Winner of the Society of Professional Journalists’ Mark of Excellence award
Fall Issue 7
November 11, 2014
#WeAreOne
Campus community draws closer after football player’s passing Alex Coultrup Staff Writer After the passing of Alex Brack on Nov. 6, campus response was like nothing students had seen before. Campus clichés proved true as even students who wouldn’t consider themselves football fans came together to support and comfort one another. It seems that the “Florida Tech Family” is more than just a website catchphrase after all. Brack, 21, was killed in an accident while driving to his home in DeFuniak Springs, Fla. At 9:45 p.m. on Nov 2., his Ford F-150 left the roadway, and overturned multiple times, according to a Florida Highway Patrol release. Neither Brack nor his passenger, girlfriend Cierra Brown, 18, were wearing seatbelts. A campus-wide email went out from Bill Jurgens, director of athletics on the morning of Nov. 6, sharing the news with students and faculty. “Words do not do justice to the loss that we all feel at this time,” Jurgens wrote. “Our thoughts and prayers remain with Alex’s family, friends and teammates.” From attending short-notice events to sharing hugs with fellow students, Florida Tech’s community has been coming together. “The loss of this young man will be acutely felt by the Florida Tech family,” said President Catanese. “He was a brother to everyone,” sophomore Nick Swain said at a candlelight vigil held on Nov. 6. Swain is a Linebacker on FIT’s football team, one of many who spoke of their
Jack Willison (Men’s soccer) wears number 92 in the championship quarterfinal. time spent with Brack at the vigil. Josh Davidson, a freshman kicker, spoke of Brack as a role model on and off the field. “Grades on point, kicking on point; he had it.” “He was a bigger man,” said sophomore Ian Speck, a fullback. “He cared more about what he was contributing.” Both athletes and nonathletes alike attended the vigil in Brack’s remembrance. At least 300 individuals made their way to the practice field next to the Varsity Training Center, according to Ryan Jones, assistant director of athletic communications. “A lot of the other sports have been reaching out, and it shows that they know how close and unique this place is,” said Dan Sabock, special teams co-
ordinator on FIT’s coaching staff. “That’s why there were so many people there that night.” Sabock described campus response to Brack’s death to be a dramatic and moving experience to witness. “The vigil was the best way to see it physically,” he said. “I’ve had a lot of people throughout the campus community reach out to me, who didn’t know who I was.” He shared how the volleyball team wrote cards to the football players. “Every single player had a hand-written, personalized letter with their number on it.” Coach Sabock made sure each team member received his card, placing them in the athletes’ lockers. The Volleyball team also made a card for the coaches, which read “We Are One.” This phrase is one of the slogans of the
Athletic Department, often used as a hashtag in social media posts. “It’s something that we’ve been embracing, and they truly took the meaning to that. It wasn’t just a hashtag or something that we read every day, they took it to heart,” Sabock said. He feels that #WeAreOne came to life the night of the vigil. “He was an all-around great guy,” sophomore Skylar Sheffield, a defensive lineman said. “He was always greeting everybody. He could relate to everybody in any way.” Brack’s amiable personality earned him many friends on campus. “He was very detailed,” Sabock said of Brack. “That’s something I think the campus community would take some pride in. That’s who he was and who he wanted to be.” Sabock described a technique called the skipthrough, which he and Brack had been working on.
In the Panthers’ most recent game, Brack had kicked four times, skipped through each timed he kicked, and gone four for four. “Looking back, we won by the four points, and that’s what I really believe it was,” Sabock added. Andrew Shipotofsky, Brack’s roommate, was deeply affected by the campus’ response: “Having that Florida Tech family is so important. I know a lot of us say ‘we are one,’ but you know, we really are one.” Brack’s passing also allowed Shiptotfsky to become closer with some of his teammates. “A couple of them stayed over at my house until three in the morning,” he said. “We just all hung out, and it wasn’t even so much talking about Alex, but everyone just being there to comfort each other.” Shipotofsky described Brack as a man who took care of his friends, whether it be with sports, school or having a good time. “Everyone else came first. If you needed something, he was there. He didn’t even have [library] study table hours; he was there, helping his teammates.” Linebacker Chris Stapleton, a junior, said that Brack was a positive academic influence on his team. “Brack would be at that table [in the VTC] doing homework every day. Extremely disciplined, and always did what he was supposed to do.” Brack had earned a spot on the Gulf South Coast Honor Roll, with a cumulative GPA of over 3.0.
