Tuesday, November 3, 2009 Print Edition by Collegiate Times

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COLLEGIATETIMES 106th year, issue 109

News, page 1

Features, page 5

Opinions, page 3

Sports, page 6

Dropping in the research ranks Tech falls four spots, now ranked 46th for research GORDON BLOCK news reporter University officials are happy with the direction of Virginia Tech’s research program despite a minor drop of the university’s ranking in a National Science Foundation study on research expenditures The rankings drop puts Tech in 46th out of 679 universities for the 2008 rankings, four spots behind its 2007 ranking of 42nd. The 2008 rankings were determined by the amount of expenditures on research for the approximate time period between July 1, 2007 and June 30, 2008. “Despite the fact we didn’t have a higher rank, we still maintained our spot in the top 50,” said Roderick Hall, associate vice president for the office of research. “There’s a really tight range of schools in the same area that we are.” Tech came in 54th place for the foundation’s 2006 fiscal year rankings and 56th place in the 2005 fiscal year rankings. Despite the drop in rankings, Tech increased expenditures by $6.4 mil-

lion from the 2007- 2008 report for a total of $373.3 million. Hall credited federal stimulus funds for maintaining funding levels despite large cuts from the state. “There’s a lot of money coming in through the federal stimulus,” Hall said. “We’ve been getting a significant number of awards from that stimulus money.” However, Hall was less enthusi-

astic about Tech’s research funding when federal stimulus funds diminish. “We’re definitely concerned that we’ll see a down trend if the state budget stays in the same level of turmoil it’s currently in,” Hall said. Since the rankings lag a year behind reported expenditures, ranking information for the 2009 fiscal year will not be released until

Parents of missing student set up fund for safe return LIANA BAYNE news reporter Morgan Harrington’s parents, Dan and Gil Harrington, announced a fund today established to assist in the search for their daughter. The Find Morgan Fund will be used to further the effort to locate Harrington, who went missing 16 days ago from an Oct. 17 Metallica concert in Charlottesville. Unused funds will be donated to charities designed to help families seeking their missing persons, along with charities Harrington was involved with, notable the Mental Health

America of Roanoke Valley organization, which Harrington volunteered with since middle school. Harrington was last seen near the John Paul Jones Arena in Charlottesville, wearing a black tshirt with the name of band Pantera printed in tan lettering, a black mini skirt, black tights, and black boots. Anyone with knowledge of her whereabouts is encouraged to call 434-352-3467. In her parents’ statement, the Harringtons thanked the public for the “outpouring of support” and for “all your thoughts and prayers.”

to contribute

Contributions to the fund may be made via PayPal at www.FindMorgan.com, or mailed to: Find Morgan Fund P.O. Box 7588 Roanoke, VA 24019

Halloween records usual level of heightened crime, arrests KATIE ROBIDOUX news staff writer Halloween is typically thought of as a day in which crime statistics generally increase, and 2009 was no different. This year, Virginia Tech reported a total of six arrests on campus between both Friday and Saturday night. These were all alcohol and drug related arrests. Within the town of Blacksburg, there were 12 overall arrests between the hours of 5:00 p.m. and 6:00 a.m. on Halloween night. “On Halloween in 2008, we had a total

of 59 calls,” said Sgt. Nathan O’Dell of the Blacksburg police. “In 2009 we had a total of 52 calls. Most of these were noise complaints from parties.” One of the reasons the crime rate wasn’t higher may be because of the weather, said Geoffrey Allen, a crime prevention specialist for the Virginia Tech Police Department. “Since it was cold and rainy on Saturday night, there wasn’t a lot of people hanging out outside,” Allen said. “One of the things you’ll see when it’s cold is that between the peak hours, which are between 10:00 p.m. and 2:00 a.m., people aren’t usually outside. That

actually helps with the crime itself.” Although six arrests may seem like more than would occur on a typical weekend on campus, it is a mere figure when compared to the 39 arrests that occurred at Thursday night’s football game against UNC. The vast majority of these were alcohol related. In general, this year’s Halloween crime statistics weren’t considered atypical in comparison to previous years, Allen said. “I don’t think crimes are really based around Halloween itself,” Allen said, “but rather around the alcohol involved.”

the fall of 2010. Hall remained optimistic about Tech’s place for future rankings. “We anticipate we will continue to be in that 40-50 range when the rankings come out,” Hall said. Hall stressed the importance of controlled growth. “The most important thing is we continue to grow at a healthy rate,” Hall said.

