{"id":798,"date":"2007-11-05T13:17:00","date_gmt":"2007-11-05T13:17:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.quackometer.net\/wpblog\/2007\/11\/the-quack-language-instinct.html"},"modified":"2007-11-05T13:17:00","modified_gmt":"2007-11-05T13:17:00","slug":"quack-language-instinct","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.quackometer.net\/blog\/2007\/11\/quack-language-instinct.html","title":{"rendered":"The Quack Language Instinct"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a>Put down your sweaty iPod Touch and slide your fingers over the downy back of the Quackometer as it makes its debut in the funky new world of podcasting.<\/p>\n

Yes, I am the guest this week on the Guardian Science Weekly Podcast, and we discuss the language of quackery. My warm-up and support act is some Canadian academic chappie by the name of Steven Pinker. He sounds quite clever but swears a lot. If he can clean up his potty mouth then he might go far.<\/p>\n

So, we discuss the birth of the Quackometer and why quacks feel the need to appropriate the language of science (and especially physics), the merits of organic <\/a>food, and the magic watergate scandal<\/a>. There is some minstrel at the end who sings about evolution, talk of elephants on acid, foul-mouthed mammals, and a serious bit about abortion. All good clean fun – well, it would be, if it wasn’t for that Pinker bloke who, I think, rather lowered the tone. I doubt they will invite him back. Don’t let your grannie get hold of your iPod and hear him. She will definatelty drop a stitch.<\/p>\n

So, being a shy duck, I haven’t listened to it yet. I hope they have cut out the bit where I ask, “So, how often does Science Weekly go out then?” If I have done OK, then they may be inviting me back for some more quackery podcast fun.<\/p>\n

To listen,<\/p>\n

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