The Skeptics Guide #985 - May 25 2024 (Ad Free)
Added 2024-05-25 15:01:35 +0000 UTCWhat's the Word: Zooxanthellae; News Items: Blue Origin Update, Human Predator, Escaped GMOs, Solar Storm, Crypto Astrology; Who's That Noisy; Your Questions and E-mails: AI; Science or Fiction
Comments
You asked for suggestions about Not-a-con for 2025. I am a person who attended TAM every year and even moved to Las Vegas when I retired. TAM showed me the advantages of living here. I was very sad when TAM ended, and I was happy when CsiCon came to replace it. Now CFI has announced that CSICON will be gone too after this October. I suspect there are many of us who loved TAM. At CSICON, I still see some people I met at TAM, and we revel in our shared experiences. The concept of Not-a-con is one of the fundamental reasons for attending these meetings. After all I can go to YouTube to hear most of the speakers even without actually seeing them in person. And most also have books. As you have recognized, we attend partly because for a glorious few days each year, I am with people with whom I share a worldview. And it is so amazing knowing that I can have a conversation (like at your fantastic fundraising TAM dinners) where I never had to worry about whether I needed to be careful of what I said at the table of strangers since I already knew they would understand. So, finally here is my suggestion. TAM was very successful in part because Las Vegas is (relatively speaking) very accessible from almost anywhere. Very few people (other than Southern Californians) come here by any means other than air, and the weather in early summer is a very dependable hot and dry. Hotels on the strip can be very expensive, but South Point has strip access for those who want it and all the facilities and restaurants with a much lower price. I have run other smaller meetings (a few hundred people) there myself, and have found the management very anxious to please because our meeting was not the horse event that they typically have there. And there are many other non- strip options that are aimed at locals and have lower prices. Las Vegas also offers some opportunities for nature lovers, outdoorsy entertainment, and other attractions that make this a tourist Mecca. And there are even child-friendly options for families who might wish to make this their summer vacation. If you decide to do this, I would be happy to be a volunteer assistant in any way I could help. In addition, there may be a nostalgia thing happening for those of us who miss TAM. I certainly believe that you would attract more regionally diverse attendees than in upstate New York. Thank you for considering this long time SGU lover’s obviously biased, but I believe also accurate, ideas.
Gail Knapp
2024-05-27 14:04:37 +0000 UTCcrypto astrology... euh.. what? lol
Frederick Cossette
2024-05-25 15:05:20 +0000 UTC
