Nerd Nite Seattle [65]: Pride Edition

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Diana Settlemyer and Alejandro Valdivieso will review LGBTQIA representation in both mainstream graphic novel series and underground comics, and Babeland sex educator Chelsea Cebara will discuss the science of how cannabis topicals work in the human body.
**FAQs**
High Dive
Tuesday, June 20th
Doors open at 6:30, talks start at 7:30
$5 suggested / 21+
BYO food or order Red Star Taco Bar through the bar
Accessibility: There are no stairs to the venue’s entryways or bathrooms. Tables are at standing level, but there is open seating at the front of the stage. Please refrain from wearing scented products in consideration of attendees with allergies and sensitivities. Please message us if you have further questions, suggestions or concerns.

Nerd Nite Seattle [64]: NASA Edition!

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This month we are collaborating with NASA as part of their Destination Station campaign! The topics will cover science, research and capabilities onboard the International Space Station with talks from Astronaut Anne McClain and Research Scientist Pete Hasbrook.
Destination Station is a national awareness campaign and traveling exhibit that promotes research opportunities, educates communities about activities performed on the international space station, and communicates the real and potential impacts of the station on our everyday lives.
**FAQs**
High Dive
Tuesday, May 23rd
Doors open at 6:30, talks start at 7:30
$5 suggested / 21+
BYO food or order Red Star Taco Bar through the bar
Accessibility: There are no stairs to the venue’s entryways or bathrooms. Tables are at standing level, but there is open seating at the front of the stage. Please refrain from wearing scented products in consideration of attendees with allergies and sensitivities. Please message us if you have further questions, suggestions or concerns.

Nerd Nite Seattle [63]: Apples to Antidotes

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This month’s lineup is venom-enal! We’ve got Arti Patel from the Washington Poison Center and tabletop game designer David Fooden.

Bring your favorite board games to play during happy hour. The Washington Poison Center will be holding a contest for the best poison prevention poster. We’ll have drawing supplies, you bring your mad skills, and High Dive will provide the liquid creativity.

Last but not least, MR. YUK WILL BE AT NERD NITE to make all of your childhood throwback dreams come true!

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Arti Patel – Washington Poison Control Center
Full talk description to be posted soon!

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David Fooden: Tabletop Game Design for Fun and Profit
David will tell you about his approach to game design, some basics of crowdfunding, and why you should or shouldn’t make boardgames.

David is an indie tabletop game designer and publisher. He created and kickstarted Yukon Salon, which was featured in this year’s PAX South Indie Showcase, and Oh My God! There’s An Axe In My Head. The Game of International Diplomacy. David has also developed games for Forrest-Pruzan Creative, including the upcoming Donner Dinner Party.

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**FAQs**
High Dive
Tuesday, April 18th
Doors open at 6:30, talks start at 7:30
$5 suggested / 21+

Accessibility: There are no stairs to the venue’s entryways or bathrooms. Tables are at standing level, but there is open seating at the front of the stage. Please refrain from wearing scented products in consideration of attendees with allergies and sensitivities. Please message us if you have further questions, suggestions or concerns.

BYO food or order Red Star Taco Bar through the bar

Nerd Nite Seattle [62]: The Igs of March

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David Kessler: Onstage & Backstage at The Ig Nobel Prize Ceremony
The Ig Nobel Prize recognizes research and achievements that first make people laugh and then make them think. The Winners stand on the Ig Nobel stage and attempt to explain what they did and why. And the Organizers try to present the winners as simultaneously smart, funny, understandable, and sane – all while surrounded by Nobel Laureates, science experiments, a live broadcast crew, and several thousand paper airplanes. Come hear about this Science-Humor award from one of its core organizers.

David Kessler is Co-Producer and Stage Manager of the Ig Nobel Prize Ceremony, and has been involved with Improbable Research, Inc. and “The Igs” since 2003. He has a background in Philosophy, Logistics, and Theatre Production, and enjoys collecting odd skills, songs, and stories.

