The Monthly Calendar of the National Capital Area Skeptics
- February 17 lecture - The Science Behind Mind-Boggling Images and Mystifying Brain Puzzles
- March 10 lecture - 2017 documentary film about mothers who advocate for science-based decision-making concerning the health and nutrition of children.
- NCAS Board Elections: Call for Candidates
- NCAS YouTube Channel
- AmazonSmile: Thanks to our members who are supporting NCAS!
- Shadow Light
- Member renewals
NCAS Public Lecture Series
February 2018
Champions of Illusion:
Susana Martinez-Conde and Stephen Macknik
Saturday, February 17, 1:30pm - 4:00pm
Argosy University
1550 Wilson Blvd.
Suite 712
Arlington, VA [map] [directions]
(Near Rosslyn Metro stop)
Enter parking garage from N Pierce Street.
FREE admission – Everyone welcome, members and non-members
Please arrive before 1:30 so we can provide passage through the building access control system.
Champions of Illusion:
The Science Behind Mind-Boggling Images and Mystifying Brain Puzzles
Susana Martinez-Conde and Stephen Macknik
State University of New York
Downstate Medical Center
Saturday, February 17, 1:30pm - 4:00pmArgosy University
1550 Wilson Blvd.
Suite 712
Arlington, VA [map] [directions]
(Near Rosslyn Metro stop)
Enter parking garage from N Pierce Street.
FREE admission – Everyone welcome, members and non-members
Please arrive before 1:30 so we can provide passage through the building access control system.
In their new book, Champions of Illusion, Professors Martinez-Conde and Macknik present a smorgasbord of mystifying images, many selected from their Best Illusion of the Year Contest. If you have ever found yourself face-to-face with an utterly bewildering illusion, you know the powerful effect such images have on the mind. The question we often ask ourselves is, How is that possible? Martinez-Conde and Macknik, who study the intersection of neuroscience, illusions, and stage magic, explain just why we think we see the things we see.
The Best Illusion of the Year Contest draws entries from vision scientists, artists, magicians, and mathematicians. Champions of Illusion features the contest’s most bizarre effects and unbelievable mind tricks, along with classic illusions and illuminating descriptions of what is actually going on in your brain when you are deceived by visuals on the page. Champions of Illusion is an electrifying mix of science and magic that you will not soon forget.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G3diwcnPdWk
Susana Martinez-Conde and Stephen Macknik are award-winning neuroscientists and professors at the State University of New York Downstate Medical Center. They are the authors of the international bestseller Sleights of Mind: What the Neuroscience of Magic Reveals About Our Everyday Deceptions, and have written for publications such as Scientific American, the New York Times, the Sunday Times (London), and How It Works. Their Scientific American contributions include three special editions of Scientific American: Mind dedicated to their work. Their research has been covered by the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal, Wired, NPR, PBS's NOVA, and more. They produce the Best Illusion of the Year Contest. They live in Brooklyn.
Copies of the Champions of Illusion book will be available for sale for $25 (cash only).
Refreshments and socializing after the talk.
http://www.ncas.org/2018/01/february-17-champions-of-illusion.html
WEATHER CANCELLATION STATUS:
The Arlington weather forecast for Saturday indicates a chance of snow between 1 PM and 4 PM, then snow and sleet. Chance of precipitation is 80%. New snow and sleet accumulation of less than a half inch possible.
Check http://www.ncas.org, the NCAS Facebook and Meetup sites (and your inbox, if you received the Shadow by email) to see if the event is still on. The status will be announced no later than 10 AM on Saturday. You can also phone the 24-hour Skeptic Line at 240-670-NCAS (6227).
March NCAS Lecture
Science writer Jenny Splitter and producer/director Natalie Newell will screen and discuss Science Moms, Newell's 2017 documentary film about mothers who advocate for science-based decision-making concerning the health and nutrition of children. The film covers vaccines, autism, celebrity-endorsed health fads, cancer, allergies, organic food, GMOs, and homeopathy. Saturday, March 10 at 1:30 PM at Argosy University, 1550 Wilson Boulevard, Suite 712, Arlington, VA.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lDfmZzY2leA
NCAS Board Elections: Call for Candidates
Are you an NCAS member who wants to take a leadership role in the skeptics movement? The NCAS annual board of directors election is fast approaching. Send an email to ncas@ncas.org by March 31 for more information.
