Mindset List 2012

My daughter went back to school this week, which means it's time for my annual visit to the Beloit College "Mindset List."

This humble university, set in its namesake town of Beloit, Wisconsin, strives to give its faculty an understanding of the cultural mindset of the freshman streaming through their doors each fall.

It's an exercise in memory and history for the rest of us, and taking a moment to realize how quickly the years have fallen away.

So, for the class of 2012, here's what they grew up with (and without) and perhaps this will give you a better handle on understanding why some young college students act the way they do.

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SELECTIONS FROM THE BELOIT COLLEGE MINDSET LIST
Class of 2012

Since they were in diapers, karaoke machines have been annoying people at parties.

GPS navigation systems have always been available.

Coke and Pepsi have always used recyclable plastic bottles.

Electronic filing of tax returns has always been an option.

WWW has never stood for World Wide Wrestling.

Films have never been X-rated. Only NC-17.

Wayne Newton has never had a mustache.

IBM has never made typewriters.

There has always been Pearl Jam.

The "Tonight Show" has always been hosted by Jay Leno.

Caller ID has always been available on phones.

They have never heard anyone ask, "Want me to check under the hood?"

Soft drink refills have always been free.

[see the complete list here; all 60 items]

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My daughter has a swim meet tomorrow, and a good friend's daughter is getting married tomorrow, followed by the kickoff Sunday of the fall church season and the more literal kickoff of the National Football League, as the majority of teams will play on Sunday. In short, another busy weekend.

I'll see you on Monday.

Mark

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WEB SITE of the WEEK: If you thought Alaska was gorgeous, try looking clearly and deeply into outer space. At http://hubblesite.org/gallery/album/entire_collection/, you can. The Hubble Telescope has catalogued 1,169 photos of galaxies, solar systems, nebulae, stars, and other cosmic whatnot and has even broken them down into handy designations, such as wallpaper, wall murals, movies, and such. And on October 8, shuttle Atlantis lifts off with a specific mission to upgrade the Hubble and make the images it captures even more spectacular.

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Mark's Musings is still a Habeas-certified spam free mailer. Subscribe, view past issues in the Archives, or help defray - you do know what "defray" means, don't you? Because based on the number of contributions received, I'm pretty sure I'm confusing most of you - publishing costs at my web site. To contact me and yes, I'm a real person and do write back, click here. To scoop stinkin' hard ice cream all day, wear a wrist brace. You'll thank me later. You can forward or reprint "Mark's Musings" freely but please keep the credits attached. The credits are a fragile candle burning in the stiff wind of casual indifference, longing only to keep flame and wick burning together. (Boy, I really need some sleep.) Original material and commentary © 2008 by Mark Raymond. I update my blog with a copy of this post daily and occasional bonus material on the weekends. Look for the label that says "Weekend" and you can bring them all up with one click. My personal mission statement remains John 3:30. Does this post make my butt look big?

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WORDS for YOUR WEEKEND: "It is only necessary to make war with five things: The maladies of the body, the ignorances of the mind, the passions of the body, the seditions of the city, and the discords of families." (Pythagoras)