A lot of people are talking about Facebook's new stalker tools. I've never setup a facebook account for myself, but it seems to me like it's a myspace that originated with its roots in colleges and universities instead of music. Upon first reading about (and seeing, Marissa showed me using her account) the new features I was taken back a bit. It sure seemed a little creepy and stalker-ish. After thinking about it, though, I think it's great. Not only does it make it a heck of a lot easier for stalkers to stalk, it promotes non-stalkers being accountable for the bullshit they put up about themselves on the internet! If subtle jabs and passive aggressive tactics are your bag, I would imagine this being quite a shitty turn of events.

The article was pretty balanced throughout, but I think this last paragraph tipped the scale:

Still, for George Washington senior Justin Persuitti, the mere prospect of unexpected disclosure made him conjure up unsettling scenarios: "You could have a girlfriend and be at a bar kissing another girl, and somebody could post [a cellphone photo] on your wall." ***

Marissa scored me an advance copy of Max Brooks' World War Z:


I'm only about 75 pages in, but so far so good. It's no striking piece of literature, but it's a pretty fun book about, well.. zombies. The book is made up of hundreds of stories, supposedly all taken from different people, that the author collected after the end of The Zombie War. The only complaint I have is that all of the different people dictating the stories all seem to have the same voice and grasp of the English vocabulary. I've found myself on more than one occasion going back to the introductory paragraph for these characters to remind myself of who the hell they are. The light political and social jabs are a nice touch, though,and overall it's been incredibly enjoyable. I mean, it's fuckin' zombies, brah. ***