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Are your doors locked? Go to page 3 for information on campus theft.
OPINIONS
2 - November 11, 2014
the Florida tech crimson
November Staff Picks Ashley Montion Staff Writer Social Media Coordinator Melbourne … yeah, we know — Mel-boring. But what YOU don’t know is that this little town has some awesome places to dine, drink and even to take your parents for their annual visit down from home. So put down that buffalo chicken wrap, and try something new!
Where To Take Your Parents: The Beachside Café Beachside is a wonderful café — my ultimate go-to for Sunday morning breakfast. The atmosphere is always warm and genial. Every visit I’ve encountered a friendly staff (who by now have remembered my name and coffee order) and biscuits that never cease to impress. My favorite plate is the Long Key, served with two eggs, two pancakes or French toast and a side rye toast. According to
Thebeachsidecafe.com, stuffed French toast — loaded with fresh filling between two thick slices of texas toast, dipped in batter, grilled and topped — is a local fave. Prices are incredibly affordable, and it’s the perfect place to show off the coolest part of your weekends to the ‘rents — THE BEACH — making it ideal. But don’t take mom and dad too late; breakfast ends at 2 p.m. But just after, you can take your parents next door to the Longboard House to purchase one of their iconic Tshirts, or to walk across the street to Melbourne Beach.
COLLEGE NIGHTS: Old School Pizza (Mel High Location) Thursday College Nights at Old School Pizza: Everyone has a memory at Old School — meeting all your
friends for $4 beer pitchers, plus pizza, are basically the consistent factors of every awesome drunken night in history. Go ahead and make some new memories while enjoying the good vibes at this new and fun, college-feeling addition to the city. “It’s just a place for people to come, have fun and not worry about school. Quarter beer nights are every Thursday and ladies drink free Wednesday. It’s just a lot of fun, ” said Keith Lovett, founder of the event. Additionally, there is corn hole and beer pong to play for free. The music is LOUD and the DJ has some amazing mixes. However, Old School is more than a pizza place with great deals. Last week, the organization held an event in the name recently passed FIT football player, Alex Brack. The event was procured in Brack’s name and raised over $1000 for a scholarship that will be awarded yearly in his name.
DINNER: Thai Thai House (Palm Bay Road) I LOVE sushi — and Thai Thai has some awesome rolls. My
favorite is the dynamite roll — topped with a mixture of freshly baked seafood mix. The rolls and sushi pieces are always consistent and I can always count on leaving happy. This place is a must to fulfill that sushi craving you know you can’t shut up about. v
Florida Tech football players support Alex Brack’s family at Old School Pizza.
