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Speaker/Guest wish list for the next Amazing Meeting

dimossi

Thinker
dimossi
Joined
Oct 3, 2001
Messages
126
Speaker/Guest wish list for the next Amazing Meeting -

I had a great time at the Amazing Meeting. I enjoyed most all the speakers, especially Phil Plait and Michael Shermer. I am looking forward to next year's AM and I thought it might be cool to start a wish list of potential speakers and/or mystery guests we would like to see. I had started jotting down most of these names on Saturday when Michael, AtheistArchon, and I were brainstorming and trying to come up with a list of names we thought could be the secret guest. Of course, none of our guesses were correct. So much for having any psychic abilities or even good intuition. ;-)

Anyway here are the names. Please add your own or comment on the ones I have included here.


Johnny Carson - Who better than a big name like Johnny Carson, who has been a huge contributor and supporter of Randi for years. But would he do it?

Penn Jillette - After seeing the new P&T show on Showtime I think we would be incredibly lucky and entertained if we could get Penn and/or Teller there.

Teller - See above.

Julia Sweeney - She is a former SNL comedian who went from having a strict religious belief to secular skepticism.

Paul Kurtz - Founder and chairman of CSICOP, the Council for Secular Humanism, and Prometheus Books. One of the giants of the Skeptic world along with Randi and Shermer, but would he do it? Is there still too much competition and friction between JREF/Sketic Society and CSICOP? I would hope not.

George Carlin - I don't know how skeptical George is, but he certainly attacks religion quite a bit and he is funny.

Richard Dawkins - This leading evolutionary biologist would be a delight to have at the Amazing Meeting.

Ted Rall - A hard-hitting editorial cartoonist like Ted would be interesting variation.

Stephen Pinker - Author of books like "The Blank Slate" and "How the Mind Works". Pinker is a great speaker and expert in the cognitive science field. In my opinion, I find cognitive science and evolutionary psychology some of the most intriguing and interesting subjects and would love to hear the latest from a man of Pinker's stature.

Stephen Hawking - Author of "A Brief History of Time" as well as many others. Probably wishful thinking on my part to think he would speak at AM 2004, but I had to include him on the list.

Adam Corrola - Co-Host of the Man Show and Loveline. I know he is an Atheist and a funny guy. Does that qualify him for the AM? Hell if I know, but I would hang out with the guy, he is a riot.

Edward O. Wilson - A world-famous biologist and Pulitzer Prize-winning author, named by Time magazine as one of America's 25 most influential people. Another scientist that I would love to meet and hear speak.

Daniel C. Dennett - Distinguished Arts and Sciences Professor, Professor of Philosophy, and Director of the Center for Cognitive Studies at Tufts University. D. Dennett has written several books, one being "Darwin's Dangerous Idea". I am reading it now and it is fantastic.

Jodie Foster - I don't know what she would talk about, but I wouldn't mind just looking at her. ;-)

Bill Nye - I really thought this was my best guess as to who the guest speaker would be. Oh well, maybe next time.

Salman Rushdie - Anyone who has had a fatwa against them is OK in my book. :-)

Phil Donahue - I like his dedication and activism, but he can be annoying.

Reginald "Infidel Guy" Finley - Hey, some of you were saying there should be more ethnic diversity at the Amazing Meeting. You want a black skeptic? Infidel Guy is your man. Reginald is creator and webmaster of "Black Atheists" a site dedicated to dispelling the myth that there are NO black atheists and establishing a method for black atheists to contact each other. Reginald also has a great story to tell concerning his experiences as a Psychic while working for The Psychic Network. Plus he is a friend of mine. :-)


Well those are my suggestions for now. What are yours?
 
Infidel Guy worked as a psychic???

No poopoo???? Wow!

Great list, my addition would be a paper presenter, a friend of mine from Yahoo Clubs days. Dr. Kevin Ausman is a nanotechnologist who might be able to come up with a very interesting presentation. I'll need to try and get him to sign up for next year.
 
Sue Blackmore Was a believer and researched NDE's. Has now changed her mind.

Richard Wiseman magician and all round token skeptic in the U.K., has done battle with many and sets up fake seances, just to beat people around the head with a stick in the dark. :D

Vic Tandy. Has a thing about ghosts, apparitions and vibrating eyeballs.

Jon Ronson Stalked woo woos around the globe, then wrote a book about "Them", and their conspiracy theories.

Charles Paxton Cryptozoologist, but doesn't believe in Nessie. Only proper stuff, like coelacanths.

Adam Hart-Davis A British Bill Nye in a shell-suite. Need I say more?
 
Four words: Bidlack as Eleanor Roosevelt.

But seriously...

Banachek, aka Steve Shaw -- one of the young spoonbenders in the Alpha Project. A great performer, and one of the few full-time mentalists who actively supports skepticism. I've heard that he wants to be there next year.

or...

Ian Rowland -- a British mentalist who, despite receiving much flack from his colleagues, has participated in several televised psychic exposés including the Edward-like cold reading demonstration on Primetime.

