Griffiti Magazine - Issue 60

ISSUE 60

FEATURING: TV SHOWS YOU SHOULD BE WATCHING STUDENT BUDGET TRAVEL SCANDINAVIAN ARTISTS ON THE RISE

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Miller Genuine Draft is responsible for launching the world famous Miller Music Tour, bringing the energy and endless possibilities of the night to life in the most electric cities in the world. From the global epicentre of EDM, Las Vegas, to the bright lights of NYC, The Miller Music Tour is now coming to Dublin!

Event: Miller Genuine Draft – Miller Music Tour Dublin What: Alex Gaudino, Dead Prezidents, DJs, aerialists, light shows, LED dancers and much more Where: The Mansion House, Dawson Street, Dublin 2 When: November 22nd, 2014 Tickets: Go on sale from 22nd October 2014. ₏15

Over 18s only #MILLERTIME

Always Drink Miller Genuine Draft responsibly, visit drinkaware.ie

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C

NOVEMBER 2014

CONTENTS

SU NEWS SU CLUBS TRAVEL

ESSENTIAL WINTER VIEWING

MUSIC IN FOCUS MOVEMBER GCD TECH REVIEWS GENIUNE ARTICLE

4 8 12 14 18 20 22 24 26 28

Contributors

COVER BY: LOUIS JACOB-WALSH ANNE MARIT RAABERG ÇAGDA ERZINCAN COLM HUMAN DREW PEACOCK FERDI HOSKE JAMES MCGLADE LOUIS JACOB-WALSH MATTHIAS PFEIFFER MUKESH JODHANI NOOR SALEH PAMELA MACHADO Issue 60 InDesign File.indd 3

A letter from the editor

Another month, another Griffiti. Hello all, I hope you’ve had a good month.

Halloween has passwed and silly season is well and truly under way.

Since last month we’ve thrown a huge Halloween party that seems to have went down very well. The Christmas party has a big repuation to live up to this year.

We also went to Delphi Adventure Centre and Westport. It was an oppurtunity for the students to get in touch with nature, feel the wind in the hair, yada yada yada, we threw mud at each other. It was great fun altogether!

In this issue we’re looking at TV shows you should be watching, a look at our basketball team for this year, a list of musicians you should give a go, reviews of the latest movies and albums and we again showcase the great photography of Griffith College students. Everything you can come to expect from Griffiti this year.

I hope you have a good month, the first semester is almost over! You’re almost there! The Christmas dinner will await you soon enough. Until next time!...

Advertising Enquiries: su.president@gcd.ie/ 01415063 Printed by: Percision Print

Griffiti Magazine

Griffith College Students’ Union South Circular Road Dublin 8 Email: su.president@gcd.ie Griffiti Magazine is the Students’ Union Publication at Griffith College. It was established in 2004. All contents copyright of Griffiti, reproduction of any part of the magazine without permission is prohibited.

The views expressed do not neccessarily reflect that of the college or the SU 17/11/2014 17:03

STATE OF THE UNION CLAIRE ASTON, ASSISTANT MANAGER

STEPHEN DONNERY, VICE PRESIDENT & CLUB & SOCIETIES OFFICER game showed a lot more promise as the lads lost out -

events that were organ-

Although that has all month we have just as

Hi All,

the 5th

Hi everyone,

I hope that you have all enjoyed your assignment work done and some

sue and we have enjoyed

I hope you are all enjoying

â‚Ź70 and there are limited

to get up and running and

sure everything runs as here and that you enjoy it

10

th

The Halloween Party was

that dressed up everyone looked great and it was -

-

-

Our sports teams are up and running and our Basgone, and two win the lads are looking strong again this

events are sold out so get yours early to avoid

over IT Tallaght and DKIT, the lads are hoping that

Finally I just want to say one that graduated this

-

Following that at the start

with a long journey to the

For now, enjoy the remaining weeks leading up to

GMIT and Athlone were the To say that is was a great and to say we got down

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T&Cs APPLY 17/11/2014 15:19

SU NEWS

HALLOWEEN The 2014 Halloween party took place in Lafayette night club on the 30th of October. In keeping with previous years, it was probably the biggest party of the year. It was a sold out event with almost everyone in fancy dress.

