Join the Computer History Museum in launching its exciting exhibit: Babbage's Difference Engine No. 2, exhibited for the first time in North America. Bring your family and friends to see and hear the Engine in action!

This five-ton Engine is one of only two Charles Babbage's computing engines ever built, consisting of 8,000 parts of bronze, cast iron and steel and measuring 11 feet long and 7 feet high. It was designed to calculate and print mathematical tables. Come to see the docents "crank" the Engine and watch it mechanically calculate - an arresting spectacle of automatic computing.

The Exhibit Launch and Open House, a Victorian-themed event, promises a stunning display of Babbage's elegant design and inspired engineering. His designs for vast mechanical calculating engines rank as one of the startling achievements of the 19th century.

The Babbage Exhibit is made possible through the generosity of the following donors: Nathan Myhrvold, Andreas Bechtolsheim, Bell Family Trust, Donna Dubinsky & Len Shustek, Judy Estrin, Fry's Electronics - Kathryn Kolder, Dorrit & F. Grant Saviers, Marva & John Warnock, and special thanks to Science Museum, London.

Come to see what no Victorian ever saw. For more information click here

History Museum <http://www.computerhistory.org/about/directions/>

The Humanist Perspective is a half-hour weekly television program produced by the Council for Secular Humanism at the Center for Inquiry-International in Amherst, New York, and carried by local television stations nationwide. The program features interviews with leading humanists discussing often controversial topics. They include a Who's Who of contemporary humanism, including Richard Dawkins (author, lecturer, and Charles Simonyi Professor of the Public Understanding of Science at Oxford University), Norm Allen (director of African-Americans for Humanism), and Paul Kurtz.

John Safran vs God is an 8 part television documentary series by John Safran which was broadcast on the Special Broadcasting Service (SBS) of Australia in 2004. It has been described in a media release as "his most audacious project yet, John set off across the globe to take on religion. He road-tests Buddhism in Japan and Voodooism is Haiti. He door-knocks in Utah and tries to convert Mormons to atheism. He tries to convince the Grand Dragon of the KKK to let him join even though he's Jewish. He travels to the UK to get a Muslim extremist to place a fatwa on an Australian colleague. He auditions for the Harlem Gospel Choir. He is washed in chicken blood in Mozambique. He drinks Native American peyote in Arizona... and vomits. The series builds to the final episode where a Christian exorcist casts out all of John's demons". It has never been broadcast nor released on DVD in the US.

"There is only one thing worse than someone shoving their religious beliefs down you throat and that's someone shoving their smarmy, superior views about people who have religious beliefs down your throat. Needless to say there's a lot of shoving going on in this show, unfortunately the shoving doesn't involve John and a staircase. This may be his most audacious project yet but it is also his most offensive. Here, John takes advantage of anyone who dares to have a different opinion to him and he serves it up, thinly veiled, as comedy. This show makes me wish we were still crucifying people"  - John's ex-girlfriend

7:30 pm: Pre Show
8 pm: Feature Presentation

Because Triptych has generously offered the space at no cost, please plan on having dinner and drinks at the event

This is a free event, but due to limited seating, please RSVP to  

Killing Pain with Killer Snails

Tuesday, May 13, 2008 from 6:00 - 7:30 p.m.

Come to SRI for a conversation with our next Café Scientifique speaker: Dr. George Miljanich CEO, Airmid, Inc. will discuss: Killing Pain with Killer Snails

The lethal harpoon tipped proboscis of the Magician's cone snail is amazing to see in action. For Dr. George Miljanich, the true beauty of this ocean dwelling predator lay within the complex cocktail of toxins in its venom.  One of the toxins interferes with the ability of pain sensing nerves to send signals to the brain and thus held the promise of a new way to treat pain.

Historically, people suffering from debilitating forms of severe chronic pain had few treatment options beyond large doses of opioid narcotics.  However, for many patients this pain is not adequately controlled by opioids.  These patients received a new treatment option when, in 2004, the FDA approved a new medicine that is a synthetic copy of a toxin found in the venom of the cone snail (Conus Magus).

Dr. Miljanich was involved with the research and development of the new medicine, ziconotide, while senior medical director at Elan  Pharmaceuticals. Currently, he is CEO of Airmid where he is focused on developing new toxin-based medicines for treating autoimmune diseases.  Dr. Miljanich will lead a wide ranging discussion on the potential of developing human therapeutics derived from the venom from various species.

Dr. Miljanich received a BS in chemistry from the University of California, Berkeley, a PhD in chemistry from U.C. Santa Cruz, and conducted post-doctoral research at U.C. San Francisco.  While on the faculty at the University of Southern California, his research focused on calcium channel biochemistry and pharmacology, including calcium channel-blocking conotoxins.  In addition to CEO of Airmid, Dr. Miljanich is Vice President of the Toxinomics Foundation, a non-profit organization devoted to developing toxin-based medicines.

SRI Menlo Park Middlefield Road at Ringwood - Dining Room in the International Building Click here for map and directions  Do not park at SRI's main entrance at 333 Ravenswood Ave.  Entrances to Conference Center parking are next to the church on Ravenswood and at Ringwood and Middlefield. 

Café Scientifique events are open to all free of charge.  No reservations are necessary.  For more information please visit our web site: http://www.cafescisv.org/ . Check the web for information about future and past events, including photos.  Feel free to forward this announcement to interested friends and colleagues.  Sign up here to receive announcements.

