Funny you should say that...

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An evening with writer and stand-up comedian Iszi Lawrence. Iszi is a skeptic, Methodist atheist and seasoned performer, having appeared on stages across the country and at the Fringe since she was 18, in critically acclaimed shows Skitzaphrantic, Spinning Jenny, Unproper, and the Perrier Award winning The Passion Of The Hodgson.

Critics describe Iszi as an 'upbeat' comedian 'with nicely improvised material' which sits well within her intelligent, witty and fun loving set. She weaves wordplay into a surreal and infectiously joyous world that audiences love to explore.

Iszi is also co-host of the Sundays Supplement podcast and comperes Oxford Skeptics in the Pub.

The Men Who Stare At Goats

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Jon Ronson is a writer and documentary film maker.  His books, Them: Advenures with Extremeists and The Men Who Stare At Goats are international best sellers.  The Men Who Stare At Goats is now a major motion picture starring George Clooney, Ewan McGregor, Kevin Spacey and Jeff Bridges.  Jon is also the author of two collections, Out of The Ordinary: True Tales of Everyday Craziness and What I Do: More True Tales of Everyday Craziness.

Jon authored the popular Human Zoo and Out of the Ordinary columns for  The Guardian, where he still contributes features.  He currently writes and presents twice Sony nominated BBC Radio 4 series, Jon Ronson On...

For Channel 4, Jon has made a number of films including the acclaimed five part series of theSecret Rulers of the World and the multi award-winning Tottenham Ayatollah.

Here is the movie trailer for The Men who Stare at Goats.

How Quackery Corrupts Real Science

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Quacks not only deceive (and sometimes harm) patients but the culture of managerialism that tolerates them in universities has a more serious consequence, the corruption of real science.

Professor D Colquhoun, FRS held the established (A.J. Clark) chair of Pharmacology at UCL, and was the Hon. Director of the Wellcome Laboratory for Molecular Pharmacology. In October 2004, he became a Research Fellow. Like many previous holders of the chair (in particular, A.J. Clark, J.H. Gaddum, H.O. Schild and J.W. Black) his interests are in quantitative analysis of receptor mechanisms.

He graduated from Leeds with a BSc and then went to Edinburgh to work for a PhD. After doing research at University College from 1964-69 on immunological problems and completing a book on statistics, he went to Yale University to work on nerve conduction. After returning from the USA he eventually returned to the Pharmacology Department at UCL in 1979, and has worked on single ion channel mechanisms since then.

In 2004, he was made an Honorary Fellow of University College London.

 

Psychic Frauds

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Throughout history there have been many people making a living from the paranormal. From the Fox Sisters who kickstarted the spiritualist craze through to modern psychics and mediums who have been shown up for using trickery in their performance, the lure of the paranormal con is easy to understand.

People want to believe, and the desperate are easy to exploit for gain. Alex will look back at 150 years of supernatural shenanigans and address some of the modern day claims in this interactive and fun talk- but be warned, those on the front row might get messy!

Alex Pryce is the founder of Edinburgh Skeptics Society.

 

The Failure of Magic as a Tool to Promote Skepticism

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A growing number of magicians and mentalists are appearing in the skeptic community, and an obvious connection is emerging between the art and the skeptic movement. However, audiences are not joining the magicians in their jump to skepticism. Magicians are in a unique position that should allow powerful promotion of skepticism to the general public, but the message does not seem to be getting across on a large scale. Many have tried and failed. What is the problem? What is the history behind it? As a tool to promote skepticism, is it possible that magic is doomed to fail from the very beginning? Is there a practical solution?

In an experiment lasting two years, Peter has compiled post-performance data from his clients and audiences, including corporate business people, celebrities and the general public, who have witnessed a mixture of shows including traditional magic performances, and Peter's unique skepticism-themed routines. The data highlights the current problem, and some surprising results.

Peter Harrison is a skeptic and professional creator of award-winning magic, with his material appearing on television specials and a client-list that reads like a who's who of corporate Scotland. Peter is also a Scottish biologist, and the Volunteer Coordinator for registered charity "The Richard Dawkins Foundation for Reason and Science".