Ricardo Williams is currently the host of Nerd Nite Orlando and works as a designer, filmmaker, and musician. He also writes about culture, history, and US politics.
From the Nerd Nite Fort Lauderdale team:
“Join us at the Funky Buddha Brewery in Oakland Park on Tuesday, July 25 for an evening of fun talks by passionate presenters while the rest of us drink along!
We kick off with an icebreaker at 7, and the first of our three presentations starts at 7:30. The Buddha’s famous $10 “burger and a beer” special runs from 5-10, and happy hour is 4-8.
This month’s speakers and topics include:
1) When the Moon Photobombs the Sun: Your Guide to the 2017 Total Eclipse presented by Derek Demeter
Throughout the United States on August 21, 2017 for around two minutes the Moon will completely cover the Sun in a astronomical spectacle known as a total solar eclipse. Join the director of the Emil Buehler Planetarium Derek Demeter as we explore what all this eclipse hype is about and what to do in order to view it.
Derek is the director of the Emil Buehler Planetarium at Seminole State College in Sanford, Florida. Derek also enjoys promoting science beyond the planetarium with his work as an astrophotographer, which earned him pictures seen in NASA’s Astronomy Picture of the Day website, Universe Today, Astronomy Magazine, and Sky and Telescope.
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2) The Science and Psychology of Beauty: An Evolutionary Perspective presented by Melissa Blundell Osorio
Why are we attracted to what we’re attracted to? What leads us to find certain features physically beautiful, and others less so? Are these beauty standards created solely by the media? Take a look into the science of beauty, seen in the context of a Darwinian struggle for survival.
Melissa has been a Nerd Nite Miami Boss since co-founding it in 2014. During the day, she creates educational programming at the World Erotic Art Museum. Her nerdy interests are in human behavior, psychology, and anthropology, particularly when it comes to sex and beauty.
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3) Why Whale Poop Matters: Keeping the Oceans Dirty & Healthy presented by Laura Eldredge
Learn about ecosystem services provided by whales around the world and how, through pooping and other natural processes, they stimulate world-wide ocean productivity.
Laura currently works in natural resource management of Biscayne Bay and is a volunteer Stranding Coordinator for the Marine Animal Rescue Society which earned her the “Blue Ambassador of the Year Award”. Having immersed herself in the marine animal world, she has worked with whales, dolphins, otters, manatees, penguins, fish, sea turtles, corals, and the occasional wanna-be mermaids.
Nerd Nite is an evening of entertaining yet thought-provoking presentations– all while the audience drinks along in a casual atmosphere. Speakers present for 15-20 minutes each on a fascinating subject, often in an uncanny and unconventional way. Following each presentation is a brief Q&A with the audience.
Guest speakers: Sarah Elbadri, Anna Eskamani, & Anne Meier
Hosted by Ricardo Williams
For any questions, contact Ricardo at
WHERE: The Geek Easy, 114 S Semoran Blvd #6, Winter Park, FL 32792
WHEN: Thursday, July 13, 2017 Doors open at 6pm. Program starts at 7pm.
PRESENTATION #1 by Sarah Elbadri
Sarah Abuobaida Elbadri is an urban planner, community leader, and a passionate resident of Orlando. Sarah came to Orlando to pursue a Masters degree in urban planning from Rollins College. As a graduate student used to riding her bike for transportation, she began working with a fellow student to bring bike share to Orlando. Together, they launched the Juice Bike Share program in the City of Orlando. Sarah has also served as the first Campus Director for The Iron Yard, a “coding bootcamp” moving students into web development careers and was also the Executive Director for the SoDo Main Street program. For the past six years, Sarah has helped plan ReThinking the City, a monthly program that builds dialogue within our community about the forces that shape cities.
