Nerd Nite No. 8, November 9, 2011
What’s up Nerds.
The next Nerd Nite is drawing near:
Wednesday, November 9th
Frankford Hall, 1210 Frankford Avenue
doors at 7:00, show at 7:30 pm
Free Nerdiness: NO COVER!
Food and drink specials include: $6 beer + pretzel and $8 beer + sausage to enjoy in a veritable sea of tables and chairs.
The lectures at hand:
We normally use image processing to look at the Earth (essentially the reflectance spectra of plants and rocks). But the same technology can be used to examine pieces of art. When we do so we need to keep in mind how we can deceive ourselves or how we can be deceived. We’ll look at how magic is done, and how knowing neuroscience can be helpful in image interpretation. When we’re done you should have a better idea of how to forge a masterpiece.
Bio: Jay Parrish is Professor of Practice in the Penn State University Dutton e-Education Institute, teaching remote sensing. He has previously been State Geologist of Pennsylvania, Director of GIS for Lancaster County, Director of RE Wright’s Forensic image analysis, a volunteer with the Mennonites, a college professor (BGSU), Ball Aerospace employee at JPL (radar geobotany), and a geophysicist at Mobil Oil and Geospectra Corporations. He cannot hold a job.
“Demystifying Acupuncture” by Caroline Grace Ashurst
Caroline Grace Ashurst, L.Ac., M.Ac., a practicing Acupuncturist in Philadelphia, intends to shed light on the practice of acupuncture by offering information to enlighten, inform, and inspire. She plans on challenging preconceived notions and engaging curiosity while delivering the principles of this complementary modality.
“Sexy Serpent Smells: a Sense of Snake Scents” by Rocky Parker
Imagine sitting on the barely-thawed ground of a field, surrounded by flattened yellow grass and bare trees. Then you hear a rustle, some thrashing, more rustling… then out from the grass pop one, two, ten, twenty little brown and yellow heads staring blankly into the spring air. They delicately flick their glossy black tongues and tick their heads in random directions before indulgently returning to the scents of sex saturating the ground. Every spring, garter snakes emerge in the tens of thousands from limestone sinkholes on the midwest plains in search of one thing: sex. After 8 months of life at 0.5 degrees, they are willing and able to seek out mating opportunities… and as many as possible in the tumultuous four week scramble of spring. The one cue males need to locate and choose between mates is the female sex pheromone. But sometimes, things are not always what they seem. Sometimes, there are males that smell like females. I will discuss different aspects of the garter snake mating system, with special focus on how pheromones are used to coordinate reproduction in this (and maybe all?) snake species.
Bio: Rocky Parker is a physiologist who specializes in endocrinology and molecular biology. He is currently a Postdoctoral Fellow at Monell Chemical Senses Center in Philadelphia. His previous research centered on snake reproductive physiology and chemical ecology. He is now studying the physiology and molecular biology of taste cells… and he can slay Bohemian Rhapsody… a cappella.
Entertainment by: The Philadelphia String Quartet
To Frankford Hall via public transport: from the Market Frankford Line, get off at Girard Station and go east on Girard Avenue (toward Johnny Brenda’s, away from the Piazza). Make a left on Frankford Avenue, and Frankford Hall will be on your left side.
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Nerd Nite No. 7, October 5, 2011
Yo Nerds,
Mark your calendars for the return of Nerd Nite!
Wednesday, October 5, 2011
MilkBoy Philly, 1100 Chestnut St.
doors at 7:30, show at 8:00
5 dollar cover
Boy have we got a show in store for you:
“Back to the Future: Antarctica in a Warm World” by Jane Willenbring, Univ. of Pennsylvania
East Antarctica hosts the largest amount of ice on land on Earth. As such, it is particularly important to understand what happens to this ice when the Earth warms. Does it melt and contribute to sea level rise? Or, does the ice sheet expand due to an increased ability of warmer air to hold moisture? Until recently, the Earth Science community has had limited ability to measure rates of surface processes that occur over long time periods, such as recording the very slow glacier margin movements and other imperceptibly slow rates of land surface change. In this talk, I will discuss a novel geochemical technique that uses cosmic radiation to date rocks at the Earth’s surface. This technique has revolutionized our understanding of how the East Antarctic Ice Sheet responded to times in the past that were even warmer than today and helps us to go Back to the Future.
