News

Public Lecture - Caroline Fiennes

2013-05-07T02:28:58Z

CHECKING UP ON CHARITIES: How do we know the claims charities make are true?

When: Tuesday May 28 @ 7PM

Where: Shetler Studios, 244 W. 54th St., 12th Floor, Room: Shetler 1 (map)

Free and open to the public!

You're a generous soul: so you sometimes give money and time to charities. But what do they do with it? Charities make a whole pile of claims about what they achieve, but how would we know whether those claims are really true?

Inspired by the evidence-revolution in medicine, Caroline Fiennes is leading the charge for evidence-based charities and philanthropy. She unashamedly brings a scientific approach to understanding what charities are doing, what they should be doing, and establishing whether they're any good at it.

Ben Goldacre on Caroline's recent book: "You’ve been waiting for this: evidence-based charitable giving." Simon Singh: "Caroline Fiennes explains how to balance heart and mind for people serious about philanthropy. She emphasizes with clarity the importance of evidence."

Copies of Caroline's book It Ain’t What You Give, It’s The Way That You Give It - "the Freakonomics of the charity world" - will be available at a sneaky discount.

Drinking Skeptically is Moving!

2013-05-02T12:57:10Z

Drinking Skeptically is moving! This month New York City Skeptics' regular socializer will meet at a new location: Apple Restaurant and Bom Bar.

Apple is located at 17 Waverly Pl. (between Green St. and Mercer St. - map) just one block from Washington Square Park in the heart of Greenwich Village.

Apple offers reasonably-priced food and drink in a relaxed atmosphere. The ambiance allows for discussion (it's not super loud!) with plenty of room to sit, stand, and congregate.

We will meet at our regular day and time, the last Wednesday of the month (May 29) at 8PM in the FRONT of the restaurant (we will have two reserved tables, right across from the bar).

See you there!

Stimulus/Response Tix On Sale to General Public

2013-03-05T04:27:14Z

Tickets to this year's NECSS 2013 kick-off show, STIMULUS/RESPONSE: A Nexus of Science & Improvisation, are now on sale to non-NECSS attendees! Even if you can't attend this year's conference, join us for this incredible evening art, improv, and education!

When: Friday April 5 @ 8PM

Where: Katie Murphy Amphitheatre (inside the Fred P. Pomerantz Art and Design Center @ FIT), 7th Avenue and W. 27th St., NYC

Tickets: $20 NECSS attendees/ $25 non-NECSS attendees

What happens in your brain at the moment of inspiration? Where do your ideas come from? Are they just a product of brain chemistry? A muse? Dumb luck? STIMULUS/RESPONSE explores the process of creation with a “real-time experiment” that places the audience right in the middle of the creative process.

Join New York’s top improvisers from the Upright Citizens Brigade and Peoples Improve Theater, as well as NECSS-favorite musician George Hrab and multidisciplinary artist Roman Hrab, as they create unique and completely improvised performances in the areas of music, art, and comedy. Then scientist and entertainer Brian Wecht will moderate a panel discussion and audience Q&A on the science of improvisation with the performers, as well as Dr. Steven Novella and Dr. Heather Berlin.

You won’t want to miss this one-of-a-kind performance! Head to the NECSS registration page and sign up for Stimulus/Response today!

Public Lecture: Mark ALpert - Extinction

2013-02-25T23:47:03Z

Extinction

When: Wednesday March 6 @ 7PM

Where: Shetler Studios, 244 W. 54th St., 12th Floor, Room: Shetler 1 (map)

Free and open to the public!

Jim Pierce hasn't heard from his daughter in years, ever since she rejected his military past and started working as a hacker. But when a Chinese assassin shows up at Jim's lab looking for her, he knows that she's cracked some serious military secrets. Now, her life is on the line if he doesn't find her first.

The Chinese military has developed a new anti-terrorism program that uses the most sophisticated artificial intelligence in existence, and they're desperate to keep it secret. They're also desperate to keep it under control, as the AI begins to revolt against their commands. As Jim searches for his daughter, he realizes that he's up against something that isn't just a threat to her life, but to human life everywhere.

Join us first for a special lecture by science-writer-turned-author Mark Alpert as he discusses the incredible sceintific and technological advances -- including those advocated by Ray Kurzweil and the so-called "Singularitarians" -- that inspired his latest book, and where those advances might one day lead humanity.

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Mark Alpert is the author of Final Theory, The Omega Theory, and Extinction. A former editor at Scientific American, he specializes in explaining scientific ideas to readers, simplifying esoteric concepts such as extra dimensions, parallel universes, and brain-machine interfaces. In his novels, he weaves cutting-edge science into high-energy thrillers that incorporate real theories and technologies.

Rationally Speaking Podcast and Lecture by Ben Goldacre

2013-01-14T03:48:52Z

When: Thursday February 21st, 7PM

Where: University Settlement, 184 Eldridge Street (map)

Free and open to the public!

Join us first for a special lecture by Dr. Benjamin Goldacre about his new book, Bad Pharma: How Drug Companies Mislead Doctors and Harm Patients, and then Dr. Goldacre will be our special guest on a live taping of the Rationally Speaking podcast.

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Click for more information.

NECSS 2013 registration is now open!

2012-12-15T03:05:27Z

NECSS 2013 registration is now open! Join us as we once again welcome a fantastic lineup of speakers and panelists for the Northeast’s largest conference dedicated to critical thinking and science education. NECSS has expanded again and we will now offer three full days of lectures, panels, live podcasts, workshops, and a number of “extras” taking place throughout the weekend.

