In a few weeks I will be wingin’ it to Alberta Canada to participate in the Alberta Festival of Science from October 17 – 20! This annual fete is held in central Alberta, in the town of Wood Buffalo, which basically exists because there’s lots of oil in the area. Several companies have plants there, so a town popped up. It’s a bit remote, but actually quite a few folks live there: the population is over 50,000.
Anyway, this have this pretty big affair there every year, and they invited me to come talk about the Moon Hoax. I’ll be giving the talk twice, on Friday at 8:30 a.m. and again at 10:00 a.m.
If any BABloggees are in the area, come see! And if I’m not enough of a draw, then maybe this might change your mind: on Saturday night I’ll be MCing a panel with Kari, Tory, and Grant from the MythBusters Build Team!
Yes, I do in fact rawk.
September 26th, 2007 at 9:29 pm
The town, nay city, is actually called Fort McMurray. Wood Buffalo is the municipality (our Canuck version of a county.)
Make sure they fly you in, because it’s a long, boring drive to get there!
September 26th, 2007 at 9:51 pm
Do you ever do any conventions in the Boston area? I live just north of Boston and I’d love to go to something in the area and meet you. If not meet you, then at least see cool astronomy stuff.
BTW, thanks for introducing me to Astronomy Cast (one of your youtube videos) It’s the only podcast I’ve been listening to all week. Poor “Wait, Wait, don’t tell me” will have to wait until I’m caught up.
September 27th, 2007 at 3:32 am
Just keep in mind that Alberta is the Texas of Canada. The majority of our wingnut conservative types got their start there. You’ve been warned!
September 27th, 2007 at 5:19 am
You’ll be sitting near the very lovely Kari Byron, you lucky devil.
September 27th, 2007 at 6:17 am
Sigh. I wish I actually had money (and time), so I could go to that!
September 27th, 2007 at 7:11 am
BA, if you’ve got extra time, drop in to Calgary. Then rent a car and drive the 100 miles to Drumheller, Alberta for a visit to the Royal Tyrrell Museum ( http://www.tyrrellmuseum.com ).
It’s too bad, actually, they just had their annual cool event last weekend. This year it was a Ceretopsian symposium. http://www.tyrrellmuseum.com/horned-symposium/index.php
September 27th, 2007 at 7:21 am
Okay, perhaps I’m showing my age, but… “rawk”?
A web search seems to show it’s a variant of “rock”, but I’ve never heard it before, nor did I find anything showing where it came from.
(Okay, so I’ve been using computers since the ASR-33 was still considered shiny. Well, it would have, had “shiny” been used back then.)
September 27th, 2007 at 7:40 am
I met Tori at TAM, he was an unusually nice guy. I hope somebody says hello to Grant and Tori. I have a feeling they’re not going to get that much attention…
September 27th, 2007 at 7:53 am
I am so There!!! The Royal Tyrrell Museum is great, but steer clear of Big Valley…for a Creation Museum popped up there this summer. Sad but true.
Phil, you just made my day, no my month!!
September 27th, 2007 at 7:54 am
Um so if I brought my book along with me, would there be a chance to get it signed??
September 27th, 2007 at 8:24 am
MMmmmm, Kari Byron…*drooool*
September 27th, 2007 at 8:25 am
That would have been a lot funnier if it didn’t strip off my Homer /Homer tags….
September 27th, 2007 at 8:27 am
Jamie, they had one of the Big Valley CM guys on CBC 1010 here in Calgary one day (I think it was on Wild Rose Country – the lunch-hour show). I nearly threw my radio out my windwo when he started cherry-picking radiometric dating with a statement to the effect of [i]the evolutionists (boo hiss) like to use radiometric dating to say that the Earth is over 4 Billion years old, but when you use Carbon dating, it shows that the Earth is way younger than they claim.[/i] At that point I had to leave the room or risk my brain exploding.
I was a summer student at the Tyrrell about a dozen or so years ago. That was the Best. Job. Ever!
