It's like the Discovery Channel with beer!
I am going to expose the worst kept secret in all of the Bay Area: I am a nerd. I prefer data to opinion. I still have all my old college textbooks (I've busted out the calculus book on occasion). I choose the scientific method over method soap. My cat is named after an element in the periodic table. I have been to more science events in the last month than sporting events in my life. And I have no idea who Edward and Jacob are. And no, I do not dress like the guys from Revenge of the Nerds (though I do think pocket protectors need to make a comeback).
Back when I was in school, such a proclamation would have gotten me beat up. Luckily, I live in San Francisco, which was just shown to be the nerdiest city in America according to the US Census Bureau. Nerd culture has boomed locally over the past few years. There are nerd podcasts, nerd variety shows, and plenty of nerd couture. Add a new addition to the mix, a nerd social night - the revival of NerdNite SF. It is a night of presentations, music, and socializing. Their classic description is "It's like the Discovery channel, with beer".
NerdNite started where many great scientific ideas get launched: a bar. A small group of guys kept bothering their scientist friend to tell tales from his field research. He got tired of retelling the story individually, so he came up with a format to share the work to a larger group. NN has maintained that casual, social spirit as it expanded to cities across the world (Austin, Berlin, Boston, Chicago, DC, Dublin, LA, Munich, NYC, Toronto, and Wellington). Topics range from the strange curiosities to borderline insane. Check out the example from NerdNite NYC featuring a rap song, with lyrics
The SF edition brings a few twists: DJ Alpha Bravo spinning some nerd tunes, presentations on designing spacecraft, kinetic art robots, and competitive bearding (of course!) As a veteran of a few NerdNites, I can attest to the fun: you'll meet plenty of other nerds (of all types) and enjoy a wild array of entertainment. My favorite moment: At the last NerdNite SF a presenter was booed when he mentioned his data was "hypothetical".