Fourth Annual Skeptics Night at the Gravesend Inn

When: Friday October 28, 2011

Where: Voorhees Theatre, 186 Jay Street (north of Tillary), Brooklyn, NY (map)

For the fourth year, Brooklyn's high-tech Gravesend Inn haunted attraction at NYC College of Technology is welcoming NYC Skeptics.

Professor Huntington will be giving NYC Skeptics a special backstage tour of the hotel's special effects at 9 pm.

The schedule for October 28th, 2011:

• 6:00pm: Gravesend Inn Opens (allow for about an hour to explore the haunted hotel)
• 8:45pm: Backstage tour (meet in the lobby)
• 9:30pm: Meeting at a bar in DUMBO

Admission to the non-profit attraction is $6 and you can find more information at http://www.gravesendinn.org/

Drinking Skeptically @TAM9

When: Thursday, July 14 at 9:00pm

Where: Silverado Lounge - South Point Casino

Going to TAM? Then don't miss what is quickly becoming the go-to social event of the conference!

Last year's gathering was attended by Richard Dawkins, Phil Plait, and couple hundred of their skeptical friends!

There is no charge to attend--so stop by, get to know your fellow TAM attendees, and enjoy the company of skeptics from all over the world

Drinking Skeptically at TAM9 will take place at 9PM on Thursday July 14th in the Silverado Lounge.

DS@TAM9 is co-hosted by NYC Skeptics, National Capital Area Skeptics, and Center for Inquiry-Washington, DC.

See you there!

Michael Shermer - The Believing Brain

When: Thursday June 9, 2011 @ 7PM

Where: Auditorium on Broadway, 1871 Broadway (at 62nd St.)

Admission: Free for NYC Skeptics members and friends of the Center for Inquiry; $10 for non-members.

Note: Please RSVP by e-mailing your name/s and e-mail address to: contact@nycskeptics.org.

New York City Skeptics and Center for Inquiry-NYC present a lecture by noted skeptic Michael Shermer.

Dr. Shermer will discuss his latest book, The Believing Brain: From Ghosts and Gods to Politics and Conspiracies—How We Construct Beliefs and Reinforce Them as Truths. In this work synthesizing thirty years of research, the world's best-known skeptic upends the traditional thinking about how humans form beliefs about the world. Simply put, beliefs come first and explanations for beliefs follow.

Michael Shermer is the Founding Publisher of Skeptic magazine, the Executive Director of the Skeptics Society, a monthly columnist for Scientific American, the host of the Skeptics Distinguished Science Lecture Series at Caltech, and Adjunct Professor at Claremont Graduate University. Shermer received his B.A. in psychology from Pepperdine University, M.A. in experimental psychology from California State University, Fullerton, and his Ph.D. in the history of science from Claremont Graduate University.

A booksigning will follow the event. There will also be a post-event reception with the author; more to come.

Rationally Speaking Live: How to Tell Science from Bunk

Date: January 29, 2011 at 2pm

Where: Jefferson Market Library - 425 Avenue of the Americas (btw 9th & 10th St.)

Join Julia Galef and Massimo Pigliucci for a live taping of the Rationally Speaking podcast! In this special episode they will be talking about Massimo’s latest book: "Nonsense on Stilts: How to Tell Science from Bunk". It will feature an extended question and answer session from the audience, which will be released as part of the podcast.

There will be a social gathering following the event. Details coming up soon.

The Rationally Speaking podcast is produced by Benny Pollak for New York City Skeptics, and is available on iTunes and at rationallyspeakingpodcast.org.

Third Annual Skeptics Night at the Gravesend Inn

When: Saturday October 30, 2010

Where: Voorhees Theatre, 186 Jay Street (north of Tillary), Brooklyn, NY (map)

For the third year, Brooklyn's high-tech Gravesend Inn haunted attraction at NYC College of Technology is welcoming NYC Skeptics.

This year, in addition to a backstage tour with systems designer John Huntington, NYC Skeptics attendees are invited to participate in a skeptical psychological research study!

Professor Huntington and Dr. Toija Riggins have extended some of Professor Richard Wiseman's work into a serious, Institutional Review Board-approved psychological research study, running in conjunction with the Gravesend Inn. The study will examine emotional reactions to unusual experiences, specifically investigating phenomena in an area where, legend has it, unusual things have happened. Participation in the experiment is a free bonus experience for those over 18 who just experienced the Gravesend Inn. Some of the study administrators are NYC Skeptics volunteers who underwent extensive training in order to participate.
 
October 30th is a special night for those interested in the experiment, since immediately after the completion of the last study run (approximately 9pm), we will reveal the details of the technology and techniques used in the experiment, and do a brief demonstration.

The schedule for October 30, 2010:

• 6:00pm: Gravesend Inn Opens
• 6:00pm: Research study opens (for those who have been through the Gravesend Inn)
• 8:30pm: Backstage tour (meet in the lobby)
• 9:00pm: Reveal of study technology, and demonstration
• 9:30pm: Meeting at a bar in DUMBO

The Inn is likely to be crowded that night, so leave an hour or so to fully participate in haunted hotel and another 1/2 hour to participate in the research study.

Admission to the non-profit attraction is $6 and you can find more information on http://www.gravesendinn.org/ or email John Huntington at john@nycskeptics.org

Note: If you'd like to participate in the study (or experience the Inn), but can't make the night of the 30th, please come by another night when the survey is running--check the website for details...