Schedule

Day and Time Room A Room B
Fri, April 5
5:00 – 6:00 Event Registration, Gaming Fundraiser
6:00 – 6:20 David Gamut – Mind Reading
6:30 – 7:00 Introduction
7:00 – 7:50 Panel Discussion 1 – Live Podcast by Geeks Without God
8:00 – 8:50 Jesse Galef – How to Get Money and Media
9:00 – 9:50 Zach Weinersmith – Censorship Doesn’t Work: Comic Books as a Natural Experiment
Sat, April 6
9:00 – 9:30 Intro Activities
9:30 – 10:20 Panel Discussion (Sex in Cyberspace; Porn, Okcupid and the Internet.)
10:30 -10:50 Breakout (Brendan Murphy – The Neuropsychology of Quitting) Breakout (Scott Lohman – Star Trek and Humanism)
11:00 – 11:20 Breakout (Ben Blanchard – The Skeptic Social Network) Breakout (FIRST Robotics – FIRST – The Super Bowl of Smarts)
11:30 – 11:50 Breakout (Stephanie Zvan – The Uses and Abuses of Psychometrics) Breakout (David Gamut – Improving Your Memory)
12:00 – 1:00 Lunch Lunch
1:00 – 1:50 Tim Farley – The Internet Savvy Skeptic
2:00 – 2:50 PZ Myers – Hacking Evolution: Transhumanist Fantasies, Biological Realities
3:00 – 3:50 Panel Discussion (Anonymity and the Internet)
4:00 – 4:50 Maggie Koerth-Baker – Technology in Journalism
5:00 – 5:50 Greta Christina – Arguing Effectively on the Web
6:00 – 7:00 Dinner Dinner
7:00 – 7:50 Hemant Mehta – Don’t Post First and Ask Questions Later
8:00 – 8:50 JT Eberhardt – Hacktivism
9:00 – 9:50 Panel Discussion (Will technology save us from ourselves?)
Sun, April 7
9:00 – 9:30 Intro Activities
9:30 – 10:20 Brianne Bilyeu – FDA, Where Are You? Geeks Without God Interview – Zach Weinersmith
10:30 – 11:20 Panel Discussion (The Implications of Brain Tech) Geeks Without God Interview – TBD
11:30 – 12:30 Lunch Lunch
12:30 – 1:20 Panel Discussion (Real World vs Cyberspace Activism)
1:30 – 2:00 Closing Ceremony

Panel Descriptions

Panel Moderator Panelists Description
“Real world” vs cyberspace activism Robbie Orlowski JT Eberhard, Andrew Tripp, Brianne Bilyeu, and Miri Mogilevsky The panel will focus on a problem every activist has—how do we delegate time? Is it better to blog and be active online, or to spend more time volunteering in-person? How are the two approaches different or similar? Which is ultimately more effective? The point of this panel is to recognize the pros/cons of cyberspace and meatspace activism, and to figure out how we balance the two (if balancing them is even the correct response to begin with).
The implications of brain tech Brianne Bilyeu Stephanie Zvan, Brendan Murphy, Patrick Manhatton, and Dominic Mussack The topics will focus on how technology will be integrated with the human brain. Conceptual advances such as Google glasses are pushing the boundary between technology and “real life”. How will such technology be integrated in the future? Will we all be directly hooked up to the internet via cranial microchips and, if yes, what does this mean for society?
Sex in cyberspace; porn, okcupid and the internet. Jesse Galef Stephanie Zvan, Miri Mogilevsky, Ben Blanchard, Jesse Menard, and Greta Christina Dating online can be confusing. Grindr, okcupid, craigslist, and other media apps are all different ways technology has merged with sex and dating culture. How has this changed the way we hook up, the way we present ourselves, and how we relate to other potential partners? And what about porn—how can we be ethical consumers? And is online consent any different that “real life” consent?
Will technology save us from ourselves? TBD Maggie Koerth-Baker, Tim Farley, Zach Weinersmith, Chelsea Du Fresne, and Robbie Orlowski Between the environment and the social changes stemming from a greater connectivity to cyberspace, technology is already central in our present world. This panel will focus on if technology will be able to save us from our own destruction. What will we use for energy? How will we fix the climate, if possible? Will science continue to give us options, or will politics and underfunded programs prevent innovation? This panel can be taken in a lot of directions, so long as they are inspiring and interesting.
Anonymity and the internet Chana Messinger Tim Farley, Kate Donovan, Zach Weinersmith, and Beth Ann Erickson This panel will explore the conflict between online anonymity and harassment. In a world where absolute freedom is practically possible, what shall be permitted? Anonymity is a double-sided coin; it can be a great generator of content, activism, and community, but also provides a safe space for blatant racism, sexism, homophobia, hate speech, and death threats. Is moderating any more “self-policing” than the violent comments policing who creates content? How far should self-policing go—should we go troll hunting into meatspace, causing commenters to face serious, “real life” repercussions? How far is too far, or not far enough?
Sidebar