The Reality Check

The Reality Check episodes:

• 05.05.2024

  TRC #688: Interview with Spencer Greenberg

  Spencer Greenberg is the founder Clearer Thinking, a web site which provides tools for critical thinking, as well as Transparent Replications, which does rapid replications of papers in psychology and behavioural studies. In this interview he discusses the replication crisis...

  
• 04.22.2024

  TRC #687: Remembering Daniel Dennett

  This past Friday, April 19th, philosopher Daniel Dennett passed away at the age of 82.  Throughout his life he has impacted many people through his work.  On this week's show Darren shares some of his thoughts on this great man...

  
• 04.14.2024

  TRC #686: The Stanford Prison Experiment + Is AI Taking Over Creative Jobs?

  Adam looks at evidence that the popular Stanford Prison Experiment was not as well run as we've heard which raises concerns about the conclusions we make from it.  Darren considers some recent events in the world of AI and wonders...

  
• 03.31.2024

  TRC #685: AI More Creative Than Humans? + Safe Solar Eclipse Viewing

  Artificial Intelligence or Artificial Creativity?  Can an AI be more creative than a human?  Darren looks at a study which attempts to answer this question.  With the upcoming solar eclipse occurring in North America on April 8th, Adam examines the...

  
• 03.17.2024

  TRC #684: Aliens in Mexican Congress? + Book Review: Outlive by Peter Attia

  I’m not saying they’re aliens but … they’re aliens. Adam uses hard hitting science to evaluate the validity of these allegedly non human mummified remains which were presented to the Mexican Congress in the fall. A shocking discovery which puts...

  
• 03.02.2024

  TRC #683: AI News: Sora, Gemini 1.5 and Implications + Jailbreaks by Hiding Files in Cakes

  Darren gives us a news roundup of some recent things happening in the world of AI including OpenAI's text to video tool Sora, Google Deepmind's Gemini 1.5, as well as what implications this and other upcoming technologies could have on...

  
• 02.18.2024

  TRC #682: Oppenheimer Movie Discussion

  We try something a little different on the latest episode of The Reality Check. Having recently seen the movie Oppenheimer Darren and Adam have a discussion about this great film. If you haven’t seen the movie already it might be...

  
• 02.04.2024

  TRC #681: Are Poinsettias Poisonous? + Mickey Mouse and the Public Domain

  Put down that poinsettia salad, checkers.  Darren looks into a popular myth that poinsettia plants are poisonous to animals, including people.  Then Adam looks into what's been going on with Mickey Mouse and Steamboat Willie as he explores trademark, copyright...

  
• 01.25.2024

  TRC #680: Annual Predictions: 2024 Edition + Down Syndrome Strength + A Special Message From Pat and Cristina

  This year we retire our annual prediction segment with a final look back at how accurate, or rather how innacurate, we were in our predictions of what would happen in 2023. Darren examines the validity of a popular claim that...

  
• 12.23.2023

  TRC #679: A Chat With Author Darren McKee: Uncontrollable

  The crew gets to interview TRC’s very own Darren McKee, author of the critically acclaimed book, ‘Uncontrollable: The Threat of Artificial Superintelligence and the Race to Save the World’. We chat about the challenges of writing a first book, some...

  
• 11.26.2023

  TRC #678: Darren's AI Book is Out!

  Wondering what the heck is going on with AI?  Why are some people so concerned? Darren's new beginner-friendly book Uncontrollable: The Threat of Artificial Superintelligence and the Race to Save the World addresses exactly those questions. In an engaging and...

  
• 11.21.2023

  TRC #677: Interview with Yoshua Bengio

  World-renowned AI expert Yoshua Bengio talks with Darren McKee and Adam Gardner about his long career, why advanced AI could be harmful, and whether open-source of powerful AI models is a risk.

  
• 10.23.2023

  TRC #676: Phenylephrine Ineffective? + Bees Are Doing Fine

  Cristina delves into the latest FDA advisory announcement shedding light on the ineffectiveness of phenylephrine, a widely used ingredient in several nasal decongestants. Adam revisits the myriad of news stories and worries surrounding bees and the issue of colony collapse...

