COMING UP THIS WEEK:

Passing the Torch: Kepler’s Amazing Discoveries Propel NASA’s TESS Mission into Orbit to Search for Earth’s Closest Cousin
I’m a sucker for all things Kepler space telescope. It found thousands of planets before the wheels fell off. Now, one of the lead investigators of the Kepler mission tackles the future of planetary hunting via the NASA TESS mission. This science cafe is right in downtown PA in a former theater turned co-working space. Ugh, I hated the end of that sentence.
THU JUN 20, 5pm; Hanahaus, Palo Alto, Free

Speechless Slides of Summer
Summer of ’69 eat your heart out. It’s time for the slides of summer. Speechless favorites Petrice Gaskin, Calum Grant, Freddie Sulit, and Cassidy Brown will all be riffing on summer themed terrible slide decks. 
THU JUN 20, 630pm; Public Works, SF; $15 and up

SF Design Week Opening Night
SFDW kicks off with a party at Pier 27 with a mix of drinks, talks, exhibitions, and hands-on demos. The exhibit on weaving, binary, and punch cards has me intrigued.
THU JUN 20; Pier 27, SF; $45

International Parkour Jam
I’m a lot of things, but coordinated and athletic aren’t among them. But I marvel at those who parkour PARKOUR. Traceurs and traceuses come from all over to see the best of what the Bay Area has to offer in terms of parkour and community. Jams are spread across the Bay Area with some central events in Berkeley on Saturday.
FRI JUN 21 – SUN JUN 23; Berkeley, Palo Alto, Dublin, SF, San Jose; FREE

Civil War Days on Angel Island
I’m secretly/not-so-secretly a huge LARPing fan and nothing better than the OG Larpers – civil war re-enactors. But did the Civil War really reach California? You betcha – at Camp Reynolds on Angel Island. Get ready to fend off the confederates at this wildly weird and fun set of days on Angel Island. There are hands-on activities and demos for the kiddos, but the real fun is all the people in character.
SAT JUN 22 – SUN JUN 23; Schedules Varies; Angel Island; FREE – but paid Ferry ride required. Unless you can kayak far.

LoveTech – 10 Year Anniversary
There are lots and lots of art/dance sub-communities in the Bay Area, but I think Rich DDT has built something a little special with his “Art-o-matic Funhouse of Musical Wonders”. The strong emphasis on instrument hacking/building and the fact that every show has an educational/tinkering workshop component is pretty cool to me.
SAT JUN 22, 2pm-2am; East Bay Community Space, Oakland; $15+

Tamale Lady Day
Virginia Ramos was a special person. You’d be out in the mission when the conversation lulled and your hunger panged – she would magically appear with fresh tamales and a spirit of celebration. Celebrate the Tamale Lady SF on what would have been her 66th birthday at Zeitgeist – one of her favorite haunts. SF Supervisor Hillary Ronen will present the official Tamale Lady Day Resolution at 7:45pm. And maybe, just maybe, some of her magic will return.
SAT JUN 22, 2pm-10pm; Zeitgeist, SF; Free

Nerd Nite SV: Pee, Math, & Coffee
Nerd Nite is back in San Jose for a night of beering and learning with Anglerfishers Bart and Kishore in charge (uh oh). They are taking 1 and 2 to make 3 with a talk on urine, coffee roasting, and exploring math with art. If you haven’t been to the Tabard, it is a gem of a local theater in downtown San Jose. Well worth a visit.
TUE JUN 25, 7pm; The Tabard Theatre, San Jose; FREE

Cephalopod Movie Night w/ Science Friday
I’ve been a science communicator for a decade plus – and there is one thing that I still don’t quite get. People love cephalopods. Like really love them. They make jewelry with octopi, buy furniture and headwear, but most of all – they are obsessed with the science. And they are correct. Unleash your inner ceph with Science Friday at their annual ceph movie night. First show is sold out, but they added a second.
TUE JUN 25, 9pm; PianoFight, SF; $20