Nerd Nite Miami
Details
Nerd Nite is a monthly event during which several folks give fun-yet-informative presentations across all disciplines – while the audience drinks along. It's like the Discovery Channel… with beer!
This month's speakers and topics:
- The Empowering Sport of Roller Derby
by Jessica "Shakesfear" Giraldo
What makes the sport of roller derby so empowering? Is it the fun outfits, the alter egos, themed events or the roller skates? See the story of roller derby from a local perspective: from one skater who made a decision to become her own hero and the teammates that have become friends along the way. Take a dive into what makes this punk rock sport so different and what it means for women to break the chains of societal standards. Find out what they've learned through this sport, including that beauty and brawn can go together and having a place where you no longer have to apologize for taking up space.
Bio: Jessica, known as Shakesfear on the track, plays the empowering female-dominated sport of roller derby and helps manage the league.
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- The Great War and the Minefield
by Michael T. Moore
There are highly predictable fail states in human reasoning. These heuristics and biases played key rolls in determining people’s behavior during World War I and II. It is, also, reasonable to think that a knowledge of such heuristics and biases could prevent future wars.
Bio: Michael is an IBM certified Data Scientist. He is interested in Bayesian Reasoning and the Singularity.
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- From Yo-Yo Salesman to Miami City Commissioner: How I Got Involved in Local Politics and Why You Should, Too
by Miami City Commissioner Ken Russell
The political climate in our country has grown increasingly toxic. Name-calling, hyper-partisanship, and the defamation of vulnerable groups for political gain can be seen across any media type on a given day. Does our political system need to be like this? What can I do as a citizen to make it better? In this presentation, Miami City Commissioner Ken Russell offers his own personal experience on local politics, starting with his rather unique personal background heading up "the yo-yo mafia". He will discuss how his unconventional life experiences prepared him for local politics and why you should, or more appropriately, need to get more involved in local politics.
Bio: As the District 2 Commissioner for the City of Miami and the Chairman of the Miami Downtown Development Authority (DDA), Coconut Grove Business Improvement District (BID), and Omni CRA, Ken Russell is first and foremost an activist for improving residents’ quality of life. Prior to being elected, he led an organized effort to clean up a contaminated park in his neighborhood. In his day job as a water sports equipment wholesaler, he helped organize races that have raised tens of thousands in support of charities such as Big Brothers Big Sisters.
Commissioner Russell speaks English, Spanish, Portuguese and Japanese and has conducted business in over 40 countries. He is a former professional yo-yo player. He holds a Bachelor of Science Degree in Business Administration from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill with a focus on International Marketing and a minor in Japanese. Currently, he resides in Coconut Grove, Florida, with his wife and their two children. When Ken is not enjoying time with them or working to make Miami better, he can usually be found making furniture and wood sculpture. Several of his pieces have been auctioned off to raise money for various charities.
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Schedule for the night:
4:00 - 7:00 Happy Hour
6:00 - 7:00 Fun and games
7:30 Presentations begin
9:30 Double Stubble (Gramps's weekly drag show)
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Come join us for a beer, learn something new, and meet fellow nerds. Tell your friends and help us spread the word about Nerd Nite Miami at Gramps!
Every second Thursday of the month. Only at Gramps.