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July 12, 2007
The Scanner: Rock Camp, video games, phones that mock you and Miss New Jersey

What? A day without some sort of skateboarding news? For a guy who didn’t skateboard growing up, I seem to be talking about it a lot lately.

To make up for the excess of skateboarding coverage over the last few days, I’ve got a big ol’ pot of news. A goulash or casserole of news, from music to technology and of course a little law and order.

- Ever since "School of Rock" came out a few years ago musical summer camps have been all the rage. Up in Auburn the Rock Camp at Central Maine Community College went out with series of hard guitar chords...from 9-year-olds. You have to wonder, how do kids that go to Band Camp feel about this development?

- Speaking of video games, looks like the Nintendo Wii is once again challenging the way people look at video games. FINALLY you can tell your parents/girlfriend/boss/therapist that staying inside and playing video games is not bad for your health.

- On the other side of the video game wars, it looks like X-Box 360– while ahead in sales – may be losing ground very quickly because of some bugs in the 360 consoles.

- In other technology news, T-Mobile might be onto something with this new phone, which looks like it could definitely save people some money. Of course the problem in this case is straightforward – if you live in an area with spotty WiFi networks, this is no good to you. And since here in Maine WiFi is as about as widespread as T-Mobile’s coverage network, it could take some time for this to catch on.

- Do you hate all those complicated buttons on phones, get wistful for a time when technology did not mock you? Jitterbug could be just the phone for you. I think they are on to something with the idea of a simplistic phone, but the blatant marketing to older people is hilarious.

- Congress is taking another stab at student loan relief after the House of Representatives approved cutting interest rates on student loans and increasing Pell grants. Not surprisingly, loan providers are not happy.

- That Miss New Jersey is one saucy, saucy lady. With a story like this you really don’t know where to begin. I think it's funny some of the pageant officials say this is a case of “kids having a good time at a party,” which when you look at the pictures seems to be pretty accurate. But still, how hard is it to bury stuff like this if you’re running for Miss New Jersey and hope to be Miss America? Then again, is it so bad if Miss America likes to party?

- Finally, getting out of jury duty is straight from the bad-sitcom idea playbook, but apparently some people really will do anything to get out of serving on a jury.

Posted by at 12:04 PM

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Justin is a former newspaper intern and has the scar tissue to prove it. Justin has been a staff writer for the Portland Press Herald/Maine Sunday Telegram since 2003, and in 2004 began writing a weekly column in the Monday Magazine.

If he had to pick a label, the column would fall under "youth culture," covering everything from high school dance etiquette, dealing with college debt, the resurgence of Roller Derby and Portland's one-of-a-kind music scene. This of course has not stopped him from answering letters to Santa Claus or writing about his experience riding shotgun in a drift car.

Justin is an export from the Midwest. He is a graduate of the University of Missouri and is originally from Minnesota. He enjoys bacon, cheap beer, redheads, Burt Reynolds jokes and wondering what the soundtrack to his life would sound like.

When he grows up he wants to be an international art thief. Or Captain America.

Until then he'll be bringing you dispatches about "the young people" and what they do.





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