What We're Reading Memorizing

I finished installing on Friday shortly after my post on Friday. i decided to do a clean install for no particular reason other than boredom. Reinstalling Ubuntu reaffirmed that I will never use Windows again. If you've got fifteen minutes, give it a shot.

What this post is really about is for those who have already install Ubuntu and haven't found:

• The Ubuntu "Feisty Fawn" Starter Guide

Whoever knew Linux could look so pretty?

Student Loans, LMU, and the New York Times

"Holy shit, that's Rachel Jones."

It seems like everyone around me is getting famous. On Saturday, the New York Times ran a follow-up story to their on-going coverage of this student loan madness. The girl they interviewed (and who is pictured) is the exact girl that we posted on last week. (Some of my friends are saying she was on the front page. This has still yet to be confirmed. LMU doesn't get the print edition on the weekends.)

The article interviews Rachel and reports on further same-bed arrangements between lenders and school officials.

Hopefully the plague around the country (world?) of school officials owning stocks in and/or receiving kickbacks from lenders will be ridden in my tenure as a student. I still don't know if what school officials are doing is ultimately illegal, but it is nonetheless raising eyebrows around the country.

Last time I checked, customer abuse did not make the list of responsibilities of a successful and well-received business

Tips for the Soon-to-be-Graduates

While I still have a few more years of a certain debauchery and Cliffnotes, Rosario's leaving the undergrad circuit come this May, along with everyone else that's walking. To help her out, I'm relaying this post on seven financial tips for graduates.

No one likes being broke: Seven Tips for Soon-To-Be College Grads [Consumerist]

Productive Friday

Yowza. Yesterday, the latest version of the popular Linux distribution Ubuntu was released, Feisty Fawn. Call me a nerd, but I'm installing this instead of partaking in the typical behavior associated with today's date. That's all I'm going to say.

Also, I've stumbled upon a nifty little site that could replace all of your PowerPoint woes. It's called Slidez. It bills itself as "the cleanest online portfolio, presentation, and slideshow" maker. Never again will you forget to also transfer the images of an important presentation onto your flash drive. (Note: I've actually never used PowerPoint. Does that make me cool? Am I missing out?)

PornoTube: Whoa.

How many of you all already knew this PornoTube existed? I sure didn't until today.

Follow Up: Want a Job? Start a Blog.

Hot on the heels of last week's post "Want a Job? Start a Blog.", we've come across another article from bokardo. Their article is organized into a nice "top 5" list.

Get a job: The Blog is the New Resume [bokardo]

Are You Sick? Tell Us Where You Live!

I'm definitely sick and tired of writing my senior thesis (due in less than a week now), and obviously there are enough "sick" to start an online community, which has now been done. And it's conveniently called "Who is Sick?".

Put in your zip code, and you'll get a Google Map of the "sick" around you --ranging from symptoms of chicken pox to gas to a sore throat. If you're experiencing symptoms, you're encouraged to post your location, and if you're feeling particularly thoughtful of others, you can even discuss in the forums how you plan to get well.

Student Loan Scandal Continues

Unless you've been hiding under a rock (I need new colloquialisms), you know that The New York Times recently reported on student load fraud taking place at USC, UT, and Columbia. School officials were cashing in on offering "preferred lenders" in exchange for some kickback.

Here at LMU, the head opinion editor at the Loyolan recently offered her own experience in questionable student loan practices. LMU quickly responded with this post on the LMU homepage. I'll give them the benefit of the doubt.

The student loan scandal, although it has only recently come to the forefront, seems to be cropping up in everyone's backyards. Is your school under investigation? Have you had any experience with shady lenders?

Fordham and St. John's have already settled. As always, be skeptical of "preferred lenders," no matter how benevolent your school administration seems.

Footnote: I love self-promotion, so check out the new Portfolio.com, a blog/magazine that launched last Sunday. I'm writing for a semi-monthly section called "Dispatches from the Next Generation." It looks like it will be a great resource for business on the edge. The inspiration for this post came from one if its recent articles: Student Loan Kickback Probe Expands [Portfolio.com]