Category Archives: Sham Inquiry

Solving Unexplained Mysteries: A review of “Scientific Paranormal Investigation” by B. Radford

By | June 21, 2010
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This past March, I registered for a seminar on Scientific Paranormal Investigation at CFI – Washington, DC. Ben Radford was presenting and the event description mentioned his upcoming book of the same name. This was fortuitous since I was working on developing a thesis project about the prevalence of sham inquiry, focusing on amateur investigation… Read More: Solving Unexplained Mysteries: A review of “Scientific Paranormal Investigation” by… »

End of Monster Quest

By | March 19, 2010
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I’ve heard that this is the last season for Monster Quest on the History Channel. There are efforts afoot to try and save the show but, I’m not going to add my voice to that. I’ve always had serious problems with MQ. It presents a distorted and poor quality view of scientific investigation. I’ll concede… Read More: End of Monster Quest »

Continuing miseducation classes

By | January 5, 2010
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Where can you learn Photoshop, CPR and Civil War history all in one place at a reasonable price? Continuing education offerings at local community colleges include useful courses in computer and technology fields, healthcare and safety occupations, business management and languages. General interest courses are offered in history, gardening, hobbies and include local trips and tours.… Read More: Continuing miseducation classes »

Coelacanth not a cryptid

By | December 21, 2009
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Cryptozoological websites continue to promote the coelacanth as the icon of cryptozoology. I heartily disagree. You can see my post about it here: The coelacanth is a red herring. This fish was not “ethno-known” in the same sense as the Yeti, Bigfoot and sea serpents, etc. No one was LOOKING for the fish. Sure, it… Read More: Coelacanth not a cryptid »

The emotionally and cognitively satisfying anecdote

By | December 16, 2009
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I used to have a cat. That cat was pretty mean. He hated other people and animals. He messed up my house. I’ll never have another cat because they don’t make good house pets. The little story above is an anecdote. It has characters, reflects a real-life experience in a narrative form and is intended… Read More: The emotionally and cognitively satisfying anecdote »

New PA bigfoot sighting? Set your skeptical flags flying.

By | November 9, 2009
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Oh, dear. Out of the news loop for a day or two and another Bigfoot sighting comes along. This time, it was reported very close to me. I don’t know exactly where because the location is not revealed except to generally say “Appalachian Trail”. The Appalachian Trail cuts through the center of Dauphin County along… Read More: New PA bigfoot sighting? Set your skeptical flags flying. »

Ghost hunting entertainment – Paranormal State lecture

By | October 4, 2009
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Penn State’s Harrisburg campus hosted a presentation by Paranormal State’s Ryan Buell (with Sergey along) on October 2. The event attracted over 60 people of all ages. Primarily, the crowd was students, some with their parents. There were obviously several fans of the show. I have never seen the show. I can’t be bothered with… Read More: Ghost hunting entertainment – Paranormal State lecture »

Pennsylvania bigfoot sighting – just a story?

By | July 23, 2009
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Cryptomundo is reporting a bigfoot (or dogman-type creature) sighting the occurred in western Pennsylvania on July 10. The report should say “Jumonville” not Jammonville. This area east of Uniontown is rugged and heavily wooded. I won’t bother commenting on Cryptomundo anymore because my words get edited or might not even appear. But, I noticed, as… Read More: Pennsylvania bigfoot sighting – just a story? »

Will The Othersiders just scare themselves?

By | June 13, 2009
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The Othersiders is a new show on Cartoon Network where teen friends visit alleged haunted locations and perform so-called investigations, similar to the Ghost Hunters and Ghost Trackers. It’s fun to be scared and to imagine ghosts exists and places are haunted. I love all things paranormal and really wish  these supernatural concepts were supported… Read More: Will The Othersiders just scare themselves? »

The red herring

By | May 24, 2009
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Conclusion to “Sham Inquiry” The coelacanth is a red herring Mainstream science, which is respected and functions very well with its current methodology, excludes those fields who don’t pass muster. For a theory to be considered as an explanation for observations of the natural world, even the public realizes it ought to be scientific. Using… Read More: The red herring »

Elbowing in

By | May 24, 2009
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Continuing with “Sham Inquiry” Elbowing in on good science The Journal of Scientific Exploration is the published by the Society for Scientific Exploration which describes itself as “a professional organization of scientists and other scholars committed to studying phenomena that cross or are outside the traditional boundaries of science and…are ignored or studied inadequately…” Many… Read More: Elbowing in »

Ghost Hunting – Sham Inquiry

By | May 18, 2009
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Thousands of eyewitnesses report ghostly encounters from ancient history to modern times. Contact with the dead is very much part of our modern culture. With the expansion of television content and the internet, stories about hauntings have surged in popularity. Ghost hunting is a popular hobby for thrill seekers. It’s fun to be scared. The… Read More: Ghost Hunting – Sham Inquiry »

Cryptozoology – Sham Inquiry

By | May 18, 2009
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Cryptozoology is “the study of hidden animals” (called ‘cryptids’). More precisely, it is the pursuit of animals that science does not recognize as existing and, in some situations, be considered ‘monster hunting’ in comparison to the ghost hunters in a forthcoming discussion. Like the closely related field of UFOlogy, cryptozoology can accurately be described as… Read More: Cryptozoology – Sham Inquiry »

Pretend science

By | May 18, 2009
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Playing Pretend Science In order to be technical, like science, pseudoscientists engage in a method of data gathering that is not haphazard or lazy. Intricate collection and analysis is often a part of pseudoscientific activity. They may produce enormous bodies of work. Commitment to a cause can prompt “energetic intellectual effort” [1]. The motives and… Read More: Pretend science »

Weak evidence

By | May 16, 2009
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Quality of evidence A frequent complaint from the fringe is that the scientific community is dismissive of the actual evidence for their extraordinary claim. Proponents of psi or UFOs will cite reams of evidence. The scientific community’s standard response is “Extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence”. That is, the evidence must be high quality, obtained through… Read More: Weak evidence »

Using Subterfuge

By | May 16, 2009
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Using subterfuge to build a case Pseudoscience proponents may resort to desperate measures to support and preserve a beloved theory – another sure sign that the theory does not qualify on the same level as a scientific one. The public generally falls for various forms of slippery techniques and logical fallacies that are used to… Read More: Using Subterfuge »

Fancy jargon

By | May 16, 2009
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Fancy jargon and complexity Science is loaded with jargon which serves as an efficient way to get a complex idea across in a neat package. Scientists name everything and give precise definitions. Thus, jargon is a hallmark of science. Whereas the jargon of science is meant to be precise and useful, the jargon of pseudoscience… Read More: Fancy jargon »

Unorthodox and proud of it

By | May 15, 2009
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The category of unconventional theories is labeled “maverick”, “fringe”, “frontier” and “exploration” in front of the word “science” to describe the work. (This community is featured on The Anomalist website – www.anomalist.com.) The conclusions they reach are at variance with what is taught as conventional science. Because these ideas are outside the mainstream consensus and… Read More: Unorthodox and proud of it »