Never heard of Cyber Monday? That’s okay, you’re not alone. Like Grandparent’s Day and other Hallmark holidays, it’s an event created by large corporations to convince you to spend lots of money on things you and or your relatives probably don’t actually need. But of course I need a refrigerator with a built-in television! you’re probably telling yourself, How else am I supposed to keep myself entertained while getting ice from the fridge?

 Luckily, there’s an upside to all this gross consumerism. Instead of buying grandma and grandpa some Sea-Bond Denture Glue to show how much you love them, this time it’ll be you who gets to reap the rewards of this artificially-manufactured holiday. Think of Cyber Monday like the cheap love child of Black Friday and the Interwebz — a glorious day when large retailers slash their online prices for 24 hours in the name of turning a profit. Hooray!

In case you’re looking to develop an online shopping addiction, or you’re just bored and looking for a means of procrastination, here are two links to some of the best deals on the web:

 Gizmodo’s Guide to Cyber Monday 

Daily Beast’s 15 Best Cyber Monday Deals

Now whip out mommy’s credit card and enjoy!

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Shopping period classes are kind of like pilot episodes of television shows. In the first forty minutes you’re exposed to the characters of the course (professors, TAs), the mood is set and you develop a general understanding of what you’re getting into for the next 13 weeks. But, just as with a bad TV show, there are some red flags that indicate that the course (or professor) may be an absolute dud. Check out the seven signs that your class is more Cavemen than Mad Men after the jump. [Read more →]

The computer: helping college students procrastinate since 1990.

Attention Brown Students: It’s about to be finals period, and chances are, you’re looking for a new way to put off writing those 10-15 page final papers and contributing to group Google Doc exam study guides. As if they knew it was crunch time on college campuses, according to recent articles from the New York Times’ Bits blog and The Wrap, YouTube and Facebook —probably some of the most frequented procrastination sites–are both about to expand their services by launching new ventures that may look somewhat familiar.

According to the The Wrap, YouTube has plans to offer instant movie streaming services, much like Netflix Instant or Apple movies. Depending on how it goes, our Netflix Files may be turning into YouTube Files.   [Read more →]

Fall in Providence — Anne Simons / BlogDailyHerald

Supposedly Brown students don’t leave the campus area as often as we should. (Wait, there are other streets besides Thayer?) You and your family may be tired of looking around the Brown campus and Thayer Street, so check out these slightly off Thayer destinations.

For everyone:
Historic crap on College Hill: Just walk around and absorb that historic atmosphere in the beautiful fall weather. And we mean crap in the best way possible.

The State House: They give tours, right? Go see what the RI legislature is up to these days.

Follow after the jump to [Read more →]

One of the tamer American Apparel ads

American Apparel, the LA based clothes manufacturer known for its multi-colored basics and racy ad campaigns, has been providing hipsters world wide with retro classics, ironic leggings, and lacy undies for the past 20 years. However, hipsters might soon need to search farther for patterned fishnets. The company has recently had some financial trouble and is said to be heading towards bankruptcy. The manufacturer’s stock plummeted last month after a series of dubious business decisions by outspoken CEO Dov Charney (a hipster in his own right). Hipster, fear not! Charney says that he can turn the company around. Until then, better stock up on all of your leotards and classic V-necks while American Apparel is still around.

It was utterly impossible to get a seat in AFRI1060P: “African Literature: Chinua Achebe” even five minutes before the class began. The small seminar classroom was filled to the brim with at least 40 students chatting and excited to find out exactly what they had signed up for.

Of course, not everyone was pre-registered — but luckily for them, Visiting Professor Ekwene Michael Thelwell decided that attendance at the first class is more important than being registered on Banner. He invited anybody who wanted to take the course after the first class to show up for the second lecture, implying that they had priority over those registered students who were absent.

Thelwell talked at length about the course, which is capped at 30, and did not hide his own excitement. “I envy you guys,” he said, “because we aren’t just going to read and analyze fiction.”

More after the jump. [Read more →]