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The summer before my Freshman year, I was given the choice of taking computer science or history for my first year, and as someone who had an interest and passion for programming and computer science, my choice was obvious. Again, before my Sophomore year, I was given the choices of taking history, computer science, or both, the latter of which I had to take due to the requirement of taking six semesters of social science throughout one’s Middlesex career. For students going into their Junior year and Senior year, the choice to take computer science often means taking an extra class, especially because all Juniors are required to take a U.S. history class. Yet, for many students, opting for an extra class represents a significant sacrifice, prompting the pressing question: which path should students take? First, why are students forced to make this choice? Traditionally, students are steeped in history or social studies classes throughout their academic career. In stark contrast, computer science rarely finds a place in the pre-high school curriculum, and it is often relegated to an elective status in high schools as it is in Middlesex. This disparity, where the study of social studies is deemed universally essential, while computer science remains largely overlooked, is a flaw in the educational system at Middlesex and beyond. History is quite valuable in education from a young age, providing much needed context for human development and current affairs and it also offers the valuable lessons derived from the mistakes of the past. History classes also intricately contribute to the development of writing and critical thinking skills, that are taught in English classes and across the domain of humanities. However, computer science also develops essential skills needed in the rapidly growing STEM fields. While examining STEM education, I spoke to Mr. Karos, who teaches Computer Science and Mathematics who emphasized the importance of our education system increasing “younger exposure [to computer science] like [it does with] art.” Mr. Karos also believes that early exposure to computer science could also help kids develop a passion for the subject from an early age. The education system’s approach to computer science education is flawed and this vital class should start at a younger age and be given a higher value within society. As for our current Middlesex curriculum, it would be difficult to imagine how computer science could be easily added to the already packed student schedules. One possible solution would be to add an introductory computer science class, much like the art electives, thereby at least giving all Middlesex students early exposure to the field, and then they can decide to continue with the subject or not. Ultimately, until changes are made, students must make the choice to take computer science themselves – obviously, not everyone is going to be a historian, and not everyone is going to be a programmer –but as students and learners, giving computer science a try is something to seriously consider. Ben Feuer

This year’s new schedule is the single greatest change to Middlesex daily life in recent history. Among its numerous improvements to the flow of the day, students and faculty enjoy a later start to the class day and less nightly homework on average. Additionally, in the evenings a later start to study hours (moving from a previous start of 7:30 to now 8:00), gives clubs, teams, and friends more time to organize and schedule. However, this change to study hours has frustrated some boarding students. While lights out for freshmen and associated rules for other grades remain at 10:30, late check-in has been moved to 10:15 in a recent update. Early check-in is now 8:00. The change in study hours maintains the amount of free time between the academic day and study hours, considering that the academic day now ends later, but some senior leaders argue this shift has led to unintended consequences towards dorm life and health. Senior boarding procters, Luke Taylor, George Leness, and Luke Power argue that the new “the new study hours is keeping kids up later,” and overall hurting dorm life. Last year, with an hour of flexibility between study hours ending at 9:30 and 10:30 lights out or in your rooms for underclassmen, gave students time to finish their homework, socialize and relax in the dorm, and get ready for bed before 10:30. The new schedule forces students to scramble to finish homework, shower, and get to bed when students should instead be winding down for the night, ending their day among friends. When students had the time to get to bed at 10:30, they mostly did, but with the current system students are “pushing their clock back half an hour,” and overall going to bed later, perhaps undermining the whole point of class starting later. The dorms after study hours “are louder at a later time,” Taylor says. With the demand for socialization and wind down time before bed the same, but the current rules making that socialization more difficult, students are more likely to break dorm rules and challenge proctors and dorm parents more so than in the past, according to the seniors. At the crux of students’ issues with the new study hours is that 10:30 cannot work as a rule if students are not given enough downtime between study hours and lights out. Significantly, if students continually break dorm rules, then a culture of general disregard for basic dorm rules can form - an obvious danger to student life. A healthy amount of sleep is a critical wellness objective for students who perennially struggle with balancing sleep, academics, and their social life. George Thornton

