Wednesday, 5/16/2018
Doors at 7 pm, show at 8
Rickshaw Stop, 155 Fell Street @Van Ness
$8, all ages
Tickets here
Dodge those un-prettily parked sidewalk scooters and don’t trip on the way over to this month’s nerdering, where a singing scientist talks Bell’s palsy; a certified Legal Geek reviews the rules of a galaxy far, far away; and a transport expert tells us if it’s maybe okay to toss aforementioned scooters into the Bay or not. Grilled cheese, terrific tunes, and no bar maximum: Be there and be square!
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“About Face: How a Disability Turned a Singing Scientist into a Scientific Singer” with Heidi Moss Erickson
Face it – the face is important. We all use ours to express emotion and connect with others. But for singers the face is a vital part of the vocal instrument. After suffering cranial nerve damage, opera singer Heidi-on the cusp of a promising international career-lost control of her facial muscles, and neurologists doubted she’d ever be able to perform again. But this award-winning singer had a hidden talent: science! Through reductionist experimentation and diving into literature on the neuroscience of vocal learning, she has returned to the art she loves and the science she adores.
Heidi received a double degree in vocal performance and biology from Oberlin College and Conservatory of Music, studied biochemistry at Penn and singing at Juilliard, and was covered by the New York Times for her research and her singing in the same year.
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“Star Wars Law!” with Joshua Gilliland
Could Darth Vader argue the insanity defense for following the Dark Side? Was it discrimination not to serve R2-D2 and C-3PO at the Mos Eisley Cantina? Was Han right to shoot first? Find out these answers and more from Joshua Gilliland, one of the attorney bloggers from The Legal Geeks at Star Wars Law.
Josh focuses his law practice on e-discovery and co-created the multi-award-winning blog The Legal Geeks. Josh has presented at legal conferences and comic book conventions across the United States. He also ties a mean bow tie.
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“Street Fights! Bicycle Politics in San Francisco & Copenhagen” with Jason Henderson
Jason is a professor of geography and environment at SF State, where he teaches courses in transportation and land use. He is currently writing a book about the politics of the bicycle and car in Copenhagen, where he spent a research sabbatical in 2016. Jason is also writing about the politics of “tech mobility,” including Uber/Lyft, driverless cars, and private bus systems.
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With: Alpha Bravo, who’ll be spinning tunes specially selected to match the presenters’ themes. Follow the set list on Twitter @djalphabravo.
Food: Glorious grilled cheese from the master of the sammie, Grilled Cheese Guy, who now has his own physical restaurant at 529 Stevenson St. in SF!