With a crowd of around 500 people there was no shortage in variety of costume with people dressing up as vampires, superheroes, assassins, zombies, minions to name a few.

There was a prize of a free ticket to the discovery trip available for best dressed. Winner of best dressed female went to Julie Evrum and winner of best dressed male went to Alex Nagel.

We hope you all had a great night and don’t forget to buy you’re tickets to the upcoming Christmas party. It promises to be just as good. So don’t forget your christmas jumpers!

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N

SU NEWS

DELPHI TRIP 2014 On November 7th we took 40 students to Delphi Adventure Centre in the far, far west of Ireland. This was our thrid year in a row making the trip.

The adventure centre offers more than 20 different activites to do. Activities over the weekend included: kayaking, bog walking and ziplining & tunnelling. The bog waliking was a strange experience for most. It was a better mud bath than you could pay for.

Saturday night invloved a night out to Westport with the locals unawares to the Rambull that was on the way. The SU held a picture competition across the weekend with the person who took the best Delphi Selfie winning a hoodie of their choosing from the Students’ Union.

The next SU trip is heading to Bunratty castle where we’ll dine at a medieval banquet and head out in Ennis for the night. Tickets are €70 available in the SU. See you there!

DELPHI SELFIES

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SU CLUBS 2014/15 College basketball team. Best of luck to the team in the upcoming season.

Dave Baker Age: Unknown Biggest Influence In Life: Vilius Korotkovas

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Benoit Guibert

Anesti Murati

Dimitri Sido

Age: 20

Age: 21

Age: 21

Biggest Influence In Life: Jesus

Biggest Influence In Life: Martin Thomas

Biggest Influence In Life: HIs grandfather

Vilius Korothovas

Daniel Wagner

Age: 21 Biggest Influence In Life: Dave Baker

Age: 21 Biggest Influence In Life: His Grandmother

Pocholo Buenaventura Age: 19 Biggest Influence In Life: Your ma

Teo Quesada

Julius Schmid

Doug Sheed

Age: 20

Age: 19

Age: 28

Biggest Influence In Life: Bear Grylls

Biggest Influence In Life: His parents

Biggest Influence In Life: His Girlfriend

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Spencer Mitchell Age: 22 Biggest Influence In Life: My Mom

Sam Markle Age: 24 Biggest Influence In Life: My dad

Marcus McDaniel

Juan Torres Entrena

Age: 26

Age: 21

Biggest Influence In Life: God & My Family

Biggest Influence In Life: Tim Duncan & My Family

GCD Trounce DKIT On Wednesday 5th November at Clogher Road the Griffith College Boys Basketball team trounced DKIT with an astonishing 86-52 victory. This match was very important as it was their biggest match of the season yet! Being only the second match of the season, and only having a few training sessions due to a absence with illness by the coach, and the first match on their home turf, along with the fact our GCD boys were the underdog losing to DKIT last year.

Even thought going into this game, which proved to be the toughest match up yet, and with a few disadvantages, our GCD Boys Basketball team got together as a team and won by 34 points.

The main focus for these boys was Teamwork “We have to get to know each other to improve our team play. Therefore the game is important to us, to increase the trust in your teammates. If everyone is ready to give his best and work for the team, we’ll beat them out of our house!” mentioned #15 Dani Beach prior to the game.

From the very start it was obvious GCD were in control. DKIT were not expecting such intensity from our boys who played very well from the start with a lot of energy.

Due to the victory of last years game, DKIT were the favorite to win, though this did not stop GCD from coming together as a team, and taking home a fantastic win, the first on their home turf.

“Even though we are still in the learning procces, we are already getting the ball rolling, we are comfortable with one another, and have great team chemistry. That is why we won today.” Says #13 Sam Markle after the game.

Reported by Colm Human

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TRAVEL EDINBURGH (small) budget by Pamela Machado

My first tip would be for you to leave the museums behind. You do not need to pop into National Galleries or National Museums. Dublin itself is full of those, you can do this at home. The main attraction in Edinburgh is getting lost among the city streets. Edinburgh is unique. Scotland’s capital city is made up of the Old Town and the New Town. Different than most European cities, Edinburgh is not crossed by a river, although the bridges linking the two towns are breath taking.

