A Challenge to The Skeptic Zone

I've been listening to The Skeptic Zone. (I also was the first person to digg the site, but do I get credit for that? No...)

It's an excellent podcast (at least at the moment).

However, I've got a bone to pick with them.

It has to do with their theme song.

You can download it from the link above.

It has to do with the lyrics:

"The Skeptic Zone,
a miracle of technology.
A universe of reason,
the Skeptic Zone"

Now my problem is the bolded bit. I'm skeptical of that if you will.

I want them, and I feel quite confident that someone who has something to do with it will find their way here, maybe from the JREF forum.

Prove to me that The Skeptic Zone is indeed a miracle of technology.

Honestly. How do we know that there wasn't some other schmo out there who wanted to start a podcast called "The Skeptic Zone" and was beaten by you guys.

I can put money on it if you want but then I'll have to create some criteria.

I'm thinking something along the lines of "prove beyond a reasonable doubt that The Skeptic Zone is indeed a miracle and that nothing else could have created it".

And if you do you can win 1,168.46 dollars*. To be paid to you in person when you were last in Adelaide.¹

I await your response.²

By the way, to other people who still haven't figured out what I am going on about, go to The Skeptic Zone page and find out.

For once there is a podcast where the Australians (i.e. all the main people) all sound normal compared to the Yanks.

*By dollars I mean Zimbabwe dollars and by 1,168.46, I mean 10 Australian. This is the current exchange rate from here at 2008.10.10 14:02:22 UTC.

¹And if you are wondering, yes. I did choose my "criteria" from here

²If you haven't figured it out by now, this is a joke. Just listen to the damn podcast...

Oldest Joke.

The BBC has reported on the World's Oldest Joke.

Apparently the joke is as follows:

"Something which has never occurred since time immemorial; a young woman did not fart in her husband's lap,"

It's not that funny. I guess the Sumarians were the Germans of their day humour wise. Or maybe I'm being too German here because I don't seem to get it.

I guess a Marsh Arab might get it, or maybe the funny is lost in translation. Or time. Probably time.

Read the article. It talks about the early days of British humour, with a joke from the Anglo-Saxon period, and I especially like the Roman joke.

Something to do on World Youth Day

Based on this stupid story from the US.

Imagine it, go to mass, wake up in time for the Eucharist, go up and get your piece of cardboard.

The Pope give you the cardboard and says "Ze body ov Khrist" (Fine I don't know what the stereotypical German accent is because I don't notice it).

You pretend to put it into your mouth, and start to walk away.

The next minute in front of something like 50 000 rather devout Catholic youths:

"I'VE GOT HIM!!!! I'VE KIDNAPPED YOUR PRECIOUS MESSIAH!! YOU CAN HAVE HIM BACK FOR THIRTY PIECES OF SILVER!"

Ideally 50 000 Catholics should see this as a joke and not beat you to death.