Classifieds, page 4

Sudoku, page 4

Town candidate apologizes for letter mishap LIANA BAYNE news reporter Blacksburg town council candidate Frank Lau apologized on Monday for any confusion caused over campaign literature claiming endorsements, some of them false, distributed to Blacksburg residents. A letter endorsing Lau, along with fellow candidates Greg Fansler, Krisha Chachra and Tom Rogers, was distributed en masse last week at a campaign event. Over 100 supporters of the candidates signed the letter. However, several people listed as supporters claimed that they did not actually sign the letter. LAU Lau admitted that two people were inadvertently put on the list, including Rhoda Myers, widow of Derek Myers, whose seat on the council is one of the four open for election tomorrow. “They should have been left off the list,” Lau said. “And I’m sorry. But we’re still friends.” Greg Fansler, one of the candidates endorsed in the letter, said that existing coverage of the issue was a “complete farce.”

“The issue is moot,” Fansler said. “It was a mistake and he’s (Lau) owned up to it.” Lau said that he was disappointed that the public had chosen to focus on this mistake rather than other portions of his campaign. He also said, however, that “most people have already pretty much made up their minds (on voting) because there’s a definite difference between the two ‘factions.’” “It’s being overdone by the media,” said fellow candidate Tom Rogers. “He made an honest mistake, and no one did anything wrong.” Krisha Chachra said that she received permission from every name she placed on the list. “We trusted that everyone was going to follow those rules,” Chachra said. “Unfortunately Frank didn’t, but that wasn’t intentional. It was pretty clear that I didn’t put any names on there that weren’t supposed to be on there.” Lau said that he wasn’t overly concerned that the weekend’s faux pas would affect his chances in today’s election. His hopes lie in a strong turnout from not just residents, but also students. “Most of the students could be my grandkids,” Lau said. “I’m not asking for their vote, but I’m asking them to vote.”

how do I get to the polls today?

november 3, 2009

page 2

A Virginia Tech cadet walking along a hillside during this weekend’s fall training exercise, which was held in conjunction with Radford University’s Army ROTC program to train members.

Cadets collaborate by the glow of a ﬂashlight to map out a route for night land navigation exercises. The cadets had a limited amount of time to plan their movements before departing on the mission.

Cadets march the road to the pickup point on Sunday afternoon, preparing to board buses bound for campus.

Into the wild PHOTOS AND STORY BY LUKE MASON | spps director

CADETS LEARN COMBAT AND SURVIVAL SKILLS DURING TRAINING EXERCISES SET OVER HALLOWEEN WEEKEND

A cadet works to patch up a teammate during a battle simulation exercise. Simulated wounds are one of the many challenges cadets faced at the event.

ressed in camouflage from head-to-toe, a band of Hokies trudged over the late October leaves, searching through the dark for the next destination in a tradition-filled weekend. It was Halloween, but they were not trick-ortreating. They were not in costume. They were in uniform, and they were in the mountains, far from the candy and the activities that dominated Blacksburg. Members of Virginia Tech and Radford University’s Army ROTC programs spent Halloween weekend in the woods staging simulated missions and practicing their navigation skills. The weekend was one of the battalion’s semiannual training events, or field-training exer-

cises, providing cadets with the opportunity to apply the skills they learn in class to actual simulated combat scenarios. Tech is currently the highest rated senior military college in Army training, based on cadet performance at the Leadership Development Assessment Course, an evaluation that all ROTC cadets go through. This FTX is the first time freshman cadets experience a combat simulated environment, it is part of the preparation for the assessment. The event further serves as a leadershiptraining environment for junior cadets, who lead teams through combat conditions and are evaluated by the cadre, training staff in the same manor they will be evaluated at LDAC this summer.

