Special Report: TAM4

After lunch I went for a relaxing swim in the pool. The hotel's security team was very accomodating when pointing out the "CLOSED" sign. Apparently 70 degrees and sunny is not considered swimming weather by Vegas standards.

More and more people showed up over the course of the day as we sat at the bar near the check-in counter. As conference-goers arrived with their bags, they joined the party, recognizing us either by having met one of us in the past, having seen pictures online, or just overhearing someone rant about homeopathy. I hugged at least a dozen people, and I had no clue who any of them were. We stayed up until the small hours of the morning discussing all the things old friends discuss over beers, except that most of us had only just met for the first time.

Afterward I met up with a giant group of skeptics to hit the Stardust’s breakfast buffet, where I loaded up multiple plates with pancakes and French toast and doused them in syrup and strawberries. Then I had dessert.

The reception that night included hundreds of people mingling with many of the speakers who would be appearing in the coming days. I met up with Phil Plait, who I first met at TAM3 when we were both squeezed into the corner of the kitchenette at a party, sharing a bottle of vodka. Nearly 90% of all photos taken of Phil or I over the course of TAM4 feature us wrapped around one another. Please note: Phil is married. Married to the best, most understanding woman on the planet. I met Ray Hyman for the first time and was blown away by how funny, insightful, and nice he was. Ditto for Michael Shermer – his was the first “skeptic” book I ever read, Why People Believe Weird Things. I was astounded that he could be just as sharp in person as his writing. Randi was ubiquitous, constantly regaling crowds of partiers with tales of the incredible. Or, the Amazing, as it were.

That night, there was a skeptics-only poker tournament benefiting the JREF. Players caught with rabbits’ feet, clovers, or an unrealistic grasp of probability were shot on sight. I’m proud to say that Ms. May from the Skepchick 2006 Calendar won second place, beating out 22 others. Go Ms. May!

Right.

The first day of lectures began with returning speakers from TAM3 Christopher Hitchens and Michael Shermer, who got things off to a great start. Murray Gell-Mann told entertaining stories about the past 9 or 10 presidents (I'm exaggerating, but not by much), Stanley Krippner spoke eloquently about the life or death importance of critical thinking concerning the AIDS pandemic, and perennial TAM favorite Penn Jillette shared his opinions on the importance of utilizing a reserved and obsequious approach to countering pseudoscience. Note: the previous clause was run through the JREF nannybot censor and edited appropriately. Speaking of censorship, ACLU President Nadine Strossen made a splash discussing the current political war on science before joining a panel of speakers for a rousing discussion of the same.

Friday night was the famed annual Skepchick pajama party. A few special TAM guests were there along with many other pajama-clad skepchicks to drink free booze and partake of the chocolate brought to us by adoring males. Nipples were set on fire. I can't say any more, for fear of breaking the first rule of Pajama Party, which is don't talk about Pajama Party. Wait, no -- the first rule is talk about Pajama Party just enough to drive the men insane.

At the conclusion of the party, I returned to my hotel room to discover that it had been overrun with boys drinking whiskey in a blatant attempt to create a male counterpart to the Pajama Party. I fell asleep in my bed, and presumably all the party-goers left eventually.

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