Guess who got her wisdom teeth out today? This girl. Most of my friends had theirs extracted the summer before college, but I was lazy. Definitely paying for it now. I know it’s a good thing to do in the long run–they need to come out before they wreak havoc on the seven years (yep, you read that right) of orthodontic work I suffered through in middle and high school. I am NOT letting anything mess with these hard-earned chompers, so I bit the bullet (heh) and got ‘er done today.
I still can’t feel my lower lip, but things are looking up. My mom brought me a Jamba Juice and I’ve given myself a free pass to watch all the Netflix I want this weekend–really, life could be a lot worse right now.
With all this time on my hands, I’ve collected some really interesting articles for the second installment of my new weekly series. Read my justification for dumping yet another “links I love”-type column on the blogosphere here. Call it an “In the Know Manifesto” if you wish. I’m going to blame how giggle-worthy I’m finding these rhyming titles right now on the Oxycodone. In the know. G and Do. Manifesto. Heh heh.
TO CONTINUE THE CONVERSATION: the New Republic article I posted last week about why the Ivy League and entire “elite educational system” is screwing Millennials over is still a huge topic of conversation in the education sphere. The article has been shared over 162,000 times on Facebook and lots of great reactions to the article (including a few on The New Republic) are still being published.
I got some really great responses to the article in the comments section of last week’s post. Short Term Style said something I really liked: “Bottom line is that choosing your school needs to be SUBJECTIVE and entirely your own. I’m studying Fashion & Textiles, so why would I go to an Ivy-League caliber liberal arts school?”
Answer is, there’s no reason to. A school’s “rank” and brand equity are definitely worth something, but not nearly as much as a curriculum that’s perfectly suited to your needs–and that curriculum could be anywhere. So here’s an interesting article at The Huffington Post called “The 14 Best Colleges You Can Get Into, According To Money Magazine“: each of the colleges on the list has an over 50% acceptance rate and is still an awesome (and probably much less expensive) place to get an education.
Trello on the iPhone. Twitter, @davisfnp.
TO GET A LITTLE MORE DONE: Wired just published a glowing review of a new “online tool” called Trello, calling it the “Pinterest of to-do lists.” Sold. My school’s news site just switched to Trello to organize all our upcoming stories, so I’ll be using it a lot come fall; I think I’ll start learning it now!
TO SHOP A LITTLE SMARTER: This isn’t a new article, but I discovered it this week and decided to share because it’s still relevant, especially with everyone doing back-to-school shopping this month. In May, Buzzfeed posted a long-form exposé on how clothing at outlet stores is produced. Many think–I thought–that clothes at outlet stores were simply extra inventory, but it turns out that many retailers at least partially fill their outlets with clothes specially made for the outlet, many of which never are sold in the real store. Many times, these made-for-outlet pieces are designed to be sold at a lower price point and could thus be of lower quality.
Some of the stores that do this? Nordstrom Rack, J. Crew Factory, and Saks off Fifth. I’ve always regarded outlet malls as a great place to find a deal, but my estimation of them greatly changes if it turns out I’m buying cheaper merchandise there. I’m going to investigate this matter more–I’ll keep you all posted.
Instagram @mileycyrus
TO GET A FRESH PERSPECTIVE: Many (it appears even most) Americans get a little creeped out about drones flying overhead. Not America’s favorite homemaker. No, Martha Stewart has a drone–and apparently, so does her “farm worker,” who uses the camera on his to take pictures of Stewart’s 153-acre farm in upstate New York. This week, the domestic goddess turned prison inmate turned born-again good Samaritan wrote a very entertaining essay for TIME Magazine enthusiastically defending her new favorite toy. Is she in on the joke? I want to know so badly.
TO JUSTIFY YOUR FAKE LOUIS VUITTON BAG: Olivier Rousteing gave a quote to The Independent sharing his refreshing perspective on designer knockoffs. Most designers fight to protect their fashions tooth and nail, but Rousteing has a much more relaxed take on the situation. “I think it was Coco Chanel who said if you’re original, be ready to be copied,” he reasons, and then goes on to say that seeing Zara and other stores copy Balmain’s ideas actually makes him happy. Say what?!
Depending on whom you ask, intellectual property is either dying or transforming into something better. Some say video streaming, fast fashion and other Internet-era advancements are devaluing people’s creative work. Others side with Rousteing, arguing that those same advancements are actually allowing for an unprecedented swell in creativity, collaboration, and human progress.
I really hope this installment of In the Know will produce as much conversation as last week’s. Please let me know what you think of these pieces. Whether you agree or disagree with them (or me!), I want to know in the comments.
Here’s to hoping your weekend is looking a little less painful than mine! Any fun Netflix movie recs would be greatly appreciated.
Dolce and Gabriella 