Just say the word, and I’ll be there in a second!
September 27th, 2007 at 8:48 am
DO visit the Tyrell, it is an amazing place, particularly their Burgess Shale exhibit.
And Wood Buffalo is not only known for Fort Mac and the oilsands but for a beautiful National Park that is much farther north, hugging the border of the Northwest Territories. With… you guessed it, Wood Buffalo.
Finally a word to my Canajun comrades, wingnuts exist the world over. Don’t tar all Albertans with the same brush…
September 27th, 2007 at 9:07 am
I just get really mad at the name of the Creation museum…its called the Big Valley Creation Science Museum….I saw the website and none of it was valid science. So frustrating. Oh well, totally ready for some real science.
September 27th, 2007 at 9:19 am
I won’t have time for too much visiting; I’m flying directly in, staying for the festival, then flying home. I still have to finish the book!
September 27th, 2007 at 9:35 am
Well ok thats an acceptable excuse.
September 27th, 2007 at 9:53 am
geez that’s a bit of a drive from Red Deer.. I’ll have to consult the schedule.
Fort McMurray is well known for $1500/month basement rental suites and cocaine flowing like water. That’s what happens when people make shatloads of money in the oil industry and don’t know what to do with it all… funny enough I had never heard of Wood Buffalo. I guess because it’s so far north.
September 27th, 2007 at 10:44 am
Yeah I’m driving from Edmonton, only about 4-5 hours….I think. Getting the hotel will be the tricky part.
September 27th, 2007 at 12:11 pm
I rawk too, but usually first thing in the morning if I’ve slept with the window open.
Nice Photoshop job – I never knew you were macrocephalic
So, tell me – do you ever send thank you letters to the various moon hoax proponents for their contributions to your yearly income? I don’t know, something nice along the lines of, “Thank you for continuing to spout your lame drivel. Because of you, I get paid to point out how ludicrous it is on a regular basis, and this requires very little preparation on my part, so it’s enormously cost-effective. Here’s to a long and prosperous relationship!”
Seems only fair
Any plans to speak near North Carolina anytime soon?
September 27th, 2007 at 12:14 pm
I agree with Jamie – getting a hotel room could be tricky.
The town (city, really) doesn’t have anywhere near enough
rental units for all the people working there, so some end up
staying in hotels for long periods.
Also FYI, the Saturday panel discussion is listed as “sold out.”
Unless Phil has some places reserved for deserving folks…
and I was all set to drive up from Edmonton, too.
September 27th, 2007 at 1:11 pm
Hey Phil, is that “rawk” like the sound a parrot makes?
Ken B, those hipsters have all sorts of sweet slang these days. OMG LOL, ROFLMAO. It’s like pink and green.
September 27th, 2007 at 3:00 pm
Heeeey… I’m one of those wing-nuts from Alberta… or North Texas as some of us refer to it. I concur with my fellow Albertans. Go to Drumheller, and check out the museum, you shant be disappointed.
Also, why has there been no Blog about the “Great World Wide Star Count?” Seems right up the BA Alley.
http://www.windows.ucar.edu/starcount
September 27th, 2007 at 3:03 pm
Ahh… missed that post about flying in and out. Still, Tyrell Museum is highly recommended to anyone visiting Calgary or Edmonton.
September 27th, 2007 at 5:15 pm
Dang! I’m about 3500 km east of where you’ll be, or I’d be there! Let us know if you ever get into Ontario (not that there’s anything wrong with Alberta!), particularly the southeastern bit.
Hope you have a great time!
September 28th, 2007 at 9:00 pm
I have to agree with the other folks about Tyrell. Back in my student days, when my cash flow was less, and I was too cheap to stay overnight in Drumheller, I just made it a day trip from Edmonton. Jump in the car about six in the morning and be there about lunch time. Spend five or six hours wandering around. Jump back in the car and be home by one in the morning. Did that several times, and it was worth it each and every time.
Phil, you will just have to make another trip up here one day and make sure the Tyrell is on your itinerary.