Reed Esau's guest appearances

Reed Esau

Point of Inquiry

Skepticality - The Official Podcast of Skeptic Magazine

Eugenie Scott

Dale McGowan

Roger Nygard

James Randi

Lynne Kelly

Mary Roach

Chris Wisnia

Michael Shermer

Tim Farley

Adam Savage

Ray Hyman

D.J. Grothe

Simon Singh

Brian Brushwood

Scott Sigler

OwlTail

Host: Karen Stollznow Reed Esau is a skeptical activist and one of the founders of SkeptiCamp. Also known as Open Events, these are informal, community-organized conference where speakers tackle issues regarding science and skepticism. SkeptiCamp encourages participation as well as observation. A software architect by trade, Reed is author of the blog "An Illustrative Account", and he writes for the James Randi Educational Foundation's blog Swift. Reed is also a contributor to Skeptical Inquirer magazine for which he wrote the article "Reinventing the Skeptical Conference". In this interview with Karen Stollznow, Reed discusses the unique model of SkeptiCamp, which he calls an "unconference". He explains how these differ to traditional conferences that feature "celebrity skeptics" over local and regional speakers. He speaks about how these Open Events aim to distribute knowledge within the community, and reach people beyond the community. Must every skeptic contribute to skepticism? Does calling oneself a "skeptic" imply that one is active? Reed addresses these questions, and talks about what he calls the "Long Tail" of skepticism, and how skeptics can move from a more passive role in the movement to become participants. A self-confessed "Armchair Skeptic" for twenty years, Reed speaks about how he got out of the armchair to become involved in the community.

Host: Karen Stollznow Reed Esau is a skeptical activist and one of the founders of SkeptiCamp. Also known as Open Events, these are informal, community-organized conference where speakers tackle issues regarding science and skepticism. SkeptiCamp encourages participation as well as observation. A software architect by trade, Reed is author of the blog "An Illustrative Account", and he writes for the James Randi Educational Foundation's blog Swift. Reed is also a contributor to Skeptical Inquirer magazine for which he wrote the article "Reinventing the Skeptical Conference". In this interview with Karen Stollznow, Reed discusses the unique model of SkeptiCamp, which he calls an "unconference". He explains how these differ to traditional conferences that feature "celebrity skeptics" over local and regional speakers. He speaks about how these Open Events aim to distribute knowledge within the community, and reach people beyond the community. Must every skeptic contribute to skepticism? Does calling oneself a "skeptic" imply that one is active? Reed addresses these questions, and talks about what he calls the "Long Tail" of skepticism, and how skeptics can move from a more passive role in the movement to become participants. A self-confessed "Armchair Skeptic" for twenty years, Reed speaks about how he got out of the armchair to become involved in the community.

Reed Esau - SkeptiCamp: The Unconference

What can regular skeptics actually do to enhance the appreciation of science and skeptical inquiry? This question has been an ongoing theme for Skepticality, and this week's guest has one answer to propose. In his audio essay, "Raising Our Game: The Rationale to Embrace Skepticamp," software architect Reed Esau argues that "Skepticamps" (self-organizing peer conferences of intimate scale) can harness the potential of the "long tail" of the skeptical movement — offering a voice to all of us who have passion and expertise to share but who cannot take on the role of a "professional" skeptic.  These meetings are an experiment in the structure of a movement, and they are capturing the imagination of many new skeptics. What are the true implications for skeptical organizing? Is the advent of social networking technologies really the moment when everything changed?Also Tim Farley of Whatstheharm.net talks with Swoopy about an effort to help out a fellow Skeptical activist in need.

What can regular skeptics actually do to enhance the appreciation of science and skeptical inquiry? This question has been an ongoing theme for Skepticality, and this week's guest has one answer to propose. In his audio essay, "Raising Our Game: The Rationale to Embrace Skepticamp," software architect Reed Esau argues that "Skepticamps" (self-organizing peer conferences of intimate scale) can harness the potential of the "long tail" of the skeptical movement — offering a voice to all of us who have passion and expertise to share but who cannot take on the role of a "professional" skeptic.  These meetings are an experiment in the structure of a movement, and they are capturing the imagination of many new skeptics. What are the true implications for skeptical organizing? Is the advent of social networking technologies really the moment when everything changed? Also Tim Farley of <a href="http://Whatstheharm.net" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Whatstheharm.net</a> talks with Swoopy about an effort to help out a fellow Skeptical activist in need.

Skepticality #090 - This One Time at Skepticamp... - Reed Esau on Skepticamp, Tim Farley on helping StopSylvia.com