Apollo hoax? Just how gullible are
you?
Fox TV and the Apollo Moon Hoax A comprehensive site debunking
this increadibly weak conspiracy theory.
Clear-cut cases showing the Apollo photos are fakes...NOT!
Non-Faked Moon Landings!
Another site that does a great job shooting down the hoax/conspiracy
theory arguments, one after the other, after the other...gets boring
pretty fast actually...
Federation of American Scientists Serious issues of national concern.
Not for the faint of heart.
Registering/Buying a Star Name:
You can find plenty of businesses willing to take your money.
Can you really buy a star? Well, you can spend your money...
Buying a Star FAQ
The International Astronomical Union's (IAU) position on "buying" stars
Still not convinced? How about this:
NYC Dept of Consumer Affairs "issues a violation against...star-naming
company for engaging in a deceptive trade practice...."
"...paying to name stars after loved ones is simply throwing money into a
black hole...."
See these links:
International Star Registry in Trouble
Science & Religion:
If you have ever wondered, "Is there a fundamental incompatability
between science and religion?", you might be very interested in reading
the following:
An Open Letter Concerning Religion and Science, part of the
Clergy Letter Project.
Links to discussions of science, pseudoscience, and issues regarding
science and faith...
Skeptics and Critical Thinking
Organizations:
Skeptic.com -- the Skeptics Society and Skeptic Magazine
CSICOP: Committee for the Scientific
Investigation of Claims of the Paranormal
CSICOP's Skeptical Inquirer
magazine
I Was Wrong
"Those three words often separate the scientific pros from the posers"
by M. Schermer, Scientific American
Also by Shermer,
Abducted! Imaginary traumas are as terrifying as the real thing
and
"Demon-Haunted Brain"
and "Baloney Detection"
How to draw boundaries between science and pseudoscience, Part I
and
More baloney detection, Part II
Interested in some postmodernism
"Communication from Elsewhere"? Be sure to read the end of the
article!!
Aliens, UFOs etc:
Alien Abductions Inc.
Links on science, "bad science", pseudoscience, and faith
The Face on Mars: Unmasked by New Images
"Art Bell, Heaven's Gate, and Journalistic Integrity"
a CSICOP article on Art Bell, Hale Bopp and Heaven's Gate
- From Phil Plait's Bad Astronomy webpages:
Astrology.
"Psychics Wanted: No Experience
Necessary"
NY Times story on NYC welfare-to-work program, by Nina Bernstein:
"On Welfare and Not Psychic? New York Provides Training" (2000 Jan 28)
The project operated from April 1999 to Jan 2000, then was abruptly shut
down when the story appeared in the NY Times.
"New York Drops Psychic Training Program" (2000 Jan 29)
For the full story (not a NY Times URL):
"On Welfare and Not Psychic? New York Provides Training"
(provided by Rick Ross)
Now, if NYC can quickly and easily "train" welfare recipients to be
telephone psychics, what do you think of the reality of psychic
powers?
"Despite promises of $10 or $12 an hour, actual pay at these networks is
often far less, because it is based on a per-minute rate paid
only for time spent on the telephone with callers."
"...keep callers on the line the longest, with scripted ploys like
pretending to see -- very slowly -- winning Lotto numbers..."
"I've been a clairvoyant all my life... If I could get the lottery numbers,
would I be working as a telephone psychic?"
Hmmmm...good question...makes you think....
Infrasound:
Definition of Infrasound from Wikipedia
Infrasound from the Skeptic's Dictionary
Infrasound from the Earth and animals from
Science News
The Infrasonic Concert Experiment (see the
Infrasound Primer)
Terror Tones are a mixture of ultra low frequency sound in
the form of ten CD tracks from Hauntmaster Products Inc. (NB: This is not an endorsement - wfw)
Some Interesting Psychology:
Optical Illusion from the
FreeDictionary.com
Auditory Illusion from
FreeDictionary.com
The Stroop Effect ala the American Psychological Association
The Stroop Effect at Dr. Chudler's site at the Univ. of Washington
Neurological studies at Caltech Check out the audio-visual
illusions. See how complex perception is and how easily we can be
fooled!
Scientific American article
"Creating false memories" by Dr. Elizabeth Loftus
"Who Abused Jane Doe? The Hazards of the Single Case History
Dr. Elizabeth Loftus in the Skeptical Inquirer
"Case histories have played a
long-standing role in the history of science, medicine, and mental
health. But they can mislead-especially when only half the story is told.
Here's a case history about a case history that proves just
that."
The Rubber Hand
Illusion video from youtube.
"The Pokemon Panic of 1997" from CSICOP's Skeptical Inquirer
Information about Prof.
Daniel Simons' experiments on visual awareness
at the Visual Cognitive Lab.
Short overview of
Inattentional Blindness and a longer discussion of
Change Blindness
Visual Cognitive Lab (@ Univ. Illinois) Demos & Stimuli
General Science News from the National Science
Foundation (NSF):
News Highlights
Math & Physical Sciences (MPS) News
Social Behavioral & Economic Sciences (SBE) News
NSF Press Releases
Miscellaneous:
Previous course textbook WWWeb site:
The Search for Life in the
Universe Goldsmith & Owen, University Science Books.
The Slide Rule
Universe for all things "slip stick".
BBC online - "Space"
Hoyle obituary in The Guardian Unlimited archive
Fred Hoyle page at Cambridge
Hoyle: "Big enough to bury Darwin" in The Guardian-Unlimited
The Sinister T4 Phage...
Fun, Humour:
New! From Astro 310 Labs: "Cosmic
Crystals"
Giant Microbes, Inc., the place
to find stuffed microbes! (a fun toy, but this is not an endorsement
of their product!)
Wanted: People to stay in bed!
(What makes this NASA request so funny is that it is NOT a joke!)
Fun Units of Measure
Pearls of Wisdom about science from children
DC Physics Humor
Britney Spears Guide to Semiconductor Physics
Prof Welsh's T-shirts can be found at these
fine establishments:
Cotton Expressions, Ltd.
Mfolz.com - Hilarious Science T-Shirts
InfiniTees, Inc.
Cotton Expressions, Ltd.
Science Men's Clothing from CafePress
See also: United Nuclear, amazon.com, etc..
This page had minor updates on 2015 Jan 20, 2019 Mar 18.