Richard Saunders (skeptic)

Richard Saunders (born 28 November 1965) is an Australian skeptic, podcaster, and professional origamist. He received recognition by the Australian Skeptics with a Life Membership in 2001 for his contributions to the organisation,[1] and has twice served as their president.[2][3] He founded Sydney Skeptics in the Pub.[4] He has presented on skepticism, represented the Australian Skeptics on television and radio shows, and is the co-host of The Skeptic Zone podcast.

Richard Saunders
At New Zealand Skeptics conference 2016
Born (1965-11-28) 28 November 1965
Kurri Kurri, New South Wales, Australia
Known forSkepticism, origami, author, podcaster
Websitehttp://skepticzone.tv/ and http://www.mysteryinvestigators.com

Biography

Early life

Born in Kurri Kurri, New South Wales,[1] Australia, Saunders traveled internationally with his family in his early life, since his father, Rev. Robert H. Saunders,[5] a Methodist preacher, took the family to live in Tribune, Saskatchewan, Canada, from 1968 to 1969. Returning to Australia, Saunders attended a variety of primary schools in Mullumbimby, Lithgow, and graduated from Woy Woy High School in 1984.

Professional career

After graduating from high school, Saunders joined educational publisher Ashton Scholastic and sold educational software for Apple II and Commodore 64 home computers. In 1988 he began authoring over twenty books on origami,[6] which subsequently were featured on the Australian children's television program Wombat,[7] The Afternoon Show,[8] and similar programs.

He also worked as a web designer for The Advance Bank of Australia and Commonwealth Bank[2] and in 1999 was transferred to EDS, where he designed the interface for netBank online banking and worked for two years before joining GreenStone Pty Ltd as a web designer for three years.

Saunders works as a part-time actor and a film and TV extra, appearing in the background in such feature films as Superman Returns and Australia as well as in the background in the TV shows All Saints and Home and Away.[9]

In 2013 he was invited to be a member of the "World Competition Jury" at Academia Film Olomouc's 48th International Festival of Science Documentary Films or AFO48 in the Czech Republic.[10] He also gave a lecture on the claims of water divining as part of the "Pseudoscience" block and a lecture and workshops on origami as part of the "Beauty of Numbers" block.[11][12][13]

In 2008 he and Gary Clark produced DVD Origami, an instructional DVD with step-by-step instructions on how to fold 20 paper models.[14]

Saunders speaking to the New Zealand Skeptics 2016

Career as a skeptic

Saunders has over 10 years of experience researching claims of the paranormal.[2] As a teenager he was inspired by Channel 7's Great Mysteries of the World with Scott Lambert; he was surprised at just how easily people could fool themselves, even after being shown evidence that they may be wrong.[15] A TV documentary called James Randi in Australia was another great skeptical influence on Saunders.[9] He joined the committee of the Australian Skeptics in 2001 and has been president and vice president[2] of the organization. He was granted a Life Membership in the organization in recognition of his work on The Great Skeptic CD.[1] He went on to create the Great Water Divining DVD and the "card carrying skeptic card". He founded Sydney Skeptics in the Pub,[4] initiated The Skeptic Tank radio show on Net.FM with Stefan Sojka,[16] produced The Australian Skeptics collection on "Theories of Everything" for TVS local Sydney TV, and created several of the Australians Skeptics convention DVDs. He was the acting artistic director and layout manager for The Skeptic Magazine from Australian Skeptics until Tim Mendham was appointed the new editor in June 2009.

In 2003 Saunders co-founded Mystery Investigators with Alynda Brown and Ian Bryce. The program teaches students to use science and critical thinking to investigate claims of the paranormal, such as water divining, spoon bending, and firewalking.[17] In 2008 Brown left the show and was replaced by biologist Rachael Dunlop. In 2013 the show celebrated 10 years of performing.

