Nerd Nite Philly

Posts Tagged ‘psychology’

Nerd Nite No. 28, August 7, 2013

Hey Nerds! August – so much good in August! 1) the Nerd Nite Global Fest up in Brooklyn from August 16-18 featuring our own Rocky Parker talking about serpent scents and sex and Trevor McElroy talking about Dolley Madison and beer brewing in Revolutionary times. We are so excited to have two Philly reps! 2) Heck yeah!! We’ve been nominated for a Philly Geek Award in the category of Event of the Year! Thanks so much to everyone that wrote in to nominate us. The awards ceremony is on August 17th, and we’ll be there. 3) The August Philly Nerd Nite is Wednesday the 7th, and we have a great show planned. Details:

Wednesday, August 7, 2013 doors at 7:00, show at 7:30 sharp Frankford Hall at Frankford and Girard $5 cover gets you a night of nerdy fun, plus food and drink specials

The lectures at hand:

“The Industrial Uses of Fungus” by Samuel Bledsoe

When people hear “Mushroom research” their automatic response is either drugs or the black mold that grows in the shower. However, people have been using it to help make things for centuries, such as food and beer. I’ll be focusing on 6 species – Aspergillus niger and oryzae, Trichoderma Reesei and harzianum, Rhizopus stolonifer, and Pencillium chrysogenum. They are used for bio-control, bio-chemistry, medicine, and food, and play an important part in our daily lives.

“The Psychology of a Cosplayer” by Jo Pincushion

You’ve seen them at comic shows, Star Trek conventions and pretty much everywhere else nerds gather: cosplayers. But what inspires men and women of all ages and backgrounds to dress up like their favorite pop culture characters? In this speech, Jo Pincushion — a cosplayer herself — explores the mindset of those who enjoy transforming their appearance into that of their comic book and celluloid heroes. Bio: Jo Pincushion is a Philadelphia area writer/performer who regularly contributes to Geekadelphia, The Real Stan Lee, Things Women Want, Quirk Books and Rock on Philly. She is also the host of the Pincushion Podcast, and will be teaching night courses on Tim Burton and horror films at Main Line School Night in the fall. For more information on all of her endeavors, visit http://www.jopincushion.com

“My Life, My Digital Memory, In Over 11,000 Tweets” by Thomas Dixon

Just over one year ago, the Nerd Nite audience bore witness to my talk, “Traumatic Brain Injury? Technologically Beyond It!”, in which I shared both how I had developed episodic memory loss in light of having been hit by a car while I was on a run AND my extensive use of technology to replace my episodic memory function. Essentially, I have used my iPhone’s calendar as a prospective memory aid and my private Twitter feed as a retrospective memory aid, tweeting my life’s events as I see fit. These strategies provide so much information about one’s own life, particularly as there are now ~11.5k tweets over the span of two years, seven months, and eleven days (or 954 days, but who’s counting?), that it felt fitting to dig into the details of my “digital memory” to present what’s in it. Also, the question arises: Will we all make the switch to digital memory someday?

Bio: He’s back! Thomas Dixon returns to Nerd Nite with this talk, just over a year since his last NN appearance. He has since kept himself occupied with his Masters of Education program in educational psychology at Temple University (and it’s over half-way done now! He can see the light!), resuming his New Year’s Eve trips by being in Amsterdam for NYE 2013, and joining an archaeological survey team in Belize for the excavation of Mayan ruins for two weeks this past month. While all of that is exciting, it’s for returning to Nerd Nite that this nerd is excited!

And! Featuring Chiptunes by Storm Blooper aka Chris De Pew

Posted in Uncategorized |

Tags: cosplay, fungus, geekadelphia, memory, psychology, technology, weird science |

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Nerd Nite No. 17, August 8, 2012

Dear Nerds,

Join us for the August edition of Nerd Nite. It will be creepy, crawly, delicious and magical!

Wednesday, August 8, 2012
doors at 7:00, show at 7:30
Frankford Hall at Frankford & Girard
$5 cover

On tap for you:

“Bed bugs and a novel detection tool” by Dina Richman
Worrying about bed bugs? Not sure how to find them or what damage they cause? Have them and need to get rid of them? Come to Dina’s talk to get informed. Get all the bed bug basics that can fit into a 20 minute talk, plus learn about a new bed bug detection tool.Bio: Dina Richman has been with FMC Professional Solutions R&D in Philadelphia for almost 10 years where she is the pest segment product development manager. Dina has been involved with a variety of research projects, ranging from ant control to wasp control to bed bug detection. Before FMC, Dina completed a Masters degree in entomology focusing on flea control and a Ph.D. focusing on using building construction to control subterranean termite infestations. Both degrees were earned from the University of Florida. While at FMC, Dina also completed an MBA program, earning that degree from Drexel University. Oh, and she loves bugs. She presently lives in Kensington with her three big dogs.

“Grow. Cook. Teach.” by Danny Gerber
Danny has been teaching nutrition in Philadelphia for the past 18 years and he’ll be sharing some of some of the hands-on, interactive food systems lessons developed at the Urban Nutrition Initiative over this time. Along with some stories from the field, this workshop will provide an overall picture of what’s wrong with our food system and how you can get involved in the movement to transform it. Time permitting there will be an awesome hands-on food prep demonstration with opportunities for audience participation!

Danny Gerber is the founding director of the Agatston Urban Nutrition Initiative (UNI), a program of Penn’s Netter Center for Community Partnerships. UNI engages, educates and empowers youth, university students and community residents to promote healthy lifestyles and build a just and sustainable food systems. UNI’s programs include youth-run urban farms, healthy cooking programs and school nutrition education partnerships.

“How the $%@# Did You Do That? (Why Magic Tricks Work Best on Smart People)” by Francis Menotti
We always ask how magic tricks work. Perhaps a more pertinent question is why they do. Grab a drink, watch some magic, then learn a bit about psychology of misdirection and deception that magicians use to fool your senses. Maybe even learn a trick or two in the process!

Francis Menotti does the impossible. OK… he creates the illusion thereof. A full-time magician based out of Philadelphia, Menotti also writes, creates and directs magic for other magicians, theatre, film and television. Steve Martin calls his work “very clever,” and Teller has referred to him as “the future of magic,” but what do they know?

And featuring: magic by Francis Menotti and music by Carol Cleveland Sings

Posted in Uncategorized |

Tags: bugs, illusions, magic tricks, Penn, psychology, sustainability, urban farming |

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