Author Topic: Episode #352  (Read 3225 times)

0 Members and 1 Guest are viewing this topic.

Offline Steven Novella

  • SGU Panel Member
  • Well Established
  • *****
  • Posts: 1657
    • http://www.theskepticsguide.org
Episode #352
« on: Apr 14, 2012, 11:22:08 AM »
This Day in Skepticism: Titanic Disaster
News Items: Blow Up Space Junk, Aristolochia Nephropathy, Homophobia, Toilet Water, Monkey Bill Update
Who's That Noisy
Your Questions and E-mails: Grover's Algorithm, Gulf of Cambay Ruins
Science or Fiction
Steven Novella
Host, The Skeptics Guide
snovella@theness.com

Offline seaotter

  • Drunkenly yelling LITTLE WING!
  • Planetary Skeptic
  • *
  • Posts: 28999
  • My homunculus uses shit logic.
Re: Episode #352
« Reply #1 on: Apr 14, 2012, 11:23:10 AM »
Thanks for the podcast and the community!
"There is no use trying," said Alice; "one can't believe impossible things." Lewis Carroll

Offline Dolomedes

  • Seasoned Contributor
  • ****
  • Posts: 582
    • RatioBlog
Re: Episode #352
« Reply #2 on: Apr 14, 2012, 12:09:51 PM »
When Evan was talking about human waste, someone was yawning audibly. Who was that? I laughed.  8)
Warning: I have a brain, and I know how to use it.

50 Books for 2009 and 2010

Offline Steven Novella

  • SGU Panel Member
  • Well Established
  • *****
  • Posts: 1657
    • http://www.theskepticsguide.org
Re: Episode #352
« Reply #3 on: Apr 14, 2012, 12:15:56 PM »
Yawning is actually quite frequent - we often record late. I edit them out, but this one slipped by me.
btw - I'm pretty sure the yawning was me.
Steven Novella
Host, The Skeptics Guide
snovella@theness.com

Offline seaotter

  • Drunkenly yelling LITTLE WING!
  • Planetary Skeptic
  • *
  • Posts: 28999
  • My homunculus uses shit logic.
Re: Episode #352
« Reply #4 on: Apr 14, 2012, 12:41:34 PM »
Wtn: jay going for distance!
"There is no use trying," said Alice; "one can't believe impossible things." Lewis Carroll

Offline Chew

  • Poster of Extraordinary Magnitude
  • **********
  • Posts: 10360
  • Let's gut it!
Re: Episode #352
« Reply #5 on: Apr 14, 2012, 01:56:55 PM »
OMG! You never heard the "unsinkable" Titanic was a myth???
"It is difficult to say what truth is, but sometimes it is easy to recognize falsehood." -Albert Einstein

Offline seaotter

  • Drunkenly yelling LITTLE WING!
  • Planetary Skeptic
  • *
  • Posts: 28999
  • My homunculus uses shit logic.
Re: Episode #352
« Reply #6 on: Apr 14, 2012, 01:58:31 PM »
Perhaps a mashup of the unsinkable Molly brown?
"There is no use trying," said Alice; "one can't believe impossible things." Lewis Carroll

Offline chexuma

  • Off to a Start
  • *
  • Posts: 29
Re: Episode #352
« Reply #7 on: Apr 14, 2012, 02:23:51 PM »
Did Evan refer to Lady Gaga as "him or her"?

If so -- not cool.
I'm your only friend / I'm not your only friend / But I'm a little glowing friend / But really I'm not actually your friend / But I am

Offline Neon Genesis

  • Too Much Spare Time
  • ********
  • Posts: 6827
Re: Episode #352
« Reply #8 on: Apr 14, 2012, 10:09:24 PM »
Wasn't there another study they did on homophobia where they showed straight people gay porn videos and the straight guys who weren't homophobic showed no reaction to the gay porn while the homophobic straight guys had more erections towards the gay porn or something?

