Nerd Nite Hong Kong

Speaker 1: Dr. Lai Wang-Chun, Andy
Topic: The “Secret” of Weather Forecasting at the Observatory

Speaker 2: Dr. Christian Langkamp
Topic: Robots, Humans, and the Future of Work & Capitalism

Speaker 3: Dr. Kendrick Co Shih
Topic: The Cornea: Your Window to the World

(Abstracts and Profiles below)

Quick Nerdisms:

Speaker 1: What does a weather forecaster do? How do we formulate a weather forecast? The talk will bring you insightful information on how we operate. The memorable event of Super Typhoon Mangkhut will also be discussed from the point of view of a Meteorologist.

Speaker 2: Whilst in some areas there still are setbacks and a complete automatization of manufacturing or many services by 2025 is unlikely, it is undoubtedly the case that AI and robotics will eliminate the tasks of many middle income workers, who will unlikely be able to fast reskill to find new jobs. It is additionally quite possible that demand for human labour will get depressed to a level that 50 % of available workforce in the western world is sufficient to produce all consumer products the market can reasonably absorb (given monetary distribution). The question is then what will we all do with the newly gained time and how will the economic gain be allocated… The talk is loosely based on the book ‘The lights in the tunnel’ by Martin Ford plus some own observations and anecdotes encountered in daily reading at his work and should serve to kick-start the ensuing exciting discussions

Speaker 3: The eye is the most important organ in your body, said ophthalmologists. And within the eye, the cornea is the most precious part because it functions as a window that focuses light into the eye. Through this talk, I will illustrate how, by manipulating the shape of our cornea, we can achieve super normal vision, and how accidents and disease can lead to corneal blindness.

Nerd Cred:

Speaker 1:
• BSc Physics at Imperial College London.
• MPhil Nuclear Energy Engineering, and PhD Climate Science at the University of Cambridge.
• Joined HKO in 2016.
• Went to UK Met Office for training, then qualified as a Forecaster in early 2017.
• Currently a Scientific Officer (Forecaster, shift duties, non-regular hours) in a team called “Forecast Operation” within the Forecasting & Warning Services Branch, responsible for formulating local weather forecasts and issuing weather warnings. Occasionally act as spokesperson to answer media enquiries.

Speaker 2:
Christian Langkamp is a Manager in Data Analytics at BASF, the chemical company. He studied Maths and Business administration and is interested in contemporary politics, existential psychology and ancient history. He likes cooking, photography and socialising.

Speaker 3:
Kendrick underwent his medical studies, postgraduate research work and specialty training in ophthalmology all at the University of Hong Kong. In fact, he hasn’t left Sassoon road since 2003 and has been teaching medical students as a Clinical Assistant Professor in Ophthalmology at the university since 2010. In academic circles, this is known as intellectual in-breeding, and is significantly frowned upon. But just like an in-bred pure-bred pedigree golden retriever; a little crazy and very loyal, he remains blissfully unaware of his mental limitations. Kendrick’s research and clinical work specializes in diseases of the cornea.