AUTHOR
Mike Hall
8 Articles
Mike Hall has been working in software development for over twenty years, the last ten of those as Technical Lead and CTO. He is the producer and host of the long-running podcast Skeptics with a K, part of the organising committee for the award winning skeptical conference QED, and the former president of the Merseyside Skeptics Society.
The Simpson’s prophecies: no, the long-running cartoon can’t predict the future
The long-standing myth that The Simpson's has an uncanny ability to predict the future is just a case of viewers scouring archives to connect dots that aren't there
Vabbing: the TikTok trend of using vaginal secretions as perfume, to attract a partner
The practice of 'vabbing' - or 'vaginal dabbing' - claims that vaginal secretions contain pheremones that make women irresistable to potential partners, but science suggests otherwise
Heatfiniti: the physics-defying home heating device scamming worried homeowners
With energy prices rising and many worried consumers unable to heat their homes, products like Heatfiniti look to cash in on the crisis with bogus claims around cost savings
Rather less than more: More or Less misses the mark on placebo effects
In praising the power of the placebo effect, the statistical sleuths at the BBC's More or Less cited small, subjective studies that have failed to replicate
Placebo inhalers can’t treat asthma: another ‘powerful placebo’ myth busted
Patients on placebo inhalers reported that they felt better, even though their lung capacity was objectively the same - this isn't an argument for placebo asthma treatments, but for objective measurements in clinical studies
The idea that four placebo pills are more powerful than two sounds magical – because it isn’t true
The claim that "four placebo pills work better than two placebo pills" is based on a misreading of an outdated study - we need to stop repeating it
Much ado about nothing: evidence of the ‘powerful placebo’ is far from convincing
A look at a paper touting the benefits of placebo for shoulder pain shows ‘powerful placebo’ claims fail to stand up to scrutiny.
No, the COVID-19 app does not share your data with the police
Claims that the official COVID-19 app shares information with the police are simply unfounded, and only undermine test and trace efforts.
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