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Posted by Simon on 26th January 2010
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Uri Geller – A Sceptical Perspective
Late in 1995 I interviewed Uri Geller for the Reading University student newspaper, Spark. The interview was published in February 1996.
For most of the interview, Mr Geller was charming and polite. However, towards the end of the interview, he became unhappy by my questions about his record of litigation. This culminated in the two of us wrestling to take control of my dictaphone. The tape narrowly escaped being wiped in the process.
This article won the ‘Impact Award’ at the Guardian/NUS Student Media Awards on 26th October 1996. The Guardian published an extract of the article on 29th October 1996, along with a review by Peter Preston.
This article has also been published in Scienza e Paranormale magazine (in Italian) and in Skeptical Eye.

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Posted by Simon on 26th January 2010
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How does Uri Geller do it?
“Uri Geller” in The Skeptic Encyclopedia of Pseudoscience, ABC-CLIO (2002)
Uri Geller is the Israeli metal bender and psychic illusionist who became a sensation in the early 1970s. Geller has convinced many people, including several scientists who have tested his abilities, that he possesses genuine psychic powers. Skeptics point out that skilled conjurors can replicate all of Geller’s feats using trickery and that nonpsychic explanations must be eliminated before one assumes that the laws of nature have been broken.
Uri Geller is chiefly known for being able to bend or break small metallic objects such as spoons. His reputation also rests on his ability to read the contents of sealed envelopes (which usually contain drawings allegedly prepared out of his sight) and restarting watches that appear to have stopped working. Geller maintains that he has never used trickery to achieve his effects. However, conjurors have produced similar feats using sleight-of-hand and misdirection techniques. In addition, some observers claim to have caught Geller in the act of bending cutlery with his hands (see Emery 1987). Continue Reading
Posted by Simon on 26th January 2010
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The Last Hangman (part 1)
Syd Dernley at his Mansfield home
The first of a two-part 1994 interview with a former British executioner
In 1964 the last two men in Britain were hanged for murder. The following year, parliament voted to abolish capital punishment, with overwhelming public support. The most famous public hangman, Albert Pierrepoint, had already retired having executed more prisoners than any other British executioner. The passage of time has since seen the demise of every executioner and their assistants (Pierrepoint died in 1992). By 1994 Syd Dernley was the only former hangman alive in the UK.
In 1949, Syd Dernley was appointed as an assistant executioner, of which there were several employed by the Home Office. He continued to work as a welder at the local colliery, taking time off for the executions whe