Incite Magazine Volume 7.1

Inside this issue

volume 7.1

FIG president, thida kol

Internet fandoms

Tagalog and Pilipino Studies Underrepresented

HUman Powered Airplane

Music and Technology

The fashion and pop culture issue

Contents How She Did it All Sociology student Thida Kol created her first clothing line for the annual Fashion Interest Group fashion show in 2013. Along the way, she gained more than just sewing skills.

TAP into OUR Culture UC Irvine has a large population of Pilipino Americans and the campus lacks Tagalog and Pilipino studies (TAPS). The push for Tagalog and Pilipino studies is a call for proper representation.

Leaving it to Posterity

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5-6

7-9

A brief look at how music and film industries remix themselves in the unclaimed spaces of the internet and social media.

Flying to New Heights with HPA

10-12

UCI’s Human Powered Aircraft organization combines engineering skills with a fascinating project that keeps students invested in learning about and applying the sciences.

The Art of Fandom and the Internet Blogging sites such as Tumblr have helped make the Internet even more connected through both technology and an appreciation for art.

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staff EDITOR IN CHIEF Courtney Hamilton ASSISTANT EDITOR Nikki Constantine SENIOR EDITOR Celine Littlejohn CREATIVE DIRECTOR Katie Ludwick WEB EDITOR Rachel Ann Custodio WRITERS Decerry Donato Brittany Dunn

WEB PAGE www.incitemagazineuci.com

Our mission is to create aware ness beyond our common cultural community in an effort to educate, unite, and transcend barriers. We aim to provide our readers with insight into the world they live in, with the hopes of inciting activism.

Editor's Note Incite staff and writers prove astute cultural spectators in this issue; they’ve utilized journalism’s key tool, observation, to step back and track the ever-changing cultural landscape present at UCI and beyond. Our interest in pop culture trends—from internet fandoms to technology’s impact on the music industry—composes much of Volume 7.1.

Not only does pop culture figure prominently throughout the issue, but our roots at UC Irvine are reflected every step of the way. Rachel Custodio follows UCI student Thida Kol’s rapid accumulation of high fashion knowledge and her place as UCI’s Fashion Interest Group President.

Decerry Donato documents the mass discrepancy between actual Pilipino-American population present at UCI and academic representation, explaining the struggle to keep Tagalog and Pilipino Studies (TAPS) alive and thriving. Celine Littlejohn creates a lively portrait of UCI’s Human Powered Aircraft club and their dynamic pursuit of becoming “the Wright Brothers of the 21st century.”

This fusion of pop culture trends and UC Irvine student life—the balance between academics and niche interests—is emblematic of millennial life. Our vested interest in millennial reality, being millennials ourselves, is reflected in our long-form writing. In the digital age, where websites like Buzzfeed are capturing the myriad perspectives of youth existence in short, digestible bursts, Incite strives to maintain the integrity of journalism.

Thank you for lending us your attention span for a little while longer than it takes to read a Buzzfeed article, and as always, thank you for your support.

Sincerely, Courtney Hamilton Editor-in-Chief Incite Magazine

Thida kol, president of UCI’s Fashion interest group, models for her fashion blog: teekaylookbook.blogspot.com President kol discusses upcoming events at a weekly meeting alongside former president Christina Vecchi.

how she did it all

By Rachel Ann Custodio

W

ith the exception of neon lights flashing on the

ceiling, the room was pitch black, lending all the focus to the glowing runway where the next set of models would soon be strutting down.

Upbeat music filled the space as 300 guests chattered away waiting for Thida Kol’s show.

Backstage, chaos and cattiness had ensued. Designers scrambled to get their models dressed and ready. Only three of the seven makeup artists showed up that day, leaving Kol without a makeup artist for her six models.

Today was her chance to prove to then President Christina Vecchi that she was capable of replacing her after Vecchi graduates. With Vecchi out of sight, all the complaints were directed to Kol. The featured designer from FIDM criticized how unorganized everything was. On top of that, the dress she was planning on wearing no longer fit. Running on two hours of sleep, Kol managed to get her models prepared, check up on other models, and address last minute issues. Shortly after, Thida Kol was appointed President of Fashion Interest Group.

“I had to really step out of my comfort zone and put people to work if I saw them slacking off. Surprisingly, I was very positive about the whole situation and took it as a great learning experience,” says Kol. For her first two years at UC Irvine, Kol was unaware of the fashion club on campus. It was only when a representative from Socialbliss approached the petite brown-eyed and long burgundy-haired girl that she was introduced to FIG. She joined the club in fall 2012 as Director of Design.

It’s not surprising that Kol, like much of the student body, did not know a club dedicated to fashion and the

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creative types existed. Much of what FIG does before their annual spring fashion show is unknown. Since UCI alumni Diana Kang and Heidi Rom founded the club in 2007, FIG’s popularity has grown immensely, inviting newcomers to partake in the production of the club’s biggest event.

Putting on a fashion show is no easy feat–it takes dedication, money, time, and, most importantly, a committed staff. FIG runs like a business with a complete staff and weekly meetings. The club includes 10 officers and 15 members. Senior sociology major and management minor Kol is at the top. In her assistance are Vice President Elaine Nguyen and Advisor Celeste Jimenez.

