Nerd Nite XXI 7.14.16
1) A Brief History of Non-Monogamy
by David Ghenassia
A quick look at non-monogamous relationships, past and present. Includes open relationships, polyamory, polygamy, polyandry, and swinging.
David Ghenassia is a dual national Franco-American, rare South Florida native, and educator. He loves hiking, biking, snorkeling, and kayaking the great outdoors. When forced indoors he likes reading, watching documentaries, and taking naps. He is a core member of a South Florida polyamory group on MeetUp.com.
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2) "Sex, Drugs, and Happiness"
by Nerd Nite Boss Melissa Blundell Osorio
A look at the science of happiness and how drugs, money, sex, and having kids may or may not makes us happier.
Melissa Blundell Osorio is one of the Nerd Nite Miami Bosses. During the day, she's a positive psychology-based teacher and strategist and the founder of Positive Psychology Miami.
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3) Through Galadriel’s Looking-Glass: J.R.R. Tolkien’s Role in Fantasy Through Past, Present, & Future
by Nathan Laxague
It is difficult to imagine modern fantasy in the absence of a series of books written 60 years ago by an eccentric professor of English at Oxford. But what drove Tolkien? And how does his work still impact the state of fantasy today?
Former Nerd Nite Miami boss and forever Tolkien enthusiast (obsessor…) Nathan Laxague hopes that you’ll enjoy the nerdy details of this several hundred-year journey from oral tradition to video games. No knowledge of Old English or Finnish required. Interest in fantasy literature a plus. Nathan Laxague is a Ph.D. candidate in Applied Marine Physics at the University of Miami. This has absolutely nothing to do with his talk.