This came through the Harvard interwebiversity wire today:

‘Hey Harvard!

Ever had a story you were itching to tell — whether it was yours or someone else’s, an old folktale or a spontaneous invention? Ever wished you had a group of people you could captivate with a story, and be captivated by in turn?  Now’s your chance- come to the Harvard Story Exchange! No equipment, credentials or comp required, just yourself, your voice, and the best yarn you’ve ever heard. Feel free to come by just to listen… although you may find yourself full of stories you never knew you had!

THIS EVENT IS BYOB (Be Your Own Bard)!

We’ll provide the room (and cookies). The stories will provide the magic.

Eliot Memorial Room (small dining hall), Friday March 5th, 7:30-8:30pm!

brought to you by the Harvard Diggers Society
working towards thriving public discourse and intellectual community at Harvard’

LOOKIN' SAGE

SO WHAT THAT MEANS IS PUT ON YOUR SAGACITY SNUGGIE AND GET OUT THERE AND TELL SOME STORIES. WE HAVE MANY. On a personal note, many of my best stories are related to the nighmarish summer camp I attended circa fourth grade with girls in my cabin who were most definitely possessed by demons and an overnight camping trip that involved the spilling of all water supplies and the stinging of a scorpion.

According to a recently released study by the Harvard Berkman Center for Internet and Society, Canada has been found to have the 25th slowest internet speeds out of the 30 countries that are members of the Organization for Economic Co-Operation and Development (OECD). Not only is it super slow, but it is also one of the most expensive internet systems in the world. SO CANADA YOU MIGHT HAVE THAT HEALTH CARE THING YOU BRAG ABOUT ALL THE TIME BUT WE, HERE IN AMERICA, CAN LOOK UP OUR SYMPTOMS MAD FAST ON WEB MD. BOOM BOOM POW.

Check out the Wall Street Journal’s super in-depth reading of how much Harvard students love to use their phones…but not for calling in the article “The Unused Cellphone App: ‘Calling’” Basically we are deciding the future of technology. Go team! If you have an iPhone we also have an app, did you know that? From the article:

‘”The Unofficial Guide to Life at Harvard” had been published by the Harvard Student Agencies for since the 1970s, but students didn’t want to carry a book when they wanted to find out where to get Chinese food, Mr. Yan says.

Last year, Mr. Yan and Mr. Bick released their first version of their iPhone application. The free guidebook has been downloaded about 2,500 times. Users can read about 900 different restaurants, cafes and other businesses in Cambridge and find deals offered by local merchants.

They won a $10,000 prize from an AT&T-sponsored competition and $2,500 from a Harvard competition. The Harvard Student Agencies, a student-run, non-profit that helped sponsor the Harvard competition, continues to provide aid and funding to the Rover group. Last summer, the team added Joy Ding, Cameron Spickert and Mr. Robb to work on improving the application and new projects.’

Power to the smart-phone y’all. And us. WSJ thinks we’re pretty cool?

When I realized what today was, my heart skipped a beat. NATIONAL PANCAKE DAY aka the day IHOP gives away a free short stack (3 pancakes) to anyone that enters their doors. Could it possibly be true? Could fluffy and syrupy goodness be mine for free? And to top it all off could I help a good cause in the process of feasting?

My roommate and I braved the bitter cold with thoughts of pancake and batter dancing in our heads. This year, IHOP picked the Children’s Miracle Network to support. So, after placing our pancake order we made a small donation to help save some of the millions of kids overcome with illness. This act makes us feel better about shoveling food into our mouth, after having already eaten a rather large dinner.

But with a wait of over an hour and being assigned ridiculous names (we were “Brad Pitt party of two”), the luke-warm, undercooked pancakes weren’t worth it. So I’m sorry, but even with the philanthropic goals in mind, IHOP’s free Pancake Day has nothing on Denny’s free grandslams (mmmm bacon bacon bacon).

IT’S FREE PANCAKE DAY AT IHOP. SO IF YR HUNGRY TONIGHT BEFORE 10 PM…DUH. PANCAKES

The first of the Housing Day videos are popping up on the intertubes. Here’s a look at Pfoho’s, featuring…uh, Adolf Hitler.

Grade: A. Well played, Pfoho.

Has your house produced a video? Send it along to thehvoicemail@gmail.com.

Say "Totoro" five times fast.

Ever walk by that little blue awning in the square near the RadioShack and that horribly wafty LUSH place? You know the one. Above the little door that leads down into that little Japanese trinket wonderland called Kofuku. Well even if you don’t you might recognize the giant mouse-like creature at the right known as Totoro. Tototo? Totoro.

If you’ve never heard of Totoro or his creator Hayao Miyazaki, you really f*cking should. And there’s no better time than now. Why? Well, currently the Adams Pool Theater and the Harvard Japan Society is throwing down a Miyazaki Film Festival, playing a selection of his spectacular animated films. This isn’t Dragonball-Z. This is some serious stuff. Beautiful animation in every frame, rich textured landscapes, classy, classic movies. We swear….they’re big in Japan.

Looking for sickeningly cute Japanese creatures and heartwarming plots? (see: My Neighbor Totoro, Ponyo on the Cliff by the Sea, Spirited Away).  If that’s not your thing, what about animated gore and epic violence? He’s got that too (see: Princess Mononoke). There’s so much to love here, and we soooo want you to go. If not for the rich cultural experience then for the hordes of adorable Asian chicks who are going to be ALL over this. Just kidding… kind of.

Anyway, the schedule (including the things you’ve missed) is as follows: Read the rest of this entry »