  
• 10.03.2023

  TRC #675: Mashup: The Centrifuge Brain Project + Avril Double + V-Steaming

  It’s another mashup where we give you three segments from previous shows.  First we revisit Pat’s deep dive on a viral video of an amusement park ride.  Next Adam takes on an Avril Lavigne conspiracy that she died and was...

  
• 08.29.2023

  TRC #674: How Does AI Image Generation Work? + Why Is A Bug Called A Bug?

  Midjourney, Stable Diffusion, Dall-e. Darren digs into an explanation of how artificial intelligence generates images and whether or not it is just copying.  Cristina looks at the fascinating history of why a computer glitch is called a bug.   

  
• 08.09.2023

  TRC #673: UFO Whistleblower? + Will We Make Great Pets For An Artificial Super Intelligence?

  Adam digs into recent headlines about UFOs and whistleblower David Grusch.  Does this give any promising evidence that aliens may be among us?  Next Darren ponders how our future AI overlords might treat us. Assuming they don’t eliminate us, will...

  
• 07.15.2023

  TRC #672: Are Fingerprints Really Unique? + What’s A Buttload? + Why AI Researchers Don’t Quit

  Cristina kicks off the show with a deep dive into the history of forensic fingerprinting and challenges a commonly accepted notion that no two fingerprints are alike. Adam brings us a buttload of a segment when he probes into the...

  
• 06.25.2023

  TRC #671: Uncertainty And AI Risk + Spot The Fake

  Darren shares some thoughts and leads an interesting discussion about what might be reasonable approaches to the difficult and complicated topic of artificial intelligence. Pat brings us another smashing game of “Name That: Spot The Fake.” Can you do better...

  
• 06.10.2023

  TRC #670: Mashup: Fire and Smoke

  The TRC crew brings you a mashup about fire and smoke.  Adam looks into headlines about the Amazon rainforest. The facts may surprise you.  Pat addresses a listener’s question about whether the rainforest is the Earth’s lungs responsible for 20%...

  
• 05.29.2023

  TRC #669: Coronal Mass Ejection + The Technology Trap

  In March of this year, auroras were seen in many places on earth.  Though the auroras are usually seen far up north on the globe they can occur further south.  But what are the risks associated with this kind of...

  
• 05.15.2023

  TRC #668: Dark Chocolate Has Heavy Metals? + What Happened To The Dinosaurs?

  A recent study done by Consumer Reports shows that dark chocolate bars contain lead and cadmium.  Should you be concerned? Cristina digs into it.  Next, after watching the movie “65”, Adam looks at the debate about how dinosaurs went extinct...

  
• 04.24.2023

  TRC #667: Special Intro + A Chat With Karl Mamer

  Pat puppeteers a delicious intro. Finally, what took us so long? We had a chat with Canadian podcast pioneer and author Karl Mamer. Karl has a new book out called “The Skeptics Book of Lists”. He’s a fascinating character with...

  
• 04.11.2023

  TRC #666: The Number Of The Beast Origins + Name That: Spot The Fake

  Welcome to episode 6-6-6! Darren does a deep dive on the digits steeped in the Book of Revelation and why some historically associate it with the ‘number of the beast’. Pat challenges the crew to a fresh and always fun...

  
• 03.26.2023

  TRC #665: Is It Safe To Stand In Front of Microwave Ovens? Interview with Dr. Roman Yampolskiy About The Simulation Hypothesis

  Cristina investigates a pervasive belief that standing in front of a microwave oven poses health risks. Darren and Adam have another fascinating discussion with Dr. Roman Yampolskiy. This time it’s about his recent work regarding the Simulation Hypothesis, which proposes...

  
• 03.05.2023

  TRC #664: Thundersnow + Customer Always Right? + A Look At “The Metaverse”

  Cristina digs into the rare weather occurrence called thundersnow after witnessing lightning and thunder during a recent snowstorm. Adam checks the origins of ‘the customer is always right in matters of taste’, and asks, are they? Darren rounds out the...

