Ben Goldacre September 15, 2008
Posted by CamdenKiwi in : Camden,Miscellany , add a commentMy favourite Guardian columnist, Dr Ben Goldacre, has released a book, so tonight a couple of hundred fans packed into the downstairs bar at the Penderel’s Oak on High Holburn to hear him.
If you don’t know his work, look it up. He does a fantastic job of debunking the sillier myths of medical pseudoscience, particularly taking aim at institutions and explaining how evidence in medicine really works. Various ‘professional bodies’ in alternative medicine and quackery take regular beatings, a nice balance to the normal ‘wellbeing’ tripe which even the Guardian is inclined to peddle.
His basic theme is that most people can understand science if its explained properly, and it is the responsibility of professionals and the media to do that. He is particularly harsh on journalists who do science and health reporting without really understanding what they’re talking about.
Despite the overcrowding, and the lousy sound system, he’s worth hearing if only because his is a rare voice in the midst of the gullible silliness which passes for so much health news. For an added treat, he publishes his del.icio.us feed, so you can follow his wanderings around the web, with frequent gems.
Virtual Beachcombing March 11, 2008
Posted by CamdenKiwi in : Miscellany , 2 commentsThe last couple of hours have disappeared down the broadband pipe, and I collected some interesting flotsam on the way.
First, a serious, if light-hearted, take on the use of web 2.0 technologies by political activists, and why it may not be such a bad thing that so many people use so much technology just to swap pictures of cute cats.
I’m starting to get worried about Phorm, a new ad-serving mechanism where your ISP logs all your traffic and uses it to let participating sites decide which ads you get to see. I don’t mind targetted advertising, but I don’t expect the pipe seller to be looking at what goes through the pipes. Sticky paws off my data, Virgin Media! I first saw this story in The Register (see related links at the end) last week, and it hit the Guardian a couple of days ago.
If you’re in the UK, and haven’t been watching The Last Enemy, download it on iplayer, and watch the latest episode now. And then worry about where the surveillance society is taking us, and whether Robert Carlyle will be the new Doctor Who. Anamaria Marinca, last seen in Sex Traffic on Channel 4, is extremely good.
Keeping an eye on sites which regularly debunk pseudo-scientific silliness is a favourite hobby. Real Climate expects you to read some maths, but rewards the effort. Ben Goldacre, writer of the Bad Science column in the Guardian is a lot more accessible, and pointed me to Phun. Just download it and watch the hours slip away.
And Phun led me over to YouTube, where I’ve been meaning to watch Sigur Ros’ film Heima. I seem to be accumulating a vast collection of 80s music videos and clips of favourite actors over there, which you can see on my YouTube profile.
