Sometimes even smart people can be truly daft for what are essentially religious reasons

Cristina Odone is a journalist, novelist and broadcaster. She is also a Research Fellow at the Centre for Policy Studies, and a deputy editor of the New Statesman. That all sounds really impressive, so what’s the problem? What I have choked upon is her latest article in the Telegraph, it is packed full of not … Read more

Egyptian statue moves by itself … is it “possessed” or is it something else?

It has gone a bit viral, a 4000 Year Old Egyptian statue in a Manchester museum in the UK has been reported to be moving on its own, and so now everybody is chipping in with suggestions. OK, so when I say statue, I’m not talking life-size, it is only a 10-inch tall statue of … Read more

Wine-tasting … even the supposed experts are fooled.

There are many things that quite a lot of people now know are complete nonsense … astrology, homoeopathy  psychics, etc… Why? Well because when you test them in a truly double-blind scientific manner you eliminate the normal human bias, and soon discover in a consistent manner that the claim asserted is not true. You will of … Read more

Electronic intercepts and law enforcement – mining Big Data

As I watch the rising tide of rage being directed against the authorities because of their use of electronic intercepts, I cannot help but wonder if there is some form of social alzheimer’s at work. Glenn Greenwald, writes in the Guardian … “Who is actually bringing ‘injury to America’: those who are secretly building a massive surveillance system or … Read more