Brainiac Bar Talk & Mappy Hour

While perusing the April issue of Wired magazine I came across a couple of articles of interest to bar patrons.

If you're tired of the same old bar talk about sports, the weather and what's in a drink there is a new wave of intelligent conversation in bars and cafes around the world that will stimulate your mind. Cafe Scientifique began hosting science nights in 1998 in the UK as an opportunity for scholars and intellectuals to listen, discuss and debate subjects of the scientific nature. Many American bars are now hosting similar events on a regular basis. You can find a meeting of the brains at a few pubs in the country's major cities, many feature guest lecturers who bring up an important subject like global warming, genetics or space elevators (I want to get in on that one), which is usually followed up by a "discussion" amongst the smart, buzzed attendees. Drinks and debate, what could be better? Below are a few of the venues listed in Wired.

• Union Hall, New York City- Secret Science Club held the first Wednesday of the month
• The Thirsty Scholar, Boston- Cafe Sci held monthly
• Bridgeport Brewpub & Bakery, Portland, Oregon- Science Pub held the last Monday of the month
• The Map Room, Chicago- Cafe Scientifique held quarterly

The other tidbit of interest in this month's Wired was Mappy Hour. Now, there are many interactive bar guides online and few stand out from the rest, most are mediocre. I checked out Mappy Hour and it has some potential, although it does need some help from the community. The objective of the site is to share happy hour specials at bars throughout the world. There are a lot of bar listings in the more populated cities, although many of them are lacking the happy hour information. Visitors can submit their favorite local watering holes, update any information and find a happy spot near you using the interactive map. The site is put together well and is a great concept, it just needs some community input.

Photo Credit: © Adam Fields