- Skeptic
Classification Scheme List Archive
- A couple of weeks ago, I ran an item about the Skeptic Classification Scheme List,
a new e-mail list operated by Kjetil Kjernsmo, webmaster of the Norwegian skeptics. The list was formed to
discuss the creation of a method for classifying, organizing, and locating skeptic
resources on the web. The intent is to create something like the equivalent of a
"Dewey Decimal System" for skeptical topics. One possible application of this
would be to create a Yahoo-like automated search engine, which would allow the user
interested in a particular topic to locate relevant documents scattered on numerous sites.
Now that a couple of weeks have passed, the discussion has begun in earnest. If you
haven't joined the e-mail list, you might want to check the archives -- and then join the
list!
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- Tampa
Bay Skeptics' $1,000 Challenge Accepted by Virginia Levy
- The Tampa Bay Skeptics will be
testing the the "psychometry" powers (reading vibrations from objects) of
Titusville "psychic/prophet" Virginia Levy on Saturday, September 19, in Tampa,
Florida. Check their site for details.
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- Mass Media Funk - Psychic Dog Fails ESP Test; Spontaneous Human Combustion Explained
- The Skeptic's Refuge,
in the Mass Media Funk column, briefly summarizes two recent news items. In the first,
Jaytee, a "clairvoyant" terrier, is tested to see whether he knows when his
owner is about to return home. (If Jaytee won Randi's million dollar challenge, how would
he spend the money?) In the second, researchers test the "wick effect," in which
a body's fat fuels the flames. How nice.
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- New from Prometheus Books - Spring/Summer 1998 and Fall 1998/Winter 1999
- The Prometheus Books site now
lists their newest releases. Yes, it's true -- in some places, people read about skeptic
topics using paper and ink technologies rather than the Internet! Actually, I just bought
two books from Prometheus the other day -- The Encyclopedia of the Paranormal and
The Encyclopedia of Unbelief. I think those 1,650 pages ought to keep me occupied
for awhile.
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- FMSF Newsletter, September Issue
- The September issue of FMS Foundation Newsletter, the newsletter of the False Memory Syndrome Foundation, is now online.
(The date in the header is July/August, but it really is the September issue.) Feature
articles in this issue are ... well, too numerous to list! You can be sure, however, that
if you have an interest in false/repressed memories, you'll want to read every issue.
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- Indian Skeptic, Volume 2
- Gerald Huber of the Indian Skeptic
sent me an e-mail message saying, "Indian Skeptic has now uploaded most of
the contents of Volume 2. (Volume 1 and Volume 3 are still in progress.)" Originally
I thought his message meant a single issue, but when I looked at the site, I found that he
said what he meant -- 12 issues, published between May 1989 and April 1990. That's quite a
bit of reading for us! Thanks for the news, Gerald! Be sure to let us know when you've
posted more.
Hmmm... The Indian Skeptic, hosted on a server located in Germany, is being
reported here on a server located in the U.S. That's one aspect of operating the Skeptic
News that I've found quite interesting -- the opportunity to read about skeptic
activities all over the world! Since nearly one out of every five visitors to the site is
from outside of the U.S., I suspect the international flavor (flavour?) will continue.
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- Darwin's Precursors and Influences
- The Talk.Origins Archive has updated this
article. "It is sometimes claimed by those who wish to denigrate the achievements of
Charles Darwin that he was little more than a 'serial plagiarist.' This essay aims to show
that Darwin, like any scientist, had influences, but that he was honest in his theoretical
development."
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- King Tut's Curse 'A Killer Bug'
- The Australian Skeptics have posted another
new Media Watch article. "Can King Tut's Curse be explained by hibernating
microscopic spores? Two media reports arrived on the same day regarding this matter, one
from London, one from South Australia."
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- Duped by Flying Saucery
- The Australian Skeptics have posted a new
Media Watch article. In this one, "Professor Paul Davies reports upon a flurry of UFO
activity over the last few weeks, some of it in the sky, but mostly on TV."
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- One Month Anniversary!
- It just occurred to me -- yesterday was the one-month anniversary of the Skeptic
News going online! So far, not a day has gone by without at least one news item being
posted. Well isn't that special?
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