“Blessed are the nerds, for they shall inherit the earth.”
– Jesus, totally

If you’ve ever seen a sci-fi movie, you know that nerds (or their inventions) will soon rise up and destroy us all. Ergo, you’re going to need survival skills, and plenty of beer!

As ever, it’s the first Thursday of the month: May 6th

The fun starts at 7pm at Buffalo Billiards.

You can join our Facebook event, or pimp us at Yelp! or D0512

This month’s invaluable additions to your mental toolbox:

The Psychology of Persuasion: World Domination in Four Easy Steps
John De Mott

Mind domination!

Join us as we investigate the evolutionary origins of persuasion, how anyone can be more persuasive, and the impact new communication technologies are having on the persuasive landscape.

John De Mott is a new media consultant in viral marketing and persuasive technology. His messages have reached 100,000s of people on Facebook, Myspace, and YouTube.

Trial by Fire: The DARPA Grand Challenge and the Search for Robust Autonomy
David Rosen

Ground domination!

While robotic systems have been a fixture in tightly controlled laboratory and industrial environments since the early 1960s, their difficulty in gracefully reacting to the unexpected has remained a stumbling block on the path to their widespread introduction into everyday life. This talk will examine the pursuit of robust autonomy by taking as a case study the DARPA Grand Challenge, a 132-mile off-road autonomous vehicle race through the California desert.

David Rosen is a graduate student in mathematics at UT Austin. When he’s not busy thinking about badass mathematics (go geometry!), he enjoys building robots and running long distances.

Hypotheses on the Tactics of Naval Warfare in Space
Peter Kong

Space domination!

Forget everything you’ve ever seen in Star Trek or Battlestar Galactica. Here’s a more realistic vision of space warfare in a not-too-distant future!

Peter Kong is nerdier than you. He spends way more time thinking about fantastic worlds and possibilities than is healthy for a young man. Also, he is a veteran of five hojillion tours of duty in Earth’s Space Navy so he knows exactly what he’s talking about.

No cover, 21+
Free billiards and shuffleboard for attendees