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# Interview Ben Goldacre / Bad Science
Ben has been championing good science for yonks via his blog, his newspaper column and general aceness. He's officially a friend of b3ta coz he links to us via his site, and occasionally posts here too.

Now he's got a book out, and we're interviewing him and want your questions.

FYI
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ben_Goldacre
www.badscience.net/
(I helped save b3ta! rob, Mon 1 Sep 2008, 17:00, archived)
# nice!
actually a hate of mine too
(I helped save b3ta! kingsuperspecial is in an audience, wanking furiously, Mon 1 Sep 2008, 17:02, archived)
# but, those science bits in haircare adverts are how I learn about science
(I helped save b3ta! discomeats This canoe, Mon 1 Sep 2008, 17:05, archived)
# BOSWELLOX
(I helped save b3ta! kingsuperspecial is in an audience, wanking furiously, Mon 1 Sep 2008, 17:06, archived)
# Nano Peptides!
(I helped save b3ta! discomeats This canoe, Mon 1 Sep 2008, 17:06, archived)
# nutri-ceramide-R
(I helped save b3ta! kingsuperspecial is in an audience, wanking furiously, Mon 1 Sep 2008, 17:08, archived)
# Pro-V!
It's an ingredient in the shampoo which makes the hair silky and smooth!
(I helped save b3ta! Captain Wow currently being a cunt in Infamous, Mon 1 Sep 2008, 17:11, archived)
# Fuck you!
That's nowhere near as good as Bifidus Digestivus! They almost bothered to think up a latin name for it.

ALMOST!
(Jeru War and Piss, Mon 1 Sep 2008, 17:13, archived)
# That's yoghurt, not hair products. http://www.b3ta.com/board/8702596
So fuck you


Edit: and I was quoting Spaced.
(I helped save b3ta! Captain Wow currently being a cunt in Infamous, Mon 1 Sep 2008, 17:13, archived)
# Don't pretend you don't spread yoghurt on your hair.
I'VE SEEN YOU
(Jeru War and Piss, Mon 1 Sep 2008, 17:15, archived)
# Nope. Eggs and stout on occasion.
Sometimes this japanese stuff that smells of salad cream.

Never yoghurt.
(I helped save b3ta! Captain Wow currently being a cunt in Infamous, Mon 1 Sep 2008, 17:15, archived)
# Eggs? STOUT?!
STOUT?!

STOAT!
(Jeru War and Piss, Mon 1 Sep 2008, 17:18, archived)
# Eggs and stout, yes.
Women have been using them for AGES on their hair.
(I helped save b3ta! Captain Wow currently being a cunt in Infamous, Mon 1 Sep 2008, 17:18, archived)
# Why?
To make very cheap noodles?
(Jeru War and Piss, Mon 1 Sep 2008, 17:20, archived)
# Haha!
(I helped save b3ta! Ttssattsr, Mon 1 Sep 2008, 17:22, archived)
# Because it's good for the hair.
Stout makes it shiny, I forget what eggs do.
(I helped save b3ta! Captain Wow currently being a cunt in Infamous, Mon 1 Sep 2008, 17:22, archived)
# Makes hens peck it?
(Jeru War and Piss, Mon 1 Sep 2008, 17:23, archived)
# Bastard cannibal hens.
(I helped save b3ta! my other username is a porsche , posting shit pictures so you don't have to, Mon 1 Sep 2008, 17:24, archived)
# They are just probing the remains on their unfulfilled children.
Like a soldier running his hands through the liquidised guts of a comrade.
(Jeru War and Piss, Mon 1 Sep 2008, 17:26, archived)
# Not in my experience.
(I helped save b3ta! Captain Wow currently being a cunt in Infamous, Mon 1 Sep 2008, 17:25, archived)
# I have spaced on dvd
but have still yet to see it!

Maybe tonight.
(I helped save b3ta! Mstandot I suppose I should post more often., Mon 1 Sep 2008, 17:16, archived)
# You must, senor.
(I helped save b3ta! Captain Wow currently being a cunt in Infamous, Mon 1 Sep 2008, 17:17, archived)
# ^This, hard
(I helped save b3ta! Walrus Man Think hippy thoughts, Mon 1 Sep 2008, 17:19, archived)
# thats a spell in Harry Potter I think
Its the magical bulemia that keeps 80% of the female students so thin
(I helped save b3ta! HappyToast Groat froth, Mon 1 Sep 2008, 19:00, archived)
# My favourite one was 'tiny aqua spheres'
:D
(I helped save b3ta! Walrus Man Think hippy thoughts, Mon 1 Sep 2008, 17:19, archived)
# What do you have in your pockets right now?
Have you ever considered fighting crime with Good Science?
(I helped save b3ta! Joliet, Mon 1 Sep 2008, 17:05, archived)
# What's your favourite piece of 'bad science' in the movies?
(I helped save b3ta! The Great Architect is still waiting for his account to be deleted on, Mon 1 Sep 2008, 17:05, archived)
# I remember a great series Robert Llewelyn did about movie science.
It was fab to see how Hollywood made up science stuff.
(I helped save b3ta! Aenesis, Mon 1 Sep 2008, 17:07, archived)
# "Hollywood Science"
i used it in my lessons

/science teacher
(I helped save b3ta! kingsuperspecial is in an audience, wanking furiously, Mon 1 Sep 2008, 17:09, archived)
# Youtubes.
(I helped save b3ta! Aenesis, Mon 1 Sep 2008, 17:10, archived)
# the problem is not only what they make up
but how they represent the entire scientific environment
(Your watch is still saving for 5K but has learnt about 'nose bondage', Mon 1 Sep 2008, 17:11, archived)
# Also how people actually believe it.
I hate movies that get basic science wrong, especially physics.
(I helped save b3ta! Aenesis, Mon 1 Sep 2008, 17:15, archived)
# sound in space!
(I helped save b3ta! monstrinho do biscoito teeeshurts = www.nogunarmy.com, Mon 1 Sep 2008, 17:18, archived)
# Like that the trailer for wanted, which while one could forgive the ridiculous premise of being able to spin a bullet.
It's less forgivable that he seemed to be aiming at the target and then spinning it away, rather than aiming away and then spinning it at the target.
(Jeru War and Piss, Mon 1 Sep 2008, 17:19, archived)
# My dear Jeru..
FILIMS IS NOT REAL.
(I helped save b3ta! Mstandot I suppose I should post more often., Mon 1 Sep 2008, 17:20, archived)
# It doesn't mean they have to be written by idiots though.
All they would have to do is do it the other way round and it would have at least obeyed logic!
(Jeru War and Piss, Mon 1 Sep 2008, 17:22, archived)
# But the last bullet spin of the film even got me thinking "No way"


(I helped save b3ta! Mstandot I suppose I should post more often., Mon 1 Sep 2008, 17:24, archived)
# I would not know.
I have not seen the film due to HAVING STANDARDS!
(Jeru War and Piss, Mon 1 Sep 2008, 17:26, archived)
# "No brainers" are fun.


(I helped save b3ta! Mstandot I suppose I should post more often., Mon 1 Sep 2008, 17:36, archived)
# science......FICTION....
Fiction as in not real..made up...
(I helped save b3ta! Mstandot I suppose I should post more often., Mon 1 Sep 2008, 17:19, archived)
# Yes I know,
but it won't kill someone to do some actual research in how thing do/might happen.
(I helped save b3ta! Aenesis, Mon 1 Sep 2008, 17:23, archived)
# If there isn't any actual science in it
Surely it's just fiction?
(Pavlov's Frog figures no-one really reads sigs anyway, Tue 2 Sep 2008, 23:32, archived)
# outrunning explosions
especially down corridors
cos shockwaves only go at like 10mph don't they
(I helped save b3ta! Ysol ab abl blap, Wed 3 Sep 2008, 1:00, archived)
# Bad movie physics
are hated by these people

www.intuitor.com/moviephysics/

Though I do wonder if they take it too far from time to time.

