The Reality Check

Latest Episodes:

TRC #580: COVID-19 Vs Flu + WHO COVID-19 Mythbusting + Toilet Paper Shortage? Mar 21, 2020

Show notes

How is everyone holding up out there? This week the whole crew is back...sort of. Darren tapes solo from his post-travel quarantine to bring us an in-depth look at COVID-19 versus the seasonal flu. Cristina shares some recent COVID-19 mythbusting from the WHO so we...ahem...won't get fooled again. Adam rounds out the show by looking at the recent stockpiling of toilet paper and asking, 'is there really a toilet paper shortage?'

TRC #579: Mad Mike's Rocket Crash + Mercury Precession x General Relativity + Revealed Preferences Mar 14, 2020

Show notes

With half the crew in isolation, we take a reprieve from coronavirus news. First, Adam digs into headlines about daredevil "Mad Mike" Hughes who died in a homemade rocket accident intended to "prove" the Earth is flat. One of our two favourite Stuarts, Dr. Stu Robbins, brings us a relatively compelling look into the precession of Mercury. Finally, Darren brings us an interesting overview of revealed preferences, a major theory of consumption behaviour.

TRC #578: Does 9-1-1 need 9-1-1? + Why Is Bagged Milk A Canadian Thing? + Keeping Up With Coronavirus Feb 29, 2020

Show notes

Producer Pat schools us on 9-1-1 and emergency numbers worldwide after a personal experience dealing with a medical emergency opens his eyes. Cristina finds a way to tie the Toronto Raptors into her segment, when she looks into why bagged milk is a Canuck thing. Finally, while the COVID-19 situation is changing by the minute, Adam gives us a general overview of coronavirus disease and debunks some of the more ubiquitous myths.

TRC #577: Talking Close Relationships with Dr. Cheryl Harasymchuk Feb 12, 2020

Show notes

Just in time for Valentine's Day! Dr. Cheryl Harasymchuk is an Associate Professor at Carleton University in the Department of Psychology. She runs the "Positive Activities in Intimate Relationships Lab." Adam and Darren sit down for a fascinating chat with Cheryl about relationships, love, and how to make those relationships better through play and leisure.

TRC #576: 10,000 Steps? + Transgender Violence A U.S. Epidemic? + The Master Algorithm Jan 31, 2020

Show notes

Cristina flexes her critical thinking muscles and investigates the legitimacy of why 10,000 steps a day is promoted as the magical number to stay healthy and fit. Adam looks at statistics to check claims that fatal anti-transgender violence is a national epidemic in the U.S. Lastly, Darren gives an overview of Pedro Domingos' book, "The Master Algorithm", a thought-provoking look at machine learning.

TRC #575: Impeachment + Future Of Work + Placenta-eating? Jan 19, 2020

Show notes

Producer Pat kicks off the show by clearing up some misconceptions about impeachment and looking at what it means to be impeached. Darren looks into the future of work and the key game changers covered in a report by foresight organization Policy Horizons Canada. Lastly, Adam tries to find any scientific evidence to support the purported benefits of eating one's placenta after giving birth.

TRC #574: Year End Wrap Up Jan 11, 2020

Show notes

Happy New Year, Checkers! The crew rings in the first show of 2020 with a laughter-filled look back at last year. First, a little navel gazing while we chat about our favourite segments. Next, Producer Pat challenges the panel to a sneaky 2019 themed game of 'Name That'. Lastly, Adam fact checks how well we did with our 2019 predictions, before we take out the proverbial crystal ball and do it all again for 2020.

TRC #573: Arizona Vortex + Home Alone Booby Traps + 'The Devastating Consequences Of Urban Violence' Overview Dec 22, 2019

Show notes

Darren sucks us into a segment about vortexes after a recent trip to Arizona leaves him scratching his head over their mystical 'enhanced energy' claims. Cristina looks behind the movie magic in "Home Alone" using science to assess the real life consequences of the booby traps 8 year old Kevin sets up for the Wet Bandits. Adam rounds out the show with a detailed look at Thomas Abt's book "Bleeding Out: The Devastating Consequences of Urban Violence", which uses an evidence based approach to look at issues surrounding urban violence.

TRC #572: Blue Light Lens Mania + Donating Effectively + Marie Kondo's Store Dec 01, 2019

Show notes

Cristina set her focus on some dubious sales pitches being made about blue light filtering lenses. Next, with Giving Tuesday right around the corner, Darren talks to us about giving to charities effectively. Adam closes out the show with a look at organizing consultant and author Marie Kondo and her new online store.

TRC #571: Did China Ban Video Games After 10PM? + Did Portugal Solve Its Drug Crisis? + Malcolm Gladwell's Talking To Strangers Nov 16, 2019

Show notes

Adam looks into some curious headlines suggesting that China has banned video games after 10PM. Cristina looks closely at how Portugal is doing 18 years after decriminalizing drugs. Darren explores the assumptions and mistakes humans make when dealing with people via Malcolm Gladwell's Talking To Strangers.

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