What we’re about
Welcome to Triangle Skeptics. Our mission is to promote critical thinking, scientific literacy and skepticism as tools for advancing knowledge and decision making. We are skeptical but not cynical.
Our focus is on identifying good and bad examples of critical thinking, so that we can hone our own powers of observation, inquiry and deduction. We discuss, critique and attack ideas, but not people or personalities. Please be respectful of others and ideas different from your own. They might present an opportunity for you to learn something new. Also, please share your thoughts but be mindful of the length and frequency of your sharing so that everyone gets a chance to speak.
For more information on what skepticism is visit http://www.theskepticsguide.org/
Here's a good definition of skepticism from Steven Novella:
"A skeptic is one who prefers beliefs and conclusions that are reliable and valid to ones that are comforting or convenient, and therefore rigorously and openly applies the methods of science and reason to all empirical claims, especially their own. A skeptic provisionally proportions acceptance of any claim to valid logic and a fair and thorough assessment of available evidence, and studies the pitfalls of human reason and the mechanisms of deception so as to avoid being deceived by others or themselves. Skepticism values method over any particular conclusion."
Discussions usually revolve around science headlines, the latest paranormal scams and anti-science propaganda, but often veers off into subjects like naked mole rats, Dragon*Con and Doctor Who.
We're not conspiracy theorists, moon landing deniers, climate change deniers, or 9-11 Truthers. If you're looking for that sort of stuff in this group, you'll probably be disappointed.
We're also not a singles group. OK, sure, a lot of us are single and we do get together to socialize, but dating isn't the primary function of the group. Creepy / aggressive / stalkery behavior is frowned upon and will get you booted from the group. Be polite and show respect.
Although we're mostly agnostic/atheist/secular we are not, strictly speaking, an atheist group.
Likewise, we're probably a bit left-leaning politically but the group as a whole doesn't endorse one particular party.
And yes, we tend toward the nerdy/geeky side but it isn't a requirement.
Upcoming events
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•OnlineSkeptics in the (Virtual) Pub: Vandy Beth Glenn- Transgender in the 21st Century
Online"Southern Girl: Being Transgender in the 21st Century"
Vandy Beth Glenn has been active in the skeptic community for over fifteen years, and has presented on various topics at The Amazing Meeting and on the Skeptic Track at Dragon Con. When she came out to her boss as transgender in 2007, she was promptly fired. Today she will talk about her life, her journey, and what it's like to be transgender in the Trump era.
Vandy Beth Glenn is a Georgia native, speaker, storyteller, comedian, and civil rights pioneer. She was a grand marshal at Atlanta Pride in 2012. In 2009 she became one of the first openly transgender people to testify before a Congressional committee. She holds a journalism degree from the University of Georgia. She lives in Decatur with her human partner and a growing number of ungrateful cats.
Agenda:
7:00 - 8:00: Featured presentation
8:00 - 9:00: Q&A; general discussion
How to be:
Come with an open but critical mind, awareness of your own biases, and respect for your fellow humans. We're here to have a good conversation and a good time, and to that end your participation is subject to the Triangle Skeptics events code of conduct.6 attendees
•OnlineCulture Club – The Cuckoo's Egg by Clifford Stoll
OnlineOur cultural work for the month of January is the 1989 book The Cuckoo's Egg, by Clifford Stoll:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Cuckoo%27s_Egg_(book)
The book is a classic in cybersecurity circles, and some of the techniques and terms it describes are now considered foundational to the discipline.
From Wikipedia:
Author Clifford Stoll, an astronomer by training, managed computers at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (LBNL) in California. One day in 1986 his supervisor asked him to resolve an accounting error of 75 cents in the computer usage accounts. Stoll traced the error to an unauthorized user who had apparently used nine seconds of computer time and not paid for it. Stoll eventually realized that the unauthorized user was a hacker who had acquired superuser access to the LBNL system by exploiting a vulnerability in [a text editor].
... This was one of the first—if not the first—documented cases of a computer break-in, and Stoll seems to have been the first to keep a daily logbook of the hacker's activities.
About Culture Club:
Our fourth-Wednesday meetups are dedicated to discussion of a piece of culture – be it a book, a movie, an outside lecture, or something else – that is of interest to the group. Even if you have not read, listened, or watched this month's selected work but merely think it sounds intriguing, we hope that you will join us, since an outsider's perspective enhances every conversation.
You can browse the list of works we have already covered, and peep the queue of candidates for future meetings, here. If you would like to suggest a work for consideration, please check the link above first, and if you don't see it already listed, use this form.
Agenda:
6:30 - 7:00: Meet and greet
7:00 - 8:30: Discussion of featured work
8:30 - 9:00: General discussion and selection of next work
How to be:
Come with an open but critical mind, awareness of your own biases, and respect for your fellow humans. We're here to have a good conversation and a good time, and to that end your participation is subject to the Triangle Skeptics events code of conduct.8 attendees
Past events
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