What pops up when you search for www.wustl.xxx on the internet? Nothing—and it will stay that way. In response to the upcoming launch of internet “.xxx” domains, the University has preemptively blocked its trademarked names from being scooped up by pornography companies. According to the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN), the new .

Yesterday, Congress held hearings on the Protect IP Act and the Stop Online Privacy Act (SOPA), two pieces of legislation introduced in the House and the Senate, respectively, that would drastically change the Internet—and not for the better.

The stereotypical classroom scene—kids reading from textbooks or taking notes off their teacher’s writings on a chalkboard—is disappearing. All over the country, schools are beginning to replace textbooks with laptops.

Many students are still having difficulties accessing wireless Internet on campus, despite continued efforts by Student Technology Services to improve connectivity. At a Student Union Senate meeting Wednesday, students reported having difficulties with Wi-Fi in residence halls, Holmes Lounge, the DUC and the art and architecture schools.

The Internet is great (really, really great), and it contains what might as well be an infinite supply of news and entertainment. Social media makes us feel like our preschool friends aren’t completely gone from our lives. Review aggregators tell us which movies to watch.

Taking a stance on WikiLeaks would be futile. The camps are now well-defined, and the arguments for and against Julian Assange’s website have been fleshed out. But despite how multifaceted the discussion concerning WikiLeaks, national security, and confidentiality has become, I think the real issue is that WikiLeaks is symptomatic.

I’m pretty sure most of us wonder how much more productive we would be if it weren’t for the Internet.

A look back at the Internet, with all its sexually charged possibilities.

The answer is that much of America’s economy these days is dependent on the Internet, and by having slower and more expensive Internet, America is at a competitive disadvantage to many of its competitors in the global economy. This brings me to the main point of my article: Just as America is at a competitive disadvantage due to the state of its Internet infrastructure, Washington University students are put at a competitive disadvantage due to the sorry state of Internet access on campus.