IS Forum
Forum Index Register Members List Events Search Today's Posts Mark Forums Read Help

Go Back   International Skeptics Forum » Search Forums
 


Welcome to the International Skeptics Forum, where we discuss skepticism, critical thinking, the paranormal and science in a friendly but lively way. You are currently viewing the forum as a guest, which means you are missing out on discussing matters that are of interest to you. Please consider registering so you can gain full use of the forum features and interact with other Members. Registration is simple, fast and free! Click here to register today.
Showing results 1 to 50 of 242
Search took 0.11 seconds.
Search: Posts Made By: Ian
Forum: Social Issues & Current Events 24th December 2013, 02:36 AM
Replies: 36
Views: 2,369
Posted By Ian
This is great news. I spoke with Randi...

This is great news.

I spoke with Randi about Derek Jacobi's portrayal of Alan Turing the week "Breaking the Code" was broadcast. Randi was quite familiar with the whole matter. This was at...
Forum: Religion and Philosophy 7th December 2013, 06:58 AM
Replies: 6
Views: 1,121
Posted By Ian
CDC press release on measles

http://www.cdc.gov/media/releases/2013/p1205-meales-threat.html
Forum: History, Literature, and the Arts 29th January 2013, 07:04 AM
Replies: 260
Views: 13,600
Posted By Ian
Fritz Haber. WWI is sometimes called the...

Fritz Haber. WWI is sometimes called the chemists' war, in contrast to WWII, which was the physicists' war.
Forum: General Skepticism and The Paranormal 13th January 2013, 06:08 AM
Replies: 81
Views: 5,517
Posted By Ian
Drat and blast! I was going to write that. But,...

Drat and blast! I was going to write that. But, Squeegee Beckenheim is right, mike3. You won't get good at critical thinking overnight; it takes lots of practice.
Forum: General Skepticism and The Paranormal 12th January 2013, 03:40 PM
Replies: 8
Views: 1,091
Posted By Ian
Randi told me that the publisher originally made...

Randi told me that the publisher originally made only 5,000 copies of Flim Flam, and the one-second display of the cover of the book on Johnny Carson caused the demand to fly through the roof too...
Forum: Science, Mathematics, Medicine, and Technology 5th January 2013, 05:34 PM
Replies: 26
Views: 8,811
Posted By Ian
There is a world of difference between being...

There is a world of difference between being insane (or being very angry) and committing violent crimes as D-FENS did in the movie, angrysoba. Make a distinction. Anger doesn't cause violence....
Forum: Religion and Philosophy 4th January 2013, 08:59 AM
Replies: 161
Views: 11,661
Posted By Ian
I'm with Pixel42 on this one, MNBrant. Don't...

I'm with Pixel42 on this one, MNBrant. Don't take her advice lightly. What you're considering is more dangerous than playing with fire. Fire doesn't want to enslave you, but Scientology has spent...
Forum: Science, Mathematics, Medicine, and Technology 3rd January 2013, 05:29 PM
Replies: 5
Views: 979
Posted By Ian
Mark Lynas and GM foods

Mark Lynas has had a change of understanding regarding genetically modified crops:

http://www.marklynas.org/2013/01/lecture-to-oxford-farming-conference-3-january-2013/



This is a breath...
Forum: History, Literature, and the Arts 2nd January 2013, 06:48 PM
Replies: 1
Views: 397
Posted By Ian
National Science Fiction Day

Featuring Dr. Muttonchops himself (sans muttonchops).

http://www.slate.com/blogs/future_tense/2013/01/02/national_science_fiction_day_on_isaac_asimov_s_birthday_learn_to_live_in.html
Forum: Science, Mathematics, Medicine, and Technology 31st December 2012, 01:26 PM
Replies: 17
Views: 1,379
Posted By Ian
Also, this is something to avoid: ...

Also, this is something to avoid:

http://bigstory.ap.org/article/german-magazine-mistakenly-publishes-bush-obituary
Forum: Science, Mathematics, Medicine, and Technology 31st December 2012, 07:21 AM
Replies: 17
Views: 1,379
Posted By Ian
Here's a clue in the obit of Joseph Rotblat: ...

