It’s Nerd Nite time again, Ann Arbor friends! We have an exceptional lineup of Valentine’s Day-adjacent topics presented by a lovely assortment of local nerds that we are delighted to be bringing to the LIVE stage on Thursday, 2/16.
Romance novelist Celia Mulder will lead a ridiculous romp through the world of romance novel subgenres – from time-traveling Vikings to firefighting cowboys to shapeshifting were-creatures – and so much more.
Rich Retyi and Brian Peters, the beer-drinking, local history-loving duo behind the Ann Arbor Stories podcast, will bring the story of Ann Arbor’s seedy underbelly to (red) light.
Physicist Brian Worthmann says pink is bulls&%# and he’ll give a whole spectrum of reasons why in this colorful talk.
So bring someone you love, like, or love to hate, and join us for Red Light Romance: A Very Nerdy Valentine at LIVE on First St, Thursday, 2/16, doors at 6:30 pm.
Time Traveling Vikings: Or, the many layered subgenres of romance novels
Within the romance genre there are dozens of subgenres, some well known, some very unknown. Most people can name a few – contemporary, historical, or paranormal for example. Some people have even heard of Amish romance, westerns, or highlanders. This talk isn’t about any of those. It’s about the subgenres that almost no one’s heard of, the time traveling viking romances that we never knew we were missing.
About Celia Mulder: She is a first year Master student at the University of Michigan School of Information. She happens to be a huge romance fan but she honestly can’t tell you what her favorite book is, there are just too many. In addition to reading the smutty stuff, she writes it too. Her first book comes out this October.
Prostitutes, Politicians and Pornography: The History of Ann Arbor’s Red Light DistrictThere was a time in Ann Arbor’s history when the Fourth Avenue area of downtown was known as the red light district. Lined with prostitutes, adult bookstores and massage parlors, Ann Arbor’s red light district was presided over by the Pied Piper of Porn, Terry Whitman Shoultes. Take a trip into the seedy underbelly of Ann Arbor’s dirty past.
About Rich Retyi and Brian Peters: These gents produce Ann Arbor Stories, a podcast featuring stories from Ann Arbor’s distant and not so distant past. Rich runs digital and social media strategy for the University of Michigan hospitals and enjoys writing, playing with his kids, and Friday beers. Brian is the Operating Officer for Ghostly International, a multi-platform cultural curator and record label, as well as co-owner of local indie label, Quite Scientific; he enjoys fishing, camping, mustard, and surprise surprise – Friday beers.
Pink i
s Bullshit
The question is – which ‘Pink’ am I referring to? Perhaps this talk will be about gendered color-coding of children’s toys. Or maybe it’ll be about breast cancer awareness. Perhaps it’ll be about Victoria’s Secret’s advertising campaign for college-aged women. Or maybe the Grammy-award-winning pop singer from the early 2000s. Or perhaps it’ll be about all the overdose deaths associated with the powerful synthetic opioid eight times stronger than heroin. But as you might have guessed – this talk will be about none of these things!
About Brian: Brian is a fourth-year Applied Physics PhD student at UM, and a third-time presenter at NNA2. While not busy preparing for a Nerd Nite talk, he can be found teaching a class at
OLLI, giving conference talks, traveling the world, and, on rare occasions, actually doing the research he’s paid to do.
Stay tuned for more details, but we’re excited to hear why Pink is Bullshit, a little more about Ann Arbor Stories, and even a little bit of (ridiculous) romance!
…AND
WE’RE BACK!
It’s the new year and we’ve got an all new line up of speakers ready to let their nerd light shine. First up is Reema Abi-Akar, who knows there’s nothing new under the pun, but has some quip-witted repartee on everyone’s (dad’s) favorite kind of wordplay. Andrew McAllister, he studies applied physics, he works on a super computer, and he predicts a glorious and well-lit future in which super-efficient LED bulbs are also super-affordable. Newshound Jim McBee of The Ann magazine is here to talk about those phony news stories your uncle keeps sharing on Facebook, and how to separate the credible from the incredible.
It’s going to be illuminating in more ways than pun one!
When: Thursday, January 19, 2017, doors at 6:30 pm, talks at 7 pm!
Where: LIVE, 102 S First St, Ann Arbor
NO COVER, thanks to your friendly neighborhood AADL!
