We’re bringing Nerd Nite Toronto back!

Yeah! All you nerds now how to act! Yeah! (excited, that’s how to act!)

So, it’s been a loooong time since we got our nerd on in Toronto (‘cuz, COVID). But, the long wait is about to end. Your NN TO bosses are working on taking Nerd Nite virtual. So, stay tuned for all of the details. And, if you want to present virtually, get in touch! Email us with your ideas at .

Get excited, Toronto!

…And we’re back! June 2021

After a few months away (oh how we’ve missed you!) we’re back with a great lineup of speakers for June 2020!

Talk # 1: Understanding Food Labels by Chris Perez.

Ever wonder what all those chemicals in food are there for? This talk will look briefly at what sorts of roles different additives have in our modern processed foods. We will discuss their roles, mechanisms and examples. With an intention to bring more awareness and understanding about what exactly goes into processed foods, this talk will tell you more about what you put into your mouth!

Talk # 2: Demos and Modems: The Outlaw Art of the Pre-Internet Dial-up BBS Scene by Luke Loughhead.

In the 1980s and 1990s, in the era of The Commodore 64, the Apple ][, and the IBM PC and its early clones, a hidden world of dial-up community computers existed in every area code. If you knew about them, you could dial in, one user at a time, and post messages, play games, and trade files. Many of those files were illegal copies of things like games and custom programs to make them work without paying. An underworld scene of technologically talented youths formed around trading these black market files, called “warez,” and the scene developed its own styles of art, animation, and music. Its aesthetic had a combative, competitive motivation that made it parallel to the contemporary New York City street art that gave rise to Hip-Hop. This presentation is a recounting of that warez scene by one computer nerd who was just a bystander at the end of that era, when the dawn of home Internet and graphical web pages ended the wild night of secret phone numbers and glowing terminal text. We will look at the art of the era that has been lost to obscurity, and the legacy of the aesthetic that lives on today.

Luke Loughead is a Computer Nerd, but a hapless techno-weenie compared to the 1337 cyberpunks of the Early 1990s. He now works a job as a corporate Systems Analyst, but he spent years as a kid tying up the family phone line playing games on BBSes, and rummaging through archives of files.

When, where, and how

We’ll be live on Facebook Thursday, June 24th at 8 pm with talks at roughly 8:10 and 8:45 pm. More details here: https://fb.me/e/IgMpEGP1

March 2021

March is always a weird and tough month (gotta love smarch weather and Daylight Savings Time!), but this one is particularly notable: we have a full year of the pandemic behind us. But, not everything is terrible! Look forward to Nerd Nite on March 25th and celebrate a little with two great talks!

Talk # 1: A fearful risk of explosion: Technology and failure in the British Empire by Dr. Ryan Patterson

The British Empire was not as universally competent as we tend to remember it (or fans of empire tend to claim). In this talk, historian Ryan Patterson will introduce you to the 1873 Anglo-Asante War, Britain’s first big push into West Africa, without discussing any fighting at all. The British forces brought an impressive array of cutting-edge technology on the expedition, believing that it would give them the edge over their non-industrial African enemies. Yet, one-by-one, each marvel of technology failed to work in the jungle.

About Ryan:

Dr. Ryan Patterson is a lecturer in history and research associate in disability studies at Carleton University. He studies race, environment, and technology in the British Empire, particularly the central roles that Victorian climate science and exhibition culture played in Britain’s conquest of African states. His publications include The Journal of Imperial and Commonwealth History, the open access Carleton University exhibit Transnational Representation, and the forthcoming book Queen Victoria’s Wars.

Talk # 2: Star Trek vs Star Wars: Modern Perspectives on Past Future and Future Future Technologies by Shyaporn Theerakulstit

Fan fave Shy is back!

As the Singularity approaches, it is important to examine the technological and socio-economic patterns bringing it about. From Empire to Federation, we will compare the scientific advances of far away civilizations from a long time ago, with those exploring the final frontier. Pew pew

About Shy:

Shyaporn Theerakulstit is an actor, writer, YouTuber, cosplayer and general “nerd about town.” He has given talks on subjects such as Godzilla biology and how to become Batman at Nerd Nite, TEDx and the Smithsonian Institution. He has written and produced for Dark Horse Comics and is also the host of the science lecture series “Real/Fake Science.” His YouTube channel has over 5 million views.

February 2021

Join us for another virtual Nerd Nite!

On February 25th, we’ll be live from Sam’s house!

Talk # 1: Resilience in the time of COVID by David Donaldson

Building on my TEDx, how do we remain resilient during a long-term, systemic disruption.

In October 2019 I delivered a TEDx on resilience. In it, we examined a bit of the brain science and looked at the 7 Resilience Muscles model as defined by The Resilience Alliance.

We are approaching 1 year of lockdown, 1 year of disruption, 1 year of needing to draw on our resilience muscles. Sprint vs. Marathon, in this Nerd Nite talk, we will look at how we need to approach a long term, systemic disruption differently than a short term, event disruption.

David is a professional facilitator and amateur nerd. An important arrow in his quiver is resilience. A certified Resilience Practitioner since 2017, these skills are essential both personally and professionally. While only working in the world of resilience a short time, David is proudly a long term nerd.

Talk # 2: To Nerds, With Love: An Elementary Teacher’s Reflection on Pop Culture and Fandom in the Classroom by Stephanie Cooper

Throughout Stephanie’s- aka Miss Cooper’s- 17-year-old teaching career, she has never failed to inject her fangirl enthusiasm into her lessons and extra-curricular activities with her students.  In this talk, she will explain how she has observed a change in the nearly two decades since she began educating young minds on what fandoms are a hit with students, and how her multicultural bunch has responded to the diversification of characters in comics and movies.  And as she is often known to do in everyday conversation, demonstrate how being a nerd is changing in its label and what activities have helped the next generation with understanding subjects and improving their self-esteem in performances from a Star Wars club and superhero group.

Stephanie is a teacher and nerd.

Nites on hiatus

It sucks but due to COVID-19, we’re on hiatus until further notice. We love all of you nerds and can’t wait until we can see you again safely and in-person.

In the meantime, follow us on Facebook & Twitter for your fix of nerdiness!