Nucleus - Vol 2, No 8, 'The Holiday Issue'

EDITORS Bridgette Glover Alana Young

Contents Volume 2, Issue 8, November 2014

COVER ART The Eds

3 - Editorial

BACK COVER ART Photograph by Lauren Harrington

4 - UNESA Vice-President’s Report

3 - UNESA President’s Report

Featuring The Eds

5 - Letters to the Editors

CONTRIBUTORS

6 - News

David Mailler Millie Roberts Helen Taylor Jacob Foley Sam Rutherford Alana Young James Boyce Amy Zimmerman Stu Horsfield

8 - 10 Reasons to Leave Australia for Canada 10 - Essential College Viewing 12 - How to Correctly Use Tinder 14 - COMP315/515 Choose Your Own Adventure Game Reviews 16 - Say Hello to My Little Friend 19 - How an Unplugged Childhood Jump-Started my Life 20 - Movie Review: Gone Girl 22 - Uni4Me 23 - TuneFM!

IN-OFFICE COFFEE COUNT (RUNNING TOTAL) 300

CONTACT US

Visit www.nucleus.org.au Or write to us at editors@nucleus.org.au Come and see us at the office in the Union Courtyard, across from Campus Essentials.

PUBLISHING SCHEDULE Nucleus is published monthly—but not in January, June or October. The submission deadline is the first day of the month of issue. Issues may have a theme, but these are never exclusive — all content is welcome!

We’re always happy to get new writers and artists on board, so send us an email for more information, or send us some of your work if you have it ready! We look forward to hearing from you!

DISCLAIMER The opinions expressed in this publication do not necessarily reflect those of the staff of Nucleus or UNESA. If you have an issue with an 2

item published in the paper, write a letter and we will be glad to print it. All contributions must include name and contact details. Ensure that all contributions contain nothing that may be considered sexist, racist, discriminatory, violence provoking, or plagiarised. We assume our readers can tolerate a degree of satire and the odd swear word, but anything containing unnecessary profanity will not be published.

Publication is always at the discretion of the editors.

All content is published under the Creative Commons By 3.0 license. Refer to website for license information.

EDITORIAL H

ey guys,

Hello? Is anyone there?

Yeah, we know a lot of you are currently elsewhere, while we’re still on campus like a couple of losers. On the plus side, we get our coffee way faster because there are no lines. Totally winning.

But that’s the way things are with trimesters. Things are constantly go-go-go, until the third trimester and suddenly the place is dead. We’re almost certain we saw a tumbleweed roll past the office the other day. No, really.

For this reason, we have a whole new level of respect for our contributors in this month’s edition. The theme for this issue is “holidays”, but ironically, a lot of our contributors are not the ones getting a tan on a beach somewhere. After being completely exhausted from trimester two, we almost thought we wouldn’t get anything. But some very special people came through for us, and we’re super grateful.

Another thing we want to address is the search for assistant editors. It’s been pretty cray because we are currently in the middle of making some changes so that we can make your paper bigger and better than ever next year. But these things take time, so we apologise for not being able to introduce your future team in this edition.

But patience you must have my young padawan, coming they are.

Anyway, wherever you are we hope you enjoy the November Edition of Nucleus, whether you’re checking it on your phone while laying on the beach, or checking it in Dixson Library as you get stuck into Trimester 3.

We’d also like to say congratulations to all those who graduated last month. Well done!!!!

Love Bridgette and Alana xx

Leadership different to management

U

NE desperately needs leadership and a leadership that inspires vision and respect. Leadership is different to management and lessons can be learnt from our students. One thing is certain: UNE is well endowed with managers, and for a while has been critically short of leadership.

It is easy to be sucked into economic rationalist management where the financial bottom line is all that matters. While the dollars do matter, they are not the be all and end all to success and certainly do not inspire and measure successful outcomes. This university and the UNE senior management team have a myopic preoccupation with the financial that is limiting and is, in my mind, spiralling down this institution.

The former Vice-Chancellor wanted to create UNE in the image of Princeton.

Without ever being to Princeton I know it was not built on a financial bottom line.

The statesmen that inspired universities had vision for the whole and a respect for pedagogy that goes beyond the financial bottom line.

When UNE was founded it was inspired by a collective vision and I suspect a vision that included social outcomes. I am acutely aware that it is difficult to step into the void, although the courage to take that step is a true measure of leadership and at the moment UNE needs leadership. For quite some time over a number of administrations UNE management is hamstrung by the mantra of the federal herd, doing the same thing expecting a different result and we all know how that ends.

I can hear the cacophony of protest that says “I don’t understand how difficult it is to run a university”; well that is the job. It is difficult and it takes courage to change the course, and if this university cannot find a way to change and inspire a different model, I believe that it has let down the vision of the statesmen that founded the institution and is letting down the current and future generation of students. Universities should be the bastions of critical thinking and the current managers need to respect and take seriously that responsibility. The current management team may have been handed a lemon but the buck has to stop here and find the leadership UNE so desperately needs and deserves restoring the trust and respect.

Recently, I was fortunate enough to hear Laurie Daley speak about the success of a team. He spoke about trust and respect inspiring the outcome. I believe while UNE senior management continue to take the weak command and control mode of a poor management and mistake it for leadership they undermine the institution. Every good leader knows that there is a difference between rights and responsibilities. I am reminded of the description of bureaucracy that everyone rises to their level of incompetency. I hope this is not the case and UNE can dig itself out of the hole it is currently in.

Leadership is “the capacity and the will to rally men and women to a common purpose and the character which inspires confidence,”(General Montgomery). The confidence comes from trust and respect.

-David Mailler, UNESA President - November Report

3

Going in for Thirds

T

rimester two is over; results are out for better or worse and we now know whether all that hard work and worry (or lack there-of) was worth it. Many of us are looking forward to a summer spent with our friends and families, enjoying a bit of hard earned rest before the next round. Not me, I’m enacting what is probably the most foolish plan I’ve ever attempted- studying four units in trimester three. I know, it is surprising enough that there are even four units available for study in trimester three, but there are. The slightly shorter teaching period means I’m in for a hell of a ride; student support recommends studying at 12 hours a week per unit- 48 hours a week for four units. That obscene number makes me question whether such a study load is intended to be taken on in trimester three.

I have a somewhat ambivalent attitude to trimesters- I’m suspicious of the reasoning behind them, I worry that it speaks of an attitude which cheapens and obscures the purpose and value of universities and higher learning. I worry that the life of the university and so much of what makes them aspirational places for all sorts of people will be squeezed out, I worry that overworked students and academics will be the inevitable result of shoving more and more into a shorter time period. I want to emphasize my concern for the welfare of academics and students under trimesters; one of the teaching staff for a unit I took last trimester told us that she had to stay up literally all night working to get our results to us on time, and I’ve heard multiple other stories about the difficulties they’ve experienced since trimesters were introduced.

On the other hand I’ve studied several units under trimesters and have been able to catch up on units I had to drop (because of trimesters?). I have always enjoyed studying at UNE, particularly because it means I can stay close to friends and family. I’m deeply thankful for that and want future students to have that option too. We’ve been told trimesters are necessary to that.

As you can see the issues surrounding trimesters are many and complex, and I’m sure all of you see sides of the problem that I am blind to. The board of UNESA has been thinking about this and that is why we have decided to launch a survey to find out what you think; please complete the survey through the link on our Moodle page.

