Date: Saturday, Feb 17th Time: Doors at 6, show at 6:30 Where: DC9 Nightclub
“Dating as a Data Nerd” by Tristan Attwood Description: Dating as a Data Nerd is what happens when one man turns some dating trouble into an excuse to engage in some serious data collection and science, and ends up meeting the love of his life. Bio: Tristan Attwood is a lifelong data lover who spends his days explaining numbers to airplanes. After some misadventures in dating, he is very lucky to have met his lovely wife Jessica and have a wonderful son Roland.
“Skins For Sale: Call Now to Purchase Your Avatar’s Racial Identity” by Alia Reza and Adanna Nedd Description: In the modern world of gaming, players can buy cosmetics called “skins,” which change the way their avatar looks — sometimes down to their race — without affecting gameplay. Within this uncomfortable phenomenon, we’re examining the potential costs that come with buying skins beyond their price tag (and the cringe of calling them “skins”), especially its effects on players of color. Bios: Alia Reza is a PhD Candidate at the University of Maryland School of Information Studies. She normally does research on immigrant information access and museology, but enjoys games research on the side, as well as playing the piano, cosplaying, and having too many cats. Adanna Nedd is a Games Writer, Narrative Designer, and Games Researcher. She’s previously worked on Spirit Swap and Kiss U, and when she isn’t writing or speaking about games she loves baking in her spare time.
“Naughty by Nature” by James Day Description: Are bats generous lovers? Do birds have polycules? Just how horny ARE brown bears? Learn about the ins and outs (and ins and outs) of the animal kingdom, with a focus on the oral sex habits of nature’s freakiest fauna. Bio: James is a statistician at the Census Bureau, who also loves yoga, painting, board games, nerdery, cooking, cocktails, and the Criterion Channel.
Date: Saturday, Dec. 16th Time: Doors at 6, show at 6:30 Where: DC9 Nightclub
‘Tis the season for a show that’s quirkier than a Christmas sweater with built-in jingle bells! Picture this: a wild ride through mangroves, the unsung heroes of the plant world, winning the ultimate badge of botanical honor. We’ll dive into the bizarre and mind-boggling realm of weird Garfield art, where even the lasagna gets a nerdy makeover. And what’s a holiday celebration without a good roast? Move over chestnuts; we’re roasting Tom Clancy’s novels for being more set in their ways than a grandparent at a family reunion.
“Ode to Joy: How Garfield (From Memory) Saved Me”by Kate Parnell Talk Description: Kate will speak about how her decision to make one small drawing of Garfield from memory every day changed her life and gave her a completely new artistic direction. By taking an incremental approach, sidestepping judgments and celebrating things that are deeply loved, she has found a path through depression and loss, and built a practice of creativity and community. Bio: Kate Parnell is a 43 year old artist who attended the Cooper Union and got a masters of fine arts, and who now lives with her parents and paints Garfield every day. You can find her work on her Instagram, @garfieldfrommemory.
“Mangroves and why they should be your best friend too”by Perri Moeller Talk Description: Perri will provide an illuminating and educational talk about what a mangrove is, spoiler alert its not a mango, the benefits of the ecosystem and why mangroves should become your best friend too. Bio: Perri Moeller is a returned peace corps volunteer who spent over 2 years living in the Philippines working on mangrove habitat management. Currently, Perri specializes in sustainability in the chemical space, but would love to corner you and talk your ear off about marine science facts.
“Executive Dysfunction: A Queer Eye on Tom Clancy”by Sarah Clancy Talk Description: We all know the stories of Jack Ryan but what if he was the real Clear and Present Danger to America?… Bio: Evolved beyond her prior form, Sarah stands tall as an amateur comedian and a thorn in the side of conservatives everywhere though her allegiance can be bought with pizza…
Gobble up some knowledge and a side of laughter at Nerd Nite DC’s pre-Thanksgiving feast of facts! We’re serving up lectures on the Vagus Nerve, Frogs, and crafting a space board game that’s the stuffing of dreams!
“The Fantastic and Freaky World of Frogs!”by Angela Trenkle Talk Description: Join us in a deep dive into the weird, wacky, and wonderful world of frogs! Bio: Angela is a scientific technical writer and herpetology enthusiast who was born and raised in Maryland. She is a certified Master Herpetologist and is an active volunteer with several environmental organizations that work to preserve the natural world. When she is not working or volunteering, she enjoys reading, writing, traveling, running, weightlifting, and spending as much time outdoors as possible.
“I Made a Space Board Game Instead of Doing my Post-Doc” by Mickey McDonald Talk Description: We humans have visited a lot of worlds in our Solar System, and not just the 8 (plus Pluto!) you usually learn about in school. To date, the robots we’ve sent out to explore the Solar System have returned high-res, close-up pictures of more than 70 unique worlds including comets, asteroids, moonlets, and dwarf planets. I think this is pretty cool! So I made a board game about it, found a factory to make it for me, wrote a book on astronomy (despite not reallllly being an astronomer), and now I want to tell you how that whole deal went. Bio: Mickey McDonald got his PhD in physics at Columbia back in 2016 learning how to make molecules wiggle in just the right way when hit with just the right kind of light, but his secret passion has always been learning about the universe. He currently lives in Colorado working for a company trying hard to build quantum computers, and spends his evenings making music and hanging out with his lovely wife and his three almost-as-lovely cats.
“The Polyvagal Theory: The Vagus Nerve And How Everything Around Us Transforms Our Body—Including, But Not Just, Trauma”by Seth Porges Talk Description: What is the vagus nerve? Could simply feeling safe allow us to live healthy and happy lives? Why do pets make us happy? What does any of this have to do with trauma? Will somebody turn down that loud noise? Why is everything so overwhelming? Why does everything suck? What can I do about it? Bio: Seth Porges is a journalist, author, and filmmaker. He wrote, produced, and directed the hit movie Class Action Park on (HBO) Max, as well as an upcoming stranger-than-fiction doc coming soon to Netflix. Previously, he was an editor at Popular Mechanics and Maxim magazines, and a columnist for Bloomberg Businessweek. He currently holds the world record for most unique Nerd Nite talks given, and is pretty good at pinball. His book Our Polyvagal World: How Safety and Trauma Change Us is available now.
