0:00

This is James Randi and you're listening

0:02

to the skeptic Zola. Welcome.

0:11

To the skeptics on the

0:13

podcast from Australia for Science

0:15

and Reason. Yes,

0:25

It's and Skeptics Don't Podcast

0:27

Episode number: Eight hundred. Hopefully.

0:30

For the fourth of February, Twenty Twenty

0:33

Four. Richard. Saw this coming to this

0:35

week. Once again. From. Oakland,

0:37

California in the makeshift. Do.

0:39

It yourself. Skeptics. Own on

0:42

the movie studios, Coming.

0:44

Up on this week show to celebrate

0:46

eight hundred episode. Adrian Hill from School

0:49

Com Studios in Canada takes a look

0:51

at the number. Eight. Hundred.

0:53

Does. It have mystical magical,

0:55

mysterious and other would study

0:58

with empowers. Does it eight

1:00

hundred I wonder? Find out.

1:03

When. You can count on Adrian. With.

1:05

Adrian Hill, Following. That

1:07

it's a. A. Little.

1:10

Collection. Of greetings well wishes

1:12

from various skeptical friends and podcast

1:14

is around the world. And

1:17

then we have may not. spooky

1:19

action may not. Will be looking

1:21

back at the many years. Of

1:24

his reports in interviews on The

1:26

Skeptics Own Podcast to celebrate episode

1:28

eight hundred. Then. We

1:30

have some more greetings and well wishes from

1:32

podcast as and friends. Than. A

1:34

dream comes back to read the Australian Skeptics

1:37

Newsletter written by Tim and I'm. Even.

1:40

More well wishes and greetings from

1:42

friends and Brian dunning something up

1:45

after that and to finish off

1:47

the show. Back. To the trove

1:49

archives where we're going to be

1:51

looking at references to. The. Old

1:54

favorite. What? Would we do

1:56

without them? That. To the

1:58

thought. Site. It's

2:00

so cold. Psychics. People.

2:03

Who. Think. They have

2:05

mystical powers or know full well

2:07

they don't pretend they do. There's.

2:10

Just too much to talk about

2:12

this episode. I think too much

2:14

to talk about. Tuned in. Stay

2:16

tuned. Don't switch off at the

2:18

end of the episode. they'll be

2:20

some more announcements from me. But.

2:22

Now it's time for me to run downstairs. And

2:26

have a nice bow of wheat

2:28

cereal. With. Milk and the

2:30

coffee. While. I do that. I hope

2:32

you enjoyed the suit. It. You.

2:50

Could count on Adrian. With

2:53

Adrian feel. Hello

2:58

everyone, This is Adrian Hill,

3:00

your numerical navigator and skeptic

3:03

scribe purchasing from the cozy

3:05

confines of student studios in

3:07

Calgary, Alberta. But hold onto

3:09

your critical thinking caps, folks,

3:12

because today with that, a

3:14

mathematical milestone that's more exciting

3:16

than discovering prove that unicorns

3:18

are actually prime numbers. join

3:21

me in a round of

3:23

applause, sancerre of skepticism and

3:25

possibly a spontaneous whoop and

3:27

giggle. As we celebrate the eight hundred

3:30

episode of The Skeptic Sound with the one

3:32

and only. Richard Saunders. That's

3:35

right, Eight hundred episodes of

3:37

investigating, interviewing, reporting, running down

3:39

stairs and jokes about maple

3:41

syrup and the farmer dentist

3:43

now skeptical Fairy Godmother Angel

3:46

of the Internet. So in

3:48

this segment we will try

3:50

to calculate just so many

3:52

crystals it takes to summon

3:54

a skeptical bells and discuss

3:56

some fun Eight hundred. Facts.

4:00

some barnum filler surrounding

4:02

numerology. To.

4:05

Start off, there are several Guinness Book

4:08

of World Records involving the number eight

4:10

Hundred, and some of the more obscure

4:12

ones that I found. This.

4:14

Past December, a Guinness World Record

4:17

was attempted on the Island of

4:19

Jersey off the coast of France

4:21

by lighting over eight hundred recycled

4:23

Christmas trees in the maze. They.

4:26

Are still awaiting adjudication. The

4:28

previous record was set in

4:30

Twenty nineteen Insults and otherwise

4:32

known as Christmas Town Usa

4:34

with seven hundred and ninety

4:37

seven nut trees. And

4:39

twenty twenty two a world

4:41

record was set in Mexico

4:43

City where several local south

4:45

made and eight hundred kilogram

4:47

torso sandwich in two minutes

4:49

and nine seconds. People. To

4:52

then purchase a slice of

4:54

the sandwich for thirty five

4:56

pesos and choose from a

4:58

variety of fillings including pork,

5:01

beef, chicken, buffalo, ostrich, venison,

5:03

and crocodile. No. Going

5:05

back in time to the year

5:07

two thousand in Mali, Baskin and

5:10

Robbins constructed the world's largest ice

5:12

cream scoop pyramid that weighed eight

5:14

hundred pounds, was four feet high,

5:16

and stayed in place for forty

5:18

five minutes. There was no mention

5:21

of whether or not anyone got

5:23

to eat the ice cream or

5:25

what flavors were use. Moving.

5:28

On to you Ufos! On. June.

5:30

First, twenty Twenty three, Cnn reported

5:32

that the Nasa team studying U

5:34

F, O or You A P

5:36

data had noted that the number of

5:38

You A P cases had jumped to

5:40

over eight hundred cases from the

5:42

six hundred and fifty cases that were

5:45

reported by Doctor Son Kirkpatrick of

5:47

the Us Department of Defense in April,

5:49

when he testified to Congress. Does this

5:52

mean that the Alien invasion has

5:54

started? According to Dan

5:56

Evans, Assistant Deputy Associate Administrator

5:58

For Research at Nasa's. Science

6:00

Mission Directorate quote: There is

6:02

absolutely no convincing evidence for extraterrestrial

6:04

life associated with you a

6:06

piece. I think when we

6:08

sit up this incredible team we

6:11

did so in recognition of

6:13

the fact that we need to

6:15

get to an answer without assuming

6:18

an origin going in. And

6:20

quote. And. Now for

6:22

some sports trivia. For. All you

6:24

cricket lovers out there, you might

6:26

be aware that there was a

6:29

film released last year called eight

6:31

Hundred according to wikipedia. It is

6:33

an Indian Tamil language film about

6:35

Sri Lankan cricketer with higher moral

6:37

ladder and who set a record

6:40

for taking eight hundred wickets in

6:42

test cricket. Being Canadian and not

6:44

familiar with cricket, I have to

6:46

assume that this was a remarkable

6:49

feat. So. On my next

6:51

trip to Australia, I must get Richard

6:53

to take me to a cricket match.

6:56

For. Most goals scored in

6:58

top level association football competitions

7:00

and if you live in

7:02

Canada, the Us soccer competitions.

7:05

There. Are only two players with

7:08

career goals scored over eight

7:10

hundred. In second place is

7:12

Lionel Messy with eight hundred and

7:14

twenty one goals, And and first

7:17

place is Christian Know Ronaldo with

7:19

eight hundred and seventy three goals.

7:23

Now. Onto a sport. Most

7:25

Canadians and some Australians will

7:27

be familiar with hockey. Specifically,

7:29

Ice Hockey. Which. Is

7:31

not to be confused with

7:34

field hockey, floor hockey, roller

7:36

hockey, or underwater hockey. And

7:38

yes, this is a real thing.

