Wednesday, August 11th, 2010, at 7:30pm
The Rickshaw Stop
155 Fell St. @ Van Ness, San Francisco
Cover charge $8
All ages, though parental discretion is most definitely advised.
Note new day of the week – we’re on a Wednesday this time. Also, note the new lower price! Why? Because we love you. Also: because 150+ people keep turning out for Nerd Nite! So have another beer, you’re going to need it because this Nerd Nite is a doozy…
—————————————-
“Tales of Old San Francisco” by Laureano Faedi
Local designer & history enthusiast Laureano Faedi takes us on a tour of old San Francisco in all its sinful and spectacular glory, back when a giant water slide bestrode Haight St, there was a neighborhood called “Beer Town,” lifeguards patrolled the largest swimming pool in the US by boat, and teenagers could fly over the city in homemade biplanes. Wow, what happened to you, San Francisco? You used to be cool!
A Buenos Aires transplant, Laureano Faedi fell in love with San Francisco thirty years ago. He now draws inspiration from San Francisco history to create graphic designs for his clothing line at gangsofsanfrancisco.com. He also wears matching outfits with his cat, but the cat doesn’t really seem to care.
—————————————-
“Biofuel, Medicine, and Colored Poo: The Potential of Synthetic Biology” by Felix Moser
As genome sequencing and DNA synthesis get cheaper, genetic engineering continues to be redefined. Now bioengineers are creating microorganisms that can produce fuels, medicine, and other wonders–like colored poo! Researcher Felix Moser will explain the potential of this scaled-up genetic manipulation termed “synthetic biology,” and how scientists hope to be able to control complex biochemical frameworks to rework, re-engineer, and rebuild life from the bottom up. Is it only a matter of time before lab-grown Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles are a reality? Sadly, no.
Felix Moser is a graduate student in the UCSF/UCB Joint Graduate Group in Bioengineering, where he spends most of his time moving small amounts of fluid between plastic tubes.
—————————————-
“The Worst Case Scenario Guide to Sex” by Dani Behonick, Ph.D
Sex is a normal, natural human activity – what could possibly go wrong? According to the medical literature, plenty. Physiology professor and sex educator Dr. Dani will be your tour guide through the wild world of sexual mishaps – including ways to tell whether you are in the middle of an actual sexual emergency (and how to avoid one in the first place) – on a romp that leaves the phrase “safe sex” with a whole new meaning. Aftercare not included.
After earning her Ph.D from UCSF, Dani Behonick ran like hell from basic research and began her teaching career. She currently spends half of her time teaching pre-health students how the human body works and how to talk to their future health care patients, and the other half teaching non-science majors how the human body works and how to talk to their health care providers. She is also a giant sexnerd and teaches for San Francisco Sex Information. Glitter, data and zombie movies are a few of her favorite things.
—————————————-
And DJ Alpha Bravo returns, spinning an eclectic array of nerdy tunes. Some of you clever kids noticed Alpha Bravo’s sets are tightly-themed around our presenters’ topics. We now display a real-time playlist on the stage to loop the rest of you in on the fun. Alpha Bravo is VP of left-field pop label Radio Khartoum and was one of the forces behind legendary SF pop club nights Anisette and Schokolade.
Nerd Nite – “It’s like the Discovery Channel… with beer!”