Methodology

In researching and presenting all this stuff, I've tried to follow a few principles. It's not easy to do all the time, but it's important to keep "best practices" in mind whenever you can, because, you've probably noticed, these subjects are everywhere and people feel passionately (sometimes VERY passionately) about them.

First and foremost: if you're a committed believer in one or more of the topics I discuss here critically, I'm not trying to change your mind.  There are likely many reasons for why you believe what you do.  If I arrive at a different conclusion than yours, and that bothers you, let's both agree to part ways as friends.  I have no desire to "convert" anyone.  This site is a labor of love, built on my curiosity and desire to understand.  I have no "axe to grind," and no "hidden agenda" to promote.  Nobody pays me to do this.  I do this to share something interesting with people who enjoy it (hopefully).  If you don't, that's fine: it's a big world.

Next, I often use humor as I present topics.  This doesn't (shouldn't) imply that I'm not taking the subject seriously or trying to belittle or trivialize those who believe the things I'm analyzing critically.  I'm not.  I'm just trying to keep things fun (remember, I'm in this for the fun).

Overall, I also have a few meta-principles I try to adhere to:

  • Look for the Truth.  Not to sound grand, but my goal here is to look for the truth, not belittle, dismiss or ridicule others in some bully-like attempt to "debunk" something at all costs.  There are enough bullies around looking to force their viewpoint on you, usually in order to sell you something or make themselves feel better.  We're living in an age where the truth often takes a back seat to whoever yells the loudest, offers the simplest solution to a complex problem by ignoring the actual facts, or whoever "sells the sizzle" best.  That's what the algorithms prioritize, not the truth.  I'm trying to be on the truth side.

  • Present Evidence, Not Opinions: I try to avoid just saying "That's silly." I'll try to show the supporting reasoning and data the best I can. Facts speak louder than insults.

  • Be Respectful (The Russell Rule): Bertrand Russell noted that the "stupid" are sure of themselves while the intelligent are "full of doubt." [1] I try NOT to be the loud jerk at the party.  I understand that people want to believe in magic because life is hard, very hard sometimes, but I'll also bring the data, evidence, or alternate explanation (the simplest that fits all the facts).

  • Be Open to New Evidence: if a real three‑foot‑tall alien waddles into my living room, hands me a cosmic donut, and says “try the glaze, it’s interstellar,” I’m absolutely ready to update any contradictory core beliefs I may have — including my stance on space‑pastries. That’s the whole beauty of a evidence-based approach: it’s a constant loop of “here’s what we know… until new evidence shows up.” If an idea can’t possibly be proven wrong, then it’s not testable one way or another, and is therefore a matter of faith.  That's something you have to believe in without any evidence, and, as valid a part of human experience as that is, that's not what this site's about.

  • Embrace Uncertainty: Sometimes the answer is "I don't know." And that's okay. Admitting I don't know is the first step toward actually finding something out.

  • Use Clear Language: Sometimes you'll come across claims that sounds like a robot had a stroke while reading a physics textbook (e.g., "quantum-vibrational cellular realignment"), particularly when someone's trying to sell you something.  I try to stick to plain English and explain my point as simply as I can.  When I'm editing and re-editing stuff around here, it's usually to make things clearer.

There are also methods I tend to use when researching and thinking about these topics.  Not everything here applies to everything on the site, but this shows the tactics and strategies I use when analyzing things.

  • Look For Hidden Assumptions: Conspiracy theories are built on assumptions. For example, faking the moon landing assumes, among other things, that thousands of people can keep a secret. Have you ever tried to get five buddies to agree on the next Battlefield map? Now imagine 400,000 NASA employees keeping a 50-year secret about not landing on the moon six separate times.  That's a big ask.

  • Apply Parsimony (Ockham’s Razor): If a "haunted" house can be explained by a $2 piece of fishing line or a drafty window, you don't need to call an exorcist. The simplest explanation is usually the one that doesn't involve breaking the laws of physics.  I tend to be pretty skeptical if "tossing out all known physical laws" is the first explanation someone makes to explain something apparently extraordinary.

    For example, if someone leaps from footage of a "blurry black shape disappearing behind a tree 500 feet away" to "multi-dimensional bigfoot jumping into another dimension," chances are they're trying to sell something  -- even if it's just a fun, entertaining idea -- instead of looking for what that thing really is.

    Perhaps that “ghost” on that security tape isn’t an omni‑dimensional wanderer slipping in and out of our reality — maybe the poor tape has just been reused so many times it’s coughing up old footage like a VHS déjà vu. That eerie figure you’re seeing might be nothing more than print‑through (signal persistence), not a being from the astral plane dropping by to say hey.  (For hundreds of examples, some which are very fun and highly imaginative, check out your favorite "Caught on Camera" show.)

  • Avoid Correlation Confusion: Just because you wore your "lucky socks" and your team won doesn't mean the socks have sports-god powers. UFO sightings increasing after airplanes were invented doesn't mean aliens like Boeings; it means we put more stuff in the sky and people were looking up.  Wait... what is THAT?

  • We are just dummies, I guess.Ask the "Power Questions": Who is making the claim? Do they have a hidden agenda (like Silas Newton trying to sell oil maps)? If someone says aliens built the pyramids, ask why they assume ancient humans were too dim to stack rocks.

  • Gather Primary Evidence: A blog post about a TikTok about a YouTube video is not evidence. Find the source. If it’s a "Top Secret Memo," check if it was written by someone’s cousin or an actual government official who wasn't yanking their buddy's chain. (Again, see previous point.)

  • Look For the Red Herrings: Don't let the conspiracy distract you with "Look at this weird shadow in the corner!" Stay focused on the main question. If the shadow doesn't prove the ghost, it’s just a shadow.

  • Beware of Confirmation Bias: As Karl Popper said, "If we are uncritical, we shall always find what we want." That could be a pretty fun way to go thorugh life.  But when the goal is finding the truth, you should try everything you can to prove yourself wrong. If you can't, you might be onto something.

  • Analyze the Data (Carefully): Look for patterns, but don't force them. If you stare at a cloud long enough, it will look like a puppy. That doesn't mean it's a puppy. Be cautious of oversimplifications and pattern forcing.