Before there were blogs, there were things called “books” that people would carry around with them in order to occasionally read the words printed inside. In a clever bit of cross-platform fertilization, DarkSyde and DevilsTower (Mark Sumner) from Daily Kos have put together a collection of science posts into a new book, Kosmos: You Are Here. They’ve included original illustrations by artists Carl Buell and others, as well as interesting exerpts from the comment threads of the original posts. DarkSyde is a great science writer, so I imagine the book is worth reading for the actual content as well as representing an exciting new-media experiment.
And before there were comment threads, there were events called “conferences” where actual human beings would gather in a common location to exchange ideas and patronize the local drinking establishments. This summer will witness the first ever YearlyKos, a gathering of bloggers at a small Nevada resort town on June 8-11. (Don’t ask me why “Daily Kos” is two separate words while “YearlyKos” has no spaces. For some reason, people type in a few URL’s and suddenly they think that spaces are an antiquated typographical anachronism.) Should be a fun event; celebrities to attend include Harry Reid, Ambassador Joseph Wilson, PZ Myers, and Chris Mooney. Hopefully there will be something to do to fill the downtime between the interesting talks.
May 1st, 2006 at 4:03 pm
hmm, if i didnt already have so much to read, i would hop on this.
May 1st, 2006 at 6:26 pm
FYI, Sean was being sarcastic…the convention is in Las Vegas so there will be plenty to do at all times.
May 1st, 2006 at 6:37 pm
I just saw Sean’s nuke post which reminds me…if anyone goes to the convention in Las Vegas, be sure to stop by the ATOMIC TESTING MUSEUM, offering excellent exhibits on the history of the nuclear era, especially testing at the Nevada Test Site. Admission is only $10, it’s located right on the strip (Flamingo&Paradise), and there is even a concrete room that simulates watching a detonation.
May 1st, 2006 at 7:18 pm
Sean’s too modest to tell you, but he personally helped us with a couple of items in the book and Cosmic Variance is prominently linked in the credits. Thanks Sean!
May 1st, 2006 at 7:24 pm
Sean- you must have been doing some serious Darwinian Dumpster Diving to unearth these fossilized remains of the “book” and the “conference.” Thanks for sharing these ancient predecessors of the “blog” and the “comment thread.”