IKEA's Take on Time Machines

If you've ever purchased anything from IKEA, then you are familiar with their [usually] difficult owner manuals. You know, the ones with 184893085950 steps and pictures of parts that weren't included in the box. Well, here's IKEA's take on building the Djloriann (for those of you who've been under a rock, it's the time machine from the "Back to the Future" movies). Surprisingly, it's easier to put together a time machine than it is to put together a chest of drawers.

Best Cities for Jobs

Today, 8,500 Temple University Graduates will turn tassles and enter the "real world." As they sit and listen to Bill Cosby's inspiring words of wisdom, many are left with the question, "What do I do next?" Forbes most recent list strives to give direction to those who are unsure of future plans. Ranking the Best Big, Mid-size and Small Cities for Jobs, the list ranks the "398 current metropolitan statistical areas, based on employment data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics reported from November 1999 to January 2011." Hopefully this list will help some of you decide on a place to start a new chapter of your life. Congratulations Class of 2011, you did it!

Top 5 Big Cities for Jobs:
1. Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, Texas
2. New Orleans-Metairie-Kenner, La.
3. Houston-Sugar Land-Baytown, Texas
4. San Antonio-New Braunfels, Texas
5. Dallas-Plano-Irving, Texas

Top 5 Mid-Size Cities for Jobs:
1. El Paso, Texas
2. Corpus Christi, Texas
3. Anchorage, Alaska
4. McAllen-Edinburg-Mission, Texas
5. Fayetteville-Springdale-Rogers, Ark.-Mo.

Top 5 Small Cities for Jobs:
1. Killeen-Temple-Fort Hood, Texas
2. Bismarck, N.D.
3. College Station-Bryan, Texas
4. Midland, Texas
5. Dubuque, Iowa

Well that's one way to do it

With summer vacation quickly approaching, many people will be moving in/out of their apartments. Some hire professionals, some employ an army of friends and a box of pizza as repayment, others are a bit more creative. Check out this group of guys and their less than convential way of helping their buddy move into his new place. Maybe that's how they do it Russia?

If this your house, it's time to reevaluate your living situation!!

Did Osama win the war on terror?

Upon news of Osama’s death, Americans were rowled up to a new degree. Crowds took the streets, rejoicing in the death of the one man we fought triumphantly to capture, Osama Bin Laden. In a valiant operation in Pakistan, Navy Seals took out the militant leader in a fury of gun fire. He, along with several “unarmed” family members (all of whom resisted arrest) and members of his regime, were killed in a covert night mission. CNN reports that the seals arrived on two helicopters attacked the compound and proceeded to clear the house, moving methodically from room to room.

Although the militant leader is now dead, the question on everyone’s mind: Did we really win the war on terror? Washington Post reporter Ezra Klein cites that Daveed Gartenstein-Ross, a counterterrorism expert who specializes in al-Qaeda, believes that Osama was “enormously successful.” Gartenstein-Ross stated in a foreign policy article that Bin Laden’s true intentions were to bankrupt the United States, a tactic previously used to take down, then superpower, The Soviet Union.

The counter-terriosm expert contended, “He has compared the United States to the Soviet Union on numerous occasions — and these comparisons have been explicitly economic.” He continued, “For example, in October 2004 bin Laden said that just as the Arab fighters and Afghan mujaheddin had destroyed Russia economically, al Qaeda was now doing the same to the United States, ‘continuing this policy in bleeding America to the point of bankruptcy.’ ”

Don't believe him? Here are some facts about our spending habits over the past decade that have been attributed to Bin Laden and the "War on Terror":

• The war in Iraq will surpass $3 trillion dollars.
• Afghanistan war effort likely amounts to another trillion or two.
• Beefed up home land security since 9/11 will amount to over a trillion dollars.
• Taking into account the slew of indirect costs and measures taken by the U.S. government (i.e. loose monetary policies, the post 9/11 slowdown in the economy, etc.)

Klein contends that all measures taken were made on our part. A point to which I agree. We chose to increase security, we chose to slash taxes, we chose to invade Iraq and Afghanistan (I'll leave to you guys to decide whether or not these decisions were necessary). It'll be hard to prove whether or not Bin Laden's intention was to bankrupt the United States, but in the end, I feel the U.S. government acted accordingly given the circumstances.

