Nerd Nite Amsterdam

Author Archive

Well hello Nerds! It’s time to boost those brains after the summer recess. Join us for the 18th edition of Nerd Nite filled with ruins and paranoia. Yes, you read that right! The breathtaking photography of Mark Minkjan will take you on a journey through failed architecture. From the tangible we go to the cerebral and move into the wondrous world of conspiracy thinking. Crazy crackpots? Not according to our next speaker: Richard Newell. Psyched? Well, we are. Be there and be square.

Mark Minkjan – Failed Architecture
Fascinated by Failure

When you see, hear or read about architecture and the development of cities it is virtually always about progress: highlighting the newest and the shiny, and holding the promise of a better future. However, there is perhaps much more to learn from the failures: from architecture-gone-wrong, urban decay and (creative) destruction. Since the built environment is a product of our societies, the causes of urban failure can teach us about how cities work, malfunction and change over time. Simultaneously, decay, ruination and imperfection appeals to the imagination and produces fascinating imagery, art and ideas. It stimulates creative thinking, emotions of melancholia and nostalgia and a historical understanding.

Mark Minkjan is an urban geographer interested in contemporary urban phenomena from a historical perspective. He is Editor in Chief at Failed Architecture, a research endeavour into urban failure, and part of Non-fiction, an office for cultural innovation focussing on urban development, heritage and arts. He co-edited and contributed to the books Farming the City and We Own The City.

Richard Newell – Conspiracy Theories
Live long and Conspire

Conspiracy theories and those who study them are viewed in our contemporary society with a certain suspicion. In my short talk I want to change your view of conspiracy theories by taking you on a journey through the many aspects of this alternate culture and explaining to you my attraction to it. I intend to show to you that the rise in conspiracy theories represent a perfectly understandable reaction to an increasingly complex world in which traditional trust in authority is declining and show that in many cases they are nearer to the truth than you might think. I hope to convince you that the healthiest thing to be both individually and as a society are conspiracy theorists.

Richard Newell is a scientific publisher based in Amsterdam and also a PhD candidate finishing his studies in experimental physics at the UvA. In his free time he likes nothing more than to delve into the world behind the headlines and immerse himself in the stories that lay beneath the surface. He likes English beer, progressive rock and science fiction. He dislikes plastic cutlery, piped music and modern celebrity culture. Ask him why if you think you have the time!!

Join us on September 26th (8:00 pm) at CREA Amsterdam: Nieuwe Achtergracht 170, 1018 WV Amsterdam.

For the last edition of the season, June 6th, Nerd Nite will show you how to harness yourself against the mighty destruction of stress by playing video games! Additionally we’ll provide you with some excellent nerdy knowledge on the concept of infinity, a great conversation maker for that summer love. Including a special break edition: the Liar’s club. Be there and be square.

Michiel Renger – Infinity
Imagine the unimaginable.

Everyone has some intuitive ideas about infinity… but does it really exist, and if so: what is it exactly? If we are willing to make a few simple assumptions, then mathematics provides us the answers to many of these questions. Although the assumptions are very straight-forward, the answers can be very surprising. This is really the kind of mathematics that can teach us something about philosophy, reality, and to some even spirituality. (There is no need to be afraid of mathematics; anyone should be able to understand the arguments of this talk.)

Michiel Renger studied mathematics in Delft, and after some years of non-math-related jobs, he realised that he really should be doing math. Currently he works as a researcher at the Weierstraß Institute in Berlin, studying limits of an infinite number of particles. If he doesn’t do math, he likes to play dance music on his saxophone and didgeridoo.

Adam Lobel – Gaming for Mental Health
Beating stress one boss battle at a time

Dealing with stress can be, well, stressful. But what if a favourite nerdy hobby for unwinding could also help moderate stress before it starts? Adam explains how playing certain video games may help train one’s ability to manage emotions in everyday stressful situations. Mindless fun on the surface for some can be a highly stressful experience for others! Adam will specifically discuss the game Starcraft 2, highlighting the similarities between the real world and the game world. This talk will include some suggestions for awesome video games that were recently developed with the sole goal of helping you handle stress better.

Adam Lobel is PhD candidate at the Radboud University in Nijmegen’s Behavioural Science Institute. His PhD focuses on how people persevere in the face of failure. He is a Brooklyn, NY native gone Dutch after completing his master studies in Amsterdam. When not testing stressful gaming situations scientifically, he likes to explore these possibilities on his Playstation, buff up his record collection, and revel in live music.

On April 4, your bimonthly dose of nerd-nourishment will be served. Learn how to tumble a house of cards from real political junkie Jelmer Uitentuis, and watch how astronomer Lucas Ellerbroek debunks some of science’s greatest myths. Be there and be square!

Jelmer Uitentuis – Becoming a political junkie: A crash course in political communication.

Political junkies are not only junkies because they are addicted to watching politics, can imitate politicians, and know a lot of politics trivia. Real junkies watch politics differently.They recognize spinning and framing, they know the communication strategies used. In this talk we watch and analyze some of these strategies. The conclusion is that politicians have a few things in common: they think that other politicians react rationally, but they also think that voters mostly don’t. Both of these propositions are untrue.

Besides being a political junkie, sociologist Jelmer Uitentuis is a program maker, moderator, journalist and self-proclaimed “broker in curiosity”.

Lucas Ellerbroek – Planet hunters and escapists: Who are your scientific heroes?

We like heroes as much as we like science. Discoveries and theories are often identified with the great personalities who announced or developed them. Newton equals gravity. Darwin equals evolution. Einstein equals the universe. However, some of history’s great thinkers, while rightfully credited for their brilliance, really did not know what they were doing at the time. Some, if not most, discoveries were made by neglecting written and unwritten rules of sanity. We will review some of the most remarkable episodes and characters in the quest to endless confusion which we call science. And even if it is a tragic heroism that surrounds a milestone – it is heroism nonetheless.

Lucas Ellerbroek is an astrophysicist and science writer. Besides organizing Nerd Nite, he enjoys playing the violin and indulging in nerd fare like comics, ’80s-movies and rare marbles.

It’s almost that time of year again: February 14th, national “hey, your life would be so much more awesome only if you had somebody to share it with” day, or perhaps from another perspective: an evil construction designed to make you buy things.
Nevertheless it is of the utmost importance that nerds find each other, as nerd babies are a great asset to the world at large.

Are you still looking for a soul mate? Do you want to find your intellectual significant other? Somebody to play axis and allies with? And Tinder isn’t offering you a content-based approach? Oh boy/girl, do we have a pre-Nerd Nite program for you!

Are you psyched? Sign up at https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1zetDX1LtKk9w7-vVnvB1XooMiuf1fAaDEEusQRyn1PE/viewform

Date: February 14th
Time: 18:30 (admittedly a bit early, but necessary as we all need to be finished in time for the Nerd Nite of course)
Required item: Bring a prop that relates to you (examples: origami bow-tie, picture of your cat, favorite book, Luke Skywalker action figure, homemade cake)
Sex preference: separate pools for gay & straight

You will be sent a confirmation email and participation manual (just kidding) after registering and a reminder email a few days before the event. If you have any questions please email amsterdam [at] nerdnite.com.

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

Friday the 13th of December, will appropriately be the setting of an occult bonanza. Join Steije Hofhuis to learn about how witch-hunts came into existence and Martijn Loth & Ton Siedsma will preach on protecting bits.

Steije Hofhuis– “How to explain witch-hunting? A Darwinian attempt”.

From the late fifteenth century until the early eighteenth century many Europeans did something quite strange. They killed thousands of people for being witches. While actually, as we now know, witches don’t exist. So why on earth did people do it? Historians, but also sociologists and anthropologists, have found all kinds of explanations, but none, so far, have been convincing. Therefore, historians now often believe that we should better be giving up on the whole project of finding an explanation. Steije, however, is foolhardy enough to still give it a try and comes up with something new. Something Darwinian.

