We’re hosting our fun, nerdy nights on the first Wednesday of EVERY MONTH
next event is 2 August at Cascade Bar.
2 August Speakers
“Microbes are everywhere – The modern woman’s guide to dying of dysentery”
by Tori Head
Being a 21st century woman is hard – especially without the adrenaline rush that comes with the constant fear of tuberculosis, polillo and black plague. Fortunately, even in 2023, a painful microbe induced demise could still be yours. Supermarkets, local swimming spots and even your own house can be a petri dish for food and water borne illness, so bring along your raw chicken to find out where they come from and how NZ is working to reduce your risk of dying from dysentery.
Tori Head works at the institute for environmental science and research in the Public Health lab. She has an honors degree in Immunology and Microbiology from the University of Otago. Most importantly, her mothers cooking resulted in food poisoning multiple times as a child, giving her a deep distrust of potentially uncooked chicken (her main qualification for speaking on this topic).
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“How to ignore fitness industry bullshit, to focus on health, fitness and movement stuff that works”
by Dr Susie Stevens
We are fed so many lies when it comes to the fitness industry – most of them targeting vanity, consumerism and inexperience. This sweet yarn will help you ignore the distractions, but focus on the good stuff – a tiny lesson on critical consumerism when it comes to all things exercise.
Dr Stevens is a total nerd with all the bracketed credentials that run after my name to prove it. She’s been in the game for 20 years, so don’t let her child-like height fool you into thinking I’m 12. She likes Mr Mint-Choc from Rollickin and a decent Whiskey. In the daytime, she works at the University of Canterbury, but at night, she fights crime.
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“Widows, somersaults, suicide and the smell of vomit: Katipō and redback spiders”
by Cor Vink
There are two species of widow spiders in New Zealand; the endemic katipō and the invasive Australian redback. Where they live and what they do may surprise, delight and/or horrify you.
Arachnologist Cor Vink is a Senior Lecturer in Entomology at Lincoln University. He has worked on spiders for nearly 30 years, which means he knows some stuff about them and he’s older than he’d like to admit. He is particularly interested in New Zealand spider taxonomy and systematics (describing new species and figuring out how they are related to each other) and their ecology. Cor doesn’t have any pet spiders because that would be weird.
We’re hosting our fun, nerdy nights on the first Wednesday of EVERY MONTH
next event is 5 July at Cascade Bar (note the new venue).
5 July Speakers
“3D Printing Stop Motion: Solving A Challenge, Creating Another”
by Dale Hayward
Technology may be the solution for a lot of problems, but it can inevitably open up the door for many new challenges. Join Dale Hayward as he takes you behind the scenes on how he and his team used the latest in 3D printing technology to bring his epic stop motion film, Bone Mother to life, proving that innovation and challenges always go hand in hand, sometimes in hilarious ways.
Dale Hayward is an animator, director, and co-founder of See Creature Productions and See Learn Academy. When not collaborating with brands like Nike and Hot Wheels or working on projects like Netflix’s The Little Prince or Kiri and Lou, he can be found running in the hills with his kids or finding some strange thing to animate with his wife.
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“Weird Ideas in Pest Control”
by Pamela Niskanen
Put down that aphid sprayer, gardeners, you’re just making pesticide-resistant aphids, and the chemicals are running off into our waterways. The natural way of making that aphid go away is biocontrol: introducing a predator, but that comes with its own set of problems. Learn about the extraordinary steps taken by scientists to find a solution that freaks out aphids, while leaving the ecology of your garden intact.
Pamela Niskanen is a freelance science writer living in Christchurch, New Zealand, with interests in plant biology, ecology, conservation and biosecurity.
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“‘Dear Sir: Please remove your pig’: Life as an Inspector of Nuisances in Early Christchurch”
by Annabel Armstrong-Clarke
The Inspector of Nuisances was a role established in 1862, in the very early days of the Christchurch City Council. With no sewage system, no drainage, no rubbish collection, no Board of Health, limited roads and footpaths, and few by-laws yet established – this was a city filled with many ‘nuisances’ and the Inspector had a very busy life. By looking at their reports from 1862-1877, presently being digitised and made publicly available, they give colour (and smell) to our picture of life in the early days of the city.
