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Contents _____f_____j__En__

are we coming back alive?

felix's pick of the top 15 millennial experiences

escape from it al

person and invention of the millennia

sporting evolution

discover the secret of the mousetrap's success

whatever happened to....

where next for the world's most profitable industry?

the history of the national film theatre

multiplayer: the way forward

20"

速 24

what does the next 1000 years hold in store?

The winner of the millennium poll competition was Peter Boyle. Congratulations: you are now the proud owner of a Sega Dreamcast, the latest word in console gaming. Please drop into the Felix office before the end of the week to collect your prize. Finished at last! This double issue of Felix has been a mammoth task and I hope you like it - I think the results of our poll say a lot about the average Imperial student, so make sure you read them. Many thanks to everyone who helped out on this edition - it wouldn't have been possible without you. In particular, thanks to: Tom Leggett, Ben Fisher, Helen Clark, Will Dugdale, James Holian, Ben Roe, Andy Vivian, Mark Jelinek, Russell Cummer, Gus Paul, John Clifford, Gareth Morgan, my parents (for their amazing knowledge of film and sports trivia) & Marie Nicholaou. Wishing you all a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year, Dave

FELIX

MILLENNIUM

Science Are we coming back alive? John Clifford examines what will really happen at midnight on December 31st, 1999 . . .

or those of you who don't yet know, the M i l l e n n i u m

In terms of actual physical cash to spend over the holidays,

B u g is a q u i r k of short sighted system designers who,

the B a n k of E n g l a n d has printed ÂŁ500 m i l l i o n in e x t ra notes,

back in the early days of computing, used only two

and the banks c l a i m to have special provisions in place in

digits f o r storing the year. W h i l s t this is fine for the

order to keep the machines stocked. However, as anyone who

changeovers in the 2 0 t h century, the designers had no way of

has tried using a cash machine over the C h r i s t m a s period has

knowing t h a t t h e i r systems w o u l d still be in use in the year

found, you're probably best off using S w i t c h .

2 0 0 0 , and so some systems w i l l consider the date 00 to be 1 9 0 0 , resulting in v a r io us w o r r y i n g outcomes. For example, in

Telephone networks are 1 0 0 % bug-free, but lines are usually j a m m e d round about midnight, so it could still be very d i f f i -

the U S , a w a t e r processing plant was put f o r w a r d to 2 0 0 0 and

cult to make that call home. A s for your home, very few house-

assumed t h a t no c h l o r i n e had been added to the w a t e r in 1 0 0

hold electronic systems a c t u a l l y have a date included, and the

years. Unfortunately, bugs such as this have a tendency to

worst consequence is likely to be your video f a i l i n g to tape that

linger in c o m p u t e r codes f o r a long time, so the only surefire

a l l - i m p o r t a n t Cliff R i c h a r d concert for y o u r m u m . E v e r y

way to test a system is to roll it f o r w a r d and see w h a t happens.

c lo u d . . .

The B r i t i s h government has put a lot of effort into ensur-

There are still concerns about the emergency services, and

ing t h a t the national in f r a s t r u c t u re is M i l l e n n i u m Bug proof.

although 9 9 9 services, Police and A m b u l a n c e are certified as

A s N i c k Ross has assured us, every public system has been

1 0 0 % blue, 4 2 % of fire brigades are amber, p a r t i c u l a r l y in

tested, and are all listed as blue under A c t i o n 2000's c o m p l i -

S c o t l a n d . There is also the danger that a u t o m a t i c b u r g l a r

ance system (arranged in a t r a f f i c light system, where, myste-

a l a r m s could flood police stations w i t h help c a l l s . M o s t Police

riously, blue replaces green.) Unfortunately, the government

forces, however, are being backed up by the A r m y , and all

is finding it h a r d e r to influence the private sector, where s m a l l businesses and trade are considered at risk. M o s t m a j o r s u p e r m a r k e t s are c e r t a in that they are free of the bug, so food supplies should be unaffected, but the economic effects of s m a l l e r businesses losing a number of com puter records are unpredictable. E l e c t r i c i t y supplies are also certified 1 0 0 % clear, w h i c h is j u s t as w e l l , as a number of companies and government offices have run worst case scenario t r i a l s w h i c h have involved s i m u l a t i n g a large power outage,

leave has been c a n c e l l e d . W h i l s t soldiers on B r i t a i n ' s streets may seem a little extreme, this is an area where risks cannot be t a k e n . So B r i t a i n seems able to look a f t e r itself, and a thorough assessment of all the risks has been undertaken, so hopefully we w i l l be prepared for the worst. B ut w h a t about other countries? A s w a s shown by Chernobyl, some mishaps know no national borders. P r o b a b l y the a r e a of most concern is t h a t of nuclear missiles and power. Russia is

and the results have shown that this can lead to d i s r u p t i o n to

ranked as just 3 4 % compliant, and has outdated systems, des-

computer networks, telephones and building c l i m a t e .

perately underfunded. The national i n f r a s t r u c t u r e could face

Possibly the w o r s t possible consequences of the M i l l e n n i u m

m a j o r problems f r o m the bug. Fortunately, n u c l e a r weapons

B u g w o u l d come f r o m public over-reaction. For example, the

control systems have been replaced and are now c o m p lia n t,

Y 2 0 0 0 C o m m u n i t y A c t i o n Network has advised people to

and Russia and the US have set up a j o i n t m o n i t o r i n g system

hoard at least three weeks w o r t h of food, just in case.

in order to ensure that there is no false detection of a strike,

Unfortunately, if enough people did so, this in itself would

resulting in a counter attack by either side. Equally, the

result in food shortages across the country. The same goes for

nuclear power sector is so outdated it is not believed to be at

water, and Ofwat are m o n i t o r i n g the system carefully, in case

any risk, as most cooling and control systems are not a c t u a l l y

people f i l l i n g baths and pans affects supply.

automated. However, other f o r m e r U S S R states, such as the

Equally, the U K b a n k ing sector has been certified 9 8 %

Ukraine, are cause for international concern, although these

c o m p lia n t , but A c t i o n 2 0 0 0 advises people to keep bank state-

are also believed to be so outdated that they are not at risk, at

ments, just in case of a loss of data. The problem is, if enough

least not f r o m the bug.

people decided to err on the side of caution and w i t h d r a w all of t h e i r money, or a sizeable amount, the banks would be

C h i n a is also rated 3 4 % ready, but also has a national infrastructure t h a t is not very dependent on computers.

forced to sell shares and holdings in order to make this money

However, most departments are f a l l i n g behind on preparations

a v a i l a b l e . If you remember your chaos theory, this could result

for the few systems that could be affected. The o f f i c i a l in

in a dip in share prices, and could cause a panic amongst

charge of the M i l l e n n i u m B u g in C h i n a said of the e le c t r ic it y

investors, who w o u l d sell t h e i r holdings, resulting in a huge

grid, "By order of the State C o u n c i l , it w i l l not f a i l . "

knock-on effect. Indeed, a number of floatations have been delayed until the New Year just in case. The effects of the fear

Hopefully our friends around the w o r l d w i l l experience the m i n i m u m of disruption f r o m the bug. B ut perhaps we're over-

of the bug on the f i n a n c i a l markets could be worse than the

looking the most i m p o r t a n t part of the m i l l e n n i u m , as many

bug itself.

people believe that the year 2 0 0 0 is the a n n i v e r s a r y of the

FELIX MILLENNIUM

h y y , o h o g g e e t h s

l ,

The J a p a n e s e .

5 m

& ( d

sect are

p l a n n i n g m i l l e n n i a l violence

, t

people feel the

reckon

is "a lot of

5 5 % of

s t

n o t h i n g " . It's h a r d to i m a g i n e w h y the other 4 5 % a r e g e t t i n g so e x c i t e d t h a t

c o m p l e t e d its 1 , 9 9 9 t h lap of the knocking

e s e a r c h by M i n i t e l last m o n t h

bit

p l a n e t has n e a r l y

since

Christ was

the M i d d l e E a s t . To be p e d a n t i c , a c a d e m i c s

w a s b o r n in

the

b a c k in ' 9 6 .

so we

to c a l e n d a r c h a n g e s in

have c e l e b r a t e d

also have to give or take a

5th of

! " # ! $ % . t

and will probably wake

a t least they'll w a k e

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the

( s

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A l t e r n a t i v e a n d new age types w i l l tell

M a r k and

has p r e d i c t e d it a l l .

, - s

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R e m e m b e r , she has

( + .

(( y

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again

T h a t geezer makes

0 .

on the N a t i o n a l don

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robes

1 d , 2 . 0 t

w i n the

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To get m o r e s p e c i f i c th an t h a t

(or w a s it a t e n n e r ? )

yet.

3 e ( t

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5 - s

FELIX MILLENNIUM

(( ?

" S o o n " , they say.

have to

the b o o k .

I'm

not k i d d i n g . Indeed, yo m a y a l r e a d y have a book a l o n g these

of R e v e l a t i o n d e s c r i b e s the

A p o c a l y p s e , 6 6 6 and all t h a t . M i n d

2 ,

Nazism and M a r x i s m

share s i m i l a r a p o c a l y p t i c v i s i o n a n d r h e t o r i c .

A & s

have one of those b o o k s too.

0 k

will c o m e b a c k to earth at the

delays on the

C DEFGH e

( r

reactor powering a

B m

c o n c e s s i o n at the

extension

Dome, and

( g

to the w r o n g kind of r a d i

to the size of a, er ... s m a l l t h i n g a n d

1 d

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dow n

get plenty of

s 0 t

yet. M a y b e eas ter n bloc

+ s

haven't been m a d e

c o m p l i a n t a n d will develop a life of t h e i r own at m i d n i g h t on

( s , h

the

p o p p e d t h e i r c l o g s a bit too s o o n . T h e y

If there's a sense of

2 - l

a d v a n c e w a r n i n g . W e won't go the w a y of the

If i n t e r n e t a c t i v i t y is a n y t h i n g to go by, D o o m s d a y

the Heaven's

milk delivered

a p o c a l y p t i c vision p r o c l a i m s a new " A g e of

s A w a r e n e s s " . W h e n w i l l this

S p o o k y . A n d she's not a d v o c a t i n g we

are g e t t i n g really w o r k e d

2 r

a t i o n on the line. W e l l , we can t r a c k bits of space

w o m a n ) c a l l e d J o h n , (or J o a n n a ) or knew s o m e o n e c a l l e d J o h n (or J o a n n a )

feel a bit of a nob g e t t i n g

afterwards.

M a y b e some space

that

do a better

-d

c r i t i c a l m o m e n t , l a n d i n g on the

news" look like spot on t o p i c a l a n a l y

sis and c o m m e n t . M y s t i c S m e g

w a s g o i n g to be o b l i t e r a t e d and f led t o w n .

t h a t w r o n g and h a v i n g to a r r a n g e to get

m a y d e c i d e to hasten t h e i r p r o g r e s s i o n into the

* s

6789 s

lines. In the bible, the

r f r i e n d s n o r t h of the b o r d e r w i l l c e l e b r a t e m o r e

siastically than

chap d e c i d e d

W o n d e r if he m o v e d b a c k in?

0 a

t h e i r vehicles",

v here,

2 -/ e

the

D e c e m b e r the 3 1 s t . T h e pros? A f i r e w o r k d i s p l a y to all others. Th e cons? A n n i h i l a t i o n of m o s t of the S o t h a t we don't go e x t i n c t estly

& t only g o t to go

solar eclipse when a certain designer

the w a r h e a d s be

b a c k into p l a c e later in

to t h a t

& t

& ( r ,

a w a y on

! "# ! $ % .

J g

race.

I m o dI

D a y and

Or better s t i l l , never.

W o r l d peace and all that. Have a good o n e !

( k

& s

to it all is Robbie W i l l i a m s ,

, s

hope the

r a t h e r th an

REM..

What's On So little time to go, so much to do. David Roberts runs an eye over your millennial options and lays them out in black and white over the next four pages . . .

ccording to all the advertising and promotional work in the world, the most important decision you'll make in your lifetime is where you'll be on New Year's Eve this year. Apparently, the place you are and the people you're with when Big Ben chimes to herald in the new millennium will be a life-defining moment that you'll be telling your grandchildren about in forty years time... Whether or not this actually turns out to be true remains to be seen - expect to find a lot of disappointed and dissatisfied people come January 1st - but nonetheless, everyone on the planet certainly seems to be taking this opportunity to organise some of the biggest - and most expensive - nights out of all time. So, what are your options? Well, firstly you're going to have to decide who you want to be with - much as the idea may appeal, the likelihood of getting hold of one or two tickets to Fabric or the Ministry or the Manics gig in Cardiff is pretty damn slim; the chances of all of your friends being able to get in too is practically non-existent (unless you've got some very good friends working in PR). And this brings us onto the real problem with many of the millennium celebrations on offer - most are based far more around a name and a concept than about actually having fun - what you're really buying into is the ability to say "I was there" rather than the likelihood of actually having a good time. Nowhere will this be more the case than Trafalgar Square. Come midnight, you can expect at least 100 000 people trying to pack themselves into a space fit for about 10 000, only avoiding hypothermia by virtue of the extreme density of bodies and an idiotic level of inebriation (assuming a massive fight hasn't broken out, forcing the police to clear the area). And whilst a massive club night might avoid the cold and the police presence (hopefully) it'll only exacerbate your sense of having been ripped-off big time, when dawn comes up and you realise that all your ÂŁ 2 0 0 has bought you is a fairly average Friday night out, surrounded by a hell of a lot of people that you don't know... Much as it may sound like it, however, I don't want to be a sourpuss, and I have no desire to put a damper on your millennium celebrations. One way and another, it will be a massive party, because practically everyone in the world wants it to be (even, for once, the British government - just look at the pub opening times...blimey). A l l I'm saying is that it's a night out that's worth thinking about a bit - so don't just buy a ticket to the most expensive bash you can find; this is one day in the year when biggest does not necessarily mean best. You could go clubbing and meet the girl of your dreams; you could go to your local with your mates and get so plastered that you don't sober up until the third week of term; or you could stay in with your boyfriend and have the best night of your lives (no, that's not what I mean, grow up). Like I said, as with most things in life, approached from the right angle, this random date in the calendar (dis-

tinguishable from all the rest purely because it begins a year with a lot of zeros in it) could be, to use the word of the moment, fantastic. Some of you will have had something planned for months, but don't despair if you haven't got a clue what you're doing yet (which I suspect is true for about 50% of us, myself included) - you've still got loads of time, and there's far less likelihood of being painfully disappointed. However, make-your-mind-up time does approach rapidly, so on the next few pages you'll find a handful of carefully selected examples, deigned to cover a broad cross-section of what's on offer. While I remember, one more quick note before I go on. As you'll notice, the recommendations are split reasonably equally between big name clubs and random personal events, and the two sets are written in hugely varying styles. The point of this is that the reason you're forking out a hundred quid to go to Gatecrasher or Cream or wherever is the DJ line-up and the reputation of the club - ie something reasonably physical. On the other hand, the reasons for going out with your mates is far more ethereal and attached to your state of mind. So, if you're still looking for inspiration, here is the official Felix selection of the top fifteen ways to see in the new millennium... FELIX MILLENNIUM

T I S D N and satellite link-ups have been deemed the order of the day by every promoter and manager in the land, with the nation's big names simply in too great a demand to actually make a physical appearance at every venue. S o , whether you're at B r i x t o n A c a d e m y , Cardiff Ice A r e n a or on Liverpool Pier, you can expect to here the same DJs playing the same sets. The idea might

E v e n t : M u l t i - s i t e dance test, featuring

E v e n t : N ight in with parents and v a r i -

not sound great, but it does offer the

ous aged relatives

Fatboy S l i m , Pete Tong, S a s h a

prospect of an a m a z i n g line-up at a

Price b r a c k e t : £ 0

and,

venue somewhere near you. Predictably

Rating :

most b i z z a r r e l y of a l l , The

•

pricey, although considering C r e a m ' s

Stereophonies Price b r a c k e t : £ 9 9

reputation I'm surprised it's not even

So, your mates have blown you out and

Rating :

higher.

that guy who said he could get tickets to

• • • •

Gatecrasher never came through. They w o n ' t let you back into halls, so there's

only one option left...parents. O K , so it's hardly your dream night out, but let's

E v e n t : DJ sets f r o m Dave S e a m a n and

try to make the most of it. F i r s t of a l l ,

J o h n Digweed, plus an 18th

enjoy this opportunity to get drunk at

century Italian garden setting

someone else's expense - if nothing else,

make for a highbrow all-nighter

Rating : •

•

it'll help to ease the pain of the dreaded party games (charades and pictionary,

Price bracket: £ 1 1 0

don't you just love 'e m) . Secondly, try to

•

wrestle control of the remote away f r o m If nothing else, Renaissance have cer-

your parents, p a r t i c u l a r l y if your m u m

t a i n l y opted for a much more o r i g i n a l

is a fan of Cliff R i c h a r d (he's bound to

night out than most of their c o m p e t i -

be all over the place on M i l l e n n i u m

E v e n t : Locate friend with large f l a t /

tors, and can also promise t h a t their

Eve).

parents on holiday / centrally

DJs w i l l at least be in the b u i l d i n g (very

friends probably aren't having much fun tonight - and they'll have paid upwards

I'm

sure).

Ultimately,

however,

Thirdly, realise that half your

heated b a r n . Buy large stash of

kind,

drink. Congregate. Be silly.

the line-up just isn't impressive enough

of a hundred quid for the experience.

Nice.

to justify the hefty price t a g .

See, there's always a silver lining...

Price b r a c k e t : £ 2 0 Rating :

• • • •

R Unless you somehow manage to get a massive

pile

tickets

C r e a m or

E v e n t : Evening in central London f o l -

riot police is not my idea of fun.

Gatecrasher, then the best option is sure-

lowed by firewall moving at 4 0 0

However, a night trying to squeeze your

ly going to be a houseparty - p a r t i c u l a r -

feet per second

way around Central London could be

ly if you aren't presently attached (as

P r i c e b r a c k e t : £ 0 (kinda)

made worthwhile by the opportunity to

New

Rating : •

watch a wall of flame lick down the

throw

Year parties have a tendency to relationships

somewhat

•

awry).

Thames at an idiotic rate, all in the

Drink is cheap, friends are aplenty, you

Anyone who decides to see in the m i l l e n -

can choose the m u s i c , and there's always

nium f r o m T r a f a l g a r Square definitely

quite sure how or why, but it definitely

a friendly piece of carpet to pass out on

needs their head examined - squashed

sounds like a sight that should not be

if it all gets a bit too m u c h .

into six inches square and surrounded by

missed.

FELIX MILLENNIUM

name of corporate publicity. I'm not

What's On The quest for the dream night-out continues, with clubbing, parties and your nearest and dearest all vying for attention . . . T

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FELIX MILLENNIUM

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£10 000

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Design for Life

If You Tolerate

This

s .

FELIX MILLENNIUM

s s

0 t

G et Away e t

ondon, w i t h o u t a doubt, is going to one of the most e x c i t i n g places to be this N e w Year. A r o u n d C h r i s t m a s , however, the selling of London to each and every c o u n t r y i m a g i n a b l e pays off, and a decent

p a r t of the e c o n o m y hinges on t o u r i s t s , in t h e i r thousands, descending on O x f o r d S t r e e t like a plague of locusts. No w o n der everyone opts to head home, and it'll p r o b a b l y be a l r i g h t for a couple of days w h i l e your parents t r y and r e m e m b e r w h a t you looked like before you left for IC - but then it starts. The s h o p p i n g , the p a n i c over where to be for C h r i s t m a s dinner. The hell of f i n d i n g the happiest turkey, enough c h a i r s , m a k i n g sure everyone has presents they are going to hate. If y o u ' r e p l a n n i n g on spending N e w Year in L o n d o n , w h y not take a d v a n t a g e of four m a j o r a i r p o r t s w h i l e you're here. If y o u ' r e the sort of person who people c a n ' t decide w h a t to buy for, then y o u ' r e halfway there. T h i n k of your h o l i d a y as being paid for by the t i m e you get b a c k . If not, then this is w h a t the c r e d i t c a r d was really meant for.

T W i t h e x c e l l e n t f e r r y connections to S p a i n ( A l g e r c i r a s ) and a network of r a i l w a y s l i n k i n g the m a j o r c i t i e s , M o r o c c o offers you both an insight into the lifestyle of an A r a b i c c o u n try, as w e l l as exposure to life at it's purest in the B e r b e r v i l lages of the H i g h A t l a s m o u n t a i n s . The food is g r e a t value for money, the hotels are cheap and p l e n t i f u l , t h e r e ' s a v a r i e d n i g h t l i f e , and this has to be the ideal place to do y o u r C h r i s t m a s s h o p p i n g . . . M a r r a k e c h is the i m p e r i a l city of M o r o c c o , and one of it's most i m p o r t a n t c u l t u r a l centres. It's f a m e d f o r its m a r -

organised into sections a c c o r d i n g to the types of goods s o l d ,

kets and f e s t i v a l s , and much of w h a t happens in M a r r a k e c h

w h i c h makes for easy e x p l o r i n g and s h o p p i n g . M o r o c c o ' s

revolves a r o u n d the P l a c e D j e m a a e l - F n a - a huge square in

biggest e xp o r t (if you d o n ' t include hashish) is leather, and

the m e d i n a (old section) of the city. By day, s t o r y t e l l e r s and

the q u a l i t y of the goods here is second to none. The streets of

snake c h a r m e r s set up here, but at n i g h t the a r e a really

the m e d i n a , despite being busy and o c c a s i o n a l l y s w a m p e d by

comes to life w i t h dozens of open a i r food sellers f i l l i n g the

t o u r groups, are w o r t h e x p l o r i n g . You w i l l get lost and you

sky w i t h m o u t h w a t e r i n g a r o m a s . F r o m one of the many

w i l l lose your sense of d i r e c t i o n , but y o u ' l l a l w a y s find some-

square-side restaurant s you can look over the P l a c e as it is

thing you w o n ' t expect, and y o u ' l l p r o b a b l y be sold something

set a l i g h t w i t h people and b a r b e c u e s .

you d o n ' t really w a n t .

