London events for people with curious minds.
Festival: Internet Week
7-11 November: This now annual celebration of all things online is mostly for those working in related industries, but as the Internet is all-pervasive, there are likely to be events of interest to anyone who reads Week in Geek. There's also far too much (150 events) to list out here, so we instead commend you to the Internet Week web site. The Hospital Club in Covent Garden houses much of the action, where you can also pick up these Steve Jobs lollies and other #geekcakes in support of Pancreatic Cancer UK.
Monday 7 November
SCI-FI: Waterstones on Gower Street asks: "Is science fiction the only form of literature that really matters today?". A panel of thinkers, including a sci-fi author and a professor of literature are on hand to respond. This Gower Street Lecture is in association with New Scientist magazine. £8/£5, 7pm
GEEK-KNIT: An exhibition about multiple sclerosis told through the medium of knitting. The woolly art explores the nature of the disease, the role of genetics and the impact of our environment on the disease. Visit the Blizzard Institute from tonight (including talks) until 11 November. 9am-5pm, FREE
BOOKS: Jennifer Rohn's Lablit bookclub returns to the Royal Institution to scrutinise KEPLER by John Banville. FREE, no time given, but assume 7pm
Tuesday 8 November
WEB: Aleks Krotoski and Katrina Jungnickel visit the Royal Institution to introduce the Serendipity Engine, a physical machine built from unlikely objects that does something clever (we're not sure what) with the internet. The jargon-heavy blurb doesn't help, frankly. £10/£7, 7pm
CHEMISTRY: What some would regard as the least sexy of the main science disciplines gets a tubthump tonight from President of the Royal Society of Chemistry, David Phillips OBE. The good professor speaks at Imperial College. £10/£5/£3, 7pm
ENVIRONMENT: Explore the possibility of wars over fresh water at the Dana Centre tonight. FREE, 7pm
Wednesday 9 November
INTELLECTUAL GODS: Stephen Fry in conversation with Christopher Hitchens. Oh to be a fly on the wall. Or, even better, a paying punter, comfortably seated. The main event, at the Royal Festival Hall with Fry, while Hitchens beams in from DC, is sold out. Fortunately, several Picturehouse cinemas across town will screen the chat live. Catch it at Clapham, Lexi (Kensal Rise), Phoenix East Finchley and Stratford East. Alternatively, you can watch this IQ2 production live from home for £5, or wait till it's screened on TV later this month for free. £12.50, 8.30pm
LONDONY GOODNESS: Explore the history of the Freedom of the City of London, the accolade that notionally gives you the right to drive sheep across London Bridge. This Gresham lecture takes place at the Museum of London. FREE, 6pm
BUILD STUFF: The British Science Association's Science London evening visits Drink, Shop, Do on the Cally Road to teach you how to make hovercrafts. FREE, 7pm
Thursday 10 November
DIGITAL SPYING: How has the Internet changed the way our security services gather intelligence? Sir David Pepper is at the Institution of Engineering and Technology to offer some insight. FREE, 6.30pm
Saturday 12 November
SCI-FI: Join the Sci-fi/Fantasy meetup group for a few beers at the Mad Hatter on Stamford Street. FREE, from 5pm
Sunday 13 November
SCI-FI: A chance to watch the recent sci-fi film Moon, at Clapham Picturehouse, followed by a discussion about the movie. £10/£9/£8, 2.30pm
Booking Ahead
UNCAGED MONKEYS: The Uncaged Monkeys, Crown-Prince pedlars of on-stage geekery, are back with a couple of London dates in December. Catch Robin Ince, Brian Cox, Simon Singh, Ben Goldacre and Tim Minchin at the Hammersmith Apollo on 13/14 December.
Did we miss anything? Let us know below. To make us aware of upcoming events, please contact [email protected].
