Nerd Nite XXVII: Nerdiness for Social Good!
Delve deeper into the everyday at Nerd Nite on Friday May 13th! We’ll examine technological practices and scientific thought about two things ubiquitous in this modern world: computer security and human faces. First, speaker Melanie Rieback introduces us to the realm of non-profit, open-source computer security consultancy. She’ll go into both the technological side of hacking-for-good and their radical business model that makes security knowledge accessible. Following that, Daniel Wigboldus shows us his social science research into the perception of human faces and why we shouldn’t judge others at face value. We’ll learn a thing or two about how and why we unconsciously perceive faces, and a data-driven approach to quantify the perceived qualities of a face. Be there and be square!
DETAILS:
Friday 13 May
Doors at 20:00
First talk at 20:30
at CREA Muziekzaal
Nieuwe Achtergracht 170
1018 WV Amsterdam
Smashing the stack for fun and non-profit
by Melanie Rieback
Radically Open Security is the world’s first non-profit computer security consultancy company. It’s a collective of hackers who aim to disrupt the computer security market with their ideals — give 90% of profits to charity (the NLnet Foundation), release all their tools into the open-source, invite customers to actively participate, and generally optimize for openness, transparency, and community service. In this talk, Melanie will share with us some anecdotes from her career development as both a computer hacker and an idealist, and also raise thought-provoking questions about how we each can more effectively use our finely-cultivated nerdly skills for the public good.
Bio: Dr. Melanie Rieback is the CEO/Co-founder of Radically Open Security. Her impressive academic career has led her to appear in lists such as “400 most successful women in the Netherlands” (2010) and “50 most inspiring women in tech” in the Netherlands (2016). For an extra dose of nerdiness, she founded Girl Geek Dinner NL.
What’s in a face?
by Daniel Wigboldus
We all are surrounded by the faces of others. But what do we really see when we look another person in the face? What does this tell us about the other person, and about ourselves? In this talk, we’ll hear from person-perception specialist Daniel Wigboldus on a brief history of research into face perception and how it relates to unconscious bias and prejudice. Moreover, he’ll explain a data-driven approach to face perception that makes use of reverse correlation methods. After this talk, hopefully we’ll think twice before judging others at face value.
Bio: By day, Daniel is the dean of the faculty of social sciences at Radboud University in Nijmegen. Alongside his administrative duties, he investigates how we perceive others and lectures on (social) psychological topics within and outside of university. By night, Daniel unwinds by making music using synthesizers, samplers and computers.
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