The cadets practiced the use of their map and compass skills and were required to find at least five of their eight hidden points within the 3 sq. km operation area. After “land navigation,” the cadets were outfitted with paintball gear and began to work on “lanes,” which are training scenarios designed to teach the new cadets a variety of valuable skills and combat lessons. In one lane, which is designed to teach the cadets how to deal with media in the field, the cadets were tasked with linking up with an opposing general who is willing to share information when a reporter arrives. The skills learned at FTX are only a portion of what is required of cadets. They will receive further training including marksmanship, rappelling, and other skills required to complete LDAC during their classes and at further training exercises, including a second FTX in the spring.

The Virginia Tech Sandhurst team builds a rope bridge in a scenario to test its leadership and teamwork abilities. The team will be participating in the Sandhurst competition at West Point, where selected military institutions compare their skills.

opınıons 3

november 3, 2009 editor: debra houchins opinionseditor@collegiatetimes.com/ 540.231.9865

page B

COLLEGIATETIMES

november 3, 2009

The Collegiate Times is an independent student-run newspaper serving the Virginia Tech community since 1903

Your Views [letters to the editor]

Make history in Blacksburg today This morning, poll workers will arrive at multiple schools, places of worship, the library and the community center in Blacksburg to partake in the democratic process. Candidates and their volunteers will bring yard signs, stickers and campaign literature to the polling places. And voters will select on a touch screen which candidate they believe will best represent the people while in office. But today is not just any Election Day. It is an opportunity to make history in Blacksburg. For the first time, the town council and the gubernatorial election are in sync. Many students who would have been preparing for finals, packing or heading home for the summer during the May election will be making a trip to the polls today. We hope that the change in election schedule will enfranchise students and young professionals not only because we are the only undergraduate student and the only recent graduate at Virginia Tech in the running, but also because young people should have a say in the town’s decisions. Even though Virginia Tech students have made up about half of the town’s population since the school’s founding in 1872, not a single student has ever sat on the Blacksburg Town Council. A town council member — or

two — with close ties to the university would be able to bridge the divide between town and campus. We envision a Blacksburg where locals understand the tremendous talent and creativity that students bring to the town and students realize their real impact on the community at large. We are not two communities — we are one. The Town of Blacksburg and Tech must work together to create a more vibrant downtown, use new technologies and creative approaches to local governance, and ensure that we have a sustainable future that meets our community’s long-term needs. For too long, students and young professionals have lived, worked and studied in town without representation on the Blacksburg Town Council. Let’s change that. Find your ID or voter registration card, look up your polling location, and make a trip to the polls before 7 p.m. today. You might just make history in Blacksburg.

Bryce Carter senior humanities, science & environment major town council candidate Michael Sutphin tech alumnus communication, ‘06 town council candidate

Common ground: Lasting solutions, not weakness P

resident Obama is currently being attacked by friend and foe alike for his willingness to seek common ground on issues ranging from health care to problems in North Korea. “The common ground is not always the high ground,” writes Leon Wieseltier in the New Republic. “It informs the other side that what you most desire is the deal — that you will never acknowledge the finality of the difference, and never be satisfied with the integrity of opposition. There is a reason that ‘uncompromising’ is a term of approbation.” This statement reflects a profound misunderstanding of what it means to search for common ground. It implies that a president who does not lock himself into a pre-set, principled position is somehow showing weakness and will invariably settle for the lowest common denominator. However being open to a wide range of opinion, as President Obama clearly is, does not mean a president will compromise core values. Rather, openness is essential to finding the highest common denominator, which can be defined as a workable solution that satisfies the needs and desires of a wide range of constituencies and interests. George W. Bush was roundly criticized for taking the opposite approach, which his opponents described as uncompromising. He is famously remembered for saying, “You’re either with us or against us.” So which approach do Americans really want from a president? The answer is probably both, depending on the circumstances. There are clearly times when a president needs to take an unyielding, unambiguous stand, as when Franklin Roosevelt declared that World War II would only end by the unconditional surrender of Nazi Germany. Nevertheless, that solution was feasible because the Allies had overwhelming power to enforce it. As President Obama can testify now when he is trying to pass health-care reform or negotiate with North Korea, he lacks the ability to impose his will. There is a broad spectrum of leadership styles. At one end is the authoritarian figure who rules by fiat. At the other end are those who allow the views of others to define their actions. In the middle, there are leaders who seek out a broad

