This week’s Curator: Kishore Hari of Inquiring Show / BayAreaScience Calendar.
I’m usually all about that science, but some weeks, the real world is all just a bit too much to stomach. This week is all about escape – an escape to an alternate future, an escape to a garden transformed by music, an escape back to 1868, and an escape to a world of robot bartenders. Plus a little overacting by William Shatner.
COMING UP THIS WEEK:
NightGarden Piano: 3 nights only
Adding this back in from last week – because Flower Piano is the best. A minimum of 60% of the Anglerfish editors could be found enjoying those sweet sweet ivories being tickled this past weekend.
Last year the Flower Piano added a single night time performance in the Gardens. It sold out like crazy and was lots of fun. So this year they’ve expanded it to 3 nights. It’s like the daytime version with some of the best performers showcased and amazing lighting added throughout the Garden plus cocktails and food trucks. This is an early ticket tip, because it may sell out.
July 12, 13 & 14 – THU-SAT 8-11pm, San Francisco Botanical Garden; $45 each night
Universal Robots: A new science fiction play
The Great War has just ended. The fledgling Republic of Czechoslovakia, under its first elected President, boasts a thriving artistic and intellectual community. At the center of that community is the celebrated playwright Karel Capek, a passionate advocate for all his newborn nation can achieve. But the brave new world arrives faster than Karel could have ever expected when a young woman walks into his life with a strange mannequin in a wheelchair… a mannequin that gets up and moves all by itself.
Alt history is a guilty pleasure, so I was sold at “The Great War has just ended.”
July 12, 13, 14, 8pm, Phoenix Theater, San Francisco, $20 and up.
Hayward Fault Anniversary Hike at the Tule Ponds
Before 1906 was the Great San Francisco earthquake, 1868 was the big one. And 150 years ago was the last major rupture along the Hayward fault. Remnants of the quake still persist throughout the Bay Area environment – most of all at the Tule ponds in Fremont. Join one of these free hikes along the ponds to learn more about the first big one (and maybe the next).
July 14 SUN 10am, Fremont; FREE
Cocktail Robots Grand Challenge
What’s better than a great cocktail on a cool summer night? How about a great cocktail served by a robot! The annual cocktail robotics challenge returns to DNA Lounge for a robot happy hour, followed by judging. The robots take all shapes and sizes, but I’ve always been partial to Schrödinger’s Martini, the ultimate superposition of wet and dry.
July 14 SUN 5pm, DNA Lounge, SF ; $16 in advance, $20 at door.
Big Screen Science: Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan
BSS is my monthly excuse to screen movies I love and then chat about the science afterwards. This month, its time for KHAAAAAAANNNNN! Maybe I’ll be waxing my pecs for this night to emulate Ricardo Montalban, but then again, maybe thats just the brain worm talking. If you like your sci-fi with a side of actual science and a few bad jokes along the way, this is your night.
July 16 MON 7pm, Alamo Draft House, Mission District SF ; $15.25
SciComm Studio 008: Empathy Versus the Machines
Swissnex run the best science series that not enough people know about. Usually, they blend art exhibitions and science discussions seamlessly together – and SciComm studio is no different. This month they are tackling philosophy and empathy in the context of a future filled with intelligent machines. Come early for a chance to roam their Mental Work exhibition.
July 17 TUE 630pm, Swissnex, Next to the Exploratorium in SF ; FREE with RSVP
Nerd Nite SF – Cancer Immunotherapy, End-of-Life Tattoos, & Magical Space Telescopes
Only at Nerd Nite do you get a blend of space telescopes, a discussion of end of life care, and how we’re targeting cancer with our own immune systems. If you haven’t been, Nerd Nite is the best of learning, because its served with a bit of irreverence and some wonderful drinks in a indie rock club. Is it weird that the talk on cancer may be the most upbeat one of the night?
July 18 WED 7pm, Rickshaw Stop, SF ; $8
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Caveat Eventor: just because we mention an event here, does not mean it won’t be terrible. Anglerfish curators are looking for events that sound like fun to them – your mileage may vary.