Skeptics' Guide - Episode #5
Recording Date: June 29th, 2005
Link to the Official Episode Notes
Download Episode #5 MP3
Panelists (in order of appearance)
- Steven Novella
- Perry DeAngelis
- Evan Bernstein
- Bob Novella
Interview
Michael Shermer
Interesting Facts
- Michael Shermer participated in Science or Fiction in this episode.
- Science or Fiction sees it's first "theme", amazing animal facts.
- First time every participant of Science or Fiction is wrong.
- Bob mentions he has a daughter
- The NESS often does screening for Randi's million dollar challenge
- The most recent test was with a couple who claimed they could use a ouija board to have spirits answer questions. The test was done at Steve's home. Perry wasn't there, Bob scored the questions, Evan videotaped it and Steve monitored the protocol. They just put blindfolds on the couple and their "powers" stopped working.
- The NESS pledged an undisclosed amount of money towards Randi's challenge before it was 1 million dollars.
Science or Fiction **
- Michael Shermer (0/1)
- Perry (2/3)
- Bob (2/3)
- Evan (0/2)
 Funny Quotes
1. Steve (after predicting last week's fiction headline for the second week in a row): "I hope you'll support my application to Randi's million dollar giveaway."
2. Steve (after Dr Shermer asks what happens if this week's fiction item is correctly predicted again): "Then on next week's show, I'm going to predict that some billionaire dies and leaves billions of dollars to the Skeptics' Society."
3. Michael Shermer: "I'm gonna be really pissed if all this happens like the year after I die."
4. Steve: "She had a boo-boo on one of her fingers."
5. Perry (about the NESS' test for Randi's challenge being done at Steve's home): "Then maybe it didn't work because the skeptical shield around your house that protects you from being abducted and possessed..."
Steve: "I didn't tell them about the skeptical field though, so they did not invoke that as an excuse."
Evan: "I gotta get me one of those skeptical shields."
Bob: "And Perry that was a secret, we're going to have to erase this from the podcast now, thank you very much."
Perry: "Gentlemen if you go to theness.com, read what you find there and begin to live your life by the basic principles of skepticism, you too can have the shield."
Evan: "In fact, we'll sell you one!"
6. Steve: "It is true that skeptics are protected from various nasty phenomena like alien abduction, we're never haunted by ghosts, we're never possessed by demons."
Bob: "And that's why, that's the only reason I'm skeptical, I'm so afraid of that stuff."
Evan: "And we never spontaneously combust."
7. Steve: "So there are some advantages to skepticism, it's not just all about pretty women and fast cars."
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** - As of the conclusion of this episode's game. (wins/times played)
* - won this week's game