range of opinions as a key part of the decision-making process. President Bush was clearly more of a “decider,” while Barack Obama is inclined toward the middle way. In this respect, President Obama follows in the footsteps of both conservative and liberal presidents. Take Ronald Reagan. He never gave up his essential belief that communism was an evil system. Still, he negotiated a series of arms control agreements with the Soviets, which contained important compromises and which Mikhail Gorbachev and he both saw as being in the best interest of the two countries. Or consider Lyndon Johnson. He was a strong advocate of civil rights for all Americans and, at the same time, a master dealmaker. He guided groundbreaking legislation through Congress, both by insisting on a set of general principals and by making compromises in forming bipartisan coalitions. These presidents — and most other successful ones — found higher ground that served the best interests of the country. There is no doubt that the best way to find common ground solutions is to listen carefully to those with different beliefs, to be inclusive, and to draw out the best from the various positions. In our individual lives, most Americans know this and reject absolutism. Indeed, most of us hold within ourselves both liberal and conservative attitudes, which we usually find ways to bridge. When we adhere to a single position, no matter how principled, and are closed to alternatives, our lives tend not to work very well. Successful relationships are almost always based on finding common ground, to the mutual benefit of the parties. Why then should it be difficult for Americans to accept a president who acts in the same way in leading the country? While it is not easy for many pundits and politicians to accept, Americans seem to want a president who is willing to make compromises for the common good. Indeed, most of us yearn for a leader who can actually solve our national problems — and that usually requires finding common ground.

JOHN MARKS & SUSAN COLLIN MARKS -common ground news service

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MCT CAMPUS

Juxtaposition in love and logic, self-fulfillment In a few hours I will stop whatever I’m doing, take a brief shower, find an apple and start drinking copious amounts of water. When it comes to my academic and career goals, these amendments to my already envisioned afternoon of cleaning up after last night, running, reading and pretending to study are in a larger sense irrational — this is because I will be getting ready to sing. During one of the contrived and successful “ice-breaker” games we have all grown to love, my charismatic freshman orientation leader asked me what my interests were. I told her I sang in high school, and she suggested I try out for Juxtaposition, an all male a cappella group at Virginia Tech. The next time I saw her was a few weeks into my first semester at a party for new Juxta members — getting into the group is one of my proudest accomplishments. Hopefully we’ve all been encouraged to explore our talents and hobbies throughout our lives — and especially during college, but sometimes I’m not totally convinced those who’ve encouraged us intend for us to follow through in our self-exploration. It makes more sense to get hired and work for a little more savings, to study a few more hours and get a few more points on an exam, or to do a “neat” extra-curricular activity that would make your resume that more palatable. Our societal measures call on us to make reasonable choices. In times of stress, we need to hunker down and tend to “real matters” — like money

