone, CO
April 21, 2009 4:09pm

Ahahahahahaha! :)

Thanks, Mr. Dunning.

ThorGoLucky, Corvallis, Oregon, USA
April 30, 2009 1:32pm

There's an episode of Futurama ["Fry and the Slurm Factory"] with a great bit about homeopathic medicine:

One character suggests to another that he try some homeopathic remedies. A third character (The Professor) counters, "or a big fat placebo...it's all the same crap anyway."

Of course, it's much better if you see it than read it!!

Bob, Washington, DC
September 30, 2009 10:17pm

HAhahaha, thank you!
P.S. 3+7 often does not equal 10.

Kurt Driver, Vancouver Canada
October 07, 2009 7:59pm

Grrrrrr ...

Abby, Austin, TX
February 21, 2010 7:47pm

I'm surprised you haven't been by Tom Paxton. This is blatant plagiarism of "The Ballad of Spiro Agnew."

Dedalus, Marietta GA
March 15, 2010 10:54am

why was that without sound? was that a joke?

Chinzo Scribe, tend to move a lot
June 26, 2010 8:58pm

Damn! Gotta go buy more...

Louise Baron, Bath, UK
July 01, 2010 1:31pm

a cunning comic about homeopathy:

http://xkcd.com/765/

point the mouse to the picture to read the extra-part.

:)

Sascha, Bielefeld
July 12, 2010 3:26am