Happy Jim Henson Day!


Hey kids, it’s Jim Henson’s birthday. Needless to say, we here at JGT headquarters are huge Jim Henson fans. So we’re gonna be showing some of our favorite Muppets skits all day long in honor of this true genius, who would be turning 73 today if he had not passed away at the tragically young age of 53.

Toughest Questions From Last Week’s Quizzo

The Large BathersBust number 10 out when you find yourself surrounded by nerds at a cocktail party. I think it’s a damn good trivia question. Answers after the jump.

  1. An amendment becomes a law when the legislatures of this fraction of the states ratify it.
  2. What 15th century navigator discovered the sea route from Europe to India by the Cape of Good Hope?
  3. This actor starred as Elvis in a 1979 TV movie, starred as an Elvis impersonator in a 2001 movie, and provided the voice of Elvis in Forrest Gump.
  4. You can find two of this artists paintings of buxom gals bathing at the Barnes Foundation, and you can find another one, called the Large Bathers, at the Philadelphia Museum of Art. Who is the artist?
  5. What is the 4th word of the US Constitution?
  6. Who has the record for most career yards passing for the New Orleans Saints?
  7. In France, they have some called Grande Vitesse. In Japan they are known as Shinkansen. What are they?
  8. Scouts brother in To Kill a Mockingbird is Jeremy, whose nickname was what?
  9. What was the name of the bar in the movie Road House?
  10. In the early 1820s, America’s 14th President, the poet who wrote Song of Hiawatha, and the author of the House of the Seven Gables all became friends while attending Bowdoin College together. Who are they?

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Happy 20th Anniversary Locust Rendezvous!

locust logo
We’d like to wish a Happy 20th Anniversary to our good friends at the Locust Rendezvous. An amazing accomplishment when you considers that very few restaurants or bars in Philadelphia make it 5 years, much less 20. But the Rendezvous has survived by being good to its staff (notice the amount of servers, bartenders, and kitchen staff that have been there for years) and good to its patrons (keeping prices reasonable and offering top notch service). Personally, I can say without reservation or hesitation that Nate, Michelle, MaryKay, and the whole rest of the crew have always treated me extremely well.

If you’re looking for a $15 burger and a $6 craft beer, this isn’t the place. But if you’re looking for great service, a wonderfully diverse clientele, and a great price, then the Rendezvous comes highly recommended. They will have 1/2 off wings and cheesesteaks all week, as well as $3 Sam Adams Octoberfest and $2 Molsons. And tonight at quizzo we’ll celebrate with a couple of rounds dedicated to the 20 year milestone. Congratulations, and here’s to your next 20!

Happy Anniversary, Checkers Speech!


It was on this date in 1952 that Richard Nixon fused politics and the new technology of television to rescue his political career. Without this speech, we may never have enjoyed one of the greatest presidents of all time. Here is Richard Nixon talking about the Checkers speech many years later. And finally, here is how the Checkers speech inspired Ted Kennedy’s Chappaquiddick speech.
Garry Wills gives a superb account of the Checkers speech in Nixon Agonistes. Wills reminds us that just before Nixon was to give the speech live on television before a huge national audience, Tom Dewey had telephoned Nixon on behalf of Eisenhower and essentially ordered him to resign as the vice presidential candidate at the conclusion. Dewey: “Can I say you have accepted?” Nixon: “You will have to watch the show to see — and tell them [Eisenhower’s advisers] I know something about politics too!”

Fall Quizzo Slam at Nerd Mecca October 17th


Alright, alright, I heard all you kids whining about October 4th falling on the day of the Phils final game, so I’m pushing the date back. Saturday, October 17th at the East Falls Marketplace. There is no NLCS game that day, so we should be good to go. Time is TBD, but probably around 5ish. Why is the Marketplace the perfect place to host a Nerd event? Because before it was a market, it was the home of the first ever commercial computer, the UNIVAC 1. That’s right, fellow nerds, we will be trodding on sacred ground. Plenty of parking, and if the weather is nice the bike trail leads almost straight to it. More details forthcoming in the days ahead.