The team’s first priority is raising funds for the fashion show. Shows can be expensive, costing anywhere between $1,000 to $4,000. Therefore, it is crucial that FIG spends the entire fall quarter fundraising and finding sponsors. With the help of Director of Special Events Queenee Mak and Director of Finance Zareen Rahman, club members host numerous fundraising events. Mak manages the inventory while Rahman takes care of financial transactions. The club arranges flea markets, organizes bake sales, and hosts restaurant fundraisers.

Another way to funnel money in is by selling clothes.

FIG Founder Diana Kang will get involved at times. For instance, she donated her clothes for the flea market held in week two of fall quarter.

Fall quarter is also about building trust and dependability on one another in a fun environment. During the quarter, Creative Director Phuong Ngo will come up with Do-It-Yourself projects as crafty ways for members to get to know each other. Members got even more

intimate during a Clothing Swapping Party in week three. Each one brought clothes from his or her closet and swapped them for other members’ clothes.

“We try to create a really close bond with members.

This year, I wanted the members to feel like a family— kind of like sisterly bonding,” says Kol. In addition to the fashion show, FIG has themed photo shoots each quarter. This past fall, members chose “The Great Gatsby” as the theme. For the shoot, UCI students Max Piercey and Nikol Peeva channeled their inner Jay Gatsby and Daisy Buchanan, respectively, modeling in button-up shirts, slacks, black fringe dress, and a chunky pearl necklace. Items were chosen and styled by Secretary and Head Stylist Jessica Loecsey and Co-Stylist Ameihia Turingan. Easter Ha, Director of Design, was in charge of makeup while Ngo did hair.

Photographers Noor Halim and Lauren White set Piercey and Peeva outside of Bowers Museum in Santa Ana where white Spanish buildings, red brick walls,

ing for a specific season. They have complete freedom with their collections. They do, however, have to create their clothes from scratch.

Contrary to what students may believe, many of the designers do not have experience designing clothes. In fact, many of them learn how to sew by attending workshops and by watching online tutorials.

“I remember last year when I designed, I would start at 1 o’clock in the morning and stop at 5 o’clock [to] go to school. So pretty much, these designers are very dedicated,” recalls Kol. In addition to sketching outfits for their lines, they also cast models, hire makeup and hair artists, and do fittings while juggling schoolwork, internships, and part-time jobs.

Director of Models Michelle Ngo helps designers choose the right models to showcase their collections by arranging model castings as well as directing those models during the show. Any UCI student can sign

“You know when you’re a little girl, you just want to dress up your Barbie dolls in all different outfits because you don’t want them to wear the same thing? The models were my Barbie dolls” and black railings served as the backdrop. In one photo, Piercey dons a crisp white button-up, slate gray pants, a brown braided belt, and a brown cardigan, his hair undercut and slicked back. He looks down on Peeva with his thumb gently pressing her chin while Peeva’s arms rest on her sides and she innocently looks back.

Complementing Piercey’s ensemble, Peeva is wearing a lace powder pink fit and flare dress with a while flower headband in her brown pixie cut hair.

Starting in January up until mid-May is when preparation for the show takes off. This is the period in which Kol designates roles and figures out which club members will be designing for the upcoming show. On average, there are five designers designing at least five outfits for every show.

Unlike major fashion designers like Jack McCollough and Lazaro Hernandez of Proenza Schouler and Oscar de la Renta, FIG designers are not restricted to design-

up to model, but it is up to the designer if she will be chosen.

Each designer has at least one makeup artist and shares three hair stylists. Clothes and makeup aside, designers are also responsible for picking out the music that will play during their show. Picking the right soundtrack as models swagger down the runway can make or break her chances at winning the competition.

Behind the glamorous clothes is a designer competing to win. Masked as an entertaining show for UCI students and faculty, the FIG fashion show is a competition where the winner takes home a scholarship to Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandising if they plan to pursue a FIDM degree after graduation.

At the judging panel are two FIDM faculty members, founder Kang, a FIG alumni, and a celebrity. It is unclear to President Kol exactly what the judges base their scores on, but last year’s winner Alejandra Vidrio

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has an idea.

“The judges did mention that my line told a story.

Each outfit had a story to them, and I think the models helped me with that,” says Vidrio.

Vidrio must have impressed the judges with her tight floor-length dresses, crop top and bell-bottomed separates, and an open-back shift dress that just screamed Audrey Hepburn in “Breakfast at Tiffany’s.” Her line reflected her role models like Frida Kahlo and Cleopatra.

Thida Kol has been into fashion since she can remember. Growing up, she watched her mother design clothes for herself. Yet, she had never attempted to sew clothes on her own, let alone outfits for a full collection.

She was ambitious and challenged herself to design her first clothing line for last year’s show.

Kol was originally going to design five outfits, but she fell upon the most “beautiful fabric” as she was browsing through the Fashion District. The fabric just had to become one more outfit for her show, she decided. The white fabric with mermaid green floral overlay became

the bottom half of a white plunging dress, which was one of the most memorable outfits of her collection.