Bio: Dr. Jane Willenbring is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences at the University of Pennsylvania where she leads a research group that uses field work, isotope geochemistry and the changing composition of the Earth’s water and atmosphere to study the response of the landscape to the rise of mountains, sea level, ice sheets and civilizations. She is originally from North Dakota and so is well-suited to the cold temperatures like those near the South Pole in the ’summer’ time – but she still dislikes the cold.
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“Brainstorm: Mind reading technology, theory and practice” by Geoffrey K. Aguirre, Univ. of Pennsylvania
Using machines to “read out” the contents of sensory experience directly from the brain has been a staple of science fiction. Recently, functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) has been used to reconstruct a ”movie” of visual perception for human participants. I’ll explain how this works, and what the prospects and limits are of mind reading technology.
Bio: Geoffrey Aguirre is a Neurologist and cognitive neuroscientist. His clinical and research work concerns the organization of the brain for mental operations, in particular the loss and recovery of visual ability. Using functional MRI, a non-invasive tool for measuring brain activity, he studies how neurons are normally arranged to represent and store the appearance of people, places, and things. He uses these techniques to understand as well how blindness changes the brain, and with collaborators at the University of Pennsylvania, how the brain adapts to the recovery of vision.
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“An Introduction to the Fun of Lockpicking” by Robert Tran, The Open Organization of Lockpickers
Everyone relies on their locks to keep things secure. From front doors to filing cabinets, they give us the sense of security that no one else can get inside without the proper key. However, in reality, most locks can be picked trivially without any evidence of exploitation. You will learn how and why lockpicking works as well as what manufacturers have done to protect against such shenanigans.
Bio: Robert Tran is a security professional by day, but some say he’s a super-secret agent by night. He’s been tinkering and taking apart technology since childhood, but hasn’t necessary figured out how to reassemble them. When Robert is not wrenching on his cars or motorcycles, he’s picking locks. Going by the handle “Dr. Tran”, he’s been an active member of TOOOL for 3 years and has taught at conferences including Shmoocon, CarolinaCon, NotaCon, Security BSides, QuahogCon, HOPE, & Defcon.
And featuring:
Tragi-comic songs by Charles Latham and Comedy by Chip Chantry.
The Return of Philly Nerd Nite
Nerds of Philadelphia!
Great News! First, yes, we do still exist, and two new co-bosses have joined the ranks of the Nerd Nite Philly Team. Matt and Gina will be working with Michelle to bring the nerds of Philadelphia more great speakers and talented performers!
ALSO, Nerd Nite has found a brand new venue for our Fall return. Starting on October 5th, Nerd Nite Philly will take place at (drum roll please) MilkBoy Philly on 1100 Chestnut Street the 1st WEDNESDAY of each month. Check out http://milkboyphilly.com/ for more info. Our new venue is easily reachable by public transportation (including the blue line stop at 11th and Market and Regional Rail at Market East).
Please email us at with questions, comments and speaker and performer suggestions.
We’re looking forward to seeing you all again in October! Stay tuned for more information.
Michelle, Matt, & Gina
Nerd Nite Philly Team
Philly Nerd Nite Summer Update
Dear Nerds,
Nerd Nite is on summer vacation! We’re planning to restart in September, but we have to clear a couple of hurdles.
First, we need a new venue! Unfortunately, MarBar (and Marathon Grill downstairs) in West Philly have closed forever. The important features in a new venue are:
space for a group of 100 or so
alcoholic beverages for sale
proximity to public transportation
A/V equipment (projector and microphones).
Please send any suggestions to
Second, we need a new co‑boss! Running Nerd Nite is a job for two, and Melissa has moved to Washington D.C. Is anyone interested in stepping into her shoes? The job of running Nerd Nite consists mainly of finding speakers and performers, getting information to them about how Nerd Nite works, sending out some emails and Facebook
notifications about the event, showing up about 45 minutes early on the night of Nerd Nite to get things set up, and announcing speakers and performers. If you don’t want to make a big time commitment but would still be interested in helping Nerd Nite run smoothly we have jobs for you, too! If you’re interested, please email ‑ Michelle will be happy to answer questions and fill you in on additional details.
