August 26th at the Bottom Lounge
Doors open at 7pm
First speaker at 8pm
Done and drunk by 11pm.
We’re obscenely, inappropriately happy to present these talks! Just like Pa here:
little-house-on-the-prairie-CRAZED-DAD
Everything You Never Knew About Little House on the Prairie
Wendy McClure
The beloved Little House on the Prairie book series was based on Laura Ingalls Wilder’s real-life family, but what did she leave out along the way? What really happened to Jack, the brindled bulldog? Did Ma and Pa live down the road from serial killers? And were the books all just a bunch of proto-Libertarian propaganda? From 19th-century medical mysteries to weather statistics, I’ll separate fact from fiction like home-churned butter from cream. Disclaimer: may ruin your childhood.
[Wendy McClure is a writer and children’s book editor in Chicago. Her most recent book for grown-ups is The Wilder Life: My Adventures in the Lost World of Little House on the Prairie. (She’ll have a few copies on hand: bring cash or fresh-trapped muskrat hides to trade!)]
Behaving Badly
Michael Maloney
Psychopaths, Sociopaths, Terrorists, Trolls, those people on the opposing political party of which you identify: They are all EVIL and do HORRIBLE things!  Can’t we all just get along?  Well maybe we can’t.  Why do we do not very nice things to each other?  Are some people more evil than others?  Are you evil?  Are you brave enough to explore a presentation about the dark side?  You might enjoy it (the presentation not the dark side, or maybe you’ll enjoy both).
[Michael is probably not a psychopath and you should believe him on that, even though a psychopath would totally lie about that.   He is also a Research Counselor, lover of board games, and frequently seen making a fool of himself.  You should totally believe those things too!]
and finally

Speed Friending with fellow awesome nerds

We are trying something new at this month’s Nerd Nite!  Following the presentations above, we’ll be running a light-hearted “speed friending” event. Think of it as the platonic sibling of speed dating.

This event is optional (we are all free nerds after all!), and it’s a fun way to get to know other people who also love to learn about nerdy things!  This is our first time, so there might be some tweaks at game time, but here’s the plan:

  1. If you would like to participate, sign the registration sheet and pick up name tag on arrival. Please note your participant number on your name tag.
  2. When we announce the event, we’ll direct everyone to the seating formation.
  3. At each switch, we’ll show a bit of friend-related nerdy trivia and suggest a question for discussion.
  4. Each pair will have two minutes to chat, either about the question or whatever other topic you like!
  5. Keep note of the registration numbers (or names) of the people you’d like to hang out with again. After the event please turn them in to a NN boss and later in the week we’ll email participants with the contact information for their ‘friend matches’.

Bring your friends, smart-ass mothers, and favorite librarians!

 

Nerd Nite: Evidence-Based Entertainment