Schedule for SkeptiCamp 2024
Click here to go straight to the speaker schedule for Sunday, March 24th
NOTICE! Being skeptics and not psychics, we didn’t know it would rain during the Griffith Park Observatory excursion! We are still going, but we may arrive a little after 11 due to the rain.
Any updates we will post here. If you can’t locate us, or need to contact us, use the CONTACT form, and we’ll get in touch.
See you there!
Saturday March 23rd – We will have a fun outing at the Griffith Park Observatory via the free DASH shuttle.
The Griffith Park Observatory is open at 10am. The venue is free (except for Planetarium shows). But there still is a lot to see both inside and outside the Observatory.
We will meet at the Cafe at the End of the Universe between 11am-11:45am. It is one level down. There are stairs, but the elevator near the entrance goes straight to the Cafe and the gift shop.
We can plan what we each want to see. Please visit the Observatory’s Daily Events, Calendar or the Samuel Oschin Planetarium page to see what is available. The Cafe at the End of the Universe is open from 10am to 8pm.
Parking at the Observatory can be challenging. While there is parking near the Observatory, it fills up immediately and is $10 per hour, pre paid.
However, there are other options.
There is a DASH shuttle that services the Observatory. It is free and has several stops. You can find parking near a stop, then just grab the shuttle. One of its stops is at the Vermont/Sunset Redline Metro station.
Parking at the North Hollywood or Universal Redline stations is $3 per 24 hours.
Another option is parking close to the southern entrances of Griffith Park, and grabbing an Uber/Lyft.
This link to the DASH shuttle includes a real time shuttle tracker.
NOTICE! The location of the evening get together has been changed due to the rain.
We will now be meeting at TallyRand Restaurant at 1700 W Olive Ave, Burbank, CA 91506. Final time to be determined, but wo posted here after 4 pm.
Afterwards, we will meet up at Roadside Tacos on 10628 Ventura Blvd, Studio City at 5pm. Plenty of large tables outdoors to meet and greet. (no host)
Please join us for one or both of these outings!
Sunday March 24th – This will be a morning to early evening event, 9am – 4pm with more socializing after.
The location is the North Hollywood Recreation Center at 11430 Chandler Blvd. North Hollywood, CA 91601.
There is parking right next to the venue as well as being fairly close to the North Hollywood Redline station.
Balloons/signs will be at the entrance to guide you.
The speakers at the SkeptiCamp will be recorded for later broadcast.
We have the room until 5pm. Any volunteers to help tidy up would be greatly appreciated.
Order of speakers is being finalized
Please RSVP for the talks here, or let us know via the contact us form.
8:00 – 9:30 – Room open/volunteer set up, meet and greet
9:30 – 9:40 – Introductions. Greeting from our Master of Ceremonies Ross Blocher
9:40 – 10:10 – Ross Blocher
Testing the Perimeter Fences: How Practitioners of Non-Science Wall Themselves off from Criticism. Ross Blocher shares examples – from religious groups, spiritualists, and other purveyors of extraordinary claims – of clever methods to keep oneself untouched by opposition.
10:10 – 10:45 – Adrienne Hill
Not a Ghost of a Chance: A spirited journey into ghostly photography. Adrienne Hill, a seasoned photography hobbyist, was taken aback when she discovered, upon joining the Guerilla Skepticism on Wikipedia project, that various artifacts and techniques commonly understood by photographers were being attributed to spirits by many individuals. Adrienne will delve into the history of spirit photography and explore some of the current ghostly photographic trends. She may even include a true, spine-tingling, organic ghost story.
10:45 – 11:20 – Heather Henderson
Social Insecurity – SSI (Supplemental Security Income), a resource program of the Social Security Administration, provides monthly payments to people with disabilities and older adults who have little or no income or resources. Heather will be discussing her experience with SSI, and its discriminatory practices that keep disabled individuals in a trap of poverty.
11:20 – 11:45 – Break. Coffee and snacks will be available throughout the talks
11:45 – 12:20 – Susan Gerbic
Telling Stories Through Wikipedia – Susan will be talking about the importance of telling stories through Wikipedia, and will be encouraging people to join Guerrilla Skeptics on Wikipedia (GSOW), and fight misinformation. Susan’s editors receive four months of training to prepare them to write interesting articles about science and paranormal topics that will be read by millions.
12:20 – 12:40 – Emery Emery
The Hilarious Hijinks of Emery Emery, Part 1
12:45 – 1:30 – LUNCH – We will have pizza available. But feel free to bring your own food.
1:30 – 2:00 – Magic with Nader Hanna
Nader Hanna is a professional mind reader and hypnotist based in Los Angeles. Known for his mind-bending feats of ESP and hypnosis, Nader has a unique ability to engage his audience in a way that will leave them in wonder and awe.
2:00 – 2:40 – Bill London
Bill will ask participants to discuss in small groups problems he uses to teach his public health students healthy skepticism applied to simple statistics.
This will be interactive, and not recorded
2:40 – 3:15 – Tory Christman
The Darker Side of Scientology: Why I stand against their abuse and bullying tactics.
Even though Tory initially just wanted to leave the group as part of her past when she escaped in 2000, she knew she needed to help others escape, and to warn others about this destructive group.
Join Tory as she focuses on some of the abuses of Scientology that make it harder for members to leave, such as Scientology’s standard of preventing members getting proper medical and mental health care, and threat of disconnection from family and friends being known examples. Tory will also relate this to other high control groups using similar tactics.
Plus, Tory will discuss what she knows about Scientology’s failed attempt to edit THEIR own Wikipedia pages!
3:15 – 3:45 – Emery Emery
The Hilarious Hijinks of Emery Emery, Part 2
3:45 – 4:10 – Closing remarks, additional questions/comments from the audience
4:10 – 5:00 – Room Clean up
5:30-ish – We will meet at Ernie’s Mexican Restaurant at 4410 Lankershim Blvd, North Hollywood for food, drinks and discussion. We will need RSVPs prior for tables. (no host)