Nerd Nite - August 28th, 2025

Nerd Nite Pittsburgh is a lecture series that’s a mix between a comedy show, TED talk, and a social mixer! Speakers present for 15 minutes on a variety of topics related to science and technology, popular culture, history, and other nerdery with a vibe that’s as entertaining as it is academic! Audience members can ask questions, and beforehand, there is an entirely optional social game. If you like alcohol, learning about random and interesting things, and meeting other humans, this is for you! Speed-Friending social game starts at 6:30, talks start at 7:30. If you have a topic you are passionate about and you’d like to be a speaker at a later event, get in touch at pittsburgh@nerdnite.com! This event will feature the following presentations:

Cosplay: It's an addiction. I'd have stopped by now if I could

Cash Branson AKA CaptCash got his start in cosplay at Tokyo Game Show in 2005.  He had not anticipated going to a nerdy convention would turn into a lifelong obsession passion.  In the intervening years, he's moved back to the states, has a professional career, and started a family, but still has the cosplay monkey on his back.  This talk will tell you a bit of how he does what he does, why he does it and why he can't seem to shake it no matter how hard he tries.  

Capybaras + ? = profit: How AI is democratizing capitalism

Erin Yanacek has been perpetuating the capitalistic culture of overwork for the last 8 years— and is beginning to ask questions. How might one make a living that doesn’t feel skeezy? Does work that has a more positive impact on the world always equal less money? What new opportunities for money-purpose arbitrage might AI open up? We’re pretty sure that the answer begins with a magical creature— the capybara. Explore these and other existential questions by way of some nifty use cases w/r/t genAI and agentic AI.

Under the hood of AI models, and what the next gen may look like

AI is all the rage these days, but how does it actually work? This talk will teach you about artificial neural networks, the algorithm behind modern AI. We'll review how they work, how they learn, and the biological inspiration that inspired them. The talk will then conclude with what we've learned about modern neuroscience since the origins of neural networks, and what the next wave of AI might be built with.

Rorry Brenner is a computer scientist / neuroscientist, the founder of Perforated AI, an organizer of Nerd Nite, the most handsome man in Pittsburgh, and approver of these bios.

Social game:

Our social game will take place before the show from 6:30-7:30. Similar to ‘Speed Dating’ or ‘Speed Networking’ our game is ‘Speed Friending’! Whether you are new to the city and hoping to make friends or trying to expand your professional network with other nerds, the game is just about meeting new people! We have a system in place to rotate everyone around to meet someone new every 5 minutes, then you can fill out an online form with which conversations you enjoyed and we’ll email you your matches! You are welcome to join late, but if you want to get the most of it arrive at 6:15 to register and the first round will start at 6:30.

If you haven’t been here before, check what this is about with videos from our youtube channel,

This event is 21+ and requires ID. The venue has limited space and there may not be door sales if we sell out, which happens regularly. Be sure to get a ticket before heading over.