4.05.2013

NERDS, ASSEMBLE!

Our April NERDS Trivia Night is set - be sure to join in the fun APRIL 13, 8pm.

Check-in will be in the Coffeehouse beginning at 7pm: get your answer-sheets and give us your team name. As always, NERDS come in all ages; Teams are limited to 5 players, and PRIZES for the winners.

Don't forget: Grilled Cheese Special 7-9pm.

UPCOMING TRIVIA DATES:
May 25
June 29

4.04.2013

REMINDER: keep your valuables close.

Please don't leave your things, whether big or small, unattended or out of your sight (especially purses! Don't hang them on the back of your chair; keep them on the floor in front of you). This includes walking away to grab a napkin, setting your stuff down to save a seat, ducking into the area by the bathrooms to take a phone call (yes, we all do it). Several folks, including employees, have had items stolen within a matter of 30 seconds of turning around.  These guys are experts and only by being personally responsible for your items, vigilant and talking to each other will we be able to stop them.  
Most of you come here enough to recognize a strange person hanging around.  If you see something, report it to anybody behind the counter; they'll be sure to call the police.  

Suspicious behavior to watch out for:
- hats or sunglasses indoors
- large bags or bulky jackets
- pacing/scanning
- people not purchasing/consuming anything
- hanging out by the Remainder section by the bathrooms (perfect spot to scan the entire coffeehouse and Remainder room)

- hanging out by the publications table by the door to parking lot 

Any other tips you might have about this or other incidents let us know in the comments or email javier(at)moderntimescoffeehouse.com 

Theft and Pickpocket Prevention Tips from MPDC

3.30.2013

March NERDS Scorecard

The results are in! With a crowd of 150 players, Nerd Night is going strong.  If you missed the quiz on March 23rd, here are the questions, and a list of the teams - see how well you can do.

Join us for the next TRIVIA NIGHT on APRIL 13 at 8pm.

And a big Congratulations to Ann Rand Paul and Ringo for bringing home the win!



QUESTIONS
Round 1:
1) Lucille Fay LeSueur was born on the 82nd day of 1904 (March 23) in San Antonio, Texas. This 'Mommie Dearest' rose to fame - and possible infamy - under what name?

2) How many rings were forged by Sauron in J.R.R. Tolkein's Middle Earth?

3) This Republic's name is an acronym derived from the 5 regions that make up its geographical boundary and literally means "the land of the pure". What is the name of the country?

4) What is the name of the creature that Beowulf epically battles?

5) There is only one Royal Palace in the United States historically occupied by a reigning monarch. Where is this residence (extra point if you can name the palace)?

6) On March 27, 1912, Helen Herron Taft (then First Lady) and the Viscountess Chinda (wife of the Japanese Ambassador) planted the first two cherry blossoms at the Tidal Basin. This ceremony had been delayed 2 years - originally planned for 1910 - because the original gift of 2000 trees was burned after inspection. For what reason did the inspectors require the trees be burned?

7) At 12:01am on August 1, 1981 the first ever music video aired on MTV; The song holding this honor was later listed on VH1's 100 Greatest One-Hit Wonders of the 80's, despite the fact that it was actually recorded in 1979. What was the song?

8) What famous Beat Generation manuscript was written on a single scroll of paper?

9) In Morse Code what does 'short-short-short-long-long-long-short-short-short' spell out?

10) Excluding monuments, what is the tallest building in Washington DC?


Round 2: Midwest is Best
1) According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the Midwest is composed of which 12 U.S. states? (1pt for each state) Indicate the state name that is the most populous of these states for an extra point.

2) in 1825, the opening of this transportation system created a direct shipping route from the Midwest to the eastern seaboard. It runs approximately 363 miles and at the time was faster than animal-pulled carts, more direct than the Mississippi River, did not require portage, and cut transportation costs by 95%.

3) Widely known for its agricultural fertility, this Midwestern State is home to actress Donna Reed, actor John Wayne, orchestra leader Glenn Miller, and President Herbert Hoover.

4) Located on the 45th parallel, a city in this Midwestern State claims to be the "Lutefisk Capital of the World." (Bonus point for naming the ethnic/national origins of Lutefisk).

5) This Midwest city, whose name could be considered a metonym for the American auto industry, was the fifth-largest in the U.S. in 1950; by 2010, its population had declined by 60%.

