Archive for September, 2009

Tomorrow, September 4, is College Colors Day. Sponsored by the Collegiate Licensing Company and the NCAA, College Colors Day is an annual celebration of collegiate athletics by encouraging fans to wear the colors of their favorite collegiate athletic team. It’s also a great excuse to break out that tacky purple and gold Hawaiian shirt you have. So join in the fun tomorrow as we gear up for the Tigers’ first win at the Huskies this weekend in Seattle.

[Thanks to the ever-lovely Tyne for reminding me about tomorrow.]

Today I got an invitation to join a group on Facebook called “MGMT For LSU Groovin’ on the Grounds Spring 2010″. For those uninitiated, Groovin’ on the Grounds is a special outdoor concert held each spring by the LSU Student Government. It’s a student-planned, student-funded Spring spectacular. In the past, headliners have included Akon, Wyclef Jean, Better than Erza and Three-Six Mafia. This group, started by LSU students Ryan Smith and Lu Seka, was formed in an attempt to get the alternative/indie band MGMT to headline the 2010 event, happening this March. “If we have enough ’signatures’, we will send the names to our [student] government to have our voice heard. Help us help you,” says the group.

I talked with cofounder Lu Seka, who told me that he and cofounder Ryan Smith are “avid fans of their music and wanted to bring a good show to Baton Rouge. The student body pays for the show, so we figured why not have a voice in who shows up to the concert?” The group only started recently, and while serious in their endeavors, Seka told me that they were “surprised that the group grew as quickly as it did.” As of this writing, the group has 1,746 members, growing about 80 members every hour just today. But they’re not letting the success get to their head: “We still have much work to do, such as getting these names to the student government and contacting an MGMT representative, but as of now, we’re staying optimistic.”

The group is indeed growing fast—nearly 26 of my friends joined just in the time I’ve been writing this article. But, they’re not the only ones campaigning for their favorite artist: a Lady Gaga group also has been formed, and has just over 600 members at the time of this writing. In either case, the Baton Rougean supports this initiative by the students to get their Student Government working for them. If they succeed, I’d say this could be one of the biggest wins in LSUSG history. As the group says, “invite everyone you’ve ever known.”

You can join the group here →

And while you’re at it, fan us on Facebook →

The Wall Street Journal recently published an article detailing measures some coffee shops are taking to prevent abuse to their complimentary wireless. This free commodity is practically standard in coffee shops across America, and they have since become yet another place of business for most Americans. That some shops would be discouraging extended customer stays to use this service is beyond me: I would think it lends towards higher profits. However, some local shops—presumably because of the recent economic slump—are encouraging customers to move along.

ControlAltTv’s Gregory Schultz got on the beat to interview some local coffee shops to get their take on the whole issue. Soon after, The Reveille also published a full-length article concerning the matter.

Both articles are thorough, so any repetition here is unnecessary. However, it’s clear from both articles that complimentary wireless is here to stay—which is what I’d expect—but shop owners do get fairly upset when they see non-patrons leeching off their wireless. It really all boils down to just showing a little respect: don’t take what you didn’t pay for.