On 8/6/2010 we were the host to the inaugural Nerdnite NOLA. Nerd Nite is basically a gathering of nerds (geek, dweebs, and normal people are invited) to drink, discuss, and watch presentations on all things nerdly. For the first session the topics were:

“Turntablism: The Science of Skratching” by DJ Tony Skratchere. Tony Skratchere has been practicing and perfecting turntablism for 15 years and will now give us some science behind records, equipments, sound and scratching. He will also be sticking around to provide the beats during the breaks.

“Creating Comics: Selling Your Soul and Losing All Your Money” by Kurt Amacker. Anyone thinking about creating comics needs to be told the truth about the creative process, the financial requirements, and the vast amounts of time and effort the medium demands.  It’s a trial by fire, but for some, it’s worth every bit of it.  Dead Souls writer Kurt Amacker will provide a frank and funny look at starting off in the independent press.  If you’ve ever wanted to make comics, don’t miss this Nerd Nite.

“Don’t Be A Square: Steely Dan is Totally Awesome and You Know It” by Matthew Rosenthal. Few bands as successful and influential as Steely Dan get such a consistently bad rap.  Even before Seth Rogan’s character famously insulted them in Knocked Up, Donald Fagen and Walter Becker have been the butt of many jokes told by both those familiar with their catalog and as well as people who wouldn’t know a mu major chord if it kicked him or her in the teeth.  Their music has been called too smooth, their lyrics too cerebral and their personalities too sarcastic, and while there may be some truth to those accusations, it is also true that Fagen and Becker stayed on the cutting edge of recording technology and surrounded themselves with the greatest musicians in the world.  The result is a nearly flawless catalog of some of the slickest, gleamiest, but also darkest and most subversive music ever heard.

“The Chemistry of Absinthe” by Ted Breaux. Mr. Breaux is partially responsible for lifting the nearly century-long ban on absinthe in the States and speaks about mixology around the country. However, for nerd nite he’s going to get back to his research scientist roots and give us the chemistry of and hopefully a look into the spectographic analysis he did on remaining samples of true absinthe.

A fun time was had by all (pics here). Check http://nola.nerdnite.com for upcoming events, locations, and dates.