The first stop is the Edinburgh Castle, a medieval building located majestically on top a hill in the middle of the old town and the city centre. Edinburgh’s old town is like no other place in the world. Making the

way to the castle through the –very- hilly streets is a delight.

Besides enjoying the view of medieval buildings you might also run into a Scottish man playing bagpipes. Obviously, he will be dressing a kilt.

If the long walking makes you tired you might find something to cheer you up: “The Scotch Whisky Experience”.

This is located a few blocks before you reach the castle and can be a good option if you are willing to spend £10.

-Honestly, I think you can also taste a real scotch experience going to the pub just around the corner of your B&B. The entrance to Edinburgh Castle costs around £15 and it takes around 3 hours to see everything inside it. Add up the cost of some souvenirs as well. At the Castle they use the old trick that make tourists pop into a shop every time you get out of a room.

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Also located at the Old Town, there is an unmissable spot for muggles. The Elephant House, the café in which J.K. Rowling used to go daily when writing the Harry Potter Series. If you need a little more inspiration you can even seat at the same table she used to. And take a selfie, of course.

Edinburgh’s Old Town is worth some more hours of sightseeing. For those who love taking photos, you’ll have great opportunities just walking around. You’ll also find loads of cashmere shops full of Scottish pattern products. One curious thing, actually, you’ll see Scottish pattern everywhere, even in the seats of the bus. Really.

Get ready for some more exercise. On the New Town, ‘Calton Hill’ deserves a visit. It is just in a short walk from the centre and the view from the hill is wonderful. Furthermore, it is free entry so enjoy. Close enough to walk from Calton Hill it is located Holyrood Park, very prestigious in Edinburgh. Another piece of the city’s wonders. Just hope for a sunny day.

A couple days are enough to have a good taste of Edinburgh. Low-cost flights are cheaper on working days but this could be a good option for a weekend off and sometimes you get weekend offers when booking tickets in advance. Travelling to Scotland fits your budget and its Capital city can be very surprising.

Ryanair flies daily from Dublin Airport to Edinburgh from €14.99 and to Glasgow and other parts of Scotland from €9.99.

Book hostels and B&B in the centre of Edinburgh on hostelworld.com or booking.com from €12 a night per person Photos: Pamela Machado

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FEATURES ESSENTIAL WINTER VIEWING This weather, eh? The heavy presence of torrential rain in the last fortnight has the doom-mongers out in full force. Giving you a weary glance, a silent plea for a holiday in the sun. Arriving for things late, only to dramatically enter the room with soggy clothing ing to you and giving a resigned shy, pointing limply out the window.

more exciting than yours will send an invitation to tional land of Dorne.

-

-

winter months than Ireland. But there are places you can go to help the time pass without needing

by

James McGlade

Game of Thrones

Considering this recommendation of what to watch has been provoked by the intrusion of winter, there’s no better place to start than Game of Thrones. The show is adapted from a series of books written by George R. R. Martin. It’s influenced by the Lord of the Rings, but GoT is a high fantasy epic set in a universe jam-packed full of enough sex and violence to make the lads from the Shire’s heads explode. That’s assuming those heads wouldn’t be swept from their shoulders by evil boy kings who clearly weren’t fond of members of the fellowship. Viewers of the show will quickly find out that characters aren’t protected by a plot shield. Martin will take your darlings and have a behemoth crush their skulls in a shockingly graphic fashion. The pain you feel will be a testament to Martin’s brilliance.

Shock value is provided in heaps in Irish gangland drama Love/Hate. The finale of series five had tongues wagging because a male character was raped with a broken pool cue.

Genuinely. Didn’t necessarily want to write that sentence but it is what it is. That same summary could be given to the show in general. Love/Hate is Fair City: After Dark. The characters are paper-thin and, as a result, you don’t really care what happens to them. It is generally a cacophony of riding, killing and cursing. There aren’t many memorable bits of dialogue. One involves a character, who is feeling the effects of brain damage, requesting fizzy orange. However, it is still the most ambitious show ever attempted in Ireland and it’s been met with acclaim from all angles. It’s worth checking out.

