Just a very brief note to say I’m sorry I have to work this weekend, so I can’t make my talk in the Green tent at Glastonbury with my old friend Shane Collins from the Green Party. It’s a shame, I was going to do the usual fun festy pack of (a) how the media distort evidence on cannabis and cocaine (b) evidence based social policy (c) how the story that science can tell about the relationship between body and mind is waaaay more interesting than handwavey fantasies about quantum nonsense and magic pills, and (d) how big pharma is evil, and what a tragedy it is that so much valuable political energy which could be used in discussing and campaigning against this is, instead, wasted on nonsense like homeopathy and MMR. I find it very revealing that incredibly important stories like this on drug companies hiding data on SSRIs lasted only 3 days in the press, while foolish stories like MMR have run and run and run in the media for ten long years. That is so wrong. The drug co’s must be delighted. Good work quacks.
Anyway, lots of festy fun and comedy gigs this summer, I’ll be posting links as ever in the miniblog (so subscribe to this using this), and mp3s to come too, including a comedy classic with PZ Myers. For anyone who likes to think ahead this Nature event on science bloggers in August should be fun, I’ll be chatting on the Saturday and will hopefully make bits of the rest, so if we’re internet linky-love friends then do let me know if you’re going.
Blake Stacey said,
June 26, 2008 at 7:36 pm
You better get that “comedy classic” online: nobody will believe my story without evidence. Bloody skeptics being all skeptical about what happens at TAM. . . .
Bob O'H said,
June 26, 2008 at 7:38 pm
I’ll be at the Nature thing – it’ll be a chance to meet lots of weird people without needing so many electrons. They spoil the beer so.
coracle said,
June 26, 2008 at 10:28 pm
I’ll be there. Looking forward to meeting any other bad-sciencers that make it. And all the other science bloggers that go too.
le canard noir said,
June 26, 2008 at 11:00 pm
Me too. I am going to be setting up the Sceptics’ Field next to the Healing Fields. We can all sit around and not feel the vibes.
warumich said,
June 26, 2008 at 11:20 pm
I’m planning to come too. David and I are still somewhat dithering about making a blog out of our website, so it’ll be good to talk to people who know.
le canard noir said,
June 26, 2008 at 11:28 pm
What shall we say? Stone Cirle. Mid-day. Saturday?
MataHari said,
June 27, 2008 at 7:14 am
I’ve just finished Nick Davies’s book Flat Earth News, a brilliant analysis of how journalists (‘churnalists’) regurgitate each other’s writing, and much more. Buy it! (even better, buy it through Ben’s website)- I promise you won’t be disappointed.
Delster said,
June 27, 2008 at 4:19 pm
Black Duck… would it not be better to set up next to them and send them negative vibes to counteract their good ones?
coracle said,
June 27, 2008 at 5:29 pm
Oops, think I may have inadvertently caused a little confusion. LCN, I was referring to the nature science blogging conference, not glasters. Unfortunately, I won’t be going to glasters.
doctormonkey said,
June 27, 2008 at 10:02 pm
I assume you are on call
hope it goes well!
Tom P said,
June 30, 2008 at 9:09 pm
But you’re still doing the Latitude festival, right? Half the reason I bought a ticket…
Ben Goldacre said,
June 30, 2008 at 9:15 pm
haha yeah but not the posh literary tent because i’m to rock and roll for those ladies, i’m on in the comedy thing with my comedy pimp robin ince. and somehow i’ve got to get back from giving a posh science lecture in barcelona on saturday morning to get to latitude, so sunday and poss late sat…
should also be at big chill, green man, and maybe secret garden but that least likely. basically i’ve swapped being in a band for being a c-list public intellectual as my festy blag.