A Skeptical Look at Fiction Science

with Andrew Fraknoi

Thanks to the popular media, an enormous amount of attention has been given to some pretty amazing claims on the fringes of astronomy. These include the idea that your life path and romantic destiny are determined by the position of objects in the sky at the moment of your birth; that extraterrestrial space-craft have regularly landed on our planet (and kidnapped innocent citizens without being noticed); that an ancient race left us a message on the planet Mars in the shape of a human face; and that the entire cosmos is less than 10,000 years old

In this illustrated talk, astronomer and popular lecturer Andrew Fraknoi will discuss the most famous fiction science claims related to astronomy, and provide the background and analysis needed to appreciate them properly. He will unveil some recent detective work about these cases, and show how there is often a lot LESS to them than initially meets the eye. And he will show how a few skeptical questions and a bit of careful investigation can often help bring these extra-ordinary cosmic claims down to Earth.

Andrew Fraknoi is the Chair of the Astronomy Department at Foothill College and Senior Educator at the Astronomical Society of the Pacific. He served as the Society's Executive Director for 14 years, and has organized over 20 national workshops on teaching astronomy. Fraknoi is the lead author of Voyages Through the Universe, which has become one of the leading astronomy textbooks in the country and recently wrote a book for children, Disney's Wonderful World of Space. He appears regularly on local and national radio explaining scientific developments in everyday language. In 2007, he was selected as the California Professor of the Year by the Carnegie Endowment for Higher Education and won the Gemant Prize of the American Institute of Physics for a lifetime of contributions to combining physics and culture. The International Astronomical Union has named asteroid 4859 Asteroid Fraknoi in recognition of his contributions to the public understanding of astronomy.

Admission is $10
Free to Friends of the Center

Doors open 6:00
Presentation Begins 6:30

Click here for map and directions.

Due to limited seating, please RSVP by email.

Good Healthy Skepticism

Combine your workout with thought-provoking discussions by joining us on a Talk & Walk on the third Saturday of every month.

Talk & Walk is an informal social event designed to promote fellowship and networking among skeptics, critical-thinkers, and like-minded individuals.
Similar to Drinking Skeptically, Talk & Walk provides an opportunity for skeptics to talk and share ideas, but we also get some exercise while doing it. We discuss the issues of the day and whatever else is on our minds. But most of all, we have fun while promoting skepticism, science, and rationality.

Make sure to dress appropriately for the weather - and most definitely in layers. Bring sunglasses and sunscreen!
There usually is ample parking there unless there's an event. The 49 Muni bus also takes you (almost) there.

Science has shown that regular exercise, including walking briskly, are an excellent way to keep our hearts going strong.

Meeting place: The foot of Van Ness at the beginning of the Municipal Pier at Aquatic Park

Meeting Time: 9:30 AM - heavy rain cancels

Destination: Round-trip to the Crissy Field Warming Hut and back (that's less than a 10K total)

For more information or if you have question please email

The Humanist Perspective is a half-hour weekly television program produced by the Council for Secular Humanism at the Center for Inquiry-International in Amherst, New York, and carried by local television stations nationwide. The program features interviews with leading humanists discussing often controversial topics. They include a Who's Who of contemporary humanism, including Richard Dawkins (author, lecturer, and Charles Simonyi Professor of the Public Understanding of Science at Oxford University), Norm Allen (director of African-Americans for Humanism), and Paul Kurtz.

The Humanist Perspective is a half-hour weekly television program produced by the Council for Secular Humanism at the Center for Inquiry-International in Amherst, New York, and carried by local television stations nationwide. The program features interviews with leading humanists discussing often controversial topics. They include a Who's Who of contemporary humanism, including Richard Dawkins (author, lecturer, and Charles Simonyi Professor of the Public Understanding of Science at Oxford University), Norm Allen (director of African-Americans for Humanism), and Paul Kurtz.

Drinking Skeptically

Come share a beer or cocktail with your fellow skeptics and freethinkers

at Lucky 13

co-hosted by the Center For Inquiry | San Francisco

Drinking Skeptically is an informal social event designed to promote fellowship and networking among skeptics, critical-thinkers, and like-minded individuals.

Drinking Skeptically provides an opportunity for skeptics to talk, share ideas (and yes, drink) in a casual, relaxed atmosphere. We discuss the issues of the day and whatever else is on our minds. But most of all, we have fun while promoting skepticism, science, and rationality.

Don't drink? Don't let that stop you from joining us! Some of the world's most famous skeptics are teetotallers, and we are happy to have you!

Visiting a Drinking Skeptically location from out of town? Stop on by! Skeptics are a friendly bunch and there's always room for one more...

Remember that drinking skeptically means drinking responsibly. If there's one thing science has taught us, it's the effects of alcohol on the human body.

We will be meeting at Lucky 13 on Market street for drinks and good company. L13 has a great beer selection and a nice back patio with large benches and no loud music.
Go to the very back of the bar and out the door on the right. Dress warm.

Look for the CFI|SF Logo

The Humanist Perspective is a half-hour weekly television program produced by the Council for Secular Humanism at the Center for Inquiry-International in Amherst, New York, and carried by local television stations nationwide. The program features interviews with leading humanists discussing often controversial topics. They include a Who's Who of contemporary humanism, including Richard Dawkins (author, lecturer, and Charles Simonyi Professor of the Public Understanding of Science at Oxford University), Norm Allen (director of African-Americans for Humanism), and Paul Kurtz.