Classes got you down? Grab a copy of the Voice on the way–unless you really enjoy reading the syllabus… Here’s a few highlights:

-You’ve seen the ambulance (hopefully not from the inside), but what’s a night in it really like? Clare Malone rides along with GERMS and lives to tell the tale.

-The Voice editorial board adds its props to GERMS while it continues to worry about the state of D.C. schools.

-Emergency text-messages may not be so reliable, according to the company that provides them. Will Sommer reports.

-MetaTube? Dan Cook takes a look at the best YouTube videos about… YouTube. It’s always endearing when technology becomes self-aware.

-Finland may not have fjords, but it’s one step closer to football thanks to Hoyas quarterback Matt Bassuener, Phil Perry reports. Anthony Francavilla catches up with GU Sailing, which quietly remains Georgetown’s most successful sport.

-Voice Editor-in-Chief Tim Fernholz brings his righteous anger down upon the new party and alcohol policies, and explains why you should too.

The next issue of the Voice could star you! Bring yourself to Leavey 413 on Friday, August 31 at 5 p.m. to get involved. Everyone welcome, no experience necessary (although it never hurt).

As always, thanks for reading, and drop us a line if you’re so inclined.
Posted by Mike Stewart, Managing Editor.

The class of 2011 has arrived, and we went out to meet them.

The internet got excited about Facebook’s Open Platform this summer, which isn’t actually a big deal unless you like randomly-generated Harry Potter quotes or being spammed by Honesty Box. Still, everyone from nerds to journalism professors loved it. The only problem is that Facebook doesn’t have a killer revenue model, despite healthy ad rates.

That’s where news feed comes in. Webware picked up a Wall Street Journal report that Facebook is going to start placing more ads inside news feed targeted to different user demographics. That sounds like great eye real estate, which makes it more annoying than sidebar ads. They’re comparing it to Google’s AdWords program, which sounds about right since both companies make money by hassling their users, but they’re so ubiquitous and useful no one will care.
-Will Sommer, blog editor

DC government is blaming the fire in Georgetown library last April on Dynamic Corp., a Maryland-based construction company. The city’s suing for $13 million, which is a pretty good deal considering restoration was expected cost from $15 to $20 million.

According to the lawsuit, the fire was started by Dynamic employees with heat guns. I had never heard of heat guns, but they sound pretty useful: “It has 2 heat settings, 500 or 1020 degress Farenheit. This versatile device strips paint and varnish, thaws frozen pipes, softens adhesives for removal of linoleum and floor tile, and quick dries almost anything.” This one is only $24.99, which makes me wonder why we don’t all have them.

For its part, Dynamic seems unperturbed by the lawsuit. Its website has a fondness for stock photos and phaser sounds, and it still lists DC government as a “valued client.”

Besides heat guns, the secret star of the fire is the bookmobile that serviced Georgetown afterward. The bus is 40-feet long and has wireless internet. That even sounds like a good idea for Georgetown students, forced to choose between long lines in the bookstore or getting mugged at Lauinger.

Georgetown library photo from Flickr user Slack13

-Will Sommer, blog editor

Georgetown neighborhood is going to start sharing its Metro cops with more of the city if Police Chief Lanier gets her way. Her plan to organize police districts would re-zone higher crime Dupont Circle, part of downtown, and some of U Street into the more genteel Second District, which includes Georgetown.

Of course, people in the old Second District aren’t pleased about having to share. “Most concerning is that there will be a de facto drain of resources away from us,” Spence Spencer (!), the president of a neighborhood association in the 2nd District, told The Washington Post. Obviously, the change should be done responsibly. But don’t think Georgetown is defenseless, or ever resigns itself to sacrificing for the rest of the city.

Last year, I went to an Advisory Neighborhood Commission meeting when the commission discussed a resolution to buy protection from off-duty police officers. After one of the commissioners talked about how concerned he was that we were using our money to buy better treatment than the rest of the city gets, the measure passed unanimously. Check out this Voice article from January to see more about local residents’ mercenary hiring practices.

Via Why I Hate DC. Photo from Flickr user dchousegrooves
-Will Sommer, blog editor