7:40

If you don't believe me, check

7:42

out the hockey Wikipedia page for

7:44

pictures. Only three Nhl or

7:47

National Hockey League players have scored

7:49

over eight hundred career goals. Gordie

7:52

Howe scored eight hundred and one

7:54

goals. Alex Ovechkin scored eight

7:56

hundred and thirty goals and the

7:58

great one Wayne. He scored.

8:00

Eight Hundred and Ninety Four Goal. Now.

8:03

Let's move on to investigate some

8:06

numerology. On March Six, Twenty Twenty

8:08

Two on episode Seven Hundred, I

8:10

talked about angel numbers as a

8:12

refresher. Angel numbers usually occur in

8:14

groups of three, so you will

8:16

hear me say the number eight

8:19

hundred. Then you will go to

8:21

a coffee shop where the coffee

8:23

costs eight dollars or eight point

8:25

Zero zero. Then you will discover

8:27

some eight hundred Czars of maneuver

8:29

honey for sale for eight hundred

8:32

dollars per Tsar. Oh. I

8:35

think that's for things. Oh else we

8:37

could just disregard me saying eight hundred at the

8:39

beginning and start chanting with the coffee to make

8:41

it said. According to chat

8:43

C P T quote, the angel

8:46

number eight hundred is a combination

8:48

of the energies and attributes of

8:51

the numbers Eight and Zero. The

8:53

number eight is often associated with

8:55

abundance, prosperity, success, and the manifestation

8:58

of wealth. It. Also signifies

9:00

the concept of karma, the

9:02

law of cause and effect.

9:05

The. Number Zero magnifies the vibrations

9:07

of the numbers it appears

9:09

with intensifying their insulin. Additionally,

9:13

Zero is often seen as

9:15

a symbol of potential and

9:17

twice suggesting that you have

9:19

the power to create your

9:21

own reality and quote. The.

9:23

Site astrology.com agrees as

9:26

Tbt. But also goes

9:28

into the negative aspects of the

9:30

angel number. Quote. While

9:32

the angel number eight hundred

9:34

typically has positive connotations, it

9:36

can also have negative meanings

9:39

If ignored it, you continuously

9:41

ignore the guidance of your

9:43

angels and refuse to be

9:45

open to new opportunities for

9:47

prosperity and success. You. May

9:49

experience financial struggles and

9:52

missed opportunities and quote.

9:55

From. So. if you

9:57

have an angel number eight hundred and don't

9:59

find success Then it's your own

10:01

fault for missing opportunities. Let's

10:05

cover all possibilities to get some

10:07

hits and then blame the victim.

10:11

Next, let's address the question of

10:13

how many crystals it takes to

10:15

summon a skeptical ghost. You

10:17

might think that my research found it was 800, but sadly,

10:19

no. Consulting

10:24

chat GPT again, the exact

10:26

number of crystals required is

10:28

a closely guarded secret within

10:30

the mystical and pseudoscientific community,

10:32

but it has been discovered

10:34

on forums on the internet

10:36

that the optimal number of

10:38

crystals to summon a skeptical

10:40

ghost is said to be

10:42

precisely 42. Well,

10:45

that makes sense since it is

10:47

the answer to the ultimate question

10:49

of life, the universe and everything

10:51

according to Douglas Adams in The

10:53

Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy. Good

10:56

one, chat GPT. Time

10:59

to finish, as Richard leads the zone

11:01

into the 800s, I will

11:03

playfully ponder the angelic allure of

11:05

the number 800. In

11:08

the future, will skeptics have developed

11:10

the supernatural ability to predict the

11:12

lottery numbers using a secret code

11:14

that's hidden in the frequency of

11:16

800 kHz radio waves? There!

11:21

The angel number has been mentioned three

11:23

times, so I had better stop now.

11:26

Otherwise I might jeopardize Richard's and

11:28

my prosperity and success. Congratulations

11:31

Richard! I look

11:34

forward to many more episodes of laughter

11:36

learning and skeptical inquiry. I

11:38

now raise my glass of ANW

11:40

Zero Sugar Root Beer in my Skeptic

11:43

Zone mug in your honor. Cheers!

11:47

Until Next time, this is Adriene Hill.

12:04

Hey I'm a real. We hear

12:06

you coming up to eight hundred episodes.

12:09

An achievement. Keep up the good work.

12:11

And saying he's so much for the inspiration

12:13

easy of us. To own to

12:15

the next eight hundred and

12:18

more So lots of love

12:20

from the team authors European

12:22

skeptics points off forever he

12:24

has the experience. A

12:28

crazy. See.

12:38

This is Moink, Moss and Alice from Skeptics

12:40

Who the Capel test The way his congratulate

12:42

the skeptics in on eight hundred episodes A

12:44

like Hawthorne many adult size of very very

12:47

long time Because I think we've congratulated Richard

12:49

on a milestone in the past two hundred

12:51

episodes. Attitudes? Who hundred episode was it Idea

12:53

that one know that was without our email

12:56

and that was back when Podcast for running

12:58

like a hand cranked. From

13:01

Seattle a hand crank further the populist

13:03

of winded up like out like a

13:05

radio. And effects. When

13:08

we promoted skeptics who must come as a

13:10

great show skeptics own I was with as

13:12

much as when we prices skeptic so much

13:14

time. we did exactly the same thing when

13:16

we would dismiss consistency. And

13:19

now we don't have a for revenge thing. We already

13:21

tell the same jokes on steps which I all the

13:23

I'm saying is not without precedent as to what list

13:25

as don't know is Marsha going to tell a joke

13:28

again down the pub. And

13:30

it's an hour later on. Nope. It's a

13:32

huge seven eight hundred epicenter. I mean that

13:34

is like while theme incredible, able to think

13:36

like that my home female companion. That number

13:38

of episodes what are we love about skeptical

13:40

of his you have so we difference correspondence

13:42

from all old not as to proposal Friday

13:44

all round the world who bring interesting stuff

13:46

is a real obese way of doing a

13:48

show and I always enjoy listening to this

13:50

new by the time we get to eight

13:52

hundred says I'll be sixty. seamless

13:56

buddies with a copy six the old days

13:58

oh that could be were both of the

14:00

other. You could be both. You could have

14:02

died at 60 and then you would be

14:04

all. Anyway, congratulations Richard.

14:08

Fantastic stuff. Thanks very much. Here's

14:15

Maynard's spooky action

14:19

at a distance. Despite

14:23

advice to the contrary, Richard Saunders has reached 800

14:26

episodes of the Skeptic Zone. That's

14:32

right. Everyone said, I don't know. Anyway, I

14:34

can't hear you. And so here we are

14:36

800 episodes later. Look, who could forget those

14:38

great moments of the show? Well,

14:40

I'm sure I'll think of one or two later, but there

14:42

was the time they might be giants for on. They

14:49

might be giants, the two Johns Flansburg who

14:52

were speaking to and Mr. Linnell. They will

14:54

be touring across Australia in November. Go see

14:56

them. They formed in 82, according

14:58

to Wikipedia. My favorite album of theirs

15:00

is Apollo 18. My favorite track on

15:02

that album is Fingertips. Their last album

15:05

was Nanobots. My favorite song on that

15:07

was Tesla. There, that's about me. Well,

15:10

we've had a new album out since

15:12

then called Glean. And

15:15

I think all your new favorite

15:17

songs are on that. Oh,

15:19

okay. Well, I will update my software

15:21

in my brain on that immediately after

15:23

the interview. Yeah.

