I am an entertainment news aficionado. Not the TMZ or E! celebrity kind, but the articles written with less neutrality and more personal charm, caustic humor, opinion, and profanity that seem to be aimed at a younger audience of newsreaders. Sometimes they’re about serious, newsworthy topics like this article from Vice on the anniversary of the Iraq War. Sometimes they’re about absolutely nothing of relevance like this Gawker story about a new McDonald’s menu item. Relevant or not, it’s hard for me to pass up an article with a sense of humor that can simultaneously inform me while making me crack a smile.

(CU Independent Illustration/Josh Shettler)

Esteemed journalists may roll their eyes at such blatant disregard for basic journalistic principles like objectivity or, you know, not dropping an “F” bomb, but as long as the facts are straight or clearly falsified for satirical purposes I see no harm. If it takes a little sarcasm and swearing to get my attention-deficit generation to read up on foreign policy or the economy, then I’m willing to blur the lines of true reporting for a more-informed youth.

With my feelings for this evolving form of storytelling made clear, I will say that I do not think that the blog-esque, sassier style of telling the news replaces traditional journalism. Presenting the facts without spin or added fluff and choosing subjects that matter instead of simply spewing out whatever stuff our meme-addicted, social media-brainwashed young adults seem to be asking for is vital for perpetuating a socially aware, intelligent upcoming generation.

While perusing the news sites I frequent, I’ve been seeing an increase of content that makes me question whether reputable news outlets are starting to sacrifice what’s important for what’s going to get them readership.

For example, the homepage of CNN features front and center a section of videos and stories with titles such as “Miley Cyrus twerks in a unicorn onesie,” “Remembering Mike the headless chicken,” and “Do sexy flight attendants really sell more seats?” I understand that even a news outlet as respected as CNN has to have a balance of the serious and the silly because human interest stories draw readers in for the hard-hitting pieces that the public needs to know. However, I feel like such prime real estate as the center of the homepage could be better allotted to something of more importance than a possible link between attractive flight attendants and ticket sales.

Another site with stories getting frequent shares on my Facebook feed is BuzzFeed. Although this site makes no claims to be a source of news and is obviously intended for entertainment, it does offer more meaty sections like politics and LGBT among its less-pressing ones such as Food and Celeb. However, it seems to favor pieces about cute animals, which I absolutely read and show my friends, over their more newsy pieces. There is a lot of informative content on the site; it’s just a little more work to access.

I get that sites like this have found their niche among baby animal-loving, celebrity-mocking, irrelevant fact-hoarding individuals, and I think those are all fine niches. How could I knock a site for providing “The 25 greatest sloths the Internet has ever seen” when I am one of the readers in awe over it?

I can’t, and I won’t.

With such a strong following among a critical audience, maybe BuzzFeed and similar sites can shake things up every once in a while and put up a few more newsworthy pieces and make sure those are front and center.

I’d just like to know that for every sloth picture someone ogles over or with each interest in Miley’s twerks, an article of substance gets its day in the sun, too.

Contact CU Independent Opinion Editor Lizzy Hernandez at Elizabeth.hernandez@colorado.edu.

Imagine being able to record life as you see it and searching the Internet without looking at your phone or laptop. Google Glass can make it happen. Slated for a public launch later this year, this project developed by Google X Labs gives consumers what is essentially a wearable computer in the form of an aluminum strip and two nose pads. It isn’t even on the market yet, but I’ve never been more excited—or terrified– by a product.

(CU Independent Illustration/Josh Shettler)

Named one of Time magazine’s “Best Inventions of the Year 2012,” little had been known about the product’s specifics until Feb. 27, when Google co-founder Sergey Brin held a special talk at TED 2013 in Long Beach, Calif. His impetus for developing Project Glass was simple:

“When we started Google 15 years ago, my vision was that information would come to you as you need it. You wouldn’t have to search query at all.”

We’ve long-since entered the YouTopia–a place where before I ask out the cute girl in my lecture, I do a quick Google search and Facebook scan. It’s ruthlessly easy to gather information about almost anything.

Augmented reality is not a novel concept. Smartphone applications have been readily available for years, and the idea of melding humans with technology is well-documented. What makes Glass a game-changer is its ease-of-use and seamless integration into daily life. Commands are voice-driven and the glasses are capable of some truly remarkable things.

