Date: Saturday, March 16th
Time: Doors at 6, show at 6:30
Where: DC9 Nightclub
Oh you brilliantly beautiful nerdy souls, April’s Nerd Nite will be a rollercoaster ride through the realms of imagination, satire, and a healthy dose of 420-friendly humor! Let’s ignite those brain cells and blaze a trail to enlightenment!
Hold on as we unravel the mystique behind the Invention of the TurboEncabulator. We’re delving into the realm of satirical technobabble that’s had engineers chuckling since 1944!
Prepare to have your minds blown as we explore Aphantasia – where some people can visualize things and others are left in the dark!
And for all you budding botanists out there, get ready to explore the twisted branches of the Family Trees of Weed. From indica to sativa, we’ll be blazing through botanical history faster than you can say 420 BLAZE IT!
“They Live! Mind Control and the Invention of the TurboEncabulator” by James Browne
“Aphantasia, the New Science of Subjectivity, and my Shocking Discovery that Other People can Actually Visualize Shit” by Sadie Dingfelder
“Family Trees of Weed” by Jeffrey Salpekar
Date: Saturday, March 16th
Time: Doors at 6, show at 6:30
Where: DC9 Nightclub
“The Voice of A Genderation. Vocoders, Autotune, and Queer Identity” by Navi
Talk Description: From chipmunks to autotune, music nerd navi takes you on an abridged history of vocal effects in popular music, with an emphasis on the queer artists that used the technology to explore, expand, and exhibit their gender identities.
Bio: Navi (he/they) is a non-binary Sri Lankan manymedia artist, music producer, and meme maker. A self taught creative, they’ve released multiple nerdcore hip hop albums, toured as the lead vocalist of a psychedelic punk rap group, and engaged in local Art Making™ as a lighting designer, composer, sound engineer, performer, puppeteer, production manager, graphic designer, marketing content creator, and playwright. Currently, they’re running the R&D wing of Flying V as an Artistic Lead, exploring the vast reaches of performance, technology, and nerd culture!
“Late 90’s Kiwi TV” by Morgan Elwell
Talk Description: What would a world without adults look like? Or what if William Shatner had his own version of the Twilight Zone? Would a high school run by aliens work? Cloud 9 Studios in New Zealand answered these questions (and many more!) Learn about some of the biggest TV shows you probably missed from one of the smallest countries.
Bio: Morgan Elwell (she/her) is a former TV producer turned publicist with a love of all things media. She has over a decade of experience getting audiences excited for new things and she can’t wait to share her latest find with you!
“BeaverQuest: A Choose-Your-Own-Adventure” by Mike Bock
Talk Description: An interactive presentation where the audience decides the outcome! Spend a week in the life of North America’s favorite aquatic rodent.
Bio: Mike Bock (he/him) is a science communicator who works at the Smithsonian’s National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute. For his comedy work, check out local sketch groups Brick Penguin and Cured By Pain.
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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.