Since my fellow Skepchick bloggers already did the TAM 5.5 round-ups, I’m just going to say I wish I lived in a world where all the people I interact with everyday were like most folks I met at TAM 5.5:  smart, funny and rational.  (Oh, also… it kills me that I didn’t get a photo of me with the sublime Bad Astronomer!)
Moving on: thanks to everyone who completed the calendar survey. It looks likely this year that we’ll be moving forward with an 18-month calendar (July 2008- December 2009), which means a new application round will be posted in a few days.Â
I’ll post full details soon, but in the interim, anyone interested in applying should be thinking of a photo that falls into one of these three catagories:
 1) The calendar applicant is well known enough as a skeptic that any photo, clothed or unclothed, would be considered inherently sexy and skeptical. (Requests from the survey that fit this bill include Penn & Teller and Richard Dawkins, for example.)
2) The calendar applicant’s final photo includes science-y, skeptical, geeky goodness. This is the main catagory for most everyone considering applying.  (You’re going to have to break out your geek cred for this one.) Â
 3) The calendar applicant’s final photo is sososososo over-the-top, heart-stoppingly sexy and well shot, we’d be fools not to include it, regardless of the skeptical angle. (This very likely does not mean you. You should be thinking of your sexy skeptical idea.)Â
For my part, I’ll be contacting the 118 “famous faces” that were requested in the survey. I’ve tallied all the requests, and will certainly do my best to reach all of them, and try and tactfully request that they get naked for me. (Well, really, for skepticism, for science, and the good of all mankind. Or womankind.) Â
The top vote-getters were Rebecca herself for the Skepchicks, and The Bad Astronomer for the Skepdudes.  Um, while I am totally with you…. both can be found in the 2007 calendars. You should check those out too, if you haven’t already.
Oh, man! And I spent more time with you then just about anyone at TAM 5.5!
Irony.
It's nice that so many people voted for me, but I have to disappoint them. I don't relish the thought of two months of situps and pushups like I did last time, and besides, I'll never top that 2007 picture. Leave 'em wanting more!
Aw, c'mon! A duet with you and PZ? Squids with telescopes?
We've struck GOLD, here!
So how, exactly, do we latecomers go about checking out the 2007 calendars?
I think both the 2006 and 2007 calendar photos were posted on the forum at some point. But the problem is the forum is now pretty much an abandoned crackhouse with a leaky roof and moldy walls, and only the most desperate among us still dare to venture inside.
There are a couple of items on YouTube– just type Skepchick calendar (or skepdude) into the search field.
Rav- I already knew the good Bad Astronomer would politely opt out, but it is interesting that you bring up PZ. He was the top vote-getter we haven't already seen in the calenders. I'll be trying to coax him into nudieness here shortly.
Bechamel- If you're very interested in the 2007s, you might still be able to purchase them from Skepchick. I can find out if you'd like.
Glad to hear the calendars weren't scrapped this year. Good luck with getting nude skeptpeople.
Eighteen months of manly geeky goodness for my office wall!
(Rebecca's running a crackhouse forum? Neat-o! I need to get in their more often!) :D
If male skept-models are lacking, I'm willing to look into the idea of making another, perhaps slightly nuder picture.
Anyway, I'm wondering if an 18 month calendar (meaning one that starts THIS July), isn't going to run into a deadline problem? If the idea is seriously being considered, I can only imagine there must be sufficient art available to pull it off.