What’s Happenin’ Hot Stuff?* Free pancakes every Tuesday morning!!

Free BBQ lunch every Thursday!!

Provided by Uni4Me in the courtyard

IT MAINTENENCE ALL DAY OUTAGE - NOVEMBER 15

Professor Michael Stuckey, Head of UNE School of Law, cordially invites you to: Commerorative Lecture for Bryan Pape “Bryan Pape and His Legacy to the Law” Presented by Professor George AO NOVEMBER 25 - 12PM JP Belshaw Lecture Theatre

-Millie Roberts, UNESA Vice President

DESIGN PRINT POST freecall 1300 853 700 email sales@evansprinting.com.au 4

215 Mann Street Armidale www.evansprinting.com.au

your local printer proudly suporting the Nucleus

LETTERS TO THE EDITORS 1 5 Dear Eds,

To the Editors,

I’d firstly like to say congratulations to everyone who graduated

What is the go with Trimesters? They’re just so bad for

last month. Go you guys. Very impressive. However, I would like to

complain either to the sun, or to UNE for not providing shade to ALL the guests. It was a very lovely day, and I was so proud of my boyf for graduating, but my ass got burnt and I now have a severe sunburn, despite totally covering myself in sunscreen. It would be really awesome if, at my own graduation next year, I could have my family – and everyone really – sitting under some shade and

so many reasons. It’d probably be ok if they actually offered units, but I’m not able to do any!! It also makes me ridiculously busy, like burnt out busy. All my friends around me are having break downs at one time or another, and it’s not cool. I do four units a trimester, and it’s just non-stop. All the assignments come at once, and then by the time exams are finished we’re practically onto the next trimester. It’s so exhausting. One more downside I’ll

enjoying the day.

mention in here is how sad it is to see how quiet campus gets in

Thanks a bunch,

politics, is doing so to no one. Might be for the best, but still! I do

Amy P.

unless that drug is love” …

2

Dear Nucleus, I’m writing to say well done on the super in depth coverage on

the student protest at UNE last month. I know you stopped press to cover it, and though that may have been difficult or complicated, I am very glad you did. The photos look amazing, and it was a great article that showed all perspectives. Well done also on getting a statement from Annabelle. She seems lovely.

Good job guys!

believe the last thing I heard him sing was “I don’t want no drugs;

Cheers, Aubrey

6

To the Editors, I’m loving Tri 3!! I’ve got the Library all to myself and

the wait for my coffee is practically non-existant!

But what’s the go? I never see that short editor at the Library computers any more! Miss that chick.

Lena

3

tri 3. That poor dude playing guitar and yelling about Australian

Hello Nucleus!!

Laters,

Pretty keen to meet the new Eds for 2015. Where they at?

Andy

Love Mindy

4

Hi Nucleus, I just wanted to express how much I looooved the Spring

Thing event held by Uni4Me. It was heaps of fun, with the sumo suits and the bucking bull, and the food was freaking amazing! The chicken, oh baby. And the steak, yum. Yes, I had both. Good job guys.

Love Tina :)

Have something to say? A rant, a compliment, a complaint, an idle thought? We want to hear it! Send your letter to editors@nucleus.org.au or come and see us in our office and grab a Fantail while you’re there!

5

Movember at UNE

By Bridgette Glover

For the first time, UNE is supporting ‘Movember’, and entering a team into the Uni Challenge.

Movember is a worldwide phenomenon, with origins beginning in a pub in Fitzroy, VIC in 2003, when two men discussed fashion trends and the disappearance of the ‘mo’ from men’s upper lips.

proud member of UNE’s Movember team, and dedicated to getting UNE in the top 10 University/TAFE ‘Movember’ teams.

“We have 16 members, and in the early days of the campaign, we have already raised over $1000, and we’re sitting third on the Uni Challenge Fundraisers list. We encourage you to be involved and help raise the profile of men’s health issues.

to gain advantage for his friend and business partner, Darrell Hendry.

Cassidy used said information to inform Hendry that the purchase of the universityowned pub ws a good investment.

The former chancellor failed to disclose “that he had a ‘material interest’ in discussions concerning the sale of the hotel” at a UNE Council Standing Committee, and again at a UNE Council meeting.

This was said to raise a conflict with Cassidy’s proper performance of his duties, since he knew Mr Hendry was purchasing the hotel.

Cassidy also failed “to disclose to Robb Watt, a director of Services UNE Ltd (which was considering Mr Hendry’s tender for the purchase of the hotel), the full nature of his relationship with Mr Hendry”, the Commission said.

AFTER: Deputy Mayor Cr Dr Herman Beyersdorf BEFORE: Deputy Mayor Cr Dr Herman Beyersdorf with UNE team member Mick Alldis

These men encouraged their friends to grow a moustache with them, and after being inspired by a friend’s mother, who was fundraising for breast cancer, they decided to make the campaign about men’s health and prostate cancer.

If you would like to support the team’s efforts by making a small, tax deductable donation, go to http://moteam.co/university-of-newengland-mo-tivated For more information, check out http:// au.movember.com/ Photograph by David Doyle Photo: http:// www.daviddoylephoto.com/

Cassidy found Corrupt

By Bridgette Glover

Team member Mick Alldis shaving Deputy Mayor Cr Dr Herman Beyersdorf ’s impressive moustache

The rules and guidelines these men agreed on are still in place today, and now in 2014, the movement has reached upwards of 21 countries, with over 4 million Mo Bros & Sistas, raising over $580 million and funding 700 men’s health programs.

Mick Alldis, a 6 year “Mo Bro”, is also a 6

The NSW Independent Commission Against Corruption found former University of New England Chancellor John Cassidy guilty of acting corruptly over the sale of the Tattersalls Hotel back in 2006.

An ICAC report that was delivered on October 30 found Cassidy was corrupt after “misusing confidential information on or about November 11, 2005”.

Cassidy had acquired this information through his position within the University, in order

The Commission also found that Mr Cassidy provided misleading information to the UNE Audit and Compliance in a letter he had composed on February 5, 2006. The letter stated that Cassidy had not considered investing in the hotel with Mr Hendry until it was raised in January of 2006.

“As Mr Cassidy is no longer chancellor of UNE, it is not necessary for the Commission to consider whether any disciplinary action should be taken against him or any other action should be taken with a view to his dismissal.

“From the University’s perspective, it is important to note that the ICAC “did not consider it necessary to make any corruption prevention recommendations as the investigations did not raise any systemic issues,” Vice-Chancellor Annabelle Duncan said in a statement.

“This matter has now been dealt with by the appropriate authorities and it is not something on which I wish to dwell”, says Duncan.

ICAC will not be recommending criminal charges against Cassidy as his conduct involved disciplinary matters rather than criminal offences.

LOCALLY GROWN STYLES

MOVEMBER.COM

The Second Hand Bookshop warmly welcomes all Externals who are on Campus for the August Intensive Schools.

Please come and see us at our shop located in the Arcade above the top courtyard.

All our books are sold on behalf of other students and are priced at least 30% below current retail price.

We love adding new books to our stock, which we display on our web site at http://www.servicesune.com.au/une-bookshop-search.php The quicker you hand in your books the quicker we can list them and the quicker they sell.