Morgan Sinko: Technology, Content, and Applications: Making Futurist Dreams Plausible Realities

New technologies bring us new applications, but it’s often not the inventors of these technologies that bring create their most well-known uses. This talk will cover how for hardware creators, other minds and external parties are essential to the creation of use cases. The talk will go over the process of taking a product from a laboratory project, to an investable prototype, to a deliverable product and how content and use cases play a changing role over the life cycle.

Morgan Sinko is a Boston native who grew up in Texas, went to school in New York, and now lives in Seattle. He’s been called a redneck and a hippie based on geographical latitude, and he attended the University of Rochester and founded NullSpace VR, a corporation that makes haptic feedback devices for virtual reality. Morgan is an avid historical fencer and gamer.

**FAQs**
High Dive
Tuesday, January 17th
Doors open at 6:30, talks start at 7:30
$5 suggested / 21+

Accessibility: There are no stairs to the venue’s entryways or bathrooms. Tables are at standing level, but there is open seating at the front of the stage. Please refrain from wearing scented products in consideration of attendees with allergies and sensitivities. Please message us if you have further questions, suggestions or concerns.

BYO food or order Red Star Taco Bar through the bar

Nerd Nite Seattle [61]: Carats & Cannabinoids

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We have two brilliant talks lined up for February! James Patton will give a unique and personal perspective on the science of diamond mining, and Ethan Russo will discuss the many complex compounds beyond THC that are found in cannabis.

Door fee is now sliding scale ($5 suggested), and 100% of the proceeds will be donated to the Union of Concerned Scientists and Got Green!

Thanks to our sponsors for making this possible: Hashtag Fremont, Pearl Extracts and spot.

James Patton: Diamond Mining 101

Valentine’s Day. Let’s say it went well. Let’s say it went really well. So…diamond ring, right? Except you’re a nerd, which means you know too many things, including about the diamond industry. Between the marketing scams, the price manipulation, and oh, right, the blood…you might want to try to come up with a better idea. Fortunately, that’s precisely what nerds do.

Come learn why you shouldn’t blow off Rocks for Jocks, how long fire ants can survive underwater, the finer points of dry county diplomacy, the symptoms of heat stroke, how to read a treasure map drawn on the back of an Econo Lodge receipt, the dental services offered at Sears, and how to run with the “better” idea:

“What if I just mine the m************ diamond myself?”

Dr. Ethan Russo: Making Cannabis Safer and Better

Most people are familiar with tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) as the main psychoactive ingredient of cannabis, but it fact, it is a complex botanical medicine with over 100 cannabinoids and 200 terpenoids reported. We will discuss how various of these other components, particularly cannabidiol (CBD), can make cannabis safer, more effective for pain control and mood disorders, and even more enjoyable. Various delivery techniques and their pros and cons, and difficulties with the “legal” market in WA State with regards to pesticide contamination will also be addressed.

Music by Reverend Dollars

**FAQs**
High Dive
Tuesday, January 17th
Doors open at 6:30, talks start at 7:30
$5 suggested / 21+

Accessibility: There are no stairs to the venue’s entryways or bathrooms. Tables are at standing level, but there is open seating at the front of the stage. Please refrain from wearing scented products in consideration of attendees with allergies and sensitivities. Please message us if you have further questions, suggestions or concerns.

BYO food or order Red Star Taco Bar through the bar

Nerd Nite Seattle [60]: Citizens in Science

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Just in time for the Presidential Inauguration, this month’s speakers will discuss how citizens can become more involved with STEM research and advocacy. We’ll explore topics ranging from citizen science projects to public health perspectives on environmental problems.

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SoundBio is a community of amateur and professional science enthusiasts dedicated to promoting science education, providing access to biotechnology, and fostering self-learning in order to inspire the next generation of scientists.