6) Named after a Native American tribe, this Midwestern State is home to the Annheuser-Busch brewery, the largest brewery in the United States.

7) Opened in 1992 on the site where the Minnesota Vikings and Twins formerly played, this structure, which is located just outside of the Twin Cities, receives more than 40 million visitors annually, a number that is roughly eight times the population of the entire state of Minnesota. 

8) Once considered part of the 'Great American Desert,' this Midwestern State claims to have more miles of river than any other state AND has more underground water reserves than any other state in the continental United States.

9) This Midwestern State is home to the first land grant university, which served as the prototype for the 69 land grant institutions later established under the Morrill Act of 1862. (Bonus point for the name of the University).

10) The Great Minnesota Get-Together, otherwise known as the Minnesota State Fair, will this year host what unique film festival as part of its grandstand events? Even though this film festival is only in its second year, it drew more than 10,000 people for its first year. All film submissions were crowd sourced (most likely from people procrastinating on Facebook while at work) and the top prize for the festival went to a film titled "Henri 2: Paw de Deux." What is the film festival?

Round 3: Visual Round
Fill in the words corresponding to the letters. When spoken, each forms a familiar phrase.

1) 4 H of the A
2) 12 T on a M S
3) 7 DS
4) 7 W of the AW
5) 12 I in a F
6) 28 D in F (except in a LY)
7) 50 S in the U
8) 52 C in a D
9) 88 K on a P
10) 4 S and 7 Y A...
11) BONUS POINT: "50 W to L your L"

Round 4: Music (St. Patrick's Day/Zombie Apocalypse)
1) Pride (In the Name of Love), U2
2) Nothing Compares 2 U, Sinead O'Connor
3) Volcano, Damien Rice
4) Whiskey in the Jar, The Pogues with the Dubliners
5) Zombie, The Cranberries
6) Thriller, Michael Jackson
7) We Didn't Start the Fire, Billy Joel
8) It's the End of the World As We Know It, R.E.M.
9) My City of Ruins, Bruce Springsteen
10) All I Want for Christmas is You, Mariah Carey/Justin Bieber

ANSWERS BELOW!

TEAM NAMES:
42 Feet, 626 Young Wild and Free, A.A.R.R.H. Ahaa! Ann Rand Paul & Ringo, Around the World in 10 Years, Baby Boy Team Name, Chicken Street, Country Line Bilge Water, Encoders of the Arbitrary Outset, Fenwick, Florida's Gulf Coast, Georgetown Lost and the Goosey Boots, Goldilocks and the Normally Disturbed Bears, I Bet It All on Georgetown, Jumpin Spiders, Leaving Early, Mahvelous Mavens, Man Bear Penguin, Megan Needs to Break up with Her Boyfriend, More Like Politics and Doze, Nora's 23rd Birthday, Oh I didn't know Cell Phones Were Allowed... Old But Not Yankees Old, Politics and Bros, Politics and Ho's (nee bros), Private Book Groups, Reince Preibus is a Genius, Sequestration: Things Fall Apart, Shooting the Moon, The Griswold's Vacation in DC, The Kodachromes, Things Fall Apart; Two Spies and an Artist, Ulysses' Little Rascals

Answers: Round 1
1) Joan Crawford
2) 20 (9 for mortal men, 7 for the dwarf-lords, 3 for the elven-kings, 1 to rule them all)
3) Pakistan (Punjab, NW Frontier Province [Afghan Provence], Kashmir, Sindh, and Baluchistan). There Republic Day is celebrated annually on March 23
4) Grendel
5) Honolulu, Hawaii; 'Iolani Palace
6) Insects and Nematodes (worms). They were found by the Dept. of Agriculture to be infested and diseased and the original 2000 trees were burned to protect the local growers.
7) Video Killed the Radio Star, by the Buggles
8) On the Road, Jack Kerouac
9) SOS
10) The Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception (319ft). Followed by the Old Post Office Building (315ft), the Washington National Cathedral (301ft), and the Capitol Building (289ft). There is a misconception that buildings in DC are not allowed to be taller than the Capitol. In fact they are regulated by the 1910 Height of Buildings Act, which limits a building's height to the width of the right-of-way of the street or avenue on which a building fronts.

