I really enjoy skeptic conferences. There’s something wonderful about being surrounded with other people who want to see the world for what it really is, and who actively want to get others to as well.
Not all of these meetings are big, like Randi’s Amazing Meeting. Some are cozier, intimate, but they are just as innovative and inspiring. Skepticamp is a subset of the BarCamps, meetings where people meet and share ideas on a given topic. Skepticamps are held all over the world, but the next one will be in Castle Rock Colorado on March 22, in just a few days.
People who attend generally (but are not required to) give a short presentation, and the idea is to share ways of spreading critical thinking to others. I would hesitate to call it skeptical evangelism, but you get the idea. Randi’s organization has donated food and swag, so that’s an added incentive. If you’re in the Castle Rock area you really should go. And you should join the list of Denver Skeptics, too!
March 18th, 2008 at 1:55 pm
Dang. I’m trapped in Florida. I’ve been to Colorado maybe once. It’s nice up there; saw a lot of bighorn sheep where I was at.
March 19th, 2008 at 5:35 am
I could really eat a cheeseburger right now. Old books smell like mildew. Dude, that cow is in the field!
(Some non-sequiturs of my own, so yours doesn’t get lonely)
March 19th, 2008 at 7:18 am
On a somewhat related topic, I have attended two of Randi’s Amazing Meetings and would love to go again, but it has simply outpriced this family. It would be $825 just for my wife and me to register (not even going to any of the extra events). All told, it would cost us just under $3,000 for a five day trip. Yes, this next gathering has an all star cast, but for that amount of money we can take two cruises and see the real stars (if you think that is not true, do a little research and you will find that discounted cruises are everywhere, while meetings of skeptics are still at full retail, so to speak). So, why does TAM have to be so expensive?
March 19th, 2008 at 1:07 pm
Thanks for the mention Phil!
MO Man: TAM is reasonably-priced compared to other conferences in Vegas. Try pricing out a trip to CES for example and you’ll see that TAM is competitively priced.
In any case, skepticamp is intended to lower the barriers to hosting skeptic conferences, so we hope to see many events around the country and eventually the world.