Any queries or comments please contact us at: bookshop@services.une.edu.au Don’t forget postage is free (funded by your SSAF) to all students who provide their current UNE student number.

Cheers, The team at the Second Hand Bookshop 7

Ten Reasons to leave Australia for Canada (for 6 months or more):

O

n the theme of Holidays, what springs to mind is the working holiday I took to Canada after finishing my undergraduate Arts degree. “What?” I can hear you saying, “work is not a holiday!”

Well, you’re not entirely incorrect, but the fact of the matter is that shacking up in Whistler, Canada, in a ski resort town gives new meaning to the phrase “my life is better than your holiday” – a phrase often uttered at the end of a braggy drunk Facebook status update, or hashtagged #mylifeisbetterthanyourholiday along with a filtered selfie in ski goggles at the top of the mountain with a beer in hand. Sounds awful, right?

Google “Working Holiday Visa Canada” and thank me later, everyone.

Here’s the breakdown of reasons why:

1.

The snow. The anticipation in Fall (that’s Canadian Autumn for the players at home) as the days get shorter and colder, and in order to get through the rainy gloom of it all, you arm yourself with the knowledge that soon the mountain tops will be dusted with the beginnings of the coming winter season.

2.

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Snow-related activities. Snowboarding will get its own allocated number in the Ten Reasons, but not to be missed are such things as snowmobiling up a huge mountain for fondue. Drunkenly making snow angels outside your favourite pub also earns an honourable mention. One of my favourites is the good old fashioned walk home at night time in heavy snow. It's not like walking in the rain - it's about pulling your hood

up, playing something poignant on your iPod, and walking slowly up the hill soaking in the sheer beauty of it all, thinking happily of how good the next day up the mountain is going to be.

3.

The snowboarding. Learning was a bitch, and for the first 2 days up there, I honestly didn’t understand what all the fuss was about. Then I linked a turn or two and I was hooked. The satisfaction in learning something, in gradually enjoying the speed, in experiencing the phenomenon where the slopes of those green runs that were initially so scary almost flatten out to nothing, and you wonder why they used to torment you. In getting to the point where you can look at almost anything and think "yeah I could do that”. It feels so good to ride when it's all working and smooth and easy.

This from someone who hates sport almost indiscriminately.

4.

Après-ski. I'll just say it now: après should be a real thing everywhere. You know how they say "it's always 5 o'clock somewhere"?

Well, in Whistler they say it's always any time after 11 am somewhere. And you know they’re right.

Après-ski is from the French, meaning after skiing. It's something you do, well, after skiing (or snowboarding). Generally après is conducted in

ski gear. You go straight from the slopes to the bar. Sometimes (this is not for beginners) you can faux-après, which is basically stopping for a drink break, then put in a few more sneaky runs, then do real après. The beauty of it is that once you've been on the mountain, everything following counts as après. So you can, literally, après ski at 11am. It's been done.

5.

The working part of “working holiday” might not be the most glamourous or well-paid job you have in your life (in fact I can basically guarantee you you’ll be paid peanuts) but it will be where you make your friends, where you work out the barter system of Whistler hook-ups (I’m pretty sure when my younger brother lived in Whistler he went bungee jumping at no cost whenever he wanted), where you drag yourself in to indulge in a little of that camaraderie known fondly as “working with a hangover”. It will provide structure and a small amount of income to squander on payday jugs of beer.

snow trying to take a shortcut home.

8.

It’s not always winter there! Summer is a big thing, and there are downhill bikes and huge glacier-fed lakes and hiking and black bears to avoid. There are days that get light at 5am and stay light til 10pm, where everything is a colour of green Australia only dreams about. There’s the tan that sneaks up on you in a friendly way rather than kicking your sorry burned ass the way the Australian sun does.

9.

The bigger one, in the grand scheme: you realise that you really can be or do whatever you want. Traveling gives you the chance to be a different version of yourself- to let your inner wild child out or embrace the fitness freak you always wanted to be. To brave the strangers and belong to yourself. To let all the uni-learning settle in, or be informed by a perspective a little greater than the four walls of a lecture theatre. It’ll show you the best and the worst of humanity (that’s the taxi rank after a big night of clubbing). It’ll make you care a little more about the world you’re trying to save.

10.

Tim Hortons. Their French Vanilla coffee is dangerously sweet in a way that you don’t ever want to see the list of chemical ingredients involved. Their Tim Bits (doughnut holes) have to be purchased in the box of 50s and consumed ravenously. Their cheese bagels are the perfect breakfast food you never knew you always wanted.

Go to Canada. Pick a hockey team and pretend you understand the rules.

Learn to snowboard. Impress yourself and your friends at home with your new vocabulary where petrol becomes gas, mobiles become cell phones and toilets become washrooms.

Do it. You’ll never regret it.

6.

The generic but oh-so-true fact of traveling in general: you’ll meet people from everywhere, all drawn to share the common experience of life in a winter town, all there to make friends, all there to do something different and step outside of whichever inevitabilities lay in our future.

The travel opens the world up a little, even if it’s just to the point that you know for certain that there’s a Swedish woman on the other side of the world who is born on the exact same day as you and also isn’t quite sure what to be when she grows up. There are incredibly intelligent people who only want to talk about snow, to the point where it shocks you to keep in touch with them on Facebook once you both leave Whistler and realise they’re an amazing architect with extremely vocal left-leaning politics. You appreciate that you don’t have to like all the humans to get by in the world, but that if you try, you can find a good bunch of them that you don’t have to work that hard to make conversation with (this is high praise for what has become some of my very favourite people in the world, my group of Whistler friends).

7.

You do things you might not ever do otherwise, like climbing, bungee jumping, zip lining, taking an inflatable boat down a snow-fed river in Spring when it’s just cold enough you’d rather not fall in. Or like karaoke, or dancing in a cage at a nightclub, or ending up armpit deep in

Helen is studying Arts Management, and things that make her happy include chocolate milk, paper goods and 80s teen movies.

9

8 Essential College Films and TV Series

By Jacob Foley Looking for recommendations for something to watch on a quiet weeknight with friends? Here are eight movies and TV series that might pleasantly surprise you. Grab some takeaway, a couple of cold drinks, lounge back, and enjoy your holiday viewing!

Shaun of the Dead

of the Dead, Hot Fuzz is the second movie

drowning and bring her back to their cabin to

starring Simon Pegg and Nick Frost, this time

recover, the students misinterpret their good

with Simon playing the part of an A-lister in the London Metropolitan Police Service.

Reassigned to a peaceful village in the middle of the country by his superiors because “if we let you carry on running around town, you’ll continue to be exceptional... and we can’t have that. You’ll put us all out of a job”, Nicholas Angel starts to become suspicious of the district that has won the Village Of The Year award with surprising consistency.

gesture and attack them in an attempt to rescue their friend.

Shaun of the Dead is a romantic comedy... with zombies. After Shaun goes through a breakup with his long-term girlfriend Liz, he and his Waking up the next morning with the mother

Cabin in the Woods

of all hangovers, Shaun misses many of the

Remember walking down the horror aisle in

subtle clues that all is not quite right; cars are

the video store and looking at all the different

smashed, the streets are deserted, and the man

movie covers, and being amazed at the variety

on the telly is warning people to stay indoors,

of monsters featuring in these films? Cabin in

lock their doors, and under no circumstances

the Woods takes those movies and binds them

attempt to contact or save their loved ones.

together into one amazing movie concept that

best friend Ed go out to the pub to get drunk.

Liz, Shaun comes up with a cunning plan to

Tucker and Dale vs Evil

save Liz, go to the pub, and have a cold pint

A wickedly clever take on the traditional

while they wait for all this to blow over.

redneck horror plotline, Tucker and Dale vs

Seeing this as his cue to patch things up with

Evil is a reverse horror/comedy film in which two well-meaning hillbillies unwittingly terrify

Hot Fuzz

a group of

Taking a similar style of humour from Shaun

Tucker and Dale save one of the campers from

10

college students on a camping

trip in the West Virginian woodlands. After

actually explains them all. A group of college

students travel to a cabin in the remote

re-written. They use this to create tailored

wilderness for a weekend of wild partying.

personalities for people who signed contracts

Monty Python and the Holy Grail

When one of them discovers the diary of

permitting their bodies to be used by Rossum

Setting out on a quest to find the Holy Grail,

Patience Buckner and reads a ritualistic

King Arthur and his men face many challenges,

inscription from it, they inadvertently summon

such as a three-headed giant, The Black

her back from the dead. Sound clichéd so

Knight, The Bridge of Death, The Killer Rabbit

far? Meanwhile, watching all of this through

of Caerbannog, The Beast of Aaargh and The

hidden cameras, a group of scientists and

French. If you’re already familiar with Monty

engineers begin to celebrate a successful day

Python, you know they push sketch comedy

in the office...

into a league of its own. Monty Python and the Holy Grail is a wonderfully satirical and witty film that you won’t be able to resist quoting for

Firefly

Corporation as “actives”, and are sent out on

years to come.

difficult and sometimes dangerous assignments for wealthy clients. The series follows the actives of the Los Angeles dollhouse, the staff who run the operation, and the missing persons investigation which threatens to uncover the dollhouse.

The Shawshank Redemption When the war of independence is lost and

Regarded as one of the best movies of all time,

the rim planets are brought back under the

this is a gem of a movie that barely recouped

control of an iron-fisted government, Captain

its budget in the box office, but gained critical

Malcolm Reynolds escapes to the skies in

acclaim and the highest user vote of all time

Jacob is a PhD student at UNE with fond

his Firefly-class spaceship, starting a new

on the International Movie Database in the

memories of many nights spent watching good

life as a smuggler. Joining him are a crew

years to follow. Despite claims of innocence,

(and terrible) films with friends in college.

of talented, diverse and likeable individuals,

Andy Dufresne is convicted of murdering his

whose backstories and motives are gradually

wife and child and is sentenced to gaol. As a

revealed throughout the series. Running short

mild-mannered banker, Andy initially has a

on cash, the crew offer to take on passengers

great deal of difficulty settling in and is almost

at a backwater planet, and unknowingly bring

killed by his fellow inmates, but his fortunes

aboard someone who is the key to the many

change for the better when he befriends Red, a

dark secrets that the Universal Alliance would

prison contraband smuggler. Through a series

slaughter entire colonies to protect. You’ll

of intricate deals and arrangements, Andy

want to see “Serenity” afterwards, the movie

begins to secure his position while discovering

that wraps up this short series with a stunning

the extent of corruption in the prison.

conclusion.

Dollhouse A

powerful,

shadowy

corporation

has

developed a type of technology which allows a person’s memories to be captured and entirely 11

how to correctly use tinder part I

by Sam rutherford it a shot, test the waters. I mean, if your friends are doing it, it’s not weird, right?

I downloaded the app and set up a decidedly stoic profile. One picture.

First name. Age. Done. Given my preconceptions about it I figured that adding the usual dating site garb (“likes food, dislikes being on fire”,

I

etc.) was a bit superfluous, so I left everything else blank and got down to business. My first experience of swiping people was a strange one. don’t really know what I expected to find

What I was expecting to be a vapid, shallow process ended up being quite

when I joined Tinder. I had always heard it spoken of in

an involved one. Instead of judging people on their looks and making

hush tones, as a sordid backwater of hook-up culture; the late

snap decisions, which the app is obviously designed for, I found myself

night public bathroom of iPhone apps. Not only that, but the concept of

taking time with each person, analysing their photographs, trying to

it seemed disgustingly shallow; you see one, or maybe a small handful of

gauge whatever I could about their personality from their clothing,

pictures of a person, and from this tiny and heavily stylised glimpse of a

surroundings, etc. What could I infer from where they were in the photos,

person you either “swipe left” or “swipe right”, indicating what amounts

from what they were doing? What was the image they were trying to

to a yes or no, or ‘hot or not’ response. If the other person sees you as well

present of themselves by choosing the photos they did, and why would

and you both like the look of each other enough to swipe right, then you

they want to be seen that way? Often people presented their profile as a

have a “match” and you can talk to each other. It’s easy to see that with so

sort of puzzle, with all of their photos containing three or more people, so

few moving parts, so to speak, so few pieces of information to determine

you have to solve a spot-the-difference exercise to work out which one of

your potential chemistry with a person other than superficial physical

them the account actually belongs to. Sometimes you get someone with a

attraction, it would seem the perfect tool for finding casual sex, and not

goon bag and a ciggie in a VB singlet in the back of a ute, and that’s cute

much else. This is what I thought at least. How could anything meaningful

in its own special way. One person was actually knelt proudly next to a

possibly develop out of something so utterly surface level and fleeting?

dead fox nursing a rifle with a very proud smile on their face as the fox

I wasn’t interested in finding a one night stand, the handful of which I

slowly bled out around their knees (if you are reading this and this is you,

have had in the past being, although exciting, empty, void of intimacy, and

no offence meant, I spoke to several people who said they’d totally go for

ultimately unfulfilling. I mean, sex is great, obviously, but sex that means

that, apparently that’s way hot in certain circles, so stay fine fox killer).

something is infinitely better than meaningless sex.

Then there are the gym junkies, who are utterly intimidating, usually with multiple close-up shots of their chiselled abs.

In spite of all this, I discovered that a surprising number of my friends

12

were using it, with lesser or greater success, with the intention of forming

After working through my first batch of possibles, I’m pretty sure

actual real relationships. Having reached the outer limits of my circle of

I’d ‘ticked’ about 3 people, out of about 40. I’d set my standards pretty

friends, and my usual haunts being populated by the same beautiful but

high, and the part of me that found the whole thing horribly awkward

uninteresting or interesting but unavailable people, I thought I might give

and ridiculous was louder than the quickly diminishing part of me that

still thought this was a good idea. I hit the bottom of the Tinder pile (a

first exchange was a relief, and made me more confident about continuing

screen with your lonely face in the middle and the words “there is no

on my Tinder journey.

one new around you”, very encouraging.) with mixed feelings of relief,

After about a week I had seven or eight matches and was talking regularly

disappointment, and a perverse desire to keep playing, which is what

to most of them. I even had a coffee date lined up with the girl who was

they call it by the way, when you get a match they ask you if you’d like to

my first match. Things were going nicely. I started having regular lunches

“start chatting, or keep playing?”. Alas, I had no matches, and Tinder had

with a friend who was also on Tinder, and we would trade stories about

decided that I had played enough for the day, so I left it alone for a while.

our various interactions. It was exciting; it felt like we were on this inside of some exclusive group that you simply couldn’t understand if you weren’t

By the next morning I had two matches. Two very photogenic girls with

on Tinder. It had its own dynamics, its own subtle language, and it really

pretty neato interests were apparently feeling pretty good about me. I’ve

had the feeling of being something you could get ‘good’ at, a skill you could

gotta say, it felt pretty good. And a 66% success rate! NOT BAD! Pretty

practice and perfect, and THAT really grabbed me. I was no longer so

quickly though, I realised that I had to say something to one or both of

much interested in finding a partner, but in getting good at Tinder.

them before it got weird. And, of course, I immediately lost the ability to make coherent sentences. “Hey, how’s it going?” immediately looked sleazy

To be continued...

and loaded, far from the innocuous, innocent opening line I thought it was.

What if I added a smiley, though? It would make me seem less of a creeper, but more childish, which is probably not an attractive first impression...

Tinder suggested talking about one of our shared interests, which makes sense as they are literally the only pieces of information we have about each other, but it seems so contrived; I’m not 16 anymore, Black Books references are not the ice breakers they used to be. After typing out line after line and over-thinking each one to the brink of an anxiety attack, I put the phone down and agreed with myself that putting it off was the best course of action.

My phone beeped. I had a new Tinder message.

“Hey.” Of course! Hey! Simple and clean, not loaded with cultural baggage, just friendly and to the point.

“Hey, how’s your night going?”

Once the ice was broken it became much less of an uncomfortable experience. I almost forgot how weird it was, and we just talked like normal people for a good couple of hours. We bonded over how fucking cold it was and how great heaters were, we laughed at each other’s funnys

Illustration by Ruth Minkov

and got to know each other a little bit. It was nice. I figured I got lucky and had a good first impression; this wasn’t at all the kind of sordid experience I’d expected. Though, all I really had to go off were the tales my friends had told me, who were all female, and the Buzzfeed collections of terrible Tinder fails that, if you have spent more than 5 minutes on the internet, you’ve probably seen. I expected to be seen as ‘creep-until-proveninnocent’ simply because I was a guy and on Tinder, so this largely positive

13

comp315/515 choose your own adventure games Students in COMP315/515: Web and Internet Programming made a series of Choose Your Own Adventure Games as part of a projectstyle sequence of assignments, which were designed to gradually build up a complete web application as though it was going to be played by a group of users via the Internet.

The students who opted into publicising the links to their games are those that are actually quite curious to see what it would be like to play the part of a website administrator, game developer or web designer. By visiting the websites and playing these games, you’re actually contributing valuable experience to these developers in the

bonds

this is a story about how strong family bonds can be, and finding out what will push you to break those bonds. in a world that has lost its humanity, you must discover who to trust and just where your loyalties lie.

Bonds is the most relatable of all the CYOA games because it focuses around family within a semi-realistic context. Because it feels relatable the decisions were all easy to make—there was always one I felt I would actually make in that situation. I won’t give anything away, but my playthrough ended with me in a pretty bad way, and I wondered whether all the endings were as gloomy as this. After I replayed it a few times, I found that your decisions actually lead to drastically different outcomes, which is always exciting.

Bonds is split into multiple parts (only the first part is published at the moment), and most of the narrative paths have no endings, they just leave you hanging for the next edition. Interestingly, my first playthrough, the one I used the realistic choices in, was the only one I found with a definitive ending (read: death). So I guess I need to sharpen my skills to survive in an apocalyptic world.

As well as an intriguing story, the page-turn prompts kept me interested, egging me on with “Try to survive on the next page!” and “Run up the stairs to get out of this place!”

I really enjoyed the branching narrative of Bonds and I’d definitely like to play the next edition!

To play Bonds go to: http://turing.une.edu. au/~jpeisley/adventure/ 14

final year of their degrees.

These games are hosted on Turing, one of the virtual servers running on the school’s $58,000 server architecture. This system acts as a cloud hosting, storage and coding environment, providing software development facilities that complement the learning resources available on Moodle.

We reviewed the games put forward by students, and wrote a review of each of them. If you’re looking for a fun afternoon and want to help out fellow students, follow the links provided to play through these yourself. You’ll have a blast!

custodes draconium house on the hill the player awakes in an unfamiliar house, in complete darkness and is then regnum fored to make a series of hoices in an

you are a farmer with some knowledge in fighting that lives in the serpious attempt to escape from the house. can region. this fighting concerns you, but you survive the house on the hill? being a simple farmer you are unable House on the Hill is one of the most enigmatic and intriguing of the games, with its focus on spooky to do much about it. until now...

I’m a huge fan of dark fantasy stories, so Custodes appealed to me straight away! I love the morally ambiguous dragon-slayer king and the rebellion led against him, and I loved that in the midst of all this you were a simple farmer. My favourite games are RPGs that present you meaningful choices (no really, I’m writing my dissertation on them!), and Custodes gave me that in spades! Multiple story arcs, each with their own dilemmas and perspective on the fantasy world demanded a second and third playthrough, and each narrative path has a strong argument for being the one I consider canon.

One thing I found strange, and that I hope is either fixed or explained in a future update, is that one of the characters supposedly died early on in the game, but then spent the second half traveling with me. This didn’t get in the way of my enjoyment, however, and just made me suspect that there’s more at work in Custodes than meets the eye.

My one gripe with Custodes is that it’s riddled with spelling and grammar mistakes. But! The homepage says that these will be fixed in a future update, and the setting is so damn compelling that I really didn’t mind.

To play Custodes Draconium Regnum go to: http://turing.une.edu.au/~rlayland/adventure/

mysteries and suspicious happenings that are just as likely to be innocent misunderstandings as dangerous hazards.

I loved the innocent misunderstanding endings, like when that object that definitely seems like a gun turns out to be a TV remote, or when the ominous figure standing in your doorway turns out to be your mum. I thought these were a clever addition to the game to keep it interesting and keep players on their toes. The rest of the game reads almost like a nightmare: eerie but you’re not quite sure why, off-putting but you’re not quite sure how.

I replayed this game a few times because I wanted to understand all of the mysteries, and now I want a longer version of this to explore and really get stuck into.

To play House on the Hill go to: http://turing. une.edu.au/~mshirla2/adventure/

dragon! in batasia

in a magical world where dragons exist your village is being attacked constantly by a forest dragon who lives nearby. go save your village!

The strength of Dragon! comes from its incorporation of classic fantasy tropes and characters. There isn’t much story written, but players who are familiar with these classic stories will be able to fill in the blanks and construct their own story around the snippets of text the game provides.

Dragon! has some wonderfully funny choices and interesting narrative devices to make the game feel unique. How could I not pick: “Try to move the mountain aside using only your will”?

Unfortunately, “You fail miserably, you’re not a magician.” Oh well, can’t blame a girl for trying.

I especially appreciated the riddle, which I won’t give away the answer to, but rest assured that it shakes things up and appeals to players’ logic!

I like that there is no obviously “good” ending: Do you kill the dragon to protect your home and deal with the emotional turmoil from that, or do you trust that wounding it will be enough to scare it off? Whichever ending you choose, you’re made aware that there are negative aspects to it as well.

To play Dragon! in Batasia go to: http://turing. une.edu.au/~ashaw/adventure/

loopback

the reader follows the story of a mid to late twenties engineer who has stumbled upon a major discovery. the only problem is, waking up without a clue as to what is going in the reader is going to have to piece together a reality that is difficult to accept.

Science fiction, time travel, a mystery to be solved, a complex series of decisions and actions—what’s not to love!?

Loopback is a beautifully written story about your experiences with a mysterious machine and your willingness to use this technology for good.

If you’re familiar with sci-fi you should have some idea about how to get the best result from this game, but this doesn’t make it boring. Time travel keeps everything interested, making the complex choices loop back (hey, that’s the name of the game!) on themselves after certain actions.

The story graph was really interesting to study, and adds strength to Loopback’s construction: the connections between your choices can be seen clearly here. It’s especially interesting if you study the graph after multiple playthroughs, to see which choices lead to a branching narrative and which connect you to other, central pages.

To play Loopback go to: http://turing.une.edu.

au/~dbudden2/adventure/

maybe next time

the kings daughter, the beautiful princess, has been kidnapped by a group of goblins while journeying through the forest. the king has offered great wealth and nobility to the person who can rescue his daughter, and to your surprise has sent you.

My favourite thing about Maybe Next Time took me a long time to realise: (spoiler alert) there’s no way to save the princess! Or, if there is, I need another chance to find it. At first this made me feel cheated—the whole point of this game is to rescue her, just like any good fantasy story! The first few times she died, I immediately restarted the game, determined to do something different and save her. But as I kept seemingly failing, I realised that I enjoyed it. Despite the introduction revolving around your rescue mission, Maybe Next Time (I probably should have guessed from the title) is a story of survival in the face of overwhelming odds, wrapped up in the context of a search for a princess.

I haven’t had many narrative experiences that pitted you against these odds, and I found it invigorating! What could have been a bland rescue mission turned into a novel experience that made me feel like I’d tried something new.

To play Maybe Next Time go to: http://turing. une.edu.au/~sboland6/adventure/

billy-jack sleeper

take on the role of billy-jack sleeper, a 20 something unemployed, beer drinking, pot smoking, skirt chaser.

Billy-Jack Sleeper is as well-written as Loopback, and it’s the characterisation that benefits from this: even though I’m not a 20 something (okay, that part is true) unemployed, beer drinking (okay, also mostly true), pot smoking, skirt chaser, I really loved taking on the actions of this character because it was so well written!

Not only were the choices well-written, they were funny! When given the opportunity to hit on a beautiful blonde, I went for the sleazy option. As soon as I could, I sifted through my collection of Sweaty Housewives porn. Sexy. I also loved the twists throughout the game (not going to spoil them, just take my advice and hit on the blonde). My favourite way to “win” the game was

by gently turning down the advances of a fiery biker who then set me up with a bottomless tab.

I’m not sure whether these are really moral dilemmas, like the author claims, but I enjoyed having so much control over so many decisions in a CYOA game, which usually leave me feeling stuck on rails.

To play Billy-Jack Sleeper go to: http://turing. une.edu.au/~adebeijl/adventure/

nick the elf saves christmas

join nick the elf at the north pole as he prepares ... to join his dad on santa’s sleigh. but something is wrong and the big guy doesn’t show! can nick find santa and get this slegih on the road before it’s too late?

Initially I didn’t think I was going to enjoy the Christmas theme, but the prospect of solving the mystery of The Missing Santa won me over! Oh, and did I mention the dragon?!

Some of the choices were dead-ends that only lead you back to the “right” choice, but I enjoyed the way these were communicated: “You keep your eyes screwed shut, hoping it all goes away” leads to “It doesn’t!!!” and sets you back on track.

“You try tapping your ruby slippers together” leads to “What ruby slippers? You’re in bed remember. You are wearing a rather fetching night cap with a pom-pon attached to its floppy end.” These are the things that hold my interest in a CYOA game when I begin to get tired of reading and clicking.

Nick is wonderfully self-aware: if you make decisions that clearly go against the narrative, you’re presented with a page that only has one option, which reads: “A bit linear for a ChooseYour-Own-Adventure!?”

I’m disappointed that I didn’t encounter the dragon, but I guess that’s just incentive to go back and play it again!

To play Nick the Elf Saves Christmas go to: http:// turing.une.edu.au/~mjenki20/adventure/

reviews by alana young 15

Say Hello To My Little Friend

by James Boyce

H

olidays really are a lost art. By the time I sit down to write this, I’ve completed the work for my Bachelor of Arts degree and I’m just waiting for the results. Now, I’d like nothing more than to tell you that while I wait I’ll be lying on a beach somewhere with topless, dark-haired maidens pouring me scotch that’s older than they are while greased Eunuchs make sure that my cigars stay lit to help me not stress about it, but, instead, I’d like to introduce you to Erick, the little guy in the photo here.

You see, I’ve spent 4 years pushing through it and I don’t mind telling you, it’s been a tough slog. I’ve had a major car accident (the other driver went through a stop-sign showing off for his girlfriend… he lost her and the car), pretty heavy surgery and a number of bereavements along with a stack of other interpersonal and relationship problems. But every step of the way, Erick and his friends have been nice and close to help me get through it.

Yes, Erick is a model and yes that’s a $1 coin behind him... for scale.

No… I don’t talk to him… often…

Holidays are about getting yourself into a different headspace, letting the things that normally worry you, work and everything else go and thinking about something unrelated. Holidays are really a lost art, the word itself coming from the old holy-day which was when the church declared time was to be spent away from work and stress to focus on family and things that matter. The idea of spending a few weeks away from everything is relatively modern, when cheap travel allowed people to visit the beach for a couple of weeks and Unions demanded that people be able to spend more time with their families. With modern technology allowing us to be 16

connected to everyone every second of the day, we’ve forgotten how to take a break and focus on the things that matter. Hence, Erick!

Erick and his friends have been around with me for many years, since high school in fact. It doesn’t matter what has been going on, how intense my study has been, I’ve been able to turn around and add some colour to Erick and his friends. Whether for a few minutes or hours on end, my mind is completely shut to everything around me and all that matters is getting that brush perfectly into place to make sure that it doesn’t bleed into the wrong space. The house could be burning down and I wouldn’t notice, because all my attention is paid to that brush and that spot.

This is the sort of thing that everyone should have but few of us do. We spend so much time working, and rightly so, but if you take a few minutes here and there to let your mind go completely, you’ll get things done so much more effectively and so much more simply. I want to be clear, I’m not talking about a substitute for other de-stressing situations like taking time to hang with friends or relationships etc, but if you take 5 minutes when you feel like things are getting on top of you to just do something else, life will be a lot healthier. Some people listen to music, others talk to people, some paint models. Don’t let your work and study consumes your life, make sure you give yourself a little holiday. Lets rekindle the lost art and make life a little more interesting for everyone!

James is about to finish a Bachelor of Arts before starting a Master of Teaching.

He enjoys exploring as many new things as possible.

Welcome party for international students nEXUS aRTICLES FROM sTUDENTS FOR cHRIST Polly WONG T

A

ccording to UNE’s statistics office, over the course of Oct 2014, the Uni has had 1056 enrolments by international students from over 80 countries. The top countries for enrolments are China, Saudi Arabia, Bhutan and Vietnam.

For many of the international students it is their first time studying abroad!

Coming to Australia is their opportunity for gaining experience living in a foreign country and it is our privilege to meet and welcome them.

Getting to experience Australian culture and meeting Australians is a top priority for many of the international students, as they themselves indicate when they come to enrol.

Being in a country town is very exciting & challenging for many of them.

Showing our warmest welcome to the new international students and their families, helping them to have a positive first contact with our Australian culture & people are so significant!

With the full support and encouragement of the UNE International office, along with Orientation Week at Uni, there has been a Welcome Party twice a year since 2008, with bush dance, & multi-cultural entertainment provided by the international students. Each event has proved very popular and helped to reduce homesickness. UNE AIA (Buddy program) & St. Peter’s Anglican Cathedral- Overseas Student Ministry organized the Welcome Party together last July at the church hall. There were more than 200 students & their families as well as people from the community who came to meet students during the party.

Providing transport to the party, chatting with students and families, bringing salad & slices to share were each undertaken with good cheer and enjoyment by all. The upcoming Welcome Party and Bush Dance will be held again at the St. Peter’s church hall on Friday 27th February 2015 from 5:00pm to 8:00pm. BBQ sausages (halal) drinks & Australian slices will be provided. Good music, Free event. All are welcome.

For more information, or to offer help please contact UNE International Student Office, Events Officer, Ben Roberts, ESC, Events Officer, Lesley Niles or Polly Wong at email address- polly.wong@stpetersarmidale.org. au

his was ‘Students for Christ UNE’s’ First Year as a Club affiliated with UNESA. This was ‘Students for Christ UNE’s’ First Year as a Club affiliated with UNESA. As a new club we have certainly experienced challenges, but for the most part we have enjoyed good times!!

We started the year with a ‘Meet and Greet’ at Lazenby Hall. Take note that this will feature as SFC UNE’s ‘Beginning of the University Year’ event.

Our ‘Thursday Care Fellowship’ meetings are well underway. To say nothing more about the content, except that it is Divine, at this meeting we provide opportunities for students to lead in the capacity of a service leader/facilitator, worship leader and speaker/preacher. We believe that these opportunities contribute to the development of among other skills, organisation, teamwork, communication, punctuality, civilised debating :) and discussion moderating skills.

In July of this year our Big Outing was to Greenvalley Farm. The experience was for the most part, enjoyable!! By coincidence, we discovered our group’s other natural talents, many of our members have the ability to sing melodiously and in harmony. To the delight of the Green Valley Farm staff our ‘on the spot’ choir entertained staff and visitors there. We kept getting requests, but time did not permit, plus for singing engagements we generally charge by the hour... I’m only just kidding :D SFC UNE also enjoyed a BBQ and games day at Curtis Park in August.

All of this would not have been possible without Clubs and Societies – UNE. We also acknowledge the invaluable support of Pastor Dr David Logan (Senior Pastor of Armidale Community Church), Mr Trevor Collison and Staff (Xerox) and all members and friends of ‘Students for Christ UNE’.

Finally to our sweet Jesus Christ, THANK YOU!!!

For more information about us please visit www.sfc.aog.asn.au.

God Bless You! From, Yvonne Kafoa :) Students for Christ-UNE

17

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Check out the review of Gone Girl on pg. 20!

18

How an Unplugged Childhood Jump-Started My Life

By Amy Zimmerman

I

don’t own a laptop, tablet, or smart

fashioned in the best possible sense of the term.

phone. I use a PC to check my email

I was again reminded of my parents as I read

I remember learning how to tie trees to their

and type my assignments. I don’t have a

Johann Christoph Arnold’s newest book, Their

star pickets to make them grow straight, and over

Twitter account or a Facebook page. These are

Name Is Today: Reclaiming Childhood in a Hostile

time adjusting the knots, loosening the tension

choices I’ve made, and a reflection of the way

World. Arnold is an award-winning American

and finally removing the guiding strings to let

my parents raised me and my siblings – we were

author with over a million copies of his books

them stand tall on their own. A bucolic enough

home-schooled on a 5,500-acre property in the

in print in over 20 languages (I’ve read his Why

image – until I remind myself that Arnold is

Newstead hills.

Forgive? and several of his other titles – excellent

envisioning children, not trees, and technology

stuff). Their Name Is Today is his defence of every

as the force stunting their growth.

I’ll admit I sometimes feel like a bit of a Luddite

child’s right to the joy and wonder of childhood.

Their Name Is Today is about a lot more than

in the company of my plugged-in, ear-budded UNE classmates. But never for long. After all, as

In a chapter titled ‘Screening Out’, he quotes

the impact of technology on kids. And it’s not

I learned from a recent New York Times article,

an infant and toddler specialist who writes,

just written for parents or educators. Anyone

even Apple founder Steve Jobs never let his kids

‘The accessibility of screen devices has caused a

who encounters children will be enriched by its

use the iPad.

significant decline in children’s resilience, self-

gentle wisdom. I encourage you to read it – you’ll

determination, desire for hard work, and sense of

find it at Amazon and other booksellers, or from

‘We limit how much technology our kids use

pride in achievement. And socialization among

www.theirnameistoday.com. Who knows? You

at home,’ Jobs told reporter Nick Bilton. So what

children is becoming extinct.’2 Arnold, who is

may find yourself putting your smart phone away

did the Jobs family do instead? ‘Every evening

also a pastor and family counsellor, suggests the

(at least for a bit!) and, as Arnold says, tuning in

Steve made a point of having dinner at the big

cure lies in the outdoors, and in unstructured

to the ‘living, breathing wonders who are waiting

long table in their kitchen, discussing books and

play. ‘Hours spent alone in daydreams or in quiet,

for us to look up and notice them.’

history and a variety of things,’ a family friend

unstructured activities – preferably out in nature

told Bilton.1

– instil a sense of security and independence and provide a necessary lull in the rhythm of the day,’

He could have been describing my childhood.

he writes.3

My mom, a trained primary school teacher, and dad, a computer programmer, put us through

These days, between UNE and a part-time

our academic paces, read to us, challenged us to

job, there’s not much time for day-dreaming.

think about local and global current events – and

But I do sometimes miss my childhood haunts.

led us on numerous ‘paddock bashes’, campouts,

I miss planting orange trees, watering them,

tree-planting expeditions and the like. I credit

coaxing them through droughts and victoriously

them with giving me the tools to negotiate the

savouring the ripe fruit this time of year. I know

complexities of daily adult life.

a bit about the effort and commitment it takes to keep things growing. Maybe that’s why, when

My parents intentionally deprived me of

I read this Gaelic proverb that Arnold quotes, it

technology; we didn’t even have a TV in our

rang especially true: ‘It is not easy to straighten

house. I love them for it. They were (are) old-

in the oak the crook that grew in the sapling’.

1 ‘Steve Jobs Was a Low-Tech Parent,’ Nick

Bilton, 10 Sep 2014, New York Times. Source: http://www.nytimes.com/2014/09/11/fashion/steve-jobs-apple-was-a-low-tech-parent. html?_r=0 2 Rhonda Gillespie in Their Name Is Today:

Reclaiming Childhood in a Hostile World by Johann Christoph Arnold, Plough 2014, p. 48 3 Their Name Is Today, p 53

Amy is in her second year of on-campus studies towards a Bachelor of Arts/Bachelor of Business degree. When she can escape from her studies, she enjoys bushwalking and making new friends – and reading great books!

19

movie reviews Spoiler Alert

WITH HELEN AND STU Helen Taylor

So Stu, something about your text after Gone Girl last night gave me the feeling you maybe didn’t love it? “I hated it”, or something along those lines? How do you feel about it today?

Stu horsfield

I was weird... When I walked out I couldn’t properly articulate how I felt about it. It had so much going for it but it left this horrible taste in my mouth and I found that the only thing I could say about it was “I hate it.”

I love David Fincher’s movies, and this was really reminiscent of his all out psychological thrillers like The Game and Zodiac, and of course The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo. I grew up watching his movies, and this is one of his best, everything came together wonderfully. Rosamund Pike was incredible, Affleck was great too, actually the whole cast was great.

The story was good, with effective twists and good dialogue. If I’d seen this movie when I was 15 I would’ve loved it unconditionally, but I just...

I hated it.

There was no real depth to the characters, and any depth they went for was unconvincing at best, campy and uncomfortable at worst. Every character was effectively reduced to their agenda, with very little relatable, human element to them. It was all surface level, soap opera characterisation, and at its core, that’s all the story was too. It was kind of like a fast food cheeseburger; it looks delicious, and you might even really enjoy eating it, but its heavily processed artificial ingredients and utter lack of nutritional value leave you feeling a bit sick, and totally unsatisfied. I know you loved it though, what was your take on it?

Helen

I think I loved it because it pulled me in and tricked me and that hasn’t happened to me for a while, where the movie’s like “BAM, TWIST” and I’m like “WHAAAAAT”, you know? I get a bit complacent about movies, especially when I’ve watched a few in a row that are predictable.

All the points you make are fair ones, though- the characters were a little reduced to their parts. Because I haven’t read the book I’m reluctant to say the depth wasn’t there at all, although reviews of the book have made me think it’s more popular fiction than thriller.

I particularly love unexpected violence (just because, ok) and so the throat slitting later in the movie was of particular enjoyment to me. Is that weird to say? Are you cool with excessive blood?

20

Stu

Haha yeah I loved that scene too, even though (or maybe because) it was so over the top. Though, that little moment after she does it, where she’s knelt on the bed, looking like she’s about to cry. She’s teetering on the edge of falling apart, and then pulls herself together and continues on with her plan, that was probably the only convincing part of the whole movie. Pike should get the Oscar just for that little moment. This is what I mean, the acting was great, and even better for the fact that they did so much with such shitty one-dimensional characters. Also a triumph for Fincher, for apparently drastically improving upon the quality of the book (which I haven’t read either). Yet they could only do so much.

I agree the twists were great. But I have to say, I saw every one of them coming. One thing I really liked was how the most vital twist was so early in the movie. It’s as if they got a movie like The Usual Suspects, condensed it down, and added three more acts to it. Very ambitious, and they did a great job. I still hated it.

Helen

I must be a big old silly head for not predicting those twists... Ha. Or maybe you’re totally able to channel Fincher- an admirable skill. I’m happy to play naive movie-goer and be surprised at the bits with the twists.

I had to sit quietly in my room and stare at the wall after I watched it though, and I think that was about this need to like a character, or pick a side. So my brain really struggled with all the characters (exception being the sister who was awesome) being unlikeable in very real ways.

I’d tell people to go see it, for sure. It’s hard to discuss right afterwards, but in time you sort of figure out words again. The audience I saw it with was pretty subdued when we left, which is a victory of sorts. Who wouldn’t want to shut up all the people?

I liked it alright. I’d give it 2.5/5. Fence sitting. What do you feel about this?

Stu

Very fair. An immaculately polished turd, 2/5.

Editors’ Note: We do not support this review. Helen and Stu are wonderful reviewers; however, our love for this film is too strong not to mention anything.

Please watch this movie. And read the book too. Both are amazing. Ah Fincher, you’ve done it again.

Midnight screening 19/20 November @ Belgrave cinema Individual tickets $17. Double feature with Catching Fire $25.

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Volunteer with The Blue Shirts!

Help improve the on-campus experience for Your Student Community!

-Help plan and run events -Contribute your own ideas to build bigger and better events -Gain experience in teamwork -Meet new people & broaden your social network -Obtain points towards the New England Award Being a Blue Shirt is totally flexible. Some give a lot of time and others a little. Whatever you can manage makes a big difference!

All students are welcome. To register your interest or for further info, drop into Uni4Me (next to Grind + Squeeze Cafe), phone 6773 2506 or email uni4me@une.edu.au

Uni4Me Independent Advocacy Has the University Written to You? Might You be in Trouble?

PLAGIARISM TIP from Uni4Me

Uni4Me Independent Advocacy is here to help you.

Talking about you unit work, including assignments requirements, with other students is great for learning. There is nothing wrong with studying together and helping each other with the general knowledge and skills of the unit. The risk of plagiarism can arise if you cross the line into sharing your actual assessment work with fellow students - including just small parts of it.

If the University contacts you about: * * *

Plagiarism Misconduct Show Cause

Uni4Me INDEPENDENT Advocates can assist you to respond and work out an overall plan to get you back on track!

* Do NOT ever share your completed or near-completed assignments - or even small parts of them - with other students!

We are totally INDEPENDENT from the University. Anything you tell us in completely confidential.

* Do NOT ever ask a fellow student for their work or near-completed assignment work!

Uni4Me can also advise you about any APPEALS of assignment, exam or overall unit results.

It can be 'all too easy' when rushing to meet assignment deadlines, when the pressure is on and stress levels are high, to cross the line from gaining insight and inspiration to COPYING. Avoid this ONE plagiarism risk by NOT sharing assignments - simple as that.

We cannot always get the outcome you want, yet always do our best to help you improve your situation.

Drop into the Uni4Me office off the Top Courtyard, between Grind + Squeeze and TUNE-FM. Phones us on (02) 6773 2506 or email uni4me@une.edu.au

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* To increase your confidence about ALL risks and types of plagiarism do the Academic Integrity Module (AIM) of UNE101.

For more info about the AIM got to http://www.une.edu.au/current-students/resources/academic-skills/plagiarism

Stand out from the crowd!

Get practical experience in print, broadcast and social media all while completing your degree.

News TEam Cover UNE, national and international news as part of the 2015 news team. Reports will need to be able to commit to up to 2 x 2 hour shifts a week where you’ll report onair, social media and in print (we work out the shift roster when everyone knows their T1 timetables).

RADIO ANNOUNCER Sharpen your broadcasting skills by taking on a position as a on-air radio announcer with TuneFM. Broadcast on 106.9FM in Armidale and streamed lived over the world, being able to speak comfortably on air is a great boon to any resume.

Radio Shows Interested in doing a radio show where you can explore topics in-depth? Consider being part of a radio show team. Positions include on-air presenters, producers and technicians.

Music Team There’s a great team working behind the scenes at Tune reviewing and selecting the mountain of new music that comes in every week. Be part of the team that shapes the way TuneFM sounds.

Start building your resume now by sending an expression of interest* to: volunteers@tunefm.net *include details of what you’re studying and what sort of position you’re interested in.

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