Greetings nerds! I hope you are all weathering this storm well. Let me get right to the point: as of right now, March Nerd Nite is going forward as planned. We struggled quite a bit with whether or not to cancel this show, but we refuse to give into hysteria, and based on the most recent guidelines of the CDC, we believe that with a little thoughtfulness, we can carry on our nerdery without significant risk to our audience, our venue, or ourselves. Not to mention that in the wake of panic currently sweeping the medias, we believe it is important to fight fear with facts, and as one of our speakers has incredibly relevant facts to share, we shall align with the old adage that the show must go on.
As always, you are free (and for this month, I daresay you are encouraged) to stay home and enjoy NN from the comfort of your toilet paper fort by streaming our show via Facebook Live (@nerdnitefargo). BUT considering that the risk level for ND is low right now, you are also welcome to join us at the GP as usual. Allow me to remind you to please stay the fuck home if:
- You are sick.
- Have recently been in contact with someone who is sick.
- Have recently traveled to an area of high infection rate (way to go Idaho, Alaska, and Alabama- crushing it).
- Are yourself extra vulnerable to illness, or have frequent contact with someone who is.
AND since we anticipate that many of you will choose to stay home, for the first time in a long time, you can submit questions to our presenters via Slido.com, event code #FargoNerdNite. With that said, please allow me to present the details for this month’s talks!
Is the Coronavirus going to kill us all? Over the past few weeks, the news media has been dominated by the scary Coronavirus out of China. People have become so petrified of this disease, they’ve even stopped drinking Corona beer and cut back on Chinese food. So, what is the coronavirus and is it dangerous? This talk will discuss details of the virus and delve into how fearful we should really be of this disease.
Manpreet Bains is an all-around science enthusiast who graduated with a Ph.D. in Molecular Pathogenesis a few years ago. After graduate school, he started working for a local biotech company, which he left a few months ago to start working on a science blog (scienceevolved.com). He’s the lucky father to a one-year old baby girl and spends his free time binging Netflix, gaming, and spending time with family.
Going Undercover – A Peek Behind the Curtain of US Intelligence Agencies. You are about to get a briefing on the history of US Intelligence: its origins, victories, tragedies, and how it’s changed throughout the years. We will also take a look at some bad ass spies that changed the world, even though you never heard their names.
Ben Jagim earned a Bachelor’s from UND and a Master’s in International Affairs from Texas A&M with a concentration in Intelligence as a Tool of Statecraft. He operates his own insurance agency and enjoys community projects. His nerd focus includes A Song of Ice and Fire, superhero movies, Star Trek: TNG, and history. Short version: he drinks and he knows things.
…and we may even have one more, but he’s really procrastinating sending me his talk details, so unfortunately I can’t tell you anything more about him. 🙂 The last things I’ll share are that there will still be beer, there will still be learning, and there will still be fun. Unless things take a turn (and if they do, we’ll keep you updated), we’ll be at Fargo Billiards and Gastropub this Wednesday, March 18th, 7PM (doors at 6:30) should you choose to join us, otherwise we’ll be cheersing you from the other side of the internet. Don’t forget to Slido us your questions, and stay awesome, friends.
🙂 T
