Author Archives: Pat

Darren clears up some misinformation about a viral post that Iran was planning to execute 15,000 protesters.  Adam looks into a claim that medieval peasants work far fewer hours than we do in modern times.  Lastly we check in with … Continue reading →

Greenwashing is making unsubstantiated claims to deceive consumers into believing that a company’s products are environmentally friendly.  Cristina takes us through it. Darren asks: Is social media bad for us?  The answer must be yes, right? As usual, it’s complicated. … Continue reading →

It’s an all hallows eve mashup!  Darren takes us through the interesting history of Halloween.  Cristina debunks some long held Halloween myths and, lastly,  Adam wonders if less kids are trick or treating.  Download direct: mp3 file http://traffic.libsyn.com/therealitycheck/TRC_656.mp3

Adam ran into a recent article which posed questions about whether nuclear power presents issues of racism, sexism and ageism.  He takes a deep dive and explores if and how this could be true.  Next up, our favourite astronomer and … Continue reading →

Darren is joined by our resident economics expert, Lars, for an interesting conversation about inflation, deflation and related economic issues. Darren and Lars discuss the biography “The Man from the Future: The Visionary Life of John von Neumann”, who is … Continue reading →

On Saturday the world lost a world renowned cardiovascular researcher in a tragic accident.  It was the day of his 50th wedding anniversary. Over the course of his 50-year career, he published more than 250 peer-reviewed scientific articles and his … Continue reading →

It’s been a while since we had our favourite planetary scientist Astro Stu on the show! Stuart gives us a breakdown on the James Webb Space Telescope, what we’re seeing in released images, and what’s next for the mission. Adam … Continue reading →

Le Gang is back together at last! We kick off with an interesting discussion about a claim that the Google LaMDA Chatbot has become sentient. Adam investigates whether the smell most people associate with chlorine is due to its reaction … Continue reading →

In an effort to settle a hot household debate, Cristina looks into whether it’s more eco and pocket friendly to hand wash dishes versus using your dishwasher. Adam checks out a new study that suggests dog personalities have little to … Continue reading →

Russia invaded Ukraine on February 24 and since that time have committed all manner of atrocities. But is it genocide?  Darren tackles this difficult topic.  Next, Adam looks into the idea that there are no ugly old buildings and survivorship … Continue reading →