and obligations. I sing with Juxtaposition at least six hours a week. It will not likely be of great help to me with my career or academic goals. It’s not a “wise” way to spend my time. Singing runs in my family. My uncle traveled through Europe with a choral group in college, and my mom sang to me every morning to wake me up. It’s both tragic and ironic that my mom had stage fright because she had an amazing voice and was at times obnoxiously extroverted. Her combination of talent and shyness were so real that in elementary school her music teacher openly discussed having another classmate lip synch to my mom’s backstage vocals. I had the opportunity to sing with Juxta at our fall concert two years ago, just a few days before my mom passed away. A month before our concert she had told me she didn’t think she’d be alive to see it, but she did — and she got a front row seat for my first solo. Juxtaposition is the act or an instance of placing two or more things side by side. We are called to ration our time wisely, to make logical decisions about where we place our efforts and time, but this kind of rationing will never satisfy. My best definition of love is my cousins’ collective ability to fit as many of us into one room as possible — it has nothing to do with dimensions or fire marshall restrictions, and it can’t be measured. We never ask if we’ll all fit, or how comfortable we may be. Instead, we relish the opportunity to be close to one another.

Separating from our families is a natural process in creating lives for ourselves at college. It’s made easier by redefining family. I’m lucky to have family in Juxtaposition. We always seem to fit more than the safe amount of passengers in a car and find the energy to sing one more song. I am forever indebted to the group for the family we’ve created. Love and logic cannot be rationed — only juxtaposed. It might not even be fair to regard them as separate entities. Our lives are colored with examples of how both are necessary. Musically, my group can only achieve the desired sound when our seemingly competing harmonies work in concert. In times of stress, we need both logic and love to summon the courage to define ourselves and understand the world we share. I’m facing one of my most trying weeks this fall with exams, a book report, a job search and preparation for the groups’ fall concert this Friday night. It would make a lot of sense for me to decide my extra-curricular deserves to be put on the backburner, but that’s not how my heart works, and that kind of logic won’t satisfy. Love and logic must work in juxtaposition.

CHRISTOPHER COX -regular columnist -senior -communication major

Vulgar entertainment does not represent our cultural history Television, music and film in the 21st century: What comes to mind? Exploitative depictions of any number of unsavory and private acts pervade the creative works of most of today’s art forms. While many of us fail to see what harm accompanies the violence, lewd behavior and foul language that often appears throughout some of these forms of entertainment, we can definitively say that our American culture has suffered a devastating blow as a result of our tolerance of these artists, writers and directors. Our methodic desensitization to murder, sex and verbal obscenities has been calculated carefully over the years by those who, for lack of better creativity, reduced the art of music, film and television to their foolproof formula of envelope-pushing displays. In no way do I pretend to be “Church Lady,” but I do expect the people who oversee the content of our radio waves and television programs to demand a higher level of cultural sophistication than say, allowing an actor to urinate on a depiction of Jesus, circa a week ago on an episode of “Curb Your Enthusiasm.” Yes, some individuals consider this to be comical and even socially acceptable, yet I would hope that an appeal to our need to be considerate and sensitive to all citizens’ faiths would perhaps compel a director to eliminate such a scene from his program. Thus far, such attempts have been brutally rebuffed. Forms of entertainment serve as

reflections of the overall culture of our country whether people would like to accept it or not. What the global community sees when they wish to better understand the American way of life is a blatant disregard for the ideals of some groups while others are bestowed with the respect they rightfully deserve. Other countries see that Americans have lost the way toward a better society and have instead stumbled upon a path that only reveals how shallow, offensive and irreverent our culture has become. How did we arrive at a juncture where the sincere gifts of very talented men and women have been forgotten and replaced by the fast buck, quick and slick manner with which we treat entertainment and thus our culture? I refuse to entertain the notion that women and men today simply are incapable of producing the same talent of those individuals of yesteryear. I would, however, argue that Americans have decided to accept “less than adequate” in exchange for “plentiful and profitable.” Somewhere along the lines of churning out CDs, films and television programs as quickly as possible to produce as much money as possible, the directors and producers forgot to see if the performers actually had talent. If the natural ability of an entertainer did come under fire, they were offered an alternative option of forgoing all moral scruples in exchange for fame and fortune. Here is where we went wrong: In the process of lowering the aptitude bar, we also lowered the moral standard so low

