Nerd Nite Amsterdam

Author Archive

Join us again for Nerd Nite, where for the ninth time we revolve around the magical world of nerds and their fascinations. Prepare for a mind-boggling timewarp. We have opened up a wormhole that extends from the Medieval roots of the English language up to the futuristic world of 3D printing. Within one night, you will be able to speak like a knight in a jousting tournament (or like a Lannister, if you will) and to witness home appliances, dinosaur heads and broomsticks being conjured out of thin air. Live! If Gandalf were around, he’d be very much at home. We know you will be too.

Phil Uttley – Medieval English for Dummies
A quick-and-dirty guide for would-be Time-travellers

The past is a foreign country: they do things differently there. This could not be more true for language and none more so than English, which went from being an über-Germanic language spoken by a small number of warrior-tribes to a hotch-potch creole and Lingua Franca spoken around the world by over a billion people. Modern English was forged in the Middle Ages and this process is recorded in the English we use now, especially in its eccentric and illogical system of spelling and pronunciation. In this talk we will see how Medieval English evolved from its more Germanic roots and how the language of six-hundred or more years ago is fossilised in the language we use today. Along the way we will discover how, using a few simple tricks, a modern English-speaker can get by in Medieval England.

With everybody returning from their LAN-camps, LARP-gatherings and Pinball Tournaments, excitement is buzzing through town: Nerd Nite is coming! We start anew with a fresh set of two speakers from the Nerd Menagerie. Put your Higgs boots on, and prepare for some serious Japanese folding. This is Nerd Nite: we’re back!

“A Tsunami of Origami” – Caroline D’Angelo

The ancient Japanese tradition of origami is about more than just folding paper. Although, one has to admit, folding paper is a large part of it. From traditional miniature farm animals to the modern all-out stunt origami, the field is as vast as it is exciting. We even venture outside the recreational domain of origami, and review some of its hard-core scientific applications.

Caroline D’Angelo grew up near Toronto and has been frustrated by origami patterns since she was a small child. She once attended a meeting of the Toronto Origami Society. In daily life, she studies the more down-to-earth field of neutron stars whilst playing the cello.

“How many Higgs in Higgs?”

2012 will undoubtedly be remembered as the year of the long-awaited discovery of the Higgs particle. But who is Higgs? What is Higgs? Why do we need Higgs? Why did it take almost 50 years to find Higgs? And finally… how many Higgs particles are needed to build up Peter Higgs?

Sander Mooij is a physicist and currently a PhD candidate in cosmology where he tries to model the origin of the universe with inflation. Sander has made his first Nerd Nite stage performance as a judge in the dry T-shirt contest. This time around, he’ll take the floor to share his expert Higgs knowledge with us.

Nerd Nite VIII
Friday, 28th September 2012
Door 20:00 – First talk 20:30
Admission Free
Muziekzaal, Crea, Nieuwe Achtergracht 170, Amsterdam
amsterdam.nerdnite.com

Having lived through the Seventh Seal and the Seven Sons of Fëanor, you would think that nothing else involving the number seven would stir a nerd. How wrong you are: the Seventh Amsterdam Nerd Nite is upon us! We are set to blow away the rainy spring season with two amazing talks. Real-life rocket scientist Ralph Savelsberg will introduce you to the ins and outs of archaic North Korean missiles, and science-PR guru Linda Cendes will dig up some spooky tales about what happens when nerdy scientists step in to the public limelight. Musical interludes will be provided by DJ Dirk Diggler. In between, stay tuned for our special pre-summer Pan-Nerdic Surprise Event!

Ralph Savelsberg – It is rocket science!

During World War II, there were few defenses against the German V2 missile. Now, almost 70 years later, direct descendants of this missile, used by countries such as North Korea, potentially still pose a threat. Experience how curved the trajectories of these missiles are, and how nifty the tools to blow them out of the sky. Prepare for the real rocket science.

Ralph Savelsberg is a physicist. He calculates ballistic missile trajectories for a living and if that’s not nerdy enough already, he also builds LEGO scale models as a hobby.

Linda Cendes – Why Should I Care? Conversations between Scientists and the Public

As social tensions rise over climate change, the teaching of evolution in U.S. schools, and whether or not the Large Hadron Collider will destroy the world as we know it, it may seem like scientists, policy-makers, and the public are talking past one another. In a world where science and technology play an increasing role in our everyday lives, scientists need to get out of the lab and into the public sphere to talk about what they actually do all day. Linda Cendes will explain how and why scientists should engage in meaningful conversations with the public to discuss the benefits, limits, and implications of scientific knowledge.

Linda Cendes is Program Associate for Public Engagement at the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) in Washington, D.C., where she spends her time getting scientists and members of the public to talk to one another. In a past life, she studied the mating behaviors of bowerbirds in Australia for her Master’s degree in evolutionary biology.

Nerd Nite VII
Friday, June 1st
Door 20:00 – First talk 20:30
Admission Free
Muziekzaal, Crea, Nieuwe Achtergracht 170, Amsterdam
amsterdam.nerdnite.com
Facebook: Nerdnite Amsterdam

The next edition of the Amsterdam nerdnite will feature the first speeddating for nerds. It’s the good old principle, but then for nerds. Nothing says the truth better than a simple equation. That shouldn’t take longer than three minutes. You will talk to every participant. Afterwards, you inform the organizers if you would like to get in touch with a specific person. Only if both people express this preference, we will exchange the email addresses on your behalf. Otherwise, we will keep your data strictly confidential. Please sign up, if you want to take part.

Afterwards, we will have two exciting talks as usual:

Mike Lee – The New Way

Change is nature’s only constant, as the world we are living in now has made clear. Change has made its way to Europe, and it’s just a matter of time until the Netherlands too is part of this deluge. We can ignore it or rail against it, but we can’t stop it, so we’re better off embracing it. Industry veteran Mike Lee has spent the last year effecting change in the local technology ecosystem. He’ll share the trials and opportunities he sees in the near future, and the changes we need to make to take full advantage of them. Bring your thinking caps, and prepare to be challenged.

Legendary product engineer and World’s Toughest Programmer Mike Lee (@bmf) has worked on apps for Alaska Airlines, Delicious Monster, Tapulous, United Lemur, Apple, and Nextive, producing such hits as Delicious Library, Tap Tap Revenge, Obama ’08, and Apple’s Mobile Store. His goal is to save Madagascar, his blog is at mur.mu.rs, and he has the world’s largest collection of plush prosimians. In his spare time he races cars, flies airplanes, plays guitar, drinks single-malt scotch, and surfs. Mike lives in Appsterdam, the world capital of app development.

Jay Grossen – XXX. Motel. Sex. / How neon signs got so dirty

Neon signs have long been associated with places of questionable morals – no-tell motels, sex shops and other lairs of ill-repute. Jay Grossen will walk us through a visual (and sometimes explicit) history of ‘liquid fire’, or neon, and its reputation as a part of the seedier side of society. The talk will showcase the divergent approaches civic leaders have taken to neon signage, from Vancouver, where neon signs have been systematically removed from entire neighbourhoods to dissuade undesirables and promote gentrification, to Portland, Oregon, where these same signs are being preserved and displayed as works of high art and craftsmanship.

Jay Grossen is creative director at frog in Amsterdam.

With the tunes of DJ Booktunes (Dirk Diggler) in between and after as usual.

Door open: 20:00
First talk: 20:30

Join us again for the one-year anniversary of the Amsterdam Nerd Nite! It has been a fruitful year for the nerd-curious population. We have solved sudoku’s and Rubik’s cubes, heard pulsars and Dothraki, seen frikandellen and robots. The new nerd-year is going to be one even dafter. On February the 23rd, we kick off in the brand new CREA-building with two mind-boggling presentations. Urban analyst Kai van Hasselt introduces you to the Global South, and Vincent van der Vliet trumps the evening with the ace of spades. In between, our faithful DJ Dirk Diggler will supply some techy tracks to wash down your drink with. And if that’s not enough, we commemorate our anniversary with the howlin’ mad Dry T-shirt Contest. Don your most nerdy T-shirt with inexplicable in-joke or lame pun, and receive eternal fame and a prize both useless and offensive.

NOTE that CREA has MOVED and we are now at Nieuwe Achtergracht 170 (Roeterseiland)
Door open: 20:00
First talk: 20:30
amsterdam.nerdnite.com

Kai van Hasselt: 81 Impressions of the Global South

The Global South: the up-and-coming countries south of the equator. They represent a broad group of regions, cities and citizens, as well as a multitude of styles and opinions. Kai van Hasselt takes you on a tour around nine cities from the three continents along nine topics, forming 81 impressions of the Global South. What does luxury mean in Mumbai? Where do you buy bread in Nairobi? What does the wallpaper look like in Santiago? To understand the impact of The Global South one has to leave the comfort zone of one’s computer and data analysis and look at the true meaning of this important cultural shift. He’ll show you how the South, with some of the most fascinating and dynamic cities of the planet, offers an alternative to the West.

Kai van Hasselt is the founder of Shinsekai Analysis, an Amsterdam based advisory practice that specializes in urban strategies and cultural intelligence. He studied economics at the University of Amsterdam. He worked briefly at AMO, the think tank of architecture practice OMA in 2006.

Vincent van der Vliet – Your granny is a nerd – she plays bridge!

Bridge? As in, the game your granny plays? Can’t be too hard or challenging if she does it, right? Well, I’ve got news for you: your granny is a hardcore nerd. Beyond its dusty exterior, contract bridge is a game of statistics, logic, semantics, deduction and skill rather than luck. Traditionally, the game has attracted people with scientific minds to glean its deeper secrets. In this presentation, Vincent will try and introduce you to the game’s basics and explain its appeal to the nerdy mind.
Bridge!

Vincent van der Vliet is graphic designer and the founder of Bakabaka design. Before he found his way to pictures he geeked out on chemistry. Besides Bridge, he also masters other nerdery like non-stop board gaming.

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

22 September –  Doors open 20:00 – First talk 20:30
CREA Muziekzaal – Turfdraagsterpad 17 – Amsterdam
Free admission for nerds and non-nerds alike

Nerds return with a vengeance! After spending the holidays among dusty books and computer screens, again we don our bandaid-mended glasses and stick a fresh leaky pen in our pocket. Even if you did spend your holidays at a sun-soaked beach resort, surely you’re up for a healthy dose of off-the-charts nerdutainment. The recipe for Nerd Nite is simple and effective: presentations, drinks, and that strange thing called social interaction. In this edition, be prepared to learn the truth-content of Hollywood’s most epic swordfights (with live demonstrations!), and to tackle all of life’s problems with do-it-yourself digital solutions. To top it off, we bring you the first edition of the Nerd Nite quiz. All that will be lubricated by geeky music, hand-picked and melted to perfection by DJ Dirk Diggler (Booktunes). Be there and be square, and if you didn’t get that pun, be there to find out why you should!

Jos Vermaseren – Advanced Algorithmic Puzzling

Would you like to learn how to convert a Japanese drawing into tapestry? Or build your own Mondriaan inspired bookcase? Or design a gigantic 3D puzzle? Or invent Sudoku’s that even Stephen Hawking would have trouble solving? Jos Vermaseren, a computing expert likes to take his quests digital. In his talk he will share a few leisure time projects with us, thoroughly explaining the strategy so that you can all go home to try yourself. Expect this edition of Nerd Nite to bring you to the world where computer algorithms and hardcore brainpower are used to solve the puzzle.

Jos Vermaseren is part of the staff at the theory group of the National Institute for Subatomic Physics (NIKHEF), holds a 4th dan in GO, has a small art collection and a far going fascination for Japanese food and drinks.

Swordfighting in Movies: Truth or Fiction?

