There is still time to register for The James Randi Educational Foundation’s regional workshop in Chicago. The workshop, Divination with Pendulums and Dowsing Rods, is being offered Saturday July 31st and is free to all members of the JREF. Non-members can register for $45 or may purchase a $50 basic membership and attend for free. This event is being held in conjunction with the Chicago Skeptics at The Black Rock Pub & Kitchen at 1:00 p.m.
Think dowsing is a thing of the past? The recent scandal over the ADE 651 "bomb detector" used in Iraq that was nothing more than a swirling antenna on a box that sold for $16-$65 thousand dollars, demonstrates how dowsing fakery can still be a big business for hucksters and con artists. (http://www.nytimes.com/2009/11/04/world/middleeast/04sensors.html)
The workshop is a comprehensive 3-hour, hands-on program covering the history, current application, and construction of divination devices, presented from a skeptical perspective, and featuring the research of James Randi on the topic. The workshop will emphasize how paranormal beliefs like dowsing are not trivial, and have real-world implications. Participants will make both pendulums and dowsing rods, and devise randomized, double-blinded trials to test their effectiveness. All tools, materials, and handouts are included in registration fee.
The workshop will be led by Dr. Christina L. Stephens, a science writer and biomechanics researcher who writes for the JREF and at www.ziztur.com. She is chair of the Fringe Science Investigations Committee of the Skeptical Society of Saint Louis. Joining her will be Zi Teng Wang, a scientist and amateur magician, and long-time skeptic with special interest in evolutionary biology and the American educational system.To register online click here. Registrations are also being accepted at the door. Email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
Join us that evening for the free event Chicago Drinking Skeptically. I will be giving the talk From Beetles to Bigfoot: Science, Pseudoscience, and the Search for New Species. Check the Chicago Skeptics website for more details.