Due to overwhelming tickets sales for NN#5, we will NOT be selling tickets at the door tonight. We apologize for any inconvenience. We’ll be announcing Nerd Nite #6 very soon, so stay tuned for that.

When: April 11, 2013 (doors @ 7:30p, show @ 8)

Where: Haven Social Club – 15120 Stony Plain Road

$10 in advance + service charge (includes a free drink!) Tickets on sale now!

$15 at the door (includes a free drink!)



#1 – Bare Bones: The realities of Temperance Brennan and Forensic Anthropology

Katie Waterhouse

As much as television shows such as CSI and Bones suggest that forensic s and forensic anthropology involve stiletto heels, dramatic suspect hunts, gun fights and buckets of sexual tension this sadly doesn’t reflect reality. Although there might be sexual tension, forensic anthropologists seldom wear heels (bodies are rarely found in heel friendly territory), don’t hunt out suspects (what else are the police for?) and certainly don’t get guns (the people we work with are already dead). We do however work with the skeleton to determine as much about the individual as we can. Determining age, sex, stature, and other personal attributes helps to identify the individual and tell us something of their life. Join us as we go over some fascinating case studies outlining some of the fantastic things forensic anthropologists can determine from remains.

Bio: I have my MSc in Forensic Archaeological Sciences from University College London and just finished my PhD in Forensic Anthropology at the U of A. For my PhD thesis I studied the fragmentation of burnt bone with the aim of improving recovery methods from fatal fire scenes such as house fires and car fires. I have assisted in forensic cases as well as spent time excavating human remains from archaeological sites. I have also worked with skeletal collections analysing the human remains.

#2 – Crush my Gall Nuts Baby and I’ll Stay With You Til the End of Time

Ted Bishop



Is ink dead in the digital age? Not a chance. Ted Bishop is writing a book on The Social Life of Ink that has taken him from Samarkand to Budapest, from ancient Chinese ink sticks to e-readers. He will talk about why the ballpoint pen is immoral, why ink sticks are profound, and he’ll have you crush gall nuts to make the same ink used for the Dead Sea Scrolls – your signature from the Haven will last 2,000 years

Bio: Ted Bishop is the author of Riding with Rilke: Reflections on Motorcycles and Books, a Canadian bestseller that earned him Governor-General’s award nomination and a mention in Playboy magazine (alongside fellow Canadian Pamela Anderson). He has written about striding down the fashion-show catwalk, being caught in a small avalanche, and reading a Kindle with an enchilada. He teaches in English and Film Studies at the University of Alberta, and you can read his work and see his hand covered with ink at tedbishop.com.

#3 – EDM in YEG

Marc Carnes and Thomas Scott — Urban Monks

Born out of the underground dance/disco clubs of Chicago in the late ’70s, “House Music” signaled a fundamental shift in the way we consume and experience music of all kinds. It’s a product of a modern technological explosion, and a common thread in the blurring of social, musical and geographical boundaries. Still largely underground and independent of the mainstream, EDM (“Electronic Dance Music”) has become a global force in music, and at the heart of this musical movement is the often misunderstood role of the DJ – the medium, rather than the creator. So sit back while we drop the needle on some musical history.

Bio: They don’t have Masters or PhDs in DJing (PhDJ?), but they really like what they do. Between the two of them they have over 25 years of DJ experience and have watched the industry, and the culture change dramatically. By day, Marc is a suit with Incite Marketing, and Thomas is a cultural ambassador for Citadel Theatre. By night, the two can be seen DJing around Edmonton at a variety of events (like Nerd Nite) and venues (like Red Star). They have played in some pretty cool places, too, including as far away as Japan, and in such unique venues as the top of a mountain, and Edmonton’s own LRT while it rode the tracks.