shout

Last Saturday’s downpour didn’t stop dozens of Carls from venturing to the boonies (and by boonies, we mean Farm House) for Harvest Fest 2007.

Visitors were welcomed by the spicy-sweet smell of ginger-snap cookies, stuffed squash, mulled apple cider, and homemade ice-cream — all organic (it is Farm House, after all). By mid-afternoon, the place was brimming with tie-dyed tees, philosophical debate (oh, Carleton), and the musical goodness of folk-band The Last Known Whereabouts.

Post-storm, the muddy bunch spilled out onto the Farm House lawn for pumpkin carving, apple-bobbing and a rousing game of Lumberjack Croquet (seriously — more plaid there than a kilt shop).

Click here to see a photo essay of the event with music by The Last Known Whereabouts.

Oh, to have the Indian Summer back.

Note from the photographer:

It seems the tail-end of our Indian Summer was on Sunday afternoon. Since Monday came with a rush of mittens and sweaters, this photo was a warm reminder of the Bald Spot reverie that Carleton enjoyed in early fall.

Enjoy,

KRLX's much anticipated "Blind Date" show hit the airwaves last Sunday.

In the words of the show's host, Lindsey Shaughnessy ’09, it was “almost as painful and prolonged as a real life blind date."

Following in the spontaneous, quirky, and popular steps of “Carleton’s Biggest Nerd”, the show was an instant hit.

Every week, an eligible bachelor (or bachelorette, in this case) goes on air along with three potential suitors. This week’s bachelorette was Bessie Schwarz, a senior Philosophy major and ENTS concentrator. She’s your typical, endearing Carleton gal who dominates the rugby fields and is quite fond of “Jewish stuff.”

The three bachelors on the show took nicknames so Bessie wouldn’t be influenced by their identities. These were Dwight, Squirtle, and Force-Field. As the DJ posed a slew of questions to each of the contestants, there was a definite tension in the KRLX studio. The guys awkwardly bumbled over their answers. Really, it was almost cute.

Click here to read more about Blind Date.

We already know that you, dear Carl, are well acquainted with Buckthorn. After being used as freshman slave labor to clear the stuff during New Student Week, you probably know more about the plant than any sane person should.

But perhaps you’ll find the latest Buckthorn update intriguing.

Rather than simply pulling the wicked little beasts, Minnesota Artist Jim proctor has taken a more creative approach to fighting back. With his Upper Arb installation “The Buckthorn Menace,” Proctor is turning the uprooted plants into works of art.

Read more about the menace and see photos of the installation.

Don’t know what the letters CMC stand for? Want to know what’s with the bust of the dead German poet that keeps showing up on campus? CarlWiki, Carleton’s Wikipedia-style Web site, is an online trove of Carleton lore that answers these and other questions.

In Mid-September Austin Hall '10 went where few have gone before: the Ellen Show. Personally invited by comedian host Ellen DeGeneres, he performed his YouTube hit (with nearly 4 million views), Daft Hands.

Daft Hands is a remarkable work starring Hall's hands gyrating to the song Harder Better Faster Stronger by electronic group Daft Punk. (You may have heard this song sampled in Kanye West's summer hit Stronger.) Hall's smooth moves have spawned hundreds of copycat videos--most notably, one featuring a hapless dog with puppet-strings attached to paws.

Watch the Shout interview with Austin after the jump.

If you’re looking for a cachet of hot dog bliss, Tiny’s is it.

While most Carls opt for Hogan Brothers’ or the Rueb n’ Stein, the coolest of the cool swagger into Tiny’s.

But what is it about this hot dog joint that makes it so darn hip?

The times, they are a-changin’, especially since the spring. The Libe has two new leather couches (Oh, those huge and grotesque beige ones? Oh, right.) Burton no longer serves Saturday breakfast. And the campus washers have an inflation rate that only the Weimar Republic could beat (33%!?!).

And what’s with all those yellow bins?

Over the summer, the golden cylinders cropped up in the dining halls and the snack bar. They’re part of Rob Oden’s President’s Climate Commitment, with the main goal of lowering CO2 emissions from campus. The yellow bins will be used for composting and, hopefully, the reduction of waste sent to landfills.

You have to get up early to participate in this triathlon. For those dedicated runners, bikers, and swimmers out there, the first heat of Carleton's triathlon started on 7 am, and registration was required half an hour before.

So I show up to Bell Field as it radiates with hundreds of glowsticks. The first thing I want to know when I get to the door is, How this can possibly be the 88th annual? Doesn't that mean it would have started in 1919? At Carleton, it's conceivable, but it doesn't seem like superheroes were too widespread back then.

Peggy at the Superhero/Villain Sign-Up Table helps me. The year numbers are measured in "intergalactic time warp units" that tend to produce a different number every year, not always going up. "It makes sense in their universe." She can tell me, though, that this is the convention's fifth year on campus.

The titanic battle for Carleton's nerdiest has ended in a tie between Jason Pipkin and Peter Berry. Voting was intense up to the last minute. Pipkin got the most votes by a hair. He offered to share the crown with Berry as sort of a dual monarchy. See the whole story at www.krlx.org.

Last Friday, students gathered on the Mini Bald Spot to make cardboard box houses to raise awareness for homelessness. Some of them were simple, single-box structures painted on the outside and lined with t-shirts on the inside. Others were architectural feats.

Read more and view photos >