Nerd Nite: Sutro Baths, Psychedelic Data Science & Blowing Up Bridges | Rickshaw Stop

Submitted by the Event Organizer

POSTPONED: Nerd Nite: Geeky Lectures in a Rock Club (Rickshaw Stop)

Starting in July 2022 we don’t see any more events on their calendar. Hopefully Nerd Nite will be back, soon!

What happens when geeks take over a rock club for an evening of drinking and presentations? Find out at Nerd Nite, a monthly lecture-in-a-bar series.

They get smart and interesting people, give them lots of free drinks, and put them on stage in front of a couple hundred tipsy nerds. Sometimes it’s funny, sometimes it’s salacious, and it’s always nerdy.

Nerd Nite
Every third Wednesday | Doors at 7 pm; Show at 8 pm
Rickshaw Stop | 155 Fell Street, San Francisco
$15 | All Ages

Nerd Nite resumed in San Francisco on July 21, 2021

Last Update: 8/10/21 – Event Link

Wednesday, February 17, 2016
POSTPONED: Nerd Nite: Geeky Lectures in a Rock Club (Rickshaw Stop)

Remember the legendary PSA with the egg and the frying pan? Find out what our brains really look like when they’re on drugs, and also swim back in time to the saltwater pools of the Sutro Baths and thrill to some Texan bridge demolition porn. This is your brain on Nerd Nite. Any questions? Well, that’s what the Q&A section is for, silly. With grilled cheese, librarians, and the Rickshaw bar staff to help you wet your whistle: Be there and be square.

• “Sutro’s Glass Palace” by John A. Martini

Like a majestic ocean liner or a grand hotel, the Victorian-era Sutro Baths dazzled visitors with over-the-top opulence. Today, only broken concrete ruins remain at Land’s End, but still draw hundreds of visitors daily. Marvel at many never-before-seen photographs of Adolph Sutro’s legendary glass palace.

• “Psychedelic Data Science: Mapping the Drug Experience” by Jessica Nielson

Can you imagine what psychedelic experiences look like? Ever wondered if illegal drugs are actually better for you than legal ones? (Some of you may have even performed copious independent studies) With the increase in data about the harmful effects of prescription drugs and the therapeutic benefits of psychedelics, big-data machine learning technologies are helping us answer those questions. Come trip balls—ahem—observe a psychedelic data visualization journey through various drug experiences.

• “The State of Texas Paid Me to Break a Bridge” by Bryce Neuman

Keen on saving money on inspections, TXDoT funded a research project to determine how “fracture-critical” their 10,000+ highway bridges really were. So a team from UT Austin’s structures lab rebuilt a 120’-long, decommissioned bridge and set out to break it. Yep, they used explosives—but it still took three tries. Come hear about this four-year effort, the engineering basics of the bridge, how they pushed it to its limits, and the results that surprised even the state’s (well, it’s Texas, after all) experts.

—

With: Alpha Bravo, who’ll be spinning tunes specially selected to match the presenters’ themes. Follow the setlist on Twitter @djalphabravo.

Food: Delicious hot goop between crispy slices of bread, brought to you by the scientist of the sammie, Grilled Cheese Guy.

Plus: The San Francisco Public Library will be on hand to dole out library cards, reading lists, and the hottest branch gossip.

Disclaimer: Please double check event information with the event organizer as events can be canceled, details can change after they are added to our calendar, and errors do occur.