Are you ready to get nerdy!?
Think TED talks with beer. Discovery Channel meets Drunk History.
Be there AND be square!
———— $10 // TICKETS HERE ————
Presentations:
"How to vandalise Wikipedia"
by Mike Dickison
Did you hear about the young farmer from Dannevirke who got his name added to a Wikipedia list of mythical Japanese monsters, and it ended up appearing as one of the monsters in a fancy board game? Stories like this make it seem like Wikipedia’s easy to vandalise; how much can we trust it? How do we detect hoaxes? If we were sociopathic enough to want to get false information into the encyclopaedia and make it stick, what would we need to know?
Dr Mike Dickison did his PhD on giant flightless birds and has been a museum curator and digital librarian. Now he spends most of his time encouraging people to improve Wikipedia, but in this one-off exclusive talk he’ll turn things around and reveal the grubby world of making it less accurate.
————————
"Gin and Tectonics: Earthquake Engineering on the Rocks"
by Brandy Alger
What do earthquake engineering and drinking have in common? Very little, it seems, other than the word munted. But after attending this talk when you find yourself a bit tipsy in the newly revamped CBD, you can stare in awe at all of the incredible engineering technology keeping the city safe.
Brandy Alger is an extroverted engineer turned social scientist on a mission to engage the masses around natural hazards. As part of this mission, Brandy has created a “fun and nerdy” walking tour of some of Ōtautahi’s best earthquake resilient buildings and technology in the West End.
————————
"Necator americanus: The Saviour of the Universe?"
by Jacquie Leaman
Jacquie has attempted to alter her gut microbiome by self-inoculating with the non-pathogenic hookworm species, Necator americanus. She aims to inform, entertain and try and persuade you that medical science has misinterpreted the relationship between Necator americanus and Homo sapiens.
Jacquie Leaman is a medical scientist with 40+ years of experience having trained aeons ago within various departments in Pathology. Currently, she is employed as Head of Department in Microbiology at Canterbury SCL and is in the science of growing bugs from people. She has a passion for all things "health,” hence her interest in the gut microbiome.
————————
Doors: 6:00pm
Presentations: 6:30pm