London events for people with curious minds.
As Christmas approaches, events programmes begin to wind down, offering fewer options for the discerning geek about town this week. As well as the events listed below, you might care to book onto a behind-the-scenes tour of the Royal Institution's Christmas Lectures (Mon, Thur, Sat), then look out for the talks themselves on TV over Christmas.
Monday 12 December
SCI-FI: This month's Science Fiction and Fantasy Meetup group convenes to discuss City by Clifford D Simak. The location is shown to registrants. £2, 7pm
Tuesday 13 December
ASTRONOMY: How has the Space Age changed our views of the universe? What do space telescopes give us that ground-based versions can't? Probe the probes at the Royal Astronomical Society (Burlington House) over lunch. FREE, 1pm
CONSERVATION: The combo of China + endangered animals will immediately conjure images of the panda. But the loveable ursine is just one of 862 species in that vast country to be threatened with extinction. A panel of conservation experts speak at the Zoological Society of London tonight. FREE, 6pm
UNCAGED MONKEYS: Unbelievably, there are still a handful of tickets left to see Brian Cox, Ben Goldacre, Robin Ince, Simon Singh and Tim Minchin (AKA the 'uncaged monkeys') at the Hammersmith Apollo. Expect an evening of top-grade geek comedy on every topic under and beyond the sun. £28.25, 6pm
NOISE: That's the topic for this month's Bright Club at the Wilmington Arms, Finsbury. Expect the usual mixture of UCL academics, stand-up comedians and musical interludes, each given just a few minutes to entertain and inspire. £5, 7.30pm
Wednesday 14 December
SCIENCE QUIZ: Time once again for the British Library's Talk Science 'pub' quiz. Questions are (mostly) by Week in Geek compiler Matt Brown, including some rather peculiar Photoshoppery. For any singleton geeks, the GeekChic meetup group will also be in attendance. £10 per team, 6.30pm
Booking Ahead
NEW YEAR FUN: Another shout-out to Bright Club, who will put on a New Year's Eve extravaganza at the Wilmington Arms. Music, science, comedy and general geekiness to see in the New Year the alternative way. £10, 7.30pm
GEEK COMEDY: The Festival of the Spoken Nerd has amassed such a following that its December dates are already sold out. But you can book now to see their biggest show yet, at the Bloomsbury Theatre, on 18 January. At its kernel are comedy geeks Helen Arney, Matt Parker and Steve Mould, who bring you 'comedy, science, maths, geeky songs, special guests, interactive experiments, maybe some things that go bang…'. £12/£10, 7.30pm
LOST LECTURES: This new series of events, dubbed the Lost Lectures, presents interesting speakers in unusual (and secret) locations. The debut shows take place on 18 and 19 January, and include cloud expert Gavin Pretor-Pinney, Sky at Night presenter Chris Lintott and Londonist Editor (and Week in Geek compiler) Matt Brown. £12/£10, 7pm
Did we miss anything? Leave a comment below, or tip us off about a future event by emailing [email protected].