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Breaking Bad While we never find out what turned Nidge toward a life of crime, we know why Walter White is cooking meth in Breaking Bad. Perhaps readers may roll their eyes at this inclusion, as if they are ‘over’ Breaking Bad. But there is no getting past it: this is probably the best television show ever. It charts Walter’s transformation from tame high-school chemistry teacher into dangerous and explosive drug kingpin. Sentenced to death by cancer, Walt worries about how his expanding family will cope financially when he’s no longer around. He commits sin after sin but we find a way to forgive him, to root for him until the very last episode.

True Detective Two other complex leads can be found in True Detective, the wonderful HBO series from earlier in the year. Woody Harrelson and Matthew McConaughey, at what might be the apex of the McConaissance, play detectives who revisit an unsolved case of homicide nearly two decades after it began. Harrelson’s Marty and McConaughey’s Rust are polar opposites but this adds to their compatibility as partners.

The acting is superb and the Gothic scenery of America’s deep south is breathtaking. Philosophical and existential ramblings are accompanied by a wonderful soundtrack, T Bone Burnett overseeing the music. One particular tracking shot is incredible but the concluding episode left some viewers unsatisfied. Regardless, it does not undermine an amazing show. Who knew you could embark on such journeys while snuggled under a duvet?

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Y T R A P E L P O PE

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MUSIC 8 Scandinavian Artists and Bands You Should Know

not reached world fame yet.

by Marit Langseth

MØ

Listen: Say You’ll Be There

Karen Marie Ørsted aka MØ is a Danish singer-songwriter who makes music described as “electro music with guts”. Her debut album “No Mythologies to Follow” came out this spring, and she’s been touring the US and Europe this fall. She actually played at the Academy in Dublin in the beginning of November, so you just missed her.

Highasakite

Listen: Since Last Wednesday & Lover, Where Do You Live?

According to their website, once you hear Highasakite “you’ll wonder how you ever got by without them”, and I have to agree. Highasakite is an indie-pop band, who toured with London Grammar in the US this spring. Check out their album Silent Treatment and enjoy. Highasakite is up and coming, and my biggest recommendation.

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Robyn ft. Röyksopp

Listen: Do It Again & Monument

The Swedish-Norwegian cooperation of Robyn and the electronic music duo Röyksopp has resulted in some great tracks. “Do It Again” has a good beat worth putting in your party playlist. The psychedelic song “Monument” takes it down a couple notches and lasts for ten minutes, but it is worth every second. If you disagree, there is a sorter and more upbeat version out there too.

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Emilie Nicholas

CLMD

Listen: Wild Men (ft. Sirena)

Listen: Pstereo & Grown Up

CLMD was originally an electronic duo consisting of Carl Louis and Martin Danielle, but since Carl Louis left the duo this year, CLMD now stands for Create Love, Music & Dreams.

CLMD is great party music, and “Wild Men” is a song that always gives me extra energy to either dance or run a bit faster. Great song for workouts!

Emilie Nicholas just came out with her debut album “Like I’m a Warrior” and it is amazing. Her songs are melancholic, and with a voice out from the ordinary, Emilie Nicholas is something special. The single “Pstereo” has been played a lot on Norwegian radio the last year, and I never get tired of it, my love for it just grows.

Kygo First Aid Kit

Listen: Emmylou & My Silver Lining

First Aid Kit consists of the two Swedish sisters Johanna and Klara Söderberg. They play indie folk music and their harmonious voices and country-influenced songs is perfect for dark autumn nights. This summer they came out with their third album, “Stay Gold”, with several great tracks.

Listen: Often & Younger

Through YouTube and SoundCloud the Norwegian DJ Kygo got known for his remixes. His remix of Ed Sheeran’s “I See Fire” has over 28 million views on YouTube, and his SoundCloud account is well visited.

His remixes are pretty great and I think that every party playlist should have at least one of his tracks in it.

Lykke Li

Listen: No Rest For The Wicked

The Swedish indie pop singer-songwriter Lykke Li came out with her third album this year, “I Never Learn”. Her music often blends elements from indie pop, alternative and electronic. “No Rest For The Wicked” was one of the singles from the recent album, and it is absolutely worth checking out.

