Things have been busy behind the scenes of the hopeful TV series, “The Skeptologists.”  One of them I would like to briefly share with you today.

What makes The Skeptologists a truly great show concept and a worthy bit of entertainment is firstly, the cast! Our cast is a world-class mix of knowledge, experience and talent from several different areas of expertise. Recently we’ve had to say goodbye to one of them. Dr. Phil Plait leaves the active cast of the Skeptologists to pursue his hosting role on Bad Universe on the Discovery Channel.  We are so proud of his new opportunity, and I trust that everyone will greatly support his efforts with that new venture.  Dr. Plait has and continues to support our work on the show and of course, we’ll always consider him a very important member of the team, whether he appears on camera or not.

Dr. Gay joins the Cast of The Skeptologists

While we are sad to see Dr. Plait leave the on-camera cast, his departure has opened the door for a new member that we are very excited to announce: Dr. Pamela L. Gay will step in and fill Phil’s mighty big shoes as the resident astronomer and scientist with knowledge regarding all things spacey. You no doubt have heard about her successful podcast, AstronomyCast which she Co-Hosts with Fraser Cain. Her online website StarStryder.com is a great source to find information about some of her many exploits.

Dr. Gay is a tremendous resource for our show she has already begun helping us out behind the scenes to get some new opportunities opened up for us.

We are very glad to have Dr. Gay on board and look forward to a rewarding relationship with her.

Welcome Dr. Pamela Gay!

The votes are tallied, and the ballots are in, after much consideration, deliberation and libation, we have selected the graphic artist whose work will be featured on our newest television project promotional materials.

Jeff Pedigo created a terrific graphic which met all our requirements and really captured the essence that we were looking for. His skills are nothing short of amazing. If you want to see some of his other talents or are needing graphic work for anything, please check out his website at www.jeffpedigo.com he truly wears many hats and has many skills!

Because of the confidential nature of the project at this stage, unfortunately, I am not able to share the result with you all in this public forum….yet.  Rest assured that as soon as we get some of those legal and production details in place, we’ll be splashing his hard work all over the place!

Thanks again for your help, and we’ll be in touch soon again with more information and possibly other opportunities.

We’re working on another top secret project, but we need your help.  If you are handy with a graphics program, please take a few minutes to create a logo for one of our new projects and send it in by Sunday July 11^th. We’ll accept all entries that fit our specifications and the creator of the logo that we select for use will receive a copy of both Skeptoid books, signed by author Brian Dunning, and a DVD of Here Be Dragons, bragging rights and of course our perpetual thanks!

All submissions become property of Skeptologists Partners and all creators release all rights to their use.

To enter, please send me an email: Ryan@newrule.com I’ll reply with further details of the project and specifications. Remember we’ll need all submissions by July 12^th.

Throughout the years mankind has engaged the minds of many to create tools and machine that would allow them to work, understand, communicate, be entertained by and create objects that advance our civilizations.

In the past, such persons who had mastery over their ability to create or understand, were often either revered or shunned by their fellow man.

Recently, Apple Inc. released a device that they repeatedly claim is Magical and Revolutionary!

When I un-boxed the popular Apple iPad device, I kept thinking about how the word magical was a bad choice for marketing lingo. I get it, why it would be used, but my skeptical mind kept pushing back on it a bit.

The definition of magic describes many meanings in our popular culture:
I readily identify myself as a skeptic, and as such, I have found myself jumping to conclusions that I should not. I am careful to always mention in discussions about being a skeptic, that it doesn’t mean that I’m a cynic. …Though sometime I catch myself being just that.

magic |ˈmajik|
noun
the power of apparently influencing the course of events by using mysterious or supernatural forces : do you believe in magic? | suddenly, as if by magic, the doors start to open.
• mysterious tricks, such as making things disappear and appear again, performed as entertainment.
• a quality that makes something seem removed from everyday life, esp. in a way that gives delight : the magic of the theater.
• informal something that has such a quality : their seaside town is pure magic.
adjective
1 used in magic or working by magic; having or apparently having supernatural powers : a magic wand.
• [ attrib. ] very effective in producing results, esp. desired ones : confidence is the magic ingredient needed to spark recovery.
2 informal wonderful; exciting : what a magic moment.

