— Math is one of those subjects that seems to be divisive among students as they grow up. Basically, you love it or you hate it. There aren’t many middle-of-the-road opinions about it. And many students who hate it don’t see how learning calculus will ever help them in the real world. Matt Parker is a “stand-up mathematician” who enjoys pointing out how much math is used in the real world, even if it’s not apparent at first glance. Parker will be talking about his book, Humble Pi: When Math Goes Wrong in the Real World, at the Forum at Town Hall at 2 p.m. on Feb. 1. Parker’s talk will focus on how numerical errors can cause big problems in numerous areas, including the internet, elections, and even street signs.
— One topic now at the forefront of the national discourse is the plight of the working class. Tightrope, a book by Nicholas Kristof and Sheryl WuDunn, addresses this issue through the stories of Americans who are feeling the effects of this problem first hand. Kristof and WuDunn, who are Pulitzer Prize winners, will be speaking about their book as part of the Seattle Arts and Lectures series at Benaroya Hall at 7:30 p.m. on Feb. 5.
Here are more highlights from the GeekWire Calendar:
- DeviceConnect: Bringing Healthcare into the Home: An event about how smart devices can help with common healthcare needs at Life Science Washington in Seattle; 4 to 6:30 p.m., Thursday, Jan. 30.
- Founders Live Seattle: An event where five startups pitch their companies in 99 seconds or less at the Hard Rock Cafe in Seattle; 6 to 9 p.m., Thursday, Jan. 30.
- Kirby Krackle and the Nerd Rock Orchestra: A performance featuring music about comic books, video games and other geeky hobbies at The Triple Door in Seattle; 7:30 to 9 p.m., Thursday, Jan. 30.
- Fundamentals for Startups: How to Build a Deep Tech Enterprise Software Company as a Technical Founder: A presentation about strategies for founding an enterprise startup at Fluke Hall at The University of Washington in Seattle; 12 to 1 p.m., Friday, Jan. 31.
- NerdFair Con 2020: A conference about gaming, comic books and other geeky hobbies at the Lynwood Convention Center in Lynwood; 10 a.m. to 9:30 p.m., Saturday, Feb. 1.
- Oregon Symphony Presents Game ON!: A performance featuring music from famous video games like World of Warcraft and Assassin’s Creed at the Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall in Portland, OR; 7:30 to 9 p.m., Saturday, Feb. 1.
- IoT Successes and Challenges: A conference about commercial and industrial uses of IoT at Davis Wright Tremaine in Bellevue; 12:45 to 6 p.m., Tuesday, Feb. 4.
- Seattle Angel: Due Diligence 101: A presentation about research strategies as an angel investor at WeWork in Seattle; 6 to 8 p.m., Tuesday, Feb. 4.
- Bees, Guts, Soil, and Cancer: A panel about how elements in the natural world affect health at the Forum at Town Hall in Seattle; 7:30 to 9:30 p.m., Tuesday, Feb. 4.
- Securing Your Business Workshop: A presentation about cybersecurity strategies at Total Wine and More in Bellevue; 10 a.m. to 12 p.m., Wednesday, Feb. 5.
- Founders Live South Sound: The inaugural Founders Live event in the southern Puget Sound area at The Pioneer Collective in Tacoma; 6 to 9 p.m., Wednesday, Feb. 5.
- AoA Pitch Clinic: A workshop for startups to perfect their investment pitches at Galvanize in Seattle; 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., Thursday, Feb. 6.