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In Focus by Mukesh Jodhani

by

Çağda Erzincan

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by

Matthias Pfeiffer

by

Stephen Healy

by Louis Jacob Walsh

by Colm Human

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FEATURES

by Noor Saleh

It’s that time of year again, where we find men walking around proud with all sorts of beards and staches, all serving a great cause, which is raising awareness for prostate cancer. 11 years ago, a group of 30 men took the initiative in Melbourne, Australia, and started Movember after they dared each other to bring back one old-fashioned ’70s style: the moustache. After a month of success they wanted to find an excuse to bring it back so they thought: “What’s the male equivalent of Women’s Breast Cancer awareness?” and boom, there it was. Since then, Movember raised over $299 million in global funds!

You can participate in Movember just by following those rules: 1.

Shave clean on November 1st, you must start with a clean shaved face.

2.

3.

Each “Mo Bro” must grow and groom a moustache for the entire month.

4.

5.

Keep it real, no beards, no goatees and no fake mustache. You can’t let your mustache join with your sideburns, that’s considered a beard. (and Movember is all about the stache!)

6.

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7.

Each “Mo Bro” must conduct himself like a true gentleman.

Most people might confuse “Movember” with “Noshember” or “No-shave-November”. They’re two different concepts but for the same cause. Unlike Movember, No Shave November does not raise funds for testicular and prostate cancer research but allows participants to grow facial hair other than mustaches. On the No Shave November website they say: “The goal of No-Shave November is to grow awareness by embracing our hair, which many cancer patients lose, and letting it grow wild and free. Donate the money you usually spend on shaving and grooming for a month to educate about cancer prevention, save lives, and aid those fighting the battle.”

The rules for No Shave November: 1) On October 31st, shave your entire face as cleanly as possible. No stubble, no “pre-existing” facial hair.

Shave completely.

2) Do not shave or trim for the entire month. No trimming your neck, no shaving your mustache, no shaping your beard.

3) On Dec. 1 you can finally shave!

And guess what ladies, you can participate too! The rules are simple, shave everything on Oct 31st, and keep away from shaving for the entire month! Or if that’s a bit too much then you can take part also by buying merchandise from their website!

Events like these are a fun way of spreading awareness about health issues affecting us.

You can participate in No Shave November as an individual or as a group by creating an event/fundraiser or creating your personal fundraising page, picking up their merchandise or by donations through their website.

For more information on how to contribute, go to http:// www.no-shave.org/#!get-involved/clse You can also participate in Movember in many ways, as a “Mo Bro”, “Mo Sista”, in your workplace, in community, raising funds on campus or you could join a network.

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GCD Tech LOVE & ROBOTS: THE DESIGN START UP - MAKING JEWELLERY FROM YOUR OWN COMPUTER by Ferdi Hoske What is Love & Robots about?

Love & Robots is a design brand and marketplace for unique, customizable products. We make products like phone cases, jewellery and home accessories.

Through our platform, you can tweak, personalize and re-design our products directly from your browser in real-time.

Your product is then 3d printed on-demand and shipped from a factory near you.

Who do you see as your target audience?

How are you reaching them?

We make it easy for anyone to personalize our products. We know that not everyone can or wants to design from scratch, so that’s why we’ve developed online 3d tools so that anyone can customize and tweak our products to themselves. Good examples are our Map coasters and our See-Weed phone case.

We also believe a great designer can come from anywhere, which is why we intro-

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duced the open design challenges, where anyone can submit an idea and anyone can vote on which ones we should make through the Factory section of our site.

At the same time, we know that not all great designers will have the largest social media following, so our selection process is a combination of public voting and inhouse assessment. We take into account popularity through votes, and also comments. Sometimes a design won’t get the highest number of votes, but it will have great positive engagement from users. We also look at things like manufacturability and saleability. Our design community is now up to over 6,000 from 48 countries around the world, and we’ve received over 650 design submissions and 10,000 votes.

How does Social Media supports your marketing activities?

Social Media plays a big part in getting our name out there. Our growth so far has been totally organic, with no market-

ing budget. We use Facebook and Twitter mostly, but really the growth has been down to designers spreading the word to their friends and family. It’s their networks which have gotten us this far. We do plan to explore more marketing methods now that we’ve launched the new site and have a bit of a budget, but we’ll think very carefully before we launch into that.

