Athon interviews Richard Wiseman

[Mercutio]

Just listened.

Maybe it's just me, and too many years of psych research, but for me this is just about the perfect interview, with the perfect questions being answered in damn near the perfect way.

So...

If you want to hear a fascinating, enlightening and entertaining interview, go ahead and hie thee hence to skepticality. If you want to sit and sulk with me, that these other people get to have all the fun talking about all the cool stuff, I'll be... somewhere.

Excellent job, both Athon and Richard Wiseman!

[athon]

Thanks Merc. It was seriously a great experience. Unfortunately there was more we chatted about than we managed to record, simply because after we stopped we continued to discuss some points. He's one hell of an entertaining guy.

Wiseman has certainly become one of my personal heroes of science and skepticism.

Athon

[a_unique_person]

Whooa, an Australian accent, and he sounds a lot like a friend of mine. Good to hear, and a great interview.

[Zep]

Athon, do you have a doctorate?

Excellent interview, btw!

[Ducky]

I enjoyed listening to it, all 60-70 times. ;)

Really well done Athon.

[athon]

And thanks be to you, Ducky, for fixing up what was a rather unprofessional recording job. In the future I'll pick your brains for how to get the best sound.

Also thanks to Noblecaboose for technical assistance, who manned (er, womanned) the laptop while it recorded. And who can be heard laughing in the background at Wiseman's jokes.

Athon

(ETA: Sadly Zep, no I don't. I emailed Derek to let him know it was an error. I wondered why I suddenly felt so intelligent)

[Zep]

And thanks be to you, Ducky, for fixing up what was a rather unprofessional recording job. In the future I'll pick your brains for how to get the best sound.

Also thanks to Noblecaboose for technical assistance, who manned (er, womanned) the laptop while it recorded. And who can be heard laughing in the background at Wiseman's jokes.

Athon

(ETA: Sadly Zep, no I don't. I emailed Derek to let him know it was an error. I wondered why I suddenly felt so intelligent)
You might consider working on it!

Only negative comment: You need a more anechoic(?) recording location. It sounded like it was being recorded in a subway.

Another suggestion: Speak slower when interviewing, as you do have a quick speech pace. There is a tendency for interviewers to speak at "conversation speed" normally, and the interviewee will speed up correspondingly to a pace that they both find comfortable. However that may be too fast for others listening in.

[athon]

You might consider working on it!

Only negative comment: You need a more anechoic(?) recording location. It sounded like it was being recorded in a subway.

I know, but that was the only room made available. I originally had the boardroom upstairs in mind, but even though I worked for Questacon last year, as I'm no longer an employee there that was out of bounds.

I'm aware of the poor sound quality.

Another suggestion: Speak slower when interviewing, as you do have a quick speech pace. There is a tendency for interviewers to speak at "conversation speed" normally, and the interviewee will speed up correspondingly to a pace that they both find comfortable. However that may be too fast for others listening in.

Yeah, that's an old habit of mine. Oddly, when in front of a visible audience, I have it beat.

Athon

[Zep]

I know, but that was the only room made available. I originally had the boardroom upstairs in mind, but even though I worked for Questacon last year, as I'm no longer an employee there that was out of bounds.

I'm aware of the poor sound quality.Ah, Questacon! Yes, that would explain it. So it's a wonder you didn't have the earthquake machine and the Jacob's Ladder playing in the background! (Nice to hear NC too!)

The recording quality was fine - more than clear enough for a podcast. You just happened to record the echoing in hi-fi as well! ;) Maybe the audio-nerds here can do something about that??

[Ducky]

In athon's defense, getting quality recording of something outside of a sound-treated studio is very tricky. Even the interviews for TAM4 I did had lots of background noise. I was lucky in that the hallways of the Stardust did not echo noticeably, but it seems there wasn't an area of that nature available to Athon. The muted noise in the background you heard in the treated version was me using a gaussian filter to attempt to remove noise that was constant throughout the recording, however due to the changing nature of reverberations, not all of it could be removed. All in all, even the original recording Athon gave me wasn't the worst I have ever heard. In the future, simple tricks like microphone placement close to source (get that mic right in their face) can go a long way to putting enough db difference between the source and the noise that other tricks can be used before the dynamic compression of mastering is done.

All in all Athon, don't sweat the noise quality. I was very impressed with the interview, and didn't think you spoke too quickly at all, but then I am one of those fast talking yanks no one can understand outside the US anyway.

[Zep]

I agree, Ducky. It was an excellent effort given what they had to work with, technically, content-wise, and in how it was conducted. My points hardly damn the result; they are merely (I hope) constructive and helpful criticism from the listener's POV! I give it a solid A!

[brodski]

Thanks Merc. It was seriously a great experience. Unfortunately there was more we chatted about than we managed to record, simply because after we stopped we continued to discuss some points. He's one hell of an entertaining guy.

Wiseman has certainly become one of my personal heroes of science and skepticism.

Athon

So, don’t hold us in suspense, did you offer him the job or not?

[athon]

So, don’t hold us in suspense, did you offer him the job or not?

He had everything we needed in the firm, except he didn't look nice in a skirt. I went with the brunette with big jugs instead.

Athon

[Ducky]

He had everything we needed in the firm, except he didn't look nice in a skirt. I went with the brunette with big jugs instead.

Athon

I approve. The brunette with the big jugs is always the right choice.








...unless there was a redhead.

[Zep]

Indeed!

http://img.timeinc.net/time/europe/2006/wcup/images/448_stein.jpg
http://img.timeinc.net/time/europe/2006/wcup/images/448_stein.jpg

[Ducky]

Mmmmm m Beeer.

Zep you and athon and I should have a few next TAM.

[skepticality]

athon,

Trust me, for that reason I try to remember anymore when I talk to new guests or get inteviews... I just hit record before I get there to not miss the best parts! ;)

[athon]

Yeah, it's a learning curve. Next time I aim to start recording as soon as they enter and stop only when they leave.

Athon

[Mercutio]

Hell, hit "record" in the cab on the way over. Tapes are cheap.

[skepticality]

Ya Athon,

You completely get the hang of it once you do it 5 or 100 times!

At least it feels like I've done it that many times!! :rolleyes: