Category: CSICon
Anticipating CSICon 2022: A Video Interview with Neil deGrasse Tyson
This is the first in a series of interviews I am conducting with the speakers appearing at CSICon 2022, the conference that will take place in Las Vegas in October. First up is none other than Neil deGrasse Tyson!
From Fantasyland America to the Fabric of Space and Time: Celebrating Science and Probing Our Public Confusions
It began with a penetrating look at the long history of how a troubled America went haywire by Fantasyland author Kurt Andersen and ended with a romp through the nature of space and time—and the mind-bending speculation that we all might live in a holographic universe—from Columbia University cosmologist and author Brian Greene. From …
This article is available for free to all.Challenging Creationism at the Ark Encounter: An Interview with Bailey Harris
Author and CSICon speaker Bailey Harris has just released a video tour of Ken Ham’s Ark Encounter. In this article, I speak with the brave young lady about her adventure in that hostile faux ship as well as about her much more welcoming experience at CSICon.
A Cunning Plan – Bringing Students to CSICon
Cover Image: John Anglin talks about moon hoaxes to Coral Academy of Science Las Vegas. Photo by Ron Lee. This article is about one of the skeptic community’s biggest success. We have been seeing so much bad news lately that I know this will warm up your aortas. One of the biggest complaints I …
CSICon 2019: Meet the First-Timers
Have you ever wondered why people attend CSICon, and what they thought of it? In this article, five first-time attendees give us some insight into those very questions.
Snopes at CSICon
David Mikkelson is the founder and leader of the urban legend website Snopes. Founded in 1994, it began on a Usenet newsgroup called alt.folklore.urban and continued growing into its own amazingly popular website Snopes.com. Mikkelson will be speaking at CSICon Friday October 18 at 11:30 am. His talk is titled “Junk News as Science.” …
What’s a Skeptic to Do in Sin City?
Ahead of the upcoming CSICon, I thought I’d offer some advice on my hometown of Las Vegas. Vegas is a town practically built on fakery—but our fair city has the class to at least be upfront about it. The glitter you see is not gold, the odds are not in your favor, the “marble” on …
Meet CSICon 2019 Emcee Leighann Lord
Leighann Lord is a standup comedian from Jamaica Queens, who was the winner of the 2019 Humanist Arts Award. She is an author of several books, including Real Women Do It Standing Up and Dict Jokes. She hosts a podcast called People with Parents, and you can find her at various skeptic conferences as speaker …
On Intelligence – An Interview with Jeff Hawkins
Jeff Hawkins is the cofounder of Numenta, a neuroscience and AI company. Previously, he was the Director of the Redwood Neuroscience Institute and was cofounder of Palm Computing and Handspring He is the author of the book On Intelligence. Jeff will be speaking at CSICon on Friday October 18 at 10 a.m. His lecture is …
Legislative Alchemy: An Interview with Jann Bellamy
Cover Image: While kayaking in Alaska recently, Jann Bellamy was happy to discover some ice is still there. Jann Bellamy is a Florida attorney who writes for the popular Science-Based Medicine site. She is a founder and board member of the Society for Science-Based Medicine (SfSBM). She will be speaking at CSICon on Friday, …
Slow Down – Filter and Reflect with Gordon Pennycook
Gordon Pennycook is the assistant professor at the University of Regina in Saskatchewan. He is on the Editorial Board for Thinking and Reasoning and a consulting editor for Judgement & Decision Marking. He researches gut feelings versus analytic reasoning, fake news and the causes and consequences of analytic thinking. He will be speaking at CSICon …
CFI Homeopathy Lawsuit Updates: An Interview with Nick Little
Nick Little is the vice president and general counsel of Center for Inquiry (CFI), the organization that oversees the Committee for Skeptical Inquiry (CSI), which hosts CSICon. Nick will be speaking at CSICon on Saturday, October 19, at 10 am. Susan Gerbic: Hello there, Nick. So nice to get a chance to talk to …
Interview with Cracked Science, Jonathan Jarry