What was the biggest challenge you faced in the early days after having a business idea?

We believe that 3d printing and digital manufacturing will fundamentally change the way we live. Our business is one of the first to capitalize on the fact that you can now turn software into hardware. Everything we make and sell is built from a digital file. This has an enormous impact on the way we design and make products; It enables customers to tweak and re-design products online before purchasing; It hugely reduces the complexity of supply chains; And it is

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more environmentally friendly than current supply chain structures. Digital manufacturing and 3d printing are changing the world as we know it and we are at the forefront of this revolution.

a fantastic, hard-working team, who pitch in to solve any problem that arises. Every day is different and having that support when new challenges arise, is invaluable.

This is a completely new and disruptive industry and part of our job is educating people about it. It’s very broad and the possibilities are endless, but our biggest challenge has been finding our niche within this new area - something that we can believe in and be passionate about.

Combining design (love) and technology (robots), we have now found our niche - a curated marketplace for personalized products.

How do you deal with setbacks?

Starting a new business is hard. Even with the supportive climate which exists in Ireland, you really need a team of good people around you. We are 4 co-founders, with strengths in very different areas, so we compliment each other. We also have

with Love & Robots and look forward to expanding more. We have a chance to determine our own futures and create something that we are passionate about and we enjoy doing.

What do you wish you’d have known back in College that you know now?

Enjoy college while you can - there is no place like it. Enjoy the creative freedom that it allows and expand your mind. The world is changing and it is important to change with it - be adaptable. Our team includes 3 architects, who have turned their skills to designing on a smaller scale - as Coco Chanel said, “Fashion is Architecture: It is a matter of proportion!”

What is the best part of being independent?

There is an immense satisfaction in building something from scratch. We are proud of what we have so far achieved

It’s important not to get typecast into a particular area. Architects are capable of designing far more than just buildings.

College teaches not only subjects, but, more importantly, how to think. That is invaluable in creating your own future.

APP REVIEWS TwoDots

VSCO Cam

HabitRPG

This little game is pure addiction. You connect dots of the same colour and complete different tasks and quests. The concept reminds a little of Candy Crush but this playful flat designed game is a lot more than the former facebook hit. The user is taken into a journey to places like the desert or at an snowy mountain adventure.

Though the game has over 200 levels every stage is a little different. If you’re not ready for exam learning yet give it a try.

Visual Supply Co basically sells Instagram filters for professional photographers that work with their Photoshop. And because those filters are really good they also made an application for mobile phones that works even better than Instagram. Besides giving your photos a nice high quality analog look you can browse through some of VSCOs selected stunning user pictures and so called journals. No more #selfie #duckface overload.

There are at least as many Todo Applications out there as men that have dated to Kim Kardashian.

But I won’t lie when I say that HabitRPG is the most revolutionary one. You can add beside normal and daily tasks also bad habits but you don’t just complete them, you collect points to buy cool stuff for your avatar and when you don’t do it you lose live. It works as an really good motivator and makes your dull life more awesome.

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REVIEWS

The Imitation Game Release Date: 14th November Run Time: 114 minutes It´s difficult to make a good film about a historical person. No matter if the person is Johnny Cash, Yves Saint Laurent or Abraham Lincoln. It´s even more complicated to make a film about the life of Alan Turing, who is important because of something the most people (including me) aren´t able to understand. „The Imitation Game“ tries to introduce him to us.

Alan Turing took part in a top-secret project of the British military during Worl War II. The aim was to decode the Enigma- code of the Germans, which was a mystery to cryptanalists all over the world. The military was powerless, because they weren´t able to understand the encoded German messages. Then came Turing and invented, almost in solo action, a machine that could break the code automatically. His work shortened the war and saved millions of lives. But he wasn´t allowed to tell anybody, so he wasn´t celebrated as the hero he was. It got even worse: He was a homosexual and at this time ths was illegal in Britain.

After the police find out about one of his relations, the government condemned him to chemical castration.

He got a depression and killed himself in 1954.

It´s impossible to explain his work with a motion picture. Even a documentary can´t do that. Can „The Imitation Game“ show us, how his machine or his brain worked? The only possible answer: No. It´s too big for the cinema. But is „The Imitation Game“ a bad film? No. Even if it can´t fully explain how everything worked, it´s a succeesful introduction. A small glimpse into a fascinating world.