I’m a techno junkie, and now an acknowledged Apple Fan-boy. Simply, I have found that for the majority of the work that I do on a daily basis, the products that Apple has made, have contributed to a more enjoyable, efficient and rewarding experience in those tasks. So, if Apple make the stuff I like and enjoy, I’ll continue to use their products. I look at these devices as tools, no more, no less.

I was literally counting down the days until my Apple iPad arrived several weeks ago. I couldn’t wait to see how the experience of this piece of technology would transform my experience of working with technology. But, “magical”? Ugh, c’mon! It sounds so hocus-pocus, and is apt to turn people off to it, I thought. I want this to succeed so that others follow and push the envelope of technology as Apple has. Call it magical and people are going to expect it vanish ladies and make rabbits appear!

Then an amazing thing happened. After the first week of “It’s so incredible” finally started to become more like “wow, I can do that too!?”, I got back down to business with this new tablet device in my daily workflow. If we strictly define magic as it’s stated above, the iPad, (and by that account, probably many other pieces of technology in our daily lives) could be said to be truly magical.

Certainly by it’s appearance, it COULD be held as magical. If I was handed an iPad in say, 1950 for example, would I not think that a glowing interactive device that is a mere ½” thick, makes no noise, does not get warm and consists of a smooth aluminum, case and shiny glass top was not a magical device, or maybe an artifact from an alien world? Though, admittedly, getting a WiFi signal in 1950 might prove a bit difficult.

Applying the definition above to this device, one could honestly say that it’s magic. The only element that pulls it from what we skeptics understand as magic would be the simple fact that we know that it is a manufactured piece of technology not from the future or alien beings even.

If we didn’t know this fact, how could we then, separate this from magic?

As our technology advances further and further, its becomes more and more difficult to rationalize with our individual minds how the things it can do are even possible. Arthur C. Clarke posits in his Third Law of Prediction: “Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic.”

Mr. Clarke, so right you are. While I continue to inform myself and try to inform others of the REAL world of wonder and amazement separated from the false, and misleading in our lives, I will keep my little iPad tucked safely under my arm, and realize, that maybe, magic is real after all.

All of this is to say that, I and others should not be so quick to dismiss, but rather should re-direct the point of view in which we analyze things. Maybe we need to continually update and re-evaluate how we interpret the common language used in our world, and the gut-reactions that we skeptics come to infer from it.

Our skepticism can be a much more open and accepting world-view.

If we let it.

Enjoy!

Now, as I spend my day making videos, working on pitch materials for The Skeptologists and also making breakaway bottles for SMASHProps, I have a lot of time available to listen to many great podcasts. Most are skeptically themed and feature several of the authors that contribute regularly to this blog.

One podcast that I listen to regularly is the Tech Stuff Podcast, from the folks over at HowStuffWorks.com. Chris Pollette and Jonathan Strickland regularly take on topics related to technology from how fiber optics work to the best Easter eggs found in video games. When I scrolled through my menu of choices for my evening listening, last night, I saw that the latest offering from tech stuff was labeled “Ghost Hunting Technology.” I have to admit that I almost skipped it! My fear was that I’d listen to this podcast and have to stop listening to their future shows because of something that they said and I would have lost all “faith” in their ability to report on topics related to, well, anything!

This is a mainstream podcast. While tech-heavy, it’s aimed at a general audience and as such cannot be considered a skeptical podcast by any means. I generally tend towards programming from people who share at least a reasonable amount of similarities with my world-view. Luckily, I’ve found many.

So with some trepidation, I listened to the podcast and held my breath. Lucky for my oxygen-starved brain I didn’t have to wait long, because co-host Jonathan Strickland opened his part of the show by saying: “I’m going to preface this by saying, I am a Skeptic.” Whoa! I thought! he just came out! Ha ha! Not only that, he then very clearly and concisely explained what being a Skeptic was: “And when I say skeptic I don’t mean someone that automatically denies that something exists. When I’m saying Skeptic I’m talking about a person that requires there be some sort of empirical evidence that something exists before I just go ahead and accept it.”

