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PZ Myers is a biologist and associate professor at the University of Minnesota, Morris.
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Category: Skepticism
Posted on: December 7, 2009 11:09 AM, by PZ Myers
Hey, this is a surprise: Phil Plait is stepping down from the presidency of the JREF to pursue a career in television. Phil, I've seen your picture in the skepchick calendar — television isn't ready for that kind of exposure yet! Well, maybe on Skinemax.
All hail the new president of the JREF, DJ Grothe. He'll be a good match for the organization, and I look forward to future amazing meetings.
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Comments
Posted by: Glen Davidson
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December 7, 2009 11:21 AM
Yes, Phil, no nude shots, please.
Show us naked singularities, if you wish.
Glen D
http://tinyurl.com/mxaa3p
Posted by: Michelle R | December 7, 2009 11:21 AM
All hail!
(And when do we get to see sexy pictures of PZ?)
Posted by: PZ Myers
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December 7, 2009 11:22 AM
They don't exist. That's like asking for well-lit photographs of darkness.
Posted by: PGPWNIT | December 7, 2009 11:26 AM
As long as he still does the BA blog, it's all good.
Posted by: SEF | December 7, 2009 11:28 AM
One of Stephen Hawking's little jokes is that, because the Big Bang was a singularity, we're all trapped in this universe with a naked singularity on the loose.
Posted by: Rev. BigDumbChimp | December 7, 2009 11:28 AM
Phil has a perfect face for radio.
just kiddin Phil
Posted by: Richard Eis | December 7, 2009 11:30 AM
I don't know. These fly by night tv wannabees.
He will be dancing with the stars next year probably. Or eating bugs in the jungle.
Posted by: James F | December 7, 2009 11:33 AM
The king has fled, long live the king!
Posted by: Silič O'Nopolitanopoulos, Färschdbischuf Beesknees aus Ulm und Klein Elguth, Elector Pharynguline.
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December 7, 2009 11:35 AM
The hell?!
Yeah, unexpected alright.
(Slacker. Giving up after only fifteen months. Shows what stuff Randi must be made of.)
I guess I'll have to start listening to PoI now. As if I didn't have enough podcasts already.
Best of luck to the Plaitster. I hope his Skepticologist (horrible name), or whatever it is, takes off like a 747 on a treadmill.
Posted by: Sigmund | December 7, 2009 11:35 AM
"He will be dancing with the stars next year probably. Or eating bugs in the jungle."
I'm a skeptic, get me out of here?
Posted by: Celtic_Evolution
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December 7, 2009 11:38 AM
I predicted this would happen like 9 months ago! I posted somewhere that Phil would either land a gig as Buster's replacement on "Mythbusters" or as the "Geek Bachelor"... now if only I could remember where I posted that so I can go claim my damn million from JREF before the new "king of media" flies the coop.
Posted by: Levi in NY | December 7, 2009 11:38 AM
DJ Grothe? I've met that guy. Nice fella. Best of luck to him.
Posted by: X. Wolp | December 7, 2009 11:42 AM
I am praying to the great Atheismso that "TV projects" include “The Skeptologists”
Posted by: Levi in NY | December 7, 2009 11:46 AM
X. Wolp: Me too. Are there any signs from the other Skeptologists that this might be the case?
Posted by: The Mad LOLScientist, FCD | December 7, 2009 11:59 AM
I for one welcome our new uberskeptical overlord... and I hope some enlightened TV network picks up The Skeptologists soon — I'm getting really tired of holding my breath!
Posted by: Acronym Jim | December 7, 2009 12:01 PM
DJ Grothe? Can I assume he's an expert at spinning the techno beats?
Posted by: Valdyr | December 7, 2009 12:14 PM
Further evidence of Deep Rifts, indubitably.
Posted by: Carol | December 7, 2009 12:14 PM
Yup. DJ is a fine fellow for sure. Has he given up his 'day job'?
Posted by: JoAnna | December 7, 2009 12:23 PM
LOL @acronymjim
Very cool to learn that DJ Grothe is the new president of JREF! Congratulations, and looking fwd to seeing JREF grow under your leadership.
Posted by: Michael | December 7, 2009 12:31 PM
Sounds good, but I hope Point of Inquiry continues, I'm addicted to it!
Posted by: Jessica | December 7, 2009 12:32 PM
I met them both at the Carl Sagan Day we had in Southern Florida last month and they are incredibly awesome people. I'm so excited for them both!
Posted by: Tom Woolf | December 7, 2009 12:35 PM
If BA becomes the next Mr. Wizard or Bill Nye the Science Guy, cool! I mean, REALLY REALLY COOL!!!
If, however, he stoops to DWtS, I hope the next gig after that is as Buster, and I will strongly recommend the Mythbusters folks redo the exploding toilet myth!
Posted by: AdamK
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December 7, 2009 12:39 PM
I hope it's a sitcom.
Posted by: otrame
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December 7, 2009 12:54 PM
DJ Grothe is probably the best interviewer I've ever heard. He's very, very good at asking questions that let someone explain themselves in a coherent fashion. I, too, hope that his new duties won't mean he leaves PoI.
Posted by: Insignificant Speck | December 7, 2009 1:07 PM
15 months? Sarah Palin was governor longer than that!
Posted by: wombat | December 7, 2009 1:20 PM
DJ is a great choice for the JREF. I hope he is still able to continue his Point of Inquiry podcast. It's one of the best freethinking podcasts available.
Posted by: F
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December 7, 2009 1:21 PM
Sweet. On both counts.
