We had an incredible discussion at Nerd Nite Town Hall. Thank you for all those that contributed their time and ideas to advancing Nerd Nite!

“Every third Saturday, Nerd Nite hosts “Nerdy Speed Dating” and I just realized that the October event will fall on the same day as the Creative City Project.

Since the Creative City Project only happens one day a year, I refuse to host an event at the exact same time as something that I’m such a huge fan of- so I’m canceling Nerdy Speed Dating (or Nerdy Speed Friend-ing) for the month of October and I encourage every person that is available on the evening of October 17, 2015 to venture to downtown Orlando and enjoy the wonder that is the Creative City Project.”

-Ricardo Williams
Nerd Nite Orlando

* Nerdy Speed Friend-ing will return on Saturday, November 21, 2015 at the Geek Easy *

What is the Creative City Project?

The Creative City Project is birthed out of the belief that artists can change a city for the better by making it a more beautiful, meaningful and interesting place to live. On October 17, 2015 Downtown Orlando comes to life with performances and interactive installations that will provide you with unique unexpected experiences.

What an incredible weekend. Maker Faire Orlando 2015 was the ultimate immersive experience and I’m honored that Nerd Nite was invited to return this year.

-Ricardo Williams
Nerd Nite Orlando

Last night was so awesome. 3 great presentations, a visit from a giant robot, and tons of FREE stuff.

Congratulations to the winners of our raffle:
* TJ Huddleston who won an autographed copy of the National Geographic Channel program with paleontologist Trevor Valle.
* Amanda Lopresti and Linnette Garcia who each won a pair of tickets to Maker Faire Orlando.
* Kristen Curtis and Jaclyn Kobylarski who each won an all access badge to OrlandoiX.

Nerd Nite will return on Thursday, October 8th. RSVP on Facebook here: https://www.facebook.com/events/943595475714267/

So I took this screenshot last night from the Nerd Nite Facebook and I thought “holy shit- this is a busy month”- but I wouldn’t have it any other way. I love hosting and organizing Nerd Nite and as long as people keep coming and keep loving it, I’ll continue to do it.

Tonight will be the first of five separate Nerd Nite events that I’ll be putting on in a span of just two weeks.

They are as follows:

Sept. 10th: Nerd Nite Orlando XXXI (at the Geek Easy)
Sept. 12-13th: Nerd Nite at Maker Faire (at the Orlando Museum of Art)
Sept. 19: Nerdy Speed Friend-ing (at the Geek Easy)
Sept. 22: Nerd Nite Orlando: Town Hall, v3 (at Catalyst)
Sept. 24: Nerd Nite Orlando: Movie & Trivia Nite, v2 (at the Geek Easy)

RSVP on Facebook here: https://www.facebook.com/NerdNiteOrlando/events

Nerd Nite Orlando shirts are now available online for purchase exclusively at Bungalower Shop. Click here to purchase: http://shop.bungalower.com/collections/featured-products/products/nerd-nite

What is Bungalower?

* Bungalower is a social enterprise focused on building stronger cities by informing and engaging people with their city.
* A community focused local news website that covers and champions the Downtown Orlando area and surrounding neighborhoods.

The Bungalower Shop celebrates Orlando’s authentic character with locally designed and printed apparel.

For just $17.99, you can order an authentic Nerd Nite Orlando shirt, exclusively from Bungalower.

http://shop.bungalower.com/

OrlandoiX is a five-day series of conferences and exhibitions showcasing advancements in entertainment, technology, interactive media, and digital arts. The festival serves as a catalyst for digital innovation and creativity and builds connections between worldwide industry leaders and emerging companies.

Creative technologists from across the world are expected to attend events hosted in Downtown Orlando and the I-Drive convention district.

The event happens from October 2nd to 6th. Check out the official website for the event schedule and complete list of guest speakers: http://www.orlandoix.com/

At Nerd Nite Orlando XXXI on Thursday, September 10th, we’ll be hosting a raffle and attendees that participate will have an opportunity to win ALL-ACCESS BADGES to OrlandoiX.

RSVP for the next Nerd Nite here: https://www.facebook.com/events/941267792583000/

NERDY SPEED DATING IS A SPECIAL EVENT THAT IS HOSTED BY NERD NITE ORLANDO EVERY THIRD SATURDAY

Nerd Nite cities from across the world have hosted Nerdy Speed Dating for a decade. The event has boasted many successful matchmaking and fostered a long list of committed relationships, engagements, and marriages (and even a few wee ones).

For this month, we are having a special edition of “nerdy speed friend-ing”.

Nerdy Speed Friend-ing is similar in concept to nerdy speed dating in that it gives attendees a great chance to meet many people in a fast and structured way for the purpose of determining potential connections. The event provides attendees with a relaxed opportunity of making friends and (possibly) dates at the same time, while not being separated or limited by gender or sexual orientation.

Each friend-making session will be 3-minutes long with one person; and everyone will have the opportunity for multiple session with different people. (Never the same person)

We will have surprise activities to help foster long lasting friendships.