Aw shucks Jonathan. What a swell guy. A great, clearly stated definition that many of us can really get behind. He further goes on to say that there is a an enormous lack of empirical evidence that ghosts exist. He is steadfast in his position and when Chris Pollette begins to give a little slack to the rope, Jonathan is quick to reign it in. They both continue through the podcast explaining the tools that are frequently seen on the popular ghost shows, and how it’s really all just props for entertainment value.

The reason that this podcast is important in my perspective is that these are people that produce a program in the mainstream media market, and Jonathan presented a great case for being a critical thinker and held his ground in an intelligent way, without being confrontational. He discussed skepticism in a way that anyone could understand and appreciate. Furthermore, he and his co-host took the time to go through many of the ghost hunters tools of the trade and in a simple fashion explained how there is no evidence that these tool can detect the presence of ghosts, or that there is any good evidence of ghosts themselves.

This type of rational, entertaining discourse is what we need to see more of. It’s not enough to simply cheer amongst those of us that know and understand the tenants of skepticism. It’s important to inject rationality and critical thinking skills –perhaps by using science and technology as a vehicle– to help people understand. The world that we live in is amazing and wonderful and although filled with many unexplored and misunderstood things, we should not work so hard to create industries that support unfounded claims of the paranormal and supernatural.

I highly recommend that you listen to TechStuff, and even drop them a line and let them know that there are a great many people out there that support this work.

While I remain hard at work to bring a mainstream TV series to viewers all over, I also stand and applaud those that are not afraid to wear their true colors and stand by their convictions.

To go directly to the rs feed for the Podcast Click here: feed://www.howstuffworks.com/podcasts/techstuff.rss

Tech Stuff can be found at www.HowStuffWorks.com

I’m not the skeptical storehouse of information and vast material that my cohorts of SkepticBlog seem to be. My area of expertise is mainly in the world of production and media, so I honestly had begun finding it very difficult to find subjects that I felt would be entertaining or relevant to our loyal readers. Once I finished up my reflective journey about how we created and shot the Skeptologists pilot, I felt like I had just ran out of material. Rather than vamping on subjects that I know far less about, I decided to take a break and re-evaluate. Kudos to the other bloggers who have continued without fail through the year, they have steadfastly committed their much more precious time to their weekly penning.

Which brings me to where I’m at now: Looking towards the beginning of the new year, and some exciting projects and prospects.
I will continue to fill you all in on the journey as we build and promote The Skeptologists program and others. Right now we are in a time where it’s a lot of uninteresting review, re-hash and evaluation of opportunities, connections and possibilities, too numerous, and frankly, boring to bother with here. However, we are working hard on making good skeptically-minded television to the small screen near you.

We’ve come a very long ways with the show and we’ve learned a lot of interesting information about bringing a show like The Skeptologists into the mainstream market. It’s quite different than, say a reality-documentary series about NHRA Drag Racing (imagine that!) The show that we originally created simply won’t find a home on major network TV because the powers that control these networks are simply not willing to “take the risk” on a show like The Skeptologists right now. While I personally think that is a bit short-sighted, I’m also acutely aware that regardless of my or the audience “feeling” on the matter, we are dealing with a very large and complex business. I understand and also depend on that business for my livliehood. The Big TV business model simply doesn’t have a need for this service right now. As viewers begin to demand more reasonable or rational programming and support shows that are in some small way similar, the changes will slowly take effect.

Now this doesn’t mean that we’ve given up. Quite the contrary. It has provided us with valuable insight as to the types of shows that are in development, the direction that many networks are going, and also, how we can re-tool our program to have a better shot at landing a large network or off-air deal. I’m happy to see science and critical thinking becoming more and more a part of programming, though we have a long way to go.

In addition, we’ve begun in some new and exciting directions that may ultimately allow us the opportunity to produce a show that is less encumbered, shall we say, by the whims of TV execs that follow their wallet and not their brain. I’ll be able to share more details of all of that in the coming months as well.

I had been thinking about other ways I could connect with you, dear readers. It occurred to me that one of the ways I can provide expertise and connect it with skepticism is by using my understanding of the production of TV and film to help the average audience understand when they are being shown something that’s maybe not entirely there. Knowing the artifacts of computer animation, clever editing, compositing, wire-removals, etc. could be an interesting way to provide a sort of “production forensics.”