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Reema Abi-Akar: The Rogue Pun: More than just quip-witted repartee
Puns abound in society, whether we realize it or not. In this pun-apologetic analysis of wordplay, discover the linguistic and social history of puns. Learn how to identify different types of puns, their place in the linguistic structure, and why they are true language anarchists.
About Reema: Reema is a master’s student at Michigan studying Natural Resources and Environment. She is an avid punster and knows the names of all the US presidents in order because history is important. In her spare time, she researches adorable baby animals online. Find her on twitter at
@ReemaAbiAkar
Andrew McAllister: LED Light Bulbs: Why do they cost an arm and a leg?
The light sources of the future will be LED bulbs. They are efficient, last a long time, and some can even change colors on the fly. But why are they so expensive? Come learn about what LEDs are, why they are so important, and some of the ways we’re trying to make LED lighting affordable for everyone.
About Andrew: Andrew is a first-year in the Applied Physics program at the University of Michigan. He studies the many materials that we use to interact with light, and is interested in ways these materials become inefficient when we push them to extremes. He does all of his research using supercomputers, so instead of wearing a lab coat and glasses, he sit in front of a big computer monitor all day. When he’s not doing that, you’ll most likely find him wearing spandex (on a bike), playing board games, or ogling books at
Literati.
Jim McBee: What’s up with all this fake news, anyway?
All of a sudden, we seem to be deluged in completely made up phony stuff masquerading as credible news. How bad is it really, where does it come from and what should we do about it?
About Jim: Jim is a co-founder and creative director for The Ann magazine in Ann Arbor. He’s a lifelong newspaper gypsy. Find him and The Ann on twitter
NNA2 ed
ition #38 is proud to present sex smarts, bonkers borders, and a Mario Kart 64 master this month for your learning-while-drinking pleasure. Master of Public Health and owner of the S3 Safe Sex Store Beth Karmeisool presents a pop quiz on sexual health – AND THERE WILL BE PRIZES. Geography buff Alex Stefanov outlines outrageous examples of where (and why) countries draw their lines, and speed-running world record holder Jonathan Serwatowski levels with us on how playing video games as fast as possible can make the world a better place. Bring your brain, your buddy, and your beer money, and join us for a great night of nerd-dom.
When: Thursday, September 15, 2016, doors at 6:30 pm, talks at 7 pm!
Where: LIVE, 102 S First St, Ann Arbor
$$$: Free, thanks to your friendly neighborhood AADL!
Beth Karmeisool: “S3 Safe Sex Store Trivia and Talk”
Pop quiz, hot shot! Bring your sexual health A game and we’ll see what you really know about sex. Be the first to answer correctly and win a sexy prize.
About Beth: Beth is the founder of S3 Safe Sex Store and has a Master’s of Public Health specializing in sexual health awareness and prevention of STDs and unintended pregnancies. She has been educating about and promoting sexual health to normalize sex for over 20 years.
Alex Stefanov: “Bonkers Borders: Crazy Ex(clav)es, Drunken Surveyors, and Uzbeki Seas”
Borders are all around us, literally! These days, too many people struggle to place Poland on a map and even have trouble identifying West Virginia. If we paid more attention to our geopolitical frontiers, we’d find not only fascinating shapes but also rich histories behind them! Was moonshine consumption involved in delineating the Carolinas? Could poker have been a driving factor in demarcating India? Is there still unclaimed land out in the world? Let’s explore these and other intriguing cases of bonkers borders!
About Alex: Alex is a Michigan alum from New York and Bulgaria who loves the borders of all three. He looks to be a neuroscientist by day and a geography hobbyist by night, a sort of “Doctor With Borders”.
Jonathan Serwatowski: “The Insanity of Speed Running”
We’ll run down the basics of speed running: terminology, frame count, how to select your game, go in-depth on Mario Kart 64, demonstrate hand exercises for longevity, and a few funny speed run reaction videos. There’s also more to speed running than meets the eye, so we’ll also discuss the charity work opportunities the pastime presents.