Her line then called Kol Kollection had a string of models in varying outfits with either face masks or giant bows in their hair.

“You know when you’re a little girl, you just want to dress up your Barbie dolls in all different outfits [because] you don’t want them to wear the same thing?

[The models] were my Barbie dolls I wanted to dress up,” says Kol sweetly smiling.

Despite the stress and chaos that come with finishing her last year at UCI, Kol will be hosting and designing for the fashion show again this year. She’s leaving the name Kol Kollection for a name reflective of her fashion blog.

“I know that this year will be stressful, but I don’t think I can graduate and leave UCI happily if I do not design again this year,” says Kol. “I fell in love with it so much, I have to do it again.”

The fashion show will be held on Friday, May 23.

TAp into OUR C u lt u r e Writing and Photography by Decerry Donato UC Irvine is home to many cultural organizations, many of which are housed in the Cross Cultural Center (CCC). Alyansa ng mga Kababayan, which translates to alliance of the fellow countrymen, is an umbrella organization for the Pilipin@ organizations on campus.

There are four: Fusion, PASS, PUSO, and Kababayan.

All four of these organizations cater to different interests. Fusion primarily caters to Pilipin@’s in engineering. PASS stands for Pilipin@ Americans in Social Studies and their focus is in business, law, social ecology, promoting academic excellence, social support, career development, community involvement and leadership.

PUSO, the Pilipin@ Pre-Health Undergraduate Student Organization, caters to those who want service, guidance, and support. Kababayan promotes awareness and enrichment of the Pilipin(a) culture, tradition and heritage. Having these four organizations under Alyansa ng mga Kababayan creates opportunities for students from all backgrounds to get involved and is a great outlet for those unaware of the Pilipin@, Pilipin@-American culture and their visibility not only on the UCI campus, but also in the community outside of Irvine.

These four organizations under Alyansa are all student-led groups. They cultivate a sense of leadership,

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as well as visibility for Pilipin@, Pilipin@-American students within our campus. Yet, how does this visibility translate to the rest of the UCI community if there are not enough courses acknowledging the significance of our history?

UC Irvine is home to the largest population of Pilipin@’s throughout the UC system. Tagalog is also the second most spoken foreign language in California, following Spanish. Why then, is Tagalog and Pilipino Studies (TAPS) not offered?

Student leaders from Kababayan present and past continue to raise this question through dialogue with administration and by incorporating ways to educate general members about the lack of Pilipin@ courses offered on our campus. Some may say, well isn’t that why we have various Pilipin@ clubs on campus, to raise these issues?

Correct. These organizations all offer insight into the various issues that the Pilipin@, Pilipin@-American community continues to face. Thus, organizations that foster aspects like culture, representation, and identity of ones’ self are a great foundation, but in order for students to truly understand its’ importance, they must be knowledgeable of its’ history. Therefore, classes are

Pictured: Low enrollment remains an obstacle to better Pilipino representation in the curricula at UC Irvine. Assistant Professor Christine Balance instructs the only Filipino Experience class offered at UC Irvine.

This is a stark reduction from the curriculum offered in 2003, when 12 classes dedicated to Pilipino issues were offered.

needed; professors are needed to teach the Tagalog and Pilipino studies curriculum because enough dialogue has occurred and it’s time to take action and actually implement the plans.

Kababayan’s External Vice President John Salazar, a third year psychology and social behavior with a double minor in biology and digital arts expressed his excitement for TAPS only to find that it was not offered. “As I entered UCI, one of the things I was excited for was learning more about my Filipino language, Tagalog, and about my Pilipino ancestors’ history. I was disappointed to learn that UCI did not offer Tagalog or any kind of Filipino study classes.”

There are many students like John who have come face to face with this longing to learn about ones’ cultural history.

In previous years there was a fifth organization that fell under Alyansa, it was called TAPS Kollective or Tagalog and Pilipino Studies Kollective. Tagalog and Pilipino Studies Kollective was first established in 2001.

This collective was brought together by passionate and committed students who wanted to bring attention to the issues of Ethnic Diversity and Reflective Education to California’s institutions. Jollene Llevid and Nic Ramos were two students at UC Irvine who took it upon themselves to start the TAPS Kollective. These two fought, campaigned, and protested to get Tagalog and Pilipino Studies on the UCI campus.

March 3, 2003 marked the day that Llevid and Ramos, along with their campaign supporters reached their goal: Tagalog and Pilipino studies on campus. Due to low enrollment, and many other factors the 13 classes were removed from our campus. Eventually, the collective started to lose its’ members who were driven to keep the momentum going. But as these individuals who started the movement graduated, there was no one to guide those who were still on campus.

Currently, UC Irvine is offering a course on the Filipino Experience. That is 12 classes less being offered in comparison to 2003. It is a shame to see the number of classes plummet down because these courses set up the gateway for Pilipin@, Pilipin@-American students to take what was learned and implement it into their daily lives. Organizations under Alyansa ng mga Kababayan can help foster that knowledge and it is also where change has and will continue to happen.

Arman Liwanag, Asian American studies graduate of

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UC Irvine was heavily involved in the Pilipin@ community on campus and expressed the need and significance of Tagalog and Pilipino Studies. “Because for me personally, being a second generation Pilipin@ my parents never really passed down the language, never really taught me about our culture or the issues that we go through. I think that this is really a chance and opportunity to delve deeper into our cultural identity.”

There is the issue of low enrollment, but no one wants to enroll in it because they are not getting credit for it.

Also, there is low enrollment because this class is only offered once a year. If there were more choices, more classes available, the number of students interested will surely rise. Tagalog and Pilipin@ Studies is not just going to be handed to us, these courses will only make its’ way to our campuses if we show our support. How badly do we want it?

This question basically draws upon whether or not we will fight for our presence and visibility as a Pilipin@, Pilipin@ American community. The answer is: yes. Our community is just as important as any other community on our campus. Donel Lopez, 3rd year Political Science major expressed his concerns, “I think that Tagalog and Pilipin@ studies classes can benefit students in the same way that Chicano or African American studies do. Those that identify as Pilipin@ will be afforded the opportunity to get in touch with their roots and gain a full understanding of their culture, where they come from, and the importance of maintaining our heritage. Those that aren't Pilipin@ will also benefit and will gain a better understanding of the history and the struggle of Pilipin@ Americans.”

In essence, we must come together and take action as a community and as UCI students because this is a pressing issue. Assembly Bill 123 written by Rob Bantu, the first Pilipin@ American to be elected to the California State Assembly, recently passed stating that 7th-12th grade textbooks will include the history of Pilipin@, Pilipino@ Americans contribution to the farm workers movement.

It is going to take some time to get an adequate amount of courses on our own campus, as proven by the assembly bill that recently passed. It is going to take passionate, driven individuals to get this movement started and once that occurs, there is no stopping what can be accomplished.

Leaving it to posterity Writing and Artwork by Brittany Dunn

Andy Warhol once said “art is anything you can get away with.” Warhol’s practice of curating popular imagery and universalizing those images on an artistic platform redefined the public’s interpretation of what’s significant. His repetitious silk-screen images of Marilyn Monroe and Campbell’s Soup mark him a nexus in celebrity fascination and trends. Through social media’s profusion—according to Digital Insights’ 2013 media statistics, there are 1.15 billion Facebook users; 500 million Twitter users; and 130 million Instagram users—it’s simpler to “get away” with something good.

The acceleration of music and video through our hands limits the influence on an audience. To expand the ephemeral path of music and film, these industries must alter the experiences of their productions.

Due to technological ubiquity, it’s unsurprising that digital music sales surpassed physical sales. Nielsen SoundScan’s 2013 mid-year report states that digital sales compose 43% of all musical purchases. Smartphones, computers, and other gadgetry increase the life of singles and rapidity through music. Continuously being engrossed in these sonic patterns proposes a challenge for an artist to excite audiences and deliver an undiluted body of work. Music is freely distributed nowadays—mixtapes are made and albums leak.

SoundScan calculates that YouTube and various streaming sites continue to grow in vast numbers; a total of 50 billion audio and video streams occurred the first six months of 2013.

Traditional methods of promotion by single, shooting a video and announcing a release date is not acclimating to the times. The release of Beyoncé’s fifth self-titled album caused bedlam to all musical audi-

ences and was proof of the industry’s alteration, not to mention the power of media.

Although BEYONCÉ is not groundbreaking in concept—Radiohead’s The King of Limbs (2011) was delivered independently with one week’s notice and strictly supplied digitally—it is groundbreaking in its manner of release. BEYONCÉ is a visual album that houses 14 songs and 17 videos. The album was available ex-

ART IS ANYTHING YOU CAN GET AWAY WITH ANDY WARHOL

clusively through iTunes and the audio wasn’t purchasable separate from the visuals until a later date. In a behind-the-scenes reel, Beyoncé said, “I remember seeing ‘Thriller,’ on TV with my family—it was an event …

I miss that immersive experience.”

Through this idea of immersion, she devised a plan to fully submerge her audience in this project. Videos have always been a tool to communicate a peculiar story that amplifies the lyrical content, but typically completed as an afterthought. Instead the vid-

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eos are like the premiere of a film, and watchers experience the music in a more powerful fashion. The visual and sonic textures touch the audiences more memorably than a conventional release. These types of innovative footprints are steps that are necessary for tangibility in our media portals. On another note, the idea of audiences being fully encompassed by art and media is the frontier we’re still discovering.

