Wednesday, 3/21
Doors at 7:30, show at 8
Rickshaw Stop, 155 Fell Street @Van Ness
$8
All ages
Feeling anxious, overwhelmed, and inattentive? Living in fear of a squid invasion? Considering wealth redistribution by cutlass and cannon? Then this is the Nerd Nite for you! So come on down, grab a beer, nod your head to the beats, and listen to these three awesome presentations. Be there and be square!
——–
“The mindful brain: If the Buddha was a neuroscientist” by Philippe Goldin, Ph. D.
There is an evolving contemplative neuroscience that is delineating how we transform ourselves from anxious, overwhelmed, and inattentive creatures to beings that can develop laser-beam attention, refined emotion regulation skills, and a genuine motivation to care for others. And it is all happening in the brain, body, and society. This talk will provide a glimpse into the cutting-edge field of contemplative science and how new neuroimaging research is being applied at Google, in mental health clinics, and beyond!
Philippe Goldin, Ph.D. spent 6 years in India and Nepal studying various languages, Buddhist philosophy and debate at Namgyal Monastery and the Dialectic Monastic Institute, and serving as an interpreter for various Tibetan Buddhist lamas. He then returned to the U.S. to complete a Ph.D. in Psychology at Rutgers University where he trained as a clinical psychologist and neuroscientist. He is currently a research scientist and directs the Clinically Applied Affective Neuroscience group in the Department of Psychology at Stanford University (http://caan.stanford.edu/index.html).
——–
“Making Squid Babies: Investigations of an Invertebrate Invasion” by Danna Staaf
Humboldt squid sporadically show up en masse in California, prompting media outlets to freak out about a squid invasion. Is it all hype, or is there cause for alarm? Will Humboldt squid move into California for good, devour all our fish, then cover our beaches with their rotting carcasses? Danna will offer answers and insight from her experience as a mad scientist–years spent mixing squid eggs and sperm in petri dishes to create baby squid for experimentation.
Danna Staaf is a marine biologist, a science writer, a novelist, an artist, and an educator. She helped found the outreach program Squids4Kids, illustrated The Game of Science, and blogs for Science 2.0 and KQED QUEST. She got a BA in Creative Studies from UC Santa Barbara and a PhD in Baby Squid from Stanford, and lives in San Jose with her husband and two cats.
——–
“Noblemen Gone Wrong: Piracy and the Democratic Society” by Brittany Stonesifer
Swashbucklers and buccaneers have been remembered by Hollywood for their vicious skirmishes on the briny deep and for legends of jewel-laden shipwrecks, but pirates have been lesser known for their role in influencing contemporary politics. From the (relative) egalitarianism and racial diversity of Golden Era privateers to the creation of a blueprint for modern anti-terrorism law, the world of pillaging sea rovers and scurvy corsairs has been a hotbed for developments and failures in the democratic experiment. This talk will give pirates their proper spotlight as celebrities of political change in the tumultuous wave of globalization.
Captain Morgan Bonney (aka Brittany Stonesifer) is a law student in San Francisco, focusing in international human rights and Constitutional law. Hailing from the Aloha State, Brittany has spent years adding to her already sizable nerdery by making herself an amateur pirate specialist. She also makes a mean crème brulee.
——–
Plus: DJ Alpha Bravo selects vinyl cuts to illuminate our presenters’ themes. 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.