Next Week in NYC: Richard Wiseman Talks about Investigating the Impossible

Who: Richard Wiseman
What: free public presentation, "Investigating the Impossible"
Where: University Settlement, 184 Eldridge Street (and Rivington St.) [map]
When: 730pm, Tuesday, 5 January 2010
Cost: FREE and open to the public!

Join the New York City Skeptics as they kick off their 2010 Public Lecture Series with noted skeptic, psychologist, and magician Richard Wiseman.

For over 20 years, Professor Richard Wiseman has investigated a variety of strange psychological phenomena. In this talk, he describes some of his more colorful adventures, including his work into why some people are lucky, his search for the world's funniest joke, and whether people really can walk on hot coals. He will also discuss his new book, 59 Seconds: Think a Little, Change a Lot, which debunks the myths of the self-help movement and reveals how you can change your life in less than a minute. The book will be on sale and he will be signing copies after the event.

Professor Richard Wiseman started his working life as an award-winning professional magician, and was one of the youngest members of The Magic Circle. He then obtained a first class honours degree in Psychology from University College London and a doctorate in psychology from the University of Edinburgh. For the past twelve years he has been the head of a research unit at the University of Hertfordshire, and in 2002 was awarded Britain's first Professorship in the Public Understanding of Psychology. Professor Wiseman has established an international reputation for his research into unusual areas of psychology, including deception, luck and the paranormal.