Is this little guy equal to the task of defeating the mighty Ipod? (BBC)

Zune, Zune, Zune. Anyone who attended Sigma Alpha Epsilon’s Saturday night shindig saw Zune everywhere. Hanging on the walls, giant posters screamed Zune. Partygoers received glowsticks with the Zune name all over them.

Professional photographers and a man with a video camera filmed Penn students as they partied down. This wasn’t normal sticky floor SAE party. Microsoft sponsored this soire.

Microsoft recently revamped its Zune mp3 player, trying to take a bite out of the iPod’s success. However, name recognition is low, and Microsoft is trying to create a buzz. College campuses are a main target.

Wharton sophomore Sameer Kirtane is one of Microsoft’s main offensive weapons. As a brother at SAE, he organized the Zune party. “So [Microsoft] rolled out the Zune, and they have people on campus that they give them to. . . Ground force marketing. I pitched the idea [of a party].”

The marketing team contracted by Microsoft to create the buzz, gave Sameer and the brothers of SAE a check, a few easy guidelines and free reign.”They wanted product placement, to get the name out,” said Sameer. “On top of that, they wanted to get some good pictures–potentially to use for advertising.”

Microsoft isn’t the only company targeting students with parties, give-aways, and cool events. Toyota’s Scion brand recently began hosting events in 55 different cities across the United States, including Philadelphia. A more subtle strategy, Scion actually looks for up-and-coming fashion and technology trends, surveying their events for the next hot thing. Those tight jeans your ueber-hipster friend wears or the blu-ray disc your techie friend bought might just inspire a new automotive design or technology. Product placement seems to be a secondary challenge.

Whatever their motives, companies are beginning to realize the lucrative power of the college-age market. With our trend-setting style, party-Ivy title, and status as super consumers, Penn students are demanding the attention of the business world, and not just for OCR. It’s a marketing technique gone wild, and I couldn’t be happier. We’re finally invited to the company party.

Deep breaths. Well, on second thought…(Sharon Udasin/DP)

Walking past the desolate wasteland formerly known as Cinemagic and College Pizza during the final days of demolition, there was a reassuring cloudy haze of white particulants looming over the zone. It’s comforting that Penn cares so much about the safety of its students and the workers.

“University Partners, as well as our construction partner, InTech, perform the highest level of safety and security as we work through ordinances, permits and processes with city, county and state government regulators.” Elyse Hammett, spokesperson for University Partners, the lead construction contractor for the project, wrote in an e-mail interview. “It is both University Partners and InTech Construction’s missions to meet or exceed all requirements for OSHA and compliance with all ordinances, processes and procedures throughout the entire scope of this building project.”

Unfortunately, despite the high-winded rhetoric, University Partners refused to specifically address such trivial details as “ordinances” and “procedures.” The company also declined to answer important questions like whether or not heavy metals, fiberglass and asbestos were present among the demolition rubble, each of which can lead to serious respiratory injuries for workers.

If cement and glass particulants are restricting our breathing passages simply as we walk by, imagine the health and safety risks that the construction workers confront after spending an entire day on the scene.

When workers don’t wear respirators at a site such as 3925 Walnut St., they can be dangerously exposed to fibrous fragments, such as fiberglass and asbestos. Dr. Marilyn Howarth, an assistant professor of Occupational and Environmental Medicine at the Medical School, describes each of these fibers as a “very long narrow kind of a particle that is caught in the substance of the lung,” which damages cells, at the site that it lodges, and “the healing process of trying to get rid of this fiber sets up an ongoing scarring process.” Particularly damaging are non-degradable substances such as the most infamous culprit, asbestos.

“If you have enough of these fibers, you can develop a condition such as Mesothelioma,” Howarth said. “Cancer that is related to asbestos doesn’t develop for 20 to 30 years.”

That’s an eerie thought. What a terrible feeling &mdash to know that cancer is a likely reality in future years to come. But the construction workers have no choice; they need to earn money, and if they don’t perform the job, then someone else will. Project managers and construction companies like University Partners and InTech must focus more attention on employee safety and consider their workers’ vitality with much greater value. And because Penn leases the Walnut St. land to these private enterprises, the University is by no means exempt from this cooperative responsibility.

A final note &mdash on Thursday afternoon, InTech finally moved the cement barricades closer to the fence, and pedestrians now have no choice but to cross the street. Thanks for finally heeding our words of caution, after the demolition is already complete.

Mommy, Stanford has an iTunes page, I want one too!

