Friday, 16 July 2010

The Periodic Table of Irrational Nonsense

I thought I'd try and apply the rational to the irrational, and came up with this.

Click image to access the interactive table
Version 2.1


Postscript:
Since originally posting the periodic table of irrational nonsense I have had a number of requests to reproduce the table in different languages and perhaps a sanitised version suitable for schools, so here are a few alternative versions:


Sanitised English Version

German Version

Das Periodensystem des irrationalen Unsinns

Kindly translated by Ingo Leschnewsky



Spanish Version
La tabla periódica de las tonterías irracionales
Kindly translated by Fernando L. Frías



Dutch Version
De Periodieke Tabel van Irrationele Nonsens

kindly translated by Herman Boel



Greek Versions
Ο Περιοδικός Πίνακας των Αλλόκοτων Αντιλήψεων
created by Evan T based on my original table


Brazilian Portuguese VersionKindly translated by Antonio Caldas



Merchandise

I've also received numerous requests to make the design available on T-Shirts and posters. I initially uploaded the T-Shirt design to RedBubble and CafePress. The Red Bubble T-Shirts came out really well (I ordered one myself), but I got dissapointing feedback from teh CafePress T-Shirts.

Here's a close up of my RedBubble T-Shirt:

I have now removed the T-Shirts from CafePress and made a few tweaks to the design on RedBubble. (I've increased the font size slightly, removed the shadow text effect and made the colour contrast on the key more distinct), so they should be even better now. I've also uploaded a design with white text that can be printed on a dark T-Shirt.


Or the original Light T-Shirt design:

The posters are still available on CafePress, as I have received only positive feedback comments from people who have ordered the posters:

Monday, 5 July 2010

Pope Benedict Gets Comments

As luck would have it, I happened upon another papal facebook screenshot.

Click image to enlarge ...

Saturday, 3 July 2010

Vatican Firewall Breached

Computer hackers recently managed to breach the Vatican's firewall and gain unrestricted access to the private papal facebook accounts.

Vatican technicians quickly closed the loophole but not before this exclusive screen-shot of the Pope's private facebook account had been taken.

Click to embiggen and read the Pope's private facebook posts ...


Thursday, 1 July 2010

Cowell Accused of Failing to Act on Sex Abuse Case

Simon Cowell has joined mounting music industry criticism of the authorities’ treatment of alleged child sex offender, Gary Glitter, during his 3 years incarceration, calling their actions deplorable.

In a message to music industry executives, Cowell expressed solidarity “in this moment of sadness”.

The Music Industry has admitted that several cases of paedophile musicians have been reported to record label executives during the past 20 years. But it is not known how many musicians have subsequently lost their record deals under Pop Law - or how many have been prosecuted by police.

There has been a wave of allegations in the past few months that music executives failed to deal properly with musicians and singers accused of child sex abuse, sometimes just moving them to new bands.

Simon Cowell himself has been accused of being part of a culture of secrecy, and of not taking strong enough steps against paedophile musicians.

As we now live in a multi-genre musical society and more and more people are choosing not to associate themselves with any musical genre at all, there is a growing voice calling for musicians accused of sex abuses to be simply investigated by the police rather than being dealt with by record label bosses.

Monday, 28 June 2010

Randi Set To Lose the Million Dollar Challenge

Judging on Paul the "psychic" Octopus's current form, pundits have tipped him to win the Million Dollar Challenge.

P.Z. Myers is rumoured to be coaching the cephalopod in preparation for the challenge.

Hat Tip: Dr*T

Friday, 25 June 2010

Skeptic Park 3 featuring Dr. Evan Harris


Take a look at Dr. Evan Harris's parliamentary record on Skeptical Voter and if you would like to help to get Evan back in Parliament please join this Facebook Group to see what you can do to help.

Related Posts:
Homeopathy Evidence Check with Evan Harris and Ben Goldacre
Skeptic Trumps: Evan Harris
Skeptic Park 1
Skeptic Park 2

And Skeptic Park 4 will no doubt appear with the same tired punch line next time a fellow Skeptic falls foul of the forces of irrationality.

Thursday, 24 June 2010

BOMBASTIC MIND by MENTAL HEALTH



Just received this great video from Simon Le Boggit of Mental Health. He writes ...

It's all happening next week. The song BOMBASTIC MIND by my band MENTAL HEALTH has been chosen as one of 40 songs taking part in the Storm The Charts campaign (stormthecharts.com), which currently has over 30,000 supporters signed up to it.

The idea is to flood the UK Top 40 chart with 40 songs by fresh new "unsigned" artists. The mass download week starts at midnight on Saturday 26th June, and runs through to Sunday 4th July - "Independent's Day".

The BOMBASTIC MIND mp3 can be downloaded from Amazon, iTunes etc – details of their UK branches (which register on the UK chart) can be found on MENTAL HEALTH’s website here:

http://healthilymental.weebly.com/amazon-itunes-etc.html
I rather liked it, but then I am a massive Stranglers fan.

Wednesday, 16 June 2010

The TAM London MegaChurch Exposed

Of course I’m quite tizzy with anticipation at the prospect of spending two days in October with a whole bunch of like minded people and skeptical celebrities.

Even though my presence at The Amazing Meeting, London was never in doubt, I was rather intrigued by this comparison of TAM London with those god-awful American MegaChurches.

This heretical association was so promptly and vehemently denied by the TAM London organizers that I grew suspicious of their paranoia.

I have therefore been investigating the secret dark religious underbelly of TAM London and I have unearthed the following disturbing similarities.

Firstly, all delegates will start the day by reciting the Randi Prayer in unison:

Our Conjuror
Who art in Florida
Amazing be thy name
Thy Million-Dollar Challenge
Will not be done
Give us this day
Empirical evidence
And debunk our irrationality
As we debunk those who make unsubstantiated claims to us
And lead us not into woo woo
But deliver us from credulity
For thine is the rationality
The logic and the reason
Until unequivocal evidence proves otherwise

There will also be Skeptical Hymns lead by Tim Minchin and a Scripture study with Robin Ince who will be reading the lessons from the gospels of Carl Sagan.

What’s more, I am unreliably informed that Father Wiseman and Monsignor French will man skeptical confession boxes. These will offer the congregation the ability to anonymously confess their secret irrational beliefs, such as once visiting a naturopath or even being abducted by aliens. Delegates will be then been given a suitable penance before being granted absolution from their dirty irrational beliefs.

In addition to this, delegates will be invited to partake in a Skeptical communion where they will consume the body and blood of Douglas Adams, thinly disguised as bangers and mash with a pint of warm beer.

Finally I even hear the event may well include the beatification of Martin Gardner.

Assuming they don’t excommunicate me, I’ll see you there