Jul 09 2010

At TAM 8, Having Great Time, Wish You Were Here.

I am currently at TAM 8  – The Amazing Meeting in Las Vegas. If you consider yourself a skeptic, and you have never been to a TAM, I recommend you make it your mission to attend one. This year the conference is co-sponsored by the JREF (James Randi Educational Foundation), the Skeptics Society, and the CSI (committee for skeptical inquiry) – all three national skeptical organizations. I guess that means it is now officially the annual meeting of the skeptical movement (it has already been that de-facto).

I am having a great time meeting people who listen to the SGU or read NeuroLogica or SBM regularly – putting faces to some commenter pseudonyms. But I am also very busy. Yesterday I held two SBM workshops (the room was packed for both). Friday and Saturday morning we are recording two live SGU episodes. And Saturday I am moderating an SBM panel.  Friday night we are hosting the SGU dinner. In between I will be interviewing as many of the speakers as possible.

This is all my elaborate way of saying that I really don’t have any time left over for blogging this week. So for today all you get is this electronic postcard telling you what a great time I am having at TAM.

Richard Dawkins is the keynote – I have never seen him before, and I’m looking forward to hearing him speak. And last night I ran into Aubrey de Grey – he is not a speaker, he is just attending the conference.  We were sure to secure him for a future interview for the SGU.

Randi announced last night that next year there will not only be TAM Las Vegas, but TAM London, TAM Australia, and TAM Zurich – four TAMs. This year will be the second year of TAM London and the first year of TAM Australia. I will be attending TAM Australia this year with the SGU crew and I understand it is already sold out.

DJ Grothe, who is doing a great job running the JREF, also announced that attendance at TAM this year exceeds 1,300 – that’s 300 more than last year. I hope this is all a sign that the skeptical movement is still growing. It seems so.

Well – I have a show to put on – back to my regular blogging schedule next week.

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