Nerd Nite Toronto

Our last Nerd Nite Toronto event before the Summer is Wednesday May 9, 8pm at Tranzac. We’ll pick up again in September. Get yourself a little sunshine and learn about random topics on your nearest patio.

If you or someone you know is interested in presenting, drop us a line at vir...@nerdnite.com.

The surest way for us to keep you updated is through the Facebook group (Nerd Nite Toronto) or the Twitter feed @nerdnitetoronto.

But in the meantime….

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May 9 Presentations:

Presentation 1: We’re Movin’ on Up (to Mars) by Andrew Rader
Earth’s housing bubble is about to burst. Andrew Rader will talk about future prospects for Space settlement, with emphasis on why Mars makes a good candidate for human exploration and colonization. Andrew will also discuss Mars-related research on Earth and how we can prepare to visit the red planet.

Andrew Rader is a Spacecraft Systems Engineer at COM DEV in Cambridge, Ontario. He earned his Ph.D. from MIT in Aerospace engineering, where he conducted experiments on human subjects investigating the long-term effects of spaceflight on the human body. Andrew was president of the MIT Chapter of the Mars Society and is an advocate of both human and robotic spaceflight.

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Presentation 2: Eye Patches are the New Black–The Golden Age of Piracy by Laura Thipphawong

The Golden Age of Piracy: they were the true pirates of the Caribbean, ruling the islands from 1650-1700. They were as dirty, depraved and heinously violent as the legends and folklore depict. We’ll touch on what influenced these fringe societies, including politics, monarchy, government spending, gender issues and pure sadism, as well as recounting some of the most notorious plunders of the golden age.

Laura Thipphawong is an avid researcher of criminal psychology and historical case studies. Her academic pursuit of personality disorders, neuroses and deviant behavior has taken her through highschool to U of T, where she audits courses on abnormal psychology and criminology. The rich history, psychological and sociological aspects of 17th century piracy makes the topic of particular personal interest.

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Trivia trivia trivia

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March 29 Presentations:

Presentation 1: The Canadian Golden Age of comic books by Hope Nicholson
The Canadian Golden Age of comic books: a time when Canada created the world’s first superheroine, Nelvana of the Northern Lights protected the Inuit from Russian invaders, and Johnny Canuck crossed the seas to punch out Hitler–for Canada.

Hope Nicholson is the Associate Producer of Lost Heroes, a documentary airing next year on Super Channel about the history of Canadian superheroes. In her day job she’s a researcher for post-production in film.

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Presentation 2: “Popcorn in the Urban Garden” by Beny Spensieri Jr.
In an urban garden, tomatoes are nice and lettuce barely earns a backward glance–but corn always impresses. Nothing cranks the WTF-factor like announcing that you’re not just growing corn, but actually growing popcorn. It’s not as difficult as you might think.

Beny Spensieri Jr. is a chemical engineer, who works at a lab in Scarborough and sets things on fire for a living. When he’s not (almost) blowing himself to kingdom come, he impresses his friends with random projects from oddball botany experiments to building TV antennas and hammocks.

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Trivia this month will be brought to you by the lovely and talented Catharine Benzie. She works in news and covered the census. Be afraid.

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PLUS: Free copies of the second issue of Nerd Nite Magazine…don’t get too used to this, it’s the last batch

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February 23 Presentations:

Presentation 1: “Alien Minds” by Lauren Shorser

Though most people will only encounter them on a dinner plate, cephalopods (octopus, squid, and cuttlefish) are much more than exotic and chewy seafood. These short-lived, anti-social, and occasionally cannibalistic invertebrates are making a name for themselves as highly intelligent beings, and we’ve only just scratched the surface of what they can do.

Lauren Shorser is a writer and scuba diver with a deep love of cephalopods. She finds it unsettling to write about herself in the third person.

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Presentation 2: “The Science Behind Your Movie Preferences” by Charlotte Armstrong

You love Star Wars, I love Star Trek. Science (and Charlotte) can explain why. Factors like technological advances in film and the viewers’ ability to access facts about the movies can affect their emotional response and attachment to the films.

Charlotte Armstrong has over 10 years experience reviewing and discussing movies in a variety of public forums including television. She is the founder and coordinator of the Southern Ontario Science Fiction and Science festivals, and is also the boss of Nerd Nite Kitchener Waterloo.
Trivia to follow!

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January 19 Presentations:

Presentation 1: “Microchips Ahoy!: The weird and wonderful ways we use computer chips” By Justin Besant

Everyone expects to find microchips in computers, cell phones, and cyborgs. Justin will talk about surprising ways that integrated circuits are infiltrating our society including disease diagnosis, modern art, and beer tasting.

Justin Besant is a PhD student in biomedical engineering at U of T developing new strategies to detect bacterial infections. When he’s not in the lab you might be able to find him goofing around on a piano or churning out hip hop beats.

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Presentation 2: “It Started in a Bar” by Christine Sismondo

Sometimes it seems like everything that ever happened in America happened (or at least started) in a bar — from the American Revolution to the Stonewall Riots. Christine Sismondo argues that the role this powerful institution has played in history has been shamefully neglected when, in fact, America was born in a bar.

Christine Sismondo is a writer and barfly who spends, what some might say is too much time thinking about and drinking in bars. With her new book, America Walks into a Bar: A Spirited History of Taverns and Saloons, Speakeasies and Grog Shops (Oxford University Press), she hopes to change the way the world looks at their local.

For more information and to purchase the book, click here.

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Nerd Nite Toronto Holiday Nerdtacular!

December 8, 2011
TRANZAC (The Toronto Australia New Zealand Club)
In the Main Hall
292 Brunswick Avenue
A handy map to guide your way

We’ll be hearing about 2011 highlights, how to survive   the coming apocalypse, Toronto history with a holiday  spin…. and special guests The Cowgirl Choir!

Bring forth your ugliest Christmas sweaters, practice  your dreidel spinning and start training for your Festivus  feats of strength.

There’s a $5 cover, kids. See you there!

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November 3 Presentations:

Presentation 1: “Dark Energy.” That is all.

Dark energy is driving everything in the universe away from everything else at a faster and faster rate. This year a Nobel Prize was awarded to three astrophysicists who showed that the universe was not only expanding, but accelerating in its expansion. Liam will talk about dark energy’s discovery, its possible explanations, and its dismal implications for the fate of the universe.

Liam Connor is an aspiring cosmologist and actor. He’s starting his Ph.D. in Astrophysics at U of T and will be appearing in the upcoming Bollywood film Agent Vinod as an extra.

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Presentation 2: “I Was a High School DJ:  A twenty-year journey through music, technology, and crowd control”

DJ by night – Government employee by day, MontyB started his journey on a frosty Sudbury Saturday night with stops in Detroit Rock City, Miami to Ibiza and eventually T Dot Oh, with a few unlikely stops along the way.

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September 8 Presentations:

Mini Presentation: A look at more of your favourite Heritage Minutes: “A Lot of $#!? Went Down in Manitoba.” by Virve Aljas

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Presentation 1: Fuel Hacking (Return of the Loblaws Homebrewer)

Homemade booze is fun and easy to make. You can brew it in your kitchen with basic groceries. However bathtub hooch has more applications than just getting drunk — with a few extra steps it can be processed into fuel that will run in your car. “Fuel Hacking” demonstrates a lo-fi process for homemade biofuel, and examines the pros and cons of ethanol as an industrial alternative to petrol.

Mark Coatsworth is a computer engineer, tech entrepreneur, electronics hacker and aspiring alchemist. He has been subjecting his family, friends (and himself!) to various DIY science experiments since 2002.

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Presentation 2: That Drug Does What?  ***UPDATE*** Due to unforeseen circumstances, Michael’s presentation has to be postponed to another date. Trivia and other nerdy goodness to take its place, never fear.

The lighter side of drug side effects? Well only if they’re not happening to you. Michael Plastina, chemist and pharmaceutical veteran, walks you through the fine print of drug labels.

Warning: May cause nausea, vomiting, lower back pain, receding hairline, liver spots, blood clots, uneven tire wear, pyorrhoea, gonorrhoea, diarrhoea, halitosis, scoliosis, loss of bladder control, athlete’s foot, head lice, split ends, haemorrhoids, dry heaving, sexual dysfunction, and the condition known as ‘hot dog fingers.’

