It’s P***ing Down at Camp Quest

 
Maybe there is a God and (s)he(it) has not taken kindly to Camp Quest, UK because it is absolutely chucking it down, cats and dogs, in Bruton, Somerset at the moment. What was it the Met Office predicted back in April? – Oh yes  I remember “a barbeque summer.”
Anyway, my littlest (we call Ez) is [...]

Jacko’s Essence to Become Diamonds

 
Well it was only a matter of time before someone would get round to producing Michael Jackson relics. That company LifeGem that I have told you about before is set to make artificial diamonds from strands of MJ’s hair.
The bitter irony which seems to have escaped the company is that the hair they have obtained [...]

When Humans and Dogs Collide

They say that many dog owners look like their pets. Dr. Lance Workman from Bath Spa University (just up the road from me) tested this out with a study to see if people could match 70 dog owners to their breed of dog. Apparently the hit rate was well above chance between 50-60% compared to [...]

MSc in Woo

I was handed a prospectus for Schumacher College in Dartington when I gave a talk on supernatural beliefs at the Literary Festival there last week. Judging by the picturesque cottages in the glorious Devonshire countryside, I was reminded of Enid Blyton novels and wrongly assumed that the area had a sense of wealthy middle-class conservatism. But I [...]

Pagan Police-What next?

 
There is something very appropriate about a policeman being devoutly religious. It sort of goes with the territory. After all, the stern uncompromising opposition to personal liberty and freedom that is central to many religions seems to resonate with the firm hand of the law. Remember Sgt Howie and his demise in the British classic [...]

SciFoo Frenzy

 
I just got back from SciFoo (Science camp for Friends Of O‘Reilly) held at Google headquarters in Mountain View, California. It was an invite-only for 200 scientists, thinkers, writers and geeks to get together and brainstorm. It started on Friday evening when we were dropped off at the Googleplex and followed the yellow brick road [...]

So Really I am Skeptic

A number of interviewers and commentators have noted that I made a sweeping statement in “SuperSense”  that skeptics were  unlikely to read such a book. In retrospect this was a daft thing to say and I must admit that I have found the skeptical community a much more welcoming bunch than I had anticipated. In fact, [...]

I’m Off to SciFoo Tomorrow

I am one of the chosen…. or mistaken. I am off to SciFoo at GooglePlex to schmooze with the über smart. I expect I’ll be groveling at the feet of the mighty (couple of Nobel prizes winners are going). I’ll report back next week. I plan to bounce on techno bouncy castles all weekend, wear open-toe [...]

Michael Jackson’s Brain Is Missing

The world just witnessed the memorial concert to Michael Jackson at the Staples Centre. I am sorry to say it, but I know some of you were thinking, “Was the golden coffin shaped like an office stapler?” Ok sick jokes aside, we all know that the man (not “Man-Child’ purleeease….)  was one of the most talented, [...]

Witchcraft at Wormwood

As far as saints go, St Thérèse of Lisieux seems a little bit lame. St Thérèse, who died in 1897 from tuberculosis at the age of 24, is known as the Little Flower of Jesus. She apparently prayed for the conversion of a triple murderer who refused to confess but just before he was guillotined, [...]