McGonigle Pearson Hall Update

As part of  Temple University's expansion plans, a renovation of McGonigle Pearson Hall was needed to house Division 1 Basketball practice facilities, intramural and recreational sports facilities, exercise/yoga rooms, contemporary weight/workout rooms, classrooms, retail and street level, offices and other programatic areas.  The activities now located in the Student Pavilion will be relocated to the new complex.  The renovation and additional 140,000 SF to the existing 225,000 SF will cost the university over $48 million.  As of now, foundation construction has been completed and steel is being erected.

Temple Nest Apartments

To celebrate the growing rate of residential development in and around Philadelphia, we at Rentcampus have decided to track down recently completed projects and those under construction around Temple University.  We believe that awareness and exposure are key to fostering excitement and enthusiasm in a growing development market. Last week we featured Beech International Apartments, this week and every following week we will feature 2-3 new projects.

Next up is Temple Nest Apartments located at 1509-1511 N 15th Street.  The project features new construction 2&3 Bedroom Luxury Apartments, with a building area of over 9,000 sqft.  The original lot size at purchase was 1400 sqft each.  The owners, Temple Nest III LP have several properties in the Temple neighborhood and are dedicated to provided quality housing in North Philadelphia. Check it out at templenestapts.com

T FOR TEMPLE U!!!!!!!!

Congratulations to the Temple University Basketball team on a thrilling victory over Penn State. Juan Fernandez lead the owls to a 66-64 victory, scoring the game winning shot with 2 seconds left on the clock. Now ranked 7th in their bracket, the owls will advance to play number 2 seed San Diego State on Saturday in Tucson, Arizona. Good luck to the owls. Lets show Cali how Philly does it!!!

Beech International Continues To Flex Its Muscle At Temple University

Beech International Apartments, located on the corner of 16th Street and Cecil B. Moore Avenue has been making significant progress as it nears its completion date set for Fall 2011. Agoose Lovera Architects designed the building to house Temple's growing international student population, helping to fill in the blight along Cecil B. Moore Avenue. It will feature 100 residential units with retail on the ground floor. The developers are Beech Interplex Companies which was founded by the William Penn Foundation and works in public and private partnership to redevelop North Philadelphia. Beech Interplex previously developed Oxford Village, a successful student housing complex along North 15th Street.

Do you know this delinquent?

We here at RentCampus strive to provide students with the best service possible; assisting in finding that "perfect" place to live for the coming school year. With that said, we take it to heart when a "student" commits a crime against us. In the wee hours of the morning on Friday, March 4, 2011, someone threw a brick at the facade of the RentCampus building, ultimately shattering the middle glass panel. After long hours of repair and money spent, we think it's only fair that this culprit gets his 15 minutes of fame and a personal sit down here at the office. Here's where you wonderful guys come in. WE NEED YOUR HELP TO IDENTIFY THE CULPRIT. Since we believe that good deeds shouldn't go unnoticed, we are offering a HEFTY REWARD for the successful identification of "our biggest fan." Below is some video surveillance footage taken from our cameras and from our good friends over at The Edge. If you are friends with this misguided character or simply heard him bragging about his defiling of private property, LET US KNOW!




This guy sure is persistent, missed on the first try so try, try again



Here he is walking by and scouting the place out



Frontal video of the actual crime taking place



Pay attention to the middle glass panel, :32 second mark


Again, if you provide us with information that leads to the SUCCESSFUL IDENTIFICATION of the culprit, RENTCAMPUS WILL PAY YOU!!!!!

Hipster Villains

I stumbled upon a funny article on urlesque.com highlighting hipster versions of some of our favorite disney villains.  There is also a link to a site where you can create your own Hipster Villain.  It makes me wonder why people are so obsessed with hipsters.  Just another group to poke fun at I guess.

Hipster Superheroes

Saving The World Is So Mainstream Now!  From College Humor Cartoons

See more funny videos and funny pictures at CollegeHumor.

