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TAM Highlights?

supercorgi

Dog Everlasting
supercorgi
Joined
Aug 3, 2004
Messages
2,528
OK TAM attendees, for those of us poor folk who weren't able to go, tell us your TAM highlights and why they were the best part for you. Come on people, share! (Give us envious people even more reasons to hate you. :D )
 
Entertainment: Jill Sobule! She is sweet, kind, and hugely talented! She did a cry-your-eyes-out rendition of "Mexican Wrestler."
Social: Meeting Swoopy (and Derek) from Skepticality. Swoopy was both on task AND approachable/social/kind.
And meeting skeptic friends new (Geek Goddess, Articulett, Glennmr78, Hutch, and others whose names I'll learn at future TAM's) and old: Sue, Carol and Desktop Icon...
Talks: Scott Dikkers--the Moon Landing headline and audio had us aching with laughter.
Special Moments: RSLancaster and Randi delivering a skeptical one-two punch to Sylvia Browne on Anderson Cooper.

I'll think of more...
 
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In no particular order:

Getting to hear about this: http://fab.cba.mit.edu/
Having an awesome roommate
Finding fellow Bruins.
The forumites.
8 hours in a car with JLam & Mrs. JLam
Getting the party broken up
Secret Admirer & Tobias & Capitalist and their love triangle
The pwning of Sylvia Browne
 
This seems like as good a place as any to post my generally effusive comments. The whole weekend was one giant highlight for me. This was not my first TAM, but the first one in which I actually got to meet forum posters and participate in forum events. Everyone I had the pleasure to meet was awesome. And I would mention them all by name except that with most people I only remember their real names and can't recall their forum handles.

(El Spectre, Jon the Geek, KingMerv00, DiskoVilante, TobiastheCommie, LostAngeles, Boo, and some others exempted. I guess I remember more than I thought.)

Panel highlights: the Mythbusters guys showing the demo reel that got them hired by Discovery Channel. Jill and Julia, for sure--they were wonderful and made me reconsider my lifelong hatred of group singalongs. And of course, "Cantankerous b*tch!"

Other highlights: Signing autographs. A couple of great parties, including a forum party that will live in my memory forever. Being publicly humiliated by Christopher Hitchens (KingMerv00's fault entirely). As punishment, having to listen to Hitchens tell a joke that began at 11:30pm and ended at 1:45am by my watch. As reward for that punishment, getting to be the judge for the joke-off that ensued--and learning that many posters here can do an excellent spur-of-the-moment Scottish burr. Taking a bite of a chocolate coconut bar in the shape of...well, you know. And being able to say that I attended a party where the cops were called.
 
Let's see:

I saw Teller talk...OMG OMG OMG...I saw Teller speak! (The people sitting around me are lucky that I had enough restraint not to start bouncing off the walls.

I met so many amazing people. Too many names to remember, but lessee forumites first: Saganite, LostAngeles, delphi_ote, KingMerv00, Skeptikilt, RSLancaster, Paul C. Anagnostopoulos (I'm so glad I rememberd how to spell that), Jeff Wagg, Exarch, Zygar, Trolyus, Tobiasthecommie, Moe Faux, xanxabar, Lisa Simpson...and on and on (sorry if I forgot you, it's nothing personal) I do remember a lot peoples' first names and not their forum name, but I don't want to post their names here.

Seeing the people I consider celebrities (Britney Spears isn't a celebrity to me, she's just trailer park hick cracker trash that stumbled on a mic): Penn & Teller, Adam Savage, RICHARD WISEMAN* (story below), Randi, Matt and Trey, Phil Plait, Rebecca, and on and on...

Then there was the forum party. It was very special to me. It was actually my first big party (yes, I've been sheltered) and the first time I got drunk (or tipsy...is there a difference?)

Getting my Skepchick calendar signed. Yay to Saganite, Rebecca, and Boo...

Ran into a drunk and kinda disoriented Christopher Hitchens in the elevator on Thursday night. I go in and smell alcohol and there is this guy there that kinda looked like Hitchens (last time I saw Hitchens was in the ********! episode on Mother Theresa). I wasn't sure it was Hitchens until he said something to the effect of "where am I" or "I'm on the wrong floor" in his accent. Then I knew it was Hitchens.

Had some interesting discussions with interesting people.

I ate a Cockolate Cocksicle™ at the forum party.

But the biggest highlight would have to be the entirety of TAM (minus the A/V problems).

*Wiseman story: I think Richard Wiseman thins I'm rather queer. Several times in during the conference I'd point at him as he walked by and jump up and down and say "Richard Wiseman" (C'mon, I love his work and humor). And then on Saturday night as we entered the elevator to go up to our room to change for the party we see him in the elevator...and there was this nice smell of cologne...and I just blurted out "You smell nice!" to him.
He said that was the nicest thing anyone has ever told him. In retrospect...I think I'm just weird...TAM 5 has made me more uninhibited. I can't wait for next year's TAM. The elevator seems to the place for me to have interesting encounters.

