Collin Smith

Swarthmore College

I was born into a typical white middle-class family background, grew up in a small town in suburban Pennsylvania, and attended a small public high school where I spent most of my time being amazed at my life's extraordinary averageness. I go to Swarthmore College, a small liberal arts college outside of Philadelphia, where I plan on majoring in something that's not math or science. I also play on the club squash team and work for my school's radio project War News Radio (warnewsradio.org), which reports on U.S. activity in Iraq and Afghanistan. I like music, and will listen to almost anything as long as it's not country. In a perfect world where I have more free time, I'd also enjoy reading, watching TV, and keeping up with current affairs.

Articles by Collin Smith

Beyond Kony: Invisible Children’s Non-Kony Message March 12, 2012 With social media's increasing ability to spread information, we’ve reached a point where a 30-minute documentary-slash-activism plug can reach 40 million viewers within a few days. And, if Jason Russell’s right, it can do a lot more than that.

Wash, Rinse, Repeat: Obama Election Strategy 2012 January 6, 2012 In an interesting political move that is at times both brilliant and horrifying, Obama has adopted a stance that puts him explicitly at odds with Congress, or more specifically, the extreme right-wing elements of Congress that have long been explicitly at odds with him.

OWS: Don’t Call It A Movement November 16, 2011 Occupy Wall Street and all of its spin-offs are extremely effective displays of displeasure and stubborn defiance, but that’s all they are right now. They have not yet coalesced into a movement.

Coldplay Shoots For The Moon, Can’t Even Reach The Stars October 26, 2011 Coldplay was on shaky ground with the ultra-polished pop sound of their two pre-released singles. Their latest album needed to validate this new direction, and it fails to deliver. NGJ's Collin Smith reviews Mylo Xyloto.

The Future 101: A Lesson From Steve Jobs October 11, 2011 It’s possible that Jobs’ example can offer some guidance in our own career paths. Though I doubt that Jobs would want us all to shave our head and go find ourselves in the Himalayas, his life story does provide a nice reminder that the road to success isn’t always straight.

President Zero and the New Political Campaign October 3, 2011 When I first saw Rick Perry’s campaign ad "President Zero," three distinct emotions crossed my mind. First I was enormously entertained. Then I was deeply insulted. And finally, I was very, very scared.

Summer Tours in Full Swing June 27, 2011 With summer in full swing, so are the summer concert tours. Collin Smith takes a look at this season's best shows: highlights include performances by Lil Wayne, Rihanna, and U2.

Eminem and Royce Da 5’9″ Combine June 15, 2011 Recreating their old rap partnership, Bad Meets Evil, Eminem and Royce Da 5'9" have released a graphic but impressive LP. NGJ's Collin Smith reviews the effort.