• Quick note - the problem with Youtube videos not embedding on the forum appears to have been fixed, thanks to ZiprHead. If you do still see problems let me know.

TAM Highlights?

There was lots of good stuff. But RSLancaster's website hitting nationwide (worldwide?) TV was the absolute tops.
 
Getting to meet lots of old friends that I'd never met in person before, making loads of new friends, getting very drunk and having very little sleep every night, good talks, interesting and stimulating conversations about science and skepticism (even at 2:00am when seriously drunk), getting kicked out of the forum party and taking it down to the bar, meeting Phil Plait, getting loads of hugs.

Let's face it, it was a full week of highlights! :yahoo
 
infidelguy said:
Alot of people seemed afraid to talk to me for some reason. .
Click to expand...
I saw you several times, but you were always talking to some one.

But, from personal experience of being a bit shy, I've found that I can't wait for people to talk to me, I have to go up and just stick out my hand.

Of course, they may be avoiding me, not afraid.
 
GG, meeting the Jr. Skepchicks was a delight. I hope you bring them to future TAMs. And I hope they take groovier physics classes in the future. I hate it when smart students get stuck in bad physics classes! It gives me nightmares...
 
phyz said:
GG, meeting the Jr. Skepchicks was a delight. I hope you bring them to future TAMs. And I hope they take groovier physics classes in the future. I hate it when smart students get stuck in bad physics classes! It gives me nightmares...
Click to expand...


Their mom and dad promised to bring them to future events. Mom and Dad even signed up for the cruise, and have thanked me repeatedly for introducing them to TAM and JREF!
 
Please share with us! What happened? And I missed it!
Click to expand...

Nothing too exciting there. An...anatomical piece of chocolate was shoved in my face, someone said, "Want some?" And, well...how could I have said no?

Never actually saw the cops, all I heard was this: "The police say if we don't leave right now, we're all getting kicking out of the casino."
 
Oh man, some of these posts made me laugh. I'm trying to write a blog entry right now and I just can't think of what to say. Maybe this will help....

Highlights:

Meeting so many awesome new people from the forum, especially calendar models and others I only knew through email

Interviewing nearly every speaker in depth - I'm so excited to hear the tapes for the podcast

The forum party. You guys were all great, for donating enough money to cover the expenses, for keeping the place fairly clean, and for exiting quietly when security showed up at 3AM.

The great response I got from my presentation, even though I was nervous

Going to the Grand Canyon in a helicopter with Tim, Lynn, and Hutch. That was breathtakingly beautiful and thrilling and I loved every second of it.
 
saganite said:
Nothing too exciting there. An...anatomical piece of chocolate was shoved in my face, someone said, "Want some?" And, well...how could I have said no?

Never actually saw the cops, all I heard was this: "The police say if we don't leave right now, we're all getting kicking out of the casino."
Click to expand...

Where the hell where you? I´ve been looking for you all the time. Of course, not knowing how you look made that a bit difficult... ;)
 
It was all good. Including Rebecca's talk! Even Hitchens's outburst, but apparently that's just me.

The Onion guy: I haven't laughed so hard in a long, long time.

But nothing beats meeting a huge swarm of good friends one more time.

~~ Paul
 
My memory of TAM5 is just one big blur of highlights. :D :( In no particular order:

Speaking with Todd Robbins and being told that if I organize a group trip to Coney Island USA, he'll give us the "full tour".

Dragging a shy person up to talk with Phil Plait at the reception.

Crashing the skepchick PJ party in my PJs.

Watching the skepchicks reactions when they tasted the chocolates I brought them, and then later when the box of anatomical chocolate was brought in.

Talking to the lady who bought the original plan of the Mythbusters' "Rube Goldberg" device.

The "Irreducible Complexity Evolver" paper Sunday. Yeah!! :D

Watching Robert Lancaster and Randi tear into Sylvia on TV. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dkbkkkT6ejA

Being joked with by Adam Savage.

The Hal and Jill & Julia shows.

Banacheck's show.

Meeting the Hursts again. Scott and Susan are wonderful people.

Meeting the 2007 Skepchick Calendar covergirl :) (and her husband :( ).

Seeing MoeFaux again.

The MIT "fab lab" talk.