Condoms for Dummies

Startup company Sensis Condoms claims that its products are simple enough to be put on blindfolded, and according to founder Beau Thompson, the inspiration for the new Sensis QuickStrip condom comes from non other than a "Hefty Garbage Bag"?  Yes..... a garbage bag.

Thompson didn't always want to be a condom entrepreneur.  But after a "difficult night" where he couldn't get a condom on correctly, the brainchild decided he could do better.  The a-ha moment came, Thomas says, as he was taking out the trash.  "I opened the Hefty Clinch Sak, grabbed the handles, and pulled them.  In a day, I had figured out the best way to roll into a condom."  the Cinch Sak inspired Sensis's QuickStrips, essentially, pull tabs for condoms.

Thompson's pull-tab revelation came in the late 1990's, and since then, he has been working to grow the Sensis brand. Sensis condoms have been on store shelves for a year now.  Feedback has been encouraging, Thompson says, and the company hopes to launch a new line of condoms in the near future.  The company now sells thin lubricated and micro-dot ribbed varieties.

Adios Four Loko! Hello Canna Cola

If you've never imagined marijuana in a bottle, don't think too hard, it's nothing new.  What is new however is a new edition in the next generation of high energy inducing beverages, Canna Cola.  Canna Cola is a marijuana-infused soda brand designed to be sold at medical marijuana dispensaries in the U.S.  The brainchild of California-based commercial artist Clay Butler, the Canna Cola brand features a number of different flavors, including the eponymous cola, a Dr Pepper knock-off call Doc Weed, grape-flavored Grape Ape, orange-tinged Orange Kush, and the Sprite-y Sour Diesel.  The drinks, set to be priced in the range of $10 to $15, don't contain much marijuana either. Each bottle contains between 35 and 65 milligrams of THC (the active ingredient in cannabis), or roughly three times less THC than other marijuana-infused beverages, but they are meant to be tastier than the competition's offerings, containing only a hint of pot flavoring.

Canna Cola is like a light beer to other vendor's hard liquors.  This means customers can actually drink entire bottles without having panic attacks.  It also means that medical patients who don't like the taste of marijuana might be more willing to take a swig.

Egypt's Internet Shutdown; How Is This Possible?

So I know many of you have already heard about the Egyptian Government shutting off the internet to all of its citizens last week.  I don't think many of us have ever contemplated this being possible, but apparently its easier than you think.  I can't imagine how this country would react if a similar situation occurred here!.......... yea, so like I said I can't imagine.  The internet is everything to Americans, more important than cell phones, television, heck it's probably more important than food depending on who you talk to.

In Egypt shutting off the internet doesn't take much.  The internet, like in most countries comprises a series of cables contained in dimly lit chilled rooms.  A country the size of Egypt probably has dozens of these rooms, explains Craig Labovitz, chief scientist for Arbor Networks, an Internet security company, in an interview done by fastcompany.com.  Killing the internet is as simple as literally unplugging these devices. Making these changes in Egypt is simple because there are only 10 Internet providers and a centralized government that can quickly order them to yank out the cables.  If the providers refuse, they can loose their licenses from the Telecommunications Regulatory Authority.  On Friday, U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton called Egypt to restore communications, and White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs reiterated the U.S. position that access to the Internet is a "basic human right."

Back home in the U.S. congress has contemplated implementing an Internet "kill switch" for use in emergencies, but it would be more complicated to effect that here, where there are more fiber-optic cables and thousands of providers.  Egypt has one of the more sophisticated Internet set-ups in the region, therefore shutting down the Internet is easy in most places around the world.  And while it may be difficult to turn off the Internet in the U.S. and Europe, there's still plenty of collateral damage when a country that plays a significant role in commerce and trade, like Egypt, chooses to do so.

Never Take Creativity for Granted

Renowned designer Stefan Segmeister talks about the process behind his typography- driven films, which sprung from the insights in his book Things I've Learned In My Life So Far. http://www.sagmeister.com

Never Content To Accept Conventional Wisdom?

Check out this Video from Behance Team, just a nudge of inspiration!

