A weekly Cogito Ergo Summary of London events for people with curious minds.
Monday 21 November
SPACE: A talk at the Institution of Engineering and Technology (IET to its friends) looks at the past, present and future of space exploration, including the contribution Britain can make. Panelists include Will Whitehorn, former President of Virgin Galactic. FREE, 6pm
QUIZ: Londonist Editor M@ hosts another geeky quiz of science and technology at the Royal Institution. £2, 7pm
SOUND: At the same time as the quiz (see above) the Royal Institution also hosts a panel discussion on the connections between the natural world and sound, chaired by Aleks Krotoski. £10, 7pm
STATS: This month's Westminster Skeptics in the Pub features Graeme Archer, who talks about the role of statistics in policy making. £2, 7.30pm
Tuesday 22 November
HISTORY OF SCIENCE: The life and work of Marie Curie are the subject of a talk in the Ramsay lecture theatre (UCL) tonight, organised by the Society of Chemical Industry. FREE, 6pm
ENERGY: The energy challenges for Japan in the wake of the Fukushima incident earlier this year are explored by a panel at Imperial College. FREE, 6pm
MOON: Catch Moonbug, a film about Steve Pyke's mission to photograph everyone involved in the US Apollo programme, at the Princess Anne Theatre, 195 Piccadilly. The film is followed by a Q&A with Pyke, and score composer Matt Johnson. Oddly, there's no info on whether you need to book or pay.
SPACE: Learn more about the early Russian space programme, at Pushkin House in Bloomsbury. £7/£5, 7.30pm
COMICS: The Sigil Club begin a week's run at the Etcetera Theatre in Camden Town tonight, with a show called Stand-Up Comics, set in the world of comics enthusiasts. The show runs every night until Sunday. £7.50, 7.30pm (Sunday show at 6.30pm)
Wednesday 23 November
FILM: Onedotzero_adventures in motion festival starts today and runs till 27 November. It's a little tricky to deduce any kind of focus for the festival, but it appears to be a celebration of technology and creativity behind the moving image, be that in film, projection, video game or whatever. The programme of screenings, talks and installations looks quite tasty. Prices and times vary.
ASTRONOMY: Although passing spaceships don't really make whooshing noises and the vacuum of space is essentially silent, we can still learn things about the universe through sound. So says Professor Carolin Crawford who gives today's Gresham lecture at the Museum of London. FREE, 1pm
EVOLUTION: Hear about the 'big bang of evolution', when the conditions of the Earth changed sufficiently to allow complex biochemistry. Professor James Barber delivers the first Ernst Chain lecture at Imperial College. FREE, 5pm
PHYSICS: Finger In The Pie cabaret group bring science fun to the Millfield Theatre in Enfield tonight, with 'a work of scientific over-enthusiasm battling against all odds to understand and convey very real concepts of Quantum Mechanics, Time Travel, and the boundless impossible possibilities of Infinity'. £12/£8, 8pm
Thursday 24 November
BRAINS: Professor Bruce Hood gives a preview of his forthcoming Christmas Lectures at the Royal Institution, this year themed around the human brain. £10, 6pm
HISTORY: Understated polymath Ross MacFarlane is at the Florence Nightingale Museum to reveal some of the Wellcome Library's audio-visual treasures, including a recording of Ms Nightingale's voice. £7, 6.30pm
MATHS: Head to the Idler Academy in Westbourne Park Road for the 'most entertaining maths lesson you've ever had', courtesy of Alex Bellos. £20/£15, 6.30pm
FOOD: The UK is, we read, about two-thirds self-sufficient in food production. Should it be more? Or should we revel in the varied diet available through imports. Join the discussion at the Dana Centre tonight. FREE, 7pm
DRINKS: Another Geekpub Meetup gathers in Ye Olde Cheshire Cheese. There's a theme this time: retro-gadgets. FREE, 7pm
ANATOMY: A panel discussion about the exploration of human anatomy, a 'voyage of discovery' through the interior landscape, takes place tonight at Wellcome Collection. FREE, 7pm
Friday 25 November
IQ2: A two-day public conference on life, the universe and pretty much everything takes place at the Royal Geographical Society today and tomorrow. Organised by Intelligence Squared, the TED-like event include speakers as diverse as Susan Greenfield and Iain Sinclair, and subjects as disparate as the future of humans in space and the future of sleep. £299 (full pass), £75 (half day)
MOON: Celebrate our lunar neighbour in art, literature, science, music, folklore and film at a special event in Luminous Books, Haggerston. FREE, 6pm
Saturday 26 November
ODD ART: Fancy donning safety gear, smashing up glass hearts and claiming the 'mongrel' objects within? Of course you do. So head down to Wellcome Collection to watch or take part in Covet Me, Care For Me, the new art work by Sheila Ghelani. FREE, 1pm-5pm (and Sunday), just drop in
MAKING: MzTek are holding a women's workshop at SPACE Studios in Hackney to tear apart old bits of hardware and rebuild them to make noise. The peculiar concept also supports Moving Forest, a 12-hour urban performance planned for next summer. £10, 11am-5pm, continues Sunday, women only
DRINKS: Another meetup of the London Science Fiction/Fantasy Group, in the Mad Hatter, Southwark. FREE, 5pm
Did we miss anything? Let us know in the comments. To let us know about future geeky events, please email [email protected].
