We told you there were big surprises to come! Now we can officially announce that Stephen Bissette and James Tynion IV will be part of AIPT SciPhi-Fest, a virtual festival of science, philosophy, and philosophy of science, as seen through a pop culture lens. If you’ve liked our articles on the methods of science and the skeptical angle on your favorite entertainment, from box office to Bigfoot, you’ll love AIPT SciPhi-Fest!
In a very special segment, legendary horror artist and collaborator on Alan Moore’s Swamp Thing, Stephen R. Bissette, sits down with the host of the MonsterTalk podcast, Blake Smith, to converse about monsters both fictional, and maybe real? Not content with just drawing creatures, Bissette’s self-published book Cryptid Cinema runs down some of the best appearances of Bigfoot and other crypotozoological beasts in movie history — with a second volume on the way!
And we’ll close the day with James Tynion IV, writer of the Image Comics smash hit, The Department of Truth! If you’ve been following AIPT’s coverage, you know we’ve been digging deep into each real-life conspiracy theory featured in the book. Now James will get to talk directly to our panel of conspiracy-busters for the first time, and you can watch it happen!
AIPT SciPhi-Fest goes down Sunday, July 18, and all it takes for you to join is internet access — AIPT SciPhi-Fest is 100% FREE! But if you’re finally crawling out from under isolation and actually doing the socializing thing, don’t worry. Many of our talks will be uploaded to YouTube at a later date.
Check out the full schedule below (all times Eastern), starting with our Star Wars block!
10:00 am: PhD paleontologist Jim Lehane combines two of his favorite things in one talk — Star Wars and geology
10:30 am: Psychologist and critical thinking professor Craig A. Foster explains why in science, anecdotes are like Stormtroopers — it doesn’t matter how many you throw at a problem, they can’t get the job done
11:00 am: Paranormal investigator Kenny Biddle compares Force ghosts to “real” ghosts, in their behavior and how they interact with the world
11:30 am: Matt Brady, author of The Science of Rick and Morty!
12:00 pm: MonsterTalk‘s Blake Smith interviews Stephen Bissette!
1:30 pm: Caricature artist Celestia Ward demonstrates the concept of pareidolia, and how seeing things that aren’t there has caused faces on Mars and censorship of comics
2:00 pm: Archaeologist David S. Anderson digs into the “ancient aliens” origin of Jack Kirby’s Eternals
2:30 pm: Evolutionary biologist Nathan H. Lents addresses what it really means to be the “next step in human evolution,” and just how removed from the rest of the population the X-Men truly are
3:00 pm: Ethicist and Philosopher in Residence for Rutgers Honors College, Aaron Rabinowitz, makes the case that if the X-Men can ensure the largest mutant population possible, then it’s their moral duty to do so
3:30 pm: James Tynion IV and our panel of conspiracy theory experts talk all things Department of Truth!
All times are approximate. Many of our guests will be available for Q&A after their talks!
So beat the heat and stay inside (one last time!) on Sunday, July 18. Please find the Zoom link below (opens at 9:30 am Eastern on July 18; limited to 100 people!) and learn some stuff in the most fun way possible, at AIPT SciPhi-Fest!
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/86109451697
AIPT Science is co-presented by AIPT and the New York City Skeptics.
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