Week In Geek: 24-30 October

M@
By M@ Last edited 149 months ago
Week In Geek: 24-30 October


Events for Londoners with curious minds.

Although the London Science Festival continues (and concludes) this week, most of the remaining events are now fully booked. The exceptions both take place on Wednesday.

Monday 24 October
TECH: Will Tech City and Silicon Roundabout ever live up to the Government's dreams of a world-renowned tech industry? Join a meaty panel (well, it includes Eric Pickles) at Imperial College to hear more about the progress of this initiative. FREE, 6.30pm

HISTORY OF SCIENCE: Jim Al-Khalili and Prof. Charles Burnett are at the Royal Society to explore the importance of Arabic culture and scholarship on the European Enlightenment. FREE, 6pm

SCI-FI: Fans of higher-brow science fiction should check out this monthly book club, which tonight meets to discuss The Sparrow by Mary Doria Russell. If that doesn't appeal, next month's book would be the perfect time to give the club a go, when they discuss the rather better-known Frankenstein. £2, 7pm (location given on sign-up)

Tuesday 25 October
ARCHITECTURE: A hod of top architects and designers, including Sir Terry Farrell, assemble at RIBA on Portland Place to discuss the legacy of Postmodernism. £8.50/£5.50, 6.30pm

Wednesday 26 October
SPACE: Matt Melis discusses the 30-year space shuttle programme and explains the lessons learnt by NASA following the two shuttle tragedies. A UCL event and part of the London Science Festival. FREE,  6.30pm

LATES: It's that time of the month again. The Science Museum stays open till 10pm, turfing out anyone under 18 for an evening of science, entertainment and booze. It's also the closing party for the first ever London Science Festival. Just turn up, no booking required. FREE, from 6.45pm

SCIENCE IS FUN, HONEST: The Royal Institution tries something different tonight, coaxing in the brilliant Matt Parker to host a pilot episode for a new web series. You can be part of the show. 'Expect brain-bending optics, a cuddly rhinovirus, and a particle accelerator that won't work unless everyone in the room stops breathing. And a song.' FREE, 6.30pm

ODD FOOD: Fancy jellyfish and chips or grasshopper burger? We doubt they're on the actual menu for this Supper Salon at Wellcome Collection, but 'food adventurer' Stefan Gates will discuss his ideas for the future of food, while you eat. £25, 7.30pm

Thursday 27 October
SPACE: How exactly do we keep track of satellites, which can move at up to 8km every second? UCL's Dan Martin revels all during this lunchtime lecture. FREE, 1.15pm

SOCIAL MEDIA: How will mobile networks, Twitter and other social infrastructure cope with the Olympics? Will the networks crash if 70,000 people try and upload photos of the 100m final at the same time? A panel discussion at NESTA's space-age offices in Plough Lane looks at the scalability of communications. FREE, 8.30am

PROFESSIONAL GEEKS: If you work in the tech startup sector, you probably already know about them, but there's another Minibar networking event happening in Shoreditch tonight (location revealed when you sign up).

Friday 28 October
MATHS: Learn about Victorian mathematician Mary Somerville at the Royal Society this lunch time. FREE, 1pm

LATES: It's the Natural History Museum's turn to open up late. Enjoy some jazz, cocktails, lots of animal stuff and a late-night chance to look around the new wildlife photography exhibition. FREE (although there's a charge for the exhibition), until 10.30pm

Saturday 29 October
TIME: Pretend you're Doctor Who and enrol for the Greenwich Time Symposium, taking place at the Maritime Museum today. An all-day exploration of timekeeping including the politics of how it is controlled and regulated. £20/£16, 10.30am

Did we miss anything? Please let us know in the comments below. If you'd like to tip us off about an upcoming event that might fit these listings, please email matt@londonist.com.

Last Updated 23 October 2011