Michal Galdzicki is a biohacker. During the day he is a boring computational scientist working at Arzeda, a biotechnology company that designs cell factories for the production of chemicals. At night he hearkens back to the lab bench to teach biotechnology and genotype salmon at SoundBio in Seattle, Washington. He received a PhD in Biomedical and Health Informatics at the University of Washington in 2012. As part of his dissertation research he co-founded the Synthetic Biology Open Language (SBOL) an information exchange standard for biological engineering.

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Physicians For Social Responsibility of Washington has been working for more than 50 years to create a healthy, just and peaceful world for both the present and future generations. PSR advocates for climate change solutions from a medical and public health perspective.

Mark Vossler is a cardiologist who has presented strategies for advocating for climate protective policies and behaviors on behalf of the Washington Physicians for Social Responsibility (WPSR). His presentation focuses on the human health impacts of our changing climate which are already being felt and are anticipated to worsen over next few decades. In addition, he will discuss the cardiovascular co-benefits of climate change mitigation which include a shift toward more active transport and a near term reduction in small particulate air pollution. Always the optimist, he will also have suggestions on how you can have an impact on this problem.

**FAQs**

High Dive Seattle
Tuesday, January 17th
Doors open at 6:30, talks start at 7:30
$5 / 21+
BYO food or order Red Star Taco Bar through the bar

Accessibility: There are no stairs to the venue’s entryways or bathrooms. Tables are at standing level, but there is open seating at the front of the stage. Please message us if you have further questions, suggestions or concerns.

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Nerd Nite Seattle [59]: Star Wars Holiday Special

You’ll Obi-Wanna be at this month’s event in anticipation of Rogue One: A Star Wars Story! Filmmaker Don Thacker and software engineer Evan Witt will give us technical insights into the making of the Greatest Film Series Of All Time.

RSVP


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Evan Witt: The Musical Language of Star Wars

b-b-b-baaaaaaah BAAAAH b-b-b-BAH bah b-b-b-BAH bah b-b-b-bah! There are a hundred reasons why Star Wars resonates with audiences so personally, but near the top of the list is its landmark musical score. Why do we remember the music to Star Wars so well? In this talk, we’ll take a deliciously nerdy examination of the musical language in the Star Wars films, and the history that influenced it. Come enjoy a study of the style of John Williams, learn the musical ways of the Force, and become an orchestral Jedi master!

Evan Witt is a software engineer by day, and a video game composer and film score aficionado by night. He regularly writes music for small hobby-project games and loves to talk about how music affects the presentation of a story. You can watch Evan’s film score analyses at his “Studies in Scoring” Youtube series. He knows what’s wrong with modern Hollywood soundtracks, and he’s going to FIX IT, I tell you!

 

Don Thacker: GIF vs GIF, and the bifurcation of the human soul.

Star Trek or Star Wars? Red Team or Blue Team? Edward or Jacob? Piper or Mr. T? The human condition is wrought with divisive choices and that may just be the best thing ever.

Dormant for a hundred thousand lifetimes after first being deposited by way of explosively fractionated meteoroid, Don Thacker emerged from the Earth’s asthenosphere a viscous blob of mutable polysilicate some time in the late 1970s.

In his time among you he has become an award-winning feature film writer/director [Imagos Films] and a designer/developer of video games [Imagos Softworks, Pixeljam, XGen Studios, Robot Loves Kitty, Rocketcat Games]. He also builds autonomous robots, collects game consoles and plans to one day return to the icy depths of non-local space.

**FAQs**

High Dive Seattle
Tuesday, December 20th
Doors open at 6:30, talks start at 7:30
$5 / 21+
BYO food or order Red Star Taco Bar through the bar

Accessibility: There are no stairs to the venue’s entryways or bathrooms. Tables are at standing level, but there is open seating at the front of the stage. Please message us if you have further questions, suggestions or concerns!

Nerd Nite Seattle [57]: Pride and Protagonists

High Dive Seattle
Tuesday, October 18th
Doors open at 6:30, talks start at 7:30
$5 at the door
21+
RSVP

Sarah Faulkner: Jane Austen: Sappy Spinster or Brilliant Badass?

