This week, may you sail the Ocean of Felicity or board ship in the Sea of Introduction, but avoid the treacherous Jealousy Isles in the Sea of Doubt! Also steer clear of the Sea of Propriety – it is a boring place.
— From the c. 1880 “Map of Matrimony”, George Skaife Beeching [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons & Public Domain Review
This week’s Curator: Bart Bernhardt of Nerd Nite SF.
LinkedIn tells me I’ve been doing nerdy event production in SF for 9 years today ::partyhat_emoji:: and, in all that time, I’ve never done a Valentine’s Day themed program. Yes, I am one of those curmudgeons. So you’ll see very little smoochie-boochie business in my picks this week, unless you have a very strange relationship with your houseplant. Instead, I offer these love notes to the Bay Area’s offerings of tech activism, murals, and poop archaeology.
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COMING UP THIS WEEK:
A New Hope for Tech Activism
Over the past couple years, we’ve seen a change from people protesting Google busses, to people protesting within Google. Tech workers are increasingly participating in the conversations around technology and social issues. Ars Technica Live explores this trend with Leigh Honeywell.
FEB 13, WED, 7:00pm. Eli’s Mile High Club, Oakland. FREE.
Zero Waste in Design and Construction
SPUR is a frequent host of great lunchtime conversations on urbanism. This week it’s a panel discussion on reducing construction waste and plastic consumption. Grab your (reusable/compostable/recyclable) lunch bag and learn something!
FEB 14, THU, 12:30pm. SPUR, SF. $10.
Science Cafe: House Plant Botany
Plant lovers may want to spend their Valentine’s Day with Allyson Greenlon of the Jepson Herbarium at UC Berkeley. Allyson will take you into the surprising world of houseplants and what they were like before they were domesticated. (BYOB)
FEB 14, THU, 6:00pm. Cafe Leila, Berkeley. FREE.
LifeCycle | The Future of Reproduction
OK, fine! I’ll include one nerdy take on Valentine’s Day. Swissnex is always a great place for interesting conversations. Here is a big one: Data, sensors, and algorithms are already disrupting vast areas, but how about the bedroom? What ethical, legal, and moral questions arise when we can optimize conception? Yeah, how’s that for a romantic date night?
FEB 15, FRI, 6:30pm. Swissnex, SF. $10.
MCD Community MakeArt: History Play Date Boomtown!
Here’s some family-friendly nerdery. Photograph, tinker, and create collages inspired by the historic photographs of “Boomtowns” – early San Francisco and Los Angeles. You’ll even build your own cardboard camera.
FEB 16, SAT, 1:00pm. California Historical Society, SF. FREE.
Precita Eyes History Mural Tour
We *might* be getting a respite from the rain this weekend. If so, consider going on a guided tour of the Mission district’s murals with Susan Cervantes, the founder and director of Precita Eyes. Learn the cultural and historical significance of these neighborhood icons. (And if it is still raining, don’t worry, this tour happens on the 3rd Sat of every month.)
FEB 16, SAT, 11:30am. Precita Eyes Mural Arts Center, SF. $15.
Amoebapalooza
Amoeba is more than just an iconic place to buy/sell/trade music, it’s staffed by some awesome and talented people. So they throw a hell of a shindig featuring Amoebae and friends.
FEB 17, SUN, 7:00pm. Milk Bar, SF. $5.
Paradise Found: The African American Concert in San Francisco
SF briefly flourished as a mecca for black concert singers in a nation that placed heavy constraints on “colored singers”. (Ugh, I hated typing that.) Bill Doggett will discuss this period, accompanied with some rare historic 78rpm recordings.
FEB 19, TUE, 6:00pm. California Historical Society, SF. $5.
Taste of Science: Poop Archaeology and Spider Sex
AJ White is going to talk about methods archaeologists use to analyze poop to inform our understanding of the past, and Erin Brandt will regale you with the wonderful world of drumming, dancing, jumping spider courtship. (I’ve seen Erin before, it’s a great talk, and I’m sure AJ’s will be, too!)
FEB 20, WED, 6:30pm. Henry’s, Berkeley. $4.
Mean Gays
Lastly, we want to thank Peaches Christ for being our very first Guest Curator last week and introducing us to a whole bunch of smart, weird, and wonderful events in San Francisco! We’ll have more special guests in the future. In the meantime, so to speak, you can get more Peaches at her new live musical parody of Mean Girls.
FEB 23, SAT, 4:00 & 8:00pm. Castro Theatre, SF. $20+.