Illustration by David Yang World-renowned singer-songwriter Taylor Swift began her sixth concert tour in March of this year. The Eras Tour, named as an homage to each of her characteristic albums, is Taylor’s most expensive and ambitious tour yet, with 146 shows stretching across five continents. Each show lasts over three hours, featuring a forty-song setlist and two highly-anticipated surprise songs. Taylor brings unmatched energy to each and every show, displaying elaborate choreography and executing incredible costume changes. Because of the notable quality of Swift’s concerts and her enthusiastically devoted fan base, The Eras Tour is expected to make concert history as the highest-grossing tour of all time, with an predicted estimate of one billion dollars or more in sales. Of course, The Eras Tour’s massive financial success would not be possible without the absurd amount of money poured into it. For example, just setting up each stage costs Swift and her team hundreds of thousands of dollars.Yet this massive expenditure has proven to be a success for domestic and global economics: Swift’s tour is responsible for a possible economic lift that economists are referring to as “Swift Lift.” By the end of the last show, analysts predict that the tour will have generated around 4.6 billion dollars of consumer spending in the United States alone. This spending benefits people from all facets of the tour’s design, from choreographers to stadium food vendors. One hotel operator in Phoenix, AZ states that his hotels generated over twice the amount of money per day when Taylor Swift performed her first shows in Glendale than during Superbowl weekend. Part of Taylor Swift's excellence comes from her unique and timeless discography. Unlike most other popular musicians, singers, and songwriters, Swift generates money directly from her music, while a majority of artists rely on alternative sources of income, such as a makeup or beauty line. Taylor Swift fans appreciate her for the warm personality that she exudes, the wonderful music that she produces, and the stories she conveys through her songs. Ever since her debut as a 16-year-old from Tennessee, Swift, as she would put it, has never gone “out of style,” especially not now at 33 years old. Many people grew up hearing Swift’s most popular songs on the radio, and many of her newer listeners are growing up as “die-hard” Taylor Swift fans, creating generations of “Swifties.” Regardless of how big a fan one is, there is no denying that Swift’s almost two decades of musical creations have amassed a following ranging from child to senior. Swift holds a special place in the hearts of many people, keeping her music in millions of ears, and encouraging people to attend these fantastic shows even after all these years. Taylor Swift’s The Eras Tour will go down in music history, perhaps as the highest-grossing tour of all time, but certainly as a testament to the power of her music and her devoted fanbase, as well as the hard work she puts into each and every jaw-dropping show. Not only is this tour unifying the incredibly diverse Taylor Swift community, but it is truly stretching the boundaries of what music and performance can accomplish. Florence Morlock

After a series of controversial Phase IV projects, Phase V of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, or MCU, faces even tougher challenges. It is now in the midst of the multiverse storyline, where various projects are setting the stage for the upcoming climax. Series like "Loki" and "Spider-Man: No Way Home" notably explored the idea of the multiverse, and recently "Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania" introduced Kang the Conqueror, the main supervillain of the multiverse narrative. Admittedly, Phase IV did not go as well as Marvel had hoped, especially after the success of "Avengers: Infinity War" and "Avengers: Endgame." There were disappointments like "Thor: Love & Thunder," a film that showed signs of Marvel’s expedited agenda and dull writing. It is safe to say that Phase IV lacked the depth of character and storytelling seen in the earlier MCU phases. Now, Phase V is also encountering its own set of challenges. Like Phase IV, Phase V does not include any Avengers films. With the ongoing multiverse complexities, there seems to be no rush to assemble the Avengers team for major missions. Instead, Marvel Studios seems focused on giving these heroes shorter standalone stories. This approach certainly speeds up the storytelling, but it also means fans will wait longer to see the official Avengers team at the forefront of the multiverse saga. In the midst of Phase V planning, the MCU is hastening to introduce new heroes like Echo and Ironheart due to expiring actor contracts, among other reasons. Yet rushing character development and reproducing clichéd hero origin stories will not retain viewership: defeating a villain and joining the array of MCU heroes had always been the way to introduce these new characters. A great example of solid character development is seen with Spider-Man in the MCU. Starting as a naive teenager, Spider-Man gradually transformed into the well-rounded hero he is today. His journey through the heroes' Civil War, Infinity War, and his own trilogy allowed for this natural growth, whereas current character growth feels compressed within a single project. Furthermore, Phase V lacks a clear narrative thread compared to previous phases. In Phases III and IV, it was clear to audiences that most of the heroes' stories revolved around the Infinity Stones. Yet looking ahead to the MCU's Phase V projects (after Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3) many projects seem self-contained or unrelated to the multiverse. Some, like "Secret Invasion" and "Ms. Marvel," are linked to the overarching issue, while others, like "Captain America: Brave New World" and "Thunderbolt," deal with more grounded themes that do not heavily involve the multiverse. Nonetheless, "Loki" Season 2 might be the main Phase V project tied to the