Offline Chew

  • Poster of Extraordinary Magnitude
  • **********
  • Posts: 10360
  • Let's gut it!
Re: Episode #352
« Reply #9 on: Apr 14, 2012, 10:56:45 PM »
Wasn't there another study they did on homophobia where they showed straight people gay porn videos and the straight guys who weren't homophobic showed no reaction to the gay porn while the homophobic straight guys had more erections towards the gay porn or something?


Are Homophobes Aroused by Homoeroticism? : Dispatches from the Creation Wars
"It is difficult to say what truth is, but sometimes it is easy to recognize falsehood." -Albert Einstein

Offline clavicorn

  • Off to a Start
  • *
  • Posts: 50
Re: Episode #352
« Reply #10 on: Apr 15, 2012, 02:38:12 AM »
Apparently Orrin Hatch is up for reelection and is in some jeopardy--not from his left, of course, but from his right. Perhaps whatever Tea Party knucklehead opposes him could raise the FDA issue, except that the Tea Party probably wants to eliminate the FDA entirely.

Offline Trinoc

  • Stopped Going Outside
  • *******
  • Posts: 4451
  • Dumb, in a pocket, and proud of it.
Re: Episode #352
« Reply #11 on: Apr 15, 2012, 05:35:21 AM »
Wasn't there another study they did on homophobia where they showed straight people gay porn videos and the straight guys who weren't homophobic showed no reaction to the gay porn while the homophobic straight guys had more erections towards the gay porn or something?

A lot of comments I've heard from homophobic men seem to assume that homosexuality is somehow infectious: expose straight males (particularly children) to images suggesting homosexuality is normal, they say, and they will be turned gay by them. Some years ago Guinness had an advert with a mime artist in it and a man I know warned me not to watch it "because it was aimed at gays" .. did he seriously think that watching someone he thought of as effeminate advertising beer would cause my drinking habits to change my sexuality? I can only assume he had some sort of positive reaction to the images which he found disturbing. Presumably this is why anti-gay campaigners are so keen on censoring it out of existence.
Do people who say "First World Problems" really think the only concern of people in developing countries is where the next bowl of rice is coming from?

Offline seaotter

  • Drunkenly yelling LITTLE WING!
  • Planetary Skeptic
  • *
  • Posts: 28999
  • My homunculus uses shit logic.
Re: Episode #352
« Reply #12 on: Apr 15, 2012, 08:08:18 AM »
It's an explanation that fits the otherwise irrational vehemence of the hate.
"There is no use trying," said Alice; "one can't believe impossible things." Lewis Carroll

Offline Fast Eddie B

  • Well Established
  • *****
  • Posts: 1353
Re: Episode #352
« Reply #13 on: Apr 15, 2012, 10:42:14 AM »
There's a nice little free app for the iPad called "Building Titanic":



Like a coffee table book, good for about an hour or so of browsing with lots of historical info.
"And what it all boils down to is that no one's really got it figured out just yet" - Alanis Morisette
• • •
"I doubt that!" - James Randi

Offline rwh

  • Off to a Start
  • *
  • Posts: 31
  • SGU Transcriber
    • roblog
Re: Episode #352
« Reply #14 on: Apr 15, 2012, 03:44:26 PM »
The transcript for this episode is done.  Thanks for the mention Steve, it was a nice surprise to be noticed so quickly after starting the project! :)

http://www.sgutranscripts.org/wiki/SGU_Episode_352

I noticed that, during the "Blow Up Space Junk" news item, Bob suggested off the cuff that China blew up a satellite with a laser:
Quote
Jay: Bob, did they shoot this thing with lasers? What did they do?

Bob: Hah no. Actually, yeah that is possible and China actually tested that a bunch of years ago, and they of course created lots of debris. Really pissed me off. But you know, you might think you could just clean it all...


But I thought that they used a missile for that.  I think this is it:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2007_Chinese_anti-satellite_missile_test

Wikipedia calls it a kinetic kill vehicle, which they launched on a solid fuel missile.  I didn't realise this before, but I see from Wikipedia that the US performed a similar test in 1985 and also destroyed a malfunctioning US spy satellite with a missile in 2008, so I guess the Chinese aren't the only space junk offenders. :(

Cheers,

Rob
SGUTranscripts - Transcripts of the Skeptics' Guide.