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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.
What are the Most Corrupt Countries In the World Today?There is plenty of malice, crime, and corruption in today's political systems around the…
Cooperating Online Gives Students Better GradesDo you work well alone? Do other people get in your way or distract you from your studies?…
What is Rakugo?Rakugo isn't a word the English-speaking world knows; but if one Canadian can help it, the…
How Many Teenage Daughters Are Meeting Strangers from the Internet Offline?A new study has just come out which reveals something about the relationship between…
Vaccine Psychology – Part 1: Vaccine Price Influences Perceived Risk of InfectionEven the adults who are rational enough to know that vaccines are a good thing (as opposed…
Can the Colour of the Cup Change the Flavour of What’s Inside?Researchers haven't found that the colour of a cup actually changes the taste of a cup of…
Skeptikai Turns Two Years Old!The blogging on Skeptikai started two years ago, and I'm happy to say things have been…
The Brain is Not Simply Split into Two Totally Separate Halves, and Other Lessons onOne year ago, I wrote an article that skewered the infographic that one website had been…
Egyptian Satirists Are in Serious Danger of Angering the AuthoritiesIf you watch any of the English-subtitled videos of Bassem Youssef, you get the distinct…
In-Laws Bring A Couple Together… or Tear Them ApartA new study has shed some light on the influence in-laws can have on a relationship, and…
Category Archives: Blogging
Skeptikai Becomes a Blip!
A few days ago, Skeptikai reached 10,000 hits. That is, either the same person kept clicking on the same few pages over and over, or my articles are actually being read. Ten thousand is really not impressive for bloggers who get more than that per day, but this is a big accomplishment for me. I have no sponsors, no blogroll exchanges, and basically this site is 100% found by Google searches & random obscure links from places like Facebook or Reddit, neither of which I use. So I can now say that Skeptikai has become a blip on the radar. Nothing big, but it’s a start.
Posted in Blogging
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Skeptikai on Twitter
Since I’m constantly told how great Twitter is, I decided to join a week ago. I’m not sure how it will affect my blogging, but so far I have no major complaints since I started using it last week. I’ve been making some minor changes to my blog as well, though I can’t get facebook to sync with this website, and I’m thinking of just giving up on it. Maybe twitter is enough. Anyways, beyond the general update on Skeptikai, I also decided to look up interesting facts about Twitter. I found lots. I admit, I didn’t realize how much Japan has affected twitter; and I had no idea how much Twitter has affected Japan.
Living in a Radioactive Japan
Since yesterday morning, the situation in Japan has become much more serious, which is hard to believe considering the damage already done. The Fukushima Daiichi (#1) nuclear power plant suffered a third hydrogen explosion, followed by a serious fire that resulted in the release of more radioactive materials into the atmosphere. This is in the wake of an update on the death toll: Over 3600 confirmed, with thousands more unaccounted for. This is already the most loss of life Japan has faced in a national disaster since WWII, but the death toll is still on the rise. No country in the world is more prepared for earthquakes than Japan, but the Great Tōhoku Earthquake set off a cascade of catastrophes that are still unfolding beyond our most imaginative nightmares.
Posted in Blogging, Japan, Medicine & Health, Science, Technology
Tagged natural disasters, radioactivity
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Second Wave of Tōhoku Crisis
The first wave of earthquakes in and around Japan was unbelievable. One massive earthquake of magnitude 9 (it was recently upgraded), making it the 4th biggest earthquake since 1900; with around 200 aftershocks of magnitude 5 or greater, and a tsunami that levelled entire towns. The death toll, according to Miyagi police, will definitely be above 10,000.
Many prefectures are left literally in the dark. Since earlier in the day (Japan time) seven prefectures have not been able to receive TV signals, and many cities around the quakes are struggling without power. Many people in Northern Tohoku are just starting to get their power back since the crisis began. Meanwhile, the tsunami has been doing damage in other countries.
Posted in Blogging, Japan
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The Great 2011 Tōhoku Quake
I was well aware of the Great Kantō Quake of 1923, which killed 140,000 people in and around Tokyo. I was also well aware that there is a roughly 80-year cycle, and that there was an extremely good chance that it would happen while I was here. But it still felt completely out of the blue today. I don’t want to make a habit of “personal blogging,” but I consider this news worthy.
Hello, ようこそ、 and welcome!
This is the first post on Skeptikai.
Let’s jump right in.
Many people have unwarranted heuristics about the information on blogs. Heuristics are mental shortcuts that allow us to quickly sort out lots of information, like the “expensive = high quality” heuristic. Sure, the $25000 ring may be “better” than the $15000 ring… but sometimes this is just a way to manipulate customers who don’t know the true value of a product.
Posted in Blogging
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