2 Weeks until Star Stuff II ! - Fraser Cain, Geoff Notkin, Amy Shira Teitel and more

[dylan_odonnell]

I know some of our International speakers are showing up at other events which is great to see :) Star Stuff II is picking up the tab for bringing them here so if you want the deluxe package definitely consider coming up to Byron Bay for an amazing weekend. Apart from Fraser, Geoff and Amy we also have David Malin, Terry Lovejoy Mike Sidonio (Strongman Mike!), John Sarkissian, Greg Quicke (Space Gandalf), Dr Alan Duffy, James Gilmour (Gilmour Space Technology), Cathal O'Connell and myself. The sessions are now online too at https://www.starstuff.com.au/sessions

Also Bintel just dropped the news they are providing more giveaways so ticket holders could win a Sky Watcher Star Adventurer Bundle + Tripod, a ZWO ASI 290MM camera or if you have a VIP ticket you're also in the running for a Celestron 6" Evolution. It's a small event (400 tickets max, and less than half that for VIPs) so the odds are better than most chook raffles :)

https://www.starstuff.com.au/

Hope you're all rockin!

Dylan.

[geoffnotkin]

Dear Forum Members:

I'd like to extend my most enthusiastic thanks to Dylan O'Donnell for inviting Amy Shira Teitel, Fraser Cain, and myself from the USA to attend Star Stuff on July 7 and 8 at Byron Bay. I had the great pleasure of working and traveling extensively in Australia during 2010, when we filmed two episodes of Meteorite Men in your homeland. Of all the places I've visited (and that is many), no place has moved me like Australia. I'm absolutely thrilled to be returning, and to be presenting at Star Stuff. It's a major treat to be invited to attend international events and I really welcome the chance to get to know colleagues in Australia.

I look forward to meeting many of you and I'm friendly! So ... if you're interested in meteorites and/or the National Space Society (I'm on the Board of Governors and our Chairman is Australian, Kirby Ikin), please find me for a hello! I'll bring a few meteorites (maybe moon rocks, if you're good) for show and tell.

Cheers all, and see you soon :D

Geoff Notkin (USA)
Board of Governors, National Space Society
Board of Directors, Astrosociology Research Institute
Advisory Board, Deep Space Industries
Host, Meteorite Men and STEM Journals
CEO, Aerolite Meteorites, Inc.
President, Desert Owl Productions, Inc.

[The_bluester]

Hi Geoff and welcome. I am really looking forward to next weekend (Having attended last year and enjoyed it from end to end)

My wife and 9 year old son will be with me, hopefully they get something out of the weekend too, if not, they can go walk on the beach! I know where I will be..

[gaseous]

Welcome Geoff, I'm really looking forward to hearing you all - hope you enjoy your stay.

[Martin Pugh]

Hi there.

I am having to withdraw from my planned attendance at Star Stuff, and tickets are non-refundable unfortunately.

So I have a ticket for sale: It is the full ticket including the VIP luxury dinner on the Saturday night.

$200 instead of $259.

cheers
Martin

[Andy01]

Delighted to hear that Strongman Mike is now on the speaking program. :)
Slightly disappointed that I’m on a family holiday in Thailand at the same time, d’oh!
Oh well, I’ll just have to enjoy a couple more margaritas to console myself :lol:
Enjoy all, and book now if you haven’t already- it’s a wonderful event! :thumbsup:

[strongmanmike]

Cheers Andy...you could always cancel your family holiday :shrug: :question:....:lol: naaah have a great time in Thailand..bloody hot and humid there at the moment :eyepop: :thumbsup:

Mike

[Martin Pugh]

Star Stuff ticket now $150

[JimsShed]

Thanks in advance for putting this on again Dylan. Last year's event was so fantastic. I must have raved a bit back home because this year my wife is attending as well. Love the venue too.

[dylan_odonnell]

Heh that's good to see! I have to say, just going from the order names I think the gender split is approaching 60/40 at least this year which is amazing and refreshing to see. There are only about 5 VIP/Dinner tickets left at this stage! :eyepop:

[gaseous]

My wife has left it to the last minute to tell me that she’d rather stick pins in her eyes than sit through two solid days of Star Stuff talks.



Consequently, I have a spare ticket to the event in Byron Bay this weekend, including the VIP dinner on Saturday night. I paid $249 for it, and would let it go for $180. PM me if interested. Also posting in the IIS classifieds. Thanks.

[gaseous]

c'mon, $150 and it's yours......

[The_bluester]

All packed and ready to get on a plane on the morning, looking forward to the weekend away.

[gaseous]

Drove into the resort and who should drive by but Space Gandalf... starting to get excited.

[The_bluester]

Yeah. The young blokes eyes nearly popped when he walked by.

[AstroJunk]

Camped around the corner at Discovery Parks. Named after the Space Shuttle I assume :lol:

See you in the morning :thumbsup:

[JimsShed]

Well it was another phenomenal event and just as interesting and varied as last year's. As I mentioned above, I took my wife with me this year and yep, she is raving about it too and is really keen to go again in the future. Thank you to everyone who put on this event, not only did we both have a wonderful time, it's just made my whole astronomy journey even easier when it comes to obtaining board of management approvals :)


Jim

[dylan_odonnell]

Thanks to all who came! What a phenomenal group of speakers and audience. It was so great to meet so many of you and Ice in Space's strongman Mike did not disappoint. Dr David Malin is also such a wonderful individual and his presentation on astrophotography ethics would have been especially interesting for the IIS crowd! He had many examples of what he did and didn't like and why (and didn't hold back!). I'm still overwhelmed by the response and overall vibe of the whole thing. Thanks for your support!

