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Unfortunately, December 1st has come and gone, which means two things: 1) the semester is ending soon, and everyone is entering finals mode, and 2) winter is coming winter has officially begun.

To be clear, winter weather has been present for some time, but now calendar-wise there’s no space to claim it’s still ‘fall’ and go about wearing shorts. There’s something about college— the lack of mothers around, probably—that makes people think it’s okay to wear flip-flops in 30 degree weather. It’s not. And we’re going to call you out on it (and other things that are no longer acceptable now that the temperature has dropped.) Here’s a FlogDailyHerald for all you cold weather fiends:

1. Shorts. Unless you’re going to the gym, are coming back from the gym, or are some sort of yeti, there is no reason to be walking around campus barelegged. (Also, I sort of think it’s not even that okay to wear shorts outside for gym-reasons; just change when you get there…) In the same vein, the female-presenting folk that walk around in shorts/skirts without tights: what are you trying to PROVE? Goosebumps flatter no one.

2. Open-toed shoes/shoes that don’t require socks. We love sandals as much as the next sartorially conscious phe, but spring/summer have come and gone. Let’s close that chapter until March April May. We promise that allowing your toes to bask in sunshine will be much more satisfying when they’re no risk for frostbite. [Insert joke about getting cold feet about your planned outfit here. Ha!]  [Read more →]

Earlier this week, we presented our first annual Senior Superlatives. You nominated seniors across 30 different categories. Your job now? Vote for one of the top five nominees in each category.

Everyone—freshmen, sophomores, juniors, seniors, professors, their pets, your parents (well, maybe not your parents)—is eligible to vote.  Vote now (after the jump) or forever hold your peace. Voting will close Monday, December 9 at 11:59 p.m.

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In order to get you young whippersnappers in the scrutinizing mode for finals and hopefully a jolly mood for the holidays, your one and only true Blog love brings you the 12 Days of Flogmas. What is a Flog, you ask? Why, it merely consists of the best, most poignant, sometimes earth-shattering criticisms of perhaps the most trivial, yet gear-grinding aspects of life at Brown (see our FlogDailyHerald column). We feel this is particularly fitting during our collective finals catharsis, and we’ll keep it coming for 12 days. Take a sip of your FlogNog and let the festivities begin…

Oh, J. Walter Wilson, how I hate thee. Home to our mail boxes, mail services, and a number of unrelated offices, JWW is a hub of student traffic. Whether you have a language class in there every fucking day or you just stop by to pick up your mail, we are all too familiar with it. There are certain questions one is faced with upon entering the building, most of which have to do with its construction. The most pressing of which is what the architect was actually thinking when designing the building. The way things turned out, you’d think he or she was pulling a Rob Ford. Here’s why: [Read more →]

In a completely subjective ranking by HerCampus.com, Brown has been deemed the most progressive school in the nation. Considering we’ve dipped our toes in the top lists of sexiest, hipster-est, and happiest schools–just to name a few–it only makes sense that we’d come out on top in an all-encompassing ranking of liberality and forward-thinking. Being labeled as the “most progressive” basically covers all the artsy/alternative/offbeat/generalize-as-you-will bases in one foul sweep. In other words, Brown continues to be regarded as the shit.

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Rhode Island Hall seems to be one of the more unnoticed buildings on the Main Green—some only know it as Joukowsky, while others have never set foot inside. Little do people know that Rhode Island Hall has an incredibly cool history… and even used to home to a large collection of taxidermy (among other things). Yes, you read correctly.

Rhode Island Hall was built in 1840 to create new space for the Departments of Natural Philosophy, Chemistry, Mineralogy, Geology, and Natural History. Its name reflected the fact that the building was almost funded entirely by Rhode Islanders. The second floor of Rhode Island Hall was also Brown’s Museum of Natural History, which displayed a large variety of taxidermy and osteological species. [Read more →]

Man, I love college. The independence, the self-discovery, the prevalence of fried and sugary goods… This is what dreams are made of.  Still, I can’t say that I don’t miss my childhood days–and now more than ever, since finals are upon us. I mean, no one told me how nerve-wracking grocery shopping by yourself could be (especially when everyone at Whole Foods is beautiful and intimidating), or how terrifying calling your bank’s customer service is when they start bombarding you with security questions and you suddenly forget your own birthday. Sometimes, we just need to take a break from this freak show that is adulthood to feel like kids again. Luckily, there are plenty of ways to reconnect with your inner child here at Brown. So, close that NPR tab and put adulthood on hold, and read up!