Answers: Round 2
1)Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, NOrth Dakota, Ohio, South Dakota, and Wisconsin.
2) The Erie Canal
3) Iowa
4) Minnesota (Scandinavian)
5) Detroit
6) MIssouri
7) The Mall of America or MoA
8) Nebraska
9) Michigan - Michigan State University
10) The Internet Cat Video Festival

Answers: Round 3
1) 4 Horsemen of the Apocolypse
2) 12 Tones on a Musical Scale
3) 7 Deadly Sins
4) 7 Wonders of the Ancient World
5) 12 Inches in a Foot
6) 28 Days in February (except in a Leap Year)
7) 50 States in the Union
8) 52 Cards in a Deck
9) 88 Keys on a Piano
10) 4 Score and 7 Years Ago...
11) BONUS POINT: "50 Ways to Leave your Lover"

3.25.2013

CHECKMATE

We are pleased to offer a CHESS BOARD for public use.

Checking out the board is free with the purchase of an item, and will be available during the same hours as our wi-fi. Check here for time limitations.

You'll need to leave a photo ID with the baristas to check out the board, which will be returned to you when you bring the board and all its pieces back.

Unlock the inner Bobby Fischer hidden beneath the surface.

3.17.2013

Nerd Night Returns

Yet again MTC will be co-hosting Trivia with Politics & Prose, Saturday, March 23 @ 8pm.

To accommodate the large numbers from last time, we will be having trivia upstairs this month - so be sure to come early enough to get a grilled cheese, which will be on special starting at 7pm.

Come show us what you've got, NERDS!

3.08.2013

UPDATE

To accommodate those of you who need to use online services during weekend mornings, we have added two hours of wireless service to Saturdays and Sundays. Our router will automatically shut down as follows:  

MON - FRI: between 11a - 3p
SAT & SUN: between 10a - 5p

Thank you for your comments and for helping us create a more inclusive, welcoming atmosphere.

3.01.2013

Little Theatres; 2.28-3.14.2013

MTC is proud to present a new show by J. Ford Huffman.

Please also be sure to join us for a reception to celebrate the opening of Little Theaters on Saturday, March 3. 2013, 7-9pm in the cafe.

"Wall-hanging sculptures in the form of assemblage shadow boxes," says Washington's Art Registry gallery. 

Each box is a proscenium arch, the Registry says, and "what happens inside (the box) is the artistic production directed by Huffman."

In the ArtSee Preview of this exhibit Roxanne Goldberg says the "typically playful, sometimes provocative, and always clever little theaters take the viewer on a delightful journey into a tiny, magical world beyond (Huffman's) own."

Our 7th Year in Business!

Thank you for being here and helping us get to our 7th year mark!
It's been a privilege serving you and becoming the best coffeehouse that has ever existed inside Politics and Prose.  You made it happen!
We have such a hard working staff and a wonderful network of small vendors, family and friends that have been key in our growth and success.  Here's to more growth, more good coffee, more LOVE!

2.18.2013

The Grades are In, Nerds

A huge congratulations to 'Megan Needs to Break Up with Her Boyfriend' for taking home first prize at the Inaugural NERDS night co-hosted with Politics & Prose.

Keep an eye out for our next Trivia Night, coming in March... and for those who couldn't join us on Saturday, I've decided to share the quiz and answers (shhhh, don't tell the teacher):

