PZ Myers. 2006 Jan 09. Kossacks want science. <http://pharyngula.org/index/weblog/kossacks_want_science/>. Accessed 2006 Feb 09.

Posted on M00o93H7pQ09L8X1t49cHY01Z5j4TT91fGfr on Monday, January 09, 2006

Kossacks want science

There's this Yearly Kos convention going on in June, and DarkSyde is looking to field a science panel. You can tell him who you would think would make a great speaker.

Posted by PZ Myers on 01/09 at 05:07 PM
Politics • Science • 0 Trackbacks • Other weblogs • Permalink
  1. FYI Pharynguloids, PZ himself is definitely on the short list as a speaker. Hopefully, if he is picked andcaan do it, PZ won't go on a tear about worm mating habits or squid porn ... But presentation and material is the speakers choice.
    #: Posted by DarkSyde  on  01/09  at  06:14 PM
  2. Wha...you don't want an invertebrate sex orgy on the stage?

    It's going to be hard to think of anything else worth talking about.
    #: Posted by PZ Myers  on  01/09  at  06:28 PM
  3. You.
    #: Posted by  on  01/09  at  08:50 PM
  4. I have heard PZ speak on Evolution vs Intelligent Design at the University of Minnesota and he spoke well. The audience was, I think, mostly science types but his explanations were clear to audience members with other backgrounds.

    In particular, he clearly demonstrated the difference between the scientific approach to evolution and the Intelligent Design folks technique of using scientific sounding words describing vague, untestable concepts.

    This talk would be helpful to a lot of the political bloggers that may need to be reminded just how the scientific methods works and why it is so credible.

    Volvox
    #: Posted by  on  01/09  at  09:39 PM
  5. PZ, DarkSyde, Dawkins

    The most eloquent voices available on the subject.
    #: Posted by  on  01/09  at  10:26 PM
  6. Although they are writers and not scientists, I think Chris Mooney and Carl Zimmer would be great to include as members, given their ability to appeal to a wide audience and the fact they are noted bloggers themselves.
    #: Posted by  on  01/09  at  11:23 PM
  7. In addition to PZ, you could get Orac or Revere...

    By the way, how many science speakers are there going to be?
    #: Posted by Alon Levy  on  01/10  at  12:10 AM
  8. Alon, three at the most not counting me. I don't really speak much though, I'm the emcee or moderator or whatever the hell you call it.

    BTW folks, if liberal politics and blogging is your thing, you should consider attenting this. I don't get paid if you go or anything sleazy like that, I just want to meet as many of the people I;ve seen online here as I can and it's gonna be the bomb. A huge swank deal. Lots of familiar blog names, media personalities, Hollywood folks, and political superstars. Sen. Harry Reid is giving the keynote address.
    #: Posted by DarkSyde  on  01/10  at  02:04 AM
  9. David, Chris Mooney is definitely in the running, I'm glad you brought that up, he's a perefect choice imo. On the Dkos thread, readers brought up a lot of great names. James Burke and Richard Dawkins among others and I love both those guys, they're mesmorizing speakers.

    The theme of the YK Con is American politics and blogs. So we want folks who live and work in the states, are outspoken politically, can speak in public with no qualms on a subject they're recognized as proficient in, and have a significant blog or at least web site presence. And they have to pay ALL their travel and lodging expenses ... and food and booze ot whatever. All those requirements knock out a lot of overseas names and names here in this country.

    Most of the speakers over all are politicians or authors or movie stars or media personalities. IOW they have some angle to get reimbursed, their company pays for them, or they're filthy rich. But PZ doesn't have a book out with a publisher willing to foot his bill, so if he is chosen and he accepts, this is a real serious commitment for him, done purely in the spirit of science. That's highly commendable, especially since professors don't get paid a hill of beans compared to the headaches they go through and the time they put in to getting their credentials and jobs in the first place.
    #: Posted by DarkSyde  on  01/10  at  02:34 AM
  10. I don't live or work in the US atm, but my children are US citizens and therefore I feel I have a justifiable interest and the right to comment.