About Jonathan: I am a recent graduate with a B.A. in History from Grand Valley State University. I am a speed runner with 3 years of speed running experience. I primarily run Unreal Tournament, Mario Kart 64, and Star Wars: Empire at War. I am the current world record holder in Star Wars: Empire at War in the Category of Zan Consortium Campaign Easy. I am the 17th in the world in Mario Kart 64, any %, no skips, and a former record holder of Mario Kart 64 100%. I also have the 4th best time in Unreal Tournament 1999 deathmatch %. Outside of gaming, my interests include current world events, heavy music, gardening, fishing, and tennis. Follow hum on Twitter @serwatoj.
This month, we have a diverse trio of great topics headed your way at NNA2 edition #37!
Aric Schultz returns to the NNA2 stage to give us the scientific skinny on genetically modified organisms. Beloved heckler Kevin Davis is back to talk data storage and perhaps ruin any illusions you may have regarding the cloud. And fellow NNA2 alum Carl Engelke (of the amazing homemade trumpet!) brings us home with his talk on the most epic magical saga of all time – Wagner’s Ring Cycle. Going to be a great night, so grab some friends and a couple of cold ones to join us at Nerd Nite!
When: Thursday, August 18, 2016, doors at 6:30 pm, talks at 7 pm!
Where: LIVE, 102 S First St, Ann Arbor
$$$: Free , thanks AADL!
Aric J Schultz: “OMG, GMOs.”
We often hear the term “genetically modified organisms” (GMOs) without much context as to what they are and what they are not. I’ll explain how they are made, plus their application and impact.
About Aric: I am a graduate student in the microbiology department at the University of Michigan Medical School. I study a microscopic parasite, Toxoplasma gondii, in order to learn more about how it causes disease in humans and identify aspects of this infection that could be exploited and used in the treatment of the disease. Outside of the lab I enjoy practicing brazilian jiu jitsu, gardening, and of course science communication. Follow him on Twitter at @aricj10.
Carl Engelke: “The use of leitmotif in Wagner’s Ring Cycle: A boring musicology talk”
The original “never-ending story,” (okay, so it’s actually 15 hours) Wagner’s epic opera cycle Der Ring des Niebelungen is widely regarded as the best way to thoroughly convince people that they hate opera. But it need not be so! As we cruise through a “brief” synopsis of the plot, we will explore how Wagner’s use of musical motifs neatly ties the storyline together, and how this compositional style has influenced the development of film scores.
About Carl: Carl had many, varied interests throughout the years, and he still sometimes wonders what he wants to do when (if) he grows up. He studied trumpet performance in college at Indiana University and the Royal Academy of Music in London, and performed with the Civic Orchestra of Chicago upon graduation. Currently, as a completely logical next step, he is an MD/PhD student at the University of Michigan Medical School, where he studies how chromatin dynamics influence the development and progression of prostate cancer.
Kevin Davis: “Flipping Bits: The History of Data Storage”
A review of the advancement of data storage and archival technologies, from the Mainframe to the Pokedex.
About Kevin: A SAN Engineer for a Fortune 10 company, Kevin determines the best IT storage solutions, for needs ranging from PowerPoint to Oracle. A 17-year IT veteran, he spends his days hard drive drag racing, writing manuals and procedure guides, reviewing new builds, and overseeing storage operations.
Drink an enlightening brew while you discover bacteria battles and cockroach control at this month’s Nerd Nite Ann Arbor! Come by to hear Ada Hagan tell of the zombie apocalypse that occurs when a certain virus attacks bacteria. Dylan Miller will explain how to take over someone’s free will with DIY neuroscience. And Ryan Engemann will explain scientific development through beer while you order another pint. We are excited to be partnering with the Michigan State University Science Festival this month, so come check out the awesome speakers we’ve got lined up to school you this time.
When: Thursday, April 21, 2016, doors at 6:30 pm, talks at 7 pm!
Where: LIVE, 102 S First St, Ann Arbor
$$$: NO COVER! cuz Ann Arbor District Library said so
Ada Hagan – Predator vs. Prey: A Micro Tail
Bacteria are feared by humans for their ability to cause diseases that can’t always be treated with antibiotics. But do bacteria have a predator of their own? Come learn about the virus that uses its “tail” to prey on bacteria, turning them into zombies. Predator versus prey may be a familiar story, but hear it with some new “micro” characters.
