I met Brian in 2012 at NECSS in New York City. He had co-hosted a special "Story Collider" event that ran in conjunction with the NECSS conference. I have been an ardent fan of Story Collider ever since. When I heard that Brian was also participating in NECSS 2013, I knew I wanted to sit down and interview him. 

Not only is Brian Wecht a particle physicist and co-host of Story Collider, but he also has an extensive background in music and comedy. You can find him (covered in a Ninja mask) at YouTube as 1/2 of the Ninja Sex Party. With a little trepidation, I have posted one of the videos below. Definitely NSFW! You've been warned.

You can also follow Brian on Twitter at: @bwecht

I have always been a numbers guy and I have always enjoyed learning about how seemingly impossible coincidences probably happen all the time, often never being noticed. Jarrett Lennon Kaufman and Wendy Hughes have picked up on this aspect of critical thinking by producing a "podlet" section of the Skepticality Podcast as well as their own website, "The Odds Must Be Crazy."

Wendy and Jarrett are also very active with Independent Investigations Group, and we talked about some fascinating investigations they have helped out with. Make sure to check out their website, www.TheOddsMustBeCrazy.com and follow both of them on twitter!

Jarrett: @TurboFool

Wendy: @Wendy91602 

Check out Jarrett as "Timmy" on the Mr. Deity episode below!

Trent Brusky is a young man who recently reached out to me with an offer to help out with music on my show. I was intrigued that he was doing exactly what I have tried to recommend for years. He is putting his talents to use to help with critical thinking and Skepticism.

You can check out Trent's website at http://www.dropfoxsound.org/. I wanted to get him on the show in hopes of inspiring others to do the same.

Enjoy!

Evan Bernstein is 1/5 of the Skeptics Guide to the Universe team. He's best known for preparing and hosting several different segments on the show as well as writing the Official Blog for The Skeptics Guide to the Universe, "The Rogues Gallery." Evan is also responsible for the fun, interactive segments that allow listeners to send in their answers, most notably "Who's That Noisy?"

Evan has been involved with the Skeptical movement for many years. We had a chance to talk about his introduction via Perry DeAngelis and his continuation through the New England Skeptical Society and the formation of the Skeptics Guide to the Universe Podcast.

I first heard about Jamie Bernstein on an episode of The Skeptic's Guide to the Universe. She had been recently kicked out of an Autism One conference for simply attending. Nice, huh? I was impressed by the fact that she was willing to get out there and do something. While it's easy to play online and post comments (I do it myself), it's not quite so easy to  check out the real problems in the real world. 

Not content with simply witnessing the anti-vax movement up close, Jamie works with Women Thinking, Inc. to run vaccine clinics at various conferences. We talked about that, as well as a host of other activities she is involved with.

Jamie was also recently, officially named a new Skepchick so you can check out her writing over there! This occurred after we recorded the interview, so we didn't speak about it.

Jamie on Skepchick: http://skepchick.org/author/uajamie/

Follow Jamie on Twitter at: @UAJamie

Check out Women Thinking, Inc. on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/WomenThinkingInc?fref=ts

And check out our brief on-camera interview at TAM 2012 below!

Michael De Dora is director of the Center for Inquiry's Office of Public Policy and the organization's representative to the United Nations. We had a chance to chat via Google Hangout (which can be watched below) a few months ago and I was surprised to learn a few new tidbits about his background. We talked about his time working for Fox News (yep, you read that correctly), his conversion from Catholicism and his work on Capital Hill trying to sway legislators with sometimes unpopular viewpoints.

Check out Michael's blog here: http://themoralperspective.com/

Link here and SIGN UP to receive action alerts!: http://www.centerforinquiry.net/opp

Watch (if you dare) the LIVE, COMPLETELY UNEDITED version below, where you get to hear my dog barking and me shooing one of my kids out of the room (neither of which made the final cut for some reason).

I met Susan Gerbic at TAM (The Amazing Meeting) 2011. She immediately impressed me as someone who likes to "get things done." Susan devotes a lot of time to various projects that help make this world more rational. Probably the largest impact (my own feeling) will be from her Wikipedia editing efforts. Susan tirelessly organizes people from around the globe to keep an eye on Wikipedia entries to ensure truth and accuracy. In fact, if YOU are looking for a way to help, I realy can't think of any better options!

Check out Susan's websites here:

Guerilla Skepticism on Wikipedia

Monterey County Skeptics

Or follow her on Twitter here: @SusanGerbic

And here's a quick interview Susan and I did at TAM 2012 for the JREF:
 

John Rael is a Skeptical Comedian who has been producing a series of videos for several years now. The Skeptically Pwned series takes on all types of woo via a less traditional debate approach..... Moving beyond "Skeptically Pwnd," John has also gained a level of notoriety for making a short documentary about giving away his vote (apparently legal) and a series titled "Shit Skeptics Say" as seen in the first installment below.

BIG NEW VIDEO RELEASE PARTY!!!: Facebook Page

You can find out more about John and his unique approach to Skeptical Activism here:

Website: http://skepticallypwnd.com/

YouTube Page: http://www.youtube.com/user/skepticallypwnd

Twitter: @SkepticallyPwnd

Sean Carroll is a theoretical cosmologist specializing in dark energy and general relativity. In other word, this dude is smart. I had been watching his Dark Matter, Dark Energy course from The Great Courses when I happened to also hear him interviewed on The Skeptics Guide to the Universe. I knew then that I wanted to have him on my show. 

A few months later, I ran into him in an elevator at TAM only hours after watching one of his lectures on the airplane out to Las Vegas. We chatted for a few minutes as I tried to act cool. After TAM, I shot him off an email inviting him on the show and he readily accepted. So, enjoy!

Sean's Website: Preposterous Universe

Dr. Carroll's books.

Watch the unedited video of our interview. See all the mistakes that got edited out!

Jonny Zavant is a Mentalist who got his start working for James Randi himself. He travels the country doing Corporate and College shows, proving that miracles can happen, but only when the performer is in full control of the situation.

We talked about his introduction to James Randi on a College Campus, how he managed to get college credit for having fun, and a little bit about his upbringing as a minister's son.

Check out his website at www.JonnyZavant.com

Follow Jonny on Twitter: @JonnyZavant