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August 5 Presentations:

We’re keeping the trivia train rolling with a mid-nite trivia break. Get your 80′s pop culture hat on. Woo! Trivia!

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Presentation 1:
Sarah Reeves Aljas answers the burning question–why does Elmer Fudd talk like that?

Ever wonder what’s really going on with Elmer Fudd, Daffy Duck, Sylvester and Tweety’s speech impediments? The ins and outs of how we produce sounds (a.k.a. talk) and the difficulties some have doing so.

Sarah Reeves Aljas has been a Speech-Language Pathologist for 10 years, helping toddlers and school-aged children learn to talk and improving the way they talk. She has provided treatment for people in NWT, Nunavut and Northern Ontario, both directly and through videoconferencing.

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Presentation 2:
Todd Van Allen and Ian Atlas talk about Comedy Above the Pub and the finer points of podcasting:

Launched in 2007, the Comedy Above The Pub podcast has risen to prominence in Toronto, and in 2010 was named Toronto’s Best Comedy Podcast by Now Magazine.

Hosted by comedian Todd Van Allen, recent guests have included Henry Rollins, Paul F Tompkins, former Mayor David Miller, Michael Showalter, Anthony Jeselnik, and many more.

Todd will be joined by producer Ian Atlas, and they will discuss the finer points of podcastery and the nerdery therein, including a brief history, technical setup, formatting, and distribution.

At the time of August’s Nerd Nite, Todd and Ian will have just returned from Montreal’s Just For Laughs comedy festival.

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June 10 Presentations:
We’re back at Tranzac for Nerd Nite V, kids. A later start time of 8pm so you can grab a bite beforehand. Doors open at 7:30… arrive early to snag a seat.

We’re mixing it up a bit with some trivia to start the night off. Woo! Trivia!

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Presentation 1:
Rick Roos talks about the science of home building:

Humanity’s need for the comfort of conditioned interior spaces are in conflict with Mother Nature’s socialist agenda. Insisting on “universal laws” such as equilibrium to rob thermally-conditioned spaces from honestly earned heat and moisture, Mother Nature not only participates in wholesale damage to the built environment, but also in global warming.

Rick Roos, ex-organic farmer, occasional musician and full-time hottie, is finishing up his MASc in Building Science. Expects to join Mother Nature’s barbarous thievery cartel in the fall, undertaking book-keeping responsibilities.

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Presentation 2:
D.T. Cochrane, on how diamonds are a war’s best friend:

Why did the Allied countries win WWII? Because we had the diamonds. From the bullets, to the radars and radios, from the airplane engines to the nuclear bombs, industrial diamonds were there.

D.T. Cochrane is a lowly social scientist who has somehow found himself reading academic articles in geochemistry. How else can one understand the complicated social life of diamonds and their 20th century master, DeBeers?

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April 7 Presentations:

Presentation 1:
“Welcome to the Nanoworld” by Kristin Cederquist
Did you know that gold can appear bright red, depending on its size? Nanoparticles are too small for the eye to see, but they’ve been used for over a thousand years as stains and dyes. This presentation will give a brief history of nanoparticles and why they can exhibit such bright colors–and what they’re doing in many of today’s products, from cosmetics to pregnancy tests.

Kristin has a Ph.D. in chemistry from Penn State University and is now a postdoctoral researcher at U of T. She synthesized way too many nanoparticles in her time at Penn State, but is still fascinated by the nanoworld and other advances in science and tech. She also does a killer Sarah Palin impression.

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Presentation 2:
“Rocket Science Invades Your Living Room!” by Kevin Andrews
Inertial navigation is a branch of rocket science finding its way into your every day.  From Wernher von Braun’s Nazi V-2 rocket to the Nintendo Wii, explore how this pervasive technology keeps you safe, informed, and even entertained.

Kevin is a nerd of all trades, dungeon master of none.  Professionally in the business of fitting lasers onto things, typically for the purposes of navigation or mapping, he is always looking for an opportunity to work with sharks.