Temple Campus Safety

Carl Bittenbender, Executive Director of Campus Safety Services sent out a Memorandum yesterday a series of additional safety measures that will be implemented on Temples Main Campus this semester.  Bittenbender stresses that the university takes the safety of its university community very seriously and in response to recent criminal activity over the past few months there are safety measure that will begin immediately.  While there is no one simple solution to the safety challenges Temple facesm the University believes these steps will be valuable to its campus, students and the community around Main Campus.

Step 1. Bolstering City of Philadelphia Police patrols in areas immediately adjacent to campus. These additional patrols will coordinate with Temple University Police and will be assigned mainly in areas north and west of campus in response to current crime patterns. The university is underwriting the costs of these additional officers.


Step 2. Increasing the presence of security officers on campus. Additional security officers will be added to increase visibility and deter criminal activity. They will have direct contact with the Temple University Police communications center and will initially patrol on foot. In the weeks to come, these security officers will be equipped with bikes. They will then be in special bike uniforms, distinctly marked and easily recognized as part of the security force at Temple.


Step 3. Hiring additional sworn campus police officers. Temple already has a large, well-trained police department and adding new officers will enhance our policing abilities on and around campus.


Step 4. Upgrading the network of security cameras on campus. This enhancement, already in progress, will greatly add to our investigative capabilities.

Jimmy Rollins And The Music Industry

Jimmy Rollins, best known in Philadelphia for the obvious "baseball" is coming to Temple University tomorrow to speak with students at the Fox School of Business about success in the music business.  The Jimmy Rollins Entertainment Group has worked with Justin Beiber and Sean Kingston among others.  Rollins will talk to students about his success in the industry and what is plans are for himself outside of baseball.  Check him out if you have time!

Temple Police Patrol Boundaries

Primary Patrol Zone

Susquehanna Avenue to Jefferson Street

9th to 16th Streets

Daily patrol activity including directed patrols

Respond to priority calls

Respond to calls for service including taking reports

Full investigative support

Supplemental Patrol Zone

Susquehanna Avenue to Dauphin Street

8th to 9th Streets

16th to 17th Streets

Master Street to Jefferson Street

Directed patrols according to crime trends, complaints and/or other information determining the area of concentration

Respond to priority calls

Respond to calls for taking reports

Investigative support limited and to be determined on case-by-case basis

Priority Response Zone

Dauphin to York Streets

Master to Thompson Streets

7th to 8th Streets

17th to 19th Streets

Respond to priority In-Progress calls ONLY

This is NOT a patrol area

Responding officers will NOT be used for taking reports or calls for service including noise complaints

Investigative support will be on very rare occasions used mainly as facilitators to the appropriate Philadelphia Police Detective Division or information gathering of high-profile incidents

All non-priority calls in this zone and beyond will be referred to the Philadelphia Police 911 Emergency System

Priority calls of crimes in progress will be referred to the Philadelphia Police 911 Emergency System, as well as broadcasted to Temple Police units

Click on Map to Enlarge

New Year New Look!

Happy New Year Everyone! 2011 is sure to be an awesome year for all the determined dreamers and entrepreneurs.  If you've been planning something in 2010 this is the year of execution and growth. Get ready- don't stand still now- the time is here so take advantage of it!

Here at Rentcampus we wanted to start the year off with a little friendly writing competition.  Since we are so interested in improving the quality of student life at Temple we decided to share your stories about life on campus and as young college students living in Philadelphia.  We thought it would be cool to share your stories on our blog and select three writers to be guest writers on our blog for the Spring Semester.  The students with the most interesting and well composed stories will be chosen.  But there is a catch; we want you and your friends to vote on who you think has the best story. Participants can write about anything from their life, student life, political views, what they would change if they were the next Mayor of Philadelphia, etc.  It can be anything.  We just want to hear what you have to say!  Student work will be published on our blog and facebook.  The 3 students with the most facebook likes will be selected as the "Guest Writers", given permission to write weekly or bi-weekly columns on our blog, and compensation for their work. You are not limited to the amount of post you send in.  We just ask that they be between 200 and 500 words.  Feel free to include tasteful graphics and pics.

The competition will last until February 28.  Post will be uploaded in the order they are received.  Email all post with attached images to "rentcampus@gmail.com"  Subject: Writing competition.

Good Luck! We can't wait to read what you have to say

Thanks,
RentcampusOnline