The Reality Check

Ahoy, Checkers! With all the hype about a potential new planet discovery named “Planet 9”, we thought it would be good to get a reality check from our favourite resident astronomer Dr. Stuart Robbins, host of one of our fave podcasts, Exposing PseudoAstromony. Next, Cristina got excited when she heard a rumour about lettuce being somehow worse than bacon, then realized it’s always best to investigate claims that sound too good to be true. Finally, Adam takes on a segment suggested by former TRC host and all-around good guy Jon Abrams, who asks, “are cats really scared of cucumbers?”

Darren kicks off the show by revisiting and debunking some pervasive nutrition and fitness myths. Pat brings us another fun-filled edition of Name That: Game That. Finally, Adam finds a way to weave Sailor Moon into a segment addressing why can’t we see remnants of the Apollo Mission on the moon through a telescope?

Welcome, Checkers to your 384th episode of TRC! First Adam, addresses a listener’s email from last year asking whether Nikola Tesla contacted extraterrestrial life. Next, Cristina brings us up to speed with a recent FTC court settlement against Lumosity and their neuroplasticity claims. Finally, Darren looks into a viral story about a man who allegedly sues his wife for birthing an ugly baby.

We like big facts and we cannot lie. The TRC crew reunite to kick off the New Year with a fun-filled show! Cristina butts in first with a story that was all over the internet recently: does typing ‘lardass’ into an iPhone autocorrect to ‘Kardashian’? Then the gang share their favourite, funniest, and most surprising segments from 2015. Pat hosts an Internet 2015 edition of Name That. Finally, Adam takes over to revisit last year’s “predictions” and asks the panel to set aside logic yet again to make predictions for 2016.

Merry New Year, Checkers! This week, Adam takes the night off while Darren and honorary TRC’er Dallas Card join the Toronto crew in the flesh for another fun and informative show. Darren kicks off the festivities by revisiting the sometimes misunderstood cognitive bias called the Dunning-Kruger Effect. Dallas delves into deep artificial neural networks and debunks some myths around machine learning. Finally, Cristina examines whether the British really deserve the rep of having bad teeth.

With the Festivus upon us, Darren and Adam hand the reins of the sleigh over to Pat and Cristina for the fifth annual holiday show. The duo share the inside scoop behind this year’s parodies plus other highlights including the panel’s recommendations of stuff to watch, read or listen to (see the show notes!). Extra bonus in your stocking is an excerpt from Dr. Ken Milne’s Skeptic’s Guide to Emergency Medicine Podcast. After recently guesting on TRC where he mentions the Spinach, Popeye, Iron and Decimal Error Story (SPIDES), Ken gets an interesting email from listener Bob Edmonds who he then invites on his podcast to help set the record straight. A huge thank you to all the ‘Checkers out there for listening every week. Have a safe and happy holiday!

On this week’s show we have lots of questions! First Cristina looks into a viral video claiming that Starbucks hates Christmas. Next Darren wonders when the common cold is contagious. Lastly Adam examines a second viral video, claiming to be an interview with Stanley Kubrick where he admits to faking moon landings.

On this week’s show, tis the season for Darren to revisit charitable giving and effective donations. Pat fills us in on an email from a TRC’er who asks us to break down premium vs regular gas. Finally, Adam channels his inner Elf to enlighten us on Santa’s not-so-secret spy.

TRC is in the house! This week, Darren takes us for a spin to explore the ethical dilemma of self-driving cars. Adam takes a peek into the growing trend of Adult Colouring Books and their potential health benefits. (No, not that kind of adult colouring book.) Finally, Cristina mouths off about how clever marketing made bad breath sound like a medical condition.

Not even a power failure can stop the TRC crew! First Cristina examines unethical experiments that ended up changing medicine. Next, Pat runs the crew through a game of “Name That” where the goal is to “game it.” Lastly, Adam wonders why people didn’t smile in old photographs.