I am very pleased to announce that registration for The Amaz!ng Meeting 7 is now open!
TAMs are the premier conferences for critical thinkers across the globe. Hosted by the James Randi Education Foundation (JREF), it always features great speakers, good times, and a warm and wonderful community. TAM 7 will continue that tradition.
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This year, our keynote speaker is Bill Prady, the executive producer of The Big Bang Theory. Suh. Weet. We also have Randi, of course, My Close Personal Friend Adam Savage™, Jennifer Ouellette, Joe Nickell, Michael Shermer, Emily Rosa, and a passel of other great speakers. I guess that means me, too.
We have all sorts of plans for this one. We have workshops, paper presentations, magic shows, music (George Hrab! W00t!), and even… a talent show. Yes, really. Do skeptics have talent? We’ll see.
This is my first TAM as JREF President, and I want to see lots and lots of BABloggees there. Who’s with me? TAM 7 will be from July 9 – 12 at the South Point Hotel, Casino, & Spa in Las Vegas, Nevada. I hope to see you there!
February 25th, 2009 at 7:31 pm
OK I can only afford to go to 1 event, hopefully can afford, why should I go to TAM7 over DragonCon????? OK less woo-woo folk at TAM but no one wearing revealing hot fantasy costumes…..damn the unfairness of it all. A decision must be made. Which one.
NOOB alert, woot 1st ever 1st post anywhere.
February 25th, 2009 at 7:44 pm
I suppose I can drag myself to Vegas for a few days.
February 25th, 2009 at 7:48 pm
Trust me, if I ever win the lotery* I’ll be there. Until then… Ouch!
*Considering the odds… that’s probably far off.
February 25th, 2009 at 8:05 pm
Does TAM always have to be in Vegas? Shouldn’t it be a “movable feast” for the benefit of a) people with limited travel budgets and b) people with an aversion to hyper-artificial environments?
Perhaps as JREF president, you could have some say in moving TAM ’09 to a more pleasant location. Chicago? St. Louis? Hell, Columbus or Toledo or Detroit. Newark. Nashville. Seattle. Atlanta. Ames, Iowa. Minot, North Dakota. C’mon, show some imagination.
I’d like to attend TAM someday, but I cannot abide gambling, noise, and bright lights.
February 25th, 2009 at 8:11 pm
That should be “TAM ’10″(aka TAM
in the post above. TAM ’09, (aka TAM 7) is already in stupid, loud, Bugsy Siegel’s Las Vegas. (Meaning of course that Las Vegas is stupid and loud, not Bugsy Siegel. I wouldn’t want his boys to show me the business.)
February 25th, 2009 at 8:18 pm
HB: Seconded.
Something for the east-coasters and New-Englanders (Eastern Canadians, of course!).
February 25th, 2009 at 8:18 pm
DERP! I means HP, not HB.
February 25th, 2009 at 8:25 pm
Some Canadian Skeptic: DERP? My usual internet resources leave me baffled. (At work today, I told my boss in an email that a particular situation was FUBAR. She came by my cubicle to ask me what that meant. Ouch.)
While I’m correcting previous posts, I should add that TAM
should be read as TAM-eight closed-parenthesis, and not TAM smiley-face-in-sunglasses-looking-smug.
February 25th, 2009 at 8:52 pm
Okay, so while I’m dominating the comments thread, I’ll just note that DERP! is not an acronym, but a reference to Mr. Derp in South Park.
Phil: Please have future TAMs in locations other than creepy, resource-wasting Las Vegas. Please.
February 25th, 2009 at 9:04 pm
I would love to attend something like this but I feel like because I’m from the south east ( just so you know i’m from north Florida sorry south Florida is a world of it’s own) that I may never make it to one.
February 25th, 2009 at 9:16 pm
I’m with Michelle on this one…it sounds great, but the working masses can’t afford to attend (registration, lodging, food, airfare, etc…)…much less get off work to attend…that is, those of us who thankfully are still employed. I hope it is as spectacular as it sounds, Phil…all of you who are fortunate to attend, have a good time for the rest of us!
