Nerd Nite London - Oct 2021

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. This October we're going to be learning about Sleep Paralysis, Craft Beer and Creepy Plants.

Be there and be square.

Address: Backyard Bar and Comedy Club, 231 Cambridge Heath Rd, London E2 0EL or online, if you'd prefer.
Details: Oct 20th, 2021. Doors open at 7, the stream will go live at 7.15(ish) , with the speakers starting at 7.30PM

Tickets: Early Nerd Tickets £6, General Admission £7.50, Extra-generous donation to Shine Trust £10, Online £5. Concessions available. All proceeds will be donated to charity.

The Terror That Comes in the Night

Have you ever woken up in the night to find yourself paralysed with a demonic creature sitting on your chest trying to strangle you? Millions of people around the world really have had terrifying experiences such as this. Evidence of the supernatural - or a temporary glitch in the normal sleep cycle?

Chris French is Emeritus Professor and Head of the Anomalistic Psychology Research Unit in the Psychology Department at Goldsmiths, University of London. His main current area of research is the psychology of paranormal beliefs and anomalous experiences. He frequently appears on radio and television casting a sceptical eye over paranormal claims.

Why "Craft Beer” is completely undefinable, hopelessly misunderstood, and absolutely essential 

Craft beer is the biggest thing to hit alcoholic drinks for decades. Problem is, no one quite knows what it is. During lockdown, drinks writer Pete Brown dropped the “beer” and went in search of the meaning of “craft” itself, to see if that helped. Looking at whittling, digging, wheel-making, Cartesian duality, the nature of nostalgia and Paul Gascoigne’s Euro 96 wonder goal left him no closer to defining craft beer, but much clearer as to why it matters. 

Pete Brown is widely known throughout the food and drink world as "that beer guy, you know… whatsisname from Barnsley.” His self-published book "Craft: An Argument" was conceived and delivered in the first 2020 lockdown and has won several awards (OK, two.)

Creepy Plants

Plant blindness is the tendency to underappreciate or altogether ignore the plants around us, with drastic (and scary) impacts on plant conservation. In this presentation, we'll explore the world's spookiest plants to help you look at the flora around you in a different light. Warning: some of these guys are so creepy, you might wet your plants!

Dominique Morneau is a scientific editor at Springer Nature. In her previous life as a scientist, she studied plants from the inside-out and wants to share her love of plants with all the skeptics. In October, she turns into a ghoul, and wanted to combat plant blindness by combining her love of weird plants and bad horror films into one.

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 www.facebook.com/nerdnitelondon or visiting www.london.nerdnite.com. for more information about The Shine Trust visit www.shinetrust.org.uk