June 17th: Robot sex, computer heroes and the gender binary
Nerd Nite London is a monthly event where three speakers give 18-21 minute fun-yet-informative talks across all disciplines, while the audience drinks along.
Address: Nerd Nite, Paper Dress Vintage, 114-116 Curtain Road, London, EC2A 3AH
Details: Wednesday June 17th Tickets £6. Early nerd tickets £5 (limited availability). Tickets available here
In the future will boys be wearing pink while having sex with robots? Why does Alan Turing get all the Bletchley Park glory? Come join us for a sensational celebration of all things nerdy at Nerd Nite London
Be there and be square.
The Gender Binary – and why it’s bullshit
As a society, we’ve been fixated on the concepts of “boy” and “girl” for a long time – so long that we’ve come to accept the gender binary and all it entails as an unquestionable truth.
Did you know that pink was once considered the boy’s colour? Did you know that heels were actually menswear, designed for riding horses? In this talk I will explore what “gender” and “sex” actually consist of and expose the reality of the falsehood that is the gender binary.
Lola is an agender identified LGBT activist, working in various capacities for a better world for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people since the ripe age of 12. As an intersex person, Lola takes a great interest in breaking down the barriers that the gender binary creates.
Unsung Heroes of Bletchley Park
The most important battle in any war is one of information and communication; people who need to keep secrets vs people desperate to break them. There’s no sensational action sequences and often even the people involved aren’t allowed to tell their stories for years afterwards, but these stories should not be ignored. This quick run-through of British wartime codebreaking efforts will cover how some people you’ve never heard of helped shape the modern world.
Robert is a mobile application programmer who loves cryptography, both modern and historic. When not reading your most secret messages, he enjoys museums, games and Benedict Cumberbatch.
Sex machina – the how, the why and the what-if
Robots are getting ever more realistic and it won’t be long before we can make them look as human as, well, humans. They may also start to think and even feel like us. You would think that with such sophisticated machines we would probably want to do noble and sciency things like explore the surface of Mars, but past experience suggests we will probably mainly use them for sex. This talk will explore the implications of sex with machines that may have emotions, touching on philosophy of mind, ethics and social neuroscience along the way.
Bio: Kate is Professor of Behavioural Neuroscience at University College London. She researches rat navigation, which makes her the perfect person to expound on sex with machines.
All proceeds from Nerd Nite go to charity. This month’s charity is Solar Aid. More information about Nerd Nite London can be found by following us on Twitter @nerdnitelondon, liking us on Facebook www.facebook.com/NerdNiteLondon or visiting www.london.nerdnite.com