WED 3/4: Autism & Food Talks, Rock, Game Show

Well, I didn't get off the couch much yesterday... But it would be a good night to spontaneously get off your butt. I will. There's a 99.99% chance I'll be at the Milky Way tonight!

hapee, national Grammr day"!

Happy National Grammar Day!

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WED 3/4

6pm to 7:30pm
"What Science can tell us about Autism and what Autism can tell us about Science": Lecture
at: Auditorium (#3002), Bldg 46, 43 Vassar St, Cambridge (MIT campus)
FREE w/ RSVP

What it lacks for original titling, let's hope it makes up for in knowledge. This is a fascinating subject, especially for families with autistic members. Just reading the event description, I feel like I gained a little insight about autism, but this line encouraged me that we may determine the origin and effective education:

"Scientific discoveries are determined at least as much by the questions that scientists ask as by the data that scientists observe."

Please RSVP to Lee Mavros. Everything I post is "open to the public", and they're might be some room for a few interested parties.

(It will be "followed by a reception.")

WED 3/4

8pm to 9pm
Annual Latke-Hamantaschen Debate
at Room 100, Building 26, 60 Vassar St, Cambridge (MIT Campus)
FREE

I've always been a latke man, but the hamantash should have seasonal advantage...

It's one of the good-natured, humorous diversions at one of our favorite brain factories. Every year, teams of MIT professors debate the qualities of potato pancakes versus triangular pouch-filled cookies. The audience votes, but there has suspiciously been a tie for 6 consecutive years... Let's call it a chance to hear these folks creatively geek out about Jewish delicacies and sample them afterwards -- and to marvel at the statistical wonder in the vote results.

WED 3/4

Lydia, Black Gold, All the Day Holiday
at Middle East - Upstairs, 472 Mass Ave, Cambridge (Central Sq)
$9 / 18+

There are several good rock shows tonight, but I say you have to give the out-of-town bands a shot. I confess that I initially guessed Lydia would be an up-n-coming soul singer, but it's an indie-rock band from Phoenix. I forfeit any street cred I have, because they're on the trajectory for stardom: After slogging it on the road for 5 years or so, they released an impressive album last March. A major label picked it up a couple months ago, and now they're promoting it all over again. The recording sounds lush with layered guitars, keyboards, and male-female vocals where you might not notice at first listen. It's a bit 'emo', but I think I could get into it. I've finally given up and publicly admit to liking Death Cab for Cutie...

Black Gold and All the Day Holiday have different sounds, but both make Lydia sound tough. AtDH is very much in the vein of Lydia, but Black Gold has some cool grooves without forgetting to crunch up the guitars a little bit; I was dancing in my chair to their song "Detroit". Members have played in bands like Panic At The Disco (F--- the exclamation point), M. Ward, Ambulance Ltd, and Rachael Yamagata.

WED 3/4

9:30pm
"The Final Match Game - Live"
at Milky Way Lounge, 403 Centre St, Jamaica Plain
$5 / 21+

The final day of the Milky Way at its current location is approaching quickly (March 22nd)! Maybe "Match Game – Live" will show up again somewhere else -- maybe at the new Milky Way -- but you never know... This is the last chance for the curious.

Take an awesome TV game show of yore that had meager production values and turn it into a live show. It's a return to the days when "game show" meant b-list celebrities playing a bawdy game of fill-in-the-blank on weekday afternoons. Replace the b-list celebrities with witty, funny local performers (Union Square Round Table, Anderson Comedy, etc) and move it to late night, you're getting close to this show.

They're presenting two live episodes of Match Game -- that's 4 lucky contestants from the crowd have a chance to win "fabulous" prizes! Expect a video short or two during the intermission.

Both guitarist Tom Scanlon and thereminist Jon Bernhardt have contributed live soundtrack at previous shows, and they'll both be there tonight.

More fun and music will surely follow the games.

Get there early and enjoy some free candlepin bowling from 6pm to 9pm!