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For many cell phone users in North America, wrangling companies’ hefty monthly rates and paying for add-ons like voicemail and caller ID has become a necessary evil. Until very recently, the same used to be true for cell phone users in France. A new cell phone operator, which hit French markets on Jan. 10, has transformed the way French consumers think about and pay for their phones and plans. 

The carrier, which operates under the only slightly exaggerated moniker “Free Mobile,” offers cell phones and data plans to French consumers at a fraction of the cost of the country’s other carriers. It was unveiled with much media hype at the beginning of January, during France’s semi-annual national sales. Much of this anticipation was due to the success of the carrier’s parent company, an Internet service provider known as Free, which overhauled France’s home Internet market. 

The company’s founder and majority shareholder, Xavier Niel, who also owns the French daily newspaper Le Monde, has been engaged in the Internet market since 1999, when his service provider dramatically lowered the cost of French broadband packages in 2002 by forcing competitors to match its low rates.

Like most North American phone carriers, France’s major providers, operate on a contract model, where the up-front cost of phones are heavily subsidized at the expense of long-term—and often pricey—service commitments. For example, a $549 iPhone 4S costs only $99 in the United States with a mandatory two year contract.

 Free Mobile, on the other hand, offers contract-free plans starting at 2 Euros a month for 60 minutes and 60 text messages (within France), compared to the industry standard 10 Euros, Niel told the French channel itélé. The provider also offers unlimited international calls, text messages, and 3G access for only 19.99 Euros per month.

Free Mobile’s competitors are trying hard to take advantage of the new provider’s lack of  subsidized phones, but to little avail. According to some estimates on French technology blogs, one million consumers have already switched over to Free from their current providers. Free itself noted on its Facebook page that within hours of announcing its rates, its websites had racked up 4.6 million hits. This may be in part due to the flexibility the provider offers French consumers, who can typically keep their current phones and numbers in switching over to Free, as well as the provider’s low rates.

Free Mobile’s success should come as no surprise to folks from major Canadian cities like Toronto and Vancouver. The innovative French carrier bears considerable resemblance to new entrants to the Canadian wireless market like WIND Mobile and Mobilicity, which have transformed the wireless landscape and forced the big three—Rogers, Bell, and Telus—to treat consumers more fairly.  Quebecers are still waiting to benefit from new Canadian providers as new competitors were outbid by Vidéotron and the other major carriers in the last auction for wireless spectrum in the province. Industry minister Christian Paradis is expected to release the details of the next major spectrum auction this week, which may pave the way for lower prices as new carriers can begin operating in Quebec.

Take a minute or two to check out these popular time-wasting websites 

Let’s face it, there’s never a bad time for the Internet. But even when your term paper is due in eight hours and you’re only two pages in and every ounce of the reasoning capabilities you possess screams at you to ignore Facebook and just get down to work, you can’t help but procrastinate.

Whether facing the final countdown to an exam, or simply killing time between classes, students find plenty of interesting ways to navigate the online world. Although procrastinating is a time-honoured student tradition, lately it seems that it is easier than ever to spend countless hours surfing the net. Everyone has their favourites, their go-to websites, that one page you check as soon as you open your laptop, without even thinking about it. And, while Facebook and TextsFromLastNight still reign supreme, here is a short list of some of the newer, more popular procrastination websites used by university students today. It is by no means a comprehensive overview, but here’s a look at the exciting virtual world that awaits you if that assigned reading isn’t looking so inviting right now.

Up first, 9gag.com. It’s a humorous photography website where users can upload cartoons or pictures of cute animals, usually with some sort of witty commentary, and more often than not, sexual innuendo. 9gag launched in 2008, and has been going strong ever since. The website is perhaps best known for its use of Internet memes, its comedic take on current political events, and common stereotypes.

Best of 9gag: For the most part, the captions are pretty darn funny.

Worst of 9gag: The occasional ridiculously long, self-indulgent post.

Another popular image-based website is Quickmeme.com, which allows users to create and post internet memes such as Socially Awkward Penguin, Philosoraptor, and Good Guy Greg, just to name a few. The general format is one line of text (lead-up) at the top of the photo, central image, and one line of text at the bottom of the photo, completing the joke. Users can also create memes from photos they’ve uploaded themselves, usually of their friends. Pretty straightforward, but it’s easy to completely lose track of time while browsing the home page. 

