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Kil
Evil Skeptic
USA
13476 Posts |
 Posted - 07/06/2014 : 11:40:01
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I'm starting this thread early. Traffic has been slow and I want to give you all a heads up for when you do drop in. I'm leaving on Wednesday.
Thanks to those of you who have made this trip possible. (You know who you are.)
Looks like I'm going to miss the whole reception this year. The guy who usually makes up the volunteer schedule wasn't available this year and it was first come first serve. That is, we chose our jobs and by the time I got the link to the sign up, most of the best times for working were gone. Plus the shifts are four hours long. Normally we do split shifts with no more than two hours for each one. Anyhow, I'll be working registration from 5 to 9 on Thursday evening and the reception/buffet is from 7 to 8:30. So no reception for me.
I don't really mind too much. And hey... I'm there on a grant.
I'll be bringing a macbook this year which makes me very happy. The last few years have been glitchy and this book is being set up for smooth sailing at TAM. I might even get photos posted while I'm there, for a change.
Anyhow, there it is. Semi regular reporting starts on Wednesday.
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Uncertainty may make you uncomfortable. Certainty makes you ridiculous.
Why not question something for a change?
Genetic Literacy Project |
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Dr. Mabuse
Septic Fiend
Sweden
9687 Posts |
Posted - 07/06/2014 : 14:35:35 [Permalink]
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We look forward to it...
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Dr. Mabuse - "When the going gets tough, the tough get Duct-tape..."
Dr. Mabuse whisper.mp3
"Equivocation is not just a job, for a creationist it's a way of life..." Dr. Mabuse
Support American Troops in Iraq:
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ThorGoLucky
Snuggle Wolf
USA
1487 Posts |
Posted - 07/06/2014 : 17:48:40 [Permalink]
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I'm back from con #1. Now to prepare for con #2. :)
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Kil
Evil Skeptic
USA
13476 Posts |
Posted - 07/06/2014 : 21:47:51 [Permalink]
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Originally posted by ThorGoLucky
I'm back from con #1. Now to prepare for con #2. :)
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Uncertainty may make you uncomfortable. Certainty makes you ridiculous.
Why not question something for a change?
Genetic Literacy Project |
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ThorGoLucky
Snuggle Wolf
USA
1487 Posts |
Posted - 07/07/2014 : 09:14:46 [Permalink]
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Originally posted by Kil
Originally posted by ThorGoLucky
I'm back from con #1. Now to prepare for con #2. :)
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From magical ponies to scientific skepticism. Though there is some crossover with Twighlight Sparkle, heh. |
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Kil
Evil Skeptic
USA
13476 Posts |
Posted - 07/10/2014 : 09:48:01 [Permalink]
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(Started writing this on the 9th)
Got off to a good start today. In fact the whole day went pretty well. My flight left a bit early because it was full and I was at the Southpoint by one. I took a cab, because the next shuttle would have meant hanging out in the airport for over an hour. I won’t do that again because it wound up costing more than I remembered. Oh well...
Today was just sort of a hanging out day. Seeing old friends and making new acquaintances. Thor got in a bit later than me which gave me a chance to hog the closet. (I always pack too heavy.) We lucked out this year. Our room is on the 22nd floor and it has a view. That’s a first for me at a TAM at the SouthPoint. When I made the reservation I was told it would be mid-level, which was the usual for rooms with the TAM discount. I know this is a small thing, and I don’t know how we got such a good room, but there you go.
We had our “secret police” volunteer security meeting. This was my third. This time I asked a few questions about specific situations in places outside of the conference area. My questions were answered to my satisfaction, but I couldn’t help wonder why some specific possible problems weren’t mentioned in the FAQ part of the program. (A little bird put that into my head.)
Anyhow, mostly I just knocked around through the day, and had a lot of fun doing it. Thor and I had dinner at the Mexican place here in the hotel. Good food, and with the discount book that we all get, free margaritas. Thor gave me his because he was content with drinking beer and didn’t really want one. I obliged happily.
