Welcome to Nerd Nite Los Angeles! We’re so excited that you’ve discovered our community’s nerdy little corner of LA. We are Nerd Nite (like TED Talks or the Discovery Channel + beer), Drinking & Dragons (live, imsurovised DnD), NNXL (live music), and Nerd Nite Out (community-building). Check out what we’re up to at one of our upcoming events!
WHAT IS NERD NITE?
We all know that learning is more fun when you’re drinking with friends and colleagues. Thus, Nerd Nite is a monthly event held in more than 100 cities across the globe during which several folks give 20-minute fun-yet-informative presentations across all disciplines – while the audience drinks along. It’s like TED Talks…but with beer.
WHEN AND WHERE IS NERD NITE?
Brewyard Beer Company LLC.
906 Western Ave, Glendale, CA 91201
Every 3rd Tuesday of the Month (November and December dates subject to change)
WILL THERE BE FOOD?
Yes! Tacos are provided by La Prieta Mexicana.
NEXT NERD NITE LA IS NOVEMBER 11th!
Join us at our next Nerd Nite LA on Tuesday, November 11th! Benjamin will talk on the transcendence of karaoke, Lin will dive into the history (and scandals) of TTRPGs, and Melissa will share tales of ancient-sloth-inspired cryptids!
PRESENTATION #1: LIFE, LOVE, DEATH, AND THE OTHER SELF OF KARAOKE
By Benjamin Poynter
Summary: After a certain point, when does the regular self transform into the ‘other’ self when participating in karaoke nights and what are the parallels, constructive or destructive, between those two selves that reveal themselves? Karaoke is a pastime that has moved beyond a fun, nighttime affair into a form in which people rely on it as a means of expressing and confessing what they normally cannot in daily life. Out of that, tales of love, lifelong friendship, tragedy, inventions, and even language study can occur during these excursions. Artist and engineer Benjamin Poynter will discuss his ongoing social project and even speak about the development of an interactive game born from performing over a hundred Japanese songs.
Bio: Benjamin Poynter is a world travelled artist, engineer, inventor, and kid at heart. Whether patenting innovative technologies for Las Vegas venues out of Los Angeles, looking through the lens of mixed reality in San Francisco, acting as an exhibiting artist and professor in Beijing, developing wacky contraptions for the latest new media devices in New York City, or en route to unforgettable moment through Japan, there are no shortage of challenges or technical trials which may beckon. These unique skills have emanated from the gaming realm, emerging technology, robotics, digital and visual art, performance, and mentorship for 10 years plus. Roles span across Sphere, Madison Square Garden, Nickelodeon, and currently with Meta (Facebook).
PRESENTATION #2: A HISTORY OF TTRPGS IN SEVEN SCANDALS
By Lin Codega
Summary: Although contemporary Tabletop Roleplaying Games are only about fifty years old, the scandals that have dogged the industry since inception have forced the culture of players, game masters, and designers to change every decade. From the Dungeons & Dragons co-writers multiple lawsuits against each other to a massive public outcry over proposed changes to default fair use contracts, the industry has been rocked again and again by decisions that prove how lucrative and how beloved TTRPGs are. The Satanic Panic wasn’t even the worst of it.
Bio: Although contemporary Tabletop Roleplaying Games are only about fifty years old, the scandals that have dogged the industry since inception have forced the culture of players, game masters, and designers to change every decade. From the Dungeons & Dragons co-writers multiple lawsuits against each other to a massive public outcry over proposed changes to default fair use contracts, the industry has been rocked again and again by decisions that prove how lucrative and how beloved TTRPGs are. The Satanic Panic wasn’t even the worst of it.
PRESENTATION #3: SLOTH TAILS FROM THE CRYPT: BREAKING DOWN THE SLOTHIEST OF CRYPTIDS
By Melissa Macias
Summary: Sloths aren’t just cute little animals that hang from trees. Their ancestors were giant, hairy beasts with long claws, powerful tails, and teeth unlike any other mammal. As strange as they were, they inspired legends of beasts that are even more terrifying. From Bigfoot to Boonsloths, Cureloms, the Panama Monster, and Mapinguari, Melissa Macias, a paleontologist and ground sloth expert, will break down some of the cryptid myths surrounding past and present sloths.
Bio: Melissa Macias is back for her FOURTH Nerd Nite talk! She’s a paleontologist and sloth expert who will gladly talk your ear off if you ask anything about giant ground sloths. Her original career plans were to be a fashion designer, but when that didn’t work out, she decided to be a paleontologist instead. In her day job, she protects fossils from certain destruction and stares at dots on maps, and muses about how to make high-visibility safety vests more goth.
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