Cover Photography by Matteo Zamaria Susan Gerbic: Hello Jonathan – I’m looking forward to seeing you at CSICon this year. We first met at CSICon 2017 when you interviewed me for the McGill Office for Science & Society (OSS). Please introduce yourself to everyone. You will be speaking at CSICon, Saturday, October 19, at …
“Human Errors: What Our Quirks Tell Us about Our Past.” — An Interview with Nathan Lents
Nathan Lents is a professor of biology at John Jay College, a prolific science writer, and a speaker at this year’s CSICon. He will be presenting on Saturday October 19 at 9:30am. His talk is titled “Human Errors: What Our Quirks Tell Us about Our Past.” Susan Gerbic: Hello, Nathan. Very nice to meet …
The Dragons of CSICon
The associations between dragons and skepticism that I can think of are few: there is the must-read book by Carl Sagan, The Dragons of Eden, as well as Sagan’s brilliant essay, The Dragon in My Garage (actually a chapter from The Demon-Haunted World). And more recently there was the first Skeptoid film, Here Be Dragons: …
Catching Up with Britt Hermes – CSICon 2019
Britt Marie Hermes is a writer, scientist, and former naturopathic doctor who will be speaking at CSICon on Saturday, October 19 at noon. Her lecture is titled “Do Not Harm, But First, Nature.” Join us at CSICon 2019 in Las Vegas! Meet fellow skeptics and hear from the brightest minds in science. Learn More …
The Overblown Breast is Best Mantra
“As a new mom in 2011, parenting unfolded before me like an obstacle course, an uphill battle of picking the right choices from an ocean of wrong ones. In the complex quest for credible parenting information, one choice seemed clear, backed by seemingly incontrovertible data: When it comes to feeding your baby, breast is best.” …
Q&A with John de Lancie
Actor John de Lancie, Star Trek’s Q, will be speaking at CSICon 2019. If you are scratching your head wondering why, read on and you will wonder no more!
Today Is Your Lucky Day! An Interview with Bailey Harris
Susan Gerbic: Hello, Bailey! So nice to meet you, if only over email. I’m really looking forward to meeting you in person at CSICon this year. You will be speaking on Saturday, October 19, in the 11:00 am timeslot. I think this is your first skeptic conference and hope it won’t be your last. Please …
CSICon 101
I’ve been hearing that attendance numbers for CSICon 2019 are ahead of last year’s pace, and each year more people attend than the previous year. I’m sure conference organizer Barry Karr does not believe in jinxes, so of course he will be fine with my confidence that we should put out a primer for those …
So, You Want to Speak at CSICon?
The call for papers has gone out for the CSICon 2019 Sunday Papers session. Here’s what it takes to secure a spot at that coveted podium.
CSICon 2018: Meet the First-Timers
Have you ever wondered why people attend CSICon, and what they thought of it? In this article, five first-time attendees give us some insight into those very questions.
Carlos and Natália are coming to CSICon to meet YOU!
Introducing you to two of my newest acquaintances who will be attending CSICon from Brazil
Adam Does Not Ruin Everything–FACT!
Adam will be speaking at CSICon on Sunday, October 21, at 9 am.I’m sharing the brief conversation I had with him.
King of Volunteers – A Interview with Scott Romanowski
A simple offer to help unpack books at a TAM conference long ago has led to a second career as conference volunteer coordinator for CSICon. Scott and Susan Gerbic reminisce about some of their favorite TAM and CSICon conference moments.
Mitchell Lampert – A Interview with a Straw Vulcan
Susan Gerbic Interviews CSICon and Halloween Enthusiast, Mitchell Lampert
Catching up with the Indefatigable Kavin Senapathy
Susan Gerbic sits down with CSICon18 speaker Kavin Senapathy
An Interview with CSICon 2018 Speaker Troy Campbell
Troy Campbell is an assistant professor of marketing at the University of Oregon, a design psychologist, and a former Disney Imagineer.
2017 O4SR Scholarship Winners for CSICon
One of the joys of attending skeptic conferences such as CSICon is introducing new people to the community and seeing them spark when they meet more people and then become more involved in the getting work done.
CSICon Sunday Papers 2017
One of best parts of our community is the short lectures told by people who generally aren’t known as main speakers.