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TAM 9 Program

Brian Thompson said:
Hi, everybody. Just dropping in to let you all know that the TAM program has been updated. You'll notice that we've taken your feedback into consideration, and the speakers originally scheduled for the evening (Neil deGrasse Tyson and Richard Dawkins) have now been rescheduled for the afternoon.

http://www.amazingmeeting.com/program

In addition to the disappointment shared by several of you in this thread, the JREF received a few emails from people who were also concerned about the scheduling. We're happy to have been able to move things around at such short notice, and you can rest assured that any future evening talks at TAM will be announced in plenty of time for attendees to adjust their plans.

Thank you for the feedback, and we'll see all of you in Vegas!
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Many lesser people and organizations would have only become more entrenched in their positions as a result of the concerns/criticism expressed here and elsewhere, but not the JREF, which I think is a credit to DJ, Randi, and everyone else involved in the planning of TAM 9. They not only showed flexibility, but strength of character, and in the end I think by making Sunday much more of a full TAM day they have increased the value that the attendees will get out of the TAM experience. I think that TAM will be a better institution for these changes, and I look forward to full Sunday programs at this TAM and many TAMs to come.
 
The new schedule looks pretty good. I wasn't opposed to the evening keynotes, but if I had to come back after a dinner break, I wanted it to be for more than just one hour.

Sunday might get a few comments. One hour for lunch on our own. Dinner is one hour and 15 minutes (if you attend a Sunday workshop) and is just four hours after the lunch break.
 
Guess you can't please all of the people all of the time. :)

They are trying to fit a lot in, which is appreciated.
 
TsarBomba said:
Many lesser people and organizations would have only become more entrenched in their positions as a result of the concerns/criticism expressed here and elsewhere, but not the JREF, which I think is a credit to DJ, Randi, and everyone else involved in the planning of TAM 9. They not only showed flexibility, but strength of character, and in the end I think by making Sunday much more of a full TAM day they have increased the value that the attendees will get out of the TAM experience. I think that TAM will be a better institution for these changes, and I look forward to full Sunday programs at this TAM and many TAMs to come.
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I think this will give more attention to the Sunday morning papers. In past years, the audience has dwindled quite a bit for those sessions, usually down about half. Now, with afternoon sessions for the "real" speakers, maybe the full crowd will show up in the morning too.
 
I'm very pleased to see the new schedule; I'm glad the JREF is prepared to listen to and act on feedback. From a purely personal point of view, it means there are now no sessions scheduled when I'm likely to be at my sleepiest. :)
The Central Scrutinizer said:
I think this will give more attention to the Sunday morning papers. In past years, the audience has dwindled quite a bit for those sessions, usually down about half. Now, with afternoon sessions for the "real" speakers, maybe the full crowd will show up in the morning too.
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You may be right. The Sunday sessions last year felt to me a bit like an afterthought, with a sense of anti-climax. The new schedule for that day looks a lot more substantial. The only problem to be solved now is the logistical one of getting lunch and dinner on Sunday.
 
The Central Scrutinizer said:
I think this will give more attention to the Sunday morning papers. In past years, the audience has dwindled quite a bit for those sessions, usually down about half. Now, with afternoon sessions for the "real" speakers, maybe the full crowd will show up in the morning too.
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This could be a good thing. I've long been of the opinion that they should expand the Papers part of TAM. They've mostly been pretty good and interesting, and from what I've heard, they have way more submissions than they have slots for pretty much every year.

With TAM's big focus on outreach, and getting new people into active skepticism, Papers are a good way to get people more active in their chosen topics. It gives new speakers an opportunity to find out if they enjoy it, and are any good at it, and it can bring new topics to the forefront of the discussion, that we may not have considered before.

Remember that RSL's adventures in StopSylvia have their roots in such activism, and it was his original paper on his StopKaz efforts that got his name out there for the rest of us.
 
The Central Scrutinizer said:
I think this will give more attention to the Sunday morning papers. In past years, the audience has dwindled quite a bit for those sessions, usually down about half. Now, with afternoon sessions for the "real" speakers, maybe the full crowd will show up in the morning too.
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That is an interesting offshoot of the change. Here's hoping.

I was a bit surprised how many people that DID show for the papers last year had their luggage with them because they'd checked out to catch afternoon and evening flights.... hopefully there aren't too many people who opted for early flights.
 
TsarBomba said:
Many lesser people and organizations would have only become more entrenched in their positions as a result of the concerns/criticism expressed here and elsewhere, but not the JREF, which I think is a credit to DJ, Randi, and everyone else involved in the planning of TAM 9. They not only showed flexibility, but strength of character, and in the end I think by making Sunday much more of a full TAM day they have increased the value that the attendees will get out of the TAM experience. I think that TAM will be a better institution for these changes, and I look forward to full Sunday programs at this TAM and many TAMs to come.
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Yes - thank you, JREF! Friday and Saturday will now be much less harried for many of us.

We realize you didn't *have* to do this and that making the changes surely wasn't easy. And it's even nicer that you were able to do it 3 weeks in advance.
 
zooterkin said:
You may be right. The Sunday sessions last year felt to me a bit like an afterthought, with a sense of anti-climax. The new schedule for that day looks a lot more substantial. The only problem to be solved now is the logistical one of getting lunch and dinner on Sunday.
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I missed all of Sunday last year, as I was in the bar watching the World Cup final. :)
 
I'm going to pack everything I need for all four days and eat/sleep/lounge in the main conference room so I don't lose my seat! Do you guys think I can get a cocktail waitress to deliver me drinks there too???
 
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