Don't say there's nothing to do in the doldrums.

Things to do (if you are also a dork):

Lee Smolin: ‘The Trouble with Physics’
At Pacific Science Center Eames Imax Theatre
Friday, September 29 at 7:30 pm.
Renowned theoretical physicist Lee Smolin argues that physics—the basis for all other science—has lost its way. The problem is string theory: no part of it has been proven and no one knows how to prove it. Smolin charts its rise and fall and looks at what will replace it. He describes a group of young theorists which has begun to develop new ideas that are, unlike string theory, testable. A former string theorist himself, Smolin delivers this wake-up call in his new book, The Trouble with Physics: The Rise of String Theory, the Fall of a Science and What Comes Next.
Tickets are $5 at the door only.

Dead Sea Scrolls: Debates, Questions, and Mysteries
Wednesday, October 4 , 7:30 PM
Pacific Science Center hosts an exhibition featuring the Dead Sea Scrolls from September 23-January 7. Considered by many to be the most significant archeological find of the 20th century, these biblical and sectarian manuscripts date from 250 B.C.E. – 68 B.C.E. Apparently the library of a Jewish sect, they are the earliest known manuscripts of the Hebrew Bible (Old Testament), written primarily in Hebrew and Aramaic. A distinguished lecture series presented by Pacific Science Center at Town Hall explores the context and science of this exhibition. Scott Noegel, Professor of Biblical and Ancient Near Eastern Studies and Chair of the Department of Eastern Languages and Civilization at the University of Washington explores the “Debates, Questions, and Mysteries” of the scrolls. $15 Tickets & info
Tickets are $15. Visit www.pacificsciencecenter.org for tickets and more information. Tickets also available at Pacific Science Center ticket booths.

Cultural Politics of Race and Rights in Japan
John H. Davis, Jr.
When: Thursday, October 5th, 2006 - 3:30 PM
Where: Thomson 317
Details:
John H. Davis, Jr. (Anthropology, Michigan State University) examines the shifting relationship between race, culture, and rights on display in Japan's first human rights museum and argues that the multi-culturalism central to many human rights initiatives around the world have the (unintended) effect of reinforcing the marginalization of minority populations in Japan.

Dead Sea Scrolls: ‘The Stories They Tell’
Wednesday, October 11 , 7:30 PM
Pacific Science Center hosts an exhibition featuring the Dead Sea Scrolls from September 23-January 7. Considered by many to be the most significant archeological find of the 20th century, these biblical and sectarian manuscripts date from 250 B.C.E. – 68 B.C.E. Apparently the library of a Jewish sect, they are the earliest known manuscripts of the Hebrew Bible (Old Testament), written primarily in Hebrew and Aramaic. A distinguished lecture series presented by Pacific Science Center at Town Hall explores the context and science of this exhibition. Martin Abegg, Professor and Co-Director of the Dead Sea Scrolls Institute at Trinity Western University, has created a concordance for the sectarian portions of the scrolls. $15 Tickets & info
Tickets are $15. Visit www.pacificsciencecenter.org for tickets and more information. Tickets also available at Pacific Science Center ticket booths.

Seattle Follies: Rick Steves' ‘Axis of Evil’
Thursday, October 12 , 7:30 PM Travel authority and TV personality Rick Steves co-hosts Seattle Follies, taking attendees on a whirlwind tour though satirical and topical stories of the day, including visits to the stunning sights and sites of North Korea, Iran, and other “Axis of Evil” countries. He’ll be joined by co-host Mike Egan, voted funniest man on Washington, DC’s Capitol Hill—and he wasn’t even an elected oficial at the time!!! Stephanie Pure, making a first run for elected office as a candidate in the hotly contested 43rd District Democratic primary will talk about the experiences and absurdities of running a political campaign. Providing music will be long-time Seattle cabaret favorite songstress Joanne Klein, and Rob Jones, a Follies regular who will tickle the ivories all evening long. Beer and wine available for purchase. Downstairs at Town Hall, enter on Seneca Street. $15 - $10 Tickets & info
Advance tickets are $12/$10 Town Hall members, seniors & students only at www.brownpapertickets.com or 1800/838-3006. $15/$13 at the door.

The Moth Story Tour: Out On a Limb-Stories from the Edge
Sunday, October 15 , 7:30 PM
The Moth, “New York’s hottest and hippest literary ticket” (The Wall Street Journal), makes its first appearance in Seattle! The evening features several well-known raconteurs, including Dan Savage, Sherman Alexie, and Jonathan Ames, as well as other favorite storytellers from New York city including Sherman OT Powell (retired pickpocket), Steve Osborne (NYPD lieutenant), and Michaela Murphy (writer and director of Something Blue). Author and storyteller par excellence Jonathan Ames, hosts the evening. Each participant tells a ten-minute, first-person narrative without script or notes. Audience members and storytellers continue swapping stories over beer and wine (available for purchase) after the show. The Moth Story Tour is presented by TNT. Co-presenters are Kiehl's and The Stranger. $12 - $10 Tickets & info
Tickets are $12/$10 Town Hall members, students, and seniors. Town Hall members receive priority seating. Advance tickets only at www.brownpapertickets.com or 800/838-3006. Visit www.themoth.org for more information.

Modern Japan: ‘Shutting Out the Sun’
Monday, October 23 , 7:30 PM
The world’s second-wealthiest country,Japan once seemed poised to overtake America. But in the 1990s Japan entered a period of stagnation from which it has yet to recover. Its fiscal depression has spread to the country’s political system as well as its national consciousness. An extreme example of the problem is the more than one million young men who have given up on school or employment, spending their days in their apartments. Michael Zielenziger, journalist and scholar, presents a portrait of these “hikikomori” and reveals how they are both a symptom of and metaphor for Japan’s ennui. Seven years as Tokyo bureau chief for Knight Rider newspapers gave Zielenziger the necessary access to this closed society and the resulting book, Shutting Out the Sun, is a fascinating story with implications for the rest of the world. Presented with Elliott Bay Book Company. Downstairs at Town Hall, enter on Seneca Street. $5 Tickets & info
Tickets are $5 at the door only. Town Hall members receive priority seating.

I can't make the first one on physics, but I am definitely very desirous to see The Moth.
Let me know if you want to join.