The cigarettes as lighters bits looks fun to do...
(andywg, Wed 3 Sep 2008, 20:36, archived)
# If you could crossbreed an animal with a fruit/vegetable, which and why?
I would also like to maintain that this would definitely be good science.
(I helped save b3ta! MrPineapple .co.uk - TSHIRTS FOR SALE. I GIVE YOU GOOD PRICE., Mon 1 Sep 2008, 17:06, archived)
# Q1: Dong dong dong dong dong dong dong dong dong?
Q2: How fast can you run?
Q3: What's in your fridge?
Q4: A cat, y/n?
(I helped save b3ta! Ttssattsr, Mon 1 Sep 2008, 17:07, archived)
# Q5: Would you be willing to put a donk on it?
(I helped save b3ta! MrPineapple .co.uk - TSHIRTS FOR SALE. I GIVE YOU GOOD PRICE., Mon 1 Sep 2008, 17:07, archived)
# Important question time.
(I helped save b3ta! Ttssattsr, Mon 1 Sep 2008, 17:11, archived)
# What is your opinion on silicon collagen biospheres? Did you know they inflate up to nine times?
seems like it could be a good book. i might get it.
(I helped save b3ta! Shada, Mon 1 Sep 2008, 17:08, archived)
# oh
I look forward to it with
question : do nanosphears exist I heard about them on a face cream advert and have always
wondered how they make skin look "visibly" younger. are they a type of midichlorine like
off that starwars. Yoda probably uses it because he has defined wrinkles.
sorry its such a shit question but I'm new here
(I helped save b3ta! Jamnog Sardines in her eyebrows, lobsters up and down, Mon 1 Sep 2008, 17:10, archived)
# do you think science rock stars are good or bad for science?
(Your watch is still saving for 5K but has learnt about 'nose bondage', Mon 1 Sep 2008, 17:10, archived)
# If you blog is about bad science, what is an example of good science?
If they came into contact, would it cause a scientific paradox? An explosion that could destroy all reality? Create a new kind of "Super SCIENCE™"?
(I helped save b3ta! theoriginalsteve <this space intentionally left blank>, Mon 1 Sep 2008, 17:10, archived)
# Are you planning to set up some sort of ninja army to fight Bad Science?
Where can I join?
(I helped save b3ta! Panjandrum brought to you by tea and biccies, Mon 1 Sep 2008, 17:11, archived)
# If you could do any one god-mocking evil science experiment what would it be?
Personally I'd go for a living hatstand which is supported by three slender female legs, and nipples on the end of the hooks.
(Jeru War and Piss, Mon 1 Sep 2008, 17:12, archived)
# If science crashed through the window, punched someone who was mugging you and saved your life, how weird would the alley you'd been mugged in be?
I mean why would it have windows?
Can science even materialise and stop muggings?
how many times have you been on the receiving end of a knife, HELD BY SCIENCE?
(I helped save b3ta! GrandmaOfShoes, Mon 1 Sep 2008, 17:12, archived)
# What's it like being a SCIENTIST!™,
and can you invent some kind of chemical that gives people magic powers?
(I helped save b3ta! ClanSoul, Mon 1 Sep 2008, 17:12, archived)
# If I grew a face on my face and blamed it on Science, would I get a free salad from the scientific community?
(I helped save b3ta! GrandmaOfShoes, Mon 1 Sep 2008, 17:17, archived)
# how would you eat the salad?
(I helped save b3ta! Jamnog Sardines in her eyebrows, lobsters up and down, Mon 1 Sep 2008, 17:22, archived)
# Yes, but it would be laced with cyanide.
The scientific community would try to cover for their mistake.
(I helped save b3ta! ClanSoul, Mon 1 Sep 2008, 17:29, archived)
# am i getting enough pentapeptides and boswelox in my diet?
(I helped save b3ta! monstrinho do biscoito teeeshurts = www.nogunarmy.com, Mon 1 Sep 2008, 17:12, archived)
# I hope you are getting more than pentapeptides
but also hexapeptides, heptapentides, octapeptides, nonapeptides, and so on.

