NZ Skeptics Articles

T-Cells, AA Cells, Leaf Cells

12th December 2022

In this week’s newsletter I look at a video I watched recently on Facebook, promising a life hack for getting more bang for your buck when it comes to disposable batteries. Although, from what I can tell, the only bang you’re likely to get with this hack is exploding batteries.

Speaking of exploding batteries, Robyn Ramsden, who has recently returned to university after a long hiatus to finish her science degree (which has included a lot of looking at rocks), has written an article about a recent personal experience witnessing people’s fear of exploding batteries in electric vehicles. She also discusses some of the other concerns people have about owning an electric car, and talks about her reasons for buying one.

Finally Matthew Willey wrote about the wonders of blood on Facebook this week, and I’ve commandeered his words for our newsletter. No, he’s not been discussing the debacle that’s unfolded around the family with a sick child who needed a blood transfusion as part of a life-saving operation, who are now being used as ammunition in a war against the government by Liz Gunn, Alex Jones and others. It turns out that Matthew has been considering his own blood, and is enamoured with its amazing ability to help make sure he doesn’t die of a viral infection.

For anyone who knows Matthew, I’m sure you’ve been entertained by some of the amazing Facebook posts he writes about the trials and tribulations of bringing up his daughter Alice - as well as some very enjoyable articles he’s written about science. I’m hoping we’ll be able to read more from Matthew in the coming months, as he’s promised to write us some articles for the newsletter, and has also given me permission to steal any of his Facebook posts that I think might interest you all.

Next week Craig will be writing the newsletter, and then we’re taking a couple of weeks off to enjoy the holidays - so you’ll hear from me again on the 9th of January. If between now and then any of you feels an irresistible compulsion to write an article for our newsletter (which would make me very happy), please send it to news@skeptics.nz and I’ll feature it in our first issue of 2023.

Mark Honeychurch

Boiling Batteries

Mark Honeychurch - 12 December 2022

Boiling Batteries

I have a friend who I've written about before who, although she's always had pseudoscientific ideas (like giving her children homeopathic remedies), since the pandemic has fallen down the rabbit hole and is currently at the bottom of said hole, picking up more and more daft ideas as she sits there, wallowing. I haven't seen her in a while now - not since I bumped into her at the parliament protest in February - but I do hear about her recent high jinks, and I see her Facebook posts which suggest that she's given up any effort to think critically.

EVs at Wai Wheels Featherston

Robyn Ramsden - 12 December 2022

EVs at Wai Wheels Featherston

I, along with some other electric vehicle enthusiasts, attended the Wai Wheels Featherston fundraising event for our son's school. There were 7 electric cars; a Tesla 3 Performance, a Tesla X, two Minis in British Racing Green, two Kia EV6s and my little Nissan Leaf. Some had attended many events like this, and had just been to the Go Green Expo the weekend before. We happily paid the small show fee, as it was fundraising for the school, but when we arrived we weren't lined up with the other cars on display. Instead we were placed adjacent to the other cars, far away in the back corner, because of some nonsense about EVs catching fire. I was initially taken aback; surely they were joking.