PRESENTATION #2 by Annie Meier
Meier has participated in transforming trash into vital gases like methane, oxygen and water. Trash-to-gas technology can be used to recycle mission waste such as food packaging, dinner scraps, clothing (and even poo!) into gases that can be used elsewhere and reduce trash pile up on long duration missions. Meier was chief engineer on the HI-SEAS 2 mission, a simulated Martian base-camp on the slopes of a volcano in Hawaii. She spends her days doing research at Kennedy Space Center, trying to make sustainable fuel sources for deep space missions to Mars.
PRESENTATION #3 by Anna Eskamani
A Central Florida native and first generation Iranian-American, Anna currently serves as the Senior Director of Public Affairs and Communications for Planned Parenthood of Southwest and Central Florida. She is also a PhD student and adjunct professor at the University of Central Florida (UCF). A feminist and millennial, Anna is committed to building collective power to dismantle oppressive systems and lift community efficacy. She has been recognized by the Orlando Sentinel has one of the most 100 influential people in the region has recently been awarded as one of UCF’s “30 under 30” awardees.
“It’s time for you to tell us about 2017’s best people, places and things in our annual Best of Orlando Readers Poll. We close this nomination round at 11:59 p.m. Sunday, July 2, and open the final voting round at 10 a.m. Wednesday, July 12. After the second round of voting, winners will be announced in our Best of Orlando issue published Wednesday, Aug. 23.”
Its finally happening. 76 years after her first appearance in All Star Comics #8 in October 1941, the most famous female superhero in comic book history is finally getting her first solo live-action film. This is certainly a big deal for fanboys (and girls) who’ve waited a long time for this- but there is something more important at stake here. The Wonder Woman movie must be a critical and commercial success, here are two reasons why…
First off, lets be honest. Since Christopher Nolan said farewell to Batman, responses to DC films have been mixed at best. Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice and Suicide Squad were bloated, expensive, overhyped, predictable and an utter waste of so much talent. Out of the three films currently released in the DC Extended Universe, the best would likely be Man of Steel– and even fans and critics agreed that it was too sad with a muted color scheme not symbolic of Superman’s commanding sense of hope and optimism.
Four years and three films in and DC has yet to release their version of Marvel’s 2008 Iron Man or 2012’s Avengers or 2014’s Captain America: Winter Soldier or 2014’s Guardians of the Galaxy or 2016’s Captain America: Civil War or 2016’s Doctor Strange…. you see where I’m going with this. Marvel has released hit after hit after hit and though they’re bloated, expensive, maybe overhyped, arguably predictable and sometimes even a waste of talent- people actually like them. Critics and fans agree that Marvel movies are fun and at certain times even thought-provoking, but most importantly they are getting people of all ages excited to actually go to the movies. And they’re not only dominating the ever expanding superhero genre but the entire movie industry. With 15 films produced in the last 9 years (and 11 more in various stages of production), Marvel Studios has collectively grossed over $11.7 billion at the global box office, making it the highest-grossing film franchise of all-time. Thats right, bigger than Harry Potter, bigger than James Bond, bigger than Lord of the Rings, and even bigger than Star Wars! At this point, Marvel could probably start hosting their own annual convention.
My point is, with Marvel getting bigger with every release, can DC survive a fourth consecutive film with a lackluster response? The good news is that many critics around the world have already seen Wonder Woman prior to its June 2nd release and the responses are pouring in; the word is that its good- VERY good. But I hate to rain on their parade, but that isn’t enough.
Which leads me to my second point. Wonder Woman can’t just please critics and comic book fans, it needs to translate to big numbers at the box office- like REALLY big.
1984’s Supergirl was the first superhero film ever to feature a female in the lead role. Since then I can count on one hand how many films have done the same (Tank Girl, Catwoman, Elektra) and every single one of them bored critics, angered fans, and ultimately bombed at the box office. Those films are excuses that studio executives use when they debate whether to have a female front and center in a superhero film. Wonder Woman is clearly a more popular character riding a wave of superhero excitement on the big screen, so its chances of success are far greater than that of its predecessors, but it also means that if it fails to meet financial expectations it will sting harder and have a greater negative impact.
