March 18, 2012 – Page 2

Movie Review: John Carter

Last year was a bad year for children’s movies. Pixar had their worst reviewed movie ever in “Cars 2,” which deservedly failed to receive an Oscar nomination. This would have been surprising in a year without decent animated features, but the Academy Award winner in this category, “Rango,” was honestly nowhere near the quality of Pixar classics like “Toy Story” or “Monsters, Inc.” “Hugo,” a live-action children’s film, ran away with the Academy Awards, but it was alone in the race. Following in Hugo’s success, Disney has stepped away from animation momentarily in favor of live-action for it’s newest film, “John Carter.”

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Geek of the Week: Brianna Fidder, Sophomore, Comp Sci

It is no secret that persons of the female persuasion are a little harder to find at Mines than those of the male persuasion. This week however, not only did we at “The Oredigger” manage to find one of the Mines girls, but we found one who can toss programming jokes back and forth like one of the pros. This week’s designated geek is Brianna Fidder, a sophomore pursuing a Computer Science degree and someone who displays her geekdom with all the pride and fervor she can muster.

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Cooking Corner: Boston Cream Pie Minis

True to their name, Boston cream pies are a dessert with roots in Boston. Not only is the decadent treat the official dessert of Boston as of 1996, but according to “Boston Cream Pie History,” the treat was created by Armenian-French chef M. Sanzian at Boston’s Parker House Hotel in 1856. However, unlike its name, a Boston cream pie is not a pie at all. The dessert consists of two layers of sponge cake filled with a vanilla custard and topped with a chocolate glaze.

Alara: Chapter 7

“How the hell are we going to do that?”

“Leave that to us, kid.” Frank pulled out a gun and a small dagger, placing the blade securely in his belt.

Chloe’s father pulled her up through the opening to the outside world before pulling out his gun, handing Chloe a small dagger and following Frank into the eerie shadows cast by the trees. Above them, the sky had faded to a swirl of pink and gray with the moon a large disk that loomed on the horizon. Dim beams of moonlight pierced the canopy and barely illuminated a path for the three to follow. Minutes passed with only their shallow breaths to break the eerie silence. Just when Chloe allowed herself to relax, Frank and her father dropped to the ground.

Music Review: Ben Kweller, Go Fly a Kite

On “Go Fly a Kite,” Ben Kweller’s newest album and first on his own label (Noise Company), he is as charming as ever. For the most part, his songs back this charm up with solid musicianship, even though the lyrics are somewhat disappointing. Kweller has always had a unique way of charming listeners. Ever since his debut, listeners have had high expectations. It is hard to dislike Kweller. His songs capture his charm to an impressive degree, even when you dislike a song, you desperately want to like it.

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Dr. Hamilton discusses surface of Venus

The current assumptions made about Venus’ surface are wrong, according to Dr. Warren Hamilton, a distinguished senior scientist for the department of geophysics at Colorado School of Mines. He believes the surface of Venus is saturated with impact structures and its lowlands are covered with marine sediments.

Headlines from around the world: 3-19-12

North Korea said it will launch a long-range rocket to mark the one hundred year anniversary of the birth of their founder, Kim Il Sung, one month from now. This announcement was condemned by the US and others as being in breach of a UN resolution. According to Japan and South Korea, the launch is a threat to regional security. Japan, South Korea, and the US urged North Korea to reconsider.

Scientific discoveries this week: 3-19-12

According to researchers from the Department of Neuroscience at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology, LSD has a beneficial effect on patients with alcoholism. The study found LSD had a beneficial effect in every trial, and overall, 59 percent of LSD-treated patients and only 38 percent of the control group (given a placebo) were improved at follow-ups. According to a researcher, LSD-treated patients claimed to have found insights into their problem and found new ways to control their alcoholism. LSD stimulates some serotonin receptors that may open the mind for new possibilities and perspectives.

Gold mining provides new opportunities

A lucrative industry that presents many job opportunities from distant locations to Colorado, mining operations often threaten the way of life for residents that live near the mine. Dr. Michael Dougherty of the Illinois State University Department of Sociology and Anthropology discussed two current theories about the cause of mineral disputes between host communities and mining companies. They are deprivation theory and proximity to nature theory. Deprivation theory states that a community’s wealth depends on its willingness to cooperate with mining companies. The proximity to nature theory states that communities with a higher indigenous population will be less likely to support mining than communities which have a low percentage of indigenous people. This is because of the importance of the environment and land to indigenous peoples based on their cosmology.

The evolution of phased array antennas

Phased array antennas have evolved quite considerably over the last century or so, both in their design and uses. Dr. Randy Haupt began his lecture on the subject by explaining the many different uses for an array of antennas. Antennas are like “buckets for collecting electromagnetic waves.” A large antenna could suffice where arrays of antennas are used, but large antennas are generally hard to move. If one uses several smaller antennas, it is like using a large number of “little buckets,” which can be just as effective as the large antenna, but with greater mobility. In addition, phased arrays provide more control over the radiation pattern.

Daily Archives: March 18, 2012