Thumbs Up
The Quiet Kid With A Lot To Say – You know this already, but there are a lot of smart kids at this school. What you might not know is that just because you’re smart, it doesn’t mean you have anything good to say. If you’ve ever been in a select political science, sociology, or communication class, or literally every English and philosophy class in existence, then you know that pseudo intellectual blowhards have a way of running the show, despite the teacher’s best efforts. So when the quiet kid in the corner—the one who, despite your best judgments, seems at best half-interested with what’s currently getting discussed—raises his or her hand and drops some poignant and salient piece of insight for the entire class, and takes no longer than 30 seconds to articulate his or her point, you know the true meaning of the word “respect.” You get to thinking that maybe he or she should talk more, but that’d just destroy everything. If you want to captivate like Steve Jobs, you’re going to have to rehearse like Steve Jobs.
David Foster Wallace’s Speech On Worship – Better than the overplayed-but-still-meaningful “This Is Water” commencement speech, David Foster Wallace’s talk on what we worship, and why we should worry about what we worship is perfect for you, no matter what existential position you’re in. And, since condescended videos online put the speech at just over two minutes to watch, you really have no excuses the next time you’re looking for a study break.
www.txtwar.com -When you’re figuring out how long you should wait to text that girl or guy you’re interested in, especially when you’re not sure if he or she wants the same thing, too, is a real pain in the ass, txtwar.com is here to solve all your problems with a quick online quiz. (Even if you’re SL&L—single lonely and looking—visiting the website is good for a laugh before you cry yourself to sleep again.)
Thumbs Down
Take The Shot, Then The Look – While crabby hipsters, outspoken luddites, and senior citizens might make sly, back-handed comments about the kids these days, and how they can’t appreciate a good moment anymore, you shouldn’t listen to them. Kids these days always feel the need to stop, pull out their cell phone and snap an everlasting picture of the concert, the latte, or the sunset—and you should know that there’s nothing inherently wrong with wanting to take pictures of things. There’s nothing wrong with capturing something enthralling or mesmerizing or coffee-related. Just know that what is wrong is taking the picture of the sunset, and then quickly shuffling away and staring down at your tiny screen. This happens far too often. Take a moment to actually look with your eyeballs. It’s what they’re for, and taking the time to look will never do you wrong.
Featured Image by Drew Hoo / Heights Editor