Join us for an evening of complete madness and tasty drinks!
Grab your friends by the straightjackets and come get wild with us at The Last Word! From the influenza epidemic of 1918 to self deception and sports, we’ve got about as much madness as you can handle- and maybe a little more! Be there. Be MAD.
Date: Thursday, March 21st
Time: Doors at 6:30, event at 7
Location: The Last Word, 301 W Huron, Ann Arbor, MI 48104
Fees: $5 Cover
We’ll have buttons and T-shirts, and they’ll be as many drinks as you want to buy at the bar!
Questions? Send us an e-mail at nerdnitea2[at]gmail.com
Want more info? Check out this month’s presentation highlights:
Self-Deception, or: I’m Pretty Sure This is the Best Nerd Nite Talk You’ll Ever Hear, Alex D Jakle
Athletes, as a matter of practice, often tell themselves they can win a race or a game even when all the evidence suggests otherwise. But self-deception is hardly limited to athletes; we all lie to ourselves. All the time. About everything. We fit everything around us into pre-fabricated narratives\ whether true or not (and whether they fit well or not). Many – if not most – of the things we hold dear are founded at least in part on the exaggerations, half-truths, and lies we tell ourselves. But don’t despair! Because the dirty little secret? It may not be such a bad thing…
Alex is a law student and a Ph.D candidate in Political Science at UM. His research explores how the culture of amateur baseball encourages NCAA rule violations, for which he had to spend two grueling summers doing fieldwork in the Cape Cod Baseball League. He’s worried somethin’ awful that he’s lying to himself about the quality and progress of his dissertation.
Influenza Madness: The Pandemic of 1918 and the Flu Today, Joshua Stoolman
Pandemics seem to be a great topic for horror stories. 28 Days Later, Resident Evil, Contagion are a few that come to mind right off the bat. The best one I have heard just happens to be real. The 1918 flu pandemic was an unusually deadly influenza pandemic which infected 500 million people across the world and killed 50 to 100 million of them — 1 to 3 percent of the world’s population at the time — making it one of the deadliest natural disasters in human history. This virus’ progeny are still around today and cause about 1 billion infections world wide each year. The H1N1 scare in 2009 illustrates how real of an issue this still is today.
Joshua was born and raised in Ann Arbor, went to Kalamazoo College where he majored in biology and came back to Ann Arbor do work as a technician in an immunology lab. Joshua is now a graduate student in the Program in Immunology at the University of Michigan where he study immune cell migration to the central nervous system in a mouse model of Multiple Sclerosis.
H. H. Holmes: A Devil Born in his Soul, James T Mann
Serial killer, con artist. Born Herman Webster Mudgett in 1861 in Gilmanton, New Hampshire. Sometimes referred as the Beast of Chicago, H. H. Holmes’ life of crime started out with various frauds and scams as a medical student at the University of Michigan…
James Mann is a local historian, storyteller and author. His books include “Ypsilanti: A History in Pictures,” City of Ypsilanti Fire Department 100 Years,” and “Our Heritage: Down by the Depot in Ypsilanti,” written with Tom Dodd. His most recent book is “Wicked Washtenaw County: Strange Tales of the Grisly and Unexplained.”
This time around, we’re honoring Valentine’s Day/Singles Awareness Day by providing you with some nerd talk on love, passion, and fire! We hope to see you and your friends on Thursday, February 21!
When: Thursday, February 21
Where: The Last Word 301 W. Huron, Ann Arbor, MI 48104
When: Doors at 6:30 Event at 7
Stuff: T-Shirts $15 , Buttons for a recommended donation
Here’s a peek at what we’ve got lined up for February:
Kill It with Fire: Building Giant Art for Fun And Absolutely No Profit, Jane Davis
Photo by Tristan Savatier
Jane Davis, a member of Flaming Lotus, will share how to make kinetic, mechanical fire art. Flaming Lotus work stands at the intersection of sculpture, kinetics, robotics, pyrotechnics, and electronic technology. They create interactive large-scale fire installations, incorporating innovative designs in welded metal, interactive fire effects and responsive electronics, that engage viewers and invite them to become part of the art. Sculptures are made of steel, stainless steel, copper, aluminum, glass and wood – and sizes range from small to the very large, with fire blazing from 2“ to 150’.
Jane Davis has been making big stupid things since 2009, when she wandered into a metal shop in San Francisco and refused to leave. At the moment she lives in Ann Arbor, where she makes little stupid things and is getting her master’s degree in information science. Her favorite tool is an impact driver, but only because no one will let her near a boom lift. She knows four chords on the ukulele and thinks you look very nice today.
Coitus and Curry: Divine Sexy Times with Lord Krishna, Becky Bloom
Lord Krishna, perhaps India’s most beloved god, is best known for his boyish (if bluish) good looks, sexy flute-playing, and springtime canoodling with all the milkmaids in town. The divine activities of Krishna are more than erotic myth, however, as they represent the intimate relationship possible between god and devotee. In her presentation, Becky Bloom will explore the romantic complexities of divine love and devotion as expressed through the art and poetry of India.
Becky Bloom is a PhD student in the department of Asian Languages and Cultures, specializing in Tibetan Buddhism and Himalayan Art. Before coming to Michigan, Becky worked for the Rubin Museum of Art in New York, which highlights the art of Tibet, India, the Himalayas, and beyond.
Cupid Wasn’t Aiming For Your Heart: The Neuroscience of Love, Dr. Tiffany Love
What is love? This question tops Google’s most searched list and has been pondered throughout history by poets, scholars and, of course, 90’s pop artists. Where does love come from? What brings on those butterflies in your stomach when your beloved is near? Scientists are closer to understanding that thing called love and in her talk, Tiffany Love will present some of the recent research that reveals the host of brain chemicals that are tweaked following a bite from the love bug.
Dr. Tiffany Love is a faculty member in the Substance Abuse Section within the Department of Psychiatry at the University of Michigan. She received her PhD in Neuroscience from the University of Michigan and her BS in Biology and Psychology from the University of New Mexico.
We all know that learning is more fun when you’re drinking with friends and colleagues. Thus, Nerd Niteis a monthly event held in more than 50 cities across the globe during which several folks give 18-21-minute fun-yet-informative presentations across all disciplines – while the audience drinks along. And there are often bands, acrobats, trivia, and other shenanigans as well. Imagine learning about everything from math feuds or the science of the Simpsons, to the genealogy of Godzilla or debunking beer myths. Fun, right? As nerds and non-nerds like to say, “Nerd Nite Is Like the Discovery Channel™…with Beer!” We’ve finally brought this fun event to Ann Arbor, and we would love to have you come or present. Here are some details for our first event:
Date: Thursday, January 24
Location: Bar @ Braun Court – 327 Braun Court Ann Arbor, MI 48104 (Kerrytown)
Time: Doors at 6:30, Event 7-9
Price: $5 at the door, drinks + t-shirt if you want
H. H. Holmes: A Devil Born in his Soul, James T Mann
What is love? This question tops Google’s most searched list and has been pondered throughout history by poets, scholars and, of course, 90’s pop artists. Where does love come from? What brings on those butterflies in your stomach when your beloved is near? Scientists are closer to understanding that thing called love and in her talk, Tiffany Love will present some of the recent research that reveals the host of brain chemicals that are tweaked following a bite from the love bug.