multiverse, leaving a larger plot narrative possible for Phase VI. More importantly, Phase IV left several questions unanswered and, unfortunately, Phase V does not seem set on addressing them. Upcoming plans show little chance of resolving mysteries from Phase IV, such as White Vision's fate, Doctor Strange's third eye, Venom's Symbiote, Starfox's deal in "Eternals," and the stories of the Ten Rings in "Shang-Chi." As we transition into Phase V, Marvel shows ambition in expanding its multiverse storylines. However, the current approach risks confusing the audience and falling into formulaic storytelling. Recent episodes and movies have largely mishandled old characters, as with Maria Hill's shocking death in the first episode of "Secret Invasion,” or the overly-simple introduction of the new supervillain Kang in the latest Ant-Man movie. Thus, Marvel should take a more measured approach, carefully considering how characters and storylines evolve, rather than recycling old concepts into new ones. Eric Nie

On July 5th, 2023, Mark Zuckerberg released Instagram’s newest counterpart, Threads, a text-based app that allows users to express their previous video- and photo-based content in written form. Marketed as a friendlier alternative to Twitter, the popular social media platform known for its hostile and “free-for-all” nature, Threads seemed to only improve upon all of the best parts of its big competitor. With the ability to edit posts, repost, and share content, as well as the addition of advanced personalization, the app touched on all of the fan-favorite aspects of Twitter––minus the drama. Indeed, with Elon Musk's purchase of Twitter, the historic app’s popularity has begun to collapse, with many outraged with his choice to rebrand the iconic logo and name to “X,” stripping the app of one of its most beloved attributes. However, rebranding is not the only thing that Twitter users have had qualms with, as the app has taken a highly political dive in the last few years, with once amiable posts commenting on sports or popular entertainment being replaced with cutthroat and hostile jabs at governmental issues and personal beliefs. With the fall of one of social media's largest platforms, it only seems right that some alternative would come along sooner or later. Zuckerberg, a long-time enemy of Elon Musk, saw this ruination as an opportunity to rival his biggest competitor in the social media world. Spreading notifications through Instagram itself, Zuckerberg took every change to promote the new app, even creating a badge on users' profiles if they downloaded the app, further enhancing its traction through users’ individual accounts. Within days, the app gained a record-breaking following, surpassing 100 million downloads after just 5 days. For reference, it took Twitter 5 years and 5 months to reach that same milestone. It seemed that Threads had taken the world by storm, and its success appeared inevitable; however, despite the app’s rapid growth, I do not believe that it will last. To create an app solely reliant on the condition of another is a risky move considering the inconsistency of a platform that is completely dependent on individual user retention. Moreover, people download apps because they offer something they could not access before. Whether it be a new opportunity for entertainment, socializing, business, or anything in between, users desire a better and more convenient alternative to some interest they have, clicking the download button to fulfill this passion. This concept immediately highlights the problematic nature of Threads; branded as a better alternative to Twitter, the app broadcasts itself as something that has already been produced––something that has been used for many years. Furthermore, no matter how upset people become with Twitter’s changes, the wide range of communities within the app means complete user abandonment from Twitter is virtually impossible, and it is unrealistic to expect all Twitter users to switch to a new platform. To believe that successful accounts on Twitter would give up their following merely for a “friendlier” and more positive alternative, although conceptually enticing, is irrational, as users would lose all of their progress and essentially need to start from scratch. Additionally, the record-breaking usership is highly misleading, with the new app’s popularity plummeting each day. According to CNN, Threads’ daily usership is down almost 82% since its launch, with only 8 million users out of the original 150 million accessing the app each day, compared to Twitter’s 259.4 million users per day. Although Threads seemed to initially rival the usership of Twitter during its first few days, it is now evident that many only downloaded the app due to Instagram’s incessant notifications, almost forcing users to link their accounts. Even the defining concept for Threads is flawed: although the idea of creating a purely positive and inclusive experience for users sounds ideal, almost all popular social media apps today started as a free-for-all. It is this freedom to openly share one’s beliefs that makes social media so crucial, for without such important conversations these apps are almost futile. Moreover, attempts to moderate discussions within the app are not only limiting but unrealistic when considering Zuckerberg's aspirations of surpassing Twitter. Although Twitter may currently appear to be a warzone to onlookers, there are so many unique groups within the app that characterizing it only for its political controversies is simply inaccurate. People like traditions and routines; it is against our nature to abandon something that we have grown attached to. Thus, despite Zuckerberg’s hopes of capitalizing on Twitter’s instability with Threads, the fleeting fad will never fully replace the original, no matter how unoriginal Musk attempts to make it. Catherine Bain