Reminder: I’m going to be in Austin this weekend. On Saturday, I’m going to be giving a lecture on bat evolution (in a church!) followed by the always awesome bat cruise. One and a half million bats will darken the twilight skies, while a mob of atheists cheer them on. How can you miss this?
Pharyngula
Evolution, development, and random biological ejaculations from a godless liberal
How quickly Rock Stars forget that most of us are constrained by distance and finance.
Austin, Minnesota, home of the world famous Spam Museum?
I don’t know about this PZ, those bats are illegally entering from Mexico. I mean, did anyone check their green cards?
I’ve heard nothing but good things about Austin, that it is the antithesis of everything Texas. And now they have bats! Going to have to up this on my list of places to go.
I have no idea what any of these twits mean?
We went there a couple of years ago… and saw one(1) bat!!
Course that was during the day.
While you’re in church, be sure to check for bats in the belfry. (And I don’t necessarily mean the congregation.)
Being an underemployed former master’s degree student is one way.
I’ve wondered about those cruises – seems like a high potential for getting guano on the head. Watching from the bridge is safer. :) It’s spectacular, though. The bat outing is a sight that has to be seen to be believed.
After seeing a large bat colony in an abandoned limestone quarry in Montana, and the colossal pile of poop on the ground below, I was wondering about the “guano” myself. (“Guano” in quotes because to me, it comes from birds. Just because bats fly doesn’t make it proper guano.)
Sounds like an awesome event anyway.
There are at least two places in the Austin area where bats roost.
My migraine has me at a right proper delusional state, one where I thought of baseball bats being hurled into the air rather than the intended meaning, and witnessed in my head the cruelty and carnage of several hundred thousand misguided bats falling askew into the crowd.
Austin? Will you also be meeting the Atheist Experience folks and maybe even record an episode with them or something? Just curious.
Being in a church, you won’t have far to go to get some of that bat-shit (crazy).
I should think it is the other way around: you go bats first, then you enter the church ;)
If the water in the baptismal font starts boiling, you’ll know your mission is not in vain.
How can I miss it?
By living in Cornwall … meh!
I suffer from an actually common disease called “Lackamulah”. Perhaps you’ve heard of it?
(It’s kinda hard to go anywhere when I own my school $3500 and I’ve no clue where it’s going to come from…)
I can’t be there in person, PZ, but I’ll be there in spirit…in other words, not at all.
Bats are very cool. Greatest thing about the bats—as soon as they come out, the mosquitos disappear.
I have to say, that has got to be one of the more awesome headlines you’ve ever come up with.
It’s clear that the headline is a cryptic crossword clue, but so far I can’t figure out the answer.
You should try to track down this Larry Busby fellow (has a site called Sleepless in Austin–yeah, it’s actually worse than that). I’m not linking to it. But there has been enough buzz about it today that you can read all about it.