World's Greatest Con

arthwollipot

Observer of Phenomena, Pronouns: he/him
Joined
Feb 11, 2005
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Ngunnawal Country
The latest season of Brian Brushwood's podcast has begun and boy is it a good one.

https://shows.acast.com/worlds-greatest-con/episodes

The first season was interesting - it was a thorough examination of Project Mincemeat, a deception during WW2 in which the allies stashed false intelligence on a corpse for the Nazis to find. Season 2 was not interesting to me - it was about people who had conned TV game shows. While it was a decent examination of how and particularly why people try to run cons, I have what could be described as an anti-interest in TV game shows, so I skipped most of it.

But the third season, in my opinion, should be required listening for anybody who considers themself to be a skeptic. And that is not an exaggeration.

The third season is a detailed look into Project Alpha - a hoax perpetrated by Steve Shaw and Michael Edwards, aided and abetted by James Randi. We should all be at least passingly familiar with it. In the latest series, Shaw (now using the stage name Banachek) and Edwards tell their stories in their own words. It is thorough, and detailed, and does not pull punches. Brushwood is a fantastic storyteller and I predict that this will become the definitive history of Project Alpha.

Three episodes have so far dropped. You can get it wherever you get your podcasts. Highly recommended.
 
The latest season of Brian Brushwood's podcast has begun and boy is it a good one.

https://shows.acast.com/worlds-greatest-con/episodes

The first season was interesting - it was a thorough examination of Project Mincemeat, a deception during WW2 in which the allies stashed false intelligence on a corpse for the Nazis to find. Season 2 was not interesting to me - it was about people who had conned TV game shows. While it was a decent examination of how and particularly why people try to run cons, I have what could be described as an anti-interest in TV game shows, so I skipped most of it.

But the third season, in my opinion, should be required listening for anybody who considers themself to be a skeptic. And that is not an exaggeration.
The third season is a detailed look into Project Alpha - a hoax perpetrated by Steve Shaw and Michael Edwards, aided and abetted by James Randi. We should all be at least passingly familiar with it. In the latest series, Shaw (now using the stage name Banachek) and Edwards tell their stories in their own words. It is thorough, and detailed, and does not pull punches. Brushwood is a fantastic storyteller and I predict that this will become the definitive history of Project Alpha.

Three episodes have so far dropped. You can get it wherever you get your podcasts. Highly recommended.

Just last night I watched An Honest Liar for the 2nd time, and it details a lot about that hoax.
 

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