What would it be like if the world were invaded by the characters who populate the beloved video games of our past? Pretty ugly for us, the French video artist Patrick Jean projects in his short film Pixels. more ›

Here at DCist, we've fostered a reputation as the definitive source of all things Dismemberment Plan fandom. Combine that with our affinity for the blip-bloop of an NES score, and we're unable to resist. more ›

When I was in middle school, I was, for some reason, placed into the "gifted" student program. (Yup, sure putting that to good use.) Long story short, the program granted students one period a day to pursue independent academic pursuits with minimal supervision and no real culmination requirement. I, of course, used this as an excuse to play SimCity obsessively. I suppose what I'm getting at here is that I'm having a tougher time than normal condemning Virginia Department of Transportation employee Matthew Bolick, who was recently caught spending about 30 hours of on-the-clock time playing Civilization IV. more ›

It's kind of a slow Monday morning, which gives me a chance to selfishly indulge my penchant for 80s nostalgia. Wired points out that on this day in 1985, the first Nintendo Entertainment Systems hit American living rooms, with little fanfare and no idea how huge of a cultural phenomenon it would become. more ›

Not everyone was thrilled when the new contraflow bike lanes at the intersection of New Hampshire Avenue, U and 16th Streets NW were unveiled earlier this month. If only there was a Starman, then we'd really be in business. more ›

DCist's guide to lectures and discussions in the D.C. area more ›

There must be a lot of angry D.C.-area commuters working as video game developers these days. In last year's Fallout 3, Bethesda Softworks turned the greater D.C. area into a wasteland, reducing a transit system closely resembling Metro to a series of ghoul-infested tunnels. Now Sega is releasing The Conduit (hat tip to unsuckdcmetro), in which Metro is reduced to a series of alien-infested tunnels. Nothing says system-wide delay like a raygun shoot-out at Metro Center. more ›

Those of you who read the Post's letters to the editor over the weekend might have heard of the videogame Fallout 3, which hit store shelves today. Those of you who've been through Metro Center in the past few weeks have certainly heard of it — ads for the game are plastered over seemingly every available surface. It's those ads that prompted the aforementioned letter. Its author, Joseph Anzalone, objects to the post-apocalyptic renderings of D.C. that feature prominently in some of the advertisements:

The people of our city do not need a daily reminder that Washington is a prime target for an attack. We do not need a daily reminder of what our worst fears look like.

The smell of Red Bull wafted over H Street NE last night as gamers lined up for the midnight release of Grand Theft Auto IV, one of the most anticipated video games in history. By 11:45 p.m., about 50 people were in line at the GameStop at 817 H Street NE, for the release of the newest in the popular and controversial video game franchise, which is expected to gross $400 million in its first week. A total of about 80 people came through the doors by about 1 a.m. The Hechinger Mall store also had a midnight release, as did GameStops all over Maryland and Virginia and the rest of the country. more ›

By now, everyone out there has at least heard of Guitar Hero and its more inclusive cousin, Rock Band, right? You play songs on "instruments" along with a video game, advancing and scoring points for accuracy. After too many hours of playing, sometimes you even fancy yourself to have developed actual musical talent. One group of local guys took their "rock band," breadpig, out of the living room and into Chinatown. They set up their instruments (which, when not connected to a gaming system, don't actually emit any sound) and "played" for a building crowd. They even recruited a lead singer from the bystanders, who specialized in Isely Brothers lyrics. They were kind enough to record their venture, so you can see the goofy and geeky street performance for yourself in the video above. more ›

Via our tipline comes a disturbing allegation about Washington's beloved NBA all-star, Gilbert Arenas. Game-fixing! Encouraging teammates to take dives to pad his own stats! And an unrepentant attitude that makes it all that much worse. Of course, the competitive enterprise in question is Halo 3, not NBA basketball. But that makes it no less disturbing. The allegations of Agent Zero's ill-gotten swag surfaced this morning on the forums of Bungie, the company responsible for... more ›

Ragged Glory plays tonight at the Velvet Lounge. Can’t afford to pay $100 for a cheap seat at Neil Young’s upcoming DAR stop in November? You’re in luck. During our last chat with Ryan Walker from The Beanstalk Library, we found out he also put together a Neil Young cover band a few years back. They call themselves Ragged Glory, and the lineup plays something like a who’s who of up-and-coming local bands: Brian Kent... more ›

