We’re back! A new year brings lots of new knowledge from fellow nerds!

Join us for our first event of 2014 on January 15th at Pachamama’s Alton Ballroom. As always doors open at 7 pm and presentations start at 8 pm.

At NN 23: Cracking Cultural Codes we will explore myths surrounding dieting, video game culture, and solving the Soma puzzle! Our presenters this month are:

Josh Feldman:
“Power-ups and ammo crates, or how I saved the World today: the allure of modern video games and how this fringe cultural phenomenon turned into a titan of the entertainment industry”

To the average person, video games fall somewhere between D&D and Sudoku on the cultural spectrum; at best, they are seen as entertaining diversions, and at worst they are viewed with scorn and fear as the progenitors of violence and moral depravity. The purpose of this talk is to shed some light on how gamers view themselves and their culture, and show non-gamers how video games have changed since Mario, and explore how these changes have made games such a cultural powerhouse.

Josh through he’d basically grown out of video game addiction in college, but as it turns out he was wrong. He now spends his days managing a geology lab at KU and his nights trying to be as productive as he can before succumbing to the siren call of his favorite game.

Kate Lambourne:

“Dieting Myths and Big Fat Lies”

Description and bio coming soon.

John Brewer:
“From Heisenberg to Parker Brothers: Cracking the Soma Treasure Map”

How a seven piece cube ate my life. A puzzle nerd comes out of the closet to reveal 35 years of research into his favorite obsession.

John Brewer has been writing computer manuals, composing music, folding paper, and cooking for his family for the last 38 years. He also loves long-distance walking, teaching himself Italian, and drinking box wine.