• Paul Auster: Sure, metafictionist Auster wrote the screenplays to Smoke, Blue in the Face, and The Brooklyn Follies, but he also penned the phenomenal collection of PoMo detective-fiction tales, The New York Trilogy, his best work to date. Auster appears live with San Francisco International Film Festival Director Graham Leggat after a screening of his latest film, . Witness him in action at 7 p.m. at the Jewish Community Center of San Francisco; $10-15.
• Your Macworld fetes for this evening.
• Françoise Hardy's Birthday Party: Bardot a Go Go presents a tribute to French singer, actress and astrologer, Françoise Hardy. The Barbary Coasters and Helene Renaut cover her songs, while DJ Brother Grimm spins tasty French pop. Doors open at 8p.m. at Rickshaw Stop; $8.
• Ask a Scientist: Yes, yes, we always feature this event, but that's because a) tonight's topic is language, and b) we love it ever so. Come on down and ask this month's guest, Terry Deacon, all of your pressing questions about linguistics and language. Goes from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. at Axis Cafe; free.

The Inner Life of Martin Frost