15:25

Yeah. Although strange,

15:27

strangely enough, we actually have two more

15:29

albums coming out in the next four

15:31

months. Well, yes, you've got you've got

15:34

a greatest hits double CD coming out fairly

15:36

shortly in Australia. 50 million. They

15:38

might be. Yes, I've had a lot

15:40

of fun. I remember the day we thought up spooky

15:42

action at a distance, not the name of the show,

15:44

but the actual quantum theory of it. Man, that was

15:47

an afternoon I won't forget for a while. But

15:49

of course, who could forget my interview with Yuri Geller?

15:51

Hang on. That wasn't you. It was the other guy.

15:53

The Amazing Randy. That's right. When I asked him all

15:55

sorts of things at TAM in 2012 on episode 190.

16:01

Well look, here's a guy I spoke to

16:03

last time at TAM Australia, the amazing, incredible

16:05

guy with the beard, Randy, how are you?

16:08

I'm doing very well for an old fellow of

16:10

83. Yeah, look, you're the same age

16:12

as my dad and my dad loves going to the doctor

16:14

all the time. I think you've

16:16

probably had enough of doctors at the time, haven't you?

16:18

Oh yes, I have had a few experiences in that

16:20

direction such as well, colon cancer,

16:23

chemotherapy for six months and a few

16:25

things like that and a double heart

16:27

attack and a double bypass. Oh,

16:30

a double heart attack. A double heart attack, yes.

16:32

I don't pull around, I do things thoroughly

16:34

when I do them. You seem to have so much energy, is

16:36

that why you have the double heart attack? You're pushing yourself a

16:38

bit hard. This is entirely an act. Now

16:41

is that time David Carradine wanted to beat me

16:44

up? Hang on, that was another show. Anyway, look,

16:46

I've had a lot of fun with Richard over

16:48

the years at skeptical conferences across the world and

16:50

even in places like Melbourne, talking

16:53

at conventions about what people were doing, why they

16:55

were doing what they were skeptical about, why

16:57

they, neck beards and not

16:59

neck beards, all sorts of major topics have

17:01

been raised. Way back in 2011, episode

17:03

127, I spoke to Robbie B about

17:05

being the recipient of a heart transplant.

17:08

You can talk about your world of

17:10

science fiction, you can talk about your

17:12

Star Trek, you can talk about your

17:14

Star Wars, you can fly around the

17:16

universe in a blue phone box, but

17:18

when you have one heart transplanted from

17:20

one human being to another and

17:22

the guy who got its Robbie here,

17:24

man Robbie, I've known you for a while, I haven't

17:27

seen you for a while, only five weeks ago you

17:29

had another heart put inside your chest. People

17:31

with hip operations don't get up that

17:33

fast, is it? What's it

17:35

like? Mate, it's fantastic, I mean really,

17:38

for being so sick and suddenly

17:40

out of nowhere to

17:42

get told you're going to live. Robbie, was

17:44

it a degenerative heart disease or a specific

17:46

disease you had? I just swarmed flu. Basically

17:50

out of flu and from the

17:52

flu caused major heart damage and

17:55

I died about five times. So

17:58

it was pretty heavy, I mean it was... I

18:01

just got a photo of the green Reaper so I had to

18:03

get out because it was a green Reaper walking around The

18:05

convention so I had to get out one and you

18:08

got a photo of yourself giving him the finger no

18:10

doubt Yeah, not this time buddy. Just we hear about

18:12

how dangerous the swine flu was most people go Oh,

18:14

yeah, and in episode 140

18:17

Gary my good friend Gary Kennedy the food inspector

18:19

or as we like to call him a meat

18:21

handler Well used to be a meat handler now

18:23

he inspects the meat can I say that by

18:25

the way a lot of great interviews with Richard

18:27

You haven't heard because he's edited stuff out naughty

18:30

Richard, but congratulations on all skeptics

18:32

own things skeptical Unskeptical critical uncritical

18:34

all sorts of things what a

18:36

great show 800 How

18:39

many things have that you've met that there's

18:41

been 800 of and they've been consistently? Okay,

18:44

yeah, I think about that hey man Hey,

18:47

and of course it was the first time I

18:49

met George Arab at the Sydney skeptics convention

18:51

as well And you know we've become good

18:53

solid one-way internet phones Hello

19:18

So my skeptics

19:20

bless the skeptic zone and all that

19:23

sail in in him her them Oh

19:42

Hello Richard Ross blotcher here from Oh

19:45

No Ross and Carrie and Wow 800

19:47

episodes That's

19:49

amazing. I think by the time this place

19:51

we will have just reached our 400th So

19:55

you're way ahead of us in many ways, but

19:57

thank you so much for all you do to

19:59

highlight light, interesting stories, interesting people

20:01

and the skeptical movement, and always

20:04

doing it with a great sense

20:06

of humor and good cheer. Wishing

20:08

you another 800 episodes. Oh goodness, that

20:12

sounds like a lot of work. That sounds like

20:14

more of a curse. Well, keep doing what you're

20:16

doing and we'll look forward to all the future

20:18

episodes and I'll see you in VR mini golf.

20:28

Hey Richard, Rob Palmer here to congratulate

20:30

you on reaching 800 weekly

20:33

episodes. Way back in

20:35

early 2018 when I interviewed you for

20:37

the skeptical inquirer in an article titled

20:39

celebrating 500, little

20:41

did I know, because I'm not psychic,

20:44

no one is, that the zone would

20:46

still be going strong at 800. Nor

20:48

did I know at the time that it actually get to

20:50

contribute to the podcast and get to

20:52

work with you on another one of your

20:55

long-term projects. Helping with the great Australian psychic

20:57

prediction project and doing public talks about it

20:59

has been a privilege. I'm looking forward to

21:01

future collaboration and to another

21:03

800 episodes at least of

21:06

the skeptic zone. Maybe I can interview

21:08

you again when you reach the big 1000. By

21:11

my math, that'll be November 2027. Mark

21:14

your calendar. Hello

21:34

everyone. This is Adrianne Hill from

21:37

Skookum Studios in Calgary, Canada to

21:39

read the highlights and the Australian

21:41

Skeptics newsletter. This is newsletter number

21:44

190. But don't forget you can

21:48

subscribe to this newsletter and get it

21:51

delivered to your inbox every other week

21:53

complete with links to all the stories

21:55

mentioned. Just go to

21:57

skeptics.com.au to see. Now,

22:01

let's see what Tim Mentham has for us

22:04

this week. Hi all,

22:06

says Tim. One

22:08

of the biggest concerns in the

22:10

news over the last few weeks

22:12

has been the rise in measles

22:15

cases, particularly in countries which had

22:17

been declared measles-free, meaning

22:19

endemic measles, not

22:21

the imported version. But

22:24

what the spread does indicate is

22:27

that low or lower

22:29

vaccination rates allow such diseases

22:31

to spread, which means the

22:33

fight against the anti-vaxxers is

22:36

never over. Read

22:38

on, Tim. Okay

22:41

Tim, I'll do just that. Sobering

22:45

thought, that is. Surge

22:50

in measles cases. Countries

22:53

that were formerly thought to

22:55

be measles-free are now seeing

22:57

widespread outbreaks of the disease,

22:59

thanks to low vaccination rates

23:02

and international travel. Cases

23:04

are appearing in Europe, the

23:07

UK, the US, Asia and

23:09

Australia. BBC

23:12

defends Dragon's Den over

23:14

alternative medicine. The

23:17

BBC has defended the inclusion of

23:19

a wellness business in Dragon's Den

23:21

after complaints from health groups. Campaigners

23:24

for Myalgic Encephalomyelitis,

23:26

or ME, complained

23:29

the show promoted

23:31

unfounded claims that an

23:34

ear acupuncture product could

23:37

help the condition. The

23:39

BBC said products being featured on the

23:42

programme should not be seen as an

23:44

endorsement of them. A

23:47

disclaimer on the product's website states

23:49

that the product is not used

23:51

to diagnose, treat, cure or

23:54

prevent any disease. So

23:57

typical. Guerlain's

24:00

luxury skincare offering

24:03

sparks controversy. Pseudoscientific

24:06

marketing or a bold

24:08

innovation in quantum science.