that it seems to not even exist any longer. Sidney Portiere, Gregory Peck and Jimmy Stewart all refused to compromise their grace and poise for the pressures of Hollywood and the demands of those who saw the quick route to success because frankly, they did not have to. If our current vulgar way of life had always been the norm, would we even have such sensational works such as “It’s a Wonderful Life,” “To Kill a Mockingbird” and “To Sir with Love”? Reaching for the deeper roots of culture, these works strived to maintain a certain set of standards while provoking us to think about society on a more multifaceted level. As we have seen throughout the history of our country, each generation consistently works to abolish the boundaries of the generation before it. I shudder to think what the newest group of morally repugnant Americans will produce in the future. I hope that we can perhaps turn the tides of rudimentary progress backwards and return to the trend of the groundbreaking works of yesteryear that addressed those issues that truly progressed the course of social history, and did not simply test our stomachs for the obscene and truly abhorrent.

BROOKE LEONARD -regular columnist -sophomore -economics major

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A PHEASANT RUN SUB-LEASE Rooms available for rent Spring and Summer 2010 at Pheasant Run Townhomes. Rent is $300/ month. Contact cnk87@vt.edu for interest in renting one or multiple rooms.

GETTING COLD TIME to Plan your Spring Break 2010 Get Away! Learn how to travel to beautiful locations like Jamaica, Acapulco and the Bahamas on a party cruise. Find out what other Virginia Tech Hokies are headed to your destination. -Adrian Email: Awhite@Studentcity.com for more information

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CHEAP SPRING SUBLET Great Location! Graduating seniors looking to sublet their apartment. Up to 3 rooms available January-June 2010. $350 per month (includes rent, cable/ internet, and utilities). Located in Center St. apartments next to Lane Stadium: less than 2 minute walk to campus. Call Joey @ 571-331-1212 if interested. LARGE HOUSE SUB-LEASE 3Bd, 3bth, 2 living rms, large dining rm, heat pump/central AC, hardwood floors, 2-car garage, washer&dryer, unfurnished house on wooded lot. 2 large decks on upper/ lower levels. Wood & gas fireplaces. In Blacksburg. Avail. Mid Dec. Call Corey (305)434-0230 or coreyk9@vt.edu SPRING SUBLET AVAILABLE 1BR available in Foxridge for spring semester. Second-floor apartment w/ balcony and bus stop right across street. $293/month includes rent, heat, water and trash. Free unlimited parking. Available from midDecember to June. Call or email Matt at 703-314-7358 or mhiser@vt.edu

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ACROSS 1 RBI or ERA, e.g. 5 Use up, as money 10 Shock 14 TV show recorder 15 Pal of Kukla and Fran 16 Redheaded kid of Mayberry 17 School near the Mex. border 18 Ziti, for one 19 Sharp 20 Herding dogs 23 Eggs, to Caesar 24 “__ no use!” 25 Brokerage services for buying stocks on credit 33 Tribute in verse 34 Take it easy 35 Coastal cities 37 Day spa garb 39 Emulated Bond 42 Bank takeback, for short 43 Memorable mission 45 Vegan no-no 47 Moving aid 48 Perks on the job 52 Choral syllable 53 Univ. sr.’s exam 54 Eerie sci-fi series, and this puzzle’s title 62 Sign up for 63 New __: India’s capital 64 French cheese 65 “Beetle Bailey” dog 66 Area below the abdomen 67 Eclipse, in olden days 68 Head honcho 69 Observing 70 Small fruit pie DOWN 1 Theater souvenir 2 Jackson 5 brother 3 State with conviction 4 Head honcho 5 Voices above alto 6 Land map 7 Other than this 8 __ acid: explosive compound

By David W. Cromer

9 Cherished by 10 Comedian’s bit 11 Abbr. on a phone’s “0” button 12 Falsehoods 13 X, numerically 21 Satan’s doing 22 “The jig __!” 25 Former New Orleans Saints coach Jim 26 War criminal Eichmann 27 Rod used to strengthen concrete 28 Swiss peak 29 Scale, as a 28-Down 30 Snow-rain-heatgloom connector 31 Roman fountain 32 Mar. 17th honoree 36 Male heirs 38 U.K. record label 40 Broad foot size 41 Kind of participle found in the sentence “While working on my computer, the dog pestered me for dinner”

