Author Topic: Episode #84 (Read 25093 times)

Steven Novella · « **on:** Mar 03, 2007, 12:08:06 PM »

Podcast #84 3/28/2007
Interview with Kenny Feder: The Tomb of Jesus and More
News Items: Update on Scientific Literacy, Human-Chimp Split, Mary on Pizza Pan
Segment #2. Your E-mails and Questions: Negativity, Vitamins, more on Angel Voices
Science or Fiction
Skeptical Puzzle

PG109 · « **Reply #1 on:** Mar 03, 2007, 12:32:33 PM »

I think that "hyper vitamintosis A" is possibly the lamest name for a condition ever. "Too much vitamin A" is shorter and equally descriptive. Couldn't you use the chemical name, at least, to make it seem less lame? Wiki says that another word for Vitamin A is "retinol", so why not say "hyper retinotosis"? That's at least shorter and sounds less like a mixture of a scientific term and a colloquialism.

jason · « **Reply #2 on:** Mar 03, 2007, 01:04:48 PM »

Latest Science or Fiction rankings here.

(Edited to remove spoiler.)

PG109 · « **Reply #3 on:** Mar 03, 2007, 01:13:18 PM »

Quote from: "jason"

Latest Science or Fiction rankings here.

Wow! That is interesting for reasons that I will not continue to mention. There are no black helicopters.

Neutral Milk · « **Reply #4 on:** Mar 03, 2007, 01:19:02 PM »

I didn't need sylvia, I just needed you guys.. i need to stop checking the podcast thread before I actually listen to the podcast

PG109 · « **Reply #5 on:** Mar 03, 2007, 01:23:05 PM »

Quote from: "Neutral Milk"

I didn't need sylvia, I just needed you guys.. i need to stop checking the podcast thread before I actually listen to the podcast

Yeah, I usually avoid the SoF rankings while I am listening.

Mr. Crowe · « **Reply #6 on:** Mar 03, 2007, 01:30:41 PM »

Little known fact---

On the other side of that virgin Mary grilled cheese sandwich, there was a picture of me! With a mango! WTF?

jason · « **Reply #7 on:** Mar 03, 2007, 02:50:20 PM »

Quote from: "Neutral Milk"

I didn't need sylvia, I just needed you guys.. i need to stop checking the podcast thread before I actually listen to the podcast

Sincere apologies, NM, Paul and anyone else spoiler'd. I've removed the reference from my post. I actually did consider not mentioning it initially, but (incorrectly) assumed that people would avoid the #84 thread until they'd listened to the show. Yes, I should have known better! Assumption is, after all, the mother of all f***-ups.

Neutral Milk · « **Reply #8 on:** Mar 03, 2007, 02:54:48 PM »

Nah it's no problem.. No censorship!
There really isn't much merit to checking the thread before listening to the podcast, what have I contributed so far? Non-sequiters, that's what.

IRON MAN · « **Reply #9 on:** Mar 03, 2007, 03:45:57 PM »

Quote from: "Paul Ganssle"

I think that "hyper vitamintosis A" is possibly the lamest name for a condition ever. "Too much vitamin A" is shorter and equally descriptive. Couldn't you use the chemical name, at least, to make it seem less lame? Wiki says that another word for Vitamin A is "retinol", so why not say "hyper retinotosis"? That's at least shorter and sounds less like a mixture of a scientific term and a colloquialism.

Yeah, sounds a bit like a bad Harry Potter spell.

Actually I was reading JK Rowlings site, and she was talking about how her spell names were even suckier when she first came up with them.

The killing spell, "Avera Kadavera", which you have to admit is pretty damn lame, is still way, way better than her the original, "Pleasedienow".

Seriously. We have her editors to thank for that merciful rescue.

I wonder if that was George Lucas' problem with the Star Wars prequel. Too much creative control with no imposed restrictions, and surrounded by yes-men?

Jar Jar Binks?

"Oh that's brilliant boss."

"Great idea!"

"Sure to be one of the most popular characters ever."

"The kids will love him."

"Pure genius."

(Golf clap)

Mr. Crowe · « **Reply #10 on:** Mar 03, 2007, 03:48:33 PM »

I'm scratching my head in an attempt to join that elite group of back-to-back Skeptical Puzzle winners, but so far I'm stumped!

My name is Mike, by the way

IRON MAN · « **Reply #11 on:** Mar 03, 2007, 03:53:04 PM »

Sorry, we've already got a Mike, you'll have to change it.

I'm stuck on this one too. I was thinking it might be something to do with cards, but if that was the case, cosmicvagabond would have got it already.

I keep visualising the "objects" as polyhedral dice, but that's not right because they are a different shape. I can't help but visualise spheres as well, which is probably throwing me off the track.

And what other number of "things" could they have besides markings - like the face of dice?

Colours?

For some reason I keep thinking of Urim and Thummim too, but there's only two of those.

Mr. Crowe · « **Reply #12 on:** Mar 03, 2007, 04:05:50 PM »

You can call me Viking.

I don't see how these "things" can be anything but markings or images of some kind, because the objects are supposed to be the same size and shape.

IRON MAN · « **Reply #13 on:** Mar 03, 2007, 04:10:07 PM »

Exactly, but I'm wondering if it's something a bit more conceptual too, and the word, "things", is supposed to make us arrive at that conclusion, when there's something else to it.

Looks like this one could be a good riddle too, since nobody got it in the first 10 minutes.

I'm wondering if the "holding in my hand" is supposed to give a false preconception of scale too. I mean you could hold atoms in you hand, or a bunch of thin six foot long metal rods - that are still the same size and shape.

Actually the palm reference - might be something to do with palmistry. He's not talking about lines? Features of fingerprints?

I know there is a particular trisecting characteristic of fingerprints, (a feature by which they are classified), and there's five individual fingers that are pretty much the same size and shape. I doubt you'd have ten on one print though, and your thumb is slightly larger for one thing, but this is the kind of conceptual "thing" you could count.

Either way, the fact there are five objects and five fingers makes me suspicious that there could be a relationship - especially with palmistry. But I don't know shit about palmistry except that it is shit.

Just thinking out loud ...

cosmicvagabond · « **Reply #14 on:** Mar 03, 2007, 04:29:35 PM »

These "things"... are they the only things on these objects, or do these objects have other things as well, but these particular things are common to the objects? Are we allowed to ask for a clarification on this point? Evan?