I'd definitely like to hear from another real-life skeptical convert or two, along the lines of Dan Garvin. If he could be talked into it, I'd love to see the forum's own RC tell his story. (You hear that, RC?)

And I second the votes for Richard Dawkins and P&T.

Quinn
 
dimossi said:
Johnny Carson - Who better than a big name like Johnny Carson, who has been a huge contributor and supporter of Randi for years. But would he do it?
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I don't know of anyone else who'd be a better MC than Bidlack.

Penn Jillette - After seeing the new P&T show on Showtime I think we would be incredibly lucky and entertained if we could get Penn and/or Teller there.

Teller - See above.
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They would make great secret guests. IMO, of course.

George Carlin - I don't know how skeptical George is, but he certainly attacks religion quite a bit and he is funny.
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Only if Bidlack don't MC next year. And I think he will. He'd be nice to meet anyway.

Stephen Hawking - Author of "A Brief History of Time" as well as many others. Probably wishful thinking on my part to think he would speak at AM 2004, but I had to include him on the list.
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I know we have got to have him speak or make an appearance before he dies.

Adam Corrola - Co-Host of the Man Show and Loveline. I know he is an Atheist and a funny guy. Does that qualify him for the AM? Hell if I know, but I would hang out with the guy, he is a riot.
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I didn't know he was an atheist. Learn something new everyday.

Bill Nye - I really thought this was my best guess as to who the guest speaker would be. Oh well, maybe next time.
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I wouldn't mind just meeting him, personally.
 
Dr. Dean Edell is one of the first physician broadcasters in the nation, is the host of America's second most popular syndicated radio talk show, The Dr. Dean Edell Show, heard in more than 400 radio stations.

Dr. Edell is a diehard skeptic and pulls no punches when he discusses medical quackery and pseudoscience on his radio program. At the First World Skeptics Congress in 1996, CSICOP presented Edell with the Public Education in Science Award.
 
Yer basic problem with people like Carlin and Hawking is $$$. If Penn and Teller did it, it would be as a favor to Randi - I don't think we could cover their usual fees.

Here's my additions:

Derren Brown - I just saw his TV mind control shows, and they're excellent.

Tom Lehrer Now I know he doesn't like to do his songs anymore, but he would be a great speaker on his true love - mathematics and the concept of infinity.

The Trinity Foundation (www.thedoormagazine.com). They are a televangelist watchdog organization and did the "God Stuff" segments on Comedy Centrals "The Daily Show" a few years back. Joe Bob Briggs is involved with them, and he would be a great speaker in his own right.

Along entertainment lines:
Labi Siffre (www.So-Strong.com)
Utah Phillips (www.UtahPhillips.com)
Y'all probably haven't heard of them, so you'll probably have to trust me on that one.

In fact, the more I think on it, Labi Siffre would be perfect for a critical thinking conference.
 
My avatar, Alton Brown.

Food Network chef, science enthusiast, and self professed skeptic and cynic. Also, a James Randi fan.
 
TLN said:
My avatar, Alton Brown.

Food Network chef, science enthusiast, and self professed skeptic and cynic. Also, a James Randi fan.
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Yeah, and I asked him about attending TAM. He was interested, but he's a busy guy. So, best we get on it like RIGHT now if we want to grab him for next year.

Also, don't forget. This whole thing was done on a somewhat showstring budget. I'm not sure what typical fees are for lots of these speakers that you guys want to see. But, usually, they are quite expensive.

G6
 
As for fees, none are paid to speakers at other conventions I have attended.
People should feel honored to be invited to speak at TAM 2.
I convinced my University to pay most of my expenses on the basis that it was a for real, serious convention dealing with critical thinking, which I try to teach.
Build it and they will come.
 
What is this? No one has mentioned Elizabeth Loftus, of "The Myth of Repressed Memory" fame?

She's certainly been on the front lines of one of nastier parascience controversies in America today.

Any person who been physically punched by believers just because of her skepticism has more than earned their stripes in the War of Ideas, as far as I'm concerned.
 
I also asked The Infidel Guy. He seemed interested. But, he was in the middle moving over to California. :D

Since, we know that this will happen next year, I can contact him again about it.

G6
 
speakers

I think these are all great speakers!

I know I enjoy reading Joe Nickel, his book on photography is really good for the lay person like myself, and I think he could do an interesting presentation on something like that.

Also, I enjoy reading his books that kind of give the background on something he has investigated. The few "paranormal" incidents that I have "investigated" (aka "looked into") , have been done following the Joe Nickell model. He does have a background as a private eye, but hey, he can also drive a car blindfolded!
 
bignickel said:
Any person who been physically punched by believers just because of her skepticism has more than earned their stripes in the War of Ideas, as far as I'm concerned.
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And for balance, we could then invite Buzz Aldrin :)
 
Douglas Hofstadter
CSICOP fellow, author of "Godel, Escher, Bach", and all-round brilliant guy. I've seen him speak; its great!
 
Girl 6 said:
I also asked The Infidel Guy. He seemed interested. But, he was in the middle moving over to California. :D
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We get all the good ones... sooner or later. You'll see.
[voice=creepy]Come... join us... move west... move toward the light...[/voice]
 
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