This week’s Curator: Bart Bernhardt of Nerd Nite SF
For those of you not playa-bound, there is still plenty to do this week. In fact, the Burning Man Rapture is a surprisingly great time to patronize popular bars and programs. Now, my tastes run towards the boozy and educational, so there are lectures with beer and lectures about beer, but also pranksters, pianos, paper airplanes and more!
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COMING UP THIS WEEK:
The Music of the 1894 Midwinter Fair: a Soiree and Performance
125 years ago, some 2.5 million people visited the grand 1894 Midwinter Fair, filled with spectacles. Among them, music – “waltzes, marches, polkas, and more” – and you can experience them again today.
WEDS AUG 21, 6:00 PM; The Mechanics’ Institute, SF; $30
Nerd Nite SF: Butterflies, Vowels, and Milk!
Flutter on down to the Rickshaw Stop for lots of “oooohs” and “aaaaahs”, as we’ve rustled up some talks on butterfly coloration, vowels, and cattle raids! Come learn with us, drink up, binge on bao, and listen to vinyl spun by DJAB.
WEDS AUG 21, 7:00 PM; Rickshaw Stop, SF; $10
The Archaeology of Beer
Learn about Pliny the Elder, Elder, Elder. Part of the museum’s exhibit “Pleasure, Poison, Prescription, Prayer: The Worlds of Mind-Altering Substances”.
THURS AUG 22, 6:00 PM; Hearst Museum of Anthropology, Berkeley; $14
PianFrancisco at Fort Point
Pop-up pianos at the Point. Tickle the ivories yourself, or enjoy the scheduled performances on Sat & Sun.
FRI AUG 23 – SUN AUG 25; Fort Point, SF; FREE
Closing Reception for Signman
John Law chats with Scott Beale about the crossover between early internet culture and SF’s underground, plus live performances and other goodness.
SAT AUG 24, 7:00 PM; Pro Arts Gallery & Commons, Oakland; $12
The Golden Spike
As we struggle to build a high-speed railway between SF and LA, we can look back at when those cities were first connected by train. Huh, I wonder if a century from now the Golden Web Server or the Golden Autonomous Vehicle will be touring historical societies. I hope so.
SAT AUG 24, 11:00 AM; California Historical Society, SF; $10
Highly Mixological
Live long and pspr… Love link and prosper… Hic! Chabot Space & Science Center goes science fiction for a night.
SAT AUG 24, 6:00 PM; Chabot Space & Science Center, $9
Castles, Cows, Communists, & Champions: The Unusual Histories of Gold Mine Hill
If this week’s Nerd Nite SF doesn’t scratch your bovine itch, here’s another program with a nod to San Francisco’s cattle capers.
SAT AUG 24, 9:00 AM; George Christopher Park, SF, $10
Origami Palooza
It’s the papercraft play-offs! Compete in the Origami Challenge or take on the world record holder for paper airplane distance, or just fold for the fun of it.
SAT AUG 25, 11:00 AM; Japantown Peace Plaza, SF; FREE
Wiki-a-Thon @ Prelinger Library
The Prelinger Library is a treasure, and so is Wikipedia, for that matter. Bring your laptop and a desire to improve access to all of human knowledge. New to Wiki editing? Experience Wikipedians will be on hand to help.
SUN AUG 25, Noon; Prelinger Library, SF; FREE
Nerd Nite East Bay: Algorithmic Art, Punishment, Gravity Waves
Terrific talks from a mathematician, an attorney, and an astrophysicist in a roomy Oakland Latin gay nightclub, because the Bay Area is wonderful like that.
MON AUG 26, 7:00 PM; Club 21, Oakland; $10