Wednesday, 2/16
Doors at 7:30, show at 8
Rickshaw Stop, 155 Fell St @Van Ness
$8
Facebook event
This month we’re digging deep, going around and around in circles, and mortgaging our credibility up to the hilt. In other words, a typical Nerd Nite. No, there’ll be no hearts and flowers for this post-Valentine’s evening—just lots of platonic nerd-love—as a mortgage analyst untangles the real estate muddle, archaeologists dig up dirty deeds from the past, and roller derby bad-asses sprain and explain. Be there and be square!
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“No Money Down: How Our Nation Made, Then Lost, a Fortune in Real Estate” by Michael Nierenberg
We all know the economy sucks, but how did we get into this mess? Learn about the $10 trillion world of “shadow banking,” why it went BOOM, and why it’s not going away. Find out how seemingly innocent statistical models became weapons of wealth destruction. Understand leverage: what it is, how it can make you rich, and how it can make you very poor. And for those of you hoping to get some Bay Area real estate for your very own: learn why the government, the banks and your grandma all think you should buy….and why you might be better off renting!
Michael Nierenberg is VP of Analytics for Mill Valley-based Redwood Trust, where he builds models to forecast mortgage performance, home prices and mortgage-backed security valuation. Basically, this means trying to convince otherwise skeptical people that he can predict the future using magical computers made of clouds. He attended the University of Pennsylvania, where he drank a lot of beer, and occasionally took some classes in economics.
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“The Archaeology of Vice” by Kari Jones and Liz Clevenger
Forget snakes, whips and tomb raiders. Instead, think thieves, bootlegging, prostitutes, venereal disease and prophylactics! Archaeologists from the Presidio of San Francisco share the non-Hollywood, real-life dirty details of the past.
Kari Jones is an archaeologist at the Presidio of San Francisco. When she’s not unearthing long-lost treasure and fighting Nazis at work, she spends her leisure time sporadically pursuing a doctorate at UC Berkeley in hopes of one day becoming a bona fide Dr. Jones.
Liz Clevenger is a curator at the Presidio of San Francisco. While she still gets to play in the dirt once in a while, she’s usually in the lab doing scienterrific things to the old stuff that comes out of the dirt. She’s the one who knows exactly where the Arc of the Covenant was stashed in that warehouse full of government goods.
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“Roller Derby: An Elliptical Treatise” by the B.ay A.rea D.erby Girls’ San Francisco ShEvil Dead
More than just the subject of an angsty Drew Barrymore coming-of-age film, flat track roller derby is the fastest-growing sport in America. Join Tae Kwon Ho, Trixie Pixie and Slaybia Majora of the San Francisco ShEvil Dead as they break down the history, rules and basic strategy of roller derby. Their presentation will instill a strong base of knowledge that will impress your friends and help debunk the misconceptions perpetuated by pop culture for this oft misunderstood sport.
Established in 2004, the B.ay A.rea D.erby (B.A.D.) Girls are a full-contact, women’s flat track roller derby league. B.A.D. is a fully skater-owned and operated 501(c)(3) non-profit with a mission to provide amateur athletic entertainment to the Bay Area. A proud member of the Women’s Flat Track Derby Association (WFTDA)—the official governing body for modern roller derby—B.A.D. is currently ranked #3 in the West. The San Francisco ShEvil Dead was the first home team created by B.A.D. and is currently one of five teams in the league.
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DJ Alpha Bravo will be spinning circular musical media solely of the vinyl variety, and also performing spot-repairs on the turntables. (Be sure to ask him about the huge “dirt booger” he extracted from under the platter last time.) 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.
Wednesday, 1/19
Doors at 7:30pm, show at 8pm
Rickshaw Stop, 155 Fell St @ Van Ness
$8
Facebook Event
Another year, another 12 Nerd Nites to eagerly anticipate, and another 12 chances to fulfill your new year’s resolution to get smarter! This month: an engineer leads an open-source race to the moon, a neuroscientist cracks open the zombie brain to see what oozes out, and a modern-day Mad Man illuminates the advertising biz. Be there and be square!
“Space for Everyone: Open-Sourcing Our Way to the Google Lunar X Prize” by Fred Bourgeois
Google’s Lunar X Prize has thrown down the space-suit gauntlet: win $30 million in prizes by privately funding, building, and landing a robot on the surface of the Moon, where it must travel 500 meters over the surface and send images and data back to Earth. Team FREDNET has taken up the challenge, combining the talents of 600 scientists, technologists, and engineers from 63 countries as the only 100% open-source competitor. With the goal of making space exploration open, accessible, and usable to everyone (not just the government), Team FREDNET’s leader will take us through their process of creating a timely, elegant, and (hopefully) victorious solution.
