Week In Geek: 12-18 September 2011

M@
By M@ Last edited 150 months ago
Week In Geek: 12-18 September 2011


Events for Londoners with curious minds.

Monday 12 September
BOOKS: Fiction Lab returns to the Royal Institution for another evening of discussion about books with scientific themes or settings. This month's tome is Einstein's Dreams by Alan Lightman. FREE, 7pm

MORE BOOKS: Alternatively, those who've read Ubik by Philip K Dick might want to check out the Science Fiction Book Club tonight (location revealed when you sign up). £2, 7pm

Tuesday 13 September
SKEPTICS: This month's London Skeptics in the Pub (The Monarch, Camden Town) features a live recording of the popular podcast The Pod Delusion, to mark its second birthday. The event features several guest speakers including Helen Arney and is billed as being for people who like 'science, skepticism, a bit of politics and some INTERESTING THINGS'. £2, 7pm

SPACE: Dr Emma Bunce gives a public lecture on the Cassini mission to Saturn and its moons at the Royal Astronomical Society in Burlington House. FREE, 1pm

CODEBREAKING: Imperial College’s Institute for Security Science and Technology is making no secret of its event about the science of codes and cyphers. A very eminent panel (Simon Singh is perhaps most well-known, but the others are all superstars in their fields) assembles in the Great Hall. FREE, 5.30pm

Wednesday 14 September
POPULAR SCIENCE: Join Sid Rodrigues, Jennifer Rohn (fresh from hosting Monday's Fiction Lab), Manjit Kumar and Michael Brooks for a Lewisham Literary Festival event devoted to popular science writing. £4, 7.30pm

ART: Inside Playful Minds, opening today, looks like being one of the highlights of the London Design Festival. "Physical Pixels invite you inside their imagination. From plants that whisper to your touch and walls that shift shape, immerse yourself in an environment that offers the greatest rewards to the most adventurous players." To find out what it all means, head to the Arts Gallery at 272 High Holborn until 29 October. FREE

SOCIAL NETWORKING: Do you get a bit sweaty if you haven't checked your Twitter feed for an hour? Tonight's Future Human event at the Book Club in Shoreditch puts forward a panel of experts to discuss the effects of social networks on our culture and individuality. £10, 7pm

PUBLISHING: What's the future of newspapers in the digital age (and how many more events need programming on this topic)? The British Library has FT editor Lionel Barber in to speculate. £7.50, 6.30pm

BIOCHEMISTRY: What exactly is appetite, physiologically speaking? And can we control those impulses to eat? Find out at a Wellcome Collection talk. FREE, 7pm

Thursday 15 September
QUANTUM THORY: Science writer and Londonist reader Marcus Chown is in conversation with Manjit Chown at the Royal Institution to talk about the personalities behind the development of quantum theory. £10, 7pm

GENETICS: After a long summer break, the Dana Centre is back in the business of putting on science events for adults (as in, there's a bar). Tonight, Lone Frank and Armand Leroi discuss whether genetic screening is an inevitable part of our medical future. FREE, 7pm

ZOOLOGY: Take a walking tour around the area of the Grant Museum's new home in Bloomsbury, with a heavy focus on science and medicine. FREE, 6pm

AGEING: Learn about the biological reasons for why we age at this talk at the Linnean Society. FREE, 5.30pm

Saturday 17 September
MEDICINE: The  Wellcome Trust is 75 years old. As part of the celebrations, the Trust has plundered its extensive film archive to pull out a few highlight documentaries for an event called Just What The Doctor Ordered. Catch these medical gems at The Old Truman Brewery, along with talks from invited speakers. FREE, 11am-6.15pm

MUSIC: Koko in Mornington Crescent welcomes LA's Daedalus, a 'Victorian-garmented futurist' with a rather special bit of kit called Archimedes. Five and a half tons of audio-visual talent. £15, 10pm

ARCHITECTURE: It's Open House weekend, with many scientific venues (among hundreds of other places) opening their doors to the public. Highlights include the Royal Society, Queen Mary's spectacular Cell and Molecular Science building and the Linnean Society. More on Open House later in the week. FREE, all weekend

Sunday 18 September
MEDICINE: A second day of Just What The Doctor Ordered (see above) at Old Truman Brewery. FREE, 11am-6.15pm

ARCHITECTURE: Continuation of Open House weekend (see above).

Did we miss anything? Let us know below, or tip us off about upcoming events by emailing matt@londonist.com

Image by Whiskeygonebad under Creative Commons licence.

Last Updated 12 September 2011