The honorable tradition of trying to kill each other with sharp objects goes back to the dawn of times. Fortunately (or unfortunately) for us, the military and even civilian use of swords has all but disappeared in Europe with the advent of gun warfare. Nowadays, we have little idea how it used to be done. This also means that the filmmakers, even our favorite ones, sometimes can get away with a lot when it comes to sword fights. But not anymore! Lousy and awesome swashbuckling on the silver screen as seen by a modern swords(wo)man, now with 30% more live demonstration! (The organizers accept no responsibility whatsoever for any injury resulting from active participation).

Katja Rybakova has almost completed her PhD research in systems biology at the Free University of Amsterdam, where she also stumbled upon a neighboring ZAZ fencing club.

We are thrilled to announce the second edition of the Amsterdam Nerdnite! Come along on April 21st at 8.30 pm (doors open: 8pm) at the CREA Musictheater, Turfdraagsterpad 17, Amsterdam and tune in to role playing and weighing stars.

Neutron stars are more massive than the Sun, but all their matter is squeezed into a sphere not much wider than Amsterdam.  In fact, they’re so dense that a single teaspoon of neutron star material would weigh more than everyone on Earth combined.  Still, inferring something as basic as a neutron star’s mass is hard work – after all, they’re really, really far away and we can’t exactly go there with a scale.  I’ll explain how we can determine a neutron star’s mass by treating it like an ultra-precise cosmic clock and what this can teach us about how gravity and particle physics works.

Jason Hessels is a research astronomer at the Netherlands Institute for Radio Astronomy (ASTRON) in Dwingeloo.

Boston, Berlin, Chicago, LA, Dublin, and now Amsterdam. An evening where nerds and non-nerds come together for nerdery of all sorts (mostly presentations and drinks). No lengthy colloquia, but passionate, bite-size orations about out-of-the-box topics that you didn’t know you should know about.

Featured speeches are

* 744 and 645: Can you juggle them? I can!
…
The world of juggling has experienced dramatic changes in the last forty years. It all started as part of a buffoonish circus act involving clowns, unicycles and splattered pie. In those days, juggling was no more than throwing around random objects in a predictable pattern while behaving foolishly. From that point on, more sophisticated forms of juggling emerged. One of them is the combination of juggling with music and dance, dubbed “The New Circus”. The other, more “nerdy” side of the new juggling is called “technical juggling”. It involves complicated patterns, combination of different tricks, and a precise realization of all the moves. In this talk, the science of juggling and its relation to mathematics will be introduced. Numbered sets and permutations will be juggled into a beautiful pattern. And of course, some examples will be demonstrated real-time with an increasing number of balls…

Bio: Balázs Pozsgay studied physics at the Eötvös University in Budapest, he also did his PhD there. Since November 2009 he is a postdoctoral researcher at the Institute for Theoretical Physics, UvA.

* On-the-job training for robots

Forget Gyro Gearloose’s Cleanup-Robot and Toothbrush-O-Matic: rigid, narrow-minded, single-purpose machines. The way forward is evolutionary robotics: a swarm of tiny, simple robots that form a symbiotic roborganism that can perform any given task. If a single robot fails, the swarm can pretty much carry on regardless. Also, the robots can reconfigure the organism to suit particular tasks and circumstances, something that large and complex individual robots would find impossible. In this talk, the peculiarities of these multi-purpose automatons are revealed. And, most importantly, how to teach the little rascals to behave.

Bio: Evert Haasdijk is a researcher at Gusz Eiben’s computational intelligence group at the Amsterdam Free University. Before that, he worked as a research consultant for Cap Gemini Innovation and as director of software development at KiQ Ltd.

In between and after, there will be drinks and music by The Benelux, ‘a vintage shock of tasteful noise, beats and resonating vocals’. English spoken.

Date: Thu 17th February, 20.00 hr
Location: CREA Muziekzaal
Admission: free
No reservations.

This is the Hello World post for Nerd Nite Amsterdam