Lets not forget there’s not only a female leading the cast, but there’s also a female leading the crew. Director Patty Jenkins is only the second female director in history to be given a budget over $100 million; and with over a hundred plus superhero films ever made, she’s one of only a couple women who’ve ever been given the opportunity to make one.
Women are already struggling for opportunities on-screen and behind the camera and Wonder Woman is a bold risk for the doubting patriarchal leaders in Hollywood. The only thing that will calm their doubts is commercial success. Wonder Woman’s iconic status and good reviews must translate to lots of money so that those studio executives in Hollywood think twice about ever questioning whether female(s) could make a big budget superhero movie.
Nerd Nite is an evening of entertaining yet thought-provoking presentations– all while the audience drinks along in a casual atmosphere. Speakers present for 15-20 minutes each on a fascinating subject, often in an uncanny and unconventional way. Following each presentation is a brief Q&A with the audience. Nerd Nite currently operates in over 106 cities around the world.
**We’ll be giving away a few free passes to RESIDENT EVIL: VENDETTA and we’ll also have giveaways for TRANSFORMERS: THE LAST KNIGHT.**
Guest speakers: Adam Heath Avitable, Ashley Mason-Burns, & Sterling Scott
Hosted by Ricardo Williams
For any questions, contact Ricardo at
WHERE: The Geek Easy, 114 S Semoran Blvd #6, Winter Park, FL 32792
WHEN: Thursday, June 8, 2017 @ 7pm
PRESENTATION #1: “Cornelius and me: Overcoming my self sabotaging ego and finding freedom.” By Sterling Scott
Sterling Scott’s primary passion is helping people get out of their comfort zones. His goal is to help people tame their noisy inner critic and achieve greater levels of freedom and effectiveness in their lives.
His training is in the areas of social dynamics, mindfulness , human sexuality, and psychology. He has done counseling for couples and individuals seeking to expand their social and sexual horizons. He is currently working on a one man show about sexuality,rejection and all things awkward . This talk will touch on these subjects and much more.
PRESENTATION #2: “ALL OF MY COWORKERS ARE DEAD” by Ashley Mason-Burns
ALL OF MY COWORKERS ARE DEAD: A presentation on how SKELETONS: Museum of Osteology processes dead animals to create beautifully-articulated skeletons for the museum. Includes a time-lapse of flesh-eating beetles at work.
Ashley Mason-Burns, M.S., is the Education Director at SKELETONS: Museum of Osteology, America’s largest skeleton museum. Ashley began self-teaching skeletal processing and articulation in 2012 and today she maintains and breeds colonies of flesh eating beetles for processing ethically-sourced specimens.
PRESENTATION #3: “Being Naked on the Internet: Shamelessness and the Art of Going Viral” by Adam Heath Avitable
He’s hairy, crude, and shameless, but you’ll be as surprised why comedian Adam Heath Avitable went viral as he was.
An internationally touring comedian who became a viral sensation across the globe, Adam Heath Avitable demonstrates to audiences everywhere why The Chive calls him one of the Top 25 Comics to Watch, and why he was called “Perhaps the Funniest Man in Orlando” by the Orlando Business Journal. From George Takei to Ashton Kutcher, everyone’s talking about Avitable. The author of the best selling humor book “Interviews with Dead Celebrities”, he has earned a reputation as a “wickedly sharp writer, dark and funny, twisted in all the right ways.”
Nerd Nite is an evening of entertaining yet thought-provoking presentations– all while the audience drinks along in a casual atmosphere. Speakers present for 15-20 minutes each on a fascinating subject, often in an uncanny and unconventional way. Following each presentation is a brief Q&A with the audience. Nerd Nite currently operates in over 106 cities around the world.
Guest speakers: Jeff Endriss, Nick Teague, and Cassandra Wilcox
Hosted by Ricardo Williams
For any questions, contact Ricardo at
WHERE: The Geek Easy, 114 S Semoran Blvd #6, Winter Park, FL 32792
WHEN: Thursday, May 11, 2017. 7pm.