CAPS PSA: Stressed Out? Kendra Bartel CAPS Outreach Columnist College can be one of the most stressful periods of life. There are never-ending deadlines, and then there’s the constant juggling of trying to maintain good grades while having a social life. At times, it may feel as if you’re drowning in all of your work. So what are some ways you can better deal with the pressure and stress around you? The good news is that there are plenty of things you can do to cope with stress! You may want to start by attending CAPS’ student event: Stressed? Let it Go! on Thursday, Nov. 20 in Evans Hall, room 202. Here you can learn strategies for handling stress and anxiety, as well as find ways to de-stress during exams. De-stressing prizes we will be given, so you don’t want to miss those, too! So what are ways you can manage your stress? One of the first steps is to acknowledge it! Admit to yourself that you’re stressed. By admitting you’re stressed, you can better realize that only you can make the change to be less stressed. After you do this, you can then start to identify the stressors in your life. It could be anything from schoolwork to finances, to relationships, to that test you have next week. Either way, letting yourself know you are stressed about a particular thing can get you on the path to coping more efficiently. Now, you may be wondering, what is coping? Coping is how you effectively and successfully deal with something difficult. Speaking of coping, let’s go over some of the unhealthy ways individuals cope with stress: • Smoking and drinking • Overeating or not eating enough • Withdrawing from social life • Using illegal drugs to “escape” or “relax” • Sleeping too much • Procrastinating • Filling up every minute of the day with “activities” to avoid problems • Taking out your stress
on those around you Self-harm Bottling everything up inside Due to the negative consequences of these activities, you will want to stay away from them as best as you can, or it is likely that that you will become more stressed. While a lot of these things may seem like the easy way out, the consequences will often not be satisfying. Here we will go over some new and more productive ways you can deal with the stress around you. Learn how to say no: Know your limits and stick to them. This means not taking on more than you can handle. It’s better to successfully complete what’s on your plate than to take on too many things and forget, or not complete them efficiently or to the best of your ability. Avoid people that stress you out: There’s always that one person who isn’t the best to be around when you’re stressed. It’s always okay to take a break from being around them for a while. Not all friendships or interactions with people will be positive, so if you are stressed out, it’s important to know what interactions you may want to take a break from. Narrow down your to-do list: If you feel like you have a million things to do in a day, differentiate between the “shoulds” and the “musts.” Take care of the things you must do first, and if that takes up your whole day, you can focus on the “shoulds” another time. Having a more achievable level of things on your list will decrease your stress. Be more assertive: Take control of your life. If your friends continuously want you to go out before a test, tell them that you can’t go. Don’t cave into things that will stress you out more. If your roommate is chatty, tell them you only have five more minutes to talk before you need to go get work done. Reframe the stressful situation: Try to think of a stressful situation more positively. Tell yourself you can pass that test, or you’ll get an A on the paper. See • •
each assignment, or meeting, as something that gets you closer to your goal of graduating. Have something to look forward to: Often times when we are stressed we forget to take breathers. We begin to get on such a roll about what we need to do that we forget what we want to do. It’s important to have some fun things to look forward to, no matter how small! Don’t try to control the uncontrollable: You don’t like your professor, or your roommate’s significant other is annoying. You hate the paper topic you were given, or the math problems you have to do. Rather than stress, focus on what you can control. You can change how you choose to react to the situations around you. Exercise and eat healthy: Staying active will help you take some time away from the books, but also help you get moving and sweat out the stress. You’ll feel much better after you get your heart rate up. Eating healthy will give you continuous energy throughout the day and not just a sugar rush. This also means remembering to eat so that your blood sugar doesn’t get low. Get enough sleep: Remember to sleep and take care of yourself. Make sure you don’t pull all night study sessions and wear yourself out! Getting adequate sleep refreshes your brain for the next day’s work and gives you energy to complete your tasks. Try out some relaxation techniques: Taking time to relax at the end of the day will help you feel less stressed and also help you get ready to take on the next task. Using some relaxation techniques such as deep breathing or muscle relaxation can help you re-focus and re-group. Stay social: Sometimes when we are stressed, we shut out those around us. Don’t forget to be open and communicate with those in your life. Stay in touch with friends and family and those who care for you. It’s always good to have social support who can listen to you talk when you’re stressed or give you guidance when you need an answer. Taking time to talk to your
friends can also make you realize that you’re not alone. Ask for help: Never be afraid to ask for help or guidance when you run into a problem. Sometimes we all need some answers and can use some extra help, especially when we are stressed! We hope these tips were helpful for you! If you feel that your stress is unmanageable and would like someone to talk to,
CAPS is here on campus to offer assistance for many challenges college students face. To make an appointment with a mental health counselor, call CAPS 321-6748050 or walk into the center. We realize it can be uncomfortable to reach out for help, but we hope you do contact us when you need us. CAPS is just one of many resources at Florida Tech that supports maintaining a happy and healthy you! v
CAMPUS LIFE
3 -November 11, 2014
The Florida tech crimson
Florida Tech mourns for student, player, friend: Alex Brack Continued from page 1
“We sat outside my car for an hour one time because my battery was dead,” Stapleton recalled, smiling. “He always had the tools. He was a tool guy! He had power tools, anything I needed.” Skylar Sheffield, sophomore, said that Brack was an encourager, and someone easy to get along with. “You gonna go out there and do you thing, Sheffield?!” Brack would ask him before every game.