Annabel Armstrong-Clarke is the Archivist for the Christchurch City Council. She has a strong interest in making the collection more visible and accessible to the citizens of the city, and is digitising these early records as fast as funds allow (although acknowledges not everyone needs to be as obsessed about early drainage systems as she is).
We’re hosting our fun, nerdy nights on the first Wednesday of EVERY MONTH
next event is 7 June at 12 Bar (note the new venue).
7 June Speakers
“Fewer Orgies, Waaaay More Talking: Common Myths about Polyamory, Debunked”
by Janel Atlas
Are polyamorous people naturally less jealous? Isn’t ethical non-monogamy just an excuse to cheat? Or at least a sign of lack of commitment? Polyamory may have gone more mainstream over the past decade, but there are still heaps of myths and misconceptions circulating. Janel will help sort truth from fiction and offer insights that can support your happiness regardless of whether you’re monogamous, polyamorous, poly-curious, or unpartnered.
Janel Atlas, PhD, is a recovering know-it-all, writer, and relationship nerd. She has identified as polyamorous since 2017 and currently works as a mindfulness facilitator in schools as well as a relationship coach supporting individuals, couples, and polycules to love better, communicate more healthfully, and design their connections instead of unquestioningly going along with the status quo. Janel never feels more on point than when she’s supporting people to live authentically and with kindness.
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“I’ll show you mine if you show me yours”
by Rodrigo Martinez-Gazoni
It is responsible for much of your pleasure, including 100% of your orgasms. You almost never think of it until it is triggered, and when it is, you expect it to work on call. But sometimes it fails on you, and depending on who you are with, things can get quite embarrassing. And we all know that sometimes thinking with it can lead you to make very bad decisions too. If you show me yours I promise I will show you mine, and then we can have a play with that hot and sexy thing between your… ;P
Rodrigo was a normal kid growing up, until he got bitten by a weird spider near a local power station. No, unfortunately he didn’t get the slightest sign of even the lamest superpower. Not even an allergic reaction! Realising he was not born a mutant, and with limited access to radioactive material, cosmic radiation, or strange medical experiments that could give him superpowers, he went into science. In time, he got to work in all these fields but sadly he never really got superpowers… …or did he? Falling short of becoming a polymath like his ‘non-super’ heroes, he became a polygeek: a superhero trapped in an extremely lucky physicist, who finds everything interesting.
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“Finding your way in the world“
by Riki Cambridge
An exploration of what makes a great map, and some examples from throughout history.
Surveyor by day, orienteer, and self-confessed map nerd by night. Riki’s fascination with maps has taken him across the globe and transpired into a full-time career.
Join us for our 10th fun, nerdy Nite on 3 May at Little Andromeda.
3 May Speakers:
“Thinking by Inversion: The Power of Turning Things Upside Down”
by Cam Irvine
Thinking by inversion is a way of looking at problems backward and forwards that give a different perspective. Simply put, we as people can make better decisions if we strive to avoid stupidity instead of trying to be brilliant.
Cam Irvine, CIMA®, CRPC®, CFP®, BSBA is a Lifestyle Financial Planner who provides people with financial advice and helps them learn about money. Thinking by inversion is useful when planning for a person’s future because it can provide hindsight, before the fact. He is also American and just can’t stop talking.
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“Eggs: Uniting the World Through a Teenage Digital Revolution“
by Kane Stewart
Kane will go into how to build a cult following of nerdy teenagers and touch on the implications of social media, AI, and fostering real human interaction. He’ll discuss how the Egg Academy is building a community to connect the world with creativity.
Kane is the Founder of the Egg Academy, a digital skills academy for teens. He previously worked as a high school maths/economics teacher in Christchurch and at the video game company Cerebral Fix. On occasion, you may see him as an Egg.
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“Throwaway living! Systemic Issues, Inconvenience, and Litterbugs”
by Hugh Benson
In the 1950’s the world changed. Plastics came on the scene and in a short time, everything was available in a disposable form. Yet, along with the convenience of plastics, came a Grinch to spoil everyone’s fun. One who disallowed the clean disposal of this most modern refuse… the Litterbug. Come along for a journey that spans seven decades as he dives into the worst offense of the playground, and the only primary school lesson which carried through to adulthood: “Don’t be a Litterbug.”