In fact all the way up to proteins, which are polypeptides....
(I helped save b3ta! The Alchemist king of the needlessly complicated, Mon 1 Sep 2008, 18:56, archived)
# Don't forget the glycopeptides
But don't start eating vancomycin.
(I helped save b3ta! sm.pl.crt.rs I don't fucking know, do I?, Tue 2 Sep 2008, 17:09, archived)
# Have there been any bits of bad science which you think have been beneficial?
or just downright hilarious?
(I helped save b3ta! Afinkawan Yes I can hear you Clem Fandango, Mon 1 Sep 2008, 17:13, archived)
# Do you have magical powers?
(I helped save b3ta! ClanSoul, Mon 1 Sep 2008, 17:13, archived)
# When you see those adverts promoting teaching as a profession
and the kids ask questions like "Why can't we feel the earth move", do you know the answers, and if so, do you say them out loud? (even if you're alone).
(I helped save b3ta! Colonel Dracula Two manky hookers and a racist dwarf, Mon 1 Sep 2008, 17:13, archived)
# I do.
(I helped save b3ta! my other username is a porsche , posting shit pictures so you don't have to, Mon 1 Sep 2008, 17:15, archived)
# me too :)
often accompanied by the pleasing mental image of giving said kid a clip round the ear as i send it scurrying back to the mine.
(I helped save b3ta! monstrinho do biscoito teeeshurts = www.nogunarmy.com, Mon 1 Sep 2008, 17:16, archived)
# "What's the difference between fluff and dust."
ONE IS WHOLLY FABRIC FIBRES WHILST THE OTHER IS A MIXTURE OF HAIR, DEAD SKIN CELLS AND MISCELLANEOUS MATERIAL FRAGMENTS YOU IDIOT CHILD!
(Jeru War and Piss, Mon 1 Sep 2008, 17:17, archived)
# haha, this is exactly what i do
i'd either be the best or worst teacher ever. and i'd be either one, very briefly i expect.
(I helped save b3ta! monstrinho do biscoito teeeshurts = www.nogunarmy.com, Mon 1 Sep 2008, 17:19, archived)
# Ha! This ^
I shout at those telly-kids like there's no tomorrow.
(I helped save b3ta! The Alchemist king of the needlessly complicated, Mon 1 Sep 2008, 19:00, archived)
#
do you know the answers, and if so, do you say them out loud? (even if you're alone). WANT TO KICK A BIRO UP THE LITTLE SHIT'S EAR?
(I helped save b3ta! the_rhyme_minister has a little bit of gold and a pager, Mon 1 Sep 2008, 19:28, archived)
# Genetic modification
Will it create new cures for all ills, or will it create new causes for all ills?
(I helped save b3ta! CanonCaliber A big bore, Mon 1 Sep 2008, 17:13, archived)
# If you could fight a major scientific figure (bareknuckle or weapons, your choice), who and why?
(I helped save b3ta! MrPineapple .co.uk - TSHIRTS FOR SALE. I GIVE YOU GOOD PRICE., Mon 1 Sep 2008, 17:14, archived)
# Bongo-playing contest against Richard Feynman
Shame he's dead, really.
(Astatine, Mon 1 Sep 2008, 18:14, archived)
# Have you ever kicked someone really hard in the crotch?
(I helped save b3ta! MrPineapple .co.uk - TSHIRTS FOR SALE. I GIVE YOU GOOD PRICE., Mon 1 Sep 2008, 17:14, archived)
# What's the deal with magnets?
Are they all evil?
(I helped save b3ta! ClanSoul, Mon 1 Sep 2008, 17:14, archived)
# How much wood would a woodchuck chuck If a woodchuck could chuck wood?
And especially, what impact would it have on global warming?
(Your watch is still saving for 5K but has learnt about 'nose bondage', Mon 1 Sep 2008, 17:14, archived)
# Am I asking too many questions?
(I helped save b3ta! MrPineapple .co.uk - TSHIRTS FOR SALE. I GIVE YOU GOOD PRICE., Mon 1 Sep 2008, 17:14, archived)
# Has SCIENCE!™ ever threatened to harm your family unless you satisfy it sexually?
And if so, were you any good?
(I helped save b3ta! ClanSoul, Mon 1 Sep 2008, 17:16, archived)
# Are you secretly pleased that B.G. is also the initals for Battlestar Galactica?
(I helped save b3ta! Afinkawan Yes I can hear you Clem Fandango, Mon 1 Sep 2008, 17:16, archived)
# that's BSG :(
(I helped save b3ta! Shada, Mon 1 Sep 2008, 17:17, archived)
# that's bullshit, Gary :(
(I helped save b3ta! the_rhyme_minister has a little bit of gold and a pager, Mon 1 Sep 2008, 19:35, archived)
# What do you think about science writers?
(Your watch is still saving for 5K but has learnt about 'nose bondage', Mon 1 Sep 2008, 17:17, archived)
# If the core of the earth stopped spinning
Why wouldn't it be possible to restart it with nuclear bombs?
(I helped save b3ta! Barbarossa is not my real name, Mon 1 Sep 2008, 17:17, archived)
# whats the baddest science that you can imagine?
have you ever tried creating "recreational" chemicals for your own use?
and how long do I have to wait for a time machine to, oh hold on, one's just appeared next to me with me inside it....
(I helped save b3ta! HappyToast Groat froth, Mon 1 Sep 2008, 17:17, archived)
# Do you have an acre of gold?
Can I have some?
(I helped save b3ta! ClanSoul, Mon 1 Sep 2008, 17:17, archived)
# You are eaten by a grue. Restart? Y/N
(I helped save b3ta! ClanSoul, Mon 1 Sep 2008, 17:18, archived)
# What are the chances of the large hadron collider causing a resonance cascade?
Do you have a crowbar handy if it does?
(I helped save b3ta! Panjandrum brought to you by tea and biccies, Mon 1 Sep 2008, 17:19, archived)
#
I never thought I'd see a resonance cascade in my lifetime, much less create one...
(Rotten_Cointreau is a proper scientician, Mon 1 Sep 2008, 17:20, archived)
# Is it true there's a safe level of smoking that doesn't cause cancer?
(I helped save b3ta! rob, Mon 1 Sep 2008, 17:19, archived)
# Yes, the 14th king of the Smo was
only 3 feet tall and he didn't cause any cancer.
(I helped save b3ta! edjogs Collared doves are shit., Mon 1 Sep 2008, 18:22, archived)
# I once convinced a biology graduate that Tony the tiger is actually a girl
because lions are boy cats and tigers are girl cats. How hard would you slap her?
(I helped save b3ta! Colonel Dracula Two manky hookers and a racist dwarf, Mon 1 Sep 2008, 17:20, archived)
# Dear Ben
What's your favourite bit of science to pull out at parties?

Lots of love,
Lightguy
(I helped save b3ta! Lightguy hail satan, Mon 1 Sep 2008, 17:20, archived)
# I missed
your talk in the Edinburgh Cancer Research Centre, because my boss made me finish an experiment. Was it good?
(Rotten_Cointreau is a proper scientician, Mon 1 Sep 2008, 17:21, archived)
# Do you know of any scientist that has a laboratory in a secret lair carved inside a volcano?
If yes, who and where?

If no, why not!!!!??? What can we do about it?
(Your watch is still saving for 5K but has learnt about 'nose bondage', Mon 1 Sep 2008, 17:23, archived)
# what's your opinion on religion? on a scale of nutty to dangerously mental
(I helped save b3ta! monstrinho do biscoito teeeshurts = www.nogunarmy.com, Mon 1 Sep 2008, 17:24, archived)
# Which is your favourite kitchen appliance?
(I helped save b3ta! Walrus Man Think hippy thoughts, Mon 1 Sep 2008, 17:25, archived)
# Who's the hottest scientist
you have slept with?
(Your watch is still saving for 5K but has learnt about 'nose bondage', Mon 1 Sep 2008, 17:26, archived)
# Jenny and Timmy are conducting a test. Timmy is a compulsive liar and only tells the truth ones everytime he's told six lies.
If Jenny has three counters in a bag, one blue, one green and one red, and Timmy has 6 counters in a small wooden container of unknown origin,
one green, three red and two blue, assuming Jenny is blind and Timmy is not, when Jenny removes a counter and counts on Timmy to tell her what colour it is,
and he tells her "blue", "green", "blue", "blue", "red", "green" and finally "yellow", not having told any lies before her first counter is shown to him,
has Timmy ever told Jenny that she was holding a warm sausage?
(I helped save b3ta! ClanSoul, Mon 1 Sep 2008, 17:26, archived)
# Ok...
Anything spring to mind which you got wrong, and turned out to be bad science on your part?
(engekomkommer, Mon 1 Sep 2008, 17:27, archived)
# What can science teach us about how to make the perfect cup of tea?
(I helped save b3ta! Walrus Man Think hippy thoughts, Mon 1 Sep 2008, 17:30, archived)
# it's an ugly can of worms you don't want to go into
improbable.com/2008/03/07/perfect-cuppa-in-reprise/
(Your watch is still saving for 5K but has learnt about 'nose bondage', Mon 1 Sep 2008, 17:40, archived)
# I watched an episode of Gerry Andersons "UFO" the other day
it's set in the futuristic year of 1980 where we are battling aliens from a moon base and sexy women have purple hair. Why is the future (by which I mean the present) so shit? Where's my flying car dammit?!
(I helped save b3ta! Colonel Dracula Two manky hookers and a racist dwarf, Mon 1 Sep 2008, 17:31, archived)
# Out of the two,
is your life morelike Bob Holness or Bob Monkhouse?
(I helped save b3ta! Jeccius Steam Borderlands 2 junkie, Mon 1 Sep 2008, 17:34, archived)
# When was the last time you bought new shoes?
(I helped save b3ta! Barbarossa is not my real name, Mon 1 Sep 2008, 17:34, archived)
# Can you give me a medical condition to excuse my ridiculous behavior?
I like to be a jerk on the internet and get naked at parties.
(I helped save b3ta! hanke murphy, I'm a mess, Mon 1 Sep 2008, 17:35, archived)
# Please teach me how to make a high-powered explosive using ordinary household items.
(I helped save b3ta! Walrus Man Think hippy thoughts, Mon 1 Sep 2008, 17:35, archived)
# TNT
is made of raspberry jam and mayonnaise
(I helped save b3ta! Panjandrum brought to you by tea and biccies, Mon 1 Sep 2008, 17:37, archived)
#
*Which question that science does not have an answer to would you most like to know an answer to?
*If you worked in advertising what 'bad science' claims would you use to sell the following products - 1. Coco Pops 2. Red Bull 3. Tattoos
*Which is the best religion?
*I more or less live off Microwave meals. Will that ultimately kill me?
*Which science fiction invention do you most wish was real?
(I helped save b3ta! monkeon schmonkeon, Mon 1 Sep 2008, 17:35, archived)
# Top questions!
*click*
(I helped save b3ta! Barbarossa is not my real name, Mon 1 Sep 2008, 17:40, archived)
# Not eating microwave meals
will eventually kill you, and non-smokers have a 100% fatality rate.
(Harleif Skankhammer II was killing time at, Wed 3 Sep 2008, 4:57, archived)
# As a scientist, what do you cock think about mum's-vagina Freud?
(I helped save b3ta! drbroon abloooobloobloo, Mon 1 Sep 2008, 17:37, archived)
# Do you ever despair at how gullible the British Public really are?
Or is it just insecurity that makes us fall for 'scientific-y'-sounding things that will get rid of our creases, hold back the march of time, make us smell like flowers, etc. It's the Emperor's New Clothes, all day, every day, isn't it?
(barst Rdli Hakkis 4eva in r hartz, Mon 1 Sep 2008, 17:38, archived)
# It's been 30 years since metrication
Is'nt it time you changed your name to Goldhectare?
(I helped save b3ta! CanonCaliber A big bore, Mon 1 Sep 2008, 17:39, archived)
# Ever felt the need to be a GP?
Think of all the free mugs and pens you'd get from pill companies?
(I helped save b3ta! chthonic, Mon 1 Sep 2008, 17:40, archived)
# Why?
(I helped save b3ta! Killerkitti Like my coffee black, just like my metal, Mon 1 Sep 2008, 17:42, archived)
# Your byline photo has been Frankenstein's monster for years
Will your royalties finally pay for some plastic-surgery neck-bolts?
(I helped save b3ta! chthonic, Mon 1 Sep 2008, 17:42, archived)
# I've got this rash...
could you take a look?
(I helped save b3ta! chthonic, Mon 1 Sep 2008, 17:43, archived)
# Why do, BIRDS suddenly appear?
(I helped save b3ta! Jamnog Sardines in her eyebrows, lobsters up and down, Mon 1 Sep 2008, 17:44, archived)
# Cloaking device
(I helped save b3ta! Colonel Dracula Two manky hookers and a racist dwarf, Mon 1 Sep 2008, 17:47, archived)
# Can I have a free book?
It's worth a try
(I helped save b3ta! bobzarkoff, Mon 1 Sep 2008, 17:47, archived)
# Have you got a real Ph. D. like Gillian McKeith?
(I helped save b3ta! drbroon abloooobloobloo, Mon 1 Sep 2008, 17:48, archived)
# Where's Maddie?
(I helped save b3ta! CanonCaliber A big bore, Mon 1 Sep 2008, 17:50, archived)
# Based on Ben Wheatley's answer to "what's your favourite interview question?":
Do you fancy a pint?
(I helped save b3ta! DogHorse plop, Mon 1 Sep 2008, 17:52, archived)
# Do you'll ever get head-hunted by the tabloids?
Would you go all Raj Persaud on us if you did?
(I helped save b3ta! chthonic, Mon 1 Sep 2008, 17:52, archived)
# Do you feel sorry for Gillan McKeith, Andrew Wakefield and all the others?
(I helped save b3ta! chthonic, Mon 1 Sep 2008, 17:54, archived)
# Is the film Weird Science really Bad Science
and would you bang Kelly LeBrock if you'd made her yourself?
(I helped save b3ta! OldWhit, Mon 1 Sep 2008, 17:56, archived)
# How do you sort out your CDs? Alphabetically? Genre? TELL ME.
(__, Mon 1 Sep 2008, 18:01, archived)
# I need to know.
Is Julie Moult an Idiot ?
(I helped save b3ta! Tepid_Halibut felt like a cold, empty shell of a human...until, Mon 1 Sep 2008, 18:01, archived)
# How do you differentiate bad science from unproven science, such as string theory?
(I helped save b3ta! owensanity, Mon 1 Sep 2008, 18:05, archived)
# 1) Based on yer various travels,
which nations come across as the most eager to swallow quackery, and which seem the most sceptical?

2) Which act of blatant charlatanry were you the most surprised to find people paying good money for?

