Nerd Nite No. 20! November 7, 2012
Nerds:
It’s going to get seriously cosmic in here. For our *twentieth* Philly Nerd Nite, we bring you the universe *and* a grammar maven. Don’t you dare split infinitives while pondering the infinite.
Wednesday, November 7, 2012
doors at 6:30, show at 7:30
Frankford Hall at Frankford and Girard
$5 cover
The lectures at hand:
Derrick Pitts on Astronomy
Bio: Derrick Pitts is the Chief Astronomer at the Franklin Institute. Helping audiences all over the world better understand the mysteries of the universe since 1978, Pitts is a nationally recognized media commentator on issues in astronomy and space science. He is a NASA Solar System Ambassador and in 2010, he was one of the lead astronomers at the first-ever star party on the White House lawn.
“The Big Bang With Big Beers” by Sara Stanchfield
Cosmologists study the origin, evolution, and ultimate fate of our Universe. In order to do this we make use of an arsenal of tools that allow us to study the Universe from its very infancy through today, and even allow us to make predictions about the future. This presentation will explore some of these tools and the leading cosmological theories we aim to test, such as the Big Bang theory and the existence of dark energy.
Bio: Sara Stanchfield is a PhD student in physics at the University of Pennsylvania. Her research is in observational cosmology, where she is especially interested in the Cosmic Microwave Background and trying every beer Philadelphia has to offer at least once before she finishes her thesis.
“Words, Grammar Nerds, and the Riotous Joy of Language Evolution” by Sarah Grey
Grammar nerds all over the English-speaking world have read and loved Lynne Truss’s bestselling punctuation rant Eats Shoots & Leaves. But is there more to being a grammar nerd than just snottily correcting apostrophes at the grocery store? Freelance editor Sarah Grey, who punctuates for a living, thinks there is. She’ll take you on a whirlwind tour of the evolution of language from “me Tarzan” to LOLcats, celebrating the sheer sexy joy and the liberatory power of humanity’s greatest invention.
Bio: Sarah Grey is a freelance writer and editor with a small business, Grey Editing LLC (www.greyediting.com), where she applies her red pen to everything from history to erotica to Marxist theory. She lives in Fishtown with her husband Joe and almost-three-year-old daughter Lucia.
And featuring: Christopher Davis-Shannon playing blues and ragtime guitar. Dance music for the old at heart.
Be there and be square!
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