Get turnt up in the Providence Place toy store

Who needs H&M?

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It’s pretty safe to say that size envy has been part of the male psyche for a very long time. Think back to the 17^th century, when European monarchs played “whose is bigger” with their castles (I’m talking to you, Louis XIV). We still get involved with such mind games, but now we’re talking about penises. This week, Time published research done by condomania.com about America’s buying habits when it comes to condoms. The website sells and delivers condoms throughout the country, and in their study they compiled sales data from across the country to determine the relative sizes of states’ male members.

At first I questioned the validity of this survey because, let’s be honest, who has ever ordered condoms online? But after perusing Condomania, it seems like they actually know their stuff when it comes to condoms. They literally have pages and pages of different types of condoms, as well as other sex toys. Who knew that you could import condoms from Japan, or buy vegan lube? [Read more →]

Sriracha is in trouble.

First, a judge ruled that Huy Fong Food’s Southern California Sriracha plant must shut down due to neighbor’s complaints that the smell caused headaches. Then, Dining Services implemented a rule barring the usage of spicy with sauces on anything but spicy withs. Say goodbye to your divine 1:30 a.m. Sriracha and fries.

But, just when we thought all was lost, in swoops Phillips Distilling Company to save the day. This insane and delusional genius company decided enough was enough. Someone needed to combine college students’ two favorite liquids. Introducing…UV Sriracha Vodka.

The visionary director of research and development at Phillips, Jim Aune, describes the best pair since peanut and jelly as a “blend of chili peppers, garlic and vegetables.” Sounds like the perfect pre-hook up drink to me! While everyone is probably dying to drink that enticing blend straight, Aune suggests adding it to a bloody mary or any other savory drink.

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Everybody loves Bill Nye. Well, not everybody, but at least we can agree that he has a lovable TV personality. His show, Bill Nye the Science Guy, aired from 1993 to 1998 on Disney and PBS, and enlightened a generation of children—and adults, perhaps—to love and appreciate science.

So it was not a surprise when just a few weeks ago, news of his visit to campus—scheduled for tonight at 7 in the Salomon Auditorium—erupted, as well as a fair dose of rapture among the student body. So fair was this dose that online tickets for the event sold out in seconds each of the first two days, and the remaining tickets were distributed in a lottery. One student is even reported to have said, “I would redo each and every one of my poor life decisions for the certainty of getting a ticket.”

Good news, student, and anyone else who wasn’t able to secure a ticket: you don’t have to redo your poor life decisions. Instead, you can watch Bill’s talk live on screen (“simulcast”) in Salomon 001. Students waiting in the stand-by line tonight who don’t get their numbers called will have the opportunity to go downstairs and have the eerie knowledge that the Science Guy is just above them, delivering his words of wisdom (and science).

Be sure to head over to Salomon before 6:45 tonight! Who knows, there may be a seat available for you, especially if you come early, and if not, there should be one downstairs. I’m sure that with all of our upcoming exams and whatnot, we could all use some Bill Nye in our lives.

Image via. 

Today, President John Maeda announced that he will be leaving RISD at the end of this semester (read: in two weeks). Maeda will conclude his six-year term, and move on to be the first Design Partner at the Silicon Valley firm Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers in January 2014. He will also chair the eBay Design Advisory Board. When RISD students return to the steeper sections of College Hill on January 6th, 2014 for Wintersession, John Maeda will have departed… so get your selfies in with Maeda now, before it’s too late! Here is the video Maeda e-mailed to the RISD community this afternoon, along with his official announcement:

Maeda concluded his campus-wide e-mail with heartwarming last words: [Read more →]