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Presentation 3:
“Don’t dig that kinda croonin’, chum!”: When Music Genres Collide by Alan Stanbridge
Even Bing and Frankie couldn’t quite get along, style-wise. But what happens when Jazz meets Classical? Or when Opera meets Popular Music? Or when Frankie meets Elvis, for heaven’s sake? The 20th Century was littered with debris from the collisions between musical styles and genres, and this presentation takes you on a whirlwind tour of the most spectacular pile-ups. Who needs Monster Truck Madness when there’s Music Genre Madness? And without the fumes.

Alan is a full-time professor and procrastinator, although he does a pretty good job of the procrastination thing on a part-time basis too. He’s a bit of a jazz guy, but only the good jazz, not the boring stuff with the funny hats. He also likes other music. He was very flattered to be considered worthy of Nerd Nite, and briefly contemplated calling his presentation “Music: Friend or Foe?”

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February 17 Presentations:

Mini Presentation
“The Sun: friend … or foe?” by Adam Evans
Sure, our nearest star provides us with some minor comforts (habitable climates, photosynthesis, a light source for shadow puppets), but what does the Sun have to hide? In this short presentation, we’ll explore how the star works, debunk some sunny myths, and learn how it secretly plans to kill us all.

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Presentation 1:
“On the Nerdiness of Type” by Colin Barrett
Colin Barrett will share his obsession for the history, technology, and culture of typographic design. He’ll discuss some unfamiliar characteristics of some familiar characters.
Colin is a full-time cubicle dweller, amateur bookbinder, and avid type enthusiast. He is grateful for the privilege to practice his public speaking skills at Nerd Nite and for the abundance of liquid courage available on tap at its venue.

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Presentation 2:
“The Art of Geocaching: Hiding Loot is not Just for Pirates…” by Tarmo Remmel and Raja Raudsepp
It has been said that geocaching utilizes billions of dollars of high tech military equipment orbiting in space to find Tupperware in the woods. Bottom-line: It is an international treasure hunt!  With GPS unit in hand, over 600,000 people have taken to the streets, forests, mountains, oceans, and even space (there is a geocache on the international space station), to find many of the over one million caches hidden worldwide.  This presentation will enlighten
you to what it is, how to do it, and how to know when you’re addicted.
Tarmo Remmel, or “kurat”, as he’s known in geocaching circles is a geographer and a geocaching addict.  While not as severely addicted as some, he has been known to bolt out of the house at midnight to be the first to find a newly published geocache or to climb through sewers or up trees to make coveted finds.  Having cached in 7 countries, he takes his love of geography to this extra dimension.
Raja Raudsepp always enjoyed a good scavenger hunt as a kid.  Now, as an amateur geocacher, she’s already suckered in a number of friends and colleagues.  Her goal: to get more of her friends into caching so she’ll have
people to go with.

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November 23 Presentations:

Mini Presentation:
The story behind “I Smell Burnt Toast” and your other favourite Heritage Minutes by Virve Aljas

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Presentation 1:
“The Loblaws Homebrewer” by Mark Coatsworth
Humans were producing booze before we had writing. Fermentation is a fundamental process that occurs in nature and can be easily reproduced. This presentation covers a basic process for producing alcohol with nothing more than Loblaws groceries, hoping to simplify the science of alcohol production and give you some tasty recipes too!
Mark Coatsworth is a computer engineer, tech entrepreneur, old time banjo picker and aspiring alchemist. He has been subjecting his family, friends (and himself!) to various DIY science experiments since 2002. He is also fascinated by entomology and pest control and is working on a control solution to the bedbug pandemic.

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Presentation 2:
“There Is No Noise” by garbageface AKA Karol Orzechowski
“There Is No Noise” is part seminar, part how-to guide on the presence and function of sound in our daily lives. Whether it’s the sound of the highway outside your door, the dripping tap that keeps you awake at night, or the the swishing of your spinal fluid back and forth, sound is virtually impossible to escape from. Toronto sound artist garbageface will present a very brief genealogy of “noise,” followed by a demonstration of how the “noises” of our daily lives can be rethought and reimagined into more pleasing configurations.
garbageface AKA Karol Orzechowski maintains the dubious title the world’s first and only ambient occult rapper. He has been studying noise and its effect on people since the third grade, when his friend’s older brother made him a mix tape that included Slayer.

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Sept. 19 Presentations: