nerdnite – NYC

Dearest Nerds & Friends of Nerds,

First, back by popular demand, I give thee another dose of hetero Nerd Nite speed dating!  Yes, 25 gals and 25 fellas united by 3-minute conversations. Anyone is welcome, though we hope you have some nerdy tendencies.  Apparently several matches from the spring are still going strong!  Admission for speed dating also includes admission to the regular Nerd Nite program which will follow the dating festivities.  Which brings me to…the regular Nerd Nite program features our humanitarian – and spooky – side.  In separate presentations, Shana Dressler and Amanda Judge share practical ways you can help alleviate poverty and improve the lives of underprivileged communities both internationally and locally, even you’re real real lazy or completely entrenched in consumerism.  And then Julia Galef rounds things out by exploring how our brains fool us into believing in things that aren’t real, even though the majority of humans believe in demons, witches, ESP, astrology, telekinesis, dowsing rods, homeopathy, alien abductions, and spirit planes (and true love, aw snap!…I made that last one up).

Second, our science acrobats are back and healthy!  Car accidents be damned; they’re recovered and ready for Nerd Nite.  Yay!

Gals, buy tickets for Speed Dating: https://www.smarttix.com/show.aspx?showcode=NER40

Gents, buy tickets for Speed Dating: https://www.smarttix.com/show.aspx?showcode=NER41

Nerd Nite-only tickets here: https://www.smarttix.com/show.aspx?showcode=NER42

Nerd Nite NYC
Galapagos Art Space DUMBO
16 Main Street in DUMBO Brooklyn (F train to York St. or A/C train to High St.)
Wednesday November 11, 2009
Speed Dating at 7:00pm (get there at 6:30 to check in)
Regular Nerd Nite at 9:00pm
$25 for Speed Dating (includes admission to regular Nerd Nite)
$10 cover charge for regular Nerd Nite only
http://nyc.nerdnite.com
Back To The Lecture(s) At-Hand:

*Presentation #1
Best Philanthropic Holiday Buys and Where to Find Them: 25 Ways to Change the World for Under $100
by Shana Dressler

Description:  So your celebrity status hasn’t been secured and you haven’t made your millions…. nevertheless, you long to make a difference. For as little as foregoing a haircut, a cocktail, manicure and/or a dinner and movie, this presentation will share the best kept secrets about how to save the world for under $100. The journey will begin in Africa and take you far beyond. We’ll tell you about the incredible women and men and their brilliant alternative thinking in the field of humanitarian problem solving. We’ll give you 25 ways to get in on the giving game….again, at bargain basement prices. We’ll even save you from your imminent anxiety ridden holiday shopping spree by offering you a list of “Gifts That Matter” that won’t break the bank!

Bio: Shana Dressler is the founder of the Global Giving Circle (GGC), a network of professionals who come together to support creative and innovative solutions to alleviate poverty through tangible grassroots initiatives both nationally and internationally. The GGC launched in February and has funded five projects to date in the areas of human rights, global warming, youth education and leadership with a focus on female empowerment and social entrepreneurship. Some of her favorite things besides international travel include chocolate, orangutans, the color turquoise, surprising people and the liberating feeling of throwing Magnolia cupcakes out of her window with friends. www.globalgivingcircle.org

*Presentation #2
Poverty Can Be Eradicated
by Amanda Judge

Description: How can you help eradicate poverty?  This lecture will cover simple ways that you can help eradicate poverty, without substantially changing your behavior, even if you are real real lazy or completely entrenched in consumerism.  It will follow my adventures through Latin America and explain the economics behind how what we do in the United States impacts poor rural communities in Latin America.

Bio: Amanda Judge has a masters in international relations with a focus on poverty reduction strategies from The Fletcher School at Tufts University and Bachelors degree in Finance.  After traveling and working on and off 4 years after college, she decided to go back to school in order to find a way to actually get paid for aimlessly traveling the world. This led her to start up The Andean Collection (www.theandeancollection.com), a organization that designs & imports jewelry from disadvantaged communities in Latin America.  Little did she know, her travels would never be aimless again.

*Presentation #3
Aliens, Psychics and Ghosts, Oh My!  Or, How Our Brains Fool Us Into Believing Strange Things
by Julia Galef

Description: Do you believe in ghosts? What about demons, witches, ESP, astrology, telekinesis, dowsing rods, homeopathy, alien abductions, or spirit planes? If you said ‘none of the above,’ you’re in the minority. Journalist Julia Galef draws upon probability theory, evolutionary biology, and neuroscience to explain why so many people believe in superstitions and the supernatural.  She admits that this talk may involve a teensy-weensy bit of math, but hastens to add that there will also be demonic sex, and possibly an impression of a crazed pigeon.

Bio: A writer and editor with a degree in statistics from Columbia, Julia Galef is frequently consumed with a messianic urge to explain to people why their beliefs are irrational. To keep from annoying everyone, she usually just stuffs another cookie in her mouth. In 10 years she will either be the fearless leader of a rationality cult, or obese.