24:11

Luxury skincare brand Guerlain has

24:13

come under fire for its

24:15

bold claims that its new

24:18

$740 cream

24:21

boasts the innovation of

24:23

quantum science. While

24:25

some online have declared it a marvel,

24:28

others are labeling it a misguided

24:30

marketing attempt. Not

24:33

to mention pseudoscientific. Don't

24:36

think I'll be buying that anytime soon. Pentagon

24:40

UFO Investigator vs. Congress.

24:44

Dr. Sean Kirkpatrick had a few

24:46

choice words for the public on

24:49

his way out the door of

24:51

the Pentagon's all-domain anomaly resolution office.

24:54

Quote, The results of

24:57

this recent whirlwind of

24:59

tall tales, fabrication, and

25:01

secondhand or thirdhand retellings of

25:04

the same, was a social

25:06

media frenzy and a significant

25:08

amount of congressional and executive

25:10

time and energy spent on

25:12

investigating these so-called claims. As

25:15

if we didn't have anything better to

25:17

do. End quote. Tall

25:21

Aliens Videos. And

25:23

I saw this being looked at by

25:25

Kenny Biddle. It's quite interesting.

25:28

This is an article on a

25:31

couple of fuzzy, very fuzzy videos

25:33

of aliens, one near a Miami

25:35

shopping center and another of a

25:37

giant figure on a hilltop. Both

25:40

of which apparently went hugely viral.

25:43

The article starts off discussing the

25:46

videos without actually linking to them,

25:48

which is annoying. Then it gets

25:50

into looking at the nature of

25:52

evidence for tall aliens and the

25:54

overblown public reaction of such claims.

25:57

Which is interesting. it's

26:00

worth, the Miami video can

26:02

be seen in this news

26:04

report. And it's totally unconvincing.

26:07

In fact, it's hard to see anything as

26:09

it's so far away. And

26:11

this is evidence. SkeptiCamp

26:15

is back for 2024.

26:19

The Surf Coast SkeptiCamp 9 will

26:22

be held on Saturday, February 24,

26:25

2024, at the Aries Inlet Community

26:27

Center in Victoria, about 125 kilometers

26:30

from the

26:32

Melbourne CBD or 50 kilometers

26:34

past Geelong. The location is a

26:37

chance to have a brief sea

26:39

change, perhaps a weekend away and

26:41

enjoy the delights of the great

26:43

ocean road while enriching your lives

26:45

skeptically. The program will

26:48

be headlined by newly crowned Australian

26:50

Skeptic of the Year Paul Gallagher.

26:53

SkeptiCamps are about involvement and

26:55

contribution involving 20-minute presentations volunteered

26:57

by enthusiastic speakers on something

26:59

that would interest a skeptical

27:01

audience. So put your thinking

27:03

caps on and add your

27:06

name to the list. Send

27:09

offers to present or

27:11

thoughts and ideas to

27:13

Don Hyatt at sgofv

27:16

at gmail.com. And

27:19

I do recommend that you either

27:21

give a talk or attend one

27:23

of these SkeptiCamps. I had a

27:25

blast at the Monterey County SkeptiCamp

27:27

that was held at the beginning

27:29

of January in California. We're

27:33

working on the March 2024 issue

27:35

of The Skeptic. But in the

27:37

meantime, the December 2023 issue is

27:39

out and about. Oh, Jim.

27:43

Should I say, oot-naboot? It

27:46

looks at some famous or

27:48

infamous UFO and haunting claims,

27:50

including an in-depth look at the

27:52

recent quote, I've not seen dead

27:54

alien bodies, but I know they're

27:56

there end quote kerfuffle plus a

27:58

whole lot more. New

28:00

subscriptions start with the next issue, but

28:02

you can also order a copy of

28:04

the most recent one as a treat.

28:07

If you haven't subscribed yet, now is the

28:10

time to do so. You can sign up

28:12

for a hard copy or a digital edition,

28:14

or both, since the digital is offered free

28:16

to those who take up the hard copy

28:18

version. Contact the editor

28:20

if you're not sure if your existing

28:23

subscription needs renewing, or check

28:25

your email. I just

28:27

got my reminder to renew. Skeptics

28:31

in action. If you have

28:33

any ideas for stories or want to

28:35

contribute to skeptics communications, such as the

28:37

magazine or Facebook page, or just

28:39

have something you want to get off your chest, then you're

28:42

welcome to get in touch. New

28:44

leads should be sent to

28:46

newstips at skeptics.com.au. Submissions,

28:49

comments, and suggestions should

28:52

go to editorat skeptics.com.au.

28:59

Items of interest. Leading

29:01

Russian geneticist suggests

29:03

sin shortens lives.

29:07

Russia's Minister of Science

29:09

and Higher Education has

29:12

removed Alexander Pudryatsov, the

29:14

head of a prestigious genetics

29:16

institute, who stirred controversy by

29:19

asserting that ancient humans lived

29:21

for centuries, and the reduced

29:23

lifespan of modern humans is

29:25

a result of ancestral sins.

29:28

Pudryatsov led the Vavilov

29:30

Institute of General Genetics

29:32

at the Russian Academy

29:34

of Sciences. Oh,

29:37

dear. A

29:40

guide to apparitions. This

29:43

is a long and fairly skeptical article

29:45

on ghostly apparitions and how they have

29:47

evolved over the years. The

29:50

more science is applied,

29:52

the more ephemeral they

29:54

become. Another story

29:56

that strides the skeptic

29:58

believer line. Explaining

30:04

Paranormal Temperature Fluctuations

30:09

Cold or warm spots are a

30:11

common indicator of ghostly presence, but

30:13

there are problems like physics, energy,

30:16

measurement, and what do non-physical entities

30:18

have to say about it? This

30:21

is yet another story that has

30:24

enough skepticism to possibly warrant being

30:26

up there instead of down here.

30:33

The Top 10 Most Haunted Places

30:35

in the World This

30:38

is a bold claim, especially as half of them

30:40

we haven't heard of. Nothing

30:42

in Australia and the photo

30:45

of Edinburgh Castle look suspiciously

30:47

like an American homestead. Well

30:54

that is all for now, and

30:56

to celebrate the 800th episode of

30:58

The Skeptic Zone, I thought I

31:00

would include a fair, neat Canadian

31:02

historical fact that I discovered from

31:05

a CBC Canada article dated March

31:07

22, 2017. Between

31:10

1663 and 1673, 800 single young women survived the

31:12

ocean voyage, immigrating from France

31:21

to what would become Canada because

31:24

of a scheme hatched by King Louis

31:26

XIV to increase

31:29

the population of what was called

31:31

New Fries at the time.

31:34

These women, known as Fie du Roi,

31:36

or daughters of the king,

31:39

came from poor backgrounds and many

31:41

were orphans. They were

31:43

given free passage, a dowry, and a

31:46

hope chest filled with clothing and sewing

31:48

supplies. On arrival,

31:50

these women sailed down the St.