Here's a clue in the obit of Joseph Rotblat:

http://www.guardian.co.uk/science/2005/sep/02/obituaries.obituaries
Forum: Science, Mathematics, Medicine, and Technology 30th December 2012, 05:53 PM
Replies: 17
Views: 1,379
Posted By Ian
Rita Levi-Montalcini

Rita Levi-Montalcini lived to be 103.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/science/2012/dec/30/rita-levi-montalcini
Forum: Science, Mathematics, Medicine, and Technology 30th December 2012, 07:14 AM
Replies: 28
Views: 2,059
Posted By Ian
Oops! 5 retracted science studies from 2012

Alan Sokal was playing a joke to show that journals weren't doing proper reviews. The examples of fraud in this article is exactly the type of thing Sokal wants reviewers to avoid.
...
Forum: General Skepticism and The Paranormal 22nd December 2012, 04:08 AM
Replies: 163
Views: 10,620
Posted By Ian
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-hJQ18S6aag

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-hJQ18S6aag
Forum: General Skepticism and The Paranormal 21st December 2012, 05:12 AM
Replies: 141
Views: 6,601
Posted By Ian
I'm not here.

I'm not here.
Forum: USA Politics 21st December 2012, 05:06 AM
Replies: 729
Views: 46,909
Posted By Ian
To produce an ad hominem argument, Darat. I make...

To produce an ad hominem argument, Darat. I make no bones about the fact that I am a gun owner, that I favor the privilege for individuals to privately own firearms, and that I used to work in law...
Forum: General Skepticism and The Paranormal 20th December 2012, 06:36 AM
Replies: 163
Views: 10,620
Posted By Ian
Thanks for the update in your neck of the woods,...

Thanks for the update in your neck of the woods, Orphia Nay (if you're still there). It's 2:35 a.m. in Fiji. Anyone in this forum in Fiji?
Forum: Social Issues & Current Events 19th December 2012, 07:12 AM
Replies: 280
Views: 14,821
Posted By Ian
That's parallel to what I, a gun owner, have been...

That's parallel to what I, a gun owner, have been arguing for years. However, before we can proceed we need to be clear about how difficult it is to own a firearm in the first place. You have to be...
Forum: General Skepticism and The Paranormal 18th December 2012, 02:58 PM
Replies: 25
Views: 2,793
Posted By Ian
Louise Hay's work is woo-woo, and she probably...

Louise Hay's work is woo-woo, and she probably believes her own woo-woo.

Hay's claim that "Now, I think this has been around forever. But, for some reason in the last twenty years the universe...
Forum: General Skepticism and The Paranormal 16th December 2012, 08:48 AM
Replies: 203
Views: 25,638
Posted By Ian
68. A 911 call will turn out to be a hoax. 69....

68. A 911 call will turn out to be a hoax.
69. A flash mob will appear in a crowded place, inspiring many.
Forum: General Skepticism and The Paranormal 16th December 2012, 08:41 AM
Replies: 190
Views: 23,601
Posted By Ian
That quote from the article is the same old (and...

That quote from the article is the same old (and getting continually older, but no better) attitude Randi et al. have had to deal with since the middle of the twentieth century. Psi is always "just...
Forum: Social Issues & Current Events 14th December 2012, 08:38 PM
Replies: 2,369
Views: 100,984
Posted By Ian
X=individual choice. People commit violent...

X=individual choice. People commit violent crimes choose to do so each as an individual.
Forum: USA Politics 14th December 2012, 02:45 PM
Replies: 717
Views: 50,100
Posted By Ian
Central Scrutinizer, this is only possible...

Central Scrutinizer, this is only possible because we have a culture in America that is so ignorant and misled about science that even figures of authority can say something this grotesquely wrong...
Forum: Social Issues & Current Events 14th December 2012, 02:29 PM
Replies: 2,369
Views: 100,984
Posted By Ian
Agreed, dudalb. And we are likely to see pundits...

Agreed, dudalb. And we are likely to see pundits in histrionics that will result in nothing. People need to be more knowledgeable about the guns themselves before we can have a constructive...
Forum: Social Issues & Current Events 14th December 2012, 02:25 PM
Replies: 2,369
Views: 100,984
Posted By Ian
Phil Plait has weighed in: ...

Phil Plait has weighed in:

http://www.slate.com/blogs/bad_astronomy/2012/12/14/connecticut_shootings_gun_control_mental_health_and_our_responsibility_to.html
Forum: Social Issues & Current Events 14th December 2012, 12:52 PM
Replies: 2,369
Views: 100,984
Posted By Ian
No one is born with that. A person must undergo...

No one is born with that. A person must undergo a process to become a violent criminal, and each individual who does so has chosen to be a violent criminal. Lonnie Athens is a good resource on this...
Forum: Social Issues & Current Events 14th December 2012, 11:04 AM
Replies: 2,369
Views: 100,984
Posted By Ian
Most people are OK, Sabretooth. Keep this in...

Most people are OK, Sabretooth. Keep this in perspective. Also, violence is always a choice and never the result of only emotion or motive.
Forum: History, Literature, and the Arts 14th December 2012, 10:38 AM
Replies: 121
Views: 5,583
Posted By Ian
That's cool, porch.

That's cool, porch.
Forum: Social Issues & Current Events 14th December 2012, 10:36 AM
Replies: 2,369
Views: 100,984
Posted By Ian
I believe it can, too. I'm willing to...

I believe it can, too. I'm willing to participate, but we need to keep the matter within the confines of valid arguments. I believe that the main reason for the disparity of opinions with regards...
Forum: History, Literature, and the Arts 14th December 2012, 09:04 AM
Replies: 121
Views: 5,583
Posted By Ian
Ezra Pound wrote, "literature is news that stays...

Ezra Pound wrote, "literature is news that stays news." This is why we still read Petrarch and Shakespeare. If we apply a test-of-time aspect to determining art, the fact that people travel the...
Forum: General Skepticism and The Paranormal 14th December 2012, 08:54 AM
Replies: 203
Views: 25,638
Posted By Ian
36. Pat Robertson will say someting surprisingly...

36. Pat Robertson will say someting surprisingly rational (to balance prediction 12.).
37. A court will hand down a controversial decision followed by many pundits behaving apoplectically on...
Forum: Social Issues & Current Events 7th December 2012, 09:39 PM
Replies: 389
Views: 19,060
Posted By Ian
I spent over 9 years answering 911 calls in the...

I spent over 9 years answering 911 calls in the U.S. Some troglodytes thought it was funny to call in bomb threats, as well as other prank calls. We had to go through a series of measures to...
Forum: Social Issues & Current Events 6th December 2012, 04:59 AM
Replies: 25
Views: 1,761
Posted By Ian
Mike, I appreciate your advice and concern. I...

Mike, I appreciate your advice and concern. I still maintain that religion was used as an excuse for violence in this case, as happens all too often. I am strongly in favor of freedom of religion...
Forum: Social Issues & Current Events 6th December 2012, 03:15 AM
Replies: 13
Views: 859
Posted By Ian
Squabbling isn't going to do anybody any good...

Squabbling isn't going to do anybody any good here. Dame Elisabeth Murdoch isn't responsible for the actions of one of her children.
Forum: Social Issues & Current Events 6th December 2012, 02:26 AM
Replies: 25
Views: 1,761
Posted By Ian
Boy killed for not studying the Koran

http://www.foxnews.com/world/2012/12/05/mother-found-guilty-beating-son-to-death-over-learning-koran/?test=latestnews



Yet another example of religion used as an excuse for violence.
Forum: Social Issues & Current Events 4th December 2012, 08:08 PM
Replies: 143
Views: 7,231
Posted By Ian
OK, I'll weigh in as a historian who was born to...

OK, I'll weigh in as a historian who was born to a pair of broke Southern teenagers.

It's about ownership. Americans are interested in royals because they want the capacity to own people. ...
Forum: USA Politics 4th December 2012, 06:39 AM
Replies: 17
Views: 1,524
Posted By Ian
http://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/style/fox-...

http://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/style/fox-news-chiefs-failed-attempt-to-enlist-petraeus-as-presidential-candidate/2012/12/03/15fdcea8-3d77-11e2-a2d9-822f58ac9fd5_story.html?hpid=z2


...
Forum: General Skepticism and The Paranormal 3rd December 2012, 12:57 PM
Replies: 4
Views: 988
Posted By Ian
Charlotte's Web

Charlotte's Web
Forum: General Skepticism and The Paranormal 3rd December 2012, 02:36 AM
Replies: 4
Views: 988
Posted By Ian
DPRK scientists say unicorns were real

http://newsfeed.time.com/2012/11/30/unicorns-existence-proven-says-north-korea/?hpt=hp_t3



And who are you to be skeptical of that claim?
Forum: General Skepticism and The Paranormal 2nd December 2012, 02:25 PM
Replies: 220
Views: 19,534
Posted By Ian
As I stated when I started the thread about...