In May 2012, Kanye West wrote and directed “Cruel Summer,” a short-film set to the music of his label’s compilation album with the same title. In Cannes, 200 attendees sat in the center of a pyramid-shaped tent furnished with seven large individual screens enclosing the crowd from all angles, notes The Los Angeles Times. Each screen depicted the same scene but from a different perspective. West told Rolling Stone, "I could dream of, one day, this being the way that people watch movies, in this form where it surrounds you and people want to go back and see it more and more because they missed something else to the left and missed something else to the right, and it felt more like the experience of life." The following year, Steven Spielberg and George Lucas reaffirmed West’s predictions of cinematic immersion at a University of Southern California opening event for the school’s Interactive Media Building. According to The New York Times, Lucas anticipates films to become “big-ticketed events” along the likes of Broadway plays. Whereas, Spielberg claims that “we’re never going to be totally immersive as long as we’re looking at a square. We’ve got to…put the player inside…where no matter where you look you’re surrounded by a three-dimensional experience. That’s the future.” Although eradi

cating screens from our cinematic experiences (currently) seem rather implausible, methods of immersion and curating monumental moments are the future formulaic practices of theatre and cinema. While these futuristic concepts strive to become our customs, updates to the existing industries persist.

With the accessibility of film on our phones, computers, and televisions, encouraging people to attend theaters is quite the challenge. The National Association of Theater Owners states that the average movie ticket costs $8.38, as cited by Variety. Although the costs of movies rise, the amenities haven’t. Hamid Hashemi, founder and CEO of iPic Entertainment, tells Fast Company that the amenities must increase with the prices and theaters must be willing to experiment. At an iPic Theater, customers are escorted to

their reserved leather reclining seats that have blankets. And food service comes to the movie-goers; popcorn is complimentary. Also, there is an open bar for added relaxation.

As for musical consumption, while digital sales continue to soar so has vinyl. The idea of having something tangible is still important, and this format is one of the oldest in consuming audio. The acoustic character and satisfaction of vinyl cannot be replicated. Although comprising a small fraction of music sales, vinyl has increased by 33% in sales this year according to SoundScan. Stores like Urban Outfitters and Amazon carrying vinyl aid in the resurgence of the LP. SoundScan determined that Daft Punk’s Random Access Memories LP comprised 19k of its 39k units sold its first week, as confirmed by Billboard.

Reconfiguring the modus operandi in

music and film appear to be solutions in sustaining their significance in our digital age.

Technology effects all realms of our consumption and communication.

Warhol, coming from an advertisement background, understood how to reach diverse groups of people and indistinguishably influence them.

Warhol’s studio epithet, The Factory, operated like one. The mass production of his artwork, like advertising, aimed to grab the attention of the masses. His paintings arguably lack content, but that may not have been his focus. One of Warhol’s muses was Marshall McLuhan. McLuhan is responsible for the phrase: the medium is the message. In that, our interests are governed by the relationships that influence the evolution of film and media but not the content.

SOCIAL MEDIA UBIQUITY

1.15 500 130

Million Twitter Users billion Facebook Users Million Instagram Users Source: Digital Insights 2013 Media Statistics

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Flying to New Heights with HPA Writing and Photography by Celine Littlejohn Students in the Human Powered Aircraft club are focusing on, building and designing just that—a Human Powered Aircraft.

The classroom that houses HPA is hidden in the back of the engineering side of the UCI campus nestled next to the smokestacks of the engineering department labs.

Situated in a portable classroom, the main room showcases an array of tiny model airplanes and kits created by a similar club, the Design, Build, Fly team (DBF).

Some of the airplanes on display were models and some were created from scratch. One plane was made out of a block of foam with an engine and propeller wrapped around it. It won first place during a competition in Kansas in 2012. Such an honor proves that these students know exactly what they are doing.

Sheet metal is scattered around the main room. Aviator magazines are sprawled open on the floor, decorated with pictures of the Wright brothers and Amelia Earhart. Students dash through the two doorways in the back of the room, grabbing tools and materials that they need to bring their creation to life.

The HPA was founded about two years ago and has blossomed into a club that allows engineering students of all backgrounds the chance to try their hand at being the Wright Brothers of the 21st century.

The process itself is extremely intricate. On a warm May afternoon, the twenty-five-student club was in the

middle of applying strips of carbon to a twenty-three foot block of Styrofoam wrapped around plywood in an attempt to test the strength of the wing when added to the final project.

By the end of the summer, HPA leaders, including 4th year Jacqueline Thomas, had an almost complete rectangular main-wing spar design, a potential propeller manufacturing method, and a desperate need for new members. HPA leaders Joe King, Matt Carrico, and Thomas wanted to welcome new members to not only add more hands to the project, but to provide it with the necessary funds. While the designing stages of the project have been completed, the processes had progressed to the building phase. The amount of members soon rose to fifty, who maintained their busyness throughout their time spent in the club.

“My light class load enabled me to take on both the role of project manager and of spar team leader,” Thomas explained.

Carbon is being cut to fit perfectly on the foam wrapped wood board.

In the cutting room, the board stretched out over the course of two tables, a whiteboard filled with complex physics and chemistry equations plastered behind it.

Towards the back of the room are two hallways. One leads towards a room with two tables and a white board of equations, while the other one leads to King’s office

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HPA members test how much weight the spar, or the main structural element of the wing, can withstand during a spar testing session. and the bathroom that is full of harmful chemicals.

Stains on the sink and walls prove how some messy pranks got a little out of hand. No comments were provided as to what these pranks were.