The main reason for the success of this film is Benedict Cumberbatch. He plays the figure of the eccentric and difficult, but also lonely and fragile genius so great, that you don´t even care if it´s a realistic image of Turing. It´s just a pleasure to watch this man doing the things he does.

The Imitation Game“ can´t clear up the mystery of Alan Turing. But at least, it´s good entertainment, that manages to make difficult science palpable.

By Matthias Pfeiffer

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The Homesman Release Date: 21st November Run Time: 122 minutes “The Homesman” tells the story of the life of the early pioneers in the American west in the 1800’s . We meet the lonely lady Mary Bee Cuddy (Hilary Swank), living in a small town in Nebraska. She has a decent amount of money and lots of land, but is still turned down by potential husbands. When three ladies in her town are having psychological problems and are living on the edge of madness, their husbands can no longer take care of them. The pastor in the town gathers the men, but none of them volunteer to take the responsibility of following the ladies to Iowa where they can get better and be taken care of.

On the way home to get ready for the long journey, she saves a man who has been put on a horse with a rope around his neck, ready to be hanged. In return the man will help Cuddy escorting the women to Iowa.

What makes “The Homesman” worth seeing is not just the story itself. The scenes are great, and the camera angles even better, as they add a stronger feeling of the story being real, and we feel closer to the characters. We also feel close to the characters because they are very well developed, and played by excellent actors, which makes me believe the story they are telling.

Throughout the movie there are not a lot of action. Usually a western movie would contain a lot more action considering guns firing and chasing each other on the horseback, but this western movie is different. To make a movie interesting just by keeping the viewer curious is a much greater accomplishment than keeping the audience’s attention with mainly action.

Some of the scenes are quite grotesque, including needles and dead babies, but they give a sense of the harsh life the pioneers were living in the American west.

“The Homesman” tells the story of the people we know nothing about from earlier western movies. It tells the story of the brave women whose hearts were broken and minds destroyed by the hard pioneer life.

By Anne Marit Raaberg

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REVIEWS

Ben Howard - I Forgot Where We Were The golden and sometimes grey autumn finally arrived.

Times of sitting on your sofa, reading an old book, drinking a cup of hot chocolate or long cold walks through fallen leaves in the forest; that all starts again these days.

What we all definitely will need for these times is the right music. Songs which sounds dark and smooth and at the same time they come over with a strongly warm feeling inside. They bring you back memories of the past summer and will move you slightly on to a golden grey autumn.

Ben Howard just released his new album I Forget Where We Were with eleven songs. In every single piece you are able to feel Howards soul inside. The song Small Things shows his internal emotions perfectly. What shall we do next when everything breaks down? Is it our fault or is it just the way the world will be in future times? Howard is questioning a lot in his new album. In End Of The Affair he is not sure if he cares about anything, about love or even about himself.

And some days we are not ourselves. Howard knows that too: ´I am not myself, today. I am not feeling, okay´ is just one line in Rivers In Your Mouth. All accompanied by a softly smooth sound of guitar and quite drums in the background.

The whole album shows that Ben Howard is asking himself a lot. It draws a young 27-year old man who is figuring out what is best for him and his surroundings.

Maybe he is not always getting a perfect answer, but at least he thinks about it.

After his first album Every Kingdom, which also was an expression of himself, he now enters a higher step with I Forget Where We Were. He created a hand full of songs with soft drums, acoustic guitar sounds and a flattering voice. From Small Things, over Evergreen until I Forget Where We Were a serious, but full of warm feelings album has been recorded for a perfect beginning of autumnal times.

By Madita Tietgen

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Grouper - Ruins Is it Ambient Pop or Psychedelic Folk? Or was it Psychedelic Pop and Ambient Folk? You can play this silly game for a couple of hours. No matter, how you categorize it, it is music beyond words.

Ruins“ is the tenth album of Liz Harris’ project Grouper. And it’s the same recipe as always: Music between atmospheric soundscapes and mysterical Singer/Songwriter parts. The important question: Isn’t it boring to hear another album like that? On „Ruins“ Grouper doesn’t reinvent the wheel, but is that really necessary? When Harris breathes the vocals over the melancholic piano sounds („Clearing“, „Call Across Rooms“) while something lightly drones in the background, you realize that the feeling you get, is the only thing that counts; the feeling of repose.