Steije is a historian with the firm belief that we can understand a whole lot more of history if we apply Darwinian theory. He is also sort of the only historian who believes this. And that could be the beginning of a heroic scientific epic! Or of an early career flop, as happens in most cases when people believe to have found something new. Which is very Darwinian by the way. You see, the theory works!

Martijn Loth & Ton Siedsma- “Protecting Internet Freedom – One bit at a time”.

We all love the way technology makes our lives easier and connects us with friends and family. This admiration has allowed technology to permeate our daily life in ways previously unimaginable, allowing us to process massive quantities of information wherever we are. But all capabilities come at a price and it’s no wonder that governments are
battling for control over our personal information. They want to be able to intercept communication for reasons of national security, to prevent crimes or just because it *could* be useful in future scenario’s. They claim that  encryption is endangering the effectiveness of interception. To tackle this issue, governments are seeking out other means. One of these proposals includes allowing officials to hack your computers. The Dutch Secret Service, the AIVD, has had the authority to do so since 2002, but the Dutch law enforcement agencies aren’t allowed to do so yet. But this is about to change if the Minister of Justice, Ivo Opstelten, gets his way. We strongly oppose this – and we will explain to you why. And while the police wants to play with the toys  the AIVD already has, the AIVD is pushing the limits of their own capabilities and are striving towards the tapping of cable bound communication. We will tell you why this endangers the internet as we know it. Protecting ourselves online is still possible and we will share some suggestions as how to increase your privacy-superpowers.

Martijn is a geek trapped in a law student’s body. He has contributed to several open source projects and continues to preach the FLOSS-gospel. Working at Bits of Freedom has made it possible to combine his love for all things tech with his passion for IT/IP law. When he’s not reading up on the latest legal scoops or defending civil rights online, Martijn likes to work out religiously and perfect the lost art of straight razor shaving.
After years of denying, Ton finally gave in and let his inner nerd out. He now works for Bits of Freedom, mostly on cybercrime and cyber security. In the evening, he experiments with his raspberry pi. He also recently bought a Yubikey, but lost it on the same day he got it. Since this nearly fatal security flaw, he has been rethinking the whole
concept  of external security devices. Ton has a very latent ambition to boost the beautiful art of curling. He cycles vigorously. He recently purchased a far too sophisticated Tacx, which allows him to bike indoors while virtually ascending the Mont Ventoux.

And like on any good Friday, there’s drinks and music. Bring your black cats!

Nerd Nite XIV
Friday, 13th December, 2013
CREA Muziekzaal
Music by Jordi Bouman
Door 20:00 – First talk 20:30
Admission Free
Nieuwe Achtergracht 170, Amsterdam
amsterdam.nerdnite.com
facebook.com/NerdNiteAmsterdam

After an improbable amount of sunshine, we return to you with teachings on Permaculture and the undisputed link between math and music. Lien de Coster will discuss the sustainable solution no one can explain in one sentence. Followed by Tom Hijmans, who will explain that it only takes math to make nice music. Come and get permanently inspired!

Lien de Coster – “Permaculture. What on earth is that?”

Permaculture might be the solution for the environmental, social and economic crisis of our society. There is only one big problem: it seems near impossible to explain what permaculture is. Lien takes up the challenge and discusses the difficulty of finding a proper definition along with her personal view on what comprises permaculture.
This lecture is for people who have never heard about permaculture before and for people who think permaculture is all about mixing different kinds of plants in your garden and designing sustainable systems.

Lien De Coster is a writer and – guess what – a permaculture teacher. She also takes people into the wilderness on something called a vision quest. When you can’t find Lien there is a big chance she is wandering barefoot through the forest, is paddling in her canoe, or is reading poetry around a well-hidden campfire.

Tom Hijmans – “Mathematics of musical harmony. Why does a piano have twelve keys?”