  
• 02.18.2023

  TRC #663: Interview with Dr. Roman Yampolskiy About The Threat Of Advanced AI

  Dr. Roman Yampolskiy is a computer scientist at the University of Louisville where he is the director of the Cyber Security Laboratory in the department of Computer Engineering and Computer Science. He is an author of over 100 publications including...

  
• 02.04.2023

  TRC #662: Annual Prediction Show - 2023 Edition

  In what has become a yearly ritual to highlight the futility of ‘predictions’, Adam, Producer Pat, and Cristina guess at what might happen in 2023 and revisit the panel’s 2022 predictions to see how they did.

  
• 01.15.2023

  TRC #661: Isaac Asimov's Laws Of Robotics + The Apple Logo = The Fall Of Man?

  Happy New Year, Checkers! Darren lays out the Three Laws of Robotics, as devised by science fiction author Isaac Asimov, and why they are seemingly reasonable yet flawed. Adam bites into a segment about the Apple logo and ponders whether...

  
• 12.24.2022

  TRC #660: Did Coca-Cola Conceive Modern Santa? + Eight Billion People?

  ‘Twas the night before Christmas so Cristina asks the proverbial question…did Coca-Cola really invent the now ubiquitous image of Santa Claus? Adam rounds out the show checking claims that the world’s population hit 8 billion people on November 15, 2022....

  
• 12.11.2022

  TRC #659: Chatting ChatGPT + LED Masks Worth The Hype? + Play Along With Spot The Fake

  Le Gang is back! The freethinking foursome kick off the show with Darren taking us down an entertaining rabbithole that is the AI text bot, ChatGPT. Cristina investigates if at-home cosmetic LED masks are worth the hype and introduces us...

  
• 11.27.2022

  TRC #658: Iran Protest Misinfo + Medieval Peasants Worked Less + What Is A Slug?

  Darren clears up some misinformation about a viral post that Iran was planning to execute 15,000 protesters.  Adam looks into a claim that medieval peasants work far fewer hours than we do in modern times.  Lastly we check in with...

  
• 11.15.2022

  TRC #657: Greenwashing + Is Social Media Bad For Us?

  Greenwashing is making unsubstantiated claims to deceive consumers into believing that a company's products are environmentally friendly.  Cristina takes us through it. Darren asks: Is social media bad for us?  The answer must be yes, right? As usual, it's complicated.

  
• 10.31.2022

  TRC #656: Origins Of Halloween + Halloween Myths + Less Kids Trick Or Treating?

  It’s an all hallows eve mashup!  Darren takes us through the interesting history of Halloween.  Cristina debunks some long held Halloween myths and, lastly,  Adam wonders if less kids are trick or treating. 

  
• 10.17.2022

  TRC #655: Is Nuclear Power Racist? Sexist? Ageist? + Lenses With Stuart Robbins

  Adam ran into a recent article which posed questions about whether nuclear power presents issues of racism, sexism and ageism.  He takes a deep dive and explores if and how this could be true.  Next up, our favourite astronomer and...

  
• 09.11.2022

  TRC #654: What Is Inflation? + John von Neumann: The Man From The Future

  Darren is joined by our resident economics expert, Lars, for an interesting conversation about inflation, deflation and related economic issues. Darren and Lars discuss the biography “The Man from the Future: The Visionary Life of John von Neumann”, who is...

  
• 08.25.2022

  TRC #653: Ethics In Scientific Research with Dr. Robbins and Dr. Robbins

  On Saturday the world lost a world renowned cardiovascular researcher in a tragic accident.  It was the day of his 50th wedding anniversary. Over the course of his 50-year career, he published more than 250 peer-reviewed scientific articles and his...

  
• 08.04.2022

  TRC #652: JWST With Dr. Stu Robbins + Rogers Outage

  It’s been a while since we had our favourite planetary scientist Astro Stu on the show! Stuart gives us a breakdown on the James Webb Space Telescope, what we’re seeing in released images, and what’s next for the mission. Adam...

  
• 07.13.2022

  TRC #651: LaMDA Sentient? + Is Chlorine Smell From Pee? + ‘Reality+’ Overview

  Le Gang is back together at last! We kick off with an interesting discussion about a claim that the Google LaMDA Chatbot has become sentient. Adam investigates whether the smell most people associate with chlorine is due to its reaction...