Hugh Benson is a PhD student in Environmental Psychology at the University of Canterbury. When procrastinating from study he forages and makes delicious things out of said forage. When there is no forage, he sits quietly in a dark room and somehow visibly hates plastic. This writer is unsure how he does this visually, perhaps a peeved expression? mayhaps a maleficent aura? His hatred of plastics arose when they murdered his parents in the back alley of a theatre. You caught me, that was a lie. Plastic actually destroyed his home planet of Krypton, a fate he wishes to avoid for our shared home… Earth.
We’re hosting our fun, nerdy nights on the first Wednesday of EVERY MONTH
next event is 5 April at Little Andromeda.
5 April Speakers:
“Beyond Bricks – The Wild World of LEGO“
by Centuri Chan
Jump aboard the LEGO monorail for a journey of discovery! Centuri will give us insight into the colourful realm of the AFOL (Adult Fan of LEGO) community, share some anecdotes from his experience creating large-scale LEGO models, and remind us of the importance of being creative in our everyday lives.
Centuri grew up with LEGO, and never really grew out of it. He is an 80’s geek and is obsessed with toy robots, toy dinosaurs, and toy robotic dinosaurs.
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“An Electronic Penny for Your Thoughts – Money, banking, and why you hate your job”
by Paul Ferguson
We paywave, we swipe, we credit card. But we rarely give any thought to where electronic money comes from. Electric money’s origin, and eventual deletion, are taken for granted as a fact of economic life. Paul explains exactly how this process works – and how we could do better.
Paul has an engineering brain by trade but began investigating the subject of economics after the global financial crisis starting in 2009. He ran a monetary reform group for several years, presenting at various conferences, writing in national newspapers, and raising awareness amongst political groups. It’s sure to be a topic that will develop ‘interest’.
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“Who Are We and Why Does That Matter?”
by Ekant Veer
Understanding the importance of identity, meaning and belonging is particularly important for marketers essentially manipulate you to buy into their BS so you buy their stuff – and sometimes you may never even realise it’s happening. In this talk, Prof. Veer talks about the various tools marketers use to create a sense of community and build a connection to things, places, and spaces to bolster loyalty to a product, brand or even city. By understanding these tactics, we can hopefully be more aware and wary of these tactics to be more responsible and mindful consumers in society.
Ekant Veer is a multi-award-winning Professor of Marketing at the University of Canterbury. He has been named as one of the Top 40 under 40 Business School Professors worldwide; an Ako Aotearoa Tertiary Teaching Excellence Award winner, and five times winner of the UCSA’s lecturer of the year award. His work looks at the role that marketing can play in driving social change and community well-being to empower consumers to make conscious choices that benefit them and the society in which they live. He writes a bit, and sometimes people publish it; he talks a lot, and sometimes people listen; he is asked to consult for various organisations and occasionally they buy him a coffee for his time. However, he’s usually best known for stirring shit in the media and taking pretty pictures of the stars – neither of which are that relevant to this talk.
We’re hosting our fun, nerdy nights on the first Wednesday of EVERY MONTH
next event is 1 March at Little Andromeda.
1 March Speakers:
“Sex and pleasure with my cornflakes, please?”
by Tracy Clelland
Many adults talk to their children about the risk of sex, but where does that leave masturbation and mutual pleasure? How does learning about ‘pleasure’ help us as adults? This a historical (and hopefully funny) look at what cornflakes and young people tell us about how to ‘do’ sexuality education. Be prepared for an interactive talk where you may have to talk to the person next to you — just like in a relationship.
Tracy is a sexuality educator, researcher, mother, adventurer, and fundamentally an advocate for people’s right to sexual and reproductive health. When she is not off backpacking in Africa, she is an adjunct lecturer at the University of Canterbury.
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“How far will people go to protect their reputations?”
by Andy Vonasch
Andy will discuss the science of human reputation protection, from various perspectives including evolutionary psychology, social psychology, and personality psychology. He will talk about studies where people suffered physical pain or put their hand in a bucket of worms just to avoid damaging their reputation.
Andy is a psychological scientist and senior lecturer at the University of Canterbury and the author of several scientific journal articles on the psychological processes enabling reputation protection.
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“Lessons learnt from taking students into the jungle”
by Sophie Horsfall
With a background in marine science, Sophie’s interest in jellyfish ended up leading to a stint in Southeast Asia taking international school groups hiking in jungles, exploring coral reefs, and generally taking science outdoors. Her talk will take you through the ins and outs of running an educational school trip, all the things that could possibly go wrong, and the lessons she’s learnt that are still relevant today.
With too many interests and only one body, Sophie is never quite sure where she comes from or where she is going. Having lived and worked in several countries and jobs during her short life, including a stint as a field biologist in Southeast Asia and a mountain guide in Canada, Sophie now finds herself in her 8th country working in disaster risk and resilience as a research consultant.
Nerd Nite Christchurch is BACK for 2023.
We’re hosting events on the first Wednesday of EVERY MONTH
starting 1 February at Little Andromeda.
1 Feb Speakers:
“Monsters 101”
by Erin Harrington
A whirlwind tour through the world of monsters and the monstrous. Raaar! Content note: will contain vampires, David Cronenberg, and muppets.
Erin is a monster kid from way back who now spends her days spreading the good word on horror film in her job as a senior lecturer at the University of Canterbury. She is the author of the book “Women, Monstrosity and Horror Film: Gynaehorror,” is currently writing a book on the “What We Do in the Shadows” universe, and is a regular host and panelist on the comedy podcast The Nerd Degree.
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“Wooden bullet trains up and down NZ”
by Rollo Wenlock
Did you know engineers and architects are now putting steel aside and using wood to build skyscrapers? How would this work in fast trains?
Rollo is CEO of Miro Rail, a company designing and building the future of mobility (mainly on rails).
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“Marscrete: Building on Mars”
by Allan Scott
We often talk about the possibility of one day moving to Mars. But, how would we actually build the necessary shelter and infrastructure there?
Allan is an Associate Professor of Engineering at University of Canterbury and an expert on concrete structures.
Nerd Nite Christchurch is turning 1!
Join us on 9 November, 2022 at Little Andromeda for nerdy talks on AI Fonts on Mars.
Come at 6pm for a drink. Presentations begin at 6:30pm.
Presentations:
“Trump, Sex and Comic Sans: Why the fonts you choose really matter”
by Chris Flack
What do Trump and Comic Sans have in common? Could bad kerning lead to sex? (what even is kerning?) and the most important question — What is the best font to fire someone with? Chris will take us on a journey to show why the fonts we choose really matter. He’ll highlight a few key fonts that could, should, and maybe not be used to fire someone. And how a better font could have saved Donald Trump.
Chris is a self-confessed font geek and trained graphic designer. He spends his day trying to avoid using Microsoft word and hiding when a client asks ‘Can you try it in comic sans?” At night he can be found reading books that use ‘awesome fonts’ to his two young kids.
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“Your Car Will Spy on You and You’ll Love it”
by Adam Lyness
Despite all the hype, our lives haven’t fundamentally changed because of AI… yet. AI can draw a beautiful picture of an ‘avocado armchair’ but still can’t tell us if the avocado we just bought in the supermarket is going to be a sad disappointment. On the other hand, AI is really good at spying on us and if we apply AI surveillance now to our road network it’ll save 1000s of lives. The tech required is here already, and it’s fairly cheap. How do we collectively weigh up the pros and cons of lives saved against a perceived loss of privacy?
Adam is a director at Intranel Consulting. He helps clients to improve productivity through AI so that he can afford to buy more avocados.
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“When Spooning Led to Forking: The Evolution of Eating Utensils”
by Nicole O’Hearne
Ever wondered why the fork looks like it does? Why Europeans always have a utensil in each hand while eating, but Americans like to just use a fork? Why a lot of Asian countries use chopsticks, but the Thai use a fork and spoon?
In honour of our 1 year anniversary, Nicole is back to explain all this and more! An engineer turned winemaking student by day and a table-setting aficionado by night, her upbringing with etiquette and table-setting classes makes her uniquely qualified to speak on this topic.
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Follow Nerd Nite on Instagram and Facebook for updates.
Be there AND be square!
Tickets $10 at Humanitix
Are you ready to get nerdy!?
Think TED talks with beer. Discovery Channel meets Drunk History.