Penn can’t cope with iTunesU. We have no definite plan for installing the technology (a few cameras). Students are so lacking in self-belief, they’ll refuse to ask questions if the classes are recorded. And apparently we’ll all stop going to class. Empty lecture theatres will echo with the memories of the vibrant Penn campus of yesteryear. Furthermore, regardless of the benefits of the iTunes technology, Penn students don’t want it. Or at least they haven’t asked for it yet.

So goes the argument of the anti-iTunesU brigade. Their misplaced criticisms and unfounded fears were reflected in the DP Editorial published earlier this week that provoked serious criticism from within the University.

So what is this iTunesU and is it really worth getting our Ivy League knickers in a twist? According to Apple, “iTunesU is a free, hosted service for colleges and universities that provides easy access to their educational content, including lectures and interviews, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week”. The service has proved popular, attracting esteemed like Stanford, Berkeley and Duke. And it’s been nothing other than a rip-roaring success.

Obadiah Greenberg , former product manager for ‘webcast.berkeley’, UC Berkeley’s webcast and podcast site, spoke to Apple about the speed with which students jumped on the new technology, “UC Berkeley on iTunes U officially went live on April 22, 2006, just in time for Cal Day. By the end of April, we’d had over 330,000 downloads, and nearly 10,000 subscribers.” So in just one week 10,000 students signed up. And not only did they register, they downloaded 330,000 academic items that, in all likelihood, enriched their educations. I’m struggling to see what the problem is here.

Some examples of the benefits perhaps? Well at Stanford, not only have lectures been put online but also more innovative concepts. Professor Kingsley Willis explains on his blog how he has uploaded “short podcasts highlighting the student project portion of an Anatomy of Movement course”.

And for language classes, the opportunities are endless. At Duke University, video clips, texts and audio are being uploaded, allowing students to learn their vocab on the move. Imagine being able to do your homework while walking to class, being able to re-watch a lecture while flying home for fall break, being able to listen to a guest speaker while in the bath.

The premise is clear. iTunesU would open up new doors to the broadening of our academic horizons, allowing us almost unfettered access to the true scope of materials and facilities here at Penn.

And of course, it would help Penn extend its sphere of influence, in the US and abroad. “We have a worldwide audience, too” Greenberg told Apple, “a great result of UC Berkeley on iTunesU”.

According to the DP Editorial team, laundry machines and bus services are more important to Penn kids. Apparently sweet-smelling t-shirts are the key to a successful college career, not mental stimulation and academic excellence. They claim the UA needs to improve Penn In Touch. Seems to me they should be concentrating on getting the DP in touch with the student body first.

We should embrace this new generation of technology. Penn is supposed to be one of the leading schools in the country, if not the world. Let’s keep it that way.

I’m a criminal. I admit it.

I just found out that in Philadelphia, it’s illegal not to recycle. Breaking the law could result in a fine of up to $300. My roommates (who will remain unnamed…) and I have not been recycling &mdash to be honest, it’s an accomplishment if we actually take out the garbage. Sorting is out of the question.

But I think I should reconsider, especially since the City expanded its single stream residential recycling method into West Philadelphia starting March 3 . Now, we can set out pretty much everything recyclable in one container: glass, metal, plastic containers (#1 and #2), cardboard, and mixed paper. Apparently the plastic bottles and cardboard are new additions.

At home in Virginia, my family is forced to use a green plastic bin for recyclables. Of course the bin isn’t nearly large enough, and since the city won’t collect if the items aren’t in the bin, those newspapers and glass bottles end up with the rest of our rubbish, on their way to the landfill.

I never thought I’d say this, but Philadelphia’s system is more efficient. If you don’t have one of the blue recycling bins the city provides, you can use your own container &mdash as long as you mark it with the word “RECYCLING.” But be smart, if you use a cardboard box and it rains or snows, the result is messy. I learned that the hard way while cleaning up Center City last week.

If you live on campus, Penn’s got you covered. There are separate bins available in all of the college houses &mdash the high-rises and Quad also have chutes for recyclables.

I don’t need to discuss the benefits of recycling, and I doubt anyone fears that (questionably enforceable) $300 fine. But Philly has made it so easy there’s really no excuse. Just recycle.

ET phone home. (Hollywood Tuna)

From the Mickey Mouse Club to the clubs of L.A., Britney Spears, your life has never been easy. Thus, I have written this poem, a tribute, if you will, to commemorate your latest escapades in the public eye. Sit back, securely hold Sean-Preston, and enjoy.

