April 2011 – Page 4 – The Oredigger

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Music Review: Canadian Invasion

One of the best parts of my spring break trip to SXSW in Austin was the chance to see a bunch of new acts that I had never heard before. Apart from apparent similarities in style, I recognized another interesting trend: many of the bands I found most intriguing were from Canada. Memoryhouse, GOBBLE GOBBLE, Two Bicycles, and BRAIDS were just a few that had come down from the wintery north to play the festival. This week’s review will take a look at several releases from the aforementioned groups.

This Week in Colorado History: In Need of Marriage Counseling

The annals of history are filled with many unusual, even bizarre but true stories. One of these is that of Mrs. Marie Higby, recounted by “The Colorado Transcript” of April 18, 1912. Mrs. Higby brought a $50,000 suit against her in-laws Chester A. and Laura Higby for “alienating her from the affections of her husband Chester Leon Higby.”

Stars Above Mines: Why go where no man has gone before?

This past week was dominated by space history. It was 50 years ago last Tuesday that Yuri Gagarin became the first man to reach Earth orbit. 30 years ago on that same day, Columbia became the first Space Shuttle to leave the atmosphere, and 41 years ago on Thursday, a oxygen tank failure nearly left Apollo 13 lost to the stars. While these three events were powerful, each had its own ramifications. Gagarin died young in a jet crash, Columbia became one of the tragedies of the United States space program, and, though it made it back safely, Apollo 13 called to question some of the equipment and techniques of the day.

Movie Review: Source Code

The human brain keeps a rolling record of the last eight minutes of a person’s experiences. The record stops at death, but can be retrieved and projected into the mind of another person by high-tech software thanks to quantum physics and parabolic calculus. This eight minute window effectively contains an alternate reality where the actions of the one reliving these memories can learn and do new things, possibly heroic ones. That is the premise upon which Source Code is built.

Show Review: “The Whitest Kids U’ Know” Season II

Season two of “The Whitest Kids U’ Know” brings back immature fart jokes, songs about marijuana and government corruption, and extremely taboo sketches. Shown on the Independent Film Channel (IFC) and now on DVD, “The Whitest Kids U’ Know” has evolved since its first season, which was shown on Fuse. This means that nudity and swear words riddle their production. This show is comparable to a real-life version of Adult Swim’s “Robot Chicken.”

A view from the inside: Humans Versus Zombies

Late last week, a new fashion trend swept the CSM campus combined with a sudden rise in physical activity. Students wearing green headbands or armbands seemingly took over campus in some sort of contagious outbreak. Called Humans versus Zombies, it is a whole lot of fun.

Cooking Corner: Deep Fried Snickers Bars

The epic conclusion to deep frying mania is the deep fried Snickers bar. This excellent candy bar takes on a pastry-like consistency when deep fried, using a thin film of frying batter.

Beer Review: Big Sky Moose Drool

“Moose Drool” might sound like a strange name for beer, but it is serious business for Big Sky Brewing of Missoula, Montana, who count the brown ale as their top seller. Also taking it seriously is the Beer Judge Certification Program, which lists the brew as a prime example of an American Brown Ale in their Beer Style Guide.

Tech Break: CenturyLink and Qwest

About a week ago, you may have received a card in the mail from Comcast spreading FUD (Fear, Uncertainty and Doubt for the uninitiated) about Qwest’s impending takover by CenturyLink. Vague references were made about being “sold out” to a company that few people in Colorado have heard of, and offers were made for Comcast services to which you don’t subscirbe already. But what is really going on, and what will change when Qwest “goes green” with the CenturyLink takeover?

This Week in Colorado History: Denver from Golden

The city of Denver had a financial meltdown according to the April 11, 1883, issue of “The Colorado Transcript” as the paper reported that the city was “utterly and hopelessly bankrupt.” Although some sympathy was expressed for the employees who were left “in a deplorable condition” by the banks’ decision to not purchase city warrants, the “Transcript” blamed the overall pompous demeanor of the city. “For the last four or five years Denver seems to have been under the impression that she was ‘bigger than all outdoors;’ that New York, Boston, Philadelphia, Chicago, St. Louis, were second and third class cities beside her, and her finances have been run on a scale commensurate with that impression,” opined the “Transcript.”

Monthly Archives: April 2011