Be there AND be square!
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Presentations:
“How to vandalise Wikipedia”
by Mike Dickison
Did you hear about the young farmer from Dannevirke who got his name added to a Wikipedia list of mythical Japanese monsters, and it ended up appearing as one of the monsters in a fancy board game? Stories like this make it seem like Wikipedia’s easy to vandalise; how much can we trust it? How do we detect hoaxes? If we were sociopathic enough to want to get false information into the encyclopaedia and make it stick, what would we need to know?
Dr Mike Dickison did his PhD on giant flightless birds and has been a museum curator and digital librarian. Now he spends most of his time encouraging people to improve Wikipedia, but in this one-off exclusive talk he’ll turn things around and reveal the grubby world of making it less accurate. Follow him on Twitter: @adzebill
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“Gin and Tectonics: Earthquake Engineering on the Rocks”
by Brandy Alger
What do earthquake engineering and drinking have in common? Very little, it seems, other than the word munted. But after attending this talk when you find yourself a bit tipsy in the newly revamped CBD, you can stare in awe at all of the incredible engineering technology keeping the city safe.
Brandy Alger is an extroverted engineer turned social scientist on a mission to engage the masses around natural hazards. As part of this mission, Brandy has created a “fun and nerdy” walking tour of some of Ōtautahi’s best earthquake resilient buildings and technology in the West End.
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“Necator americanus: The Saviour of the Universe?”
by Jacquie Leaman
Jacquie has attempted to alter her gut microbiome by self-inoculating with the non-pathogenic hookworm species, Necator americanus. She aims to inform, entertain and try and persuade you that medical science has misinterpreted the relationship between Necator americanus and Homo sapiens.
Jacquie Leaman is a medical scientist with 40+ years of experience having trained aeons ago within various departments in Pathology. Currently, she is employed as Head of Department in Microbiology at Canterbury SCL and is in the science of growing bugs from people. She has a passion for all things “health,” hence her interest in the gut microbiome.
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Doors: 6:00pm
Presentations: 6:30pm
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Follow us on Instagram and Facebook for updates!
Are you ready to get nerdy!?
Think TED talks with beer. Discovery Channel meets Drunk History.
10 August, 6:30 pm
Little Andromeda
Be there AND be square!
Get tickets by clicking HERE!
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“Climate hypocrisy and the need for a systems vaccine”
by Danny Rood
Regardless of how hard we try to tackle climate change, we’re probably going to be labelled hypocrites in one way or another. Looking at behaviour change and the systems currently in place, is it possible to have a society where us moral do-gooders can do what’s needed to keep the ocean from swallowing up properties and the sun from giving us a year-round tan?
Danny is an environmental practitioner doing emissions reduction things for Toitū Envirocare. After stints in the energy industry, the oil and gas sector, central government, and as a freelance photographer, he’s back where he needs to be. And he’s not getting as depressed about the planet as he used to.
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“Construction in the world’s most hostile environment – Antarctica”
by Matt Jordan
Matt will discuss what it takes to rebuild New Zealand’s Antarctic Research Station – Scott Base. He’ll present an overview of the challenges associated with building in the coldest, windiest, highest and driest continent on the planet. There will also be pictures of penguins.
Matt Jordan is a Project Manager at New Zealand’s national Antarctic Program – Antarctica New Zealand. He is a Board Director for the US Antarctican Society and is the Co-Chair for the Canterbury Branch of New Zealand’s Antarctic Society. Matt’s experience spans seven continents, with a resume that includes kayak guiding and instructing in the Norwegian Fjords, teaching English in Brazil, and building power stations in Australia and New Zealand. Matt has been to Antarctica six times, with a seventh deployment planned for October 2022.
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“The physics and unfortunate events behind champagne”
by Olaf Schelezki
Who invented Champagne? How should you drink Champagne on Mars? Is Champagne the Caterpillar and Butterfly for a desperately sophisticated monk or an Alice in Wonderland Rabbit Hole for scientists and polite snobs?
Olaf is a German-born Pole with an early discovered affinity for wine and an eager protector of its philanthropic, cultural, and mystical importance. He is a studied and worked Viticulturist and Oenologist, academic, and highly decorated sparkling wine producer (i.e. his parents drank all of it).
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