So what Wednesday pretty much boiled down to was hanging out at the Del Mar, drinking beer and coffee (for me) and getting into fun conversations with fellow skeptics. No drama. Heck. It was like being on vacation. I did finally meet Robert Shaffer who has written for Skeptical Inquirer since almost the beginning. He’s an expert on UFO’s and he knows all the players. He’s also a libertarian, (sigh) and I believe that his politics has clouded his view on climate change. On facebook we have had several debates on climate change. All very civil. Plus he actually looks at sources and doesn’t discount them. He’s just wrong is all…
As you might have guessed by now, it’s tomorrow. I fell asleep last night writing this thing and finished it up this morning, Thursday. Thor is off to a workshop, and I’m supposed to go have breakfast with a bunch of skeptics outside of the hotel. But in truth that plan sounded much better last night than it does today. It’s now almost 9:30 and I’m sure they have gone by now. I’ll be content with something less adventurous here at the hotel.
Today begins the workshops and registration continues. As I explained in the OP my shift starts at five, is four hours long, and means I will probably not be at the opening reception and buffet. An offer has been made to me for someone to cover for half an hour or so while I run in and say hello to old friends. So I might not miss it completely.
Anyhow, I’m getting hungry. I’m gonna pull myself together and go downstairs and start the day. The rooms do have a coffee maker which is a good thing.
I’ll try to check in before my shift starts if anything interesting happens.
Tomorrow TAM sessions start in earnest. One odd thing I noticed in the scheduling is Michael Shermer has a keynote on Sunday. Lots of people who have to be at work leave on Sunday, and why give a keynote to a guy that many people who have heard his talks find boring? But oh well… I am looking forward to Daniel Dennett’s keynote on Friday.
One other observation before I go. The speakers are really packed in this TAM and it looks like most of them will have no more than 20 minutes. Maybe 25. I dunno. It seems rather short to me. I think they did the same thing last year and I probably mentioned it. |
Uncertainty may make you uncomfortable. Certainty makes you ridiculous.
Why not question something for a change?
Genetic Literacy Project |
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Kil
Evil Skeptic
USA
13476 Posts |
Posted - 07/10/2014 : 16:30:26 [Permalink]
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Here it is just after four on Thursday. Had a lite breakfast and then went up to the convention area to see what I could see. I wound up helping man the forum table for a while. Fun stuff really. Good people and handing out goodies to TAM goers. First TAM buttons, bumper stickers and stuff like that.
Afterward Thor and I went to "Steak and Shake" a burger place, well within my budget. Good onion rings!
Thor headed out for another workshop, and I went down to the Del Mar and chilled. I don't want to do a lot of name dropping, so I wont. Conversation did come up about attendance and the reason it seems to be lower this year. Now, before I go on, I want you to know that we just think its lower based on a few red flags. The Del Mar is usually way more crowded than it has been, and on Wednesday night, in previous years, it's been shoulder to shoulder people. Not so this year. If I were guessing, I'd say that we didn't make it to 1000 this year. I won't know until later, but this has been a topic of conversation, along with the reasons why, some of which have been discussed on this very forum.
But look. I could be wrong.
Anyhow, I just had a fairly long conversation with Robert Shaffer again about past conflicts in our community, which have been many, but not as public because of the lack of an internet and twitter.
Someone asked me if any skepchics are here and I had to say I really don't think so. I'll be interesting in seeing the final breakdown. And look. There were conversations I had that were in confidence, and I just can't post them to this forum.
I can say that I'm not the only one who noticed Shermer's time slot for his talk.
My volunteer gig is coming up and I need to get ready for it. A couple of people have offered to sit in for me for a while so I can at least pay a visit to the reception. We'll see.
I'll try to get in more later tonight. I'm due to have a late dinner, and I just don't know about hanging at the Del Mar. We'll see...
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Uncertainty may make you uncomfortable. Certainty makes you ridiculous.
Why not question something for a change?
Genetic Literacy Project |
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Dave W.
Info Junkie
USA
26020 Posts |
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ThorGoLucky
Snuggle Wolf
USA
1487 Posts |
Posted - 07/10/2014 : 19:32:50 [Permalink]
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| I don't have a real keyboard so I'm not going to write much. See Twitter hash tag #TAM2014 or @ThorGoLucky for my posts. |
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froydnslp
New Member
22 Posts |
Posted - 07/10/2014 : 21:09:47 [Permalink]
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| So...I'm a little interested in how they are having a TAM with the theme "Brain and skepticism" or whatever it is, without having even one neurologist speaking. That's kinda wonky to me. Why don't they just call it "People who prefer Cognitive Behaviorism but aren't actually clinicians, and skeptics...and libertarians?" : ) Have fun anyway, but get the goods on that one if you can. Seriously. Why no brain docs? Also toss a shoe at old Liz if you get a good shot. |
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Kil
Evil Skeptic
USA
13476 Posts |
Posted - 07/11/2014 : 01:26:28 [Permalink]
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It's really too late for me to be checking in. But here I am. Thor is still down at the Del Mar.