    Given that i've been a Kossack from the start I can't help but feel somwhat excluded, though I acknowledge that most of this is logistical rather than deliberate. But it's not just about US electoral politics. What happens in American government affects us all. The lethal twin doctrines of unfettered executive power and pre-emptive war esposed by Bush should scare the whole world.

    I'd be interested to hear if there will be any other national perspectives presented and, given that Daily Kos is web-based, what remote attendance facilities are there likely to be?

    For science speakers, well obviously PZ, that's a given, but how about someone who can speak about the academic science/miiltary research interface? I'm not knowledgeable enough on the topic to suggest a name, but it's a shady area that needs some bright illumination.
    #: Posted by Republic of Palau  on  01/10  at  07:11 AM
  11. It's in the early stages, but it's a four day gig, and we have TONS of speakers asking for time. I just happen to have my act together as far as sending out feelers for the science panel already, and my panel is kind of easy anyway compared to choosing between say, Al Gore or Nancy Pelosi if you have only one slot and you HAVE to decide (JUST an exmaple, as far as I know neither of those two are signed). Will they have people talking about foriegn policy, domestic policy, of every kind? I would bet they will, and probably huge, national names doing it. And a bunch of other stuff also. The science panel is important to me but this is a political convention and it's related to the largest blog on earth which is only one of the many liberal or centrist blogs which are increasing traffic and market share like nothing traditional media has seen sincve cable TV. There's going to be HUGE names there.
    #: Posted by DarkSyde  on  01/10  at  08:11 AM
  12. Oh Plaua, sorry, I'm tryng to do too many things at opnce here. The YK staff is working and at least for now planning on live webcasting of every speaker's presentation. Probably with links running on the side to learn more and a ticker running udnerneath. If they suceed and I have confidence they will, this will be revolutionary in it's impact and technology.
    #: Posted by DarkSyde  on  01/10  at  08:20 AM
  13. I hope it is as revolutionary as is planned . Good luck - I'd say you're doing a helluva job but that particular phrase has a bit of a bad history...
    #: Posted by Republic of Palau  on  01/10  at  08:59 AM
  14. I might attend, depending on whether I can be in Vegas in June and on whether the full list of speakers includes people I'm interested in hearing, aside from PZ. So, two questions:
    1. Do I need to do anything special, such as register for the convention by a certain date?
    2. If I come, will my not being American cause any problems?
    #: Posted by Alon Levy  on  01/10  at  09:10 AM
  15. It's the Republicans who are suspicious of non-Americans. If you look and sound French (beret? galoises? itty-bitty beard?), you'll fit in perfectly with us.
    #: Posted by PZ Myers  on  01/10  at  09:21 AM
  16. I tend to shave pretty infrequently, so I might have a French-style beard growth. I don't sound French, though - I sound sort-of Turkish, but I hope by June to be able to sound completely American. However, I still am capable of talking naturally about American arrogance and why American foreign policy is criminal, for what it's worth.
    #: Posted by Alon Levy  on  01/10  at  09:38 AM
  17. You're not going to get in any trouble from the YK folks for being from out the country, no. You might be looking at a body search going through security or soething unrelated to YK.

    I don't know if there are age limits for attendees or what they might be. To attend the events you have to register and pay the registration fee. I don't think the tickets are going to run out in the next few days or anything, but it's starting to get some attention. It's my guess that they will probably run out in thenest few months and maybe sooner if we get that lemming type 'band wagon' effect.

    The registration info is on the YK website that PZ linked above, the addy is . You can ask them about all this stuff Alon and be sure and tell them you're my homie and that you contributed to the e book.
    #: Posted by DarkSyde  on  01/10  at  10:27 AM
  18. I certainly hope tickets don't run out too soon. At this stage I don't even know whether I'll be on your continent in June, let alone anywhere that makes it possible for me to go to Vegas.

    Anyway, what's the registration fee?
    #: Posted by Alon Levy  on  01/10  at  11:37 AM