1. IT’S HIGH TIME, TOO: Well, that didn’t take long. Barely two weeks after Oregon voted to legalize marijuana, Portland is scheduled to host the state’s first Cannabis Cup in July 2015. High Times, the publication of record for pot enthusiasts, stages the event, which has been referred to as “the No. 1 competition and expo for cannabis in the world,” for close to three decades in Amsterdam and more recently in cities such as Denver, Seattle and San Francisco. “As soon as you guys legalized, we got it set up the next day,” says Rick Cusick of the New York magazine. No specific details are available, but Cusick says they will “contact every grower in the state” about displaying their wares. Sometimes called “the Academy Awards of marijuana,” last year’s gathering in Colorado drew 37,000 attendees.
  1. OTTER’S PIZZA PARTY: The P.R.E.A.M. Wu-Tang-themed pizza night at Ned Ludd is leaving the nest, The Oregonian reported Nov. 17, and moving into the old Tennessee Red’s space at 2139 SE 11th Ave. When restaurant investor Kurt Huffman originally applied for a liquor license for the location, he called the place “Otter’s Sausagefest.” That’s an inside joke: Noble Rot’s Leather Storrs wrote an article on a local blog saying he knew Huffman’s biggest openings of 2015, including spots called BRODOJO, Salt and Schmaltz, and, yes, Otter’s Sausagefest, which was meant to feature beards and assless pants. The chef-owners at the former Otter’s Sausagefest promise more pizza and “louder music” than P.R.E.A.M. Hopefully, the Otter name will live on in the sausage pie’s name.
  1. BIGGER BIT: You can now buy or sell Bitcoin virtual currency at Pioneer Place, thanks to the new ATM installed in the mall’s food court by local company BitcoinNW. Bitcoin is an electronic currency not tied to any state government, making it popular among Web libertarians. Until recently, Bitcoins could be traded only on the Internet, and are accepted as currency only at a small number of businesses, such as Whiffies Fried Pies food cart, Kit Kat Club and Overstock.com. It’s the most prominent such alternative currency, though a Beaverton programmer designed another cryptocurrency called Dogecoin that briefly had more trading volume than Bitcoin. Users of the Pioneer Place ATM can trade the virtual currency for $20 and $100 bills. The world’s first Bitcoin ATM was installed in Vancouver, B.C., in October 2013, and Seattle got one in May, but this is by far the most prominent location for a Bitcoin ATM.
  1. STILL STANDING: Five Portland comics were recently called down to Los Angeles to audition for Last Comic Standing. After advancing past a regional round in Seattle, Amy Miller, Nathan Brannon, Bri Pruett, Barbara Holm and Lonnie Bruhn all performed short sets for a panel of NBC producers and Wanda Sykes. “We enjoyed a very nice time at the Hard Rock Cafe afterward, stress-eating an ice cream sundae and, in my case, a lot of white wine,” Miller says. No word yet on who’s through to the show. Speaking of Portland comedy, WW has again polled the local scene to determine this city’s funniest people. (Miller, Brannon and Pruett all landed on the list last year, as did Shane Torres, who appeared on Last Comic Standing last spring.) The winners will be revealed in next week’s issue, and we’ll hold a free showcase featuring all five at 7 pm Sunday, Nov. 30, at the Bossanova Ballroom.