photo: djking/ BY-NC-SA

“If two nerds ever find themselves holding cylindrical objects of at least 9 inches in length they must immediately make lightsaber ignition noises and face each other down in mortal combat. --Bronson”

Thus reads the tenth Nerd Commandment, according to a list of 20  nerd commandments published on Topless Robot. Now imagine 300 people all making lightsaber noises at the same time.  Welcome to Nerdnite.

Nerdnites (self-described as the Discovery Channel... with beer) are get togethers for people who want to learn something new, in a social setting. Short lectures on anything from quantum physics to the art of sharpening knives are presented as people mingle, drink, socialize, and learn.

Patrick Gruban started a Nerd Nite tradition in Munich, Germany. (Note: while the American term is one word, the German version is two.) According to an article from the Goethe-Institut, he defines a nerd as, “someone who has put the time and effort into learning a specific subject well enough to have a wealth of knowledge about it that the average person wouldn’t have.”

More and more young people from Munich are attending Nerd Nites. So why are they becoming so popular? Gruban says, “At some stage it might just get boring to sit in bars and clubs talking small talk. People like it when they learn something new, especially on a night out, and especially when the atmosphere is relaxed, which is not usually the case when you go to hear a reading or a speech. These days there is so much information on the Internet, through Wikipedia and what not, that previously wouldn’t have been as accessible. Folks love it. So Nerd Nite is like Wikipedia, but live and with the chance to ask questions and meet people.”

I interviewed Matt Wasowski, founder of Nerdnite in NY, and “overlord” of the other Nerdnite sites. He said, “The greatest part about Nerdnite is the spirit. The combination of having something intelligent to hear, and drinking at the same time!... Usually when you go out, you either go to a bar, see a band play, or go play board games at a friend’s house... In cities where there are a lot of people in their 20’s, 30’s, and 40’s, they tend to do the same thing every day. Nerdnite is a good way to learn something new.”

Accordring to Wasowski, the greatest Nerdnite presentation of all time was when a guy presented on the geneaology and family history of Godzilla. “It was this guy who does stuff with cinema and science. He talked about the social significance of Godzilla as well, and then ended with a three minute rap about Godzilla and science.”

Nerds no longer have to stay home reading books to enjoy themselves. It's the ultimate revenge of the nerds to take the bar scene by storm.