Nerd Nite February 2016

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: Nerd Nite, Museum of Childhood, Cambridge Heath Road, London E2 9PA

Details: Wednesday February 24th

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

Doors open 6.30pm

This month a scriptwriter, a radio producer and an archivist join us for a night of nerd miracles. Learn how they proved and disproved miracles in the 17th Century, how an illiterate, untrained Native American created a written script for the Cherokee language, and what makes the soundtracks for ET, Raiders of the Lost Ark and Jaws so magical. While drinking beer.

Steven Spielberg & John Williams: The Ultimate Composer/Director Partnership?

Alfred Hitchcock & Bernard Herrmann, Tim Burton & Danny Elfman, Christopher Nolan & Hans Zimmer….the list of successful film director and composer partnerships goes on. But what are the qualities that make them so fruitful, and what’s so special about the working relationship between Steven Spielberg & John Williams?

Jenny Nelson is Executive Producer at Classic FM and produces the film music show, Saturday Night at the Movies. Every week, the programme focuses on a particular theme, genre or anniversary, and the subject of composer/director partnerships is one she find particularly fascinating. She was once told off in the cinema for crunching on her popcorn too loudly so she now has an irrational fear of eating during films.

Signs and Wonders: Miracle Hunters and the 17th century X-files

Learn about the weird and wonderful from the time of the Cavaliers and Roundheads, when the miraculous was part of everyday life in England, Europe and North America. Monstrous creatures, bizarre coincidences, divine interventions and heavenly apparitions were a staple of common culture. This belief in providence prevailed until the twentieth century in a tradition of fasts, thanksgiving and prayer. The authorities began to grow wary of these stories and their power over the crowd, however, and they set out to investigate them systematically and critically in order to expose cranks and frauds- laying the foundations of modern scientific method in the process.

Following a short lived and abortive career as an historian, Geoff became an archivist, which isn’t a dry and dusty career at all (well, maybe a little bit). He currently works for King’s College London, and looks after old and rare collections of stuff relating to the history of war, empire, science, medicine and the arts. The job entails searching out hidden stories up and down the country, from garden sheds to stately homes, supporting TV, film, books and theatre productions (most recently, Nicole Kidman and the cast of Photograph 51 in the West End.)

Sequoyah - Linguistic Genius of the Cherokee

In the early 19th century, there was no way to write down the Cherokee language. A man called Sequoyah decided he would change all that. He was completely untrained and wholly illiterate. Find out how he did it anyway. And how it very nearly got him killed.

Andy Riley is an Emmy-winning scriptwriter, and bestselling author and cartoonist. His script work includes Veep, Black Books, Tracey Ullman's Show and Little Britain. His books include the Bunny Suicides series which has been published in more than twenty countries.

All proceeds from Nerd Nite go to charity. This month's charity is the National Literacy Trust. 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