“We’ve definitely felt [his spirit] in practice,” Sheffield said “We’ve dedicated this whole week to him, the rest of the season is to him. Every game is going to be for him, every play is going to be for him.” “We always talked about hunting. That was his thing: hunting and trucks. We actually saw some geese fly over, so we had the longest discussion about hunting season,” Sheffield said. The School of Arts and Communication hosted a “Chalk Walk” event on Nov. 3, encouraging students to decorate the pathway outside of Crawford Science tower. Along with other art and
encouraging phrases, multiple designs in Brack’s memory were drawn, one of which read simply “92 Forever.” Some students spent time together on the same day, remembering Brack around a bonfire on the evening after his death. Old School Pizza hosted a time of community and fundraising for the scholarship fund Brack’s family has started in his honor. “We are taking donations for Alex Brack and his family to help them through this difficult time,” said sopomore Kieth Lovett, a defensive back. More information about the fund is described in Brack’s
obituary on Legacy.com. “In lieu of flowers, family requests to please make donations to the Alex Brack Scholarship Fund at Walton Teachers Federal Credit Union at P.O. Box 634, DeFuniak Springs, Fla. 32435.” The football team will add decals to their helmets in Brack’s honor, featuring his number, 92. Other sports showed their support as well. Men’s and women’s soccer, men’s and women’s swimming, volleyball, women’s basketball, and women’s rowing have all shown their support by wearing the 92 or adding purple to their uniform.
Greg and Janet Brack, Alex’s parents, are glad to hear that the Florida Tech community has found strength through this. “His dad says that if it can continue to happen, then we will continue to find peace throughout the whole thing,” Sabock said. “I know he wouldn’t want us to be down.” Stapleton said. “I know he would want us to be the best that we could be, because that’s just how he was all the time.” “He was a well-rounded kid,” Sabock said. “If you were going to have a son, you would want him to be like Alex Brack. Hard worker, good athlete, great friend, caring person.” v
Are your doors locked?
Theft on campus increases, security reacts Alex Salter Tyler Richardson Staff Writers More than two million burglaries have occurred on campuses across the nation as of 2011, according to FBI statistics. When you leave your dorm room to use the restroom, do you lock your doors? Do you ever leave your laptop on one of the library tables while you go grab a quick snack? If you answered yes to either of these questions, you might want to rethink it. As of Jan. 14 of this year, six computers have been stolen on campus with no suspect apprehended. “These are office computers, not students,’” said Kevin
Graham, Director of Security. “We’re working the investigation with the police. Thefts, generally in this nature, take an investigative genius or someone who calls and says they’re an informant or have something against the hacker. So we get information in different ways.” To warn students and faculty about the theft issue, security released a timely notice, “Basically, what we do is send out a notice that there’s something that’s happening in a repetitive fashion, and some techniques that you can do to eliminate that from happening again. It’s required from the department of education,” said Graham. Two of the six computers that were stolen were from the Florida Tech Commons building, according to Suzie Philbeck, administrative assistant at the School
of Psychology. “They were iMac computers in the student workroom [710FTCRoom 260]. The computers disappeared the week following Spring semester ending,” Philbeck said. “We reported the missing computers to security, IT, Properties and to the university insurance. Pictures and a written report were submitted to each of the departments. They each followed protocol for investigating the disappearance. It took about a month of investigating before they told me to submit a claim to university insurance,” Philbeck said. “[I’m] not sure what additional precautions could be implemented. Computers were cable-locked to the table. The door has restricted after-hour access, only open during building hours,” Philbeck said. IT recommended that they install a security camera
that viewed faces of people entering and leaving. Philbeck said that the computers will not be replaced. “I never leave my items unattended. My bike is always locked. I do believe that if something of mine was stolen, security wouldn’t do anything to help me,” senior Vinicius Garcia said. Another student, Shelby Gregson, said, “When leaving my car anywhere on campus, I make sure to lock it. Sometimes, if I think I forgot to lock it, I will even walk all the way back just to make sure it’s locked.” Despite all the efforts of the administration and campus security, property theft occurs regularly. A few simple precautions may help keep your property from becoming a statistic. If you see someone suspicious lurking in your office area or residence hall that does not belong, there contact
your RA or security. Should students make sure they’re always locking their doors and holding onto their items tightly? That’s for them to decide. “My recommendations are, when you leave your office, put valuables in a locked area and don’t leave your door open. This is, after all, an open campus. People walk around buildings and you don’t know who all your students are or who’s here for good reasons or bad reasons,” Graham said. “If you leave your room to go take a shower or go to the restroom, lock your door,” said Graham. “You’d be so surprised how difficult it is to lose something if your door is locked.” v
We need a sports writer. Interested? Stop by on a WEdnesday at 6:30 p.m. at the back of Grissom hall.
