This Thursday, Nerd Nite Orlando turns SIX YEARS OLD!
On March 14th, we are celebrating six years of thinking and drinking. Brendan Byrne and Dr. Krista Noble will be joining us as guest speakers. We’ll also have some trivia, the return of the Dry T-Shirt Contest, and an important announcement.
WHEN: Thursday, March 14, 2019 – 6-9pm
WHERE: Celine Orlando, 22 S Magnolia Ave, Orlando, FL 32801
Suggested Donation: $10 (Come on-time, we have an open bar from 6 to 6:30pm)
Doors: 6pm
Show: 7pm
PRESENTATION #1: “Why the Heck Are We Conscious? The Hard Problem of Consciousness” by Krista Noble
Everyone agrees that our mental processes (meaning our thoughts, emotions, and perceptions) correspond with physical processes in our brains. The question is, how and why? Why do we have subjective experiences at all? Why aren’t we genetically programmed to pursue survival, yet lacking consciousness? These fundamental questions still plague scholars in spite of our most advanced scientific discoveries.
29-year-old Krista Noble received her PhD in Vedic (ancient Indian) studies, with an emphasis on philosophy of mind and theories of consciousness. She is now a professor at three universities. Krista lives in New Smyrna Beach, where she enjoys biking, kayaking, and watching sci-fi on Netflix.
PRESENTATION #2: “To Boldly Go: A Brief History of the Space Toilet” by Brendan Byrne
Human spaceflight has been plagued by waste. From urine-soaked spacesuits to floating turds, the history of human spaceflight is flush with dirty (and hilarious) anecdotes of dealing with waste in space. Engineers seem to have a handle on #1 & #2 as we explore low Earth orbit, but the future of deep space exploration hinges on our ability to overcome a heaping pile of physiological, biological and engineering problems. So how will we do it? WMFE’s space reporter Brendan Byrne has been exploring the history of the space toilet for a new book and presents a brief history of the galactic commode – and ideas for new hardware that will boldly take our poop to places like the moon and Mars.