Dr. Ginger Campbell's Blog and Podcasts

Thomas Metzinger explores Consciousness on BSP 67

docartemis — Wed, 10 Mar 2010 07:00:53 +0000

The free podcast version of Brain Science Podcast 67 is now available. It is an interview with German philosopher Thomas Metzinger, author of The Ego Tunnel: The Science of the Mind and the Myth of the Self and Being No One. Dr. Metzinger argues that any credible model for how the brain generates the mind must incorporate unusual human experiences, such as so-called out of body experiences (OBE), and psychiatric conditions. In this interview we explore how OBE and virtual reality experiments shed light on how the brain generates the sense of self that characterizes normal human experience.

Listen to Episode 67

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Click here for detailed show notes and episode transcripts.

Scott Sigler on Incorporating Science into Horror Writing

docartemis — Fri, 26 Feb 2010 21:10:30 +0000

Episode 35 of the Books and Ideas podcast is an interview with best-selling horror writer, Scott Sigler. Scott is widely admired for pioneering the use of podcasting to promote his fiction writing, but so far hasn’t gotten the recognition I think he deserves for incorporating hard science into his unique blend of horror and science fiction.

This interview gave me the opportunity to talk with Scott about how he meets the challenge of incorporating accurate science without sacrificing storytelling. I think this is an excellent follow-up to the interview I did with Sheril Kirshenbaum (co-author of Unscientific America) back in Episode 32.

Listen to Episode 35 of Books and Ideas

Episode Transcript (Download PDF)

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Recommended Reading:

The Rookie by Scott Sigler (Listen to this podcast to get a coupon code!)
Contagious by Scott Sigler
Unscientific America: How Scientific Illiteracy Threatens our Future by Chris Mooney and Sheril Kirshenbaum
Early chapters of The Crypt are now available at Podiobooks.com.

Useful Links:

Scott Sigler’s website
Podiobooks.com: where you can sample all of Scott’s work in free audiobook format.
Scott Sigler’s iPhone application

Announcements:

Don’t forget to check out the Books and Ideas application for the iPhone and iPod Touch.
Books and Ideas will be on hiatus for the next few months while I work on producing and promoting the new premium versions of the Brain Science Podcast.
You can get updates by joining our Facebook Fan page or my subscribing to my newsletter.

Memory and the Computational Brain with Randy Gallistel

docartemis — Wed, 10 Feb 2010 22:55:29 +0000

Episode 66 of the Brain Science Podcast is an interview with Randy Gallistel, PhD, Co-Director of the Rutgers Center for Cognitive Science and co-author (with Adam Philip King) of Memory and the Computational Brain: Why Cognitive Science will Transform Neuroscience. We discuss why read/write memory is an essential element of computation with an emphasis on the animal experiments that support the claim that brains must possess read/write memory. This is significant because current models, such as neural nets, DO NOT incorporate read/write memory in their assumptions about how brains work. It is not necessary to have any background in information theory or computation to appreciate the experiments that are discussed in this episode. Episode 3 and Episode 12 of the Brain Science Podcast provide background information for this episode.

Listen to Free Podcast

Click here for show notes and episode transcripts.

Books and Ideas #34: Bruce Hood, author of SuperSense

docartemis — Wed, 27 Jan 2010 08:00:28 +0000

Episode 34 of Books and Ideas is an interview with Bruce M Hood, author of SuperSense: Why We Believe in the Unbelievable.Dr. Hood is a developmental psychologist with a long-standing interest in why people believe weird things. In SuperSense he argues that innate cognitive structures (how we think without being taught) give people a natural tendency toward belief in the supernatural. Our intuitive sense of how the world works is often at odds with the findings of modern science.

In this interview we discuss the evidence for these conclusions and their implications.

Listen to Episode 34 of Books and Ideas

Episode Transcript (Download PDF)

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References and Links:

Bruce Hood’s website
SuperSense: Why We Believe in the Unbelievable by Bruce M. Hood
Hood, BM, “Gravity Rules for Two- to Four-Year-Olds?” Cognitive Development 10 (1995): 577-98.
Lindeman & Aarnio (2007), “Superstitious, magical, and paranormal beliefs: An integrative model.” Journal of Research in Personality 41, 731–744
Lindeman, M. & Saher, M. (2007). “Vitalism, Purpose and Superstition.” British Journal of Psychology, 98(1), 33-44.
Lindeman, M. & Aarnio, K. (2006). “Paranormal beliefs: Their dimensionality and correlates.” European Journal of Personality, 20: 585-602.

Announcements:

Get episode transcripts on your iPhone or iPod Touch with the Books and Ideas application.
Join the Books and Ideas FaceBook Fan Page.
Books and Ideas and the Brain Science Podcast are supported by listener donations.
Coming Soon! Premium versions of both podcasts.

