Google Plus

If the new "Plus One" button wasn't a tip-off, Google just launched their new, invitation-only social networking service: Google Plus. With Facebook already at 500 million members, however, can Google really hope to break into this market? Especially with a service they aren't letting people sign up for?

Google's Plus-One button, available for Google Account users

ExCourses

When it comes to registering for classes, Tufts follows the time-honored seniority tradition: seniors pick first, freshmen pick last. But the ExCollege doesn't seem to have gotten that memo. In fact, the University's home for new and unusual courses doesn't stagger course selection at all. Come 9:00am EST on Tuesday, September 1, 2011, potentially thousands of students across campus will be logging on to grab spots in some of the coolest classes offered. Those classes, as of today, are listed online.

(No elephants are harmed at the Experimental College)

PhD in Despicableness

After making some of my friends watch Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog (to mixed, although overall disappointing reviews), I couldn't help but reflect on the music, plot, and devices over the next few days.

Without going into details as to how I think they were able to go about presenting the ending as chillingly as they did, or how tying the theme from "Brand New Day" into "Everything You Ever" was some awesome juxtaposition, or the tragicomedy genre was something I had never before heard of, I will say this: Has anyone noticed the similarities between Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog and Universal's "Despicable Me"?

Applied XKCD

When Facebook Questions first started, I had a crack at it, trying to provide some insightful answers for the community. I remember coming across the query: "What is the most important academic field for our future successes as a nation?" In other words, what should we study? As the topic was something I often asked myself, I was compelled to leave a reply.


In November of 2010, I suggested an answer: Politics. I went on to argue that we simply couldn't have "teachers, or engineers, or anything else unless the government is willing to support it ... [W]e need people to study politics, so that they can continue to create schools, projects, and policies that allow us to thrive. Once government is in place, we can move on to more advanced fields - education, sciences, arts."

Parody: The Semi-Sincere Form of Flattery

Writing about outstanding seniors got me thinking about one of the most famous valedictorians of all time: "Weird Al" Yankovic. Yes, the singer/songwriter graduated at the top of his high school class and went on to top the Australian singles chart ("Eat It," 1984) and the almost-top of the Billboard Hot 100 (#9 for for "White & Nerdy," 2006). For those who haven't heard Weird Al, you should start listening. His new album, Alpocalypse, will be his first release since 2006, expected to hit stores June 21st.

The Years Fly By

My mother was quite surprised to receive the following email in her inbox Thursday afternoon. I think this is hysterical:

Lower Moreland, Class of 2011

If editing the ElmLeo (Lower Moreland High School's award-winning yearbook) taught me anything, it was how to craft witty (if not corny) article titles. Just as that position has been passed on, I've resigned to let this post have a fairly normal, straightforward title. This post is about the next graduating class of my alma mater. First and foremost: congratulations to the class of 2011!

Sing o' the Devils

"Glee." It's a television show about a group of high school kids who sing. Sounds cool, right? It's a shame real life isn't like that. Or is it?

Food for Thought

The USDA needs to stop redesigning the Food Pyramid. But seriously. They're the department of agriculture, not graphic design; give it a rest! Sure enough, they've done it again, bringing new meaning to the phrase "reinvent the wheel." The new circle-shaped "MyPlate" (that's right, plate, not pyramid) was unveiled Thursday - unbelievable. I did some digging to enrich my complaints, and so without further ado, ladies and gentlemen, a brief history of the USDA's food guides: