Weekly Roundup w/e 22nd April 2011

A weekly round-up of things we liked that we think you'd like also.

Welcome to the Birmingham Skeptics Weekly Roundup Easter special.  There’s nothing special about it, it’s just it happens to be Easter weekend and I need to find something to fill these lines up the top here.  It seems to have done the trick, that’s a fair few lines done already.  Weather’s nice as well, and it’s St George’s Day.  So, it’s the Birmingham Skeptics Weekly Roundup Easter, Nice Weather and St George’s day special.  There we go, that’s this bit done, now here’s what you came for, the best of the web:

• Oi, scientists, listen up, yeah, Stephen Curry recommends you enter the Guardian science writing competition.

• Ben Goldacre talks about Daryl Bem’s paper on precognition in The Guardian.  Birmingham Skeptics’ Simon Stanford was talking about this in January, see his article here.

• Richard Dawkins reckons that Evolution should be the new all-encompassing subject that classics once was.

• We need devout Muslim scientists to speak out, says Usama Hasan, who has had death threats for saying evolution is compatible with the Koran.

• Derrr du-du-du-derrr, Der Der Der, Derrr du-du-du-derrr, Superbus!

• Honestly dear, I was in the strip club looking for help with my physics coursework.

• A new quackbusting browser plugin called Fish Barrel has been released by Leicester Skeptic’s Simon Perry.  Fully automated misleading claim finder and reporter.

• Remember this excellent resignation letter by Richard Peppiatt to the Daily Star? Well Richard Peppiatt is coming to Birmingham Skeptics in the Pub on May 11th to talk to us.  Details are here and on Facebook here.

• Christ on a bike! Look at this huge jellyfish

• Birmingham Skeptics regular Rich Spencer of Rich Spencer photography brought his (expensive looking) camera along to our Nick Pope talk.  He got some fantastic photos, see what we look like by having a look at them on Facebook here.

• Apparently some Christians are converting to Christianity.

That’s it for this week, on Wednesday (27/4) we have our Birmingham Skeptics social in The Square Peg, Corporation St.  There’ll be someone there from 7.00pm so feel free to turn up when you like and meet some interesting people.