Jen Myers, writer at Skepchick.org and lead organizer of Central Ohioans for Rational Inquiry, will lead an interactive workshop on how to build and promote local grassroots skeptic groups from the bottom up. We'll discuss online resources, group structure, fundraising, community outreach and sponsoring events like SkeptiCamp conferences. We'll also cover how to keep focused on larger skeptic goals while fostering community among local skeptics.
After WWII, many Melanesian tribes adopted new religious practices. They imitated the behaviors of the Allies who had used their island homes as staging areas for resource distribution in an attempt to exhort the gods for 'cargo.' These 'cargo cults' are a powerful analogue for pseudoscience and those that practice it. What can Melanesian tribes teach us about the difference between science and pseudoscience? Attend this talk to find out.
William Brinkman, a contributing writer for White Wolf's Demon: The Fallen game line, will read excerpts from his current web project, The Bolingbrook Babbler. He will also talk about his experiences promoting skepticism through the guise of a tabloid.
The modern West is awash in the paranormal, from ghost hunting to alien abductions. The paranormal, however, is hardly unique to us. Different cultures have had their own unique conceptions of the paranormal. If we widen our gaze from beliefs espoused by the Ghost Hunters and others, we see that paranormal ideas generally draw from cultural narratives and fill in perceived holes to help explain the anomalous or extraordinary.
How a clever GM can use evolution and creationism to create a very colorful but believable game world, and to create interesting, believable NPCs and characters.
How a clever GM can use evolution and creationism to create a very colorful but believable game world, and to create interesting, believable NPCs and characters.
Ever wondered how folks set up financial scams? How about understanding how they maximize how much everyone gets screwed over? Then boy howdy is this talk for you. We'll go over the details of why financial scams work, how they're structured, and how to spot one in the wild!
Come, one and all, to the best thing that can possibly happen at a geeky convention: a round-robin reading of Jim Theis's immortally bad short story 'The Eye of Argon!' Marvel at the purplest of purple prose! Giggle at the nonsensical phrasing! Try to puzzle out just what he was trying to get at! It was so much fun last year, we're doing it again!
From Bigfoot to Vampires, discover how the hoaxers, the cultural zeitgeist, and a fear of the unknown helped to create many of the monster myths that have captivated the world. Learn the truth behind the Loch Ness Monster, unicorns, and fairies, and how many real animals are often more fascinating than their imaginary counterparts.
Join a team of enthusiastic skeptics and skeptical bloggers as we take you on a roller coaster ride through all sorts of pop culture paranormal phenomena and pseudoscience! From Bigfoot to ghosts hunting to crystal skulls, it'll be a veritable tour-de-force of pop culture paranormalism! This year: the 'Pick your Poison' format! You decide what the panel talks about! Come for the talk, stay for the 'Stump the Skeptics' Q&A!