First of all, I want to thank Shane for inviting me to write on SacSkeptics.org and thank him for contributing to my blog, SkyMallHatesYou.com.

If you’ve met me you probably know that I am a voracious consumer of podcasts.  It always brings me a great deal of pleasure when I discover that the producers of the various non-skeptically themed podcasts I listen to are actually skeptics at heart.  For example, I was delighted when Brian Brushwood of Scam School was interviewed on the Skeptics Guide to the Universe.  One of my favorite podcasts is Nate DiMeo’s The Memory Palace.  The Memory Palace tells short, beautifully tragic yet touching stories about obscure figures in history.  If you have any interest in history whatsoever you should subscribe to this podcast.  If you have no interest in history you should subscribe anyway because the stories are so touching on a personal level.  The most recent episode tells the story of the Fox Sisters, who were key players in the development of American Spiritualism.  At the beginning of the episode I was terrified that I was going to find myself listening to an uncritical ghost story which would all but ruin my ability to enjoy this podcast in the future.  I don’t want to give away too much of the episode, so let’s just say that my fears were unfounded.  DiMeo weaves an amazing narrative which manages to tell the sisters’ story accurately and skeptically without casting judgement.  He also paints the career psychic as a potentially tragic and unhappy figure, which I think is an interesting insight.  Go check out the episode.  You can stream it on the website or subscribe to it in iTunes.