Category: Announcements

February 1, 2014

Vic Skeptics Puzzles and Diversions – Archives

thinking-cartoon121We’re pleased to say that our puzzles are becoming increasingly popular.

The latest  monthly sets of picture puzzles, “mixed bag“ questions, skeptical crossword and logic / maths problems are on our PUZZLES PAGE

OLDER PUZZLES are still available.
– – –

PUZZLES ARCHIVE 1  (August 2010 to April 2011)

PUZZLES ARCHIVE 2 (May 2011 to September 2011)

PUZZLES ARCHIVE 3 (October 2011 to November 2012)

PUZZLES ARCHIVE 4 (December 2012 to June 2013)

PUZZLES ARCHIVE 5 (July 2013 to December 2013)

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January 19, 2014

Darwin Day: February 12 2014

This year there are two events in Melbourne to celebrate CHARLES DARWIN’s BIRTHDAY.

  • On Tuesday afternoon / evening from 5pm February 11 it’s open house for freethinkers. The venue is the Unitarian Church at 110 Grey Street East Melbourne (Melways 2G D2). It’s a Barbecue (BYO everything) followed by an 8 pm talk  by Rick Barker of the Philosophy Forum)  “Exploring the Pleistocene: A crucial time for the speciation and specialization of Modern Humans”.
  • On Wednesday February 12, The Humanist Society host a  celebration of Charles Darwin Day at Studley Park on Wednesday 12/2/14 from 5 pm. Anybody is welcome to join in. Again, its a Barbecue. BYO everything.
  • Teachers may like to make use of one or more of the classroom exercises in our Darwin Day Suite, 

HERE

  • Our February Skeptical Crossword is all about Charles Darwin. We’ve posted it early for you,

HERE

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December 27, 2013

Simon Singh & The Simpsons in Melbourne

simon photo magnifying glass Simon Singh, best-selling author of ‘Fermat’s Last Theorem‘ and ‘The Code Book‘, will discuss his latest book ‘The Simpsons and Their Mathematical Secrets‘ at Embiggen Books, 203 Little Lonsdale Street Melbourne at 5:45 pm, Monday 20th January, and again at Skeptics Café’s Soapbox, 140 Lygon Street Carlton from 8 pm.

He will explain how a team of mathematically gifted writers have covered everything from calculus to geometry, from pi to game theory, and from infinitesimals to infinity in various episodes of The Simpsons. Singh will also discuss how the writers of Futurama have similarly made it their mission to smuggle deep mathematical ideas into the series.

Simpsons-Packshot

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November 30, 2013

Science Technology Future

This weekend in Melbourne the Science Technology Future conference is on. It features a great range of speakers, some of whom have previously spoken at our Skeptics in the Cafe third Monday events – such as Professor Peter Doherty and Tim van Gelder. Quite a few regulars from the skeptics community will also be in attendance. Please go to the conference website for full details.

Tickets are still available.

Science Technology n Future conf

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November 20, 2013

Science Talent Search 2013 – many talented students found

by Terry Kelly

For the 11th consecutive year the Australian Skeptics have sponsored the Science Talent Search (STS) run by the Science Teachers Association of Victoria (STAV).  The awards have been going for 62 years and many prominent Scientists have benefited from the encouragement these awards gave them when they were at school –  Tim Flannery, for example.

More Photos of STS Below
More Photos of STS Below

This year there were almost 2000 entries and 584 Bursaries were awarded. Australian Skeptics sponsored 65 of these Bursaries (one in nine) making us one of the major sponsors, alongside such large and respected organisations as the CSIRO, BHP Billiton, The Royal Society of Victoria, Swinburne University of Technology, Victoria University and the University of Melbourne. It’s one of the best things the Australian Skeptics do. It’s a great boost for the students and priceless publicity for us.

The awards ceremonies, and displays of the entries, were held at La Trobe University on November 6th. Categories were : Creative Writing; Experimental Research; Inventions; Working Models; Science Photography; Video Productions; Games; Computer Programs; and Posters and Scientific Wallcharts.

We had 5 of our Victorian Committee attend the ceremonies which gave us a wonderful opportunity to meet many of the students we sponsored, and their families. They seemed to View More Science Talent Search 2013 – many talented students found

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November 11, 2013

Professor Chris French in Melbourne, Mordialloc & Wodonga

Before his appearance as keynote speaker at the Australian Skeptics National Convention in Canberra,  Professor Chris French will speak:

– at Vic Skeptics Café, 140 Lygon Street Carlton on Monday 18th November from 6 pm;

– at  Mordi Skeptics, Mordialloc Sporting Club 528 Main St, Mordialloc,  Tuesday 19th November 7.30 pm (after a meal from about 6.30).  Please RSVP on-line at http://www.meetup.com/Mordi-Skeptics-in-the-Pub/

– and at Borderline Skeptics  at Wodonga in The Carrier Arms Hotel, Corner of South and Church street,  in “The Courtyard” dining/stone grill section from 6:30 pm, Wednesday 20th November.

Title: Weird Science: An Introduction to Anomalistic Psychology

Summary: Ever since records began, in every known society, a substantial proportion of the population has reported unusual experiences many of which we would today label as “paranormal”.

Opinion polls show that the majority of the general public accepts that paranormal phenomena do occur. Such widespread experience of and belief in the paranormal can only mean one of two things. Either the paranormal is real, in which case this should be accepted by the wider scientific community which currently rejects such claims; or else belief in and experience of ostensibly paranormal phenomena can be fully explained in terms of psychological factors.

View More Professor Chris French in Melbourne, Mordialloc & Wodonga

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October 31, 2013

November 2013 Puzzles

crosswordclipartThere are seven brand new Picture Puzzles

and

thirty “Mixed Bag” Questions

at the top of the PUZZLES PAGE.

and also NOVEMBER 2013 SKEPTICAL CROSSWORD, which has Conspiracy Theories as its theme;

not to mention NOVEMBER 2013 LOGIC & MATHS PROBLEMS

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October 2, 2013

Science Talent Search 2013

by Chris Guest

For the 11th consecutive year, the Australian Skeptics are a proud sponsor of the Science Teachers of Victoria’s annual Science Talent Search. 2013 marks the sixty-second year of this important event.

Each year thousands of Victorian school students from lower Primary to Year 12 enter science projects in the categories of experimental research, working models and inventions, computer programs, science photography, games, essays and posters in a state wide competition.

2012stsmodelsinventionscollage

This is a small sample of entries in last year’s Working Models and inventions category. (Click on the picture to enlarge it).

View More Science Talent Search 2013

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July 19, 2013

Vitamins: A Panacea for all Ills?

louis roller close-up-smallAssociate Professor Louis Roller PhD

Faculty of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences,
Monash University

“We are so constituted that we believe the most incredible things:
and once they are engraved upon the memory, woe betide him who would endeavour to erase them” — Goethe, 1774

Vitamins have caught the popular imagination. A recent study established that some 52 per cent of the Australian population takes some form of complementary medicine. It found that 37 per cent of these people were taking vitamins. Overall, 19.2 percent of the total Australian population – about 4.4 million people – are taking vitamins. Many people take over-the-counter vitamins without professional advice and a few practitioners prescribe megavitamin therapy. View More Vitamins: A Panacea for all Ills?

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