By: Miranda Rester
The day students returned from Christmas break, we were informed that the advisor period had been permanently cancelled. It never failed that there were freshmen, sophomores, juniors, and seniors all shuffled together as they wondered from their third block to advisors and from advisors to fourth block. Students were always bumping into teachers, other students, and even walls in the middle of the transition. Now that students remain in their third block classes for an extra 30 minutes, we no longer have to deal with such an extreme amount of congestion in the halls. Staying in third block is also more efficient than sitting in a classroom reading or studying. Teachers have the choice to give students a break for the 30 minutes or continue their lessons until fourth block. Regardless of what the teacher chooses to do, it’s better than fighting off crowds to go sit in silence for half an hour.
Upgrade: Not wasting half an hour every day in advisors
Fans of the hit show The Office have been anticipating this change, but we didn’t think it was going to happen this soon. Steve Carell announced this summer that this season would be his last as Michael Scott; however, it’s been confirmed that Carell will be leaving the show even sooner than planned. His farewell episode was planned to air in May, but it will now air four episodes early. This means that Carell’s last episode will probably air in April. “The spring will prove to be not about an actor leaving, but what happens in an office when a manager leaves and the chaos ensues and people vie for the job and are uncertain about their future,” said Carell to New York Magazine’s Vulture Blog. It has also been confirmed that Will Ferrell will be guest starring after Carell’s departure. Although leaving The Office may prove to be the right thing for Carell’s career, it’s going to be difficult to say goodbye to Michael Scott after seven seasons.
Downgrade: Early farewell to Steve Carell
We all expected American Idol to crash and burn without the mean-spirited yet entertaining input from judge and producer Simon Cowell, but I was pleasantly surprised by just how much I enjoyed the remodeled show. Steven Tyler, Jennifer Lopez, and Randy Jackson work wonderfully together. They behave like old friends that actually want what’s best for contestants as opposed to all of the former judges that behaved viciously and wanted what was best for ratings. The new, friendly atmosphere is more welcoming to contestants, especially since the audition age has been lowered to 15. The new amendment of the age has brought jaw-dropping talent to the American Idol stage. Even though the feeling of the show has changed, it still has the strange, hilarious, and just plain awful auditions that made American Idol famous. American Idol seems to be doing just fine without an angry British man.
Upgrade: American Idol with new and improved judges
It never fails that once we finally get used to the current Facebook layout, it gets changed again. A few changes every now and then are perfectly fine, but this is getting ridiculous. It seems that the layout has been upgraded almost every time we log on. Perhaps it wouldn’t be so bad if we had the choice of whether to use the new layout or not, but that isn’t the case. Even though the home page always gives you the option to change your layout now or later, there’s not a “never” option. If you don’t change it now, you’ll just have to update it later. The layouts aren’t only inconvenient; they’re also difficult to learn how to work. Icons are on the complete opposite sides of the screen from where they were originally; pages load more slowly; and information has to be added and edited on your profile. Facebook would be much better if they could just choose a layout and stick with it.
Downgrade: Yet another Facebook layout change
