Nerd Nite SF #73: Mudlarking, Strandbeest Machines, and Mite Sex!

This month's amusing and occasionally immodest show promises mud, machines, and mites. So put on your tallest boots to walk along the Thames, accompanied by walking PVC construct companions, and perhaps arachnids walking on your skin! Fortify yourself with drinks while our presenters take us on this journey, along with our bartenders, deejay, librarians, and food-slingers. Be there and be square!

"Mudlarking and Material Culture" by Laura Rubin

The River Thames has a long memory. The river and its tributaries have shaped and informed the daily life of Londoners from lithic times all the way to the present, and preserve the material culture of their daily lives. In this lecture Laura Rubin will give a brief overview of the Thames, a short methodology, and talk about her personal finds from the summer of 2015.

Laura is a costumer, writer, and interdisciplinary scholar. When not writing software manuals for money, she researches and interprets Western clothing, foodways, and culture from the 16th through the 20th centuries.

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"The Blind Watchmaker: Theo Jansen and the Art of Creating Life" by Paul Dancstep

"Strandbeest: The Dream Machines of Theo Jansen" is a new exhibit at the Exploratorium. It features the work of a Dutch artist who creates elaborate walking structures out of PVC tube. These "strandbeests" are made up of many interesting organs. They have legs that take elegant strides. They have stomachs to store energy, allowing them to walk even when there's no wind. They can even detect water and count their steps. Explore strandbeest anatomy and what it reveals about living creatures and the process of natural selection.

Paul grew up in San Diego but has never been on a surfboard. He studied physics in college but is still baffled by things like zippers. He's been at the Exploratorium for over a decade, building boxes, changing lightbulbs and occasionally speaking to the public.

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"Mite-y Sexy: The Scandalous Sex Lives of Mites" by Jane Ishka

There are more species of mites than anything else on earth, and almost as many weird ways that they have sex. Some male mites carry immature females until they grown up and are ready to mate, while certain females mate once and carry the sperm for their whole lives, impregnating themselves at any time. Hear these and more Barely Safe For Nerd Nite sex stories about the mighty mite!

Jane is the author of The Year of the Mite and a biotechnology professional living in Berkeley. Her technical writing supports approval of new medical products. Her first book, The Year of the Mite, chronicles a year-long infestation of her home and skin by the parasite Dermanyssus gallinae. Visit Jane at www.yearofthemite.com