Joe King’s office is decorated with dozens of model airplanes and a brand new 3-D printer. The printer had been quietly used by some students who wanted to make everything from hearts to flowers for their loved ones as opposed to the gears that were necessary for the project.

There is the sound of the radio blasting classic rock.

Speaking over the sounds of Jim Morrison’s vocals on “Light My Fire,” instructions and orders are being barked among the group of students working on the plane’s wing in the main room. One student plays Daft Punk’s latest album on his iPod touch for everyone to enjoy. Students laugh as the typical millennial discussion of 90s nostalgia takes shape. This moment feels like the members are a family.

Wing development continues. That evening, carbon was placed on top of the foam wrapped around the wood. The board lied flat on the ground as the members took a giant plastic bag and wrapped it around the apparatus. An entire day was dedicated to making the

wing just right, and such hours put into one specific part of the finished project showed the amount of time and dedication the students put into their work.

Writing is subjective when it comes to reports. There’s no definitive right or wrong answer but with students in HPA, a fraction of a digit off could lead to disaster.

At times, the typical misunderstanding or argument may break out. It’s ironic, because the root of many of the arguments is the discussion on whether to take an analytical or pragmatic approach to things. The notion that some people need to experience something before they really believe in it comes even more into play. If you were going into a field that has the potential to endanger lives with designs, odds are you would be stressed too, so any edginess is understandable. With HPA, the welcoming environment relieves any tension and encourages productive teamwork.

After about an hour of sitting on the floor, glove-covered hands holding the plastic down as a vacuum sucked the harmful chemicals, toxins, and excess acetone from the board, the group realized something.

Someone left a pair scissors that poked a hole in the bag. It wasn’t fully airtight. A collective groan took over the room as the entire process had to be redone. After

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a few jokes and comical remarks, the group got back to work as they focused on reapplying the bag to the wood plank.

It had gotten late and the operations were officially finished by nine o’clock. Though it was stressful, it was a productive way to spend a Saturday evening. While some of the students sped home on their bikes, a few students remained, helping clean up and partake in an impromptu game of soccer in the engineering gateway courtyard.

By the time autumn came and the amount of HPA members increased to fifty students, emphasis was placed on performing a process known as spar-molding that lasted a total of eight days. The spar, the main structural piece of an aircraft’s wing, is molded in a time-consuming and intricate process. These steps can last over 16 hours; each spar process must be performed perfectly in order to ensure that the spars do not fail in flight.

The goal of the spar team was to finish all five of the spar sections for the 108 foot wing. These include 2 tip spars, 2 mid-wing spars, and 1 center spar. The tip spars were the subjects of testing earlier and since their manufacturing steps and behavior were known inside

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into the night. If Thomas couldn’t be there, Carrico and Dat Huynh were able to lead the way.

In a snapshot of the HPA operations of fall quarter, Weeks 1 through 5 were spent training new members on how to build a propeller blade, interviewing potential new members, and making sure manager responsibilities were established. Weeks 6 through 10 focused on final plane sizing and configuration with the help of Excel computer coding.

As the scientific method and process demonstrates, there are numerous trials that are performed on the way to reaching the final product. Experimentation with new mold designs, weights of bags used and how much epoxy should be present were just a few technical issues that arose. Winter quarter focused on building the tail sections of the HPA aircraft. According to Thomas, HPA plans to, “mount them on the fully assembled spar and perform a load test to flight loads, in order to ensure that the spars will not fail in flight and perform according to my calculations.”

As the project transitioned from the stage of concept to actual manufacturing, budget concerns subsided with the great influx of new members.

Since King, Carrico, and Thomas are graduating in

One minute there’s stress over the amount of acetone and wax used or how much weight a structure can support and the next, there’s stress over whether or not someone can get tickets to a concert or if the San Francisco 49ers are going to the Super Bowl.

and out, they were the first to be made.

Inexperienced new members had a lot to learn, and from novice errors discoveries were made. This included the fact that a different mold covering bag would be used in the project so carbon shells would not stick to it. Thomas organized the spar team with daily emails to those involved and frequent reminders courtesy of the “reply all” option.

“The quality of the parts improved because specific people began to complete specific parts of the spar. I soon learned that in order to keep the spar processes constantly moving I had to be present for every process almost every day of the week, and had to be adamant about making sure there was enough help, always. Once the spar team got the hang of building spars, most of the quarter was fairly systematic,” Thomas explained.

Members worked as if they were in shifts, some coming in to help with set up and prep work in the early morning hours and others to help with lay-up processes

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the spring, they are making sure that the newer, younger members show the same amount of dedication to HPA to receive the torch to guide the next generation of HPA students. However, the goal is to have the plane completed ASAP, preferably by the summer of 2014.

Spending long hours together, students in HPA have formed a bond with each other. Like any group that works together for extended hours under stressful conditions and on a tight schedule, they may get edgy with one another, but they are still a family. It’s all about love here.

It’s an engineering thing, but everyone is only human. One minute there’s stress over the amount of acetone and wax used or how much weight a structure can support and the next there’s stress over whether or not someone can get tickets to a concert or if the San Francisco 49ers are going to the Super Bowl. It’s the life of being in HPA.