In 2010 he helped organize the first The Amaz!ng Meeting Australia in Sydney. The meeting featured presentations by several high-profile members of the skeptical community, including James Randi, Brian Dunning, and Eugenie Scott.[17]

He has used his skills in origami to design an origami Pigasus[18] in honour of the mascot of the James Randi Educational Foundation. He authored instructions for folding the Pigasus and a dragon for Skeptic magazine.[19] He also recorded a YouTube instructional video of the Pigasus.[9]

Origami Pigasus invented by Saunders

Awards and honours

Podcasting

Saunders was producer and host of The Tank Vodcast (aka The Skeptic Tank).[21] In 2008 this podcast became The Skeptic Zone podcast, which had its 500th episode on 19 May 2018.[9] It appears weekly and is billed as "The Podcast from Australia for Science and Reason".[22] Saunders has produced every episode of The Skeptic Zone podcast.[9]

He has appeared as a guest on many other podcasts and vodcasts including The Skeptics' Guide to the Universe,[23][24] Skepticality,[25] Dragon*Pod,[26][27][28] The Reason Driven Podcast,[29] The Amateur Scientist Podcast,[30] Bad Psychics TV,[31] and Meet The Skeptics!.[17]

Saunders (left) in 2015, on the Podcaster Panel at TAM13

Public & Media appearances

He has made many appearances on radio and television in his role as a skeptic, including on Today Tonight,[32][33][34] Sunrise, Radio 2GB,[35] Radio 2UE,[4][36][37] Nova 106.9,[38] 702 ABC,[2][39] and the pilot show for Curiosity Aroused.[40] In 2007 he did a recurring segment for the Mike Williams Saturday Night Live radio program called Myths and Mysteries.[41] In 2011 and 2012 he was a regular on The Dirty Disbelievers, a radio program on the Australian Broadcasting Corporation radio network.[42]

In July and August 2008 (series #1) and in 2011 (series #2), he appeared as the resident skeptic judge on The One, an Australian reality television program on the Seven Network that tested the powers of several alleged psychics.[2][43][44]

He has spoken at many skeptic meetings including the Australian Skeptics National Convention in 2003,[45] 2004,[46] and 2008.[47][48] In the United States he appeared at The Amaz!ng Adventure North to Alaska[18][49] in 2007, and The Amaz!ng Meeting 6[50][51][52] and the Skeptrack at Dragon*Con,[53] both in 2008.

Saunders produced the Vaccination Chronicles in 2014. The film is a 30-minute documentary collects first-hand anecdotes about the horrors faced by parents of recent generations, when many saw their children die from diseases which are now preventable with vaccines.[54]

In 2018, Saunders was interviewed by Rob Palmer for Skeptical Inquirer magazine, in which he talked about his time in the skeptics movement and the history of The Skeptic Zone podcast.[9]