3) Do you ever get tempted to threaten people with homeopathically diluted cyanide?
(Astatine, Mon 1 Sep 2008, 18:10, archived)
# Do you have any personal beliefs which aren't falsifiable?
(Vulpine or something, Mon 1 Sep 2008, 18:14, archived)
# Can you think of any examples of Bad Science that you think may be right?
... as in they've come to a conclusion you agree with but can't prove? Stopped clock right twice a day and all that. Does the ethical dilemma keep you awake at night? If so i can recommend Horlicks.
(UncleMikey A wholly owned subsidiary of HSBC, Mon 1 Sep 2008, 18:16, archived)
# Ask him why he can't take criticism
I wrote to him to point out a scientific error in his column and he was,
to say the least, extremely brusque in his reply, even though the criticism was valid.
Thanks for his membership ID though, he can go on my ignore list now.
(I helped save b3ta! finnbar has officially retired, Mon 1 Sep 2008, 18:20, archived)
# He's a medic...
... arrogant defensiveness is what they do.
(ubergeekian, Wed 3 Sep 2008, 16:24, archived)
# tell me a joke
(I helped save b3ta! spacefish bong!, Mon 1 Sep 2008, 18:26, archived)
# i mean: please
sorry for the blunt imperative
(I helped save b3ta! spacefish bong!, Mon 1 Sep 2008, 18:27, archived)
# Bouncy Castle or Trampoline?
And is it really possible to suck a fart back up from whence it came? =)
(I helped save b3ta! Steerable_forehead Our Lady of Blessed Acceleration,don't fail me now, Mon 1 Sep 2008, 18:30, archived)
# Do tin-foil hats
actually stop the mind control rays from space?
(I helped save b3ta! Rotating Wobbly Hat That's not a banana. THIS is a banana., Mon 1 Sep 2008, 18:41, archived)
# jelly babies or wine gums
and if you had to screw vanessa feltz would you use a blindfold, for science
(I helped save b3ta! hooker1uk Filth monger of the lowest degree!, Mon 1 Sep 2008, 18:43, archived)
# do you think the Hadron Collider will be the end of us all?
(I helped save b3ta! prodigy69 broke b3ta and made everyone leave, Mon 1 Sep 2008, 18:44, archived)
# you mean hard-on colluder
(I helped save b3ta! Steerable_forehead Our Lady of Blessed Acceleration,don't fail me now, Mon 1 Sep 2008, 18:51, archived)
# Do you think that the most bad science articles in the media
are food related?
If not, what do you believe is the most prolific bad science?
(I helped save b3ta! Flowerpot No longer has the vapours thanks to DTH, Mon 1 Sep 2008, 18:44, archived)
# Why don't goldfish bounce
No matter how hard you throw them?
(I helped save b3ta! Muns, Mon 1 Sep 2008, 18:50, archived)
# Fight!
One million pounds to bump off Gillian McKeith and Patrick Holford - would you do it?
(scentless_apprentice takes two bottles into the shower!, Mon 1 Sep 2008, 19:03, archived)
# Will the LHC "KILL-US-ALL-ZOMG"
or was The Sun newspaper lying to me today?
(I helped save b3ta! the_rhyme_minister has a little bit of gold and a pager, Mon 1 Sep 2008, 19:19, archived)
# As someone who is about to embark on a science degree,
what tips do you have for me to retain my cool, studying such a geeky subject?
(I helped save b3ta! the_rhyme_minister has a little bit of gold and a pager, Mon 1 Sep 2008, 19:20, archived)
# Can I have a free book?
(I helped save b3ta! the_rhyme_minister has a little bit of gold and a pager, Mon 1 Sep 2008, 19:20, archived)
# Am I right in thinking I saw you on the Culture Show on BBC 2?
Isn't Lauren Laverne hot? I think it's the accent. You came across very well.
(I helped save b3ta! the_rhyme_minister has a little bit of gold and a pager, Mon 1 Sep 2008, 19:22, archived)
# What/who do you think is to blame for the current trend of geek humour
(See also, The IT crowd etc.) and how long do you plan to milk it for all it's worth?
(I helped save b3ta! the_rhyme_minister has a little bit of gold and a pager, Mon 1 Sep 2008, 19:23, archived)
# If it became accepted Science-Fact™ that the end of the world will come with LHC switch on,
what would you do, knowing there'd be no consequences?
(I helped save b3ta! the_rhyme_minister has a little bit of gold and a pager, Mon 1 Sep 2008, 19:27, archived)
# What should I do if I see an endangered animal
eating an endangered plant?
(I helped save b3ta! the_rhyme_minister has a little bit of gold and a pager, Mon 1 Sep 2008, 19:37, archived)
# Ha ha, what a quandry
(I helped save b3ta! The magic of chutney Shakes it like an Instagram filter!, Mon 1 Sep 2008, 19:48, archived)
# it a four-legged animal
(not endangered)
(I helped save b3ta! owensanity, Mon 1 Sep 2008, 21:20, archived)
# Endangered, you say?
Shoot the animal. Collect the plant and dry it. Sell both as "Chinese medicine". We're running out of these things, you know, so make money whilst you can.
(psd eats stuff. Often., Mon 1 Sep 2008, 20:05, archived)
# Do you love the Horrible Science series of books as much as I do?
I'd be crushed to find out that they're Bad Science™.
(I helped save b3ta! the_rhyme_minister has a little bit of gold and a pager, Mon 1 Sep 2008, 19:40, archived)
# Has the Daily Mail ever printed an accurate science article?
(the word 'science' may be superfluous in this question)
(Ravenous Bugblatter Beast This content may not be working. Please try again., Mon 1 Sep 2008, 19:40, archived)
# If not free, can I have discounted book please?
I'm a poor science student who quit his job today. They were putting Boswelox in the coffee. It didn't sit well with me.
(I helped save b3ta! the_rhyme_minister has a little bit of gold and a pager, Mon 1 Sep 2008, 19:49, archived)
# Stalkers
Q: Now you're a celebrity doctor, have you noticed an increase in the number of weirdos patients reporting to you with injuries to their genitalia/lightbulbs up bottoms/strange sexual conditions?
(psd eats stuff. Often., Mon 1 Sep 2008, 20:03, archived)
# The Simpsons or Futurama?
Also, can I have some money?
(littlenipple hate's bad grammar, Mon 1 Sep 2008, 20:56, archived)
# What's going to be The Next Big Thing in science?
aka Where should I invest my dosh science-wise?
(alocin, Mon 1 Sep 2008, 21:11, archived)
# Tin-Foil hats. Do they REALLY protect us?
(I helped save b3ta! The Great Architect is still waiting for his account to be deleted on, Mon 1 Sep 2008, 21:11, archived)
# yes
(I helped save b3ta! Jamnog Sardines in her eyebrows, lobsters up and down, Mon 1 Sep 2008, 22:43, archived)
# Just how ridiculous is the notion
that the Large Hadron Collider will kill us all with man-made black holes?

Edit: also, which is the most awesome variety of cheese, scientifically speaking?
(Stu Moo winner of five nobble piece prizes, Mon 1 Sep 2008, 21:28, archived)
# Mythbusters and other things
Have you seen Mythbusters? Would you like to collaborate with them?

What is the best way to educate young people about science? How would you change the national curriculum to encourage more people to take up science?

What are the best examples of 'good' science in movies that you have seen.

(DrMarvello making rabbits appear out of hats since, Mon 1 Sep 2008, 21:45, archived)
# Gravity?
Is anti-gravity actually possible? and would it create an Anti-god?
(Maccy Divided by 0 on, Mon 1 Sep 2008, 21:59, archived)
# Questions for Ben
What is the geekiest thing you own?
What annoys you more, celebrity 'experts' or scientologists?
(I helped save b3ta! Neon Blue Ah ha ha haa! I feel positively capital!, Mon 1 Sep 2008, 21:59, archived)
# Knowing that NMR machines for medical use
are called MRI scanners, as people where afraid to use them as the N stands for nuclear. Have you experienced any other bad science based rebranding of medical/scientific practices?.
(I helped save b3ta! willenium Fist bump for verification, Mon 1 Sep 2008, 22:08, archived)
# Why do you think that the media is so bad at reporting on science stories
and, if you had special magic non-science based powers, what would you do to improve the standard of science reporting?
(I helped save b3ta! bert grr picked his feet in Poughkeepsie, Mon 1 Sep 2008, 22:13, archived)
# In my first year of my chemistry degree
A task was to turn a scientific paper into a newspaper article. In other words, dumb it down. Given that this Is easily done by undergraduates, I think the answer is laziness.
(I helped save b3ta! willenium Fist bump for verification, Mon 1 Sep 2008, 22:15, archived)
# Questions, questions...
I read the extract from your book in G2 today - the portrait you paint is the big drug companies are acting dubiously at best in their pursuit of profit. Are they all equally bad, or are there ones who have a better ethical/moral stance that we could support as a model of good practice? Are you optimistic that this poor state of affairs will change at all in the near future?

You also say that all the 'low hanging fruit' in terms of medical cures have already been picked. What current area of research do you see as the most promising at present to provide genuine new breakthroughs?

What do you think will persuade the UK government to invest more in science? And where would you target the investment they are willing to make?

Answers to any or all of those should be interesting, and would be much appreciated.
(annexed, Mon 1 Sep 2008, 22:43, archived)
# What do you think of the media coverage of climate change?
(I helped save b3ta! Zuowan, Mon 1 Sep 2008, 22:44, archived)
# Does the practice of peer reviewing research
restrict the development of science because it's more difficult for revolutionary/outlandish (delete as applicable) theories to get published?

You can add credibility to an incoherent pub debate I was having. Obviously, if your answer doesn't support my argument, I'll bury it.
(I helped save b3ta! bert grr picked his feet in Poughkeepsie, Mon 1 Sep 2008, 22:48, archived)
# What do you think about
sweaty science nerds who live with their parents? Be insultingly honest.
(I helped save b3ta! Christian Bale of Hay in a field, Mon 1 Sep 2008, 23:06, archived)
# G.M. (foods?)
I once chatted up online (before I knew what she looked like or who she was - oh the joys of the internet) the first ever woman who was subjected to Gillian McKeith's "scientific" analysis. She had been expected by the programmes producers to bow down to the pseudo-scientists better knowledge but came back fighting and gave as good as she got. She said she didn't care about being fat and didn't intend to change her ways as she was quite happy as she was. So my question: do you think G.M. is as happy in her own self-esteem?
(beaverwastemanagement a real company. I want to work for them!, Tue 2 Sep 2008, 0:01, archived)
# Follow up question:
When GM had to drop the use of 'Doctor' before her name, did you take a certain pride that your rational but damning revalations about her idiotic nutritional ramblings had played a part?
(vertigo, Tue 2 Sep 2008, 10:21, archived)
# Journo rage
Do you have a list of woo-promoting journos that you'd quite like to visit with a staplegun and a copy of How To Lie With Statistics?
Who would be at the top of the list from the Guardian?
Would discovering that the Mail caused cancer destroy the universe?
(TheMole, Tue 2 Sep 2008, 0:04, archived)
# *Crosses fingers and hopes it's Polly Toynbee*
She needs a good staple-gunning.
(I helped save b3ta! Cactus 1 doesn't care what you think on, Tue 2 Sep 2008, 10:13, archived)
# Seagull?
On a scale of 1 to 10, how awesome an idea is it to propel our planet across space with giant engines?
(annhialus hasn't had an accident since, Tue 2 Sep 2008, 0:31, archived)
# How is "science" going to help put an end to knife crime?
(I helped save b3ta! homonk, Tue 2 Sep 2008, 0:42, archived)
# can you guarantee
every copy of the book will have had your knob rubbed on it?
only amazon made no mention, you see
(I helped save b3ta! plentyofants more ghee, vicar?, Tue 2 Sep 2008, 0:54, archived)
# Daddy or Chips
Assuming both possess the same mass, which contain the greatest calorific value?
(I helped save b3ta! Muns, Tue 2 Sep 2008, 1:25, archived)
# Does the plane take off?
and where is Lord Lucan?

Does anybody really care?
(I helped save b3ta! Gerbilinafishtank Gerbil in a fish tank...TURTLE POWER!, Tue 2 Sep 2008, 2:27, archived)
# Are there scientific grounds for a woman to let me ejaculate on their tits?
She claims that she sees no reason. I want to give her one.
(I helped save b3ta! Muns, Tue 2 Sep 2008, 2:41, archived)
# Toilet Etiquette
When wiping your arse, is it better, from a purely scientific point of view, to look at the paper after every wipe, or just scrap away until it feels dry?
(Hampton St.Roker (has probably had your mum), Tue 2 Sep 2008, 10:04, archived)
# Are all forty year old divorced women clinically insane?
Every one I have met is, but I'm not sure if that counts as proof.
(I helped save b3ta! Cactus 1 doesn't care what you think on, Tue 2 Sep 2008, 10:10, archived)
# Mr Goldacre
So, do you think the rest of us (relatively) sane people should sue The Church of Scientology for missleading people with the use of the word "Science"?
Or should we just go round to Tom Cruise's house and bum rape that Kate girl he so loves (in a non gay way)in front of him as a just punishment?
(I helped save b3ta! monkeyboyalpha jumping on the bandwagon since, Tue 2 Sep 2008, 10:14, archived)
# If you're male
and you bum-rape a girl, wouldn't this automatically be classified as 'non-gay' and not need to be specified as such?
(I helped save b3ta! MisterPunch did it that way on, Tue 2 Sep 2008, 13:42, archived)
# It was a comment on
Tom Cruise's heterosexual love.
To make sure all those who think he is in the closet know that he has only pure, hetero love for his gal kate
(I helped save b3ta! monkeyboyalpha jumping on the bandwagon since, Tue 2 Sep 2008, 15:44, archived)
# When you explain it like that
It's so obvious.
(I helped save b3ta! MisterPunch did it that way on, Tue 2 Sep 2008, 16:11, archived)
# Doctors
Is it not potentially misleading - and therefore A Bad Thing - for a medical doctor to use the honorific title when pronouncing on scientific research? Just as it would be for me to use my title - obtained from thermodynamics research - in a hospital.
(ubergeekian, Tue 2 Sep 2008, 10:18, archived)
# How About....
Teaming up with Richard Dawkins against the creationists and then he could tag along when you go and annoy the crap out of McKeith et al? That would be worth the BBC License fee.
Edit: /\ ....and the Scientologists, that would be awesome.
(Oil Slick, Tue 2 Sep 2008, 10:26, archived)
# Why is it easier to believe ...
... in bad science than good science?
Why are active liposomes are supposed to be good if they are in a Garnier product but un-natural addatives if they are in a Body Shop product?
Why are E numbers always presumed to be bad? I can't get enough of them and actively avoid products that proclaim they don't have them.
Finally, is it true that bodies are lasting longer on the slab because of all the preservatives we are eating?
(karnuvap, Tue 2 Sep 2008, 10:34, archived)
# Two important questions
I'm a copywriter in an ad agency, and my fellow "creatives" and I are often asked to include ridiculous "science" by pharmaceutical/beauty clients. Often, we will question their claims and, occasionally, even call them outright liars. Yet always, without fail, they force us to use their pseudo-plausible "science".

With this in mind, my two questions are these:

1) Can one copywriter change the world?

2) What should he wear while doing it?

Ta.
(I helped save b3ta! mrlogic is copying your beard, Tue 2 Sep 2008, 10:53, archived)
# Magic
I recently purchased a Harry Potter Magic Wand and uttered the words "Bifidus Digestivum" while holding it. Suddenly my digestive tract was on the outside of my body, wrapped like some sort of lumpy phython. As you can imagine, eating and going to the toilet is quite unpleasant.What is the 'undo' spell? Thank you.
(I helped save b3ta! mrlogic is copying your beard, Tue 2 Sep 2008, 10:57, archived)
# Is teh cake in actual fact a lie?
(NFNiTM /talk is gay, Tue 2 Sep 2008, 11:10, archived)
# How to immunize people to nonsense?
Your blog is great at notifying people about bogus cures, alarmist headlines or other dubious claims. My concern is its usually after the fact and doesn't go anywhere close to repairing the damage. What practical ways exist to immunize people to this nonsense in the first place? Would you advocate critical thinking classes as a core component of the school curriculum and even degrees in humanities? If so, how do you think you could get government to sign on without getting skittish at the thoughts of offending religious sensibilities?
(MagicMoose, Tue 2 Sep 2008, 11:38, archived)
# My mom saw you on the telly the other day and she was going to call me to tell me to watch it
but then she remembered I don't have a telly so that I don't have to pay the licence fee.

What's the best article you've written that had to be spiked?
(I helped save b3ta! emvee cruor deo cruoris, Tue 2 Sep 2008, 11:42, archived)
# q. christian types get up in arms about carbon dating claims almost as much as gay marriage
are they just jealous the carbons are getting more action than they are?
(I helped save b3ta! HatBeard, Tue 2 Sep 2008, 11:53, archived)
# Energy
Grumpy buggers keep saying we CANNOT get ALL our energy from renewables (solar, hydroelectric, wind etc {but you knew that}) but they never say WHY we cannot. Are they right?