31:53

Lawrence River, stopping at each community,

31:55

checking out possible husbands. Yes,

31:58

these women were a lot of fun. allowed

32:00

to choose who they married in a

32:02

time when this did not usually happen.

32:05

Though the selection was not great since

32:07

the whole population of New France was

32:09

6,000 people, and

32:12

it had a disproportionate number

32:14

of priests. However,

32:16

this program, which also included

32:18

a financial incentive for families

32:20

with more than 10 children,

32:24

led to a population

32:26

explosion. And

32:29

according to this article, which was titled, Most

32:31

French Canadians are descendants from these

32:33

800 women, the article claimed

32:35

that, quote, two-thirds of today's French

32:37

Canadians can trace their ancestry back

32:39

to one of these 800 women,

32:42

end quote. What

32:44

courageous and strong women these must

32:47

have been. What an

32:49

interesting number 800 has turned out to

32:51

be. This

32:54

is Adrienne Hill, signing off. Hey

33:08

Richard, congratulations on 800 episodes

33:11

of The Skeptic Zone. From

33:14

me, Brian Dunning at Skeptoid. 800

33:18

is a big number representing an incredible amount

33:20

of work over a lot of years. Did

33:22

you know Skeptoid is well into the 900s? 6800

33:27

seemed quaint by comparison. Still

33:29

it's a good start. It's a

33:31

very solid number, considering this is only

33:33

your first go. Nothing

33:36

to be ashamed about. So please, keep

33:38

at it. You'll get there. What

33:41

you've done here truly is a very

33:44

good try. 800,

33:53

congratulations from Susan Garbick and the

33:55

Gorilla Skeptics. Week

33:57

after week, you and your team of zoners.

34:00

continue to put out quality content.

34:03

Thank you for all the hard work and

34:05

dedication. And remember, 5-5-5. OMG!

34:21

He's done it again! Who?

34:24

Richard Clondard. Done what? So,

34:27

put out another 100 podcasts. No

34:30

way! That guy is a machine. Congratulations

34:34

Richard Clondard and the whole

34:57

Hi, my name is Tim Mendham. You

34:59

might know me from the book of Tim, but I'm also executive

35:02

officer for A and

35:13

a half egg cartons on the wall and

35:15

I'm using my stun

35:17

miser tin can with a string to

35:20

record this. But I'd just like to say

35:23

congratulations to Richard Saunders for 800

35:25

issues episodes if

35:28

you like of the Skeptic's

35:30

Ad. It's a great achievement

35:32

for a great fellow. So

35:34

well done Richard. All the best from

35:37

Skeptic's Towers. Now

35:54

it's time on episode 800 of the

35:56

Skeptic Zone to dive back into a

35:59

digital archive. Ruth

36:01

and Since is an online

36:03

and physical references on Newspapers

36:06

Newspapers and magazines. And because

36:08

of periodicals and menus and

36:11

them. Who

36:13

knows what. Selection

36:15

of history. Of

36:18

History weekend access study

36:20

and hopefully learn something.

36:26

And up the skills. It's

36:29

more interesting things to relate

36:31

to you. Generally speaking about

36:33

the skepticals topics, skeptical issues,

36:35

the things that interest us.

36:41

And the first item comes

36:43

from Nineteen Ninety Two on

36:45

the twenty first of June

36:48

in the Sydney Morning Herald.

36:50

He is t sales. It's

36:53

big test on radio. And

36:57

this is a story by Peter Buckley. In

37:01

the first Australian experiment to

37:03

test the widely held belief

37:06

in extrasensory perception S P

37:08

on a nation wide basis.

37:11

Results based psychologists have

37:13

found no evidence for

37:15

the phenomenon. The.

37:17

Test was conducted with transmissions

37:20

of six questions on A

37:22

B C Radio Nationals Science

37:24

Show three weeks ago. Pulmonary.

37:27

Results were broadcast yesterday.

37:30

The. To researchers Doctor Ken White,

37:32

a senior lecturer at the University

37:34

of Queensland, and his graduate student,

37:36

Rebecca Story. Were. Swamped

37:38

with about five thousand and

37:41

written responses to so cold,

37:43

thought transference is broadcast on

37:45

the program. So. Far more

37:47

than three thousand five hundred responses

37:49

have been analyzed. Doctor once

37:52

said this was only the

37:54

third such experiments conducted on

37:56

radio. And. The first since the

37:58

nineteen twenties in the. United States

38:00

and Nineteen Twenty Four, And the United

38:02

Kingdom in Nineteen Twenty Seven. He

38:05

said there had been a suit

38:07

tests conducted on T V in

38:09

the Us and Nineteen Fifty Eight

38:11

and the Uk nineteen Sixty Three,

38:14

but these had involved believers in

38:16

the phenomenon. And I'll

38:18

break. And he quickly to

38:20

say he might have missed

38:22

affected in Nineteen eighty Nine.

38:25

James. Randi conducted some lions

38:27

tests of this sort of nature.

38:29

More or less. On

38:32

American Television. The.

38:34

A, B C broadcasts test was conducted.

38:37

Lives. But. With some

38:39

responses coming from recorded replays of

38:41

the program in different time zones.

38:45

During the tests, Miss

38:47

Stories concentrated hard on

38:49

numbers. A lit up

38:51

a playing card, a color and

38:53

to. Geometric. Shapes.

38:56

Listeners were invited to write down what

38:58

they thought see was seen. They.

39:01

Were also asked to rate their strength

39:03

of believe in E S P. Know.

39:06

Break and he quickly to say. I

39:09

you really don't hear that term any. It

39:11

was very popular in the late sixties through

39:13

the seventies into the eighties. Mostly.

39:16

In the seventies I think and the

39:18

term E S P is really fallen

39:21

out of favor. You simply don't hear

39:23

that term any more. The most popular

39:25

term you'll hear. Now

39:27

generally simply psychic. The.

39:30

Most remarkable result of the

39:32

test is that of the

39:35

three thousand, five hundred and

39:37

thirty seven responses analyzed to

39:39

yesterday eat only five respondents

39:42

or. Zero. Point One percent.

39:44

Got. To answers correct. And

39:46

none scored more than two.

39:49

Responses came from people aged less

39:52

than ten to over eighty years

39:54

with a median age of forty

39:56

five. Females. accounted for

39:58

fifty three percent and males

40:01

44% with a 3%

40:03

failing to nominate their gender. Dr.

40:05

White said the information

40:08

transmitted was

40:11

selected by first avoiding well-known stereotypes

40:13

were popular which are

40:15

used by stage magicians such

40:17

as Yuri Geller. That's

40:20

interesting here that they would use the term stage

40:22

magician for Yuri Geller and I've spelt

40:24

his name wrong. In

40:27

this in the paragraph I've

40:30

just read it's spelt why ERI

40:34

I think because some of the text is a little hard

40:36

to read nevertheless. In

40:39

the first test I

40:41

am looking for a number in the range

40:43

1 to 10. The

40:45

correct answer number 1 was

40:48

obtained by 42 respondents 1.2% of the total.