M a r r a k e c h also offers some of the best souks (markets) in M o r o c c o , leading off f r o m streets around the square. Hotels

W h i l e many v i s i t o r s opt to v i s i t C a s a b l a n c a , inspired by visions f r o m the f i l m , the city itself is the c o m m e r c i a l and

a r o u n d the m e d i n a are inexpensive, and it is not hard to f i n d

industria l centre of M o r o c c o , and not the p l a c e to be if c a l m

a p l a c e w i t h a s w i m m i n g pool f o r about ÂŁ 5 a night per per-

and quiet are w h a t you seek. Retreat instead to the coastal

son. F r o m M a r r a k e c h you can opt to take a trek into the

city of M o h a m m e d i a , a place so d i f f e r e n t f r o m the rest of

H i g h A t l a s m o u n t a i n s - highly r e c o m m e n d e d f o r the chance

M o r o c c o y o u ' l l w o n d e r if you've w o k e n up in a d i f f e r e n t

to spend a night in a B e r b e r v i l l a g e . Y o u ' l l need a guide, and

country. M o h a m m e d i a is also insanely F r e n c h . W h i l e the

t h e r e ' s a 9 9 % c h a n c e t h a t y o u r f r i e n d l y hotel owner w i l l be

c o u n t r y ' s m a i n d r i n k is an e x c e l l e n t m i n t t e a m , here y o u ' l l

able to p o i n t you in the r i g h t d i r e c t i o n .

find most people r e l a x i n g over a f i l t e r coffee. Yes, this t r u l y

Fes is the oldest of the i m p e r i a l cities of M o r o c c o , and p e r h a p s its s y m b o l i c heart. It has also been the setting for a p o p u l a t i o n e x p l o s i o n , w i t h the new parts of the city s p r a w l i n g

is the executive oasis, a w a y f r o m the pressures of business life in C a s a b l a n c a . A w a y f r o m the cities, M o r o c c o can offer some e x c e l l e n t

out w e l l into the h i l l s i d e s around Fes. The upside is t h a t the

t r e k k i n g o p p o r t u n i t i e s into the H i g h A t l a s , the h i g h l i g h t of

m e d i n a of Fes e l - B a l i (old Fes) has remained untouched, w i t h

w h i c h is the T o d r a G o r g e , 3 0 0 m high and 1 0 m w i d e at it's

roughly 1 0 , 0 0 0 streets and alleys to e x p l o r e . The souks are

n a r r o w e s t point, c o m p l e t e w i t h c r y s t a l c l e a r river. Up into

FELIX MILLENNIUM

r t , o , t a , h d g

S y s

g s

t might not have helped you finish that vital essay or solve 17 across in last weeks crossword, but when it comes to hunting for bargain holidays, the internet is

Alternatively, try the websites of the two big student trav e el operators, STA (www.statravel.com) and USIT Campus (www.usitcampus.co.uk), who offer special flights and packZ

U VW t shops every broke students best friend. ST

ages to suit all desires and price ranges, from bargain week f

abound, under an increasingly bizarre set of names and web

ends away to six month treks. Although the prices may not be

addresses, but X TYt a few minutes should see you happily ensconsed in a matching set of flights to the destination of your dreams at a (reasonably) affordable price. So, where to begin? The most famous (and comprehenZ sive) of them all is lastminute.com, and whilst biggest might not necessarily mean cheapest, it's certainly hard to beat. So,

quite as good as some of those available through web-only services, they do tend to use some of the more reputable airZ lines. For example, USIT are currently running deals in assoZ

ciation with both S\[ [Yh Airways and North West Airlines, offering the following prices:

enter in your price range and preferred dates, and off you go.

With S :

Rome £115

As a guide line, here are a selection of the "to g o " prices

Madrid £109

Toulouse £115

S[\][^_` ab ], East Midlands airport seems to be the bargain

Sb \UW ij ^a £109 kl mnon £115 pW Wq ^ a £115 rst uvn £115

capital of the UK) and do not include airport taxes (which

Marseille £115

that were knocking around at the end of last week - note that all prices are for return flights from Heathrow (alternate air Z ports are usually cheaper, and if you live anywhere near

add roughly cd0 to European prices and £40-£50 to world Z

Milan £115

wide flights):

Munich £115

Amsterdam £ 4 1

~ Sb \{b|j s } 4 Sb \UW ij ^a £105 ~ SW [X [^g } ~ Cairo } 7

Madrid £77

Athens £135 Tel Aviv cwx5 With North West:

j gj j S Y n cwx7 zjs Angeles cdwx

New y \k cwx7

Numerous other options also exist, and you could find

Nics £90

£99 flights to practically anywhere in the world from the

Oslo £75

likes of cheapflights.com, bargainflights.co.uk and various

Mallorca £11 d

likeminded permutations of similar words - X TYt have your

Dublin £51

s £4 d \b_ Te £99 ~ Seoul } 9

bags packed and be prepared to leave the country tomorrow.

Dusseldorf £67

Stockholm cx0

have completely given up any chance of ever repaying their

Frankfurt £69

Stuttgart cx1

debts, and have instead decided to run some rather nice

Hanover £ 7 1

Tokyo £359

offers instead. \ ] T^t amongst these is the offer of a

Istanbul £109

Toronto cwx7

return trip to s for £45 at anytime, any day - with no

Jakarta £ 3 6 1

Venice £11 x

booking required, X TYt turn up at Waterloo and go.

Cologne £ 7 1

FELIX MILLENNIUM

Finally, there's one other way of leaving the country in haste - by train. Fortuitously, the lovely people at Eurostar

b b j

People e g hysics tells us that the rate of change of the universe is continually slowing - ever since the big bang, the size and temperature of the universe has been changing at an ever decreasing speed. However, a quick examination of the history of the last millennium would seem to suggest that, in human terms at least, the exact oppo site is in fact true. History', in terms of the passage of r events, moments of change and great discoveries, would seem to be passing at an ever increasing rate. On one hand, this century has seen more and bloodier wars than the rest of human history combined, whilst on the other, ground-breaking scientific and technological discoveries have turned every field of research on it's head. So, is the (admittedly ethereal) concept of 'history' really passing faster and faster as time passes, or is this belief t a trick of perception? v

The most obvious explanation of this feeling is the effect of media and record keeping. Before this millennia, history remains a sketchy and intuitive whilst some of the great civilisations (the Romans and s in particular) documented their achievements and conquests, much still remains trapped in misty uncertainty - .the Dark Ages are so called for good reason. Since the Norman conquest, however, British history has been more closely recorded, to such an extent that we can now chronicle the date and effect of every battle, law and discovery as pure fact. Moving into the twentieth century has seen an equally important change - the introduction of television, photography and radio (and particularly the ability to record and transmit directly 'from the field') has given every moderately significant change on the planet a sense of urgency and importance that has never before existed. An example: Henry VIII was married six times, beheading two of his wives and divorcing two others (disaffiliating his entire Kingdom from the Catholic Church in the process) - but do you think that raised even a hundredth of the interest that e Charles' separation generated four hundred years later? Similarly, bribery, corruption and deceit have been an integral part of British government since it's inception under King John, but the public only takes an active interest when live pictures of Johnathan Aitken or John o were broadcast into their living room. Media aside, however, this century has undoubtedly seen an unprecedented rate of technological discovery. The list of discoveries is endless, and practically every item that we would now describe as "everyday" or "essential" has come into exis tence since the foundation of this College, t ninety-five years ago. Why? Well, much can be tied into changes in economic and diplomatic interests. In the Victorian age, economic and political power was to be gained by taking over an untapped African or Asian nation and looting its natural and human resources. Similarly, wars were primarily won by the side with the most men (say what you like about great British victories, but the 'thin red line' was never the world's cleverest battle formation). In the twentieth century, this has all changed. The First World War mopped up all the remaining spaces on the

global map and taught the world's leaders that technological advantage was to be more important than numbers in the years to come. It also introduced the concept of 'total war' for the first time - no longer could a country go about it's normal business whilst fighting a few random wars overseas - war would now mean a complete reshaping of the nation, with long reaching repercussions (in this case, womens suffrage). A l l in all, it became obvious to political and business leaders alike that, in the years to come, power would belong to those with the technological advantage, and thus research became something to invest seriously in, not t as a hobby for the well educated. Ultimately, however, the real cause of increased change has been democracy and, more importantly, universal suffrage. Today, every man and woman on the planet feels it their right to set their sights as high as possible and strive to be the best. As a result, more and more people are challenging to out-strip their rivals in the research field, whilst the demand for greater and greater technological assistance in our everyday lives continues to push forward - after all, why do we want faster and faster cars, smaller and smaller mobile phones and bigger and bigger televisions if not to prove ourselves better and more successful than our neighbours? On the other hand, democracy has also lead to massively increased levels of dissatisfaction with our lives - we are taught that we should expect to become rich and famous (at least for fifteen minutes) and thus, when the reality turns out to be a routine 9 to 5 five b and a huge mortgage, unhappiness breeds resentment, leading to the extremism (and consequently bloody war) that has plagued this century. So, where next? With resources ultimately running out, famine on the increase and dissatisfaction seemingly on the increase t look at the former Soviet block for evidence) the chance of humanity ever reaching a state of happy equilibrium now seems further away than ever. Meanwhile, however, technological change continues to race forward, and thus the question is whether or not it can out-pace the forces of destruction... FELIX MILLENNIUM

Best Person

Martin Luther King Year

: 1929 - 1968

V o t e share : 4 8 %

Albert

Einstein

In deriving the Theory of Relativity, he re-wrote modern physics and opened up a new world.

Ghandi

n of the milennium? No contest. By any standards, Martin r King must go down in history as one of the bravest, influential and high-principled people ever to tread the face of the Earth. Forget n and the war of independence - it was King's never ending efforts that finally freed the blacks in the Southern US. He introduced the concept of equality, he won support and admiration across the board, he never wavered in his quest - and all this despite his certain belief that he would eventually be assassinated. He is the man we should all strive to be his belief in peaceful protest, even in the face of extreme provocation and violence, did far more than acts of even the most brutal terrorism ever could. My hero.

e King, a fervent believer in non-violent protest, he freed a sub-continent and the Indian people.

Nelson Mandela

For thirty years, the world's most famous prisoner. He introduced democracy to a cruel country.

