2004-09-01 News
Channel 7’s one-off gameshow special “Deal or No Deal: Test of the Psychics” aired last night. Regretfully the psychics were no more successful than the usual contestants.
2004-09-14 News
Australian Adam Clark was 21 in 1997 when he announced that he’d invented a revolutionary new “streaming” technology for the internet. Now 7 years later, he’s earnt $16 million from investors who have helped his company raise $28 million on the stockmarket. He’s even sponsored races in the Melbourne Cup.
But now investors are getting nervous – if “Adam’s Platform” really works, then why does the inventor refuse to give independent demonstrations? When it was first announced, technology gurus were sceptical and said it couldn’t logically work. Might they have been right?
- Media World admits technology fears (8th Sep 2004)
- ASIC to question Adam Clark after independent test fails (10th Sep 2004)
- Capital ideas (14th Sep 2004)
2004-09-07 News
- Choice Magazine (Australian Consumers Association) advises against the use of Magnet Therapy, having found no conclusive evidence to support it.
Lawrence Leung – Skeptic
What is the Price of a Man’s Soul?
… About $4.50 , as at 8.30 pm on Friday 12th of April, if you happen to be young Melbourne comic Lawrence Leung.
Mr Leung made this revelation to an appreciative audience, which included seventeen Vic Skeptics and associates. He had listed his soul on E-Bay, partly from curiosity, and partly because his mother and his Priest had strongly advised against selling it to the devil.
Performed during Melbourne’s Comedy Festival, this one-man show, entitled “Skeptic“, featured episodes in a personal quest to confront the paranormal, such as staying in a haunted castle, and attending a John Edward event (while taking copious notes).
Mr Leung also presented a graphic documentation of a series of dubious but highly risible controlled experiments involving rakes, blindfolds, black cats, ladders and mirrors.
The show included audience participation of the “Mind-reading” variety. Lawrence made several accurate, seemingly impossible predictions about aspects of the night’s performance. Readers who attended Marc Salem’s recent show “Mind Games” at the CUB Malthouse Theatre would have seen some similar mind-boggling prophetic utterances sealed in an envelope and opened at the end of the show.
It was a pacy show, quirky yet polished. Probably very few people share Lawrence Leung’s refreshing outlook on life. More’s the pity.
For more information
- Lawrence Leung: http://www.lawrenceleung.com
- TV Psychic John Edward: http://www.csicop.org/si/2001-11/i-files.html
- Marc Salem: http://www.marcsalem.com
DVD – Melbourne Convention 2002
7 hours covering 8 presentations on one DVD from the highly successful Australian Skeptics 2002 National Convention held in Melbourne.
Contents:
- Roland Seidel
- Sucker Bets
- Richard Lead
- How to get rich Without Working and many other Myths
- Dr Valerie Yule
- The Psychology of Gambling
- Rev Tim Costello
- Social Impact of Gambling in Australia
- Narendra Nayak
- Being a Skeptic in India and Confronting India’s Godmen
- Dr Paul Willis
- How to confuse a creationist with a roast chook
- Ray Crossley & Bob Nixon
- Digging the dirt on dowsing
- Bent Spoon & Skeptic of the Year
- Convention Photos
Price: $20
DVD: PAL All Regions
Contact vic[at]skeptics[dot]com[dot]au if you’re interested in purchasing the DVD!
This DVD is in MPEG 1 format to enable extended viewing time. This results in a slight reduction of video quality.
Copyright © 2002 Victorian Skeptics
Whitehorse Hotel
Skeptics get together, the Whitehorse Hotel in 2003 or 2004.
Hellfire
Borderline Skeptics Survive Hellfire and Dam(Nation).
By Laurie and Eden Smith.
Summer 2003, a time that will always have warm memories for the Borderline Group. To quote Russell Kelly, “We must have sinned more than usual to deserve this fiery hell“.