Fred J. Bourgeois, III, has been dreaming and making plans to pursue space exploration since he was two. Growing up in a “NASA family” probably had a lot to do with that. After teaching computer science, working on classified programs at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, and starting his own software development and consulting business, Bourgeois founded Team FREDNET, which recently won a NASA Innovative Lunar Demonstrations Data contract for over $10 million.
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“Scanning the Zombie Brain” by Bradley Voytek
What makes a zombie a zombie rather than a human? What makes their brains tick and animate those rotting body parts (and lust for human flesh)? Taking a theoretical neuroscience approach, Dr. Bradley Voytek will present a hypothetical picture of the zombie brain, based on research he performed with co-conspirator Dr. Timothy Verstynen. 50% academic “what-if?” exercise and 50% tongue-in-cheek critique of the methods of modern neuroscience, this talk is 100% getting us ready for the coming undead plague.
Dr. Bradley Voytek (@bradleyvoytek & darb.ketyov.com) is one of the world’s foremost leaders in necro-neuroscience. He is an advisory board member of the Zombie Research Society, along with movie legend George Romero, and he also does some real science at UC Berkeley. He’s spoken at Google’s TechTalks and TEDxBerkeley, and was also co-named Time Magazine’s 2006 Person of the Year.
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“Modern Advertising: The Product Is You” by Q
From “Just Do It” to Foursquare Mayor, a modern-day Mad Man will outline the evolution of one of the most intriguing, maligned and insane industries of our time: advertising. Along with a brief overview of modern advertising’s history, Q—the mastermind behind campaigns for Apple, Cisco, Dell, Sun, Symantec, Heineken and Happy Cat, to name just a few—will talk about its future and why (and how) the product is YOU.
Q is a co-founder and partner of Godfrey Q and Partners. He started working in advertising when TV commercials were 60 seconds long, type was set by hand, and radio commercials were edited with razor blades and scotch tape. His first computer was a 64K Apple II. He survived the great DRAM drought of 1985. Today, 90% of his company’s output is pure digital. And he is always, always looking for developers.
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DJ Alpha Bravo will be spinning nerdy tunage at 33 1/3 and 45 RPMs. 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.
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Zombie illustration courtesy Rob Sacchetto — www.zombieportraits.com
Ah, December—holiday time! With Pretend To Be a Time Traveler Day (8th), Festivus (23rd), and National Clean Up Your Computer Month (January) looming, take a little time out from your seasonal stress and enjoy our drunken, nerdy delights. Learn about your poor, multi-tasked brains (but put away the iPhones first!); discuss those scavenging scamps, seagulls; and find out how to hack the Kinect for uses that were almost certainly not imagined by Microsoft. Be there and be square!
Wednesday, 12/15
Doors @ 7:30pm, show @ 8pm
Rickshaw Stop 155 Fell St @ Van Ness
$8
We’re back from our little October vacation! After all the partying we’ve done, from Halloween to the World Series, we could probably use another vacation, but instead we’ll persevere to bring you the best in drunken nerdy entertainment. This month we have presentations on the quirks of Mars’s magnetosphere, the peculiarities of those adorable penguins, and a history of the not-so-adorable gonorrhea. “Ooohs,” “Awwws,” and “Ewwws” will abound. Be there and be square! Sponsored by Science Channel!
Weds. 11/17
Doors @ 7:30pm, show @ 8pm
Rickshaw Stop
155 Fell St @ Van Ness
$8
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“Mars’s Lumpy Bumpy Neato Magneto(sphero)” by Dave Brain
Imagine that you are a boy or girl scout wandering around Mars using your trusty compass to navigate. Congratulations—you’re lost! As your air slowly runs out and you lie wondering where it all went wrong, I’ll explain what happened, the connection between your useless compass and the cold, thin, toxic Martian atmosphere, and what those faint lights in the sky are. Maybe you can get a merit badge as consolation.
Dave Brain (yes…`Dr. Brain’…it is very embarrassing) is a planetary space physicist from UC Berkeley who studies the connections between magnetic fields and atmospheres at Mars and other planets. He can’t believe that people are willing to pay him to think about planets all day. And he never made it past Webelos.
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“Penguins: The True Chicken of the Sea” by Brooke Weinstein
Despite being almost universally loved, penguins are easy to parody. They walk funny, and we laugh at them when they trip. They look like they’re wearing tuxedos, so we dismiss them as all being the same. They’re birds, but they’re fundamentally different from all other birds. Biologist Brooke Weinstein will take us beyond the caricatures and explain the basic peculiarities of these fascinating creatures.
Brooke Weinstein is an aquarium nerd and aquatic biologist at the California Academy of Sciences. At work, Brooke is responsible for a portion of the freshwater collection, including the freshwater stingrays and the 110,000-gallon Amazon Flooded Forest Display, which she likes to dive in as much as possible. She also spends a good bit of time caring for the Academy’s African penguin colony while trying, sometimes successfully, to be the biggest penguin.
