It’s the final Nerd Nite of 2014! 
We don’t know about you, but our November and December calendars are already jam packed with plans to consume a regrettable amount of food and alcohol. So we’re wrapping up 2014 a smidge early with a health dose of random knowledge.
November 18, kick off a happy holiday season with true facts about the science of GPS; Air Traffic Control (apparently
Pushing Tin is *not* an accurate representation); and the wonders of health and human evolution.
- When: Tuesday, November 18, 2014 – doors at 6:30pm, show at 7:00pm
- Where: The Oriental Theater
- Tickets: $5 online, $8 at the door – 18+
Don’t worry! Nerd Nite returns January 22 at The Oriental Theater!
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How GPS Works: Just Ask Flavor Flav
by Andrew Novick
Many people, know what the Global Positioning System (GPS) does, but many people do not know how it does it. With the help of Flavor Flav and Public Enemy, I’ll venture to explain it. I’ll also explain hacking jamming, GPS toasters and why “GPS on TV” is usually flawed.
“Don’t believe the hype? Then you don’t know what TIME it is.” – Flav
Speaker Bio: Andrew Novick is a Denver native and a prolific provocateur of wackiness in town. Whether as a performer of music and/or PowerPoint presentations (Warlock Pinchers, GetYourGoing, respectively) or running themed events (PeepsBQ, Andrew Novick’s X-Treme Pancake Breakfast, Japanese Medical Punk Dance Party and Surgery Dinner, etc.), he tries to keep himself (and others!) busy. He is also an electrical engineer (measuring atomic clocks!) and an avid collector (www.isaveeverything.com). Andrew has been called the “world’s most recreational photographer” – snapping photos to fit into the countless themes of his visual vernacular.
Past art shows include: Candy, Cuts and Bruises (~2000), The Astounding Problem of Andrew Novick (2009), International Food Phenomena (2010); Objectophelia (group show, 2010), Window Dressing (2010), Super-Relative (with Samuel Schimek, 2010). Pieces in Andrew Novick’s latest collection, FOOD FACE have titles such as: “Meatballs!”, “Pizza Face” and “Eyeballs!”, which sound perhaps more horrifying than delicious. Recent art shows include Japan Popsplosion! (2104) And Unstill Life (2014), both of which showed digital prints on canvas of quickly curated shots of brightly-colored subjects. Andrew strives to show thinks all around us that are fun and interesting and usually provoke conversation and new ideas. He is also co-teaching a College class about FUN!
Pushing Tin is a Lie: The Truth About Air Traffic Control
by Dena McClung
Synopsis and speaker bio coming soon!
Don’t sweat the small stuff! Stress, health and human evolution
by Zane Thayer
The purpose of the talk will be to discuss the evolution of the human stress response and how living in our overly crazed and stressed out world can contribute to developing poor health. We will also discuss some evolution-informed strategies for keeping ourselves happy and healthy.
Speaker Bio: Zane is an assistant professor of anthropology at UC Denver. She is a world expert on human chins (that’s a thing) and studies the effects of stress on health in beautiful Aotearoa/New Zealand. She enjoys all the beer and outdoorsy things that Colorado has to offer.
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Before you go, be sure to take a minute to like us on
Facebook and follow us on
Twitter for up-to-the-minute updates and fun facts, and be the first to know event details by signing up for our email list (in the bar to the right).
See you soon!
p.s. Want to be a Nerd Nite speaker? Or know someone who should be?
Let us know!
AHHHH! Thanks to all of you, our resident nerds, September’s Nerd Nite was one of the absolute best yet. We’ll have *full* videos of the evening in the coming weeks, but for now check out the Girls of Geek 12 clips and highlights from the evening.
Thank you everyone!!!
p.s. Did you take pictures of the night? Want to share your favorite part of the evening? Share with us on Facebook!
We are SO damn excited about this month’s Nerd Nite that we can practically guarantee this post is fraught with typos….excitement typos.
September 25, your favorite cartoons will come to life with voice-actor Rob Paulsen (just read his IMDB, you will die); we’ll hear all about the many things to be learned from cannabis and platypus (it’s science, we promise); and we will finally have an answer to that pesky question asked around the world: why the hell don’t we use the metric system in the United States?
So prepare to have those minds blown and get your tickets now!
