Yes, iPods are all the rage. In fact, I think Apple just sold ts 4 trillionth one this week. Or maybe I just saw another person with white ear buds cluelessy walking around campus.

No matter. The fidelity and high quality sound that explain why people actually listen to music is on its way back in vogue, or so says a recent “Time” magazine article (http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1702369,00.html) . This is good news for anyone who likes to listen to music at home and enjoy its sound.

I recently bough two records, both published within the last two years, and they sound phenomenal. I’ve heard sound characteristics and acoustic details on the Gnarls Barkley album I’ve never heard on MP3’s or CD’s. The other album is brand new but sound fantastic as well.

For those modernists who insist every new technology is better than the previous one in all respects, I challenge you to listen to a fresh record and compare it to a tinny MP3. While the iPod and iTunes may be portable in a way that LP’s will never be, vinyl offers a richer acoustical experience for those wanting to listen to music at home. Long live iVinyl!

In case you were wondering about American women’s pageants…

The only value this woman has is entertainment–at how clueless she is. Women–and men–deserve more respect than to be placed on a pedestal for looks alone. At least some semblance of mental functioning should exist for us to admire someone.

For those unaware, an engineering higher up sent an email Saturday to all electrical engineers that had an Excel spreadsheet of 5300 engineer’s names, GPA’s, racial identity, campus address, and campus phone number.

?? Yeah, exactly.

My big question: is everyone happy with their favorite columnist’s GPA? Unlike most people, I keep my racial identity to myself on all documents and apparently I lacked even a campus address whenever Linnmeyer (currently leading the pack for most boneheaded act of the academic year) compiled her list. I’m getting off easy compared to people who are not enthusiastic about their GPA’s and would rather not share their addresses that readily.

Yes, most of the info in the spreadsheet (address and phone number) is readily available to the campus by other means, but that undermines the fundamental facts. Ms. Linnmeyer needs to go. This is an egregious violation without precedent (to my 5 years of campus experience) and a rather public disclosure of rather personal information. At least her list lacked vital information like Social Security numbers. That would be really bad.

Still, I demand to know what that list was doing on that woman’s computer. For what purpose did she have those 5300 names compiled? Are we on a campus watch list for potential vigilantes? Is it the 5300 most beautiful people in engineering? Was this list put together by Banner or a special hand-assembled project (hint: it better be the former else the CoE has some explaining to do)?

I’m sure there’s a perfectly good reason for this list to exist. Yet somehow, I cannot understand how someone could accidentally send it to a large number of students. When I screw up email attachments (a frequent occurrence), it’s usually by not attaching anything, not attaching 5300 people’s personal info. Unless there’s some very justifiable explanation (random computer virus comes to mind), this is an unacceptable use of our personal information. How can we hope to have a respectable global campus when we can’t even send out emails properly?

Today the DI will print my column advocating that people write-in “Chief Illiniwek” for student trustee. It is not a joke, it is not a ruse. Those who care about the Chief and want to do something about his demise have a very real choice: they can vote for someone who will futilely attempt to restart the debate and call for a vote by the full Board, or they can realize the unlikelihood of that action and vote for the Chief himself.

If elected, the Chief will send a clear statement to the college sports nation that U of I students love their mascot. It will highlight the improprieties of the Board’s process and might force a second vote. More importantly, it will loudly declare that anyone attempting to deep-six the “Fighting Illini” ain’t seen nothin’ yet. They may have taken the Chief from us, and they may keep him from us, but if anyone tries to declare the Fighting Illinois racist or demeaning, there will be a battle.

Personally, the Chief is not my cup of tea. I don’t care about him either way, but I think it is a corruption of democracy for three people to make a binding, consequential decision of this magnitude without even a majority of the voting body present! When Congress attempts such underhanded tactics as this the other party screams foul. Here, however, those who support the Chief, or those who at least do not oppose him, on the board are afraid to make their dissatisfaction with the process known, lest they receive the label of “Pro-Chief.”

Today the battle to save the Chief takes a new approach. The U of I campus can either roll over and play dead, or it can draw on its political mettle and shout to all the Illini past, present, and future: you cannot ignore us and you cannot beat us by cheating. Vote for Chief Illiniwek and make the voice of campus heard!