GC009 Piltdown Man (Scientists Behaving Badly #1)

12/04/05 • 23 min

Geek Counterpoint -- Your antidote to soundbite science!

"Piltdown Man" is the undisputed grand-daddy of scientific hoaxes, and a great lesson in the importance of critical thinking (even in the face of things pronounced "scientific"). The first in an occasional series of episodes grouped under the theme of "Scientists Behaving Badly."

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GC008 Geek Speak and Computer Security (part 2)

Now that we've nailed down the jargon of computer security, let's look at some simple things you can do to protect yourself.

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GC010 Polynesian Navigation

If my experience is any guide, the maritime history you learned in school may well have focused on various European nations, and their voyages of discovery. Many of us were taught that long-distance oceanic voyages had to wait for the compass to be invented, then imported into Europe from China. Unfortunately, this treatment of history leaves out the fact that Polynesian sailors were criss-crossing large areas of the Pacific ocean TWO THOUSAND YEARS before Columbus was born. Even more impressive is the fact that it was done without navigational instruments or charts, in canoes built with tools made of stone, bone, and shells. This episode describes the low-tech but scientifically based Polynesian approach to long distance oceanic navigation.