Penn students Sigi Enciso, Alba Tuninetti, and Edgar Lopez Ramirez at the Valentine’s Day rally (Sarah Min/DP)

Cancun minus one week and counting. As students head to the south of the border meccas for spring break revelry, they hold nary a thought of those so desperately struggling to head in the opposite direction. Indeed, even in the midst of Witness Week 2007 (Penn’s second annual human rights awareness week), the human rights issues revolving around the US-Mexican border seem far from campus. Maybe part of it has to do with the fact that we’d be hard-pressed to find an undocumented immigrant student among us. Last year, the DP reported that although the University does not consider students’ citizenship status in the application process, the lack of financial aid and work opportunities poses serious obstacles for non-U.S. citizens, especially illegals.

Thus, while most of us leave these complex immigration issues for Washington to deal with, for many Philadelphians, they strike close to home. The Valentine’s Day snowstorm forced many couples to cancel their romantic reservations, but it didn’t deter the hundreds of Philly residents, including several Penn students, who met at Independence Park to mark the one-year anniversary of the 2006 immigrant rally. College sophomore Alba Tuninetti, who attended the rally with members of the Latino Coalition, says, “I don’t agree with how the government has been handling this. I believe it’s a human right to go into a country and live there without the government prosecuting them.”

Sofia Elizondo-Jasso, College senior and president of Mex@Penn, who attended last year’s rally, explains that it’s a complicated issue. “There are both push and pull factors perpetuating the flow of immigrants into the States.” Immigrants are not only seeking to escape desperate conditions in their homeland, but they are also “responding to a labor demand in America that would not otherwise be filled.” Both issues need to be addressed in solving the immigration problem.

What we don’t need are the human rights violations that have accompanied the denial of citizens’ rights to undocumented immigrants. Reflecting on all that has happened since last year’s rally, a New York Times editorial laments how, “hopelessly fixated on toughness, the immigration debate has lost its balance, overlooking the humanity of the immigrant.” Elizondo-Jasso asserts that the goal of these rallies is to raise awareness about the undocumented immigrant’s plight, noting that Mex@Penn members are trying to do their part by working with Casa de los Soles, a nonprofit Mexican community center in South Philly, to tutor children of immigrants. Tuninetti also adds, “What was nice about the rally was that there were other non-Latino groups there. It shows that they care.” She concludes by reminding us, “On a daily basis, we encounter immigrants, probably both legal and illegal. It’s not as far as students think.”

So before we pack our bags and head for warmer shores, let’s take a moment to consider those in Philly who are far from home.

Ther ambition and work ethic of people around me struck me as soon as I transferred to Penn. At UCSB most of our energy was expended finding new ways to get drunk. But while I admire the diligence and drive of my fellow Quakers, sometimes I wonder if they know how to turn it off.

Imagine this scene at a party. Actually, you probably don’t have to imagine it, you probably lived it. In line for access to the keg, “patiently” waiting for that Beast Light ambrosia and you overhear, “I’m so pissed. I can’t believe I didn’t get that alternate interview at Merrill Lynch.”

It’s a Saturday night. No classes today. No classes tomorrow. It’s time to unwind from the week and forget about all the work we’ll be doing Sunday. Why kill the high with the I-banking?

You run into that acquaintance from Psych class or Club Tennis at the bar. Silence…you’re at a loss for words. The only way to fill the void is with a rundown of classes and all the work you have to do. It’s a classic way to fight the awkwardness, but let me tell you, it’s not working.

Here and now I’m mobilizing the Blogsbe Nation. Go out there and change the way Penn socializes. This Saturday night, classes, jobs, and work are taboo. Talk about TV, movies, books, the weather, sports or God forbid politics. It’s college, get it?

Editor’s Note: Miss Part I? Check it out “The Locust Walk Hit and Run” here.

24’s Counter-Terrorist Unit Headquarters…errr…the Department of Facilities and Real Estate Services.

Sometimes this campus quite literally stinks.

Built on top of a city grid, Penn’s campus is naturally peppered with sewer grates. Being sewer grates, they often release a most foul odor that wafts into our nostrils and ruins the splendidly bucolic feeling of our urban oasis (as do the homeless people and muggings, but that’s for another day).

I wanted to put a stop to this olfactory offense, and then write about my heroic achievement in the DP. I had contrived a brilliant plan to solve this problem–I was going to cover these gamy grates with that great gray panacea of problem-solving: duct tape. Unfortunately, such vigilante acts of maintenance were nixed by my legal team.

