CTools becomes a little more Web 2.0
By Bridget ODonnell, written on Jul. 10, 2008
CTools, a decent, user-friendly University interface (sorry, WolverineAccess), is asking for users to submit photos to use on its homepage.
That’s right. CTools is actually asking for User-generated Content. And they’re going to feature it on the homepage!
You know what that means: CTools has adopted Web 2.0!
(Granted, it’s not much. But it’s a step. A big step.)
The deadline to submit photos is July 15th. That’s five days, people.
The winner gets a $50 gift certificate to Amazon.com and 10 runners-up get $15 gift certificates.
Some of the early entries are already being featured on the homepage:
Caption: Think about it, they’re choosing photos from people like you and me rather than hiring professionals to take them. This could be the start of your career in photography!
On a side note, does this mean we no longer get to see those creepy animated gifs that the CTools team likes to put on the homepage on Holidays? We here at The Circuit still have nightmares of the cackling jack-o-lantern that was put up this past Halloween.
Now if only they could fix that paper problem…
The new and improved Wolverine Access
By Bridget ODonnell, written on Jul. 10, 2008
We here at The Circuit apologize for taking so long* to announce that Wolverine Access, the bane of every University of Michigan student’s existence, has finally redesigned. On June 9, to be exact. (More info on the upgrade can be found here).
And boy, was it ever overdue.
We have our own opinions on the new look, but we want to hear from you first. We would like to know: What do you think of the upgrade? Participate in our poll or add your thoughts to the comments section.
And be completely honest. We’ll publish the best comments in a later post.
*It’s the summer thing, you know?
EDIT: We’re having some technical difficulties attaching the poll to this blog post, so for now, you’ll have to go to an external source to add your vote. We apologize.
FAIL!
By Allie, written on Jun. 2, 2008
FAIL!
It’s my favorite phrase. I enjoy shouting it in public whenever nerds are, or may be, present. Forget the awkward turtles and pointing and laughing. If there is one thing that LOLcats have given society, it’s this wonderful way to embarrass others.
Fortunately, I don’t have to wait for excuses to glory in other people’s misery any longer. FAIL Blog, a sister site of the pioneer ICanHasCheezburger, is full of wildly hilarious and [Circuit disclaimer in advance] frequently offensive moments of FAILure.
Let’s do the Time Warp again…
By Allie, written on May. 26, 2008
Having recently spent some time in Washington D.C., I was delighted by the newly remodeled and uber-chic Newseum. It reopened this April and is stunning. My favorite exhibit by far was the archives of newspapers from critical events in American history. It was like having the past of the country laid bare in front of you, without the pretense and agenda of your 8th-grade history books.
That’s why I was so excited to hear that the New York Times has created the “TimesMachine.” For those who receive the home edition, you can see the original version of any NYT page ever. For those who aren’t subscribers, you can still view many of the sections for free. If that doesn’t scream “EPIC,” I don’t know what does.
Humanities Geeks
By Allie, written on May. 23, 2008
Don’t let the math and science majors impugn your g33kdom, humanities fans!
In an undoubtedly Ender’s Game-inspired course, University of Wyoming students are practicing composing messages to aliens…
…No. Really. Read more. What interests me is the multimedia aspects. Just like the buggers things in Ender’s Game, even if there is intelligent life in the universe, who knows how that species will communicate? Audially? Visually? Or in a sense that we don’t even know about?
So, math and science g33ks, you all get us in contact with whatever’s out there. The rest of us will be coming up with openers for when you do.
The keyboard of the future?
By Bridget ODonnell, written on May. 15, 2008
Is it even possible to type anything with this laser keyboard? I, for one, am a fan of the real thing.
(Image from The Guardian).
The free music phenomenom
By Bridget ODonnell, written on May. 5, 2008
No, no, I’m not talking about this free music phenomenom. I’m referring to a rather recent (and sort of ironic) trend in which the artists themselves are putting up their songs for free on the Internet. Read the rest of this entry »
SkyMall: Flying the funky skies
By Allie, written on May. 2, 2008
Everyone who flies knows SkyMall, the cheesy catalog that contains 50% James-Bond-esque gadgets and 50% BS that Harriet Carter would refuse to carry. Bored senseless on my way back to my father’s house, I decided to find you the best, the worst and the weirdest that the current edition of Skymall offers.
The end of the Internet?
By Bridget ODonnell, written on Apr. 28, 2008
Apparently, it’s entirely possible for the Internet to run out of bandwidth. And it’s supposed to happen in just two years.
Who knew?
A conference I’d like to attend
By Bridget ODonnell, written on Apr. 25, 2008
What could be better than a group of intellectuals discussing the merits of LOLcats?
The Guardian Tech Blog reports that ROFLcon, a two day event at MIT beginning today, features a “panel of experts” who will speak about memes and, quite possibly, what could become the next LOLcat.
For those of you who can’t fly over to Cambridge, Mass. this weekend, the Guardian will be liveblogging the conference. The folks over at ROFLcon have also set up a Twitter feed with instant updates, as well as a Live Webcast.