Did you try the Google Maps 8 Bit yet?

It is April's Fool time and Google released an original update for the occasion: an 8-bit version of oneof their famous feature, Google Maps. You can access this map by going to Google Maps and clicking on the 'try it now' link on the left of your page. You will then be redirected to a fully-functional 8-bit version of Google Maps. You can zoom in on your house or get directions for your next road trip. This new feature is humorously advertised a 'Google Maps on your NES' as a reference to the old 8-bit gaming system. Looking at the world in 8-bit is fun: familiar landscapes look like a map straight out of an old RPG.

This project is fun and original, and yet I cannot help feeling something disturbingly close to nostalgia. I miss 8-bit graphics, dial-up internet, black and white cell phone screens and game boys. Technology is evolving so fast we quickly forget about the products we desperately wanted and cherished because they are ridiculously out-dated only five years later.

Sometimes I wonder if I will sit down with my grandchildren and tell them what it was like to play video games on a 2D TV or how we had to use cords to go on the internet – and above all, I wonder if they will believe me.

New technologies are evolving so fast but we are still human beings and live slowly. Did we create a world too fast for us? I think 8-bit designs making me feel nostalgic is a problem: I belong to a generation known as the Millenniums and most of my memories are linked to products of a consumerist society.

Is attending the University Of Louisville a good choice?

The University of Louisville is getting a lot of attention as its basketball team is playing against Kansas in the March Madness tournament. If Louisville wins the competition, a large number of students will decide to enroll in this university, not realizing that winning a basketball competition has nothing to do with academics.

A university could spend millions on their basketball team and still be unable to provide quality accommodation for the students, hire qualified professors or buy equipment necessary to certain technical classes. And yet a lot of high school students will send out applications to Louisville because the university gained a good reputation through athletics. Marketing departments are aware of this and know sports should be an important part of their strategy. Students are encouraged to identify with the winning team, even though they are not going to attend a single game throughout the season.

Is identifying with your university a necessity? School pride can be fun and feeling like you belong is necessary in order to adapt to this new environment, which is sometimes a radical change, especially for young students out of high school. But you do not need to go to a prestigious university to feelthat way.

Students who want to attend Louisville University after watching the March Madness games need to realize they are not going to get involved in athletics and will get the exact same education and experience at a more affordable school. Actually, Louisville would not even be a good choice for a student interested in a degree Louisville is not offering or not funding properly.

Mirror Mirror: a new take on the Snow White myth

A new take on the Snow White fairy tales came out in the theaters today: Mirror Mirror. So far film critics seem a little disappointed with the movie. The acting isnot that great and director Tarsem Singh's style does not do justiceto the traditional fairy tale. The main interest of the movie is that it offers an original spin on the old fairy tale: the queen is telling the story and turns Snow White into the evil one. The audience is disappointed because everyone wants an evil queen: this is what Snow White is all about. We are supposed to identify with the beautiful young woman who is tyrannized by her jealous stepmother, whether we are watching the candy-coated Disney version or reading the original gritty story.

Why isn't this movie working? Because there is not only stories to tell, but a way of telling them. Snow White is a cultural landmark because we can relate to the story. From a psychoanalytical point of view, Snow White reflects mother-daughter relationships and coming of age, things we all know about even if we have no extensive knowledge of psychoanalysis. Disney turned Snow White into a 'princess', a character little girls want to identify with. I agree that the Disney version is filled with old-fashioned and patriarchal values I would not want to expose a child to, but I cannot deny it is a cultural landmark.

Mirror Mirror fails because it approaches a myth from an unfamiliar angle. We care about Snow White because we know the story and relate to it on different levels: it is a part of our childhood memories, of bonding with our own children and we probably relate to it on an unconscious level too. This new version is not a recognizable myth and does not have an audience because Snow White is not something we want a new take on, it is a myth that needs to be left untouched to conserve its a meaning, both on a personal and cultural level.

Easy Passover Recipes: sweet matzoh in under five minutes

Passover is coming soon and the Jewish community is planning on celebrating with delicious recipes. Whether you are Jewish or not, Passover is a great occasion to get your family together over a good meal. There are many different traditional or original recipes you could try; as long as you select something that corresponds to your skills. Here are a few easy matzoh recipes you can prepare in under five minutes.

Mix three eggs with cinnamon and sugar. Pour some matzoh mix in a large skillet along with your eggs. Cook until golden brown and flip it. Top your matzoh with bananas, yogurts, berries, pieces of chocolates or anything you like!

Melt a few pieces of chocolate in your microwave. Take a few pieces of matzoh, soak them in wine or grapefruit juice for a few seconds to add some flavor before you cover them in melted chocolate. Place your chocolate-coated matzohs in the fridge and serve when cold.