PRESENTATION #1: “Macroinvertebrate Biology: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bug” by Jeff Endriss
DESCRIPTION: Aquatic Macroinvertebrate monitoring is a very important but lesser known field of biology and it’s happening right under Disney goer’s noses. After properly introducing the science, Jeff will assist the audience in identifying a bug that most Florida residents have encountered (and probably killed).
SPEAKER BIO: Jeff Endriss is an Orlando native and UCF graduate. He currently works as a biologist for Disney’s government, Reedy Creek Improvement District. No, he can’t get you Disney tickets, and yes, he still thinks bugs are gross.
PRESENTATION #2: “Feminism & Functional Programming: Facts, Opinions, and Controversies” by Cassandra Wilcox
DESCRIPTION: The word “Feminism” means different things to different people. And although you’d expect Computers Science to be rigid and exact, there are quite a lot of opinions responsible for how we build software today. In this talk Cassandra will explore the overlap between these two seemingly-unrelated topics, and explain why it is so important that women be involved in the advancement of technology.
SPEAKER BIO: Cassandra Wilcox is a Web Application Developer and founder of Orlando-based web development company, Code Hangar Inc. She shares her passion for building software as a Girls Who Code Instructor, Organizer of the Orlando Lady Developers Group, and JavaScript Instructor at Skillcrush. When she’s not making or teaching tech, she likes to write songs and collaborate on various musical projects with friends.
PRESENTATION #3: “The Quantum Computer Revolution” by Nick Teague
DESCRIPTION: Moore’s law has taken us quite far over the last 50 years, but the limits of nanoscale fabrication are within view. Quantum computers are a new paradigm of computing utilizing the strange properties of quantum dynamics that when realized will take us outside of Moore’s Law for at least some specific applications. This talk will serve as a firehose introduction to the burgeoning field using the “Feynman technique” for learning e.g. explaining in clear language as could be understood by a toddler – including foundational topics such as what exactly we mean by “qubits” and their superposition, architectures, algorithms, and applications. Because learning is fun!
SPEAKER BIO: Nick Teague is an amateur blogger for fun, a mechanical engineer by training, and a marketer by profession. He has a professional background in renewable energy and HVAC; extracurricular interests in quantum computing, machine learning, and complexity theory; and occasionally bangs out a few notes on the keyboard. He is currently seeking work so if you enjoy the talk let him know he would be happy to share a resume. He can also be found on twitter at @_NicT_.
The smart-yet-fun folks of Nerd Nite are bringing back Speed Dating with a special Star Wars-themed edition for May the 4th.
Register here for one of our 15 three-minute date sessions so you’ll no longer have to look for love in a galaxy far far away. Choose from our hetero session at 7pm or the LGBT session at 8:15. If the Rebels can blow up the Death Star in 11 minutes, let’s see if you can make a love connection in only three.
Advanced online registration is required (walk-ups will be based on availability). Costumes welcome. Must be 18 years of age or older.
Limit one per person.
WHEN: Thursday, May 4, 2017. 7pm
WHERE: the Geek Easy, 114 S Semoran Blvd #6, Winter Park, FL 32792
Hetero session is at 7:00pm
LGBT session is at 8:15pm
At Nerd Nite on April 13, 2017, we discussed human waste in space, stereotypes in black men, and reptiles in science fiction– but during the introduction we had to address all the terrible news in the media. In order to balance the bad news we’re overwhelmed with everyday, we decided to list some nerdy things in the news in our all-new segment: Top 7 Nerdy Things in the News.
Here are they below as presented at Nerd Nite:
7.) As if we needed another reason to bitch about Jurassic World, new research reveals that early dinosaur relatives may have walked on all fours like crocodiles.
6.) Jude Law successfully squashed all those gay rumors by getting cast to play young Dumbledore.
5.) MARVEL refused to make another lame Thor movie, so they added the Hulk, Jeff Goldblum, Cate Blanchett’s cheek bones, and almost everything we loved about Guardians of the Galaxy.
