Guest: Jim Funaro, Professor Emeritus of Anthropology at Cabrillo College, was the guest for this special program to let everyone know about the Contact Conference, April 4-6, 2008 at NASA AMES, Mountain View, CA (please see www.contact-conference.org for more details). Jim explained the history and purpose of this small, intimate, but very important conference. As it says on their website, "CONTACT is a unique interdisciplinary conference which brings together some of the foremost international social and space scientists, science fiction writers and artists to exchange ideas, stimulate new perspectives and encourage serious, creative speculation about humanity's future ... on world and off world. Each year we meet to promote the integration of human factors into space age research and policy, emphasize the interaction of the Arts and Sciences and their technologies, and develop ethical approaches in cross-cultural contact, whenever and wherever it occurs." This year is no exception and as you listen to Jim give us the program and speaker information, you will concur. In response to listener questions, Jim mentioned the costs of the conference, the locations past and present, the after hours activities, and more. Jim received several listener questions about the fit of anthropology with the more traditional space studies and science. Listeners wanted to know about the fit in academia, conferences, the space industry, among space advocates and among the advocate organizations. Jim said it's not without a struggle and I know you will appreciate what he has to say about this evolving subject. Other listeners wanted to know about SETI and if it was the only practical way to search for ET civilizations. Another listener asked about the 2012, the ascensions, and the Esoteric Agenda. Listen to the show to see what Jim has to say about this issue. In response to yet another listener question, Jim briefly mentioned what he sees as the future of humanity. Jim also pointed out a different set of working definitions for "human factors," a frequently discussed topic here on The Space Show. There is still time for people to attend this conference, especially for those located in or near Northern California. The agenda, speaker, registration, and even lodging information can be found on the Contact website per above. If you have additional questions or comments for Jim Funaro, please send them to him at jafunaro@cabrillo.edu.
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