Cut a few apples into thin slices and place them in an oven pan. Pour matzoh mix, sugar and cinnamon on top. Bake for about 15 minutes at 350 degrees and enjoy this delicious Passover crumble.

These three recipes are incredibly quick and easy: have your children help you prepare them. All the ingredients are easy to find, but you should probably plan your Passover in advance. Remember what this holiday is about and celebrate it with your family: think of these recipes as a way of helping you out while you are busy with a job and with a lot of things to prepare at home, not as a way of cheapening this tradition.

Aubrey O Day cried on TV: she is human after all

Aubrey O'Day got a lot of attention after she shed a few tears on Celebrity Apprentice. Apparently, Trump decided to donate money to her charity and she had a strong emotional reaction – someone else made a comment about how her fake lasheswould fall if she cried.

We have an interesting theme here, with the fake eyelashes and the tears. Even if this comment is funny, it is also hurtful and very embarrassing. Crying is a normal human reaction to a lot of different situations we all encounter on a regular basis, and yet it is not acceptable to do it on TV. Crying does not correspond to the image of perfection people like O'Day are trying to establish by wearing fake eyelashes, design clothes and appearing on shows like Celebrity Apprentice.

Fame, success and popularity are granted to people who transcend human characteristics and look as close to perfect as possible. What the public see is perfect, but this perfection is achieved after hours in the make-up room, carefully placed lights, and a lot of editing. We all want to look like these people: we buy make up, get our hair done, and read weight loss or fashion tips based on their secret methods.

And yet we want to see our models cry – because we know we cannot look like them, we are still too human. We see them cry, and we realize they are just like us, still human under this coat of makeup and behind these white teeth.

I think we should not make fun of Aubrey O'Day for crying nor want to watch the video. We should show respect and remember she is human in spite of her appearance 

Jerry Lee Lewis marries his cousin - again

Jerry Lee Lewis made the headlines when he married his younger cousin back in the 1950s – he is getting attention again as his 7^th wife turns out to be his cousin's ex-wife. You might be wondering how many cousins Lewis has,but Lewis' new wife, Judith, used to be married to Rusty. Rusty is the older brother of Myra, Lewis' third wife who married him when she was 13. Are you still with us? At least Judith has no DNA in common with Lewis, which makes the whole thing slightly less disturbing.

Marrying people you are related to on different levels is disturbing, but remember that Lewis is from a time and place where that sort of things were perfectly acceptable. We find it disturbing because this is not what Hollywood is exposing us to, but marrying your cousin is legal in more states than same sex marriage is allowed.

It also makes sense that Lewis would want to marry within a close circle of people he can trust. He used to be a wild character and got in a lot of trouble in his youth: it is probably best if he stays among people who really care about his best interest. Besides, he is still making a decent income with his music: marrying someone he has known for years is the guarantee that this person is not after the money.

And in the end, does it really matter who Jerry Lee Lewis is getting married to? Marrying his 13 year old cousin was such a big deal because the girl was so young and Lewis was a huge star, but things are different know. The latest popular song he did was 'Pink Cadillac' in 2007, but didn't really hear anything new since then, and 'Pink Cadillac' was a surprising success after years of silence.

Katie Couric changes sides in the battle of the networks

Katie Couric jumps from one network to the other as a test of popularity: she is going to host 'Good Morning America' for a week, a show she once was in competition with back when she was hosting NBC's 'Today'. ABC wants to put her through this test before her talk show goes on syndication next fall. Will you watch Katie Couric on 'Good Morning America'?

I think the 'Today' fans will be disappointed to see Couric hosting the show they missed every day because they were dedicated to NBC. Fans have chosen to their favorite show and made it a part of their day – networks could at least show a little respect by not questioning these choices.

Does Couric really has a chance? On Monday, 'Good Morning America' will have exciting guests, movie director James Cameron and governor Nikki Haley while Couric will interview Camille Grammer, Eva Longoria and Rascal Flatts: these names are obviously harder to recognize.

CBS is approaching this battle of the networks with heavy artillery: the Monday edition of 'This Morning' will feature Oprah Winfrey. Couric is good, but she is no match for Winfrey.

Which network will you watching? Aren't these shows too similar anyway? I honestly can't tell the difference between 'Today' or 'Good Morning America' or any other similar morning show. It is obviously too early to discuss important news and to have interesting guests come to the studio. The audience is stuck at home with nothing to do: the time is perfect to get them interested in the other shows of the network by interviewing stars from these shows and to tell them what to buy in what is presented as a modern and exciting lifestyle. Does it matter if Couric is on ABC instead of NBC? She will be doing the exact same thing anyway.