Full Name: Paul Rocca
Birth date: 09/23/84
Hometown: Niagara Falls, Canada

I’m often asked to explain the origin of the site’s name. The answer is, actually, a little embarrassing.

When I was a small child, around the age of 4, I kept a collection of lint (or “fuzzies” as I understood them to be) in a box as if they were pets. They were each named, numbered, and ordered sequentially. I called them my “ghosts.” Much later in life, when I had to decide on a name for my domain, that particular memory emerged itself and stuck; Lintbox.com it is. But still, what does it mean?

Since lint boxes are, for me, a profound childhood memory, the name “lintbox” would mean the same: A way of understanding the world as only a child could. So when on the topic of “real” ghosts, magic, bigfoot or the supernatural, “lintbox” seemingly becomes more relevant. These are things children could (and do) believe, but they are nevertheless fantastical and imaginary. They are things that people should have stopped believing in by the time they could tie their own shoes- and yet, somehow, their imaginary world persists. “Lintboxes” are to me as “Flim-Flam” is to James Randi.

Born and raised in Canada, I’ve been extremely fortunate to have a family who had encouraged me from a very young age to observe, experiment and explore the world around me. When not building a crystal radio with my electronics kit, I was taking samples of water from a nearby pond to observe under my microscope and discover new, strange, and wonderful forms of microscopic life. I was raised to have a profound interest in the world around me, and that interest has helped me appreciate the importance of science and critical thinking.

However, as I grew older, I noticed more and more that critical thinking is essentially absent in popular culture, while science holds a certain stigma. It wasn’t until I encountered people like Phil Plait, Penn & Teller, James Randi and the hosts of the Skeptic’s Guide to the Universe that I had finally discovered a cause worth dedicating myself to: Scientific Skepticism.
And so, Lintbox.com came to be.

Full Name: Mitchell Gerskup
Birth Date: 04/24/87
Hometown: Toronto, Canada

The types of beliefs that I witness in otherwise-intelligent people often astound me. I’m not referring only to religious beliefs, but all sorts of things from conspiracy theories to urban legends and much more. Critical thinking and skepticism are two things that don’t come naturally to many people, and help perpetuate certain beliefs, which are usually just weird, but can sometimes be harmful. I have recently developed a deep interest in the skeptical community to help myself, and to help others avoid these common pitfalls of unreasoned and unjustified belief.

I had the fortune of growing up in a family where religious beliefs and ceremony did not carry much weight. I was also fortunate enough to be exposed to a large number of cultural and religious beliefs during my childhood. My childhood exposure to a diverse set of beliefs lead me to question the status quo, and in turn my own beliefs – especially those beliefs pertaining to my religion. I quickly came to the realization that many of the things I had been taught in my childhood were wrong. With my introduction to the World Wide Web and the accompanying wealth of knowledge at my fingertips, I became obsessed with seeking out information and learning about the world around me.

Currently, I am a student of Economics and Philosophy at the University of Toronto. I am also heavily involved in the Canadian competitive debating circuit, both in terms of competing for my school, and helping to make debating accessible to others at the University and in the Toronto area. Contrary to popular belief, debating is not about arguing with- or shouting down- your opponents, but rather it is the act of learning to construct and deconstruct arguments. I have found that debating helps promote skills such as critical thinking and skepticism, and trains you never to blindly accept what somebody else says.

Through this site, I hope to be able to help spread what I have learned to others, and continue my own education of the skeptical community. The world can always be made a better place by having more people thinking critically, and it is my hope that I can add to that in some small way.

Contributors

Full Name: Kyle Buchanan
Birth Date: 08/01/86
Hometown: Brigden, Ontario, Canada

I grew up in a small farming community in Southern Ontario, and attended high school at Lambton Central C.V.I. before moving to Toronto to get a university degree in some sort of engineering (which, has not been decided yet!). Science has always been a love of mine, and even at a young age I would perform simple experiments to attempt to figure out how the world works (the earliest I can remember is testing my theory that snow added to water would make ice, when I was perhaps 4 or 5 years old). I hope that through this site I can help convince people to think logically for themselves, do their own research, and *always question* that which we are expected to take on faith.

Full Name: Alan Jones
Birth Date: 09/28/88
Hometown: Kelowna, Canada

I grew up in Kelowna, British Columbia in a Catholic family. I attended a Catholic school. My family wasn’t made up of fundamentalists and (most of) my teachers weren’t fundamentalist either, but often, when I asked questions about our faith, I received unsatisfactory answers. Occasionally, this was because there weren’t any satisfactory answers, but most often, they just didn’t know. It is my goal here to analyze the beliefs that people hold and the assumptions that people make in order to make sure that I don’t believe in anything that could be false.

Currently, I am a student of Philosophy, Psychology, and Cinema Studies at the University of Toronto. Here, in an educated setting, it is not frowned upon to question certain beliefs. Questions that were immediately dismissed in my High School religion class are held up to scrutiny and examined on their own merits rather than the beliefs of the instructor. It would be wonderful if the entire world engaged in critical thinking, but that won’t happen any time soon, so I will do what I can. Hopefully, my contributions to Lintbox will help engage someone in critical thinking and stop them from going through life as a zombie.

Name: Corey Meingarten
Birth Date: 04/21/87
Hometown: Toronto, Canada

Hey, I’m Corey. I’m right around being done second year at the University of Western Ontario in London. I’m majoring in a program called Media, Information and Technoculture, which you can read about at http://www.fims.uwo.ca The program places a strong focus on critical examination of the media and its effects on society. It’s a great program to get involved with, and I’d be happy to tell you more about it if you’re interested.

I grew up in Scarborough and went to a high school named Woburn C.I. where I helped run Stage Crew in my grade 12 year. This summer, I’m going to be staying in London and working in Western’s IT department helping professors prepare online materials to support their courses.

Full Name: Bryan Matthew
Birth Date: 11/30/87
Hometown: Toronto, Canada

I’m a 4th year Computer Science student studying at the University of Toronto. I’m currently employed with Microsoft, at their main campus in Redmond, WA as a Program Manager doing some cool stuff with upcoming version of Windows. I have vast experience in all things technical, photographic, and astronomic. I enjoy hikes/runs/cycling and all things dealing with the outdoors.