As I stated when I started the thread about Rebecca Watson's article, I have never met her, have never attended a TAM, and have no dog in whatever dispute occurred.

Randi and I became friends...
Forum: Science, Mathematics, Medicine, and Technology 29th November 2012, 02:19 PM
Replies: 68
Views: 5,549
Posted By Ian
Marco Rubio will eventually change his position...

Marco Rubio will eventually change his position for the exact same reason Pat Robertson did: popular opinion. As soon as it becomes clear to Rubio that his opinion on this topic will affect one of...
Forum: Science, Mathematics, Medicine, and Technology 24th November 2012, 07:29 AM
Replies: 9
Views: 1,162
Posted By Ian
Unbroken WWII code found

A man found the skeleton of a WWII carrier pigeon in his chimney in Bletchingley, Surrey County. The pigeon still had its payload:
...
Forum: General Skepticism and The Paranormal 23rd November 2012, 10:00 AM
Replies: 523
Views: 63,647
Posted By Ian
So help me, there is a sign posted on Pike's Peak...

So help me, there is a sign posted on Pike's Peak Hwy. for "safety" because of sightings of Bigfoot.
...
Forum: Religion and Philosophy 22nd November 2012, 11:59 AM
Replies: 76
Views: 3,710
Posted By Ian
Hovind is simply displaying the same intellectual...

Hovind is simply displaying the same intellectual cowardice that all woo-woo believers retreat into when asked direct questions. I was the same age as that student when I posed similar questions to...
Forum: General Skepticism and The Paranormal 22nd November 2012, 08:26 AM
Replies: 4
Views: 1,634
Posted By Ian
This is not exactly about a news station, but...

This is not exactly about a news station, but when I went back to university for grad studies I was in line to get my ID and I saw an official university ad for a ghost tour. It wasn't scheduled for...
Forum: Science, Mathematics, Medicine, and Technology 22nd November 2012, 08:22 AM
Replies: 3
Views: 556
Posted By Ian
Harwell Dekatron on display

The WITCH is back.

http://www.engadget.com/2012/11/20/harwell-dekatron-gets-a-reboot-becomes-oldest-working-digital-computer/
Forum: Social Issues & Current Events 19th November 2012, 02:19 PM
Replies: 50
Views: 3,217
Posted By Ian
Wait, the world (and Twinkie production), may not...

Wait, the world (and Twinkie production), may not end:

http://money.cnn.com/2012/11/19/news/companies/hostess-bankruptcy-bonuses/index.html
Forum: Religion and Philosophy 15th November 2012, 06:57 PM
Replies: 13
Views: 972
Posted By Ian
The worst sin someone can commit reading the...

The worst sin someone can commit reading the Bible is trying to take it as literal, inerrant fact.
Forum: General Skepticism and The Paranormal 12th November 2012, 02:10 AM
Replies: 33
Views: 2,758
Posted By Ian
Don't hold your breath while waiting for the...

Don't hold your breath while waiting for the million dollar prize.
Forum: General Skepticism and The Paranormal 11th November 2012, 06:58 AM
Replies: 74
Views: 3,462
Posted By Ian
It was a decision for me too. I changed sides...

It was a decision for me too. I changed sides fully when I was 16, a couple of years before I met Randi (or had even heard of him) and we became friends, while reading a book about psychic...
Showing results 1 to 50 of 242

 
Forum Jump

All times are GMT -7. The time now is 04:12 AM.
Powered by vBulletin. Copyright ©2000 - 2024, Jelsoft Enterprises Ltd.

This forum began as part of the James Randi Education Foundation (JREF). However, the forum now exists as
an independent entity with no affiliation with or endorsement by the JREF, including the section in reference to "JREF" topics.

Disclaimer: Messages posted in the Forum are solely the opinion of their authors.