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“The Perilous Infirmity of Burning: The History of Neisseria Gonorrhea” by D Muthulingam
Described in Leviticus and named by the Greeks, gonorrhea has faithfully followed the loins of lovers through Roman conquests, Parisian whorehouses, and American college dorms. Shadowed by the more glamorous syphilis and that upstart chlamydia, “The Clap” has persisted, overcoming the Roman Catholic Church, mercury, penicillin, and fluoroquinolones. This is a story of a gram-negative diplococci committed to love—and oh, how it burns!
D Muthulingam is a fourth-year medical student passionate about health education, self-knowledge, and preventive care. She has studied the molecular epidemiology of Chlamydia trachamotis in Ecuadorian sex workers, and helped folks at the Berkeley Free Clinic understand what to do when “omg i have a rash!!!” Currently she is studying the effects of HIV infection in the central nervous system. She loves good coffee, mucus membranes, and the basal ganglia.
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Plus:
Pumpkins. Good for carving, making pies, baking seeds and a flurry of other fall favorites. But a catapulting pumpkin competition? Now that’s an unusual use for this orange gourd-like squash! For 25 years, the World Championship Punkin Chunkin competition has been launching pumpkins high into the skies above Delaware. Science Channel will be there again this year to catch every far-flingin, high-flyin moment. The show will air on Science Channel Thanksgiving Night at 8pm.
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DJ Alpha Bravo will spin an eclectic array of nerdy tunes themed around our presenters’ topics. 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.
UPDATE! Penguin presentation postponed to a later date. Instead, geomorphologist J. Toby Minear will tell us about how he gets to shoot lasers at the earth—and may even shoot some at us—in his talk “Lasers! Pew Pew! Trees, rocks, lasers, and Radiohead in the weird weird world of point clouds.”
Thursday, September 23, 2010, at 7:30pm
The Rickshaw Stop
155 Fell St. @ Van Ness, SF
Cover charge $8
All ages, though parental discretion is most definitely advised.
From the cute to the slippery to the predatory, this month’s Nerd Nite is pretty wild! (Also: get some hackable swag, courtesy of the Emmy Award-winning “The Big Bang Theory,” which is moving to Thursday nights, 8 pm on CBS. New night, new time, same theory!)
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“Penguins: The True Chicken of the Sea” by Brooke Weinstein
Despite being almost universally loved, penguins are easy to parody. They walk funny and we laugh at them when they trip. They look like they’re wearing tuxedos, so we dismiss them as all being the same. They’re birds, but they’re fundamentally different from all other birds. Biologist Brooke Weinstein will take us beyond the caricatures and explain the basic peculiarities of these fascinating creatures
Bio: Brooke Weinstein is an aquarium nerd and aquatic biologist at the California Academy of Sciences. At work Brooke is responsible for a portion of the freshwater collection, including the freshwater stingrays and the 110,000 gallon Amazon Flooded Forest Display, which she likes to dive in as much as possible. She also spends a good bit of time caring for the Academy’s African penguin colony while trying, sometimes successfully, to be the biggest penguin.
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“One Fish, Two Fish, Eat Fish, Sue Fish” by Kate Wing
In the beginning, there was an ocean full of fish. Tasty, tasty fish. Where have they gone? Watch as a Pacific red snapper is transformed into mathematical equations, travels to Capitol Hill, and ultimately ends up in your fish taco. Learn about density dependence, the importance of big females, and judges who read Superman comics. Our guide tonight is a special breed of wonk-nerd hybrid, who takes science across enemy lines and onto the political battlefield.
Bio: Kate Wing started her career as a phycologist (that’s algae) before moving up the food chain to work in the U.S. Senate. She holds a master’s degree in marine affairs and serves as an advisor to the Pacific States Marine Fisheries Commission. After nine years of working on California fisheries she joined a foundation so she could fly back to DC a lot. She likes window seats.
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“PUAs, HBs and AMOGs, Oh My!: An Introduction to Pickup Artistry” by GK
Pimpin’ ain’t easy, which is why an Internet subculture of very nerdy dudes developed a set of methods and terminology aimed at seducing the fairer sex. And no, they don’t all revolve around canned lines and furry hats. We bring in a former San Francisco social coach—one of the aforementioned “very nerdy dudes”—to reveal the good, the bad, and the ugly of picking up women, from the first hello to getting her number. By the way, do you come here often?
Bio: Women didn’t come easily to GK, but sports did. San Francisco-born and Los Angeles-raised, he has spent most of his career as a sports journalist. After finally getting his groove on with the ladies in his late twenties, GK (just call him Greg) spent the last few years as the San Francisco-based instructor for Charisma Arts, teaching shy guys like him how to meet attractive girls and improve their social lives. He’s mostly retired from coaching now, but still enjoys sharing his thoughts on his blog, www.gkdating.com. He is currently married to his guitar, Joan.
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Plus: 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!”
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…
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“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.
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“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.
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“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.
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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!”