February 25th, 2009 at 9:37 pm
TAM in Australia? I suppose not. Nobody comes to the posterior end of the globe.
February 25th, 2009 at 9:58 pm
Done!
-Rusty
February 25th, 2009 at 10:38 pm
I’d love to come, but the move to the middle of the year makes it especially tough for us Aussies to make it. When it used to be January, I’d just take extended leave over Xmas – but it’s harder to justify that in the middle of the year.
I’m sure it will be fun, though, for all you US dudes.
February 25th, 2009 at 10:39 pm
Addendum: just to make this personal, Phil – you’re going to get less Minties as long as it’s in July.
February 25th, 2009 at 10:58 pm
Now now Pyrowrx, they did have something like a TAM 5.5 or 6.5 that was held in Florida, if you want to be in the hinterland try my state of Wyoming…..my choices are woo-woo central or “what’s a skeptic”.
I have lived in the “what’s a skeptic” part of the state and now I’m in woo-woo central.
February 26th, 2009 at 12:42 am
Completely irrelevant, but – who’s doing your graphics? The exclamation mark crashes into the “amaz”, and the “a conference…” line has a bad case of spatial cough…
Come on, let’s at least try and look professional
Just kidding. A little. Must be TAM envy, for I don’t see me making it unless the lottery fairy comes along…
February 26th, 2009 at 5:50 am
Can JREF start thinking about doing smaller Meetings in other points of the globe? I’m European with no way of travelling all the way to Vegas for such a Conference. But if there was a European Chapter of JREF TAM, I would go. Something for Mr. President BA to think about.
February 26th, 2009 at 6:00 am
Ricardo Silvestre – might I suggest you check out the growing-towards-world-wide-phenomena of SkeptiCamp?
http://skepticamp.org/ – “It’s a new kind of BarCamp, an ‘unconference’ whose content is provided by the attendees themselves. Where barcamp focuses on technology, SkeptiCamp instead focuses on science, critical thinking, pseudoscience, paranormal claims, alternative medicine and the hundreds of topics of interest to skeptics.”
Dr Plait himself attended one, in Denver, Colorado. The last one featured the great podcast, Skepticality!
And yes – this year, it’ll be Dragon*Con, Dragon*Con, Dragon*Con. Which happens to be run by the team behind Skepticality – what a coincidence!
But with the blessing of my husband Gazza666, I’ll bring Minties with me. And possibly musk sticks. And certainly the rest of the Skeptic Zone podcast team. We’ll see.
February 26th, 2009 at 6:07 am
Ricardo Silvestre – you should check out the European Skeptics Conference? http://www.ecso.org/
There is the CICAP 20th Anniversary Conference in Padua, for example. http://www.cicap.org/new/index.php
February 26th, 2009 at 6:28 am
Vegas is probably chosen because you simply get more bang for your buck there. They are set up for these sorts of meetings/conventions, and it’s hard to beat the prices for lodging and food, and most airlines have discounted routes that go there. So, all-in-all, it’s most likely the best location. If the non-PC environment disturbs your sensibilities, then don’t show up.
February 26th, 2009 at 6:45 am
We will be back for our second year. Can’t wait!
February 26th, 2009 at 7:50 am
That’s all fineand dandy, but when do we register for TAM London?? Gaaah I can’t wait…
February 26th, 2009 at 7:53 am
HP: I told my boss in an email that a particular situation was FUBAR. She came by my cubicle to ask me what that meant. Ouch.
For NSFW items like that, I generally come up with something like “F-F-F-Fouled Up…” with a Significant Glance to make sure they know what the F really stands for.
Dennis
February 26th, 2009 at 7:54 am
Woohoo! I literally live two minutes from the South Point, you can count me in. I’ll get to see James Randi, Adam Savage AND Phil?!
*SQUEEEEEEE*
I will definitely be there!
February 26th, 2009 at 7:59 am
Also, please don’t insult this city, we have to make our money too, ya know. Besides, South Point is more of the Henderson area than Las Vegas proper. It’s nowhere near the strip, so don’t worry! It’s much nicer out this way.
