Technical Glitch

You've lived with technology your whole life.  You know that it's one thing to accidentally "reply all" when you meant to send a private message, and another thing altogether to post something on Facebook or Twitter or Instagram that you know the whole world will see.  Or to be videotaped doing something illegal that someone else posts.

You'd think by now it would be almost second-nature to think twice before sharing. Not so, it seems.

Daily news stories like this from the Chronicle of Higher Education, demonstrate how even an academic professional's tweets could land him in the unemployment line.

A current post from Education Tech News profiles seven recent cases of technology missteps in higher education ... from students and teachers alike.

Now that you're in college, it's more important than ever to protect your ability to maintain that hard-earned scholarship, as well as your ability to get the job you've worked so hard for.


It doesn't have to happen to you, if you follow these three easy rules:

1. Engage in political and social discussions!  But keep it civil. Nobody listens to attacks, anyway. Do provoke thinking. Don't provoke a nasty fight.

2. Realize that you own your retweets and likes because you do. You might as well have said it yourself.

3. Tighten up your privacy settings, but be aware that nothing is ever really private on social media or text messages. You can't control what is reposted, and you can't  control who is looking over the shoulder of a friend who is reading.

What you do in social media can and will be used against you, but it can also work in your favor, if  you're caught doing the right thing.  Wouldn't you like to be a victim of this instead?

Keepers, Beaters, Chasers, Seeker!

Quidditch Through the Ages - Kennilworthy Whisp
 ©2001 JK Rowliing

The Brotherly Love Cup is scheduled for October 18 during Chestnut Hill's Harry Potter Festival.  And who can relate to trying to watch a game when you don't know the rules?  Is it okay to yell at the referees??

While this guide to the history and rules of the game doesn't answer the ref question, it does contain helpful tips for watching the game with a level of understanding that will have others asking you for your expertise and opinion!

"Rules are of course, 'made to be broken.'" Seven hundred Quidditch fouls are listed in the Department of Magical Games and Sports records, and all of them are known to have occurred during the final of the first ever World Cup in 1473." (p.28)

The book's author concluded that "no public good" can come of publishing the entire list of possible fouls, and notes that the vast majority cannot be committed without use of a wand.  As long as wands are banned from the game, this chart of Ten Common Fouls will suffice in helping spectators understand the game:

Ten Common Fouls
p.29-30

The book also describes each of the positions and common moves, in addition to an overview of the history of the game.  Ask for it on reserve at Logue Library.