campus life
4 -November 11, 2014
The Florida tech crimson
Student Spotlight: Pablo Canseco CourseAlfred: a powerful new tool for registration time
Gone are the days of strained eyes, scrolling for hours and crossreferencing multiple PDFs, thanks to Pablo Canseco, one of our own software engineering students. His creation, Coursealfred. com., is a searchable, all-inclusive course catalog complete with course descriptions, pre- and corequisites, times, locations and slots remaining. CouseAlfred has come as a great relief to many of us, having been made by someone who knows exactly what we’ve been suffering through during registration time, every semester. Canseco said as much, when asked where the idea for CourseAlfred came from: “I’ve had to register for classes for three years, now. I thought, there should be an easier way. I’m going to make something, at least for my own use.” But Canseco didn’t keep the project to himself. Since announcing the site to Fitforum, Canseco said, “I’ve received, actually, universally positive feedback.”
And it’s not only students that appreciate the innovation. “I’ve gotten compliments from various staff members at the school – a financial aid counselor I see all the time said, ‘I used the CourseAlfred thing, it’s super awesome,’” Canseco said. CourseAlfred has attracted the attention of more than just students; Canseco was approached by Web Services, who helped in boosting the performance of the site. “My supervisor [in Florida Tech’s IT department] currently thinks that CourseAlfred is the coolest thing and they really should probably implement it.” Canseco said that official support, and assimilation into Florida Tech’s registration program is the end goal for CourseAlfred. “There hasn’t been any talk of that, but I would like it. It’s something that’s open,” Canseco said. Though CourseAlfred has already come a long way since its beginning, Canseco said that improvements are still in the works, and while the Registrar’s office has just announced their new Waitlist feature, he’s working on his own. When a course fills, students can add their email and sign up to re-
ceive a notification when a space opens, and the feature will notify students in the order that they were added to the waitlist. Canseco said the feature will be finished soon and, “unlike the waitlist feature that the registrar just put out, that only works for a few courses while they’re doing their pilot program, with CourseAlfred, it will work for every course. Right out of the box, for free.” In case you’re not yet convinced, why CourseAlfred? “To give you the latest in course offerings, Master Wayne.” Pablo Canseco is a thirdyear student at Florida Tech, in his first semester studying software engineering, and a Miami-born Peruvian. He has spent three semesters as a co-op intern at NASA KSC, working on simulations for their engineering directory. He also works for IT here at Florida Tech, and currently works for Enterprise Systems, dealing with web development and “the back end stuff.” v
Marketing students put their skills to practice on the Crawford Green Rebekah Duntz Editor-in-chief
Last Thursday, Nov. 6, students took to the Crawford Greens to host a pseudo-event about the master’s degree programs the College of Business has to offer. “It’s to promote the MBA and MSIE master’s programs. It’s part of our Marketing Principles class with Professor Andrew Cudmore,” said Alexander Rumsey, sophomore majoring in business administration and accounting. The Marketing Principles class had a fund from the College of Business for promotions in their master’s degree programs. Students passing by were invited to play various games, and
they could learn more about the Innovation and Entrepreneurship degree. Students could also take a survey if they wanted more information from different professors. “We’re trying to promote it to all majors, not just business majors. So everybody who is taking any major can get business background, and it will help them with their careers and their futures,” said Kelsie Eveling-whited, a junior majoring in marine biology. “Because you’re going to need business in everything. Business is important in whatever you’re going to do, and it’s nice to have that background.” v
6 -November 11, 2014
SCI/TECH
The Florida tech crimson
Opinion: Artificial intelligence: Pandemonium or Tranquility? Ogbonnaya Ngwu Contributing Columnist From the beginning, science and technology were and have remained a standing factor in human civilization. Science, technology and society have become three inseparable companions to each other, but in some way, the third companion (society) is beginning to conflict with science and technology in regards to the subject of ethics. The 21st century high technology has led to the description of modern society as a “global village.” From trade to media, assembling to farming, the propelling globalization of the human movement would be inconceivable without the advancement of science and innovation. Their contributions have not generally been gainful; undoubtedly, numerous would contend that science is to be rebuked for the disintegration of the worldwide environment that we are seeing today. The rewarding science is as well a smoke screen of punishment. Artificial intelligence is a recent development of science in the field of computer sciences that has become a sword with two edges – it may not be harmful at one edge but it can slash at the other edge. When you think of a machine engaging in complex activities such as deduction, reasoning, knowledge representation, planning, perception, learning, communication and manipulation in order to solve problems, you are certainly thinking about artificial intelligence. Artificial intelligence is the comprehension of a machine. Scientists in the field of artificial intelligence have gone far beyond