  
• 06.06.2022

  TRC #650: Dishwasher Vs Hand Washing + Dog Breed & Behavior + ‘The Road To Unfreedom’

  In an effort to settle a hot household debate, Cristina looks into whether it’s more eco and pocket friendly to hand wash dishes versus using your dishwasher. Adam checks out a new study that suggests dog personalities have little to...

  
• 04.24.2022

  TRC #649: Is Russia Committing Genocide In Ukraine? + No Ugly Old Buildings?

  Russia invaded Ukraine on February 24 and since that time have committed all manner of atrocities. But is it genocide?  Darren tackles this difficult topic.  Next, Adam looks into the idea that there are no ugly old buildings and survivorship...

  
• 04.18.2022

  TRC #648: Slapgate Conspiracy + The Science Of Moonfall

  As Will Smith’s slap during the Academy Awards trends online, a picture of the moment has gone viral suggesting Chris Rock wore a prosthetic cheek pad. Cristina digs into it. Next, Adam takes a look at the science, or more...

  
• 04.08.2022

  TRC #647: Coalitions Are Democratic?

  On Tuesday, March 22, the Liberals and New Democratic Party announced a confidence and supply agreement to further each of their interests.  Darren takes a look at whether this is undemocratic, whether it is what Canadians voted for and if...

  
• 03.27.2022

  TRC #646: Donating During Disasters + Domestication Syndrome + ‘Intellectuals and Society’ By Thomas Sowell

  Cristina looks at the dark side of charitable donation and shares valuable advice and insight from Humanitarian Logistics expert Dale Herzog. Adam dives into new research around domesticated silver foxes and revisits Animal Domestication Syndrome. Darren reviews Thomas Sowell’s ‘Intellectuals...

  
• 03.17.2022

  TRC #645: The Panther of Kharkiv

  Short show for you this week. The internet was recently abuzz about a cat named Mikael.  Supposedly, Ukrainian army cats were trained to spot and direct the location of Russian sniper lasers. The story discussed was of Mikael, "The Panther...

  
• 02.19.2022

  TRC #644: Ottawa Convoy Confusion

  The trucks, the honking, the bouncy castles, the hot tubs. It’s all Darren today. As a resident in downtown Ottawa, he gives us his thoughts on the “freedom convoy” which has been occupying the city centre for over three weeks....

  
• 02.13.2022

  TRC #643: Catalytic Converters + Masked People More Attractive? + New Year’s Resolutions

  Cristina looks into why thefts of catalytic converters in cars has soared lately. Adam takes a skeptical lens to recent headlines suggesting that wearing face masks make people seem more attractive. Finally, Darren brings us a fascinating exploration of New...

  
• 01.20.2022

  TRC #642: Annual Prediction Show: 2022 Edition

  In what has become a yearly ritual to highlight the futility of ‘predictions’, Adam, Producer Pat, and Cristina guess at what might happen in the new year and look back on our guesses from last year.

  
• 12.23.2021

  TRC #641: Dangers Of High Density Crowds + Memes: Conspiracies Or Clickbait? + ‘Rationality’ By Steven Pinker

  Cristina delves into the fascinating yet terrifying science of high density crowds in light of the recent Astroworld music festival tragedy. Adam takes a closer look behind popular memes. Are they data mining, pushing elaborate conspiracy theories, or just plain...

  
• 12.01.2021

  TRC #640: Effective Donating 2021 + Longest Lunar Eclipse?

  Darren brings us an important overview of the recent updates from the charity evaluation website GiveWell to help inform your charity donation decisions this holiday season. Adam rounds out the show by scrutinizing claims that the recent lunar eclipse was...

  
• 11.22.2021

  TRC #639: Mae Jemison + House Prices + Superman vs Phone Booth

  Cristina shines a spotlight on the incredible career of the first African-American female in space, Dr. Mae Jemison, and shares some fun Star Trek trivia. Adam takes a look behind the factors contributing to higher house prices to determine if...