Last nerdnite of the year
Nerds gather again – for the last time this year. So don’t miss the last chance to stock up with some nerdy thoughts, which will have to last over Christmas. The recipe for Nerd Nite is simple and effective: presentations, drinks, and that strange thing called social interaction. This time, we will learn how to invent a new language from planet-hunter Christian Thalmann and how to use mathematics to conquer the Rubik’s cube from… string theorist Erik Verlinde.
Christian Thalmann – The Art of Inventing Languages
Every true nerd easily converses in Klingon and manages several elvish dialects. It has also been reported that some nerds switched to talking to each other in C++ fro increased efficiency. But if you really want to make sure, that you can only talk to yourself, inventing a new language is the safest option. So this talk is going to be indispensable for everybody who wants to take his nerdery to the next level.
Christian Thalmann is a postdoctoral researcher at the institute for Astronomy “Anton Pannenkoek” at the University of Amsterdam. He is working on imaging techniques, extrasolar planets and brown dwarfs.
Erik Verlinde – Tackling Rubik’s Cube
A true nerd not only applies logic and mathematics rigorously to the world around him, he also fills his world with enough things, he can apply mathematics, too. Every nerd should have some puzzle in his pocket. When the Rubik’s Cube popped up while Erik Verlinde was in his student days, he immediately seized the challenge and developed his own way of solving it based on his insights in group theory.
Erik Verlinde is professor for theoretical physics at the university of Amsterdam. He is an expert in string theory and has become famous worldwide also to a lay audience with his new ideas about gravity. For his outstanding contributions to physics, he has received the prestigious Spinoza price this year.
In between and after, DJ Dirk Diggler (Booktunes) puts the speakers’ words to music.
CREA Muziekzaal
Turfdraagsterpad 17
Amsterdam
Thursday, November 17th at 20.00
Admission free
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