the development of intelligent systems to replicating the human brain through computer simulation. The European Union (EU’s) Human Brain Project is one of such project that is taking AI to a greater height. This Human Brain Project, supported with over 1.3 billion dollars, is intended to reproduce the human brain in supercomputers and has made advancements for the enormous push to mimic human brain by 2023. Why would they do this: for chaos, or for peace? In so many ways, AI has improved human life and for certain reasons has found a long-standing place in the world due to its capabilities. AI discovers applications in space investigation. They are machines and henceforth can bear the dangerous environment of the interplanetary space. They can be made to adjust in such a path, to the point that planetary airs don’t influence their physical state and working. Emotions that regularly block sane thinking of a person are not an impediment for intelligent machines. Failing to offer the enthusiastic side, robots can think intelligently and make the right choices. Opinions are connected with mindsets that influence human productivity. This is not the situation with intelligent machines. AI can supplant people in numerous regions of work. Robots can do certain difficult assignments and meticulous exercises, which have long been completed by people, but can now be assumed control by robots. Owing to the discernment modified in them, the machines can bear obligation to a certain degree. They can be made to oversee
themselves and their time to finish the relegated assignments. On the other hand, ethics and morals are the principal concern with respect to the application of AI. AI has left the society questioning its ethics. Is it true that it is morally right to make reproductions of people? Do our ethical qualities permit us to reproduce insights? Brainpower is after all an endowment of nature. It may not be right to introduce it into a machine to make it work for our profit. Although the thought of machines supplanting people sounds brilliant, it seems to spare
musings. Looking through another angle, there is an apprehension of robots overpowering us! Conceivably, people ought to keep being the experts of machines. In the event that things transform the other route round, the world will transform into turmoil. Adroit machines may turn out to be more brilliant than us; they may oppress us and begin administering the world. Man’s ravenous innovativeness may jeopardize humankind! Where then do we think our invention will lead us? Pandemonium or tranquility? Peace or chaos? WHAT THE COMMUNITY THINKS “Artificial Intelligence (AI) is still just a tool in our hands, a very powerful tool. A tool, such as a knife, can be used to slice bread, to perform lifesaving surgery, or to crush lives. It all depends on the heart of its user. Should we stop manufacturing knives because they can be used for bad purposes? I do not think so. But we Image Credit: iStockPhoto could develop knives alus from all the torment. Would ways thinking as to how they can it say it is truly such an energiz- be used to safer slice bread and to ing thought? Ideas, for example, safer perform surgery. Then we can wholeheartedness and devotion give a good example in not using in work bear no presence in the them for a bad purpose. The same realm of counterfeit conscious- holds with Artificial Intelligence. ness, which we know as AI. Yes, In our lab we develop DirectDeAI is counterfeit consciousness. mocracyP2P.net, a platform using Envision robots in a hospital. Do AI techniques to let citizens underyou picture them indicating mind stand each other better, find easier and concern towards the patients? the relevant opinion and arguments Envision keen machines utilized in of other citizens on raised issues, inventive fields. Do you think the and gather secure signatures in robots will exceed expectations in support for group decisions. We such fields? Intuition machines fail perfect it such that it can be used to offer an imaginative personal- for constructive purposes, for ity. Individuals are passionate, peace, tranquility, and mutual educated people. They think and comprehension. Comprehension feel. Their emotions direct their of each other and transparency