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Please send your comments and feedback to Dr. Campbell at gincampbell at mac dot com.

Brain Science Podcast #65: Jaak Panksepp

docartemis — Wed, 13 Jan 2010 12:12:39 +0000

Episode 65 of the Brain Science Podcast is an interview with Jaak Panksepp, PhD, author of Affective Neuroscience: The Foundations of Human and Animal Emotions. Dr. Panksepp has done pioneering work on the neural origins of emotions. In this interview we discuss how his work challenges some of the common assumptions about emotions and some of the important implications of his discoveries. New listeners may want to go back and listen to Episode 11 for an introduction to the neuroscience of emotion.

Listen to Episode 65

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Click here for full show notes and episode transcripts.

Please Help Support Podcaster Tee Morris

docartemis — Thu, 07 Jan 2010 23:12:45 +0000

Natalie Morris, wife of Tee Morris, fiction writer and author of Podcasting For Dummies died unexpectedly yesterday. Tee has a seven year-old daughter.

Tee is one the people who helped me get started in podcasting. I know I can’t do anything to lesson the pain he feels, but thanks to Scott Sigler I can contribute to a fund to help with the financial burden.

I hope you will help too.

Sign up for the Brain Science Podcast Newsletter

docartemis — Tue, 05 Jan 2010 20:10:41 +0000

If you haven’t already done so be sure to sign up for the new Brain Science Podcast Newsletter.

Books and Ideas #33: Kyla Duffy from Happy Tails Books

docartemis — Wed, 16 Dec 2009 01:00:48 +0000

Episode 33 of Books and Ideas an interview with Kyla Duffy, the founder of Happy Tails Books where she publishes stories about dog rescue. Her goal is to raise awareness of the plight of puppy mill dogs and to raise funds for a wide variety of canine rescue organizations. I discovered her work through my contact with German Shepherd Rescue of Central Alabama.

This episode is more personal than most because I share some of the story of my rescued German Shepherd Jake, and of course, Kyla talks about rescuing a Boston Terrier named Bill (pictured above) led her to start a publishing company.

Listen to Episode 33 of Books and Ideas

Episode Transcript (Download PDF)

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Links of Interest:

Happy Tails Books: (note: international listeners can order books via Amazon.com)
Petfinder.com: a reputable source for rescued pets
German Shepherd Rescue of Central Alabama (They also have a Facebook Group)
Manners in Motion in Pelham, AL: dog obedience, agility, fly-ball, and day-care (Join their FB Fan Page)
Willie Morris: Jake’s favorite teacher

photo courtesy of Courtney Po

Don’t forget to visit http://happytailsbooks.com!

Rush Delivery is Available.

Brain Science Podcast #64: Third Annual Review

docartemis — Thu, 10 Dec 2009 00:30:34 +0000

Episode 64 of the Brain Science Podcast is our Third Annual Review Episode.

It includes a review of some of the major ideas we talked about in 2009 and a look ahead to what I have planned for 2010.

Listen to Episode 64

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Click here for details show notes including a complete list of this year’s guest and our reading list.

Books and Ideas Podcast #32: “Unscientific America”

docartemis — Wed, 25 Nov 2009 01:00:35 +0000

Episode 32 of Books and Ideas is an interview with Sheril Kirshenbaum, co-author (with Chris Mooney) of Unscientific America: How Scientific Illiteracy Threatens our Future. The focus of our interview was on why it is increasingly important that scientists become skilled at communicating what we do to political leaders and to our fellow citizens. Our future depend on solving complex problems (such as global warning and energy issues), which will require accurate scientific knowledge. Unscientific America provides a fresh look at the on-going problem of scientific illiteracy while offering practical suggestions about how we can re-incorporate science into mainstream culture. It calls on scientists of all ages to embrace the role of citizen-scientist.

Listen to Episode 32 of Books and Ideas

Episode Transcript (Download PDF)

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References and Links:

Unscientific America: How Scientific Illiteracy Threatens our Future by Chris Mooney and Sheril Kirshenbaum
Chris Mooney’s interview on the Point of Inquiry Podcast: November 2009.
Don’t Be Such a Scientist: Talking Substance in an Age of Style by Randy Olson PhD
The Intersection: Mooney and Kirshenbaum’s science blog at Discover.com
http://sherilkirshenbaum.com/
“Who are America’s science role models? (It’s ugly, folks.) “ by Eric Burger (March 21, 2008): Most Americans can’t even name a living scientist!
CP Snow and his famous Two Cultures essay (wikipedia)
The Science & Entertainment Exchange: a program of the National Academy of Sciences that provides entertainment industry professionals with access to top scientists and engineers to help bring the reality of cutting-edge science to creative and engaging storylines.
Policy Fellowships for Scientists and Engineers: opportunities for scientists and engineers of all ages.

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Send feedback to gincampbell at mac dot com or leave voicemail at 206-984-0358.