Seeing friends that I haven't seen since TAM4 or earlier: Girl6, Exarch, Patriciom, Loon, Claus, Emily, Electric Monk, CJ, Mlynn, Chaos, deBergerac, Patricio, to name just a few.

Making new friends: RemieV, Jas, BrianSI, Jen, Jen, to name just a few more.
 
My short answer is

"Woah! Dude! That was intense!"

And I mean that on so many levels.

There was the mental stimulation of not only ALL the talks (I found nuggets to ponder for months to come in everything I was able to be conscious for) but in talking informally with all you guys. It was so cool to talk about so many things with so many really, REALLY smart people. It blew my mind on more than one occasion.

On an emotional level, meeting so many good friends in person, and knowing eachother already, so we could really get connected was overwhelming. This is an amazing group of people. I am so lucky to know you guys.

And on a physical level, there was of course all the walking to be done, but I was unaware that I could function on that little sleep and that much booze.

Marquis, I think we butchered it pretty badly, but I don't think anyone cares. I know I sure don't.

"They kicked us out of the room. They (mf) kicked us out of the (f) room. Holy (mf) Christ in a chickenbasket, we got kicked out of the (f) room" [apologies to the Onion]

Thanks, guys.

That was some TAM.
 
SkepticScott said:
Speaking with Todd Robbins and being told that if I organize a group trip to Coney Island USA, he'll give us the "full tour".
Click to expand...

Cool! I'd definitely bring my carny self out for the Coney Island tour. Please keep us NYC and Northeast people posted.
 
Many highlights, including:

  1. The topic for the entire conference turned out to be a good one this year.
  2. The topic for just about every conversation I had became 'sex' after a while.
  3. The Onion guy was great.
  4. The onion dip was exceptional.
  5. Rebecca's talk was insightful and funny.
  6. Rebecca as a roommate for the third year running was insightful and funny.
  7. Waking Rebecca at 4am so I could tell her of the forum party's demise was insightful and funny.
  8. My impromptu Richard Wiseman impression at the whiskey party receiving more laughter than I thought it would.
  9. My accidental Truman Capote impression at the whiskey party receiving more laughter than was comfortable.
  10. Meeting many forum members for the first time.
  11. Laughing with many forum members for the first time.
  12. Groping many forum members for the hundredth time.
  13. Displaying my package while sitting on Lost Angeles and Athon.
  14. Adjusting my package after Moe posed for "the Bible picture".
  15. Sterilizing my package after an incident on the strip I can't mention in detail.
  16. Tending bar at the forum party.
  17. Getting everyone wasted at the forum party.
  18. Having security break up the forum party.

Party in Crisis: A Dramatization

Security: Is this room registered under your name?
Me: No.
Security: Where is the person who's name the room is registered under?
Me (avoiding smart ass remark about poor grammar): Huh?
Security: Who's room is this?
Me: Oh . . . umm . . . She's not here.
Security: Where is she?
Me (lying): I dunno. I'm not sure.
Security: Who's responsible for this party?
Me: That would be me.
Security: Sir, you're going to have to clear the room out right now, or everyone will be kicked out of the Riviera.
Me: Are you serious?!
Security: Yes sir.
Me: That is so cool!
Security: ?????
Me: You just made everyone's weekend, my friend.
Security:????
Me: You know what? It would be even better for our reputation if you could bust down the door and pepper spray a few people.
Security: Sir, just . . .
Me: Or at least get some night sticks and club a guy a few times. I'll pick one out for you.
Security: Sir, just clear the room.
Me (somewhat disappointed): All right.
Me (inside the room, to all the party goers): Folks we've got to get out or they're going to kick us out. Security is shutting us down.
Party: Yeah!! Wahoo!!!!!!
Security (looking baffled that exiting party goers were stopping to have pictures taken with them): ????????????
Me: Hey everyone, let me straighten up a little and I'll meet you in the bar. See if we can get kicked out of there.

And so many other highlights I can't think of right now.
 
Chaos said:
Where the hell where you? I´ve been looking for you all the time. Of course, not knowing how you look made that a bit difficult... ;)
Click to expand...

If I'm not mistaken, she was the hot blonde. Not Duppyraces, but the other hot blonde. I didn't get a chance to talk to her either - she was always surrounded by guys.
 
One of many highlights for me is something that didn't happen - that loony toon annoying Unitarian lady (you all know who I'm talking about) didn't get to ask a question.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Back
Top Bottom