This Week in Geek 2012/05/07

Every time I see Totoro's wide, dead eyes,
all I can think of is "SOON..." (via H.L.I.T.)

A showcase of this week's finest geek and geek related activities for the week. Mark your calendars.

Longer Term

• Anime - The Masters of Studio Ghibli - Silver Spring, MD - now through June 17
• There’s a pretty amazing array of Miyazaki films showing over the next few weeks at the AFI Silver Theater, as we posted last week. This week there’s only Pom Poko on Saturday and Sunday at 11:05 AM. Since the best movies (imnsho) are still to come, I’ll keep updating this with each week’s films unless there’s an outcry in the comments section.
• Apple - Exhibit on Steve Jobs’ Patents - Washington, DC - May 11 to July 8
• The Smithsonian has put together a temporary exhibition on the patents and trademarks of Steve Jobs to show how the protectiveness of intellectual property has shaped technical innovation. I think it’s a great opener to a discussion on the pitfalls of current intellectual property law, but for those less hard-hearted and cynical, it’s honoring Jobs’ entrepreneurship.
• Comics - The Avengers - Everywhere - about every twenty minutes
• I know the Avengers opened this weekend, but the movie has since smashed a handful of records. And I’m abusing my power here to post my brother’s post-midnight-release review, “Thor called down awesomeness. Hulk smashed my expectations. Cap made me cheer. Ironman stole the show. Black Widow... well, you get the idea. See it.”

Avengers: Some Assembly Required. (via Mark Dumont)

Wednesday

• Radio - HacDC's Amateur Radio Club Inaugural Meeting - Washington, DC - 7:30 PM
• Become an original member of HacDC’s Amateur Radio Club (HARC). There will be club business like selecting officers, but there will also be a presentation on ham radio applications. RSVP on Meetup.

Thursday

• Whedon - Washington Whedonites Meetup - Washington, DC - 7:00PM
• I’m turning into a meetup junkie, and I love that there’s a group called the Washington Whedonites. If that makes you as excited as it does me, check out their main meetup page. They’re doing fun stuff like hitting up Bertuccis for Italian food and to talk about how awesome The Avengers was.

Saturday

• Beer - Maryland Craft Beer Festival - Frederick, MD - Noon to 6:00PM
• Tickets are $32 for VIP and $17 for regular (DDs and underagers are still $10 to get in), and they have a sponsor list the length of my arm. “Kick off American Craft Beer Week and Frederick Beer Week during this celebration of Maryland Microbrews! Up to 15 breweries will present over 80 different brews. This family-friendly festival features live music by popular regional artists, kids' activities, exhibitors and a variety of food offerings designed to complement the beer. Admission includes tasting tokens and souvenir glass. Please bring a lawn chair.”

Beer (via TheDigitel Beaufort) - anyone else think that a shallow depth of field can make anything look like softcore?

• Derby - DC Rollergirls Championships + Tailgating Party - Washington, DC - 1:00
• Championship bout between the Demoncats and the Majority Whips. Tailgating starts at 1 with the main throwdown at 3. Make the drive out and see these modern skating warriors take a bite out of each other. Most likely not literally. If that happens we want pictures. Ouch.
  

Sunday

• Beer - Frederick Beer Week - Frederick, MD - All day
• As I was reading the above description, “Frederick Beer Week” caught my eye, and I’m so glad it did. I’ll post more of the events for Beer Week next time, but because it runs Saturday-to-Saturday, I didn’t want you all to miss the kick off. Saturday’s event is mainly the festival, but Sunday they’re all about letting mom relax with a cold one at either The Roasthouse Pub, Brewer’s Alley, or Barley and Hops.
• WARNING - Mother’s Day - You’re welcome - I know right!?
• So Reddit has been alternating between warning me that the date is coming up, and terrifying me that I may have forgotten. Evidently no one ever has any idea when this holiday is until the “oh shit, it was yesterday” realization sets in. According to Wikipedia, it’s this week. I’ve warned you. If you’ve got a mom, do something special for her - preferably before the only flowers left at the shop are sad, mauled, and petal-less.

Did we miss something? If you have an event you’d like to promote that isn’t on this list, leave a comment or email us. Other weekly reoccurring events are listed on our website (such as Rocky, CCG tournaments, crazy themed happy hours). For more information, check out the calendars at DC Geeks.