It’s very likely that the following situation takes place: After 39 minutes the album is finished and you still sit there, painting mandalas (or whatever you do in your spare time). After five minutes, you realize, that you are surrounded by complete silence. The album can be so discreet, that it becomes a part of the common sound scenery around you. Maybe you stop recognizing the album while hearing it.

Nevertheless, Ruins isn’t elevator music. If you listen close enough, you will hear, that it’s more than just a sound for the background. It will catch you with its hypnotic powers, with its fragile charme and its soothing atmosphere. You will explore that music can be catchy without classical song structures. Also, the album seems to have a great conjuction with nature.

Your mind’s eye will discover forests, marshes, mountains, seas etc. Sometimes it can be very dark and scary, but if you are really into it, everything will turn into pure fascination. And all that, without any New Ageor esoterism attitude. It feels natural and not over-thetop.

Ruins is highly recommended, if you love musical journeys into unknown areas. But it also works, if it’s just the soundtrack for your autumn walks.

By Matthias Pfeiffer

17/11/2014 15:24

THE GENUINE ARTICLE

Man visiting beautiful scenery blinded by even more beautiful Griffiti

Put your money where your beard is The Governments new money making scheme may irritate you. by Drew Peacock

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It’s great to have a government, with an eye on the present and the past. That shows the new beard tax, that will be deployed at the end of this week. Our politicians saw, that it’s fashionable for many young men to grow themselves a beard. Our wise leaders found a way to help the state with this trend: They take Peter I of Russia as an example and tax all the beautiful facial hair of this country. Confused? Here are the most important questions and answers: 1. Do I have to pay the tax?

That’s simple: You must pay the tax, if you’re a beard owner. It´s important to know the type of beard you’ve got. For example, a mustache will be cheaper than a full beard (In fact, a full beard involves a mustache). To avoid any confusion, the government will send a catalouge to every household. In this brochure, every kind of beard and the proper amount of money is listed.

2. Am I a beard owner?

A beard is facial hair, that is longer than three milimeters. Sideburns are a

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beard too. Also, the facial hair of women. You can’t say, that it’s a sexist tax, can you? Even if a woman hasn’t got facial hair, she has got to pay the lipstick tax, that will come next month. So, everything is fair and balanced.

5. Have I got to remargin taxes?

You have got to remargin the beard tax for the last five years. So it’s important to give clear details about your beard behaviour for that period.

3. How knows the government, that I pay my taxes?

To avoid the growing of illegal beards, a supervisor will visit you every monday. He controls the number of beards per household and changes in beard style. But, if you gave the right details, you’ve got nothing to fear.

Now, everything should be clear! To help the state, I decided to grow myself a full beard. Personally, I like my Wilhelm I- beard a whole lot more, but if it helps the government, my taste shall be unimportant! Make an effort and make the first step into a brave and hairy future!

4. Can I get a relief?

You get a relief of 15%, if you got more than one beard. Nice offer! People with a lower income aren´t tax-exempt, but at the beginning of every month, they get a razor and shaving foam for free!

UNDER THE SPOTLIGHT

NEWS IN BRIEF Eilis HERO’ Dance society show their frustration at not having a room yet through interpretive dance. No one knows what they want.

Basketballs team collective height estimated at 100ft.

Leary Occupation: Campus Mammy.

All students return from Delphi with a new appreciation for mud.

Greatest Ambition: Fulfilled.

Half the SU graduates. Still no more mature.

tribute band.

SU staff attempt Movember. Claire the clear leader.

Number of staff members “dossing” in the SU increasing.

Hobbies: Preforming in her B*witched Likes: Being a hero, being given credit

for organising SU parties.

Dislikes: Lecturer dress code forbidding capes.

Interesting Fact: Eilis O' Leary & Claire Aston hold the world record for largest age gap between twins.

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FIND SU

THE ON

Animation Corner

by Matthias Pfeiffer

Like us at “Griffith SU” Add us on “GCDSU Ents”

Follow us @GriffithSU

FInd us “griffithsu”

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