FRIDAY: >> Palace of Wonders is celebrating its one-year anniversary with a literal circus of performers both tonight and Saturday. Acrobats, burlesque performers, magicians, freaks and rope trick artists are just some of the acts that will take the stage, and fortune tellers will be on hand near the bar. Tickets are $15 in advance (click here), and $20 at the door. 7 p.m. to midnight tonight, 7 to 2 a.m. on Saturday. We recommend... more ›

>> Apparently, eighth-graders and cats have a lot in common. A Maryland teacher is accused of making three boys pee in a soda bottle, rather than escorting them to the bathroom during class. The school has a policy that students must be accompanied to the potty after a bout of vandalism and problems with kids "urinating in inappropriate areas." We'll go out on a limb and label soda bottles "inappropriate areas," too. [NBC4] >> On... more ›

Before we begin, we'd like to extend our deepest sympathies to the family of James Kim. We are not, by any means, trying to discount that tragedy by juxtaposing posts about the Kims with more light-hearted posts. It's the nature of doing a compilation such as this one: we're trying to give a full slice of the goings-on in the Ist-a-Verse: the good, the bad, and the ugly. Londonist wants you to know where to... more ›

Written by DCist contributor Menachem Wecker. The city's going to get a little bit wild this Sunday when the National Gallery of Art opens Jungles of Paris, Henri Rousseau's first retrospective in twenty years. But even if you haven't seen his work recently in exhibitions, Rousseau is everywhere. You can find references to his work in many children's book illustrations, like Henry Hikes to Fitchburg or Madeline, in a Joni Mitchell song, and even in... more ›

Need we say more? We were just forwarded an email from an intrepid downtown employee who reports that due to a computer malfunction, the Potbelly Sandwich Works at 14th Street NW and New York Ave. is unable to charge their customers anything. Yes, word on the street is that until those computers get back up and running, anyone who orders will receive their sandwich, drinks, everything, absolutely gratis. So if you skipped lunch and work... more ›

J.T. Kirkland: Blogger, Kentuckyan, Publisher, Artist, and by day, IT guy (oh, and former DCist contributor). At least that's what I imagined the door might say outside his studio/home when we visited him in Ballston last week. Where does the guy keep his spandex-kevlar lined jumpsuit? I was prepared to believe that he may jump out of his two story rental at any moment to call on one of his multifarious duties. But there's focus.... more ›

In response to allegations that existing state law banning gay marriage hasn't gone far enough in protecting traditional marriages from corrosive homosexual influences, Virginia is now considering further defining marriage as only being between a man and a woman, reports WJLA. We thought that Virginia had made their opposition to gay marriage clear enough last year with their endorsement of "Traditional Marriage" license plates, but it's always good to err on the side of excess.... more ›

Good morning, Washington. Today it will be partly cloudy with a 30 percent chance of rain, so be prepared. Flickr user birdcage from Missives from the Birdcage posted this photo of the Prince George's County Fair to DCist photos. We are getting excited for our first birthday party tomorrow at Stetson's - will we see you there? Cost of Living Rises in Area: Yesterday we reported and analyzed the news that affordable housing in the... more ›

Councilmembers Irked by Reports of Money Spent on Baseball Consultants: WTOP reports that members of the D.C. Council are pressing for an investigation of the alleged use of baseball consultants by the mayor's office during the stadium-financing controversy. WTOP was the first to report on the matter through a massive Freedom of Information Act request. WTOP has also learned that the District has been paying the travel expenses of several California-based contractors. Two of them... more ›

Washingtonian magazine wants you to know: teens are smoking pot. Their sprawling article on pot use by even "honors" teens from their November edition, is what this week's City Paper has blasted as a "classic contribution to America's tradition of drug-use hysteria." The story is rife with breathlessly told stories of drug use among teens: A box of Phillies blunts is empty on the kitchen counter of a nice house in Bethesda. Beside it is... more ›

- A young man was found dead in a burning rowhouse on Prospect Street in Georgetown early this morning, where allegedly a party had been held the night before. There was a fire at another house on the block in September; it's unclear if the two fires are connected. - Three children suffered from smoke inhalation and one woman broke her leg escaping from a fire in an apartment building on Elvans Road in Southeast.... more ›