The Virtual Skeptics

This Week on The Virtual Skeptics,

• Bob gets his Satan on;
• Eve’s checking for arrows;
• And Tim is not linking.

The panel this week was (left to right) Brian Gregory, Tim Farley, Robert Blaskiewicz, Eve Siebert.

Trivia question

25 years ago on October 20 to 22, 1989 there was a workshop held in New York called “The Role of the Skeptic”. It became the basis of an annual event that is still held today, but in a different location. What’s the name of that annual event?

Brian’s robot update (at 3:55)

Disney working on robot arms that won’t hurt you … much. http://spectrum.ieee.org/automaton/robotics/robotics-hardware/beautiful-fluid-actuators-make-soft-safe-robot-arms

Navy Robot Boat SWARM http://spectrum.ieee.org/automaton/robotics/military-robots/us-navy-robot-boat-swarm

Unpowered exoskeleton may help us defend ourselves http://www.cnn.com/2014/10/14/tech/innovation/navy-exoskeleton-fortis/index.html

Tim on Sally Morgan and DoNotLink (at 14:05)

Do Not Link home page now includes a login & discussions. The toolbar allows you to vote each site into classifications like “Nonsense” or “Dangerous”. http://www.donotlink.com/

See below for Tim’s Sally Morgan post on Insight.

Eve on the death of King Harold Godwinson (at 29:55)

Independent: We found Dick, now let’s find Harry http://www.independent.co.uk/news/science/archaeology/news/we-found-dick-now-lets-find-harry-after-richard-iiis-remains-were-found-in-a-leicester-car-park-the-hunt-is-on-for-king-harold-9789299.html

Vita Haroldi (with translation) https://archive.org/stream/vitaharoldiroma00musegoog#page/n12/mode/2up

British Library: Detailed record of BL MS Harley 3776 http://www.bl.uk/catalogues/illuminatedmanuscripts/record.asp?MSID=7326&CollID=8&NStart=3776
http://www.bl.uk/catalogues/illuminatedmanuscripts/record.asp?MSID=6582&CollID=8&NStart=3766

BBC: King’s grave mystery may be unearthed http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/england/southern_counties/3231020.stm

Vita Haroldi https://openlibrary.org/books/OL7005818M/Vita_Haroldi.

Bob on exorcisms of children in England (at 52:43)

http://doubtfulnews.com/2014/10/ebola-is-a-curse-exorcism-recommended-by-liberian-preacher/
http://www.bbc.com/news/uk-29531396
http://doubtfulnews.com/2014/10/deliberately-stoking-fears-of-the-ultimate-evil-in-northern-ireland-in-the-70s/
http://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2014/oct/09/satanic-panic-british-agents-stoked-fears-troubles

Hail Satan Network sketch (Mr. Show) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cku497rURF8

Announcements

New Skepticality podcast this week has segments by Bob and Tim.

Tim had a post Friday on the Sally Morgan story over on the new INSIGHT blog at skeptic.com. Barbara also had a recent post on the logic of causal conclusions.

This Week In Pseudoscience points out that the terrible What Doctors Don’t Tell You site is trying to get website of the year. They’d like skeptics to vote.

The Virtual Skeptics is an independent production of Whats the Harm?, Skeptical Humanities, Brian Gregory, ICBS Everywhere, and Doubtful News. Our logo was designed by Sara Mayhew. Our theme music is by Musicant and is used with permission.