Bibliography
This list is incomplete; you can help by adding missing items with reliable sources.
  • Saunders, Richard; Morris, Campbell; Mackness, Brian (1988). Aussiegami : paperfolding Down Under - just for fun. Melbourne: Lothian Publishing.
  • Saunders, Richard; Mackness, Brian (1989). Prehistoric Aussiegami : paperfolding Down Under dinosaurs ... for fun. Melbourne: Lothian Publishing.
  • Saunders, Richard; Mackness, Brian (1990). Horrorgami: Spooky Paperfolding Just for Fun. Port Melbourne, Victoria, Australia: Lothian Publishing Co. ISBN 0-85091-380-2.
  • Mackness, Brian; Saunders, Richard; Saunders, Geoff (1990). Food Tricks. Crows Nest, NSW, Australia: Barnacle Publishing. ISBN 1-86338-013-2.
  • Mackness, Brian; Saunders, Richard; Saunders, Geoff (1990). Paper Tricks. Crows Nest, NSW, Australia: Barnacle Publishing. ISBN 1-86338-009-4.
  • Saunders, Richard; Mackness, Brian (1990). Boats. Crows Nest, NSW, Australia: Barnacle Publishing. ISBN 1-86338-002-7.
  • Saunders, Richard; Mackness, Brian (1990). Decorations. Crows Nest, NSW, Australia: Barnacle Publishing. ISBN 1-86338-008-6.
  • Saunders, Richard; Mackness, Brian (1990). Games. Crows Nest, NSW, Australia: Barnacle Publishing. ISBN 1-86338-001-9.
  • Saunders, Richard; Mackness, Brian (1990). Hats. Crows Nest, NSW, Australia: Barnacle Publishing. ISBN 1-86338-006-X.
  • Saunders, Richard; Mackness, Brian (1990). Masks. Crows Nest, NSW, Australia: Barnacle Publishing. ISBN 1-86338-005-1.
  • Saunders, Richard; Mackness, Brian (1990). Planes. Crows Nest, NSW, Australia: Barnacle Publishing. ISBN 1-86338-007-8.
  • Saunders, Richard; Mackness, Brian (1990). Toys. Crows Nest, NSW, Australia: Barnacle Publishing. ISBN 1-86338-003-5.
  • Saunders, Richard; Roche, Brad (February 1992). The Eyespy Book of Boredom Busters. Sydney, Australia: Ashton Scholastic. ISBN 0-86896-882-X.
  • Saunders, Richard; Davis, Michael (April 1992). The Eyespy Book of Dinosaur Data. Sydney, Australia: Ashton Scholastic. ISBN 0-86896-887-0.
  • Saunders, Richard; Davis, Michael (July 1992). The Eyespy Book of Aussie Action. Sydney, Australia: Ashton Scholastic. ISBN 0-86896-884-6.
  • Saunders, Richard; Somers, Greg (July 1992). The Eyespy Book of Magic Tricks. Sydney, Australia: Ashton Scholastic. ISBN 0-86896-886-2.
  • Saunders, Richard; Davis, Michael (July 1992). Lucky's Favourite Jokes. Sydney, Australia: Ashton Scholastic. ISBN 0-86896-897-8.
  • Saunders, Richard; Spoor, Mike (September 1992). The Eyespy Book of Animal Disguises. Sydney, Australia: Ashton Scholastic. ISBN 0-86896-881-1.
  • Saunders, Richard; Martin, John (October 1992). The Eyespy Book of Christmas Gifts to Make. Sydney, Australia: Ashton Scholastic. ISBN 0-86896-888-9.
  • Saunders, Richard (1992). Animals. Roseville, NSW, Australia: Lineup. ISBN 0-646-09445-9.
  • Saunders, Richard (1992). Decorations for All Occasions. Roseville, NSW, Australia: Lineup. ISBN 0-646-09446-7.
  • Saunders, Geoff; Saunders, Richard (1992). Surfing. Roseville, NSW, Australia: Lineup. ISBN 0-646-10193-5.
  • Saunders, Geoff; Saunders, Richard; Gamble, Kim (1992). Tennis. Roseville, NSW, Australia: Lineup. ISBN 0-646-10192-7.
  • Alabaster, Jo; Saunders, Richard; Bowditch, Peter; Mendham, Tim (December 2014). "Is anyone there?" (PDF). The Skeptic. Australian Skeptics. 34 (4): 10–14. Retrieved 15 March 2016. Review of the Australian Paranormal & Spiritual Expo, Oct 2014.
  • Bowditch, Peter; Saunders, Richard; Mendham, Tim (December 2014). "Fair's fare : purchasing the paranormal" (PDF). The Skeptic. Australian Skeptics. 34 (4): 15–16. Retrieved 15 March 2016. Review of the Australian Paranormal & Spiritual Expo, Oct 2014.