Well if I can’t go in and solve the problem without really knowing what it was (hey, it worked great in Iraq, right?), then I was going to at least get to the bottom of this. I trekked down to the office of Mike Coleman, director of Operations for Penn Facilities under the Left Bank. If you haven’t been there, you should go. The place bears a striking resemblance to the fictional ministry of ass-kicking that is 24’s Counter-Terrorist Unit. An oddly-placed freestanding elevator alongside Walnut Street descends to the an extremely stylish center replete with fields of cubicles, maps everywhere, and giant view screens that would have looked more at home projecting incoming enemy ICBMs than Penn’s kilowatt-hour usage (by the way, feel free to leave your lights on, Penn’s electrical use is already well-below the targeted consumption level).

Sadly, there was no Jack Bauer. Though I suppose the flip side of this is that the office will have less of a tendency to get bombed, hacked, attacked with nerve gas, infiltrated by terrorists…oh Jack and his silly hi-jinx!

There was, however, Mike Coleman, who was kind enough to explain to me that the sewage-smell was caused by sewage (surprise!), and that the grates could not be blocked off as they were needed to provide air pressure to aid the gravity-based sewage in moving. According to Coleman, blocking the grates would be akin to putting your finger on top of a straw.

Oh.

Kind of anticlimactic, really.

Were it not for those vents, he said the sewage would not drain and build up in the pipes. I asked if this could be used to build up enough pressure under Huntsman Hall to blow it up.

“No.”

Damn!

Drink a highball at nightfall.

The Penn Lady Quakers lost to Cornell 58-67. But the real loss was that the crowd in the stands seemed to have little cross over with the crowd on Locust Walk. It appeared that only parents and alumni joined my friends and I in the stands. Unfortunately, the norm for Penn basketball games is a decent, but wanting level of attendance.

During one of my graduate school interviews , I had the fortune of attending a University of Michigan basketball game. I was blown away by their passion. Fans were ferociously and single-mindedly devoted to a Blue win, a fervor some wish was here at Penn. The Michigan fight song broke out several times, demonstrating that students were more interested in displaying school pride than disparaging their opponents with overdone cries of “a-hole.”

It’s disappointing that the only Penn basketball shirts I see around campus are Penn vs. Princeton designs. We should love and cling to our Penn sweatshirts, not only when it’s cold. With our current senior class and rich athletic history, Penn has enough to cheer for on its own merits. Penn pride should swell at every tip-off, every home game.

Now, we certainly boast some passionate fans, even outside of the Red & Blue Crew . The spirited students I fantasize about made their way out of the dorms for the classic Penn-Princeton game last week. Brian Head of the Penn
Athletics Marketing Department estimated the crowd at roughly 1,000 students. Even so, for Penn’s most highly publicized home game, we could have come out in even fuller force.

Former Senior Sports Editor Joshua Hirsch noted in an e-mail interview about the Penn-Princeton game, “I definitely like the intensity of the students that are there. Am I disappointed that more students don’t come? Yeah, but it’s a lot better than every other Ivy League school.”

Let’s not take for granted the chance to cheer on our team, even after the season is over with upcoming March Madness events. After all, you only live, or live at a Division I school, but once.

There’s nothing more torturous than fighting that post-lunch food coma during an hour-and-a-half long lecture &mdash those interminable minutes while you’re floating in and out of consciousness, with nothing but meaningless scribbles to show for your earnest efforts to take notes. You lament the fact that, for all you got out of that class, you might as well have spent those precious ninety minutes in your own bed. It’s even more frustrating to know that if you could have just put your head down for a quick power nap, you could have avoided such prolonged suffering.

That’s the idea behind the Nap Club, recently created by Indiana University students Michael Duttlinger and Joe Spencer. In defense of their club, Duttlinger and Spencer quote studies that say “napping can heighten creativity, boost memory and increase alertness.”

Of course, we don’t need the Penn Sleep Center or any other experts to tell us that power naps are good for us. Midday napping is nothing new to college students. We claim these daily siestas a God-given right, often beyond the privacy of our bedrooms.

Still, these guys may be on to something. According to the Associated Press, the Nap Club provides “a quiet room with the shades drawn, a few desks and chairs, and six air mattresses, purchased through a small sum allotted to campus clubs. Up to 15 people can come in to doze. A moderator wakes them up at the appropriate time…” Beds and a personal wake-up call! For those who can’t afford to trek back to their bedrooms for a fifteen-minute power nap, this beats the Van Pelt study carrels!