40:50

The most common

40:53

answer was 7 nominated

40:56

by nearly a quarter of the respondents. Breaking

40:59

in again to say that's very very good

41:01

and important to know that in

41:03

tests like this certain number, certain colors, certain

41:06

shapes I think when the zener cards are

41:08

used the wavy line the circle the cross

41:10

etc most people tend

41:12

to choose the star sign

41:14

the sign of the how

41:16

many how many points I think it's got five

41:18

points. The other number test I

41:21

am looking at a card with a number between

41:24

10 and 50 with two

41:26

odd digits which are not the same

41:28

produced a 5% success rate

41:31

for the number 13 nearly one-third

41:33

nominated 37. Dr. White said the popularity

41:37

of this number replicated very

41:39

clearly results obtained by psychologists

41:42

overseas. In the alphabet test only

41:44

17 people chose

41:46

correctly the letter Y.

41:50

L was the most common choice. Dr.

41:52

White said this was the first time

41:54

this preference had

41:56

been established. Testing such preferences he

41:59

said was important in designing

42:01

the ergonomics of control systems

42:03

and illustrates the serious psychological

42:05

reasons for the study. The

42:08

playing card test produced a similar low

42:10

success. Ms. Story's concentration on

42:13

the four of clubs was nominated by

42:15

55 people, 1.6%. One

42:20

third of the respondents chose red

42:22

as the color of a car,

42:25

whereas Ms. Story was visualizing

42:27

a purple car. Nonetheless,

42:30

it was clear that there was a quite

42:32

high level of belief in ESP. The

42:35

interim score for a very high belief, 15%,

42:38

was, however, matched almost exactly by

42:40

no belief, 14.5%. Dr.

42:43

White said he was not a

42:45

parapsychologist, a person who investigates unusual

42:48

phenomena. He and Ms.

42:50

Story were basically skeptical about ESP,

42:52

but they wanted to see if

42:54

it was possible to replicate previous

42:56

studies. Nobody has ever

42:58

managed to replicate an ESP experiment.

43:01

Dr. White said, and these results are

43:03

no exception. The science show is rebroadcast

43:05

on ABC Radio National tomorrow night at

43:08

7.45. And

43:11

I wonder, I don't know, it's

43:13

probably not possible to get that

43:16

episode being 32 years

43:20

ago. Again, it just illustrates

43:22

how important it is to have these reports

43:25

and the interesting information we can glean

43:28

from this with the choice of numbers

43:31

and the choice of letters of the alphabet, etc. Now

43:34

here's a very strange one from

43:36

1984 on the 5th of November in the pages

43:39

of the Sydney Morning

43:42

Herald by Tracey Albin,

43:45

Fortune Tiller's advance into the

43:47

computer age. And

43:50

if I remember correctly, in 1984 home

43:53

computers were really just starting to take

43:55

off in a big way with

43:57

such machines as the Commodore 64. In

44:01

Australia, we had a short-lived but

44:03

very popular computer called the Micro-B.

44:05

Apple 2,

44:09

I think, was available at

44:11

that time. Another

44:13

computer, which was short-lived, called the

44:15

BBC computer. It wasn't

44:17

long before, maybe in the very

44:19

next year or a year after that, that the Apple

44:23

Macintosh became available. Mr.

44:25

Michael Philip Moore, a professional

44:28

pharmist, recently traded in his

44:30

crystal ball for an Amist

44:32

executive computer. And

44:35

I'm unfamiliar with that computer.

44:39

Looks like it was one of the

44:41

many emerging home computers

44:43

at the time. It

44:45

had to happen, he says. With

44:47

computers finding their way into most

44:50

industries, it was only a matter

44:52

of time before the occult turned

44:54

to technology. On most

44:56

days, Michael can be found at the end of

44:58

the Grand Duct-Hade in Pitt Street. Pitt

45:01

Street being a popular shopping area

45:03

in Sydney, shuffling tarot cards

45:05

with one hand and operating

45:07

a keyboard with the other. Before

45:10

we sit down, Michael warns me that the

45:12

computer is not as thorough

45:14

as the human touch. Even

45:16

so, he says, people are

45:19

surprised at its accuracy. And

45:22

he says, it's a lot of fun too. First,

45:29

a twelve-month tarot card reading complete

45:31

with printout. I shuffle the cards

45:33

and cut them, and Michael records

45:35

their numbers. I haven't worked

45:37

out a way for the computer to do that yet.

45:40

Then it's over to the computer. There

45:43

are 78 cards in the tarot pack, all of them

45:45

numbered. The program Michael wrote,

45:48

based on the traditional meanings of

45:50

the cards, covers any

45:52

sequence. He thinks there are

45:54

more than 28 million

45:57

possible combinations for

45:59

each year. he is reading will

46:01

have to take his word for that. I

46:03

know that if you shuffle a standard

46:06

deck of 52 playing cards the

46:08

possible combinations, the

46:11

number is extraordinary. In fact,

46:13

I think it's used as

46:15

an example of large numbers and

46:18

if people were

46:20

shuffling decks since the beginning of the

46:22

the universe, it's

46:24

still unlikely that two decks

46:26

would be in the same sequence. It's

46:29

quite amazing. Within

46:31

seconds, the computer starts

46:33

feeding out a month-by-month

46:35

prediction. They

46:37

are always good readings, he

46:39

says, but it is entertainment

46:42

at the same time. Each

46:44

tarot reading should be taken with a grain of

46:46

salt. My card for November is

46:48

the juggler. This is a good month,

46:51

according to the computer. The

46:53

card you chose symbolizes

46:55

self-reliance, imagination, subtlety, and

46:57

dexterity. There could be an

47:00

opportunity to do something new,

47:02

to make your own decisions,

47:04

and you may also complete

47:06

some task you have been

47:08

neglecting. Hands up, all those people who

47:11

are thinking classic

47:13

Barnum statements there. Next,

47:16

a palm reading which

47:18

Michael calls a quote,

47:20

computer-assisted hand analysis, end

47:23

quote. Examining my

47:25

hand, he keys in the

47:28

answers to ten questions, including

47:30

the color of my palm, the

47:32

length of my fingers, and

47:35

the supplements of my thumb. Again,

47:38

it's over to the computer and

47:40

within seconds a four-page printout appears.

47:43

Pink, incidentally, is the best color for

47:45

hands. It indicates a

47:47

bright, cheerful, and vivacious personality.

47:51

Also, the computer says, Michael

47:53

has also written programs

47:56

for bio-rhythms, a biometric

47:58

compatibility assessment, and

48:00

numerology. He has even put

48:02

the famous Luster color test,

48:05

a psychological analysis based on

48:07

your color choice, on

48:09

disk. Although he is

48:12

using an Amist, Michael

48:14

stresses that his programs would

48:16

suit any computer. I

48:19

wouldn't necessarily recommend Amist, he

48:22

says. The idea of

48:24

computerizing fortune telling was something Michael had

48:26

been thinking about for a long time.

48:29

I had the idea in the back of my mind

48:31

for a while. It was great

48:33

to write the programs, but I don't want

48:35

to spend the rest of my life pushing

48:37

buttons. Instead, Michael is looking

48:39

to sell the programs, or

48:42

the computer and programs, as a package.

48:44

He has other ideas for the programs, but is

48:47

keeping them a secret. Even so,

48:49

he says, a vending machine

48:51

application is one possibility.

48:54

The profit possible from computerized fortune

48:57

telling is enormous, according

48:59

to Michael. After the

49:01

initial expense of buying a computer

49:03

with a substantial memory and printer,

49:05

and the time taken to write

49:07

the programs, the rest is profit, except

49:09

for the cost of the paper. Profitability

49:12

can be immense, he said.