Dylan.

[gaseous]

Congrats Dylan, what a great weekend!

[The_bluester]

Congratulations and thank you Dylan. And thanks you to all the speakers.



We were not at all sure how my 9 year old would do sitting in a series of presentations, but he sat rapt through all bar one. That one was the Mercury 13 but he was absolutely desperate to have a swim (Bit of a novelty swimming in an outdoor pool in July for us Melbournites without bits freezing and falling off)



A thoroughly enjoyable weekend again and I just love how approachable all the speakers were, particularly when the kids in the audience wanted to ask them questions, talk to them or just get a selfie.

[strongmanmike]

Wow....just arrived back home in frigid Canberra :cold: after being part of this thrilling event :prey2: :thumbsup:

What a wonderful festival/conference, so well put together and run, congratulations Dylan, a job very well done! The vibe was quite electrifying at times and all the speakers were thoroughly enjoyable. The venue was first class and absolutely beautiful to stay in, reminded me of Jurassic Park :lol:

I am so glad my presentation was well received too, coming in at the final hour not knowing 100% if what I was presenting would be what people wanted to hear or be worthy of understudy to the great and household name that is Terry Lovejoy...So it was very humbling and satisfying to hear all the comments of thanks and words of congratulations I received from so many of the high spirited attendees throughout the remainder of the festival - thanks a million to them all :hi:

I wish you well with Star Stuff III next year and thoroughly recommend this event to everyone, you would definitely not be disappointed should you attend :thumbsup:

Doh!...my photo with Space Gandalf didn't come out :doh:

Mike

[gaseous]

Your talk was fascinating Mike, even for a non-photography gumby like myself. Those early photos of your ingenuity and cunning with the dry ice, spare parts, etc, were great.

[that_guy]

Had a blast volunteering on behalf of SAS, couldn't make most of the talks due to volunteer duty but what I did listen in on were fantastic. I agree that all the talkers were extremely approachable and friendly! Highlight for me probably would be the observing nights. Nothing beats seeing peoples reaction looking through an eyepiece for the first time!

[dylan_odonnell]

Thanks guys! It's so cool to hear the speakers had as much fun as the audience. I'll drip feed what I'm allowed to of the talks when I can over the next few months. As recording wasn't my priority the sound isn't great but we did get most of the event on video and the videos will come out via youtube.com/erfmufn

Now back to reality for me ... accounts, google advertising and web development ... if you know anyone who wants a new website lemme know so I can work off this hole in my wallet .. partly Star Stuff related and partly because I left the event with a new observatory :lol:

(Damn show specials...)

d

[The_bluester]

Yeah, I came home with an 8" dob the young bloke does not know about yet (For his birthday in two weeks)

[strongmanmike]

Nice one Paul, was that the 8" goto Skywatcher that was on display?

Mike

[strongmanmike]

Nice work Dylan and already up in the backyard too! :eyepop:...happy days (nights)

Mike

[strongmanmike]

Thanks a lot Patrick :thumbsup: John Sarkissians story had me absolutely riveted :thumbsup:

Mike

[The_bluester]

Yep, After a bit of rummaging around to find someone who could get it home for me (We flew up) I decided the price was too good to walk past. I was considering a non goto for him but IMO if you can afford it the tracking is a very nice thing to have. More time observing, less time bumping things back into view.

[strongmanmike]

Absolutely agree and in fact a young man named Jacob who was at the event with his father asked me about a good beginners scope and I showed them and explained that one to them too, great value and a very capable scope for well under $1K including eyepieces and a laser colimator, you got a good buy there :thumbsup:

Mike

[shahgazer]

Fantastic job to Dylan and all the volunteers.

To get that opportunity to listen directly to the great speakers from Australia was again really cool. The last conference I attended was AAIC back in 2013.

And to be able to meet up Fraser, Amy and Geoff (Meteorite Man) up front.. really make the trip all the way from Malaysia a worthy one!

Did you recorded the talks? Would be wonderful to be able to view it all over again.

The 2 brief nights under the southern skies was refreshing! I under estimate the winter nights at Byran Bay though! brrrrr....

Just touched down back in KL this morning. Already looking forward for more!

Shah

[The_bluester]

Hah, I did not even notice it had a laser collimator in the kit, even better. It is currently jiggling it's way down inland in a trailer so if it was collimated before I am sure it won't be by the time I get my hands back on it so it will be handy to have. I will have to re teach myself, I have not collimated a newt since I was a teenager (Which is ahem, some years ago)



I would have bought it even if it was just bare with nothing else bar the finder and electronics for the goto. He could always borrow eyepieces from me.

[dylan_odonnell]

Great to finally meet you Shah! You came a LONG way so I'm glad it was worth your while :)

I'll try to put up the sub-standard recordings on YouTube as I'm allowed to depending on permissions from speakers via youtube.com/erfmufn

Also we have a gallery of images from the event now on FB if you want to tag yourself : https://www.facebook.com/dylanodonnell/media_set?set=a.10156607179685719.1 073741841.730060718&type=3

The gallery is also on the old fashioned world wide web too : www.starstuff.com.au :)

d