The Skeptic Next Door

Ghost Repeller

March 13, 2009

We the Trisksri Ghost Repeller is pretty much guaranteed to work. Apparently it works for devils as well.

Trisaksri Ghost Repeller

Via Gizmodo

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Posted by theskepticnextdoor

Madonna In the Snow

February 5, 2009

I was hiking in Banff National Park on New Years day and came upon this sign from the snow gods.

Mary and Jesus?

I can’t decide if it is Mary and baby Jesus or just an alien.

Maybe I can sell the tree on ebay.

Leave a Comment » | Skepticism, skeptic | Tagged: Banff National Park, Canada, pareidolia, photo, photography | Permalink
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UFO Picture?

January 28, 2009

I took a couple of pictures Jan. 3. I was driving and it was a clear cold night and I am stupid enough to take pictures of the stars in the middle of nowhere when the temperature is -40.

Is this a UFO?

When I first saw this, I really didn’t know what it was. Now that I have had time to think about it I think I have it figured out.

Do you have any idea what caused this? Your clues.

It was not visible to the naked eye.
This shows up on multiple pictures, but not all of them. I moved the camera between pictures and adjusted the lens
Canon 20D, 30 seconds at ISO1600
11-22mm lens set to 11mm.
It was fairly dark and clear.
It was snowy and the moon was reflecting off the snow.
About 50Km to the nearest small town, much further to the next larger population base.
About 1:00AM
-40C/F

If you want an idea of scale, the three bright stars at the bottom running up diagonally, about 1/4 of the way from the left edge are Orion’s belt.

That UFO is HUGE!!!

1 Comment | Skepticism, science, skeptic | Tagged: photography, science, skeptic, Skepticism, stars, UFO | Permalink
Posted by theskepticnextdoor

Mr Deity

January 25, 2009

Mr. Deity is … um … God. And very funny.

All ex-mormons go to heaven.

1 Comment | Atheism, Humor, media | Tagged: Atheism, God, media, Mr. Deity, skeptic, Skepticism | Permalink
Posted by theskepticnextdoor

Olympic Medal Counts

January 11, 2009

I found this great New York Times map of Olympic medals over the years via Strange Maps blog.

Click for interactive map

I like that there are many more countries that win medals now. It is impressive how many medals South Korea wins. It is not a country I equate with athletic prowess. For example, it only has a third of the population of Japan, yet it won more medals in 2008. It is always good to be surprised.

Leave a Comment » | media, science | Tagged: media, olympics, new york times, strange maps, map, metals | Permalink
Posted by theskepticnextdoor

There Are Always Side Effects

January 11, 2009

Wired has an article about a group that is trying a large scale geoengineering project to sink carbon back into the ocean. The problem is there are always side effects to every prescription. In this case it is probably a small enough area that there will be little significant change.

On the other hand I trust that global warming is happening and large scale human activity is having an effect on the earth’s environment, so it seems reasonable to attempt to do something about it regardless of what the UN thinks.

Leave a Comment » | Skepticism, media, science, skeptic | Tagged: carbon, geoengineering, global warming, United nations, wired | Permalink
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How To Save Silicon Valley

January 11, 2009

Ummm want more brains…

Leave a Comment » | Humor, media | Tagged: brains, CES, funny, media, silicon valley | Permalink
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Does Abstinence Only Sex Education Work

January 11, 2009

The bible belt appears to be awash in teen mothers. Barring real sex education appears to be a strategy to multiply the religious contingient in the US. From the AP story. Original CDC study

Teenage Pregnancy Rate By State

Mississippi has the highest birth rate, and the report does not indicate why. The data is for 2006, 6 months after Katrina hit. I speculate that there may be a connection. “Why not we are going to die anyway.”

Leave a Comment » | Skepticism, media, science, skeptic | Tagged: birth rate, CDC, Huricane Katrina, media, mississippi, science, teen pregnancy | Permalink
Posted by theskepticnextdoor