Our generation has experienced the improvement of technology in leaps and bounds (and even hops in nerd-speak). Cell phones no longer resemble bricks (recall Zach Morris' stylish piece) but easily fit into the palm of the hand. Text messaging features replace archaic pagers.

But, with this vast array of new gadgets and gizmos, we have also seen a troubling side effect: the decline of people's ability to function and reason while engaged with such a device. [Read article]

The Spice Girls took time out of their busy "prancing and vamping" schedules in 2001 to push for legislation that would impose stiffer penalties on those who illegally copied their work in the European Union.

That's right, a British pop group of dubious talent joined the ranks of Microsoft executives and Nobel laureates in their concern about the role of intellectual property and its dissemination. Technology sure makes strange bedfellows. [Read article]

Heritage. Tradition. Drinking. Tuck away that calculus book. Break out the red and blue. Homecoming, and all of its obligatory revelry, is just around the corner.

For years, now, UA students have turned out in giant swaths of red- and blue-clad hordes, leaning generously on the crutch of alcohol to soften what will inevitably be a futile attempt at a football game.

What's unclear, though, is just how important the Homecoming festivities really are to the average student. Indeed, many students seem to regard the weeklong activities on the UA Mall as the sole domain of the UA greek community. And not without reason. [Read article]

Students should remember safety first for festivities

Thanks to Laura Wilson for sharing a cautionary tale of Halloween past in her op-ed piece "You always remember your first time: But there are times I don't remember." The fact is, the best Halloweens tend to be, well, memorable. Here are few tips to make sure that those 1970s and 1980s get-ups remain the scariest part of your evening: If you drink, have a plan and stick to it. Limiting the number of drinks you have and counting the drinks until you get there is a good way to stay in the party and out of the bathroom. [Read article]