Users can record video, take pictures, search the web, ask questions, get directions, translate, send messages, share what they see in real-time, and more. But it remains to be seen whether or not people want or need a smartphone-like device strapped to their face.

One drawback is the glasses are a little ungainly, making the wearer look kind of like a cyborg assassin from “The Terminator,” but that will change if fashion eyeglass-makers like Ray-Ban start to design for the technology.

The digital divide between the haves and have-nots will only widen as early adopters reap the benefits simply because they can afford the barrier to entry. In order to snag one of the first pairs of Glass, people were told to enter a recently-closed contest on Google+ using the hash-tag #ifihadglass. Only then would winners have the privilege of spending $1,500 on the first pairs.

Apart from minor concerns about the availability and price of the technology, my biggest issue with Glass and the future of augmented reality in general, is privacy. Something about people wearing videos cameras ready to record at a moment’s notice makes me very uncomfortable. As much as someone has the right to record me eating a sandwich on the bus, I don’t think that right should be exercised. It’s against social norms to whip-out a smartphone and start recording people, but with Glass there’s nothing to give people the hint that they’re being recorded.

Think of that embarrassing picture of you on Facebook, the one where you didn’t know anyone was taking a picture—now consider that happening all the time. We’ve experienced the transformation into an era of rapid posting and excessive tweeting; it just isn’t clear that any of this should be socially acceptable. Brin seems to agree — kind of.

“Is the future of connection just people walking around hunched up, looking down, rubbing a featureless piece of glass?”  he said.

The pace at which technology evolves is unprecedented. After wearable computers, what happens next? I hate to speculate, but it’s getting easier to gain footing on this slippery slope. The natural evolution from glasses is to contacts and from contacts to corrective surgery. It’s no longer that far-fetched to imagine a world where our brains are implanted with technology akin to Glass. Technological culture changes so rapidly that people don’t get a chance to catch up and get comfortable before it’s off to the next “great idea.”

I’m all for the creation and the progress of ideas. Never before have so many things been possible because of invention. This article can be read on any number of devices across the globe at the same time. Technological improvements have been driving the world since the dawn of tool-makers millions of years ago. In this age of innovation, it is the humanity which we must remember to protect.

Contact CU Independent Staff Writer James Bradbury at James.bradbury@colorado.edu.

Editor’s Note: Mitchell Whitus is the President of University of Colorado Boulder College Republicans. The opinions expressed herein do not represent CU Independent or any of its affiliates.

I have been asked countless times, “What’s it like to be a Republican in Boulder?”

My answer is always the same: Yes, there are certainly crazy things that happen here, I have seen a student group organize a communist “redistribution” center in the University Memorial Center plaza. I have been accused of trying to take women back to the 1950s. But those sorts of events are few and far between.

I explain to people that the one thing that really frustrates me about being a Republican at CU is apathy. Many people have told me that they do not care about politics or voting. “It doesn’t matter who I vote for,” they say. “Things will not change.”

Nothing could be farther from the truth.

(CU Independent Illustration/Josh Shettler)

At the state level, many bills are being considered this year because both the House and Senate are under Democratic control. The more notable bills this session include introducing new regulation to firearms. There is also talk of repealing the Tax Payers’ Bill of Rights within the next few years. Regardless of your ideological persuasion, it is clear that the absence of a slim Republican majority in the House this session makes a huge difference in the discussion at the state capitol.

On a federal level, U.S. debt per person is now over $50,000. It is difficult to fathom the burden our elected officials are putting on future generations and us. I do not want to think of the number of hours I would need to work in order to pay off my share of the money the U.S. government has borrowed.

Because of the debt, and many other reasons, it is imperative we have principled elected officials. But good politicians only get elected by knowledgeable voters. For the sake of our country, our generation, and future generations to come, we need to realize that the political process does matter.

The political atmosphere is probably one reason why people stay away from political issues. The drama we often see play out in our nation’s capitol can be frustrating and, quite frankly, confusing.

For that reason, I am glad to see that a College Democrat presence is developing on campus again. Having “friendly competition” will no doubt make both organizations stronger. More importantly, the dialogue and thoughtful debate between College Democrats and College Republicans will hopefully get more people engaged in the issues. I think that both organizations can have a productive exchange of ideas without the vitriol we often see flying around in Washington.

