Friday 5

Prank your co-worker's keyboard

Looking for a quickie April Fool's prank... or just sly, remorseless revenge for one?

Try this: Turn your victim's computer keyboard into utter gibberish.

We tested this one at Friday 5 Labs last week, and it actually works. Try it on your own computer before you set out to prank your computer-using friends. It's annoying, for sure, and if your victim is compu-phobic in the slightest it's likely to cause a major meltdown. But it's also easily reversed, and will cause no permanent harm.

Follow along after the jump...

A good trick: Cat, Hat, thing, do...

From our friends over at Boing Boing comes this sweet little idea: Write a poem, or a story, or whatever, using only the words that appear in the Dr. Seuss classic “The Cat in the Hat.” Ready, set... GO!

But what are those words? And how many are there (articles cited either/or/and 223 or 236 words). And though I did (eventually) find an online list, I needed something better.

My solution? Type every word of the book into a spreadsheet, run a couple of filters and functions on the prose and ... voila! I got an alphabetized, numbered list of every word Dr. Seuss used to write his easy-reader. And yes, I eventually came up with 236.

You can find that list on Charleston.net, or as a numbered list right here, or as a single-page, printable PDF. And if you do bother to try this little challenge, please send me the results  (if snail-mail suits your results better, try: Dan Conover, The Post and Courier, 134 Columbus St., Charleston, SC, 29403).

USA: Codes & capitals

In our continuing quest to avoid ever-encroaching stupidity, we've built this quickie quiz: Match the US Postal Code to the state capital.

For extra credit, mark these on the map (click here for a printable color map, and here for one in glorious black-and-white.)

FUN FIVE NEWS ALERT: LEBOWSKI SUNDAY!!!

Madra Rua Irish Pub at 1034 East Montague Ave. will host the inaugural “Lowcountry Big Lebowski Celebration” on Sunday at 6 p.m.

The event features a showing of the 1998 cult-movie classic, plus a costume contest and “Big Lebowski” trivia.

“Once you see The Big Lebowski, you will become a fan for life,” said Jason Weber, the bar’s general manager, who also notes that “I can get you a toe!”

Admission is free. And the night’s drink special? White Russians, of course.

THE DUDE ABIDES @ MADRA RUA!

Fun Five: Cheap-o festival edition

So you don’t think a hoity-toity arts festival in fancy-pants downtown Charleston is your of a good time? Or maybe you’re like most of us and you’re not exactly made of money? Here’s a cheapskate guide to having fun during Spoleto/Piccolo.

Opening ceremony
Today at noon
City Hall
Free
Why go: On the down side, you have to sit through the usual speeches. On the upside, the usual speeches this year will be closely watched because the mayor of Spoleto, Italy, will be addressing the crowd. Will the honorables make any reunion announcements, drop any hints? But the real reason to attend is that you get a preview of coming attractions and then get to watch as the ladies with tickets to the 1 p.m. Chamber Music concert bolt for the Dock Street Theatre.
Bonus: The ceremonies return to City Hall, and the set-up there affords more shade than the street outside the Old Exchange.

Jazz singer Rene Marie
Today and Saturday at 9 p.m.
The Cistern
Cheap seats: Outside the wall
Tickets for the Spoleto jazz concerts on The College of Charleston’s signature lawn can be had for $40 or $25, but there’s another scene that takes place outside The Cistern walls that’s also worth experiencing. Sure, you miss out on the visuals, but the music spills over onto George Street for free and groups gather on in the evening cool on benches and bricked walkways and city sidewalks and everybody seems to be having a good time. There’s another Cistern show on Sunday (Stefano Battaglia), but Marie is not to be missed.
Bonus: Catch a free public conversation with Rene Marie at the Avery Center, 125 Bull St., on Saturday at 3 p.m.

Sunset Serenade
Tonight, 8 p.m.
Charleston Symphony Orchestra
U.S. Customhouse
Once again, you don’t have to shuck out a bunch of money to come downtown and catch some great music. This concert comes via the Piccolo festival, and it’s 90 minutes of free symphonic music. The CSO, under the direction of maestro David Stahl, has been aggressive in its recent efforts to reach out to new generations of potential classical music fans, and their work is typically high-quality and easily accessible.
Bonus: The first weekend of the festival tends to offer the high-energy performances and great vibes from the audiences. Get downtown and experience it.