- When: Thursday, September 25, 2014 – doors at 6:30pm, show at 7:00pm
- Where: The Oriental Theater
- Tickets: $5 online, $8 at the door – 18+
Drinks, food, and mingles start at 6:30pm, show starts at 7pm — so come early to hang out with us!
Don’t miss the amazing presentations (and the accompanying drinks). Tickets are limited at the door so grab yours now!
Share this event on FACEBOOK or TWITTER! Social media!
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Voice Acting in a Cartoon Universe
By Rob Paulsen
Synopsis: Legendary voice actor
Rob Paulsen will talk about the process, the joys, and the changing landscape of voice acting. Prepare to meet your childhood on Thursday and then see Rob perform the following evening at
Animaniacs LIVE! presented by the Colorado Symphony and Arrow Electronics as a part of the season’s Geek Concert Series.
Bio: Rob Paulsen (Animaniacs, Pinky and the Brain, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Jimmy Neutron, the list goes on) is one of the most experienced and talented voice actors in the business. Check out his
Talkin’ Toons podcast or follow him on Twitter at
@yakkopinky.
Platelets, the Platypus, and Pot: How engineered blood vessels are changing the way we think about blood clotting
By Keith Neeves
Synopsis: Technology has been developed that mimics human blood vessels on a microchip. The microchips help diagnose rare bleeding disorders and test new drugs at the Children’s Hospital Colorado. We will learn how this technology can be used to minimize animal testing and predict a person’s response to cardiovascular drugs. We’ll hear specifically about a few interesting discoveries on the effect of cannabis on blood clotting and the evolution of our favorite blood cell the platelet from our Australian friend the platypus.
Bio: Keith Neeves is an Associate Professor in the Chemical and Biological Engineering Department at the Colorado School of Mines. He is a Colorado native who received a BS from CU-Boulder and PhD from Cornell University and did postdoctoral training at the University of Pennsylvania. His research interests include cardiovascular engineering, drug delivery, and biomedical microdevices.
The History and Downfall of the Metric System in the United States
By Randy Bancroft
Synopsis: From the invention of the metric system and the many ways it simplified life to its battle for dominance in the United States, we’ll learn all about the metric system and why we don’t, but should, use it.
Bio: Randy Bancroft, writer of
The Metric Maven, is a practicing Professional Engineer in the State of Colorado, published author (check out his book
Schrodinger’s Cat & The Golden Bough) and nerd extraordinaire. He did graduate work at California State University at Northridge, and received his Master’s at The University of Colorado at Boulder.
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Before you go, be sure to take a minute to like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter for up-to-the-minute updates and fun facts, and be the first to know event details by signing up for our email list (in the bar to the right).
See you soon!
p.s. Want to be a Nerd Nite speaker? Or know someone who should be? Let us know!
We’re going full nerd this month with an
in-depth look at cosplay, the evolution of video game controllers, and how satellite imagery can save lives.
Wave that nerd flag high and get your tickets now!
- When: Thursday, August 28, 2014 – doors at 6:30pm, show at 7:00pm
- Where: The Oriental Theater
- Tickets: $5 online, $7 at the door – 18+
Drinks, food, and mingles start at 6:30pm, show starts at 7pm — so come early to hang out with us!
Don’t miss the amazing presentations (and the accompanying drinks). Tickets are limited at the door so grab yours now!
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August’s Nerd Nite will feature the following, nerdtastic presentations:
Cosplay Corner
by Shae and Mattie of Girls of Geek 12
DESCRIPTION: As more nerdy conventions start popping up around the United States, the demand for Cosplay is in. In a way, the Cosplay community has become a society with rules and behaviors. We are here to show why Cosplay is such a big thing in the nerd/geek world, the easy and hard ways to make your Cosplay and Cosplay etiquette.
SPEAKER BIOS (in their own words!):
“I am Mattie and I have been a nerd/geek for a majority of the 26 years that I have lived. I love conventions, video games, comic books and so much more. Even though I am a functioning member of society working 40 hours a week, I enjoy my geeky life and try to live it to the fullest. I have been with Girls of Geek 12 since October 2012 and have enjoyed every minute of it especially since I pulled my best friend into it. My passions are reading, writing and sewing/creating costumes. ”
“Hi! I’m Shae, and I’m a geek/nerd! I started out in the wonderful world of anime and moved onto sci-fi and all the gloriousness that comes along with being a geek. I love comics, video games, naps, and anything nerdy related. I’ve been cosplaying on and off since I was 15, and am not an expert at all. I’m just someone who loves to be a geek and proud of it. Mattie got me interested in Girls of Geek, and as of July 2013, I have been an official Girl of Geek. There’s nothing better than spreading the awesomeness of the nerd-verse and bringing geeks together.”
