Nerd Nite Philly

Archive for the ‘Uncategorized’ Category

Join us for a special Nerd Nite in collaboration with One Book, One Philadelphia. Our evening’s talks will cover themes from the book, including memory, public health, and community.

Our program will include:

Michael Chow with “When amnesiacs remember, memory champions forget.”

Josh Ducoff from Covenant House Pennsylvania will talk about youth homelessness.

Wednesday, March 21st. 7:30 pm.
Frankford Hall
1210 Frankford Avenue
Philadelphia, PA 19125
$5 Cover

Hey Nerds!

It’s the first Nerd Nite of 2018, and have we got a treat for you! A SUPERSIZED event with four speakers. Here’s the exciting run down:

Emilie Slater, “The State and Labor in the New Economy”

In this talk, Emilie Slater will be speaking about the discontents of contemporary labor law and new frontiers in US labor activism.

Malaya Fletcher, “The Legacy of Public Health Disasters: The Blessing/Curse Paradox”

Public health and emergency management are cursed by the paradox that our successes are invisible; achievements are often unseen. Preventing the spread of disease is marked merely by its absence, and oftentimes, people only note the importance of emergency management when something goes awry. There is nothing like an Ebola outbreak or a failed generator in a flooded hospital to highlight gaps in a system. In this talk, Malaya will illuminate the things that go unnoticed in preparedness. You don’t have to look far to find interesting case studies – Legionnaire’s Disease was first identified in a downtown Philadelphia hotel. George Washington faced similar challenges in issuing an emergency declaration an response to the Philadelphia yellow fever epidemic that we see in today’s disasters. She’ll also give a historical perspective on other disasters within PA (e.g., Three Mile Island, Donora, Johnstown Flood, Austin Dam) and their impact on national policy.

Join us at the first Nerd Nite of 2018! Speakers include Nerd Nite alumna Malaya Fletcher talking about public health disasters, Red Queen Gaming‘s Alex Jay Gilbert speaking about E-Sports, and Annelise Rolander will talk about the social impacts of marijuana legalization.

Stay tuned for more details soon. As always, $5 cover gets you into the show and helps support our monthly program.

Wednesday, February 7th. 7:30 pm.
Frankford Hall
1210 Frankford Avenue
Philadelphia, PA 19125
$5 (CASH ONLY, there’s an ATM on site and a Wells Fargo up the street)
Doors open at 4, we recommend getting there early to get a good seat!

BE THERE AND BE SQUARE

Here at Nerd Nite, we like to end the year with a bang!  We have a great line up in store as we round out 2017:

First of all, we have Philly Geek Awards Geek of the Year Marion Leary talking about her work in resuscitation science.

Glen Tickle, who happens to be the wonderful Nerd Nite Bethlehem, PA co-boss, will be talking about the strange history of the Monster Mash.

And, since it’s the holidays, our very own Simon Joseph will present “St. Nick: Bishop, Elf, and Pawn Star”

Saint Nicholas is the patron saint of: children, coopers, sailors, fishermen, merchants, broadcasters, the falsely accused, repentant thieves, brewers, pharmacists, archers, and pawnbrokers. What the hell does any of that have to do with flying reindeer, elf sweatshops, and Christmas? Put a carrot in your shoe as you prepare for the gift of knowledge.

BIO: Simon “the Cannibal” Joseph (@Cannibal_Simon) is, among other things, the host of the much neglected podcast The Vexillogicast and co-boss of Philly Nerd Nite. He usually talks about flags, but couldn’t think of anything exciting or holiday-themed at the last minute. Raised Catholic, it was hagiography and iconography that got him into heraldry and vex.

What’s more? Our friend Ben Leach is bringing back the Sears Wishbook game, The Cost is Correct, for another year!

Complete details:

Marion Leary,

Wednesday, December 6th. 7:30 pm.
Frankford Hall
1210 Frankford Avenue
Philadelphia, PA 19125
$5 (CASH ONLY, there’s an ATM on site and a Wells Fargo up the street)
Doors open at 4, we recommend getting there early to get a good seat!

BE THERE AND BE SQUARE

Join us on November 1 for our 80th edition of Nerd Nite. Topics include the weird marketing of David Lynch‘s Dune, “The Physical Mechanisms behind the most Romantic River Walk” by Kieran Dunne, and Steven Kilcoyne will discuss “Autism has a Perception Problem.” Local musician Rachel Attebery will bring the tunes. $5 cover gets you in for the show!

Here’s the full details of the talks:

Steven Kilcoyne, “Autism has a Perception Problem”

Description: From the guy who has perception problems himself come a talk about Autism, don’t worry though he’s vaccinated. In this talk, Steven will explore how the representation of Autism in the media affects people’s perception of people who are on the Autism Spectrum in real life.

Bio: Steven is a graduate from Temple University with a Bachelors of Art with a concentration Film and Media Arts. When he is not assisting people in finding out when the Technician will arrive to install their Television service, he reads about the Media that fills our screens.

Kieran Dunne, “The Physical Mechanisms Behind the Most Romantic River Walk”

Description: As the seasons change, it is great to squeeze in a romantic walk along the river before winter sets in. However, not all river walks are equally beautiful. For this talk, I will break down the physical mechanisms that cause some rivers to meander and migrate across their landscapes and subsequently create various landforms seen in river channels and on floodplains, as well as discuss how humans are can both directly and indirectly influence riverine environments.

Bio: Kieran Dunne is a PhD student at Penn in the department of Earth & Environmental science studying geomorphology. He is interested in the interaction between fluid forces and granular media that results in the landforms that we see on the surface of the Earth and other plants, such as river channels and sand dune fields. To pursue this interest, he combines experimental work and field work to elucidate the fundamental parameters required to understand the physical phenomenal observed in nature.

Chris Cummins, “Walk Without Rhythm: The Weird World of David Lynch’s Dune”

Description: In 1984, David Lynch adapted Frank Herbert’s seminal sci-fi novel “Dune” for the silver screen. The result was a film unlike anything audiences had ever seen before…or sense. Because studio execs thought this dark and twisted flick could very well be the next Star Wars, there was a lot of wildly inappropriate merchandise created for this film. In this talk, Nerd Nite Philly co-boss Chris Cummins will look at the weird marketing of Dune and its equally baffling spin-off products. And as a special bonus, he’ll present a tribute to the greatest of all cinematic canines: Dune Pug! Fear is the mind killer, so don’t miss this one.

Bio: Chris Cummins is a Nerd Nite Philly co-boss, and is a writer for Den of Geek. He also runs the events Sci-Fi Explosion and Music Video Book Club.

Plus! Music from  local singer/songwriter Rachel Attebery!

Wednesday, November 1st. 7:30 pm.
Frankford Hall
1210 Frankford Avenue
Philadelphia, PA 19125
$5 (CASH ONLY, there’s an ATM on site and a Wells Fargo up the street)
Doors open at 4, we recommend getting there early to get a good seat!

BE THERE AND BE SQUARE