This Week in Geek (7/13/2020–7/19/2020)

Welcome to This Week in Geek, your guide to events of interest to the Minnesota geek community for the week of Monday, July 13, to Sunday, July 19.

Please note: Due to risks from the global COVID-19 pandemic, and in following current health guidelines recommending both social distancing and limited travel, this column will exclusively share virtual events that can be enjoyed from the comfort and safety of home. During this time we will be including local, national, and international events, as well as separating them into weekly and daily categories. As time goes on and guidelines change, in-person events may be reintroduced.

One-Time and Weekly Events

David Dickinson Presents The Backyard Astronomer’s Field Guide

What: Books
When: Monday, July 13, at 4:00 p.m.
Where: Virtual via Facebook

Magers & Quinn welcomes David Dickinson in a free livestream to discuss his latest book, The Backyard Astronomer’s Field Guide: How to Find the Best Objects the Night Sky has to Offer. Learn what you can see through your telescope, facts to impress at star parties, and about star charts that can help guide your explorations.

Games for Change Festival

What: Gaming, Educational, Science & Tech, Convention
When: Tuesday, July 14, though Thursday, July 16
Where: Virtual via Hopin

The Games for Change Festival is a three-day event that explores how games and interactive media can be used for positive social impact. For the first time ever, the festival will be held online and be free for all attendees. Expect talks, panels, workshops, awards, and networking opportunities. Featured guests include Cody Coltharp, Celia Hodent, Rene Pinnell, Shobhana Gupta, Luna Ramirez, Amir Bozorgzadeh, and more.

Online Board Game Afternoon for Teens

What: Gaming
When: Tuesday, July 14, at 3:00 p.m.
Where: Virtual via Zoom

Teens are invited to take part in a weekly Zoom-based board-gaming session put on by the Ramsey County Library. This is a free event intended for teens, and preregistration with an email address is required in order to receive an invite to the Zoom meeting. This is a great opportunity for young board-game geeks to make new friends and try new games during the quarantine.

Danger Boat Book Club: Cameron Goes to School

What: Books, Family
When: Tuesday, July 14, at 5:00 p.m.
Where: Virtual via Zoom

The Danger Boat Book Club fosters a family-friendly environment for kids and their families to discuss books and get their questions answered directly by authors. This month’s read is Cameron Goes to School by Sheletta Brundidge, a story about a young Black girl with autism and her experiences at school. This event is also putting a spotlight on local nine-year old Judeah Reynolds, who is working with Sheletta to tell her story of witnessing George Floyd’s murder through her own children’s book, as well as sharing links to help Judeah and her family.

Atlas Obscura: The Forged and the Filched—Mysteries of the Art World

What: Educational, Arts
When: Wednesday, July 15, at 6:00 p.m.
Where: Virtual via Zoom

Learn about fascinating forgeries, thrilling thefts, and scandalous stories in the art world with Erin Thomson, the only full-time art-crime professor in America. Tickets are $14.36, including all fees.

Minnesota’s Black Community in the 21st Century Book Launch

What: Books, Community
When: Wednesday, July 15, at 7:00 p.m.
Where: Virtual via Facebook

The Minnesota Historical Society presents a virtual book-launch event of Minnesota’s Black Community in the 21st Century, which highlights and honors contemporary Black Minnesotans and their successes in a broad range of professions. The stream will feature authors Anthony Scott, Dr. Chaunda L. Scott, and Dr. Charles Crutchfield III discussing the book with Insight News founder and publisher Al McFarlane.

Merlins Rest Pub Quiz

What: Trivia
When: Wednesday, July 15, at 8:00 p.m.
Where: Virtual via Facebook

Merlins Rest will be presenting its weekly pub quiz via Facebook! Get ready to quiz and have some fun with pals from the safety of your own home. Karina will be running the quiz.

National Air and Space Museum Live Chat

What: Science & Tech, Arts
When: Thursday, July 16
Where: Virtual via Facebook

Join the National Air and Space Museum of the Smithsonian Institution for a live chat with one of their experts every Thursday. Ask questions and learn about different topics with subject-matter experts. This series will continue until the museum reopens; check the Facebook page for up-to-the-minute information.

GalaxyCon Live

What: Community, Conventions
When: Thursday, July 16, through Sunday, July 19
Where: Virtual via video chat

GalaxyCon, a convention for fans of various genre properties will be returning to live virtual events throughout July. These events are a great way to bring the convention experience home with panels, chats, autographs, virtual shout-outs, and more. Check the website for full details and pricing information, but this week includes events for fans of Star Trek, My Hero Academia, The 100, and Fairy Tail.

Literature Responds to Crisis: “Literature and the Plague”

What: Educational
When: Thursday, July 16, at 1:00 p.m.
Where: Virtual; details provided upon registration

The College of Liberal Arts at the University of Minnesota will be running a series of webinars focused on the importance of story and meaning during times of crisis. Each week, they will present “short, sharp segments,” from English professors lasting about 15 minutes. This week’s presentation is “Literature and the Plague” from professor John Watkins, focusing on what we can learn from novelists who lived during the plague years and their writings. This series will continue into the first week of August.

