Catastrophe!

I’m in the pleasant town of Kearney, Nebraska to give a couple of talks at the University of Nebraska at Kearney, and something tragic and horrible has happened.

My laptop has died. The video card, she no longer generates the video. It makes it rather difficult to illustrate my talks with projected images. It also makes it difficult to get on the web and engage in the blogging (I’m using a hotel business office computer to post this).

I’m planning to stop at an Apple Store at the Mall of America when I get back to Minneapolis tomorrow and beg them to FIX IT RIGHT NOW, but until then, I’m crippled, with half my brain no longer functioning. It does make my talks more entertaining, though: I’m just talking. I’ve managed to fool them all so far, but today’s talk is all about embryonic development, and I’m going to have to show the evidence through interpretive dance, epic poetry, and finger puppetry, I think. It might be amusing, anyway.

Commitment!

Alright, I’m juggling way too many things here, but I’ve got to make a promise about where I’ll be tonight. After the talk at GMU, I’m going to try and get into the AU event at the Hyatt Regency on Capitol Hill and spend some time with the good people there, and then I’m going to tear myself away to go to…The Dubliner. I’ll try to get there by 10 or 10:30 — if I’m late, start the party without me.

When I was in Toronto, both Ken Ham and Jesus showed up. Could somebody give a call to invite Bush (I hear that people like to drink beer with him) and Obama? I think both of them need to spend more time with the godless heathens.

I have landed in DC!

I’m here at the Hyatt Regency in Washington DC, and I’ve received a lot of questions about my plans and availability. Here’s the deal: I’m here for an AU meeting, and that’s my first priority; then I’m giving a talk at GMU Saturday evening. I may have to depart from the traditional post-seminar beer pilgrimage this time, though: my talk is overlapping a bit with an AU event in the evening, and I should scurry back early to catch part of it.

Now there is the possibility of a late night (like, 10:00) get-together here at the Hyatt or nearby, and if there is any interest, I could probably gather a few other interested science bloggers to join us. Leave a comment if you think that’s worth doing>

Context

Some people are getting a bit cranky about the fact that I pissed in their cornflakes this morning, so here’s a little more exposition.

A charismatic new face appeared on the political scene, somebody who was honest and sympathetic and intelligent. So he was a little more religious than I liked; he’s still a good man who promises to repair the damage of the former presidency. He’s running against a relic of that previous corrupt administration, his campaign slogan is all about change, and I am so relieved to have a promising choice. I campaigned for him, I stayed up all night with my friends on election night cheering him on, and I woke up the next morning optimistic for the future, glad that we finally had a progressive president.

Obviously, that wasn’t this year’s election. It was 1976, the very first presidential election in which I was eligible to vote, and the candidate was Jimmy Carter, a man I still think was probably the most honorable and decent president of the 20th century. But optimism and good intentions were not, are not enough. What followed Carter’s election was well-meaning bumbling, a dismal and unaccomplished presidency, and Ronald Reagan, the catastrophe that paved the road to our current state.

This election was so much like that one, only even more so. And I dread the possibility that jubilation will lead to complacency, that moderation will produce stasis, and that what will follow an Obama presidency could be something far, far worse than we can imagine.

So no, no ebullience from me, no brief relaxation into celebration. I’m charging up my cattle prod, because I want to goose the Obama administration into actually getting something done in the coming years. I think Obama could be a great president, especially since greatness in that office is measured by the magnitude of the challenges faced (which are off the scale), and the ability of the leader to rise to them. There is reason to have hope, but hope doesn’t get the job done.

Ten years from now I don’t want to be praising Obama by commenting on his generosity and his carpentry skills.

Halloween in Toronto

So people want to know more about the Toronto visit…

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They’re charging for people to listen to me? Wow, I feel like Celine Dion now. You can get more information and order tickets at the CFI site.

I am a little uncomfortable with the hyperbole on the poster, though. Couldn’t they have said “world’s most famous atheist & science blogger from Morris, Minnesota”? Especially with Larry Moran right there in town, he is probably going to give me some grief over that line.

There are also some other things planned for Saturday, but I don’t have those details just yet. I know that the fabulous Skatje will be speaking in a panel or Q&A or something on that day, and I might be hovering around at a skeptics event around then, but it’s all a little vague right now. There will be stuff to do and opportunities to schmooze for those of you who’d rather go trick-or-treating Friday night.

The poster, by the way, is by Glendon Mellow, who even discusses his intent in creating it.

Where in the world is PZ Myers?

Since people have been asking about my travel schedule lately, here’s how I’m going to be spending my weekends:

Friday, 31 Oct-2 Nov: Toronto, ON
Friday, 7-9 Nov: Washington, DC
Thursday, 13-15 Nov: Kearney, NE
Wednesday, 19-22 Nov: Philadelphia, PA
Friday, 5-6 Dec: Orlando, FL

I’m hoping the visit to DC will be an especially joyous one.

What didn’t happen in Springfield

I did not get shot at during my presentation. I was not heckled to the point of tears. Richard Carrier‘s talk did not bore me. Despite Springfield being the world capitol of the Assemblies of God Pentecostal church, Sarah Palin did not attend…but it is not the case that the event was poorly attended. I did not fall off the stage, nor were there any technical problems with the video equipment. There were no Catholic picketers. Jesus did not manifest in a chariot of fire to smite the two godless speakers. The audience at our talk did not shy away from asking difficult questions of Carrier and myself. The beer that evening wasn’t bad. While I did briefly disparage the Church of the Flying Spaghetti Monster, no one threatened my livelihood or waved a sword at my neck. I was not neglected or mistreated. I did not eat all the chocolate-covered communion wafers I was given…yet. I did not miss a pleasant evening at the Springfield Brewing company.

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I do not understand why anyone would think I am a pirate.

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Ben was concerned that I would write horrible things about Springfield and MSU, so I had to cruelly let him know I would not write a post that said anything positive at all about my visit.

I do not think I would turn down an invitation to return.

You probably didn’t know that Richard Carrier is not a ninja.

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Carrier & Myers in Missouri

Here are the details people wanted; there’s more in the Facebook announcement. I understand it’s scheduled for the same time as their homecoming football game, but you can always get the score to that later…come on around, we’ll have a good time.

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I’m looking forward to meeting Carrier, finally, and of course, all the Missourians. We should plan a Pharyngufest for that evening (it’s a Saturday), so even if you do choose to go to a boring old football game, we can meet up later. Leave suggestions in the comments for good locations.