Chris
(seedybee68 not involved in any rioting since 31 March 1990, Tue 2 Sep 2008, 12:57, archived)
# I can tell you straight away
that they're wrong. It's just too expensive and impractical to do so at the moment.
(Stu Moo winner of five nobble piece prizes, Tue 2 Sep 2008, 21:59, archived)
# how should one act when the only information available is incomplete?
for example, if you knew of, say, a food supplement which was supposed to be beneficial. there was a plausible mechanism for how it worked, plenty of anectdotal reports in favour, maybe some small/not very well done studies that support the claim. but no proper trials yet, and they'd take years before the results were in

would you take it? (you personally, i mean, rather than advising others to)
(I helped save b3ta! plentyofants more ghee, vicar?, Tue 2 Sep 2008, 13:23, archived)
# Would you like to buy some magic beans?
(I asked this of a friend who's been visiting a chiropractor for 4 yeas and still has a bad back. He threatened to kick my head in if I ridiculed his choice of 'therapy' any more).
(I helped save b3ta! MisterPunch did it that way on, Tue 2 Sep 2008, 13:36, archived)
# fortunately, his back is so bad
he can barely lift his feet to knee level, so you're probably safe
(I helped save b3ta! plentyofants more ghee, vicar?, Tue 2 Sep 2008, 14:33, archived)
# Do you...
...listen to teh music of sher-waddeh-waddeh?
(NFNiTM /talk is gay, Tue 2 Sep 2008, 13:42, archived)
# 25 steps to the top
is the name of their greatest hits album which I bought in a charity shop the other week. It's dreadful.
(I helped save b3ta! MisterPunch did it that way on, Tue 2 Sep 2008, 16:19, archived)
# Do you ever feel as if you should team up with Derren Brown?
He has a similar view on pseudo science as you, and he actually demonstrates this well through his own techniques. Just a thought.
(I helped save b3ta! @RBFesquire Good luck b3ta, was nice knowing you. So long., Tue 2 Sep 2008, 14:39, archived)
# Have you ever used really bad science in your column
Did you get caught out?

Do you use your knowledge of BAD SCIENCE to play tricks on your gullible friends?



(teasus likes tea, Tue 2 Sep 2008, 14:45, archived)
#
Or get laid?
(I helped save b3ta! MisterPunch did it that way on, Tue 2 Sep 2008, 15:45, archived)
# is "bad science" science?
should your subject therefore be "bad attempts at science" or "the misrepresentation of science" or even "unscience"?
() do bears shit on the wooden pope?, Tue 2 Sep 2008, 15:03, archived)
# or...
non-science

as in "nonsense/nonse-sense"
(I helped save b3ta! mr.dogshit The world's premier anthropomorphic canine faeces, Tue 2 Sep 2008, 15:12, archived)
# Who would win in a bare knuckle fist fight between Richard Dawkins and The Pope?

Does Steven Hawking's chair really have an ejector seat?

Is it true that the LHC stands for "Lenny Henry's Carousel"?

If sonoluminescence ISN'T proof of (cold) fusion, what the hellington causes the sound wave bombarded bubble to emit light?
(I helped save b3ta! mr.dogshit The world's premier anthropomorphic canine faeces, Tue 2 Sep 2008, 15:08, archived)
# Have you ever played Portal?
If so, which field of science features the most cake and robots?
(I helped save b3ta! Digeridude Lord Wellington's Beef Trapeze, Tue 2 Sep 2008, 15:18, archived)
# What do you make of Steorn's free energy claim?
www.steorn.com
(I helped save b3ta! Digeridude Lord Wellington's Beef Trapeze, Tue 2 Sep 2008, 16:03, archived)
# Death by osmosis?
If you stayed in the bath long enough would you die? I mean not through lack of food or old age, but would the water from the bath pass into your body to equalise the concentration of stuff (salt?) in your body? You can probably guess that I gave up on Physics when I was 14...
(fuchsiaperfect, Tue 2 Sep 2008, 16:09, archived)
# DSM IV = bad science
discuss.
(jam and cheese, Tue 2 Sep 2008, 16:09, archived)
# my answer is
yes
(I helped save b3ta! rhebus ac201fd270c3b96beab24f2829780ab2, Tue 2 Sep 2008, 22:55, archived)
# I'd like to know....
* What is the scariest bit of sciene you know?

* If Magic were real, who would win in a fair fight, Science or Magic?

* Will Science ultimately save us or kill us all?

* We've all seen that email by those evil people. You know, the one about Father Christmas containing various "scientific" facts relating to him trying to prove he doesn't exist. Is that Bad Science? Please consider your answer carefully so as not to disappoint any children reading this!

* Ninjas or Pirates?
(Roodie Doodie 's got wood, Tue 2 Sep 2008, 16:11, archived)
# Can you...
...save me money on my car insurance?
(NFNiTM /talk is gay, Tue 2 Sep 2008, 17:44, archived)
# My question is...
How do you find the time to be a doctor and a newspaper columnist and run a website AND write a book?
(cybersquatter_, Tue 2 Sep 2008, 20:12, archived)
# Ask Raj Persaud
He's got some handy tips on this issue
(I helped save b3ta! bert grr picked his feet in Poughkeepsie, Tue 2 Sep 2008, 21:27, archived)
# Are you like every other scientist who went into publishing,
in that you found actually doing science fucking dull?
(I helped save b3ta! Wasp Box like a nervous random stranger at a glory hole, Tue 2 Sep 2008, 21:32, archived)
# Despite Rob's kind words
you're more about slagging off than championing - do you sometimes wish you'd come up with a less pessimistic title for your column?
(I helped save b3ta! Wasp Box like a nervous random stranger at a glory hole, Tue 2 Sep 2008, 21:33, archived)
# In the early days, the Guardian often printed science stories on the same page as your column
that were abject bollocks - did you shout at them?
(I helped save b3ta! Wasp Box like a nervous random stranger at a glory hole, Tue 2 Sep 2008, 21:33, archived)
# You seem to hate the pharma industry and have branded them "evil"
got any alternative ideas then or are you the David Cameron of science?
(I helped save b3ta! Wasp Box like a nervous random stranger at a glory hole, Tue 2 Sep 2008, 21:35, archived)
# Have you ever been in the lab onyour own at night
and wanked onto a slide so you can look at your own spunk under a microscope?
(I helped save b3ta! Wasp Box like a nervous random stranger at a glory hole, Tue 2 Sep 2008, 21:41, archived)
# Ever made any results up
even just a little bit?
(I helped save b3ta! Wasp Box like a nervous random stranger at a glory hole, Tue 2 Sep 2008, 21:42, archived)
# Does science run through us
making us gods?
(I helped save b3ta! Wasp Box like a nervous random stranger at a glory hole, Tue 2 Sep 2008, 21:44, archived)
# Could you beat Andrew Wakefield in a fight?
What about TV's Dr Alice Roberts?

Actually, that reminds me - when I was a scientist, there was a lot of fucking went on at conferences. Have you fucked any famous scientists?
(I helped save b3ta! Wasp Box like a nervous random stranger at a glory hole, Tue 2 Sep 2008, 21:47, archived)
# What's your favourite acid?

(I helped save b3ta! Wasp Box like a nervous random stranger at a glory hole, Tue 2 Sep 2008, 21:48, archived)
# MORONIC ACID!
hah
(Stu Moo winner of five nobble piece prizes, Tue 2 Sep 2008, 22:01, archived)
# When are you going to do a column debunking indie beat combo
We are scientists?
(I helped save b3ta! Wasp Box like a nervous random stranger at a glory hole, Tue 2 Sep 2008, 21:50, archived)
# What's the worst thing about being a doctor? And the best?
Tell us about the weirdest disease or condition you've treated someone for.

I'm a bit stupid, what's the first thing I should do to protect myself from being scammed or misled by nefarious pseudoscience-peddling advertisers or ignorant journalists?

