Everyone loves free pizza.

If you’re in the library and are looking for a little more free food than was what was handed to you last night, head on down to Pizza Nite, taking place at 9 p.m. tonight at the SciLi and at the same time tomorrow at the Rock.

Pizza Nite, a semesterly tradition, is a night unlike all others: Friendly library workers bring out boxes and boxes of pizza by the stack, feeding the hungry masses. Depending on the crowds, it can one of the more epic free pizza events out there.

Brown students aren’t known for being particularly religious (although students definitely adhere to the Church of Whisko or the Gospel of CFF). But as finals come upon us, and we rummage up those crumpled notes beneath the Natty cans, Brunonians become downright spiritual.

How does reading period bring out the convert in all of us? Let me count the ways:

1. Everyone says that they “observe reading period.”

There are many things we can observe in life. Stars. A drunken brawl. That cute boy in class through binoculars from behind the bushes at midnight. But there are only two ways to observe an extended period of time: Do it religiously, or transcend time and space (in which case, you might stand a chance in PHYS0160. Maybe).

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Get it before it's gone!

Last night, masses of hungry students at the SciLi were fed at Pizza Nite, courtesy Campus Life and the University Library.

Tonight, the awesomeness repeats itself at the Rock at 9 pm. I was chatting with one of the librarians, and he mentioned that they order 90 pizzas for the SciLi’s Pizza Nite and 80 pizzas for the Rock’s. Last night, the pizza was almost all gone in a little over five minutes.

While everyone was waiting for the pizza, they were greeted with a surprise: a cappella caroling. Check out photos from last night after the jump. [Read more →]

What college student ever turns down free pizza?

Tonight at the SciLi and tomorrow at the Rock, the epic semesterly tradition know as “Pizza Nite” will take place at 9pm, according to Morning Mail. If you’ve never been, get ready.

Pizza Nite is probably one of the best free food events of the semester. First, there’s the anticipation. The crowds are waiting, growing larger and increasingly impatient. The pizza never arrives on time. Then, suddenly, the big moment arrives — library workers emerge with stacks of pizza boxes. The crowd goes nuts for the pizza, and you wonder if there will be any left when you get to the front of the line. Just then, 20 more boxes of pizza arrive, putting your fears to rest. As the pizza continues to disappear, another dozen boxes come along, then another dozen. In the end, something like a hundred pizzas are consumed in the span of a few minutes. (Then they bring out some cookies and fruit.) [Read more →]

If only they had this on RIPTA buses….

If you still possess a Netflix account, yesterday you received a sad, sad email from CEO Reed Hastings. Mine began: “Dear Michael, I messed up. I owe you an apology.” The message proceeds to explain that Netflix had not anticipated such negative feedback to its recent change in price structure. It further informs the subscriber that DVDs will no longer be mailed under the Netflix name — now, mail service will operate through “Qwikster.”

The pricing hasn’t changed this time around (both services still cost the same as before, but now cannot be combined on credit card statements), yet the move certainly doesn’t help the company’s image. Especially since the Twitter name “Qwikster” is already taken, and by this guy:

The lovable, hungry-as-shyt Jason Castillo has received over 10,000 followers since Hastings announced the new name. Netflix has offered him $1k for his account, but Blockbuster is probably offering him more to keep it.

Last week we told you we’d keep writing about Netflix because it’s suddenly become an endearing underdog of sorts. This week, we’re gonna retcon all that and instead turn our attention to local, computer-free options for DVD rentals. [Read more →]

Temporary tables for the SciLi patio, which The Herald mentioned several weeks ago, have now arrived. According to the article, these will be replaced by permanent seating, with these tables moving to the Andrews Hall terrace.

If you’re tired of studying for finals inside the SciLi, you can take a break on the patio, enjoying the building’s beautiful exterior.

On a more serious note, it’s great that they’ve found a use for the otherwise-empty space. With non-winter weather upon us, it’s always nice to have more outdoor places to sit.

Staying in Providence over long weekend?  Why not check a few things off of that good old Brown must-do list:

1. The Ratty challenge. This Saturday’s menu features eggplant parm for lunch and “tortellini provencale” for dinner—both of which ought to make fine meals indeed.  Just make sure you bring others: solo all-day-Ratty-sits can get mighty boring.
2. The RISD art museum. Oh yeah, by the way, that art school down the street houses a museum with some of the most famous impressionist paintings in the world.  If you haven’t gone down there yet, or if you’re just hankering for a dose of the finer side of college life (Wednesday night FishCo can’t satisfy that craving for everyone, after all), make sure you check it out this weekend.
3. Federal Hill.  Federal Hill, a.k.a. “the heartbeat of Providence”, is home to some ridiculously awesome (and by that, we mean out-of-this-world-delicious) Italian restaurants.  And no, they’re not all absurdly expensive.  Stick to the basics and make sure you get something with red sauce.  Om-nom-nom.
4. Host a potluck dinner. Okay, so we lied.  You could very easily graduate from Brown without ever hosting a potluck dinner and not feel empty inside.  But why would you ever want to go four years at college without ever going for a lil’ po’luck?   Invite others to cook their own dishes (and we know, dorm kitchens aren’t very well equipped, but that’s half the fun!) and bring them over for some old fashioned fine-(do-it-yourself)-dining.
5. The SciLi challenge. 14 floors, 14 shots. Can you do it?*

*The BlogDailyHerald accepts no legal responsibility for any injury you may inflict on yourself or others as a result of attempting the SciLi challenge.  There’s a reason they call it a challenge (otherwise it would be…say, the SciLi walk in the park.  And where’s the fun in that?).

The biblical writings on the Frisc wall

We’re used to seeing strange writing on library walls (Rock bathroom stalls, anyone?) but an unusual stencil in the SciLi leaves  a lot of burning questions for anyone bored enough to be looking at the concrete walls in the wee hours of the morning. Discreetly hidden on one of the stone columns of the Friedman Study Center, the small stencil shows a couple lines of Latin text followed only by this explanation – “The End of the Forty-Two Line Bible.” The Forty-Two Line Bible refers to the Guternberg Bible, the first book printed using Gutenberg’s revolutionary movable type printing press. The remaining copies of the Gutenberg Bible are now considered the rarest and most valuable books in the world. But the question remains – why is the end of the Gutenberg Bible printed on the SciLi’s wall? Is it a reference to the importance of Gutenberg’s invention and the printed word? Is it meant to be a religious statement? Perhaps both? Mysteries remain, though, if anyone knows Latin (and cares enough), we can at least know what the end of The Forty-Two Line Bible is.

You may have already seen the gloriously good news in Morning Mail, but today and tomorrow mark the most exciting in free food adventures. What, you might ask? Pizza in the libraries! This event not only comes at a crucial time — finals, no meal credits, etc. — but also fulfills the perverse pleasure of eating in and going raucous in the library. For the Friedman Study Center that’s nothing new but for the Rock, well, might as well declare it opposite day. Advice from a veteran attendee: get to the library of the evening early and expect to push and shove.

Pizza in the Libraries
Wednesday, May 12: Rock lobby, 9 p.m.
Thursday, May 13: Friedman Study Center, basement level, 9 p.m.