Nerd Nite London-March 2018

Nerd Nite London is a monthly event where three speakers give 18-21 minute fun-yet-informative talks across all disciplines, while the audience drinks along.

Address: the Backyard Comedy Club, 231 Cambridge Heath Road, London E2 0EL

Details: Wednesday march 21st

Tickets: Early nerd tickets £6, general admission £7.50. 

Doors open: 6.30pm, event starts: 7.30pm

Nerd Nite London aims to teach you details about subjects which you didn’t even know you were curious about, while you drink beer and learn things you didn’t know you didn’t know. This month we have the strange history of an odd town in Georgia, USA, the power of flags and the low-down on some top conspiracy theories. Be there and be square.

How The Sound of Music saved Helen, GA

When you think of a small town in the American Deep South, the image in your mind is more likely to be people sipping iced tea on their front porch than lederhosen-clad beer drinkers in Bavarian-style bars. That’s because you’ve never been to Helen, Georgia. I’ll explain the strange story of why a small town in the foothills of the Appalachians resembles one in the Alps.

Nigel Smith has been obsessed with the American South since he spent six months working in a children's home in Charleston, SC when he was 18. Since then he’s attended the Liars Contest in Columbia, Tennessee, the Low Country Shrimp Festival in South Carolina and slept in a concrete wigwam built in 1937 along the ‘Dixie Highway’ in Kentucky. Closer to home Nigel co-runs the Tufnell Park Film Club in North London. You can follow him on Twitter @nigelcsmith. 

Don't get vexed, get vexilologial! 

Do you like flags? Of course you don't, you probably have functioning social skills instead! But people are willing to fight and die for flags, so they may be worth more of our attention than we'd initially think. Flags are packed with far more symbolism than most people realise. Learn why, like Italian cooking, in the world of flags sometimes less is more, and how Holland's humble beginnings revolutionised flags as we know them today

Self-loathing Recruitment Manager by day, lazy good-for-nothing by night, Andrew Grace is a flag and national anthem enthusiast who is as confused as anyone as to how he maintains his interests while still maintaining an active social life. He eagerly awaits the Olympic Games every two years in which his sordid pet interests become practical skills for two glorious weeks. He is a dirty foreigner who has conned the home office out of a visa despite a hatred of fish & chips, Ribena and rich tea biscuits.

My favourite obscure conspiracy theories

Conspiracy theories are dangerous and pernicious. But while they must be combatted, we also need to acknowledge their audacity and creativity - they are a testament to human ingenuity. In this talk I will present my favourite obscure conspiracy theories. I will also add in one that I made up. Can you spot the fake fake facts?

Dr Keith Kahn-Harris describes himself as ‘professionally curious’ but doesn’t really know what that means. His book on denialism comes out in 2018.

All proceeds from Nerd Nite London go to charity. This year we are partnering with the Shine Trust to help foster a new generation of nerds. More information about Nerd Nite London can be found by following us on Twitter @nerdnitelondon, liking us on Facebook  or visiting www.london.nerdnite.com. For more information about the Shine Trust visit www.shinetrust.org.uk