Carl Zimmer and me and mutant flu and feathery dinosaurs, oh my!

Carl’s already explained this really well so I’m going to hand it over to him:

Ed Yong and I may live on either side of the Atlantic, but our minds are in the same place: that strange realm where fungi take over the minds of ants, where dinosaurs sprout feathers, and where ducks shatter glass with their genitals. In other words, Earth.

We don’t get to see each other in person more than once a year, if that, but we always have a good time when we do. Which is why I’m looking forward to having an online conversation with Ed on May 14. And you’re invited.

This event is brought to you by Shindig, a new company that’s set up a web site for video chat events. The design of the site is quite elegant: the speakers appear on the top of the event page, where everyone can watch them talk. Audience members appear in their own screens on the page as well, and when speakers ask for questions, they can hit a “raise hand” button. The audience member asking a question then zooms up to the top of the screen, where he or she can have a conversation with the speaker. (You’ll obviously need a video camera and mic on your computer to take advantage of this feature.)

There are lots of things for us to talk about, such as the controversy over manmade strains of bird flu. But we’ll be happy to talk about other things biological that are on your minds, too. So bring your questions (or offer some suggestions in the comment thread below.)

We will be talking on Monday May 14 from 5 to 6 pm ET. To join us, please RSVP at this eventbrite page. The talk is free, of course, but after you RSVP you’ll then get instructions for logging into the Shindig page on May 14.

This is 100% experimental, but I expect it to be fun.