49:16

And what's interesting about this story

49:19

is if you go to a mind-body wallet

49:21

fair these days, you

49:24

see very few computers. People

49:27

still prefer to

49:29

sit down face-to-face with a fortune teller,

49:33

or somebody claiming to be psychic. Where

49:36

I have seen computers in the past have been

49:38

novelty computers

49:40

with lots of flashing lights for telling

49:43

the stars or something like that, or

49:46

the sham-scam devices which pretend

49:49

to diagnose your body via

49:51

laptops. And those of you

49:53

who subscribe to the Skeptic Journal

49:55

from Australia in the

49:57

latest issue released

50:00

only a month or so ago. I

50:03

feature those chunky

50:05

quack machines in a report

50:07

about Mind Body Spirit, Mind Body Wallet. And

50:10

finally, we go all the way back to

50:12

1967. On the 3rd of December, again in

50:14

the pages of

50:17

the Sydney Morning Herald, Sydney

50:19

has a new craze. Boom!

50:21

In Crystal Balls, Mystics by

50:24

Graham Gambie. Australia

50:27

is going a cult, with fortune

50:29

tellers and clairvoyants doing a thriving

50:31

trade, using everything

50:33

from crystal balls to wire

50:35

diviners. Fortune tellers are making

50:38

up to $20

50:40

a session, describing the character of

50:42

people and predicting their future.

50:45

Well, we think $20 in 1967 was worth a

50:47

lot more than $20 today. And

50:54

running to an online calculator here

50:57

called the Inflation Calculator from the

50:59

Reserve Bank of Australia, I

51:01

find this quite hard to believe. It

51:04

says here that $20 in 1967 would

51:08

be valued in the year 2022, at

51:10

least as $285. That's amazing. Maybe that's true. Maybe

51:22

that's true. Maybe in 1967, if somebody had $20, it could certainly buy you

51:24

a lot more

51:29

in those days. Nevertheless,

51:32

Sydney psychologists believe the craze has

51:34

been sparked by growing pressure in

51:37

people's lives, leading them

51:39

to try to escape from reality

51:41

and seek the magical solution.

51:45

One psychologist at the same uncertainty

51:47

was pushing young people into taking

51:49

LSD in an

51:51

effort to achieve instant

51:54

religion. I investigated

51:56

the upsurge of the occult this

51:58

week following our reports from America

52:01

that religious leaders are more seriously

52:03

concerned about a

52:05

retreat from the

52:07

church to the world of spirits

52:10

and prophecies. Twirls

52:13

Wire. I

52:15

found that the world of crystal

52:17

gazers here is shrouded in man-made

52:20

mystery, and few of the

52:22

prophets willing to speak about their trade. But

52:25

I learnt. One man

52:27

is using tarot cards, a

52:29

centuries-old fortune-telling system, to predict

52:31

the future. He operates

52:34

only on an introduction

52:36

basis and charges a fee. A

52:39

woman, who is consulted by many

52:41

of the big names in Sydney

52:43

show business, makes predictions

52:45

after receiving flashes

52:48

about people. An

52:50

elderly woman, whose charges are

52:53

very small, uses

52:55

numerology, palmistry, cards,

52:57

and teacups to

52:59

make predictions. Her system uses

53:01

the colour of the eyes, a little

53:04

mathematics, and left

53:06

palm and a pack of cards. An

53:09

immigrant clairvoyant, whose charges are

53:11

among the highest in Sydney,

53:14

twirls a piece of wire

53:16

in his hands to receive

53:19

messages. An

53:22

increasing number of women in the

53:24

western suburbs attend seances in

53:26

an effort to speak with

53:29

the spirit world. The American

53:31

report quoted Mr Kenneth H.

53:34

Wood, an analyst of

53:36

religious affairs, as saying the

53:38

upsurge was a clear indication

53:40

that church institutions were not

53:42

dealing with human concern about

53:45

the supernatural. and

54:00

so on, gathered from

54:03

the, uh,

54:05

the, uh, the kept newspapers,

54:08

the digitised newspapers from

54:10

Australian history. And for

54:12

some reason, with that last story,

54:16

right next to the story is

54:18

a picture of a model

54:20

putting on a pair of

54:22

boots. Why?

54:25

I really don't know. But you don't need

54:27

to put on a pair of boots to

54:29

enjoy the, uh, the many

54:32

wonders, the many interesting items you'll

54:34

discover if you go to, for

54:36

example, Trove. Now there

54:38

are many other online newspaper

54:41

archives, uh, and

54:43

many of them, uh, uh, subscriptions.

54:45

You need to sign up and

54:47

pay a fee, probably a small

54:49

fee, but a fee nevertheless. However,

54:51

the Trove archives are free. They

54:54

deal mostly with Australia, of course,

54:57

but they are free. And

54:59

it really doesn't matter where you are in the

55:01

world, because when you

55:03

go to Trove or similar archives,

55:06

you never know what you might

55:08

visit. Hello,

55:25

this is Maynard speaking to you from my

55:27

shirt. Did you know

55:29

that you can listen to the Skeptic Zone

55:31

on YouTube? That's right. The Skeptic Zone's on

55:34

the internet now. Sounds crazy, but it's true.

55:36

I checked. You

55:38

can also hear 40 illogical fallacies with

55:40

Michelle Bickensmar and funny sketches with Richard

55:42

Saunders and a host of other skeptics

55:44

and some that aren't. There's one that's

55:46

not skeptical at all. They're totally incredulous

55:48

about the whole thing. Want

55:51

short bursts of skepticism? We

55:53

have a TikTok channel covering things like talking

55:55

to the dead. Hello. No, still

55:58

nothing. Spoon bedding. That's right,

56:00

I was born under the sign of

56:03

the photocopier. Looking for UFOs?

56:05

Aren't we all? Hello? Then

56:07

click on the link to watch the UFO movie

56:09

They Don't Want You To See. They

56:12

Don't Want You To See It. That's right, and I've spoken

56:14

to them, and they said it wasn't them,

56:16

they said it was someone else. And stuff

56:19

them? I'm going to click on the link and see it anyway. Oh

56:21

no! Oh, imagine my disappointment when I found

56:23

out it was Brian Dunning. He's

56:26

like the Jar Jar Binks of skepticism. Same

56:29

for UFOs? Oh, I've done that bit. All

56:32

these and more are on the homepage at

56:34

SkepticZone.tv. Also

56:37

you can visit me, Maynard,

56:39

at maynard.com.au for

56:42

my alleged adventures, online video

56:44

specials, and free downloads. Yep,

56:47

like a free, I

56:49

don't know, free something, like

56:51

a free thing that arrives in your mailbox. Like

56:53

a free catalog in your, it's as interesting

56:56

as a free catalog in your mailbox you

56:58

didn't ask for. Online video specials and free

57:00

downloads like the printable Maynard calendar for

57:02

all of 2024. September's

57:05

why. Yes, spend every month

57:07

with me, or put it on the back of the

57:09

toilet door of someone you don't

57:11

like. I don't know. Thank

57:27

you for listening to the SkepticZone podcast and

57:29

thank you to everybody who's been involved with

57:31

the show right from the beginning, the original

57:33

co-host, Stefan Sojka. I might

57:35

have to catch up with Stefan once I'm

57:38

back in Australia. And

57:40

of course we remember those reporters who are

57:42

no longer with us. Original

57:44

reporter Michael Wallahan and Shelley

57:46

Stocken. And sadly

57:48

so many other people over the years who

57:51

have been on the SkepticZone or

57:53

part of the SkepticZone, influenced the SkepticZone,

57:56

I think of course James

57:59

the Amazing Ran. And

58:01

when I started this show there were

58:03

two other original skeptic zone cats who

58:06

are no longer with us. And

58:09

I know that it's very difficult to lose a

58:11

special little cat friend. In other

58:13

news, Brian Dunning, who you heard briefly earlier in

58:16

the show. Thank you, Brian, for those

58:18

wonderful words of encouragement. I'm

58:21

delighted to say that his movie, the UFO movie they

58:23

don't want you to see, has

58:26

now passed half a million

58:28

views on YouTube.

