Conference Update

Our 2026 conference at Tá¿¡ranga Library in Christchurch is just over 2 months away, and we have some exciting updates.

Our 2026 conference at Tá¿¡ranga Library in Christchurch is just over 2 months away, and we have some exciting updates.
This is the last week to pick up tickets for our conference in Christchurch at the end of July at a discounted price - from the 1st of June, the tickets will go up to their full price. So if you want to come and see the SGU, their entourage, and some engaging and informative local speakers, book now to avoid disappointment!
Our annual NZ Skeptics Conference, being held in Wellington on 25th - 27th November is just weeks away now.

It is hard to avoid hearing about Bitcoin and other so-called cryptocurrencies these days. Almost every issue of every newspaper has an article about some aspect of Bitcoin. As a researcher in cryptography I have been interested in Bitcoin since around 2013 (though I confess to have never "mined" a block or invested in Bitcoin). The purpose of this article is not to explain the technology of Bitcoin or to give a detailed overview of it. And I am definitely not giving investment advice! Instead I want to highlight a few aspects of the Bitcoin story that I think are of particular interest to skeptics.
Consumer response to the outbreak of Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy has involved a complex balancing of risk and price
The marketing of sodium chloride should be taken with a pinch of salt
Sorry -- not a 50% price reduction on BMWs, not even gratis cases of Bernkastler Beerenauslese. But:
Skeptics who've ordered direct from Prometheus Books will be well aware of the realities of the extra exchange and bank costs that can make a price quoted in US dollars burgeon into a massive account in New Zealand money.
Magic potions made from natural ingredients are generally hailed as environmentally friendly. But is this necessarily true? Not if you're a rhinocerous!