Posts Tagged ‘social media’

Nerd Nite #100: The Return!

It has been far, far too long since we’ve been able to celebrate nerdery in Philadelphia with you. But all that will change on Wednesday, August 11th at 7:30pm at Frankford Hall when Nerd Nite Philadelphia returns! We’ve got a special lineup for you to welcome you back:

Flags are Physical Objects
by Simon M. Joseph

Nowadays you’re more likely to interact with a flag emoji than you are with an actual flag. This doesn’t stop these pieces of fabric from existing in the analog world, however. In his triumphant return to Nerd Nite, Simon will go through a few examples of how flags have evolved to meet our changing human needs.

BIO: And now ladies and gentlemen, it is the distinct pleasure of the management to present to you the evening’s star attraction. Here they are back after their exclusive three year tour of Europe, Scandinavia, and the sub continent. Won’t you welcome from Calumet City, Illinois, the show band of… wait, this is the intro from the Blues Brothers! Oh nuts, I’m going to have to come up with a better biographical statement before I hit the character lim

Cosmic Comics: A Tribute to Out of this World Funnybooks

by Chris Cummins

Join Chris as he presents an overview of the weirdest science fiction humor comics ever made. With a spotlight on the strange, Cummins will show you how space is the place for laughs!

BIO: Along with being a Nerd Nite Philly co-boss, Chris Cummins is a writer and comics historian who has contributed to Den of Geek, Archie Comics and USA Today. He is also the producer and host of Sci-Fi Explosion, a “cosmic cabaret of craziness” that focuses on science fiction ephemera.

Are Vampires the Elite Class?
by Timothy Wotring


What We Do in the Shadows is a vampire horror-comedy tv show which premiered on FX in 2019, and is based off the movie of its namesake from 2015. It answers that age old question, “What would it be like for eternal vampires to be roommates?” The show is full of gags and goofiness, but it also has something to say about class struggle. The vampires represent the wealthy class who refuse to allow for other economic systems, while the humans continue to struggle under the gaze of late capitalism. Join me as we explore how vampires hoard wealth and power and seek domination over the entire world! It will be bloody fun!

BIO: Timothy is a pastor and lives in Philadelphia, PA. He watches horror year-round and enjoys presenting on pop cultural topics pertaining to horror at conferences!

All this plus a very special performance by SKELETOR!

It all gets underway at 7:30pm at Frankford Hall on Wednesday, August 11th. $10 (cash, Venmo, or crypto only, there is an ATM on site and a Wells Fargo up the street).

Be there and be square, we have missed you so much!

Nerd Nite No 54: Social Media Travels, America’s True Birthplace, and Fun with Weird Al

Greetings Nerds!

Are you ready to enjoy a fine fall evening with us on November 4? We know we are! Check back soon for more details on our talks, but in the meantime, we’ll hopefully pique your interest with the following info:

Kae Lani Kennedy will present “Your Social Media Habits are F*cking with the Travel Industry: Here’s How We’re Adapting”.

Social media is driven by users sharing experiences and one of the most commonly shared experiences online is travel.  Whether it’s to a restaurant in our city, or to a distant continent, we want to humblebrag, take selfies, and hashtag where we and what we’re doing.  So what does all this social media jargon mean for the travel industry?  In this talk, we’ll discuss the social implications of social media, shifting trends and travel habits, and how the travel industry is adapting to this changing media landscape.

Kae Lani Kennedy is a Philadelphia-based travel journalist and the Social Media Manager for Matador Network, an independent travel media site specializing in capturing “human stories”.  Straddling the worlds of journalism and marketing, she has developed social media strategies that have earned her and her company the title of the travel industry’s “Most Effective Brand on Social Media” by Skift and American Express.  When she’s not traveling the world in the name of journalism, she enjoys street photography, flying drones, and sampling nachos from every bar and restaurant around town.

David Krueger will discuss the topic of his recent book, in his talk entitled “Vikings Myths, Pseudoarchaeology, and the “True” Birthplace of America”.

Why do people believe things that scholarship has disproven? Is myth more powerful than science? I’m going to tell you the story of how a charismatic Norwegian immigrant was able to persuade the masses that the nation began in 1362, with the deaths of Christian Vikings at the hands of skraelings in what was one day to become Minnesota.

David M. Krueger is an independent scholar of religion, history, and American culture with a PhD from Temple University and a ThM from Princeton Theological Seminary. He is the author of the new book Myths of the Rune Stone: Viking Martyrs and the Birthplace of America published by the University of Minnesota Press. He’s a farm kid at heart, loves ’80s hardcore punk, and is a dedicated offspring wrangler a.k.a. parent.

And, recent Geek Awards Winner Kelly Phillips will share some Weird Al stories in her talk “Everything You Know is Wrong: Growing Up Online with “Weird Al” Yankovic”.

See Weird Al through the eyes of an impassioned teenage girl who could only truly express and legitimize her fanhood in the form of an early 2000’s website. The former webmaster will read from her comic series “Weird Me” which documents her diehard fan years, and the audience will be quizzed with the kind of Weird Al trivia that only a questionably obsessive adolescent could know.

Kelly Phillips is a cartoonist living in West Philly. She is the creator of the comic series Weird Me: the true story of her teenage years as the moderately successful webmaster of a “Weird Al” Yankovic fan site. Her work has appeared in various publications, including Philadelphia City Paper, Quarter Moon, and Secret Prison. She is also the co-editor and publisher of the award-winning all-girl comic anthology Dirty Diamonds, which recently debuted its sixth book around the theme of Beauty, featuring work from over 50 international contributors.

And what else? Music by local singer-songwriter Brian Gray!

When: Wednesday, November 4

What time: Doors open at 4pm. Show starts at 7:30pm

How much: $5 cover gets you admission plus happy hour specials all night

Where: Frankford Hall, 1210 Frankford Ave., Philadelphia, PA 19125

Be there and be square!

Nerd Nite Philly