I'll be posting high-res pics in a bit.
 
My favorite lecturers were Phil Plait, Scott Dikkers, and Lori Lipman Brown. Penn and Teller were good (Teller has a very nice voice) as were Adam and Tory. There were a couple lecturers that I thought were...um...well, boring. But maybe I just have a dreadfully stunted attention span. I blame TV. I loved meeting forumites and no one was mad at me for any moderator-y stuff I might have done.
 
supercorgi said:
OK TAM attendees, for those of us poor folk who weren't able to go, tell us your TAM highlights and why they were the best part for you. Come on people, share! (Give us envious people even more reasons to hate you. :D )
Click to expand...


Well, after the giving out of the massive amounts of free money and the talking about you behind your back...well...everything was sort of a blur... A quick field trip to the international space station... a few hours of amazing sex on the holodeck....and then being given my own country to rule for a while was cool. I think most of us enjoyed being appointed the emperor of our own nation.

Oh yeah... the time machine trips were cool too. Not only does it allow you to fit a huge amount of activities in just a few relative earth days, but I really enjoyed seeing the hanging gardens of Babylon and the Tunguska Incident.

The one bad part was when I got beaned in the head pretty badly by a large gold debloon, which left a nasty welt. I'm really glad that the rest landed in my wheel barrel, so I could get them to the swiss bank.
 
What I think was the greatest TAM highlight, RLancaster racked up 300$ in internet fees at TAM. I presume trying to manage the Stop Silvia sight and get ready for his CNN interview.

So, they asked for donations to cover his costs, in less than half a day they had over 700$ dollars!
 
Wow. I didn't know that about Robert Lancaster. For me, the highlights were really meeting and having my picture taken with so many "biggies" in the skeptical world. Phil Plait's speech was well done, and humorous, and I always enjoy Richard Wiseman. The Mythbusters had some great stories, as always, also.
 
DiskoVilante: I'll be posting high-res pics in a bit.
Click to expand...

Yesss!!!!


ahem, nope, I'm not waiting for pics. Nope, I'm not all excited. Nope, I won't be stalking every single one of DiskoVilante's posts until I see pics. nUh uhhhhh.
 
Alot of people seemed afraid to talk to me for some reason. But anyway, having Penn tell me that he's heard of me and my show was flattering, meeting Adam of MythBusters, meeting the Southpark guys, hanging out with Randi and him telling me personally how much he appreciated me coming. He also did some personal magic for me which was cool. Oh and how can I forget the super sexy Tobias. lol. ;)

I think I made tons of new friends, got to meet some old listeners (some have been listening to my show for over 8 years) and I hope to see many of you in the future. TAM5 has invigorated me to continue to do what I have been pioneering for almost 9 years now.

Thanks to all of you that welcomed me and made me feel like part of the family even though I'm usually too busy with all of my other projects to hang out here.
 
infidelguy said:
Alot of people seemed afraid to talk to me for some reason. But anyway, having Penn tell me that he's heard of me and my show was flattering, meeting Adam of MythBusters, meeting the Southpark guys, hanging out with Randi and him telling me personally how much he appreciated me coming. He also did some personal magic for me which was cool. Oh and how can I forget the super sexy Tobias. lol. ;)

I think I made tons of new friends, got to meet some old listeners (some have been listening to my show for over 8 years) and I hope to see many of you in the future. TAM5 has invigorated me to continue to do what I have been pioneering for almost 9 years now.

Thanks to all of you that welcomed me and made me feel like part of the family even though I'm usually too busy with all of my other projects to hang out here.
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Hey! I talked to you. Actually, I wish I had more, but I only saw you a few times, and I was either pressed for time or drunk most of 'em. Just the same... very glad you came!
 
I believe my personal highlight would be standing drunk at the casino bar at 4:30 Sunday morning singing the Canadian national anthem with badger.

Sorry if I butchered it too badly.
 
Oh, and my lowlight would be my goddamned camera's batteries dying just when I was about to take a pic with the infidelguy.
 
Marquis de Carabas said:
I believe my personal highlight would be standing drunk at the casino bar at 4:30 Sunday morning singing the Canadian national anthem with badger.

Sorry if I butchered it too badly.
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I knew I would miss the good stuff by going to bed early enough not to be completely incoherent during my talk......:(
 
Lots of great moments :)

Building a relationship with that wonderful slot machine (my dear friend, I miss you).

Having dinner at Peppermill with really, really neat people.

Most especially realizing that these are the people I want to know forever ;)

And, of course, the Banachek show! I looked forward to it for months. :D

(ALSO... my article on Banachek including all the info from the interview should be posted tomorrow if I can actually get to sleep tonight :) )
 
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