February 26th, 2009 at 7:59 am
Would love, love, love to attend!! Unfortunately, it is the EXACT same week as Camp Inquiry ’09. The kids and I will be at camp, attending our own little TAM for kids! Maybe next year they will be on different weeks. Then I’ll come to TAM 8, if BA will come to Camp Inquiry ’10!!
February 26th, 2009 at 8:32 am
Damn, I’ll be in Amsterdam that weekend, otherwise I’d be there. Does anyone know if Penn Jillette plans on making an appearance?
February 26th, 2009 at 8:55 am
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February 26th, 2009 at 9:00 am
I live for gambling, noise, and bright lights, but… Las Vegas in July? What part of rational thinking puts a convention in the desert in the summer?
February 26th, 2009 at 9:31 am
No TAM for me, Dragon Con only.
February 26th, 2009 at 10:34 am
Bob, we have the meeting in Vegas for historical reasons, and in the summer to encourage teachers to attend; they cannot come easily to meetings during the school year.
February 26th, 2009 at 11:45 am
Hi Phil.
I am finally going to make it to TAM!!!
I have never been able to go due to finances and work, but I don’t care anymore. I’m tired of missing out on the fun. I’m also planning on submitting a proposal for a Sunday Lecture.
As soon as my tax refund arrives within the next week or two then I will be purchasing my TAM and Hotel tickets. Luckily I can drive there and avoid airline costs.
-Derek
February 26th, 2009 at 11:57 am
Does a TAM take place every year?
February 26th, 2009 at 12:07 pm
If the AF continues me, or I have managed to land a nice fat gubment civil service job, you may see me! I need to convince CinC House on this one though.
February 26th, 2009 at 12:52 pm
I like Ames, Iowa. Actually I don’t much like the town since it always seems like no one there knows how to drive, but the location is good for me.
February 26th, 2009 at 1:23 pm
Thanks for the explanation, Phil; I’ve been reading your blog for a couple of years but am still in many ways a newcomer.
That said… I see the point about teachers. I hope some thought can be put into the “historical reasons.”
February 26th, 2009 at 2:14 pm
This is James Randi… We’re holding a TAM in London, imaginatively dubbed “TAM London” – October 2-4 this year, for all our UK and European buddies. Announcements will go up soon. The reason we do Vegas is because we get good hotel facilities, we make more $$$ for the JREF, and we can attract teachers in the summer months. I hope we’ll see you – either in Las Vegas or in London…!
February 26th, 2009 at 3:41 pm
Can’t go to Vegas, but we do still get TAM 7.5 at DragonCon, yes? Please? Last year was fantastic – or amazing, even…
Lala
February 26th, 2009 at 5:29 pm
Will there be videos available after for those not attending?
(for that matter, are there videos of the past “TAM”s available anywhere?)
February 26th, 2009 at 5:57 pm
I’d love to go, but I have to work out some money issues first. Hopefully I can make it.
February 27th, 2009 at 5:16 am
Hey Phil.
Just wondering if you can have the JREF extend(if it does not already) the Student ID discount to Military ID holders. It would certainly help ease the burden of .mil skeptics like Larian and myself attend.
v/r
Ed
February 27th, 2009 at 6:11 am
Man the South Point Hotel, Casino, & Spa in Las Vegas, Nevada is so far away:( It’s going to take me at least 30 minutes to drive down from Northwest Las Vegas but for the BA I’ll brave the traffic and make the trip:D See ya there!
March 7th, 2009 at 1:48 am
5 years ago I started going to conferences… the first one was Search Engine Strategies in San Jose. I was not making much money at the time but was making enough to support myself. I attended every session and had 2 notebooks full of notes. It made all the difference in the world to me. That was 5 years ago though. Since then I have attended over 60 various industry events and I would say the 2 that have stuck out in my mind the biggest was that first one and then last year at the techcrunch40 conference.
July 26th, 2010 at 6:53 pm
This was so much fun. When are we doing another?