Theater
Everywhere
Over and over
Price: All over the map
With its operatic roots and emphasis on music, theater is seldom the headliner at Spoleto. This year’s lineup offers multiple theatrical performances, but tickets start at $25 and the tickets you want are at least twice that. For more affordable tickets and diversity of styles and topics, turn to Piccolo. Prices for Piccolo Fringe shows tend to be cheaper ($15), while the shows on the Piccolo Theater Series bill typically charge about $25 for adult tickets (that’s non-nosebleed seating, a significant factor when attending a play).
Bonus: “The Full Monty” comes with a Broadway pedigree and good notices; “Denmark Vesey: Insurrection” was written by Julian Wiles, explores a controversial chapter of local history, and is a world premiere.

Jazz singer Renato Braz
Friday, June 1
Gaillard Auditorium
Cheap seats: $15
The day after Brazillian Renato Braz played the 2004 Spoleto Festival, all you heard on the street was A. How great the show was; and B. How much fun Braz was at the post-show, after-hours, impromtu late-night party that took place at an East Bay Street restaurant. According to those who attended, Braz was equally entertaining in person, as he and his guests made music out of practically anything that could make a sound. As the day wore on and the legend grew, it sounded like half the city had been at the restaurant.
Buy now: There aren’t a lot of cheap seats for Spoleto performances, so don’t lolligag around.

Stuff to do

Wear Green
Charleston’s St. Patrick’s Day parade is Saturday down King Street, which makes it the place to be – or the place to avoid, depending on how you feel about crowds – this weekend. If that’s not Irish enough for you, get off the beaten path and drop by Madra Rua, the Irish pub on East Montague Street in North Charleston.

Go green
Lowcountry yards produce plenty of bio-mass during the growing season, and it’s about to start. So why not turn your leaves, grass clippings and kitchen waste into valuable compost? You can construct a sturdy, easy-to-move compost bin out of stacked cement block this weekend for less than $60. Tip for getting the kids to help: Tell them cement blocks are Legos for adults. And wear gloves.

Go South
Savannah has become quite the St. Patrick’s Day host in recent years, making it the place to be – or the place to avoid, depending on how you feel about crowds – this weekend. Famously lively and occasionally rowdy, Savannah’s weekend-long party officially kicks off with a parade that begins at 10: 15 a.m. Saturday. It’s a great excuse for a road-trip for the more adventurous among us.

Hike to a shell midden
It’s almost springtime after a relatively warm winter, and if you’re new to the area that means one thing: gnats are coming. That makes this weekend a good time to get out and hike the local trails, before the no-see-ums and mosquitoes really start charging their usual blood-toll. The Sewee Visitor and Education Center on Highway 17 in Awendaw has information on multiple nearby trails, including an easy mile-long walk to a 4,000-year-old shell mound. 843-928-3368.

Go to the theater
Pure Theatre (www.puretheatre.org) often takes on darker subjects, but its March production, “Cloud Tectonics” by Jose Rivera, is happier fare. There are shows tonight and Saturday at 7:30, plus a special 2 p.m. show on Sunday that’s followed by dinner with the cast. Next week’s shows are Wednesday, Thursday and Friday. A regular ticket is $20 and the theater at The Cigar Factory is small, so calling ahead is a must. 723-4444.

This week's picks

Every Friday we offer you five routine-busting ideas for stuff to do with your precious time. This week we suggest you...

Go out to Charlestowne Landing. The staff is holding its annual Carolina Caribbean Day, which is a big deal out there, and on top of that, have you been to the place since they remodeled? Thought not.

Roast oysters. We've turned the corner on winter, which means the clock is ticking if you wanna eat oysters. If you're asking our opinion, this is really the last shot at local oysters until November.

Play basketball. All the college tournament action tends to wake up the weekend warrior in all of us, and besides: the kids love it when you take them down to a court and mix it up. Just stock up on the ibuprofen.

Walk. Is there a better time in the Lowcountry year to take an evening stroll? Particularly with the Daylight Savings flip coming up Sunday? Longer evenings, cool weather, minimal gnats and skeeters...

Ooo and Aah at Angel Oak. Yes, it's hard to believe, but the Angel Oak on Johns Island has been around longer than The Post and Courier and its various antecedents.