It is obviously really really late to be recapping the events of The Amazing Meeting 7, but as I had been under the weather for a while, now seems like as good a time as any to mention the goings on.
For those who do not know, The Amazing Meeting is an annual event sponsored by the James Randi Educational Foundation which brings together a lot of skeptics and critical thinkers. There are lectures, workshops, drinking, mingling, drinking, meeting new people, drinking, exchanging ideas, drinking and finally drinking. The whole thing is a hoot and it’s been getting bigger each year. As always I had a blast and it was at times a bit of sensory overload.

(This was staged, Penn did not actually hit me)
For those who don’t know what a “skeptic” is, it’s a little hard to explain. No, we do not just sit around talking about how we think all UFO’s can be explained as a hoax or honest mistake. (We do that too, it’s just not the only thing we do.) The JREF and the skeptical community embody a wide variety of beliefs and philosophies, but in general the group consists of critical thinkers who don’t like things like homeopathy and do like things like science.
If you have any interest in science in the public media, skepticism, debunking, myths and myth busting, the harm caused by misinformation on things like vaccines and conspiracy theories or if you’re just a little bit geeky in general, it might be worth considering attending one of these get-togethers.
A few highlights:
RS Lancaster, who had suffered a stroke last year was in attendance. I was personally very surprised and extremely happy to see that his condition has improved dramatically. Mr. Lancaster is still wheelchair bound and has limited use of the left side of his body. However, he has regained the ability to speak fluently and he appears to have very good alertness and mental facilities. I’m so glad to see RSL doing better and enjoying the occasion.
A preliminary test was conducted for the Million Dollar Challenge. The test was witnessed by hundreds of attendees. The subject of the test did not pass, but it was still a memorable and very suspenseful event. Personally, I was pretty confident that I knew what the outcome would be, but I still held my breath.
Of course, there were plenty of great speakers and presenters. I want to offer a special thanks to Joe Nickell, whose presentation was above average even for the event. Mr. Nickell is a senior researcher for the Committee for Skeptical Inquiry. You may recognize him from the numerous television shows or magazine articles he has been involved with. Mr. Nickell prefers not to be called a “debunker” because he sets out to investigate reports and follow the facts. The fact that all his investigations have resulted in the most mundane explanations for things like the Roswell event or lake monsters is just a coincidence.
Mr. Nickell was also a very interesting person to chat with after his presentation. Of course, the same could be said for any of the guests and numerous other attendees.
Mr. Randi himself has been experiencing some health issues in recent months. He is 80 years old and as such even a minor incident can be draining. However, he is continuing to improve after having had some complications. I will leave it at that, but I’ll also say that there is every reason to be optimistic that he will continue to be a thorn in the side of many scammers for years to come.
And finally a big thanks to everyone, but especially: George Rhab, Penn and Teller, Hal Bidlack, Jeff Wagg, Alison Smith, Adam Savage, Joe Nickell, Banacheck, Linda, Michael Shermer, James Randi and numerous others who I am sure I have forgotten…
I will be posting more on the amazing events of TAM as well as the various individuals whom I had the pleasure of meeting and exchanging thoughts with. However, this weekend I’m going to be at the beach.