Which is better, Casualty or House?
(tomsk, Tue 2 Sep 2008, 22:18, archived)
# So, if you don't believe in bad science
How do you fight wrinkles?
(Pavlov's Frog figures no-one really reads sigs anyway, Tue 2 Sep 2008, 23:46, archived)
# I need you to settle a drunken bet -
When you breathe in, do you get slightly heavier?
(Pavlov's Frog figures no-one really reads sigs anyway, Tue 2 Sep 2008, 23:46, archived)
# And the most important question -
Being so far down the page, is anyone actually going to read my questions?
(Pavlov's Frog figures no-one really reads sigs anyway, Tue 2 Sep 2008, 23:47, archived)
# Nope
(I helped save b3ta! emvee cruor deo cruoris, Wed 3 Sep 2008, 22:59, archived)
# What's the worst thing you've heard uttered during sex?
(I helped save b3ta! mike woz ere 7442200 & 7696970 getter, Wed 3 Sep 2008, 0:26, archived)
#
Do the mice come in Eyepatch variety as well as glasses?
(I helped save b3ta! Chilli Heatwave ,shit, Wed 3 Sep 2008, 1:06, archived)
# how low must the concentration of urine in a glass of water be before drinking it can have homeopathic benefits?
also, what is the specific heat capacity of Gillian McKeith?

PS my wife and I are very fond of you.
(I helped save b3ta! revmoola was thinking about a software problem, Wed 3 Sep 2008, 1:17, archived)
# How many dimensions will new variations of string/M theory have to add to the universe
before people start realising it might be a bit silly?
(Guineapiggy Fuzzeh!, Wed 3 Sep 2008, 1:44, archived)
# i will ask my standard question
what's the meaning of life ?
(I helped save b3ta! connor, Wed 3 Sep 2008, 5:42, archived)
# 42
that's it, just 42
(I helped save b3ta! seeballs Doo da da doo da da doo da da doo, da da doo da do, Wed 3 Sep 2008, 11:14, archived)
# Science?
what's it all about?
(I helped save b3ta! Prof UnderCover evitable, Wed 3 Sep 2008, 9:45, archived)
# if you burp and fat at the same time
are you in danger of imploding?
(I helped save b3ta! Prof UnderCover evitable, Wed 3 Sep 2008, 9:54, archived)
# at the 'school' I attended to gain my GCSEs
they didn't really teach science... you could do Combined Sciences (or Science lite) or you could do Farming... because playing computer games most of my life has taught me that the less obvious choice leads to greater riches I though this was a double bluff and plumbed for the farming course. I spent most of the lessons being beaten around the head with a stillborn calf and didn't really learn anything (except what it feels like to be beaten around the head with a stillborn calf) so it's left me wondering, who, in your opinion, is the most important scientist?
(I helped save b3ta! Prof UnderCover evitable, Wed 3 Sep 2008, 10:13, archived)
# What are your views on
Vegetarianism? I don't eat meat because it bothers me that Factory farmed animals may suffer.

Does increased stress levels in animals about to be slaughtered taint the meat with chemicals that one should not eat?

Does the use of drugs in animal production and pesticides on crops, cause health issues for us as consumers?

What do you think is the part of us that makes us conscious? why do I have an internal dialogue that knows what to say even when I am struggling for words?
(I helped save b3ta! Rev. Jayneflakes Buy my book, I need the cash for drugs and hookers, Wed 3 Sep 2008, 10:17, archived)
# Jesus on a bit of toast...
an example of pareidolia and not much of a miracle.

But this morning my muesli took on the uncanny appearance of Bernard Ingham. I was too rushed and hungry to photograph it.

How much would this be worth on e-bay?

(I helped save b3ta! MisterPunch did it that way on, Wed 3 Sep 2008, 11:04, archived)
# Kosher Question
What can be done to improve takeup of science in schools?
(Eds Meds Mathskillz=1,Socialskillz=0, Wed 3 Sep 2008, 11:54, archived)
# How many questions have you answered
for New Scientist's Last Word column/page/thing?
(I helped save b3ta! mrlogic is copying your beard, Wed 3 Sep 2008, 12:36, archived)
# Sodium
If I grate a lump of sodium/pottasium into my kitchen sink whilst it's full of hot soapy water, will my wife kick me hard in the knackers for making so much mess?
(bagend, Wed 3 Sep 2008, 14:17, archived)
# what you need is some caesium for that.
(I helped save b3ta! Kallus speaks for the Spores, Wed 3 Sep 2008, 21:01, archived)
# how did the bad science column get started?
whose idea was it? how did you get in touch etc.?
(I helped save b3ta! plentyofants more ghee, vicar?, Wed 3 Sep 2008, 14:30, archived)
# Should we let people take placebos on the NHS?
It's the obvious question isn't it. If they get benefits from placebos, should we let people have them on the NHS?

When my wife was pregnant last time, the consultant referred her to an acupuncturist. He did it through gritted teeth - I could see the pain it was causing him hidden beneath his smile. However, he did it, and she got poitive benefits from it. I didn't mention the research findings, as that might have broken the spell.

This backfired horribly when my back siezed up and she forced me to go through a session of the useless quackery myself, despite my endless protestations the "it won't work for me" - needless to say it was utterly pointless (not the needles - they were very pointy! hahahaaaaaa! I'm so funny!).

So what am I to do? What are we to do as a society? If people get positive outcomes from this kind of thing, shouldn't we be helping them to feel better? But then again, it feels so wrong to do it.

What would you do if it was your missus with the bad back? Would you let her go and keep schtum?
(I helped save b3ta! crab_bloke), Wed 3 Sep 2008, 16:00, archived)
# I do a bunch of science stuff myself online,
but I find I'm just preaching to the converted. Do you have the same problem that only people already versed in science read your stuff, no matter how simple you make it? How do you reach those who really need to learn about science?
(Bob the Scutter, Wed 3 Sep 2008, 16:09, archived)
# question for Ben Goldacre
My late mother-in-law actually believed that it was trees waving around that caused the wind. What old wife's tale do you wish was true?
(in-knock-you-us, Wed 3 Sep 2008, 16:22, archived)
# Doctor?
Is it true that you're not a real doctor and that you purchased the title from some bogus organisation for fifty quid?

Professor G. McKeith told me so.
(bl33dingsaint how's your father?, Wed 3 Sep 2008, 16:42, archived)
# Bad science, bad schmience. But would you know bad art if it bit you on the ass?
(I helped save b3ta! collapsibletank procreates, Wed 3 Sep 2008, 18:14, archived)
# Hmm,
Does Brain Washing work?
(I helped save b3ta! Rev. Jayneflakes Buy my book, I need the cash for drugs and hookers, Wed 3 Sep 2008, 21:43, archived)
# Its called religion?
(NFNiTM /talk is gay, Thu 4 Sep 2008, 11:14, archived)
# In your opinion who is worse?
Big pharma, who bury their research findings and invent new illnesses for existing drugs, OR, the crazy nutritionist fringe who may actually believe in their own twaddle?
(urker, Thu 4 Sep 2008, 8:33, archived)
# Mini black hole a danger?
I've heard about this LHC thing that will supposedly destroy the earth next Wednesday; it feels like I am brewing a shite with at least the critical mass required to form a black hole- should I try to hold it in until Wednesday to avoid the blame?
(madsporkmurderer, Fri 5 Sep 2008, 23:12, archived)
# How much does the term...
"scientific fact" wind you up? Surely you cannot _prove_ anything scientifically, only empirically suggest?
(I helped save b3ta! sanityclause is waiting until, Mon 8 Sep 2008, 15:45, archived)