About Ada: Ada Hagan is a doctoral student at the University of Michigan in the department of Microbiology and Immunology. She does recon on the sneaky ways bacteria find nutrients (like iron!) when they are invading our bodies. Ada is a co-founder of the graduate student science communication blog MiSciWriters. Originally hailing from the mountains of East Tennessee, Ada spends her spare time writing, walking her dogs, cooking, and comparing strollers. Follow her on Twitter @adahagan.
Dylan Miller – The Body’s Electricity: From Cockroaches to You!
Have you ever had the desire to lose your free will? Or, alternatively, have you ever had the desire to take someone’s free will? This talk will discuss how Backyard Brains uses DIY-style neuroscience to bring to you direct control, via your muscle electricity, over cockroaches, machines, and even other humans!
About Dylan: Dylan Miller came to Backyard Brains as an undergraduate in neuroscience. He has since graduated from Michigan State University, and now works at BYB as a research scientist and on marketing. He initially joined in order to apply the RoboRoach setup to controlling scorpions, and moved on to manage several other undergraduate DIY-neuroscience projects. He also studies the behavior of scorpions in a separate research lab at MSU. Follow him on Twitter @BraconidaeBaron.
Ryan Engemann – The Science of Beer
Beer has been there from the beginning of the scientific revolution. From providing sanitary nourishment to the development of modern medicine and pasteurization, beer has been an integral influence on the development of science. Join Certified Cicerone® Ryan Engemann and explore this fascinating topic–over a pint, of course.
About Ryan: A nerd by nature, Ryan started working in the craft beer industry in Northern Michigan in 2011. He became the first Certified Cicerone in Northern Michigan and now can be found selling beers and talking science at Brewery Vivant in Grand Rapids. Check out what the brewery is up to on Facebook, Instagram or Twitter @breweryvivant.
It’s Media Mania Month at Nerd Nite Ann Arbor! We’re focusing in on the life after “the death of film” by exploring the process behind and the art created with non-digital photography with historic camera expert Ross Orr. We’ll hear from Martin Thoburn, an interactive filmmaker who finds endless ways to expand his video-based art beyond the screen. Andy Ross might know more about microphones than any person to ever speak into ours – and he’ll be telling the story of the impact of mic amplification on modern music. Join us for a deep dive into audiovisual awareness, plus drinks, laughs, and a spin on a vintage 35MM Carousel projector.
When: Thursday, February 18, 2016, doors at 6:30 pm, talks at 7 pm!
Where: LIVE, 102 S First St, Ann Arbor
$$$: NO COVER! Courtesy of the Ann Arbor District Library!!
Ross Orr – Are Film Cameras Dead, and Why Not?“Didn’t Kodak go bankrupt?” After the year 2000, sales of photographic film plunged by at least 95%. Yet there’s still a dedicated fringe who appreciate film’s tangible physicality and distinctive look. In a digital age, why are new converts dusting off decades-old, chunky, glass & metal cameras? For this talk we’ll bust out the 35mm Carousel projector and look at examples of why “slow photography” matters even today.
Martin Thoburn – Beyond the Video FrameTake a walk beyond traditional filmmaking and into the world of interactive video art and video mapping. Our journey will go behind the scenes on how this artist’s projects were created from concept to execution. Discover more about the strange world of video beyond the rectangular screen.
About Martin: Martin is a local animator and artist working in a variety of different media. He has produced and directed several short films, both animated and live action. Determined not to be confined to any one medium, Martin continually explores photography, live video mixing, design, collage, animation and motion graphics. Working with both modern and antique technologies sometimes in tandem, his work explores the uniqueness of the medium, technology, and/or tool. He is involved with YPSI24 and the Ann Arbor Film Festival and you can follow him on Twitter @duiceburger, or visit
martin-thoburn.com.
Andy Ross – Music and The MicrophoneThe invention of the microphone dramatically changed popular music, and allowed for the development of a more personal, intimate and emotional style of singing. We’ll look at, and listen to, this development.
About Andy: Andy is a web and graphic designer, and a widely exhibited artist here in Ann Arbor. He’s also a dedicated amateur musician and singer, and he has taught courses in popular culture and its impact. Find more about him at
andyrossdesign.com or follow him on Twitter @andyrossdesign.
