QED 2023: Question, Explore, Discover Conference

 

The QED Conference had just over 500 attendees.

Hello again, Blogonauts!

The QED weekend has felt like a sedentary whirlwind: Lots of time sitting  (I began to experience a bit of butt burnout), accompanied by some serious cerebral stimulation and enlightening conversations.

All this happened in between episodes of minor mental sedation. This weekend I've drunk more beer & hard cider than I would normally consume in a couple of months. I should always remember: The UK has a drinking culture.

 

Explaining the process of why folks believe conspiracy theories


Describing this three-day event feels like trying to convey an experience using mute hand puppets...I'd feel both silly and incompetent. But here are a few highlights: (1) Sexism in interpreting biological data stretching back to Darwin; (2) Legal struggles to achieve medical assistance in dying among the terminally ill; (3) Discussion of placebo effects and whether it is better explained by confirmation bias; and (4) a delightful presentation of  "Bakineering" where an engineer turns his skills toward building geode cakes and gingerbread skyscrapers. Evenings included a pub quiz and a night of stand-up comedy.

OK, I ate at Nando's.
But it was delicious.
Experiencing Manchester was a pleasant surprising. The Piccadilly Square area was replete with places to grab ethnic food, plus some of the normal fast-food joints (McD's, Burger King, & Nando's)

Having one-on-one conversations with people whose podcasts have entertained and enlightened me was both sublime & surreal. Plus I was able to sit in on the recording of a couple of podcast episodes that will likely appear soon on my phone's podcast aggregator.

If you want further details and impressions, ask me once I've descended from this cloud of intelligent discourse (and a bit of dizzying indulgence).

Today (Monday), I'm off to Oslo, to let the fjords and mountains sober me up. So, keep up! There's more in store!

Blog to you later!

Location: Manchester, UK

Comments

  1. AnonymousSeptember 25, 2023 at 8:45 AM

    There's plenty of beer in Norway too, to keep you totally tipsy. T.

    ReplyDelete
  2. AnonymousSeptember 25, 2023 at 12:26 PM

    Have a wonderful time in Norway! Anna and Joe

    ReplyDelete
  3. AnonymousSeptember 25, 2023 at 6:35 PM

    Enjoying all the pictures and info. Herb L.

    ReplyDelete
  4. AnonymousSeptember 26, 2023 at 6:03 PM

    Sounds like a great time! Hope you get to see the great viking ship in Oslo! Tom M.

    ReplyDelete

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