Event Listing
Thinking Better: The Art of the Shortcut – Professor Marcus du Sautoy
You have a choice. There’s the long way: boring, repetitive, hard work. Or the shortcut: a cunning, less intuitive path to your goal. Shortcuts have enabled so much of human progress, whether in constructing the first cities around the Euphrates 5,000 years ago, using calculus to determine the scale of the universe or in writing today’s algorithms that help us find a new life partner.
This event will be online, on the Skeptics in the Pub Twitch channel.
Annual General Meeting (2021)
As our annual general meeting is long overdue and we're starting to think about organising talks next year, we're scheduling a meeting to discuss this and any other concerns people have.
The woos and woes of Wikipedia: An opportunity for skeptical activism or a conspiratory club? – Annika Harrison
Is Wikipedia a worldwide network with secret members, seeking to influence humankind? Or is it a web forum, where one can publish their opinion? How does Wikipedia work? And how can you make a difference? Even among skeptics Wikipedia is still looked at with scrutiny. Is it reliable? Are there mechanisms and processes to make Wikipedia more valid and protected?
This event will be online, on the Skeptics in the Pub Twitch channel.
November Social
Outside table, under the shelter of the "tunnel", so wrap up warm. We're taking our duty of care seriously, regarding ventilation.
Star Wars and Critical Thinking, or, Why Must Luke Skywalker Turn off His Targeting Computer to Destroy the Death Star? – Professor Cyrus Patell
Why must Luke Skywalker turn off his targeting computer at the climactic moment of Star Wars? Despite starting a revolution in cinematic special-effects, the film shows a deeply rooted anxiety about the right uses of technology. So what can Star Wars teach up about Luddism?
This event will be online, on the Skeptics in the Pub Twitch channel.
The Art of More: How Mathematics Created Civilisation – Michael Brooks
Many people experience a tangible fear when facing anything to do with numbers. The root of the problem lies in the fact that no one is ever taught what maths actually is. Once we understand mathematics – the art of more — we can begin to see mathematics as more than just a maze of numbers: we see it as the pinnacle of human achievement.
This event will be online, on the Skeptics in the Pub Twitch channel.
October Social
Casual chat over a selection of ale, soft drinks, tea, and pie.
Turn up and leave as you feel.
Table is outside the front, under cover.
The Storm Is Upon Us: How QAnon Became a Movement, Cult, and Conspiracy Theory of Everything – Mike Rothschild
Through interviews with QAnon converts, apostates, and victims, as well as psychologists, sociologists, and academics, Mike Rothschild is uniquely equipped to explain the movement and its followers. In The Storm Is Upon Us, he takes readers from the background conspiracies and cults that fed the Q phenomenon, to the storming of the Capitol, and on.
This event will be online, on the Skeptics in the Pub Twitch channel.
The Century of Deception: The Birth of the Hoax in Eighteenth-Century England – Ian Keable
In the 1700s, the English believed a woman could give birth to rabbits; a man could climb inside a two pint bottle and sing inside it; and a blond-haired European was born in Taiwan. Based on his recently published book, Ian Keable demonstrates how 18th century hoaxes are memorable not only for their imaginative nature but also because of the differing motives of the tricksters.
This event will be online, on the Skeptics in the Pub Twitch channel.
IRL Social
We are tentatively restarting our socials, so we will be meeting outside of Pie & Ale on the 9th September.