Author: nick

Now that the Epstein files have been (reportedly) fully released, I knew that Seckel must be in them. Seckel organized a “Mindshift” Science conference on Lolita Island, and he married the sister of Ghislaine Maxwell. The question is, what is in there? “Jeffrey Epstein and Al Seckel have assembled a diverse and eclectic intimate group of exceptional thinkers and achievers to discuss various topics….”I wrote about Seckel two years ago, “The Strange Life and Death (?) of Al Seckel.” (You should read that first if you’re unfamiliar with the Seckel saga.) I first met Seckel at the 1984 CSICOP Conference, held…

Q: Skeptics seem to spend a lot of time debunking conspiracies, but for the most part aren’t they harmless? Most people I know just share them for a laugh. Lighten up! —Karl T. A: In previous columns, I’ve tackled the harm in believing in psychics and ghosts, and it was inevitable that this question would come up regarding conspiracy theories. Everyone holds mistaken beliefs; it’s just part of being human. We can’t fact-check everything we’re told. Normally this is fine because most of the information we encounter is truthful, or at least accurate for practical purposes. If we’re asking directions…

Humans have to signal just like birds have to sing, beavers have to build, bears have to hibernate, fish have to swim, and wolves have to howl. Such behaviors are how those animals make themselves legible to one another. Social life under uncertainty forces them to externalize what matters like fitness, temperament, and willingness to cooperate. Humans face the same basic problem with more complicated traits like temperament, virtue, skill, and intelligence—traits that aren’t directly observable. So people must signal them to coordinate and to survive. Humans are a highly cooperative species that will cooperate with almost anyone on almost…

The Grail news briefs always ask the most important questions… Exploring extraterrestrial language: What might alien languages be like — and why should we care? The ancient city of Mohenjo-Daro, a ‘lost’ archaeological enigma, could be centuries older than previously thought. Blink-182’s Tom DeLonge showed Nine Inch Nail’s Trent Reznor a photo of a dead alien at Foo Fighters drummer’s wedding. Artemis II crew experiences the ‘Overview Effect’. Conspiracy theorists are already trying (and failing) to discredit the Artemis II mission. Mystery over 8 missing or dead experts linked to UFO research. An archaeoastronomical study has confirmed that both ancient…

 (Continued from Part 1)Finding Skeptic Con-Man in the Epstein Files, Part 2.Seckel asks Epstein for a “secured credit” loan of $8 million (!). Epstein seems to be willing to offer 6 million.To: Al seckelFrom: Jeevacation@gmail.comSent: Tue 12/7/2010 6:52:54 PMSubject: Re: QuestionWhat collateral is the issueSorry for all the typos .Sent from my iPhoncOn Dec 7, 2010, at 1:39 PM, Al seckel vrotc:Can we make it 8 million in secured credit? Just easier. What would beyour loan rate? From: Jeevacation  To: Al seckel a Sent: Tue, December 7, 2010 10:38:26 AM Subject: Re: Question 6 million Sorry for all the typos…

Editor’s note: This is the second in a series of columns from Massimo Polidoro as he recounts stories from the history of the modern skeptical movement and the Committee for the Scientific Investigation of Claims of the Paranormal (CSICOP). Before CSICOP had a name, a mission, or a public face, it already had a problem. The idea of forming a nonprofit skeptical organization was born in the summer of 1973, as we have seen in my previous column, when James Randi began sharing his thoughts with Martin Gardner and Ray Hyman about the urgent need for a coordinated response to…

Ostensibly, the reasons Donald Trump and his administration (particularly Secretary of War Pete Hegseth) went to war with Iran were as a response to the Iranian leadership’s brutal suppression of Iranian protesters, putting a stop to the activities of Iran’s network of proxy groups throughout the Middle East and to destroy Iran’s ability to create a nuclear arsenal.1 President Trump specifically stated (emphasis in the original): (…) if we didn’t do what we’re doing right now, you would have had a nuclear war, and they would have taken out many countries.2He continued: The regime already had missiles capable of hitting Europe and…

To understand the new smart watched and other pro devices of recent focus, we should look to Silicon Valley and the quantified movement of the latest generation. Apple’s Watch records exercise, tracks our moves throughout the day, assesses the amount of time we are stood up and reminds us to get up and move around if we have been sat for too long – let’s not forget Tim Cook’s “sitting is the new factor” line. Diana saves Steve Trevor who has crashed on Themyscira. He warns her of the great war, World War I, raging across the globe. Wonder Woman…

To understand the new smart watched and other pro devices of recent focus, we should look to Silicon Valley and the quantified movement of the latest generation. Apple’s Watch records exercise, tracks our moves throughout the day, assesses the amount of time we are stood up and reminds us to get up and move around if we have been sat for too long – let’s not forget Tim Cook’s “sitting is the new factor” line. Diana saves Steve Trevor who has crashed on Themyscira. He warns her of the great war, World War I, raging across the globe. Wonder Woman…

To understand the new smart watched and other pro devices of recent focus, we should look to Silicon Valley and the quantified movement of the latest generation. Apple’s Watch records exercise, tracks our moves throughout the day, assesses the amount of time we are stood up and reminds us to get up and move around if we have been sat for too long – let’s not forget Tim Cook’s “sitting is the new factor” line. Diana saves Steve Trevor who has crashed on Themyscira. He warns her of the great war, World War I, raging across the globe. Wonder Woman…