Nerd Nite X 8.13.15

Pre-Nerd Nite Periodic Table BINGO! 

Amazing success and lots of fun!  We played 3 rounds and each of our 3 winners received $15 Gramps gift certificates! Yum!  Join us at 6pm in September for more nerdy games with the Nerd bosses.

A Look at the Uncanny Valley by Dean Lyon
A term coined in 1970 by the Japanese scientist who was involved in creating humanoid robots to describe the eerie sensation one gets when experiencing a “not quite right” representation of a human being. It turns out that it may stem from our basic primitive instincts of “fight or flight”, but it is unproven speculation. Hollywood visual effects and computer graphics filmmakers & high­end computer game creators have made amazing headway in achieving on­screen digital “humans” but have consistently bumped into the “Uncanny Valley” thwarting them from the ultimate goal of believability.

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The future of IVF: flirting with the limits by Amanda Butler
Butler took us on a mind-blowing journey that transforms a female skin cell into a functional, mature sperm. Science is closer than we realize to giving homosexual couples the possibility of having their own genetic offspring.

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How Playing Board Games Can Save Your Life by John Gulla
Over the past two decades, board games have been enjoying a significant and steady increase in overall popularity worldwide, as well as a large rise in the amount of new and different games being created and played. Gulla discussed some of the reasons behind the phenomenon, introduced us to some excellent examples of modern board games that you should try, and finally, examined why board games may be more important to humanity now than ever before.  One of our best presentations so far!