Pitzer, Now Stanford: New Media's Perils

A few days back CNN featured the Youtube.com class Pitzer College was running. Naturally, it being Pitzer, friend to terrorists and stoners alike, I just rolled my eyes.

But now the Stanford Daily is reporting that Stanford too is joining the new media bandwagon with its latest course on the psychology of Facebook.com and other user interfaces, I've lost all hope in higher education. Ostensibly designed to "study" Facebook's user interface, the course will become nothing more than a Facebook stalker's dream.

The money quotation from the professor himself:

“What is so interesting about Facebook is that nobody really understands it, and we are all still figuring it out. One of the goals of this class is for us to try to figure it out together.”

It ain't rocket science. The most fascinating thing to college students and teens has always been themselves.

Pitzer College: Imagine No Water and Less Energy

Courtesy of the Bulletin.

CLAREMONT - Actor Robert Redford spoke at Pitzer College during a ribbon-cutting ceremony for the college's new environmentally friendly dorms Monday. The dorms, with living space for 318 students, use less energy and water than traditional dorms and include features such as solar panels and ultra-low-flush toilets.

Less water? God forbid we had them shower.

I wonder how they feel about the coming flexcars, global warming and all. (More on that in the coming days...)