Nerd Nite London

Due to no fault of their own two of our speakers have had to cancel tonight (a very rare occurrence and a first for Nerd Nite London). Dr Gemma Angel will still be talking us through tattoos in the 19th Century and our own Louise Inman is stepping into the breach with a talk about Alan Turning. We are also planning to finish the evening off with a quiz to test how truly nerdy you all are – think Mastermind meets the Big Bang Theory. If you would like your money back we are happy to refund tickets, or we can exchange them for another event. Contact us at if you’d like an exchange or refund. We hope Hugh and Seb will be able to make it to speak at another Nerd Nite very soon. Our next event is March 19th.

Nerd Nite London – Be there and be square

Find out about the science behind Sci-fi f, discover who got inked in the 19th century and why everyone really should be reading JG Ballard at Nerd Nite London on 22nd January.

Science fiction has a lot to answer for, Bruce Willis for starters. Not all of the science that comes out of Hollywood is bad, some of it is good while other bits can be just downright ugly. This talk will look at the science behind the fiction and will explain how the fiction can in turn influence the science.

Tattoos have been a source of fascination for criminologists and doctors since the late 19th century. Interpreting the hidden meaning of tattoos led some medical men to collect and preserve the tattooed skin of their subjects in prisons, hospitals, barracks and asylums. I’ll show you some examples of these unusual skin fragments, and explore some of the more interesting 19th century interpretations of tattoos.

Nerd Nite London is back for its fifth event, on November 20 at the Paper Dress Vintage.  Learn about the misuse of science in drug policy, the technology of skynet, and why australia is called australia.  Come, drink, learn. http://www.wegottickets.com/NerdNiteLondon

Nerd #1: Steve Rolles ‘drugs – the messy intersection of politics and science in policy making’
Most people agree that the best type of policy making is evidence-based, but politicians seem reluctant to let the scientific facts speak for themselves. This presentation will give examples of some of the more egregious abuses of science in drug policy, and explain why science is such a poor friend to politicians when it comes to the war on drugs.

Bio: Steve is Senior Policy Analyst at Transform, the UK’s centre of expertise on drug policy. A proud father of two (he’ll show you photos if you ask), Steve has been trying to bring science and common sense to drug policy since before Meow Meow was a thing.

Nerd #2: Leila Johnston ‘The Technology of Terminator’
Predestination paradoxes, lock-picking, and really, Sarah, Kyle Reese? This whistle-stop tour around some of the weirder stuff in James Cameron’s naked time travelling sex films will ask some of the pressing questions, including who invented Skynet, how can someone as cool as Sarah Connor possibly have produced such an awful son, and what does the gibberish on the T-800’s heads-up display really say?

Bio: Leila is a writer, maker and broadcaster based in Sheffield. She is the founder of a new magazine and event series called Hack Circus, and co-creator of the popular geek comedy podcast Shift Run Stop. Her collection of photographs of IBM cash registers was featured in the national press in 2012 to endless mirthless punning. She writes about hacking for WIRED UK and dreams of one day being as amazing as Sarah Connor. @finalbullet

Nerd #3: Dan Walker-Smith ‘Why Australia is called Australia’
From Nike trainers to Trident Gum, Dan Walker Smith traces the contemporary world around us back to ancient myths. And in the sometimes tradition of nerd nite presenters keeping to topic, he will explain why Australia is called Australia.

Bio: Stand up, radio presenter, general man for all seasons. By day, Dan is a copywriter and journalist from London. He likes myths and folklore, travel and snowboarding.

All profits from the night will go to Movember, a charity which raises awareness for prostate and testicular cancer and mental health. You can find Nerd Nite London on Facebook at facebook.com/nerdnitelondon or on Twitter @nerdnitelondon.  Tickets available at http://www.wegottickets.com/NerdNiteLondon

We’re back from our summer break, with an amazing back to school line up for Wednesday September 18^th.  Tickets on sale at http://www.wegottickets.com/event/236004

Nerd #1 Dr Antonio Sennis

Puffing the White Smoke: A Rough Guide To Becoming No. 1 at St. Peter’s

If you ever wondered what it takes to become Pope, then this talk is for you. Dwelling on his unrivalled knowledge of historical precedents, curial manoeuvres and priestly gossip, Dr Antonio Sennis, who teaches medieval history at UCL, will guide you through the long and perilous road that 265 men (and perhaps one woman) had to navigate to become the sovereign of Vatican City.

Nerd #2 Steve White

Now that is one big pile of shit: Jurassic Park and Dinosaurs

It’s 20 years since Steven Spielberg brought dinosaurs to life in Jurassic Park, and they’re about to come back in 3D. However, Steve White isn’t happy with the way the made the dinosaurs, especially the Rators or in his words ‘limp-wristed, bunny handed-plucked chickens’.

Steve White gave up a burgeoning career in genetics to go and work for Marvel UK, beginning his career as colourist on Care Bears and moving onto Transformers, Thundercats and The Real Ghostbusters. He is currently senior editor at Titan Comics working on, amongst other things, Star Wars: The Clone Wars. He is also an artist specialising in Natural History and paleoart, and has written a number of non-fiction children’s book.