SirIssac Newton

An apple fell on his head and he discovered gravity as a result. Why doesn't that happen to me?

Best Invention n that we study at Imperial College, the choice of the silicon chip as the most important invention of the milennia is perhaps unsurprising. It has utterly changed the shape of the planet in every social, economic and cultural term you care to think of. As the milennium bug problem has so clearly shown us, silicon chips are now everywhere - in cars, heating systems, the power grid, cookers, lifts, and, of course, the computers that are now a part of our everyday lives. Even our social lives are now computer controlled - t look at the phenomenal success of the n or the importance of computThe Silicon Chip er generated graphics in every modern movie. Quite simply, the chip (and the electronic sysYear : depends... tems it enabled) has changed the world more V o t e share : 3 6 % rapidly than any other discovery in history. invent fact tl Sliced Bread The Light Bulb Wonderbras Electricity , the work How much of your Oh dear, Imperial One of those items life is electrically can be a very sad that you really can't greatest invention of place at times. It's imagine living with- all time. If youv' e controlled? y so much only a high-tech out, made great by ever had the that you couldn't corset or bodice you a simple yet irre- munchies, you'll mu< understand. placeable design. know. live without it.

FELIX MILLENNIUM

ndoubtedly fer himself. 13

Sport From warrior to millionaire: the evolution of the modern sportsman. Felix examines the history of the professional athlete . . .

ny sport you care to name can have it's o r i g i n s t r a c e d back to a n c i e n t s k i l l s . S o m e are i n c r e d i b l y obvious, like the j a v e l i n , archery, cross c o u n t r y and s w i m m i n g . S o m e are more obscure (who

t h o u g h t up c u r l i n g f o r G o d ' s s a k e ? ) . B u t all are linked by t h a t a n c i e n t need to hone your battle and s u r v i v a l s k i l l s t h r o u g h one-on-one or t e a m t r a i n i n g . C o m p l e x rules and codes j u s t develop f r o m there - f o r e x a m p l e , an a n c i e n t game of m a s c o t r y i n v o l v i n g rival v i l l a g e s b a t t l i n g over a pigs b l a d der and a t t e m p t i n g to get this " b a l l " into the oppositions v i l lage s l o w l y develops onto a s p e c i f i c p l a y i n g a r e a (probably because the v i l l a g e r s wives got fed up w i t h having to tidy up a f t e r the m a t c h ) , then a s p e c i f i c n u m b e r of players, then the concept of f o u l s , then a ref....and eventually you end up w i t h something w h i c h looks like the m o d e r n game of rugby. S o m e w h e r e a l o n g the way, however, the players also develop f r o m a bunch of locals s p o i l i n g for a f i g h t into genuine s p o r t s m e n , w h o care about t h e i r kit, t h e i r p i t c h , t h e i r fitness and a l l the rest. Even in a n c i e n t t i m e s , this was known to be the case, w i t h a l l the best runners, j a v e l i n t h r o w e r s etc etc e a r n i n g positions of respect and honour a m o n g s t a n c i e n t G r e e k and Roman c i v i l i s a t i o n s . To p e r f o r m w e l l in s p o r t i n g contests ( p a r t i c u l a r l y the o r i g i n a l O l y m p i c s )

more e x h i l a r a t i n g than seeing two i n c r e d i b l y tough men beat-

was to s h o w y o u r w o r t h as a s o l d i e r and a w a r r i o r , and thus

ing the living d a y l i g h t s out of each other. S i m i l a r l y , it's the

you w o u l d instantly g a r n e r a better s t a n d a r d of life.

reason t h a t the likes of J o h n M c E n r o e , E d d i e I r v i n e and

S i m i l a r l y , good p e r f o r m a n c e s in any m a r k e t a b l e modern day

V i n n i e J o n e s are so p o p u l a r - they take the game so seriously

m a t c h or tie w i l l result in increased reputation and a d u l a t i o n

that they'l l c o m p l e t e l y b l o w t h e i r top if they d o n ' t t h i n k they

- j u s t look at the c u l t status w h i c h the entire U n it e d squad

(or those a r o u n d them) have p e r f o r m e d as w e l l as they

are ( i n c o m p r e h e n s i b l y ) held in for proof.

should. W h i c h , a g a i n , is fine, until it starts to get in the way

S o m e w h e r e a l o n g the way, however, it a l l seems to have gotten out of h a n d . In many sports, the professional elite

of those w h o are s i m p l y the best. If you w a n t to be the best, the w o r l d now forces you to become a " p e r s o n a l i t y " at the

m a k e a decent income and are deeply respected by t h e i r c o n -

same t i m e . Those who s i m p l y w a n t to t u r n up f o r w o r k , w i n

t e m p o r a r i e s - an ideal state of a f f a i r s . In the m a j o r sports,

the c o m p e t i t i o n and then go home a g a i n are d a m n e d - just

however, the best m a k e i d i o t i c s a l a r i e s (if you t h i n k t h a t Roy

look at the way the likes of Pete S a m p r a s , M o s e s K i p t a n u i ,

K e a n e ' s £ 5 2 0 0 0 a week is silly, just r e m e m b e r t h a t in the

M i c h a e l A t h e r t o n and M i k a H a k k i n e n are t r e a t e d - despite

US t h a t w o u l d be considered p a l t r y - the top b a s k e t b a l l , foot-

being some of the best players in t h e i r f i e l d (or, in the case of

b a l l , b a s e b a l l and hockey players earn well over £ 1 0 m i l l i o n

S a m p r a s , one of the best of all time) they are regarded as

a year) and are the biggest stars in the l a n d . The p r o b l e m is

dull and u n l i k a b l e non-entities.

that, to many, w i n n i n g or losing doesn't seem to m a t t e r so much any more - w h a t really counts is t h e i r personal value

The root of all this is, of course, the massive a m o u n t of money w h i c h w o r l d w i d e T V rights can now g e n e r a t e . M o n e y

and r e p u t a t i o n . In the nineties, w h i c h does the professional

owns sport a n d , most p r o b l e m a t i c a l l y , money buys v i c t o r y . In

f o o t b a l l e r care a b o u t m o r e , his t e a m w i n n i n g or his own per-

the U K , £ 2 0 m i l l i o n bought a P r e m i e r s h i p t i t l e f o r

f o r m a n c e ? A n d w h i c h does the C h a i r m a n care about m o r e ,

B l a c k b u r n ; in the U S , Rupert M u r d o c h is t r y i n g v a l i a n t l y to

league t i t l e s or share p r i c e s ?

pump so much money into the L A Dodgers t h a t they c a n ' t

S p o r t isn't the p u r s u i t of excellenc e any more, it is, as pro w r e s t l i n g realise d many years ago, " S p o r t s

lose, w h i l s t t h e i r refusal to pay t h e i r c o a c h $ 1 m i l l i o n a year eventually cost the C h i c a g o B u l l s m a n a g e m e n t the best bas-

E n t e r t a i n m e n t " . T h i s , in itself, isn't necessarily a bad t h i n g -

ketball squad in history. W i t h the rate at w h i c h t r a n s f e r fees

a f t e r a l l , in return for our £ 1 2 0 0 season t i c k e t or £ 3 0 0 S k y

and s a l a r i e s are c u r r e n t l y s p i r a l l i n g , the only question seems

S p o r t s s u b s c r i p t i o n we expect to be entertained and

to be: where w i l l it all end? The a n s w e r is i m p o s s i b l e to fore-

e n t h r a l l e d by the spectacle laid out in f r o n t of us (otherwise

see (unless you are Rupert M u r d o c h or his a c c o u n t a n t ) , but

w e ' d all j u s t spend t h a t money in the pub). This is the reason

it's one t h a t the n e x t decade w i l l have to f i n d a s o l u t i o n to -

why p r o f e s s i o n a l boxers continue to be the w o r l d ' s highest

otherwise T i g e r W o o d s w i l l retire as p r o f e s s i o n a l sports f i r s t

paid s p o r t s m e n - deep w i t h i n the h u m a n heart, nothing is

billionaire...

FELIX

MILLENNIUM

Best Sportsperson He was cocky, he was arrogant, he had a huge mouth. But he was entitled to be this way, because he really was that good. Ali's mastery of his chosen sport was awesome - and to this day he remains a sporting icon, despite the continually waning interest in boxing as a whole. Moreover, despite losing the prime years of his career through his refusal to fight in Vietnam, he still became undisputed champion on four separate occasions. The Thriller in Manilla and especially The Rumble in the Jungle will go down in the annals of the sport as some of the greatest bouts of all time, and no matter who owns what belts on what day, Ali will always be remembered as The Champion. Even crippled ¡¢£¤¥¦ ¤§ by s Disease, he still remains a giant figure, lauded wherever he goes.

Mohammed Ali Year : B o m 1942 V ote share : 3 4 %

Pele

George Best

Sadly, a great football player has now become a laughing stock, thanks to a drink problem.

The best footballer ever, he steered his national team to three World Cups in twelve years.

Bobby Moore

England's best makes it three footballers in a row. All together, "they think it's all over....."

As a y''oup

ol primarily

Don Bradman

The Don was so much better than his contemporaries that you wonder why they bothered.

from v:

Best Sport

1 Of

With one of the most predictable results of this entire contest, Football takes the accolade of Best Sport of the Millennium without batting ¡ ¨© £¨ ªª an eyelid. y the only sport to be played everywhere on the planet, the beauty of footy (or soccer, if you really must) is its innate ¯¡ simplicity. A pair of « ¬ ® s or a couple of handily placed trees, a ball, pretty much any number of players and/or teams, and away you go. Try doing the same thing with American football or cricket and I think you'll get the point. Thanks to billions of fans, football is also the most profitable game in the world, offering zero-prospect kids the chance to make it big ± ²³ and become a celebrity ° t look at David Beckham). American's might argue, but football always will be the world's game.

4$ x-sr-

Football Year V o t e share

Eternal

58%

Fishing i K i r wt>, f i • nc,, , µ partkipati' is tribal instinct !.. only a few short steps from 1

ard the rules reall> be simpler (you ne.e! lots of fish). Why, 1 so unpopular? Wei ¥ pally it's « ¬ t so g ¡¦ dull. ¶ ¬ ®s sit aro stick for what se ¥ days on end, « ¬ t w a tell-tale quiverir

il srt; is it :

princicfi iti

id their is

ing lor In the ,j lecta

Rugby

A different shaped ball and a different class of competitor make for an intense physical battle. But we still can't win.

FELIX MILLENNIUM

Tennis

oving into more gentlemanly territory, tennis is an innately British game, complete with strict dress code.

Formula One

Charging around a concrete track at speeds of 200mph. And lots of exciting pitstops and engine blow-outs.