Finally, we’d love to hear your recommendations for possible speakers and performers. You don’t need to have a PhD or a recording contract to be a part of Nerd Nite. All you need is a passion for the topic you are speaking on and the willingness to share your talents, as amateur as they may be, in front of 100+ people. Everyone reading this e-mail must know someone who fits into either of those categories, so please, send us their contact info!
We’re looking forward to seeing you all again in the fall. And please do send along your suggestions ‑ you may have thought of a venue, speaker, or performer that we haven’t.
Best,
Michelle and Melissa
The Nerd Nite Philly Team
May 2011 Edition of Philly Nerd Nite
It’s that time again! Time to mark your calendars for the next edition of Philly Nerd Nite!
May 12, 2011
MarBar, 40th and Walnut St.
Doors at 7:30, show starts at 8
3 dollar cover
Featuring:
“Investigative Science Reporting” by Kerry Grens
In 2006, a California company earned the distinction of producing what Time magazine called one of the best inventions of the year: a hypoallergenic cat. While the morning talk shows lauded the idea of a sneeze-free kitty, scientists became skeptical. Where was the evidence? Kerry Grens brings you her reporter’s notebook on the investigation into the biology and the business behind this $4000 pet.
Bio: Kerry Grens is a health and science reporter at WHYY, the NPR and PBS affiliate in Philadelphia, and a regular contributor to Reuters Health. Previously, she was a staff writer at The Scientist magazine, and a health reporter at New Hampshire Public Radio. Kerry has a masters in biological sciences from Stanford University and a biology degree from Loyola University Chicago.
“Real Lomos, Fake Lomos, and the Politics and Practice of Analogue Photography Among Central Asian Hipsters” by Erica Pelta Feldman
Anyone who’s shopped at Urban Outfitters or set foot in Brooklyn over the past few years will recognize the term “lomo”–if nothing else, as the required tool for practicing “lomography.” But what exactly *are* these lomos? Where did they come from, who uses them, what are they used for, and how (and why?) did they become so popular? As it turns out, the answers to these questions are tightly bound up with Soviet history, post-fall identity politics, the competitive spirit of the Cold War, the value and meaning of kitsch and nostalgia, and consumption opportunities and practices in the First and Second Worlds. Seeking the material and ideological origins of your Diana Minis and Lomo LCAs, we’ll travel back in time to a factory in Soviet Leningrad, fast-forward to early-1990s Czechoslovakia, and end up in cosmopolitan present-day Bishkek.
Bio: Erica Pelta Feldman is a Ph.D. candidate in linguistic anthropology at the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor. Her research concerns youth culture, material culture, consumption practices, subcultures, and new urbanisms in post-Soviet Central Asia. She is currently making preparations to begin her dissertation fieldwork in Bishkek, the capital of Kyrgyzstan, this coming September.
“The Strange Case of Charlemagne’s Muslim Elephant” by Paul M. Cobb
Around the year 800 AD, medieval chronicles tell us, the Muslim ruler in Baghdad, named al-Rashid, sent a gift to the Christian emperor in Europe, named Charlemagne, in the form of a live elephant, named Abulabaz. While it was not unusual for rulers to send gifts to one another, an elephant was, let’s face it, a bit over the top, and the whole episode remains something of a medieval mystery, compounded by the fact that not a single Muslim source records the event. What was going on? Gifts always have meanings, and so tonight I will try to decode what elephants “meant” to medieval people and get at what al-Rashid might have been thinking when he sent Abulabaz trundling off toward his adoptive home in the West.
Bio: Paul M. Cobb is Associate Professor of Islamic History in the Department of Near Eastern Languages and Civilizations at Penn. He tends to write about the interactions of Muslims with medieval Europe including the Crusades. His most recent book was a translation of a Muslim eye-witness to the Crusades called, *The Book of Contemplation: Islam and the Crusades* (Penguin Classics, 2008), and is hard at work on a history of Muslim experiences of the Crusades. He prefers bourbon.
Entertainment:
Comedy by Aaron Hertzog
Music by Kassie Richardson