Nerd Nite Denver

Posts Tagged ‘the oriental theater’

UPDATE: An enormous thanks to everyone who came out for yet another evening of nerdery. And a special thanks to all you costume-clad wonders. Check out pictures from the night on Facebook!

(Images courtesy of volunteer photographer Jen Small. Want to volunteer for Nerd Nite? Let us know!)

More than just another evening of high-level thinking and lowbrow drinking, this month’s Nerd Nite takes the turpitude to another level with a costume contest, dry t-shirt competition, and probably something to do with your candy-eating abilities.

On October 30th, we’ll find out if octopuses are trying to take over the world (*shivers*); how to make a statement with your coffee consumption; and a madman with degrees will talk about the endless weirdness of quantum physics.

What other pre-Halloween party will be so enlightening?

And for those of you with a competitive spirit, nerds dressed in costumes based on one of these three presentations will win all sorts of prizes, including free tickets to the Colorado Symphony’s Tribute to Comicon v2.0! 

• When: Thursday, October 30, 2014 – doors at 6:30pm, show at 7:00pm
• Where: The Oriental Theater
• Tickets: $5 online, $8 at the door – 18+

Will octopuses take over the world?

Will octopuses take over the world? Yes. But how will they do it? That’s the real question. Will it be through their amazing camouflaging abilities? Their impressive intelligence? Their eight super-flexible—and suckery—regenerating arms? Will it be because they can lay tens of thousands of little baby octopus eggs? Maybe just through seemingly innocuous—but ubiquitous—octopus prints on throw pillows and t-shirts? Or will it be a robot octopus uprising? Come learn how we’re most likely to meet our octopus overlords—and lots of other really cool stuff about octopus biology, behavior and how they’re influencing cutting-edge technology. Cephalopods, unite! (ßThey may or may not have made us write that.)

Voice Acting in a Cartoon Universe

Platelets, the Platypus, and Pot: How engineered blood vessels are changing the way we think about blood clotting

The History and Downfall of the Metric System in the United States

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!

Huge thanks to everyone who joined us at July’s Nerd Nite! For a recap of the evening, the amazing Girls of Geek 12 have written up a review. Check it out!

And for those who want to watch the first talk in its entirety, a video of Sexy Science can be found by clicking on the image below.

Watch now! Sexy Science: The Evolution of Sexual Norms

Humans. We’re fragile, flawed, and wonderful.

Nerd Nite – July 24, 2014

And we’re biologically designed to survive — whether through reproduction, stealing resources, or just not dying from disease. This month, we talk about all the wonderful (and sometimes controversial) ways that we humans interact with the world around us. Ooooh it’s going to be a saucy one!

• When: Thursday, July 24, 2014 – doors at 6:30pm, show at 7:00pm (come early to mingle and drink with us)
• Where: The Oriental Theater
• $5 online, $7 at the door – 18+
• Tickets:

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* Sexy Science: The Evolution of Sexual Norms…and How You Can Ditch Them

by Kayla Knopp, Rachel Miller, and Lane Nesbitt

DESCRIPTION: Have you ever wondered why our culture’s sexual attitudes and practices are the way they are? In this Sexy Science presentation, we will present research on the biological and social influences on the evolution of sex throughout human history, focusing on how we ended up with modern American sexual norms. We will open your eyes to the broad range of desires that encompass human sexuality, and highlight how narrow the range of sexuality that is considered “normal” actually is. In this talk on sex outside the bounds of cultural norms, you will get a taste of the sexual possibilities that await you, with a promise of more to come. Prepare to open your mind, your heart, and possibly your bedroom, to sex as you’ve never thought of it before.

SPEAKER BIOS: Kayla, Rachel, and Lane are clinical psychology Ph.D. students at the University of Denver. They conduct research on romantic and sexual relationships. They are interested in working with populations that are not traditionally studied, and seek to explore uncommon perspectives on topics for which a single perspective presently dominates the field. They also engage in clinical work with couples and individuals, and particularly enjoy working with clients on issues related to romantic and sexual involvement.

* Red Team Testing: Lying, picking, and stealing

by Ryan Jones

DESCRIPTION: “Red Team” is a term originated within the military to describe a team whose purpose is to penetrate the security of “friendly” installations, and thus test the effectiveness of their security measures. Over the last several years, this practice has become increasingly common in the private sector. This talk will show the reasons companies use these tests, the techniques and tools used by the teams to conduct the tests, and hopefully get you thinking in a way that makes you slightly more aware of your surroundings when it comes to the everyday security of the world around you.

SPEAKER BIO: Ryan has been working in the information security arena for 20 years, with a focus on penetration testing and red team testing. He is currently a Senior Consultant at Lares, an information security company out of Denver. In his free time, Ryan enjoys piña coladas, and getting caught in the rain. His rarely posted to twitter is @lizborden and you can yell at him after the presentation via email at lizborden@gmail.com

* Natural Selection and Your Health: Can I have a different evolutionary history, please?

by Dr. James DeGregori

DESCRIPTION: Most medical schools do not significantly cover evolutionary biology, and yet we cannot understand human health and illnesses without appreciating how evolution has shaped disease susceptibility and the potential nastiness of pathogens. We will discuss really depressing subjects like why we get old and sick, and why modern living (despite niceties like a longer healthier life) has come with a few side effects. Finally, we will learn about our crazy new theory on why we get cancer (and more importantly, why we don’t).

SPEAKER BIO: James DeGregori received a B.A. in Microbiology from the University of Texas at Austin in 1987, where he learned to piss people off, and a Ph.D. in Biology from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in Cambridge in 1993, where he learned enough to piss people off intelligently. He was a postdoctoral fellow at Duke from 1993-97, where he learned that pissing people off can get you in trouble. In 1997 he managed to get a real job in the Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Genetics at the University of Colorado School of Medicine, where he is currently (and hopefully futuristically) a Professor. He is also currently the Associate Director for Basic Science at the University of Colorado Cancer Center.

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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!

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!