Nerd Nite Orlando #7 is our traveling nerd special! We will learn about nerdy events worth exploring, go on an exotic excursion with a ham radio operator, and travel the world by Couchsurfing!

Nerd Nite Orlando is an evening of entertaining yet thought-provoking talks across many disciplines – all while the audience drinks along in a casual bar atmosphere. 3 speakers will present for 20-25 minutes each on a fascinating subject of their choice, often in an uncanny and unconventional way.

It’s like the Discovery Channel – with beer! Come meet up, drink, and learn something new!

EVENT:

Thursday, September 12th, 7:00pm – 9:00pm
Stardust Video and Coffee, 1842 E. Winter Park Rd. Winter Park, FL 32803.
Facebook Event <–be sure to RSVP!

FREE!

PRESENTATIONS:

———–

“DXpeditions: The Road Less Traveled” by William Beyer

Are you burning with curiosity as to what the terms “ham radio” and “DXpeditions” even mean? Never fear, Wild Bill is here to fill you in! DXpeditions are journeys to sparsely populated, remote zones all across the world, which can include an island, a country, or even a particular spot on a geographical grid. They’re like old school quests to the frontiers of civilization! DX is an old Morse Code term for the word “distance,” and a “DXer” is the radio hobbyist who seeks distant radio signals. Find out why many DXers claim that the joy, good friends, travel experiences, and technical satisfaction they get can’t be matched by any other pursuit.

William Beyer is a ham radio operator as well as a seasoned and respected DXpeditioner. He has participated in 39+ DXpeditions to 68 countries and visited all seven continents, yes even Antarctica. As a part of these impressive amateur radio accomplishments, he has operated from what are now National Wildlife Refuges, public lands, and environmentally sensitive locations around the world. If you’d like to reach him, look for call sign “KH9/N2WB” on Phone, RTTY, Low BAND CW, PSK, and a little SSTV. Home QTH is in Ormond Beach, Florida.

———–

“Couchsurfing: Making Travel a Truly Social Experience”

Act I “Surfing” by James Parsons

Act II “Hosting” by Swami

Have you ever wanted an authentic and meaningful travel experience in lieu of hotels and “tourist traps?” Couchsurfing can revolutionize the way you travel. It’s a global community of 6 million people in more than 100,000 cities who share their life, their world, their journey. With Couchsurfing, you can stay with locals and hosts guests from every country on Earth! Stay in someone else’s home or open up your own home and experience the world in a way money can’t buy. Couchsurfers share their lives with the people they encounter, fostering cultural exchange and mutual respect. Come learn about this exciting way to travel!

James Parsons is an Orlando native who now holds dual citizenship in the both the U.S. and New Zealand. Shortly after graduating with his B.A. in IT from UCF, he set off to explore the world. Through Couchsurfing, he was able to take a 6 month trip around the world in 2009, which included SE Asia, SE Europe, and the US East Coast. He even got his most recent job from a chance encounter with a sailing yacht that he learned about through Couchsurfing. You can find him at https://www.couchsurfing.org/people/jamesthecarman/

Swami is a lifelong nerd with a degree in Engineering. He is the host of a weekly gathering for math and philosophy nerds called “Wing Circle.” His passion for travel and culture emerged after a near-fatal auto accident in 2006. With a renewed zeal for life, he embarked on a 5 month trip around the world as well as many other subsequent trips. Couchsurfing through Japan in 2009 inspired Swami to host surfers in his hometown of Orlando, FL… seventy guests in just two years! You can find him at https://www.couchsurfing.org/people/swami_worldtraveler/