…and this is a 
…was the SkepchickCon in Minneapolis this past weekend. This was a consequence of some extremely ugly last minute flight rearrangements from Germany that brought me home significantly later than I had planned (although Lufthansa did helpfully tell me I could get back earlier if I would just buy that seat in first class in an earlier flight…for an additional $5000). Melissa Kaercher did make the grand effort of connecting me up virtually over skype for the Evolution 101 panel, but unfortunately, the internet in my hotel went totally kablooiee 5 minutes after the panel started.
Oh, well. I learned about everything I missed from Greg Laden and bug_girl. Next year! Next year I must go!
Comments
Posted by: b00ger | July 6, 2009 8:12 AM
I love the smell of Troll first thing in the morning.
Posted by: b00ger | July 6, 2009 8:14 AM
Also, where are these Skepchicks? I want to see some hot athiest on athiest action.
Posted by: Katrina | July 6, 2009 8:23 AM
Wow, that Troll disappeared quickly.
Sure wish I could have gone. *sigh* Maybe next year.
Posted by: Ted Meissner | July 6, 2009 8:44 AM
Actually, with a few of us MN Atheists in the crowd noticing the turn of the discussion, we'll suggest a few panels you may be interested in. More unabashadly discussing evolution vs. myth.
Posted by: Will | July 6, 2009 8:51 AM
Are you gion' to TAM ?
Posted by: Derek Colanduno | July 6, 2009 9:30 AM
P.Z.coming to Dragon*Con this year? LOTS of cool stuff for ya this year.
Even gots us some Margret Downey. :)
Posted by: Cary | July 6, 2009 9:44 AM
SkepchickCon was awesome, and CONvergence in general was a great time. The Skepchicks are all amazing and hilarious. It was refreshing to be able to laugh about woo-woos and have some honest discussions with people about skepticism, pseudoscience, and how Jenny McCarthy is killing babies.
PZ, you missed some top-notch nerd debauchery.
I would suggest anyone local (and non-local!) to MN to plan on showing up next year!
Posted by: Steve Ulven | July 6, 2009 10:16 AM
'Twas tons of fun. The skeptic panels were all great, especially the "Meet the Skepchicks" panel. Holy fuck! That was hilarious. Then Rebecca Watson flashing her beaver later at the party. I have pictures that I'll post when I get time. Next year, if the skeptic track is back, I am certainly getting a hotel room so I can partake in some Skepchick-style Tang and not have to worry about driving home.
Posted by: joe | July 6, 2009 10:49 AM
Missed connections again, eh?
This problem is about 20 miles over your head.
Start making connections, and you will realize
that God exists.
Posted by: Frank B | July 6, 2009 11:00 AM
My wife and daughters are really into skeptic podcasts, and they had a blast meeting the skepchicks and Pamela Gay. Rebecca Watson is trying to get a teen blog going, so she invited my daughter to get involved. There is such a need for science education in this country. Seeing all these people with this passion is great. When I saw PZ's name card crossed out and heard he wasn't coming, I was disappointed. But next year, YES.
Posted by: Janine, OMnivore | July 6, 2009 11:05 AM
Joe, I know I will regret this, but how will PZ being able to connect to the Skepchick's panel prove that the big sky daddy exists? And how do you know that it can be found twenty miles above the Earth?
Posted by: eddie | July 6, 2009 1:27 PM
Phew! I thought you were gonna mention the conference of science journalists. They musta had help as the site isn't a load of crass errors.
Posted by: Patricia, OM
|
July 6, 2009 1:43 PM
Damn! Corsets everywhere and I missed it. Woe is me. :(
Posted by: Mike V | July 6, 2009 3:32 PM
You were missed. Sadly, I missed most of the panels as I was frequently abducted by friends to eat food or exterminate human vermin (somehow I kept turning out to be the Cylon in the BSG board game, which doesn't have a cheesy 'can't we all get along because angels want us to' ending :).
And not only did people miss corsets, they missed doing shots from the bosoms of Skepchicks. Alas, no Skepdudes were making similar offers, so it wasn't my thing, but Jesus was in line ahead of me and he sure seemed appreciative.
Posted by: Mkingsley | July 6, 2009 4:07 PM
And it came in some surprising places, as well. I was a panelist on the "Ecology of Silly Monsters" panel at 11:30pm on Saturday, bringing my small bit of naturalist knowledge to the table. I wasn't expecting the great props brought by two other panelists (including one who is employed at the Bell Museum of Natural History at the University of Minnesota - Twin Cities). These toys prompted discussion that ranged from the totoros, Neko Bus and susuwatari (soot sprites) from My Friend Totoro to Cthulhu to The Herculoids from my childhood TV-watching days in the late 1960s. Great fun, and very educational for both panelists and attendees.
Posted by: Steve Ulven | July 6, 2009 4:19 PM
Frank B, I was there when Rebecca practically hired your daughter on the spot. I bet that made her day. I thought that was pretty awesome. That panel was also the funniest thing I've been to in recent memory. You'll have to let us know what name she's writing under.
Posted by: carr2d2 | July 7, 2009 6:10 PM
thanks to everyone for making this an unbelievable success.
and, Mike V, next year we will certainly have a skepdude or two present to "serve" you a buzzed aldrin ;)