Hockey

¦ ªª The ´« y hockey sticks" image belies an incredibly violent sport. Those balls can really hurt you know...

tor sport - this on

doesn't

even

oisky

make., it o

ipr day

that they make it at tlympic | A truly, truly s

ful way ,iid like

Arts Mousetrap

t n

n old fashioned play, done the old fashioned way. The Mousetrap, written by Dame Agatha Christie. The longest running play in the world. For almost 5% of nights this millennium, The Mousetrap has performed. It opened at the Ambassadors Theatre on 25th ¹ November 1952, ·¸ ·º» ¼t to the St Martin's, where it remained for 21 years, transferring on Monday 25th March without missing a performance. At the time of writing the show was about to be performed for the 19577th time. To put this in perspective, the biggest competition comes from The Fantastics - a small musical in Broadway - who are currently celebrating their 36th year. I met David Turner - the current director - at the Theatre and was met by a friendly agreeable ¹ ½¾ man, making witty »s about Felix being a cat food. On asking him of the secret of such a long, unprecedented success he pointed to the tremendous cross section of society which the play appeals to. The mystery and suspense involved in the classic whodunit seems to cross the boundaries of class, age and culture better than other genres. Agatha Christie says "It is the sort of play which you can take almost anyone to. It is not really frightening. It is not really horrible. It is not really a

Richard Attenborough and Sheila Sim 1952

Jonathan Markwood and Sian Howard 1999

Old fashioned and escapist - a good yarn. It's tried and tested, many many thousands have seen it and loved it. This achievement is unique and the real reason behind it remains a mys½ tery. ¿À ¼g to see the Mousetrap has made the transition between becoming a popular play and becoming one of the ÃÄÄ ½ ¼g on such a "things you do" when going to visit ÁÀ ¼¸À ¼. Â long run raises a number of unique difficulties. Actors are becoming more and more reluctant to work in the theatre, let alone for such a long time. Another problem is that the play is dismissed by many for being popular - and therefore bad. The high-brow attitude is real and, perhaps, understandable. But there is no denying that this play entertains. The ability to tell a story, to reach out and grab the audience. This is the theatrical equivalent of a "page turner". This is all The Mousetrap has ever tried to be and do Å it seems that nothing in the world of theatre has done it so well. The need for respecting every new actor (and there have been loads) as an individual must be balÄ anced with the fact that " a play that is celebrating its ÆÇ h year obviously works". The formula has been proved to work, and it aint changing! In response to the big question - how

farce, but it has a little bit of all these things and perhaps that satisfies a lot of different people." Amazingly, when the play opened, it was categorised as "pass for adults only", Those on the certification board would probably collapse if they were to sit through the likes of Shopping and Fucking , Rent or Closer. But this is a different world - the play is of a different world.

long left, the Director gave nothing away - "we expect to get at least another twenty years". If it does manage another twenty it is hard to see any other play ever beating it. The ¹ ÃÈ Mousetrap t got it right at the right time Å it had to be a whodunit and it had to be in ÁÀ ¼¸À ¼. I confessed at the end of the interview and admitted to not seeing the play. His reply? "I'm glad someone hasn't"

FELIX MILLENNIUM

Best Play Shakespeare's

shortest play wins the top slot

but it w a s a g e n e r a l w i n a l l over t h e vote f o r t h e man

himself.

indulge

case

anyone

in a b i t t o o m u c h

is t e m p t e d

to drink this new

year, heed these w o r d s of advice to the guys alcohol wise

- from the

ÉÊËÌÍr

castle...

provokes

sir, it provokes,

and unprovokes:

formance.

from J

iok a i

much drink may be said

laioyd W f b b e i

him,

w i t h if

him

years).

Therefore

ÝÞßà

and it mars

Ù Ö×Ø ×ÚÛÜ

it makes

sets him on, and takes

it persuades

clusion,

ÝÞßà

him, and disheartens

ãáà

equivocates

him in a sleep, and, giv-

plays - '

him...

ä å æç ç up

• voted

fo.r.....ya è

ing him the lie, leaves

ha:

Qui

in con-

makes him stand to, and not stand

Year : 1606(?) Vote share : 38%

the desire, but takes away the per-

to be an equivocator

Macbeth

at the post as

last 1 0 .

ÎÎÎÏÐÑÒÐÓÔÕ

ââ á à

pipped

Macbeth's

I'm s i r

harsh,

rants

loved

it.

Midsummers-

Othello

Night Dream ...then, .what

fools

mortals

loved not wisely too

Even a brimming

under the bed -

but dropeth as the

what's

gentle rain from

well...

spread

underclothes

piss pot

mercy is not strained

but

Amadeus

the floor.

...The quality of

must you

speak of one who

these

be...

The Merchant of Venice

than

Heaven...

real

that..?

çé.

his

most

His was

J e s u s {: • what a self

l o a r l o1 .

q u a il'-aa

.utrlved,

t w e e c:

Best Art Work The

C h a p e l , in R o m e , w a s b u i l t between the

ëìí1

y e a r s of 1 4 7 5 a n d IV.

A d o r n i n g the chapel

tracing

Christ's

life,

from

born to the assention.

The Creation

ñòóã

of Adam

Judgement A

î ï ðe

Sixtus

are paintings

t h e d a y he w a s

Michelangelo

painted

o n t h e c e i l i n g a n d The

on the W e s t w a l l .

common

misconception

and

overwh

This

left

the artist

fact part

in a g o n y .

he s t o o d of f o u r

bent

Modern

a r t is c e r t a i n l y n o t

popular

herç

He did have

votes Tale"

It h a s been

reno-

vated only a few years ago using n e w techniques

which

uncovered

the original

entur-

ous lot

brush

strokes.

/ere a

surp risi:

seven w o r k e r s to help, b u t fired t h e m a l l f o r of c o m p e t e n c e .

io c o n f o r the (con

years.

their

lack

art -

e v e r y b o d y h.

fidence

f o r the best

aiimals

that

b a c k , w h e r e a s in a c t u a l

Year : 1508 - 12 Vote share : 26%

don't chop i

M i c h e l a n g e l o painted the ceiling lying on his

backwards

Sistine Chapel

under

walls

Oth mutiiai>,

,•

nly two

t h a t ha

Mona Lisa Da Vinci

The

ambiguous

Water Lillies Monet

Just

one part

smile that leaves no

series

one

sionist

going

sure

what's

through

her

mind.

FELIX MILLENNIUM

the

ôõööõ

impres-

pain tin g s of artists

of a

÷øËùÍúû.

own

Bayeux Tapestry

buildings.

Sun Flowers Van Gogh

yes

He lived in poverty,

conquest,

including

misery and madness

through

- his paintings n o w

building.

sell

hire th

arrow

the

eye

Harold.

for

King

for

Millions,

funny world.

two

Millennium

üýþ ÿ

worst mium •

you guessed

Depicts the N o r m a n

the

The

b u i l d i n g s o!

Dome

Maybe

right: The and our

should

s Eve...

Books d e

ideo m a y n o t have killed the radio star b u t it has c e r t a i n l y h a d a d e t r i m e n t a l effect on the author. The last century w a s filled with great

authors

and classic novels that have stood the test of

time- a feat m a d e f a r more impressive by the fact that

their

social relevancy and realism disappeared decades ago, along with the worlds f r o m which they emanated.

However,

this

century - or more importantly, the post w a r years - has failed to p r o d u c e a n y w o r k s of c o m p a r a b l e stature.

Sure,

every y e a r a f e w decent novels appear, pick up a f e w prizes...and then promptly disappear again. No post-war n o v e l w o u l d s e e m t o h a v e a n y t h i n g l i k e t h e l o n g e v i t y of, say, the w o r k s of D i c k e n s , H a r d y or the Brontes.

But why...

F i r s t l y , there has been a c h a n g e in e c o n o m i c s . T h e best w a y t o m a k e y o u r f o r t u n e is n o t b y w r i t i n g t i m e l e s s c l a s s i c s t h a t w i l l be h o u s e h o l d items f o r the next h u n d r e d

years...or

r a t h e r it isn't the w a y to b e c o m e s u c c e s s f u l in the short g companies aren't looking f o r the next or Dostoyevsky they're l o o k i n g f o r a Terry

term.

Hemingway ,

whose

Bridget Jones or Bill Bryson - prolific authors

r e l e a s e s a r e g u a r a n t e e d to go t o n u m b e r o n e in t h e

b e s t - s e l l e r c h a r t s , w h o w i l l s e l l m a s s e s o f c o p i e s in s u p e r m a r k e t s a s w e l l a s b o o k s h o p s , a n d w h o w i l l b e t h e t o f endless f e a t u r e s in the S u n d a y

supplements.

works

of t i m e l e s s f i c t i o n d e f i n i t e l y need n o t a p p l y . So, does this inherently mean that the publishing world is l o o k i n g t o " d u m b d o w n " t h e p l a n e t ?

W e l l , n o . N o one ever

b o u g h t Dostoyevsky's b o o k s w e n he w a s a l i v e , a n d I v e r y m u c h d o u b t that anyone w a n t e d to give h i m a ÂŁ10 0 0 0 0 o n Crime and F o r that matter, the likes

advance

of e

E l l i o t and the Bronte sisters made very

they do pay w e l l . T h e real p r o b l e m , however,

is t h a t t h e

potential f o r m o v i e a d a p t a t i o n s has led an i n c r e a s i n g n u m ber of w r i t e r s to d e l i b e r a t e l y w r i t e f o r t h e s c r e e n . J o h n

little

m o n e y o u t o f t h e i r w o r k s , a n d l i v e d o u t t h e i r l i v e s in r e l a t i v e

m a n d T o m C l a n c e y a r e n o w in the h a b i t of s e l l i n g the

o b s c u r i t y - even F S c o t t F i t z g e r a l d , f r e q u e n t l y cited as one

script rights before they actually write the book, w h i c h

of t h e m o s t i m p o r t a n t U S a u t h o r s of t h e c e n t u r y , d i e d f o r -

h e l p b u t a l t e r t h e i r s t y l e ( O K , so t h e y w e r e h a r d l y T o l s t o y in

gotten a n d penniless. e m a n y of the great painters, they

the f i r s t p l a c e , b u t y o u g e t the p o i n t ) , w h i l s t t h e q u a l i t y of

only found celebrity and widespread a c c l a i m after

can't

M i c h a e l C r i c h t o n ' s output has col l aps e d since the m a k i n g of !" - Hollywood wants big thrills and romance,

their

Jurassic

death, " rediscovered " by the c r i t i c s a n d the p u b l i c a l i k e . C o n s e q u e n t l y , it's h a r d l y s u r p r i s i n g t h a t p u b l i s h e r s a r e n ' t

not an interesting c o m m e n t a r y on the d a n g e r s of playin g

l o o k i n g f o r w o r k s o f t h i s t y p e - it's t n o t p r o f i t a b l e .

with

M o r e o v e r , h o w e v e r , a u t h o r s h a v e b e c o m e so m u c h h a p p i e r t o

science.

