Skepticism

A slapdash review of ’07

Happy new year, everyone! I know it’s actually January 2, but I’ve been very busy being sick or inebriated or sometimes both, so my apologies. Anyway, this is the time of year to look back and ahead, and then maybe at the television for awhile and then back again, and then ahead one more time. So, first, the back-looking. Here are some of my Skepchick-related highlights from 2007:

The contests! These take a bit of effort but end up being totally worth it. We got tons of funny Darwinian pick-up lines, some fantastic YouTube videos during the Mr. Wizard Moment of Science contest, and of course we kicked off the year with the Guess What’s In My Box contest.

The blasphemy!
I took part in the Rational Response Squad’s Blasphemy Challenge. It was fun, I got a free DVD, and a lot of heathens found Skepchick.org through it. Hooray for YouTube and, uh, blasphemy!

The Amaz!ng Meetings! Evelyn, Kitty, and I reported from TAM5, where we hung out with smarties like Chris Hitchens, Peter Sagal, and Scott Dikkers. Plus, I threw a party so big and raucous it got shut down by security, and then I gave a presentation. Fun! Best TAM yet. At the end of the summer, I got my second helping of Amaz!ng goodness when I joined Randi, Phil Plait, Richard Saunders, and dozens of other great skeptics as we traveled north to Alaska.

The ridiculous news stories! Here are the three most popular, in terms of how many people emailed to alert me:

The Death Cat
The Gas Station Ghost
The Guy Who Turned Blue

My fellow bloggers!
Evelyn blogged from a ship in the Indian ocean while she was out studying an underwater volcano chain, Stacey gave us some spectacular (and thought-provoking) rants, writerdd gave us a fantastic reading list and wrote up some great interviews with skeptical authors, Masala_Skeptic has offered up a whole new perspective on skepticism and culture, and Bug_Girl blogged about sexy stuff so often I can’t even imagine how many visitors we attracted who were out Googling for pr0n and instead discovered hardcore skepticism.

The commenters!
You guys are hilarious. I read pretty much all the comments, and they very often make me laugh and/or think (two of my three favorite activities!).

The radio show!
I’ll probably most remember 2007 as the year I won my own public radio pilot. Rad! I’m hoping 2008 is the year I win enough money to put out even more episodes of Curiosity, Aroused.

That’s all I’ve got for the moment. Next, I’ll tackle the really exciting stuff: what’s coming up in 2008. Stay tuned!

***

edit: I can’t believe I forgot to mention our brilliant blogger Masala_Skeptic! She’s new but she’s made a great impact here.

Rebecca Watson

Rebecca is a writer, speaker, YouTube personality, and unrepentant science nerd. In addition to founding and continuing to run Skepchick, she hosts Quiz-o-Tron, a monthly science-themed quiz show and podcast that pits comedians against nerds. There is an asteroid named in her honor. Twitter @rebeccawatson Mastodon mstdn.social/@rebeccawatson Instagram @actuallyrebeccawatson TikTok @actuallyrebeccawatson YouTube @rebeccawatson BlueSky @rebeccawatson.bsky.social

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10 Comments

  1. Hey Becky! Happy new year to you too.

    Tobin and I checked out your pilot, and it was amazing. Let's definitely hope it gets picked up, because my iPod and morning commute both need it. :)

  2. Ironically, remembering the past reminds me of how little I can remember. But going into 2008, there's one thing I know for sure. As one immortal put it so long ago:

    Im gonna keep on the run

    Gonna have me some fun

    If it costs me my very last dime

    If I wind up broke up well

    Ill always remember that I had a swingin time

  3. This whole "new year" thing is old news to me. I pretty much spent the last couple months accidentally calling LAST year 2008. Screwed up a couple things that way, actually. So thus far I'm rather underwhelmed with my subjective "2008" experience.

    Call me when it's 2010…I hear that's the year we make contact.

  4. If I don't have my personal jet pack by 2010, I'm going to be very disappointed.

    Um, it is *ok* that I have staked out a niche with coverage of sex and prudery here, eh?

    Biologists do tend to be a bit obsessed with sex.

    In a scientific way, of course.

  5. If only I had a calendar with nude skepchicks to remind which day, week or month in 2008 it is …

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