THE FREETHOUGHTBLOGS CARNIVAL OF CURIOSITY.
25-27 September 2020.
The cavalcade of talent and skill that is the diverse family of bloggers of Freethought will be putting on a big show at the end of this month — an ostentatious exhibition of skill, wit, intelligence, and unrestrained enthusiasm. Join us for two days of exciting events!
Best of all, this spectacle is totally free, gratis, and totally complimentary! We will of course accept pecuniary remuneration as a token of your appreciation, and to help offset certain troublesome legal obligations that burden us. Please do send your free will donations to paypal.me/freethoughtblogs, where they will be gratefully accepted.
Our tentative schedule of exhibitions:
FRIDAY
Parade of Bloggers, part I (Friday, 5pm PT-8pm ET, 1am BST). The first event of the weekend will consist of some of our happy players introducing themselves live on YouTube, telling you about our plans, and perhaps giving you all a preview of the entertainment to come.
SATURDAY
Parade of Bloggers, part II (Saturday, 7am PT-10am ET, 3pm BST). We have so much talent that it can’t all be contained in a single evening! The parade will continue 14 hours later live on YouTube, featuring our colleagues from East of the Atlantic.
HJ Twitch stream (Saturday, 9am PT-12am ET, 5pm BST). Our very own HJ Hornbeck will dazzle the spectators with leaps, twirls, and death-defying acrobatics in Super Mario World.
The Matinee…of PAIN (Saturday, 11am PT-2pm ET, 7pm BST). PZ Myers will be forced to watch a video of his reader’s choice, and his screams will be broadcast publicly. Readers will have an opportunity to select the flavor of agonizing trash cinema before the event, go make suggestions.
The Rift: A Bolingbrook Babbler Story (Saturday, 3pm PT-6pm ET, 11pm BST) William Brinkman does a live reading from his novel!
Science Fiction and Social Justice (Saturday, 4pm PT-7pm ET, 12am BST) PZ Myers will host an intellectual conversation with Abe Drayton, Steve Shives, Joe Stevenson, and TD Walker about the progressive side of science fiction.
The Quiz (Saturday, 6pm PT-9pm ET, 2 am BST) Abbey St. Brendan will test everyone’s knowledge and wit with a QI-style game show. Incorrect answers will be appropriately punished/rewarded.
Sophisticated Literature Reading (Saturday, 8pm PT-11pm PT, 4am BST). Only mature attendees of taste and refinement will be allowed to attend.
SUNDAY
Dr Myers’ Menagerie of Itty-Bitty Monsters (Sunday, 7am PT-10am ET, 3pm BST) Step into the lab of mad spiderologist PZ Myers, who will show you his terrifying array of photomicrography and microscopy tools as he takes you on a tour of the fanged, the slimy, the crunchy, the fierce, and tiny creatures, and how he makes them visible. POSTPONED. Dr Myers is under quarantine and isn’t supposed to set foot in the lab until Friday. I know, real Mad Scientists don’t have to worry about being responsible citizens, and now I have been exposed as a fraud to the whole world. Dammit.
Scientism (11 am PT-2pm ET, 7pm BST). An unfortunately popular modern religion is scientism, the pernicious insistence that false ideas about race, or gender, or evolution are true because they are “science”. PZ Myers and special guests will deconstruct the scientism cult and its consequences.
The Panel of Inexpert Discussion (1-pm PT-4pm ET, 9pm BST). HJ Hornbeck will moderate a conversation between an assortment of experts who will present themselves as authorities in fields about which they know absolutely nothing. How wrong can they get?
In memoriam and in conclusion: Ed Brayton (3pm PT-6pm ET, 11pm BST). Our co-founder, Ed Brayton died recently. We will say a few words about our late friend, and will also accept comments from the public. If you’d like to speak at it, send a note to me and maybe I’ll send you a link to sign on.
AUCTIONS AUCTIONS AUCTIONS!
Several of our bloggers are auctioning off various goods and services, with all the profits going into our legal fund. If you want something for your donation, check these out!
Art!
Marcus Ranum has a fabulous collection of beautiful & useful objects. Check out his Ant Log, Anarchy Bowl, Oak Bowl, and Flawed Knife! All unique! Make a bid, and they can be yours!
Writing!
William Brinkman is selling off classic Bolingbrook Babbler and other articles, no longer available on the web. If you bid on them, maybe you alone will then possess arcane knowledge!
CripDyke will write personalized porn (or less explicit material, if you so wish) to your taste. Be the star of your own fantasy! Make a bid!
Services!
Iris Vander Pluym will tell you her life story, or at least explain her hatred of squirrels, in a personal interview. This would make great fodder for a blog post or other article! Or even if you just want to talk to Iris on the phone! (No stalkers please.) Bidding is open!
TD Walker will give you a Creativity Coaching Session if you win her auction. Learn how to boost your imagination and productivity! Make a bid, it’s easy!
Do not forget that the purpose of this glorious weekend of fun and frolic is to entice you to make donations to either our PayPal or to our GoFundMe!