23 November 2009

Why give a tweet?

What’s happening?

It’s a question we answer countless times a day. Why not publish these daily happenings, however minute or groundbreaking, to the whole world?

For those of you living under a rock, Twitter is an online social network that lets you do just that. From professional corporate representatives to the biggest celebrities to Miley-crazed teenyboppers, Twitter has won the hearts of millions by asking this simple question.

In 140 characters or less, users can share ideas, ask questions, and link to blog posts, news stories or Web sites--or say literally anything they deem worthy of tweeting.

Claiming to solve the information overload of the Internet, Twitter allows users see updates only from other tweeters they choose to follow.

While Twitter is perfect for on-the-go news updates (I follow the NY Times, CNN and NPR), many use Twitter as just another excuse to talk about themselves. But does anyone really want to know how 'totally cute' your butt looks in your new jeans? Does anyone really care if you're having a bad hair day? No. They don’t.

I'll sum it up Twitter-style:

While Twitter is still in the experimental stages, it is dang trendy, simple, informative and entertaining. I can't wait to see what's next.

(Yes, that was exactly 140 characters.)

19 November 2009

That age old lesson...

Hey, you. Yeah—you.

I saw you drop that Snickers wrapper on the ground as you walked to class.

I saw you toss your empty Mountain Dew bottle out the window as you sped down the highway.

I saw you look the other way while Fido did his business in the neighbor’s lawn.

Don’t you know that littering is one of the leading causes of carbon emissions? Ninety-four percent of people cite littering as one of the top environmental concerns. And yet, littering persists.

There is nothing more frustrating, disrespectful and just plain ugly than litter on the ground. What’s worse is that it is easily preventable. The solution: don’t do it.

When you litter, it’s like you’re dumping waste in your own bed. But I would never dump waste in my own bed, Megan. That’s gross.

But it’s true. When you litter, you’re jeopardizing the lives of plants and animals and ruining the planet. The earth is our home and it should be treated as such. If your roommate tried to throw trash on the couch, I'm sure that you’d have a few choice words to say.

Monday morning, on my daily five-minute walk from home to campus, I came across four pieces of garbage. At nearly one piece of trash per minute, I found the amount of crap littering the campus to be appalling. The central green was speckled with discarded, half-eaten ice cream cones, candy wrappers and even a forbidden beer can.

I picked up these droppings as I went along, and I soon realized the definite lack of garbage cans on campus. Outside each building stand only ashtrays. I was forced to carry these bacteria-filled, stench-carrying pieces of trash in the building with me, where I promptly hightailed it to the nearest waste bin and subsequently the nearest restroom so I could wash my hands.

In truth, Augustana should really have more garbage cans around campus. Garbage bins might not be the most picturesque of things, but what’s worse: ugly garbage cans next to the door or nasty, rotting bits of garbage scattered all over campus? I am hard-pressed to find anyone who would choose the latter.

The solution to littering, however, requires more than just a few more garbage cans. It requires a bit of work on our part, the willingness to put that sticky, now empty Snickers wrapper in our pocket or backpack until we can get to trash can.

You have a choice. You can be lazy, take the easy way out and drop your garbage wherever you so desire, in doing so harming our environment and spoiling the habitats of practically every living thing. Or, you can proactive and figuratively kill two birds with one stone by picking up your trash and tossing it in a garbage can, thus preserving the environment and our lives and keeping our surroundings just a little bit prettier.

Come on, people. Let’s do what we all know is right. Keep garbage off the ground.

17 November 2009

Things to come...

Hello blogosphere,

I'll be getting a new post up tomorrow or Thursday... It's editorial time.

I'm currently brainstorming ideas for my next review. The idea list so far:

--gas stations
--social media networks
--thrift stores
--photo developing services (wait, those still exist?)

What would you like to see reviewed?

11 November 2009

Bored? Try a board game.

Friday night is finally here.

Two large pepperoni pizzas: check.

Refrigerator stocked with beverage of choice: check.

Four to six friends ready for a board game night: check.

Board games: oh crap!

For a truly successful game night, you’ve got to have the right board game.

Feeling nostalgic? Go with something classic like Clue or Sorry. Feeling like taking the stage? Guesstures or good ol’ charades never fail to bring in the fun. Feeling rather verbose? Scrabble, Taboo or Scattergories is sure to tickle the funny bone of any word-savvy game enthusiast.

Don’t know what you’re feeling? Go with Catch Phrase. This game is my go-to guy, tried and true. Electronic or not (it is so last millennium to manually change the reel), Catch Phrase always manages to turn a humdrum Friday night into a genuine, laugh your socks off party.


For the newbies, the game is simple. Seated in a circle with alternating team members, the first player starts to describe the word given on the handheld unit once the timer has started. He passes the unit once his teammates guess the particular word or phrase. If the buzzer goes off while it's your turn, the other team scores a point. That’s it.

The great thing about Catch Phrase is its versatility. If you don’t have even teams, just play with everyone guessing. Add extra challenges by taking away an arm or a leg or certain words from the person describing. For some hilarious charades escapades, act out the given phrase. Or, if competition really strikes your fancy, go head-to-head with one person from each team acting or describing at the same time. However you play, be creative! The game is only as fun as you make it.

With everything in check for your next game night, have fun!