New York geeks revel in uncoolness at "Nerd Nite"

By Neil Shah

NEW YORK (Reuters Life!) - Matt Wasowski calls it "the Discovery Channel with beer," a night when nerds can get together to share their passions in a social setting.

Wasowski, 32, runs Nerd Nite, a monthly event in New York where up to 100 people meet in a bar for an evening of zany PowerPoint presentations on topics like alien hand syndrome, a rare neurological condition where a sufferer's hand seems to take on a mind of its own.

"Now you can drink and get more smarter!" Wasowski joked in an e-mail highlighting this month's event which began with a tour of food consumed in competitive eating contests, such as hot dogs (59.5 in 12 minutes is the record) and cow brains (17.7 pounds in 15 minutes).

"Everyone here is overeducated," Wasowski told Reuters, adding that Nerd Nite was a "more interesting way to go out."

The event, which blends elements of stand-up comedy and traditional lecture, is one of a slew of "nerd" or science-focused events cropping up in New York, according to event listing Web site www.uncoolkids.com.

"There's a certain nostalgia value to it," said Neil Janowitz, 25, a magazine editor. "It's cool to go with a friend or two and sit back and have that kind of educational atmosphere again."

In February, Janowitz gave a Nerd Nite presentation on the creation and evolution of the video-game Tetris.

Graphic designer Matthew King, 26, this month offered a slide-show on mental asylums with pictures of old practices for restraining patients, including a gruesome contraption called a "whirly chair," an early predecessor to the straitjacket.