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January 2023
Planning the 2023 program
Bring your ideas for the year's program along and we'll map out what we hope to cover in 2023. If you know of someone who might be willing to speak on that topic, even better! Drinks and food are available at the venue. Parking at City of Perth car parks is free after 6pm weekdays. I appreciate a gold coin donation to help cover the cost of the Meetup platform.
Find out more »February 2023
‘Ancient Aliens Debunked’ documentary – discussion
'Ancient Aliens Debunked' is a 3-hour documentary refutation of the theories proposed on the History Channel series 'Ancient Aliens'. It is essentially a point by point critique of the “ancient astronaut theory” which has been proposed by people like Erich von Däniken and Zecharia Sitchin as well as many others. The film covers topics like: Ancient building sites: Puma Punku, The Pyramids, Baalbek, Incan sites, And Easter Island. Ancient artifacts: Pacal’s rocket, the Nazca lines, the Tolima “fighter jets”,…
Find out more »May 2023
Concept creep: what is it?
So, what the heck is "concept creep"? Skeptics member Chris Hancock proposed this topic, for which we hope to have a speaker (linguist Daniel Midgley - TBC) but if not, Chris will run us through it. A definition from Wikipedia (sans references): "Concept creep is the process by which harm-related topics experience semantic expansion to include topics which would not have originally been envisaged to be included under that label. It was first identified by Nick Haslam in 2016, who…
Find out more »June 2023
Psychic scams (and other affronts to reason)
This month we will look at some recent news from the ABC in which the rise of psychic scams in Australia is examined. We'll listen to a segment from Radio National and discuss its implications and possible action we might take. Let's also each bring along a recent anecdote or piece of news that we found particularly concerning (or amusing!) Free drink for the best one :-) NB. I will bring my laptop, so if you have something to view…
Find out more »January 2024
Planning for a skeptical 2024
Let's discuss what we might cover at meetings in 2024. If you have an idea for a presenter or topic, bring it along, or message us via Meetup. (Proposing a topic doesn't mean you'll be stuck with presenting it, so don't be shy!) Food and drinks are available at the venue. Parking at City of Perth car parks is free after 6pm weekdays. I appreciate a gold coin donation to help cover the cost of the Meetup platform. Go down…
Find out more »February 2024
How to find microchips in vaccines
Some anti vaxxers claim that vaccines contain microchips that are used by governments to track and control the population. These are testable claims, specifically: That there are microchips in vaccines. That the microchips if found in vaccines can be used for tracking, mind control or some other nefarious activity that government have encoded into the chips. We will examine how we could try and detect microchips in vaccines and if found determine what is the likely function of these microchips.…
Find out more »January 2025
Planning 2025 – new topics and new approach?
Taking inspiration from the talk by Armidale Skeptics group (NSW) at Skepticon, let's plan an interesting year at a new venue and with a new approach. More details at the meeting, but have a think about possible topics, potential local speakers (e.g. academics, journalists, legal/law enforcement specialists) and bring your list(s) along. We have some 'left-over' topics from past years, so that should get the ball rolling. We will be upstairs in the 'Boardroom' at historic Kalamunda Hotel. Go up…
Find out more »February 2025
How do you evaluate claims?
Let's take a look at how we all evaluate claims about the world. What's your go-to source of information, for example? Is there a method you follow? We'll each have 5 minutes to talk and then 2 minutes for questions from everyone. You can bring slides or other props if you like. We will be upstairs in the 'Boardroom' at historic Kalamunda Hotel. Go up the stairs and turn right, and immediately right again. Or ask a staff member. …
Find out more »April 2025
A critical look at ‘alternative archaeology’ theories from around the world
Remember 'Chariots of the Gods?' in the 1970s? There has been a plethora of 'alternative archaeology' theories, books, TV shows, etc. since then. We'll take a look at some of them from around the world and see where the errors begin, and how they are compounded over time until you end up with nonsensical programs like 'Ancient Aliens' (shame on you SBS, for screening it!) We will be upstairs in the 'Boardroom' at historic Kalamunda Hotel. Go up the stairs…
Find out more »May 2025
‘The UFO movie THEY don’t want you to see’ – a discussion
UFO culture is ubiquitous in modern society, and a subject of fascination - whether we admit it or not. This film by Brian Dunning at Skeptoid Media gives the real science behind UFO phenomena and answers the questions so many are wondering: What is in our skies? What do we know, and how do we know it? And most importantly: Are we being visited? We will watch selected sections of the film and discuss as we go, but if you…
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