Piccie of me and @maddipow.bsky.social at Raworths Salon North last week. I was talking about ghosts and she about the forgotten voices of women in psychology.
Deborah Hyde
@deborahhyde.bsky.social
Dark folklore. Former Ed. @TheSkepticMag. Regular #Uncanny expert. Fellow: Committee for Skeptical Inquiry. Patron: Humanists UK.
Lunching with the wonderful composer Paya Lehane. Her fantastic music has provided atmospheric environments for several of my videos. Listen at lehaneaudioproductions.uk
If you're in Harrogate this evening there's still time to get a ticket to Raworths Salon North where I'll be talking about why people believe in ghosts. harrogateinternationalfestivals.com/event/rawort...
Raworths Salon North: September | Harrogate International Festivals
Book tickets for Raworths Salon North: September with Harrogate International Festivals online today!
harrogateinternationalfestivals.com
Just popped over to Bruges ... and guess who was also there?!
Guess who is preparing for Halloween with the right chocolate?
My article for @NewHumanist Summer edition is now online. Can AIs get religion? And have they already started? newhumanist.org.uk/articles/pro...
Looks like Tesco is expanding its range. Good price though. And apparently only six quid if you have a Clubcard.
The Haunted Landscape 2026: Magic, Fairies and Old Gods Saturday 21 November 2026 10 am - 5 pm @deborahhyde.bsky.social is off with that @dannyrobins.bsky.social this year so Sarah Sparkes will be co-hosting. That's young us below Details and tickets forteanlondon.blogspot.com/2026/07/the-... 9/9
Independent, ethical, evidence-driven journalism is needed more than ever. If you enjoy what you read in New Humanist, please consider supporting us with a subscription. They start from just £1.50 a month, and every single one helps us to continue our work: newhumanist.org.uk/subscribe/
Does anybody else working with ChatGPT feel that they're being rude asking so many questions? And get the urge to say 'Thank you' all the time? I'm troubleshooting a website atm and realise I'm treating it like a person.
Interesting - those who've experienced greater hardship may become more susceptible to conspiracy theories when it results in them seeing the world as fundamentally unfair: Dr Daniel Jolley & Dr. Laura Blackie working from @uniofnottingham.bsky.social & @cumbriauni.bsky.social tinyurl.com/yp79992w
I'll be at Raworths Salon North in September talking about why humans are drawn to the supernatural. Professor Adam Zeman will talk about imagination & @maddipow.bsky.social will talk about women in psychology. See you there! thestrayferret.co.uk/event/rawort...
Raworths Salon North: September - The Stray Ferret
Get ready for a night of curiosity, creativity and unexpected connections. This September, Raworths Salon North dives into the extraordinary inner workings of the human mind, exploring how our brains...
thestrayferret.co.uk
'Abigail' Highly recommended. Do you like good characters, great creature & makeup effects, and a new twist on an old theme? Here is your evening's entertainment.
Being a Dead Can Dance fan is like being in a secret society. There are many of us, but our affiliation isn't a matter of public record & we meet each other in unusual places. When you find a fellow DCDer, there are knowing nods & exchanges of titles in case you have the same favourite.
Great talk from Professor Joseph Uscinski at @GreenwichSitP about institutional erosion - how people's faith fails and the consequences for us all.
Anyone in London on 22 July, why not join us @treadwells-books.bsky.social for a soirée about 'performing magnetism'? www.treadwells-london.com/events-1/mag...
Magnetism in the 19th Century – Talk & Soirée | Treadwells
A panel of scholars explore the cultural power of magnetism across entertainment, medicine and magic. Drinks follow.
treadwells-london.com
... I would like to suggest that Hurtmore Bottom is added to The Oxford Handbook of Clinical Diagnosis 2/2 h/t @sili_faces
Following my *excellent* suggestion that Titz in Germany and Ars in France should be twinned ... 1/2
6/6 But I think we're just seeing the numbers of people who, in the past, would never have had young if they had had the choice. And when you give people birth control ... it seems they use it.
5/6 I suspect we are left with a residual birth rate that represents people who have that abstract desire for young. It's probably malleable with financial support, social myths etc.
4/6 For any animals - and that includes humans - you need two strong drives: to have sex, and to care for your young when they pop out. Until recently sex was an unnegotiable deal: you had sex, you had young. But our technology has changed the terms. tinyurl.com/7pptay8h
The Cost of Loving: falling birthrates, and the increased role of personal choice in procreation - The Skeptic
Jordan Peterson believes falling birthrates are part of a self-hating environmentalist genocide, but it's more likely that people are having fewer babies out of personal choice
tinyurl.com
3/6 So why would the abstract desire to have young be the prime motivator in breeding? It's not that it doesn't *ever* exist (it clearly does). It's that it often doesn't ... and that *it didn't traditionally need to*. tinyurl.com/7pptay8h
The Cost of Loving: falling birthrates, and the increased role of personal choice in procreation - The Skeptic
Jordan Peterson believes falling birthrates are part of a self-hating environmentalist genocide, but it's more likely that people are having fewer babies out of personal choice
tinyurl.com
2/6 There are very-few-to-zero drives in animals that focus on an abstract future & get us to work towards it. On the contrary, humans sweat to develop skills like planning, diligence & delayed gratification. Nature's pay-offs are usually pretty quick. tinyurl.com/7pptay8h
The Cost of Loving: falling birthrates, and the increased role of personal choice in procreation - The Skeptic
Jordan Peterson believes falling birthrates are part of a self-hating environmentalist genocide, but it's more likely that people are having fewer babies out of personal choice
tinyurl.com
1/6 Why have birth rates been declining asks @theatlantic.com? tinyurl.com/yj4a65r8. Government financial support doesn't work over certain limits: something else is happening. Is it a lack of meaning, an existential ennui? I don't think so - and wrote about it in @skeptic.org.uk.
The Great Depopulation
Why is the birth rate declining in every country on Earth?
tinyurl.com
I've recently started an Instagram account- if anyone would like to follow me I can be found at @nearlyknowledgeable_1994 It would be great to see some of you over there! #folklore #folktales #history #localhistory #medieval #churchcrawling #Folkhorror
A man had his phone stolen by a monkey at a Bali temple, only to find the simian scamp had taken selfies & made a video. tinyurl.com/y8pd2nc2. He was lucky not to be charged for the phone's safe return: see my article for @skeptic.org.uk deborahhyde.com/monkey-busin...
Monkey steals man's phone and take selfies on it before it was retrieved
A monkey stole a tourist’s phone at Uluwatu Temple in Bali and kept it for over an hour before it was recovered. While missing, the device captured selfies and video of the macaque. 19-year-old Oliver...
tinyurl.com