Put me on the case. What piece of video, what show, scene from a movie do you want to know about? I’ll venture my best, educated guess and we can jump in together to get to the bottom of the sweater of wool over our collective eyes.

Happy Holidays Skeptics! (and Believers too, …what the heck!)

The Skeptologists TV series is still a very active part of our work here but sometimes we go through a phase where there’s not much to report on. That’s the case at the moment. We’re reworking a few show details, and preparing some new pitch materials to adjust to the current TV climate. We’re also looking into self-financing the program to get us into production, so those are pretty exciting developments.

But this blog isn’t about that. I just wanted to offer a thank you to all of my colleagues who continue to provide countless hours of fresh and interesting material for SkepticBlog.org. The team hasn’t let me down, and judging by the comments and the very active group of regulars that we have online here, we’ve got a great community of people who all have some very exciting things to discuss.

I’ve just found out that Brian Dunning has just completed three episodes of his newest endeavour InFact. It’s a short video podcast easily found on iTunes. I commend him for his continual pushing of the skeptical edge! Please check it out and subscribe!

Each of the contributors to this site are all making great individual strides to further the cause of science, reason and critical thinking. I want to take a moment to say, “Great work guys, I’m honored to call you my friends and I appreciate all your hard work!”

I’m not one of the typical Skeptical Storehouses of Infinite Wisdom, like my cohorts here, so for me finding an engaging subject to write about is not an easy task. I hear people tell me all the time that my line of work is “so interesting” and “I wish I could shadow you for a day” etc. etc. The glamour of showbiz, albeit a giant smoke screen, seems to captivate people’s imagination. Maybe there’s something to this that I should talk about.

So, as we work forward on The Skeptologists, and our newer companion Web-Series “TruthHurts” I’m interested to hear from you. What topics interest you the most? What aspect of the process would you all like to learn more about. I try to be conscientious of your time, and so I want to find topics and subjects that are of interest of you.

I find that it’s easy to write about what you know, and in this forum, I know less about the current Skeptical community, and more about trying to tie that community into a larger media machine. It’s kind of sad really, the thing that I’m trying to promote, Skepticism, I now have almost no time these days to devote to researching and learning more about because I’m trying to make it happen. The mechanic’s car is never fixed.

I’d love to hear from you.

In our fast-paced lives, surrounded by ever-speedier means to send and receive information, entertainment and knowledge, one question that I, as a content producer must grapple with is how much is this information worth to others?

The internet has no doubt revolutionized the way modern societies access and consume information. Right behind information is entertainment. With this paradigm shift is an important issue that people in the entertainment industry are facing, some gladly, others kicking and screaming. A few still have just buried their head in the sand (I submit that’s a start, they might as well keep digging into that sand)

Ryan Johnson and Brian Dunning. Shooting the Exhaust Note Scene with a Ferrari Mondial

How much content do you personally consume on the internet? How much of it if completely free to you, the end user? (Beside the cost for your bandwidth) I would guess that 90% or more is about right for most people. Everyone says they still pay for music too! ..That’s funny.

The issue that drives this home for me is the simple fact that I produce content. I work hard on ideas, assemble groups of talented people and create videos, projects, movies, shows. I do this with the intention of #1 Entertaining, #2 Educating, #3 Making a Living.

L to R Shira Lazar, Ryan Johnson & Brian Dunning in a creepy Meat Locker for Truth Hurts Web Series.

When you sit down at your computer, put on your iPod or turn on the radio, you’re presented with an almost unlimited number of options to entertain you and educate you. So my question is this: What would you pay to get a program that is educational, and entertaining if it was centered around subjects related to Skepticism and critical thinking?

My production team, Brian Dunning, Shira Lazar and I have recently completed the first episode of another skepticism-oriented project called Truth Hurts. We are developing this program as a web series that is accessible and viewed online. These shorter (around 10 minute) entertaining, funny and educational shows will provide a great way to interject thinking with ideas, products and claims that are found in our daily lives. We screened a “director’s cut” during TAM7 in Las Vegas and got some great feedback for it. We are currently completing the edit and tightening it up.