On pianos the octave is divided into twelve equal tone steps. Why twelve? Is this just convention, led by our cultural penchant towards dividing things into twelve parts? Think of the dozen, the number inches in a foot, the number of pence in a shilling in old English money, and, of course, the number of hours in a half day. In the case of the piano the twelve key octave is there because of mathematical necessity. That is, if we want to be able to play harmonic music on our instrument. No prior math knowledge required, just a good set of ears!

Tom Hijmans is an experimental physicist of the UvA. He is also a piano tuner and runs a piano repair workshop from his home, races laser sailing boats and climbs rocks. His favorite animals are the moth and the peregrine falcon. Do ask him why!

Nerd Nite XIII
Friday, October 25th, 2013
CREA Muziekzaal
Door 20:00 – First talk 20:30
Music by Spread it like Butter
Admission Free
Nieuwe Achtergracht 170, Amsterdam
amsterdam.nerdnite.com
facebook.com/NerdNiteAmsterdam

Pack your lab goggles and earmuffs, and get ready for the last Nerd Nite before the Summer! Things are going to get explosive and loud. Polymath Federico Felici unravels the future of energy: nuclear fusion, and astronomer Gijs Mulders takes us on a headbanging journey through heavy metal music. Music by Spread it Like Butter. Be there and be square!

Federico Felici – “Nuclear fusion, the ultimate energy source”

Abundant and widely available fuel, no risk of meltdown and little radioactivity: nuclear fusion, the energy source of the stars, has been hailed for decades as *the* solution to the world’s energy needs. Unfortunately, after 50 years of research, we are still decades from building our first commercial fusion power plant. Still, progress is being made: the experimental ITER reactor, under construction in France, should generate fusion energy in the 2020s and the NIF facility, in California, is inches away from igniting a capsule of fusion fuel. But enormous challenges remain, as one would expect when trying to confine a plasma (hot gas) with temperatures above 150million degrees. We will learn about these challenges, hear about the fascinating history of the worldwide research efforts and get a glimpse of what remains to be done before the energy of the stars will become available in a power outlet near you.

Federico Felici designs control systems for experimental tokamak fusion reactors. He obtained a PhD in Plasma Physics from the École Polytechnique Fédérale in Lausanne, Switzerland and an MSc. in Systems & Control Engineering at Delft University of Technology. He has hobbies, too!

Gijs Mulders – “Heavy Metal: an Astronomer’s Journey”

Since its start in the seventies, heavy metal is a music genre that has persisted outside of mainstream music until today. But why do so many people listen to music that is so loud it was used to torture prisoners in Guantanamo Bay? Gijs will explain why this music and its subculture are still so popular today, despite its inaccessibility and apparent lack of musicality. Everything you ever wanted to know about black clothes, death growls, the physics of a moshpit and alleged satanism. Cover your ears for a heavy talk!

In daily life, Gijs Mulders is an astronomer who researches the origins of planets. In his free time, he listens to excruciating music called heavy metal, collects music festival wristbands around his arms, and breaks his bones in moshpits.

Nerd Nite XII
Friday, May 3rd, 2013
CREA Muziekzaal
Door 20:00 – First talk 20:30
Music by Spread it like Butter
Admission Free
Nieuwe Achtergracht 170, Amsterdam
amsterdam.nerdnite.com

facebook.com/NerdNiteAmsterdam

In this edition, Professor Gusz Eiben will present his vision of the new Evolution Revolution. And as if gorging on chocolate eggs in this season is not enough, Gabriel Ybeles Smit will allow us to indulge in the Chocolate Universe, and reveal the science behind the powers of this alluring substance. Free samples included! Also: the “Nerd Liar’s Club” quiz, music by Spread It Like Butter, and a special guest! Be there, or be square.

Gusz Eiben – How to evolve real stuff

“In the 20th century evolution was transferred from wetware to software, in the 21st century it will be ported from software to hardware.”

Most people consider evolution as a theory that helps us understand things (that happen beyond our control). However, computers, invented in the 20th century, made it possible to create an evolutionary process as a tool to solve problems: Evolutionary Computing. I argue that in the 21st century it will be possible to implement and utilize artificial evolutionary processes outside digital spaces and make them physically embodied: the “Evolution of Things”, leading to a new field of Embodied Artificial Evolution. In this talk I will present this vision in more detail and explain why these developments will radically change our lives.

