Atlanta Skeptics in the Pub

Atlanta Skepticamp 2011 Sessions

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Atlanta Skepticamp 2011 Sessions

Released and distributed under the Creative Commons BY-NC-SA 3.0 United States license

http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0/us/

You are free to:

Share - to copy, distribute and transmit the work

Remix - to adapt the work

Under the following conditions:

Attribution - You must attribute the work (but not in any way that suggests that the Atlanta Skeptics nor AbruptMedia, LLC endorses you or your use of the work) to the Atlanta Skeptics (http://www.AtlantaSkeptics.com) and AbruptMedia, LLC (http://www.AbruptMedia.com).

Noncommercial - You may not use this work for commercial purposes.

Share Alike - If you alter, transform, or build upon this work, you may distribute the resulting work only under the same or similar license to this one.

Atlanta Skepticamp 2011 Sessions

Released and distributed under the Creative Commons BY-NC-SA 3.0 United States license

http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0/us/

You are free to:

Share - to copy, distribute and transmit the work

Remix - to adapt the work

Under the following conditions:

Attribution - You must attribute the work (but not in any way that suggests that the Atlanta Skeptics nor AbruptMedia, LLC endorses you or your use of the work) to the Atlanta Skeptics (http://www.AtlantaSkeptics.com) and AbruptMedia, LLC (http://www.AbruptMedia.com).

Noncommercial - You may not use this work for commercial purposes.

Share Alike - If you alter, transform, or build upon this work, you may distribute the resulting work only under the same or similar license to this one.

Atlanta Skepticamp 2011 Sessions

Released and distributed under the Creative Commons BY-NC-SA 3.0 United States license

http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0/us/

You are free to:

Share - to copy, distribute and transmit the work

Remix - to adapt the work

Under the following conditions:

Attribution - You must attribute the work (but not in any way that suggests that the Atlanta Skeptics nor AbruptMedia, LLC endorses you or your use of the work) to the Atlanta Skeptics (http://www.AtlantaSkeptics.com) and AbruptMedia, LLC (http://www.AbruptMedia.com).

Noncommercial - You may not use this work for commercial purposes.

Share Alike - If you alter, transform, or build upon this work, you may distribute the resulting work only under the same or similar license to this one.

Atlanta Skepticamp 2011 Sessions

Released and distributed under the Creative Commons BY-NC-SA 3.0 United States license

http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0/us/

You are free to:

Share - to copy, distribute and transmit the work

Remix - to adapt the work

Under the following conditions:

Attribution - You must attribute the work (but not in any way that suggests that the Atlanta Skeptics nor AbruptMedia, LLC endorses you or your use of the work) to the Atlanta Skeptics (http://www.AtlantaSkeptics.com) and AbruptMedia, LLC (http://www.AbruptMedia.com).

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Jennifer Henning has a BSE in chemical engineering from the University of Michigan and works for a consulting firm in the nuclear power industry. Her job is to design various process and mechanical systems in nuclear power plants, including cooling water and feedwater systems which feed the reactor vessel.

Jennifer is going to help separate fact vs. speculation over what's been going on in Japan, discuss what the US nuclear industry response has been (as far as what actions the plants here are taking to make sure they are safe), and discuss the real implications of the different levels of radiation with regards to the Fukushima disaster.

[ A PDF of Jennifer's presentation is available at http://podcasts.abruptmedia.com/AtlantaSkeptics/asitp-0019.pdf

The recording location was very noisy during this presentation and the audio quality has suffered. We apologize for the feedback and low quality of this recording. ]

Jennifer Henning has a BSE in chemical engineering from the University of Michigan and works for a consulting firm in the nuclear power industry. Her job is to design various process and mechanical systems in nuclear power plants, including cooling water and feedwater systems which feed the reactor vessel.

Jennifer is going to help separate fact vs. speculation over what's been going on in Japan, discuss what the US nuclear industry response has been (as far as what actions the plants here are taking to make sure they are safe), and discuss the real implications of the different levels of radiation with regards to the Fukushima disaster.

[ A PDF of Jennifer's presentation is available at http://podcasts.abruptmedia.com/AtlantaSkeptics/asitp-0019.pdf

The recording location was very noisy during this presentation and the audio quality has suffered. We apologize for the feedback and low quality of this recording. ]

I wrote Shakespeare. I am a time-traveling alien who built Stonehenge, the pyramids and wrote the works commonly attributed to William Shakespeare. I also created the earth 6000 years ago and helped fake the moon landing. You can't prove that I didn't.

Not all fringe theories are alike, but proponents of fringe theories tend to use similar reasoning (or lack thereof) to support their claims. Regardless of the specific fringe theory, the same logical fallacies will appear over and over again, as, for example, the attempt to shift the burden of proof. The argument that Francis Bacon/Christopher Marlowe/the Earl of Oxford/the Countess of Pembroke/Queen Elizabeth I/Batboy wrote Shakespeare thus has much in common with theories that suggest we never landed on the moon or that 9/11 was an inside job.

Come for the strawman; stay for the red herring.

[ A PDF of Eve's presentation is available at http://podcasts.abruptmedia.com/AtlantaSkeptics/asitp-0018.pdf ]

I wrote Shakespeare. I am a time-traveling alien who built Stonehenge, the pyramids and wrote the works commonly attributed to William Shakespeare. I also created the earth 6000 years ago and helped fake the moon landing. You can't prove that I didn't.

Not all fringe theories are alike, but proponents of fringe theories tend to use similar reasoning (or lack thereof) to support their claims. Regardless of the specific fringe theory, the same logical fallacies will appear over and over again, as, for example, the attempt to shift the burden of proof. The argument that Francis Bacon/Christopher Marlowe/the Earl of Oxford/the Countess of Pembroke/Queen Elizabeth I/Batboy wrote Shakespeare thus has much in common with theories that suggest we never landed on the moon or that 9/11 was an inside job.

Come for the strawman; stay for the red herring.

[ A PDF of Eve's presentation is available at http://podcasts.abruptmedia.com/AtlantaSkeptics/asitp-0018.pdf ]

Jonathan Strickland will be discussing gadgets and devices that are either based on pseudoscientific claims or are used incorrectly in pseudoscientific ways (like the ghost hunting tech).

Jonathan is a senior writer and a blogger at HowStuffWorks.com, co-host of the popular TechStuff podcast and a technology enthusiast since his first computer: an Apple ][e. While fascinated by the technical aspects of computers and electronics, his main interest focuses on the social impact of technology.

[ A PDF of Jonathan's slides is available at http://podcasts.abruptmedia.com/AtlantaSkeptics/asitp-0017.pdf ]