My 5 to 9 job was exactly that. I did take one short break and got some finger food from the reception area.
Thor and I ate at the asian place. Good food!, then to the Del Mar. I got to say hello to Daniel Loxton who is speaking tomorrow.We chatted for a while. I'll fill in the details later.
It 's sleepy time or I'll be a freaking mess tomorrow. |
Uncertainty may make you uncomfortable. Certainty makes you ridiculous.
Why not question something for a change?
Genetic Literacy Project |
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Dave W.
Info Junkie
USA
26020 Posts |
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@tomic
Administrator
USA
4607 Posts |
Posted - 07/11/2014 : 11:38:20 [Permalink]
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| I'm glad the weather is decent for you. I was in Vegas last summer about this time and it was as hot as 117 F all week long which made going outside super unpleasant to a northerner like me. |
Gravity, not just a good idea...it's the law!
Sportsbettingacumen.com: The science of sports betting |
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Kil
Evil Skeptic
USA
13476 Posts |
Posted - 07/11/2014 : 22:29:15 [Permalink]
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Okay. So here's the deal. Today was a bit of a disaster for me. I stayed up way too late last night and drank way too much. I don't think I've made this big of a mistake since TAM4.
I wrote that bit in my last post and went to sleep. I put in for a 6:45 wake up call. It came and both Thor and I feel back to sleep. Woke up again around 8:30. They serve breakfast until nine so we threw on some clothes and ran down for the last of it. Pretty good breakfast all in all, but there wasn't enough coffee to make a dent in my over indulgence from the night before, I can't even begin to tell you how much coffee I consumed, but I can tell you that I fell asleep during every presentation. All of them! Even during Daniel Dennett's keynote. Not that there was anything particularly exciting to stay awake for. What I did catch of the other speakers was rather rote. Karen Stollznow was pushed ahead of Jamy Ian Swiss, who was moved to tomorrow. My guess is that politics had something to do with the change, but I don't know.
Anyhways... He's speaking tomorrow along with Paul Offit and Daniel Loxton. And I really don't want to be in the condition I was in today, tomorrow.
Thor had the good sense to leave the conference and take a nap. I wish I had done that. But oh well. Penn's Bacon and Doughnut party is tonight and I'm going to skip it in order to catch up on sleep and actually be awake for tomorrows presentations.
On a side note, Randi is looking pretty good this year and is getting around much better. A good thing
Oh. And for Froyd. Steven Novella is a neurologist. And he will be giving a talk on his own. |
Uncertainty may make you uncomfortable. Certainty makes you ridiculous.
Why not question something for a change?
Genetic Literacy Project |
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Dr. Mabuse
Septic Fiend
Sweden
9687 Posts |
Posted - 07/12/2014 : 01:10:22 [Permalink]
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Can't you get caffeine-pills at the chemist? Or just down a pint of Red Bull, that usually works for me.
When I work morning-shifts and I clock in at 06:00, I usually need to wash down two caffeine polls (50+50mg) with a bottle of Red Bull. That gets me going until first and second breakfast.
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Dr. Mabuse - "When the going gets tough, the tough get Duct-tape..."
Dr. Mabuse whisper.mp3
"Equivocation is not just a job, for a creationist it's a way of life..." Dr. Mabuse
Support American Troops in Iraq:
Send them unarmed civilians for target practice..
Collateralmurder. |
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Dr. Mabuse
Septic Fiend
Sweden
9687 Posts |
Posted - 07/12/2014 : 01:11:42 [Permalink]
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Hello @tomic!
Long time no see! |
Dr. Mabuse - "When the going gets tough, the tough get Duct-tape..."
Dr. Mabuse whisper.mp3
"Equivocation is not just a job, for a creationist it's a way of life..." Dr. Mabuse
Support American Troops in Iraq:
Send them unarmed civilians for target practice..
Collateralmurder. |
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TAM thread 2014