Thirdly and finally, the audience has changed. The aver-

a l t e r t h e i r s t y l e t o f i t t h e m o n e y . F o r so m a n y , w r i t i n g is n o w

age reader has changed f r o m a m e m b e r of the upper

a profession, not a hobby - hardly something that

into the r a n d o m m a n on the street, b u t m e a n w h i l e the rate

anyone

should be b l a m e d for, b u t nonetheless the root of m a n y

prob-

at w h i c h w e purchase books has r a d i c a l l y d i m i n i s h e d . W e now buy books f o r holidays a n d long train # , not for

lems. T h e s e c o n d a r y c a u s e of t h e d e c l i n e o f m o d e r n f i c t i o n is t h e a v a i l a b i l i t y o f so m a n y o t h e r ( m o r e p r o f i t a b l e )

classes

outlets.

b e d t i m e s . T h e v a s t $ y o f t h e p o p u l a t i o n d o n ' t w a n t t o read anything taxing or epic - we are the M T V generation:

D o z e n s of d a i l y a n d w e e k l y p a p e r s a n d t h o u s a n d s of m o n t h l y

o u r a t t e n t i o n s p a n is d e f i n e d b y t h e l e n g t h o f t h e H o l l y w o o d

m a g a z i n e s r e q u i r e a m o u n t a i n of p e r m a n e n t a n d f r e e l a n c e

b l o c k b u s t e r a n d o u r a b i l i t y to come to t e r m s w i t h

w r i t e r s , a n d , m o r e i m p o r t a n t l y , hundreds of T V channels a n d

m e a n i n g extends to spotting the p r o d u c t p l a c e m e n t s on ITV.

deeper

a massive movie industry require the round-the-clock scrib-

W e don't w a n t K a f k a or M i l t o n or J o y c e (unless w e can buy

blings of a n u n e n d i n g s t r e a m of w r i t e r s a n d script-doctors.

t h e m f o r a p o u n d a n d p u t t h e m o n o u r b o o k s h e l f in a n e f f o r t

A n d w h i l s t they m i g h t n o t call f o r the best plotlines, the

to l o o k m o r e " i n t e l l e c t u a l " ) . W e h a v e d u m b e d

deepest characterisation or the most intellectual meaning,

d o w n a n d k i l l e d off o u r i m a g i n a t i o n s , a n d w e ' r e p r o u d of it.

ourselves

FELIX MILLENNIUM

Best Book Tolkein edges out Douglas A d a m s by % &' t two votes, possibly helped by the fact that The Lord of the Rings remains the only book which pract i c a l l y everyone I've ever met seems to have read. Undoubtedly a classic, I still remember the first time I read it - by the time I got to the end, I was elated by the fact that everything had worked out for the best, but deeply saddened by the fact that I would have to leave the w o r l d of M i d d l e E a r t h and it's wonderful characters. Indeed the reason for it's enduring popularity must be Tolkein's ability to generate characters who are so real and so " a l i v e " ,

The Lord of the Rings

despite the fact that none of them are human. A n a m a z i n g story, designed to be read by any-

Year : 1954 Vote share : 29%

Hitch Hiker's Guide to the Galaxy

one, of any age, The Lord of the Rings is a deserved winner of ' B o o k of the M i l l e n n i u m ' .

The Catcher in the Rye

The greatest t r i l o g y

Salinger's

retains cult status -

books

ever

have been

adapted

particularly

classic

The Great Gatsby

may

Wuthering Heights

One of my personal

,( ) * + + * . .y

faves,

"cry

Fitzgerald

/ 0 1 0 2 1 3 14 2 5 i

cover.

screams

you heartless

in the

captures the twen-

bastard,

from a radio or T V

U S , where it's p r a c -

ties spirit alongside

every page, but you

cry"

show.

t i c a l l y compulsory.

a classic story.

like it nonetheless.

why do so many

Best Author The c u r r e n t hero of the sci-fi and fantasy ,

w o r l d , ( ) * + 6 7 t hardly makes f o r a s u r p r i s -

MIIU i i i c

wurii...

ing winner, considering that he's hardly been outside the top ten in the bestseller lists f o r

And

so to J e f f r e y

the last five years. A s profligat e as he is pop-

The

would-be

ular, he's churned out thirty-odd titles so far,

< => ? = n a n d hero of S u n a n d @ A BC D E e

course, focus on the D i s c w o r l d , w h i c h fits

line w r i t e r s w o n this c a t e g o ry

nicely into a nineties style as an " i r o n i c " :;

Douglas Adams

Runner-up

some kind of cruel hate c a m -

be, but he runs rings around the c o m p e t i t i o n

p a i g n . Indeed, so rev

thanks to a vivid i m a g i n a t i o n , a c o m i c turn

his novels that you

of pen and the a b i l i t y to poke fun at any

wonder why he w a s t

So does this m ak e f o r the greatest w r i t e r of

J R R Tolkein

Charles Dickens

George Orwell

Book' only makes it

sci-fi

rently

working

to number three due

fraternity, Dickens is

1984

the

long-delayed

in for a comeback,

the top five, edging

fact

that

Top rated outside the and

fantasy

Hollywood version of

we've only ever read

thanks

Hitch Hiker's

two of his novels.

wall T V adaptations.

FELIX MILLENNIUM

ntr

all time? A p p a r e n t l y so.

again, A d a m s is cur-

Guide.

you'd

and the like. A gifted w o r d s m i t h he may not

The W i n n e r of 'Best

the

convincingly

think he w a s the '&F% 7+t of

s Carol

once on

Eye gag and h e a d -

number of modern icons, stories and cults.

Born 1948 Year Vote share 31%

w i t h no sign of slowing down. M o s t , of

take on the w o r l d s of Tolkein, 8 9

Terry Pratchett

Archer.

Mayor

to wall-to-

The Animal

out

author

Farm

and

squeaks

into

Hardy,

Austen

and Hemmingway.

the bookstore entirely. W a shame...

Music c g

ith only twenty-two days left f r o m a total of 3 6 5 , 2 5 0 in this m i l l e n n i u m , it is safe to say that we have already heard the best and worst of what we have had to offer. It may seem

slightly mad to get so worked-up about three little zeros, but now is as good a time as any to indulge in our past and speculate about the future. So w h a t has the last one thousand years had to offer us? S o m e of you might say 'bugger a l l until ten years ago' whilst others m i g h t be t h in k ing 'shit loads until we hit this century/decade'. A n d you would a l l be wrong because music is not about when it was written but whether you like it or not. This is why some people think that classifying music into a restrictive set of headings is a B a d Thing as it leads to people

writing-off whole swathes of really rather good music under certain ill-conceived headings. B ut you, enlightened readers, don't need to be told that, do you?

WHAT IS... You probably know more about the music scene a t the moment than I could write in a space ten times this size so I'll keep it short. Due to some rapid technological advances, such as tapes and CDs, music is currently more prevalent in society than ever before. This has led to an increasingly diverse and

The Beastie

Boys have been in on the revolution

now, releasing

for a while

rare tracks to their fans via e-mail.

insular set of genres that are incomprehensible to anyone not w i l l i n g to keep up with the various scenes. Good or bad, you can decide, but I feel that the most interesting music today is

it or not, so pay attention). W h e n completed in M a r c h next

produced by those artists w i l l i n g to consider a wider range of

year, S D M I w i l l enable the record companies to sell their wares

influences and styles.

over the internet, safe in the knowledge that only people who

WHAT COULD BE...

that the 'secure' D V D f o r m a t was recently broken this seems

have paid f o r a t r a c k w i l l be able to listen to it (although given

So to the future. W e l l that's down to you lot. The next gen-

unlikely to last f o r too long). Expect devices with the first

eration of musical geniuses have already been born and are

(incomplete) phase of S D M I to be in the shops this Christmas.

beginning to make their f i r s t tunes as I w r i t e this. W i t h the

This is now beyond the control of the hackers who pioneered the

increasing a v a i l a b i l i t y of cheap and easy-to-use m u s i c - m a k i ng

use of such technology. The fact that Sony have developed a

gear, more and more people are going to be able to produce

portable M P 3 player that looks (as you w o u l d expect) gorgeous,

music. A s computers become cheaper, more powerful and more

is a sign of how serious this is getting.

widespread, more people w i l l have access to the next generation of music creation and distribution. It is already possible to

However, the five major record companies a r e now treading on very thin ice. This new technology means that a CD pressing

emulate an entire studio worth of gear on a two thousand pound

plant or a high-street shop is no longer required to get music to

computer and even the cheapest P C w i l l play M P 3 s .

the masses. Even A & R costs are continually f a l l i n g thanks to

M P 3 stands f o r M o t i o n P ic t u r e Experts Group layer 3 and is a technology (developed by some hi-fi experts in Germany

cheaper hi-fi equipment and clever software. This means that anyone with a few ideas and an overdraft can put out a record.

almost 10 years ago) designed to make music files smaller. It

Good f o r you and me as we get a huge amount of new, innova-

uses advanced 'perceptive' compression techniques s i m i l a r to

tive material but bad f o r the existing record companies. This

that used by Sony in the M i n i D i s c . M P 3 files provoked an

may cause the ' B i g Five' companies to introduce a new payment

uproar f r o m the record industry last year when they realised

scheme where you pay-per-listen' rather than pay to own an

that students had been copying CDs to M P 3 s and giving them

album or single. I don't know about you but t h a t would hit my

away to anyone who w a s interested. This left a sour taste in the

listening habits hard.

industry's collective mouth and it looked like the f o r m a t would never be c o m m e r c i a l l y supported. This a l l changed this year

This, coupled with digital radio (more stations a t better quality), means that anyone into their music (that's you if you've

with the introduction of the Secure Digital M u s i c Initiative or

read this far) is in f o r an interesting ride over the next few

S D M I f o r short (this is going to be important, whether you like

years. So close your eyes, sit back and listen.

FELIX MILLENNIUM

Best S o n g Topping the only chart that counts this m i l l e n n iu m, w e have the t h i r d longest song ever to have reached number one in the U K charts. Anyone reading this who hasn't heard this classic t r a c k must have spent their youth in suspended a n i m a t i o n . This is the song that has been sung by pissed-up rugby teams time and time again over muffled speakers a t karaoke nights. A n epic song that is known all over the w o r l d by all age-groups. Ahead of its time time this song has not aged like any of its c o n t e m poraries. Not everyone's cup of tea but that's tough shit: you should have voted yourself.

Queen - Bohemian Rhapsody M e m o r a b l e lyric:

Year : 1975 Vote share : 21%

Remember all your

childhood

N OP

John Lennon Imagine

The

New

killed a man. K LM a gun

su per b

piano

Nirvana - Smells

2 - One

Like Teen Spirit

This t o p song w a s re-worked by t h e i r

The song that many will

remember

b a l l a d f r o m the ex-

producer

holding hands in a

B e a t l e comes in a t

Eno a f t e r the band

Nirvana

circle

could

truly

celebrations, with

your

worthy

number

th ree.

family singing...

against

his head, pulled my trigger now he's dead.'