58:31

I guess whoever they are are failing because

58:33

people are seeing the movie. Now

58:36

a couple of episodes ago you might remember

58:38

I was talking in the Trove segment about

58:40

a TV show from the early 80s called

58:42

Healers Quacks or Mystics. And

58:47

I was thinking wouldn't it be interesting to

58:49

see that show. Well, listener Mark Dawson has

58:52

found it. He's found the show. I

58:55

will add a link to that in this week's show notes. And

58:59

probably on the show notes of the original episode too. If

59:02

you want to see Healers Quacks or

59:04

Mystics as broadcast on Australian television, all

59:07

about alternative medicine

59:10

and so-called healers, then just

59:12

click that link. Thank you, Mark. And

59:14

a reminder now that this

59:17

podcast has reached 800 episodes, it

59:20

wouldn't have reached 100 even

59:23

without the help and support of listeners

59:26

just like you. People who

59:28

subscribe via Patreon or PayPal

59:30

at SkepticZone.tv. And it's

59:34

because of those people that we

59:36

all have the Skeptic Zone after all

59:38

these years. And speaking

59:40

of the Skeptic Zone after all these years,

59:42

so many stories, so many interviews, so many

59:44

topics. If you go

59:46

to SkepticZone.tv and click at the

59:49

top the episodes link, on

59:51

the top of the next page you'll find a search

59:53

box. And you can type in

59:55

your topic of choice and it

59:57

will search through 800 episodes of choice. the

1:00:00

Skeptic Zone and see if they can find a reference

1:00:02

for you, an interview or a report

1:00:04

or something like that. And finally on

1:00:08

the show notes for this week's episodes you'll find

1:00:10

a link to Skeptic Camp coming up at

1:00:13

gorgeous Aries Inlet in Victoria. I

1:00:16

had the pleasure of going to the last

1:00:18

Skeptic Camp in that neck of

1:00:20

the woods and it was simply one of the

1:00:22

happiest and most wonderful weekends

1:00:25

I've spent. Surf Coast Skeptic Camp

1:00:27

link in this week's show notes. But

1:00:30

for this week until

1:00:33

and we keep going until

1:00:35

episode 801 this is Richard Saunders signing

1:00:40

off from Oakland, California.

1:00:49

If you've been listening to the

1:00:51

Skeptic Zone podcast please visit our

1:00:53

website at www.skepticzone.tv for episodes and

1:00:55

show notes with links going back

1:00:57

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You can follow the Skeptic Zone on Facebook,

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1:01:07

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1:01:12

Skeptic Zone is an independent production the

1:01:14

views and opinions expressed by our guests

1:01:16

are not necessarily those of the Skeptic

1:01:18

Zone podcast or any other skeptical organization.

1:01:30

So take it away Susan go back for

1:01:32

the dice game for Skeptic Zone 800. Well

1:01:37

it's not the 800th dice game it's just the 800th

1:01:39

episode of the Skeptic Zone which is so awesome

1:01:47

because we're playing trivia and this

1:01:49

is our 200th game. So very

1:01:53

cool okay so I'm gonna pick up a die I have

1:01:56

three die here two of

1:01:58

these three dies You gave me

1:02:00

Richard Saunders. Probably right. This catnip corner

1:02:03

is my home. So

1:02:06

we have a black dye with six on it. We

1:02:08

have a white dye with six numbers on

1:02:10

it. And we have a

1:02:13

10-sided dye that has 10 numbers

1:02:16

on it. Imagine

1:02:20

that. So

1:02:22

let's roll the

1:02:24

white dye. No, we're going

1:02:26

to roll the black dye, six-sided dye first.

1:02:28

All right? Does everybody put

1:02:30

your numbers in the little

1:02:33

chat box? And all those of you at

1:02:35

home who are playing along, give

1:02:38

me your mental powers.

1:02:40

I want to know what number between 1 and 6. Somebody

1:02:43

gave an 8. Come on now. No 8. That

1:02:46

was just for fun. Adrian. So

1:02:49

between 1 and 6, what the number's going to be.

1:02:51

How am I going to do the seagigs? Can Cece know

1:02:53

I'm not cheating when I roll? We trust you,

1:02:55

Susan. You can just roll it, and we trust you.

1:02:58

Well, you guys are silly. What

1:03:02

if they're all 5s? I know. What if

1:03:04

they're all 5s? Everybody's going to believe in you. Sometimes

1:03:06

that happens. Apparently,

1:03:08

it happened once. OK, hold on. Yeah, it did.

1:03:11

In reality, it did happen once, yes. So

1:03:14

of course, I'm guessing 5. There

1:03:16

we go. For the record, I'm guessing 2.

1:03:20

It's a 1. A 1. Got

1:03:23

it. Yeah, I got it. Kyle

1:03:25

got it. Everybody else did, too. I was

1:03:27

close. Gail got it. Janine

1:03:29

got it. I must have

1:03:31

whipped in 6. I get it. Ron, you

1:03:34

guessed 4.5. What is

1:03:36

it? If he thought it was back off. Well, you never

1:03:38

said integers. Kevin

1:03:40

says 1. Oh,

1:03:44

wow. Look at that. 1, 1, and I said 9,

1:03:46

but the 10 said I died. 1.9, he says. OK, so that was

1:03:48

the one. All right, another one. Let's

1:03:50

go to the white guy. This has got six numbers on

1:03:52

it. See how it goes. Another one. Come on, another

1:03:54

one. I'm going to say 5. Ooh,

1:03:58

sneaky, sneaky peeps. Okay, all

1:04:01

right, everybody's in. There goes Ron.

1:04:03

Okay, Ben. Okay,

1:04:06

I say five. Here we go. Ready?

1:04:11

What is it? Five.

1:04:15

Give it five. I

1:04:19

didn't even look. I'm a side chick.

1:04:22

Okay. So, we have

1:04:25

a one, we have a five, and now

1:04:27

we have the very fancy pants. This is

1:04:29

a fancy pants. Diet

1:04:31

that has 10 on it. And

1:04:34

it's black with these little really

1:04:36

pretty blue letters blue letters blue numbers

1:04:39

on here. So, look at the heat.

1:04:41

Can you guys make sure you give us your numbers

1:04:43

here? All right. I'm guessing

1:04:45

five. Nine. Ready? Oh,

1:04:47

fancy. Yeah, everybody in. You

1:04:51

have you have a look just look. Six.

1:04:54

Six. Nobody

1:04:57

gets it. I think Nick

1:04:59

is a fraudulent elector. So,

1:05:06

upside down nine. Yeah. Thank

1:05:08

you, Susan, for doing the

1:05:10

dice game for episode 800. Did

1:05:12

anybody get it? Yeah. Congratulations Richard

1:05:15

Saunders. Not 800. All.

1:05:18

Congratulations Richard Saunders. Thank you for

1:05:20

allowing us to participate in episode

1:05:23

800. Very

1:05:25

thrilled for you. On

1:05:27

our 200th game.