I'm at The Amazing Meeting London, an Old World instance of the skeptical conferences organised by the James Randi Educational Foundation. (Or more correctly, I am waiting for breakfast at my threadbare Bayswater hotel, where I sleep in a basement closet.) I came to London Friday night and started off with a few social hours with other Swedish skeptics at a pub. Yesterday was the first of two conference days, and I've been making acquaintances left and right. Apart from the locals, I've met a lot of Norwegians and Americans. Among the locals, these days, is Rebecca Watson. She promised me to get a decent broadband connection ASAP so the Skeptic's Guide can go on undiminished.
We had excellent talks by Manchester physicist and UK TV celeb Brian Cox, writer and film-maker John Ronson (Of Men Who Stare at Goats fame), science journalist Simon Singh, atheist bus campaign organiser Ariane Sherine and science writer Ben Goldacre. James Randi, who had to stay home in Florida for medical reasons, fielded questions via Skype, psychologist Richard Wiseman emceed and did parlour tricks, and Simon Singh got the first UK JREF Award for his valiant fight against the frivolous chiropractic libel suit. Randi announced that the Million Dollar Challenge is not getting closed down after all.
With such luminaries presenting, I'm sort of relieved that there wasn't room for me on the roster. Though I could probably have put something reasonably good together about "Palaeolithic" diet.
Today we have George Hrab, Glenn Hill, Adam Savage, Tim Minchin and Phil Plait on. Good times!
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Just arrived here via a Twitter recommendation, interesting post.
I'd be quite happy to hear / read anything you might have put together on paleolithic diets. We *occasionally* get enquiries from people on this (also on blood type diets, I'm not sure if they're quite the same thing as I usually pass them on to our in-house dietitians to answer!) but something meatily skeptical and nuanced to which I could refer people would be rather helpful!
Best wishes,
Jo
Woo, Adam Savage! Get me an autograph, will you?
Thanks Jo, I'll probably write something.
Par, I sat right by Adam S in the auditorium after his talk, but I didn't want to do the fanboi thing so I left him be.
Heh, my food intolerances have perforce put me on a paleolithic diet without cereal or dairy products. Let me tell you, it's a bit of a bore.