Presidential Progress
"If you voted for someone who said he prefers soldiers who don't get captured, who insulted a gold star family, who said he knew more than the generals, who said he always wanted a Purple Heart, who dodged the draft, and who called the US military a disaster, please don't [...]
The Facts Alone Can’t Change Your Mind
Fantastic podcast episode about confirmation bias. Facts aren't enough to convince someone, you need emotions. Even though many studies have shown there is no link between vaccines and Autism, many people are still compelled to believe there is. You can show a climate change denier compelling scientific evidence that climate [...]
National Women’s Day
Ok, I admit it. I forgot to wear red today. It was an honest mistake, I didn't even realize wearing red was a thing for National Women's Day until I left the house this morning, and to be honest, I don't even know if it's appropriate for me to do [...]
The media is Dr. Frankenstein. Is Trump his monster?
The media tends to emphasize bad news. They sensationalize infrequently occurring events and focus on negative stories. In the news: if it bleeds, it leads. They rarely ever cover good news or educational subjects. This can be considered a form of bias. When Trump says the media is biased, he [...]
The trouble with free speech…In defense of Milo Yiannopoulos
I recently had a discussion with a Trump supporter (we'll call him TS) regarding the conservative provocateur Milo Yiannopoulos and his cancelled appearance at Berkeley. TS claimed that Milo was oppressed by mobs who prevented him from speaking freely. Now, I'm not a big fan of Milo Yiannopoulos - I get the the impression [...]
The truth about vaccinations
When we started this podcast, our goal was to debunk unfair biases we all seem to impose on certain aspects of life and society. We tend to look at things based on our own belief systems regardless of established facts or science. There's no proven correlation between going outside without [...]
2016 General Election Spectacular!
Invariably, whenever I ask someone who they're voting for in the election, I get answers such as, "Alcohol," or "none of the above," and it's not uncommon to hear someone say that this is the worst election cycle we've ever had, that the candidates are like choosing the lesser of [...]
Book review notes: Superforecasting: The Art and Science of Prediction
Book review: Superforecasting: The Art and Science of Prediction by Philip E.Tetlock and Dan Gardner I listened to the audiobook while driving interstate Phil Tetlock is a professor of psychology and political science at the University of Pennsylvania spent decades studying the predictions of experts He did a study of [...]