My Approximate Schedule

There is little doubt that my schedule will morph over the course of the weekend, and really, I'm not sure what the point of posting it in advance here is, but just for yuks...

I'll be departing Vancouver Thursday morning (less than a week to go now!) - arriving in Las Vegas a little after 1pm. By that time the Science Based Medicine Conference will be well under-way. It's a bit of an add-on to TAM, without actually being TAM itself.

There are also a number of paid workshops going on on Thursday afternoon which I will be missing.

Paul and I can get in our room at 3pm.

From 5 to 6 there is an opening reception, and at 6:30 the 'Canadian Contingent' has a dinner nearby.

I'm thinking that if there is interest I may do a sneak preview of the film later Thursday night, just for the heck of it – probably while the Banachek (et al) show is going on.

Friday morning starts early with a live recording of the SGU over breakfast, followed by welcomes, intros and the Keynote.

I am really looking forward to the keynote. It's going to be Bill Prady the Executive Producer of The Big Bang Theory. BBT is a very funny show, and I am a sucker for 'scientist humour.' "Beast..." is scientist humour, and like BBT it's hardly limited to that tiny tiny demographic in it's appeal.

I won't get into a breakdown of all the speakers over the weekend, that'll most likely get covered as I update the blog.

At lunch on Friday I am signed up to helm the Skepticamp table for an hour. I'm tag teaming with Jesse from the Vancouver Centre for Inquiry. I'm thinking that we'll be a well paired team with differing styles and skeptical foci. If I'm wrong, we can settle it the following week at Skeptics in the Pub. Heck! We can dress up one as a monkey and one as a bird and settle two arguments at once! (That was a skeptical joke. If you're in – don't say anything.)

The afternoon has a bunch of interesting speakers, including Joe Nickell who co-wrote the 'go-to' skeptical book on lake-monsters. Whee!

That evening there is a paid optional event which I might pay for if it's still open at the time, and that's also the night of the infamous SGU dinner... which I am signed up for, but I haven't paid for yet. I tried to pay, but PayPal wasn't liking me that afternoon and I didn't have time to trouble shoot. I should try again today.

Saturday is probably the day I am most looking forward to. There are a number of panels and speakers who I am really excited about. Including Adam Savage, Phil Plait and Penn & Teller.

That night is the "Secret Vegas Prayer Meeting" AKA the Skepchick Party. Apparently it's always a hoot – though often shut down by security... I mean it's REALLY a hoot!

Sunday is a much lower key day. Paper presentations in the morning – which I've been warned can be rather dry.

The entire event wraps up with a mentalism presentation by James Randi (who I saw in February and then happened to be at the bar he came to afterwards... that was a blast.) followed by a Live Million Dollar Challenge.

I suspect I will have to miss at least the Million Dollar Challenge if not the mentalism as well if I am going to catch my plane....

Paul and I head out on Sunday leaving at roughly 5 pm with a number of crappy lay-overs getting me back to Vancouver around 11pm.