T H E
L I N N - B E N T O N
V O L .
5 1
E D I T I O N
C O M M U N I T Y
2 1
C O L L E G E
APRIL 29, 2020
Quarantine
Nostalgia A Time to Strengthen Relationships and Flourish in Isolation
COLUMN BY: ERIKA DONNER Bursts of uncontrollable laughter come through the wall of our home office, which is right beside the family room. I stop what I’m working on, get up from my desk, and follow the noise. The kids are playing “Super Mario Bros.” on the Wii, taking turns running their characters around the screen. It is early April, a Wednesday afternoon. Scattered throughout the room are our four children. However, they are not children, as they range in age from 17 to 21 years old -- definitely young adults. To hear and see them having fun playing a nostalgic video game warms my heart. I continue my work, content. Soon the laughter dies down as they each go back to their tasks. Earlier in the week, our oldest had started tearing down a 14- by-10 foot wall-to-wall loft in his old bedroom, which was a creation my husband had built for him. Our son had slept on it for years until graduating from high school and moving to college.
He was helping one of his younger sisters re-create the space as her new bedroom. She could hardly wait. Times change. Our son had grown up and moved out. Taking that loft apart piece by piece was going to be quite the project; plus, it was a reminder of the childhood of our first born. Our lives were feverishly busy day after day, month after month. We had no time for house projects. Until now. The ripple effect caused by universities nation-wide moving to online coursework, Gov. Kate Brown ordering the closure of all Oregon schools, and my employer requesting our office staff to work remotely had shifted life into uncharted territory during the COVID-19 pandemic. Health and wellness concerns aside, this would be an adjustment; individually and collectively. Six of us together: husband, wife, two high schoolers, two college kids. For me, working from home isn’t entirely new. Years ago I was a stayat-home parent. In reality, however, as the kids aged and were more heavily involved in school and other activities, none of us spent all that much time at home. In those days dinner often
appeared on the table around 9 p.m. and Saturdays and Sundays were spent at gymnastics and dance competitions or football and lacrosse games; sometimes all of the above. My true title was more along the lines of a non-stay-at-homestay-at-home parent. Sure, areas of our home needed a bit of attention, but there would be a day soon enough when we wouldn’t have the noise and busyness that four children added to a family. Someday my husband and I would have all the time we’d want to organize slightly neglected areas, update rooms, and tackle overdue yard projects. As I turn back to my work in our home office, I ponder something. I hear quiet scuffling noises in the room above me as two of our young adult kids pry nails out of two-by-fours and plywood, and the other two chat and giggle as they paint the ceiling in one of the nearby
bedrooms. Perhaps that “someday” is now, and the key players are four young adults together again. New family memories continue, COVID-19-style. In the past several weeks, closets and cabinets have been emptied and organized, items are bagged for donation centers, bedrooms freshened. The loft came down! More painting, new peach trees planted, piano songs, tons of baking, and card games. We’re on our fifth 1,000-piece puzzle. Repurposing old clothing, sewing, meat and seafood recipes discussed for the barbecue smoker, and attempted Tik Tok videos. I cherish this extra time with our family of six, and by the sound of the laughter filling the family room a short time ago, I’d say they do too.
PHOTOS: PEXELS.COM GRAPHICS: FREEPIK.COM
Inside this Edition STUDENT RESOURCES
SEE PAGE 2
CORVALLIS IN QUARANTINE
SEE PAGE 3
OWLCHEMY LABS
SEE PAGE 4
2
ASTROLOGY
APRIL 29, 2020
LBCOMMUTER.COM
Astrology Corner: Over the next few weeks we have four planets moving retrograde, starting with Pluto who moved retrograde this past Saturday on April 25th.
The Commuter is the weekly student-run newspaper for LBCC, financed by student fees and advertising. Opinions expressed in The Commuter do not necessarily reflect those of the LBCC administration, faculty and students of LBCC. Editorials, columns, letters, and cartoons reflect the opinions of the authors. LBCC is an equal opportunity educator and employer. Letters Welcome The Commuter encourages readers to use its “Opinion” pages to express their views on campus, community, regional and national issues. The Commuter attempts to print all submissions received, but reserves the right to edit for grammar, length, libel, privacy concerns and taste. Opinions expressed by letter submitters do not represent the views of the Commuter staff or the College. Deliver letters to:
When a planet moves retrograde, it is actually referring to the point at which the planet is closest to the earth in its orbital path. During this time because the planet is so close to earth, we tend to feel those areas of life and characteristics or pressures more intensely than other times. We call this phase retrograde because the planet appears to be moving backwards, when in reality it is the Earth moving forwards, over-taking the planet. We will begin feeling the effects of the retrograde starting now, as we are officially in the preretrograde shadow. Pluto’s retrograde will have us considering our reliance on control, and how we manage our unconscious instincts. He is the ruler of our underworld and that which we cannot see or comprehend- yet. His retrograde will last until October 4th 2020 and will stay in the sign of Capricorn. Capricorn brings us foundation, financial endurance and ambition. Through this time we can use Pluto's regenerative medicine to take back our power in these more Capricornian terms. How can we make the most of the situation we’re in, together? How can we transform within these changing times to become more conscious of the human community that we are upon this world? The underworld of Earth is at play here, so surrender and get grounded in building a new foundation for yourself. Saturn is the bringer of structure, system, limitation and authority. While he is in retrograde between May 11th and September 29th, 2020, we will have the chance to rework how we do things, whether it is your day to day life, or the way you interact with others. Power struggles may show up, but we can take this as an opportunity to practice meeting each other as equals, rather than over exerting out of fear.