The issues at stake for our generation are too important to ignore. Apathy is too costly. I do not think everyone needs to be politically involved, just politically aware. So many issues affect our generation on the local, state and federal governments, and it is important to know what they are.

I thought being a Republican at CU would be frustrating because of a dominating liberal ideology on campus. Instead, I am frustrated that people are apathetic to the political process. Through my affiliation with the College Republicans, I hope to help change this.

 Contact Guest Writer Mitchell Whitus at Mitchell.whitus@colorado.edu.

As students, our measurement of time—specifically years— seems to be dictated more by the school year than the Gregorian calendar. Because of this, the month of February becomes this exhausting halfway point teeming with stress, a packed schedule, and endless amounts of sleepless nights with seemingly no end in sight. Instead of being a fresh beginning to a new year, it is a hell-like purgatory connecting two semesters and just far enough into the second semester to push you into possessing the emotional and mental stability of a sociopath. February is the worst month of the year, and it is almost over. Here are some reflections on its monstrosities just in case you didn’t get your fair share, and here are some things to look forward to as you prepare to flip to the next kitten picture on your kitty calendar.

(Josh Shettler/CU Independent Illustration)

February is full of far too abrupt midterms. School just began. Didn’t it just begin last week? Weren’t you just choosing second

semester classes? Weren’t you just sitting on your parent’s couch covered in wrapping paper and your childhood pets enjoying the last of winter break? Out of nowhere you get an email from your anthropology professor with a subject line reading “Test 1” and an attachment called “study guide,” and you are staring in a mixture of disbelief and horror as you wonder what could even be on the test. What have you even learned yet.

You take out your notebook and flip through your notes and have a couple definitions along with some doodles, and you think, “are these three definitions and an essay question asking me which correlating doodle I drew next to them going to make up this midterm because that is literally all the information I have.” Then you realize that maybe you’ve missed a few classes, and, perhaps, you’ve been telling yourself that it’s fine to skip class this week because, hey, isn’t it still syllabus week or something? The semester just started! Nothing important will happen! EXCEPT, OOPS, A MIDTERM.

February means I either have to freak out about Valentine’s Day or be annoyed by people freaking out about Valentine’s Day. There is no middle ground. You cannot pretend the day does not exist when your social media is inundated by your pals posting poorly filtered pictures of grocery store roses or extremely cynical, borderline suicidal tirades about how they are forever subjected to a life of loneliness and heartache. The day is smack dab in the middle of the month, leaving two weeks of gross anticipation and two weeks of even grosser recaps. Basically, I need another twelve months before I can see a conversation heart without feel nauseous.

Speaking of nausea, in February, everyone is ill. Just perpetually ill. You wake up one morning and your throat feels like Paula Deen just came at it with a new cheese grater, and your head feels stuffier than a philosophy department meeting. The next day you feel deceivingly fine, but the day after that you have contracted some rare strain of the flu that demands bed rest and constant Facebook complaining and updates of the amount of mucus in your nose. The paranoia of germs and contracting illnesses takes over your life, and eventually you just wind up sniffling inside your room surrounded by empty bottles of hand sanitizer and blankets.

And please keep the blankets coming because February is ungodly cold. No matter the amount of layers you pile on, you will find yourself shaking with icicles dripping out of all facial orifices. You begin to rotate the three warmest sweaters you own and get really good at quickly standing up and shuffling away after you fall for the fourth time in a tragic black ice incident.  By the end of the month, you feel like a frozen Satan in the ninth circle of Dante’s Inferno. Don’t feel too bad; even Satan was once an angel, or so the story goes.

Cue angelic voices booming down from above. March is in view. March, the month of intermittent warm days that break up the snowy wasteland. The month that contains the wonderfully underrated holiday that is St. Patrick’s Day—a day of strictly drinking, zero stressful present exchanging, and the wearing of the great color green. The first day of spring—the season of blooming and sunshine and days spent at the creek– comes March 20.  March Madness occurs with brackets and betting and people who like sports liking sports. Basically, March is fantastic and the light at the end of the February tunnel. Additionally, it is my birthday month, so if you’re feeling in particular good March spirits, feel free to send me gifts and donations via the email listed below.

Contact CU Independent Opinions Editor Lizzy Hernandez at Elizabeth.Hernandez@colorado.edu.