Quickies
Skepchick Quickies 5.14
- Women ‘fight off disease better ‘ – “A Canadian study indicates that the female sex hormone oestrogen gives women’s immune systems added bite at fighting off infection.” From Rav Winston.
- Ghost hunters inspect New Mexico hotel – “Andy Rice, who started WCGAPS about two years ago after investigating more than 200 supposed hauntings and ghosts over more than 13 years, said the group tries to explain the mysteries their clients relate to them using science or common sense.” From killyosaur42.
- The world’s only nuclear powered educational toy – I’d never heard of a spinthariscope before but now I want one. From Craig.
- Kari Byron busts pregnancy myths – Just when you thought she couldn’t get more awesome.
Ghost Hunters: Don’t they ever feel bad for knowingly lying to and deceiving the audience, or is it simply for the money? I can imagine that they do it thinking it’s good TeeVee and they are no different than any other fictional entertainer. Preying on the ignorant masses is just a consequence. This is no different that that John Edwards fraudster.
Nuke toy: I like how they put radio-active stickers all over it! Hah! Can it power a flux capacitor?
Kari Byron: My favorite mythbuster. And that last myth involving drano is just… nasty. Who thinks of these things?
Ghost Hunters: Did they get any? I have this vision of hunters stadning nest to ghosts hanging upside down on a rack getting their photos taken for posterity.
“Did you see the sheet on that one?” LOL
“next”
Damned lack of editing capability! :-D
@Outsider: No, this isn’t Ghost Hunters the TV show, it’s a group of ghost hunters -West Coast Ghost and Paranormal Society.
They seem a weird mix of sciencey and credulous. EVPs on their website but they say almost all their cases can be explained scientifically.
Okay, off topic here, but I was just reading the comments on an advice column. The writer was incensed at her MIL for gifting her children with dogs, partially because her husband actually has a dog hair allergy.
Someone in the comments section then suggested that the allergies were probably caused by unresolved parental issues. If he discussed his relationship with his overbearing mother, those pesky dog allergies would clear right up.
The person is, understandably, getting creamed.
You saw that one, too? I thought the MIL needed a smack in the head.
NEVER give a pet as a gift to unprepared people! NEVER! NEVER! Bad MIL! Go to your crate! nO mILKY bONES FOR YOU!
We just interviewed Andy Rice from WC Gaps on our podcast last night. Went into it expecting to scoff and came away with a bit more respect for this particular ghost hunting group. They’re really looking for plausible explanations for allegedly paranormal happenings.
http://gangplankhq.com/2009/05/gangplank-28-who-you-gonna-call/
Sometimes things can’t be explained, but not because the ghosties are rampant. They post the weird stuff because they don’t yet have a way to explain the unexplained.
@spellwight: Thanks for the link, I’ll have to check that out.
Though I think EVPs are pretty explainable- you’re hearing things that aren’t there.
Kari Bryon: Ahhh, reading about how she is excited for a baby makes me happy. The wife and I are also getting ready, to start considering, about the possibility, probably of sometime in the near future, conceivably planning for our first child.
The quote: “It just blows my mind that…I’m on the verge of such a life-Âchanging event. But I must say, I’m blissed-out happy!” Happy pregnant women are the best. Though I suppose they also come with the hormonally crazed sad/angry pregnant women.
I want a spinthariscope, too! But I don’t have friends sufficiently geeky enough to think it’s cool. And I spend enough time sitting alone in the dark.
Dude those toys are really real, my friend Margaret won one in a raffle at the Health Physics Society meeting last year. (Health Physics is radiation safety simply put). However if you want to watch different radiations you’d have A LOT more fun making a cloud chamber, especially if you can get your hands on a small chunk of radioactive rock, which isn’t as hard as it seems. Here’s a video of one, you can see background radiation and everything!
@intimeoflilacs: We made a cloud chamber in high school physics class. It was really cool!
(Yes, we even had the physical sciences and knew about radioactivity back in 1975. Whippersnappers! Now GTF off my lawn!)
@skepticalhippie:
You mean people like me!
MUHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!
@skepticalhippie: Happe pregant women are teh sexxy too!
@Outsider: Agree 100%
@Elyse: Let’s see, we have a topless photo of you and a happy pregnant picture of Kari Bryon. Now all we need is a topless happy pregnant picture of you and all will be right in the world. It can also be of you holding a knife and your husband cowering in the corner if you happen to be in one of your stabby pregnant moods.
Women are healthier, live longer, and are more successful in college. What’s a guy to do these days?
Hey, this is awesome about Kari. I figured that when she started a family there would be a some fun with “pregnancy myths”.
@Elyse: Can you post that bitchy comment you mentioned anyway?
@Outsider:
No, I will only post happy pregnancy things… but only occasionally because no one wants to hear about pregnancy… even if they talk about it all the time… and if I ever say anything angry EVER I will be accused of being on the 9-month rag.
Perhaps in a few months, I will post a happy booby belly picture.
And kind of off topic, but I never understood the whole feeling ugly and fat during pregnancy thing. I’ve always thought that pregnant women were beautiful… and for us bigger girls, it’s nice to have a chance to wear a tight shirt with our bellies all hanging out without ridicule. And even if it is more like a boulder, I dig the rock hard abs thing.
Wow two whole pages in that ghost story link and they didn’t say a damn thing. I got all I needed from the headline.
Kari and Elyse preg? /swoon
Pics please :)
No I’m not weird…well yes I am.
How much do I want a spinthariscope? SO much is how much. There is a danger i might become obesessed.
“Kari Byron busts pregnancy myths”
Called it!!!