It's that time of the year again, when the regular season is winding to a close and conference tournaments are in full swing. Yes, the madness of March is here. It's about time for us to take a look back at those who've earned the right to special recognition before we all descend into a world consumed by brackets, upsets, and that oh-so-hummable theme music that will soon be endlessly pumped into our ears while we float away into basketball heaven. more ›

Yeah, yeah, we all had a good laugh at the hipster on Judge Judy who admitted his "love for smashin' stuff," but, admit it: you have, at one time or another, had similar frustrations to reign total control over the various electronics in your life, a frustration which may or may not have manifested itself via violence. With the understanding that those who possess such an ability to control the machines will be our most valuable assets when the artificially intelligent inevitably rise up against us, the Walter E. Washington Convention Center was the place to be yesterday: teams of humans, ranging in age and with vastly superior intelligence, put their impressive robotic acumen on display. I suppose that when the machines do come to take their revenge, they will justify their attacks by referencing these kinds of events as an human act of aggression, whilst unflinchingly marching through our cities, totally immune to our pathetic weaponry. But hey, why not enjoy making things climb hills and shoot stuff at targets while we can, eh? more ›

White House beekeeper Charlie Brandts has transported more than one thousand bees using Metro -- on more than one occasion. Brandts was the guest speaker at the D.C. Department of Parks and Recreation urban beekeeping course last Monday, the second class in a series of four. A carpenter for the White House, Brandts keeps bees at his home in Maryland. When President Barack Obama got word about Brandts's hives, a green-eyed commander in chief asked Brandts to set up one for the White House -- the First Beehive. In its first full year's harvest, the hive produced a considerable amount of honey -- all told, around 134 pounds -- went into the Obama family's bellies. Fresh honey is delicious, no doubt, but Obama had other, less hedonistic, reasons for harboring thousands of stinging insects next to his organic garden: Bees are pollinators, and bees are dying. A worldwide disappearance of honeybees, known as colony collapse disorder, is thought to result from a combination of disease and environmental factors. more ›

In very few cities around the world could you hear a free concert almost every day of the week, but this week you can do exactly that in Washington, D.C. If you insist on paying for your music, some good choices are after the jump. more ›

It's taken only two games for three new guys on the Capitals roster -- Scott Walker, Eric Belanger, and Joe Corvo -- to net points for their new team. Walker got his first two Thursday, while Belanger scored a goal and Corvo had an assist in the Capitals' 2-0 win over the Rangers Saturday. more ›

I moved to D.C. in 2006, which -- though surely trailing several of you reading this right now in experience -- has been enough time to be here for the party on U Street after Obama's election, the first season of baseball's return to D.C., the running joke that was and is the Roy Pearson lawsuit, George Mason's magical run to the Final Four, snowpocalypses and many false alarms, last year's terrifying Red Line crash, and plenty of other notable events that I'm sure will be replaced in my mind by even more memorable days. Of course, this also means that I've been in town for three Exposed exhibits. And every year -- much like our awesome photography pool -- Exposed has gotten bigger, more diverse and just...better. It's not just a chance to take in some excellent photographic work, but a chance for us to connect with those of you who have experienced all of the above alongside us. To say we all look forward to Exposed every year would be a gross understatement. more ›

Jury duty isn't rocket science, which is probably why the courts allow most anybody to do it. You show up, you listen to people make arguments, you make a decision based on said arguments and any special instructions you're given, and that's about it. Fact is, if you're going to be recused from this particular public service, you probably should have a pretty good excuse in hand. Do you know the individual on trial? Sure, you're off the hook. You're medically incapacitated? Right, the court will either give you an extension or waive the service altogether. You "had an emergency meeting at the hotel where [you] work as a manager"? Uh, no, you probably should get your butt down to Moultrie. more ›

It seems like a slur to call the Red Riding trilogy a "TV movie", but that's where it first aired, on Britain's Channel 4, a year ago. The trio look, feel, and were produced as big screen features though, and it's nice to see that IFC has picked them up for limited screenings throughout the U.S., hitting D.C. this week. These films deserve to be viewed in a theater. more ›

Southeastern University, which has been an institution with an incredibly murky future since losing its accreditation last August, has finalized a long-negotiated deal with the Graduate School to reopen as a private institution specializing in continuing education. Southeastern's new overlords will likely use the name and campus to offer a broader mission, while trying to maintain at least some of the utility that the university had previously provided to District residents and international students. One big issue: the Graduate School doesn't currently hold accreditation rights, so Southeastern -- who had to turn away approximately 300 students last fall as it went under -- will be sitting in that transitional place between career advancement college and degree-awarding university, probably for some time. Similarly, the confusion about why Southeastern University is located in Southwest D.C. will, like the domestication of the dog, continue unabated. more ›

You know, I still haven't caught Roland Emmerich's most recent entry into the popcorn-mageddon genre -- mostly because I utterly refuse to believe that a middle-aged Lloyd Dobler could, in any way, shape or form, be the man who manages to lead a human resistance against any kind of oncoming natural apocalypse -- but I'd reckon that when the end days are upon us, the skies above will probably look a lot like these ones captured by philliefan99. What's about to emerge from behind those clouds? You don't wanna know, buddy. more ›

When Nicklas Backstrom got a standing ovation from the home crowd Thursday, it wasn't for a slick assist to Alex Ovechkin or a wraparound goal of his own. It was because, with his stick shattered on the ice and his team down two men, Backstrom wasn't afraid to use his body to block the puck, shot after shot, in front of the net. more ›