11/3/09 Monday’s Puzzle Solved

44 Not taken in by 46 Actress Hatcher 49 Resentment over a prior wrong 50 Diner, for one 51 Sexy automaton in “Austin Powers” 54 Dorothy’s dog 55 Top 10 songs

11/3/09

56 Slaughter of baseball 57 Weena’s people, in “The Time Machine” 58 Major German river, to a Frenchman 59 “__ la Douce” 60 Stadium section 61 E-mailed 62 Employment agency listing

features 5

editors: topher forhecz, teresa tobat featureseditor@collegiatetimes.com/ 540.231.9865

november 3, 2009

COLLEGIATETIMES

Tech robotics laboratory puts blind drivers behind the wheel PAT MURPHY features staff writer Attaining a driver’s license for most teenagers is a must, but for some groups of people such as the blind, this adolescent rite of passage never comes. However, the Robotics & Mechanisms Laboratory at Virginia Tech, or RoMeLa, is working on a way to fix this. In 2005, the National Federation for the Blind challenged society to create a car that a blind person could drive. So far, Tech has been the only one to rise to the challenge. Dennis Hong, mechanical engineering professor, faculty advisor, and RoMeLa director, explained why Tech chose to move forward with the project. “(We) saw the potential for spinoff technologies,” Hong said, “(and wanted) to give hope to the blind of how technology will be able to help their everyday lives, to inspire other researchers and scientists to develop technology to help people in need.” To Hong, the project has been a great success so far. Kimberly Wenger, senior mechanical engineering major and student team leader of the project, stated that the specific goal of the project was to create a car that a blind

person could maneuver through a defined course of traffic cones. This has been accomplished and demonstrated using laser range finder technology, which uses a laser beam to judge distances. With the laser technology, the vehicle interprets the surrounding area and then instructs drivers on how they should maneuver the car in order to avoid any obstacles. The steering wheel does so by utilizing “clicks,” which are noises emitted by the car to the driver when it senses an object. One “click” is equal to turning the wheel five degrees. So, if the driver needs to turn the wheel 10 degrees to the right, the driver will hear “two right.” According to Wenger, in addition to direction, a blind driver also needs instruction on speed. A speed limit is set in the program and if the driver exceeds this speed, vibrations will alert the driver. Drivers wear a tactile vest that will vibrate more and more as the excess speed increases. In the event of an emergency stop, all motors in the vest will vibrate to alert the driver of the necessary immediate action. The technology created by the team, such as the tactile vest, also has the potential to be applied in different fields. Wenger believes that such tech-

nology could be useful to airline pilots because the control panel they use is so vast and there is simply too much information to take in by sight. A tactile vest could alert pilots about certain things, such as the altitude. Currently, the team is working on designing a system that is more informational than instructional. The present system tells a driver what to do. Wenger believes that an ideal informational system would give the driver a better idea of what is actually going on around the vehicle. One prototype the team is investigating operates like an air hockey table. Air would come up through little holes so drivers can physically feel where the obstacles are. Wenger feels that these innovations have a lot of promise, but he is cautious in outlining the impact it will have on the future. “I think that the technology will be able to allow for (blind drivers) long before society will be ready for it,” Wenger said. “Still, I think that it can give blind people more independence, or at least a hope for more independence.” Gayle Yarnall, director of adaptive technology for the Perkins School for the Blind, is encouraged by the new technology, but still has her reservations. Yarnall is blind and says she’s