 
Round 1: Questions
1)    What do India (1966), Israel (1969), United Kingdom (1979), Germany (2005), Liberia (2006) and Australia (2010) have in common?
2)    This emerald of the West Coast was the first American city to put its metropolitan police force on bicycles.
3)    ‘Leave it to Beaver’ was the first to show this on television.
4)    From highest to lowest, rank the 6 highest winning poker hands.
5)    Which man-made place on earth appears brightest from space?
6)    In China, animals are not allowed to use human language. Based on this belief, Charles Lutwidge Dodgson’s famous children’s book was banned. What was the book, and what is this author’s better-known pseudonym?
7)    This phrase is derived from the Persian Shah mat, meaning ‘the King is Dead’.
8)    In North Korea, this grandson of the ‘Eternal President’ was declared supreme leader following the death of his father.
9)    What is the hardest substance in the human body?
10) Recently hacked, this Painting President is the most recent representative of only two families that have produced both a father and son who became American Presidents.  From most recent to oldest, who are the 4 men to hold this distinction?
Round 2: Questions
1)    In Moby Dick, you called him Ishmael, and you know about the obsessive Captain Ahab. What re the names of Ahab’s first mate, his second mate, and third mate?
2)    In Kurt Vonnegut’s novel Cat’s Cradle, what is the name of the material that is developed as a weapon with the power to destroy all of humankind?
3)    In Season 9, the television show The Simpsons parodied what book in an episode called “Das Bus” that included the chat “Kill the dorks! Bash their butts! Kick their shins!”?
4)    This mid-20th century allegorical novel was criticized by the New Republic upon publication with the reviewer stating that “the failure of this book arises from the fact that the satire deals not with something the author has experienced, but rather with stereotyped ideas about a country which he probably does not know very well.” The review added, “Commercially, it is already assured of tremendous success.” Your high school English teacher might agree. What is the novel?
5)    In the Harry Potter series, Hermione Granger’s pet cat is named what?
6)    One of the characters in this novel, originally published in 1937, is Behemoth, an enormous and demonic black cat with a number of human tendencies, including the capability of speech, walking on two legs, and a refined sense of sarcasm. Name the Novel. (Bonus for 2 points: this character’s name is taken from what book of the Bible)?
7)    In the Shrek franchise, Spanish actor Antonio Banderas provided the voice-over for the character Puss in Boots, based on ta 17th-century French fairytale. Banderas also provided the voice-over for the bee in the commercials for what allergy medicine?
8)    The 1988 film Who Framed Roger Rabbit? is based on what novel by writer Gary K. Wolf?
9)    In Doreen Cronin’s award-winning children’s illustrated book Click, Clack, Moo: Cows that Type, Farmer Brown’s cows use an old typewriter to demand what from Farmer Brown (and when he refuses to provide these, the cows go on strike).
10) This DC Comic’s caped crusader’s lesser-known masked enemies include Catman, Firefly, Killer Crok, and Owlman, a member of the fictional Crime Syndicate of America. Name the Superhero

Round 1: Answers
First national election of a female head of government; Seattle; Toilet; Royal Flush, Straight Flush, Four of a Kind, Full House, Flush, Straight; Las Vegas; Alice in Wonderland, Lewis Carrol; Checkmate; Kim Jong Un; Tooth enamel; George W. Bush, George H.W. Bush; John Quincy Adams; John Adams. 
Round 2: Answers
Starbuck, Stubb, and Flask; Ice-Nine; Lord of the Flies; Animal Farm; Crookshanks; The Master and Magarita (Job 40:15-24); Nasonex; Who Censored Roger Rabbit?; Electric Blankets (because the barn is cold at night); Batman.
Round 3: Songs
Breakfast at Tiffany’s – Deep Blue Something; Brown Eyed Girl – Van Morrison; Somebody that I used to know  - Gotye (Feat. Kimbra); Like a Prayer – Madonna; Sweet Child o’ Mine – Guns ‘n’ Roses
The Inaugural Class (teams):
Carnival Shuffleboard Champs 2013; Cerebral Sardines; District Direwolves; Encoders of the Arbritrary Outset; Flying Flock of Flopping Flounders; Glad We Came Early; I like Big Books and I Cannot Lie; Iranian Space Monkeys; Jordan’s Angels; Jumbo Mensch; Knossos; Know Nothings; Marco Rubio’s Poland Spring Break; Megan Needs to Break Up with Her Boyfriend; Midwesterners Ltd.; Miz Trivia and the Kotters; Mman; Newt Gingrich’s Moon Colony; Parental Units; Pope’in Ain’t Easy; Russian Comets; Speaking Russian; Spoiler Alert; Cousin Mathew Dies; Summer School Valedictorian; Tale of Two Tables; The Clam Jammers; The Planeteers… Just Sayin’; The Prosers; The Red Shirts; The Team Who Must Not Be Named; They Who must Not Be Named; Too Young for This; Tritons; Triviateers!

2.07.2013

Calling the Nerdly Folk

Which U.S. city has the nickname 'Chicago of the north'?
What are the names of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles?
What is the "Holy See"?
What's the airspeed velocity of an unladen swallow?

Who doesn't like to display their random knowledge?! Join us for our first trivia night - co-hosted with Politics & Prose - on Saturday, Feb. 16. The fun begins at 7:30pm.

The fine print: Teams are limited to 5 people, and PRIZES WILL BE AWARDED to the winning teams!