How the Nintendo Controller Changed Gaming Forever
by Jeff Fal
DESCRIPTION: The NES controller changed gaming forever. In 1983, a glut of consoles and crappy games nearly killed the gaming industry. When Nintendo released the NES in America a few years later, it initiated a more mature phase for gaming. The best evidence for this is the classic NES controller, which became a standard all other console makers followed. Companies like Atari, Coleco, and Magnavox had bounced around different controller concepts for years, but Nintendo finally cracked the code. Every great idea that was in the NES controller is still with us in every game controller of today.
SPEAKER BIOS: Jeff Fal is an interaction designer whose current job with Denver’s Ping Identity was preceded by a year-and-a-half spent designing, developing, and launching the game Dungeonism for iOS. You can find Jeff on Twitter as @jefffal, tweeting very little about video games, some bit about politics, and mostly dumb jokes that someone else on Twitter has already thought of.
What *is* Humanitarian Satellite Imagery?
by Adam Brinckerhoff of Space United
DESCRIPTION: Space technology is cool. Helping people is cool. But can you help people using space technology? The ImageGryphon mission proves that you can and should by donating space imagery to international nonprofits. Very cool.
SPEAKER BIOS: SpaceUnited Development Engineer Adam Brinckerhoff was born and raised in Springfield, Illinois, not exactly the hub of the international space industry. He followed his passion for space to Michigan, Virginia, Alabama, California, Georgia, and Washington, DC. He now lives in Broomfield with his wife, dog, cat, fish, snail, and very first acoustic piano.
Poster credit: Melanie Schultz, cleverviolet.com
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Before you go, be sure to take a minute to like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter for up-to-the-minute updates and fun facts, and be the first to know event details by signing up for our email list (in the bar to the right).
See you soon!
p.s. Want to be a Nerd Nite speaker? Or know someone who should be? Let us know!
This is the moment you’ve been waiting for: the official launch of Nerd Nite Denver! Mark your calendars!
Wednesday, 5/14/2014
Doors at 8:00 pm, show at 8:30
Forest Room 5, 2532 15th Street in Lower Highlands
$5 online, $7 at the door – 18+
Tickets available here – SOLD OUT
Is it okay to kill a zombie? What if we had a zombie cure? And once we’ve neutralized the zombie threat, how worried should we be about Skynet? Join us for answers to these questions and more! Be there and be square!
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“Ethics of the Undead” by Kyle MunKittrick
Zombies, we love to hate them. But is it actually ethically acceptable to kill zombies? “Ethics of the Undead” explores the rights of dead people, the ethical conundrums brought up by different types of zombies, and what we would do if we could “cure” zombification. We know you’ll love this gloriously gory combination of philosophy and horror.
NYU educated bioethicist Kyle Munkittrick works by day to revolutionize health care, by night he a can be found oversharing his opinions and over analyzing science, philosophy, and culture on twitter @popbioethics. His longer writing can be found on Discover Magazine, Slate, and io9.
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“When will supercomputers take over the world?” by Paul Constantine
The world’s biggest computers keep getting bigger, faster, and more powerful. The astonishing progress has inspired many futurists to posit the day when some beefy calculator with glowing red eye-like LEDs will become self-aware and take control of the world. In reality, scientists in our nation’s top research laboratories and universities harness this computing power daily to make scientific progress with sophisticated simulations—and no legitimate threat of Skynet. Hear about the trends in supercomputers and the science being done with them.
Paul Constantine is an assistant professor in applied math and statistics at Colorado School of Mines. He received his Ph.D. from Stanford’s Institute for Computational and Mathematical Engineering in 2009 and was awarded the John von Neumann Fellowship in Computational Science at Sandia National Laboratories. His research interests in computational science include uncertainty quantification, where the goal is to devise and compute measures of confidence for big computer simulations. He’s also seen Terminator, like, twice.
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Don’t miss these amazing presentations (and the accompanying drinks). Tickets are $5 online and $7 at the door. So grab your tix now!
And be sure to take a minute to like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter for up-to-the-minute updates and fun facts!