CHRISTINA NESTOR/SPPS

Tech’s Robotics and Mechanisms Laboratory has created a car that blind drivers can operate. The vehicle uses laser technology to interpret the surrounding area and then tells drivers how to maneuver. driven in a parking lot before where she only had to worry about herself and not other drivers like on a real road — that’s the part that truly scares her. “How many times does somebody cut you off?” Yarnall asked. “How can you react so quickly to vibrations in your steering wheel? I can’t imagine

that. I can’t imagine a blind person being able to truly drive safely.” Yarnall also fears that this technology will only be useful for younger generations. She points out that teaching an older person to drive, even if he is sighted, could be incredibly difficult. Still, Yarnall acknowledges the achievements of the innovative vehicle

and believes the news has been well received by the blind community. “I would think that any blind person that was on the Internet or had e-mail had heard about this from somebody,” Yarnall said. “The technology-savvy blind community certainly knows about it and is encouraged. This is just the tip of the iceberg.”

Metric’s latest acoustic EP ‘Plug In, Plug Out’ softens its usually energetic sound RYAN ARNOLD features reporter After the successful release of a new record only six months ago, Metric is turning still-young “Fantasies” into, well, a fantasy. And a pretty peculiar one, I’ll suggest. The Canadian quartet has joined forces with a social network called IMVU, which, unlike the familiar templates of Facebook and MySpace, is a three-dimensional virtual world. Online users create avatars — their animated counterparts — in order to meet and engage with other participants whose origins are worldwide. Metric recently opened an IMVU interactive store where avatars can rack up on the band’s merchandise, including “Fantasies,” for their digital cosmos. In conjunction with its IMVU promotions, Metric released a five-track acoustic EP with the very literal title “Plug In, Plug Out.” The same songs are found on “Fantasies,” but the new

album’s cloudy mood challenges the vitality of Metric’s electric material. Kicking off the effort is “Gold Guns Girls,” a song that landed in the middle of “Fantasies” where it originally kept a frantic pace. Vocalist Emily Reid trades her warped synthesizer play for a traditional piano sound and she patters the steady melody as though her fingers hardly have the strength. Guitarist James Shaw mimics her hands with equally soft picks at his strings. It feels almost lethargic, but the exhaustion makes sense during the faster chorus when Reid sings, “I just want to be your friend,” and repeatedly asks, “Is it ever going to be enough?” The unfavorable answer seems implied. Despite the third track on the EP’s seemingly despondent title, “Help I’m Alive” serves as a pick-me-up after “Gold Gun Girls.” Reid boasts a charming soprano during the chorus, which is complemented with a cheery tambourine. During the bridge cre-

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scendo, however, guitarist Shaw provides backing vocals for Reid that are flat enough to skip across water. “Can you hear my heart beating like a hammer?” Reid asks. When Shaw echoes “beating like a hammer,” there’s no hope for a pulse. It’s a distraction from the lyrical optimism of “Help I’m Alive” that prevails. Shaw does recover on “Satellite Mind,” when his vocal crass becomes a soft croon and layers well with Reid’s pipes. He also manages grit with his guitar that was unheard on the song’s original version, which at times felt too fragile. And with lines like “I’m not suicidal/I just can’t get out of bed,” the raw acoustics better fit the mood. “Get hot/get too close to the flame,” Reid sings on the closer “Gimme

Sympathy.” But she’s not just pitching the cliche of reaching for the stars. “We’re so close to something better left unknown,” Reid adds, rounding out a melancholy view of the youth-toadulthood transition. It’s an interesting album conclusion, for while its message is a downer, “Gimme Sympathy” has the quickest stride of them all. Reid’s heavy hands completely abandon the keys and Shaw’s strumming sounds more jovial. “Plug In, Plug Out” is certainly a departure from Metric’s known repertoire. For listeners used to its energetic sounds and Reid’s sultry, confident voice, “Plug In, Plug Out” will seem very tame and dark. That’s not to say the album is a disappointment, however; the songs are surely engaging — haunting at times — a feat achieved with only one guitar and reserved piano play. “Plug In, Plug Out” might not provide the best party tunes for IMVU avatar gatherings, but the masters behind the keyboards should give the album a spin on their stereos.