[ a ccentuate]

20 The Ithacan

Hot or Not

Th ursday, August 26, 2010

This week’s hits and misses

Assistant Accent Editor Alexandra Evans rates the study spots on campus in order of practicality.

Hot

Academic buildings Don’t fool yourself into thinking you can study while attending the all-floor rave happening in your dorm. The best places to study on campus are inside the academic and administrative buildings, which provide complete quiet and solitude far away from dorm chaos. Try the second floor lounge in the School of Business or the first floor lobby of the Peggy Ryan Williams Center. The college student mentality of “leave the party early and catch up on that reading later” always ends in disaster ­— or maybe a judicial referral for falling asleep in the dorm lounge.

Lukewarm

IC Square IC Square seems to be the ideal group meeting spot on campus. The central location and perk of having La Vincita’s coffee a few steps away make IC Square a popular spot. The only problem is the place can sometimes serve as more of a social gathering than a work spot. Let’s face it, when studying around big groups of friends you usually end up exchanging stories about last night’s frat party instead of quizzing each other for your business exam. Time seems to disappear, and you’re bound to leave knowing more about your friend’s hookup history than Hamburg rules.

Not

The library Ironically, the worst choice when trying to get work done on campus is the library. Something strange happens in that place after 7 p.m. Imagine a cross between a zoo and a mall on Black Friday ­— too much heat, too much noise and too many people that always seem to be in your way. It’s ridiculously difficult to find a table, and no one seems to understand the cardinal library rule of silence. You’ll end up ditching books to gossip about friends’ drama in the library too, so don’t be fooled into thinking studying there will magically make you get any work done.

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Island welcome

Freshmen Emily Fleming, Aimee Rizzo and Maureen Tant show off a spin art project they created at IC After Dark’s E Komo Mai event Sunday in IC Square. “E komo mai” is a traditional Hawaiian greeting for “welcome.” The event also featured free food, prizes and games. Michelle boulé/the ithacan

weird but true

researchers discover how to drive on what you drink

Car on empty? Skip the gas station and don’t bother stopping by a restaurant to grab their extra grease. Pop into a distillery instead. Researchers at Edinburgh Napier University in Scotland have developed a fuel made from the byproduct left behind after distilling Scotch whisky. Unlike grease fuel, whisky fuel can be used in regular engines — no fancy engine conversion needed. Though this idea seems revolutionary during a time when gas prices continue to rise, one question remains — if breathing in too many gas fumes can make one dizzy or out of breath, will taking in the sweet smell of whisky fuel make a driver drunk? — Alexandra Evans

omg!

britney’s boyfriend can’t stand the stench

Oops, Britney, you did it again — made headlines for something other than having talent. Though Spears has been slowly gaining a reputation for being a washed-up 90s pop star, it looks like she hasn’t been doing much washing lately. Her boyfriend and ex-manager Jason Trawick recently refused to leave the house until the singer changed out of the sundress she had been wearing for three days straight. Trawick has demanded that she “clean up her image” by washing her hair more and not wearing the same outfit for days on end. Gross, Britney! Please take a shower. Don’t you know that you’re toxic? — Alexandra Evans

quoteunquote

The other day I realized as long as I’m in this business, I’m going to be hungry. “True Blood’s” Kristin Bauer in an Aug. 9 Popeater article on being successful in Hollywood.

celebrity

OOPS!

R&B star’s bad publicity

Faith Evans hasn’t made headlines in a while, which might have something to do with the fact that she hasn’t done anything interesting since 2004 when the R&B singer was arrested on drug charges. That stint just so happened to take place a year before her 2005 album dropped. Recently, she was arrested “on suspicion of misdemeanor drunken driving.” She was taken into police custody and released the following morning. Looks like Evans is trying to gain some publicity before her new album release this October. Evans, didnt you learn from the past that bad publicity may still be publicity, but it won’t help your album sales? — Alexandra Evans