Great Minds

Nerd Nite Austin invites smart singles to mingle through new Speed-Friending

Speed-dating has gotten a bad rap from the movie industry. Often portrayed as a far, desperate step below online dating, movies tend to populate their speed dating pools with every shade of neuroses played to comic effect.

But for those who have participated in one of these events, you can attest that you're far more likely to find normal people like yourself, sick of waiting around for "the one" to come along, and willing to get creative in their dating approaches. It's especially helpful when the speed-dating event is themed as to unite everyone with common talking points with potential dates.

Following this reasoning, the braniacs behind the international monthly geekfest Nerd Nite created their own form of nerd speed dating to help the shy and socially-awkward among our ranks put their best brains forward in a setting that celebrates cerebral attributions. Started at Nerd Nite New York in 2006, the popular mixers have become a monthly staple at a third of the 30 Nerd Nite sites around the world.

If you're tired of the same old dating game, Speed-Friending might be exactly what you're looking for. If nothing else, you might meet a new drinking buddy with whom to enjoy upcoming shows.

"[Nerd speed dating] really started because people at our shows kept asking me every night if I knew anyone at the show who was single," says Nerd Nite NYC "Boss," Matt Wasowski. "After happening about four or five times, I realize this could be a real thing. I sent out the interest sheet to about 1,000 people on our listserv; and within an hour, the whole thing was sold out. We regularly sell out every month within 24 hours."

According to Wasowski, who has now seen quite a lot of love connections over the years, the speed-dating formula is really nothing more than a numbers game. "You still need at least 10 - 15 potential mates for each participant to make it worth everyone's while," he says. "That's true for both hetero and same-sex speed dating." (Sorry, there's still no actual mathematical formula for dating success yet. Apparently, chemistry still plays a role in the process.)

In Austin, our hugely popular Nerd Nite has rebranded their monthly mixers as "Speed-Friending" to reduce the amount of pressure put on each of the potential dates. Amy Cavender, long time attendee of Nerd Nite Austin, is the new mistress of love, coordinating the meet-up prior to the monthly show in the venue's side bar, The North Door.

Cavender has been brainstorming ways to make Speed-Friending even more accessible and more exciting for curious boy nerds and lady nerds. "For the upcoming event, we have reduced the number of slots, adjusted the ticket prices for men and women, and moved it to a more comfortable area within the venue. I am also going to try to get the results of the event out faster. I participated in speed-dating a couple of times, and I found it a little awkward to make eye contact with people I had just 'dated' at the event afterward, because I wasn't sure if the ones I was drawn to were into me, and vice versa," she says.

Another new element to Nerd Nite's international love connection efforts are personal profiles in their new Nerd Nite Magazine. In addition to the printed versions of several of the best lectures from Nerd Nites around the world, interested and daring nerds can submit their profiles and be seen by nerds on the other side of the globe.

"We have done 30 profiles so far since the magazine launched [in January], and we're just now getting feedback. And it's from all over the world," says Wasowski, who heads up a team in New York to determine who gets profiled. "People in Germany and Sweden are reading about people in the U.S. and making contact that way. I know someone from Austin has been doing quite well in the response department, largely because of her creative profile picture."

Whatever your mode of meeting your fellow nerds, there's no denying the irresistible draw towards a sexy guy or gal with a good head on their shoulders. If you're tired of the same old dating game, Speed-Friending might be exactly what you're looking for. If nothing else, you might meet a new drinking buddy with whom to enjoy upcoming shows.

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Nerd Nite Austin celebrates multimedia expression in their latest show, Nerd Nite 35: Mixed Media, this Wednesday at the ND@501 Studios at 7:30 pm. This month's presenters are neuroscientist Cynthia Phelps, photographer Bruce Leander and Intergalactic Nemesis creator Jason Neulander. Speed-Friending starts an hour prior, and requires an RSVP before the event.

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Red Light

San Antonio leads Texas on ending horse-drawn carriage rides by 2030

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Horses will no longer pull carriages on the streets of downtown San Antonio.

San Antonio has pulled off something that the rest of Texas has yet to do, but it didn't come without some contentious conversations. City Council has unanimously voted (with one abstention) to phase out the use of horse-drawn carriages over the next five years. That means by January 1, 2030, there will be none on the streets at all; instead, there will be electric carriages.

These plans have been in the making since 2022 — if not always at the same level of intensity — when District 2 Councilmember Jalen McKee-Rodriguez and District 3 Councilmember Phyllis Viagran wrote up some concerns about the horses' wellbeing. A special session at the end of October 2024 hinted to San Antonians that the end for this practice was neigh — sorry, nigh — and the final vote was made on December 12. In addition to accepting the plan, it extended its timeframe by two years.

The initial proposal included worries about the horses' exposure to traffic and pollution, as well how their presence might exacerbate those issues for the environment at large by slowing traffic. It also raised concerns about the effects of standing or walking on hard surfaces for too long, or spending time in extreme weather.

At the December 12 meeting, San Antonians gave impassioned speeches about animal welfare — both to call attention to the need for better conditions and to defend the reputations and jobs of current horse drivers — but it wasn't the first time the council heard from the public about the issue.

In a prior city survey, 50,476 respondents weighed in. Of those respondents, 51.98 percent said they liked the idea to "Transition horse-drawn carriages to electric carriages and pedicabs and ban horse drawn carriages completely." There were alternative solutions listed, but respondents were less drawn to them.

A cultural divide emerged in the data and continued in the December meeting: some people avoided the carriages because they worried about the treatment of the horses, while others enjoyed them because of their historical echoes and living legacy. Many speakers in favor of the plan used this to form their argument, raising questions about history versus progress.

More tangible objections to the plan hinged on the businesses — specifically five companies — and jobs that would be lost, which was the main factor behind extending the adjustment period.

Discussions about the particulars of the electric vehicles are still to come, as confirmed in the discussion near the end of the meeting. Councilmember Jalen McKee-Rodriguez addressed concerns about what would happen to the horses, mentioning the Brady Hunter Foundation as a future partner in finding them rescue homes.

Some council members also brought up rhetorical questions about animal exploitation by groups like Sea World, the San Antonio Stock Show & Rodeo, military and police forces, and even various groups in the Fiesta parade, although these did not come with a formal motion to pick the issues up.

This decision could have a ripple effect on other Texas cities. Dallas has recently considered a similar ban, but it appears to have stalled; Austin's attempts at a ban have been unsuccessful, but according to the Austin-American Statesman, only one operator is permitted to bring horses downtown. She declines to do so because the long hours are unfair to her and the horses. Houston does have horse-drawn carriages, and there seems to be little conversation about banning them.

Cities like Chicago and Salt Lake City have led the charge in the United States with some of the most prominent successful bans. Other cities around the world with bans include Brussels and Guadalajara, which both switched to electric models. Bans that have been around for years, like Guadalajara's and Prague's, still aren't out of the woods — people are still pushing back on the decision, so it sounds like San Antonio still has much work cut out for it.

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