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developed by JhackAbout Skeptikai
Skeptikai defends science and exposes pseudoscience. Living in Japan also allows for an interesting opportunity to discuss fascinating stories that go unnoticed elsewhere. Psychological phenomena and intriguing cases from around the globe are also regularly highlighted.
Should You Let Your Kid Date in Middle/High School? Science Gives a Surprising AnswerYoung love can show you things about yourself you've never known. It can bring you to…
In Japan, Strangers are More Likely than Family to Give CPR for Cardiac ArrestWhen it comes to Japanese people giving CPR to someone suffering a cardiac arrest, it…
Power and Rape – Part 2: How to Create a Breeding Ground for Sex OffendersAs I mentioned in Part 1, rape is tolerated in the military because the acknowledgment of…
Power and Rape – Part 1: Rape in the Military is a Career Killer… for the VictimIf you ever wanted to know just how bad "blaming the victim" can get, look no further than the…
Does Chewing Gum Help You Concentrate?If you want to be a rocket scientist, you might want to start chewing that stick of gum.…
Possessed by Demons, Animals, and Nonsense"Japan doesn't have that stuff. That's more of a Western thing." Just like I constantly…
SATIRAN – Part 3: “Judicial Theatre,” or Judgment for the 2010 IsraeliIn May 2010, the "Gaza Freedom Flotilla" was sent to give humanitarian aid and…
Study: Close Relationships Aren’t Necessarily BetterIt makes sense, doesn't it? The closer you are to someone, the better your relationship…
Are Religious People More Charitable, Generous, and Altruistic than Atheists?According to a Canadian study from 2008, religious people are "more helpful, honest and…
Gender, Age, Socioeconomic, and Cultural Differences in Social Networking Site UsageOnline social networks has become an interesting platform for research, and hundreds if…
Category Archives: Blogging
Skeptikai Turns Two Years Old!
The blogging on Skeptikai started two years ago, and I’m happy to say things have been going well since then. I’m always learning new things, and the site itself has been growing faster than I had expected. If you’re a recurring reader, I encourage you to leave a comment on what things you like/dislike about the site. I’ll do more of what you like and less of what you don’t like if I can. Anyways, here are my thoughts, achievements, and failures, regarding the past year of blogging.
Posted in Blogging
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The Brain is Not Simply Split into Two Totally Separate Halves, and Other Lessons on Skepticism
One year ago, I wrote an article that skewered the infographic that one website had been sending to the public. I showed the evidence that contradicted what was claimed, and I ended up busting two persistent myths in that article. The first myth was that the two hemispheres of the brain (right and left) were radically different sections of the brain; the second myth was that people have distinct learning styles, which make some people “visual learners,” while others are “audial learners,” etc. I don’t mind explaining this stuff to laypeople, but there’s something unnerving about the email I got from one of the creators of the infographic.
Posted in Blogging, Media, Neuroscience, Psychology, Science, Skepticism
Tagged brain, movies
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Skeptikai’s 2012 Year-End Review (July – December)
The year has come to an end, and it’s time to look back at some of my favourite pieces from 2012. The latter half of the year has been full of fear, stupidity, and hysteria; but even when it seems that times are the most bleak, it’s best to stay optimistic about our current situation and about the future. So the following articles are my favorites for each month. Click the picture if you want to see the article.
Posted in Aggregators/lists/rankings, Blogging, Culture, Japan, Psychology, Science, Skepticism
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Skeptikai’s 2012 Year-End Review (January – June)
The year has come to an end, and it’s time to look back at some of my favourite pieces from 2012. The first half of 2012 saw lots of misconceptions. For example, hypnosis, neuroscience, intelligence, etc. These are some of the things people constantly misunderstand because of the way they are being reported in the media by people who likewise have only a rudimentary understanding of it.
Skeptikai Reaches 100k! …Impressive or not?
Skeptikai started in January 2011, and I’m happy to say that it has grown substantially every few months. First with bursts of a hundred or so people per day, then with hundreds, and then thousands. I can’t say whether or not they all actually stay to read my articles in their entirety, but regardless, I’m happy to say that the total hit count has reached 100,000. And I’m always surprised at the ever-time-consuming nature of managing this blog, because it’s all done by myself. But should I really be celebrating?
Posted in Blogging
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Skeptikai Reaches Another Milestone! – Admitting Being Wrong
I made a mistake. I recently published a post critiquing a research article on the notion of “gaydar,” investigating whether or not it may have been “bogus science.” My conclusion was essentially that it was poorly conducted. I still maintain that it could have been conducted better, but I no longer believe that it was bad science. This shift in my opinion came in the form of a tweet, when the lead author kindly informed me that I made a factual error in my post. So I apologize to the researchers, Joshua Tabak and Vivian Zayas, for reporting these errors. Let this set the record straight.
Posted in Blogging, Science
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The Social Network Wars in Japan – Mixi, Twitter, and Facebook
The popularity of Facebook is growing to such proportions that it has some people worried that it’s “killing local social networks around the world.” Indeed, as you can see from the map above, the number of users is staggering. And this map is over a year old, so it does not take into account the publicity that came after the release of “The Social Network” in 2011. In fact, that film was a big factor in what made the website more popular in Japan. But now that Facebook’s popularity is increasing, the question many people are asking is: What is the future of social networking in Japan?
Posted in Blogging, Culture, Japan, Technology
Tagged facebook, social networking, twitter
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Blogging is Good for Your Memory
In a very real sense, blogging is good for your memory. It’s a shame that not more people know this, but I intend to make that point clear here. There’s an old adage that if you want to master something, you should teach it. Obviously teaching something doesn’t automatically make you an expert, but the fact of the matter is that in order to competently teach something, you must know it well. This is why many students study better when they know they have an upcoming test, and why science bloggers (if they’re competent) know plenty about what they discuss. The medium of blogging forces us to research, or else face the well-deserved scrutiny that comes along with public discourse. For this reason, blogging takes a lot of effort, but as you’ll see, it’s certainly worth it.
Skeptikai Turns One Year Old! And My Top 10 Picks
One year ago today, Skeptikai became a reality. Since then, a hell of a lot has happened. Obviously I never expected the March 11 earthquake here in Japan, so I didn’t realize just how much time would be dedicated to that; and yet I still have so much more to say about it. But I wanted to use this article to look back at 2011 in terms of the research I’ve done and the articles I have written. You’ll be able to get an idea of what this blog is about, for those of you that haven’t been here before; or a recap of what articles have become popular.
Posted in Aggregators/lists/rankings, Blogging
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Truth and Fantasy, and the SOPA bill
I have good news and potentially very bad news. First, the good news.
I am happy to announce the opening of Truth and Fantasy, a blog that I have just started with several others who wish to start blogging. The style will likely be similar to Skeptikai, in that we (or I?) will continue on the pursuit of educating people on matters of public interest. But of course, it will not be so focused on Japan. There seems to be a lot of interest in law and politics, which is not something I have focused on too extensively, though it has informed some of my articles. I presume that the beginning will be relatively slow, as the new bloggers on the site get used to their role (I am already accustomed to blogging) but I’m sure it will pick up rapidly. As for the bad news…