This week Internet Surveillance, anthropomorphic extinction down-under, Lucky’s neighbors Uranium gets better and Picking your skeptic battles.
Download the episode here!
Topics:
Pirate Satellite!
In its never-ending quest to avoid prosecution or have disruption in its religious services (check out Kopimism and her is Canada). Pirate Bay is exploring launching its own low earth satellites.
Find out more:
Online they are always watching you
We talk about a series of stories about online surveillance and the effects technology has on our sense privacy and security. The take-way is many conspiracy ”nuts” point to a series of acts/events/laws and string together some major plot; we tend to say the conspiracy is crazy while often ignoring the specific events/laws/acts, although independent, may warrant our attention for non-conspiratory reasons…such as freedom or security.
Find out more:
- Google’s Gmail: spook heaven?
- Google vs China Highlights Security Risk Of Wiretapping Systems
- Muslim alleges pep talk led to terrorism suspicions
- A surveillance society: 10 things you should know about Bill C-30
- Why the F*** Was This High School Student Expelled for Tweeting the F-Word?
- Microsoft censoring Windows Live Messenger chats for copyright infringement
- This Creepy App Isn’t Just Stalking Women Without Their Knowledge
- Stalking Women Online? ‘Girls Around Me’ Is An Alarming App For That
- NSA warrantless surveillance controversy
Anthropomorphic Extinction
We talk about how resent research reveals that it seems more likely that the arrival of humans to Australia resulted in a continental climate change that lead to a major shift in the flora on the mega-island which, with the help of human predation, lead to the extinction of the megafauna down-under.
Find out more:
- Humans killed off Australia’s giant beast
- Human role in big kangaroo demise
- Climate ‘key to beasts’ demise’
- Aridity, Faunal Adaptations and Australian Late Pleistocene Extinctions
- The Aftermath of Megafaunal Extinction: Ecosystem Transformation in Pleistocene Australia
- Australian megafauna
- Death of the Megafauna
- Megafauna extinction theories – patterns of extinction
Lucy’s Neighbors.
We talk about how resent research has uncovered yet more evidence the early human ancestors were varied and co-existed. New the site of the Lucy discovery, bones from another species of hominid have been uncovered that showed a more inter-terrainial lifestyle. Although able to walk-upright its feet were more adapted for grasping…likely for arboreal locomotion.
Find out more:
Uranium just got better!
New research has help refine the ratio of U358 to U355. Why should we care? Its one of the best way we have of determine the age of REALLLLLY old things. Science making science better..
Find out more:
- Uranium-uranium dating
- Ratio rethink will adjust rock clocks
- Age of oldest rocks off by millions of years
Picking your skeptical battles.
We begin by exposing and debunking a ‘new’ website intent of propagating the ‘illusion’ Wi-Fi is dangerous to children in schools (we can assume else were, but their rage is focused on schools).
We then explore that a large (most?) important part of skepticism is not to call these people out or to make ourselves feel superior but to focus societies attentions of ‘real’ or more pressing issues.
To exemplify this, we compare the resent row over Pink Slime and the new Harper Budget. We explore the minor health risks Pink Slime MIGHT have and how people are putting there efforts to ‘get this removed from the food chain’ while the current budget removes government regulation over ingredient labeling. So, even if you hate Pink Slime, there will be no government agency to insure its NOT in your food…that will be your responsibility, and then you get to bring it to the attention of the corporations (who i suspect already knew but hopped you would not).
We conclude by expressing that people need to put their energies (at least the majority of their energies) into the important battles and that skepticism is another tool to help us and society pick those battles.
Learn more:
- Q&A: Wi-fi health concerns
- Canada Budget 2012: CFIA Cuts Mean Food Labelling Lies Will Have To Be Policed By Consumers
- Chapter 5: Responsible Management to Return to Balanced Budgets – Section Making It Easier for Canadians and Businesses to Deal With Their Government – Paragraph 2
- SafeSchool.ca
- Damaging effects of electropollution (misleading propaganda)
- WiFi in schools proven dangerous (bad reporting = ill-informed public)
- Skeptics Dictionary – electromagnetic field (EMF)-electromagnetic radiation (EMR)
- Best Health Magazine – Is-wi-fi-safe
- The WHO – Electromagnetic_hypersensitivity
Skeptical Highlights:
Video Highlight…
Every wonder why spiders don’t get stuck on their own webs?
Well check out Science Fridays Video of the week, where all is explained. Seems to be a combination of hairy feet, oil and stepping lightly.
http://www.sciencefriday.com/program/archives/201203302
‘All About Vaccines’ Charity Event to Take Place in Okanagan, British Columbia
The event takes place on April 22nd, all the information you need is right here, and you should buy your tickets in advance (it’s free but the donations go to the IAVI).