Gusz Eiben is Professor of Computational Intelligence on the VU University Amsterdam. He is specialized in evolutionary computing, artificial life and more recently evolutionary swarm robotics.

Gabriel Ybeles Smit – The chocolate universe

Chocolate has enthralled humankind through the centuries, ever since the dark ‘Kakaw’ was used in life and death rituals in Mesoamerica, up to present day where chocolate is regarded as a valued confectionary commodity connected with deep emotions. What can modern science tell us about its powers? This is the chocolate universe.

Bio: Gabriel Ybeles Smit holds a PhD in Physics, spent the last couple of years at CERN and is currently contemplating a new direction in life. Ever since he was old enough to stand he’s been experimenting with food in the kitchen. On top of that he has a far reaching fascination for everything Italian. And when there’s still time left he enjoys the black light in his living room.

Nerd Nite XI

Thursday, March 28th, 2013
CREA Muziekzaal
Door 20:00 – First talk 20:30
Music by Spread it like Butter
Admission Free
Nieuwe Achtergracht 170, Amsterdam
amsterdam.nerdnite.com
facebook.com/NerdNiteAmsterdam

Since the Maya’s have granted us the right of existence we are back with Nerdnite X. After looking death in the eye we decided to focus this anniversary edition on having fun. And how do we nerds have fun? With games! First out we have top athlete Leonie busting the mythe on females being the weaker gender and lecturing us on what your body can actually achieve if you set the right boundary conditions in your life. Second up Mikhel will enlighten us with lessons of Starcraft and he’ll argue that if you are willing to look into your gamers-eye, you will become a better employee, and maybe even a better person.

Leonie van den Haak – This. Is Spartathlon.
How to prepare your body for a 28-hour run.

‘Any idiot can run a marathon. It takes a special kind of idiot to run an ultramarathon.’

Ultrarunning starts where the marathon ends: after 42.2km. But why would you want to run distances like this in a world of spaceships, supercomputers and fast cars? The answer is simple: because you can.
The human quest to find the true essence of being is as old as Pheidippides’ 246km long run from Athens to Sparta to seek help against the Persians in the battle of Marathon in 490BC. After arriving in Sparta he took the same 246km long way back to Athens. If he could do it, why can’t we? And what would it take to run 246km.
There’s a physical as well as a mental aspect to running distances like this. Obviously, you need to train hard, harder, hardest. But you need to train smart. You need to turn your body into a super-efficient, lean and mean running machine. Now that’s the easy part. The mental aspect of running a race like Spartathlon is where the fun really starts. But if you master the mental part of ultrarunning, chances are that you will come closer and closer to finding the true essence of being. And that’s the true gift of ultrarunning.

Join me at Nerdnite X and I will reveal some of the secrets of running Spartathlon, a 246km race. Because ‘the greatest pleasure in life is doing what people say you cannot do.’

Leonie van den Haak is an ultrarunner, Nike-adept, world traveler and punkrock-lover. She finished last years’ Spartathlon as 2^nd woman in the 5^th fastest time ever: 28:42:36.

Mihkel Kama – Craft your star with StarCraft
How playing games can make you more productive

Games are a way for all advanced creatures we know of to learn about real life. Videogames have become hugely popular and, in many ways, similar to physical sports. The most popular games have hundreds of millions of players, world-class superstar gamers, tournaments, and casters. All games are fun. But while the usefulness of physical sports is clear, this is less so for e-sports.

In my talk, I will introduce the popular real-time strategy game, StarCraft II, and will illustrate how playing it can reveal and heal personality traits that sabotage our attempts to be productive in real-life activities, such as publishing papers. By becoming aware of these traits, we can overcome them, becoming not only better gamers, but better people.

Mihkel Kama is an astrophysicist interested in the formation, evolution and characterization of planetary systems. He likes sports of all sorts, in recent times StarCraft and squash.