Librarians & Scientists: YMMV

…people (and more so engineers and scientists) consult their friends first, then their files, then after trying everything else, consult the library. It’s sort of the library/librarian as goalie metaphor (you know, 10 other people missed the ball so the goalie has to save it).

Science Online 2010: Scientists and librarians

Stephanie Willen Brown and I did our level best to bust some stereotypes and suggest some points of contact during our (lightly-attended) session. I think we did a reasonably good job of it; I only wish we could have reached more people.

… the theory might diversify …

Pat Robertson needs to watch this. In fact, this YouTube video needs to be attached to his eyes so he has to watch it again and again for all of his days .

Hat Tip Glen

I really need to be clear that as an atheist, I don’t pretend to “know” that there are no supernatural entities. I agree with those who label themselves as agnostics that there is no way to ever know the unknowable with an absolute degree of 100% certainty. I think that those atheists who claim to know that there is no such thing as a supernatural realm are overstating their case by tiny degrees.

Read the rest here

Camp Quest is a secular summer camp program, and the Minnesota Version of it has been growing in recent years, and needs volunteers to help. 2010 camping dates are June 25 to July 31, not too far from the Twin Cities.

Here’s a brochure (PDF, 900K) with more info, and the web site is here.

If you are interested in volunteering your time please contact Minnesota Camp Quest by email.

I believe they will be happy to hear from volunteers interested in working for one week stints. According to Jeannette Watland, who is coordinating the camp this year, Camp Quest is “…rapidly expanding. In 2004 we started with 11 campers. This year we are expecting 48 minimum. With donations and volunteers we can support at least another cabin. Registration is open and we are officially recruiting volunteers to dedicate a week of their summer. Female volunteers are especially needed. No camping experience necessary!”

On Desiree Schell’s Skeptically Speaking Radio with Quiche Moraine and Almost Diamond’s Stephanie Zvan …

… a panel discussion on skepticism and race. Is the face of modern skepticism really as monochrome as it appears? How do we make our message appeal to a broader, more diverse audience? And how do racial demographics influence belief in pseudoscience and the paranormal?

Our panel includes LaVerne Knight-West, Stephanie Zvan, and Girl 6.

CLICK HERE

Continue reading Skepticism and Race →

This is a few weeks old, but you may not have seen it.

When I first got involved with skepticism, I noticed that it was a total sausage fest. Except for one prominent group of women, the Skepchicks, the attention paid to women in the skeptical movement was slim. And how did I feel about the Skepchicks? A little jealous honestly….

must read here

I’m a woman, and I’m in technology, and I demand here and now that you stop catering to me. That’s right, I’m talking to YOU: brands, marketers, PR flaks, hardware manufacturers, advocacy groups and the women and men in my industry. And while we’re at it, stop referring to me and my female colleagues as “girls.”

Visit this open thread.

Hat tip: Julia

Cats:

Dogs:

Continue reading Which is funnier, cats or dogs? →

Remember this?

Divining sticks that consist essentially of an antenna not even attached to a radio (which might make it slihgtly useful for listening to music and stuff), and costing between 16 and 60 THOUSAND DOLLARS each, are being used as the main technology for detecting bombs at check points staffed by the Iraqi army. (source)

Well, now we have this …
Continue reading Iraq Army Magic Wand Manufacturer Busted →

… talking about some guy named “Bora” or something …
Continue reading Desiree Schell Interviewed at Science Online 2010 (#scio10) →

Most people get this wrong. Here it is done correctly:
Continue reading The Science Online 2010 sig board, oriented properly →

Cognitive Daily, the blog, is one of the blogs that made science blogs (both in general and at scienceblogs.com) a legitimate, valid enterprise instead of a bunch of random jackasses screwing around on the Internet. Like a nice hat on a man who could be part scoundrel or a great pair of shoes on a woman with ill intention, Cognitive Daily made the rest of us look … valid. Like we shouldn’t be taken off the air. Like we had a reason to call ourselves important.

But Cognitive Daily is now gone. Greta and Dave wrote their last post today, just a few minutes ago.

Crap. Now what are we going to do? And you think I’m joking but I’m not.

WTF. Go say good-bye.

Last Fourth of July Weekend, I attended Skepchicon, which is a “track” at a “con” (where a con is a thing where everyone dresses up like Darth Vader or a Twilight character or whatever). I was on the panel for a couple of sessions and participated in others, and had a blast.

The most interesting thing that those of us involved noticed, on later reflection, is the sophistication of the audience. This is not a case of capturing the interest of a few hundred crazy woo-meisters and trying to talk them into science. Rather, the audience largely consisted of skeptical type people who wanted to advance their understanding of science and skepticism, and brainstorm about how to spread such heretical thinking more broadly.

I want to do this again, but there is a little problem with money. Here’s where you come in…

Continue reading You can help promote skeptical thinking →