NCAS YouTube Channel
Sharon Hill's January lecture – "Scientifical Americans: Paranormal Researchers and the Public Understanding of Science" – is the most recent of many NCAS lectures available at the NCAS YouTube Channel:
http://www.youtube.com/user/NCASVideo/videos
The video of Eric H. Cline's October 2016 lecture – "1177 B.C.: The Year Civilization Collapsed" is by far the most watched, and Thomas R. Holtz's "Terminator Pigs, Walking Whales & Demon Ducks: Wonders of the World After the Dinosaurs" from Balticon in May 2017, posted in July, has suddenly become quite popular, getting about 99% of its 68,000 views in just the past few weeks.
AmazonSmile: Thanks to our members who are supporting NCAS!
When shopping at smile.amazon.com, you'll find the same low prices, vast selection, and convenient shopping experience as Amazon.com, with the added bonus that a portion of the purchase price (0.5%) goes to NCAS! It's simple and automatic, and it doesn't cost you anything!Copies of the Champions of Illusion book will be available for sale for $25 (cash only).
Refreshments and socializing after the talk.
http://www.ncas.org/2018/01/february-17-champions-of-illusion.html
WEATHER CANCELLATION STATUS:
The Arlington weather forecast for Saturday indicates a chance of snow between 1 PM and 4 PM, then snow and sleet. Chance of precipitation is 80%. New snow and sleet accumulation of less than a half inch possible.
Check http://www.ncas.org, the NCAS Facebook and Meetup sites (and your inbox, if you received the Shadow by email) to see if the event is still on. The status will be announced no later than 10 AM on Saturday. You can also phone the 24-hour Skeptic Line at 240-670-NCAS (6227).
March NCAS Lecture
Science writer Jenny Splitter and producer/director Natalie Newell will screen and discuss Science Moms, Newell's 2017 documentary film about mothers who advocate for science-based decision-making concerning the health and nutrition of children. The film covers vaccines, autism, celebrity-endorsed health fads, cancer, allergies, organic food, GMOs, and homeopathy. Saturday, March 10 at 1:30 PM at Argosy University, 1550 Wilson Boulevard, Suite 712, Arlington, VA.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lDfmZzY2leA
NCAS Board Elections: Call for Candidates
Are you an NCAS member who wants to take a leadership role in the skeptics movement? The NCAS annual board of directors election is fast approaching. Send an email to ncas@ncas.org by March 31 for more information.
NCAS YouTube Channel
Sharon Hill's January lecture – "Scientifical Americans: Paranormal Researchers and the Public Understanding of Science" – is the most recent of many NCAS lectures available at the NCAS YouTube Channel:
http://www.youtube.com/user/NCASVideo/videos
The video of Eric H. Cline's October 2016 lecture – "1177 B.C.: The Year Civilization Collapsed" is by far the most watched, and Thomas R. Holtz's "Terminator Pigs, Walking Whales & Demon Ducks: Wonders of the World After the Dinosaurs" from Balticon in May 2017, posted in July, has suddenly become quite popular, getting about 99% of its 68,000 views in just the past few weeks.
AmazonSmile: Thanks to our members who are supporting NCAS!
AmazonSmile's disbursements to NCAS in the fourth quarter of 2017 came to $33.28, meaning that over $6600 of purchases were designated in support of NCAS. (As an example of how NCAS can put that money to good use, it's more than enough to cover an hour of a Montgomery County lecture room rental.)
Thanks again to our members who have chosen to support NCAS!
For more information:
http://smile.amazon.com/about
http://phx.corporate-ir.net/phoenix.zhtml?c=176060&p=irol-newsArticle&ID=1870185
Shadow Light
Some members and contacts of NCAS receive a postal notification of this and every new monthly Shadow of a Doubt. The Shadow Light postcard announces the monthly lecture and highlights of the electronic Shadow of a Doubt, which is available online at ncas.org/shadow. NCAS thereby reduces Shadow production and postage costs. To further reduce costs, members and contacts can opt out of postal notification altogether, while continuing to receive Shadow of a Doubt via e-mail. To opt out, send us an e-mail at ncas@ncas.org.
Time to Renew?
Be sure to check your renewal date above your postal address on the Shadow Light postcard. Send any queries to ncas@ncas.org. Use the online membership form to renew.
http://ncas.org/shadow