Alex Ball
Recent articles
Can Phila. hear Verizon now?
This year, Verizon has been hard at work upgrading and expanding cell phone coverage for Philadelphia in an effort to improve voice services, text messaging and internet access around campus.
Profs reach out to students on Facebook
As students spend more time on the web, professors are reaching out to them online.
Facebook tagging a thing of the past?
Thanks to the new Photo Tagger application, Facebook users can find and tag photos of themselves automatically using digital face-recognition technology.
For the sleep deprived, a new solution may be on the way
A Penn-led international team of researchers published a study in Nature last month suggests that certain drugs can counteract the memory-related effects of sleep deprivation.
Weiss Tech House kicks off 2009 Innovation Week
The 2009 Innovation Week, sponsored by the Weiss Tech House, will include design competitions and speakers.
For students who 'Want To,' a new way to social network
Students looking to throw a frisbee tomorrow or be an actor in a film project need look no further than YoYouWantTo.com.
Touring Penn through your iPhone
uTourX, billed by its creators as “a brand new way to tour colleges,” is a new iPhone application that acts as a virtual tour guide for several U.S. college campuses.
New bus service expands East Coast travel options
Starting later this month, Penn students heading home to some East Coast cities will have a cheaper and more convenient way to get there.
Smartphone app reduces cost of international calls
This month, international students got a little closer to home with Vonage Mobile, a free application for PDAs and iPhones designed to reduce costs for international calls.
Online research magazine Futurity aims to spread scientific news
This September, Penn joined a consortium of 34 research universities to launch Futurity.org, an online research magazine highlighting a select sampling of university research and discoveries in a wide range of fields.
Overhaul on the way for Penn Libraries search interface
Penn’s library search interface — named for the University’s founder, Ben Franklin — is slated for a major overhaul designed to make finding books and media much more intuitive.
"Paperless office" not yet coming to Penn
Thirty years after BusinessWeek famously envisioned the “paperless office,” the college classroom is only just beginning to break away from its much-loved pen and paper.
Netbooks become more popular in down economy
With computer prices dropping across the board, extra-portable netbooks have become an increasingly attractive option for students.
Penn libraries now available online
Penn’s libraries are busy making thousands of hard-to-find books and publications available online in a multifaceted effort intended to make rare literature more available to academics at Penn and around the world.
Penn embraces Twitter for sharing campus news
Penn wants you to know something. Several things, actually - 448 since this March. Penn is one of hundreds of colleges discovering the possibilities of Twitter, a microblogging Web site.
Snow Leopard clashes with AirPennNet
This September, some AirPennNet users in the area were wounded by Snow Leopard problems.
Penn Portal will see major makeover this semester
This fall, Penn will open the portal to a new student homepage.
Revamped Penn InTouch earns rave reviews
This summer, the Penn InTouch web portal underwent a major overhaul, intended to make essential information more accessible and user-friendly.
Fifty years later, it's all Greek for Omega senior society
Omega isn't the average secret senior society. While Penn's other senior societies - which selected their newest members earlier this month - bring together student leaders from across campus, Omega has a distinctly Greek focus. Penn's Order of Omega's are cherry-picked from Greek chapters, representing "the cream of the crop," according to Scott Reikofski, director of the Office of Fraternity and Sorority Affairs.
Pre-frosh say they're 'impressed by Greeks'
Penn's reputation as "the social Ivy" is well-known among the Ancient Eight, and apparently among the prospective class of 2013 as well. "I'm really impressed by the Greek life at Penn," Monica Lindrooth, a high-school senior from New York City, said during Penn Previews last week.
