We’re planning the next SkeptiCamp Winnipeg!
We’re still in the very early stages at the moment, but Jusarious has posted his thoughts on our first planning meeting at Subspecies.
If you’re interested on learning more about SkeptiCamp, visit skepticamp.org. Videos of last year’s presentations can be found here: Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4.
The Winnipeg Skeptics 
I think it would be super cool to do a talk, but I don’t really have anything to talk about. Ideas?
I’ve got a list of talks in the work, and they’re on a wide range of subjects. Are there any areas of skepticism in which you’re particularly interested? I know that we don’t have any talks on crytozoology at the moment, for example, or on psychics. Anything that can involve the audience in a discussion is a really great topic, because that’s something that we were lacking a little bit at the last SkeptiCamp.
Some good potential topics would be the costs and benefits of “Big Pharma” and/or the dangers of unregulated “alternative health” products. You could also talk about some of the crazier varieties of alternative medicine that are out there. You could advocate for or against organic food (although you’d be stepping into very contentious ground, there). You could talk about how and why you became a skeptic, and why skepticism is important to you.
There are lots of options!
Tim, the topics you can pick are endless. My suggestion is to pick something your interested and/or familiar with. It helps if you have a background in something related to your topic to help you field questions.
I have chosen an economics topic related to Star Trek. I am a structural engineering type person by trade but I have a passion for what I call “Roddenberrynomics”. Essentially, what needs to happen in our world so we too can boldly go where no man has gone before without considering money into the equation. My research has lead me to some interesting information related to this topic. I hope to be a little bit radical as well to engage discussion.
So, that is an example of a topic that may or may not be a hit. I don’t really factor that into the equation (if I do it’s merely a decimal point). But I know I talk with many people about it all the time and I too like to dream.
If you worry about taking questions, you need not. The greatest ability a skeptical mind has is the ability to say “I don’t know” shame and loss of integrity. The second follow up statement to “I don’t know” should always be “But I will look into it and find out!”
If you worry about taking questions, you need not. The greatest ability a skeptical mind has is the ability to say “I don’t know” without shame and loss of integrity
The options are really endless. Pick something that interests you and I can almost promise you that there will be a conspiracy, scam artist or pseudoscience for the topic!