As we plan the distribution and release of this series, we find ourselves engaged in the discussion that so many are grappling with right now: How do you monetize content on the Internet when you are surrounded by content that is free for the taking? Advertising seems to be the way to go, and will most likely be the case for our program as well, (We are looking for sponsors currently) But there are other options, such as pay-per download and subscription based content. The way we stand out and offer a value is by placing a high importance on production quality, uniqueness of the content, and a fun show that is also educational.

My goal is to make the content accessible to the widest audience available, and that means it’s got to be 100% free to view. So we need to have three things: 1. Advertisers that wish to align their brand with the types of people that would watch our show which, right now would mostly be our skeptical community, but would eventually shift to mainstream audiences and even to “believers” in the hocus that we slay. 2: People that are able to donate money directly to the project to support the type of content that we are creating. And 3: A energetic audience that tells their friends about the show and help it hopefully go “viral” so that it’s quickly consumed by the mainstream media audience.

Truth Hurts Web Series Co-Hosts Shira Lazar and Brian Dunning

So I ask you, wonderful blog-reader bulldogs of critical thinking and punctuation, here’s a little questionnaire for you, would you help us with an impromptu marketing research?

1.What would YOU pay to watch an episode of a skeptical show on the Internet?
2. Would you go to a specific website (IE: www.TruthHurts.tv) at least once a month to watch a new episode.
3. Would you want to be able to download it?
4. Would you sign up for a subscription service that electronically delivered the content to you for a monthly fee?
5. Would you donate money directly to the production entity producing the content? (If so, look below!)

We have plans in place and operations in motion to bring both The Skeptologists and TruthHurts to audiences soon, but having this information will help us to see how our little slice of web visitors to this site feel about these subjects. Your information and comments are very valuable to us!

As my dedicated team and I strive to create new and entertaining way of getting the concepts of Skepticism into the mainstream media, we’re working all the angles possible to bring these ideas to life! Your help and support is going a long way towards making that happen!

Thank you!

TAM7 as we affectionately call it is the largest yearly meet-up and conference of skeptics in the world. Brought to us by The James Randi Educational Foundation, and headed up by none other than fellow Skeptologist and SkepticBlog contributor Phil Plait. He’ll be the M.C. at the event which will bring together I’m betting easily over a thousand skeptics from all over the US and the world.

Last year at TAM6, in Las Vegas, I was proud to be able to screen an early cut of The Skeptologists to a good part of the group during on one the lunch breaks. We’ve made a few changes since then and my only regret is that I’m not going to TAM7 with a big announcement that we’ve signed a network deal for the show. We have a great show, and an incredible cast, and the content is terrific. The one critical thing that is missing: A network rep that is willing to stick his neck out on a science based show that is a bit left of center. — So far…

TAM7 will not be without it’s share of announcements and presentations. I know that the Skeptics Guide to the Universe folks will be debuting a project that they are working on and Brian Dunning and I just might be bringing a rough-cut of a little project that we cobbled together last week. In addition we’ll be bringing what we affectionately call our Network Promo” of The Skeptologists which is a 3 minute promo reel that shows the highlights of the show.

Bill Prady, the creator of The Big Bang Theory on CBS is the keynote speaker, and I think that this speaks highly to how the skeptical community has begun to embrace the importance of media and entertainment in getting the message out to a mass audience.

Although I look forward to meeting and talking with as many skeptics and critical thinkers as I can this coming weekend, my main goal is to make as many connections with people that may help us get The Skeptologists on the air as possible. We’ve already got some pretty high-power meetings set-up and I have high hopes for them.

The climate of network TV has changed drastically in the last year and our show, which would have been a slam dunk pitch a year ago, is now a tougher sell in an environment where nets want more conflict, violence and cheap thrills. There are a few notable exceptions to that rule, and we are carefully crafting our approaches to each of them as we work to get a good deal signed. I’m not content to just get any old deal and move forward, there’s a lot of critical pieces that I want in place so that I know this show will be able to be produced with integrity.

We’ve had a long and winding road to where we are now. We haven’t made it to our destination, but we have certainly come a long way. As we all head to the oasis in the desert, I hope that our trip from there will continue forward successfully and with renewed enthusiasm and some great direction.

If you plan on attending, please come introduce yourself! I’d love to meet you!