4.) While studying their excrement, scientists discover incredible history of a penguin colony on a small Antarctic island said to be a “Penguin Pompeii”. Puns and memes about penguins being “Romans” said to follow.
3.) DC got tired of screwing up the Superman character on the big screen so they released a trailer to the Justice League movie without him. Yet plans are still underway for him to be in the movie- and this is why we can’t have nice things.
2.) Following Daredevil, Jessica Jones, and Luke Cage, MARVEL’s television division got tired of winning, so they made Iron Fist.
1.) Star Wars Celebration comes to Orlando and will be showing footage from its first clickbait-titled movie: The Last Jedi.
I know what you’re thinking “everything Marvel does is great, they can do no wrong”– well, except for Agents of SHIELD. And Iron Fist. Those shows are dumb but they’re on TV, so they don’t really count and they clearly haven’t (and won’t) hurt Marvel’s movie domination. With 14 films released and 12 more in various stages of production, the Marvel Studios series has collectively grossed over $10.9 billion at the global box office, making it the highest-grossing film franchise of all-time. That’s right, a film franchise based off comic book characters (many of whom previously unknown to the general public) has done to almost everyone what they’ve been doing to me and my friends our entire lives: normalizing fringe fandom and mainstreaming superhero obsession.
And they have been overwhelming successful with what few have dared to consider, try, or fail and that is… the shared movie universe. A set of smaller film franchises and universes that are deeply interconnected and weave into a larger ensemble. These movies act more as necessary companion films to each other, rather than traditional sequels… or even spin-offs. Now everyone wants to do it- I’m looking at you DC Extended Universe. (somehow that just doesn’t have the same ring to it)
They’ve completely changed the industry and inspired so many current standards that all of this seems familiar, like its always been done this way- but it hasn’t. It may feel like a long time ago but remember, their first film only came out in 2008. That’s right, just 9 years ago the world fell in love with Robert Downey Jr. as Iron Man, reminding us that despite his rocky past he is truly one of the greatest actors of our time.
Since then, its been pretty much good reviews and bags of money for Marvel. Even at their worst, they are somehow still more entertaining and more successful than all other franchises. Though some would argue that is because the universe is filled with so many Easter eggs and connected plot points that fans are encouraged to see even the weaker films just so they understand the bigger picture. While others would say the deeply connected movie universe hinders the creativity and freedom of some of the filmmakers and has led to creating those weaker films. Which brings us to Thor… and its slightly more exciting sequel. Although the Thor franchise has given us the beautiful Chris Hemsworth, the legendary Anthony Hopkins, and easily Marvel’s best on-screen villain (Loki, not Malekith), it hasn’t really quite delivered in the masterpiece department like the first Iron Man or Captain America: Winter Solider or Guardians of the Galaxy— but I think that’s about to change.
Today, Marvel dropped the teaser trailer for the third entry in the franchise: Thor: Ragnarok. Dare I say it, but the trailer itself has more suspense, excitement, and humor in 2-minutes than the previous films combined. I’ve said this for years and I truly mean it: THOR SHOULD BE ONE OF THE MOST EXCITING ELEMENTS OF THE MARVEL CINEMATIC UNIVERSE… but it hasn’t been. They have all the ingredients of a great movie experience, but somehow have fallen short. They’ve got space, aliens, Gods (who are really just aliens), warriors, inter-dimensional travel, Anthony Hopkins’ voice, a badass theme by Brian Tyler, and a handsome lead actor. From the looks of the Ragnarok trailer, most of the ingredients are still in play- so what’s different now?
1.) The incredibly versatile (and now gothic) Cate Blanchett
2.) The destruction of Mjolnir and Asgard
3.) The quirkiness of Jeff Goldblum
4.) Some GOTG inspiration aka retro graphics and a retro song (LED ZEPPELIN!!!!)
and lastly….
5.) THE INCREDIBLE HULK
Watch the trailer below. I honestly think this is the Thor movie that we’ve all been waiting for- third time’s a charm, right?
[youtube]https://youtu.be/v7MGUNV8MxU[/youtube]