Ode to Joy

IJ GH

'Mamma,

Brian

n o t g e t it

for, this

deserves its

standing.

sounding right.

Best A r t i s t

N OQ

, the Merseyside foursome have made it to

the top of our comprehensive poll. aside all competition, J o h n , R

P ST

, U

Sweeping

OVWX

e and

Ringo have captured the musical hearts of IC .

t would

W h y their songs didn't even begin to feature in our ' B e s t Songs' section is beyond me. W i t h classics like Hey Jude,

Here

Comes The Sun,

Day Tripper and Day In The YZ

you're spoiled

f o r choice. A n d with concept albums like Sgt ]

\^^ \_I

a\bc Y`

Hearts

Club Band (which was

the first album to print the lyrics in the sleeve) this

ground-breaking

band

a r e more-than

deserving of their number one spot.

The Beatles The

Year : 1960-1970 Vote share : 39%

Nirvana

Mozart

band t o

The only artist f r o m

feature in both o u r

outside this century

'Best

to feature this year

The

only

Band'

and

'Best S o n g ' sections,

weathered

be a hit with you lot.

of time.

FELIX MILLENNIUM

is equal

to the love you

David Bowie

This

guy's

been

recording songs f o r longer

than

I've

Radiohead

This

slightly

turbed Oxford

lot

disfrom

probably

has

been alive and he's

would

the test

still touring his lat-

higher if they'd done

ofr0fictยงc!

est offerings.

anything recently.

Five a n d

Amadeus

these boys seem to

love you take

make' - The End, Abbey Road (1969)

have

been by

Film Helen Clark takes a retrospective look at the National Film Theatre and British film Institute over the past century . . .

o t h i n k b a c k over the last m i l l e n n i u m , or even j u s t the century, there's one t h i n g t h a t has offered the c i n e m a l o v i n g w o r l d c l a s s i c , c u l t a n d even m a i n s t r e a m f i l m s . N o , it's not H o l l y w o o d , i t ' s the B r i t i s h

F i l m I n s t i t u t e . E v e r y year, they not only offer a f i l m f e s t i v a l of stupendous p r o p o r t i o n s a n d diversity, but they also provide seasons of f i l m s to suit a l l tastes. This y e a r w a s t h e i r 4 3 r d f i l m f e s t i v a l I F o r t y - t h r e e y e a r s in the w o r l d of c e l l u l o i d is a long t i m e . M a n y f i l m s has been a n d gone but only the best have r e m a i n e d . A n d the ones t h a t r e m a i n a r e c a r e f u l l y looked a f t e r by the B F I a n d c o n t i n u e to be w a t c h e d over a n d over a n d over a g a i n . One of the m o s t p o i g n a n t events in the w o r l d of f i l m this c e n t u r y w a s the opening of the N a t i o n a l F i l m T h e a t r e . The N F T is the p a r t of the B r i t i s h F i l m Institute t h a t hosts f i l m s and e x h i b i t i o n s of f i l m . M o v i n g into the new m i l l e n n i u m , the N F T a r e o f f e r i n g f i l m lovers a new look. A l t h o u g h there are no r a d i c a l changes, the N F T a r e m a k i n g t h e i r f i l m prog r a m m e m o r e s i m p l e w i t h a g r e a t e r n u m b e r of s c r e e n i n gs per sea son. The N a t i o n a l F i l m T h e a t r e are also u n d e r t a k i n g a p r o j e c t c a l l e d Treasures

from the Archive.

The a i m of this p r o j e c t is

to c r e a t e a n d present a c o l l e c t i o n of 3 6 0 of the g r e a t e s t f i l m s ever m a d e . Over 1 4 0 have a l r e a d y been a c q u i r e d a n d are to be screened in c h r o n o l o g i c a l order. These include s i l e n t c l a s s i c s such a s T h e C a b i n e t of D r C a l i g a r i to m o d e r n c l a s s i c s like T a x i Driver. The N a t i o n a l F i l m T h e a t r e w a s opened on 2 3 r d October

Quirky Facts About The NFT

1 9 5 2 , t a k i n g over the T e l e k i n e m a e x h i b i t of the F e s t i v a l of B r i t a i n . T h e i r f i r s t home w a s on the site now o c c u p i e d by the S h e l l C e n t r e , a n d the N F T stayed there f o r five y e a r s until they m o v e d to t h e i r present home a t N o . 1 A b u t m e n t A r c h ,

•

W a t e r l o o . If you have never been there, it is a s o r t of a r t deco p l a c e w i t h r e l a x e d s u r r o u n d i n g s a n d a place to j u s t

•

c h i l l out a n d enjoy some a m a z i n g f i l m s .

The N F T is one of a v e r y s m a l l n u m b e r of c i n e m a s in the U K licensed to screen o r i g i n a l n i t r a t e f i l m to the p u b l i c .

T a l k i n g of a m a z i n g t h i n g s , one of the best t h i n g s at the

N i t r a t e f i l m is more f l a m m a b l e t h a n d y n a m i t e (Is it, you

N a t i o n a l F i l m T h e a t r e is the old b l a c k and w h i t e silents. A p i a n i s t p l a y i n g in the a u d i t o r i u m w i t h you pr ov ides the

M a u r i c e M i c k l e w h i t e ( l a t e r known as M i c h a e l Caine) w a s on the f i r s t page of the m e m be r 's register.

c h e m i s t s out there?) a n d w i l l even b u r n under water. •

sound t r a c k . N o Dolby d i g i t a l s u r r o u n d sound, j u s t good o l d -

There have only been two recorded n i t r a t e f i r e s at the N FT. One w a s d u r i n g the f i n a l m i n u t e s of T h e F o u r

f a s h i o n e d m u s i c . It's a strange e x p e r i e n c e , but one I r e c o m -

H o r s e m a n of the A p o c a l y p s e , w h i c h w a s c o n t a i n e d quite

mend you t r y once. Go o n ! G i v e it a go - you m i g h t s u r p r ise

quickly, and the second w a s d u r i n g a s c r e e n i n g of Noel

yourself.

Coward's The S c o u n d r e l . It caused £47,341.14d d a m a g e

The n e w look N a t i o n a l F i l m T h e a t r e w i l l c o n t i n u e to be essential c i n e m a f o r anyone interested in more than the lat-

in 8 - 1 0 seconds. N o t b a d going a t a l l . •

In 1 9 7 1 , u n d e r g r o u n d f i l m m a k e r Otto M u e h l w a n t e d to

est passing b l o c k b u s t e r . The new p r o g r a m m e k i c k s of in

kill an a n i m a l r i t u a l l y on stage a n d p o u r the blood over

2 0 0 0 w i t h a m a j o r r e t r o s p e c t i v e f r o m one of the t w e n t i e t h

the naked bodies of two w o m e n as a f i l m w a s being

century's g r e a t e s t f i l m m a k e r s , F r i t z L a n g . L a n g d i d not s t i c k

screened. Needless to say the c h i c k e n w a s c o n f i s c a t e d

to one genre - instead he made f i l m s of s o c i a l c o n c e r n , west-

and not m u r d e r e d .

erns, m e l o d r a m a a n d f i l m noir. A m o n g the L a n g m a s t e r pieces to be shown a t the N F T w i l l be the sci-fi c l a s s i c M e t r o p o l i s a n d You Only Live Once. M a k e y o u r s e l f a N e w Years r e s o l u t i o n to v i s i t the N a t i o n a l F i l m T h e a t r e . You w o n ' t regret it!

•

The f i r s t ever survey of Chinese c i n e m a in the W e s t e r n w o r l d took p la ce at the N F T in 1 9 6 0 . P i e c e s of p a p er had to be stuck over an o f f e n d i n g t i t l e in 2 7 , 0 0 0 prog r a m m e b o o k l e t s before the embassy w o u l d d e l i v e r the film.

FELIX MILLENNIUM

Best Film Fantastic prison drama The Shawshank Redemption, starring Tim Robbins and Morgan Freeman, wins pole position in Felix's Millennium Poll. It's little wonder that this film has won, as it's such a classic. Based on a novel by Stephen King, this film, for those of you who haven't seen it or couldn't stay up for the showing at ICU cinema, is about a banker who is wrongly imprisoned for murder for twenty years, seeks revenge and gets it.

The Shawshank Redemption Year1994 Vote share 82%

The Matrix This action-packed movie with amazing effects and incredible stunts came a close second in the poll.

The Italian Job Classic film about a bullion robbery staged in a traffic jam. Stars Michael Caine and some Minis...

Not only does it contain class acting but the adaptation from the novel works so well - unlike many of Stephen King's horror screenplays. Intelligent and simple, this film has a special quality about it that is just so watchable again and again and again.

Stars Wars

All of George Lucas' Star Wars were voted for (even The efghij d

And too!

quite

Godfather

Immortal Francis Ford Coppola film about the Mafia in New York. All the mnopqrst were kl voted for.

Menace).

rightly

and

Four

h 'inc â&#x20AC;˘ and

Best Actor/Actress Robert De Niro will always be classed as a gangster actor no matter what he tries to do. He has had some bad times recently with films such as Ronin and Wag The Dog, but his recent attempt at comedy in Analyse This was just what he needed to rejuvenate his career and return to the glory days of iivwxyyfz{ u ~ Â&#x20AC; } Two.

Raging

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Ultimately, however, Robert De Niro's most classic moment is probably from Taxi Driver, where, as Travis Bickle. he inquires if we are, rather unwisely, looking at him.

Robert De Niro

You can catch Robert De Niro in a number of films over the festive period, including the epic De Niro/Pacino encounter Heat and Scorsese's remake of Cape Fear.

Born 1943 Year Vote share 89%

Sean Connery No matter what he does, the irascible Scot will always be remembered as the best Bond, James Bond.

FELIX MILLENNIUM

Tom Cruise Has given us fantastic acting performances in films like Mission:Impossible and

Interview Vampire.

With

Jack Nicholson

Oscar's and debauchery aside, his finest hour was in probably in The Shining. Watch out "Here's Johnny!"

Al Pacino Ultimate psycho G a n g s t e r / M af ia actor in classic films such as The ivwfhex| u

Trilogy

S tal lone

fai i

and Heat.

