Skepticality is the official biweekly podcast of
The Skeptics SocietyThe Skeptics Society is a nonprofit, member-supported organization devoted to promoting scientific skepticism and resisting the spread of pseudoscience, superstition, and irrational beliefs. The Skeptics Society was originally founded as a Los Angeles-area skeptical group to replace the defunct...
's
SkepticSkeptic is a quarterly science education and science advocacy magazine published internationally by The Skeptics Society, a nonprofit organization devoted to promoting scientific skepticism and resisting the spread of pseudoscience, superstition, and irrational beliefs...
magazine. It explores
rational thoughtIn philosophy, rationality and reason are the key methods used to analyze the data gathered through systematically gathered observations. In economics, sociology, and political science, a decision or situation is often called rational if it is in some sense optimal, and individuals or organizations...
,
skepticalIn classical philosophy, skepticism is the teachings and the traits of the 'Skeptikoi', a school of philosophers of whom it was said that they 'asserted nothing but only opined.' In this sense, philosophical skepticism, or Pyrrhonism, is the philosophical position that one should suspend...
ideas, and famous
mythsMythology is the study of myths and or of a body of myths. For example, comparative mythology is the study of connections between myths from different cultures, whereas Greek mythology is the body of myths from ancient Greece. The term "myth" is often used colloquially to refer to a false story;...
from around the world and throughout history. Beginning in April 2005, it has featured interviews with famous skeptics, such as
James RandiJames Randi is a stage magician and scientific skeptic best known as a challenger of paranormal claims and pseudoscience. Randi is the founder of the James Randi Educational Foundation...
, and scientists, such as author and astronomer Phil Plait.
Skepticality is co-hosted by
Derek ColandunoDerek Colanduno is an American skeptic and podcaster. He is the creator and co-host, with Robynn "Swoopy" McCarthy, of the talk show Skepticality, the official biweekly podcast of The Skeptics Society's Skeptic magazine....
and "Swoopy"
Robynn McCarthyRobynn "Swoopy" McCarthy is an American skeptic and podcaster. She is the producer and co-host, with Derek Colanduno, of the talk show Skepticality, the official biweekly podcast of The Skeptics Society's Skeptic magazine...
.
On September 7, 2005, during a
keynoteA keynote in literature, music or public speaking is the principal underlying theme. In corporate or commercial settings, greater importance is attached to the delivery of a keynote speech or keynote address...
address, Apple
CEOA chief executive officer or chief executive is one of the highest-ranking corporate officers or administrators in charge of total management...
Steve JobsSteven Paul "Steve" Jobs is an American businessman, and the co-founder and chief executive officer of Apple Inc. Jobs previously served as CEO of Pixar Animation Studios....
, mentioned
Skepticality as one of the top nine podcasts at the iTunes Music Store.
Skepticality is the official biweekly podcast of
The Skeptics SocietyThe Skeptics Society is a nonprofit, member-supported organization devoted to promoting scientific skepticism and resisting the spread of pseudoscience, superstition, and irrational beliefs. The Skeptics Society was originally founded as a Los Angeles-area skeptical group to replace the defunct...
's
SkepticSkeptic is a quarterly science education and science advocacy magazine published internationally by The Skeptics Society, a nonprofit organization devoted to promoting scientific skepticism and resisting the spread of pseudoscience, superstition, and irrational beliefs...
magazine. It explores
rational thoughtIn philosophy, rationality and reason are the key methods used to analyze the data gathered through systematically gathered observations. In economics, sociology, and political science, a decision or situation is often called rational if it is in some sense optimal, and individuals or organizations...
,
skepticalIn classical philosophy, skepticism is the teachings and the traits of the 'Skeptikoi', a school of philosophers of whom it was said that they 'asserted nothing but only opined.' In this sense, philosophical skepticism, or Pyrrhonism, is the philosophical position that one should suspend...
ideas, and famous
mythsMythology is the study of myths and or of a body of myths. For example, comparative mythology is the study of connections between myths from different cultures, whereas Greek mythology is the body of myths from ancient Greece. The term "myth" is often used colloquially to refer to a false story;...
from around the world and throughout history. Beginning in April 2005, it has featured interviews with famous skeptics, such as
James RandiJames Randi is a stage magician and scientific skeptic best known as a challenger of paranormal claims and pseudoscience. Randi is the founder of the James Randi Educational Foundation...
, and scientists, such as author and astronomer Phil Plait.
Skepticality is co-hosted by
Derek ColandunoDerek Colanduno is an American skeptic and podcaster. He is the creator and co-host, with Robynn "Swoopy" McCarthy, of the talk show Skepticality, the official biweekly podcast of The Skeptics Society's Skeptic magazine....
and "Swoopy"
Robynn McCarthyRobynn "Swoopy" McCarthy is an American skeptic and podcaster. She is the producer and co-host, with Derek Colanduno, of the talk show Skepticality, the official biweekly podcast of The Skeptics Society's Skeptic magazine...
.
History
On September 7, 2005, during a
keynoteA keynote in literature, music or public speaking is the principal underlying theme. In corporate or commercial settings, greater importance is attached to the delivery of a keynote speech or keynote address...
address, Apple
CEOA chief executive officer or chief executive is one of the highest-ranking corporate officers or administrators in charge of total management...
