Edinburgh Skeptics Presents...

As part of the 2015 Edinburgh International Science Festival, Edinburgh Skeptics and the University of Edinburgh Humanist Society held a General Election Hustings on Tuesday the 14th of April.

The panel consisted of the following candidates and representatives:

Left Unity - Bruce Whitehead (Edinburgh North & Leith) Scottish Conservative Party - Mark Brown (Na h-Eileanan an Iar) Scottish Green Party - Peter McColl (Edinburgh East) Scottish Labour Party - Cllr. Gordon Munro Scottish Liberal Democrats - Gary McLelland (Glasgow East) Scottish National Party - Joanna Cherry (Edinburgh South West) UKIP Scotland - Alan Melville (Edinburgh North & Leith)

This is part 2, with general audience questions from the floor.

As part of the 2015 Edinburgh International Science Festival, Edinburgh Skeptics and the University of Edinburgh Humanist Society held a General Election Hustings on Tuesday the 14th of April.

The panel consisted of the following candidates and representatives:

Left Unity - Bruce Whitehead (Edinburgh North & Leith) Scottish Conservative Party - Mark Brown (Na h-Eileanan an Iar) Scottish Green Party - Peter McColl (Edinburgh East) Scottish Labour Party - Cllr. Gordon Munro Scottish Liberal Democrats - Gary McLelland (Glasgow East) Scottish National Party - Joanna Cherry (Edinburgh South West) UKIP Scotland - Alan Melville (Edinburgh North & Leith)

This is part 1, with 6 pre-published questions known to both the audience and the speakers. Part 2, with general questions from the floor, is in the episode after this.

Bitcoin is one of a new breed of so-called “crypto-currencies” which only exist online. Fans say they provide low-cost secure money transfer without the need for bank accounts, critics say they’re used by criminals and tax evaders. Bitcoin uses a technology called “Blockchain” and, like the Internet in 1990, only a few people have heard of it and, like the Internet in 1990, it is probably on a trajectory to change the world. In this talk Dug Campbell will introduce us to Bitcoin and discuss the story so far in the real world.

Dug Campbell runs the Scottish Bitcoin Meetup and founded the Scottish Bitcoin Conference. He regularly speaks at events and provides press commentary around the disruptive potential of crypto-currencies, in addition to exploring how blockchain technologies will change society over the next few years. After over a decade as a technology lawyer, he completed an MBA before becoming a Digital Strategy Consultant. He also blogs regularly at www.dugcampbell.com.

Unfortunately, we weren't able to record Dick's talk for us as part of our Skeptics at the Science Festival events, which is a shame, because it was incredibly interesting. Luckily, we were able to grab Dick for a few minutes to fire some questions at him. 10 of them, to be exact...

Dick Byrne is Research Professor in the School of Psychology at St Andrews University, Scotland, where his work focuses on the evolution of cognitive and social behaviour, particularly the origins of distinctively human characteristics. After a degree in Natural Sciences at the University of Cambridge, his PhD research was on human planning and thought.

After titillating us, entertaining us, and sometimes grossing us out a little bit, Edinburgh Skeptics member David Frank joins us for the very first 10 Questions podcast.

Hailing from Perth, Western Australia, David has lived in Japan and Vietnam, and most recently moved to Scotland. He has organised dozens of events for Perth Skeptics, Tokyo Skeptics, The Humanist Society of Western Australia and various other Meetup groups. He currently runs Edinburgh Skeptics’ monthly discussion group Skeptics Underground held at 2pm on the second Sunday of every month. You can read more about him at www.davidfrank.com.au.

We could all use some tips on how to market ourselves, whether looking for love online or trying to make the best impression in any situation. There will also be a marketer’s insight into why there are few porn sites for women, and an analysis of the porn viewing habits of men. We’ll lampoon the formulas romance novels use for their plots and covers. Finally we’ll look at a case study of how one porn site markets itself in safe-for-work plain view. There’ll be singing, poetry, and what we’re sure will be a very interesting Q&A afterwards.

Hailing from Perth, Western Australia, David has lived in Japan and Vietnam, and most recently moved to Scotland. He has organised dozens of events for Perth Skeptics, Tokyo Skeptics, The Humanist Society of Western Australia and various other Meetup groups. He currently runs Edinburgh Skeptics’ monthly discussion group Skeptics Underground held at 2pm on the second Sunday of every month. You can read more about him at www.davidfrank.com.au.