Trace Beaulieu and Frank Conniff are writers and actors best known for their work on Mystery Science Theater 3000.
At the American Atheists 2015 convention in Memphis, Tennessee, Jessica spoke with Trace and Frank about the genesis of MST3K, what they think about podcasts, and whether it’s tough to be known only for the show rather than their other projects.
Megan Fox is the apparent evolution-denier who “debunked” a science exhibit at Chicago’s Field Museum of Natural History and posted the video on YouTube.
In a long, far-ranging, and sometimes infuriating interview, we talked about the reactions to her “audit” videos, whether her gender plays a role in the backlash, and why she doesn’t consider herself a Creationist.
We also discussed why she believes not censoring the Internet in a local library’s adult section sanctions “taxpayer funded access to child porn.” (In response to her battle with the Orland Park Public Library, readers of this site raised nearly $7,000 for the library’s general fund.)
Notes:
Here’s a link to Lindy West‘s story on This American Life.
Here are a couple of the articles the Chicago Tribune wrote about Fox’s battle with the library. However, Fox believes that these articles tell a more honest version of the events.
You can also see Fox’s video of our conversation beginning here (other parts to follow).
Dr. Susan Blackmore is a writer, researcher, and speaker best known for her book The Meme Machine.
At the American Atheists 2015 convention in Memphis, Tennessee, Jessica spoke with Susan about the mystery of consciousness, Blackmore’s fascination with memes, and why she avoids most forms of social media.
(Image via Wikipedia)
Jerry DeWitt was a Pentecostal preacher from Louisiana whose faith began cracking a few years ago. At first, he battled with his doubts internally, but he soon realized he no longer believed what he had been saying from the pulpit for nearly 25 years.
When he finally declared — publicly — that he was an atheist, his life began to fall apart. He wrote about his deconversion in his book Hope After Faith. You may have also seen him in the recent CNN special “Atheists: Inside the World of Non-Believers.”
Hemant spoke with Jerry recently about what led him to initially doubt his religious beliefs, his journey through the Clergy Project, and how he can still get himself into “preacher mode” when speaking.
(Jessica will return to the show in a couple of weeks!)