Nerd Nite A2 is all about approaching things from new perspectives this month. Sure our phones are smart now, but let’s consider the value of making other electronic devices intelligent enough to sense and transmit useful information – such as getting a heads up from your fridge before you’ve poured recently-spoiled milk over your cereal. We’ll review the sweeter side of presidential history with a project that re-interprets U.S. presidents as cupcakes, a lens through which even the worst policy decisions can become into melt-in-your-mouth magic. And finally, we’ll think about using social media to encourage voters to get to the polls, instead of as a method of sharing cat videos – and with the November election just behind us, we’ll even get to hear about how well it works! So come hungry for nanotechnology, Commander in Chief-flavored cupcakes, and civic-minded social media and join us for another nerdy good time.
When: Thursday, November 19, 2015, doors at 6:30pm, talks at 7pm!
Where: LIVE, 102 S First St, Ann Arbor
$$$: NO COVER! Courtesy of your pal, the Ann Arbor District Library!!
Matt DeJarld – How Nano-electronics might allow you to communicate with your refrigeratorImagine having a refrigerator that can tell you when food has spoiled! The next technological revolution will be turning every appliance we use into a smart device. To create these devices, we need tiny sensors to allow the electronics to interact with the environment. Today these sensors are too large or too expensive, but luckily, engineers are working to reduce this sensor size and cost with the help of nano-electronics.
About Matt: Matt is a doctorate student at the University of Michigan. For the past few years, he has worked heavily with semiconductor nanostructures in efforts to improve the future of solar and indoor lighting technologies. In his free time he enjoys hiking with his dog, music, and movies/television.
Sherlonya Turner – 35 Offbeat Ways of Looking at the POTUSSometimes the President of the United States seems larger than life. This humorous talk will bring them down to size with anecdotes that present them as more man than myth. The Head of State Cakes project, in which a cake recipe is created in honor of each president, is what happens when you cross a lifelong interest in presidential history with a love of baking. The results are not only tasty, they’re pretty fun to talk about.
About Sherlonya: Sherlonya has an all-consuming and perhaps overwhelming love for the presidents. She’s interested in them less as politicians and more as men. Her history degree helps her put things in context. Her library degree gives her research tips and tricks. Her love of cooking has inspired her to create a tribute cupcake for each US President; see them all at
headofstatecakes.com. Her son is tired of hearing her talk about Lyndon Baines Johnson, her president boyfriend.
Sam Firke – Twitterbot Says Vote!There are 90,000 registered voters in Ann Arbor. Most don’t vote. I built a Twitter bot that matched voter names to Twitter accounts, then sent reminders to vote in local elections. Learn more about the problem, the project, and how it worked!
About Sam: Sam is a data analyst at an education nonprofit and a former high school math teacher. He’s active in local politics, makes things, and raises a couple of small nerdlings. He’s involved with the Ann Arbor Brewers Guild (
aabg.org) and you can find him on Twitter at @samfirke.
This month’s event takes us Back to the Future, because when BTTF 2 came out in 1989, October 21, 2015 seemed pretty darn future. Since we’re living in the future, we’ll talk about what the future looks like, or more accurately, what designers thought it would look like. We’ll find out the science behind instructing our (eventual) personalized robot servants to make our martinis just right. And finally, we’ll get hardcore about the Back to the Future trilogy, checking out how accurate their vision of the future really was. So power up your flux capacitors and get here for a flashback to the future!
When: Wednesday, October 21, 2015, doors at 6:30pm, talks at 7pm!
Where: LIVE, 102 S First St, Ann Arbor
$$$: NO COVER! Hey, thanks, Ann Arbor District Library!!
Nick Tobier – Where’s My Hoverboard?
Ready to assume vivid astro focus? We’ll follow the evolution of space-age design from the euphoria and optimism of the 1950s to the more cynical ‘70s, and see how artists’ conceptions of the future have influenced history and in turn, our society.
About Nick: Nick is an Associate Professor at the Stamps School of Art and Design and the Center for Entrepreneurship in the College of Engineering at the University of Michigan. With a background in sculpture and landscape architecture, Nick has long been interested in the social lives of public places and his work has been seen at the everywhere from the Edinburgh Fringe Festival to Detroit’s Brightmoor neighborhood.
