Episode 113 - Coronavirus (COVID-19) Myths & Misinfo, Plus a Virus Lesson from Doctor Dan
Release Date: 02/14/2020
Episode 214 - Gargoyles!
Squaring the Strange
Ben and Celestia discuss conspiracies, real and unreal, the conspiracy-backed arguments from a high-profile defense lawyer, a superconductor article retraction, and Barbra's opinion on the Streisand Effect. Then, gargoyles! How do these imposing gothic carvings differ from grotesques, and what do they do -- both functionally and symbolically? Who can see them so high up, and are hidden messages really carved into some of them? We learn about the guttural (literally) sense of humor on display in medieval times, and the possible connection gargoyles have to an ancient tradition of "gurning," or...
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Episode 214 - Gargoyles!
Squaring the Strange
Ben and Celestia discuss conspiracies, real and unreal, the conspiracy-backed arguments from a high-profile defense lawyer, a superconductor article retraction, and Barbra's opinion on the Streisand Effect. Then, gargoyles! How do these imposing gothic carvings differ from grotesques, and what do they do -- both functionally and symbolically? Who can see them so high up, and are hidden messages really carved into some of them? We learn about the guttural (literally) sense of humor on display in medieval times, and the possible connection gargoyles have to an ancient tradition of "gurning," or...
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Episode 213 - Gef the Talking Mongoose, with Sharon Hill
Squaring the Strange
First, Celestia goes over her high points and low points of CSI Con 2023, then we move on to a few tidbits Ben came across. Sharon Hill joins us again, this time for a main segment on Gef the talking mongoose, a celebrity on the Isle of Man back in the 1930s. A new movie delves into (and somewhat mangles) the mystery, featuring Simon Pegg as Nandor Fodor and Christopher Lloyd as Harry Price. The "mystery" of Gef tapdances around so many facets of Forteana... a talking animal, "earth spirit," clairvoyance, poltergeists, psychic manifestations, and a clever young girl with time on her hands....
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Episode 212 - The Rise and Fall of Slenderman, with Andrea Kitta
Squaring the Strange
First we discuss a few skepticism-adjacent current events: the recent Colorado train spotting of Bigfoot, RFK Jr.'s bid for the presidency, and a new lawsuit naming "Sound of Freedom" hero Tim Ballard as a sexual predator who paid a psychic to help groom his victims. Then we dive into Slenderman, or "Slendy" as his friends know him. Professor Andrea Kitta, contributor to "Slender Man Is Coming" (Utah State University Press, 2018), brings her public health and folklore knowledge to bear on this created cryptid, born of photoshop in the pre-AI days and raised on the pent-up rage of cyberbullied...
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Episode 211 - SWAYSO Grab Bag and DragonCon Live!
Squaring the Strange
First we have a whole lot of current events that are dinging out skeptical radar: Nobels are being announced; a kidnapped girl was found (not by psychics); a yoga class was mistaken for a mass shooting; we survived a rapture AND a 5G-activated virus; Nevada's supreme court allows joint-custody father to vaccinate kids against wishes of antivax mother; Naomi Wolf says being near vaccinated people causes cramps; and Hasan Minhaj walks the line between storytelling and fabrication. Then, thanks fo Mark Ditsler and Calico Cove LLC for the production of content and permission to distribute audio...
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Episode 210 - The UFO movie THEY don't want you to see, with Brian Dunning
Squaring the Strange
After discussing the more recent alien-related topics like signs of life on an exoplanet and signs of fraud displayed in the Mexican Congress, we meet up with Brian Dunning of Skeptoid fame. His newest feature film, The UFO Movie THEY Don't Want You to See, is out now on streaming services. We discuss the educational approaches Brian took and why, the "Christmas Tree Problem," and our excitement at the very real possibility of life elsewhere -- tempered, alas, with the very real constricts of physics, time, and space.
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Episode 209 - Agritainment and rural haunts with Betty Aquino
Squaring the Strange
It's agritainment season, y'all! So get ready to pick apples, walk a corn maze, pet some goats and maybe get spooked at a rural haunted house! Folklorist and haunted house aficionado Betty Aquino joins Ben and Celestia to discuss themes in rural haunts and why the rural spaces have become romanticized by urban dwellers. We explore some themes of gender, power and politics in the haunted houses she sampled in the midwest, and discuss how this type of commodified spookiness differs from other types of theater. For starters, it's all run by amateurs and there's no fourth wall -- so you're part of...
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Episode 208 - Feral kids, for real, kids?
Squaring the Strange
From Romulus and Remus to Tarzan and Mowgli, children raised in the wild by animals is a popular tale in folklore. But what about feral kids in real life? There have been sideshow exhibits, hoaxes and recurring instances in literature and television. Do any of the tales reported as true have merit? And could a child raised by wolves walk on all fours or subsist -- even thrive? -- on raw meat? Why are we drawn to these tales? Some tell a romanticized story of the noble savage, raised safely away from the corruption of society, while others are a little closer to the tragedy that really occurs...
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Episode 207 - Legend Tripping with Jeff Debies-Carl
Squaring the Strange
After some discussion of suspected sun bear cosplay and UAP fallout, Ben and Celestia are joined by Jeff Debies-Carl, who has just published "If You Should Go at Midnight: Legends and Legend Tripping in America" (Univ. Press of Mississippi, 2023). What is legend tripping, and do we all do it -- even us skeptics? From a psychological and sociological perspective, what are the roots, motivations, and dangers involved? From ghost hunts to escape rooms, how we participate in legends helps shape and perpetuate the legend. Let's look at how.
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Episode 206 - We are Barbie, and Barbie is us
Squaring the Strange
Adrienne Hill joins us this week, and we discuss some current events: RFJ Jr. has presidential hopes, "The Sound of Freedom" is in theaters, and magical nanotechnology makes an appearance in pro tennis. Then onto the main event: All Things Barbie! We have thoughts on the movie, some Barbie folklore and "oopsies," the Barbenheimer phenomenon, and her enduring reputation as both a heroine and a villain. Ben has a unique perspective, after a ton of research down rabbit holes looking for any solid evidence that girls develop eating disorders because they idolize Barbie's unrealistic figure.
info_outlineWe made time to record a special bonus episode this month! Due to the late-breaking nature of the Wuhan/novel coronavirus (now officially named COVID-19), Ben has gathered the latest misinfo and disinfo in order to break it down in terms of recurring folklore, distrust of foreigners, and the psychology of why people grasp for simple memes over complex medical science. Then Doctor Dan Ketterer goes over some of the nuances of viruses and how we treat them. Influenza and HIV provide useful models to how infectious disease doctors can disarm and contain viral outbreaks. There's a lot we don't yet know about COVID-19, but the quarantines and other public health measures should be making us feel safer, not create more panic.