are believed to weaken bad inclinations, reduce fear and increase sympathy” - Ph.D. Marius Silaghi “Artificial Intelligence leads to pandemonium to people who are naturally fearful because they believe what is in the movies. I think the future of computing can/could lead to tranquility but I cannot classify it as Artificial Intelligence. I think I call that collective intelligence. What I mean is allowing all the people to have voice on decisions that will affect them. Down the flip side, if you have uneducated or uninformed population, they could make bad choices leading to pandemonium. My definition of Artificial Intelligence is people using heuristics to come up with reasonable solutions to hard problems” - Ph.D. William Shoaff “AI will cause some discomfort to some people because they think they are competing with machines for jobs. It can also fail to meet expectations because machines might not make perfect decisions just like humans. However, AI will simplify a lot of tasks. That means people will have more time to pursue other tasks” - Ph.D. Philip Chan THE QUESTION ANSWERED In every way you think about it, AI will still remain on a dangling scale where its advantages cannot overweigh its disadvantages. This leaves us in doubt towards the question about the future of AI. There is also a string of ideas that it will lead to both – good and bad – consequences. Whatever it is, AI is a science, and all we can do is stay and watch out for what its future brings while anticipating whether or not it will one day lead to the peaceful world we seek. v
Sci/Tech
7 -November 11, 2014
The Florida tech crimson
City auctions crushed games from the famed Atari landfill Christopher Pangalos Staff Writer After years of mystery, people are now able to bid on games from Atari’s rumored E.T. Landfill, which was publicly excavated earlier this year for the production of a documentary film series by Microsoft and Fuel Entertainment. The city of Alamogordo is auctioning various games from the dig; bids for boxed games ranging from around $70 for most, but over $500 for E.T. So why are people paying so much for crushed, formerly worthless games? Mostly because of the history behind them. In 1982, after the suc-
cess of Spielberg’s E.T. movie, Atari ordered a game based on the movie to be made, which, according to IGN, in just six weeks when production would normally run several months. The final product was a game that had terrible mechanics and graphics, compared to other games of its time. According to Snopes. com, Atari manufactured 5 million E.T. cartridges, and initially sold 1.5 million due to the movie’s popularity, but was unable to sell the remaining copies once the negative reception started to spread. This, along with other poor decisions, such as manufacturing 12 million Pac-man games, despite only selling 10 million Atari 2600 consoles, would lead to what became known as the video
game crash of 1983 and Warner’s selling of the company in 1984. In Sep. 1983, according to the New York Times, there were reports of 14 semi-trucks from an Atari storehouse in El Paso, Texas traveling to a landfill in New Mexico and burying a variety of gaming equipment and Atari cartridges. According to Snopes, this occurred during the night over the course of several weeks. According to BitGamer News, Atari’s official claim was that it was only faulty hardware being dumped. Reporters and spectators were kept away by guards, since scavenging was prohibited by New Mexico law, supposedly the reason Atari chose this location. To make matters worse, among publicity, Atari
decided to have the landfill steamrolled and cemented over; almost as if they were hiding a real extra terrestrial. Atari’s extreme lengths to bury their mistake in the ground came to be known as one of the most popular urban legends in gaming. The recent excavation proved the rumors to be mostly true, as the landfill was found to contain a variety of unopened games: many of which were E.T. According to Cnet, many of the cartridges were completely crushed, but the city will be auctioning off more of the better-conditioned ones. Despite the condition, Ebay shows the bidding on these games is pretty competitive. If only they sold so well back in 1983. v
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Club Spotlight: Anime Club Ebube Ubochi Staff Writer Although not a new organization on campus, the Anime Club at Florida Tech has grown in prominence and size this semester. Dedicated to the appreciation of anime as a genre, as well as the slew of manga series from which it stems, the club has a large collection of volumes of popular anime — new and old — in their aptly decorated office. Having been a member of the organization since fall 2011, club president Pablo Canseco finds the sudden growth interesting. Members of the club seem enthusiastic and appreciative of the club’s presence on campus. He and vice president Robert Finley are quite satisfied with this development. “This is actually Robert and I’s first term being officers,” Canseco said. “If the presence of the club has increased this semester, I feel like that’s just a good indicator for us, but it’s pretty much news to us.”