Steve JobsSteven Paul "Steve" Jobs is an American businessman, and the co-founder and chief executive officer of Apple Inc. Jobs previously served as CEO of Pixar Animation Studios....
, mentioned
Skepticality as one of the top nine podcasts at the iTunes Music Store. On that same day, the podcast's future was thrust into uncertainty. Little over an hour after Jobs' comment, co-host Derek Colanduno suffered an
aneurysmAn aneurysm or aneurism , is a localized, blood-filled dilation of a blood vessel caused by disease or weakening of the vessel wall....
-like brain
AVMArteriovenous malformation or AVM is an abnormal connection between veins and arteries, usually congenital. This pathology is widely known because of its occurrence in the central nervous system, but can appear in any location....
. Two days later, in an emotional three-minute message, Swoopy announced his condition on
Skepticality. For the next week, as he lay in a medicated
comaIn medicine, a coma is a profound state of unconsciousness. A comatose person cannot be awakened, fails to respond normally to pain or light, does not have sleep-wake cycles, and does not take voluntary actions....
, friends of Derek broadcast messages of hope via the podcast. More detail on Derek's personal website.
http://www.colanduno.com/?page_id=86
Swoopy and Derek's wife provided daily updates of Derek's condition via the show's online
message boardAn ', or message board, is an online discussion site. It originated as the modern equivalent of a traditional bulletin board, and a technological evolution of the dialup bulletin board system. From a technological standpoint, forums or boards are web applications managing user-generated content...
s. Weeks later, he regained consciousness and began undergoing therapy. Swoopy gradually found time to produce new shows, calling on others to act as co-host. In December 2005, Derek returned to the weekly broadcast, as he now requires only part-time rehabilitation.
After an episode on February 12, 2006, the hosts took the longest break the program has seen since its inception
http://www.skepticality.org/p_listentopast.php. No updates of the podcast were posted via the feed or the website from that time until August 14, 2006. During that time, however, the hosts remained active on
the podcast's website discussion forum. In a posting made to the forum on June 11, 2006, Derek Colanduno noted work towards and the possibility of an imminent episode
http://www.skepticality.com/iboard/. The long-awaited episode finally appeared on August 14, 2006, with an announcement that
Skepticality was now the
Skeptic magazine's official podcast.
Recurrent Guests
The show has a number of guests who have been featured on more than one show. Amongst them are
James RandiJames Randi is a stage magician and scientific skeptic best known as a challenger of paranormal claims and pseudoscience. Randi is the founder of the James Randi Educational Foundation...
, Phil Plait, Pamela Gay & sceptical musician George Hrab.
Asteroids
In an interview with Derek during the June 1, 2006 episode of
Slacker AstronomySlacker Astronomy is a weekly audio podcast about astronomy news that aired weekly from February 24, 2005 to September 14, 2006. After that, it branched out as a video podcast, blog, forum and a wiki called Slackerpedia Galactica....
http://www.slackerastronomy.org/ , the naming of Asteroids
106545 Colanduno106545 Colanduno is an asteroid. It was discovered by Jeffrey S. Medkeff on November 28, 2000. Its provisional name was '. It was named after Derek Colanduno, American producer and co-host of the podcast Skepticality. It has an absolute magnitude of 15.1 and an orbital period of 1932.37 days....
http://neo.jpl.nasa.gov/cgi-bin/db_shm?sstr=mccarthy and
106537 McCarthy106537 McCarthy is an asteroid. It was discovered by Jeffrey S. Medkeff on November 23, 2000. Its provisional name was '. It was named after Robynn "Swoopy" McCarthy, American producer and co-host of the podcast Skepticality. It has an absolute magnitude of 16.1 and an orbital period of 1283.12...
http://neo.jpl.nasa.gov/cgi-bin/db_shm?sstr=colanduno was announced to the world. The asteroids were named in homage to the hosts of
Skepticality by their discoverer the late
Jeff MedkeffJeffrey S. Medkeff was born in 1968 and died on 3 August 2008. He was a prominent science writer and educator. He was also a designer of robotic telescopes, a minor philanthropist, and an advocate of personal and sexual freedom.-Early life:Medkeff was born in Akron, Ohio in 1968, and was raised in...
, who said, "My naming of these asteroids for you is a token of my esteem for you and your accomplishments. Someday, I hope to meet you two."
http://www.skepticality.com/iboard/.
Awards
In 2007,
Skepticality were recognized for excellence in podcasting with the Best Speculative Fiction News Podcast award at the
Parsec AwardsThe Parsec Awards are a set of annual awards created to recognize excellence in science fiction podcasts. The awards were created by Mur Lafferty, Tracy Hickman and Michael R. Mennenga and awarded by FarPoint Media. They were first presented in 2006 at DragonCon....
and Best Science Podcast award at the Podcast Peer Awards, selected by registered fellow podcasters. Both presentations were made at Dragon*Con 2007 in
Atlanta, GeorgiaAtlanta is the capital and most populous city in the state of Georgia, as well as the urban core of one of the fastest-growing metropolitan areas in the United States....
.
On November 22, 2007, the
Skepticality podcast was listed as "Site of the Week" on SciFi.com's
Sci Fi Weekly.
On August 9th, 2008,
Skepticality was named "Podcast of the Week" by
The TimesThe Times is a daily national newspaper published in the United Kingdom since 1785 when it was known as The Daily Universal Register....
.
External links