I staggered home last night at about 2am, fresh from Eschaton 2012. It was a very good conference from my perspective (and probably everyone else’s, too!). There was a familiar mix of good friends from Freethoughtblogs — Natalie Reed, who was given a well-deserved award from CFI for her social justice work, Hank “Beta Culture” Fox, Ian “Zombie Slayer” Cromwell, Ophelia “God Hates Women” Benson, and me, who bored everyone to tears with a primer on some very basic principles in population genetics (why do these people keep inviting me?). Then there were some familiar big names: Larry Moran, Chris DiCarlo, and Eugenie Scott. And then what I really look forward to: meeting new people who either are, ought to be, or will be big names: Veronica Abbass (why haven’t I been following Canadian Atheist before?), Dear Ania, and of course people like Heina, Eric MacDonald, Udo Schuklenk, Vyckie Garrison, and Jeff Shallit. There were others I missed; it was a surprisingly diverse and ambitious conference with two parallel tracks so you couldn’t see everything. That was a cunning ploy, I think, to whet our appetites for more so we’ll come to the next one. I learned stuff and had good conversations and that’s all I really ask of a conference.
Now, unfortunately, while I’m physically back in Morris for a good long while, I have to warn you that this is the last week of the semester and the chronic distractions of a heavy workload are about to flare into acute intensity: this is the week I have to give and grade the last unit exams of the term, grade term papers, advise worried students on their status in my courses, and do a bit of essential committee work, too, so I’m not going to be able to do much blog writing for a bit, despite positively aching to get a bunch of science and atheism stuff hammered down in words. The blog has to wait a bit longer while I deal with my top priority teaching.
But the end is in sight! These demands on my time (really, I’m looking at staying up much of tonight trying to get a stack of exams graded promptly) will begin to ebb around mid-week, and then finals aren’t that bad — they’re like the last paroxysm before the fever breaks. I shall persevere. You’ll have to bear with my boringness for a bit longer.
I didn’t find your talks boring at all, PZ. My daughter & I really enjoyed your “Chance in Evolution” talk. It was enlightening and entertaining.
Time to stay home for a while, right?
He’s back ! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wDd9s-OiEtY
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The problem with population genetics is that it is obviously complicated, so the creationits deal with it by ignoring it altogether…
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“Ian “Zombie Slayer” Cromwell”; Next birthday, give him an album collecting the whole “Zombies vs Robots”.
Yes! I’m staying home until sometime in January!
I really need the break.
This is just your way of encouraging me to pay more attention to my job, isn’t it?
Nice to meet you in person, PZ.
It was the best damned conference I have ever attended. Mind you, it was my first ever.
I had lots of fun though. Looking forward to another by CFI Canada.
It was a pleasure to hear you speak. I’m looking forward to playing fanboi at Norwescon in a few months.
PZ , I don’t know how you manage it. I think I’d have dropped dead by now.
I concur with the above, your chance in evolution talk was great to me ^.^ . I’ve never heard of meiotic drive before, so that was cool. Good introductions to genetic drift all around. Can’t speak to your other talk as I snuck downstairs during the break.
Great seeing you there, PZ! This was my third time in your august presence. Yes, I’m keeping count. ;-)
I have a few pics from the event on my blog: http://freethoughtblogs.com/bluecollaratheist/2012/12/03/pics-from-eschaton-2012/