Games Mystical Ben Roe rubs his hands and polishes his crystal ball to provide an insight into the future of multi-player gaming . . .

have seen the future of g a m i n g and it is m u l t i p l a y e r . e are the days of the lonely, isolated c o m p u t e r

g a m e r p l a y i n g single p l a y e r games. The era of m u l t i p l a y e r g a m i n g has a r r i v e d . W i t h new games like

Quake 3 and Unreal

Tournament

being released that are

focused e n t i r e l y on the m u l t i p l a y e r m a r k e t , the revolution is here to stay. W h a t a g l o r i o u s r e v o l u t i o n it is too. W h e t h e r you w a n t to play a g a i n s t each other and blast y o u r f r i e n d s a p a r t w i t h shotguns or t e a m up and f ly s t r i k e m i s s i o n s over I r a q , the p o s s i b i l i t i e s are endless. A n e x c e l l e n t e x a m p l e of this is Rogue

Spear. A s a single

playe r g a m e it w a s a f a i r l y averag e s p e c i a l forces 'hunt the t e r r o r i s t s w i t h sub m a c h i n e guns' g am e, but play it w i t h a few f rien ds as a squad sweeping a enemy base and it is t r a n s f o r m e d into a m a s t e r p i e c e of a g am e. C o o r d i n a t e a t t a c k s together, w a t c h y o u r f rien ds backs and g e n e r a l l y k i c k the bad guys. The i m m e r s i o n f a c t o r is m u l t i p l i e d a hundred fold e s p e c i a l l y if you t u r n the lights off and the bass way up.

Unreal

Tournament

and Quake 3 represent the newest

crop of m u l t i p l a y e r only games. W h i l e they can both be played single player, this is really only p r a c t i c e for the m u l t i playe r c o m b a t . Quake 3 seems to have gone back to its d e a t h m a t c h roots, w i t h hectic and very fast m u l t i p l a y e r m a y hem, w h i l e s to be a little slower and more t h o u g h t f ul w i t h a less p o w e r f u l and more b a l a n c e d arsenal of weapons. M o s t people have played d e a t h m a t c h games of Quake or

Half

at some point, but those really are the most basic

m u l t i p l a y e r e x p e r i e n c e s . E x p e c t the future to b r i n g m u l t i -

getting in on the a c t i o n . B o t h Sega's D r e a m c a s t and Sony's

playe r g a m i n g to a w h ole new level - t r y Team Fortress

upcoming

n 2 have b u i l t in m o d e m s , so even c o n -

2 for

sole gamers can s t a r t p l a y i n g o n l i n e .

e x a m p l e . W i t h p r o p e r c o o p e r a t i v e and a d v e r s a r i a l m i s s i o n s ,

M u l t i p l a y e r internet g a m i n g w i l l r e a l l y only take off in

c h a r a c t e r classes f r o m the h u m ble machine-gun t o t i n g g r u n t to the c o m m a n d e r who can see w h a t everyone on his team is

this c o u n t r y as it has in the S t a t e s once internet access

doing and issue orders, TF2 looks like being the f i r s t of the

becomes free - b a s i c a l l y until B T get off t h e i r arse and s t a r t c h a r g i n g a f l a t rate f o r local phone c a l l s . F i n d i n g servers

new w a v e of 'true' m u l t i p l a y e r games.

that are fast enough to play on can be a little t r i c k y , but

B u t how do you play games m u l t i p l a y e r ? The best option

is to b u i l d y o u r s e l f a l A r e a N e t w o r k N f o r short). If,

shareware p r o g r a m s such as ¡

like me, you live in a student house w i t h three or f o u r s

spy.com) w i l l find all the game servers a r o u n d f o r p o p u l a r

a r o u n d , then a l l you need is one network card per t

games such as Quake

£12 each), c a b l i n g for each (you can get it for 5 0 p a metre)

more i m p o r t a n t , p r o g r a m m e r s w i l l o p t i m i s e games for i n t e r -

and a c e n t r a l hub to plug t h e m all in to (£50). For a network

net play and th in gs w i l l get smoother.

D (check www.game-

2. A s m u l t i p l a y e r g a m i n g becomes

, I much prefer p l a y i n g a g a i n s t people I can

of f o u r c o m p u t e r s you can e xpe c t to pay about £30 per person in a l l - less than the cost of a single game. Check out

t a l k to face-to-face: somehow, d e c a p i t a t i n g someone's c h a r a c -

w w w . p c m e c h . c o m f o r f u r t h e r i n f o r m a t i o n on c o n s t r u c t i n g a

ter when they live a thousand m i l e s a w a y and can't hear you

n e t w o r k , or f i n d a f r i e n d who does c o m p u t i n g and get h i m to

laughing

do it f o r y o u .

more d i f f i c u l t , as your only c o m m u n i c a t i o n is g e n e r a l l y t y p -

t isn't the same.

g c o o p e r a t i v e l y is even

ing. Of course, this w i l l a l l change once Voice-over-I £ gets

If a N is not an o p t i o n , then next best is internet play. M o s t games these days have internet options b u i l t in - for

better and you can t a l k in real t i m e to y o u r opponents and

e x a m p l e the p u b l i s h e r s of Conflict.Freespace

c o m r a d e s using a m i c r o p h o n e headset.

run a large

B a s i c a l l y , you haven't played c o m p u t e r games u n t i l you've

server f o r a l l owners of the game to play on. For C g a m e r s ,

t get a f a s t m o d e m and a phone line and you're ready -

be p r e p a r e d f o r g i a n t phone b i l l s . Even console gamers are

played t h e m m u l t i p l a y e r . This is the f u t u r e of c o m p u t e r g a m ing and it can only get better.

FELIX MILLENNIUM

Best Game Mario kart just pipped Half-life to the best game of the millennium spot, and deservedly so. This game has brought hours of fun to many households for the past few years. The great thing about Mario tart was that women actually enjoyed this game (as opposed to all other games and all things computer) so it was one that you could play with your girlfriend, sister or mum (even though they were pretty pathetic at it). A great party game with appealing simplicity and unlimited

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While the S N E S version got most of the votes, it must be said that Mario Kart 64 was actually voted worst game by some. Obviously they were exasperated with the fact that it didn't quite live up to the original version.

Mario Kart (SNES/N64) Year : 1992/97 Vote share : 22%

The best N64 game makes it into the top 5. It seems as if Bond is everywhere - and who can resist his charms?

Finally a 3D shooter that provided the strategy, graphics and down-to-earth terror gamers had been crying out for.

An adventure of epic proportions, Final Fantasy brought out the emotion in PSX and PC gamers.

C&C THE real time strategy game that paved the way for so many in its genre. A complete classic.

Best Console

The Playstation was the resounding winner in the category of best platform. Sony don't do things by halves; a huge advertising campaign and a wonderful product are testament to the overwhelming popularity of the Playstation. Consoles have such a short life in today's fast paced market, but the Playstation is still competing fiercely with the likes of N64 & Dreamcast 4 years on, mainly due to the sheer volume of games released on the machine.

The

A1 i

f v'lleiuly

The Playstation gave us timeless classics such as Wipeout,

Playstation Year : 1995 Vote share : 54%

PC Your best friend and worst enemy. Helps you out with assignments but pisses you off when it crashes.

FELIX MILLENNIUM

Final

Fantasy

and Tekken to

name but a few. Will the Dreamcast spell doom for the nation's favourite platform? Who cares! The advent of the Playstation II next year should crush any opposition, and we wait with baited breath!

Oozing originality, class and a massive game library, the British designed Speccy managed to last a whole decade.

A king of its time, whose future prospects were finally destroyed by Microsoft. Still has a faithful following.

The dreamcast is the most advanced console to date and the only one with internet capabilities. Time will tell...

Tomorrow... What does the next thousand years hold in store for the world? David Roberts attempts to put doom and gloom aside in the search for an unlikely answer. . .

o, what will the next millennia bring? A stupid question I realise, but one which we'll no doubt hear being asked again and again over the next few weeks. By way of a roundabout answer, lets go back a thousand years and see what we might have predicted way back then... Aside from lots of'wars,''VTI<in'g'i'nvasions, rampaging and pillaging, the concept of flying machines, mechanised carts and a source of heat and light that didn't involve the need to burn stuff might have come to mind...but anyone who suggested such things would have been laughed away or thrown in the river as a witch. Centuries later, no end of people were getting burnt, hung and otherwise slaughtered for suggesting such idiotic concepts as the Earth going around the sun or the possibility that we are all descended from monkeys... §¨ ©ª« ©¬ g the future, it would seem, can be a dangerous ¥¦ business. In fact, only one historical figure has ever been given any credit for accurate predictions - and those are deeply questionable to say the least. Back in the sixteenth century, Nostradamus apparently predicted the entire course of human history, imparting wisdoms along the line of "The blue law shall do the white law As much harm, as France has done it ® good Dead on the antenna, a great one hanged on a branch When a king taken by his own shall say 'How much' " (which clearly predicts the death of Mussolini) and "Being kept pris©¬ª§ ° ¨± oners, by ¥¦ s and ¯ ¦ The slavish people petition for songs and books For the future, idiots without heads Shall be received by divine prayers" (obviously prophesising the Russian Revolution). A prodigious talent, I'm sure you'll agree... Bizarrely, a more reliable source of predictions has been the world of science fiction. H ² Wells, Issac Asimov and especially Arthur C Clark all suggested (moderately) realistic visions of elements of space flight and modern technology, years before any of it became reality... So, what does all this suggest about what might happen over the next thousand years? Well, firstly it tells us that, no matter what we might predict in our wildest fantasies, the reality will be far, far greater. Sure, we might get the actual dates wrong (every sixties sci-fi show under the sun predicted that we'd all be bacofoil wearing space cadets by now), but there's very little doubt that it'll all happen eventually. Flying cars? Sure. Deep space exploration? Undoubtedly. Holidays §´ on Mars? ³ . Faster than light travel? Well...erm...maybe. It will all happen, simply because that's what we all want to happen - in other words, that's what the market wants, and that's what we'll all pay for. Moreover, some aspects are going to turn into a necessity - for example, dealing with congestion on the roads will, eventually, either require 50 ° ¬¨° ¬ lane motorways running through the centre of ¯ , or traffic will have to go 3-D - flying cars, here we come. Alternatively, of course, there are no end of predictions of armageddon heading our way in the very near future. Turning

once again to Nostradamus, we find that the end of the world is, apparently, nigh: "In the year 1999 and seven months From the skies shall come an alarmingly powerful king µ To raise again the great King of the Jacquerie Before and after, Mars shall reign at w i l l " . Quite... he's probably talking about the millennium bug. Or something. More realistically, one thing which the next millennium is going to have to deal with is the exhaustion of our natural resources - particularly the ability to create new sources of food and water. In a strange way, we are now in a similar to position to that at the end of the last century. The last real war was so long ago that we've all begun to think it a thing of the past the scientific world believes itself to be on the verge of knowing everything there is to know and our prime resources are ·¸ ° on the verge of exhaustion. At some point, a ¶ r war will become inevitable, as the (increasingly militaristic) developing world nations become increasingly disenchanted with ·¸ ° their lot, or the leader of one of the ¶ r powers is forced into battle in order to maintain their position (the current situations in both Russia and China spring to mind). And although such an eventuality might seem far fetched to our nineties sensibilities, it's worth remembering that the ultramilitaristic days of the Regan administration are only a §± ©¨§ ¬

change of ¥¦ t away... But enough of the gloom - we will be the generation charged with building the foundations for the next century, which will be filled with Star Trek morality, Buck Rogers costumes and Star Wars technology. Bring it on. FELIX MILLENNIUM

17 12

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