The recent movie Pride & Prejudice & Zombies appears to take the classic beloved (and despised) Austen novel and make it more “badass” with the addition of violence, gore, and heaving bosoms. Sarah is here to tell you that Austen and her novels were badass far before zombies came along. Frequently challenging the conventions many believe she followed, Austen’s heroines are a revolutionary middle finger to contemporary conduct novels and the patriarchy.

Sarah Faulkner is a PhD student in English at University of Washington, where she focuses on eighteenth and nineteenth-century British women writers. She has presented her research on Jane Austen at Cambridge University and the University of London, and has her second article appearing in print next year. She has also attended a Regency ball in full costume.

John E. Williamson: Narrative Tricks and Shortcuts

Desc: On a dark and stormy night, when it was the best of times, it was also the worst of times for your game. Writing is hard, harder still if you don’t consider yourself a writer. We will skip over the Literary Theory and interpretation that drove you mad in English Lit class. Instead, this talk will cover narrative hacks, tricks, and shortcuts used by Hollywood to create compelling, memorable stories and characters.

John E. Williamson is has served as a Writer, Designer and/or Producer on over three dozen titles, in nearly every genre, on nearly every platform (Hawken, Super Nova, the original Spec Ops series, Rainbow Six, Alone in the Dark, Frogger). John understands the value of a good tale told well, appreciates the challenges of working within the budget constraints of time, money, assets, and RAM, while valuing the joys and wonder that come with interactive story telling.

Nerd Nite Seattle [56]: Vaccines and Voyages

High Dive Seattle
Tuesday, September 20th
Doors open at 6:30, talks start at 7:30
$5
21+
 
Celebrate September with two things that Seattle does best: sailing and biomedical research!
 
Ro Yoon will discuss the science of HIV and the work of The Fred Hutchinson Seattle Vaccine Trials Unit (VTU).
 
Ro joined the VTU in 2010. She is an activist that engages with diverse communities throughout Seattle to ensure that HIV/AIDS awareness and prevention research are relevant and inclusive to all. In addition to educational sessions with volunteers and being a liaison for VTU Community Advisory Board, Yoon coordinates community events and training that address health and wellness issues that intersect with HIV and AIDS.
 
Kat Wolcott: “Sailing for the 99%”
 
Have you looked around at the beautiful waters around Seattle and always thought that sailing was just for the 1%? Think again! Learn about the history of sailing, the (lack) of fiscal responsibility involved, and the sorts of shenanigans you can get into — especially if you’re dealing with boats for the 99%.
 
Kat is the director of business operations for a local aerospace company. When not keeping the lights on, her hobbies include adopting sad boats and attempting to rehabilitate them, as well as foraging for mushrooms in the wilderness.

Nerd Nite Seattle [55]: August Edition

High Dive Seattle
Tuesday, August 16th
Doors open at 6:30, talks start at 7:30
$5 at the door
21+

RSVP

Gabriel-­Bello Diaz: How Fablabs and Makerspaces create community through public education, citizen collaboration and industry support.

Gabriel­-Bello Diaz is a Puerto Rican architect, educator and entrepreneur in digital fabrication. He is currently the Engineering Instructor at TAF Academy in Seattle, a public school serving 6th ­12th graders through a project based STEM curriculum, and is also Co­Founder of SoDo MakerSpace, a warehouse that has been transformed into a community space.

Brian Nisonger: Your vs. You’re, and Why it Doesn’t Matter

A linguist takes on the ages old internet arguments and obsession over correcting ‘your’ vs. ‘you’re’!
Brian has a graduate degree in computational linguistics, but hasn’t let that stop him. He is currently researching weird phones and tablets for a marketing research firm. He spends way too much time looking irrelevant things.

Next Nerd Nite
Nerd Nite Seattle is every 3rd Tuesday of the Month

6:30 doors, 7:30 talks
Happy Hour From 6:30-7:30!
$5 cover
High Dive Seattle
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