SGU Episode 247

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SGU Episode 247
7th April 2010
(brief caption for the episode icon)
SGU 246                      SGU 248
Skeptical Rogues
S: Steven Novella
B: Bob Novella
R: Rebecca Watson
J: Jay Novella
E: Evan Bernstein
Quote of the Week
Sometimes I think we're alone in the universe, and sometimes I think we're not. In either case, the idea is quite staggering.
Arthur C. Clarke
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Introduction

You're listening to the Skeptics' Guide to the Universe, your escape to reality.

S: Hello and welcome to the Skeptics' Guide to the Universe, today is Wednesday April 7th 2010 and this is your host Steven Novella. Joining me this week are Bob Novella.

B: Hey Everybody

S: Rebecca Watson

R: Hello Everyone

S: Jay Novella

J: Yo

S: and Evan Bernstein

This Day in Skepticism (0:26)

E: Hi Everyone and a very happy birthday to our dear, departed friend Samuel Hahnemann, founder of Homeopathy

(laughter)

J: Hanhamahahnama

E: April 10th..

J: How did he die?

R: He gets stronger with each passing year that he's dead

(laughter)

B: Good one, Rebecca

R: Thank you

E: Was it poison or something?

J: Poison?

E: He died of having an illness in which he took some of his quote unquote remedy and from not seeking real, some kind of real, treatment, perhaps, he perished of the ailment

R: So he took homeopathy?

E: According to Randi, at a lecture that Randi gave not too long ago, he said he probably perished taking some kind of concoction that he came up with himself

S: Mm hm. But not homeopathic?

E: but I don't have an official word on how he died. Oh hey, I got some friends together and we wanted to send out a little song for to mark this occasion. OK, you guys ready?

R: Oh God

All (singing): Happy birthday to you, happy birthday to you, happy birthday dear quack purveyor of bull snake oil salesman, happy birthday to you E: (singing): and you smell like one too

(laughter)

E: I got together with some fiends and we sang him a happy birthday

R: That was a “Malkovitch, Malkovitch, Malkovitch”, what the hell, that was creepy, Evan

E: I got together with some like minded people and we sang happy birthday

R: Evan, I think you need more friends 
B: I liked it Evan, I thought it was edited very well

E: I appreciate it

S: That was solid work, Evan, solid work.

E: Took me an hour

S: Jay, tell us about workers at Area 51 finally after all these years breaking their silence

News Items

Item 1 (02:01)

J: Well it’s not so much that they broke their silence as much as they were allowed to talk about it now because so much time has gone by that it’s no longer something that they can’t talk about

S: It’s declassified

J: It’s been declassified, exactly. So this particular person, a guy named James Nose, he claims that he worked in Area 51 which is in Southern Nevada. He’s 72 years old today, so he worked there, 40 to 50 years ago. This was in the 60s and while he was there, they were testing the A12 and the SR71 which are both spy planes.

S: Blackbird… SR71 is a sweet jet

B: Yeah

R: It really is, I was just reading about that today. Bizarre

B: They go 3200 mph I think

J: Yeah, nothing actually that we know of, nothing goes faster than that

S: 2200 mph - Mach 3.29

B: Okay

S: Officially, which means it’s probably faster

B: Right

R: No, it’s gone faster. I’ve heard 3.3 something

B: I’ve read once that when that plane took off, it would leak fuel like a sieve because it was, it ran so hot that once it got to operating temperature, the metal expanded and sealed nicely, but until that happened, it was like leaking fuel

S: Yeah

R: I read once that it took off from an airport and landed 5 minutes before it started.

(laughter)

J: Steve, I have read reports of about how unbelievably powerful and loud those engines were once they, once the pilots punched them to take off. Very, very impressive jet plane, there.

R: If anybody wants to read a really cool, the thing I was reading Jay was on Gizmodo and it was from a pilot who has flown it in Libya during the Cold War and his story’s absolutely amazing. So that’s on gizmodo.com. Highly recommended.

B: I’ll check it out

S: But what does this guy has to say for himself?

J: To cut to the chase

Announcements ()

S: The Skeptics' Guide to the Universe is produced by the New England Skeptical Society in association with the James Randi Educational Foundation and skepchick.org. For more information on this and other episodes, please visit our website at www.theskepticsguide.org. For questions, suggestions, and other feedback, please use the "Contact Us" form on the website, or send an email to info@theskepticsguide.org. If you enjoyed this episode, then please help us spread the word by voting for us on Digg, or leaving us a review on iTunes. You can find links to these sites and others through our homepage. 'Theorem' is produced by Kineto, and is used with permission.

References