Posts by Kelly Hering

Faunce Arch, Andrews Hall, Keeney Quadrangle, Wriston Quad, Caswell Hall… these are all familiar buildings on campus named appropriately after former presidents of Brown University. E. Gordon Gee, however, known for his notorious years at Brown, left the most legendary (yet perhaps overlooked) legacy of all: The E. Gordon Gee Lavatory Complex.

This set of port-a-potties only graces us with its presence once a year… yes, you guessed it: Spring Weekend. So what better a time to commemorate its fifth anniversary! The keepers of the E. Gordon Gee Lavatory Complex are throwing a pizza party to celebrate this exciting occasion. Check them out on Twitter (@EGGeeLC) for updates.

Who was E.Gordon Gee and how did he get his name plastered across the face of portable toilets? Find out after the jump. [Read more →]

According to a Manhattan mother, the time to start preparing for your shot at the Ivy League is well before freshman year of high school. Apparently we should seriously consider preschool education in the quest for admission to a top-ranked college.

The mother, Nicole Imprescia, is suing York Avenue Preschool for destroying her daughter’s shot at admission to a private school in the city, along with an Ivy League education. She claims that the school was putting her daughter in classes with younger students, putting her at a disadvantage compared to the other four-year-olds of the world. If Imprescia wins, York will have to refund her for the $19,000 she paid in tuition. Yes, you read it right: $19,000.

The lesson?  Make sure you thank your parents for putting you in the right preschool when you were four.  Who knows?   If they had made a different decision, you might not have even made it into Brown!  Or maybe that’s just what one overly-concerned helicopter parent wants us to believe…

Many of you may have noticed this sign in the window of the vacant store between the Metro-Mart and Better Burger Co, and its true… Thayer St’s newest addition will be Froyoworld!

Originating in San Francisco, California, this self-serve frozen yogurt lounge is looking to make a name for itself on the East Coast! There are a variety of different flavors to choose from, along with up to 45 different toppings ranging from sugary sweets and cereals to nuts and fruits.

Tentatively, Froyoworld is looking to have a soft opening in the first week of April and do a big grand opening in the first week of May. At their grand opening, they will be giving out free t-shirts with every purchase (while supplies last)!  Stay tuned for more updates as the semester progresses.

Remember Snake? … that game that served as an addiciting predecessor to Brickbreaker on most cellphones and gaming devices?  Well, these college students took the game to a whole new level… and made a light show from their dorm building.

For those of you that missed it, the Archaeology Dept. here at Brown hosted a movie night  this past Monday featuring a screening of the blockbuster sci-fi thriller Avatar. Following the movie was a panel of commentators from the department to talk about the controversies and parallels that arose after Avatar hit the theater. How Avatar exactly connects with the study of archaeology is still up for debate… but the movie  was chosen by popular vote! Regardless, read up on what the panelists came up with after the jump. [Read more →]

New York Times

We’re sure you’ve come across some strange articles in your lifetime that make you seriously wonder… WTF?! However, it’s pretty rare that these articles come straight out of the highly acclaimed New York Times.

On December 30^th, 2010 one journalist must have had a pretty bad day. Either that, or someone tampered with his morning coffee.  Whatever it was, it helped him produce a rather interesting and questionable article about the slush that continues to plague Manhattan this winter. I think that’s something that we inhabitants of Providence can definitely relate to.

“The snowman’s cheery gaze turned to one of grave alarm, for slush is to him what zombies are to man. Relentless, undead.” This is just one of the many bizarre passages of Michael Wilson’s piece.  Check it out… it’s bound to make you question if that day’s NY Times editor took a little snooze on the job.

Remember Napster? Well the RIAA (Recording Industry Association of America) has done it again. It looks like after its loss in court against the RIAA, Limewire will indeed be shut down after all. We’re sure it’s not hard to guess why… Limewire was charged with copyright infringement and illegal P2P sharing. Even Limewire Pro users, who cranked out about 35 dollars a year for the free music service, will feel the loss of their file sharing service. Bummer. [Read more →]

Sick of the Ratty? Down about the V-Dub? Click. Drool. Repeat… get your food fix. Maybe this will finally persuade you to get a couple bucks together and treat yourself to something a little more tasty. Thank you Food Porn Daily!

According to Trojan’s fifth annual Sexual Health Report Card, Brown’s been doing pretty well in safe and healthy sex department. Ranked fifth in its class under the #1 Columbia, Bruno pushed up from its 9^th spot in 2009 with an astonishing 3.5 GPA! (okay maybe it’s a low A…)

Thought that was a big jump? Harvard is now 16^th after its embarrassing 62^nd ranking last year… which is fishy to say the least…looks like they got some extra homework help, or finally decide to learn from the best here on College Hill.

What were the criteria, you ask?

They included areas such as STD testing, health center hours, the existence relevant student groups, and the availability of condoms on campus (now you see why our RCs tape them all over their doors).

So, in addition to our high ranks on happiness, looks like we’re also safest and less likely to destroy the hard work that landed us in this prestigious university in the first place. Bruno’s not ready for baby bears quite yet…

With the emergence of Facebook and Twitter (and mass amounts of Facebook statuses that truly belong on Twitter), people have begun to enjoy tracking everyone’s daily activities and most recent epiphanies on the web. Even celebrities (and pseudo-celebs as well) have opened their worlds to the public eye through these social networking sites.

What if we could take these modes of global communication back hundreds or even thousands of years to a time during which serious history was in the making? Coolmaterial.com has provided the world with simply hilarious potential Facebook statuses from the celebs of the history books including Honest Abe, the Titantic, and Galileo, with added commentary from their closest friends and greatest contenders.

Now, let’s get creative. What do you think some of Brown’s ancient founders and alums would have posted to the Facebook of their time?

We were thinking: Rev. James Manning posts, “Long live Brunonia!” Rev. Elisha Andrews says, “Unfortunately I have just stepped upon that damn Pembroke College Seal, I knew I should have put that somewhere else.” Or even Barnaby C. Keeney writes, “Wednesdayyynightf.. fishhhco!^!*@”