Address: The Commuter Forum 222 6500 Pacific Blvd. SW Albany, OR 97321
Venus is our planet of love, beauty, relationship and value. When she moves retrograde on May 13th.
Web Address: LBCommuter.com Phone: 541-917-4451, 4452 or 4449 Email: commuter@linnbenton.edu
STORY BY GEORGIA DUNN-HARTMAN
@CATALYST.CO.RY
BACKGROUND FROM PEXELS.COM
Twitter @LBCommuter Facebook LBCC The Commuter Instagram @LBCommuter
Our Staff Adviser Rob Priewe Editor-in-Chief Mckenna Christmas Layout Designer Rebecca Fewless Managing Editors: Davis Ihde Caleb Barber A&E Steven Pryor Joshua Bloedel Photography Editor Jakob Jones Web Master Marci Sischo Copy Editor Katie Littlefield Sports Cam Hanson Contributors Bowen Orcutt Isaiah Haqq Georgia Ry Dunn-Hartman Arianna Stahlbaum Sabrina Parsons Mckenna Christmas Konoha Tomono-Duval Brenda Autry Logan Helm-Williams Karen Canan Joshua Gilbert Joshua Yoder Chrissy Veach Dylan Studer
Online and Organized Find Help to Develop a Self-Managing Schedule Though LBCC Resources
COURTSEY OF KRISTEN JENNINGS AND THE CSZ STAFF It's ok if you're feeling overwhelmed. There's a lot to keep track of this term. We've got tips that are working for other students. We can meet with you by Zoom, phone, or through Google Chat.
Talk to us for 20 minutes about ways to organize that work for you: • to prepare for tests and quizzes • to make sure that you attend lectures • to turn in work in on time • to plan for longer assignments ... Across all your course websites. College Skills Zone Spring Term Hours: Monday - Friday Drop-in: 8 am - 5 pm
By Appointment: 5 pm - 9 pm How to Reach Us: • CSZ Drop-in Zoom Room • Email: cszinfo@linnbenton.edu • Make An Appointment in TutorTrac • How to schedule an appointment • College Skills Zone Website Looking forward to working with you!
 COMMUTER@LINNBENTON.EDU
APRIL 29, 2020
LOCAL NEWS
3
PHOTO: JAKOB JONES
Change in a New Era
"Let's Stay Connected," a billboard of a casino once filled with event ads now changes to hopefully retain customers over social media.
Shift Perspective Though Several Different Lifestyles and See How Corvallis is Developing Through Quarantine
PHOTO: DYLAN STUDER
Shane Wilkerson has been a volunteer firefighter for three years in counting.
PHOTO: CHRISSY VEACH
Esmerelda Martinez getting Donnie Hernandez change while divided by a protective barrier found in most convenience stores and supermarkets.
PHOTO: JAKOB JONES
Untouched by cars or landscaping, some grass starts to grow through the cracks in once packed parking lot of LBCC.
PHOTO: JOSHUA GILBERT
While still fairly depleted, the toilet paper isle of Fred Meyer is no longer completely empty on Wed. morning, April 22.
PHOTO: JOSHUA YODER
On April 10 a hand drawn poster outside Albany General Hospital, thanking healthcare workers. BACKGROUND PHOTO: JESSE ZHENG FROM PEXELS
4
A&E
APRIL 29, 2020
LBCOMMUTER.COM
Owlchemy Labs Productions REVIEW BY JOSHUA BLOEDEL Owlchemy Labs was a small team made up of four people. When Devin Reimer obtained the Oculus DK1, they immediately ported a base-jumping game called “AaaaAAAaaAAAAaAAAAA!!!” and called it “Aaaaaculus!” After making the port, they set out to make a game called “Job Simulator” with hand-tracked controls in mind. On April 5, 2016, “Job Simulator: The 2050 Archives” was released for Microsoft Windows. It was also released for the PS4 on October 13 that same year, and then the Oculus Quest on May 21, 2019. The game won the “Best VR/ AR Game” in the 2017 Game Developers Conference (GDC) Awards. You play as your average human in a world where robots have replaced all human jobs. You relive the “glory days'' of working as an office worker, store clerk, chef, and auto mechanic. I give the story a C+. Overall, the story is lacking if not completely absent; but the game is incredibly humorous. One of my favorite parts is the blender in the chef segment. You can throw any object in that blender and it makes a smoothie. Cheese cacti smoothie anyone? The gameplay is great. It’s fun exploring these jobs and with infinite overtime, you can work as long as you want. As an office worker, you do regular office working stuff such as reviewing resumes, shredding not-so-important documents, and throwing stuff in a trash can. As a store clerk, you give the customers items that they want such as hot dogs, fireworks, and cheese. Besides the infinite over-time, it is quite short. However, you do get mod cartridges where you can have stuff like low
Superhot VR.
gravity. I give the gameplay an A. While it doesn’t have much in music, there is a CD player in the chef job where you can play certain catchy music. My favorite song is “(You Are A) Model Human” by Jogurt Ft. Commander Meouch Of TWRP. I give the soundtrack a C+. Overall, this game has significantly intriguing gameplay, and is adequate in everything else (a trend for most VR games). I give “Job Simulator: the 2050 Archives” a 6.5/10. “Superhot,” a 2016 shooter, was an incredibly successful game on steam. From what I’ve heard, it is also one of the most innovative shooters of all time. In order to capitalize on this success, the team behind the game decided to make a port of the game to VR. A prototype of the port was shown in the 2014 Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3). After reaching the Kickstarter goal, they rebuilt the game from scratch while also reusing levels from the original “Superhot.” On December 5, 2016, “Superhot VR” was released on the Oculus Rift. It was also released for the HTC Vive on May 25, 2017. “Superhot VR” won the “Best VR Experience” in the IGN’s Best of 2017 awards as well as “Best VR/AR Game” in the 2018 GDC Awards. In “Superhot,” you play various First-Person-Shooter (FPS) levels within a VR Headset. The unique twist about this game is that time moves when you move. The goal of each level is to eliminate all your opponents by using guns or throwing objects at them. It won’t be that easy, however; your enemies will have guns of their own. Have no fear, you can easily dodge these bullets as time slows down, using some sweet Matrixlike dodging tricks. The story of the game is undoubtedly confusing. I have no idea why I am doing these levels or even who I am in this game. I give the story a C-. The gameplay however, is particularly entertaining. The main mode is brief, but it has many other modes like speedrunning, hard mode, endless, etc. I give the gameplay an A. The soundtrack is completely absent, therefore I give it a C. Overall, this game is fun to play but lacking in everything else. I give the game a 5.8/10. Now we come to “Beat Saber,” one of the most popular VR titles. Czech
Beat Saber.
Programmers Ján Ilavský and Vladimír Hrinčár originally released a demo of “Beat Saber” on Facebook, catching the interest of The Head of Epic Music Productions, Jaroslav Beck. Beck later contacted the team and offered to compose the soundtrack of the game, even proposing to create a new company named after it if it becomes a success. The game had an early release in Nov. 2018 and quickly became one of the highest-rated games on Steam. Finally, on May 21, 2019, “Beat Saber” was released on both the Windows and PS4 VR, winning several awards. In the 2018 Gamers’ Choice Awards, it won “Fan Favorite.” In the D.I.C.E. (Design Innovate Communicate Entertain) Awards, it won “Immersive Reality Game of the Year.” In the NAVGTR Awards, it won both “Game, Music, or Performance-Based” and “Sound-Mixing in Virtual Reality.” It even won the “Best VR/AR Game” in the 2019 Golden Joystick Awards and the Game of the Year Awards. The goal of “Beat Saber” is to slash blocks with your lightsabers in the direction as indicated. Each song has a unique set of blocks to slash. You will, however, have to occasionally dodge walls and avoid slashing mines. The colors in this game are mesmerizing, which makes slicing the blocks ever the more satisfying. I give the gameplay an A. You can also customize the sabers and walls to the color that appeals to you. There are a few modes you can choose from being dual blading (the standard one), onesaber, 90 degrees, and 360 degrees. There is also a campaign mode which is made up of various levels with
Job Simulator.
certain goals to meet, such as making a personal record streak. While Beat Saber is fun, I face one problem when playing the levels, especially in the campaign: the better you are at the game, the easier modes are, which leads to boredom. If you can beat most expert+ levels, the easy levels will seem dull and uninteresting. The campaign starts off with easy levels, which are tedious and did not make me want to continue. While there are a ton of great songs in the soundtrack that I like such as “Reason for Living,” “Burning Sands,” and “Beat Saber,” there are a few that I don’t particularly like, such as “Legend” and “Unlimited Power.” I give the soundtrack an A. There is absolutely no story whatsoever so the game automatically gets a C in the story department, with bonus points for the beautiful colors. Overall, this is one of VR’s better titles; It has great gameplay and soundtrack but lacks story. I give the game a 7.8/10. VR has quite a long way to go when it comes to its games, but it is making progress. While most VR games ace the gameplay, they lack in their soundtrack and story most of the time.
Complete the grid so each row, column, and 3x3 box (in bold borders) contains every digit.