Here at Callaghan’s Creek, the first threat was just over the hill where a lightning strike started the first of many fires. At Mitta-Mitta, the Kellys and the Bradshaws were no further away from the Bogong fires. Over at Mount Beauty, Tracey O’Brien would have been paying keen interest to the fire reports, as would Tony Norton at Bright.
Things changed quickly following bad weather conditions, and we were all soon in that well-known ditch. The next two weeks were so crammed full of rumor, action, inaction, evacuations, highs and lows that we are all still catching up on lost time.
Despite record attendance at local churches, and the combined efforts of Ouyen’s women, no rain fell and the fires moved on when there was little else to burn.
The Kellys and ourselves received many amazing offers of assistance from Melbourne Skeptics that we will always remember fondly, so do come and visit us here in Australia’s water divining capital and don’t wait for a natural disaster to get in touch!
For more information
- The Borderline Skeptics: http://www.skeptics.com.au/
- Water Divining at Mitta Mitta: http://www.skeptics.com.au/journal/mitta2002.htm
May 2003 Talk
Primary Science Education – a Cause for Concern?
From the address by CHRIS KRISHNA-PILLAY, Manager, CSIRO Education Victoria, to The Australian Skeptics (Victorian Branch) Public Meeting, held Wednesday 21th May 2003 8pm at the Barton Room, Whitehorse Inn Hotel, 5 Burwood Road, Hawthorn. Transcribed by James Gerrand.
The question is; should we be concerned about primary science? The answer is: yes. Why are people so worried? There are three main reasons.
The first is that science is ever changing so we need primary education to adapt to the changes. Currently there are weaknesses in the system, both in the content and in the way we educate.
Secondly, primary science is the seeding point for our science based technological society. You have the opportunity to make people care about science and technology, its process and why they matter. If you can’t make people care then you are relying on luck. Chris considers he was lucky View More May 2003 Talk
Calendar 2004
To receive notification of upcoming Victorian Skeptics events, send an email to vic_skeptics_news-subscribe@yahoogroups.com
Please visit the current 2005 Calendar.
2004
(
= events organised by or with other groups)
| 19 January | Skeptics Social Night |
| 11 February | Public Talk: Bob Nixon – The $110,000 Reward |
| 13 February | Psychology Teachers’ Conference |
| 15 February | City Of Yarra Community Day |
| 16 February | Skeptics Social Night |
| 15 March | Skeptics Social Night |
| 19 April | Skeptics Social Night |
| 17 May | Skeptics Social Night |
| 19 May | Talk Dr Steve Basser – “Alternative Medicine – How Safe Are Consumers?“ |
| 21 June | Skeptics Social Night |
| 19 July | Skeptics Social Night |
| 16 August | Skeptics Social Night |
| 19 August | Talk – Marc Abrahams – The Ig Nobel Prizes (Science Week) |
| 25 August | Talk – Lynne Kelly “The Skeptic’s Guide to the Paranormal“ |
| 29 August | Talk – Maths and Numerology (Science Week) |
| 14 September | Talk – Helen Lawrence “Can God and Science Co-Exist?“ |
| 20 September | Skeptics Social Night |
| 6 October | Talk – Barrie Johnson “Gold Detecting and Divining Scams“ |
| 18 October | Skeptics Social Night |
| 12-14 November | Sydney – 2004 Australian Skeptics Convention |
| 15 November | Skeptics Social Night |
| cancelled | Talk – Phil Plait – The Bad Astronomer |
| 19 November | Chinese Dinosaurs Exhibition (until 17 April 2005) |
| 20 December | Skeptics Social Night |
There are other Victorian organisations of interest that regularly have Public Events.
Newsletter April 2003
Way back in 2003 before E-bay and Twitter, the Victorian Skeptics were just beginning to think of ways to use the internet to communicate.
We where kept informed through a newsletter, done on old fashioned paper and sent by stamped envelope. Here for your historical delight is a Victorian Skeptics Newsletter from April 2003.
Mal. (Writing in 2010)