Nerd #3: Rachael Reynold

Digital Transformations: How do you read a video game?

Can you imagine entering a classroom and being handed a joystick? Might sound strange but academics are beginning to examine the potential of video games in teaching. Rachael Reynold was part of a study which found how some (not all!) video games can help and encourage students to learn. Rachael is a freelance writer and media producer. She is also a gaming fanatic who believes that video games are an under appreciated art form. She loves the entire process of a video game, from concept to creation to critical analysis.

All profits from the night will go to All Out

You can also find us on facebook at facebook.com/nerdnitelondon or on twitter @nerdnitelondon

This month at Nerd Nite London:
Address: Nerd Nite, Paper Dress Vintage, 114-116 Curtain Rd, London, EC2A 3AH

Details: Wednesday 31 July 2013. Doors at 8pm, tickets £6 available at http://www.wegottickets.com/event/231713

Do we feel pain the same as the person sitting next to us? How about a person 5000 miles away? Former GP Dilys Cowan will discuss pain as a culturally constructed concept and how we feel and experience our bodies differently if we are from different societies.

Is it a good idea to encourage children to play competitive sport, or could it put many of them off for life? Will Parry, a social researcher and doctoral candidate at the Institute of Education, University of London, is currently investigating whether childhood experiences of sport and exercise affect whether people engage in healthy levels of exercise in adulthood. He is a massive stats nerd. He enjoys latent variable modelling and his favourite stats computer programmes are Mplus, Stata and R.

Electro-pop satirist Quilla Constance has just released her new track and video ‘Vjazzled’ a song about the lady-garden beautification trend. Quilla Constance wasn’t always Quilla and she’s the creation of artist Jennifer Allen. We’re not sure which one (or both) will be speaking at Nerd Nite but Quilla/Jennifer will be talking about the benefits (and pitfalls) of creating an alter-ego. Quilla Constance is a video/performance artist and costume designer. She was born Jennifer Allen in Birmingham, of Jamaican/Irish parents. Allen left Birmingham to study Fine Art at Oxford University and then Goldsmiths College. Since 2010, Allen has adopted and cultivated the Quilla Constance persona in order to situate her artistic practice within a mainstream pop context. Allen collaborates with musicians Rafflesian, Kinz, and Aidan Love.

All profits from the night will go to the Medicins sans Frontieres http://www.msf.org.uk/

Tickets are on sale at: http://www.wegottickets.com/event/231713

You can find us on facebook at facebook.com/nerdnitelondon or on twitter @nerdnitelondon

Nerd Nite is returning to London for the second time.

Buy tickets here

For the second London Nerd Nite we’ve got the following great talks lined-up:

Beer Writer of the Year, Pete Brown, will be explaining why Beer is the Root Cause and Key Driver of Everything Good in Civilization. We’ll drink to that!

Stand up comedian Tom Webb, who you’re sure to recognise from Dave TV and as the face of Popbitch, is a singleton. His Dad has an MBE, which allows Tom to get married in St Paul’s Church. He just needs to find love first.

Dr. Caswell Barry hails from the Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience at University College London. He studies rats’ brains for a living, using this knowledge to pick apart the human mind and develop an understanding of what makes us tick.

In his lucid presentation he’ll explain how an understanding of brain patterns can help scientists decode your dreams

Tickets on sale at http://www.wegottickets.com/event/225498

 

Nerd Nite comes to London!

http://www.wegottickets.com/event/220995
Address: Nerd Nite, Paper Dress Vintage, 114-116 Curtain Rd, London, EC2A 3AH
Details : Wednesday 29 MAY 2013,  Doors at 8 pm, tickets £6

Speaking at the inaugural May event we have:
Professor Kevin D Jones, Professor of Dependability and Security at City University London – The Internet is a Dangerous Place – could it kill you?

You know enough to explain to your grandpa that he can’t catch a virus from touching his computer, but did you know that there are many different kinds of attack in “cyber-space”? He’ll be explaining how groups from casual criminals through to terrorists can use the internet to do malicious things.

Bryony Frost gets people excited about all kinds of research for a living, she will be telling people how to – Build Your Own Universe (via the medium of LEGO)

You have probably heard parts of the story of the history of the universe. You have almost definitely played with LEGO. This presentation combines the two to mean that no matter what your level of understanding, there is sure to be something you have never seen before. And if not, then you can always build your own universe from scratch.

Recently voted by Newsweek one of 150 women who shake the world, Diana Nammi, will tell us – How to Lose a Revolution

What are the qualities you need to win a revolution – and what has to go wrong to lose one? Diana Nammi fought in the 1979 Iranian revolution, just unfortunately not on the side that ended up in power. She talks about the experiences of Iranian revolution, and factors that come into play when people try to overthrow a government.

All profits from the night will go to Diana’s charity Iranian and Kurdish Women’s Rights Organisation.

We’re also on Twitter @nerdnitelondon  and  Facebook 

Tickets are £6 from http://www.wegottickets.com/event/220995