REGISTER HERE

Conference tickets are available at General Admission, student, and NYC Skeptics/New England Skeptical Society member rates (coupon codes will be e-mailed directly to NYCS and NESS members). Thanks to our Student Sponsorship Program we are able to offer a limited number of student registrations at a significantly discounted rate (over 50% off the General Admission price). We also have a limited number of single-day passes available.

New Speakers Announced

We’re thrilled to announce that joining us at NECSS 2013 will be Heather Berlin, Nathalie Molina Nino, Bob Blaskiewicz, Cat Bohannon, and Karen Strachan — they will join our already stellar lineup of speakers, including keynote speaker Leonard Mlodinow, Simon Singh, Michael Shermer, Shaifai Puri, the SGU Rogues, Jamy Ian Swiss, Massimo Pigliucci, and more (full lineup here)!

New Venue

NECSS 2013 will be held at FIT’s Haft Auditorium, a newly-renovated 600-seat space that offers free wifi and plenty of space to socialize with speakers, vendors, and your fellow attendees. We will again offer complimentary wireless internet access for all conference attendees.

Workshops

NECSS 2013 will be expanding again this year to offer a full day of NECSS Workshops Friday April 5 from 10AM – 5PM. We’ve already got a fantastic lineup of workshop leaders, including Rationally Speaking podcast host Julia Galef, educator Marc David Barnhill, CFI-NY Executive Director Syd LeRoy, Camp Inquiry director Karan Strachan, and noted blogger and podcaster Bob Blaskiewicz. These workshops are limited to 50 attendees each and separate registration is required. We encourage everyone to register early as these WILL sell out.

NECSS Weekend

We will again host a number of “extra” events throughout the weekend including our popular “Drinking Skeptically” socializer, an intimate, live taping of the SGU podcast, and our annual Fundraising Reception (all proceeds directly support NECSS).

Last, but certainly not least, we encourage everyone to consider donating to the NECSS Student Sponsorship Program. Thanks to the SSP this year we are able to offer a limited number of student registrations at a significantly discounted rate. But we want to make more student spaces available. For every student registration donated we can make an additional spot available at a discount. Best of all, your donation is fully tax deductible!

Be sure to follow NECSS on Twitter, become a fan on our Facebook page, or subscribe to the NECSS news feed for the latest updates. And, of course, we hope you can join us at NECSS 2013!

REGISTER NOW

P.S. Even though we have a larger venue this year, NECSS has a habit of selling out. So don’t wait – register today!

Solstice party and post-Sandy fundraiser!

2012-12-06T23:28:31Z

Venue Change for Deborah Hyde's Lecture

2012-11-14T21:23:22Z

IMPORTANT! VENUE CHANGE!

Due to unforeseen circumstances, Deborah Hyde's lecture tomorrow evening will take place at:

Shetler Studios

244 W. 54th St (between Broadway and Eighth Ave.)

12th Floor, Room: Shetler 1

Same time, 7PM.

See you there!

Don't Miss These NYC Skeptics Events

2012-10-12T16:05:14Z

Rationally Speaking Podcast Live: Answers for Aristotle

WHEN: Sun. October 21, 2012 @ 4pm

WHERE: University Settlement, 184 Eldridge Street (map)

Join us for a special live taping of the Rationally Speaking podcast as Massimo and Julia discuss Massimo's new book, "Answers for Aristotle." We will also present a special after-podcast performance by "mathemagician" Ethan Brown. Ethan's performance at NECSS 2012 was a hit of the conference and we're thrilled to provide this special "sneak peak" at his brand-new act. There will be a social following the event (location T.B.A).

More info: http://nycskeptics.org/events/rationally-speaking-podcast-live-answers-for-aristotle.html

Public Lecture - Deborah Hyde: The Natural History of the European Werewolf

WHEN: Thur. November 15, 2012 @ 7pm

WHERE: Please note - Venue change - Shetler Studios, 244 W. 54th St (between Broadway and Eighth Ave.), 12th Floor, Room: Shetler 1

Join us for a post-Halloween public lecture as Deborah Hyde takes an in depth look at the witch trials of sixteenth and seventeenth century Europe to discover a mixed bag of serial killers, political murders, fervent religionists and innocent victims. She will also examine the werewolf, so often representing the darkness of the human soul. Through film, history, fairy tales and analysis we will discover who is truly worse - man or beast?

More info: http://www.nycskeptics.org/events/deborah-hyde.html

SkepticampNYC 2012

WHEN: Sat. December 8, 2012 @ 10am

WHERE: Shetler Studios - 244 W 54th St. (map)

It's time again for SkeptiCamp, our "open" skeptical and scientific conference! SkeptiCamp differs from a traditional conference in that the attendees themselves also function as presenters. Audience interaction and participation is not only welcome, but also encouraged. Please note that all attendees must register in order to secure a spot. We again expect to have a full house of attendees and we encourage you to register early, as we cannot guarantee space will be available for onsite registrants.

If you are interested in leading a session at SkeptiCamp please take a look at our Presenter's Guide. Again, we have a limited number of spaces, so if you'd like to present we encourage you to submit your application early!

More info: http://www.skepticampnyc.org

Rationally Speaking Podcast Live: Answers for Aristotle

2012-09-22T15:56:50Z

When: October 21st, 4PM

Where: University Settlement, 184 Eldridge Street (map)

Free and open to the public!

Join us for a special live taping of the Rationally Speaking podcast as Massimo and Julia discuss Massimo's new book, "Answers for Aristotle." We will also present a special after-podcast performance by "mathemagician" Ethan Brown. Ethan's performance at NECSS 2012 was a hit of the conference and we're thrilled to provide this special "sneak peak" at his brand-new act. There will be a social following the event (location T.B.A).

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Click for more information.