Zhen Zeng – Everyone Can Teach a Robot
Ever felt too busy to do the laundry or too tired to cook? What if a robot could help you with all of this someday in the future? Developments in robotics are bringing this dream closer to reality by making robots that can imitate people and learn new actions. One day, you may be teaching your own robot how to make your favorite cocktail!
About Zhen: Zhen is a PHD student at the University of Michigan in Electrical Engineering, with a focus on robot object manipulation. When she’s not teaching Baxter the Robot to see, move, and think, she enjoys volleyball and card games.
Eli Neiburger – Back to the Future of Back to the Future
It’s the Future today! October 21, 2015 is the day Marty McFly visits in Back to the Future 2. Let’s take a detailed look at what they thought today would be like 30 years ago, and see what they missed, and what they nailed. READ MY FAX!
About Eli: Eli is Deputy Director at the Ann Arbor District Library and has given lots of talks across the US, Europe, Australia and New Zealand, but this is his very first talk that’s not about libraries! You may have seen him leading the Nintendoland Family Band at the Water Hill Music Festival. You can follow him on Twitter at @ulotrichous.
This month our topics go from down in the dirt (plant and fungi symbiosis!) to long-distance sounds to local examples of art in action. What our three featured nerds have in common, however, is that they each have a passion for their topic and want you to understand it too! So, whether you consider yourself an art aficionado, a sound geek, a plant-lover or beyond, we’ve got plenty of new stuff for you to pick up while you’re tipping back a beer. Grab a drink, grab a friend, and we’ll see you at LIVE on September 17th!
When: September 17, 2015, doors at 6:30 pm, talks at 7 pm!
Where: LIVE, 102 S. First St. in Ann Arbor
$$$: No cover! Big thanks to the Ann Arbor District Library!
Brian Worthmann — The Sound Heard ‘Round the World’
In our daily lives, we’re used to sound traveling as short as a fraction of an inch (like music from headphones) to as far as several hundred yards (like a football game heard several blocks away). But, over even larger distances, like tens, hundreds, or even thousands of miles, sound can do some very weird and unexpected things. We’ll talk about what sound does, why it does it, and how those surprising behaviors may have influenced the course of history.
About Brian: Worthmann is a PhD student at U of M in Applied Physics studying underwater acoustics and signal processing and was a participant in the
RELATE 2015 workshop. When not doing underwater acoustics research, he can be found learning, teaching, or binge-watching Netflix.
Alex Taylor — Underground Alliances
Nearly all plants form intimate symbiotic partnerships with fungi called Mychorrhizae. These fungi grow in elaborate webs through the soil, and then into the plan roots, growing even inside the plant cells, where the plant and fungus have struck a fabulously successful deal. The terms of this deal are straightforward: a trade of sugar for mineral nutrients that plays to the strengths and weaknesses of each partner. Mycorrhizae helped early plants get a toehold on land, and to this day, the vast majority of plants across the globe thrive thanks to their fungal partners. The world would be a barren place without this ancient and strange symbiosis.
About Alex: Alex is a Ph.D student in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, studying how plants evolved the ability to recognize and partner with bacteria and fungi in the soil. Most days, this involves sitting at a computer and running algorithms on the genome sequences of different plants. He also loves talking and writing about the spine-tingling majesty of science, and co-founded the blog “Thought and Awe” to do just that. In his spare time, Alex is into camping, gardening, and talking about the big stuff over a beer. Find him on Twitter at @ATayters.
Brenda Oelbaum – Stitch and Bitch: Hopefully a Comedy
Oelbaum, current President of the
National Women’s Caucus for Art, will share some of the ins and outs of her work in organizing a national arts non-profit and what that has to do with embroidering little black velveteen bags with gold numbers while she juggles those challenges and troubles. She invites members of the audience to fill the bags she provides with a problem to add to the mound of problems in her upcoming social practice performance and installation at POP-X Ann Arbor.
Pens and paper will be provided for attendees to write down their most troubling problem to contribute to her already heavy load. Contributors can then come by the installation running October 15-25, read some problems of others, and decide if they want to take their own bag back, or buy someone else’s problem as a souvenir.
Prostitutes, Politicians and Pornography: The History of Ann Arbor’s Red Light District