Best of Quickmeme: realizing how relatable some of the memes are.

Worst of Quickmeme: When personal memes are made of people without their consent.

Next, for those of you out there who enjoy fantasizing about party planning, home decor and fashion, check out Pinterest.com. The site is quickly spreading throughout the twitterverse and companies and celebrities are even known to participate in it. Here is how it works: you create an account and then when you browse photos online you can “pin” them to your board – a virtual cork board or scrapbook essentially – so that all those lovely photos are in one spot for future browsing. You can also re-pin pictures from others’ accounts.

Best of Pinterest: Over a dozen different categories to browse and it’s constantly updated, so there are always new photos to look through.

Worst of Pinterest: You must request an invite to join.

Some more websites worth checking out include: Iwastesomuchtime.com, Damnyouautocorrect.com, Dearblankpleaseblank.com, Twitter.com, and Tumblr.com. Happy procrastinating, mcgillmemes.tumblr.com.

On any given day at McGill you can spy an endless range of labels, prints, textures, trends, and styles, giving this campus an eclectic but trendy appearance.  You would expect, or at least hope, that McGill apparel would uphold our campus’ fashionable reputation. However, as I have learned over the past few months, you would be wrong. While standing in the never-ending line that has come to define the bookstore in the first few days of Add/Drop, I found myself face-to-face with fashion’s worst nightmare: McGill jeggings. Plagued by the horrors of this garment, I saw it fit to call attention to this pressing issue. I narrowed the bookstore’s problem down to three principle concerns. I hope you will consider the following simple rules when it comes to the integration of these items into a normal Montreal wardrobe. 

Rule 1: Ask yourself, what’s wrong with red?

First and foremost, there are far too many colours available at the bookstore. Chaos inevitably ensues from this sort of selection. An innocent first year walks into the bookstore with his eyes set on a classic red hoodie. After being brutally accosted by pink and orange (which, might I add, clash awfully with McGill’s primary colour) this innocent student finds himself back in his room with a blue plaid zip up sweater, his brow furrowed in confusion.  In my opinion, the only acceptable options for sweatshirts and sweatpants are red, white, and neutrals such as black, grey, or even navy, on occasion. Purchasing a McGill item gives the impression that you are a proud member of school. Why would you buy it otherwise? Why pay more for the McGill insignia if your purple hoodie makes you look like you go to Bishops?  If you are in desperate need of sweatpants and the bright green McGill ones start to look appealing, pass back through those double doors before things get ugly.

Rule 2: One is often enough.

Sometimes people in McGill apparel appear just a little too proud to be a member of our university. Unless you are an athlete or on your way to a varsity sporting event, there is absolutely no need to wear more than one McGill item at a time. A full red suit is not necessary for an ordinary day at the library. I must confess that I have, on occasion, paired my red McGill umbrella (bought only out of desperation) and my red McGill sweatshirt on my way to the gym. Please note the key word in this sentence: gym. I can respect trying to be comfortable at school, but I promise, a full McGill sweat suit is not your only option.

Rule 3: Say no to hybrid styles.

In recent months, there seems to have been an influx of multifunctional McGill apparel around campus: namely, a light purple crewneck-hoodie hybrid. With a wide neck and substantial kangaroo pouch on the front, this item is hard to miss. This is an odd union. The best part of a crewneck is its simplicity, and the best part of a hoodie is the hood. Along the same vein of hybridism are the McGill jeggings. Although I have come to warm up to jeggings in general, I will remain forever opposed to the McGill variety. In both the navy and grey option, the pants are the sum of all the wrong characteristics of their parts. Too thin to be jeans, too tight to be sweatpants, and too many pockets, both real and decorative, to be ordinary tights: the McGill jeggings take precedence as the worst hybrid offender. I suggest abiding by this rule: if a store doesn’t also sell jeans, do not buy their jeggings. 

Much of the McGill Bookstore’s clothing is doing students a disservice. If you can get through the bombardment of baby clothes or themed blankets at the front of the store, remember, stick to basics, wear one item at a time, and don’t ever let the McGill jeggings win you over.