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The Art of Fandom and the Internet By celine littlejohn

You see them everywhere. Images of pencil drawn, over-exaggerated heads engaged in emotions all over the Internet, ranging from the deceitful Trollface to the annoyed Cereal Guy to the depressed Forever Alone character. I’ve seen the Y U No guy on T-shirts and the Me Gusta face in web videos. Memes’ popularity has risen exponentially this past decade, thanks to social networking sites such as Facebook and microblogging sites such as Reddit and Tumblr. While they may seem like innocent running gags among individuals from Generation Y, they are symbolic of the Internet fandom culture in which we live.

I remember it was during my freshman year of college. I was sitting in my HumCore lecture waiting for class to begin when I noticed a cute moving image, or GIF, splash on the screen of the MacBook Pro in front of me. It was Buttercup from The Powerpuff Girls slyly leaning over and smacking her sister Bubbles in the back of the head in an effort to steal her teeth and get money from the tooth fairy. At that time, I did not remember all of this information. I recognized the dark blue background as being from Tumblr, so I decided to check it out when I got home by searching for “The Powerpuff Girls” in the search bar. As the popular image of Family Guy’s Peter Griffin crashing through a movie screen and ending up on the other side says, I felt like I was in Narnia, the popular magical world from the CS Lewis novels.

The phenomenon of the fandom culture starts out innocently enough. You casually get into a new television show, movie, book series, or musician and become a fan of their work. From the stories they tell through their respective mediums to their attractiveness, you slowly begin falling more in love. You cry when a character is killed off in your favorite book or TV show— even if they are fictional. You draw fan art and write fan fiction for these characters, even going as far as playing matchmaker in your mind on who should end up with

who, partaking in the art of “shipping.” You make a Tumblr blog dedicated to this show, movie, or book and create artful edits of images in collages or animated GIFs depicting a popular scene or character.

Outside of the realm of fantasy, your heart flutters at the thought of whether or not the lead singer of your favorite band will smile at you. You’re belting out the words to their hit song while you are in the front row of one of their concerts. You buy their merchandise, posters, and memorabilia. You get to know them at meetand-greet encounters and get their autograph. You give them a big hug and, who knows? You may even give them a quick kiss on the cheek.

If you have done any of these things, then you are a member of a fandom. A fandom refers to a community of individuals who love the same thing and befriend each other over this love. While Tumblr is flooded with hipster photos of black and white imagery, landscapes, nighttime city skylines, beaches, models, and the occasional In-N-Out burger, the fandom side of Tumblr is full of fun and crazy antics. It is here where memes such as the Challenge Accepted stick man thrive.

As long as you are a fan of something, then you are a member of a fandom. However, there are many individuals (millions based on the amount of fandom-related Tumblr blogs) who take their dedication to a new level.

Some may call it an obsession, but it is developing a growing presence among many teens and twenty-somethings.

Fandoms have been around for years. Star Trek has Trekkies, who have been holding fan conventions since the 1970’s. Doctor Who fans, known as Whovians, have supported their show since 1963. However, the popularity in fandoms may be due in part to the popularity of the San Diego Comic-Con. Originally meant to just celebrate comics, Comic-Con has developed into a pop culture extravaganza, showcasing premieres of hit fantasy shows and movies as well as cast and crew panels,

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memorabilia, and collectibles of all sorts. What was once considered geeky is now trendy and cool, even inspiring some of the biggest Hollywood blockbusters of all time, featuring all-star casts.

Of course, fandoms are not limited to comic books.

It is totally acceptable to obsess over Supernatural because there are thousands of other people like you who also love the story of the Winchester brothers. The tweens who presented their anime fan art on deviantArt have grown up to make edits of Adventure Time on Tumblr. Whether you live in the nostalgia of Harry Potter and 90’s Nickelodeon or tweet the members of One Direction on an hourly basis, the fandom community stretches over many different shows, genres, and art forms.

Even people from the shows themselves, such as the cast of Supernatural or directors such as Joss Whedon of The Avengers fame, are known to publicly appreciate the love and support of such dedicated fans. Every single television show (from Teen Titans to Hawaii Five0), movie (from The Breakfast Club to Quentin Tarantino flicks) and music artist (whether you love The Red Hot Chili Peppers or Madonna) has a fandom. While some are more extreme than others, everyone feels love from a dedicated following.

From fandoms, new friendships are made. With Tumblr, you can meet and befriend people from all over the world and life-long friendships can be born, just out of the fact that you both think that Loki and Thor have the most complicated, yet fascinating brother relationship ever.

Such an instance is a new development in how humans interact with one another. Fandoms are bringing people together in compelling new ways. Fan clubs, blog sites, reviewing one another’s fan fiction and praising each other’s fan art can unite someone from Los Angeles to London in the stroke of a keyboard. The universal appearance of memes in all fandom communities supports this idea of a universal connection.

By just looking at a basic Tumblr Dashboard, where posts of people you follow appear in real-time, one can conclude that the people of Tumblr all love pizza and reminiscing about the great times of the 80s and 90s.

