Happy Pi(e) Day, ProfHackers! If you are wondering about Pi Day, check out this piece on Slate.
Before you celebrate Pi(e) day too enthusiastically, however, you might check out this piece on Salon, which lists 5 reasons behind the obesity epidemic in the United States. Hint: none of them are french fries.
As many of you have undoubtedly already heard, Amazon announced yesterday that they will be raising the price of their Prime membership from $79 to $99 on April 17. GigaOM reports this news as well as the unveiling of a new service called Amazon Fresh, which promises same day delivery of produce and groceries for $299. Currently, Amazon Fresh is only available in Los Angeles. If you want to try Amazon Prime you have the weekend to subscribe at the old price. If you are on the fence, Slate has a widget to help you decide. If you are a current Prime customer and want to renew your current membership for $79 instead of the higher price, CNET has shared a workaround. In a nutshell, you can cancel your Prime membership and gift a new membership to yourself. I tried it myself last night, and I didn’t have any problems.
Today is not only Pi(e) Day, it’s also the day that the Veronica Mars movie is finally unleashed on the world. Veronica Mars shattered Kickstarter record after record, but The Atlantic argues that the show and the movie matter not just because of their effect on the financial arm of the entertainment industry, but also because the show, and hopefully the film, present “One of TV’s Realest [sic] depictions of Wealth Inequality.” CNN lists “5 Ways [the show] Made it’s Mark on TV.” As a fan of the show myself, I’m excited to see the final product.
Malaysia Airlines Flight 370 is still nowhere to be found despite an extensive search involving . The Washington Post reports that it may have flown an additional four hours after disappearing. CNN wonders, “Could It Have Landed?” CNBC suggests that it may have been deliberately diverted.
In happier news, UC Davis may soon offer a major in coffee. The newly announced Coffee Center is not the fast track to becoming a better barista. Davis’s program offers courses in chemistry, genetics, biophysics, and plant science. A hat-tip to ProfHacker friend Jason Heppler for the link.
And lastly, an issue closer to home: The South Carolina state legislation has voted to cut funding for two of its public universities for using “Gay-Themed” literature for first-year reading. The books in question? Fun Home by Alison Bechdel and Out Loud: The Best of Rainbow Radio, a compilation of broadcasts from South Carolina’s first gay and lesbian radio show edited by Ed Madden and Candace Chellew-Hodge. Another piece on the controversy from the Huffington Post.
Our video of the week pays homage to St. Patrick’s Day (Monday): the Dropkick Murphys are “Shipping up to Boston":
And puppy:
[Creative Commons licensed image by Visit Hillsborough]
