Weekly Round-up w/e 20th May 2011

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

Welcome to this weeks weekly round up of interesting articles from around the web.  We have career advice, questions about reality, amazing photography and a hilarious joke around the name of the Chinese President.

• Have you ever fancied getting into science broadcasting?  This trainee researcher position at the BBC looks like the perfect route in if you have a science degree.

• PZ Myers discusses evolutuionary psychologist Satoshi Kanazawa’s “study” into the attractiveness of women.  Nice to see everyone’s favourite Brummie eugenicist Francis Galton get a mention.

• So you think you’re a Skeptic?  Birmingham Skeptics regular Francis O’Regan has a look at the classical or philosophical meaning of skeptic in comparison to the modern meaning.

• -He’s a scientist you know.

-Who?

-Yes, that’s right, and 7 of the other 8 of China’s top officials are too.

• "We Are Crossing the Boundary Between Knowledge and Belief" Rolf-Dieter Heuer oversees the CERN laboratories. He talks here about the search for the Higgs Boson, the limits of human knowledge and the distinction between science and religion.

• The paradox of power. A person’s natural sympathy for others often gets them power but that sympathy seemingly vanishes as soon as they get it.  Interesting article on How Power Corrupts.

• Space is an elaborate illusion. The holographic principle requires a new approach to space: "objects that appear to be far apart may actually be lying right on top of each other"

• Zoom into the Milky Way here.  The Photopic Sky Survey is a 5,000 megapixel photograph of the entire night sky stitched together from 37,440 exposures.

• Area 51 uncensored here, read it quick before ‘the man’ takes it down, you know how ‘he’ doesn’t want you to know the truth.

• Details are emerging about Richard Dawkins’ new children’s book.  See some emerged details here.

• I’m sure most people saw this but I thought I’d drop it in anyway.  Stephen Hawking says “There is no Heaven; it’s a fairy story”

• Something many of us have suspected.  Apple Imagery causes a ‘religious’ reaction in the brain of its devotees.

• What are we like?  Here are the photos from our last Skeptics in the Pub with Richard Peppiatt.  Photos are by Rich Spencer of Rich Spencer photography and Lichlive.co.uk.

• Don't forget, the Birmingham Skeptics social is on Thursday (26th May) at the Square Peg and our next event is 'How to be a Psychic Conman' with Ash Pryce on June 8th at at The Victoria as per usual.

This was put together by Paul Bryant (@thebigyeti), co-organiser of Birmingham Skeptics.