NERD NITE LONDON, WHERE IT’S HIP TO BE SQUARE.
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. This March we’re finding out why drugs aren’t all bad, what life is like when you can’t recognise faces and how swearing can be good for you.
Be there and be square.
Address: The Backyard Comedy Club, 231 Cambridge Heath Road, London E2 0EL
Details: March 18th, 2020
Tickets: Early Nerd Tickets £6, General Admission £7.50, Extra-generous donation to Shine Trust £10
Doors Open At 7pm, Event Starts: 7.30pm.
Bar Opens At 5pm.
Talk Yourself Better
Pharmaceutical drugs have a bad rap. Critics often ask the question: ‘Why can’t depressed people just have therapy instead?’ This talk will provide the answer and explain why psychotropic drugs are still a much-needed and valid treatment. It will also explore the downsides of meds, and discuss the importance of advocating for yourself and doing your own research.
Ariane Sherine was a journalist (Guardian, Sunday Times) and created the Atheist Bus Campaign (the ‘Probably No God’ ads on buses) before having a full-scale nervous breakdown. These days she’s on three psychotropic drugs, and what she doesn’t know about them could be written on the side of an olanzapine tablet.
I Always Forget A Face
Face blindness (a.k.a. Prosopagnosia) affects 2% of the population – and most of those who have it may not actually know that they do. If you’ve ever found yourself embarrassed by not remembering who someone is, it could be you. I’ll be giving examples, showing you how to tell if you have it, what you can do about it, and explaining how I nearly bought the wrong blonde in a pub her dinner.
Until he had a stroke 4 years ago, Bruce had never heard of Prosopagnosia. Since acquiring it, he’s been the subject of several research studies and is a now an active member of Face Blind UK. Please say who you are when you meet him, otherwise he won’t have a clue. Favourite item of clothing? Name badges.
Swearing is Good for You
With f-bombs and footnotes, Dr Emma Byrne will arm you with the science of swearing. Learn how to use it to kill pain, bond teams, and deal with all the shit going on right now. Armed with copious research receipts, she’ll make the case that you – yes you – really should give a fuck. This is a follow-up to Emma’s 2018 Nerd Nite talk featuring new material on gender, civility, and protest
Dr Emma Byrne is an AI researcher and computational neuroscientist. Her work includes building a robot to do genomics research, and an agent to play video games, making hundreds of doctoral students redundant at a stroke. She’s the author of ‘Swearing is Good for You’ and regularly appears on national and international radio on the subjects of swearing and robotics.
All proceeds from Nerd Nite London go to charity. this year we are partnering with The Shine Trust to help foster a new generation of nerds.
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. for more information about The Shine Trust visit www.shinetrust.org.uk