The club’s office is located in the Evans Student Center. Office hours are held every day by various members and officers in the organization at times indicated on the schedule posted on the door. The club requests funding from the school as all other organizations do in order to function, but is also used to receiving donations from private entities. “Although we might have ordered it through the school with special funding, we also get donations all the time,” Finley said in reference to the shelves and boxes of media that fill the office. “These donations are usually by members and ex-members and even non-members.” The club is managed by three officers: a president, a vice president and a treasurer. They hold events from time to time as well. On Nov. 8, they hosted a Gundam building workshop in Skurla Hall, where participants
Canseco (left) discussing the currently featured series with a member. could physically create models based on vehicles and characters from the popular 2013 Japanese anime series “Gundam Build Fighters.” “The amount of time it typically takes to build these depends on how fast you work,” Canseco said. “Some can take as short as an hour or so and then there are some that take many days or months, depending on how much you procrastinate.” Canseco (left) discussing the currently featured series with
a member. The organization’s member base is very diverse, as can be seen in the records and during meetings. “We have international students as well as non-international ones,” Finley said. “We have both guys and girls. Typically, our meeting attendance will start off with primarily guys and then more girls tend to come in a little bit later.” Canseco added, “We have a lot more guys than girls, as is typical in a club of this nature but we have a decent amount of girls
to the point that it’s okay. I think we have most majors represented as well.” General meetings comprise of two parts. In the first half, there are general announcements as well as the discussion and viewing of anime series. During the second half, members watch four episodes of the currently featured show, which is chosen by members through voting and is watched until it is either voted off or finished. “The whole meeting usually takes about four hours,” Finley said.
SPORTS the Florida tech crimson
November 11, 2014
Track and Field joins Peach Belt State Conference Andrew Shipotofsky Guest Contributor Starting in the spring of 2015, Florida Tech Track-andField will be joining the Peach Belt conference as an affiliate member. The Panthers will join the three already established track only affiliate members: University of Alabama in Huntsville, and two familiar foes, Nova Southeastern University and Shorter University. Most people know that Nova Southern (Sunshine State) is a conference opponent for most teams at Florida Tech, while Florida Tech Football faces off against Shorter in the Gulf South. Track and field officially became a varsity sport at Florida Tech in August of 2010, when President Catanese also announced the addition of men’s lacrosse. The team ran its first season in the spring of 2011 under the direction of cross-country head coach Pete Mazzone. In the fall of 2011, Coach Mazzone added National Champion hurdler from Shorter University, Nick Dodson, as the team’s first assistant coach. The team later added graduate student and prior athlete, Jamar Watson to
Photo Property of florida tech athletics handle the throwing events. The combined men’s and women’s program currently consisted of approximately 60 athletes and made appearances in the D-II Outdoor National Championships in two of the last three years.
“It’s a good opportunity for the program to expand further, and I’m looking forward to the new competition,” sophomore hurdler Twaine Gordon said. The track team will start their season in late February with hopes
This space is dedicated to Alex Brack. May he rest in peace.
of winning a conference title in their first year in the Peach Belt Conference. For further details pertaining to the Florida Tech track team and Florida Tech sports, check out floridatechsports.com.