8-Bit Brews

What: Gaming
When: Thursday, July 16, at 6:00 p.m.
Where: Virtual via Discord & Tabletop Simulators

The Brews and Board Games monthly meetup is temporarily moving online under the moniker 8-Bit Brews. This month features local developers running their games, as well as open play. So grab your favorite beer and enjoy some great company while playing tabletop games online.

Reverend Matt’s Monster Science: The Ecology of Sasquatch and Nessie

What: Theater & Comedy, Educational
When: Thursday, July 16, at 8:00 p.m.
Where: Virtual via Twitch

Reverend Matt’s Monster Science is a recurring comedic lecture series that focuses on monsters. This week’s free livestream explores cryptids through the locations they are rumored to inhabit, and just how plausible it would be for them to survive in those ecological conditions.

Magical Moths

What: Educational, Family, Science & Tech
When: Friday, July 17, at 9:00 a.m.
Where: Virtual via Facebook

Kick off National Moth Week and celebrate these intriguing creatures with the the Bell Museum and their resident entomologist Heather Cummins. Hear about their lives, see some examples, ask questions, and learn how to observe moths out in nature.

Family Story Time

What: Books, Family
When: Friday, July 17, at 10:30 a.m.
Where: Virtual via Facebook

Library story time is live in your home with the Ramsey County Library. Expect story-time staples like colorful picture books, toy props, and large easels for learning fun. Videos of the streams are available for 24 hours, so you can watch it when it works best for your schedule, and have the opportunity to hit repeat on family favorites. Check the Ramsey County Library page for other virtual events as well.

Marvel Cinematic Universe Fan Trivia

What: Trivia
When: Friday, July 17, at 8:00 p.m.
Where: Virtual via Video Stream & Web Browser

Marvel fans, assemble! This 90-minute trivia extravaganza features 40 questions that covers the first three phases of the MCU films. Prizes will be awarded for the top three places as well as second-to-last place. Tickets are $6.77 for solo players or $11.94 for a team, including all fees.

Comedy Crossing: The Animal Crossing Standup Comedy Show

What: Theater & Comedy, Gaming
When: Friday, July 17, at 9:00 p.m.
Where: Virtual via Zoom

Add some laughs to your island escape with Comedy Crossing, a recurring stand-up show performed from within the Animal Crossing: New Horizons game. This show is free and open to all—no game or Switch console required. Any donations received go toward performers and organizations supporting Black lives.

Disney Music Trivia

What: Trivia
When: Saturday, July 18, at 7:30 p.m.
Where: Virtual via Facebook

Trivia AD invites you to be their guest for a night of Disney music trivia. This event is free and full of just-for-fun, Hakuna Matata vibes.

Monty & Rose Watch Party

What: Movies
When: Sunday, July 19, at 2:30 p.m.
Where: Virtual; details provided upon registration

Meet Monty and Rose, a pair of adorable birds who are also endangered piping plovers. In 2019 they caused quite the stir among birders and the city of Chicago when they nested on Montrose Beach, a first for their species in over 64 years. The Monty & Rose documentary follows their lives and the unpredictable events around them, including a music festival controversy that made national news. This free online screening is followed by a Q&A session with filmmaker and lifelong birder Bob Dolgan.

Daily Events

MSP Film Society Virtual Cinema

What: Movies
When: Daily, various times
Where: Virtual via Video Stream

The MSP Film Society is continuing to make independent films available to the community while theaters are closed and under reduced occupancy through their virtual cinema. Check out their website for full details, including current and upcoming films, as well as ticket pricing. This week’s films include John Lewis: Good Trouble and The Tobacconist.

Met Opera Streams

What: Theater & Comedy, Music
When: Daily, 6:30 p.m.
Where: Virtual via Video Stream

Even though the Metropolitan Opera in New York has gone dark in these challenging times, the show will go on. “Each day, a different encore presentation from the company’s Live in HD series is being made available for free streaming on the Met website.” This week’s performances include Turandot and Wozzeck. Streams will be available for a full 23 hours and can also be accessed through the Met Opera On Demand apps.

Get Your Pets

What: Community
When: Daily (most days), at 3:00 p.m.
Where: Virtual via Instagram

John Hodgman, humorist, writer, actor, and Webby Award-winning podcaster best known for his performances on The Daily Show and performances as “a PC” in Apple advertisements, has been hosting a pet-focused talk show on Instagram Live. On the show, participants will video chat with the host and allow him to chat with their pets.

So, which of these events will you be attending? What events would you like to see featured in the future? Let us know in the comments section below or contact us via email. And don’t forget to add your events to the Twin Cities Geek Community Calendar!