NERDY SPEED FRIEND-ING IS FOR ALL NERDS. WE ARE LGBTQ-FRIENDLY

Reserve your spot here: http://www.ticketbase.com/events/nerdy-speed-friend-ing

Next event:
When: Saturday, September 19th at 6:30pm
Where: The Geek Easy (inside “A Comic Shop”)
114 S Semoran Blvd Suite 6, Winter Park, Florida 32792

Join us for a special edition of Nerd Nite presentations at Maker Faire Orlando.

Nerd Nite is returning to Maker Faire Orlando for the fourth annual event, held September 12th & 13th at the Orlando Science Center and Loch Haven Park.

The event celebrates Central Florida’s Innovation, Invention, and DIY spirit! Learn more at http://www.makerfaireorlando.com/

There will be presentations and panels on both days of the event (Saturday 12-3pm & Sunday 2-5pm) in the auditorium of the Orlando Museum of Art.

Get tickets here: http://www.makerfaireorlando.com/attend/

RSVP on Facebook here: https://www.facebook.com/events/1659182167633541/

We will be giving out FREE tickets to Maker Faire at our monthly Nerd Nite event on Thursday, September 10th.

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Saturday Speaker Schedule
Felix Sosa 12:30
Chrissie Scelsi: 1:00
Brendan O’Connor 1:30
Beth Phillips 2:00

Sunday Speaker Schedule
Felix Sosa 2:30
Omar Khateeb 3:00
Nathan Selikoff 3:30
Max Jackson 4:00

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“DNA: The New Programming Language” by Felix Sosa (Saturday, 12:30pm & Sunday, 2:30pm)

Felix Sosa is a synthetic biology researcher at UCF and is the university’s iGEM Team Captain where he leads student team members in an international competition held at MIT each year to build powerful biological machines. He believes the future of technology is life itself and that future programmers won’t be dealing solely with 1s and 0s but with DNA as well. Felix is a supporter of the DIY synthetic biology movement that is taking place across the world.. From founding organizations at UCF to giving presentations (like this one) he hopes to spread the word.

“Legal and Business Issues for Makers” by Chrissie Scelsi (Saturday, 1pm)

Chrissie Scelsi is the principal of Scelsi Entertainment and New Media Law with offices in Orlando and Port Charlotte, Florida, where she focuses her practice on entertainment, intellectual property, internet, technology, and business law. Ms. Scelsi has served as in house counsel for an international game based-simulations company, where she was responsible for advising on software licensing matters, trademarks, copyright, and corporate issues. Ms. Scelsi began her practice in 2009, working with a punk music festival, and in years since has worked with clients ranging from software companies and independent filmmakers to professional daredevils and reality television participants.

“Making Art: Somebody Stop Me Please” by Brendan O’Connor (Saturday, 1:30pm)

Brendan O’Connor is an import from Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario Canada and a graduate of Rollins College, where he earned a BA in Environmental and Growth Management Studies. He fills his days with pop-up street art installations, driving the ArtReach Orlando mobile art truck, and gossiping about Orlando as the Editor in Chief of Bungalower.com.

“Making Robots More Like You: The Science and Psychology of Understanding Human Decisions and Trying to Help Robots Make Sense of it All” by Beth Phillips (Saturday, 2pm)

Elizabeth “Beth” Phillips is a doctoral candidate in the Applied Experimental and Human Factors Psychology PhD program at the University of Central Florida in Orlando, Florida. She is currently working on her dissertation in human-robot interaction. Her primary research responsibilities lie with the Robotics Collaborative Technology Alliance (RCTA), a multidisciplinary research consortium working towards the development of future human-robot teams. She has an interest in how robots and other technologies are changing the way we interact with the world and one another, including changing the nature of human relationships. She is a slow runner, fast learner, and lives in an electric ukulele household. Also passionate about: saxophone, space, sustainability, people, and creating. For more information, please check out about.me/elizabeth.phillips

“Robots and the Art of Surgery” by Omar Khateeb (Sunday, 3pm)

Omar Khateeb is the U.S. Marketing Manager at Mazor Robotics, a surgical robotics company focused on spine and neurosurgery. Omar was born and raised in the border town of El Paso, Texas and spent his childhood summers in the heart of Istanbul, Turkey. He attended the University of Texas at El Paso (UTEP) where he earned a degree in Biology from the University Honors Program. After spending a couple years studying medicine at Texas Tech University-Foster School of Medicine, Omar left to pursue a career in the startup and surgical technologies industry.Omar currently resides in Orlando and works in the surgical devices industry.

“Making Maps” by Nathan Selikoff (Sunday, 3:30pm)

Nathan Selikoff plays with interactivity and motion in time and space. Inspired by the behavior of systems, science, nature, and music, he combines computer code, traditional materials, and future technology to bring new ideas to life. His award-winning artwork has been exhibited and performed in galleries and venues throughout the United States and around the world. Selikoff is represented by Snap! Space in Florida, Bangkok, and Amsterdam.

“Lighting the Way: Fixing the Brain through Optogenetics” by Max Jackson (Sunday, 4pm)

Max Jackson is a graduate student at UCF, working at the Hickman ‘Body-on-a-Chip’ lab where he develops software to automate the production, collection, and analysis of electrophysiological signals. He is a co-founder of Cortex, a company that works to develop neurotechnology which empowers makers, artists, the medical community, and everyday people alike.