Nerd Nite XV: Sparks fly on Nerd Nite’s Valentine’s Day edition!
On this special edition of Nerd Nite, graphical story-teller Laura van de Graaff will immerse you in a world which is being drawn as Rutger Bos speaks. After the break, allow yourself to fall in love with the greatest nerd of all time: Nikola Tesla. His current-day embodiment, professor Kjeld Eikema, will tell us about this extraordinary inventor, scientist and all-round genius, and give a positively dangerous demonstration of his most famous experiment: the Tesla coil. “Command & Conquer” players and “The Prestige” watchers will know exactly what we’re talking about…
Laura van de Graaff & Rutger Bos – Fantasy Fans – A short trip to Terry Pratchetts world
The power of words lies in the variety of things one can do with them. This describes Rutger Bos’ look on fantasy novels. He will discuss three epic series and one comical one: Wheel of Time, a Song of Ice and Fire, Malazan – Book of the Fallen and Discworld. Other themes are our being raised among fantasy stories (think fairy tales), the mainstreaminization of nerd culture, and the fact that fantasy is more everyday than
many people think. Laura van de Graaff will accompany the story with live illustrations, thereby creating a synergy of sound and image in an analog Powerpoint presentation. Which sounds nerdy, and is even more so.
Rutger Bos: reader, dreamer, fascinated by all forms of knowledge, and full-time nerd. Laura van de Graaff: talker, visual thinker, fascinated by language and illustrating fantasy, and part-time nerd. By a twist of fate they are family, and everybody knows: among family you can be who you really are. A fantasy nerd, for example.
Kjeld Eikema – The amazing inventions of Nikola Tesla
Including a demo of some seriously high voltage
Nikola Tesla was one of the most brilliant inventors, a true genius, who lived from 1856 till 1943. Most people do not realise how many things he invented that we all use today! Ever wondered who invented things like AC current, (high voltage) transformers, radio, fluorescent light tubes? (just to mention a few). Some of his ideas were really ahead of his time, which also inspired people to come up with conspiracy theories and the most bizarre ideas about UFO’s and the like. In the talk I will try to give you some idea about the amazing inventions and experiments of Tesla. At the end of it there will be a demonstration with one of his most famous inventions, the “Tesla coil”, generating sparks with insanely high voltages.
Kjeld is a professor of experimental physics at the VU University, with a particular liking for things and devices that tend to be dangerous. After his first experiments at age 6, connecting a 1.5V light bulb to the mains, many other experiments followed at home with high voltage, lasers, robots, rockets, and explosives. That was still possible back then, and great fun. Besides hobbies like playing the piano (sort of) he currently likes to test fundamental physics theories using precise (and of course dangerous!) lasers.
Bring roses, and be square!
Nerd Nite XV
Friday, 14th February, 2014
CREA Muziekzaal
Door 20:00 – First talk 20:30
Admission Free
Nieuwe Achtergracht 170, Amsterdam
amsterdam.nerdnite.com
facebook.com/NerdNiteAmsterdam
Posted in events
Might it be that this is 14th Feb 2014, in stead of 2013?
🙂
excellent point 🙂