See also

References
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  2. "The One: Judge - Richard Saunders". Yahoo 7 TV Australia. Archived from the original on 23 July 2008. Retrieved 6 December 2008.
  3. "Group Info: New South Wales (Australian Skeptics Inc.)", Australian Skeptics website, Australian Skeptics Inc., retrieved 16 May 2013
  4. "Sydney Skeptics in the Pub". Australian Skeptics. Archived from the original on 19 November 2008. Retrieved 2 June 2009.
  5. Saunders, Richard (9 April 2006). "My dear father, Rev. Bob Saunders". Mystery Investigators. Archived from the original on 9 December 2006. Retrieved 8 June 2009.
  6. "Books by Richard Saunders (authored and co-authored)". Mystery Investigators. Archived from the original on 19 November 2006. Retrieved 5 May 2009.
  7. "Origami - Richard Saunders 1988 - Wombat - Ch. 7". YouTube. Archived from the original on 14 April 2016. Retrieved 7 May 2009.
  8. "Origami - Richard Saunders 1989 - Afternoon Show ABC TV". YouTube. Retrieved 7 May 2009.
  9. Palmer, Rob (2 July 2018). "Celebrating 500". Csicop.org. Retrieved 6 July 2018.
  10. "AFO 48: Competition Juries". Olomouc, Czech Republic: Academia Film Olomouc. Retrieved 12 May 2013.
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  12. "Souboj vědy s mýtem na AFO48 rozsoudí Richard Saunders" [Clash of science toll on AFO48 judge Richard Saunders] (in Czech). Olomouc, Czech Republic: Academia Film Olomouc. Retrieved 16 May 2013.
  13. Academia Film Olomouc (2013), "48th International Festival of Science Documentary Films" (PDF), catalog, Olomouc, Czech Republic: Profi-Tisk Group s.r.o., pp. 86, 91, ISBN 9788024434629, archived from the original (PDF) on 10 August 2013, retrieved 16 May 2013
  14. DVD Origami (online vendor site), Maximedia, retrieved 12 May 2013
  15. Saunders, Richard (June 2015). "Birth of a Nation". The Skeptic. 35 (2): 53.
  16. Saunders, Richard (Summer 2001). "Take an Internet Dip in The Skeptic Tank" (PDF). The Skeptic. New South Wales, Australia: Australian Skeptics Inc. 21 (4): 65. ISSN 0726-9897. OCLC 173343236. Archived from the original (PDF) on 14 February 2014.
  17. Brown, Christopher. "Meet Richard Saunders". Meet the Skeptics! Podcast. Archived from the original on 13 January 2014. Retrieved 12 January 2014.
  18. Randi, James (14 September 2007). "Our Recent Adventure" (blog). SWIFT. James Randi Educational Foundation. Retrieved 6 December 2008.
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  34. Pangallo, Frank (27 July 2011). "Homeopathy put to the test". Today Tonight. Seven Network. Retrieved 16 May 2013. A scientist is out to bust myths about staying healthy, popping pills by the handful to show what works, and what doesn't.
  35. "The Skeptic Zone #127" (podcast), The Skeptic Zone, New South Wales, Australia: Australian Skeptics Inc., 25 March 2011, retrieved 16 May 2013
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  39. PM. 15 August 2008. Australian Broadcasting Corporation. Bigfoot still out there, despite hoax video.
  40. Watson, Rebecca (host) (16 December 2007), "Curiosity, Aroused: The Pilot" (podcast), Curiosity, Aroused, WordPress, retrieved 12 December 2008
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  42. Maynard (23 January 2012), The Dirty Disbelievers, Australian Broadcasting Corporation, retrieved 16 May 2013, Take the red pill AND the blue pill on ABC Digital Radio across Australia
  43. Ellliot, Tim (7 July 2008), "Just act paranormal", The Sydney Morning Herald, Sydney, Australia: Fairfax Digital, Fairfax Media, OCLC 226369741
  44. Robson, Lou (3 July 2008). "Witches brave the fires of scepticism". Green Guide. The Age. Victoria, Australia.
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  49. "Richard Saunders on the Amazing Adventure 2". YouTube. 11 September 2007. Archived from the original on 7 April 2016. Retrieved 11 December 2008.
  50. Randi, James (4 July 2008), "Saunders is in Action!" (blog), SWIFT, James Randi Educational Foundation, retrieved 5 December 2008
  51. Richard Saunders at TAM 6 on Bringing Critical Thinking to Schools on YouTube uploaded 23 January 2012 by James Randi Foundation. Retrieved 2013-05-16.
  52. "TAM 6 DVD Set (Disk 2)". James Randi Educational Foundation. 7 November 2008. Archived from the original on 25 April 2009. Retrieved 11 December 2008.
  53. "About: Archive: Past Guests". Dragon*Con website. Dragon*Con. Retrieved 16 May 2013.
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