Dave Knows Portland

Brainstorm: Explore the Genesis of Innovation, Part 4 (24-October-2011)

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BrainstormOMSI and Portland Monthly present the fourth and final part of the OMSI Science Pub talk series Brain Storm: Exploring the Genesis of Innovation this Monday, October 24, 2011 at the Bagdad Theater (3702 SE Hawthorne).

The talks are part of “Brain Storm,” a unique collaboration between OMSI and Portland Monthly to explore creative thinking in science, business, health, technology, and the arts. From a field of 130 nominees, a jury of peers selected 12 leading innovators whose work, creative processes, and personal stories are being presented through an interactive display at OMSI, a series of profiles in Portland Monthly, and onstage in conversation with Portland Monthly editor in chief Randy Gragg.

This week‘s guests are Mia Burk, cofounder of Alta Planning + Design and innovator of bicycling policies;
Jean Auel, novelist, author of Clan of the Cave Bear and the “Earth’s Children” series; and
Larry Sherman, head of the Sherman Lab at the Oregon National Primate Research Center at OHSU, and a pioneering researcher in MS and the aging process.

The doors of the Bagdad open at 5pm, program begins at 7pm. $5 is the suggested admission. Minors are permitted if accompanied by parent or guardian.

Out of the Night and Into the Light: The Secret World of Bats (18-October-2011)

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Omsi Science PubOut of the Night and Into the Light: The Secret World of Bats is the special Halloweeny topic of of tonight’s OMSI Science Pub at the Mission Theater (1624 NW Glisan)

Let’s face it-bats freak a lot of people out. But much of the folklore about bats isn’t even true. In this Halloween Science Pub special we’ll explore the secret world of bats and find out what you REALLY need to be afraid of: the possible demise of our bat populations due to disease, wind turbine collisions, and global climate change.

Bats represent one of the most diverse groups of mammals and include over 1000 species. They have spectacular life histories. Did you know that female bats can get pregnant in the fall, pause gestation for months over the winter, and resume in spring once insect prey becomes available again? They provide critical ecosystem services, but are notoriously difficult to study, and we still don’t understand some basic things like where they go in the winter and whether our local Northwest populations are stable or in decline. Join us in a discussion about the secret world of bats and get the latest updates on research and conservation issues facing Oregon’s bats.

The presenter is National Park Service ecologist, and University of Idaho PhD candidate, Tom Rodhouse, who studies, pikas, and other small and hard to find cuties (charismatic microfauna!).

The science pub goes from 7pm until 9pm, but arrive early (5pm doors open) to secure your beer, grub, and a seat! There’s a $5.00 suggested donation/cover charge. Minors with adults are welcome, otherwise this event is 21 and over.

October 12, 1877: Earthquake “Calls In” on Portland

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Earthquake headline in the Morning Oregonian, 13 October 1877Portlanders were jostled by an earthquake on October 12, 1877 (Morning Oregonian, 13 October 1877).

Yesterday afternoon at seven minutes before two o’clock; a distinct earth shock, followed in a few seconds by another and severer one, passed over the city from north to south. It was not, as is usually the case, preceded by premonitory rumblings, but came from terrifying suddenness. The scene on the principal streets, as the people became conscious of the cause of the agitation, was one of wildest confusion and, for a moment, of terror. From houses and stores, people with white, scared faces, rushed into the streets, cigars dropped from the mouths of smokers, horses snorted and dogs whined with fear, the air, as well as the earth, seemed filled with a mysterious and awful power – the streets seemed turned into a mad carnival of fear. This was for one moment; the next, everybody was trying to convince everybody else that he “wasn’t a bit scared.”

Several small children were severely bruised at the North school as they rushed pell-mell down stairs during the panic. Windows shattered at the Central and High schools. Several houses suffered broken windows and knocked down chimneys.

The tremor, estimated at intensity VII, was felt as far away as Astoria.

Brainstorm: Explore the Genesis of Innovation, Part 2 (10-October-2011)

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BrainstormOMSI and Portland Monthly present part two of the OMSI Science Pub talk series Brain Storm: Exploring the Genesis of Innovation this Monday, October 10, 2011 at the Bagdad Theater (3702 SE Hawthorne).

The talks are part of “Brain Storm,” a unique collaboration between OMSI and Portland Monthly to explore creative thinking in science, business, health, technology, and the arts. From a field of 130 nominees, a jury of peers selected 12 leading innovators whose work, creative processes, and personal stories are being presented through an interactive display at OMSI, a series of profiles in Portland Monthly, and onstage in conversation with Portland Monthly editor in chief Randy Gragg.

This week’s guests are Annette von Jouanne – Electrical Engineer and Professor at Oregon State University, Pioneer in wave energy technology; Joe Sacco – Journalist & Cartoonist, Author of Palestine, Safe Area Gorazde, and Footnotes in Gaza; and Naomi Pomeroy – Owner of Beast, Award-winning chef.

The doors of the Bagdad open at 5pm, program begins at 7pm. $5 is the suggested admission. Minors are permitted if accompanied by parent or guardian.

The Brain Storm series continues, each Monday through October 24th.

DorkbotPDX 0x06 (10-October-2011)

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DorkbotPDX 0x06DorkbotPDX, people doing strange things with electricity, invites the public to the latest installment of their semi-regular presentation series, DorkbotPDX 0x06, on Monday, October 10, 2011 at Backspace (115 NW 5th).

What does this entail? A couple of wonderful and inspiring presentations by a pair of local troublemakers.

The presenters are Ward Cunninghan, of the Smallest Federated Wiki, and Karl Anderson, one of the mad scientists behind the Mutant Bikes of C.H.U.N.K 666.

In addition there will be an OpenDork open-mic session for anyone looking to show off a project, ask a question, solicit help, or incite collaboration.

The show is free, all ages, and starts 8pm.