Willamette Geek: The Week in Geek

Tuesday, May 15

OMSI Science Pub: Oregon's Grey Whales
[EDUTAINENT] Whales know what's up: about 70 grey whales spend their winter in Baja, and summer in the Pacific Northwest. Carrie Newell, Professor of Marine Biology at Lane Community College, will be explaining more about our blubbery neighbors, including their "unique personalities." Mission Theater, 1624 N.W. Glisan St. 7 pm. $5 suggested cover charge. 21+ or minor with adult. 


Thursday, May 17

Pizza, Beer and Games Night
[GAMING] Guardian Games' monthly adult-only gaming night combines three beautiful things: games, pizza and beer. Guardian Games, 303 SE 3rd Ave. 6 pm. $10. 21+. 

PDX Geek Girl Dinner #2: Geeks and Games
[NETWORKING] The second Geek Girl Dinner, an event where women in Portland's tech community get together to talk, network, eat and drink, will be at Ground Kontrol. Ground Kontrol, 510 NW Couch St. 5:30 pm. Free but register here. 21+.

VFX Revolution: How the Internet and Digital Devices are Reshaping Visual Effects and Film
[FILM, EDUTAINMENT] A panel of film and visual effects folk, including Jeff White (Industrial Light and Magic), Brian Van't Hul (LAIKA studios), Ramiro Gomez (Hinge Digital), Fred Ruff (Bent Image Lab) and Jim Clark (Hive-FX) will talk about, err, what it says on the label. Bagdad Theater, 3702 SE Hawthorne Blvd. 6-9:30 pm. $15 general admission, $5 students. Tickets here. 


Saturday, May 19

PGC3 Geek Olympathon
[EVERYTHING] The Portland Geek Council of Commerce's Geek Olympathon returns: a day of challenges including an Internet alleycat bike race, "psychic pinball," a Rock Band Weezer challenge, trivia, scavenger hunts, costume contests and other challenges set by Portland's premiere geeky business and organizations, like Ground Kontrol, the Alter Egos Society, Billy Galaxy, PDX Browncoats and others. Teams of up to five members can compete for prizes like tickets and accommodation to Seattle gaming festival PAXPrime, gift certificates, comics and concert tickets. 9 am-8 pm. $25 per team, $5 per individual. Online registration here. Registration also available at opening ceremony at Backspace, 115 NW 5th Ave.

Emulator
[MUSIC] Portland band Emulator covers songs from NES games. What more do you need to know? Tiger Bar, 317 NW Broadway. 9 pm. $6. 21+.

Pirates, Swords and Cannons and #%@!
[PIRATES] Trackers PDX and PDXYar are running a two-day pirate training program—how to use cannons, pistols, knives, swords and sing sea shanties, but probably not the robbing and killing or illegally copying DVDs bits. Trackers Earth Portland, 5040 SE Milwaukie Ave. May 19-20, 7:30 am-3:30 pm. $149. Register here.

Nike Materials Index Hackathon
[HACKING] So this is finally happening. Nike has opened up the data on its sustainability metrics for the materials it uses in its products, and giving geeks free reign to have their way with it. What lovely folks. Almost enough to make you forget about the sweatshops... PIE, 1227 NW Davis St. 9 am-midnight. Free. RSVP here.

The listing here are written by WW, but we crib events shamelessly from the Geek Portland calendar. Go there for more events and information

WWeek 2015