Posted by: Cliff Hendroval | December 7, 2009 1:23 PM
In a way, it would be cool for Phil to get on "Dancing With The Stars". It would be nice that a scientist be considered as star-like as ex-boy-band members or rodeo riders.
Posted by: llewelly | December 7, 2009 1:29 PM
We've all seen nude Phil Plait. And now, you can get nude D.J. Grothe here.
Must be a "qualifying" ritual for becoming JREF president.
Posted by: CanonicalKoi | December 7, 2009 2:05 PM
But...but...astronomy needs representation, dammit! I'm sure D.J. Grothe will do a fine job, but does he know any *astronomy*??!?
Not really kidding about the astronomy (why does biology, especially evolutionary biology, always get to be the "sexy" science?), but Grothe will do fine--he's a fellow magician. We tend to be very skeptical.
Posted by: bcoppola | December 7, 2009 2:36 PM
Well, I'll be. Just the other night when yet another promo for some dumbass Ghosthunter-type show came on I thought to myself, "too bad someone like Phil Plait doesn't do a skeptical TV show".
Coincidence? You decide!
Posted by: Darren | December 7, 2009 3:15 PM
#25
Phil is actually leaving because he doesn't want to subject JREF members to a "lame duck" presidency. ;)
Posted by: Kel, OM | December 7, 2009 3:20 PM
Wow, congrats DJ!
Posted by: Andrew | December 7, 2009 5:04 PM
Hooray, a gay skeptic. Where are they all anyway? I think this is great for rationally thinking LGBT people.
Posted by: Revyloution | December 7, 2009 5:36 PM
The question is, did he jump or was he pushed!!
I think he was pushed. Its an obvious cover up because of his denial of the Raelean UFO's that helped build the sound stage where the moon landings were faked. I personally used a dowsing rod over two cards that had the words 'pushed' and 'jumped' on them, and every time, the rod swung to the 'pushed' card.
Posted by: tokenadult | December 7, 2009 6:01 PM
D. J. Grothe does a show about how easy it can be to fool scientists. It says so on his website. That's somewhat of a response to PZ's other post of today.
Posted by: SEF | December 7, 2009 6:49 PM
Is the JREF presidency like being a time-lord - ie with some sort of limit on the number of regenerations? In which case Phil Plait would effectively have wasted one of them (much like the film Doctor Who and the first TV returnee who only made one series); whereas Randi was more of a Tom Baker figure in his longevity.
PS I seem to have gone a bit random. Too much colouring in, cutting out and sticking stuff together today, perhaps.
Posted by: Greg Fish | December 7, 2009 9:22 PM
Show us naked singularities, if you wish.
That's a tricky one since naked singularities probably don't exist. Shameless plug and hardcore physics behind the statement here...
http://worldofweirdthings.com/2009/08/10/black-hole-bares-all-for-science/
Posted by: skeptifem | December 7, 2009 9:53 PM
bout damn time. Phil Plait was sooo the wrong choice for JREF, he said some pretty douchey stuff about women and everything, but he wasn't even equipped to expose trickery. I have always seen that as the role of the JREF, and requires some kind of training in magic/mentalist kind of stuff.
Posted by: anthonzi
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December 7, 2009 10:05 PM
Sounds like a better suited man for the job anyway.
Posted by: snerd
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December 7, 2009 10:53 PM
#39: wat?
Possibly the only replacement for Randi would be the Clone Of Randi (Ra'andi?), so it's hardly fair.
Posted by: ad | December 7, 2009 11:37 PM
I hope someone teaches him to keep his head still. Especially with 3D TV coming along.
Posted by: Richard Eis | December 8, 2009 5:16 AM
There are loads on Pharyngula. We even have a self appointed spokesgay. He had to make the crown and sequin cloak himself though ;)
Posted by: Blake | December 8, 2009 8:22 AM
Hey I am a gay skeptic too! This is great news. I always listen to DJs podcast and have been impressed by his intelligence and precise elocution, but I never knew he was gay. The skeptic community has virtually nonexistent gay contingent, it's way worse than the problem of few females for instance. Maybe this can start to change things!
Posted by: Paul | December 8, 2009 10:29 AM
This is good news. Anyone who hasn't listened to the Point of Inquiry podcast should go download it now. DJ is an amazing interviewer. He certainly knows how to ask all the right questions.
...are you still here... go!
Posted by: Silič O'Nopolitanopoulos, Färschdbischuf Beesknees aus Ulm und Klein Elguth, Elector Pharynguline.
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December 8, 2009 1:33 PM
Really?!!
At least the one before that is
But really? This is a great podcast?
(And it hasn't updated since October.)
I didn't know Grothe was gay, which goes to show how little that matters (not that I was particularly familiar with him - I think I've heard him on the SGU from TAM7).
MAJeff will always be the gay face of atheism to me. (And I read Dan Savage.)
Posted by: Henry | December 8, 2009 3:26 PM
Actually, the POI podcast does update regularly. Due to a hard drive crash this summer, the show had to take a break to regroup its data. The dates shown on the Web site are the interview dates--when the guests were interviewed--not the dates the shows were posted.
Posted by: Henry | December 8, 2009 3:32 PM
And as for the guests you find unsavory, it's better to talk to people with whom you disagree rather than stifle their opinions. Didn't you live through the whole Ethical Society/Sunsara Taylor thing with us?
Posted by: Silič O'Nopolitanopoulos, Färschdbischuf Beesknees aus Ulm und Klein Elguth, Elector Pharynguline.
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December 9, 2009 9:16 AM
I've heard enough of Randy Mooney to want to waste any more time on them. But I shoulda edited out Darrel Ray whom I don't know.
But thanks for the clarification re timing.