Members of a fandom are generally known as fanboys and fangirls. The act of fangirling (as a verb) refers to the emotion people feel from being invested in such fandoms. There are even words and phrases associated with fangirling, such as “I can’t even,” “the feels,” and “asdfghjkl;.” A ship refers to when someone supports the idea of two characters being romantically involved

with one another, i.e. “I ship ABC character with XYZ character because reasons.” An OTP, or one true pairing, is someone’s favorite ship and a Life Ruiner is a person who is so attractive, they ruin it for everyone else because they are so perfect; they set the standards of being a boyfriend or girlfriend very high.

While being in a fandom is fun, it is not a way of life.

Once a person becomes overly obsessed with a person or thing, it becomes unhealthy and can cause people to lose focus on the more important things in life. As a word to the wise, it is best to fangirl in moderation.

Fandoms are all done in fun. They should not be taken completely seriously. Tumblr is flooded with sarcasm, and it gives an idea of the Generation Y sense of humor.

With every good thing, there is the bad. When someone takes their role in a fandom too seriously, friction can ensue. There is absolutely no reason to verbally attack someone who doesn’t agree with you that Hawkeye and Black Widow are meant to be together. As with friendship circles in real life, this virtual world of fandoms can lead to conflict over cliques and who is popular and who is not. The best is to avoid such a scenario.

Remember the Netiquette you learned in the 90s and respect others as you would in real life. Everyone has an opinion and not everyone is going to agree.

Keep in mind that while it is wonderful to love a celebrity, they are only human. Sure, they have incredible talents, but don’t assume marriage is in the future. It’s fun to have an innocent crush, but remember to show respect for them as a person, as well as respect for their private lives. Focus on their talents; that’s what should matter the most.

In the case of Tumblr, there is an option to receive anonymous questions. While this can lead to fun conversations, “anon hate” is something that should never be done. In an era where bullying is a serious problem, anonymously hiding behind a grey-faced icon and sending threats to someone is a cowardly act that is made accessible due to the blogging community. Such abuse should never be permitted. Even though some Tumblr users may publish “anon hate” as their followers send words of encouragement to not let those comments get them down, it shows the nasty, cynical side of people.

In an effort to ease any tension that may arise among over-zealous fans, confession blogs have become popular. On there, people anonymously submit their unpopular opinions and share them with the world. They can be about a certain fandom community or about societal issues in general, including unemployment,

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body image, and political views. This confession trend has been around for years, gaining popularity with the PostSecret website that inspired the 2005 music video for the All-American Reject’s song, “Dirty Little Secret” in which people hold up note cards of their most personal secrets. It has even hit home at UCI with the popular Facebook “UCI Secrets” pages. Anyone new to the world of fandoms should be aware of such negative aspects. Life is too short for drama. You wouldn’t act like that in real life, especially to such an extent, so keep that off of the Internet.

While fandoms are entertaining, they serve as avenues of the thoughts, fears, hopes, dreams and desires of this generation. What started as a fandom blog soon leads to a personal blog of someone describing their real thoughts about life. While people of all ages are on Tumblr and similar sites, the highest age range are those in their teens and into their twenties. Interactions that unfold on the Internet, stemmed from connection over a shared love of Daryl Dixon from “The Walking Dead”, reflect the same connection that one may make by complimenting someone over their Pikachu shirt in their chem lab. A shared interest blossoms into a tight bond that may last for years to come.

The Internet has become a virtual community, and while this is an amazing thing, it can also be dangerous.

Spending too much time on the Internet, phone, or staring at a screen can rob people of their lives. Don’t let it be distracting to the point that you can’t function.

With obesity at alarmingly high rates, people should be encouraged to go out, play, and get active. If you love a show so much, be like the characters and go out and live your life. Nothing can replace the joy of interacting with people face-to-face. Touching them. Feeling them.

Seeing them eye-to-eye.

It is a sign of the times. As everything from music record stores and bookstores to video stores are closing their doors due to changes in technology from iTunes, the Kindle, and Netflix, we are becoming more and more reliant on technology. A self-serve automated machine is now replacing what was once something that a person ran. We are the generation that can alter the future. Balancing our connectivity to someone on the other side of the planet with a few clicks with our relationships with the people who sit behind us in our writing class can help lead to both a productive and connected future for society. It is from these assorted forms of media that we can learn meaningful lessons.

It is the captivating stories, inspirational characters and heroic moments that cause people to fall in love with media. TV shows and movies entertain us and many times teach us a lesson. We can connect with the lyrics of a song and music becomes the soundtrack of our lives. The costume designers or animators in their field inspire fan art illustrators. Fan fiction writers look up to the people who created the script and brought these characters to life in such profound ways. Being a part of a fandom community is definitely a symbol of today’s generation. New friendships are made and creative potential is being examined in brand new ways.

As long as respect has a consistent presence and people are still in touch with reality, technology can help benefit the world in unbelievable ways. This generation has the power to take what we have learned from previous generations and create something new with the aid of technology, and perhaps with a love of the latest trendy TV show or meme drawing.

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